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If Bettman Does Not Continue NHL Participation In The Olympics...
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Originally Posted by
Blades of Glory
Gary Bettman, whether we like him or not, does bring up some valid points when he claims that the NHL will need to decide whether going to the Olympics is beneficial to the league.
There is no doubt that the NHL benefits from having the games played in North America, where the media devours Olympic ice hockey (yes, even the American media), there is a very irrelevant time difference, and fans have the opportunity to actually witness the games live.
The truth is, for many Americans with jobs, especially 9-5 jobs, the Sochi Olympics are going to be similar to the Torino Olympics; "GO USA! I'll catch the highlights online." Bettman knows this, and he also knows the sport grows most when Americans are watching it. I can honestly tell you that I watched far more of Team Canada than I did of Team USA (live) during these Olympics because the US was playing at noon, and that is simply not going to cut it for many of us. Now, imagine what the hell is going to happen in Sochi, which is what amounts to close to a 9-12 hour difference away from North America? I'm guessing Russia will have the same "prime-time" slot Canada got this year, and American/Canadian games are going to be played at random times of the morning, or very late at night. Is it worth shutting down the league for two weeks for games that are going to be very difficult for the average viewer to watch?
The NHL will go to Sochi. But those of you mindlessly spewing crap over Bettman for "debating" the validity of shutting down an entire league for two weeks, especially for games that are going to be played at a very inaccessible time in North America, need to gain some perspective.
God Bless Canada is spot on.
In the '06 Fifa World Cup in Germany, I woke up at 4 in the morning to watch the games, and I don't even follow football.
I think people who wants to watch the hockey games will watch it regardless. As for those who just tune in only if it's primetime, well those people won't stick around to follow the NHL anyway.
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In Reply to: Thinking about upgrading my SACD player posted by Doktor Brahms on March 12, 2012 at 17:30:20:
Believe it or not, you may want to at least consider the Oppo 95. Many people, including long-time audiophiles, are liking it (especially when modified). I'm trying one right now, after years with a very heavily modded Denon 3910. I don't have enough time on it to judge it "fairly", though. That is probably going to take a couple more weeks.
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Vendor: Microsoft
Certifications: MCTS
Exam Name: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 ?C Windows Workflow Foundation
Exam Code: 070-511-VB
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RIDGEFIELD PARK, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Please replace release dated December 29, 2010 due to a change to the "Additional features" listed in the Specification Sheet.
The corrected release reads:
The ultra-slim 24X zoom camera comes packed with features for the demanding photographer
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and digital convergence technologies, announced today the launch of the new WB700, the ultra-slim camera with an impressive 24X zoom function, capable of delivering superb quality images whether your subject is near or far.
The camera features a 24mm ultra-wide Schneider KREUZNACH® lens to capture the perfect wide shot, as well as an outstanding 24X zoom function, made up of an 18X optical zoom and 1.3X Smart Zoom. The WB700 delivers sharp images with incredible detail, thanks to the camera's 16 Megapixel (MP) CCD sensor. The WB700 is also equipped with full manual control and the ability to record in 720p high definition video (H.264 format). The flexibility of the WB700's lens and zoom functions allows users to capture a broad landscape in the same 16MP detail as a bubbling brook in the distance.
"We understand that many of our customers come to us for the very best and most up-to-date technology available, which is why we have chosen to bring all our innovation together in the WB700 for both the advanced and novice photographer, giving a balance of professional quality imaging and the kind of usability anyone can master," said Mr. Hyunho Chung, Executive Vice President and Head of the Digital Imaging Business, Samsung Electronics. "On top of the core excellence of the WB700's 16MP 24mm lens with OIS and Schneider KREUZNACH 18x super-zoom, we have added features that bring surprise and delight to the photography experience, such as our new smart filters, the smart lens effect and zoom noise cancellation."
High quality and fun shooting
The successor to the successful WB600 and WB650 models, the WB700 includes Samsung's latest advances in HD video technology so users can capture high quality video footage, as well as still images. The WB700 also features Smart Filter 2.0 - artistic filters in modes such as 'soft focus', 'half-tone dot' and 'cinema' alongside traditional features such as 'fish-eye', 'miniature' and 'sketch', giving entertaining and professional finishes at the touch of a button.
Zoom Noise Reduction
Samsung has also introduced new innovation to remove zoom noise from video content. The WB700 uses an advanced noise reduction algorithm that actively cancels out the zoom noise, as the optical zoom slides backwards and forwards, giving you uninterrupted clear sound to complement your detailed High Definition movies.
Specification Sheet |
Image Sensor |
1/2.33″ (approx 7.76mm) CCD,
16 Megapixel, 14MP(effective) |
Zoom |
Still Image mode : 1.0X ~ 5.0X
Still Image mode: |
Lens | Schneider-KREUZNACH f = 4.06 ~ 73.08mm (35mm film equivalent : 24~432 mm) | ||
Image Stabilization | Dual OIS and DIS (Optical / Digital Image Stabilization) | ||
Dimensions | 99.5 x 59 x 21.7 | ||
Additional features |
Pricing | $299.99 | ||
Availability (est.) | April | ||
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2009 consolidated sales of US$116.8 billion. Employing approximately 174,000 people in 193 offices across 66 countries, the company consists of eight independently operated business units: Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, Digital Imaging, Semiconductor and LCD. Recognized as one of the fastest growing global brands, Samsung Electronics is a leading producer of digital TVs, memory chips, mobile phones and TFT-LCDs. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=6556722&lang=en


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Camp Scrub Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 12
| Old time Redskin fan needed to coach the '65 & '75 Redskins in a computer simulation I play in a retro football simulation playing the 1965 and 1975 seasons and we'd like to find a die-hard Redskin fan to coach the '65 and or the '75 team. Our games are played over the internet head to head. Each coach calls their own plays and the computer software determines the play outcome by using the player's ratings and statistics along with each coaches play call. It's kind of like Strat-o-matic or APBA if you have ever heard of either of those games except this is a computer program. It really is a blast reliving these old seasons, in fact it's addicting. I've been in our league since we started with the 1970 season in 2004 and I've had a great experience. We will play the 1966 and 1976 season in late January and 1967 and 1977 in September. Here's our league website. http://www.sportsattic.com/araig/1970/1970.htm Our league uses Action PC Football software. http://www.dksports.com/football.htm It's a fun game and does have a money back guarantee. It is very intuitive and it feels like you're coaching football. If you have any questions, let me know. Thanks, Karl |
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Camp Scrub Join Date: Oct 2006
Posts: 12
| Re: Old time Redskin fan needed to coach the '67 & '77 Redskins in a computer simulat Hi, The Redskins may not be doing well in 2007 so why not turn to your favorite Redskins of old to get you through the football season? Our league has now moved onto 1967 and 1977 and we are looking for a coach for the 1977 team. (The above link has changed, we are now at sportsattic2.com/araig/1970/1970.htm )The 77 team had Billy Kilmer and Joe Theismann split the duties at QB, Mike Thomas, John Riggins, Calvin Hill in the backfield and Frank Grant, Jean Fugett, and Charley Taylor and Danny Buggs as their receivers. Diron Talbert, Ron McDole, Chirs Hanburger, Ken Houston, Pat Fischer, Jake Scott, led a solid defense that allowed only 189 points. Can you lead this team to a Super Bowl? They have a big game coming up against the Cowboys and currently this team is without a head coach. Nothing can be better than knocking off the Cowboys can it? If interested let me know at apbaball AT yahoo DOT com This is an ongoing league and we we will play 1968 and 1978 in February. See you on the gridiron. |
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text: December 2nd, 2005The story begins with an architect and a broken heart. Architecture as he knew it was too cold, too big, too old. He wanted to design something intimate for a woman and for his broken heart. He came up with the Mobius as a concept for a shoe, the sign of infinity symbolizing a story without a beginning or end. He met a shoe-maker, a friend. A company was born for the shoes to be worn. All over the world!


text: NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Continuing to build upon its global expansion, Kenneth Cole Productions, Inc. (NYSE: KCP) announces that it has entered into a licensing agreement with Delta Galil Industries, Ltd. (DELT/Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, DELTY.PK/OTCQX) for men's and women's underwear, loungewear and hosiery under both the "Kenneth Cole New York" and "Kenneth Cole Reaction" labels. (Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111101/MM98089LOGO ) The collection will be developed, produced and distributed by Delta Galil, an internationally famous manufacturer and distributer of underwear and intimates. While details are being finalized by category, some of the collections will be launched as early as fall 2012 with the balance to launch by early 2013 and will be distributed at Kenneth Cole New York retail stores and select department and specialty stores worldwide. Paul Blum, CEO, Kenneth Cole Productions Inc. said, "We are very excited about this new initiative and are pleased to have such a strong partner in these important classifications as we look to continue to better access the global marketplace. As was the case with our announcement last month to partner with The Reliance Group in India, this arrangement is another step in our overall strategy to become a leading dual gender global lifestyle brand."In Delta Galil, Kenneth Cole has chosen a partner with a tradition of designing and manufacturing products that maximize comfort, aesthetics and quality, and an innovative body-before-fabric ™ approach that utilizes cutting edge technologies and fabrics. Delta Galil has a reputation for excellence in manufacturing, marketing and servicing products, building on its deep knowledge base and strong core manufacturing competencies. Their global presence includes 17 development, design, logistics, manufacturing and marketing locations worldwide. "Kenneth Cole is one of the most recognized brands in the fashion industry and a great addition to our branded portfolio," said Isaac Dabah, CEO of Delta Galil Industries. "We are excited to be partnering with the Kenneth Cole team, and we look forward to applying Delta Galil's strengths in design, product and material innovation, and global distribution to grow both the Kenneth Cole brands and our own business." Kenneth Cole's current licensing partner, Esportia International Inc., will continue to ship to their current customers during the transition period in order to ensure continuity of deliveries between existing accounts.


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How high can it fly?
- Asked by Shane S
- Asked about: Parrot AR.Drone 2.0
3 Answers from the Community
As high as the range of the radio transceiver that controls it.
That is, it will probably fly out of sight for most operators.- Answered by David I from Richardson
177 meters
- Answered by Sanjay H from Austin
With a standard wifi connection to an ipad/phone about 50meters.
- Answered by Glen W from Strathpine


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Stardock Start8 v1.40 Windows 8
Stardock Start8 v1.40 Windows 8 | 7.5 MB
Bring back the Windows Start menu with Start8. Start8 returns the same Windows 7-style Start menu you have depended upon, while adding enhancements just for Windows 8. Quickly access your applications, devices, music, videos and documents the way you always have with Start 8.
Features include a Windows 7-style Start menu with Windows 8 enhancements; Search for Windows 8-style (Modern UI) apps; Pin desktop and Metro apps; Boot directly to the Windows 8 desktop; Make the Windows 8 Start screen accessible from the Start menu; Jump List support; Unified Search for apps, settings and files; One click access to shut down, devices, music, documents, and videos. In addition to that, it offers Configurable Start menu size; Clean, streamlined UI; Option to disable the desktop Windows 8 "hot spots"; Changing of "Start" button, and a lot more!
- Add the best Windows 8 start menu to your desktop
- Windows 7-styled start menu enhanced for Windows 8
- Pin Modern applications to the Windows 8 start menu
- Boot directly to the Windows 8 desktop
What's new in version 1.40:
- Fix to allow clicking on section titles in search
- Fix for issue with documents showing in most recent apps list
- Fix to exclude desktop items from recent apps list
- Fixed issue with touch to close on touch-enabled machines re-opening the menu
Home Page - http://www.stardock.com/
Download Links:
(Premium Recommended)
(Premium Recommended)
All above links are interchangable. No password
Author: CarlCox


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Holiday craft projects including Christmas, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving and more!
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – Free Entrance to all National Parks
January 21st, 2013 posted by Angie Barrett
Today is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with a visit to a National Park. All 398 national parks across the US will have free entrance today for Martin […]
St. Patrick's Day Crafts & Recipes
March 11th, 2010 posted by Family Corner Staff
St. Patrick's Day doesn't get the attention that many other holidays do, but that doesn't stop the creation of cute crafts and tasty recipes you and your kids will love! […]


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Here are 10 tips for getting the best mortgage deal:
Compare apples to apples. When you get quotes from companies, don't look at just the interest rate. Look at the rate and all the fees, including points, origination fees and any other fees charged by the lender. A "no-fee" loan just means the fees are included in the rates.
Ask to see the Good Faith Estimate worksheet, not just the GFE. Many people consider the current Good Faith Estimate, required by law, to be confusing, and it is being replaced August 1 with what consumer advocates hope will be a more useful document. Until then, ask for the complete worksheet, and make sure it itemizes all the fees.
Interview the actual person who will handle your loan. That could be a mortgage broker, a bank employee or a loan officer. Ask about experience and qualifications. Is the person licensed (required for brokers but not bank employees)? Does he or she belong to the National Association of Mortgage Professionals or your state's mortgage professional association? Ask for references and look at reviews online. "The company does not matter as much as the originator," Fleming says. "Even good companies hire really bad people."
Plan for costs that are not charged by the lender. Additional costs include title insurance, real estate transfer taxes and required escrows for property taxes and homeowner insurance. In some states, shopping for closing agents can save several thousand dollars, while escrow or closing costs are minimal in other states.
Make sure the lender offers the program that is best for you. Not all lenders offer FHA, VA or USDA Rural Development loans. Down payment requirements, loan-to-value ratios and credit requirements also vary by lender.
Get your free credit report before you start. This will not allow you to put your feet up on the desk and demand the best terms, as one commercial suggests, but it will let you know where you stand. "Just because you have a 700 credit score doesn't put the ball in your court," says Donald Frommeyer, chief executive officer of the National Association of Mortgage Professionals and a loan originator at American Midwest Bank in Indianapolis.
Give the loan officer all details about your situation when asking for quotes. People who are self-employed, have suffered a foreclosure or recently changed careers especially need a good loan officer. "One of the toughest things for me is to tell a customer, 'Hey, I really can't help you,' but I always have a potential solution," Frommeyer says. "I don't like to pull credit on somebody until I talk to them about what I can do."
Do you want to pay more upfront or get a lower interest rate? If you're planning to keep the loan for 30 years, it may make sense for you to pay more upfront to get a lower rate. If you plan to sell or are going to refinance in a few years, it may not.
Ask about what documents will be required. All mortgages require significantly more documentation these days. Find out what's required, and be prepared to provide it.
Know who you're dealing with when you fill out an online form asking for rates. Will you get phone calls from mortgage brokers trying to gain your business? Will you get quotes online or via email? Most online forms require you to provide significant personal information before giving you quotes (and no one can provide an accurate quote without knowing your credit store). Will the service pull your credit once you fill in the form or wait until after you have talked to someone? Both MortgageHippo's and SoFi's automated systems rejected our freelance writer with good credit with no explanation, while a human broker would likely have suggested making a larger down payment or choosing a less expensive home.


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For a while, it looked like Argo was the film to beat. Then Lincoln came along and it was a two-film fight. But once Zero Dark Thirty hit theaters, it made Argo look a bit light, a bit frothy, and it took over as the favorite. But the debate over the film's treatment of aggressive interrogation techniques soon endangered its frontrunner status (we came down on the side of Bigelow and company here). A few outside-the-box-thinking publications (ahem) proclaimed Life of Pi to be the year's best film. And in all the confusion, there's even word that Harvey Weinstein might pull a rabbit out of the hat for Silver Linings Playbook. On Sunday night, the wildest Oscar season in years comes to a close. Here's our best guess as to where everything will stand once all the confetti has flown.
Production Design Who's Nominated: Sarah Greenwood (Production Design); Katie Spencer (Set Decoration) – Anna Karenina Dan Hennah (Production Design); Ra Vincent and Simon Bright (Set Decoration) – The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Eve Stewart (Production Design); Anna Lynch-Robinson (Set Decoration) – Les Misérables David Gropman (Production Design); Anna Pinnock (Set Decoration) – Life Of Pi Rick Carter (Production Design); Jim Erickson (Set Decoration) – Lincoln
Who Will Win: Greenwood/Spencer, Anna Karenina Who Should Win: Greenwood/Spencer, Anna Karenina
Comments: Anna Karenina has many (noble) failings as a film, but it's hard to deny that it's the most gorgeous film of the year.
Cinematography Who's Nominated: Seamus McGarvey, Anna Karenina Robert Richardson, Django Unchained Claudio Miranda, Life Of Pi Janusz Kaminski, Lincoln Roger Deakins, Skyfall
Who Will Win: Roger Deakins, Skyfall Who Should Win: Claudio Miranda, Life Of Pi
Comments: The consensus seems to be that Miranda wins here for Life of Pi, and indeed he turned in our favorite cinematography of the year. But something tells us that in a year without a runaway favorite, the Academy may choose to finally reward Roger Deakins, possibly the finest cinematographer alive. It must be a sense of continuing embarrassment that they've never found him worthy before.
Costume Design Who's Nominated: Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina Paco Delgado, Les Misérables Joanna Johnston, Lincoln Eiko Ishioka, Mirror Mirror Colleen Atwood, Snow White And The Huntsman
Who Will Win: Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina Who Should Win: Jacqueline Durran, Anna Karenina
Comments: To repeat: Anna Karenina has many (noble) failings as a film, but it's hard to deny that it's the most gorgeous film of the year.
Documentary (Short Subject) Who's Nominated: Inocente Kings Point Mondays At Racine Open Heart Redemption
Who Will Win: Inocente
Film Editing Who's Nominated: William Goldenberg, Argo Tim Squyres, Life Of Pi Michael Kahn, Lincoln Jay Cassidy And Crispin Struthers, Silver Linings Playbook Dylan Tichenor And William Goldenberg, Zero Dark Thirty
Who Will Win: William Goldenberg, Argo Who Should Win: William Goldenberg, Argo
Comments: Goldenberg deserves this award for the first fifteen minutes of Argo alone. There is the distinct possibility that Argo wins some awards we'd rather it not win tonight, but this isn't one of them. He and Tichenor also deserve credit for their incredible, and in some ways even more impressive, work on Zero Dark Thirty, where they had a less traditional plot to guide them.
Foreign Language Film Who's Nominated: Amour (Austria) Kon-tiki (Norway) No (Chile) A Royal Affair (Denmark) War Witch (Canada)
Who Will Win: Amour (Austria) Who Should Win: Amour (Austria)
Comments: Amour has an outside shot at winning Best Picture (it's nominated). It would be a shocking upset if it didn't win Best Foreign Language Film, but the category is strong this year.
Makeup and Hairstyling Who's Nominated: Howard Berger, Peter Montagna and Martin Samuel, Hitchcock Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Misérables
Who Will Win: Lisa Westcott and Julie Dartnell, Les Misérables Who Should Win: Peter Swords King, Rick Findlater and Tami Lane, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
Comments: Overall we liked Les Miserables much more than The Hobbit, but let's give credit where credit is due—amazing work on the residents of Middle Earth.
Original Score Who's Nominated: Dario Marianelli, Anna Karenina Alexandre Desplat, Argo Mychael Danna, Life Of Pi John Williams, Lincoln Thomas Newman, Skyfall
Who Will Win: Alexandre Desplat, Argo Who Should Win: Mychael Danna, Life Of Pi Who Really Should Win: Johnny Greenwood, The Master
Comments: It's been a Desplat kind of year (he also scored Zero Dark Thirty and Moonrise Kingdom), and he's overdue. But the real star this year was Johnny Greenwood's eerie score for The Master, which somehow wasn't even nominated.
Original Song Who's Nominated: "Before My Time" From Chasing Ice (Music and Lyrics: J. Ralph) "Everybody Needs A Best Friend" From Ted(Music: Walter Murphy; Lyrics: Seth Macfarlane) "Pi's Lullaby" From Life Of Pi (Music: Mychael Danna; Lyrics: Bombay Jayashri)"Skyfall" From Skyfall(Music and Lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth) "Suddenly" From Les Misérables (Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil)
Who Will Win: "Skyfall" From Skyfall(Music and Lyrics: Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth) Who Should Win: "Suddenly" From Les Misérables (Music: Claude-Michel Schönberg; Lyrics: Herbert Kretzmer and Alain Boublil)
Comments: "Skyfall" is a truly great song, and we won't begrudge it winning. But a new Schönberg/Boublil collaboration is like a gift from the gods, and "Suddenly" doesn't disappoint.
Short Film (Animated) Who's Nominated: Adam And Dog Fresh Guacamole Head Over Heels Maggie Simpson In 'The Longest Daycare' Paperman
Who Will Win: Paperman
Comments: This delightful tale has no dialogue but plays like a happy Missed Connections story of love in the big city.
Short Film (Live Action) Who's Nominated: Asad Buzkashi Boys Curfew Death Of A Shadow ("Dood Van Een Schaduw") Henry
Who Will Win: Curfew
Sound Editing Who's Nominated: Erik Aadahl and Ethan Van Der Ryn, Argo Wylie Stateman, Django Unchained Eugene Gearty and Philip Stockton, Life Of Pi Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers, Skyfall Paul N.J. Ottosson, Zero Dark Thirty
Who Will Win: Paul N.J. Ottosson, Zero Dark Thirty Who Should Win: Per Hallberg and Karen Baker Landers, Skyfall
Comments: The only likely Zero Dark Thirty award that we would have given away to another film. Skyfall was a bit overrated as a serious film, but it sounded wonderful.
Sound Mixing Who's Nominated: John Reitz, Gregg Rudloff and Jose Antonio Garcia, Argo Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Misérables Ron Bartlett, D.M. Hemphill and Drew Kunin, Life Of Pi Andy Nelson, Gary Rydstrom and Ronald Judkins, Lincoln Scott Millan, Greg P. Russell and Stuart Wilson, Skyfall
Who Will Win: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Misérables Who Should Win: Andy Nelson, Mark Paterson and Simon Hayes, Les Misérables
Comments: Skyfall and Life of Pi are worthy competitors, but the primary thing many casual fans know about Les Miserables is the groundbreaking way in which it was recorded. Mixing an orchestra after the fact to match vocal tracks is an amazing feat.


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Habitat loss, climate change and pesticide use have decreased butterfly populations.
Unbeknownst to many butterflies do not live on nectar alone, some species prefer, even require, overripe fruit to feed on. Decaying fruits have carbohydrates and minerals, neccessary to most butterflies. Supply them with flowers, fruit, water and plants for their caterpillar stage, and you will hopefully have a large and happy, diverse population.
Best Food for Butterflies
Watermelon turns rather rapidly, feeding overripe fruit to butterflies, seems like a perfect purpose for it. There are approximately 20,000 species of butterflies in the world. About 725 species can be found in North America/north of Mexico, approximately 2000 species in Mexico, 3500 in Peru, 275 species in Canada and 440 in Europe. Photo by Toshio, Flickr.
Fruit dehydrates and seals up, therefore slices need to be cut into the fruit daily, making more juice available. A blue Morpho drinking banana at lewisginter.
Watermelon on a stick. Monarchs can live up to nine months. Monarch larvae only eat milkweed, see bottom of page. Photo by Maggie Rattay, flickr.
Making cuts across the fruit allows more juice to be available. visitgainesville
Fruit salad for butterflies. Photo by Charley Chrizzy, charleychrizzy.deviantart.
A butterfly enjoying a dragon fruit. oceansnsunsets.hubpages
Many species seem to love watermelon. Unlike bees; butterflies can see the color red. faq.gardenweb
A question mark butterfly eating kiwi in a saucer set on a post. insidestorey.blogspot.
Water, minerals and taste. Photo by Santa Barbarian, flickr.
Butterflies love red, orange, purple and yellow. Butterflies have good color vision sensing more "wavelengths" than either humans or bees.
Butterflies are particularly fond of oranges, grapefruits, cantelope, strawberries, peaches, nectarines, kiwi, apples, watermelon and bananas, especially mushy bananas that have been stored in the freezer and then thawed. Some species love a "brew" of rotting fruit, molasses, beer, and brown sugar. Some like moist mushroom compost.
Hummingbirds and some species of butterfly like simple sugar syrup: mix 4 parts water to 1 part sugar, boil mixture just untill the sugar dissolves, then be sure to allow the sugar mixture to cool before feeding butterflies. Adding soy sauce gives a dose of minerals and salt. Do not feed butterflies this sugar mix or honey during very cold or very dry weather as the sugar could re-crystallize inside them before being digested. Fructose is the safest bet for those times as it does not crystallize. A recipe: butterflyboutique.net. Lots of recipes here: faq.gardenweb, although I question the long term effects of the food coloring in the Gatorade that so many people have success with.
Flowers with Nectar that Butterflies Enjoy (partial list)
Aster, borage, butterfly bush, calendula, cosmos, delphinium, lilac, lupines, sweet alyssum, verbena, yarrow, zinnias. See the Pollinator Planting Guide: pollinator.org
Remember Monarch larvae only eat milkweed
Plant some milkweed in your garden, and don't pick off the caterpillars! 'Milkweeds and nectar sources are declining due to development and the widespread use of herbicides in croplands, pastures and roadsides. Because 90% of all milkweed/monarch habitats occur within the agricultural landscape, farm practices have the potential to strongly influence monarch populations.' Spraying Round-Up and herbicides on roadsides reduces monarch populations. monarchwatch.org
Milkweed Seed
- www.butterflyencounters.com California.
- Free seed! livemonarch.com Florida.
- How to: latimesblogs.latimes.com
Black swallowtail larvae eat the leaves of dill, parsley, carrot, and fennel. Painted lady larvae eat thistle leaves.
Make A Successful Butterfly Feeder
Putting a plate inside a larger plate or saucer that is filled with water will keep ants away from the fruit. Butterflies have a good sense of smell, they have scent receptors at the ends of their antennas, and taste receptors on the bottoms of their feet. local.wgal
Make your own or purchase a butterfly feeder. $25. decor4u
To attract butterflies add neon pink, red and orange plastic scrubbers to your plate or bowl. Butterflies are restricted to an all-liquid diet due to their straw-like proboscis. Photo by Leskra: panoramio.
Painting flowers on a tray helps the butterflies locate the fruit. hollyopnshk.blogspot
Increase your chances of the butterflies finding their offering by having flowers close by, or paint or tape colorful flowers (real or fake) to the plate or hanging apparatus. To hang, cut three holes in a saucer, string with wire or chain and hang.
Mud Puddles
Male Butterflies need extra minerals and enjoy mud puddles. The extra sodium and amino acids are transferred to the female along with the spermatophore during mating. This nutrition enhances the survival rate of the eggs. The minerals also help in the production of pheromones which attract females. To make butterfly puddles, bury a container and then fill with sand or gravel. Fill with water, a sweet drink or stale beer.
At night and during wet weather, butterflies take shelter underneath leaves, among grass blades, or in a crevice of a rock.
How Butterflies Eat
When not in use, butterflies keep their proboscis coiled up, then unfurl it to suck up nectar, pollen, tree sap, rotting fruit, dung or other foods that are in a liquid state. asknature.
When unwound their proboscis acts as a straw. A Purple Duke extends its proboscis deep into the fruit of the Singapore Rhododendron. butterflycircle.blogspot
Close-Up of a butterfly's proboscis (coiled straw) coated with pollen. Due to their long legs, nectar eating butterflies pick up only small amounts of pollen on their visits to flowers. Many moths are actually better polinators than butterflies. Photo by Melissa, flickr.
Due to the butterflies' fragility to ecological change, they are an excellent indicator of an ecosystem's health. Malachite butterflies feeding at a butterfly farm in Germany, photo by Andreas Adelmann, flickr.
Two tailed pasha drinking from an orange. Photo by Forbe5, flickr.
Butterflies taste with their feet. A black swallowtail drinking watermelon juice. insidestorey.blogspot.
Because butterflies are cold blooded, they cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees, so keep the fruit in the sun and out of strong winds. buenavistabutterflies.


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Century executives were suddenly faced with the certainty of being unseated, just hours after the announcement of the paper bid, which offers 0.3942 new shares in Enterprise for every share in Century.
The takeover will mean the departure of Century's executives and the closure of its head office, which employs fewer than 40 people. Enterprise said it would "generally keep all the people running their pubs".
Sources at Enterprise said the bid was a shareholder initiative, led by nine institutions who wanted to see the creation of a pub-owning giant. "We were not interested in a long, drawn-out battle and we made it very clear we would proceed only with their support," the source said.
By this morning, when Century executives learnt of the bid, Enterprise already had undertakings or statements of intent in respect of 44.8 per cent of the company. By 3pm the offer, which values Century at 147p a share, went unconditional.
Yesterday, Century at first said it was considering the offer and promised a statement. By the afternoon it said it would have to delay publishing a statement until today.
In January, institutional shareholders contacted Ted Tuppen, chief executive of Enterprise, after rumours emerged about a deal with Inn Business, another rival. Led by Morgan Grenfell Asset Management, M&G, Scottish Equitable and Norwich Union, the shareholders said they would prefer a takeover of Century. They added that there was more than 50 per cent support.
Enterprise and Century floated in 1995 as separate companies. Both held pubs formerly owned by Bass, but Enterprise ran all its pubs as tenancies rather than the managed houses favoured by Century.
Analysts said that Century, led by Alistair Arkley, had not been helped by its disappointing share-price performance. According to Enterprise, the total shareholder return on pounds 100 invested in Enterprise on flotation was now pounds 327, as against pounds 120 for an investment in Century.
"Whether the board accepts is immaterial now. Unfortunately, companies can end up being run by institutional shareholders and in this case, they want a faster-growing company, which Enterprise is," said one.
Shares in Century closed yesterday at 141.5p, up from 115p. Shares in Enterprise closed down 7p at 373.5p.
- More about:
- Bars And Pubs
- Investment
- Norwich Union
- Publishing


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By PR Newswire | Article Rating: |
December 26, 2012 10:01 AM EST | Reads: |
287 |
DETROIT, Dec. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Out with the old and in with the new for 2013 at The Whitney, Detroit's Woodward Avenue restaurant in a mansion.
The Whitney announced today that it will temporarily discontinue lunch service as it prepares for a unique new food service entry into the Detroit dining scene. Lunch service will end immediately following the holidays and will be resumed in the restaurant's garden in the summer and inside the mansion in the fall.
"The Whitney's quality of food and service combined with its flexibility of comfortable dining rooms makes it an ideal space for a number of different opportunities," said David Duey, operations manager at The Whitney. "We expect to announce our new plans in late February. In the meantime, we'll continue to focus on our award winning dinners, tea service, desserts and Sunday brunch."
Duey said that The Whitney, which recently began serving Sunday and Monday night dinners for the first time in several years, will be immediately adding other new dining experiences including exclusive new tableside dinner service in the restaurant's third floor Ghostbar. This new, reservation-only service will feature entrees like Sautéed Veal Oscar and Steak Diane, along with traditional flaming desserts prepared and served tableside by the restaurant's popular matire d', Lou Wiedeman. The Whitney's long time pianist, Joel Seah, and jazz vocalist, Adia Dobbins entertain in the Ghostbar Thursday through Saturday nights.
The Whitney will continue to offer its signature "bottomless Mimosa" brunches on Sundays and will offer daily tea service, with reservations, at 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. The restaurant will also be open for group lunches and tours.
"The Whitney is a unique Detroit venue and we're shaping our service to take advantage of our special attributes. The food, service and ambience of the mansion make it an unmatchable Detroit experience," said Bud Liebler, owner of The Whitney. "We think our soon-to-be-announced new service will be another unique and exciting concept that's just right for the dynamic growth of the downtown and Midtown areas. We're thrilled to be part of the boom and we're planning to add to it."
The Whitney is just completing its most successful December in the past several years and is gearing up for 2013, which it expects will be its most successful full year since the new ownership took over six years ago.
SOURCE The Whitney
Published December 26, 2012 Reads 287
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Official blogsite of Mikes Sumondong
Recommended Readings:
I love reading about God's love! Thanks for sharing!
Lovely reflection, and nice pictures although I don't really understand them, is that sign language?
@TKXapathyIt's L-O-V-E. check it again.
@CindyThanbks for visiting. God Bless you!
oh sorry, it's late over here and my eyes are blur, people always did say that I always missed out on the smallest details
@TKXapathyLOL! That's alright! Thanks for visiting. God bless you!
Oh so true. We often put conditions on love. I thank God that His love is unconditional! Blessings!
@Valerie LynnBlessings to you too!
Hi there, friend! I got an award for you and your blog. Please visit my site for details. Congrats and God bless!
@Goody Thanks for the award. I'll check that.
Nice post. I too am very grateful that nothing can separate us from God's love! :-D
Thanks Jeanine! God bles you more! :)


text:
Royal Family – Pressure (Dazboy's Tape Edit)
If you are into soulful,deep,house…check it!
Download:Royal Family – Pressure (Dazboy's Tape Edit)
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text:
Neandertal teeth: the other shoe
25 Sep 2005The paper by Guatelli-Steinberg et al. (2005), earlier referred to here, is now available online from PNAS.
The results are basically as reported by National Geographic, finding that Neandertal anterior teeth have perikymata counts within the range of living human populations. Perikymata are microscopic ridges on the enamel surface of teeth; they mark the incremental growth of the teeth over small periods of time. The idea has been that these ridges work a bit like tree rings; they mark the amount of time that the tooth took to grow. However, as this study indicates, the formation of perikymata is not quite so simple as the addition of tree rings, and human populations actually vary substantially in the number of perikymata on their teeth.
What makes this different from earlier work (like Ramirez Rossi and Bermudez de Castro 2004) is the inclusion of an African sample. The very low perikymata count of the recent Africans significantly extends the range, which had previously been assessed in Europeans only. Thus, the conclusion here is that there is no evidence from perikymata to indicate that Neandertal development was any different from that within living human populations.
Now we can wait for the other shoe to drop:
The finding from the African population sampled here shows that some developmentally normal humans have much lower perikymata counts than others. This varies by tooth (since they don't all develop for the same time): the lower canines have the highest counts, with a mean over 150; the lower incisors have the lowest counts with a mean down near 100. Remember that these values are means; individuals in the sample must have scored lower, although the range of the sample is not reported in the paper.
With this sample, the human range encompasses the Neandertals. It encompasses all the earlier European hominids (chiefly from Atapuerca) sampled by Ramirez Rossi and Bermudez de Castro (2004), because these hominids had counts higher than Neandertals.
Let's take a look at Dean et al. (2001:628), who give values for earlier hominids. Here's a table including some earlier hominids along with the South African values from Guatelli-Steinberg et al. (2005). The current paper does not include the numbers, so I am reading estimates off the figure, but considering they are means and the important aspect is the total range, the numbers aren't critical. Lower numbers are less like the recent Europeans that were the standard before the new comparative work.
Sample | UI1 | UI2 | UC | LI1 | LI2 | LC |
Recent South African | 120 | 117 | 135 | 105 | 110 | 155 |
Sangiran 4 | 138 | |||||
Paranthropus | 83 | 85 | 112 | 78 | 90 | 103 |
Australopithecus | 123 | 109 | 122 | 116 | 122 | 143 |
From these numbers, Sangiran 4 and SK 27 are within the range of modern human population means. So are three of the teeth of Australopithecus (i.e. A. africanus), and the remaining three teeth are pretty close, so that it seems likely the A. africanus dentition wasn't very different in its perikymata number from the range of living Africans.
The standouts are KNM-WT 15000 and Paranthropus (i.e. A. robustus). A. robustus is easy to explain: its anterior teeth are a lot smaller than ours. A lot smaller. If enamel formation rates were similar, then they ought to have taken less time to form, regardless of other aspects of somatic development.
The puzzle is KNM-WT 15000, the famous Nariokotome skeleton. Is this skeleton a normal representative of early human populations? Is it at the extremely low end of a normal range including others like KNM-ER 1590 (also a bit smaller than the mean, although probably not outside the range of living Africans)? Is it pathological?
The other shoe is the research paper that will cover all these questions.
Now it could be that these numbers really aren't comparable for some reason; I don't do perikymata, but I can tell that the counts depend on estimates of crown height and packing density, so it's not obvious that they were derived in the same way (although the papers do share one author).
But the Neandertals are far from the most interesting part of this perikymata problem. Can we tell a human from an australopithecine from these data? If so, why do some of the earliest humans have the lowest (i.e. sub-australopithecine) counts?
I think we can disregard the idea that their somatic development rates were "highly derived" in a non-human-like direction. It's not like they're Neandertals, after all.
Guatelli-Steinberg D, Reid DJ, Bishop TA, Larsen CS. 2005. Anterior tooth growth periods in Neandertals were comparable to those of modern humans. Proc Nat Acad Sci USA 102:14197-14202. Abstract
Dean C, Leakey MG, Reid D, Schrenk F, Schwartz GT, Stringer C, Walker A. 2001. Growth processes in teeth distinguish modern humans from Homo erectus and earlier hominins. Nature 414:628-631.
Ramirez Rossi FV, Bermudez de Castro JM. 2004. Surprisingly rapid growth in Neanderthals. Nature 428:936-939. Full text (subscription)


text: Travel By Organic Spa Magazine / August 29, 2013 Tucked away in rural County Clare is St. Tola, an unassuming organic goat farm that produces some of the most delicious and sought-after artisanal cheese in Ireland. Long stereotyped as the land of meat, potatoes and Guinness, Ireland is undergoing a food renaissance, with an increased focus on innovative, gourmet use of fresh, local products. St. Tola award-winning goat cheese is at the forefront for Irish cheeses. Certified organic and made from 100 percent organic goat milk, St. Tola cheeses are handmade on the farm, with no preservatives, artificial colors or GMO ingredients. The farm uses no artificial fertilizers, forage is taken from its own land and extra hay for the 300 goats must come from a certified organic farmer. St. Tola offers a range of varieties, matured for different lengths of time to produce different strengths and flavor. The youngest is a light fluffy, mild, snow-white cheese; as it matures, it becomes smaller and stronger, developing a wrinkled golden rind. The St. Tola ash log—winner of Gold in the 2013 Irish Cheese Awards and Best Irish Cheese in the World Cheese Awards in 2012, among other accolades—is rolled in a traditional ash when fresh, which slows down the maturation and results in a creamier, fuller cheese. The new ash log won gold in the New Cheese category of the Irish Cheese Awards this June. St. Tola cheese is available throughout Ireland, as well as in Britain, Germany, Italy, and a bit in the U.S. But for the full St. Tola experience, complete with a range of cheeses, beautiful farmland, and a visit with the goats, a trip to County Clare is in order. st-tola.ie About Latest Posts Organic Spa Magazine Latest posts by Organic Spa Magazine (see all) 7 Books to Read this Spring - March 24, 2017 Feed Your Need for Vitality - March 22, 2017 Windowsill Gardening - March 22, 2017


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Americana rock band Assembly of Dust recently announced forthcoming album Sun Shot.
The release, due out on Feb. 26, is the result of a decade of building musical chemistry as a band and feature the nostalgic feel and heartened songwriting that fans have come to expect.
You can preview a song from the album, "Mrs. What You Are," in the player below.


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Definition:

One central dimension of personality is introversion versus extroversion. An introvert is a person who draws energy from time spent alone. Introverts find social situations draining and need time alone to recharge after being around people. They tend to be introspective and like to explore thoughts and feelings. They may prefer to talk about concepts and ideas rather than making small talk.

Introverts usually like to work behind the scenes, prefer written to verbal communication and express themselves only after careful thought. Introverts make up 25% to 40% of the population. Introversion is not the same as shyness or social anxiety; being an introvert does not mean that you are necessarily shy or socially anxious.


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Tropical Fish Keeping - Aquarium fish care and resources
- Beginner Planted Aquarium
- - 3g Betta Tank
3g Betta Tank So here is my daughter's 3g tank. Meet Honey Badger, the Betta splendens, and Candy, the zebra Nerite snail. I don't think this tank is anything special, but its nice. And it's inhabitants couldn't be happier, so that's what counts. :-D It has Crypt wendtii 'bronze', Java Moss, Italian Val, Frogbit, and Anubias nana. It also looks brighter in the tank than it actually is. Silly camera. My question is... I can't decide if I want to put another (but different) Crypt in the right rear corner (maybe Crypt wendtii 'red') and move the Anubias nana to the center in front of the Italian Val, or if I just need to let the Anubias grow in. Thoughts? http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_0935.jpg He may be a poor quality Betta, but Honey Badger is full of personality! http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b1...k/IMG_0952.jpg |
Personally I wouldn't, I think it looks good now =) Add too much, and the poor guy won't have any room left to swim =D |
I think it looks great as is also. |
honey badger dont care! :lol: I like it, alot actually! Im on the fence about swimming room. Yeah it will cut down on free swim space, but my betta loves swimming in and amongst his java moss and java fern :-) |
I def hear ya! He loves lounging on a crypt leaf, or nestling in the java moss. Those two plants are in "his corner". He doesn't venture much to the other side, even though the filter just trickles, unless he has an audience to show off for. He's really chill if no one's looking, just hanging or building/maintaining his nest. But he's quite the dancer if he has someone to impress! :lol: |
When Lilia got him, she named him Bordello, after a band. But he used to have a piece of mopani in the tank that tannin-ed it like ca-RAZY! And the first time I did a water change, I didn't realize how low the tannins had dropped the pH, so I inadvertantly swung his pH big time with the water change. I felt just terrible, but he didn't even bat at eye. So, hence... "Honey Badger don't care!" I've since removed the mopani. Candy, the Zebra Nerite Snail, was shredding it and making a huge mess. Speaking of Candy, that snail is an algae MACHINE. Seriously. I have the lights on for more than 12 hours a day yo keep enough algae going. And she still gets supplemented! An algae MACHINE, I tell ya! |
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text:
Red Mage: I have a question. At any given point in history there are doomsday cults. Such as yourselves. For a thousand years your kind has striven for and preached an end of times that will never be.
Cultist: Your question?
Red Mage: My question is: What's it like to be as stupid as you are ugly?
A dark take on the Cult, an apocalypse or doomsday cult tends to crop up in fiction wherever Cosmic Horror Story elements are present, with the members actively seeking to bring about The End of the World as We Know It. There are several flavors of apocalypse cults, but most seek to awaken or make possible the return of some god of destruction to destroy the world and "make it anew". Others seek to end their own lives to escape what they believe is the end of the world or to have a better afterlife.
They will often be seen conducting arcane rituals of untold horrors and believe they will be rewarded with the equivalent of paradise for their service (they may be mistaken). As they are often a form of Religion of Evil, they tend to be practitioners of The Dark Arts. Human sacrifices, necromancers, zombies and other forms of undead are optional but often seen among their ranks.
Unfortunately, some such groups have existed in Real Life. Documented ones include:
Cultist: Your question?
Red Mage: My question is: What's it like to be as stupid as you are ugly?
- The People's Temple / Jonestown (a hybrid of the "new world" with the "end your own life to escape/have a better afterlife" variants)
- Heaven's Gate (the "end your own life to escape" variant)
- Aum Shinrikyo as it was until 1997 and its reorganization and rename (the "awaken the god of destruction"/"destroy the world" variant, when given over to otaku, the Mad Scientist, and quite a few Blood Knights, and at the time of this writing the only non-state/non-governmental terror group to deploy Weapons Of Mass Destruction beyond simple explosives to their aims).
open/close all folders
Anime and Manga
- SEELE from Neon Genesis Evangelion, who may have been somewhat inspired by Aum Shinrikyo. They dress everything up in pseudo-kabbalistic imagery, to the point of giving various entities and objects names from Christianity or Judaism (the monsters attacking Japan are called Angels, the progenitor entity of these called Adam, the progenitor entity of all terrestrial life called Lilith) while advancing the Human Instrumentality Project, which involves bringing about Third Impact and merging the souls of all humanity with Lilith, essentially causing their deaths as individual beings. To the point that, in End of Evangelion, as Third Impact is taking place, they recite various ritualistic phrases together, and refer to the process as the Red Earth Ceremony.
- To be fair it's heavily implied that it's Judaism and Christianity that stole their names and imagery from the Angels rather than the other way around. Both religions are apparently based on the instruction manual that came with Adam and Lilith which we know as the Dead Sea Scrolls.
Comic Books
- In the Hellboy and B.P.R.D. 'verse, there are a large number of cults and secret societies—Project Ragna Rok, the Oannes Society, and the Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra, to name a few—hoping to trigger the apocalypse. Most of them are operating under the logic that the world is going to end anyway, but if they're the ones who pull the trigger, they'll at least have some measure of control over the destruction.
- A major element of East of West is a group called "The Chosen", a cabal comprised of leading members of each of America's seven nations that conspires to bring about the apocalypse.
- Runaways has The Pride, an Apocalypse Mafia, who are plotting to bring about the end of the world as we know it in exchange for 20 years of obscene wealth and power and the chance for their kids to live in a paradise.
- Judge Dredd:
- The Seventh Heaven Apocalypse Day Group that shows up in "The Pit" arc are praying for the end of the world every day. They think they finally get their wish during a juvie riot when a tanker full of bio-acid comes barreling through the window of their church, but no such luck. The Ax-Crazy ex-Judge Priest later grants them their wish, however.
- The Death Cultists who started showing up after Necropolis are citizens who believe in the omnicidal creed of the Dark Judges and wish to free them from containment.
Fan Works
- Friendship is Witchcraft has an ongoing subplot involving Fluttershy leading a cult that worships The Smooze, and intends to summon him to destroy Equestria.
- Superwomen of Eva 2: Lone Heir of Krypton: The Light of the Divine, who believe the Angels are God's judgment.
- In Worldwar: War of Equals, doomsday cults become popular across the Western world after the Race Conquest Fleet is discovered, and some later rise up and attack military installations in San Francisco (they all end up arrested by the FBI and Homeland Security).
- In The Bridge spin-off The Bridge: Humanity's Stand, the main antagonists are Red Dawn, a group that worships Bagan and attempts to destroy Planet Terra in his name by exploiting technology and Kaiju.
- 12 Monkeys follows a time traveler from plague-devastated 2035 sent back to 1996 to prevent a mysterious group known as the Army of the Twelve Monkeys from releasing the virus. A twist at the end reveals that the Army of the Twelve Monkeys is actually an environmentalist protest group who freed animals from the New York Zoo and had no interaction with the virus at all. Instead, the virus was released by an assistant at the lab where it was developed.
- Cast a Deadly Spell: The Big Bad plans to use the Necronomicon and a virgin sacrifice to summon Cthulhu and the rest of the Cthulhu Mythos deities, which would devastate the world.
Lovecraft: What kind of world?Hackshaw: A world of the unburied dead, and a sky dark with ashes. A blasted, maimed planet.
- Ghostbusters (1984). In the Back Story, Ivo Shandor's Gozer worshippers conducted rituals intended to bring about the end of the world.
- The segment "Safe Haven" of V/H/S/2 is about a film crew who was interviewing members of an Indonesian cult when they all decide to kill themselves on camera to join Heaven on Earth. Then it turns out it's not just a suicide cult when they come back as undead creatures and they successfully summon what appears to be the Devil.
- X-Men: Apocalypse: En Sabah Nur is the leader of one; his objective is to eradicate most of human civilization and reshape it as he sees fit. The Four Horsemen are his adherents who are tasked with aiding their master achieve his dream of a "better world" where only the strong are permitted to exist.
- Variation in The Beginning, the last Animorphs book. Two years after the Yeerk defeat, terrorists have started attacking alien tourists on Earth. The worst of them are cults that think the presence of aliens is staving off a long-awaited apocalypse.
- In Cold Copper Tears, the cult of the Devastator aims to release a world-destroying dark god from its prison. Lampshaded and deconstructed by the Dead Man, who points out that, subconsciously, the cultists don't really want to end the world, they're just morbid and petty enough to get a charge out of thinking they can.
- Humanx Commonwealth series: A cult called the Order of Null appears in Flinx's Folly and later novels. They have learned of the approach of the galaxy-devouring Great Evil, and see it as their role to remove any obstacles to its coming. This includes Flinx himself, who is the Chosen One fated to destroy it. It is later revealed that they are abetted by none other than Flinx's archnemesis, Mahnahmi, a powerful telepath and an embittered nihilist.
- In Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea's Illuminatus! trilogy, the Illuminati Prime (the five most powerful people in the world) are actively seeking to Immanetize the Eschaton - i.e. bring about the apocalypse - to make themselves immortal and provide a massive blood sacrifice to their Elder Brothers and Sisters, the Lloigr of Cthulu.
- China Mieville's novel Kraken has some Lovecraftian doomsday cultists as among the good guys.
- In The Laundry Files, a number of cults try to bring their Eldritch Abomination deities to Earth which would result in the deaths of millions and End of the World as We Know It. The Cult of the Black Pharaoh is the oldest and most dangerous one of these.
- Neil Gaiman's story Shoggoths Old Peculiar has an (initially) Unfazed Everyman American tourist who visits the picturesque English town of Innsmouth and converses in a pub with the friendly Cthulhu-worshipers who live there. He ends up with a bad hangover and a "feeling of nameless dread" (TM).
- In Tom Robbins's Skinny Legs And All, Reverend Buddy Winkler is working with terrorists who plan to bomb The Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, so that the Third Temple can be built.
- The MacGuffin in Temple is an idol carved from a rare element not found on Earth that can be used to power a planet-destroying bomb. Various groups try to get a hold of it to hold the world for ransom, but in the end, it falls into the hands of a doomsday cult formed from various terrorist groups and the remains of Aum Shinrikyo, who intend to detonate their bomb no matter what.
- Less common in the actual works of Howard P. Lovecraft than one might think (there are cults with other goals than a complete apocalypse), but the Whateley family in The Dunwich Horror serve as a concrete if small-scale example of this, explicitly working towards the goal of helping bring about the "clearing" of the Earth of its current occupants.
- In The Lives Of Tao and its sequels, The Genjix are seeking to teraform Earth to match the conditions of the Quasing home world. Doing so will kill all non-Quasing life on Earth.
Live-Action TV
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt begins with Kimmy and her friends being freed from a fake doomsday cult, the leader of which had kidnapped and held them under false pretenses for 15 years.
- Buffy the Vampire Slayer has Glory's worshipers, mostly a group of ugly, sniveling demons who want to help her unlock the barriers between dimensions. This would both allow Glory to return to her home hell dimension and pretty much destroy our plane of existence (and many others) as reality itself unravels in the chaos of the walls between dimensions fall apart.
- The Leftovers: many have been created in the wake of the mysterious disappearance of 2% of the human population. The first season most prominently features the Guilty Remnant, (an antisocial and nihilistic cult that dedicates the rest of their lives to being "living reminders" of the disappearance) and Holy Wayne's group. (A cult of personality formed around the strange and enigmatic Wayne Gilchrist, who seems to genuinely have the ability to remove people's pain.) Adding to the spiritual uncertainty and the fuel that creates these cults is the fact that many people agree that whatever happened was not The Rapture, as the disappearance includes everything from babies to The Pope to thieves and murderers. Or as one character puts it in an early episode "The Pope I can understand, but Gary Busey?! How does he make the cut?"
- Played for Laughs in Parks and Recreation with the "Reasonablists", who don't make any effort in ushering in their Destroyer God, Zorp. They just often make rather incorrect predictions on when the world will end and hold "End Of The World" gatherings.
- In Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, the retirement-home satanists who are trying to capture the Book of Pure Evil want to make Todd into the Pure Evil One who will destroy the world.
- In one of the Bad Futures on Fringe the Over There universe has already been destroyed and a group called the End of Dayers are deliberately tearing apart the fabric of reality in our universe as well.
- Father Jude and Sister Celine are investigating some of these in You, Me and the Apocalypse.
Other Sites
- SCP Foundation, Characters/SCPFoundation, SCP-2975 ("Another Sun"). The Order of the White Sun is a cult that worships an Eldritch Abomination called the White Sun. They try to use a structure called the Memory House to bring the White Sun to Earth and cause an XK-Class End of the World Scenario.
- The Sydney Scroungers are occasionally harassed by "The Assembly of True Judgement" in the Pacific Rim universe, a cult of Kaiju worshippers who believe the Kaiju have been sent to punish humanity for their sins.
Tabletop Games
- Call of Cthulhu had Cthulhu Mythos cults trying to do this in several campaign adventures.
- Shadows of Yog-Sothoth. The Lords of the Silver Twilight try to raise the island of R'lyeh to the surface and free Cthulhu so he can take over (and destroy) the world.
- Masks of Nyarlathotep. Cult groups controlled by Nyarlathotep himself try to perform a ritual that will let hordes of Mythos monsters into the world to destroy mankind.
- The Fungi from Yuggoth. The Brotherhood of the Beast tries to cause a worldwide catastrophe by arranging for terrorist attacks, the summoning of gigantic dholes and the activation of a giant monster in Egypt, all on the Day of the Beast.
- The Zodiac Order from Psionics: The Next Stage in Human Evolution. They're dedicated to to ushering in an event called The Eternal Storm, which will result in massive depopulation and humans with psionics powers taking their rightful place as rulers of the humanity.
- The Dungeons & Dragons 4th Edition's Nentir Vale setting prominently features the Cult of Orcus, which is bent upon summoning the Prince of Undeath and thereby ending civilization as we know it. This is especially true of certain low-level pre-made campaigns such as "Keep on the Shadowfell."
- In Exalted, anyone in the Neverborn's employ is technically an apocalypse cultist since the Neverborn want the world utterly destroyed, allowing them to finally die. In practice, most of them are just in it for the power.
- In Shadowrun, Winternight was a Norse apocalypse cult that actively tried to end the world several times. They tried in 2061 to divert Halley's Comet into a collision course with Earth. In 2064, they almost plunged the Sixth World into the Dark Ages thanks to their plot colliding with a Gambit Pileup that crashed the Matrix and seriously damaged its infrastructure.
- In Warhammer 40,000, Genestealer Cults. The Tyranid Hive Fleets send Genestealers to land on the planet and begin picking off and infecting isolated individuals who generally won't be missed. First generation Genestealer Hybrids look monstrous, but as the generations continue, they begin to assimilate until they are indistinguishable from the host species by the fourth generation. Once a cult grows large enough, they introduce themselves to the public community through the facade of a harmless religious or political movement, with a psychic "patriarch" figure guiding the whole cult. Once the cult has grown large or influential enough, the patriarch receives a psychic signal from the Hive Fleet and the cult begins a full rebellion - even if the cult loses the ensuing civil war, they would still likely have greatly undermined the planet's defensive strength and left it wide open for the invading Hive Fleet.
- A large number of Chaos cults believe the Dark Gods will scour away the corrupt Imperial authorities and bring a new, less terrible era. In practice, these cults tend to either be put down by Imperial authorities, or find a way to summon either Daemons or Chaos Marines and then find themselves being used as Cannon Fodder (for the Chaos Marines) or food (for the daemons). The very unlucky - such as those who end up calling the Word Bearers - end up as both!
- For a rare case in which the cultists are eight-foot-tall Super Soldiers, the renegade Space Marine faction known as the Purge believe the galaxy is irrevocably corrupt, and worship the plague god, Nurgle, in the hope that he will see fit to wipe away everything in it with the plague to quite literally end all plagues. Since Nurgle seems more interested in not doing that, possibly because his power depends on having plenty of living things around, they have to get a bit proactive, generally leading to the deaths of billions.
- Meanwhile in Warhammer, minor cults of flagellants often arise in the Empire, usually from the survivors of towns that have been destroyed by monsters or the like. Believing that they live in the "end times" of war between good and evil (which might not be inaccurate), they gather together into bands and throw them at their foes. Empire players can actually field them as troops — they have a special rule which forces them to wound themselves at the beginning of each round of melee combat, but their fervor drives them to excel at slaughtering the enemy.
- Unsurprisingly, a lot of them show up in Werewolf: The Apocalypse. Whereas the titular Garou are either trying to stop the Apocalypse or make sure their final battle against the Wyrm ends in victory, many of those aligned with the Wyrm want to hasten the end of the world. The Black Spiral Dancers, for instance, think the Apocalypse might free the Wyrm from its torment and give it the revenge it deserves, whereas some higher-ups at Pentex think this whole "Apocalypse" thing means they can put their secret plan to rule over the shattered remnants of humanity as a corporate dystopia into action. And then there are the small, misguided Garou camps who think that the best way to ease the suffering of the world and end the spread of the Wyrm is to just get the Apocalypse going already.
- Siren: The Drowning features the Current of Acheron, a faction of Abyssal Sirens who want to ensure the Deluge will happen because they honestly believe the world is such a crappy place destroying it really is the only sensible option. Because of this stance, they are absolutely hated by other Sirens, including the other Abyssal Currents, and usually have to operate in secret in order to survive.
Video Games
- Fallout. At some point after the nuclear apocalypse, some survivors begin worshipping the very concept of radiation, personifying it as an entity called 'Atom'. Some sub-groups are okay if you pass on Atom's message. Some sub-groups...are not okay with this at all. Watch out.
- In Dead Space, the Unitologists utilize the Marker to bring about a Zombie Apocalypse as part of an Assimilation Plot. It goes about as well as one would expect.
- The Elder Scrolls:
- The Mythic Dawn in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are attempting to destroy the safeguards between Nirn and Oblivion so that they may summon Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince of destruction.
- The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim has the Dragon Cult from eons past (they may or may not have known that Alduin was destined to devour the world, of course).
- The Thalmor are theorized to have this motivation as well, and there are some indications that the devs may have adopted this as canon. Unlike most groups, the apocalypse part is less the goal than it is a necessary step. The short explanation is that Altmer (and other Elven) belief holds that they are the descendants of the Aedra (creator gods, loosely) who are trapped in physical form in the physical world. Thus the mortal world is a prison to be escaped, and the best way of doing so is by destroying it completely by killing the god who's holding it together- and mankind with him.
- The geth heretics in Mass Effect worship the Reapers and actively aid them in their latest purge of the galaxy's spacefaring races. Indoctrinated races also count as this, including one hanar in 3 that thinks that since the Protheans, who the hanar worshipped, became the Collectors, the hanar should serve the Reapers.
- Despite their name, Followers of Apocalypse from Fallout are an inversion of this trope - their goal is to prevent repeating of End of the World as We Know It, and they are helpful to Vault Dweller in his quest.
- Star Ocean: The Last Hope has the Church of Sydonai on Roak. A cult led by the Grigori Tamiel, they aim to resurrect the archfiend Asmodeus by sacrificing one of the Featherfolk. They gather followers by preaching about Asmodeus cleansing this desperate world, while simultaneously spreading a dangerous illness that turns people to stone and then obstructing the distribution of its remedy.
- Shin Megami Tensei:
- Toward the end of Persona 3 a doomsday cult heralding the appearance of Nyx to bring death to the world appears. Though it only exists behind the scenes, it is led by Takaya.
- Persona 4 also has a downplayed version near the end as the fog covering Inaba makes the people more and more apathetic, it's implied that cults have started popping up.
- The Kudur Cult in Vandal Hearts 2 is the most dangerous outside faction manipulating the Natran Civil War. While they may lack the military might of the Zora-Archaeo Empire or the endless treasuries of the Republic of Vernantze, the cult was the organization that pulled the trigger on the powder keg that started the war. They extensively recruit from people who have had their lives devastated by the war, and they are trying to spread a zombifying magical spell across the entire continent. It eventually turns out that their leader, who is a body surfing former cardinal who has been alive for over 150 years, is trying to use the civil war as a distraction to break into the sealed underground chambers of the Holy Nigran Cathedral because it is said to permit an audience with God Himself. What nobody expected was that the sealed chamber is actually the remains of an ICBM missile silo from a long-gone era, and it appears to contain a still-working genetic manipulation machine that transforms him into a horrific monster.
- The Warcraft setting has the Twilight's Hammer cult, originally an orcish clan that turned into worshippers of the Old Gods with the end of all mortal life as their goal. They were most prominent during the Cataclysm expansion in the wake of the dragon Deathwing's world-shattering return to Azeroth.
- The Cult of the Damned probably also counts, even if they "merely" want to turn the whole world undead instead of outright blowing it up. As far as Quel'Thalas and Lordaeron are concerned, they did succeed in driving civilization to the brink... for a while.
- Cassandra's personal quest in Dragon Age: Inquisition centres on a cult known as the Order of the Fiery Promise, who believe the world must end for it to be reborn as a paradise. Notably, the cult sets itself up as the Arch-Enemy of the Seekers, as they believe they were supposed to be Seekers and that the other organization somehow stole their powers. In the course of the game, they are led by the former High Seeker, who went slightly mad after learning the secret of the Seekers' abilities.
- A codex also mentions a short-lived cult known as the Empty Ones, who believed that the darkspawn were the Maker's tool for ending the world. They were completely wiped out during the Second Blight when their entire membership gathered before the darkspawn horde.
- In Starcraft, the Tal'Darim are a faction of Protoss who worship Amon, the rogue Xel'Naga and aid their master in his schemes. However, they are a subversion since they don't know Amon is planning an apocalypse — they think he "just" wants to conquer everything and will reward them by uplifting them into Hybrids. In Legacy of the Void, the Tal'Darim Alarak is enraged when he learns Amon has no intention of sparing the Tal'Darim from his planned apocalypse and teams up with the heroes to bring down his former god.
- Dragon's Dogma has Salvation, worshipers of the Dragon as the bringer of the end-times and the recurring enemies of the Arisen. The Dragon himself sees them as little more than an annoying nuisance and otherwise has no interest in them.
- While they're never explicitly referred to as cults, a few of the evil Teams in Pokémon seek to awaken immensely powerful godlike entities that could indeed cause an apocalypse. Notably Team Galactic, whose goal is to use several borderline Eldritch Abominations to destroy the world and replace it by a new one where free will would not exist. Team Aqua and Team Magma also have for their goal the awakening of an ancient godlike entity, though their leaders both think that their respective goals (expanding the sea or the landmasses, respectively) are noble, and are horrified when they realize the sheer scale of the destruction Kyogre or Groudon can cause.
- In 8-Bit Theater, the cultist, being a parody of H.P. Lovecraft's works, wants to provoke the apocalypse because it's cool.
- The Cult of the Night Walkers from Baskets of Guts was all about helping their undead master to turn the entire worlds population into walking corpses.
- Timothy from But I'm a Cat Person was raised in a cult like this.
- In Mystery Babylon, Delilah is the leader of a Babylonian cult which worships Kick Girl as Mystery Babylon and wants to aid her in breaking the seal on the Pit, releasing the demons within and bringing about the Apocalypse.
Western Animation
- South Park:
- The leader of the Anti-Semetic Jews captures Moses in order to ready the world for the return of Haman.
- The cult of Blaintology in "Super Best Friends."
- And of course, the Cthulhu cult featured in the three-episode "Coon and Mysterion" arc.
- The Red Lotus, an anarchist cell in The Legend of Korra, is revealed to have plotted to free Vaatu, the Greater Scope Villain of the franchise and the most powerful, evil spirit in existence. They were unaware that he was an Omnicidal Maniac, however, subverting this trope, since they believed he would help restore balance to the world, and not destroy it as he intended.
- In Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures, Ezekiel Rage constantly quotes from the "Book of Rage" and has many followers aiding him in his plans to wipe out humanity.


text:
This license allows for the preparation of dressed game fish for another person for shipment. People who hold this license are eligible to obtain an optional Bait Preservation Permit.
$40 – Fish Packer License
Optional permit applications
Bait Preservation Permit (233.77 K, 2 pages)
Request an Application
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License Renewal Information
License renewal packets will be mailed out to all current fish packer licensees in January. You can renew your license by completing and returning the enclosed license application.
Questions? Contact us!
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text:
The Motley Fool Discussion Boards
Previous Page | |
Financial Planning / Tax Strategies |
Subject: Re: 401k withdrawal taxes at retiremtent | Date: 7/10/2013 2:19 PM | |
Author: huntandfish | Number: 118842 of 125704 | |
I have already done my estate planning. Probate is covered along with the estate administration. I thought it would be easy since I have only one son and figured he would get everything. But then the question was posed to me as to what happens if he goes first. It would have been easier to list the people in my life that I DIDN'T want to get any of my money rather than people/organizations worthy of my money. huntandfish |
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text:
This book is a historical study of the largest pilgrimage festival in the world, the Kumbh Mela. Focusing on the festival in a key northern Indian political town, Allahabad, the book traces the historical changes in the nature of the mela from the 1700s onward, with particular reference to the influence of British colonialism and the growth of Indian nationalism in the region. It charts the early nationalists' active construction of religion as a sphere of sovereignty, and the attendant changes to religious and social practices at the mela. Further, the book traces the links between the relig ... More
Keywords: Kumbh Mela, Magh Mela, Allahabad, Hindu pilgrimage, communication mechanism, religion, nationalism
Print publication date: 2008 | Print ISBN-13: 9780195338942 |
Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: September 2008 | DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195338942.001.0001 |


text:
Kobe, McGee, Durant star in SMART All-Stars dunkfest over PBA selection
The SMART All-Stars led by Kobe Bryant, Derrick Rose, Kevin Durant and Chris Paul romped to a 131-105 win over a selection of Philippine basketball players on Saturday night at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum. But despite the lopsided scores, everyone in the venue � including the NBA superstars� victims � went home happy after the game highlighted by thunderous dunks and above-the-rim action.
Washington center JaVale McGee stole the show from his more heralded teammates, scoring 25 points and leading the stunning display of aerial artistry. Durant added 22 points off vicious dunks and trademark fade-away long bombs.
But the biggest cheers in the arena were reserved for Bryant, the SMART-All Stars� playing coach. The Lakers� superstar, who did not play in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided, was serenaded by chants by the Filipino crowd egging him to put himself back in the game.
Bryant ended with only 12 points, which might as well have been the loudest 12 points in the history of the game. The 32-year-old guard turned back time, throwing down three sensational alley-oop slams as if he were still a hotshot 18-year-old rookie, including a reverse dunk off a Chris Paul pass off the backboard in the second quarter.
It was one of many highlights of the night for Filipino fans, who packed the coliseum to the rafters and went bonkers after every dunk from their NBA idols, which also included James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Derrick Williams, and Derek Fisher.
Despite playing the part of the Washington Generals for this exhibition match, the PBA selection started off gamely, with Arwind Santos scoring the first basket � and the first slam dunk � of the game.
The PBA stars even took several early leads in the opening period, as Santos led the charge with ten points. But Durant quickly caught fire, scoring nine points to put the SMART All-Stars ahead, 30-26, at the end of the first quarter.
The Oklahoma City forward continued his onslaught in the second quarter, adding eleven points to his total, while his Thunder teammate Harden and McGee caught fire. The NBAers ended the half with a 66-50 lead.
After a halftime break featuring a three-point shootout where Paul and Harden beat LA Tenorio and Larry Fonacier, all hell broke loose in the third quarter, as the SMART All-Stars put away the game for good.
Bryant scored on two alley-oops coming off passes from Paul and Durant, before feeding Rose for a two-handed alley-oop jam of his own, which prompted the capacity crowd to chant �M-V-P, M-V-P� for the Most Valuable Player of the 2010-2011 NBA season.
Harden added some footage to his highlight reel too, going coast to coast for a rock-the-cradle reverse jam.
Human pogo stick McGee, meanwhile, made himself an easy target of alley-oop passes from his teammates, before bringing the house down with a couple of coast-to-coast jams, showcasing breathtaking athleticism that had perhaps never been seen before by a Filipino audience.
The SMART All-Stars led107-78 heading into the payoff period, and the dunkfest continued in the fourth quarter, with Harden, Evans, and McGee continuing to strut their stuff while Bryant chilled on the bench.
Despite the beatdown, the PBA players, which included James Yap, Mark Caguioa, Sonny Thoss, Jason Castro, Arwind Santos, Alex Cabagnot, Larry Fonacier, Ryan Reyes, Danny Seigle, Rabeh Al-Hussaini, Marc Pingris, Gary David, Sol Mercado, LA Tenorio, Gabe Norwood, and JC Intal, were visibly happy sharing the court with their idols.
Bryant himself was impressed by the performance of the locals, who were led by Santos with 25 points.
�I love the passion they play with,� he said. �They play with a lot of energy.�
Bryant and company will take the court once more on Sunday against the SMART-Gilas Pilipinas national team at 1 p.m., also at the SMART-Araneta Coliseum.
SMART-Gilas team captain Chris Tiu watched the match intently from the sidelines. He acknowledged that it�s going to be a tough battle for his team.
�Sana gumimik sila,� he quipped, �para bukas antok pa �pag kalaban kami.�
While the NBA stars impressed the crowd with their basketball skill, the stateside contingent was impressed by the love showered upon them by the Filipino crowd.
�We�re a long way from home, but you guys made us feel welcome,� said Paul, the New Orleans Hornets superstar point guard.
Related Stories
» NBA ROUNDUP | Harden game-winner seals thriller for Rockets; Warriors dump Thunder
» NBA ROUNDUP | Harden sparks Rockets over Cavs, Celtics down Bulls
» Magic Johnson wants Kobe Bryant to help rebuild Lakers


text:
Sharp has unveiled its latest and very impressive netbook: Mebius NJ70A. It is expected that Sharp will be announcing Mebius NJ70A in the coming press conference soon. Some of the features include 10.1″ display with an Atom N270 CPU, and Intel 945GSE Express Chipest, 160GB of HDD and web cam. Most importantly, it features an integrated 4″ optical sensor LCD with led backlight and 853 x 480 resolution, one of the first to be seen in a netbook! The Mebius NJ70A netbook will be in stores in Japan within the next couple of month.
Gallery and more information about Mebius NJ70A netbook after the jump.
The handwriting calculator application featured below is a showcase of Nokia's new handwriting recognition technology being tested out at Nokia Beta Labs. It allows you to calculate handwritten math expressions using touchscreen Nokia device and featured in this video is the N800.


text:
Forum Rules | Firearms Safety | Firearms Photos | Links | Library | Lost Password | Email Changes |
Register | FAQ | Calendar | Search | Today's Posts | Mark Forums Read |
View Poll Results: Which 5.56 automatice rifle do you prefer, and why? | |||
Hk416 | 3 | 3.57% | |
Hk G36/C | 7 | 8.33% | |
Sig 552/C | 14 | 16.67% | |
Galil/all variants | 2 | 2.38% | |
Klashnikov in 5.56 | 3 | 3.57% | |
Ruger AC556 | 6 | 7.14% | |
Multiple Choice Poll. Voters: 84. You may not vote on this poll |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
October 12, 2008, 04:30 PM | #1 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 3, 2008
Posts: 2,109
Whats you 5.56 pick?
I would like to know which 5.56 do you prefer. Regards |
October 12, 2008, 07:17 PM | #2 |
Junior Member
Join Date: October 7, 2008
Location: Oregon
Posts: 9
I like my Bushmaster varminter and Ruger #1 heavy barrel
October 13, 2008, 02:08 AM | #3 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 20, 2004
Posts: 3,150
The Stoner system is our system and works well, even though some prefer the AK.
There are some foreign AR's out there that are rechambered to 5.56 for export. The new Chinese 5.8X42, Type 95, is one of them, and I've heard from reliable sources that reliability is an issue in foreign calibers being rechambered for the export market, and particularly the Type 95. We might be better off rechambering the 5.56 to something like the Russian version than vice versa. |
October 13, 2008, 02:21 AM | #4 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 28, 2004
Location: Silicon Valley, Ca
Posts: 7,117
The AR platform with a 16 to 20-inch barrel is about right for me. I think the M4 loses too much with the shorter barrels and a 16" AR/M16 is a well balanced rifle.
You left out the FN FS2000 which I think is a very interesting concept. I tend to think bullpup designs are efficient and this one has a 17-inch barrel.
BillCA in CA (Unfortunately) |
October 13, 2008, 02:28 AM | #5 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 8, 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,925
I voted for M4 and G36, because the G36 is so tasty to me...
October 13, 2008, 03:51 AM | #6 |
Junior Member
Join Date: October 10, 2008
Posts: 4
I have to say the M-16 has the most aftermarket parts around for it so it is hard to beat since you can customize it just the way you like it. However the Sig 550 series and Steyr AUG are really sweet weapons i have to say. The Sig 550 is like the Rolls Royce of AK rifles. The Steyr AUG is still my personal favorite being a full 20" barrel in a very compact package with great balance and extremely comfortable to shoot.
October 14, 2008, 01:07 AM | #7 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 3, 2008
Posts: 2,109
I think Sig 552C is an excellant weapon. I am trying to find one here in PK but they are very hard to come by.
That said, M4 rocks. Very handy and precise weapon. I dont seem to like bullpups. |
October 14, 2008, 02:20 AM | #8 |
Senior Member
Join Date: April 8, 2007
Location: Sydney, Aus
Posts: 149
October 18, 2008, 05:30 AM | #9 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 23, 2005
Location: Luxembourg
Posts: 1,324
The only ones I've fired so far are the AR-15, SIG 550 and AUG. I prefer the SIG.
October 22, 2008, 02:56 PM | #10 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 12, 2008
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 612
Couldn't vote because you left out my favorite. The HK XM8.
October 23, 2008, 03:41 AM | #11 |
Join Date: November 29, 2004
Location: Minnesota, USA
Posts: 43
I have a SIG 556 (I realize it's not full auto - got other machineguns for that), and tend toward the SIG 5XX series of weapons after owning a couple AR weapons (AR-15, AR-10). I like 30 caliber rounds over 5.56mm for better punch, despite the weight increase. But, the SIG 556 has the accuracy close to the AR weapons but the bolt design of an AK-47 for reliability. The recoil spring is up front, allowing for a folding stock for portability. Plop a nice military grade 4 power scope on top and you have an EXCELLENT shooting, reliable carbine. No gun does everything, but of you are looking for a close to medium range carbine, the SIG has a great set of features. I don't care to hang all kinds of acccessories onto the front and and make an accessorized barbie toy out of a carbine like AR owners tend to do. That adds way too much weight. AK based carbines are more reliable, because of looser tolerances, but the iron sight radius on all AK's is too short for the langer ranges a carbine is capable of. Plus, they are heavier than a carbine needs to be. If you haven't seen SIG 556, go to a sporting goods store like Cabellas and take one apart and look at the guts. You will be suitably impressed. I was, enough to buy one. They are not cheap, but the price is competetive to other options. You should compare the SIG 556 to the Robinson XCR and the Bushmaster ACR (when it becomes available) if you want to consider guns that are similar in design, size, and mission when selecting a new purchase.
October 23, 2008, 04:01 AM | #12 |
Senior Member
Join Date: September 27, 2007
Posts: 170
Why did you ask the question with most of these being machineguns? Most of these you can't buy as they post 86. Did you mean which is the best in semi auto? Or are you jut trying to figure out which is the best military 5.56 in the world? I like the XCR but it not on your list or full auto. But I wouldn't take it over any legally register machinegun in 5.56.
November 18, 2008, 03:33 PM | #13 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 3, 2008
Posts: 2,109
Ordered a G36. Lets see how it performs after my recent disappointment with M4.
November 18, 2008, 04:41 PM | #14 |
Senior Member
Join Date: December 15, 2001
Location: Winter Haven, Florida
Posts: 4,303
I pick the one I bought, the Colt M16A1. Full auto. No three round burst ratchet. Any upper configuration or caliber I want.
November 18, 2008, 05:12 PM | #15 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 20, 2007
Location: South Western OK
Posts: 2,405
The Steyr AUG. Bought one about 10 years ago while teaching military stuff in a middle east country. It is still there and I get to use it when my travels take me to that country.
Bought that gun at the souk for less than US $500 because it is set up for left hand use. Arabs are not left handed and it did not sell. |
November 21, 2008, 12:33 PM | #16 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 10,435
I picked the AC556. Here are the reasons why:
1. Price 2. Factory supported / Factory Refurb available 3. Rugged / durable / reliable 4. Nothing had to be jerry rigged to get it to work in full auto - it was made that way - i.e. no lightning links, DIAS's, or welded bolt carriers 5. Factory 3-round burst. 6. SCAR-QCB stock modernizes the AC556 - a "must have" if you have the AC 7. Betamags are now available for the AC556 8. Heavy barrels and heavy gas blocks available for the AC556. 9. It's made of steel, not recycled beer cans and parts bought out of Shotgun News 30 years ago. |
December 2, 2008, 10:41 PM | #17 |
Junior Member
Join Date: December 13, 2006
Posts: 10
February 13, 2009, 09:38 AM | #18 |
Senior Member
Join Date: February 3, 2008
Posts: 2,109
So the M4 has it.
Not surprised. |
February 13, 2009, 11:10 AM | #19 |
Junior member
Join Date: January 23, 2008
Location: MI
Posts: 1,398
I like the M16 family, Commando barrel, M4 barrel, 16 inch middy.
February 13, 2009, 01:39 PM | #20 |
Senior Member
Join Date: July 24, 2007
Location: The South
Posts: 1,084
I like any gun that has ammo/magazines/parts readily available.
"I don't like repeat offenders, I like dead offenders"-Uncle Ted |
February 13, 2009, 05:02 PM | #21 |
Senior Member
Join Date: November 20, 2008
Posts: 10,435
I have a Ruger AC556 13" in a SCAR CQB (sage) stock.
I absolutely love shooting this gun. If I could have a chrome lined heavy barrel for it, I'd love it that much more. I personally like it better than an M16. I would rather have my FNC converted to full-auto, but only if I could find enough spare parts for it. Until then, I'm not interested in owning something that can turn to junk as soon as one part breaks. |
February 13, 2009, 05:56 PM | #22 |
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Ruger AC556:
If they're good enough for the A-Team, then by God, they're good enough for me! |
February 13, 2009, 10:25 PM | #23 |
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Join Date: February 13, 2009
Location: New Braunfels, Texas
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Well I'm a little embarassed to say the only one of those rifles I've even shot is an AR-15 (not even an M4 like on the poll). So I'd hafta say the M4 just cus it's what I know, ya know?
DPMS Panther Lite 16 AR-15 w/mods | Mossberg 500A 12ga | Ruger P95 9mm | Ruger 10/22 Carbine Deluxe | Herbert-Schmidt 22LR revolver | Unknown single shot bolt action 22LR (around 100 years old!) |
February 14, 2009, 12:55 AM | #24 | |
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Join Date: August 28, 1999
Location: North Texas
Posts: 4,119
Just saying - - -
My choice: Handy as the M4 and shorty carbines are, I do a lot better work with the M16. I don't shoot the AC556 nearly so well. This is probably because of my long association with the AR15-series gun. Best Johnny
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