text:
+ Log in or register to post
Results 71 to 80 of 95
Tuesday, 22nd April, 2008, 07:28 PM #71
The Great Druid (Lvl 17)
- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Posts
- 16,816
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block renau1g
ø Friend+
But there's some wicked cow bell so that alone is enough for me...
If only I could get more cow bell?
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008, 05:44 AM #72
Graf, the character concept seems fine, It rocks enough metal for me.
To Walking dad, if you want to switch now's the time. No Druidic Avenger however ( Suck up a level of barb if you really want the rage)
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008, 06:17 AM #73
Superhero (Lvl 15)
- Join Date
- Jan 2008
- Posts
- 15,780
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block Walking Dad
ø Friend+
Shifter (wildhunt) druid
Str: 16
Dex: 17
Con: 17
Int: 13
Wis: 20
Cha: 10
Feat: shifter ferocity
Skills (ranks only):
Concentration 4
Handle Animal 4
Listen 2
Profession (Sailor) 2
Spot 2
Survival 4
Swim 2
Spells: SRD + Eberron Setting only? (= SRD only for druids)
Item: Dragonhide breastplate for 700gp
For taking a barbarian level: Do you play with multiclass penality?
Last edited by Walking Dad; Saturday, 3rd May, 2008 at 10:41 PM. Reason: skills
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008, 10:06 AM #74
Acolyte (Lvl 2)
- Join Date
- Feb 2002
- Location
- undisclosed
- Posts
- 3,994
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block Graf
ø Friend+
ReaperOriginally Posted by Logos7
Reaper (former name forgotten)
She met her love on 914 YK, Shaeras Vadallia had summoned the clans of the Valaes Tairn to souther Cyre.
She was there as an independent observer, on behalf of her revered elder. But, feeling the passion of the day, and she couldn't hold herself apart. Barely a hundred years old, was swept of her feet by a charismatic, and heroic member of the Tairnadal.
They were together for only 82 years. 82 years short blood-soaked years of hunting and killing Karrns and halflings broken up with beautiful sunrises, and bouts of nookie among the grasslands.
They were less than a mile from the Cyre border when the Mourning hit. She doesn't remember the details, something horrible came front the mists, it ate most of her soulmate but he lived on in agony.
He died on 996 the day the Treaty of Thronehold was signed.
She's wandered Khorvaire for the last two years, rootless.
Life on Arenal seems so slow, so pointless. Even as she is Aereni she can't stand dwelling upon them.
She could ride with the Valenar, of course, and she does so from time to time but without her soulmate it all seems pointless as well. There is no glory for her anymore.
The rest of her elvin cousins on the mainland are whiny little pansies.
The elvin woman before you is rangy and gaunt. The death face tattoos of Aerenal clash with her worn hide armor. Shimmering green eyes look about hostily from under a mop of unwashed hair. A scythe is strapped to her. She's stroking a black steel knife and looking at you. She looks looks hungry.
The Reaper (A very metal CL 1)
Stat BlockAerenal Elf Barbarian 1 Death Metal
Immune Sleep
Init +4 Senses Low Light Vision, Spot +5, Listen +7, Search +4
Languages Common, Elvin, Draconic (forgotten)
************************************************** **********
AC 18 (armor3/dex4/special1); touch: 14 ; flat-footed: 14
Raging AC 16 (armor3/dex4/special1/rage-2); touch: 12 ; flat-footed: 12hp 40 (1 HD)
Fort +6 (con4/class2) Ref +8 [+10 spells] (dex0/class3.0.4/cloak1) Will +3 [+5 vs. enchant/charm]|+5[+7] (wis3/class0)
************************************************** ****************
Speed 40 ft (8 squares)
Attack Melee Scythe +5 2d4+6 (x4)
Attack Melee Scythe +7 2d4+9 (x4)
Attack Ranged Black Knife +5 1d4+4
Base Attack +1 Grapple +5
Attack Options Rage 1/day [9 rounds] (hit points +2, other effects figured into stat block under rage)
Combat Gear Nothing
Action Points 5
****************************** ************************************
Attributes Str 19/23 Dex 19 Con 18/22 Int 19 Wis 15 Cha 9
SQ Elf qualities, fast movement, illiteracy, uncanny dodge
Feats Freedom Fighter of Valenarb Track
Skills Climb +8 Hide +6uv Intimidate +3 Jump +12* Knowledge +2uv Listen +7 Ride +8 Search +4u Spot +5 Survival +9v Swim +8
Skills detail
u=Untrained *=includes +4 for speed 40' v=+2 for Freedom Fighter of Valenar bonus feat
Ranks: Climb (4) Hide (-) Intimidate (4) Jump (4) Knowledge (-) Listen (4) Ride (4) Search (-) Spot (2) Survival (4)Swim (4)
Possessions Combat Gear + Hide Armor, lotsa knives and traveling gear.
Traveling GearA bag, some rope, a blanket, flint and tinder
Build Details
Hit points 12x3+ 4(con)
Magic Item Math
None, no items
Skill Points spent per Level
Progression: Barb 1
Barbarian 1: 4 Ranks each in Climb Intimidate Jump Listen Ride Survival Swim
2 (double cost) Ranks in Spot
Class and Effect Breakdown
CL Class and Effect
1 Barbarian 1 bab +1, fort +2; Rage, Fast Movement, Illterate
Feat Progression
1st: Track
bonus: Freedom Fighter of valenar (+2 hide, survival, know)
Requested Magic Items
Necklace of Watchful Trancing
A tooth of the first thing she killed on the plains (a halfling's clawtooth), carved and given to her by her soulmate. She beleives his spirit watches over her still while she rests. She will really kill anyone who touches it.
Game Effect: Gives +4 to spot/listen when trancing (maximum duration 4 hours a day -- so it's not cheesy).
The Black Knife
Reaper carved out the heart of a Karrnathi necromancer with her own black-steel dagger after a particularly vicious battle. As the necromancer died she tried to curse the Reaper. But the reaper had killed her fair and square, so the curse didn't stick properly.
Game Effect: The knife can never be lost. The Reaper normally always has the knife somewhere on her body, and can draw it as a move action. If she's ever not carrying the knife it "finds it's way back to her" (within ~five minutes). Its always sharp and shiny and particularly good for carving meat but other than the odd returning property completely normal. (at least so far as Reaper knows)
I'd like both, since they're both pretty worthless (compared with a normal 1000 gp item) but I'll take either/or if that's the way it's got to be.
Last edited by Graf; Thursday, 24th April, 2008 at 02:49 AM.
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008, 04:38 PM #75
No multiclassing penalty (This should go under houserule i surpose), I think the drop in spell effectiveness is more than penalty enough
as for the magic, start with the black knife, much kewler than the teeth i think.
Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008, 09:21 PM #76
Novice (Lvl 1)
- Join Date
- Sep 2005
- Location
- Santiago - Chile / Kristiansand - Norway
- Posts
- 1,193
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block Drowned Hero
ø Friend+
Last edited by Drowned Hero; Wednesday, 23rd April, 2008 at 09:25 PM.
Thursday, 24th April, 2008, 01:12 AM #77
Acolyte (Lvl 2)
- Join Date
- Feb 2002
- Location
- undisclosed
- Posts
- 3,994
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block Graf
ø Friend+Originally Posted by Logos7
She still has a tooth pendant she thinks is magical then.
Thursday, 24th April, 2008, 02:43 AM #78
Acolyte (Lvl 2)
- Join Date
- Feb 2002
- Location
- undisclosed
- Posts
- 3,994
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block Graf
ø Friend+
If it's OK, to help explain her extreme personality, I've indicated that she was very close to the Cyre border when the Morning happened (injuries sustained from the event ultimately took his life).
Even elves from the Valenar are not normally as savage as she is. Her personality is a symptom of some kind of strange elf-barbarian shell shock.
Thursday, 24th April, 2008, 04:17 PM #79
elfs from valenar are preety damn savage, between valenar and the war itself (as apposed to mourning after effects) would be more than enough, however: your character your story. its all good here.
Thursday, 24th April, 2008, 09:08 PM #80
Novice (Lvl 1)
- Join Date
- Aug 2007
- Posts
- 213
- Reviews
- Read 0 Reviews
ø Block bedford
ø Friend+
Base for my character.
Class: Barbarian (bear totem if possible)
Str: 25
Dex: 14
Con: 22
Int: 14
Wis: 15
Cha: 11
Feat: roll with it. (feat from savage species that grants damage reduction 2)
vBulletin Message
Similar Threads
Eberron -- The Forgotten Forge [RECRUITING]By Post Life Entity in forum Talking the TalkReplies: 26Last Post: Tuesday, 17th October, 2006, 04:17 AM
Recruiting for Eberron - Man on the Run (1 spot), alts always welcomeBy Animus in forum Talking the TalkReplies: 49Last Post: Saturday, 27th May, 2006, 02:23 PM
Worshipers of Pelor needed! [Recruiting Closed-Alts taken if interested]By Nonlethal Force in forum Talking the TalkReplies: 2Last Post: Monday, 28th November, 2005, 11:36 PM
Eberron character concepts - bring'em on!By Flyspeck23 in forum Roleplaying Games General DiscussionReplies: 10Last Post: Thursday, 13th January, 2005, 04:44 PM
Interested in Eberron(D&D 3.5E), Minneapolis, MNBy neoshade in forum Gamers Seeking GamersReplies: 0Last Post: Monday, 7th June, 2004, 08:17 PM


text:
Marketing Information
This 6x2cm replacement Fan helps keep your PC cool, in turn increasing dependability and extending component lifespan. The fan features an efficient ball-bearing design that provides durable cooling, and offers a Tachometer pin on the TX3 motherboard connector that provides the host system with fan operating status.
Ensuring broad compatibility, the 6x2cm fan includes a TX3 to LP4 adapter that lets you power the fan using an LP4 connection to the PSU as opposed to a motherboard TX3 connection.
Designed to provide a reliable PC cooling solution, the replacement fan is backed by StarTech.com's 2-year warranty.
General Information
|Product Type
|Cooling Fan
|Manufacturer Part Number
|Manufacturer Website Address
|Product Name
|Replacement 60x20mm TX3 CPU Cooler Fan
|Brand Name
Fan Information
|Fan Speed
|4500 rpm
|3-pin TX3
Physical Characteristics
|Fan Diameter
|60 mm
|Weight (Approximate)
|1.28 oz
|Standard Warranty
|2 Year Limited
This product is shipped only within Canada and Warranty valid for Canada only.
Computer Valley makes every effort to provide accurate specifications, descriptions, images and price on all products that are found on www.computervalley.ca
However for complete and updated descriptions, compatibilities, specifications and actual photo we recommend our clients to consult with manufacturer's websites or simply call us for proper clarifications. Computer Valley is not responsible and will not accept returns for items purchased that are not compatible with your system. Please ensure that you have verified compatibility and actual photo with your system by visiting the manufacturer's web site prior to purchase or give us a call to make sure what you are purchasing.
For more information, visit our Shipping and Return policy.
Computer Valley wants to provide you with the best and fastest possible service. We try to ship in stock orders placed before 2:00pm EST the same day. For in stock orders placed after 2:00pm EST they are usually shipped the next business day. However there are always exceptions. Please contact us prior to placing your order if you need your purchase by a certain date.
We ship by UPS, FEDEX, USPS, CANADA POST , PUROLATOR and LOOMIS from the nearest locations possible based on stock in hand.
Please note: Computer Valley reserves the rights to accept and cancel any order at anytime due to pricing error or any other reason. An email will be sent as a confirmation of the order status.
|Read Reviews Write Review

subset: commoncrawl


text:
5 ways to get lucky
Luck isn't just for the fortunate few—the lotto winners, backyard oil barons, and game-show champs. You can improve your own luck by taking a few steps in the right direction. So quit rubbing that rabbit foot bare, searching for elusive four-leaf clovers, or seeking vertically challenged leprechauns. Instead, take action, stay focused, and follow these words of wisdom from people who created their own winning streaks.
Get ready
"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.
– Seneca, Roman philosopher
Be kind
"Your luck is how you treat people."
– Unknown
Don't hesitate
"The day you decide to do it is your lucky day."
– Japanese proverb
Be brave
"If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."
– Unknown
Never give up
"Luck affects everything; let your hook always be cast; in the stream where you least expect it, there will be a fish."
– Ovid, Roman classical poet


text:
"A good drummer listens as much as he plays." ~ Indian Proverb
Percussion Store Drummers Drum Lessons Drumming FAQsInternational Shipping
Drums & Percussion
Drum Sets & Cymbals
Cymbals, Hardware & Accessories
Latin Percussion
LP Hardware, Accessories & Replacement Parts
Middle-East Drums & Percussion
African Drums & Accessories
Chinese & Eastern Drums & Percussion
Irish Drums & Percussion
Orchestra Bells & Chimes
Drum & Percussion Hardware
1. Drumming can help students grow academically; it can improve students' ability to concentrate and compliment their studies in the arts, math, science, language arts, history & physical fitness.
2. According to scientific research, playing music, and hence drumming and playing percussion, increases the development of various regions of the brain, including the corpus callosum, motor and auditory cortexes.
3. Playing drums and rhythms can be an optimal experience and encourages participants of all ages to achieve flow.
4. Drumming is a healing art and therefore it can give participants of any age a better sense of well being.
5. Hand drumming (and regular participation in any form of percussion playing) increases the physical stamina of students.
6. Drumming increases body awareness & kinesthetic
development; drumming helps students develop graceful coordination and
7. Playing rhythms improves listening skills and increases
children and teens' ability to focus for extended periods of time.
8. In general, the increasing of
rhythmic skills - and the learning of any musical instrument - increases
students' confidence.
9. Playing rhythmic music helps students to take notice of the rhythms and beauty in nature and their surroundings.
10. Drumming in group formats, such as drum circles, bands and
orchestras cultivates an appreciation for teamwork and cooperation.
11.Drum circles are great ethnic and cultural bridges; they harmoniously bring diverse people, instruments and musical styles together.
12. If parents play or take interest in the musical and learning process of their children, then drumming can be a means to forge meaningful bonds between parents and children.


text:
Artist description:
i drew this cuz i had had a CRAZAZY day. so, the picture was all different colors and patterns and stuff. plz rate honestly.
Flash Draw Created Feb 28, 2009 470 x 338px Unless noted Copyright 2009 321havesmfun.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
Nobody has commented on this drawing yet. Be the first!


text:
Senator Bill Larkin Reminds Kids That the New York State Summer Reading Program Is Underway
The New York State Library, teaming up with the more than 1,100 public libraries and neighborhood branches statewide, has announced the kick-off of "Summer Reading at New York Libraries," the 2012 New York State summer reading programs. Through these programs, young people will have the opportunity to access the vast resources of New York's public libraries to support their summer reading and to gain recognition for what they achieve.
Through participation in these programs young people can receive reading lists and participate in programs and activities at their local libraries. At the end of the program, participants receive formal recognition for their reading achievement. To participate, please visit www.nyread.com or www.larkin.nysenate.gov to enroll and get started.
According to New York State Library officials, last year's summer reading program featured the participation of 1.65 million young people statewide. It is the expressed hope of program coordinators at the New York State Library, Assembly and Senate that increased attention on the benefits of summer reading will result in expanded participation.
"I urge all children to keep reading this summer," said Senator Bill Larkin (R-C, Cornwall-on-Hudson). "This is a wonderful opportunity to explore your local library and read books on new subjects that you might not be familiar with, such as biographies, history or science fiction. Your local library is a tremendous resource for information and can help you with computer research, ordering books, finding new subjects of interest, and reading groups for children. Visiting your local library is a great opportunity to expand your knowledge and have some fun along the way," said Larkin.
To find your local library, please visit either www.nyread.com or www.larkin.nysenate.gov to access the list by county.


text:
Business owners welcome return of visitors to Hatteras Island
Posted September 15, 2011
Hatteras, N.C. — More than two weeks after Hurricane Irene swept up the Outer Banks, visitors returned to Hatteras Island Thursday. Irene's impact in Hatteras
Irene washed out parts of N.C. Highway 12, the only road to the island, leaving residents dependent on the ferry system to reach their homes. While they cleaned up, authorities kept visitors off the island.
On Thursday, visitors lined up for ferry service to the island's southern villages of Avon, Buxton, Frisco and Hatteras. The rest of the island won't be open to visitors until sometime after Sept. 29.
Gary Cowen missed most of his pre-paid week of vacation, but said he was glad to be on the ferry Thursday morning.
"We try to get to the ocean once a year," he said. "I feel bad these guys have had to suffer. But I guess that's part of living on the island."
He said he's hoping to salvage the last three days of his trip but didn't know what to expect. "We've seen pictures of the devastation on Pea Island and Rodanthe, but we don't know how Avon is going to look," he said.
Beth Midgett said her company, Midgett Realty, would not reopen beach rentals until the weekend. She worried that the limited ferry service wouldn't be able to handle all the renters who want to return to the beach.
"It is the lifeblood of our economy," she said. And that blood is pumping again after a rough couple of weeks.
"At the beginning, we didn't have school. We didn't have anything," she said. "Every step we make back to normalcy makes you feel like things are getting right again."
Hatteras businesses welcome tourists' return
In Hatteras village, outside Isabelle's Closet, a boutique named for the 2003 storm to hit the island, a sign welcomed the tourists' return. It read, "Happy to Sea You."
"I'm ready for them to be back," owner Sue Jones said. "It's a little boring without them."
At the Red and White store, manager Jennifer Burris was hoping to see more green. Her shop was stocked for Labor Day crowds before Irene prevented the influx.
"We had all our meats, all our frozen (foods), all our stock ready to go, and then suddenly there was an evacuation, and we were left with all this stock on the floor," Burris said.
Since the storm, the North Carolina Department of Transportation has increased ferry runs from Swan Quarter and Cedar Island to Ocracoke Island and from Ocracoke to Hatteras, but all ferries to Ocracoke and Hatteras are booked through the weekend.
The North Carolina Department of Transportation recommends anyone planning a visit to the Outer Banks make a ferry reservation.


text:
The organization released a report Thursday that attributes this year's extreme weather to global warming.
"Certainly, we have a problem on our hands," said Matt Elliott, a representative from Environment New Jersey.
"We need to do everything we can to cut carbon pollution today."
On both a local and national level, 2012 has been a year of dramatic weather events.
This summer's temperatures have set record highs across the country, and in New Jersey, those extreme temperatures have been matched by extreme storms.
Last weekend, thousands of people in Freehold were left without power after a storm caused extensive damage to utilities in the area.
And the super-derecho storm that swept South Jersey on June 29 caused damage that public works departments are still cleaning up weeks later.
The storm, which devastated areas of Cumberland and Salem counties, claimed two lives at Parvin State Park, left thousands without power for more than a week and forced the closure of the park, canceling weddings, vacations and a nationally ranked triathlon.
"We were impacted bad in the Pittsgrove Township area," said Jeff Ridgway, director of Public Works in Salem County.
"We had the guys work probably 20 to 30 hours on Saturday and Sunday after the storm. We've been spending the last couple weeks just cleaning up some of the areas."
Salem County eventually sent crews to Cumberland to help deal with the overwhelming task of cleaning up after the storm.
Environment New Jersey's report, which analyzes weather records from government-run weather stations dating as far back as 1948, states that storms occur 33 percent more frequently in New Jersey now than they did 60 years ago. Futhermore, the report says, those storms have come to produce 22 percent more precipitation than they did in decades past.
Experts agree that this year New Jersey has seen more than its fair share of extreme weather events. Last summer brought severe storms as well.
In August 2011, a single storm dumped 11 inches of water on Salem and Cumberland counties, causing millions in damage.
But a meteorologist from the National Weather Service who confirmed that the weather of 2012 has been unusually dramatic was reluctant to say whether these storms were indicative of global warming.
Tony Broccoli, a professor of environmental science at Rutgers University, said that erratic and extreme weather events are characteristic of global warming.
"There is good evidence that some types of extreme weather events such as heat waves and heavy rain events have become more common as global temperatures have risen," he said.
"In other words, climate change has increased the chances of having a heat wave or a heavy rain event."
This assertion is in keeping with Environment New Jersey's findings.
Broccoli added, however, that he does not think enough time has passed to determine whether a pattern proving that this weather is a result of climate change exists.
Follow @thenewsofcc
More South Jersey news


text:
We used to have a big Associated Content thread on here, but I haven't seen it in awhile. After a very long break, I've started submitting to them again. They've changed a bit since I used to submit to them on a regular basis. They've lowered their minimum word count to 350 for one. That makes it a bit easier for me to whip up a quick article. And, their rules aren't quite as strict as Suite101's.
I seem to be doing pretty well there in earnings from page views. My best earning articles that I've got anywhere on the web are some older ones that I wrote for AC. My Abreva article that I wrote almost 3 years ago still gets a lot of page views. I've earned over $115 dollars for it since it was published. Not bad.
Anyway, after being very irritated with them way back when, I'm liking them again. Anyone else?
My goal is to write 10 articles a month for them.
I have submitted a couple of things recently to AC, mostly because I have been scattered and I have been using them to focus myself. They have all been the Call for Contents because those have deadlines and I sometimes need that to focus myself. My Halloween stuff did pretty well and a few of my much older stuff continues to get hits. I think after the older stuff, Google stopped caching if there weren't incoming links so that is why slightly but not really older stuff isn't doing so well.
GL with 10 a month! I am working on a blog so I am hoping to do a couple this month.
Are you able to earn up-front payment anymore? I haven't written for AC in a long time but have been thinking about it.
Twocoolboys - that's neat about your Abreva article. I wrote one on red 40 a couple years ago that has added up to right under $200 in total (currently about $10 per month just on the one article, so it's still getting frequent page views). $8 was up-front payment, though, and I'm guessing that amount is almost unheard of at this point.
Anyway, I was just posting b/c I am thinking about submitting a few short pieces to AC sometime soon. I am somewhat motivated to start up again, it's just that I am taking a college writing class right now and am burnt out on the required essays.
I've recently started up again.
I started up again too. I only do their calls for content if they are relatively high in payment (and relatively high nowadays is $3 or more, sadly.) Usually the calls for content don't get me near the number of page views that anything else I write does. I do like how now you can preview and see how many pages your article will take up, so you can add a paragraph or two if you need to to push it to a third page.
I wrote one about Mafia Wars on Facebook a couple of months ago that earns me about $10 a month now that I am up to clout 8. That one constantly amazes me, because it was one of my very first articles, and I didn't think much would come out of it.
I tend to do a lot of writing for them when I'm traveling, because I'm not focusing on the 400 other things I need to be doing - cleaning the house, getting work done, etc. I did 10 articles just over Thanksgiving weekend because the kids were occupied with visiting with family members, and I could just hang out and crank 'em out in spurts during the day.
subbing! I've written a few things for AC and I really want to get back into writing a lot more.
|All times are GMT -7. The time now is 08:12 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Resources saved on this page: MySQL 5.56%
vBulletin Optimisation provided by vB Optimise (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
vBulletin Security provided by vBSecurity v2.2.2 (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
User Alert System provided by Advanced User Tagging (Pro) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2017 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.


text:
Joined: 30 December 2012
Posts: 8
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 12 October 2009
Posts: 8782
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 16 July 2010
Posts: 12175
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 22 November 2012
Posts: 15028
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 13 March 2013
Posts: 7
"Shit!" Ayaana Rawte cursed, running down the stairs, long hair flying behind her. Glancing at her watch quickly, she noted that she was merely 5 minutes late. But to her brother, it might as well be 5 hours late. Resorting to getting ready on the go, she quickly ran her hands through her hair and adjusted the dupatta so it sat modestly over her shoulders. Being fresh out of medical school, she had been very lucky to score an internship at one of the most prestigious hospitals in Mumbai. Although her merit couldn't be the only thing to take credit for it. Her brother had also pulled a few strings for her, on the condition that she wouldn't mess up. 'Did being late constitute as 'messing up'? she wondered.
"Ayaana!" Hey yelled from downstairs, snapping her out of her thoughts.
"Coming Bhaiya!" she called, jogging quicker than before.
ACP Arjun Rawte sighed, glaring at his watch. "Hurry it up Ayaana." He warned. "Or I'll leave you here." Hearing her respond with a quick 'Almost done' he frowned. One would think being his little sister would have had some effect on her. But much to his dismay, she was the complete opposite. But he supposed he was the only one to blame. After the death of their parents, he spoiled and pampered her to no end. After all, she was the only family he had... until Riya.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" She cried, sliding into the corridor, sandals in hand.
Coming back from his reverie, he smiled sarcastically. "Oh, no need for sorry. Is the Princess all ready for her carriage ride? Because, I can wait another hour or two you know."
She pouted. "I'm only 5 minutes late."
"Doesn't matter. Point is, you're late." he retorted. "Now put your shoes on, and lets get going. I'm late for a meeting."
"Don't forget, we have to go see Bhabhi first though." she reminded him gently.
Closing his eyes briefly, he smiled at her. "I remember."
"Sorry Ree. We're late again, thanks to your Princess Ayaana." He smiled entering the room, flowers in hand. "But better late than never, right?"
"I'm sorry, I've been getting back late from work. But you know how it is with the ETF. You never catch a break." he continued. "But I promise, I'll try and make it back early from now on Riya."
Turning towards his wife, he knelt beside her bed. He placed the flowers beside her lifeless body, next to the numerous beeping machines. It had been 4 years since Riya had been in this coma. 4 years since he hadn't heard her voice, seen her smile. But he had not given up hope, even when the doctors told him how slim the chance was of her waking up. He was certain his Riya would come back to him.
Kissing her forehead softly, he whispered so she could hear. "I will make them pay for this Ree. I promise you."
"Whoa Sam. Great shot!" Chotu exclaimed, as he removed the remains of the apple from Kapoor's head.
Sameer Rathore smirked, as he signaled Chotu to put another fruit on top of the blubbering man's head. "What do you think, Chotu?" he asked, aiming his gun. "Blindfolded this time?" he grinned, eliciting a scream from Kapoor.
"Go for it!" Chotu laughed.
"NO!" Kapoor called out. "Please. I'll do anything." he begged.
Sameer smiled dryly. "You should've thought about that before you and your brother decided to testify against us." Ignoring the man's pleas for mercy, he closed his eyes and aimed his gun again. He heard a cheer as he fired the shot, and opened his eyes to see he hit bulls-eye once again.
"You know, you should be thanking me." he told Kapoor. "You're damn lucky I'm good at this, or you would've been lying on the floor with a hole in your head by now."
The shrill ring of his cell phone interrupted his next shot. Glancing at the name flashing on the screen, he shook his head in fake sympathy at Kapoor. "Sorry Bro. Time's up." Lifting his gun, he pulled the trigger twice, effectively silencing the mournful screams of the man, for good.
"Yo, Adi!"
Aditya Mehra hated the word 'yo'. It was stupid and unprofessional. Was it really so difficult to say 'hey' to get someone's attention? Not bothering to hide his grimace, he raised an eyebrow at Sameer. "Yes?"
"You called me, man." Sameer said raising his hands up in defence.
"What happened with Kapoor." Aditya asked.
"Dead." Sameer answered casually.
"And his brother?"
"Should be dead as well." Sam shrugged.
"Wrong." Aditya frowned. "The bas***d survived, and is lying comfortably in the hospital."
Sameer looked taken a back for a minute, but quickly recovered. "Well, let's go take care of it then."
Aditya held his hand up. "We will. But in a few hours. Right now the hospital will be crawling with staff and security. The coast should be clear during the lunch break."
"Whatever you say, boss." Sameer mocked, tapping his fingers on the desk, knowing how much it irritated Aditya.
Resisting the urge to roll his eyes at the other man, he grabbed the file. "You know, you can leave." Adi offered. "You aren't doing me much help."
"Nah, I'm pretty comfortable." Sameer grinned at his friend. Settling into a more comfy position, he grabbed the magazine that was conspicuously hidden from view. A smirk tugged one corner of his mouth as he realized why. Clearing his throat, he started reading the headline out loud. "Mumbai's Most Eligible Bachelors 2013."
When Adi didn't respond, he continued. "Look Adi, you're number one this year too." he laughed. "Did you see the profile they've written? Full name: Aditya Mehra, Age: 28, Height: 6'2''. Eye color: Hazel. What the eff is hazel?"
"Will you shut up?" Adi glared.
"Aww come on man, you gotta admit, this shit is creepy. It's like they've been stalking you." Sam exclaimed, scanning the rest of the article. "They've even got your ex-girlfriends listed here. Dude, you dated that model, Deblina Mukherjee, too? Bitch is crazy."
"Alright, enough now." Adi gritted out.
"You know," Sameer continued on, studying the magazine page. "This is basically implying that you are commitment-phobic and will remain alone for the rest of your life."
"Get out." Adi said calmly, not looking up from the file he was reading.
"Take a joke man!"
"Get. Out." he responded, once again in that deadly, authoritative voice.
"Fine." he laughed. "But don't forget our trip to the hospital." Turning on his heel he sauntered out of the office, humming the familiar tune of 'Dost Dost Na Raha'.
Picking up the magazine Sameer left strewn on his desk, he glanced at the open page. 'Will Aditya Mehra ever get married? Or will he forever remain the bad boy of page 3? Judging by his past, it doesn't seem like this bachelor will ever settle down. Only time will tell.'
'What Bullshit.' he thought with a snarl as he tossed the magazine into the trash.
"80% Mine. 20% yours." Fiza Mehra said, glaring at the middle-aged man seated in her office.
"Ma'am, that's not fair." he started. "How is it partners, if the profit is not divided equally?"
"Ahh, Mr. Khan. That's where you are mistaken. We aren't partners. Equal division is only required when equal work is being done from both parties involved." Fiza replied coolly, drumming her perfectly manicured nails on the desk. "You're just a name brand. My work is what sells it."
"But-" he began, only to be shut up by a fierce glare from the young woman.
Smiling, she softened her gaze, and ran a hand along his arm. "That's my final offer. Take it or leave it. The choice is yours."
Gulping, the man wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Fine. Your terms are accepted." he sighed finally.
"Excellent." She gleamed, leaning back onto her chair.
Looking around her extravagant office, she smirked proudly. At the young age of 25 she ran a highly Successful Event Planning Firm, and had people on their knees ready to work for her, that too on her terms. Yep, life was good.
~ Short, I Know.
But it's only an introduction chapter.
Next ones will be longer :) Promise
xo Fiza & Liza
The following 26 member(s) liked the above post:
princessaneeka, ArjunKiAsh, iluvrainaarti, abjeya, Apples94, immayurfan, luvzindagi, 123pritha, nakshatra92, nihika, rocking_gal, aroojarain, MissRight, beenish248, Seenavas, fatima15, M.V.Kohli007, -Panda-, madmadona, Aks13, ..sweetchilly.., Payal_156, devildiva21, Mimi2609, JeeLeZaraa, DivineDarkness,
Joined: 05 November 2010
Posts: 8735
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 22 November 2012
Posts: 15028
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
Joined: 30 October 2012
Posts: 7799
The following 2 member(s) liked the above post:
Fiza.Liza, Liza.,
|Last Post
Today's episode based on real crime in Mumbai
Author: -Carrie- Replies: 21 Views: 1191
|17 February 2013 at 5:01am by -SREE93-
OS: The Perfect Crime
Author: TheEmpress Replies: 20 Views: 2282
|02 January 2013 at 3:09am by --ARIA--
Rangmunch-Arjun is crime procedural
Author: Armu4eva Replies: 7 Views: 1394
|05 December 2012 at 1:58pm by SC_Dhruv
Love, starting of love or????
Author: Mimi2609 Replies: 15 Views: 3412
|16 September 2012 at 1:20pm by AeDilHaiMushkil
Arjun, The Invincible Cop Rises To Fight Crime
Author: Simz786 Replies: 2 Views: 1553
|13 August 2012 at 4:36pm by abhi_arshilover
Disclaimer: All Logos and Pictures of various Channels, Shows, Artistes, Media Houses, Companies, Brands etc. belong to their respective owners, and are used to merely visually identify the Channels, Shows, Companies, Brands, etc. to the viewer. Incase of any issue please contact the webmaster.
Popular Channels :
Quick Links :


text:
How we used Justin Bieber trend on twitter to get hits to our startup – Part 1
July 20, 2011
If you ever tried to use social media to get more visits and hits to your startup, you must know how powerful is twitter and how powerful are twitter trends. When I was looking into the social media thing to spread word about our social web app, I studied twitter trends very closely, to find out how trends work, who are these people who actually start these trends and how it all goes. This was very interesting thing.
To understand how twitter and it's trends can help you in spreading the word about your startup, I have some advice to give. First, here are some tools, which would be useful in understanding twitter and it's trending topics,
1. Topsy.com – topsy.com is search engine for twitter, it has nice advance search tool, which has a nice set of search operators that you can use to refine your search. I would suggest you to play with some terms related to your startup, and get idea about what people are tweeting and how much volume it has.
Topsy also has a nice analytics tool, which you can use, to find out when a keyword was most tweeted, this may even lead you to find the origin of a twitter trend, this one is a worth try.
2. Whatthetrend.com – The site let's you know, why a particular term is trending on twitter. This is, I supposed done by users of website, curated by moderators. This website will help you in understanding twitter trends better.
3. Twitter.com Search – This is pretty decent search, worth a try, for real time search. We all know it well.
When I was looking at something, where we can try getting into the trend and lead some visits to our startup, I realized that, the trends generally started by those people, who actually don't care much about their online identity or are not much tech savvy. So, don't think that these people will mind you sending them something, they don't want, you got what I mean.
At around 6am in morning, when I switched on my monitor, I found that Justin Bieber had reached 10million followers on twitter and hence #10Million Beliebers was trending on twitter. Justin Bieber fans are young kids, who don't care much about anything else, loves to click whatever comes their way, I was studying them from a while, I also talked with some of them over some fan chat rooms, I was amazed about how blindly they follow everything Justin.
I saw some opportunity in there, but didn't know how to capture this, was searching something which we could plug in to our web app quickly, so that we could relate it to Justin Bieber, in some way and see what happens.
At around 7 I got this idea, we created a fan page of Justin Bieber in our web app. The idea was to spread that profile among the fans and see, if it goes viral. Obviously, there are 1000s of Justin Bieber fan pages, there had to be something unique about it.
I created an app, for Justin Bieber fans to send kisses to Justin's twitter account, using their twitter account. Along that tweet, we would send Justin's fan page url on our web app. So, fans would come on Justin's fan page, login with their twitter account, kiss justin, with some nice animation, and send tweet to Justin. And if that catch up, more and more people would do it, that was the whole idea.
Some django twitter library, some jquery goodies and within 30 mins, it was ready to plug into our app, Justin was still trending.
Within 2 hours of getting the idea, we had everything ready and live. The final result can be seen here. http://closest.in/justinbieber
Then I made a tweet from a new twitter account I made for this purpose, along with the hash tag which was trending, I wrote something to tell Justin's fan to kiss justin, with the url of our app.
As soon as I sent that tweet, hits started coming on the Justin's fan page. Remember these were hits, because it was a trending topic, many people where searching it, clicking on websites and reaching on our web app. But we wanted people to try the kissing app. And yes, someone did it.
We gained some momentum. More hits, but what we wanted was, people trying the app and retweeting our url.
In my next post, I will write about how it all went, in the end.
4 thoughts on "How we used Justin Bieber trend on twitter to get hits to our startup – Part 1"
4000 kiss already send , this is good stuff but is this making people to make account at closest.in
i am waiting for part 2
Pingback: My daily readings 07/21/2011 « Strange Kite
Pingback: Yes, I'll say it: Marketers should become Beliebers. | Ron Tite


text:
|August 9, 1999, 09:17 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: July 26, 1999
Location: Georgia
Posts: 362
Well, I did wind up getting a Rossi lever action in .45LC. I have been casting bullets using the RCBS 45-250FN mold. Upon looking at that bullet for use in a lever action, I have developed some doubts as to if that is a safe bullet to use. It has a flat nose, but the diameter is slightly smaller than the primer it will be bumped up against. Does anyone have experience with that bullet? Thanks again, JS.
|August 15, 1999, 08:25 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: January 11, 1999
Location: Sierras de Cordoba - Argentina
Posts: 352
Congratulations and good shooting with the Rossi! - Had the choice between Rossi and Winchester when I was shopping for a 45 lever action: They really compared very well and I got the Win just about 'tossing a coin'
On the semi wad cutter bullet - I use the Lyman 452424 which casts a 255 gn with a very broad flat nose, the weight seems about right for the rifle and though a little heavy for the revolvers it seems ok in my Ruger Vaquero (the Lyman Handbook recommends for Vaquero and Contender only) - since my other 45 is an Uberti I guess it complicates logistics a bit. I don't have an RCBS manual handy but I take it that your mould casts 250 gn - not much difference.
Would a primer fire from a nose slightly smaller? - hardly a 'firing pin' but i guess the risk is there - as it would be, on the other hand, from a litle convexity in the broader nose... someone out there got any suggestions?
Hasta pronto!
El Chimango Pete (aka Peter Knight)
'A 44 beats 4 aces'
|August 24, 1999, 11:50 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 9, 1999
Location: New South Wales - Australia
Posts: 605
No, from tests we(SSAA Lever Action) have done, even a slightly pointed projectile is safe, as long as it is lead, as the strong primer cup needs a "specialised" hit for it to go off.In most tube magazines the rounds are offset anyway and a huge "bear load" would be required to get anywhere near the critical force for a chain fire in a tubular magazine such as a Rossi or Winch/Marlin.
Try an experiment yourself with an old case in a vise and ear/eye/hand protection when you hit your held, slightly pointy projectile upon the primer with a hammer!
We only found it ruined the case.
Makes your aim a lot better to know such things are safe before the match !!(see ssaa.org.au for our website).
***Big Bunny***
|August 30, 1999, 06:36 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: December 19, 1998
Location: New port richey FL us
Posts: 473
Big Bunny is right. BTW, lets all take his word for that test
Let us know how it does.
|August 31, 1999, 10:37 PM
Senior Member
Join Date: May 31, 1999
Location: N. Texas
Posts: 5,896
Really, you can perform the test quite safely, by placing a primed case in a vise and then using an unprimed cartridge, held by a pair of vise-grip pliers, as a punch. Put on some good eye protection, and just hammmmmmmer away at that thing, all day long. Take out your big 18 oz. framing hammer and bang down on that squib load's head while the bullet is centered on the primer. You know what's gonna happen? You're going to (A) probably push the bullet into the case, unless you've got a MONGO crimp on it, and (B) *flatten* out that pointy-tipped lead bullet, so that it actually will be as wide or wider than the primer pocket.
Primers detonate from sharply focused strikes driving the cup into the anvil. The primers are brass, the bullet is lead. Guess which is harder?
Rest easy. Have fun. Be safe. (Which it sounds like you intend to do. Excellent.)
[This message has been edited by Long Path (edited August 31, 1999).]
|August 31, 1999, 11:19 PM
Join Date: March 20, 1999
Location: Somewhere in the woods of Northern Virginia
Posts: 15,437
Along the same lines, I had some a few primed 44 Mag cartridges and I wanted to change the primer, for what reason I can't remember. This was not a test, I just wanted to remove the primers which you can't do safely if they aren't fired. Since I hate to clean the soot out of my gun after a primer only firing, I thought I would chuck them in a vise and hit them with a center punch and hammer right over the anvil. Taking all safety precautions, and then some, of course. Well, it amazed me how hard it was to get them to go off. It's also amazing how reliable the gun hammer/firing pin is in setting them off each and every time. It became obvious to me that it's the speed of the blow as well as the force and position that counts.
|September 7, 1999, 12:20 AM
Senior Member
Join Date: August 9, 1999
Location: New South Wales - Australia
Posts: 605
I'll drink to that, but be careful with a live primer in a case in a vice with a steel punch blow it CAN indeed make it go off.
Also with more powerful shotgun primers(410) it can blow back and the caspsule can actually come out of the case(+sparks and dust), maybe because the cup/anvil assembly is sometimes a looser fit and bigger than rifle centrefires?
That's when you need gloves and eye /ear protection !
***Big Bunny***
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread


text:
Michael Bronski
What is the worst threat to high school students across the United States today?
Interpersonal violence among students? Guns in the hallways? Rampart drug and
alcohol use? Shabbily low teaching standards that allow students to graduate
beneath minimally acceptable academic standards? Disintegrating school
buildings? Proposed voucher plans that threaten to undermine the very existence
of a public education system? No, apparently for many school districts the worst
threat to the welfare of its students is the formation of gay-straight alliances
groups that lend support to gay and lesbian students, foster tolerance,
advocate against discrimination.
threat of Gay Straight Alliances (GSA) is experienced by conservative school
boards, principals, parents and some students to be so great that they will go
to almost any length to ban them from high schools. Right now, the school board
of El Modena High School, in Orange County California, is about to ban all 38
extracurricular clubs including the Black Student Union and the Chess Club
simply to stop several students from forming a GSA at the school. This is a
last-ditch effort to circumvent a Federal judge's preliminary injunction that
the school must let the newly formed GSA be recognized as an official group and
meet until a full hearing could be arranged. The judge's injunction was in
response to a lawsuit brought by two gay students who argued that the school
board's policy was an infringement on their freedom of speech. In his finding
the judge claimed that the board had to "give plaintiffs all the same
rights and privileges it gives to other student groups." He went even
further and claimed that the school board was negligent in protecting gay
students from harassment and potential violence, noting that some gay students
were so fearful of physical attacks that they were afraid to use the school's
rest rooms.
Orange Unified School District's actions are a repeat of what other boards have
done in the past. Three years ago Utah attempted the same ploy which
successfully kept, up until earlier this year, gay students from forming groups,
or even having a forum within the classroom, to talk about gay and lesbian
issues as well as banning all non-curricula based clubs.
arguments against the El Modena GSA are not surprising and are consistent with
the attacks on the groups nationwide. Opponents claim that a GSA would advocate
homosexuality, foster gay sex (which, depending upon the state, may be illegal),
lead to unsafe sex and HIV infection, break down traditional religious and moral
standards, infringe upon the rights of parents, and would promote
"recruitment" into "the homosexual lifestyle." Ironically
since almost all opponents of GSA are conservative the strongest defense
GSA's have is the Equal Access Act of 1984. This law was supported and promoted
by Orin Hatch and other conservatives because it would allow religious meetings
in schools including a Bible Club, one of the groups that would be banned in
the Orange Unified School District has its way. The 1984 law was later ruled
constitutional by the Supreme Court in 1990. Because California is one of three
states that specifically includes sexual orientation in their in the Students
Rights law, the school board claims that their opposition to the GSA is based
upon the district's strict regulations on sex education and the student run
discussions about sex or sexual activity violated those regulations.
and fights about GSAs have been going on since 1990 when the first group was
organized at Concord Academy in Concord, Massachusetts. Some groups have been
formed and have flourished without tension Cambridge Rindge and Latin High
School in Cambridge, MA has had almost no problems in its ten year existence.
Because the Massachusetts has a specific commission, functioning under its Board
of Education, that deals with gay student issues the Safe School Project
there are over 100 GSA throughout the state, and about 600 GSAs nation wide.
is a measure of how threatening GSAs are that some school boards would rather do
away with dozens of other clubs than to grant official recognition to gay and
lesbian students and their needs. (Would that states would offer to scuttle all
marriages in an attempt to avoid the scary specter of same-sex marriages.) Not
that there isn't a clear and urgent need for support for gay and lesbian
students in high schools. According to the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education
Network (www.glsen.org) 97 percent of students in public high schools in
Massachusetts reported regularly hearing homophobic remarks from their peers in
a 1993 report of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Gay and Lesbian
Youth. 53 percent of the students reported hearing anti-gay remarks made by
school staff. 46 percent of gay, lesbian and bisexual students reported in a
1997 Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Study they attempted suicide in the past
year compared to 9 percent of their peers; 22 percent skipped school in the past
month because they felt unsafe compared to 4 percent of their peers; 24 percent
were in a fight that resulted in receiving medical attention compared to 3
percent of their peers. Gay students are three times as likely to have been
threatened with a weapon at school than their peers during the previous 12
months, according to Youth Risk Behavior surveys done in Massachusetts and
Vermont. It is no wonder that one of the mandates of the Safe School Program
and one that is carried out through their support of GSAs is suicide and
violence prevention.
what is the problem with GSAs? Unlike sex education classes they are strictly
voluntarily no student who is offended by them, or finds them in violations
of their religious beliefs has to attend. They may be a place for gay and
lesbian students to meet one another but at least no more than any other
student group fosters sexual activity or relationships. And you would think
that any program or group whose aim was to reduce tension and possible violence
would be welcomed in schools.
heart the resistance to Gay-Straight Alliances is that they are seen and
here we go back to 1978 and Anita Bryant's "Save Our Children" crusade
as a form of recruitment of young, innocent children into homosexuality.
And, in a sense, this is correct. To the conservative mind homosexuality is such
a danger to morality and the social order that it must be constantly and
decisively discouraged, condemned, even punished. Any attempt to present
homosexuality as a neutral or even morally acceptable expression of
sexuality and love is "recruitment." Any attempt to secure basic civil
rights in this case the right of free speech and assembly to students is
"recruitment." Any attempt to give support by telling gay and lesbian
students that what they are feeling is perfectly natural and good is
"recruitment." If this is the operative definition of
"recruitment" then, yes, Gay Straight Alliances do recruit and
need all the support they can get.


text:
Munich, Germany - Axxima Pharmaceuticals AG closed today a new private financing round of € 10 million. The investment was led by Techno Venture Management (TVM), Munich, who already led two previous financing rounds of the drug discovery and development kinase company leading the field of treatment of infectious diseases and cancer. Axxima has now received a total of € 64 million from German and international investors. The new investment will allow Axxima to initiate pre-clinical and clinical studies for its existing projects in infectious disease treatment and to embark on two cancer projects with its proprietary kinase inhibitors that have been developed with the application of Axxima's Masterkey technology for fast optimization of kinase inhibitors for novel pharmaceutical applications.
"We are very proud that our investors continue their strong commitment with our company", says Dr. Yoram Karmon, CEO. "Together with our shareholders we built the foundation to successfully face coming strategic decisions and achieve important milestones."
"Axxima is now in a strong position not only to achieve important milestones in their product development roadmap, but also to win strategic partners in relevant markets", states Dr. Alexandra Goll, General Partner at TVM. "The integrated biology and chemistry approach, also known as KinaTorÒ and Masterkey concept uniquely position the company in the space of generating first in class kinase inhibitors."
Signal Transduction Firewall® - Axxima´s revolutionary therapeutic strategy
Axxima® Pharmaceuticals AG is a unique drug discovery and development company leading the field of kinase inhibition by the application of its Masterkey approach and the Kinator® proprietary kinase selection technology for the generation of a completely new spectrum of small molecule drugs, with novel mechanisms of action, to address the market's urgent need for pharmaceutical solutions.The company is currently focussing on HIV, Hepatitis C, tuberculosis and cancer diseases. Axxima´s business strategy is to out-license products at defined development stages to customers in the pharmaceutical industry. Axxima started operations in 1998 and was founded by a group of experienced scientists, led by Dr. Axel Ullrich, a former leading scientist at Genentech and co-founder of Sugen Inc.The company currently employs a staff of 65, located at Axxima´s headquarter in Munich, and at its Hungarian subsidiary, Vichem Kft., in Budapest. Further information about Axxima can be found at www.axxima.com.
About TVM
Techno Venture Management (TVM), founded in 1983, is one of the first venture capital firms formed in Germany, and a leader in transatlantic venture investments. The German-U.S. venture capital company has offices in Munich and Boston. For many years, TVM has focused on information technology and life sciences, high growth sectors where innovation, effective management and sound financial backing have enormous impact on company growth. TVM funds have made investments in more than 200 technology companies in Europe and the United States. A pivotal objective is to create transnational businesses that enjoy access to science, management talent and capital on both sides of the Atlantic. Since 1983 TVM has raised over € 1 billion in five fund generations and has established itself as a leading technology investment group in Germany and the United States.
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements contained herein represent the judgment of Axxima Pharmaceuticals AG as of the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are no guarantee for future performance, and the forward-looking events discussed in this press release may not occur. Axxima disclaims any intent or obligation to update any of these forward-looking statements.
Editorial Contact:
Susanne Seige
Axxima Pharmaceuticals AG
Max-Lebsche-Platz 32
81377 München
Tel.: +49 (0)89-550 65-0
Fax: +49 (0)89-550 65-283


text:
The Yankees are old. There's no denying that fact.
According to beyondtheboxscore.com, the average age of Yankee pitchers this past season was 30.3, while the average age of the Yankee hitters was 32.7.
Is this a problem?
"I don't care if it's old; I care if it's good," Yankee general manager Brian Cashman said after his team was swept by the Tigers in the American League Championship Series. "There are some old guys that are good. Andy Pettitte is good. Raul Ibanez turned out to be really good. He's old. But at the end of the day, these guys are really competitive, they're good at what they do, they're great professionals and if you compare that to the remaining choices, despite their ages, they look really good."
Cashman knows he will have decisions to make on a number of his more senior players, including Pettitte, who turns 41 next season, and Kuroda, who will be 38 in February, the Yankees' Nos. 2 and 3 starters in the postseason. With question marks surrounding all of the organization's top pitching prospects, it's hard to imagine what the Yankee rotation would look like without Pettitte and Kuroda.
Cashman insists age is not the issue.
"Hiroki Kuroda is an older player. Ichiro Suzuki is an older player, and these guys contributed to the win column despite their age. And why? Because they were better than any of the younger guys we had choices for. So I'm not going to apologize for it. We go there, and we are old. If you're old and still good, then it's not an issue."
Not an issue? That's debatable. Seems there's a question to answer with all Yankee players on the season-ending 40-man roster who will be 35 or older in 2013.
Here's a rundown of that list (with their ages on Opening Day 2013):
Alex Rodriguez
He's already the subject of trade rumors, but Rodriguez has a full no-trade clause in his contract and, seriously, does anyone think anyone is going to want Rodriguez, even if the Yankees agree to eat 80 percent of the $150 million owed him over next five years?
Derek Jeter
How much longer can he be the everyday shortstop? The broken ankle during the 2012 playoffs, after his amazing 216-hit season, was sobering. The way he toppled over while shuffling for that grounder will be a tough image to forget. But Jeter will be back.
Mariano Rivera
He said he wants to go out on a high — not a low — and as much as it seems crazy to question whether the greatest closer in major-league history can get it done, the Yankees would be equally crazy to go into 2013 assuming Rivera's their only closer.
Andy Pettitte
Reading between the lines of Pettitte's post-ALCS comments about "the grind" and the "long season," don't rule out the left-hander exploring if the Yankees would allow him to skip spring training and maybe join the staff when the weather turns warmer.
Raul Ibanez
Ibanez is uncertain he wants to continue playing. If he does, the Yankees may have to come up with a little more than the $1.1 million they paid him in 2012, because at that number, Ibanez would fall into even the budgets of the Rays and Orioles, who could use him.
Ichiro Suzuki
Ichiro hit .322 and stole 14 bases in 67 games for the Yankees. Cashman and Co. need to decide if he's worth bringing back for another year or two. With a younger version of a similar-type player in Brett Gardner in the fold, it seems doubtful Ichiro returns.
Andruw Jones
He hit .142 with three homers in the second half, which pretty much nullified his .244/11 first half in the eyes of Yankees evaluators. It would not be surprising to see him in some camp next spring, as a non-roster invitee. But it is not likely to be Yankees camp.
Eric Chavez
He was hitless in the postseason after being given a chance to take Alex Rodriguez's spot against right-handers. Chavez has been a solid role player who seems content with one-year, $1 million to $2 million contracts with the Yankees for the rest of his career.
Pedro Feliciano
Signed to a two-year contract in 2011 with a team option for next season, Feliciano has not pitched an inning for the Yankees due to injuries. He did throw 9 1/3 minor-league innings this season, but if he's back next season, it will be on a make-good contract.
Freddy Garcia
He gave more than expected the last two seasons. He was a better bargain at $1.5 million in 2011 than at $4 million in 2012, and losing his spot in the rotation and not making the postseason roster will likely have him searching for a new spot next season.
Hiroki Kuroda
Hard to imagine the Yankees won't go after Kuroda, but the right-hander's consistent — at times dominant — season gave him bargaining power, when many wondered if he could transition from the NL. He will cost more than the $10 million the Yankees paid him this year.
Derek Lowe
Manager Joe Girardi seemed to like having the veteran sinkerball pitcher around at the end of the 2012 season, but Lowe himself was uncertain he'd even want to pitch again in the big leagues again in 2013.


text:
Hi people,
So I am all booked for my travels on the 11th August. I am just wondering what would be the best way to get the money for my travels? Should I get each currency before I leave, or as I go?
My first point of call is Singapore, I am there from 12th August until the 16th September (with some time planned in Kuala Lumpur). Would I be best getting it now (if so, where is best to get it from, I have seen xe.com offers pretty good rates? or would I be better off with a high street travel agent etc?) or when I arrive? Also, how much would you recommend I take for this part of my journey? I am planning to stay in hostels and basically as cheap as possible for everything, so do not wish to cut too much into my budget for the whole trip.
Any advice would be great as this is my first time doing anything like the tour I have planned so I don't really know where to begin...
Thanks Matt


text:
The Tale of the Desert Bandits and Your Tree
Your favourite tree has chewed up leaves or worrying little warts all over it. Or maybe a limb has crashed loose during the night. We wish for a magic spray or some kind of 'fertilizer pill' we could give it to perk it up again or to make the unsightly blemishes vanish. It sucks that our plants can't tell us how they feel, or what would help. We often spray or fertilize anyway in the hopes that doing something at all will be better than nothing.
If you ask a knowledgeable plantsman or an arborist, very often they will tell you that there is nothing you can do except keep your tree or other plant happy and well-watered and that the plant will probably cope with it. That sounds suspiciously like no information at all or just giving up. But it isn't.
The best way I can help you understand your tree is through an analogous tale I made up one day probably while working on something routine.
Imagine you are hiking across the desert. You have some of the water and food you will need, a medical kit, guns and ammo, a tent plus sleeping bag, navigational gear and even a stash of movies and a portable DVD player. You also have a wad of cash. You plan to purchase your remaining food and water along the way at small stores. You should positively thrive on this desert crossing if all goes well. You have more than the bare necessities!
You no sooner get going and you are robbed by desert pbandits! They take all your gear but they are not the most thorough of bandits,and they fail to discover your cash.
You make it to the first desert shop that evening, parched and hungry. You are also suffering from blisters and you have a terrible headache. The desert traders are tough. Nothing for free. You buy water, and a little food. You hear that marauders lurk over almost every hill, so you buy a new gun and some ammo. Your headache and sore feet can wait. You don't even think about buying a DVD!
You make it through another tough day, fending off would-be bandits with volleys from your little gun. Finally you get to another supply store. You have some money left, so you buy lots of water and a little food. You are getting hungrier, but you dare not buy too much food. Your blisters have become unbearable and are slowing your progress, so you invest most of your remaining cash on some bandages.
The next day you set off, hungry and hobbling, hardly able to think with a throbbing head, and with only a few rounds of ammo left. You have only enough money left to buy water that night. You make it, but you are a mess.
You spend your last money on water. Only one more day left. Will you survive your last day out there? Not if you encounter more bandits and not if your medical distress gets any worse. This is a cliffhanger too. I'm not telling you how it turns out.
So…what does this have to do with your tree?
Your tree is like the desert hiker. If it has everything it needs, and can stock up when needed, it can do more than survive, but actually thrive, and meet any attacks from pests or weather or human-caused damage with a good chance of coming through the ordeal.
Trees weakened by bad pruning, poor planting, drought or other damage give up some of their ability to meet threats. These are your virtual bandits. Your plants will put their remaining resources where they are most immediately needed. Water and food, if you like. They will no longer have resources to fight 'bandits' and diseases or injuries. Plants can indeed produce chemicals for defence if they have the resources to do it. Trees can fight fungal infection by erecting chemical and physical barriers across pruning wounds or other physical damage if they are fit and strong.
So, when scale insects, certain diseases, injuries from pruning cuts or root damage hinder your tree's life journey, they may not have the resources to fight back. Maybe they don't look so bad at first. Weak trees often look more stoic than they really are.
Make sure your trees have nice fat wallets full of resources by providing the right amount of water. Also maintain soil nutrition through generous additions of organics. With these your trees, and other plants can purchase not just the bare minimums for survival, but also for defense against predators and illness.
So, the oft-heard exhortation to keep your plants healthy so they can cope with cuts, bumps and other assorted ills is not just idle talk. Every day I see trees that are suffering more than their share under an insect infestation that a healthy tree could cope with. I discover root damage, soil compaction, bad pruning or some other sign that the tree has been robbed and left with insufficient funds for recovery.
I bet you can think of other analogies between people and trees besides desert pirates that also highlight just how much our plants really are like us, in spite of their inability to tell us about it.
Be good to your trees and all the other plants in your garden, folks. They would thank you for it if they could.


text:
Before next week's fairs throw the SF gallery scene into a veritable art blizzard, take this weekend to catch some incredible exhibitions on the usual, somewhat more relaxed, terms. From a unique video-only exhibition to a feast of tenacious conceptual art, there will be more than enough to keep you busy.
Kounter Pärt, at Guerrero Gallery
The tremendous power in Kevin E. Taylor's paintings is difficult to explain, but the following line from Kounter Pärt's curatorial statement nails it pretty well: "the works beg to be more deeply understood."
These strange works wed a detailed realism to the visually irreconcilable. Animals assume violent poses, suspended in space by bizarre architectural wire structures. "Physically impossible" is an understatement, in the best possible way. Other works seem to introduce a mirroring effect, splitting the view into perspectives whose relation remains just out of the viewer's reach. Captivating and surreal, these multifaceted compositions are really something to take in.
Kounter Pärt runs through June 2 at Guerrero Gallery, 2700 19th Street. Opening Reception: Saturday, May 12, 7 – 11pm
Pia Maria Martin; Zum Appell, 2005; 16 mm Film/Sound triple screen
projection, 5.27 min
STILL: Solo Exhibition Featuring Pia Maria Martin, at The McLoughlin Gallery
It is fairly typical, nowadays, for a gallery to adjoin its white cube to a black box – a space for video installations to accompany the exhibition at large. It is not at all typical for a gallery to unveil a solo exhibition consisting entirely of video work. McLoughlin Gallery takes this bold step with celebrated German artist Pia Maria Martin, and the art community is thrilled at the prospect.
A videographer and animator, Martin uses stop motion to bring the inanimate objects of her home to life. Quirky and enthusiastically surreal, the films make for storytelling of a fantastic variety. A prime example: you can look forward to seeing a soup hen, plucked and quartered, resurrect itself and sew its severed limbs back onto its body to escape the pot -- just one of many such delightful tales, due to hit the gallery's walls.
STILL runs through May 26 at The McLoughlin Gallery, 49 Geary St. Opening Reception: Thursday, May 10, 5 – 9pm
The Field as the Frame, the Raster as the Rake, at Alter Space
"The field as the frame, the raster as the rake" – it sounds like a chant, something the seven young artists assembled for this show have vowed to repeat until, at some level, they believe it.
For this conceptual and intriguing exhibition at the newly founded Alter Space, guest curator Matthew Endler brings together an ensemble that grew up amidst the ubiquitous screen of the personal computer. Gen Y-ers know what raster means; it's the grid of pixels that forms a digital image. The origin of the word, however, has become but an obscure trivia question. Answer: a rastrum is a rake that people used to till fields (the kind you walk on and grow things in) into grids. Pixel-like, sort of.
Through installation, sculpture, animation, painting and photography, the artists in this exhibition raise the analogy from trivia to conceptual art, exploring the questions of embodiment, objecthood and meaning posed by that unavoidable presence – the rasterized screen.
The Field as the Frame, the Raster as the Rake runs through June 2, at Alter Space, 1158 Howard Street. Opening Reception: Friday, May 11, 7 – 10pm
Word to Your Mother, "Bad for Your Health"
Can't Afford to Be Broke, at White Walls Gallery
Hear, hear. There has been a wealth of great art to come out of direct, thoughtful engagement with the Great Recession and its resulting attitudes. Most of it reaches a conclusion similar to this one: we can't afford to be broke – financially, physically or emotionally.
English artist Word to Your Mother expresses the sentiment through an arresting array of mixed media works on wood. In a signature assemblage approach, the artist conjoins dissimilar, but mutually revealing images of the grim, the pop culture-derived, and the typographic. This exhibition at White Walls promises what is arguably Word to Your Mother's strongest work to date.
Can't Afford to Be Broke runs through June 2, at White Walls Gallery, 835 Larkin St. Opening Reception: Saturday, May 12, 7 – 11pm


text: Dnia 10-06-2007, nie o godzinie 10:07 -0700, Justin Karneges napisał(a): > I was referring to an internally distributed MUC owned by a single > entity. > Nobody would "join" the distributed MUC environment. The owner of the > MUC could deploy more nodes, but that's all. In this case, a > proprietary clustering protocol is perfectly acceptable So I personally do not see the role of XSF in designing such a proprietary protocol. Then, what is the point of detouring the topic on XSF Standards list? -- Tomasz Sterna Xiaoka Grp. http://www.xiaoka.com/


text:
In a previous article I argued that dry bulk shipping had hit bottom and should begin to move up on better balance between supply and demand. Dry bulk shipping rates have soared in recent days. As a result in the last month Dryships (NASDAQ:DRYS) and Safe Bulkers (NYSE:SB) are up 50%, Navios Maritime (NYSE:NM) is up 30% and Diana Shipping (NYSE:DSX) is up 20%. There is some profit taking today. Is it time to take profits? Dry bulk shipping shares are highly correlated with shipping rates. It is very important to understand the seasonal patterns in shipping rates.
Some of the biggest seasonal effects on dry bulk shipping are weather related. Dryships in its annual report states that the seasonal pattern is "stronger in fall and winter in anticipation of stronger consumption of coal and other raw materials in the northern hemisphere during the winter months." Furthermore, the monsoon rains disrupt Indian trade from June to September. This year's monsoon is nearly over. Rain in Brazil disrupts trade from December to March. Iron ore production is particularly affected and exports usually increase in q2 or q3. December through March also can suffer from weakness due to low temperatures in China and rain in Australia. Australian iron exports in February 2013 were 16% less than in December. Brazilian iron exports in February were 25% less than in December.
The other major seasonal factor is grain. South American grain is primarily shipped in the spring and North American grain is shipped in the fall. Grain exports were down last year but grain should be up this year. The North American grain crop is good this year despite a little late weakness and demand in China is strong.
There is talk of seasonal patterns in steel. Perhaps there is some seasonality in iron ore stocking but if you look at data world steel production seems fairly steady and the variation somewhat random.
So in the winter demand for dry bulk shipping is at its low point as North American grain shipments end and rain in Brazil and Australia reduce iron ore supply. Demand picks up a bit in the spring with South American grain shipments and then falls in the summer when South American grain shipments tail off and the monsoons hit India. In fall North American grain shipments begin and the Indian monsoon season ends. Shipping rates typically peak in October and November with good weather and strong grain and coal shipments.
These seasonal effects are usually quite large. In 2012 the Baltic Dry Index (BDI) rose 67% from September 22 to November 28. In 2011 the BDI rose 72% from August 2 to October 17. The average increase from the end of August to the end of November from 2002 to 2012 was 35% (excluding 2012 when the BDI plummeted in the fall). The average increase from the summer trough to winter peak from 2002 to 2012 was 88% (excluding 2008). In the winter the BDI usually drops 20% from the end of November to the end of January and 33% from the fall peak to the winter trough.
Shipping rates do sometimes peak in September. It happened in 2010. However, I expect the BDI to continue to rise into October. Recent increases in capesize rates are primarily due to strong demand in China for iron ore. We are just beginning the North American grain export season. US bulk agricultural shipments typically are 30% higher in October over September. Increased grain shipments should help panamax rates.
As to which companies I prefer I like DRYS, SB and NM. Mitsui OSK has the best capesize exposure but it is too difficult to trade in the US. Navios Maritime Partners (NYSE:NMM) price has been supported by its high dividend so it has not participated in the rally. DSX is a good conservative choice. I do not like Genco Shipping (NYSE:GNK) as it is heavily in debt and facing possible bankruptcy.
I have taken some profits with these rapid increases in dry bulk shipping but I have hung onto most of my shares. I am expecting a few more weeks of rising shipping rates. I plan on taking further profits in October closer to peak rates and possibly buying back shares in January or February on seasonal weakness. However, I will maintain a large position as I expect continued strength in dry bulk shipping in 2014 as the global economy continues to recover. I don't expect a huge surge in newbuildings since dry bulk shipping profits are still low and in any event it takes 18 months to build a dry bulker.
Disclosure: I am long DRYS, SB, NM. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Additional disclosure: I have taken some profits in DRYS in the last week.


text:
Maddon named AL's Manager of the Year by Sporting News
Rays manager Joe Maddon has been named American League Manager of the Year by the Sporting News.
It's the second time he's won this award, which was voted on by the AL's managers. He also won in 2008, when he also took the AL Manager of the Year honors from Baseball Writers Association of America. That award will be announced in mid-November.
The Diamondbacks' Kirk Gibson earned NL Manager of the Year Honors from the Sporting News.
Tampa Bay lost its first six games, but had a historic September comeback in which it won 17 of its final 25 and earned the AL's Wild Card on the final day of the season.
"We are the best 0-6 team in the history of Major League Baseball," Maddon said at the end of the year press conference. "It was a huge success this year, and anybody that wants to argue otherwise, please come by. I'd be happy to engage in that discussion."
The Rays could be in for more awards this week, as Sporting News is releasing it's Comeback Player (Tuesday), Rookies of the Year (Wed) and All-Star teams (Thursday).


text:
Amazon has the Learning Resources Goodie Games ABC Cookies [1] on sale for just $12.99 (down from $18.99). This set provides 4 leveled games which will grow with your child.
About This Game Set:
- These pretend ABC cookies inspire creative play
- Fun, easy and engaging game reinforces alphabet, letter recognition, beginning sounds, word building and early vocabulary
- Provides 4 leveled games that support and challenge early learners as they grow
- Includes 45 double-sided self-checking cards, 2 spinners, Activity Guide and resealable jar
- 42 colorful plastic alphabet cookies measuring approximately 2″ long
Shipping will be free with an order over $35, or with an Amazon Prime membership or trial. Make sure to check out our post this morning about Amazon Mom [2] for an easy way to get a free 30-day trial of prime.
(Thanks Clip and Follow [3]!)


text:
Four shot in Broad Ripple; suspect arrested after claiming self-defense
A man who claimed self-defense in a shooting incident in Broad Ripple overnight is under arrest. Four people were shot in the area of 62nd and College Ave. around 3:00 am.
Indianapolis Metro Police arrested Tristan Crayton, 28, of Westfield. Police say Crayton was at the RA Nite Club (formerly CT Peppers) when one of his friends got into an argument with another man.
Everyone involved in the argument got kicked out of the bar. As Crayton and his friends were getting into a vehicle, police say the men involved in the earlier argument - Andrew Allen of Carmel, Gabriel Daniels of Filmore and Raymond Williams of Indianapolis - approached them and accosted them. Police say Crayton's friend was punched in the face.
According to police, Crayton, who possesses a lifetime permit to carry, fired his handgun. Allen, Daniels and Williams were injured. A fourth victim, Samuel Wade, was struck by a stray bullet. Wade was a passerby and was not involved in the argument.
An off-duty IMPD reserve officer who was working in the area found three of the victims. Williams was found a short distance away by other officers.
Crayton ran in front of an officer's vehicle waving his arms and explaining he was the shooter. Crayton said the men attacked him and he had no choice but to open fire. He was placed into custody. Police found his handgun in a nearby vehicle.
For employees and visitors to the area, it was a frightening scene.
"The only thing I thought about was my safety and the people in here. I wanted to make sure they were safe. I ran; they were all out here trying to see what was going on. I was telling them - get inside, I need to lock the doors. I locked the doors, the back door. Telling everyone, hey, you've got to get in here," said Cody Cable, a Hot Box Pizza employee.
Crayton was arrested on a battery with injury charge and also for criminal recklessness.
Suggested Links
All four men who were shot are expected to recover.
Crime scene tape was strung in front the Vogue and Hot Box Pizza and the Wild Beaver Saloon. Traffic was not allowed to pass on Broad Ripple Avenue until shortly before 5:00 a.m., but the area is clear now.


text:
Release Date: 2013 |
Album Rating: 4.0Obligatory also posted on Rockfreaks.net
First submitted review. Any thoughts or criticisms welcome.
Album Rating: 3.5"Taking influences from jazz, funk and soul music"
And Radiohead
But yes, good review. Very straight-forward
Album Rating: 4.0^ Thanks!
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Offyeaaaa buddy good review
Album Rating: 4.0I love the horns in this album.
album could use some trimming but there's lots of potential here. good first review, pos'd
Digging: Alcian Blue - Translucent
Album Rating: 4.0Trimming in what way?
I dunno, some songs sound kinda samey or drag on too long. been a while since i've listened to this :/
Album Rating: 4.0ahh fair enough. I was just curious. the term trimming was somewhat vague in its context.
Album Rating: 4.0Thanks for the comments guys. Any thoughts on improving?
Album Rating: 4.0Nope. Read pretty well to me.
Album Rating: 4.0this band is slowly becoming one of my favorites
Album Rating: 5.0Pocket soul has to be my favorite on the album. And I agree if meeting grey was like 2 minutes shorter, it would be phenomenal but I wouldn't trim much else on the album.
Digging: August Burns Red - Phantom Anthem
Album Rating: 4.5This record is amazing. Very solid stuff all throughout. Didn't drag on at all, in my view, but I was enjoying tea on a rainy day as I first listened. Probably the right mood for a record with this sort of meandering quality.
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Offsome great tracks here
sounds a lot like alt-j at times, finishes stronger than it begins
Album Rating: 4.0I dig most of this album, but I kind of hate the last song. The piano is cool, but I feel like I've heard the whole "let's set up a mic in the studio and have people walk around and open and close squeeky doors and sniffle and stuff" thing a million times.
Album Rating: 4.0I get what you're saying kingjulian, but the idea was that Brennan would play the piano while the rest of the band clear the instruments out of the room.
Album Rating: 4.0Interesting. How did you come upon this information?
Album Rating: 4.0 | Sound Offtruly great stuff here
Bands: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z


text:
Peyton's ducks get smothered by Seahawks in stinging defeat
Peyton Manning's career credentials are impeccable, but his lackluster performance against the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLVIII was an absolute dud, if not a disaster.
More SB coverage: Seahawks win, 43-8 | Photos | Numbers | More news
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Peyton Manning revealed nothing.
The sting of defeat, the continuation of questions about his legacy into 2014, the sense of loss he undoubtedly felt after his greatest season ended in an utterly lopsided defeat … it was all cloaked by Manning's concise, business-like facade following another Super Bowl defeat.
Manning, after turning the ball over three times in a brutal 43-8 loss to Seattle at MetLife Stadium on Sunday night, and suffering through a horrid first half that will only renew the probing of his postseason career, wasn't in the mood for introspection or reflection. This was a CEO, adorned in a classic power suit, perfectly manicured, being asked by the media why his can't-miss stock suddenly tanked, as Manning stuck tightly to his talking points and did not waver.
"Certainly, to finish this way is very disappointing," Manning said, the words coming out but his expression fairly blank. "It's not an easy pill to swallow."
There was plenty of blame to go around Sunday. Denver's offensive approach seemed quite conservative, its offensive line was a mess from the botched opening snap for a safety (center Manny Ramirez and Manning both called it a cadence issue due to the noise -- "From what I was told I was three seconds late," Ramirez said). And at times Denver's receivers seemed just plain battered and smothered by Seattle's huge and punishing secondary.
But that's a mere subplot, at best, to the story of Super Bowl XLVIII. We can't pretend that Peyton Manning, coming off his best season ever and playing in the stadium where his little brother plays his home games, was not the story here. Put the raging argument about the impact this one game will have on Manning's legacy on pause for a minute. Forget even about his past playoff failures for now.
Consider merely this three-hour snapshot of football, for any great quarterback, and it would be folly to consider it anything but a failure. There is no other way to couch it. Had Seahawks corner Richard Sherman been quacking like a duck at Manning from the sidelines by the second quarter, well, no one could blame him with Manning's flailing pass fluttering right to safety Kam Chancellor for his first of two interceptions (there could have been several more), and the Aflac jokes threatening to take over Twitter.
"That was a poor play on my part," Manning said of the first interception, showing little emotion throughout his remarks to the media, save to negate a suggestion that there was anything "embarrassing" about the way he and his offense played Sunday.
"We didn't perform up to par to be able to hang with them," Broncos coach John Fox said, crediting Seattle's "combination of coverage and pressure" for thwarting the Denver offense.
And this performance, within the context of all Manning has accomplished -- and what has proven to be so elusive -- was a total, collective dud. For what some argued might have been the best offense ever, to be so thoroughly overwhelmed by an opponent, with the entire season at stake, to be down 22-0 at the half, has to rank as one of the most disappointing outings of Manning's remarkably distinguished career.
"It's all about making history," Seahawks safety Earl Thomas said. "This was a dominant performance from top to bottom."
The loss takes nothing away from the courage and determination Manning displayed in fighting back from serious neck and nerve issues to play his best football at an advanced age with a new team. But of all the teams in the NFL, none is more in Lombardi-or-bust mode than the Broncos, with the mere presence of their 37-year old quarterback a huge part of that.
Sunday night -- with two first-half interceptions, including a pick-six, and a quarterback rating of 44 at the half -- was an unmitigated disaster. The poor exchange to start the game, resulting in a safety just 12 seconds in, was a harbinger of what was to come. Manning, who finished with a passer rating of 73.5, never looked good for an entire series, he struggled moving his feet against a potent pass rush and spent the bulk of this blowout just trying to score what would amount to garbage points with Seattle ahead 29-0 12 seconds into the second half.
"By no means are we blaming Peyton for anything," tight end Julius Thomas said. "He's the reason we're here."
Let's be clear: Nothing that happened Sunday -- nothing -- could ever take away from Manning's status as one of the best to every throw a football. He's on the Mount Rushmore of all-time greats. That is no subject to debate. That was never at stake here among those with the mental capacity to, say, utter "Omaha" or order a Papa John's pizza.
However, if you are broaching the argument about whether Manning should stand alone atop that mountain as the GOAT -- and one could dispute in a sport with so many varied positions and responsibilities whether such an arbitrary designation matters -- well, then you can't kid yourself that lackluster showings in career-defining games aren't a factor.
Fact is, Manning was outplayed, big time, by second-year quarterback Russell Wilson. Wilson showed off his ability to keep plays alive, make alert decisions, spread the ball around and, most importantly, protect the football, far outshining the veteran. In Manning's last Super Bowl appearance, Drew Brees was far superior, and Manning's pick-six late in that game was the signature play of that championship and settled the outcome.
Manning was awarded the MVP in his first Super Bowl appearance, and lone win, but even then he was tepid -- certainly by his standards -- with a touchdown and 247 passing yards. The Colts' running game and defense was the difference on that Sunday evening (as well as the fact it was Rex Grossman commanding the Bears offense). Manning has never had a quarterback rating above 88.5 in a Super Bowl, he's always thrown at least one interception, and he's never thrown more than one touchdown pass.
Manning's career passer rating is 97.2. He had a rating of 115 this season, and he hasn't had a rating as modest as 88.5 in a season since 2001. Manning's career rating in Super Bowls is 80.9, with three touchdowns and four total touchdowns, and he has tossed 24 interceptions in 23 career playoff games. Manning has 11 wins and an NFL record 12 losses. Few know more about postseason defeat.
"I don't know if you ever really get over it," Manning said.
None of those losses is entirely on Manning, and, in the past, you could certainly posit that Manning elevated everyone around him and made due with a pedestrian case around him. No longer. Not in his two years in Denver, for sure, with a bounty of receivers, tight ends and backs any quarterback would covet (certainly his longtime rival Tom Brady, he of the eight AFC championship games, five Super Bowl appearances and three rings).
Denver's offensive line simply did not show up against the Seahawks, and the crushing physical tone Seattle's defensive backs set early appeared a bit too much for the Broncos receivers. They struggled to get open, the game plan was all dinks-and-dunks (consider Manning attempted 23 passes in the first half for just 104 yards -- a shocking 4.5 yards per attempt). He managed to set the Super Bowl record for completions, without any of them managing to be the least bit memorable.
Manning appeared overwhelmingly fearful of testing Seattle's deep safeties, and, when he did, he was largely burned for it with a turnover, or otherwise missed his target. When Manning finally did throw a touchdown pass, it served to pull Denver to within 36-8 as the third quarter expired.
That classic Manning smirk was on display by midway through the third quarter, his down-trodden lurch toward the locker room at halftime was captured by the bevy of photographers lining the field, and the family scoreboard still reads: Eli 2, Peyton 1. All while the MetLife Stadium scoreboard illuminated the vast chasm that existed between the Seahawks and Broncos, and between, perhaps, what Manning may have accomplished with a victory in the final game of the 2013 NFL season.
Packers-Bengals on CBS All Access
CBS All Access allows viewers to stream every NFL on CBS game in their local market
Browns-Colts on CBS All Access
CBS All Access allows viewers to stream every NFL on CBS game in their local market
Giants vs. Eagles: How to watch, stream
Two NFC East divisional foes face off this weekend in a big battle for both teams
Four teams condemn Trump's NFL comments
Owners and CEOs from several teams released statements in response to Trump's remarks in A...
NFL picks: Put Chargers in your parlays
Nick Kostos won big on Monday nights last season and gives his best 3-team NFL parlay for Week...
Chiefs-Chargers on CBS All Access
CBS All Access allows viewers to stream every NFL on CBS game in their local market


text:
Font size Font size - big Font size - small
Lee Jung and Project Group, 5 o'clock to Sing for 'Flower Boys Next Door'
Sprinkling their beautiful voices on some flower, Lee Jung and his project group, 5 o'clock will be releasing a new track for the OST of tvN's Flower Boys Next Door.
Lee Jung tweeted on January 28, "5 o'clock's second project… Flower Boys Next Door OST part. 3 I Wish It was You will be revealed tomorrow at noon. From the left is Park Sang Jun, Han Kwan Hee, Lee Jung ^^ These three are part of the producing team called 5 o'clock!"
The soulful voices of 5 o'clock in I Wish It Was You will capture the carefully budding love between Park Shin Hye and Yoon Shi Yoon in the drama. Along with 5 o'clock, Harim also participated in the making of the song with a special harmonica instrumental.
The song will be released on January 29.
Photo Credit: Lee Jung's Twitter
- Tag
- Lee Jung 20130129 Flower Boys Next Door 20130129


text: The Texans success will depend on david carr we all know that he has to improve a great deal, as a watch the texans play i feel real strong about this upcoming year one thing is real important, MR carr will have to show that he's the next coming of the new breed in qb's. this is'nt the only key to the new carr tho the whole team must drive the carr like it's brand new. with upgrades in the o line and upgrades in the defense we texans fans are looking for more out of our team this yr. the wideouts must be game breaking AJ. will be double team so. jabbar gabbney must step it up a little tony hollings must hold on to the football last yr i closed my eyes each time it was given to him he really needs to improve in that area. D. Davis is a real good back but during the course of the yr he will need a break so it's real important that the 2round pick we used a yr ago on hollings blossum this yr. Ok they are talking about moving chester to guard a good idea maybe this would cut down on flase starts for # 69 i just hope the large wand that they put there has enough magic in him to dominate the defense. Now to the defense I have high hopes there due to all the set backs last yr one thing was accomplished experince we where in most games with a struggling offense and lot's of backup on defense but it show me one thing that with that if we had not been so beat up on defense and had more of our starter we would have won a few more games so i think with the new additions on def. we can finnally get back to yr one when that was all we had. Hopefully mr. wong can finnally do something besides doing nothing in two yrs. hopefully. arron glenn can not get to many hamstrings and help the rookie, hopefully coleman can do a better job than matt stevens. our keys to success depends on a aggressive defense that makes people couch up the football. the turnovers is key we need them and must have them to be sucessful THESE ARE THE KEYS TO THE NEW CARR WE HAVE CARR SEATS FOR BABBIN AND ROBINSON BUCKLE UP IT'S ABOUT TO GO 75 FOR A TEST DRIVE.


text:
getBBox method
Gets the bounding box, in current user space, of the geometry of all contained graphics elements.
ISVGRect retVal = object.getBBox();
This method has no parameters.
Standards information
- Scalable Vector Graphics: Basic Data Types and Interfaces, Section 4.5.23
The ISVGLocatable::getBBox method returns the actual bounding box at the time when the method is called, even if the element has not yet been rendered.
The return value is exclusive of stroking, clipping, masking, and filter effects that are applied to elements.