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About MachineRunner.com
Orange County, NY.-based iBuy Stores, Inc. is a leading specialty online retailer and wholesaler of construction equipment, accessories and supplies. iBuy Stores puts the customer first with the help of sales specialists, who take part in in depth training programs, with a huge product offering, including over 1.8 Million top quality, low-priced contractor tools, parts and consumables. For over 14 YEARS MachineRunner has provided quality business machines online were and when customers need them FAST with just a click of a mouse.
iBuy Stores's MachineRunner.com store streamlined program reflects the ever changing needs of both professional office managers and DIY home projects alike: the website is easy to use and always current, there are plenty of sales representatives available by phone to help with any concerns or questions you may have, all items are shipped manufacturer direct right to your door to avoid long shipping delays and product back orders. iBuy Stores prides itself on providing qualified sales people and not just order takers like some other websites. Our company offers a wide selection of industrial office machine products and detailed product specifications on our web site at www.MachineRunner.com.
- If you would like to speak with an MachineRunner Representative right now, please chat with us now:
- MachineRunner.com
- an iBuy Stores Inc. Company
- PO Box 1023
- Harriman, NY 10926
- Our office hours are
- 9:00 am - 5: 30 pm EST, Monday - Friday
- Email: firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Creative Tactics for Suburban Birds
Handy advice for hunting waterfowl near metropolitan areas
Handy advice for hunting waterfowl near metropolitan areas
By John Pollman
Drive through a city near a major waterfowl flyway and odds are you'll see hundreds of ducks and geese loafing on a shopping mall pond or grubbing away on green grass in a park or on a football field-safely out of reach of waterfowl hunters. At least they think they're safe! With a little creativity, it's possible to have great waterfowl hunting just beyond the city limits. In fact, for the past 17 years, Ben Cade hasn't had to travel far from his home 25 miles northwest of Minneapolis to hunt Canada geese, mallards and the occasional wood duck.
Here's how this savvy hunter makes it happen.
"Both ducks and geese have adapted to using suburban areas for roosting locations, resting spots, and even feeding areas," says Cade, who is a member of the Avery Pro Staff. "That means some of the best hunting opportunities will be found nearby." During the early season, that means simply waiting for ducks and geese to exhaust food sources in incorporated areas. Then the birds have to venture beyond municipal boundaries into areas where hunting is allowed. Cade says you can still obtain permission from landowners to hunt on property in outlying areas if you are conscientious and do your homework.
Landowners appreciate it when you know their name and their property boundaries when they open the door to talk to you. Plat books and online GIS systems are extremely valuable tools. Sometimes we'll also run into a landowner who hunts and simply invite him to hunt with us. We've gained access to some of our best fields this way." On those days when it simply isn't possible to get permission to hunt a particular field that waterfowl are using, Cade says an unorthodox approach can bring success. "Sometimes all it takes is locating afield near a heavily used waterfowl flight lane. If you're not on the "A' field, you should have realistic expectations. We might have several hunts that are complete busts before we get into the birds really well."
Since hunting pressure is often intense near population centers, keeping an open mind in how you hunt can pay big dividends. "If you hunt around a city, you have to be willing to think outside the box," Cade says.
"For starters, consider hunting during the middle of the week instead of the weekend. Hunting pressure for waterfowl seems to decrease, too, when people get busy with the holidays or are distracted by other hunting seasons like the firearms deer opener." Cade adds that you can't afford to overlook small, yet critical details when hunting these well-educated birds. Layout blinds need to be meticulously hidden and decoys arranged as naturally as possible. Allhands should be "on deck" when it comes to grabbing the attention of passing birds. "We are usually pretty aggressive with our calling, but we're not afraid to change it up depending on the birds' reaction." Cade increases the size of his decoy spread as the season progresses.
"We'll use up to as many as 20 dozen full-body Avery GHG decoys for Canada geese. When the weather gets cold, the birds typically feed in huge concentrations, so it's important to have a lot of decoys to draw them in."
It's especially important, Cade says, to be aware of your surroundings when hunting close to town. "We always make sure to hunt a part of the field that is a safe distance from buildings or any traffic passing by. If you follow the law and use common sense, there is no problem hunting in these areas." Cade adds that for those willing to put in the time and effort, hunting waterfowl in suburban areas can be as good as anywhere in the nation.
"I always tell guys that success comes from staying persistent. I might knock on 10 or 20 doors before I get permission to hunt a field. And if what I tried the day before didn't work, I'll try something different. You should never be afraid to experiment."


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The class I play most commonly in Diablo 2 is the Necromancer. I've always run the same build (below), but now I want to start trying some alternative builds to mix it up a bit and add some extra interest to my next playthrough.
I generally have stuck to this or similar:
- Raise Skeleton (20)
- Skeleton Mastery (20)
- Summon Resist (8-10)*
- Corpse Explosion (12-15)*
- 1 point in each curse, 5 in Confuse.*
- 1 in prerequisites
* Extra points once I hit higher levels.
Works like a charm and gets me through all difficulties without much trouble.
This morning I had a close look at the Golem summons, thinking they might be cool to invest a fair amount of points in and then use Corpse Explosion + Lower Resist (For Fire Golem) or similar. I noticed however that all the golems as well as Golem Mastery are quite pathetic.
This makes me wonder.. Besides being a prerequisite for Summon Resist, are any of the Golems actually useful? If so, which one? They seem to die rather quickly and their damage seems to scale up extremely slowly (like 6% per point in an alternate Golem skill). Clay Golem honestly seems the most use with its slowing effect, but it requires 10+ points before it starts getting useful.
Any advice around using primarily a Golem summon and then a combination of other skills (bone and curses) is also helpful.


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Dinnerkey.com has been established to be the Voice of Miamis Coconut Grove Waterfront. This is a place where your views can be posted and where you can respond to the views of others. Our waterfront is rich in both history and potential, and it is hoped that this site will be used both as an archive and as a force for shaping future development.
Dinnerkey.com encourages the participation of Government and Environmental Agencies and Representatives, and will work to establish any special forums or tools that might facilitate better dialogue with the community.
legal stuff
Recommend this Site to a friend


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Source: Date Stamp: 1983 Release Date: 1983 Carded Availability: Return of the Jedi Tri-Logo Assortment No. : 70780 Retail: $2.99 Weapons and Accessories: Point of Interest: This figure first appeared on the Return Of The Jedi 65 back card. |
Comments: Ironic story about our good General Madine When Return Of The Jedi was being filmed, this character played a large part in the space battle over the forest moon of Endor. Unfortunately for Kenner, that portion of the story, for whatever reason, found its way to the cutting room floor well after the toymakers began production on the figure; creating one heck of a peg warmer. Ironically, Hasbro kept that in mind and stayed far away from the bearded rebel leader in the spiffy gray uniform, and every collector of the modern line wants him Major Variations: Though all vintage figures have minor variations, the General Madine figure has a few interesting variations: Head Moulds and Sray ops Madine was produce with heads moulded in both gray and flesh coloured plastics. As such, there are two distinctly different spray ops to be found. The gray Moulded head had flesh coloured paint applied to the face, where the Flesh Coloured head had spray ops applied to the hair and beard. There is also a colour variation on the Flesh Moulded heads. Where most figures with this head sported gray spray ops, some were produced with green paint. Since this was one of the many figures produced with the removable style head that Kenner favoured using in most post Star Wars figures, it is virtually impossible to say than any of these variations were exclusive to any country or body variation. Limb Moulding Variations Where as the mast majority of limbs produced for this figure were moulded in gray, there are some that were moulded in black. Therefore different spray ops were applied to keep with the figures intended design. To date all known examples of the Black moulded limbs figure originate from Taiwan, though it is possible that this version could also have been produced elsewhere as well. So far there are no known examples with a mixture of gray and black moulded limbs, but it should not be ruled out that such a thing could exist. Text & Photography by D. Martin Myatt. |
Back To Basic Figures


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Bitcoin ATM Henderson - Coinhub
Coinhub Bitcoin ATM in Henderson, Texas
Our Coinhub Bitcoin ATM Near Me in Henderson, Texas is available for purchasing bitcoin with cash instantly. Coinhub offers $25,000 per day limits and the lowest rates for Bitcoin. Automated Teller Machines (Bitcoin ATMs) allow you to buy Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies using cash. Bitcoin cash kiosks from Coinhub are a convenient and fast way to purchase Bitcoin and receive it in minutes directly into your wallet. Coinhub Bitcoin machines can be used quickly and easily. You can purchase Bitcoin instantly from a Coinhub Bitcoin Machine located near you and receive it in minutes. Purchases can be done in under 2 minutes and there is no prior account needed. To purchase Bitcoin, simply walk up to any Coinhub Bitcoin ATM and verify your details. Many Coinhub Bitcoin ATMs allow you to buy and sell crypto for cash. You can buy Bitcoin using one our Bitcoin ATMs. First, locate the nearest Bitcoin ATM in your area by visiting our Coinhub Bitcoin ATM Locator. Enter your phone number and walk up to the machine. The machine will verify your phone using a code and scan the bitcoin wallet. Enter bills one bill at a time for the amount you would like to purchase and confirm the bitcoin atm prior to purchase. The bitcoin is instantly sent to your wallet. The daily limit for buying Bitcoin is $25,000. There are Bitcoin Machines located in major cities across the country. Visit a Coinhub Bitcoin ATM today.
This Coinhub Bitcoin ATM is located inside of Smoke Center located at 2311 US-79, Henderson TX 75654, USA allows you to buy Bitcoin at the bitcoin machine and services within the following locations and nearby neighborhoods: Henderson; Tatum; Laneville; Overton; Kilgore; Mt Enterprise; Carthage; Long Branch; Beckville; Lake Cherokee; Troup; Pinehill; Leverett's Chapel; Arp; Pone; Lakeport; Stewart; Anadarko; Price; Church Hill; Minden; Dirgin; New London; Fair Play; Danville.
Allendale-Lakeside, Brookdale Henderson, Caddo Heights, South Highlands, Cityplace, Coldwell Banker Home Place Realty, Country Club Hills, Lakeshore Shopping, Design District, Downtown, Elberta, Fairmount-Southside Historic District, Farmers Insurance - Scott Droddy, Freestate, North Highlands, Greggton, Guinn Farms, Henderson Automotive


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Breast Cancer in Young Women
Cancer is a disease in which cells in the body grow out of control. When cancer starts in the breast, it is called breast cancer. Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer in American women.
Most breast cancers are found in women who are 50 years old or older, but breast cancer also affects younger women. About 11% of all new cases of breast cancer in the United States are found in women younger than 45 years of age. While breast cancer diagnosis and treatment are difficult for women of any age, young survivors may find it overwhelming.
CDC's Division of Cancer Prevention and Control is working to increase awareness of breast cancer and improve the health and quality of life of young breast cancer survivors and young women who are at higher risk of getting breast cancer.
Learn more about—
- Who has a higher risk of getting breast cancer at a younger age.
- What you can do to reduce your risk.
- What CDC is doing about breast cancer in younger women.


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When you've finished a track, some constructive feedback from listeners is always welcome - especially if those listeners happen to be professional producers.
Now Loopmasters is giving everyone the chance to put their music in front of the pros' ears via its Production Surgery. This is being run via a Facebook group - all you have to do is upload an MP3 directly to it or via the relevant Soundcloud page.
Every month, the producers in residence will pick four tracks to dissect - this month, electro champions Tim Healey and Marc Adamo will be passing on their words of wisdom.
They've also just released a Loopmasters sample pack: Tim Healey & Marc Adamo's Alternative House.


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As Specialty Drug Costs Continue to Rise, Patients Are Still Filling Scripts – For Now
Available only in PDF form. Click here to read.
During this time of extremely high call volume, our team is working diligently to respond to inquiries as quickly as possible on the day they are received.
If you have not received a response from our team or your submitted documents show as pending in your portal, please know these are in queue to be reviewed in the order they are received. Submitting multiple emails, portal messages, or phone calls adds time to the review process for our team and results in additional delays in our ability to respond to inquiries.
To help us better assist you, please utilize one of the following options: 1. Visit your respective patient, provider, or pharmacy portal to enroll, re-enroll, or check grant status. It takes approximately 10 minutes to apply on average, and your application is acted on in real time: https://healthwellfoundation.my.salesforce-sites.com/patients. 2. Email email@example.com if your inquiry cannot be answered via the portals. 3. Request a callback through our interactive voice response system and a representative will respond to your inquiry on the same day it is received (note, this may be outside of normal business hours).
We understand the importance of timely and complete responses and serving you is our number one priority. Please help us help you by submitting one inquiry only.
Thank you for your patience during this time.
Dismiss alertAvailable only in PDF form. Click here to read.


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What do all the sacrificial offerings that comprised the Temple service have in common? Each class of offering had its own specialized set of detailed instructions, calling for a certain species and gender of animal or bird, for various kinds of cakes, for libations, spices or condiments of a particular sort, and so on. No two sacrifices were identical, and no requirement was universal. Except for one. Every sacrifice required salt. Furthermore, the requirement of salt was not simply a minor instruction. There is a specific positive commandment in the Torah mandating the addition of salt to all sacrifices, and to add emphasis to emphasis, there is also a specific prohibition forbidding the omission of salt from any sacrifice. Clearly, the addition of salt is critical. Why salt?
The Talmud sheds light on this puzzling question. At the time of creation, the Talmud explains, the Creator parted the lower world from the firmament, separating the waters of the heavens from the waters of the seas. The seas were mortified. "Master of the Universe!" they cried out. "We want to be close to Your heavenly throne. Why have You placed us off in the distance?" In order to reassure the seas that they had not been abandoned or rejected, the Creator granted them the privilege of providing salt for all sacrifices brought in the Temple.
But the questions still remain. How could a minuscule drop of salt added to a sacrifice appease the overwhelming desire of the sea to be closer to Hashem? How was that adequate compensation for being distant from Hashem?
The commentators explain that we are often all too dependent on our environment for our level of spirituality. If only we could live in more sheltered surroundings, we tell ourselves, we would be such spiritual people. If only we could isolate ourselves from the hubbub of the mundane world we could draw closer to the Creator and the fulfillment of the transcendent aspirations of our inner souls. In the meantime, however, we resign ourselves to the reality of our existence and the futility of aspiring to high levels of spirituality.
But this is not what Hashem expects of us. He does not want us to make our spiritual growth dependent on what we consider ideal conditions. In any setting, no matter how distant, no matter how difficult, He wants us to yearn to connect with Him. Moreover, it is this very yearning which will bring us closer to Him and forge that powerful spiritual connection. The aching desire in our hearts spans any chasms of time and space and brings us right into Hashem's enfolding embrace.
In this light we can understand Hashem's words of consolation to the waters of the seas. True, they would have to remain in the lower world while the waters of the heavens rose to the upper world. But this did not necessarily mean that they would be estranged from Hashem. The solution was in the salt.
Salt is the sublimation of all the elements dissolved in the water. It is the very essence of the entire sea reduced to a tiny pinch. By providing salt for the sacrifices, the sea would be reaching with all its being out across the vast distances to the center of spirituality, and this reaching out itself would bring it close to Hashem.
A king had two sons. One of them lived in the palace and served as the chief minister of the kingdom. He met with his father daily and conferred with him on a wide variety of state and other matters. The second son served as the king's ambassador to an important but very distant kingdom. Every other year, he returned to the palace for a short visit, but for all the rest of the time he remained in the faraway land.
After a number of years, the king grew old and feeble, He decided to address the question of the succession to the throne. He called in his ministers and informed them that he had chosen a successor.
"The son who is closer to me," he said, "shall sit on my throne."
The ministers nodded sagely. It was as they expected. The chief minister would make a good king.
"Send for my son right away," the king continued. "He must travel a great distance to come back here to the palace."
The ministers were baffled. "But you just said that you had chosen the closer son, your majesty!"
"Indeed I have," said the king. "The chief minister is a good, loyal son, but he is with me all the time. He is not excited when he comes to see me. The ambassador, however, may live far away, but he yearns to see me with all his heart. No distance can affect our closeness."
In our own lives, we can all reach deep within ourselves for that pinch of salt that represents our very being and identity. If we dedicate that salt to our relationship with our creator, we can gain untold spiritual riches no matter where we find ourselves. Text Copyright © 2010 by Rabbi Naftali Reich and Torah.org.
Rabbi Reich is on the faculty of the Ohr Somayach Tanenbaum Education Center.


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- Home
- Facilities
Train Station
Subfacility of Heritage Park
The Hand Station once stood near Ecorse and Telegraph roads. The small station was built in 1876 after the Wabash Railroad brought a railroad line through Taylor Township. George E Hand sold the right-of-way through his land for $250. The farmers and residents were excited to have the railroad come to this area, recognizing it as a means to get their crops to other markets. The area where the station was situated became known as Hand Corners, the hub of the budding township. Residents used Hand Corners as their mailing address, as mail was delivered by train and dropped off at the station. In the early 1960s, the Hand Train Station was destroyed by fire. The Taylor School Building and Trades class built this near replica station in 1991.


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Microsoft has decided not to release Windows XP Service Pack (SP) 3 to Windows Update and the Microsoft Download Center as planned on April 29. The reason? A last-minute compatibility issue with a Microsoft application — Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS).
Here's the latest from a company spokesperson:
"I wanted to update you on today's planned release to web (RTW) (of XP SP3). In the last few days, we have uncovered a compatibility issue between Microsoft Dynamics Retail Management System (RMS) and Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1).
"In order to make sure customers have the best possible experience we have decided to delay releasing Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Microsoft Download Center.
"To help protect our customers, we plan to put filtering in place shortly to prevent Windows Update from offering both service packs to systems running Microsoft Dynamics RMS. Once filtering is in place, we expect to release Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and Download Center.
"Until we have published a fix for this issue, we advise Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers to not install either service pack. Microsoft Dynamics RMS customers running Windows XP SP3 or Windows Vista SP1 should contact Microsoft Customer Support Services for additional information.
"The fix is currently in testing and will be available as soon as that process is complete."
That's all we know so far. No new date as to when Microsoft will release XP SP3 to the Web. Microsoft released to manufacturing XP SP3 last week — and after outcry for its paying TechNet and Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) subscribers — released the update to them shortly thereafter.
Update No. 1: One reader noted that he downloaded SP3 today via a direct link to the executable (which my ZDNet blogging colleague Adrian Kingsley-Hughes pointed to earlier today). A Microsoft spokeswoman said the company is advising users against doing this. The official response:
"Customers should not download Microsoft software from links posted on non-Microsoft websites, when those links point directly to the executable as is the case here. Customers should always download from a page on Microsoft.com that provides all relevant download details, installation instructions, and release notes. In this particular case, it's possible that some 3rd party websites are linking to the Windows XP SP3 software that we have published for MSDN and TechNet subscribers. Since we cannot confirm the source of every link that 3rd parties provide, out recommendation is that customers wait until we've published Windows XP SP3 to Windows Update and the Download Center."
I have to admit: I'm somewhat surprised Microsoft decided to delay the release of SP3 for RMS. RMS is a retail-chain-management app for small/midsize users. I know very few customers who are using it.
Update No. 2: As a result of this RMS glitch, Microsoft also is temporarily halting the Automatic Download of Vista SP1, as it is affected, as well. But Microsoft is not pulling Vista SP1 from the Download Center or Windows Update.
From a Microsoft spokeswoman:
"Microsoft is temporarily holding any additional automatic distribution of Windows Vista SP1. However, they continue to offer Windows Vista SP1 via Windows Update for interactive installation. While we are recommending that customers running Microsoft Dynamics RMS should not install SP1, there are many other customers who can benefit from installing Windows Vista SP1 immediately, so we are maintaining availability via WU."
This isn't the first time Microsoft has temporarily halted distribution of Vista SP1 via Automatic Updates; it did so earlier this year when a pre-requisite for the service pack resulted in problems for some Vista users.
Source: Skill Master


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A former Plainfield police sergeant has been convicted of charges he falsely accused a city woman of crimes two years ago, then threatened her with jail time in order to coerce her into performing a sexual act, acting Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park announced Thursday.
Following a weeklong trial, a jury late on Wednesday found Samuel Woody, 43, guilty of second-degree official misconduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual contact.
The date was July 24, 2011 when Woody, then a 12-year veteran of the Plainfield Police Division, arrested the victim, then a 27-year-old city resident, on bogus theft and burglary charges, according to Union County Assistant Prosecutor Jim Tansey, who prosecuted the case. As the woman was leaving Plainfield police headquarters after being released on a summons, Woody told her he wanted to meet her later, Tansey said.
Later, in an outdoor lot on Madison Avenue in Plainfield, Woody met with the woman. Using the threat of five years in prison, he coerced her into removing parts of her clothing and performed a sexual act on himself while in full police uniform, Tansey said.
The theft and burglary charges against the victim later were dismissed when no probable cause for her arrest was revealed in court, and the criminal contact of Woody subsequently was reported to police. A joint investigation by the Union County Prosecutor's Office Special Prosecutions Unit and the Plainfield Police Division Internal Affairs Unit followed, and Woody was arrested in January 2012 and suspended without pay pending the investigation.
"The conduct of this officer was not only criminal," acting Prosecutor Park said, "but brazenly flagrant in the manner in which it violated the public's trust."
Woody was remanded following Wednesday's convictions. Sentencing was scheduled for Feb. 3, 2014, at which time he is expected to receive a term of up to 10 years in prison, including a mandatory five-year period of parole ineligibility on the official misconduct conviction, along with being barred from ever again holding public office in the state of New Jersey.


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Foconi Hall
Saturday, 21 May 2011
Dear astronauts,
I am very happy to have this extraordinary opportunity to converse with you during your mission. I am especially grateful to be able to speak to so many of you, as both crews are present on the Space Station at this time.
Humanity is experiencing a period of extremely rapid progress in the fields of scientific knowledge and technical applications. In a sense, you are our representatives – spear-heading humanity's exploration of new spaces and possibilities for our future, going beyond the limitations of our everyday existence.
We all admire your courage, as well as the discipline and commitment with which you prepared yourselves for this mission. We are convinced you are inspired by noble ideals and that you intend placing the results of your research and endeavours at the disposal of all humanity and for the common good.
This conversation gives me the chance to express my own admiration and appreciation to you and to all those who collaborate in making your mission possible, and to add my heartfelt encouragement to bring it to a safe and successful conclusion.
But this is a conversation, so I must not be the only one doing the talking.
I am very curious to hear you tell me about your experiences and your reflections.
If you don't mind, I would like to ask you a few questions…
First Question
From the Space Station you have a very different view of the Earth. You fly over different continents and nations several times a day. I think it must be obvious to you how we all live together on one Earth and how absurd it is that we fight and kill each other. I know that Mark Kelly's wife was a victim of a serious attack and I hope her health continues to improve. When you are contemplating the Earth from up there, do you ever wonder about the way nations and people live together down here, or about how science can contribute to the cause of peace?
Mark Kelly, USAWell, thank you for the kind words, Your Holiness, and thank you for mentioning my wife Gabby. It's a very good question: we fly over most of the world and you don't see borders, but at the same time we realize that people fight with each other and there is a lot of violence in this world and it's really an unfortunate thing. Usually, people fight over many different things. As we've seen in the Middle East right now: it's somewhat for democracy in certain areas, but usually people fight for resources. And it's interesting in space … on Earth, people often fight for energy; in space we use solar power and we have fuel cells on the Space Station. You know, the science and the technology that we put into the Space Station to develop a solar power capability, gives us pretty much an unlimited amount of energy. And if those technologies could be adapted more on Earth, we could possibly reduce some of that violence.
Second Question
One of the themes I often return to in my discourses concerns the responsibility we all have towards the future of our planet. I recall the serious risks facing the environment and the survival of future generations. Scientists tell us we have to be careful and from an ethical point of view we must develop our consciences as well.
From your extraordinary observation point, how do you see the situation on Earth?
Do you see signs or phenomena to which we need to be more attentive?
Ron Garan, USA
Well, Your Holiness, it's a great honour to speak with you and you're right: it really is an extraordinary vantage point we have up here. On the one hand, we can see how indescribably beautiful the planet that we have been given is; but on the other hand, we can really clearly see how fragile it is. Just the atmosphere, for instance: the atmosphere when viewed from space is paper-thin, and to think that this paper-thin layer is all that separates every living thing from the vacuum of space and is all that protects us, is really a sobering thought. You know, it seems to us that it's just incredible to view the Earth hanging in the blackness of space and to think that we are all on this together, riding through this beautiful fragile oasis through the universe, it really fills us with a lot of hope to think that all of us on board this incredible orbiting Space Station that was built by the many nations of our international partnership, to accomplish this tremendous feat in orbit, I think … you know, that just shows that by working together and by cooperating we can overcome many of the problems that face our planet, we could solve many of the challenges that face the inhabitants of our planet … it really is a wonderful place to live and work, and it's a wonderful place to view our beautiful Earth.
Third Question
The experience you are having right now is both extraordinary and very important – even if you must eventually come back down to Earth like all the rest of us.
When you do return, you will be much admired and treated like heroes who speak and act with authority. You will be asked to talk about your experiences. What will be the most important messages you would like to convey – to young people especially – who will live in a world strongly influenced by your experiences and discoveries?
Mike Finchke, USA
Your Holiness, as my colleagues have indicated, we can look down and see our beautiful planet Earth that God has made, and it is the most beautiful planet in the whole Solar System. However, if we look up, we can see the rest of the universe, and the rest of the Universe is out there for us to go explore. And the International Space Station is just one symbol, one example of what human beings can do when we work together constructively. So our message, I think - one of our many messages, but I think one of our most important messages – is to let the children of the planet know, the young people know that there is a whole universe for us to go explore. And when we do it together, there is nothing that we cannot accomplish.
Fourth Question
Space exploration is a fascinating scientific adventure. I know that you have been installing new equipment to further scientific research and the study of radiation coming from outer space. But I think it is also an adventure of the human spirit, a powerful stimulus to reflect on the origins and on the destiny of the universe and humanity. Believers often look up at the limitless heavens and, meditating on the Creator of it all, they are struck by the mystery of His greatness. That is why the medal I gave Robert (Vittori) as a sign of my own participation in your mission, represents the Creation of Man – as painted by Michelangelo on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. In the midst of your intense work and research, do you ever stop and reflect like this – perhaps even to say a prayer to the Creator? Or will it be easier for you to think about these things once you have returned to Earth?
Roberto Vittori, Italy
Your Holiness, to live on board of the International Space Station, to work as an astronaut on the shuttle Soyuz of the Station, is extremely intense. But we all have an opportunity, when the nights come, to look down on Earth: our planet, the blue planet, is beautiful. Blue is the colour of our planet, blue is the colour of the sky, blue is also the colour of the Italian Air Force, the organization that gave me the opportunity to then join the Italian Space Agency and the European Space Agency. When we have a moment to look down, beauty which is the three-dimensional effect of the beauty of the planet is capturing our heart, is capturing my heart. And I do pray: I do pray for me, for our families, for our future. I took with me the coin and I allow this coin to float in front of me to demonstrate lack of gravity. I shall thank you very much for this opportunity and I'd like to allow this coin to float to my friend and colleague Paolo: he will make return to Earth on the Soyuz. I brought it with me to space and he will take it down to Earth to then give it back to you.
Fifth Question – in Italian – for Paolo Nespoli
La mia ultima domanda è per Paolo. Caro Paolo, so che nei giorni scorsi la tua mamma ti ha lasciato e quando fra pochi giorni tornerai a casa non la troverai più ad aspettarti. Tutti ti siamo stati vicini, anche io ho pregato per lei…Come hai vissuto questo tempio di dolore? Nella vostra Stazione vi sentite lontani e isolati e soffrite un senso di separazione, o vi sentite uniti fra voi e inseriti in una comunità che vi accompagna con attenzione e affetto?
Paolo Nespoli, Italy
Santo Padre, ho sentito le sue preghiere, le vostre preghiere arrivare fino qua su: è vero, siamo fuori da questo mondo, orbitiamo intorno alla Terra ed abbiamo un punto di vantaggio per guardare la Terra e per sentire tutto quello che ci sta attorno. I miei colleghi qui, a bordo della Stazione – Dimitri, Kelly, Ron, Alexander e Andrei – mi sono stati vicini in questo momento importante per me, molto intenso, così come i miei fratelli, le mie sorelle, le mie zie, i miei cugini, i miei parenti sono stati vicini a mia madre negli ultimi momenti. Sono grato di tutto questo. Mi sono sentito lontano ma anche molto vicino, e sicuramente il pensiero di sentire tutti voi vicino a me, uniti in questo momento, è stato di estremo sollievo. Ringrazio anche l'Agenzia spaziale europea e l'Agenzia spaziale americana che hanno messo a disposizione le risorse affinché io abbia potuto parlare con lei negli ultimi momenti.
Final greeting
Dear astronauts,
I thank you warmly for this wonderful opportunity to meet and dialogue with you. You have helped me and many other people to reflect together on important issues that regard the future of humanity. I wish you the very best for your work and for the success of your great mission at the service of science, international collaboration, authentic progress, and for peace in the world. I will continue to follow you in my thoughts and prayers and I willingly impart my Apostolic Blessing.
Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana


text:
According to Henley's "Prefatory," which self-deprecatingly descibes Views and Reviews (1890) as "less a book than a mosaic of scraps and shreds recovered from the shot rubbish of some fourteen years of journalism" (vi), this essay was "pieced together" from articles in London, Vanity Fair, The Athenaeum. In editing this text for the Victorian Web, I have retained orginal spelling and punctuation, and I included numbers in brackets to indicate page breaks in the print edition in order to enable users of VW to cite or locate the original page numbers. [GPL].
His Qualities
o read Mr. Meredith's novels with insight is to find them full of the rarest qualities in fiction. If their author has a great capacity for unsatisfactory writing he has capacities not less great for writing [w]hat is satisfactory in the highest degree. He has the tragic instinct and endowment, and he has the comic as well; he is an ardent student of character and life; he has wit of the swiftest, the most comprehensive, the most luminous, and humour that can be fantastic or ironical or human at his pleasure; he has passion and he has imagination; he has considered sex — the great subject, the leaven of imaginative art — with notable audacity and insight. He is as capable of handling a vice or an emotion as he is of managing an affectation. He can be trivial, or grotesque, or satirical, or splendid; and whether his milieu be romantic or actual, whether his personages be heroic or sordid, he goes about his task with the same assurance and intelligence. In his best work he takes rank with the world's novelists. He is a companion for Balzac and Richardson, an intimate for Fielding and Cervantes. His figures fall into their place [43/44] beside the greatest of their kind; and when you think of Lucy Feverel and Mrs. Berry, of Evan Harrington's Countess Saldanha and the Lady Charlotte of Emilia in England, of the two old men in Harry Richmond and the Sir Everard Rolnfrey of Beauchamp's Career, of Renée and Cecilia, of Emilia and Rhoda Fleming, of Rose Jocelyn and Lady Blandish and Ripton Thompson, they have in the mind's eye a value scarce inferior to that of Clarissa and Lovelace, of Bath and Western and Booth, of Andrew Fairserviae and Elspeth Mucklebacket, of Philippe Bridau and Vautrin and Balthasar Claes. In the world of man's creation his people are citizens to match the noblest; they are of the aristocracy of the imagination, the peers in their own right of the society of romance. And for all that, their state is mostly desolate and lonely and forlorn.
His Defects
For Mr. Meredith is one of the worst and least attractive of great writers as well as one of the best and most fascinating. He is a sun that has broken out into innumerable spots. The better half of his genius is always suffering eclipse from the worse half. He writes with the pen of a great artist in his left hand and the razor of a spiritual suicide [44/45] in his right. He is the master and the victim of a monstrous cleverness which is neither to hold nor to bind, and will not permit him to do things as an honest, simple person of genius would. As Shakespeare, in Johnson's phrase, lost the world for a quibble and was content to lose it, so does Mr. Meredith discrown himself of the sovereignty of contemporary romance to put on the cap and bells of the professional wit. He is not content to be plain Jupiter: his lightnings are less to him than his fireworks; and his pages so teem with fine sayings and magniloquent epigrams and gorgeous images and fantastic locutions that the mind would welcome dulness as a bright relief. He is tediously amusing; he is brilliant to the point of being obscure; his helpfulnes or extravagant as to worry and confound. That is the secret of his unpopularity. His stories are not often good stories and are seldom well told; his ingenuity and intelligence are always misleading him into treating mere episodes as solemnly and elaborately as main incidents; he is ever ready to discuss, to ramble, to theorise, to dogmatise, to indulge in a little irony or a little reflection or a little artistic misdemeanour of some sort. But other novelists have done these things before him, and have been none the less popular, and are actually none the less readable. None, however, has pushed the foppery of style and intellect to such a point as Mr. Meredith. Not infrequently he writes page after page [45/46] of English as ripe and sound and unaffected as heart could wish; and you can but impute to wantonness and recklessness the splendid impertinences that intrude elsewhere. To read him at the rate of two or three chapters a day is to have a sincere and hearty admiration for him and a devout anxiety to forget his defects and make much of his merits. But they are few who can take a novel on such terms as these, and to read your Meredith straight off is to have an indigestion of epigram, and to be incapable of distinguishing good from bad: the author of the parting between Richard and Lucy Feverel — a high-water mark of novelistic passsion and emotion — from the creator of Mr. Raikes and Dr. Shrapnel, which are two of the most flagrant unrealities ever perpetrated in the name of fiction by an artist of genius.
Another Way
On the whole, I think, he does not often say anything not worth hearing. He is too wise for that; and, besides, he is strenuously in earnest about his work. He has noble sense of the dignity of art and the responsibilities of the artist; he will set down nothing that is to his mind unworthy to be recorded; his treatment of his material is distinguished by the presence of an intellectual passion [46/47] (as it were) that makes whatever he does considerable and deserving of attention and respect. But unhappily the will is not seldom unequal to the deed: the achievement is often leagues in rear of the inspiration; the attempt at completeness is too laboured and too manifest — the feat is done but by a painful and ungraceful process. There is genius, but there is not felicity: that, one is inclined to say, is the distinguishing note of Mr. Meredith's work, in prose and verse alike. There are magnificent exceptions, of course, but they prove the rule and, broken though it be, there is no gainsaying its existence. To be concentrated in form, to be suggestive in material, to say nothing that is not of permanent value, and only to say it in such terms as are charged to the fullest with significance — this would seem to be the aim and end of Mr. Meredith's ambition. Of simplicity in his own person he appears incapable. The texture of his expression must be stiff with allusion, or he deems it ill spun; there must be something of antic in his speech, or he cannot believe he is addressing himself to the Immortals; he has praised with perfect understanding the lucidity, the elegance, the ease, of Molière, and yet his aim in art (it would appear) is to be Molière's antipodes, and to vanquish by congestion, clottedness, an anxious and determined dandyism of form and style. There is something bourgeois in his intolerance of the commonplace, something fanatical [47/48] in the intemperance of his regard for artifice.'Le dandy,' says Baudelaire, 'doit aspirer à être sublime sans interruption. Il doit vivre et dormir devant un miroir.' That, you are tempted to believe, is Mr. Meredith's theory of expression. 'Ce qu'il y a dans le mauvais goût,' is elsewhere the opinion of the same unamiable artist in paradox, 'c'est le plaisir aristocratique de déplaire.' Is that, you ask yourself, the reason why Mr. Meredith is so contemptuous of the general public? — why he will stoop to no sort of concession nor permit himself a mite of patience with the herd whose intellect is content with such poor fodder as Scott and Dickens and Dumas? Be it as it may, the effect is the ssme. Our author is bent upon being 'uninterruptedly sublime'; and we must take him as he wills and as we find him. He loses of course; and we suffer. But none the less do we cherish his society, and none the less are we interested in his processes, and enchanted (when we are clever enough) by his results. He lacks felicity, I have said; but he has charm as well as power, and, once his rule is accepted, there is no way to shake him off. The position is that of the antique tyrant in a commonwealth once republican and free. You resent the domina tion, but you enjoy it too, and with or against your will you admire the author of your slavery. [48/49]
Rhoda Fleming
Rhoda Fleming is one of the least known of ths novels, and in a sense it is one of the most disagreeab1e. To the general it has always been caviare, and caviare it is likely to remain; for the general is before all things respectable, and no such savage and scathing attack upon the supestitions of respectability as Rhoda Fleming has been written. And besides, the emotions developed are too tragic, the personages too elementary in kind and too powerful in degree, the effects too poignant and too sorrowful. In these days people read to be amused. They care for no passion that is not decent in itself and whose expression is not restained. It irks thsm to grapple with problems capable of none save a tragic solution. And when Mr. Meredith goes digging in a very bad temper with things in general into the deeper strata, the primitive deposits, of human nature, the public is the reverse of profoundly interested in the outcome of his exploration and the resuhs of his labour. But for them whose eye is for real literature and such literary essentials as character largely seen and largely presented and as passion deeply felt and poignantly expressed there is such a feast in Rhoda Fleming as no other English novelist alive has spread. The book, it is true, is full of failures. There is, for instance, the old bank porter Anthony, who is such a failure as only a great novelist may perpetrate and survive; who suggests (with some [49/50] other of Mr. Meredith's creations) a close, deliberate, and completely unsuccessful imitation of Dickens: a writer with whom Mr. Meredith is not averse from entering into competition, and who, so manifest on these occasions is his superiority, may almost be described as the other's evil genius. Again, there is Algernon the fool, of whom his author is so bitterly contemptous that he is never once permitted to live and move and have any sort of being whatever and who, though he bears a principal part in the intrigue, like the Blifil of Tom Jones is so constantly illuminated by the lightnings of the ironical mode of presentation as always to seem unreal in himself and seriously to imperil the reality of the story. And, lastly, there are the chivalrous Percy Waring and the innscrutable Mrs. Lovell, two gentle ghosts whose proper place is the shadowland of the American novel. But when all these are removed (and for the judicious reader their removal is far from diffcult) a treasure of reality remains. What an intensity of life it is that hurries and throbs and burns through the veins of the two sisters — Dahlia the victim, Rhoda the executioner! Where else in English fiction is such a 'human oak log' as their father, the Kentish yeoman William Fleming? And where in English fiction is such a problem presented as that in the evolution of which these three — with a following so well selected and achieved as Robert Armstrong and Jonathan [50/51] Eccles and the evil ruffian Sedgett, a type of tlse bumpkin gone wrong, and Master Gammon, that type of the bumpkin old and obstinate, a sort of human saurian — are dashed together, and ground against each other till the weakest and best of the three is broken to pieces? Mr. Meredith may and does fail conspicuously to interest you in Anthony Hackbut and Algernon Blancove and Percy Waring; but he knows every fibre of the rest, and he makes your knowledge as intimate and comprehensive as his own. With these he is never at fault and never out of touch. They have the unity of effect, the vigorous simplicity, of life that belong to great creative art; and at their highest stress of emotion, the culmination of their passion, they appeal to and affect you with a force and a directness that suggest the highest achievement of Webster. Of course this sounds excessive. The expression of human feeling in the coil of a tragic situation is not a characteristic of modern fiction. It is thought to be not consistent with thse theory and practice of realism; and the avorage novelist is afraid of it, the average reader is only affected by it when he goes to look for it in poetry. But the book is there to show that such praise is deserved; and they who doubt it have only to read the chapters called respectively 'When the Night is Darkest' and 'Dahlia's Frenzy' to be convinced and doubt no longer. It has been objected to the climax of Rhoda Fleming that it is unnecessarily [51/52] inhumane, and that Dahlia dead were better art than Dahlia living and incapable of love and joy. But the book, as I have said, is a merciless impeachment of respectability; and as the spectacle of a ruined and broken life is infinitely more discomforting than that of a noble death, I take it that Mr. Meredith was right to prefer his present ending to the alternative, inasmuch as the painfulness of that impression he wished to produce and the potency of that moral he chose to draw are immensely heightened and strengthened thereby.
The Tragic Comedians
Opinions differ, and there are those, I believe, to whom Alvan and Clotilde von Rudiger — 'acrobats of the affections' they have as been called — are pleasant companions, and the story of those feats in the gymnastics of sentimentalism in which they lived to shine is the prettiest reading imaginable. But others not so fortunate or, to be plain, more honestly obtuse persist in finding that story tedious, and the bewildering appearances it deals with not human beings — not of the stock of Rose Jocelyn and Sir Everard Romfrey, of Dahlia Fleming and Lucy Feverel and Richmond Roy — but creatures of gossamer and rainbow, phantasms of spiritual romance, abstractions of remote, dispiriting points in sexual philosophy.
The Egoist
Just as Molière in the figures of Alceste and Tartuffe has summarised and embodied all that we need to know of indignant honesty and the false fervour of sanctimonious animalism, so in the person of Sir Willoughby Patterne has Mr. Meredith succeeded in expressing the qualities of egoism as the egoist appears in his relations with women and in his conception and exercise of the passion of love. Between the means of the two men lhere is not, nor can be, any sort of comparison. Molière is brief, exquisite, lucid: clsssic in his union of ease and strength, of purity and sufliciency, of austerity and charm. In The Egoist Mr. Meredith is even more artificial and affected than his wont: he bristles with allusions, he teems with hints and side-hits and false alarms, he glitters with phrases, he riots in intellectual points and philosophical fancies; and though his style does nowhere else become him so well, his cleverness is yet so reckless and indomitable as to be almost as fatiguing here as everywhere. But in their matter the great Frenchman and he have not much to envy each other. Sir Willoughby Patterne is a 'document on humanity' of the highest value; and to him that would know of egoism and the egoist the study of Sir Willoughby is indispensable. There is something in him of us all. He is a compendium of the Personal in man; and if in him the abstract Egoist have not taken on his final shape and become classic and typical it is [53/54] not that Mr. Meredith has forgotten anything in his composition but rather that there are certain defects of form, certain structural fault and weaknesses, which prevent you from accepting aff conclusive the aspect of the mass of him. But the Molière of the future (if the future be that fortunate) has but to pick and choose with discretion here to find the stuff of a companion figure to Arnolphe and Alceste and Celimene.
In Metre
His verse has all the faults and only some of the merits of his prose. Thus he will rhyme you off a ballad, and to break the secret of that ballad you have to take to yourself a dark lantern and a case of jemmies. I like him best in the Nuptials of Attila. If he always wrote as here, and were always as here sustained in inspiration, rapid of march, nervous of phrase, apt of metaphor, and moving in effect, he would be delightful to the general, and that without sacrificing on the vile and filthy altar of popularity. Here he is successfully himself, and what more is there to say You clap for Harlequin, and you kneel to Apollo. Mr. Meredith doubles the parts, and is irresistible in both. Such fire, such vision. Such energy on [54-55] the one hand and on the other such agitity and athletic grace are not often found in combination.
The Fashion of Art
This is the merit and distinction of art: to be more real than reality, to be not nature but nature's essence. It is the artist's function not to copy but to synthesise: to eliminate from that gross confusion of actuality which is his raw material whatever is accidental, idle, irrelevant, and select for perpetuation that only which is appropriate and immortal. Always artistic, Mr. Meredith's work is often great art.
Last modified 2000


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Shea blog-tagged me on this post about books. I'm usually terrible about following up on these, but since I missed contributing to TH's "What We're Reading" post, and since Shea's been such a good blog-bud, I wanted to make sure to get this one up. The subject: books in my life.
A book that changed my life
It's probably a cliche' to claim this one in green blogging circles, but what the hell: Daniel Quinn's Ishmael. The ideas Quinn presents in this book and its sequels The Story of B and My Ishmael literally changed the way I view the world and human beings' relationship to it. An invaluable work that I return to frequently… and one of the major motivators for starting sustainablog.
Books I've Read More Than Once
Thomas Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49. This little novella really packs a punch: in 140 pages, Pynchon creates an alternative explanation for the forces that shaped Euro-American history. It's also funny as hell at points, and will have you looking over your shoulder for a few days.
A variety of Shakespeare's plays. Should all students read Shakespeare? I don't know. But I do know that after 500 years, his work does truly stand the test of time. Shakespeare could make you laugh, cry and think very hard all in the same play, and always understood what worked on stage. My current favorite: King Lear. One that I think is incredibly underrated: The Merchant of Venice.
Books I'd take with me if I were stuck on a desert island.
Tough call. Probably Quinn's books, a few Carl Hiaasen mysteries, a few James Lee Burke mysteries. Paul Hawken's The Ecology of Commerce. A few David Mamet plays to perform if there are any other primates on the island (I wrote my doctoral dissertation on Mamet's work).
A Book that made me laugh
John Grisham's The Rainmaker. The Carl Hiaasen novels mentioned above. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum novels. Any collection of Calvin and Hobbes.
A Book I wish I had written
Hmmmm… John Grisham's A Time to Kill.
A book I've been meaning to read
John Kennedy Toole's A Confederacy of Dunces.
Books I'm currently reading
Lester Brown's Plan B 2.0 — phenomenal! (Thanks, Tod!)
James Patterson's London Bridges — started it on the plane last week.
My turn to tag, so… Tod Brilliant, Siel (you didn't think I'd miss a fellow English major), and Mikhail Capone — you're it!


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Gods and Fighting Men, by Lady Gregory, [1904], at sacred-texts.com
AND as to Osgar and Diarmuid, they went on, and no cut or wound on them, to where Angus and Grania were at Brugh na Boinne; and there was a good welcome before them, and Diarmuid told them the whole story from beginning to end, and it is much that Grania did not die then and there, hearing all he had gone through.
And then she and Diarmuid set out again, and they went and stopped for a while in a cave that was near the sea.
And one night while they were there a great storm came on, so that they went into the far part of the cave. But bad as the night was, a man of the Fomor, Ciach, the Fierce One, his name was, came over the western ocean in a curragh, with two oars, and he drew it into the cave for shelter. And Diarmuid bade him welcome, and they sat down to play chess together. And he got the best of the game, and what he asked as his winnings was Grania to be his wife, and he put his arms about her as if to bring her away. And Grania said: "I am this long time going with the third best man of the Fianna, and he never came as near as that to me."
And Diarmuid took his sword to kill Ciach, and there was anger on Grania when she saw that, and she had a knife in her hand and she struck it into Diarmuid's thigh. And Diarmuid made an end of the Fomor, and he said no word to Grania, but ran out and away through the storm.
And Grania went following after him, and calling to him, but there was great anger on him and be would not answer her. And at last at the break of day she overtook him, and after a while they heard the cry of a heron, and she asked him what was it made the heron cry out.
"Tell me that," she said, "Grandson of Duibhne, to whom I gave my love." And Diarmuid said: "O Grania, daughter of the High King, woman who never took a step aright, it is because she was frozen to the rocks she gave that cry." And Grania was asking forgiveness of him, and he was reproaching her, and it is what he said: "O Grania of the beautiful hair, though you are more beautiful than the green tree under blossom, your love passes away as quickly as the cold cloud at break of day. And you are asking a hard thing of me now," he said, "and it is a pity what you said to me, Grania, for it was you brought me away from the house of my lord, that I am banished from it to this day; and now I am troubled through the night, fretting after its delight in every place.
"I am like a wild deer, or a beast that is astray, going ever and always through the long valleys; there is great longing on me to see one of my kindred from the host.
"I left my own people that were brighter than lime or snow; their heart was full of generosity to me, like the sun that is high above us; but now they follow me angrily to every harbour and every strand.
"I lost my people by you, and my lord, and my large bright ships on every sea; I lost my treasure and my gold; it is hunger you gave me through your love.
"I lost my country and my kindred; my men that were used to serve me; I lost quietness and affection; I lost the men of Ireland and the Fianna entirely.
"I lost delight and music; I lost my own right doing and my honour; I lost the Fianna of Ireland, my great kinsmen, for the sake of the love you gave me.
"O Grania, white as snow, it would have been a better choice for you to have given hatred to me, or gentleness to the Head of the Fianna."
And Grania said: "O Diarmuid of the face like snow or like the down of the mountains, the sound of your voice was dearer to me than all the riches of the leader of the Fianna.
"Your blue eye is dearer to me than his strength, and his gold and his great hall; the love-spot on your forehead is better to me than honey in streams; the time I first looked on it, it was more to me than the whole host of the King of Ireland.
"My heart fell down there and then before your high beauty; when you came beside me, it was like the whole of life in one day.
"O Diarmuid of the beautiful hands, take me now the same as before; it was with me the fault was entirely; give me your promise not to leave me."
But Diarmuid said: "How can I take you again, you are a woman too fond of words; one day you give up the Head of the Fianna, and the next day myself, and no lie in it.
"It is you parted me from Finn, the way I fell under sorrow and grief; and you left me yourself, the time I was full of affection."
And Grania said: "Do not leave me now this way, and my love for you ever growing like the fresh branches of the tree with the kind long heat of the day."
But Diarmuid, would not give in to her, and he said: "You are a woman full of words, and it is you have put me under sorrow. I took you with myself, and you struck at me for the sake of the man of the Fomor."
They came then to a place where there was a cave, and water running by it, and they stopped to rest; and Grania said: "Have you a mind to eat bread and meat now, Diarmuid?"
"I would eat it indeed if I had it," said Diarmuid.
"Give me a knife, so," she said, "till I cut it." "Look for the knife in the sheaf where you put it yourself," said Diarmuid.
She saw then that the knife was in his thigh where she had struck it, for he would not draw it out himself. So she drew it out then; and that was the greatest shame that ever came upon her.
They stopped then in the cave. And the next day when they went on again, Diarmuid did not leave unbroken bread like he had left every other day as a sign to Finn that he had kept his faith with him, but it was broken bread he left after him.


text: Escape From Prison (No Ratings Yet)Loading... Uncategorized Game Giraffe 26 Nov , 2016 0 PLAY NOW! GAME INFO G7games - escape from prison is a Kind of Point and click new escape game. Created By G7games. You locked in High protection prison. now you have to free from this Prison.But it is not easy to come out. Because The jailer G7 made some good puzzles.and hidden objects. But we know you can come out.Good Luck and best wishes from G7Games. Keep playing g7games.com.


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NEW YORK (AP) — If the free breadsticks and unlimited soup and salad aren't enough, Olive Garden is hitting the gas on other promotions to get customers through its doors.
Darden Restaurants Inc., which has been struggling to hold onto customers in recent years, said deal offers like "2 for $25" dinner special helped drive up customer traffic at its flagship Olive Garden and Red Lobster chains in the latest quarter. The company said it will keep stressing the affordability of its food in the year ahead to attract more diners.
The strategy raises concerns among some investors, who worry that it's a short-term fix that only hurts profit margins. But in a call with analysts, CEO Clarence Otis said that boosting customer traffic is a priority for the company, even if it means sacrificing profit margins for a time.
"We need to do what we need to do," Otis said.
Darden's struggles to hold onto customers partly reflect the shifting restaurant industry. Casual dining chains were hit hard by the economic downturn, which made people more careful about eating out. Competitors like Applebee's, which is owned by DineEquity Inc., responded by rolling out a "2 for $20" deal during the depths of the recession. But Darden has conceded that it was slow in emphasizing value. Since 2008, its customer traffic is down about 8 percent.
At the same time, casual dining chains are also contending with changing eating habits. So in addition to underscoring value, Darden is also trying to update its menu choices to better reflect the type of food people want.
Last year, for example, it began adding lighter dishes to the Olive Garden menu. The company said they're already capturing about 10 percent of orders and that it plans to add more such options going forward.
For the quarter, Darden said net income fell 12 percent on rising costs and expenses. It earned $133.2 million, or $1.01 per share, compared with $151.2 million, or $1.15 per share, a year ago.
Removing costs and purchase accounting adjustments tied to its acquisition of Yard House USA Inc., earnings were $1.02 per share, 2 cents shy of Wall Street estimates.
Revenue climbed 11 percent to $2.3 billion, topping the $2.27 billion Wall Street expected.
Comparable sales at its Olive Garden, Red Lobster and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants rose 2.2 percent, helped by an uptick in customer traffic.
Sales at The Capital Grille locations open at least a year rose 4.5 percent. The metric climbed 4.3 percent at Eddie V's and 1 percent at Seasons 52. These restaurants are part of Darden's specialty restaurant group.
For the year, Darden earned $411.9 million or $3.13 per share. Adjusted earnings were $3.22 per share.
Annual revenue increased 7 percent to $8.55 billion.
Darden said that it expects fiscal 2014 adjusted earnings per share to be up between 4 percent and 6 percent. Revenue is anticipated to climb 6 percent to 8 percent, including an additional quarter of sales from Yard House. That implies earnings of $3.35 to $3.41 per share on revenue of $9.06 billion to $9.23 billion.
Wall Street had been looking for earnings of $3.19 per share on revenue of $8.52 billion.
The company, based in Orlando, Fla., also raised its quarterly dividend 10 percent, to 55 cents per share.
Shares of Darden were down 2 percent at $50.04.


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Church Calls for Proper Investigation After News of the World Fallout
As News of the World bid the nation "Thank you and goodbye" with its last ever edition Sunday, the Church of England has called upon its owner, News Corp, to undertake a proper investigation into phone hacking allegations.
In a letter to News Corp, the Church of England's Ethical Investment Advisory Group said that the behaviour of the News of the World had been "utterly reprehensible and unethical."
It welcomed the decision to close the paper after 168 years in print, but said this action was "not a sufficient response to the revelations of malpractice at the paper."
"Nor does it address the failure of News International and News Corporation executives to undertake a proper investigation and take decisive remedial action as soon as the police uncovered illegal phone hacking in 2006," the EIAG said.
The group has written to Rupert Murdoch insisting that the board of News Corp take "all necessary measures to instill investor confidence in the ethical and governance standards" of the organization.
"We cannot imagine circumstances in which we would be satisfied with any outcome that does not hold senior executives to account at News Corporation for the gross failures of management at the News of the World," it said.
The Church of England owns more than 350,000 shares in News Corp.
A spokesman for the Church of England suggested to Reuters news agency that there was a possibility of disinvestment.
"There must always in the background be the possibility that, after discussions with the senior management, if you are not influencing what they do or how they do it, there must always be the possibility that we will disinvest," he said.
"It's quite rare but it does happen."
The Church of England has pulled investment in the past where a company has failed to convince it of meeting ethical standards.
Concerns over practices at the Vedanta mining company led the Church of England to sell its shares in the company.
The News of the World ran its last ever edition today after being brought down by a string of serious allegations of hacking into the phones of celebrities, relatives of Britain's war dead and 7/7 bombing victims, and the voice messages of murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.
A police investigation into the scandal is ongoing and the prime minister has given his backing to two inquiries into the conduct of the police and ethics in British journalism.


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cupsd - common unix printing system daemon
cupsd [ -c config-file ] [ -f ] [ -F ] [ -h ] [ -l ]
cupsd is the scheduler for the Common UNIX Printing System. It implements a printing system based upon the Internet Printing Protocol, version 1.1. If no options are specified on the command-line then the default configuration file /etc/cups/cupsd.conf will be used.
-c config-file | |
Uses the named configuration file. | |
-f | Run cupsd in the foreground; the default is to run in the background as a "daemon". |
-F | Run cupsd in the foreground but detach the process from the controlling terminal and current directory. This is useful for running cupsd from init(8). |
-h | Shows the program usage. |
-l | This option is passed to cupsd when it is run from launchd(8). |
cupsd implements all of the required IPP/1.1 attributes and operations. It also implements several CUPS-specific administration operations.
backend(7), classes.conf(5), cups-deviced(8), cups-driverd(8), cups-lpd(8), cups-polld(8), cupsd.conf(5), filter(7), launchd(8), mime.convs(5), mime.types(5), printers.conf(5), http://localhost:631/help
Copyright 2007 by Apple Inc.


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Louis Stevens Biography
Born: 15 April 1925
Best Known as: co-inventor of a magnetic disk storage device
Louis Stevens, along with William Goddard and John Lynott and a team of engineers, invented a magnetic disk storage drive for computers that allows users to store and access large amounts of data almost instantly. Components of the disk drive are still used in modern computers. Born in Post, Texas, Stevens studied electrical engineering at Texas Tech and the University of California at Berkeley. After earning his BSEE and MSEE, he went on to work for IBM where he created the disk drive of the modern computer.
See also:


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Infinite Protection Ltd
Introducing Solar & Wind-Powered Surveillance Trailers
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Las Vegas (US: ; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area and is the largest city within the greater Mojave Desert. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city, known primarily for its gambling, shopping, fine dining, entertainment, and nightlife. The Las Vegas Valley as a whole serves as the leading financial, commercial, and cultural center for Nevada. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous for its luxurious and extremely large casino-hotels together with their associated activities.
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We are delighted to have you on board as an event partner at Windpower Monthly's Wind Data North America Forum.
Please find below all of the information you should need in preparation for the day.
Event Info
> Venue
> Timings
> Accommodation
Sponsor Info
> Sponsor Discount
> Exhibition Stand
Speaker Brief
> Main Feel Of The Event
> Audience
> Briefings Before / On The Day
> Presentations
> Feedback
Sheraton Suites Houston Near The Galleria
2400 West Loop South
Texas, 77027-4204
United States
Map and directions to the venue
Registration and morning refreshments on Tuesday 14 March will be from 08:30 with opening remarks at 09:00. The conference will conclude on Wednesday 15 March at 16:30.
Registration for the Pre-Forum Workshop on Monday 13 March will begin at 13:00.
(Please note that timings are subject to change between now and the event date.)
Sheraton Suites will offer a special group rate of $169 (rate does not include local taxes, currently 17%) until 23rd Feb 2017. The rate includes wifi but it does not include breakfast. Breakfast pastries will be provided at the conference.
To book please call 713 586-2444 or 888 321-4733, or email firstname.lastname@example.com, mentioning the Haymarket Group Booking. An early departure fee of 50% of guestroom rate will apply if you check out prior to the confirmed checkout date.
As part of your partner benefits, your clients and contacts are entitled to a 15% discount off the current prices to attend the conference. All they need to do is quote SPO38 at the basket page when booking online.
Your stand is 3mx2m in size and will consist of a clothed table, 2 chairs and access to power. If you require an internet connection and/or audio visual equipment, please contact Gemma Boyd who will provide you with a contact at the hotel. You will have access to the exhibition area from 20:00 to 22:00 on Monday 13 March for you to set up your stand. We also have access from 07:30 on Tuesday 14 March but please ensure your stand is ready by 08:30 when delegates are due to arrive to register. If you intend on sending any items to the venue, please use the delivery label provided via the link in the right hand column of this page. Please ensure that you provide your own return delivery labels and attach them to all of your items which will need to be collected by 10am on Thursday 16 March.
During the research for this latest Wind Data North America edition past delegates requested the most interactive program yet with project case studies, panels and roundtables to keep everyone engaged and interested. The industry has demonstrated that there is a strong need for greater data analysis in the construction, operation and maintenance of wind farms in the past few years. The changing supply chain is a hot issue that needs to be addressed as it will affect everything including data, security and business relationships. Therefore this year's event will focus on making the most of your data in all its facets and possibilities, understanding the supply chain shift and how it will change the owner/operator and service provider relationship and finally, what this will mean for data security as well as the future of sharing accessing and storing data.
We have a packed agenda this year and lots to fit in so please make the most of the time afforded to you by getting straight to the heart of what message you want to convey to our community of wind data professionals. The event program is a reflection of the research carried out as well as your input as a participant so let us make it the most informative experience yet!
Some of our typical participants and attendees for wind data operate under these job titles;
NERC Compliance, CIP Compliance, Data Performance Management, SCADA, O&M, Condition Monitoring, Fleet Management, Regulatory Compliance, Reporting & Analysis, Diagnostic Intelligence, Operations, Business Development, Performance Assurance Manager, Modelling Analyst, Solutions Engineer, Wind Research Analyst, Engineer, Operations Support Lead, Technical Director, Control Centre Supervisor, Scientific Director, Performance Reliability Engineer, Lead Fleet Engineer, Asset Manager/Technical Analyst, Reliability Engineer, Data Integration Specialist, OCC Services Manager, Manager of IT & SCADA Systems, Wind Energy Assessment Engineer, Principal Consultant, Asset Optimisation Manager, Performance Manager, Security Officers, Cyber Managers.
From mainly these industry sectors:
Offshore Wind Farm Developers & Operators, Utilities, Turbine Manufacturers, Engineering Consultancies, OEMs, Data Service & Solution Platform Providers, Academics & Researchers
If you would like to discuss your speaking session in more detail before the event, please arrange a convenient time with Dominic Coyne. On the day, the Event Manager and/or Event Producer will meet with you during registration/the break before your session to brief you and ensure you are all set. Please ensure you arrive in plenty of time and send us your slides (if applicable) in advance as well as bringing a copy on a USB just in case.
If you are showing slides in your session, please send them to Gemma Boyd by Monday 6 March. Please ensure that your slides are in 4:3 format ratio. If you wish to use video or audio files, please provide these as separate files for the on-site AV technician.
There will be evaluation forms circulating on the day on which delegates will score and chart their thoughts on your session. You will be sent your scores after the event, once all of the forms have been collated and analysed. Please also complete one yourself to let us know your thoughts on the event.


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The Art of Empathy
- Les Parrott & Neil Clark Warren Love the Life You Live
- Updated Aug 27, 2004
No act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted – Aesop
Self-pity is our worst enemy and if we yield to it, we can never do anything good in the world. – Helen Keller
Angela teetered as she walked across a medical conference room, thighs chafing, sweat glands sweating. She tried to squeeze into a regular-size chair, but her lumpy hips snagged on the arms. She moved to an extrawide armless chair, but then she couldn't cross her plumped-out legs.
A dietitian helped her climb aboard a stationary bicycle that had been fitted with an oversize seat. But when Angela tried to pedal, thick, doughy rolls of abdominal tissue pressed against her fleshy thighs, impeding movement.
"Every move I made was an effort," Angela, 35, later admitted. By then, however, she was slimmed down to her actual weight: 110 pounds.
Angela had been zipped into a bulky beige "empathy suit," designed to help medical personnel better understand the plight of their obese patients. The suit weighs only 30 pounds, but it feels heavier, and effectively blimps out small, low-fat people like Angela. Its sheer heft and bulk is intended to give them a new, deepened understanding of the workaday world of the obese.
Does it work? You bet. Angela saw first hand that even a simple movement such as walking may be challenging for the obese. Having worn the suit "makes me feel more respectful, more aware of their feelings," she says.
That's the power of self-giving love – putting oneself in the skin of another. Take any profession…teaching second graders, for example. You can improve a teacher's effectiveness by having her walk through her classroom on her knees. As she sees that space from a second grader's perspective, she will be better equipped to teach them.
Or how about serving fast food? The major chains spend bundles of money sending "fake customers" into their stores to see it as they do. Advertising firms on Madison Avenue make their living by putting themselves in the customer's shoes.
Growing churches are growing because they study the experience of a first-time visitor, and the pastor imagines what it is like to sit in the pew.
Disney World's "cast members" know that guests will average sixty contact opportunities in a single day at their theme park, and they want to make each of them a magic moment; so they continually work at empathizing with families.
And, of course, a counselor wouldn't last a day without practicing empathy. How well we know!
The point is that empathy – the ability to accurately see the world through another's eyes – is at the heart of true understanding and the ability to extend self-giving love. Whether it be in medicine, business, education, or entertainment, empathy is a major determiner of success. More importantly, when it comes to our most important relationships, empathy is essential. Without empathy, healthy relationships are impossible. Self-giving love is null and void.
Consider your contentment when another person senses what you are feeling without you having to say so. This is the essence of empathy. While we can have interesting conversations and smooth social exchanges without it, we will never enter the inner chambers of a person's heart without empathy. It is the key to unlocking a person's spirit at the most intimate and vulnerable levels.
If asking a string of quality questions is the equivalent of a B.A. in relationships, empathy will earn you your Ph.D. in the social arts. Empathy is evidence of relational brilliance.
In 1990 Yale psychologist Peter Salovey and the University of New Hampshire's John Mayer coined the phrase "emotional intelligence" to describe qualities that bring human interactions to their peak of performance. Harvard psychologist and New York Times science writer Daniel Goleman brought the phrase into the national conversation with his groundbreaking book on the subject. He calls empathy our "social radar" and believes it operates at different levels. At the very least, empathy enables us to read another's emotions. And at the highest levels, empathy is understanding the concerns that lie behind the person's feelings.
The key to identifying and understanding another person's emotional terrain, experts agree, is an intimate familiarity with one's own. Goleman cites the research of Robert Levenson at the University of California at Berkeley as a prime example. Levenson brings married couples into his physiology lab for two discussions: a neutral talk about their day and a second fifteen-minute emotionally charged discussion concerning a disagreement.
Levenson records the husband's and wife's heart rate, muscle tension, changes in facial expressions, and so on. After the disagreement, one partner leaves. A replay of the talk is then narrated by the other partner, noting feelings on their end that were not expressed. Then the roles are reversed and that partner leaves, allowing the other person to narrate the same scene from their partner's perspective.
This is where researchers found something extraordinary. Partners adept at empathizing were seen to mimic their partner's body while they empathize. If the heart rate of the partner in the videotape went up, so did the heart rate of the partner who was empathizing; if the heart rate slowed down, so did that of the empathic spouse.
This phenomenon, called entrainment, demands we put aside out own emotional agendas for the time being to clearly receive the other person's signals. For, as Goleman says, "When we are caught up in our own strong emotions, we are off on a different physiological vector, impervious to the more subtle cues that allow rapport."
Putting aside out own emotional agenda for empathy's sake brings us back to the question we posed earlier: What races through your head when you walk into a roomful of people? If you are not quietly asking yourself, How are these people doing? you will never provide the psychological space for empathy to do its work. But when you do, you will begin to enjoy relational connections at a depth you never knew was possible.
Used with permission from "Love the Life You Live" by Les Parrott, Ph.D. & Neil Clark Warren, Ph.D., published by Tyndale, 2003. Visit eHarmony.com to find the love of your life.


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Monday Funnies & a Twilight Meme
Dear New Moon,
I'm excited for you to be released for many reasons, including the influx of 2nd-hand embarrassing t-shirts, necklaces & wolf costumes we'll have at our disposal, not to mention the bet I have with Moon about how many guys we think will moon us anytime we mention the movie in a 1 week period, but mostly because of the blog content that will come as a result of the movie being a smash hit.
For now, on Mondays, we can still laugh at Twilight stuff:
The website where these comics were posted had the following disclaimer:
I've never read the books or watched the movie, and — as I'm sure most of my fellow Y-chromosome compatriots would agree — am convinced and afraid that the worldwide "craze" over this Edward character is the first sign of a coming apocalypse.
Thanks to Jacob's girl Anja for sending us these comics!
After the jump, enjoy something really random:
The girls over at Twitarded tagged us in what they're calling a Twitarded Meme. I'm a sucker for random quizzes, so I decided to participate. This is somewhat about Twilight, somewhat not! ENJOY
1) What is the craziest/most stupid thing you've ever done (that you would be willing to share!)?
I'm about to tell you the best story you've ever heard. Get ready. Things you need to know: I'm a lightweight. The summer after I graduated my cousin got married in Cancun. The day of the wedding I had Cuban food which upset my belly. That night they were serving the most delicious white wine ever! And I have never done what I'm about to confess before or since:
That night was like Jesus & the bread and fishes. Miraculously, my wine glass was always full. I blame it on my cousin, Sam, but he never confessed to aiding me in my drunkenness. All I know is that in the middle of my killer dance moves for the song "Shout" (which I'm pretty sure the band WAS NOT playing…), I had a major urge to pee. I yelled to everyone where I was going and disappeared. It was 1/2 hour before anyone remembered I had left. This is what happened after I left the dance floor:
As I sat down to pee, I had the sudden urge to throw up. But I was sitting on the toilet. And what's a girl to do? I know- throw up IN BETWEEN my legs as I'm peeing. Yep. That's what I did. And then passed out on the side of the bathroom stall. When my family realized I was missing, they found me locked in the stall, passed out. Someone climbed under the stall (where they were greeted with chunks of Cuban food from my lunch around my feet and in my shoes) and unlocked the door. They didn't know what to do. Cuz I was passed out. Sitting on the toilet. Someone thought I should eat something. So they ran to the kitchen & got me bread. A huge baguette of bread. They cleaned off my feet by splashing them with water from the tealight candle holder and gave me the bread. Which I hugged. That's right. I hugged the bread. They got my uncle who carried me to the car. Where I, of course, threw up again. When we got to the hotel, they got me a wheelchair and wheeled me to my room. And all the while I continued to hug my bread.
After my brilliant decision of how to throw up while peeing, I have no recollection of this night. I didn't remember what happened in the morning; I didn't remember when they told me what happened; I didn't remember when my sister yelled at me about how irresponsible I was. All I know is that I didn't touch white wine until a few months ago (4 years later!) and have never been and never WILL be that drunk again. I will also never eat Cuban food again. And will never admit to my best friend that I threw up chunks of shrimp in her shoes & just washed them off with water before I returned them.
2) One my personal favorite games: F*ck, Marry, Kill. With the Twilight cast.
F*ck- Um, duh, I'd do Edward. For eternity. Lucky stupid little whiny biatch. Marry- Hmmm, assuming I can't also choose Edward, I think Carlisle.. I mean, he is my age…. Kill- Kristen Stewart Hmm….Iriana. That girl almost ruined it ALL! I'm still not over it…
3) What is your favorite band/type of music? This is an impossible question for me to answer, but I'll do it. I love indie rock & folk rock. And my 2008 favs were Fleet Foxes & Bon Iver. This year I've been obsessed with Metric, Laura Marling & Regina Spektor. Of all time: Patty Griffin, Radiohead & Ryan Adams. Look at me! I did it! Also Moon, JAG & I got an email from a reader who called us all music snobs. To which I replied "Thank You" (seriously if you're not familiar with those artists, go now. Start with Patty Griffin)
4) What is your favorite movie besides Twilight? Hmm. I can never answer just one: Phantom of the Opera (yes, I said that), The Waitress, Revolutionary Road (I saw it once and never will again but it makes the list) and of 2009, Whatever Works
5) Do you RL life family/friends know you're addicted to Twilight? A blogger?
Most people know I like Twilight. Do they know how much? No. Most people do not know I run a Twilight blog. Those that do are sworn to secrecy. Seriously if my grandmother read the stuff I say about that boy on LTR I'd be grounded. And I'm 26, married, don't live with her and have never been grounded in my life. (Except once when I got in trouble for kissing that boy in 8th grade which I lied about and said I didn't actually do, but SURPRISE mom & dad..I kissed him)
6) How many hours a week do you spend doing Twi related things? You know, blogging, looking at pictures of the cast, reading fan fiction, etc.
I don't want to answer. But I will. Um at least 2 hours to write a day. Plus constant checking of things throughout my 8 hour work day. You do the math. How much is it on my mind? All the time. Not like "Wow, I wonder on a scale of 1-10 how bad Jake's wig will look in the beginning of New Moon," but like blogging stuff, "I wonder on a scale of 1-10 how much I'll miss TammyO today."
7) Any random fact you might want to share. Big or small, it doesn't matter.
Once I fought with my friend Annie over a boy named Omar. He was Mexican. We were in Mexico and I never saw him again after that fateful summer. She did- that little bitch lucky girl. Thankfully Annie & I have remained close. We just swear to never mention Omar. I just found him on facebook. He has a fat face now. I sent her a picture of him & his wife from their wedding and said, "This could've been you." Just to rub it in that she never got him. We may no longer be friends.
Enjoy your random, funny Monday!
Oh- we're supposed to tag FOUR blogs to continue this Twitarded Meme:
Lauren's Bite (she can choose to do it on a different blog if she'd like)
Not an Addikt
Touched by Twilight
I love quizzes- answer the questions yourself in the comments!
Or on The Forum
and tell Moon I miss her over on LTR (I haven't talked to her all weekend!)
Tags: , Comics, edward cullen, LTT, Megan Fox, Meme, Monday Funnies, New Moon, quizzes, Robert Pattinson, Twilight, Twilight Meme, Twitarded, Twitarded Meme


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