text:
Michael Pesi may have met the woman of his dreams in the modest surroundings of a Merchant's Tire waiting room, but when it came time to propose marriage, he thought big.
He considered whisking girlfriend Aletta Muzila off to New York and popping the question over dinner at their favorite celebrity chef's restaurant but nixed the idea.
"It was trite," Pesi concluded. "It's been done before."
So the Parkville entrepreneur and investor came up with a more unusual scheme. He took Muzila, a psychotherapist, to his childhood home in West Virginia last Thanksgiving and tricked her into going out to the mall with relatives. She returned to find the house lit only by candles, the floor strewn with rose petals and Pesi's two musician-brothers serenading her. One by one, his mother, his sister and a young nephew came forward with bouquets of flowers.
Then Pesi appeared, got on one knee and pulled out a ring — a whopper from Tiffany, incidentally, lest anyone think the homespun proposal was the groom-to-be's way of taking the cheap way out.
"My family's very, very important to me," said Pesi, who had Muzila's sister travel from Washington to be there and displayed photos of the rest of her family, all back in her native Botswana, around the room to make them part of the moment. "I really wanted everyone in the family to say, 'Hey, welcome.' "
It may be the rare groom-to-be who goes that far, but more and more men are finding unusual, sometimes elaborate ways to propose marriage, according to bridal-industry experts, area jewelers and travel agents.
The trend seems to be the outgrowth of two seemingly contradictory desires: A growing number of women (67 percent) want to pick out their engagement rings (Pesi knew Muzila wanted the Tiffany Legacy), while nearly 70 percent of women feel "the 'surprise' factor was essential to the perfect proposal," according to a joint survey conducted by TheKnot.com and Men's Health magazine.
"A lot of couples will go ring shopping, and then it's time for him to plan the event of proposing," said TheKnot editor Anja Winikka.
And she does mean event.
What used to be a mostly quiet moment between lovers has become, in some cases, a celebration on par with a wedding reception.
Rachel Karceski, a Baltimore County prosecutor, got engaged last summer by way of a scavenger hunt that started at her Federal Hill condo and ended — after a plane ride and a side trip to a boutique for a new dress — in a suite at New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. There, on a balcony with a sweeping view of the city, boyfriend Mark Ravalico got down on bended knee.
Minutes later, the knock on the hotel room door that Karceski thought was room service champagne turned out to be her parents, who had traveled from Howard County at Ravalico's invitation to be part of the evening. When the couple returned to Baltimore, they stopped for a drink at the Federal Hill bar where they'd met, where the groom-to-be had arranged for 20 relatives and friends to celebrate with them.
"I think there's some pride in doing something really elaborate for the guy in some way," said Karceski, 34. "It's always all about the girl. Maybe now we get to tell the story, and the guy gets some kudos for being creative."
Creative doesn't have to mean expensive.
Byron Abaidoo, 39, of Ashburton cooked up a plan to have an engagement ring incorporated into a jewelry exhibit at the Walters Art Museum, where his art-loving girlfriend admired it in a display case before reading the object label: "American. 21st century. Engagement ring for Kendra from Byron."
"I didn't want the kind of engagement-ring-over-dinner [proposal]," said Abaidoo. "Amongst my friends, I was the last to get engaged or get married. About five other people around me, either they went to dinner or tried to surprise somebody on a date. It was just handing her the ring. I wanted to do something different and special."
Kendra Abaidoo, 36, said the proposal bowled her over.
"I was really surprised," she said. "I knew our relationship was definitely progressing in that direction. … I didn't think he'd dig that deep and be that creative."
With growing emphasis on the proposal, some prospective grooms are turning to professional proposal planners for help. The cost ranges from a few hundred dollars to thousands, depending on how much logistical assistance is required, Winikka said.
Proposal planning has become something of a sideline for some jewelers and travel agents.
Men buying rings at Nelson Coleman Jewelers ask for engagement advice so often that the store keeps a list of eight suggested proposals on hand. Some of them, including the suddenly popular scavenger hunt, are "a lot of work," concedes Peggy Coleman, general manager at the Towson jeweler. One suggestion calls for having a custom storybook printed up. ("Be ready with the real diamond when you get to the last page, which reads, 'Will you marry me?' ")
"We've had so many guys ask for ideas that we wanted to make it easier for the sales team to come up with things," Coleman said. "Guys come in, and they're very nervous. There's always two things girlfriends ask the girl: 'Where'd he get the ring?' and 'How did he propose to you?' "
In recent years, Smyth Jewelers has cooked up some ready-made proposal plans with Ruth's Chris Steak House and the Hippodrome Theatre.
Under a partnership forged about four years ago with the steakhouse, a man with a black suit, sunglasses and an attaché case handcuffed to his wrist will appear tableside to present the ring.
"It's really funny stuff," said Rhoula Monios, senior sales manager at Smyth's in Timonium, adding that there is no charge for an appearance by "the Smyth guy."
Smyth's deal with the Hippodrome allows for a public proposal at a show. During intermission, the man leads his girlfriend into one of "the fancy boxes on the side," Monios said. "The bride just thinks she's going to have a drink or something, and whammo: spotlight." The man grabs a microphone and makes his pitch.
If neither of those proposals appeals to a customer, Smyth employees will "shoot ideas around" at the morning staff meeting, she said.
"We do all kinds of crazy stuff," Monios said. "We had a guy propose in a hot-air balloon."
The trick is to make sure the proposal reflects the couple's style and interests, Monios said. For someone who loves Disney, for instance, she's suggested presenting the ring in a Waterford crystal glass slipper.
Not that a trip to the Magic Kingdom itself would be out of the question for some. You've heard of the destination wedding? We have entered the era of the destination proposal.
Mary Eve Vonberger, owner of The Cruise Lady in Canton, recently helped a customer take his girlfriend on a surprise trip to Paris; she thought they were flying to visit her parents in Chicago. He asked her to marry him atop the Eiffel Tower.
"It's very nice to see some guys be very creative and that thoughtful," Vonberger said. "He was so into this. He was very cute about it."
Vonberger also has had a couple of customers take advantage of a proposal service offered by Princess Cruises called "Engagement Under the Stars." While aboard the ship, the man meets with a videographer and records his proposal. In the evening, when a crowd gathers on deck to watch a movie, the woman is called to the front, and the taped proposal is played.
"They get her up there on whatever pretense, and it's a surprise," Vonberger said. The proposal package, which also includes champagne, chocolate-covered strawberries, dinner for two, a couple's massage and more, costs $695 — plus the cost of the cruise.
Of course, the more elaborate and public the proposal, the greater the disappointment if it is not well received. Even getting down on one knee over dinner can feel like going foolishly overboard if she says no.
Charleston restaurant in Harbor East has seen its share of attempted engagements, successful and otherwise.
"The memorable ones are the disasters," said restaurateur Tony Foreman. "I recall this girl screaming, 'It's our third date!' That was great. …
"My favorite was a guy who was very Zen about the whole thing. He was very dressed. She was very dressed. … And she said no. She collected her purse. Then he proceeded to ask for a menu and drank the entire bottle of Cristal and a couple glasses of port. He ate, like, a three-hour dinner by himself.
"When things go beautifully, it's beautiful for everyone to see," Foreman said. "And when they don't, it's very interesting for everyone to see."
- Travel
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|Trichotillomania (General information)
|Written by Administrator
|Friday, 15 April 2011 16:38
by Fred Penzel, Ph.D.
Trichotillomania (TTM) is a disorder in which individuals compulsively pull out their own hair to the point of noticeable hair loss. Hair may be pulled from any area of the body the head, eyebrows, eyelashes, the beard or mustache, the torso, arms or legs, or the pubic area. Specific areas of hair may be pulled to the point of baldness, or pulling may take place over a wide area resulting in a general thinning of the hair. Although hair pulling may start in childhood or adolescence, it is not unusual for it to begin in adulthood. Many sufferers have come to believe that they are the only ones who pull out their own hair, however, it is estimated that about 1% of the population suffers from this problem.
The effects of this disorder upon the lives of sufferers can be quite severe. Those who pull from the scalp or the area of the face have the most conspicuous problems. They may have to resort to wearing wigs, eyeglasses that they don't need, elaborate hair arrangements, hats, or headscarves. Many of these sufferers avoid much that others take for granted, such as family social events, relationships, school, and even jobs. Simple activities such as going outside on a windy day, riding in a convertible or on a carnival ride, participating in sports, or swimming, can frequently be off limits. Poor self-image and depression are common among those with TTM. Some have gone as far as to resort to alcohol or drugs to relieve their unhappiness. Many confess to feeling like "freaks" or "weirdoes," and live secret lives. It is bad enough to be missing significant amounts of hair, but it is even worse to know or to have to explain to others that you have done this to yourself. There are sufferers who have gone so far as to tell others that they have cancer and have lost their hair due to chemotherapy.
Pulling may be done deliberately, where the sufferer knowingly stops all activities in order to concentrate upon this activity, or, it can be automatic, where it is done with little awareness while the puller engages in some other activity. This has led some to theorize that there may be two types of hairpulling disorders the deliberate type being more related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and the automatic type being related to tic disorders such as Tourette's Syndrome. Activities that are most likely to be accompanied by hairpulling would include talking on the phone, watching TV, working on the computer, reading, sitting in the car in heavy traffic, or lying in bed falling asleep. Sufferers commonly report that hairpulling does not produce pain, and that it actually feels pleasurable.
Hair pulling may actually be done for the purpose of self-regulation. It may serve two different functions, both related to helping individuals regulate the way their nervous systems deal with stimulation. When a sufferer is over-stimulated (stressed, or feeling a strong emotion) it can help to soothe the nervous system and help to achieve a more relaxed state. This happens when pullers focus so tightly on the act of pulling (in an almost trancelike way), that they are able to shut everything else out for a period of time. When they are under-stimulated (bored or inactive) it may provide a type of stimulation that their nervous system requires. Most of the areas where hairs grow most abundantly also tend to be rich in nerve endings, so hair pulling can be quite stimulating.
At the present time, there are two treatments that have been shown to be effective in relieving the symptoms of TTM. They are antidepressant medications, and behavioral therapy. Neither treatment is a cure, as TTM is a chronic problem. The potential for it to become active will always be present. The good news, though, is that with proper help, symptoms can be controlled allowing hair to once again grow to a normal length. Some claims have been made for special diets or hypnosis, but neither approach has ever been scientifically proven, and what little information we do have about them is not particularly convincing or promising. Medications used to treat TTM include such drugs as Prozac, Paxil, Luvox, Zoloft, Celexa, Serzone, Effexor, and Anafranil. Occasionally, these drugs may be augmented with a second medication to help them to work better. Augmenting agent such as Risperdal, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Geodon, and Abilify are frequently used for this purpose. The main limitation of medications is that although they seem to work well for some individuals,not everyone responds well to them. Also, if they are your only treatment and you stop taking them, the pulling behavior will soon return.
One main type of behavioral therapy used to treat TTM is known as Habit Reversal Training (HRT), a treatment developed back in 1973 by Dr. Nathan Azrin. It is composed of four steps:
Steps 2 through 4 make up the actual HRT response that is practiced whenever the sufferer gets the urge to pull. Other additional techniques designed to provide or relieve stimulation may also be incorporated along with HRT. Learning to use HRT can involve much work and practice, and involves a good deal of effort. It can also be used with children as young as eight or nine years old, but would probably be too difficult and frustrating to those who are younger.
TTM is a very complex problem with many inputs, and while HRT is a valuable technique, it is not comprehensive enough to accomplish the task of recovery on its own. For this reason, an approach known as Stimulus Control (SC) should also be employed. SC is a behavioral treatment that seeks to help sufferers identify, and then eliminate, avoid, or change particular activities, environmental factors, emotional states, or circumstances that trigger pulling. It is used to help sufferers consciously control these triggers, and then create new conncections between urges to pull and new, non-destructive behaviors. Using the records that are kept for HRT, information is gathered about these triggers, and then used to modify them, one step at a time. SC and HRT together would appear to make a very effective combination, and seem to be the most effective all-around approach..
The cause of TTM is unknown at this time. Some have theorized that it may be part of the Obsessive-Compulsive Spectrum of disorders, or that it may be an ancient grooming program that resides in the brain, and which has become inappropriately activated. Its basis may be genetic, but this, too, remains to be scientifically studied. Other problems that may be related to TTM include severe skinpicking and nailbiting. There is much that we have yet to learn about this disorder. Only further research will reveal the answers.
If you would like to read more of Dr. Penzel's writings on Trichotillomania, take a look at his self-help book, "The Hair-Pulling Problem: A Complete Guide to Trichotillomania," ) Oxford University Press, 2003. You can find out more about it at
Staff Articles
- Behavioral Treatment of Body Dysmorphic Disorder
- The Boy Who Didn't Know Who He Was (Teen Obsessions About Homosexuality)
- Acceptance and OCD
- Acceptance and OCD
- But I Love My Kids (Parents With Thoughts of Harming Their Children)
- Call Me Irresponsible (OCD and hyperresponsibility)
- Coming To Terms With The Lost Years
- Contamination and OCD ("Stronger than Dirt")
- Do-it-Yourself Therapy: Self-Directed Treatment
- Fight for Your Rights: Getting Insurance to Pay for an OCD Specialist
- Getting the Right Treatment (Finding proper CBT treatment for OCD and BFRBs)
- Here's Looking At You, Kid: People With OCD Who Notice Things Too Much
- How Clean is Clean? (Compulsive cleaning and ordering)
- How Do I Know I'm Not Gay? (Homosexuality obsessions)
- How I Treat Violent Obsessions
- How Much Is Too Much? (Taking a more humane approach to behavioral therapy)
- How to Manage Your Parents When You Have OCD (a guide for teens)
- In Search of the Elusive Behavior Therapist
- Inositol and OCD
- Intensive vs. Self-Directed OCD Treatment
- Langley Collyer: The Mystery Hoarder of Harlem
- Let He Who is Without Sin (Religious obsessions)
- Loves Me? Loves Me Not? (Relationship obsessions)
- Morbid Obsessions
- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (General information)
- Obsessive Love (When People Become "Obsessed" with Other People)
- Panic Disorder (General information)
- Samuel Johnson: A Patron Saint of OCD
- Saving the World (Compulsive Hoarding)
- Teens With Morbid Obsessions
- Ten Things You Need to Know to Overcome OCD
- A Touching Story (Touching and movement compulsions)
- Treating Morbid Obsessions
- Very Superstitious (Magical and superstitious obsessions)
- What Do You Say After You Say You're Sorry (Coming to terms after you recover from OCD)
- What The Heck Is "Obsessive Slowness?"
- When Epidemics Collide: OCD and AIDS
- Your Number is Up! ("Magical" numbers and OCD)
- Advice for Significant Others (Dealing with a TTM sufferer)
- Cognitive-Behavioral Treatment of Trichotillomania
- Coming to Terms With Your Child's Hair Pulling
- Childhood Trichotillomania (Dealing with the reluctant child's pulling)
- Fight for Your Rights: Getting Insurance to Pay for Your Treatment
- Inositol and Trichotillomania
- A Stimulus Regulation Model of Trichotillomania (Why people pull)
- Trichotillomania (General information)
- Unconditional Self Acceptance and Trichotillomania
- What Cognitive Therapy Can Do for TTM
- Skin-Picking and Nail-Biting - Related Disorders
- Anxiety Disorders: More Than "A Bad Case of Nerves"
- Common Questions, Myths and Misconceptions About Psychiatric Medicine
- Medications that Treat OCD and OC Spectrum Disorders
- OCD and Managed Care
- PANDAS: The OCD - Strep Connection
- Depression: from Children through Adults
- How Do I Know I'm Not Really Gay - Part 2
- How To Defeat OCD By Surrendering
- Living With Your Loved One's OCD: Some Advice For Significant Others
- NAC and Trichotillomania
- Stimulation Substitutes for Trichotillomania
- To Be Or Not To Be. That Is The Obsession: Existential And Philosophical Obsessions
- 25 Tips For Succeeding In Your OCD Therapy
- My Parents Don't Believe I Have OCD
- Both Ends Against The Middle: When OCD Tries To Disrupt Its Own Treatment
- Driven To Distraction: Hit and Run OCD

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Blog of Dr. Miland Brown that features different aspects of world history. Not everything can be covered but sites dealing with any historical issue or topic are possible future posts. Also includes sites which discuss teaching history. Dr. Brown is an academic in North America.
Wednesday, August 30, 2006
John Titor, Fake Time Traveller
John Titor loaded pictures of his time machine as well as a cutaway diagram of the device. He answered questions about the future and told his life story as someone who grew up in the early 21st century. His predictions for the future were grim. He claimed that a civil war would engulf the USA starting in 2004. He predicted a Third World War in 2015 that will kill 3 billion people. During this war, Washington D.C. will be destroyed, China will annex Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and Australia will repel a Chinese invasion. Most American cities are going to be destroyed and it is the rural areas of America which will survive and rebuild the nation. Universities take on a greater role in American life.
Thankfully, John Titor has now been proven a fraud. No civil war began in the USA in 2004. In late summer 2006, it is fairly easy to dismiss this claim. As the alleged time traveller has already failed in his first major prediction, it is a fair assumption that the rest will not happen either. There may be a Third World War someday, but John Titor likely has not predicted the timing or course of events of it. I guess his proponents can claim that John Titor was not a fraud and that he must have visited the past from a different alternate timeline. However, as I am only interested in the timeline I am living in, I am going to dismiss Titor.
John Titor was a major phenomenom in time travel and paranormal circles until his predictions failed to come true in 2004. As I hinted at above, some have even came up with theories that he was real despite the false predictions. I guess the lesson here is if you want to make up claims of being a time traveller, pretend to be from the far future. In this way, you can claim a lack of knowledge of 21st century history and make grand predictions of the far future with no chance of being proven a fraud.
Here are some sites on John Titor:
Wikipedia on John Titor
The Original Forum where John Titor posted
Cryptic Universe
Update 7 August 2008: Joh Titor, Proven Hoax - Yes Virginia, there were a 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
27 comments:
- Sandro Magi said...
Not a Titor believer, but from what I've read, Titor claimed that not everyone would be aware of this "Civil War" until 2008, when it would become undeniable. So technically, the issue is still open.
- M said...
"Not a Titor believer, but from what I've read, Titor claimed that not everyone would be aware of this "Civil War" until 2008, when it would become undeniable. So technically, the issue is still open."
I am sorry but I disagree. There may be a cultural war in the USA right now (like there has been since 1776 and before) but America is not in a Civil War in 2006. There are no battles going on.
And any government attacks on civil liberties pale in comparision to what the government attempted in the past with the Alien and Sedition Act, the Dredd Scott decision, the suspension of Habeas Corpus during the American Civil War of 1861-1865, and FDR sending Japanese-Americans to concentrtion camps during World War Two.
There has been no civil war in the USA from 2004-2006. It is not happening. Titor missed his first prediction and can be seen as a fraud.
- t said...
Let's just say he's fake and dismiss him as not being a real citizen. But let's take his words into context in the present. You should pay attention to the present more than you are obviously paying to history, sir.
You cite FDR and not Guantanomo Bay. Or the Patriot Act.
John Titor said, "You must realize that why people are fighting is more important that what they are fighting with. The conflict was not about taking and holding ground it was about order and rights. They were betting that people wanted security instead of freedom and they were wrong. "
Pretty interesting prediction, no?
Hoax or not, he definitely brings up some great points. Call it cultural, call it civil, whatever. America is at a crossroads right now.
- Mike Eisler said...
Titor is a fake because he claimed that in his future, the y2k crisis caused devastation. He then went to 1975, told his grandfather about y2k, and then went to 1998, the year he was born in his timeline, and met his parents and infant self. He waited out y2k and of course it was a non-event. He then claimed that he was the reason there was no y2k disaster. (Titorists will now say that the timeline was changed to prevent or delay the civil war that occurred in Titor's timeline.)
So how, after changing the timeline in 1975, could his parents produce a male child born on the same day as he was, and apparently the same DNA? Given the large number of genes in the human genome, how was it possible in the altered timeline for the same pair of sperm and egg cells to be randomly selected to fertilize
and produce a genetically identical John Titor in our timeline?
- laserphish said...
Civil war from 2004-2008?
Your civil liberites vs. the Governement. guess who is losing?
- M said...
It is clear that by laserphish's comments that since Titor failed badly in his first prediction of a Civil War in American 2004-2008, his proponents are redefining civil war to mean that generally peaceful disagreements in the USA over civil liberty issues constitute a civil war.
If civil liberty disagreements mean civil war, then the passage of the Alien and Sedition Act (which allowed President Adams to throw dissenters in jail) means the USA suffered a civil war from 1798 to 1801. It means that the Espionage Act of 1917 that threw World War I dissenters in jail like Eugene Debs was a time of civil war. It means FDR started a civil war by violating the constitution and sending Japanese-Americans to concentration camps.
Are the Patroit Act and Guantomona Bay troubling and worthy of debate about civil liberties. Yes! But this is not a new issue. Civil liberty violations by the feds are common in US history. With the exception of 1861-1865, historians do not consider any to be civil wars.
And we are not in a civil war now...Titor was wrong.
- The Frederick said...
"Civil war from 2004-2008?
Your civil liberites vs. the Governement. guess who is losing?"
Well, no it's not. How many people have died?
John Titor's "prediction" was self-defeating. If there was a cibil war, everyone would know about it.
- Anonymous said...
"So how, after changing the timeline in 1975, could his parents produce a male child born on the same day as he was, and apparently the same DNA?
Given the large number of genes in the human genome, how was it possible in the altered timeline for the same pair of sperm and egg cells to be randomly selected to fertilize
and produce a genetically identical John Titor in our timeline?"
How would telling his grandfather about Y2K change which sperm united with which egg?
I agree with naasking. Saying that Titor's a fake because we're not at open war is ridiculous. If anything, you could say that Titor's claim that the last Olympics were held in 2004 proves he was a fake.
Here are some quote from Titor: "There is a civil war in the United States that starts in 2005. That conflict flares up and down for 10 years."
"The year 2008 was a general date by which time everyone will realize the world they thought they were living in was over. The civil war in the United States will start in 2004. I would describe it as having a Waco type event every month that steadily gets worse. The conflict will consume everyone in the US by 2012 and end in 2015 with a very short WWIII."
World War II didn't officially start until 1941. Yet the seeds of the war were sown in 1933, when Hitler took power, and again in 1939, when Germany took over Poland.
The Civil War (1861-1865) had its origins in the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which repealed the Missouri Compromise.
In both cases, people may not have realized it at the time, but war was on the horizon. After the fact, we can look at it and see that war was coming. In the same way, I don't find it totally unbelievable that we could be a few years away from war without realizing it.
Let's not forget that Titor knew details about the IBM 5100 that were not public knowledge at the time (the ability to use the computer to access the information on mainframe computers). So if it was a hoax, it had to be some involved at IBM.
Listen, I'm not holding my breath waiting for a war to happen. I just disagree with your contention that Titor has been proven wrong.
- Steve said...
Um...just for everyone who thinks that the problem is Y2K...it is NOT. The problem he is sent back to get a computer to help repair is known as the year 2038 problem and it is very real...not to mention much more dangerous due to its being embedded in the C programming language (and hence in hundreds of legacy machines and operating systems since then) as opposed to only being part of several database programs like y2k was. Furthermore john claimed that there WAS a civil war that ENDED in 2015 with nuclear war...and that most people wouldn't even see it coming until the end of 2008. I think it is easy to say he is full of it, and I am the least likely individual to believe something on blind faith, but find me something else that is directly conflicting before you dismiss his claims
- Sigge said...
As many other "debunkers" have pointed out, you can't really attack anything Titor says, because he's not really saying anything.
But his ignorance in specifics makes him more human (and this is where, I believe, he benefits).
Most seem to agree Titor's main inspiration is this post-apocalyptic novel:
although others have pointed out similarities with other books, and also films such as "Twelve Monkeys".
What can we say about Titor?
- He is well-wandered in physics (he probably anticipated every question)
- He's a great social engineer
- He had insight about the IBM 5100 to the point of either being a hacker (is this feasible?) or (probably more likely) had something to do with its coming about (or had inside info)
- He's interested in what any computer nerd (read /.'er) would be
- He is re-active (back to nature, Rousseau)
- His morale is questionable
- He has captured our attention
- He accomplished his agenda (were it to entertain himself, others; to conduct a social experiment; roleplay; research for a novel.. etc)
My thoughts?
If you want to debunk Titor, please focus on the photographs and specifics (like dates) and NOT pseudo-historical "evidence".
People often ask him about music, but he does not mention ONE artist at "his present" that is popular. Even IF that artist would be popular only in his worldline, there is no reason for not mentioning it.
My thoughts re: Titor?
2036 (the year he visited from) is not far away. Remember people said we would have flying cars by 2010? I can't see any reason for dramatic changes like that.
But that's pseudo-historical.
My real problem, which hits the prospect at the core, is this: time does not exist.
Or rather; time does exist qua consciousness the same way "physical objects" and "empty space" exist qua consciousness.
Time is not a river you can go up and down or freeze as you like.
You cannot move in, or stop, or rewind or fast forward what is not there to move in, or stop etc, in the first place.
Causality is a projection posed on what is, and not part of what is. It is a helpful, useful, wonderful projection; but that is what it is.
Time has its source in two fallacies:
- the generalization from observing causality (qua projection) instantiated
- the firm (yet groundless) belief that the past exists (also the future, but since people have memories of the past, it is more fixed)
The general realization of this fact (that time does not exist) would probably help us in taking better care of the present, accumulating greater happiness for everyone, and avoiding hypothetical scenarios like that of Titor's.
Ah, yes... John Titor, the one who proclaims himself as a "time traveller". I did not find out about him here, but on Wikipedia, in which a link in the article took me here. And my position on the debate?
It's not everyday in which some one out of the blue comes on out in an offician manner on a regular forum and declares him himself from the future. However, that shouldn't be a reason to dismiss him as one.
The civil war he talks can be defined quite clearly, if one has an "eye" for detecting detail. he simply implies that "not everyone would be aware of this 'civil war' until 2008." Naturally you'd think that it's definately as hoax of some sort; no one's getting killed, no huge announcement on the newsapaper, etc. However, not all "wars" have some sort of human death, nor is it very apparent. The genocide in Rwanda was rarely heard of-millions were killed and there was little help applied; until the wolrd became aware of the dire situation and sent some help. You could think of this "civil war" as a sort of "struggle", as one person put it, between civil liberties and the government. It you all havn't noticed, the U.S. government is taking giant steps to make us "safer"; phone tapping, items being prohibits on flights, etc.
So don't be quick to judge. The dates of the rest of his predictions haven't come and gone yet, so don't make any quick decisions. Anything's possible guys... even the chances are near zero.
- M said...
"The dates of the rest of his predictions haven't come and gone yet, so don't make any quick decisions."
He predicted the last Olympics would be held in 2004. We just had a Winter Olympics in 2006. Titor is a fraud. Stick a fork in him.
- Sigge said...
Miland, remember that you're talking to a mortified penguin.
- Unknown said...
In my opinion maybe the biggest flaw proving Titor hoax is the supposed military insignia. It is strongly evident in the insignia, that it has been designed by an amateur. It is, what laymen would describe as 'futuristic', but nevertheless it lacks basically everything that the profession of graphic designers would do different. Or to be more precise, insignia represents, what an amateur would come up, when thinking 'What would my badge look like in year 2036?'
Army, if any organisation in the world, draws its force from traditions. That could be the reason, why insignias have changed very little in the history of armies. They have maybe refined their gestalt, but still have symbolic references to the landscape of homebase, animals, wings, claws, national symbols, plants, etc. Google will give you quite good spectrum about this subject. Check it out yourself. References to anything meaningful are absent in Titor's insignia. Next time do your god damn homework, hoax!
Many years ago NASA changed it's corporate identity to highly refined, futuristic NASA logotype. It was supposed to increase visibility on TV on the ailerons of shuttles (that was one of the specs, which was given to designers). End result was that new was somewhat abandoned after a while, because it was widely disliked. The old was introduced back, and problems with visibility thus disregarded. The sad part of this is, that the logotype was in fact very professionally designed. But it lacked the coziness that the old one had. BTW, the old NASA logo, which is still in use, has been designed by an employee of NASA. As far as I know, he/she had no education for that particular job. What an irony, when considering my opinions.
But my point here is, that I am not convinced that design of insignias would change in 30 years so drastically, what Titor's insignia would imply. Course of time has proved that the army is the last place to try that kind of solutions, which Titor's insignia employs. But time will tell. Unless Titor has tampered also the timeline of graphic design.
- Dwy said...
Guys, I am not an expert on the works of John Titor but I don't think he is proven wrong just yet.
I feel there IS a Civil War going on in America. This war is not as "traditional" as past examples as there is no bloodshed or murder. The war is over our rights. One side believes that the government is inhumane towards its people. This side is a pacifist society and chooses to fight with words as opposed to weapons.
I know what your are thinking and you may not agree with my speculation as it is mainly my opinion. Well, every person has a bias. John Titor could have been speaking from his own feelings as opposed to giving us the whole picture.
We had a Winter Olympics this year? Oh, I guess I just didn't care enough like some other people in America...
Oh, I also heard he was right about Mad Cow Disease. Is this true? If so, score one for Titor.
Point is, there is no way to say he is truly false. At least until 2036 that is.
- M said...
"I feel there IS a Civil War going on in America. This war is not as 'traditional' as past examples as there is no bloodshed or murder. The war is over our rights."
I guess it depends on what the meaning of the word is "is." And of course, disputes over rights in the USA are not new. Rights were much more severely restricted during the Civil War and World War Two. I guess Titor must claim the USA has been under a perpetual state of civil war for at least 140+ years...
Titor made several predictions and they did not happen. They only have meaning if the English language is twisted around to find new meanings for words.
How many failures of his predictions do you need? Please use your critical thinking skills. Carl Sagan spoke of the need for people to turn on their baloney detectors in his classic and last work the Demon Haunted World. How is it you can not smell the baloney yet?
- holdingoutforutopia said...
John Titor defined the war beginning as a Waco type event every month.
Well you could possibly claim their is a war of sorts in the US but sure nothing that would fit that description.
There was Waco, Ruby Ridge, The bombing in Ohio, but all of that was in the 90's
Since John Titor there has been 911, Colombine and natural disasters in New Orleans and Florida, but none of those events can be viewed as a Civil War type event, even if you blame Bush for all of them.
If there is a civil war in the US, it consists of the Government screwing everyone, and everyone bending over and taking it. (with some back talk)
Fact is Americans are far too whipped to have a civil war with their Government.
- Neo-Rio said...
Uh, hello everyone. America is involved in a Civil war at the moment.
It just so happens that the civil war is in Iraq, and American soliders are over there, involved in it.
Interestingly, true to Titor's prediction, it won't be until 2008 until people really call that conflict a civil war. Even today, there is reluctance to formally acknowledge it as such.
The more interesting prediction is the 2008 elections when Titor mentions that the President could either be a he or a she, despite the fact that there's never been a female president. Enter Hillary Clinton, enter formalization of the Iraq Civil War, enter the fallout as a result of whatever she does.
- wtfever said...
How much do you remember from your early childhood. Say 12 or 13 and younger. If he was born in 1998, then he would be about that age in 2010. Anything he said about what happened prior to that would just be a childhood memory, or something learned later in life from his precious Universities, which may not have all of their facts straight, seeing as how just under half of the worlds population was destroyed. (most of which would probably be Chinese people, my own opinion of coarse.) Do you remember anything about Olympics when you were 8 or 10? Didn't think so. Plus his definition of Civil War might be very different then ours, being from the future and again what the historians of the future refer to what is happening now. Also, the childhood memory stands for any of his claims prior to 2010. I think all of his claims are intentionally vague and ambiguous, in order to stir up debates such as thing. Perhaps attempting to prevent such an outcome in our 'world line.' Even if he is from the future. As for his patch. I feel that any sort of time travel unit of the future would probably have a hard time relating to any previous unit, and would probably use their own poorly drawn patch. Who knows what kind of resources are available to the future military. I have spent a crap load of time thinking about how it would be possible to travel back in time. Before getting into my specifics of that, I need to explain, briefly, my view on the universe. Ultimately, in the whole of existence, everything that is possible, past, present, future, is all happening at this instant. Every possible configuration of every particle and force throughout time is existing that the same 'instance' For example, in a different configuration, Hitler won the war, at the 'same time' Hitler is currently losing the war, or Hitler never existed. But beyond that, instead of breathing in those 2 million bits of air you just did, you breathed in a different set of 2 million bits. A change as small and insignificant as that would require it's own universe. It is a huge theory of mine with really no evidence to support it. That being said, it may be possible to move through a higher spatial dimension and pop into 'another universe' I think that the computing power required would exceed the number of elementary particles in the universe. And energy level required for something like that would exceed all of the energy encompassed in those particles, probably exponentially. Therefore it is highly improbable that Mr. Titor ever made that journey 'back in time.' But given that it is theoretically possible, then it is actually happening right now. albeit, in another universe. How's that for an explanation? I know there are holes, but it was just a brief explanation, and most of my views on the universe were formulated through experimenting with hallucinogenic and psychotropic substances.
- zinjak said...
Honoestly, when i first learned about Titor, which was 2005, it actually took me a lil bit to figure out that everything he had said had already come and passed and most of it didnt happen. really i was just hoping everything he talked about was wrong and that he was a hoax. rather than simply dismiss him as a hoax i wanted him to be a hoax. i hated his opinions and his beleifs and i didnt want to be in a society that he talked about. these days,heres what i think. while i will admit that i cant simply disprove he wasnt from the future (the same way i cant disprove santa clause isnt real tho) what i think is that he was actually a social experiment. several people with what i consider to be "conservative libertarian ideals" got online and they each had a certain expertise in certain areas in order to give our faceless single entity consistency and beleivability. they used this Titor figure in order to spread their beleifs (or maybe it was to scare you in to adhereing to them) of thinking that society that john came from was better then what we have and that we have to have a great social upheavel to get there. they want us all to carry guns and be at least half way efficient with them( i say after virginia tech thats the completely opposite attitude we need right now) and to have survivalist knowledge because citys are bad and rural living is good.small societies are good and big societies are evil.limited government is good(using his future as a feather in the hat for more states rights). by John actually being several people he had all the answers to give and these people who played as John mustve worked very well together because he always had one consistent personality. now remember this is all opinion and theory and its all my idea. but i think its at least one logical conclusion. of course remember practically everything he say'd we'd be seeing right now...its not happening...at the very least we have had another olympics and are set up to have another one in another year from now....i think honoestly we are in the clear of any kind of terrible fifteen year long war. the united states will change in 2008 with the changing of the new administration, but not the way Titor predicted. with it already well in to 2007 and very lil of what i say "writing on the wall" to be seen, i think we are in the clear.
- Dan said...
Titor is a fraud - plain and simple. Why?
Because he does what ALL people who claim to be from the future do:
They use PRESENT-DAY words/terms/phrases. They never use words that may be strange, unfamiliar to us, but everyday, common to them.
For example, It's 1977. If someone from the future year 2007 visited, it would be hard for him to NOT use such 2007 everyday words like "website, internet, DVD, iPod, email, cell phone, text message, Google, YouTube".
How could someone from future 2007 "scrub" his speech from all 2007 words, so as to sound EXACTLY like the present 1977? This is precisely the problem with these 'future boys'.
It's hard enough for TV/movie scriptwriters to write authentic dialogue for shows/movies that take place in the past.
Conversely, if the 2007 visitor to 1977 wanted to prove he was from 2007, I would EXPECT him to use - and describe - the word examples I gave above to the 1977 folks.
But they NEVER do, do they? Titor uses no presently strange, unknown words in any of his postings. In fact, his word and grammar usage sound just like...the recent PAST year 2001.
- Aaron Sommers said...
I am glad to see there is a blog initiated by someone who in fact realizes what is fact and what is fiction--particularly when it comes to this hoax.
First of all there is no doubt that the creator(s) of the original "John Titor" posts had some agenda. Be it a book or thier distorted view of geopolitics or Christian ideology, they had an axe to grind. Like many opportunists they used the suggestive public as an outlet.
The people who actually believe in Titor's "predictions" are fearful, paranoid, and sadly quite stupid.
One of the claims is that of a Civil War in the U.S.A. The dates these will happen seem ambiguous, a pattern in these "predictions." But from what I have read it seems as though 2008 is the year it will happen. An all out Civil War. Although it was supposed to start in 2004. Well, here we are in 2007 and I don't see any Civil War. Of course, there are those that say "look at the unrest, the discontent, all of us living here and them living over there!" To which I say "get out more. Sunlight is healthy. As is sex."
There hasn't been a Civil War since the 19th Century, and if you know your history you will recognize the unrest before that war was palpable.
So let's suspend disbelief and reason and intellect for that matter and say Titor was a time traveller. Why didn't he warn us about 9/11?
He mentions "wars" but show me a time in recorded history there wasn't one conflict going on somewhere in the world.
If anyone agrees with what I am saying go over to Wikipedia and start editing and cleaning this phony's page up. It's time. Miland, we need an academic to edit this entry or erase it altogether on Wikipedia.
Titor is a phony, his "supporters" will use anything to rationalize extremist viewpoints. The original posts were made by cowards who didn't stick around to defend themselves. Unfortunately, they left that to the "believers."
yeah he is a hoax, big deal. these comments are way off though.
for the people saying we have no civil war build up going on... there ARE CURRENTLY waco esque events all over the country. just google ed and elaine brown.
someone said "the hoax was to scare us into owning firearms and having survival training, which is the opposite of what we need" and then cited a school shooting to support their claim. the guy who posted that is a moron. if you criminalize guns, then ONLY criminals will have them. if EVERYONE owned a gun, the school shooters would be blown away before they could even draw their weapons.
didn't believe it in the first place- what ol' johnny says about time travel reminds me of 'back to the future'.
Well its now 2008 - do people STILL defend this fraudster?
Aint the civil war going on in the ghetto's of the cities where there are many gangs (like ms13), always fighting with the police.
And now with the democractic party things between hilary and obama can i see things go wrong if hilary gets elected to run for president (but wasnt that predicted by titor also, a female president?!?)
And winter games arent official games, and more and more i hear of athletes boycoting the upcomming games in china, so we'll see by the end of the year.
Whether Titor and his predictions are real or not, it's good that we live in the world that deviates from his predictions.
For all we know it could be an elaborate marketing scheme for books(already published) or movies.
Look around the world we live in. Global warming, solar activity(which they say will peak in 2012), food shortage, water shortage, gas price etc. Anyone can go off the tangent and speculate the worst outcome. Maybe it's only natural that John Titor charactor is released out in the open in our time.
What I can accept is that warning signs are clearly visible and we need to prepare ourselves.
An amatuer weather forecaster predicted the outcome of hurricane Katrina. An early warning that people didn't take for seriously.
What if China cancels the Olympic? Does that mean Titor is right? Can we not have another Olympic in 2012?
I think it's up to us to make sure things Titor said don't come true whether he's fake or not. If bad things are going to happen and we can't stop it, well, I'll just be happy with my life now.


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text:
- This addon is the Microsoft Office Compatibility Pack, used for adding the Office 2007, and Office 2010 formats (docx, xlsx, etc) compatibility to Office XP and 2003
[Integration of msi package]
- The download consists of a 7-zip package which contains the following two files; O12Conv.msi & O12Conv.reg, it is necessary that you unzip the package to extract the two files. The O12Conv.msi can be used with the office integrator on the 'Config 2' tab in 'Chained Install' section so that after the installation of Office XP or 2003 it will install the OCP. It is only necessary to add the O12Conv.msi file in the chained installed section, the O12Conv.reg is only necessary if you are using other forms of deployment. You may need to change the switch you use to install the msi chained package (Full, Basic, etc) in order to get a silent install, I suggest leaving it on the default, Full, and modify only if you find you are not getting a silent install.
Office Compatibility Pack for English (ENU);
O12Conv_en-us_140506.7z - Download Site 1 (Dropbox)
[[color="Blue"]Information FRENCH - FRANCAIS (FRA)[/color]]
- Due to time restrictions and other reasons I am discontinuing the French Compatibility pack.
[Integration of OCP from Microsoft]
Microsoft released an updated Office Compatibility Pack that included all updates to Jan 06, 2010. There are now updates which need to be applied to this updated OCP which you can download the updated package above, however there are perhaps people who just want to install the OCP from Microsoft, this download which is an exe file is available here;
If you try to integrate this Compatibility Pack by just adding the file you will find that after the office installation you will be presented with a window to do the Compatibility Pack installation. If you want to do a silent install you can add the following command, by clicking the 'Cmd Line' and enter "/q /norestart" (minus the quotes) in order to get a complete silent install. I've attached a screenshot to demonstrate
[Other Deployment Methods]
In my deployment i try to use group policy installs as much as possible, I know if you are doing one machine you can load the Office files and the integrated chained install for the compatibility pack onto a CD or USB key and run it that way. Also if you have a small network you can put the files on a network share and run the setup.exe for each computer.
However if you try to use group policy to deploy software you know that you need installation file in msi format, which is fine for Office installation, and equally for the installation of the compatibility pack, since it is turned into an msi, however you will probably find that the updates that are integrated and installed on the target system are not registered and thus will appear as needed updates, maybe this is not a big deal for you.
Some thoughts if you want to try to get it all done in one shot, i am a big fan of group policy preferences which is a newer feature in group policy, it allows you to add registry entries into target computers, hense you can add the update registry settings that way, alternatively you can script a startup script to launch the reg file to integrate into the target systems, also you might be able to apply the registry settings remotely, or finally just pass by all the systems to integrate the registry file.
Update [2010-01-15]
Since Microsoft has now released an updated Compatibility Pack file (FileFormatConverters.exe) you should be able to use 7-zip to extract the files, including the msi, to be able to have a msi package that can be deployed by group policy without the issues of adding the registry entries for the updates. You could either use an msi editor like Orca to create an mst (msi transforms file) to make any modifications you want on the orginal installation package, or you could also use the Office Compatibility Pack Administrative Template ;
Which will allow you to make a group policy to make modifications.
There difference between these methods is just that the prior makes the changes on the initial installation vs the group policy which makes the changes only when applied to the particular machine.
Each deployment scenario is different so which way is best is dependent on the scenario, all this is here to do is tell you what some of the choices are.
Hope this helps some people


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About I-House
Why I-House?
- Friendly atmosphere
- Safe environment
- A personal experience with only 70 residents (view Resident Statistics here)
- Close to campus
- Supportive staff
- Attractive, furnished rooms
- Study and computer rooms (PC's, laser printer, scanner)
- Wireless internet access throughout the house
- Two pianos & game room (ping pong, pool, foosball, basketball, etc.)
- Well equipped kitchen
- Laundry facility
- Restricted parking available
If you would like to live near the SJSU campus with 70 enrolled, exchange, and ESL students who come from around the world, you will definitely enjoy living at I-House.
I-House accommodates residents from over 35 countries worldwide each semester. In general, our residents range in age from 17 to 35 years of age, study in a wide variety of programs offered on the SJSU campus, and enroll in graduate, undergraduate, and English language programs. As much as possible, roommates are matched according to compatible interests and personal habits. After the first semester at the I-House, residents have the opportunity to choose a roommate and designate a preferred room.
Make friends all around the world!
The I-House is also available for use by conference groups and organizations.
SJSU International House Mission, Vision, Values
Mission Statement
To provide a diverse and welcoming intercultural living environment, home to a community of approximately 70 U.S. and international students attending San Jose State University. With a supportive, skillful, and dedicated staff, offer opportunities to enhance academic success and participate in a myriad of activities.
Vision Statement
By living among a diverse group of U.S. and international students attending San Jose State University, residents of SJSU International House experience a wide variety of individuals, countries, and cultures. Through informal daily interactions and opportunities to participate in planned social activities, residents explore perspectives, share values, and develop life-long friendships.
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We believe that:
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Giants win on Crawford's splash homer in 10th
Blanco thwarted on inside-the-park attempt in ninth inning
SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants nearly added a "splash hit" home run to their all-time total in Sunday's sixth inning at AT&T Park, but Pablo Sandoval's prodigous drive struck a flagpole and caromed into the seats.
The Giants almost won their series finale against the Colorado Rockies in the ninth inning, but Gregor Blanco was thrown out at home plate as he rounded the bases.
Fortunately for San Francisco, Brandon Crawford completed both feats and took a huge step toward establishing himself as a true everyday shortstop.
Unlike Sandoval, Crawford clobbered a pitch that met no obstruction. And unlike Blanco, Crawford could saunter instead of sprint on his round trip as his leadoff homer off Rex Brothers broke a 10th-inning tie and gave the Giants a 5-4 triumph.
Crawford's first career splash hit into San Francisco Bay, the 64th by a Giant, doubled as his first walk-off hit since July 24, 2012, when his ninth-inning single off San Diego's Joe Thatcher sealed a 3-2 victory.
Though the season's only two weeks old, this was a significant win for the Giants, who began their nine-game homestand by losing two of three games to Arizona. Back-to-back series defeats might have dented the Giants' resolve with the formidable Los Angeles Dodgers arriving next.
"This was a big game," said manager Bruce Bochy, who also observed after San Francisco's fourth consecutive one-run decision that "we're showing already that we're going to play a lot of tight ballgames."
If so, Crawford likely will be involved in most of them. Bochy stated at the season's outset that Crawford, a left-handed batter, might receive occasional days off against tough left-handed pitchers. Crawford has responded by hitting an even .500 (7-for-14) off lefties, compared to .200 (5-for-25) against right-handers.
"Now I just have to figure out how to hit righties," Crawford said, displaying his understated sense of humor.
In fact, Crawford has produced his last four hits, all for extra bases, off left-handers. But he denied that Bochy's remarks motivated him to confront lefties with an I-told-you-so attitude.
"I knew it was something I needed to work on," said Crawford, who hit .199 off lefties and .269 against right-handers last year.
Bochy didn't mind if his statement stoked Crawford's inner fire.
"You want these guys to say, 'Wait a minute, I can do this,'" Bochy said, adding, "It's not as if he was going to be in a platoon."
With the score deadlocked at 4, Crawford hardly looked doomed for platooning as he wheeled on a 1-0 fastball from Brothers, Colorado's top left-handed reliever who was mentioned as an All-Star candidate last year. Crawford paused for a moment before leaving the batter's box, making sure that his drive stayed fair.
It turned out to be the first extra-inning splash hit since Barry Bonds went deep against Atlanta's Ray King on Aug. 19, 2003. Crawford felt just a tad uneasy as he rounded third and saw his teammates waiting to pounce on him at home plate.
"It was pretty cool until I got my head bashed by everybody," he said.
That was the final act in a productive afternoon for the Giants.
Tim Hudson allowed a pair of homers but only one other hit through seven innings. He faltered as he yielded a pair of doubles to open the eighth, helping Colorado score twice to erase a 4-2 Giants lead. It was still an admirable effort for Hudson, whose 23 innings without a walk has exceeded Atlee Hammaker's season-opening, franchise-record streak of 21 consecutive innings achieved in 1983.
Angel Pagan contributed a two-out, two-run single to San Francisco's three-run outburst in the fifth inning. Pagan's batting .500 (10-for-20) with 10 RBIs in two-out situations.
Recalling Pagan's game-winning, inside-the-park homer against Colorado last May 25, Blanco nearly ended the game in similar fashion in the ninth when he delivered his first hit of the year, a two-out drive that struck the third archway on the right-center-field wall and bounded away from Rockies right fielder Michael Cuddyer. Giants third-base coach Tim Flannery saw Cuddyer briefly fumble the ball and sent home Blanco, who slid headfirst into catcher Wilin Rosario's tag after DJ LeMahieu's relay throw.
"It was so evident that he was out," Bochy admitted.
The play might have been scored a triple and an error had Blanco been safe. Asked if that would have bothered him, Blanco replied, "Definitely not." The thrill of his attempt to score obscured the disappointent of being thrown out.
"It was fun," Blanco said. "It was exciting to go home."
Crawford could say the same thing.


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The 20th Waimea Cherry Blossom Heritage Festival is Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 and remembers its past with an anniversary exhibit, entertainment by some of the festival's first performers and a commemoration of its founders.
For two decades, the free community festival has showcased the 60-year-old cherry trees planted at Church Row Park and the Japanese tradition of viewing them—hanami. The event, held annually the first Saturday of February, includes a variety of activities 9 a.m.-3 p.m. at venues throughout Waimea—look for pink banners identifying site locations from the Parker Ranch Historic Homes on Mamalahoa Hwy. 190 to the Hawaiian Homestead Farmer's Market on Hwy. 19.
Spend the day to experience an all-day lineup of Japanese and multi-cultural performing arts, plus hands-on demonstrations of bonsai, origami, traditional tea ceremony, fun mochi pounding and a host of colorful craft fairs. Enjoy free shuttle transportation among most venues. For info, 808-961-8706.
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text:
(2000; 28 pages) [French]
Safety Monitoring of Medicinal Products: Guidelines for Setting Up and Running a Pharmacovigilance Centre
Published by
the Uppsala Monitoring Centre
(the UMC), WHO Collaborating Centre for
International Drug Monitoring
Stora Torget 3, S-75320 Uppsala,
Tel: +46 18 65 60 60
Fax: +46 18 65 60 80
E-mail: email@example.com
Internet: www.who-umc.org
Copyright © 2000 the Uppsala Monitoring Centre
This document is not a formal publication of the World Health Organization (WHO) and all rights are reserved by the WHO Collaborating Centre for International Drug Monitoring (the UMC). The document may nevertheless be freely reviewed, abstracted, reproduced or translated into any other language (but not for sale) provided that full acknowledgement is given to the source.
Designed and produced by
10 & 11 The Stableyard,
Broomgrove Road,
London, SW9 9TL, UK
Tel: +44 (0)20 7274 8724
Fax: +44 (0)20 7733 3600
E-mail: email@example.com
Internet: www.equus-group.com


text:
Do Black Swans Really Matter? Not As Much as the Circle of Life, The Circle Purposely Disrupted By Multiple Central Banks Worldwide!!!
With all due respect to that Nassim Taleb dude who popularized the term "Black Swasn", Black Swan events are both overrated and the term is sloppily bandied about by those who may not be putting the requisite thought into just how utilitarian the knowledge of Black Swans actually are. Since you can't accurately predict, nor back test against, nor adequately hedge against such events, exactly what good is a Black Swan discussion. Well, I can answer that question. Black Swan events do maximum damage when the economic cycle is at its weakest. In Reggie Middleton's Economic Circle of Life (think the Lion King) it is the right portion of the circle in which Black Swan events do the most damage.
Actually, it is not the Black Swan events themselves that do the damage but said event do serve as the catalyst that either bust a bubble that was waiting to pop anyway, or break a structure that was hobbling along on one leg as it was - where we happen to be now in many places of the developed world - sans rampant propaganda, misinformation and disinformation from less than disinterested sources.
I have always been of the contention that the 2008 market crash was cut short by the global machinations of a cadre of central bankers intent on somehow rewriting the rules of economics, investment physics and global finance. They became the buyers of last resort, then consequently the buyers of only resort while at the same time flooding the world with liquidity and guarantees. These central bankers and the countries they allegedly strive to serve took on the debt and nigh worthless assets of the private sector who threw prudence through the window during the "Peak" phase of the circle of economic life, and engaged in rampant speculation. Click to enlarge to print quality...
The Financial Times Vindicates BoomBustBlog's Stance On Goldman Sachs - Once Again!
I read this headline from the Financial Times and said to myself, "Okay Reg, Don't say 'I told you so'". Thus, you won't hear it from me, at least not this time. As reported today in the Financial Times: Goldman reveals fresh crisis losses and Goldman's republished results present a new picture
Goldman Sachs has revealed details of about $5bn in investment losses suffered during the crisis for the first time this week, in a move that will deepen the debate over companies' financial disclosures. The figures, issued as part of internal reforms aimed at silencing Goldman's critics, show that the bank suffered $13.5bn in losses from "investing and lending" with its own funds in 2008. But Goldman's regulatory filings and its executives' comments to investors at the time pointed to about $8.5bn of losses arising from its investments in debt and equity, as markets were rocked by the turmoil.
Hmmmm! I walked through this in explicit detail in "When the Patina Fades… The Rise and Fall of Goldman Sachs???" and I did it without being privvy to Goldman's financial innards. It was more or less common damn sense. Goldman and its employees do not walk on water, they do not shit gold, and they cannot perform miracles. If one takes an objective approach to their equity analysis, and simple plug the numbers into a spreadsheet (objectively) you would have come up with the exact same conclusions that I gave my subscribers all of these years. Let's reminisce, shall we?
So, what is GS if you strip it of its government protected, name branded hedge fund status. Well, my subscribers already know. Let' take a peak into one of their subscription documents ( Goldman Sachs Stress Test Professional 2009-04-20 10:06:45 4.04 Mb - 131 pages). I believe many with short term memory actually forgot what got this bank into trouble in the first place, and exactly how it created the perception that it got out of trouble. The (Off) Balance Sheet!!!
Contrary to popular belief, it does not appear that Goldman is a superior risk manager as compared to the rest of the Street. They may
the same mistakes and had to accept the same bailouts. They are apparently well connected though, because they have one of the riskiest
balance sheet compositions around yet managed to get themselves insured and protected by the FDIC like a real bank. This bank's portfolio looked quite scary at the height of the bubble.
And back to the FT article...
Less Than 24 Hours After My Warning Of Extensive Legal Risk In The Banking Industry, The Massachusetts Supreme Court Drops THE BOMB!
The day after I posted "As JP Morgan & Other Banks Legal Costs Spike, Many Should Ask If It Was Not Obvious Years Ago That This Industry May Become The "New" Tobacco Companies" wherein I made clear my opinion that the legal and litigation risks that the banking industry faces is woefully underestimated, the Massachusetts Land Court Decision that invalidates foreclosures based on post sale assignments was up held by the Massachusetts Supreme Court. This is permanent, and precedent setting, absolutely justifies and vindicates my post from the day before, which also contained links to other posts which any declared sensational just a few days before, ex., The Robo-Signing Mess Is Just the Tip of the Iceberg, Mortgage Putbacks Will Be the Harbinger of the Collapse of Big Banks that Will Dwarf 2008! and As Earnings Season is Here, I Reiterate My Warning That Big Banks Will Pay for Optimism Driven Reduction of Reserves. This is a very big deal since it actually unravels many thousands of foreclosures and sets precedent to be examined across the country (all 50 state's attorney generals are looking into fraudclosure issues) that will really cause material damage to the banks that are pursuing (have pursued) said foreclosures. As reported in the Massachusetts Law Blog:
Breaking News (1.7.11): Mass. Supreme Court Upholds Ibanez Ruling, Thousands of Foreclosures Affected
Update (2/25/10)–Mass. High Court May Take Ibanez Case
Breaking News (10/14/09)–Land Court Reaffirms Ruling Invalidating Thousands of Foreclosures. Click here for the updated post.
None of this is the fault of the [debtor], yet the [debtor] suffers due to fewer (or no) bids in competition with the foreclosing institution. Only the foreclosing party is advantaged by the clouded title at the time of auction. It can bid a lower price, hold the property in inventory, and put together the proper documents any time it chooses. And who can say that problems won't be encountered during this process?... Massachusetts Land Court Judge Keith C. Long
"[W]hat is surprising about these cases is … the utter carelessness with which the plaintiff banks documented the titles to their assets." –Justice Robert Cordy, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
Today, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) ruled against foreclosing lenders and those who purchased foreclosed properties in Massachusetts in the controversial U.S. Bank v. Ibanez case...
... For those new to the case, the problem the Court dealt with in this case is the validity of foreclosures when the mortgages are part of securitized mortgage lending pools. When mortgages were bundled and packaged to Wall Street investors, the ownership of mortgage loans were divided and freely transferred numerous times on the lenders' books. But the mortgage loan documentation actually on file at the Registry of Deeds often lagged far behind.
Here's A Look At What The Goldman FaceBook Fund Will Look Like As It Ignores The SEC & Peddles Private Shares To The Public Without Full Disclosure
Yesterday, I attempted to pull the wool from some of the more complacent eyes of news media consumers by outlining the potential goals for Goldman's half billion "investment" in Facebook while at the same time pondering the market for a different type of media concern. A media concern that is heavy on the analysis and investigation, yet light on the political correctness and conflicts of interest (see Facebook Becomes One Of The Most Highly Valued Media Companies In The World Thanks To Goldman, & Its Still Private!). I definitely don't want to be condescending, but there is obviously (at least to me) a need for such an entity amongst the mainstream rags for as I read through the comment sections of the articles written on the topic, I see such naivete as, "Wow!!! If Goldman is putting their money in this, it must be serious!" I say do myself, "It's a damn shame if that is actually a real person's viewpoint and not a Goldman equity underwriting employee".
You see, this is not about Goldman's attempt to create capital gains through investment, its about their attempt to create income through commissions, fees and spreads.
NYC Goes Out "Euro-Style" As It Experiences The Results Of "Applied, Stealth Austerity" And Its Citizens Suffer Like Never Before!
In 2008 I gave explicit warning that an unprecedented swath of US municipalities were at risk of default. I was pooh poohed by many "experts" who consistently said that the history of default in the US muni bond market is slim to none. Well, my friends, that is history and this is now. The dearth of revenues from declining building permits, sales taxes in the absence of real sales, property taxes from depreciating properties, etc. - all built upon budgets that were carved at the peak of bubble economics groupthink combine to make a disastrous brew.
NYC, arguably the richest economic "city state" in the world and the mecca of banking and real estate is experiencing "applied austerity" programs, effectively going through the service and government payment cutbacks that the Europeans are "promising" to deliver. Keep in mind that NYC is comparable to, if not larger than, from an economic footprint perspective Greece and Portugal. I have accurately determined that the EU is in it very deep - deep enough that default of several nations is a foregone conclusion (see the complete Pan-European Sovereign Debt Crisis series for more on this).
Despite the nearly guaranteed default of the Euro-area nations, it ain't pretty over hear either, particularly as those eliminated services that have been taken for granted are needed, as in the post Christmas mini-blizzard. I say mini-blizzard because real New Yorkers know that 16 inches of snow is close to a regular occurrence. We get snowstorms nearly every year, but this one literally shut the city down - completely down.
An Inflation Video By Those Who Favor Small Government
Give it a couple of minutes, the "Cash for Clunkers" program explanation may catch your attention.
[youtube Ij4H9M55c64]
Continuing With The Revelation of The Fed's Stealth Bank Bailout (TARP 2.0), We Present Our Analysis Of The Use And Abuse Of The Primarily Dealer Credit Facility
Primarily Dealer Credit Facility
Note: Paying subscribers may download the fully scrubbed model containing all of the date output by the Fed regarding the PDCF as an Excel pivot table here, Primarily Dealer Credit Facility Analysis. Those who are interested in subscribing to our research should click here.
Yesterday, I illustrated how the Fed buried TARP 2.0 amongst a spreadsheet dump of over 70,000 trades and what amounted to probably a million cells of spreadsheet data distributed among a plethora files, see Buried Deep Within The Files That The Federal Reserve Released On Thier MBS Purchase Program, We Found TARP 2.0!!! More Taxpayer Money To The Banks!. Today, we will review another one of those files, dealing with the lending program that the Fed instituted for its Primary Dealer banks.
Buried Deep Within The Files That The Federal Reserve Released On Thier MBS Purchase Program, We Found TARP 2.0!!! More Taxpayer Money To The Banks!
About a year ago, after hearing so many pie-in-the-sky perma-bullish pundits and bankers say how banks paid every cent of TARP and government assistance back, I went on the following rant - 10 Ways to say No, the Banks Have Not Paid Back Their Bailout from the Taxpayer! Monday, January 18th, 2010:
Yes, some of the banks repaid TARP, with interest and warrants. Okay. The investment big banks (that were still in existence) were offered expedited financial holding company (bank) charters. That is why they didn't fail, at least in part. So, running down the list, the banks paid back TARP. That's a +, but….
- What was the value for bank charter, to get cheap access to the Fed's funds? did they pay back this value yet? No!
- How about the payment of interest on the banks' excess reserves at the Fed. Have the banks repaid that yet? No!
- The Fed and the Treasury have purchased hundreds of billions of dollars of Agency debt, Agency mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and related securities through Treasury purchase programs. Have the banks paid back the capital behind those purchases yet? No!
- How about the Term Auction Facility? Has the capital behind the benefits of that program been paid back? No!
- Then there is the Primary Dealer Credit Facility (PDCF), has this been paid back? No!
- Do you remember the Term Asset-Backed Securities Loan Facility (TALF)? Have the funds behind that been paid back? No!
- What about the PPIP? No!
- Hey, there's the Foreign Exchange Swap programs (the currency swap lines, that saved not only our banks but out banks facing counterparties who were short on dollars), has that been paid back? No!
- There's the Commercial Paper Funding Facility (CPFF), have the funds behind that been paid back? No!
- Most importantly, the opportunity cost of ZIRP, which hurts those who do not speculate (or have not speculated) with near free money! How do you pay that back to grandma and her .017% CDs?
Well, all rants aside, if you bothered to go through the mass dump of data that the Fed produced as a result of the Bloomberg FOIL suit, you will find that not only did the banks not pay back the massive amount of assistance that was given to them, they were actually granted more in the form of MOPTARP (MBS Overpayment Troubled Asset Repayment Program), and yes, I did make that up. How much more? Well, potentially more than the original TARP bailout! I'm getting ahead of myself though, so let's backtrack.
Reggie Middleton and Karl Deninger Discuss Foreclosure Fraud and Banks on the Market Ticker's Blogtalk Radio
Here's a little cross pollination to attract bears from all over. Karl Deninger, the editor of the Market Ticker, invited me over for a half hour chat on his Blog Talk Radio show to discuss things such as foreclosure fraud, banks, derivative risk and the markets. You can access the original airing podcast on Karl's site. I have taken the liberty to append some graphics to the background to add some information to the discussion (see below). Enjoy!
Part One (the impatient may want to skip ahead about 1:32 to get the actual start of the discussion. I highly recommend you choose the 720p HD setting and expand to full screen in order to read the graphics in full fidelity.
Part one
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Part two
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We've Been Bamboozled by the Banking Industry, but the Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost
While chatting with Herb Greenberg before my interview at CNBC on the banks, he asked me why I was short the banks, JPM in particular (JP Morgan's 3rd Q & Just How XYZ Bank Can Never Go Out of Business!!!). I told him that I believe they are overly optimistic about the reserve thingy (Big Banks Will Pay for Optimism), the mortgage put back cosequences (JP Morgan's Analysts Agree with BoomBustBlog Research, Contradict CEO Jamie Dimon's Conference Call and The Putback Parade Cometh: Pimco, New York Fed Said to Seek Bank of America Repurchase of Mortgages) and real estate in general. I also said that in the scheme of things, Jamie Dimon appears to be, by far, the most effective manager of the big banks, and JPM seems to be the best run of the big banks. He negotiated a literal coup with Bear Stearns purchase, getting the billion dollar head quarters for free, the company for $10 per share and government backing for the legacy assets. He made a mistake with WaMu by not demanding a deeper discount. I know it seems like 28% or so off seems like a good deal, but it was not - and I clearly stated it several times (Is JP Morgan Taking Realistic Marks On Its WaMu Portfolio Purchase? Doubtful!). I just want to make this clear. There is nothing personal here, at least in terms of investments and financial analysis. The stream of events are of such grave consequence that this goes beyond mere finance, though. Why? This country has been "Bamboozled by the Banking Industry", but the "Chickens Are Coming Home to Roost". Let me explain...
Throughout most of 2009, while 10%+ of unemployed middle America stopped paying their mortgages, busy standing in line for shiny fat margin iThingies while in rabid debate about how many pieces of tail Tiger Woods may or may have not hit (yes, that story got 2160 tweets and 375 comments on how well endowed "the Tiger" is - would you dare to bet that this article on a potential depression will get even one third of that?) the greatest mass fraud of this lifetime against said persons was underway.
This should be played 720 HD full screen mode
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Mr. and Mrs Middle America, you've been Had, you've been Took, Bamboozled, Hoodwinked, led Astray, run Amok (yes, YOU have, see You've Been Bamboozled, Hoodwinked and Lied To! Here's the Proof. What Are You Going to Do About It? and click your rung in the socio-economic ladder, ex. your "social class"). From rating agency subprime madness to stress tests designed not to apply any stress to robo-signing and beyond (Mortgage Putbacks, the Harbinger of the Collapse that Will Dwarf 2008!) the financial and political elite appear to be running a real time experiment to demonstrate how numb they can prove the mainstream populace to really be? Will the experiment fail this time around? After all, things are different with the Web, and independent thought rocketed around the world in the form of blogs. We shall see what becomes of this real time socio-economic lab session, we shall see!
A few have been emailing me looking for a bio. I believe my track record should speak louder than any paragraph or two about my prior occupation(s). Credibility should come from accomplishment, not pedigree, no? Click here to find out who I am what I have done. Be sure to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page.
Next up:
- the updated JP Morgan forensic valuation (yes, what I think it is actually worth) for subscribers (there's a surprise or two in here that I'll reveal to the public)
- the Goldman Sachs forensic valuation update
- and my proprietary research on the foreclosure backlog this one will be a doozy)!
The Truth goes Viral!


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When it comes to energy efficiency, less is more.
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It's our gift to you this holiday season, and part of our legacy here at ARRIS. Years ago, we developed guidelines for set-top energy efficiency with the EPA, and today ARRIS is the leader in Energy Star 3.0 qualified set-tops, with 19 in our current line-up.
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Happy holidays from ARRIS.


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The Kenan Advantage Group Inc Jobs
Kenan Advantage Group is North America's largest tank truck transporter and logistics provider, delivering fuel, chemicals, industrial gases, and food-grade products. KAG is the only independent fuels delivery carrier with a nationwide network, having operations in 40 states and the ability to deliver within all 48 states of the continental United States and Mexico. In addition, KAG operates in 16 locations throughout Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan and Northwest Territories.
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Splitboard Bindings
Recent Splitboard Binding Reviews
Spark R&D Blaze
Awesome binding. No compromise, as good as a normal snowboard binding. These things are like night and day coming from the Voile Universal Sliders. They put you right down on the deck where you should be. They ride like a snowboard binding, are super light and are a responsive comfortable binding. The ratchets are Burton ratchets and are great quality. I have had no issues with the bindings icing up or packing with snow in touring mode. Adjustable highbacks allow a huge amount of adjustment,… Full review
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I have just recently received my Blazes and have only put about 4 days in on them touring the backcountry at Shames near Terrace, BC. The difference from the combo of old Voile slider plates and non-split specific bindings to the Blazes was UNREAL!! I swear I took off 3lbs of hardware when switching to these. The riding performance improvement was unreal as well. No longer will I be dreading those long hardpacked rideouts that used to cause me fear for my life! Being lower to the board takes out… Full review
In order to show you the most useful information, we have omitted some unreviewed products. View the complete product list »


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Steamed beef patty on white rice
It is best to use unfrozen tenderloin or sirloin, and the waterchestnuts must be fresh, not canned. Eat it with rice or congee. The flavor of the beef and the crunchy sweetness of the waterchestnuts, plus the ginger and doong choy goes very well with rice.
Steamed Beef & Waterchestnut Patty
400 g (or more*) lean tender beef
400 g (or more*) waterchestnuts
1/2 T ginger, cut into very fine strips
1 T doong choy (a preserved veg), washed well
1 egg, beaten
1 T cornstarch
2 t sesame oil
a shake of white pepper
2 t light soy sauce
1 t dark soy sauce
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup water
finely cut spring onions for garnish
* You can adjust these amounts to your liking
1. Chop the beef until fine. Do not use supermarket bought mince; too much fat.
2. Peel the waterchestnuts and chop them coarsely.
3. Put the beef, waterchestnuts, cornstarch, sesame oil, soy sauces, salt, pepper, egg and water into a shallow heat-proof dish and mix well (use fingers). Pat the patty until it is level. Drizzle about 2 T water all over the patty. Sprinkle the doong choy and ginger strips on top.
4. Steam at high heat for about 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the patty. It should be about 1"/2.5 cm thick only.
5. Garnish with spring onions and serve hot. Optional: heat up a tablespoon of peanut oil until smoking and pour over the cooked patty. This will give extra flavor.


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Bockus Gastroenterology, Volume 5
Saunders, 1985 - Medical - 772 pages
From inside the book
63 pages matching gastric cancer in this book
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Bockus gastroenterology, Volume 7
Henry L. Bockus,Jack Edward Berk,William S. Haubrich
Snippet view - 1985
Common terms and phrases
abnormalities acute hepatitis acute viral hepatitis agent albumin alcoholic hepatitis alcoholic liver disease amino acids antibody antigen ascites associated atitis Berk PD bile acids bile duct bilirubin Biochem bleeding blood flow cause cholangitis cholestasis cholestatic cholesterol chronic active hepatitis chronic hepatitis chronic liver disease cirrhotic clinical collagen concentration conjugated cytoplasm develop diagnosis drug effect encephalopathy Engl enzyme excretion fatty liver fibrosis fluid function Gastroenterol Gastroenterology Gilbert's syndrome HBsAg heme hepa hepatocellular hepatocytes Hepatology histologic hyperbilirubinemia increased infection inflammatory intrahepatic jaundice Lancet lesion levels Lieber lipid liver biopsy liver cell liver injury lymphocytes membrane microsomal necrosis non-A non-B hepatitis normal oxidation pathogenesis Pathol patients plasma Popper H portal hypertension portal tracts primary biliary cirrhosis protein rat liver renal reported Schaffner F Sherlock shunt sinusoidal sodium studies synthesis therapy tients tion tissue toxic transferase treatment unconjugated uptake usually varices vein viral hepatitis


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Country Stats
Past disaster events
- EM-DAT listing of disaster events in Finland
- Disaster statistics from UN-ISDR and CRED
- Risk country profile from Index for Risk Management
- Disaster response and management data from ReliefWeb
Government policies
- HFA Progress Reports, government plans, and government statements – http://www.unisdr.org/partners/countries/fin
Red Cross + civil society
- IFRC appeals and info bulletins for Finland
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Countdown Show:
Matt Striker and Tony Dawson are the hosts. They pushed that this was the kickoff to Wrestlemania season and ran down the lineup for tonight's PPV.
They previewed the Chamber.
Randy Orton was interviewed and asked his strategy. He said that he planned to use every ounce of steel in the Elimination Chamber to put his opponents down. He said the only thing more dangerous than the Chamber is the man hellbent on headlining Wrestlemania and who will use anything and everything to get it done. A good promo.
They aired a video feature on The Shield.
Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes vs. Tensai & Brodus Clay
Sandow cut a promo stating that all the half-wits demanded the reunion of Team Rhodes Scholars, knocking the fans in the process. Cody said that they demanded a Team Rhodes Scholars standing ovation from the fans for giving what they wanted.
Brodus and Tensai did a deal where Clay had to go back and get Tensai during the ring entrance. Tensai was wearing a hat like Clay's. They claimed Tensai was not doing hours of dance training a week.
Sandow and Rhodes stalled early. Sandow took control on Tensai and choked him against the ropes. Tensai fought back against Rhodes but missed a back splash. Sandow continued working over Tensaid and nailed the Elbow of Disdain.
Sandow followed up with a clothesline in the corner but Tensai was able to tag Clay. Clay nailed a splash in the corner but was nailed by Sandow when he went for a Fall Away Slam. Tensai and Clay nailed a double splash on Sandow. Clay followed up with a big splash on Sandow and scored the pin.
Your winners, Brodus Clay & Tensai!
Standard opening tag match meant to get the crowd into the show.
Lots of promotional hype for the WWE title rematch between CM Punk and The Rock.
PPV broadcast
They opened up with a good three minute video previewing the main matches for the show with the theme being that the road to Wrestlemania would have to travel through the Chamber.
Michael Cole, JBL and Jerry Lawler are your announcers.
WWE World champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Big Show
JBL joked that he loved Ricardo and "needed to get me one of those" after the big ring announcement.
Show tried to attack the champion early but Del Rio avoided him and nailed several big kicks. Show cut him off with several chops, sending the champion down to the mat. Show slammed Del Rio hard. Show controlled Del Rio but missed a back splash in the corner. Del Rio charged but Show tried to kick him off. Alberto caught the leg and snapped it, then nailed a series of kicks to the head for a two count.
Del Rio went to rebound off the ropes but was speared for a two count. Show nailed a short arm clothesline and began yelling at Ricardo. Show continued to control Alberto as Ricardo tried to get the crowd to rally the champion. Show went up to the ropes for the Vader splash off the ropes but Del Rio kicked up at the last second. Del Rio grabbed the cross armbreaker out of nowhere but Show made it to the ropes.
Del Rio kicked Show and came off the ropes but was caught and cinched into a bear hug. They noted this was a big Bruno Sammartino move. Show kicked at Ricardo's bucket, distracting himself. That allowed Alberto to nail some offense. Show cut him off and went for a powerbomb. Del Rio turned it into a rana, sending Show to the floor. He followed up with a dive.
Del Rio nailed a seated senton off the top on Show for a two count. Del Rio went for a kick but was caught and chokeslammed by Show for a two count Show called for the KO Punch but Del Rio rolled to the outside. Show pulled him by his hair back up to the apron and tossed Alberto back into the ring. Show went for a chokeslam but Del Rio turned it into a sunset flip attempt. Show went for a mover but it was turned into a DDT for a two count.
Del Rio nailed a leaping enziguiri in the corner for a two count. He cinched in the cross armbreaker. Show pulled Alberto up and powerbombed him down. Show called for the KO but saw Ricardo on the apron and nailed him off, Show went to throw the bucket at Ricardo but Del Rio went for an enziguiri into the bucket and MISSED. Show was frozen in time until Del Rio nailed it again.
Alberto locked on the cross armbreaker and after struggling, Show finally tapped.
Your winner and still WWE World champion Alberto Del Rio!
Other than the miscue at the end, a good match telling a good David vs. Goliath story with Del Rio as the champion who refused to back down against the monstrous beast that was Show.
They aired a trailer for the new G.I. Joe movie. Josh Mathews interviewed several actors for the movie who said they were here to support Rock.
WWE United States champion Antonio Cesaro vs. The Miz
Miz came out with his shoulder taped from Cesaro's attack on Raw. Miz went right after Cesaro nailing him with several kicks and a back elbow. Miz slid under and pulled him down for a sunset flip type pin for a two count but Cesaro went after the shoulder. Cesaro drilled him down with an over the knee shoulderbreaker.
Cesaro smiled as he worked over Miz, who kicked at him from underneath in an attempt to ward him off. Cesaro jumped up and came down with a big stomp. He locked in an armbar but Miz escaped and drilled him with a kick to the face for a two count. Cesaro cut him off and peppered him with a series of rights.
Cesaro locked on a short arm scissors. Miz fought to escape but was nailed with a big forearm for a two count. Good solid storytelling here. Cesaro snapped his bad arm onto the apron and began locking in different holds to wear Miz's bad shoulder down. He shoved Miz backwards into the corner but was nailed with an elbow as he charged in. Miz nailed him hard with another big boot to the face and began kicking away at him in the corner.
Miz charged and hit his leaping clothesline in the corner, then went to the top. He leapt off the top but Cesaro grabbed him in an armbar and yanked back for all he was worthy. Miz turned him over for a near pin. Cesaro was tossed to the outside. Miz went to the outside and shoved Cesaro into the ring steps, where he hit his knee. Miz then went after the knee, trying to soften him up for the figure four leglock.
Miz continued working on Cesaro. Miz went for the figure four but Cesaro fought him off. Miz dropped down when his leg was kicked out from under him and ended up nailing Cesaro with a knee to the groin inadvertently. The referee called for a DQ. An incensed Miz then kicked Cesaro in the groin on purpose.
Your winner and still WWE United States champion Antonio Cesaro!
Solid wrestling and a good story with Cesaro picking him and his shoulder apart. The finish was a little weak but adds some more to their issue.
Backstage, Kane was giving Daniel Bryan the silent treatment. Bryan said he should be the one who should giving him the silent treatment because he eliminated Bryan from the Royal Rumble after he was already eliminated. Kane told him to try being silent then. He said that he was focused because he's been in WWE for 15 years and has never headlined Mania. Bryan tried to get Kane to agree they would watch each other's backs in the Chamber. They hugged and Kane told Bryan to watch out for him and Kane would then watch out for himself. He walked off, leaving Bryan confused.
Elimination Chamber video preview so Rock vs. Punk is last.
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