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For ten years, I was part of a Celtic dance band called Crooked Sixpence. The name, if you're curious, comes from an English children's rhyme:
There was a crooked man, and he walked a crooked mile,
He found a crooked sixpence beside a crooked stile.
He had a crooked cat and it caught a crooked mouse,
And they all lived together in a little crooked house.
Finding a "crooked sixpence" (a bent silver coin) was considered lucky, and we thought that was a good moniker for our group.
Playing for contradances and English country dances was brilliant fun, and I attribute my getting over the awful stage fright I suffered from when I was younger to being a part of this wonderful trio.
Sadly, we disbanded when our fiddler, Kathy, moved back to Ireland. Of course, shortly thereafter the pandemic hit and all the public performances were cancelled, pretty much for the rest of the year, so I doubt we'd have done much playing anyhow.
Since our breakup, all my music has been alone in my house -- I haven't had any jam sessions with friends for a year and a half. While I do love playing, whether by myself or with others, there is something about making music together that is qualitatively different than playing solo.
This was the subject of a fascinating study at Bar-Ilan University and the University of Chicago that came out in the journal American Psychologist last week. The team, led by David Greenberg, looked at five measures of five key functions in the brain: empathy, the levels of three hormones (dopamine, oxytocin, and cortisol), and language structures, before and after having an experience of playing music in a group.
What they found wouldn't come as a shock to anyone who has made music with others. Levels of empathy, as measured by psychological assessment, went up. Dopamine and oxytocin levels, both connected with reward, pleasure, and pair bonding, both went up as well. Cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, went down. The neurological systems involved in language -- both listening and producing -- both spiked in activity, especially when the playing or singing was done in harmony, not in unison.
"Music connects us to our humanity," Greenberg said, in a press release from the American Association for the Advancement of Science. "Through social neuroscience, we can discover that our sense of social connection isn't just subjective, but that it is rooted in important brain mechanisms. Especially in a time when there is so much social division around the world, we need to find new ways to to bridge cultures in conflict. Music is one of those ways. We hope our research will lead to more grass-roots programs like the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and the Jerusalem Youth Chorus, which bring people from differing cultures together through music."**********************************
In 1924, a young man named Werner Heisenberg spent some time on a treeless island in the North Sea called Helgoland, getting away from distractions so he could try to put together recently-collected (and bizarre) data from the realm of the very small in a way that made sense.
What he came up with overturned just about everything we thought we understood about how the universe works.
Prior to Heisenberg, and his colleagues Erwin Schrödinger and Niels Bohr, most people saw subatomic phenomena as being scaled-down versions of familiar objects; the nucleus like a little hard lump, electrons like planets orbiting the Sun, light like waves in a pond. Heisenberg found that the reality is far stranger and less intuitive than anyone dreamed, so much so that even Einstein called their theories "spooky action at a distance." But quantum theory has become one of the most intensively tested models science has ever developed, and thus far it has passed every rigorous experiment with flying colors, providing verifiable measurements to a seemingly arbitrary level of precision.
As bizarre as its conclusions seem, the picture of the submicroscopic world the quantum theory gives us appears to be completely accurate.
In Helgoland: Making Sense of the Quantum Revolution, brilliant physicist and writer Carlo Rovelli describes how these discoveries were made -- and in his usual lucid and articulate style, gives us a view of some of the most groundbreaking discoveries ever made. If you're curious about quantum physics but a little put off by the complexity, check out Rovelli's book, which sketches out for the layperson the weird and counterintuitive framework that Heisenberg and others discovered. It's delightfully mind-blowing.
[Note: if you purchase this book using the image/link below, part of the proceeds goes to support Skeptophilia!]


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# Please introduce yourself and your book(s)!
My name is Jenna Greene and I am a YA/ Children's author. I also co-host "Quill and Ink: A Podcast for Booklovers," where I interview authors from around the world. In 2019, my YA novel REBORN won the Moonbeam Children's Book Award. The sequel, RENEW, is being released June 21st 2021.
# How do you deal with creative block?
I think everyone has good days and bad days with writing. I don't set word counts or page count deadlines, because I don't want to force myself to produce and then not have quality writing. I aim to open my laptop every day and get something down, whether it be a sentence, a paragraph, or a chapter. If the mood is right, the writing will flow, and if it isn't, then I will try again another day.
# What are the biggest mistakes you can make in a book?
Not allowing the character to tell their story. Once you've developed your characters, they eventually take over. If you fight it, you will not produce good writing. The characters become an innate part of the author and then instincts help make a good story.
# Do you have tips on choosing titles and covers?
I tend to adore one-word titles, and I have no idea why. I think it was just a coincidence that became a habit as I wrote more and more books. As for covers, I have wonderful publishers who arrange to have amazing cover designers make my books come to life with their designs.
# How do bad reviews and negative feedback affect you and how do you deal with them?
Of course, good reviews are flattering. Who wouldn't want to hear that a book affected them? And bad reviews are no big deal. I guess the book wasn't their cup of tea. There are lots of legendary authors that I have no great love for, and it doesn't mean they are bad books. It just means they didn't speak to me, or I wasn't in the right zone to read them, or they are not a genre I particularly like. I don't think Stephen King is rolling across his bed at night with poor dreams just because I've never picked up one of his books, and my dislike of Wuthering Heights will never affect its status as a classic.
# How has your creation process improved over time?
I have become far better at editing. I know what can affect the flow of a story and can tweak my writing to improve it. Instead of keeping every word, sentence, and paragraph that I write, I'm far more capable at letting them go if they aren't needed.
# Do you tend towards personal satisfaction or aim to serve your readers? Do you balance the two and how?
I think it's a balance of the two. When I'm drafting, I only have my own mind to life in. I have to gauge what I like and what I think reader's will like as best I can. I write the story as I see it, then get feedback through the editing phases to improve it.
# What role do emotions play in creativity?
I think as a fantasy writer, the "write what you know" statement doesn't exactly fit. I've never had magical powers, nor have I ever fought a dragon or lived in a foreign land. But I have been anxious, happy, annoyed, and brave. Any scene I write taps into an emotion I've had.
# Do you have any creativity tricks?
While there are many people who like to write at the beginning of the day, before distractions hit them, I don't think I can wake up any earlier than what I already do. Writing at 4:30 a.m. doesn't really appeal to me. Anyway, I like to write at the end of the day, when every other task is finished and I am winding down for the night.
# What are your plans for future books?
Well, the sequel to REBORN is being released June 21st 2021. The third book in the trilogy is in the editing phase right now, and will probably be released in another year. While I still have the IMAGINE series to wrap up, I also have a few short story and picture book projects in development.

subset: commoncrawl


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It's been over 80 years since the first Volvo truck was built back in 1928. Today Volvo is the second largest producer of heavy trucks, creating reliable transport solutions for clients all over the world.
Volvo is the world's second largest producer of heavy trucks.
McCarthy Commercials has been providing Transport Solutions to the Irish Market for over 30 years.
Our team has a wealth of experience in every aspect of service within the truck industry.
We see our business as a partnership which allows us to provide the high levels of customer satisfaction to which we are dedicated.
The safety of a Volvo truck is continuously and meticulously tested – in our laboratories, on test tracks and out on the roads where the trucks are constantly in use.
A truck must be able to handle important transport assignments 24 hours a day. It has to be reliable: reliability is the measure of quality in trucks. And reliability equals uptime.
We prefer to look at the environmental issues we face today as a challenge, not a problem. And we are not only talking about trucks.


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As we approach this coming field season, I sit here with a house full of people I love and a heart full of conflicting emotions. I am so lucky to have been born into such a privileged family. We are celebrating the holidays in the comfort of a warm home with plenty of food, water, shelter, coats, shoes, and unnecessary luxuries that we are so fortunate to have been able to obtain through hard work and circumstance. Every year when I visit home, I am able to tell the people in my life what wonderful things I have been able to accomplish and experience through my graduate program. I am able to experience the positive correlation of "hard work" that "pays off" in a way that many people in the world may never be able to, simply because I am an American citizen.
I recently read the creative non-fiction, Looking for Esperanza, which tells the stories of various migrant women who the author encountered while searching for Esperanza. She attempts to understand some of the hardships these women encounter in their lives here in America by joining them to work in the strawberry fields in Florida to experience their daily lives firsthand. She struggled to labor under the scolding hot sun, planting hundreds of pounds of strawberries throughout the day for minimal pay. This is one of the many forms of intense manual labor that these women face in exchange for minimal wages that pay for tortillas and trailers to feed and support their families.
Last January, I participated in my first field season with Beyond Borders. To us, moving enormous amounts of rigid, compact soil from the ground was quite difficult. Our bodies became sore, and we were burning through calories which made us hungry throughout the day. When it was cold, we had the clothing we desired. When it was hot, we had the water we thirsted for. When we were hungry, we had the security of a nutritious meal in our foreseeable future. We realized how fortunate we were, so we always carried on with our positive attitudes, hopeful to make a difference in somebody's life.
This January, I will return to South Texas with Beyond Borders to continue our mission. Being able to participate in the project last year was a career-changing opportunity for me. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go to the University of Indianapolis was with the intention of volunteering and learning how forensic anthropologists can help with humanitarian issues taking place around the world. Not only did I get a glimpse into the struggles and conditions faced near the U.S.-Mexico border, but I witnessed the difficulty in regulating the treatment and processing of the many individuals who perish on their journey.
I imagine this trip will be quite different from my last. This time, I will have a team member as my mapping apprentice, who I will be teaching the basic principles of field documentation in forensic archaeological contexts. Learning to map at this time last year was critical for my involvement in cases at UIndy and has provided me with many great opportunities that I am excited to share with another student. In addition, exhumations will resume at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Falfurrias, which will be different from my previous experience on the private property we worked on last year. Since we are returning to Falfurrias, we already have plans to meet with some incredible individuals in the community who will have a unique perspective to share with us. Our team with be
immersed in the sociopolitical climate in a way that I have not experienced before. This is why I believe the biggest difference of all will be the depth of understanding that I bring away from the things I witness and people I meet this season. I am excited to continue building my ever-growing emotional connection with this crisis and cannot wait to return.


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Calcium carbonate is a very common mineral in the Earth's crust. It is the main building block of most animal shells, including the shells of shellfish, snails and birds' eggs.
There are four main types of rock containing calcium carbonate.
Limestone is a sedimentary rock, formed from the fossilised remains of animal shells. It is found in most parts of the world. It is easily cut and shaped and so is often used for building. The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt and many of the great mediaeval cathedrals of Britain and Europe are built mainly of limestone.
Most limestone was formed hundreds of millions of years ago in ocean sediments - this is discussed further later on this Page.
Marble is metamorphic limestone, limestone that has been changed by very high temperatures and pressures. It occurs mainly in areas of high geological activity, where there are lots of volcanos and earthquakes. It is therefore very common in the Northern Mediterranean, which is why the Greek and Roman temples were built of marble.
Chalk is the crushed but not yet fossilised remains of the shells of tiny marine animals - sometimes you can find tiny pieces of shell in it that have not been completely reduced to powder. The North and South Downs of Southern England, and of course the White Cliffs of Dover, are huge chalk deposits. Most chalk deposits were laid down in relatively shallow water during the cretaceous period, about 150 to 65 million years ago. (In fact, cretaceous comes from the Greek for chalk.)
It should be noted that "blackboard chalks" are made of calcium sulphate not calcium carbonate.
We often refer to any powdery form of calcium carbonate as chalk, for example the "chalkiness" in hard water after it has been boiled - this is discussed later on this Web Page - and also often any powdery substance, for example we may say that some indigestion tablets taste a bit chalky.
Calcite is the name given to a group of crystaline forms of calcium carbonate. One form of calcite is Iceland Spar. This forms very beautiful clear colourless crystals. They are very easily cleaved (split along definite planes) and so are often used in schools to demonstrate this. They also refract light in two different ways to produce a double image. You can see some pictures of calcite crystals, and the double image produced by Iceland Spar crystals, by visiting the calcite website - to do so please click here
Limestone is by far the most important source of calcium carbonate for both biological and Man-made processes. Limestone has many very important uses, and these are discussed in the last Section of this Web Page.
For the rest of this Web Page we shall refer mainly to limestone, although the other forms of calcium carbonate usually behave in a chemically similar way.
Calcium oxide is known as lime, or sometimes quicklime. If we heat a lump of quicklime very strongly it gives out a very bright white light. This is known as limelight. Limelight was used for stage lighting before the introduction of electricity, so famous actors and actresses were said to be in the limelight.
Quicklime reacts very violently with water giving out a lot of heat.
This reaction is called slaking. Calcium hydroxide is also known as lime, or sometimes slaked lime.
Because of the amount of heat given out in this reaction, sometimes the bodies of people who had died of disease, particularly bubonic plague, were covered in quicklime before they were buried: it was thought that the high temperatures reached as the lime became damp would destroy whatever it was that was causing the disease.
Calcium hydroxide dissolves in water to form a slightly alkaline solution. A saturated solution of calcium hydroxide in water is called lime water; if we add more calcium hydroxide and keep the mixture well shaken we have a suspension of calcium hydroxide in water which is called milk of lime. Milk of lime was at one time used as a whitewash for walls. It was also sometimes used to treat indigestion and other stomach complaints, but today milk of magnesia (a suspension of magnesium hydroxide in water) is more commonly used.
As slaked lime is alkaline it is often used on farms and in gardens to treat soils which have become acidic, although it is not a fertiliser.
Calcium hydroxide has been used to make lime mortar and lime plaster for buildings for thousands of years - lime mortar was used in the Pyramids of Ancient Egypt. The lime needed is usually made from limestone but can also be made from any other form of calcium carbonate. The Mausoleum at Halicarnasus was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It was built in 353 BCE as the tomb, a very elaborate tomb indeed, made largely of marble, for King Maussollos (which is why today we use the word mausoleum for any very elaborate tomb). Halicarnasus is in modern Turkey; today the town is called Bodrum. The Mausoleum was still almost intact more than a thousand years later. Then in 1494 the Crusaders needed mortar to repair the castle they had built at Bodrum, and used the marble from the Mausoleum to make their lime. Within a few years there was nothing left of it....
Lime mortar hardens as it dries. In addition a chemical reaction takes place between the lime and the carbon dioxide in the air.Calcium carbonate does not dissolve in water but, like all carbonates, it reacts with acids.
All carbonates (and also hydrogencarbonates - see below) give off carbon dioxide when they are treated with an acid. This is one of the standard tests for a carbonate, and is also a way of producing small amounts of carbon dioxide in the laboratory and to power toys. You can buy jet-propelled boats and other toys powered by the carbon dioxide given off when vinegar (ethanoic acid) is added to bicarbonate of soda (sodium hydrogencarbonate).
Carbon dioxide dissolves in water to form a weak acid called carbonic acid.
This reaction is reversible. As air contains small amounts of carbon dioxide rain water is naturally very slightly acidic (about pH 6) - but this must not be confused with acid rain which is due to Man-made pollution and is very strongly acidic (pH 2 or 3). Acid rain is discussed on the Page on Atmospheric Pollution.
Calcium carbonate reacts with carbonic acid to form calcium hydrogencarbonate (calcium bicarbonate). This reaction is reversible.Calcium hydrogencarbonate is slightly soluble in water. This means that limestone dissolves very slowly in rainwater.
In limestone areas the underground water may seep through cracks in the rock gradually dissolving away the rock leaving very complex systems of interconnecting underground caves. Some of these caves may be flooded with water and some may be dry or have water only at the bottom. If water drips slowly from the roof of an unflooded cave, as the drop hangs from the roof a little of the water may evaporate and a little of the carbon dioxide dissolved in it will be returned to the atmosphere, so a minute amount of calcium hydrogencarbonate will be decomposed to form insoluble calcium carbonate, in its crystaline form of calcite.
Stalactites grow down from the roof of the cave. If the cave is absolutely draught-free, and nothing at all prevents the drops of water falling from the stalactite from landing on exactly the same spot on the floor of the cave for hundreds of years, a stalagmite may grow up from the floor of the cave. If they meet we have a column.
You can read more about this, and see some wonderful photographs of stalactites, by visiting a Cave Photographs web site - to link to one please click here
If we heat water, for example hard tap water (see below), containing dissolved calcium hydrogencarbonate, carbon dioxide, like all other gases, is less soluble in hot water than cold water, and some of the carbon dioxide is driven out of the water, the calcium hydrogen carbonate decomposes, and insoluble calcium carbonate is formed. The chemistry is as for the formation of a stalactite, except that the calcium carbonate appears as a chalkiness in the water rather than forming a calcite crystal. This is the cause of chalk inside kettles in hard water areas - hard water is discussed later in this Web Page.
If we bubble carbon dioxide, or a mixture of gases which includes carbon dioxide such as air or our breath, through lime water calcium carbonate is formed in suspension and the lime water goes milky.
Initially the lime water is alkaline. As we bubble more carbon dioxide through it more dissolves and eventually the solution becomes acidic. At this point the solution starts to become clear again due to the formation of calcium hydrogencarbonate.
Almost all living things need calcium. As described above animal shells are made mainly of calcium carbonate; the bones of mammals and other vertebrates are made mainly of calcium phosphate. On land, almost all calcium enters the food chain in the form of calcium hydrogencarbonate formed by the action of rainwater on limestone: this dissolves in the water and is taken up by plants. Huge quantities of carbon dioxide are dissolved in the seas so seawater is very slightly acidic and calcium enters the food chain in the seas in almost the same way.
Calcium carbonate (and calcium phosphate) is not broken down by biological processes, so shells and bones do not decompose. On land the big bones are normally broken up by scavengers in order to get at the marrow, what is left will usually get crushed and buried, or be dissolved by rainwater. In the seas and oceans the calcium carbonate in the shells of crustacea and other animals will sink to the bottom and form a sediment, taking with them not only the calcium but also the carbonate. Huge quantities of carbon dioxide are locked up in ocean sediments, and the removal of carbon dioxide from the oceans, and therefore also from the atmosphere, in this way was a key factor in the changes in the composition of the atmosphere which allowed most of today's life forms to evolve.
There are two sorts of hardness: temporary and permanent. Both produce this scum and reduce the efectiveness of soaps and detergents.
Temporary hardness is due to dissolved calcium (or magnesium) hydrogencarbonate. If this water is heated the carbon dioxide is driven out of solution, the calcium hydrogencarbonate decomposes and the water goes cloudy as calcium carbonate (chalk) is left in suspension. This then forms limescale inside kettles, washing machines and dishwashers, hot water pipes and water heaters etc. However, once the water has been boiled and the chalk allowed to settle the hardness is removed - hence the term "temporary" hardness.
Permanent hardness is due to dissolved calcium (or magnesium) sulphate. This is not decomposed by heating and so it does not leave limescale inside kettles, pipes or water heaters etc, but it is not removed by boiling the water, hence the term "permanent" hardness.
Tap water may contain naturally occurring calcium and magnesium compounds, and, depending on where it has come from, it may also contain small amounts of other substances, including Man-made pollutants such as lead. In most countries chlorine is also added to the drinking water to kill germs. Drinking water filters (such as "Brita" and similar) use a cartridge containing special chemicals which absorb or react with some of the substances in tap water, and so reduce the amount of chlorine and other gases, heavy metals such as lead, and calcium and magnesium compounds. When a certain amount of water has been treated the cartridge must be thrown away and replaced.
Chemical water softeners work in a different way. The water from the mains passes through a special resin containing compounds of sodium. These react with compounds of calcium and magnesium: calcium and magnesium ions are replaced with sodium ions. Sodium compounds are not decomposed when the water is heated, and do not form a scum when mixed with soap, so the water is soft. After a time all the sodium in the resin has been replaced with calcium and magnesium and it must be regenerated: this consists of passing brine (a saturated sodium chloride solution) backwards through it.
Water softened in this way can be use for washing, and in washing machines and water heaters etc, but it contains compounds of sodium and so should not be used for drinking, particularly by children or old people or those with heart disease. If you have a chemical water softener you should have a separate hard water tap for drinking water. (Also for the garden.)
De-ionisers work in yet a different way. They remove all the dissolved solids from the water and are used for making "purified water" for use in science and medical laboratories. They are not considered further here.Cement is made by heating a mixture of limestone and clay and other substances. The cement can then be mixed with other substances to make cement mortar and concrete. The chemical reactions involved in the manufacture and use of cement, cement mortar and concrete are not considered further here. The Greeks and Romans knew how to make and use cement and concrete; the Romans even discovered how to make a type of concrete which sets under water. Today huge amounts of cement and concrete are used by the building industry, and limestone is quarried on a very large scale to make them. You can read more about this by visiting the British Cement Association web site.
Limestone is also used in the production of iron. It is added to the iron ore and coke at the top of the blast furnace, and reacts with the impurities in the iron ore to form a slag. This is further discussed on the Page on Ironmaking.
Limestone is also used in the manufacture of glass. Limestone, sodium carbonate and sand (silicon dioxide) are heated together. Sodium and calcium silicates are formed and these cool to form glass. Other substances may also be added to make different types of glass, for example Pyrex, lead glass and crystal, or to colour it.
Limestone is also used in the manufacture of many other chemicals including sodium carbonate (washing soda) and sodium hydrogencarbonate (bicarbonate of soda), and calcium carbide.
The manufacture of cement, and many other industrial processes involving calcium carbonate, produces carbon dioxide and therefore contributes to global warming.


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Monday 3 November 2014
Vicente confronts Ines saying that because of her they are now in serious danger. Francisca is upset that Santiago did not tell the truth about Santa.
Tuesday 4 November 2014
Humberto returns home very drunk and tells Santa he loves her and asks for forgiveness. Ines tells Vicente that her unborn baby is not Santiago's.
Wednesday 5 November 2014
Willy talks to his son and tells him they will meet at the park to play as they did before. Santiago stops Vicente from taking Ines from the house.
Thursday 6 November 2014
Santiago tells Santa he cannot leave Ines. Willy tells Santa he was with his father. Santiago pays Humberto a visit and asks him to leave Santa alone.
Friday 7 November 2014
Elisa arrives just in time to stop Willy from taking Vicente. Humberto threatens to send Paula to jail if she doesn't help him get Santa back.
Monday 10 November 2014
Humberto makes a strange request at the Golden Clover – he asks the matron to bring a girl and she is surprised by his choice. Transit warns Victoria of Patricio.
Tuesday 11 November 2014
Santiago is taken out of the hospital – Franco's men are forcing him to take them to his house. The male nurse is taken to the commissar's office.
Wednesday 12 November 2014
Humberto goes to visit Santa to give her a car but she rejects it. Franco tells Barbara she can answer calls but cannot reveal where she is.
Thursday 13 November 2014
Humberto threatens to kill Vicente for lying to him about Willy's death. After overhearing him, Father Milton advises Vicente to call the police.
Friday 14 November 2014
Humberto arrives at Santa's house to find her in bed with Santiago. George is upset to hear that Humberto had a party in his house.
Monday 17 November 2014
Santiago and Pancho go to the Cano mansion looking for Ines but they don't find her there. Francisca asks Santa to stay and have dinner with them.
Tuesday 18 November 2014
Begoña is shocked and surprised with Vicente Robledo's death. Pancho finds the revealing letter Vicente left for Ines and he tells Santiago.
Wednesday 19 November 2014
Liseth tells Arturo she suspects Hortensia is sick and this is why she is anxious to change her will. Mara is accused of murder.
Thursday 20 November 2014
Sebastian makes Santa a proposition – he asks her to live in his house and he will treat her like a queen. Willy visits Ines at the hospital.
Friday 21 November 2014
Patricio makes Ulises believe that Victoria abandoned him. Humberto reveals to Franco that it was love at first sight for Santa and Santiago.
Monday 24 November 2014
Santiago asks Victoria what is she doing with a bunch of shady individuals. Santiago lets Humberto know that Santa has been detained for murder.
Tuesday 25 November 2014
Francisco is very grateful to Pancho for saving him from joining a drug lord's gang. Ines is adamant that Santa should be found guilty of murder.
Wednesday 26 November 2014
Diabla is the woman making anonymous calls to Humberto. Ulises returns to the commissar's office to talk with Pancho about Victoria's disappearance.
Thursday 27 November 2014
Ines pays Santa a visit in prison and tells her that Santiago has disappeared. Liseth and Ivan look for evidence against Hortensia.
Friday 28 November 2014
Ines continues to reject her baby girl. Liseth tries to pressure Hortensia to arrange her will. If she does not, she will be handed to the police.
New episodes of Broken Angel are on Telemundo Mondays to Fridays at 18h00. The omnibus is on Sundays at 18h00.


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This example shows how to draw lines with gaps in them to show that they are passing under other lines. It seems like there must be a name for this, but I couldn't find it so I'm calling them "cut lines." (If you know the "official" name for this, please email me.)
You could calculate where two lines intersect and then break the line on the bottom into two pieces, shortening them a bit so they leave a gap where the upper line is supposed to be. If you had many lines, you might then need to break the pieces into smaller pieces and so on until you finish examining every pair of lines for intersections. That should all work, but it sounds like a lot of trouble.
Fortunately there's a much simpler way to draw lines with gaps like this. Loop through the lines in bottom-to-top order. For each line, first draw it with a slightly thicker pen that uses the background color. That creates a channel for the line through the lines below it. Then draws the line with its usual pen.
To make this slightly easier, I created the following method to draw lines.
// Draw a line segment in the indicated color. private void DrawLine(Graphics gr, Pen bg_pen, Pen fg_pen, Point start_point, Point end_point) { if (bg_pen != null) gr.DrawLine(bg_pen, start_point, end_point); gr.DrawLine(fg_pen, start_point, end_point); }
If the background pen bg_pen is not null, the method draws the line using that pen. It then draws the line again using the foreground pen fg_pen.
The following code shows how the program's Paint event handler uses this method to draw lines.
private void picLines_Paint(object sender, PaintEventArgs e) { e.Graphics.SmoothingMode = SmoothingMode.AntiAlias; // Draw the previously saved lines. Pen bg_pen = null; if (chkUseCuts.Checked) bg_pen = new Pen(picLines.BackColor, 8); using (Pen fg_pen = new Pen(Color.Blue, 4)) { for (int i = 0; i < StartPoints.Count; i++) { DrawLine(e.Graphics, bg_pen, fg_pen, StartPoints[i], EndPoints[i]); } // Draw the new line if there is one. if (Drawing) { fg_pen.Color = Color.Red; DrawLine(e.Graphics, bg_pen, fg_pen, NewStartPoint, NewEndPoint); } } if (bg_pen != null) bg_pen.Dispose(); }
This code defines the bg_pen variable to hold the background pen and sets it to null. Then if you have checked the program's Use Cuts box, the method sets the pen equal to a new eight-pixel-wide pen using the drawing's background color.
The code then creates a four-pixel-wide blue pen.
Next the method loops through the line segments whose end points are stored in the StartPoints and EndPoints lists. For each segment, the code simply calls the earlier DrawLine method to draw the line above the previous lines.
If you are in the middle of drawing a new line, the program changes the foreground pen's color to red and draws the new line so far.
Finally, if the background pen is not null, the code calls its Dispose method. It is important to call the Dispose method of any object that has such a method so it can free up resources that are limited on the system. Pens and brushes are two common items that have a Dispose method.
If you define an object inside a using statement, as the code does with the foreground brush, then the program automatically calls its Dispose method when the using block ends.
Unfortunately this technique is harder to apply to more complicated objects such as self-overlapping polygons (like a star) or mutually overlapping objects (like interlocked circles). In those cases, you will probably need to draw all of the objects and then go back and draw just their points of intersections using the new technique. For an example that does something like this, see the post Draw interlocked circles in C#.
Download the example to experiment with it and to see additional details.


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Rishi: Parnam babaji! I heard from somewhere that egg is veg. Is it really veg? Can we eat it for protein as I have bone & muscles weakness and the doctor had advised me to take eggs. Should I? Kindly show me the right path as I am confused. Parnam.
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you. No, my dear son, egg is not vegetarian food. So, according to the Vedas-Shastras, we can never consume it. Better you consult other best doctor, dietician who would guide you in this matter.
Krishnan: Please send me Patanjal Yog Darshan (both parts).
Swami Ram Swarup: Books have been sent to you. Please confirm.
Lisa: Hello Guruji, how are you doing? I hope you are doing fine I wanted to know about your experience when you were in samadhi. Could you please explain it? I would be very thankful.
Swami Ram Swarup: I am fine, my daughter. Dear daughter, Samadhi matter is discussed with Acharya at his residence only.
Tejaswini: प्रणाम गुरु जी, गुरु जी, मेरा नाम तेजस्विनी है, मैं अभी स्टूडेंट हूँ। गुरुजी आपकी कृपा से मैं रोज यज्ञ करती हूँ, यूट्यूब में लाइव देख कर, और शाम को भी हवन करती हूँ। मुझे यज्ञ/हवन करने में बहुत खुशी होती है। मैं आपकी पुस्तक संध्या मंत्र भी पढ़ती हूँ। गुरु जी, मुझे यह पूछना था कि ईश्वर निराकार क्यों है, वह साकार क्यों नहीं हो सकता । क्या ईश्वर शरीर धारण नहीं कर सकता ? आपकी बेटी तेजस्विनी प्रणाम गुरु जी
Swami Ram Swarup: My blessings to you, beti. Beti, yeh padkar bahut achcha laga ki tum roz havan kartee ho. Havan Ishwar ki best Pooja hai. Haven ke anginat gunn hai, jo yaha nahi likh sakte. Yet, I paste my article on the subject:-
Benefits of Yajyen
Yajurveda gives knowledge to do pious deeds. The first mantra of Yajurveda (1/1) says that human beings must perform Yajyen in which offerings are put in burning fire with Ved mantras. Then mantra says it will prevent the infectious disease and will give constant pleasure. Samveda mantra 534 says that the ingredients like ghee and samagri when poured in fire while performing Yajyen, then these matters go in sky
and cause rain and purify the atmosphere.
Samved mantra 536 says that in YAJYEN, the matters (aahuti/offerings) go up to sun and give strength to sun to cause rain. Samved mantra 537 tells the offerings in a Yajyen must touch the ray of light of sun. Samved mantra 539 says that the offerings in a Yajyen, go to the sky to create rain so that the animal, birds etc., are increased in number. Samved mantra 1379 says that Yajyen must be performed while chanting Ved mantras and mantra 1380 says that age is increased by Yajyen.
Samved mantra 1363 says that one who loves Yajyen, he only concentrates/meditates. Samved mantra 1270 says that the offerings in Yajyen go in the sky through ray of light of sun. Yajurved mantra 1/2 says that Yajyen purifies the earth. It reaches to ray of light of sun and goes to sky and sun through air. Yajyen purifies the air and holds the universe spreading pleasure all over. When Yajyen is performed then air touches the burning fire and scientifically is purified just as water is boiled on fire and becomes purified. Then the pure air goes up (on being heated) and the impure air starts touching the fire and after becoming purified goes to sky and this procedure is continued till the end of Yajyen.
Yajyen is basically performed by using wood of mango tree. A scientist named Trelle of France did experiments on Yajyen. He found that Yajyen is mainly performed by using mango tree. When the wood is burnt then a gas, "formic aldehyde" is liberated which destroys the harmful bacteria and makes the atmosphere pure. Then only, the scientists made "formalin" from "formic aldehyde" gas. He also did experiment on jaggery/Gur (in Hindi raw sugar) and found that on burning the jaggery, jaggery also generates "formic aldehyde" gas.
A scientist named Tautlik came to know that if we stay in a Yajyen and its smoke for half an hour then the germs of typhoid are destroyed and all these matters are used in Yajyen.
Yajurved says that four types of things mainly used to prepare offerings for a Yajyen:
1. Sweet Like honey, jaggery, raw sugar etc.,
2. Antibiotic herbs like gyol, etc.,
3. Nutrition like pure ghee, dry fruits etc.,
4. Fragrant materials like elaichi (cardamom) dried petals flowers etc.
When all these are offered then it happens that just as a household lady in her kitchen fries chilli in ghee then you know the effect of the chilli through air even goes to a far distance like drawing room and other rooms too. So is the case of Yajyen and similarly the offerings of all the things goes to the sky and to sun making contact with air and ray of light of sun.
Chilli leaves its bad effect to the nose whereas the above said things used in Yajyen leave the best affect in atmosphere according to the qualities of each thing. That is why Samved mantra 3 says that burning fire is like messenger/ambassador which does work to carry the effect of all above things to the sky i.e., spreads them in atmosphere. Everybody knows that things/matters are never destroyed but change their shape only. There is also a misunderstanding that in a Yajyen/havan, carbon dioxide gas is generated. Carbon dioxide is available in whole of universe. Its huge quantity is harmful but when carbon dioxide comes out from havan, duly mixed with ghee and other things it becomes beneficial to all human beings. Secondly, burning of mango does not liberate much of carbon-dioxide. Scientists also say that carbon dioxide is taken by human beings in soda lemonade which becomes digestible. Therefore the holy Yajyen in addition is a scientific action which is beneficial to the whole universe.
Dr. Kundanlal (M.D.) was an allopathic doctor, he took twelve test tubes made of glass, duly purified scientifically, six sets of two test tubes each made and each set was filled with milk and food i.e., six were filled with milk and six were filled with food. In six test tubes, there was air of Yajyen/havan. In other six test tubes there was only ordinary air of garden filled. Now Dr. Kundanlal started regular watch on each set of test tubes. He found the result that the food which was filled by ordinary air of garden started decaying and giving bad smell quickly whereas the food with air of Yajyen/havan started decaying slowly. This experiment was based while performing a single havan but a spiritual havan containing all things (minimum 21 herbs) will give the best result.
Therefore there are unlimited benefits of Yajyen which cannot be explained in full, being very lengthy. I have forgotten about an article I read in a leading newspaper of India about ten years back, in which it was mentioned that in a country, a jungle up to the area of 30 miles started getting dried up due to a disease in herbs and trees. The Govt. tried level best to nurse the jungles but all in vain. The country came to know from somewhere about Yajyen and not Yajyen but a simple havan without Ved mantras was started there and slowly, the whole jungle was recovered and became green, duly free from disease. Yajyen in the night will contain only spiritual effect but the physical effect for causing rain and purification of atmosphere will be decreased as all the things used in Yajyen/havan will be unable to go to sky and even to sun in the absence of ray of light of sun as mentioned in above mantras.
बेटी, शेर है तो वह गीदड़ कभी नहीं हो सकता। आप का स्वरूप है – साकार। दुनिया में आप जैसे शक्ल सूरत वाली कन्या दूसरी बिरला ही होगी। यह तो संसारी उदाहरण है जो परमेश्वर पर पूरा लागू होता भी नहीं है। इसी प्रकार अनादिकाल से परमेश्वर निराकार रहा है और रहेगा क्योंकि निराकार में ही अनंत गुणों के साथ, यह एक जबर्दस्त गुण है कि परमेश्वर पर मृत्यु नहीं आती। बाकी सारा संसार प्रलय में लीन हो जाता है, ईश्वर वैसा का वैसा ही रहता है। यदि ईश्वर को हम साकार कहने लगेंगे तो ईश्वर तो मर जाएगा।
Rob: Namaste ji. I hope all is well. I have been speaking to a very knowledgeable student of yours Guru Prasadji. After a small amount of communication I see he has more knowledge than all the internet "gurus" and the likes and also he made me realise that the only books to study are Vedas.
He advised me to send a message on here in the hope to reach his Acharyaji, and has also arranged some books to be sent to me via the post which I cannot thank enough for 🙏. I have a burning within me to study the Vedas as I think whilst now I am not ignorant of the fact that Vedas are absolute that if I do not study them then it is a poor choice of my use of this life. So my question really is: what should my next steps be to begin the study of Vedas? Thankyou for your time reading this and I am thankful to have spoken to a true follower of the Vedas Guru Prasadji and hopefully at sometime in the future yourself ji. Yours hopefully Rob
Swami Ram Swarup: Namasteji. I am fine here and hope the same for you. My dear Robert, I have read your heart fealty loving views. Really, God bless you I also appreciate that you have praised my disciple GuruPrasad. In this world, the first most complicated matter is to make a person able to realise/know that:-
(1) In the beginning of creation, knowledge of four vedas emanates directly from God and is further originated in the heart of four Rishis by the power of Almighty God.
(2) A person named Brahma, after serving the four Rishis named Agni, Vayu, Aditya, Angira got the knowledge of four Vedas and further transferred the same knowledge traditionally to his disciples. From here the tradition of Real learned Guru of Vedas starts. Whosoever would know these eternal truths, he would never accept the self-made traditions of worship.
For God's sake, you are very much lucky in this matter to know the above quoted truth. Now, you have put your question that how you would start the study of Vedas. In This connection, I paste my article below and if however, you would still need to know and something about Vedas, you are most welcome to remember me, if I can be of any use from here.
There are three educations/preach about
(i) knowledge – science etc(Gyan) in Rigved,
At the time of every creation, knowledge of four Vedas emanates direct from God and is originated in the heart of four Rishis in non-sexual creation. In the said process, first of all, the knowledge of Rigved advents and originates in the heart of Rishi Agni. In this Veda though the description of every worldly matter right from straw to God has been mentioned but it speaks especially about matters concerning science of the world. God has described qualities/nature of all materialistic articles of the universe. Therefore, the entire mankind must get the benefit of eternal knowledge of Vedas by knowing about right from straw to Brahma i.e., God. The meaning of "Ric" is that wherein the qualities and nature of all matters have been described and the meaning of Veda is knowledge i.e., true knowledge. These words are used in making the pious word "Rigved".
(ii) In Yajurved, the form of true, pious deeds have been preached. So, in the absence of listening of Yajurved, we can't know about real moral duties of students, married persons, vanprasthis and sanyasis. Even the moral and social obligations of King, parents, children etc., can't be known.
(iii) In Samved there is preach about eternal true worship of God like Yajyen, name jaap, practice of Ashtang yoga by following which an aspirant realises God/attains salvation.
So, Almighty God who is formless, creates, nurses, destroys and again creates universe. This process is eternal and everlasting. So, at the time of beginning of each non-sexual, the knowledge of above four Vedas emanates direct from God and is originated in the heart of four Rishis. The knowledge is given by the God to the human-beings for their welfare/benefit because until the knowledge is given by somebody, no one can attain the knowledge. In the beginning of the creation, no preacher, guru, acharya, teacher is present there to teach. So, God gives the knowledge.
Main objective of all four Vedas is to destroy the illusion to realize God, while discharging all our moral duties. Meaning of Shiv or Sadashiv is benevolent God who is Formless, Almighty, unchangeable, unchallengeable and who alone has power to create nurse and destroy the universe and again create it. Because God was one, is one and shall always remain one. Amongst several Ved mantras, Yajurveda mantra 27/36 also states- 'Na Jataha Na Janishyate' i.e., equivalent to this God, neither other God was born, nor shall be born in future. Rigveda Mantra 7/104/14 also states that those who worship false God and Goddesses, God punishes them. So, we have to follow Vedic preach and not preach which is against the Vedas.
As Yajurveda Mantra 40/8 also states that God is 'Shukram' i.e., He was Almighty, has all power and needs no assistance to control the universe or to do any divine deeds. He alone is enough to do divine deeds. I mean to say He needs no assistance like Yamraj to award death etc., no Indra devta to cause rain etc. He is 'Akayam' without body, 'Asnaviram' i.e., without nervous system, 'Avarnam' i.e., no hole cannot be made into Him, 'Shuddham' i.e., He is the purest, it means there is no illusion which can overcome God. 'Apaapvidham' God is always away from all sins and from facing result of any deed etc. So, He cannot speak, because He has no mouth, tongue etc.
Actually, being Almighty when He is able to tell or to inspire the people or to make them understand about any matter without any tongue, so its necessity is not required by God. We are souls who needs assistance like tongue to speak, eye to see etc. That is why, when in the beginning of every earth, God gives knowledge of four Vedas to four Rishis then the knowledge of God with the power of Almighty God automatically is originated in the heart of four Rishis. In Vedas, there is no existence of Devi-Devta, bhoot, pret, jin, sayyad, kali, mahakali, Kalyug Maharaj, Sani Maharajji etc. Vedas only tell to worship one Formless, Almighty God who creates, nurses and destroys the universe. Yet, those who believe it and worship it they may go ahead on their own.
Luck (destiny) is always in our hands, say Vedas i.e., who works hard towards right path i.e., according to Vedas, Shastras etc., and worships God daily, he destroys the effect of previous lives' deeds and makes his future bright. For example- Samveda mantra 830 states that he who daily offers aahutis in the yajyen/Havan with Ved mantras, he makes his future bright. Rigveda mantra 10/135/4 states that those who make contact with learned acharya of Vedas and under guidance of acharya, they destroy their sorrows and attain salvation.


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In the case of McDonald v. the Henrico County Department of Social Services, the Virginia Court of Appeals, in an unpublished opinion, ruled that the trial court correctly terminated the parental rights of a father who was incarcerated for part of the child's time in foster care where clear and convincing evidence proved appellant failed to maintain contact with or substantially plan for the future of the child.
Code § 16.1-283(C)(1) requires proof, by clear and convincing evidence that:
The parent or parents have, without good cause, failed to maintain continuing contact with and to provide or substantially plan for the future of the child for a period of six months after the child's placement in foster care notwithstanding the reasonable and appropriate efforts of social, medical, mental health or other rehabilitative agencies to communicate with the parent or parents and to strengthen the parent-child relationship. Proof that the parent or parents have failed without good cause to communicate on a continuing and planned basis with the child for a period of six months shall constitute prima facie evidence of this condition.
[W]hile long-term incarceration does not, per se, authorize termination of parental rights or negate the Department's obligation to provide services, it is a valid and proper circumstance which, when combined with other evidence concerning the parent/child relationship, can support a court's finding by clear and convincing evidence that the best interests of the child will be served by termination.
In this case, father wrote child a few times, but stopped, failed to maintain phone contact with the child or with the DSS and failed to provide them any meaningful plan for how he would raise the child once released.
The father also argued that the DSS never provided him services to strengthen his relationship with his son. Code § 16.1-283(C)(1) required DSS to prove that it made "reasonable and appropriate" efforts to communicate with the father and strengthen his relationship with the child. What constitutes "reasonable and appropriate" efforts can only be judged with reference to the circumstances of a particular case. In this case, the DSS had letter and phone contact with father, but father discontinued the contact, and will not be released from jail until 2013, which combined with the child's special needs, supports a finding that the DSS used reasonable and appropriate efforts.


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Smart Procurement World is bringing its regional conference to the Free State.
Partnering with the Free State Department of Economic, Small Business Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (DESTEA) has enabled Smart Procurement World to take its procurement and supply chain indaba into its fourth South African province.
Since beginning in Gauteng in 2009, Smart Procurement World has extended into the Western Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and, on 19 March 2019, into the Free State.
The conference will promote supply chain's role in generating business for small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs). Limited access to markets has been identified as one of the main barriers for SMMEs. State and private-sector procurement of goods and services remain an integral part of radical economic transformation.
"The conference theme – Walk the Talk; High Impact Procurement – will be a catalyst towards our primary mandate of SMME development in our province", says Limakatso Mahasa, MEC, DESTEA.
"We welcome all partners and participants to the Free State Smart Procurement World conference and exhibition, and trust that your involvement and active participation will make this event a success."
"The conference encourages professional development and the discussion of top-of-mind issues in supply chain management. It will look at policies and examine best practices used to implement them", notes Mediacy Mudekwa, Head of Content, Smart Procurement World.
"How do you, for example, translate economic development policies into mainstream practice using high-impact enterprise and supplier development programmes? This will be at the heart of the discussions."
Transformation of top leadership teams in South African companies appears to be back on the agenda, with BEE appointments reportedly up by 10% from the year before. According to Mudekwa, "this has serious ramifications for the economy".
The Free State procurement indaba has positioned itself to assist participants and delegates with the following:
– How to do business with the Free State government and private sector
– How SMMEs can secure contracts on-site
– How to unlock networking opportunities
– How 80% of SMMEs can meet procurement buyers
– How 50% of SMMEs can arrange between one and five follow-up meetings
– How to create SMME-to-SMME links
The platform provided through this procurement indaba is a step towards sustainable SMMEs in the Free State. It is the conference organisers' hope that this event will equip attendees to drive strategy and to deliver world-class procurement and supply chain management practices as demanded by the current climate.
Smart Procurement World Free State will be held on 19 and 20 March 2019 at the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS) in Bloemfontein.


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Manhattan Venture Partners (MVP), a research-driven, merchant-banking firm focused on the secondary market for late-stage private technology companies, announced the appointment of Rashaun Williams, a former founding partner of Queens Bridge Venture Partners (QBVP), as a general partner of the MVP All-Star Fund (All-Star)-an investment vehicle that provides investors early access to a predetermined target basket of global, late-stage, venture-backed private tech companies.
Mr. Williams joins a seasoned management team including managing partners Eric Brachfeld, Jared Carmel and Evan A. Haymes, and secondary market leaders Kevin A. Cohen, Nicholas Gupta and Bradley D. Fishman.
"Rashaun brings to All-Star a successful track record of principal investing into the next generation of leading technology companies, providing depth and experience to our management team," said Mr. Carmel. "He also brings extensive connections to both the venture capital and the sports and entertainment influencer communities, broadening our access into these important and exclusive networks."
Mr. Williams helped launch QBVP in 2013 with hip hop icon Nasir "Nas" Jones, counting Dropbox, Lyft, Seatgeek, Casper and General Assembly among the startups in which it invested. During his career, Mr. Williams, who is based in Los Angeles, has worked with dozens of athletes and entertainers helping them invest in tech, and has also held senior executive positions at Wall Street firms including Goldman Sachs, Wachovia Bank, and Deutsche Bank.
"What impresses me most about MVP is the depth of its independent research on private companies—insights investors can't access anywhere else," said Mr. Williams. "That, coupled with its proven track record of identifying, sourcing and investing in companies that see a liquidity event in the near term, is the perfect foundation to create such an innovative investment vehicle with All-Star."
MVP currently manages three specialty pre-IPO late-stage funds in addition to the All-Star Fund. The firm's partners and founders have previously engaged in more than $2 billion in private transactions, including primary and secondary venture investments in pre-IPO companies.
Manhattan Venture Partners (MVP) is a research-driven, merchant-banking firm focused on the secondary market for late-stage private technology companies. We provide direct and managed secondary investment opportunities, deploy capital as principals, and provide advisory services. We act as a partner and work with investors to give them the access they want, while providing shareholders the diversification they need.


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I don't know where you're going to put one of these circular jute rugs by Ferm Living, but you'd better figure it out, because for $62, they're a steal of a deal. And don't ask why, because the patterns- triangles! dots! sticks!- should pretty much convince you, if not the size (it'll fit anywhere) and the fact that's it's made from 100% jute. I'd say it could work well in your entryway, laundry room, or any other high traffic space (a kid's room, perhaps?).
Size: 39″ diameter
Material: 100% jute
Search by Category


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Haiti's voters have spoken. But nobody's quite sure what they've said. Even tentative results of Sunday's presidential election likely won't be known for at least 10 days, despite the fact that the election, which involved 54 presidential candidates and tens of thousands of contenders for other races, went unusually smoothly. Few places in the world take longer to give citizens any hint of who won an election. One reason is that it's against the law for results to be released by anyone other than the Provisional Electoral Council, whose members are replaced every election cycle. "A lot of the learning that is accrued every time they go through an election process seems to be lost," said Kenneth Merten, Haiti special coordinator for the U.S. State Department and a former U.S. ambassador to the country.
Haitian and international observers said Sunday's vote was largely free of the violence and disorder that has plagued previous elections, including the first round of legislative elections in early August. Haiti appears to be "moving in the right direction," said Celso Amorim, chief of the Organization of American States' 125-member observer mission.
But watchdog groups said they are trying to keep a close eye on transportation and count of ballots.
Under guard by Haitian police and U.N. peacekeepers, Sunday's ballots and polling-place counts were being trucked from the countryside across often-dilapidated roads to a warehouse tabulation center in the capital of Port-au-Prince on Monday. "Fraud can occur especially during the transportation and certification of ballots," said Abdonel Doudou, a member of the umbrella group Citizen Observatory for Institutionalizing Democracy, which deployed 1,830 observers across the country on election day.
Full Article: Haiti faces long wait for results of presidential election.


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Polynomial Piece-Wise Stiffness in Cable-Based Transmissions for Robots: Modeling and Identification
This paper deals with cable-based motor-to-joint transmissions of multi-link robots chain. Their effects on robots flexibility have to be taken into account for modeling and control design. More in details, slack cables do not provide any force during compression (unlike springs), may present an initial nonzero elongation (preload) and, depending on the material, could exhibit non-constant stiffness. Those features may lead to non-trivial piece-wise elastic torques in a mechanical transmission. In this context, we present a framework to generate a more general (piece-wise) elastic torque model which can be embedded in the classical flexible-joint robot model, coherently with the Lagrangian approach. Moreover, we propose a model based on polynomial stiffness, whose parameters can be identified with ordinary least-squares techniques. Experimental results conducted on a flexible transmission show the usage and the utility of this work.


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As the end of 2014 comes to a close, it is a good time to remember the standout comics that got our attention, moved us, or just inspired its readers enough to get featured on the main page. Each week, one featured comics is selected by either ozoneocean and me (kawaiidaigakusei). Over the course of one year, hundreds of hours are spent reading through archives, selecting the right images for the front page, typing up reviews and creating audio recordings for the Quackast. I am a firm believer that hardwork should be rewarded and given the respect it deserves.
The following list includes the webcomics featured over the course of the year. The last featured comic of 2014 will be revealed on Wednesday, December 31, by ozoneocean. This list will be updated accordingly.
Original Black World Dio by Project_00_Wolfen
The Light Eater by Rosengeist
Restaurante Macoatl by Flinto
August Landing by Icosh
Sin Issue 1 The Beating of the Drums by RedCoreStudios
Cycle Bolt by mark33
Diexemor by Memoria caelestie
Steamrose by skye_fenn
Place Like Home by PlaceLikeHome
Cramberries by KitKatMuffin
Scratch Proof by heropill
Ad Humanae by Ryjia
Civilian by Encicra
Ghost Operators by JoeL_CQB
Capefall by Panman
The Chornicles of Bucky O Neill by Demongrinder
Drake the Cool Vampire by lordbryceman
Taco El Gato is SuperTaco by Candilicious Cartoons
Everyone Laughs at the Crocodile Man v2 by mulletturtle
Othersiders by Renester
ATHENA SCULPTURE by DK LOMBARDI
The Adventures of Grumpy Bear and Mr Goose by TheGrump
Seoladan by Cath
The Cull by Singring
The Legend of Briva by SillyHippo11
Mechaniko by Yves Ker Ambrun
Fall of God by Renee Katz
Dinnersaurus Rex by bemirry
Jupiter by Zimeta
Wastelanders Anonymous by Seabiscuit
The Knight Watchman in The Crime Cook by bigbangcomics
All Unicorns to Battle Stations by Gunwallace
Blood Bound by Anubis
HelloAlbertosaurus by gurukity
Drunk Duck Awards 2014 by Niccea
The Rat by pao
The Gimblians by mattgasser
Grueson by Yan Gevuld
YOUR CHOICE by Vinomas
The Last Nerds on Earth by LastNerdsOnEarth
Gods Revelation by ep1
Perry Penguin by Vindibudd
Words with Abby and Lydia by booger
Ginger and Shadow by Barry Corbett
Andee Candy by AndeeCandy
HardLuckComics by ComicMan86
Journey Man by willgun
Lady Unlucky by Whirlwynd
Devil Spy by Jaymzeecat
Congratulations to all the comics featured this year!
The Ultimate List of 2014 Featured Comics
kawaiidaigakusei at 12:00AM, Dec. 29, 2014VinoMas at 5:39PM, Dec. 30, 2014
strixvanallen at 6:26PM, Dec. 29, 2014
I faved most of them. Thank you for showing us so many great comics! :)
Abt_Nihil at 4:45PM, Dec. 29, 2014
So many great comics!
tupapayon at 9:08AM, Dec. 29, 2014
kinda looks like half my favorites list is there... still many I have to check... congratz and good job!
brogan68 at 9:04AM, Dec. 29, 2014
Love this list! Great way to check out some unexplored strips! Thanks!
Ozoneocean at 9:02AM, Dec. 29, 2014
Magnificent list!!!! That represents quite a LOT of work Kawaii, well done!
Banes at 7:20AM, Dec. 29, 2014
Great post! Kudos again to all!
KimLuster at 4:23AM, Dec. 29, 2014
Lotsa good ones in there!!


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- Latin Name: Pinus Silvestris L.
- CAS No.: 84012-35-1
- Active Ingredient: Flavonoids
- Specifications: 0,5%
- Test Method: UV-Vis
- Part used: Bark
- Appearance: Fine brown powder
Pine has various healing properties that allow it to cure various diseases including those of the respiratory system. Used for lung diseases, bronchitis, gallstones, phlegm, cystitis, gout, urinary tract infections, skin infections and inflammations, bladder inflammation, respiratory tract inflammation, gastrointestinal inflammation, flu, sore throat, pyelitis, pneumonia, cold , rheumatism, stagnation of mucus in the airways, cough, to clear the nasal cavity, to improve diuresis.
- Antiseptic for the urinary and respiratory tract and for the liver
- Expectorant-fluidifying
- Antirheumatic
- Balsamic


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From an investment perspective 2009 was a year for the history books. After being down 37% in 2008 the S & P 500 dropped another 25% through March 9; for a total fall of 57% from the October 2007 high. And then, beginning at the moment of maximum pessimism, the market recorded its greatest nine month gain in history — returning 65% — to finish up 25.5% for the year.
Due to the cruel nature of investment math (a 50% drop requires a 100% gain to break even) all stock portfolios have a ways to go to fully recover. But balanced portfolios, which didn't suffer such large losses, have bounced back fairly well. Hopefully we won't go through anything like that again – at least for a while.
The last couple of years have certainly proven that the improbable is not impossible. And there is a great deal of uncertainty as to whether the economic recovery will be robust or anemic. But one thing is certain; managing our emotions is a key ingredient to investment survival.