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How mobile friendly is the UK travel industry?
Last week Ofcom, the voice of the UK communications industry, revealed the pivotal news that the Smartphone is now our favourite device for browsing the internet. Further to this, we now spend on average almost two hours online each day on our Smartphone devices.
In 2015 approximately 50% of all travel bookings will be made online and over 20% of these will be via a mobile device so bearing this in mind, we’ve analysed the websites of 20 independent travel agents and tour operators with surprising results. The companies included in the study are Kuoni, Sovereign, Kenwood Travel, Best at Travel, ITC Luxury Travel, If Only, Elegant Resorts, Carrier, Abercrombie & Kent, Inspired Luxury Escapes, Scott Dunn, Hays Travel, Six Star Holidays, Bookable Holidays, Luxury Holidays Direct, Fleetway Travel, Destinology, Cox and Kings, Sunmaster and Premier Holidays.
1 in 3 websites are NOT mobile friendly
35% of the websites tested were either not responsive (i.e. did not adapt to the browsing device’s screen resolution) or did not have a dedicated mobile site. Research shows that 30% of mobile users will abandon a website if it is not optimised for their device.
4 in 5 websites are NOT designed with a mobile first approach
Just 20% of the websites tested provided a mobile optimised experience. Of those websites that were responsive no consideration had been given to reducing page load speeds, optimising images or tailoring content to suit a smaller screen size and the needs of the mobile customer. It was quite obvious that the main focus during the design process had been on desktop browsing first with mobile a lesser priority.
80% of websites suffered from slow loading times
The average home page size of the websites tested was 3.2mb. To put this into context – the average page size of the top one million websites in the world (according to Alexa.com) is 1.1mb – which is 3 times smaller. Only 4 of the websites tested had a home page size of less than 1.1mb. Quite shockingly the largest home page tested was over 23mb! Using mobile data, the approximate time to download a 3.2mb page would be 1 second on 4G, 2 seconds on 3G and a whopping 20 seconds on 2G. Once you factor in page load speed as well then it would make for a slow browsing experience (even using most Wi-Fi connections) and research has shown that 57% of mobile users will abandon a website if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.
Mobile first, desktop second
Mobile has changed the way we search. We no longer go online, we are online. Your customer’s purchase path is more fractured than ever and your website must be able to deliver the right content, in the right context at the right time. Mobile searches on Google are now more popular than desktop searches in over 10 countries (including UK and USA). As of 21 April 2015, Google updated its search algorithm to include mobile-friendly usability factors. Websites which are not mobile-friendly will be penalised on Google's mobile search result pages.
This rapid and continued increase in the use of Smartphones for researching and booking travel means it is essential for companies to take a mobile first approach in developing their websites and digital marketing activities. Those brands that do can expect increased engagement, visitors and booking levels. | {
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Controversial Issues in Social Policy is an edited collection of contemporary social policy debates argued between some of the foremost thinkers in the field of social work as well as prominent authors in other fields.
Controversial Issues in Social Policy is divided into three parts. The first part, Social Policy and the American Welfare State, focuses on general issues in social welfare policy. Part two looks at The Culture Wars: Discrimination, Stigma and Social Policy. Part three examines Social Work and Social Service Delivery Issues.
New to This Edition
16 brand new debates on some of the most controversial issues of today, such as:
· The issue of open borders and immigration, debated by Tatcho Mindiola and Howard Karger.
· The privatization of Social Security, debated by William Beach and Steven Rose.
· The pros and cons of National Health Insurance, debated by Manuel Zamora and Robert Moffit.
· The legalization of same-sex marriage, debated by Lori Messinger and Focus on the Family’s Glenn Stanton.
* This reader can be packaged at a special price with any Allyn and Bacon title. Contact your local sales representative for more information. You can also find your local sales representative at http://ablongman.com/replocator.
Synopsis:
Controversial Issues in Social Policy is an edited collection of contemporary social policy debates argued between some of the foremost thinkers in the field of social work as well as prominent authors in other fields. The 16 debate topics were selected to cover a wide range of professional interests in the field of social policy and are divided into three parts. The book stresses the importance of critical and independent thought in the educational process. For anyone interested in social welfare policy, public policy and contemporary issues at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Synopsis:
Controversial Issues in Social Policy is an edited collection of contemporary social policy debates argued between some of the foremost thinkers in the field of social work as well as prominent authors in other fields. Its 16 debate topics were selected to cover a wide range of professional interests in the field of social policy and are divided into three parts:
Part I: Social Policy and the American Welfare State
Part II: The Culture Wars: Discrimination, Stigma and Social Policy
Part III: Social Work and Social Service Delivery Issues
It is a great text for anyone interested in social welfare policy, public policy and contemporary issues at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It stresses the importance of critical and independent thought in the educational process.
About the Author
Although politically liberal, the editors believe in the marketplace of ideas, a concept first articulated by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in 1919. The marketplace of ideas concept holds that the best policy arises from the competition of divergent ideas in a free and transparent public discourse, an important element of liberal democracy. To that end, we have not stacked the deck in the debates and tried to give both sides a fair hearing. In this third edition, we have intentionally expanded the politically conservative voices from organizations such as the American Enterprise Institute, Heritage Foundation, and Focus on the Family. It is our belief that eventually the most salient ideas will win out, regardless of where they sit on the political spectrum. Positions must stand the test of analytical scrutiny before they can be accepted. Critical debate facilitates the twin tasks of validation and refutation. It also heightens an understanding of the issues, permits contradictions to be resolved, and ultimately promotes correct rather than false knowledge.
Social policy is a dynamic field and innovations and revisions in policy thinking regularly occur. However, remarkably little has changed in social policy since the first edition of this book was published. The country remains split between hard-line conservatives and the more suffocating elements of politically correct thinking. Social policy is still shaped by rigid ideological commitments even though these are often presented as thoughtful and original policy ideas that will improve social conditions. One example is the much touted compassionate conservatism of the Bush administration which seems to be reserved for the needy rich instead of the needy poor. Similarly, the government=s new emphasis on marriage as a solution to the problems of poverty and family deprivation resurrects cultural themes in American social thought that are hardly new or innovative. There is an urgent need to examine these and other policy developments critically and to subject them to intense debate. Books of this kind are needed now more than ever.
Exposing students to critical debate is also an effective teaching device. While rote learning has an obvious role in the educational process, the task of helping students to gain an understanding of the most important issues in the field requires more than just the memorization of facts. In subjects such as social work and social policy, where judgment is as important as knowing facts, students need to think critically, to be able to grasp complex nuances, and to analyze issues and defend their positions. The lecture format is not always the most effective means to inculcate these kinds of intellectual skills. We hope that the debates in this book will assist instructors to promote passionate discussions among students and to facilitate the critical thinking needed to enhance our field. Now more than ever, the profession needs innovative thinking that supports bold new ideas not hashed over Aconsensus@ opinions that masquerade as truth.
We have included debates in this book that will encourage social work students to think critically and to develop their analytical skills, in fact, many of these debates require careful and critical review. We also hope that instructors and general readers will also benefit from the debates. For this reason, many of the debates address very difficult issues. Indeed, some of the positions argued by our contributors are unpopular, but as was argued previously, it is important that social workers understand them. We believe strongly in the ability of our readers to determine for themselves which arguments are the most valid and relevant. For this reason, we do not avoid issues because of their contentiousness. It is hoped that instructors will use this book in the spirit in which it was written and to expose students to the varied opinions found in the rich terrain of social policy. As stated earlier, one of the strengths of social policy is its openness to various interpretations, which makes it intellectually challenging and exciting. Indeed, we hope this book will communicate the exhilaration of analyzing the complexities of social welfare policy.
The reader should not assume, despite the passionate tone or persuasive impact of these debates, that the authors personally endorse the issues they present. Controversy is the essence of intellectual discourse. Although it may produce sharp disagreements, the role of critical disputation in furthering knowledge is universally recognized. While scholars may strenuously promote particular positions, the capacity to do so requires mastery of both sides of an issue.
What Our Readers Are Saying
Average customer rating based on 1 comment:
tgrang13, May 26, 2012 (view all comments by tgrang13)
I thought this book was really great. There are debates on very tough issues such as what should be done about many social issues from a social work policy perspective. In most of the debates, both sides have very compelling arguments. A lot of these issues I had already made my own decision on as to what I think is right or wrong, but some of these authors bring up implications for certain policies that I have never even thought about before. For example, the immigration debate was probably my favorite. There were many issues that I feel like I still don't know what side I am on, because both ends of the debate did so well putting forth their argument. I had to get this book for a social work policy class, but you do not have to be interested in social work for this to be interesting. Social policy affects all of us, and this is a great book to be informed on some of the key issues that we are still fighting over in the political realm.
"Synopsis"
by Ingram,
Controversial Issues in Social Policy is an edited collection of contemporary social policy debates argued between some of the foremost thinkers in the field of social work as well as prominent authors in other fields. The 16 debate topics were selected to cover a wide range of professional interests in the field of social policy and are divided into three parts. The book stresses the importance of critical and independent thought in the educational process. For anyone interested in social welfare policy, public policy and contemporary issues at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
"Synopsis"
by Pearson,
Controversial Issues in Social Policy is an edited collection of contemporary social policy debates argued between some of the foremost thinkers in the field of social work as well as prominent authors in other fields. Its 16 debate topics were selected to cover a wide range of professional interests in the field of social policy and are divided into three parts:
Part I: Social Policy and the American Welfare State
Part II: The Culture Wars: Discrimination, Stigma and Social Policy
Part III: Social Work and Social Service Delivery Issues
It is a great text for anyone interested in social welfare policy, public policy and contemporary issues at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. It stresses the importance of critical and independent thought in the educational process.
Powell's City of Books is an independent bookstore in Portland, Oregon, that fills a whole city block with more than a million new, used, and out of print books. Shop those shelves — plus literally millions more books, DVDs, and gifts — here at Powells.com. | {
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Marble and Granite
At TTS Granite, we are all about the details; it's what makes us different from other natural stone fabricators. Our entire process—from digital measure to installation-- is completed in as little as 5-7 business days. The process begins with a free consultation in-home or office to discuss your needs, ideas and measurements. Next a visit to our slab/design showroom to personally select your stone from over 1,000 stocked slabs to finalize your order. We then digitally measure your space and invite you back to see your counters taped out on your slab for your approval before cutting begins. Finally your custom countertops are professionally installed within hours and your space is transformed.
Granite is an excellent choice for countertops, floors, and other heavily used surfaces. Granite is quarried from countries all over the world and is one of the most popular natural stones on the market. While some synthetic surfaces scratch easily and melt under hot cookware, granite resists heat and when sealed properly is not affected by citric acid, coffee, tea, alcohol or wine. It is nearly impossible to scratch. Granite's striking array of colors, durability and longevity make it ideal for kitchen countertops and other heavily used surfaces including table tops and floors.
Because of its beauty and elegance, marble is a popular choice for countertops, floors, foyers, fireplaces, walls and window sills, tub surrounds and bath vanities. The composition of true marble is vulnerable to mild acids found in everyday kitchen products. When selecting marble for heavy usage areas the user should be aware of these characteristics and accept the marble may have to be serviced every few years. | {
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Bridgestone tyres gearing up for return of the Eco-Rally
Bridgestone tyres are teaming up with Start to bring back the Eco-Rally which will showcase the world’s best environmentally-friendly vehicles.
The 2011 Bridgestone Eco-Rally will take place on Sunday 31st July, and this year has a new route starting from Broad Street in Oxford and finishing at The Mall in London.
A host of car manufacturers have already signed up to the event, including Mitsubishi, Volvo, Aston Martin, Lotus, Nissan, Ford, Tesla and Honda, along with a string of celebrities who will be driving the vehicles.
Andy Dingley from Bridgestone said: “Following the success of last year’s event, Bridgestone is delighted to be involved again with this year’s Eco-Rally.
“It is a fantastic event which showcases the vehicles of the future and really shows off the versatility of the different, environmentally-friendly options out there.
“Bridgestone is committed to reducing the impact of motoring on the environment for current and future generations and this year’s Bridgestone Eco-Rally is set to be bigger and better than ever.”
This year’s event culminates with a free to attend, green transport exhibition, coinciding with Start’s Summer Programme. Start, is an initiative inspired by HRH The Prince of Wales to promote and celebrate eco-friendly living. | {
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Mixins in game development
Programmers tend to think in the Object Oriented Programming paradigm all the time. We create complex class hiercharies that describe every single entity on the game. Thats what we learn at school, we are programmed (deeply into our firmware) to do that, but there is a whole world of different pradigms and approaches we can use, and the scripting languages are bringing the dynamic style into the game.
Functional programming can be great for game scripting, Lua has beeen a very popular game scripting language for a very long time, and a bunch of game engines uses it (including CryEngine 2.0 and Gamebryo LightSpeed). The ability to attach properties and functions into an object at runtime, for example, is incredibly useful to create high level game logic and even artificial intelligence.
We can talk about dynamic languajes and their benefts here, but I want t focus on Mixins as the modern approach to game entity description:
Mixins are chunks of functionability that can be applied to game objects. You can think of them as little pieces (building blocks) that you use to create a complex game entity. The most basic mixin every game entity is the entity’s transform which defines its position, rotation and scale. Each game engine implements entity’s transform in a different way, but the concept is the same.
Mixin complexity can vary from a simple mixin that lets you name an object (holds a string identifier), to very complex mixins like the one that provides characters the ability to use pathfinding to navigate the scene.
Each engine handles mixin agreggation in it’s own way, some engines even let you use multiple inheritance with mixins. Please note the difference between mixin inheritance and mixin agreggation:
Inheritance:
Mixins can be inherited
You can have mixin class hierarchies just the same way you can with normal classes
Aggregation:
Game objects agreggate a number of mixins to aquire their functionability
Mixins are agreggated (added to game objects) to create entity model descriptions
For example: A mixin called BoomerangTarget provides the ability to be the target of the player’s boomerang. BoomerangTarget is a child of another mixin called Target which provides the generic ability of being a target of a player’s weapon. At the same time, an Enemy agreggates the following mixins: Actor, BoomerangTarget, SwordTarget. Actor lets the enemy play animations, BoomerangTarget is the mixin desvribed above and SwordTarget provides the ability to be hit by a sword. SwordTarget mixin is also a child of Target, thus, both BoomerangTarget and SwordTarget share the basic functionability defined in the Target mixin.
A lot of game engines are using Mixins these days. Mixins have become the standard way to represent game object functionability.
Hi,Your article is interesting. Mixins sounds a good architecture for rapid prototyping. However, I do not understand how mixins' properties link to the C++ code. For example, a light mixin has ambient, diffuse and specular attributes, there is necessary some way for C++ programmer to use a light mixin to manipulate real graphical light data structure. | {
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I'm a sysadmin for Sentry Data Systems. I do linux and clustering and networking, and enjoy instigating a good STONITH deathmatch when I get bored.
Work-wise, I'm a giant fan of the k.I.s.s. principle - keep I.T. simple, stupid. Don't make things any more complex than the features you need.
In my spare time, I renovate houses and ride herd on a pack of dogs with extreme mental issues. My background and career are both in systems. I look at systems, analyze them, and use them or make them better. I likeCFO DIY home stuff because the systems are simple and it's rewarding to figure em out and use them. How do I know the things I do? I have probably been there, broken that, ruined the other thing, and had to figure out how to fix all of them. we have this saying in my group of friends-who-renovate-houses: "Ask me how I know." | {
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Winter of the world by Ken Follett
The wondrous 800+ page sequel to Fall of Giants. I recommend reading the first part, as it’s too good to miss.
This continues the tale of a wondrous cast of characters leading us through the Spanish Civil War, WWII, the nuclear arms race and the shaky peace that follows. Please don’t be put off by the length of the book because you won’t notice once you find yourself hooked on the story. Highly recommended! | {
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Helices in Proteins
From Proteopedia
Helical conformations in proteins
This page illustrates the 3 most common helical conformations (among secondary structures) found in proteins.
Each of the three examples below is a decapeptide fragment extracted from an actual protein structure in the PDB. They are shown using the same scale, for a better comparison (as a consequence, zoom in the Jmol applets is disabled).
To re-align the 3 models, either reload this page or click on each of the 3 green 'Reset' links.
The alpha helix is by far the most common helix. Note that it is a right-handed helix when formed with the common L-amino acids[1][2][3]. (It is left-handed when formed with D-amino acids[1][2][3].) When viewed from either end, right-handed helices turn clockwise when followed away from you. | {
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Two Dogs Petsitting
Connect with us:Sign up to receive our newsletter, special event announcements, and money-saving offers:Text "2DOGSPETSITTING" to 22828 ____________________________________________________________________________ | {
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Microsoft Unveils Powerhouse Lumia 950 and 950 XL Phones
Microsoft Corp. is giving up on chasing the smartphone mass market. Instead, it’s built the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, a pair of new Windows smartphones for a niche of high-end, business-focused customers. | {
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Pages
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
John Lemaster Family - 1860 Pulaski Co., IN
John LEMASTERS and his family were enumerated in the 1860 census of Pulaski Co., IN in Van Buren Twp. on June 26, 1860 under the surname LEMASTER. John was the son of Jacob and Hannah (________) LEMASTERS and was my paternal 3rd-great granduncle.
John's occupation was that of a farmer, with the value of his real estate standing at $1000 and his personal estate at $200. John. aged 55, was erroneously listed as being born in Ohio; he was born in Mason Co., VA. Wife Mary was listed as aged 51 born in Pennsylvania.
The rest of the family consisted of sons Thomas M. and William W., aged 21 and 19, who were listed as farm laborers; daughter Mary E. aged 18, son James aged 16, daughter Nancy J. aged 14 and son Luman W. aged 12. All were listed as being born in Ohio. Luman's name was listed as Laman.
The other children of John and Mary were not enumerated on the same page and I need to do further research on this family. I believe that they migrated from Shelby Co., OH to Pulaski Co., IN shortly after the death of John's father, Jacob, in 1852. | {
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Actors can't out-bluff amateur in poker tournament
Theater company raises money at eighth annual Gala
Anna Smeragliuolo and Elizabeth French played as a team in the Kensington Arts Theatre Charity Poker Tournament despite different betting philosophies. KAT's annual Fundraising Gala had a retro Vegas theme this year.
It would seem a bunch of actors would make a great bunch of poker players, but at Saturday's charity Texas Hold Em tournament at the Kensington Arts Theatre Gala, it was a non-actress who stole the show.
Markita Williams, 24, of Waldorf, came to the gala as a tag-along with her cousin Teresa McGuire, whose mother donated two cakes to the event. Williams left with first place—a set of poker chips, a card shuffler and two tickets to each of the shows KAT will produce in the coming season.
The evening's "Luck be a Lady" theme evoked retro Vegas, but Williams said her own card-playing origins are less flashy.
"I never knew anything about Lady Luck, KAT," Williams said. "I play with the boys, my husband taught me how to play. I play in people's basements."
Williams beat out the likes of Elizabeth French, KAT's former artistic director, who traveled from New York just to attend the Gala with the people she considers her family. French was also playing family, as both of her parents were in the tournament too.
"I love to gamble. I love the excitement, the sport, the friendly banter and trash talk," said French, who played a team hand with her friend Anna Smeragliuolo. "We're kind of losing, but we're having so much fun."
Doe Kim, the tournament organizer, said KAT originally wanted to do a full casino night for its eighth Fundraising Gala, but the logistics of doing it were too difficult, so the theatre group settled for a Vegas-theme, with luck and money oriented show tunes and Texas Hold Em Poker.
"I was thinking the game of Texas Hold Em is really popular, really, really popular now," Kim said. The tournament had a $40 buy-in, all of which went to KAT.
Ultimately a Boston wedding kept Kim's own poker buddies from making the tournament, which was a single table with nine players. About 50 people attended the gala, which raised $1,800 and which will help fund KAT's upcoming season, featuring "The Rocky Horror Show" in October, "Rent" in February and "Violet" in the spring.
Kim speculated the recession, along with patrons on vacation, was putting an attendance damper on the otherwise high-rolling evening. Last year the event raised about $9,000.
"There has been a drop off in attendance for certain shows," Kim said.
McGuire, Williams' cousin, only made bets at the silent auction, but was unsurprised by Williams' success at the poker table. | {
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Tuesday, July 29, 2008
You have got to check out this shop if you are in the market for a card for that special someone and you want something different! These cards are fabulous! What a great pick-me-up it would be to receive one of these in the mail. These days with e-mail rarely do I ever get a card in the mail and it is always a wonderful surprise. These items are sure to put a smile on your face and they are so cute you might not be able to part with them so you better get two! They also have printed T-shirts. Go to www.sockmonkeycards.etsy.com and receive a feee smile today! | {
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Enchant and Soulcraft Success Rate Event The Enchant and Soulcraft Success Rate Event is ending on December, 6th at 12:00 Server Time. The quests Get my Point and Scroll down a bit! are ending as well. | {
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A leak from earlier this week claimed to show the iPhone 7’sredesigned antenna lines, which appeared to be in line with what earlier reports said – that Apple would address one of the ugliest things about the iPhone 6 and 6s. However, in a hilarious twist, a Chinese smartphone maker insisted on setting the record straight, saying the image actually shows the back of its upcoming new smartphone, which just so happens to be an iPhone copycat.
You usually don’t see smartphone makers confirm component leaks, but Meizu’s vice president of sales and marketing Li Nan apparently wanted to make sure everyone knows the leaked design belongs to the Meizu Pro 6, a phone that’s not commercially available yet.
Image Source: Weibo via Apple Insider
To prove that point Nan posted the image above on the right to Weibo, showing the bottom half of the phone complete with Meizu branding. The antenna design in Nan’s image (right) matches the one seen in this week’s “iPhone 7” leak (left).
Even though Meizu seems very interested in diverting some of the buzz around that picture towards its upcoming high-end device, we can’t but notice that the overall shape, material used, and color of the phone suggest the Meizu Pro 6 will be very similar to iPhone 6s when it comes to design. That’s what made the earlier leak look so convincing, especially considering that some reports say the iPhone 7 will be remarkably similar to the iPhone 6s – and there’s nothing wrong with that. | {
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Eating Disorder Case Study: Chhaya Essay example
Chhaya is a senior in high school whose self identity problems began as a child with her mixed ethnic background. She blames her parents’ constant fighting (and threats of divorce) on her own behavior and, in turn, strives to become the perfect daughter. Chhaya consequently throws herself into her schoolwork where she repeatedly increases her goals despite the lack of disapproval of others. Social relationships and leisure activities are thrown to the wayside because Chhaya feels guilt whenever she experiences pleasure in non goal-directed activities. Although Chhaya has seemingly tried to control many aspects of her life, this tendency turned into an eating disorder, anorexia nervosa, after two major life events: finding out she did not receive valedictorian and the relationship with her first male interest ending. These events occurred within one month of each other at the end of Chhaya’s junior year in high school. Aside from her self-esteem and self-confidence plummeting, Chhaya also felt worthless and out of control of her life. When she discovered that she is very good at losing weight, she began using restricting her dieting to an extreme. She has been hospitalized and is now receiving occupational therapy at the children’s hospital.
In order to learn more about Chhaya’s roles, expectations, occupations, and the affect of these life aspects on her eating disorder, the occupational therapist used the Adolescent Role Assessment (Black, 1976) to interview Chhaya. This assessment is meant for clients who range in age from 13 to 17 years and has shown sufficient internal consistency reliability (0.75), test-retest reliability (0.91), and content validity (via a literature review of multiple areas of study) (Burke & Lomba, 200...
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Adolescent Role Assessments: José and Chhaya Essay
- “Adolescents experience dramatic changes in physical appearance, family relations, peer relations, sexuality, and media use” (Arnett, 2012). Through these experiences, adolescents have the opportunity to change their outlook and behavior. From family relations to questioning identity, to peer relationships and self-esteem, adolescents have various ways of coping with the changes they are presented with. The stories of José and Chhaya reflect the changes adolescents go through to better understand who they are.... [tags: Eating Disorder Assessment, Case Study, Chhaya]:: 2 Works Cited
Obesity and Eating Disorders: The Two Extreme Eating Behaviors Essay example
- On the eating spectrum, there seems to be two opposite extremes, obesity and eating disorders. Most people would categorize their eating behavior as normal or between these two extremes. However, these two conditions are still prevalent in society today. Although rare, eating disorders and obesity have a long history of origin. These conditions, while requiring attention and response, created other concepts and theories. Restraint theory is one that stemmed from curious minds of different eating behavior.... [tags: obesity, eating disorder, restraint theory]
Food for Thought: Anorexia Eating Disorder Essay
- Actors, models, athletes, bodybuilders, singers, all of them, are at the pinnacle of marketing. Their images are engraved into the brains of the unacquainted consumers of the media, subconsciously becoming the number one focus. Consequently, a want is seeded in the brains of the fans, later becoming powerful enough to become a need. Diet, exercise, self identity, so many factors come into hand when looking for change, and many will take extremes measures to achieve their goals. Millions of people of which thousands have and have had years of traditions and customs influence their lives, have developed a psychological phenomenon.... [tags: succeed, disorder, eating, habits]
The Dangers of Living with an Eating Disorder Essay
- The Dangers of Living with an Eating Disorder Imagine waking up every morning, struggling to get out of bed. The room spins. Stumbling over to the mirror, you study and criticize every last inch of your body as the words “fat, ugly, worthless” echo in your head. You then stagger to the bathroom, using the wall to hold you up. You don’t remember the last time you ate a “normal” meal. Stepping on the scale will determine your mood for the day. If it has decreased since yesterday, you have succeeded; if it has stayed the same, or worse, gone up, those voices inside your head become stronger, telling you how useless you are.... [tags: Health Eating Disorders Essays]
Gaining: The Truth about Life after Eating Disorders Essay examples
- In the last 50 years, eating disorders have become more and more prevalent in the United States. Society is starting to realize that they do not just affect teenage women, but men and children as well (Caralat, Camargo & Herzog, 1997; Lask, 2000). Solitaire is a novel originally published by Aimee Liu was she 25 years old. It was considered America's first memoir of anorexia, with Liu describing her battle with anorexia as a teenager in the sixties. Gaining is the sequel to this groundbreaking novel, following Liu as she talks with her fellow (former) eating disorder sufferers.... [tags: Eating Disorders]:: 10 Works Cited
Essay on Eating Disorders
- An eating disorder is a serious health condition involving extremely unhealthy dietary habits. There are a number of accepted eating disorder treatments that depend on the symptoms and severity of the illness. The most effective treatments involve both psychological as well as physical issues with the ultimate goal being a healthy dietary lifestyle. The team approach to treatment involves professionals with experience in eating disorders that usually includes a medical provider, mental health workers, registered dieticians and case managers.... [tags: Eating Disorders, ]
Essay about The Assistance of Eating Disorders by Depression
- The Assistance of Eating Disorders by Depression As a fragile young girl entered the hospital, several people stop to stare at her fragile body. As the physicians examine her, they begin to realize she hasn’t eaten in days. Several physicians begin to ask her questions concerning her eating behaviors. All she her behavior during the exam they noticed how depressed the girl seemed to be. When the exam was over the girl was immediately admitted to the psychiatric unit of the hospital, for treatment on Anorexia.... [tags: Depression Psychiatry Eating Disorders Essays]
Eating Disorder Case Study Essay example
- Eating Disorder Case Study Mother is concerned that daughter is not eating enough, restricting food intake for 8 months because she feels fat, feels she needs to lose ten pounds, feels that her thighs and stomach are to large, reporting 35 lb weight loss over last 8 months, denies any eating problems, began menarche at age 16 periods normally regular, stop three months ago, exercises daily 20 min. to 2 hours, experiences low energy, chronic constipation and lightheadedness, favorite TV show is “America’s Next Top Model” and reports “feeling down in the dumps” for about nine months, college student, good grades, finding it difficult to concentrate, admits to fe... [tags: Papers]
Developing an Eating Disorder Essay
- Why is it that people develop eating disorders. There is no simple explanation, and no one answer that applies everyone. There are several types of eating disorders, but the most prevalent in adolescent and young adult females are anorexia nervosa and bulimia (Larocca, 1986). There are six main areas that potentially explain just why it is that people succumb to anorexia and bulimia. These factors are biological, psychological, family, social, cultural, and media (Siegel, Brisman & Weinshel, 2002).... [tags: Eating Disorders Health Psychology Essays]
Essay on Eating Disorders in Gymnasts
- Eating Disorders in Gymnasts At a gymnastics meet in Budapest, a U.S. judge commented that gymnast Christy Henrich would have to lose weight if she wanted to make the Olympic team. On July 26, 1994, Christy Henrich died of multiple organ failure. She had lost a long battle with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that involves extreme weight loss, restricted food intake, and an intense fear of becoming fat. The American Psychiatric Association outlines four diagnostic criteria for anorexia.... [tags: Eating Disorders Gymnastics Sports Essays] | {
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Kohl's Western Showcase recap
Washington native Cameron Van Winkle was the most outstanding performer at the Western Showcase and will be one of America's most-recruited specialists. The junior won the punting competition and the kickoff charting session at camp.
Cory Durkee has already committed to the University of Washington but wanted to come out and compete and he showed why Washington offered him a full ride. He was outstanding on his kickoffs and punts and should compete early at Washington at both positions.
Travis Nicklaw, from University High School in California, won the fieldgoal competition with a 60-yard blast. He and junior Miles Bergner, from Longmont High School in Colorado, had the whole camp's attention during their intense showdown. They both hit from 57 yards after making five fieldgoals prior. This was the best showdown we have seen this winter and it was an impressive showing for both athletes. | {
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5 things to do to boost your SM following
Depending on the kind of business you wish to market on social media (SM), there could well be a few more things to take into account. For me, it has become necessary to link my WordPress website to at least two social media platforms. For the time being, I am utilizing Facebook and Instagram. So far so good, and I am more than satisfied. It is necessary to put into practice linking in order to broaden your reach as far as possible.
And in the last few months, as I experience a more urgent need to expand my business, I have felt it necessary to buy followers on Instagram, as well as Facebook. Although it is less urgent to my purposes and needs, I am also compelled, from time to time, and this is only occasional, to buy likes for my two marketing platforms. And for your benefit, maybe you are just starting out, I could just mention five standard practices you could put into place for your social media work going forward to help you boost your following.
Particularly if you are just starting out, I have already hinted that you might want to buy your first batch of followers. This is just to help create a strong impression among your targeted followers. Speaking of targets, how are you to address this. Knowing what characteristics they imbibe and how they will fit your business or project purpose can only come about as a result of practical market research and development work.
This means a lot of reading work, feeding off other social media platforms as well as websites relevant and coincidental to your niche or theme. Your practical R & D work will also help you to compose smart and streamlined hashtags. They’ll be smart in the sense that you will not be putting together nonsensical phrases that will no-one will understand. And you will not be going overboard. You will be utilizing the hashtag sparingly and only when relevant to do so. And to ensure that it works, you will need to test whether it gets carried forward by other websites that you have piggy-backed to.
When it comes to social media marketing and communications, I’m quite lucky. I love writing and I derive most of my income from it. But I do understand that there are many newbies out there that might be a little afraid of this practice. They don’t want to make a fool of themselves, believing that they cannot write to save themselves. I believe that you can. Yes, it does take practice to perfect your craft. And the great thing about using an Instagram platform is that you only need to publish a few lines.
Doing your early R & D work, do make sure that you have latched onto SM leaders in your related fields as followers. Apart from making yourself known to others, this is still a great way to learn how it’s done. | {
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An exegesis on ‘Jihad in Islam’
Syed Kamran
Mirza
[Author’s
note: I apologize to the readers for writing such a
lengthy essay on Jihad. Jihad is extremely serious
matter in the Islamic history. There is abundance of
valuable literatures depicting Islamic Jihad which I
could not include in order to keep the size within
limit. However, I tried my best to make it as plausible
as possible by many important literatures dealing with
Jihad. Some Islamists are trying to fool the western
readers by their deceitful and elusive meanings of
Jihad. I urge the readers to have patience to read the
entire article in order to learn about the true meaning
of Islamic Jihad.]
September Eleventh’s horrific episode has come as
the big thunder out of the blue to strike the core
meaning of Islam. Since
then, Islamists were busy defending Islam, which
according to them was hijacked by militant Islamists.
For quite a while, they spent time in their
futile efforts to make Islam a peaceful religion. Now
they are busy again to give a wishful new meaning of
Jihad. This
essay will be dedicated to explore the practical meaning
and purpose of Islamic Jihad.
What is the
meaning of Jihad?
The meaning of Jihad in the Webster Dictionary: is
Holy war. The meaning of “Crusade” is also Holy war.
Entire humanity knows—historically both “Jihad”
and “Crusade” was soaked with blood. Now why then we
are debating and trying to redefine Jihad at this
juncture?
Now in the Arabic language the word “Jihad”
literally means, "to strive,” and "to
struggle.” Some
Muslim scholars further classify Jihad into following
categories: 1. Jihad-an-nafs or Jihad against
one’s self; 2. Jihad ash-shaitaan or Jihad
against Satan; 3. Jihad al-kuffar or Jihad
against disbeliever; 4. Jihad al-munafiqeen or
Jihad against hypocrites; 5. Jihad al-faasiqeen
or Jihad against corrupt Muslims. Now, can we make
people fool by these semantic loopholes of the various
meanings of Jihad? Certainly not!
Honestly, I am not very much impressed by the various
bookish meanings of the Arabic word “Jihad.”
We know very well that in every language certain
words may have many different meanings depending on its
usage. That does not mean one can elude people the
actual meaning of the word with some different meanings
of a particular word.
Because the word meaning is always understood by
its practical or circumstantial use only. Consider the
word Jihad that means struggle. This struggle may have
various circumstantial effects. Struggle can be in your
mind, in your own life, in your work, in your way to
office with the traffic, or struggle may be fighting
with the enemy. You can say: “I am fighting with my
mind whether I should accept it or not,” or “I am
fighting with my wife over the decision of changing our
house” or you can say—“I am fighting a war with my
enemy.” Now,
a simple human being will see the meaning of the word
“fight” (usual meaning of which is armed collision)
varies greatly with it’s circumstantial use.
Sometimes the actual meaning of a particular word may
even change by the circumstantial use. Consider the
Perso-Indian (Urdu) word “Razakar” means “helper
of King.” However, by its circumstantial and
historical use, the meaning may have changed greatly.
In 1971, Bangalee’s freedom struggle (War
of Freedom or Muktijuddha) the Razakars killed,
raped, and tortured millions of freedom loving Bangalees.
Now, in Bangladesh, calling some body a Razakar
is not salutary, but on the contrary it is an epithet or
it is an outright demeaning, to put it mildly.
If you call somebody Razakar, he may come to
physically assault you.
Why? The
circumstantial and historical effects have changed the
meaning and nuances of the word Razakar from helper to
vile conspirator and Fifth Columnist.
That is a valid reason why we must take the
meaning of Jihad from its historical and circumstantial
effects. I shall search for the meaning of the Jihad
from its (a)
History, (b) Qur’an referrals, (c) Hadiths’
mentioning of it, and (d) Historians and Islamic
scholars interpretation of it.
A.
Historical meaning of Jihad:
Historically, Jihad means Holly War. For 1400 years,
Muslims always understood the meaning of Jihad as
Islamic Holy War. Every Islamic scholar, Mullah, maulana,
Imam, etc., of the whole world will agree with this
meaning of Jihad. Technically,
Jihad is war against non-Muslims (Jihad
al-kuffar or Jihad against disbeliever; and Jihad
al-munafiqeen or Jihad against hypocrites) only,
since Muslims are forbidden to fight the Muslims.
Hundreds of books were written by the Islamic scholars
on Jihad and everybody unanimously used the word Jihad
as the religious war called holy war.In the
Islamic history, more than 80% ofthe
texts are filled with Holy War (Jihad). Early Islam
was spread in the Arabian Peninsula solely by holy wars
(Jihad). Islam was propagated as a religion by series of
wars/battles –both defensive as well as Offensive. As
many as 78 historic battles were fought by the Prophet
Muhammad himself. And
out of 78, only one (battle of ditch) was defensive war,
and the rest were simply offensive wars.
Did Muslim soldiers go to Syria, Iran, and Egypt
to fight defensive war?
What about those great historical BATTLES –
Battle of Oho’d, Battle of Bad’r, Battle of Khayber, signing
of peace-pacts such as “Hudaibya Peace Pact,” etc.?
Were those wars fought with the so-called struggle only?
Alternatively, were those wars fought with the
heart-piercing sharpened swords?
Prophet Mohammed and his successors initiated series
of offensive wars against pagan Arabs, Jews, Christians,
etc., to spread or to impose Islam by force as well as
to seize the abundance (booty) of these lands.
However, it was quite possible that there had been some
small numbers of conversions by sheer greatness of
Prophet himself or due to some other miracles.
Nevertheless, a great majority was converted by force,
and people of Arabia did not have freedom to choose.
After Prophet Muhammad gained enough might in his force
while in Medina, the tradition was to send an invitation
of Islam to various Arab Tribes or countries.
First, an invitation to pagans to accept Islam, then war
against those whorefuse to accept
Islam. A
typical invitation to the people of the book (Christians
and Jews) was: “Embrace Islam, or pay the poll-tax (Ziziya),or fight to death.”
Undoubtedly, the concept of an offensive war to
spread the faith of Islam is a genuine Islamic concept:
Holy War (Jihad) for the sake of God. I can
write hundreds of pages of authentic Islamic history of
wars in which tens of thousands of life was lost; tons
of human bloods were shed.
Prophet
Muhammad wasinjured
seriously (lost some teeth) in one of those wars he
fought relentlessly. Prophet’s uncle Amir Hamzah
was killed and dismembered and his liver and heart were
eaten by the wife of a pagan tribe leader Abu Sufian.
Now may I ask what kind of so-called “struggle”
might have caused these above misery? It was obviously
by Jihad (Holy War) and not by any peaceful struggle,
indeed.
B. What
Qur’an Says about Jihad?
Jihad was mentioned in the Qur’an most frequently
with the meaning of "warfare,” often coupled with
"fi sabil
Allah" (in the way of Allah). Jihad as warfare
is a pivotal concern for the Qur’an, the Hadith and
the Shari‘ah which we shall explore later in this
essay.
All most all the hateful, coercive, intimidating and
tempting verses in the Quran were made in respect to the
Jihad—Holy war.
Important to
note: Prophet Muhammad
while he was in Mecca did not have too many supporters;
hence, he was very weak in power compare to the Pagans.
It was at that time he brought some soft verses (maximum
one dozen in the whole Qur’an) which our hypocritical
Islamists use them to elude the truth of Islam. But in
Medina Muhammad quickly assumed both religious and
political power and leadership over the whole Median
community. It was at that time he brought all those
harsh/hateful (several hundreds of them) Qur’anic
verses just to incite his followers to fight.
In the Holy Qur’an one can find hundreds of verses
(Ayats) which dictates to fight holy wars (Jihad)
against non-Muslims infidels. Let me cite here a
few of them:
Qur’an-(9:5):
“But when the forbidden months are past, then fight
and slay the pagans wherever ye find them, And seize
them, beleaguer them, and lie in wait for them in every
stratagem (of war) ; but if they repent (accept Islam)
and establish regular prayers and practices regular
charity then open the way for them; for God is
oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”
Qur’an-(8:65):
“ O Apostle ! Rouse
the believers to the fight, if there are
twenty amongst you, patient and persevering , they will
vanquish two hundred; if a hundred, they will vanquish a
thousand of the unbelievers; for these are a people
without understanding.”
Quran-2:216: Fighting
is prescribed for you, and ye dislike it. But
it is possible that ye dislike a thing which is good for
you
Qur’an-(2:191):
“And slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them
out from where they have turned you out………such is
the reward of those who suppress faith.”
Qur’an-(9:29):
“Fight those who believe not the Allah nor the last
day, nor hold that forbidden which hath been forbidden
by Allah and his apostle, nor acknowledge the religion
of truth even if they are the people of the book, until
they pay the Jizya with willing submission, and feel
themselves subdued.”
Qur’an(48:20):
“….Allah promises you much booty (spoils of war)
that you will capture from the defeated infidels….”
Quran-8:38 “And fight them on until there is
no more Tumult or oppression”
Quran-8:12: I
will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers:
smite ye above their necks and smite all their
finger-tips off them
Quran-8: 15,16: O ye who believe! when ye meet the
Unbelievers in hostile array, never turn your backs to
them. If any do turn his back to them on such a day -
unless it be in a stratagem of war, or to retreat to a
troop (of his own)- he draws on himself the wrath of
Allah, and his abode is Hell,- an evil refuge (indeed)!
Quran-9:111: Allah hath purchased of the believers
their persons and their goods; for theirs (in return) is
the garden (of Paradise): they fight in His cause, and
slay and are slain: a promise binding on Him in
truth, through the Law, the Gospel, and the
Qur’anQuran-9:73: O Prophet! Strive against the
disbelievers and the hypocrites! Be harsh with them.
Their ultimate abode is hell, a hapless journey’s end.
Quran-9:123: O ye who believe! Fight those of the
disbelievers who are near to you, and let them find
harshness in you, and know that Allah is with those who
keep their duty (unto Him).
Quran-4:95: O ye who believe! Shall I show you a
commerce that will save you from a painful doom? You
should believe in Allah and His messenger, and should
strive for the cause of Allah with your wealth and your
lives. That is better for you, if ye did but know.
... Allah hath granted a grade higher to those who
strive and fight with their goods and persons than those
who sit (at home).
C. Jihad as
per Hadiths:
Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihad)
was sanctioned widely in sahi hadiths. Almost
one-third of the fourth of nine volumes of Bukhari,
Islam’s principal collector of Hadith, focused on
jihad as physical war. There are thousands of sahi
hadiths that simply talk about Jihad—the holy war in
Islam. I cannot include them all in this short essay in
order to keep to a minimum.
I will only mention however some of them in this
essay. The following are a few examples:
Sahi Bukhari# 35, page-102:
Prophet Muhammad (sa) narrated, “ He who is out at
war Allah becomes the protector for him. Because, he
only joins the fight when he put his solid belief upon
Allah and his Apostle. Allah provides him wealth and
much booty (Maal-e-goni-mat)
with which he returns home. Or, place him in the
paradise by making him a Shaheed (martyrdom).
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 46:
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying,
"The example of a Mujahid in Allah's Cause-- and
Allah knows better who really strives in His Cause----is
like a person who fasts and prays continuously. Allah
guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause
into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return
him to his home safely with rewards and war booty (maal-e-gani-maat)."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 53:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said,
"Nobody who dies and finds good from Allah (in the
Hereafter) would wish to come back to this world even if
he were given the whole world and whatever is in it,
except the martyr who, on seeing the superiority of
martyrdom, would like to come back to the world and get
killed again (in Allah's Cause)."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 48:
Narrated Anas: The Prophet said, "A single
endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the afternoon
or in the forenoon is better than all the world and
whatever is in it. A place in Paradise as small as the
bow or lash of one of you is better than all the world
and whatever is in it. And if a houri from Paradise
appeared to the people of the earth, she would fill the
space between Heaven and the Earth with light and
pleasant scent and her head cover is better than the
world and whatever is in it."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 44:
Narrated Abu Huraira: A man came to Allah's Apostle
and said, "Instruct me as to such a deed as equals
Jihad (in reward)." He replied, "I do not find
such a deed." Then he added, "Can you, while
the Muslim fighter is in the battle-field, enter your
mosque to perform prayers without cease and fast and
never break your fast?" The man said, "But who
can do that?" Abu- Huraira added, "The Mujahid
(i.e. Muslim fighter) is rewarded even for the footsteps
of his horse while it wanders bout (for grazing) tied in
a long rope."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 49:
Narrated Samura: The Prophet said, "Last night
two men came to me (in a dream) and made me ascend a
tree and then admitted me into a better and superior
house, better of which I have never seen. One of them
said, 'This house is the house of martyrs."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume
4, Book 52, Number 50:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "A
single endeavor (of fighting) in Allah's Cause in the
forenoon or in the afternoon is better than the world
and whatever is in it."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume
4, Book 52, Number 42:
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Allah's Apostle said,
"There is no Hijra (i.e. migration) (from Mecca to
Medina) after the Conquest (of Mecca), but Jihad and
good intention remain; and if you are called (by the
Muslim ruler) for fighting, go forth immediately.
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 54:
Narrated Abu Huraira: The Prophet said,
"By Him in Whose Hands my life is! Were it not for
some men amongst the believers who dislike to be left
behind me and whom I cannot provide with means of
conveyance, I would certainly never remain behind any
Sariya' (army-unit) setting out in Allah's Cause. By Him
in Whose Hands my life is! I would love to be martyred
in Al1ah's Cause and then get resurrected and then get
martyred, and then get resurrected again and then get
martyred and then get resurrected again and then get
martyred.
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 55:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Prophet of Allah said,
"Zaid took the flag and was martyred, and then
Ja'far took the flag and was martyred, and then
'Abdullah bin Rawaha took the flag and was martyred too,
and then Khalid bin Al-Walid took the flag though he was
not appointed as a commander and Allah made him
victorious." The Prophet further added, "It
would not please us to have them with us." Aiyub, a
sub-narrator, added, "Or the Prophet, shedding
tears, said, 'It would not please them to be with
us."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 61:
Narrated Anas:
My uncle Anas bin An-Nadr was absent from the Battle
of Badr. He said, "O Allah's Apostle! I was absent
from the first battle you fought against the pagans. (By
Allah) if Allah gives me a chance to fight the pagans,
no doubt. Allah will see how (bravely) I will
fight." On the day of Uhud when the Muslims turned
their backs and fled, he said, "O Allah! I
apologize to You for what these (i.e. his companions)
have done, and I denounce what these (i.e. the pagans)
have done." Then he advanced and Sad bin Muadh met
him. He said "O Sad bin Muadh ! By the Lord of An-Nadr,
Paradise! I am smelling its aroma coming from before
(the mountain of) Uhud," Later on Sad said, "O
Allah's Apostle! I cannot achieve or do what he (i.e.
Anas bin An-Nadr) did. We found more than eighty wounds
by swords and arrows on his body. We found him dead and
his body was mutilated so badly that none except his
sister could recognize him by his fingers."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 63:
Narrated Al-Bara: A man whose face was covered
with an iron mask (i.e. clad in armor) came to the
Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! Shall I fight
or embrace Islam first? "The Prophet said,
"Embrace Islam first and then fight." So he
embraced Islam, and was martyred. Allah's Apostle said,
A Little work, but a great reward. "(He did very
little (after embracing Islam), but he will be rewarded
in abundance)."
Sahi Bukhari: Volume 4, Book 52, Number 64:
Narrated Anas bin Malik: Um Ar-Rubai'bint Al-Bara',
the mother of Hartha bin Suraqa came to the Prophet and
said, "O Allah's Prophet! Will you tell me about
Hartha?" Hartha has been killed (i.e. martyred) on
the day of Badr with an arrow thrown by an unidentified
person. She added, "If he is in Paradise, I will be
patient; otherwise, I will weep bitterly for him."
He said, "O mother of Hartha! There are Gardens in
Paradise and your son got the Firdausal-ala (i.e. the
best place in Paradise)." [What
could be a bigger bluffing and exploitation of a poor
ignorant mother (who
lost her son in Jihad) by our merciful Prophet?]
Al-Miqdam b. Madikarib reported God’s messenger as saying, "The
martyr receives six good things from God: he is forgiven
at the first shedding of his blood, he is shown his
abode in paradise, he is preserved from the punishment
in the grave, he is kept safe from the greatest terror,
he has placed on his head the crown of honour a ruby
which is better than the world and what it contains, he
is married to seventy-two wives of the maidens with
large dark eyes, and is made intercessor for seventy of
his relatives." Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah transmitted
it.
D. Jihad as
per Islamic-historians/Scholars/Philosophers:
We can find hundreds of books written by well-known
Islamic authorities (Islamic
thinker) on Jihad.
A few examples of historical events and comments
should be enough to lay the foundation that Jihad in
Islamic history was primarily a Holy War against the
infidels. Here are some examples:
In his book, “ Jurisprudence in Muhammad’s
Biography” the Azhar scholar, Dr. Muhammad
Sa’id Ramadan al-Buti wrote the following:
“The Holy War (Islamic Jihad), as it is
known in Islamic Jurisprudence, is basically an
offensive war. This is the duty of Muslims in
every age when the needed military power becomes
available to them. This is the phase in which the
meaning of Holy war has taken its final form.Thus the apostle
of God said: '
I was commanded to fight the people until they believe
in Allah and his messages…..(page 134, 7th
edition) ”.
Azhar scholar
Dr. Buti adds in the same book (page-263): The
apostle of Allah started to send military detachments
from among his followers to the various Arab tribes
which were scattered in the Arab Peninsula to carry out
the task of calling (these tribes) to accept Islam. If
they did not respond, they (Muslims) would kill them.
That was during the 7th Hgira year. The
number of the detachments amounted to ten.”
The Baydawi
quoted in his book (The
lights of Revelation, page-252): “Fight
Jews and Christians
because they violated the origin of their faith and they
do not believe in the religion of the truth (Islam),
which abrogated
all other religions. Fight them until they
pay the poll-tax (Ziziya tax) with submission and
humiliation.”
In another place of his book (The Jurisprudence in
Muhammad’s Biography) Al-Buti (published in
Egypt) quoted: “The
concept of Holy War (Jihad) in Islam does not take into
consideration whether defensive or an offensive war.
Its goal is the exaltation of the Word of Allah
and the construction of Islamic society and the establishment
of Allah’s Kingdom on Earth regardless of the means.
The means would be offensive warfare. In this
case, it is the apex, the noblest Holy War. It is legal
to carry on a Holy War.”
Ibn Hisham-Al Sohaily quoted in his famous book (Al-
Rawd al- Anaf, page-50,51 ): " No two religions are to exist in the Arab Peninsula .”Therefore, Saudi Government
does not allow any other religion to manifest their
religious task. What a tolerant and peaceful
religion Islam is!
The well-known Egyptian scholar, Sayyid Qutb, (Sayyid Qutb, Milestones,
Revised Edition,chapter.
4, “Jihaad in the Cause of God") notes
four stages in the development of jihad:
While
the earliest Muslims remained in Mecca before
fleeing to Medina, God did not allow them to fight;
2. Permission is given to Muslims to
fight against their oppressors;
God
commands Muslims to fight those fighting them;
God
commands the Muslims to fight against all
polytheists.
Sayyid
Qutb views each stage to be replaced by the next stage
in this order, the fourth stage to remain permanent).
To justify the universal
and permanent dimensions of jihad he cites the following Qur’anic
passages:
Quran:
4:74-32: They
ought to fight in the way of God who have sold the life
of this world for the life of the Hereafter; and whoever
fights in the way of God and is killed or becomes
victorious, to him shall We (God) give a great reward...
Quran:
8:38-40: and fight them until there is no oppression and
the religion is wholly for God....
Quran: 9:29-32: Fight against those among the People of the Book (Jews and
Christians) who do not believe in God and the Last Day,
who do not forbid what God and His messenger have
forbidden, until they are subdued and pay jizyah
(tax on non-Muslims) ...
Sayyid Qutb, however, pours scorn upon those who view
jihad as solely defensive:
... They are
ignorant of the nature of Islam and of its function, and
that it has a right to take the initiative for human
freedom. Thus wherever an Islamic community exists which
is a concrete example of the Divinely-ordained system of
life, it has a God-given right to step forward and take
control of the political authority so that it may
establish the Divine system on earth, while it leaves
the matter of belief to individual conscience.
Maulana Mawdudi’s Fatwa:
Likewise, the popular Pakistani Muslim revivalist
Abu’l Ala Mawdudi rejects any distinction between
offensive and defensive jihad.
So also, the distinguished contemporary Pakistani
scholar, Fazlur Rahman, while recognizing the extensive
presence of jihad in the Qur’an, rejects the stand of
those modern Muslim apologists who have tried to explain
the jihad of the early (Muslim) Community in purely
defensive terms (Fazlur Rahman, Islam (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1979) 37).
According to the Encyclopaedia of Islam, "the
fight is obligatory even when the unbelievers have not
started it (E. Tyan, “Djihad”, Encyclopaedia
of Islam, 2nd ed. (Leiden: Brill,
1965). In the
words of Rudolph Peters the "ultimate aim of jihad
is ‘the subjection of the unbelievers’ and ‘the
extirpation of unbelief’" (Rudolph
Peters, “Jihad”, The
Encyclopedia of Religion (NewYork: Macmillan, 1987)
Vol. 8:88-91).
All of these authorities simply echo Islam’s
fundamental assumption that world sovereignty must be in
the hands of Muslims.
Quran: 16:101: And
when We put a revelation in place of (another)
revelation, – and Allah knoweth best what He revealeth
– they say: Lo! thou art but inventing. Most of them
know not.
On the basis of these verses there arose within the
Muslim community the principle of Qur’anic
interpretation, called naskh ("abrogation") which stipulated that earlier
peaceful verses could be abrogated by later militant
verses, i.e., in the case of jihad the Meccan verses
were abrogated by the Medinan verses. It is well known
that many Muslim scholars in the early history of Islam
contended that Qur’an
9:5, sometimes called "the verse of the
sword", abrogated a host of peaceful passages in
earlier portions of the Qur’an.
What it has signified in the past and signifies at
present for masses of Muslims is well summarized in a
statement by the world renowned Ibn
Khaldun (A.D. 1332-1406), Islam’s great historian,
sociologist and philosopher:
In the
Muslim community, the holy war is a religious duty,
because of the universalism of the (Muslim) mission and
(the obligation to) convert everybody to Islam either by
persuasion or by force. Therefore, caliphate and royal
authority are united in (Islam), so that the person in
charge can devote the available strength to both of them
at the same (Ibn Khaldun, The Muqaddimah, trans. by Franz
Rosenthal (New York: Pantheon Books Inc., 1958) Vol.
1:473).
(The Translation of the Meanings of Sahih al-Bukhari, Vol. 1:xxiv-xliii ).
So, it is incumbent upon us (Muslims) to follow the path which Allah’s
Messenger (Muhammad) adopted to avoid polytheism and
heresy in all its shapes and to take the Holy Qur’an
and the Prophet’s Traditions as torches in front of us
to guide us. We have to teach our brethren and convey
the Message to non-Muslims all over the world as much as
possible in order to save them from the Hell-fire. We
have to prepare ourselves to stand in the face of our
enemy and to possess the means of power and to
participate in the progress of useful industries in
order to protect our religion and be powerful enough to
face our enemy, as Allah, the Elevated says in Surat
al-Anfal (8:60):
Qur’an: 8:60: Against them (kaffirs) make ready your strength to the
utmost of your power, including steeds of war (tanks,
places, missiles and other weapons, etc.) to strike
terror into the (hearts of) the Enemy of Allah and your
enemy, and others beside, whom you may not know, but
whom Allah does know. Whatever you shall spend in the
Cause of Allah, shall be repaid to you, and you shall
not be treated unjustly
How
many terrorists would appeal to this verse "to
strike terror into the hearts of the enemy"?
The majority of the Qur’an’s texts themselves
clearly identify jihad as physical warfare in Islam and,
Islamically, God’s way of establishing the Kingdom of
God on earth. Likewise, from the Hadith and the earliest
biographies of Muhammad it is just as evident that the
early Muslim community understood these Qur’anic texts
to be taken literally. Historically, therefore, from the
time of Muhammad onwards, jihad as physical warfare in
support of the message of Islam has been a reality for
the Muslim community. Hence, it comes as no surprise
when even terrorists (Osama and his al-Qaeda) easily appeal to these source materials to justify their
actions, not to speak of their teachers who teach the
theory and the art of terrorism. September 11, 2001,
terrorist act in the soil of America is the glittering
example of Jihadi mindset of Islamist like Osama bin
Laden.
Qur’anic Ayats (I just mentioned above) and
numerous Sahi Hadiths of same kind were instrumental for
Muslims to dedicate their strength & minds for the
cause of Islam. Therefore, in the name of spreading the
religion, devout Muslim fighters killed millions of
people while occupying neighboring Arab lands such as
Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Egypt, Iraq and non-Arab
countries like India, Turkey, Libya, Iran etc.
Even Spain had fallen into their hands for hundreds of
years. I simply wonder were these wars defensive. Were
those swords used by Islamic soldiers to occupy country
after country be considered a symbol of forgiveness or
mercy? Following
Muhammad’s death, his companions fought each other in
relentless savage wars competing for authority.
In summary, Islamic Jihad with the help of Islamic
sword--hundreds of tribes were wiped out from the
Arabian Peninsula. Thousands were orphaned and widowed.
Hazzaz bin Yousuf killed more than a hundred thousand
Sahabis, Ibne Khattal was killed in Kaba’a. Later
Abdulla Bin Zubair was killed in the same Kaba’a.
By the end of the first civil war of Muslims, all
the Badari Sahabis were killed. By the end of three
civil wars all the Sahabis were killed "it sucked
up all the strength of Muslims" ( Bokhari). Ten
thousand Muslims were killed in the Jamal war between
Hazrat Ali (RA) and Bibi Ayesha (RA). Islamic
scholar Dr. Abu Zayd Shalabi claimed in his book
(page-75), in the ‘battle of Alees’ which took place
on the border of Iraq, the great Islamic General Khalid
killed 70,000 people.
Thousands of non-Muslims were killed.
After the death of Prophet Muhammad, there were
four most favorite disciples of Prophet who ruled the
Islamic kingdom established by the prophet Muhammad, who
were known as the most pious caliphs. Outof these four Caliphs—three
of them were brutally assassinated, and only one had
natural death because of his old age and very short
rule of the Islamic state. Karbala was flooded with
blood with a roar of "Allahu Akbar!" Was it because of the fact that Islamic sword was the sign of
Mercy? The
fact of the matter is—sword can never be the sign of
mercy! Period.
Global Agenda:
As I cited various valuable quotes, which clearly
depicted a special and unique feature, which is totally
absent in any other monolithic religions of the world.
Unlike any other world religion—Islam has an ulterior
motive in its agenda. Islam considers it has a sacred
and mandatory God given duty to spread Islamic message (Din-e-Islam)
to all the inhabitants of the world. Their ultimate
wishful goal is to convert and bring entire mankind
under the fold of Islam, the only true religion of
Allah. To this end—two main groups are working very
hard. These two groups are: (a) Militant/radical
Mullahs, (b) Educated/elite western residing true
believing Muslims (Muslims of the ummatic groups in the
west such as: AMC, CAIR, ICNA, ISNA, NABIC etc). Here
we can exclude group-C Muslims (general God fearing
innocent gullible Muslims who constitute about 70-80% of
the total Muslims.
Both the groups (A & B) have one thing common in
their minds. That is to convert sufficient peoples to
Islam in order to establish Islamic Sharia’h or Huhud Laws (Allah’s laws just like Afghan
Taliban state) as the state governing
administration. Here the main difference is—group A
(Militant/fanatics) is engaged in armed struggles (Holy
war, Terrorism); and group-B (mainly western resident)
is engaged in secret and peaceful propagation with sweet
talks and peaceful persuasion of the gullible western
peoples by deceitful sermons in the mosques and in
various annual and semi-annual Islamic conferences and
meetings (Ummatic conference). Both have one last thing
in mind—to
establish Islamic Sharia’h law in the state.
Conclusion:
Our gullible and wishful Islamists like that Harvard
graduate, which we have plenty all over the world, or
any other Islamists who wants to twist the real
practical and historical meaning of Jihad to fool the
modern world, which we have among educated Muslims
scattered everywhere, must consider this.
If they want to give a new twisted meaning – a
sober and politically correct one -- of the word Jihad,
they had better first change the Qur’an, Hadiths and
all those Islamic history books available in the library
throughout the world. Alternatively, they should dump
all the Islamic history literature into the Daria
or sea and re-write a new peaceful Islamic history by
themselves. Sadly,
if they do so, then it will be a
Reformed Islam, which Mullahs will now allow
to happen any time soon. Therefore, the Islamic elites, many of who visit NFB (News
From Bangladesh) on a regular basis, will have to
swallow their false pride and lick their wounds too.
The proverbial phrase – the dogs will be
barking, but the caravan will pass. Humanity is poised
now to get rid of all kinds belief system that has
crippled the humankind and which never allowed us to
rich for a higher plane. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
This year has been deadlier for American students than American military members
Kristi Gilroy (r.), hugs a young woman at a police check point near the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 people were killed on Feb. 14. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)
The frontlines of American warfare are now in America's classrooms.
More people have been murdered in schools so far this year than have been killed while serving in the U.S. military, according to depressing statistics.
Advertisement
Accounting for the 10 people shot to death at a Houston-area high school Friday, 31 people — an overwhelming majority of whom were students — have been killed at schools since Jan. 1, according to data compiled by the Washington Post. Twenty-nine U.S. service members have been killed in the same timeframe, including both combat and noncombat deaths, according to the Pentagon.
Previous years, the numbers have typically been inverted, with service member casualties outnumbering student deaths by at least double, statistics show.
The number of individual school shootings is also much higher this year, with 16 deadly incidents across the country so far. Last year, there had been four fatal school shootings during the same period.
This year's harrowingly high student death toll is primarily due to Friday's shooting at Santa Fe High School and the Feb. 14 massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., which left 17 people dead.
Shannon Watts, the founder of gun control advocacy group Moms Demand, blamed the National Rifle Association for the uptick.
At least 10 students were killed at the Santa Fe High School in Texas Friday. (DANIEL KRAMER/AFP/Getty Images)
"Our children should not be on the front lines of this political battle," Watts told the Daily News. "We are allowing our children to be collateral damage because gun lobbyists are writing our laws."
The NRA, which funnels millions of dollars into the political process annually, has consistently opposed all gun control efforts brought before Congress this year.
Watts' organization, which endorses congressional candidates, said the only way to turn the tide is to vote out NRA-backed Republicans who block legislation she says could save lives.
"We need lawmakers who actually believe laws can make a difference," Watts added. | {
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} |
When To Invest In Your Right Livelihood
Women in permaculture often tell me they feel like they have to know EVERYTHING related to permaculture, and they struggle with knowing which skills they need to have, and which courses to take. Today, I’ll share with you some “business savvy” approaches to making that important decision.
At the beginning of my permaculture path, I took all kinds of courses, and loved them all, but ended up spending a lot of money without increasing my earning ability. Now, I use the questions below whenever I am considering whether to invest in a training program. (Note the word “invest.” You want to discern if the training will yield both short-term and long-term benefits!)
First of all, it’s great to do some strategic thinking about your current state, by brainstorming answers to these questions:
What is not happening now that needs to happen to thrive in my right livelihood?
What is happening now that I don’t want to happen?
Next, look at the lists you just made. Are there points that need to be prioritized? Star those, they are your strategic priorities.
Now, consider your answers to the following questions:
Does this training address one of my strategic priorities? If the answer is no, should you be investing in another training instead?
Does the training really address at least one item on my brainstormed lists? How will it shift these?
Will this training save me time, money, and/or struggle now?
Will the training improve my ability to earn?
Do I trust the leaders of the training? Do they have something to teach me?
What insights do you glean from this reflection?
For geeks like me, you will want to put some concrete dollar figures to all this, so here’s a an even more “businessy” approach adapted from Vicki Faulkner, Head of Training and Development at the University of Brighton in the UK:
The term “return on investment” or ROI, measures the business benefit derived from the money you invest in your business.
Let’s use this example:
Ana wants to buy a highly recommended book on time management and a book on backyard chickens, but she doesn’t have the $20 for either one. Ten days ago, she decided to make coffee at home and not spend $2.00 daily at the local coffee shop. She’s saved up the $20, and today–using her best entrepreneurial thinking–she invests in the time management book, and devour it. Tomorrow, she finds that she has liberated an extra hour of billable work time in her day. She bills her work at $45/hr…
Here’s how I calculate the short-term ROI:
First of all, she has to figure out my “Net Gains”, which is what she gains as a return, minus the investment (in this case, in the book), so $45 – $20 = $25
She then plugs that into the ROI equation, so $25 ÷ $20 = 1.25.
This means that for every dollar spent on the book, she got $1.25 worth of benefit. Not bad.
But what about over the longer term?
If Ana maintains her good time management habits for the month (so that she has that extra billable hour every working day), and she works 5 days per week, she now has 20 more billable hours in the month, which means she now has $900 more earning power because of her investment in the book. Nice!
The ROI calculation then looks like this:
$900 – $20 = $880 and then $880 ÷ 20 = 44, which means that for every dollar she spent on the book, she got $44 worth of benefit. Wowzers! That is a great investment! After a month, she can not only buy the backyard chicken book, but also buy the materials to build a coop and chicken tractor! Right on!
The ROI for the year would, of course, be even better. If she only works 11 months of the year, she has $9,880 more than if she hadn’t bought the time management book. Holy smokes!
Here’s the “kicker,” though:
What if she didn’t buy the book because she bought coffee instead?
What if she bought the book about backyard chickens? How do you think the ROI of that choice compares?
Or if she bought the time management book, and never implemented what she learned?
In all cases, she would have effectively lost out on $880 worth of abundance this month, and $9,880 this year.
GULP!
Three takeaways:
When you invest in your livelihood strategically, you can leverage your money. She bought the time management book, which turned out to be a potent leverage point, because it enabled her to accomplish other goals—including being able to use some of her liberated time and money to design and build an awesome chicken setup. If she had bought the backyard chicken book, (depending on the scenario) the return on her investment would have taken a lot longer, or could have even been a net loss financially.
When you invest in a training, don’t let your “scarcity gremlins” make your decision. Some trainings cost thousand of dollars. Put on your “entrepreneur hat,” and crunch the numbers to make an objective decision. Does the investment make sense in the long term?**
If the answer is no, you can feel really confident about not doing the training—even if a friend is teaching it and you really want to hang out with her. 🙂
If the answer is a resounding “yes”, then see the money you spend on the training as an investment in your future—and commit to yourself by kicking out the gremlins, and getting creative in finding ways to manifest the investment in YOU.**Consider not only the skills gained that add to your professional competence, but also the time and money liberated when you get out of a “stuck” place. Being “stuck” sucks energy and thus earning potential, and we lose “runway” necessary to launch our thing. Not mention your good work in the world isn’t getting done!
When you invest in a training, be “all in.” Don’t just make time to learn the content, but to implement and refine it! Often, the act of investing money in a training will kick you into “Let’s DO this!” mode, but also make sure to set up the time and space to really take what you learn and practice it in your work life, to increase the value you provide to the folks you serve, because that’s how you will reap the rewards of your investment.
One final, but crucial point: Some benefits can’t be quantified.
How does one quantify feeling more confident, or supported, or reaching new levels of personal and professional mastery? I don’t have an answer to that. But I do know that often, especially for women, those benefits are ones that change their lives. So, when considering to invest in a professional training, also consider this question:
Will it help me overcome my fears and confusion to thrive in my right livelihood?
Which trainings have you invested in beyond your PDC that have yielded a great ROI? Please share your insights!
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Tagged child abuse
Four people in Michigan have been arrested after allegedly plotting to abduct a young child from a public place, and rape them until they died.
The group, whose ages range from 19-37, conspired to kidnap a y...
A Wisconsin mother accused of selling her two young children for sex in exchange for drugs and cash every day for nine years has been ordered to stand trial for her alleged crimes.
Michelle Mayer, 39, appear... | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar
Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar is a Gynecologist in Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore and has an experience of 13 years in this field. Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar practices at Sri Kr
Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar is a Gynecologist in Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore and has an experience of 13 years in this field. Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar practices at Sri Krishna Clinic in Basaveshwaranagar, Bangalore. She completed MBBS.
You can get the phone number of Dr. Vanaj Shivakumar on Practo.com.
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Friday, February 27, 2009
Before we get down to analyzin' this week, I wanted to make a quick note about the "Instant Reaction" posts I do each week. Basically, once the episode ends, I sit down and type nonstop for about fifteen minutes about whatever immediately comes to mind about the episode. There is usually no research, no double-checking of facts, or logically thinking through what I’m writing. It's just my fingers going as fast as they can about whatever thoughts are running through my mind. I know that there are often spelling, grammar, and logic errors - and appreciate that people point them out in the Comments Section. Understand that these aren't my final thoughts about the episode, just what's going through my mind the instant that the episode ends - which is why when I sit down to actually think about it and write my analysis, often I've shifted views on some things. There's no need to get worked up or complain about whatever I say in my "Instant Reactions", because chances are - if it's crazy talk, I'll get it corrected when I do the analysis. My goal with the "Instant Reactions" is just to get my thoughts out as quickly as possible, so that you don’t have to wait for the weekend to hear them… even if those thoughts might be a little wacky.
On to "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham". I stand by my initial review of the episode. It was a functional episode, but I feel like it left a lot to be desired. Locke's meetings with the Oceanic Six were all pretty disappointing, in some cases bringing up seeming inconsistencies with what we have seen and heard in prior episodes. Cases in point:
BEN: And what did he say to you?
JACK: He told me... that after I left the island, some very bad things happened. And he told me that it was my fault for leaving. And he said that I had to come back.
KATE: Who do you think you are?! You call me over and over again for two days straight, stoned on your pills! And then you show up here with an obituary for Jeremy Bentham. (Sighs) When he came to me and I heard what he had to say, I knew he was crazy. But you... you believed him.
JACK: Yes.
KATE: Him, of all people.
JACK: Yes, Kate, I did, because he said that that was the only way that I could keep you safe--you and Aaron.
Really? Did I miss the part of Jack's two-minute conversation with Locke where he told him that the very bad things happening on the Island were Jack's fault for leaving? Or where he said going back was the only way to keep Kate and Aaron safe?
At first I thought "maybe Jack will run into Locke again in some flashback and we'll see these conversations happen", but the more I think about the timeline, the more unlikely that seems. It appears as though Locke's encounter with Jack this week is the first time the two have met since he has been off the Island. When Locke is attempting to kill himself, he still has the injuries from the car accident, which makes me assume it's only a few days later. That's a pretty small window of time for Locke and Jack to reunite… and I also don't see how that scene would fit into any future flashbacks for either character. This episode seemed to be "the one that shows what Locke did off the Island". While we may get some future flashbacks showing the falling out between Sayid, Sun's interactions with Widmore, or what Kate did with Aaron, I don't think we'll get any more involving Locke or Jack - because outside of these continuity errors (that only the obsessive among us would notice), they pretty much wrapped up all the other necessary off-Island storylines for both characters.
Unfortunately, this contributes to the difficulty I have in understanding exactly why Locke's death would drive Jack to kill himself, why Kate would flip out when Jack showed her the obituary for Jeremy Bentham, or why Sayid would suddenly gain such a hatred towards Locke where he wouldn't want his name mentioned. Those little details all kept the suspense and excitement going last season about exactly what happened in the three years since the Oceanic Six returned to the "real world", but the payoff and explanation of them was lacking for me (at least for now).
Maybe this is why over-analyzing and obsessing about the show is a bad thing - because I'm guessing that the more casual viewer was totally satisfied with "The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham", and didn't even notice. But here's hoping the payoff for the other series-long mysteries on Lost are much better!
Widmore. We learned a lot about Charles Widmore this week, but the information he provided raises more questions than answers (otherwise known as "The Lost Way"). The facts are these:
1937 - Charles Widmore is born
1954 - Charles Widmore is on the Island
1992 - The Purge happens on the Island
1994 - Widmore begins funding Faraday's research
1995 - Desmond meets Penny
1996 - Desmond asks Widmore for Penny's hand in marriage
Widmore claims that he "led his people for three decades" before he was exiled by Ben
Doing some quick math, even if Widmore was the leader of the Others in 1954 (which it didn't appear), that puts us around 1984 that he was still on the Island (at least). If Ben "tricked him" into exile off the Island, you actually have to put this date closer to the Purge in 1992 - since until then, it's assumed that Ben wouldn't have had enough power / knowledge / contact to pull such a trick on Widmore. How could Widmore go from being Island Leader in the early 1990s to being corporate boss / jerk to Desmond in the mid-1990s? It really doesn’t seem like there's enough time to explain his rise to power - unless the Others already had an established "shell company" that Widmore simply stepped into the leadership role for and slapped his name on it. And how does Penny fit into all this? Was born on the Island? Is Charles Widmore not her biological father? The earliest information we have on her is that she was dating Desmond in 1996 - at which time she was at least in her late 20's, meaning she was born in the 1970's.
It's confusing, and there are a few ways to tackle this, but in true Lost…and Gone Forever fashion, I think the easiest is probably with a wacky, all-encompassing theory that will probably last exactly one week before being proven wrong by next week's episode...
Let's assume that Widmore becomes leader of the Others around the time we saw him in 1954. He's an "up and comer" among the Others - his strong will, fiercely loyal to the cause, and strong jaw-line make him a logical choice to lead "his people". Roughly twenty years pass without any incident, taking us to the 1970's. Then along comes the Dharma Initiative. The Others aren't big fans of Dharma digging up their Island, building concrete stations, and polluting their Island with Dharma Beer Cans. This creates an internal debate among the Others about how to deal with them.
On one side is Charles Widmore, who realizes by observing Dharma that there is a lot of potential for the Island to make the world a better place by using its "unique properties" to cure cancers, make people live forever, take rides on Smokey, etc. Heck, maybe you could make a little money in the process to be able to build fancy houses for the Others filled with new TVs and fancy cheeses. He might have even proposed to partner up with Dharma to work towards this "the greater good".
On the other side is Richard Alpert, who likes things they way they've always been, just wants to get rid of Dharma, keep the Island secret, and go back to being a long-haired hippie. Capitalism be damned! He finds a like-minded individual in young Benjamin Linus, and begins to "recruit him".
Years later, it's pretty clear which faction wins the argument, as the Others use Ben to help carry out the Purge, wiping Dharma from the Island. Suddenly Ben is the new "up and comer" among the Others, creating instant friction between Ben and Widmore. As Ben is a pretty tricky guy, he's able to trick Widmore into leaving the Island, effectively putting Ben in a newly vacated position of leadership among the Others.
Lucky for Widmore, he knows enough of the secrets of the Others to collect some of their stashes of money hidden in various locales around the world, uses his clout as former leader of the Others to step in as the leader of the Others off-Island corporation, which he renames as Widmore Industries and goes on with life… but deep down inside yearns to return to the Island. Over the years he gathers information on how to get back by buying the Black Rock Journal, discovering the Lamp Post, and eventually puts together the Freighter team with the goal of removing Ben from the Island, paving the way for his triumphant return… where he can pick up his mission of using the Island for his original altruistic / monetary goals.
What about Penny? I think the easiest answer is that Widmore and TBD Female Lover had her on the Island in the 1970's. Widmore knew that there was a potential for some bad things to go down with the Great Dharma Debate, and sends Penny and TBD Female Lover off the Island to keep them safe. Penny grows up in the real world with no knowledge of the Island. Widmore may even visit her from time to time, but spends a good deal of time "away on business trips", which is actually when he is on the Island.
If you want to get really crazy, let's make TBD Female Lover into Ellie Hawking. Then you could go all Star Wars and have Penny and Faraday be brother and sister, which could explain why Widmore was funding Faraday's experiments (or maybe it was just because he thought Faraday could help Widmore find the Island again), and could explain why Ms. Hawking was in the Lamp Post (because Widmore sent her there to get the place up and running again to help find the Island).
It's not a perfect theory, but it's a good enough place holder for this week. Who is good and who is evil? It depends on which side you come down on - Ben represents protecting the secrecy of the Island, Widmore represents opening up the Island for the greater good. Ben uses trickery, deception, and mass murder to work towards his goals. Widmore uses money, power, and influence.
Ben. As for Benjamin Linus, this week confirmed that he lies approximately 90% of the time and kills people the other 10%. He admitted to killing Abaddon, claiming that it was only a matter of time before Abaddon would have killed Locke - probably a lie - and then proceeded to kill Locke himself (irony!).
But why did Ben kill Locke? If he was going to kill him anyways, why not just let him actually commit suicide? Two possible answers here:
1. In some religions (Catholicism), killing yourself is a big-time sin. Perhaps the Others believe the same, and Locke couldn't be "the chosen one" if he had killed himself. Ben, knowing that Locke needed to die to convince the Oceanic Five to return to the Island, took one for the team and killed him - since it would achieve the same results without Locke falling from grace. Given that the Others have committed mass murder via the Purge, and used Locke killing his father as a sign that he was ready to be their new leader, it seems unlikely that they would have some rule against killing yourself… especially since Alpert told Locke "you're going to have to die" instead of "you're going to be murdered", as if leaving the door open for Locke to carry out the action himself. This was confirmed by Abaddon this episode when he asks whether Richard Alpert's prediction that Locke must die is predetermined or whether it's a choice. Locke asks how it could possibly be his choice to die but Abaddon doesn't answer - again insinuating that Locke might get to the point where his only option to convince the Oceanic Five to return to the Island is to kill himself.
You could argue that Abaddon (and, by association Widmore) are trying to get Locke to kill himself because that will suddenly make him "unworthy" and open the door for Widmore to step in and reclaim his role as "leader of the Others" - making Ben the good guy by allowing Locke to retain his position… but it seems like a bit of a stretch.
2. The other, much more logical explanation is that Ben needed information from Locke. He kept Locke from killing himself until he got the information he needed, and then proceeded with killing him - because it needed to be done. In this scenario, it's true that Locke needed to die in order for the Oceanic Five to return to the Island, but Ben has cleverly inserted himself into the scenario - kinda like he cleverly inserted himself into being a part of moving the Island by turning the FDW last season. Now, instead of Widmore stepping in after Locke's death to bring him back to the Island, Ben does.
The two pieces of information that Ben learns from Locke during the scene are why he hasn't contacted Sun, and where he is headed next (visiting Ms. Hawking). Earlier in the scene, Ben confirms that he knows Ms. Hawking… which pretty much confirms that she is an Outcast Other (since Ben spent the majority of his life on the Island). Based on the earlier Widmore theory, this probably means that Widmore, Ben, and Ms. Hawking were all on the Island at the same time for some period in the past. What if Ms. Hawking, this all-knowing mysterious Other knew that someone was destined to visit her and bring a dead John Locke and the Oceanic Five back to the Island, but didn't know who that was supposed to be? Ben could easily approach her and present himself as the "man behind the mission" - convincing Ms. Hawking to explain to him what needs to be done to return to the Island.
Just like Widmore said to Ben last season "everything you have you took from me". First the Island, now his plan to get back to the Island. What a jerk.
Island. The last major item to discuss this week is the on-Island action. I must admit, I was pretty surprised to get any on-Island action - and although we only got a few brief scenes, they revealed quite a bit. As I mentioned in my Instant Reactions, I think that (for some reason) we have the Survivors of Ajira Airways 316 spread out over two different time periods. Last week, we learned that Jack, Kate, and Hurley are currently in the same time period as Jin - who is driving what appears to be a "new" 1970's Dharma Van. They are on the main Island, near the waterfall we saw in Season One.
This week, we found out that Ben, Locke, Caesar, Ilana, and every other member of Ajira Airways 316 are in the same time period. According to Caesar, everyone apart from those that disappeared have been accounted for. What about Sun and Sayid? Are they "accounted for", or did they "disappear"? Based on the facts of the past two episodes, their fate is still up in the air… but based on the episode preview for next week, it's a little more clear.
***For those who don't like to speculate about things we see in episode previews, you'll probably want to stop reading now.***
In the episode preview, we see a scene with Sun standing in the foreground and Ben standing in the background. Ben still has his arm in a sling, and displays the signs of the mysterious beating he took before boarding Ajira 316… meaning she's in the same time period as the Ajira 316ers. But what time period are they in? Well, using a little deduction skills, it's safe to say they are in "the present" or 2008. We actually do see that the Ajira plane crashed nearby the "runway" that Kate and Sawyer were building in Season Three (meaning it's after 2004). We also find out that "the pilot and some a woman" left in one of the canoes during the night, leaving two behind. If you remember back to "The Little Prince", our Skipping Survivors came upon their old beach camp (which had long since been abandoned) along with two canoes. Again, this puts the time for this particular "skip" as at least 2005 or later.
I'm guessing that at some point, some Ajira 316ers take a canoe over to the main Island (probably accompanied by Ben or Locke). This would put two canoes on the Island, and explain the Ajira Airways water bottle that our Skipping Survivors found in one of the canoes. It also sets up the scene from "The Little Prince" where someone starts to chase and shoot after our Skipping Survivors, resulting in Juliet shooting one of them. Currently, I don’t see why any of the Ajira 316ers (or "the pilot and some woman") would chase after our Skipping Survivors and shoot at them, so the Backriggers could still be anyone.
The moral of the story is that Ajira 316 is in at least 2005… and I'm guessing it's actually in 2008 for simplicity sake. This means that although Sun has successfully returned to the Island, she is about 30 years too late to run into Jin. Hello instant drama.
What about Sayid? Although I have little to base this on, I think he's in 2008 as well. Given that Hurley, Kate, and Jack all landed pretty close to each other, I would assume that if Sayid "skipped" off the plane, he would have ended up near them as well. I also think that Ilana would have mentioned if he was one of the ones that disappeared during the crash - instead of Caesar commenting about Hurley. But he could still go either way.
So, with a little analyzing of the preview scenes, that gives us the following:
As for "the Pilot and a woman", I assume they're talking about Frank and Sun. It would make sense that Sun, uber-excited about reuniting with Jin, would realize that she is on Alcatraz, and needs to go to the main Island to find him. She probably was about to run off on her own, but Frank stopped her and offered to come along for protection / help, since he's also been to the Island before. I'm guessing that the second canoe that goes to the main Island next episode will contain Locke, Ben, Sayid, Caesar, and Ilana… making one of them a great candidate to get shot and killed by Juliet in the very near future. Yikes.
Also, things are not looking so great for John Locke himself. Although he completed his mission successfully, is back on the Island he loves and came back to life (which constitute a pretty good day, if you ask me), Walt's visions of a suited Locke (check) being surrounded by people who want to hurt him sounds like the party is going to be over pretty quickly.
As for Caesar and Ilana, I'm not sure what to make of them yet. It's possible neither knew each other before Ajira 316, and have quickly bonded in the face of disaster similar to how Kate and Jack did after Oceanic 815. Or, maybe one or both have sinister intentions, are Outcast Others, or Widmore's people. The options are endless at this point.
Time. Lastly, I think it's a good idea to step back and look at the big picture, from a timeline perspective. In 2008, Caesar finds what appears to be Faraday's journal and CFL's maps inside the Hydra Station. Was this where he worked on figuring out how to get the Skipping Survivors back to their proper timeline? And what happened to him? For that matter, what happened to any of them? If they are alive and on the Island in the 1970's, they would eventually reach 2004 and 2008 (assuming they survived the Purge). If they successfully found a way to go "Back to the Future" (I should trademark that, it sounds catchy), then they would simply skip the next 20-30 years and aresitting on the main Island alive and well. If not, they have lived a whole lot of life on the Island, and it makes you wonder where they were spending their time in 2004 to avoid running into themselves (maybe at the Others' Temple?)
Furthermore, what has happened to the Others since 2005? Locke disappeared, but they didn't. Who stepped up to become their new leader? What have they been doing for the past three years? Without a leader, did they fall apart and become savages? Are they back to "protectionary" mode, attacking any new people who appear on the Island (could they be the Backriggers)? And what about Vincent, Rose, and Bernard? How do they factor into all these events? Did they die of nosebleeds? Are they in the 1970's working for Dharma as well? Remember how surprised we were to have our Survivors all back together on the Island so quickly this season? Well, they aren't there yet - I have to assume the end-game for this season will be the reunion of all our Survivors in the same timeline, allowing the last season to bring the storyline forward, and to conclusion.
…and I think that's all I've got for this week. What did I miss? What was I terribly, terribly wrong about? Let me know!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Even though we got an extra six minutes for the episode, I feel like we needed another sixty to get the full story of Locke's time off the Island. Although we got all the "necessary scenes" of Locke interacting with the Oceanic Six to complete the storyline, they all pretty much played out like we expected without any huge surprises... and all were condensed into three minute scenes. If this is the only time we'll see Locke's off-Island escapades (which I'm assuming), I guess I'm a little confused by some of the reactions we saw in the aftermath of Locke dying (being murdered!)
For example, I know that Jack was being "haunted" by visions of his dead father, telling him the same stuff about "going back to the Island" that Locke told him... but why would Jack finding out about Locke's "suicide" lead him to nearly committing suicide himself? Kate's visit with Locke seemed pretty friendly, yet she slapped Jack and freaked out when he attempted to say his name at the airport in the Season Three Finale / Season Four Premiere. It was probably just a plot device to keep the identity of the person in the coffin a mystery - but looking back on it now, it doesn't really seem to mesh well together.
But I nitpick. This was still a great episode, with a lot of stuf to digest. Most importantly, it advanced the storyline like it needed to do, allowing us to get to the "good stuff" that hasn't happened yet on the Island, rather than focusing on telling the story of what already happened off the Island.
Here's what we need to discuss:
Time. Even though everyone is back on the Island, it looks like our characters aren't quite all "back together" yet. It just wouldn't be Lost without flashes between multiple storylines / timelines, would it? Here's what it's looking like:
1970's - Jin, Sawyer, Juliet, Jack, Kate, Hurley
2008 - Locke, Ben, Sun, Sayid, Frank
(Why did some skip and others did not? You've got me!)
Futhermore, we've got all these new Ajira Survivors on Alcatraz (note: they didn't land on the "runway" - which was a pretty ridiculous theory when you think about it). Personally, I am SHOCKED that the airplane actually crashed on the Island. The "skip" of our Survivors out seemed like a much cleaner storyline to me. But what would Lost be without super complicated storylines?
Lastly, Caesar and Ilana may have sketchy backgrounds (it's Lost - everyone does!), but as of now, it's not looking like either are actually Outcast Others or working with Ben.
Ben. There's a chance the writers are just really setting us up for a huge surprise when we find out Ben is a "good guy" in the end - but if they are, they're doing one hell of a job. Once again,this week's episode made Widmore seems like the good guy, Ben seems like the bad guy - BIG TIME. We can now confirm that he has pretty much lied about everything off the Island (intentionally lying to Sun about Jin being alive, MURDERING John Locke, killing Abaddon, etc.) I know Lost is all about blurring the line between good and evil, but it seems pretty obvious right now. Ben is one bad dude.
There's also the question about motive. Upcon learning (or confirming) that Locke was working with Widmore / Ms. Hawking, Ben killed him - as if he was an "opposing side" in the "war". However, he worked to accomplish the same goal as Widmore - getting the Oceanic Five back to the Island, even going so far as to work with Ms. Hawking, which Widmore would have done as well (so it seems). So what's the deal with this war?
Widmore. So we confirmed this week that Widmore used to be the leader of the Others (who he just calls "his people") - at least in his mind, until Ben tricked him into leaving the Island. Apparently Widmore was in charge of his people for over three decades, putting him in charge from 1954 to at least 1984... and maybe right up until the Purge, when Ben took over. This makes us question the logic of Alpert reaching out to Ben in the first place. Was he dissatisfied with Widmore as a leader, and thought that Ben could do a better job? Only to find out that Ben sucked too, leading him to reach out to Locke?
According to Widmore, "A war is coming, and if you're not back on the Island when that happens, the wrong side is going to win." As well as stating that he is "deeply invested in the future of the Island."
Abaddon. I guess we all should have seen this coming, given that Abaddon is currently starring on another show on another network (in fact, I guess we were lucky Fox let him do this episode in the first place). According to Abaddon, he gets people where they need to go... and now we understand how and why Abaddon was in the rehab center with Locke back in the day. Since Widmore met Locke at the age of 17, once he "grew up" and got "tricked" off the Island, he probably was on the lookout for this "John Locke" character - and sent Abaddon after him to ensure he ends up on the Island (although, again - if you can't change the past, there was really nothing to worry about, right?)
Third Boat. This episode seems to confirm that the Skipping Survivors killed one of the Ajira Survivors, who chased after them when they suddenly appeared - but who? The good news is, with "the Pilot and a girl" taking the third boat (who I assume is Frank and Sun), they seem to be safe. This leaves Ben, Locke, Caesar, Ilana, or some stranger as the potential casualty of Juliet's return fire.
Walt. I hate to say it, but I think we're done with the Walt storyline. Locke said "he's already been through enough" and seemed to make the executive decision to spare him from any future trama with returning to the Island. If Locke is indeed the future leader, I think he'd have the authority to make such a decision, just like Ben could decide that Michael and Walt were allowed to leave the Island. Although, it's scary forshadowing that Walt talked about having visions of Locke in a suit being chased by people (or something along those lines). It doesn't seem like it's going to be an easy return to the Island for Locke.
So the big question is - where do we go from here? If we have half of our characters in the "present" (2008) and half in the past (1970's), it looks like Faraday working to get our characters back into the proper timeline will indeed be the major storyline to carry the rest of the season. As for characters like Desmond, Walt, and Aaron? I'm afraid they're going to be delegated to the background for now. I have a hard time believing the writers will juggle a THIRD storyline , location, and timeline in the mix right now... but again, Lost thrives on super-complicated multiple storylines - so you never know. I would bet they are bigger players next season than this one.
Holy crap - that was basically a full analysis of the episode. My bad. I'll try to think of something new to write for the analysis :)
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Apparently I’m a big liar and you can’t take me for my word. Less than 48 hours ago I told you there would be no episode preview this week, and maybe no more episode previews from this point forward. I put forth a logical argument to explain axing them, reasoning that no one would really miss them since based on the Comments Section, more people seemed to complain about them than enjoyed them.
But just like that one time in college when I said “I’m never drinking again”, yet was drinking again less than 12 hours later, here I am, writing an episode preview. Turns out that people really do enjoy them, have nothing but hatred for those that complain about them being “spoilers”, and without them the Lost experience for thousands of people would be much less enjoyable and their lives would lose all meaning. I can’t handle that on my conscience. Who am I to deny people such happiness and life fulfillment during a Global Recession?
However, my arguments against the episode previews were still pretty sound. It does seem like we’re getting less and less to go on each week as the season progresses, leaving me with less and less to analyze without just making stuff up. So I am going to make a concerted effort to make these things a little shorter and sweeter, as dictated by each episode’s title and description. As you’ll soon see, there was a reason I picked this week to attempt this experiment – it’s one of the most straight-forward and episode-description-less episodes of Lost of all time.
Episode Title: “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”
Brian’s Deeper Meaning Guess: So we all know what’s going to happen this week… or so we think. We know the episode is going to start with Locke getting off the Island after turning the FDW, he’ll pay a visit to the Oceanic Six, and will end with Locke dying. But something tells me there’s going to be some pretty amazing scenes filling in the gaps between these overall episode tent poles. As for the episode title, there’s nothing deep about it – no reference to a book, movie, song, or historical event… except for the symbolism of Locke choosing to go by the alias of “Jeremy Bentham” in the first place. So who was Jerry Bentham?
According to the Internet (so it has to be true), Jeremy Bentham was an English philosopher and political radical. He was primarily known today for his moral philosophy, especially his principle of utilitarianism, which evaluates actions based upon their consequences. The relevant consequences, in particular, are the overall happiness created for everyone affected by the action. Influenced by many enlightenment thinkers, especially empiricists such as John Locke and David Hume, Bentham developed an ethical theory grounded in a largely empiricist account of human nature. He famously held a hedonistic account of both motivation and value according to which what is fundamentally valuable and what ultimately motivates us is pleasure and pain. Happiness, according to Bentham, is thus a matter of experiencing pleasure and lack of pain.
So what does that mean?
Aside from the blatant John Locke – Jeremy Bentham connection, Bentham’s utilitarian views are all about doing “the greater good”. Even though he also believed in pleasure over pain, (and I have to think that killing yourself would hurt at least a little), there’s nothing like suffering a little pain in order to create a lot of pleasure for lot of other people (that sounds dirty). You know, like sacrificing yourself to save a mysterious Island, helping the Oceanic Five find peace in life by returning to said mysterious Island, or helping to prevent the space-time continuum from ripping apart… any or all of which could be argued to be John Locke’s “mission” off the Island.
Hello utilitarianism!
Episode Description: Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed.
Guest Stars: Malcolm David Kelley as Walt, John Terry as Christian Shephard, Alan Dale as Charles Widmore, Lance Reddick as Matthew Abaddon, William Blanchett as Aaron, Said Taghmaoui as Caesar, Zuleikha Robinson as Ilana, Ammar Daraiseh as Hajer, Grisel Toledo as Susie, Stephen Scibetta as foreman and John Jamal Bradley as kid.
Guest Star Breakdown: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLTTTTTTTTTTT! Our favorite special-powered man-child is back, and it’s about damn time. If this is going to be our token “Walt appearance for Season Five”, I hope it’s a worthwhile one, where Locke explains why he was so special, if he really needs to return to the Island or not, and hopefully squeeze in a quick game of backgammon for old time’s sake. Everyone has kinda assumed that Walt would return to the Island and factor into the endgame of Lost – but with each passing season without reference to him, I think that’s becoming less and less likely. Unless some foundation is laid for Walt’s reappearance in the future, we might have been wrong about Walt’s overall importance to the show all along.
On the other hand, back in Season One most of us would probably thought that Christian Shephard appearances would remain a rare occasion – mostly when Jack was hallucinating / drunk – or in his flashbacks. Yet Christian Shephard has become one of the most prominent and mysterious guest stars this season, so his appearance isn’t too surprising… until you remember that this episode will probably take place 100% off the Island, and 100% from the perspective of John Locke. I’m guessing this means that even though Locke turned the wheel and ended up off the Island, he still doesn’t know what he actually needs to do – and will need a little spiritual guidance from the Island in the form of Christian Shephard as he goes about his “mission”.
You’ll also note that Caesar and Ilana appear in this episode. I’m assuming that this episode is 100% “flashback”, meaning Locke probably interacted with them before Ajira Airways Flight 316… increasing the likelihood I posed last week that they were Outcast Others, who had been “helping” Locke on his mission off the Island over the past few years.
But for me, the most exciting guest star this week is Matthew “That Guy Now on Fringe” Abaddon. He’s the creepy tall black guy equivalent of Ms. Hawking, someone who seems to know a lot about everything, could potentially be a former Other, and might be a major player in orchestrating some of the major events that have occurred on the show thus far. Remember, he was the one who inspired Locke to go on the Walkabout which lead him to the Island in the first place and put together Naomi’s crew on the Freighter, which brought Charlotte, Miles, and Faraday to the Island.
Perhaps the most creepy and intriguing detail of all? Remember the last words that Abaddon said to Locke when they first met – that if Locke did go on the walkabout, when they met again, Locke “would owe him one.” With all of the dichotomy we’ve seen on Lost, it’s possible that Abaddon represents one side in “the battle for the Island” and Ms. Hawking represents the other… much like Ben vs. Widmore… and both sides might be fighting for control and influence over John Locke... I mean “Jeremy Bentham”. When Abaddon comes “collecting”, here’s hoping he’s got the best interests of our Survivors at heart… and isn’t trying to bring about the end of the world. Remember, in the Bible “Abaddon” means "A place of destruction", "The Destroyer", "Depths of Hell" and is the King of tormenting locusts and the angel of the bottomless pit.
Sounds happy!
Episode Breakdown: After over a full season of waiting, Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is finally revealed.
We’ll find out what he said to each member of the Oceanic Six as he visited them (or if he visited all of them), as well as what led him to the decision to kill himself (if he really did kill himself). It’s probably the most anticipated episode of the season thus far, needing an extra 6 minutes to tell its tale (check your DVR now to make sure it’s going to 10:06 pm EST!) but ironically is the one episode we’ll have all season where we already know what’s going to happen in the beginning, the middle, and the end. We’ve all discussed countless theories about what happened during Locke’s time off the Island over the past year, but it’s finally time to find out the truth.
You all should probably be pretty excited about it.
…and there you have it, a half-assed, quickie episode preview for an episode that really didn’t need one. But I aim to please.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
I have to admit, this one was a tough episode to break down. A lot of stuff happened, but a lot of it was pretty tough to analyze – not because it was confusing, but because it didn’t “fit” with things that we have seen over the past few seasons. But here’s my best attempt!
Time. Once again this week, we better start with the question of "time" on Lost, specifically in regards to the jaw-drop-tastic ending. Here is what we know:
Fact #1 - At some point in the past, Locke turned the FDW, sending him off the Island.
Fact #2 - When Jack, Kate, and Hurley return to the Island, Jin is wearing a Dharma Jumpsuit, driving a Dharma Van, and listening to Dharma Music.
Shockingly, outside of those two details, it's all conjecture. So everything from this point forward is based on assumptions and guesses on my part - but could be totally wrong. We just don't know enough. The writers have cleverly left out large chunks of the storyline, allowing the viewer to slowly discover them over the next few episodes. My guess is that next week's episode ("The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham") focuses 100% on Locke's time off the Island, and we have to wait two weeks before we return to the Island to get answers about the timeline. So this will have to hold us over until then.
Assumption #1 - Our Skipping Survivors moved in time when Locke turned the FDW. There was a bright flash of light that accompanied Ben's turning of the FDW, and we all know that caused the first skip, so it seems logical that Locke turning the FDW would cause another skip.
Assumption #2 - Locke not only turned the FDW, but "fixed it". He got it back on its axis and properly aligned. I'm guessing that the reason for the repeated, sometimes rapid skips through time were a result of the FDW being off its proper axis, wobbling between spokes instead of staying on one.
Assumption #3 - This would mean that our Skipping Survivors had "one last skip" that sent them back in time, but have experienced none since then.
Assumption #4 - Since we saw Faraday on the Island when the Orchid was being built, and now Jin on the Island in a new-looking Dharma Van, this skip sent them back to at least the 1970's, if not earlier.
I feel pretty confident about all those assumptions, even though any could be incorrect. But based on the facts and assumptions above, here's my theory:
After Locke turned the FDW, the remaining Skipping Survivors (Sawyer, Jin, Juliet, Faraday, Miles) end up in the late 1970's.
Yes, I know that you could argue that they went back thousands of years, which could conveniently allow these characters to see things like the four-toed statue being built and the Black Rock arriving on the Island, but I think it creates a lot of complications. Even if you suppose that they wouldn't age until they hit their "proper time period" of 2004, I have a hard time believing they would be able to survive on the Island for so long without going crazy, starving to death, falling off a cliff, or being killed by Smokey.
Instead, if you have them end up in the late 1970's, it could coincide with Dharma first showing up on the Island. Knowing that they would need food and shelter to survive in this new timeline, they would sneak into the crowds of people arriving on the Island and signup for random jobs on the Island. The Skipping Survivors would do their best to get by while trying to understand what happened, all the while trying to figure out how they could return to their proper timeline.
I know that last week I proposed that Faraday would become the "big bad" of the rest of the season by messing with the FDW to try and change the past to save Charlotte… but this week I'm thinking the exact opposite. Aren't theories fun? What if instead of doing something sinister in the Orchid Station, Daniel Faraday was doing something heroic - like trying to figure out how to help everyone get back to 2004? That would be a pretty logical explanation, and would keep fan-fave Faraday as one of the "good guys"!
To take it one step farther, you could even have the Skipping Survivors spend three years living on the Island and working for Dharma until the Oceanic Five arrive - that way all of the remaining Survivors of Oceanic Flight 815 would have aged the exact same amount of time as well. The Oceanic Six spent three years off the Island, and our Skipping Survivors spent three years skipping / living on the Island. It's actually a pretty nice and neat explanation for their storyline… almost too convenient to actually be correct.
The Oceanic Five. Luckily, there are all sorts of questions about the Oceanic Five. Before we analyze, let me get one thing out of the way...
I didn't realize it when I wrote my Instant Reactions Review, but Ms. Hawking actually used the phrase "leap of faith" when describing what was required for Jack to return to the Island - and that's exactly what is required for the viewer as well. It's pretty funny, but as comfortable as I am with accepting things on Lost like Smokey, Skipping Through Time, or Non-Aging Alpert, when Ms. Hawking started talking about recreating the crash of Oceanic Flight 815 as closely as possible, it came across as cheesy and ridiculous, and as a whole just didn't sit right with me.
There's no way it can be explained with science, which is fine (although we were promised at the start that everything would be "pseudo-science") - but I would have much preferred some generic reference to "fate" bringing them back rather than Ms. Hawking's attempt at an explanation. When Jack shouted "this is ridiculous", that's exactly what I was thinking, and was glad to hear a character voice my opinion. I know a lot of people are trying to find ways to correlate Ajira Flight 316 to Oceanic Flight 815, but I'm going to intentionally overlook them because I'd simply rather put this part of the storyline behind us, and in my head, I'll pretend that Ms. Hawking just said "there's no way to explain it, Jack. That's why it's called a leap of faith." Tell me that wouldn't have been a thousand times better?!
(Note: this is also how I pretend that Seasons Four and portions of Season Five of Alias never happened, and have a totally different story in my head to replace them)
But I digress. We're moving on! The important thing is that the Oceanic Five ended up on Ajira Airways 316, which allows the story to move forward. As with the Skipping Survivors, it's easy to make assumptions about what happened - but in reality all we know for sure is that Jack, Kate, and Hurley ended up on the Island. So let's address that question first - how did they get from sitting on a plane at 30,000 feet to being on the Island?
We saw that they started to experience turbulence on the plane, followed by a bright light similar to when a skip would happen on the Island. A skip would provide the cleanest, and most convenient explanation, allowing the Oceanic Five to get back to the Island without killing a bunch of innocent people in a plane crash and putting them in the same boat as the rest of the Survivors who never left. Plus, you could argue that if a skip on the Island was happening directly under them at the same time they were flying over, they would be "sucked in" and skip in time, just like our Skipping Survivors.
Note: the suck must have a lot more height to it than it does width, since the Oceanic Six were on a helicopter fewer than 30,000 feet from the Island when Ben turned the FDW, but weren't sucked in at that point.
However, this still doesn't explain how they ended up on the Island. As we have seen through our Skipping Survivors, when the flash happens, you move in time - but not in space (like Locke ending up underground). So if the Oceanic Five were at 30,000 feet in 2008 - they should have ended up at 30,000 feet in the 1970's. Falling that distance to the Island could explain how they ended up so far apart, even though they were a few feet away on the plane - but you would think it would also kill them. I guess we have to chalk this up to "the Island doesn't let you die until it's good and ready".
There’s also the pesky detail that their arrival on the Island didn’t seem to coincide with a “skip” on the Island. Jin’s position inside Dharma seems to indicate that he has been in that time period a decent amount of time… which makes me think he has been “skip-free” for a while. Does this mean that the skips are suddenly only affecting certain people, instead of everyone? Or did it only affect Oceanic Five since they weren’t in the “right place” in the Island’s eyes? Or is this just payback since they didn’t suffer through any skips yet like their fellow Survivors? No answer here, other than “it got them back to the Island, which is the important thing – don’t worry about it!”
We've verified that Jack, Kate, and Hurley end up on the Island. But what about Sayid, Sun, Ben, Frank, or any of the other passengers on the flight? I think it's safe to assume that Sayid and Sun are back on the Island (somewhere), since there is nothing that would make them different than Jack, Kate, and Hurley. To some extent, this would also make you think that Frank ends up on the Island, since he would seemingly be in the same category as Faraday, Miles, and Charlotte - who have been skipping on the Island all along. That leaves us with three wild cards - Ben and the two other mysterious new passengers sitting in first class. They were included in the "Guest Star" listing for the episode as Caesar (creepy guy that talked to Jack) and Ilana (Female Marshall).
As many have point out, if there were random, one-off guest stars, they probably wouldn't have names - and Caesar wouldn’t have talked to Jack this week (in what was a pretty awkward scene)… which kinda makes you think they are going to end up on the Island as well. For those who watched the preview for next week, you already know the answer to part of this question - since it appeared to feature John Locke talking to Ilana on the beach. Her inclusion is actually pretty easy to explain. We have seen that whatever our Skipping Survivors are in contact with skips with them - and if she was sitting next to Sayid, they very well could have been touching, and she would be taken along for the ride. However, Caesar was sitting by himself on the flight, so this explanation wouldn't apply to him. And what about Ben?
Much like the Oceanic Five, I think there has to be some unifying element that ties all three of these characters together. Assuming that they skipped, but everyone else on the plane stayed, they must all have something in common that made them unique… and the most likely explanation is that they have all been to the Island Before.
Outcast Others. Say hello to my new character grouping title for this week. I'm going to call Caeasar, Ilana, and Ben "Outcast Others". Although I think it's possible that some characters voluntarily left the Island to "serve it" from the Real World at various Dharma Stations around the world (like Ms. Hawking), I think it's just as possible that there is another group of Others who didn’t want to leave in the first place, and would do anything to go back to the Island. These Outcast Others have been told that they can never go back to the Island, but can't accept it - and spend their nights dreaming about "the good ol' days" back on the Island. They would be willing to do anything to go back. Anything.
My wacky theory of the week is that Caesar and Ilana are Outcast Others who have been working for Ben (a fellow Outcast) to help get the Oceanic Five back on this particular flight, possibly even helping him keep the Oceanic Five safe over the past three years (from Widmore / The Economist). It's likely that In return for doing so, Ben has promised to take them back to the Island with him.
This would provide an explanation for how Sayid ended up on the plane. Ilana, who has been working for law enforcement ever since she left the Island years ago, gets called on by Ben to "arrest" Sayid and bring him on this particular flight. As for Caesar, maybe he has been simply acting as a "henchman" for Ben, helping him kill people, spy on people, manipulate people, etc - you know, do "Ben Stuff". It still doesn't explain all the logic behind the skipping - we still don't know why someone like Ben would skip but the other Others do not. But if the skipping only applies to people who have been to the Island before, it would conveniently get the Oceanic Five, Ben, Frank, Ilana, and Caesar off the plane without killing all the innocent people on board.
In fact, if Ben is orchestrating all of this, he most certainly knew this, which explains why he said "who cares about them" when Jack asked about the other passengers on Ajira 316. It wasn't that he was cold and heartless, but that he knew they would be fine.
I think the more worrisome part of this is that we have been told that once you leave the Island, you can't come back. This week, we also had Hurley tell Jack that Ben "is not supposed to come". This might be the second time that Ben has blatantly disobeyed the wishes of the Island. The first was turning the FDW, and that started the skipping in time in the first place. The second might be returning to the Island when he isn't supposed to… which makes me worry about stuff like the Outcast Others running into themselves. We don't know what the repercussions of such an event might be, but I'm guessing it wouldn't be good.
Ben. Speaking of "not good", it's not looking good for sweet Penelope Widmore. Ben told Jack that he "made a promise to an old friend of mine" (Charles Widmore, when he promised that he would kill Penny since Widmore's men killed Alex), followed by "tying a loose end that needs tying up" (which might be literal, if he tied her up and threw her into the ocean), concluded by Ben calling Jack from a pay phone at Long Beach Marina (where Penny and Desmond likely were, since they were living on a boat). If you think about it, Ben has been working for years to orchestrate this plan of getting the Oceanic Five back to the Island - probably from the minute he turned the FDW. What could possibly have come up so last minute that would cause him to risk being on that plane?
How about Desmond suddenly showing up at Ms. Hawking's church, which suddenly tells Ben that Penny is close. The next scene with Ben shows him "praying" in church, but I think it was more of "soul searching", as he's wondering if he can go through with his promise and kill an innocent Penny to get his revenge.
The fact that Ben was bruised and bloodied gives me hope that Desmond was able to fight off Ben and save Penny… but Ms. Hawking's statement that Desmond "isn't finished with the Island" without going into any detail makes me worry. Note that she didn't say "The Island isn't finished with you", but rather "You aren't finished with the Island" - as if the Island doesn't care one way or the other if Desmond returns, but Ms. Hawking knows that Desmond will be back.
After making numerous promises to never return to the Island, the only reason I can think that Desmond would return to the Island would be for revenge - to hunt down Benjamin Linus for what he did to Penny. Something else fun to think about? We might be looking at both of the "special people" on the Island who can change the past (Desmond and Faraday) looking to avenge the death of the one they loved. Desmond trying to kill Ben in revenge, Faraday looking to change the past to save Charlotte. Either action could cause a lot of trouble. If Ben and Desmond are fighting it out in the 1980's, a fatal blow to either would have huge repercussions on the past. Desmond wouldn't be on the Island in 2004 to turn the Swan Hatch failsafe, and Ben wouldn't be on the Island in 2004 to turn the FDW the first time. If "whatever happened, happened", either of these results may accidentally bring about the end of the existence. Yikes. Should we be more worried about Faraday or Desmond?
Lamp Post. This week also showed us the first (and I’m guessing ONLY) off-Island Dharma Station, “The Lamp Post”. Apparently, The Lamp Post was created by Dharma as a way to find the Island. According to Ms. Hawking “they knew that it existed but not where it was.” This indicates that the Lamp Post was the first Dharma Station, required to find The Island for the very first time. The first question a logical person would ask is “how did they know about the Island in the first place, to know to be searching for it?”
Well keep in mind that Dharma didn’t arrive on the Island until the 1970’s – but there were plenty of people on the Island before that point (Charles Widmore). Although we don’t know when – or why – people like Widmore (and potentially Ms. Hawking) left the Island, they might have enough information about it to help Dharma build the Lamp Post to help find it.I doubt it’s a coincidence that there was a military surveillance picture of the Island from 1954 hanging on the chalkboard. It was “proof” that the Island existed – the goal that Dharma was working towards finding.
I’m guessing that Charles Widmore will once again prove to be the key to all of this. He was kicked off the Island, and became obsessed with finding a way back. He bought the Hanso Black Rock Journal and gave Dharma the money they needed – but more importantly he gave them the information he had gathered from his time on the Island, information that would prove critical in helping them find the Island. So is Charles Widmore the “clever fellow” that developed the wacky pendulum inside the Lamp Post?
I don’t think so. Charles Widmore is a lot of things – rich guy, powerful guy, grandpa on the OC – but I don’t think mathematical/science nerd is one of them. Even if he did spend a good deal of time on the Island, I don’t how we would discover unique electromagnetic energy at the location of the Lamp Post, or use this energy to help find the unique electromagnetic energy of the Island.
The problem is, thinking through the cast of Lost characters available to fill this role, I’m having a hard time coming up with anyone that would be able to figure this all out. It could be someone we haven’t “met” yet like Valenzetti, Alvar Hanso, or a totally new person, but the only person I can think of that we already know on the show is Daniel Faraday, which doesn’t make any sense. Or does it? Maybe, in his heroic / foolish actions to get our Survivors back to 2008 / save Charlotte, Faraday accidentally gets kicked off the Island and winds up in the past. It gets a little too “circular” in the space-time continuum when I think about it, but I would definitely describe Faraday as a “clever fellow” – and his ability to help Dharma find the Island would go a long way in explaining his connection with Widmore, who was funding his research.
Note: I don’t love this theory since there are too many holes in it, but that’s my best guess for now.
Moving. Although there are definitely still big questions surrounding the creation of the Lamp Post, the bigger question for me is Ms. Hawking’s insistence that the Island is “always moving”. What? Doesn’t all of the Freighter stuff from last season totally contradict this comment?
Let’s remember that the reason that the Freighter was stationed anywhere between five and eighty miles off the coast of the Island for over a month – with crew members of the Kahana taking multiple trips to see the Island, helicopters coming to and from the Island, etc. If it was “always moving”, none of this would have been possible. In fact, everything we saw last season – from the fake Oceanic 815 wreckage in the Sunda Trench to the Oceanic Six ending up on Sumba and Membata during their return to the “real world” all take place within the same general area, which happens to be pretty close to the path that Oceanic Flight 815 was taking from Sydney to Los Angeles in the first place.
All of these details seemed to confirm that the Island was in the same place all this time, and didn’t move until Ben turned the FDW, don’t they? Based on what we saw in the first four seasons of Lost, which took place over the course of three months – the Island did not move in space. This doesn’t sound like “always moving” to me. The only way I can reconcile this is to assume the Island actually only moved once every four or five months – and our Survivors just happened to miss any of the moves during their time there. The ocean is a big place, and it’s reasonable to think that even if the Island was in the same place for a few months, that wouldn’t be enough time for someone to find it (especially if it also had a “cloaking” mechanism that didn’t allow mechanical devices to pick it up thanks to those wacky “unique electromagnetic properties”).
It’s a stretch for me, but you could argue that Dharma used the Lamp Post to predict where the Island would be for those Periodic Ration Drops – and would only travel to and from the Island when they knew it would not be moving. If you argue that the mechanism that makes the Island “move” is the FDW (which, is actually a kinda cool thought – like a giant captain’s wheel for a moving Island), that would explain why a move in space suddenly happened when Ben turned the FDW, instead of periodically happening in four month intervals when the wheel moves another spoke (or something).
I guess this is logical enough for me right now, although it still seems like an inconsistency. Stupid Ms. Hawking, you caused a lot of logical trouble this episode!
Wrap Up Thoughts. Quick and dirty (that’s what she said!)
Jin. So it looks like Jin is some type of “Dharma Sheriff” based on the five-point star on his jumpsuit. I wonder what “jobs” our other Survivors have? I’m guessing Sawyer is “Official Dharma Nickname Giver”.
Suicide Note. How did Ms. Hawking end up with Locke’s “suicide note”? I’m guessing that Ben is present at Locke’s suicide and passes it along to her… but then why wouldn’t Ben give the note to Ms. Hawking directly? Or did Locke pay a visit to her pre-death as well? And what does it mean? Is it simply Locke saying “I wish we didn’t have to go through all this hassle thanks to you not listening to me about staying on the Island?” Or is there something deeper there?
Ray. I find it hard to believe that the Lost writers would have introduced Jack’s grandfather Ray for no reason. Although I won’t go as far as some people (who have wacky theories about Ray being a “future version” of Jack), it wouldn’t surprise me if he had been on the Island on some point in the past (with the 1954 military mission?). All I know is, I’ll be disappointed if his character was included for the simple sake of giving Jack his father’s shoes… which could have just as easily been sitting in Jack’s closet back home all these years.
Kids. When Jack asks Kate why she changed her mind and where Aaron is, she tells him to never ask her that question again. I think easy explanation here is that Kate gave Aaron back to Claire’s Mom. She told her the truth about Aaron, and now has to “run” back to the Island to avoid being arrested / exposed for fraud. The good news is, this makes her character’s inclusion in “The Little Prince” a whole lot more meaningful. The bad news is, Aaron isn’t back on the Island (at least not yet). Personally, I’m pretty shocked that Aaron, Ji-Yeon, and Walt are thus far absent from the main storyline.
Episode Previews. There’s one last thing we need to discuss. Over the past few weeks, I’ve gotten a lot less enjoyment from writing the episode previews than in previous years. We’re getting a lot less to go on (see this week’s episode description of “Locke's fateful mission off the island as Jeremy Bentham is revealed.”), which means I have to do a lot of “guessing” about what is going to happen in the episode. This results in one of two outcomes:
I’m correct. Which kinda sucks, because then there’s no surprise in the episode.
I’m wrong. Which sometimes sucks, because sometimes I liked my ideas for the storyline better than what actually happens.
Either way, it takes some of the enjoyment out of the episode for me – and with so few episodes of Lost left, I’d like to enjoy each as much as possible.
So, for this week we’re going to do an experiment. No episode preview, only Instant Reaction and Episode Analysis. The good news is, these are clearly the two most popular posts each week based on site hits and comments, so most people probably won’t care. It’ll also make all those people happy who complained that I spoiled episodes by guessing what would happen correctly.
If no one misses them, we’ll make the episode previews a thing of the past. If enough people complain that they really love them and want them back, we can discuss again next week
So – until Wednesday night’s “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham” Instant Reactions, Happy Losting!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I have to admit, for the first half of this episode, I was thinking "this is a tad ridiculous". Everything that Ms. Hawking said just begged for analysis - but the more I thought about what she was saying, trying to find logical / science explanations for it, the more absurd it sounded. Trying to recreate the crash? Giving something that belonged to Christian Shephard to Locke? It was crazy! I spent most of the episode thinking, "you know what, I'm going to give Lost the benefit of the doubt because the writers have yet to let me down - no matter how illogical this sounds to me." I was willing to take a leap of faith and see where they were going with the story.
Leave it to Lost to totally win me over by the end of the episode.
It turns out all of the stuff that Ms. Hawking said might have had some truth to it... but it seems like in reality, Ajira Airways Flight 316 might have just passed over the Island when a "flash" happened, causing the members of the Oceanic Six... er "Five" to "skip" - suddenly disappearing from the plane and ending up on the Island... and as illogical as that sounds (try to prove that with science!), somehow I'm a thousand times more comfortable with this explanation than if the plane had crashed on the Island to bring our Oceanic Five back to the Island.
So here are the questions:
Where is Aaron? Based on Kate's crying and promising Jack to never ask about him, my immediate thought was "Oh God, she killed him" - but that seems too crazy, even for Lost. Does this mean that Aaron isn't considered one of the Oceanic Six since he was simply an unborn child inside Claire during Flight 815? Or would his character just get in the way of the storyline, and leaving him off is simply a matter of convenience? For that matter, there's no Walt or Ji-Yeon on the Island as well. We're still due for some resolution to the Walt storyline, right?
Speaking of me thinking the worst possible thought, when Ben showed up beaten up and bloody after "taking care of some loose ends", I have this terrible fear that he "took care" of Penny Widmore, fulfilling his promise to Widmore that he would kill his daughter as payback for Keamy killing Alex. The broken arm could have resulted from a fight with Desmond. With Desmond not on Ajira 316, this could provide a good excuse for Desmond to hunt down Ben and return to the Island... for revenge.
Yes, I was disappointed that Desmond didn't question Ms. Hawking any more. She is some future-seeing mystic who he finds out has a connection to the Island and all he does is yell at her for costing a few years of his life before storming off? How about asking some questions about how this is all possible? But props to Desmond for calling everyone out for how crazy this all sounds.
So who skipped off the plane and who didn't? It's safe to assume that Dead Locke, Sun, and Sayid would skip (since they are no different than our other Skipping Survivors). But what about Ben? The true "Others" haven't been skipping, but transplants like Juliet have. Which group will Ben fall under?
It looks like when Ben turned the FDW, the Skipping Survivors went back pre-1980... who knows how far - but have been on the Island long enough to BECOME MEMBERS OF THE DHARMA INITIATIVE! Hello explanation for Faraday in the Orchid! Hello way for the writers to finally give us our long overdue look at the Dharma Initiative from the inside! But this means that all our characters are effectively "living in the past" right now. Is the skipping done? Are they eventually going to meet up with themselves in 2003? Do they need to worry about surviving the Purge?
At first, I was thinking "shouldn't someone have recognized the Survivors immediately in 2003 since they have been on the Island since 1980?" But then I realized the only person who survived the Dharma Initiative is Ben... could this somehow be the key to his ability to always be one step ahead of everyone? I need to think about this...
Who built the Lamp Post Dharma Station? If Widmore knew about the location of the Lamp Post, why couldn't he have just used it in his "race for the Island" with Ben? If the Island is constantly moving (I assume in space), how were the Periodic Ration Drops possible? How did the Others come and go from the Island in their submarine? So much to think about.
Who were the two new characters sitting in First Class with the Oceanic Five? It looks like one was taking the place of the Warden with the fugitive Sayid (taking the place of Kate), but what about the other guy? His talking to Jack in the airport was a little too obvious and convenient for him not to be in on this somehow. I'd expect both to end up on the Island, although based on the rules we've seen for the skipping so far, I don't know how this is possible unless both were already on the Island in the past at some point, right?
What initially seemed like a straightforward - almost rushed - episode to just get the Oceanic Five back on the Island actually opens the door for us to question A LOT of what we've seen and thought about the past few seasons.
For those who complain about discussion of the next episode preview, stop reading here! For everyone who watched it, a few more points. Don't say I didn't warn you!
It looks like the Female Warden accompanying Sayid DOES end up on the Island, and is seen talking to a very much alive John Locke.
It looked like Widmore was actually working WITH Locke to get him back to the Island. Again, this doesn't mesh with the Ben / Widmore rivalry and race for the Island, does it? Unless it's like "whoever can win over Locke can get back to the Island" and Ben won?
Was that Ben kneeling down in front of Locke before he hung himself? Creepy suicide worshipping? That's kinda messed up, even for Benjamin Linus.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Welcome to what may be the shortest Blog entry since my hilariously brief Season One entries (which actually were just Emails I sent to my coworkers and friends). Why, you ask? Well, the combined episode title and description amount to a whopping twenty-two total words. I know that I’m pretty good at yapping on for hours about minor details, but to stretch twenty-two words into a normal-sized Blog post might even be beyond my powers.
In some ways, this is pretty exciting (and admittedly makes my life easier) – plus it should please those people afraid that my episode previews “spoil” the episodes for them. I wonder if as we get closer and closer to the end of Lost, we’ll begin to get less and less information before the episodes air, which would maximize the surprise factor and payoff to mysteries... or maybe this week is just an exception. We’ll see.
For now, here goes nothing…
Episode Title: “316”
Brian’s Deeper Meaning Guess: The traditional pre-episode Google of the episode title reveals that 316 is the area code for Wichita, Kansas… but with most of our characters in Los Angeles, I don’t see how that would be relevant to the story.
On the other hand, if you add a little colon to make the episode title “3:16”, all sorts of deeper meanings. John 3:16 is one of the most widely quoted verses from the Christian Bible, and has been called the most famous Bible verse of all time (narrowly defeating John 3:4 – “Now he had to go through Samaria”). John 3:16 has also been called the "Gospel in a nutshell" because it is considered a summary of some of the most central doctrines of traditional Christianity:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
The verse occurs in a narrative in the New Testament third chapter of John taking place in Jerusalem. Nicodemus, a member of the ruling council, comes to talk with Jesus, whom he calls Rabbi. Jesus' "miraculous signs" have convinced Nicodemus that Jesus is "from God". In reply, Jesus declares, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again". John 3:16 summarizes Jesus's lesson to Nicodemus: that belief in Jesus is the path to eternal life.
Hello, John Locke references galore!
Just like “The Little Prince”, it isn’t hard to see the themes of sacrifice, death, and resurrection relating directly to Locke’s current storyline. You could even stretch some of the “miracles” Locke believes to be happening on the Island to tie in with the “miraculous signs” that Nicodemus say from Jesus. In both cases, death was necessary to be born into eternal life. We all know that Locke dies, and we are all guessing that he’s going to somehow be “born again” when he returns to the Island.
So this must be what “316” is referring to, right?
Wrong.
Just like “The Little Prince”, it seems like we have an obvious explanation for the episode title – but just like “The Little Prince”, I don’t think we’re going to see any of these references in this week’s episode. With next week’s episode being titled “The Life and Death of Jeremy Bentham”, it seems to be the episode that will finally show us exactly what happened from the point John Locke turned the FDW to the point where he died. I’m guessing the only Locke scenes we get this week involve him lying inside a coffin. Likewise, I wouldn’t be surprised if we don’t learn what happened to our Skipping Survivors this week either. Odds are, “316” will focus solely on the Oceanic Six and their return to the Island.
As I said before this season began, I think that from a storytelling perspective, the best way to “payoff” the two parallel storylines of the Oceanic Six and the Skipping Survivors is to have the Oceanic Six be the ones to discover what “terrible things” happened to the Skipping Survivors once they return to the Island (as opposed to having the audience know exactly what happened on the Island beforehand). We’ve only gotten half of their overall story thus far. We know that they are skipping through time, Charlotte died, and Locke turned the FDW and left the Island. But then what? How much time will have passed between that point in time until the Oceanic Six return to the Island? What year did the Skipping Survivors end up in once Locke fixed the FDW? Have they aged? Lived a 1000 lifetimes on the Island? Or conveniently ended up in 2008 where the Oceanic Six reside?
It’s also worth remembering that with Locke leaving the Island, anything he told the Oceanic Six could only contain information up until the point in the story we have already seen on the Island. So although he talked about “very bad things” happening there, he has no idea what happened when he turned the FDW. If the skipping did stop, are the remaining Survivors really in any danger? Why is it so critical that the Oceanic Six return to the Island? If the skipping continued, what in the world could they do to stop it anyways?
These are the big questions in the overall storyline right now – and the best way to answer them with the most impact is going to be through the eyes of the Oceanic Six themselves… so the sooner they get back to the Island, the better!
But if “316” isn’t referring to some Locke / Jesus symbolism, what does it refer to? I think there are two easy, pretty shallow options:
The flight number that the Oceanic Six take to get back to the Island is Ajira Airways Flight 316. Assuming that Locke is onboard, it would be pretty appropriate that Flight 316 is the vessel that brings him back to the Island, back to some sort of “eternal life” just like in the Bible verse.
316 is the bearing that the Oceanic Six need to take in order to actually reach the Island after they find it. Let’s remember that thus far we’ve seen bearings of 325 and 305 used (for Michael leaving the Island and the Freightors coming to the Island, respectively) – so 316 seems like it would fit right in the middle as an option for the new bearing. Remember how Faraday told the Skipping Survivors that they couldn’t leave the Island until he calculated a new bearing? I’m guessing that the bearing is somehow related to the date / time – which would explain why it has changed over the course of the past few seasons.
If you want to get really crazy, maybe both options will be true. Ajira Airways Flight 316 flies on a bearing of 316 to enter the Island and bring Locke back to life, John 3:16 style!
Episode Description: The members of Oceanic 6 discover how to get back to the island, but not all of them want to return.
Guest Star Breakdown: Expect this week to pick up immediately where last week left off – with Eloise Hawking-Faraday leading Desmond, Ben, Sun, and Jack down to her wacky pendulum room. Our good friend Ms. Hawking is due for some big scenes this week, as she will be responsible for explaining how in the world the Oceanic Six are going to get back to the Island, how her wacky machine works, and how she knows so much information (this would be a good time to reveal that she is Ellie from “Jughead”). Just like Faraday was responsible for explaining what was going on to our Skipping Survivors, it looks like his mom is going to be responsible for explaining what is going on to the Oceanic Six. I guess the apple doesn’t fall too far from the “weirdo scientist” tree.
Mysterious butcher and body-keeper Jill is also back this week, probably delivering Locke’s body to the Oceanic Six to join them on the ride back to the Island. If I were Sun or Desmond, I’d be asking a LOT of questions once Jill showed up and told me to drag a dead body halfway around the world. Seriously, it’s not something normal people do.
But for me, the most exciting news here is that Frank Lapidus is back. I was afraid that his throwaway scene in “The Lie” would be the last we saw of Frank, but his inclusion this week gives me hope that he will be the person that will fly the Oceanic Six back to the Island. How long he sticks around past that depends on one big question – is Frank simply a convenient pilot to hire, since he already knows about the existence of the Island, or is he destined to return to the Island with the Oceanic Six, seeing as he was supposed to be the pilot of Oceanic 815 in the first place?
The logical side of me thinks it’s probably simply the former, but the part of me that enjoys Frank’s pragmatic humor is hoping for the later.
Episode Breakdown: That brings us to the episode description - one simple sentence with not a lot of meat on its bones. It references Eloise Hawking providing an explanation of how to get back to the Island (which we were all counting on based on how last week ended), and that some of the Oceanic Six don’t want to go back (which we technically already saw last week when Sayid and Kate walked away). Not a lot to go on with the first part, but we’ll do our best with the second…
Fundamentally, would it be possible for only some members of the Oceanic Six to return to the Island, but not all of them? Based on the ending of last week’s episode, it made it sound like Ms. Hawking could “make do” without all six members. But if only some of the members of the Oceanic Six went back to the Island, what would happen to those left behind? It seems like it would effectively “write them out” of the show – at least for the foreseeable future. I suppose there is the chance for a second group of people to head to the Island that would include the Oceanic Six Holdouts (perhaps captured by Widmore and forced to go back to the Island) – but with as difficult as it seems to be to find the Island once – the chance of someone finding it a second time seems fairly unlikely.
With that in mind, is it possible that any members of the Oceanic Six stay behind, knowing that this would mean their storylines would be on the backburner for a good chunk of the rest of the season? Let’s look at them one by one:
Jack – pretty much the only character you can guarantee will be going back to the Island, he’s orchestrating this operation with Ben, and has more of a desire to go back than anyone else (besides Ben).
Sun – based on her going with Ben to see Ms. Hawking last week, it seems like she is committed to doing whatever it takes to reunite with Jin, even if it means going back to the Island and leaving her daughter behind.
Kate – although she stormed off with Aaron last week, I have to think that she returns to the Island, as she is a necessary part of the “love rhombus” storyline on the show between Jack, Kate, Juliet, and Sawyer. Chances are, when the Oceanic Six return to the Island, there’s going to be some “history” between Juliet and Sawyer in some fashion – and that is going to create serious jealousy and drama with Kate and Jack – who have had a lot of history themselves since they left the Island. You need all four of these characters back together so that you can shake them up and watch what happens, keeping the teenage girl audience happy. Count her in.
Aaron – so goes Kate, so goes Aaron. I suppose there is a chance she would leave him behind, heeding Claire’s warnings – but I don’t think she trusts anyone else with Aaron, and his return to the Island would provide the chance to see if he really is “special”, and find out the reason for Claire’s ghostly warnings.
Hurley – earlier this season, Hurley seemed to make his decision – siding with Sayid and not trusting Ben, no matter what anyone else said. If he sticks with his guns, there’s no way he would go back to the Island with Ben. On the other hand, if Hurley was going to stay behind, why not simply have the jail storyline stick, and have that provide the reason why Hurley doesn’t go back to the Island? By having him conveniently being released from prison in a matter of hours, it seems like the door is open for him to return to the Island. From a storyline perspective, he doesn’t have a ton of major connections to any of the Skipping Survivors, so you could argue that he could stay behind – although he does provide a lot of the “heart” on the show. The episode preview shows Jack talking with Hurley in a car, which may be the scene where he talks him into returning to the Island… but if not, I wouldn’t be surprised.
Sayid – much like Kate, Sayid ended last week’s episode by walking away from Ben and Jack – but he took it one step further, saying that he would kill them if he saw either of them again. I have to say, that doesn’t sound like the kind of thing he’s going to put behind him in the next day or so. Like Hurley, Sayid doesn’t have any major connections to our Skipping Survivors, meaning he could stay behind without sacrificing the story. Furthermore, he’s probably the one character that I could see having a relevant off-Island story as he continues to battle Widmore / The Economist – which I’m guessing is going to be the “big bad” and enemy of next season.
That gives us either 4 or 5 members of the Oceanic Six returning (plus Ben)… leaving just the Happy Hume Family.
With Desmond being “special” in the grand scheme of things, he seems like a lock to return to the Island, since he opens to the door to actually change the past, fix the future, and stop Faraday in case he starts messing around with the space-time continuum. Although Penny told him that she would go with him, I’m thinking Desmond realizes the danger involved in returning to the Island, and wisely decides that leaving his wife and child behind is the smart thing to do (plus, I’m pretty sure the actress who plays Penny isn’t signed on as a series regular from here on out).
The bad news is that I think it’s going to end badly for Desmond and Penny, no matter what happens. They are the only two characters on the show who have already received their “happy ending”, so there is no way to go but down. I have this sneaking fear that someone’s going to die, or someone’s going to end up stuck on an Island halfway around the world from the other. But having said that, I still think Desmond ends up back on the Island.
So that leaves us with Ben, Jack, Sun, Kate, Aaron, Hurley, and Desmond returning to the Island with Frank Lapidus behind the wheel of the plane… if my logic is correct.
…and that’s about it for this week. Even though we’re due for an Oceanic-Six-centric episode, I must say I’m pretty pumped for this week’s episode. Much like last week was “full speed ahead” in getting the storyline to the point where we knew it needed to go (Locke leaving the Island), this week will do the same for the other half of the storyline (getting people back to the Island). From here, who knows where the storyline is heading – but I can’t wait to find out.
Huh, turns out I wrote over 2700 words about those original 22 words. Disgusting. | {
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56
I think of this as my “the part in Lord of the Rings where the light comes out of Minas Morgul and you know where everyone is, even though they’re not together” page. Seems like a good thing to do with all this jumping around.
One of the big challenges of making this strip is I really don’t want to explain anything. I don’t want to bog down the stories with stopping to tell you how technology works, what the social structure of the city is like, etc. And for whatever reason, I’ve resisted anyone narrating so far, so that’s off the table as an exposition device, too. That could change, but I prefer not to right now. At the same time, though, there’s a lot of things I could explain, and I worry that the comic is less clear if I don’t.
Here, for example, on page 56, I hope I’ve definitively shown how the wrist communicators work. They have rolled up tablets in them. They plug into the box inside. Simple functions like notifications are transferred to the wrist unit (They call them “boxes,” though no one actually did so in print before page 54), but for more complex tasks, they pop out the tablet. I did show Nav putting his tablet back in the box waaaay back on page 13, but at that time, there was no telling what that thing was, necessarily. I have pages and pages of info about this world and the people and things in it, and it’s a matter of figuring out where any of that can comfortably slide into the story. | {
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Many of our authors make a habit of speaking to scouts and other talent evaluators in order to bring you the best baseball information available. Not all of the tidbits gleaned from those conversations make it into our articles, but we don't want them to go to waste. Instead, we'll be collecting them in a regular feature called "What Scouts Are Saying," which will be open to participation from the entire BP staff.
Notes on Josh Bell, Mitch Nay, and a look at a lefty who is flashing exciting stuff on the cape.
Mitch Nay, 3B, Toronto Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin)
Nay gained some prospect traction because of his prototypical size for the hot corner and some moderate success at a young age, including 34 doubles in the Midwest League as a 20-year-old last season. The overall package is underwhelming, however, without a true carrying tool. With only average bat speed, he can get beat inside with average velocity. He needs to get his hands extended in order to drive the ball with any authority. He’s strong, but his up-the-middle approach leads to more doubles than home run production. Most importantly, he struggles to recognize spin. On defense, he’s already limited by his range, with a poor first step and below-average foot speed. He’ll never be better than an average defender at third base, and even that would take some natural refinement. He’s currently below average.
Many of our authors make a habit of speaking to scouts and other talent evaluators in order to bring you the best baseball information available. Not all of the tidbits gleaned from those conversations make it into our articles, but we don't want them to go to waste. Instead, we'll be collecting them in a regular feature called "What Scouts Are Saying," which will be open to participation from the entire BP staff.
Nick Williams has progressed nicely with patience and discernment at the dish this season. He has gained the ability to be selective and not miss his pitch when he sees it. He looks steady and calm in the box, exuding a quiet confidence that wasn’t always observed early in the season. From his setup in the box to taking pitches, it is very noticeable that he’s comfortable and tracking pitches well. From his approach and selectiveness, to his quick hands, he looks unbeatable at the dish right now. -Colin Young
Cody Reed used a fastball heavy arsenal when I saw him earlier this month. There’s plenty to like with Reed: he throws strikes, has some feel for pitching, can spin a curve, and uses his change up to keep hitters off balance. Unfortunately, he isn’t throwing in the mid-90’s like he did in high school — he was 89-91 with the fastball in my viewing — and his command is well behind his control. There are also body concerns: he’s listed at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds and, well, he doesn’t look a pound shy of that. He could develop into a backend starter, but my bet is that he winds up in the bullpen at some point where he may be able to get some velocity back and where his funky arm action will play up. -Brendan Gawlowski
The Nationals have pushed Severino aggressively, with less than 100 games played at any level. The carrying card for the Dominican catcher has always been defense, which is likely the reason behind his quick ascension through the ranks. While the defense is solid, my viewings this season have left more skepticism than optimism in his future game.
Many of our authors make a habit of speaking to scouts and other talent evaluators in order to bring you the best baseball information available. Not all of the tidbits gleaned from those conversations make it into our articles, but we don't want them to go to waste. Instead, we'll be collecting them in a regular feature called "What Scouts Are Saying," which will be open to participation from the entire BP staff.
Raimel Tapia isn’t ever going to develop more than average game power. He has the bat speed to make up for his lack of strength, and he’ll grow into his frame more, but his swing mechanics create serious topspin on the ball, keeping it from carrying. Everything hit hard to the pull side has serious downward action. It is tough to clear the fence consistently that way. –Jeff Moore
Anthony Alford is one of the more underrated prospects in baseball. Notes on him and more.
Anthony Alford, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (High-A Dunedin)
It’s never been a question of athletic talent with Alford – the 2012 third-round selection was one of the most highly recruited dual-threat quarterbacks before he committed to Southern Miss. Unfortunately for Alford, the football career didn’t work out, and it hurt his baseball development before he gave up the “other” sport in 2014.
It appears the light has clicked for Alford in 2015 though, and several scouts have told me he’s looked like one of the most improved prospects of the summer. Alford has always been a plus-plus runner, but his swing has shortened and incorporates more of his strong lower half, which has allowed him to put the ball into the gaps and his speed to work. As he adds more loft to his swing, those doubles (20 this year) should go further, and 15 to 20 homer seasons are not out of the questions.
Many of our authors make a habit of speaking to scouts and other talent evaluators in order to bring you the best baseball information available. Not all of the tidbits gleaned from those conversations make it into our articles, but we don't want them to go to waste. Instead, we'll be collecting them in a regular feature called "What Scouts Are Saying," which will be open to participation from the entire BP staff. | {
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King of Fighters XII Hands-on
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So very crisp... it burns the eyes!
By Ryan Clements
Although I still haven't had the opportunity to go super in-depth with King of Fighters XII, the upcoming reboot of SNK Playmore's long-running franchise, I did finally go hands-on with the game in order to whet my appetite for delicious 2D goodness. King of Fighters XII, due out in July of this year, incorporates the classic three-on-three dynamic of the previous games -- as well as a number of the main combat systems -- but presents it all in blistering, hand-drawn HD visuals. This is truly one of the sharpest 2D games I've ever seen and watching it in motion makes the screenshots look completely lifeless. This really is a fighter that must be experienced first-hand.
King of Fighters XII reintroduces fans to a classic roster of series veterans, including Terry and Andy Bogard, Ash Crimson, Iori Yagami, Kim Kaphwan and Robert Garcia. The main difference between the older games and XII, however, are the brand new visuals -- a ridiculously refreshing change considering how the series' sprites haven't improved in years. And although the game's aesthetics might have been given a total overhaul, the fighting mechanics still feel very much like a King of Fighters game.
Here's Elizabeth...
What surprised me the most when I picked up the controller was how much weight the characters had. It was a fantastic feeling, especially when you compare it with other 2D fighters where characters move around without any real substance. As I wasn't able to experiment with the game over a long period of time, it's difficult for me to explain the game's mechanics in-depth. Basically, the entire scheme is traditional and will be immediately recognizable to any gamer who's played a fighting game before. There's a standard health bar for each character and a power meter at the bottom of the screen for executing super attacks. Standard throws are also included as well as an evasive roll that can help your fighter get out of sticky situations.
Every character can also counter at any time. During a character's counter frames, if an opponent lands a strike on you, your character will immediately follow-up with a counter attack that tends to knock your opponent across the screen. This is not only an extremely important gameplay mechanic for advanced players, but it also looks damn stylish. There's nothing quite as satisfying as reversing an incoming attack and sending your once-confident rival sailing through the air.
King of Fighters XII also sports Critical Counters, which function very much like standard counters, except you have to build up your Critical Counter gauge in order to execute them. If you manage to pull one off, you can string together a custom combo that your opponent can't block against, which creates some devastating (and flashy) on-screen moves.
All the backgrounds in King of Fighters XII are gorgeous and really highlight the high-quality, hand-drawn animation that SNK Playmore is showing off. Arenas range from French cafes to Egyptian temples, with plenty of detail exploding in the background (which will inevitably distract you). I couldn't help but notice that, according to the game's developers, every woman in France is an overweight, hysterical bystander. That's the impression anyway, as the streets of the French arena were filled to the brim with exuberant, rotund ladies. I'm sure someone will take offense eventually.
...and that's Mature. Mature has a sexy eye patch.
New to the console version of King of Fighters XII are two playable characters: Mature and Elizabeth. I always appreciate added characters to a fighting game experience, as expanding a game's roster is often helpful for expanding a game's longevity. While I had trouble acquainting myself with Mature's fighting style, I found myself enjoying matches with Elizabeth, as she had several sliding counter moves and some nice close-range attacks that made her as deadly as she was pretentious. I'm eager to play more and further investigate both characters.
Although I didn't have hands-on time with it personally, I was told about the game's online battle mode, which will actually feature clan support exclusively on the PS3 version. When you think clan support, you usually think of the FPS genre, but apparently King of Fighters XII junkies will be able to form clans, create clan emblems and compete in clan matches. That's an awesome approach to the online fighting landscape, so I'm hopeful that it'll catch on and garner community support.
King of Fighters XII will also have a replay editor, where you can upload and share entire matches on both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live. The preview build of the game I was shown was running on the PS3 and the main menu included a PlayStation Store option. This hopefully indicates that downloadable content is planned for the game sometime in the future, but nothing has been announced officially.
With such potential for a robust multiplayer experience and such vivid, well-drawn character sprites, it's hard not to be excited about King of Fighters XII. Hopefully it will live up to our expectations when it hits the PS3 and 360 this July. | {
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A Short Investigation Into The Mysterious Tweets From Press Secretary Sean Spicer
In 2017, being press secretary for the White House means that you (or someone working for you) control the verified @PressSec account on Twitter. Most of the tweets from the account so far have been pretty run-of-the-mill: tweeting about President Trump’s schedule, accepting an apology from a reporter for a corrected mistake, and releasing pictures of the president at work.
But a couple of his tweets have been a bit more mysterious.
On Jan. 25, Spicer tweeted, “Aqenbpuu”. The next day, he tweeted, “n9y25ah7”.
What are the tweets? Each are eight characters that make no obvious sense, tweeted two mornings in a row.
One possibility is that they are passwords, tweeted out as whoever is behind the account gets used to the new security procedures governing it. There are a lot of theories out there on how it might have happened. By far the most likely is that of the Guardian’s Alex Hern, who identified one possible way that could happen, if the @PressSec account has two-factor authentication activated.
Hern tweeted, “I think what happened is he was texted a 2FA code by Twitter, and accidentally pasted his real password in and replied”.
Two-factor authentication provides an extra layer of security for password-protected accounts, and it would be good for the official account of the press secretary for the White House to have it. In fact, it would be good for anyone with a Twitter account to have it. According to a brand-new Pew report on cybersecurity, about 52 percent of Americans have used two-factor at some point to manage an account.
In case you are one of the 48 percent of Americans who haven’t used it, here’s how it works: In addition to entering in a password, two-factor requires users to enter in a randomly generated code that changes with each login, usually sent to your phone through either an app or a text message. For Twitter, those codes are sent via text by default, from a number that should look familiar to any longtime Twitter users: 40404.
40404 also happens to be the number you use to post a tweet via SMS, assuming you’ve linked Twitter to your phone and given the platform permission to post tweets in this way. The “Cloudhopper” in Hern’s screencap of the Spicer tweet indicates that the tweet was, in fact, posted by SMS. And it actually works: I was able to post a Tweet this morning by replying to my latest two-factor code with a text.
Like Spicer’s tweet, mine indicates that it was sent from “Cloudhopper” too, sent via text.
But not everyone on Twitter would be able to accidentally tweet by sending a text to 40404. Twitter’s website discusses an SMS PIN setting that requires users to place a PIN at the beginning of each SMS tweet, designed to stop people from spoofing your account, and that would also (presumably) prevent someone from tweeting something accidentally. Except that feature is currently only supported for non-U.S. users.
But that’s just a theory. So we asked the White House for some guidance on why Spicer’s account had tweeted and deleted these two things at the beginning of two work days in a row, whether those tweets were of passwords or authentication codes, and what security settings were currently in place on the White House’s Twitter accounts to prevent unauthorized people from accessing them. The reply from White House spokesman Michael Short was, “Ever heard of a pocket tweet?” We also emailed Spicer this afternoon, but he was not immediately available for comment.
Anyway, this concludes our important investigation into two weird tweets. | {
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0020: Moose collisions and the Bagel conundrum
My wheel was sent off yesterday and I have little to do till it returns. I have a few chores of course, but just a few.
Fairbank is a huge city in terms of area, but only has a population of around 30,000 inhabitants. There isnt a town centre as such, and it took me around 2 hours to find the shopping malls.
Of course, most Americans drive huge pickup trucks here so the distances are irrelevant and in Alaska moreso. It is such a vast state.
Walking around the super markets for me is a good marker of a community. And looking at the prices alone, its clear to see that very little is local.
Everything has to be shipped in from the lower 48 states.
Alaska is a very isolated state and while people do live in the wilderness they often rely in a subsistance living. Hunting and trapping their meat, in the form of Moose, Caribou and Bear. But any Veggies or fruit, likely have to be bought in as the growing season is so short this far north.
Of course, that is if you live out in the boonies. In the bigger towns and cities, you go to the supermarket like everyone else.
Except here, as well as the usual rubbery bagels, oranges, milk and washing powder, you can also buy Quad motorbikes Skidoo's and a whole array of different guns, rifles, pistols, bullets and all sorts of different hunting and trapping gear.
Third aisle. Turn left, just after the toilet rolls!
My Fairbanks host, Duncan and his family have been absolutely outstanding!
I cannot thank them enough for allowing me to stay in their home for almost a week.
I had a fantastic time with them and learned a lot about living, working and cycling in -40C winter temperatures.
What I was told, really puts the UK to shame when it comes to cold crappy weather.
These people barely complain unless the temperature drops below -60c for a week or more!
Roads work, Kids go to school, Weekend shopping, cinema, meeting friends for coffee.
Life carries on as normal. Though you do have to remember to plug in your car in the evening to make sure you can start the engine next morning.
Stories also of Duncan's adventures in and around Alaska, flying planes, helicopters and in the volunteer fire service. Tales of rescuing car crash victims from wayward Moose, crossing the road at the wrong time amongst many other adventures.
My wheel took a rapid 6 days to return though I did pay a premium and got less than polite service from the USA repair centre, I hope the wheel will last the duration of the trip now.
I was due to leave that Saturday, but a group of 3 cyclists arrived to ride the Dalton highway so I stayed for an extra day to swap notes.
Lucille, Tim and Brad were a team formed on the road with the goal of riding it north and hitching back.
We spent an afternoon together in Fairbanks enjoying the sunshine and a local folk music festival.
That evening I gave my bike a once over before riding the next day.
I noticed the rear tyre had torn on one side. A big bulge where the tyre would eventually split. So I patched it up, and hoped it would last a bit longer. The next day, the little group of us cycled a short distance together till we eventually went on our separate journeys. Them north, me south.
Duncan excelled himself again by offering the keys to his lakeside cabin, so I had a safe location for my first night out of Fairbanks.
Thanks again Duncan. You are truly legendary!
The road continued relentlessly up and down. Nothing too steep or challenging, but enough to need to keep up the pressure.
Heading along the Richardson highway was mostly flat initially, then with some low rolling hills. As the forest starts to encroach on the road, the fear of the large animals starts to build again.
Quite irrational really. They probably heard me a long time ago and turned and ran. Until I saw my first Moose that is. At first I thought it was a Horse. Then a second glance, I looked at an animal which was half as big again as any horse I have ever seen!
I stopped rapidly.
It stood there staring at me and I was unsure what to do. Hiding half in the forest, some 20 metres from the road, it didnt move. I thought it wise to get past, as I didnt know what the safe limits are.
Would it stay there or charge me
As I moved it stared a moment longer then turned and ran back into the forest. My heart beating with exhilaration.
Continuing on, I picked up a tail wind and was making good speed. The road was flat following a lake and at a scenic viewpoint I stopped to take in the view as well as some more calories.
I happened to glance at my tyre again.
It didnt seem to be getting worse, so I pressed on.
30 miles later..
BANG!
As my tyre exploded I wobbled a few extra metres down the road.Then braked.
The tyre had actually torn in a different place.
Inspecting it closely, it would tear again so I replaced it with my spare.
At Delta Junction I stopped for a sandwich then switched to my third highway.
I had a tailwind for the rest of the day, so pushed on. As night fell ( I use the term loosly as it is still light throughout the night) I was getting tired but the terrain now turned wet and boggy. No place to camp or hide.
My tired nerves made more tense by my first Bear sighting. A large black bear shape ran across the road some distance ahead and disappeared into the forest.
I kept pedalling but made a lot of noise as I passed the spot hoping it had not decided to double back.
It hadn't
Now getting late, I hoped that Dot lake had a campground or something similar. A space to hide for the night.
As it approached on the map, to my surprise, I discovered a working Post office in the middle of nowhere and a collection of ramshackle houses.
A light was on inside one and I tentatively knocked on the door.
Guests at such a late hour are not usually welcomed!
Jim Nelson, a retired engineer answered and kindly showed me to a flat area behind his house. Close to the edge of the lake. He told me not to panic if I heard rustling or animal noises as it was probably the Beavers coming to collect the branches from the surrounding trees and bushes.
After a 95 mile day I heard nothing.
I didnt eat, and within 20 minutes of setting up my tent, I was asleep.
The following morning the sunlight was bright in my tent but I was woken mainly by the powerful sound of a pack of Wolves... | {
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percent of calories should be from sugar
Published: Thursday, March 6, 2014 10:26 a.m. CST
LONDON (AP) — Just try sugar-coating this: The World Health Organization says your daily sugar intake should be just 5 percent of your total calories — half of what the agency previously recommended, according to new draft guidelines published Wednesday.
After a review of about 9,000 studies, WHO’s expert panel says dropping sugar intake to that level will combat obesity and cavities. That includes sugars added to foods and those present in honey, syrups and fruit juices, but not those occurring naturally in fruits.
Many doctors applauded the U.N. agency’s attempt to limit the global sweet tooth.
When WHO last revised its sugar guidelines more than a decade ago, it recommended sugar should be less than 10 percent of daily calories. The U.S. sugar industry was so incensed it lobbied Congress to threaten to withdraw millions of dollars in funding to WHO. A contentious reference to the sugar limit was removed from a global diet strategy, but the recommendation passed.
WHO’s expert group found high sugar consumption is strongly linked to obesity and tooth decay. It noted that heavy people have a higher risk of chronic diseases, responsible for more than 60 percent of global deaths. Dental care costs up to 10 percent of health budgets in Western countries and cause significant problems in the developing world.
A study led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published last month found too much sugar can raise the chances of fatal heart problems. Researchers found the average American gets about 15 percent of their calories from sugar, similar to other Western nations. | {
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Pages
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Eiríkr blóðøx
while sitting in the train on the way back from Amsterdam I made some scribblings. Obviously being inspired by the bit "weird" look of Heather Louise dolls and my talk to the eggmercantile shop, resulted in these not so cute and not so friendly, but bold, rugged warriors -bloody viking berserkers. | {
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Me: “Well, the part could range anywhere from $50 to $3,000. But again, it all depends on the year, make, model, and what part is broken.”
Customer: “I don’t appreciate being patronized! There is no way that this could cost $3,000!”
Me: “Well, ma’am, it could depending on what the damaged part—”
Customer: “I want to give you a business tip: if a customer asks for a price, you give them an exact price! You don’t give them a ball park figure if they ask for an exact price, and you certainly don’t make up outrageous figures like that. If you expect to stay in business, you should work on being more helpful! *slams down phone* | {
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Even trusted pets can cause injury, and many aggressive breeds are an outright hazard. With all the attention on dog bites and attacks in the media, it’s clear that injuries from dog bites and attacks are a growing problem. Dog bites can cause infection, disfigurement, permanent disability, and can even be life threatening.
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No attorneys’ fees unless we make a recovery on your behalf.
We take dog bite cases on a contingency-fee basis. This means that we do not charge any legal fees unless we make a recovery for you. When we do secure financial compensation for your damages, our fees are paid as an agreed upon percentage of that settlement. For effective representation in dog bite claims, call Cohen & Marzban Law Corporation to discuss your case in a free consultation. Contact a Los angeles personal injury attorney. | {
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These seem to be well made and do add some shaping with minimal panty line, etc. And they are actually comfortable. That is my big thing, they are comfortable and do what they are supposed to do. These are underwear to hide your tummy just give you a little shape so pants fit are a bit more comfortable but they will not drop you a pants size or anything like that.
These are nice, and comfortable enough to wear all day. I slightly prefer the ASSETS Firm Control High Waist Panty, just because they come up a little higher on me, but these fit fine and don't roll. I wear both interchangeably.
When these arrived and I first put them on I was surprised how comfortable they were. Then I put on my trousers and I was really happy. Because of the control and the fabric, my trousers were actually loose and comfortable to wear all day. I am ordering more.
Our apologies...We are experiencing a technical issue with this page. Please call us at 1.877.728.9272, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we'll gladly help you complete your order.
If you prefer, you may also email us at [email protected]. Please include: Your name, where on our site you received the error, any questions you may have, and how and when you'd like us to contact you. Our business hours are Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm EST.
Our apologies...We are experiencing a technical issue with this page. Please call us at 1.877.728.9272, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we'll gladly help you complete your order.
If you prefer, you may also email us at [email protected]. Please include: Your name, where on our site you received the error, any questions you may have, and how and when you'd like us to contact you. Our business hours are Monday-Saturday 8am-6pm EST. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Ball Creek Ranch
Directions: On US 95, N of Bonners Ferry, L (W) onto Riverside Ave (District 15/CR 18) (this road is just south of the bridge over Kootenai River); go ~7 mi to West Side Rd; R (N) on West Side Rd ~6 mi to Ball Creek Ranch house on L; guest parking and public access is beyond the house and on the L.
Description: 500 acres of public access are located in the NW section of the property. This northwest corner is flooded during the spring and attracts waterfowl including Tundra Swan and three species of teal. Lewis’s Woodpecker can be seen in the spring. American Kestrel and Great Horned Owl nest in the area. American Dipper is a regular in Ball and Trout Creeks near bridges. Long-billed Curlew in the fields May/June. | {
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Recommended Nearby
East Dedham Pizzeria is located near the cities of Readville, , Hyde Park, West Roxbury, and Tampa.
People found this by searching for: East Dedham Pizzeria Menu, East Dedham Pizza Menu, East Dedham House Of Pizza, East Dedham Pizza Dedham Ma, East Dedham Pizza, East Dedham Pizzeria, and Owner Of East Dedham Pizza. | {
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Posts Tagged ‘experimental philosophy’
I have to confess that I do not know (in any sense of the term) what the role of intuitions are in philosophy. In the realm of epistemology, the recent work of Michael Bishop and J.D. Trout has called into question the value of some of those intuitions philosophers so dearly treasure. I suppose I’m actually willing to say that intuitions matter more in certain branches of philosophy (epistemology) than in others (say, ethics), while still maintaining that, all things considered, intuitions count for very little. On the practical side: we obviously employ our (philosophical) intuitions regularly as a kind of first wave of criticism for a view. At the very least, I think that most philosophers take intuitions to provide prima facie evidence for accepting or rejecting a given view.
So here is a case from a paper entitled “A Defense of the Use of Intuitions in Philosophy,” available on Ernie Sosa’s web site.
I believe it comes from some of the studies cited by Weinberg, Nichols, and Stich’s “Normativity and Epistemic Intuitions”:
It’s clear that smoking cigarettes increases the likelihood of getting cancer. However, there is now a great deal of evidence that just using nicotine by itself without smoking (for instance, by taking a nicotine pill), does not increase the likelihood of getting cancer. Jim knows about this evidence and as a result, he believes that using nicotine does not increase the likelihood of getting cancer. It is possible that the tobacco companies dishonestly made up and publicized this evidence that using nicotine does not increase the likelihood of cancer, and that the evidence is really false and misleading. Now, the tobacco companies did not actually make up this evidence, but Jim is not aware of this fact. Does Jim really know that using nicotine doesn’t increase the likelihood of getting cancer, or does he only believe it? | {
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eMarketing mistakes from two big companies
This week two major corporations: Seek.com.au and Domain.com.au (Fairfax’s real estate brand) both sent Hootville an email communication. Both were immediately deleted. Both companies are big enough to know better but failed to grasp some basic principals of eMarketing. What did they do wrong?
1. Relevance: We never signed up for this. We used these two sites as a place to advertise. We never wanted to receive weird employment and property-related emails from them.
2. Value: We may have overlooked the pushiness if the emails had included a special offer, valuable advice or a welcome diversion – they didn’t.
3. Timelapse: Both companies have left things waaaay too long. We last did business with these companies years ago. Now they want to build a relationship with us? Uh-uh. Even if we’d loved their service back in 2009 we have moved on since and are seeing other sites.
4. Credibility: Despite the immense resources available to both Seek and Domain both emails were text-heavy and unenticing. In fact they were so poorly designed they looked fake.
Bosses sometimes think that an email database can be held up one’s sleeve for a rainy day. It can’t. Your subscribers must be nurtured with regular quality contact. | {
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Royalty-free music and sound effects links
Desperate for a clip of a creaking door for your Halloween vid? Need a bangin’ tune to accompany your weekly clubbing slideshow? Is your digital budget a big, fat zero? Here are a few links to royalty-free sound effect and music sites which you may find useful.
Like this:
Related
I saw your post regarding free audio and thought I would add a few sites with free royalty free music and sound effects.
On this page there is a collection of free royalty free music loops that are perfect of idents, stings or background music behind a voice-over. Available for personal and commercial use, no strings attached:Free Royalty Free Music Loops
This page has thousands of free sound effects to download and use, organized into easy to search categories:Free Sound Effects
This blog constantly posts new royalty free music and sound effects that are available for use in personal and commercial projects:Royalty Free Music Clips | {
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New DVD Releases: Black Swan, Tangled, Mad Men
Everybody’s favorite arthouse Blockbuster hits shelves this week as Natalie Portman’s oscar-winning role in Black Swan dances its way onto DVD. But that’s not all for the art film set. There are two movie so tiny, that you may not even know they exist. Or, you could just enjoy Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi in the kiddie hit Tangled. It’s all for the laser-aided spinning.
But it’s not just movies this week. Finally, we get the return of TV on DVD with HBO’s Treme and AMC’s Mad Men bringing the cable heat.
TV on DVD
“Mad Men”: Season 4
What do we call this type of show? The show that exists in a sort of singular limbo. The show that is “okay” to watch.
They’ve come in different types and genres. At one point it was “Arrested Development”, other times it was “The Wire” and it even went as mainstream as “The Office” for a time. It’s unclear how it happens, but every so often a show enters the zeitgeist as a series its viewers needn’t be ashamed to admit they follow.
Of course, these are a specific type of TV viewer. Those who don’t “own a TV set”. Those who “don’t have cable”. Those who TV is “only for watching movies”. Y’know those who make you want to “punch them in the throat”.
Still, despite all this, they manage to glom on to some show that you’ve been watching for years and instantly become obsessed thanks to BitTorrent and Netflix Marathons.
And what does this do? This arrogant fondness of your favorite TV show? It ruins it. It turns you into one of those snobs just for liking a good TV show. Sure, you’ve watched it since it was and actually follow all the good TV shows, but now, no matter what, you become a TV bandwagonner who didn’t start watching “Arrested Development” until it came out on DVD, even if you specifically remember watching the pilot after “The Simpsons”.
The great thing about these TV snobs? They haven’t seen the show yet because their TV is “only for Netflix” and that means you have an incredible amount of power: The spoiler. You can ruin everything for them and feel completely powerful knowing that you’re a real fan who doesn’t follow the cognoscente trends to the effect that you actually, y’know, watch the television show. | {
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How to explain DLC to your Coworkers
It’s a complicated, always-online world we live in and even young’ens today don’t always understand how it all works. In explaining why renting Fable 2 and buying the Knothole Island DLC was a silly idea to a coworker I came up with this little gem of an analogy:
Renting a game and buying content is like renting a car and buying a stereo for it. It’s only useful when you’ve got that car.
It’s not the perfect example, I realize. You can stick moststereos in any car but you can also get Achievements from DLC that don’t go away when you return the rental. Until the concept of downloadable content is a little more ubiquitous, that’s the best I can do.
I have two coworkers who really just got into gaming within the past year. I’ve had to explain a lot of things, luckily that wasn’t one of them.
As stupid as it would seem to pay for DLC on a rental… there is *some* value to that. Maybe you’re a person who desperately wants to play a certain game, plus that game’s DLC, but you don’t want to actually pay full price and don’t care that the game will be gone soon. Money spent on that DLC is money that’s gone forever, but so is the cash you put on the game just to rent it in the first place. So, it’s like throwing money away either way. If you’re content to spend money for a temporary game, what’s a few bucks more to expand it?
That’s the argument I can see someone using who wants to justify it. To myself, it seems absurd. Especially since most worthwhile content nowadays is in the $10-$20 range, more than what it would cost to rent a game by itself. | {
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VSCO x VENICE
Visual Supply Co Camera or commonly known as VSCOCam App in both iOS and android is one of the popular photo editing app where you can produce better image by selecting fascinating filters and boost its appearance by enhancing your photo.
I personally use this editing app all the time because I’m much pleased with the outcome and felt like a legit photographer once I stare and glare the figure.
Last 22216 we went to Mckinley Hill, Taguig to visit the popular Venice Piazza and Grand canal mall which is Italian City inspired. Though the place is still under construction, there were already a bunch of people roaming and selfie-ing around the area. There’s no doubt that Filipinos were astonished by the structures and feels that the place give. | {
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Success!
Alicia Keys Bans Cell Phone Use At Her Concerts
Alicia Keys has officially banned all cell phone use at her concerts. According to Refinery29, all concert attendees will be required to put their devices inside a Yondr case while the show is live.
Yondr cases turn any venue into a phone-free zone. The only way to open the case is to tap it on a metal disk, ensuring users can only access their messages in the venue lobby.
Yondr's website described the cases in greater detail:
“Smartphones have fundamentally changed how we live. How to integrate them into our lives as a useful tool, rather than a compulsive habit, is a question that needs an answer. We think smartphones have incredible utility, but not in every setting. In some situations, they have become a distraction and a crutch—cutting people off from each other and their immediate surroundings. Yondr has a simple purpose: to show people how powerful a moment can be when we aren’t focused on documenting or broadcasting it.”
It's hard to enjoy the music when you're looking at the stage through a phone camera – but that is exactly what's happening. Smartphones and their cameras are becoming more and more advanced, furthering the amount of time concert-goers spend trying to record the spectacle instead of enjoying the moment.
Alicia Keys and other artists have had enough. Adele even singled an audience member out at one of her concerts last month, telling her to "put away her camera and tripod, urging her to enjoy the music live instead."
This is not the first time an event or artist has banned electronics, though. Game of Thrones fans may remember The Epic Fan Experience at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY, where anyone with a ticket was told to leave their devices at home or temporarily turn them over at the "phone check" tents.
It is still unclear how Alicia Keys plans to enforce this new policy at every single concert going forward. But where there is a will, there is a way. | {
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座席数が12席程度と少ないので並びがあることが多く待たされます。味的には普通よりも少し美味しいという程度で、近所にあったら行くけどわざわざ食べにくるレベルにはない。全体的な印象としては座席数が少なくオペレーションが悪いので「結果的に」満席になって人気が人気を呼んでるという印象を受けた。English contents is available on official WEB-site. See ! Mehr erfahren | {
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} |
“You talk to older veterans about
how they stay friends with the guys they met in the military until they die, so
it is really cool. I’m just thankful I had that opportunity.”
Army
Captain Jim Asher just happened to be visiting his brother in Washington D.C.
late July, 2005 when he received a phone call from his good friend, fellow Army
officer Matt Bacik.
“They
got me again Jimmy,” Bacik said.
“Aww,
son of a bitch,” Asher responded. “What happened?”
Bacik
was not in Iraq, as Asher believed, but across town being treated for serious
injuries at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Unexpectedly, the two were again
placed in the same geographical area in the latest in a long string of odd
coincidences that followed the two soldiers throughout their military careers.
For
Bacik, it was a military career that would soon end due to a massive IED blast
July 22. The explosion blew his boot off and mangled his foot and lower leg. In
an instant, Bacik was leaving Iraq, a place where he had spent a significant
amount of his military career, for good. He had no idea, when he phoned his
buddy Jim, that Asher was just minutes away from the hospital.
“(After
the phone call) I ran over to Walter Reed and Matt’s mom was there all shaken
up,” Asher recalled. “I surprised him when I showed up because he didn’t know I
was in the area.”
“I was
pretty out-of-it in the beginning but I know he made my family and I feel much
better when he showed up,” Bacik said. “My wife (then-fiancé) Deborah and my
parents had all met him before so it was good for all of them to have a calming
voice in the room.”
Asher
and Bacik met in 2002 at Fort Benning, Ga. while both were beginning their
careers as United States Army officers. As recent college graduates (Bacik from
the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Asher from Cedarville University in
southern Ohio), the duo were attending InfantryOfficer Basic Course (IOBC)
before proceeding on to Army Ranger School.
“The
first time I met him I thought, ‘Man, this guy is a punk,’” Bacik recalled
laughing. “He just had a real smug look on his face. We became friends though
and ended up having a lot of fun.”
In
conversation, the two young officers were shocked to realize they unknowingly
played football against each other in high school in 1997. Bacik, a native of
Chesterland, Ohio, attended Gilmour Academy and Asher, from Bay Village, went
to Lutheran West High School in Rocky River.
“We were
in the same squad at IOBC and started talking about high school football,”
Asher said. “We discovered we played in that same game and started recounting
different plays.”
After
completing Ranger School, both Asher and Bacik shipped to Fort Bragg, North
Carolina to become members of the historic 82nd Airborne Division. It was there
the friendship between the two Army lieutenants from northeast Ohio blossomed.
Along with Lieutenants John McNamara and Chris Carlson, Asher and Bacik formed
a group of four friends that made the most of their time in Fayetteville, North
Carolina. “Yeah, Jim and I had a lot of fun running around and drinking too
much while we were at Fort Bragg,” Bacik said laughing.
During
one training exercise, the two found themselves together in a trench while
another platoon was preparing to “attack” them. “We were basically playing
war,” Bacik recalled. “Jim and I were in this trench and it was November and so
freaking cold. This was the culminating exercise of a week-long training and we
just so sick of being out there so we just stood up and started shooting our
blanks from our M16s like you would see in the movies. The officer responsible
for making sure we were learning stuff got really pissed at us for that.”
Despite
that incident, Asher and Bacik were both sharp young officers with promising
Army careers ahead of them. When U.S. forces invaded Iraq in March, 2003, it
was only a matter of time before the lieutenants from Ohio, both platoon
leaders for infantry units, would be on their way to Iraq. By September, both
men had orders to put their extensive training to the test and join the fight
in the Middle East.
As
platoon leaders, Asher and Bacik were responsible for a large group of infantry
soldiers; some of them combat veterans with lengthy military careers. It was a
tall order for a young lieutenant less than two years removed from college.
“You
show up as a brand new lieutenant out of Ranger School and these guys have a
lot of real-world experience, but at the end of the day the Lt. is in charge,”
Bacik said. “It is very personality-driven as far as what the relationship
shakes out to be. You have to really lean on those guys and draw whatever you
can out of their experience and skill set.”
Asher
lead a platoon of about 45 soldiers and it was on him to make certain that unit
was ready to go into combat.
“The
enlisted guys were the experts on the different weapons systems, they were the
ones actually doing it,” he said. “I was focused on whether they were trained
to a certain standard.”
“The big
picture maneuvering-type stuff is what I was responsible for,” Asher explained.
“On a mission, the enlisted troops are the boots on the ground; I was just
directing traffic at that point.
Upon
arriving in Iraq, Bacik’s unit went to Fallujah in central Iraq; while Asher’s
squad moved on to relieve an undermanned Marines company in Mahmoudiya,
directly south of Baghdad. Before shipping out, the Marines ominously briefed
Asher’s unit on the “bad neighborhoods” in town, the ones they typically
steered clear of. The city’s location in relation to Baghdad made it a key
strategic position for both American troops and insurgents.
“That
was one of the things we wanted to change,” Asher said. “We were going to go
everywhere and a lot of those bad neighborhoods are where we made our first
contact once we got there.”
It took
just two days in Mahmoudiya for Asher to experience enemy gunfire for the first
time. He decided to tag along with another lieutenant and about eight other
soldiers to do a quick drive through of the city to try and get a feel for the
layout. As the sun began to set on the unfamiliar land, Asher expressed concern
and believed it was time to return to base but the other officer disagreed.
“He
wanted to push on, so we go into one of the ‘ghetto’ areas and next thing I
know I’m hearing AK-47s open up from one of the rooftops right above us,” he
recalled. “We were able to return fire and get out of there. We weren’t
outfitted to storm the building and clear it like we would have liked.”
Amazingly,
none of the American soldiers were hit that night. In another part of the
country, however, Matt Bacik would not be so lucky. Not long after arriving,
Bacik earned the first of the three Purple Hearts he would compile in Iraq; all
from IED explosions. “The first one was really nothing,” he said. “I just took
a piece of shrapnel to the face and was back out there a day later.”
A
roadside bomb October 20, 2003 near Fallujah was far more serious. Having lost
a good friend in the blast, the events of that day are forever seared into
Bacik’s memory. A large piece of shrapnel entered into the lieutenant’s body
from the rear and passed completely through his left thigh and embedded into
his right thigh. He ultimately recovered despite a massive loss of blood, but
none of that mattered once Bacik learned his good buddy and squad leader, Staff
Sergeant Paul J. Johnson of Calumet, Mich. did not survive the attack.
“I
really looked up to him, he was the best squad leader I ever had and the best
non-commissioned officer I ever met,” Bacik said. “Just about every day I
replay it in my brain, trying to think what could have been done differently. I
always come to the conclusion nothing could have been done so it doesn’t haunt
me, but I certainly think about it a lot.”
Bacik
was taken to the 28th Combat Support Hospital in Baghdad to recover. By
Thanksgiving he was up walking again and by mid-December had rejoined his unit
and taking part in missions. The next time Matt Bacik was wounded by an IED
blast would be his last.
In
January, 2004, filmmakers Garrett Scott and Ian Olds arrived in Iraq to begin
filming a documentary about U.S. troops in Fallujah. For a month, the crew
lived amongst the troops, performing several interviews and even accompanying
them on missions.
“At
first it was kind of cool, like ‘oh man they are gonna make a movie about us!’”
Bacik said. “But after about a day it was back to business. Reporters were
everywhere and I talked to a lot of them. Most of them had a view of what they
thought was going on and it seemed they were just trying to get information
from us to confirm it. I felt they were biased, sometimes towards us, but
usually against us and I was always skeptical. The film crew [for the
documentary] were the only ones who I felt were seriously just trying to
document what was going on without placing any spin on it.”
The
film, Occupation: Dreamland, was
released in September, 2005 and featured Matt in several scenes, including
interviews and scenes during missions. While being able to see himself in
action in Iraq is a unique situation, Bacik doesn’t spend much of his time
watching.
“I know
what we did over there and I don’t need anything but my brain to tell me.
Sometimes I wish it wasn’t out there because it is such a small snapshot of
everything that went on."
***
In the
early days in Iraq, American troops did not enjoy some of the luxuries that
arrived in subsequent years. There was no access to the internet and troops
would get 10 minutes a week on a satellite phone to keep touch back home. Meals
Ready to Eat, or MREs, were the only available food.
“We
didn’t have running showers for the first six months,” Asher added. “We just
had an elevated bucket so if the water sat all night, especially in the winter;
it was freezing cold when you turned it on.”
Asher
made sure to monitor his troops for physical and mental health. Like Bacik, he
relied heavily on his more experienced enlisted troops. “I had the best squad
leaders I could have ever asked for,” he said. “Anything we did that was a
success, I would give them 100 percent of the credit because they were the ones
out there executing.”
On
occasion, Asher would joke around with his troops to keep things light, knowing
everyone was under a degree of stress. “I enjoyed spending time with the
enlisted. The camaraderie is so strong and they weren’t worried about the
politics,” he said. “They really focused on training and execution; it made my
job easier.”
Asher
noticed a steady increase in violence the longer his unit was in Iraq. In the
early days they faced the occasional mortar attack or an IED consisting of a
mortar round buried along the road being ignited by an insurgent hiding behind
a berm. “By the time we left, there were IEDs all over, some consisting of
daisy-chained 155mm rounds being set off by cell phone a mile away.”
Relations
with the locals also deteriorated. Initially happy to have the American
liberators in their country, many eventually grew frustrated over living
conditions which made them less welcoming to U.S. troops.
“They
wanted to know about getting electricity back and getting schools up and
running,” Asher explained. “We were put in a role where we were acting as civil
affairs but our mission is combat; we are infantry paratroopers. That was very
challenging.”
Frustrations
also mounted for American troops as they did their best to help the civilians,
yet still faced constant attacks. “It kind of left a bitter taste in your
mouth.” As a platoon leader, Asher had to ignore his own frustrations and focus
on maintaining the morale of his enlisted corps.
“All of
them came in wanting to do a good job and help out and we had to let them know
nothing they did was pointless. They were going out there risking their lives
but there was a reason for it. As cliché as it sounds, it was all about taking
care of your buddy. The goal was to get everyone home. I told my guys all the
time, I wouldn’t trade one of them for a whole city.”
***
When
Matt Bacik shows hit two little daughters his prosthetic leg, he calls it his
“robot leg.” Occasionally he tells them stories about his time in service and
what daddy was doing overseas. What he hasn’t discussed with them is the hell
he went through after an enemy IED mangled the lower half of his leg.
“Initially
I just wanted them to cut the thing off,” he said. “But they wanted to try this
and try that.”
One
fateful explosion turned into an eight-month ordeal that Bacik will never
forget. The giant tears in his flesh became infected and he would spend time
receiving antibiotics intravenously. Doctors removed the drugs, but the
stubborn infection continuously returned. Several excruciating times, Bacik
headed back to the surgical table followed by more antibiotics. The process
continued to repeat itself until Bacik could hardly stand to take anymore.
“At the
eight-month mark, when a doctor told me they would amputate if I wanted, it was
the biggest relief ever,” he explained. “When I first got hit and my leg was
all chewed up I knew the foot was probably gone and had no qualms about it.
When I got to Walter Reed they told me I wasn’t a good candidate for amputation
because the skin on the leg was all cut up and it needed to heal first.”
As soon
as his leg was amputated just below the knee, Bacik began to make a dramatic
recovery. Within 30 days he was walking with the aid of the prosthetic and
after 60 days he was jogging. Before all that though, he had some unfinished
business to take care of.
Prior to his deployment, Matt Bacik took his
then-girlfriend Deborah to a jewelry store to pick out a ring. The plan was to
get engaged after he returned from Iraq. After Matt’s injury, everybody was
rightfully more concerned about his health than his relationship status, but
Bacik never forgot the ring. At his first opportunity and still in a
wheelchair, Bacik returned to the Jeweler to pick up the ring. When the store
manager, not expecting Bacik for a few months,
recognized him, he was overcome with emotion at the sight of the wounded young
man and tears began to stream from his eyes.
“He knew
I wasn’t supposed to be back for awhile and when I rolled in there all beat up,
I guess it hit him pretty hard,” Bacik recalled. With ring in hand, Matt and
Deborah, who he credits nursing him back to health, made wedding plans and were
married February, 2006.
The
injury to his leg not only changed dramatically, the direction of Matt Bacik’s
life, but also caused the parallel existence he shared with his buddy Jim to
veer off course. As Matt was going through the ordeal with his leg, Jim
remained stateside and was sent to New Orleans to assist with the aftermath of
the devastating hurricane Katrina. After serving in Louisiana, the Army sent
Asher back to Fort Benning to work at Airborne School and eventually Basic
Training.
After
completing his rehabilitation, Bacik was discharged from the Army and enrolled
at Auburn University in Auburn, Ala. and ultimately earned his Master of
Business Administration. In April, 2009, Matt started the Bacik Group; a highly
successful management consulting firm with branch offices in three different
states. He has remained involved with the military including doing work with
the Wounded Warrior Project, a nonprofit organization that assists to meet the
various needs of severely injured service members.
Jim
Asher completed his commitment to the Army and left active duty in June, 2007.
He continued his life of service to his country, however, and is now a special
agent with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Asher and
Bacik remain close friends and talk on the phone about once a week. Bacik’s
kids love to hear from “Uncle Jim,” who also sends them gifts on their
birthdays and Christmas. Both men admit Iraq still comes up quite often as they
continue to assist each other with the transition back to civilian life.
“I get
more scared now thinking about some of the situations than I was at the time,
“Asher said. “The mind is pretty remarkable. There must be defense mechanisms
or something, because I didn’t feel scared. I was just doing my job and almost
numb to the fear.”
“Coming
home was quite an adjustment,” he added. “In a span of 48 hours, I went from
combat infantryman to meeting my family at the airport and going out for a
steak dinner, meanwhile, on the way I’m worried that an orange barrel on the
side of the road was going to blow up.”
Like
Asher, Bacik has no regrets from his service and time in Iraq.
“It
takes some time to figure out what things you can take with you from the
experience and what things you need to just let go,” he said. “Obviously I
learned a lot from it and it definitely took a while to realize I wasn’t
hunting anyone and nobody was hunting me. But I am never sorry I was over there
and never sorry I got hurt.”
Just six months after graduating from Basic Training at Fort Benning, Army specialist Jason Tangi was still trying to adjust to life at Fort Stewart in southeastern Georgia. So consumed in the renovation of the house he had secured for himself and his girlfriend back home, Tangi was not yet privy to the mutterings around the post about a potential pending deployment to Kuwait for some kind of training mission.
In classic military style, the next two weeks were spent preparing for the “training mission.” Exhausting days, which began at six in the morning and sometimes stretched until midnight.
Jason barely spent any time with the girlfriend he had relocated from familiar surroundings to a world of unknowns.
The members of the 3rd Infantry Division were granted one precious down day before shipping out with a destination of Kuwait for a “30-day training mission.” It was mid January, 2003.
As mid-January became late-February, it became clear the alleged “30-day training” was going to run a tad long. Days were long, repetitive and boring. Jason remembers cleaning his weapon more times than he could count. Equipment was checked, rechecked and rechecked once more.
The only escape the soldiers could find was hanging out on the back of large cargo trucks. It was the only escape from the monotony; hanging out with your buddies, telling stories, smoking cigars. One night as the guys were trading stories they noticed something emerging from the Kuwaiti desert that appeared to be heading towards them.
“We were sitting on the back of the truck telling stories when all of the sudden we see headlights – and I mean miles of headlights,” Tangi recalled. “Suddenly we see [semi-trailer trucks] filled with ammunition, rockets, Bradley fighting vehicles and TOWs (anti-tank guided missiles) as far as the eye can see.”
It was instantly apparent to all there was something going on that extended beyond a “routine training mission.”
“The next day we woke up and we combat loaded,” Tangi said. “The Bradleys were stocked with enough ammo for four days of constant battle.”
“[Leadership] told us ‘this is the best training we can give you to be combat-ready.’,” he said. “You didn’t have to be a rocket scientist to know what was going on.”
“You could see on the faces of the senior [non-commissioned officers], they had never had this kind of training before,” Tangi added.
The first week of March the commander ordered the soldiers in Tangi’s unit into formation to inform them of plans to “sit on the Iraqi border.” All munitions and equipment were cleaned and checked one final time and chemical agent antidote auto-injectors were distributed.
Morale was mixed among the soldiers of 3/7 Infantry. “Some guys were like ‘whatever’; you had the gung-ho types [eager] to go, then you had other guys saying ‘oh man I didn’t sign up for this,’” Tangi said.
“Personally I was confused,” he added. “I thought about the war I’ve seen on TV and in movies and I felt, ‘Holy shit, am I ready for this?’”
On March 16 the soldiers put on the thick layers that make up the chemical warfare suit. They would not take them off again for 30 days. On March 18, the unit was called together once again to discuss plans. As a captain went over specific movements and objectives, the big picture remained ambiguous to many of the troops.
“Finally somebody asked, ‘Are we going to war?’” Tangi said. “I’ll never forget the captain’s response, ‘Please don’t make me have to actually say it, here is the Iraqi border and here is where we are going – do you understand.” Nobody had any further questions.
Crossing the Iraqi border
One of the first things Tangi’s unit encountered after entering Iraqi territory was an abandoned NATO facility which had sustained significant damage from some type of explosion.
“My first thought was, ‘That’s NATO, why is this building all shot up?” he recalled. “It could have been abandoned for years, maybe even since the Gulf War, but I saw that and thought, ‘Aw hell, we’re really going to war.’”
Tangi described the next eight days as the most miserable of the war. The division drove continuously for eight days straight, stopping only a couple hours at a time to allow troops to relieve themselves and grab an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat) and some water.
The convoy of large military vehicles traveled at a high rate of speed with no lights as to avoid alerting any insurgents of their presence. Night vision goggles allowed drivers to see the vehicles ahead in the convoy; however several factors made visibility a major challenge.
“There was a lot of sand kicking up so you could barely see and you never really knew where you were,” Tangi explained. “Many people think the desert is completely flat, but there were a lot of cliffs and overhangs [in the terrain].”
As a result, several vehicles went over cliffs and got stuck or rolled over completely. Along the way the division encountered some resistance, but none that required the troops to get out of the vehicles.
“The Bradleys just unloaded,” Tangi recalled. “When those Bradleys open up you’re talking about hell coming down on [the enemy] – nothing is left moving on the other side.”
Karbala Gap – first combat
It was called the “last steppingstone into Baghdad” in a March 28, 2003 New York Times article. The Karbala Gap, a 20-25 mile-wide stretch of land between the Euphrates River and Razzaza Lake; and about 50 miles south of Baghdad, was a key strategic position in the war.
If the Iraqi forces failed to defend the area, it would essentially open completely the route to the capital for advancing coalition forces.
Given the significance of the Karbala Gap, Tangi’s unit predictably expected the potential for strong resistance from the Iraqi Republican Guard.
“This was going to be our big battle because the enemy knew if we passed through the Gap it was a big push towards Baghdad,” he explained.
Once the division reached a point about 20 miles outside Karbala, they stopped to receive some assistance from their friends in the sky. As soldiers watched from truck tops, U.S. Air Force fighter planes soared overhead filling the once-quiet desert night with thunderous roars.
While taking fire from anti-aircraft artillery, precision U.S. bombing strikes began to knock out power grids and enemy resources; paving the way for the ground troops. (According to Tangi, the air strikes were preceded by thousands of leaflets warning civilians a few days prior of the exact date and time the bombings would occur. The Air Force took every precaution to minimize civilian casualties.)
From his vantage point, Tangi remained in awe of the spectacular visual taking place in Karbala. Little by little sections of the city’s lights were eliminated and ground fire ceased. It was nearly early morning hours when the Air Force had accomplished its mission and succeeded in darkening the entire city.
“Seconds after the last set of lights went out we heard ‘Let’s move in,’ and we were in our vehicles and rolling,” he said.
As the convoy entered the city, it was met with an eerie calmness. The mission was to find the enemy and eliminate them to allow subsequent units to pass through en route to Baghdad. It seemed finding the enemy might be the more challenging task.
The Bradleys moved slowly attempting to bait any Republican Guard members hiding in the city. Finally, the Bradley Tangi was riding in stopped. He heard the humming of the mechanical rear door as it began to open; ready or not his first taste of combat was imminent.
Growing up in Berea, Jason Tangi was known as an exceptional athlete. However, no pregame jitters experienced while playing football for Berea High or taking the mound as a pitcher for Hiram College compared to the anxiousness he was experiencing watching the Bradley door open, releasing him into the great unknown that is the battlefield.
“As a team lead I was always the first one out,” he said. “So you just haul ass out of there and find the nearest cover.”
It was there Jason would first experience enemy bullets whizzing passed his head. There are three distinct sounds bullets make travelling passed your head.
“If it makes a swoosh sound, its not even close.” Tangi explained. “If it goes passed with a whistle, kinda close; but if you hear it tumbling - that means get your ass down it was real close.”
Thanks largely in part to thousands of leaflets dropped by the Air Force warning Iraqi civilians of imminent airstrikes, most of Karbala was empty and quiet. Once the city was secured, Tangi and his fellow troops were granted a day and a half to relax and catch their collective breath.
“It was a chance for supplies to catch up to us bringing more MREs, water and ammo,” he said. “It was almost like a party, we didn’t have anyone within miles of us and air support everywhere – we were all going to just chill.”
Unfortunately, just six hours into the breather the unit received radio transmissions about the Iraqi Republican Guard holding the Euphrates River.
“Next thing I know I was back in that Bradley hauling ass,” Tangi said.
“Hauling ass” in a Bradley in the Iraqi desert means traveling about 40-45 miles per hour. According to Tangi, riding in one of the bulky vehicles at such speeds “feels like you are sitting in a dryer.” He also likened the experience to riding in a school bus doing 90 mph over impossibly bumpy terrain.
The frantic trip, it turned out, was all for naught as the Republican Guard had abandoned their posts in such haste their uniforms remained in their bunkers.
“We later found out the Iraqi troops were being held in their positions basically at gun point by their superiors,” Tangi said. “The superiors took off, however, as we started to get close and once that happened the rest of the troops took off their uniforms and ran.”
Wearing civilian attire, the fleeing members of the Republican Guard were able to integrate themselves into the general populace and avoid capture or death.
On to Baghdad
After passing the Euphrates River, the trip to the Iraqi capital was relatively uneventful. In desperation, Iraqi leadership was making comical attempts to conceal the progress of the U.S. military towards Baghdad. Upon arrival, however, Tangi’s unit decided to leave no doubt in any Iraqi mind.
“We basically made a statement by driving right through the middle of the city and drove around in a circle to let them know we were there,” he said.
Although Jason had seen the last of the major firefighting, the remaining time spent in Baghdad would prove to be the most challenging time of his life. With two infantry companies as well as two support companies crammed into tight living quarters, personal space became and unattainable fantasy.
They unit continued to conduct missions, kicking in doors and eliminating the enemy when they could be found. But a return to the makeshift living quarters was hardly a chance to unwind and relax.
Troops were forbidden to leave the perimeter and there were no adequate latrine facilities. Many soldiers, Tangi included, battled bouts of dysentery.
“I lost about 20 pounds in a few weeks,” he recalled. “It was the worst thing I ever went through in my life, it was downright miserable.”
In addition to health concerns, missions were conducted during all hours of day or night. Sleep was difficult and obtained in small increments.
“Outside of the pride of serving your country, there are no rewards for being in a war zone,” Tangi said.
In His Own Words…
Camaraderie:
There were certain guys that are just non-stop funny, doing crazy things to keep us entertained. I remember a few guys built a basketball hoop and found a half-deflated ball and they would play Horse; that was what they did for fun.
One of my buddies came outside in his flak vest, helmet, boots; and nothing else. He was butt-naked running around grabbing the “basketball.” The sergeant was chasing after him yelling to put clothes on so he turned around and tried to hug the sergeant. Now the sergeant was the one running away.
We told a lot of stories. Those guys know everything about me, every crazy thing I’ve done. You talk about girls, the things you did in college, sports, brag about your athletic accomplishments and the biggest thing – the first thing you were going to do when you got home.
Contact with loved ones:
We went into Iraq March 18. The first time I got to talk to someone back home was late-May. It was basically “hey I just want to let you know I’m alive and tell everyone I love them.” We had two minutes to talk. Later on we would get to talk for five minutes, once every three weeks. You really had to keep on that because the next guy was waiting right behind you.
We had to stand on top of the building with guards around us so we wouldn’t get picked off by a sniper. We had this big-ass thing with a huge antenna on it to talk on. Because there was such a delay, you had to instruct your loved ones to limit their talking, so it was basically a one-way conversation letting them know you are still alive.
Going home:
When they told us in late-August we were going home, nobody believed it. We packed up all our stuff and started moving. We kept moving until we got to Kuwait. Once we crossed the Kuwaiti border it was like, “holy shit we’re goin’ home!”
We were in Kuwait for about a week and a half. During that time we got to go to the PX, I had Burger King, holy cow did it taste good. I’ll never forget ordering three Whoppers with cheese, a large fry and a large coke; and I ate it all – and I shit my brains out all night. It just went right through me, but it was worth it.
When we got on the plane to go home it was pretty much chaos, everybody was so pumped up and excited. We got to call our families from Germany and let them know we were coming home.
Talking to my dad was kind of emotional because he was also infantry and did two tours in Vietnam. The whole time I was gone he was picturing me going to Vietnam. He wasn’t aware of the advances in technology we had at our disposal. He was always really paranoid when I knew it wasn’t as bad as he thought, but I couldn’t get that across to him. When I called him and told him I was home in the States, I could hear him start to cry a little bit.
Once we arrived in Savannah, a large gathering of family and friends were waiting in a parade field. We got in formation and marched to them. It was unbelievable how good it felt to be home. I didn’t know whether to cry or dance or hoot and holler.
The only thing I wanted to do was go home and sit and not hear anything. I went home, sat on my couch with Zeus, my chocolate lab, next to me and sat there for like an hour and listened to nothing – it was the first time I was all alone in eight months.
Over there you feel alone inside but there is always someone around you. You are always doing something, hearing something, getting yelled at.
Finally after about an hour and a half I got up, looked at my girlfriend and said, “Let’s order pizza.”
Historical context:
Sometimes when I watch the news I think, ‘Holy shit, I was in one of the first companies to enter Baghdad, we circled the city to prove a point we were there.’ I’m very proud that I was there and that I served.
Once we started training new guys to the company and we started getting those gung-ho ‘I just want to be over there’ types, I would tell them, ‘just be careful what you wish for, it is not what you think it’s going to be.’ No matter what you prepare for or how you prepare, nobody knows what it is going to be like until they are there.
Changed life outlook:
One of the most significant things I brought home with me was a new perspective on life. You hear all the time to ‘live life to the fullest” from lots of people. I’ve heard it my whole life and I always thought, ‘Alright, but you don’t have to get up early for work and go to four meetings tomorrow so shut up.’ Since Iraq, it is nice to wake up in the morning and think, ’I have to go to work, but I get to relax and drink a beer tonight, I get to watch the Indians play tonight; it’s going to be a great day.’ I have a whole new outlook on life, I’m so happy. I really am.
Aftermath
The unfortunate reality of soldiers who survive war is dealing with the painful memories of friends and comrades who did not come home. Tangi often thinks about fellow Ohioan, Pfc. Marlin Rockhold, who was killed by sniper fire while directing traffic in Baghdad. Not only assigned to the same unit, but Tangi and Rockhold went through basic training together.
He would not allow his story to be printed without mention of his fallen friend.
Less than two years after his deployment, Tangi would serve another 12 months in Iraq, this time as a sergeant. Although this time he would see far less action on the battlefield, he discovered an oversight that ultimately saved the U.S. military thousand of dollars. For his actions he was awarded the Bronze Star.
Jason admits he joined the Army to pay off his student loans. “They threw $20,000 at me and I figured, four years I’m in, I’m out; what could go wrong,” he said laughing. “Twenty-one months in Iraq and I guess I paid for that college diploma.”
Tangi separated from the Army after serving his four-year commitment. He now lives in North Olmsted, Oh and works as a sales manager. When reflecting on his time in the war, he does not hesitate to put the experience in perspective. ‘Like my dad said about Vietnam, it is something I would never want to do again, but something I’m extremely proud of,’ he said.
Combat medic Tony Morales knew the time to apply all the training he had received from the Army had arrived. His company was engaged in a night-time firefight in the farming village of Wynot near Saddam Hussein’s hometown of Al Owja. Four insurgents entrenched in fortified positions amidst a palm grove were making their final stand against the Americans.
Two Apache helicopters leveled the thick brush, virtually reducing it to splinters. Shortly after, the shooting ceased and Morales received to the call to assist on the scene.
“It was my first time applying my training in a real world situation and I was a little apprehensive,” he recalled.
The mindset of a combat medic differs drastically from that of a normal infantry soldier. Rather than going to “kick some ass,” medics are prepared to attempt to save lives, sometimes even those of the enemy.
The benefit of being a medic is to enjoy popularity amongst fellow soldiers. “Everyone in the unit loves the medics,” Morales said. “We were the ones taking care of them, making sure they stayed healthy.”
“Medics also have a lot more freedom than other troops, I could walk up to the platoon sergeant and talk to him like a normal guy,” the Old Brooklyn native added. “We didn’t have a squad leader we had to report to.”
The insurgents were hit hard by the Apache attack combined with the American ground forces. When Morales arrived at the scene it was very dark, but he noticed a fellow medic working on one of the enemies. The Iraqi had taken several hits from M-16 fire on the ground.
“We still have to help the enemies if they are wounded, although it is strange working on a guy who was trying to kill our guys just moments earlier,” Morales explained. “But the whole thing about being over there is trying to win hearts and minds. We want to let them know we are Americans and even though they may think we are bad, we are actually the good guy.”
“One of our other companies brought an enemy back to their aid station who was bleeding from all four of his extremities. They bandaged him up and applied tourniquets and stopped the bleeding. The physician assistant performed CPR and ultimately was able to save the man’s life.
He was so grateful he ended up becoming an informant and provided a lot of valuable information about the area in which they were operating.”
The other medic instructed Morales to check another of the wounded who was marked with a green light.
“It was really dark outside and all I could see was the green light as I approached so I pulled out my flashlight and shined it on him,” Morales said. “He was laying there motionless and looked dead; I had never seen a dead body before but I still had to assess him to make sure he wasn’t still alive.”
“I shined my flashlight on him and saw his face. His eyes and mouth were wide open. I checked for a pulse on his neck and had my head right above his head to listen for breathing.”
Experiencing a deceased man on the battlefield was a first for the young medic, but he kept his mind focused as best he could and proceeding to the next wounded man.
The first thing Morales noticed about the second man was that he was not a man at all, but a teenager. A ricocheted round struck the young insurgent underneath the chin.
“I go to check for a pulse and saw the pool of blood behind his head,” Morales said. “I lifted his head and saw the huge hole in the back and realized he was dead. Then I went to help my buddy who was working on the only insurgent still alive.”
“After finishing bandaging up his wounds, I started an IV on him and we took him to the EVAC helicopter. He ended up dying sometime later.”
Roadside bomb attack
Early in the Iraq War, roadside bomb attacks achieved routine success for insurgents in Iraq. Reports of the attacks were well publicized in the American media as they sometimes resulted in American casualties. As time went on, the U.S. military developed technology to counter improvised explosive device, or IED attacks.
In addition, convoys of military personnel were better at spotting potential IED threats along the side of roads.
Tony was riding in a convoy over a bridge when the horrifying shock of an IED attack became a reality. The convoy never saw the two 120mm artillery rounds rigged as IEDs. The explosion went off next to the humvee directly in front of Morales.
“The gunner on top of the humvee was exposed except for an armored shield partially covering his body,” Morales recalled. “Luckily only one of the rounds actually went off; I saw the other fly through the air and went over the side of the bridge.”
The force of the concussion jarred the gunner violently inside his turret. The convoy was ordered to “blow through” the area, meaning quickly accelerate all the vehicles in the convoy passed the point of attack.
As a medic, Morales could only think of the physical status of the troops inside the humvee in front of him, especially the gunner on top.
After the convoy stopped, Morales was able to treat the gunner, who had regained consciousness. The gunner suffered bumps and bruises and a concussion, but survived the attack without serious injury.
Attributing electronic countermeasures and improved vehicle armor, Morales admits he was fortunate to avoid any more serious IED attacks during his Iraq deployment.
Sniper Scare
The village of Wynot presented challenges for the U.S. Army because the thick forestry and back dirt roads were ideal for terrorists to move weapons, supplies and personnel while remaining beneath the radar of U.S. forces.
For this reason, Morales was taking part in a traffic control point the day he suffered the closest call of his Iraq deployment.
Surrounded by dense forest and vegetation, Morales and his fellow 82nd Airborne troops were stopping cars traveling through the backwoods roads and searching vehicles for any type of contraband.
They were also matching identifications against a list of high value targets of which the military had significant interest in capturing.
“These back roads weren’t patrolled by anyone, not even the Iraqi police,” said Morales. “It made them perfect for transporting weapons and explosives.”
As dusk approached with darkness imminent, Morales’ squad leader ordered him to place an infrared chem-light on the humvee.
“We put chem-lights on our vehicles at night so helicopters will see us and know we are friendlies,” he explained. “I was going to jump up on top of the humvee, but instead decided to just grab the truck’s antenna from the ground.”
It was a decision that probably saved his life.
As Morales grabbed the antenna, a gun shot rang out. A mere three feet away, a bullet ricocheted off the back of the humvee. Realizing he was the target of the sniper, Morales quickly dropped to the ground.
“Everyone was yelling, ‘Where is he, where is he?’ So I pointed into the direction of the woods but all we could see was dark forest,” he said.
“I was way nervous at that point,” Morales recalled. “That was the first time I had actually been targeted and was definitely a little shaky.”
After a few tense minutes, one of the gunners opened up into the forest, which quickly set off a chain reaction of soldiers shooting towards the direction of the sniper shot.
Unable to see the sniper, the strategy was such that amongst the showering of 5.56mm rounds and grenade blasts, somebody would get lucky and take him out.
As his friends were unleashing hell into the direction of the sniper, Morales noticed nobody was watching the road behind the trucks.
He decided to keep an eye out in case the sniper was a diversion for a suicide bomber to come down the road.
Morales remembers being startled by the blasts from the M203 grenade launcher before the reassurance of a friend.
“Relax doc, its just 203.”
After several moments of the massive retaliation, the troops began to cease fire. Suddenly another shot went off.
“The round whizzed right between a buddy of mine and the platoon sergeant,” he said. “They actually heard it go by. “
For a second time the Americans opened fire on the forest. An Apache gunship even assisted clearing the area. An extensive search of the area came up empty; there was no sign of the sniper, dead or alive.
Later on, after obtaining information from some of the locals, troops from Morales’ unit raided a house they believed belonged to the sniper.
“We took him down and found the sniper rifles including an old Russian Dragunov sniper rifle,” he said.
Readjusting to life back home
After returning from Iraq and completing his active-duty service with the Army, Tony Morales found difficulty adjusting to the life that previously defined normalcy.
He never seems to have as much in common with his old high school friends as with his Army buddies, several of which he maintains consistent contact with.
Acclimating into a normal civilian life also serves as a challenge.
“I’m almost there but not quite, it takes a while,” he said. “When I first got back it was non-stop partying and drinking until eventually I started running out of money and needed to get a job.”
That first job was as a server in a restaurant. While nothing to be ashamed of, it certainly didn’t suite a combat medic only months removed from the war zone. “I did that for two months and hated it.”
Through the Army, Morales was able to get certified as an emergency medical technician and is now attending Boise State University. He remains in the Army Reserves.
In the early stages of the Iraq War, news broke fast and furious. From an American soldier killing his own by tossing grenades into a command tent, to the Iraqis pounding their shoes on the felled giant statue of Saddam Hussein; the stories provided the lasting images of the war.
For most of us, the images we saw on television seemed worlds away. Strongsville, Ohio native and Army veteran Albert Fanous was there for most of it. Prior to deploying for the initial stages of the Iraq War however, Fanous nearly had his deployment derailed due to a freak training accident.
Three months before receiving orders, Fanous and his fellow soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division were going through training which they believed was to prepare them for an imminent war. While practicing helicopter drops, Fanous suffered a misstep. Searing pain shot through his foot and lower leg.
“We had a three-mile march after the drop and my foot was swelling and the pain was excruciating,” he said.
The result was a broken foot. Having been born and raised in Egypt until he was 14 years old, Fanous’ ability to speak Arabic fluently made him an invaluable asset to his unit. Although he had the option to stay behind as his unit was preparing to deploy. Fanous took his cast off a week early to stay with his military brothers.
****
“Oh my god we are under attack!”
As the deployment to Kuwait neared, veterans from the first Gulf War began dispensing invaluable advice. From them Fanous learned of which items he needed to pack extra; such as baby wipes and how to wash clothes and keep clean when facilities are not available. Also, senior non-commissioned officers passed on various tricks such as keeping water bottles in wool socks overnight to keep them cool. The Gulf War vets provided insight that could only be obtained from experience.
The 101st arrived in Kuwait in March, 2003 and began performing training exercises. The repetition quickly became tedious and the chemical warfare equipment was extremely hot and uncomfortable.Many troops were hoping for something to break up the monotony. Unfortunately, what they received was a tragic event that would scar the Army and shock Americans back home.
After a particularly heavy night of scud missile drills, Albert was part of the first of many incidents that would make national headlines in the States. It was the wee hours of March 23, 2003 and Fanous had just drifted off to sleep. Suddenly a loud explosion, quickly followed by another, rocked the camp.
After months of preparing to go to war, frantic soldiers assumed the war had come to them. Chaos ensued with soldiers throwing uniforms on and gathering their weapons.
“Oh my god we are under attack!” Fanous thought.
Rumors quickly circulated throughout the camp. Orders were given to proceed to a bunker and wait. “Finally news came out that one of the guys had gone crazy and dropped grenades into the command post,” Fanous recalled.
The soldier who would obtain notorious fame for murdering two troops and injuring 14 others was Sergeant Hasan Akbar, an American-born Muslim convert who was upset the U.S. was on the brink of war with a predominately Muslim nation. The two men murdered that night were Air Force Major Gregory Stone and Army Captain Christopher Seifert. Fanous and the 101st had not yet set foot in Iraq and were already mourning the loss of two of their own.
****
Part of the infantry, Fanous worked with a team of three guys on a heavily-armed Humvee designed primarily to destroy enemy tanks. Humvees like the one Albert manned are equipped with two .50 caliber machine guns, a MK 19 40mm grenade-launcher machine gun and a tube-launched, optically tracked, wire-guided or TOW missile system.
“Our job was to provide security for all the ground troops making the march from Kuwait to Baghdad. Our orders were to destroy any enemy tanks and make contact with any Iraqi military personnel. “
“Heading into Iraq, I was worried, excited and experiencing pretty much every other emotion,” Fanous recalled. “I was optimistic I might not see much action, but I was prepared for anything because I knew once the Islamic aspects of Jihad kicked in there might be more fighting; I hoped for the best but expected the worst. “
Once they got into Iraq, Fanous’ unit saw nothing in terms of resistance.
“Every time we thought we saw something, it was either abandoned or destroyed,” he said.
The biggest enemy in those early days was the infamous sandstorm. So intense were some of the storms they nearly eliminated visibility completely and grind the 101st’s progress to a halt. “It made it impossible for us to even see,” Fanous said. “It’s hard to describe, you go outside and everything was completely red and we were just covered in sand.”
For Albert’s team aboard the humvee, the sand also created headaches with equipment maintenance.
“The .50 caliber was fine, it is a very old weapon system and it can take about anything,” Fanous explained. “The Mark 19 was a more delicate weapon system that needed to be cleaned constantly; you really had to baby it.”
The storms also prevented the ground troops from essential air support, which further slowed things down.
Karbala
When Albert and his team arrived near Karbala they waited briefly at the outskirts of town for the infantry guys to catch up.
“It was apparent somebody had been there before us because there were dead bodies all over,” he said. “We weren’t sure who had killed them, but we knew the Baath Party was driving through towns and killing people who were not going to resist (against the U.S.). The 3rd Infantry Division came in with their Bradleys and fired a warning shot at a couple of vehicles and everything broke loose from there.”
Americans came under heavy fire from small arms and RPGs.
“To be honest, if it wasn’t for the Bradleys, it could have been very messy,” Fanous said.
His squad leader placed him in position with his scoped machine gun. He was clear to take out any suspicious people coming through. Fanous was instructed to be selective with his targets – only fire if the person had a weapon and never on women or children. While lying prone on the pavement next to his humvee, Fanous saw a vehicle coming. In between him and the vehicle was a Bradley. As the vehicle tried to pass, the Bradley pulled out in front of it. As Fanous watched through his scope, enemy combatants jumped out of the vehicle with RPGs.
“Apparently the guys in the Bradley had already noticed the weapons because they really lit them up,” he recalled. “I wanted to fire but I didn’t have a clear target and the Bradley was taking care of business; I did not end up firing a round in that battle.”
It was the battle in Karbala that made it clear what life in Iraq would be like for Albert and his Army brothers. “We were fighting an enemy that was not wearing a uniform and did not use the same tactics as us. Our training did not prepare us for some of those things,” he explained. “We knew they were willing to die for anything, so every time something happened we just tried to react to it as best we could.”
There were times when Fanous experienced a very positive response from Iraqis. Some towns received U.S. troops positively, throwing flowers and candy at convoys. Often, children would wave and interact with the Americans. Fanous felt most Iraqi citizens considered the troops as liberators.
His Arabic tongue was not always a blessing, however, especially when fellow soldiers would attempt to get Albert to translate jokes to Iraqi citizens. Most were received only with strange looks and bewilderment.
“It was getting annoying,” He recalled. “I told them, (the Iraqis) aren’t going to get our sense of humor, something that is funny to us in the States is confusing to them.”
“I also spoke to some Iraqi soldiers when we were there and found out they were paid very poorly, if at all,” Fanous added. “Often they only had raw onions and bread to eat.”
April 9, 2003: A Historic Day
“I remember one specific day and every time I see it on TV I think ‘wow, I can’t believe I was there’,” Fanous recalls. “All because we were tired of eating MREs (Meals, Ready to Eat),”
Albert pleaded with Sergeant Cooper, his platoon sergeant, to go to the city in search of better food.
“I said, ‘hey Coop, I’m tired of MREs, I speak the language and you have the authority, let’s go to the city and get some food.”
At first, Sergeant Cooper expressed doubt, but a persuasive Fanous wore him down and before long they were gathering money and preparing a food-procurement mission. The group of troops headed to Baghdad and were passing through Firdos Square, the site of the famous giant statue of Saddam Hussein. There was a large gathering of people making a lot of noise. At first, Fanous admits, the size of the crowd made the troops nervous as they initially had no idea what was taking place. The attention was on an Iraqi attempting to pull down the statue with a tractor.
“The only thing he was succeeding in doing was popping a wheelie with the tractor,” Fanous recalls laughing. “It was the funniest scene.”
Finally, a U.S. Marine armored recovery vehicle wrapped chains around the neck of the giant statue and began to pull it down. As viewers from around the world watched live, the statue bent forward and then collapsed to the ground in what would become the most symbolic image of the war. As Fanous watched, the Saddam statue was toppled and dragged down the street with hundreds of Iraqis hitting it with the bottoms of their shoes.
“I told everybody, ‘this is part of history, we are going to tell this story to our grandkids when we are older’,” Fanous said. “Knowing the significance of hitting someone with the bottom of your shoe in Iraq, it made me realize, ‘wow, they really do hate Saddam.’”
Mahmoudiya
Fanous remembers most the people in Baghdad treating U.S. troops well.
“Some started bringing us food and water and even offered their homes for us to take showers,” he said. “I was surprised how we were treated.”
Although patrols in Baghdad rarely resulted in combat, they would often bring the discovery of explosives or a weapons cache, one of which was stashed in an amusement park. While in the amusement park, troops came upon an abandoned, broken-down motorcycle.
“One of our guys was a motorcycle mechanic back home and he got the thing running,” Fanous recalled. “Next thing you know we are taking turns riding it around the park; my first time riding on a motorcycle happened in Iraq.”
Not long after Fanous’ unit received orders to advance to Mosul in the northern part of Iraq. They were told they would spend the remainder of their six months there. “Six months then became eight months, then 10 months,” Fanous said. “After that it was like ‘we are going to be here forever, we are never going home.’”
On the way to Mosul from Baghdad, orders came down to clear a city called Mahmoudiya. While clearing the houses, Fanous and his team stopped at an abandoned police station. “I was notified there was a document they needed me to decipher,” he said. “It was a hand-made map of the area; it had firing limits, reference points and was clearly designed for military use.”
Superiors asked Fanous if he thought the map was an indication of enemy troops in the area. “Without a doubt,” he responded. Barely having finished his statement, the door of the building exploded from an RPG round.
“Everything just erupted from there; they were just firing at us from every direction. Guys were on the rooftops and everywhere else. We started returning fire and called a medevac for the guys injured in the RPG blast.”
An ambulance was dispatched from Baghdad, but came under heavy fire as it arrived.
“I’m not sure if the driver was hit or not, but the ambulance veered off the road and slammed into a ditch,” Fanous said. “We then called for an air medevac but when the helicopter arrived he wasn’t able to land on the LZ (landing zone) due to power lines so he radioed to the ground that the power lines were in the way.”
In desperation, U.S. troops felled the power lines by ramming them repeatedly with Humvees. Despite their efforts, the medevac pilot determined the area too hot to land. There was too much enemy fire.
With several troops injured from the initial RPG blast, Fanous was part of a team that would have to find an alternate LZ for the medevac, further from the heavy firefight taking place. Then began the process of racing humvees back and forth trying to get all the wounded to the medevac site. “This left us very shorthanded for the battle that was taking place,” Fanous said. “There were only two trucks with mounted heavy guns, and now one of those would be used to transport the wounded.”
“After fighting shorthanded, we finally received backup from battalion and were able to take control of the fight. I think we had about 80 kills that day and took 14 wounded of our own but fortunately no KIA.”
The Americans stayed in Mahmoudiya that night. With the power knocked out, it was eerily dark. Fanous had the unenviable job of guard duty that night. Relying heavily on his night-vision goggles, he saw what appeared to be a cargo humvee approaching.
“I asked if we had anyone scheduled to come in at this hour,” he said. “My lieutenant told me to let them approach until we could identify who it was.”
As the vehicle approached, Fanous realized it wasn’t a hummer, but a pickup truck. He fired a warning shot in an attempt to stop the truck. The warning shot alerted the guys on the rooftops who began to fire on the vehicle. Two men jumped out of the truck and began running towards Fanous’ position.
“Everybody on the rooftops was focused on the truck and hammered it pretty good,” he said. “I saw both guys coming towards me. I gave the order to stop in Arabic and received no response.”
Fanous fixated his laser sight on one of the men and fired. Immediately he dropped to the ground. It was the first time Albert had shot someone.
“The second guy stopped next to a tree. I asked the lieutenant if I should cease fire and check it out,” he said. “The two guys turned out to be looters. The guy I shot was injured, but he lived. “
Uday and Qusay Hussein
Fanous and the 101st started working with Special Forces from Task Force 20 looking for high-value targets around Mosul. Several unsuccessful missions brought about a feeling of mental exhaustion from the fruitless searches. Then one day, everything changed.
“We were called into a briefing and given Intel on the whereabouts of Saddam’s sons Uday and Qusay Hussein from a Special Forces soldier,” he recalled. “About noon we were locked and loaded and ready to go to the area of a house in which the brothers were allegedly staying. Each platoon had a different assignment near the area of the house. We were told we would also have air support and the goal was to capture the brothers without bloodshed.”
After several false alarms, Fanous was skeptical. He knew something was different however, when U.S. troops were greeted with a wild scene near the house.
“At first we were more occupied with the crowd in the streets than with the house,” Fanous said. “It was on the verge of a riot; they were shouting and throwing rocks at us. We could tell by the actions of the crowd that Uday and Qusay were really there.We fired several warning shots which began to disperse the crowd.”
Per orders, Fanous positioned his vehicle to block the road on the east side of the house. A fierce battle between Saddam’s sons and Special Forces troops raged on. Qusay Hussein’s teenage son was there fighting with the brothers, along with a bodyguard.
As gunfire and rocket rounds soared through the air, Albert heard somebody yell, “With our blood and soul redeem you Uday and Qusay!” Fanous was stunned to realize the sons of Iraq’s long-time dictator were camped in a house U.S. troops had travelled past several times.
Finally, a barrage of TOW missiles and an airstrike penetrated the reinforced concrete walls of the house. The crackling of gunfire ceased as Special Forces troops quickly entered what remained of the house. Before long they emerged with the bodies of Uday and Qusay Hussein.
News about the operation quickly spread around the globe. The U.S. decided to put pictures of their dead bodies on television to prove to the Iraqi people the brothers’ fate. Fanous recalls being placed on lockdown as Iraqi citizens celebrated all over with gunfire.
Mosul and home
The rest of his time in Iraq was spent in the northern part of the country performing various missions around the city of Mosul. One day Fanous recalls his unit passing through a small city that could not be found on maps.
“We started talking with the people and found out it was a Chaldean Christian town,” he said. “We became friendly with a priest we called ‘Father Tom’ at the town monastery and before long we were getting invited to weddings and baptisms, it was nice. They appreciated us being there because Christians are in such a minority in Iraq and our presence made the townspeople feel protected from Muslim extremists.”
American troops would later assist Father Tom in establishing an orphanage in the area. The endeavor included building a new playground and forged a friendly relationship between the troops and the Iraqi kids.
“We showed them some of our equipment and even let a few of them drive the hummers,” Albert said. “They played a lot of soccer with us, but most of them were young teenagers and they really kicked our asses. Later, they thanked us by having a festival in our honor. “
“After I returned home from Iraq I saw a news report of Christians in the Mosul area getting killed by militant groups. It made me sad because I recognized some of the churches that were shown on TV.”
As the months dragged on, day-to-day life became increasingly difficult. Fanous recalls sleeping on sidewalks, going weeks without adequate showers and having to wash clothes by hand – which dried quickly in the overpowering heat. Food was irregular and dysentery was common. Nearly every soldier lost a significant amount of body weight.
Communication to loved ones back home was sparse at best. There are some letters Fanous wrote in Iraq that have yet to reach home. Back home in Strongsville Albert’s parents were flipping between the Middle East-based Al Jazeera network on their satellite television and local American news networks searching for news on the war.
“When I got home my dad told me he would watch Al Jazeera and hear that we were having a rough time, and then he would switch to American news networks and hear we were doing great – no resistance,” he said laughing.
One day while on patrol in downtown Mosul, Albert stumbled upon an international call center. Using his Arabic tongue, he negotiated with a local contractor to set up a call center just for the Army. It was a move that instantly made Fanous the most popular guy in the 101st.
“At first the Army was concerned about OPSEC (Operations Security), but they eventually allowed it,” he said. “Before you know it every camp in the area was asking about the contractor, the guy was making a ton of money. Every once in a while he would give me free calls. Life got much better from that point.”
Around the same time, troops also started receiving packages and were able to request things from back home. On a different patrol, Fanous had another opportunity to use his language skills to improve morale.
“I was on patrol and I found what looked like a pizza box,” he explained. “At first I didn’t say anything about it. Later I told everybody I was going to get some fresh pizza. We get to this place and it looks cool. They are throwing the dough into the air and made it really thin. They put some type of meat on it and then cracked on egg on top and put it in the oven. So I was like, ‘that’s not pizza, where’s the cheese?’”
While the pizza tasted alright, the Americans politely asked if the chef could leave off the egg in the future. Later, Fanous would find another pizza place.
“I went in and asked the owner if they had pizza ‘like the Americans eat it?’ It turns out the owner used to run a Domino’s Pizza in the States. We eventually convinced him to build a mini pizza shop in our battalion area. That became one of our main staples the rest of our time there. We ended up handing stuff like that on to the guys that came to Iraq after us,” he said.
Today, Fanous feels confident his ability to communicate with locals made life just a little better for the countless troops that would come after him. He would make another trip to Iraq before completing his commitment to the Army and returning home to Ohio where he is finishing a college degree.
“I was watching the movie ‘Blackhawk Down’ with my mom before I left for Iraq and I told her, ‘Don’t worry, it isn’t going to be anything like that, we are just going to be going in to make sure the enemy is dead after the Air Force and Navy bomb the country.”
“When I got home I told her, ‘I’m sorry; it was exactly like the movie except instead of helicopters, it was Amtracs.” – Jim Martin USMC, 2001-2005
In the weeks and months following the terrorist attacks on United States soil Sept. 11, 2001, many young men and women were inspired to enlist in the Armed Forces. Having already committed to the United States Marine Corps several months earlier, North Olmsted’s Jim Martin was not one of them.
Already a month into boot camp at Parris Island, SC., Martin and fellow Marine recruits were gathered unconventionally by a senior drill instructor. The young recruits were oblivious to the horrible events taking place in New York City and Washington D.C.
Events that would ultimately have a profound impact on the next few years of their lives.
Before speaking to the attentive recruits, the drill instructor removed his field hat, or campaign cover.
“I’ll never forget him removing his campaign cover because drill sergeants don’t do that,” Martin said. “He told us to take our training seriously because in the next four years we would be going to war.”
There is a component of Marine Corps basic training in which drill instructors lead recruits to believe a major war has started. The object is to gauge how well the trainees respond to an intense level of adversity.
“Obviously they didn’t have to do that with us because it did start,” he said. A year-and-a-half later, Martin, now stationed in North Carolina at Camp Lejeune, was attached to the 2nd Assault Amphibian Battalion. As U.S. –Iraqi tensions mounted, the unit soon received orders to deploy to Kuwait.
“They only wanted our air wing but they brought us as tag-alongs,” he said. “We were like the bastard children of the operation,” he recalled. “Everyone else flew [to Kuwait] and we took boats over.”
Though sometimes scenic, especially while passing through Suez Canal, the boat trip took the Marines a month to arrive in Kuwait.
“It’s a long ride on a boat doing the same thing everyday,” Martin recalled. After the seemingly interminable boat trip, Martin hoped the unit would stop at Kuwaiti Naval base, which was “an actual Navy base with things to do.” Unfortunately they arrived at Camp Shoop; a far more primitive base offering the Marines an opportunity for good old-fashioned manual labor.
“We had to set up everything, including tents and vehicle staging,” he said. “Initially, there was nothing in the middle of the desert and then a week later it was a makeshift Marine Corps base in the middle of Kuwait; it was kinda cool.”
With the base erected, Marines settled into a tedious daily routine. As the days turned into weeks, troops became bored and restless.
“We were sitting there wondering if it was ever going to happen,” he said. “We were really bored and sick of doing gas mask drills and the same stuff we did at Camp Lejeune.”
In downtime they played intramural softball games using a softball made of duct tape and an axe handle for the bat. The bases were sandbags of course. Waiting for letters to arrive from home proved futile. “At that time they hadn’t set up the mail system very well,” Martin explained. “We ended up getting a lot of our letters sent before we went into Iraq, after we got out of Iraq; so mail was kind of a tricky situation.
“Its funny because you get into a routine then all of the sudden the president gave his 48 hours to get out or we’re coming in speech and the next day we were mobilized,” Martin said. “The camp was packed up and disappeared and we were headed to the Iraq border.”
Most the Marines were eager to move into Iraq. A month of killing time and playing softball in Kuwait was only extending the amount of time the troops would be stuck in the hot dusty desert halfway around the world.
“Morale was real high, we were ready to go,” he said. “Some guys had been in the Marine Corps eight or 10 years and had never seen combat.” It was like finally getting to play in the football game you have been practicing for.
During his month in Kuwait, Martin was able to make just one phone call home. Years later he would learn through friends that communication would improve immensely in the months and years following the initial Iraq invasion.
Following the initial U.S. air strikes, described at the time as ‘Shock and Awe,’ Iraq retaliated by firing scud missiles toward Kuwait City.
“We were on our way to the border at that time and had to quickly put on our chemical warfare suits and gas masks because we weren’t sure where those scuds were going to land.”
The missiles were flying right over their heads.
“It was our first real scare,” he said. “No more gas mask drills, this was for real.”In the back of the vehicle, 18 Marines scurried to put on gas masks and chem suits with hearts pounding and a sense of urgency.
***
A word Jim became very familiar with was “push.” If a vehicle broke down, somebody would stay back and everybody else would continue to push. “Our mission was to get to Baghdad as quickly as possible; so fast there would be no way the enemy could stop us,” Martin explained. “It was just constant movement, through day, night and sandstorms; we didn’t sleep much at all.”
“I remember being so tired at night with my night-vision goggles on and just doing everything I could to stay awake,” he said. “People were taking the ground coffee out of MREs and chewing on it.”
Initially, Martin, along with other Marines was fired up to cross the Iraqi border, assuming action would soon follow. “Then we got across the border and there was NOTHING and it seemed to last forever,” he said. “We didn’t even see any camels so it was like, ‘This is war?’”
The task force was making its way towards Nasiriyah, Iraq’s fourth most populous city.
“Everything we heard about Nasiriyah from the Army was [the enemy] was surrendering on the bridges,” he recalled. “At that point we thought we weren’t even going to see any action and to be honest, we were a little upset about it.”
“It’s like a quote I remembered from the movie Memphis Belle when one of the pilots says, ‘I can’t go home and tell my girl I didn’t even kill one Nazi’,” he added.When Jim and fellow Marines arrived in Nasiriyah, they quickly determined the reports they had received from the Army to be vastly inaccurate.
“The first thing we saw was the remains of what was Jessica Lynch’s column completely destroyed and everybody thought ‘Uh oh, they aren’t surrendering on the bridges,’” he said.
Before gaining fame as a prisoner of war, Private Lynch was riding in a convoy of the Army’s 507th Maintenance Company. The convoy made a wrong turn and was ambushed. Several soldiers were killed and vehicles destroyed in the ferocious battle.
“We were just supposed to open the city up by securing the south and north bridges for the Army to come up behind us and through to Baghdad as quickly as possible,” Martin said. “Unfortunately our intelligence was bad; the Iraqis had set up shop to make a last stand in Nasiriyah.”
The plan was to take a hard right upon entering the city in order to avoid the route through Nasiriyah ominously dubbed “Ambush Alley.”
“Ambush Alley was set up perfectly for mortar pits and snipers,” Martin explained. “We decided to squeeze through a back alley in the city hope the enemy would not even know we were there.”
Martin’s column was the first on top of the bridge and found themselves staring directly at enemy tanks on the other side.
“The last place you want to be when encountering enemy tanks is in a tight column on a bridge way above ground,” he said. “So we began to engage the tanks, utilizing a team of Humvees equipped with TOW missiles, and knocked the tanks out.”After successfully negotiating the bridge, the column took the hard right heading into urban terrain.
“We get into the back alley and discover [the Iraqis] had cut the sewer lines and flooded the streets with sewage and if you know anything about tracked vehicles, we got stuck in the sewage in the back alley.”
Martin admits the tactic was smart and effective.
“You almost have to give them credit,” he said. “They knew that is where we wanted to go, bogged us down and because the quarters were so tight the column behind us had to go straight down Ambush Alley and ended up taking losses because they had set the place up with mortars, sniper fire and RPGs.”
As it became evident to the enemy Martin’s column was stuck, they also began to take fire.
“That is when I started to get a little nervous,” he said. “I knew all the fire power was on our side, what I had in my vehicle alone was probably more than what was shooting at us, but you can’t help but think of that one lucky round, plus they had mortars, which they basically just put [the round] down the tube and pray; and what if one of those lands on me.”
What ensued was a grueling 10-hour battle that took the lives of several Marines and injured many more.
Martin does not remember ever being truly scared throughout the battle in Nasiriyah. Instead his instincts stemming from his training automatically kicked in. “You just have to do it [instinctively],” he explained. “There is no time for thinking when lives are on the line.”
Rather than remain sitting ducks, the unit opted to proceed, uncharacteristically leaving two vehicles, a tank and an amphibious vehicle, behind.
“It was unheard of,” Martin explained. “But it was getting to the point the vehicles attempting to pull the stranded vehicles were also getting stuck.”
With Martin’s column pulling themselves out of one bad situation, the column of Charlie Company, which was forced to go down Ambush Alley was taking an intense barrage of mortar rounds, RPGs and tank fire. In what would become one of Operation Iraqi Freedom’s bloodiest campaigns, the Marine Corps would suffer 18 casualties along with several more wounded in action.
In addition to the fierce fighting, one of war’s true tragedies occurred in the northern part of the city.
Despite the onslaught, the column from Charlie Company began to make its way through ambush alley heading north through Nasiriyah.
“The rest of the task force didn’t know there was a platoon north of the city,” Martin recalled. “So our air officer called in for air strikes because we were getting hammered.”
“He asked over the radio if there was anyone north of this parallel,” he continued.Unfortunately the unexpected intensity of the fight resulted in a confusing jumble of radio communications. When there was no response to the call over the radio, the air support was officially ordered.
The tragic result was an Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt firing on U.S. Marines in Nasiriyah. Although it was unclear to U.S. Central Command investigators how many Marines died as a result of the friendly fire incident, as many as 10 servicemen were killed in vehicles while receiving both hostile and friendly fire.
“It is tough losing somebody at all,” Martin said of the incident. “But when it comes from the same team, it is really difficult to accept; but it happens.” In all, Martin spent 10 grueling hours in the city of Nasiriyah.
“The 10 hours we spent inside the city were pretty brutal,” he said. “There were some heroic things going on in the city; guys volunteering to go back in to rescue Marines that were trapped in the city and guys trapped in the city camped out in buildings [continued to fight] and killed a lot of the enemy.”
It was during his time in Nasiriyah, Martin had one of the few memories that will always haunt him.
“We were just outside the city and had set up a roadblock,” he recalled. A car approached at a high rate of speed and ignored several requests from U.S. servicemen to stop.
“In previous situations like this there were bad guys in the car, so we did what we had to do and lit it up,” he said.
Sadly, the car was occupied by an Iraqi civilian and his young daughter.
“I don’t know why he didn’t stop; I’ll never know why he didn’t stop,” Martin said. “We fired warning shots and gave him ample opportunity to stop.” The father was not hit, his daughter was fatally wounded.
“We tried to medevac her but she died on the way to the chopper.” Martin said. After Nasiriyah, Martin’s unit bounced around the country performing various small missions. He believes it was leadership’s way a giving them a little break after the intense fighting in Nasiriyah.
As it turned out, the rest of the deployment would be mostly uneventful before word in early June the Marines in the task force would be returning home.
“They told us we were heading back to Kuwait and we assumed it was for more supplies,” Martin said. “They said we were getting on the boats and heading home, we all thought ‘You gotta be kidding me!”
Arriving in Kuwait would be to be an awesome experience for the weary Marines. “Kuwaiti Naval Base had a swimming pool, showers, a Pizza Hut, a Baskin Robbins and even though we still had a lot to do as far a washing vehicles and equipment, we were so happy to be there.”
“The weekend we got back a buddy and I went to Myrtle Beach and we just partied.” Martin remembers. “They told us to not try and live the rest of our lives in that first weekend – and nobody listened.”
Now separated from the Marine Corps and working as a police officer, Martin sometimes reflects on his time in Iraq.
“I don’t get people saying they are ‘anti-war, pro-peace;’ I’m anti-war and pro-peace too but sometimes you have to fight for some things.”
“Nobody is pro-war; I am pro-defending America,” He said.
“I come from a family of Army veterans so I was raised to have the utmost respect for veterans, especially the guys who fought in Vietnam, because they got the shaft,” He added. “Still, once I returned my perspective changed because now I feel part of a brotherhood [of war veterans], now I get what they are so proud of.”
Going to war in Iraq made Martin thankful for the exhaustive Marine Corps training he once loathed.
“You finally get why they train you the way they do,” he said. “You complain about it the whole time you are at Camp Lejeune, but everyone seemed to perform so well because so much was ingrained in them, it just kinda clicked and they knew what to do when the bullets started flying.”
“In the movies, you always see one guy breaking down and losing it [during battle], Martin added. “But I can’t think of one instance of that; everyone just did what they had to do.”
Jim Martin is honorably discharged from the Marine Corps and serves as a patrolman for the city of Independence (Ohio) Police Department. | {
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The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 9,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live audio of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon held at the LSU Athletics Administration Building, along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 9,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live video of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Wed Oct 11,2017 6:55 PM (CT)
Football
The Ed Orgeron Show
The weekly football coach's radio show presented by Capital One Bank and held live at TJ Ribs on Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge. Call (800) 315-8255 to speak with the head coach. Listen live on your mobile or tablet: LSUsports.net/apps
Link availableat start time
Sun Oct 15,2017 5:55 PM (CT)
Football
LSU Sixty
The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 16,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live audio of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon held at the LSU Athletics Administration Building, along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 16,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live video of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Wed Oct 18,2017 6:55 PM (CT)
Football
The Ed Orgeron Show
The weekly football coach's radio show presented by Capital One Bank and held live at TJ Ribs on Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge. Call (800) 315-8255 to speak with the head coach. Listen live on your mobile or tablet: LSUsports.net/apps
Link availableat start time
Sun Oct 22,2017 5:55 PM (CT)
Football
LSU Sixty
The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show.
Link availableat start time
Wed Oct 25,2017 6:55 PM (CT)
Football
The Ed Orgeron Show
The weekly football coach's radio show presented by Capital One Bank and held live at TJ Ribs on Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge. Call (800) 315-8255 to speak with the head coach. Listen live on your mobile or tablet: LSUsports.net/apps
Link availableat start time
Sun Oct 29,2017 5:55 PM (CT)
Football
LSU Sixty
The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 30,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live audio of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon held at the LSU Athletics Administration Building, along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Mon Oct 30,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live video of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Wed Nov 1,2017 6:55 PM (CT)
Football
The Ed Orgeron Show
The weekly football coach's radio show presented by Capital One Bank and held live at TJ Ribs on Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge. Call (800) 315-8255 to speak with the head coach. Listen live on your mobile or tablet: LSUsports.net/apps
Link availableat start time
Sun Nov 5,2017 1:25 PM (CT)
Women's Basketball
LSU Women's Basketball vs. Mississippi College
Live audio of LSU's women's basketball game, including the half-hour pregame show and the 30-minute postgame show. Listen free online or on the LSUsports Mobile app.
Link availableat start time
Sun Nov 5,2017 5:55 PM (CT)
Football
LSU Sixty
The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show.
Link availableat start time
Mon Nov 6,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live audio of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon held at the LSU Athletics Administration Building, along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Mon Nov 6,2017 12:05 PM (CT)
Football
Subway Fresh Take with Coach O
Live video of LSU football coach Ed Orgeron's weekly press luncheon along with pre- and post-press conference commentary from The Voice of the Tigers Chris Blair.
Link availableat start time
Wed Nov 8,2017 6:55 PM (CT)
Football
The Ed Orgeron Show
The weekly football coach's radio show presented by Capital One Bank and held live at TJ Ribs on Acadian Thruway in Baton Rouge. Call (800) 315-8255 to speak with the head coach. Listen live on your mobile or tablet: LSUsports.net/apps
Link availableat start time
Fri Nov 10,2017 3:55 PM (CT)
Women's Basketball
LSU Women's Basketball at USF
Live audio of LSU's women's basketball game, including the half-hour pregame show and the 30-minute postgame show. Listen free online or on the LSUsports Mobile app.
Link availableat start time
Fri Nov 10,2017 6:25 PM (CT)
Men's Basketball
LSU Men's Basketball vs. Alcorn St.
Live audio of LSU's men's basketball game, including the half-hour pregame show and the 30-minute postgame show. Listen free online or on the LSUsports Mobile app.
Link availableat start time
Sun Nov 12,2017 1:25 PM (CT)
Women's Basketball
LSU Women's Basketball vs. Southeastern Louisiana
Live audio of LSU's women's basketball game, including the half-hour pregame show and the 30-minute postgame show. Listen free online or on the LSUsports Mobile app.
Link availableat start time
Sun Nov 12,2017 5:55 PM (CT)
Football
LSU Sixty
The weekly LSU Football radio show airs live from the LSU Athletics Administration Building. Call (800) 315-8255 to be a part of the call-in show. | {
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I will be visiting family in Algonquin, Illinois and will be making several trips into downtown Chicago (via car) to check out the attractions. (Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Field Museum. Does anybody have advice as to where I can park, how much it will cost, and what I can expect?
I was thinking of driving my car to Ohare, leaving it at the park and ride, and hoping on a train into the city. Would that be possible? If so how much can I expect to pay, how long would the commute be? and would it be safe for the wife and three kids? Or would I be better of driving into Downtown?
I will be visiting family in Algonquin, Illinois and will be making several trips into downtown Chicago (via car) to check out the attractions. (Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Field Museum. Does anybody have advice as to where I can park, how much it will cost, and what I can expect?
I was thinking of driving my car to O'hare leaving it at the park and ride, and hoping on a train into the city. Would that be possible? If so how much can I expect to pay, how long would the commute be? and would it be safe for the wife and three kids? Or would I be better of driving into Downtown?
Any detailed help and informaton would be greatly appeciated.
Any better suggestions?
Thank You
What ever you do don't drive into downtown that can be expensive because of parking. Think like $25 plus a day plus a 45-60 min drive(non rush) worse if it is rush hour. Parking can varry a bit as you can get a lot that charges $30 for the day or several lots that charge by the hour.
The O'hare idea (the station(s) you want are Harlem,Cumberland, or Rosemont not O'hare they are the ones with parking), can work another idea would be to use Metra our commuter rail. It will save you the drive to Ohare but is going to be a bit more costly. Unlike the blue line it does not run 24 hours a day and only runs at set times. It would put you off at Ogilvie downtown. The only issuse is that depending on when you travel it could be 1,2, or 3 hours between trains. Most days are reasonable (i.e. next train in an hour but sunday there are few trains). Check the scedule to see if makes sense. Also there is a extra fee if you buy your ticket on the train and an agent was available at the station.
The Metra line you want is the North west line. The fare you would pay would depend on when you travel and the age of your children and which station you depart from. You can park at the station it will likely be cheaper than parking downtown and cheaper gas wise than driving that far. There is a 7 dollar weekend fair that is only good saterday and sunday and the kids under 11 would ride free.
There is also a ten ride pass that will run like about $48 or $51(depending on which station you depart from) if you want to go on the weekdays. The ten ride can cover both you and your wife and each person in your party until you run out of rides.(i.e. it can pay up to ten people one way, 5 people round trip). This option is better if you have children over 11 as they count as adults.
There are also one way fares. Children under 7 ride free. 7-11 50% discount. They are like 6.00 or 6.50 per adult. No round trips tickets are available so you need to double that to return.
Here is the CTA information. You can get 1,3, and 7 day passes which allow unlimited rides on the CTA for that time period. i.e. First time you use it it starts the clock. You can purchase them online(or at certian stations).
The blue line is reasonably safe but do keep aware of your situation. This is a large city.
Metra is safer and more confortable but the blue line is frequent and might get you closer to your destination. Metra will also likely be faster to downtown as it makes much fewer stops but I don't know how fast you would be able to drive to the Rosemont station.
I would try to minimize driving. Alquonquin is still a heckuva drive to the O'Hare Park'n Ride. Use Metra. Overall time and cost is worth it.
The Baerington station has many good express trains and there are places to park that will work. Kids fare are 2.75 each way, adults double that. Weekends families can get kids free. Service is MUCH BETTER than CTA, and you save a TON of time avoiding the O'Hare area!!!!
Anyway the general idea is to take Metra into downtown and use the CTA(busses and el lines) or cab it from there.
The 1,3,7 day passes can be bought in union station which is across the street from ogilvie downtown. The CTA passes are cheaper if you plan to ride more than 2 times a day(which is very likely for tourists). You can use the trip planner on the CTA site to get you to where you want to go from Ogiviele.
Children 7-11 pay reduce fare($1.00). Children under 7 ride free with fare paying adult. Each adult in your party would need their own passes(unlike the Metra ten ride you can not share them). Also if you get the chance go to the Museum of science and industry that is a lot of fun esp. with kids. North avenue beach is another spot you might want to go if you like the beach.
I will be visiting family in Algonquin, Illinois and will be making several trips into downtown Chicago (via car) to check out the attractions. (Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Field Museum. Does anybody have advice as to where I can park, how much it will cost, and what I can expect?
I was thinking of driving my car to Ohare, leaving it at the park and ride, and hoping on a train into the city. Would that be possible? If so how much can I expect to pay, how long would the commute be? and would it be safe for the wife and three kids? Or would I be better of driving into Downtown?
I live in that area and I don't completely agree with the answers given.
First, I would NEVER recommend driving into the downtown area as parking is very costly.
You have two choices. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. If you take Metra, park at the downtown Crystal Lake station where the parking is free on the weekends and $1.25 during the week. On the weekends, you can buy a $7 pass for the entire weekend. HOWEVER, during the week, you will pay closer to $6 EACH WAY into the city. You will get some relief as kids ride free during the summer months. When you get to town, it is a good walk from Oglivie Station to the various attractions.
The problem with Metra, especially on Sundays, is that the trains run two hours apart. In other words, miss the train, and you are stuck for a while.
On Saturdays, the trains are generally one hour apart. Also, if you miss the 12:30 am train, get a room as you will be there all night.
The other option is to drive down to the Cumberland Park and Ride where the parking is $3. The advantage of taking the Blue Line is that it gets you further into the Loop, it runs 24/7 and the wait is generally never longer than 20 minute. This is a lot better if you are heading to a night game if that is in your plans.
I live in that area and I don't completely agree with the answers given.
HOWEVER, during the week, you will pay closer to $6 EACH WAY into the city. You will get some relief as kids ride free during the summer months. When you get to town, it is a good walk from Oglivie Station to the various attractions.
Agree with much of what you have said but if you plan to go into the city on more than one occassion you can get the ten ride pass. Depending on statation(Barrington is the cheapest) at 43.80. 48.05 is the one that corresponds to the $6.00 one way ticket.
With a ten ride that is 4.80 a trip. Now if they can use a ten ride or not is the question. Since it would be $12.00 a day for two adults they would only need 4 trips to break even, and 2 trips if one child counts as an adult.
The cheapest deal(not counting gas) is the blue line but that drive would get old soon esp. on a weekday.
Also he can get busses to the Feild Museum, Navy Peir, and Willis tower and many other attraction from ogilvie.
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Why the International Prize for Arabic Fiction Controversies? ‘People Like To Talk A Lot’
A full house of almost 500 attendees came to hear a discussion about the International Prize for Arabic Fiction (IPAF), which hosted prize shortlistees Inaam Kachachi, Ahmed Mourad and winner Ahmed Saadawi at the seventh Emirates Airline Festival of Literature:
By Mohga Hassib
Audience members waiting to get into the event. Photo credit: Mohga Hassib.
The session took place under the title “The IPAF Panel: Rewarding Wonders” and was moderated by Yasir Suleiman, Director of the Centre of Islamic Studies and fellow of King’s College, Cambridge, also the chair and trustee of the IPAF board. Invited speakers were Iraqi novelist Ahmed Sadaawi, winner of the 2014 IPAF for his novel Frankenstein in Baghdad; Inaam Kachachi, Iraqi novelist and journalist whose novels Tashari and The American Granddaughter were shortlisted in 2014 and 2009, respectively; and Egyptian Ahmed Mourad, whose third novel The Blue Elephant was also shortlisted in 2014. | {
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The notion that by sending a few thousand more American troops to Afghanistan we can broker a peace and some sort of coalition with the Taliban is a folly born of desperation to save political face, not win the war Islam has declared on the West.
All neo-cons may be hawks, but not all hawks are neo-cons, who are distinctive in their idealism and robust interventionism. We haven’t heard peans to democracy from Trump, or clarion calls for human rights. He hasn’t seriously embraced regime change anywhere (even if his foreign-policy officials say Assad has to go). He shows no sign of a willingness to make a major commitment of US ground troops.
“I would say John McCain’s been wrong on just about everything over the last four decades. He advocated for the Iraq War, which I think destabilized the Middle East,” said Senator Paul. In this, and many other things about McCain, Senator Paul is right.
Those individuals who openly supported Hillary Clinton by signing the New York Times letter showed themselves to be political opportunists and elitists, not committed limited government constitutional conservatives, and if the Trump team has a blacklist, as far as millions of grassroots conservatives are concerned that’s OK, because their exile should be permanent.
The more toxic Putin-haters can make the Russian president, the more difficult for President Trump to deal with him, even if that is in the vital national interest of the United States. The sort of investigation for which McCain has been clamoring, and the Beltway drums have now begun to beat, could make it almost impossible for President Trump to work with President Putin.
Senator McCain is shocked at the hack of a private party in which no national secrets were compromised or business technologies stolen. Rather, the release actually benefited the American public because the information obtained highlighted the sleaze surrounding the Clintons.
The neo-con counter to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” seems to be shaping up to be “Make Russia Evil Again.” If President-elect Trump wants to drain the swamp in DC, and formulate a new national security policy focused on winning cyberwarfare battles and eradicating ISIS and militant Islam, he should start by draining Obama’s Pentagon.
It appears to us the #NeverTrump cabal had two kinds of members; those who honestly could not bring themselves to support Donald Trump because of his past personal conduct, and those who are actually closer to Hillary Clinton ideologically and opposed Donald Trump because they support amnesty for illegal aliens, open borders, Big Government, a no-win foreign policy or are wilfully blind to the Islamist threat.
Please tell us what you think: Who among the #NeverTrumpers are Redeemable and who are now Irrelevent?
Neoliberals — along with some members of the conservative establishment — consider Republican party nominee Donald Trump to be toxic. Many of them are supporting Clinton because they do not like Trump’s idea of building a wall on the Mexican border to stop illegal immigration. Nor do they appreciate Trump’s slogans about “putting America first” when negotiating trade deals, conducting alliances, and avoiding optional foreign interventions. They hate Trump’s crude, take-no-prisoners invective more than Hillary’s polished and refined lying.
On trade and immigration, the returns are in. Should the GOP go back to globalism, amnesty, or open borders, it will sunder itself and have no future. And if the party is perceived as offering America endless wars in the Middle East and constant confrontations with the great nuclear powers, Russia and China, over specks of land or islets having nothing to do with the vital interests of the United States, then it will see its anti-interventionist wing sheared off.
Whereas neoconservatism advocates spreading American ideals through the use of military force, Trump has made the case for nationalism and a smaller U.S. military footprint. In what Trump calls an "America First" approach, he proposes rejecting alliances that don't work, trade deals that don’t deliver, and military interventionism that costs too much.
Subsidizing prosperous, populous allies and attempting to remake failed states provides little benefit to most Americans, who do the dying and paying. Hillary Clinton’s foreign support actually reinforces Donald Trump’s point: the need for an international policy that advances the interests of the American people.
In the Republican debate, the candidates opposing regime change were Donald Trump, surgeon Ben Carson, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. The RealClearPolitics average of polls shows that they have the support of 65 percent of likely primary voters. Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton also favors regime change. Rubio=Hillary.
Sarah Palin issued a backhanded compliment to Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, commending her most recent column while at the same time faulting her for taking so long to come around to defending conservatives.
Two of the limited government constitutional conservative “boat rockers,” Representatives Trey Radel (FL-19) and Tom Massie (KY-4), whom we endorsed in the 2012 primaries are living-up to our expectations and fighting to force the Obama administration back inside the strict limits of the Constitution – especially with regard to Obama’s foolish adventure into the Syrian civil war.
As Senator Rand Paul noted, the problem “with constantly intervening in these troubled parts of the world is that there are often no clear good guys or bad guys. Today's ally can quickly become tomorrow's enemy. This should be a paramount and obvious concern, but in Washington it is almost always treated as an afterthought.” Obama, neo-cons in Congress, the 40 U.S. military personnel we just sent to Egypt as “peacekeepers,” and the average American taxpayer, must now face the reality that, despite the trillions invested, our American government has done a lousy job of picking winners and losers in foreign political contests. | {
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Forum for Science, Industry and Business
Common mental disorders may be more common than we think
15.09.2009
The prevalence of anxiety, depression and substance dependency may be twice as high as the mental health community has been led to believe.
It depends on how one goes about measuring.
Duke University psychologists Terrie Moffitt and Avshalom Caspi and colleagues from the United Kingdom and New Zealand used a long-term tracking study of more than 1,000 New Zealanders from birth to age 32 to reach the conclusion that people vastly underreport the amount of mental illness they've suffered when asked to recall their history years after the fact.
But such self-reporting from memory is the basis of much of what we know about the prevalence of anxiety, depression, alcohol dependence and marijuana dependence. Longitudinal studies like the Dunedin Study in New Zealand that track people over time are rare and expensive, Moffitt said.
"If you start with a group of children and follow them their whole lives, sooner or later almost everybody will experience one of these disorders," said Moffitt, the Knut Schmitt-Nielsen professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke.
The Great Smoky Mountains Study, a similar effort based at Duke, has tracked 1,400 American children from age 9-13 into their late 20s and found similar patterns, said Jane Costello, a professor medical psychology at Duke who runs the study.
"I think we've got to get used to the idea that mental illness is actually very common," Costello said. "People are growing up impaired, untreated and not functioning to their full capacity because we've ignored it."
The prevalence of mental illness has been hotly debated by policy makers and mental health providers for many years. The pharmaceutical and health insurance industries also have a stake in the debate, Moffitt said.
The best retrospective studies, the US National Comorbidity Surveys (NCS) and the New Zealand Mental Health Survey, have found the incidence of depression from ages 18 to 32 at a rate of about 18 percent. But they have been roundly criticized by some for their rates being too high. The latest analysis from the Dunedin Study found 41 percent of that age range had experienced clinically significant depression.
Guidelines published by the American Psychiatric Association that set the bar for defining what is and isn't a treatable illness are currently being revised by a rewriting of the authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). But given the findings of these longitudinal studies, the stringency of the diagnostic criteria might need to be reconsidered, said Moffitt, who is on the committee writing the new DSM-Vstandards.
"Researchers might begin to ask why so many people experience a disorder at least once during their lifetimes and what this means for the way we define mental health, deliver services and count the economic burdens of mental illness," Moffitt said.
On the one hand, it could be argued that the diagnostic standards have been set too low if so many people can be considered mentally ill. On the other hand, perhaps these findings argue for more and better mental health care because the disorders are more common than anyone had realized.
"There are two opposing camps, and I'm agnostic about that," Moffitt said.
At the very least, maybe these findings can help reduce the stigma against mental illness and mental health care, Moffitt added. New Zealand, for example, has begun a new campaign of public service announcements featuring sports heroes saying they've experienced mental health issues.
"If we're serious about this problem, we need to get serious about preventing it," Costello added. "We do know a lot more about prevention now."
Moffitt and Caspi's findings from the Dunedin Study appear online in the journal Psychological Medicine. Their work was supported by the New Zealand Health Research Council, the US National Institutes of Health and the UK Medical Research Council.
Die letzten 5 Focus-News des innovations-reports im Überblick:
For the first time, an interdisciplinary team from the University of Basel has succeeded in integrating artificial organelles into the cells of live zebrafish embryos. This innovative approach using artificial organelles as cellular implants offers new potential in treating a range of diseases, as the authors report in an article published in Nature Communications.
In the cells of higher organisms, organelles such as the nucleus or mitochondria perform a range of complex functions necessary for life. In the networks of...
At the 2018 ILA Berlin Air Show from April 25–29, the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology ILT is showcasing extreme high-speed Laser Material Deposition (EHLA): A video documents how for metal components that are highly loaded, EHLA has already proved itself as an alternative to hard chrome plating, which is now allowed only under special conditions.
When the EU restricted the use of hexavalent chromium compounds to special applications requiring authorization, the move prompted a rethink in the surface... | {
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Essay on environmental pollution and global warming for air pollution essay for class 1?
The interviewer said warming and environmental on essay pollution global to her, essay pollution and its effects finally. Unfortunately, she lacked confidence in herself and never seemed to find the right words. The job you re applying for is in marketing.
This also indicates that drees used primary sources of data warming pollution on essay environmental and global essay on internet for class 10. Using stepwise regression analyses, hsgpa and satv scores were significantly predictive, f = 31.32, p = .00, of cgpa when looking at all 423 allied health students. Descriptive data, hsgpa, cgpa, sat mathematics , sat verbal , and sat total were compiled for 423 students of six programs. The study by hoy and sweetland (1997) is a good example. (drees, 2006, p. 12) writing the literature review chapter 179 note how drees included specific information within his review of literature as he reported specific studies. Platt, torocy, and mcglumphy investigated whether the scholastic aptitude test scores and high school grade point average had any ability to predict college grade point average in six allied health programs at a private, northeast university. Reconciling conflicting theories writing desk one warming global and pollution essay on environmental way of analyzing a body of literature is to reconcile conflicting theories concerning an important variable. In practice, the word bureaucracy takes on many connotations, most of them negative. Athletic training, health management, systems, occupational therapy, perfusion technology, physician assistant, and physical therapy. They have the classical bureaucratic properties described by weber in his seminal analysis of organizations, that is. example 5.10 virtually all modern organizations are bureaucracies. But weber claims that experience tends to universally show that the purely bureaucratic type of administrative organization. 19) drees also reported a section of the review of literature in this manner.
But werner wolf s examination pollution environmental essay on and global warming of the conditions and potentials essay my aim in life in easy words that enable us to meaningfully employ narratological terminology and concepts for phenomena that can be found in fields other than verbal storytelling still remains a good starting point for a more indepth discussion of these processes. The necessity of such an approach is further emphasized by a condition that refers to the formal appropriateness of the narratological concept for the target phenomenon in the import domain (w. Since this question seems to be intrinsically connected to the aims and scope of the project of a transmedial narratology as it is pursued here, i will conclude this chapter by detailing the criteria for, as well as the processes involved in, the adaptation of narratological terms and concepts across media. But what kind of narratological research should be considered relevant for its purposes?. Still, i will at least aim to establish, by way of explication and adherence to the criterion of continuity, typical features or constituents of the phenomenon as discussed in narratology (w. Contemporary narratology is not exclusively concerned with verbal storytelling, and, therefore, the transfer or, more precisely, the adaptation of narratological terms and concepts developed with films, comics, video games, or any number of other narrative media in mind certainly is an option. Metalepsis 85) that should form the basis of the respective concepts transmedial formulation, wolf. It seems clear that essay about my primary school teacher the export-facilitating potential of the phenomena under consideration (w, keeping in mind the problems global pollution environmental on essay and warming of media blindness and media relativism. Wolf, metalepsis 76, original emphasis) may, indeed, be considered the most fundamental of these conditions, as it establishes a focus on concepts aiming at strategies of narrative representation that are not bound to a particular conventionally distinct narrative medium and, hence, will most likely prove relevant even if they were toward a transmedial narratology 24 originally developed in the context of a medium-specific narratological approach. Yet, according to wolf, the transmediality of the phenomenon under consideration is not the only condition to be satisfied, as he claims that a clear narratological conceptualization and description of typical features is a precondition of a meaningful export in which the exported concept remains recognizable. And wolf himself acknowledges that one should not start from an overly rigid conceptualization , such a demand seems quite problematic in light of narratology s general lack of consensus on the definition of even its most fundamental concepts. The present study attempts to adhere to both a criterion of continuity and a criterion of neutrality, as i have already stated. Not only are the properties ascribed to the discourse side of the story / discourse distinction generally rather medium-specific, but the storyworlds 21 toward a transmedial narratology represented by, for example, contemporary films, comics, and video games also tend to differ in significant ways that cannot be reduced to idiosyncrasies of individual media texts. However, even apparently more medium-specific terms and concepts such as narrator, point of view, perspective, or focalization may point at certain transmedial properties of many, most, or all kinds of narrative representations that are revealed when one discusses the respective concept on a sufficiently abstract level.34 the question, of course, remains if decreasing the granularity of just about any narratological concept until it can somehow be applied to a sufficiently large number of narrative media is, in fact, a good idea.
Essay on environmental pollution and global warming essay about lunar new year festival?
One reason is that some people believe there is a essay on friendship pdf rule that says you warming and pollution on essay environmental global shouldn't use i or we in formal communication. This may be true in certain kinds of academic essays, but even there i'm not convinced a good academic piece should weigh facts and opinions as objectively as possible, but in the end, the reader wants an opinion from the writer, so why not be upfront and say i or we?. A recommendation has been made by the inspectors essay on narendra modi in marathi that global pollution environmental on essay and warming. The passive voice is used all the time in business and official writing. It has been decided to refuse your application.
They consist of sequences of two or more clause constituents, global environmental on essay pollution and warming and typically involve a subject and dissertation mentor a verb, e.G. The clearest example of emotive language is poetry, which is entirely concerned with the evocation of feelings or attitudes, and in which the writer s and reader s attention is not, or should not be, directed at any of the objective relationships between words and things. ) and rhemes (. Until the seventeenth century many, even most, european frontiers were very vague, zones in which the claims and jurisdictions of different rulers and their subjects overlapped and intersected in a complex and confusing way. Where many states were large and central governments were usually less effective at the peripheries of their territories than in the west, this was especially true in eastern europe. The most striking example of this is perhaps the frontier in the danubian plain between the ottoman empire and the habsburg territories in central europe. Textual sentence stems are routinized fragments of sentences which serve specific textual or organizational functions. Whose nihilistic work is now admired on essay environmental pollution and global warming for its qualities of imagination, the prime example is the dada movement. They typically have an empty slot for the following object or complement. Copular clauses using the noun example consist of textual sentence stems (an example of y is. Is an example of y). Which do not contain any thematic element (e.G, rhemes typically consist of a verb and its post-verbal elements. The exemplified item is the pronoun this which refers back to the previous sentences, in example 5.17. An example of y is.
4. What / essay on school library in urdu language which is and pollution essay on environmental global warming your favorite pop band?. Which and what in questions what you did next?, 1) what 2) what 3) which 6) what 5) which 5) what 4) what 8) how 8) which 8) how 10) what 8) what chapter 19 who. 5. What / which / how do you pronounce this word?. How do you say / pronounce xyz in english?. Use which to discover a preference from a limited choice of items. Use how to discover the means with which something is done / said etc. Choose the correct form 1. In need some shoes. What / which / how do you say schadenfreude in english?. What / which color?. 8. What / which / how is the english word for schadenfreude?. 7. What / which book do you want this one or that one?. I like very much you or i like you very much. 7. What / which / how is this sport called?. 6. What / which / how is the name of this sport?. How do you spell xyz?. 1. What / which would you prefer wine or beer?. 3. What / which is your favorite kind of music?. What / which size?. What / which / how is your phone number?. 11. What / which is the best way to explain this to a child?. Guidelines use what to ask a generic question that doesn t distinguish between two or more items. What did you do next?. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
HM's=BAD: HMs on a Pokemon who you're going to use in battle is a BAD IDEA. With the exception of Surf, of course, which is arguably the best water attack in the game.
FLY: Fly is terrible. When you fly into the air, you're giving your opponent a free chance to switch out with a Pokemon who is resistant to this attack. Not good. You've wasted a turn and probably ended up with your flying type pitted against a Rock or Electric type. Fly has questionable accuracy, too.
Alternatives: Aerial Ace, Air Cutter, Wing Attack
Cut: The worst HM, possibly the worst MOVE in the game. I hate Cut, and YOU SHOULD TOO!! *lol* Anyway... Cut has terrible base power and terrible accuracy. There are TONS of normal type attacks that 0wn Cut any day.
Alternatives: Body Slam, Return, Tri-Attack
Dig: Yaaay! Lets Dig so our Foe can switch out to a Flying type, or use Earthquake and own you! Hmm...no. Dig is bad. Either makes you vulnerable to one of the most powerful and accurate attacks in the game (Earthquake), or wastes a turn for you and lets you get set up against a type you can't beat.
(02/01/2006: *Note added*)
~Charizard, Flygon, Vibrava, Ninjask, Shedinja are immune Earthquake due to their part Flying type, or, in the case of Shedinja, its Wonder Guard ability. As such, Earthquake would not be able to do hit them while they are using Dig.
Alternatives: Earthquake, or perhaps Mud Shot.
Waterfall and Dive: Uggh. Waterfall does less damange than Surf and has no effects other than Damage. Nooo. Dive gives your opponant a chance to switch out to a grass, electric, or water type. Nooo.
Alternative: SURF
EXCEPTIONS: The only exptions for using HMs is if you're stalling with Dig/Fly/Dive. Perhaps you've used Toxic and Mean look, and you're just waiting for the poison to take effect, and you know that your opponent can't switch due to Mean Look or Block or some such attack. It's okay then, and only then.
STAB: Stab means Same Type Attack Bonus. Pokemon that use the same type of attack that they themselves are (For example, a Blastoise using Surf) get a 1.5X damage multiplier for that attack. If you've heard that Normal type attacks don't get STAB, you've been lied to. That's just a rumor.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Don't use a Pokemon that only knows moves that do damage. There are a few excpetions, some 00bers (Kyogre, Mewtwo) can get away with it, but for the most part this is a bad idea. If your opponent pulls off a few Double Teams, you're up the creek without a paddle. Or if your opponent uses say, Calm Mind or Bulk up, and all you can do is attack pitifully. You my dear, have been owned. So Pokemon should have support moves, like Calm Mind, Bulk Up, Roar, Whirlwind, Toxic, Thunder Wave, just to name a few.
Example Pokemon:
Ninetales
Flamethrower
Body Slam
Dig
Fire Blast
If you've been reading even semi-carefully, you know this moveset is BAD. A GOOD moveset would be:
Ninetales
Flamethrower
Will-O-Wisp
Confuse Ray
Safegaurd
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MORE THAN ONE ATTACK OF THE SAME TYPE ON A POKEMON: Not good. Not good at all. Rarely, if EVER, should you have a Pokemon that knows two attacking moves of the same type. Lets use Kyogre as an example.
TANKS: Pokemon that can take a crap-load of damage and keep on truckin'. They know support moves like Barrier, Amnesia, Iron Defense, ect, and have great Defense and Special Defense.
My favorite tank is Umbreon.
Umbreon
Mean Look
Moonlight
Toxic
Bite
Ohhh, tough, eh? Think about it.
Or perhaps Torkoal.
Torkoal@Chesto Berry
Iron Defense
Amnesia
Flamethrower
Rest
Iron Defense and Amnesia away, then when your HP is low, Rest and wake up immediatley with the Chesto Berry. A tank, through and through.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HAZERS/PSEUDOHASERS: These Pokemon are Pokemon who directly or indirectly make the opponant lose all of the stat modifiers it has used, like Calm Mind, Amnesia, or Double Team. A hazer would simply be a Pokemon using Haze, which makes all stat changes dissappear. A Psudohaser is a move that indirectly makes these stat changes go away, like making them switch with Roar or Whirlwind. At least one Hazer/Psudohazer really should be on your team.
Skarmory:
Drill Peck
Steel Wing
Roar
Spikes
Roar serves as a psuedo-hazing attack.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SPECIAL SWEEPER A Special Sweeper is a Pokemon that knows a ton of Special Attacks and has the Special Attack stat to pull them off. For example, Alakazam:
Alakazam:
Calm Mind
Psychic
Ice Punch
Fire Punch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
PHYSICAL SWEEPER
The same as a Special Sweeper, only it uses Attack based attacks and has a high ATTACK stat.
Haracross
Megahorn
Brick Break
Endure
Reversal
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ANNOYERS
Pokemon that are...well, just plain annoying, and WIN. =P For Exampleeeee
Raichu:
Thunder Wave
Sweet Kiss
Attract
Thunderbolt
Parattractafusion, or being Paralyzed, Attracted, and Confused at the same time. You couldn't hit the broad side of a Wailord.
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HEAL BELLERS Heal Bellers are Pokemon that have the ability to heal all the status infictions on your entire team. Aromatherapy is another move with the same effect. When you use Heal Bell, all the Pokemon on your team return to normal status. Some Pokemon that learn Heal Bell and Aromatherapy include: Celebi, Roselia, and Miltank.
Blissey:
Aromatherapy/Heal Bell
Softboiled
Counter
Seismic Toss
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BATON PASSERS Baton Passers are Pokemon that use Baton Pass to send boosted stats to other members of the Pokemon team. For example, Girafarig is a popular Baton Passer. They make the Pokemon they switch out to much stronger than it would be if not for all the stat boosts, and that Pokemon didn't have to waste any time or movespace using those moves themselves.
Ninjask:
Swords Dance
Baton Pass
Protect
Silver Wind
Every turn, Ninjask's Speed goes up one level. When combined with Swords Dance, when Ninjask uses Baton Pass, it transfers both the Attack and the Speed increases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
EV Guide
EVs
EVs are points that a Pokemon generates when you defeat it. It is given to any Pokemon that particitated in the battle involving the defeated Pokemon.
What do EVs do?
EVs are used to max out a certain stat of a specific Pokemon. They are very important in being able to decide what stats should be increased. Up to 63 extra points in a stat can be given through the use of EVs.
A Pokemon can receive up to 510 EV( also commonly known as EPs) points in total and 255 in one stat. However, the true limit to maxing a stat is 252 EV points. By maxing out two stat with 252 EV points, you will have 6 EV points left over to put in a stat.
Here are some Pokemon giving specific EV points to the wanted Pokemon by "EP training".
- Never give EPs to a useless stat, like giving Special Attack EPs to Aggron.
- Remember to give EPs in the most important stats of a Pok?mon. For example, Alakazam's best stats are Special Attack and Speed, so max those stats' EVs out.
- There are sometimes when even EPs won't help a horrible stat, like Shuckle's Attack. It's just too low to waste any EPs on it.
- Just because you have a stat increasing move like Calm Mind or Belly Drum doesn't mean that you should neglect EPs into a certain stat, because stat increasing moves are multiplicative.
Vitamins
Vitamins are a shortcut in EV training. There is an individual vitamin matching each individual known battle stat.
Vitamins can be obtained in a variety of ways. They can be found as hidden items throughout the land, Proteins may be obtained by a Pokemon with the Pickup ability (e.g. Linoone), and Vitamins can also be purchased in Slateport City from the Energy Guru in the Slateport Market for 9800 dollars. After beating the Elite 4, the Energy Guru will occasionally have a half-priced sale preceded by an ad on the TV 2 days in advance. In addition, they can be purchased in the Lilycove Department Store on the left counter on the third floor for 9800 dollars. Berries can be crushed using the Berry Crush Machine & the powder traded to the Medicine Shop in Slateport for Vitamins for 1000p each. Last, but certainly not least, Vitamins can be obtained in the Battle Point Exchange Service Center for a mere 1 Battle Point per Vitamin.
What's the use of Vitamins? As listed, any one Vitamin will give 10 EV's to it's corresponding attribute. Since it takes 4 EV's to change any stat point by one, this is most effective if given by 2's. 20 EV's = 5 stat points. However there is a limit of 10 vitamins per any given stat limiting it to 100 EV's or 25 stat points per attribute by vitamin enhancement. Plan well ahead using previously documented EV training techniques & you can save yourself half the trouble & time of actual battle to completely EV train your selected pokemon.
As a final note & matter of opinion, if you have Rare Candies & Vitamins (or money, BP, or powder/Berries) you can train up your Pokemon to Level 100 in much, much less time using these items. Careful breeding & skillful use of TM's/HM's will gain you the Pokemon & stats you desire. Adding Vitamins for a boost and finishing it up with proper EV training will net powerful results that will stun & amaze your friends as well as you, yourself.
Pokemon isn't just about defeating the Elite Four and catching them all just to complete the game. It's also about raising your chosen team into a formidable fighting force. Whether it's for your own personal satisfaction or to fight your friends, you'll need to spend days, weeks and months to groom your team of Pokemon into champions.
1) What the Stats meanThis may be basic stuff, but it is nevertheless important that you understand the Stats.
Any two of a Pokemon may learn the same skills at the same level, but they will NEVER be identical. Two zigzagoons, for example, will have different Stats. One may have higher defense, while the other may have higher special attack. This is due to them having different DVs, or Deter Values. DVs are like built-in Pokemon genes - they determine how strong a certain Pokemon can be. Each Pokemon that you fight has a random DV for every stat, ranging from 0 - 31. If the Pokemon has 15 for a DV, then it can have the max possible stat for that specie. Likewise, if it has a DV of 0, then it will have the lowest possible stat. For more information, Psypoke's DV page (which is about GSC, but the basics apply for R/S as well) can be found here: DV Guide.
In short, it may be good to catch a few of the same Pokemon, as some may be faster, some may be stronger, while some may just be weaker in all aspects. After doing so, you should compare the Stats to see if they are suitable. For example, for an Alakazam, a higher defense will barely matter at all since his defense is so weak anyway. Instead, go for one with good Special Attack or Speed, since they boost his astronomical Special Attack, making him an effective sweeper.
--HpThis is the amount of damage your Pokemon can take before it faints. Obviously, the more the better, but don't overestimate its importance. For example, Chansey may have tons of Hp, but will a dismally low Defense, many Pokemon can OHKO (one hit knock-out) it.
--DefenseUsually more important than Hp. Affects the amount of PHYSICAL damage your Pokemon can take, and not Special damage.
--SpeedMore important than most might think. With great speed, it doesn't matter even if a Pokemon has terrible Defense, since it can KO most foes before they get a hit in return.
--SpecialDetermines damage dealt to the opponent when using Special Attacks.
2) Get them while they're youngWhen catching a Pokemon you intend to use in the long run, catch it at as low a level as possible. This is because wild Pokemon at a particular level will always have worse Stats than another same Pokemon of the same level that is trained up from lower levels by fighting other Pokemon, due to the EVs (effort values) received from the Pokemon fought. For more information, visit the EV guide (EV Guide).
3) When to evolve?Always remember that you can prevent a Pokemon from evolving by giving it an Everstone to hold, or hitting the B button when evolving. The only reasons you'll want to do this is to learn skills earlier. For example, a Mudkip will learn Protect at Level 37, while a Marshtomp wil only learn it at Level 42 and a Swampert will only learn it at Level 46. Do take note though, that certain Pokemon learn different skills or gain a new type upon evolution. For example, a Mudkip (Water type) will become a Water/Ground type when it evolves. By evolving, it would have lost the ability to learn certain skills (such as Hydro Pump at Level 42), but at the same time, gain the ability to learn other skills (such as Muddy Water and Earthquake at Level 37 and 46 respectively) So the next time your Pokemon is evolving, do consult the Pokedex (Psypoke Psydex) to see what attacks it will or will not learn after evolution.
4) Status ConditionsIn addition to their direct effects, some conditions have other effects as well. Paralysis lowers speed greatly and Burns lower Attack.
1. Always have around 2 techniques that are capable of doing damage. For example, having Growl, Sweet Kiss, Attract and Thunder Wave on a Raichu may seem to be a great idea, but you don't even have the firepower to knock out the opponent later. Instead, give it Thunderbolt over Growl, so you can do damage.
2. Check the amount of PP each skill has. Fire Blast may be powerful, but with a PP of only 5, it will be totally spent after 5 uses. Instead, replace it with Flamethrower for higher PP (though it has lower base power)
6) Using TMs and HMsTMs, or Technical Machines, are certain items that can teach skills to your Pokemon. With exception to a few that can be purchase in the Lilycove Department Store and Mauville Game Corner, there exists only one copy of each TM in a game, so you'll want to consider carefully who to give it to.
Firstly, do not teach Pokemon attacks that they will learn anyway (at higher levels). Secondly, teach Special Attacks only to Pokemon with high SA Stats, and Physical Attacks only to Pokemon with high attack Stats. Otherwise, you'll only be wasting the TM on a Pokemon that can't exploit its full potential. And while its nice to teach, say, Thunderbolt to something like Linoone, there are other Electric types like Magneton that does not learn the attack. Since they get STAB (same type attack bonus, damage is boosted by 50%) for using this attack, this skill will be better spent on them.
If you do find yourself in a need of certain TMs that have already been used, fret not, because you can breed to get the moves onto another Pokemon. Many Pokemon learn TM moves by levelling up, and once they learn these skills, you can breed them to get the TM skills onto another Pokemon. Here's a list of some Pokemon who can learn TM moves and their egg groups. (Special thanks to poli for this list)
HMs are different in many ways. They can be used any number of times. Once learnt, the Pokemon can only forget it at the Move Deleter's House (In Lilycove City). This isn't so bad when the skill is good, such as Surf (arguably the best damage-dealing Water attack). However, HM skills such as Cut and Dive are bad. Dive gives your opponant a chance to switch out to a grass, electric, or water type to counter you. Cut just sucks, it is not 100% accurate, its base power is so low, and it has no other effects.
1.How do I catch Latias and Latios?Information on where and how to catch Latias and Latios, or any other legendary Pokemon, can be found on the legendaries page (Legendaries) Some hints and tips:
- Use Wobbuffet or Wyanut as your first Pokemon. Wobbuffet and Wyanut's ability is Shadow Tag, which prevents the opponent from fleeing.
- A trick that seems to work is to use a Repel, and then hop around on an Acro bike in a patch of grass until Latios or Latias show up. Some people claim that their catch rate is higher in certain areas, but I don't know how reliable that is.
2.Where can I get an Eon Ticket?The Eon Ticket can only be acquired through a Nintendo event, there is no way to get the Eon Ticket in the game. In order to get the Eon Ticket you will require an E-Reader, because the Eon Ticket is scanned into the game via an E-Card. Currently, Eon Ticket E-cards are available on E-Bay, and other places on the internet.
3.Can I get the original RBY and GSC Pokemon in R/S?Not at the moment, but you will be able to acquire some GSC Pokemon in the upcoming game Pokemon Colisseum, for the GameCube. Pokemon Colisseum will allow direct trading between Ruby/Sapphire and Colisseum. Fire Red and Leaf Green, will include the original RBY Pokemon, and some of the GSC ones, and will allow linking to Ruby/Sapphire.
4.How do I get Jirachi and Deoxys in R/S?Jirachi could have been acquired by pre-ordering Pokemon Colisseum, I don't know if this is still valid, nor do I know if there will be any way to get him in the future. WHat's for sure, he can only be acquired from Nintendo. Deoxys can be found in both Fire Red and Leaf Green on one of the islands (the last one to be precise). For more information on Deoxys: Walkthrough Part VIII (scroll down).
5.It's too hard to catch Groudon and Kyogre!If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Attempt to get them down to the lowest HP you can, preferrably 1 HP (with False Swipe), but a bit more than that won't hurt you.
A very important thing to do is to get them inflicted with a status aliment, like Sleep or Paralysis. Then, just chuck as many Ultra or Timer Balls as you can at it, and it'll eventually get caught. Don't get frustrated if it doesn't work at first - it might take 20 Ultra Balls until you catch it, maybe more.
And finally, there's always the option to use the all mighty Master Ball.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Credits: - Tallest Los for the Basics of Team Building.
- World Order for the main part of the EV Guide
- lunareclipse for the section of the EV Guide on Vitamins
- sN0wBaLL for the Guide to Raising Pokemon.
- Trigun for some of the FAQs.
- Tessa7338 for some of the Pokemon that learn TM's naturally.
If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to post them here.
Last edited by Nido on Wed Mar 30, 2005 7:49 am, edited 10 times in total.
Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:14 pm
RaichuLatias
Pokemon Master
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:50 pmPosts: 1206Location: Southern Island
Everything looks good, except, I don't see anything on Vitamins.
_________________
Thu Aug 05, 2004 8:00 pm
Nido
Pokemon Ranger
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 3:52 amPosts: 626Location: Israel!
If you'd write something up about vitamins, I'd be glad to add it to the guide
Last edited by Nido on Thu Sep 30, 2004 11:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
Sun Sep 19, 2004 9:10 am
scyther_girl
Psychic Trainer
Joined: Mon Sep 06, 2004 5:05 pmPosts: 93Location: here
it's the first time I hear about EVs..
I've tried it on my sapphire version, my kecleon gained +3 attack while leveling up instead of +2, after I battled about 20 shupets you should have mentioned that dammit !!
*cough*.. annyway, tentacul in abandoned ship dosen't give me any EV points. Am I missing something?
_________________scythers. cause they're green.
Mon Sep 20, 2004 2:58 pm
RaichuLatias
Pokemon Master
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:50 pmPosts: 1206Location: Southern Island
Every pokemon gives you Effort Value points, they're listed in the Psydex
_________________
Mon Sep 20, 2004 3:04 pm
ho-oh champion
Dragon Tamer
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2004 4:35 amPosts: 162Location: Ye Ol' York
nido, how long did that take you to type
_________________"Strong Pokémon. Weak Pokémon. That is only the selfish preception of people. Truly skilled Trainers should try to win with the Pokémon they love best."
That is correct. The best way to keep track of EVs, I think, is a method like this:
I was training Special Attack onto my Electrode, and so I was using the move Spark to OHKO wild Spinda. I'd go out and use all 20 of my PPs for Spark, then go heal it and do it all over again. Each time I'd use up all it's PP, i'd mark down another 20 tally marks on a peice of paper. Stinkin' annoying, but it'll pay off when you see your selected stat jump eight points when it levels up.
That is correct. The best way to keep track of EVs, I think, is a method like this:
I was training Special Attack onto my Electrode, and so I was using the move Spark to OHKO wild Spinda. I'd go out and use all 20 of my PPs for Spark, then go heal it and do it all over again. Each time I'd use up all it's PP, i'd mark down another 20 tally marks on a peice of paper. Stinkin' annoying, but it'll pay off when you see your selected stat jump eight points when it levels up.
How confusing... I thought I could just look at the stats over and over until I find a +1 to a stat.
Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:51 pm
Mr. Saturn
Ace Trainer
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 7:09 pmPosts: 399
papersun wrote:
That is correct. The best way to keep track of EVs, I think, is a method like this:
I was training Special Attack onto my Electrode, and so I was using the move Spark to OHKO wild Spinda. I'd go out and use all 20 of my PPs for Spark, then go heal it and do it all over again. Each time I'd use up all it's PP, i'd mark down another 20 tally marks on a peice of paper. Stinkin' annoying, but it'll pay off when you see your selected stat jump eight points when it levels up.
I do that too, hah!
On a related note, does switching a pokemon mid-battle (such as in piggybacking for levels for a low level pokemon) yield EVs for the piggybacker, or just the pokemon that deals the finishing blow?
I think it is wrong that you say attacks like fly and dig are bad. They may have their down sides but they have good sides too, just like a pokemon is strong or week against others.
Think of the battle scene, a just defeated the second last pokemon and is week and is the last pokemon. Now it's one on one and the pokemon is . Now used Aerial Ace and did less than half the HP. started to use solar beam which would KO since it has little HP. Using Aerial Ace would only leave will HP in the red, but can use fly and because it is more powerfull it will defeat it and miss Solar Beam. Which would you pick Aerial Ace or Fly I would pick fly.
I think it is wrong that you say attacks like fly and dig are bad. They may have their down sides but they have good sides too, just like a pokemon is strong or week against others.
Think of the battle scene, a just defeated the second last pokemon and is week and is the last pokemon. Now it's one on one and the pokemon is . Now used Aerial Ace and did less than half the HP. started to use solar beam which would KO since it has little HP. Using Aerial Ace would only leave will HP in the red, but can use fly and because it is more powerfull it will defeat it and miss Solar Beam. Which would you pick Aerial Ace or Fly I would pick fly.
first off, it would be silly to have Fly AND aerial ace on there to begin with. and second, Fly is basically a move that tells your opponent what you have planned. Shiftry might well have protect. besides, If Aerial Ace did less than half HP, you're likely to not do much better with Fly. hell, Fly could give Shiftry a chance to do a number of things: Synthesis, Protect, Sunny Day, all of which will make things a lot worse than they started. And in all honesty, Sunny Day would be up anyway, so the knowledge of Shiftry charging it wouldn't even play a factor. moves where the pokemon charges before attacking (skull bash, dig, fly, dive, solarbeam, sky attack, razor wind, whatever) are just like giving away your hand in poker. There's no bluffing, your opponent knows what you're going to do, and how to get around it.
I said shiftry started to use solar beam, meaning that shiftry will use solar beam next turn so it can't do anything else to protect itself. I can understand about your first complaint, but say it was true even if it is silly. I did say that Aerial Ace did less than half the damage meaning, that it left shiftry will 2, 3, or 4 more than half the HP.
I said shiftry started to use solar beam, meaning that shiftry will use solar beam next turn so it can't do anything else to protect itself. I can understand about your first complaint, but say it was true even if it is silly. I did say that Aerial Ace did less than half the damage meaning, that it left shiftry will 2, 3, or 4 more than half the HP.
really, I guess It could work, but in all honesty, a solarbeamer without sunny day is JUST as silly as Aerial Ace and Fly in the same moveset. I don't really know how to assess the idea nicely, other than the flawed components make for a flawed scenario entirely. Simply put, if the scenario were to really happen, you'd most likely be screwed without fly, but do just as bad all around with fly in place of aerial ace.
Sun Dec 12, 2004 2:40 pm
RaichuLatias
Pokemon Master
Joined: Wed Aug 04, 2004 4:50 pmPosts: 1206Location: Southern Island
Not to but in or anything,
But Drill Peck is better than both Fly and AA (in my opinion) And besides Dig and Fly and pretty worthless, unless you're letting toxic take place.
My cuz used to have Fly and Dig on some his pokemon (back in the gsc days), My T-Tar and Raichu easily beat them with one or 2 attacks (Thanks to EQ and Thunder Dance combo). Fly and Dig are best on utility pokes and not on battling pokes.
I do see where you are going on Fly and AA versus Shiftry, but wouldn't that also make Blizzard, Fire Blast and Thunder better if Ice Beam, Flamethrower and Thunderbolt can't take more than half damage?
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David Brent Rides Again: Ricky Gervais’ Comic Relief 2013 Videos
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Ricky Gervais has posted the clips he did for Red Nose Day — Comic Relief 2013 — on YouTube, and they indeed herald a return of David Brent, as cringe-inducing as ever, a traveling salesman now, talking about what’s been happening with him since The Office made him a TV icon of sorts. And he’s still trying to get a music career going, this time with a young rapper, Dom Johnson, with the result being this, a song called “Equality Street”:
It’s no “Free Love Freeway.”
Now, you could quibble that the videos don’t quite match up to where we left Brent at the end of the second Christmas special, when he finally told Finch off and seemed to be finding love and, maybe, some awareness. He’s back to clueless and embarrassing here, but you might also say that a return to that Brent was inevitable, that the desire to entertain and be famous and be “loved” as celebrities are was bred in the bone. And, really, would a well-adjusted, successful David Brent be a good subject for comedy?
Ricky now has his own YouTube channel, and it’ll have original content, with stuff coming from the next Muppets movie and maybe even more David Brent. | {
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Applications for International Students
Please note, the Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences (SLHS) has higher minimum requirements for English language proficiency for clinical degree (MS-SLP, Au.D. and Dual Track) than does the Purdue University Graduate School. Also, SLHS does not waive this requirement even if you have earned a degree within the past 24 months from an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.
To be eligible for admission consideration into the clinical programs, or to be eligible for departmental funding as a PhD student (unless other arrangements are made with the students' PhD supervisor) all international applicants must meet the higher department standards.
English proficiency test scores are required of all international applicants whose first language is not English.
IELTS: a minimum score of 7.5 with no single band score lower than 7.0
International transcripts must be uploaded or submitted in their original form and in translation, along with copies of any diplomas awarded. Please send any paper transcripts to the SLHS Graduate Secretary. | {
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} |
Profiles
Nigel
Nige was a highly experienced police officer working in a specialist role prior to his retirement and move to working in the outdoors full time. He was responsible for the introduction of enhanced prehospital casualty care training to officers under his command.
He is experienced in managing and planning significant operations and exercises in hostile working areas including logistics, resources and support structures often involving other services and all from an operational perspective.
Having extensive experience of managing and mitigating risk from both an operational and health and safety perspective, Nige combines these skills and undertakes analysis, preparing activity risk and medical risk plans for travel, expeditions and local businesses.
Nige is an experienced Mountain Leader and Dive Leader who has introduced many individuals to their first experiences above and below the waterline. Having climbed and explored at altitude in Europe and in each of the upland and mountain areas in the UK, Nige draws on this wealth of knowledge to provide safe, enjoyable experiences for all.
Nige meets the Health and Safety Executive qualification requirements to teach and assess First Aid at Work and is accredited by the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) to instruct and assess Trauma and Casualty Care to Police Officers undertaking specialist roles.
Kevin
Kev's declared passion is the mountain environment, whether mountaineering, walking or competing in Mountain and Ultra Marathons.Kev can also be found on the water in a kayak or under it in a dry suit.
As well as trekking and climbing in various locations, he has dived in various locations including Europe, the Middle East and Central America.
Kev has broad professional experience inplanning and conducting activities where he mitigates and manages risk through the practical application of decision making and threat mitigation models. He has delivered training sessions and workshops applying these models to expedition and hostile environments to varied audiences including charities, businesses and students.
Kev is a qualified Mountain and Dive Leader and is a member of the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care, Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh).
Jim
Jim is from a Specialist Police and Military Background and has always been a keen Mountaineer. Jim previously instructed at Plas y Brenin, the National Mountain Centre. Jim was recently a member of a local Mountain Rescue Team where he occupied the role of Training Officer and currently holds the M.R.E.W. Casualty Care Certificate. Jim holds the Mountaineering Instructors Certificate (MIC).
Whether climbing, scrambling, improving navigation, wild camping, or preparing for the trip of a lifetime, we can take the pressure off and give you a day to remember.
Useful Links
The British Mountaineering Council is the representative body for all mountain activity types in the UK. There is a wealth of useful information including; access and seasonal restrictions; membership with the various discounts available; and mountain related news articles.
The Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care at the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) is the governing body for prehospital medical care in the UK and provides clinical governance and agrees content of various training courses and packages. There are varying bands of membership which include first aiders and first responders as well as pre hospital trauma consultants! Membership gives access to a host of useful information and updates.
The Mountain Training Association is the governing body for Mountain Leader and similar training in the UK. membership gives access to a range of discounts, information and support for qualified and aspiring leaders. | {
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I'm hungry," says Scott Parker. Not just now, not just today, but ever since he can remember. "When I was six, I made a custard pie from a recipe out of a 1950s Betty Crocker cookbook -- or at least I tried to -- and it was terrible. I made a lot of terrible things, but I was hungry. I'm always hungry. I'm just a hungry guy. It's a simple, basic caveman instinct."
Parker, the executive chef of Table 6 since 2006, has the day off, and he's wondering where to have lunch with his wife, Deanna. "We have two kids, but today we have a sitter, and for the first time in a long time, we get to have lunch together," says the 37-year-old chef from Fort Smith, Arkansas. "I'm hungry," he sighs. "If you're full, what's the point?"
Behind him, in the basement where his office resides, jars and jars of house-preserved vegetables are lined up like dominoes on the wire shelves. When he gets up from his swivel chair to pose for a photo, he grabs one of those jars as a prop. Amazingly, he doesn't open it.
He doesn't bang on it, either -- and prior to becoming a kitchen commander, Parker played for years in a heavy-metal band, even releasing an album. But when the group's lead singer passed away from colon cancer, the musicians disbanded, and Parker, who by then had determined that he "wanted to do something more real and tangible," started playing with knives. "I saw someone chopping mushrooms in a kitchen really, really fast and thought it was really cool, so I learned how to use knives," says Parker, who went on to learn the arts of butchering and pastry, as well as the pain that comes with winning a jalapeño-eating contest. "I worked at La Coupole, now the Lobby, for a few years, and I learned a shitload -- how to butcher from a Mexican butcher, how to do pastry. And even though I was the only white boy on the line, I could kill a bunch of jalapeños, and I won a contest, which I regretted instantly."
But Parker doesn't have a lot of regrets. Having cooked in some killer kitchens in Telluride, Vail and Beaver Creek, including Grouse Mountain Grill, where he met his wife; Nantucket, where he spent a summer as an executive chef for a small restaurant; and Denver, where he worked the line at the long-gone Adega before landing at Table 6, Parker is more than content with his life. "I get to work with my hands every day," he says. "I love the freedom I have here and the people I work with, and I like the cool, fun vibe about this joint and the camaraderie."
He also likes the fact that customers can reward the staff for their efforts by buying the crew a six-pack of beer, or bowls of wine, which are available for purchase at Table 6. "If you want to cheer up the kitchen," advises Parker, "don't tell me that whatever I've just served you is the best thing you've ever had, because that's bullshit. If you like our food, buy us a six-pack. That's more of a compliment than anything else."
In the meantime, we hope you're hungry, because Parker, who doesn't mince words, dishes on everything from amateur restaurant "critics" to the possibility of a new restaurant in the following interview.
Six words to describe your food: Non-stop trip to New South Flavorton.
Greatest accomplishment as a chef: In the grand scheme of things, I won't know until I'm done.
Favorite ingredient: At the moment, I'm cooking quite a bit with Gala and Honeycrisp apples. I'm doing an apple-and-cheddar gratin with some spices at the restaurant -- no potatoes at all -- and I'm also doing a fried apple pie and using the raw apples in a salad. But by and large, I don't have a favorite ingredient, because everything has a harmony to it and can work together. I'm all about using ingredients that are fresh -- fish, anything out of the ground, and anything that's in season and done well.
Best recent food find: Xocopili pearl. It's a bitter chocolate that's ground up with fennel seed and all kinds of savory ingredients, and it's great for finishing a demi or other sauce. You get the taste of the chocolate, but it also adds body and smoothness to a dish. We get it from Valrhona Chocolate in France.
Most overrated ingredient: I honestly can't think of anything that's overrated; I think everything has its place. That said, there's always one ingredient that everyone is hot on for a while, which will eventually become overused or appear on every single restaurant menu.
Most underrated ingredient: Kohlrabi. It tastes delicious, plus you can pickle it, shave it thin or cook with it, and yet it always seems to just sit there in the produce section of Safeway...kind of dying a slow death. Maybe it's a real specific ethnic thing to Kashmir, where it grows all over the place, but you can also find it growing at a bunch of Colorado farms. It's like biting into broccoli as an apple. It's just a fun, interesting little guy.
Favorite local ingredient and where you get it: The baby turnips from Fruition Farms are the best turnips I've ever had. Alex Seidel and his crew do a lot of cool shit at Fruition Farms, but these were the highlight of the whole season. I don't even like turnips, but these blew me away.
Favorite spice: Black pepper. It goes with everything and rounds out the whole seasoning pairing. It can be hot or sweet or earthy, and you can take it in a lot of different directions because it's so simple. If you use enough of it, you can even extract a sauce out if it. Black pepper is like the parsley of the herb world: delicious but simple.
One food you detest: You know, school lunch can really mess up a kid. When I was in school, coleslaw with raisins was always on the tray for some unknown reason. God bless the lunch ladies and everyone else trying to feed the school kids in America, but coleslaw with raisins made me not like a whole bunch of other things with raisins when I was a kid -- cinnamon rolls, bread pudding and coleslaw. And that's just mean. I have raisins on my menu right now, but they're not intrusive.
One food you can't live without: Sandwiches. I like all the components on their own, but they're even better smashed between bread. You can make a sandwich out of anything. Hell, you can even make a soup sandwich if you want to, plus I always eat standing up, which is conducive to sandwich eating.
Rules of conduct in your kitchen: Always cook like you're cooking for yourself or someone you care about; don't do anything stupid; don't lie; don't try to cover anything up. If you burned something, tell me. Don't slack off. If you're lazy, you don't belong in the kitchen. I also can't stand it when people drop crap. Gravity kills us, and losing time is my biggest pet peeve. Work hard, get your stuff done and go home. Manners are huge to me, too, as is acknowledgment. We're mellow. We don't scream at each other, and I say hello to everyone in the restaurant every day.
What's never in your kitchen? Pussies. Not real ones, of course; my sous is a wonderful woman. But cliché as it may be, it stands true: If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
What's always in your kitchen? Repairmen. Something is always breaking in the kitchen, and we have the refrigerator repairman on speed dial. To be fair, it's an old building with old floors and old wiring. We get our food in daily to prep for that night, but the tiny fridge space we have sucks.
Weirdest customer request: Someone with an alleged salt allergy. That's a fun one. I understand using salt in moderation, but a salt allergy? That's just idiotic.
Weirdest thing you've ever eaten: A deep-fried organic rosebud that I made when I was in my twenties and doing weird experimental cooking. I stuffed it and deep-fried it for Valentine's Day. It was good, but definitely weird. Then again, if you deep-fry anything, it's typically going to taste good.
Best culinary tip for a home cook: Go out to eat. You're supporting your local restaurants and economy by doing so, but you're also in prime territory for gleaning ideas about new flavor combinations, dishes to tweak at home, and different seasonings.
If you could cook for one famous chef, dead or alive, who would it be? Escoffier, Fernand Point and Antonin Carême. But I'd want to cook with them, not just for them. I'd want to see how they would do things different from me, and I'd just like to see their take on things. I'm sure they were badass cooks.
What you'd like to see more of in Denver from a culinary standpoint: A good, solid effort. A lot of stuff is like open a box, warm it up and hand it over. Our kitchen is very from-scratch and hands-on, and the effort that we put into our food is standard. We build it with our hands, and I'm sick of people in our industry who serve crappy food, whether it's overseasoned, underseasoned, overcooked, undercooked or just weird portions. I wish I could pay people in my kitchen -- in everyone's kitchen -- on performance. If the food sucks, I'm giving you less money. That's not to say that we don't make mistakes here, but we always try to make them right. A lot of restaurants don't -- or won't -- do that.
What you'd like to see less of in Denver from a culinary standpoint: Amateur instant online restaurant critics -- specifically, those who write reviews for a website that rhymes with "kelp." Think about it: They review a McDonald's and then turn around and review Mizuna. I just imagine bored, jobless layabouts with not many friends who are convinced that they're going to have a bad time before they even step through the door of a joint. The kicker is, you can't respond to these inbreds and try to educate, or at least explain, why some things happen the way they happen. Have a little fun, for chrissakes. Loosen up when you go out, and let me be the stress ball in the kitchen busting my ass for twelve-plus hours trying to make you the best food I can. Fuck you!
What's next for you? I want to do so many things, but especially a restaurant with everything preserved in jars. You pop open a jar and put whatever's in it -- fish, shellfish, vegetables, fruit, meat, whatever -- and spread it on bread. We're also looking for another spot, but it has to be perfect. No marble or laser beams -- just something that feels good. I also want to do a drive-thru that offers seasonal foods that aren't loaded with a bunch of crap -- things that you would feel good giving to your kids. But ultimately, I just want to preserve the seasons as best I can and deliver the goods. | {
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house in Brugge, Belgium
Our home is located in a suite part of the center of Bruges. Only 10 minutes away on foot of all things to be seen. In front of the house there’s a large park and within 5 minutes walk a playground
and swimming pool. | {
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Goodreads
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Notes from Tanger
After a wild and secret roadtrip from Berlin to Algeciras near the rock of Gibraltar, touching some of the most beautiful scenery and medieval towns Europe has to offer, we took a ferry to Morocco. That was three days ago, days I passed cherishing my status as new arrival on the African continent, adoring the life on the Avenue Mohammed VI here in Tanger. It has been a while that I had an urge to write, simply purely the raw experience pinched into a computer with my fingertips. The directness, unmediatedness of this fickle and formless material before our categorisations. Hearing the sound of the keystrokes as I play, once more, the role my love thinks suits me, here in the bustling and reputed port city where beat generation writers like Alan Ginsberg passed through or others like Paul Bowles lived long years, in this city sitting in the café Terminus de Nord because of its good café au lait, yes, I know writing will never betray me.
Just a street in the Medina.
Romanticist musings aside, there is work to do. What is the experience of chaotic Tanger for a white boy spoonfed with Calvinism? I was here four years ago, briefly as a tourist and then I felt Africa for the first time. Now, three days ago, arriving with my wife from the ferry in Tanger Med, I felt magnificent. We took a taxi for ten box but halfway to the city (a thirty minute ride) two strange man showed up doubling the price, adding the classic “per person”. Annoyed and embarassed I didn’t see it coming I threw open the door and shrieked “police” just to test it out and to teach the driver to be more honest. That driver mumbled angry Arabic phrases then raced back to the port – just in time for us to catch the free bus to the city center.
Fencing off the hawkers wasn’t hard as I could deal them some proper Spanish and French vernacular. We decided to leave taxis alone for a while and hauled our luggage to the train station, an immaculous European style terminus amidst barely finished naked concrete apartments à vendre and a sad-looking themepark. A very well-mannered railway employee shared a piece of his pastry when he saw me and wrote down the names of some hotels. A comfortable taxiride away, it turned out, was the seaside avenue Mohammed VI, with enough hotels and bars to cater for the tourists. Following an old bearded, toothless man who hastily offered us to carry some of our luggage we arrived at a newly opened, clean and very affordable little hotel, with a friendly and trustworthy student at the counter.
We went out to have dinner that first night, and I felt very comfortable being here in this in-between world of a thousand wild odors and untamed faith. | {
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1 The Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel2 Faculty of Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel3 The Center for the Development of Sport Giftedness Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel4 The Nat Holman School for Coaches and Instructors Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel5 Department of Physical Education and Kinesiology Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada6 The Ribstein Center for Sport Medicine Sciences and Research Wingate Institute, Netanya, Israel
Aim. The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to examine the contribution of a battery of physical and motor tests to early phases of talent detection and early development in volleyball, and second, to differentiate between and compare the motor ability of 16-year-old starter (S) and non-starter (NS) volleyball players.Methods. Fifteen male adolescent volleyball players underwent assessment of physical and motor ability 6 times during a 15-month training program; however, not all of them took part in each testing phase. The battery was composed of 8 physical and motor tests and 2 skill tests. The physical and motor tests included 2 speed tests, an agility run, 4 explosive power tests, and an endurance test. The skill tests evaluated service accuracy at rest and following effort.Results. All participants improved their results in all but 2 tests (endurance and skill tests) across testing phases. Comparisons between the S (n=8) and NS (n=7) revealed that only one physical explosive power test (vertical jump with approach), was found to be a good indicator for distinguishing between the 2 groups of players.Conclusion. It was concluded that the volleyball battery of tests was not sensitive enough to distinguish between the “good” and “very good” players suggesting that physical and motor tests do not reflect open skill ability in volleyball. | {
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Installation
Installing the Docker image
For many users, installing the Docker image will be easier than installing all of OCRmyPDF’s dependencies. For Windows, it is the only option.
If you have Docker installed on your system, you can install
a Docker image of the latest release.
Follow the Docker installation instructions for your platform. If you can run this command
successfully, your system is ready to download and execute the image:
docker run hello-world
OCRmyPDF will use all available CPU cores. By default, the VirtualBox machine instance on Windows and OS X has only a single CPU core enabled. Use the VirtualBox Manager to determine the name of your Docker engine host, and then follow these optional steps to enable multiple CPUs:
Note that ocrmypdf has its own separate -v VERBOSITYLEVEL argument to control debug verbosity. All Docker arguments should before the ocrmypdf image name and all arguments to ocrmypdf should be listed after.
Installing on Mac OS X
These instructions probably work on all Mac OS X versions later than 10.7 (Lion). OCRmyPDF is known to work on Yosemite and El Capitan, and regularly tested on El Capitan.
Ubuntu 14.04 only installs unpaper version 0.4.2, which is not supported by OCRmyPDF because it is produces invalid output. This program is an optional dependency, and provides page deskewing and cleaning. See Dockerfile for an example of how to building unpaper 6.1 from source. If you choose to install unpaper later, OCRmyPDF will use the foremost version on the system PATH.
Installing on Windows
Direct installation on Windows is not possible. Install the Docker container as described above.
Installing HEAD revision from sources
If you have git and python3.4 or python3.5 installed, you can install from source. When the pip installer runs,
it will alert you if dependencies are missing.
To install the HEAD revision from sources in the current Python 3 environment:
pip3 install git+https://github.com/jbarlow83/OCRmyPDF.git
Or, to install in development mode, allowing customization of OCRmyPDF, use the -e flag:
pip3 install -e git+https://github.com/jbarlow83/OCRmyPDF.git
On certain Linux distributions such as Ubuntu, you may need to use
run the install command as superuser:
sudo pip3 install [-e] git+https://github.com/jbarlow83/OCRmyPDF.git
Note that this will alter your system’s Python distribution. If you prefer
to not install as superuser, you can install the package in a Python virtual environment:
However, ocrmypdf will only be accessible on the system PATH after
you activate the virtual environment.
To run the program:
ocrmypdf --help
If not yet installed, the script will notify you about dependencies that
need to be installed. The script requires specific versions of the
dependencies. Older version than the ones mentioned in the release notes
are likely not to be compatible to OCRmyPDF.
Languages
OCRmyPDF uses Tesseract for OCR, and relies on its language packs. For Linux users,
you can often find packages that provide language packs:
# Debian/Ubuntu users
sudo apt-get install tesseract-ocr-chi-sim
You can then pass the -l LANG argument to OCRmyPDF to give a hint as to what languages it should search for. Multiple
languages can be requested. | {
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I feel like… ballet rant…
I was minding my own business tonight, and was going to go to bed early tonight. I went to a charity dinner with the food was crazy amazing. At most charity events the food is awful, but at this event the food was bangin. So, I get home and was getting ready for bed, and as my nightly routine has it… I go on youtube and social media, and see what is going on, or if I missed anything while living my life, LOL. I was in an Ailey mood tonight. Yes, I know it isn’t ballet, but it is just as good, just as inspiring and just as beautiful and sometimes more beautiful. While ballet tells fairytales, or captures movement, it lacks the reality of art. I believe that art is a reflection of our times, and ballet seems to lack that. Ailey’s Repertory is a reflection of that beautifully unspoken narrative. So, with that being said, there are some nights you just need to sit down and watch Revelations from start to finish (if you have not seen it in full, order the DVD). Not only does it inspire you, but it reminds of you that America then and America now really hasn’t changed, and how if you are a minority the struggle is a part of your life.
With everything going on in America, I realized that Misty’s promotion has kind of masked what is really going on in ethnic America, and was slightly disturbed. I then decided to watch the Kennedy Center honoring Judith Jamison… And then this lead me tonight’s rant…
If you are a teacher, or choreographer and it is time to do a show… DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT TRY TO DO THIS… It is so awful. If you are going to use the music as a tribute to gospel or just inspired by the music, then fine. But I do not recommend it… Just like I don’t recommend using the music from Serenade… Just don’t. Because, not only are you being unoriginal by teaching your students the choreography from a video or something, but it is so disrespectful… I don’t care if you are paying tribute to the choreographer, the company or ethnicity (which is also borderline offensive… And yes, I saw your video descriptions… Like seriously some studio’s theme was Dance Around the World, and they used Wade in the Water as “Africa”… SMH, I had to report that video, it was just too much)… Just don’t touch the choreography… Just don’t. It is so awful. Don’t use the fans, don’t try to glam it up, don’t try to make it sparkly, definitely don’t try to make it a ballet (I saw that too), don’t imitate the costume… just seriously… don’t. Like don’t do the choreography, choreography that resembles it, formations and blocking that resembles it, don’t use the props, definitely don’t use it for competition, don’t even use the Ailey recording- find a different version if you are inspired by gospel music….. but seriously, just please stop
I think it is so disrespectful on so many different levels: the choreographer, the dancers, the company, the legacy… Just stop. Figure something else out. It is so frustrating… For some reason, this is more upsetting then studios doing awful versions of Serenade …( Then again I get offended watching Paris Opera do Serenade… mostly because the music seems to be slower and there is just not the Balanchine attack that is so beautiful) I think it is because the lack of technique at these studios? At least when studios attempt Serenade they are ballet studios… and not competition schools trying to do epic ballets. After seeing all of these “tributes” via random studio, school, church etc… There is no technique, where Ailey dancers have a very specific look to them… Like City Ballet dancers. Ailey Dancers are trained in Graham, Horton and ballet- they also have this sense of abandonment, which is why I love watching them. But watching some random school in podunk America trying to do Revelations based off a video… that is a little bit much.
Ugh, other than that, I need to go to bed…But here is a photo of crazy good food.
3 Replies to “I feel like… ballet rant…”
I enjoyed reading your rant but was disappointed when you never attempted to explain/explore what was so offensive. I was hoping to learn more from you. Please, next time spend a little more time and effort and actually educate us? Thanks.
sorry that was an incomplete thought – i was saying that studios attempting to do Serenade when not approved by the Balanchine trust or even have a repitiuer is offensive. Sorry for the lack of clarity- will edit. | {
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Original MCU Characters
The following are characters created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, following their live-action appearance, were introduced in the main Marvel comics continuity, in order of their first appearance in the comics.
Mentioned Only
Creatures
Original MCU Creatures
The following are creatures created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, following their live-action appearance, were introduced in the main Marvel comics continuity, in order of their first appearance in the comics.
Other Cosmic Formations
Original MCU Locations
The following are locations created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, following their live-action appearance, were introduced in the main Marvel comics continuity, in order of their first appearance in the comics.
Howling Commando Gear
Spells
Documents
Original MCU Items
The following are items created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, following their live-action appearance, were introduced in the main Marvel comics continuity, in order of their first appearance in the comics.
Vehicles
Original MCU Vehicles
The following are vehicles created for the Marvel Cinematic Universe that, following their live-action appearance, were introduced in the main Marvel comics continuity, in order of their first appearance in the comics. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
‘Original Famous Dave’s’ destroyed by fire
A northern Wisconsin landmark has burned to the ground. The original Famous Dave’s BBQ Restaurant, the first location for the successful barbecue chain, was destroyed in a fire early Monday morning.
The Sawyer County Record reported that dispatchers began receiving 911 calls around at 4:30 a.m. Flames being seen jumping from the bar area of the restaurant on Round Lake near Hayward. Fire crews from the Town of Hayward and Town of Round Lake Fire Departments responded and found the structure engulfed. No one was inside the building at the time the fire was discovered.
Famous Dave’s founder Dave Anderson expressed his sadness in a Facebook post early Monday.
“At 4:30 AM I was awakened by a call that my first restaurant The Original Famous Dave’s in Hayward Wi was ablaze. 20 years of memories. We will rebuild,” wrote Anderson. “For all our employees– Kathy and me and our GM Dave Von Rueden…we will find a location to be open ASAP. Maybe even in one of our pole barns at the family farm. Just know we will reopen and start serving great BBQ all over again! Please let everyone know this is only a temporary setback and we will begin anew!!!”
Anderson opened the original restaurant on Round Lake in 1994. The chain has expanded and now has locations in 34 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and one Canadian province. | {
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Marc Cabrera has nothing better to do than watch a lot of movies and television, and listen to a lot of music. Luckily, he has a job that pays him to blog about local and national arts, entertainment and pop culture. He can be reached at [email protected].
Saturday, November 09, 2013
I remember Nov. 8, 1993 fairly well because that was the night I was able to purchase A Tribe Called Quest's "Midnight Marauders," a full day before it went on sale to the public.
The rest of the world is celebrating Nov. 9 as the 20th anniversary of the release of two classic hip-hop albums, the aforementioned "Midnight Marauders" and Wu-Tang Clan's debut "Enter the Wu-Tang 36 Chambers." Two weeks later, Snoop's "Doggystyle" was released, making November 1993 a pivotal time for hip-hop music.
But Nov. 8 was special for me because as a holiday employee at Sam Goody, one of the job perks was the opportunity to purchase new album releases a day before they went on sale to the public. We had to wait until the end of our shift to buy it, but there was some cache in having the tape ahead of the rest of Salinas.
In the pre-internet days, this was the closest I ever got to an album leak, and it was glorious.
Both albums had an immediate impact on me and my circle of friends. We would go back and forth on the Wu-Tang "torture" scenarios like rounds of the dozens. We would recite "The Killer" skit to one another as if it was secret code. And even the east side cholos I grew up with could get behind the oldies samples on "Can It Be That It Was All So Simple."
Midnight Marauders was special to me because it was one of the first albums I analyzed critically. There were subtle mysteries to unlock, the first one being 'what was the hook really saying in "Electric Relaxation?'
Later, when I learned the "Lyrics to Go" sample was actually a Minnie Ripperton vocal loop, it was an eye-opener. So much texture to the production. So much innovation.
These albums had instant appeal to rap nerds like myself, at a time when rap nerdom was relegated to a die-hard few.
Reflecting 20 years later, I feel old, but happy that my 17-year-old self was forward-thinking enough to appreciate classic hip-hop music. I have yet to outgrow these albums, and I will have to give them a listen sometime soon to enjoy them all over again. | {
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Is Sermorelin an Effective Hormone Replacement?
The debate currently at its peak argues that Sermorelin is not as viable to optimize as testosterone, despite recent in-depth studies that say otherwise. And while there are risks as well as benefits associated with Sermorelin, it’s important to weigh them both individually, to see if hormone replacement therapy is right for you.
Sermorelin is a bio-identical hormone that stimulates the body to naturally increase the production of Human Growth Hormone, or HGH. Unfortunately, studies show that HGH rises during childhood, peaks at adolescence and declines from middle age onward. By the age of 30-35, HGH levels have been known to drop by as much as 50% from the levels seen in adolescence and young adulthood. This decline prompts the discussion of hormone replacement therapy using Sermorelin.
Sermorelin should be injected daily before bedtime for 3-6 months at a time. When done correctly and consistently, Sermorelin can produce impressive results. Among the most prominent benefits are improvements in:
Sermorelin also increases insulin sensitivity, which can help with blood sugar/glucose levels. Bare in mind that Sermorelin does need to be administered in conjunction with a well-rounded exercise and nutrition plan to see and feel the best results. Blood levels must be monitored during treatment, usually before therapy begins, and then once every 3 months to make sure optimal levels are being achieved. With several anti-aging and health benefits, Sermorelin is an ideal treatment to help men feel younger, stronger, and healthier.
If you are suffering from low energy levels, a decrease in sex drive, weight gain and less stamina, Sermorelin may be the right treatment for you. Call us at 404.480.5229 to learn more! | {
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For State of the Union 2007, a leaner agenda
WASHINGTON
— When President Bush takes to the airwaves Tuesday night to deliver his sixth State of the Union address, the metamessage of the evening will be: "I am still relevant."
Of course, as commander in chief during wartime, Mr. Bush is central. But as he seeks to show that he is not consumed by the Iraq war and its high-profile retooling, this year's annual message to Congress takes on added significance. In an effort to grab public attention, he is promising a different type of State of the Union – not the usual laundry list of items from the forthcoming budget, but a more focused look at a few key initiatives, most of them domestic.
The irony is that, for the first time, Bush will be speaking to a Congress in which both chambers are controlled by the opposition. For him to implement any proposals, he must find the common ground with Democrats that has been so talked about since November. Even when Republicans controlled Congress, there were no guarantees; Bush's 2005 plan to partially privatize Social Security failed to get off the ground.
This year, the most extensively previewed plan centers on a tax reform aimed at making health insurance more affordable to low-income people. The proposal would also reduce the tax break for more expensive health plans. In addition, Bush's speech will focus on energy, education, immigration, and the war on terror.
Just two weeks ago, Bush delivered a major address announcing the "new way forward" in Iraq, including a plan to add more than 20,000 US troops to try to bring some stability to Baghdad and areas where insurgents are believed to be operating. The speech did little to move polling numbers on Iraq and the Bush presidency, both stuck below 50 percent. In recent days Bush has said he will address the criticism of his plan – including from fellow Republicans – in the State of the Union speech.
A dissatisfied public
The president's job approval ratings have been mired mostly in the 30s for the past year, putting him in a league with some of the least popular US presidents of the 20th century, including Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, and Harry Truman.
Public satisfaction with the direction of the country has fared even worse. In the latest Gallup poll, released Monday, 35 percent reported they are satisfied "with the way things are going in the United States at this time" versus 63 percent dissatisfied. That number is better it was last month (30 percent) but about where it was one year ago.
Some presidential scholars are skeptical that Bush will really limit his penultimate State of the Union to just a few well-chosen ideas.
"I can't think of a point since his first run for governor in Texas where he didn't have a shopping list, where he wasn't thinking or acting on the notion that, unlike his dad [the first President Bush], he had the vision thing," says Fred Greenstein, a professor emeritus at Princeton University in New Jersey.
After all, a president who sets his sights modestly risks the dreaded label "lame duck." But after six years in office, most two-term presidents have already rolled out their biggest initiatives. The second half of second terms are more about completing unfinished business rather than starting something new. And it is debatable whether the bully pulpit is all it's cracked up to be, especially for an unpopular president.
"You've got a president who people know after six years, [and] you've got a dominant issue [Iraq] that people think they know after four years. So it's not like there's a lot of malleability there," says George Edwards, a political scientist at Texas A&M University and author of the book "On Deaf Ears: The Limits of the Bully Pulpit."
Bush now must also compete for attention with the rapidly expanding field of politicians who want to replace him in two years – including Democratic front-runner Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, who announced her candidacy right before this year's State of the Union on purpose, her campaign says.
And in another moment of irony, one of Bush's central themes Tuesday night will be the rising cost of healthcare – the policy issue that Senator Clinton became infamous for as first lady when she headed up her husband's ill-fated healthcare reform effort.
Bush's health insurance plan
Tuesday night, Bush will propose that low-income people be given a tax break to help them afford health insurance. On the higher end of the scale, workers enrolled in more expensive plans would be taxed on coverage that exceeds a set limit. Some Democrats have already rejected the plan, calling it a tax increase on the middle class.
In his Saturday radio address, Bush focused on the relief his plan would provide to lower-income people:
"The current tax code encourages home ownership by allowing you to deduct the interest on your mortgage from your taxes. We can reform the tax code so that it provides a similar incentive for you to buy health insurance. So in my State of the Union Address next Tuesday, I will propose a tax reform designed to help make basic private health insurance more affordable – whether you get it through your job or on your own." | {
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I will provide You 120 Google Plus! shares or 30 shares Linkedin shares All will be done manually without using any scripts! Why me? – Real people shares – Trusted accounts – No bots, programs / software used – Mostly US Based - Different / Unique IPs - Why do You need Google Plus shares?Read more | {
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I stopped initially using electronic cigarettes for a couple of weeks, switched to patches for another week or so and since then just a few drags of the e cig every 5 or 6 hours. I only have a few cartridges left so that will be it once they are gone.
I know some people think that using e cigs isn't stopping, but its the same principle as patches or gum, you use them to wean yourself of tobacco. | {
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Family Life’s Weekend to Remember will be at Renaissance World Golf Village Resort: May 24-26
Marriage is a lifelong adventure of growing together through every age and stage of life. The happiest couples are those who commit to learning skills that help them weather difficult seasons and deal confidently with relationship challenges.
Find out what over 1.5 million couples worldwide have experienced at Family Life’s Weekend to Remember®. It’s your turn to make a great marriage happen.
Memorial Day History
Memorial day is a US holiday to honor and remember those who died while serving in the military. It is a day to raise our awareness about the Nation’s freedom and the price for this freedom. Every year U.S. soldiers and their families pay that price. Memorial Day is a day for reverence and honoring of those who gave their lives defending the Nation and its values. In 1971, Congress declared it a national holiday. It also marks the unofficial start to the summer season.
Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory. 26 years ago, Saddleback Church launched Celebrate Recovery with 43 people. It was designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process. Celebrate Recovery has helped more than 21,000 people at Saddleback, attracting over 70% of its members from outside the church. Eighty-five percent of the people who go through the program stay with the church and nearly half serve as church volunteers.
Celebrate Recovery is a biblical and balanced program that helps us overcome our hurts, hang-ups, and habits. It is based on the actual words of Jesus rather than psychological theory. 26 years ago, Saddleback Church launched Celebrate Recovery with 43 people. It was designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process. Celebrate Recovery has helped more than 21,000 people at Saddleback, attracting over 70% of its members from outside the church. Eighty-five percent of the people who go through the program stay with the church and nearly half serve as church volunteers.
Rally Point Ministries meet at Northside Baptist Church @ 7:30 am. Christian men’s group with a focus on developing strong Godly men to lead and mentor others who have the desire to explore and grow in their walk with Christ. Ages range from the twenties on up. Come share in this amazing fellowship of men of God. | {
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Society Staples is recruiting volunteers for its involvement in raising awareness for 2017 ASEAN Para Games!
Through this initiative with Sports Hub Library, the society hopes to:
Raise awareness of the 2017 ASEAN Para Games and our para athletes,
Increase the general public’s knowledge on persons with disabilities (PwDs)
Volunteers will be required to facilitate the activities and provide a meaningful and fun experience where participants can walk away with an increased knowledge on how they can contribute towards an inclusive future in either their personal and/or professional capacity.
About Us
If you are organising a volunteering project/ event and you are looking for volunteers, simply email us your details and pictures to: [email protected]
If you know of any volunteering happenings in Singapore and you wish to feature them, drop us an email to: [email protected] now!
Looking for Contributors
We are looking for passionate volunteers to contribute to the site.
If you love to write or take pictures and have a burning desire to spread the spirit of volunteerism to your peers, don't hesitate to drop us a message at [email protected] now! Hope to hear from you soon! | {
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Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Inflatable -Zone
It is that time of the year to start thinking about getting outside and enjoying the Spring and Summer. One way you can do that is with Inflatable Zone where you can find Zorb Ball which is a globe riding sphere and is a recreational sport of rolling downhill inside an orb. Zorbing is generally performed on a gentle slope but can also be done in pubs, clubs or on the water. You need to also stay cool so a cheap inflatable pool slide l would be nice this one is cool is a White Shark, Black Shark, Green Turtle, Green Crocodile and so much more to choose from. If you do not want to buy it you can rent some. A fun outdoors cheap inflatable is Inflatable Foot Darts/ Football Fletchette you can find this in sizes 3.5m -7m this looks like so much fun throwing yellow footballs at this for getting together, parties and more.
10 Piece Bubble Soccer that uses the big bubble ball to battle against others to get the ball which can be fun for all. Water Pillow that you jump on and sends you flying in the water which can be so much fun flying in the air! The last item I am going to tell you about is an Inflatable Rubber Ducky that can be climbed on and played on in the water.
Those are just a few items you will need this Summer and to see more visit there you can get more cheap inflatable zone. | {
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Theo Epstein ’95, president of baseball operations for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball and former general manager of the Boston Red Sox, was the featured speaker at the 2017 Senior Class Day ceremony on May 21. | {
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Trending
Conservative radio host Michael Savage knows the real reason why Chicago officials took more than a year to release video of the shooting of Laquan McDonald, who was shot 16 times by a police officer who was later charged with first-degree murder.
According to Savage, President Obama personally ordered the release of the video in order to spark riots that would distract the public from his foreign policy failures. After expressing sympathy with cops who wish they could “smash” the “street thugs” who get in their face, Savage moved on to his latest conspiracy theory.
“Why was it released right now?” Savage asked. “I know why it was released just now. I’ll tell you point blank. Why was it released now? Because Obama’s the biggest flop in the history of foreign policy, the biggest failure in the history of foreign policy and so release the tape and now have some riots in the streets. He studied at the foot of [Saul] Alinsky and did pretty good.”
Savage also warned that Obama plans to bring in over 600,000 Syrian refugees, saying that the “deranged” president is just fulfilling his “promise to America.”
“Did you think he would transform it from a predominant Christian nation into a Muslim nation?” he asked. | {
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Leaving Home, Attending College, Partnership and Parenthood: the Role of Life Transition Events in Leisure Pattern Stability From Adolescence to Young Adulthood
Archived Abstract of Former PSC Researcher
Raymore, L.A., B.L. Barber, and Jacquelynne S. Eccles. 2001. "Leaving Home, Attending College, Partnership and Parenthood: the Role of Life Transition Events in Leisure Pattern Stability From Adolescence to Young Adulthood." Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 30(2): 197-223.
Few researchers have examined the role that life transition events play in the maintenance of or change in leisure behaviors across the transition from adolescence to young adulthood, This study examines the role that leaving home, going to college, having a committed partner and becoming a parent played in intraindividual change and stability in leisure patterns. The data were from the Michigan Study. of Adolescent Life Transitions (MSALT), and were collected during the final year of high school and 3 years following high school. Results suggest thar transition events are particularly useful in predicting female leisure pattern stability or change; going to college and leaving home were generally: predictive of the maintenance of a stable leisure pattern, while becoming a partner and becoming a parent were predictive of change. For males, the most useful predictor of stability or change was leaving home. However the nature of the relation of the transition events to pattern stability or change depended on the type of initial leisure pattern. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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Do you any of you moms in direct sales....
Buy products from other moms in direct sales? I sell for two home decor companies and one jewelery company, but I have two women that I continually buy jewelery from that sale for different companies. So do you buy and wear other products even if you don't sell it? I do!
I buy products I use. If a mom I know does direct sales and I find something I like or would use then yes I would buy it. I also buy from customers who use my products as well. So if I was loking for jewelry I would call a customer of mine.
Girl, I have done my share of direct sales over the years.... I was a Longaberger Basket Consultant and avid collector for many years. I used to buy Harry Hargrove paintings from a party plan place out of Chicago, called Lasting Impressions... I used to buy from Pampered Chef, Mary Kay, Beauty Control, House of Lloyd.... I don't go those routes any more. Too much stuff! | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
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The online journal of the China Policy Institute
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The China Policy Institute is a research centre based at the University of Nottingham focusing on all aspects of contemporary China, Taiwan and China's global engagement. The China Policy Institute does not privilege political positions and the views published in Analysis are those of the author.
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Nationalism and national identity in China and beyond
The rise of Chinese nationalism and the potential effects on Chinese foreign policy behaviour have long been a concern, increasingly so since territorial disputes in the East and South China Seas have intensified in recent years. However, China’s neighbourhood has long been noted for its “strategic complexity” and China is not alone among its neighbours in seeking domestic and external advantages in nationalism. To some extent, Russia, Vietnam, Japan, Korea and others find utility in nationalism – whether as a method of strengthening national identity, as a legitimising ideology for the leadership, as a means of pursuing national interests or even of claiming to defend the “existence of the nation”. A recurrent theme is the unsolved historical grievances which continue to be carefully remembered and constructed. However, nationalism is not only problematic for China and its neighbours, but also for the ethnic minorities within China. Ethnic conflicts, especially in Xinjiang and Tibet, force the central Government to balance a “harmonious and unitary” Chinese nationalism and a culturally ethnic diverse nationalism, while minimising economic inequalities among ethnic groups and the Han majority.
This week we have invited several experts to discuss the role of nationalism in China and the role of China in its neighbours nationalistic policies. The contributors are: | {
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Tuesday, June 13, 2017
When I arrived in Dubai 15 years ago, work at Dubai Marina was just about to start with the digging of the 3.5 km long U-shaped Marina. Today it houses over 100.000 people in more than 100 high-rise buildings of which some are over 400m (1300ft) tall.
The aerial image below, also shows the runway of Skydive Dubai in the foreground; a large popular parachuting center right in front of Dubai Marina on a small man-made island.
Image detail:
Fujifilm X-T20 with the XF18-55 lens
ISO 200, f5.6, 1/1400s, 21mm (32mm full frame equivalent)
RAW development in Iridient Developer 3.1.4
I haven't used Iridient Developer for my RAW development in a while, as I'm normally OK with the way Lightroom develops the file. I do however see still a little bit better results in images that have a lot of detail in it. | {
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} |
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This set of 4 DVDs and 1 CD distinguishes marine benthic habitats along the California Continental margin from previously proprietary industry data. The DVDs contain GIS data and user notes covering selected areas in Northern, Central, and Southern California. The CD contains the researchers' narrative report and a PowerPoint presentation that explains how the researchers interpreted source data and created the maps. It can be used for educational purposes. The data set resulting from this project makes up the initial stages of building both a database and a series of habitat maps that can be used by fishery scientists, policy makers and resource managers for planning and implementing fish habitat programs. Invaluable information is provided on the conditions of the seafloor in areas of interest for fisheries management and both living and nonliving resource evaluation. This data set forms the base maps upon which all other parameters may be overlaid and compared. | {
"pile_set_name": "Pile-CC"
} |
Multiple Dying Light 2 Playthroughs Will Be Needed To Get The Full Experience
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Multiple Dying Light 2 Playthroughs Will Be Needed To Get The Full Experience
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Now that Dying Light 2 has been announced at E3 2018, we’re starting to learn a lot more about the game before it comes out. For instance, we’ll apparently need multiple Dying Light 2 playthroughs to get the full experience of the game due to its decision system that affects in-game events.
Dying Light 2 will apparently be a great deal darker than the original Dying Light game, as the undead plague has spread outside the first game’s setting of Harran and has devastated society. This leaves us with the unenviable job of picking up the pieces, which will cause us to have to make a number of decisions.
We got information on how at least one of these paths would go when the game got its E3 2018 presentation, mainly dealing with where you can get fresh water and how to do it. Simply killing a group that has a lot of water to give would get you the water, but rob you of a trading partner and cause another organization to come in and, while they offer security, does not tolerate descent. The other option is more diplomatic, but still causes conflict as other people try to muscle in on your turf.
Each of these things will allow players to have their own version of the city that the game takes place in, taking their own decisions to reach how it ends.
Considering it’s a game that has Chris Avellone as a narrative designer, the amount of choices requiring multiple Dying Light 2 playthroughs isn’t actually that much of a surprise, as many of Avellone’s games revolve around various narrative-changing choices.
The original Dying Light got pretty positive reviews when it first came out, and even eventually got a Battle Royale-esque multiplayer game mode, so hopefully with the various changes we’ve gotten will work well with the rest of the game, and it will be interesting enough that multiple Dying Light 2 playthroughs will actually be done by most of the players that buy the game. | {
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The smart Trick of 菲律賓語言學校費用
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The smart Trick of 菲律賓語言學校費用
Tess and Ravi mention pop tunes and Jo and Adam think about the difference between the verbs 'hear' and 'pay attention'.
Myanmar can be a building nation and it's changing quickly. Flexibility and a sense of journey might be in your gain listed here, as well as a willingness to operate inside of a staff and also to decide to a solid perform ethics.
When reviewing the templates and illustrations, choose the structure that's ideal to your problem. Even though all resumes should present information on your do the job and education and learning encounter, together with your abilities and achievements, you will find various ways to present this data.
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In accordance with French legislation, ten% of your respective fork out will be put aside for you personally as ?�congés shell outés??(paid out holiday getaway).|At the same time, locals for instance mixed-media artist Santiago Bose and filmmaker Kidlat Tahimik have been also developing do the job in the city. Even right now, artists like painters and sculptors from all around the place are drawn into the Baguio Arts Competition that is held each year.[21]|^ /?m?ntri??l/ could be the area English pronunciation; in the remainder of Canada, it has a tendency to be /?m?ntri??l, ?m?n-/, but the British and American pronunciation is /?m?ntri???l/.|Our R&D center is amongst the only handful of Chinese owned English schooling firms in China being registered having an internationally accredited R&D Centre, and now has around a hundred course developers possessing masters or doctorate degrees.|VisaView enables training providers to check the details of a student's present visa. Look at our comprehensive guides for VisaView.|Training course costs are all-inclusive therefore you gained?�t be requested to pay for further expenses for program associated components or providers. This also involves system moderation and accreditation costs, airport select-ups* and lifetime work support.|Adobe Photoshop is mentioned for your sheer volume of characteristics it has to offer: if you can picture a digital imaging trick, it is likely that Photoshop can perform it. The greater time you shell out While using the application, the greater methods you'll uncover; This really is why Photoshop has long been the field typical.|All website visitors on the Philippines are necessary to carry a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months just after their arrival day. Guests for the Philippines from the United Kingdom, USA, Australia and New Zealand can remain in the Philippines for just a optimum of 60 times and not using a visa and this can certainly be prolonged.|In time this growth resulted in the end of the town's financial dominance as firms moved to other locations.[71] Over the nineteen sixties there was ongoing advancement, including the Globe's Fair known as Expo sixty seven, and the development of Canada's tallest skyscrapers, new expressways plus the subway program referred to as the Montreal Metro.|Given that the Philippines??oldest town, Cebu can boast a massive choice of relics within the earlier. Its provincial warmth and appeal is increased by its resolve to carry on to its colourful history, while continue to rising in sophistication.|I'v just accomplished the TEFL Certificate. i compensated excess for that onlne tutor + movies, and consider it revenue welll put in. The lesson strategy evaluation was demanding, since as it wasn't very clear just how much element was expected, even so after my initially attempt was turned down, I did receive a number of steering from a web-based tutor, regarding what required to be integrated.|We've been Street Expertise. We selected this title because we think individuals explore more about them selves and the entire world around them when to the road. Our mission will be to recruit competent EFL academics to teach English at Thai educational facilities and to help our teachers and educational institutions every action of the way.|?�茨??�� ??���?馬達?�斯???�洛??納米比亞 ?�塞俄比�??�非 突尼西亞 ?�干??贊比�?津巴布韋|Critique these samples beneath for enable handling precise circumstances, for instance a occupation or a reputation adjust.|If you have an interest in this placement you must send out all documents to the e-mail address presented on the job heading. We demand a resume, passport photograph as well as a reference contact (or letter).|Produce a deposit payment to protected your house over a program ahead of the end in the thirty day period and qualify for any no cost Superior amount on-line system. You can Choose between the 50-hour young learners (CTEYL) or small business English (CTBE) certificate courses or perhaps the 250-hour on line diploma program.|When you are interested and want added specifics of our school make sure you e-mail us for the handle provided on the job heading.|It should not be high-priced but differs dependant upon the state. It should consider around two business enterprise days to procedure. After you get below, The varsity will take your passport towards the ministry of immigration and alter the visa right into a working permit. You will have your ID and dealing permit -- the latter stays with the school.|Should you be a latest visa holder and supply your facts to a third-party (such as a financial institution), they might use this details to confirm your visa utilizing the Visa Verification Services. Remember to read through this information before you decide to login.|Montreal was the host town for the 17th unicycling entire world championship and Conference (UNICON) in August 2014.|In the Mohawk language, the island is known as Tiohtià:ke Tsi. This is a title referring to your Lachine Rapids to your island's southwest or Ka-wé-no-te. This means "a location exactly where nations and rivers unite and divide".|Login right here to use on the web for your personal University student visa. If you haven't bought an account, you could develop just one in this article.}
We are welcoming our twentieth calendar year in language training business, with our new brand name ??New York Studio of Languages?? We had been the franchisee of the Berlitz in Istanbul for your past 14 many years and happen to be offering top quality schooling in all languages above 20 years with much more than a hundred and twenty expert indigenous Talking lecturers and Turkish staff.|Produce a deposit payment to secure your place with a study course ahead of the conclude in the month and qualify to get a totally free advanced amount on the net system. It is possible to Pick from the 50-hour young learners (CTEYL) or business English (CTBE) certification programs or even the 250-hour on-line diploma class.|To be a Trainer, what I might want from my students is usually a curious intellect and also a willingness to try something distinct. The guts to talk up can make a entire world of change. Along with the eagerness to understand the different skills in English.|Aged Montreal is available from your downtown Main by using the underground metropolis and is also served by numerous STM bus routes and Metro stations, ferries to the South Shore in addition to a community of bicycle paths.|Kennon Road starts off at Rosario, La Union and winds upwards by way of a narrow, steep valley. This is commonly the speediest route to Baguio but it really is particularly perilous,[38] with landslides throughout the wet period and sharp dropoffs, some devoid of guardrails.|Splash Guards are a good finishing contact that give your In good shape a terrific search and help guard your paint from chips and stains.|?�し?��?語を学ぶ?�と??��?�で??��?�ま?�ん?�、ポ?�テ?�ブ?�根気強?�目標を?�成?�る?�き?�す??私は?�え?�際?�ビ?�ョ?�だ?�で?�く?�ミ?�シ?�ン?�考え?�れ?�並外れ?�情?�的?�先?�で?��?The Evaluation for Japanese College Admission for Global Students (EJU) is applied to evaluate whether Global college students who would like to study within the undergraduate degree at universities or other these types of increased educational establishments in Japan possess the Japanese language skills and The essential academic talents needed to review at These establishments. Discover|?�網?��?�?��之價?�因?�產?�種類及?�發?�期?�有?�不同，不?�括任何稅項?�燃油附?�費?�行?�費?�簽証費?�服?�費(?�行?�適???�其他應繳費??The DAAD has a world community of department offices and information centres. It offers all the information that you'll want to research in Germany.|The choice-creating powers of The manager committee cover, specifically, the here awarding of contracts or grants, the administration of human and monetary methods, materials and structures. It could also be assigned additional powers by the town council.|Classes are primarily based on real instructing resources observed all over the entire world and you will have the possibility to build your own components likewise. You will also obtain the support of your respective system coach through lesson planning and obtain speedy suggestions on the lesson following it?�s been shipped. Practicum is assessed and a satisfactory evaluation is necessary to make your TEFL/TESOL certification.|Acclaimed by linguists and thoroughly covered in prestigious media retailers (BBC, NPR??, Babylangues recruits Anglophone instructors All year long and provides them The chance of the occupation in France, in spite of their amount in French.|To apply for one particular of such visas, you?�ll initial will need to create an account. After you?�ve performed this, you can then login and use. You can also make use of your login to check your software position.|Apple CarPlay?? allows you to target the highway though accessing your songs library, directions and textual content messages as a result of your iPhone®. Android Automobile??To post an expression of desire, you?�ll first want to build an account. As you?�ve carried out this, you'll be able to then login and submit an EOI. It's also possible to make use of your login to check the status of one's EOI.|Should you be a latest visa holder and supply your details to a third-celebration (like a financial institution), they will use this facts to validate your visa using the Visa Verification Service. Make sure you look at this data before you decide to login.|With Just about every Trainer, we conclude a framework settlement that defines exactly the mutual obligations and also determines the amount of remuneration. This includes a set part, and that is included into the variable bonuses with the qualification, the length from the function expertise, the dimensions of The work, and various criteria that will take you with the appropriate methodology when setting up the contract.|?�し??��語で様々な?�キ???�ピ?�キ?�グ?�リ?�ニ?�グ..)?�積極的?��??�う?�す?�こ?��?as well as other applicable privacy regulations governing the safety of non-public facts under the control of the Office of Work and Social Improvement. Study responses will not be attributed to men and women.|Immigrate Figure out what immigration plans you'll be able to make an application for, sponsor your family and make use of a agent|To get more personalized content material, which includes entry to Particular activities and the newest news in your town, make sure you offer the following details:|For business enterprise inquiries (Are living tunes&developing tunes for your company), Speak to us website via Make contact with form in Web page|Course deposits needs to be compensated to our administrative Heart. Credit rating/debit card payments are classified as the quickest and least expensive method to pay, but we also settle for payments by means of Western Union, Shell out Pal and financial institution transfer.}
We are among the biggest agencies, with around +two hundred educational institutions within our network from each individual age array, and area inside the country. basically propose it to any individual. Every person has something to get from these kinds of an international experience.??and various relevant privacy legislation governing the safety of personal information and facts beneath the control of the Office of Work and Social Enhancement. Study responses will not be attributed to people today.|Berlitz Mexico delivers a range of alternatives for TEFL qualified lecturers to operate with one of many environment?�s foremost providers of language instruction and world wide leadership schooling. Would you like a worthwhile occupation in Mexico? ... Posted: Last week|Intelligent interior style, numerous features and outstanding visibility for driver and passengers Blend for an satisfying, airy trip. Detailed Controls Steering wheel-mounted controls enable you to keep your arms on the wheel while managing the audio, telephone, voice command and cruise Command features.|So self-assured are we in the quality and price of our click here programs, that if You're not entirely satisfied with the assistance or solution that you get, then we will refund your payment without having inquiries requested.|* ?�網?��??�載之內容資?�僅供參?�用，�??��?確資?�均以領事館?�佈?�準??To make an application for this visa, you?�ll first need to have to make an account. When you finally?�ve carried out this, you may then login and use. You may also use your login to check your software status.|Buyers looking for a copy of Photoshop operate the read me risk of buying pirated computer software. If a consumer purchases from web sites such as Craigslist and Amazon Marketplace, They could end up with a pirate duplicate, particularly when the copy is offered in a sizeable low cost.|If I was not been there, I think could not come across pleased. they gave me strengthen english talent and self-assurance. If I've chance to head over to there, I actually hope to go to there yet again. I do not know how to say in in this article. but when who still just think of likely this academy, believe me. because no one emotion poor or regret. possibly my grammar remains to be undesirable but I am able to speak english a lot better than before. and nevertheless communicate with teachers. if who want boost english or assurance, you need to go there! thanks All people! read me thank you lecturers. I will miss out on you guys!! See More|Be sure to enter the email deal with you registered with, and we will deliver you a url to reset your password.|To apply for 1 of those visas, you?�ll 1st will need to create an account. When you?�ve accomplished this, you could then login and implement. You may also use your login to examine your software status.|Login in this article to apply on the internet for your personal Perform visa. When you haven't received an account, it is possible to build 1 listed here.|Honda Sensing® Honda Sensing® is really an clever suite of safety and driver-assistive technologies created to warn you to stuff you could pass up while driving, such as:|??Will need to have a great deal of Electricity in engaged on a arduous schedule with numerous actions ??Lively, cheerful, liable and fully commited|Race-encouraged paddle shifters around the steering wheel allow you to Manage your shifts for a more spirited driving expertise.|?�拜 ?�及 希臘 伊朗 以色??約旦 黎巴�??�塔???�利�??�耳其|We also get pleasure from observing learners discover and develop, the two in and out on the classroom. We try to seek out solutions to positively impression our Group also to certainly be a force for creating individual possible.|?�網?��?�?��之價?�因?�產?�種類及?�發?�期?�有?�不同，不?�括任何稅項?�燃油附?�費?�行?�費?�簽証費?�服?�費(?�行?�適???�其他應繳費??亞美尼亞 ?�塞?�疆 不丹 ?��??�亞 ?�薩???�爾?�斯 ?�古???�茲?�克|Several early colonial buildings dating back towards the late 16th and 17th centuries might be found in Old Montreal.|Baguio is the melting pot of various peoples and cultures in the Cordillera Administrative Location. For that reason, various investments and business enterprise alternatives are lured to town.[eleven] Baguio has a considerable retail sector, with buyers coming to town to take advantage of the variety of competitively priced business items on sale.[27] The town can also be well-known with discount hunters??some of|a few of|a number of|several of|many of} the most popular bargaining areas include Baguio Market and Maharlika Livelihood Centre.|The indigenous people today were being in the beginning cautious with federal government-led tourism as a result of a perceived threat that The federal government would interfere with or improve their communities' rituals.[33]|Trường cạnh biển và nằm trong vacation resort EGI nên rất phù hợp cho học viên vừa học vừa ngh�?dưỡng, tắm biển.|Implement Now! Our modern-day, air conditioned TESOL teaching facility delivers a cushty setting through which to discover and examine. Free of charge tea, coffee and internet access is supplied and all the resources and products you would require all through your class are going to be readily available.|The commuter rail technique is managed and operated through the Réseau de transport métropolitain, and reaches the outlying areas of Higher Montreal with 6 traces.}
The varsity has effectively-Geared up laboratories, libraries, Laptop labs, pedagogical centers, roomy athletic compound and fields and creatively developed structures that complement the pure attractiveness of the different branches of The college all assist to help make University of Tomorrow not only educationally exceptional but also aesthetically attractive.
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The advice that I may give to students who will begin learning English is usually that I'll motivate the students to affix and be expose to real, day-to-day English. The best thing is to tell the
The training course operates from within a college so we question you to definitely be aware of the, and also remaining mindful within your peers also to respect The reality that you are a visitor Out of the country.} | {
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List configuration options available updating os windows 7
If we are not able to use the GPU, either we fall back on the CPU, or an error is raised, depending on the , and if the specified device cannot be used, we warn and fall back to the CPU.
This is useful to run Theano’s tests on a computer with a GPU, but without running the GPU tests.
Prerequisite: You must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall Collab Net Subversion Edge.
Multiple configuration files can be specified by separating them with ‘:’ characters (as in $PATH).
This trick will include following 3 steps: First of all upgrade your existing Windows 7 or 8.1 to Windows 10 so that your product key and machine ID can be associated to Windows 10 on Microsoft servers for activation purposes.
Make sure you use "Windows 10 Media Creation Tool" for this task so that you can have Windows 10 setup ISO with you which will be used later to perform clean install of Windows 10.
Thanks to Anduin Withers for a good idea about how to reorganize this question.
Often people want to use install or update software using the command line. First become root, and then you can use the following commands: And now you can play DVDs!
After this create a bootable USB of Windows 10 setup ISO using any of following methods: Now boot using bootable USB drive and install Windows 10 on a different partition. | {
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I recently picked up a ruger 22/45 pistol that comes w/picatinny rails on the top & bottom. I was looking for a red dot under $100 for it but all I find have weaver mounts. I dont mind getting a cheapie just want one that is compact and fits. Didnt find any on midway, cheaperthandirt etc. Any ideas!?
Yes--there are differences between Picatinny and Weaver, but all the
sights with "Weaver mounts" will fit just fine on your Ruger. I've got
a Burris Fastfire on mine. You get the shorty with the threaded barrel?
Get rid of that %$#&^ magazine safety yet? Regular 1911 grips work
great, but you have to remove a little material to clear the slide stop.
A GOOD red dot under $100 is a rare bird. Bump it up to $200 and there
are some choices.
Robc10x
07-14-2011 03:36 AM
Im leaning towards a reflex - I kinda lump them in with the red dots I guess. I did get the threaded shorty and if its anywhere close to the buckmark camper (always in the range bag) then my ammo bin will take a serious hit. Apparently I need to do some more forum surfing as im not aware of those mods. Thanks!
I thought the weaver mounts were much more narrower than pic rails & so the integrated weaver style on most compact optics wouldnt work? Ill try it tomorrow on a weaver walmart special from the junk drawer.
BillM
07-14-2011 04:27 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robc10x
(Post 540774)
I thought the weaver mounts were much more narrower than pic rails & so the integrated weaver style on most compact optics wouldnt work? Ill try it tomorrow on a weaver walmart special from the junk drawer.
From the Brownell's website:
"
What are the differences between the “Picatinny” and the “Weaver” systems? The profile of the two systems is virtually identical. Depending on the quality of the machining done by the manufacturer, the two systems should be indistinguishable from the profile. The key difference lies in the placement of the recoil grooves and with width of the grooves. MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) grooves are .206” wide and have a center-to-center width of .394”. The placement of these grooves has to be consistent in order for it to be a true “Picatinny” MIL-STD system. Weaver systems have a .180” width of recoil groove and are not necessarily consistent in a center-to-center measurement from one groove to the next. In many instances, a Weaver system has a specific application that it is machined for, so interchangeability is not necessarily an issue. A MIL-STD-1913 system must adhere to the specifications listed above in order for it to be considered MIL-STD, since the military desires uniformity in the recoil grooves to allow for different systems to be mounted on the weapon with no concern for compatibility.
Now, what does this mean to you? Boiled down, it means that accessories designed for a Weaver system will, in most cases, fit on a “Picatinny” system. The reverse, however, is probably not the case. Due to the larger recoil groove, “Picatinny” accessories will not fit a Weaver system. There are, of course, exceptions to every rule, but for a good rule-of-thumb, “Picatinny” won’t fit Weaver, but Weaver will fit “Picatinny”.
BillM
07-14-2011 04:32 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robc10x
(Post 540774)
I did get the threaded shorty
Cute little gun isn't it? The accessories on mine are getting little spendy. The
Burris Fastfire wasn't bad, and the Volquartzsen trigger only set me back
a few bucks. The Liberty Kodiak TL suppressor that's waiting on the
paperwork to come back from ATF is going to end up costing about
twice what I paid for the pistol.:)
Robc10x
07-15-2011 04:57 PM
2 Attachment(s)
Ok thanks for the excellent info. Picked up a chinese browning reflex at the local toy store. fits just fine! Shoots fine too.
orangello
07-15-2011 05:04 PM
Looks very nice!
Robc10x
03-13-2012 10:05 PM
Update: thanks to you all for mentioning the mag safety removal it is now done. I did it myself using the Vol Mk II trigger kit & bushing. Followed some videos I found on the web and voila it is a real pleasure to shoot. It went from "almost on consignment" to "keeper". Mags fly out of the frame, trigger is near perfect, and i dumped the slide lock ball detent to boot. If you have even a modicum of mechanical ability then you really need to do this mod! Thanks again.
BillM
03-16-2012 01:00 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Robc10x
(Post 739245)
Update: thanks to you all for mentioning the mag safety removal it is now done. I did it myself using the Vol Mk II trigger kit & bushing. Followed some videos I found on the web and voila it is a real pleasure to shoot. It went from "almost on consignment" to "keeper". Mags fly out of the frame, trigger is near perfect, and i dumped the slide lock ball detent to boot. If you have even a modicum of mechanical ability then you really need to do this mod! Thanks again.
and get some basepads for your magazines. e-mail Dominic and he
will fix you right up. Available in MANY colors--I have black, my wife's
are purple. You will not believe what a difference they make on the 22/45! | {
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This website contains adult material, all members and persons appearing on this Sukhon Somporn in Thailand have contractually represented to us that they are 18 years of age or older. Navigate to browser's search bar, and click ij site settings button.
Use the "Settings" button to find the Flash settings. Available for both Apple iOs and Google Android.
Somehow Sukhon Somporn in Thailand out that this guy is thief and now she's alone without passport, money and ticket home. Your task is to help Sukhon to earn enough money to get back home. Please Login or Register - it's easy and free.
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Toggle the button to turn it on or off. Available Thhailand both Apple iOs and Google Android. This time she's going to go to Thailand with a few mind-blowing bf.
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They are going to have supreme time of course they'll have lots of hook-up on the shore. But this seems to good to strip sexy pirate accurate and briefly Sukhon finds out this fresh friend of hers is only a burglar Thailahd got off not just with her cash but also along with her passport and maybe even airplane ticket home!
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Music News
Rihanna Performs At 2015 MET Gala | Music News
Not only with her extremely long and yellow dress, did Rihanna catch all the attention at last night’s red carpet at the 2015 MET gala, but also with her performance later that evening, she was an absolute eye-catcher. In a sparkly red dress she performed her latest hit “B***h Better Have My Money”, as well as her older songs “Pour It Up” and “Diamonds”. The performance was short but still very well presented. Extracts from her performance can be watched here. | {
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Born to the Frankish nobility. Monk at the monastery of Saint Martin, Val de Onsera, France. Priest. Captured by Saracen raiders, and taken to the area of modern Spain. He escaped, and became a hermit in the Pyrenees Mountains near Huesca, Aragon. The Ermita de San Úrbez in Huesca is named after him. | {
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Accepting Bitcoin
Would you like to know how to accept bitcoins at your busness? Just curious? Then you are in the right place. As a business owner it is on you to accept the payment method that your cusumer trust. As long as it is finaicailly viable of course.
Pros:
No Fraud – No Chargebacks, all sales are final. Unlike credit cards there are no chargebacks with Bitcoin.
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NewsBTC is one of the largest online resources for Bitcoin and cryptocurrency news. Canada is a World renowned development hub for Bitcoin and FinTech advancements so extending NewsBTC specifically into Canada was a logical step. Having previously been involved in the earlier days of Bitcoin publishing significantly helped with my re-entry into the mix and it is thrilling to be a part of the NewsBTC family in representing Canadian FinTech. | {
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J Mascis: Several Shades of Why
It’s funny to hear J Mascis in his other mode. His reflective, singer songwriter mode where there isn’t even a hint of a guitar solo until track five. It’s not as though he hasn’t dialed it back and gone predominantly acoustic in the past, but this is the guy who practically invented the word “earsplitting.” And then here he is with strings and what I believe is a flute on “Make it Right.” The funny thing is, this quieter, gentler persona fits him too. Where he usually sounds forlorn and rockin’, here he just sort of sounds forlorn. How could he not with his craggy voice and pleading lyrics? Even the little cartoon dude on the album cover looks lonely. I swear on several songs here that he’s about to cover “Here Comes the Sun,” but that would just be silly. Instead he sings in his almost country-ish slack way over mostly picked guitars with melodies that will certainly sound familiar to anyone who has even a couple Dinosaur Jr. albums. He’s at his best when dueting with other artists, as he does on a couple tracks, as his crackle plays well with the interplay of higher, smoother voices (like those of Ben Bridwell from Band of Horses and Kevin Drew from Broken Social Scene) and forms this great sense of fullness. I would have liked to have seen a little more variance between the songs, as acoustic guitar music tends to blend together a little bit, but overall it’s a win for the aging indie guitar god. | {
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Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul's s...word over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Out of the closets and into the museums, libraries, architectural monuments, concert halls, bookstores, recording studios and film... studios of the world. Everything belongs to the inspired and dedicated thief.... Words, colors, light, sounds, stone, wood, bronze belong to the living artist. They belong to anyone who can use them. Loot the Louvre! A bas l'originalité, the sterile and assertive ego that imprisons us as it creates. Vive le sol--pure, shameless, total. We are not responsible. Steal anything in sight.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Nothing is so foolish, they say, as for a man to stand for office and woo the crowd to win its vote, buy its support with presents..., court the applause of all those fools and feel self-satisfied when they cry their approval, and then in his hour of triumph to be carried round like an effigy for the public to stare at, and end up cast in bronze to stand in the market place.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
The Thirties dreamed white marble and slipstream chrome, immortal crystal and burnished bronze, but the rockets on the Gernsback p...ulps had fallen on London in the dead of night, screaming. After the war, everyone had a car--no wings for it--and the promised superhighway to drive it down, so that the sky itself darkened, and the fumes ate the marble and pitted the miracle crystal.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
Prometheus is action. Hamlet is hesitation. In Prometheus the obstacle is exterior; in Hamlet it is interior. In Prometheus the wi...ll is securely nailed down by nails of brass and cannot get loose; besides, it has by its side two watchers--Force and Power. In Hamlet the will is more tied down yet; it is bound by previous meditation--the endless chain of the undecided. Try to get out of yourself if you can! What a Gordian knot is our reverie. Slavery from within, that is slavery indeed. Scale this enclosure, "to dream!" escape, if you can, from this prison, "to love!" The only dungeon is that which walls conscience in. Prometheus, in order to be free, has but a bronze collar to break and a god to conquer; Hamlet must break and conquer himself. Prometheus can raise himself upright, if he only lifts a mountain; to raise himself up, Hamlet must lift his own thoughts. If Prometheus plucks the vulture from his breast, all is said; Hamlet must tear Hamlet from his breast. Prometheus and Hamlet are two naked livers; from one runs blood, from the other doubt.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL »
There arose, glimmering whitely over the harsh scrub and the stunted trees, a noble city, set foursquare and colonnaded along its ...falling flower-bordered terraces. There were splashing fountains, and the sound of flutes; and its citizens moved, grave and beautiful, black and white and brown together; and these groups of elders paused, and smiled with pleasure at the sight of the children--the blue-eyed, fair-skinned children of the North playing hand in hand with the bronze-skinned, dark-eyed children of the South. Yes, they smiled and approved these many-fathered children, running and playing among the flowers and the terraces, through the white pillars and tall trees of this fabulous and ancient city.LESSATTRIBUTION DETAIL » | {
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Kamal's story, and many others, makes it clear that the seizure of Mosul by the IS has manifested into a threat on human rights. This includes the right to practice whichever religion one chooses, should one choose to practice religion. Now, many hope that the new regime in Iraq will follow a path of statesmanship and pluralism, and not mindless sectarianism.
Crowdfunding has been met with skepticism from banks and local government. "They see it as a threat," claims Absi, "they fear it because it could be a way of laundering money or funding terrorism; it's not a comfortable zone for them."
In the long term, both Jordan and Israel will structure their partnership to be one that is devoid of any possible peril... Living apart together, Israel and Jordan are two partners that won't welcome the conflict coming closer to home.
Amnesty claims that authorities are arbitrarily denying entry to the country for Palestinian men, women and children. This unpredictable border policy is leading to some family members being let in, while others are left behind inside Syria.
Palestinians who utilise the border crossings between Israel and Jordan are subject regularly to systematic discrimination. It is surprising, therefore, that Jordan continues to consent to Israel manning shared borders, particularly those of the Jordan Valley and the West Bank.
The greatest threat to Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood lies not in potential competitors, parliamentary limitations, or new regulations, as much as it does in lack of progress within the movement itself...
The Syria crisis may have fallen off the news agenda, but it hasn't gone away. Every month around 100,000 Syrians become refugees. Again and again I was told the humanitarian situation is extremely fragile and critically underfunded, but there was enormous praise for Jordan - not a rich country by Middle Eastern standards, yet it is showing great generosity towards the Syrian people. This is an international crisis on an epic scale. It's a matter of global responsibility - Jordan and the other countries neighbouring Syria should not be bearing the brunt of this alone.
Standing in the shade of olive trees on a hill in north-west Jordan, the peaceful spring afternoon was suddenly shattered. From across the valley came the heavy thud of shelling from Syria's border villages.
For Jordanian forces, the careful monitoring of shared borders remains a necessary externality resulting from the Syrian civil war. In the months to follow, the strict security regulation that takes place beyond the boundaries of George's farm will continue.
It's more than fair to say she's made some bad choices, and been pretty vocal about them... But why does this grant the Twittersphere permission to lay blame at her door? Why do we have zero compassion for a woman who: A) has been cheated on by her husband. And B) is six months pregnant?
Life was better here, the father explained as we settled ourselves on thin mattresses in their living room. The floor was bare; save for a blue UNHCR straw mat, which formed the centerpiece of the dark room, a memento from the road.
Contrary to public perceptions, the majority of Syrian refugees do not live in formal refugee camps like Zaatari and the soon-to open Azrak camp. In fact 80% live in towns and cities in Jordan. These urban refugees have reached the limits of their ability to cope. | {
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Singapore inquest rules American killed himself
SINGAPORE -- A Singaporean judge ruled Monday that an American engineer who was found dead in his apartment last year killed himself, rejecting suspicions by the man's parents that he was murdered because of research into sensitive technology.The inquest into Shane Truman Todd's death has been criticized by Todd's parents, who walked out of hearings earlier this year, saying they had lost faith in the process.Todd's body was found in his Singapore apartment by his girlfriend in June 2012. State counsel presented evidence of links to suicide websites on the 31-year-old's laptop and suicide letters written to family members and loved ones.Judge Chay Yuen Fatt said Monday he found no evidence of foul play, ruling that Todd "committed suicide by hanging himself."Chay recorded the official cause of death as "asphyxia due to hanging" and voiced hopes that Todd's family and loved ones would be able to find closure.Todd's parents have said they believe he may have been murdered over his research in the U.S. into material used to make technology with both civilian and military applications.Todd's father, Rick, left Singapore with his wife, Mary, in May before the inquest ended. He told The Associated Press last week that the family no longer trusts Singapore's legal system."It was apparent that the state was only interested in proving suicide and that was why we left," Todd wrote in an email. "They never interviewed us and it became obvious from the court that they never investigated the possibility of murder."
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Report says access to Bucks hospitals is tougher than ever
Neil Shefferd
A report says that access to hospital services in Bucks is tougher than ever
Healthwatch Bucks surveyed 416 people as part of the findings
Many people commented on a lack of parking spaces and high parking fees at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
A report has revealed that patients in Bucks are finding it harder than ever before to access hospital services.
The report, published by Healthwatch Bucks, concluded that for many residents in the county the stress, anxiety and cost associated with getting to their appointments is a big issue.
The research was carried out by volunteers on behalf of the non-profit consumer organisation, which spoke to 416 people about their experiences of travelling to medical appointments.
The main findings of the report were that:
> Around 80% of people had not heard of any of the transport options and schemes that are available.
> Parking was a major issue, with some respondents arriving up to an hour before their appointments to ensure they could find a parking space.
> Over a quarter of people with no access to a car had a problem with getting to their appointments when relying on public transport, in particular bus services.
> Those living in both rural and urban communities still need further help and more or better publicised transport options.
Many people had issues with the lack of availability of parking spaces and high parking fees at Stoke Mandeville, Wycombe, Amersham and Wexham Park hospitals.
One patient said: “Transport is not an issue for me - it is parking which is the huge problem.”
A patient travelling to Oxford for radiotherapy sessions said: “I found it exhausting.
“The transport would pick me up around 9am for my 11.30am appointment but I would usually have to wait in the unit until about 5pm to be taken home. Then the same thing again the next day.”
On the issue of travel times to hospital the report said: “The longest travel times to hospital can be found north of Aylesbury Vale where in some parishes every single household we surveyed has access to a car.
“There are also some considerable travel times for communities on the east and west sides of the county, such as the South West Chilterns and Chesham.
“For these communities, travel became more difficult when the majority of hospital services were provided from Stoke Mandeville hospital.”
The report also said that 90% of those surveyed travelled by car, either driving themselves or getting lifts with people they knew.
Some took the bus, taxi or train and others went by a combination of car and bus to avoid car parking issues or difficult journeys by public transport.
Just over a quarter of respondents said they had difficulty when relying on public transport.
The biggest issues with bus services were timetable restrictions, bus pass restrictions, bus routes not being near hospitals and connecting buses not always matching up.
Regarding parking the majority of respondents said this was very difficult at hospitals with Stoke Mandeville and Wycombe mentioned frequently during the survey.
People indicated that they would often arrive up to an hour and a half before their appointment just to make sure they have sufficient time to find a car parking space.
People also commented on how expensive they believed the car parking charges were.
Concerns were also raised about where to park when collecting patients who needed support to get to their transport after treatment.
At Stoke Mandeville Hospital people reported that the short stay area was generally full of cars and is also placed at some distance from most of the outpatient clinics, day surgery units and wards.
It was also mentioned there was no covered walkway between the drop off point and the other buildings.
A number of people raised the issue of accessing A&E or other Stoke Mandeville Hospital services when public transport is not available or appropriate and described a range of different problems such as when an injury or illness prevented driving and there were no other drivers in the family, not having enough money to call a taxi to get help after an injury and not meeting the criteria for ambulance transport.
Patient comments on public transport included:
> No pavement between bus stop and pedestrian crossing at Stoke Mandeville Hospital
> Travelling between High Wycombe and Stoke Mandeville Hospital by public transport is very difficult
> No buses into Aylesbury in the early morning so have to take a taxi
> Appointments before 10.30am mean that it is impossible for people to use their bus passes
“Although three quarters of the people surveyed said they did not consider that they had any difficulties in getting to hospital appointments, we recognise there is still more to do for some specific groups of patients.
“We will work with Healthwatch and partners, including the local council and Transport for Bucks, to continue to ensure services are as accessible as possible for patients across Buckinghamshire and make sure people are aware of the options available to them.
“We continue to fund free bus travel for patients, staff and visitors between our main sites, and have recently invested in a major scheme to provide around 400 extra spaces at Stoke Mandeville Hospital.
“If patients wish to explore the options available, they are encouraged to contact www.buckshealthcare.nhs.uk.” | {
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The bill is for saving failing banks. It's most controversial clause is the 'bail in' clause. It stipulates that if the bank you have deposited your money in is not doing well then the government will use your deposited money to save the bank. All your deposits will be wiped out to save the bank.
“Certain misgivings have been expressed in the media regarding ‘bail-in’ provisions of the FRDI Bill,” the statement added. “The provisions contained in the FRDI Bill, as introduced in the Parliament, do not modify present protections to the depositors adversely at all. They provide additional protections to the depositors in a more transparent manner.”
This statement comes against the background of increasing criticism in the media and on social media of the perceived nature of the ‘bail in’ clause, which allows a Resolution Corporation to cancel or modify the liabilities of a failing bank, something analysts have said could extend to bank deposits as well.
“The FRDI Bill is far more depositor friendly than many other jurisdictions, which provide for statutory bail-in, where consent of creditors/depositors is not required for bail-in,” the statement added.
I now get on with my "banking Armageddon amendment" that is under way. Read the post and all the links that I have provided here and you will understand as to how the "kitchen sink" is thrown at you by this Govt.
1. Banks, the world over, get into problems, when the loans advanced by them are not repaid on time, by the borrowers. When the economy is in a slow-down, many of these borrowers go belly up and become NPAs.
2. Normal banking prudence suggests that the banks should auction the assets given by the borrower as security, at the time of taking loans. Generally banks insist on 150% security of the loan amount. For example, if a borrower wants Rs.100 as loan, he has to provide security worth Rs.150 before availing the loan.
3. However, for big borrowers, every norm is flouted and when they become NPAs like that of Anil Ambani in Telecom, you are talking of outstanding dues worth Rs.45,000 Cr. Now the question is, who will replace the funds, that were loaned to him.
4. Today the NPAs of Indian Banks, amount to over Rs.10 Lac-
Cr. Jaitly or Urjit Patel do not give the actual figures. To resue these banks, the Govt. has 2 options. They are called "bail-out", which means the Govt. uses the taxpayers' money to fund the bank. This is very wrong but it has now been happening, quite regularly in India,
5. The other monstrous option is called "bail-in". The is the term that forms the very pivot of this post and has never been resorted to, in our country earlier. Now what is "bail-in". The dictionary meaning of "bail-in" is - "rescuing a financial institution on the brink of failure "by making its creditors and depositors" take a loss on their holdings". A bail-in is an internal process and is the opposite of a bail-out, which is external and handled by Govt. with budgetary allocation.
6. You just deposit your money in a bank as a "Savings Deposit or Fixed Deposit" to use it whenever you want. You have no clue as to how well the bank is managed. Now Modi & Jaitely have got a bill approved by the Cabinet called "The Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill, 2017" and this has now been referred to a Joint Parliamentary Committee before getting it passed in the Parliament.
7. This bill covers "bankruptcy of businesses such as banks and insurance". Financial resolution includes solutions for banks facing ‘imminent’ risk to their viability & their very existence, depending on their capital, asset worth and quantum of NPAs.
8. Now comes the wily Jaitley into the picture. This Bill also introduces the provision for a “bail-in”, whose purpose is to provide capital to absorb the losses of a bank and ensure its survival. Here, survival does not mean safety of depositors’ money, but restoration of capital of the bank. The bail-in empowers the bank to cancel a liability owed by the bank or change the form of an existing liability to another security.
9. In simple words, it means that your savings account balance of Rs.15 lacs, can be reduced to Rs.1 lac, which is mandatory by law. Or they can convert your savings account balance of Rs.15 lacs to a Fixed Deposit, repayable after 5 years, giving you of 5% annual interest.
10. A question may arise in your mind, if such things happen abroad. Certainly yes and in a big way. Cyprus was the first country to the face "bail-in" in 2013. The depositors lost 47.5% of their savings in phase-1. They also had a phase -2. See the report from Cyprus Mail, which screams "Lenders set Bank of Cyprus bail-in at 47.5%" View the link. http://cyprus-mail.com/2013/07/28/le...ail-in-at-475/
11. After this, the G-20 Nations, comprised of Nations that include US, UK, Japan, Germany, France, China, Australia, Canada and others have officially approved this process. Incidentally India is also a part of G-20. View the link. https://www.nestmann.com/its-officia...ins-are-coming
12. When the banks make hefty profit, you don't get anything but when they are into losses, "suppliers & depositors have to lose their money. And the heartless duo of Modi & Jaitley have come up with yet another brutal aspect. Just unbelievable.
13. To recover the money from the defaulters, there is no attempt so far by the Reserve Bank of India to blacklist these entities from getting further loans or prevent their managements from retaining a majority equity stake, as penalty for the huge haircuts (writing off loans) being taken by banks. Ambanis & Essars can go away scott free and we depositors have to clean the toilet.
14. In a nut-shell they are now trying to shift the responsibility of rescuing the "sinking banks" from the Govt. to the Suppliers & Depositors of the Bank. The borrowers can go on a fishing trip. Trust in Banking Industry would be decimated. People would gradually close all their bank accounts and keep their cash under the bed. Bloody madness.
Share this extensively thru' every social media. This bill should not be allowed to become an act.
A lot of people I know are panicking over this . They are wondering if their life savings will be wiped to save their bank if the bank is not doing well .
An online petition asking people to sign against the bill is circulating on Facebook and it has gathered 40000 signatures in 2 days .
Like I said it's easy to fall prey to such cooked up news and circulation of "daily outrage list" .. especially those written up with good english .. typically it comes from a Bong or Tamil guy seen by most as an intellectual "journalist".. or a banker like AAPtard Meera Sanyal.
Same kind of morons are saying RBI released Rs. 350 note over 2 months back.. and that 2000 Rs. note will be withdrawn by Modi on Dec 31st at midnight. You are completely free to believe anything you like..
If the bank is in trouble, you are screwed anyway. On bank I had FDs in had a high interest rate. I enjoyed that for a while and realized the rates were unsustainable and withdrew all my cash leaving the minimum deposit. Soon enough the bank sported one big set of locks.
If the bank is in trouble, you are screwed anyway. On bank I had FDs in had a high interest rate. I enjoyed that for a while and realized the rates were unsustainable and withdrew all my cash leaving the minimum deposit. Soon enough the bank sported one big set of locks.
Pita ji was pursuing recovery of 500-1000 that I had left with the bank. Not sure if that ever came. Now, not sure how this bill will help in such cases. But if AAP is opposing it, it must be good.
Your bank must have been a co operative bank . Government banks are merged into other banks if failing. For example bank of patiala and Hyderabad bank were merged into state bank of India without depositors losing any money.
^^
The only banks which have fallen so far are the cooperative banks or low level banks. The other banks i can think of are Global Trust Bank (Merged into Oriental Bank) and BCCI (bank of commerce and credit international- as crooked as its abbreviation sake cricket body), which was a Pakistani Bank with a lot of peaceful depositors in Mumbai.
__________________
This is quite a game, politics. There are no permanent enemies, and no permanent friends,only permanent interests. - Some Firang | {
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Month: December 2012
At various times throughout church history, Christianity has enjoyed a “home field advantage”; a time when the broader culture was aligned with Christian principles. Times such as the end of the pagan Roman Empire, Europe at the height of the Reformation, Latin America during the rise of Catholicism, and even the volatile Middle East where Christianity was much in the mainstream for the first 600 years after Christ. Of course, a home field advantage can have the downside of a cultural form of Christianity rather than the real thing and abuses under all of these favorable systems are well documented. But as a whole, a culture moving in the general direction of Christian principles and ethics is a good thing.
In the United States, we have enjoyed a more prolonged home field advantage than most nations. From the first Pilgrims to the Great Awakenings to the rise in church attendance following World War II, Christian ethics and morality have been a priority and value in American public life. As a child, I attended public grade school where teachers led prayer before class and there was a general cooperation between society and church and school regarding at least the symbols of Christianity if not always the exact lifestyle.
If you have been paying attention lately, you know that our home field advantage is long gone in this country. Not only are we now the “visiting team”, so to speak, but we are actually more like a resistance movement in Enemy occupied territory. And for believers in the United States, this is an uncomfortable new reality to come to grips with. We are alternately angry, sad, and distraught at the new level of profanity overtaking this country. (Profanity as the opposite of sacred, not as in swearing.) American culture is becoming profane, in the biblical sense, to its core. With in-your-face and over-the-top immorality, violence, sexual confusion, and general mayhem abounding in our movies, television shows, video games, advertisements, and entertainment, in general, and people still have the gall to say that a nativity scene is “offensive”? Are you kidding me?
When we look at the world wide picture, we soon realize that this departure from Christian norms is nothing new. It is as if Satan has annexed the U. S. to his already existing territory. Europe is in a long cold winter of post-Christianity. Africa, despite decades of education and aid, is mired in gender injustice and corruption and continues in the centuries-long tradition of fatalism regarding death, disease, children, and life as a whole. Palestinian believers are squeezed by the Israeli occupation on one hand and the rise of militant Islam in their territories on the other. Even in heavily Catholic Latin America, religious symbols are disappearing. Just this week, I received a Christmas card from a friend in Uruguay in which he commented on this new reality in his country: “Christmas Day” has become “Family Day” and “Holy Week” has become “Tourism Week”. Small change, but multiplied many times over, I don’t think there can be any doubt that Satan has the current home field advantage throughout most of the world.
And to be honest, this has probably, more often than not, been the case throughout the history of the world. (For my overseas friends who are rolling their eyes at this angst of Americans when their present countries have been like this for decades, I apologize. This is new territory to us.) So, should we take our ball and go home and huddle together waiting for the end to come? What are our marching orders in Enemy occupied territory? We will answer that question with a trip to our hymnal, a sci-fi children’s book, and Burkina-Faso, West Africa.
Our marching orders are to proclaim truth and practice love. It is that simple. Jesus said, “Satan was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44). Deception as in “the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9) is Satan’s standard operating procedure. Our defense against this deception that has taken the world captive is the truth. Jesus – the Way, the Truth, and the Life – said, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free” (Jn 8:32).
When the Jews responded with, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”, Jesus continued, “Truly I say to you everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed” (Jn 8:33-36). The message of hope for a “world in the grip of the evil one” (I Jn 5:19) is God’s truth; the truth that sets us free from sin’s power. Truth is not just about knowledge. God’s truth is to experience deep in our core His incredible promise of a life set free from sin’s power.
“And though this world with devils filled should threaten to undo us,
We will not fear for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.
The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him;
His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure;
One little word shall fell him.
That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth.
The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth.
Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also;
The body they may kill; God’s truth abideth still,
His kingdom is forever.”
The word that “fells the devil” is the word of truth, God’s truth. In this world of spiritual and moral confusion, we must consistently present the truth about God, the truth about man, the truth about sin, and the truth about salvation, rescue, and deliverance. One truth that I feel is particularly needed for our day is the promise of power that comes with the new birth. The power of of a new creation, a new nature, a new identity, a new Spirit, and a new heart. The Christian life is not about life improvement, it is about a life brand new; a life of the heart set free.
But our truth must be expressed in love. Love is the antithesis to Satan and the world system he rules. Love is the opposite of Satan’s character and action. Love is the mark of a Christ follower. When we practice love, we not only emulate our Father and His Christ, but we also offer the world something unique, something Satan can never acquire, something over which Satan has no control. When we see our home field advantage disappearing, we are tempted to try to grab it back through political rhetoric, anger, hand-wringing, intimidation, and insult. But these are empty weapons in our war with the devil. Our only weapon of first and last resort is love.
In the children’s sci-fi classic, A Wrinkle in Time, Meg and Charles Wallace go to the planet of Camazotz to search for their missing scientist father. Once there, the young Charles Wallace is captured and eventually captivated by the evil IT. Meg, his tween-age sister, is fended off in her rescue attempt of her brother by Charles declaration that she has nothing, no power, that IT does not already possess. In her back and forth confrontation with Charles and IT, Meg discovers that she does have something to offer. Love. Love is the answer to Charles’ rescue.
Meg’s love set Charles free, and before long they are back in their front yard united with their family. God’s love, shining through us, is our best weapon to help people break free of Satan’s power. “Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (I Jn 3:18).
It’s easy to become discouraged when we see and experience Satan’s world-wide influence. But take courage, the body of Christ is not dead. His literal body sits at God’s right hand interceding for us, His children. And His body on earth – his literal physical representation to the world – is us, His children.
In Burkina-Faso, our daughter and son-in-law clearly landed behind Enemy lines when they settled in the capital city of Ouaugadougou. But rather than be overwhelmed by poverty, gender injustice, and corruption, they stepped back and listened to the voice of their Captain. Annie wrote in a recent email about her desire to assist women in maternal care.
“God is helping me each day to overcome my fears in the reality of the graphic nature of maternal care in the third world. It’s something you have to slowly get used to….not desensitized to, but just “able” to see it, and see through to how to help instead of becoming paralyzed by the overwhelming nature of it all. He works on my heart a little each day as I think and pray more and more about it. When the flood of how big this issue is wants to wash over my heart, I remember God is big, loves each woman on an individual level, and I think about this quote from Mother Teresa:
” ‘I never look at the masses as my responsibility; I look at the individual. I can only love one person at a time – just one, one, one. So you begin. I began – I picked up one person. Maybe if I didn’t pick up that one person, I wouldn’t have picked up forty-two thousand….The same thing goes for you, the same thing in your family, the same thing in your church, your community. Just begin – one, one, one.’ Mother Teresa.”
The power of love is a power unique to the church. It is a power the world knows nothing of and is powerless to stop. It is a power that is being exercised a million times over across the world by your brothers and sisters in Christ. And it is a resistance movement that is literally “destroying the works of the devil” (I Jn 3:9).
May I encourage you? Do not give up hope. We are called not only to keep up our hope, but to be the hope as well. We are the last great hope for this world, not we in ourselves, but “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Col 1:27). Jesus came on that first Christmas as the hope of the world. He has left us – you and me – on this planet to be His physical presence in the world. By virtue of Christ in us, we are the hope of glory for the world.
Merry Christmas from your friend in the resistance movement. Keep the flame alive!
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Last post we focused on the corporate church situation. Now let’s bring this idea of celebrating diversity in the church down to a personal application. If you are like me, certain personalities rub you the wrong way. Certain individuals strike you as difficult people. In my former selfish approach, I usually avoided these people, hiding behind my introvert nature. But by God’s grace, I have opened up to the diverse variety of personalities that are the body of Christ. I have discovered that it is so easy to be blind to our own personality quirks but quick to notice something amiss in others.
Two things have happened as I have moved out of my comfort zone. First, my life has been enriched by this interaction. My church experience has a new fullness as I embrace all the personalities, gifts, and talents that make up the body. I see more value in other’s gifts. Just as we are often most comfortable with folks of our personality bent, we can also slip into the idea that giftedness like ours in not only most comfortable, but actually most valuable to the body. But when I read the Word it becomes clear: the body needs all the gifts.
The second result is that I am now more sensitive to and able to encourage my new friends. Certain personalities on both the quiet and loud end of the spectrum are unfortunately often avoided in our church situations and I believe we should go out of our way to draw these people in. A legitimate and felt need in our community of believers is to “know and be known”. And it is incumbent on us in the church to make sure this is happening. Can I encourage you? Go out of your way to befriend the person God brings in your path. Let your smile, body language, and greeting say, “I am glad you are here. I am glad I saw you this morning. I am glad you are in my life.”
You know, one of the things Jesus was accused of over and over again was that He was too inclusive. Let’s join Him in his inclusive message and actions and celebrate the diversity of His beautiful body – the church!
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In I Corinthians chapter 12, Paul compares the church and its members to the physical body. Paul starts his discussion with this simple comparison. Just as the physical body is one body with many parts, so too the church is one body (of Christ) with many members. And just as with the physical body, each member of Christ’s body is different and gifted for a unique function and contribution to the church. The beauty of it all is that “God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired” (vs 18). God Himself has placed you in the body for a purpose.
To summarize the main points of Paul’s analogy, no part of the body should consider itself inferior to another. Conversely, we should not look down on others as less important than ourselves. And we should not desire to be a part of the body that we are not. Every individual and unique member of the body is crucial to its function. “If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be?” (vs 17) and so on. So crucial is each part that we should never say to another, “I have no need of you” (vs 21). But I wonder if, in subtle and subconscious ways, this is exactly what we say to each other.
As I visit with people, especially young people, across the country, folks are looking for a way to exercise their gifts and talents in the church. They are looking to extend the church’s reach through their various circles of influence. The churches themselves, however, are often going the other direction; streamlining and eliminating ministries in ways that suggest not every gift is needed. For example, when the church choir disappears, what happens to those with the gift of song? When the adult Sunday School classes are dissolved, what happens to those with the gift of teaching? When the service projects go away, what happens to those with the gift of helps? Focusing on doing a few things well is great for businesses, but it does not fit the church, the body of Christ. The church is made up of diverse members with diverse gifts and all should be embraced.
A young missionary working overseas shared with me her joy at being asked by a team of nationals to join them in planting a new church. She has the gift of encouragement and had an integral role in helping the local leaders get their new ministry off the ground. The joy in her voice as she shared her story was unmistakable. Why? Because she had been asked to contribute to the cause of Christ in a specific way that matched who she is. She not only felt needed, she was needed!
My own ministry experience has been marked by great highs and disappointing lows. The highs were generally marked by being asked to do something I was made to do and the lows usually involved serving in an uncomfortable role; not uncomfortable because it was difficult, but uncomfortable because it was not where I felt that I had something to contribute. Maybe it was far from my giftedness or just a place where I was filling a slot and not really feeling needed.
Now, let me make clear, as we mature in the Lord, we move beyond our natural talents and develop ways to serve in all kinds of areas even those we thought tedious. We should always be willing to be stretched by God into new areas of service. We should never become a prisoner of our personality or our own self-evaluation. We should always be open to new challenges and opportunities to serve. But as leaders helping spur our members on to maturity, a good place to start is helping them find their “sweet spot” in the church and develop that avenue of service. | {
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Archive for April 29th, 2008
These are some of the tidepools at Shark’s Cove on the North Shore. These are loaded with fish and crabs and if you’re lucky turtles or a monk seal may show up. During winter months it can be rough so always use caution. When the waves are low its a great place to snorkel. | {
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Genghis Khan's pen as mighty as his sword?
August 23 2004 at 11:45am
Beijing - A Chinese historian says he has evidence that ruthless conqueror and master of the Mongol horde Genghis Khan was as masterful with the pen as he was with the sword.
Historians have long assumed the ancient Mongolian ruler was illiterate, primarily because the Mongolian written language was created in the early 13th century, when Genghis Khan would have been in his 40s and not have had time to learn, the official Xinhua news agency said.
However, Tengus Bayaryn, a professor at China's Inner Mongolia University, announced he had found an "autographic edict" written by Genghis Khan in 1219 inside a book sent to a Chinese Taoist priest, it said.
"The original message, in Mongolian, was written in a unique style and tone and could only have been been drafted by the great ruler himself," Bayaryn was quoted as saying.
A later note penned to the same Taoist scholar read: "I've ordered the ministers to compile a handbook of your lesson and will read it personally," Xinhua said.
"That 'I will read it personally' suggests clearly Genghis Khan could read the Mongolian version of the sermon," Bararyn said.
Genghis Khan, born around 1167, unified disparate Mongolian tribes to create a lethal, horseback fighting force that rode roughshod over China and Central Asia and forged a short-lived empire that reached as far west as Poland and Hungary. | {
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