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Makes a Change
Makes A Change Ltd
Unit 3, The Potteries, Methley Road
Castleford, West Yorkshire WF10 1NJ
07841 070580
Makes a Change is a e-business based in Yorkshire, with a fantastic online shop selling all kinds of fair trade and organic baby products. From clothes to bedding and eco-nappies, Makes a Change stocks all you need to keep your little ones clothed and happy.
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Kitchen apps: The Recipe Project
Recipes set to music. Warning: some accordion…
What is it? Spin-off from a book of the same name which takes recipes from top American chefs and set them to music. That's right, recipes set to music, by a band called One Ring Zero, who have form for this kind of thing. Previous projects include utilising lyrics from novelists as well as songs that illustrate the solar system. Obviously the book is accompanied by a free CD which supplies the tunes, which all seems a bit last century. None of that's involved with an app that's free for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad.
Isn't it a bit irritating? As a satire on the whole 'chefs are the new rock'n'roll' meme, it almost has legs. Enjoyment also depends on your tolerance of accordion.
What about the food? There's a decent recipe search and some good chefs involved. Plus there's a pithy interview with the most music-obsessed chef of all, David Chang. He doesn't sing on his recipe for crab claw, though, which may well be for the best.
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Here are some of the misconceptions you've been labouring under…
It turns out that many of our perceptions about the world are wrong. So what does that say about all the other things we're so sure about?
• The Observer,
• Jump to comments ()
woman stroking cat
'We think our cats need us. It's us who need them': Eva Wiseman on a common fallacy. Photograph: Getty Images/Guido Mieth
We know nothing. Honestly. We think we do, but we don't. An Ipsos Mori survey of 1,015 people aged between 16 and 75 showed that what we know is wrong. Teen pregnancy is thought to be 25 times higher than the official figures. The public thinks that £24 of every £100 of benefits is fraudulently claimed. It's actually 70p. The public thinks that the population consists of 31% immigrants. It's actually 13%. More than half of us believe that violent crime is rising, when really it has fallen significantly, from 2.5m reported incidents in 2007 to fewer than 2m in 2012. I mean. You know? It makes you wonder what else we've got wrong.
We think "the one" is a thing rather than a plot device.
We think our flats look "shabby chic" when really they look like a still from Cash in the Attic.
We think there is hidden meaning in text messages from people we've got off with.
We think our parents are embarrassing. Their conversations with people on neighbouring tables. Their souvenir T-shirts. The way they read text messages with their heads inclined backwards. They're just more comfortable in the world than us. We should be embarrassed by our own discomfort, too shy to send back bad food in Busaba. Too full of self-loathing to ask for directions.
We think we're allergic to wheat. Mate, we're almost 40. We're just getting fatter.
We think people notice if our armpits are badly shaved. As if the texture of our skin has any impact on a stranger's day.
We think our emails are being read. And we don't care.
We think if we learn to cook, remember to ask how people's weekends were, and wear contact lenses, then everybody will like us.
We think if we don't sleep with them for a month then they'll fall in love with us.
We think we're going to read all those colour supplements under the coffee table.
We think we're being funny when we talk in young people's language.
We think we're going to die in a dramatic accident. But no, it'll be cancer. It'll be quick, then slow. We know that really.
We think our cats need us. It's us who need them.
We think the internet is a big Blockbuster video in San Francisco. When in fact, of course, it's a franchise. They have a little outpost at the back of every Londis piled high with twice-recorded VHS tapes and leaflets. That's the internet.
We think glass is liquid. Of course it's not, it's glass. Durr.
We think we're depressed. We just get a bit sad sometimes.
We think we're too young to feel like this. We're too old to think we're too young.
Email Eva at Follow Eva on Twitter @EvaWiseman
Today's best video
Today in pictures
Eva Wiseman's take on the week.
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I'm having breakfast with Ken Russell, Leo Sayer and H from Steps. Ken, still in his dressing gown, looks a bit befuddled. Last night, Danielle, who used to be Miss Great Britain but was stripped of the title (for going out with Teddy Sheringham, apparently), saw Ken's todger. There's no sign of Danielle yet today. H complains that Ken snored in the night. It was a big old day for H yesterday: he came out, as well as coming in, though I'm not convinced how in he was in the first place. Leo, meanwhile, seems to be terrified of silence; so he fills it, constantly, with his own voice. The man just talks all the time, total nonsense, about himself.
The others are probably just waking up in the other room. That must be the weirdest part of Celebrity Big Brother (Channel 4, E4) - waking up the first morning. Strange room, where am I? Who am I? Who are these people, some of whom (not very many to be honest) look vaguely familiar. Oh Christ, that's right, I remember now, I agreed to wake up on national television for the rest of January.
It's difficult to know how well this cast is going to work at this stage. Disappointingly, despite all the rumours, there is no Robert Kilroy-Silk - he would have been this year's Galloway. Ken Russell's too old and distinguished to fill that role, and anyway, I think Danielle's going to end up falling in love with him.
Faceman from The A-Team is a nice touch. And I like the way Jermaine Jackson thinks he's on such a higher level that he won't even speak to any of the others. He also looks as if he's made of plastic, a giant Thunderbirds puppet. Weirdest, though, is the woman from the Sunday Mirror - I'm not even going to write her name because you know the first thing she's going to do when she comes out is an archive search on herself, to see how much has been written about her and how famous she's become, and I'm not going to give her the pleasure. Anyway, Karen(!), I was asked, too. We all were, but we're too classy to go on. You were the last on the list. And you'll be first out, too, wait and see.
Tomorrow, a family moves in, and adopts one of this lot. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it was the Windsors? I'd love to see Philip adopting Donny Tourette. But the rumours are pretty strong on this one - it's the Goodys. Not Tim Brooke-Taylor etc, but Jade and her family. That might be amusing.
Can we really be bothered, though? It's so soon after the jungle. And even the theme tune makes you groan now. Shouty Davina, too. Hmm . . . I bet I do get involved though. If only to find out whether Bollywood beauties fart.
Can Green Wing (Channel 4) survive being stretched to feature length? Oh yes. And if that really is the last one, it deserves an exalted place in TV comedy history. It's the funniest thing on telly by a mile. I know I said exactly that about The Thick of It. But that was two days ago, and this is today, and anyway, it's my job to be wrong and change my mind. Actually, they're both the funniest things - but in completely different ways. The Thick of It is clever-funny, Green Wing is mad-funny.
This one somehow, incredibly, managed to be moving as well. There were so many gems, it's hard to pick them out. Mac telling Guy what he's dying of was good ("Clue: it has an A in it, and an E in it." "Acne! You're dying of acne?"). Martin's weird and deeply inappropriate mime thing at Angela's funeral was quite special. As were the admin women running riot.
But this was really the Statham and Joanna show. On the run (for murdering a dwarf, remember) in a stolen campervan, they rustle sheep and hold up village shops. The unintentional killing spree continues - a mechanic, a policeman, the shop lady ("Oh my crikey, I've sat on her to death!"). They do their horrid sex thing on a cliff top - Statham humping away like a piston, from lots of different, and again inappropriate, angles while Joanna smokes boredly. And then, when there appears to be no solution to their predicament, they do a sad and beautiful little dance on the beach, before taking their clothes off and walking towards the sea. I was almost crying by then.
Mark Heap and Pippa Haywood, who play them, have been the shining lights in an already glittering show. They, and it, will be sorely missed.
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Westminster digested: it's reshuffle time!
Dave is thinking of shuffling the deck. But who's for the chop?
Cameron: I've been thinking about having a bit of a reshuffle ...
Osborne: Not me, I hope, Cams ...
Cameron: Good God no, Ozzy. You've been doing an absolutely splendid job. The economy has never been in better shape, what with tax revenues tanking and the deficit increasing ...
Osborne: I'm so glad you see it that way. I'm here to serve. So who is for the chop?
Cameron: It can't be Govey, Hague, Heremy Junt, Lansley or Theresa.
Osborne: Why not?
Cameron: Because they've been doing almost as good a job as you. I promised the voters a "Britain fit for austerity" and that's what I've delivered.
Osborne: How about some of the Lib Dem idiots then?
Cameron: The Cleggster would kick up rough. Do you know that nearly half his party want him to stay on as leader?
Osborne: That many?
Cameron: Incredible, isn't it? Just goes to show you should never underestimate the stupidity of the Lib Dem grassroots. No, I was thinking of getting rid of that old fool Ken Clarke. His Hush Puppies look awfully common.
Clarke: Well, I'm not going.
Cameron: You are if I say so.
Clarke: No, I'm not. You can't make me.
Cameron: Don't make this too difficult for me, Ken. All the papers say I have got to have a reshuffle to make it look as if I have a strong grip on power, but everyone is either too useless to sack or refusing to go. At this rate, the only person I will be able to boot out is Caroline Spelman ...
Clarke: Who is she?
Cameron: I'm not entirely sure. But are you sure I can't tempt you to step down?
Clarke: Absolutely. Now just run along, you silly little boy.
Cameron: Right, OK. But just so we know who's in charge here ...
Clarke: Couldn't be clearer ...
Cameron: So I'm just off to do some really important stuff, like choose what honours our Olympic athletes are going to get ...
Hague: Grave news sire! Ecuador has invaded Knightsbridge.
Cameron: Chillax. I'm sure it's only there for the start of the Harrods sale.
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Frank M. Andrews, DVM, MS, Dipl. ACVIM
Articles by Frank Andrews
Fever Leading to Gastric Ulcers in a Young Horse
How Do Horses Get EPM?
Find out the most common way horses contract equine protozoal myeloencephalitis, or EPM. Read More
Can Exercise Help an EPM Horse?
Find out what kind of physical exercise might help improve a horse with equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Read More
Gastric Ulcers in Horses: Frugal Management
I have just had two sale horses diagnosed with grade 2 ulcers. They were tested due to seriously impaired perf Read More
Gastric Ulcer Research
Gastric ulcer disease is a serious health problem in horses resulting in colic, poor performance, and pain. The term equine gastric ulcer syndrome (EGUS) describes erosions and ulcerations occurring in the lower portion of the esophagus, Read More
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51656
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You are here
Autograph letter to William Hayley
Primary tabs
William Blake
Autograph letter, signed, dated 12 March 1804, to William Hayley.
MA 6334
Item description:
Hayley, a prominent poet and patron, offered the Blakes a cottage at Felpham on the southern coast of West Sussex. In this rural environment, so different from his urban London, Blake worked for three years, until autumn 1803. This letter, written from London in early 1804 to report that engravings for Hayley's biography of the visionary British poet William Cowper (1731–1800) were not quite ready to be delivered, contains Blake's description of his work. "Engraving is Eternal work; the two plates are almost finish'd. . . . I curse & bless Engraving alternately, because it takes so much time & is so untractable, tho' capable of such beauty & perfection."
The engravings under discussion appeared in Hayley's Life and Posthumous Writings of William Cowper, Esq., 1803–4.
About this exhibition:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51756
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Top Tweets from SXSW Eco, Day 1 [Updated]
SXSW Eco is now in full swing and so is the hashtag #SXSWEco. Here are a few of the best so far. If you are here in Austin, TX with the rest of us, remember to hash your tweets! And check back later today for more Top Tweets.
Getting Started
SXSW Eco kicked off with a little love from TED. Go TEDx!
Lyn says it best, "Always bet on #Green." Thanks, Lyn.
Want to know just how green Austin is? Keep tabs on it with the Austin Chronicle. Get more info here.
South-By is getting greener by the second, like this new Rainforest Partnership. Woot!
The Nature Conservency is here too, tweeting away. Follow them for the latest and greenest news too. Or check out
Glad to see industry here making waves too. Every little bit helps. Go Dell!
The Keynote Address
Alex Steffen, of World Changing fame, delivered South-Bys keynote address and pretty much took over the #SXSWEco hashtag. 350 please!
You won't believe what causes carbon emissions. Everything!
On tackling climate change... See the tweet here.
When comparing public transport and driving a car, you cannot only consider emissions. People use those transportation forms differently. What do you use?
Walking increases your lifespan... See the tweet.
As always, it comes down to smart design. See the tweet here.
I think we need a drill-sharing program, like Zipcar for tools? See the tweet here.
The Panels
They say children are our future, but this tweet went everywhere. I think Whitney Houston got it wrong. See the tweet here.
And if you didn't know this already, we need to stop using coal! See the tweet here.
K. I. S. S. Say it with me...keep it simple, stupid! See the tweet here.
You are what you eat...and what you grow, and what you use... See the tweet here.
Solar bike + DIY = awesomeness! See the tweet here.
Tags: SxSWEco
New to TreeHugger?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51781
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Kenan & Kel
Season 3 Episode 8
Attack Of The Bug Man
Aired Saturday 8:30 PM Nov 28, 1998 on Nickelodeon
out of 10
User Rating
19 votes
By Users
Episode Summary
Who was the Episode MVP ?
No results found.
No results found.
No results found.
Rondell Sheridan
Rondell Sheridan
Officer McWiggins
Guest Star
Blas Lorenzo
Blas Lorenzo
Guest Star
Kevin Shinick
Kevin Shinick
Guest Star
Alexis Fields
Alexis Fields
Sharla Morrison
Recurring Role
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
• TRIVIA (1)
• QUOTES (7)
• Off. Minisoti: I'm thirsty! Dou you guys have any orange soda?
Kel: Who loves orange soda?
Off. Minisoti: Officer Minisoti loves orange soda!
Kel: Is it true?
Off. Minisoti: I do, I do, I do-ooo-ooooooo!
Kel: 'Aint that the truth!? (Kel and Minisoti dancing sheerly)
Kenan and Off. McWiggins: (Shouting) Will you stop it!? (Pause and look at each other with confusion)
• Sheryl: Okay boys, we're going to Pizza Farm. Let's go!
Kenan: No, no, no. We can't leave now... we're in the middle of the game!
Kyra: Wow, Kenan, you're getting woofed!
Kenan: I'm stagin' my comeback! Would y'all just go ahead and I'll meet you when I win.
Kel: (in a singing voice) Except you're not gonna win.
• Kel: Oh my! All my penguins are dyin' of heat! (picks up a penguin figurine) Are you okay Memphis? (picks up another) Lady? (and another) Joseph?
Kenan: Man, stop worryin'!
Kel: What do you care? You don't have any penguins left, anyway.
• Kel: Oh yeah! Pizza Farm, yeah, i'd love some, whoo! Wait a minute... what about Penguin Hunter? Pizza Farm... Penguin Hunter... Pizza Farm... Penguin Hunter... pizza, hunter, and the pizza and the farm, pizza and hunter and the farm... aww, Kenan! What are we gonna do?
• Kenan: Oh Kel, Kel, Kel. Naive and destined-for-trouble Kel.
• Kel: Kenan, you're out of orange soda.
Kenan: That's impossible, we just put some in the refrigerator.
Kel: Yeah and you're out of them too.
• Kyra: You let ALL our stuff get stolen?
Kenan: No, not all our stuff, just the downstairs...
• NOTES (0)
• ALLUSIONS (0)
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Season 2 Episode 3
The Jacket
Aired Thursday 9:00 PM Feb 06, 1991 on NBC
out of 10
User Rating
281 votes
By Users
Episode Summary
The Jacket
Jerry splurges on an expensive new suede jacket, but the colorful inner lining leaves something to be desired. When Elaine does Kramer a favor, Jerry and George get stuck alone with Elaine's intimidating, curmudgeonly father.
Who was the Episode MVP ?
• superb
What I liked: Lawrence Tierney as Elaine's dad, George having that song from Les Miserables stuck in his head, Elaine's dad singing the same song at the end of the episode, Elaine telling Jerry her dad thinks George is gay because he "thinks everyone's gay her dad not letting Jerry wear his new jacket inside out because it was pink, etc.
Pretty funny episode from the show's second season. I laughed at a lot of things and thoroughly enjoyed it. B+/A- as my final grademoreless
• Highlight from the Second Season
In this episode; Jerry buys a classy suede jacket before a big meeting with Elaine's intimidating novelist father. When Elaine doesn't show up; Jerry and George spend a painful amount of time with the scary Alton Benes until it's time to leave up then it starts snowing and with Jerry's jacket being suede.........
As far as plot goes; this episode is very skeletal with the episode revolving around Jerry and George being stuck with the tough guy until Elaine finally arrives; her story of why she was so late would've made for a fine sub - plot but it was only told through the fleeting words of Elaine as so many of her stories have been in the early seasons.
The episode is definitely funny with Kramer stealing the few scenes he's in, the running gag of George and the song "Master of the House" but overall watching the triangle of terror between Elaine's Dad, Jerry and George is side - splitting. If none of that appeals to you then you can take time in guessing exactly what the price of the jacket was; their reactions to it should give you some clues.
This episode is jam - packed with good performances; Jerry and George give convincingly terrified performances (apparently their fear was genuine as Lawrence Tierney was a threatening presence on set) and do a great comedy duo - type routine. Lawrence Tierney appears slightly uncomfortable in the show as comedy was never his thing but after a few minutes you mirror the feelings of Jerry and George. Julia Louis - Dreyfus and Michael Richards are given basically cameo roles but they both light up in them.
This episode isn't the best of the series or even the second season but it contains hilarious moments and is a breakthrough for the show so can safely be called a classic.moreless
• …with an unblemished record of staunched heterosexuality
'The Jacket' is a great episode full of wonderfully written jokes and less emphasis on plot that the previous shows tried. Although still lacking in some areas, and not quite hitting the nail on the head with the gags, the show is nevertheless evolving, taking form into something witty and intelligent.
The plot of the episode is notably thin, but as a result leaves lots of room for drawn-out uncomfortable scenes where such is needed, which strengthen it as a whole. Perhaps the best example of this is during Jerry and George's meeting with Alton Benes (Elaine's father) in which the two are completely out of their comfort zone; intimidated and frightened by the man's passive-aggressive nature. Jerry and Jason both play the parts wonderfully, being utterly convincing and hilarious in their awkwardness. Tierney completes the triangle and delivers a performance both utterly amusing and yet convincingly threatening all the same.
The limited scenes with Kramer and Elaine work well, using both characters but I'm starting to get a little tired of Elaine's usual shelving to mere dialogue recaps rather than anything visual. I understand that there simply isn't enough time in one episode to show everything that she talks about, but it's undeniably frustrating when it happens over and over. As usual though both cast members do a great job with what they're given, with Richards as usual stealing any scene that he's in- check out that curious desire for Jerry's old jacket!
In the end, a strong episode from season two; not quite as funny as some previous episodes, but is certainly memorable and distinct from the rest. With great performances, a wonderful guest character and the lots of Jerry's mundane every-day life philosophy, 'The Jacket' is great entertainment.moreless
• A great episode showing the stark difference in generations. Elaine's father is old school; strong and gruff; Jerry and George are intimidated out of their skin.
I love the intimidation of the WW II veteran--a Man's Man--and the metro-sexuals Jerry and George. Great stuff. A great episode showing the stark difference in generations. Elaine's father is old school; strong and gruff; Jerry and George are intimidated out of their skin.
Jerry and George hiding in the bathroom and being afraid to go back out and encounter the man is super. Wish this character had been in a couple of more episodes. He is right up there with Jack Klupkus but for entirely different reasons. "Pipe down chorus boy" is a great line and it stops George right in his tracks.moreless
• My all-time favorite episode
Most started watching "the Show About Nothing" in the series' middle years, but I believe that 'Seinfeld' was at its best in the begining, although it remained the greatest sitcom of all time until its end.
'The Jacket' is a great example of the overall greatness of the first few seasons. 'The Jacket' is my favorite episode for many reasons. First of all, it introduces us to Alton Benes, Elaine's dad, an imitading presence whose effects are felt by the veiwer as well as Jerry and George.
Second of all, who hasn't been able to relate to Jerry's story about getting something new and not being able to put it down or take it off?
Now, this is a sitcom, so comedy plays an important part in this as well. It's full of funny moments, both obvious (like George's constant singing, another relatable story) and subtle (like Geroge grabbing Jerry's sleeve, only to have it yanked away). Kramer's story plays a part in the main story in typical 'Seinfeld' fashion, and the ending is just hilarious.moreless
Watch Online
Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions
• TRIVIA (8)
• QUOTES (11)
• Mr. Benes: Are you working?
Mr. Benes: Pendant, those bastards!
Mr. Benes: Drivel.
George: Maybe some parts.
Mr. Benes: What parts?
George: The drivel parts.
• Jerry: This jacket has completely changed my life.
• Mr. Benes: Pipe down, chorus boy.
• Elaine: My father thinks George is gay.
Jerry: Because of all the singing?
Elaine: No, he pretty much thinks everyone is gay.
• NOTES (1)
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Robbie Amell and Madeleine Mantock Robbie Amell and Madeleine Mantock
Stephen forgot the first rule of Fight Club being a Tomorrow Person: Don't let anyone find out about your superpowers!
After helping to save one of his classmates a few weeks back on The Tomorrow People, Stephen (Robbie Amell) teleported away from the train tracks just when Astrid (Madeleine Mantock) drove up. But when she confronted him, he lied to her face, causing a rift between Stephen and his only human friend. Has Stephen's big secret been blown?
The Tomorrow People's Luke Mitchell on John's game-changing secret
"She thinks she knows, but when you see someone teleport, you don't really know," Amell tells "Your mind won't let you believe that it's true. There's a very big talk about it in [Wednesday's episode]. We try and become friends again."
Astrid's cold reaction to his lie caused quite a stir for fans online, according to Mantock. "I've seen a lot of people saying, 'Astrid is so stupid!' They're calling her 'Pain in the Astrid,' which I love, I thought that was really clever," Mantock says. "They're annoyed with the way she reacted. They thought she was quite cold and not very understanding. Now she's actually seen him disappear and she wants him to explain himself and he lies. She really doesn't know how to take this. She's a bit put out that he's not been honest with her when he should've been."
That chasm growing between them will become even larger on Wednesday (9/8c, The CW) when the homecoming dance comes around. "He does come and try to make amends," Mantock says. "It's homecoming at high school, so there's a will-they-won't-they about whether or not they'll go together." But when it looks like Astrid may get stood up, she'll go to great lengths to unearth Stephen's secret that will put her in a dangerous position. (Read more about that here!)
Stephen will continue to walk a fine line with his secret after trying, and failing, to reveal it to Astrid in the pilot. "It's the superhero syndrome," Amell says. "Even though I've already tried to tell her before, now I can't tell her because the closer she gets and the more she knows, the more danger she's in. It's the Lois Lane thing. She can't know my other life and my super powers, but I'm sure it's just a matter of time."
VIDEO: What's next for The Tomorrow People?
If Astrid is Lois Lane, what does that make Cara (Peyton List)? "Cara is like the Wonder Woman," Amell jokes. "They have this connection ever since the first episode when she was inside his head. She was the person who talked him through this terrible time. You find out more in the next few episodes that there is something deeper, something that they can't explain, there's some sort of connection between the two of them."
Still, Amell doesn't rule out Stephen and Astrid's chemistry. "Astrid is the best friend," he says. "If movies and television have taught us anything, it's that the best friend is probably the one he ends up with. There's a definite chance for either one. There's already the relationship between Cara and John [Luke Mitchell], so it's a love rectangle."
Just don't expect Stephen and Astrid to get together anytime soon. "Stephen has other offers," Mantock says. "Newer people are in his life who may be a little more interesting than Astrid at the moment. But there are a few potential suitors for Astrid."
Who do you think may fill that position for Astrid? Russell (Aaron Yoo) is single! Hit the comments with your guesses!
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Top Definition
what i would very much like to say to George H. W. Bush
Oh my god why did Bush get re-elected? can't i just say bye bye to that dumbass hick?
by yungbuck4ever April 28, 2007
2 more definitions
When something you say can go both ways, either good or bad, like a bisexual.
Alex: Hey, I'm Bout to have this one girl come to my house, but I never met her before.
Mike: Really? Are you nervous?
Alex: I dont know man its a bye bye.
by Alex Palmieri March 09, 2009
baby, infant, newborn -bye bye to your time, money, quiet, corvette, stratocaster, etc ...hello to slavery and ego pump!
we had our bye bye and did some trading: good bye to our, money, time, quiet, things...-hello to us as saviors!
by michael foolsley December 02, 2009
Free Daily Email
Emails are sent from We'll never spam you.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51809
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A cheap store that looks like a bomb went off in it. Its a place where you can buy cheap clothes, but can only find one of each item, because everything is so disorganized and out of place.
If you do happen to find something you like (which is close to impossible), check it thoroughly, because it probably has a hole in it or something has been spilled on it, dont think you got a good deal on 12 shirts for a dollar.
This store is also filled with tons of people that have 6 kids and are all running around and left unattended.
i was gonna buy some jeans that a found for a buck in the silverware department at Ross, but they were missing the zipper.
Ross is such a cheap store.
by jeordiewwhite July 04, 2008
a horrid little person who picks on younger people because they think their perfect
"look at that kid's hair, eww mines alot better"
"your such a ross"
by jinglebells939393 February 08, 2010
This name is usually a short, ugly, fat kid that has no friends.
A kid with the name Ross
by Dumb Aseee February 07, 2011
Adjective originated from miami rapper, "Rick Ross". Ross can be used to replace any adjective in a part of speech. Depending on the subject and context of the conversation, "Ross" can be a negative word, or a positive word. A person can almost always tell whether "Ross" is a positive or negative adjective, by what the person using the word is describing.
Person 1: "Dude, that party was fuckin ross!"
Person 2: " I don't know man, i thought it was pretty bunk"
Person 1: "What!? there's science homework? thats fucking ross..."
Person 2: "tell me about it.."
by Ryan J C November 23, 2007
a definate fag who skips school for no apparent reason and is gay in every way possible because he eats thin mints.
That guys such a ross.
by em29 March 08, 2010
Something very white.
Normally used as reference of a car, but can also be used to decribe other white objects.
Rapper, Rick Ross' lyric from "Hustlin"
Who the fuck you think you fuckin' with, I'm the fuckin' boss/
Seven forty-five, white on white that's fuckin' Ross/
by JHOSS April 29, 2007
an extremely weird fellow who likes to have sex constantly everyday. if he doesnt get sex he then deficates on his partners chest. he also is allergic to condoms and has made it possible to get a man pregnant. he also grunts and moans whie sex. when he's taking a break he gets errections from thinking of windex.
that ross guy wants to never stop the sex and its starting to hurt.
by sammyjammy January 17, 2009
Free Daily Email
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Giant Cannibal Tiger Shrimp Are Taking Over U.S. Waters
By: kholmes / May 2, 2012
There’s a new kind of sea creature causing scares in American waters.
Scientists have discovered an invasive species of Asian Tiger Shrimp to be multiplying in alarming numbers.
Asian Tiger Shrimp were found to have increased in population 10 times from 2010 to 2011. These shrimp can grow up to 13 inches long and have been known to prey on young of their own kind.
Currently, the species of prawn has been found in waters from North Carolina to Texas. They are native to Asia and Australia and are not uncommon to human consumption.
Watch out Red Lobster
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51860
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Posts tagged "Wentworth Miller"
16 Celebrities You Didn’t Know Were Black
Celebrities seem to be keeping more and more to themselves about their personal life. It seems as though the issue of race and/or ethnicity ha…
Movies & TV
3 Hot Films of Comic Con 2010: Resident Evil, Red & Tron 2 (VIDEO)
The audience may have long left the building of the San Diego Convention Center where the 2010 Comic Con was held, but the preview…
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Hello in the first place. I may have posted this in the wrong section but still, can anyone please explain how can i create buy now/pay now button on skrill.com? I want to sell online ( paypal does not support merchant service in my country) and as i guess my only option is skrill ( also known as moneybookers), but I can't create any buy button.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51925
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liquid nitrogen Articles
The Path To Science Is Marked By Explosions
We all love explosions, right? I bet that love of explosions came from science. Building a vinegar/baking soda volcano was probably the coolest experience you ever had as a child. Unfortunately, the allure of such childish explosions wears off with …
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51931
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Health knowledge made personal
Join this community!
› Share page:
Could I be pregnant?
Posted by mandydawn5690
Hi I'm 22 years old. i have already had my period november 27-29 its unusual to last only three days when it usually lasts a week. i had unprotected sex December 2 and since the day after which is December 3 i have had cramps everyday and they are like pms cramps (i dont start till December 24), so far i have had cramps, headaches, dizziness, increased appetite, peeing a lot since yesterday, constipation, bloating, and i feel bubbles in my belly all the time, i cant lay on my belly when i used to sleep like that i cant now, acne, cotton mouth like i always have to have something to drink because my mouth is so dry, i also have a thick white discharge it dont smell and it dont make me itch it also just started 3 days ago, and i have already taken a pregnancy test at the clinic and it was negative but the nurse said it was still too soon the tell i mean i feel pregnant but im not sure so my question is could i be pregnant?
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Credit: Richard Cartwright/ABC Television Group © 2011 Disney
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Grey's Anatomy
Will Patrick Dempsey and Ellen Pompeo Be Back For Season 9?
Rumor has it that ABC has just begun negotiations with Grey’s Anatomy’s original cast members, to try and get them all back for Season 9. The “originals” as of now include: Patrick Dempsey (Derek Shephard), Ellen Pompeo (Meredith Grey), Sandra Oh (Cristina Yang), Justin Chambers (Alex Karev), Chandra Wilson (Miranda Bailey), Donald Pickens, Jr. (Richard Webber).
TV Line speculates that Dempsey may only agree to return for a number of episodes for Season 9, meaning that he — and possibly Ellen — will start to phase out of the show as a whole.
We remember when it was announced that Katherine Heigl (Izzie Stevens) wouldn’t return for Season 7, and that T.R. Knight (George O’Malley) would end his run after Season 5 — at the time, their absences felt like a big deal.
But, as we head into Season 9 next fall, it’s become easier to imagine life at Seattle Grace-Mercy West without the big fish. Lexie Grey (Chyler Leigh) and Owen Hunt (Kevin McKidd) are veritable characters in their own right, not to mention Mark Sloan (Eric Dane) and Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez). Would life really be any less dramatic if Grey’s lost its main players?
Source: TV Line
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51950
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I followed the sofmod guide for 3.1 to 4.1 and once i was done i wanted to get the usb loader gx and the wbsf manager so i downloaded the files and put it on my sd card. Now on the wii i used the wad manager to install the wads first right?
After that on the homebrew app menu there is the Cios222 installer. Do i need to install that for it to work? Also is there a guide for that specific setup cause i dont want to mess up.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/51951
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Edit Article
Didn't you ever wonder if you could become as good as those singers on TV or on the radio, such as Beyonce, Michael Jackson, Katy Perry, and other entertainers? Didn't you ever think to yourself and say that they have such good talent? Did you wonder if you want to become a singer, or even improve on your high notes? Read this article to help realize your dreams!
1. 1
Go to singing clubs. It helps you to communicate with other people who're interested the same hobbies as you.
2. 2
Sing everyday, everywhere. Sing to your mirror or your dog! Singing everyday helps you to get used to it, and your voice starts to get better everyday. Hiding your voice keeps it dry. Consequently, your voice wouldn't seem comfortable when you sing out loud to people.
3. 3
Watch singing videos. Dancers watch other dancers, authors read other authors and footballers watch other footballers. That's how you learn and get better ideas, and sometimes you can steal a little bit of theirs. However, you need to twist them around and make them to yours so that people won't think your fully copying them.
4. 4
Write songs. When you write songs, it actually makes sense. You get what I mean? Randomly singing anything doesn't seem right. At least spend thirty minutes of your day, writing a song and singing it. The singers you see out there spend their whole day writing ONE song! Phew. So imagine you, not even using half your DAY writing a bunch of lyrics.
5. 5
Take warm-ups. For an example: Breath in, breath out. Hold your breath for ten seconds.
6. 6
Don't be afraid! Sing in front of a few people! This will build up your courage and sing better
7. 7
Make sure to practice!!! (AT LEAST AN HOUR A DAY)
8. 8
After a few practices, try to get advice from a professional.
9. 9
Be CONFIDENT and Sing your heart out!!!!!
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Don't say: Eat more fats.
• Drink a lot of water.
• Don't be shy! All you're doing is singing. Nobody will laugh at you. People only laugh at the ones who are wimps, and aren't able to give a try.
• The support also will also help you with:
• Pitch control
• Nice ending on all tones
• Tone improvement
• Relaxation
• Volume
• Play your voice like an instrument. BUT that doesn't mean you can hurt your voice! Keep it calm and slow. When you think your able to complete the hard bits, challenge your self.
• Don't hurt your voice. A common mistake for those of us who haven't had a teacher when learning to sing, is that you don't get the technique right. The big difference between your voice and other instruments is that you can end up hurting your voice big time if you do it all wrong. You can think of it as in body building. Lets say a body builder wouldn't warm up before lifting a lot of heavy weights. That doesn't seem too smart. Now it's the same with your voice!
• Improve your pitch and ear. This can not be forgotten or ignored. Many people don't train their ears because it might seem boring or hard. Ear training can be fun if you want it to be. The best singers in the world have great ears and that's why they can sing so beautifully. Ear training is all about listening and analysing. It's a good idea to do some ear training exercises everyday for 10 minutes or so and you will improve everything in both your singing and your ear. Trust me on this one. There are lots of great and free ear training sites too so don't excuse yourself by saying that your don't know how to do it.
• When you make a sound or sing a tone air comes up and your vocal cords vibrate. What your support do is that it stops the airflow so that all air won't come up at once. That's why it should be a resistance and almost constant. If you want to sing a beautiful tone you wouldn't want it to be very airy and end almost instantly?
• Learn from other singers.
• Don't scream while singing. It just makes things worse. Sing the same volume like as if you're softly speaking to somebody.
• Use your support. Put you hands against the side of your body just underneath your ribs. Try coughing or singing an SSS-sound. Feel how the muscles move your hands out. There your have your support which should be used in all singing. The difficulties with using your support is that it should be a constant resistance and not something you turn on or off. To understand this we have to understand why we need our support in the first place.
• It's always good to sing in front of your parents, siblings or girlfriend/boyfriend. They could give you good feedback on what you need to improve on. If they say something you don't like, tell them! You're a human-being too. But if it's something you need to do, do it. Singing celebrities get feedback as well as you.
• Have your hands to your side every time you start singing for at least 5-10 minutes to see that you're actually using it.
• Take your time and don't strain your voice. Also, record yourself! You may not like what you hear, but that's how you sound to everyone else. And you will know how you need to improve!
• Write songs.
• Practise practise and practise is the key.
• How does it work?
• It's important for you to know that singing shouldn't hurt! Take this with you and you're halfway there. If you try sing a song and it hurts, you're doing something wrong. Don't continue at this point because it will hurt your throat and vocal cords. Stop instead and examine what it can be that you're doing wrong. Just by knowing this you can save yourself from a lot of troubles.
• Remember, not everybody is naturally a good singer. If you aren't, don't expect to be absolutely amazing at first. It will take a lot of work so be ready and determined and whatever you do... don't give up!
Article Info
Categories: Singing
In other languages:
Español: volverte un buen cantante, Русский: стать хорошим певцом, Italiano: Diventare un Bravo Cantante, Português: se Tornar um Bom Cantor
Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 54,870 times.
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Skip to definition.
Noun: risk of infection
1. The probability of becoming infected given that exposure to an infectious agent has occurred
- risk
Derived forms: risks of infection
Type of: chance, probability
Encyclopedia: Risk of infection
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Opinion: Supreme Court Bows to EPA Overreach
4/30/2014 1:43PM
Editorial Board Member Joe Rago on the Supreme Court decision that reinstates the Environmental Protection Agency’s cross-state pollution rule. Photo credit: Getty Images.
... I ... I ... the ... Concerto I'm Mary Kissel ... The Protection Agency was a victory at the Supreme Court yesterday ... I do with cross state pollution Rules what's the broader lesson here I've got editorial board member Joe radio show ... what looks to start with this wall what what exactly does it did the Supreme Court allowed the EPA did it ... right will you look at the the cleaner come and in store called contacts in the nineteen seventies loves updated in ... the nineties but it still it still retains is kind of seventies character ... and it's it's been really a prescriptive role its command and control it's it's kind of regulatory approach ... the we don't really take anymore so it's it's very specific ... what ... was in the ... environmental Proms we have now the clean Air Act was not designed ... to too soft on and look it's sort of a victim of its own success you know if you think about the ... environmental crises in the seventies you know it's ... GranTurismo on its lakes on fire when had I don't have that occurs on fire lay ... so what what the EPA has done has tried to use the ... this lot ... up to Salt new province and this is cross this ... stage air pollution so a factory in Ohio it's the new pollution is carried to New York and hell I was going or reduce that that's really what the clean Air Act was designed to been yet the Supreme Court by a sixteen decision said ok EPA ... you could basically rewrite the Clean Air Act why would the Supreme Court in particular chief Justice John Roberts why would he do that ... I think that it's a mystery you know the the ... agencies typically are afforded a lot of discretion ... by the courts of Chevron deference ... of that that's not really that doesn't really apply here what did the majority opinion the six to Opinion ... essentially says ... that ... these pro environmental problems are complex go ahead EPHE was not right and and that in this case itself ... you know the kids it's not really that that pass for this role that they pay out of hell ... this is not really going to be that much of a problem you know it's been superseded by my other rules but this is really become worrisome ... as the EPA moves into regulating ... greenhouse gases its carbon rules for for power plants in heavy manufacturing and so forth ... the comment coming down the pike in those also involve ... significant revision and administrative provisions to what the clean Air Act actually says ... Joe are you worried about the Supreme Court ... not just that the EPA the other big regulatory agencies whether it's the CFPB your way bird BEUC ... IR to have a lot of these regulatory overreach is to look that bacon in just a for every agency I know that they're they're always going to do it but it's potentially worrisome for for the EPA with these really economically significant rules coming down the pike ... on you know whether its ... iOS Harry and units in the summer out of the major cities ... of agencies ... will will comment that a case by case it's ok editoral board member Joe rego ... events and thanks for joining us
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The Future of Wild Ways You'll be Paying for Things
Yahoo's David Pogue gives a sneak peak of what your wallet will look like soon.
3:00 | 02/18/14
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Transcript for The Future of Wild Ways You'll be Paying for Things
Now your friends can no longer use the I forgot excuse when it comes to paying you back square cash lets you request cash by simply sending an email. David -- is anchoring columnist for Yahoo! technology -- give us a sneak peak of his latest column. New radical ways to pay for things hi David nice to hear from -- -- so what what are the new radical ways to pay respects. Well this week in China -- common reviewing this thing you policy it out of the loop I see that. And believe or not this is a contact was way to store your credit -- -- it has a little schemer and act. Take all your credit cards and when it's -- This and your phone actually plug -- into the headphone Jack. In -- the cars. Through the the scanner here in what it's all over. You can dial up anyone of those credit cards just by tapping its name on the screen here in then leader not you hate. -- walking up to the cash register wherever that the cashier would normally -- the card. Eighty bring this close to it within three inches it never touches it no card leaves your wallet. No nothing is ever physically skins -- -- -- that the target fat. You know that happened recently -- -- That never could have happened because this credit card is beat. Wirelessly. In the sued the credit card -- slot which can which thinks the need to actually scanned -- -- -- -- physically. So it's actually traded -- -- finds -- -- really freaky it it -- out years. What's even more adjusting it is that it took options you can detach its. From the bone in whatever credit card -- -- last is now stored in here here's a tiny button. Makes it big -- -- -- -- city gets 42 dollars for groceries I put this close to the credit cards in her press the button. Everything went as the lights -- -- she scanned the garden she was really impressed so. Two ideas for this one is security right. This won't work without the phone unless you set it up that way the phone won't work without this in every time you try to switch cards. Or look at it -- This requires. Four digit password so it's considered it's very -- thought through in terms of the security so. The whole idea is to take this -- bulging wallets. And eliminate them down -- A tiny little thing that they hope soon. To build into Smart watches and night opener in April they're gonna sell -- case that has this built into the phones he won't need this. Hold your phone next to the credit card slot. I -- Site needs a lot David I I get when you read about security at least in terms of what happened in the previous target data breach but -- -- as well as any wine. That any criminal that is targeting. Any type of cyber terrorism is going to constantly be evolving in coming up with new ways to target cell. You know this type of device could certainly work today in this world but. In the future aren't they're going to be issues that no matter what we do. -- is -- security is concerned. Well I guess yeah. -- -- you have in mind and not. I'm not -- -- so I'm not here to defend it but but so far. And I can't see it -- -- towards the juror then and yes I mean this is a credit card if someone has this bacon -- and spend my money. So that's that's not true this race that they had as they can't spend my money unless -- opted to do that detached mode gain in unit ended in a clever thing. You can set it up so that it works for only two minutes pretax. Ten minutes -- so for expert for government paying for our restaurant meal. I can hand this to the waiter. It's only good to swipe for ten minutes and at the credit card data is deleted or eight hours than getting it it's like Kidd for the day. After eight hours stops working or never and that yeah. Are not -- it also says what happens at the -- dies. Still works. -- has its own battery charges on better yet you also. There's just declare why they say that you know that we EZ credit -- the same way for thirty years. -- understand it is going to be a transition there are some places where it is -- this doesn't work and that is like gas pumps. Where it has the inserted fully. In inside the slotted it hits the switch that makes it agreed to corridor so it doesn't work -- those any reckoning he's still carry one part. -- it and he's still here is the question. -- accompany -- bringing us today -- square ash. -- -- -- fascinating it's a way to make person to person payments. By email. And it's incredibly simple you don't sign up. There's no count there's no password. All you do is you and I send you email let's say you're my kids piano teacher. You know I knew I need to pay you forty -- but so I expect an email to you. And I -- -- to cash at square dot com in the subject line is the amount. And that is it you'll get the first time we do it will each be asked to put in the number of our debit car. And from then on the catch is instantly deducted from record that occurred in credited your -- -- -- -- nothing more than an email it is free so there are similar things like eight elbit. They'll take a hit they don't take piece of it but this is totally free and quite ever us. What do you think the goal of square is David do they wanna be a -- candidate -- they wanna go public. I I have no idea right now I think -- their goal is to. Revolutionize -- UPC they also need a little bit little square card reader -- -- -- it was -- credit cards. It looks a lot like the loop actually. It -- insisted it. -- David we really appreciate you joining us fascinating stuff you can see more of David -- Collins and work at Thank you have a great day.
{"id":22566006,"title":"The Future of Wild Ways You'll be Paying for Things","duration":"3:00","description":"Yahoo's David Pogue gives a sneak peak of what your wallet will look like soon.","url":"/Business/video/future-wild-ways-paying-things-22566006","section":"Business","mediaType":"Default"}
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Should be standard Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Very nice add-on, which should be a standard in Thunderbird, so if the developers for Thunderbird 3 are searching for features, this is definitly one!
1 request: can you add support for more languages or put it back on babelzilla (still old version there)?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52059
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52072
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Creating an API server
You must define an API server that uses the API or APIs you have created. To define an API server:
1. Create a separate module, for example, services.py (you can use any name you want). The following sample shows what you would need to add to this file:
import endpoints
import your_api
application = endpoints.api_server([your_api.yourApi])
where your_api is the name of the API you are exposing. Notice that if the API is implemented in several classes, your_api is the collection of classes, as described in Creating an API Implemented with Multiple Classes .
Notice that we describe using a separate module for the API server: this is not a requirement! If you are defining multiple APIs (remote.Service subclasses) that are defined in multiple files, it might be preferable to have a separate module for your API Server in order to import all these class files. However, alternatively, you could just add the required endpoints.api_server code shown above to the module where you define your API. If you are defining only a single API, it may be preferable to define the API server in the same file where you define your API because it doesn't need to import any other classes.
2. In your app.yaml file, map the API server you just created to the endpoints location as follows:
# Endpoints handler
- url: /_ah/spi/.*
script: services.application
where services is the file name you used for your API server module. Notice that the endpoints path must be /_ah/spi relative to the application, not the /_ah/api path that is used for non Endpoints applications.
3. Set the runtime to Python 2.7, since Endpoints is no longer available in the Python 2.5 runtime:
application: your-app-id
version: 1
runtime: python27
api_version: 1
4. Add Endpoints to the Libraries section of app.yaml, since the Endpoints library is not included by default:
- name: endpoints
version: 1.0
Note that you can specify the desired Endpoints library version. (Currently, the only version available is the GA version, 1.0.)
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52105
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Andrew Marr
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Andrew Marr
Andrew Marr - Vladimir Putin's interview about Olympics in Sochi (2014-01-17) 09.jpg
2014 Winter Olympics interview with Vladimir Putin
Born Andrew William Stevenson Marr
(1959-07-31) 31 July 1959 (age 55)
Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom
Nationality British
Education Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Occupation Journalist, presenter, political commentator
Notable credit(s) BBC News
The Andrew Marr Show
Salary £580,000[1]
Spouse(s) Jackie Ashley (m. 1987–present)[2]
Children 1 son and 2 daughters
Andrew William Stevenson Marr (born 31 July 1959) is a British broadcaster and journalist. Beginning his career as a political commentator, he subsequently edited The Independent (1996–98), and was political editor of BBC News (2000–05). He began hosting a political programme—Sunday AM, now called The Andrew Marr Show—on Sunday mornings on BBC One from September 2005. In 2002, Marr took over as host of BBC Radio 4's long-running Start the Week Monday morning discussion programme .
In 2007 he presented a political history of post-war Britain on BBC Two, Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain, followed by a prequel in 2009, Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain, focusing on the period between 1901 and 1945. In 2010, he presented a series, Andrew Marr's Megacities (the title distinguishes it from another Megacities series), examining the life, development and challenges of some of the largest cities in the world. In early 2012 he presented The Diamond Queen, a three-part series about the reign of Queen Elizabeth II.[3] In late September 2012, Marr began presenting Andrew Marr's History of the World, a new series examining the history of human civilisation.
Following a stroke in January 2013, Marr was in hospital for two months. He returned to presenting The Andrew Marr Show on 1 September 2013.[4]
Early life[edit]
Marr was born on 31 July 1959[2] in Glasgow, Scotland,[5] to Donald and Valerie Marr, his father being an investment trust manager. He described his upbringing thus: "My family are religious and go to church... [a]nd I went to church as a boy".[6] Marr was educated in Scotland at Craigflower Preparatory School, the independent High School of Dundee and at Loretto School,[2] also an independent school in Musselburgh, East Lothian, where he was a member of Pinkie House. He went to read English at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, graduating with a first class honours degree.[5][7]
He was once a member of the Socialist Campaign for a Labour Victory (an off-shoot of the International-Communist League, now known as the Alliance for Workers' Liberty). At Cambridge, Marr says he was a "raving leftie", and he acquired the nickname 'Red Andy'.[8][9]
Newspaper career[edit]
Marr joined The Scotsman as a trainee and junior business reporter in 1981. He became a parliamentary correspondent for the newspaper in 1984, moving to London at this time, and then a political correspondent in 1986. During this period, Marr met the political journalist Anthony Bevins, who became Marr's mentor and close friend. Bevins was responsible for Marr's first appointment at The Independent as a member of the newspaper's launch staff.
Marr left shortly afterwards, and joined The Economist, where he contributed to the weekly "Bagehot" political column and ultimately became the magazine's political editor in 1988. Marr has remarked that his time at The Economist "changed me quite a lot" and "made me question a lot of my assumptions".[10]
Marr returned to The Independent as the newspaper's political editor in 1992, and became its editor in 1996 during a particularly turbulent time at the paper. Faced with price cutting by the Murdoch-owned Times, sales had begun to decline, and Marr made two attempts to arrest the slide. He made use of bold 'poster-style' front pages, and then in 1996 radically re-designed the paper along a mainland European model, with Gill Sans headline fonts, and stories being themed and grouped together, rather than according to strict news value. This tinkering ultimately proved disastrous. The limited advertising budget meant the paper's re-launch struggled to gain attention, and when it did, it was mocked for reinterpreting its original marketing slogan 'It Is – Are You' to read 'It's changed – have you?'.
At the beginning of 1998 Marr was sacked. According to one version of events he was sacked after refusing to implement redundancies that would have reduced the newspaper's production staff to just five subeditors.[11] The author and journalist Nick Cohen writes that Tony Blair's director of communications, Alastair Campbell, demanded that David Montgomery, The Independent's publisher, sack Marr over an article which compared Blair with his predecessor John Major. Blair, in an article in The Sun, had written "On the day we remember the legend that St George slayed a dragon to protect England, some will argue that there is another dragon to be slayed: Europe." Marr's response asserted that Blair spoke in bad faith (championing Europe to pro-EU audiences, and criticizing it to anti-EU ones) and that the phrase "some will argue" used weasel words to create distance from an otherwise xenophobic article.[12]
Three months later he returned to The Independent. Tony O'Reilly had increased his stake in the paper and bought out owners Mirror Group. O'Reilly, who had a high regard for Marr, asked him to collaborate as co-editor with Rosie Boycott, in an arrangement whereby Marr would edit the comment pages, and Boycott would have overall control of the news pages.[11]
Many pundits predicted the arrangement would not last and two months later, Boycott left to replace Richard Addis as editor of the Daily Express. Marr was sole editor again, but only for one week. Simon Kelner, who had worked on the paper when it was first launched, accepted the editorship and asked Marr to stay on as a political columnist. Kelner was not Marr's "cup of tea", Marr observed later, and he left the paper for the last time in May 1998.[13]
Marr was then a columnist for the Daily Express and The Observer. Marr presented a three-part television series shown on BBC Two from 31 January to 2 February 2000 after Newsnight. A state-of-the-nation reflection, The Day Britain Died (2000) also had an accompanying book. Among Marr's other publications is My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism (2004).
At the BBC[edit]
Political editor[edit]
Marr was appointed BBC Political Editor in May 2000. Among his personal scoops as Political Editor were the second resignation of Peter Mandelson, and the interview in late 2004 in which Tony Blair told him that he would not seek a fourth term as Prime Minister should he win the forthcoming general election. During his time as political editor Marr assumed various presentational roles, and announced in 2005 that following the 2005 General Election, he would step down as Political Editor to spend more time with his family. He was succeeded as Political Editor by Nick Robinson.
Programmes 2005–09[edit]
Andrew Marr meeting Greek Prime Minister, George Papandreou in 2010
In September 2005, he moved to a new role presenting the BBC's Sunday morning flagship news programme Sunday AM, known as The Andrew Marr Show since September 2007;[14] the slot was previously filled by Breakfast with Frost and hosted by Sir David Frost. Marr also presented the BBC Radio 4 programme Start the Week until his illness in 2013, but may return as the programme's regular host.[15]
In May and June 2007, the BBC broadcast Andrew Marr's History of Modern Britain. He presented the series of five one-hour documentaries chronicling the history of Britain from 1945 to 2007. Unsold copies of the book of the series, a best-seller, were recalled in March 2009 by publishers Macmillan when legal action was taken over false claims that domestic violence campaigner Erin Pizzey had been a member of The Angry Brigade terrorist group.[16][17] According to her own account, in a Guardian interview in 2001, Pizzey had been present at a meeting when they discussed their intention of bombing Biba, a fashion store, and threatened to report their activities to the police.[18][19] Damages were paid to Pizzey and Marr's book was republished with the error removed.[20][21]
In 2008, he presented the prime time BBC One series Britain From Above. The following year, he contributed a three-part series called Darwin's Dangerous Idea to the BBC Darwin Season, celebrating the bicentenary of Charles Darwin and the 150th anniversary of the publication of his theory of evolution.
BBC programmes since 2009[edit]
Book accompanying his documentary on Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee
Andrew Marr interviewing Vladimir Putin ahead of the Sochi Olympics
In late 2009, BBC Two broadcast his six-part television series on British politics in the first half of the 20th century Andrew Marr's The Making of Modern Britain.[22]
In September 2009 on the Sunday before the Labour Party conference in Brighton, Marr interviewed Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Towards the end of the interview, Marr told Brown he wanted to ask about:[23]
The Prime Minister responded: "No. I think this is the sort of questioning which is all too often entering the lexicon of British politics." Marr was later heavily criticised by Labour politicians,[24] the media and fellow political journalists for what was described as a vague question which relied on its source being a single entry on a political blog.[25] In a later interview with Krishnan Guru-Murthy of Channel 4 News, John Ward, the author of the Not Born Yesterday blog, admitted that he has no proof to back up the claim.[26]
In early 2012, Marr presented a three-part TV series on BBC One looking at the life and reign of Queen Elizabeth II in the run-up to the main celebrations of her Diamond Jubilee.[27]
In 2012, Marr presented an eight-part series on BBC One entitled Andrew Marr's History of the World, in conjunction with the Open University.[28]
Following the death of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher on 8 April 2013, Marr narrated a memorial documentary, Margaret Thatcher: Prime Minister.[29]
Marr has written about the need to remain impartial and "studiously neutral" whilst delivering news reports and "convey fact, and nothing more".[30]
In the Daily Telegraph, he claimed to be a libertarian when discussing his conflicting views on smoking bans.[31] However, writing in The Guardian, he said "And the final answer, frankly, is the vigorous use of state power to coerce and repress. It may be my Presbyterian background, but I firmly believe that repression can be a great, civilising instrument for good. Stamp hard on certain 'natural' beliefs for long enough and you can almost kill them off. The police are first in line to be burdened further, but a new Race Relations Act will impose the will of the state on millions of other lives too."[32]
At an October 2006, BBC seminar discussing impartiality, Marr highlighted alleged bias within the BBC. He stated: "The BBC is not impartial or neutral. It's a publicly funded, urban organisation with an abnormally large number of young people, ethnic minorities, and gay people. It has a liberal bias, not so much a party-political bias. It is better expressed as a cultural liberal bias."[33][34]
Marr spoke at the Cheltenham Literary Festival on 10 October 2010 about political blogging. He claimed that "[a] lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people."[35]
In March 2014 Marr was criticised for expressing his own opinion on an independent Scotland's membership of the EU while interviewing Alex Salmond on BBC TV.[36]
Other work[edit]
Marr has helped support the Sense-National Deafblind and Rubella Association, and was the face of a Sense direct marketing appeal. He was President of the Galapagos Conservation Trust until 2013.[37] In 2007 and 2014 Andrew Marr supported the charity iDE UK in the BBC Radio 4 Appeal and subsequently became a patron.[38]
Personal life[edit]
Marr lives in East Sheen, London, with his wife, the political journalist Jackie Ashley of The Guardian, whom he married in August 1987 in Surrey.[7] She is a daughter of the Labour life peer, Lord Ashley of Stoke (1922–2012). The couple have a son and two daughters.[39]
On 8 January 2013, Marr was taken to hospital after suffering a stroke at home.[40] He left hospital on 3 March and said he hoped to return to work later in the year.[41] He appeared as a guest on The Andrew Marr Show on 14 April[42] and returned twice to interview David Miliband and the prime minister, David Cameron, before it was announced that Marr would return to presenting The Andrew Marr Show on 1 September 2013. Marr has described his religious views: "Am I religious? No. Do I believe in anything? No. I just don't have that bump." He also stated "I'm an irreligious Calvinist".[6]
Privacy injunction[edit]
On 28 June 2008, Richard Ingrams reported in The Independent that Marr had been granted a High Court 'super-injunction' preventing disclosure in the media of "private" information, or the existence of the injunction. Private Eye had revealed the existence of the injunction earlier in the week, having successfully challenged the need for its existence to be kept secret.[43]
On 26 April 2011, following legal action by Private Eye editor Ian Hislop, an interview with Marr was published in the Daily Mail, in which he revealed that the super-injunction had covered the reporting of an extra-marital affair with a female journalist.[44] Hislop had filed a court challenge earlier in April 2011, and described the super-injunction as "pretty rank".[45]
In 1995 he was named Columnist of the Year at both the What the Papers Say Awards and the British Press Awards, and received the Journalist Award in the Channel 4 Political Awards of 2001.[46]
He was considered for honorary membership of The Coterie for 2007.[47][clarification needed] Marr has received two British Academy Television Awards: the Richard Dimbleby Award at the 2004 ceremony[48] and the award for Best Specialist Factual Programme (for his History of Modern Britain) at the 2008 ceremony.[49]
Marr and his wife were both awarded honorary doctorates from Staffordshire University in July 2009.[50]
• The Battle for Scotland (1992)
• Ruling Britannia: The Failure and Future of British Democracy (1995)
• My Trade: A short history of British journalism (2004)
• A History of Modern Britain (2007)
• The Making of Modern Britain (2009)
• The Diamond Queen: Elizabeth II and Her People (2011)
• A History of the World (2012)
• Head of State (novel) (2014)
1. ^ Sawer, Patrick (19 February 2011). "Pigeonhole mix up lets slip Andrew Marr's £600,000 BBC salary". The Daily Telegraph (London).
2. ^ a b c "MARR, Andrew William Stevenson". Who's Who 2013, A & C Black, an imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing plc, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press. (subscription required)
3. ^ "The Diamond Queen". BBC Media Centre. BBC. Retrieved 17 February 2012.
4. ^ "Andrew Marr to return to BBC Sunday show after stroke". BBC. 28 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
5. ^ a b "Meet Andrew Marr". BBC Online. 13 April 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2011.
6. ^ a b McCrum, Robert (4 August 2013). "Andrew Marr, after the stroke: 'I'm going to be sweeter all round'". The Observer.
7. ^ a b Grice, Elizabeth (12 May 2007). "The view from Marr". The Daily Telegraph (London).
8. ^ Michael White "Robinson poached from ITN as BBC name successor to Marr", The Guardian, 21 June 2005. Retrieved on 28 April 2007.
9. ^ Politicians interview pundits: George Osborne and Andrew Marr, The Guardian, 26 September 2009
10. ^ Paul Vallely "Profile: Andrew Marr – On a roll: the BBC's all-action, 24-hour [...]", The Independent, 2 November 2002. Retrieved on 28 April 2006.
11. ^ a b Cozens, Claire (3 September 2004). "Marr: tabloid Independent was my idea". The Guardian.
12. ^ Nick Cohen Cruel Britannia: Reports on the Sinister and the Preposterous, London: Verso, 1999, p.154
13. ^ Marr, Andrew (2005). My Trade: A Short History of British Journalism. London: Macmillan. p. 205. ISBN 978-0-330-41192-9.
14. ^ Jones, Barney (26 September 2007). "What's in a name?". BBC News.
15. ^ Ben Dowell "Andrew Marr to return to Radio 4's Start the Week next week ten months after his stroke", Radio Times, 4 November 2013
16. ^ Jones, Sam; Kennedy, Maev (9 March 2009)."Marr book urgently withdrawn". The Guardian (London).
17. ^ "Marr's best-seller is taken off the shelves for 'legal reasons'". The Scotsman (Edinburgh). 9 March 2009.
18. ^ Rabinovitch, Dina (26 November 2001). "Domestic violence can't be a gender issue". The Guardian (London). Archived from the original on 11 March 2009. Retrieved 20 March 2009. She was thrown out of the movement for informing on bombings by the Angry Brigade. 'I said that if you go on with this — they were discussing bombing Biba [the legendary department store in Kensington] – I'm going to call the police in, because I really don't believe in this'
19. ^ "Campaigner accepts libel damages". BBC News. 1 April 2009. Archived from the original on 4 April 2009. Retrieved 1 April 2009.
20. ^ Adams, Stephen (1 April 2009). "Andrew Marr's publisher pays 'significant' damages to women's campaigner". The Daily Telegraph (London). Retrieved 25 April 2010.
21. ^ Dolan, Andy (9 March 2009). "Marr's pulped 'fiction': BBC star's history bestseller withdrawn after legal fears". Daily Mail (London).
22. ^ Gibson, Owen (21 April 2008). "Comedies have the last laugh at Baftas". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 22 May 2008.
23. ^ "'I'm not dependent on painkillers': Under-fire Brown hits out at questions over his eyesight". Daily Mail (London). 28 September 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
24. ^ "Mandelson Slams 'PM On Painkillers' Rumour". Sky News. 28 September 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
25. ^ Thompson, Damian (28 September 2009). "Gordon Brown and the pills: what was Andrew Marr thinking?". The Daily Telegraph (London). Archived from the original on 25 October 2009. Retrieved 11 October 2009.
26. ^ Guru-Murthy, Krishnan (28 September 2009). "'Brown on pills' blogger admits he has no proof". Channel 4 News. Retrieved 11 October 2009. [dead link]
27. ^ "The Diamond Queen". BBC. 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
28. ^ "OU on the BBC: Andrew Marr's History of the World". Open University. 10 September 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
29. ^ Plunkett, John (9 April 2013). "Lady Thatcher TV tributes draw fewer than 3m viewers". The Guardian (London).
30. ^ Marr, Andrew (2004). My Trade: A short history of British Journalism. Macmillan. p. 279.
31. ^ Marr, Andrew (28 March 2007). "Britain could be in for some turbulent times". The Daily Telegraph (London).
32. ^ Marr, Andrew (28 February 1999). "Poor? Stupid? Racist? Then don't listen to a pampered white liberal like me". The Guardian (London).
35. ^ Plunkett, John (11 October 2010). "Andrew Marr says bloggers are 'inadequate, pimpled and single'". The Guardian (London).
36. ^ "Andrew Marr accused of bias over Scottish independence - Telegraph". The Daily Telegraph. 16 March 2014. Retrieved 18 March 2014.
37. ^ "Ambassadors - About Us". Galapagos Conservation Trust. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
38. ^ Payne, T. (2014) Andrew Marr backs Golders Green charity helping world’s poor as part of Radio 4 appeal. URL:
39. ^ Vallely, Paul (14 May 2005). "Andrew Marr: Relentless rise of Renaissance Man". The Independent (London). Retrieved 6 September 2010.
40. ^ "BBC's Andrew Marr suffers stroke". BBC News. 9 January 2013. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
41. ^ "Andrew Marr leaves hospital after stroke". BBC News. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
42. ^ "Andrew Marr says he's lucky to be alive after stroke". BBC News. Retrieved 14 April 2013.
43. ^ "Richard Ingrams' Week: You try challenging an editor armed with a writ". The Independent (London). 28 June 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2008.
44. ^ "BBC's Andrew Marr 'embarrassed' by super-injunction". BBC News. 26 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
45. ^ "Marr super-injunction 'pretty rank'". BBC News. 26 April 2011. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
46. ^ "Panorama: Andrew Marr". BBC News Online. 24 September 2002. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
47. ^ Martin Bright, New Statesman, 22 January 2007
48. ^ "Meet Andrew Marr". BBC News Online. 3 May 2006. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
49. ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2008: The winners". BBC News Online. 20 April 2008. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
50. ^ "Journalists honoured for contribution to industry and society". The Sentinel. 11 July 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
External links[edit]
Media offices
Preceded by
Charles Wilson
Editor: The Independent
1996 – January 1998
Succeeded by
Rosie Boycott
Preceded by
Rosie Boycott
Editor: The Independent
March–May 1998
With: Rosie Boycott
Succeeded by
Simon Kelner
Preceded by
Robin Oakley
Political Editor: BBC News
Succeeded by
Nick Robinson
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Community advisory board
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
A community advisory board (often called a CAB) is a type of advisory board consisting of representatives of the general public who meet with representatives of an institution to relay information between the two groups. CABs are especially associated with clinical research, in which case they review the clinical research ethics associated with the human subject research which a medical research institution conducts. CABs are an aspect of community-based participatory research.
Community advisory boards (CABs) benefit research institutions by providing advice about the efficacy of the informed consent process and the implementation of research protocols. The CAB composition is representative of the community participating in the research being reviewed.[1][2]
Researchers who consult with CABs get information which they would not otherwise get about the target community demographic which they are researching.[3]
The CAB is intended to be a way to respect the rights of research participants.[4] Research in a community has the potential for group harm, which is distinct from the individual harm which can happen to individuals who participate.[5] Because of the risk to communities, researchers have an obligation to community stakeholders to seek community feedback about the research.[6]
Duties of CABs[edit]
CABs and researchers must continually decide which powers to invest in a CAB. Here are some common questions which must be decided:
1. What interaction should CABs have with institutional review boards?[6]
2. What education and training should the research institution give to the CAB members to enable them to perform their duties?[6]
3. To what extent should CABs participate in the development of informed consent processes?[6]
4. To what extent should CABs participate in developing guidelines to determine whether research participants give sufficient consent?[6]
5. In emergency situations, to what extent can CABs provide consultation on what response researchers should have to the emergency?[6]
6. When study participants have ethical problems with the research, to what extent should the CAB directly receive those participants' concerns?[6]
7. When CABs perceive the inevitable lapses in sufficient protection for research participants which occasionally and naturally occur in any study, what power should the CAB have to direct rectification of this lapse?[6]
8. To what extent should CABs direct the empowerment of their communities to more fully and beneficially participate in research?[6]
A community advisory board has whatever duties the members invest in it, but various organizations have suggested that they have certain responsibilities. Besides not knowing what CABs should do, it is difficult to determine what CABs should not do. Some of the perennial problems with CABs are determining the following: who in a community can serve on a CAB, the extent to which the CAB directs research, and the extent to which the community directs the execution of the research.[6] Researchers find that research is more productive and ethical when researchers train, recruit, and integrate members from the population targeted by the research into the research team.[7] In consulting with the community, researchers have to meet with individuals who represent a common culture, have a communication network with the community they represent, and have a system for voicing the community's priorities.[8]
Overseeing genetic research[edit]
In 2000 the National Institute of General Medical Sciences held a conference which defined some CAB duties.[6] Those duties are as follows:[9]
1. Define community in appropriate and meaningful ways.[9]
2. Understand the potential benefits and risks of research for communities and community members.[9]
3. Obtain broad community input for all phases of research.[9]
4. Respect communities as full partners in research.[9]
5. Resolve all issues pertaining to tissue samples.[9]
6. Establish appropriate review mechanisms and procedures.[9]
7. Facilitate the return of benefits to communities.[9]
8. Foster education and training in community-based research.[9]
9. Ensure dissemination of accurate information to the media and the public.[9]
10. Provide sufficient funds for research and encourage community–researcher partnerships.[9]
Challenges in developing countries[edit]
As part of international development many research institutions medical research in developing countries. When this happens, they often opt to get advice from the local community through a CAB. The process of setting up CABs in developing countries has its own problems.[10][11]
1. ^ Strauss, R. P.; Sengupta, S.; Quinn, S. C.; Goeppinger, J.; Spaulding, C.; Kegeles, S. M.; Millett, G. (2001). "The Role of Community Advisory Boards: Involving Communities in the Informed Consent Process". American Journal of Public Health 91 (12): 1938–1943. doi:10.2105/AJPH.91.12.1938. PMC 1446908. PMID 11726369. edit
2. ^ Newman, Susan D.; Andrews JO; Magwood GS; Jenkins C; Cox MJ; Williamson DCS. (May 2011). "Community Advisory Boards in Community-Based Participatory Research: A Synthesis of Best Processes". Preventing Chronic Disease (Centers for Disease Control) 8 (3). Retrieved 1 April 2012.
3. ^ Chené, R.; García, L.; Goldstrom, M.; Pino, M.; Roach, D.P.�a.; Thunderchief, W.; Waitzkin, H. (2005). "Mental Health Research in Primary Care: Mandates from a Community Advisory Board". The Annals of Family Medicine 3: 70. doi:10.1370/afm.260. edit
4. ^ Quinn, Sandra Crouse (June 2004). "Ethics in Public Health Research Protecting Human Subjects: the Role of Community Advisory Boards". American Journal of Public Health 94 (6): 918–922. doi:10.2105/ajph.94.6.918. PMC 1448363. PMID 15249289. Retrieved 1 April 2012.
5. ^ National Bioethics Advisory Commission (August 1999). "Research Involving Human Biological Materials: Ethical Issues and Policy Guidance" (PDF). Retrieved 10 April 2012. See recommendation 17
6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Quinn, S. C. (2004). "Ethics in public health research: Protecting human subjects: The role of community advisory boards". American journal of public health 94 (6): 918–922. doi:10.2105/ajph.94.6.918. PMC 1448363. PMID 15249289. edit
7. ^ Koné, A.; Sullivan, M.; Senturia, K. D.; Chrisman, N. J.; Ciske, S. J.; Krieger, J. W. (2000). "Improving collaboration between researchers and communities". Public health reports (Washington, D.C. : 1974) 115 (2–3): 243–248. PMC 1308719. PMID 10968762. edit
8. ^ Weijer, C.; Emanuel, E. J. (2000). "Ethics. Protecting communities in biomedical research". Science 289 (5482): 1142–1144. doi:10.1126/science.289.5482.1142. PMID 10970227. edit
9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k National Institute of General Medical Sciences (September 2000). "Report of the First Community Consultation on the Responsible Collection and Use of Samples for Genetic Research". Retrieved 10 April 2012. Reproduced here verbatim.
10. ^ Ntshanga, S. P.; Ngcobo, P. S.; Mabaso, M. L. H. (2010). "Establishment of a Community Advisory Board (CAB) for tuberculosis control and research in the Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (INK) area of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa". Health Policy 95 (2–3): 211–215. doi:10.1016/j.healthpol.2009.12.004. PMID 20036434. edit
11. ^ Shubis, K.; Juma, O.; Sharifu, R.; Burgess, B.; Abdulla, S. (2009). "Challenges of establishing a Community Advisory Board (CAB) in a low-income, low-resource setting: Experiences from Bagamoyo, Tanzania". Health Research Policy and Systems 7: 16. doi:10.1186/1478-4505-7-16. PMC 2702270. PMID 19534798. edit
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Elizabeth May
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the leader of the Green Party of Canada. For the Luxembourgian triathlete, see Elizabeth May (triathlete).
Elizabeth May
Emay photo.jpg
Elizabeth May, July 2014
Member of the Canadian Parliament
for Saanich—Gulf Islands
Assumed office
May 30, 2011
Preceded by Gary Lunn
Leader of the Green Party of Canada
Assumed office
August 26, 2006
Preceded by Jim Harris
Personal details
Born Elizabeth Evans May
(1954-06-09) June 9, 1954 (age 60)
Hartford, Connecticut, United States
Political party Green Party of Canada
Other political
Progressive Conservative Party of Canada[1]
Liberal Party of Canada[2]
Residence Sidney, British Columbia
Alma mater Dalhousie Law School (1983)
Occupation Politician, lawyer, writer, activist
Religion Anglican
Elizabeth Evans May OC MP (born June 9, 1954) is the leader of the Green Party of Canada and Member of Parliament for Saanich—Gulf Islands. An environmentalist, author, activist, and lawyer, May served as the Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada from 1989 to 2006.
While May's family home is in Margaree Harbour, Cape Breton Island[3] she moved her permanent residence to Sidney, British Columbia in 2010.[4] On May 2, 2011, she became the Green Party of Canada's second Member of Parliament, following Blair Wilson.
Early life and family[edit]
May was born in Hartford, Connecticut,[5][6] the daughter of Stephanie and John Middleton May.[7] Her father was British and her mother was American. She has a younger brother named Geoffrey.[5][6] Her mother was a prominent anti-nuclear activist and her father was Assistant Vice President of Aetna Life and Casualty.[6][8]
The family moved to Margaree Harbour, Nova Scotia in 1972, following a summer vacation spent on Cape Breton Island. On moving to the province, the May family purchased and restored a land-locked schooner, the Marion Elizabeth, in which a restaurant and gift shop was housed and operated from 1974 until 2002.[8]
May briefly enrolled at St. Francis Xavier University in 1974, but dropped out.[9] Returning to Margaree, May took correspondence courses in restaurant management.[9] Beginning in 1980, she attended Dalhousie Law School as a mature student, graduating in 1983.
Following law school at Dalhousie University, May worked as an associate at small law firm in Halifax. In 1985 she moved to Ottawa to work with the Public Interest Advocacy Centre. During this time May helped found the Canadian Environmental Defence Fund with the aim of funding groups and individuals in environmental cases.[citation needed]
Political beginnings[edit]
May has a long record as a committed advocate for social justice, for the environment, for human rights, and for economic pragmatic solutions. She is an environmentalist, writer, activist and lawyer who has been active in the environmental movement since 1970.[1]
She first became known in the Canadian media in the mid-1970s through her leadership as a volunteer in the grassroots movement against proposed aerial insecticide spraying on forests near her home on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The effort prevented aerial insecticide spraying from ever occurring in Nova Scotia. Years later, she and a local group of residents went to court to prevent herbicide spraying. Winning a temporary injunction in 1982 held off the spray programme, but after two years, the case was eventually lost. In the course of the litigation, her family sacrificed their home and seventy acres of land in an adverse court ruling to Scott Paper. However, by the time the judge ruled the chemicals were safe, 2,4,5-T's export from the U.S. had been banned.[1] The forests of Nova Scotia were the last areas in Canada to be sprayed with Agent Orange.
Her volunteer work also included successful campaigns to prevent approval of uranium mining in Nova Scotia, and extensive work on energy policy issues, primarily opposing nuclear energy.[1]
She has held the position of Associate General Counsel for the Public Interest Advocacy Centre, representing consumer, poverty and environment groups from 1985–86. She has worked extensively with indigenous peoples internationally, particularly in the Amazon, as well as with Canadian First Nations. She was the first volunteer Executive Director of Cultural Survival Canada from 1989-1992 and worked for the Algonquin of Barriere Lake from 1991-1992.[1]
In 1986, May became Senior Policy Advisor to then federal Environment Minister, Tom McMillan. She was instrumental in the creation of several national parks, including South Moresby. She was involved in negotiating the Montreal Protocol to protect the ozone layer, new legislation and pollution control measures. In 1988, she resigned on principle when the Minister granted permits for the Rafferty-Alameda Dams in Saskatchewan because of no environmental assessment. The permits were later quashed by a Federal Court decision that the permits were granted illegally.[10]
She has taught courses at Queen's University School of Policy Studies, as well as teaching for a year at Dalhousie University to develop the programme established in her name in Women’s Health and Environment. She holds three honorary doctorates from Mount Saint Vincent University, Mount Allison, and the University of New Brunswick.[1]
May is the author of eight books:
• Budworm Battles (1982)
• Paradise Won: The Struggle to Save South Moresby (1990)
• Frederick Street; Life and Death on Canada’s Love Canal (co-authored with Maude Barlow, Harper Collins, 2000)
• At the Cutting Edge: The Crisis in Canada’s Forests (Key Porter Books, 1998, as well as a major new edition in 2004)
• How to Save the World in Your Spare Time (Key Porter Books, 2006)
• Global Warming for Dummies (co-authored with Zoe Caron, John Wiley and Sons, 2008)
• Losing Confidence: Power, Politics and the Crisis in Canadian Democracy, (MacLelland and Stewart, 2009)
• Who We Are: Reflections on My Life and Canada (Greystone, 2014)
Frederick Street focused on the Sydney Tar Ponds, and the health threats to children in the community – the issue that led her to go on a seventeen-day hunger strike in May 2001 in front of Parliament Hill.[11]
In June 2006, May stepped down as Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada, a post she had held since 1989, to run for the leadership of the Green Party of Canada. Upon leaving the Sierra Club, Board President Louise Comeau noted, "Elizabeth has led the Club at the national level from its infancy to the enormously effective entity it is today, she was also instrumental in supporting development of the Sierra Youth Coalition, the Atlantic Canada Chapter and other Sierra Club chapters and local grassroots groups."[12] She was successful in her bid for Green Party leadership, and was elected the party’s ninth leader at their national convention in August 2006.
In 2005, she was named an Officer of the Order of Canada, and in November 2010, Newsweek magazine named her "one of the world’s most influential women."[13] In the 2011 Election, May made history by being the first Green Party candidate to be elected to the House of Commons. She now represents the riding of Saanich-Gulf Islands.[14]
Sierra Club of Canada Executive Director[edit]
In 1989, May became the founding Executive Director of the Sierra Club of Canada.[15]
During her tenure with the Sierra Club of Canada, May received several awards in recognition of her environmental leadership, including: the International Conservation Award from the Friends of Nature, the United Nations Global 500 Award in 1990, the award for Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Education by the Ontario Society for Environmental Education in 1996, and in November 2005 was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in recognition of her "decades of leadership in the Canadian environmental movement."[16][17]
May resigned as the Sierra Club's executive director in April 2006 in order to seek the Green Party of Canada Leadership. As one of her last major acts she participated in a poll of experts that determined that Progressive Conservative Brian Mulroney was Canada's "greenest" Prime Minister for an award presented by Corporate Knights magazine. For her prominent role in this initiative, May took some criticism from commentators and environmentalists.[citation needed] In the 1980s May worked as a Senior Policy Advisor to then Federal Environment Minister Tom McMillan, under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney.[16]
Political career[edit]
Bill C-442 – Federal Framework on Lyme Disease Act[edit]
In 2012, May tabled a private member’s bill, Bill C-442, with the aim of creating a national framework to address lyme disease. On December 16, 2014, Bill C-442 received Royal Assent, becoming law.[18] Bill C-442 was the first piece of Green Party legislation enacted in the history of Canada, and was passed with unanimous consent by both houses of Parliament.[19]
The bill was introduced by May in response to the rise of lyme disease across Canada, and in recognition of the findings by groups including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, who have noted that as a result of climate change lyme disease is beginning to spread more quickly, as the number of ticks –who serve as vectors for lyme disease– steadily increases.[20]
Opposition to Bill C-51[edit]
May was the first MP to take a stand against Bill C-51, on February 3, 2015 Toronto Star National Affairs columnist Thomas Walkom noted that, "So far, the only opposition MP with enough guts to critique the content of the Conservative government’s new anti-terror bill is Green Party Leader Elizabeth May."[21]
May and fellow Green MP Bruce Hyer tabled sixty amendments during clause-by-clause considerations of Bill C-51 – all sixty amendments were rejected by the government.[22] May later stated of Bill C-51, "It’s not fixable. Stop it. Repeal it."[23]
Amendments to Bill C-46[edit]
On April 23, 2015, May had two amendments to Bill C-46, the Pipelines Safety Act, accepted.[24] These were the first Green Party amendments to a government bill ever adopted.[24]
The first amendment enabled "aboriginal governing bodies to be reimbursed for actions they take in relation to a spill."[24] Prior to the amendment, the bill outlined that those at fault in a spill would only be liable for "costs and expenses reasonably incurred by Her Majesty in right of Canada or a province or any other person."[24]
The second amendment was related to the concept of polluter pays. The original line in the bill said that the National Energy Board "may" recover funds to compensate those affected by a spill, the Green Party amendment changed the "may" to "shall."[24]
Maclean's Parliamentarian of the Year Awards[edit]
Annually, Maclean's Magazine organizes an awards ceremony in which MPs recognize the achievements and hard work of their colleagues. In 2012, May was voted by her colleagues in the House of Commons as Parliamentarian of the Year, in 2013 she was voted Hardest Working MP, and in 2014 she was voted Best Orator.[25][26][27]
1980: Small Party[edit]
In 1980, May and others launched a political party to raise environment and anti-nuclear issues dubbed "the Small Party". The party ran 12 candidates in six provinces, in the 1980 federal election. May, at the time a 25-year-old waitress, ran against the former Deputy Prime Minister, Allan J. MacEachen in Cape Breton Highlands—Canso. She placed last in a field of four candidates receiving 272 votes.[28]
2000s: Green Party of Canada[edit]
On May 9, 2006, May entered the Green Party of Canada's leadership race.[29] She announced her intent to make the party "a force". She cited the "major planetary catastrophe" and "climate crisis" and the "crisis of democracy" as primary issues.[citation needed]
On August 26, 2006, May won the leadership election on the first ballot. She tallied 65.3% of the votes, beating her main rival, David Chernushenko (33.3%) and Jim Fannon (0.88%). She said one of the main platforms for the next election would be to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). At the time of her election as leader, May said she intended to run in the riding of Cape Breton—Canso in the next federal election, although she also said she would stand in a federal byelection if one occurred prior to the next general election.[30]
2006 London North Centre by-election[edit]
In the fall of 2006, May ran for election in London North Centre, finishing second to Glen Pearson of the Liberal Party. While she lost, May's showing in this by-election was the best result, in terms of percentage, ever achieved by the Green Party of Canada,[31][32]
2008 federal election[edit]
On March 17, 2007, May announced that she would run in the Nova Scotia riding of Central Nova, in the 2008 federal election.[33] The riding was held by Conservative National Defence Minister Peter MacKay. May has explained that she chose Central Nova to avoid running against a Liberal or NDP incumbent.[34]
On April 12, 2007, Liberal Party leader Stéphane Dion announced that the Liberals would not run a candidate in Central Nova in return for the Greens not running a candidate in Dion's safe Saint-Laurent—Cartierville riding.[35] There was criticism from prominent Green Party members of May's failing to support all Green candidates unequivocally during the 2008 election, as she made favorable comments about Liberal leader Stéphane Dion and said that supporters in close ridings might consider voting strategically to attempt to defeat the Conservatives.[36]
May was initially excluded from the televised national leadership debate in the 2008 federal election, based on the lack of any elected Green party MPs. She argued that the TV network consortium's initial exclusion of the Green Party of Canada was "anti-democratic" and blamed it on "the decision-making of a small group of TV network executives".[37] Eventually May was invited to attend the televised debate.[38]
May received 32% of the vote in Central Nova in 2006 to MacKay's 47%. Nationally the Greens received 6.8 percent of the popular vote.
2011 federal election[edit]
In 2010, following a survey of potentially favourable electoral districts across the county, May announced her intention to run in Saanich—Gulf Islands, in British Columbia against Conservative cabinet minister Gary Lunn[39]
On March 29, 2011 the broadcast consortium organizing the televised national leaders' debate for the 2011 federal election announced that it would not invite May.[40][41][42][43] Despite her exclusion from the national debates, she won her riding, defeating the incumbent Gary Lunn.[14] Nationally the Greens received 4 percent of the popular vote.
Honours and awards[edit]
Controversial statements[edit]
Stance on abortion[edit]
During a visit to the Mount St. Joseph's Convent in London, Ontario, May responded to a nun's question about her position on abortion stating that, "I don't think a woman has a frivolous right to choose."[51] "Nobody in their right mind," she told the nuns, "is for abortions. I've talked women out of having abortions. I would never have an abortion myself, not in a million years. I can't imagine the circumstances that would have ever induced me to it."[51] Following reports of May's statements, prominent Canadian feminist Judy Rebick announced that she was withdrawing her previous support of May and the Green Party due to May's questioning "the most important victory of the women's movement of my generation".[52] May is studying theology at Saint Paul University, and describes herself as a practising Anglican.[53]
May speaks at the Fair Vote Canada National Day of Action in Ottawa May 14, 2011.
Chamberlain/Nazi analogy[edit]
In April 2007, during a speech by May to a London, Ontario United Church of Canada, she said that "In the eyes of history, John Howard, George Bush, and Stephen Harper will be judged more culpable than Neville Chamberlain."[54] "We have a moral obligation to our Lord and Father to ensure we don't destroy the creation that was given to us. Through the power of our Lord and Jesus Christ, we can meet this moral obligation," said May.[55] She condemned Prime Minister Stephen Harper's stance on climate change, comparing it to "a grievance worse than Neville Chamberlain's appeasement of the Nazis."[55] The statement drew criticism from the Canadian Jewish Congress and opposition parties. While Opposition leader Stéphane Dion refused to respond to Harper's request for him to distance himself from May and these remarks during Question Period, Dion did state to reporters outside Commons that May should withdraw the remarks, and that the Nazi regime is beyond any comparison.[56] May said she was having "a lousy week" because of the federal government's weak action plan on the environment, was standing by her comments.[55]
In a Green Party of Canada press release, May stated that she was referencing a Chamberain Nazi appeasement analogy made by journalist George Monbiot a few days earlier.[57] saying "I made reference to Mr. Monbiot's statement to highlight the damage being done to Canada's international reputation, something that should concern all Canadians."[58][59]
Views on Dangers of Wireless Internet and Support for Homeopathy[edit]
In 2011, May Tweeted a flurry of warnings about the possible dangers of WiFi using her cellphone.[60] May's comments that the use of WiFi might be related to the "disappearance of pollinating insects" and writing that WiFi was a "possible human carcinogen" fuelled attacks over the scientific soundness of her views.[61] "It is very disturbing how quickly Wi-Fi has moved into schools as it is children who are the most vulnerable," she wrote.[62]
June, during a heated Twitter exchange with May, a Green Party critic downloaded the party’s platform from GreenParty.ca and found reference to the party's support of government subsidized homeopathy.[63] Homeopathy found its way into the platform "by accident," May later said.[63]
9/11 Conspiracy[edit]
In December 2014, May presented a petition by members of 9/11 Truth organizations asking on the government to review the 9/11 attacks in New York in 2001. While May stated that, "It is an obligation of an MP to present every petition submitted to them",[64][65] the House of Commons rules does not require MPs to present petitions to parliament.[64] In 2012, the NDP declined to present a similar petition by another 9/11 Truth group to parliament.[64]
Support for Jian Ghomeshi[edit]
In 2014, May sent out a series of tweets defending Jian Ghomeshi, who faced allegations from three women that the radio host was physically violent to them without their consent during sexual encounters.[66] "I think Jian is wonderful. Likely TMI for an old fogey like me, but his private life is none of our beeswax.", May wrote.[66] May then wrote "I have known Jian and something at work here doesn't make sense. Innocent until proven guilty."[66] When one user accused her of "buying into" rape culture, she replied, "As a feminist, I do not buy into rape culture."[67] May later said she was still "shaken up" by Parliament shootings when she wrote the tweets.[66][67]
2015 Ottawa Press Gallery Dinner Speech[edit]
At the Parliamentary Press Gallery's dinner on May 9, 2015, May was recorded on video in front of an audience stating, "Welcome back, Omar Khadr. It matters to say it. Welcome back, Omar Khadr. You're home," in reference to Omar Khadr, a convicted terrorist.[68] She further said, "Omar Khadr, you've got more class than the whole fucking cabinet," before being escorted off the stage by Transport Minister Lisa Raitt.[68] Early in her speech she also questioned why no-one else had mentioned the event was being held on First Nations territory, asking "What the fuck is wrong with the rest of you?"[69][70] May then incorrectly mentioned that the event was held on the traditional territory of Saskatchewan's Perry Bellegarde.[71]
According to media reports, the Green leader then "veered into Freudian territory, discussing oral, anal and genital obsessions".[69][70] May later blamed her actions on fatigue and insisted she hadn't had too much to drink.[72][73] "I didn’t have a lot of wine," May said, "but it may have hit me harder than I thought it would".[72] When questioned if she should resign, May responded that "a lot of people have given bad press gallery speeches and have gone on to be Prime Minister or gone on to lead other aspects of their lives, time will tell."[68] May was quick to admit that her remarks at the annual press gallery dinner in Gatineau, Que., were a poor attempt at comedy. However, she said they shouldn't detract from her political track record. President of the Treasury Board Tony Clement and NDP House Leader Peter Julian said Monday afternoon that May's apology was sufficient. "Look, she's apologized which was appropriate and I'm going to leave the matter at that," Clement told reporters.[68] Laura Peck, senior partner at TransformLeaders.ca, said, "She has apologized. She’s done the right thing, she’s apologized," Peck said. "One mistake is forgivable, two is a pattern." It’s more of an "inside Ottawa beltway" thing anyway, Peck added.[74]
Other senior members of the media have called into question why this speech received so much attention from the press.[75] CBC’s Michael Enright noted that the Press Gallery Dinner has long been home to rowdy behaviour by both politicians and journalists, usually attracting little or no coverage.[76] In his Sunday Edition segment, Enright even pondered, "Why the mountain of coverage, nearly all of it unsympathetic? Was it because she was appearing before a roomful of journalists? Would the story have disappeared if she had been speaking to environmentalists? Was it because she sometimes has seemed to be holier than thou? Was it because she is a woman? Whatever the reason, May was mugged by the media."[76]
Electoral record[edit]
Canadian federal election, 2011: Saanich—Gulf Islands
Party Candidate Votes % ∆% Expenditures
Green Elizabeth May 31,890 46.33 +35.88 $87,738
Conservative Gary Lunn 24,544 35.66 −7.77 $89,604
New Democratic Edith Loring-Kuhanga 8,185 11.89 +6.20 $66,273
Liberal Renée Hetherington 4,208 6.11 −33.25 $50,002
Total valid votes/Expense limit 68,827 100.0 $293,617
Total rejected ballots 160 0.23
Turnout 68,987 75.25
Eligible voters 91,673
Green gain from Conservative Swing +21.82
Central Nova - Canadian federal election, 2008
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Conservative Peter MacKay 18,239 46.6 +6.54
Green Elizabeth May 12,620 32.2 +30.61
New Democratic Louise Lorifice 7,657 19.6 -4.96
Christian Heritage Michael Harris MacKay 427 1.1 Ø
Canadian Action Paul Kemp 196 0.5 Ø
Total valid votes 39,139
Canadian federal by-election, November 27, 2006: London North Centre
Party Candidate Votes % ∆%
Liberal Glen Pearson 13,287 34.85% −5.27
Green Elizabeth May 9,864 25.87% +20.38
Conservative Dianne Haskett 9,309 24.42% −5.48
New Democratic Megan Walker 5,388 14.13% −9.62
Progressive Canadian Steven Hunter 145 0.38% −0.09
Independent Robert Ede 77 0.20%
Canadian Action Will Arlow 53 0.14%
Total 38,123 100.00%
Called as a result of Mr. Fontana's resignation on 20 September 2006.
Cape Breton Highlands—Canso federal election, 1980
Party Candidate Votes % ±%
Liberal Allan J. MacEachen 18,262 50.40% +2.30%
Progressive Conservative Bill Kelly 12,799 35.32% -3.44%
New Democratic William J. Woodfine 4,902 13.53% +0.39%
Independent Elizabeth May 272 0.75% *
Selected works[edit]
• Budworm battles: the fight to stop the aerial insecticide spraying of the forests of eastern Canada (with Richard E.L. Rogers). 1982. Four East Publications. ISBN 0-9690041-5-X
• Paradise Won: the struggle for South Moresby. 1990. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-5772-5
• Frederick Street: life and death on Canada's Love Canal (with Maude Barlow). 2000. HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN 0-00-200036-9
• At the cutting edge: the crisis in Canada's forests. 2005. Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55263-645-3
• How to Save the World in Your Spare Time. 2006. Key Porter Books. ISBN 1-55263-781-6
• Global Warming for Dummies (with Zoe Caron). 2008. Wiley & Sons Publishing. ISBN 0-470-84098-6
• Losing Confidence: Power, Politics And The Crisis In Canadian Democracy. 2009. McClelland & Stewart. ISBN 0-7710-5760-1
See also[edit]
1. ^ a b c d e f "Elizabeth May's Biography | Green Party of Canada". www.greenparty.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
2. ^ Taber, Jane (2011-08-05). "Elizabeth May is busy penning texts and defending Nycole Turmel - The Globe and Mail". The Globe and Mail (Toronto).
3. ^ Ottawa, The (2007-03-16). "May ponders battle with Baird". Canada.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
4. ^ Maclean's magazine, 2010-01-18, pg. 11
5. ^ a b Curry, Bill (2008-09-08). "On the Train: A Q&A with Elizabeth May". Toronto, Ontario: globeandmail.com
6. ^ a b c "Elizabeth May Profile". London, Ontario: London Free Press. 2006-08-27. p. A8
7. ^ "May, Stephanie Middleton". Hartford Courant. 2003-08-26. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
8. ^ a b "Elizabeth May biography". Green Party of Canada. 2008
9. ^ a b E. May, Budworm Battles, Four East books: Tantallon NS, 1981
10. ^ "Dam deals". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
11. ^ "Elizabeth May stages hunger strike on Parliament Hill". CBC. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
12. ^ a b "Elizabeth May steps down as Executive Director of Sierra Club of Canada | Atlantic Chapter". atlantic.sierraclub.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
13. ^ "Elizabeth May included by Newsweek among most influential women - Local - The News". www.ngnews.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-26.
14. ^ a b Hunter, Justine (2011-05-03). "Elizabeth May wins first seat for Greens". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2011-05-08. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
15. ^ a b "Library of Canada biography". Collectionscanada.ca. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
16. ^ a b "Celebrating Women's Achievements". Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
17. ^ "Canada: Uranium deals with India weakens NNPT - Pressenza". Retrieved 2015-05-28.
18. ^ "LEGISinfo - Private Member’s Bill C-442 (41-2)". www.parl.gc.ca. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
19. ^ "May's Bill Passes Senate In Historic First For Greens". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
20. ^ "Lyme disease on the rise in Canada, linked to ticks". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
21. ^ Walkom, Thomas (February 3, 2015). "The Liberals and NDP are afraid to criticize the substance of Bill C-51. Too bad. There is a lot they could say.". The Toronto Star. ISSN 0319-0781. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
22. ^ "Elizabeth May and Bruce Hyer announce 60 amendments to Bill C-51". Retrieved 2015-05-27.
23. ^ "Can we stop C-51?". Retrieved 2015-05-27.
24. ^ a b c d e "Elizabeth May amends government bill for 1st time". Retrieved 2015-05-27.
25. ^ "And the winner is ... Elizabeth May - Macleans.ca". Retrieved 2015-05-26.
26. ^ a b "2013 Parliamentarians of the Year". Maclean's. 2013-11-18. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
27. ^ "The 2014 Parliamentarians of the Year". Retrieved 2015-05-26.
28. ^ "Election Results, Parliament of Canada". parl.gc.ca. 1980-02-18. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
29. ^ "Elizabeth May considers running for Green Party". CTV.ca. 2006-04-14. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
30. ^ "New Green leader to try for a seat in Cape Breton". Canada.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
31. ^ "Green party 'has arrived' after finishing 2nd in byelection". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 28 November 2006. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
32. ^ "Elections Canada - Electoral Districts". Enr.elections.ca. 2010-11-29. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
33. ^ "Greens' May to fight MacKay in next election". Ctv.ca. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
34. ^ Susan Delacourt Ottawa Bureau Chief (2007-03-19). "Taking on MacKay: Is it May madness?". Toronto: Thestar.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
35. ^ "Liberals agree not to run candidate against Green leader". CBC.ca. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
36. ^ Bill Curry (2008-10-16). "May fends off calls for her resignation". Toronto: Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
37. ^ "Greens can't participate in leaders debates, networks rule". CBC News. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2015-05-28.
38. ^ Riley, Susan (2008-10-03). "Whack a Tory". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
39. ^ "May wins Green Party nomination in B.C. riding". Toronto: Globe and Mail. 2008. Retrieved 2009-09-20. [dead link]
40. ^ Burgmann, Tamsyn (2011-03-30). "Green's Elizabeth May will fight broadcasters' decision to ditch her from debate". The Canadian Press. Retrieved 2011-03-30
41. ^ "Debate over May diverts campaign Harper pushes lower corporate taxes, Layton would raise them, Ignatieff would add to CPP". CBC News. 2011-03-30. Retrieved 2011-03-30
42. ^ Pynn, Larry; Minsky, Amy (2011-03-30). "Greens' Elizabeth May, determined to enter debate, prepares legal action". Vancouver Sun and Postmedia News. Retrieved 2011-03-30
43. ^ Leblanc, Daniel (2011-03-30). "Elizabeth May excluded from election debates". The Globe and Mail (Toronto). Retrieved 2015-05-29.
44. ^ "Renowned Environmental Leader To Speak At UNB's Renaissance College". UNB.ca. 2003-05-27. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
45. ^ UN Global 500 directory
46. ^ "Mount Allison University honours Elizabeth May". Greenparty.ca. 2007-05-14. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
47. ^ Miller, Lisa (1987-10-19). "women and leadership". Newsweek. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
48. ^ "The 2012 Parliamentarians of the Year". Maclean's. 2012-11-21. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
49. ^ "Colin Dodds and Elizabeth May to Receive Honorary Degrees at AST Convocation". Atlantic School of Theology. 2015-04-15. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
50. ^ "Elizabeth May Speaks at the Atlantic School of Theology Gala Dinner". Green Party of Canada. 2015-05-01. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
51. ^ a b Cosh, Colby (2006-12-15). "Elizabeth May on abortion". National Post. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
52. ^ Rebick, Judy (2006-12-20). "Rebick withdraws any support for May". Rabble.ca. Retrieved 2011-05-04.
53. ^ "May responds to critics of her devout religious beliefs". Network.nationalpost.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
54. ^ "Green Party of Canada website". Greenparty.ca. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
55. ^ a b c "PM's climate stance worse than appeasing Nazis: Green leader". Ottawa Citizen. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
56. ^ "PM invites Dion to distance himself from May's 'Nazi analogies'". CBC.ca. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
57. ^ "Toronto Green Living Show". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved 2011-03-28. [dead link]
58. ^ "Green Party Leader dismayed that comments were distorted". Greenparty.ca. 2007-05-01. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
59. ^ "May gets backing from Brits in comparing climate change to Second World War"[dead link]
60. ^ "National Post editorial board: Getting a whiff of WiFi paranoia". National Post. 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
61. ^ "Elizabeth May wages war against WiFi". The Globe and Mail. 2011-07-28. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
62. ^ "Are Wi-Fi fears junk science?". National Post. 2011-07-30. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
63. ^ a b "Elizabeth May's Party of Science seems to support a lot of unscientific public policies". National Post. 2013-11-15. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
64. ^ a b c "Elizabeth May presents '9/11 truther' petition to Parliament". CTV News. 2014-12-04.
65. ^ "Elizabeth May not obligated to present 9/11 ‘Truther’ petition in the House of Commons despite claims otherwise". National Post. 2014-12-04. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
66. ^ a b c d "Elizabeth May was ‘shaken up’ by Ottawa attack when she sent Ghomeshi tweets". The Globe and Mail. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
67. ^ a b "Elizabeth May regrets defending Jian Ghomeshi on Twitter". Metro. 2014-10-29. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
68. ^ a b c d "Elizabeth May won't resign after Omar Khadr remarks". CTV News. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
69. ^ a b Ivison, John (2015-05-12). "No excuse for Elizabeth May’s meltdown at the Parliamentary Press Gallery dinner". National Post. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
70. ^ a b "Possibly Drunk Elizabeth May Swears, Praises Omar Khadr, and Talks Intercourse". The True North Times. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
71. ^ "Elizabeth May press gallery dinner speech". CBC News. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
72. ^ a b "Elizabeth May apologizes for bizarre press gallery dinner speech". Toronto Star. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
73. ^ "Federal Green Party leader blames failed humour for controversial comments". News1130. 2015-05-10. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
74. ^ "Elizabeth May's ‘kooky’ press gallery speech unlikely to hurt politician in long run". Yahoo! News. 2015-05-11. Retrieved 2015-05-29.
75. ^ Sullivan, Steve. "What the media missed while it was dumping on Liz May". iPolitics. Retrieved 2015-05-19.
76. ^ a b "The mugging of Elizabeth May - Michael's essay". Retrieved 2015-05-19.
External links[edit]
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French fries
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"Fries" redirects here. For other uses, see Fries (disambiguation).
French fries
A dish of French fries
Course Side dish or snack, rarely as a main dish
Place of origin Belgium or France
Main ingredients Potatoes and oil
Cookbook:French fries French fries
Pommes frites with a salad mayonnaise packet
French fries (American English) or frites, chips,[1] fries,[2] finger chips,[3] or French-fried potatoes are batons of deep-fried potato.[4] In the United States and most of Canada, the term fries refers to any elongated pieces of fried potatoes, while in the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, Ireland and New Zealand, long, thinly cut elongated strips of fried potatoes are sometimes called shoestring to distinguish them from the more thickly cut strips called chips.[5]
French fries are served hot, either soft or crispy, and generally eaten as part of lunch or dinner, or on their own as a snack, and they commonly appear on the menus of fast food restaurants. French fries are generally salted and are often served with ketchup; in many countries they are topped instead with other condiments or toppings, including vinegar, mayonnaise, or other local specialties. Fries can also be topped more elaborately, as in the dishes of poutine and chili cheese fries. Sometimes, fries are made with sweet potatoes instead of potatoes, are baked instead of fried, or are cut into unusual shapes, such as curly fries, wavy fries, or tornado fries. Fries made with ordinary potatoes are sometimes baked as well.
Oven-baked fries
Culinary origin
It is claimed that fries originated in Belgium, and the ongoing dispute between the French and Belgians about where they were invented is highly contentious, with both countries claiming ownership.[12] The popularity of the term "French fries" is explained as a result of "French gastronomic hegemony" internationally, into which the cuisine of Belgium was assimilated because of a lack of understanding coupled with a shared language and geographic proximity between the two countries.[12]
Some people believe that the term "French" was introduced when British and American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and consequently tasted Belgian fries.[16] They supposedly called them "French", as it was the local language and the official language of the Belgian Army at that time, believing themselves to be in France.[13] At that time, the term "French fries" was growing popular. But in fact the term was already used in America as early as 1899, in an item in Good Housekeeping which specifically references "Kitchen Economy in France": "The perfection of French fries is due chiefly to the fact that plenty of fat is used".[17]
France and other French-speaking countries
In France and other French-speaking countries, fried potatoes are formally pommes de terre frites, but more commonly pommes frites, patates frites, or simply frites. The word "aiguillettes" or allumettes is used when the French fries are very small and thin.
One enduring origin story holds that French fries were invented by street vendors on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris in 1789, just before the outbreak of the French revolution.[19] However, a reference exists in France from 1775 to "a few pieces of fried potato" and to "fried potatoes".[6]
Professor Paul Ilegems, curator of the Frietmuseum in Bruges, Belgium, believes that Saint Teresa of Ávila fried the first French fries, referring also to the tradition of frying in Mediterranean cuisine.[14][22]
Spreading popularity
French fry production at a restaurant with thermostatic temperature control.
A mainstay of southern Africa – fried up "chips"
Frozen fries
In 2004, 29% of the United States' potato crop were used to make frozen fries – 90% consumed by the food services sector and 10% by retail.[23] It is estimated that 80% of households in the UK buy frozen fries each year.[24]
Belgium and the Netherlands
Fries are very popular in Belgium, where they are known as frieten (in Dutch) or frites (in French), and the Netherlands, where they are known as patat in the north and, in the south, friet.[25] In Belgium, fries are sold in shops called friteries (French), frietkot/frituur (Dutch), or Fritüre/Frittüre (German). They are served with a large variety of Belgian sauces and eaten either on their own or with other snacks such as fricandelle or burgers. Traditionally, fries are served in a cornet de frites (French), frietzak/fritzak (Dutch), or Frittentüte (German), a white cardboard cone, then wrapped in paper, with a spoonful of sauce (mayonnaise and many others) on top. They may also be served with other traditional fast-food items, such as frikandel/fricadelle, fishsticks gehaktbal/boulet (meatballs) or kroket/croquette.[citation needed] In the Netherlands, fries are sold at snack bars, often served with sauce Fritessaus or curry ketchup.[citation needed].
• Aioli, garlic mayonnaise.
• Sauce andalouse – mayonnaise with tomato paste and peppers.
• Curry mayonnaise.
• Samurai-sauce – mayonnaise with sambal oelek.
• Sauce "Pickles" – a yellow sauce with turmeric, mustard and crunchy vegetable chunks, similar to Piccalilli.
• Tartar sauce.
Currywurst and frites, Germany
Germany, Austria, Switzerland
French fries migrated to the German-speaking countries during the 19th century. In Germany, where they usually are known by the French words pommes frites, or only pommes or fritten, they often are served with mayonnaise rather than ketchup, and are a popular walking snack offered by Schnell Imbiß ("quick bite") kiosks.[27] Since the advent of Currywurst in the 1950s, a paper tray of sausage (bratwurst or bockwurst) anointed with curry ketchup and laced with additional curry powder, and a side of french fries, has become an immensely popular fast-food meal.[28]
United Kingdom
Traditionally, thick-cut deep-fried potatoes, or chips as they are locally known in the United Kingdom, are cut much thicker and are typically between 10 and 15 mm (0.4 to 0.6 inches) wide. Since the surface-to-volume ratio is lower, they have a lower fat content. Thick-cut, or beefsteak, British chips are occasionally made from unpeeled potatoes. Chips are not necessarily served as crisp as the continental European French fry, owing to their relatively high water content. The British "chip" is dissimilar to what Americans call potato chips (British "potato crisps").
The first chips fried in the UK were on the site of Oldham's Tommyfield Market in 1860.[29] A blue plaque in Oldham marks the origin of the fish and chip shop and fast food industries in Britain.[30] In Scotland, chips were first sold in Dundee, " the 1870s, that glory of British gastronomy – the chip – was first sold by Belgian immigrant Edward De Gernier in the city's Greenmarket".[31]
United States
Wavy French fries sold in a Canadian supermarket
Although French fries were already a popular dish in most British commonwealth countries, the thin style of French fries has been popularized worldwide in part by the large American fast-food chains, such as McDonald's, Burger King, and Wendy's.[citation needed]
Sweet potato fries served in a restaurant in Harvard Square.
In France, the thick-cut fries are called Pommes Pont-Neuf[32] or simply pommes frites, about 10 mm; thinner variants are pommes allumettes (matchstick potatoes), ±7 mm, and pommes paille (potato straws), 3–4 mm (roughly 0.4, 0.3 and 0.15 inch respectively). The two-bath technique is standard (Bocuse). Pommes gaufrettes or waffle fries are not typical French fried potatoes, but actually crisps obtained by quarter-turning the potato before each next slide over a grater and deep-frying just once.[33] This results in large flat fries with two layers, each of which consists of parallel strips of potato.[citation needed]
Curly fries
Curly fries
Tornado fries
Curly fries are characterized by their spring-like shape. They are generally made from whole potatoes that are cut using a specialized spiral slicer. They also typically (but not always) have additional seasonings, which give the fries a more orange appearance than standard fries, which are more yellow. Seasoned curly fries taste slightly spicier than standard fries.[citation needed]
Sometimes they are packaged for preparation at home, often in frozen packs. In the US, they can also be found at a number of restaurants and fast food outlets, like Hooters, Hardee's and Jack in the Box, where they are served with condiments such as ketchup, cheese, fry sauce, or sweet chili sauce and sour cream.[citation needed]
Tornado Fries
An assortment of Belgian sauces for fries
Fries tend to be served with a variety of accompaniments, such as salt and vinegar (malt, balsamic or white), pepper, grated cheese, melted cheese, mushy peas, heated curry sauce, curry ketchup (mildly spiced mix of the former), hot sauce, relish, mustard, mayonnaise, bearnaise sauce, tartar sauce, chili, tzatziki, feta cheese, garlic sauce, fry sauce, butter, sour cream, ranch dressing, barbecue sauce, gravy, honey, aioli, brown sauce, ketchup, lemon juice, piccalilli, pickled cucumber, pickled gherkins, pickled onions or pickled eggs.[35]
Health aspects
Fries frying in oil
Frying French fries in beef tallow, lard, or other animal fats adds saturated fat to the diet. Replacing animal fats with tropical vegetable oils, such as palm oil, simply substitutes one saturated fat for another. Replacing animal fats with partially hydrogenated oil reduces cholesterol but adds trans fat, which has been shown to both raise LDL cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol. Canola/Rapeseed oil, or sunflower-seed oil are also used, as are mixes of vegetable oils, but beef tallow is generally more popular, especially amongst fast-food outlets that use communal oil baths.[37][38][39] Accordingly, many restaurants now advertise their use of unsaturated oils; for example, both Five Guys and Chick-fil-A advertise that their fries are prepared with peanut oil,[40][41] while In-N-Out advertises that their fries are prepared with vegetable oil.[42]
French fries contain some of the highest levels of acrylamides of any foodstuff, and concerns have been raised about the impact of acrylamides on human health.[43] According to the American Cancer Society it is not clear, as of 2013, whether acrylamide consumption affects people's risk of getting cancer.[43]
Legal issues
In June 2004, the United States Department of Agriculture, with the advisement of a federal district judge from Beaumont, Texas, classified batter-coated French fries as a vegetable under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. This was primarily for trade reasons. French fries do not meet the standard to be listed as a processed food.[44][45] This classification, referred to as the "French fry rule", was upheld in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit case Fleming Companies, Inc. v. USDA.[46][47]
In the United States in 2002, the McDonald's Corporation agreed to donate $10 million to Hindu and other groups to settle lawsuits filed against the chain for mislabeling French fries and hash browns as vegetarian,[48] because their French fries and hash browns were found to contain beef extract added during production.
See also
6. ^ a b c Le Moyne Des Essarts, Nicolas-Toussaint (1775). Causes célebres curieuses et interessantes, de toutes les cours ..., Volume 5, p. 41 and P. 159. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
8. ^ Home : Oxford English Dictionary. Retrieved 12 September 2012.
9. ^ Mackenzie, Catherine (7 April 1935). "Food the City Likes Best". The New York Times Magazine: SM18. Retrieved 15 April 2007. ... the chef at the Rainbow Room launches into a description of his special steak, its French-fried onion rings, its button mushrooms ...
11. ^ Oxford English Dictionary, June 2010
17. ^ Handy, Mrs. Moses P. "Kitchen Economy in France", Good Housekeeping, Volumes 28–29 159 Vol XXIX No 1 July 1899 Whole No 249. [1]. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
19. ^ "La frite est-elle Belge ou Française ?". Le Monde (in French). 2 January 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
20. ^ Ude, Louis (1822) The French Cook. J. Ebers
21. ^ Warren, Eliza (c. 1859). The economical cookery book for housewives, cooks, and maids-of-all-work, with hints to the mistress and servant. London: Piper, Stephenson, and Spence. p. 88. OCLC 27869877. French fried potatoes
23. ^ Frozen Potato Fries Situation and Outlook at the Wayback Machine (archived December 15, 2013). (21 July 2004). Retrieved 12 September 2012.
26. ^ "La Frite se mange-t-elle à toutes les sauces?" (in French). 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
27. ^ "Erste Runde – Pommes frites", Atlas zur deutschen Alltagssprache (AdA), Phil.-Hist. Fakultät, Universität Augsburg, 10. November 2005
28. ^ Currywurst – die Erfindung: Nur ohne ist sie das Original
30. ^ The Portuguese gave us fried fish, the Belgians invented chips but 150 years ago an East End boy united them to create The World's Greatest Double Act Daily Mail. Retrieved 21 September 2011
34. ^ "[Home page]". Tornado Fries. Rio Grande, NJ, USA: Tornado Fries ®. Archived from the original on 2015-03-25. Retrieved 29 March 2015.
35. ^ List of accompaniments to french fries – Unlikely Words – A blog of Boston, Providence, and the world. Unlikely Words (7 November 2011). Retrieved 12 September 2012.
36. ^ "McDonald's Nutrition Facts for Popular Menu Items" (PDF).
39. ^ "Dietary fats: Know which types to choose". Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research (MFMER). 22 June 2006. Retrieved 14 September 2006.
40. ^ "Frequently Asked Questions".
41. ^ "Healthy Lifestyle". Chick-Fil-A.
42. ^ "French Fries". In-N-Out Burger.
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Hydra (genus)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Subkingdom: Eumetazoa
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Medusozoa
Class: Hydrozoa
Subclass: Leptolinae
Order: Anthomedusae
Suborder: Capitata
Family: Hydridae
Genus: Hydra
Linnaeus, 1758[1]
Hydra /ˈhdrə/ is a genus of small, simple, fresh-water animals that possess radial symmetry. Hydra are predatory animals belonging to the phylum Cnidaria and the class Hydrozoa.[2][3] They can be found in most unpolluted fresh-water ponds, lakes, and streams in the temperate and tropical regions and can be found by gently sweeping a collecting net through weedy areas. They are multicellular organisms which are usually a few millimetres long and are best studied with a microscope. Biologists are especially interested in Hydra because of their regenerative ability; they appear not to age or die of old age.
Schematic drawing of a discharging nematocyst
Hydra has a tubular body up to 10 mm (0.39 in) long when extended, secured by a simple adhesive foot called the basal disc. Gland cells in the basal disc secrete a sticky fluid that accounts for its adhesive properties.
At the free end of the body is a mouth opening surrounded by one to twelve thin, mobile tentacles. Each tentacle, or cnida (plural: cnidae), is clothed with highly specialised stinging cells called cnidocytes. Cnidocytes contain specialized structures called nematocysts, which look like miniature light bulbs with a coiled thread inside. At the narrow outer edge of the cnidocyte is a short trigger hair called a cnidocil. Upon contact with prey, the contents of the nematocyst are explosively discharged, firing a dart-like thread containing neurotoxins into whatever triggered the release which can paralyse the prey, especially if many hundreds of nematocysts are fired.
Hydra has two main body layers, which makes it "diploblastic". The layers are separated by mesoglea, a gel-like substance. The outer layer is the epidermis, and the inner layer is called the gastrodermis, because it lines the stomach. The cells making up these two body layers are relatively simple. Hydramacin[4] is a bactericide recently discovered in Hydra; it protects the outer layer against infection.
The nervous system of Hydra is a nerve net, which is structurally simple compared to mammalian nervous systems. Hydra does not have a recognizable brain or true muscles. Nerve nets connect sensory photoreceptors and touch-sensitive nerve cells located in the body wall and tentacles.
Respiration and excretion occur by diffusion everywhere through the epidermis.
Motion and locomotion[edit]
If Hydra are alarmed or attacked, the tentacles can be retracted to small buds, and the body column itself can be retracted to a small gelatinous sphere. Hydra generally react in the same way regardless of the direction of the stimulus, and this may be due to the simplicity of the nerve net.
Hydra showing sessile behaviour
Hydra are generally sedentary or sessile, but do occasionally move quite readily, especially when hunting. They do this by bending over and attaching themselves to the substrate with the mouth and tentacles and then release the foot, which provides the usual attachment, this process is called looping. The body then bends over and makes a new place of attachment with the foot. By this process of "looping" or "somersaulting", a Hydra can move several inches (c. 100 mm) in a day. Hydra may also move by amoeboid motion of their bases or by simply detaching from the substrate and floating away in the current.
Reproduction and life cycle[edit]
When food is plentiful, many Hydra reproduce asexually by producing buds in the body wall, which grow to be miniature adults and simply break away when they are mature. When a hydra is well fed, a new bud can form every two days.[5] When conditions are harsh, often before winter or in poor feeding conditions, sexual reproduction occurs in some Hydra. Swellings in the body wall develop into either a simple ovary or testes. The testes release free-swimming gametes into the water, and these can fertilize the egg in the ovary of another individual. The fertilized eggs secrete a tough outer coating, and, as the adult dies, these resting eggs fall to the bottom of the lake or pond to await better conditions, whereupon they hatch into nymph Hydra. Some, like Hydra circumcincta and Hydra viridissima, are hermaphrodites[6] and may produce both testes and an ovary at the same time.
Many members of the Hydrozoa go through a body change from a polyp to an adult form called a medusa. However, all Hydra, despite being hydrozoans, remain as polyps throughout their lives.
Hydra mainly feed on small aquatic invertebrates such as Daphnia and Cyclops.
When feeding, Hydra extend their body to maximum length and then slowly extend their tentacles. Despite their simple construction, the tentacles of Hydra are extraordinarily extensible and can be four to five times the length of the body. Once fully extended, the tentacles are slowly manoeuvred around waiting for contact with a suitable prey animal. Upon contact, nematocysts on the tentacle fire into the prey, and the tentacle itself coils around the prey. Within 30 seconds, most of the remaining tentacles will have already joined in the attack to subdue the struggling prey. Within two minutes, the tentacles will have surrounded the prey and moved it into the opened mouth aperture. Within ten minutes, the prey will have been enclosed within the body cavity, and digestion will have started. Hydra is able to stretch its body wall considerably in order to digest prey more than twice its size. After two or three days, the indigestible remains of the prey will be discharged by contractions through the mouth aperture.
The feeding behaviour of Hydra demonstrates the sophistication of what appears to be a simple nervous system.
Some species of Hydra exist in a mutual relationship with various types of unicellular algae. The algae are protected from predators by Hydra and, in return, photosynthetic products from the algae are beneficial as a food source to Hydra.
Measuring the feeding response[edit]
Addition of glutathione causes reduction in the tentacle spread in hydra.
The feeding response in hydra is known to be induced by reduced glutathione released from the injured prey.[7] There are several methods which are conventionally used for quantification of the feeding response. In some of such methods, the duration for which mouth of hydra remains open is measured.[8] Whereas, few other methods rely on courting the number of hydra out of a small population showing the feeding response after addition of glutathione.[9] Recently, an assay for measuring the feeding response in hydra has been developed.[10] In this method, the linear two-dimensional distance between the tip of the tentacle and the mouth of hydra was shown to give the direct measure of the extent of feeding response. This method has been validated using a starvation model, as starvation is known to cause enhancement in the feeding response in hydra.[10]
Main article: Morphallaxis
Hydra undergoes morphallaxis (tissue regeneration) when injured or severed.
Daniel Martinez claimed in a 1998 article in Experimental Gerontology that Hydra are biologically immortal.[11] This publication has been widely cited as evidence that Hydra do not senesce (do not age), and that they are proof of the existence of non-senescing organisms generally. In 2010 Preston Estep published (also in Experimental Gerontology) a letter to the editor arguing that the Martinez data support rather than refute the hypothesis that Hydra senesce.[12]
The controversial unlimited life span of Hydra has attracted the attention of natural scientists for a long time. Research today appears to confirm Martinez' study.[13] Hydra stem cells have a capacity for indefinite self-renewal. The transcription factor, "forkhead box O" (FoxO) has been identified as a critical driver of the continuous self-renewal of Hydra.[13] A drastically reduced population growth resulted from FoxO down-regulation, so research findings do contribute to both a confirmation and an understanding of Hydra immortality.[13]
While Hydra immortality is well-supported today, the implications for human aging are still controversial. There is much optimism;[13] however, it appears that researchers still have a long way to go before they are able to understand how the results of their work might apply to the reduction or elimination of human senescence.[14]
A draft of the genome of Hydra magnipapillata was reported in 2010.[15]
See also[edit]
1. ^ a b Schuchert, P. (2011). P. Schuchert, ed. "Hydra Linnaeus, 1758". World Hydrozoa database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
2. ^ Gilberson, Lance (1999) Zoology Lab Manual, 4th edition. Primis Custom Publishing.
3. ^ Solomon, E., Berg, l., Martin, D. (2002) Biology 6th edition. Brooks/Cole Publishing.
4. ^ Jung, S.; Dingley, A. J.; Augustin, R.; Anton-Erxleben, F.; Stanisakin, M.; Gelhaus, C.; Gutsmann, T.; Hammer, M. U.; Podschun, R.; Bonv, A. M. J. J.; Leippe, M.; Bosch, T. C. G.; Grotzinger, J. et al. (2009). "Hydramacin-1, structure and antibacterial activity of a protein from the basal metazoan Hydra" (PDF). The Journal of Biological Chemistry 284 (3): 1896–1905. doi:10.1074/jbc.M804713200. PMID 19019828.
5. ^ Patton, Wendell K. "Hydra (coelenterate)." Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia. Grolier Online, 2014. Web. 12 Aug. 2014.
6. ^ Holstein, T. (1995) Cnidaria: Hydrozoa Süsswasserfauna von Mitteleuropa. 1/2+ 3. Stuttgart, Jena, NY: Gustav Fisher Verlag.
7. ^ Loomis, W.F. Glutathione control of the specific feeding reactions of hydra. Ann. Ny. Acad. Sci. 62, 209-228
8. ^ Bellis, S.L., Laux, D.C., & Rhoads, D.E. Affinity purification of Hydra glutathione binding proteins. FEBS Lett. 354, 320-324
9. ^ Venturini, G. The hydra GSH receptor. Pharmacological and radioligand binding studies. Comp. Biochem. Phys. C. 87, 321-324 (1987)
10. ^ a b Kulkarni RS and Galande S, 2014, Measuring the glutathione-induced feeding response in hydra Journal of Visualized Experiments (93), e52178.
11. ^ Martinez, D. E. (May 1998). "Mortality patterns suggest lack of senescence in Hydra" (PDF). Experimental Gerontology 33 (3): 217–225. doi:10.1016/S0531-5565(97)00113-7. PMID 9615920.
12. ^ Estep, P. W. (September 2010). "Declining asexual reproduction is suggestive of senescence in Hydra: comment on Martinez, D., "Mortality patterns suggest lack of senescence in Hydra."". Experimental Gerontology 45 (3): 645–6. doi:10.1016/j.exger.2010.03.017. PMID 20398746.
13. ^ a b c d Boehm, Khalturin, Anton-Erxleben, Hemmrich, Klostermeier, Lopez-Quintero, Oberg, Puchert, Rosenstiel, Wittlieb, Bosch; Khalturin; Anton-Erxleben; Hemmrich; Klostermeier; Lopez-Quintero; Oberg; Puchert; Rosenstiel; Wittlieb; Bosch (2012). "FoxO is a critical regulator of stem cell maintenance in immortal Hydra". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 109 (48): 19697. Bibcode:2012PNAS..10919697B. doi:10.1073/pnas.1209714109.
14. ^ Reason (November 2012). "Investigating the Agelessness of Hydra". FightAging.org. Retrieved 2012-11-23.
15. ^ Chapman, Jarrod A.; Kirkness, EF; Simakov, O; Hampson, SE; Mitros, T; Weinmaier, T; Rattei, T; Balasubramanian, PG et al. (March 2010). "The dynamic genome of Hydra". Nature 464 (7288): 592–6. Bibcode:2010Natur.464..592C. doi:10.1038/nature08830. PMID 20228792.
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Inverted pyramid
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the structure in the Louvre in Paris, France, see La Pyramide Inversée.
The Inverted pyramid method visualised
The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used by journalists and other writers to illustrate how information should be prioritized and structured in a text (e.g., a news report). It is a common method for writing news stories (and has adaptability to other kinds of texts, e.g., blogs and editorial columns). This is the best way to understand the basics about a news report. It is widely taught to mass communication and journalism students, and is systematically used in Anglophone media.
It is sometimes called a summary news lead style,[1] or bottom line up front (BLUF).[2] The opposite, the failure to mention the most important, interesting or attention-grabbing elements of a story in the opening paragraphs, is called burying the lead.
Other styles are also used in news writing, including the "anecdotal lead", which begins the story with an eye-catching tale or anecdote rather than the central facts; and the Q&A, or question-and-answer format. The inverted pyramid may also include a "hook" as a kind of prologue, typically a provocative quote, question, or image, to entice the reader into committing to the story.
This format is valued for two reasons. First, readers can leave the story at any point and understand it, even if they do not have all the details. Second, it conducts readers through the details of the story.
This system also means that information less vital to the reader's understanding comes later in the story, where it is easier to edit out for space or other reasons. This is called "cutting from the bottom".[3] Rather than petering out, a story may end with a "kicker" – a conclusion, perhaps call to action – which comes after the pyramid. This is particularly common in feature style.
Historians disagree about when the form was created. Many say the invention of the telegraph sparked its development by encouraging reporters to condense material, to reduce costs.[4] Studies of 19th-century news stories in American newspapers, however, suggest that the form spread several decades later than the telegraph, possibly because the reform era's social and educational forces encouraged factual reporting rather than more interpretive narrative styles.[1]
Chip Scanlan's essay on the form[5] includes this frequently cited example of telegraphic reporting:
This evening at about 9:30 p.m. at Ford's Theatre, the President, while sitting in his private box with Mrs. Lincoln, Mrs. Harris and Major Rathburn, was shot by an assassin, who suddenly entered the box and approached behind the President.
The pistol ball entered the back of the President's head and penetrated nearly through the head. The wound is mortal.
General Grant and his wife were advertised to be at the theatre...
New York Herald, April 15, 1865
Who, when, where, why, what, and how are addressed in the first paragraph. As the article continues, the less important details are presented. An even more pyramid-conscious reporter or editor would move two additional details to the first two sentences: That the shot was to the head, and that it was expected to prove fatal. The transitional sentence about the Grants suggests that less-important facts are being added to the rest of the story.
Other news outlets such as the Associated Press did not use this format when covering the assassination, instead adopting a chronological organization.[6]
See also[edit]
1. ^ a b Errico, Marcus; et al. "The evolution of the summary news lead.".
2. ^ "Being Direct 1: Martin Krieger's Bottom Line Up Front".
3. ^ "Purdue Online Writing Lab". Retrieved 2013-08-26.
4. ^ "Birth of Inverted Pyramid"
5. ^ Scanlan, Chip (2003-06-23). "An examination of the inverted pyramid". Poynter Institute. Retrieved 2006-07-04.
6. ^ Izadi, Elahi (14 April 2015). "How newspapers covered Abraham Lincoln’s assassination 150 years ago". Washington Post Style Blog. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
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Lady Bulu'
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Lady Bulu'
Queen consort of Dos Pilas
Spouse King B'alaj Chan K'awiil
House Royal house of Dos Pilas (by marriage)
Religion Maya religion
Lady Bulu'[pronunciation?] was a Queen of Dos Pilas. She was the wife of B'alaj Chan K'awiil, the king of Dos Pilas.[1] She was a stepmother of kings Itzamnaaj B'alam and Itzamnaaj K'awiil.
It is possible that her daughter was Wak Chanil Ajaw. It is also possible that she had one more daughter.
The main wife of B'alaj Chan K'awiil was Lady of Itzan.
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Loop unrolling
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Loop unwinding)
Jump to: navigation, search
Loop unrolling, also known as loop unwinding, is a loop transformation technique that attempts to optimize a program's execution speed at the expense of its binary size (space-time tradeoff). The transformation can be undertaken manually by the programmer or by an optimizing compiler.
The goal of loop unwinding is to increase a program's speed by reducing (or eliminating) instructions that control the loop, such as pointer arithmetic and "end of loop" tests on each iteration;[1] reducing branch penalties; as well as "hiding latencies, in particular, the delay in reading data from memory".[2] To eliminate this overhead, loops can be re-written as a repeated sequence of similar independent statements.[3]
Loop unrolling is also part of certain formal verification techniques, in particular bounded model checking.[4]
• branch penalty is minimised.[5]
• Apart from very small and simple codes, unrolled loops that contain branches are even slower than recursions [7]
Static/manual loop unrolling[edit]
A simple manual example in C[edit]
Normal loop After loop unrolling
int x;
int x;
delete(x + 1);
delete(x + 2);
delete(x + 3);
delete(x + 4);
Early complexity[edit]
Normal loop After loop unrolling
for i := 1:8 do
if i mod 2 = 0 then do_evenstuff(i)
else do_oddstuff(i);
next i;
do_oddstuff(1); do_evenstuff(2);
do_oddstuff(3); do_evenstuff(4);
do_oddstuff(5); do_evenstuff(6);
do_oddstuff(7); do_evenstuff(8);
Normal loop After loop unrolling
x(1) := 1;
For i := 2:9 do
print i, x(i);
next i;
x(1) := 1;
... etc.
print 2, 2;
print 3, 6;
print 4, 24;
It would be quite a surprise if the compiler were to recognise x(n) = Factorial(n).
Unrolling WHILE loops[edit]
A pseudocode WHILE loop - similar to the following -
Normal loop After loop unrolling Unrolled & "tweaked" loop
WHILE (condition) DO
WHILE (condition) DO
IF NOT(condition) THEN GOTO break
IF NOT(condition) THEN GOTO break
LABEL break:
IF (condition) THEN
IF NOT(condition) THEN GOTO break
IF NOT(condition) THEN GOTO break
WHILE (condition)
LABEL break:
Unrolling is faster because the ENDWHILE (that will be compiled to a jump to the start of the loop) will be executed 66% less often.
Dynamic unrolling[edit]
Assembly language programmers (including optimizing compiler writers) are also able to benefit from the technique of dynamic loop unrolling, using a method similar to that used for efficient branch tables. Here the advantage is greatest where the maximum offset of any referenced field in a particular array is less than the maximum offset that can be specified in a machine instruction (which will be flagged by the assembler if exceeded). The example below is for IBM/360 or Z/Architecture assemblers and assumes a field of 100 bytes (at offset zero) is to be copied from array FROM to array TO—both having element lengths of 256 bytes with 50 entries
Assembler example (IBM/360 or Z/Architecture)[edit]
For an x86 example, see the External links section.
1. * initialize all the registers to point to arrays etc (R14 is return address)
2. LM R15,R2,INIT load R15= '16', R0=number in array, R1--> 'FROM array', R2--> 'TO array'
3. LOOP EQU *
4. SR R15,R0 get 16 minus the number in the array
5. BNP ALL if n > 16 need to do all of the sequence, then repeat
6. * (if # entries = zero, R15 will now still be 16, so all the MVC's will be bypassed)
7. * calculate an offset (from start of MVC sequence) for unconditional branch to 'unwound' MVC loop
8. MH R15,=AL2(ILEN) multiply by length of (MVC..) instruction (=6 in this example)
9. B ALL(R15) indexed branch instruction (to MVC with drop through)
10. * Assignment (move) table - (first entry has maximum allowable offset with single register = X'F00' in this example)
11. ALL MVC 15*256(100,R2),15*256(R1) * move 100 bytes of 16th entry from array 1 to array 2 (with drop through)
12. ILEN EQU *-ALL length of (MVC...) instruction sequence; in this case =6
13. MVC 14*256(100,R2),14*256(R1) *
14. MVC 13*256(100,R2),13*256(R1) *
15. MVC 12*256(100,R2),12*256(R1) * All 16 of these 'move character' instructions use base plus offset addressing
16. MVC 11*256(100,R2),11*256(R1) * and each to/from offset decreases by the length of one array element (256).
17. MVC 10*256(100,R2),10*256(R1) * This avoids pointer arithmetic being required for each element up to a
18. MVC 09*256(100,R2),09*256(R1) * maximum permissible offset within the instruction of X'FFF'. The instructions
19. MVC 08*256(100,R2),08*256(R1) * are in order of decreasing offset, so the first element in the set is moved
20. MVC 07*256(100,R2),07*256(R1) * last.
21. MVC 06*256(100,R2),06*256(R1) *
22. MVC 05*256(100,R2),05*256(R1) *
23. MVC 04*256(100,R2),04*256(R1) *
24. MVC 03*256(100,R2),03*256(R1) *
25. MVC 02*256(100,R2),02*256(R1) *
26. MVC 01*256(100,R2),01*256(R1) move 100 bytes of 2nd entry
27. MVC 00*256(100,R2),00*256(R1) move 100 bytes of 1st entry
28. *
29. S R0,MAXM1 reduce Count = remaining entries to process
30. BNPR R14 ... no more, so return to address in R14
31. AH R1,=AL2(16*256) increment 'FROM' register pointer beyond first set
32. AH R2,=AL2(16*256) increment 'TO' register pointer beyond first set
33. L R15,MAXM1 re-load (maximum MVC's) in R15 (destroyed by calculation earlier)
34. B LOOP go and execute loop again
35. *
36. * ----- Define static Constants and variables (These could be passed as parameters) --------------------------------- *
37. INIT DS 0A 4 addresses (pointers) to be pre-loaded with a 'LM' instruction
38. MAXM1 DC A(16) maximum MVC's
39. N DC A(50) number of actual entries in array (a variable, set elsewhere)
40. DC A(FROM) address of start of array 1 ("pointer")
41. DC A(TO) address of start of array 2 ("pointer")
42. * ----- Define static Arrays (These could be dynamically acquired) -------------------------------------------------- *
43. FROM DS 50CL256 array of (max) 50 entries of 256 bytes each
44. TO DS 50CL256 array of (max) 50 entries of 256 bytes each
C example[edit]
#define TOGETHER (8)
int main(void)
int i = 0;
int repeat; /* number of times for while.. */
/* If the number of elements is not be divisible by BLOCKSIZE, */
repeat = (entries / TOGETHER); /* number of times to repeat */
left = (entries % TOGETHER); /* calculate remainder */
while (repeat--)
i += TOGETHER;
switch (left)
case 0 : ; /* none left */
See also[edit]
4. ^ Model Checking Using SMT and Theory of Lists
6. ^ Sarkar, Vivek (2001). "Optimized Unrolling of Nested Loops". International Journal of Parallel Programming 29 (5): 545–581. doi:10.1023/A:1012246031671.
7. ^ Adam Horvath "Code unwinding - performance is far away"
Further reading[edit]
External links[edit]
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TCL Corporation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For other uses, see TCL.
TCL Corporation
Native name
Public company
Industry Electronics
Founded 1981
Founder Tomson Li Dongsheng
Headquarters Huizhou, Guangdong, China
Area served
Key people
Tomson Dongsheng Li (CEO)
Products Television sets, video cameras, mobile phones
Revenue US$16.44 billion (2014)[1]
Number of employees
Approximately 75,000[1]
TCL Corporation is a Chinese multinational electronics company headquartered in Huizhou, Guangdong, China. It designs, develops, manufactures and sells products including television sets, mobile phones, air conditioners, washing machines, refrigerators and small electrical appliances. In 2010 it was the world's 25th-largest consumer electronics producer. In 2013, it was third-largest television producer by market share.[2]
TCL comprises three listed companies: TCL Corporation (SZSE: 000100), which is listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange, and TCL Multimedia Technology Holdings, Ltd. (SEHK1070) and TCL Communication Technology Holdings, Ltd. (SEHK2618), which are listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.[3]
TCL's current corporate slogan is "The Creative Life".[4]
The company was founded in 1981 and incorporated in 1985 as TCL Telecommunication Equipment Co Ltd. It began manufacturing consumer electronics for the Chinese market during the 1980s,[5] and began to sell overseas in the 2000s.[6] Though a state-owned enterprise, TCL was established as a joint venture with several Hong Kong-based investors.[5] At the beginning, TCL was referred as an acronym for "True China Lion".[by whom?]
In July 2003, TCL chairman Li Dongsheng formally announced a 'Dragon and Tiger Plan' to establish two competitive TCL businesses in global markets ("Dragons") and three leading businesses inside China ("Tigers").[7]
In November 2003, TCL and Thomson SA of France announced the creation of a joint venture to produce televisions and DVD players worldwide.[8] TCL took a 67 percent stake in the joint venture, with Thomson SA holding the rest of the shares, and it was agreed that televisions made by TCL-Thomson would be marketed under the TCL brand in Asia and the Thomson and RCA brands in Europe and North America.[8]
In April 2004, TCL and Alcatel announced the creation of a mobile phone manufacturing joint venture: Alcatel Mobile Phones.[7] TCL injected 55 million euros in the venture in return for a 55 per cent shareholding.[7]
In May 2005, TCL announced that its Hong Kong-listed unit would acquire Alcatel's 45 per cent stake in their mobile-phone joint venture for consideration of HK$63.34 million ($8.1 million) worth of TCL Communication shares.[9]
In June 2007, TCL announced that its mobile phone division planned to cease using the Alcatel brand and switch entirely to the TCL brand within five years.[10]
In April 2008, Samsung Electronics announced that it would be outsourcing the production of some LCD TV modules to TCL.[11]
In July 2008, TCL announced that it planned to raise 1.7 billion yuan ($249 million) via a share placement on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange to fund the construction of two production lines for LCD televisions; one for screens of up to 42 inches, and the other for screens of up to 56 inches.[12] TCL sold a total of 4.18 million LCD TV sets in 2008, more than triple the number during 2007.[13]
In January 2009, TCL announced plans to double its LCD TV production capacity to 10 million units by the end of 2009.[13] In November 2009, TCL announced that it had formed a joint-venture with the Shenzhen government to construct an 8.5-generation thin film transistor-liquid crystal display production facility in the city at a cost of $3.9 billion.[14]
In March 2010, TCL Multimedia raised HK$525 million through the sale of shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, in order to fund the development of its LCD and LED businesses and to generate working capital.[15] In May 2011 TCL launched the China Smart Multimedia Terminal Technology Association in partnership with Hisense Electric Co. and Sichuan Changhong Electric Co., with the aim of helping to establish industry standards for smart televisions.[16]
In January 2013, it bought the naming rights for Grauman's Chinese Theatre for $5 million: the theater was renamed "TCL Chinese Theatre".[17]
TCL Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California, US
In October 2014, TCL acquired the Palm brand from HP for use on smartphones.[18][19]
TCL is organised into four business divisions:[1]
• Multimedia
• Communications
• Home Appliances
• Home Electronics / Consumer Electronics
In addition it has two affiliated business areas:[1]
• Real estate and investment
• Logistics and services.
TCL has operations in more than 80 cities across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, North America and South America.[1] It has 18 R&D centers, 20 major manufacturing facilities and over 40 sales offices worldwide.[1]
TCL's primary products are TVs, DVD players, air conditioners, GSM and CDMA mobile phones, personal computers, home appliances, electric lighting, and digital media.
It primarily sells its products under the TCL brand name in Africa, Asia, Australasia, North America, South America, and Russia; under the Alcatel (Mobile Phones) and Thomson (TV) brands in Europe (excl. Russia).[20]
The company as of April 2012 is in venture with Swedish furniture giant IKEA to provide the consumer electronics behind the Uppleva integrated HDTV and entertainment system product.[21][22]
1. ^ a b c d e f Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. ^ Investor Relations TCL Official Site
4. ^ TCL Official Website
5. ^ a b History TCL Official Site
6. ^ About TCL TCL Official Site
7. ^ a b c Murali, D. (16 April 2011). "A learning dragon with long strides". The Hindu (Chennai, India). Retrieved 17 April 2011.
8. ^ a b "China Turns Into TV Powerhouse". CBS News. 10 November 2003. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
9. ^ "TCL Unit to Buy 45% Stake of Mobile-Phone Venture From Alcatel". Bloomberg. 16 May 2005. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
10. ^ "TCL to switch to own brand". China Daily. 20 June 2007. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
11. ^ "Samsung to outsource some work to China's TCL". Reuters. 29 April 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
12. ^ "China TCL share placement to raise $249 million". Reuters. 15 July 2008. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
13. ^ a b "China's TCL to double LCD TV capacity". Reuters. 22 January 2009. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
14. ^ Yu, Rose (17 November 2009). "China to build $4bn advanced LCD plant". The Australian. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
15. ^ "TCL Multimedia sees losses at U.S., Europe ops". Reuters. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
16. ^ "New industry standards launched for Smart TVs". Global Times. 8 October 2010. Retrieved 24 May 2011.
17. ^ Verrier, Richard (11 January 2013). "China firm buys naming rights to Grauman's Chinese Theatre". Los Angeles Times.
18. ^ "Palm could be coming back to life — as an Android phone from Alcatel". The Verge. Retrieved 2 January 2015.
19. ^ "Palm makes a comeback! TCL to 're-create' the brand". CNET. Retrieved 8 January 2015.
20. ^ Company Profile TCL Official Site
21. ^ Anna Ringstrom (17 Apr 2012). "IKEA moves into consumer electronics with China venture". Thomson Reuters.
22. ^ LOUISE NORDSTROM (17 April 2012). "IKEA to sell TVs integrated in its furniture". Bloomberg L.P. The Associated Press.
External links[edit]
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52125
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id summary reporter owner description type status priority milestone component version resolution keywords cc os architecture failure testcase blockedby blocking related differential 1328 "ghci accepts "":set -fno-glasgow-exts"", but not "":unset -fglasgow-exts""" cdsmith@… "Using ""gchi -fglasgow-exts"", I want to turn off glasgow extensions. First I try: Prelude> :unset -fglasgow-exts can't unset GHC command-line flags But then: Prelude> :set -fno-glasgow-exts Prelude> :t 5 5 :: (Num t) => t So GHCi is capable of turning off glasgow extensions, but is apparently really picky about what command is used to do it. sorear suggested I file this as a bug." bug closed low GHCi 6.6 fixed Linux x86
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cd93199 @subdigital Raise an informative error if xcodeproj is not present in Podfile, fo…
subdigital authored
1 * No need to pass the project path and podfile separately to UserProjectIntegrator.
2 * Move Platform#xcodeproj to TargetDefinition#link_with.
b4715c2 @alloy Remove ability to specify link_with and platform through TargetDefint…
alloy authored
3 * Add multiple-platforms section to changelog.
7ee5b4b @alloy Combine dependencies of all targets, regardless of platform.
alloy authored
4 * Validate platforms for each target definition.
5 * Validate that there are dependencies in a Podfile.
6 * Validate that the dependencies in the targets don't conflict. E.g. two different versions of the same pod.
4a709b8 @alloy Make building a iOS lib work again.
alloy authored
7 * Move Podfile.lock generator from Installer into its own file.
df0112e @subdigital Move logic for generating PODS_ROOT to a class
subdigital authored
8 * Remove better_installer.rb file
dc5b15a @alloy Make all not-disabled specs green again. Also introduces the `pod ins…
alloy authored
9 * One or more of the specs are changing the remote URL of the master repo in ~/.cocoapods
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Riak 1.4.1 Release Notes
This is a bugfix release. The major fixes are to the Secondary Index, Riak Control, and LevelDB subsystems.
• Pagination for equality queries is fixed by riak_kv/615.
• The ability to set a timeout on a 2i query has been added by riak_kv/616.
• Using 2i as input for a map-reduce job has been fixed by riak_kv/618.
• Riak Control can crash its host node when in a mixed-cluster environment containing a 1.4.0 node. This has been addressed by riak_control/120.
• Basho's leveldb fork has added better fadvise support and fixed some race conditions in the write path. See leveldb/88.
Issues / PR's Resolved
Riak 1.4.0 Release Notes
Major Features / Improvements
Improved Binary Format
Data stored in Riak can now be represented in a more compact format. The new format reduces storage overhead, especially in the case of small objects or those with large bucket names, keys, or metadata.
By default new Riak clusters, starting with Riak 1.4, will have the new format enabled by default. Users upgrading to Riak 1.4 should first perform the upgrade and once happy with the operation enable the new format. Riak supports both the old and new representation simultaneously, so no additional upgrade process is necessary.
Which representation is used can be configured by setting object_format to either v0 or v1 in the riak_kv section of app.config. v1 is the new format.
The new format is also used during handoff if the cluster supports it.
For users who upgrade to Riak 1.4 and enable the new format, downgrading to a previous version requires reformatting any data written in the new representation (previous version of Riak won't understand it). A utility is provided via riak-admin to perform this operation:
riak-admin downgrade-objects <kill-handoffs> [<concurrency>]
The utility should be run per-node immediately prior to downgrading it. <kill-handoffs> must be either true or false. If false any ongoing handoff will be waited on before performing the reformat. Otherwise, all in-flight handoff, inbound to the node or outbound from it, will be killed. During and after the reformat the transfer-limit will be set to 0. The optional <concurrency> argument must be an integer greater than zero. It determines how many partitions are reformatted on the node concurrently. By default the concurrency is two. Additionally, in anticipation that the entire cluster will be downgraded downgrade-objects sets the preferred format to v0. downgrade-objects can be run multiple times in the case of error or if the node crashes.
Changed behavior of riak attach
If you are a frequent user of riak attach it is worth noting that the behavior has changed in 1.4. riak attach used to attach to a named pipe that erlang provides to talk to running erlang nodes. This is great except that an accidental Ctrl-C would not only kill your session, but also kill the running node. The behavior has now changed to use -remsh (remote shell) to connect to the node. This method is safer because a Ctrl-C will not kill a running node. In cases where distributed erlang having problems for some reason and a -remsh is not wanted, riak attach-direct is a new command which uses the old pipe behavior of riak attach.
riak-admin transfers Improvements
The output of riak-admin transfers now includes per-transfer progress reporting and improved display of long node names.
Whether or not progress is reported and how the progress is calculated is dependent on the cluster's backend. Progress reporting is enabled for riak_kv_bitcask_backend, riak_kv_eleveldb_backend and riak_kv_memory_backend. Clusters using riak_kv_multi_backend will not have progress reporting enabled. When using riak_kv_bitcask_backend or riak_kv_memory_backend progress is determined by the number of keys already transferred out of the total number stored. Large variance in value sizes can skew reporting. For riak_kv_eleveldb_backend progress is measured in stored bytes. The total number of bytes used may be an overestimate -- meaning progress will always be what is reported or further along than reported in the worst case.
Lager Upgrade 1.2.2 to 2.0.0
Lager has been updated in Riak from Lager 1.2.2 that was in the Riak 1.3.x series to Lager 2.0.0. Please see the lager documentation at for the new capabilities in Lager 2.0.
Pagination Support in 2i
We've extended Riak's Secondary Indexing (2i) interface to allow for paginated results. This is done via the max_results option in both the Protocol Buffers and HTTP 2i end points. Full details can be found here.
Client APIs
Client-specified timeouts
Clients can now specify a timeout value, in milliseconds, that will override the default internal timeout on requests that manipulate objects (fetch, store, delete), list buckets, or list keys.
Protocol Buffers bucket properties
The Protocol Buffers interface now supports all known bucket properties, and the ability to "reset" bucket properties to their defaults.
List-buckets streaming
Similar to listing keys, listing buckets can be streamed to clients. This means that Riak will send bucket names to the client as they are received, rather than waiting for the request to complete on all nodes.
Protocol buffers binds to multiple interfaces
Similar to HTTP, Protocol Buffers will now bind to multiple interfaces and ports. Existing configurations will change the previous pb_port and pb_ip settings to the singular pb setting, which is a list of IP/port pairs.
Data Types
1.4 sees the addition of Riak's first data type: PN-Counters. A PN-Counter is capable of being both incremented (P) and decremented (N). The full details are here. We're also fast at work on a CRDT Cookbook that will demonstrate this and future data types in Riak.
Riak Control
Riak Control now has an improved cluster management interface, and standalone node management interface, for staging and committing changes to the cluster, which mimics the CLI API.
New command: riak-debug
The command riak-debug is a shell script provided to aid in the automation of gathering information from Riak nodes for troubleshooting. Information gathered includes operating system command output, Riak command output, Riak configuration files, and Riak logs. See riak-debug -h and man riak-debug for more information on using the script and for tips on integrating its usage into your workflow.
Packaging / Runtime changes
Riak 1.4 took a major step forward in how it is packaged by changing over to using node_package for its packaging. This is the same tool used for RiakCS since its first release. This commonality will improve overall feature parity and stability of the packages themselves by cutting down on the number of places packaging bug fixes need to happen. See the 'node_package' section in the Issues section for all the bug fixes to packaging in this release.
Platforms Added / Removed
Support for Debian Wheezy and SmartOS 13.1 have been added to 1.4. As planned, support for 32bit packages has been dropped.
Major changes in packages and runtime
• init.d scripts for Deb and RPM systems have been rewritten to comply with the standards of those distributions. In particular the init scripts now actually return nonzero exit codes on failure. This was a major issue we had that prevented tools from working seamlessly.
• All start, stop, and status commands use return codes rather than reading stdout. This has been a major 'technical debt' we've had for a long time and it is about time the rest of it is finally fixed.
• files are now created and removed on riak start/stop. This allows other tools to take advantage of .pid files without them needing knowledge about the riak script or nodetool.
• Warnings added to riak attach and riak attach-direct to let users know about implications of q() and CTRL-C
• The riak script now makes it more obvious which commands need to be run as the Riak user (or root user). Status commands like getpid or ping can be run by any user while daemon commands like start and stop will error in a more graceful if not run by the Riak user.
Issues / PR's Resolved
Known Issues
leveldb 1.3 to 1.4 conversion
The first execution of 1.4.0 leveldb using a 1.3.x or 1.2.x dataset will initiate an automatic conversion that could pause the startup of each node by 3 to 7 minutes. The leveldb data in "level #1" is being adjusted such that "level #1" can operate as an overlapped data level instead of as a sorted data level. The conversion is simply the reduction of the number of files in "level #1" to being less than eight via normal compaction of data from "level #1" into "level #2". This is a one time conversion.
Deprecation Warnings
Ubuntu 11.04 (Natty) EOL
Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwhal reached its end-of-life October 2012 and recently the public apt updates and security repos were removed. Due to this, Riak will no longer be built against 11.04 going forward. We will consider supporting the latest non-LTS release depending on the timing of the next major Riak release.
Ubuntu LTS releases still supported (10.04 and 12.04) are unaffected.
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fakeweb (1.2.5)
* fix handling of userinfo strings that contain percent-encoded unsafe
characters [Chris Kampmeier, Ken Mayer]
* fix that exact matches against strings/URIs with the :any method had a lower
precedence than regex matches using a real HTTP method (exact matches now
always take precedence) [Chris Kampmeier]
* change request handling to raise an exception when more than one registered
regex matches a request URI [Chris Kampmeier]
fakeweb (1.2.4)
* add experimental support for matching URIs via regular expressions
[Jacqui Maher, Tiago Albineli Motta, Peter Wagene]
* fix an exception when registering with the :response option and a string that
is the same as the name of a directory in the current path [Chris Kampmeier]
* DEPRECATION: Calling FakeWeb.register_uri with a :string or :file option is
now deprecated. Both options have been replaced with a unified :body option,
since they supply the response body (as opposed to :response, which supplies
the full response including headers) [Chris Kampmeier]
* add support for specifying HTTP headers as options to FakeWeb.register_uri
when using the :string or :file response types, since those methods only
specify a response body [David Michael, Chris Kampmeier]
* DEPRECATION: Calling FakeWeb.register_uri and FakeWeb.registered_uri? without
an HTTP method as the first argument is now deprecated. To match against any
HTTP method (the pre-1.2.0 behavior), use :any [Chris Kampmeier]
fakeweb (1.2.3)
* fix the #http_version of :file and :string responses, which was returning the
request URI instead of something sensible like "1.0" [Chris Kampmeier]
* add method aliases in the Net::HTTP patch to eliminate warnings when running
with -w [Joshua Clingenpeel]
* fix that removing the redefinition of OpenURI::HTTPError in 1.2.0 caused
:exception responses to raise when OpenURI isn't available [Chris Kampmeier]
* fix registering an :exception response with classes that require arguments for
instantiation, like Interrupt's subclasses [Chris Kampmeier]
fakeweb (1.2.2)
* fix that HTTP Digest and OAuth requests could raise URI::InvalidURIErrors
[Bill Kocik, Chris Kampmeier]
fakeweb (1.2.1)
* fix that query parameters are handled correctly when registering with a URI
object [Anselmo Alves, Chris Kampmeier]
containing "\0" [Jonathan Baudanza, Chris Kampmeier]
* fix that trailing slashes were considered significant for requests to the root
of a domain [Chris Kampmeier]
* add support for HTTP basic authentication via userinfo strings in URIs
[Michael Bleigh]
fakeweb (1.2.0)
* add lib/fakeweb.rb so you can require "fakeweb" as well [Chris Kampmeier]
* fix compatibility with Ruby 1.9.1 [Chris Kampmeier]
* fix that newlines in file-based responses could be doubled in the response
object's body [Mark Menard, Chris Kampmeier]
* fix unnecessary munging of the transfer-encoding header, which improves
compatibility with mechanize [Mark Menard]
* fix a test and the RCov dependency to be compatible with JRuby [Mark Menard]
* remove an unnecessary redefinition of OpenURI::HTTPError [Josh Nichols]
* rearrange implementation code into separate files, one per class [Josh Nichols]
* fix a bug where FakeWeb.response_for would raise if the request wasn't
registered [Chris Kampmeier]
* add HTTP method support, so FakeWeb takes both the URI and method into
account for registration, requests, and responses. Backwards-compatible with
the old method signatures, which didn't have a method param. [Chris Kampmeier]
* start work on Ruby 1.9 compatibility [Chris Kampmeier]
* add FakeWeb.allow_net_connect= to enable/disable the pass-through to
Net::HTTP for unregistered URIs [Mislav Marohnić, Chris Kampmeier]
* remove setup.rb, since most people use RubyGems [Mislav Marohnić]
* fix that '' (empty query) matches a registered
'', and vice-versa [Mislav Marohnić]
* improve the test suite to not rely on an internet connection [Chris Kampmeier]
* use `rake test` instead of `rake tests` [Josh Nichols]
* fix an incompatibility with Ruby 1.8.6 p36 where you'd get "Errno::EINTR:
Interrupted system call" exceptions in Socket#sysread for any non-faked
request [Chris Kampmeier]
* response rotation: you can now optionally call FakeWeb.register_uri with an
repeated requests (to repeat a response more than once before rotating, use
the :times option). Once you run out of responses, further requests always
receive the last response. [Michael Shapiro]
* add support for Net::HTTP's undocumented full-URI request style (fixes
URI::InvalidURIErrors that you might see in older libraries) [Chris Kampmeier]
* sort query params before storing internally, so that and are considered the
same URL (although this is technically incorrect, it's much more
convenient--most web apps work that way, and Net::HTTP's use of a hash to pass
query params means that the order in which FakeWeb stores them can be
unpredictable) [Chris Kampmeier]
* add support for ports in URLs, so that and are not the same [Chris Kampmeier]
* fix for non-faked SSL requests failing with "Unable to create local socket"
[Chris Kampmeier]
* update Rakefile to fix warning about deprecated code [Chris Kampmeier]
fakeweb (1.1.2)
* add required dependencies to GemSpec to ensure that tests pass in firebrigade
( [Blaine Cook]
fakeweb (1.1.1)
* fix for non-existence of :string method on File as presented by open-uri
[Blaine Cook]
* fix for curl example test - google redirects to ccTLDs for those outside US
[Blaine Cook]
fakeweb (1.1.0)
* update code to correspond to ruby 1.8.4 (breaks compatibility with ruby 1.8.2)
[Blaine Cook]
fakeweb (1.0.0)
* initial import [Blaine Cook]
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Remove "p" flag to tar... #401
merged 1 commit into from
2 participants
...because, technically, untarring and keeping permissions in tact is impossible unless you're root or have the same UID, GID, etc...
@duckinator duckinator merged commit 85f56b9 into fasterthanlime:master
Don't permissions also include executable files, etc? Wouldn't we want to preserve that?
Wait, this is in the bootstrap, @nddrylliog... As in, it's just headers, C files, and a Makefile. So, as long as it's +rw there shouldn't be a problem, right?
EDIT: And I tested it on both ArchLinux and OpenBSD before merging, so it at least works.
I know it's in the bootstrap, I was just curious about tar's p option in general. I almost always use it when untarring stuff and I never had any problems with it.
Of course, if omitting 'p' still preserves executables then there's no reason to use it either.
The issue here is that it preserves the user/group info, and that is not consistent across systems that have different users -- or even 2+ of the same users set up in a different order! ie, if you set up two Arch systems: foo and bar. Foo has the users 'amos', 'moo' added in that order; bar has 'moo', 'amos' added in that order... The UIDs are switched, and the p option would no longer work: if you created a tarball on foo as amos, and tried to untar it on bar as amos...It'd try to use the same UID, and either throw errors or set the ownership to 'moo.'
The issue on OpenBSD is that the default group is the same as the username: the user nick on my OpenBSD VM has the groups nick and wheel. Note the lack of user.
I believe it tries both UID/GID and user/group names, but the effect is the same: OpenBSD does not, by default, have the users group that Linux assigns ownership to by default. This makes tar p worse than worthless, because it can't successfully untar it and retain permissions.
If you're using it for backups and the like, it's perfect. Distributions of any sort, not so much.
Okay, that makes sense.
That would be me :D I just generally try to cram as many tar options as I can. Probably a bad practice.
Just curious, did you actually get problems with that?
Yes -- that's how I noticed it! iirc it extracted stuff you couldn't access on every BSD system, as well as any Linux system where you weren't logged in as the first non-root user (UID 1000).
Ha! That actually makes a lot of sense.
Also - and on an unrelated note - would you accept to do some Win32 testing/debugging with me? Feeling a bit alone on that platform, and it's a higher priority than *BSD imho :)
I would if I had a working Win32 setup -- don't have an XP key, and can't get Win7 or Win8 to boot in VirtualBox since switching to Mint. *glares at VirtualBox...or Mint...or something*
I'll take a whack at another Win7 install later (I think my Win8 beta/whatever key expired), and try to figure out what the hell it's doing. If it works I'll help you out, if not, sorry. :P
Does #469 have everything I need to figure out what needs testing/debugging, in case you're not around if/when I finally convince something Win32 to boot?
I'd advise Win7 in VirtualBox + mingw as a basic setup :) And yes #469 is pretty self-explanatory. It just.. fails hard on make rescue, that is all.
rock-0.9.3 still compiles well though! With the usual work-arounds (TimeT and -nolibcache, stuff like that).
Imho we should really get 0.9.4 to compile everywhere and then release it. (poke @shamanas here too. :D)
Alright. I'll try a Win7 install later tonight and try mingw if I can get the thing to boot.
Yes, we definitely need to get 0.9.4 compiling everywhere -- and if we can't get rid of all of the workarounds, we should make them automatically enabled on Win32 so it might actually be easily usable. (with a large, 5+ line comment explaining how much of a horrifying hack it is, and how many kittens did their best lemming imitation to get away from it)
Showing with 2 additions and 2 deletions.
1. +2 −2 Makefile
4 Makefile
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ rescue:
rm -rf build/
# Note: ./utils/downloader tries curl, ftp, and then wget.
# GNU ftp will _not_ work: it does not accept a url as an argument.
- ./utils/ | tar xjvmpf - 1>/dev/null
+ ./utils/ | tar xjvmf - 1>/dev/null
if [ ! -e build ]; then cp -rfv rock-*/build ./; fi
$(MAKE) clean bootstrap
@@ -111,7 +111,7 @@ ifeq ($(VERSION),)
@echo "You must specify VERSION. Generates rock-VERSION-bootstrap-only.tar.bz2"
$(MAKE) prepare_bootstrap
- tar cjvfmp rock-${VERSION}-bootstrap-only.tar.bz2 build
+ tar cjvfm rock-${VERSION}-bootstrap-only.tar.bz2 build
# Clean all temporary files that may make a build fail
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Clone this wiki locally
Wish list
This is a wishlist for changes to the GHC API to make tooling easier.
1. The API changes between each major GHC release. The changes may not be extensive, but they are often not documented in the release notes
2. The documentation is not always very detailed
3. Some flags can only be set before starting a GHC session, and a GHC session cannot be restarted. This explains the design of buildwrapper: it's an executable that you call for each operation, instead of a long running process. So each call using the GHC API starts a new session, perform the operation, and returns. Not great for performance, but see next point.
4. GHC API uses a lot of memory as you reload files. Things like instances and template haskell make things worse. When EclipseFP used scion, which was a long running process, working on a Yesod app for 2 hours caused scion to use 1Gb of memory.
5. Navigating the AST can be dangerous: depending on the phases you've run on this AST, not all objects are filled in, and accessing an unfilled object result in a panic (see the comments inside the source code of ghc-syb-utils).
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Rails UJS Behaviors for jQuery and Zepto
CoffeeScript Ruby Other
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Rails Behaviors
This is an alternative to jquery-ujs. Firstly, it is all Coffee goodness. Well, thats mostly good for me. Second, it is written in a modular fashion. This makes it possible to cherry pick the components you need and replace specific functionaly without rewriting the whole thing. Third, it uses built in global ajax events rather than adding its own. O, one more thing, Zepto.
jQuery 1.7.2+ or Zepto 0.8+
You'll need Sprockets 2 if you want to use the gem version. Otherwise you can download the standalone file from the Downloads section.
rails-behaviors is distributed through the bower package manager.
bower install rails-behaviors
Migrating from jquery-ujs
This library handles all the data-* behaviors defined in Rails. So its roughly feature for feature identicial with respect to the HTML.
The differences are in the JS interface.
2. There are no global configuration options. Theres no equivalent for $.rails. Your probably should have never used that in the first place.
NOTE You can not use rails-behaviors and jquery-ujs at the same time.
See for a markup and event reference.
$ git clone git://
$ cd rails-behaviors/
$ bundle install
Run tests
$ rackup -p 3000 test/
$ open http://localhost:3000/
Copyright © 2011 Joshua Peek <>
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52135
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CanTango extends CanCan and offers a role oriented
permissions design. CanTango also integrates well with Devise and scenarios with multiple user accounts.
Supported ruby versions
Tested to work with:
• Ruby 1.9+
Currently doesn’t support:
• Ruby 1.8.7
Should I use CanTango for my permission requirements?
gem install cantango
Usage in a Rails 3 app
Insert into Gemfile
gem 'cantango'
Run bundler to bundle gems in the app
$ bundle
Design overview
The CanTango pattern is simple:
1. Return cached rules (if available)
2. Generate rules
3. Cache rules
1. Use cached rules and return if user has cached rules
2. Generate rules for Permits if ‘Permits engine’ is turned on
3. Generate rules for Permissions if ‘Permissions engine’ is turned on
4. Cache generated rules with unique key for current user
See CanTango Ability
Rails 3 configuration
See Configuration
Minimal role system requirements
CanTango requires that you have some kind of ‘role system’ in place (see Role system requirement)
Supported role systems
Currently the role system Troles is targeted, but any role system will do with a few minor patches on top
Permission configuration
Permission rules can be defined in:
• Permission store
• Permit classes
See Permits
Permissions store
Permission rules can be stored and maintained in a Permissions store
A Permissions store can be either a simple YAML file or a key-value store supported by Moneta
Application configuration for CanTango
• Define roles that Users can have
• Define which roles are available
• Define a Permit for each role.
• For each Permit, define what Users with a role matching the permit can do
CanTango is integrated with CanCan REST links, letting you easily control which users have access to which models in your app.
The coming Rails 3 engine Dancing will include a full_config generator that you can use to configure your Rails app for devise, cancan, cantango and troles.
Define Permits
Permits can be defined for any of the following:
• Roles
• Role groups
In addition you can also define licenses, that are sets of permit rules that can be reused in various role and role group permits.
You can use the Permits generator to generate your permits. All Permit classes should be placed in the app/permits folder of a Rails app.
See Role permits in the wiki.
Account permits
See Account permits on the wiki
Permit for Role group
See Role group permits
Special permits
The Permits system uses some special permits System and Any, that can be configured for
advanced permission scenarios as described in the wiki.
See Licenses in the wiki.
Advanced Permits
See Advanced Permits
The gem comes with the following generators
• can_tango:role_permits – generate multiple permits
• can_tango:role_permit – generate a single permit
• can_tango:licenses – generate multiple licenses
• can_tango:license – generate a single license
See Generators
You need help?
Please post ideas, questions etc. in the cantango group on Google.
Bugs, issues or feature request/ideas?
If you encounter bugs, raise an issue or:
• Fork the project.
• Make your feature addition or bug fix.
future version unintentionally.
Copyright © 2010 Kristian Mandrup. See LICENSE for details.
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# Webapp Configs
'': {
'script': '/Users/jbalogh/dev/zamboni/scripts/update/', # Path to commander scripts with pre_update, update, and deploy tasks
'pubsub_channel': 'deploy.amo', # The is the name of the channel where chief posts events
'password': '', # The app requires this secret before taking any action.
# Directory where chief should redirect output. Make sure it exists.
# Make sure Apache can read this dir so we can see the deploy output.
OUTPUT_DIR = '/tmp'
# Redis connection parameters. Everything is passed directly to redis.Redis, no
# default settings are added.
'master': {
'host': 'localhost',
'port': 6379,
'password': None,
'db': 0,
'socket_timeout': 0.1,
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52138
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Python library for recursive Bayesian estimation (Bayesian filtering)
Python C
tree: 96e3913ff6
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tokyo @ 896d046
PyBayes is an object-oriented Python library for recursive Bayesian estimation (Bayesian filtering) that is convenient to use. Already implemented are Kalman filter, particle filter and marginalized particle filter, all built atop of a light framework of probability density functions. PyBayes can optionally use Cython for large speed gains (Cython build can be several times faster in some situations).
PyBayes is tested with Python 2.7 and 3.2 (using 2to3). Future plans include more specialised variants of Kalman/particle filters and speed optimisations.
PyBayes is being developed by Matěj Laitl, feel free to send me a mail to matej at laitl dot cz. See ChangeLog.rst file to review a list of most important changes in recent versions.
Automatically generated documentation can be found at
PyBayes is currently distributed under GNU GPL v2+ license. The authors of PyBayes are however open to other licensing suggestions. (Do you want to use PyBayes in e.g. BSD-licensed project? Ask!)
Obtaining PyBayes
PyBayes releases can be found in .tar.gz format at github or PyPI. These releases bundle the Tokyo project for convenience. Binary packages for CentOS, Debian, Fedora, RHEL, OpenSUSE and Ubuntu can be downloaded from the OpenSUSE Build Service; these packages are fast Cython builds. (with no requirement to install Cython for building)
Development of PyBayes happens on using git VCS and the most fresh development sources can be obtained using git. It should be noted that PyBayes uses git submodule to bundle Tokyo library, so the proper way to clone PyBayes repository would be:
# cd path/to/projects
# git clone git://
Cloning into PyBayes...
# cd PyBayes
# git submodule update --init
Submodule 'tokyo' (git:// registered for path 'tokyo'
Cloning into tokyo...
Submodule path 'tokyo': checked out '896d046b62cf50faf7faa7e58a8705fb2f22f19a'
When updating your repository (using git pull), git should inform you that some submodules have became outdated. In that case you should issue git submodule update.
Installing PyBayes
PyBayes uses standard Python distutils for building and installation. Follow these steps in order to install PyBayes:
• download PyBayes, let's assume PyBayes-0.1.tar.gz filename
• unpack it:
tar -xvf PyBayes-0.1.tar.gz
• change directory into PyBayes source:
cd Pybayes-0.1
• build and install (either run as root or install to a user-writeable directory [1]):
./ install
And you're done! However, if you want PyBayes to be considerably faster, please read the following section.
Advanced installation options
PyBayes can use Cython to build itself into binary Python module. Such binary modules are transparent to Python in a way that Python treats then as any other modules (you can import them as usual). Interpreter overhead is avoided and many other optimisation options arise this way.
In order to build optimised PyBayes, you'll additionally need:
• Cython Python to C compiler, version 0.14.1 or newer
• working C compiler (GCC on Unix-like systems, MinGW or Microsoft Visual C on Windows [2])
• NumPy numerical library for Python, version 1.5 or greater (NumPy is needed also in Python build, but older version suffice in that case)
• On some Debian-based Linux distributions (Ubuntu) you'll need python-dev package that contains Python.h file that is needed by PyBayes
Proceed with following steps:
1. Install all required dependencies. They should be already available in your package manager if you use a modern Linux Distribution.
2. Unpack and install PyBayes as described above, you should see following message during build:
Cython and NumPy found, enabling optimised Cython build.
• in order to be 100% sure that optimised build is used, you can add --use-cython=yes option to the ./ call. You can force pure Python mode even when Cython is installed, pass --use-cython=no. By default, PyBayes auto-detects Cython and NumPy presence on system.
• if you plan to profile code that uses optimised PyBayes, you may want to embed profiling information into PyBayes. This can be accomplished by passing --profile=yes to ./ The default is to omit profiling information in order to avoid performance penalties.
• all standard and custom build parameters can be listed using ./ --help
The best results performance-wise are achieved when also your code that uses or extends PyBayes is compiled by Cython and uses static typing where appropriate. Remember to cimport pybayes[.something] everytime you import pybayes[.something] so that fast Cython calling convention is used.
Building Documentation
There is no need to build documentation yourself, an online version is at
PyBayes uses Sphinx to prepare documentation, version 1.0 or greater is required. The documentation is built separately from the python build process. In order to build it, change directory to doc/ under PyBayes source directory (cd [path_to_pybayes]/doc) and issue make command. This will present you with a list of available documentation formats. To generate html documentation, for example, run make html and then point your browser to [path_to_pybayes]/doc/_build/html/index.html.
PyBayes docs contain many mathematical expressions; Sphinx can use LaTeX to embed them as images into resulting HTML pages. Be sure to have LaTeX-enabled Sphinx if you want to see such nice things.
PyBayes comes with a comprehensive test and stress-suite that can and should be used to verify that your PyBayes build works as expected.
Since version 0.4, testing is integrated into the script and can be run without installing PyBayes. In order to run PyBayes test-suite, simply issue ./ test from within the source directory. To run tests during installation procedure, simply install like this: ./ build test install. Failing tests cause installation to fail, but this can be overriden using --non-fatal option of the test command.
If you want to test your already installed PyBayes instance, simply issue python -m pybayes.tests anytime, anywhere. :-)
Stress testing is not yet ported to the, see the support/ script.
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Welcome to the Yahoo Group for Captain Zorikh: the People's Entertainer!
Captain Zorikh is an actor, musical entertainer (singer, songwriter, guitar, and harmonica), comedic performer, stage combat artist, writer, historian, and competitive swordfighter. He has been seen in such films as Yaz Nakajima's "After the Apocalypse," performed in such locations as Kenny's Castaways, Hammerstein Ballroom, 6 Flags Great Escape, and the NYC Subways, and swung swords all over the country.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52144
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Lake of the Mountain Spirits
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• Daniel Nephilim
http://www.fatemag.com/2005_10art4.html Lake of the Mountain Spirits by Paul Stonehill FATE Magazine - October 2005 The mysterious and holy Seidozero Lake is
Message 1 of 1 , Oct 9, 2005
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Lake of the Mountain Spirits
by Paul Stonehill
FATE Magazine - October 2005
The mysterious and holy Seidozero Lake is located in
the center of the Lovozero tundra in Russias Kola
Peninsula. It is connected with Lovozero Lake by a
short but ferocious river, Seidyavryoka, and
surrounded by low, flat-topped mountains. The lakes
beauty is breathtaking, and the surrounding area is
the center of many anomalies.
The Kola Peninsula is located on the northwestern rim
of Russia, mostly above the Arctic Circle. It lies
between the White Sea to the south and the Barents Sea
to the north. Here, a number of anthropological,
natural, and mystical enigmas co-exist side by side.
Native Saami tribes have been living in this area for
thousands of years. According to their legends, a
great choom (a tent made of skins or bark) was placed
near Seidozero Lake, and presents from all Saami nomad
camps were brought there. The tribute was quite
valuable, and included gold nuggets. During the
invasion of Norwegian King Hakon, the old choom was
destroyed and burned down. The shamans were able to
hide the treasures collected through the ages in the
deep waters of the sacred lake. There are rumors even
nowadays about strange rituals performed by shamans in
the vicinity of the lake.
Spirit Stones
Seid, the sacred stone of the Saami, is said to
contain the spirits and souls of the deceased noaidi
(shamans). Seids believed to possess magical powers
were worshiped and sacrifices were performed in front
of them. They were also used for fortune-telling. If a
seid was not worshiped sufficiently, the spirit inside
would leave it, and the rock became an empty vessel.
Some Russian researchers believe there are 30 seids in
the area.
When Saami sail past the Kuiva seid on the shore of
Seidozero, they are afraid to make loud noises or
cuss, because the Old Man, as they call Kuiva, might
overhear them. They are careful not to dirty the
waters of the sacred lake, lest the Old Man take the
fish away.
On the Nepeslogchorr plain near Seidozero Lake,
according to Saami mythology, there once stood three
sorceresses, a mother and her daughters, who were
turned to stone.
The isthmus between the two lakes is called Motka.
Over it is a constant clearing of blue sky.
Hurricane-like winds blow from the Seidozero hollow.
The surrounding mountains do not protect the lake from
winds. Rain and clouds are frequent, and huge waves
sometimes make sailing virtually impossible.
It is a very hard task to get to Seidozero, either by
water or by land. The lake is surrounded by a thick,
almost impenetrable evergreen forest that separates it
from the mountains. The trees here are the tallest in
the Kola Peninsula, and one can find black currants in
the forest and wild grapes in the foothills.
The climb to the top of the nearby Ninchurg Mountain
is both difficult and fascinating. The higher one
climbs, the more beautiful the mysterious lake below
becomes. Strange signs are found carved into the
vertical sides of the steps. The inscriptions are
complex, incomprehensible, and eerie, as are the
monuments made of stacked-up stones found at regular
intervals on the path to the summit
This is a place of many enigmas, including gigantic,
geometrically correct plates, huge rocks bored through
by some unknown and sizable drill, underground
tunnels, strange wells, and seven mysterious pillars
standing next to each other like a wall.
Were the tunnels built by Stalins slaves looking for
uranium? This was one explanation proffered by Soviet
scientists who arrived in the area to elucidate its
many puzzles, including the unexplained disappearances
of visiting tourists. But they could not fully explain
the many mysteries of the region.
According to legend, Seidozero Lake has a false
bottom. Soviet expeditions sponsored by the secret
police in the 1920s apparently visited a cave under
the lake.
The 1998 expedition led by Mikhail Dyomin discovered a
ritual well, mysterious signs and writings, and the
ruins of an ancient observatorya 15-meter-long trench
pointing at the sky. In 2001, a new expedition led by
Dyomin discovered a huge cave on the lakeshore.The
next year they found more surprises, including stone
panels made with metallic tools that dated back to
8000 B.C.
World War II Interest
A recent article by Igor Gusev in the Russian
newspaper Anomaliya (Issue 1, 2005) revealed that Nazi
intelligence agents also visited Seidozero. Gusev
claims that some tourists found clothing with Nazi
insignias in a cave by the lake.
The Ahnenerbe Forschungs und Lehrgemeinschaft
(Ancestral Heritage Research and Teaching Society),
founded in 1935 with Hitlers blessing and merged with
the SS two years later, may have been active in the
region. The Ahnenerbes mission was to provide
anthropological and archaeological evidence to
determine the origins of the Aryan race. Some Nazi
ideologues believed that the answer to this mystery
lay in the lost city of Atlantis. Their Atlantis was
the mythical land of Thule, lying between Greenland
and Icelandor, according to some, in the Kola
From 1940 through 1944, the Nazis occupied the north
of Russia with the exception of the Kola Peninsula.
The Germans knew the strategic importance of the
ice-free port of Murmansk and the vast natural wealth
of the region. Perhaps they knew about its paranormal
phenomena too. But the Soviets also knew the
importance of their northern peninsula and defended it
at all costs.
The Lake of the Mountain Spirits is mysterious,
pristine, and remote. I hope it remains so until the
time to unlock its secrets comes. Until then,
Seidozero should rest undisturbed by noisy and prying
Paul Stonehill is the author of the Soviet UFO Files
(1998) and co-author of UFO-USSR (2005).
Nephilim's Paranormal Investigations - http://paranorm.cjb.net
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52162
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Re: testing the etch installer
[catching up on my huge mail backlog...]
On Sun, Nov 26, 2006 at 09:33:48PM +0100, Christian T. Steigies wrote:
> For the mac, there exists no directory in the install folder, ie no Penguin
> boot loader, no bootargs, only the kernel image. Is this enough to boot a
> mac with emile? I did not find emile on the image, though.
It would be if emile was used on the ISO to make it bootable; but I
don't think it can already do that.
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52163
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Using Linux as a boot loader -- status and RFH
I've been experimenting with using a stripped-down Linux kernel
instead of u-boot. I'm working with a Seagate DockStar, but the same
approach should work with the Sheevaplug or other variants. The idea
(which is not original -- you can find several other similar projects
via Google) is to use the power of the Linux networking, filesystem,
and USB stacks to load whatever kernel you want, and then the kexec
system call to warm-boot into it.
Unfortunately, I've hit a brick wall: after loading a kernel (via
"kexec -l ...") and executing it ("kexec -e"), the new kernel hangs
during initialization when it tries to access various hardware
registers. These same hardware registers are accessed when the kernel
is booted via u-boot, so there's some bug here I haven't been able to
track down. See this thread for more details:
If anyone can help me solve this, I'd be very grateful, and could move
on to the final step of flashing the minimal kernel and booting it
directly from the hardware. My early tests are promising: the minimal
kernel and initramfs are only 1.5MB, and it boots to a shell in about
5 seconds.
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52164
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Re: .config for boot-floppy-hfs.img
On 11-Sep-2001 Daniel Jacobowitz wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 11, 2001 at 03:45:37PM +0200, Damien Morel wrote:
>> Hi,
>> do some of you know where can I find the .config file used to
>> generate the kernel on powerpc's boot-floppy-hfs.img
>> (http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/woody/main/disks-powerpc/3.0.13-2001-08-2
>> 5/powermac/images-1.44/boot-floppy-hfs.img
>> to be exact).
>> Thanks in advance.
> In the kernel-patch-2.2.19-powerpc or kernel-image-2.2.19-pmac
> packages.
I tried with this .config but it doesn't seem to give the same kernel than the
bootdisk's one. They have not the same size, and I can't boot with the kernel
compiled with this .config on my Performa6400.
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52165
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Re: Debian appears to be ancient
John Hasler <[email protected]> writes:
Edward Betts writes:
> Are you sure it was /usr/doc/copyright/base ?
hasler/~ ll /usr/doc/copyright/base
total 2
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 1197 Dec 31 1969 debian.README
So what package does it come from, then, and what version? I still
don't have that file:
blp:~(0)$ ls /usr/doc/copyright/base
ls: /usr/doc/copyright/base: No such file or directory
It's also not in Contents-i386 for stable, frozen, or unstable AFAICT.
as meaning someone who's only ever written one device driver."
--Daniel Pead
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52166
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Re: eliminating -source packages
On Sun, Jun 18, 2000 at 20:53:43 -0700 (+0000), Joey Hess wrote:
> This is a proposal to change how source gets on a user's machine for
> them to use to build the kernel, and associcated modules packages.
On a related note, I think that the current way of building the binary
modules packages leaves alot to be desired. Currently my /v/l/d/available
lists 8 different images files (and that's just i386). Am I really expected
to compile a modules-source package eight times?
An alternative is to get the people who make the kernel-image-* packages
build the modules. However this isn't ideal either - are they expected to
rebuild each time some module maintainer updates a package?
The best approach would be some auto-builder script which would rebuild
things as needed. Any takers :-)
email: [email protected]
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52167
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Re: Introducing Alioth: SourceForge for Debian
On Wed, 02 Apr 2003 05:15:14 +0000, Philip Brown wrote:
> contrariwise, now that we're in the 21st century an all, it might be
> nice to support a bugtracking system that actually has a direct web
> interface, rather than a readonly web layer.
Given the choice between an email bug database with a read-only web, and a
web-only bug database with no email interface, personally I prefer the
Of course, the ideal bug database these days would have an XMLRPC
interface and would have good email and XHTML layers on top ...
... so who's writing it? Nobody? Then I guess the current state of
bugfiling in Debian is not THAT painful for most people. ;-)
(Which Debian package is the BTS, anyway? Assuming that there is one)
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52169
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Re: Why is acroread so popular, and why are the free alternatives not good enough?
On Fri, 22 Feb 2008, Petter Reinholdtsen wrote:
> According to <URL:http://popcon.skolelinux.org/unknown/by_vote>,
> acroread is the most popular package in Debian Edu that is missing in
> Debian. 46% of the population got it installed, and 30% used it last
> week. Anyone know why it is so popular? What features does it
> provide that the free PDF viewers do not? Is there anything we could
> do to fulfil this need with free software?
acrobat is able to handle forms in PDFs, and there are quite some PDFs which
are only viewable in acrobat.
also acrobat provides _the_ feature of "downgrading" a pdf file, it can
convert those to ps+level without rastering the
fonts (and yes i'm talking about the reader, just start it from commandline
..), the feature is really helpful if your printer is a postscript printer,
but is not able to print your document...
Florian Reitmeir
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52171
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Re: Switch to master file for Debian Installer translations
--- Christian Perrier <[email protected]> wrote:
> I have switched Arabic translation to use a single (big) file for
> Debian Installer "level1", after agreeing with Ossama.
> I have commited this in translate/debian/level1
> Sarge branch translations are still to be switched...anyway, they
> don't need updates.
Great! I'll update as necessary.
Do you Yahoo!?
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52172
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Re: Concluding the LPPL debate, try 2
Scripsit Boris Veytsman <[email protected]>
> > From: Henning Makholm <[email protected]>
> Why? If a file is outside the LaTeX search path, there is no reason to
> keep it frozen. Actually the current LPPL explicitly gives you the
> right to change a licensed file without renaming it, if you place it
> outside of the LaTeX search path. It does not recommend it, but is
> allowed nevertheless.
Hm. Must have missed that. If true, it renders most of my recent
messages to the thread utter nonsense. In that case there can be no
doubt at all that it is a free license.
Erm .. the *current* LPPL you say, being LPPL version 1.2? I cannot
find any language in there that allows naming outside of the LaTeX
search path. There seems to be no exceptions to condition (3) about
not distributing modified files with original names.
Could you please give a more precise reference, preferrably a quote,
of the language you think allows this?
Henning Makholm "Ligger Öresund stadig i Middelfart?"
To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [email protected]
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52174
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Re: Problem with udev device identification
El 2011-04-22 a las 17:04 -0400, Sebastian Lara escribió:
(resending to the list)
> El viernes 22 de abril de 2011, Camaleón
> >
> > (...)
> >
> > There must be a string that uniquely identifies the converters despite
> > the device being attached on them... for instance, how about the serial
> > number? This value shouldn't be shared between the tree devices at all :-?
> Yes. I can even change some serial values but we need to replicate
> this in several machines.
And what's the problem, exactly? :-?
You should be able to:
1/ Globally identify the converters by some attribute shared between
all of them (such as vendor, device...).
2/ Uniquely identify converters by some attribute not being shared
between all of them (such as serial number).
Reply to:
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52175
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There is a New Warden in the Dungeons
Jump to: navigation, search
Deed Lore
The Dungeons of Dol Guldur are presided over by a Cargûl known only as The Warden. This creature makes entry into and escape from the Dungeons nearly impossible.
To complete this deed perform the following objective(s)
Turbine Point-icon.png 10 Turbine Points
30Medallion-icon.png Medallion
Slayer-title-icon.png <name>, The Warden (Title)
Reputation-icon.png Increased Reputation with Malledhrim (900)
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52176
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This thread is for listing manhwa or manhua publishing companies, including webcomic publishers. Not everyone may know where to get their hands on a manhwa or manhua. Even web-comics might get a publishing deal from time to time, so list all the ones you know here.
• List if the series is a Manhwa or Manhua.
• List the name of the publisher or company, link to a publisher website (if available)
• List the start and end date of publication.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52182
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Profile Information
Interested in quantitative marketing.
Full Name Dan Crean
Display Name DanCrean
Job Title Searcher
Company Wookie Enterprises
Type of Work Agency
Location Texas
Favorite Thing About SEO it's like a puzzle
Favorite Topics Link Building, Local SEO, Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), Consulting, User Experience (UX)
Blog Comments & Posts
For the purposes of this thought experiment, let’s ignore the benefits of diversification and assume you can have either a million dollars worth of real estate (say an apartment building or a lot of land) or a million dollars worth of one or more websites. Which would you prefer?
April 20, 2009 9 25
Moneyball and the Search Marketer
In his book “Moneyball,” Michael Lewis explains the working of Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland As and his role as an asset manager. Unlike the NFL, in which teams share television revenue and stick to overall salary caps, major league baseball allows teams to fend for themselves. As a result the big market teams (e.g., the New York Yankees) have more money to acquire top players and assemble a winning team. Managers of teams with smaller budgets, like Beane, have to be smarter in selecting lower paid players. Lewis admires Beane’s use of hard numbers in evaluating players and identifying underpaid ones.
December 19, 2008 5 9
Be Quantitative
December 18, 2008 3 9
Website Development as a Series of Nested Options
Website development as a series of nested options. Seeing website development as a series of nested options can help clarify your web strategy and aid in making decisions. The idea of projects as sets of nested options has been floating around the management literature for a decade. In a 1998 article in the Harvard Business Review, Timot...
June 11, 2008 5 3
Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control – A Viable Strategy for Developing Websites It sounds like an answer line from Johnny Carson’s Karnac routine, but Fast, Cheap, and Out of Control was the title of a documentary film made a decade ago. Erol Morris, the director, pointed his camera on four unusual subjects. The title com...
June 6, 2008 7 4
Price Discrimination in Pay Per Click Advertising
PPC is more complicated than it was a few years ago because the ad platforms – Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing, MSN AdCenter, and others – have become more adept at price discrimination. They are better at charging their customers - the advertisers - what the customers are willing to pay. Customers often resent price discrimination but businesses employ it to incr...
September 24, 2007 7 17
SEO Interview Questions - Whiteboard Friday
Blog Post: June 30, 2011
• Good talk, Rand.
I like to start with questions about general internet facts. What are some of the most visited website on the Internet? Need to show that they understand the sites they personally visit are not necessarily the sites other people visit. I also ask stuff like: How does eHow make money? How does make money?
Another question I like is what I call the “decathlon scoring” question: If you are in charge of a track meet that includes a decathlon (consisting of 10 different events), how do you know who wins? Of course, there is an answer on how decathlons are actually scored (you can look it up), but the point it to see if the interviewees can sketch out a plausible method of ranking decathlon competitors. I'm looking to see if they understand the trade-off between excellence in one or a few events vs competitors who do well, but not outstanding, in many events. Google's scoring of sites to determine SERPs is somewhat analogous (200+ factors) so I want them to show that they understand these tensions and that excelling at one factor isn't necessarily going to get you top rankings.
Accidentally Awesome Links from Research
Blog Post: April 25, 2011
• Good post. My overall theory of website content is that you need to be different, somehow, in some way, from the other sites out there on the web. And your content should be difficult for others to replicate. Research like that described in this post certainly fills the bill.
"This isn't for the faint-hearted. This kind of research takes a lot of time and work." Exactly. Its a different mindset from that of the content farm publishers, who hire freelance writers for a few dollars per article. A lot of those publishers got burned in Panda, and I can't feel too sorry for them. Quality is the way to go for the long run.
UGC Gets an A+ on Google Test with Panda Update
Blog Post: March 23, 2011
• A human user can tell the difference between authentic user-generated content (such as reviews on a product site) and the kind of bland articles that got hit by Panda right away. The articles on those content farms follow consistent patterns. When every article on your site is about the same length, has paragraphs of the same length, has similar writing styles and links to other articles on the site, it looks manufactured. Real authentic user-generated content has variety. (And that includes Wikipedia, despite the efforts there to standardize their articles)
A human reader can tell the difference in a few seconds, and it looks like with this update Google has improved so that it can tell the difference, too.
Thanks for the data.
Leveraging Mechanical Turk, oDesk, ELance & Craigslist for SEO
Blog Post: April 06, 2010
• Nobody has mentioned translation. I had success with an English-to-Spanish translator I found on oDesk. She was in Uruguay and the rate wasn’t dirt cheap, but lower than I could have found in the US. She also wasn’t scared by the technical nature of the writing, which many translators appear to be.
I used Craiglist years ago, but have abandoned it for Elance, oDesk, and Guru.
The keys to getting good work are: detailed enough specification and a small enough project (at least the first time) so that if the result isn’t what you wanted you don’t feel too bad about the money. I never send anything back for rework. I just pay the contractor and get another one to do it again.
I also avoid bidders with too many completed projects in their profile. Better to get someone a little more specialized and discriminating than someone who bids on every project and will do anything.
The New Easiest Trick to Increase Conversions
Blog Post: December 16, 2008
Belated Whiteboard Friday - Can Bad Links Hurt Me?
Blog Post: December 09, 2008
• Interesting to hear your thoughts on this. I've also noticed that pretty much any site that's been on the web more than a year has spammy or very low quality links pointing to it. So I don't worry too much about a few.
I do worry when it's more than a few though, and I found it interesting that Rand recommends a preemptive reinclusion request. Might have to take this advice in certain situations.
Why a Google Monopoly is Bad for Search Marketers
Blog Post: December 09, 2008
• I'm disappointed that people (here and elsewhere) seem to be OK with Google approaching monopoly status. There's a difference between a clear-eyed view of the market (in which we acknowledge Google is the big fish) and giving up and implicitly endorsing a de facto monopoly. Rand laid out a bunch of reasons why monopolies are generally bad. They are bad for both the industry players and for society overall. Saying: oh, it's better this way because I only have to focus on Google and not worry about other engines – that's short-sighted.
• Some things are easier in a monopolistic world because there is less uncertainty. But that doesn't mean things are better. Monopolies are generally bad for everyone except the monopolist and their close allies and affiliates. Anyone who wants to make a living in search marketing should prefer a world with more competition and less market share concentration in the search industry.
Search Is Changing Forever, Rand :).
Blog Post: December 09, 2008
• Is this an elegy for SEO? If so, it’s premature and exaggerated.
Getting sites to rank is harder than it used to be. There are more sites and more pages about every topic and plenty more people doing SEO and with an understanding of the basics. Five years ago I’d tell people I do SEO and get a blank look. Now all sorts of people know about it. More competition = harder.
That also means the ROI (however, and to whatever extent, we can measure it) has declined. It used to be that a local business could pay about the same for a yellow pages ad as for a basic SEO package, and the SEO package brought in much more website traffic and ultimately business. Nowadays a couple thousand dollars spent on SEO isn’t going to get them much, mostly because that small business’s competitors are all using basic SEO, too. More competition means more money is required to compete, and the denominator on the ROI calculation rises.
Given that the amount of content on the web and knowledge of SEO is expanding faster than internet usage, it is inevitable that ROI would decrease. The denominator is increasing faster than the numerator. But it doesn’t follow that ROI will decline to zero or that SEO is doomed.
I also disagree with the suggestion that PPC is where it’s at just because the search engines want us to advertise.
As with SEO, it’s also true that PPC is substantially harder than it was circa 2001. Back then, there was less competition and nobody knew anything. Analytics were primitive. People spent money on banner ads and PPC was an afterthought. As analytics started improving, people realized that banner ads were overpriced and PPC ads were underpriced. PPC generated great ROI in many markets because the ads were so cheap. Until the word got out, and competition eroded those profits.
Later the PPC platforms (e.g. AdWords, YSM) started making their systems more complicated to practice price discrimination and squeeze more money out of advertisers. The easy PPC profits of yesteryear are gone.
The search engines may want you to advertise, but they don’t want you making high profits from your advertising. They want to price the ads so that they, the search engines, capture most of the value you derive from the ads. AdWords, YSM, and AdCenter have all moved in that direction in the past couple of years.
I agree that it is harder to make money search marketing than it once was as the engines (Google) keep more for themselves. But it does not follow that SEO is over or that PPC is a superior path for the marketer. I don’t know what strategies will be effective for the search marketer going forward, and it is likely that different strategies will work in different industries.
Blog Post: December 04, 2008
• Part of this can be attributed to the time value of money (a dollar now - from PPC - is worth more than a dollar three years from now - from SEO) and, as others have pointed out, the riskiness of SEO. When you're starting SEO for a site, you don't know what kind of industry competition you will be facing two years from now or what the search engines are going to be doing then.
Further, PPC campaigns are more flexible because you can shut them off at any time and cap your investment. SEO, done right, is more like going all-in in poker. Do it only halfway and you've spent money with scant reward.
However, if the disparity is even a fraction of what Enquisite claims, that indicates a mispricing. Which means there is an opportunity for somebody to make money somewhere.
I've long thought, and we see this in some industries, that SEO experts should develop their own sites without any clients, and then sell or lease the sites to clients, or sell the leads for industries where that makes sense. I suspect this trend will continue, and savvy advertisers will not look away from buying or leasing successful sites, if the cost of getting customers is going to be so much less than it is for them by using PPC.
Exposing Gray/Black Hat Information - What Should SEOmoz Do?
Blog Post: July 26, 2008
• The internet is about openness. Yes, SEOMoz should cover these topics. I'm sorry you lost a contract for what sounds like a stupid reason. But we, as marketers and search professionals, should always be open to all information. No secrets.
What Part of the SEO Process is Hardest for You?
Blog Post: July 21, 2008
• I'd be surprised if anyone didn't say external link acquisition.
It's the hardest part of building a site's search profile, which is why Google values it so highly.
The Best Adwords Report You Don't Use
Blog Post: July 07, 2008
• I agree this is a very interesting and useful report.It's pretty much essential to look at if you're running keywords on broad match, but you can also find some interesting data for your phrase match terms, too.My only beef is that it doesn't fully deliver on its promise and Google will sometimes tell you in the Search Query column "3 other unique queries" or "25 other unique queries" or even "1 other unique queries".Which makes me curious what those queries were, and why Google decided to report some queries but not others.
Reddit, Stumbleupon, and Hacker News Algorithms Exposed!
Blog Post: July 02, 2008
• I appreciate entries like this but I have to take exception to
"algorithms, the quintessential example of all that is not human"
On the contrary, math and logical thinking are among the greatest achievements of humankind. Where would we be without algorithms?
An Initial Review of Boudica, the Social News Site for Women
Blog Post: July 01, 2008
• I'm not saying you can't have two or even a hundred. Just saying I don't think it's any great innovation. Social sites must have some critical mass to be successful. Posting of articles and discussing them is nothing you couldn't do at old style discussion boards. Any social site needs to get a core of users to keep it going. It seems that this is the key to success, especially in the early stages.
• It seems dominated by internet marketers now, right down to the splogs.
There are plenty of new community sites trying to do the web 2.0 thing. I just don't see how a site like this is better than a web 1.0 site like ivillage.
Blog Post: June 26, 2008
Awesome. I love seeing arbitrage fail.
How To Talk To Your Copywriter
Blog Post: June 16, 2008
• I think it depends on the nature of the content you want the writer to produce and the type of website. I agree that the writers should be told the purpose of the content and the audience. I produce informational sites for lead generation, not for ecommerce, so I don't want copy that attempts to sell. I never tell the writers what keywords to use and I would certainly never specify the keyword density or headings. I can edit the material after I get it to get whatever keyword density, internal linking, etc. I want.
I also prefer to not tell the writers the site on which the content will appear. Because I don't want them influenced by it or to try to match the writing style on the rest of the site. The reason I use multiple writers, rather than just one, is that I want a diversity of minds coming up with new material. If there are gross style disparities, I can fix them.
I also don't want the writers looking at competitors, because then they will try to match the competitors, and I want to do better than competitors. Sometimes I will point them to sites I like with content I like, but the sites are not direct competitors.
Blog Post: June 13, 2008
• Glad to see your mention of Umair Haque's blog (his entry on Obama and Google). Even though Haque worships Google a little too much, he is one of the most interesting business thinkers writing today.
Blog Post: March 19, 2008
• Timely post for me, because I have been exploring iMedix recently. Honestly, I am less than impressed. All major general search engines produce better quality results. The iMedix SERPs just seem so unimaginative. If you're going to show the same few sites, why should the user visit your search engine and not just go to those sites?
The community angle seems mostly like a gimmick, too. I can't imagine they are going to use it.
Whiteboard Friday - "Whose House? Moz House!"
Blog Post: July 27, 2007
• Hey, did you have permission from the copyright holders to use that music in your video? ;)
As far as sending a DMCA to the hosting company: In my experience (and it has been a couple years) hosting companies have no idea what to do with these letters and just ignore them. I have never got any action from sending a DMCA to a hosting company. One even responded to me with an email advising me to "contact DMCA". Yeah.
I used to contact the owners of the offending sites, but they often just ignore you, too. If the offending site employs AdSense (and in my case they do 90% of the time), you can send a DMCA to AdSense. (This is a slightly different address from the one you send to get the site out of Google's search index.) This letter objects to AdSense appearing on a site that violates copyright. AdSense then contacts the site owner and gets them to take the copied material down; or else they kick them out of AdSense. I have had great success using this method, and would advise everyone to do it. Don't complain to the webmaster; complain to AdSense and you will get action.
If there is no AdSense, I send regular DMCAs to Google's index, Yahoo, and MSN. This gets the offending page out of the search indices.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52184
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Bitmap.UnlockBits Method
Unlocks this Bitmap from system memory.
Namespace: System.Drawing
Assembly: System.Drawing (in System.Drawing.dll)
[<SecurityPermissionAttribute(SecurityAction.LinkDemand, Flags = SecurityPermissionFlag.UnmanagedCode)>]
member UnlockBits :
bitmapdata:BitmapData -> unit
Type: System.Drawing.Imaging.BitmapData
A BitmapData that specifies information about the lock operation.
The operation failed.
The BitmapData specifies the attributes of the Bitmap, such as size, pixel format, the starting address of the pixel data in memory, and length of each scan line (stride).
The following code example demonstrates how to use the PixelFormat, Height, Width, and Scan0 properties; the LockBits and UnlockBits methods; and the ImageLockMode enumeration. This example is not designed to work correctly with all pixel formats, but to provide an example of how to use the LockBits method. This example is designed to be used with Windows Forms. To run this example, paste it into a form and handle the form's Paint event by calling the LockUnlockBitsExample method, passing e as PaintEventArgs.
.NET Framework
.NET Framework Client Profile
Supported in: 4, 3.5 SP1
© 2015 Microsoft
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52185
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/LTCG (Link-time Code Generation)
:NOSTATUS | :STATUS (optional)
Specifies whether the linker should display a progress indicator showing what percentage of the link is complete. The default is to not display this status information.
:PGINSTRUMENT (optional)
Specifies that the linker should output a .pgd file in preparation for instrumented test runs on the application. You can optionally specify /PGD to create the .pgd file with a nondefault name or location.
The data collected from the instrumented runs will be used to create an optimized image. For more information, see Profile Guided Optimization. The short form of this option is /LTCG:PGI.
:PGOPTIMIZE (optional)
Specifies that the linker should use the profile data created after running the instrumented binary to create an optimized image. All input files must be identical to the files that were specified with /LTCG:PGI. For more information, see Profile Guided Optimization. The short form of this option is /LTCG:PGO.
:PGUPDATE (optional)
Allows list of input files to be added or modified from what was specified in the :PGINSTRUMENT phase. However, any new input files will not be optimized with profile-guided optimizations and changed portions of a modified input file that invalidate profile data collected during the instrumentation phase for that code will not be optimized with profile-guided optimizations. For more information, see Profile Guided Optimization. The short form of this option is /LTCG:PGU.
The /LTCG option tells the linker to call the compiler and perform whole program optimization. You can also do profile guided optimization. For more information, see Profile Guided Optimization.
With the following exceptions, you cannot add additional linker options to the /LTCG:PGOPTIMIZE or /LTCG:PGUPDATE run that were not specified in the /LTCG:PGINSTRUMENT run:
Any linker options specified to /LTCG:PGINSTRUMENT do not have to be specified to /LTCG:PGOPTIMIZE; they are implied.
The rest of this topic will only discuss /LTCG in terms of link-time code generation.
/LTCG is implied with /GL.
The linker invokes link-time code generation if it is passed a module that was compiled with /GL or an MSIL module (see .netmodule Files as Linker Input for more information). If you do not explicitly specify /LTCG when passing /GL or MSIL modules to the linker, the linker will eventually detect this and restart the link with /LTCG. Explicitly specify /LTCG when passing /GL and MSIL modules to the linker for the fastest possible build performance.
/LTCG is not valid for use with /INCREMENTAL.
When /LTCG is used with either /Og, /O1, /O2, or /Ox, the following optimizations are performed:
• Cross-module inlining
• Interprocedural register allocation (64-bit operating systems only)
• Custom calling convention (x86 only)
• Small TLS displacement (x86 only)
• Stack double alignment (x86 only)
• Improved memory disambiguation (better interference information for global variables and input parameters)
Using /LTCG and /Ogt will result in double-alignment optimization.
If /LTCG and /Ogs are specified, double alignment will not be performed. If most of the functions in an application are compiled for speed, with a few functions compiled for size (for example, by using the optimize pragma), the compiler will double align these functions that are optimized for size if they call functions that need double alignment.
If the compiler can identify all the call sites of a function, the compiler will ignore explicit calling-convention modifiers on a function and try to optimize the function's calling convention:
• pass parameters in registers
• reorder parameters for alignment
• remove unused parameters
If a function is called via function pointer, or if a function make be called outside of a module compiled with /GL, the compiler will not attempt to optimize a function's calling convention.
If you use /LTCG and redefine mainCRTStartup, your application can have unpredictable behavior relating to user code that executes before global objects are initialized. There are three ways to address this issue: do not redefine mainCRTStartup, do not compile the file containing mainCRTStartup with /LTCG, or initialize global variables and objects statically, if possible.
Modules compiled with /GL and /clr can be used as input to the linker when /LTCG is specified:
• /LTCG can accept native object files; mixed native/managed object files (compiled with /clr), pure object files (compiled with /clr:pure), and safe object files (compiled with /clr:safe)
• /LTCG can accept safe .netmodules, which can be created with /clr:safe /LN in Visual C++ and /target:module with any other Visual Studio compiler. .netmodules produced with /clr or /clr:pure are not accepted by /LTCG.
• /LTCG:PGI does not accept native modules compiled with /GL and /clr, or pure modules (produced with /clr:pure)
To set this compiler option in the Visual Studio development environment
2. Click the Configuration Properties folder.
3. Click the General property page.
4. Modify the Whole Program Optimization property.
You can also apply /LTCG to specific builds by choosing Profile Guided Optimization from the Build menu, or by right clicking on the project name in Solution Explorer and selecting one of the Profile Guided Optimization options.
To set this compiler option programmatically
Community Additions
© 2015 Microsoft
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52211
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- Drag & drop support
One of the big features of is it's remote file manager. Being able to manage, upload and download files using any web browser is pretty powerful. Today, we improved this feature a lot by adding drag & drop support. You can now take one or more files from a folder on your local computer and drag & drop them into the web browser. The selected files will then be uploaded one by one to the target computer. This feature is especialy nice since, in the past, you could only select one file to upload at a time. This is the first time you can drag a bunch of them all at once. Note that this feature works in: FireFox, Chrome and Safari. It does not yet work in Internet Explorer.
Now, I can't take all the credit for this feature, my new summer intern Sathvik just got started on Monday and this is this first feature to make it on the site.
All in all, this makes easier than ever to remotely access your files remotely and over the web. I hear lots of stories of people that use this feature to access home files while traveling.
Update (5/12/2012): When you use the "upload" button you can now select multiple files and all files will be uploaded at once. Just put in the feature now.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52214
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A Rakuten Company
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This book-collection file includes the following short story collections : Son of the Wolf, Children of the Frost, Tales of the Fish Patrol, South Sea Tales, Smoke Bellew, The Turtles of Tasman, Dutch Courage and Other Stories, The Faith of Men, Moon Face, Lost Face, Human Drift, The House of Pride, The Night Born, On the Makaloa Mat, Strength of the Strong, Tales of the Klondyke, When God Laughs and Other Stories. It also includes the plays Theft and The Acorn Planter. According to Wikipedia: "Jack London (12 January, 1876 22 November, 1916)[1][2][3][4] was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild and other books. A pioneer in the then-burgeoning world of commercial magazine fiction, he was one of the first Americans to make a lucrative career exclusively from writing."
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52216
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User talk:JRT
Revision as of 11:41, 28 June 2011 by Icwiener (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Hey, I removed your link to "KDE4-both", because no one has written that page yet ;) also I find it of questionable usefulness. --Logixoul 20:18, 5 April 2008 (CEST)
code tag obsolete
the code tag is obsolete. But please do not delete contents because of that. The code tag can be replaced (and we are doing it currently, but it will take another week or so to get them all) by <syntaxhighlight lang="cpp-qt">, with the supported languages being and probably more. I think we have "cmake" as well. :)
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52219
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The Lost City of Barakus
The Final Battle
According to what they learned earlier, that Devron resides beyond the “Stone of Madness”, the party agrees that they need to go to the fourth level where the stone of madness is. Once again Gorthol consults the maps and plots their course. A few days later they arrive on the fourth level. Gorthol recognizes the sign of the beginning madness within himself that the area inflicts on unsuspecting victims who enter the area. They quickly discuss what action they want to take before the madness gets worse or anyone else is afflicted.
Stone of Madness
Albrish casts divination and asks which of the five rooms in the room with the Stone of Madness they should go through to get to Devron. His response is to go toward the morning sun. Sue takes one of the Portable Holes of Home and heads toward the room with the Stone of Madness. The solid, metal door has no handle nor hinges but there’s a single square depression in the middle of the door. He inserts a metal cube the party found earlier and the door opens. Beyond the door are a set of stairs winding downward. He places the Portable Holes of Home on the wall and goes through to the other where the party is waiting. He tells them what he’s found and they quickly go through.
They slowly wind their way down the stairs until the stairs terminates in a wide, natural stone passage. At the end of the passage is an ornately carved stone arch. Within the arch shimmers an opaque curtain of scintillating lights—reds, blues, and greens—oscillating hypnotically. Above the arch, in Ancient Common, reads the following: Pass ye only of purest intent. Darkness for those within and without awaits transgressors. The party fears what might happen if they go through the portal but Gorthol decides to go through wearing the Helm of Power and carrying the greatsword. The party sees him go through and a few seconds later he’s bounced out.
Gorthol informs the party that he heard in his head a voice asking him questions. The first question was, “Have you the sword?” He answered yes. The second question was, “How many torches have you lit?” When he answered none he found himself bounced out. He lights a torch and tries again, this time he answers that he lit one torch. Again, he’s bounced out. This time he gets the feeling that he may only have one more chance to go through. Sue makes two attempts and is also bounced out on the second question. Albrish and Rukii both try once and answer the question incorrectly. The party decides to spend the night so the clerics can choose some divination spells to try and figure out the answer.
The next morning Albrish casts divination. The answer to his question is, “Thou art too literal. Triangles. Circles. Rectangles.” After discussing it they decide that the “torches” were actually the towers with the geometric shapes that activated the greatsword. Rukii agrees to go through and answer the question with the answer “three”. She goes through and doesn’t come back. She hears a third question, “Whom are you seeking?” She answers, Devron, and finds herself in a large cavern. She looks around while waiting for the rest of the party. Opposite of the arch is high cliff that drops off about fifty feet. She also finds a secret door.
One by one, the rest of the party comes through the arch. They check out the door and try to open it only to set off a trap, ice storm. Once they get the door open they go down they smell a foul order that Sue identifies as a stinking cloud. Rukii has a magical fan that disperses the cloud. As they continue down the corridor they hear a raspy voice tell them that he under estimated them but he won’t anymore then a fireball goes off. The party survives the massive fireball and Gorthol goes charging toward the lich. The battle is brief but intense. In the end Devron and Gorthol are dead. Rukii brings back Gorthol from the dead while the rest of the party looks for Devron’s phylactery. They decide that it’s one of two items. A brass heart they found when they first started the adventure and a plain metal wristband Devron was wearing. They destroy the heart then they destroy the plain metal wristband. When they destroyed the wristband they hear a horrible shriek. They gather Devron’s treasure and head out.
On the way out of the arch the first one through hears a question, “Is he dead?” When answered yes the portal shuts down and the rest of the party goes through. On their way out they destroy the Stone of Madness then head to the surface, something that they haven’t seen in a long time.
Thus ends the adventure.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52238
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Pig from a Bird’s Eyeview
Posted by manning_pubs on May 20, 2013 at 8:56 PM PDT
Pig from a Bird's Eyeview
by M. Tim Jones, author of Pig in Action
Today, we are being inundated with data. So much so, that IBM estimates that in 2012, 2.5 quintillion bytes of information are generated every day. That's a million trillion bytes of data, more data than we can fathom and considerably more than we can easily process. Online, every web-page we visit, every link we click, every phrase we search, every photo or video we upload, every "like," every purchase we make, and every comment we write generates some amount of data online with associated metadata (data about that data, such as date and time, and other useful information). Our online footprints generate not only large quantities of data, but equally large amounts of insight as this data can lead to real value if processed appropriately. This modern data deluge has been called Big Data, and it's only getting bigger. In this article based on chapter 1 of Pig in Action, author Tim Jones talks about how Pig democratizes Big Data. Save 42% on Pig in Action with Promotional Code piglaunchjn only at
Big data refers to data that requires new architectures and methods to process within a reasonable amount of time. As Moore's Law begins to slow, instead of building increasingly faster machines (called scale-up), we build architectures that scale out by adding compute and storage capacity. This approach allows an architecture to scale capacity to process data in parallel, both in terms of compute and storage. Hadoop is such a platform and is the de facto standard platform for large-scale data processing.
Understand Moore's Law Gordon Moore of Intel defined his law in a 1965 paper in which he predicted the density of transistors doubling every two years in the same physical area of an integrated circuit. This doubling of density relates to the complexity and performance of those integrated circuits, but in the next decade Moore's law will reach its physical limit.
Hadoop is a scalable and distributed platform that solves what are known as embarrassingly parallel problems. These are classified as problems that can be simply distributed and processed in parallel with little or no communication between the parallel tasks. This makes them very easy to process within clusters of servers using cost efficient Ethernet (and SATA SSDs for higher performance). Examples of embarrassingly parallel problems include search, fractal calculations (such as the Mandelbrot set) which allows each point to be calculated independently and genetic algorithms, which produce potential solutions to a given problem, in parallel.
We begin our discussion of Pig by going through what Pig can and can't do.
What Pig can and can't do
While Pig is very versatile and extensible, there are certain tasks that are better performed elsewhere (some of which are specific to the data processing platform, Hadoop). One of the most obvious deficiencies with Pig and Hadoop is that they are best applied to batch processing of large datasets. Due to latencies involved in Pig processing and Hadoop, it's not an ideal target for real-time or near real-time processing. But processing large stable datasets such as meteorological trends or web-server logs is a snap for Pig. In particular, Pig is perfect for data processing that involves a number of steps (a pipeline of processing). This tends to be more difficult in MapReduce, which is encoded as a map and reduce step.
Pig provides features to more easily implement complex aspects of MapReduce programming. Features like grouping and aggregation, sorting, and SQL-like joins are made easy with Pig, but can consume a considerable amount of development time when implemented in low-level MapReduce.
The ideal problems that can be solved by Pig and Hadoop are those that can be carved up, analyzed in pieces in parallel, and then put back together to arrive at a result. In our prior example, we aggregated customer purchases, which is an ideal example since we can sum in parallel. Analyzing relationships in the data can be difficult in Hadoop because once the data is broken up to process in parallel, each node lacks the entire picture exposed by the entire dataset.
Not all problems can be solved in this way, as some datasets illustrate dependence and cannot be manipulated separately. One example of this problem are those that rely on recursion (for example, Fibonacci sequences, which rely on prior values to produce the new one). Since MapReduce breaks a problem into many smaller sub problems to be processed independently, the dependence is lost. Luckily, many problems can be solved in this way. This includes text mining, collaborative filtering (machine learning), sentiment analysis, recommendation, effective ad targeting, pattern recognition, building prediction models, and building indexes for search.
But one of the most interesting and useful meta-problems solved with Pig is experimentation (data sandboxing). Pig makes it simple to build scripts to analyze data, experimenting with approaches to identify the best approach. Ultimately, this feature is what makes Pig a worthy technology to understand and a growing tool in data science.
Competitive technologies
The ecosystem building up around Hadoop proves that it is the de facto standard big data processing system. One of the most active areas of development is in the application space to assist in the development of data processing applications as an alternative to the native MapReduce.
One of the biggest differentiating features of Pig from other models is its ability to interactively manipulate datasets. This feature allows you to develop your script by interactively testing it on data, permitting faster script development since issues are found early. Most other solutions, like MapReduce, require you to run your script in a batch mode, so you see the result after the entire script/application has executed. This feature allows experimentation on datasets, and ad-hoc processing of data.
Some of the interesting competitors of Pig include Crunch, Cascading, and Hive. Apache Hive, originally developed by Facebook, is a data warehouse application built on top of Hadoop (see figure 1). It provides query and data analysis services using a SQL-like language called HiveQL. HiveQL is similar to the Structured Query Language (SQL, popular in relational database systems), but does not support the entire SQL specification (nor has Hive attempted to achieve this). HiveQL provides a useful query layer for the analysis of datasets. Like Pig, HiveQL queries are translated into MapReduce pipelines, easing the use of Hadoop for data processing.
Figure 1 Apache Hive Stack on Hadoop.
Hive is the closest competitive solution to Pig in its ability to compile SQL-like abstractions to MapReduce applications. The disadvantages to Hive are the additional requirements imposed upon a Hadoop cluster. Additionally, Hive focuses on structure data (similar to database systems) whereas Pig can process both structured data and unstructured data with ease.
As they satisfy slightly different goals, you'll find large Internet properties (like Yahoo!) use both Hive and Pig based upon the particular need.
The use of Pig
Not surprisingly, Pig has very wide and diverse use across the big-data industry. Yahoo! recently reported that almost half of its MapReduce jobs that execute in its large Hadoop cluster were a product of Pig (in support of web search and advertising systems). So instead of raw MapReduce jobs being hand coded, half of the jobs at Yahoo! originated from Pig scripts through the Pig compiler. This certainly demonstrates the value of Pig within a large production environment.
Many other companies make use of Pig in their production environments. Twitter uses Pig extensively to mine tweets and process usage logs (a common use-model). LinkedIn, a professional networking site, uses Pig to mine data to identify and suggest people that you may know and want to connect with (among other mining tasks). The WhitePages website uses Pig cleanse and filter its multi-billion record dataset in addition to analyzing web logs to identify performance indicators.
Of the major Pig users, most of the applications were in web-based analytics with machine learning and massive log processing. Many users have found the benefit of using Pig for ad-hoc exploration of large datasets, as Pig makes it easy to "play" with data. A growing use-model is the use of Pig to process unstructured data sets (such as audio or video data).
While developing applications for Hadoop can be complicated, and restricted to those with a computer science background, Pig scripts can be developed by anyone with a desire to process large datasets. Using Hadoop's scalable cluster architecture, and Pig's ability to generate efficient Map and Reduce data pipelines, no data is too big or complex to be reduced into useful insights. And while Pig isn't the only available solution, it's the best scripting language for interactively manipulating datasets using a data pipeline model that's easy to visualize.
Your first peek at Pig
To give you a first taste of Pig, the following short script loads a comma-delimited dataset (earthquakes over the last seven days from the U.S. Geological Survey), filters the dataset to emit only those records that match a given criteria (earthquake magnitude indicated by the 9th field of each tuple greater than 6.0), and then dumps the result to the screen.
grunt> rawdata = LOAD ‘eqs7day-M1.txt' USING PigStorage(‘,');
grunt> big_ones = FILTER rawdata by $8 > 6.0;
grunt> DUMP big_ones;
(us,b000gg01,9,"Friday, April 26, 2013 06:53:28 UTC",-28.7357,
[CA] -178.9155,6.2,349.00,112,"Kermadec Islands region")
(us,b000gen8,A,"Tuesday, April 23, 2013 23:14:42 UTC",
[CA] -3.9108,152.1266,6.5,16.30,100,"New Ireland region, Papua New Guinea")
This simple script has a very specific flow, from loading a dataset and reducing it to providing a result. This is a general pattern found in Pig and differs greatly from the MapReduce paradigm.
Pig is a solution to the problem of processing large data sets. Pig sits on top of Apache Hadoop, a distributed platform for data intensive applications. While Hadoop can process big data using its native Map/Reduce paradigm of processing, Pig makes data processing simpler. Pig allows you to think about problems in terms of data flows and transformations, compared to Map/Reduce, which requires a specific mindset for developing applications with map and reduce functions.
Here are some other Manning titles you might be interested in:
MongoDB in Action
MongoDB in Action
Kyle Banker
Big Data
Big Data
Nathan Marz and James Warren
Hadoop in Action
Hadoop in Action
Chuck Lam
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JAX-WS RI 2.2 Status
Posted by ramapulavarthi on February 26, 2009 at 2:34 PM PST
Its been a long time I blogged. You might be wondering what we are up to with JAX-WS RI lately. We are busy implementing the JAX-WS 2.2 RI.
Jitu, Spec lead for JSR 224 has already sent the proposals on JAX-WS 2.2 features. JAX-WS 2.2 is mainly aimed to add the missing support for WS-Addressing 1.0 - Metadata specification in the earlier release. This requires WS-Policy 1.5 support in JAX-WS to understand the WS-Addressing Metadata defined policy assertions. For WS-Policy 1.5 support, JAX-WS is using the Policy implementation from WSIT ( Policy project on We have integrated the Policy libraries in JAX-WS 2.2 and with this JAX-WS can understand/generate policies as defined in Web Services Policy 1.5 -Attachment.
JAX-WS 2.2 will be part of Metro 2.0. The roadmap for Metro 2.0 can be found here and more details on the features targeted for Metro 2.0 are on Metro One Pagers.
Some of the support for WS-Addressing Metadata is already implemented. The development for JAX-WS 2.2 is happening on jaxws22 branch of jax-ws-sources/jaxws-ri repository. Since JDK 6 already has JAX-WS 2.1 API, there are some possible classloading issues if you are using JAX-WS 2.2 on JDK 6.
You have to resort to endorsed mechanism or use JDK 5 for now. We are working on alleviating this problem going forward.
I am going to write in detail about the features for WS-Addressing and other enhancements in JAX-WS 2.2 in a later blog. The nightlies will be out soon once the 2.2 API are finalized.
Regarding the JAX-WS 2.1 implementation in JDK 6, We are working on syncing up JDK 6 with latest JAX-WS 2.1.X. You should see it in a future JDK 6 feature update release.
Related Topics >>
JAX-WS RI 2.2-hudson-752
This version is included in the comments when web services are generated using NetBeans 6.8 and from what we can tell it works well. Are JAX-WS libraries which are included with NetBeans 6.8 available anywhere in a maven repository? I asked this question on the NB users group and was told they are the same but I am not convinced this is the case at this time. If one creates a maven project in NetBeans and then uses the wizard to add a web service client it uses an older 2.1 version. We need the newer version to consume Axis2 web services which use multiple namespaces and the JAX-WS which NetBeans uses with native projects seems to handle this. Any help would be appreciated. TIA, Carl
Once the API in in Java SE, it is impossible to remove it. We plan to explore more options to ease the pain of endorsed problems. nillable support works with JAX-WS 2.2 nightlies. See the unit test case I think the Flex problem is that it doesn't understand imports in the WSDL. So we made a note of it to support in 2.2 Collections is a tough problem to solve. But if you could file a bug and what you would expect us to do, that would be great.
You guys really do need to resolve the endorsed directory issue once and for all. For this reason I really would like to see JAX-WS removed from JDK 7. IMHO, you need to focus more on basic interop and usability also instead of seemingly only focusing on more advanced standards. i.e. Will nillable web method parameters be supported? I would also like to see hash table support that works with Silverlight/WCF and Flex clients. Furthermore, it would be nice if you could do something to make WCF recognize collections as lists rather than just arrays. I still don't understand why JAXB serializes collections in such an odd manner either. If you would focus on getting this stuff to work well with other systems such as Flex (as broken as their web service support is), it would help developers of real-world apps greatly.
Hi syvalta, The support for schema validation is not introduced in JAX-WS 2.2 API. Its support would require the definition of how schema should be in rpc/lit case. 2.2 spec did n't define anything in particular for timeout parameters. JAX-WS 2.2 spec is providing a way for passing instances of WebServiceFeature during the Service instance creation. In RI we are planning to use that WebServiceFeature mechanism to support Timeout parameters etc. I agree that this will be RI specific
Hi Rama, will JAX-WS 2.2 API (or is it JSR 181actually) support schema validation? I know Sun implementation has supported it for some time already, but will the support be included in the API? How about support for setting transport timeout parameters in a provider independent way, will that be included in the API?
Hi Kristoff, Its should be available in a week or two and would be available in Metro 2.0 nightlies then.
Is 2.2 going to suppor @XmlElement on fields in wrapper style as hinted at on the one-pager? If so, when can we expect to see that in the Metro 2.0 nightlies?
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52288
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yodel, type of singing in which high falsetto and low chest notes are rapidly alternated; its production is helped by the enunciation of open and closed vowels on the low and high notes of wide intervals. Yodeling is also used as a means of communicating over moderate distances by the inhabitants of mountainous regions. It is associated with the Alpine peoples of Switzerland and the Austrian Tirol. But it is found also in other mountain regions (e.g., in China and the Americas) and among the Pygmies of Africa and the Aboriginal peoples of Australia.
In Alpine folk singing, yodeling—frequently mixed with nonsense syllables—occurs in passages called Jodlers, which occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a song. The origin of yodeling is buried in antiquity. It has been suggested that it originated as an imitation of the music of the alpenhorn (alphorn), but this point is uncertain.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52301
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Bill summaries are authored by CRS.
Shown Here:
Passed House without amendment (06/12/2006)
Recognizes the potential threat that sympathizers and financiers of Islamist terrorist organizations that operate in the Western Hemisphere pose to the United States, our allies, and interests.
Acknowledges the cooperation of some Western Hemisphere governments to deny the use of their territory to Islamist terrorist organizations and calls on all governments to intensify such efforts.
Encourages the President to direct the United States Representative to the Organization of American States (OAS) to: (1) seek OAS support for the creation of a special task force of the Inter-American Committee Against Terrorism to assist in investigating and combating the proliferation of Islamist terrorist organizations in the Western Hemisphere; and (2) urge OAS countries to designate Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, al-Qaeda and other such groups as terrorist organizations.
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Reviews for By Any Other Name
Kiru chapter 1 . 11/9/2007
hey, waz up silly bella! just thought u should know it is from 'friends' and if u don't make another chap 4 'breaking boundaries' i think i'm going 2 die. keep writing, ur my .
always-luv-lillie chapter 1 . 10/18/2007
i know what show that was from! Will&Grace! lol, funny episode...
I LOVED this ff! i was laughing so hard, hehe. ] great job!
spirited41026 chapter 1 . 10/16/2007
OH MY GOOD LORD. I couldn't STOP laughing! It's so funny! Man, I'm good with making people laugh with my facial expressions. hahahahahahaha... Jeez. Funny, funny, funny.
Ryuko Ishida chapter 1 . 9/18/2007
Hah! That was amusing Poor Alice... and is there really a street named Piney Butt Loop (chuckles)? Hmm... my stripper name would be 'Lollipop Thirty-eighth' - ok, doesn't sound good at all " Haha...
Anywho, that was very entertaining.
SilverMoonArcher chapter 1 . 9/1/2007
This is one of the funniest stories ever!
Falling Rose Petals chapter 1 . 8/25/2007
hahaha when bella said 'stripper name', i had to take a break. lol i turned around and burst out laughing because i knew what was gonna happen. lol LOVED IT!
princessezzy chapter 1 . 8/16/2007
lol this is hilarious, the show's will and grace, it's one i remember, i've done this with my friends before except we did first petmums maiden name (it's another version) mines great, goldie capari! lol! my friend alice didn't get a good one, kinda like alice in this one, eric fletcher! we're never letting her forget it!
musicbuddy chapter 1 . 8/16/2007
First, I love all of yours stories! You're one of my favorite authors and almost all of them made me almost fall off my chair laughing I'm not even joking. Second, the show you saw that on was Will and Grace I'm 99.9% sure. Hope that helps :)
Jacob brought sexy back chapter 1 . 8/9/2007 I'm Sushi Stonebrook? Gah...not good.
HimeHeenim chapter 1 . 8/9/2007
Goodness!That was so funny and realistic. I can picture that happening. Why was Alic co disappointed with her stripper's name anyway? What's so special about Edward's stripper's name?
teenlee chapter 1 . 8/6/2007
hahhahaha. oh that was hilarious! Alice is so cute. i would buy her a pet... if there weren't 7 vampires in the house.. anyways. this was really funny ! :]
rachelthebooklover chapter 1 . 8/5/2007
hahahahahhahaha )
Lil miss Komugi chapter 1 . 7/30/2007
It's from I love the 80's (maybe 90's) They were talking about Dirk diggler from Boogie nights. I don't mean to sound like a know it all, but when I read your story I remembered hearing that same thing, it bothered me so bad then all of a sudden it hit me 'boogie nights!' Great story any way. My stripper name would be spot cresent.
irritable-grizzley1240 chapter 1 . 7/29/2007
hehe. Rufus Piny Butt. I still cant get over that.
Droplets of Salt chapter 1 . 7/16/2007
That was darling! How did you ever think of such a humorous, and unexplored, topic? I loved it!
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You chase me like a shadow
Title: A Shadow and a Ghost
Series: LFN
Disclaimer: If they were mine, Nikita wouldn't do such weird things with her hair. I don't own any of the gang.
Summary: Just a little snippet inspired by the great Trisha Yearwood's beautiful song. It's post 4th season. I decided to quit griping about Nikita and crawl into her head for a short piece. I want out now.
You chase me like a shadow
And you haunt me like a ghost
And I hate you some, and I love you some
But I miss you most---Trisha Yearwood, On A Bus To St. Cloud
I still look for Michael. A year after making my own escape, I was headed cross-country on a battered bus when I saw him standing there on the road, halfway between Paris and Nantes. He was dressed in black, reddish hair glinting in the sun as he looked at a panel, pretty mouth drawn into a disapproving line. A few months later I spotted him in the States, at Grand Central, wearing chocolate brown like the day we escaped to the farmhouse. In Minneapolis, he appeared at a supermarket, crying tears of blood beside the tangerines.
Years ago, I sent him from my life, determined that he would walk in freedom. I bid him goodbye beneath the trees, both of us bathed in the light that never penetrated into the bowels of Section, where we'd met, and struggled, and sacrificed so much for the greater good. I told him I'd never loved him, re-breaking his battered heart, which was fragile, like a bone that cracks easily after too many fractures. I did it for both of us, but also for Adam and Elena, who loved him, too. I did it for Walter, who hadn't walked in freedom for 35 years, and for Seymour Birkoff, who never had a chance. I found the strength because Michael was my greatest love, the one I'll remember on my dying day, when the rest of the world falls away and faces swim up from the depths of memory.
In a church in downtown New Orleans,
I got down on my knees and prayed,
And I wept in the arms of Jesus
For the choice you made-
Trisha Yearwood, On A Bus To St. Cloud
I ask forgiveness of Michael, wherever he may be. For years, I worked as a center mole, devising ways to protect us both from being buried in the rubble of Operations' toppling regime. There was a purge, and Madeline made the terrible decision to end by her own hand. We all have the choice to end our Section lives before they begin, but something within us cries out against it. Rene Dion would have followed that path in the bloody hour between lives. Section chose us because we were beautiful, but also because we were strong, too strong, to not finish the course. The cause was just, and we feared the darkness of death, when an operative must look upon the face of his creator and say forgive me, Father, for I have sinned.
Devoid of Madeline's strategies and Michael's brilliance, Operations slipped into darkness. He was removed in yet another purge, taking many operatives with him as he tumbled from grace. I barely survived that revolution. Only one thing kept my shoulder to the wind: the knowledge that somewhere on this earth, Michael Samuelle still lived. Eventually, I found my way to freedom, with his words as my guiding star.
There would be another day.
So here I am, a gypsy again, like the Section years have been stripped away, restoring me to the wandering girl I once was. I haunt bus stations, waiting for the next one to rumble through and carry me a little farther on this endless journey of mine. Chugging along interstates and country roads, a flash of black will catch my eye and I'll poke my head out the bus window, looking for Michael, but the ghosts prove as elusive as the man. He once told me that all we ever have is our dreams. I dream of turning the corner someday to find him waiting for me, as devastatingly handsome as I remember. The operative Michael was the best there ever was, and I'm sure he knows where I am. Our steps will always be entwined. He was my Lancelot, my dark side redeemed, my brother-in-arms. We never got to the island of Rhodes. I'll make my way there soon.
Looking for Michael, as always.
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Their Story
Dark clouds rolled across the Savannah, casting all that was once full of life into darkness, no sun nor did rain seem to want to shine down over the once prosperous land. These were what remained of the Pridelands, once the home of many animals who spread throughout the grasslands, once ruled by the late King Mufasa before the timing of his tragic death, and the death of the Pride's young prince, Simba.
With no heir left to the thrown, and their King dead, the pride had no choice as Scar, the Kings only brother, and only heir left for the throne, had stepped up to take his place as what he referred himself as The Rightful King.
But his reign was not as he had expected, that not long after he assumed the throne, bring with him his army of hyenas, did the drought come. The lands slowly began to die as the animals one by one migrated out of the Pridelands or face death of starvation. Many remained true to their old King, but not shortly after Scar's ascend to the throne, did many of the pride show their true colours as they supported their new King and soon Queen as Scar had taken his old cub hood friend Zira as his Queen. It wasn't long before the new Queen had given birth to a son…the newest heir to the throne of Pride rock. But the new prince wasn't the only cub that was born, among the lionesses that had remained true to Sarabi whom they all referred to as their Queen and looked too for guidance and courage; a young lioness had given birth to a cub of her own.
Fathered by a rogue who had been passing through the Pridelands before upon his discovery was murdered by Scar who feared another stronger male rival may try and steal the throne from him. So that the cub would not be next to die, the lionesses protected the cub with their life, but Scar had no intention of killing a female cub for he saw no threat from it. But no one had intended on the friendship that would soon grow into a painful love.
This…is their story
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This is the next installment in the story of House and Karen. If you haven't read the first two, while it's not absolutely necessary, I highly recommend it. The other parts are A Weekend in Philadelphia and Holiday in a Small Town. Thanks to everyone who read the commented on the last story. Hoep you enjoy this one as much!
He sat on the deck, a glass of tequila with lime and salt in his hand. He wondered where the worm was from the bottom of the bottle. Was it still in the bottle? Or would it appear later, when he least expected it?
He also wondered how the hell he got to this point.
Well, logically he knew how. There was that weekend in Philadelphia when he met a woman he never thought he'd see again.
Then there were months of seeing her on weekends that culminated with spending a holiday in a small town with her and her children.
Which led eventually to this.
But beyond the logic of what happened, there was the emotion of it and that was much harder for him to put his finger on.
The mechanics of setting up a household were easy, if a little hectic. It was the other stuff that was hard.
He had ridden away from that weekend filled with hope. And that was a totally unusual emotion for him. But he knew that there was a new beginning for them and even though he was scared shitless, he was still excited.
The following weekend, when Karen came to Princeton, she had a list of places she'd looked up on line. She didn't know if he would actually do anything about it, so she wanted to be prepared. But he had gone to the trouble of calling a realtor. Wilson suggested his ex-wife Bonnie, but House declined. He had enough of dealing with Wilson's exes. However, there was a guy in Bonnie's company who was pretty good.
So, at ten a.m. on Saturday morning, House and Karen set out to find a place to live.
The realtor, Ed Thompson, told then that usually finding rentals in Princeton was hard because of the university and students and visiting faculty looking for places.
"But right now, with the economy the way it is, there are a lot of places that are for sale, but aren't selling. So the owners will rent them out just to make sure they can pay the mortgages on them."
"What if someone buys it while we're living there?" Karen asked.
"The owner signs a lease for six months or a year and you are guaranteed to stay there for that time. They can't process a sale until your lease is over. Of course, you would also have the option to buy the place if you wanted."
Karen shook her head. "Right now, we're just looking to rent."
"Well, that's fine. As I said, there are a lot of houses that are available because they aren't selling. Especially since you are looking for three bedrooms and a family room."
He had a list of places to look at and they set out.
Some of them were unacceptable because they were two floors. Karen did not want it to be uncomfortable for Greg. Some had rooms that were way too small. She didn't want them falling all over each other, since there would be enough of an adjustment for them.
Some places were just plain ugly or the neighborhoods looked dicey.
But they did find three places with definite possibilities. Ed told them that any one of them could be available by August 1 or 15. Karen was happy about that, since she wanted to get settled in before the kids started school. They took the information for the houses and went to lunch, promising to let Ed know.
As they sat and discussed it, House wondered about the houses they'd seen.
"Are you sure you liked those? I mean, they're pretty modern looking. Nothing like the house you've lived in."
"Exactly." She told him. "I don't want anything like my old house. This is a new beginning – for all of us. I don't even want my old furniture."
"Oh, I should have asked you first! If you don't want to use your stuff or buy anything, I guess I can…"
"Relax. Whatever you want is fine."
"Well, the kids will take the furniture from their bedrooms. It's important for them to have continuity. But I don't want to use the bedroom furniture that Frank and I used."
"Good idea. My bed's pretty nice."
"Your bed is great. I've had a lot of fun in that bed." She smiled. "I may need to get another dresser for my clothes."
"Okay, one dresser. No problem."
"Maybe we could use your sofa in the family room?"
He nodded.
"Then we'll put your piano in the living room and get a few pieces for that. Not too much, I don't want it overcrowded."
"Sofa and crap, check." He said.
She bit her lip, hoping she wasn't asking for too much. "You don't have a dining room or even a kitchen set. We could wait on the dining room, but we will need table and chairs for the kitchen."
"Right, gotta eat."
"We can see what small appliances and things we have and choose the best between us. I have good china that was my mom's, so when we get a dining room, we can display it in there."
He gave a look and said, "'Good' china? How do you know if china is good or bad? Does it hurl itself at you when it's not good?"
She just smiled and went on. "We'll do the same with all of the other stuff we have. Take the best between us and let it go from there. Frank is going to take whatever I don't want or need."
"Doesn't he already have stuff? He moved out a year ago."
"He's been living with his cousin. He didn't set up his own place because he wasn't sure where he'd end up. This transfer to New Jersey had been in the works for a while. Now he can get a place for him, with room for the kids to stay."
House nodded. He was glad that she was keeping all of this stuff straight, because he'd never be able to.
"So, which one do you like?" he asked her.
She sighed. "This is hard. At least the rent is about the same for each, so that's really not a consideration."
"It's not a consideration anyway. I'm paying the rent, remember?"
"Are you sure, Greg? I mean, that's a lot to take on…"
"Stop. I agreed to pay the rent for one year so that you can find a job and get your finances in order. It's not a problem."
She nodded, even though she was still a little uncomfortable about it. "Okay, well, they all have possibilities. Mosher Street and Cleveland Road are both ranchers, which is definitely what we want. Mosher has a swimming pool, which would be fun, but Cleveland is probably the better idea."
"Well, because it has that nice ramp from the garage to the house. It would be easier…"
The look in his eye was murderous as he lashed out. "Stop! Don't you dare pick a place because it has a 'ramp'. I may not be able to do stairs, but I can walk from the garage to the house. Do you think I'm that much of an invalid?"
She realized that was a mistake. "I'm sorry, Greg. Of course I don't. I know how much of an invalid you are not. I just thought you might have liked that. But that's not important. So I guess one of the ranchers."
"What about the other one? You put it on the list."
"Ginger Court. Yes, that one is beautiful. But it's not a ranch."
"Yeah, but the master suite is on the first floor. I assume the kids will be on the second?"
She nodded.
"I don't have any reason to go to their rooms, so it's not an issue. Which house do you like the best?"
She sat back and thought for a moment. "I really fell in love with Ginger Court."
"Ginger Court it is. Call Ed and tell him. Get a move in date and let's get this show on the road."
"What about your apartment? Don't you have to sell it?"
"I'm not. I'm renting it out. Like Ed said, real estate market sucks, but you can always rent things out in Princeton. It was paid off years ago. So the rent money will pay half of the rent on our place. It's win-win."
Karen wondered if he was keeping his place as a fail safe in case they didn't work out. She could understand that reasoning. She wasn't sure if she liked it though. Still, she knew enough of this man to know that she'd better not question his reasons.
She smiled. "Well, then, we're all set."
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed the realtor, while House sat back and drank his beer.
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It had been several months and an eternity ago since Minerva had last visited the lake. Like the rest of Gensokyo, very little had changed since then.
Most of the necessary equipment for the expedition had been rented back from the Kirisame store, at much-reduced prices. Maria had seemed willing to act as a guardian in trust for the various alchemical apparatus, partly on the basis that having anyone else express an interest in those particular items was growing ever more unlikely.
"To be honest, all of these would be gathering dust in the back rooms if you hadn't asked for them," Maria said, while Minerva fretted over her potential impact on the Kirisame business. "It's good to see things put to proper use. There are stories, you know, about neglected items returning to take vengeance on those who ignored them."
"Oh?" Minerva said weakly.
"Well, they're just stories," Maria said dismissively. "For all of Gensokyo's youkai, I don't think I've ever heard of one of those pop up yet. Good luck on your experiments, Margatroid-san. If there's anything else you need, just let me know."
Stories, Minerva pondered, as she trundled her little wagon to the spot she had conducted her orihalconic Experiment so long ago. Everyone told stories; it was a peculiarity of human nature, over the entire world. Every land touched by the British Empire had stories of its own, and these stories were brought back to be analyzed by the professors and dons at great centres of learning, where they were dissected, numbered, and filed away into neat cubby-holes. Minerva wondered if there were copies of the Gensokyo Chronicles even now languishing in the depths of Oxford or Cambridge, several editions out of date.
Probably not; Japan's isolation through the centuries had seen to that, and the only representative of Britain now in Gensokyo, where the Gensokyo Chronicles were largely distributed, was presently stamping about, trying to return some life and heat into her extremities in the face of this particularly frigid morning.
The mist around the lake had largely cleared up, save for a stubborn patch about halfway to the far shore, obscuring all beyond it. Minerva's curiosity would have to be sated another time, it seemed.
Minerva set the wagon down, taking a moment to re-tie her hair, inconveniently coming loose from the slim ribbon she wore. Heavy work lay ahead, and her appearance was among the least of her concerns, but her long hair was always more suited for theatre than toil.
She unslung the latest additions to her repertoire of tools. The gardening spade was very nearly brand new; it had originally been an ancient, rusted thing found in the back of some farmer's tool shed, but Minerva had sent it to the village smithy to be reworked, and they had included a brand new wooden handle for free. Minerva detected the intervention of Seiji in this, along with his mysterious network of fellow craftsmen.
She tapped the ground speculatively with her spade. She had not expected to return here during winter, which made her task rather more complicated. Where had it been? The alchemical apparatus had been set up over there. The wagon at that time had been... here. Or was it over there? How many paces had it taken to go from one to the other...
"What are you doing?"
Minerva straightened, hiding a smile. "Merely searching for a small trifle I misplaced a fair while ago," she said. "Well met once again, little lady."
"How long ago? Wait, you mean you lost it back when you were here the last time? When was it..."
"Summer," Minerva supplied, looking around. The tiny clearing held no sign of the fairy's presence. "Where might you be, if I may ask?"
"You lost something all the way back in summer, and didn't bother to go look for it until now? Must be something you don't miss all that much," the fairy decided. Her voice was coming from somewhere in the darkness of the forest surrounding the lake shore, but Minerva could not pinpoint an exact direction.
"I didn't know I needed it until very recently," Minerva said. "Are you hiding from me, by any chance?"
"Of course I am," the fairy's disembodied voice said. "That's the entire point of hide- and-seek. Didn't you know that?"
The fairies of legend were famed for being able to conceal themselves from prying human eyes, largely so that their absence from organized searches in this age of reason was excusable. Of course, this was based on European mythology, and little had been written about the ability of the fae to find each other.
"Am I designated the searcher in this game, then?" Minerva said uncertainly. She could always brush off this unexpected responsibility, but she would rather not offend the youkai inhabitants of this land quite so cavalierly, particularly when they could see her, but not the reverse.
"We've already got one of those," the fairy said. "You're a bit big to go hide, and you're a human, so you shouldn't be in this game anyway."
"The rest of us," the fairy said, enunciating clearly for the slow of thought. "You're really not very smart, are you? Good thing I'm so willing to help."
"I am most grateful," Minerva said, keeping a straight face. "Aren't you worried that you'll be found out? Especially if you continue to speak to me."
"Impossible," the fairy declared. "I'm the best at hide-and-seek, so there's no way anyone else can find me!"
Far be it for Minerva to press the matter, and lose a conversation partner. It helped to take her mind off the cold, at least. Come to think of it, the fairy had displayed a talent for manipulating cold and ice, during their previous meeting. Would the frosts of winter complement her power? Probably not something to test without adequate precautions.
"When I was here last," Minerva said, "I was conducting an experiment." Which the fairy had interfered in, but that was another matter. "I regret to say that I was a little careless, and I might have spilled some of it around here. Just a tiny bit," she said quickly, reassuringly. "I was hoping that you might be able to remind me where it happened?"
"Experiment... oh, that thing with the fire?"
"That thing with the fire," Minerva confirmed.
"And you spilled it... oh, ew! You're talking about that thing in the ground!" The fairy made various noises to demonstrate her disgust. "Take it away, take it away!"
"I'd be delighted to, if I knew where to find it," Minerva said patiently.
"It's right there! Can't you... fine, look, go step to your left. No, your other left. That one, yes. Keep going... no, too far, go back. Go to the front a bit. Front, I said! Wow, it's really hard to deal with someone so stupid. Come on, keep going... too far, back, back!"
Minerva bore the directions with fortitude, as she made a mental note on fairies apparently not being able to tell the difference between left and right. Having reached her destination, she drove the spade in twice, forming a clear cross shape to mark the spot.
"I take it you've had some small interaction with the residue I inadvertently left here?" she said conversationally, as she rummaged through the wagon.
"What, you left it in our territory, didn't you?" The unseen fairy's tone gave the distinct impression of a shudder. "But it's icky and yucky, so we left it alone. You can take it back if you want."
The accidental spill had been Minerva's Experiment in creating Gensokyo's equivalent of orihalcum, or something very much like it. Violet Hearn had not expressed any discomfort in handling a bulk sample of the results, but the negative reaction of the fairies implied something more. Minerva had expected the not-orihalcum to absorb certain energies from the surrounding environment as it formed; could this be affecting the fairies?
She returned to the marked location with a small pot, which she carefully opened, and sprinkled its contents liberally around the area.
"What's that?" the fairy asked, curious but unconcerned.
"Salt," Minerva said, returning the pot to the wagon. It would take a moment for the salt to soften the ground sufficiently to ease digging; in the meantime, Minerva set about arranging her alchemical apparatus as she had the last time.
"Salt? Are you going to cook the ground? Ew, humans are weird."
"It's a ritual," Minerva sighed. Which was technically true, if not precisely magical. The ground there was already barren thanks to the residue of crimson metal, so the salt would not cause very much more environmental damage. The fairy didn't seem to be too put out by it, anyhow.
The instruments of alchemy set up this time were rather different. A large clay beaker, filled with water from the lake, took pride of place, and instead of alembics and pipes for distillation and purification, Minerva set out a piece of tablecloth with complex patterns embroidered upon it. The beaker sat in the center of the design, atop a miniature oil flame; Minerva kept the fire low, out of respect for the fairy of cold and ice. She did not require intense heat for this procedure, but merely enough warmth to counter this winter morning.
Around the beaker, at positions indicated by the ritual circle design, she laid out several sealed ampoules, each containing samples of certain materials. Four arranged in the cardinal directions close to the beaker, followed by five more in a pentagram further out.
Not the first choice of methods Minerva would have used, but she was running out of time.
"Is this a common activity for fairies?" Minerva said, picking up the spade once more. She would likely be here for some time, and the fairy seemed to show no signs of leaving. "Hide-and-seek, I mean. Playing games?"
"Yeah! And I'm the best at everything there is, too! Hide-and-seek, tests of courage, eating bitter or spicy stuff, playing pranks on humans, flying really high and really fast... I'm the strongest!"
"Pranks on humans?" Not much of a surprise, considering Minerva had lost her sandwiches to fairies the last time she was here, but she had assumed the targets to be lone humans like herself in the wilds.
"It's really fun," the fairy assured her. "You should try it sometime. Just this winter, we've already sneaked into all sorts of places and taken all sorts of things. Seven socks, four hairpins, three chicken eggs, two wool gloves..."
"And a partridge in a pear tree?" Minerva said, fascinated.
"What's a partridge?"
"Never mind." Minerva wondered if it would be her civic duty to report this clear confession of larceny, or if she should magnanimously forgive the fairies on behalf of the human residents of Gensokyo, in the spirit of the season. "Do you do this all the time, or are there different enterprises for different times of the year?" Criminal or otherwise.
"Oh, different stuff. I mean, it's only really when it gets cold and snowy that I can try to freeze the lake."
Minerva blinked, pausing in her digging. "Freeze... the lake? The whole lake?"
"Yeah," the fairy confirmed. Not a boast, as much as a statement of fact.
"I see." Minerva drastically revised her estimate of the fairy's prowess. If the fairy could attempt to turn the waters of the entire lake into ice, or even just the surface of it, she may be very powerful, very confident, or very tenacious. All three could be problematic traits, to varying degrees. That patch of mist obscuring the lake might even be hiding a sizeable iceberg.
"What do you humans do?" the fairy wondered. "All I ever see are humans digging and putting things in the ground and taking things out of the ground and yelling at each other and chasing fairies away. Work, work, work, all the time. Don't humans ever play?"
"Children do," Minerva said, settling into an easy rhythm of digging. "Grown-ups like myself seem to have lost the knack of it, sometime in our lives." She brightened. "There are always celebrations, of course. That's when we can pretend we're doing something bigger and more important than simply playing around."
"Celebrations are nice," the fairy said wistfully. "Festivals are nice. Always plenty of food to steal, and nobody cares enough to chase us away. Unless we want them to. It's really funny to see humans running around, all out of breath. Their faces get all red."
"Yes, well, quite." Not any of her business, Minerva reminded herself. Besides, if her plan to solve the youkai problem was successful, all those little annoyances and pranks would simply go away.
Including the boisterous, garrulous, friendly little fairy she was talking to right now.
Minerva's spade hit a strange, hard lump, rather deeper than she had estimated. She bent down to pick it up; it was an irregular blob of something black and calcified, perhaps eight to ten inches across.
Minerva brushed the dirt off it as best she could, and plopped the whole thing into the beaker, which sloshed over. Into this, she introduced three carefully-measured powdered substances from three separate vials. She covered the resultant murky concoction with another piece of cloth, this time a thick, coarse flap of sackcloth.
It was the work of a few moments to spread out a picnic blanket across the frosty ground, some short distance from the unfilled hole. Minerva sat in the middle of the picnic blanket, and pondered the weight of one fairy against the lives of countless generations of humans in Gensokyo. She didn't even like the fairy, as such; the fairy was too ill-behaved and arrogant, in her own childish way.
Which was certainly not a sin that Minerva could cast the first stone at, and hardly deserving of a fate uncomfortably close to extinction.
"Have you heard about Christmas?" she found herself asking.
"Ku-ri- what?"
"Christmas. It's a celebration, a festival from where I come from. It's new to Gensokyo, I would think; at least, I haven't seen anyone celebrate it yet." Nor would Minerva expect to. The Japanese government prior to this one had been ruthless in its persecution of Christianity, and change was still in progress. Not that Minerva had any love for the Church, nor the Church for witches like herself.
What was she trying to do, anyway? Explaining the birth of Christ to Japanese fairies in a land haunted by youkai. As a form of spontaneous repentance, it left rather a lot to be desired, both in intent and effectiveness.
But Christmas was not associated with churches and sermons in her memories. Christmas was a time with family, when the house was alight with noise and voices and laughter and tears and the sizzling anticipation of feasts and food and, in the secret hours of the night, the soft footfalls of someone delivering mysterious wrapped boxes under a Yule tree...
"You take a tree, and decorate it with lights and sparkles," she said aloud. "Fir, or pine; I'm not sure if any such trees are in Gensokyo. Maybe we can make do with others; it has to be green, even in winter."
"Why?" the fairy asked.
"To make it pretty," Minerva responded instantly. "Everyone likes a decorated tree. It's quite a big job, though, so most of us just do it once a year, when we don't have other things to do. Because of the snow, you see. Nothing wrong with snow, of course," she added hastily, "but it makes it hard to perform all sorts of tasks outdoors. So we humans set up a big green tree inside our houses, and string coloured balls and sugar ornaments and lighted candles all around it."
Minerva fancied the fairy's brief silence to contain much busy thinking. "So," the fairy said slowly, "Christmas is a festival where you decorate trees?"
"That's one part of it," Minerva said. "There's also food. Lots of food. Goose is traditional, but really the only criteria is that there needs to be plenty of it."
"Ooh," the fairy said appreciatively. "How long does this festival last?"
Minerva considered this. How should she explain the significance of the twenty-fifth of December? Did fairies have calendars, upon which they marked off the dates? "Usually just around the winter solstice, when the day is shortest and the night is longest," she said. "Just for a day or two. Well, the night before, the day itself, and the next day. Each day means different things, but it's all related." And each day might mean different things to different people, but Minerva did not quite feel up to explaining Boxing Day and the Feast of Saint Stephen to the fairy at the moment.
"And it's like that all the time? Lots to eat and drink and play with?"
"In a manner of speaking. However," Minerva said sharply, holding up a warning finger, "it's not all for one person. It's for the whole family, and all your friends, as many as are willing to come. The idea isn't to take everything for yourself; it's to share with everyone."
"Oh," the fairy said, sounding disappointed. "That doesn't sound like much fun. Why would anyone do that?"
Why indeed? "It's something humans do. Well, no, I suppose that's not quite correct; it's something humans can do, if we so choose. Not everyone does, but... well, there's a story."
"Is it going to be a very long one?"
Minerva choked down a chuckle at the fairy's plaintive tone. "I'll summarize it. A man who doesn't understand why he should care about others is visited by a series of ghosts." The images conjured up by Dickens leapt forward, fresh in her mind. "Through this, he learns that should he continue to be miserly and selfish, he will end up dying alone and friendless. So that's a reason to be nice to others, whether during Christmas or other times."
So who is your Marley, Minerva Margatroid? And what message will they bring, to a foreign witch in a foreign land? What chains still bind you down, that you must break free?
"Is that why humans are supposed to share stuff with each other? So they can have lots of friends?"
Minerva held out her hands, palms up, weighing ideas. "Cause and effect, little lady. We practice charity and benevolence because we wish the recipients to be our friends. And because the recipients are our friends and loved ones, we practice charity and benevolence."
The fairy mumbled inaudibly for a while, trying to work this out in a way that she understood. "Ah, that's all too complicated!" she finally yelled. "Everything you've said is weird. Why should I even listen to you?"
Minerva stood; the alchemical process should have completed by now. "Well, you've not been found and caught by the seeker in your game. I hoped we could have a pleasant chat, while we both waited for our respective results."
"They're all probably still looking around that flower field," the fairy said. "The one with those big flowers in summer, that turn to look at the sun."
Was there a sunflower field in Gensokyo? Minerva vaguely recalled a mention of some such, during one of Miho's extended introductions into Gensokyo's more unusual geographical and botanical features. "Isn't that quite a distance away?" On the other side of the mountain, at that.
"Of course," the fairy said. "That's why they won't find me here, see?"
Presumably the fairies had not laid down the boundaries of this game, and the one conversing with Minerva now was contravening the spirit of hide-and-seek, if not the letter. "In any case, you might wish to consider this: the very best of us consider all others, even utter strangers, to be our friends, to share our own bounties with. No matter who they are."
"The best..." The fairy sounded thoughtful.
"Look, you can try an experiment of your own. Is there anyone you're particularly close to? Friends among the other fairies?"
"I'm the strongest!" the fairy proclaimed once again. "Everyone follows me!" Her confidence faltered. "Well, they should, anyway. Most of the time."
"Hm, that's not quite what I meant. Are there any of your fellow fairies whom you feel particularly happy to be with? Someone you may share your thoughts with, or someone you like playing together with more than others?"
The fairy fell mostly silent, interrupted only by the occasional sounds of intense cogitation. Minerva took this opportunity to collect the beaker and set it aside. As for the rest, ampoules and all, she wrapped haphazardly within the tablecloth.
"Hey, human?"
"How do you make friends?"
Minerva took this obvious change in topic with a smile. "That's a very good question. It's different for everyone, but I find that one of the more effective methods is simply to approach them, and ask them if they are willing to be your friend. It works surprisingly well." For a start, anyhow. "Was there someone you had in mind?"
"She has pretty wings," the fairy said. "Maybe I'll go talk to her later!"
Wings... "Might I ask you a question in return, little lady? I'll make it worth your while."
"Of course! Ask me anything!"
"How do you fly?"
"Huh? You just fly. Can't you fly?"
"I tried, for a bit. It wasn't very successful." Minerva pondered. "What about gravity? That force which keeps us rooted to the ground, I mean. When you throw a rock up, gravity makes sure it comes down."
The fairy laughed. "I don't know what that 'gravity' thing is, but who cares about it? Who cares about rocks? You're cleverer than a rock, aren't you?"
"I do hope so," Minerva said dryly. "Well-answered, my fairy friend. As promised..."
She circled the clearing, close to the edge of the forest, searching for a patch of clear ground, or a small flat rock she could use as a plateau. Finding one, she pulled the yellow ribbon out of her hair, and carefully folded it, laying it on the rock.
"It's a Christmas present," Minerva said. "A little early, but it'll do." Japanese fairies appeared not to have the complex system of bartered favours and gifts that stories of European fae warned of. "You may keep it for yourself, but I would propose an extension of the experiment: try offering it as a Christmas present of your own, to that fairy friend of yours with the pretty wings."
"What? Why?"
"That's why it's an experiment. Wouldn't you like to find out for yourself?"
"Hm." The fairy sounded skeptical, but at least she did not dismiss the idea out of hand.
Minerva walked back to the covered clay beaker, and removed the sackcloth. The water had turned inky-black; Minerva unceremoniously upended the entire container, pouring out its contents onto the ground, heedless of the further pollution she was causing to the lake. Perhaps some time in the future, when she had completed her task, she might return here to make amends.
For the lake, and for the fairies.
The black water flowed in rivulets towards the lake, staining it with cloudy tendrils. A small jet-black lump of something solid fell out of the beaker, and it was this that Minerva pounced upon.
The lump crumbled apart easily. Minerva exhaled in relief when she saw the final result, glittering in the palm of her hand. She took out a clean handkerchief, and wrapped it safely within.
Time to clean up the rest of the ritual equipment. Minerva took the bundle containing the ampoules of precious magical extracts, now drained of any power. She dropped it into the hole she had dug earlier, and stood back.
"You may want to avert your eyes, little lady," she warned. The last of the ingredients she had prepared went into the hole: first a significant sprinkling of thin, needle-like silvery sticks, and finally a tiny, fragile porcelain container filled with a pungent liquid.
The flames shot up out of the hole, red and green and white, incinerating everything within. Minerva, her own eyes shut and face protected by her scarf, felt the pressure of intense heat almost pushing her back; she did not open her eyes again until the fire died down.
Only ashes remained in the hole, its sides blasted and melted.
There had been no reaction or outcry from the fairy to this pyrotechnical display. Minerva glanced at the rock she had left her ribbon on, and saw that it had disappeared.
No telling whether the fairy had taken her advice about Christmas cheer seriously. But it was a start.
Minerva filled the hole back in, tamping the earth down firmly. Having accomplished what she intended, the remainder of the equipment was returned to the wagon: oil burner, beaker, portable table, picnic blanket, spade, and all. Minerva was sweating from the exertion even in the cold, but declined to wash up using the lake water, even though it now appeared as pristine as it had been before her arrival.
She took the handkerchief out, and beheld the result of her alchemy. A tiny, perfect sphere of metal, no bigger than the tip of her little finger, tinged with the slightest hint of crimson. Unblemished, and unblemishable, it reflected the world around it in its mirrored surface. If one were to keep very still and be very quiet, one might even be able to detect the very, very faint humming of power.
Power enough, perhaps, to be cleverer than a rock.
The sphere went back in the handkerchief, which went back into her pocket. Minerva took the handles of the wagon once more.
"Seven years dead," she muttered to herself. "And travelling all the time."
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4 years ago today we killed the Demon. 4 years ago today I left Deneriem and never went back. 4 years ago today I lost everything for the sake of the country. The city burned around me and the Demon died as my blade pierced his skull and killed him. I could still hear the blade as it scraped though the scales like metal scraping against metal.
I never regretted what we did. I never regretted what happened. But that didn't make it hurt any less. After the blight had been stopped I left. Straight away. I never even seen him on the throne. The only person I seen as I left was Morrigan as she magicked her way out of there. The only feeling I had toward her was jealousy. Why did I have to sneak in the shadows when she was able to leave so quickly. The second my blade pierced the Demon skull and I had realized what Alistair had done, I decided to leave. I moved to a small cottage outside of where Lothering use to be. A place in the middle of no where, where I thought I would be safe.
It was small. Nearest neighbours were half a days walk away. I had a few cows, chickens and a horse. All of them grazed on fields of perfect green grass that stretched for miles around he small thatched roof cottage. When I first arrived the land was dead. All tainted by the blight. The ground was littered with the corpses and bones of the Darkspawn who had now retreated back the Deep Raods. It had taken me weeks to remove the dead and kill the few that were still straggling around. The grass had taken months to grow back. And at first it grew back black. I burnt it off and after doing that a few times the grass finally grew back a dull green. My life was boring but it was quiet. I spent my days now training, working and living out the remainder of my short life happy and by myself. Avoiding the life I had before.
Dog came with me as well. I did try to leave him there, thinking he would have a better time in the castle than with me but the blasted thing tracked me. Tracked me for a week before he caught up. It was a relief to see him though. I was sitting under a tree beside the road resting. I had brought little supplies with me, basically only what I had left from preparations for the Archdemon. I didn't dear stop in any village for fear they would know who I was and report back to Demeriem. Dog came bounding out of the bushs so fast I hadn't had time to react. My first instict at the monster jumping out of the bushes told me to pull my dagger. Thanks to Elven reflexes though I stopped before Dog landed on my blade. He was covered in blood, not his own thank fully and smeared my face with drool as he licked my face.
Zevran and Leliana visited me every so often. The only two who had the skill and time to track me down. Zev liked to come out here to hide himself. The crows still chased him from time to time but I think he enjoyed it. He wasn't one to settle down in one spot for to long.
Leliana just came to check on me, see how I was. She had gone back to the Chantry and I suspected it was bordom that also brought her out to the middle of nowhere.
I didn't mind. They would keep my secret hiding place. Both of them understood why I left. Well to a degree at least. They didn't know about the ritual. They didn't know what had to be done. But they knew what had happened those days before the battle. Especially the day after we put Alistair on the throne.
I remember it like it was yesterday, the feel of putting Alistair on the throne was amazing. We had defeated Loghain and now we could focus on defeating the Blight and the Arch Demon. We all gathered in a room at Arl Emons Estate in Demeriem celebrating. The room was filled with the quiet hum of people talking. Zevran and Ogren laughing as they downed a drink, Morrigan not really taking part , as usual, Leliana was standing beside me with a smile on his face. Dog was asleep by the fire unworried by the coming bight. Sten was confused. From dealing with the Qunari I'm guessing he is confused why we are celebrating when there was still the blight to remove. Wynne was smiling in the corner. Alistair wasn't here. Zevran gave me a confident smile as I walked past him. "Ah my dear you will be Queen soon." He placed a finger on his chin and smiled, white teeth gleaming, "An elven Queen. Ah the nobles will be in an uproar."
I just brushed him off with a smile. There was still the blight to get through before we worried about that. There was still a very nasty looking Arch Demon to defeat as well. Sten watched me as I walked towards him "Warden, why do we celebrate! We have not done anything."
"We defeated the man who betrayed us Sten. it's a small victory." My hands on my hips and a small smile on my face.
The Qunari glared at me "Why celebrate now when there is still the blight to defeat."
I rolled my eyes. I liked Sten. He was to the point but even I became frustrated with his train of thought some time. Qunari were very literal and very stubborn. The sound of Ogren's loud belching made us all turn just in time to see him pass out onto the stone floor. Zevran shrugged innocently. As if he hadn't been feeding him drinks since they got back. The door to the room opened and Alistair walked in. At the first sight of him I smiled. I never thought I would fall for a Shem but here he was. Golden hair sparkling, armour shining. But his face, his face was sad. No sad wasn't the word for it. Depressed, miserable, but yet serious at the same time.
As he scanned the room I lowered my chin and narrowed my eyes as I looked up at him. What was he thinking? Everyone was silent, none of them seeing what I saw in his eyes. All of the smiling at him. Thinking he was happy. His brown eyes caught my green one and he signalled for me to come to him. I glared as I walked towards him. Suddenly feeling very unsettled. Was he angry at me for putting him on the throne. He said he didn't want to be king but would do it. I wouldn't have put him on there if he didn't want it. "We need to talk." he whispered
"What is it?"
His eyes were so serious. Very serious. I had NEVER seen him like this. "It's just being king raises a few questions about us. About you and me."
My throat clenched, my stomach tightened and my legs felt like they wouldn't hold me. Inside I was praying to the Maker, the Creators, whoever would listen. This cant be true. "I thought you were in love with me."
"I am" He defended. His brown eyes giving away his shame for a few seconds before reverting back to seriousness. "Its just, this is all I have been able to think about since the landsmeet."
I forgot everyone else in the room, I didn't notice them stare. But I couldn't say anything. I knew where this was going and I didn't want it to go there. He continued speaking, never taking his eyes away from me. "First there is the fact we are both Grey Wardens, its not a matter of obligation as much as blood. You know that Grey Wardens don't usually live to become old right?"
"How does that affect anything?" I snapped at him. What did it matter?
He continued never losing step with what he was saying. If I had knowen any better I would have thought he had been practising this speech. "As king, I'll be required to have a child. Even more so because my death is assured. That assuming someone with tainted blood can or should have a child."
I remember swallowing the lump in my throat. He was taking a very long way about getting this out. He had been practising. Coming up with points to make me see reason. Probably trying to make this easier on me. "Are you saying I should have this child?" I questioned.
"No, I'm not." My heart smashed and fell to my stomach. No Dark Spawn could hurt me more than he did with those three words. He much have seen the pain because he continued "Both of us with tainted blood. Both of us will die young. I will need to find a wife, one who can bear a child. Who will live to raise it. I don't relish it, but… I will have a duty as king. I love you," he began to whisper "More than I thought possible. But… I have to face what this means. I cant run away from it."
My breathing quicken, my now broken heart thumped against my chest, each beat was like a dagged stabbing into my chest. My eyes narrowed to try and stop the tears "So we have sex and now… that's it?"
"Please don't say it like that," he begged his eyes softening back into the brown I remember from the Alistair who loved me "I didn't know it would turn out this way. I can see it becoming very hard to tear myself away from you, Impossible even. If this is what must be, then… then I have to do it now. I'm sorry."
I could feel the tears pricking at the back of my eyes. My breathing hampered by the massively painful lump in my throat. Don't ask me what the others were doing. I had no idea. To me. Alistair was the only one in the room. "Is this revenge," I whispered "Revenge for making you King?"
"No of course not." he tried to defend himself "I understand why you did it but at the same time I can not avoid what it entails."
I felt it, A single tear betrayed me and slipped down my cheek "Why do it now?" I pleaded. Looking back I wish I hadn't. I wish I had just let him walk out "Why not what and see what happens?"
"If I don't end it now," his serious voice was back "I fear I never will be able to… I'm sorry but.. I have no choice."
"So this is it? It's over?" I snarled at him. That was the first time I noticed dog by my leg, growling quietly at Alistair. My hand went to his head before I looked back at Alistair.
"I think it is best. For both of us." His dark eyes looked down at Dog then back at me. I couldn't read what was inside. I couldn't read what was in his head. I felt lost. If I knew this was how things would have been I never would have put him on there. For my own selfish reasons I would have let that cow Anora have her throne.
But here he was being completely unselfish. Putting his country before himself. I looked away from him. Slightly ashamed at my own selfish nature coming through. Dog whined as he looked up at me. "You'll be a good king Alistair."
I didn't dear look at him. For fear my eyes would betray me further but I heard the pain in his voice. "But I would gladly trade it for what I really wanted." My breathing stopped for a few seconds as I absorbed the words. That didn't make it easier. That just confirmed to me that I had dug my own grave as it were. "I need to go back to camp for a while… " he continued "Just to be by myself for a while." His voice cracked. Then he said something about the Arl and something about the up coming battle but I didn't hear him. I didn't even notice he had left for a few seconds.
Zevran placed his hand on my shoulder, pulling me out of my dream but I shrugged him off, shook my head and retired to my room.
The horse played around the paddock in the front of the house as I stared at nothing. Dog walked up to the fence line, curious at what was happening. He was old now. Grey hair scattered through the brown fur of his muzzle and shoulders. He was still powerful. Killed the few rabbits that scampered his way but he was slowing up. To slow to catch them if they seen him first. I brushed my brown hair behind my ear and looked to the sky. Was a perfectly blue sky. The opposite of what it was the day we fought the Arch Demon. Dog didn't even hear the horse and carriage before I did as it came down the long road to my house. I didn't recognise them so pulled my black hood up over my ear and face. It was amazing how many people still held a gudge towards Elves.
The Cart came down the path and stopped infront of the house and I stood both in defence and a greeting. I did not recognise the dwarf who controlled the carriage. He was a little rounder than most of the dwarfs I saw and was bald. His red beard was very bushy though. A strange contrast. "There you go Elf!" To start with I thought he was speaking to me. My finger twitched as I reached for the dagger that was strapped around my waist behind me.
"Ah, Thank you kind sir." Came a very recognizable Antivan accent
The blonde haired elf popped off the back of the cart and threw a small sack of coins to the driver. Who caught them without taking his eyes off me. He grunted a reply before leaving. "Hello my dear Warden how are you?" I grinned at him before removing my hood "Still as reclusive as ever." he smiled
The Elf was exactly the same. Absolutely nothing had changed about him. And I was grateful. Everything else had changed in the world but I was so happy to see my old friend was the same. His brown pants hung nicely off his waist and his white shirt was unlaced at the top. He looked unarmed but I knew better "I missed you Zev."
He still even had that wee swagger in his step. Oozing self confidence. He caught me in a hug "And I you Warden."
"Please stop calling me that Zev." I had to tell him every time he came here to call me Kaillian "I'm not a Warden anymore."
"Oh so you got rid of the taint in your blood did you love." Zevran smiled. Dog came bounding across the small field when he finally noticed Zevran. Barking his deep happy bark. "Oh well havent you gotten old." Dog whined before licking Zevran's hand.
The three of ussat down on the patio of the hut. Dog curled up in a ball and quickly fell asleep. Zevran slouched back in the chair and began twirling a piece of his blonde hair between his fingers "So it has been a long time since I last saw you." I sat down on the chair opposite him and offered him a drink. "I can see nothing has changed out here."
I giggled quietly as he sipped his water "That's why I like it out here."
He nodded "I suppose when you're the most famous missing person in the world you don't want thing to change."
"Exactly." I smiled taking a drink "What brings you out here Zevran?"
He shrugged continuing to twirl the hair around his finger "Nothing to important. I thought I would update you on the real world."
"Update away." I smiled not believing he travelled all this way to simply update me.
"Well," he smiled. Zevran really was a bit of a gossip and who better to gossip with than the person who knows nothing about what is happening. "I'm afraid its not great news my dear. Wynne, finally kicked the bucket."
A frown crossed my face. I knew the old woman was on the way out but it was still a little bit of a shock. I hadn't seen her since that day at Fort Drakken. "That's sad. She was a really nice woman."
Zevran agreed "Yes, Funeral is next week at the Lake."
I always remembered Wynne getting angry at me that night at camp. About Alistair and me. Seems she never had to worry at the end of things did she. "Wait," I glared up at Zevran "Your not here to convince me to go to the funeral are are?"
A cheeky grin flew over Zevrans lips. "Well I was hoping you might come to say goodbye to her. She was a dear friend towards the end of the Blight wasn't she."
I felt the tightness returning. The same feeling I have every time I think of him. Everytime I think of seeing him. My heart felt as if it stopped and my brain went a million miles an hour running through all the things that could happen. I looked over my shoulder out at the fields I called home now. I didn't know if I could or even wanted to leave.
4 years of sitting here, forgetting about the world outside and waiting for the taint to claim me. It was a long time to hide. "Kaillian?" Zevran saying my name forced me to look at him "Tell me. What happened between you and Alistair? More happened than what our little group witnessed, no?"
No one knew about the ritual except for Morrigan, I and apparently Alistair. I hadn't told them what had happened that night. None of them. And guessing from the fact Zevran didn't know, Alistair hadn't spoken of it either. I sighed. "it's a little complicated Zev."
He smiled "Please Kaillian. I know it has hurt you. That is why I never speak of Alistair."
Taking a deep breath and began telling him about what had happened with Morrigan that night before the battle.
Riordan, Alistair and I all stood in Riordan's room as he told us about what had to be done to kill the Arch Demon. One of us would have to die. The tension between Alistair and I was unbearable. My heart ached to be near him. I felt my whole body want to move close to him to stand near him but I didn't. I stood with him beside me but my shoulders were turned away from him slightly. My eyes never looking at him. If Riordan noticed, he never said anything.
The moment Riordan said one of us would have to die. I decided it was me. I had no reason to stay in this world. I was a city Elf. What was I going to go back to? The disgusting Alienage. Or to be worshipped as the Warden who led the King to his death. No. I made up my mind to die that day.
Nothing was said between Alistair and I. He left the room in front of me and I stepped into my room. Morrigan stood infront of my fire. Her back turned to me. I never held distrust towards the woman until that moment. That was when I seen her true colours. When I seen who she really was. "Do not be alarmed," she said almost mockingly "Tiz only I."
"Don't you have your own bedroom?" I asked her with an equally mocking tone. Something wasn't right.
"I thought it was time we spoke." suddenly serious. She turned her head to me looking at me out of the corner of her eye "I have a plan you see, a way out, the loop in your hole." My eyes narrowed as she turned and started walking towards me.
"I know what happens when the arch demon dies, I know a Grey Warden must be sacrificed. And that sacrifies could be you." She stopped walking. Our eyes connected and I narrowed my eyes at her. What was she planning now?
"I've come to tell you this does not need to be." Her voice was almost sweet.
"Does not need to be?" I questioned "What do you mean?"
She smiled but it was not sincere "I offer a way out. A way out for all Grey Wardens. There need be no sacrifice. A ritual." She added a matter of factly "performed on the eve of battle. In the dark of night."
My senses went into overdrive. I had had more than enough of dark magic and rituals in the mess they call the circle. "Why all the secrecy? I don't trust this."
"Anything to do with magic stirs ones fears, especially from those who do not understand it. What I speak of is old magic." Of course it is. My thoughts went straight to Flemith. "A ritual from long before the time of the circle of magi was ever created. Some would call it blood magic. But I think that means little to one like you."
My eyes narrowed. What did that mean. "And from where did you learn this ritual, Morrigan?" I already knew the answer but I needed to be sure I knew all parties involved here.
"Flemith of course. I have knowen about it for some time."
"Nothing comes without a price." I did not trust this. It had been planned from the second Flemith saved us from the tower. I did not like being taken advantage of.
"Perhaps." She grinned slightly "But that price not need be so unbearable, espically if there is so much to be gained. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to offer. Nothing more."
"Very well," I crossed my arms glaring at her. I was curious but I had also made up my mind to die. "What is your plan?"
She turned and walked towards the bed, my eyebrows rose "What I purpose is this, convince Alistair to lay with me, here tonight, "My head, heart and soul all cursed the woman. She was there a few days ago when he left me. Why would she ask me to do this? "from this ritual a child shall be conceived within me. The child will bear the taint and when the Arch Demon is slain, its essence will seek the child like a beackon. And in this early stage the child can absorb that essence and will not perich. The Arch Demon is still destroyed with no Grey Warden dieing in the process."
"I see. And why arent you speaking to Alistair about this?" I snapped, turning away from her and crossing my arms over my aching chest. The wounds were still fresh.
"Alistair despises me! You know this! He rarely listens to reason. But he would listen to you. You of all people could influence him. Think about what I offer. The chance to avoid death. Or better yet," she looked me straight in the eye as I turned back to her "The chance to slay the Arch Demon and live as a Hero. No Warden has ever done this. In return I conceive a child," I knew there was a catch. What did she want? To be Queen. I doubted it "A child who will be born with the soul of an old God. After this is done you will allow me to walk away. And not follow. Ever! The child will be mine to raise as I wish."
So no Queen. Just Alistairs child. A Demon Child of all things. She could still be bying for the throne through the demon child "Why Alistair? Why not Roridan?"
"Even if I though Riordan could be convinced." She said angrily "He is not suitable! I need one who has not been tainted for long. It must be him and it must be tonight."
"No," I growled at her barely holding onto my anger. "I will not do this! Alistair will be king and I will die that's the way it has to be. Get out!" I pointed at the door.
"Very well." her head was held high, snobby as ever "I do as I must now. As must you." She walked away and I glared at her over my shoulder.
"Wait, wait, wait" Zevran grinned in a cocky way "She needed a child to absorb the Arch Demon?" I noded smiling slightly at the comedic way he had put a very serious topic. "Why couldn't I have been a newly tainted Grey Warden?"
"Would you have really gone there, Zevran?" I laughed
"Oh no no, but just to have the option."
So when the Arch Demon fell I grabbed the sword without a second thought and ran at the Demon. I think I heard Alistair in the background but I couldn't be sure. When I speared the creature in the head I expected to die. Part of me wanted to. I had no reason to live. I was ready for it. The energy of the Demon shot up through me. I felt the darkness moving over me. It felt like fire licking at my skin. The taint in me roared with awareness at the ultimate Dark Spawn moved through my body. I wanted this. I was ready to die. On my death bed I looked back at the man I loved expecting to see him hurting. However what I saw has haunted me from the day onwards. Alistair was not looking at me. He was looking at Morrigan expectantly. My eyes moved to Morrigan and she was smiling. No… No they didn't… that's when the darkness began to move.
"Nooooo!" I screamed as I felt it slipping towards Morrigan. It swept across me straight to her. My eyes moved back to Alistair. He was reaching towards me and I glared. How dare he take this away from me. How dare he sleep with her after I was so willing to die. I was willing to give it all up for him. To let him have his happy little Kingdom without the woman he couldn't have running around the countryside.
The Demon exploded in a great light. I took the opportunity to flee. I ran to the door. Looking over my shoulder at Morrigan as I ran. She waved a hand over her face and she disappeared by magic. I hated her. Why couldn't I have disappeared like that? I took off. Avoiding every person I knew would recognise me. That was the last I seen of them, apart from Zevran and Leliana.
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Author's Note: And, here we are with the latest instalment in the tale. This chapter deals a lot with the Labyrinth and her purpose - which is really just a lot of my inner ramblings and theories come to life, seeing as how the film didn't really think past Bowie's hair styles and the glitter for the special effects to flesh out the more meta aspects of a kids movie, so, I had lots of free reign as an author, which was really just brilliant. I hope you guys enjoy this tale as it continues to unfold. :)
Part III: . . . and hardships unnumbered
Eventually, the white walls and fragrant vines of the path they had been taking gave way to the tangle of the middle maze. This part of the Labyrinth was all walls formed by immaculately trimmed hedges and glittering cobblestone walkways that reminded Loki more of Frigg's gardens back at home more than anything else in the kingdom they had seen so far. The air was warmer here. The midday sun hung high over their heads and shined a cheery light over everything before them. There were pots of exotic flowers and strange statues of even stranger creatures. It was here they finally saw denizens of the Goblin Kingdom – great wooly beasts who tended to the plants, and a blind wiseman offering his knowledge for coin. There were doorways who spoke and bickered and birds who argued with the red dressed goblins who carried this and that to and through – all who steadily ignored the foreign travelers, as if such runners were a common occurrence in the great maze. And then there was the law in the Labyrinth, rows and rows of Goblin guards who hardly came up to Loki's knees, trying to march in some semblance of formation, even though the little creatures seemed to be more harm to themselves rather than others with their spears and suits of armor. Sif stepped daintily around one of the fallen guards, who had toppled over due to the lopsided weight of his helm upon his head, and looked over at Loki with a worried stare. "I do not trust the dwarf," she finally said under her breath. "Who knows where he leads us to."
Loki shrugged at her words, considering how to answer. He bore the same nagging concern at the back of his mind, but he knew not what other path to follow. "We were not making progress on our own, and at the very least we have not retraced our steps. We have not circled." Still behind them, where they came from was a trail of flaming light – a single path in a maze of thousands, even where the path before them was muddled.
Still Sif was dubious. "His loyalty is not to us," she said. "Not even for the trinkets you have promised him."
"And you think his loyalty is for his king?" Loki questioned, curious, the question one he had been turning over in his mind.
Sif's mouth turned. "I think not," she said. "And yet . . . it is just a feeling I have, one I cannot properly put into words."
And Loki sighed. "He is a means to an end," he finally said, his words shaped to sooth. "Nothing more."
"And yet, we have not reached our own end," Sif pointed out.
"The journey is long," Loki said carefully. "It requires patience."
"As you say," she finally replied after a long heartbeat. Still she wore her doubts in her eyes, but she had given them voice, and now the choice of how to proceed was his. Sif watched him a moment longer, before sighing and falling a half step behind him, taking up a point to guard out of reflex as much as anything else. Loki fought the urge to look over his shoulder again.
Another stretch of the wall disappeared behind them. Another turn, and Loki gave up looking at the sun above in order to keep their path, instead turning to the odd strands of magic he could feel coiling around his skin. The same voice from outside of the maze was humming in his ears, sounding against his ribs. Her song tugged at him, drawing his feet even more than their dwarfish guide before them, and he felt his stomach pull with more than just Sif's words. Something was not right with their path. But neither was it wrong. He tilted his head at the sensation, trying to discern an answer from the childlike laughter in the air.
And then Sif spoke again, even lower than she had given her doubts about the dwarf. The first had been intended for more ears than just theirs. This was for him alone. "You are distracted," she stated. There was not a question in her voice but rather the unspoken as to how her aid was needed.
And he slowed a half step, matching her stride for stride again. "This land sings," he finally admitted without her having to search. For a moment he let himself hope that speaking the words out loud would make more sense of them in his mind. "She hums and she whispers past what I can hear, and yet I cannot get her to speak to me again."
"Again?" Sif queried, taking the presence of such a being in stride, her fingers still tapping against the hilt of her dagger.
"Outside of the maze," he answered. "She told me of my seiðr and how it would move in ways I did not intend . . . she showed to me the secret of the wall."
Sif raised a brow. "A spirit?" she questioned.
Loki shook his head. "A soul," he said, for there was a difference.
Sif frowned, biting at her lip. "Of the maze?" she asked slowly, carefully, for such magicks were old – even older than the incantation that had drawn them to this realm in the first place.
"Perhaps," Loki said slowly, fighting the shiver that had crept underneath his skin. The sun warmed air around them was suddenly cold. "I cannot be sure, and she teases me so . . . It is driving me mad."
The corners of her mouth turned, just slightly, and Loki rolled his eyes at her amusement. "But she will not lead us to Thor," he finally said. "And this dwarf has led us nowhere for long enough."
A quicker step, putting him a stride ahead of her. Sif shadowed his right side, guarding his corners, watching his blind spots. "Master dwarf," he called out. "How much longer must we be upon this path?"
"Such impatience," the dwarf grumbled under his breath.
"Speed is imperative to us and our journey, yes," Loki countered smoothly.
"It's not like its gonna matter anyway," Hoggle went on grumpily. "We ain't ever had no one to run the Labyrinth and defeat the King in under thirteen hours. Yous may as well go back the way you came and settle yourselves to forgettin'. There'll be less pain that way."
Loki raised a brow, reading the pause that had lingered between the dwarf's first words. "No one has? Ever?"
Hoggle hesitated. "One did . . . once. A human girl, a long time ago. But she was special – so don' even try to compares yourselves."
And in Loki's mind the voice of the maze hummed, as if fond. "Special?" still he snorted. "A mere mortal maiden?"
Hoggle's look turned stony, and he bristled. "She was more than just a human girl – she was my friend." His small chest puffed with pride, and he thumped his fist over his heart. "And more than that, she was the Labyrinth's friend – which yous are not. So, it doesn't matter how fast we go or not. Jus' take your time, and enjoy the scenery."
And Loki snorted. "We shall see about that."
Hoggle shook his head, but then his eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they turned yet another corner, coming to an intersection in the paths punctuated by massive ivory vases - as tall as Loki would be in his battle helm, holding exotic plants with tall and flowering fronds.
But one vase was empty, holding a heavy decorative stone over the top of it until a gardener's care could be brought to it's attention. Hoggle bounced up the stone steps to the vase, and with his little arms straining, he gave a great heave to remove the stone from the top of the vase. He peered down in critically before nodding his head sharply. "This is the one," he announced. "Come on now, don't be shy."
With that, Hoggle swung himself over the lip of the vase and disappeared within, sticking his head back out when he realized that they did not follow right away.
"It's a shortcut," Hoggle waved them in. "Since yous are so big on time. Come on now."
Cautiously, Loki approached the vase and looked down . . .
To see nothing but blackness within, as far as the eye could see. It was a secret path, to be sure, but . . .
Sif looked on in distaste at the blackness, her upper lip drawn back. "I do not like it," she announced frankly.
"You don' have to," the dwarf retorted from where he was waiting. "You jus' have to follow. And, by the way, this'll cost you two more of 'em red ones," Hoggle laughed nastily, and Loki leveled a withering stare at the dwarf, the seiðr at his fingertips whispering just how he could turn the creature to a toad once they made it to the castle, deal or not . . .
"I's ain't waiting for yous, so make up your minds – yes or no," and, with that, the dwarf disappeared completely into the darkness, his small grunts as he climbed down heard for some time before he yelled up again. "Well, are yous comin'?"
And Sif saw the decision in his eyes. She sighed. "I'll go first," she said stiffly, making sure her glaive was secure on her back before swinging a leg up and over the side of the vase.
But Loki reached out for her wrist, staying her. She blinked, as if surprised, looking down to where he held her arm before looking up to meet his eyes, a question in her gaze. "You need not," he protested. "I will go -"
"And then how should I explain to your lady mother how I let not one, but two of her sons come to harm, should such a harm wait below?"
Loki's mouth pulled. "Better you tell the Allmother that I was harmed righting my wrong than I have to tell Lady Gná how you fell aiding me in that repentance."
And Sif's smile was sharp. "It would serve you right. Call that my own punishment for you, if it would sooth your soul when the time comes."
Loki rolled his eyes, and Sif shook her head, sending the short strands of her hair flying about her face like a wing. Her eyes were determined, all War waiting for the command to march when there was a battle to be waged.
"Trust me," she bid, her mouth a determined smirk on her face. "Whatever is down there, I can face it – even better than you, I would bet."
He snorted. "In this place? I think not."
And she laughed darkly. "Even beings with magic bleed," she promised. "This I know."
"Then who am I to keep you from your sport?" and with those words, Loki stepped back. His hands were fists at his sides, his seiðr whispering of a wrongly taken step while the voice of the maze in his head hummed and approved, and how much louder was she in the darkness of the Labyrinth, his fingers itching with the urge to go down. . .
Sif climbed down then, the inky crown of her head the last thing to disappear in the blackness before her voice rose above to call him down after. "It's all clear," she called after a moment. "You can come down now."
Loki took a deep breath, and then lowered himself into the shadows after her.
The walls of the chute were odd – reaching out to grab him, as if there were hands helping him lower himself down and then down further still, finding handhold and foothold on the strangely soft wall. The stone underneath his hands was leathery, and his eyes narrowed as he peered down past Sif and asked aloud, "Where is Hodgkin?"
And from above them, the dwarf's head appeared at the lip of the tunnel. "It's Hoggle," the dwarf snorted through his laughter, and Loki had the fleeting feeling of trap and trick as the dwarf sneered out, "Gods. Yous were so confident in me bein' a coward an' a traitor. Yous didn't think me to have a lick of loyalty to the King."
"Loyalty?" Loki snorted. In that way, at least, he was positive his read on the dwarf had not been wrong. The hum of the maze in his ear pitched deeper, as if in agreement. "Not a bit of it."
"Wells," the dwarf hedged. "Jareth I could be bought against, but Her Majesty? Theres be more than loyalty there. She's my . . . she's my friend, you see. An' her will is as great as her power is strong. Neither are to be crossed."
Again the dwarf said as much, and the voice in Loki's head hummed warmly, as if fond memory at the mention of its queen. Loki rolled his eyes as he pieced the puzzle together and thought: typical. Of course that had been the one thing he had overlooked. The girl who had defeated the Labyrinth was now its queen by right of Champion, and he had made a very, very large mistake.
"Now its to be farewells between us," the dwarf waved, huffing with his exertion as he pushed the large stone back over the pit. "Toodles."
And then the darkness was complete.
First thing was first, he thought, flexing his hands against the walls of the chute. They needed to go up and force the top from the pit, or down . . . Down to where he could feel the maze pulsing, the voice in his mind echoing as if coming down from far below. He shook his head, and tried to ignore the calling voice. Now was not the time.
"Typical dwarf," Sif seethed to the darkness. "I knew we shouldn't have trusted him."
Loki shook his head, and tried to draw a hand away from the wall in order to summon a flame to light their way. He didn't dare just try the incantation with his words, with how his seiðr worked in the Labyrinth, but he could not get his hand from the wall. There was something holding him.
He felt a spike of alarm in his chest, right as Sif exclaimed, "There is something holding us."
He flexed his hand again, feeling the leathery wall that was holding him secure. Strong fingers seemed to hold him - at his wrists and arms and sides, and suddenly the leathery sensation registered in his mind, and he blanched. "Sif, there are hands holding us."
"Hands?" she repeated, dumbfounded, her voice strained as if struggling. He heard steel moving then, and pain flashed in his mind, a phantom sting across his palm as the spirit of the maze fed to him her own pain. The coppery scent of blood filled the air, catching in his nose.
"Sif, do not cut the hands," he hissed, feeling absurd even as he said it.
The shadows moved then, and the wall seemed to swirl as if alive . . .
And then the hands began to speak.
"We are here to help," the hands said brightly, the fingers moving in a gross parody of speaking mouths. "We wouldn't want you to fall now, would we? So you can put your sharp stick away, we don't bite."
"We don't have the teeth to," another of the hands said brightly.
" . . . helping hands?" Sif muttered dubiously. "You cannot be serious."
"Well, they are keeping us from falling," Loki pointed out logically. He could imagine her glare in return, and his cheeks flushed in the shadows.
"Clever, Odinson," her voice scathed.
Loki rolled his eyes at the darkness.
And the hands carried on brightly, a dozen different voices alternating to form their words. "We just need to know if you want to go up -"
And then there was the odd sensation of dozens of hands lifting him up the shaft, one over the other over yet another again.
" - or down." And then the hands lowered him, his stomach dropping with the sudden change, and his head swimming dizzily as the voice of the maze flared in his mind, louder from the bottom of the pit. Loki flexed his hands, and wished he could summon a light to see . . .
"Up or down," the hands prompted. "There are only two ways to go."
In his mind, the voice of the maze hummed, and he had the barest flash of teasing eyes and three faces as one . . .
. . . looking up at them from the bottom of the chute.
"Or down?"
So, "Down," he said without thinking, "Down, if you would not mind."
"Down?" was Sif's indignant squawk from below him. "You want to go down? We have no idea what is down there, and I have a dwarf to harm up above."
But it was too late. "Down it is," the hands chirped merrily, and then they started to fall. The darkness around them began to move and the shadows danced as the hands began to clap . . . "Down, down, down, down!" And then his stomach dropped as the hands let go.
And they fell down.
Down and down and down into the blackness below . . .
Loki flailed his hands, but he could find no purchase or grip. The hands were silent, or more likely, gone completely, and left to them was a unending chasm spanning on and on before them. Loki closed his eyes and thought land, we have to land, worrying about the speed of their fall and the height . . .
Do you not know that such things do not matter here?, a warm voice in his head sounded, like it had outside of the Labyrinth, but this time ten times more clear than it had been, so close as they were to the ancient core of the maze. Not as you are now. It is your will that shapes the maze, not the other way around. The voice shook her head, as if she were a mother, explaining a concept to a child with wide eyes, slow to understand.
Then, I wish to land, Loki 'thought' at the voice of the Labyrinth, raising his chin towards the darkness before adding, if you please, bowing his head as if he were a mortal at prayer.
And the voice smiled in his mind, giving him the faint glimpse of the second face, that which was the Mother, as she said, All you had to do was ask.
Down, then.
Loki summoned the fickle strands of his seiðr to back up his will, and thought softly as an afterthought, taking an instinctive breath in, bracing himself as he sensed more than felt the floor of the chute rush up to meet him.
Softly, softly, softly! He tried to amend in his mind, but it was too late. The air around them shifted, and he had the unpleasant situation of the ground meeting his back, stealing his air from his lungs. He winced, feeling the beginnings of a bruise start for a mere half second before he heard a strangled shout, and Sif landed with a thud right on top of him, a curse on her lips as she sprawled awkwardly atop of him.
He felt his breath leave his lungs in an uncomfortable swoosh of air as he tried to breathe past her weight. As he recovered himself, the discomfort of her landing on him quickly evaporated in favor of a warm sensation in the pit of his stomach. She was warm and slight and smelled like the fields before the harvest and steel when it had been warmed in the sun. Instinctively, he reached up his hands to help brace her. Her skin was warm and smooth underneath his fingers and he ran a thumb over the long upraised stretch of a familiar scar under her arm as she shifted away from him with a curse, shaking her head and gathering her bearings, she having not had prior warning of their landing as he did.
She slid down him, and his cheeks flamed, and he was grateful that she could not see his blush as Fandral and his various tales of how such chance collisions had led to many a favourable interlude ran through his head. But none of them seemed to apply, the red rising to his cheeks being his alone as Sif awkwardly dug her hand into her stomach in an effort to brace her weight and find her balance. The metal cuffs on her wrists – the only parts of her armor that she had been wearing when they had embarked upon their quest – dug into his skin and stole his breath for the third time.
"Sorry," she said awkwardly, her voice steeped in her annoyance as she rolled off him and got to her feet. Loki stayed where he was for a moment more, just breathing as he felt Sif hover over him, pressing a hand to the small of her back and stretching in order to make sure that everything was intact from their fall.
The Labyrinth – for he was almost certain that it was her – laughed in his mind, but it was not the Mother, but the Maiden who found humor at his expense, and he imagined the young girl covering her face with her hand, trying to hide her mirth even as her eyes revealed everything.
He made a face at the air around him, even as Sif reached down to give him a hand up, a mighty scowl on her face, just hardly visible in the darkness around them.
At the thought, he cupped his hands and blew into his palms. Green sparks leapt from his fingertips, before flaring into a small globe of flame. The green light threw Sif's face into odd highs and lows before him, all scowling at their surroundings as they were illuminated by the flame he cast. He flicked his fingers, and the globe jumped up to hover in the air by his head, lighting his way without him having to pay it conscious thought.
"Dwarf," Sif finally uttered the name like a curse once the weight of their situation settled in on them again. "We should have known."
"And yet, what choice did we have?" Loki shrugged, even though the excuse felt weak on his tongue. Who was he, Mischief and Trickery to be outdone by a dwarf, of all things? It was even worse than the incident with Thyrm, and if the story ever got out . . .
"I owe him a harm once we find out way out of this," Sif muttered darkly, her eyes throwing sparks enough to match his own as she set her hand on the hilt of her dagger, her fingers tapping restlessly.
Loki snorted, running his hands down over the front of his tunic, and snapping the leather so as to free it of the dirt of the cavern floor. His mouth turned in distaste at the cloud of dust that appeared before him at the motion. "Before, or after we rescue Thor?" he asked in curiosity, his voice light.
"Whichsoever that proves to be convenient. I am not so picky as you," Sif looked sharply ahead, her eyes shaped as if to march, and Loki felt a wicked grin pull at his mouth. He did not envy the dwarf his fate.
"For now," Sif said, casting her gaze around them, "Where are we?"
And that was the question.
Around them, his flame had illuminated a tunnel that stretched and twined for past his flame could reveal. The walls were rocky, as if they were far underground, and at their feet there were . . .
Corpses, he confirmed, toeing the upraised ribcage of some unfortunate, his face twisting in displeasure as the fragile skeleton turned to dust at his inspection, falling to mingle with the dust of the floor.
And Sif's mouth pressed into a thin, tight line. "Wonderful," she gave dryly.
Not everyone asks to land as you did, the Labyrinth said simply. You figured that you rather quickly, and now you can continue on your way.
That voice again, Loki turned to look down the tunnel, as if by doing so he could catch the sound again. He could hear her speak down here as he could not up above, and a part of him was intrigued by the mystery, but the foreign magic of the land around him . . .
Who are you? Loki finally asked, looking to the maze outright for an answer when no more was forthcoming.
There was silence for a moment, as if the voice was debating how to answer him. So Loki turned his head to the side, and after a second of waiting he stepped forward and bowed with his thoughts. I am Loki, of Asgard, he finally said, introducing himself first where the maze would not. Second son of Odin Allfather, of the second line of Bor Firstfather, right hand to the heir apparent of the First Realm, and I offer you my greetings.
There was a faint sense of amusement in his mind, as behind his eyes he saw a flash of white light and the smile from the first face of the fountain again. The Maiden turned her head, and said, We know who you are. That is why you are here.
And more than knowing who you are, we know who you can be, the Mother said next, her voice softer and more contemplative then that of her first as she swam into the forefront of his consciousness, all golden light in his mind where the Maiden was white.
It seems you have me at a disadvantage then, Loki said, crossing his hands before his chest. For I know not of you where you seem to know much of me.
Such a bright thing as you, at a loss for understanding? The Mother's voice was shaped in amusement, a raised brow to her face that reminded Loki acutely of Frigg when she was willing him to understand a lesson she would not expressly say in words.
You are the Labyrinth, Loki stated plainly, summoning a confidence he was not completely sure of having of in front of such a power . . . a power that had a direct bearing on the path before him. You are the Labyrinth and her three faces. The Mother, the Maiden, and . . . the Crone, he thought, but did not say. The Labyrinth had not shown him her third face, and for a moment he waited, expecting her to shift and reveal herself before the Mother stepped forward before the Maiden, as if shielding them both.
Very curious, he thought, but did not say out loud.
We are one of the shadow realms, the Mother finally said, choosing her words carefully, and at her words, Loki's minds flooded with images, of great Yggdrasil's branches and the worlds between the realms on her might boughs.
We act as a net, the Maiden said next, explaining a complex thought as simply as she could while before Loki's mind, he saw the great maze in all of her entirety. Her highs and her lows and her great and fear inspiring things. We catch magic from mortal children as they grow and forget that magic exists. And, as children forget magic, we are there for children when magic is taken for granted.
Curious, Loki raised a brow. And the goblins?
The Maiden huffed, and the Mother took over, sending a look at her other self. Mortal children cannot exist in this realm, she said simply. A change is required, and so, a change they are given.
Which explained much, Loki thought – especially why such a populace, and such a power at that, would have to be ruled over by Fae blood as its king. The goblins did not have the mind, or the power, to reign over such a force, such a wild and unruly entity . . .
Precisely, the Mother echoed in his mind, pride steeped in her words. You understand. And so you should be able to see as I see, how the magic forms paths as it is given to us, not a single one the same as each other, never to be retraced by two sets of feet again . . .
As the Mother spoke, the tangible picture in his mind of the Labyrinth turned to something more than that – of a thousand upon a thousand paths represented by glowing strands as they wound, one about the other in order to form a whole, a marvelous and majestic whole of ins and outs, of riddles and rhymes and inexplicable things.
When walked, the path matches the crime, the Mother said simply. Your invocation was honest, and your intentions are pure, and so your path will follow that to the center. And, he had the faintest implication of full lips smiling, soft and fond, my king likes you. So, I could give you no other way to go.
Loki snorted, thinking of the dwarf and his treachery and the darkness around them, and thought, This is him showing favor?
The utmost, the Maiden smirked, and Loki rolled his eyes as he reached out to more closely examine the maze that the Mother had placed before him, the different paths swimming over each other like tongues of flame as they consumed their kindle. He looked, and searched until his thumb plucked against a discordant strand, like a falsely tuned string on a harp.
This path was different than the rest, he saw, looking closer at the thread. This path pulsed as if wounded, all shaded the dark violet of a bruise where the paths before had been warm tones of gold and orange, red and ocher and the earthen tone of recently turned soil. Where the other paths tangled together, all ease and harmony even with the chaos of their weave, this thread was angry and hurt, snagging at the others around it, drawing each from their intended way.
Curiously, he reached out, and touched the dark path in his mind's eyes, and snatched his hand back as if burned as in his mind the strand roared.
It roared, an unnatural sound that was neither beast nor man, and Loki had the barest flash of red eyes and heavy brows swinging together in outrage as a horned being turned his head to the top of his prison and screamed.
And Loki sucked in a breath to suddenly thin lungs, and found for a moment that he could not breathe.
Some paths are darker than others, the Maiden mourned, for those darker than most.
These are the paths which never should have been, the Mother echoed, strangely solemn.
What was that? Loki finally asked as he tried to wrap his mind over what he saw, tripping over his words in his mind as he tried to convey his thought to the Labyrinth.
Magic can be unkind, the Maiden said softly in reply.
And humanity even more so, the Mother continued. That being you saw is he who was created by the darkest of our paths, and one you should think of no more of if you wish to leave this place.
There was silence following that, and Loki felt a flicker of unease rise within him at the Mother's words. She did not say that their path would be opposite of this being, nor did she say that this would be their foe to face, but, there had been a reason that Thor's words had not invoked the claim of the Labyrinth, and there had been a reason that his words had been rightly spoken over all others . . .
But he placed that worry aside, needing to deal with the here and now, first and foremost.
You can show me a way out, then? Loki asked.
Out of the Oubliette? the Mother asked.
Yes, Loki answered. Oubliette, it made perfect sense – the forgotten, the put away and the passed aside.
At his thought, even though it had not been directed at them, the Maiden shook her head. It means you are doing well, if the king had to put you here. Only a few runners make it this far.
Loki snorted. I am honored, he drawled in his mind.
As you should be, the Maiden chirped, eyes flashing impishly.
And the Mother raised a brow. Loki could feel her fondness and her exasperation both, and he was not sure if it was directed towards her younger self or her king, as hand and hand as they all were . . . It was a strange realm, he finally decided, a resting place for the unwanted and the forgotten, and a thriving ground for the more childish aspects of magic – the uncanny and the inexplicable and the wondrous all combined. It was a place he would have cared to study for longer than thirteen hours, under different circumstances.
Perhaps, the Mother said softly in his mind, the corner of her lips quirking upwards in the barest hind of a smile. But for now . . .
She closed her eyes, and before them a thread of golden light, quite like the one he had been following earlier, appeared in his mind's eye, calling him to follow.
We shall see you at your path's end. The Mother bowed her head to him, and the Maiden smiled softly before both retreated from his psyche, falling back to lurk as a quiet hum in his thoughts, ready to observe in silence.
And Loki came back to himself.
Beside him, Sif was very quiet, peering at his face as if searching. When he blinked, clearing his eyes of their cloud, she inhaled deeply, the barest of relieved smiles pulling on her face.
"You were gone not even a moment," Sif said without him having to ask, and he was grateful for her understanding, unsure as he was how to put such a thing into words. "The soul from earlier again?" she questioned.
"The Labyrinth herself," Loki nodded his head.
"And was she any help?" Sif questioned. "Or is she like the rest of her residents?" Her mouth turned in displeasure, as if she were imagining the dwarf and his snickering laugh as he pushed the stone over their way, all over again.
"She was of the utmost help," Loki finally said, shaking his head as if by doing so he could get his thoughts to fall into place.
Sif raised a brow, clearly dubious, and Loki grinned a sharp grin, "But, more than that, she has given us a path to follow." He tilted his head, his eyes following where the golden thread had appeared again, ready to lead them through. "And now I know just which way to go."
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Sing a Song of Souffles.
"Brilliant! You were BRILLIANT!" The Doctor beamed, pulling Clara into a tight hug and kissing her hair. Clara grinned back, and pushed him off her gently. "You weren't too bad yourself!" she replied, ruffling his hair, causing the Time Lord to pout like a petulant child and catch her hands in his own. "Enough of that!" he scolded before letting go of her to pat his jacket pockets, looking for his TARDIS key. "Where is it?" he muttered, checking every possible place it could be hidden (which was an awful lot, considering it was a "smart jacket." Usually they have no pockets but because it is the Doctor, naturally it had hundreds of hidden hidey holes for small objects.) Clara just giggled and held up the small silver object, causing an annoyed sigh to escape the Doctors lips. "I will never understand HOW you manage to do that!" he groaned as she opened the door and practically skipped inside. He just rolled his eyes and followed, soon smiling again because he just could not stay mad at his Clara.
"So, where too now miss?" he said with an elaborate bow in Claras direction. "Your wish is my command!" She smiled wider, leaning on the console, thinking for a moment. "I don't know Sir! If only i had a guide to all of time and space to recommend something amazing for me to see!" she gave a dramatic sigh, and turned round to look at him, smirking a little. He just returned her gaze, stepping a little closer, taking both her her hands in his. "Well, if you did, I'm sure he'd say"-
"Oooh, i'd suggest the meadows of Gozelot in the 17th millennia, that's rather nice." came a voice from the hall. Both turned to look, Clara ridiculously confused, and the Doctor rolling his eyes, and sighing. A figure walked out of the shadows of the corridor, and leant casually on the railings. "Or maybe shes more of history geek, in which case the Fourth of July in 1958 was a night to remember, wouldn't you agree sweetie?" Red lipsticked lips curled up in a self satisfied smile as the Doctor sighed. "Hello River."
Professor Song sauntered down the stairs and over to the pair, wearing a glamorous evening gown (where did she even get that many gowns from?! And why would she need them shes an archaeologist for gods sake!) wild hair as untameable as ever, and high heels clicking on the metal floor of the TARDIS. "Well aren't you going to introduce us?" She asked, smiling a little too sweetly at Clara, who looked at her, confused. "Doctor who is-"
"Professor River Song." The older woman said, holding out her hand for Clara to shake. She did so, and River noted, slightly self satisfactorily, that in doing so, the young brunette had been forced to release her husbands hands. "Clara Oswald." She replied, "I'm sorry what are y-"
"I'm the Doctors wife." River interrupted again, before releasing Claras hand and turning to her husband, glad to see that he looked like he was internally kicking himself, and that his pretty little companion looked as though she'd just had the London Eye dropped on her head. "Did he forget to mention?" She gasped, obviously knowing that he wouldn't mention it. Why would he?! It wasn't as if the had a conventional marriage. But they were husband and wife nonetheless. Clara blinked a couple of times and let this information sink in. She looked to the Doctor for confirmation, and a single glance in his eyes told her everything she needed to know. "Right then," she said quietly, still a little shocked, "I'll um... give you guys some space... looks like you need a little time to um... yeah." And with that she brushed past the Doctor and disappeared down the hallway. The Doctor covered his face with his hands, took a dooe breath and looked River dead in the eye. "How did you even get in here?" he asked, voice a little clipped with irritation.
"Good to see you too darling!" She simpered, walking around the console, hand trailing over the various instruments that drove the ship.
"A little forewarning next time would be nice." He huffed crossing his arms over his chest. Clara was probably angry at him now. Brilliant. And he now has a lot of explaining to do.
River guessed his line of thought and merely smirked, coming to stand in front of him, looking up at her husband. "But where is the fun in that?" she teased, "And anyway, when one's husband is off with a pretty young thing seeing wonders of the universe, one has to take it upon themselves to do something spontaneous or i may just lose my husband to a teenager."
"Clara is not a teenager she's a perfectly mature adult! River, why have you come here? You never just 'Drop by' so what kind of trouble are you in now?" he asked, arms still crossed defiantly. Once he might have fallen for her fluttering eyelashes and playful smirks but she had just been rude to his companion, and seemed to have shown up out of the blue, with no other purpose than to get him in trouble. He'd been having such a good day as well (he and Clara had stopped a passenger liner from crash landing into the ocean and causing a tidal wave that would have sunk most of Japan in the year 4520 and had been thanked with unlimited turns on the ships waterslide and free sushi) and he didn't want it ruined. But now Clara was upset, River was overly confident (and now clingy it would seem) and the Doctor.. well he was annoyed now.
River just ignored his inner turmoil and held his steely gaze, with a look that would make any human man cower in his boots. "I know I told you not to travel alone but this is ridiculous Doctor." she hissed. "Imagine how it feels to be excavating the Temple of the Old Gods in Ahkaten, studying their murals, just to find out that they were based on stories of a "courageous Doctor, and his beautiful companion Clara". Well, even if I managed to brush that off, I still did a little digging around and it turns out you apparently spent years in isolation thinking about her? Painted pictures of her? Raced to her side from 1207 without even a moments hesitation even when she didn't ask? How long did I wait for you, where are my paintings. I'm sorry if you think I'm being a bit petty but I don't even remember a gentle kiss after I witnessed my own parents death. I needed you, i really did, and then i find out you're off pining after some pretty little brunette, and showing her the wonders of the universe."
River had become more and more agitated as she continued, and the Doctor was getting more and more annoyed. Eventually he just cut in, saying "River, excuse me if I'm wrong but I believe you were the one who rejected the offer to travel with me. Were you hoping i'd pick up another married couple? Hoping it'd be a little gang all over again? Well I'm sorry to disappoint you River but it had to be Clara. No-one else." He took hold of Rivers arms, in a firm grip. He had to explain. She wouldn't like it one bit, but she had a right to know. "When i married you, it was an act of desperation in a parallel world, in an attempt to save the universe. I'm sorry, but I am not in love with you. I love you, yes, but in the same way I loved Amy and Rory. You're their daughter, you're like family to me. If there'd been any other way i'd probably not have married you, im sorry but it's true."
He took a deep breath, letting her take in what he said, and loosened his grip. "But Clara," he continued, "Something about her.. the way she just was so comfortable talking to me about that snowman, called me silly, chased me, tested me, made me smile after so so long... I lost her River, and it killed me. It really did. In so little time she became so much and i let her die. But the universe gave her back to me. They gave me back my impossible girl. And River she'd the reason I'm here today. If i hadn't have found her i'd me moping on a cloud in Victorian London. Is that the life you wanted for me?" His eyes pleaded her to understand. River was his friend, a good friend, a sister and he needed her, but she needed to accept Clara too. The TARDIS was already rejecting her and if River rejected her too then he didn't know what to do. He felt as though he was being torn between his past and future, being forced to choose between his friends and Clara and it was tearing him apart.
River saw this despair in his eyes, and sighed. Shrugging his hands off of her, she strode away, and down the hallway, leaving him a little bemused, but he dared not follow, as he had a feeling he knew where she was headed next.
Meanwhile, Clara had found herself in the library on her favourite chair, trying to ignore the fact that the Doctor was up there with his wife doing god knows what. She was heartbroken, and utterly humiliated. Over the course of their time together, she had allowed him to enter her heart the way no other man ever had, and she utterly adored him. His childish quirks, his vibrancy and joy in everything, but also his darker, brooding side that was covering the years and years of sadness and grief. She had even begun to think that maybe he had started to return her feelings, but now she knew it could never be. He was married. Married. And he'd kept it from her. Bloody fantastic.
She heard the sound of footsteps nearby and sighed. "Leave me alone, in reading." she called out. "That's funny." River quipped, turning into view, "because usually when a person is reading, they have a book open. And by the looks of things, you don't."
Clara looked up, and met the eyes of the woman she wanted to be. What she wouldn't give to be the one the Doctor wanted to spend his life with. But alas, it seemed that this River woman had taken that spot long before Clara had showed up. She sighed and stood up, composing herself. "Hello." She said quietly, not really knowing what to say.
"Clara, isn't it?" River asked, and the younger girl nodded. "Well, Clara, I'm leaving for a bit. I just wanted to say thank you. You've looked after him wonderfully, and I'm sorry for being so rude earlier. It was totally uncalled for and I hope you will forgive me."
Clara merely nodded, realising what these words were. They were her dismissal. She wasn't needed anymore, the Doctor had his love back. She wouldn't let any tears fall. She wouldn't cry. Instead she smiled. The Doctor was going to be happy, he had his wife back, and trusting by her display earlier, she was fiercely protective of him, so chances are he'd be relatively safe at least. So though she could feel her heart breaking, she grinned. "Thank you." She said, holding her hand out for River to shake.
River, having not heard any of Claras internal monologue, was a tad confused. She had heard that this was a feisty, quirky young girl, who no-one could quite work out but right now she was being downright confusing. She shook her hand, eyeing her a little warily. "You're welcome, I guess."
Clara was pleased. She'd made peace with River, and could leave with no hard feelings. She didn't want to cause her Chin boy pain.
She turned to leave but just had one more thought that she felt she could share with River. "Um, I don't suppose that you could convince your husband to dress his age could you? Never really understood why he feels the need to dress like an eighty year old man..." she laughed, and River could only roll her eyes. "I know!Isn't it irritating? Try to go somewhere nice, and he's wearing tweed! Maturity of a twelve year old, and the clothes of a pensioner. What shall we do with him?" Clara gigged, "How about we hold his bow tie hostage until he wears something decent?" she suggested, and River just laughed. Maybe this was why the Doctor liked this girl. She could bring out anyones playful side.
Clara laughed with her, before taking deep breath, her former sadness threatening as she remembered what she had to do now. "Right. i'd better be off! Goodbye!" she waved as she turned to leave, and River just smiled after her. Maybe the Doctor was right. Maybe the Universe had given him a companion to keep. Maybe, just maybe, she would be the one to save him.
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hide bio
Follow . Favorite
Joined 10-25-00, id: 23331
Author has written 1 story for Digimon.
I've been writing fanfiction for two years now, but I've just started to write Digimon ones. I write Power Ranger stories as well, but for the time being, I'll just put Digi stuff here. My fics will never be over PG-13, and will mostly be action/adventure/drama. However, I like most kinds of romances, so it'll vary in my fics. I'll be using my full name for now, tho I'm known to most people by Kari. I would use it, but there are just so many people who use it. So, I'm being original. And yes, Karilee is my real name, I didn't make it up! :) Now...enjoy my fics if you please. ^_^
Also, it seems as tho my HTML enjoys staying in my fics after I upload them. I have no idea why... I'm working on it tho, and hopefully all my fics won't have HTML in them... o.o;;
Sugar Cookies reviews
They were just making a batch of Christmas cookies...(Takari)
Digimon - Rated: K - English - Romance - Chapters: 1 - Words: 1,616 - Reviews: 40 - Favs: 16 - Follows: 2 - Published: 12/13/2000
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52363
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suPHP and Webalizer
Discussion in 'Installation/Configuration' started by Tjofras, Apr 25, 2009.
1. Tjofras
Tjofras New Member
It seems that the cron job generating the stats-files is running as root. When i use suPHP i get a "Internal Server Errror" because suPHP in its default configuration will not change to a user with a PID lower then 100 (this is probably a good thing) and it will try to change to root.
I would really like the files being generated in the stats/ folder to be owned by the user of that particular domain (web2 for example). Does anyone know of way to accomplish this?
Shouldn't the default behavior be to generate the files with the owner set to the sites users rather then root?
(I'm guessing you would run into similar problems with suExec, but haven't tested that)
2. till
till Super Moderator Staff Member ISPConfig Developer
There are no php files in the stats folder, so suphp is not involved in displaying them. The files are generated as root so that the normal user is not able to accidently delete them.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52376
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25 U.S. Code § 1779g - Effect on claims
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This subchapter shall not be construed to resolve any right, title, or interest of any Indian nation or of any claimant tribe, except their past, present, or future claims relating to right, title, or interest in or to the Riverbed and the obligations and liabilities of the United States thereto.
(Pub. L. 107–331, title VI, § 609,Dec. 13, 2002, 116 Stat. 2855.)
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51 U.S. Code § 20147 - Recovery and disposition authority
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(a) Definitions.— In this section:
(1) Administration human space flight vehicle.— The term “Administration human space flight vehicle” means a space vehicle, as defined in section 20138 (a) of this title, that—
(A) is intended to transport one or more persons;
(B) is designed to operate in outer space; and
(C) is either—
(i) owned by the Administration; or
(ii) owned by an Administration contractor or cooperating party and operated as part of an Administration mission or a joint mission with the Administration.
(2) Crewmember.— The term “crewmember” means an astronaut or other person assigned to an Administration human space flight vehicle.
(b) Control of Remains.—
(1) In general.— Subject to paragraphs (2) and (3), when there is an accident or mishap resulting in the death of a crewmember of an Administration human space flight vehicle, the Administrator may take control over the remains of the crewmember and order autopsies and other scientific or medical tests.
(2) Treatment.— Each crewmember shall provide the Administrator with the crewmember’s preferences regarding the treatment accorded to the crewmember’s remains and the Administrator shall, to the extent possible, respect those stated preferences.
(3) Construction.— This section shall not be construed to permit the Administrator to interfere with any Federal investigation of a mishap or accident.
(Pub. L. 111–314, § 3,Dec. 18, 2010, 124 Stat. 3353.)
Historical and Revision Notes
42 U.S.C. 2459l.
Pub. L. 85–568, title III, § 317, as added Pub. L. 109–155, title VII, § 705, Dec. 30, 2005, 119 Stat. 2936.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52381
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Psalm 22: A Psalm about Jesus Christ
Old Testament Seminary Student Study Guide, (2002), 132–133
Psalm 22 contains the words King David spoke or sang in response to what seemed like continual attacks from his enemies. Look for ways this psalm foretells what would happen to the Savior when he came in the flesh.
Understanding the Scriptures
Psalm 22
Forsaken me (v. 1)Turned away from me and left me alone
Inhabitest (v. 3)Lives with
Confounded (v. 5)Challenged
Reproach of (v. 6)Rejected
Despised (vv. 6, 24)Hated
Laugh me to scorn (v. 7)Mock me
Shoot out the lip (v. 7)Insult
Compassed (vv. 12, 16)Surrounded
Beset me round (v. 12)Surrounded me
Gaped (v. 13)To open the mouth wide
Ravening (v. 13)Reckless or careless eating
Potsherd (v. 15)Piece of broken pottery
Cleaveth (v. 15)Sticks
Cast lots (v. 18)Play a game of chance
Vesture (v. 18)Clothing
Haste (v. 19)Hurry
Abhorred (v. 24)To completely dislike
Affliction, afflicted (v. 24)Troubles, troubled
Pay my vows (v. 25)Keep my promises
Studying the Scriptures
Do activity A as you study Psalm 22.
Activity A iconLook for Things about the Savior
Verses in Psalm 22
What Happened
References in Matthew 27
1. 1.
In addition to Psalm 22, read Matthew 27:27–50. Make a chart in your notebook like the one shown here and record how verses from Psalm 22 were fulfilled in the life of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 27.
2. 2.
Beginning with verse 19 in Psalm 22, David expressed more hopeful feelings. Verses 19–31 are like a prayer, but they contain important truths. Choose something in verses 24–31 that explains why we would “declare” (v. 22), “praise” (vv. 22–23), “glorify” (v. 23), or “fear” (v. 23) the Savior for suffering in the way described in verses 1–18.
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52384
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This was recorded for one special lady. I hope you know who you are.
* * * * *
Click Here to listen. (1.5 min/mp3)
* * * * *
If my lips could feel the warmth of your skin, they would begin with the nape of your neck and, softly, linger lower. I’d want to surprise you with a gentle caress of your auburn tresses, and listen for sighs as my fingers felt your pulse quicken. I press my ear to your chest and, as I hear your heart beating, fleeting fingers tantalize hips and thighs. Kisses flicker like butterflies as I drink you in, aching to know the depth and breadth of you. I wonder as I wander lower if you will reveal your inner secrets or, with a bit of prying, they will spill out and flood me with a taste of divinity. Kneeling now, I kiss your toes and you laugh, squirming slightly, I hold you tightly. Pleasures rise inside your shining eyes as fingers clasp the sheets, pleats of ecstasy resplendent in the flush of your bliss. I ache for your kiss.
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by Anonymous
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52385
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tagFirst TimeHow I Lost My Virginity
How I Lost My Virginity
I've always thought of myself as being a good girl. Yet, here I am sitting on a chair in your kitchen, with your hands on the back of my head forcing your hard cock deep inside my throat, while my middle finger slides in and out of your asshole, fucking it. I smell the musky odor of your crotch as you finally bottom out inside me and your balls slap against my chin. How did I let you talk me into this? If I'm such a good, chaste girl, why is my pussy so wet?
I nod my head yes.
I can feel my cheeks getting hot from blushing. I give your cockhead a soft kiss on the tip, then I wrap my lips around the head and slowly slide my tongue along the underside, back and forth, teasing you. I taste your salty, slightly sour precum in my mouth, and feel it coating my lips. My middle finger inside your ass must be hitting your prostate, because you groan and rapidly pump just your cockhead between my lips. I tighten my lips and apply more pressure to the silky skin of your head as it slips in and out, my lips kissing the tip on the outstroke and then sliding over the ridge of the helmet as you push back in.
I remember how we met at the gym today, when you offered to spot me while I bench-pressed. I remember how my pussy started to tingle, looking up at the weights and seeing the bulge in your shorts as you stood over me, your hands poised to catch the heavy bar laden with weights, your eyes giving the wet spot on my crotch an amused look and then grinning at me while I blushed in confusion. I remember how we talked afterwards, and your deep voice oh-so-innocently suggested I come to your house and have a beer with you. I remember the knowing, not-so-innocent gleam in your eye when I hesitantly accepted.
I stand, and you slide my shirt off, then lean in to kiss me. You fondle my breasts, bringing the pop-up thermometers to stiffness -- another false positive reading for cold!
I turn my head aside, refusing.
It sounds kind of silly when you put it that way, so when you press against me and push your tongue against my lips, I part them for you and your tongue slips inside. It's not a gentle kiss. You're fucking me with your tongue, letting me know you're in charge here. I let you take me in my mouth. I let you push your cock against my crotch. I let one of your hands reach around me and knead my aching back while the other unzips my pants and slips inside. You fuck me with your tongue and stroke my shaven pussy while I wonder at how you managed to get me to agree to allow all these intimate, dirty things to be done to me.
I do so.
I meekly comply, opening them a bit for you.
I shake my head no.
You keep rubbing your cock into my ass while you open the bottle of oil and drizzle some onto my back. You start rubbing it in, your strong hands grabbing and kneading my shoulders and spine and the sides of my ribcage.
You reach around and rub some oil onto my pussy and start to stroke it. You press your chest against my back, your skin hot from the pumped up metabolism you get after a workout. Your other hand slides around to my front and rubs oil onto my nipples and areolas while you kiss my neck.
"Huuh," I pant. "That feels good. Please don't stop." I close my eyes and moan.
You rub my nipples until they get hard, as your cock keeps rubbing into my ass and you stroke my cunt lips. Then you unbutton my pants and slide them off me.
"What -- why do you want --"
"I want to rub your ass, that's all. Do you want me to slap you again?" You push down on my back, and I reluctantly bend over. I feel so vulnerable, naked and gleaming with oil, bent over a countertop with my legs parted and your hard cock pressing against my asscheek, but it's exciting, too. I'm hard as a rock, and waiting for your hands to touch my ass and make my buns shiny with oil, too.
You step back a bit and pour oil on my lower back. A lot of oil. It runs down over my buttocks and down my asscrack, and some of it trickles down my legs, tickling my smooth skin. Your warm hands cup my buttocks for a moment, then you begin spreading the oil all over my butt and my hips. You stroke my clit and I wiggle my hips with pleasure. Your other hand presses into my lower back, easing the tension from the workout.
Your hand slides down from my lower back and into the cleft of my pussy. I gasp from the shock. A finger starts sliding between my labia.
"Oh, no," I say. "Not that. Please. I'm a good girl. I don't do that."
Your finger slides out, and I feel a moment of relief. Then you swat my ass hard.
"Please. Don't. I'll be quiet."
"You better." Your hand invades my cleft again, and now your finger is pushing deeper inside me. I try to escape this sweet invasion -- so wrong and dirty and yet it feels so good -- but I'm bent over with my hips pressed against the countertop and there's nowhere to go. Your finger is pushing against my intact hymen now. I don't say anything, though -- my buttocks must be red already from the two slaps you gave them, and I don't want to provoke another.
You start fucking me with your finger. "Do you like my finger inside your virgin hole?"
I stay silent, blinking back tears.
"Do you want me to take it out?"
I nod.
Your finger slides out.
I sigh in relief, thinking you're done, but then you start sliding your cock up and down my cleft.
"No, please -- I'm a good girl. I can't let you inside me." I tense, waiting for another slap, but it doesn't come.
You grasp my hips. "I won't put it inside you, I promise. I just want to slide it up and down between those sweet pussy lips of yours. It'll feel good, I promise. OK?"
"Good girl. You'll enjoy this." You begin sliding your hard cock up and down my slit, and you're right. It does feel good. It feels so sexy having your cockhead brush against my labia, over and over, while I'm bent over and vulnerable and giving you such pleasure. You're grunting and thrusting, and your hips and hard belly are sliding up and down my soft buttocks, warming them. You press your hand against one of my legs, and I take the hint and let you lift it up and place the knee on the countertop. This opens my pussy even wider, and it feels so sexy and erotic to be open and waiting for the strong hard man who's behind me, taking his pleasure.
Your cockhead pauses in the middle of a stroke, pauses on my cunthole, and now you're grasping your shaft and rubbing your cock in circles around my hole and muttering, "Does this feel good, slut? Do you like my cockhead slipping around your sweet virgin hole?"
I groan with pleasure. "Yes. Yes, rub it against me. I like feeling your cockhead against me."
"Is your sweet pussy tingling?"
"Oh, god, yes. Don't stop."
And then you start pressing in.
"What are you doing? You promised you wouldn't."
The pressure increases on my hymen. "I just want to put the head inside. Unnh. Unnh. It won't hurt, I promise. Open up for me, dammit. Take my cock inside you."
I wriggle and try to stop you, but I'm helpless. You've grabbed my knee that's up on the countertop and you've pinned it in place. And, you've got your other hand pressing down on my back. And, you're right, it does feel good despite the mounting pressure on my maidenhead. God help me, it feels so sexy to be vulnerable and waiting to take your cock inside me, waiting to become a woman and not a girl.
"OK," I gasp. "But be gentle. Please."
You press harder, and your cockhead breaks something inside me. You pause with your dick buried inside me.
"Unnh. Ow. Ow. Arrg," I moan. "It hurts. You lied." I look over my shoulder into your grinning eyes.
"I didn't lie. It didn't hurt me a bit."
"You lying son-of-a-bitch!"
"Shhh. OK, I'll take it out."
Your cockhead slips out, and I sigh in relief. But then I feel more oil drizzling onto my open hole, and you slip inside again.
You release the hand that's been pinning my spine to the countertop, and rest your chest on my back and whisper in my ear, "Is it feeling better?"
And you're right. It doesn't hurt so much. It's actually starting to feel good, having you inside me.
You murmur, "Do you like being my woman? Do you want my cock in your pussy?" You kiss my neck and stroke my hair, and your other hand slips between my hips and the countertop and touches my wet, slippery clit. I feel a jolt of electricity.
"Good. Now let me put some more of the shaft in your pussy. You'll let your man do that, won't you? You want me to feel good, right?"
I sigh, loving the feel of your hand on my hard little clit. "OK. But, please be gentle."
It feels surreal. A few hours ago, I was a good girl, a virgin, working out in a gym, and now I'm oiled up and bent over, and I'm telling you to fuck my pussy, take me like the woman I am now. How did you manage to talk me into this?
You start pushing deeper into my cunt. I'm starting to feel a warmth and tingling in my core spreading out to my extremities as my clit responds to your hand sliding up and down. You inch inside, bit by bit, until you bottom out. You begin rubbing oil on my clit as you slide all the way out except for the tip of your cock.
"Fuck me. Fuck me hard."
"I'm your bitch."
"Take my cock, slut. Take it all the way inside your cunt." You take your finger off my clit and grab one of my shoulders, seeking more leverage so you can drive your hard prick as deeply as possible inside my pussy. You're grunting and sweating and slamming into me at top speed, and I'm bent over and taking my man's lust, letting him fill me with his hardness. I love being your woman. I love being taken roughly and unleashing your desires.
Then you reach around and stroke my clitoris, and that's all I need to go over the edge. I moan and writhe against on the cool countertop beneath me.
"Yes," I say. "I want to be fucked like a woman again."
We lie locked together on your countertop, and I lazily wonder what other things I can do to please you and stir your lust.
I love it too.
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by Anonymous
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52386
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tagIncest/TabooI'm Not Sara (The Next Day)
I'm Not Sara (The Next Day)
I woke up the next morning and looked at my clock to see it was 11:00 AM. My whole body ached and I had a raging headache. I stirred and winced in pain as I moved my legs. My hips and body was so sore. I managed to get up and I immediately made my way to the bathroom. I felt terrible. I had a huge headache and my stomach was turning.
I got into the bathroom and stripped my clothes to get into the shower. It helped clear my head. As I washed, some of Leo's cum oozed out of me and caught my attention. Images of Leo fucking me flooded back into my head all at once. I felt so deeply remorseful.
I thought to myself, "How could I take advantage of him like that? He thought was making love to his girlfriend and I completely took advantage of the situation."
My regret consumed me. I then remembered that I needed a morning after pill as soon as I could. It was bad enough I had sex with my brother. Imagine if I got pregnant! I would never be able to explain that to anyone. I would be pregnant with my brother's child. It would probably have a third eye or something from incest.
I got out and while wrapping a towel around me, I opened the door to let the steam out when I heard Leo and Sara talking down the hallway. I peeked out the door to try to listen but couldn't hear anything but muffles. They didn't seem to be arguing but I had no idea what they were saying.
I gave up and returned to the bathroom. As I was drying my hair I heard Sara come walking out of the room and down the hall. She appeared in the doorway and it seemed she needed to use the bathroom. She was wearing just her t-shirt and panties.
"Oh sorry sweetie. I'll use the other one." She said as she walked away.
I finished up and walked out towards my room. I was wearing my towel and carrying my shorts and tank top in my hands when I ran right into Leo. He was only wearing his boxers.
"Oh...sorry Leo" I said as I felt my face become hot. The hallway was darker so I was hoping he wouldn't notice. I couldn't even look at him.
"Oh...no...sorry M...Mary" he stared at the shorts and tank top in my hands as he walked passed me and shut the door to the bathroom.
In my room, I picked up my phone and texted my friends Julie, Kathy, and Maggie to see if they had any morning after pills. I always used condoms with guys so I didn't have any. I just hope they did. I immediately got a text back from Maggie saying she used her last one last week and didn't have any more.
"Shit" I said out loud. I used my phone to Google the morning after pill to see how long I had to take it. I got a lot of different answers but they all said I had at least 24 hours so that made me feel a little better. If Julie or Kathy didn't have any, I could still run to the drug store.
I got a text from Julie, "HA...NOPE SORRY GF. NAUGHTY GIRL! :)"
"Shit" I said again. I dropped my towel put on some panties and a bra and then pulled on some shorts and a t-shirt. I still had a splitting headache but was finally getting a little hungry. I walked out into the hallway and saw Leo in his room. I didn't see Sara so I guessed she left. Leo seemed to just be standing staring at the floor.
My mind flashed back to our night together. I still couldn't believe we did it, but I had to admit to myself that it was probably the best sex I ever had. I remembered him caressing my skin and how he suckled at my breasts. I remembered him licking my pussy, entering me, and how great the overwhelming orgasms were that rocked my body. Just the thoughts of Leo were getting me flushed and I sped back up towards the kitchen.
I pulled a bowl and some cereal down and put them on the table where Leo and Sara were doing shots last night. I walked towards the fridge and saw Leo walk in. He was wearing some loose gym shorts without a shirt and his body looked incredible. He was very muscular and strong looking. His skin was tanned and he looked so sexy. It was funny because I have seen him thousands of times, but everything seemed different. It all seemed so new. I didn't see him as my brother. I saw him as a man. I saw him as sexy and I felt that I wanted him. What was I thinking?! This is my brother. I shook my head and tried my best to ignore him.
"Hey Mary. Hungry huh?"
"Starving!" I said trying to act casual.
I got the milk and returned to the table. I couldn't look at him. I hope I wasn't obviously looking away. To avoid being obvious, I looked at him and then I felt that I was obviously trying to look at him and that he would know something was up. I immediately looked away. I was such an idiot.
I sat down and poured my cereal as I heard him get a bowl behind me. Oh God, now he is going to sit next to me and I'm going to have to stare at him.
As I poured my milk, he pulled out a chair and sat down next to me.
"Hey sis. That sure was fun last night huh?!"
I looked up and my mouth fell open as the milk spilled out of my bowl pouring it onto the table.
"Woa sis. What are you doing there?"
I put the milk down on the table and got up to get some towels.
"I don't know. I have a splitting headache."
"Oh. I see. You're hung over! Did you have fun though?"
I tried to act cool, "Sure. I guess."
"What did happen? Do you remember anything?" He asked.
I froze and I wondered if there was an ulterior motive behind his question. Did he remember fucking me and is he trying to see what I remember? Does he not remember anything?
"Umm...I don't really remember. I know we did some shots and then Sara ran to the bathroom. I checked on her and then went to bed. What do you remember?"
I cleaned up my mess and he poured the milk on his cereal as he said, "I don't really remember...I'm kind of confused though. Sara and I woke up in bed together."
"What is so confusing about that? You must have had sex last night." I said as I tried to reinforce what I had setup the night before.
"Yeah. That is the weird thing. I remember having sex but she doesn't."
I looked up from my bowl and my face turned white, "You remember having sex?"
"Yea. I don't know if you want to hear all the details or anything, but I distinctly remember having sex. I talked to Sara about it and she didn't remember a thing."
Our relationship had always been close. He would tell me about the girls he would go out with and I would tell him about the guys I went out with. We were open enough that this wasn't our first conversation about sex.
"Oh...well...that's weird" I added trying to play off my concern. I stuck my head back down towards my bowl when my phone buzzed with my final text reply. It was Kathy. She texted, "Slut! What did you do last night? Sorry hun, nothing here."
"Fuck" I said in a whisper as I put the phone back on the table. I figured I can just run down to the store, but I always hated asking for them at the counter. I would sometimes get some holier-than-thou attendant who would give me a stink-eye as she cashed me out. I slumped back down and ate my cereal. I thought about Leo's sperm swimming around inside of me and how I might easily get pregnant. I knew I had to do it.
"Hey, is everything okay Mary?" Leo asked in a very soft and concerned tone. He put his hand on my leg to comfort me, but in reality it had the opposite effect and I found it exciting.
"It's nothing. Thanks though. Just girl stuff."
"Oh. Well let me know if I can help."
"Thanks...I've gotta run." I got up and put my bowl in the sink. I grabbed my keys and bag and headed out the door to the pharmacy. I had to make sure I didn't get pregnant.
I made it to the pharmacy and was able to get the pills without any hassle. I paid for them and a bottle of water and as soon as I was back in the car I punched the white pill out of the package and quickly took it with a sigh of relief. I read the instructions and saw that it can be 95% effective if taken within 24 hours. Looking at my car clock, it had only been about 12 hours so I felt pretty safe.
I put my hand on my stomach and thought for a minute what it would be like to get pregnant. The thoughts of last night came back again and making love to Leo. It was amazing. He made me feel so good and he is so great. Not only in bed, but as a person. He is always caring and polite. He is strong and athletic. He is a great guy and any girl would be lucky to be with him. I wished I wasn't his sister. That would make things so much easier.
Leo's car was still in the driveway when I got home. I walked in and saw him sitting on the couch watching a game. He still wasn't wearing a shirt and looked just as sexy as ever. I couldn't look at him.
"Hey sis...everything okay?"
"Oh yes. Everything is going to be okay now." I didn't wait for a reply and kept walking towards my room.
I couldn't shake the feelings I was having about Leo. I knew it was wrong to think of my brother this way but I couldn't stop thinking about Leo's body and having sex with him again. I felt my pussy actually get a little aroused from the thoughts. I had to get my mind off of him. I had to do something to make myself busy and get away from him. I grabbed my gym bag and headed out to the gym. A good run should clear my thoughts.
"Hi, I'm going out for a while!" I didn't even look at him or wait for a response as I shut the door behind me.
I made it to the gym and changed into my workout clothes. I typically wore black spandex shorts, a sports bra and a loose tank top over top.
I tied up my running shoes and thought, "Yes. This is just what I need. A good run and sweating a little will get my mind off Leo." I plugged my iPod into my ears and cranked up the treadmill.
As I was running, my friend Kathy came walking up to me. She tapped me on the shoulder and scared me. I almost fell off the treadmill as I didn't see her coming. My mind was still on Leo.
"Hey slut. What are you up to?" She asked as I stood on the rails and took my headphones out of my ears.
"Nothing, just burning some calories." I said, thinking to myself that I was just trying to preoccupy myself.
"What's up with the morning after pills? What did you do last night? Who is he?" she inquired.
"A mistake. That is what it was."
"Oh? Well who was he?"
"Just some blind date. You don't know him." Naturally, Kathy did know my brother, but there was no way I'm going to tell anyone what happened. I didn't like lying to my friends and I desperately wanted to tell someone, but there is no way anyone could understand.
"Must have been some fun if you needed a pill."
I paused for a minute, "Yeah...it was some fun, but still a mistake."
"Well, keep having fun you slut." She said in jest.
I smiled at her, put my headphones back on, and resumed my run.
After running a few miles and working up a good sweat, I had to take a shower. I peeled off my workout clothes and threw them into my bag. Wrapping a towel around me, I made my way to the showers. In spite of my workout, Leo was still on my mind. Standing there naked waiting for the showers, I rubbed my legs together and imagined his meaty cock sliding in and out. I shook it off, hung up my towel and got in the water.
I was soaping up and I got lost in thought again thinking of Leo's body. Last night was a mistake, but it was so magical. I didn't even realize it, but while I was thinking of Leo, my hand had made its way to my crotch and was massaging my clit. I was getting really aroused and my pussy was getting wet. My labia relaxed and my pussy opened as I slipped a finger in thinking it was Leo's.
My other hand came down to give my clit attention while I slipped two fingers in and out of my slippery pussy. I pictured Leo's wonderful tongue working me over and slurping up my wetness. I couldn't believe it, but I felt my orgasm coming on much sooner than usual. When I masturbated, it often took 10-minutes or more to get myself going; here after just a minute I was ready to cum.
When it hit me, my knees went weak and my left hand went out to the wall to support me as my pussy contracted. I imagined Leo's cock inside of me thrusting deep and I bit my lower lip to keep from making any noise. A minute or so later, it subsided and I was breathing heavier than on the treadmill.
As I was walking back to my locker, I met up with Kathy again. I asked if she wanted to hang out. I had to keep myself busy or I would just sit and think about Leo all day and drive myself crazy. We left and spent the day at the mall and found a couple of friends. We talked, tried on clothes, shopped, ate food, and had some fun. I just loved trying on clothes and looking for jewelry. In spite of all the distractions, when trying on a few outfits, I actually thought what Leo might think of me wearing it. I wondered if he would think I was sexy.
Every time I thought of Leo, I had to shake my head to get it out of my mind. His cock and the thought of him fucking me so slowly and hard monopolized my mind. I could almost feel him sliding in and out of my slick bald pussy. I remembered him saying how he liked me shaved and how he tongued my clit so well.
We left the mall at around seven and caught a movie. In the movie, there was a great sex scene and once again, I was picturing Leo over top of me slowly seducing me and taking my clothes off me. After the movie, I asked my friends what they wanted to do and they all bailed on me. They said they were tired or that they had to get home. It was only 10:00 PM and I knew Leo would still be up.
I slowly drove home and walked in the door at around 10:45 PM. Leo's car was in the driveway but the house seemed empty. He must have left with Sara in her car. I guess I was home alone again. Thank God!
I walked to my bedroom past Leo's closed door. In my room, I dropped my shopping bags, and stripped my clothes to put on some comfy lounging around clothes. Similar to the last night, but these were blue instead of gray. I walked out and into the kitchen for some ice cream. I took a bowl from the cabinet and opened the freezer door. When I turned around from the freezer, Leo was standing there staring at me.
I screamed and dropped my bowl on the floor where it shattered. "Holy Shit Leo...you scared the hell out of me!"
"I'm sorry sis. I thought you heard me."
"What are you doing home? I thought you went out."
I started to clean up the broken bowl on the floor and he stood there staring at me. "Oh... I...a...wasn't feeling good so I went and laid down for a while."
"Were you sick?"
"A little, but I'm feeling a little better now and I am starving."
"Oh. Well...that's good. You still scared the hell out of me though."
I looked at him standing there with no shirt wearing only some loose gym shorts. God he was sexy. I wanted to spread my ice cream all over his body and slowly lick it off. It was at that very moment that I gave up. I couldn't take this anymore. I knew it was wrong, but the fire in my loins made me not care. I loved him. Leo is my brother, but love is love and I just had to take some action. I wanted him to fuck me again.
"I'm going to watch some TV. Want to join me?"
"Sure, let me grab some food."
I smiled and finished getting my ice cream. I walked passed him into the living room lightly brushing against him and the contact with him was electric sending chills up my spine.
I plopped down onto the couch and pulled my knees up into my chest to show off my legs and let my shorts ride up a bit. Before Leo came into the room, I quickly rolled my shorts down to my hips and then lifted my tank top to show as much skin as I could. I just couldn't help myself. Leo was so fantastic and hot. I wanted him. He came in with half a sandwich and some chips. His eyes checked me over as he sat down on the chair next to the couch. I turned on the TV and chose some movie from the guide.
"Leo, why don't you sit over here?" I said patting the couch next to me.
Without saying a word and chewing his sandwich, he got up and sat down next to me leaving a few inches of space between us. I ate my ice cream and set the bowl on the table as we watched the movie.
"So what is Sara doing tonight?" I asked him.
"She is probably out with her friend Linda. I can't stand her?"
"You can't stand Sara?" I asked with some hope for ousting the competition.
"No Linda. She just talks all the time about stupid shit."
We turned our attention back to the movie and continued watching. I leaned over and rested my head on his arm as I have done hundreds of times before although this time with a different motive.
"Hey Mary...I've...I've been meaning to ask you something. Something about last night."
I paused the movie and turned towards him on the couch. My shorts rode all the way up my legs and I sat Indian style in front of him.
"Sure. What is it?"
After glancing down at my crotch, he said, "Well...I've been thinking about what happened last night. I'm really confused about some things."
I just knew to myself that he had figured it out. Whether he realized it or not, he knew something didn't add up. This was the moment of truth.
"What do you mean Leo?"
"Well, I remember having shots with you and Sara last night. I remember Sara running to the bathroom and then I remember going to bed with her last night."
"Well...when I took off her clothes, they weren't the clothes she was wearing. They were the clothes you wore."
I sat in silence and stared at him.
"And...well...I don't know how much you want to know, but Sara doesn't shave...you know...down there. And last night she didn't have any hair down there, but this morning she did."
"Oh...that is weird. What do you think happened?"
He sat for a moment seeming to gather his thoughts. "Mary...did...did we have...did we have sex last night?"
I sat there in silence for what seemed like days. My mind raced around thinking of what to say. On one hand, I wanted to come clean with him and tell him it was the best night of my life. On the other hand, he was my brother and I knew this would change things between us for the rest of our lives. I didn't know how he would feel. I would hate him to be disgusted with me.
"Well...Leo...yes. Yes, we did have sex last night."
Leo stared at me and just didn't say a word.
"Leo...say something." I said as I shoved him.
"Mary...I didn't...you know...force you...did I?"
"NO! Of course not. Leo, let me tell you. It wasn't anything like that. You were drunk and I was pretty buzzed. I was the one who took you to bed. You thought I was Sara but she was passed out in the bathroom. I tried to tell you I wasn't Sara, but you didn't listen. You came onto me and...well...I just couldn't resist. You were so sexy and I just couldn't help myself. I'm sorry I took advantage of the situation, but I couldn't help myself.
Leo sat without saying a word.
"This has been on my mind all day. This morning I was so remorseful I felt sick. I regretted doing it and I thought you would hate me. I tried to stop, but I just couldn't resist you."
Leo stared.
"All day, I've been thinking of you. Of your strong body. Your big cock. And your incredible ability to fuck. I can tell you without a doubt that not only did you not force me, I was willing. And...I have to be honest...I'm willing to do it again."
Leo's eyes opened wider.
"Really?" he said. "You feel that way about me?"
"Yes. I do. You are amazing and I love you...more than a brother. I really love you and you are so sexy I can barely resist you."
"Mary...I don't know if I should tell you, but I have felt the same way about you for years."
"You have! Oh my God! Really?!" My eyes opened wide and my hands shot out to touch him.
"Yes. I hope you don't think I'm creepy or anything, but you are so gorgeous and sexy. Just last Tuesday, you wore a little skirt that drove me nuts. You bent over one time and I could see your white little lacy panties. I almost came right there and I had to run to my bedroom to jerk myself off."
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tagLoving WivesRevelations & Resolutions
Revelations & Resolutions
Scott looked around the room. The New Year's Eve party clamored raucously with laughter and conversation. So far, the party appeared successful. To stay off the dangerous streets on this night each year, the neighborhood held their own party, which rotated every year to a different home. This year, Scott and Claire Dillon hosted the event.
He strolled into the kitchen to congratulate Claire. Her careful preparations and attention to detail had insured the success of the party. They had been married for seven years, seven wonderful years to Scott's mind, and with their cute, very loveable three-year-old daughter - staying with the grandparents, that night - they had created a loving family. Scott couldn't imagine being happier.
Successful with his own business, Scott had started building custom homes while in college studying architecture. He entered the business first as a designer, and then as a superintendent, and during his fourth year in architecture, he designed and constructed a house on his own on speculation. It sold quickly, and he started another, then another, and soon his business eclipsed the time he needed to finish his education. A late-night discussion with Claire - they had been married a year at the time - provided the direction for the rest of his career. He quit school and never looked back. He was already doing what he loved and wanted to do, and his efforts provided all the income he and his family needed. He wasn't rich, but he made an above average living - well above average.
Inside the kitchen, Claire stood looking perplexed and beautiful. Of course, she always looked beautiful. He had known from the first moment he saw her she was the woman for him. He met her while attending college after a stint in the military. She had finished college the year before and was teaching school. He had courted her because of her beauty but married her for her other qualities. She was a loving and giving woman, sexy and smart and full of joy. To Scott, she looked like a ravishing runway model, tall and slim with perky breasts and a small waist. Her hips were a touch wide for modeling, but great for bearing children, and he loved her firm derriere. She wore her dark hair long, and her green eyes never failed to dazzle him.
"What's the problem?" he asked while giving her a hug. He loved touching her, and whenever he could he reached for her if only to brush his hand on hers - or his lips. He loved her deeply and felt only pity for some men he knew who sought out women other than their wives for pleasure.
"We're running low on white wine," she said.
"I'll pop down to the liquor store and buy some more."
"Would you? If possible buy some already chilled. About four bottles should do it."
He gave her a quick kiss. "No problem."
When Scott returned, the driveway was blocked by another car. Groaning with irritation, he drove to the rear of his property so he wouldn't need to move his car until morning. He gathered the bags containing the wine he'd purchased and climbed from the car, pushing the door closed with his hip. It didn't close completely and barely made a sound. He set the bags down to open the gate, which swung wide silently. He had oiled the hinges the day before. Strolling through the gate, he elected to leave it open, too lazy to set the bags down again, but then he felt guilty. He returned and closed the gate. Manhandling the bags again, he moved across the lawn toward the side entrance of the house and suddenly noticed movement through the foliage, and then soft sounds - sounds of passion. He smiled. A couple of partygoers were making out in the gazebo, he assumed, and debated whether to continue around the foliage and interrupt them. He decided to peek around the bushes first. If they weren't too involved, he'd move by them without comment and pretend he had not seen them.
The woman was sitting astraddle the man's lap. They presented a side view, but in the dark Scott couldn't see their faces. They appeared dressed, but he was still indecisive, so he stopped and continued to watch until he could determine whether to move forward or not. The woman threw her head back and groaned softly.
She groans like Claire, Scott thought and smiled remembering how much he loved his wife's groans of pleasure. Peering through the leaves, he watched the woman rotate her hips. She's fucking him, he deduced. Studying the pair carefully, Scott noticed the man had his hands up under her skirt grasping her butt cheeks as he humped up at her. The tableau started to brighten as the moon crept out from behind a cloud.
Scott's heart started to race. He abruptly felt completely empty as if all the blood had suddenly been drained from his body. His knees wobbled. Setting the bags to the grass before he dropped them, he tried to suck in oxygen silently as he peered through the foliage.
Josh! His neighbor and friend, Josh Whitten, was fucking his wife!
He felt numb. He tried to think but was so befuddled he could do nothing except gaze at his wife as she moved, pulling his friend's cock in and out of her cunt. He couldn't see where they joined. Claire's skirt covered them. She bent and mashed her mouth to her lover, and her hips sped up. Josh helped her using his large hands to lift and pull her down over him again.
Claire groaned softly and threw her head back. Scott watched as she shuddered through an orgasm, emitting sharp but still quiet sounds of pleasure. Josh grunted and pulled her tightly to him and his body jerked as he ejaculated.
Ejaculated inside my wife, Scott thought. He's coming inside her!
Claire collapsed on Josh's chest, and they cuddled briefly. They didn't speak, or kiss, merely held each other.
"I need to get back to the party, Josh," Claire said. "Scott should be back by now. I don't want him to come looking for me."
She pushed herself up off his lap, and Josh's erection bobbed in the dark, the moonlight reflecting off the bulbous head, shiny with his juices and hers. Scott noted he was large, an inch or two longer than him, he guessed, but not as thick. Claire reached to the deck of the gazebo and picked up her panties. Josh watched as she pulled them up over her gorgeous legs and let her skirt settle back around her hips.
"Meet me one day this week," Josh said.
"No. I don't want an affair, Josh." She strolled away without looking back.
Josh leaned his head back and sighed. With an evil smile, he pulled his pants up - they were down around his thighs - and fastened his belt. Scott's so-called friend lumbered to his feet and followed Claire inside, walking with a cocky spring to his steps.
In a matter of a few minutes, Scott Dillon's happy life had crashed down around him. Confused, not only because his wife had fucked another man but also because he suddenly realized he was erect, as hard as he had ever been. He sank to the grass and leaned against a tree. If anyone had told him Claire had been unfaithful or even capable of being unfaithful, he would have called the person a liar. His mouth opened and he sucked in the cold night air. His hands trembled, and his erection pushed painfully at front of his pants. The moon moved behind another cloud, and the black night surrounded him like a fog. He closed his eyes, and a tear rolled from one corner and slid silently down his cheek.
Was this the first time? Or had there been other times? Other men? Scott knew she had been a bit wild before he met her. She had admitted as much over the years, but he didn't consider her capable of the betrayal he had just witnessed. Why? Why had she betrayed him? Didn't he give her all the sex she needed? Did she need more than he offered? He couldn't remember refusing her, but then she rarely initiated their lovemaking. Perhaps she no longer loved him. She couldn't love him, not if she could fuck another man. Could she?
What should he do? Should he confront her? If he confronted her, would she deny or admit her infidelity? And other infidelities? With the loss of his naiveté, he realized if she could sneak out to the gazebo for a quick fuck with Josh, a man she didn't want to have an affair with, that surely there had been other times, other men.
And what did he want? Did he want a divorce? Did Claire? Too many questions, questions with no answers, especially with the state of his confused and stunned mind. He wiped the tear from his cheek. For the moment, he decided to ignore what he had seen. He needed answers to many questions before he could outline a course of action.
His erection had wilted, so he pushed himself to his feet and picked up the bags of wine. As he walked through the side entrance to the house, Claire turned toward him, and her eyes widened. Was she wondering if he had seen her with Josh? Now would be the time to confront her, he knew, now when she wondered if he knew her secret, but he wasn't prepared for a confrontation - not yet. He wanted some answers first.
"Someone blocked the driveway," Scott said calmly and placed the wine on the counter. "Two chilled and two warm, the best I could do."
Looking relieved, she smiled. "Put the warm ones in the freezer for a while, and open the cold ones." She handed him a corkscrew.
He watched her rinse wine glasses as he extracted the corks. Had she washed Josh's semen from her pussy, or was it running down her legs? He groaned inwardly and felt the beginnings of another erection. He wanted to test her, wanted to run his hand up under her skirt and cup her mound. Would it be wet? Or had she washed away the evidence and put on clean, dry panties? She was accustomed to his touches, so he wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed her.
"Happy New Year," he whispered and turned her to him and kissed her again. She melted against him during the embrace, but when he started to fondle her from the rear, she pushed him away.
"Later, lover," she said lustfully and flashed a sultry smile. "Take the wine and fill the glasses for our guests drinking white wine."
It was after 2:00 AM before all the guests departed, finally leaving them alone, and Claire busied herself dashing here and there picking up the clutter. Scott had watched her carefully since his return from the liquor store. She had not taken a trip to their bedroom, although she had visited the guest bath. If she had not cleaned herself and changed panties before his return, which was likely because of the timing, her pussy would be crusted with Josh's dried semen. When she bent to pick up some plates on the coffee table, he slid his hand up her leg and cupped her cunt. No panties!
"Sexy," he said. "When did you take off your panties?"
She straightened and blushed. "A while back. I waited too long...ah, damn, I'm embarrassed. I wet my panties just a little."
He fondled her until she skipped away.
"Later, help me pick up."
When she walked into the kitchen, Scott moved to the guest bath. He found her panties under a towel in the linen closet. They smelled like sex. Like semen! He put them back where he had found them.
An hour later, husband and wife lay side by side in their bed.
"I think everyone had a good time," Claire said.
"Some more than others," Scott added. Like Josh, for instance. Claire, too, to be fair.
Claire chuckled. "True. Nancy drank more than she should. I watched her and Bill go into the guest bath together." She squirmed, signaling her pleasure as he caressed her smooth skin. "That's when I had my...ah, problem. They were in there for quite a while?"
Nancy was Josh's wife. "Why didn't you use our bathroom?"
"It was occupied, too."
"Did Josh see them?"
"No, I don't think so."
"What about Bill's wife?"
"Helen was busy with Pete."
"A licentious bunch." He chuckled, a subterfuge. He wondered if he would ever be able to honestly laugh again. "What about you, Claire? Do you ever get the urge for another man?"
Silence. Finally, she said, "Not really."
Why did she hesitate? Had she considered a different answer?
"What does 'not really' mean?" He reached and cupped her breast, tweaking her nipple. "Your answer was somewhere between yes and no. I suspect the honest answer would have been yes. Am I correct?" He leaned and ran his raspy tongue over the nipple, and then pinched it again.
"Yes, sort of. I've fantasized. Haven't you? Fantasized about being with another woman, I mean?"
An honest answer wouldn't get him the answers he wanted, so he lied. "Yes."
"Anyone in particular?" she asked and then groaned with pleasure when his fingers cupped her mound and started to explore between her swollen pussy lips.
"Not really," he said, giving her some of her own medicine. "I have fantasized about you with another man, though." Another lie. "You told me you were a bit wild before we married, and I wondered...ah, if only one sex partner for seven plus years had become commonplace for you, if you wanted some variety like you had before we married, wanted the excitement of someone new, someone who could surprise and excite you more than me."
"Oh, honey, no. I love you - only you. Besides, you always excite me, like now, for example. I love the way you touch me, what you're doing to me right now."
Three hours ago, he would have believed her. Now images flashed like a sideshow in his mind. Click! Claire's grimace when she climaxed around Josh's hard-on. Click! The bulbous head of Josh's long cock, bobbing and shining in the moonlight when she moved off him. Click! Semen encrusted panties hidden in the guest bath. Scenes of betrayal!
The images and the feel of his wife's swollen, wet pussy lips had caused his cock to lengthen again. His balls ached, he realized. Unfulfilled arousal? He wondered yet again why he had become aroused when he watched Claire fucking his so-called friend. He had felt disgustingly betrayed. The scene had kicked all the air from his lungs, but still he had become excited. Why?
He rolled to his side and lifted her left leg so he could enter her. The position allowed them to talk while they fucked, a position they had used often, especially if the hour was late because it also didn't require much exertion from either of them to achieve a climax. He slipped his erection inside her. It moved into her easily. Was some of Josh's come still there paving the way? Sloppy seconds, his mind screamed, and his cock throbbed.
"Tell me about one of your fantasies," he said. "Put it in context of our party tonight." Did his request make her think of Josh?
"Hmm. Let's see. You left to buy more wine. I was in the kitchen and Harrison came in. I had danced with him earlier, and as we danced, he became erect. I could feel his hard-on long and hard against me. He danced me into a corner, and while gazing into my eyes, lowered his hands and slid them up under my skirt. This was after I had removed my panties. His eyes widened when he discovered my bare butt, and the feel of my satiny skin inflamed him. He groaned and reached for my pussy from behind, sliding a large finger over my cunt lips, suddenly plunging his middle finger deeply inside me."
He groaned. She giggled.
She had been putting him on, he knew, and wondered if any of what she said had happened, but with Josh, not Harrison. Claire didn't like Harrison. She considered him conceited, much too full of himself. He decided to push her, to see if she would take 'Harrison' to the gazebo.
"What happened in the kitchen?"
"The kitchen?"
"Yes, you started your 'fantasy' in the kitchen."
"Oh, yes, I did, didn't I? Hmm, well right after you walked out the door, he walked right up to me and wrapped his arms around me." She moaned as her husband thrust into her and quickly flashed his fingers over her clitoris. "You're making me very hot, Scott."
"Good. He took you into his arms, and - what?"
"Kissed me, a passionate kiss that took my breath away."
"I want you, he told me, with a husky voice filled with passion, and his hands moved back under my skirt."
"What did you do?"
"I rubbed my hand over his long cock on top of his pants. It was throbbing, and I realized I wanted him, too."
Scott groaned and stopped moving inside her to control his orgasmic urge. "Don't stop. Keep talking."
"You were gone to the liquor store. An opportunity existed. I took his hand and pulled him outside through the side door. We kissed again in the dark, and his hands became more aggressive." She groaned and pushed at his hand. "Stop touching me, Scott, or I'll come."
An opportunity? Had she utilized this opportunity and many other opportunities to be unfaithful? He pulled his wet fingers off her cunt and wiped them on his thigh. They were sticky. Glancing at her, he noticed her eyes were closed. Was some of the stickiness on his fingers semen, Josh's semen? He quickly brought the hand to his nose. Yes! He could detect the sour odor of old semen. He gasped and sucked in air as her betrayal knocked the wind out of him yet again. Betrayal and arousal. A strange, unfathomable dichotomy. His arousal from the event still confused him.
"Go on," he said.
"He took control at that point and pulled me to the gazebo. He sat on a chair without arms and undid his pants, pushing them down on his thighs. His cock bounced in the moonlight, a long hard cock with a large, angry crown. I took it into my hands and stroked it. I wanted it inside me. It was so long, and I wanted it to plunge into me, to fill me."
She gasped, from reliving the event or from Scott's fingers and cock at her cunt. Scott couldn't decide. "What happened then?"
"I straddled him and wiped the swollen crown through my wet pussy. God, I was excited. My cunt was drooling by then, and I settled the head of his cock at the entrance to my vagina and slowly sank down around him, savoring the feel of a strange cock in my cunt."
Scott couldn't stop his climax. He tried but he swelled up inside her and his come spurted, splashing at the back of her cunt, joining Josh's semen. He groaned and imagined his sperm swimming bravely, competing with Josh's, as they searched diligently for an ovum.
His fingers had returned to her clitoris, and he aggressively rubbed the nubbin as he continued to jerk with orgasmic spasms. Claire cried out as her orgasm overwhelmed her. "Ah! Ah! Ah!" she panted as she ratcheted her hips, milking all the semen from his cock, milking his cock like she had milked Josh's a few hours before.
When they recovered slightly, Scott said, "It's a good thing I didn't arrive back home ten minutes earlier, or I would have caught you?"
Her body stiffened, and he realized she had connected his return to the time she had been back in the kitchen after fucking Josh. Of course, she couldn't be certain he knew, but it was possible, and he wanted the possibility to ferment in her mind. He wanted her confused and concerned - like him.
"What do you mean?" she asked tremulously.
"Your fantasy took place in the gazebo while I was at the liquor store. Remember, I had to park behind the house. If I had arrived before your fantasy finished, I would have seen you with Harrison in the gazebo as I walked to the side door."
Silence. He had not let her off the hook and decided to set it. "My fantasy would have me arriving before you finished. I would have watched you fuck him, watched while peering through the foliage, not knowing at first it was you fucking another man until the moon moved from behind a cloud and brightened the scene."
More silence. "The fantasy doesn't work for me, though," Scott added to soften the innuendo. "You don't even like Harrison. Now if your fantasy had been about...hmm, say Josh, or someone you admire, it would have been more believable. Regardless, I enjoyed the fantasy." The hook was set. Would she fight it, deny everything, or cave in and confess?
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1.0 Understanding NetIQ eDirectory
In simplest terms, NetIQ eDirectory is a list of objects that represent network resources, such as network users, servers, printers, print queues, and applications. NetIQ eDirectory is a highly scalable, high-performing, secure directory service. It can store and manage millions of objects, such as users, applications, network devices, and data. NetIQ eDirectory offers a secure identity management solution that runs across multiple platforms, is internet-scalable, and extensible.
NetIQ eDirectory provides centralized identity management, infrastructure, Net-wide security, and scalability to all types of applications running behind and beyond the firewall. NetIQ eDirectory includes Web-based and wireless management capabilities, allowing you to access and manage the directory and users, access rights, and network resources from a Web browser and a variety of handheld devices.
NetIQ eDirectory natively supports the directory standard Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) 3 and provides support for TLS/SSL services based on the OpenSSL source code.
For more information on the eDirectory engine, see “eDirectory Process Requests”.
Figure 1-1 shows a few of the objects as viewed in the NetIQ iManager management utility.
Figure 1-1 eDirectory Objects in iManager
Some object classes might not be available, depending on the actual schema configured on the eDirectory server and the operating system running eDirectory.
For more information on objects, see Section 1.2, Object Classes and Properties.
If you have more than one eDirectory server on the network, the directory can be replicated on multiple servers.
This chapter includes the following information:
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It's a Noisy Planet. Protect Their Hearing.
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Noise and Hearing Loss
Putting It into Practice
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The Basics
Noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL) is preventable. Learn about the causes and prevention of NIHL so that your tween—and you—can have healthy hearing for life.
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Information for "Unchecked Return Value: Missing Check against Null"
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Display titleUnchecked Return Value: Missing Check against Null
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52403
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Colors and Layout
1. Hi there,
I've got problems with colors and layout. And something of my personal preference...
1. Until now, 1:10 AM March 24th 2003, the forum links were all blue and highlighted on mouse hover but today they're all black and no more highlight.
2. Some elements on PF pages are out of place when viewed with my browser, IE 6 (no SP1). There is a grey border around the used part of the page. On the upper-right corner the border ends without going the rest of its path up to embrace PF logo and that other blue-purple image. The PF logo also is a few pixels apart from that image and I can see the background white space between them. Up there, on the control row (user cp, register, ...) there is a similar gap between row elements. A few upper rows of the blue-purple image are shifted toward left while a few lower rows that neighbor the "search" item on control row are shifted toward right. And the blue-purple image, I really can't interpret it in any good words, it seems like a purple wheel on the upper-right side with a re-colored background from a Super Nova or another explosion; what is it after all?
3. It seems like the default layout has been changed intentionally. As a matter of taste, I preferred the previous one. The font in reply box was nicer. The reply box was smaller but fit better into the layout. The grey background on reply box had a good effect on me and now it's all gone.
4. Also flat style buttons are much better if available. A font with a larger average height/width ratio in the reply box would also look much better.
Regardless of layout, what lives on is the essence of PF! All the PFness of this place! And all its PFy member and PFy Admin! Hail!
2. jcsd
3. Greg Bernhardt
Staff: Admin
I am using Opera 6 and nothing has changed for me. Can anyone else confirm what Silvo is saying? Silvo try updating your browser.
4. I tested Opera v6.05 build 1140 and layout problems still persist.
Don't you, for example, experience that upper-rows-left-shift on the blue-purple image? Perhaps I'm interpreting something that has been designed that way as something going wrong.
5. Here is a screenshot; there are rectangles aroung things I interpret as layout problems.
PS: The ResLinker is meant to bypass CoolFreePages' bandwidth theft protection.
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1. Praise New GD Layout
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global_05_local_5_shard_00000035_processed.jsonl/52408
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Six Ways to Strengthen Your Best Friendships
Many of us have a decent-enough amount of decent-enough friendships. But how do you enhance a friendship, and take it from being just okay to being one of the best parts of your life? Here are six easy ways to make a friendship better, taking it from good to great, that you can start today.
12 Tips for Raising a Child Who Won't Sexually Assault
Wondering how to make a difference in changing rape culture? Start with these tips for raising your children to understand the true meaning of consent.
Stop Saying His Name and Clicking On His Videos
In the horrifying wake of mass shootings, many of us are curious in our sadness. Why do killers kill? We look for answers about a killer's motivation, but in doing so, we give reason for someone else to follow in their footsteps.
Why Sticks Are Good For Kids
A lot of parents automatically ban sticks at the playground. But this kind of play can be great for children's creativity and physical expression. Here's how-- and why it's dangerous to assume, in this digital age, that nature is dangerous.
6 Signs Your Partner Is Facebook-Cheating
People often equate cheating with sex. But overly intimate online relationships can be deadly for a relationship. Here's how to tell if your partner's online relationships are threatening the intimacy of yours.
The Surefire First Step to Stop Procrastinating
Many of us procrastinate because the tasks before us are big, scary blobs of work that we think will take indeterminate amounts of time. Stop procrastinating now by facing that first starting hurdle—and using a surprising method that will help you get more done than you think.
How to Control Anger: Seven Quick Tips
Many times, anger rushes over us and leads to impulsive choices that are far from being in our best interest. When we can take the time to manage anger correctly, we—and the people around us—can benefit greatly.
Plan Your Vacation—For All of Our Sakes
An alarming majority of American workers don't use all their vacation days. Ultimately, this is bad for all of us, in terms of health and-- if that doesn't convince you enough-- even productivity.
Seven Common Mistakes That Can Ruin New Friendships
Often, the challenge isn't in meeting people, but in turning that meeting into a friendship. Here are some common mistakes that can keep a friendship from forming, and the reasons why it's important to avoid them.
5 Things You Should Never Say to a Pregnant Woman
When we see that baby bump, or hear a friend's joyous news, we are commonly compelled—especially if we have children—to comment in certain specific ways. Unfortunately, these ways can be among the least helpful for the person carrying the baby. Read on for a list of what not to say to a pregnant woman.
6 Reasons You Shouldn't 'Still Be Friends'
Should you be friends with your ex? Sometimes it can work, but often it can be a minefield. Here are six signs to look out for that suggest being friends after breaking up may not work out.
Stop Uploading Pictures of Your Kid Crying
The wildly popular blog "Reasons My Son Is Crying" may be more controversial and problematic than you think.
The Evolutionary Case for Friendship
Carlin Flora explains in her new book, "Friendfluence," how friendships have always benefited the lives of humans.
Friendships in Adulthood: Needing, Making, and Keeping Them
Do you have trouble making new friendships due to a busy schedule or sudden life change? Don't worry -- you're not alone. Learn how to find others who are in the same boat as you.
Aaron Swartz and Depression
Some view Aaron Swartz's suicide as a call to arms for a national conversation on digital freedom. I want a conversation on something else.
5 Ways to Handle Your Obnoxiously Political Facebook Friends
Everyone's got those overly political Facebook friends, and these divisive times seem to raise their antics to a fever pitch. Here's the healthiest way to handle them.
Parents: Addicted to Your Phone? Here's How to Fight It
We've heard that we should be more mindful. As parents, especially with our smartphones nearby, it can be tougher than it sounds. But it starts with quick steps you can try today.
Yes, You Might Be a Flake
We've all had flaky friends. But far fewer of us will admit to being the flake ourselves. Thinking of bagging that party? Here's what to consider first:
New-Parent Facebook Blunders
Your Facebook life will change once you become a parent. Don't make it for the worse.
The Facebook Fix
This year, why not make small New Year's resolutions with big impact-- and curb some of the most annoying Facebook behaviors.
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Women are taught to be "highly expressive" that is, they can express all their emotions, especially by crying. Emotions are a female trademark, but men report having feelings just as often as women. They just don't express them.
Girls and boys cry about the same amount of times until they reach the age of twelve, by the time they are eighteen women cry on average four times more than men. That is about 5.3 cries a month compared to a man's 1.4 times per month according to research by Dr. William Frey who studies tears.
So the old belief is true, women do cry more than men. But scientists still do not know exactly why this is true. One theory is that women cry more than men mostly because of social conditioning. As males are growing up they are urged to excel and become powerful, to never show their emotions, to be tough, independent, demanding, aggressive and good problem-solvers.
Males in our culture often hear things like, "big boys don't cry" or "take it like a man."
Big boys don't cry, except if you are President of the United States. Elizabeth Bumiller, a columnist for The New York Times, documented that the "bawler in chief" may be setting a new standard for men. She cites several accounts, some almost back-to-back, of George W. Bush shedding a tear: "George W. Bush became the first American president to weep in Iraq. Reporters noted a very visible tear dripping down his cheek when he was greeted by whooping American soldiers. The fact is, Mr. Bush cries all the time. Two days after Sept. 11, 2001, his eyes welled up during a phone call with Gov. Giuliani. The following day, he nearly lost his composure while speaking to the nation from the National Cathedral. The president has helped make it safe for men to cry in the open."
Former President Bush is said to have asked his doctor if he could "prescribe anything to dry up his tears." True, we see more men crying publicly. However, the context has to be highly defined and emotionally charged to warrant such a display. It takes a war an act of terror, in the case of President Bush.
In an analysis of 500,000 adults, men rated just as high as women in emotional awareness. But men process and express emotions differently than women, and they have no roadmap for how to combine the masculine requirement of being strong and emotional at the same time. A woman cries and a man loses his temper; that seems to be the pervasive theme in many conflicts. Men and women react differently; she shows her vulnerability and he must remain in control.
Yet a woman gets into risky business when she cries, especially at work. She is often perceived in one of two ways. First, she is weak, emotional, and out of control. Second, she is using her tears as emotional blackmail, a form of manipulation, and he resents it. For a woman, crying is a no-win situation.
This is a dilemma for women, because the tears may flow naturally when we are worked up
Audrey had a client who claimed that a pressing problem at work was causing her to lose sleep and become anxious. When Audrey asked, "Why haven't you approached your manager?" The woman replied, "I'm waiting until I'm sure I won't start crying."
85 percent of women and 73 percent of men said that they felt better after crying, which shows that tears may help remove chemicals that build up after stress according to Frey. Also scientists and sociologists both say that women are more inclined than men to feel the urge to cry when they are frustrated.
This may lead to problems for women in certain situations at work. Researchers at Pennsylvania State University found that men's tears are viewed more positively than women's. This is because men are found crying less frequently.
In Through the Labyrinth: The Truth About How Women Become Leaders, Alice H. Eagly and Linda L. Carli point out that when it comes to showing emotion, the more male-dominated the field, the greater the damage:
...people scrutinize women's behavior in very masculine environments, searching for any weakness....Given the demands of masculine environments, emotional displays can suggest weakness, and women are advised to avoid crying when upset. For example, professional development advice offered to women engineers made this point: "While crying is expected for extreme situations (i.e. breaking an arm, or a death in the family), it is considered taboo for professional women in response to normal work situations....nothing reinforces the negative stereotype of women being ruled by emotions rather than professionalism like a crying woman professional."
A useful technique for women in this kind of situation is "pre-cuing." Set up the conflict communication, and possible tears, for a win. Tell the person that you're very concerned and upset about what you're preparing to discuss. If you subsequently get upset, say that you will take responsibility for your tears and you want him to take responsibility for what you are saying. Many women have reported that when they indicate that they may "lose it" and start to cry, they actually gain a sense of more control and end up not crying. This pre-cuing technique handles the credibility issue for an out-of-control woman and also eliminates the perception of manipulation. The receiver knows that the tears are a product of concern and frustration.
Recent Posts in He Speaks, She Speaks
Should a woman act or become submissive because a man uses power gestures?
What Do Your Hands Reveal About You?
Theories of why men and women tend to use different gestures.
Emotional Intelligence: Do Women Have an Edge?
A feminization of the workplace has occurred.
What’s Behind Women’s Intuition?
She Has the Information, Now Does She Know What to Do with It?
Why Don’t Many Men Show Their Emotions?
The truth is we do get emotional; we just don’t show it.
His and Her Feelings
Society conditions women to think they are the emotional gender.
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Today, let us revisit the SWOT concepts and put the results in a matrix. The header in 1st row consists of the main function of system / emotional dimension/ RDoC subsystem/ OCEAN Personality trait and ABCD factor (Affect/Behaviour/ Cognition/ Desire (motivational) ). The column 1 lists the severity /time dimension & ABCD associations) .
How does this conceptualisation help us? Well, it tells us what personality dimensions are closely related/ intersect at what places and which psychopathologies have the same root cause and which of these may be co morbid and why. Also, we can relate this observed and descriptive periodic table of emotions/ motivations/ personality dimensions to underlying brain structures.
As promised we will map this to the BIS/BAS/FFFS etc as outlined in Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of Gray. But before we go there, let us quickly revisit the approach/ avoidance, performance and learning based conceptualisation of the same matrix.
The 1st Row header consists of environmental factors hindering/ facilitating the respective systems. The 1st column lists the Approach (or avoid) etc system / followed by ABCD factor/ emotional factor/ Cloninger’s Personality trait.
To elaborate, if we consider Fear, then it manifests as Fright, Flight, Freeze or Fight, depending on factors like whether one can realistically escape from danger ( if distal then with take flight or freeze) or cannot be escaped (then either fight back or succumb to fright).
Similarly, factor analysis of trait Anxiety by Endler et al, has found that anxiety is of four types: anxiety due to physical danger, anxiety due to social (leading to self-contempt? ) , anxiety due to novelty (anxiety manifesting as dissociation as a protection) and anxiety due to routines (obsessive/ compulsive anxiety?)
One could similarly focus on Impulsive anti-social sensation seeking (ImpASS) and find that anti- social aspects are more prominent in Social situations, while sensation seeking is more relevant to physical danger situations while novelty seeking is more cognitive in nature.
This leads us finally to the seminal work of Gray: in his revised RST he had postulated an FFFS system (fear/ punishment system), a Behavioural Inhibition System (BIS) (anxiety / conflict) and a Behavioural Approach System (BAS) (Impulsivity/ reward system).
Modern conceptualisations have split the BAS in two – one a ‘want’/ Impulsive system (lets continue calling this BAS) and another a ‘like’ / Valence system (let’s call it Pleasure system (PS)).
It’s also important to relate this to Eysenck’s model; both Gray and Eysenck (and myself) agree that Eysenck’s Psychoticism dimension may be the same as Impulsivity dimension and related to BAS. Also the Extraversion dimension of Eysenck , related to arousal, may actually be orthogonal to Grays dimensions and as per me maps to arousal / extraversion (a vertical column) in the first conceptualisation of the matrix table . Similarly, Neuroticism of Eysenck may be orthogonal to anxiety and impulsivity of Gray and align with –ve valence system of RDoC/ lack of control system.
With this in mind we can combine the above two matrices in as single matrix that has orthogonal (vertical as well as horizontal) personality/ emotional/ motivational traits/ constructs.
This was supposed to be the last post on the topic, but in the final post I will tie this all up with psychopathology clusters and psychopharmacological drugs and neurotransmitter systems.
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Negative Emotions, Anyone?
Positive emotions have multifold benefits and preferred over negative emotions.
Good at Task, Bad at People?
The different leadership orientations based on anti-correlation between TPN/DMN.
Experts: Born or Made?
A response to the raging debate in 'intelligence.'
4 Major Goals of Life
Happiness, Success, Meaning, and Integrity are all worth striving for.
MBTI, ABCD and the Fundamental Four
The unifying themes underlying Jungian typology and Theodore Millon's theories.
Personal Intelligence
A review of Scott Barry Kaufman's 'Ungifted: Intelligence redefined"
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For the last few days, I've been struggling with a very unstable computer (yes, this is apparently a technical term).
It seems to be behaving itself now, and I am so happy! I take my word-processor, my email, and my internet access for granted, but when they aren't available as easily as usual, I realize how much these tools add to my happiness and how much they contribute to my ability to work easily and smoothly.
One of the unhappy truths about human nature is that it's hard for us to appreciate what we have, until we lose it. When we lose something like electricity or running water, or worse, our health, then it's clear how mightily such things contribute to happiness and comfort.
One of my aims with my happiness project is to appreciate what I have, while I still have it. I don't want to look back, after some loss or some catastrophe, and think, "How happy I was then, if only I'd realized it."
Every time I sit down at my computer, I think, "How happy I am to be back at my computer, doing the work I love." Now I've added a second part, "How happy I am to be at my computer, doing the work I love, on a computer that's working properly."
● This week I had a very good time at lunch with Her Bad Mother—"Bad is the new good."
● If you're also looking for a good book, please consider The Happiness Project (can't resist mentioning: #1 New York Times bestseller and on the bestseller list for more than a year, that's right, a year!).
Order your copy.
Read sample chapters.
Watch the one-minute book video.
Listen to a sample of the audiobook.
Recent Posts in The Happiness Project
How Not to Talk to Your Friends and Family
Why it's a bad idea to 'interview for pain.'
Secret of Adulthood: Lose Yourself to Find Yourself.
From Further Secrets of Adulthood.
How Does a Rebel Change Habits?
One Rebel's Clever Solution.
Something Becomes Important Because We’re Paying Attention
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Reason Foundation
Reason Foundation
Baltimore Sun
Harry Potter and the Future of Smart Growth
What does the movie says about American living standards?
Samuel Staley
November 27, 2001
I was more than a little embarrassed. Owls were desperately trying to deliver Harry Potter's acceptance letter to Hogwart's School of Wizardry and Witchcraft, and I was thinking about—urban sprawl!
Harry's mean-spirited and middle-class adopted family, the Dursley's, live at number four Privet Drive. The Dursley's, however, don't live in the heart of London, or in a middle-class urban neighborhood. Nope, they live in decidedly suburban England, in a townhouse attached to four or five other homes of the same style. Their cluster is buffered by a few trees in the background, and separated from the next cluster by small amounts of grass.
If Harry and the Dursley's lived in the United States, they would certainly have their own house and a yard to boot. They would also have a garage, probably attached to the house.
What explains the difference? Economics and public policy.
While just 5 percent of the total surface area of the United States is developed, more than a third of England contains homes, offices, roads, and factories. In addition, England has had greenbelts and the equivalent of urban-growth boundaries for decades, funneling rising housing demand into an inflexible, narrow band of land officially designated as "urban." As a result, land for housing is more expensive, and families of all income levels can afford less of it.
Nevertheless, many Smart Growth advocates believe urban America should forget about the single-family home with a yard that has long been the "American Dream" and embrace tract townhouses, stacked side-by-side.
In fact, the Dursley lifestyle is the kind of urban environment that politicos in Portland, Oregon are implementing. Portland has been hailed as the model of regional land-use planning. But housing prices in the city skyrocketed during the 1990s as housing demand surged beyond the ability of the construction industry to build new homes, pushing thousands of households beyond the thresholds of affordability. Apartments, condominiums, and townhouses surged to almost half of all permits issued by mid-decade, while the total number of new housing fell 21.4 percent between 1994 and 2000. Average lot sizes for new homes plummeted to less than 7,000 square feet.
Survey after survey finds that Americans consistently prefer living in their own homes with yards and not in townhouses. Even in Portland, the size of the lot has as much an impact on the home price as access to a large park and other forms of open space. Multifamily and attached housing is only the preferred option for other families. And even then, only as long as the townhouses aren't built in their back yards.
This is why Smart Growth has such a tough row to hoe here in the United States. After visiting London and Paris, the countless benefits of living in the U.S. became clear to me. Among other things, I had more housing choice—in style and quality—and could afford a much higher quality of life on a modest income than my colleagues in Europe. I also had more peace and quiet, a luxury provided by a yard and trees that respectfully separated me from my neighbors.
Housing innovation is clearly crucial to increasing the quality of life for all Americans, but who determines housing quality may be more important than what planning boards, architects, planners, and even builders think. Successful Smart Growth strategies will need to build on the principle that consumers and future homeowners are in the drivers seat, not politics or politically imposed ideas of urban design.
If Smart Growth continues to embrace the Dursley lifestyle as its model for human habitation, it will result in less housing choice and a lower quality of life for the vast majority of American households.
Americans don't want to live like the Dursley's, we dream of owning single-family homes with yards and a little space to call our own.
Samuel Staley is Research Fellow
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Reason Foundation
Reason Foundation
Racism and the Tea Party Movement
Don't believe the media hype.
Cathy Young
April 27, 2010
In a article titled "The Tea Partiers' racial paranoia," editor Joan Walsh notes that in the University of Washington poll, only 35 percent of pro-Tea Party whites regarded blacks as "hard-working," 45 percent as "intelligent," and 41 percent as "trustworthy." Walsh scoffs, "And Tea Party supporters don't like it when anyone notices the racists in their midst?"
The UW researchers' initial analysis compared only whites who were strongly pro-Tea Party and strongly anti-Tea Party, concluding that the latter held a much more positive view of blacks. These data are no longer on the UW website; instead, there are tables for other race-related questions (such as "Over the past few years blacks have gotten less than they deserve"), with separate results for whites who were either neutral toward the Tea Party movement or had never heard of it, as well as for all whites.
Thus, while only 35 percent of strong Tea Party supporters rated blacks as hardworking, only 49 percent described whites as such. While the gap is evident, these responses are close to those for all whites (blacks are rated as "hardworking" by 40 percent, whites by 52 percent). While whites who are strongly anti-Tea Party seem free of bias on this item—blacks and whites are rated as "hardworking" by 55 percent and 56 percent, respectively—this is not true for intelligence and trustworthiness. Whites in every group are less likely to rate blacks than whites as "intelligent" by similar margins: 14 points for Tea Party supporters (45 percent vs. 59 percent), 13 points for all whites (49 percent vs. 62 percent), 10 points for Tea Party opponents (59 percent vs. 69 percent). On "trustworthy," the gap is smaller in the pro-Tea Party group (41 percent vs. 49 percent) than in the anti-Tea Party group (57 percent vs. 72 percent). One could write headlines about the "racial paranoia" of white liberals who consider blacks less trustworthy than whites!
The endurance of racial stereotypes in this day and age is disturbing; but Tea Party supporters differ little in this regard from mainstream Americans. (It is also worth noting that, as in many other surveys, Asian-Americans in the UW poll are rated much more positively than whites.)
Compared to middle-of-the-road whites, Tea Party supporters show far more agreement with the statement that blacks should work their way up "without special favors" the way other minorities such as Italians and Jews did, or that blacks would be as well off as whites if they worked harder. The standard left-of-center view, shared by the UW researchers, is that such attitudes represent a subtler form of racism, or "racial resentment." In some cases, that is surely true. Yet these sentiments may also reflect a genuinely race-neutral belief in self-reliance and self-help—or the view, shared by many black commentators, that the black community's problems are partly rooted in damaging behavioral and cultural patterns.
John McWhorter, a noted black scholar and author whose works include the 2000 book, Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America, says that "the idea that 'racism' is behind the Tea Partiers is based on a lazy and vain extension of the term 'racism' to meaning 'that which many black people would not approve of.'" According to McWhorter, "The position that the government does too much to help black people is not necessarily one based in inherent bias against people with black skin—it can be argued as a reasonable proposition based on the spotty record of social programs since the 1960s."
The other charge against Tea Partiers is that they are not "the people" but the privileged defending their privilege. Walsh gleefully points out that in the Times/CBS poll, 12 percent of Tea Party sympathizers had an annual income over $250,000—forgetting to mention that so did 11 percent of all Americans. Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne asserts that "Tea Party enthusiasts ... side with the better-off against the poor": 73 percent of them, versus 38 percent of all Americans, say that "providing government benefits to poor people encourages them to remain poor." (Of course, they couldn't possibly be sincere in the belief that poor people are often harmed more than helped by government programs.)
What, then, do the new polls tell us about the Tea Partiers—or, at least, Tea Party sympathizers? (In the Times/CBS poll, only one in five self-identified Tea Party supporters reported actual involvement in Tea Party activities.) They are mostly white and more likely to be male (59 percent); three-quarters are 45 and older, compared to half of all Americans. They are more religious than average, though not dramatically so: 39 percent are evangelical Christians and 38 percent attend church every week, while the figures for all Americans are 28 percent and 27 percent.
Not surprisingly, the Tea Partiers are disproportionately Republican and right-wing: 39 percent consider themselves "very conservative" and 34 percent "somewhat conservative" (compared to 12 percent and 24 percent, respectively, of the general population). Their conservatism, moreover, tends to be more authoritarian than libertarian: In the UW poll, pro-Tea Party respondents are much more likely than others to agree that the government should be able to detain suspects indefinitely without trial and to tap phones if there is a threat of terrorism.
In other words, the Tea Party movement is mainly conservative—which is hardly the stuff of headlines. That does not make it a haven for racists.
While the Tea Parties raise important questions about the growth of government, they certainly have their darker side: too often, they promote the politics of personal attack and demonization, of hyperbole and hysteria (though they are no more guilty of this than were Bush-era protesters on the left). Yet to respond with more hyperbole, demonization and hysteria directed at the Tea Partiers themselves will not address the problems but only compound the damage.
Cathy Young is Columnist and Contributing Editor, Reason magazine
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