text:
Mist Tag Becomes Far Too Easy
I showed Helen the rest of the cabins, Thalias pine tree, the canoe lake, the amphitheater, the rock wall (which was currently spraying lava all over the area), and the fireworks beach before finally taking her to the Mess Hall for Dinner. We arrived just in time, slipping into our seats just before the nymphs came out with the food. I sat at the head table next to Chiron and Dionysus, though fortunately I sat on the opposite end as the wine god. Chiron gave me a little bit of a stink eye for my near tardiness, which was kind of bothersome. Usually, the other campers would agree that Chiron was like a really cool uncle who was very chill and just went along with whatever happened, as long as no one got hurt. However, since Id fled from the camp without permission last year, breaking the camps #1 rule, hed tagged me as a rebel, which anyone who knew me well would laugh at. I was definitely no rebelin fact, the only reason Id left the camp was because Heather and Jordan were willing to go. If they hadnt brought it up, I probably wouldnt have even considered leaving. But the thought of losing absolutely all my close friends on one quest? That pushed me too far.
No, in reality, Im pretty much the least rebellious person I know. All my friends talk about how they get into arguments with their parents, but I never had any issues with my stepdad. For whatever reason, the teenage brat inside me never really awakened, and since I knew perfectly well that hed adopted me from my real mother after her death, and continued to care for me after his own wifes death, I never wanted to cause him any more trouble. After I came to Camp Half-Blood the first time, and after the incident on Mt. McKinley, I went home to Dallas for a while, where we both decided it would be best for me to live at camp, so I could live out my duties as Oracle.
Once everyone had been given a silver platter and a goblet, Chiron stood to say a few words.
Before we begin, I would like to remind those of you who know, and notify any of you dont, that two new campers arrived today. Helen and Dylan, if you would both stand please.
Helen stood up at the Nemesis table, while a tall, slender, blonde boy around age 11 rose at the other end of the hall, at the Hermes table. He waved shyly at the rest of the campers, and Helen copied him.
As you can see, Helen has already been placed in the Nemesis cabin, while Dylan remains unclaimed, and so will be staying at the Hermes cabin. Please treat each of them with the same respect you give to every other camper. Thank you.
He sat down, and quickly snatched the largest piece of steak from the platter in front of him and bit into it like a savage. One thing most people didnt know was that Chiron, when he was hungry, became more beast than man. It was practically the only time Id see past the mild-mannered camp director and realize that he was, in fact, a Greek Monster.
Placing a chicken breast on my plate, I looked over at Jordan, who was currently trying to keep Megan from using the entire array of food platters as her own plate. As I watched, she kicked over her silver goblet, which spilled an orange liquid onto the table and the floor. Jordan rolled his eyes and simply gave up at this point, grabbing a cob of corn before Megan dragged everything to her side.
Helen seemed to be getting along fine with her new cabin-mates, though one wasnt talking very much at all. The most surprising thing was, despite all their tough, rugged exteriors, they seemed to be talking about the Rainbow Dash on Helens shirt. I guess, much like their cabin, they have two very contrasting side of their personality.
I grabbed my silverware and dug into my chicken, quietly eating while Chiron went to town next to me. Unfortunately, since I did sit at the head table, there really wasnt anyone to talk to except for the horseman who always kept his eye on me.
I picked up my own goblet and whispered into it.
G-Force, I said, as I always did. G-Force was a mango drink that was (strangely) bright green. My mother, my real one, had brought it to me from New Zealand once, and ever since, itd been my favorite drink of all time.
The cup instantly filled with the green drink, as it did with any drink that it was told. I smiled and took a sip, trying to pass the burp that came afterwards as a cough.
Once dinner was over, I walked over to Jordan, where I handed him a piece of steak Id placed in a little ziploc bag. He ate it quickly, while Megan went running off to the volleyball court. Helen joined us, saying goodbye to Jenny and the two other Nemesis children.
Thanks man, Jordan said, wiping his face with the back of his hand.
Sure. We all started walking towards the North woods, to finish Helens tour of the camp, while me and Jordan filled her in on all the stories about the different places we saw.
Once we reached the woods, though, I looked back and saw that Megan had left the volleyball court.
You sure shes not gonna go run around the cabin? I asked Jordan, and he shrugged.
She doesnt usually like to go inside after dinner. And if she does, well . . . meh.
I chuckled. All right.
Just as I started turning back around to lead Helen to Zeuss Fist, a pile of boulders that looked a little like the god punching his way out of the ground at the right angle, Laurel crashed into me from thin air.
Oh my gods, Laurel! I yelled, picking myself up off of the hard soil, dusting off some of the dirt and leaves from my hair. What was that?
Sorry, she said, reaching her hand out to me. Mix-up.
Mix-up? I asked, but she ignored me.
Hey Jordan! she said, and hi-fived him. She examined Helen for a second before awkwardly saying, Heeeeey . . .
Helen, she offered, and Laurel nodded.
Right, she said, tapping her index finger on the side of her head. Helen of Detroit.
Me and Jordan simultaneously looked at each other, not saying anything, but it was clear we were both laughing in our heads.
Yep, Helen said, And youre Laurel, right?
Yes indeedio! she answered, and ran further into the woods just a little bit. Like that Mountain Laurel over there! she shouted, pointing at her tree off in the distance.
Got it, Helen said, and only then noticed that Jordan and I were laughing at her name. Yes, Helen of Detroit. I know what youre thinking, and thank you for comparing me to the face that launched a thousand ships.
It wasnt like that was an insult.
So, Laurel said casually, sliding into place between me and Helen. You guys showing Helen around?
Yeah, were Jordan started, but Helen stopped him.
Have you taken her to see Thalias Pine?
Yeah, I took her there before din
The amphitheater?
Yeah, we went there right after
The rock wall?
Yes, we
The canoe lake?
Fireworks beach?
Zeuss Fist?
Laurel! Weve already gone to all those places . . . I mean, not Zeuss Fist, we were going there now, but
Ooh Zeuss Fist! Come on, Ill lead you guys!
No, Laurel! I yelled, but shed already run ahead.
That was . . . interesting, Helen said, watching Laurel as she ran through the trees.
I swear shes not usually that . . . that . . .
Hyper, Jordan suggested, and I nodded. She really isnt Helen. I dont know whats gotten into her.
I think I do, Helen said, but shook her head as soon as she did.
Why? I asked.
Nevermind, she said quickly. We should probably go meet here at the . . . fist.
She started walking before we could respond, so Jordan and I both followed, still confused.
* * *
When we got to Zeuss Fist, we found Laurel sitting atop the pile, swinging her legs and twiddling her thumbs. When she saw us, she hopped down, landing gently on a pile of leaves that blew together too quickly for it to have been natural.
Took you guys long enough, she said, and grabbed Helens arm, yanking her around to the other side of the mound. Jordan and I ran after her, catching her from falling from the sudden pull.
If you squat right about . . . here, Laurel said, positioning Helen, the rocks will start to look like
Zeuss fist, she finished, and Laurel looked satisfied, though still a little anxious.
Laurel, Jordan asked her. Are you okay?
Yeah, youre acting a little . . . edgy, I added, but she waved it off.
Of course Im fine, I just . . . she paused, thinking hard. I guess she couldnt think of a way to finish the thought, so she changed the subject. Hey, have you guys decided your teams for Mist Tag tomorrow?
Mist Tag? Helen asked, and stood up, stretching her legs.
Its a game we play every other Monday night, I told her. We basically all go into the arena, and the Zeus kids fill the area with this magical substance called the Mist, which is
I know what the Mist is. Ivan explained it, she said.
Okay. Anyway, they fill the arena with the Mist, and we all have a giant battle.
Helen looked a little surprised, and Jordan told her the minor detail Id forgotten.
All the weapons we use are plastic, he said, and she sighed in relief.
Okay, because I was gonna say
Although they did used to use real weapons, Laurel corrected, and Helen gulped. Up until about ten years ago. A bunch of kids whod once been part of the Titans army started viciously attacking the other campers, and killed one or two, I think.
But again, they dont use real weapons anymore, I emphasized. Just plastic. The only danger is getting a bit of a bruise, but even then, we have armor. Real armor. Metal.
Okay, Helen said, but her voice was trembling.
No, the teams havent been finalized, Jordan answered Laurel. Although the Hades cabin did agree that you could join us again, Alex, he told me.
The Hades cabin consists of you and Megan. Its not like there was really an intense discussion about it, I said. But thanks.
Any time.
What about the Nemesis cabin, Helen asked. Can we be with you guys?
Well, youll have to ask the rest of your cabin, I said. But the Chronos cabin says yes.
Hades too.
She smiled. Thanks, although, I have to warn you, Ive never used a weapon in my life.
Neither has Megan, Jordan reassured her. Whenever we play, she just runs around and trips everybody.
So glad to have your guys cabins, I joked, and everyone but Laurel laughed.
What about us Dryads? she asked. Whose team are we on?
The Dryads dont play, I said to her.
Just because weve never played before doesnt mean we wont play this time!
Well, I mean, you can talk to Chiron about it, but Before I could finish, she ran past me, knocking me over into Helen, who managed to catch me without falling over herself.
Thanks, I said, and Jordan picked a leaf out of my hair that must have come from Laurels dress.
Shall we finish the tour? he asked, and Helen nodded.
Right this way then, he said, and led us both away from Zeuss Fist.
* * *
After we showed Helen the rest of the highlights of the camp, we ran back to the Big House and the cabins, as it was just a minute before the Harpies, big chicken-like ladies, would go around, looking for demigods out past curfew to snack on. We agreed to meet up at breakfast as soon as we could, and separated near the central hearth of the camp. Once I reached the Big House, I crept through the old, rickety building, carefully stepping on the floorboards that Id learned from experience were safe to walk on at night, when I didnt want anyone to know how late I was getting in.
I managed to sneak up the stairs to the second floor and third floor before I made my mistake. I heard a loud sneezing sound coming from my right which made me jump, creating a loud thumping sound when I hit the floor. I could see that Dionysus had been the one sneezing in the other room, and Chiron was sitting by his side, holding soup for him to drink. He looked up at me, rolled his eyes, and gestured for me to just go upstairs. I released the tension in my shoulders and simply walked up the next flight of stairs to the attic, where I shut the door behind me and let out the air Id been holding since the bottom floor. I then walked over to my bed and looked over at the large analog clock on the wall. It was running just about one microsecond fast, though that would only result in being one second ahead in about 2,700 years, so I figured it was close enough. I wasnt tired, so I considered playing a round of Mariokart Wii before bed, but I decided instead to look at some of the old spoils of war that were stashed up here from past generations. I would do this quite often at night when I couldnt sleep, and Id almost always find something interesting to examine.
Once, Id found an old, bashed-in shield that had originally belonged to a daughter of Aphrodite named Sierra, who had gone with me and my friends on our quest last year, only to reveal herself as a spy for my father and Chaos. Id trapped her above Mt. McKinley using a special type of magic specific to, as well as to the children of, Hecate. Her betrayal had led to the death of almost everyone in our party, all five of whom who died being the five originally chosen to go on the quest. My friend had told me that the previous Oracle, a 30-year-old name Rachel Dare, had somehow lost her perfect connection with prophecies, and had started giving quests to the wrong people, which had both times led to the death of all the recipients. Now that I was the Oracle, I had never failed to given a prophecy to the right person. True, Id only given one, but that couldve meant that Id always failed, had it been wrong.
The prophecy Id given, which Id said just after becoming the Oracle, had been nicknamed The Prophecy of the Master. It said:
The Master of All shall rise once more,
And the gods shall fade forevermore.
Destruction will spread, Chaos will thrive,
And only the enemies shall survive.
But alas, one hero may ruin it all,
If the closest to him is the first to fall.
The hero shall join to avenge his friend,
But the world shall die if the hero meets his end.
Not very uplifting, but Ive been told it sounds about as cheerful as any other prophecy.
As I browsed through the old pieces of weaponry, I found a small chest beneath one table, in which there were about a hundred or so gold coins. Inside, there was a note so old and weak that I almost dropped it, worried that it would crumble in my hadn. It read:
Gold Coins of Chrysaor - Will Return to Find More
Edward Teach, Son of Ares
Now Im no expert with famous demigods, but I knew this guy. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard the Pirate, was pretty much as infamous as you could be. But Id had no idea he was a son of Ares, not to mention the fact that hed once lived at Camp Half-Blood! How old was this camp?
I carefully put the note down inside, closed the lid, and was about to gently put the box back down, when I noticed a much, much newer note stuck to the back. I pulled the bright pink sticky note from the wrinkled leather and began reading it. Unfortunately, this wasnt written in Greek, so it took me a while to decipher it.
Teach . . . returned . . . to . . . the . . . Sea . . . of . . . Monsters . . . to . . . find . . . Chrysaor. But . . . hed . . . returned . . . to . . . the . . . Mare Nostrum . . . Teach . . . disappeared . . . only . . . to . . . be . . . found . . . trapped . . . by . . . Circe, . . . and . . . was . . . rescued . . . by . . . Annabeth . . . Chase . . . and . . . Percy . . . Jackson.
Id heard that kids name too. I wasnt sure about the other one named Annabeth, but there was no doubt that Percy was a legend around Camp Half-Blood. From what Id heard, hed killed the Minotaur twice, faced the Cyclops Polyphemus, taken on Atlas, and almost single-handedly defeated Kronos when hed returned from Tartarus. That was a lot, even for a demigod.
I put the note back on the box, and retired to my bed. I sat there for a while, thinking about Percy. This kid was probably . . . what, 30 right now? I couldnt imagine growing up as a normal adult after accomplishing all that.
Then again, I couldnt even imagine accomplishing all that. I was the first male Oracle ever, and I seriously doubted much of anyone would remember me when I stopped coming and began a normal life in the outside world.
Soon enough, the cold January air overtook me, and I relented, covering myself with three layers of blankets. Almost immediately, I fell asleep, wondering if I would ever be able to become as great a hero as Percy Jackson.
* * *
The next morning at breakfast, the three of us met outside the Mess Hall, knowing that once we sat down wed be separated by our parentage. Helen told us her schedule and discovered that her and I would both be picking strawberries from 3 to 4 in the afternoon, and we could talk then, as well as during free time after lunch with Jordan. We parted ways at the door, joining the rest of our table, though two of the Nemesis children hadnt come yet. The nymphs served a breakfast of waffles and eggs, with an omelet bar set up next to the kitchen. I scarfed down my food, only now realizing how hungry Id been thanks to the trip to Detroit yesterday. Just before 9, when the campers would be sent off to our first activity of the day, I saw Laurel out of the corner of my eye, running quickly to the woods. Before I could think about it too long, though, Chiron dismissed us, and I headed out of the Mess Hall, trudging through the grassy fields to the arena for Javelin throwing.
The Hermes campers greeted me at the arena, apparently still fine with me tagging along with their schedule. Since there was only one Chronos demigod at camp, it didnt really make enough sense for me to get my own schedule made, so I just followed the Hermes campers from place to place, since their classes were set up purposefully to accept new demigods almost daily.
After a few quick rounds of static and moving target practice, we moved on to the more advanced levels of Javelin throwingthrowing precisely enough to hit enemies between pieces of armor, and hard enough to injure them even where they wore protective gear. A large demigod analog made of hay was positioned at the other end of the field, being pulled left and right by a complex array of machines created by the Hephaestus campers. After a few minutes of narrow misses and overshooting, one Hermes camper named Henry, whod always been naturally talented with javelins, managed to sink half the rod in one of the eye holes in the helmet. I did the same with the other eye almost immediately after, using my own weapon, but you dont see me bragging.
After Javelin Throwing we all went to the amphitheater for Monster Fighting, and I saw Helen walking out the other side, her clothes singed in at least a dozen places. I realized that perhaps Monster Fighting wasnt a great first activity for her, but at least it was over now.
When we all entered the marble stadium, a group of older campers were just managing to get a sapphire blue dragon to go back through one of the vomitoria, while it blasted each of them with snow white fire. Apparently the fire only burned like the lava on the rock wallstorching clothing but not harming the skin.
Soon enough, the dragon had been returned to the storage area beneath the amphitheater, where it would either be released into the woods or kept for a later class. To be honest, I was a little disappointed, since Id never gotten the chance to fight a dragon at camp before. I imagine it would be more fun to do with about two dozen or so of my friends with me than facing off with one all by myself on a television show for the gods like I had last year.
After our lesson about the variety of sea creatures found around Camp Half-Blood, we took a little field trip to the canoe lake, where our instructor, a satyr named Vernon, insisted that we spend the rest of our time experiencing the life of a Naiad by swimming in the water. At first I wasnt sure if he had forgotten to make a lesson plan for the day or if he was just feeling lazy, but just 4 minutes later I could see that he had fallen asleep on the shore. When class ended, we had to wake him up so that he could get back to the amphitheater for the next class.
After Monster Fighting I had a painfully boring hour of polishing trophies back at the amphitheater, which led up to Lunch. Jordan, Helen, and I said a quick hello outside the Mess Hall before going to our seats, when Helen told us about how, since it was her first day, Vernon had let her lead the class in a battle against the blue dragon wed seen. Apparently she was somewhat talented with a sword, and had managed to cut off the spiked ball at the end of its tail, keeping one of the spikes as a souvenir, which shed put in her cabin on the way to lunch.
An hour of free time came next, so the three of us all went down to the fireworks beach, where Ivan eventually found us and joined in the conversation. Helen told us a few jokes in Ancient Greek, having decided to use her class time from this morning to ask her teacher translations for sentences that, when out of context, were completely normal.
Once the hour had passed, we went our different ways again, Ivan following Helen to Archery. I went to Pegasus Riding, which was definitely not my strong suit, and suffered just under sixty near-horse-trampling, almost-falling-from-the-sky, distressed-neighing-filled minutes at the stables. I was extremely relieved once it was all over, and gladly went to the strawberry fields to meet Helen.
Helen and Ivan were already in the middle of the fields by the time I arrived, and they showed me the freak strawberry theyd founda bright pink one that looked like another point was trying to jut out of the side. We all started talking before Jenny came over and told Helen and I that the Nemesis cabin was officially teamed up with the Chronos and Hades campers for Mist Tag. Since each team has to have at least four cabins, and since ours was still relatively small in size, I asked the Hermes campers, who agreed to join us, making us a pretty decent-sized group.
Finally, after strawberry picking, it was time for Cabin Clean-Up. We did this every Monday and Wednesday, as well as Friday, though that day no one really did clean. Its because on Tuesdays and Thursdays during breakfast and lunch, the nymphs and satyrs of the camp would go around inspecting all the cabins, and they would rate them out of five, one being the untidiest. Any cabin who received a one would be forced to give up the activities they had on Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time as Cabin Clean-Up the day before, and instead spend the time cleaning up their cabins with adult (ahem, Dionysuss) supervision. They would also rank the cabins by neatness, and the best cabin (usually Aphrodites) would be given an extra hour of free time before lunch the next day, while the worst cabin would spend the free time they have with the same punishment as the ones. And since these usually overlapped, no one wanted to be the worst cabin, and have to suffer Dionysus for two extra hours.
I said goodbye to Helen and Ivan, and ran back to the Big House, where I spent the first five minutes or so cleaning, putting anything that didnt have a proper place in the other, cluttered, not-technically-part-of-my-room, side of the attic. The rest of the time, I played Super Smash Bros. Brawl, not stopping until Id beaten Crazy Hand for the third time in a row.
Dinner was excellent, and the atmosphere of the entire Mess Hall was just as great. Everyone was excited for Mist Tag, and anyone who hadnt formed their teams yet was finishing the truces now. Unfortunately, it looked like the Zeus, Poseidon, Athena, Ares, and Tyche cabins were forming an alliance, which made them positively deadly. I mean really, two of the big three gods, both war gods, and a luck god all combined? It shouldve been outlawed!
Chiron picked up on the fact that all of us were getting antsy, so he allowed us to sit with the other campers in our team, a privilege not usually awarded except under rare circumstances. We all took the opportunity, and instantly got up, moving to meet with our teammates. I found the Nemesis and Hermes campers had already congregated at the Hades table, so I ran over, taking the seat next to Jordan and, surprisingly, Laurel.
Laurel? I asked, surprised.
Yeah, she said innocently. Whats up?
Wait, are you playing with us?
Yeah, she answered excitedly. Chiron said I could, and the Nemesis and Hades cabins voted me in.
Not that we voted against it, said Evan, the head counselor of the Hermes cabin when Heathers not here. We were just a little trying to get all of us to get over here without losing anyone to take part.
Well, great! I said, hi-fiving Laurel. She smiled back at me, and for the last five minutes of dinner, we began discussing our war tactics. When my body clock told me it was 6, Chiron roared over the collective murmurs of the room, telling us it was time to go.
Like an angry mob, the entire camp dashed to the arena, ready to begin the battle.
* * *
Once we all arrived at the battlefield, we divided into four groups. Zeuss group stayed at the entrance closest to the Mess Hall, with the other two groups besides us, led by Apollo and Nike, running around the circumference on the opposite side. At the first entrance we came to, we found a stash of about three dozen different types of plastic weaponry, all the way from balls that released almost deadly smells, to an array of battle axes, with points that looked like they might hurt even without being made of metal.
There were just enough suits of Celestial Bronze armor for each of us, which was a relief to Helen. Jordan and I helped fit her into a breastplate and helmet, and gave her the only pair of chainmail sleeves and leggings. Since shed said that a sword wasnt too difficult for her to handle, she chose a broadsword with a hilt fashioned to look like a rampaging mustangs head, from which a long unicorn horn had sprouted.
Unfortunately, none of the rest of us were able to use our own weapons, so we selected whatever seemed the most similar. I chose the same set of half a dozen javelins as I had before, just as the Hermes camper, Henry, did also. Jordan selected a trident which, while very much like his own pitchfork, always seemed off to him, like Poseidon, the god who held the trident as his own weapon, was rejecting him as a user.
Once we were all situated, Chiron walked out into the center of the arena, roughly 90 feet away. He cupped his hands around his mouth, and spoke louder than if hed had a megaphone.
Heroes! he cried. I trust you all know the rules. If you are decided to be fatally wounded, you are to return to your home base until another entire team has been defeated. If your entire team is defeated, you are to remain at your home base. That base is where you stand now. Taking live prisoners is permitted, but they may not be bound or gagged. I will serve as a referee and battlefield medic, as always. Now, if the Zeus campers would kindly step forward . . .
The two children of Zeus, Grayson and Suzanne, ran forward to where Chiron was standing, and, now well-practiced, stood back-to-back, waving their arms, and snapping their fingers. In just a few seconds, a cloud of Mist formed over their heads, swirling and growing rapidly. In less than a minute of Helen oohing and aahing, a gigantic ceiling of the Mist covered the entire arena, and with a quick flurry of hand motions from the Zeus campers, it descended, blocking out anything more than five feet away.
Remember, do not trust your eyes. The Mist will keep you from seeing the truth. You must listen to your other senses and instincts in order to succeed. Now, prepare for battle at my say so!
There was galloping, and I knew that Chiron had gone straight to the team with the Apollo cabin. He wasnt showing favoritism, and if anything he was showing the opposite. As battlefield medic, he had to help whoever was in need. And when one team is up against another with the dirty-playing Hermes campers, another with two war gods, and another with a goddess of victory, you know whos out of luck.
What did Chiron mean when you are decided to be fatally wounded? Helen asked me, adrenaline now clearly putting her on edge.
Before I could answer, Jenny tapped her whip on Helens left shoe, one of the few places on her that wasnt guarded. Jennys whip flashed Green, and Helens jaw dropped.
The Hephaestus cabin made these, Jenny explained. Theyre not deadly, usually, but theyre magic. If you fatally wound someone, their weapon flashes with your teams color. Then theyre dead, temporarily, until another team is entirely destroyed. Hit people on their weak spots, and dont trust your eyes.
She said the last part a little aggressively, like if Helen once believed the things she saw, Jenny would bring a world of hurt. Fortunately, Helen shook it off, smiling. I showed her how each of the different colors had about five cabins per team, with us all on the green team, Zeuss team on red, Nikes team with yellow and Apollos team with blue.
Cool, she said. So do we have a plan, or
Begin! Chiron roared, and everyone in our team split up, disappearing into the Mist, including Jordan and Laurel.
No, I told her, and grabbed her hand. Just stick with me and hit anyone who tries to attack you.
Okay, she said, and began running with me towards the center of the arena. As we moved, faint flashes of color appeared, and a few shadows of demigods chasing after us.
Where are we going? Helen asked, barely audible over the yelling all around us. She seemed pretty calm despite the intensity of our surroundings.
Its always smart to go to the opposite side of the area, I told her. If you get hit, you can distract other fighters on your way back, and theyll waste time getting you
A boy lunged at me out of the Mist, knocking me down. I tried to raise my arm to hit him with one of my javelins, but hed pinned it down. He hit my unguarded legs with his club, and they flashed yellow.
He began to swing his club again, but Helen knocked him off of me with her sword. He dropped his club, and Helen ran over to him, jabbing the point of the sword through his unprotected side, and the club flashed red.
Red? I thought, but shook off the thought. Dont trust your eyes, dummy!
Aw man, the boy said, and ran towards the Apollo teams base.
His weapon flash red, Helen said, and gave me her hand, pulling me up off the ground. I thought we were green.
Dont believe what you see, I told her. In fact, shut your eyes.
What? she yelled. In the middle of this?
Ill watch your back, I reassured her. I just need someone to tell me who the attacker is, based on the sounds.
I dont know people by their sounds, Alex! Ive been here two days!
Youre a demigod! I cried. Its literally in your blood! Listen to your instincts.
Reluctantly, she shut her eyes, and I raised all my javelins. Two more demigods ran over at the same time, and Helen yelled out.
The taller one, who seemed to be a girl, struck me with the butt of her sword, and it flashed red.
Theyre not red! I yelled, and hit the girl with one of my javelins, and her sword flashed green, confusingly.
They are! Helen yelled. Theyre from Poseidon!
The shorter of the two, a boy, bashed into me with his shield, and it also flashed red, confusing me even further. Or . . . maybe they are.
I tripped the boy over and grabbed Helen by the arm. Follow me! I said.
We began running, and I threw one of my javelins at the boy. He too flashed green, and I was convincedsomething weird was happening. The Mist wasnt preventing me from seeing anything.
Green! Helen yelled, before I even saw anyone coming. Wait, theyre green.
I turned around and, sure enough, I saw Megan running frantically by. Another person came, who Helen also confirmed to be green. However, they still came up to us.
Its Alex and Helen, I told the person. Im on the green team too.
But the person didnt stop. They charged at Helen, and I could just see the personsa boysface as he charged up to her. It was one of the boys from the Nemesis cabin.
Seymour? Helen asked, but he didnt stop running. What are you
He tackled her, slamming the edge of his plastic knife against her neck, making it flash green and, somehow, didnt make Helens sword flash green as well. As far as I knew, friendly fire hadnt been disabled, even if it was severely frowned upon. It meant Seymour wasnt fatally wounding Helen. He was taking her as a prisoner.
Hey, man, what are you doing? I yelled, and the guy got up and hit me on my waist with the knife, making my javelins flash green.
Go away, Alex, he said, his voice solid as a rock. Chiron said we could take prisoners.
Not from your own team!
Seymour grabbed Helen by the arm, and I ran over to her, but someone knocked me down. Someone I knew.
Jenny, whats going on? I screamed, but she just grabbed Helens other arm and ran. I got up and followed, but I couldnt see them. For a few seconds I could hear muffled screaming, but it faded quickly.
Chiron also said no gagging! I roared, but no one responded. I ran frantically after Helen, but nothing happened. Only now did the other campers seem to realize that the Mist was hardly confusing them at all, and the longer the game went on, the less of an effect it had. They started laughing at how easy it was, while I was still running, trying to find Helen.
Then I heard Jordan.
Alex! he cried. Get over here, qui
He got cut off, but I went to where the sound had come from. I faintly saw Jordan being dragged by Jenny, her hand over his mouth, when he disappeared. I ran after him, but I suddenly started bumping into a bunch of demigods who had practically given up on the game, since the Mist was, for whatever reason, not working correctly. I kept asking them for help, and telling them that my friends had been taken by the Nemesis campers, but they just tried to convince me to forget about the game. I actually was about to give up hope on finding Helen and Jordan in all the Mist, when Laurel appeared next to me.
Alex, can you believe it? she asked excitedly. I got twelve demigods. Twelve!
Laurel! I yelled, and she looked at me blankly. I need your help. Do you know where Jordan and Helen are?
Yeah, she said, looking a little hurt by my bluntness. Theyre with the Nemesis campers near the north entrance.
Transpetalport me there! I said, and she looked a little less hurt.
Got it! she could tell I needed to hurry, so she made a thin, papery flower appear around me as fast as she could, and shot me over to the north entrance, where I grabbed my necklace, took it off, pressed the Alpha, and used my spear to slash my way out of the flower. A Nemesis girl who wasnt Jenny stood right in front of me, and I tackled her.
The other Nemesis child, Seymour, picked me up with incredible strength, and rolled me away. I jumped up, and right before I smacked Seymour with the butt of my spear, Laurel appeared and knocked him over.
I looked around, watching for any sign of movement, and saw a fireball appear. I ran to it, and found Jordan, who was, along with Helen, pinned down by Jenny, with his mouth covered by her hand. I swung my spear at her, hitting her hard on the arm, and she jumped up. Jordan kicked her away, and helped Helen up. Jordan summoned his real pitchfork, the plastic one probably back near the center of the arena, and Laurel helped Helen get out of harms way. Seymour ran behind Jenny, who pulled her plastic whips up, and I realized that even when whips were made of plastic, they would still be just as dangerous. The Hephaestus campers kind of dropped the ball there.
Seymour raised his plastic knife, and Jordan quickly hit it out of his hand.
Why do you two have to be so annoying? Jenny yelled.
Us? I asked, furious. What the Styx are you doing?
We are fulfilling a tradition older than you, Monroe! she roared. Were children of Nemesis. We bring people up and strike them down. Since the first time a demigod child of Nemesis came to Camp Half-Blood, all newcomers to the cabin are given a grace period, in which we allow them to enjoy their new home. Then, we take the good fortune theyve received and turn it against them at the first chance we get.
Thats sick! Jordan said.
Its balance, Ghosty! Every one of us has had it done. Its a little thing called hazing.
Theres a difference between hazing and attacking your family! I screamed, using all my willpower not to attack my extended family now.
Not when youre a child of the revenge goddess. No, the only difference is how much of a change in luck you get. I just wish Helen had gotten more time to enjoy camp before facing her destiny. Youre a child of Nemesis too, remember. This is part of who you are!
Shut up, Jenny! yelled another voice, one I didnt know. The girl Id tackled before, who I could now see was the quiet one from the Nemesis table, stepped forward. You never even had it happen to you! You were the only Nemesis camper when you got here!
Charlotte! Jenny looked absolutely infuriated, as if Charlotte was the person she most loathed in the world. Then, suddenly, she was calm.
Fine, youre probably right, she said, her voice smooth. Helen, Im sorry we went to this extreme. I just want to make sure our mother can be satisfied with you being in her cabin.
She actually sounded sincere, and I believed more than ever that she was truly insane. However, the worst thing was Helens response.
Its okay.
Its okay? After all that, you can just forgive and forget?
Helen, I said, disbelieving, are you sure?
Yeah, she answered, sounding calm now too. Jordan and Laurels mouths dropped as well as mine, as we all wondered how people could possibly be so incredibly angry one second, and completely relaxed the next. I, for one, was still considering assaulting Jenny and Seymour. Look, I know this is weird. I dont know why Im okay with this, I just, kind of . . . am.
For a second, I thought I saw a very faint, strange, maroon glow appear around Helen, like a blessing from her mother. Maybe this all did make Helen more Nemesis-like, but if it did, I wasnt sure I was going to like it.
Attagirl, Jenny said, and playfully punched Helen on the shoulder. Before much of anything else could happen, really, the Mist began to dissipate, and I could see the other campers, all bunched together in the middle.
Come on, Seymour said, apparently cool as a cucumber now too. Lets get over there.
All four of the Nemesis kids, including Helen, headed for the center, but only she seemed to notice our reluctance.
Guys, lets go, she said, but we were all just still. She came up to us, sighed, and said, I really cant explain it either. But everythings fine. Please, trust me.
She reached her hand out to me, and I took it. Jordan seemed to relax a little, but Laurel just tensed up more.
Laurel, I said. Are you okay?
Before she answered, she looked at me, her eyes both angry and slightly watery, and disappeared into a puff of green pollen, which faded as quickly as the Mist had.
Alex, come on, Jordan said, and Helen squeezed my hand. Together, with two-thirds of use still in shock from what had just happened, we went to join Chiron and the other campers.
* * *


text:
Senior Unlimited Nudes
Saturday, May 14, 2005
SF: Nudes4peace in 2005 Bay2breakers
May 15 Sunday:
@ Bay2Breakers:
Nudes4peace gather at 8AM on the north side of Hayes Street,
near Octavia;
to watch fast Bay2Breakers runners,
then join slow walkers.
Please bring peace signs, drums, flags, etc.
To get there from Civic Center BART/Muni station,
walk west on Grove to Octavia,
walk south on Octavia to Hayes;
look for Marlena's bar (488 Hayes) as landmark.
[For more info, please visit
http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/05/1735959.php ]
Clothed peaceniks are welcome too.
We expect participants from X-plicit Players, SUN, sfBarea, etc.
We'll wait at Octavia until AFTER the X-plict Players arrive
(from East Bay);
and probably longer.
If you don't feel like walking, you could just stand with us
on Octavia (side street), starting at 8am.
If any police officer(s) order you to cover up, please obey
(even if the order is unlawful).
For official info on B2B,
including times and places of street closures,
please visit:
The footrace is CLOTHING-OPTIONAL in practice (de facto),
tho NOT in theory (de jure).
Runners are followed by walkers; and
these walkers may be in costumes, including birthday suits.
For safety, walkers and other slow-movers must keep to the right,
allowing runners to pass swiftly and freely on the left.
There are usually two or more organized groups
of nude participants in B2B;
and at least two hundred unorganized nudes.
For info on the official naturist "Bare2breakers" runners
(wearing yellow/green caps), please visit:
Serious runners cross the finish line, thru the chutes,
in order to get their time recorded.
Once they cross the line, nude runners must hastily get dressed,
under threat of arrest if they refuse.
Non-competitive participants can avoid this finish-line hassle
in two ways:
(a) by slowing down, and hanging out at the various outdoor
music and dance parties
along the route, as long as those events are allowed to continue;
and/or (b) veering west, away from the chutes and finish line,
to end up on Ocean Beach.
You MUST wear clothing if you attend the Footstock concert,
in the Polo Field,
Sunday, 9:30am to 2pm; free to the public.
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
Every May, Bay To Breakers provides a huge clothing-optional gathering in SF, which progressives and queers could use to spread their messages.
The participants aren't all progressives, but most tend to be intelligent and tolerant.
Each year, some of the costumes, signs, wheeled objects, etc., carry political messages -- usually humorous or satirical.
But much more could be done, if progressive activists would put more energy into this event.
We need only resist our occasional tendencies to become combative, angry, bitter, dogmatic, or grim. In the Bush Era those attitudes are understandable -- and are also self-defeating.
Humor, including satire, works best at B2B. Also non-disruption, courtesy, smiles and politeness are vital.
Please conspire with your friends (or affinity group) about participating peacefully in B2B, or on the sidelines.
Costumed groups of three to ten persons can be quite effective. (Larger groups might be hard to coordinate, or might interfere with the safe and free forward flow of runners and walkers).
On the marriage-rights issue, same-sex couples in wedding costumes can get their message acros very clearly, even without signs.
Animal-rights activists can enact "I'd rather be naked than wear fur." PG&E and Big Oil are easy to satirize. Walking trees and animals symbolize our endangered environment.
Are you alone? Even one costumed person can make an impact, especially if her or his costume is vivid enough to attract photographers.
Or you can tag along with the "nudes4peace" folks (see below).
15 May 2005
@ Bay2Breakers
Nudes4peace gather at 8am on the north side
of Hayes Street, near Octavia, SF;
to watch Bay2Breakers runners,
then join walkers.
Please bring peace signs, drums, flags, etc.
To get there from Civic Center BART/Muni station,
walk west on Grove to Octavia,
walk south on Octavia to Hayes.
Please arrive at our meeting-place between 8 and 8:30am. If you're going to arrive later, please tell us so. After we're there, we'll watch for a while, until most runners, and many of the walkers (etc) have passed by.
Then we'll discuss what to do next. Some will want to stroll slowly to the next music stop (roadside band) and dance there. Some may wish to walk more rapidly toward the Pacific Ocean. A few may just go home. Since nobody's in charge, we can't predict the outcome until it happens.
If you can't find us, proceed forward (westward) in the footrace after 9.
Pause at each music stop, to look for nudes and for peace signs.
After the B2B footrace, N4P may demonstrate
at Ocean Beach, on federal land.
[ Updates may appear at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sfbarea/ ]
IF you plan to walk nude (or as a topfree woman),
you may leave a taped message before Nay 14 at
(415) 922-2986,
telling us to expect you on May 15.
(We may not return phone calls.)
Tolerant CLOTHED peace demonstrators
are also welcome.
Sunday, April 03, 2005
No woman can be a priest? No woman was a disciple? No woman can be a god? No goddesses can openly rule in the "post-pagan" temple? Never mind. The girlie-men (those supposedly sexless "grooms of Christ") will sneak her in the back door, to please the deep and ancient mother-need of the still-pagan masses.
Just don't call her a Goddess openly, nor put her in the official Trinity (Father, Sun, and forgotten nonentity). Let's call her THEOTOKOS, the "Mother of God". And while we're at it, Mother can double as "bride of Christ" [see TIME cover story on Mary for Protestants]. Why should the Oedipus legend be the last word on this eternally sickening-but-fascinating theme?
Monotheism is okay for cold philosophers, for life-long students of rare texts, for intellectuals, but the illiterate masses of classical and medieval Europe need lots and lots of deities. So start by splitting the one Jewish God into three, and still that's not enough.
Next let the masses pray to hundreds of demigods, euphemized as saints. Clutter the monotheist church with as many "graven images" as a Chinese temple. Let peasants do pagan magick with such statues, burying the idol upside down in the backyard until he brings rain.
Let them buy many tons of fragments of just one wooden cross.
And let phallo-latrists worship several foreskins of Jesus. And let's import attributes of every cult we can -- pagan trees for Yule, pagan eggs and rabbits for fertility at Easter (named for Ishtar), and on and on. And let's abandon the ancient Biblical Sabbath, and worship instead on the day of Mithra, the sun-god favored by Roman legionnaires. [If you want to know more, ask any Jehovah's Witness.]
And that's just Europe. A whole new wave of syncretism starts
when the church gets to Central and South America.
In China today, capitalism is called "socialism with Chinese characteristics". Likewise, for many centuries, polytheism has been "monotheism with Christian characteristics".
Never underestimate the power of humans to deceive themselves. Not only can we pretend to believe things we know to be false (as when ostensible creationists expect medical experts to keep up with the evolution of the influenza virus), we can cherish incompatible nonsense without even noticing.
We can proclaim several contradictory beliefs at once. We can claim to follow every word of the Old Testament, while eating pork at a church supper. We can claim to follow every word of the New Testament, while merrily divorcing and re-marrying. We can preach fiery sermons about God-the-Father's sadistic Hell, then say God is Love. We're amazing.
( Did our propensity for self-deception once offer humanity some evolutionary benefit, perhaps long before writing was invented? Did our gullibility help build the pyramids? Surely any benefit expired long ago. Perhaps a few centuries before Jesus, when classical Athenians and the Buddha blazed trails toward reason. Certainly many centuries before we humans developed the technological means of self-extinction. )
Meanwhile, since theology is so twistable, already so full of self-contradictions, so packed with nonsense, it can used to excuse anything -- war, slavery, racism, cruelty, sexism, statism, classism, nationalism, the caste system, or any other evil which pleases the powerful. The clutter of silliness hides the truly toxic. And Evil is never more powerful than when it wears the clerical drag of Goodness.
Christian theology is ALMOST as silly as postmodernism. But in 2005, it's far more deadly -- especially when it misguides and misleads our responses to Bin Ladin's different brand of Evil, cleverly disguised as Islamic Goodness.
-- Tax the churches!
Why subsidize hate?
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Recently, some SF queers have been wondering whether Polk Street is, or isn't, losing its queerity.
So how do "queereas" and bohemias evolve in SF? Via bohemia and "vice"? By proximity?
Circa 1969, Polk Street, the Tenderloin, SOMA and the Haight were considered the leading queer-friendly areas; while the Castro was still seen as mainly non-queer (according to Gay By The Bay).
Three of those Sixties queereas are contiguous: SOMA adjoins the Tenderloin, and the Tenderloin adjoins the Polk Street area. These three, all in older parts of SF, plus North Beach (queer & bohemian mecca in 1930s/40s/50s), can be seen as descending from "the Barbary Coast" (19th century "vice" district, circa 1848-1917). In a sense, these three older "ghayttos" carry on Gold Rush traditions of a "wide open city" serving the needs of single men.
In contrast, The Haight-Ashbury and The Castro started as "respectable" neighborhoods of family homes, far away from the "sinful" downtown. The Haight is especially attractive because it adjoins the first two public parks in SF (Golden Gate & Buena Vista, circa 1870); plus two university campuses (UCSF and Catholic USF). In the Sixties, the Haight attracted students from SF State (located in far southwest SF, out on the M streetcar line, in a student-rejecting neighborhood), plus bohemians fleeing from increasingly touristy North Beach.
As the Haight became ever more hippified, it became (relatively) queer-friendly. There queer bohemians could form a semi-visble community, which they later expanded (and "outed") on nearby Castro Street.
Should the Haight/Castro complex, plus the feminist movement (Women's Building, etc.) be seen as the main ancestor of the lesbian-friendly Valencia queerea, near the Castro and inside the Latino Mission district?
Today, are we queers partly responsible for the wider ongoing "hipsterization" of the Mission, whereby educated childless English-speaking bohemians displace less-educated ("working-class") Sanish-speaking families?
Many hipsters chant "Shame! Shame!" at upward-mobile "yuppies", ironically failing
to notice their demographic similarities.
Or is "irony" merely what the hip paint on the squares?
Tortuga Bi LIBERTY
(downward-mobile in "the Trendyloin")
Sunday, March 13, 2005
Does anyone else keep domesticated quail
(NOT wild quail)
as companion animals?
I have rescued several live quail from retail butcher shops
in San Francisco,
and I'm keeping them in my home, as companions.
I've learned a lot about their behavior,
tho I haven't yet written about it.
**Does anyone else,
especially in SF or nearby,
keep quail as pets?**
If you do, please send me a brief note at the address below;
in English or in German.
Maybe we can talk by phone, compare notes, etc.?
(Also please tell me about any groups of humans who
keep quail as pets.)
[Sorry, I'm not online.
This note is being posted for me by a friend.]
[attn.: FERAL ]
P.O. Box 426937-SUN
San Francisco, CA 94142-6937
keywords: pet quail, keeping quail, domestic quail behavior
PLEASE forward/repost to appropriate sites.
[reposted from Craigslist, SF, March 2005
and from IndyBay.org
http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/03/1726561.php ]
Saturday, March 12, 2005
Some lovestyle I've never heard of?
My friend "Dina Feral" keeps several quail as pets.
I'm wondering if there are any other persons in the SF Bay Area
who do so; and whether such quail-keepers (if they exist) ever communicate by phone, chat online, or meet in person.
So, for starters, I google on the word "quail".
No hits!?!
What am I doing wrong?
BUT there are "sponsored links" (paid ads) [reprinted below].
Some of these seem somewhat relevant (such as "Game Bird Farm & Hatchery", or "Keeping And Raising Quail").
On the other hand, consider "Sexy Quail Singles".
Do birds need a dating service?
Or is "quail" some sort of erotic code-word,
like "bear",
or "leather",
or "sex pig"
or "furrie"?
Like, some "variant lovestyle"
(formerly called "perversion")
that I haven't yet heard about?
Meanwhile, I'm still looking for humans
who keep quail (quails?)
as pets.
I'd appreciate any leads which nimbler netizens might send.
-- TBL (friend of Dina )
[ firstname.lastname@example.com ]
SPONSORED LINKS, 12 March 2005:
Game Bird Farm & Hatchery
Top Quality Hatching Eggs , Quail
Hatching Eggs, Chukar Hatching Eggs
Great deals on new and used items.
Search for quail now! -aff
Keeping And Raising Quail
The place to find quail!
Bobwhite Quail, Coturnix Quail, etc
Choose From Over 100,000 Posters &
Prints at the Official Art.com Site
Triple "S" Quail Farm
North Georgia Bird Hunts, Quail
Dove, Pheasant, Deer, Turkey
Kansas Pheasant Hunting
Guided Tours now Avaliable
Season Starts in November
Fast and free comparison shopping.
Bottom-line prices. No surprises.
Sexy Quail Singles
Free photos, personals and hot
profiles of local singles.
Dear editor,
How about holding a dance party for bare-chested womyn and transmen
and intersex persons, of all orientations?
Annually, one week earlier than the dyke march?
As a benefit for groups helping queers, women, transfolk, and intersex persons?
Pamela Phelan
440 Eddy Street
San Francisco, CA 94109-8110
[ March 2005 ]
[ P.S. If anyone ever organizes such a dance in SF,
please send an invitation to:
Pam (Ducky) Phelan, c/o SUN, POB 426937-SUN, SF, CA 94142-6937. ]
Saturday, February 26, 2005
breastphobia, homophobia, gorillaphobia?
Is Koko a bisexual female? A lesbian?
Apparently Koko, the famous female gorilla who communicates in Ameslan (American English Sign Language),
likes to look at the bare breasts of human females.
And at least three former employees are freaking out about this;
in lawsuits where lawyers exhibit
breastphobia, homophobia, and gorillaphobia.
It's unfortunate, in my queer opinion, that the Koko Foundation has hired, from time to time, employees who don't really appreciate how wonderful Koko is. It's even more unfortunate that such employees were ever introduced to Koko in person..
I would respectfully suggest that being introduced to Koko is a privilege, which thousands of her fans would cherish.
This privilege shouldn't be squandered on persons who cannot accept Koko's personality, habits, et cetera --
even if such persons happen to be employees.
Of course, the foundation must introduce her, one time,
to visiting VIPs and major donors.
But for repeated visitors, criteria should include:
(1) ability to sign and read Ameslan;
(2) knowledge of gorilla behavior, and of Koko's unique behavior;
(3) [for females] a relaxed attitude about exposure of the female human breast; et cetera.
Culturally, Koko has spent her life relating mainly to humans, and not much to fellow gorillas.
She understands persons speaking English orally (at least if they use her basic vocabulary of around 1,000 words) and those who sign to her in Ameslan. She expresses herself by signing in Ameslan. So her personal culture is a mixture of gorilla and human. When she deals with human culture, she's somewhat like a human child (imagine one who only knows 1,000 words).....
Little kids often want to see the breasts, genitals, and
bare bodies of their playmates.
They often call this "playing doctor".
If some breastphobic and nudophobic persons are prudishly offended by her desires,
they should never visit her.
Besides, Koko herself lives naked. (She hasn't had any practical need for clothing since she was a baby in diapers.)
Her keepers never taught her to be ashamed of her own nudity.
So why should humans be shocked if a naked gorilla
asks them to undress?
Physically, she's no longer a child. If her female handlers were willing, and if Americans were less sexphobic,
she might ask for more intimacy than just looking at their bare breasts.
(We don't know what she may have asked of human men. At any rate, none has sued about any such requests. Our U.S. culture pressures girls to be more prudish than boys; and so, on average, with many individual exceptions, most adult women usually internalize a fear of nudity. Also, a straight man isn't likely to be offended by the erotic (or proto-erotic) desires of a female; more likely he's flattered, even when he signs No. However, we don't know the sexual orientations of the humans in Koko's circle of friends and acquaintances.)
Does Koko think of herself as a human or a gorilla?
Both? Neither?
Maybe she can't resolve the contradictions in her life,
being marginal in two worlds.
The Foundation has provided Koko with male gorillas as potential mates,
yet she has no babies. Maybe the problem is that she sees them as gorillas, not as humans?
Koko apparently has a desire to mother an infant, as shown by her
tender care for her kittens (one at a time).
Her non-reproduction is unfortunate, since researchers want to see whether she will try to teach
Ameslan to her gorilla baby; and how well her effort might succeed, or not.
I wonder if they will eventually resort to artificial insemination?
Or is she already too old?
At any rate, Koko deserves loving friendship from those humans who really appreciate her.
And she should be shielded from humans who don't feel comfortable around her --
who may despise her for having same-sex desires,
or for having different-species desires.
Her life is difficult, since she cannot fully participate in human culture,
nor can she fully participate in gorilla culture.
She deserves our love and sympathy,
not our phobic scorn.
[ Caveat: The lawsuit(s) include other employment issues,
about which I know nothing and have no opinion.
My remarks above concern only the allegations about breast-baring. ]
Tortuga Bi LIBERTY,
one of Koko's fans,
San Francisco
[ http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/01/1716313.php ]
[ for news report, please see SF Chronicle --
Ex-worker is third to sue over gorilla
Woman says she had to show her breasts to Koko
Patricia Yollin, Chronicle Staff Writer
Saturday, February 26, 2005

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Getting dirty hunting down bin Laden
Published 9:42 pm, Monday, January 7, 2013
During George W. Bush's presidency, it was a matter of liberal faith that the use of enhanced interrogation techniques on al-Qaida members "undermine our moral authority and do not make us safer," as Barack Obama once put it.
According to Obama, "enhanced interrogation techniques" were wrong, and — no matter what common sense tells you — they never work. Instead, asking nicely works best with terrorists.
"Zero Dark Thirty" — Kathryn Bigelow's new thriller about the decade-long quest to bring Osama bin Laden to justice — doesn't cleave to that liberal orthodoxy.
At a preview last week, I saw a steely homage to the hardworking souls who endured the grueling slog to locate the man who ordered the 9/11 attacks. And yes, "Zero Dark Thirty" depicts an al-Qaida detainee who, after being waterboarded, gives up the first information about a courier to bin Laden.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Dianne Feinstein is hopping mad. Last month her office sent a letter, co-signed by Sens. Carl Levin, D-Mich., and John McCain, R-Ariz., to Sony Pictures that called the movie "grossly inaccurate and misleading" in suggesting harsh interrogations produced information that led to bin Laden. The Senate Three now are investigating the CIA's communications with the filmmakers.
"Some U.S. senators now think they're film critics," quipped former CIA spokesman Bill Harlow. "For films they don't like, they start investigations."
Unfortunately for DiFi and company, not everyone is following the committee's script. Acting CIA Director Michael Morrell released a statement on what the Hollywood movie got wrong. Morrell wrote that "Zero Dark Thirty" underrepresents the "very large team" that found bin Laden — it wasn't "Maya" against Langley — and is wrong to suggest harsh techniques "were the key to finding bin Laden." Buried in the statement, however, was the admission that some intelligence "came from detainees subjected to enhanced techniques." Uh-oh. DiFi released a new letter asking the CIA for more information.
Does she really want it? In his book, "Hard Measures: How Aggressive CIA Actions After 9/11 Saved American Lives," CIA veteran Jose Rodriguez credited "enhanced interrogation techniques" — not waterboarding, but a different act — with providing the courier nugget.
Not that he agreed with the movie. Rodriguez in The Washington Post wrote that "Zero Dark Thirty" wrongly depicted CIA officers beating and freely waterboarding detainees, even leading one naked man around in a dog collar. To Rodriguez, CIA officers are more bureaucrat than cowboy. They had to receive written authorization before they could grasp a detainee. Government documents have revealed that the CIA waterboarded three high-value detainees, not more, and stopped in 2003.
So why is the Senate Intelligence Committee waging an inquisition to discredit a movie that, as Morrell, former director Michael Hayden and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey believe, shows that harsh methods work?
Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that Democrats branded those techniques as "torture" and forced the Bush administration to end their authorized use. "Zero Dark Thirty" leaves little question that under Obama White House rules, the CIA no longer can use the techniques that led to bin Laden.
No worries. As the administration has refined the use of drones, intelligence officers do not have frequent opportunities to question high-value detainees. American morals are safe. There's no waterboarding of suspected al-Qaida leaders — we just kill them.
Debra J. Saunders writes for the San Francisco Chronicle. Her email address is firstname.lastname@example.com.


text:
Relevance ranks synonyms and suggests the best matches based on how closely a synonym's sense matches the sense you selected.
Complexity sorts synonyms based on their difficulty. Adjust it higher to choose from words that are more complex.
Length ranks your synonyms based on character count.
- lists
- blocks
Common words appear frequently in written and spoken language across many genres from radio to academic journals.
Informal words should be reserved for casual, colloquial communication.
adj ruling; most important
Synonyms for predominant
adj ruling; most important
- dominantstar
- prevalentstar
- potentstar
- dominatingstar
- mainstar
- weightystar
- prevailingstar
- absolutestar
- almightystar
- arbitrarystar
- authoritativestar
- capitalstar
- chiefstar
- controllingstar
- effectivestar
- efficaciousstar
- governingstar
- imperiousstar
- influentialstar
- leadingstar
- mightystar
- officialstar
- omnipotentstar
- overbearingstar
- overpoweringstar
- paramountstar
- predominatestar
- preponderantstar
- primarystar
- primestar
- principalstar
- prominentstar
- reigningstar
Antonyms for predominant
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.Cite This Source
More words related to predominant
adj. main, principal; in the middle
adj. most important, essential
adj. common, normal
adj. superior, controlling
adj. main, primary
Roget's 21st Century Thesaurus, Third Edition Copyright © 2013 by the Philip Lief Group.Cite This Source


text:
Why SMEs should implement an ERP System?
In the recent years, various mega corps and business empires have opted in for ERP software services to manage their businesses processes. Its scalable functionalities and seamless business modules have led them to be a must have tool for business tycoons today. However, following a popular myth that the ERP services are effective exclusively for larger firms while SMEs suffer without any major boost or ROI has kept many potential SMEs away from getting a hand over it. Nevertheless, a myth is a myth and is in need to be busted.
Why your SME should have an ERP system.
- It enhances productivity and development:
Unlike larger enterprises, SME are always in need to enhance their production rate without losing over the quality of the product in order to achieve a swifter growth. With the application of ERP software solutions, you can evaluate best production practices, optimize your production rate and giving you the most needed boost to keep up with the market needs.
- Streamlines the process:
As said earlier, a better production gives in better growth, however ill-planned business processes are not sufficient enough to help you reach to the skies. Thus, ERP software service for SMB's are designed to back you up with statistics based process planning and accordingly assist your business development.
- Eases inventory management
Strategizing your inventory, storing & in-house SCM, allotting batch and stacking products for distribution are some of the hassles of inventory management that can be sorted in a pinch with the help of ERP software services. Additionally, well-organized inventory allows agile functionality of your business, which is yet another benefit for your business.
- Enhanced accounting:
ERP software accounting module can track and record every credit-debit your business has done over the years. Owing to the data collected, it can provide you with precise sales pipeline and profit charts as and when needed. Furthermore, it can evaluate successful products, top clients, trustworthy vendors, etc. helping you have a healthy accounting of all your business activity.
- Savings:
ERP software services are smart business managers, they can analyze market trends, buyer's intent and requirements and accordingly forecast sales. Moreover, they can help you strategize your processes, which is helpful to ensure the financial and resource expenditure is minimal while the pace and quality of production is maintained. Thus, ERP software can save unnecessary time and resources consumption and reduce wastage of product.
The question also arises of when a firm should adopt an ERP system. You can learn more about the same here.
No matter how big or small your business firm is, or what industry you belong from, and ERP software is the business management tool that can rocket your growth with its efficient and smart modules and assure profitability at every stage of development. To know more about Sage ERP service for your SME, contact us here. you can also SMS SAGE to 56767 or drop us a mail at firstname.lastname@example.com for free demo and consultation.


text:
ROTARIANS in Ellon are getting set to host their annual 'Tools for Self Reliance Event' on March 17 and 31 in Ellon Town Centre.
Based at Neil Ross Square between 10am and 1pm, Rotarians from Ellon and District will collect old tools - electrical and otherwise - to be donated to rural communities in Africa.
The scheme sees the tools in question being refurbished at the Camphill Rudolf Steiner Schools in Aberdeen before they are sent on to countries including Ghana, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, tanzania and Uganda. Local craftsmen can then use them to develop their skills and businesses, and build up rural economies often devastated by regional conflict and poverty.
Rotarian Ian Morris told the Times: "The tools we've had previously range from garden spades and hoes to leather working equipment, spanners, sewing machines, screws, wood chisels, electrical power tools saws and mincing machines - are all accepted.
"Year on year, the Rotary Club of Ellon are always amazed at the generosity of the Aberdeenshire public, who in some cases donate brand new tools purchased locally on the day, to those who donate tools that have been passed down through family generations. Even the oldest and rustiest of tools can be refurbished and given a new life."
Anyone who would like more information on how to donate tools, or to find out about the project, can contact Ian on
01358 789333.


text:
University Women's Club
The University Women's Club was founded in 1900 and in 1915 began KU's longest continuous scholarship program. The club welcomes colleagues and spouses across our extended KU family. To learn more, contact Esther Smith at 842-1660 or Susie Lacy at (913) 768-0678, or visit the club's Web site, www.ku.edu/~univwm.
Here's the club's 2007-2008 meeting schedule:
Sept. 6: Sign-up luncheon for members and prospective new members, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., Malott room, Kansas Union.
Sept. 14: New member luncheon, 11:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Chancellor's residence.
Oct. 4: "Prominent Women in Journalism," Ann Brill, dean, School of Journalism.
Nov. 1: "Helping at Home, Helping Abroad: A Woman's Role in Charitable Activities," Elizabeth Alex, NBC Action News Anchor.
Dec. 6: Lawrence Children's Choir, Janeal Crabb Krehbiel, director.
Feb. 7: "Making History: Women Who Are Changing the World," Antonia Felix, local author. Book signing to follow.
March 6: "The Gender Differential: Women in Politics," Diana Carlin, Council of Graduate Schools, Washington, D.C.
April 3: "Preparing Students for the Global Economy and the Flat World," Richard Lariviere, KU provost.
The University's Women's Club also gathers for different interest and discussion groups; those can be found at the group Web site.
Copyright 2018 The Lawrence Journal-World. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. We strive to uphold our values for every story published.


text:
Customer Reviews
- Well made – Review by Lawdog, posted on 11/3/15
Price Value QualityI've owned a pair of these boots for over five years. I usually have to replace my duty boots every two years. Great support, comfortable and easy to shine. The side zipper has yet to fail me, being an officer that works on call hours the side zip is a must have. When I do order more boots these will be my first repeat buy.


text:
Having problems with your Digital Cameras ?
All about music stars, Men And Women Sex City, 30...
\015 All about music stars Men And Women Sex City 30547 Young Sex Free Videos bypc Full Movies Sex cjs Sex And The City Sex Scene jkwy Group Sex Risks =)) Sex Marketing yiy Cost For Sex 0004 Local Sex Store yjx Old Men Sex Photo ntle Best Cities To Find Sex 698 Sex Photos For You 076201 No Interest In Sex =-d Free 80 S Sex :-) My 1st Time Sex Stories >:-p Positive Sex %] Sex Out West :( Full On Black Sex zticjo\015
Answers :
Repair Help & Product Troubleshooting for Digital Cameras
Tips for a great answer:- Provide details, support with references or personal experience .
- If you need clarification, ask it in the comment box .
- It's 100% free, no registration required.
Suggested Questions/Answers :
All about music stars, Men And Women Sex City, 30...
... Digital Cameras
Den inbyggda blixten pa min eos 1000 D funkar inte, det star att det ar nagot som hindrar den fran att fallas upp men det ar inget
Your flash is stuck closed.. you can just manually pull it open and see if it works then and if it does then it is just a stuck lock ... Digital Cameras
I have an rca pearl mp3 player ad i cant download music because i dont have windows media player 10 or up.what do i do?do you have any advice?can you help me?all the music i have is cd music and i want mp3 music to i also need a web site to get free mp3 music besides kazza or beemp3 they dont work right. please help me with my problem.ive got the best advice from firesnake and silver dragon can one of you help me or anybody that can help or has experence?
Hi. here is a free download for you of windows media player 10.\015\012\015\012http://ww ... Digital Cameras
Whlie playing slideshow i cannot select random music. The same music plays again and again. There are four presets ie Music1, music2, 3 and 4. There is no random option so that the random music will be played.
I think you have selected Repeat mode. Turn on in to Shuffle mode.& play songs back to back not repeated.Thanks. ... Sony Cybershot DSC-H3 Digital Camera
I had my mp4 player hooked up to my computer, I did a few things like deleted a few songs and I also moved a few folders into other folders. Now, when I turn it on, it just shows the main screen and won't go into my music or move to anything else, like the radio for example. It's like it's locked. All the music is still on it according to my computer and I tried undo-ing everything I moved but still nothing. I don't know how to unlock it if it is locked, I was never given that when I purchased i
... Digital Cameras
Whats the best way to dowload mp3 music i need links for free music i like my chemical romance,sick puppies,anberlin can you find me a link that has all of that
My advice for all kinda free mp3..is to use torrent sites..and a torrent client..I will try to explain you how this works .... you install a tool that actually stream-down the files and you can track tham ...this is a free and easy to ins ... Digital Cameras
Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera We have problems now after uploading some Music. During the Game Option the Camera always swaps/switches between games and the music.
Hello,there is not much that can be done in this case, only use one of the features at a time, listen to music or play a game, not both. ... Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera
Hey,I have dowloaded music to my digital camcorder and it shows when I plug it to my computer,but when I go to music on my cam it says no file --please help!
It Happens only, If the file saved into your camcorder is not playable in it, you may convert that file into a file, which can be played on your camcorder, and try it again. ... Digital Cameras
I can't figure out how to opload music from a CD to my kidizoom pro and listen to it. I uploaded the chosen music on a SD memory card but the camera is not able to find it (I selected SD card). Please give me step-by-step upload-instructions. Thank you very much. Nynke Schreurs
Hello, and thanks for using FixYa. Unfortunately this vtech kidizoom digital camera does not play music at all, unless its coming from a game, and thats build into the camera, it does not have a music player or any music playing features ... Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera
Having trouble downloading music or anything to the PMP VERTIGO NS-702C MP4 Player Followed the instructions but no help. Tried to copy and paste..Click and drag..tried the windows media player sync. It sees the device but calls it Mass storage. It will show up as an f and an e drive.. f is the one that show the music folder in it. I am guessing the e drive is for a memory card.
What happens when you try to COPY and PASTE a file into the mp4 player? ... Digital Cameras
I just purchased a polaroid camera with ability to download music, pictures, and videos. I currently have an IPOD and I would like to transfer music from my computer onto the Polaroid camera. Can you help
It is not very difficult. First, you have to connect these two devices to your computer. then they will serve as removable disk. Ok, you can just copy your music from your IPOD to your Polaroid camera.\015\012If you have any ... Polaroid T831 Digital Camera
Cant transfer music files from computer (through usb) when copying and pasting from folders to removable disc. When I turn the camera on the folders appear but the music files aren't there
Hi,I discovered exactly the same problem. I get an errormessage saying that there are no music-files inside the folder.I discovered, that creating a ne folder from the Windows-Explorer (not copying, but creating!) I can afterw ... Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera
Custom Ringtones I am able to upload mp3 files to my phone, but I can't figure out how to use the files as ring tones. I have access to the music on the music player, and as alarm tones, but not for a ringer.
... Digital Cameras
Music im trying to download music to the camera but it won't work what should i do
You can get the manual and software at this site\015\012\015\012http://cobradigital.com/download.php\015\012\015\012Robert \015\012 ... Cobra Digital DC4330 Digital Camera
Samsung i85 camera. Tried to download music onto camera. Connected camera to PC. Went into explore and made new folder for MP3 under "removables" drive . Although shows music in folder on PC when I go back to the camera under multimedia and click on MP3 it says "No file". Now have same result under all Multimedia files. How do I get all file under multimedia back?
I had the same problem it was stressing me out... 1st you must go into "my computer", click on "removable disk", there should be a file named "DCIM" (yours might be different), where you see this file create a NEW file on that same pg named "MP3". no ... Samsung Digital Cameras
Music can't play music on camera - says no file
Please call Jazz Products @ 732-572-7050 ... Jazz DV-179 Digital Camera
Loading music how do you put music onto the camera? i still can't work it out :S
The 7388 is a camera not a music player. You can put music on a memory card, but the camera will not play it back. ... Vivitar VIVICAM 7388 Digital Camera
I have a SAMSUNG i70, which is under a year old and worked brilliantly as a camera. But when i put in a new memory stick for MP3 uses, and loaded music, it worked but then crashes when i change a couple songs. The camera aspect still works fine, and if i use the couple songs on my first memory stick it works. I asked currys (who i bought the card from), and i was made to formatt it then reload the music, but it's still happening. But as i i said it's new, and the other functions work. what coul
It says it supports all mp3 versions (including VBR) but maybe you should try the digimax software (included) to convert to thr right version. Apparently there is a limit: 900 file limit, 100 folder limit and filenames are limited to 255 characters. ... Digital Cameras
In Audio Can I listen music thorough my camera? The answer is yes, By which format of music?
As far as I know you can only hear sound recorded when you create a movie, I dont think you can listen to any other kind of music file such as MP3.Thomas ... Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W55 Digital Camera
I was just on here looking for a solution to that problem, but i had just figured it out, what you gotta do is select all the music from your SD card, copy it, and past it into the MP3 folder under the DCIM and all that, hope this helps ya out, ... Jazz DV-179 Digital Camera
I lost Cd for Sony DSC w-170 Digital Camera and I delete Slid show music ......... I Need Music Transfer Software Please Help Me
I have cd u can pm me [email protected] i will mail u soft. ... Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 Digital Camera
Hmm.... jag har en canon powershot A60 men bilden är svart man ser bara inställningar o.s.v men jag vill gärna ha hjälp med att se det man tar bild på tack i förhand. skicka gärna alternativ! .. :D
... Canon PowerShot A60 Digital Camera
Our Vtech kidizoom pro wont recognize the SD card. I have tried both positions of the 'switch' on the sd card, but still no joy. I receive the message ''sd card is write protected'' although I have have loaded some music files to the card from my mac's card reader. The music files play fine on the vtech.
Format SD card as FAT and not FAT32. :-) ... Vtech Kidizoom Digital Camera
I can't transfer my mup3/mp4 music downloads to my music player, how can i trnasfer it?
... Digital Cameras
We bought our son a Vtech 1070 camera with mp3. However, when I copy music files to the camera or the sound card I've put in, I get the message music files not found! it appears to copy perfectly via internet explorer, and shows the files on the camera or on the card - but when i turn the camera on and try to access them, I get the same message both via the camera and the sound card. Help!
... Digital Cameras


text:
CALLS are being made for authorities to repair and improve areas of Roanheads damaged by the fierce December storms.
Resident James West, who remained in his home throughout the savage weather, says it is time for action more than two months on.
The retired fishing boat skipper is concerned that unless works are undertaken now to repair the damaged pavements and walls, then it could simply be forgotten about completely over time.
James told the Buchanie: "The storms ripped apart a section of lock-block paving and although some of it was swept up at the time and removed there is still a lot of debris and it is just a terrible reminder of the damage that caused so many people so much misery.
"I have tried to get answers as to who is responsible for what but I can't help feeling no-one knows and it is likely to remain in this sorry condition for long enough."
While readily accepting that Aberdeenshire Council, Peterhead Port Authority, Scottish and Souethern Energy and local tradesmen all played a magnificent role in the days following the storms, James says Roanheads' plight cannot simply be forgotten.
"There are neighbours of mine who have yet to return to their homes because of the damage caused and the least we should expect is to get this area tidied up for them upon their return," he said.
"I have been a resident here for some ten years and everyone takes such a pride in this wee community that it's terrible to see it in this condition."
Peterhead councillor Alan Gardiner last week visited James at his home to discuss the situation and was quick to point out that it would very likely involve several insurance companies investigating who is responsible for what.
He said: "There is clearly some work to be undertaken, and while I know the insurance firms will be fully aware of the need to progress the works as soon as possible, I I will raise it with Aberdeenshire Council, Peterhead Port Authority and the Feuars Managers to see if we can hurry the repairs along in any way.
"The Roanheads area suffered some very serious damage back in December and I am aware that some of it will take quite some time and a lot of expenditure to put right in the fullness of time.
"But I think we have to remember the sterling work undertaken by both Aberdeenshire Council and the port to get the vast majority of the debris removed and the area cleaned in those days after the storms.
"It was a very well organised approach to the damage and I have every confidence the various agencies will have the final repairs and improvements carried out as quickly as they can."


text:
Petition update
Make 'em sweat!!
Hank Hunt
Winona, TX
May 27, 2014 — If you stay at hotels frequently, or for that matter seldom, when you check in, ask them, "How do I call 911 from the room I will be staying in?" If they say anything other than "911", ask them why? Why do I need to teach my children that at your hotel, 911 doesn't mean 911? Get an answer, let me know what they say. I am determined to challenge any of them that feel they shouldn't change their systems to make 911 just that, 911 !!!! Simple common sense! Tell me where you stayed, the name of the hotel and the hotel managers contact information. I'll take it from there! - Hank


text:
Expert Forums
Full Site
Sign in
Type 1
Type 2
General Health
Diet and Fitness
Women's Health
Men's Health
Heart Disease
Heart Rhythm
High Blood Pressure
18 - 24 years old
25 - 34 years old
35+ years old
Mental Health
All Communities
Women's Health
Diet and Fitness
Heart Disease
Mental Health
Knuckle pain middle finger
Common Questions and Answers about Knuckle pain middle finger
I have
in my
at the base
on both sides when I move it, any ideas as to what could have caused this?
Read More
I am having terrible
on both hands. First noticed the
a number of years ago after driving metal fence posts in the ground with a large hammer. Pain now id severe. Finger will functin if knuckle is flat. To touch them, bump them or bend the intendified the now constant pain. Does anyone have a suggestion?
Read More
I am having some
on my right hand on my
, however i do not remember hurting my hand at all, there is no swelling and i can keep it in the straight position however when i bend it the pain comes. any suggestions?
Read More
ok first things first. The
above my right
is swollen. This is due to me constantly hitting hard surfaces. i have no pain in that particular finger or knuckle or any part of the hand but i cant fully raise my right ring finger. It gets to about half way and i cannot raise it anymore unless i force it up with my other hand. Apart from that i have full use of my right hand and no pain in or around the knuckle or finger. Any ideas whats wrong??
Read More
It has been very painful especially at the
. I have taken prednisone and in larger doses the
and swelling abates but the effects of the prednisone are not wanted. In the past two months the pain at the knuckle subsided but moved to were the finger connects to the hand and that also swells but the finger as a whole is still swollen.
Read More
I broke my
, may 30th,
one at the
, went to the E R they xrayed and set it,splint etc. then went to my family doc...told me three more weeks if not better then orthopedic phys.The thing is the swelling is taking so long to go down, it has gone down some but i am concerned...am I looking at surgery or is it to soon to tell ? And should I just go to the orthopedic phys. now or chill and wait ?
Read More
she says itll take time but now its been a month or more it still hurs everytime i try to move my
).i triedputting ice and creams but nothings happening!! what should i do!??
Read More
You may have severely bruised the bone, or fractured it by the force that went on the hand as you landed. An xray of the hand would be able to show whether you have caused damage to the bone. In the meantime strap the middle finger to the two either side to immobilise it. You can apply a lot of natural yogurt to that part and lightly bandage it. This helps by drawing out the inflammation. Keep your weight off that hand too until it is fully healed.
Read More
when i grip anything with my right hand, like scissors or any hand tool, and squeeze, i get a sharp
in my
, i noticed it about a year ago, it was not bad at all at first, but over the last week its become a constant. all other knuckles on both hands are fantastic otherwise,im dont recall any injury or reason why this is happening, any ideas? thank you.
Read More
My tendon keeps popping off my (r/h
. I cannot make a fist or hold anything which puts my hand in a fist position. for example: holding onto a knife, ironing, brushing daughters hair or mine come to think of it. All I did was shake the water out of a brush about 2 months ago. Physiotherapist says needs to heal itself? Swollen & bruised, I try not to use it but when you're not concentrating, bang you hear the suction break. Very painfull.
Read More
So one time during a board breaking session i decided to do a 4 board punch. After i had completed the break, my
that you are supposed to punch with) began to swell, and now it is normally twice the size of my other knuckle, and whenever i punch with it, it re-inflames, bruises, and begins to hurt again immediately after. After a short time it doesn't actually hurt unless my knuckle collides with some other object.
Read More
I have had
in the main
of the
. I cannot pinpoint the exact cause of the injury. about six weeks ago I noticed shooting pain when i pushed the middle finger laterally while isolated from the other fingers across the sides of the knuckle. I also feel sharp pain when making a tight fist in the main knuckle or gripping my hand tightly around the grip on a weight.
Read More
I got home and iced it but it took couple days for the swelling to go down my
doesn't hurt at all even tho it was huge strangley my
beside my pinky finger really hurts if i bend the finger back towards my wrist the pain is unbariable! i can move it in a closed fist position and open wide i have yet gone to a doctor but i was wanting to know if someones done this before and if its something i can let heal and within a month it be fine?
Read More
Also it hurts on my knuckle when pressure is applied. Should I get it looked again right away? Both my
and the
on my pointer
still looks enlarged. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Read More
The last time that I broke it the doctor told me that there were bone fragments floating in my had near my
. Nothing was done about it. Now however I am having some issues with that
it is now not straight, swollen around the knuckle, there is alot of pain coming from that finger radiating up my arm and i can not straighten it out. Should go to the doctor? Is it the bone fragments that are causing this?
Read More
For about a month now, my knuckle has been hurting pretty bad to bend it or even touch it. Today I noticed some swelling. Its my
on my right hand and its swollen on the side closest to my pointer finger, its even a little red. As far as I can remember, I have never injuryed it. I use to be a package handler at FedEx Ground. I loaded the tractor trailer trucks but the last three months Iwas there, which ended last month, I was on light duty.
Read More
About 2 weeks ago I was hit in the hand by a field hockey ball that was shot from 5-7 feet away. It hit the
of my
which was out at the time as my hand was around my stick. It hurt terribly for about 10 minutes and then seemed fine the rest of the game. The next day I couldn't make a fist or completely straighten my fingers without a significant amount of pain. The Dr splinted it and sent my on my way.
Read More
Ok, a couple days ago I got very upset and punched a dresser that is made of very heavy wood...the dresser won. My pinky,
beside my pinky, and
are all swollen, so swollen I can't wear my engagement ring. My knuckles are swollen and hurt very bad, and my metacarpal region is swollen. All of the swollen parts hurt very bad and are bruised, the bruising is black, that's never happened to me before is black bruising normal?
Read More
I'm a house painter and recently brought my hand down onto the sharp point of one of my painting tools. It cut into the side if my rt hand
joint (between the knuckle and the lower joint) It bled a bit and swelled up of course. That was over two weeks ago. I still have noticable swelling in that joint, especially on the rt side, and considerable pain. The rest of my hand hurts lately, probably from compensating for the lack of use of the middle finger. Any ideas?
Read More
On my left hand, my index
is longer than my
, my ring
is shorter than my
. On my left had, my middle finger is shorter than both other fingers (ring & middle). It's nver caused any problems but I've always wondered why my Mom & I had it.
Read More
I recently shook hands and immediately felt pain as if a tendon or a ligament ruptured under the mid
/joint on my right
. It was a broad
with noticeable swelling. Now when I shake hands or grasp something tightly like a handle the same pain occurs. Also, now on that same finger but on the right side there is a small pea sized bump or nodule. If I close my fingers tightly it produces an acute sharp, stabbing, burning pain as if be stuck with a hot needle.
Read More
is in the middle joint? If the
in the
on my right hand is being caused by an old trauma, why am I getting the exact same pain progression in two fingers on my left hand? And if it is not an old trauma, but a build up of calcium or bone material, doesn't the fact that it's happening to multiple joints at the same time indicate a bigger problem?
Read More
Type your medical question here I was hit hard in the knuckle on my right hand between my pointer
. I have swelling,
and I see what I think is a piece of bone under the skin.It is extremely sensitive when touched. Is it a broken knuckle?
Read More
- The picture in the green circle is a side view of my hand/knuckles. When i press a
on that
and move my middle finger upwards and downwards, i feel as if one of my tendons is rubbing on a bone; i feel slight vibrating between the tendon and the bone when i do that motion, i also feel pain. The "rubbing" is not normal because my left hand's knuckle-joints are well lubricated and move smoothly without any pain. Please give me feedback.
Read More
i immediately felt something go at the joint of mt
finger.x ray shows nothing broken .could be a torn ligament i was told.still swollen and painful to move.could it be dislocated?
Read More
I have done the same on my
on my
, got the thorn out but it's still red and quite painful, not sure if the thorn touched the bone,not sure how long to leave it before I seek help.
Read More
hand swelled up around middle finger hurt but started to feel better a little after a few months until two days ago when i got a massage and she pulled on my finger which sent excruciating
through arm within two hours
was swollen again and major
in wrist can barely move my hand can't make fist or pick up things with it. Could I have chipped a bone and it traveled when she did that? Recommendations would be greatly appreciated. If Dr. what kind?
Read More
Come to find out i actually punched a screw that was sticking through the board directly in the center of my
. I believe it went about a quarter of an inch deep into my knuckle and it hurts alot to straighten it out or touch it. Anyone know what i might have done to it and how can i make it better?
Read More
Not knowing the vehicle was behind me, I swung my hang back and punched the car. I punch the
, Hand
. (The ones you see when you make a fist) Anyways, It was horrible pain... I had limited movement and it hurt to make a fist or touch it. But heres the catch, I did'nt go get an xray or anything when it happend. Please dont give me any hate... I didnt want to get surgery because i'm a cheerleader and i didnt want to be out of cheer, so I waited.
Read More
Within a few weeks she had been to her primary doc and been sent immediately to the ortho surgeon. Infection had invaded the joint at the
of her index
. The bone had already been completely destroyed. Her first surgery removed the joint and surrounding infection. She took antibiotics and wore a splint on the painful and useless finger for a couple of months anticipating a joint replacement would be done last spring.
Read More
Related Links (10)
Knuckle pain middle finger
Index finger knuckle pain guitar
Middle finger pain mouse
Middle finger pain and swelling
Index finger pain knuckle
Left middle finger pain symptoms
Middle finger pain symptoms
Middle finger pain numbness
Middle finger pain and numbness
Middle finger pain and stiffness
Terms of Use
En Español
Report Abuse
Contact Us
Copyright 1994-2018
All rights reserved.
MedHelp is a division of Vitals Consumer Services, LLC.
The Content on this Site is presented in a summary fashion, and is intended to be used for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended to be and should not be interpreted as medical advice or a diagnosis of any health or fitness problem, condition or disease; or a recommendation for a specific test, doctor, care provider, procedure, treatment plan, product, or course of action. MedHelp is not a medical or healthcare provider and your use of this Site does not create a doctor / patient relationship. We disclaim all responsibility for the professional qualifications and licensing of, and services provided by, any physician or other health providers posting on or otherwise referred to on this Site and/or any Third Party Site. Never disregard the medical advice of your physician or health professional, or delay in seeking such advice, because of something you read on this Site. We offer this Site AS IS and without any warranties. By using this Site you agree to the following
Terms and Conditions
. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.
Terms of Use
Privacy Policy
Full Site
By using this Site you agree to the following
Terms and Conditions
. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.


text:
: Chiefs
Kevin Ross says Chiefs players are cut off from the community
View Single Post
Join Date: Mar 2009
Casino cash: $15426
Originally Posted by
I'd love to see The Rock have some kind of input to the Chiefs, just not as a HC. Crap, I'd love to see Messers Cherry, Dawson, Waters, Arbanas, Budde, and Lanier come in as well. Those guys were real Chiefs, on and off the field.
Got to meet Kevin Ross, he was good friends with DT. Great guy. I was really surprised he wasn't taller than 5'9. mainly because the way he hit. You know you hit hard when they call you the rock.
This would be very cool. Developing players is going to be critical this year with our picks, especially our #1 overall QB.
The team has to be aggressive in getting someone to develop the new QB. A former QB would be great. Someone who was an all pro would be better.
Last thing we need is a guy turning into an Akili Smith, or even a Cam Newton.
Although this team HAS to understand that even IF it doesn't work out, just draft another one early, keep trying until you have a franchise guy. Don't wait 30freaking years.
Posts: 8,182
View Public Profile
Find More Posts by ForeverChiefs58