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A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Post: #1
A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
As Alex got off the plane as he landed in Japan he was ecstatic. He was a huge history lover. He had come in hopes to learn not of the diplomatic history, but of the culture in the world of feudal Japan, as well as the mythology of the time. However Alex had other purposes for coming to this great land. He was a fighter. Alex was about 6 ft 1, he wasn't ripped that was for sure, but he was very toned. His muscles, unlike many people, were stronger in each individual muscle than most people had in entire limbs when combining their muscle's strength, but he wasn't some invincible fighter. He had dark brown hair that in the summer seemed to become a dark fire like red, he had a slightly deceiving appearance, where he looked very meek to those who have never fought him. Alex also came to Japan in the hopes of learning the art of the sword. He had done some research, and found some locals over the internet who could help him find the masters of the martial arts, and the masters of the sword.
Alex had just gotten off the plane and headed into town when he met his advisor. He was a small man who was on in his years, he told Alex to just call him Hikari. Hikari helped Alex find his way up the mountains and to an isolated village, untouched by time, and industry. The journey was a long and perilous one, as they were going up a mountain with many predators and bandits. The journey took Alex two and a half weeks. The old man told Alex, that the journey itself was the first step in mastering the arts, as well as becoming one with the ancient culture of the land.
Alex and Hikari had finally made it to the village, and Alex was struggling just to make into the fields, where the villagers quickly helped him into a house and gave him food and water, as well as tending to some minor injuries he got on the way there. The village elder listened to Alex's purpose for coming to the village and said he would allow him to stay and train. However, he said the only true reason he would let him stay was because of the fact that winter was only days away, and sending him away would be no better than killing him himself.
As Alex lived in the village he entered a small academy for the men of the village to hone their skills. While he was there he trained for many weeks mastering the arts and put the students of other academies in nearby villages, and parts of the village he was in, to shame. He was proving to be a great warrior.
Alex had finally become a true villager. He began to visit the great shrine that lay just in the outskirts of the village every day. Had had a notepad and a pencil which he used to draw the shrine, the temple, and take notes on what the villagers would tell him when they visited the shrine with him on occasion. He had often heard stories of a great Enigma who was rumored to have lived in these parts of Japan, and how she was a mighty warrior, who put all others to shame. He also learned why they believed she was dead when they told him of a violent and evil cult which killed off her kind like cattle. Alex was especially fascinated by this and asked to be told of such things as often as possible. The villagers were delighted that he was so loving their culture and history and were happy to oblige him by telling him one tale of their past every day.
One day while walking up to the shrine admiring it's beauty, and taking some notes of the writing, a few opposing members of his academy, who hated having a foreigner show up and make them look useless, approached him. The apparent leader was a man Alex had just recently fought in a small tournament. Alex broke 3 of the guy's ribs, dislocated his shoulder, and broken his wrist, and his arm before he beat him. Alex, however only came in second, the guy he had beaten came in third, he was furious. So the group approached him and the leader of the group said "So the little foreigner thinks he can make a fool of me in front of sensei does he? Well you may be a martial arts master, BUT I am a master of the sword!" the group all unsheathed their swords and pointed them at Alex. Alex became very worried at this "H-h-hey guuuys. Come on think about what you're doing here." The leader named Daichi said "Please all we have to say is you wandered too close to a cliff and fell. No one is going to save you, or punish us. Hmph. you should've thought twice before shaming the great Daichi!! Kill him!". The group lunged at Alex as he quickly kicked one in the chest knocking him over, he grabbed the wrist of another who was swinging down his sword and took it from his hand while breaking his wrist. He took the sword, and countered a swing from another and kicked his legs out knocking his face on the ground. He managed to take out 4 of them, but there were 12 total. He knew he was going to lose. He was tired and getting weak, he had several small cuts, bruises, and a broken rib. He was knocked onto the ground by Daichi. Daichi watched as Alex got one knee and used his other foot and sword to balance himself. As Alex did so Daichi said "And now! Experience the wrath OF DAICHI!!!". As he said this Alex looked to his right as he saw Daichi swing down his sword to behead him and closed his eyes, preparing for what was about to happen.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #2
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
A loud, resounding clang resounded through the air as the strike that was intended to plunge Alex into the open arms of death instead struck cold, firm steel. The person who held the katana had seemingly materialized from thin air, so fast was this person's movement and form. Long, raven-black hair ran down the warrior's back, tied with a scarlet ribbon in a traditional manner. She wore a white haori with the sleeves removed to allow for more fluid movement and red hakama which accented her position here at the shrine as perhaps assisting in some way with maintaining the grounds as a Miko. Her firm, narrow eyes, however, told a very different story. Her stolid face appeared wise and unwavering, far beyond what would be expected from someone who appeared to be as youthful as she, as she did not look to be over twenty-five years of age.
Without pause or hesitation, she slid the blade along Daichi's and with a single motion she struck his wrist and spun her sword so as to fling it from his grasp and disarm him, then sheathing her sword she struck him on the side of the head with her right elbow to stun him before driving him to the ground.
"Leave now," her tone was authoritative and firm, "Tell your friends to withdraw and turn back. This is a place of holy solitude and mediation, not for settling personal insults either perceived or real. Make any argument and I will kill you all myself, is that understood?"
With that, she released him and let him stand, walking back toward Alex but saying nothing to him as of yet.
Post: #3
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex heard a loud clanging sound as he waited for death to greet him. He opened his eyes slowly, and looked over at Daichi, and an extremely shocked, and mildly scared expression appeared across his face as thoughts were racing through his head 'what the hell just happened? who is this girl, and where did she come from anyway?' Alex thought and became more confused every second, while still eternally joyful he was saved. He looked up the girl's body from her feet to her beautiful hair the flowed slightly in the winter's morning breeze. In a flash and a sound of metal grinding against metal Alex saw Daichi's sword fly into the air and then came a loud thud as he saw this strange women strike Daichi's with her elbow and pin him to the ground. Daichi was even more confused and scared due to what just happened, as in an instant this girl appeard where there was only air between his blade and Alex's throat. He felt a mighty thud as he saw his sword fly out of his hands and felt this women drive him to the ground and tell him to leave. Needless to say him and his friends all ran away as fast as they could to escape this horrifying women who had just taken down their leader in seconds. Daichi himself ran screaming, as he and his friends ran from the shrine away from the village to avoid shame from their child-like screams.
Alex slowly and cautiosly rose from the ground as he looked at this women who was walking towards him. He cautiously raised his sword in a neutral manner so that if need be he might defend himself, but did so in a non-threatening manner and said "Th-thank you ma'am. I uh... I guess I'll be leaving now?" Alex as he said this got a good look at this women who seemingly grew more beautiful with every step she took while still seeming to have a very cold demeanor.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #4
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
She watched them run like frightened insects before a lit lightbulb before turning to face him, her narrow eyes slowly studying him. She traced up his legs, to his thighs, across his chest and shoulders before resting on his eyes as they looked toward her. The dark pupils of her eyes were pits which looked into and searched his very soul, as it were, and judged if he were worthy of her attention... To release her from boredom, if nothing else it seemed.
"Wait," the woman held up her hand toward Alex slowly and non-aggressively, signifying her desire to speak with him, "Are you the foreigner from the village I have heard about, or are you merely one of those troublesome tourists who have been visiting shrines as of late?"
"I take from the way you hold your sword that you are no beginner to the art of the sword," she motioned toward him with her extended arm, making long sweeping motions, "But you lack the resilience, fortitude, and form of a true swordsman, which is why those worthless buffoons could overwhelm you. Vulgar folks they are, ones which only understand violence."
She turned and walked back toward one of the small on-sight lodgings which surrounded the shrine itself, "I was preparing some tea before I was so rudely interrupted... Have some if you so desire, but if not, get off my shrine grounds."
It seemed she was the head maiden of the shrines, which few people had ever seen as she often kept herself in meditation and seclusion.
Post: #5
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
As Alex heard this beautiful girl speak he felt strange, different than when anyone else talks to him and he said "Um yes I am the foreigner, and sure I would love some tea right about now". Alex took his sword and leaned it against a nearby statue, and followed the women into the building and couldn't help but stare at her in wonder of what she had done, and in complete amazement at her beauty which was only made more incredible by her calm, and cool attitude she had. "Oh. By the way, my name is Alex" he said this as he a a little nervously tried catching up to her jogging a few feet to get next to her while they were walking
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #6
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
"Short for Alexander, I presume?" the woman remarked, her words conveying that she did not expect a reply as she led him toward a small square dwelling.
Inside there was a small tea table set in the center of the nearly bare tatami-mat-floored room. Banners hung on the walls, which had simple poems or odes concerning the art of war or swordsmanship in general. She carefully removed her sandals and stepped inside, mumbling a simple declaration that she was back before shuffling over toward the small gas header and the tea pot which rested on top of it. She set down a small tea set upon the tea table and began to grind some leaves into a thin paste, carefully pouring the proper amount of water and turning it twice before presenting it to Alex. Finally, she poured herself a cup as well, showing the same amount of care to the preparation before turning to face him once again.
"So... You wish to learn the art of the sword, do you not?" she spoke firmly and to the point, calmly awaiting his reply.
02-26-2012, 09:32 PM (This post was last modified: 02-26-2012 09:32 PM by ryuu.)
Post: #7
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex bowed his head slightly after accepting the tea, and said "Yes. I would also like to learn the history if this land in addition to the arts. I find myself enthralled by the world of the ancients.". Alex took a small sip of his tea and then said "By the way... What is your name exactly?"
Alex in all the excitement had forgotten about asking her name and was rather curious now because he realized that the villagers had never once mentioned a guard at the temple, nor had he ever seen this women in his 5 weeks on the mountain durring his daily visits to the shrine.
"You know" Alex had a curious and cutting, serious tone to his voice now "More important than your name perhaps. Who are you? I have come here every day for nearly 5 weeks and not once have I even heard about you much less seen you."
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #8
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
She raised the cup to her lips and drained it slowly as she listened to his questions, "My name is of no consequence, for if you wish to learn the art of the sword and the world of the ancients, there is no one in this village more suited to that role than myself... To that end, you may call me Sensei."
If she had been entirely honest, she would have expressed her lack of an actual reply. Her own existence was confirmation in itself of her identity, the turning of time itself upon her aged and strained mind having robbed her of such simple assurances as her own, given name. Acquaintances, apprentices, and challengers rarely lasted longer than three decades. The collapse of her perception of time itself made such an expanse feel like but a brief, passing encounter.
"I am the caretaker of this shrine, from the time my foster parents passed its duties down to myself until this day I have been in nearly constant watch over it, for it is the only place in the world which I may rightfully call my home," her words issued from her lips smoothly and without pause, "the villagers know of me, and may have spoken about me in passing on occasion although it may not be apparent to you as of late. It may also be possible that they have developed a strange fixation upon me again, as they have in the past, and wish to grant me peace and solitude. I do not often wander from these four walls due to my habit of engaging in meditation for long periods unless a pressing matter is presented before me. It is no great mystery that we have not met until now..."
The way she spoke belied indifference with a hint of boredom concerning his questions, as if she had enacted the very same conversation many times before. The woman calmly set her cup down onto the table and looked down at him with half-genuine interest and without the slightest indication of concern. She obviously did not consider him to be even remotely threatening, despite the fact that she had apparently heard tell of his local fame among the villagers. There was something unique about this woman, who sat as one within the village yet distinctly separate from it, in the same way that one could easily tell an ancient masterpiece from a modern replica. She was mysterious and elegant, lacking the youthful excitement of life while maintaining the childish desire for something unexpected to appear before her and rouse her from her eternal state of apathy. Comparatively, Alex was merely another stitch in the grand tapestry of time which wound around her mind as she perceived existence.
02-27-2012, 08:28 PM (This post was last modified: 02-27-2012 08:28 PM by ryuu.)
Post: #9
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex looked at her seriously, and cautiously as he was known for not being untrusting and skeptical, rather he was known by his peers for observing everything very carefully and never believing a word didn't have a true purpose in being said. Alex looked at her a little more, looking her up and down, looking at her features, her clothes, her sword which seemed unfitting for someone who whatches over a shrine and finally said "I must say... It's a strange thing you said a moment ago. What was it? Oh yes. You don't wander from these four walls unless there's a pressing matter no? Well moments ago I was about to die and you saved me flawlessly. I assume that's what you consider a pressing matter? I mean it really doewn't make much sense to me that someone who watches over a shrine would honestly be so... Unnaturally good with the sword. I don't care about your name though. That's your business, but... I would very much like to know just how someone as young as you got so skilled at fighting. I want to know exactly how you did this." as Alex said this he was not aggressive or untrusting in his tone, but painfully curious. Alex was a very observant person in this situation as he saw someone not much older than him, maybe a year at the most, yet she was on a whole different level than him. He wanted the secrets to such mastery badly, even if it nearly killed him. The idea of such incredible training was unbelievabely fascinating to Alex. The idea of undergoing something that rigorous was insatiable to him. Alex was not a masochist in this perspective but that he in his life has almost never expeirenced true strife, true challenge, or even true pain. He simply met adversity, and those who had the ability to place him in a vulnerable position by using technique that put his to shame, as he was strong and durrable, but often lacked formal skill in certain areas such as the sword.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #10
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
"Whenever a life is in danger, it is a pressing matter indeed," the woman replied plainly, "If you would agree with me on that point or not is for you to decide."
She paused to take another sip of her tea, a slight smile spreading across her lips as she considered his second line of questions, "I do believe that you have a misunderstanding concerning my age. Although I take it as a personal compliment that you think I am young, I would inform you that such is not actually the case. I am well over two thousand years old, the exact number being a moot point when one reaches such ages as I, and through that time I have trained under dozens of teachers, fighting in hundreds of engagements and learning from them all. If it is a simple secret to my form and technique that you desire from me, then you will be disappointed to hear that such a secret simply does not exist. I have reached this level of competence by training and experience alone, with my own unyielding will as my only support."
The woman let her words sink in for a bit before continuing, "If you wish to learn from me, then I will not discourage you, but understand the dedication that it would require. I do not teach those who give up halfway. That is not the way of my people, the Enigma."
Post: #11
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex looked at the woman in a mildly disgusted matter and crossed his arms, closed his eyes, pulled back his head, and slammed it beck down slightly closer to the woman and said "You lie well with a straight face, but you are really terrible at making stuff up. And by the way, I am not looking for a magical cheat, I am looking for an intensive training that can one day grant me the skills you showed in battle. And as for your little tale... it really wasn't necessary to insult me like that. I just had a request, all you had to do was say you would show me how you trained, or that I oughta leave you alone." Alex at hearing such a strange tale felt offended at the thought of someone being so disrespectful making stuff up like that. But, he thought it stange how fluid her words were, and how she did not waver at all in the telling of her story. He then said "So I'll be straightforward now I guess. If you will train me as you were, I will go all the way, If not, I'll be on my way then. I have some ruins to go over if I am not going to do anything today."
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #12
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
The woman seemed genuinely offended at his remark, but held her peace until he was finished speaking, whereupon she set down her cup and stood without speaking a word. She walked past him to the door and firmly slid it shut, as it had been left open to allow for the outdoor light and air circulation. She then returned to her seat and looked up at him, eyes much more firm and condescending than before.
"I do not take your accusation of falsehood lightly, but be that as it may I will remain patient with you and answer your request," she spoke in a low tone, one that he would soon come to recognize as her voice when she was attempting to hold reign over her temper, "If you wish to be trained in the same manner that I was, then you should begin immediately. It will be a comprehensive study that not only encompasses the art of the sword, but an entire way of life. You will follow my orders without question or reservation. You may ask for clarification if you do not understand, but do not give me reason to question your purposes. You will give me proper respect, and above all else you will never accuse me of lying to you again, is that understood?"
She then stood once again and walked to the far side of the room, sliding a small compartment open and placing her sword inside on a small wooden stand, beside several smaller swords which were all elegantly decorated and masterfully crafted. He had little time to study them, for she quickly closed the compartment after taking one of the smallest swords and fastened it around her belt then returned to the table, setting the tea set away and rolling the tea table into a similar closet so that the entire square room was practically empty. Reaching to her belt once again, she tossed the short Japanese sword to Alex.
"First I must gauge your abilities to see where you should begin. Not all are of equal ability nor do all start at the same point. For that reason, I must see where your training should start and to what extent you require additional refinement," she took her position opposite him, standing equidistant from each wall in the room, "Use that sword to attack me. I will not block any of your attacks as I am currently unarmed, and you may use whatever stance or form you desire. I will merely evade and counter your attacks. You may begin when you are ready."
Post: #13
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex believed himself a man of honor, an example can be seen in his often sheer hatred of attacking someone who is unharmed, however. Alex understood he must follow her orders and stood up sword in hand and sheathe in the other and ran right up to her and smashed the sword against the floor hard as he could while still pulling back in hopes of knocking her hearing, mind, and feet off balance. He then lunged at her, lunged to her left, then straight at her left to cause confusion, and swung the sheath with great force at her and right behind it, virtually a second after he swung with the sheathe he swung with his sword even stronger in the opening it was to create as he assumed she was right handed, making her left side weaker and less defendable, the sword was to ensure a strike upon her side, arm, leg, or chest. While shouting through the whole ordeal for adreniline and to disrupt the harmony.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #14
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
The woman actually darted toward him when he smashed the floor with the sword, continuing to advance and keep him from putting distance between them when he then lunged in. With each successive dart forward she side-stepped rather than step backward, her face showing the same control and peace as when they were talking before. her hands remained at her sides, primarily unused except for balancing purposes until he swung the sheath at her. She ducked into a crouching position, deftly avoiding the attack then when he swung to her left intending her to be weaker and less favored on that side she prang forward, countering his attack with a left punch directed at his hip. She then slid her right leg out and in a wide sweeping motion attempted to knock him off his feet.
"Your movements are too easy to read," she remarked, "That is a sword, not a club."
Post: #15
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex hit the floor hard grasping his side where she hit him. Alex was furious that she brushed him aside like a harmless pup. He got up sweating from pain, and excitement. He looked at her and said "So. Let's give it another go then." Alex was a calm person normally, but perhaps the sole reason he was ever a threat to anyonen was his calm and horrendous rage he entered when he experiences actual pain that his body recognizes as an actual threat it would seem. When Alex was in this state of mind it wasn't are you the loser, or am i the loser. It was, AM I DONE WITH YOU. Alex sprung at the women in an angle he knew would make him not run into her but slide past her. He on close approach shattered the sheathe on the the wooden floor and in the midst of all the chips and dust made a quick and decisive slash at her side and pulled it back along a higher path so that she would have to pull up to counter where he would regardless of a successful hit pull back and swing with his left fist aimed at her left side and stab the sword into her side as she became occupied by blocking the fist, or got knocked into the swords general area, either way he wanted to get 4 good hits, and at least one good slash wound on this strange women, who for the first time in months offered him a real challenge in a fight.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #16
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
The woman's eyes slightly narrowed as he shattered the sheathe on the flooring, the specks flying up into the air as she remained stalwart and firm before him while he swung his sword toward her. She reached up and slid her hand along the side of the sword as he attacked her, her hand just above the blade as she grasped his hand in hers, pivoting herself along that point, she slipped behind him and directed an elbow strike to his right shoulder. When he swung with his left fist, she caught it then twisted his arm upward so that it would be locked into place, her own body held out of reach of his sword. Her grip was firm, her fingers digging into the flesh of his hand like clamps, preventing him from continuing the attacks.
"If you loose control of yourself in a fight, you have already lost," she spoke frankly, "That will be enough for now, as I can see that there is much groundwork for me to lay before we may conduct regular sparring sessions again... You need to learn how to contain your emotions, for they blind your ability to see clearly. Observation and intuition are two important resources, both of which are clouded."
She released his hand and crouched onto the floor to pick up the pieces of the shattered sheath, carefully picking them up and placing them into her hand before turning back toward him.
"Go outside and walk around the back of the shrine. You should find several large earthen jugs which contain water, and some of them which are empty," she held out one of the tea cups which they had used just a short time earlier, "Use this, and only this, to transfer the water from the full jugs to the empty ones."
When Alex would actually observe the jugs for himself, he would most likely realize that calling them "large" was a severe understatement. They were huge, able to easily fit one or perhaps two full-grown men inside of them. Using only the tiny tea cup would take hundreds of dips into the water to empty just one of the jugs, let alone all of them.
03-05-2012, 11:47 PM (This post was last modified: 03-05-2012 11:53 PM by ryuu.)
Post: #17
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex walked around to the jugs out back and as he saw them. His jaw dropped. Alex was horrified at the thought of having to tediously scoop up and pour water from one jug to another jug. A task he was sure would take a full day at least, if he went non-stop at least. So Alex looked at the building behind him, shook his head, and with a pitiful look on his face, began to scoop water up from one jug and place it in the other.
Alex transfered the water slowly. He scooped up water, almost filling the cup, and slowly transferring it from a full jug to an empty jug. Alex did so for 2 and a half hours before he started getting frustrated and tried gscooping up the water as fast as he could, and transfering it as fast as he could. after 20 super fast transfers, Alex only got about one cup of water actually into the other jug. Needless to say this frustrated him even more and he clenched his left hand into a fist and lifted the cup up and prepared to slam it down, when he suddenly hear her words playing back in his mind "You need to learn how to contain your emotions, for they blind your ability to see clearly. Observation and intuition are two important resources, both of which are clouded ". He slowly lowered his hand and unclenched his other fist. Alex for the next 16 hours of the day poured water from one jug to another. He finished the first jug after a gruelling, and tedious day and night of work.
As Alex finished filling up the first jug, he looked to the second jug, and with the same determination he gained from the woman's words, he calmly filled the 2nd empty jug, cup full by cup full. Alex had filled the two jugs up for nearly two days now. It was the evening when he finally finished, and he was extremely tired. Alex fell asleep. One hand with the cup in the last jug, now full, and the other at his side. He lay peacefully with his back against the horrendously large jug.
(Let me know if you want anymore. I just wanted to finally get something up. SOOOO SORRY again about the wait)
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #18
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
(No problem. I admit I was starting to get a bit worried you had dropped on me, but its good to see you back again ^_^)
As first one day, then two passed, the warrior remained practically invisible while secluded inside of her small square room. He probably had no idea what she was doing during all this time and had little time to even consider it as he was working hard at the tedious task of transferring the water from one jug to the other. The land itself seemed to languish in soothing, lethargic slumber alongside the aged swordswoman as she meditated and sipped tea for most of those two days, time itself hanging as it were above with herself held constant. For her this seemed like a very small length of time in and of itself, as one would wait three minutes for cub ramen to cook in boiling water before enjoying. Even so, she seemed to recognize that he had finished his task and had not given up in frustration or anger, and so stepped out to speak with him.
"Before I assign you your next task... Tell me, what have you learned from all this?" she raised her left eyebrow slightly as she stood above him, her firm, authoritative face loomed over him with serenity and gravity. She appeared to be a strong proponent of learning by experience and by actions rather than by words, almost as if she knew he wouldn't simply take her words to heart even if she tried to instruct him in that manner.
Post: #19
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex slowly looked up, as the cool winter wind blew a calm breeze across his face, and saw the woman speaking to him. He heard her words, but it was more like his subconcious mind heard her, and informed his concious mind, which was dreadfully tired, and he said "Heh. I learned one of the reasons I lost for one. I also managed to learn just what you meant earlier, back after our little spar, whe you said observation, and intuition are important resources, and how my emotions cloud those resources. I learned as I poured the water slowly that I would never get done fast, so in frustration, I transfered the water as fast as I possibly could." Alex gave a small grin and said "After 2 minutes and 20 or so transfers of the water, I got barely a cups worth across. I realized then, that yeah. It's gonna be a while. But I also learned that it would be done when it was done, and that I can't anger myslef and get it done faster. There are things in life that are really rewarding... But you have to learn that many of those things, like Rome, are not made in a day" He smiled
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #20
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
"Exactly," the woman nodded, "The more frustrated you feel about a task, no matter how daunting, will only serve to make the task that much more tiresome and burdening. In everything you do, you must do it with patience and understanding and in the end you will reap the benefits of such both physically and mentally. This is also a symbol of your entire training under me. It will take years to complete your journey, but that does not make it worth the frustration of impatience to demand immediate results. Even as the tea cup holds some water but not much, every step we take together on this path will bring you a little closer to your goal even if it is hard to tell right away."
With that, she reached her hand out and took his in her own. Her fingers where soft and warm to the touch, the strength in her hand being tempered by the gentleness by which she extended it toward him as she helped him up. She then led him around the back of the small house where she had spent the last two days where stood a large metal drum containing warm water with soothing salts dissolved into it. She motioned to him to get in if he wished, then laid down a small bundle before heading back to the house.
"We will continue your training tomorrow morning... We will work on your speed and reaction time as my master taught me," she informed him and gave him some privacy by stepping inside and closing the door behind her, in case he wished to use the bath.
Post: #21
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex felt great as he breathed in the warm steam, as the women left the room. His tired, and sore body rejoiced and began to completely relax as the steam covered his achy muscles. He could only imagine how great it was going to feel when he finally got to bathe in the hot tub. He undressed slowly, his body still tired from his first trial in his new training.
When he finally pulled off the last of his clothes he placed both hands on the vat slowloy, so as to make sure his body adjusted, and that he wouldn't have to wait for it to cool at all. As he felt the tub, it was very hot, and normally he would've waited for the tub to cool, but his tired bidy convinced him otherwise. He raised his right leg slowly, and slowly put it into the tub. Savoring every moment of pleasure and relaxation, he put it all the way in the water, then did the same with his left leg. after that he slowloy let his body sink into the tub of water, still enjoying the perfect feeling from the warmth of the water and steam opening his pores, and slowly relaxes all of his tense muscles, one by one.
Alex felt better than he had felt in a long time. He of course knew he felt so good only bexause he had never been so physically stressed as he had just now. The pleasure he felt, and the warm comfort that surrounded his body was amplified so much more than normal, as instead of relaxing slightly after only stressing himself an average amount for a hard core trainer of the body, he had stressed his body and mind further than he could recall ever doing in his lifetime.
After enjoying simply sitting and resting Alex's mind began to drift as he grabbed a wash cloth, and some soap and started to was himself. Alex began to think back on the way she had so effortlessly struck down his asailants, and even more suprising to him was how pathetic she made him look by striking him down like he was a mere child. As he thought this, these thoughts drifted through his mind "Well I guess only being about 23 I would seem like a child in comparison to a 3,000 year old woman.". As he thought this he was simply thinking with no sarcastic attitude about what she had said, but he now looked back on it with a seriousness, and a painful curiosity he had yet to experience in his life. "Just who is this ancient woman who guards this shrine?".
Alex savored the pleasure of the bath for roughly 2 hours, and when he finally relaxed and was getting out, he recollected his thoughts from earlier, and decided that if this woman would ever teach him just who she was that he would have to accept the fate he had just had to acept when filling the monstrous jugs. The fate of knowing that he would one day be answered, but that he would have to accept also that in order to find out, he would have to take one miniscule step at a time.
Alex got dressed, and walked into the house after getting dressed for sleep, and found an empty bed that he happily filled. Alex knew that this would be hard, but he also realized just how rewarding it would be when he was finished. With these thoughts Alex drifted off into sleep as he waited for morning to come, along with a new lesson to train for.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #22
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
It was hardly even dawn, as the very first aura of light had just peaked above the distant horizon. The songbirds joined together in their morning music, announcing the coming of a new day as they had for generations upon generations. Alex's wake-up call, however, was much less subtle and much more abrupt.
The door to the room Alex was sleeping in suddenly slammed open, the force alone sufficient to shake the entire frame of the building. The distinct clang of high-quality steel resounded through the opening and the tip of a sword struck millimeters away from the side of Alex's head, slicing off some of his hair in the process. A black-robed figure held the hilt of the sword, a white mask pulled over his attacker's face. The person reached out and grasped him by the scruff of the neck, and whether he was awake or not, hurled him outside and into a shallow tub of cold water. The figure stepped out toward him, sword in hand which was swiftly sheathed, standing tall and firmly before him.
Post: #23
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
As Alex woke, he woke to the room shaking, and a loud noise, then before he realized qhat was happening, a sword struck, just missing his head. He felt his attacker grabbing him and throwing him almost immediatly after the sword struck. This all happening in the time he was attempting to gather himself to react to this attack.
Alex then found himself flung into a tub of very cold water which woke him up completely. Alex jumped out of the tub facing the masked person, and stooc behind the tub as he grabbed a decent sized rock in his right hand, and he then used his left to place in the tub and splash a large amount of water at the assailant, and threw the rock as hard as he could directly at the masked person.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
Post: #24
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Unfazed by the splash of water, Alex's attacker bent over backward, avoiding the rock entirely as the person performed a backflip and landed atop the building, feet firmly planted on the ceramic tiles. The figure then drew out two short needle-like weapons, each with thin yet strong line attached to the ends of them. Grasping them between the pointer and middle finger in each hand, the masked person threw them to Alex's left and right before letting out a lot of slack in the line. It was pretty clear what the person was intending to do next: swiftly bind him with the threads.
03-09-2012, 09:33 PM (This post was last modified: 03-09-2012 09:35 PM by ryuu.)
Post: #25
RE: A Petal Falls But Once (Ryuu&Wingshadow)
Alex stood astonished at what was happening before him, a strange figure leaping flawlessly onto a building after perfectly dodging the rock and not even having trouble seeing through the water he had hoped would at least provide some confusion. As Alex saw what he thought were senbon, he got a little worried and even more so when the sun reflected off the wire, and when they were launched at him he began to react.
By now, after being startled awake, quickly frightened, and woken up by ice cold water, Alex's body did what it always did in situations where his body finally recognizes something as an honest threat to his safety. It reacted. His mind and body in these situations were in a very useful kind of synch, far different than normal. His body was pumped full of adrenaline.
Alex in reaction to this immediate threat to his eyesight and well being, decided that he wasn't fast enough to dodge accurately, so he flung his arms in front of his eyes to block the senbon and caught them both in his arms. His right arm covering his left eye, and his left arm covering his left eye, crossing them in front of his face. Alex was using the pain stopping adrenaline to make sure his eyes were safe. He then grabbed the wires, the wire attached to the senbon in his left arm with his right, and the wire from the senbon in his right arm with his left hand, and gave a mighty pull in hopes of pulling the assailant down, and held the wires tight ripping the needles out of his arms, and grabbing them, threw one where the strange person would be falling, the other he kept hold of tight, as one might hold a small knife, and then began to rotate the wire from the senbon he still held in a manner that was designed to entangle or frustrate his attacker.
As we walk through an endless night all we may hope to do is survive until the sun rises to show us the way
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text: Residents Share Thoughts On Superintendent Qualties By Robert Eccles • Jan 17, 2013 TweetShareGoogle+Email Thursday night's public forum on the qualities folks want to see in a superintendent for the unified Willow Run-Ypsilanti school district was slightly better attended than Wednesday night's meeting on possible names for the district. WEMU's Bob Eccles has the story. Michigan Leadership Institute President and C.E.O. Dr. Michael Wilmot leads a discussion on qualities desired in a superintendent. Credit Bob Eccles Listen Listening... / Listen to Bob's report here. Tags: educationYpsilantiwillow runconsolidationTweetShareGoogle+EmailView the discussion thread.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Celebrities Who Rocked The Big Hair Look And Pulled It Off (Now And Then)
It's hard to believe that Jon Bon Jovi of the band Bon Jovi is 50 years old today. It's also hard to believe that I know these random bits of information. I am who the makers of Trivial Pursuit the pop culture edition were thinking about when they created the game. I'm not sure if I should be proud or embarrassed.
Although the 80's fashion could have been either hit or miss, it was the big hair that still keeps many people up at night. Or at least me anyway, especially when I whip out my class photos from when I was 10 – yikes!
It's been several years — almost more like two decades — since Bon Jovi donned that hairstyle that so many of us tried to perfect back when, well for most of us, were kids. But for others, the 80's never really died. Why? Because frankly they were awesome.
Here are some celebrities in their heyday sporting the big hair, and others who never really got the memo that it was time to take their hair volume down a few notches, but still somehow made it work (sort of.)


text: The site GigaOM is picking up its games coverage again, and kicks off with an article speculating on just what EA was thinking when it purchased BioWare and Pandemic. On the face of it, the move doesn't make much sense. BioWare is a great development house, but from EA's perspective their games are 'small potatoes'. "So why did they spend so much? The acquisition includes several titles for the Wii and DS already in development, and those may have breakout potential. There's tremendous gamer buzz around BioWare's upcoming RPG Mass Effect, but in all likelihood, it'll do similar numbers to the studio's million-plus-selling Knights of the Old Republic -- a hit, but not a huge one. There are rumors that BioWare is developing a 'Star Wars'-themed MMO, but if that's what inspired the purchase, the mystery only deepens: Sony Online's (SNE) MMO Star Wars Galaxies was a disappointment in relation to cost and anticipation, and that was released at the height of the buzz over a movie franchise that's since become old news."


text:
REQUIRED TEXTS: A. Haddad, Probabilistic Systems and Random Signals , Prentice Hall, 1 st edition
REFERENCE TEXTS: None
COURSE COORDINATOR: Abraham Haddad
COURSE GOALS: To teach students the basic concepts of probability theory and statistics, random variables, conditional distributions, and correlation as they arise in engineering signal and systems models.
PREREQUISITE: Mathematics 234
Week 1: Techniques for Summarizing and Simulating Data, Sample Space.
How data is represented, models for random experiments, sample space, basic definition of probability.
Week 2: Basic Probability Concepts - Conditional Probability, Bayes' Rule.
Conditional probability and independence, Bayes' rule, applications to error models and reliability.
Week 3: Random Variables - Models of Random Variables and Distributions.
Distributions, discrete and continuous, basic engineering examples.
Week 4: Averages, Functions, and Various Important Distributions.
Averages, functions of random variables, conditional distributions, applications to signals, systems and networks.
Week 5: Joint Random Variables, Independence .
Joint densities and distributions, basic discrete and continuous examples, independent random variables.
Week 6: Functions of Random Variables, Correlation.
Sum of two random variables, functions of two random variables, averages and correlation, applications to the processing of signals.
Week 7: Gaussian Random Variables.
Joint Gaussian Random variables, applications to signals and noise, Rayleigh distribution, envelope of sinusoidal signals.
Week 8: Multiple Random Variables, Central Limit Theorem, Simulation.
Independent multiple random variables, sums of random variables, law of large numbers, central limit theorem, Monte Carlo simulation, applications to signals and systems.
Week 9: Basic statistics and applications in engineering.
Data analysis; sample mean and sample variance; histograms; convergence of sample mean.
Week 10: Introduction to Random Processes.
Basic definitions of discrete-time and continuous time random signals, sample paths, autocorrelation function, second-order properties, applications to signals and noise.
COMPUTER USAGE: Matlab Assignments
LABORATORY PROJECTS: None
- Homework - 20%
- Matlab Assignments - 10%
- Midterm - 30%
- Final - 40%
COURSE OBJECTIVES: When a student completes this course, s/he should be able to:
• Understand the basic concepts of probability and how they arise in engineering systems.
• Analyze systems involving uncertainties using random variable models.
• Understand the concepts of distributions, correlation, and other averaging properties.
• Design systems for extracting useful information from noisy data.
• Design simple reliable engineering systems in the presence of errors and failures.
• Understand the basic elements of statistics and analysis of data.
ABET CONTENT CATEGORY: 50% Math and Basic Science, 50% Engineering.


text: Did anyone watch this tonight? Spoiler below... This dumb, crooked toof, yokel actually believed that Miss Teen USA, Playboy model and reality TV personality, Kari Anne Peniche, was in love with him. It was some broad he want to high school who has been honing her fake personalites and multiple onlike profiles since 2004. She talks to multiple men on the phone on a daily basis pretending to be other people.


text:
Yes, the bridal gown will garner all of the attention of the guests, but don't forget all of the other fashion and beauty items necessary to complete your look on the big day.
Print out and keep this checklist handy while you plan and pack for your event.
For the Bride
___ Wedding gown - allow at least 6 weeks for alterations!
___ Wedding veil
___ Slip/petticoat
___ Lingerie
___ Headpiece
___ Handbag
___ Gloves
___ Jewelry
___ Stockings - be sure to have your maid of honor carry an extra pair in case of runs!
___ Garter
___ Shoes - remember to break them in well before the wedding or have a pair of more comfortable shoes to change into later on in the reception!
___ Make up – unless your make up artist will be there with you throughout the event, it is a good idea to purchase products such as lipsticks and blushes that you might need for touchups later in the night.
___ Nails – if you can, have a professional manicure and pedicure the day of or the day before your wedding to complete your picture-perfect look.
*Don't forget to incorporate something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue!
For the Groom
The groom's attire is generally determined by the formality of the wedding. It can range from a business suit and dress tie to a tuxedo with tails. The list below should keep your man covered, no matter what his style:
___ Dress shirt or tuxedo shirt
___ Suit or Trousers and jacket
___ Tie (bow, ascot or straight)
___ Cummerbund or Vest Socks
___ Shoes – tell him to break in as well!
___ Cufflinks
___ Studs
If renting tuxedos, they should be reserved several weeks before the wedding and picked up a few days before the wedding. This will allow for last minute corrections or alterations. If your groomsmen do not live in your area, measurements can be taken at any tuxedo shop and faxed to your particular shop.
*To save money, consider allowing the guys to wear their own shoes. As long as they have a similar finish and are appropriate for the look, this is something none of your guests will notice and will probably make for very happy groomsmen.
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text:
MLB Notebook: Span sparking Nationals' late run
Washington's push for Wild Card spot coincided with start of leadoff man's hit streak
By Roger Schlueter 9/18/2013 10:33 A.M. ET
On Aug. 16 -- a day with an overflowing slate of 16 games -- the Nationals lost, 3-2, in 10 innings to the Braves.
During the loss -- one that put the Nats at 59-62 and 9 1/2 games behind the Reds for the second Wild Card slot in the National League -- leadoff hitter Denard Span took an 0-for-5. It was the 35th time he had collected at least one official at-bat but ended his day with no hits.
Since then, Span has not added a game to that tally. And the Nationals, who looked all but out of it, have reeled in 22 wins in 30 games to thrust themselves back into the postseason conversation, 4 1/2 games behind the Reds, with 11 games remaining on Washington's schedule.
In Washington's doubleheader Tuesday vs. Atlanta, Span went 1-for-4 in each contest to extend his hitting streak to 28 games. The run is the longest in the Majors this season (surpassing Michael Cuddyer's 27-game streak in May-June) and stands as the third longest in Expos/Nationals history, behind Vladimir Guerrero's 31-game streak in 1999 and Ryan Zimmerman's 30-game run in 2009. Span has batted .378 during his streak.
In the Nationals' 4-0 win in Game 2 of their doubleheader sweep, Zimmerman hit his 25th home run of the season. Zimmerman has 10 home runs in September, tying Tim Wallach in 1985 and Adam LaRoche in 2012 for the second most for the franchise in a September/October.
Lucky No. 51
The Orioles defeated the Red Sox, 3-2, with Manny Machado collecting double No. 51 and Chris Davis launching his 51st home run of the year.
Machado's 51 doubles tie him with Pete Rose in 1978 and Wade Boggs in '89 for the third most for a third baseman. George Kell hit 56 in '50, while Jeff Cirillo tallied 53 in 2000.
Machado's 68th extra-base hit broke him out of a tie with Mickey Mantle (1952) and Orlando Cepeda ('58), giving him sole possession of sixth place for the most extra-base hits in history for a player in his age-20 or younger season. Machado needs three more to catch Frank Robinson (1956) for the fifth most.
Davis's 51st home run:
Gives him the most in Brewers/Browns/Orioles history, surpassing the 50 from Brady Anderson in 1996.
Ties him with five others for the 32nd-most home runs in a season. The others with 51: Johnny Mize (1947), Ralph Kiner ('47), Willie Mays ('55), Cecil Fielder ('90) and Andruw Jones (2005).
Gives him 92 extra-base hits, which ties him with Anderson in 1996 for the most in franchise history. Eleven others (besides Davis and Anderson) have had 92 extra-base hits -- a figure stands as the 46th most in history.
Redbirds swing big lumber
The Cardinals collected 18 hits -- the second time in the past three games they've amassed at least 18 -- and defeated the Rockies, 11-4, to regain sole possession of first place in the NL Central.
Some notes on some of that hitting:
Yadier Molina collected his 40th double of the year, making him the second Cardinals backstop in franchise history to have that many in a season. In 1978, Ted Simmons had 40.
Matt Holliday collected his 30th double and 20th home run as part of a four-hit night. Holliday has 653 career extra-base hits -- the 20th-highest total for any player in history through his first 10 seasons.
With Holliday collecting his 50th and 51st extra-base hits of the season, the Cardinals have four players with at least 50 (Matt Carpenter, Molina and Carlos Beltran are the other three). They and the Orioles are the only two teams so far with four players to reach the half-century mark.
Carpenter had three hits, scored three runs and drove in a pair. He has scored 119 runs, has 75 RBIs and has collected 68 extra-base hits for the season. He is the 18th modern-era second baseman to reach each of those three totals, and the first Cardinals second-sacker to do it since Rogers Hornsby in 1925.
Quintana rewarded for solid work
White Sox southpaw Jose Quintana allowed a run in six innings and improved to 8-6 on the season in a 4-3 win over the Indians. Quintana, who has endured (according to the White Sox's media notes) an American League record 17 no-decisions this season, lowered his ERA to 3.49, good for a 125 ERA+.
The White Sox have -- with Quintana and Chris Sale -- two pitchers with an ERA+ of at least 120, at least 25 starts and fewer than 12 wins. Since 1901, five teams have been able to make this claim at the end of the season:
1972 Cubs: Bill Hands and Burt Hooton
1990 Expos: Oil Can Boyd and Dennis Martinez
2003 D-backs: Miguel Batista and Brandon Webb
2009 Dodgers: Clayton Kershaw and Randy Wolf
2010 Mets: R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana
Here and there
Josh Donaldson's single in the bottom of the ninth gave the A's a 2-1 win over the Angels and gave Oakland's third baseman his third hit of the night. Donaldson has 275 total bases this season, and he has added 69 walks to his line. This is the third time in franchise history a third baseman has reached those two baselines. Sal Bando, in 1969 and '73, had the first two such seasons.
In the first game of Atlanta's doubleheader vs. Washington, Evan Gattis clubbed his 20th home run, becoming the 52nd first-year player to reach that number. Among the group, Gattis' 5.92 HR percentage (20 home runs in 338 plate appearances) is among the top five. Those with higher marks: Wally Berger, Bob Horner, Kevin Maas and Ryan Braun.
In the Padres' 5-2 win over the Pirates, Jedd Gyorko went 3-for-5 with his 19th home run. Gyorko is one of four first-year second basemen to hit at least 19, joining Dan Uggla (27 in 2006), Joe Gordon (25 in 1938) and Alexei Ramirez (21 in 2008).
Tigers righty Anibal Sanchez fanned 10 in 6 1/3 innings vs. the Mariners on Tuesday, marking the third straight game Detroit got at least 10 strikeouts from its starter. The Tigers have 17 games this season in which their starter has struck out at least 10. Those 17 tie Detroit with the 1967 Twins, '71 Tigers and '98 Mariners for the 10th-most games by an AL team since '16.
Seattle's Raul Ibanez hit his 28th home run of the season to tie Barry Bonds (28 homers in his age-42 season in 2007) for the second most in history for a player in an age-41 or older season. Ibanez and Bonds sit behind Ted Williams and his 29 homers in his age-41 season in 1960.


text:
What America's Most Vulnerable Need: A Bill of Rights for the Homeless
Editor's Note: In the next 10 days AlterNet will be launching an in-depth special coverage series on a wide range of stories addressing the shameful levels of growing inequality, poverty and homelessness in our nation. This interview is a preview of the topics we will be addressing. Veteran reporter Evelyn Nieves, who has covered these issues for a range of publications, will be contributing to the series.
Homeless shelters began opening en masse three decades ago, but the crisis is only getting worse. In a survey of 25 cities from every region of the country, the U.S. Conference of Mayors found more than half are experiencing a spike in homelessness. A majority of the cities said families seeking shelter were turned away for lack of space and that they expect an increase in homeless families. Yet more and more cities are addressing homelessness not by creating housing, but by banning activities such as sitting, sleeping or lying down in public, effectively making being homeless illegal.
This year, advocates for the homeless are fighting back. Until new policies and programs address the causes of homelessness–a lack of affordable housing, lagging incomes that have not kept pace with rising housing costs and the severe cuts in housing assistance programs for the poor—the nation must stop treating our most downtrodden fellow humans like criminals.
Last June, Rhode Island became the first state in the nation to pass a Homeless Bill of Rights, banning discrimination against homeless Rhode Islanders and asserting their right to use public parks, transportation and buildings like anyone else. In California, a Homeless Persons' Bill of Rights and Fairness Act (AB 5) was introduced last month by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, a San Francisco Democrat, Similar bills are expected to be introduced in several other states, including Massachusetts and Oregon.
Paul Boden, an advocate for poor and homeless people for 30 years, helped draft the California legislation as organizing director of the Western Regional Advocacy Project (WRAP), a coalition of homeless advocacy groups from several Western states. Boden will be criss-crossing the region and the country in the coming months, working with groups hoping to help draft homeless rights bills.
For Boden, who co-founded the San Francisco Coalition on Homelessness 25 years ago, ordinances designed to drive homeless people from public spaces are akin to laws that once discriminated against African Americans, Japanese Americans and the disabled. At a time when even cities considered liberal and tolerant have laws curbing the activities of the unhoused, homeless rights bills are likely to face tough public opposition. TheCalifornia measure, for example, would grant legal protection to homeless people engaged "in life-sustaining activities on public property," including sleeping, panhandling, urinating and "collecting and possessing good for recycling, even if those goods contain alcoholic residue."
Editorial writers have sneered at the bill. The San Francisco Chronicle called it "a non-starter … an absurd reaction to restrictions on homeless conduct and tough-love ideas." The Merced Sun-Star called it a "nightmare scenario." But Boden says that by putting the laws that criminalize homeless people in a historical context and exposing how they do nothing to solve homelessness but much to demonize society's most stigmatized members, the bills could turn the national discussion around. He spoke about the Homeless Bill of Rights strategy advocates are planning to use to force cities into moving the discussion away from homelessness as a public nuisance and toward solutions to homelessness.
Evelyn Nieves: Why a Homeless Bill of Rights?
Paul Boden: The Homeless Bill of Rights is an attempt on our part to validate in law that people regardless of their housing status have a right to exist in public space. More and more and more, we see private security, business improvement districts and policing programs with sit-lie or loitering or jaywalking or sleeping or park closures, where it really has come down to we don't want you in this community.
In the outreach that we did to over 850 homeless people in 13 cities, by far, sleeping, loitering and sitting on the sidewalk are the major offenses homeless people say they are committing. I'm talking 82 percent of the people say they were harassed, cited or arrested for sleeping, 77 percent for loitering.
We did a bunch of research and looked back at a lot of old laws: the Jim Crow laws, the Ugly Laws. They used local ordinances, they used state misdemeanors to target a specific sub-segment of the community. There were sundown laws where you were literally told: "Don't let the sun come down on you." You could come in during the day and work as a laborer, but when the sun came down, so did you. We have historic images: "Hey, Jap, don't let the sun come down on you." That was Northern California. Or, "Hey, nigger, don't let the sun come down on you." That was Southern California. They were very direct and very specific.
The Ugly Laws were about disabled people in public spaces. The first city to pass the law was 1867 in San Francisco; the last city to take it off their books was in the 1970s in Chicago. And just what we see with the sit-lie laws, these laws spread from town to town. …
So this reactionary approach by local governments criminalizing the presence of a specific subset of a community has a long history in this country. It has different names but every 30 or 40 years we seem to go through this cycle.
Today, it's homeless people; tomorrow it's going to be someone else. And so our attempt now is to do the public education work, to show people that we have a history of doing this. Not only is our attempt to stop the criminalization of poor and homeless people today, but to create law that says never again are we going to let you create local laws that discriminate against a specific set of the community. No one could sit there and tell us, "Oh, that wouldn't happen." Well, it has happened before, it's happening now and it sure as hell is going to happen again unless we proactively do something to make sure that it doesn't happen.
Nieves: About the California Bill of Rights: You acknowledge that the bill is likely to be amended several times over. But as it is written, it would prohibit bans on public urination and sleeping on stoops. That doesn't seem likely to survive the amendment process, does it? People will say they don't want people urinating in front of them or sleeping in front of their property. Or they don't want someone panhandling in front of their business.
Boden: Then let's deal with poverty, let's deal with homelessness, let's deal with whatever the issue is … but to say that I don't want to see this person therefore I'm going to create laws that makes this person's presence illegal.
Part of our bill calls for hygiene centers, to be connected to health centers that already exist. We don't want people urinating or defecating on the streets. I would agree with that. We want to create healthy, housed, hygienic communities. We're all for that.
So let's open up alternatives, and then if the person chooses not to access the alternatives, then, well, dude, you're on your own. But right now, if someone's got to go to the bathroom, they've go to go to the bathroom. It's not easy to find a public restroom, one that's not "for customers only." If we're going to make it illegal for people to perform that life-sustaining activity, you can't just say to them, "Hold it in." That doesn't work. If we're going to make it illegal, it's just humane to say, "Here's an alternative."
I've been to shower centers and they have long lists every day of people who wait for hours and hours to take a shower. It's not that people don't want to take a shower, it's that there ain't nothing there for them. I was just in Portland and there was a four-hour wait for a shower program. So it's not that people don't want to be clean…. We create that alternative and voila! Just like we build housing and sure as hell people will fill it….
I'll never forget HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development) doing a two-year, $4 million study that found that families that had Section 8 vouchers where they could afford a place to live–98 percent were in that housing two years later. Duh! This is not rocket science.
We're 27 years, 30 years, into our homeless programs — that's disgusting. That is absolutely disgusting … because we know the cause and effects.
Nieves: Why do you believe there is still so much homelessness?
Boden: The massive $54 billion a year — a year! — in cuts in affordable housing programs; the 30,000 to 100,000 units a year of rural housing that are no longer being developed; the mortgaging off of our public housing stock; the demolition of our public housing stock; the 900,000 units of Section 8 housing that have disappeared. These are cause and effect. When you take funding away, when you take units off the market from people that are incredibly poor, you are going to create homelessness. It is as true as any recipe you could ever get from any cookbook. That's the recipe for homelessness. That is cause and effect. This started in 1979 and the cuts really came in 1982, and the spring of 1983 is when we started building homeless shelters in this country. Cause and effect. It's clear.
Nieves: Why isn't the focus on building or creating affordable housing?
Boden: You'll hear: "Oh we can't afford it, we can't afford an entitlement." But we're allowing $120 billion a year in homeowner mortgage deductions. So we can afford it. We can make it equitable, we can make sure that we add housing as a right, and we choose not to do that.
Nieves: You co-created the Western Regional Advocacy Project — WRAP — seven years ago after leading the San Francisco Coalition for the Homeless for nearly 20 years. Why?
Boden:WRAP was an attempt by a bunch of local organizations on the West Coast–we were going to be one of several regional offices of a national endeavor to combat homelessness. The national endeavor didn't play out, but the West Coast groups said to hell with it, we want to create a voice that speaks to our issues … and that speaks to what we see is the simplicity and the directness of what the alternatives are.
If we can make it so that local governments lose the option of merely finding punitive and criminal programs in order to get rid of homeless people, we can begin working with them on solutions. But so long as we allow local governments to use the police to use outreach teams connected to punitive programs, to use business improvement districts that have "ambassadors" to remove homeless people, nothing will get done. Right now, how we're approaching it in this country is to say if we can make it disappear, we've solved the problem. And we say this is inhumane, unconscionable.
This Homeless Bill of Rights will not eliminate homelessness, it will eliminate one arm–the policing, punitive aspect of dealing with the problem.
Rhode Island's version of the Homeless Bill of Rights does not stop the criminalization. It has important pieces. But they did not go into the depth of eliminating the punitive laws in order to shepherd that bill through. We have the first version which is almost identical to ours, and as it got amended as it got watered down.
We're now talking with 20 groups throughout Massachusetts to talk about doing a bill there. Oregon is already working with us. By the end, we'll have something all the states can use. The bills will be different. Hopefully our messaging and our outreach will get tighter and tighter as we go from state to state.
Nieves: Do you find a lack of urgency about homelessness when you travel the country?
Boden: The assessment of homelessness on a broad scale is that it's worse than it has ever been and the sense of urgency that this is a crisis is gone. It's become a welfare problem. I don't think that the sense or urgency is gone from the organizing side. WRAP is seven years old. We've got over 800 downloads of our organizing tool-kit, we're educating statewide housing groups. I don't see that the organizers have any less sense of urgency. But I think that for whatever reason there is a locked in assumption on the local government level that the days that government might actually expend money on solutions are gone. Government should want people to be educated and healthy and housed. Why wouldn't government say we're only as healthy as the weakest person in our community?
Every day the shelters are full. Every day 300 people got to the Mission Neighborhood Resource Center to get a bed. People start lining up at 2 in the morning. That's how much people are trying to get some kind of assistance.
San Francisco's homeless program started in 1982. Hey dude, it's been 30 years! The idea that 30 years later all these homeless people don't want to access these services that keep turning people away are just lame excuses. Everybody can point to somebody who doesn't access services because they'd like to make it about the individual. But those who refuse are the exceptions.
We didn't have a homeless program prior to 1982. What is different about us? I don't believe our DNA is different…What is different is that housing, money and assistance for the poor have disappeared. Since 1995, 360,000 units of public housing have been lost. The Dept. of Education says we've topped a million homeless children in our nation's schools. So many people are dying in the street. So many people are beating each other up over their conditions on the streets. They can keep trying to put this under a rock, but it's imploding.
Evelyn Nieves is a freelance writer living in San Francisco. She has been a reporter for both the New York Times and the Washington Post.


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Gainward GTX 560 Phantom is almost 19cm long and it sports high performance Phantom series cooler.
Gainward's new card is 2.5 slots wide whereas the reference card is two slots wide.
Phantom cooler comes with 4 heatpipes and two 80mm fans. The fans are placed inside the large heatsink so a glance at the card would suggest that the card is passively cooled.
The fans are very quiet so we guess there would be no harm in assuming that.
As far as video outs go, Gainward decided to go with one dual link DVI, HDMI and VGA out. Note that only two video outs can be used simultaneously.
Reference GTX 560 card comes with two dual-link DVIs and a mini HDMI connector so if you're keen on using the standard HDMI, you'll need the mini-HDMI-to-HDMI adapter.
GTX 560 comes with one SLI connector. This means you can combine up to two GTX 560 cards in SLI mode for improved performance or image quality settings.
The card has two 6-pin PCI-Express power connectors.
The Gainward Geforce GTX 560 Phantom uses 1024 MB video memory. The chips used are K4G10325FE-HC04 parts from Samsung. They are specified to run at 1250 MHz (5000 MHz GDDR5 effective).
OnSemi's NCP5395T is a cost-effective voltage regulator. It does not offer I2C voltage control, but VID based control is available through API in NVIDIA's driver.


text:
The Institute communicates its scientific and educational information in a number of ways. One major outlet is peer-reviewed publications and reports. Cary Institute staff regularly publish in the best-rated journals in their respective fields.
Export 3 results:Sort by: Author [ Title] Type Year
Filters: Author is Pierson, D. C. [Clear All Filters]
An automated method to monitor lake ice phenology", Limnol. Oceanogr. Methods, 2011., "
Automatic High Frequency Monitoring for Improved Lake and Reservoir Management", Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 50, no. 20, p. 10780 - 10794, 2016., "
Ecosystem Effects of a Tropical Cyclone on a Network of Lakes in Northeastern North America", Environmental Science & Technology, vol. 46, no. 21, p. 11693 - 11701, 2012., "


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Colorado wildfire threatening 'numerous homes'
Colorado wildfire threatening 'numerous homes'
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Authorities say a 40-acre wildfire burning in gusty winds and warm weather in northern Colorado was threatening homes near Fort Collins and has caused about 50 people to leave the area.
Smoke from the fire was visible 60 miles away in the north Denver suburbs today. Fire spokesman Capt. Patrick Love says the blaze was burning just outside Lory State Park west of Fort Collins.
The fire comes as much of the state is dealing with drought conditions after a relatively dry winter and a deadly wildfire season last year.
Temperatures reached into the 70s along Colorado's Front Range but cooler weather was expected Saturday.
The Larimer County Sheriff's office says one structure has been affected by the fire, but officials don't know the extent of the damage or whether the structure was a house.
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You'd be hard-pushed to find a better harmonica player than Karl Steven in our fair country - not only does he have the technical chops, but also a melodicism that's as expressive as any vocalist, and a soulful groove that could have come straight out of the southern States.
His reputation for creating whip-smart, energetic tracks (in both Supergroove and the Drab Doo Riffs) is well known, and when Steven combines his harmonica and stompbox with the intoxicating, smokey vocals of Caoimhe Macfehin (also in the DDR), and the jangling, bluesy, pulsing guitar strumming of Kristal G, the result is a heady, spinning album experience, that ranges from cheeky and carefree to grindingly heartbroken. It's a simple combination, but it's all they need to run the gamut of human emotion.
Finger-snapping hoe-downs Spit It Out and Don't Waste My Time will surely be party tracks, while Too Hot Blues captures a careless sunny day hangover/walk of shame perfectly.
Troubles is one of the most unsentimental torch songs you're likely to hear, and Living In Hell so evocatively self-pitying it feels like you've walked into a saloon to find three sorry-looking gunmen drowing their sorrows; but as Steven's harmonica grows more scorching and Macfehin's voice grows heavier, the sadness becomes all the more sincere.
* This review was incorrectly published with 3.5 stars in the TimeOut section today, it should have been given 4.5 stars, our apologies.
Stars: 4.5/5
Verdict: Simple yet scorching.
Click here to buy a copy of Heart Attack Alley's new album, Living In Hell.


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First things first release Scott, Pace, Tebow, Smith(OL), and Pouha.
Second...don't resign Greene, Moore, Slauson, Schilens, and Thomas
Third....Trade Sanchez to Seattle for Flynn. One bad contract for another. Better for both players careers.
Fourth...Try to resign Landry, Bell, Keller, Hillard, Edwards, and Folk
Fifth....Draft best available RB or OLB in round one and two. We need a stud at both positions. Third round go OL. Fourth round go QB. Fifth round OL or OLB same for 6th round.
Sixth....Feel out Revis and if an amicable deal is not going to happen deal him for at least a 1st and 3rd.
Seventh.....Round out the roster with Free agents and undrafted free agents.
What do you think?
Will not be a rebuild we don't have the cap for a rebuild.
If u are going to rebuild, then tear down the team and rebuild it. The Jets don't have the cap space to reshape the team, so the best plan of attack is to rebuild.
Get rid of all the big non performing contracts and a few players who have value around the league.
I know how valuable Jets fans believe Revis and Ferguson are to the Jets,but with this team the way it is,i say trade them both and move on from them and their contracts.
Move up in drafts to get players we like and make splashes in free agency. It's a win win. Owner sells PSLs and fans get the players we missed when we drafted "___, tight end from...".
That means we will have this guy around for atleast another 2 yrs on a team that doesn't need him watching his value decline even more than it already has. Why not shop him to the Bears for their 1st and give them someone to protect the blind side of Jay Cutler.
With our 2 1st rounders,we can draft his replacement at 9, another lineman with the 1st we get from the bears and both those players will cost us less than Brick will over this contract and his next.
With our 2nd round pick we can draft eith our RB,or an OLBer. Heck,we might be able to rebuild the entire OL in 1 draft . If we're able to trade Revis also, we could even get a potential QB to groom for the future in someone like Bray or Dysert or whoever might be ur favorite.
how about including 2014? this team is in dire straits from top to bottom.the only thing good coming from this is the draft.lets hope and pray that the jets make the right changes.
In 2016 we only have two players under contract Nick Mangold and D'Brickshaw Fergeson. It does not make any sense to move either player unless they are willing to tear up their contracts in exchange for their freedom. Even then both players are so good at what they do and so difficult to replace that it is not worth it.
I would also suggest that any player that is on a rookie contract, a restricted free agent, or an exclusive free agent is worth keeping.
The reason Revis is tradeable (once he proves to be healthy) is that he can not be franchised and can walk in a couple years with us getting nothing in return. His current salary is fairly low as well.


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Second Varsity Eight; Varsity Four Advance To Petite Final
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GOLD RIVER, Calif. – If the semifinals are any indication, Sunday's varsity eight grand final at the NCAA Championships should be memorable. Less than four seconds separated the top-five semifinal times. Yale figures to be right in the mix. The Bulldogs won their semi, finishing with a course record time of 6:16.54, which was just four-tenths-of-a-second faster than second-place California and a little more than a second better than third-place Virginia.
"It should be anybody's race," said Yale head coach Will Porter. "I think there are at least five crews that could win."
Princeton (6:18.76), Stanford (6:20.12) and USC (6:24.01) advanced from the second semifinal. The grand final is set for 11:45 a.m. PDT on Sunday.
After allowing Stanford to overtake them late in the opening heat on Friday, the Bulldogs used a strong finish to win their semifinal. Yale was third with 500 meters to go but rallied to overtake both California and Virginia.
"I liked the way we raced," Porter said. "We didn't get flustered by the intensity. It will take that kind of performance [in the grand final]."
Yale will be looking to win its third NCAA varsity eight title in the last four years.
In the boat for the Bulldogs is Dara Dickson, Stephanie Madner, Catherine Hart, Caroline Nash, Maren McCrea, Alice Henly, Tess Gerrand, Taylor Ritzel and coxswain Mia Kanak.
"It's going to be a high-paced race," Porter said of the grand final. "We're going to have to stay calm and look for an opening."
Yale's second varsity and varsity four both advanced to the petite final by virtue of sixth-place finishes in their respective semifinals. The second varsity of Catherine McDermott, Mary Jo Toothman, Kathryn D'Andrea, Natalie King, Armine Afeyan, Kathleen O'Keefe, Allix Wilde, Eliza Hastings and coxswain Sarah Brownlee had a time of 6:46.82. Brown, Virginia and California were the top three finishers and move on to the grand final.
"I'm a little disappointed that the second varsity wasn't able to stay in the race, but tomorrow is a new day and they have to learn to come back," Porter said. "I expect them to stay in the mix [on Sunday] and race to their potential."
The second varsity will race at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday.
The varsity four of Amanda Grady, Alexandra Fields, Elizabeth McDermott, Mary Pat Wixted and coxswain Erica Segall was third after 500 meters. Stanford and Brown overtook them at the midway point, and the Bulldogs couldn't recover.
"They are learning," Porter said of his varsity four that has only one senior in it. "Racing crews of this caliber is a good lesson for them."
The varsity four petite final is scheduled for 10 a.m.
Video of Sunday's races is available here.
Report filed by Tim Bennett, Yale Sports Publicity


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About this paper
Recent research indicates security professionals are showing steady progress in using analytics to process their big data. But the SANS Institute's 2015 Analytics and Intelligence Survey, which queried 476 participants from a broad range of industries, organization sizes and IT security budgets, also reveals where challenges persist. This white paper explores the survey results in detail and examines the possibilities that lie ahead in security intelligence.
About SAS
SAS is the leader in analytics. Through innovative analytics, business intelligence and data management software and services, SAS helps customers at more than 83,000 sites make better decisions faster. Since 1976, SAS has been giving customers around the world THE POWER TO KNOW®.
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Mar 31, 2013
By Tessa Dufresne
As the first spring semester reaches its last weeks, Ohio University students prepare for one of the most famous weekends on the bricks: Moms Weekend.
For the 13th consecutive year, many duos will kick off their weekend with University Program Council's annual Moms Walk for the Cure on Saturday, April 6 from 9 to 11 a.m. The morning-long event is filled with refreshments, musical performances, a keynote speaker and the tribute walk around campus.
"So often Moms Weekend is deemed a time to party with your mom, so UPC enjoys hosting an event that gives students the opportunity to do something meaningful and fun with their moms," said UPC's University Events Executive Jena Green.
The yearly event typically raises about $10,000 for donation to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a global nonprofit movement to end breast cancer.
"The Columbus affiliate of Susan G. Komen said Ohio University's Moms Walk is one of the biggest donations their office sees throughout the year, which is an honor," said Green. "We're looking forward to upholding that tradition."
To keep the venerable program fresh, the programming board introduces new concepts each year. Before the walk begins, participants can snap commemorative photographs in the digital photo booth. The pictures will be uploaded directly to UPC's Facebook page for individuals to share with their social networks while promoting the cause. Walkers can decorate a pink breast cancer ribbon to wear on the walk or keep as a reminder. Muffins and coffee, donated by Women in Philanthropy, will be available to snack on, as attendees peruse the silent auction tables.
There will also be performances by Athens Black Contemporary Dancers, New Chords on the Block and Title IX and a keynote address from Donna Fugo-Kumler.
At the walk's start at 10 a.m., participants can release biodegradable pink balloons to celebrate the event and honor the lives of those affected by breast cancer.
"So many people come up to me expressing how much they appreciate Moms Walk because someone in their family or someone they knew had breast cancer," said Green. "It's really a significant event for Ohio University and I don't think there would be any mom who would not be interested in supporting this cause."
Everyone is invited to participate in the Moms Walk.
Participants can register online until the date of the event, outside of Baker University Center Monday, April 1 through Friday, April 5, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. or at Charles J. Ping Recreation Center starting at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 6. Tickets are $15, which includes a T-shirt, food, performances and the walk.
For more information, contact Jena Green at email@example.com.


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I'm Brooke Rayder and I'll be bringing you the news and notes from Georgetown's Patriot League Championship Game against Lehigh today from Goodman Stadium in Bethlehem, Pa. I'm sure you are at home anxiously awaiting the 12:30 kick-off from your homes (unless you're here). Make sure you are tuning into today's free live audio webcast featuring Chuck Timanus and Ryan Sakamoto. If you have to step away from the blog or the broadcast you can also get updates by following Hoyas_Football on Twitter.
It's a beautiful day for Patriot League football in Bethlehem, Pa. Sunny, breezy, around 50 degrees, the last of the fall foliage is flying around on the field.
A little bit about the series: Lehigh leads 11-5, and 10-0 since Georgetown joined the Patriot League in 2001. The last Georgetown win against Lehigh was in 1925, with a 40-0 victory for the Hoyas.
You know what the Hoyas haven't had in 86 years? A chance to control their bid to the Division I FCS Championship. With a rushing defense that ranks 7th in the nation, the Hoyas look to stop a Lehigh offense that averages 491 yards per game.
Robert McCabe and Andrew Schaetzke are up to the task. Schaetzke has 11.5 sacks this season, leading the Patriot League. McCabe had 13 tackles in the win against Fordham last week, and 119 total on the season. I guarantee you Ryan Sakamoto could not throw down that many tackles in the Sports Information Department.
So here we are, getting ready for the starting line-ups! Make sure to click for more information as the game gets going.


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Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, my lurker friend!
|Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, an unparalleled Subaru community full of the greatest Subaru gurus and modders on the planet! We offer technical information and discussion about all things Subaru, the best and most popular all wheel drive vehicles ever created.
We offer all this information for free to everyone, even lurkers like you! All we ask in return is that you sign up and give back some of what you get out - without our awesome registered users none of this would be possible! Plus, you get way more great stuff as a member! Lurk to lose, participate to WIN*!
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New oilfilter so tiny
Posted 20 March 2009 - 04:48 PM
Guess they just get small these days.
Posted 20 March 2009 - 05:04 PM
Posted 20 March 2009 - 06:09 PM
I trust Mobil One filters so I went with it.
Posted 20 March 2009 - 06:24 PM
In Europe, you could also use Mahle OC330, which is larger.
Posted 20 March 2009 - 07:41 PM
Edited by Petersubaru, 20 March 2009 - 07:43 PM.
Posted 21 March 2009 - 07:26 AM
Posted 21 March 2009 - 08:34 AM
Posted 21 March 2009 - 08:54 AM
For "normal" use, for which longevity and durability rather than preventing catastrophic failure are the goals, I would tend to think that a larger filter is better.
In the end, it's easier for Subaru to stock one filter for all their 4-cylinder offerings.
Edited by hohieu, 21 March 2009 - 10:09 AM.
Posted 21 March 2009 - 09:21 AM
Posted 21 March 2009 - 10:23 AM
Posted 21 March 2009 - 11:47 AM
THink it will run fine, will see.
Attached Files
Edited by rverdoold, 21 March 2009 - 11:54 AM.
Posted 21 March 2009 - 12:40 PM
I don't know about the Netherlands. However, Vince apparently already has a Spanish-language version out.
For the sake of our European OP, do you think ''Vince'' is hawking his wares over in Europe?
To be more on-topic, the OEM Subaru part # 15208AA100 is the same ''small'' size that the OP described for the replacement.
Posted 21 March 2009 - 03:43 PM
If Fuji Industries is happy with the smaller filter on their WRX and STi models, I'm content to use it on my '97 Impreza.
Yup first time I changed the oil on the WRX, I was like awwww how cute!!
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Opening round on gun control debate
With the unveiling of a "9-bill gun safety package" Tuesday, supporters on both sides of the gun control issue are gearing up for a debate that is certain to dominate headlines for weeks
"They ain't seen nothing yet," Doreen Costa said in a phone interview yesterday. The North Kingstown State Representative previously organized a press conference to speak in opposition of a gun registration bill in March, to which more than 500 supporters appeared. She says the number of calls she has received in regards to the new package is even more astounding.
"Expect thousands, not hundreds," she said about attendance at future hearings.
General Assembly leaders, Governor Lincoln Chafee, Attorney General Peter Kilmartin and law enforcement officials were all on hand to introduce the legislative package Tuesday afternoon.
"Somehow, we need to reconcile what our second amendment says with what is happening on our streets and in our schools," said the governor.
From a Senate hearing room, Speaker of the House Gordon D. Fox and Senate President M. Teresa Paiva Weed described the nine bills in more detail.
Two of the bills have already been presented to the General Assembly. One would make possession of a firearm by a minor illegal unless involved in a competition, hunting or accompanied by an adult (H5576, S0425). The other would make it illegal to manufacture, sell, purchase or possess a firearm with an altered, obliterated or removed identifying marker (H5286, S0455).
The remaining seven bills would:
Fox and Paiva Weed see the package as the first step in what they expect to be an ongoing dialogue.
"I can't say all of the representatives present supported this legislation," admitted Fox. "But they understand it is important."
"We support, personally, this legislation, but we need to go through the committee process," said Paiva-Weed. "I anticipate advocates on both sides will come forward and members of the Assembly will be able to strike a balance."
"If this is just the beginning, what else is next?" asks Costa, who has not had the chance to read all nine bills in their entirety but has concerns.
One of her largest concerns is the Gun Control and Safe Firearms Act, which would ban semi-automatic assault weapons. Costa says the inclusion of small firearms in the ban would make 9mm pistols illegal.
"The legislatures need to educate themselves," said Costa, who is a gun owner.
The proposed ban on assault weapons also stirred emotions in one audience member, who spoke out, asking Fox and Paiva Weed to explain why taking those weapons away from law-abiding citizens would have any effect on criminals using them. The leaders said those concerns were valid and could be addressed during public hearings in the near future.
"The strongest influence on this and any issue in this building are the constituents," said Paiva Weed.
Costa is also concerned for the gun industry in Rhode Island if a ban is enacted.
"Gun shops could go out of business," said Costa, explaining that three-quarters of the stock in most stores would be illegal under the ban.
With the Senate hearing room packed, Capitol police restricted access and a group lingered in the hallway looking to gain any information they could on the legislative package and what the governor and General Assembly leadership had to say. An even larger group collected around a television in the bell room off the rotunda, but as Aida Neary pointed out, "You really couldn't see much on the tiny screen."
Neary, of Newport, and Samantha Richard of Middletown are leaders of the Rhode Island Chapter of Moms Demand Action, a group seeking gun control that has mushroomed to 90,000 members in 87 chapters in 40 states since the Newtown, Conn. shootings.
"We figure this is common sense and we're asking for common sense," said Nan Heroux, a member of the group. She said Moms is not looking to ban guns and she maintained that the changes sought by the organization wouldn't change anything for responsible gun owners other than, perhaps, added paper work.
Richard was excited by the prospect of national background checks on those purchasing firearms. She also said Moms favors limiting the size of gun ammunition clips, adding that during the Newtown massacre, 11 children fled to safety when the shooter paused to reload.
Richard sees the role of the Rhode Island chapter as following the legislative package and advocacy. Both she and Neary said they would "push" to see that the bills get out of committee and on to the floors of the House and Senate for a vote. In its short history, the Rhode Island chapter has gained 180 members. The organization is also on Facebook and as of Tuesday had 302 likes.
"People are finding us," said Richard.
"We have decided, as moms, it's time to start saving all of our children," said Neary.
Back inside the hearing room, Fox and Paiva Weed were continuously questioned about the mental health issue and why more specific legislation was not included in the package.
"It is a sensitive issue," said Fox. "We don't want to put a scarlet letter on people."
Fox explained creating the task force, which would include professionals from the mental health community, would ensure that legislation regarding those with mental health issues and guns would not deter individuals from seeking treatment.
Craig Stenning and Steven Costantino applauded the plan for a task force.
"It's a very complicated issue," said Costantino, secretary of health and human services. He used the example of an individual who may seek treatment for mild depression or anxiety and then need to undergo a background check. "Is that a diagnosis that really needs to be reported?"
"We try to do everything we can to support people getting treatment. We need to do a better job encouraging people to seek treatment," said Stenning, director of the Department of Behavioral Healthcare, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals. "We have done a better job in the state of Rhode Island addressing the stigma attached to those with mental illness."
Both men feel reversing that trend has the potential to lead to violence.
Costa was equally supportive of the proposed task force.
"I am 100 percent behind that," she said. "I would love to be on that task force."
Jake McGuigan, director of government relations and state affairs for the National Shooting Sports Foundation INC., came to the State House to find out how the legislation would affect the gun industry along with lobbyist Carolyn Murray.
"There is a lot of stuff that the industry can support," said McGuigan, referring to penalties for criminals and the mental health task force. "The last thing the industry wants is to let guns get in the hands of people who shouldn't have them."
He does, however, see an issue with the assault weapons ban and other bills that take guns away from law-abiding citizens.
"Banning rifles would not have prevented what happened in Newtown," said McGuigan, who is actually from Newtown.
Costa says many of the bills need to be looked at closely, and she believes making the Attorney General's office the licensing and permitting authority will be found unconstitutional since the state's constitution says that is the responsibility of police.
"That is where education comes in," she said, explaining that talks about background checks, purchasing limits and waiting periods are unnecessary because they are already in place for the state.
"I wouldn't imagine all nine are going to pass," said McGuigan of the package.
Paiva Weed is certainly hopeful.
"I hope by the end of this session we will be in front of you again, only this time in the State Room for a bill signing," she said.
Also present at the event were Kilmartin and State Police Superintendent Col. Steven G. O'Donnell, who felt this package provided the tools law enforcement needs to prosecute criminals who use firearms illegally.
With reports from John Howell
ya ban fire arms legalize pot gun laws dont work criminals will always have guns
our elected politicians should stop wasting taxpayers money there are to many important
things to worry about