text:
Resurrecting the Beast
From: firstname.lastname@example.com
To: <redacted>
Subject: The Osiris Account
We haven't heard from you in a few weeks and it's got us a little bit worried. When you first contacted us, we were ecstatic. There's so much more we can do for you now that we aren't managing your account through proxy, but your assertion that you aren't Osiris is perplexing. At your request, we dug into your background only to find that everything lines up with what we already knew about you. So I'm wondering why you came forward in the first place or are you now having second thoughts?
Either way, you said you could prove you aren't who you seem and then I stopped hearing from you, so I wanted to know what's going on. You should know that I field queries about you and your work on a daily basis. People want to know who Osiris is, and that information isn't exactly hard to find. As you say, someone has already tracked you down once. It's bound to happen again and when it does, the art world is going to explode.
With that in mind, it'd be better if you go public on your own terms – with our representation, of course. That's why we think now is the best time to start planning a retrospective of your considerable body of work. I've already begun contacting collectors and making the necessary arrangements, but I want your input on the pieces you think must be included.
On a related note, there's a gallery in UpTown claiming to have an Osiris original. It's a piece they didn't acquire through us and as far as I can tell it doesn't match any of the schematics you've filed with us over the years. We need you to go verify whether or not the piece is yours so we can decide if legal action is required. You'll find all the details below,
P.S. I know the retrospective is big, but you've got a few months to get used to the idea, so don't freak out!
Fan-fucking-tastic. Wasn't that the perfect way to start the day? I'd only just dragged my sorry ass out of my cozy nest of blankets and laundry to learn that the art career I'd been saddled with was trucking along whether I wanted it to or not. Checking my inbox was supposed to distract me from how awful I was feeling, not make it worse. This hangover was unfathomable. What was it about the Nuns and Guns SubDub extravaganza that always induced me to get so wrecked? It was like being possessed by a party animal that could only be excised with more dancing and designer drugs. Now I felt like I was being sucked out of existence, cell by rebellious cell. My whole body had turned into a gelatinous pile of goop — crystallized joints and burning muscles coated in itchy, raw skin. And all of that paled in comparison to what was going on with my head. Any second now, the pressure would rupture my skull. Pink mist and oozing grey matter all over this irreplaceable green armchair. There lay the corpse of Lilith the Lame. She died as she lived; unwashed and pant-less, sitting in front of her screens regretting her life decisions.
Ugh. Why oh why did I even get out of bed? I was in no condition to process this news. The thought of going public as Oz made my stomach churn and my throat tighten. The man was a social terrorist and if I could go back in time I'd punch myself in the face for ever responding to his ad for a roommate. And I was still trying to wrap my head around how anyone believed we were the same person. We were complete opposites. When Oz spoke, people listened because he had something to say. He was like a force of nature. It wasn't hard to understand how he built up such a devoted following with his Prophet persona. Everything Oz did had purpose, even if it was only clear to him. And he saw the world in a way no one else could. I still couldn't wrap my head around how Oz could look at this room full of garbage technology and see giant multimedia structures. Then there was me, the college drop out with zero marketable skills. Oh god, what if Alpheba wanted me to make more sculptures? I knew jack about making art…
Something had to be done about Paradox and Alpheba because there was no way I could keep up with this sham. When I'd emailed Paradox, it was only to inform them that people were confusing me for an artist they represented, not to come forward as Osiris. My disastrous experience at Encom had shown me that the last thing I wanted was to step into Oz's shoes. And yet, there seemed to be no way to avoid it.
I tried to bring her proof, but Oz had scrubbed his computer of any PII long before I was aware of his method for covering his tracks. He'd even somehow managed to remove the messages we'd exchanged and photos I'd taken of him from my cloud accounts, which I didn't know was possible. They never let you delete anything from those accounts so they can strip mine it fun and profit.
Thinking about this was making my skin crawl. Who knew how many other weirdos were out there looking for me – or rather Osiris. So many creeps in ThisCity obsessed with Oz's work… Like those Disciples that thought they could track down the Prophet through hidden messages in Osiris's sculptures. Being the face behind the art was going to get me killed one of these days, I just knew it.
And now Alpheba was telling me I had to be the face and voice for this mad man's art. Maybe it was because I felt like microwaved dirt, but it seemed like I was in over my head. My life was enough of a clusterfuck without a following of art fanatics tracking me down.
This was too much. Time for me to go back to bed. Better close down the inbox before any more bad news gremlins popped out at me. Just needed to work up the energy… The bedroom was only ten feet away, but felt like it was in another galaxy. It was still full of Oz's stuff and smelled strongly of jasmine for some reason, but that bed… Oh man, was it ever comfy. Curling up in it was like escaping into the warm embrace of a friendly Sasquatch. And it was huge, for me at any rate. Oz's feet used to hang off the end for the floor monsters to eat. Yeah, I could totally lie there forever, caccooned from the world and its puny mortal problems. That sounded like the best plan…
A klaxon of human wailing and shrieking erupted from the speakers all around the computer at such volume that it felt like my heart had shattered out of my chest cavity. I jumped so violently that I knocked a mug of very fuzzy looking coffee off the table. That was Oz's default alert sound, which he'd set "loud enough to wake the dead" and I still hadn't figured out how to change it. I was going to vomit. Why was I still in the living room? Had I fallen asleep? Everything fucking hurt.
The computer was still making that demonic noise. Was I supposed to do something about it? I switched on the display and there was Liam's rudy face in such crisp high def that I could have counted his freckles if I were inclined to. He looked worried. The way he was tugging on his badly dyed black hair told me this wasn't a social call. And it was most likely going to be involved…
But like, what if I just didn't answer? It was the asshole thing to do, but where was I going to get the energy to manage today's crisis. I loved the kid, really I did. He didn't have a mean bone in his body, and his intentions were always in the right place, but everything was always an emergency. It got exhausting after a while. But… he never once turned me down when I needed something.
I pressed accept and the alarm cut off mid screech, to my everlasting relief.
"Hi, Liam." My ears were still ringing.
"I didn't think you were home! Did you get my messages? I've been trying to reach you all morning, but you haven't gotten back to me. I don't know what I was going to do if you hadn't answered. Do you realize you're kinda hard to get a hold of? We don't have any mutuals so there no one else I can reach you through-"
"Okay, okay. Calm down, Liam. You've got me on the line now. What do you need?" Wow. Somebody hit the go-juice a little hard today. I only understood maybe half of that.
"Hey, are you all right? You look like shit," Liam said, abruptly switching gears.
"Thanks. That's just what I love to hear…"
"Oh god, sorry!" Liam's hand flew up to cover his mouth as his eyes widened. "I shouldn't have said that!"
"You're probably right. I haven't looked in the mirror yet." I managed a weak grin.
"If you're not feeling good, I can call back…"
"No, it's fine. You've obviously got something important on your mind."
"Are you sure?"
"It's just a hangover. So lay it on me."
"I think it's finally happened, Lilith. My event horizon. The magic's gone." As he said it, his lip trembled and tears started to well up in his eyes, making them glassy as they bulged out just a little.
"Oh man…" Definitely was not feeling up to handling this crisis.
Liam didn't really look like anything special, but he had the most peculiar talent I'd ever run across — it was more of a gift, really. Liam could find anything, and not in the "oh I've lost my keys — did you check you pocket?" kind of way. This kid could find the things that were just gone, lost to the sands of time gone. No clue how he did it. He didn't even know how he did it, but I'd seen it in action. When Liam was looking for something, it was like the whole universe rearranged itself to present the thing at his feet. He made his living relying on one uncanny series of coincidences after another, so freaking out was pretty warranted.
"Liam, you say that every time and then a few hours, or days later you've got the thing in your hands. This is just part of your process." Hey, I wasn't going to tell him he was right…
"No. This is different. It's been three weeks and I still don't know where to be looking. The client keeps calling me. They expect their item this week and I can't even point them in the right direction. It's a complete blank."
"So what are you going to do?"
"I don't know. That's why I've been trying to reach you. You know all that stuff about dead tech so maybe you could tell me where to look…"
"Dude, I know barely anything…"
"That's more than I do."
Oh, he was so screwed.
"Better start from the beginning then."
"But I told you everything in the messages I sent you," Liam said, looking almost annoyed.
"Dude, I'm gonna be honest. I flagged all your messages as spam after the two-hundredth life request for templebirdycrush." A sudden wave of nausea made that come out a lot harsher than I meant.
"That wasn't me, I swear! And my cousin promised me he'd stop." He looked down from the cam and his mouth twitched into a frown. Well, crown me Queen of the Assholes.
"Trust me, he hasn't."
"That explains so much…"
"Liam. You're client?" I prompted, clearing my throat.
"Sorry. The client is a pair of art collectors that I guess specialize in animatronics and mechanized sculptures or something. I don't really know, it's all weird antique shit I've never heard of. Anyway, they just acquired a new piece and it's broken or whatever so they need a replacement component."
"There aren't many people who collect that kind of stuff." I knew that because of my research into Oz's work. A lot of those niche collectors had been attracted to his stuff since his work relied on transforming dead tech.
"Yeah. Anyway, they gave me a model number and a month to find it. Oh, they also sent me this." Liam flashed what looked like the first page of an old instruction manual wrapped in clear plastic sheeting.
"Do you have the rest of that manual?"
"If I had that I wouldn't be in such deep shit…"
"And you have no idea what the thing is supposed to do? Your client never said?"
"Sorry…" I mumbled. That was a stupid question. I needed caffeine or electrolytes, or something if I was going to be useful to Liam. He took a steadying breath.
"Look, they did tell me that the sculpture was meant to produce high quality holographic environments. That doesn't tell me anything, though. I don't know how holograms work…"
"What makes you think that I do, Liam?" I snapped. Being surrounded by Oz's junk constantly mocking me, I'd become keenly aware of how little I knew about anything. Liam was depending on my help when I could barely keep my head above water. I was just going to let him down.
"Didn't you tell me that with most of the stuff you're working with, all you have to go on is like the serial and model numbers and maybe a logo or something?"
"Uh yeah, but…" Damn. My brain didn't boot properly or what. I leaned back and took in all the racks crammed with Oz's techno treasure hoard. Liam was right, that was exactly what I did all day — solve the puzzle for each mystery item.
"Let me see that page again. I'm not making any promises, though. It usually takes me weeks of hunting to narrow things down and the brain's a little short on horse power at the moment."
Liam typed something on his keyboard and the manual page popped up on my screen. The scan was crisp enough that I could read all the fine print, but the ink had faded over time so it was mostly unintelligible.
"I tried enhancing it, but no luck."
"That may not matter. I recognize that logo." That blobby squiggle that was supposed to be an abstraction of a sound wave or something was stamped on a whole swath of Oz's LED riddled puzzle boxes.
"Seriously?" Liam's voice cracked like the barely pubescent boy that he was.
"Hold on a sec," I said, getting up.
"Where are you going?"
"Just give me a minute." I leaned back in to give Liam a reassuring smile. It wasn't affective.
"I guess I'll wait right here then…"
My legs were noodles as I walked around the oversized desk and over to one of the many sagging metal shelves. It was hard to distinguish one thing from the next the way it was all packed in. If Oz had any kind of organizational system, I had yet to figure it out. There was no easy way of extracting anything other than pulling things out and hoping nothing landed on my feet. And I had no way of knowing what I was looking for until I saw it. Man, I wish that set of specs hadn't been smashed to bits. It would make picking through all this so much easier.
"What are you doing?" Liam asked as things got a little noisy. The shelves creaked a whole lot whenever I moved anything on them. It wigged me out. One of these days, the whole thing was going to topple over and crush me. I was kind of surprised that it hadn't happened already.
"You really have no patience, do you?" I said, wrestling with a heap of cable that had fallen on top of me.
There was a large black panel that had to be what I'd been searching for on a shelf level with my chest. It was easy enough to get to, but piled on top were several more bundles of cable, a stack of ancient motherboards and some other unidentified odds and sods. The smart thing to do would have been to clear it all off, but who had time for that? It didn't look like a lynch pin or anything. So what was the harm? Grabbing hold of the two protruding corners, I gave it a yank, which I regretted immediately as my whole body protested the strenuous effort.
And damn that sucker was heavy. It didn't even budge, but the whole shelf was swaying too and fro. It sounded like I was wrestling with a horny robot bear or something. Surprisingly, the neighbours had never complained despite this kind of ruckus happened fairly often. Bracing the shelf with my foot, I gave it another good yank. This time, the panel slid out a few inches. There was no indication of a landslide starting so I tugged on the panel again and that was all it took. The sudden shift in weight knocked me flat on my ass. Of course, the void where the panel had been didn't last long. Within seconds, the piles on either side shifted and collapsed. Like a beast that'd been gutted, it all fell to the ground in a fluid, messy pile.
"Mother fucker!" I exclaimed, diving clear of it. That was going to be a bitch to clean up…
"What was that? Lilith, are you okay?" Liam sounded so panicked that I laughed. This was far from the worst avalanche this apartment had seen.
"Just a friendly reminder of how gravity works," I said, dumping the panel on my desk. Liam jumped.
"You're bleeding," he said, pointing.
"What? Oh, it's fine." I looked down to see a descent gash on my arm. When did that happen? Now that I'd noticed it, the scrape started to smart.
"So what's with the box?" He asked, leaning forward to get a better look. I turned it around so he could see the logo and brand name stamped on it.
"You're looking for something made by Sinusoid. They made audio equipment like twenty years ago before going bust."
"That's fantastic! I can definitely work with that!" He said, excitedly attacking his keyboard.
"Glad I could help…" That was a lot easier than I expected. Last time he needed help, it involved going to flea markets all over ThisCity and sifting through way too many bins of mouldering junk. I stared wistfully at the Sinusoid panel when a thought occured to me. Liam's scan was still up on the screen…
"No fucking way."
"What's wrong?" Liam's head snapped up and the typing stopped.
"Yeah, that's what I'm looking for."
"No, that's the model number of this thing," I said, pushing it away from me.
"What?" He stared, slack-jawed.
"I'm fucking holding it. Looks like your finder voodoo isn't lost after all." Nervous laughter peeled out of me. For a brief moment I was aware of the machinations of the universe working around me and how incredibly, intensely small I truly was. Liam still stared, dumbfounded.
"So, uh, how much do you want for it?" He asked when he was able to speak again.
"Umm…" I was still recovering from the moment of extreme existential awareness. "Nothing? You can just have it."
"Come on, I have to give you something. You're totally saving my ass here. And my client is shelling out some serious bank."
"I don't know that it's worth anything…"
"How did you even end up with it in your house?"
"It's a long story." I said with a shrug. "Why don't we worry about how I'm going to get this to you and figure the rest of later?"
"Don't worry about that. I'll come pick it up."
"No, no, no!" I said way too fast. "Don't do that. My place is such a long way from you."
"Are you sure? You're not feeling well." He gave me a real funny look.
"I'll meet you half way. How about that?"
I still wasn't comfortable bringing people back to my place. I'd made the decision the second day living here because no one should be exposed to Oz unnecessarily. Now that he'd disappeared, and I had all his stuff, it was more a matter of paranoia. I'd never been good at knowing who to trust. Look where trusting Oz got me…
"Aw, I don't want you to go to any more trouble."
"Nah, the fresh air will probably do me some good. We'll meet at that retro arcade you took me to that one time –" Liam blushes at the reminder of our one and only date. "– In like an hour and a half. I gotta shower and junk before running out of here."
"And put pants on," he said, giggling as I stood up.
"What? Shut up." I hung up on him. Nobody laughed at my underoos.
Before I lost momentum, I stomped down the hall and into the bathroom. I knew this burst of energy was only temporary. If I stopped for the tiniest second, I'd never make it out of the house. I let the water run as I disrobed in the vain hope that it would be vaguely warm when I hopped in. It was not. The whole building heard that shriek. One day, I'd be patient enough to wait for the hot water. In the meantime, I was just going to think warm thoughts as I scraped the filth from my body — and you know, hope for the best.
Thankfully, there was one thing that was never in short supply, and that was soap. For some reason Oz had an industrial quantity of rose scented organic soap. Don't ask me why. This wouldn't be the first time I took advantage of it in lathering myself up with an obscene amount of it to try and loosen the oh so appetizing layer of crust I had developed.
Bath time was over when the water spiked to flesh-peeling temperatures as it tended to do. The overly affectionate shower curtain nearly strangled me as I scrambled out of the tub. I was trying hard not to think about where the threadbare towel I wrapped around myself had been as I exited the swampy room to find that the Ice Age had resumed in my apartment. Why did that always happen? It was like hell freezing over. (Insert joke about my hygiene here.) More importantly, I felt less like Blob Lord Five and more like a human being, putting me one step closer to heading out into the world.
Only, how the hell was I going to lug that seriously heavy panel all the way to NewGate. Somewhere in this shambles of a living room was one of those over-the-shoulder parcel bags that was perfect for carrying seven kilos of electronics. And we were back to this again… If a person's living space was supposed to be a reflection of their mind then Oz must have been certifiable..
There it was! The clunky strap buckle dangled off the very top shelf on the rack in the far corner, next to the clearing where Oz's final project used to live. Did I do the sensible thing and get the step ladder from the white room, or just yank it down and quit wasting time? I pretended to ponder my options before grasping the strap. Yes, we were making this mistake again. How bad could it be? I mean, it was the top shelf. There couldn't be that much on it. Yet it was just as disastrous coming down. Another cascade of detritus rained down on me. The parcel bag wasn't empty, either. The shock of it swinging into my gut nearly made me chunder. The contents were neither leaky nor hazardous, so I upended the bag onto the considerable pile on my floor. That was tomorrow's problem. Future me was going to be so pissed. Too late now. I dumped the bag onto the desk, next to the panel. And we were on to the next problem: pants.
Bang! Bang! Bang! The door nearly rattled off its hinges. I jumped and yelped with all the grace of a drunken golden retriever. The pounding continued.
"You goddamned bastard I know you're in there! Open up you festering shit monkey!" A very angry male voice shouted through that solid wooden door. What was I supposed to do? I was but one diminutive young woman against a rabbidly mad stranger.
"Come out and face me! What's the matter? Too scared? You remember what happened last time, don't you?"
Oh holy fuckballs. What the hell did Oz do to this guy? More importantly, what set him off now? Oz hadn't set foot in this apartment in eight months. And I was still in my towel. Should I wait and let him blow himself out? What if he busted the door down? I was so not prepared for any of Oz's friends to come visit.
So I crept up to the door. How else was I supposed to assess the situation than by getting a look at the guy? Standing on my tippy toes, I peered through the peep hole at the crazed animal — and it was the guy who lived downstairs. His name was Arnault — I think, and he was not the personable sort. Hell, he'd never said two words to me, but I'd heard lots of stories from the other neighbours. Why did this have to happen now? I had places to be.
Arnault continued to pace outside my door as I debated what to do. I had to be out of here in twenty minutes or I'd be late, so I'd have to face him eventually. My face was still pressed against the door when he kicked off another volley of banging. I gasped and cursed as tears sprung to my eyes. That door was hard.
"I heard that, you fucker!" Arnault laughed triumphantly. "Open the door. I just want to have a friendly chat."
"What do you want?" I yelled back to test the waters.
"I just want to have a friendly chat between neighbours, that's all," he said in that pretend calm tone people who'd gone off their rockers always used.
"Now's really not a good time for me. Why don't you give me your apartment number and I'll come by later?" Please just go away.
"Don't bullshit me," Arnault growled, slapping the door. "I'm not going anywhere."
This was probably a terrible mistake, but I unlocked the dead bolts and cracked the door to look the man in the eye.
"Look, I don't know what your problem is, or what I could possibly have done to upset you, but now is really not the best time. So can you please stop yelling and leave me alone? You're gonna disturb the whole building."
"That's rich. Did he tell you to say that? I'm not going anywhere until I have it out with him, so where is he?" Arnault leaned against the door, straining the security chain. I tried to push back, but my feet were wet and I slipped.
"Sending your little pet to talk to me isn't going to work, you buffoon!" He yelled over my head.
Holy crap, what was I supposed to do? Other than completely freak out? Arnault pushed against the door and I could see the chain lock starting to come out of the wall. I pushed back with all my weight, not that it'd do much good. He had to have at least forty kilos on me. My towel was slipping off, too. Any second I'd be as naked as the day I was born. Without thinking I grabbed it and pulled it up to where it should be. In that split second, Arnault won the tug-of-war. The chain came flying off the wall and the door swung open, knocking me to the floor. I lost my towel completely, but Arnault didn't even notice.
"You can't hide from me now, you mangy lunatic!" I scrambled after him with indignation and fury blending into the panic. Who the fuck was this guy?
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded like I was ten feet tall.
"Where is he?" Arnault rounded on me when his crazed search turned up nothing.
"Who are you talking about? There's no one here, but me," I said between clenched teeth.
"No, all that noise… he's here. For years I've had to put up with the banging and crashing, the ungodly sounds and loud music. All those parties and fires — don't even talk to me about the fires. I've had enough! I'm not putting up with any more of it. So that – that animal had better show his face. Right. Now." Arnault enunciated every crisp syllable as he glared at me. He wasn't going to get it. There was nothing I can say to make him understand that Oz didn't fucking live here!
"Hey Lilith? Is everything okay? I thought I heard yelling," Gary called from the entrance. He was like the Super Caretaker, always around right when a problem with the building cropped up and I'd never been more relieved to hear his voice.
"Get this lunatic out of my house!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. Arnault made a noise like he wanted to strangle me, but it was too late, Gary was already in the living room with us.
"Arnault, what is wrong with you? You can't barge in on people like this. Look at her! She's not even dressed for crying out loud!" Gary was all red in the face and I feared violence would ensue. I didn't have time for violence.
"He started up with the banging and the booming –"
"He who? Lilith lives alone."
"How am I supposed to get any work done with a stampede over my head all the time?" Arnault's demeanour changed from righteous indignation to pouting child.
"Maybe if you weren't two months behind on your rent, I'd take your grievances seriously," Gary said coldly. "So are you going to leave, or do I need to call Izzie's boys to come remove you?"
"This isn't fair," Arnault said, stomping his foot, but he walked out on his own. I didn't blame him. Izzie's boys were walking tanks. Nobody enjoyed a visit from them.
"Did he hurt you?" Gary asked, turning back to me with a grave look on his face.
"No. He, uh, did break the chain lock, though."
"I'll take care of it. And Arnault, too. He'll leave you alone from now on."
"Thanks," I said and meant it. He gave my arm a reassuring squeeze and saw himself out. My heart pulsed in stuttering fits, making me woozy. All I wanted was to crawl into bed and sleep for a year, but I didn't have time to sit and settle my nerves. Liam was probably halfway there by now. Dude was always running early. Why did I have to get out of bed today?
When I was a kid, my aunt loved taking the SkyTrain. For her, they still held a certain magic and mystery. I mean, she grew up while the city states along the East coast were still merging into the monstrosity we now called ThisCity. Back then, there was no way to get to the further extremities of the burgeoning supercity without hours and hours of travel. Now you could do it in half an hour, tops. So I kind of got it. That didn't stop me from hating every minute of the experience.
My natural habitat was all grungy concrete, flashing holo avatars and endless seas of people herded like cattle through the tubes and streets. The SkyTrain was the antithesis of that. It was all frosted glass and polished steel, discrete ad-free holo and space to breathe. The first time my aunt took me to UpTown, I had a panic attack, it was so alien to me. I was an inner-city kid and I prayed to the unholy printer gremlins that never changed. There wasn't really anything in UpTown except fancy corporate subsidized residencies and the usual luxuries I couldn't afford. Aunt Thelma always wished I'd aspire to that kind of life, but let's be real. I didn't have any skills that meritted corporate sponsorship. Maybe Liam did — he was unique enough, even if he was always doubting himself.
So why was I riding this screaming fart tube on an express trip to UpTown? Liam's freaky coincidence machine was still working at full tilt, it seemed. When I'd reached Cyberdelia, sweaty and looking like a schlub in the only clean clothes I could find – ill-fitting jeans and one of Oz's obscure band t-shirts – Liam was waiting for me with a can of go-juice that literally had my name on it. While I tried my best not to turn into a useless puddle of sweat from the exertion of lugging the Sinusoid panel all the way to the retro arcade, Liam explained to me how his clients were just as interested in how he found the item as they were in finally hearing that it'd been located. When he'd mentioned my name, they immediately insisted on meeting me. Today. With the current state of my hangover I had zero intention of going with him, until he mentioned the address. Of all the places in ThisCity, it was the same place Alpheba had asked me to check out just this morning. Freaky
Sitting next to Liam, it occurred to me that I wasn't nauseous. Normally, I'd have been spewing chunks by now. The disequilibrium of moving so fast while not moving at all always messed with my innards, but right now my body was so overloaded it didn't know what to do with itself and I was busy obsessing over what I might find at the gallery. Oz didn't exactly keep a detailed list of all his projects and I hadn't had a good experience with the couple I'd encountered. God, why was it so hot on the train? I thought these cars all had climate control. I was all sweaty and I couldn't stop my leg from twitching. Maybe it was the hadron I took at the party still metabolizing. If this gallery turned out to have one of Oz's sculptures and it hurt Liam, I'd never forgive myself.
Liam was hunched over the window sill. The usual nervous twitching and chatter that constantly spewed out of him was conspicuously absent. How zoned out was I not to have noticed before now? He had to be up to something. I gave him a nudge.
"What? Are we there already?" His head bobbed up and his palms spread to cover something. I shot him a frown. He moved his hand to reveal the words "found and lost" carved deeply into the metal sill with a homemade heated etching tool. He had a shit-eating grin on his face and in that moment, I knew exactly why I'd befriended him.
UpTown was not a place designed with the existence pedestrians in mind. And yet we walked. My mood didn't improve upon leaving that hermetically sealed death tube. I was still jittery and sweaty – and now stuck in this place. This was what Purgatory felt like, wasn't it? All these corporate residences had the same cookie cutter veneer. Not an ounce of variety, no landmarks — no character. On second thought, this was more like my own personal hell. How were you supposed to tell if you were walking around in circles or not? There wasn't much in the way of public transportation out this way, either, unless you wanted to wait around for at least an hour. None of the cabs accepted real money, just corporate credit. Liam kept saying it wasn't much further. I didn't believe him, but he was the one lugging the Sinusoid panel so I couldn't complain. I mean I shouldn't have been complaining, but you know me…
"Holy crap! Where even is this place?" I said for like the seventh time. Liam groaned and then checked his map again.
"Seriously, Lilith, it's right around the corner."
"Sure it is."
He rolled his eyes and walked faster. I had to jog to catch up. By the time I did, he'd rounded the corner and stopped so abruptly that I rammed right into him.
"That's the place." He pointed at a narrow building painted entirely white. Well, not actually. The facade was false. The appearance of an early twentieth century townhouse was generated by a sophisticated energy field. Based on what Liam had told me, I was expecting something a little more off-the-wall or bizarre. Like the clockwork house or something. He smoothed his wayward, frizzy hair and readjusted the parcel bag before marching up to the front door and punching the buzzer.
"Hello?" A throaty voice answered after a beat.
"Uh… It's Liam. I'm expected." The door buzzed and unlatched. Liam pushed it open before it could lock again and held it for me. The first thing we were greeted with was half a flight of glowing white stairs. What the hell kind of look were they going for anyhow? I fought the urge to laugh because it was nearly silent in the place, but who were they kidding? Were we boarding the mothership? Even though Liam had never been here before, he marched up those stairs like a champ. I followed with a little more ambivalence. Knowing that I was potentially about to have a face-to-face with another one of Oz's artworks left me with this eerie sense of déjà vu and sinking feeling in the grumbly part of my gut that I couldn't shake.
The main area was set up with different pieces mounted on pedestals or the walls. All of the animatronics were dormant, but they could spring to life in an instant. A cruel person would have rigged them up to motion sensors. Someone like Oz. Thankfully the gallery owners were only weirdos and not saddists, too.
I'd only tentatively begun to look around when an exceedingly well dressed couple appeared from some unknown recess of the gallery. They were both tall and thin, with matching black hairdos stolen from the last century. Even their bespoke suits matched. Like were they a creepy set of twins out of a horror movie or what? Looking at them made my skin crawl. If Liam led me to fucking UpTown to be murdered by serial killing twins I was going to be so mad…
"Liam! You've done well," the man said in a quiet, but certain voice.
"Oh. Uh… thank you."
"And look, he's brought us the Artist." The woman said this and sharp chills prickle through my body. Couldn't she just call me by my name?
"The what? Lilith, what is she talking about?" Liam asked. I turned to face him, the blood drained from my cheeks and stared at him gape-mouthed. "Lilith." The woman repeated my name, her throaty voice echoing in the high ceilinged room. "It's a great honour to finally meet the person behind such fascinating art work. I'm Aster, this is my partner, Felix."
Partner. Riiight. Felix nodded at me before turning back to Liam.
"The item, if you please."
"Oh right. Right!" Liam remembered himself and hastily undid the strap buckle, removing the parcel bag, and handed it to Felix.
"Excellent. Your fee has already been transferred to your account." Felix gripped the bag with unnaturally glowing eyes and moves over to a table at the centre of the space to get a look at the panel.
"Lilith, why don't you come see out latest acquisition? I think you'll be impressed by our restoration of the piece," Aster said with a serene smile. She led me by the elbow over to a small enclosure and I really wished she wasn't fucking touching me. Liam's shuffling footsteps followed behind.
The enclosure had two long white benches set up in front of a white curtain as a makeshift viewing room for the new piece. Aster pulled a cord and the silken curtain dropped to the floor with a faint whisper. Before us stood three meters of new and dead tech fused together. The bare circuits, colourful wires and blinking LEDs made it look like a prop from some retro-futuristic holofilm. The whole thing had an organic, sinister feel as if the lights were eyes peering at us, watching us. If I'd had any doubts about being capable of identifying Oz's work, they evaporated the moment I laid eyes on this "sculpture". This piece in particular, I had a very intimate knowledge of.
"Where did you get this?" I turned on Aster who still had that stupid serene grin on her face. Liam jumped at the viciousness of my words.
"What do you think of it? Did we get it right?"
"This thing is supposed to be locked up in an AdMin Evidence Storage Facility. How did you get your hands on it?"
"Apparently it was too expensive to store, so City AdMin dismantled it and sold the parts off at auction since case was never going to make it to trial. We got it for a steal." She was smug and exultant as she basked in the glow of the machine. I, on the other hand, wanted very desperately to take a sledge hammer to it. This was the machine that redefined the term "mind fuck". The genesis of psycho-terrorism.
"You can't be serious."
"Hold on, I'm lost. What exactly am I looking at?" Poor Liam looked from me to Aster.
"The Beast," I hissed, still glaring at it.
"The what?"
"You must have seen it on the news, Liam," Aster said warmly. "The Prophet's disastrous return? At Club Ascension?"
"The augment club?" Liam said as a light bulb turned on in his head.
"Precisely," said Felix as he entered the enclosure. "And thanks to you and your friend, we can finally get it working again."
"You're going to turn it on? You people are fucking insane!"
"Of course. Why wouldn't we turn it on?" Felix looked at me like I'd sprouted horns and a tail.
"Because you have no idea what it will do, you shit-for-brains!"
"Lilith, what's the big deal?" Liam asked, frowning.
"You don't understand! You haven't seen the Beast in action. It was built by a mad man. Nothing good will ever come of it."
"You were there?" Liam looked at me quizzically.
"Of course she was," Felix said with a grin that matched his partner's.
"Lilith. Why did they call you the Artist when we first came in?" Liam asked. His usually open face was clouded with a mix of emotion I'd never seen there before as he backed away from me.
"Didn't she tell you? Your friend is Osiris, multimedia artist and one of very few people to work directly with the Prophet. She built this beautiful machine," Aster said so innocently, so sweetly, like she wasn't divulging the one thing I most desperately wanted to keep secret.
"Wait, but the Prophet is a terrorist and a cult leader – and you worked with him? You helped him hurt all those people?" Liam recoiled from me. "That's why you wouldn't let me come to your place. You've got a wanted fugitive hiding out with you!"
"No! It's not like that. I don't care what these people say. I'm not Osiris. I didn't build this machine, I swear!" I was on the brink of tears. This was so stupid. No one ever believed me.
"Yeah, right." Condemnation. That was what I saw in him, and it came off him in waves. He was never going to talk to me again. I should never have gotten out of bed. What a train wreck of a day.
I stared back at Liam wordlessly. What could I possibly say to him now? He was convinced I helped Oz hurt all those people. And I guess I did — I didn't stop him.
"I should go," I said quietly. Any louder and I wouldn't have been able to contain myself. I needed to make it at least a few blocks away before turning into a blubbering disaster.
"Won't you stay for a test run?" Aster said, straightening up from where she was bent over watching Felix install the missing component, completely oblivious to the end of my friendship with Liam.
"No, thank you."
"Let me walk you to the SkyTrain, so you don't get lost," Liam said numbly, not looking me in the eyes.
"No. It's fine. Enjoy your doomsday device." I was done, completely emotionally and physically exhausted. The last thing I could handle in that moment was Liam's judgment. Of all the people who could've found out, he was the last person I'd want knowing. I only hoped that he kept this to himself…
"Okay." He didn't bother argueing with me. Normally he'd have insisted. Guess the creepy twins seemed like way better company than a terrorist's accomplice. Couldn't fault him for that.
From: <redacted>
To: email@example.com
Subject: Re: The Osiris Account
Yo, I went to that gallery like you told me to, and yeah, they've got an Osiris original, alright. You need to get it back ASAP, and bury it when you do. It was never meant for public display. Personally, I'd like to see the whole thing melted down. It was a mistake.
And I'm not sold on this retrospective business, either. The world is better off forgetting the name Osiris.


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On Tuesday, local Democrats and Republicans can vote to pick our presidential candidates. Every eligible voter should vote and be heard. READ
On Tuesday, local Democrats and Republicans can vote to pick our presidential candidates. Every eligible voter should vote and be heard. READ
Members of the East End Tourism Alliance asked County Executive Steve Bellone to increase the amount of tourism funding they get through an existing 3-percent county room occupancy tax at a meeting in Riverhead Tuesday. READ
A number of residents asked the Southold Town Board Tuesday to enact new regulations to curb short-term rentals.
The short-term rentals are gaining an unfair advantage on hotels and bed-and-breakfasts', which must pay commercial taxes, obtain permits from the town and be subjected to regular inspections, residents said.
More than 6,000 visitors stopped by The North Fork Promotion Council's two information kiosks in Laurel and Greenport in 2014. The nonprofit organization launched a new activities website last year and it will have a presence at the New York Times Travel Show at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan this weekend.
But it hasn't gone far enough in its mission to market this region to those with disposable income living in New York City and beyond, according to members at the organization's annual meeting on Wednesday evening. (more…)
The Republican wave that swept across Suffolk County Tuesday didn't stop short of Southold, where GOP incumbent Dave Bergen won a special election for an abbreviated term on the town's Board of Trustees.
Mr. Bergen, 59, of Cutchogue received just over 4,000 votes to secure a 57-43 percent victory over Democratic challenger Abigail Field. (more…)
The two candidates in the Southold Town Trustee special election agreed on most of the issues at an East Marion Community Association debate Saturday.
The Nov. 4 trustee election pits Republican incumbent Dave Bergen against Democratic challenger Abigail Field. (more…)

subset: commoncrawl


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Ten Things You Can Do With....A Zipper!!!!Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Hello dearies. Just "zipping" by to share with you this week's Ten Things project over at Practical Scrappers. If you're looking for some inspiration, you've stopped by the right place! Check this out!
|Products: dotted patterned paper and cardstock: scraps; ribbon: thrifted; swirls: Slice by Making Memories (Vintage Findings cartridge); "hello" stamp: Stampin' Up!; zipper: craft supply; alphabet stamps: Studio G.
This week's item for Ten Things was none other than...a zipper! That's right. We use zippers on everything from our clothes to Ziploc bags to purses. But, what about on layouts and cards? Well, this week, that's exactly what we did! I'm lucky enough to have a few friends at work that love to sew, and one sweet gal give me a handful of zippers in different colors and lengths. In sketching out my card, I immediately knew I wanted to use the zipper to "open" up to something. And, why not hide the sentiment behind the zipper?
If you'd like to make this card, here's some quick directions:
- Cut cardstock to the size card you want.
- Measure and cut patterned paper to evenly fit on the left and right sides of your zipper. (You will need to cut it in two pieces, one of the left side and one for the right side). Adhere to card.
- Lay zipper over patterned paper and adhere on the undersides only. Add to your card.
- Adhere ribbon on the top sides of your zipper.
- Add swirls to the bottom and then use pop dots to adhere your sentiment.
- Stamp "pull" onto scrap cardstock, adhere string to the back, and weave through zipper.
- Add sentiment on scrap cardstock and adhere to inside of card.
Ta da!!! Make sure you "zip" on over to Practical Scrappers and check out the other amazzzing ideas the ladies had in mind for zzziiipppeerrss!!
Kelster Jean


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Hello All,
Well, we have had and still are having a rough time around here. We moved back to California 8.5 years ago to help care for my mother in law who has Alzheimer's Disease. She has been living with us since she reached the moderate stage, 3.5 years now. We started Hospice care in our home 2 weeks ago. This is so hard on my husband. So I am just here for him.
I did manage to put a card together earlier this week for the Mojo Monday Challenge #438. I'm barely getting it posted in time.
I turned the sketch to make it horizontal. Hope you like it.
Time is running out on the Sale-a-Bration sale. Offer ends 3/31/2016. Purchase $50.00 in product (before tax & shipping) and receive 1 FREE item from the Sale-A-Bration catalog.
If you are in the United States and need a demonstrator, then you can order your supplies in my online store here. Thanks for looking!
Ingredients: Paper -
Card base - Whisper White Cardstock - 100730
Card Mat - Blushing Bride Cardstock - 131198
Rectangle Mat & Circle Mat - Mint Macaron Cardstock - 138337
1" Strip Mat & Focal Rectangle - Whisper White - 100730
Circle & 1" Strip - Birthday Bouquet Designer Series Paper - 140557
Ink -
Crumb Cake - 126975 and Mint Macaron - 138326
Embossing Powder - Gold - 109129
Embellishments -
Honeycomb Embellishments - 140566
Stampin' Up Stamps -
Hello - 141243 (no longer available) & Honeycomb Happiness - 141291 (Sale-A-Bration sets)


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25 Jul
Smart and boutique hotel with spacious rooms
A complimentary breakfast is served each morning.Wireless Internet access is complimentary in public areas.There is a business center on site. Additional amenities include multilingual staff, tour/ticket assistance, and complimentary newspapers in the lobbySmart and modern rooms with air conditioning and free WiFi. The surrounding area offers a selection of restaurants, shops and lounge bars.The hotel is located close to the most important tourist attractions such as Gaudi Monuments and Ramblas
Read more »
Read more »


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Punching Bag Made By Venum for extreme use
This is the Venum "Challenger" punching bag.
An incredibly strong punching partner made with a high quality Semi leather for the most realistic training sessions.
Material: Semi leather
Floor attachment system to train your strike velocity
Hard resistant nylon straps for quiet training sessions unlike the stainless staples
Handmade in Thailand
View more hanging punching bags
Visit our Martial art & Boxing Blog with punching bag training tips
Venum is a manufacturer apparel and equipment for various martial arts, combat sports and fitness including cross training, mixed martial arts, boxing, muay thai, brazilian jiu-jitsu or karate. Venum operates in several areas around the world including America, Europe, and Asia. and now in Ireland & UK with TCsports.co
Tip for punch bag use
Lazy Eyes : This is when the fighter is not even looking at the bag. Believe it or not, some fighters can't answer when I ask them, "What are you looking at when you punch?" I've caught new boxers staring at the ground or just looking to the side when they throw big punches. It's amazing how often boxers punch blind when they get tired.
Don't just let your eyes roam all over the place. Lazy eyes leave you vulnerable in the ring! Stay focused and pay attention to the bag. This increases your accuracy and more importantly, so you can see counter-punches coming your way. Best way to cure lazy eyes: put little squares of duct tape around the bag to give the eyes something to look at…or just spend more time using other equipment like the double-end bag which keeps your eyes alert.
Ultimately you want to keep your eyes on the bag without staring into it. You want to have a general awareness of the entire heavy bag. Keep the bag in view and also be aware of how far the bag is from you at all times.


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Frederik Wiedmann is mostly known to film music fans as a resident composer for numerous DC Comics animated features and series (Green Lanterns, Son of Batman, Justice League: Flashpoint Paradox) and some horror films (Mirrors 2 and the recent The Damned). It has been a dream of his to finally branch out stylistically and score a sweeping period drama, in the likes of Barry, Horner or even James Newton Howard, and he's finally got his chance with Field of Lost Shoes - the independent, relatively small-budget Civil War period piece that is getting its theatrical release this month in the United States.
If you could imagine James Horner's anguished melodrama making sweet love to Thomas Newman's more eclectic sense of Americana, then you'd end up with a score like this one. It has the emotional sweep of old fashioned film music, but injected with a subtle dose of contemporary electronics and instrumental solos. Some of the chord progressions recall Brian Tyler or any composers of younger generation, but they are fleshed out with greater care for orchestrational detail and, as a result, offer a greater sense of emotional satisfaction. 'Main Title' right off the bat brings fond memories of Glory from 1989, with chorus and solo fiddle leading the way with full orchestra eventually taking over. It is a noble and very hymnal melody, serving as a backbone for the story of two main characters. Not all variations are grand, however. There are several more intimate renditions present on the album, like the subtle hints in 'A Picture of the Past' and even more emotional fiddle-led 'Thoughts on War' later in the story.
There is another major theme developed within the score. There can be no war in a period film without love, so Field of Lost Shoes indulges us with a tragic tale. The theme gets its fullest statement in 'Love at First Sight'. Towards the end of the score, in the battle aftermath of battle, it comes back yet again in a heart-wrenching rendition.
Wiedmann weaves quite a few quasi-folk elements into the tapestry of his score. Perhaps not in a truly accurate way, but that is not essential, what matters is the general effect and the feelings they evoke. 'The Issue of Slavery' starts off with a Newman-esque echoing woodwinds, before seguing into a much weightier string-led passage. That early impression is not misleading, however, as we're treated to a jumpy quasi-folk piece in the following tracks, also reminiscent of this composer ('Young John Wise'). Same goes for later portions of the album ('Sunstruck Rat'). This more contemporary take on Americana helps to balance out the purely martial and idealistic orchestral elements. There is a nice counterbalance between the two, so Wiedmann's score never goes too far in just one direction. One element that is curiously underplayed in the score is purely militaristic Civil War era music. 'Young Cadets Marching' features period-like music, but other than occasional lonely trumpet solos (the very end of 'Storming the Hill'), the score is largely devoid of it.
The final action-packed sequence, commencing from 'May 15 1864', marks a sudden shift in style, however. As the group of young characters engages in battle, the music takes a decidedly more modern direction - the power ostinatos keeping the pulse going, while choral ensemble heightening up the tension. While all of this certainly works and is well executed, it detracts from a more classically pleasing surroundings and breaks a spell a tiny bit. Certainly this kind of scoring brings a Marvel movie to mind, as opposed to period drama.
The final duo of cues ('Aftermath' and 'A Soldier's Heart') bring the score back on track with a powerful emotional sense of denouement. 'Field of Lost Shoes' is an elegiac piece perfectly fitting as a coda to this album programme, complete with mournful vocal solos, before going back to the main theme.
The album, as presented through La-La Land Records, is a long one - over seventy-two minutes of music, made possible by recording in Skopje with the Macedonian Radio Symphonic Orchestra. There is no choir credited so one has to assume it could have been a sampled one, but regardless of what is actually the case, the use of those vocal effects gives the entire score a nice eerie feel. The very subtle and distant sound is not completely dissimilar to James Horner's use of synthesized voices in his notorious Titanic from 1997. And an effective way to conjure a ghostly past, to be sure.
It's slightly disappointing the physical album will be only available in a limited quantity of 1000 copies, but on the other hand, it's a miracle one will be pressed at all. While some more modern action passages towards the end push it slightly too much towards the realm of functional trailer music sequences, the vast majority is a very nice surprising treat for lovers of traditional melodrama. Another surprising treat in an already very strong year for film music and Wiedmann's finest work to date. More stuff like this, please!
Field Of Lost Shoes is available now from La-Land Records


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Understanding Benzodiazepines
Unlike popular drugs like heroin and cocaine, Benzodiazepines were not frequently talked about in the same context with addiction. But, after a spate of overdose deaths linked to this almost obscure substance, understanding Benzodiazepines suddenly became trendy.
Like any other substance of abuse, Benzodiazepines acquired "Benzo" as its street name. Members of the media forced to talk about this killer drug with the hard to pronounce name are still trying to decide whether this "Benzo" is the same substance that has been touted as a miracle remedy for every psychiatric woe from anxiety to alcohol recovery. In fact, the latest data from the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) suggest that there has been a five-fold increase in the number of Benzodiazepines related overdose deaths between 2001 to 2014.
History of Benzodiazepines
Benzodiazepines are a class of psychoactive drugs that was officially introduced to the scientific community in 1960 under the brand name Librium. This drug evolved from efforts by Leo Sternbach in 1955 to develop an effective tranquilizer. After some disappointing test outcomes, Sternbach abandoned his research. Two years later, his co-worker Earl Reeder observed a crystalline compound left over from the project while spring cleaning the lab. Tests later showed that this substance had strong sedative, muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant effects. By 1963, a commercially successful benzodiazepine product was being marketed by Hoffman-La Roche under the brand name Valium. And, as the popularity of benzodiazepines increased, the use of prescription barbiturates simultaneously decreased. By the 1970s benzodiazepines had completely replaced barbiturates for sedative and hypnotic uses.
Today, Benzodiazepine is the primary ingredient in prescription drugs such as Valium, Xanax and Klonopin that is often prescribed to treat a host of medical conditions including:
- Anxiety
- Alcohol withdrawal syndrome
- Seizure control
- Sleep disturbances or insomnia
- To induce amnesia for certain procedures
Under the Federal Controlled Substances Act Benzodiazepine is classified as a Schedule IV drug. Also, some benzodiazepine products such as Flunitrazepam and Temazepam require specially coded pads in certain states and are therefore subject to more stringent FDA regulations. Still, although benzodiazepines are now recognized as a chemical substance that is capable of causing drug dependence, addiction and overdose deaths Still; attempts at understanding benzodiazepines has continued to be sketchy at best.
How Benzodiazepines Work
The core structure of benzodiazepines facilitates the chemical fusion of a benzene ring and a diazepine ring. As a result, Benzodiazepines work by enhancing the effect of the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid in the brain. By increasing the efficiency of this natural brain chemical, it calms excitability by limiting communication between neurons. This initiates a sedative, muscle relaxant and anticonvulsant effect that help to:
- Reduce anxiety
- Relax muscle spasms
- Control seizures
Benzodiazepines Side Effects
Benzodiazepines are considered safe to use as long as individuals take this medication as directed by their physician and discontinue if adverse reactions occur within the recommended timeframe. Studies show Benzodiazepines has the potential to cause physical dependence if use is continued after two weeks. Unfortunately, some patients are lured into continued use by the calm feelings produced by products containing this drug. Use that goes beyond this period typically result in the development of tolerance levels through gradual increase in dosage. Dependence is also usually accompanied by the following Benzodiazepines side effects:
- Unusual sleep behaviors
- Anterograde amnesia
- Next day drowsiness or "hangover effect"
- Severe allergies
- Cognition impairments to thinking and reasoning abilities
Individuals who combine benzodiazepines with other drugs or alcohol are also at risk of cardiovascular complications including heart attack, stroke, respiratory depression and death. There are many other potential side effect effects which may differ from person to person. As such, patients should check with their pharmacy regarding their potential risks.
Benzodiazepines Withdrawal
Physiological dependence on benzodiazepines is also accompanied by uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms if consumption of the drug is halted too abruptly. Benzodiazepines withdrawal symptoms may include but are not limited to:
- Sleep disturbance
- Irritability
- Anxiety
- Panic attacks
- Hand tremors
- Sweating
- Difficulty concentrating
- Nausea and dry retching
- Weight loss
- Heart palpitations
- Headaches
- Muscular pain
- Perceptual imbalance
High doses of Benzodiazepines have also been shown to produce more severe withdrawal symptoms such as seizures and psychotic episodes. At this time, scientist warn that the extent of risks for physiological dependence on Benzodiazepines is still relatively unknown.
- https://www.drugabuse.gov/related-topics/trends-statistics/overdose-death-rates
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7841856
If you or a loved one needs help with abuse and/or treatment, please call the WhiteSands Treatment at (877) 855-3470. Our addiction specialists can assess your recovery needs and help you get the addiction treatment that provides the best chance for your long-term recovery.


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What a night! The amazing women from Moving the Goalposts who had traveled all the way from Kilifi enden up victorious, brining the GGWCup trophy home with them!
Next Stop: GGWCup UAE Friday January 19th 2018
From the GGWCup team we just want to say THANK YOU! to all the amazing teams, volunteers and partners who made the Global Goals World Cup happen on September 19th. Right from the super flexible owners of the Brooklyn Expo Center. who had never thought they would host a soccer tournament at their venue. To the Permanent Mission of Denmark to the UN, and the New York City's Mayors office for International Affairs Who helped us put everything together and supported the creation of the SDG 5 Dream Team. UNDP who partners with us everywhere in the world together with Save the Children, who made sure that the winners from Nairobi -Moving the Goalposts could join us in New York. And our amazing production partners Packouz productions, who were invaluable in making the event run smoothly. And GAIN who served a delicious dinner for the players after the games.
We couldn't have done it without the support of UN Women, the Office of the Secretary General's Envoy on Youth, Dena Mekawi from Style and Resilience, GANNI, Muuto, Global Citizen, Shamballa Jewels, Joe and the Juice, Little sun, DJ MIcki, Ihan Haydar, and our great referees Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Victor Ochen. And the phenomenal crew of referees judges and volunteers.
There are tons of gorgeous pictures and video on their way. But for now we just wanted to highlight the winners
1. The overall Trophy winner: Moving The Goal Post
2. Action Point Winners: Sports Equality Enforcers
3. Mobilizing the Crowd winners: BIG FC
4. Creative style: Mamma's United
5. Next Generation winners: She is Worth More
6. Attitude Award: Stars & Strikers
7. Give Back winners: Global Goals NY FC
Congratulations to all the teams, and we hope to see you again next year for more Global Goals Action!
Next stop is Bangkok already on September 30th.


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Don't Send Cash
A few days ago, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced that they intercepted a large shipment of ancient coins being mailed out of the country by a couple of licensed antiquities dealers. More than 5,000 coins from the Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, and Islamic periods were recovered.
Photo: Israel Antiquities Authority (via JPost)
I was at a site in the West Bank a couple of weeks ago that was covered with holes from illegal excavations. Looting is a lucrative business; some coins are worth more than a year's salary.
Tekoa, hometown of prophet Amos, with evidence of illegal excavation


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BUS-R06 Start Your Smarter Workforce Journey with Web Experiences and Kenexa
Stefan Liesche, Smarter Workforce and Kenexa Integration Architect, IBM Distinguished Engineer, IBM Rob Ingram, Product Manager and Strategist, Smarter Workforce, IBM
This session will introduce you to Kenexa's Talent Management suite, including its recruiting, onboarding, learning, assessment, performance and compensation capabilities. It will describe each capability and its value to your business and describe ways to jumpstart your journey toward a smarter workforce by using your IBM Exceptional Web Experience and social business platform. Sourcing talent through social media integration, exceptional career websites and onboarding solutions provides new opportunities. Finally, session will conclude with opportunities and IBM's vision for transforming your workforce and business processes by integrating Kenexa technology with the rest of the IBM product portfolio, including social profiles and communities, web experiences, business analytics and more. (Level: Introductory)
This video is a recording of a session held at the Exceptional Web Experience Conference, Chicago 2013. The video duration is approximately 50 minutes and contains audio.
To watch the video, click the play button.


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7-Day Easy Bulletproof Cyclical Ketosis Meal Plan (with Recipes!)
By: Dave Asprey
I get a lot of questions about what to eat day-to-day on the cyclical keto Bulletproof Diet. Doesn't it basically come down to burgers and bland veggies at every meal? Don't you have to give up your love of food to build a stronger body and mind?
Not in the slightest, actually. You can enjoy a lot of variety on the Bulletproof Diet without sacrificing flavor, especially if you stock up on herbs and spices and choose high-quality ingredients. Plus, you'll trade that heavy post-meal food coma for boundless energy and focus.
Here's a practical cyclical keto meal plan for a week of eating Bulletproof. These recipes are simple, yet flavorful. All of them take under 30 minutes to make.
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee (recipe here)
Lunch: Wild Salmon with Buttered Kale (Eat at around 2PM every day)
30 minutes; serves 2
Wild salmon is an exceptional source of omega-3 fat, and it's all the better when you top it with grass-fed butter. Lemon lends an acidity that cuts the richness of the fatty fish, and fresh herbs add depth of flavor and antioxidants. Delicious and simple.
2 wild salmon filets (sockeye salmon is great)
1 tsp Brain Octane Oil (or coconut oil)
Sea salt
3 tbsp grass-fed, unsalted butter (Kerrygold is a good brand) or ghee
1 tbsp minced fresh chives, parsley, and/or dill
Lemon wedges, for servingoh, Courtney
1 bunch (12 oz) kale, stems removed and leaves torn into pieces
- Preheat oven to 320F.
- Place the salmon filets on parchment paper on a baking sheet. Rub with Brain Octane, season with sea salt, and top with 1 tbsp butter.
- Wrap the parchment around the salmon, folding the seams and tucking them to make sure the steam doesn't escape.
- Bake until fish is medium rare, about 18 minutes.
- While fish is baking, steam kale until just wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Drain kale, add remaining butter, salt to taste, and plate. Put the salmon on top, and sprinkle with chopped herbs and fresh-squeezed lemon. Serve.
Dinner: Hanger Steak with Herb Butter and Spinach (Eat dinner before 8PM every day)
30 minutes; Serves 2, with leftovers
High-quality grass-fed steak speaks for itself, and the hanger cut hits the sweet spot between price and flavor. Drown your hanger steak in herb butter to make it extra satisfying. Just don't overcook it. Well-done steak is a crime.
1 tbsp Brain Octane Oil
2 Hanger steaks, room temperature
1 lemon
4 tbsp grass-fed butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced chives
2 tbsp mixed chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, and/or oregano)
Sea salt
6 cups (about 6 oz) spinach, lightly steamed
- Rub steak with Brain Octane and set aside.
- Grate two teaspoons of zest from the lemon. Avoid grating down to the bitter pith (the white part). You only want the citrusy yellow part of the peel.
- Squeeze out 1 tsp of lemon juice, and set the remaining wedges aside.
- In a small bowl, combine butter, lemon zest, chives, herbs, and 1 tsp sea salt. Mix well to form compound herb butter. Stir in the lemon juice until incorporated.
- Heat a grill pan (or actual grill) to medium-high heat. Season your steak with sea salt and place in the pan. You should hear it sizzle.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low to avoid charring the steak. Cook 5-6 minutes per side for rare, 6-7 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- Transfer steak to a plate, top with half the herb butter, and let rest for 5 minutes. Reserve the rest of the butter for the leftovers.
- Cut the steak thinly across the grain, and serve on top of a bed of steamed spinach. Top with drippings from the pan and a squeeze of lemon. Serve.
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Lunch: Lamb Chili
30 mins; serves 2, with leftovers
This is hearty comfort food packed with fat, protein, and veggies. You can use grass-fed beef in place of the lamb (tip: buy the fattiest ground meat you can find. It's cheaper and more flavorful). You can also substitute 4 tbsp organic chili spice mix for the spices listed out here, as long as you're not sensitive to the lectins in the cayenne pepper.
1 leek, sliced
2 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 cups water
½ cup asparagus, thinly sliced
1 cup cauliflower, chopped
1 cup zucchini/summer squash, chopped
1 lb grass-fed ground lamb (or grass-fed ground beef)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tbsp Brain Octane Oil
Olive oil, for drizzling
For spice mix:
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp allspice
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sea salt
- In a medium pot, combine the leek, carrots, and celery and cook over medium-low heat until fragrant and the leek is soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the water, asparagus, cauliflower, zucchini, ground lamb, vinegar, spices, and sea salt.
- Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in the coconut oil and Brain Octane until incorporated.
- Serve in a bowl, drizzled with olive oil.
Dinner – Leftover Hanger Steak with Spinach
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Lunch: Bulletproof Ceviche with Avocado and Arugula
5 minutes, plus 2 hours wait; Serves 1
Put this ceviche together in the morning, and by lunchtime the acid will have cooked the fish. You can make it in a portable glass dish and let it cure in the fridge at work, too. Ceviche makes a nice light meal, but all the fat keeps it filling. Pro tip: about 10% of people have genetics that make cilantro taste like soap. Leave the garnish out if you're one of them.
8 oz skinless, boneless wild salmon, cubed
2 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Brain Octane Oil
½ avocado, cubed
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 tbsp cilantro, torn
½ cup arugula
Sea salt
- Toss the salmon, oils, and lime juice, then fold in avocado, scallion and cilantro. Season with sea salt.
- Refrigerate and let sit for at least two hours. Stir/shake every 15 minutes to distribute the lime juice. You can marinate for longer as long as you keep it refrigerated.
- Fold in arugula before serving.
Dinner: Leftover Lamb Chili
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Lunch: Bulletproof High-Fat Salad
15 minutes; Serves 2
Lettuce is low in nutrients and won't fill you up. This recipe brings new life to salad with delicious, high-fat additions and a creamy dressing. Skip the bell pepper if you're sensitive to nightshades.
For salad:
2 cups wild greens mix (arugula, romaine, etc.)
2 pastured eggs, hard-boiled and quartered
4 oz smoked wild salmon, separated into pieces
½ avocado, cubed
Handful unroasted cashews
½ red bell pepper, sliced (optional; omit if you're sensitive to nightshades)
? cucumber, thinly sliced
For dressing:
The other half of the avocado
The other third of the cucumber
3 tbsp Brain Octane or olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
Fresh cilantro and oregano, to taste
Sea salt, to taste
- Combine all the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
- Blend all the dressing ingredients until smooth and creamy.
- Toss the salad in the dressing and serve.
Dinner: Bulletproof Mac N' Cheese
30 minutes; Serves 2, with leftovers
In any given 12-week period, one third of all Americans will eat mac n' cheese. It's the most popular cheese dish in the US. This version trades refined wheat pasta and plastic cheese for nutrient-dense spaghetti squash smothered in tangy sauce.
1½ lbs grass-fed beef
4 big carrots, halved
1/2 bunch celery, chopped
4 cups spaghetti squash
3 scallions (bulbs and stems)
4 tbsp butter
1 cup hot water
5 tbsp Brain Octane Oil
1 gram (1000 mg) of vitamin C (break open a capsule from your supplements)
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- Brown the beef to a light pink color over medium heat. Set aside.
- Add the chopped celery, squash, and carrots into a pot and steam on medium heat until all the vegetables are soft. Turn off the heat and leave the pot on the stove.
- Mix the butter, hot water, MCT oil, vitamin C, vinegar, and oregano in a small saucepan. Stir constantly as the mixture heats. Once the butter is melted, remove the sauce from the heat. Add the sauce to a blender with the steamed carrots and raw scallions and blend.
- Chop the beef into small chunks and stir it into the sauce.
- Place the spaghetti squash and celery into bowls and top it with the meat/sauce mixture.
- Top with cayenne pepper if you dare. 😉
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Lunch: Leftover Mac N' Cheese
Dinner: Pork Chops with Herb Crust and Wilted Dandelion Greens
30 minutes; Serves 2
Dandelion greens are high in potassium and B vitamins. They're also slightly bitter, which pairs well with the richness of the pork chop. Having trouble finding them? Sub in any other green. Buy bone-in pork chops to keep them from drying out while they cook.
1 tbsp each minced fresh parsley, oregano, sage, and thyme
2 bone-in pork chops, room temperature
2 tsp Brain Octane Oil
1 ½ tbsp grass-fed butter
1 bunch dandelion greens, trimmed, washed, and roughly chopped
Sea salt
- In a small bowl, combine herbs and 1 tsp sea salt. Coat both sides of the pork chops with the herb/salt mixture.
- Heat a heavy pan over medium heat. Add the Brain Octane and the chops. Cook until the chops are golden, 4 to 5 minutes each side.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, tossing the chops to coat. Plate the chops and put them aside.
- Put the pan back on the heat and add dandelion greens, cooking in butter and drippings without turning, for 2 minutes.
- Top the pork chops with the dandelion greens, drizzle with pan drippings, and serve.
Breakfast: Bulletproof Coffee
Lunch: Baked Rosemary Chicken Thighs with Broccoli Soup
30-minutes; Serves 2
Chicken is higher in omega-6 fats, so limit it to once or twice a week. Chickens aren't meant to eat feed – put them in a field and they'll forage for wild plants, seeds, grubs, and even mice. All that contributes to a denser nutritional profile with fewer toxins, which is why it's always worth it to buy pastured chicken.
2 bone-in, skin-on pastured chicken thighs
1 tbsp Brain Octane Oil
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
1 tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt
For broccoli soup:
1 head broccoli
3 tbsp grass-fed butter
1 tsp Sea salt
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Pull the skin away from the meat of the chicken thighs so it's separated, but still attached. Slip a sprig of rosemary between the meat and skin. This will infuse the meat with flavor and ensure that the skin crisps.
- Rub the Brain Octane on the outside of the chicken thighs, then sprinkle with smoked paprika and sea salt.
- Put the chicken thighs on a baking sheet. Bake until no longer pink and juices run clear, about 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is baking, cut the stalk off the broccoli and set it aside.
- Boil or steam the broccoli head until tender, about 6 minutes.
- Blend the broccoli, butter, sea salt, and 2 tbsp of the water from the pot until smooth. Add more water if the soup is too thick.
- Plate the chicken and put the soup in a bowl. Serve together.
Dinner: Shredded Beef with Brussels Sprouts
30-minutes, plus 8 hours cooking time; Serves 2-4
Start this one in the morning. Your house will smell delicious all day and the roast will be ready in time for dinner.
1 pound grass-fed bottom sirloin or skirt steak
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoons XCT oil
3 tablespoons grass-fed unsalted butter
1.5 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
For Brussels sprouts:
1 pound Brussels sprouts (halved)
2 tablespoons grass-fed unsalted butter
2 teaspoons sea salt
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
- Coat the steak with the salt, turmeric, and oregano.
- Place the seasoned steak in the slow cooker and pour on the Brain Octane Oil. Add the butter and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or until the meat is shreddable. After the meat is cooked, shred it with a fork and add the vinegar.
- To make the Brussels sprouts: preheat the oven to 300F. Place the sprouts in a baking pan with the butter. Sprinkle on the salt and turmeric. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes. Serve and enjoy.
Breakfast: All-American Breakfast
15 minutes; Serves 2
Skip intermittent fasting once a week so your body doesn't adjust to it. Today, instead of just doing Bulletproof Coffee for breakfast, opt for the classic bacon and eggs duo, with avocado on the side. Cook your eggs sunny-side up to preserve the precious nutrients in the yolks.
4 slices pastured bacon
4 pastured eggs
1 tbsp grass-fed butter
1 avocado, sliced
Sea salt
- Pan fry the bacon over medium heat until cooked but not charred, about 4 minutes each side. Set aside, and reserve the bacon fat for a later meal.
- Clean the pan and return to medium heat. Add butter, then eggs. Fry the eggs until the white cooks.
- Tilt the pan so the butter pools. Spoon the butter over the eggs until the white on the top cooks.
- Plate the eggs, sliced avocado, and bacon. Add sea salt to taste and serve.
Lunch: Leftover Shredded Beef and Brussels Sprouts
Dinner: Bulletproof Steak Bowl
30-minutes; Serves 2, with leftovers
This is the same steak bowl served at the Bulletproof Coffee Shops in Los Angeles. It calls for tender but inexpensive grass-fed tri tip steak, rubbed with herbs and cooked low and slow until medium-rare. White rice is perfect for your carb refeed day.
1 ½ lbs grass-fed tri tip steak
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp each sage, oregano, thyme, parsley, and rosemary, roughly chopped and mixed
2 tbsp Brain Octane Oil, plus extra for drizzling
1 cup (dry) organic long grain white rice, rinsed
2 cups water
Vegetables of your choice, steamed
1 tbsp grass-fed butter
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Add rice, water, 1 tsp sea salt, and 2 tbsp Brain Octane to a pot. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes.
- While rice is cooking, trim the fat and skin off the tri tip with a sharp knife. Fat is good, but you want the tri tip to be tender and easy to eat.
- Rub the tri tip with olive oil until coated, then toss in sea salt and herb mixture.
- Spread the tri tip on a baking pan and bake until medium-rare, 18-20 minutes.
- Remove the tri tip from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- When the rice is done cooking, remove it and let it rest for 10 minutes as well.
- Put the rice in the bottom of a bowl and top with steamed veggies, tri tip, grass-fed butter, and salt to taste. Drizzle extra Brain Octane if you'd like, then serve.
You don't have to spend more than an hour a day to make home-cooked, flavorful food that upgrades your performance. For more simple Bulletproof recipes, pick up a copy of Bulletproof: The Cookbook, or download the Bulletproof Diet Roadmap for free and get creative in the kitchen. Thanks for reading and have a great week!
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MTD Kingston Andrew Gouche Signature 5-String Electric Bass
Sku #H87355000001000
5 String Electric Bass
- Write a Review
45 day price guarantee, 45 day return policy, 100% secure shopping
A formidable 5-string made to the exact specifications of Michael Tobias and bass legend Andrew Gouche.
Michael Tobias and legendary bassist Andrew Gouche worked together to create the MTD Kingston AG, an amazing bass with many custom features that were personally selected by Andrew himself. This bass is fully loaded with a 35" scale, alder body with maple burl top and one-piece neck, MTD quick release bridge and Bartolini pickups and active Bartolini 3-band preamp. With its smooth playability and mind-altering tones, this bass will change the way you think about the instrument. Available in a custom finish created to perfectly blend with the fingerboard.
In Michael Tobias's own words, "This is a sweet sounding bass."
- 35" scale
- 24 medium jumbo frets
- One-piece neck with satin polyester finish
- Alder body with Maple Burl top
- MTD quick release bridge, 3/4" (19mm) spacing
- Double-action truss rod
- Purpleheart fingerboard
- Five controls:volume (with push/pull preamp bypass), blend, treble
- control, mid control (with push/pull mid shift: 250Hz - 800Hz.) and bass control
- Bartolini pickups and active Bartolini 3-band preamp
- Shielded electronics compartment
- Buzz Feiten Tuning System
- Smoked chrome hardware
Get yours today!


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Armando Salguero
Miami Dolphins have revamped since Jets loss (well, defense has)
The Miami Dolphins played the New York Jets a month ago. And as the team lost that game it stands to reason things have to change if the rematch is to offer a different result for the team Sunday.
And that's fine because if one looks at this rematch, it's fair to say the Dolphins are indeed a different team than they were that disappointing September day in New Jersey.
The difference on defense is obvious. The Dolphins will have four different defensive starters on Sunday that they didn't have in the first meeting.
Cordrea Tankersly will start at cornerback.
Rey Maualuga will start at middle linebacker.
Jordan Phillips will start at defensive tackle.
All three were inactive against the Jets the first game.
That's a big deal because the Dolphins run defense has played better with Phillips and Maualuga in the lineup. No, there's no huge statistical difference that proves that, but anecdotally, it's that way. Players feel it, coaches feel it.
Maualuga's presence has improved the team's physical nature. He's a tough, downhill tackler. He loves to play under the opponent's pads. That's a big deal this week because the Dolphins bemoaned how the Jets were more physical than them on offense and defense in the last game.
Tankersley taking over for Byron Maxwell is a big difference. In that Jets game, coaches grew frustrated Maxwell didn't at times play the press technique they wanted. As a result the Jets completed several easy slants and short outs that helped move the chains and help their time of possession.
Maxwell was benched after that game and hasn't seen the field since.
Tankersley is a rookie who is playing the techniques he's told and has brought a bit of added swag to the defensive backfield.
Look, there will be games the Dolphins' young cornerbacks will get picked on. It's the NFL. But the team is appreciating how the Tankersley and Xavien Howard duo is coming together.
"I like the way they play," coach Adam Gase said. "I like the way they tackle. I like the way they try to get hands on receivers at the line of scrimmage. Right now, X is playing extremely well. He's playing extremely confident. He's talking a lot, which is great. I love it.
"Tank is not short of confidence either. I do think the fact that those two guys are aggressive and mix it up in the run game is really helpful for us, because it's eliminating big plays. I think the rest of those guys ...linebackers and d-lineman ... when they see those guys come up and tackle, that's a big plus for us."
Oh, did I mention Lawrence Timmons is playing Sunday? He was suspended the first meeting after going AWOL the week before in Los Angeles.
He's back now. He's starting. And he has greatly improved the team's defense on run downs and pass downs where he's part of the nickel package.
"He's a guy that can run and hit and cover and overlap some zones," defensive coordinator Matt Burke said. "He's a versatile player. He allows us to pressure a little bit with him. He's a good blitzer; but he's also a guy that can, again, when we play some vision defenses and zone defenses, he can overlap and run and hit and tackle when throws are made, and those sort of things. He allows us to do a lot of different things."
Great, how about change on offense?
This is a bit more complicated. The Dolphins won't have lineup changes on offense per se against the Jets this game. Obviously, the health status of center Mike Pouncey (concussion) and receiver DeVante Parker (ankle) will determine their availability. But the Miami offense hasn't made lineup changes to raise its level of play since the Jets debacle.
That doesn't mean things aren't different.
"Offensively, I think we're in a different spot. I think we were feeling good going into the game, thinking that we had something to build off of," Gase said. "We had a good week of practice. They did a good job. They were more physical than we were and they got us out of rhythm.
"They kept us in third-and-long which, if you're in third-and-long all day on a Todd Bowles defense, it's going to be a long day because he is creative. He does so many good things with what he brings with his defensive packages. You will have an idea of what the structure may be, but you're never really going to know who's going to come. You have to be great in your rules because no matter what you practice, there's a good chance you're going to see a few things that you haven't seen on film. That's what makes him a tough, a tough guy to go against, because he's very creative."
That doesn't sound encouraging. It sounds like the Miami offense, which converted exactly one of 12 third down plays the first games, is going to have another fight on its hands.
The offense Sunday will be different, however, in that it is no longer trying to be a no-huddle group. Back in September coaches were still hoping no-huddle would be a thing. The approach now is more methodical.
The offense is also much less complex than it was then as Gase spent a couple of weeks "dumbing down" the scheme so his players could think less and play faster.
That and more experience of games and practice repetitions is going to have to suffice for the Miami offense. It will have to rely on that to show itself different against New York this game.
To get a different result this game.
Follow Armando Salguero on Twitter: @ArmandoSalguero


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BioMed Research International
Volume 2013, Article ID 192029, 12 pages
The Impact of Hepatic Steatosis on Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in Experimental Studies: A Systematic Review
1Department of Surgery, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
2Maurice Wilkins Centre for Biodiscovery, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
3School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142, New Zealand
4New Zealand Liver Transplant Unit, Auckland City Hospital, Private Bag 92024, Auckland 1023, New Zealand
Received 8 April 2013; Accepted 23 July 2013
Academic Editor: Mohamed Tarek Shata
Copyright © 2013 Michael J. J. Chu et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background. The impact of hepatic steatosis on outcome following hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) remains controversial with conflicting clinical results. A number of experimental studies have been published examining the relationship between hepatic steatosis and IRI. This systematic review evaluates these experimental studies. Methods. An electronic search of the Medline and Embase databases (January 1946 to June 2012) was performed to identify studies that reported relevant outcomes in animal models of hepatic steatosis subjected to IRI. Results. A total of 1314 articles were identified, of which 33 met the predefined criteria and were included in the study. There was large variation in the type of animal model, duration, and type of IRI and reporting of histological findings. Increased macrovesicular steatosis (>30%) was associated with increased histological damage, liver function derangement, and reduced survival. Increased duration of warm or cold ischemia had a negative impact on all outcomes measured. Microvesicular steatosis did not influence outcome. Conclusions. Findings from this systemic review support the hypothesis that livers with >30% macrovesicular steatosis are less tolerant of IRI. Clinically, it is likely that these findings are applicable to patients undergoing hepatic resection, but further studies are required to confirm these data.


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This Fathers Day revisit some of the marvels of bollywood with a fathers love for his children at their core.
A typical Indian father nurtures his kids' lives with love and dedication. Even though he is pained by the fact that all his kids stay away from him, never does he hold them back from making progress in their lives. He is a self sufficient person with few expectations from his children, expect for his hope of a little care and respect from his sons and their families.
Every father who has toiled all his life to make real his children's dream, expects only respect for himself and his wife and little bit of love and affection in his aging years. Trust me he really doesn't need much else from you.
A father who has failed himself for long, feels the need to reform himself for his daughter. He fights himself, and commits to fulfilling his kid's one wish. A father is capable of resurrecting his self respect even in the face of adversities that challenge him at every step. And yes nothing can stop him from succeeding.
Do you remember any such instance where your father went out of his comfort zone to make you happy? From a father's point of view, nothing can beat the sense of accomplishment when he raises the bar a notch higher to gain his kids' admiration. To hear 'My Daddy Strongest' from their lad/girl is every father's secret wish.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gam
A proud father who takes pleasure in his kids' capabilities and achievements may have one fallacy. He tends to believe that his kids will consider his wish as his command. Call it his ego or whatever he cannot bear the pain of his kids going beyond his wish. Yet, he loves his kids unconditionally. He may live in remorse for several years. He will live in a constant tug of war between his ego and his fatherly love for years. Do not forget the climax confession of a father, "Bado ki dant mein hi unka pyaar hota hai".
Never take your father's words on face value. Take a deep breath, and try and understand the underlying meaning of his words. For many fathers in this world, harsher their words, higher the degree of their concern for you.
Patiala House
Sometimes your father's dreams for you are different from yours and you find it difficult to bring this to his cognizance. He looks like the most difficult person on the earth. Nothing makes you more helpless than the feeling that you can go and win the world by realizing your dreams, but you are incapable of making your dad see this.
Yet know one thing – when you stand your ground a little longer and go all out to achieve what you want to, the tallest tower of pride that you will see around you will be your dad's. The tinkle that you will see in your father's eyes will make you feel that you have conquered not only this world, but the universe. So just hang on a little longer!
A father who has been thrown the challenge of being a single parent has double the love to give to his child. He is also attached to his child with a bond double the strength. He has nothing else to look forward to other than a smile on his child's face. In the situation of losing him due to someone else's fault, puts him on a track that no one else understands.
This is one facet of a father's heart than none of us want to give light to. It's scary and heart rendering. Try and recall that one time in your life, when your father stood up against the world to defend you or protect you.
So this Father's Day, gift your dad 'UNDERSTANDING'. This will be your tribute to him for a lifetime!


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Upgrading a MOTOmed
If you have MOTOmed Viva2, LOOP or MUVI model it's probably taken you a long way already. Now you want to go further! A popular upgrade is to add FES to an existing MOTOmed Viva2, LOOP or MUVI turning it into a full specification RehaMove FES Cycling system
A unique aspect of of the RehaMove system comes from the fact that existing Reck MOTOmed Viva2's can be upgraded to full FES cycling capability.
How do I know if my MOTOmed can be upgraded?
If your bike is a VIVA2 model - we can presently integrate FES to it. Normally this means exchanging the Controller (the display unit) of the Viva2 to one which has a "serial Interface". This looks almost identical to the original Controller but has the hardware built in to allow the connection of the RehaMove 2 FES system.
If your bike is a MOTOmed Muvi or Loop .l or .la, or Gracile model - then relax - we can integrate FES to it. In this case the MOTOmed bike is already equipped with the latest interface so adding FES could not be easier. Add the bracket to mount the FES unit and we are ready to go. PLEASE NOTE the Lite Models do NOT support FES
Who can do this?
If you have a Viva2 model, the Reck dealer in the UK (MediMotion Ltd) can exchange the controller for you and then we at Anatomical Concepts can set up the whole system. We can exchange the controller and offer all equipment and training to move your MOTOmed to a full RehaMove FES bike specification.
The bottom line
It's a very cost effective upgrade from an exisitng Muvi, Loop, Gracile or Viva2 and provides a powerful FES cycling system.


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The Loge Boxes and Loge Lounge are the most exclusive and luxurious way to enjoy events at the Rose Bowl Stadium. With views overlooking the 50-yard line, this space is limited to just 192 total guests, offering first-class comfort and an unbeatable experience.
Club Seats at the Rose Bowl Stadium offer you the luxury of larger, cushioned seating while still being a part of all the action. Club Seats have access to the Club Lounge and are all-inclusive of food and non-alcoholic beverages. With full cash bars and private restrooms available throughout the Club levels, your wait time away from the game is limited, ensuring you can enjoy the entirety of the event.
With the luxury of indoor/outdoor entertainment, owning a Suite at the Rose Bowl Stadium gives you and your guests access to the biggest events in Southern California. Suite sizes range from sixteen (16) to thirty (30) people and provide an unmatched experience at one of the most iconic stadiums in the country.
With top events including UCLA Football, the Rose Bowl Game, international soccer and world-class concerts, the Terry Donahue Pavilion is the only way to guarantee the best seats to these unforgettable events at the Rose Bowl Stadium. Whether spending an evening with family and friends or entertaining business clients, Premium Seating at America's Stadium creates a memory to last a lifetime.
(626) 585-6800 | [email protected]


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1. Fresh Steam Cream (for oily skin)
2. Moist Steam Cream (for normal to dry skin)
3. Ultra Steam Cream (for extremely dry skin)
I purchased the Moist Steam Cream version to try out. I got it for 69HKD from Bonjour when I was in Hong Kong early 2015.
How to use: Use this as the moisturiser step of your skincare routine.
Contents: 100ml
Price: 31,000won (you can find it much cheaper through other online retailers like Jolse or Rose Rose Shop)
The texture of this cream is difficult to describe. It is not a dense cream, but it has quite a bit of weight to it when you pick it up with a spatula. It dries so quickly that it often feels like you didn't put anything on your skin at all, and it takes a while for you to rub in the cream. I did not find this cream extremely moisturising but I would be interested to see if the Ultra version is a better fit for my needs. I love that these tubs of cream are big. It took me around three months to finish this cream.
As I mentioned in my Innisfree mask post, I don't know what shea butter is supposed to smell like, but this cream smells wonderful. It didn't pill under my makeup so that's a big plus. I might repurchase this if I can find it at a good price, but I would not purchase it at its full price. I'm still on the hunt for my HG cream.
☆☆☆/ 5
The packaging for this product has been renewed. The one I have pictured here is an older design by Taeyeon, leader of Girls' Generation/SNSD. Her butterfly signature is included on the lid which is a nice touch for fans. To be honest, I knew nothing about her until her 'scandal' with Baekhyun (who is my favourite member of EXO). Then her song 'I' came out last year and I fell in love with her:D
|The cream in the box


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Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana
On the palm-studded, sugar white beach in Playa Bavaro, Secrets Royal Beach Punta Cana offers adults a seaside getaway to paradise. This magnificent escape, with touches of modern Caribbean-inspired décor, boasts a wealth of amenities, elite services and contemporary accommodations. 373 spacious guestrooms provide guests with unparalleled views and superior amenities. Guests will enjoy all the privileges Unlimited-LuxuryAAA® from their finely-appointed rooms to the expansive sugar-white beach. As well as gourmet dining and top-shelf spirits with the option to Sip, Savor & See at nearby sister resorts for a night out. Swim, sail, snorkel and more in the turquoise Caribbean or take an introductory scuba diving lesson! For golf enthusiasts a world-class 18-hole golf course is just minutes awa
Rates Starting at
Sip, Savor & See Dining Experience
Enjoy the Sip, Savor & See Dining Experience where guests can enjoy a night out and visit a select, nearby sister property. With Sip, Savor & See guests will sip artfully prepared cocktails, savor delicious gourmet cuisine and see live, exciting entertainment at the resort of their choice!View Special
Contact Information
Av. Alemania S/N El Cortecito, Bavaro, Punta
Phone: (809) 221-4646
- Concierge services
- Air-conditioned public areas
- Elevator/lift
- Express check-in
- Express check-out
- 24-hour front desk
- Spa
- Pool
- Multilingual staff
- Safe-deposit box
- Breakfast Available
- Room Service
- Restaurant(s) in hotel
- Fitness Facilities
- Complimentary newspaper
- Internet
- 465 Rooms
Currencies Accepted: United States DollarMastercardVisaDiscover
Majestic mountains, vibrant cities and living history compete with miles of beaches for visitors' attention.


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