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Saturday, February 2, 2013
How To Get What You Want
Monday, October 22, 2012
Uba, NW1
Five years ago I was pretty sure that all I would ever know was the plain concrete box I lived in. I was just a little pup, not even six months old, when they took me and my cousins away from the life we knew in the woods and put us in boxes. I started to forget who I was. I forgot about the woods I used to live in and that there was anything outside my box. Some of the other dogs forgot themselves before I did and believed that the box was all there was. Hector didn't forget and he would bark at the people that hosed us and our boxes and it would remind me that once I knew something other than the box.
Freedom sounds wonderful, but when all you know is a box, freedom is overwhelming. My mom, Lulu, and all my friends spent a lot of time explaining to me that there is nothing to be scared of and that they would keep me safe. They called me "environmentally sensitive" and one friend who helps humans called veterans said I was like her patients who have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. With help I got brave at home, at pit ed class, in wild places and in a few other places, like Jonny's house. New places stayed scary.
Uba, NW1 |
Monday, September 3, 2012
This summer I was lucky enough to have my BFF Ivie Lu come over to play a few times. She's great. We take walks, wrestle, and lay around being lazy together. But there's one thing we do not have in common - that would be playing in the water. You see, Ivie loves the water and I do not. Here she is trying to convince me to get in the pool! "No way", I say!!
So I show her that the only thing the pool is good for is a big drink of water. -GraceWednesday, June 27, 2012
Just Call Me Super Dog
This weekend I dressed up and went on a walk with all my friends incognito.
Thats Lulu on my left and Tallulah on my right. |
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
35 Years
Sunday, April 22, 2012
My Precious
Monday, March 19, 2012
iFun Photos
Hi, it's me,Grace. I've been bored with all of this rain, so I resorted to taking silly pictures of myself with the iPad.
Grace The Polar Bear
Grace the Dachshund
Dizzy Grace
Piggy Grace
Gracie Twins
What do you think?
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Squirrel Patrol
No, I have never caught one. Besides, she wouldn't let me if I could. But those irritatingly chatty squirrels live in the tall trees just beyond and mock me from above. So, I feel it is my responsibility, no, it's my duty, to volunteer for squirrel patrol in case they all decide to climb down and invade my lawn!
Friday, February 3, 2012
Happy Valentine's Day
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Come and Meet Us!
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Getting Strong and Bored
Thursday, December 1, 2011
A Pig in the Poles
She hoped that I could be a therapy dog because I'm little, sweet, cute, and I know lots of tricks. But, that hasn't happened because I'm still just a little too afraid of the world. Maybe it will happen someday for me, but in the meantime, I take agility classes for fun and entertainment. Unfortunately, I don't bend through the weave poles like a border collie because I'm shaped like a pig. And I wouldn't miss the weave pole entry on the first try if my teammate would just queue me correctly. Jeez, lady.
Here I am in my very first agility trial being sort of fast despite my pig-like physique. She seemed happy about the ribbons I won, but I didn't really care. I'm a dog and I do it because it's fun to run.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Dog-sized Christmas Tree
Today my family is getting out this stuff they call Christmas decorations and I'm helping. There's even a little tree just my size in the room where I sleep!
It's kind of exciting, but this decorating thing can make a girl tired!


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Sell Cars 2 Dace – We are the biggest independent used car dealer in Stockport Derbyshire. We stock over 200 cars and have one of the largest selections of used cars in the Derbyshire, Northwest. Dace Motor Company has been synonymous with the Reddish area for over 40 years. Family owned and run, the company is one of the biggest independent used car dealers in Derbyshire. We sell over 100 used cars per month, so to maintain our car stock levels we are always looking to buy cars from trade and private sellers. We buy any car make or model from £50 – £50,000 so why not give us a call today on 01614777056
or request a car valuation Derbyshire to sell your car.
If you are selling your car in Derbyshire and would like a hassle free quick and easy way to sell your car, then contact Sell Cars 2 Dace. We are open 7 days a week and can value your car in person, by you visiting our showroom, over the phone on 01614777056 or you can request a car valuation. We buy any car in Derbyshire that means any make, any model and any age car and we will pay you by *secure cash payment direct into your bank account – on the same day if required. We are not a faceless operation spending thousands on TV advertising (paid for out of the profits from buying your car cheaply) but a local car dealer offering a fair price for your car and the financial strength to pay cash for cars today.
Unlike many 'buy any car' websites Dace do not offer an online car valuation using an automated system like CAP or Glass' Guide because we know that the cars condition and history are more important than what it says in a book. There are also many other factors that affect the price that we offer such as current market demand for that exact vehicle, which is not always reflected in book values. The best way to get instant cash for your car is to bring your car to our showroom in Stockport where we can give you our best offer instantly and arrange a secure cash payment into your bank account. Alternatively call 01614777056 to get a car valuation by phone or request a car valuation Derbyshire. Sell Cars 2 Dace the quick and easy way to sell your car in Derbyshire.
Cash for cars in:
Newtown: Newtown Tintwisle: Tintwistle Crowden: Crowden Bridge: Bridge Woodhead: Woodhead
Popular Tags: where do i sell my car in Derbyshire, help me sell my car in Derbyshire, we will buy any car in in Derbyshire, who can buy my car in Derbyshire, cash for cars in Derbyshire, motor car valuations in Derbyshire
Dace Motor Company has been established for over twenty years. We are currently selling around 500 cars per month. We have a great idea of what people are looking for from a car dealer.
We have a fantastic reputation selling cars in the Northwest and in particular the Stockport and Manchester areas. For over 20 years we have been supplying used vehicles to our customers and our reputation backed up by Judge Service reviews lets you be confident that you are dealing with a company you can trust.

subset: commoncrawl


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Departments & Programs
Certificate in Atmospheric Science
The Certificate in Atmospheric Science provides a broad and rigorous introduction to the atmospheric sciences, allowing students to study variability in and changes to the modern atmosphere. Course work within the atmospheric sciences helps students to better understand atmospheric processes and their impacts on natural ecosystems and human society through the study of such topics as air pollution, biosphere-atmosphere interactions, climate variations, the water cycle, weather forecasting, and wind energy. The certificate also emphasizes the development of skills in scientific programming, meteorological instrumentation, and statistics.
As part of completing a bachelor's degree and in addition to completing the requirements for a major in another department, students may earn a certificate in Atmospheric Science. The certificate requires a minimum of 24 credit hours (i.e., 8 courses) in atmospheric science courses. Any course taken to satisfy the requirements of the certificate must be completed with a minimum grade of C, and the GPA of all courses taken in the certificate must exceed 2.700.
- Basic foundation courses (All 3 required): G109, G250, G304.
- Remaining credits (5 courses) to be chosen from G339, G350, G362, G405, G431, G433, G434, G442, G450, G451, G460, G470, G475, G477, G488, G489, PHYS P310, and SPEA E451.
Note: A transcriptable concentration in Atmospheric Science is available to B.A. and B.S. majors in Geography. The Certificate in Atmospheric Science is not available to students who are pursuing a major in Geography.


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Now, a new lens has popped up, the Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2, which is fast, and quite compact in size:
From left: Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2, Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 (my review) and Lumix G 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 (my review) set to 12mm.
How do they do it? It is not because the Samyang 12mm lens only covers the Four Thirds sensor. It is designed to cover also the APS-C sensor size, coming in versions for Sony E mount and Fujifilm X mount, and many more.
The reason why the lens is so small, is that it is designed for mirrorless system cameras only, with a shorter register distance than DSLR cameras. The shorter register distance allows making smaller wide angle lenses, as exemplified with the Lensbaby 5.8mm f/3.5 circular fisheye lens.
It is natural to compare the Samyang 12mm f/2 with the Olympus 12mm f/2, as they both have similar specifications:
Lens | Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2 | Olympus 12mm f/2 |
Length | 59mm | 43mm |
Diameter | 73mm | 56mm |
Weight | 260g | 130g |
Minimum focus distance | 0.25m | 0.20m |
Lens elements/groups | 12/10 | 11/8 |
Filter thread | 67mm | 46mm |
Price | US$300 | US$700 |
With the 2x crop factor of the Micro Four Thirds format, the lens has an equivalent focal length of 24mm. This makes it a quite wide angle lens.
So what's the lens like?
The lens comes in a fairly large, padded box. A hood, and front and rear lens caps are included, as well as a cloth pouch:
The lens is made from metal materials, and gives a solid, high quality feel. Both the front and rear lens elements are quite large, and domed. As you would expect, the lens bayonet mount is metal:
The focus ring is very well dampened, allowing for a very precise and smooth focus operation, well suited for video use. The focus assembly is of the traditional kind, where all the lens elements move back and forth while focusing. This is the traditional way of designing the focus for manual lenses: Internal focus is mostly used with mirrorless autofocus lenses.
The focus goes all the way down to 0.20m. Keeping in mind that the focus distance is measured from the sensor plane, this means that the working distance is close to 0.10m, that is the minimum distance between the subject and the front of the lens. The focus scale appears to be accurate.
The aperture ring is also well dampened, and has click stops for half stop apertures between f/2 and f/16, and one click stop at f/22. This is a quite common arrangement.
Both the focus ring and the aperture ring have nice ridges, which makes it easy to grip them. There are no rubberized surfaces, though.
The Samyang lens is a purely mechanical lens, and has no electrical contacts. This means that the camera does not recognize that the lens is mounted at all, and certainly cannot read off information about the focal length or aperture.
It also means that you need to set the "SHOOT W/O LENS" option. Otherwise, the camera will not operate, as it believes that no lens is mounted at all. Here is the "SHOOT W/O LENS" menu option from the GH2 camera:
The camera will still store EXIF data in your image files, however, the information about focal length and aperture is never passed to the camera, and will be missing when using this lens.
Image quality
To evaluate the image quality, I have taken pictures with both the Rokinon 12mm f/2 and the Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8, which I think is a truly stellar lens:
Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ f/2 | Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 @ 12mm f/2.8 |
To compare the image quality, here are some 100% crops from various apertures from the centre of the image:
And from the lower left corner:
What we see here, is that the sharpness of the Samyang 12mm f/2 is quite impressive, already wide open. As one would expect, the sharpness improves a bit when closing down to f/2.8. But it is certainly very useful also at f/2.
Here is another image quality comparison, taken at a closer focus distance, and with a higher contrast. I kept the wire, and the bamboo sticks, in the focus plane:
Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ f/2 | Lumix G 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 12mm f/3.5 | Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 @ 12mm f/2.8 |
This test is much harder to do. Due to the lower light, focusing is more difficult. Also, the focus is much more critical at close distance. Finally, a small tilt of the camera will make the focus plane wrong. So take this test with some grain of salt. Anyway, here are 100% crops from the centre:
And from the left lower side:
As you would expect with these modern lenses, they are all very sharp in the centre, also wide open. In the corner, the Lumix G 12-32mm f/3.5-5.6 is probably the worst performing lens, but it is still useful. It may appear that it has a somewhat spherical focus plane.
The Samyang lens is quite respectable in the corner, but a bit dull wide open. And as I have come to expect, the Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 is very good indeed.
This is a wide angle lens, so you would probably not think about out of focus rendering when you consider it. However, at close focus distances and wide open, it does render the background very blurred. Here are some example images:
Rokinon 12mm f/2 @ f/2 | Lumix X 12-35mm f/2.8 @ 12mm f/2.8 |
Here is a closeup:
The bokeh sure looks very good with the Samyang 12mm lens. Here are two more examples taken at the minimum focus, f/2. Click to enlarge them:
It is very good to see that Samyang has started designing lenses specifically for mirrorless cameras. That makes them much smaller, faster, and better.
The Samyang/Rokinon 12mm f/2 is a classic Samyang design: Very good mechanical quality, tight, well dampened focus ring, a proper aperture ring. The image quality is very good.
The lens appeals to both traditionalists, who enjoy a classic mechanical lens with metal materials, and to video makers, who need a smooth, well dampened focus operation, free from focus breathing.
Lens | ||
Pros | Relatively inexpensive, good for video, with a smooth focus ring, no focus breathing due to a traditional focus mechanism | Autofocus is good to have when making close up pictures of moving objects, e.g., kids or pets |
Cons | Comparatively large and heavy | Expensive |
Example images
Lumix GH4, ISO 200, 1/800s, f/2:
Lumix GH4, ISO 200, 1/200s, f/2.8:
Lumix GH4, ISO 200, 1/1300s, f/2.8:


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December 12, 2013
President Obama traveled to Soweto, South Africa this week for the memorial service for former president and anti-apartheid movement leader Nelson Mandela. Over 60 heads of state also attended the services, but only five were invited to speak – among them Cuban president Raúl Castro, with whom Obama shook hands – the first such greeting between the presidents of the United States and Cuba since President Bill Clinton shook hands with Fidel Castro on the sidelines of a U.N. summit in 2000. Obama's handshake with Castro was condemned by a number of Republican members of Congress. Senator John McCain likened it to Neville Chamberlain shaking hands with Hitler, while perennial Cuba-hater Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – who in the past has openly called for Fidel Castro's assassination – called it "a propaganda coup for the tyrant [Castro]." Cruz made headlines for himself by walking out on Castro's speech at the ceremony, with a spokesperson saying that "Sen. Cruz very much hopes that Castro learns the lessons of Nelson Mandela."
But while Republicans have received attention for their criticism of the handshake – just as they did when Obama similarly greeted democratically-elected then-president of Venezuela Hugo Chávez in 2009 – Obama's speech at the event has been described by some as a rebuke of some foreign governments, including Cuba's. "There are too many of us who happily embrace Madiba's legacy of racial reconciliation, but passionately resist even modest reforms that would challenge chronic poverty and growing inequality," he said without apparent irony, while in Singapore a U.S. delegation was concluding (unsuccessfully) the latest round of efforts to get other countries to agree to a variety of controversial and potentially harmful measures in a proposed Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. As we have described in a research paper, most U.S. workers would lose out from the planned TPP in the form of reduced wages.
As many analysts, historians and observers have pointed out, the condemnation of the Obama-Castro handshake is also ironic considering Mandela's long appreciation for the Cuban government and its unwavering opposition to apartheid and similar racist regimes in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), Mozambique and South Africa. Most notably, Cuba provided 36,000 troops to beat back the efforts of the South African military to crush independence in Angola.
As the Huffington Post's Roque Planas points out, while Cuba provided Mandela, the African National Congress and South Africa with inspiration, guidance, resources, training and doctors, "The U.S. government, on the other hand, reportedly played a role in Mandela's 1962 arrest and subsequently branded him a terrorist — a designation they only rescinded in 2008. In 1986, President Ronald Reagan vetoed the Anti-Apartheid Act." Then there's the small matter of U.S. and South African support for the counter-revolutionaries in Angola. As Piero Gleijeses, a professor of U.S. foreign policy at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University and author of several books including Visions of Freedom: Havana, Washington, Pretoria and the Struggle for Southern Africa, 1976-1991 said yesterday in an interview with "Democracy Now": "…the role of the United States as a country, as a government, past governments, in the struggle for liberation of South Africa is a shameful role. In general, we were on the side of the apartheid government. And the role of Cuba is a splendid role in favor of the liberation."
The Republican members of Congress are not alone in attempting to rewrite history and remake Mandela in their image. Notably, various world leaders past and present who supported apartheid and Mandela's imprisonment have gushed over what a great man he was now that he's passed on. But Mandela maintained integrity in his outspoken criticism of the U.S., saying that "If there's a country that has committed unspeakable atrocities in the world, it is the United States of America. They don't care." Such sentiments are reminiscent of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s statement that the U.S. is "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world," and his outspoken condemnation of the war in Vietnam, which earned him the wrath of the foreign policy establishment and the media – when he was still alive.
In contrast, British Deputy Prime Minister and leader of the Liberal Democrats Nick Clegg used the occasion of a Special Session honoring Nelson Mandela to call on the House of Commons to support human rights activists in Afghanistan and Honduras:
Right now, all over the world, there are millions of men, women and children still struggling to overcome poverty, violence and discrimination.
They do not have the fame or the standing of Nelson Mandela, but I'm sure that he would tell us that what they achieve and endure in their pursuit of a more open, equal and just society shapes all our lives.
Campaigners like Mary Akrami, who works to protect and empower the women of Afghanistan; Sima Samar, the Head of the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission; or organisations like the Committee of Relatives of the Detained and Disappeared in Honduras which works in the shadow of threats and intimidation.
They are just 3 examples of the individuals and organisations who deserve our loyalty and support just as much as the British campaigners in the Anti-Apartheid movement in London showed unfailing loyalty and support towards Nelson Mandela in his bleakest days, and here I also want to pay tribute to the Rt. Hon Member for Neath and his fellow campaigners for what they did at the time.
U.S. Ambassador to Honduras Lisa Kubiske also made remarks on human rights in Honduras, Tuesday, International Human Rights Day. She condemned campesinos and others resisting murder and brutality in the Aguan Valley, and indigenous Lenca communities fighting the imposition of development projects on their land over their objections. In Honduras' context of political repression and rampant impunity for security forces who commit abuses, such comments further imperil some of Honduras' most vulnerable and historically disenfranchised communities.


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Is fireworks.ai Legit?
The Rank of the website you are interested in is:
3.4Young. Unsafe. Warning.
The rank is based on a 1-100 scale, with 100 being the most reputable.
- Website fireworks.ai
- *Add Industry
Is fireworks.ai legit? The website has a low rating on our chart. It's very suspicious. Let's take a look at it and its industry. We looked at many factors to determine if fireworks.ai is safe. Read the investigation below, and please comment at the bottom on how you came across the platform.
The Scam Detector's algorithm gives this business the following rank:
You can check the red flags and why fireworks.ai received the low rating below. You'll find an in-depth review, along with info on how to stop dubious websites opening on your computer or smartphone.
What Is fireworks.ai? Company Overview
Domain Creation Date
Sunday 25th, February 2024 12:00 am
Domain Blacklist Status
Not detected by any blacklist engine
HTTPS Connection
Valid HTTPS Found
Proximity to Suspicious Websites
The domain name fireworks.ai is associated with a trendy industry. However, we tried to pull out a paragraph content from their site - let's look into the grey box below:
Use state-of-the-art, open-source LLMs and image models at blazing fast speed, or fine-tune and deploy your own at no additional cost with Fireworks.ai!
Let's dive deeper into the profile of fireworks.ai.
fireworks.ai Technical Analysis
fireworks.ai Key Facts
Domain age
0 years, 0 months from now
WHOIS data
fireworks.ai Company Data
Redacted for Privacy
Privacy service provided by Withheld for Privacy ehf
Kalkofnsvegur 2
Capital Region
Country Code
Registrant Email not found.
fireworks.ai Website Data
SSL certificate valid
SSL issuer
Let's Encrypt
WHOIS registration date
WHOIS last update date
WHOIS renew date
fireworks.ai Owner
Redacted for Privacy
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Kalkofnsvegur 2
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fireworks.ai Administrator
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Kalkofnsvegur 2
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Registrant Email not found.
fireworks.ai Technical Contact
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Kalkofnsvegur 2
Capital Region
Registrant Email not found.
fireworks.ai Registrar
Register website
fireworks.ai Server Name
fireworks.ai Review
The Scam Detector algorithm finds fireworks.ai having one of the lowest trusting ranks on this validator: 3.4. It signals that the business is Young. Unsafe. Warning.
There are simple reasons for this minimal rating. We generated the 3.4 rank using a formula of 53 factors pertinent to fireworks.ai 's industry. We have used factors ranging from the company's customer service in its niche to the Domain Authority (DA).
The biggest problem is the fact that the domain name is too new. It was registered just a few days ago. This makes it almost impossible for a super new website to open the business, promote its services, convince clients to acquire them, use them, and then take the time to submit the reviews online. All of this is just a few days. Hence, the above-mentioned Young. Unsafe. Warning. tags.
Even so, we still gave fireworks.ai the benefit of the doubt. We do that for every new business. However, our algorithm still generated the 3.4 rating after utilizing many other factors relevant to the niche. They include but are not limited to negative feedback on social media, communication issues, and Tranco rank.
But let's go into detail.
The Logic Behind Our Analysis
Within the Company Details section above, you found a few tabs, each warranting our investigation. Here they are again:
Although a few may be self-explanatory in the context of fireworks.ai, let's shift our attention to the others.
Closeness to Potentially Hazardous Websites
This metric gauges the association level, ranked on a scale from 1 to 100, between fireworks.ai and websites marked as suspicious. Higher scores denote a more significant connection to these contentious online platforms.
Interesting fact, website owners may not always be conscious of their site's proximity to these questionable servers or platforms. However, if the "Proximity to Suspicious Websites" score exceeds 80, it strongly hints at a high-risk website, while a score below 30 leans towards a benign status.
Risk Elements: Threat, Phishing, Malware and Spam
These values provide insights into the potential vulnerabilities and components embedded within the HTML code of fireworks.ai. They become particularly relevant when the website has garnered reports from internet users who've encountered unsolicited emails, ads, or messages associated with the site. In the case of fireworks.ai, we are still determining its specific category, but your input in the comments section below would be greatly appreciated.
A high Malware score generally signifies the presence of suspicious code that could be unintentionally transmitted. A high Spam score points to a potential association with a spam-infested email address linked to the business. Scores below 30 in both categories provide a level of security, but any score exceeding this threshold should raise red flags.
Based on the data numbers shown in these tabs, fireworks.ai is a suspicious platform. But feel free to contribute in the Comments section at the bottom of this article with your experience.
Status of Domain Blacklists
This term reveals whether fireworks.ai has been blacklisted on any online directories and labeled as suspicious.
Analyzing the HTTPS Connection
This tab indicates whether fireworks.ai incorporates an 's' at the end of the 'HTTP' protocol visible in your browser's address bar. While some individuals may lack extensive technical knowledge, we won't dive into these intricacies here. If the tab displays in green, consider it a positive indicator.
Using Expertise and Research
Using our expertise, we aim to get all validations and reviews as accurate as possible. This way, you could protect yourself from online scams and financial fraud. Feel free to have your input in the comments.
Our VLDTR® algorithm aggregates factors that automatically analyze a company's website, in this case, today fireworks.ai. When we research websites, we scan details that reveal vital info about the business' professionalism: how they charge their clients, service their customers, sell, etc.
This review and the site's rating were given based on the influential factors we had on hand. One great thing about using our Scam Detector VLDTR® algorithm is that the ratings can't be rigged. The system is not based solely on online reviews.
Is fireworks.ai a Scam? Can You Rate It?
How did you find this business? Maybe online advertisements or Facebook ads? You can help out a lot of people today with your comment below. Is fireworks.ai a scam? If you dealt with this site, how would you rate it? Please share your experience by leaving a review.
5 Ways To Identify a Scam Website in 2024
There are many types of scam websites out there. How to easily identify them? Watch the video below to see the 5 most effective ways to spot a scam website:
How To Report Scams
If you are wondering how to report a scammer - whether from the same niche as fireworks.ai or not - you can officially do it by contacting the Federal Trade Commission. You can also write down the names of suspicious businesses in the comments section below.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
What can I do if I already lost money to a scam?
Besides suggesting you report the website that defrauded you to the FTC using the above link, we are here to help. In an effort to help the victims, we have partnered with powerful asset recovery companies that could take a look at your case. If you lost more than $1,000 to any fraud, please tell us your story by filling out the form on THIS PAGE. The process of recovering the money is complex and requires a lot of work. However, we would be happy to take a look, so hopefully, you'll get your money back.
What are some websites similar to fireworks.ai?
Many platforms are similar to fireworks.ai, but we would like to avoid endorsing a specific one in the same industry. However, if you find one that sparks your interest, run it through the Scam Detector's website validator HERE.
How can I protect myself from future fraud?
After the increased amount of online fraud happening lately, we have often been asked about the most effective ways to stay safe online. Check out some recommendations below.
TIP: How To Avoid Installing Malware
One powerful tool you should consider is a browser extension called Guardio. It automatically blocks 100x more harmful websites than competitors and 10x more malicious downloads than any other security tool. Our team tested it with excellent results.
All the scam sites that Guardio blocks are the ones you click on coming from unknown links in emails, social media weird messages, popups, and, of course, ads.
Guardio has over 1 million users, covering up to 5 family members or 5 different email addresses you have accounts with.
For the Scam Detector readers, Guardio offers a 20% discount - get yours now HERE or by clicking the button below.
How To Stop Scammers Tracking Your Device
It is easy for criminals today to track your phone or laptop. To avoid that, Surfshark is a must-have tool that should not be missing from your device. Here is why:
- They have an award-winning VPN service, preventing third parties from tracking your device. They have a super aggressive antivirus program. It offers you effective protection and a 30-day money-back guarantee.
- Killer feature: They will notify you when your personal info is leaked online. This way, you could remove all your private data from the Internet by using these steps.
- They help you hide your online searches, which will get you purely organic search results, free from ads and tracking. You know when you search, for example, for a flight, and the next time you look at the same search the prices are higher? With Surfshark, this is not happening.
Only this week, Surfshark offers the Scam Detector readers 86% off + up to 5 months free. You can get the deal HERE or by clicking the button below.
Fraud Related Articles
If you are a worried consumer, do not hesitate to check out the 5 educational articles below:
OfferUp Scams: Full Scams
Social Security Scams: Full List
Cash App Scams: Full List
Help Other Consumers
Feel free to share this in-depth review about fireworks.ai with your online friends using the buttons provided at the top.
How To Recognize Scams
Here is another must-watch video from our YouTube channel that you might not want to miss:
Are You The Owner of fireworks.ai?
If you own fireworks.ai, we welcome your feedback. Should you wish to contest our review and rating, we are open to a thorough reevaluation, provided you can substantiate your claims. To initiate this process, please introduce yourself.
Today's consumers are discerning. They often distrust websites lacking transparency, including information about the business's location, team, or physical presence.
When domain owners contact us to dispute their website's rating on our Validator, we kindly request the following information:
- Documentation proving the trustworthiness of their operation (e.g., certificate of incorporation, business registration, official records confirming the website or business name).
- Links to their personal LinkedIn profiles and the official social media accounts of their business on platforms like Facebook.
- If applicable, evidence such as screenshots demonstrating customer satisfaction (excluding testimonials on their own website), proof of inventory, and instances of order cancellations upon customer requests.
We are fully prepared to update our review based on the evidence provided promptly—the more comprehensive the proof, the higher the rating adjustment potential.


text:
In this edition of the mailbag: Netflix and subtitles, whether the Bing and Motorola partnership will be affected by Google purchase, Windows Phone 7.5 and gapless music playback, Windows Home Server 2011 hardware concerns, Windows 7 and Media Center Extenders, drive cloning, Windows Phone and game progress sync, I still recommend LastPass, and a weight loss update.
It's been a while since the last Mailbag, sorry, and I'll try to post them more frequently going forward. If you have questions, please email me at mailto:[email protected].
Netflix and Subtitles
Alex W. asks:
What's the easiest way to watch a subtitled TV show or movie on Netflix?
Netflix is adding subtitles to many of its titles over time, but it's not fully supported across all content. It also only works on some playback devices/software, including "PCs and Macs, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS3, GoogleTV, and the Boxee Box." This quote is from February, so obviously the new Roku 2 devices have appeared since that, and do support subtitles.
Netflix does have a useful web site that lists only those titles that support subtitles.
Bing and Motorola?
Havard K. asks:
I was wondering if you had any info on what happens with the Motorola/Bing partnership now that Google buys Motorola, will Google produce Android phone with Bing?
Short term, nothing happens: Google doesn't expect this purchase to be approved by regulators until next year.
But I'd imagine that even when Motorola is owned by Google, it would be bound by the terms of the agreement for the duration of the agreement. I'm curious to see how this plays out.
Windows Phone 7.5 and Gapless Music Playback
Matt S. asks:
Do you know if Gapless playback is finally coming in Mango? This is a serious omission for me and renders the phone almost useless to me as a music player, which is a shame.
No, it doesn't appear to offer gapless playback, sorry.
Windows Home Server 2011: Now What?
Chuck D. asks:
Based largely on your enthusiastic reviews of WHS 2011 (and my own scar tissue from backup/restore issues over the years) I held off buying a NAS or 1st Generation WHS system until the flood of WHS 2011 systems came to market. But the very few WHS 2011 boxes on the market appear to be pretty anemic in terms of hardware specs. Do you have any updated suggestions or recommendations for a 2-person home office?
Just as he sent this email, my editorial Waiting on the Attack of the Small Business Servers appeared. But this betrays the fact that there is no good answer here. It's true that there are no decent home servers (or small business servers) on the market yet. And yes, you certainly use any white box PC as a home server, as I've done. But I would like to see something decent, from a high-quality PC maker, that offers 4-8 drive bays for a reasonable price. I'm still waiting.
Windows 7 and Media Center Extenders
Pol M asks:
I was just writing to see if there were any Media Center Extenders for Win7 that you liked other than the Xbox 360 these days.
Your only modern, supported option is the Xbox 360, sorry.
Fortunately, it's a good choice for this kind of thing, and I think Microsoft's coming Xbox 360-based Internet TV platform could pretty much obviate the need for Media Center as a TV solution anyway. It's overdue.
Windows 7 and Drive Cloning
Spencer S. asks:
I am currently using Windows 7 on my MacBook, as a final test before I jump ship In the coming weeks I will be buying a PC, however I am not looking forward to the migration. Can you recommend a drive cloning utility similar to Carbon Copy Cloner or Super Duper on OS X?
Windows 7 includes an image-based backup solution, so you might try that before buying anything, or using a third party utility. But beyond that, you might take a look at Acronis True Image. It's been a while since I've tried that, and it's likely that the built-in Windows 7 stuff is functionally identical.
Windows Phone and Game Progress Sync
Rob N. asks:
When you reinstall games on Windows Phone, are the progress and Xbox Live Achievements you have stored online or on the phone? In other words, if I decide to update to Mango or reset my phone, will my game and app progress be saved? Or are the achievements and game progress stored on the phone itself and will that be lost by flashing the phone to Mango? I really want to try to flash my HD7 to Mango, but I don't want to lose all my progress I made on my games.
Achievements are retained. But there's nothing like automatic game progress sync, and yes, this is a huge issue. My understanding is that game makers are free to add this capability but none have that I'm aware of. But yes, this should just be a feature of Windows Phone/Xbox LIVE. (And of other smart phone platforms as well.)
LastPass and Security
Chris T. asks:
I notice that you use LastPass for password encryption. I heard recently that LastPass was potentially hacked earlier in the year and a number of users suffered from data corruption resulting in lost passwords. Do you still use LastPass, and do you consider it a good password manager still?
I still use and recommend LastPass, yes. Their response to that potential threat was quick and effective.
Weight loss update
Back in January, I discussed my plan to lose weight this year utilizing the science-based information in Gary Taubes' book Why We Get Fat as a guide. Since then I've lost 25 pounds, but my weight loss has stalled in recent months. This is a common outcome for people who diet, but the thing that I'd like to communicate here is that this isn't a diet for me, it's a lifestyle change: I'm going low-carb permanently. And while our results will all vary, I'd like to point out just the most recent of the thousands--yes, thousands--of emails I've received from readers and podcast listeners about this topic this year:
Thanks again for recommending Why We Get Fat in January. Since then I have lost 105 lbs. Several of my friends and family have lost significant weight as well.
And while this may not seem "typical" to you, it is to those who have written in: Virtually everyone who's contacted me has lost far more weight than I have. I bet the average is in the 40+ pound range. So congrats to everyone who has won big with this plan.
For me, of course, I'll need to figure out something else for actual weight loss. Though the one thing I have learned here this year is that I can very easily maintain my weight on this diet. That will be more useful when I've lost as much as I need to.


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When it comes to Disney World, bars and lounges aren't just adults-only destinations — and they don't just serve drinks.
In fact, here's a Best Kept Secret in Disney dining planning — Disney bars and lounges can be great places to get a meal with the whole family. These hidden gems are often less crowded than standard restaurants, too!
In The DFB Guide to Walt Disney World® Dining 2013 e-Book, we have an entire section reviewing every single bar and lounge in Walt Disney World. It's well worth a read to find out great spots to get a full meal or a snack — even with no Advance Dining Reservation!
Now let's take a peek at a few of our favorites…
Bars and Lounges Inside the Theme Parks
A Disney World trip can be hectic (meeting characters, dashing to attractions, and racing off to dining reservations!), so finding a place inside the parks to escape the hoopla is key to a relaxing vacation!
With signature cocktails, cheese plates, fondue, burgers, donuts, pasta, and more, you'll find some truly inspired menus at Disney World's bars and lounges. Sometimes you'll even be able to order from the full menu of a nearby restaurant.
In Epcot, we can highly recommend stopping in to Tutto Gusto in Italy, Rose and Crown Pub in the UK, or La Cava del Tequila in Mexico.
At Tutto Gusto, order from an awesome menu of meats and cheeses, paninis, pastas, and more. A relaxing atmosphere and full tables allow for an easy meal for the whole family.
Rose and Crown Pub, attached to Rose and Crown Restaurant, features a fun menu that — gasp! — the kids might even like! We can highly recommend the Scotch Eggs and the British Bulldog sausage (see our review of the British Bulldog here — and the photo at the top of this article)!
If you're there on a weekday, seek out Carl the Bartender and ask him to show you his amazing magic trick!
At La Cava del Tequila, sample a few Mexican appetizers like chips and salsa, queso, and guacamole along with your margaritas!
Another favorite place to unwind in the parks and get a great meal is at Tune-In Lounge in Disney's Hollywood Studios.
Here, you can get great shakes for the kids, fun signature drinks for [Read more…]


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Train safety classroom is on the tracks
Listen here
(SHELDON)–About 300 people boarded a Union Pacific passenger train in Sheldon last Friday for a safety presentation by Operation Lifesaver. Established in 1972, Operation Lifesaver travels around the country educating people about railroad crossings and right of ways.
Haley Wagner, from Archer IA, was part of a young group of students riding the train from Sheldon to Alton. Her thoughts about the train ride were pretty simple in the beginning.
Listen here
The passenger train could only go about 35 miles per hour, but the average freight train gets up to about 55 miles per hour. Bob Resch, manager of Public Safety for Union Pacific, said that a train going 55 takes a long time to stop.
Listen here
Research shows that you're 40 times more likely to die in a car train collision than any other collision. According to the DOT there were 12 train related accidents in Plymouth County over the last ten years, with one fatality in 2001.
Resch added that half of fatal train crashes across the nation happen during the day at gated crossings where the gate arm is down. These incidences can be prevented if you stick to the basic rules of railroad crossing safety.
Listen here
Following the Operation Life Saver presentation Haley said she learned something.
Listen here
She added that if more people heard the safety message they might be more likely pay attention at railroad crossings.
To learn more about Operation Life Saver and Crossing safety visit oli.org. (News report by Angela Drake of KLEM News)


text: When I was arrested at Occupy Montreal on the 25th of November 2011 They were taking my information. They wrote on my hand with a permanent marker and then after I felt something pointy and metallic scraping across my skin. I immediately asked "What are you doing" and they simply said we wrote on you with a pen and showed me a bunch of various pens in her hand. I didn't argue about it and I was unable to look at my hands as they were tied behind my back with zipties. As soon as I was released I looked at my hands and there was no ink on them from a pen. I began to worry and wonder what exactly did they do to me that prompted them to lie to me... it really was not a fun feeling. when I spoke about what happened a few hours later to a friend and my partner, the idea came about that perhaps it was something they used as a way to identify me. This morning we tested my hands under a black light and sure enough there was a number 2! The freaky thing is this is IN my skin, washing my hands and scrubbing with abrasives will not get this off.... perhaps in several months of my skin cells renewing themselves if will eventually fade. What ever ink that is in there is irritating my skin slightly and its a very terrible feeling that they put a substance in my body with out my consent and then later lied about it. This is a semi permanent alteration they did to me, if I go anywhere now with a black light this will show! -------------------- I called the SPVM today and after being on hold for over 10 minutes I explained what happened to me to the officer on the line. I was calm and explained I was concerned for my health because I was having a reaction to whatever it was they used... He told me he had no idea what I was talking about, that he never heard of that before ... I asked if it was possible to speak to some one who might know more and he said that there was no one ... he then said he needed to answer the other line and hung up ...... WTF


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Anyone with Connecticut ancestry should watch this recording. Marian taught about the importance of geography, boundaries, and borders in the region. She also introduced us to many records that we often overlook, such as the 1798 Direct Tax lists, the 1917 military census, and all the state-wide indexes produced by the Connecticut State Library. Finally, she taught where the best records can be located - both online and in person.
I cannot wait for her November 2 webinar....counting the days, hours, and minutes....
View the recording
If you could not make it to the live event, the 1 hour 29 minute recording of Researching Your Connecticut Ancestors is now available to view in our webinar archives. Visit www.LegacyFamilyTree.com/webinars.asp to watch. It is available for free until October 3, 2011.
Pre-order the webinar-on-CD (includes 4 pages of handouts with clickable links)
Own your own copy of Researching Your Connecticut Ancestors by purchasing the webinar-on-CD for just $9.95. It includes the recording of the class, the complete Question/Answer session, and the 4-page handout with all the clickable links. Click here for more information or to purchase.
Special discount coupon
The special discount coupon of marian that was announced during the webinar is valid for 10% off anything in our online store through Monday, September 26, 2011.
Register for our upcoming webinars (free)
- Uncovering Your Irish Family History with Jennifer Geraghty-Gorman, October 19.
- Let Your Voice be Heard in the Digital Conversation with Drusilla Pair, October 26.
- Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents with Marian Pierre-Louis, November 2.
- FamilyRoots Organizer System with Mary Hill, November 4.
- It Is Well With My Soul: Finding Ancestors Amid the Rubble of Disaster and Misfortune with Thomas MacEntee, November 9.
- Creating a Shareable CD with Legacy and Passage Express software with Jefferson Shupe, November 16.
- Celebrate the Holidays and Share Family History with Heritage Collector software with Kathleen Bitter, November 18.
- A Closer Look at Google+ with Dan Lynch, November 30.
- Tracing Immigrant Ancestors with Lisa Alzo, December 7.
- "Is My Pet Frog Part of My Family?" Children and Genealogy in the Classroom with Maureen Taylor, December 14.
See you online!


text: I have a small cluster too (ok, had, I'm condensing to one big RAM workstation at the moment). Mine was a 3 node dual Opteron setup. The first trick is to get each node to be able to ssh to every other node without getting a password prompt. It doesn't matter for the calculation whether this is done by passwordless ssh or using some keychain type applet. All that matters for the calculation is that each node be able to ssh without prompt to each other node. This means n! checks. For my 3 node baby cluster I did this manually, since 3! is 6. More nodes - might want to make a script or something. Next, you need to make your application parellel. This typically involves compiling with some sort of MPI. I use OpenMPI. MPICH is another option. This is going to be part of the learning curve. When you can <mpirun hostname> and get an output for each CPU (each core?) you're ready to start wrestling with an MPI compile of your application code. If you're not used to compiling your own code, there may be a bit of a learning curve for this also. Good luck! Mark E. Kosmowski > > Amir, > Did you try any of the documents referenced at wiki, > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beowulf_%28computing%29#See_also? > > There is a free downloadable book at Professor Brown's website, start at > http://www.phy.duke.edu/~rgb/Beowulf/beowulf.php > > And I believe yes, you can use SSH to replace RSH pretty much anywhere. I > haven't done that myself but I'm only a hobbyist. > > Good luck, > Peter > > > On 7/16/08, Amir Saad <eng_amirsaad at yahoo.com> wrote: > > > > I'm trying to build a small Beowulf cluster using 5 Ubuntu machines. I did > > a lot of search and yet couldn't find a getting started guide. Any ideas? > > > > All the articles I found are using RSH, is it possible to replace this with > > password-less SSH? Would it be possible to use Ubuntu? Which packages should > > I install to build the cluster? > > > > Please advice. > > > > Thank you > > > > Amir > > > >


text:
There's no question that it's a striking car, with its sleek flanks and Aston Martin-inspired nose. And its interior is a pleasant surprise, well-trimmed and loaded with luxury-car touches.
But for Ford (F -0.90%), and for more and more new Ford customers, the beauty of the company's new Fusion sedan is much more than skin-deep.
The new Fusion is another big hit for Ford
The old Fusion was a very good car, and a strong seller for Ford. But the new car, introduced late last year, has taken things to a different level. So far in 2013, Ford's new midsized sedan is one of the top five models in U.S. sales – a trend that looks set to continue when Ford reports its March sales numbers on Tuesday, say analysts.
The Fusion still has a long way to go to displace Toyota's (TM 0.14%) Camry from the top of the U.S. sales chart. In the first two months of 2013, the Camry outsold the Fusion by almost 13,000 cars in the U.S. Ford isn't likely to catch up soon: Its factories are already running at full capacity, and then some.
Adding more production capacity will require a big investment from Ford. But meanwhile, the company has to be pretty happy with the model's success so far. The Fusion's "turn rate", or the amount of time individual cars spend on dealer lots before they're sold, is shorter – meaning, it's selling faster – than both the Camry and Honda's (HMC 0.90%) Accord, the Fusion's other big rival. And the handsome Ford is commanding higher prices than either of its major Japanese rivals, according to a Bloomberg report.
Incentives are still higher than rivals'
That's not to say that there are no concerns. Ford's "incentives", those cash-back or cheap-financing deals that automakers often tout in TV commercials, are still higher than the company (and its investors) would like. Ford's offers on the Fusion are higher than Toyota's on the Camry; Toyota's incentives are regularly among the lowest in the industry. That's an artifact of lingering customer (and dealer) expectations from Ford's bad old days, when discounts were needed to keep so-so products moving.
Ford's products are much improved now, but those discounts are still part of the business. The company would surely like to get its per-vehicle incentives down closer to Toyota's levels to improve its already-strong U.S. profit margins, but that will take time.
Ford has made progress in lowering its incentives relative to competitors over the last couple of years. Its overall per-vehicle spending on incentives has been considerably lower than both General Motors (GM 1.23%) and Chrysler over the last several quarters.
Lowering incentives further will require time, discipline, and continued close attention to product quality. But as the success of the Fusion is already showing, Ford seems to be on the right track.


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5.3. Testing internal MASQ client to MASQ server connectivity
Step Three: Testing internal MASQ client to MASQ server connectivity
Next, from the same internal MASQed computer, try pinging the the IP address of the Linux MASQ server's INTERNAL interface (i.e. ping 192.168.0.1 ). This will verify that TCP/IP is correctly working on both the local and Linux MASQ machine. Almost ALL modern operating systems have built-in support for the "ping" command. If this ping doesn't work, make sure that TCP/IP is correctly configured on the MASQed Server as described by the various Network HOWTOs (URLs can be found in the requirements section for your 2.4.x kernel in Section 2.6, 2.2.x kernel in Section 2.7, or 2.0.x kernel in Section 2.8). The output should look something like the following (hit Control-C to abort the ping):
------------------------------------ masq-client# ping 192.168.0.1 PING 192.168.0.1 (192.168.0.1): 56 data bytes 64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=0 ttl=255 time=0.8 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=1 ttl=255 time=0.4 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=2 ttl=255 time=0.4 ms 64 bytes from 192.168.0.1: icmp_seq=3 ttl=255 time=0.5 ms ^C --- 192.168.0.1 ping statistics --- 4 packets transmitted, 4 packets received, 0% packet loss round-trip min/avg/max = 0.4/0.5/0.8 ms ------------------------------------
If the ping failed, check the network connection between the MASQ server and the PC. If it's a DIRECT Ethernet connection (no hub or switch), you MUST have a "Ethernet cross-over cable". These cables are common and can be found at any computer store. Without this cable, the NICs (network cards) will not give you a "LINK" light. If you are using a hub or switch, make sure the ports connected to the MASQ server and MASQed client machine have a LINK light. If they do and the pings STILL don't work or there is a lot of packet loss, try different ports on the hub/switch (it not all that uncommon to have hub/switch ports die). Finally, if things still don't work perfectly, try replacing each of the NICs in the machines. You would be surprised how many people I've helped have found that their NIC cards were going bad and caused them all kinds of grief.


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Before It's News – by Alton Parish
Historical review provides lessons for the control of the plague
Archaeologists unearthed a 'Black Death' grave in London, containing more than a dozen skeletons of people suspected to have died from the plague. The victims are thought to have died during the 14th century and archaeologists anticipate finding many more as they excavate the site.
The Plague is by definition a re-emerging infectious disease which affects the lungs and is highly contagious, leading to mass outbreaks across populations. History shows us that population levels suffered globally due to the plague, with around 75 million people globally perishing during the 14th century Black Death.
This study, published in Infection, Genetics and Evolution, analysed the Great Plague of Marseille, which caused 100,000 deaths between 1720 and 1723. The researchers aimed to highlight issues we are facing with infectious diseases today, to identify the best ways to respond to epidemics and whether we are still at risk of the plague re-emerging again.
Pieter Bruegel's The Triumph of Death (c. 1562) reflects the social upheaval and terror that followed the plague which devastated medieval Europe
Results show that a number of factors show we are still at risk of plague today. This is largely due to transport trade and novel threats in developing countries where multi-drug resistant pathogens are currently emerging and spreading rapidly. This genetic change has also contributed to a development in the way the bacteria infect new hosts meaning they can now live in mammalian blood.
The study also highlighted the need for effective management of epidemics in future. Fear of in infection can have a negative impact on a population's economic situation due to a significant loss of tourism, and widespread panic. History has shown us that providing the necessary information about diseases and improving the management of epidemics are vital steps for avoiding panic and containing diseases.
Skeletons in a mass grave from 1720–1721 in Martigues, France, yielded molecular evidence of the orientalis strain of Yersinia pestis, the organism responsible for bubonic plague. The second pandemic of bubonic plague was active in Europe from AD 1347, the beginning of the Black Death, until 1750.
Credit: Wikipedia
Black Death
The Black Death was one of the most devastating pandemics in human history, peaking in Europe between 1348 and 1350, and killing between 75 million and 200 million people. Although there were several competing theories as to the etiology of the Black Death, recent analysis of DNA from victims in northern and southern Europe indicates that the pathogen responsible was the Yersinia pestis bacterium probably causing several forms of plague.
Plague victims being blessed, shown with symptoms from a late 14th century manuscript Omne Bonum by James le Palmer
Credit: Wikipedia
The Black Death is thought to have started in China or central Asia. It then travelled along the Silk Road and reached the Crimea by 1346. From there, it was probably carried by Oriental rat fleas living on the black rats that were regular passengers on merchant ships. Spreading throughout the Mediterranean and Europe, the Black Death is estimated to have killed 30 to 60 percent of Europe's population.All in all, the plague reduced the world population from an estimated 450 million to a number between 350 and 375 million in the 14th century.
The aftermath of the plague created a series of religious, social and economic upheavals, which had profound effects on the course of European history. It took 150 years for Europe's population to recover. The plague reoccurred occasionally in Europe until the 19th century.
Major outbreaks
There have been three major outbreaks of plague. The Plague of Justinian in the 6th and 7th centuries is the first known attack on record, and marks the first firmly recorded pattern of bubonic plague. From historical descriptions, as much as 40 percent of the population of Constantinople died from the plague. Modern estimates suggest half of Europe's population was wiped out before the plague disappeared in the 700s. After 750, major epidemic diseases did not appear again in Europe until the Black Death of the 14th century. The Third Pandemic hit China in the 1890s and devastated India, but was confined to limited outbreaks in the west.
The Black Death originated in or near China and spread by way of the Silk Road or by ship. It may have reduced world population from an estimated 450 million to between 350 and 375 million in 1400.
The plague is thought to have returned at intervals with varying virulence and mortality until the 18th century. On its return in 1603, for example, the plague killed 38,000 Londoners.
Other notable 17th-century outbreaks were the Italian Plague (1629–1631); the Great Plague of Seville (1647–1652); the Great Plague of London (1665–1666); and the Great Plague of Vienna (1679). There is some controversy over the identity of the disease, but in its virulent form, after the Great Plague of Marseille in 1720–1722,the Great Plague of 1738 (which hit Eastern Europe), and the Russian plague of 1770-1772, it seems to have gradually disappeared from Europe.
Plague Riot in Moscow in 1771: During the course of the city's plague, between 50,000 and 100,000 died (1/6 to 1/3 of its population).
By the early 19th century, the threat of plague had diminished, but it was quickly replaced by a new disease. The Asiatic cholera was the first of several cholera pandemics to sweep through Asia and Europe during the 19th and 20th centuries.
The 14th-century eruption of the Black Death had a drastic effect on Europe's population, irrevocably changing the social structure, and resulted in widespread persecution of minorities such as Jews, foreigners, beggars, and lepers (see Persecutions). The uncertainty of daily survival has been seen as creating a general mood of morbidity, influencing people to "live for the moment," as illustrated by Giovanni Boccaccio in The Decameron (1353).
Medieval people called the catastrophe of the 14th century either the "Great Pestilence"' or the "Great Plague". Writers contemporary to the plague referred to the event as the "Great Mortality". Swedish and Danish chronicles of the 16th century described the events as "black" for the first time, not to describe the late-stage sign of the disease, in which the sufferer's skin would blacken due to subepidermal hemorrhages and the extremities would darken with a form of gangrene, acral necrosis, but more likely to refer to black in the sense of glum or dreadful and to denote the terror and gloom of the events.
The German physician and medical writer Justus Hecker suggested that a mistranslation of the Latin atra mors (terrible, or black, death) had occurred in Scandinavia when he described the catastrophe in 1832 in his publication "Der schwarze Tod im vierzehnten Jahrhundert". The work was translated into English the following year, and with the cholera epidemic happening at that time, "The Black Death in the 14th century" gained widespread attention and the terms Schwarzer Tod and Black Death became more widely used in the German- and English-speaking worlds, respectively.
Contemporary accounts of the plague are often varied or imprecise. The most commonly noted symptom was the appearance of buboes (or gavocciolos) in the groin, the neck and armpits, which oozed pus and bled when opened. Boccaccio's description is graphic:
"In men and women alike it first betrayed itself by the emergence of certain tumours in the groin or armpits, some of which grew as large as a common apple, others as an egg…From the two said parts of the body this deadly gavocciolo soon began to propagate and spread itself in all directions indifferently; after which the form of the malady began to change, black spots or livid making their appearance in many cases on the arm or the thigh or elsewhere, now few and large, now minute and numerous. As the gavocciolo had been and still was an infallible token of approaching death, such also were these spots on whomsoever they showed themselves."
Ziegler comments that the only medical detail that is questionable is the infallibility of approaching death, as if the bubo discharges, recovery is possible.
A hand showing how acral gangrene of thefingers due to bubonic plague causes theskin and flesh to die and turn black.
An inguinal bubo on the upper thigh of a person infected with bubonic plague. Swollen lymph glands (buboes) often occur in the neck, armpit and groin (inguinal) regions of plague victims
Credit: Wikipedia
This was followed by acute fever and vomiting of blood. Most victims died two to seven days after initial infection. David Herlihy identifies another potential sign of the plague: freckle-like spots and rashes which could be caused by flea-bites.
Some accounts, like that of Louis Heyligen, a musician in Avignon who died of the plague in 1348, noted a distinct form of the disease which infected the lungs and led to respiratory problems and which is identified with pneumonic plague.
Worldwide distribution of plague-infected animals 1998
"It is said that the plague takes three forms. In the first people suffer an infection of the lungs, which leads to breathing difficulties. Whoever has this corruption or contamination to any extent cannot escape but will die within two days. Another form…in which boils erupt under the armpits,…a third form in which people of both sexes are attacked in the groin."
This article is "Small oversights that led to the Great Plague of Marseille (1720 – 1723): Lessons from the past" by Christian A. Devaux (DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2012.11.016,) and appears in Infection, Genetics and Evolution published by Elsevier.
Contacts and sources:


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I remember with clarity the day my daughter "discovered" the internet. She was just three years old and playing hostess to the son of one of my college friends visiting from out of town. As the two toddlers were breezing through the kitchen, my friend's son, Jack, stopped short and suggested enthusiastically, "Let's play computer!"
I laughed, thinking how cute it was going to be to watch the little ones sit and pretend to type on my laptop. Then, before my amazed eyes, Jack navigated successfully to pbskids.com and introduced my daughter to the wonders of the world of the web.
Now, at not-quite-nine, I am still amazed everyday at how natural and intuitive technology usage is to my daughter and to all of her peers who have grown up with computers, cell phones, tablets, and texting as part of their everyday lives. I am also aware, however, that things like Internet Safety, Cyberbullying, and "Netiquette" may not register on her radar the same way they do on mine.
When she was very young, I worried about the unknown: online predators who could try to trick her into revealing personal information so that they could cause her physical harm. Now, in her tween years, I know that "stranger danger" is still a threat, but I spend more of my time worrying about the known: frenemies from her daily life who may use taunting texts, humiliating social media posts and viral videos to cause her emotional harm. It's no wonder that when she begs me (at least once daily) for a cell phone, I feel chills run up and down my spine.
No matter how tech-savvy my daughter becomes, I am constantly aware that she is young and that it is up to me to monitor her safety and well-being with technology in the same consistent, diligent way that I ensure her well-being on a playground. These basic rules are our first line of defense in minimizing (I'm too wise to think that "preventing" is realistic) cyberbullying and using technology in safe, respectful ways.
Talk About Safe Sites
In her pre-literate days, I could rely on the fact that the only way my daughter could get from one website to another was by me typing in the correct website address for her. Likewise, I knew that she would be content staying on PBS Kids, Disney, or Nick Jr. websites. Those days are long gone. Flashing icons, interesting links, viral videos — there are so many ways that children and tweens are tempted into visiting and viewing less-than-innocent content online.
Without wanting to scare my daughter out of ever going near a computer again, I do talk frankly with her about the fact that predators exist in cyberspace (I have explained this in terms appropriate for each stage of her development, but have never sidestepped the subject) and that it is important for her to safeguard her personal information while online.
Define "Safe Sharing"
I'm so glad we had the talk about safe sites when she was young, because it has helped us make a seamless transition in her tween years to talking about what is — and what is never, ever, ever, never –safe to share online. First and foremost, our rule is to go photo-free. The network news is chock-full of stories about kids who have gotten themselves into friendship-destroying, reputation-shattering, college-admission sacrificing, future career jeopardizing, family-humiliating situations because of photos they have posted online or via text. For parents who don't want to take as hard of a line on photos, at minimum, I recommend making sure that the photos their kids share are never suggestive or sexual in any way.
Next on my list of words of wisdom to my technology worshipper: What you post is permanent. Once you share something online, it is out of your hands where it goes, who will forward it, who will see it and how it can potentially be used. When Queen Bees and Wannabees author Rosalind Wiseman call technology a weapon of mass social destruction, she was not exaggerating; according to the CDC, 97% of middle schoolers are bullied while online. So, as much as my daughter might think she can trust her BFF with her deepest, darkest secrets, I remind her of the importance of never posting personal information that a BFF-with-a-grudge could at some point distort and use against her.
Set Clear Guidlines on Etiquette
When the internet first became a powerful force in the lives of kids, the term "netiquette" was coined to describe the ethical ways to interact while online. Though no equivalent phrase has yet emerged for cell phone use (cell-iquette??), it is important to talk to kids about how to treat others while texting. For example, I pose these questions to my daughter (only to an occasional groan, surprisingly).
- Would you say the words you are texting to a person's face?
- What would your parents think if they read this text?
- Could this message you are sending cause hurt or embarrassment to me, my friends, my family or anyone else?
- Can your text be taken out of context and used to hurt you or someone else?
- If you received a threatening or rumor-spreading text message, what would you do?
- How does technology make it easier for you to say something unkind to someone?
Cell phones and social networking sites are prime tools of bullying among young people, so being clear that texts, phone calls and social media sites are never to be used as tools of gossip, exclusion, embarrassment, etc. is essential. Likewise, parents are wise to encourage their kids to tell them about any incidents of cyberbullying that they are aware of, even if they are not directly involved. By keeping a dialogue going, parents can position themselves to help a child who may be being bullied online and can establish a set of standards for how their own kids must behave online.
Know the Lingo
Are you familiar with these text-friendly acronyms?
Texting has a language all of its own. Laugh out Loud (LOL), Just Kidding (JK) and Be Right Back (BRB) are common enough, but while most adults that are parents today take for granted that ATM stands for a bank's Automatic Teller Machine, kids can tell you that it is more likely to refer to their being "at the mall." Online lingo is cryptic, clever and intentionally elusive. The over-30 crowd may never know all of the acronyms, but the more parents educate themselves about the lingo their kids are using, the better able they are to monitor technology use and abuse.
Know Your Child's Passwords
Am I a helicopter parent? I don't really think so, though I will own the accusation if necessary, for my firm belief is that kids need clear guidance, limits and expectations when it comes to using technology. In my own home and in the workshops I do, I always advise parents that when the time comes to allow their child access to a cell phone, Facebook, YouTube or any other piece of today's technology, they would not be overstepping their bounds to let their kids know that they maintain the right to access their child's account at any time. The relative freedom of cell phones and social media sites tempt even the most trustworthy and responsible kids to engage in risky behavior, so it is important for parents to let their kids know upfront that they will be reading texts, reviewing MMS messages, scrutinizing Facebook posts, viewing YouTube uploads and providing any other kind of oversight that underscores the importance of safe technology usage by kids.
While I advise parents to know their kids' passwords, it is equally important that parents tell their kids not to give their passwords to friends–like, ever. Trusted BFF one day, sworn enemy the next; when kids give up their passwords, they are giving up control of their personal accounts, their online identity, and potentially their good reputation.
Lastly, if your child is using a social networking site such as Facebook, ask to "friend" them or, at minimum, ask another trusted adult to do so. While kids may initially resist this as "spying," when parents present this guideline as coming from a place of love and concern for their child's well-being, the young person's sense of paranoia often melts away.
Parental Controls
And one final note to wrap up my thoughts on the topic of keeping kids as safe as possible when it comes to using today's social technology. In response to a conversation about cyberbullying recently, I heard someone bluster, "I don't know what the big deal is — all of those sites and gadgets have parental controls on them. Parents should just use them and be done with it."
If only it were that simple. I agree with his basic advice about activating parental controls: adults should use them. However, I caution all parents not to rely on them as a sole means of safety for kids. Parental contols are limited… and we all know how good kids can be at testing limits! Automated safety features are a great first line of defense — best fortified by discussion, guidelines, standards, knowledge, interest and a whole lot of support for kids.
Signe Whitson is a licensed social worker, educator on bullying, and author of Friendship & Other Weapons: Group Activities to Help Young Girls Cope with Bullying. Visit her at www.signewhitson.com
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