text:
More to the point did Israeli TV air calls for a Jihad against America, as Palestinian Arab TV did? Did Israel name a square after the murderer of an American photographer, as the Palestinian Authority did? Did an Israeli Anchorman do a skit in blackface during Obama's visit, as a Turkish anchorman did during Obama's visit to Turkey? Are Israeli religious institutions issuing Fatwahs against America, as Al Azhar University, which Obama visited and spoke at, has done? Are Israeli leaders funding terrorism against America, as the Saudi King, before whom Obama bowed, does?
No, none of those incidents were described as insults. Nothing that Muslim countries did to mock, humiliate and murder Americans were even noticed at all. None of them produced furious condemnations from the White House or two hours of Hillary Clinton screeching on the phone at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. So what did Israel do that was so awful, so horrible and terrible? It built houses. Yes, civilian houses. Not army bases or nuclear missiles or walls. Houses.
Israel approved a construction project to build housing for its own people, in its own capitol city, Jerusalem. Some of the housing will be built in the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, situated around the grave of Shimon the Righteous, a Jewish religious figure famed for rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. A neighborhood where Jews have lived for over a century. As well as Ramat Shlomo, a thriving neighborhood with thousands of Jewish families living in it.
The Obama Administration's objections to Jews living in Jerusalem are purely racial and religious. If Israel were approving a construction project to build housing for Arab Muslim citizens of Israel, Biden, Hillary and their media troupe wouldn't be screeching about it to the high heavens. It is only because Jews are to live there, that they have a problem with it. Their objections therefore are purely based on race and religion-- and completely racist.
But this is hardly the first time that Muslims and their Western appeasers have tried to drive the Jews out of Jerusalem, or the Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood in particular.
In 1876 the land was purchased by the Jewish community in order to build homes for poor Jews. In 1936, after the death of Sheikh Izz ad-Din al-Qassam (one of the inspirations for Hamas) and the Mufti of Jerusalem (who would go on to collaborate on the Holocaust with Adolf Hitler), Arab rioters drove the Jews out of the neighborhood with cries of Ibtach Al Yahood (kill the Jews). Over 500 Jews were murdered during this time. Many more fled their homes ahead of the enraged Islamic mobs.
The following was a sample of some of the Arab Muslim brutality toward the Jews at the time.
Alex Morrison, a British truck driver sympathetic to the Arab cause wrote, "They left behind them one of the worst sights I ever saw in my life... The naked bodies of the women exposed the evidence that the knives had been used in the most ghastly fashion." The bodies of children, apparently set alight with gasoline in a nursery, were still smoldering."
The Arab Muslim atrocities were successful not at intimidating the Jews, who slowly began to return, but at intimidating the British who enacted the White Paper, and closed the doors to Jewish immigration resulting in countless numbers of Jews dead during the Holocaust. A Holocaust which involved the participation of the same Mufti of Jerusalem who organized the riots. Which in turn had been partially funded by Nazi Germany.
In 1947 the Arab Muslim forces again came for the Jews. The Jewish residents of the Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood, accompanied by militia, fought them back with the few weapons they had. And then came the British colonial authorities and disarmed the Jews. And when the Arab forces came again, they had no weapons to fight with. And they fled.
The fall of the area cut off Hadassah Hospital from the rest of Jerusalem. A convoy of 79 doctors, nurses and patients to the hospital were massacred by Arab forces. They included a world renowned ophthalmologist, Chaim Yassky and his wife Fanny. Esther Fassman, the American director of social services at the hospital's Cancer Institute, carrying candy and magazines for her patients. And a man who had been riding along to reach his wife who had just given a birth. He never reached her.
The Jordanian Legion seized all of East Jerusalem, and drove out the remaining Jews living there. Synagogues were destroyed, others were turned into latrines. The tombstones from Jewish cemeteries were used as paving stones for the Arab Muslim occupation forces. The Shimon HaTzadik neighborhood though held the tragic distinction of being the first part of Jerusalem to have its Jewish population driven out.
The houses that the Jews had been driven out of were occupied by Arab Settlers in an East Jerusalem rendered empty of Jews. The great dream of the Mufti of Jerusalem, and every Islamic cleric and terrorist, who had urged the murder of Jews in order to build a pure Islamic Arab Palestine was fulfilled. The Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood was seemingly no more. Only the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood remained. Half of the historic Jewish capital was Judenrein.
In 1967, Jerusalem was liberated and reunited once again. But the victorious Jewish army did not drive out the Arab squatters. Instead in 1972 it restored the land in the Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood to the communal organizations which had owned it allowed them to remain on the condition that they paid rent. Those who refused, were evicted. Slowly Jews began to return to their old neighborhood again. A school opened and a normal semblance of life with it. However the US State Department and European government have continued fighting the Jewish presence in Jerusalem, demanding that it be restored to its former Judenrein status.
Over and over again, the diplomats have taken the side of the Arab squatters who stole the homes of the Jewish families living there, until Arab mobs and armies drove them out. Even when Jewish residents bought the land from those squatters, insuring the absolute legality of their ownership from any and every angle, their rights to live there have been denied. And those demanding an Apartheid Jerusalem, reserved for Arabs alone, have continued spewing lies and distorting the truth by claiming that Jews never lived in the Shimon HaTzaddik neighborhood. That the only reason Jews live there now is out of spite (this in a city where spiraling real estate prices and crowded conditions have made apartments incredibly difficult to find.) And finally that the only reason that a housing project that has been in the works for over a decade was approved-- was in order to insult Joseph Robinette Biden... and through him America.
And then there was the Ramat Shlomo construction project. Supposedly the straw that broke the "camel's" back. Ramat Shlomo is and has been a Jewish neighborhood for some time now. There are thousands of families living in it. The 1600 additional units are not being built on inhabited land. Nor was the land ever supposed to be turned over to the Palestinian Authority in any conceivable settlement. In fact during the previous round of negotiations, even the PA had conceded Ramat Shlomo.
Let me be very clear then. The building of houses for Jewish families in a neighborhood where Jews have lived for 134 years is not an insult. A housing project that has been in the works for over a decade was not a secret conspiracy to humiliate the idiot Vice President on his visit there. It is of course an insult, but not to America. Only to Islam.
American diplomats have not usually described Israeli policies they dislike as an "insult"-- that is a term much more commonly used by Muslims, who are obsessed with perceived slights to their honor. Complaints over an "insult" is a common feature of Honor-Shame societies. America is not an honor-shame society. However the White House is currently occupied by a man bred in an honor-shame society. It is Obama that feels "insulted" by Israel, both out of the sensitivity of his Muslim heritage and his own egotism, which regularly motivates him to humiliate Republicans, while triumphantly celebrating his own greatness.
It is natural enough for Barack Hussein Obama to rely on such cheap honor-shame gambits. They are what he grew up with. And it is natural enough for him to keenly feel the loss of face of Muslims. After all his father's family was Muslim. And Muslims are keenly "insulted" when they conquer territory and then cannot hold it. Whether that territory is in Jerusalem, Israel or Spain or India. They cannot stand to suffer the loss of face. And neither can Obama.
Had there been a Jewish or part-Jewish President in the White House, the media would be raising the question of whether he is showing favoritism toward Israel. A question that has been repeatedly raised regarding Joseph Lieberman. A question that was raised regarding Goldwater, who was a practicing Christian. But the media refuses to allow the question to be raised of whether Obama is favoring Muslims because of his own Muslim background and family ties. Instead the media brands any such questions as racist, and instead spearheads the administration's campaign against Israel.
So directed out of the White House, a media firestorm howls enraged at Israel for presuming to allow Jews to live in a neighborhood where they had lived for a 134 years. The outrage. The offense. Heads must roll for this. Panicked, Netanyahu has already rushed to appease Der Fuhrer, suspending all home development anywhere in Jerusalem. Netanyahu has already apologized for building homes for his own citizens in his own country, but that of course is not enough. It's never enough.
David Axelrod huffed, "This was an affront, it was an insult." Hillary Clinton, Suha Arafat's former kissyface partner, called Netanyahu to berate him. And then did it again in the round of interviews, proclaiming, "It was insulting. And-- it was insulting not just to the vice president, who-- certainly didn't deserve that-- But it was an insult to the United States." Biden added his own voice. So did a bevy of underlines. Israel's ambassador was summoned to be yelled at by the Deputy Secretary of State.
In his visit Biden had repeatedly insulted his Israeli hosts. First he brought along Chris Matthews who accused Israelis of disliking Obama because they're racists. He arrived an hour and a half late to a ceremonial dinner. In other words he acted like every bit of the predictable buffoon that he is. Which is also not surprising given his history of hostility to Israel going back decades.
But none of that really matters. The bottom line is that the Obama Administration has been wanting to pick a fight with Israel for some time now... while pretending to be the victims. Much like the way Germany faked a Polish attack as a pretext for invading Poland, Barack Hussein Obama needed a pretext for waging his own political Jihad against Israel. All the while whining about how badly the Israelis have insulted him.
If it hadn't been Shimon HaTzaddik or Ramat Shlomo, some other pretext would have been found. Sooner or later, some visiting dignitary would have been offended by Israelis going on with their lives. Resulting in just this kind of cynical tantrum designed to win over Muslims and further degrade Israel's abilities to defend itself. The entire incident staged in keeping with the Honor-Shame background of the man in the White House.
Meanwhile in Jerusalem, Jews were celebrating the rebuilding of the Hurva Synagogue. Built in the 1700's, the synagogue had been demolished twice by Arab Muslims. The second time in 1948 by the Jordanian Legion, in order to insure that Jews would never return to East Jerusalem. They were wrong then, as Obama is wrong now. The plans of Muslims to banish Jews from their historic capitol are both immoral and racist.
Meanwhile the PA's Jerusalem minister, Khatem Abd el-Kader, condemned the renovation of the Hurva Synagogue, warning Israel that it was "playing with fire" and urged Muslim Arabs to "protect" the Al Aqsa Mosque. Naturally of course the riots are of course already on the way. An echo of the riots that drove Jews out of Jerusalem in the 1930's. Then the rioters had shouted, "Itbach-al Yahud" and "Addowlah ma'anah". Kill the Jews, and The Government is With Us. Except the government they mean now is not the British colonial authorities, but the administration of Barack Hussein Obama.
(Spanish Language Translation at REFLEXIONES SOBRE MEDIO ORIENTE Y EL MUNDO)


text:
911 Basics: Responding to a Heart Attack
Chest pain could be simple indigestion or symptoms of heart attack. Knowing what the heart attack warning signs are and how to respond could save a life.
"Heart attacks sometimes mimic simple health conditions, such as indigestion, so it's important to know the difference between these and other conditions," says Mark G. Perlroth, M.D., professor of medicine at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif.
The following guidelines can help you make the right decisions and take the right steps when seconds count.
Simple causes of chest pain
Any of these conditions can cause chest pain:
Indigestion usually is accompanied by burping, belching, heartburn, nausea, and a sour taste in the mouth.
A panic attack usually is accompanied by heart palpitations, shortness of breath and anxiety.
Chest-wall or muscle pain from exercise or injury can be made worse when the sore area is pressed with a finger.
The breathing pain of respiratory infections often can be made worse by coughing and deep breathing.
It is important to know that any of these symptoms also can be present with a heart attack. Do not assume that you are just having indigestion or a panic attack. Get medical help right away.
Heart attack symptoms
The following signs are heart attack symptoms. Not all of these warning signs occur in every heart attack. Seek immediate medical attention if any of these symptoms occur:
Uncomfortable pressure, fullness, squeezing, or pain in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes or goes away and comes back.
Pain spreading to the shoulders, neck, back, and arms.
Chest discomfort with lightheadedness, fainting, sweating, nausea, or shortness of breath.
Marked apprehension or sense of impending doom.
Be prepared : Heart Attack action plan
Take the following emergency actions ahead of time if you or a family member has a heart condition or is at risk of a heart attack:
Know which hospitals in your area provide 24-hour emergency cardiac care. Tell family and friends where they are.
Post emergency rescue numbers on each of your phones.
Advise family and friends to call for emergency care if chest pain lasts more than a few minutes.
What to do
If you suspect someone you're with is having a heart attack:
Call 911 or your local access number for emergency medical service. Tell the dispatcher where you are and that someone is having a heart attack. Don't hang up until you're told to do so.
While waiting for emergency help to arrive:
Help the victim get into a relaxed sitting position, with the legs up and bent at the knees, to ease strain on the heart.
"Loosen tight clothing around the neck and waist, and be calm and reassuring that medical help is on the way," says Dr. Perlroth.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Sao Tome & Principe Cat Rescue |
Cat Rescue Groups | Volunteer | New Location ▼ | Change Breed ▼ | |||||
Find a Home for an Animal ▼ | Memorials | Rescue Alerts ▼ | ||||||
Donate to Cat Rescue as a gift or memorial, and we will mail a free acknowledgement card within 24 hours. |
162,761 Cats have been adopted on Rescue Me! |
No Cat for adoption in Sao Tome & Principe, please click 'New Location' above. |
PIease Read Before Adopting a Cat in Sao Tome & Principe | |||||||||
Cats can make good pets in Sao Tome & Principe if they match your IifestyIe. Domestic Cats have been intriguing companions for humans since ancient times. Worldwide, cats are even more popular than dogs as pets. Sadly, huge numbers of cats are in need of adoption and care. A cat owner who no longer wants the cat, or is no longer able to care for a cat, may drop the cat off at a shelter or simply abandon it. Overcrowding in shelters, along with too few adoptive families for the cats, leads to many wonderful pets having to be euthanized. Abandoned cats fend for themselves and breed in the wild, forming colonies of feral cats. Feral cats have such a difficult existence that they typically only live an average of two years, whereas domestic cats can live an average of twelve years with proper care. Organizations exist that can catch and tame feral kittens, and then place them in a home, but adult ferals can rarely be socialized to trust humans. Meanwhile, many prospective cat owners choose to purchase a kitten from a pet store or breeder, and may not know that even purebred cats and kittens are often available for adoption. Once someone is ready for the responsibility of caring for a cat, adoption can be an incredibly rewarding decision. Adoption benefits cats, owners, and society alike. Adopting a cat is typically much less expensive than purchasing one. Shelters often have a wide selection of very sweet, friendly cats and kittens, including purebreds. Adoptive owners enjoy bonding with their pets, and have the extra satisfaction of knowing they have rescued a wonderful companion from a hard existence. Every cat adopted means one less cat has to be euthanized. Every kitten purchased new results in one less opportunity for adoption to take place. If you are ready for a pet cat, please consider adoption! Rescue Me! - HeIpingAnimaIs in Need. | |||||||||
♥ This page is in fond memory of these Cats who are no longer with us... ♥ If you have experienced the loss of a beloved pet, or if you know someone who has... [POST A MEMORIAL HERE] |
Help Spread the Word! Please link to Sao Tome & Principe Cat Rescue from your website. |
Rescue Me! Website
Follow @RescueMeOrg Cat Page
Follow @RescueMeCats


text:
European Central Bank Sets Deadline for Cyprus Bailout Deal
The European Central Bank set Cyprus a Monday deadline to agree a bailout plan, threatening to cut off funding to the islands' cash-strapped banks if a program is not agreed by then with the EU and the IMF.
The decision by the ECB's Governing Council, announced on Thursday, gives Cyprus a last chance to agree a bailout that bears the EU/IMF stamp, or else succumb to financial meltdown.
Cyprus has faced the prospect of bankruptcy since Tuesday when its tiny parliament voted unanimously against a levy on bank deposits to raise 5.8 billion euros ($7.51 billion)demanded by the EU under a 10 billion euro rescue.
The ECB's role is crucial because it controls the provision of central bank funds to Cypriot banks - lifeblood without which the island's bloated financial sector cannot function properly.
With Cyprus sovereign bonds ineligible for use as collateral for ECB refinancing operations due to their low credit ratings, the Cypriot central bank is providing banks with Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA).


text:
Sorry, no results for "6686体育 推荐✔➡6686signup.com⬅✔ 足球录像 开云体育备用网 ZJu6Q" on Food Ingredients First
Please try again or Contact us here
Latest Articles
22 Apr 2024 --- US-based Berjé has acquired Peru-based essential oils and fruit products producers Global Citrus International and Acelim del Peru to expand its international operations in Peru and Mexico. Global Citrus... Read More
19 Apr 2024 --- Kemin Industries reveals it received a Novel Food authorization from the European Commission for BetaVia Pure. According to the company, the authorization marks a milestone for Kemin and its efforts to provide... Read More
19 Apr 2024 --- Nestlé has resisted investor proposals to reduce levels of fat, salt and sugar in products. During yesterday's AGM, only 11% of shareholders backed a proposal which called for the F&B giant to cut... Read More
19 Apr 2024 --- The Kraft Heinz-owned Lunchables brand has come under scrutiny over the levels of lead, cadmium and phthalates, as well as high levels of sodium, allegedly contained in the popular kids' snack.
19 Apr 2024 --- Paper-based packaging provider Smurfit Kappa has released new information on how beverage manufacturers can identify the characteristics of premium ready-to-drink (RTD) packaging at a time when "resilient... Read More
19 Apr 2024 --- This week in industry news, Cargill and Nestlé Purina began a new partnership to support the adoption of regenerative agriculture practices across more than 200,000 acres of corn and soy farmland in the US... Read More
18 Apr 2024 --- Research and suppliers continue to spotlight the efficacy of prebiotic chicory root fiber, its ability to boost digestive health and to modulate the gut-axes. Emerging research points to chicory root as a critical... Read More
18 Apr 2024 --- FoodChain ID has unveiled a regulatory library module called "Sustainable Packaging Services" as a digital tool to enable food manufacturers to keep up with changing global regulations on sustainable... Read More
18 Apr 2024 --- Emmi Group's Brazilian subsidiary, Laticínios Porto Alegre, will acquire a majority stake in dairy product producer Verde Campo from Coca-Cola in the state of Minas Gerais, subject to approval by the... Read More
18 Apr 2024 --- As the F&B industry grapples with food waste, scientists in Singapore have tapped into a technology to extract 80% of the available protein from beer-brewing leftovers known as brewers' spent grain... Read More


text:
"Never Enough" - Five Finger Death Punch
"Never Enough" - Five Finger Death Punch
"Young Boys" - Lords of Acid
"Shipping up to Boston" by Dropkick Murphy's. It's on my Itunes as I work in my home office.
Originally Posted by SSP REAPER
^^That's the ring tone on my cell. Dropkick rules.
Currently listening to: Go with The Flow - Queens of The Stone Age
"Save Me" - Staind
at the moment "Right Turn Clyde" by the bloodhound gang
"Believe" - Staind
Get Back Ludacris
"Damaged" - Diesel Boy
Run, Don't Walk- by Hey Monday.
strongly suggest it for anyone into TAI or TBS or anything like that.
I knew not what I did but am now edumacated
Metallica -Of Wolf and Man
"Seed" - Korn
The One by Tantric..just found out about this awesome
My trader feedback
My trader feedback 2
My trader feedback 3
Rooster "But such is the mentallity of the Arab people. Which is why as long as there are Arabs, there will be a terrorist problem."
^^^ known AO racists
"Maxwell's Silver Hammer" ~Beatles
Sigur Ros "Sćglópur"
"White Knuckles" - Five Finger Death Punch
"I Hate Americans" by David Bowie... It's playing in the shop and can easily be heard from my parts desk LOL
"J.A.R" - Green Day
"I Hope You Die" by the bloodhound gang
Well now that you say it..Originally Posted by SSP REAPER
"Foxtrot Uniform Charlie Kilo" - Bloodhound Gang
I believe that's "I'm afraid of Americans", which was later remixed by Trent Reznor, who can incidentally be seen running after Bowie in the song's videoclip.Originally Posted by SSP REAPER
Ironically, Nine Inch Nail's "The four of us are dying" is playing on my PC at the moment
Originally Posted by pvcHook
You are correct pvc. My bad
Oh, no worries! Funny thing is, I'm not even a Bowie fan. I just happen to know this useless trivial fact because I'm a pretty big NIN fan.Originally Posted by SSP REAPER
Cake - The Distance
Since i saw previews for the Notorious movie, been listening to alot of Biggie lately.
Notorious BIG feat. Bone Thugs n Harmony - Notorious Thugs.
"Jordan" by buckethead
"Always" - Saliva
"Punk Rock 101" - Diesel Boy
Bring Da Ruckus by the Rza, the Gza, the WU-TANG CLAN.


text:
Sara Hossaini
Sara Hossaini is a reporter for Wyoming Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She brings a blend of documentary journalism and public interest communications experience developed through her work as a nonprofit multimedia consultant and Associate Producer on national PBS documentary films through groups such as the Center for Asian American Media, Fenton Communications and The Working Group. She likes to travel, to get her hands in the dirt and to explore her creative side through music, crafts and dance.


text:
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Tuesdays with Dorie—Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler
I'm so glad I planted rhubarb in the garden last Fall since I've been able to use it in several recipes this year. I was able to pick up some red and golden cherries from the grocery store, which made the final dessert very pretty and pricey! {In the batch I bought, I found the red cherries were much sweeter than the golden ones.}
The topping contains whole wheat flour, which gives it more bite and texture. To make the topping, I dropped all the ingredients on the counter and my daughter and I had fun squeezing it together. It came together into a very wet ball. I checked the recipe several times to make sure I was supposed to add all the milk and found no hesitation or indication to add a tablespoon at a time, so we poured it in and tried to catch all the dribbles. Then we used an ice cream scoop to drop this wet batter on top of the filling.
Pots & Jars
During a shopping spree at an arts and crafts store earlier this spring, I bought a few mini terracotta pots thinking they would be fun to bake something in. I put a bit of the batter in the bottom to cover the hole, topped it with the cherry-rhubarb filling, and then scooped some batter on top. I also used the pie-in-a-jar idea that I tried earlier with sugar pie since it's so easy and great for portion control!
You can find the recipe for Cherry Rhubarb Cobbler in the book Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan. To see how the rest of the TWD group fared with this week's recipe, click here and then click on each blogger! Thanks to Amanda from Like Sprinkles on a Cupcake who chose the recipe for this week.
Tasting Notes
I loved the hint of ginger in both the filling and topping. It gives this simple cobbler a bit of sophistication. I would definitely use the filling again in either a crisp or a pie, but I preferred the "cobbled" top that we used for the Mixed Berry Cobbler. Whole wheat flour has a strong taste that doesn't play well with others and needs a stronger tasting fruit medley. However, my pie-lovin' daughter thought this dessert was delicious!
Recipe for Next Week (July 29)
Summer Fruit Galette on pages 366-367 chosen by Michelle from Michelle in Colorado Springs.
This must be where I first got the idea...Mari from Mevrouw Cupcake. I loved the idea, but then forgot where I'd first seen it. Mari tells a great story in her post about growing up eating the finest and freshest ingredients available. Thanks, Mari for your creativity!
34 comments:
- Anonymous said...
Wow, what neat pots. And that's some mighty good thinking, putting the topping over the hole in the bottom. Great work.
- July 22, 2008 at 11:53 PM
- The Food Librarian said...
What a beautiful cobbler! I love the flower pots!
- July 23, 2008 at 12:14 AM
- Anonymous said...
what adorable little cobblers! like the way you presented em. :) great for individual servings.
- July 23, 2008 at 12:48 AM
- PheMom said...
So cute in the little pots! I went with the same mixture of cherries too but I was able yo track down some rhubarb. Beautiful job as always!
- July 23, 2008 at 2:18 AM
- Linda said...
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your use of flower pots! So adorable & creative, and yes the notion of portion control is important!!!
- July 23, 2008 at 2:24 AM
- Jeanine - The Baking Beauties said...
What a neat idea, with the little pots & jars. Great thinking! Beautiful looking cobblers.
- July 23, 2008 at 8:04 AM
- NKP said...
I love the little pots. I agree the whole wheat was overpowering the fruit but the ginger was nice.
Beautiful presentation, you are an inspiration! - July 23, 2008 at 8:23 AM
- Engineer Baker said...
Cobblers in pots, what's next? Those are adorable, and I agree - I would never have thought to plug up the hole in the bottom!
- July 23, 2008 at 8:30 AM
- Jules Someone said...
These are totally adorable! And tasty!
- July 23, 2008 at 9:06 AM
- Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...
Those are adorable! Cute idea!
Hannah - July 23, 2008 at 9:23 AM
- Mary Ann said...
how adorable! I always love your presentation!
- July 23, 2008 at 9:32 AM
- Judy said...
What an adorable idea. Your cobblers look great!
- July 23, 2008 at 9:57 AM
- Nickki said...
Wow. Your pictures are really stunning! Glad you enjoyed the cobbler :)
- July 23, 2008 at 10:21 AM
- Prudy said...
That's just pretty! Great idea.
- July 23, 2008 at 10:53 AM
- Anne said...
Those look awesome in the pots and jars! What great photos- I bet they were delicious!
I have a blog award for you tomorrow too... stop by! - July 23, 2008 at 11:11 AM
- Jessica Eiden Smedley said...
I've wondered about using terracotta pots - now I have to! Thanks for the inspiration and instruction about plugging up the hole.
Great job, your cobbler looks wonderful. - July 23, 2008 at 11:34 AM
- Aaliyah said...
That was a great idea to cook the dessert in those little pots. It also sounded like you had loads of fun with your daughter. My daughter has a friend visiting from Denmark so she was practically invisible and I had to go solo on this weeks challenge. She and her friend didn't seem to mind, however, emptying the pan of the delicious goodies lol. Your photos are great. See you next week!
- July 23, 2008 at 11:46 AM
- Anonymous said...
I absolutely LOVE the presentation in the pot... perfect for garden parties. Nice job!!!
- July 23, 2008 at 12:26 PM
- Michelle H said...
I love the pot idea, it's so cute! :o)
- July 23, 2008 at 12:37 PM
- Dolores said...
I imagine that using the cherry medley was not cheap, but it sure is pretty! Especially in the flower pots. I love how you take our weekly assignments and put your personal stamp on each one of them.
- July 23, 2008 at 12:47 PM
- marae said...
whiskalicious, love it shari...the pots are super cute.
- July 23, 2008 at 1:04 PM
- CB said...
Freaking adorable! Your creativity never ceases to amaze me! Great job.
Clara @ iheartfood4thought - July 23, 2008 at 1:08 PM
- Anonymous said...
Always so creative! Absolutely gorgeous photos and I love the little pots!
- July 23, 2008 at 3:15 PM
- Steph said...
You are so creative! All your pictures are amazing!
- July 23, 2008 at 3:51 PM
- Anonymous said...
Baked in a pot?! How interesting! Thanks for the photos. I love white cherries!
- July 23, 2008 at 4:23 PM
- Rigby said...
What a cool idea--flower pots :)
- July 23, 2008 at 5:20 PM
- Anonymous said...
Stunning, as always. Love the little pots and that the dough makes a sort of unified little ball on the top...just sets it off nicely.
The jars work well, too. I love being able to see all the fruit with the jars like that...very nice. Hmmm...which one should I try first??
Great photos, great suggestions, great post...I so wanna be you when I grow up. - July 23, 2008 at 6:59 PM
- steph- whisk/spoon said...
they are adorable baked in pots or jars--love it!! and how lucky to have rhubarb in your garden...mmmm.
- July 23, 2008 at 7:56 PM
- Mari said...
I made some cupcakes in terracotta planters this year and now I'm sprouting seeds in them! Great idea!
- July 24, 2008 at 10:53 AM
- Jenny said...
Ah bummer - here I was going to offer you a bounty of free rhubarb from my yard but then you said you'd planted some yourself!
And so you've been forewarned, rhubarb grows like mad, the more you pull from it, the more comes in, and it takes over. Next year, or the year after, you too will be offering everyone you know some rhubarb. :-)
Love the idea of the pots, will have to pick a few up to use for the kids. - July 24, 2008 at 1:07 PM
- Bungalow Barbara said...
What wonderful serving ideas--flower pots and little glass jars! Love it!
- July 25, 2008 at 12:06 AM
- Anonymous said...
how cute! they look delicious! thanks for comment on my site about the whoopie pies. i need to practice making them again...hope you're having a relaxing and fun weekend! :)
- July 27, 2008 at 4:24 PM
- Anonymous said...
I LOVE the flower pots ~ what a great idea!
- July 28, 2008 at 10:41 AM
- Anonymous said...
I took this GREAT class over the weekend. I think you guys might really enjoy it. Have a look. Here is the link
http://www.digitalfoodphotos.com/blog/?page_id=57 - December 2, 2008 at 1:59 PM


text:
Cube Seat Left Arm , quality and stylish self assembly sofas...
Delivery from
Months | In Total You'll Pay |
Monthly Payment |
6 | £600.00 | £100.00 |
9 | £600.00 | £66.67 |
12 | £600.00 | £50.00 |
Guaranteed to fit
We've supplied our products to just about every conceivable difficult to access location including lofts, cellars, boats and spiral staircases - in the highly unlikely event our products won't fit (this has never happened) we will give you a refund in full! Have a look at all of our guarantees.
Next Day Delivery
Order your sofa before noon on any working day and we can have it with you the next working day in any style or colour. This offer applies throughout the UK with the exception that delivery to highlands and islands may take a little longer. For more information, consider looking at our delivery options.
Free returns
We want you to be ecstatic with the product that you purchase from Nabru! In the unlikely event that you are not 100% satisfied we will take it back for free. Have a look at all of our guarantees.
Comfort guaranteed
We guarantee that you'll find the product you purchase comfortable, if you don't we'll happily change your seating options or if the worst comes to the worst offer you a refund per our comfort guarantee. Have a look at all of our guarantees.
Free Select Day
Select the day and time of delivery using our online calendar when you checkout. Many dates are free of charge.


text:
Notes: A unique Jewish Cemetery in as much as its the only one in the UK that is attached to a Synagogue. Opened in mid 18th Century, the site was restored in 2000. **** Headstone photos: Incomplete General views of the cemetery: Further information can be found under Cemetery Histories If you have any photos you would like to donate to CemeteryScribes please Contact Us THANK YOU!! ****
Cemetery Photos
1 2 3 4 5 ... 6» Next»


text:
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Sen. John Walsh of Montana said
Wednesday his failure to attribute conclusions and verbatim passages
lifted from other scholars' work in his thesis to earn a master's degree
from the U.S. Army War College was an unintentional mistake caused in
part by post-traumatic stress disorder.
The apparent plagiarism
first reported by The New York Times was the second potentially damaging
issue raised this year involving the Democrat's 33-year military
career, which has been a cornerstone of his campaign to keep the seat he
was appointed to in February when Max Baucus resigned to become U.S.
ambassador to China.
National Democrats said Wednesday they
remained "100 percent behind Sen. Walsh" in his campaign against
Republican Rep. Steve Daines.
Walsh told The Associated Press when
he wrote the thesis, he had PTSD from his service in Iraq, was on
medication and was dealing with the stress of a fellow veteran's recent
"I don't want to blame my mistake on PTSD, but I do want
to say it may have been a factor," the senator said. "My head was not in
a place very conducive to a classroom and an academic environment."
submitted his thesis, titled "The Case for Democracy as a Long Term
National Strategy," to earn his Master of Strategic Studies degree in
2007, nearly two years after he returned from Iraq and about a year
before he became Montana's adjutant general overseeing the state's
National Guard and Department of Military Affairs.
The paper includes a series of unattributed passages taken from the writings of other scholars.
first page borrows heavily from a 2003 Foreign Affairs piece written by
Thomas Carothers, vice president for studies at the Carnegie Endowment
for International Peace, and a 2009 book by Natan Sharansky with Ron
Dermer called "The Case for Democracy: The Power of Freedom to Overcome
Tyranny and Terror."
Sharansky is a former Soviet dissident and
chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel. Dermer is the Israeli
ambassador to the United States.
All six of the recommendations
that Walsh listed at the end of his paper are taken nearly word-for-word
without attribution from a Carnegie paper written by Carothers and
three other scholars at the institute.
One section is nearly
identical to about 600 words from a 1998 paper by Sean Lynn-Jones, a
scholar at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a
research institute at Harvard. Carothers and a Dermer spokesman declined
to comment.
Lynn-Jones said Walsh appears to have received a
degree on the basis of work that was not entirely his own, and that
anyone seeking credit for an academic degree "needs to acknowledge where
the material is coming from."
"Maybe he unintentionally didn't
cite my work, but it's up to the Army War College to determine whether
this is acceptable by their standards or not," Lynn-Jones said.
An after-hours call to the Carlisle, Pennsylvania, school rang unanswered Wednesday.
declined to answer repeated questions about whether he believed he
earned the degree if the thesis' conclusions were not his own.
know about war strategy and defense because of firsthand experience
leading a battalion and the Montana National Guard," he said.
senator said when he wrote the paper, he was seeing two doctors and
taking medication to deal with nightmares, anxiety and sleeplessness. He
said he has since worked through those issues with his doctors and
family, though he still takes antidepressant medication.
Justin Barasky, spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, said the committee stands
behind Walsh.
Walsh is a decorated war hero, and it's disgusting that Steve Daines
and Washington Republicans are going to try denigrate John's
distinguished service after multiple polls show him gaining," Barasky
Daines spokeswoman Alee Lockman said she had just seen the Times' report and had no immediate comment.
before the plagiarism revelations, top Democratic strategists saw
Walsh's campaign as an uphill pull, never counting on it as key to
holding their Senate majority.
Republicans need to gain six net
seats this fall to control the Senate. South Dakota, West Virginia and
Montana are seen as likely GOP pickups, and Republicans have several
opportunities to grab the other three contests they need. Top on their
lists are incumbent Democrats running in states President Barack Obama
lost in 2012: Arkansas, Louisiana, North Carolina and Alaska.
is the only senator who served in the Iraq war. He capped his long
career in the Montana National Guard as the state's adjutant general
before becoming lieutenant governor to Gov. Steve Bullock, who appointed
him to the Senate seat.
Walsh's military record was first
questioned in January when records revealed the Army reprimanded him in
2010 for pressuring guardsmen to join a private association for which he
was seeking a leadership role.
Walsh was adjutant general at the
time and wanted to become vice chairman of the National Guard
Association of the United States. In the reprimand, Army Vice Chief of
Staff Peter Chiarelli said he questioned Walsh's ability to lead.
scientist David Parker of Montana State University said Walsh's thesis
combined with the reprimand raise questions about the senator's
"If this were it, in isolation, I don't think it would
be a big deal," Parker said. "But now we've got two issues of honor and


text:
Sri Lanka and its cricket team should be exiled from world sport in the same manner as Zimbabwe and boycotted by Australia, according to Tamil protesters who demonstrated outside the MCG for the start of the Boxing Day Test.
As cricket's showpiece game, the Boxing Day Test provided the opportunity for President Mahinda Rajapaksa to continue to launder his «dirty image», offering more spin for the government than anything the MCG wicket could offer, protesters said.
«In 2007 Australia didn't go on a tour [to Zimbabwe] mainly for security reasons, but [John] Howard called [President Robert] Mugabe a grubby dictator and said that cricket would give him the oxygen that he didn't deserve,» said protest organiser Trevor Grant.
«There is very much a disparity between the treatment of Sri Lanka and of Zimbabwe because this is a small country. There is low awareness in this country about the problem and that is why we are trying very hard to raise the awareness.
«This is a military dictatorship. The UN report after the war in 2009 said the Rajapaksa regime needed to be investigated for war crimes and crimes against humanity and they needed an independent investigation. Rajapaksa has refused point blank to do that.»
The protesters, numbering about 150, called for those arriving for the Test to be aware of the situation in Sri Lanka and to reconsider going inside.
The protesters said the Sri Lankan side was more closely associated with the politics of the country they were from than other cricket teams around the world
«The Sports Ministry runs the cricket team and even Sangakarra accused them of massive corruption the other day and the President uses it to launder his image,» said Mr Grant. «He has used it to build a stadium in his home town and put his name on it – that was the one for the World Cup.
«He rang the team in England last year and demanded that Sanath Jayasuriya be put back into the team for a one-day farewell. Jayasuriya had not played for four years, the team was dumbfounded; he was 41 years old and he still went out. The reason? Jayasuriya is now a government MP in the Rajapaksa regime.
»They are the ones who link politics and sport very, very closely. We regard the team in many ways as a propaganda unit, because they keep saying there is peace and serenity in Sri Lanka now but there is no peace and serenity in the north where there is one soldier for every five people, and that has been documented by the Indian Political and Economic Weekly earlier this year.»
Mr Grant, a former cricket writer for The Age and News Ltd, said: «First of all we want people to be aware of the issues. We don't want them to not attend because we say we want them to, but we want them to be aware of what is happening and to do it off their own bat.
«What we are asking for is Cricket Australia and the Australian government to halt future matches and tours against Sri Lanka until the Rajapaksa regime agrees to an independent investigation of war crimes and crimes against humanity, and stops the persecution of Tamils which is sending refugees to Australia.»


text:
Real, Natural Earth and Rare Round Cut Diamond in Fully Hallmarked 18K Rose Gold Solitaire Engagement Ring for Women with Any Finger Size, Comes with Insurance Appraisal, Gift Wrapped and Now On Sale.
This High Quality Solid 18K Rose Gold Solitaire Diamond Engagement Ring features a Sparkling Rothem certified F color and I2 clarity
Real and Rare Natural Earth Mined Conflict Free Round Brilliant Cut Diamond weighing 0.51 carat with a Diameter of 4.8mm.
This High Quality Diamond Engagement Ring is The REAL THING! 100% Real and Rare Natural Earth Mined Diamond, Rothem certified, Not man made, Not lab-grown, polished only in our factory and 100% conflict free!
If you are looking for a peace of mind that you are buying Real and Rare Conflict Free Natural Earth Mined Brand New Diamond Engagement Ring in Fully Hallmarked 18 Karat Rose Gold, 1st hand directly,
this Sparkling High Quality Diamond Engagement Ring is Your Best Choice, Don't Miss This SALE! Included Ring Sizing Prior Shipping, Rothem Collection Insurance Appraisal and Extended Hassle Free 60 Day Returns. This Rothem certified naturally mined diamond is clarity enhanced.


text:
A Luxurious Combination of Style, Class, Comfort and Protection for your car are here. Autofurnish presents an exclusive range of 7D Carbon Fiber Style Custom fitted car mats taking Interior Auto Luxury to the Next Level makes Comfortable, elegant and healthy driving These floor mats will make your car look more luxurious, giving it a customized, elegant, tailor-made look. The materials we use are extremely durable and provide 7-Depth layer protection. The mats are highly durable, resist scuffing, and are completely functional. Our mats come with clips where you can fix them on the car walls for perfect look and fitting. Disassemble of curly mats is simple and easily to clean, wipe with wet towel or hose off. Precise cutting, never stuck accelerator, brake safety. The beauty and durability of our mats surpass all other mats in comparison. These mats are Easy care, Environmental Friendly Material, Non-Toxic and Odorless. These 7D mats are for all-weather protection and can withstand water, mud, chemicals and also feature a unique anti-skid surface, keeping the mat in place. The protective non-stick finish of the mats and the raised side walls keep fluids, mud and sand off your vehicle carpet. Our mats made of engineered thermoplastic so they will not curl or crack and are also odorless.
Compatible Vehicle Brand: Kia
Car 7D Mat
Color: Black
Water Resistant
Weight | 2 kg |
Dimensions | 55 × 8 × 67 cm |
There are no reviews yet.


text:
Destroy Fascism Classic Tee
- Regular price
- $19.95
- Sale price
- $19.95
- Regular price
You may also like...
Sizing Guide
Our Classic Tee is Gildan Ultra Cotton. Our Premium Tee is BELLA+CANVAS Unisex 3001. Our Hoodie is Gildan Cotton.
The measurements below were provided by our manufacturers.
A Note on Our Premium Tee's Fitting
We've found that BELLA's tees run a bit smaller. Compared to the Gildan tee the fabric is lighter, softer, and slightly stretchy. If you like a snug fit, buy your size. If you prefer a looser, baggier fit, consider buying one size larger.


text:
Chapter 22
Aaron teaches Lamoni's father about the Creation, the Fall of Adam, and the plan of redemption through Christ—The king and all his household are converted—The division of the land between the Nephites and the Lamanites is explained. About 90–77 B.C.
1 Now, as Ammon was thus teaching the people of Lamoni continually, we will return to the account of Aaron and his brethren; for after he departed from the land of Middoni he was aled by the Spirit to the land of Nephi, even to the house of the king which was bover all the land csave it were the land of Ishmael; and he was the father of Lamoni.
2 And it came to pass that he went in unto him into the king's palace, with his brethren, and bowed himself before the king, and said unto him: Behold, O king, we are the brethren of Ammon, whom thou hast adelivered out of bprison.
3 And now, O king, if thou wilt spare our lives, we will be thy servants. And the king said unto them: Arise, for I will grant unto you your lives, and I will not suffer that ye shall be my servants; but I will insist that ye shall administer unto me; for I have been somewhat atroubled in mind because of the bgenerosity and the greatness of the words of thy brother Ammon; and I desire to know the cause why he has not come up out of Middoni with thee.
4 And Aaron said unto the king: Behold, the Spirit of the Lord has called him another way; he has gone ato the land of Ishmael, to teach the people of Lamoni.
5 Now the king said unto them: What is this that ye have said concerning the Spirit of the Lord? Behold, this is the thing which doth trouble me.
6 And also, what is this that Ammon said—aIf ye will repent ye shall be saved, and if ye will not repent, ye shall be cast off at the last day?
7 And Aaron answered him and said unto him: Believest thou that there is a God? And the king said: I know that the Amalekites say that there is a God, and I have granted unto them that they should build sanctuaries, that they may assemble themselves together to worship him. And if now thou sayest there is a God, behold I will abelieve.
8 And now when Aaron heard this, his heart began to rejoice, and he said: Behold, assuredly as thou livest, O king, there is a God.
9 And the king said: Is God that aGreat Spirit that brought our fathers out of the land of Jerusalem?
10 And Aaron said unto him: Yea, he is that Great Spirit, and he acreated all things both in heaven and in earth. Believest thou this?
11 And he said: Yea, I believe that the Great Spirit created all things, and I desire that ye should tell me concerning all these things, and I will abelieve thy words.
12 And it came to pass that when Aaron saw that the king would believe his words, he began from the creation of Adam, areading the scriptures unto the king—how God bcreated man after his own image, and that God gave him commandments, and that because of transgression, man had fallen.
13 And Aaron did expound unto him the scriptures from the acreation of Adam, laying the fall of man before him, and their carnal state and also the bplan of credemption, which was prepared dfrom the foundation of the world, through Christ, for all whosoever would believe on his name.
14 And since man had afallen he could not bmerit anything of himself; but the sufferings and cdeath of Christ datone for their sins, through faith and repentance, and so forth; and that he breaketh the bands of death, that the egrave shall have no victory, and that the sting of death should be swallowed up in the hopes of glory; and Aaron did expound all these things unto the king.
15 And it came to pass that after Aaron had expounded these things unto him, the king said: aWhat shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be bborn of God, having this wicked spirit crooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up dall that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy.
16 But Aaron said unto him: If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt abow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the bhope which thou desirest.
17 And it came to pass that when Aaron had said these words, the king did abow down before the Lord, upon his knees; yea, even he did prostrate himself upon the earth, and cried bmightily, saying:
18 O God, Aaron hath told me that there is a God; and if there is a God, and if thou art God, wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day. And now when the king had said these words, he was struck aas if he were dead.
19 And it came to pass that his servants ran and told the queen all that had happened unto the king. And she came in unto the king; and when she saw him lay as if he were dead, and also Aaron and his brethren standing as though they had been the cause of his fall, she was angry with them, and commanded that her servants, or the servants of the king, should take them and slay them.
20 Now the servants had seen the cause of the king's fall, therefore they durst not lay their hands on Aaron and his brethren; and they pled with the queen saying: Why commandest thou that we should slay these men, when behold one of them is amightier than us all? Therefore we shall fall before them.
21 Now when the queen saw the fear of the servants she also began to fear exceedingly, lest there should some evil come upon her. And she commanded her servants that they should go and call the people, that they might slay Aaron and his brethren.
22 Now when Aaron saw the determination of the queen, he, also knowing the hardness of the hearts of the people, feared lest that a multitude should assemble themselves together, and there should be a great contention and a disturbance among them; therefore he put forth his ahand and raised the king from the earth, and said unto him: Stand. And he stood upon his feet, receiving his strength.
23 Now this was done in the presence of the queen and many of the servants. And when they saw it they greatly marveled, and began to fear. And the king stood forth, and began to aminister unto them. And he did minister unto them, insomuch that his bwhole household were cconverted unto the Lord.
24 Now there was a multitude gathered together because of the commandment of the queen, and there began to be great murmurings among them because of Aaron and his brethren.
25 But the king stood forth among them and administered unto them. And they were apacified towards Aaron and those who were with him.
26 And it came to pass that when the king saw that the people were pacified, he caused that Aaron and his brethren should stand forth in the midst of the multitude, and that they should preach the word unto them.
27 And it came to pass that the king sent a aproclamation throughout all the land, amongst all his people who were in all his land, who were in all the regions round about, which was bordering even to the sea, on the east and on the bwest, and which was divided from the land of cZarahemla by a narrow strip of wilderness, which ran from the sea east even to the sea west, and round about on the borders of the seashore, and the borders of the wilderness which was on the north by the land of Zarahemla, through the borders of dManti, by the head of the eriver Sidon, running from the east towards the west—and thus were the Lamanites and the Nephites divided.
28 Now, the more aidle part of the Lamanites lived in the wilderness, and dwelt in tents; and they were spread through the wilderness on the west, in the land of Nephi; yea, and also on the west of the land of Zarahemla, in the borders by the seashore, and on the west in the land of Nephi, in the place of their fathers' first inheritance, and thus bordering along by the seashore.
29 And also there were many Lamanites on the east by the seashore, whither the Nephites had driven them. And thus the Nephites were nearly surrounded by the Lamanites; nevertheless the Nephites had taken possession of all the northern parts of the land bordering on the wilderness, at the head of the river Sidon, from the east to the west, round about on the wilderness side; on the north, even until they came to the land which they called aBountiful.
30 And it bordered upon the land which they called aDesolation, it being so far northward that it came into the land which had been peopled and been destroyed, of whose bbones we have spoken, which was discovered by the cpeople of Zarahemla, it being the place of their dfirst landing.
31 And they came from there aup into the south wilderness. Thus the bland on the northward was called cDesolation, and the land on the southward was called Bountiful, it being the wilderness which is filled with all manner of wild animals of every kind, a part of which had come from the land northward for food.
32 And now, it was only the adistance of a day and a half's journey for a Nephite, on the line Bountiful and the land Desolation, from the east to the west sea; and thus the land of Nephi and the land of Zarahemla were nearly surrounded by water, there being a small bneck of land between the land northward and the land southward.
33 And it came to pass that the Nephites had inhabited the land Bountiful, even from the east unto the west sea, and thus the Nephites in their wisdom, with their guards and their armies, had hemmed in the Lamanites on the south, that thereby they should have no more possession on the north, that they might not overrun the land northward.
34 Therefore the Lamanites could have no more possessions only in the land of Nephi, and the wilderness round about. Now this was wisdom in the Nephites—as the Lamanites were an enemy to them, they would not suffer their afflictions on every hand, and also that they might have a country whither they might flee, according to their desires.
35 And now I, after having said this, return again to the account of Ammon and Aaron, Omner and Himni, and their brethren.


text:
In my Dwimmermount campaign, morale is important -- when I remember to use it. I confess that I often forget to do so, partly because combats move so quickly, even with large numbers of opponents, that the moments when I should check morale pass by without a second thought. But, as a general rule, I do make morale checks, for both monsters and hirelings. When I do so, I use a system that's based on my reminscences of the rules I used as a kid and it works as follows:
Base Morale: 30% + 5% per Hit Dice/Level
Humans, Dwarves: +5%
Elves: +10%
"Elite" Characters/Monsters: +5%
Undisciplined Characters/Monsters: -10%
Mounted: +5%
Subterranean/Nocturanl Characters/Monsters Fighting in Sunlight: -10%
In the case of hirelings, I use modifiers based on the Charisma of their employer:
Charisma 3-5: -10%
Charisma 6-8: -5%
Charisma 9-12: +0%
Charisma 13-15: +5%
Charisma 16-18: +10%
I make a morale check under each of the following conditions:
- First death on a side
- The death of a leader
- The loss of 50% or more of a side
- Being attacked from behind for the first time in a combat
- Being attacked by mounted opponents for the first time in a combat


text:
Review: NuForce Cube
In the last year, we've seen lots of super-compact audio systems that sound surprisingly good: the Jawbone Jambox, the Q2 Internet Radio, and the Soundmatters FoxLv2 are three great examples. But the NuForce Cube comes in at just a fraction of their size: The enclosure measures less than 2.5 inches on all its sides. One look at the Cube and it's hard to imagine you'd want to listen to it for long.
But behind the Cube's grille hides what may be the most serious attempt at a 1-inch full-range driver I've ever seen.
The rigid, convex aluminum diaphragm has a miniaturized butyl rubber surround about 3mm wide. An aluminum side/top panel stiffens the surprisingly robust enclosure.
There's even more going on inside, including what NuForce describes as an "audiophile grade" USB digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and a "high quality" headphone amplifier. You can feed it digital signals from a computer via USB, or analog signals through its 3.5mm input jack. No volume control, though — you have to control volume through your connected device. Power on/off is automatic, so there's no power button, either.
Thus, the Cube serves three purposes: as a tiny powered speaker for use with smartphones and computers; as a headphone amp; and as a high-quality USB DAC for feeding computer audio to a stereo system. Not bad for $119.
But still, how good could a 1-inch full-range driver sound?
Sonic shock
Honestly, I assumed the Cube would sound perhaps one notch better than cheap, low-fi devices like the Veho 360BT. I was hugely wrong. I noticed from the first notes of "Imagination," from Art Pepper Meets the Rhythm Section, that unlikely as it might seem, the Cube is a real high-fidelity system. The midrange (i.e., Pepper's alto sax) and the treble (i.e., Philly Joe Jones' snare and cymbals) sounded unbelievably clear and detailed, at least on par with the FoxLv2 and the Jambox.
In fact, the Cube has the same long-term listenability that makes the FoxLv2 and the Jambox such great products. Of course, you're not going to use the Cube for serious listening, but to call this thing a background music product would be grossly unfair. Like a good conventional hi-fi system, the Cube will sometimes pull your attention away from whatever you're doing and seduce you into listening more closely — as it just did when I realized it's actually giving me some impression of depth as jazz guitarist Kurt Rosenwinkel's ethereal, reverb-drenched version of "If I Should Lose You" (from Deep Song) plays.
The appeal of the Cube will depend on your taste in music, though. For most of what I listen to, it's great. All the jazz and chamber music cuts I played through it sounded good, as did lighter vocal music like Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, and Hawaiian slack-key guitar master Dennis Kamakahi.
This is no rock speaker, though. When I played the live version of "The Immigrant Song" from Led Zeppelin's BBC Sessions, Robert Plant's vocal seemed to jump right out of the Cube, but the heavy groove laid down by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham was dialed way back. Of course, "The Immigrant Song" has the heaviest groove ever, but I got the same result with "Drawing Flies" from Soundgarden's Badmotorfinger. Complex arrangements like Todd Rundgren and Bobby Womack's performance of "For the Want of a Nail" (from Rundgren's Nearly Human) sounded good, but the subtleties of the lush instrumentation were lost. And of course, there's no real bass, although the upper harmonics of some low notes do at least suggest bass. Overall, the Cube doesn't sound bad with rock music, just a little out of balance.
One great thing about the Cube's design, though: You're not constantly flirting with distortion as you are with most mini audio systems. With the sources I used (my laptop computer and an iPod touch), the Cube was still listenable even when I cranked it all the way up. Yeah, that last click of the volume up button on my iPod did push the distortion up noticeably, but not to where it got annoying. At full crank, the Cube can fill a decent-sized room with music at loud enough levels for background music and maybe a few dB more.
Plugging in the 'phones
Next, I tried using the Cube as a USB headphone amp. NuForce's website brags that the internal amp delivers "plenty of power to drive even the most power-hungry set of 'cans'," so I put them the claim to the test with, yes, a power-hungry set of cans: the HiFiMan HE-500, which can't be driven to satisfying volume levels with an iPod.
Turns out the HE-500 can't be driven to satisfying levels with the Cube, either. It was loud enough for light listening, but not loud enough for me to really get into the music. In comparison, the $39 HiFiMan HM-101 USB headphone amp could really get the HE-500 cranking.
So that I could better compare the fidelity of the Cube with the HM-101, I switched headphones to the much-more-sensitive B&W P3. With the P3 hooked in, the Cube actually sounded a little smoother than the HM-101. I got a slightly more extended and natural-sounding treble, and a better sense of the natural ambience in the ECM recording of "I Only Have Eyes for You" by Lester Bowie's Brass Fantasy (from the CD of the same name).


text:
United Kingdom of Zoria
The United Kingdom of Zoria is Zor's nation in the Latest Incarnation of SD.net world
General Information
- Population-31.3 Million, First World Standard of living
- Land Area-246,312 Square KM
- Gross Domestic Product-1.24 Trillion
System-Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
- Head of State-Monarchy (King or Queen). Current Monarch is King Leighton-I. The monarch holds a fair amount of power, including the right to Veto, but is by no means the apsolute ruler. The Zorian Line of sucsession works with the first born legitimate child of the current Monarch, than younger children, than siblings of the king based soley on Seniority, then on Nefews/neices of the current king (again based on seniority).
Full Style of the current Zorian Monarch is His Majesty King Leighton-I, Leader, Protector and Defender of the United Kingdom of Zoria, King of Port Victory, Pacifica and Victorium and all Realms thereoff and Shogun of all Noble Houses of Zoria.
- House of Peers-Upper house, basically vestigial old boys club of Zorian Nobles at this point. Most of Zoria's Nobility is a fairly wealthy class of Estate Owners that gain income off of agriculture and ownership of a few small industries and venues, as well as each having their own Family Museam.
- House of Commons-Lower house, most powerful legislative body in Zoria, universal suffrage at age 18.
Major Political Parties include…
- Liberal Party-Main left wing party (52 Seats)
- Social Democratic Party-Social Democrats that generally represent workers and people in favour of social reform, current party in power (76 Seats)
- Monarchist Party-Supports the Zorian Crown in most respects, varies on various issues, generally quite nationalist. (26 Seats)
- Conservative Party-Main Conservative Party (69 Seats)
- Green Party-Staunch Environmentalist, but varies much on other internal and foreign issues (16 seats)
- Ten other seats belong to eight secondary minor parties that nobody cares about.
- Zorian Japanese-25%
- Zorian Norse-22%
- Zorian (mixed Japanese/Norse)-16%
- Shroomanian-15%
- Slavic (mostly PeZookian)-9%
- Other Asian-4%
- Mixed Backround-4%
- Black-3%
- Other-2%
- Atheist-34%
- Norse-22%
- Zorian Shinto-20%
- Christian-17% (Prodestant 68%, Catholic 20%, Orthodox 10%, 2% other)
- Other Pagan-3%
- Jewish-2%
- Islam 1%
- Other-1%
Zoria is a Regulated Market Economy state with various state provided programs including Welfare, Healthcare, Urban housing, Public Daycare centers and various other programs to minimize the effects of poverty upon the population. There are fairly strong anti-trust laws, as well as laws upon organized labor.
Zoria is very much a clean energy nation, 70% of its power comes from Hydro-electric dams in the northern section, with Solar, Wind and Nuclear power providing the rest. The last coal power plant closed its doors in 1980. Zoria has a few modest oil and Coal deposits, although they are not large enough to be a major export with most of it being used in the steel industry. The Northern Mountains are rich in Uranium, Copper and Aluminum with decent sized deposits of iron and a few deposits of tungsten, although lacking in several other strategic minerals and metals. Education, including from Preschool to High school is government provided, as is Secondary and Post secondary, Private Schools exist, but are tightly regulated. Home schooling without a licensed tutor is Illegal.
Zoria is a major trading nation, handling millions of tonnes of cargo each year, as has a considerable shipbuilding industry. Zoria is also home to the world renowned Royal Aerospace Research (RAR), a crown corporation and producers of top of the line military aircraft. Zoria has a fair sized steel industry and a specialist car industry, producing Motorcycles, electric cars and top of the line sport scars made by three main companies (Zorian Motor Works (ZMW), Legion Motors and Hiromaki/Steinsvik) and a top of the line machine tool industry. The Zorian Arms Industry is also moderately sucsessful and led by the crown owned weapons company Royal Zordinance. Zoria also has a sizable tourist industry. Zorian Agriculture is rather rich, being a major producer of wheat, rice, fruit (especially Mandarin oranges on the southern coast) and livestock, including conventional livestock (Pigs, Sheep, Cows, some water buffalo and such) as well as native Zorian Livestock, including Kangaroo, Giant Wombat (Minature Diprotodon maxing out at), A species Herbivorous Land Duck (Herbivorous dromornithids, alongside a few carnivores) and Emu. Zoria also has a notable for its entertainment industry, particularly Video games and Animation. Zoria also is an exporter of Alcohol, including Wine, Sake, Vodka and Beer and is generally world renowned for quality in said fields. Zoria is also home to the Retail giant, Buy n' Large.
Social issues
Environment-Largely in part to Zoria's unique ecosystem, there are tight laws on hunting and there are a fair number of nature reserves. Drag net fishing is illegal in Zorian waters. Zoria has tight emissions and fuel efficiently laws on automobiles and industry.
Law enforcement and the Criminal Justice System-Zoria is notable for its policy of tightly enforced laws rather than harsh punishment. All Zorian citizens must submit to mandatory fingerprinting and DNA tests. Zorian cities have high numbers of cameras in public spaces and a comparatively large police force. Zorian Police training is considered top notch and Zorian police are well armed, each constable carrying a Personal Defense Weapon, Sidearm, Taser and Baton and wears a bullet proof vest at all time. Zorian Gun control laws are very tight, Automatic Weapons of any sort and Pistols are illegal. Rifles are legal, but ownership of a rifle requires mandatory registration and licensing (including a mandatory firearms safety course) and ownership can be permanently denied. Firearms smuggling has yet to become a major issue.
Never the less, Zorian laws have fairly limited punishments. Zorian trials are as fair as can be expected. Community service and fines are commonly applied while the Death Penalty has been since 1979 constitutionally abolished. Zoria makes some use of prison labor in non supermax jails, with each prisoner having to put in either 4 hours each day of work (minus holidays, Sundays and every other Saturday) in either cleaning up the prisons or in vegetable gardens that supply themselves with produce on pain of solitary confinement, or can take 10 hour Labor shifts doing thing including road matinence, in which case they can earn points for extra "luxuries". The General opinion among Zoria's population is that it is better to make sure criminals know that they WILL face the concequences of for breaking the law, even if more lightly than elsewere than to have brutal consequences that they might face due to week and blind enforcement.
Social Intoxicants-Dope is Legal in Zoria for those over 18, with the only legal sales of which are in crown run Marijuana stores. Hard Drugs are illegal. The Drinking age is 16 for beer and 20 for spirits. Tobacco is legal, but the cultivation of it on Zorian Land is not. Tobacco products are heavily (150%) Taxed can only be sold and consumed legally inside heavily ventilated "Smoking Bars" and outside city limits. Giving Minors Tobacco is a serious offence.
Mandatory 3 month national service, military optional.
Royal Zorian Navy (RZN)
- 1 King Michael-I-class aircraft Carrier (Nimitz-class CVN Analogue) 32 points
- 3 Queen Adria-I-class battlecruisers (Kirov-class Analogue) (Queen Adria-I, King Michael-II, King Stephen-I) 48 Points
- 2 Overlord-class LHA (Wasp-class analogue) 18 points
- 4 Lightning-class LST (Ivan Rogov-class Analogue) 8 points
- 10 Unstoppable-class destroyers ((Arleigh-Burke-class Analogue) 40 points
- 30 Victorium-class Frigate (Halifax Analogue) 60 points
- 15 Bull shark-class Diesel-Electric Attack Submarine (Collins class Analogue) 30 points
- 4 Leviathan-class Nuclear Attack Submarines 16 points
- 20 Stalward-class Corvette 20 points
- 2 Charity-class Hospital Ship 8 points
- 2 Sustinance-class Supply ship 4 points
- 1 Providence-class fleet tanker 2 points
- 1 Olaf the Short-class Destroyer (Training ship)
290 points
Royal Zorian Air Force (RZAF)
- 8 Royal Aerospace Reserch (RAR) ZF-12 Dragon Fighters (F-22 Raptor Analogue) 8 Points
- 300 ZF-10 Katana Fighters (F/A-18 Hornet Analogue) 150 Points
- 60 ZA-5 Maelstrom Ground Attack Aircraft (A-10 Thunderbolt Analouge) 15 points
- 20 ZT-130 Transport Plains (C-130 Analouge) 40 points
- 8 ZT-5 Heavy Transport Plains (C-5 Analouge) 8 Points
- 4 Airborne Tankers 4 Points
- 4 Heavy AWACS plains 8 points
- Airborne Gunship Wing
233 points
Royal Zorian Army (RZA
Service Rifle-Royal Zordinance Rifle Mark 9 (RZR9), a 6.8x43 mm rifle based off of the Heckler & Koch G36.
- 80,000 Professional Infantry 80 points
- 300 ZT-9 Deus Imperator MBT (Leopard 2 Analogue) 20 points
- 60 ZT-8 Imperator MBT (Leopard 1 Analouge, mostly used for training) 2 points
- 480 ZAPC-7 Wombat Armored Personnel Carriers (M2/3 analogue) 8 points
- 64 ZSPA-7 Jötunn Self Propelled Artillery (PzH 2000 analouge) 8 points
- 270 RZC-23 Towed Howitzers 6 Points
- 160 S-300 30 Points
- 64 ZSPAAV-4 Grass Devil Anti Aircraft Vehicle (M6 linebacker analouge) 4 Points
- 96 ZCH-3 Raven Combat Helicopters (AH-84 analouge) 8 Points
- 30 Heavy lift Helicopters 3 points
- 30 Utility Helicopters 1 point
- 1,600 engineers 2 points
- 300 Elite Special Forces (Dragon Force) 20 points
192 points
Royal Zorian Marine Corps (RZMC)
- 18,000 Marines 20 points
- 60 Deus Imperator MBTs 4 points
- 120 ZAPC-7 Wombat APC 2 points
- 16 ZSPA-7 Jötunn Self Propelled Artillery 1 point
- 16 ZSPAAV-4 Grass Devil Anti Aircraft Vehicle 1 point
- 24 ZCH-3 Raven Combat Helicopters 2
- 72 RZC-23 Towed Howitzers 1 point
31 points
Army and Marine Corps
- Legionary, 3rd class (E-1)
- Legionary, 2nd class (E-2)
- Legionary, 1st class (E-3)
- Junior Optio (E-4)
- Optio (E-5)
- Senior Optio (E-6)
Non Commissioned Officers
- Master Optio (E-7)
- Master Chief Optio (E-8 )
- Aquifer (E-9)
- Lieutenant (O-1)
- Lieutenant Centurion (O-2)
- Junior Centurion (O-3)
- Centurion Primus (O-4)
- Pilum Prior (O-5)
- Pilum Primus (O-6)
- Triumvirate (O-7)
- Junior (one star) Legate (O-8 )
- (Two star) Legate (O-9)
- Senior (Three Star) Legate (O-10)
- High (Four Star) Legate (O-11)
- Dux (O-11)
- Imperator (Commander in chief of the Zorian Armed forces, King Leighton-I) (O-12)
Military Units
- Fire team, 4 Personnel, Legionary, 1st class
- Contubernium, 12 personnel, Optio
- Strike Group, 32 personnel, First Lieutenant
- Century, 160, Centurion
- Cohort, 640, Pilum Prior
- Maniple, 2,560, Pilum Primus
- Triumviral, 7,680, Triumvirate
- Legion, 15,360, Legate
- Corps, 2-6 Legions, Senior Legate or High Legate (not currently in use)
- Army, 6+ Legions, High Legate or Dux (not currently in use)
Zorian History
Early History
The first human settlers came in 1103 small fleet of Norse Longboats led by one Olaf the Short arrives on what is now known as Viking Island off the northern shore. According to ledged Odin sent a vision to Olaf telling him that there was a fertile land to the east where his rather poor people could thrive. The group of around five hundred colonists have a hard time establishing themselves, settling on an island that while fertile surrounded by rich fishing grounds, was also home a largely covered by disease ridden swamps that limited population growth for the first hundred years. Expansion onto began in 1212 as several norse agricultural communities were established on the Northern coastline, and began to push inland around 1275, moving into the Northern mountains, although they were severely limited by a lack of any livestock besides geese, chickens and pigs (Supplemented by the mid 14th century with a few Domesticated local Marsupials including Kangaroos and Giant Wombats (A smaller version of the Diprotodon maxing out at one tonne).
In between 1417 and 1420, a minor colonization event occurred via Japanese settlers. The movement was spurred after a team of sailors managed to discover the southern coast of the island (unclaimed by the Norsemen which were established in minor settlements on the northern coastline and numbered less than 35,000). Upon returning to their home nation, they had come to find that its rivals in a long blood feud had gained the upper hand in the war. Upon Reporting this news, the local lord gathered up himself and various groups of the population and over a period of a year and a half evacuated 7,000 (not including some 2,000 that died en route from a myriad of problems) people across, establish a minor settlement in Tiger Shark bay. After the final ship arrived, the local lord ordered the ships burned and the maps used to navigate to the island burned to prevent their numerous rivals from following them. The settlement thrived, having access to livestock and horses and settling in a fertile river delta on what is now Nagijima.
The Japanese settlement managed to grow and expand, with new settlements slowly pushing inward and along the coast as well as trading and making contact with the Norse Civilizations. By 1500, there were an estimated 150,000 people (110,000 Vikings and 40,000 Shinto) living on the island. Initially the Japanese settlements were united, although this scenarion quickly changed. As a large number of new towns were founded, there was no means to properly administrate them while various feuds emerged. The end result was that by 1550, a period of waring city states emerged. The Norse were regarded as little more than a troublesome annoyance that launched the occasional raid on new settlements and minor trading partners that, due to a lack of Cavalry and disorganization were rarely considered to be much of a threat and several of Norse settlements were conquered. Never-the-less, through various means including mercenary bands, studied tactics and alliances, eventually managed to make up the disadvantage. The initial advantage of the Shinto states eventually gave way by 1600, although the populations of the two groups were more or less matched at this point. The result was that Zoria was divided into nearly fifty feuding Principalities, the northern half being primarily Norse with the southern half being Shinto with a few mixed cultures along the loosely defined boarders of these two ethnic groups, although a few cultural traditions were generally exchanged across the board. Colonization
In 1712, Zoria was discovered by the Shroomanian Explorer Sir Horatio Zorston. After exploring the coastlines and making people of the Islands with his three ship fleet for two years, he discovered that the natives had begun to cultivate several rather tasty local plants for spices as well as a few other notable trade goods. Upon his return to Shroomania, he manages to entice the Shroomanian Settlement Syndicate (SSS) to send an expedition to secure the Island. Using a small force of 700 Mercenaries, 100 employees and gifts of muskets, he manages to make an alliance between three of the (at that time) 46 principalities on the north, South and east Coasts of Zoria and gained control of three port cities which he named Pacifica, New Atlantis and Victorium. To bolster these new settlements, the SSS brought in colonists from wherever he could find them. Among these colonists were the mercenaries they hired and their families, religious minorities, penal colonists, indentured servents and even a few thousand voluntary colonists simply seeking a better life. By 1775, The SSS's Zorian Branch had established a population of 65,000 persons in its cities and not including some 125,000 in three vassal states, out of a population of 2.5 million people and had established local industries, including shipbuilding as well as establishing thriving ports. The (now five) allied Principalities of the SSS also prospered, making short work of their rivals and becoming significantly powerful players on the island. At the same time they took to using foreign goods, technologies and methods, as well, via a casual exchange of ideas and ideologies via a benign but persistent trade of literature led a few Principalities to adopt a few traditions, including the establishment of Lower houses of non noble landowners, veterans and wealthy merchants by three principalities. Shroomanian Control of Zoria was, all and all, fairly loose, a few light pieces of legislation were sent out, a few small military bases were maintained with a few Hundred Shroomcoats and the SSS paid an annual 10% off all profits to the company and an additional 5% to the Shroomanian Throne, but effectively the Zorian Branch of the SSS ruled it's territory independently for nearly a century.
Eventually however, a change of heart hit the powers of be, and in 1790, the Shroomanian Government ordered a massive reshapement of the Zorian Colonies. All of Zoria was to become a Shroomanian Crown Colony ruled by Crown appointed governors. The acting Magistrate Michael Zorston of the SSS was placed in a hard position, it would mean completely obliterating decades of good relations with his allied and generally friendly principalities, which could muster far more soldiers armed with comparable weaponry than he could while the some 135,000 people who lived his formal territory would in general have mixed feelings about it. As well as removing the SSS Zorian Branch's near sovereignty and power in the colonies. As such, he secretly made deals with the PeZookian and called a meeting of 22 Allied and Generally friendly principalities of Zoria of the fact that Shroomania was planning on bringing all of Zoria under the rule of Shroomania and announced that the only way to fend off Shroomanian conquest of Zoria was to fend off the aggressors together. That night they signed the Article of Zorian Independence and White ordered a force of 500 of his Zorian SSS troops to seize the six Shroomanian Frigates docked at Pacifica Harbor while sending messages to the forces in New Atlantis and Victorium to attack and destroy the various garrisons. The Next Two weeks saw grizzly defeats as the thirteen hundred Shroomanian Soldiers at the hands of Zorian Soldiers and the various principalities, who mustered over fifty thousand soldiers for the coming war while a fleet of fast ships was built.
The Shroomanian response was quick, an armada fifty ships strong including eight ships of the line was dispatched and an army of Twenty Six thousand ground soldiers was sent to the island to engage. The Rag-tag Zorian Navy of Frigates and sloops was Unable to do more than raid and within few principalities on the northern coast fell to the Shroomcoats who recruited mercenaries to bolster their ranks with an additional 20,000 men. Seeking to gain the upper hand over their rival, PeZookia offered Naval Aid. Never the less, they faced a well armed and equipped forces that had the experience of dozens of campaigns amongst themselves. The Shroomcoats faced down not only settler Forces, but well disciplined Ashigaru Musketeers and the Pagan Norse God worshiping Viking cavalry, renowned for their savage charges. Meanwhile the Colonial Rivals, seeking to deprive Shroomania from a valuable colony meet the Demands and off. The Result was a three year long and protracted War between the Zorian Allied Forces and Foreign Powers (most notably PeZookia) and the Shroomanians with a few allied Principalities. Despite a few military Victories, the Shroomanians were eventually defeated and the leader of the Shroomanian expedition General Arthur Mangson was forced to surrender at the Treaty of Ericssonia in 1796 who vowed to (then General) Zorston after the treaty that some day, Zoria would bow again before the Shroomanian Throne.
After the War, the Islands was again divided into its various principalities as the alliance that held them together reverted to its pre-war mess of Squabbling Principalities with the one real change being the conversion of the former Shroomanian Colonies (and its vassals) into a Independent Parliamentary Monarchy, known as the Kingdom of the Zoria ruled by King Michael-I. Over the next three decades, the Kingdom began to industrialize as a new financial class began to invest in increasingly mechanized industry. The process had started during the war when the Inventor Douglas Roff developed a system of interchangeable Parts for firearms and with some financial assistance managed to establish a factory that produced between 1804 and 1806 some 10,000 muskets, expanded slowly from their and by the 1830 the Industrial Revolution was in full swing in the former Colonies. Outside, industrialization happened, but at a comparatively slower rate from a variety of reasons, most notably conservatism among the ruling classes and lower urban population. Industrialization and Unification
In 1834, King Michael-I died and was succeeded by his son, King Stephen-I. Soon after his ascension to the throne, the Grudges that several Principalities had For the SSS that were suspended due to King Michael's rebellion against Shroomania resurfaced, bolstered by Grudges by the Marginal number of Principalities that allied in support of Shroomania against their rivals, only to face penalties when their side lost. Zoria and her Allied Principalities soon found themselves caught in Wars with the intentions of reclaiming lost glory and Face alongside gaining an economic advantage through regaining land and re-arranging treaties to serve their needs in a period between 1835 and 1839 known as the Age of Chaos. The alliance of the Kingdom of Zoria and her allied principalities were collectively outnumbered nearly two to one by their foes, who were for the most part willing to leave aside their old hatreds against this common enemy, but Zoria offered its own advantages. Zorian Soldiers (and the allies) were supplied with superior weaponry including percussion cap muskets and latter rifles with the introduction of the Watson ball (Minie ball) and revolvers. Also, the Age of Chaos was not a single war, but a series of wars against various principalities that lasted a few months. Never the less, the threat was big enough for the Diet of Port Victory in 1839, in which the allied principalities, connected via bloodline and military alliances signed a treaty, creating a new state known as the United Kingdom of Zoria, in which they gained a seat in a upper house of Parliament (while their subjects gained seats in the lower house) under King Stephen-I, while retaining most of their power in their lands and benefiting mutual defense and free trade between them as well as gaining control of all the newly claimed territory gained in the wars.
King Stephen lived for eleven more years, and saw the introduction of many things, including the establishment of rail-lines, expansion of the Navy and the establishment of an nationwide Public School System (such a system was employed Port Victory in 1831 and across the rest of the former colonies and vassals a year latter). But unfortunately his legendary bouts of Drinking led to an early death in 1850. He was succeeded by his only child who became Queen Adria-I. Queen Adria-I was crowned at age 27 and at first and was not taken very seriously. Never the less, she proved herself a capable leader in 1853, when a trade dispute led her to declare war on three different principalities, not to uncommon an affair in Zorian History, although she controlled the largest and most powerful nation on the island, with over two million people and nearly 100,000 soldiers armed with superior breach loading rifles and shell firing artillery and quickly dispatched them within six months. However, unlike most other wars on this type in Zorian History, she completely annexed these three principalities, dividing them up among her nobility to satisfy them. Thus, with the assistance of her War Minister, Dietrich Stein began their unification of Zoria. Principality by Principality, she began to bring in new territories. A few came in voluntarily, joining for social, strategic and economic advantages that Adria ordered to stress while others were brought in by the sword as an increasingly large and well armed military destroyed all opposition. The Queen made sure to appease the nobility by offering them land of conquered foes while appeasing the common people, bringing in a new Pan-Zorian ideology in her book "For the Age of Peace". Often this was seen as liberation, a few principalities still had serfdom, an aspect of society which Adria ended unilaterally in newly conquered territories. Shroomania, attempting to sabotage Adria's plans had at several times supplied principalities with cut rate up to date weaponry and artillery and even offered assistance in setting up modern arms industries, but ultimately could not match the size of the Royal Zorian Army, which reached a maximum mobilization of 800,000 men by 1876 (out of a population of 12 million). The final War between a unified alliance of the Remaining seven independent principalities and the United Kingdom ran from 1875 to early 1877. The allied principalities struck first and won a few initial victories, but in the end the Zorian Military, equipped with bolt action breach loading rifles, gating guns, superior artillery and trench warfare won the day. as such May 20th is known as Unification Day across the Kingdom and Queen Adria-I was to be known as the Great Unifier.
Adria-I lived another 25 years before dying peacefully in her bed at age 75. During those years, the Zorian Army dwindled to six Legions by 1890 as the need for land based military power diminished while the navy and Marine Corps came to prominence. Arms factories deprived of a massive military constantly buying new guns and ammunition had to seek out new sources of income. A few turned to exporting weapons, while others turned to producing civilian goods for growing middle classes. Zorian Industries flourished, both in the cities and in conquered territories, where captains of industry came in to conquered territories lured by new natural resources, cheap labor and government aid to development. Meanwhile, several government acts and constitutional amendments gradually relegated the upper house and gave more power to the people. In 1878, all property requirements for voting were dropped, enfranchising the entire male population and by 1900, the once powerful nobility, while still somewhat influential were now subordinate politically to the lower house. Zoria became a profitable and generally non interventionist power and benefited massively from international trade. By 1900, the benefits of industrialization were clearly apparent across Zorian Society.
Despite this, there was some discontent among the population at large. Acts of Terrorism by various independence movements seeking to restore independence plagued Zoria, as bomb attacks and assassinations become rampant in several conquered territories. This led to the creation of the Paramilitary Royal Zorian Mounted Police (often abbreviated to Mounties) in late 1877 as well as the Firearm Control Act of 1888, forbidding the private ownership of pistols, the preferred weapons of Terrorist Assassins that plagued cities as well as the registration of all private fire-arms. However, the most effective means at suppressing these movements was eventually prosperity. While wealth discrepancies between the Original seven Zorian States and the newly conquered territories did exist, the elimination of trade barriers, improved infrastructure including trains and latter automobiles and airships, industry and a well funded and run public education system greatly considerably raised the standard of living of the conquered after the final conquest, a fact that Zorian propaganda campaigns ruthlessly pointed to and Localist Terrorism dwindled away by 1910, although a few Brownfoots (A Zorian term for the Nation's Rural Low Income/low information people analogical to Rednecks and Bogans) to this day claim that eventually they will rise up and regain their independence.
The Twentieth Century
After the Death of Queen Adria-I, she was succeeded by her son King Michael-II, who, under his rulership, saw the kingdom through a few decades of peace and relative isolation. Zoria had no land boarders which an enemy could storm across and a navy quite respectable for her size. King Michael-II stayed out of the first Great War, although many Zorian manufacturing firms, including the crown owned Royal Zorian Ordinance Company (Informally refered to as Royal Zordinance quite frequently until 1936, when a referendum via became its official title) eagerly supplied equipment, including plenty of weaponry and ammunition to the PeZookians, Byzantines and Shroomanians, which the United Kingdom passively favored. Zorian Military Technology was kept up to date as Shroomania lisenced Zorian Automobile companies to produce tanks, aircraft and other such equipment. Zoria's Navy was top notch for the kingdom's size and enough of a deterrent to dissuade serious offences against Zorian Commerce, although a few ships fell to submarine warfare (and a few Submarines fell to Depth Charges deployed by Zorian Destroyers). After the war, Zoria remained relatively untouched and on good terms with the Victors, despite a few claiming that Zorian Government was nothing more than a pack of uncaring war profiteers. King Michael-II lived until 1928, dying of a Heart Attack, leaving the crown to King Stephen-II.
King Stephen-II's rule had a rough start, as two years into his rule, Zoria lapsed into an economic depression. In response, he (and the social democratic party) instituted a massive campaign of public works, including the creation of several prominent hydro-electric dams on the northern coast and the institution of a myriad of new social programs, a few people objected to this but and he was lampooned by dozens of newspapers for socialist leanings and was given the nickname "Red Steve" for his actions, but never the less remained quite popular. When the Second Great War began, Zoria remained out for the first seven months, until a Zorian Destroyer was torpedoed by a Shadow Submarine. Despite some conservative whining, Zoria Entered the War, providing the full force of the Royal Zorian Navy, Royal Zorian Air Force and Royal Zorian Army against the Shadows. Zorian Equipment lagged in many fields during the beginning of the War. Zorian armor was in particular sub-par, the Vanquisher Medium Tanks still had side sponsons, low caliber turret guns and an underpowered engine while Vanguard Light tanks had only machine guns. Zoria also lacked any self propelled artillery or Sub Machine guns although Zorian airpower did not lag as much and some Zorian Small arms and most Cannon Artillery were top notch. In a few (and fairly minor) early battles, Zorian Expeditionary forces faced major loses. In response, King Stephen-II ordered crash R&D projects Zorian Forces bought and salvaged whatever they could from friend and foe for shameless reverse engineering. From this project in a few years came a top notch and up to date arsenal, including the Famed Zorian Vindicator Medium Tank, a powerful 33 tonne vehicle carrying either a 75mm or (latter) a 90mm cannon, with latter still in service today in a few minor nations, while Zorian ZF-5 Naginata Fighters and ZB-3 Mjolnir Medium Bombers helped clear the skies while Admiral Isoroku Nimitz led the Royal Zorian Navy to numerous victories using carrier and submarine Warfare while the RZA provided 1.5 million soldiers to the fray during the war. Postwar, Zorian industrialists made a killing off of reconstruction contracts while Zorian Diplomats re-established contact with Shroomania.
Post War
After the War, Zoria downsized the army once again, but still maintained a fair sized Navy against any threat that might have emerged. Zoria's prosperity continued as time went on. Zoria's ethnic community was augmented by various immigrants in a immigration spike in the 1960s and 70s while the Zorian Animation Industry really took off. Meanwhile, Zoria was rulled by King John-I (Reigned 1963 to 2001) and now by King Leighton-I.


text:
Our Shipping and Delivery Information
How will you ship my order?
For orders that weigh more than one pound, we ship by UPS Ground service. These orders are traceable from the time they leave our facility to the time they are delivered to you. We will email you a shipping confirmation with your tracking number when your order is shipped. Orders of less than a pound may be delivered by a UPS/USPS partner service and shipment tracking is available by calling our customer service line at 248-571-7040.
How long does it take for my order to be delivered?
Following production of your order, shipments general take 1-3 business days. Expedited shipping is available. Please contact a customer service representative with your requirements and we will get you a quote.
How much will it cost to ship my order?
Your shipping cost for Ground service will be $11.95 for addresses in the continental United States. Please note that this rate only applies to shipping addresses within the contiguous United States which excludes Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico.
Can I have my order ship to a different address from my billing address?
Absolutely! If you are placing your order online just indicate your shipping address in the appropriate fields at checkout.
Do you ship outside the United States?
Yes, we ship anywhere on the planet! For orders outside the U.S., shipping fees are dependent on the shipping address and the weight of the package. Exact shipping fees will not be known until the order is processed, weighed and ready to ship. The shipping fees will be charged separately after your order has shipped and we have the exact cost. Select "N/A" for the State in your address and provide any other special instructions as you confirm your order or contact us via email email@example.com
Can you ship to PO Boxes? What about APO and FPO addresses?
We cannot ship to PO Boxes as we use UPS, but we will ship to APO and FPO addresses via USPS for those serving in the military. Charges for APO and FPO shipments will follow USPS shipping rates. However, all orders going to APO and FPO addresses will be shipped via USPS and are not traceable. Select "N/A" for the State in your address and provide any other special instructions as you confirm your order.