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With winter well on its way and snow flurries sweeping the nation, we couldn't contain our excitement for this sleek bio-fueled Concept Ice Vehicle. Designed and developed by Kieron Bradley and polar guide Jason de Carteret, the custom-made vehicle runs on renewable fuel and is intended to assist the Moon-Regan Trans Antarctic Expedition to scout for hidden crevasses and rough terrain. The brave explorers see the CIV as an opportunity to educate the world about the benefits of greener fuels, even in the face of sub-zero temperatures!
Should you ever find yourself forging through the Antartic, your vehicle's fuel type might not be the first thing on your mind. But for Andrew Regan and Andrew Moon it was a natural imperative – Regan states that "If you can run bio-fuels successfully in the most harsh and extreme environment in the world, then there is no reason why you can't use them to get to the supermarket!"
The CIV looks like a plane with curved wings and is fitted with a BMW 1150 engine that is able to run in bio-ethanol and is capable of propelling the vehicle along at 84mph. Weighing in at 360kg, the super-light craft is can be manually hauled across unforgiving terrain, and it features few moving parts to ensure that it doesn't freeze. A special Ice Penetrating Radar enables it to scout for hidden crevasses, ensuring safe passage for the rest of the expedition.
The Moon-Rega Transantartic Expedition is consists of of the Concept Ice Vehicle and two Science Support Vehicles. They are set to cross 3,000 miles through the continent of Antartica through the Trans-Antartic Mountain Range. An essential aim of the voyage is "educate the public about the importance of Antarctica to the future of our planet", and the team will be posting data and blog reports to their education page so that kids and others can track their findings.
Via Treehugger


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Last November, Lincoln Land Community College was a win away from returning to the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II national volleyball tournament.
This year, the Loggers are looking for another successful season, but with some differences. Eight of the 11 players are freshmen. Tessa Amsden, Andrea Inman and Samantha Voils are the sole returning players.
Voils and Amsden were starters on last year�s team that finished with a 33-8 record and ranked 17th in the national poll. Voils, a Nokomis product, earned all-region honors and tallied 357 kills and 67 blocks as a middle blocker. Amsden, a defensive specialist, had 400 digs as a freshman. Inman, a hitter, logged 27 kills in 21 matches.
�There are only three sophomores, so it�s really different,� Amsden said. �It�s nice to get a fresh start with new girls.�
They have confidence thanks to an interchangeable lineup. The current roster should give coach Jim Dietz the freedom to mix and match.
�Everybody can fit more than one place,� he said.
Search for setter
The biggest hole to be filled is at the setter position. NJCAA second team All-American setter Taylor Harper graduated and now plays for NAIA University of Mobile. Taylor Wienke, Hannah Mesick and Brook McKinney are vying for the spot.
�I think our strength this year is our hitting and our blocking,� Dietz said. �It sounds horrible, but in terms of consistency I think this is the least consistent passing team I�ve had at Lincoln Land. But I learned some stuff in Vegas (as a coach at a USA Volleyball High Performance tryout) and at the men�s Final Four, so that doesn�t bother me as much as it normally would. There are ways around imperfect passing and we�re working on that, and it�s meant to help a hitting team.�
Over two seasons, LLCC is 66-17. The Loggers finished 11th at the national tournament in 2012 and were 33-9. They have won at least 30 matches in nine of the previous 10 seasons, while winning 29 matches in 2006.
Never one to schedule cupcakes, they are taking on an even tougher schedule this year.
�We�re playing 20 or 25 teams that were ranked last year,� Dietz said.
The Loggers open the season Friday night with matches against two ranked opponents at the Wisconsin Dells Tournament. They face Oakland Community College, No. 6 in the Division II poll, followed by Wallace State Community College-Hanceville, which is ranked No. 18 in Division I. LLCC plays twice Saturday, including a match against Division II No. 14 South Suburban College.
�Our team chemistry is better than last year, so it will just get better with time,� Inman said. �We are playing more ranked teams, but I think in the end it will only make us better. We just can�t get used to getting beat if it does happen because it�s probably going to happen more than it did last year. Nationals is in Phoenix this year. It would kind of nice to be there.�
Contact Marcia Martinez: 788-1547, firstname.lastname@example.com, twitter.com/MMartinezSJR.

subset: commoncrawl


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One girl's twistedly fantastic interpretation of what the hell is really going on in those tribes.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Keep Me Outta The Drama
God. Survivor's 19th player. In Nicaragua, He was kind and forgiving. Whether under the cover of night or in the daytime's gentlest breeze, He whispered to the Pretty Pony (Matt Elrod) with words of encouragement and even held his hoof through his darkest hours. Well, it's one year later and the South Pacific isn't Nicaragua, bitches. This year's God is angry and vengeful. He's had one too many beers at the company picnic and now He's looking for an ass to beat. Lie and that knowing glare of His beats down from above and invades your very being. No New Testament-y puppy petting God here, folks. This is an old man with a beard, finger pointing in anger, thunder dancing all around Old Testament God. All of those filthy dirty thoughts swirling around your head and nether regions that you thought were secret, aren't. You think just because you're in another time zone than Texas that God can't see you? Well, think again. God has watched you fantasize about undressing Mikayla with your teeth. He's seen how you look at her with lust in your eyes and drool on your t-shirt. Repent ye of weak heart, repent! Those sins of the flesh you replay in your mind all day and all night will not go unpunished. You can count on that. Let's recap, shall we?
The night is thick and the moon is high. Swatting at the trees and cursing under her breath, Christine Romijn Stamos makes her way to Rhode Island (Redemption Island). There, in a rickety hut of twigs and stanzas, sleeps the poet laureate of the South Pacific. For crying out loud Christine Michael Murray, don't wake her! As Christine Thurman Hawke is about as dainty as a bulldozer, she bellows, "Hello?!" and up rises Hoops (Semhar).
Did I hear a bel-low?
Are you wearing yellow?
Come lay here, it's mellow.
Oh Jesus. Christine Flynn Boyle just sort of stares at Hoops and wonders if madness is a byproduct of Rhode Island. Is this like a Cast Away thing? Will she be talking in iambic pentameter to volleyballs at the end of 72 hours as well? Christine Thorne-Smith nods politely to Hoops and then launches into a tirade about that fat old Coach not liking her and being the reason for her demise. Really Christine Lee Jones, really? It had nothing to do with that snarky, "They're only temporary players." comment you made on minute one, hour one, day one? Come on! Even Ozzy wouldn't let a comment like that go unpunished. You're the only reason you're stuck in the Land Of Limericks, not Coach.
Over at Impala (Upolu), the tribe is returning from their first tribal council and boy was it a doozy. Some members are just happy they survived it while others are more confused than anything else. Evil temptress Mikayla is perplexed why Brandon hates her so. She works hard, she contributes, she keeps to herself, she slowly stretches one tan leg after the other while straddling a giant tree trunk with her boy shorts clinging to her ass like they were painted on... what could she have possibly done to anger the young country bumpkin?! Speaking of Brandon, he was 150% sure that Mikayla was going home so the fact that she's still slithering around camp in her tank top is freaking him out like you wouldn't believe. Saying your 150% sure about anything is just silly. That's like saying your eleventeenth percent sure about something. I'll bet Brandon just assumed that as the all knowing, all powerful, 19th player, God would just smite Mikayla from the game with a flick of His wrist and that would be that. Brandon never imagined that God would actually allow that harlot to stick around. Woe is the game that tempts his innocent soul! He's only been there for 4 days and already he's turning into to his evil uncle. Brandon wanted to lead by example. He wanted to be someone to look up to. Instead, he's all tangled up in this garden of devils and can't figure out how to break free.
A new day dawns and with that our first Rhode Island duel. Coach and Spacey (Stacey) are there to represent Impala while Ozzy and Elyse are there for Savannah (Savai'i). Our contestants march in and apparently all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Hoops back together again cuz she looks pissed. Christine David Chapman was more like, "Ugh, can we get this over with so I can continue scrubbing the sonnets off the sides of the hut?" Dimples, however, is in a chatty mood and he wants to know all about what goes on at Rhode Island. Luckily, Hoops has penned a haiku about it.
Rhode Island nightmare
Alone with my poetry
Suicidal, yes
So, there you go. Hoops doesn't care for Rhode Island one bit.
Today's duel will require concentration and balance. Players will place a wooden totem on top of a pole. At regular intervals they will add another section of pole making it more difficult to keep stable. If your totem falls off, you're out of the game forever. Survivors ready? Oh wait, hang on, Hoops is poetizing again...
Rhode Island, what have you done to me?
The bones of my body belong in a cemetery
Dance, I can no more
Won't somebody please come knock on my door?
I will have all 10 of his babies
He doesn't have to know I have rabies
Forever my secret
Forever I'll keep it
What you call foam at the mouth
is my art - my north, my south
Word vomit
Step on it
Ja-ja-ja jam it on the one
Shoot it with a gun
Nonstop, prolific
I can't get no more specific
Calgon, take me away
To another time, another day
I think she's done. Oh wait, nope...
And then for my boo
I give you my word poo
Abracadabra, tada!
Next season should be in Grenada.
Ok, I think we can start now.
Enchilada, empanada
I will be your beef tostada
SHUT. UP. For the love of all that is holy, shut up! Roses are red, violets are fuck off and shut up. Shall I compare thee to a shut up? Gather ye shut ups while ye may. Please go gentle into that good shut up. O me, O life - shut up!
After Dimples stifled his giggles and Coach managed to bang his eyeballs back down from inside of his skull, the duel finally began and apparently there just aren't enough rhymes in the world to keep Hoops in this game. Whatever entity or spirits she hoped to invoke ran away and hid in the corner instead. In their place a violent gust of wind took over and toppled her totem pole to the ground. Tumble, tumble, down, down, down. Like her pole, came the tears. Tumble, tumble, down, down, down. All she can do now is wear a frown.
Plop, plop
My tears won't stop
Abandoned by my tribe
I can only continue to scribe
Never mind the fact that I suck at challenges and can't put coconuts into a basket.
I'm going to go on record and that say that that poem wasn't one of her best. The last line didn't even rhyme! Loser. So, after giving Christine Dice Clay her feather pen and beret, Hoops sauntered off into the distance to where, I hope, there's an olden timey oven and a copy of The Colossus waiting for her.
With Mother Goose gone from the game, let's check in on how Lil Hantz is doing. Over at Impala, God is giving young Brandon one hell of an ass whooping. "I chastise thee! Now go clean up that paint in the garage!" It wasn't pretty. Unshaven and shaken, Brandon stared into the flames of the fire wondering what he can do to make his family love him again. He lied. On national tv, in the game of Survivor, he lied and the Hantz clan is probably ripping up his birth certificate as we speak. With the flames of the fire reflecting in his eyes and the sweat dripping down his back, Brandon makes the decision to take off his shirt right then and there in front of everyone. He doesn't want any drama, but can everyone please gather round and check out all his Hantz tattoos? This one says LIL HANTZ. This one over here says PERRA. That one on his lower back says HANTZ FO' LIFE. The one on the back of his neck for some reason says HATZ. This one on his ankle says HANTZ WEAR NO PANTS. And this enormous long horn on his chest? Well, nevermind that one. That's just the symbol of a god he used to worship. It's not "Hantz-ian" in origin.
After Brandon is done giving a tour of "Tattoos I Got From A Drunk Guy", he announces, "My name is Brandon Hantz. I'm Russell Hantz's nephew. I'm not the same person that he is." Clearly. Russell knew how to play Survivor. You don't! Coach just sort of smacked his own forehead while Sophie sat and said, "Why does that one say HATZ?" Spacey tells him it's all water on top of the bridge and I sort of scratched my head at that one. Meanwhile, Mikayla is sick of Brandon's excuses and apologies for everything. Every time he gets himself into hot water there's another tattooed excuse for why he did what he did. "I tripped during the challenge because I'm LOCO", "I told a lie because my last name is HATZ. I mean, HANTZ.", "I want to ride you like a goat, Mikayla, because there's a goat on my chest." Enough! Look, I've got a tattoo of a gin bottle on my ass and you don't see me using that an excuse. Wait, what?
Over at Savannah, the scene is very different. Sun God Ozzy emerges from the sea, a net in one hand and a speared shark in the other. "I've brought sustenance for ye beautiful people!", he announces. Whitney, Elyse, Keith, and Mary Jane (Jim) all run to the shore and dance around him in a circle. They throw flower petals in his path and crown his luscious locks with a string of posies. Meanwhile, Nurse Jackie (Mark) sits alone in his hammock and observes the scene from a distance. Camp life is good, but the pecking order isn't at all in his favor. You see, there are the Beautiful People and the Not So Beautiful People (Nurse Jackie, Dawn, Cochran). The Beautiful People have hair that blows in the wind. The Not So Beautiful People have hair on their backs. The Beautiful People glisten in the sun with their pecs and their breasts. The Not So Beautiful People bury their heads in the sand and fear more freckles. This clear divisiveness worries Nurse Jackie. He's knows it's only a matter of time before his name comes up for discussion. For some reason though, he's just not clicking with the people of Savannah. Back at home, he's the life of the party. He's the sassy snarky head nurse of All Saints Hospital. But here, in the South Pacific, he's just an older gentleman where the sands of time don't runneth in his favor.
While Nurse Jackie is sitting all alone being sad and contemplative, Ozzy thinks he has a true brother friend in the Energizer Bunny (Keith). As a matter of fact, he thinks they're so close that he'll go ahead and tell Energizer Bunny that he has the Hidden Immunity Idol. What happened to keeping that a secret?! *smacks self in head* Ozzy made such a fuss last week about not telling anyone and here he is a couple days later telling someone. Dummy. So, Ozzy pulls Energizer Bunny into the woods and tells him, "I have the Idol." The Bunny replies, "Ah, sweet!" and then goes and tells Whitney. After mumbling some profanities to herself, Whitney says she's surprised Ozzy told the Bunny anything at all. The Bunny replied, "He has to tell me to let me know he has all the power." Uh, not really. In Ozzy's defense, I don't think that's where his head was at, but, hey, if the Bunny's misinterpretation of everything makes Ozzy a target, then who am I to put up a fuss?
Back at Impala, Mikayla wants to know why Brandon doesn't like her. With visions of breasts dancing in his head, Brandon tells her "it's the attitude". It's this, right here, this. This woman approaching a defenseless penis wielding man in the middle of the woods where dicks can slip and vaginas can open. Womens can't do that! They can't just be all breastiful and have legs and such. Wiping the drool from his chin and silently reciting baseball statistics, Brandon stutters, "Before me doing anything, people didn't trust you." Pants on fire, sir. Pants on fire. There you go doing that lying thing all over again. If it weren't for Brandon's weird psychosexual mental torture, Mikayla has pretty much been a non-issue so far. She's not all that talkative, she's not making plans, and we all saw how she can barely defend herself at tribal. She's not awful nor stellar in the challenges so far. She's pretty middle of the road as far as the game is concerned. Never mind the fact that she's actually in Brandon's alliance. She's on your side, buddy. Or, she was on your side until you blew it and put a huge target on your back because the poor girl dared to bare her shoulders in the daytime.
Well, Brandon will settle this once and for all. As a meek Christian who turns the other cheek and as someone who hates drama and public gatherings and tattooed show-and-tells, can everyone please gather around? "This here womens person, Mikayla... luscious milky breasts.... Umm she axed me whys I don'ts like 'er... ride this bitch like a bull... And I just wants you to know that ... squeeze me tight with those thighs, hot damn!... She attacked me like a bulldog. I'm a married man... unfortunately... and, Mikayla, look around... at my big juicy weiner... because it looks like you don't have much of an alliance. Anybody has anything to say? Big titties! Respect me. I hate drama. Ride me cowgirl!" Rancher Rick stood mute picking his teeth with a stick while Albert stared out of the corner of his eye and wondered what the hell is going on here. Coach smacked himself in the head again and made a note - "Buy duct tape at the Survivor store for Brandon's gigantic trap."
The only one to really "get it" was Sophie. She sees exactly how Brandon identifies Mikayla as this evil temptress whore of Babylon while at the same time is blindly following a religion he really doesn't understand all that much. Not to mention that his blood line is rich with asshole-ish-ness. Sophie knows what's up. She knows Brandon is a loose cannon. Meanwhile, Mikayla is off by herself crying. Crying! Isn't she a football player? On the one hand, I want to defend her because Brandon is a giant misogynistic douchebag, but on the other hand, defend yourself harlot! Don't let that little troll turn your tribe against you. You're smarter than he is. Come on! I'm stunned she stood there and took it and then, AND THEN, went off and cried about it. It's not like we're dealing with a master debater (maybe a masturbator though) here or anything. This is a guy who gets TACO tattooed on his forearm. It's all very disappointing, Mikayla.
Meanwhile, Brandon is also crying. With tiny bits of sand and ash stuck to his face, he's crying for his flesh. It got a hold of him again and made him lose his temper. If his Pop Pop told him once, he's told him a thousand times - Don't lose your temper! Oh wretched flesh and lust and boobies. This constant battle between good and evil torments young Brandon day and night and all he can do is beg God not to let him sin anymore. There are so many things wrong with this kid and, believe you me, his last name is nowhere near the top of that list. Clearly, he did something super shady back at home and it's constantly haunting him. I would be shocked if his juvenile record isn't as long as my arm is.
And this brings us to the big Immunity Challenge. One person from each tribe will run across a floating bridge carrying a bodyboard attached to a long rope. One you reach the platform, you'll grab a bag and hang on as the rest of the tribe crank a giant wench pulling you back to shore. Once you have all five bags, the remaining tribe members will use grappling hooks to retrieve them. Inside the bags are puzzle banners that must be correctly arranged into a big scary face of the gimp from Pulp Fiction. The winning tribe not only gets Immunity, but a coffee/tea kit. Survivors ready, go!
The challenge begins with Brandon and Ozzy racing into the water. For Savannah, Dawn Dawn the soccer mom was controlling the rope while Cochran and Nurse Jackie were cranking the wench which immediately made me scratch my head and go, "Huh?" If you start to pay attention to how Savannah strategizes and who they place where during the challenges, you'll begin to wonder if it's all just a big ruse to start getting rid of people. We've had two challenges involving puzzles yet they've put Cochran nowhere near any puzzles. Makes you wonder...
Ozzy has some trouble at first trying to get enough rope from the wiggedy whack team back on shore so the Impalas gain a tiny lead. In round two, Albert loses their lead when the Impalas eff up his rope and Dawn actually manages to pull ahead. For round three, the Impalas send out Mikayla and somewhere Brandon buried his head in the sand. By the time all the bags are retrieved and we get to the grappling hook part, both teams are neck in neck. Coach and Edna are working the hooks for Impala with Elyse and Whitney doing it for Savannah. As I'm sure Coach has grappling hook practice right after samurai sword class and right before his teachings of the Buddha lecture, Coach nails all 5 bags and IMPALA WINS IMMUNITY!!!
Back at Savannah, Cochran is hard at work trying to convince everyone that they're still the stronger tribe. As a member of the Not So Beautiful People, he knows he's in trouble, but telling a bunch of losers that really, deep down, they're the stronger team seems sort of futile. Glistening Sun God Ozzy doesn't like it when his tribe's morale is low, but someone's gotta go and that someone won't be Dawn. In actuality, Dawn was the one who screwed up the rope and fell off her platform. And if we're really nitpicking here, Ozzy made plenty of mistakes including losing his own board. Considering both teams got to the grappling hook part at roughly the same time, pointing fingers at Nurse Jackie and Cochran is kind of irrelevant. I think they would have had a much bigger lead with Elyse or Whitney in Dawn's place and Ozzy not making so many freaking mistakes. But, alas, the Beautiful People have the majority and that's that.
Nurse Jackie knows he's on the chopping block and he's not happy about it at all. He blames it on being put on, what he calls, the "Barbie & Ken Team". Maybe there's some truth in that. Over at Impala if you're a sexy young gal, you're labeled a whore and have stones thrown at your head so, sure, maybe Nurse Jackie is onto something there. Anyhow, Nurse Jackie is perplexed why he and Cochran are the ones in trouble. Well, maybe it's because you sit around in your hammock all day judging everyone? *shrugs shoulders* It's just a guess. At least Cochran is making an effort to matriculate. He's not entirely successful at it, but at least he's trying. Look at Mary Jane. He's not all that young and "beautiful", but he squirreled his way into that 3+2+ the square root of a coconut alliance right in the very beginning. Why Nurse Jackie didn't cozy up to one of the girls is a mystery.
Meanwhile, Mary Jane is telling his crew that he wants Nurse Jackie to go. They all agree and decide to tell Nurse Jackie that Cochran is the one going. Upon hearing this, instead of being happy he's safe, Cochran is annoyed that his name keeps getting brought up at all. He wonders if maybe he should do some scrambling and I wonder what the hell is going on in his head. They tell him he's safe yet he contemplates campaigning? I don't get it. Word eventually gets back to Nurse Jackie that he's safe and he's immediately suspicious. Not for one second does he believe those hooligan kids. None of them will look him in the eye and when he confronts them about Cochran leaving, they say, "Oh because he was gonna be the first one last time." *makes a 'W' with fingers* What-ever!
Nurse Jackie decides to take matters into his own hands and go hunting for the Idol. It's the only way he'll be able to save himself. Elyse sees him races into the woods so she runs back to camp to tell the others. She asks if anyone wants to join her to spy on him and Energizer Bunny and Ozzy just sort of look at each other. Since Mary Jane has no idea that the Idol has already been found, he follows Elyse into the woods. They see Nurse Jackie on all fours digging hole after hole after hole. No rhyme or reason - just digging willy nilly. Now, if you've watched the show for the past, oh I don't know, 4 or 5 seasons, the Idol is always hidden in or behind some sort of landmark like a tree or a bridge or a rock. Poor Nurse Jackie was like the fat kid in Stand By Me digging for his jar of money. He never did find the Idol, so instead he made a fake one and shoved down his boxers. He emerged from woods with a strut and a smile and hoped it was enough to fool everyone.
Now we arrive at Tribal Council. Dimples immediately starts in on Cochran because last time he came dangerously close to being voted out. Cochran believes that since then he's proved himself both at camp and in the challenges. He may be the smallest guy on the tribe, but he can yank a wench with the best of 'em. Dimples asks Cochran if perhaps he's slightly defensive in life. Cochran doesn't think so and everyone laughs. Dude, Cochran, own it. If you're going to be an attorney, being defensive is half the battle.
Dimples asks Nurse Jackie what he thinks about Cochran and Nurse Jackie says, "Physically, he'll be a danger to himself." I think that's a polite way of calling him a clutz, but I could be wrong. The conversation continues and Nurse Jackie is clearly bothered that Ozzy has emerged as the leader and he hasn't. No offense, but when you tell your tribe to call you "Papa Bear" on day one, it's a little hard to emerge as a leader after that. And, let's get real, the vet is always the leader. They've been through it before and, unless you guys are smart enough to get rid of him week one, no one else will ever take that spot away from him.
Nurse Jackie mentions how the Beautiful People are in charge and running things to which Soccer Mom Dawn says, "I don't agree with that." Mary Jane jumps in and says that Nurse Jackie has it all wrong. Oh, come on! First off, Mary Jane is the shadiest guy out there. How anyone can trust a guy with shifty eyes who smiles all the time is a mystery to me. There's nothing creepier than a smile that doesn't reach your eyes. Energizer Bunny should have been tipped off last week when Mary Jane was so hell bent on being the orchestrator of the 3+2+2 marijuana dispensaries times pi plan.
In the end, Nurse Jackie was right. The Beautiful People are running things and Nurse Jackie is the third person voted out of Survivor South Pacific. How long do you think the Beautiful People will stay intact? Will Impala ever team up and get rid of Brandon? Will Cochran manage to get rid of Ozzy before the Merge? Do you have any Hoops poems up your sleeves? Comment it out bitches and have a great day!
19 comments:
Thank you. Now it all makes sense.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:24 PM
Wonder how Brandon's one true love is feeling back home watching him being led around by his penis, especially when the object of his lust wouldn't have even been aware of his existence if he hadn't tried to backstab her. I wish someone could plant the thought in his little pea-brain that god wants him to castrate himself so he can go on playing without temptation.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 7:33 PM
Hilarious Hoops poem! Also, I concur about Mikayla not having the footballs to call phycho boy out. Disappointing representation for all us whores out there.ReplyDelete
Great post as always!ReplyDelete
Still loving Albert, but I'm starting to like Mikayla just because mini Russell hates her. No rhyme or reason (no one needs more rhyming at this point!) to it, just like her because I think mini Russell is an idiot and is playing the worst game since the Rhyming Lady.
- AnonymousSeptember 29, 2011 at 9:34 PM
Am I the only one who likes Brandon. I mean the dude has no idea how to play the game. But I feel sorry for him. I think he really does feel guilty about what he tried to do at tribal council and just cant express himself around mikayla who is a smokin hottie. I do not expect to see him around much longer though.ReplyDelete
I also loved the Coach Edna team up those two really do make a good team.
- AnonymousSeptember 30, 2011 at 1:03 AM
I'm with you on every point, as always!ReplyDelete
My favorite line from Cochran this time (something to this effect): "redemption island--it's really not an 'opportunity'...It's just an opportunity to 'extend failure'." --oh, *so* true on so many levels!!
Favorite line from Dimples:
"Papa Bear, the tribe has spoken."
--How did Probst manage to stay composed? I guess that's his Emmy-secret.
Kudos to your poetic awesomeness this time out!!
- DiabolicalSeptember 30, 2011 at 1:29 AM
LOVED the Hoops poetry sequence. You should write a book of poems called "Hoops - poems from the rejected, inspired by the meanies".ReplyDelete
This is turning out to be a great season. I hope they can maintain it! Hopefully Cochran manages to pull a shifty on Ozzie but it depends on how smart Jim is...and I suspect he has the cunning of a fox with a bad case of marijuana induced paranoia.
Why are people so mean? A Poem by Hoops.
Nobody loves me, I need some validation
So I signed up to be seen by the nation.
I'm so sad and lonely
I wish I had a pretty pony.
Ponies like to poop a lot of hay
Why do my boyfriends always turn out to be gay?
Not that there's anything wrong with that
Cows go moooooooo, meow says my cat.
I don't understand why people are so cruel
Moving house is how I reinvent myself like a delusion fool.
It's OK, I don't give a shit
I stick at everything until I quit.
Now that Hoops is gone, you will have no reason to write your amazing poetry! I swear to you before the end of the day, I will use "Roses are red, violets are FUCK OFF AND SHUT UP!!!"ReplyDelete
This season is shaping up to be much better than last season. And as much as I hate to say it, after all these seasons, Coach is growing on me. He is not nearly as annoying as he once was.
it was hilarious how hoops lied and said her poem calmed her when she clearly was freaking out and nearly shaking at the end of her bullshit poem, amped by the fact that she's sure her uninvited ramblings would lead to a book deal. and way to bust out the abandonment card. but at least she played... strong? huh? papa bear running in the woods looked like gay bigfoot. and if i were filming hantz II while he had his pitiful breakdown about how hard it is to stop from doing bad things i might have put him in a rubber room and shipped him back to podunk texas or wherever they make those fucked up people. that boy has real issues and looks like he's off his meds. his wife is probably actually a blow up doll with parvati's (poverty's) face glued on it.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 12:28 AM
Troll Jr. seems the kind of person/lunatic who can imagine/hallucinate that the devil literally lives in whorey women/prostitutes/hot chicks/cashiers/pole dancers/waitresses, that he nevertheless is compelled to soil himself with. So God must mean for him to "get rid of them" which luckily, in this game, means only to vote them off the island rather than dumping their (still hot, but now cold) bodies in wooded areas off of major highways somewhere. And I'm not really joking. It's that kind of total vulgarization of religion and misogyny that gets a lot of innocent women killed! I'm thinking his wife might want to start a new anonymous life alone somewhere before he gets the idea that she, too, is a demon of some sort because he finds her hot even in her housecoat, pregnant with their (spawn) child. Because that is just not right! God help her if they have a little girl! I don't think we really need the DSM IV to diagnose this one!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 1:52 AM
The only explanation I can think of for the whole unnecessary Brandon-Mikayla saga is that Brandon raped some girl before and has serious self-flaggelation problems now from his guilt? Either way, he has demons, and it's not because he is a Hantz or his relation to Russell at all. He is in his own league of batshit fuckedupness.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 2:09 AM
Lala, you were spot on on Mary Jane. If I were in that tribe I would be looking out for him. He is like Corinne in Gabon, with that devious Cheshire Cat smile. I'm so glad you share the same view and I can finally put my finger on what irks me about him. I had this really bitchy but smart middle school teacher who told my class of innocent fourth graders never to trust someone who smiles without reaching his eyes. That scarred me for life, but I think I know now.ReplyDelete
Amazing post as always. I don't remember much of the actual show, but I do know your poem was much better than Hoop's. She just repeated the same poem she had said before, with a few more lines. Off the cuff my ass! No wonder they voted her out. We've only seen maybe a combined 20 minutes of her. Can you imagine 72+ hours?? Btw, Mikayla was in Playboy, which is awesome. I have a sneaking suspicion Brandon recognizes her and that's why he's so bat shit crazy for her... or against her? I hope they get rid of him soon. It's all ready the Hantz show. And he's so fucking boring, at least Russel was funny. I can understand why Mikayla was crying. You're on this island with a bunch of strangers, and this one psycho guy wants you out of the game for no reason what so ever. Then calls a group meeting to tell you to your face you have no friends. Uh, hello! I'd be speechless too. She's just too nice. But then he starts crying too? Give me a fucking break. Can you imagine if Papa Bear was on his team. Gay guy + Psycho Religious guy = someone with a rock to the face. But, maybe not. I have a feeling this is all an act just to get more air time. CBS will never let him get voted out. At least not this early.ReplyDelete
Anon @ 1:52, I was thinking the same thing! I think there's something really dark in his past that he did and the guilt is slowly driving him insane.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 1, 2011 at 9:29 AM
Lala this was an absolutely brilliant post! First time commenting - I felt compelled. Poem... HILARIOUS! I laughed till my sides split! And the summary of Lil Hanz's "meeting" was glorious! p.s. Please order more glitter, 38G.ReplyDelete
So what dya suppose is up with the preview for next week. They want us to believe that there is a problem with one of the major alliances. Honestly, I hope it's Ozzy's alliance. (love him, but I think the three young ones are not going to have the backbone to turn on him at this point.) Still, I wish MaryJane could drum up the numbers; I just don't see how he will. (He will get major fan points from me if he does.)ReplyDelete
....Which means the crack must be in coach's alliance. And then Lil Hantz will be destined for Rhode Island--where there will NO drama if he's stuck there with a non-hottie. (How I would've loved to have seen some scenes with Lil-H and Hoops!) Ho hum.
BUT I'm betting that the tease for the alliance crack is just a tease. It will be a story line, but it just cannot be that Lil Hantz will go home before one of the remaining women.
(I'm with anon1:52 too. Lil-H is all about the guilt from some bad mistakes he's made. And it stands to reason that there's one or two really, really bad things are haunting him.)
- AnonymousOctober 2, 2011 at 9:40 AM
Regarding the parable of Job and the Harlot....ReplyDelete
I don't think there has to be anything very dark
in Brandon's past for him to act this way. He
comes from a clan of drama queens, and most
religious zealots, especially new ones, are prone
to things like self-flagellation. I bet he got
drunk and screwed some floozy, and got caught.
Then he proclaimed, "The devil made me do it."
Thank you Flip Wilson :)
Hopefully the dragon slayer can be a positive
influence. Geez I sound like an old fogie, but
that's how I roll. ;)
Ms. Lala, your writing continues to impress, and
I look forward to it every week.
Okay, I'm going to try and post again, since it wouldn't let me last Thursday when I tried.ReplyDelete
"First off, Mary Jane is the shadiest guy out there. How anyone can trust a guy with shifty eyes who smiles all the time is a mystery to me. There's nothing creepier than a smile that doesn't reach your eyes."
This is very true. That said, I think that's part of what I *like* about him. I hope he makes it far, but I don't think he has it in him to win.
Still rooting for Cochran, but I feel the same way about him as I do about MJ- he's never going to make it until the end. I hope either of them prove me wrong though!
As other people have said, and I have also said before, I don't know where in the hell Brandon EVER got the idea that Mikayla could be interested in him. It's not like they're showing her flirting with him (though maybe it's the edit?). Either way, there is something not right about Brandon, and it goes beyond the religious bullshit I think. They are totally giving him the creepy stalker edit and I'm not sure if it is warranted, i.e. he is really that weird and creepy, or if MB/JP 'n' co are just giving him that edit for viewership. Unfortunately, I am pretty fucking sure he makes it far into the game. How, I don't know, but last season I couldn't BELIEVE people kept Rob around (he rocks though, so I am happy he won) like a bunch of fucking idiots. You never know what these people are going to do.
- currently incarceratedOctober 5, 2011 at 1:59 PM
Aaahh, nostalgia. Young Brandon reminds me so much of myself at his age. I too struggled with my conscience... I knew that stalking [FILTHY!SUCCUBUS!DIRTY PILLOWS! nnnnnn]... *ahem* females would probably be frowned upon by my God. As a devout Christian I knew the Devil would subject my penis to constant temptation. I tried masturbation... hell, I masturbated so much I lost the sight in my right eye. Despite all my fap-fap-fapping though, I simply could not defeat the urge to stalk and peep the fairer sex [WHORE!JEZEBEL!] *cough*.ReplyDelete
So now I'm in prison... a fate I fear may await young Brandon. There are no females [LABIA!] to stalk in prison... now I'm losing the sight in my left eye as well.
Soon I'll be just another masturbating Christian jailbird. DAMN YOU TO HELL, DEVIL!
...and yes, I am aware the Devil is already in Hell - I read the Bible every day you know...sheesh!
All this talk of females has left me in need of some private time - so if you'll excuse me...
oh, no... I'M BLIND!!


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Cream Pie Crust Recipes
View All | View Summaries
Chocolate Pistachio Cream Pie (Easy Dessert Recipe)
08.19.10 by Jackie
I love the combination of pistachio and chocolate. These mini pies are made with a filling of pistachio pudding nestled in a chocolate-flavored graham cracker crust. To accentuate the chocolate flavor, I added a thin layer of Nutella in between.
For the pistachio cream, I made a hassle-free pudding using pistachio-flavored Jell-O instant pie filling. I've made pistachio pudding in the past using corn starch, half and half and pâte de pistache but the pistachio flavor doesn't come as well. So why go through the headache when the Jell-O product tastes better?
You could top the mini pies with meringue or whipped cream but I thought it wasn't necessary, so I decorated them with crushed pistachios. Voilà!
Full Recipe...


text: [i:Vibes] :: View topic - Rodrigo Deem - Ventara [OUT NOW] Guidelines FAQ Search Memberlist Usergroups Bookmarks Register Profile Log in to check your private messages Log in Main Menu Frontpage News Reviews Interviews Party Reports Artist Profiles Label profiles Diaries Tutorials What is... Links Radio-info Interactive Forum User Stats Info FAQ Crew-info i:Vibes Info Site Updates Rodrigo Deem - Ventara [OUT NOW] [i:Vibes] Forum Index -> Artist and Label News View previous topic :: View next topic Author Message KrisAHead BouncerVibes: 119.62Joined: 24 Nov 2008Member #: 26,996Posts: 573 Post subject: Rodrigo Deem - Ventara [OUT NOW] Rodrigo Deem - Ventara [OUT NOW] Artist: Rodrigo Deem Release: Ventara Label: Enhanced Progressive SoundCloud preview: https://soundcloud.com/enhancedprogressive/rodrigo-deem-ventara Spotify/Beatport Release Date: 5th May 2017 All Stores Release Date: 19th May 2017 One of Argentina's finest Trance exports Rodrigo Deem returns to Enhanced Progressive in a fresh production that furthers Rodrigo's impressive output on the label - this is 'Ventara'. Instantly recognisable as a Rodrigo Deem production thanks to its effusing, warm layers and bass, 'Ventara' couples this Rodrigo trademark with an invigorating mid-section full of flowing vocal chops, techy FX and swelling atmospheres. Building into another bona-fide Rodrigo Deem melodic masterpiece, 'Ventara' brings this veteran of the label back with another stellar Original. Connect with Rodrigo Deem Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RodrigoDeemMusic Twitter: https://twitter.com/rodrigodeem SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/rodrigodeem Connect with Enhanced: Website: http://enhancedmusic.com Facebook: http://facebook.com/EnhancedMusicLtd Twitter: http://twitter.com/enhanced_music YouTube: http://youtube.com/EnhancedRecordings SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/enhanced Instagram: http://enhan.co/EnhancedInsta Post rating: 0 Rate this post: Not logged in Posted: Fri May 05, 2017 4:21 pm Back to top Display posts from previous: All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year Oldest FirstNewest First [i:Vibes] Forum Index -> Artist and Label News All times are GMT Page 1 of 1 Jump to: Select a forum Spam----------------Spam posts Music----------------Music discussion (trance, techno, progressive and other genres)EquipmentArtist and Label NewsRadio BroadcastsMusic Production and DJ Mix PromotionClub Listings Non-music related----------------Other discussionBuy & Sell [i:Vibes]----------------Site Feedback and Help Content Discussion----------------News DiscussionReview DiscussionInterview DiscussionTutorial DiscussionWhat is...Party ReportsArtist ProfilesLabel Profiles You cannot post new topics in this forumYou cannot reply to topics in this forumYou cannot edit your posts in this forumYou cannot delete your posts in this forumYou cannot vote in polls in this forumYou cannot attach files in this forumYou can download files in this forum Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group


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|Birth Date:
|April 22, 1992
|Gallatin, Tenn.
|High School:
After working at free safety in his first season on the Golden Eagle roster, Cody made a move from the defensive secondary to a wide receiver position and showed promise in his new role during spring drills...will add depth at the outside receiver spot...made his Tech debut in 2011 following a redshirt year... has made four appearances on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
AT TECH (In 2011): Matthews appeared in nine games during his campaign season as a redshirt freshman, picking up 169 yards and three touchdowns on 12 catches...started to shine at the season's end, scoring a touchdown in the final three games of the season and recording his best catch against Austin Peay in Tech's OVC title game on Nov. 19. He caught a monster 61-yard touchdown pass for his longest catch of the season. In the Golden Eagles' first playoff game in program history, Matthews had five catches for 46 yards and a TD.
AT TECH (In 2010): Cody was injured during fall camp and redshirted in his first season on the Golden Eagle roster.
HIGH SCHOOL: A two-sport standout at Gallatin High School...letterd three years each on the football and basketball teams...three-year starter on the gridiron for coach Robert Lassiter's Green Wave...helped the team reach the quarterfinals of the TSSAA playoffs in his senior season...played on both sides of scrimmage as a quarterback and free safety, focusing more on offense in his final two seasons...named all-region as a sophomore defensive back when he produced 72 tackles and one interception....earned all-region honors at quarterback as a junior...recognized on both sides of scrimmage as a senior, earning all Mid-State on defense and all-region on offense...rushed for more than 1,000 yards and passed for more than 1,000 yards in each of his final two seasons.
PERSONAL: The son of Chuck Matthews and Chandra Matthews...full name is Cody James Matthews...birthdate is April 22 1992...majoring in english-professional communication.


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Storks For FreeEnjoy Storks High Quality with duration 120 Min and broadcast on 2016-09-23 and MPAA rating is 0.
- Original Title : Storks
- Movie title in your country : Storks
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- Release date of movie : 2016-09-23
- Companies of movie : Warner Bros. Pictures, Warner Bros. Animation, Warner Bros.,
- Countries of movie : United States of America,
- Language of movie : English,
- Durationof movie : 120 Min
- Average vote of movie : 0
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- Translation of movie : EN,ES,EL,IT,PT,FR,
- Cast of movie :
- Andy Samberg ( Junior (voice) )
- Kelsey Grammer ( Hunter (voice) )
Storks Synopsis:
Play Streaming Storks Storks is an original story that will look at the birds' mythical role in bringing new babies into the world. Movie Storks Full Duration
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Director : Doug Sweetland, Director : Nicholas Stoller, Writer : Nicholas Stoller, Executive Producer : Chris Miller, Producer : Nicholas Stoller, Producer : Brad Lewis, Executive Producer : Glenn Ficarra, Executive Producer : Phil Lord, Executive Producer : John Requa, Executive Producer : Jared Stern
Yes, now you can Watch Movie Storks Full Movie Streaming and get the link to Storks In HD


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Alaska, Europe, Summer Caribbean and Japan Cruises and Alaska Cruisetours
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Plus, bring everyone along with 3rd and 4th guest fares from $399.
Also, book with a non refundable reduced deposit of only 10% per guest.
Celebrate everybody's favorite season with Princess Cruises Summer on Sale! Now, enjoy up to 40% savings when you book a cruise in Alaska, Caribbean, Europe or Japan, including select Alaska Cruisetours.
Experience an Alaska adventure fit for the whole family when you visit Glacier Bay and Denali National Parks, explore ancient ruins and savor the modern fine cuisine of Europe or find harmony in Japan's ancient traditions and tranquil gardens. Plus, it's back! Visit the most stunning beaches in the world with Summer Caribbean.
Whichever destination you choose, you're sure to make Summer 2018 the best summer yet!
Terms and Conditions Apply. This offer is available to residents of the 50 United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Bermuda and the District of Columbia who are 21 years of age or older.
Sale Period: Princess Cruises Summer on Sale will be held February 15, 2018 (12:00 am PST) – April 24, 2018 (11:59 pm PST).
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Deposit: Deposit of 10% of cruise fare per guest for bookings made under Princess Cruises Summer on Sale is non-refundable. This is a reduction from the standard 20% of cruise fare deposit requirement.
Savings: Save up to 40% is based on a per person discount off applicable Launch Fares on a space-available basis at time of booking on select sailings and metas and apply to first and second guests in a stateroom. Launch Fares are offering fares and may not have been in effect for the past 90 days or resulted in actual sales in all categories. Intermediate discounts may have been taken and fares may remain at discounted levels after this promotion.
First and Second Guest Fares: Fares apply to minimum lead-in categories on a space-available basis at time of booking. Fares for other categories, sailings and cruisetours may vary. Fares are per person, non-air, cruise or cruisetour only, based on double occupancy and apply to the first two guests in a stateroom. These fares do not apply to singles or third/fourth-berth guests. Offer has limited space regardless of cabin availability. Fares quoted in U.S. dollars. Please refer to princess.com for terms, conditions and definitions that apply to all bookings.
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SANFORD — At a hearing that legal experts said exposed flaws in the state's case, the Trayvon Martin special prosecutor failed Friday to convince a judge that gunman George Zimmerman should stay locked up.
The judge set bond at $150,000, meaning Zimmerman could be freed from the Seminole County Jail in a few days.
Most revealing in the hearing, though, was testimony by prosecution Investigator Dale Gilbreath, a surprise witness for the defense.
He admitted under oath that authorities do not know who started the fight between Zimmerman, a Neighborhood Watch volunteer, and Martin, the black 17-year-old whose death has spurred protests across the country.


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It's time to dust off our old friend, the disclaimer trust
In moderately sized estates and happy family situations, a disclaimer trust is likely to be the right answer to the tax planning dilemma.
The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 set the tax-free amount for persons dying in 2011 and 2012 at $5 million. The 2010 act also introduced "portability" -- if the proper procedures are followed, the surviving spouse may use the unused tax-free amount of the first spouse to die. The 2010 act leaves us hanging, however, since the tax-free amount drops to $1 million and portability goes away in 2013 unless Congress extends the new law.
In this environment, what sort of estate tax planning makes sense for married couples with moderate wealth?
Problems with portability
At first glance, there seems to be no reason for most couples to do bypass trust planning because of portability. If the surviving spouse gets to use the unused portion of the tax-free amount of the first to die, then why go to the trouble and expense of having a bypass trust? (For an explanation of basic bypass trust planning, download this paper by Glenn Karisch from texasprobate.com.)
When looking deeper, the problems with portability become apparent:
- Most significantly, portability ends in 2013 unless Congress extends it.
- In order to use portability, the executor of the estate of the first spouse to die must file an estate tax return to establish the amount of the unused tax-free amount. It will be expensive to prepare and file this return, and the return is unnecessary except for portability.
- Remarriage could jeopardize the use of the portability amount. A decedent may use the unused tax-free amount of his or her most-recently-deceased spouse. If Wife 1 dies with unused tax-free amount, then Husband marries Wife 2, who then dies, the portability amount of Wife 1 is lost.
- Portability does not shelter the appreciation of property from tax. If property appreciates between the deaths of the spouses, that appreciation is taxed in the estate of the surviving spouse, while it could be sheltered from tax in a bypass trust.
Problems with formula-funded bypass trusts
Using a bypass trust funded by a formula intended to maximize the property placed in the trust avoids most of the problems caused by portability, but it creates other problems:
- The formula provisions are tricky to draft when there are fundamental changes in the estate tax laws. A poorly drafted provision may put too much or too little in the trust. Even a well-drafted provision may have an unintended result.
- Couples with estates in the $1 million to $5 million range may face bigger problems with the capital gains tax than the estate tax. Property placed in the bypass trust at the death of the first spouse does not get a step-up in basis when the surviving spouse dies. If it turns out that the bypass trust wasn't needed for estate tax savings, the family will pay more capital gains tax than otherwise might have been necessary.
- Formula-funded bypass trusts must be funded. There's no way to avoid creation of the trust if, at the time of the death of the first spouse, the trust seems unnecessary or ill-advised.
Enter the disclaimer trust
A bypass trust funded by disclaimer may fill the bill for many married couples. Here's how disclaimer trusts work:
- Each spouse's will leaves all property to the surviving spouse.
- Each spouse's will provides that, if the surviving spouse disclaims any property, the disclaimed property will pass into a bypass trust.
A special rule that applies only to spouses permits the spouse to disclaim property into a trust of which the spouse is a beneficiary. Internal Revenue Code Section 2518(b)(4)(A). Therefore, the spouse may be a beneficiary of the trust. If the trustee's power to make distributions is limited by an ascertainable standard like "health, education, maintenance and support," then the surviving spouse may be the trustee of the trust. If the beneficiary designations on life insurance and retirement plans are coordinated properly, the surviving spouse may disclaim some or all of these assets, causing them to go into the bypass trust.
The disclaimer trust permits deferring the decision about whether or not to have a bypass trust until after the death of the first spouse to die. With the volatility of the law and the economy, this might be the best time to decide whether or not estate tax planning is needed. Also, a couple may appear to have no estate tax worries now, but increases in wealth may push them into needing a trust. The disclaimer trust makes an excellent back-up estate tax plan.
Disclaimer trusts have problems, too
Disclaimer trusts have their own set of problems and are only appropriate in certain situations. Here are some of the problems which may arise:
- A disclaimer cannot be made if the persons wishing to disclaim has accepted the interest or any of its benefits. Internal Revenue Code Section 1518(b)(3). If the spouse mistakenly takes control of an asset -- switches a brokerage account into his name, cashes in a life insurance policy, etc. -- that asset cannot be placed in the trust.
- The disclaimer must be made in the proper form within 9 months of the decedent's death. Internal Revenue Code Section 2518(b)(2). A spouse who is asleep at the switch may miss the opportunity to fund the bypass trust. (There's a special extension of the 9-month disclaimer deadline for persons who died between January 1, 2010, and December 17, 2010. See the 2010 tax law for details.)
- A disclaimer-funded bypass trust only works if the surviving spouse disclaims. A grieving spouse may be unwilling or unable to make a timely disclaimer. If the remainder beneficiaries of the bypass trust are the surviving spouse's stepchildren, the surviving spouse may decide not to disclaim (and, in fact, is very, very unlikely to decide to disclaim) because he or she does not wish to be exposed to accounting demands and other actions of the stepchildren.
- In a formula-funded bypass trust, the surviving spouse may be given a special power of appointment so that he or she may control the disposition of the trust property at death. The surviving spouse may not be given a power of appointment over a disclaimer-funded bypass trust. This means that the disposition is locked in at the time of the first spouse's death. This creates two problems:
- The surviving spouse cannot tweak the plan. For example, the surviving spouse cannot direct the bypass trust property into a GST trust.
- The surviving spouse cannot appoint the property away from an interfering remainder beneficiary. The power of appointment can be an effective tool for dealing with uncooperative remainder beneficiaries, but it is unavailable with disclaimer trusts.
- A disclaimer is ineffective for Medicaid planning purposes. The surviving spouse may not exclude assets from consideration for Medicaid eligibility by disclaiming them into a bypass trust.
Keep all of your tools sharpened
In times of changing tax laws and a fluctuating economy, estate planners must be ready to use different techniques. There are fewer "once size fits all" plans these days. A disclaimer trust can be an effective tool for many married couples, but in most cases only if they have no children by prior marriages.


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Levi's® X Liberty London Collection
Singapore Blog Awards 2013 LEVI'S Best 501 Interpretation Blog Finalist A MARRIAGE OF ICONIC FITS AND FABRICS LAUNCHES IN SPRING 2013 The Levi's® brand and Liberty London share a rich history of designing iconic clothing that marries uncompromised craftsmanship and heritage. This is the first time Levi's is collaborating with Liberty London whereby the Liberty prints are designed exclusively for the new Levi's® X Liberty London collection. The Liberty fabric design studio created two exclusive prints for the Levi's® X Liberty London collection. Carlin, which was inspired by a print in the Liberty archive from the 1970s with painterly garden flowers, was redrawn with watercolor pencils and repeated to created a painted, colorful and flowing floral. The design is named after the Levi's® designer Jenny Carlin who worked on the collection.


text:
For more information on natural treatments for diabetes in general, see the full Diabetes article. This entry discusses natural treatments for the complications of diabetes.
Diabetes is an illness that damages many organs in the body, including the heart and blood vessels, nerves, kidneys, and eyes. Most of this damage is believed to be caused by the toxic effects of abnormally high blood sugar, although other factors may play a role as well.
So-called "tight" control of blood sugar greatly reduces all complications of diabetes. Some of the natural treatments described here may help as well.
Principal Proposed Natural Treatments
Several supplements may help prevent or treat some of the common complications of diabetes. However, because diabetes is a dangerous disease, alternative treatment should not be attempted as a substitute for conventional medical care.
Atherosclerosis is one of the worst problems associated with diabetes, and all the suggestions discussed in the article on that topic may be useful. Similarly, natural treatments helpful in general for improving cholesterol and triglyceride profiles may be useful to people with diabetes. Note : Contrary to some early concerns, both fish oil and niacin (treatments used for improving triglyceride and cholesterol levels, respectively) appear to be safe for people with diabetes. 1-3
High levels of blood sugar can damage the nerves leading to the extremities, causing pain and numbness. This condition is called diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Nerve damage may also develop in the heart, a condition named cardiac autonomic neuropathy. Below, we discuss three natural supplements— acetyl-L-carnitine , lipoic acid , and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) —that have shown promise for the treatment of diabetic nerve damage.
The supplement acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) has shown promise for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Two 52-week double-blind, placebo-controlled studies involving a total of 1,257 people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy evaluated the potential benefits of ALC taken at 500 mg or 1000 mg daily. 34 The results showed that use of ALC, especially at the higher dose, improved sensory perception and decreased pain levels. In addition, the supplement appeared to promote nerve fiber regeneration.
ALC has also shown some promise for cardiac autonomic neuropathy. 17
For more information, including full dosage and safety issues, see the Carnitine article.
Lipoic Acid
Lipoic acid is widely advocated for treatment of diabetic neuropathy. However, while there is meaningful evidence for benefits with intravenous lipoic acid, 7-9,32 there is only minimal evidence to indicate that oral lipoic acid can help.
A double-blind, placebo-controlled study that enrolled 503 people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy found that intravenous lipoic acid helped reduce symptoms over a 3-week period. 7 However, when researchers substituted oral lipoic acid for intravenous lipoic acid, benefits ceased.
Benefits were seen with oral lipoic acid in a study published in 2006. 38 In this double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 181 people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy were given either placebo or one of three doses of lipoic acid: 600 mg, 1,200 mg, or 1,800 mg daily. Over the 5 week study period, benefits were seen in all three lipoic acid groups as compared to the placebo group. However, while this outcome may sound promising, one feature of the results tends to reduce the faith one can put in them: the absence of a dose-related effect. Ordinarily, when a treatment is effective, higher doses produce relatively better results. When such a spectrum of outcomes is not observed, one wonders if something went wrong in the study.
Other than this one study, the positive evidence for oral lipoic acid in diabetic peripheral neuropathy is limited to open studies of minimal to no validity and double-blind trials too small to be relied upon. 8-12,35
Lipoic acid has also been advocated for cardiac autonomic neuropathy, and one study did find benefits: The DEKAN (Deutsche Kardiale Autonome Neuropathie) study followed 73 people with cardiac autonomic neuropathy for 4 months. 8 Treatment with 800 mg of oral lipoic acid daily showed significant improvement compared to placebo, and no important side effects.
Preliminary evidence hints that lipoic acid may be more effective for neuropathy if it is combined with gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), which is described in the next section. 5,6
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full Lipoic Acid article.
Gamma-linolenic Acid (From Evening Primrose Oil)
Gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) is an essential fatty acid in the omega-6 category. The most common sources of GLA are evening primrose oil , borage oil, and black currant oil.
Many studies in animals have shown that evening primrose oil can protect nerves from diabetes-induced injury. 13,14 Human trials have also found benefits. A double-blind study followed 111 people with diabetes for a period of 1 year. 15 The results showed an improvement in subjective symptoms of peripheral neuropathy, such as pain and numbness, as well as objective signs of nerve injury. People with good blood sugar control improved the most. A much smaller double-blind study also reported positive results. 16
For more information, including dosage and safety issues, see the full GLA article.
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
A 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial found that vitamin E at a dose of 600 mg daily might improve symptoms of cardiac autonomic neuropathy. 18 Vitamin E as well as selenium have also shown promise for diabetic peripheral neuropathy. 10,20 Intriguing evidence from a small study suggests that vitamin E may also help protect people with diabetes from developing damage to their eyes and kidneys. 19 However, a large, long-term study failed to find vitamin E effective for preventing kidney damage. 21 (Vitamin E also did not help prevent coronary artery disease.)
In a review of 13 randomized trials, researchers found inadequate evidence for the effectiveness of B vitamins for peripheral neuropathies (diabetic or otherwise). 41
The supplement inositol has been tried as a treatment for diabetic neuropathy, but the results have been mixed. 22,23
In highly preliminary studies, fish oil has shown some promise for diabetic neuropathy, 24 but human trials have not been performed.
Diabetes can cause swelling of the ankles and feet by damaging small blood vessels (microangiopathy). A preliminary, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial suggests that oxerutins might be helpful for this condition. 25
Weak evidence suggests that the herb bilberry may help prevent eye damage ( cataracts and retinopathy) caused by diabetes. 26,27 Pycnogenol, a source of oligomeric proanthocyanidins (OPCs) , has also shown promise for diabetic retinopathy. 28
It has been suggested that vitamin C may also help prevent cataracts in diabetes, based on its relationship to sorbitol. Sorbitol, a sugar-like substance that tends to accumulate in the cells of people with diabetes, may play a role in the development of diabetic cataracts. Vitamin C appears to help reduce sorbitol buildup. 29 However, the evidence that vitamin C provides significant benefits by this route is at present indirect and far from conclusive.
Another study suggests that vitamin C might be helpful for reducing blood pressure in people with diabetes. 30
The herb Tinospora cordifolia and honey (applied topically) have shown some promise for speeding healing of diabetic foot ulcers. 39,42 In addition, a small study found evidence to support the use of pycnogenol (pine bark extract) for improving the symptoms and healing time of foot ulcers. 43
Magnetic insoles, a form of magnet therapy , have shown some promise for the treatment of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. A 4-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study of 19 people with peripheral neuropathy found a significant reduction in symptoms in people using the insoles as compared to those using placebo insoles. 33 This study enrolled people with peripheral neuropathy of various causes; however, reduction in the symptoms of burning, numbness, and tingling were especially marked in those cases of neuropathy associated with diabetes.
Another type of magnetic therapy, involving low frequency, repetitive magnetic pulses generated by an electric current, was no better than a placebo at relieving painful peripheral neuropathy among 61 people who had diabetes for a long time. 40 In another study, however, high frequency magnetic fields applied repetitively to the brain were more effective than placebo in reducing pain and improving quality of life among 28 subjects with peripheral neuropathy. 43
One small double-blind, placebo-controlled study suggests that regular use of multivitamin/multimineral supplements may reduce incidence of infectious illness in people with diabetes. 36 Another study failed to find that general nutritional supplementation accelerated healing of diabetic foot ulcers. 37
A randomized trial involving 110 people with type 2 diabetes found that those who participated in a mindfulness-based stress reduction program had improvements in their mental health compared to those who received standard care. 44
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 12/15/2015 -


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MEI Pharma to Host Annual Meeting of Stockholders
Live Webcast from San Francisco on Tuesday, March 26
Mar 20, 2013
San Diego – MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP), an oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer, will host its Annual Meeting of Stockholders at 10:00 a.m. Pacific time on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at the offices of Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP, located at One Market, Spear Street Tower in San Francisco, to consider and vote on certain matters, including the election of a director, the ratification of the appointment of the Company's independent registered public accounting firm, the approval of the amendment and restatement of the Company's certificate of incorporation, and the approval of the amendment and restatement of the Company's equity compensation plan. A live webcast of the meeting will be accessible at www.meipharma.com/investor. A replay will be available approximately one hour after the presentation.
About MEI Pharma
MEI Pharma, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEIP) is a San Diego-based oncology company focused on the clinical development of novel therapies for cancer. The Company's lead drug candidate is Pracinostat, a potential best-in-class, oral histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor being developed for advanced hematologic malignancies such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Results from a pilot Phase II clinical trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with advanced MDS were presented at the American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting in December 2012 showing an overall response rate (CR+CRi+PR) of 89% (eight out of nine). The Company plans to initiate a randomized, placebo-controlled Phase II trial of Pracinostat in combination with azacitidine in patients with MDS in June 2013. In addition, MEI Pharma is developing two drug candidates derived from its isoflavone-based technology platform, ME-143 and ME-344. For more information, go to www.meipharma.com.
Under U.S. law, a new drug cannot be marketed until it has been investigated in clinical trials and approved by the FDA as being safe and effective for the intended use. Statements included in this press release that are not historical in nature are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. You should be aware that our actual results could differ materially from those contained in the forward-looking statements, which are based on management's current expectations and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including, but not limited to, our failure to successfully commercialize our product candidates; costs and delays in the development and/or FDA approval, or the failure to obtain such approval, of our product candidates; uncertainties or differences in interpretation in clinical trial results; our inability to maintain or enter into, and the risks resulting from our dependence upon, collaboration or contractual arrangements necessary for the development, manufacture, commercialization, marketing, sales and distribution of any products; competitive factors; our inability to protect our patents or proprietary rights and obtain necessary rights to third party patents and intellectual property to operate our business; our inability to operate our business without infringing the patents and proprietary rights of others; general economic conditions; the failure of any products to gain market acceptance; our inability to obtain any additional required financing; technological changes; government regulation; changes in industry practice; and one-time events. We do not intend to update any of these factors or to publicly announce the results of any revisions to these forward-looking statements.


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#1 History Offers Ugly Precedent for Greek Euro Exit06-01-2012, 05:08 PM
Sean Vanatta Jun 1, 2012 2:30 PM CT
Looking over the precipice of national default and an untimely exit from the international monetary system, the Greek leader issued a somber warning to Europes economic leaders: Bear in mind that if you leave the small states without assistance, a black future awaits Europe.
Delivered by Prime Minister Eleftherios Venizelos on April 15, 1932, less than two weeks before his nation would suspend loan repayments and exit the gold standard, the prescient remark and the trials that followed offer urgent lessons for the current Greek crisis.
Before the euro bound the continents disparate economies into one monetary system, European governments relied on the gold standard to direct international monetary flows. This promised stability, but also required the vigorous coordination of each countrys central-bank policy. The turmoil of World War I disrupted the international order, pushing Greece and the rest of Europe off the standard, a blow from which the monetary system would never fully recover.
Modern State
Nevertheless, in the absence of alternatives, gold remained the standard for much of the rest of the developed world, and Greece made the drachma convertible to gold in 1928 under the leadership of Venizeloss Liberal Party. A centerpiece of the governments reform agenda, the return to gold, combined with vigorous economic development and large-scale public works, promised to turn Greece into a synchronon kratos, or modern state. Further, re-gilding the drachma offered pride to a Greek nation that had recently suffered prolonged inflation and political turmoil.
This triumphant return was not only desired from within Greece, but imposed from without. Venizeloss project was largely dependent on foreign financing, both in the form of government loans and direct foreign investment. The drachmas convertibility was thus also meant to appease investors. So too was the regimes simultaneous creation of the Bank of Greece, the countrys first true central bank, which replaced the privately owned National Bank of Greece as the issuer of the drachma.
The Great Depression, though, came at an inopportune time for the fledgling Greek financial system. When the world economy began to decline in 1929, Greek exports dwindled, creating an acute imbalance -- more foreign currency left Greece through the purchase of imports than came in through the sale of exports, draining the currency reserves of the Bank of Greece. This situation was exacerbated by the countrys foreign debts, which also had to be repaid in foreign currencies, such as the U.K. pound and the French franc. As effectively gold equivalents, these monies undergirded the drachma; as they left Greece, each successive loan payment made defending the currency more difficult.
To make matters worse, the countrys commercial banks began speculating against the drachma. Led by the recently displaced National Bank of Greece, these institutions purchased Greek national bonds, securities denominated in pounds and francs, on foreign exchanges -- securities that would be worth more if the drachma was devalued.
Spreading Contagion
Yet while Greeces development had been financed by foreign borrowing, the government could hardly be accused of profligacy. As Greeces exchange crisis increased during the late 1920s and into 1931, Venizeloss government still managed a budget surplus, and relative to other nations the Greek economy suffered less from the global depression. Nevertheless, as economists such as Barry Eichengreen have conclusively shown, the gold standard, like the euro in recent years, spread economic contagion.
The Venizelos government searched for a solution. In the first salvo of the battle for the drachma, the Greek parliament considered a regulatory package aimed at strengthening the Bank of Greeces control over the countrys commercial-banking sector. But the National Bank of Greece and its allies intervened, so weakening the bill as to make it virtually ineffectual.
As the crisis deepened, the government sought international assistance, turning next to the Europe-dominated League of Nations Finance Committee. The fight for the drachma was quickly draining Greeces financial resources, and the governments 1931 surplus flipped to a sharp deficit in 1932. To meet this shortfall, to keep up its bond payments and to retain the gold standard, Greece needed an injection of foreign capital. In a familiar tune, most recently sung in a German accent, Europes financial leaders demanded austerity as the price for assistance. The French delegate advocated closing schools and cutting the salaries of public employees by 20 percent.
These were harsh terms, and Venizelos feared that the sacrifices demanded by the guardians of the international monetary system would doom his liberal regime and perhaps democracy in Greece. To build national unity, he reached out to the opposition Populist Party, hoping to form a coalition and share the burden of leadership. The partys leader, Panayis Tsaldaris, curtly refused.
By April 1932, Greece was out of options. Without substantive foreign intervention, the combined pressures of foreign debt service and hemorrhaging currency reserves finally forced Greece off the gold standard and into default. By tying his regime to the integrity of the drachma, Venizelos also ensured his fall from power, while the subsequent decline of his centrist Liberal Party shattered the Greek political system.
Coup, Fascism
After default the Greek economy actually began a steady recovery as the nation turned its efforts toward self- sufficiency outside the global market. But in this case, the inward-looking recovery was a false friend, and the political instability that followed the drachmas devaluation paved the way for a successful coup by General Ioannis Metaxas. Whether his regime was a fascist one or merely conservative- authoritarian is an academic debate that accepts a simple fact: It wasnt democratic.
It is unlikely, whatever the outcome of Greeces present currency crisis, that fascism lies in the nations future. Venizelos believed that liberal democracy couldnt withstand the burdens imposed by the international monetary system, and his solution was to exit that system, with unfortunate results. Although to date Greek leaders have made different choices, a black future may still await Venizeloss country -- and Europe - - if Greece and similar small states are left without assistance.
(Sean Vanatta is a graduate student in history at Princeton University. The opinions expressed are his own.) Read more Echoes columns online.
To contact the writer of this post: Sean Vanatta at email@example.com.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-0...euro-exit.html"If space is a vacuum who changes the bags"
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez
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The Hayes Modem Command Set
Here is a description of the Hayes Command Set. Most modems follow this command set to large extent. If you lost your modem manual or never had one in the first place, this reference might come in handy.
The modem initialization string consists of a series of commands. It prepares the modem for communications, setting such features as dialing mode, waits, detection of the busy signal and many other settings. Newer modem communications programs reset the initializations string for you according to which menu options you select, which features you enable, etc..
For many years Hayes modems have been the standard. As the field of modem manufactures has grown, most have adhered at least loosely to the Hayes standard. The following is a partial list of the Hayes command set. (called the "AT" commands). The Hayes Command Set can be divided into four groups:
Basic Command Set
A capital character followed by a digit. For example, M1.
Extended Command Set
An "&" (ampersand) and a capital character followed by a digit. This is an extension of the basic command set. For example, &M1. Note that M1 is different from &M1.
Proprietary Command Set
Usually started by either a backslash ("\"), or a percent sign ("%"), these commands vary widely among modem manufacturers. For that reason, only a few of these commands are listed below.
Register Commands
Sr=n where r is the number of the register to be changed, and n is the new value that is assigned.
A "register" is computerese for a specific physical location in memory. Modems have small amounts of memory onboard. This fourth set of commands is used to enter values in a particular register (memory location). The register will be storing a particular "variable" (alpha-numeric information) which is utilized by the modem and communication software. For example, S7=60 instructs your computer to "Set register #7 to the value 60".
Although most commands are defined by a letter-number combination (L0, L1 etc.), the user of a zero is optional. In this example, L0 is the same as a plain L. Keep this in mind when reading the table below!
Here are some of the most important characters that may appear in the modem initialization string. These characers normally should not be changed.
Tells the modem that modem commands follow. This must begin each line of commands.
Resets the modem to it's default state
, (a comma)
makes your software pause for a second. You can use more than one , in a row. For example, ,,,, tells the software to pause four seconds. (The duration of the pause is governed by the setting of register S8.
Sends the terminating Carriage Return character to the modem. This is a control code that most communication software translates as "Carriage Return"
The Basic Hayes Command Set
In alphabetical order:
Table B.1. Basic Hayes Command Set
Command Description Comments
A0 or A Answer incoming call
A/ Repeat last command Don't preface with AT. Enter usually aborts.
B0 or B Call negotiation V32 Mode/CCITT Answer Seq.
B1 Call negotiation Bell 212A Answer Seq.
B2 Call negotiation Verbose/Quiet On Answer
D Dial Dial the following number and then handshake in orginate mode.
P Pulse Dial
T Touch Tone Dial
W Wait for the second dial tone
, Pause for the time specified in register S8 (usually 2 seconds
; Remain in command mode after dialing.
! Flash switch-hook (Hang up for a half second, as in transferring a call.
L Dial last number
E0 or E No Echo Will not echo commands to the computer
E1 Echo Will echo commands to the computer (so one can see what one types)
H0 Hook Status On hook - Hang up
H1 Hook status Off hook - phone picked up
I0 or I Inquiry, Information, or Interrogation
This command is very model specific. I0 usually returns a number or code, while higher numbers often provide much more useful information.
L0 or L Speaker Loudness. Modems with volume control knobs will not have these options.
Off or low volume
L1 Low Volume
L2 Medium Volume
L3 Loud or High Volume
M0 or M Speaker off M3is also common, but different on many brands
M1 Speaker on until remote carrier detected (i.e. until the other modem is heard)
M2 Speaker is always on (data sounds are heard after CONNECT)
N0 or N Handshake Speed Handshake only at speed in S37
N1 Handshake at highest speed larger than S37
O0 or O Return Online See also X1 as dial tone detection may be active.
O1 Return Online after an equalizer retrain sequence
Q0 or Q1 Quiet Mode Off - Displays result codes, user sees command responses (e.g.OK)
Q1 Quiet Mode On - Result codes are suppressed, user does not see responses.
Sn? Query the contents of S-register n
Sn=r Store Store the value of r in S-register n
V0 or V Verbose Numeric result codes
V1 English result codes (e.g.CONNECT, BUSY, NO CARRIERetc.)
X0 or X Smartmodem Hayes Smartmodem 300 compatible result codes
X1 Usually adds connection speed to basic result codes (e.g.CONNECT 1200
X2 Usually adds dial tone detection (preventing blind dial, and sometimes preventing AT0)
X3 Usually adds busy signal detection
X4 Usually adds both busy signal and dial tone detection
Z0 or Z Reset Reset modem to stored configuration. Use Z0, Z1etc. for multiple profiles. This is the same as &F for factory default on modems without NVRAM (non voltaile memory)
The Extended Hayes Command Set
Ampersand Commands
Table B.2. The Extended Hayes Command Set
Command Description Comments
&B0 or &B Retrain Parameters Disable auto retrain function
&B1 Retrain Parameters Enable auto retrain function
&B2 Retrain Parameters Enable auto retrain, but disconnect if no line improvement over the period dictated by S7
&C0 or &C1 Carrier detect Signal always on
&C1 Carrier detect Indicates remote carrier (usual preferred default)
&D0 or &D Data Terminal Ready(DTR Signal ignored (This is modem specific, you must see your manual for information on this one!)
&D1 Data Terminal Ready(DTR If DTR goes from On to Off the modem goes into command mode (Some modems only)
&D2 Data Terminal Ready(DTR Some modems hang up on DTR On to Off transition (This is the usual preferred default)
&D3 Data Terminal Ready(DTR Hang up, reset the modem, and return to command mode upon DTR
&F0 or &F Factory defaults Generic Hayes-compatible defaults.
This is usually a good thing to use in your init string, since the &F1-&F3 settings can vary among modems, and they may actually be the cause of connection problems. (Since you never know exactly what Brand X's &F2 really changes.
On the other hand, it pays to try out the other options below; many people's problems can be solved by replacing a complicted init string with a simple &F2 or the like. However, if building an init string, it's best to start with a simple &F, and not use the "customized" form of defaults.
&F1 Factory Defaults Factory Defaults tailored to an IBM PC compatible user
&F2 Factory Defaults Factory defaults for a Mac w/software handshaking
&F3 Factory Defaults Factory defaults for a Mac w/hardware handshaking
&G0 or &G Guard tones Disable guard tones
&K0 or &K Local flow control Disable local flow control
&K1 Local flow control Enable RTS/CTS hardware local flow control
&K2 Local flow control Enable XON/XOFF software local flow control
&K3 Local flow control Enable RTS/CTS hardware local flow control
&K4 Local flow control Enable XON/XOFF software local flow control
&L0 or &L Dial mode Select dial-up mode
&M0 or &M Error control mode Select asynchronous non-EC mode (the same as &Q0)
&P0 or &P Pulse dialing ratio U.S./Canada pulse dialing 39% make / 61% break ratio
&P1 Pulse dialing ratio U.K./Hong Kong pulse dialing 33% make / 67% break ratio
&Q0 or &Q Error control mode Asynchronous non-EC more. No data buffering. ASB disabled.
&Q5 Error control mode Select V.42 EC operation (requires flow control)
&Q6 Error control mode Asynchronous mode with ASB (requires flow control)
&Q8 Error control mode Select alternate EC protocol (MNP)
&Q9 Error control mode Conditional data compression: V.42bis = yes, MNP5 = no.
&S0 or &S DSR action select Always on (default)
&S1 DSR action select Follows EIA specification (Active following carrier tone, and until carrier is lost.)
&T0 or &T Self test Model specific self test on some modems
&U0 or &U Trellis code modulation Enable V.32 TCM
&U1 Trellis code modulation Disable V.32 TCM
&V0 or &V1 View active (and often stored) configuration profile settings (or ATI4
&W0 or &W Store profile In NVRAM (&W0, &W1 etc. for multiple profiles) Some settings cannot be stored. These often don't show on &V or ATI4
&Y0 or &Y Select configuration loaded at power-up Load profile 0 (default)
&Y1 Select configuration loaded at power-up Load profile 1
&Zn=x Soft reset and load stored profile number n Note that all items after the &Z on the command line are ignored
Backslash and Percent Commands
Table B.3. Backslash and Percent Commands
Command Description Comments
\A0 or \A Character maximum MNP block size 64 character maximum
\A1 Character maximum MNP block size 128 character maximum
\A2 Character maximum MNP block size 192 character maximum
\A3 Character maximum MNP block size 256 character maximum
%C0 or %C Data Compression Enable/Disable Disabled
%C1 Data Compression Enable/Disable MNP5 enabled
%C2 Data Compression Enable/Disable V.42bis (BTLZ) Enabled
%C3 Data Compression Enable/Disable MNP5 & V.42bis (BTLZ) Enabled
%D0 or %D Data compression 512 BLTZ dictionary size
%D1 Data compression 1024 BLTZ dictionary size
%D2 Data compression 2048 BLTZ dictionary size
%D3 Data compression 4096 BLTZ dictionary size
%E0 or %E1 Escape method ESCAPE DISABLED
%E1 Escape method +++AT method (default)
%E2 Escape method BreakAT method
%E3 Escape method BOTH methods enabled
%E4 Escape method Disable OK to +++
%E5 Escape method Enable OK to +++
\J0 or \J DTE Auto Rate Adjustment Disabled
\J1 DTE Auto Rate Adjustment DTE rate is adjusted to match carrier rate.
\N0 or \N Connection type Normal connection (see below for definitions)
\N1 Connection type Direction connection
\N2 Connection type MNP Auto-reliable connection
\N3 Connection type Auto-reliable connection
\N4 Connection type V.42bis reliable link with phase detection
\N5 Connection type V.42bis auto-reliable link with phase detection
\N6 Connection type V.42 reliable link with phase detection
\N7 Connection type V.42 auto-reliable link with phase detection
A direct connection is a simple straight-through connection without any error connection or data compression. In this case, the computer-to-modem and modem-to-modem speeds must be identical.
A normal connection uses flow control (either software or hardware) to buffer the data being sent or received, so that the modem can transmit data at a different rate than the computer is actually sending or receiving it. For example, a computer may send actual data at 57kbps, but using compression, the modem only actually sends 28.8kbps. This is the mode use by most modems.
A reliable connection is a type of normal connection; if, for some reason, data compression or error correction cannot be established or maintained, the connection will hang up. (In essence, such a modem ensures that all connections are reliable, for it will hang up if the connection isn't.)
Likewise, an auto-reliable connection is virtually the same, except that the modem will try to renegotiate the connection in order to establish a reliable connection. Again, this is the mode that most modems use.
Table B.4. S Registers
Register Range Default Function
S0 0-255 rings 1-2 Answer on ring number. Don't answer if 0
S1 0-255 rings 0 if S0 is greater than 0 this register counts the incoming rings.
S2 0-127 ASCII 43 + Escape to command mode character
S2 >127 no ESC
S3 0-127 ASCII 13 CR Carriage return character
S4 0-127 ASCII 10 LF Line feed character
S5 0-32, 127 ASCII 8 BS Backspace character
S6 2-255 seconds 2 Dial tone wait time (blind dialling, see Xn
S7 1-255 seconds 30-60 Wait time for remote carrier
S8 0-255 seconds 2 Comma pause time used in dialing
S9 1-255 1/10ths second 6 Carrier detect time required for recognition
S10 1-255 1/10ths second 7-14 Time between loss of carrier and hangup
S11 50-255 milliseconds 70-95 Duration and spacing of tones when tone dialing
S12 0-255 1/50th seconds 50 Guard time for pause around +++ command sequence
S36 Fallback options when error correction link fails:
7 Negotiation Failure Treatment
0 - Disconnect
1 - Establish Direct Connection
3 - Establish Normal Connection
4 - Establish an MNP connection if possible, else disconnect
5 - Establish an MNP connection if possible, else Direct Connection.
7 - Establish an MNP connection if possible, else Normal connection
S37 1 = 300 bps 0 Negotiation Speed (Intial handshake)
5 = 1200 bps
6 = 2400 bps
7 = 1200/75 bps (v.23 mode)
8 = 4800 bps
9 = 9600 bps
10 = 12000 bps
11 = 14400 bps
12 = 7200 bps
Many modems have dozens, even hundreds, of S registers, but only the first dozen or so are fairly standard. They are changed with a command like ATSn=N, and examined with ATSn? (e.g. AT S10=70 S1? would tell the modem not to hang up for seven seconds should it not hear the answering modem, and return the number of times the phone last rang.)
Belive it or not, I did attempt to format some of the tables, but alas, with html posting, you never know quite for sure whats going to happen. In this case, the white space was trunicated. Sorry Folks. I Did Try.


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- Year
- 1964
Military and political situation in South Vietnam deteriorates
One year after the overthrow and assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem, the situation in South Vietnam is deteriorating in both the military and political spheres.
Following two months of extreme political turmoil, the High National Council confirmed the appointment of Tran Van Huong as South Vietnam's premier. Though he promised to wage total war against the communists while separating religion and politics, he proved to be only the latest in a line of ineffectual leaders that attempted to fill the void left by Diem's death.
The military situation was no better. On this date, Viet Cong raiders infiltrated the U.S. air base at Bien Hoa, 12 miles north of Saigon, and launched a heavy mortar attack that caught the U.S. and South Vietnamese off guard. Before the Viet Cong withdrew, they killed five U.S. servicemen and two South Vietnamese soldiers, wounded 76, destroyed two B-57 bombers, and damaged another 20 U.S. and South Vietnamese aircraft. A lengthy search of the area around Bien Hoa failed to locate any of the Viet Cong. Word of the attack reached Washington early in the morning, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff called for "a prompt and strong response" against North Vietnam. Ambassador Maxwell Taylor called for a more limited response, but also advocated bombing in retaliation. President Lyndon Johnson, concerned with the presidential election that was only 48 hours away, decided to do nothing except order the immediate replacement of destroyed and damaged planes.