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Aim high
like the sequoias --
aspire to
our most wild dipthong,
one solitary
sooty grouse
Undergrowth in Sequoia sempervirens forest, Muir Woods National Monument: photographer unknown, 2005 (U.S. National Park Service)
Thanks for reminding us to give a hoot!
Many thanks, Vassilis and Nin.
Though this is a city and there is a freeway feeder out front down which continuous commuter traffic rushes in a manic homicidal flood, we live in the shade of three enormous redwoods. The redwoods mean life. The largest redwood is a hundred feet high and towers over this crumbling old house. It was born as a potted plant won as a prize at the San Francisco International Exposition of 1906 by a woman who owned this hillside then. It is an ecology in and of itself; it is home to many and various critters, raccoons, squirrels, and bugs of all sorts. Its root system is as broad in diameter as its great russet trunk is tall. These water-seeking subterranean roots grow to the size of a man's thigh; they are pumping in the water that nourishes the redwood world. The tree sends out tiny intelligent tendrils which radiate through the earth until they find moisture to feed the system. Back in the day when I was capable of physical activity, I got to know those roots very well, because the tendrils inveigled themselves into our drainpipes, working industriously down there in the dark, which forced us to dig great laborious holes into the hard ground. I learned then that Sequoia sempervirens is a being of not only majestic beauty and grandeur of stature, but of tremendous capacity for transforming the immediate environment into nutrients that sustain life of an order of complexity beyond anything we could ever aspire to. Living under these trees has its problems, the great branches defy such dwarfish obstacles as power lines and the accumulation of debris is terrific, last week big offshore winds brought down a rain of needles which clogged the drains... and at the moment as I type these words an intense downpour generated by the first serious storm of the season is causing the saturated and happy boughs to droop and drip with joy.
In short, they too extend their thanks. They're having a good day. A rainforest wants nothing more than to be rainforest.
those Sequpoa reminds me of our alerce woods...wonderful pics ...beautiful words!
The message left no question
about how to proceed--
it is rainforest duty to go
out into the elements
see what is happening
with the Beats
and their like
their wrapped-up days
making it through the storm
roots as large
as a man's thigh.
Basho could never work in the word "diphthong." Bravo.
Message from Tom Clark
dwarfish obstacles
reach for highest
beyond reach
but keep the drains clear
while sending out
"tiny intelligent tendrils which radiate through the earth "
happy, saturated phonetics
drip abundant
sheltered by
rainy sequoias
that stand around
not to miss out
on all the action.
those giant trees something to see !
In 1974 I traveled up the coast on the way to Eugene,
Portland and Vancouver & camped out under those trees...
some friends who where going to I think it was REED
or maybe Rogue River Community College
where going up to the top of some of those tree they were studying the life-forms (bugs and such) that lived
(and relatives of them I guess yet do)
there were life forms there that never left the tops of those trees and nothing like them on the ground.
It was really neat to lay beneath those trees and look up
and see them gently swaying in a breeze...
the shadows the filtered light through those trees that reached the ground : PURE MAGIC !
I think that I
shall NEVER see
a poem as lovely
as a tree
(or a photo as lovely as being with one / those
and/or the smells !
"our most wild dipthong"
I'm imagining some glissando hid in the heights of language.
"roosting/sooty grouse/hoots"
Such subtle vowel shifts calling out.
Sunken nurse logs
wait for the others
to fall on down
to the bed of needles.
Task: repair the earth
report to the Department of Air
increment by increment
over and over. The poet
shows us this.
Echo lonely
from a small bird
dark damp
thankful for mist
draping like sheets
past the old burn
covering all sound.
Clark's Fog
drifts past lichen-covered branches
gripped by grouse
torn by bears
made heavy with rain
the routine
silent patter rhythm
everything shaking
green tongues
Thanks to all for sharing our sodden undergrowth.
It's been teeming all night again here in the micro-climate, perfect weather for chronic bronchitis, cough cough!
made heavy with rain
the routine
silent patter rhythm
everything shaking
green tongues
The old grouse has been grousing and shaking with sooty green tongue beneath the feverish coverlets yay all through the day into the night, the silence punctuated only by intermittent coughing, a few unbearable radio-in-the-dark moments of The Debate (our would-be Next Leader, the sacred underwear guy, reassuring us "we've got Israel's back, culturally" -- now there's a relief, cough cough!), and then, through the rain, our neighbour, out beneath the redwood, calling one of his cats that had got off somewhere to shelter from the deluge...
Rainforest microclimates are wonderful, if you're a Sequoia sempervirens.
Welcome to my neighborhood. They're really 'just' giant prehistoric ferns. But your post had me leafing through On Bear's Head for this:
Amazing creatures, I was delighted
to visit them, to watch them,
languid waving those green feather frond scales
they aren't too far from being ferns
These giants make me laugh, they are young and fragile
upwards of 2000 years old, I worry about them, will they survive?
Here are more of them than I had hoped
But the odds against them are huge as themselves.


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If a company not established in Poland is providing 'taxable supplies' of goods or services in Poland, it may have to obtain a non-resident VAT registration. In accordance with the EU VAT Directive, foreign traders are legally obligated to register for VAT in certain circumstances in order to report taxable transactions and declare VAT that must be charged.
It is important that all businesses with any commercial activity in Poland assess their compliance obligations and register prior to commencing taxable transactions if applicable.
There are various scenarios that would trigger an obligation to register for VAT in Poland. Some of the most common examples are:
If you are currently, or plan to conduct any of the above (or similar) transactions in Poland, you should contact us immediately for a complimentary consultation.

subset: commoncrawl


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It's been awhile and this summer cake is just waiting to be posted. This is a simple and tasty way of serving up your superfood blueberries. Superbly complimented by that cream cheese-sour cream combination topping for the icing. Lovely eaten with hot or cold tea. Sorry I couldn't remember where I got this recipe but I will surely do the attribution once I find my missing notes.
Blueberry Cake
175 g butter - room temperature
175 g caster sugar
225 g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
3 eggs
1/4 cup sour cream
375 g fresh blueberries
* Frosting:
200 g cream cheese - room temperature
100 g icing sugar - sifted
3 Tbsp sour cream
- Preheat oven to 180°C/fan 160°C/350°F. Grease and line an 8-inch/20cm round cake pan.
- Mix the dry ingredients - flour and baking powder and set aside.
- Cream butter and caster sugar in a bowl.
- Add eggs one at a time and beat well after each addition.
- Add in the sour cream and beat until combined.
- Using a wooden spoon fold the dry ingredients in the batter.
- Then fold in the fresh blueberries.
- Pour in the prepared pan and bake for about 50 minutes or until a stick poked in the middle comes out clean.
- Cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes. Remove and cool completely on a rack.
- Spread frosting on top and sides.
- While the cake is baking, beat the cream cheese, sour cream and icing sugar together until well combined.


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ygieia Biological Laboratories was started in 1991 by biologist James Wallis as a research and development laboratory for the investigation of animal diseases and development of new vaccines using novel technology. Since the start up of the laboratory, Hygieia has made significant advances in the research and manufacture of a multitude of production and companion animal pharmaceuticals.
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Living in the Bible Belt guarantees that each holiday season there will be a gazillion opportunities to attend "Arts and Crafts Bazaars" at a local church on any given Saturday between Halloween and Christmas. Few of these fairs are juried by committees with discerning eyes for fine craft. So by this time in November, local folks may get pretty tired of seeing yet another onesie proclaiming that it's wearer is "Cute as a Button" or thin socks made in China, or wreaths and jewelry assembled from kits that were assembled in China. Not that there's anything wrong with that. But for those who expect a unique and finely made craft object produced by a maker who considers himself/herself a professional artist, and who produces his/her art locally, there is relief in sight.
In recent years, the craft holiday market in Memphis has been growing to include high end craft items created by local artists who have been doing this kind of work for years. Previously, many have found greater success in selling their work outside of the area where the market for good quality craft products command more respect and in turn a higher price. For years, the high end holiday shows in this region have been commandeered by the fine art market, which locally is very fine indeed. However, little room was left for the many glass artists, wood workers, fiber artists, metalsmiths, printmakers and clay artists who live and work in the Memphis area.
This holiday season, there will be two shows that are fairly new to Memphis (this will be the second year for both shows) that will showcase the fine crafts of local artists. And of course everything will be available for sale at very reasonable prices. And yes, my handwoven scarves and my handbound books will be at both shows. If you are in the Memphis area or plan to visit, please stop by. WinterArts will be open daily until December 24 and the Brooks Museum Artists Market will be a one day event on December 5. The Museum will be planning many special events on that day for shoppers and museum goers including a special holiday luncheon at their renowned "Brushmark" Restaurant. I hope to meet many of you there! More information is posted below.
WinterArts – Affordable Gifts by Local Artists. The Shops of Saddle Creek South, West Street at Poplar Avenue, Germantown, TN 38138. Opening Reception is Friday, November 26, 2010, 5:30 – 9 PM. Open daily from November 27 to December 24. Works in glass, clay, wood, metal, fiber, jewelry, photography and paintings.
Brooks Museum Artists Market at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar Avenue, Memphis, TN 38104. Sunday, December 5, 2010 from 11 AM – 5 PM. Holiday bazaar presented by the Brooks Museum Gift Shop and representing local artists who also sell their work year round in the gift shop. Artists who will be there work in clay, wood, metal, jewelry, paper and fiber.
Filed under: book arts, Fiber, Handwoven, Memphis | Tagged: Brooks Museum Artists Market, Christmas, Germantown, high end crafts, holiday shopping, holiday show and sale, MACA, Memphis, TN, WinterArts | Leave a comment »


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Seriously, could you not go three fucking months without wanting to put another damn festive conversion kit on your Honda? This past Christmas when the reindeer conversion kit was released I was convinced that nobody would actually buy one, but low and behold every SUV-driving soccer mom was rocking it around the Dallas metroplex and now I am all but sure this April will be filled with Easter bunny SUVs. And if you really wanted to know, this kit includes a fuzzy tail, as well.
Speaking of which, I saw a Lexus with the reindeer nose still on, but no antlers at the end of January outside of my favorite happy hour hangout and part of me wanted to rip the nose off and part of me wanted to cry, but I did neither and just drank until I forgot, like usual. [Whatonearth via Popgadget]


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Underreported News, a Risk to Public Health and Savings without Sacrificing Service
Plus: a guide for successful collaboration and more management news
"Our focus for the past 42 years has been on trying to get out from under the federal court orders," Jackie Graham, Alabama's state personnel director told us earlier this month.
And now, here's the good news, which received surprisingly little -- if any -- attention in the press, despite its huge significance for the state: As of Nov. 30, the 1970 court order that required Alabama to address its problems with racial discrimination has been dropped for the whole state with the exception of two of its environmental agencies. According to court documents, those agencies will have the court order dropped automatically in two years.
This didn't come easy, but the state's efforts have sure paid off. When the federal suit was first brought in 1968, less than one percent of the state's workforce was black. As of 2011, some 41 percent of the workforce is.
"We are proud of how far the state has come," said Graham, who seems absolutely delighted at the amount of staff time -- much of it used on "busy work" -- that will be saved.
Here's something that annoys us. We may be more focused than others on items like the preceding, but it surprised us that we found so little in the press about the lifting of a decades-old federal court order in Alabama. Our impression was confirmed by the state's personnel director. Not that this event necessarily merited front-page national coverage, but you could be a careful reader of the press and never know it happened.
This appears in our free Management newsletter. Not already a subscriber? Click here.
In writing about budgetary management, we're always very careful not to bemoan specific cuts. There are too many value judgments involved in decisions about what a government should be providing its citizens, but now we're breaking that general self-imposed restriction. We agree entirely with a recent piece published in Kaiser Health News. Here are a couple of paragraphs:
"One aspect of moderating health expenditures -- and the only category showing outright decline -- could cost more than it saves. Hit by recession and tight budgets, spending on public health by federal, state and local governments fell in 2011 for the first time since analysts started tracking the numbers in 1960."
Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, cautions: "Public health is adaptable, but the resource reductions now have been so substantial that it truly does put the public's health at risk. I'm usually a little reluctant to say that, but we're at that point."
"Good players don't forecast the future, but adapt to it." -- the Farnam Street blog.
The Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel recently fretted about that city's decision to make its biggest no-bid contract in history. The $8.7 million deal for software was signed in November with a California company. In fairness, there's no reason to believe that this wasn't the best deal available to the city, but this is an awful lot of money to go through a no-bid process. At the state level, any contract over $250,000 is required to be put out to bid.
In any event, the Sentinel's argument makes a lot of sense: "Only a bidding process would have confirmed that [the] software was the best deal -- the right combination of quality and price -- for Orlando. … taxpayers deserve more due diligence from public officials. That's why governments routinely solicit bids from vendors, and employ staff to evaluate them, before awarding contracts."
On a similar front in Florida, we just came across a fascinating dichotomy in the state's transparency laws, thanks to The Miami Herald. Apparently, the state's strict contracting laws apply only to the executive branch -- and not the Legislature.
According to the newspaper, "There are nearly 33,400 contracts listed on the chief financial officer's website with data on who gets paid for them and how much each vendor collects from taxpayers. The Legislature does not list any of its contracts on the public site."
Makes you wonder...
"Many of the problems and opportunities confronting local areas don't respect city or county lines," write the authors of a new National League of Cities (NLC) publication called "Getting Things Done Together." "In this situation, solving problems and seizing opportunities require people, organizations, and government entities to work together across sectors and jurisdictional boundaries to get things done."
There's a solid and well-accepted case to be made for that statement, but the gap between the vision and actual implementation can be as big as the Grand Canyon. That's why we encourage managers interested in regionalization to take a look at the NLC report, which is essentially a workbook that provides counsel and clear guidance. According to Bill Barnes, NLC's director of emerging issues, the reaction to the workbook "has been quite positive." No surprise there.
Savings without sacrificing service? It's not easy for cities and counties to do, but the Urban Institute is publishing a series of three reports that identify cost-savings based on actual government experiences that do not sacrifice service quality. Sound good?
Well, we can tell you that the first report -- which focuses on savings that police departments have made by reducing their responses to house or business alarms that turn out not to be caused by criminal activity -- is riveting. One example of the potential here is Montgomery County, Md., which the report estimates "is saving about $6 million a year using a set of approaches that reduced police responses to false alarms by 60 percent." Seattle had similar success, and the city is saving about $1.7 million a year. Salt Lake City, meanwhile, instituted a far more rigorous vetting process to filter out false alarms and reduced police responses to them by a remarkable 95 percent.
Some of the approaches discussed and analyzed in the report include licensing and registration of alarm companies and users; vetting of alarm companies before notifying the police; fining for false alarms; requiring more sophisticated alarm system technology; and offering user education.
Can anyone help us understand the epidemic of the use of the word "iconic"? It seems like any big building or celebrity is now "iconic" -- but that's not really what caught our interest. We've noticed that the media is describing almost every big American city as iconic. We looked the word up, and it seems to mean something that represents a particular idea, and we can't really think of a big city that doesn't do that.
We invite you to discuss and comment on this article using social media.


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Eric Banh's delicious take on Vietnamese-inspired food has made him a favorite since he first opened Monsoon thirteen whopping years ago (feel old reading that?). He's since expanded with an Eastside Monsoon and with a couple of Baguette Box sandwich shops.
Now he's tackling noodles. At Ba Bar (ba means father in Vietnamese; he's dedicating the place to his father who passed away a couple of years ago), Banh is thinking congee in the morning, with donuts and choux pastry puffs filled with pork. Then later he'll do a more noodle-centric menu, with his takes on five-spice duck noodle soup, and he'll even serve his stunning oxtail pho (which I've tasted at Monsoon East; it's on the lunch menu there, and it's worth a trip to Bellevue to taste it). Expect the opening in April, and of course I'll be following this closely, so check back.
We're all in love with pie all of the sudden, and our mobile food cravings haven't waned, but Max Kraushaar is taking all of this to another level. Thanks to Cakespy, we now know Kraushaar, aka Mr. Piecycle, will deliver his homemade pies to us on his bike! That is, if you happen live near the U-District or Wallingford. All you have to do is text him your order and he'll bike a butter-crust pie ($20, usually two flavors are offered, one of which is vegan) to you. That's cheap, folks; I hope you tip him well.


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Is it possible to convert an epu4992m to make it 16 ch instead of 14.
It's kind of a sticking point as to me wanting to get one.
I see the G series will do 16 chs
epu4992m convert to 16 ch?
This forum is created for the discussion of Bendix King Radios.
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Adventure Games - Page 1
Welcome to Growtopia, the world's most creative free to playsandbox! Growtopia is a popular MMO game where everyone is a hero!Play together with wizards, doctors, star explorers andsuperheroes! Discover thousands of unique items and build your ownworlds! JOIN OUR ENORMOUS COMMUNITY! Millions of players arewaiting for you to join and have fun! YOU CAN BUILD ANYTHING!Castles, dungeons, space stations, skyscrapers, artwork, puzzles -even your favorite movie scenes! CREATE YOUR UNIQUE CHARACTER!Become literally anyone! From space knight with a lightsaber to anoble queen with your own dragon! PLAY THOUSANDS OF MINI GAMES! Allgenerated by other players! From parkour and races to PVP battlesand ghost hunting! CRAFT AND TRADE! Craft new items and trade themto other players! MONTHLY UPDATES! We do our best to entertain youwith exciting monthly updates with new items and events! EXPLORECOUNTLESS UNIQUE PIXEL WORLDS! Enter any of them and explore withyour friends! Adventures await! CROSS PLATFORM! Play with yourfriends anywhere – on smartphones, tablets or using the desktopclient, - the progress is shared! Subscribe to our official YouTubechannel for giveaways, useful tutorials and funny videos -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFTBaDHB4_Y8eFa8YssSMQ BE AWARE!This is an online game about collecting items – make sure to keepthem safe ** Note: This is a freemium game that has optional In-AppPurchases! ** Note: In-App Purchase, Chat, and Tapjoy Offer Walloptions can be disabled in a Personal Controls area in the Optionsmenu. Didn't get your gems or having a problem? Check out oursupport FAQ at www.growtopiagame.com/faq !
Treasure Diving
Batten down the hatches! We're diving into the challenging seaadventure! Be careful! You will find many obstacles on the way:greedy pirates and sweet-voiced sirens, the bloodthirsty Kraken anda cunning witch. You'll see sunken ancient cities and galleons withholds full of gold. Pimp your submarine and set off on a journey.Incredible adventures and greatest discoveries are waiting for you.Enjoying fantastic sea views, don't forget about the purpose ofyour trip: explore new locations, find a book of magical recipes,gather together all the parts of the old map and save Captain Jackfrom the terrible curse. Feel like a fearless explorer of the seadepths! Game features: - Awesome colorful graphics - Variedgameplay experiences - Hundreds of exciting expeditions to complete- Hundreds of unique artifacts to discover - Hundreds of exoticmarine inhabitants - Over 50 different buildings to build - Endlesssandbox gameplay We'd be happy to answer any of your questions orhear suggestions. Please email us at contact info:[email protected] You may need to download nearly150MB when you first start the game.
How to Draw Ever After School
Do you love to draw? Do you think that it takes a long time tolearn? We bring you the exclusive application. You can draw AppleWhite, Raven Queen, Madeline Hatter, following a clear and detailedinstructions.How to Draw EAH Characters created by the programmers incollaboration with the best artists in this area, who have not onlythe visual flair and skill, but can also explain complicated thingseasy and accessible. Basic step by step instructions are designedto teach creating unique pictures (fits even for the mostdiffidence users!).Many people think that painting is too tricky to begin studyingit. Via Drawing Lessons Ever Dolls After High at the very firstlesson you will understand how easy to draw with step-by-steptutorials. The whole collection is based on detailedinstructions.Who will be really fascinated by Drawing Tutorials app?It raises a lot of delight among adults and children. Draw Game isideal for the development of child's visual skills. Kids can playwith the parents supervision or by their own. This is a greatalternative to the shooters. It also develops the ability to followinstructions, attention, visual and tactile memory.Teachers will be able to use the method of tuition for theirlessons, which is applied in this App. Drawing themes are selectedso that everyone can draw them according to the received practiceskills.You can use the application with the whole family at leisure orwith children during the trip. It will also be fun and interestingto do for the small group of friends.A wide selection of pictures and their instructions is maindistinguishing feature from the other mobile drawing apps. We areoffering pictures of the different subjects.How to use the application?After installing Draw and Coloring Ever After High Dolls on yourgadget, you'll need to choose an interesting pattern for yourself.Then just repeat the instructions step-by-step. So the image willbe created gradually. You can draw anywhere and on anything: on theschool board, paper, window glass and even on the wall.Key benefits:• The program is clear and accessible even for the youngestusers.• The app is free to install.• You can draw directly on the screen (on top of the deviceinstructions). You just need to repeat the instructions on yourgadget.• A convenient system of definition of complexity for eachindividual picture - "easy", "normal" or "hard".• Each instruction consists of 10-30 steps. Their number depends onthe difficulty of the drawing.• You can skip steps or return to the already fulfilled and to drawin your own pace.• The Bank of pictures is enormous. There are drawings for childrenand adults like Mizuki Hime, C.A.Cupid, Cerise Hood and evenmore• There is a mode to zoom in and out.You can start painting right now!
Naru Adventure
DescriptionThis is the ultimate run game, and unlike the other free run games,this one is more traps and monster,world selection and charactersystem and super addictive.Our character is inspired from great ninja from the konohabecausewe all love that ,shinobi from hidden leaf village.In the first play, You will use basic character, After that youwill receive coin from each side to play in the world. And you canbuy new characters who are more abilitySuch neji hinata sasuke,and you can use coin to upgrade specialpower in upgrade menu.How to playTouch on your touch screen device for control your characterjump.You can jump most twice before falling to the ground and began tojump again.Main Features- High Quality Graphics- 6 worlds (36 total levels)- 6 total background sound.- More than 45 different traps and monsters.- Save point in the medium of level.- Each world has an endless runner mode (6 total endless runnerlevels)- You can run endless runner levels in Infinity Level (WorldSelection).- 5 amazing powers and effects,you can buy powers and upgrade themby coins.- 15 characters for buy from Character selection.
Brian the Ball VR Demo
Brian the Ball is a VR adventure that takesadvantage of Head Mounted Unit technology. Grab a Google Cardboardor a Durovis Dive headset and enjoy this game!No controller needed! Just your phone, your google cardboard (orother vr headset) and your wobbly bobbly head! I would recommendsitting in a swivel chair while playing, or standing somewherewhere you can turn around freely.This game is developed by me in my spare time and I hope toexpand the game to many more levels! At the moment, the game isquite short but your donation helps to fund the design of morelevels and more adventure!If you would like to donate to the project, please check out thekickstarter page!https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1475887958/brian-the-ball-0I do hope you enjoy playing this game as much as I enjoy makingit and I hope you will stick around to take Brian on moreadventures.In the first chapter, we meet Brian. Brian starts off on aroutine journey through the forest to get back to his village. Butthe trail is perilous and full of danger!In the upcoming chapter of Brian the Ball, Brian discovers hisvillage has been decimated by a forest fire. Brian will have to beextra careful navigating through tricky terrain and avoidingdangers at every turn. He will have to outrun a huge forest fire ina thrilling scene to cap off the chapter!The launch of the first 3 chapters of the game is scheduled forlate January of this year with more levels to be addedcontinuously!
Welcome to Growtopia, the world's most creative free to playsandbox! Growtopia is a popular MMO game where everyone is a hero!Play together with wizards, doctors, star explorers andsuperheroes! Discover thousands of unique items and build your ownworlds! JOIN OUR ENORMOUS COMMUNITY! Millions of players arewaiting for you to join and have fun! YOU CAN BUILD ANYTHING!Castles, dungeons, space stations, skyscrapers, artwork, puzzles -even your favorite movie scenes! CREATE YOUR UNIQUE CHARACTER!Become literally anyone! From space knight with a lightsaber to anoble queen with your own dragon! PLAY THOUSANDS OF MINI GAMES! Allgenerated by other players! From parkour and races to PVP battlesand ghost hunting! CRAFT AND TRADE! Craft new items and trade themto other players! MONTHLY UPDATES! We do our best to entertain youwith exciting monthly updates with new items and events! EXPLORECOUNTLESS UNIQUE PIXEL WORLDS! Enter any of them and explore withyour friends! Adventures await! CROSS PLATFORM! Play with yourfriends anywhere – on smartphones, tablets or using the desktopclient, - the progress is shared! Subscribe to our official YouTubechannel for giveaways, useful tutorials and funny videos -https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNFTBaDHB4_Y8eFa8YssSMQ BE AWARE!This is an online game about collecting items – make sure to keepthem safe ** Note: This is a freemium game that has optional In-AppPurchases! ** Note: In-App Purchase, Chat, and Tapjoy Offer Walloptions can be disabled in a Personal Controls area in the Optionsmenu. Didn't get your gems or having a problem? Check out oursupport FAQ at www.growtopiagame.com/faq !
Age of wind 3
Battle pirates from all over the world in the most epic Multiplayerbattle game ever!!! Live the ruthless life of a battleship pirate:Sail the seven seas and complete quests, roam the tropical bays,trade exotic goods and use them to create devastating super coolweapons. Improve your skills and control over your battleships,raid cities and merchant ships, steal their gold and battle otherpirates online to become the greatest pirate of all!Specialfeatures:*Multiplayer battles: against random pirates online or aFacebook friend*Co-op Survival mode *Pirate tavern mini games:knife game or dice *Huge game map with more than 35 ports and bays*New special weapons, abilities and upgrades*Magnificent battleships and crazy achievementsFollow Deemedya on Facebook at:http://www.facebook.com/Deemedyafollow Age of Wind 3 on Facebookat:https://www.facebook.com/ageofwind3Visit our official siteat:http://www.deemedya.comDeemedya's YouTubechannel:https://www.youtube.com/user/DeemedyaMSFollow up onTweeter:https://twitter.com/DeemedyaFor support feedback andsuggestions: [email protected]
MineChat Lite
Overview: Connect to online Minecraft servers on your mobiledevice. You can chat and send commands just as if you are using theMinecraft client. Send commands just as you do while playingMinecraft (/r, /ban, /kick etc). Features: - Alerts! You can addwords or phrases that you want to highlight and make a sound. Forinstance add your user name or a list of banned words. When a chatmessage comes across that matches, it will highlight and ding! -Connect to "Online" and "Offline" Minecraft servers - SupportsMinecraft 1.4.6 and higher. - Automatically spawn on connect. -Hide server messages (Join and Left messages). - Messagesautomatically scroll. If you manually scroll up the auto scrollingwill stop so you can read previous messages. To re-enable autoscrolling, simply scroll to the bottom of the messages and it willscroll automatically again. Notes: - MineChat does not work withservers that require client modification such as Tekkit. - MineChatwill work over 3G/4G, but eats up a good bit of data and can runslow depending on your connection. So it is recommended you are onWI-fi when in using MineChat. - MineChat does not support ForgeModloader servers. - MineChat sends a spawn command automaticallyupon connection to help prevent your character from getting killedwhile using the app. However, not all servers support the spawncommand or have delay before teleporting you which leaves yourcharacter vulnerable during that time period. Be sure you are awarehow your server handles spawning. Security: MineChat does not sendany credentials or information of any kind to any third partyservers. The only information transmitted is directly to Minecraftservers. It uses the exact same login method as the Minecraft gameuses. It transmits login credentials over SSL and uses encryptionwhile transmitting game data. For additional information or issueswhen connecting, please contact us directly as we cannot respond toApp Store reviews. Contact: Use the Email button in the Settingstab for help or suggestions.
Krishna Run: Adventure Runner
-------* Krishna Run was nominated in Indie Game of the year category atNASSCOM Game Developer Conference, 2014.* Krishna Run was ranked in top 100 Free Games (Rank 72) - GooglePlay India - November 2016* Reviewed and Recommended by BAAP APPS: Graphics of game are good.The visualization of Gokul, Mathura and Vrindavan are done prettywell.* We were an official game partner for Baal Krishna seriesBroadcasted on Big Magic channel (in India)-------Download this free and best Krishna Game yet 'Krishna Run' as itredefines action & adventure mobile game. Jump, slide, dodgeobstacles and shoot enemies in your way to kill Kansa. Collect gemsand perform all moral tasks for a high score with three peacockfeathers.Enjoy the adventure run through exotic locations in this actionpacked auto-runner platformer game.You are little cute Krishna, the runner & shooter who fightsand kills all the bosses in his way. While dodging obstacles, don'tforget to restore Krishna's energy with delicious butter.Strategize your jumps for different cliff distances to saveyourself from deadly pit.Lets see how fast you can kill 9 bosses.Introduce this 3D krishna game to your children & kids.Download it now for FREE and have fun!!Control:Swipe Up on right to jump.Swipe Down on right to slide.Tap on left to fire.Collect gems, shoot all the enemies and do moral tasks to earn 3peacock feathers.Game Features:Play 36 exciting & adventure levels and fight 9 bosses who weresent by evil king Kaans to defeat Krishna.Enjoy the best 3D effects & graphics in this free game.Shoot to kill enemies & complete all Moral tasks to defeat thebosses.Use the Baal Krishna Makkhan Pot when in need of extraenergy!In this Platformer game dodge obstacles by either jumping over orsliding under them.Compete all levels with friends & kids for moreachievements!Connect with usIf you liked our game or think there could be more improvementsthen please do review the game OR Connect with us on:•Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/KrishnaRungame•Twitter: https://twitter.com/krishna_run•Website: http://www.cympl.in/•Email: [email protected]
勇者法則 Online:經典動作冒險遊戲
黑暗迷霧再次籠罩勇者大陸,劍與魔法的戰鬥再次開啟...前作《勇者法則Online》IOS全球超過250萬下載,Android百萬下載,獲得百萬玩家一致肯定,正宗冒險格鬥續作,今夏強勢登場!勇者們,絕對讓你愛上《勇者法則Online》的六大特性!★日式冒險風格★日式卡通畫風,劍與魔法等中古魔幻元素,精美的人物設計、豐富細緻的劇情場景及200種以上獨特怪物等你挑戰!重溫經典日式冒險RPG的感動!★流暢觸控打擊★以自由操作遊戲角色進行即時戰鬥,移動、跳躍、技能突襲,超爽閃避連擊,更多的操控,不再只是無腦點擊,這才叫玩遊戲!★華麗戰鬥特效★超震撼戰鬥畫面,強烈的觸控點擊感,不管是發動華麗魔法,還是酷炫的技能招式,讓你招招體驗到真正發動技能的爽快感,絕對欲罷不能的視覺享受!★人氣英雄登場★故事開端英雄霸氣登場,週週迎接人氣新星的誕生!每個角色擁有多套炫酷的裝備自由換裝,多達1000+以上獨特外型,遊戲世界不再到處撞臉啦!★自由組織隊伍★不同職業不同操作,每個角色都各有所長,勝利女神是否向你靠攏,端看你如何組織你的黃金隊伍,成敗完全操之在手!★多元豐富內容★競技場、組織軍團、特殊關卡,贏得勇者的殊榮!天天簽到、每日任務及成就達成的豐富獎勵,讓你領到手抽筋!遊戲節奏明確暢快,絕對是手機遊戲首選!多人即時線上,和全球玩家一起追尋上古勇者的榮光,在勇者之殿刻下自己的名字,創造屬於自己的歷史!勇者冒險就此展開!官方網站:http://brave.kingnet.com/官方粉絲團:https://www.facebook.com/brave.kingnet官方討論區:http://bbs.kingnet.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=302※如您遇到遊戲問題,有些情況無法詳細說明,您可以通過添加勇者官方Line「kingnet-gm」,來與我們聯繫。Dark brave fog envelopedthe continent again, sword fighting and magic once again open...Before the "brave law Online" IOS more than 2.5 million downloadsworldwide, Android million downloads,Access to millions of players unanimously affirmed, authenticfighting adventure sequel, a strong debut this summer!Brave, never let you fall in love with "Brave law Online" sixfeatures!Japanese-style adventure ★ ★And other Japanese cartoon style, medieval sword and sorceryfantasy elements, character design beautiful, rich and detailedstory scenes and more than 200 unique monsters waiting for you tochallenge! Revisit the classic Japanese RPG adventure touched!★ ★ smooth touch blowPlaying the role of a free real-time combat operations, moving,jumping, skills raid, super cool dodge combos, more control, nolonger just click on the brain, which can be called to play thegame!★ ★ gorgeous fighting effectsStunning battle screen, click on the strong sense of touch, whetherit is to launch gorgeous magic, skills or cool moves, so youexperience the real launch mouths skills refreshment, absolutelyunable to stop the visual enjoyment!★ ★ popular hero debutThe story began heroes domineering debut, week in and week greetedthe birth of popular star! Each character has several sets of coolequipment free Dressup, up to 1000 + more unique appearance, thegame world is no longer hit everywhere face it!★ ★ free to organize teamDifferent operations in different occupations, each characterstrengths, whether you move closer to the goddess of victory, theend to see how you organize your gold team, success is entirely upto the hand!★ ★ diverse and rich contentArena, the organization Corps, special hurdles, winning honors thebrave! Daily attendance, rich reward daily tasks and achievementsreached so that you receive your hand cramps! Clear rhythm game funis definitely the preferred mobile game!Instant online multiplayer, and global players to pursue theglory of ancient brave, brave in the temple carved their names, tocreate their own history! Brave adventure embarked!Official Website: http://brave.kingnet.com/The official fan group: https://www.facebook.com/brave.kingnetOfficial Forums: http://bbs.kingnet.com/forum.php?mod=forumdisplay&fid=302※ If you encounter game problem, some cases can not be explained indetail, you can add brave Official Line "kingnet-gm" to contactus.
Sniper Deer Hunt 2015
After completing the challenge of Deer hunting at mountainousgrassy landscapes, you have now moved on to the deep Africa junglefor a new adventure. Being a brave heart hunter, you have decidedto hunt live Deer in the real jungle.Walking off the road, you reached middle of the jungle nearflowing river / lake. No one would have seen such a fabulous scenewith a naked eye that you observe here. It is afternoon, the sky iscovered by dark clouds, all forest creatures are at their peakamusement and you have found a lot of Deers running fast here andthere. Yellow flowers indicate that the spring season is on itspeak. There are no wild animals, so deer are feeling free andsearching for their food i.e. grass etc. So finally you have gothot hunting opportunity in a cool climate.It is difficult task to chase and hit Deer running at fast speedand hiding itself behind the trees or in the bushes. However, youhave the best Sniper Shooting gun in your hands. Being an expertshooter, shoot the Deer and, let's see if you can achieve theobjective and come across all the stages of this new game.So download free today this non stop fun game, kill every deerto fill your hunting appetite in a real 3D environment of jungle,around beautiful lake.★ Game Salient Features ★• Amazing HD graphics.• Free to play, FPS simulator game with easy GUI.• Natural Jungle Environment with Lake, Trees and lush green bushes& flowers.• Beautiful 3D Deer to hunt.• Realistic Sniper Shooting Gun with zoom option.• 08 levels to give you ultimate hunting practice.• Addictive and loving game play.★ How to Play ★• Choose the level to play, hunt all to unlock next.• Navigate in jungle around the Lake by swiping on left of yourphone.• Select the running Deer to target.• Take zoom shoot at the selected target with Sniper gun.• Press the hit button as target comes into the range.
Zombie Escape
Dash as fast as you can! Dodge the incoming zombies! Zombie Escapeis the most exhilarating and #1 stylish infinite runner on GooglePlay.With crisp swipe controls, completely unpredictable courses,and an incredible sense of speed, Zombie Escape ranks among thebest the season has to offer. Play as a little boy or girl as youdash, jump and spin your way across stunning 3D environments inorder to get rid of the walking dead. You can not only dodge thezombies but also eliminate them using tiny knife!Game Features:-Easy and fun to play, but a challenge to fully master.- Fourdifferent characters and two detailed environments- Stunning 3Dgraphics and smooth controls- Face legendary zombies and monsters
Jimmy's Snow Runner
Jimmy's Snow Runner is an amazing endless runner side scrollingadventure game.Launch off an enormous jump, land nicely or crashyour way through well designed paper world. Your reflexes will meanthe difference between surviving or crashing in spectacularfashion.★Touch and drag to paint snow hills for Jimmy★Endlessrunner side scrolling game ★Test your agility and beat your highscore★Collect coins and unlock adorable outfits★Upgrade yourspecial equipment★How far can you go ?
Infinity Space
Infinity Space is a game which reflects the incredible history ofmankind to face the unknown. You will go into space in search ofexpanding humanity's achievements.Visit planets never before seen by human!Reach the longest distance that has been visited in theuniverse!Improve your spaceship to make new achievements!Escape the dangers of the universe: meteorites, solar rays,meteorites belts, black holes, enormous planets with incrediblegravity.Key Features:- Explore universe in all directions ( not only one like otherrunners )- The universe is alive, it's in constant rotation besides havinggravity.- Discover new planets for the glory of mankind.- Incredible space ships inspired in the greatest famousships.- Upgrades your space ship for reach new goals.- The ship has amazing skills like a radar for detection ofplanets, shields and turbo effects.- 24 Amazing missions.
Gear Jack Black Hole
Gear Jack is back, in an all new endless adventure with beautifullystylized graphics! Jack is trapped inside the Black Hole, and he'srunning to save his life. He will have to travel through time andspace to take on lethal alien enemies, crazy traps, and more! Tomake things worse, his ship, the W.Hale was absorbed by the BlackHole too. and now all kinds of mechanical traps are floating aroundin the Black Hole! Features: Addicting Endless Runner. BeautifulAnd Unique Visual Style. 6 Worlds (Japan, Iceland, Jungle, Volcanicand Desert, Engine Room) and more coming! Power Ups and Mini Games.Sneak Around to avoid waking up the alien monsters! Talents andCustomizations. Tons of Missions! Leaderboards and Achievements.Social! Share your gameplay replays and your results!Optimized forIntel x86 mobile devices!Follow us for the latest info and gamenews!• http://crescentmoongames.com/other-games/•https://facebook.com/crescentmoongames•https://twitter.com/cm_games
9 Clues: The Secret of Serpent Creek
Save your best friend and an entire 1950s town from a terrifyingthreat! Your dearest friend, the journalist Helen Hunter, traveledto the coastal town of Serpent Creek to report on the SerpentFestival. Now she's missing, and the last phone call she made wasto you. As a paranormal private investigator, Helen wanted you toweigh in on some frightening things she'd discovered. She asked youto come immediately. The first thing you see upon arriving inSerpent Creek is a humanoid, snake-like creature. Clearly, Helen'sfears were not groundless. It seems the town's streets are crawlingwith snakes, the ground shakes with violent tremors, people aresleepwalking and, to make matters worse, no one remembers a blondejournalist. Investigate mysterious locations and solve challengingpuzzles to piece together clues about what happened to Helen.Reveal the evil that clutches this crippled town and stop anefarious plot to bring the Snake God back to our world! TRY ITFREE, THEN UNLOCK THE FULL ADVENTURE FROM WITHIN THE GAME! ● 53eerie locations ● 13 clever puzzles and mini-games ● Six strangecharacters ● 19 achievements to unlock ● Thrilling story set in1950s America______________________________ Game available in:English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean,Polish, Brazilian Portuguese, Portuguese, Russian,Spanish______________________________ COMPATIBILITY NOTES: Thisgame performs best on high-end smartphones andtablets.______________________________ ***Sign up now for a weeklyround-up of the best from G5 Games!www.g5e.com/e-mail***______________________________ G5 Games -World of Adventures™!Collect them all! Search for "g5" in GooglePlay! Adventure: ▶ Pirates & Pearls: A Treasure MatchingPuzzle▶ Mahjong Journey: A Tile Match Adventure Quest▶ HomicideSquad: Hidden Crimes▶ Survivors: The Quest▶ Twin Moons: ObjectFinding GameStrategy: ▶ Farm Clan®: Farm Life Adventure▶ VirtualCity Playground®: Building Tycoon▶ Stand O'Food® City: VirtualFrenzy▶ The Island Castaway: Lost World®▶ DoomsdayPreppers™______________________________ VISIT US:http://www.g5e.comWATCH US: http://www.youtube.com/g5enterFOLLOWUS: http://www.twitter.com/g5gamesGAME FAQS:http://www.g5e.com/support_androidTerms of Service:http://www.g5e.com/termsofserviceG5 End User License SupplementalTerms: http://www.g5e.com/G5_End_User_License_Supplemental_Terms
3D Maze / Labyrinth
★★★ #1 Best Adventure Game in 66 countries! ★★ #1 Best Game in 3countries! ★ Top 10 Best Apps in 21 countries! 3D Maze is a freeadventure & puzzle game that brings the classic labyrinth intoa whole new 3D level! Explore and find a way out of 12 amazinglabyrinths. It's a little bit scary - there are no maps or guide!Climb to the top of tower, castle or pyramid and look down to seethe exit point. Check how fast you can reach the end. At the lastlabyrinth you have to run fast as hell! You have only 10 minutesbefore volcano blows! When you pass the finish line, run to theboat area and escape from the island! 3D Maze game has also packwith 5 modern mazes. Start exploration from Blue level to the lastCosmo labyrinth! Additionally we have two bonus levels for you withbirthday and pixel theme. On the second one you can move boxes anddemolish blocky house! --- Check our new feature - random mazes!Each labyrinth is unique and generated randomly every time youplay! You have 3 difficulty levels. Easiest has the smallestlabyrinth which is great for quick gameplays. --- How to play: -swipe up, left, right or down to move - jump or go to the top oftower to see the end of the labyrinth Features: - LeaderboardsLogin to Google+ by clicking on High Scores and challenge thepeople around the world! If you had previous version of 3D Mazeyour scores will be automatically updated to Leaderboards. - Enjoyexcellent HD graphics - Cool music and sounds - supports offlinegameplay 3D Maze game is also suitable for kids. Just play and havefun! -------------------------------------- Are you fan of 3D Mazegames? Subscribe us! Web: http://mobadu.pl/ Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/3Dmaze Twitter:https://twitter.com/MobaduApps Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/mobadu/
Slender Man
The Real Slender Man GameCollect 8 pagesMay not work on older devices with 480x320 resolution.Finally, the original Slender Man horror game has been recreatedfor an Android. Stunning 3D Graphics, amazingly realistic soundsand of course the real horrifying Slender Man, that's what you'reabout to get - the best horror game there is! Let's see if you cancollect eight pages before the Slendy gets you. Day mode availablein the full version. Slender is rising, be careful.- recreated Slender Man Game environment- original realistic sounds- day mode in the full version- stunning 3D graphics- swipe to look around and go controls- realistic flashlight- first person camera- collect 8 pages- unity based- FPP- free versionGood luck and watch your back!Slenderman awaits you!
Halls of Fear VR - Demo
This is my first demo for the Durovis Dive, Refugio 3D or other VRHeadsets for smartphones. It is an early version right now, so alot of thing will be changed and added.Durovis Dive:http://www.durovis.comRefugio 3D:http://www.refugio3d.net/refugio-3d/Google Cardboard:https://cardboard.withgoogle.com/It is a virtual reality horrorgame where you have to find all cubes to get to the next level. Thegoal is to stay alive and get to the exit.You can use a SnakebyteiDroid controller (gamepad/keyboard mode) or an other bluetoothgamepad. (Only tested with the Snakebyte)Some people reportproblems with their iDroid, not getting past the menu. I am tryingto fix this, but can't promise anything.Or you can play withautorun (Look at the beneath your feet and activate the magnettrigger or touch your screen).Sounds are from freesfx.co.uk .3Dmodels are either made by myself, from the Unity Asset Store orfrom opengameart.org .
Alice in the Heart
It's based on Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, but it's totallydifferent love-adventure story game.-------------------------------------------------■The first episode of each character and the opening arefree■■Game characters: 9 characters■More then 100 sub-events!◇1 character: $7 ($5 without sounds)◇A set of all characters: 38$ ($25 without sounds)【All characters' set privilege】Special privilege:The actual case ending※Use of WiFi is recommended when downloading.-------------------------------------------------●User's SupportPlease check the following URL for User's Support.※Please note that we cannot reply to any comments in the reviewpage.◇Inquiryhttps://ssl.formman.com/form/pc/ifrDTNKjtCDcNRY1/-------------------------------------------------●STORY〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓"Wonderland," the World of Red, which people are shooting eachotherOnce your "heart "is captivated by this world, you can'treturn.〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓The heroine is a realist, and she is not romantic at all. Shenever wants to have a love relationship.A dangerous place where she was involuntarily taken into is theCountry of Hearts.It is a world with a fairy-tale atmosphere, but only buildings andsmall animals are mellow.Actually, it is a dangerous world.Hatter is the mafia and it is normal for employees of the amusementpark to have a gun.Most of residents are dangerous and they always start fightingand killing each other.Moreover, a dispute over territories broke out and it becomes thethree-way struggle among the Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and theGowland.The heroine who wants to go home but can't was forced to have astrange medicine (not voluntarily).She thought that this is a dream and decided to enjoy herextraordinary life.Which side should she take part in and how should she act inorder to go back to the original world?And, the heroine is less enthusiastic about a love relationshipthan anyone.Can she have a serious love relationship?〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓"I want to go back." Until when will she think so ……?〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓〓-------------------------------------------------●CHARACTER●〈The Hatter〉Blood=Dupre/VoiceActor:Katsuyuki KonishiBoss of the Hatter family.●〈The March Hare〉Elliot=March/VoiceActor:Tsuguo MogamiThe No.2 in the Hatter family.●Tweedle=dee&dum/VoiceActor:Jun FukuyamaThe Gatekeepers of Hatter's residence.●〈The Queen of Hearts〉Vivaldi/VoiceActor:Yuko KaidaShe is an inhumane, cruel, arrogant beautiful woman.●〈The White Rabbit〉Peter=White/VoiceActor:Koki MiyataA man with rabbit ears.●Ace/VoiceActor:Daisuke HirakawaThe Knight of Hearts used to be a subordinate of Vivaldi workingfor The Queen of Hearts.●Mary=Gowland/VoiceActor:Kenyu HoriuchiThe Owner of the Amusement park.●〈The Cheshire Cat〉Boris=Airay/VoiceActor:Noriaki SugiyamaHis cynical smile is his character. He likes riddles.●〈The Clock maker〉Juilius=Monrey/VoiceActor:TakehitoKoyasuA gloomy machine maniac.●Nightmare/VoiceActor:Tomokazu SugitaThe Nightmare.●Alice=LiddellHeroine.
Zombie Village
Please email us if you me the crash problem: [email protected],because we can't reply the comments.We eager to get more info tofix the crash bug,thanks a lot.Zombie Village is the most fun andchallenging game if you are so into about Zombie game... You arethe only survival citizen who can deal with the zombies which walkaround all over the village, kill the endless zombies with yourstick, gunshot, or even thunder gun.Making the most of your limitedresource, kill the most of the zombies, collecting more money andammunition to buy more powerful weapons, which can kill the zombiesquicker. The game goes on forever, until the zombies finally catchyou and snack on your tasty brain. Features:6 different weapons youcould buy and use;Different types of zombies,except the normalzombies, some are very quick, some are hard to die; Specificgraphic design and animations;multi- touch function;
Tiny Diver
You're going diving! Explore the depths of the sea and complete thequests in this action packed, aquatic adventure game. Sounds easy?It's easy to play but gets tricky! After dropping into the ocean,simply hold your finger on the screen to ascend and release todescend your diver towards higher scores! Throughout each gameyou'll collect coins and complete quests to earn cash which can beused to buy new weapon upgrades and vehicles in the store! Pickyour favorite vehicle and stock up on harpoon guns, missile gunsand then get back out there for more diving action! Make sure youavoid the obstacles and deadly creatures in your path. Theseinclude jelly fish, grampus, sharks, octopus and even torpedoes. Asyou dive further there will be even more powerups to pick up andhelp along the way. Swim from danger and you'll reach massivescores, unlock achievements and beat your Facebook friends on theleaderboard!
Turtle Ninja Jump
Great warrior you have been called upon to defend your village, soyou must race back to save it from certain destruction. You're infor some action and adventure during your ninja combat.Downloadtoday to achieve your goal, while its still 100% free!***CONSTANTCHALLENGES AND ENDLESS FUN***Only by jumping up the platforms canyou reach your goal in time. Make sure you land correctly, for ifyou miss a platform you could fall to your doom. Watch out for thetricky obstacles and dangerous spikes. Worse yet are your enemieswho want nothing more than to attack and defeat you!***WARNING:HIGHLY ADDICTIVE:***Along the way (if you manage to survive) youcan collect precious gems, better weapons and special power-ups.Collect these rewards if you hope to reach your turtle village intime!FEATURES:- Land on constantly changing array of platforms-Fight fearless enemies and mutants who seek to attack you- Collectendless supply of gems to boost your wealth- Expand your powers toachieve your goal faster- Improve you weapons to better defendyourself- 3 different characters to choose from- 3 different worldsto play in- Facebook, Twitter and Email so you can play with yourfriends or post your scoreFeedback is greatly appreciated and willhelp improve the game. Contact us on email at:[email protected] our Facebook page athttps://www.facebook.com/turtleninjajump. Tweet us on Twitter [email protected] ARE UPDATING OUR GRAPHICS--LET US KNOW WHAT YOUWOULD LIKE TO INCLUDE!!NOTE:This game is completely free to play.However some in game items can be purchased for real money. If youprefer not to use this feature, please disable in-app purchases inyour device's settings.
Run Criki (stoned Weed game)
Criki is a pothead cricket that wants toreturn from Netherlands to his home country, Uruguay. The goal inthis Marijuana Game is to help the weed lover avoid all theobstacles in his way to get back home, while enjoying the magicalbrownies, weed, hashish and other good stuff he encounters.Aside the great graphics and fun gameplay, this is what makes "RunCriki" addictive as the stuff that Criki is high on:- Unique characters and great animations- Exciting situations and unexpected events all the way- Power ups to enjoy your trip- A lot of humorous situations- Rankings with users from all around the world- Share your trip with friends if a joint isn't legal (yet) in yourcountryBe careful though, "Run Criki" is addictive (in a legal way)!twitter: https://twitter.com/RunCrikifb: https://www.facebook.com/runcrikiA special game for weed and marijuana lovers
Real Chicken Simulator
Real Chicken Simulator:The most realistic and beautiful ChickenSimulator available on Google Play! Play as a real chicken on anauthentic looking farm and get ready for some realistic chickenadventures! Be a rooster, find a hen, protect your eggs, hatch achick! That's what chickens do!Prepare for a serious chickenrampage!- Stunning 3D graphics- Smooth performance- Easy controlsItquite simply is the best casual, arcade themed shooting game onGoogle Play, so plan your strategy to win this game!Facingproblems? Got suggestions? We love to hear from you! And will tryto fix it ASAP. Thank you for supporting us!
Farm Bird Run
♣♣ GAME FEATURES ♣♣♦ 100+Levels♦ 3 Different Game Modes♦ Amazing HD High quality graphics♦ Great sound effects and musicHere comes the cute little bird. The bird is very fond of ladybugs, and is very hungry this time. She has planned to go out inthe farm and start the hunt of lady bugs. She will be very happy toeat a mouthful of lady bugs. She needs your help to hunt for thebugs and to be safe as well. There a so many obstacles and dangersin the farm. She will run and tap him to jump. You need to help thebird to eat the bugs quickly and be safe from all the other dangersin the farm.The bird has a run in the farm. You need to tap on screen to makethe bird jump and pass over the obstacles. In the way the birdkeeps eating bugs. There are many obstacles and dangerous pits youneed to avoid by tapping on the screen. Use the spring pad for megajump. When the bird runs over the spring pad, its jumps higher thannormal to reach up to the upper floor. You get many other powerups, like boost, it give the Bird the power to run at a very fastspeed.Kindly leave a feedback to help us improve the game...!
Demon Hunter: Chronicles from Beyond
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Thursday, October 06, 2005
Leanness Lifestyle Bootcamp Intensive III Week III
I'm down 4 pounds. I did have the Blizzard extravaganza the weekend prior to BCI-III so I've mainly lost gain from that episode. I'm working on an additional few pounds to lose over the next two weeks. I'll get there too.
Last night we had the conference call with Coach Dave. There are 32 members of this Bootcamp and together we have lost over 100 pounds. WooHoo!
We spoke about the addiction to foods; sugar mainly. Yes, I whole-heartedly know about that one. I have found that the only way I can stay away from sugar/processed foods/bakery is to view them as cigarettes and alcohol. Sounds crazy; but it works.
Today a co-worker brought in a pan of home made Special K bars. She melted one bag of butterscotch chips with one bag of chocolate chips for the frosting on top. Do you know how that smells? Very, very good. I had the gals cover them up with a sheet of saran wrap so I didn't have to smell them all day long.
Then I walked into the lunch area. There in a big bowl sits a mixture of dry roasted peanuts (shelled) with halloween candy corn! Can you imagine how good the sweet/salt must taste? It must be like a Salted Nut Roll.
I ran away from the bowl. I hope it is gone tomorrow. I don't know how much more I can take!
Tonight: 1 hour run during fb practice
M1: Oat pancake
M2: Banana/All The Whey Protein Powder
M3: Tuna pouch, 1 bag frozen veggies, apple
M4: EFL Taco Salad
M5: FF Cool whip/FF Pudding :)
4 comments:
- :) said...
Stay strong...you can do it!
I'm doing the Ed Fitz also - only 6 days! I was inspired by your 100 mile race report from McNaughton, and want to do the 50 mile next year in prep for my first 100 at the Kettle Moraine. For the Ed Fitz, I'm also thinking 11 hours would be great. Maybe I'll see you there! - Brent
- Julie B said...
Brent-are you taking the 5AM start? Will you have a crew? I did Ed Fitz 100K two years ago and had a blast. Last year I had bronchitis so didn't start. If I don't get into Western States I'll be at Kettle too. And I'm hoping to be at McNaughton 100 this APril. I just wish it wasn't Easter Weekend. I don't know how that will go over...
Was hoping I could maybe 'sleep in' for the 7am start, but after emailing the RD, decided I better get out there at 5am. So... lets see - that means I'll catch the 3am bus, need to leave the hotel at 2:45, so set the alarm for 2:15? 2:30?? Kinda crazy to get up in the middle of the night to go run 62 miles... I guess that's why we do this, to be crazy? I know it will be great- in the dark and all! I'll look for you at the packet pickup or start, as we may be close to the same pace. If my wife and kids make the trip from Milwaukee, I'll have a crew. If not, I'll be in the same boat as you. Good luck! Glad to hear your recovery is going well. Rest up this week and we'll go for 11 hours on Sat! -Brent


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Brandon Smith
Alt Market
Feb 6, 2013
The anti-gun propaganda conditioning in schools today is now utterly epidemic. As I wrote in my article 'Kindergartner Suspended For "Bubble-Gun Terrorism"', this extreme oppression by school officials is NOT about the safety of the children. It is, in fact, a program to delete the idea of gun culture from the next generation. It is designed to make them afraid to even think about guns, and to grow up with a disdain for firearms rights.
The following incident takes this propaganda to a new level by punishing children not just for toy weapons or paper weapons, but for IMAGINARY weapons! Public schools are now in the business of dominating free expression and extinguishing not just behaviors, but ideas. It truly is an Orwellian nightmare. Though, in a strange way it does make sense; the young boy involved was trying to "save the world from evil forces" after all, and the corrupt establishment doesn't like that kind of ideology being displayed in the next generation…
A seven-year-old boy was suspended from his elementary school for using an imaginary grenade while playing "Rescue the World" on the playground.
The story was featured on Fox 31 Denver. Second-grader Alex Evans pretended to throw a grenade into a box full of, in his words, "pretend evil forces."
"I pretended the box, there's something shaking in it, and I go pshhh," Alex explained.
Unfortunately for Alex, his exploits (heroic as they were) went against Mary Blair Elementary School rules. Those rules include no fighting (real or pretend) and no weapons (real or pretend).
Alex's mom commented that she doesn't think the rule is practical. "Honestly I don't think the rule is very realistic for kids this age," Mandie Watkins said. "I think that when a child is trying to save the world, I don't think he should be punished for it."
Alex is just as perplexed as his mom. "I was trying to save people and I just can't believe I got dispended," he told Fox 31.
A similar incident took place last month in Pennsylvania when a fifth-grade girl wasreprimanded by school officials for bringing a piece of paper in the shape of gun to class.
The next evolution of activated nascent iodine, Survival Shield X-3, is back in stock at 50% off with double Patriot Points and free shipping!


text:
First of three parts.
This article was reported by the Globe Spotlight Team: reporters Bob Hohler, Marcella Bombardieri, and Jonathan Saltzman and editor Thomas Farragher. It was written by Farragher and Hohler.
In the belly of Boston's biggest taxi garage, cabbies shuffle toward a scratched and grimy dispatcher's window knowing the cost of doing business. If you want to drive, especially on a busy night, you often have to pay the man a little extra to get the keys.
One by one they troop to the window, and in an exchange witnessed repeatedly by a Globe reporter who was himself newly licensed to drive, pass along a bribe and are assigned a car for a 12-hour shift.
These payments, drivers said, commonly range from $5 to $20.
It's a small-sounding sum unless you are a cabbie struggling to get by. Or until you do the math — hundreds of cabbies, thousands of shifts each year, adding up to hundreds of thousands in illegal tribute.
And it is just the beginning.
Cabbies are routinely forced to pay for gas from the company's overpriced pumps for tanks they've already filled, and are squeezed to make up phantom shortfalls in the payments they make to the cab owner after every shift — shortfalls almost never documented with a receipt. They start each shift in the hole to the company and have to drive like, well, like Boston cabdrivers, hour after hour, to finish in the black.
In short, a nine-month Globe Spotlight Team investigation has found, the cab industry in Boston is a world of serial indignities that drivers, a largely immigrant workforce, endure while many cab owners walk off with huge and remarkably easy profits.
"They just do bribes left and right,'' Nas Farah said of Boston Cab, the city's biggest taxi company, for which he has driven since 2000. "That spot is not America, I'm telling you, man.''
The city, which oversees the system, turns a blind eye to this climate of casual exploitation. Worse, city officials — in ways both subtle and obvious — enable it.
The greasing of palms in the basement of Boston Cab is a small snapshot of the corruption — petty and profound — that is marbled throughout the city's taxicab business. It's not every dispatcher in every garage, or every cab company, but the unseemly practices are widespread.
It is a picture instantly familiar to drivers, dozens of whom told the Globe of the payoffs and rip-offs they must put up with if they want to keep the keys and stay employed.
"It might be hard to get serious proof of this, but it's commonly known that drivers are being illegally overcharged by [taxi] medallion owners,'' said David Sandberg, an independent cab owner and operator.
Actually, the Globe found, serious proof is not that hard to obtain.
Just days after receiving his license to drive a city cab, a Spotlight Team reporter heard whispers of payoffs and then witnessed the bribes-for-keys scheme that is considered a common cost of daily commerce at Boston Cab, whose operator controls 372 — or 20 percent — of the city's 1,825 taxi licenses, the city's biggest fleet.
"This is like a Third World country,'' one driver told the Globe reporter. "You need to give them money. That's how they do business.''
This profiteering surprises, at one level, because it seems so unnecessary: the cab business is almost effortlessly lucrative — for the owners. The owner of the largest fleet has plowed his many millions of dollars in profits into real estate such as Back Bay apartment buildings, parking garages near Fenway Park, and even Chilean vineyards.
All told, Boston cabbies last year opened their doors to nearly 14 million customers and rang up more than $250 million in fares. And those riders paid some of the highest rates among major US cities.
Medallions sold seven years ago for $325,000. Today, despite the remnants of a recession, these city taxi licenses are fetching as much as $625,000. If that appreciation continues unabated, every Boston taxicab would be worth $1 million by the end of this decade.
But the troubles in Boston's one-sided, $1 billion taxi industry go well beyond the money, the Spotlight Team investigation found:
■ The system's 6,200 drivers are regularly held to account for myriad regulations governing their professional conduct — from acceptable garb to limits on cellphone use — even to the point of losing their licenses and livelihood. But medallion owners are rarely taken to task, even for much more egregious violations. The city has never, in official memory, revoked a medallion.
■ Passengers in city cabs are put at direct financial risk because cab owners are allowed to buy the bare minimum bodily injury insurance — less than what 85 percent of motorists carry and not even half the coverage required of bike messengers. As a result, many passengers injured in cab accidents have had to struggle to win fair compensation for their injuries. The Legislature has repeatedly refused to address this insurance gap.
■ The hackney division of the Boston police, charged with regulating the taxi business, fails by many measures to do just that. Some basic financial records aren't kept, much less analyzed. Police do not track crimes by and against drivers or accidents involving taxis. Known violations by cab firms are seldom pursued; and the leadership of the division proved unable to address even some basic questions raised by reporters.
■ And while this sounds like a small matter, it is not: Many cab companies routinely fail to provide drivers with legally required receipts for the payments of $100 or so they must make at the end of each 12-hour shift. With no receipt for these daily lease payments, drivers are defenseless if cab companies accuse them of paying less than the sum due — a regular occurrence in some garages.
"I've never seen a receipt," said longtime cabbie Michael N. Holley.
The Globe reporter who drove eight nights for the city's largest taxi owner also was never given this required proof of payment.
Police say they have no record of ever citing an owner for breaking this rule.
Boston Cab's owner, Edward J. Tutunjian, whose constellation of taxi companies is known to the public as Boston Cab, dismissed any suggestion that his employees are accepting illegal payments in exchange for the keys to his brown-and-white Toyotas.
"I wouldn't tolerate that,'' Tutunjian told the Globe during a brief, unscheduled interview in his drab basement office near Fenway Park.
But the money-for-keys scheme is an open industry secret, and the ingrained culture in which drivers are taken advantage of has been acknowledged by a former commander in the Boston Police Department's hackney unit that regulates the industry.
"The unfortunate reality is that the industry suffers from a significant level of fraud and abuse,'' then-Lieutenant Robert W. Ciccolo Jr. wrote for an industry newspaper when he served as the hackney division's chief uniformed officer, a post he left in early 2010. "This takes place at multiple levels with some owners overcharging and defrauding drivers.''
The failures of this vital but out-of-balance system appear finally to be ringing urgent alarm bells at the highest levels of Boston police headquarters and in the office of Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino.
In an interview last month, Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said he was unaware until the Spotlight Team's inquiries that taxi license owners — unlike drivers — are not subject to rigorous yearly background checks. That will change immediately, he said.
Moreover, Davis vowed to exert his sweeping authority to revoke the medallions of owners he finds have exploited their drivers — a sanction that, if he follows through on it, would jolt the industry.
"If I find out that someone is enriching themselves on the backs of poor cabdrivers, I will consider them unsuitable,'' said Davis, whose father once drove a cab in Lowell. "They won't be medallion owners in this city.''
Davis has already taken one serious step.
Officials told the Spotlight Team the commissioner has sought the assistance of federal prosecutors to explore the allegations of taxi industry corruption. And federal authorities have in fact opened an investigation into allegations of systemic overcharging of drivers and bribery at Boston Cab, the Globe has learned. One source familiar with the investigation said it began after two drivers for Boston Cab told authorities that employees there were walking around with pockets stuffed with ill-gotten cash.
If the city now summons new intensity in policing its taxi business, it would be a dramatic departure from recent practice.
Mark Cohen, the director of licensing for the Boston Police Department, has been regulating city taxis for nearly 30 years. In that time, he told the Globe, there have been only "two or three'' instances in which he believed he was hearing genuine accounts of owners financially abusing drivers.
"Come to us and bring us something,'' Cohen said. "Get a group of drivers. Tell us who it is. We need a victim.''
Cohen clearly hasn't been looking hard enough.
Over the course of its investigation, the Globe found dozens of drivers who said the industry is rife with petty bribery and rip-offs, and the drivers said they cannot believe that city regulators are unaware of it.
"Mark Cohen knows about it,'' said Chando Souffrant, a cabdriver and holder of two taxi licenses, or medallions. "The mayor knows about it. They don't care about less fortunate people.''
All in the family
The people the system clearly does look out for are the most fortunate, the medallion owners — from big fleet owners like Tutunjian to mom-and-pop operators for whom weekly medallion profits are a kind of annuity. No matter how they misbehave, little comes of it.
Take the case of Pyotr Vaserman and Semyon Teperman, who owned 17 taxi medallions in 2003, when they were indicted. They helped pay a city hackney clerk, Neghisti Medhanie, more than $30,000 in bribes as the ringleaders of a scheme to secure hackney driver's licenses for 20 unqualified immigrants from the former Soviet Union, according to court records.
Vaserman and Teperman pleaded guilty to corruption charges and were sentenced to a year in prison. Under a 1930 state law, the police commissioner is authorized to bar "unsuitable" individuals from the industry. Yet the Globe's review found that Vaserman and Teperman simply transferred many of their taxi licenses, valued at millions of dollars, to family members who control them to this day.
Tutunjian himself played a minor role in the case. He wasn't accused of wrongdoing, but he is briefly mentioned in the federal indictment. Prosecutors said Medhanie, who earned an annual hackney salary of less than $26,000, in 1998 negotiated the purchase of a taxi medallion and a van from Tutunjian for $90,000. Tutunjian's company helped finance the transaction with a loan of $80,000. The loan was paid off in a year and it's unclear whether Tutunjian knew of Medhanie's role in the corruption scheme. Medhanie pleaded guilty to racketeering and money laundering, among other charges, and was sentenced to a year in federal prison.
Boston police said it is unclear whether it ever investigated whether there was a link between the fleet owner and a criminally convicted employee of the agency that regulates his business.
Similarly, Boston police never revoked the medallions owned by Walid Mobarak after he pleaded guilty in 2001 to bribing a police sergeant to obtain hackney licenses for unqualified drivers.
A state judge sentenced Mobarak, a Lebanese immigrant, to two years' probation for the crime. But Boston police permitted him to retain his four taxi medallions and he has since bought a fifth medallion for $610,000.
Davis told the Globe that he would review Mobarak's suitability to own his medallions.
The commissioner said he also will look into allegations that Teperman remains involved in the Boston taxi industry. If true, Davis said, "I will take action that will suspend those licenses.''
Davis may also want to look into the kid-glove treatment enjoyed by Paul Morrill, a longtime friend of Mayor Menino, who, with his sons — one of them a State Police trooper — controls 11 taxi medallions worth nearly $7 million. Morrill hosted most of the city's taxi fleet owners at his home for a Menino fund-raiser in 2000. That was during a period when Morrill was accused of misappropriating $200,000 as treasurer of the Independent Taxi Operators Association in a lawsuit brought by the ITOA.
When ITOA board members confronted Morrill one morning in February 2002 after he had allegedly tossed company business records in a dumpster, he was charged with trespassing and led out of the company's Albany Street headquarters in handcuffs, according to witnesses and court records.
The Suffolk district attorney's office chose not to pursue the trespassing charge. Allegations of financial improprieties were not pursued by state prosecutors. Morrill quietly settled the civil suit by paying ITOA $40,000, the Globe has learned.
And Boston police have continued to deem Morrill "suitable'' to participate in the city's taxi industry.
Morrill told the Globe that he has not been involved in the taxi business for 12 years. Yet police records show he still owns two medallions.
Menino's spokeswoman, Dot Joyce, said the mayor considers Morrill a friend and does not dispute that Morrill held a fund-raiser for him, although he does not remember the event. As for Morrill's alleged wrongdoing at ITOA, Joyce said, "Obviously, the mayor knows he had experience in the taxi industry, but he never was alerted to any of [Morrill's] business dealings.''
And then there is the case of Edward Kempner, a longtime medallion owner, who in 1991 pleaded guilty to tax evasion for failing to pay $36,000 in state sales taxes.
Kempner said he never collected sales tax from drivers, and chalked up his failure to pay the state to poor management. Prosecutors said Kempner gave the "feeble excuse'' of being too busy to pay his taxes. While he was not paying his taxes, they noted, he bought six more medallions.
Kempner was sentenced to a year's probation and ordered to pay a $12,500 fine. Yet hackney officials continued to deem him "suitable.''
In 2009, Kempner sold 26 medallions to Tutunjian for $362,500 apiece, or more than $9.4 million. Today, he still benefits from one medallion, which is registered under the name of his wife.
But despite the sorry behavior of some medallion owners, neither Cohen nor other hackney officials could recall ever stripping a license from its owner.
"To my knowledge, we have never revoked a medallion,'' Cohen said.
He does, however, insist that those who seek to buy medallions are carefully checked before their licenses are approved.
"We make sure that that sale is to a suitable person as best we can,'' he said.
The claim is hard to square with the handling of the application of one Victoria Rose Crisafulli who was officially listed in 1998 as the sole officer, director, and shareholder of Seventh St. Taxi Inc., a company that controlled medallions purchased by fleet owner Anthony Ilacqua Sr.
Who was Victoria Rose Crisafulli? No one, it would seem.
"No person by that name exists,'' a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled in 2008 in an Ilacqua family legal dispute.
According to court papers, Ilacqua was present when his son Steven signed the official corporate documents in the name of Victoria Rose Crisafulli. Steven's daughter is Victoria Rose Ilacqua. Her mother's maiden name was Crisafulli.
At the time she was approved to own a medallion, Victoria Rose was all of 10 months old. And she remained the owner of record for the next five years as Ilacqua enlisted family members to serve as "straw'' owners of his taxi corporations to limit his insurance liability.
Uneven treatment
Hackney's see-no-evil habits when it comes to policing medallion owners make the rare exceptions to that pattern stand out.
The treatment of Sheila Corbin is one of those telling cases.
Corbin, a Boston native who taught in a city middle school before relocating to the Pacific Northwest, inherited two medallions from her father that yield $1,000 a week from drivers who lease them.
In 2006, Corbin filed a lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court alleging that Jeffrey Morrill, who was then managing her medallions, had "negligently and willfully failed to report accidents, [or to] fill out required insurance accident reports in a timely fashion, and deliberately hired drivers that were reckless.''
Corbin said that as a result of Morrill's action, her insurance rates skyrocketed by $30,000. Morrill, the son of Menino's friend Paul Morrill, is a Massachusetts state trooper.
In court, Corbin represented herself, while Morrill was accompanied by his attorney. Also in attendance was then-hackney Lieutenant Ciccolo, a top enforcer of the city's taxi regulations.
Morrill's lawyer argued that his client was not responsible for the dramatic increase in insurance costs. The judge at first suggested mediation as a way to settle the dispute. But then Ciccolo chimed in. He said it was Corbin's duty, not Morrill's, to ensure that drivers were operating safely.
"I would be submitting this to a board of three captains who would rule on whether or not she's a suitable person to own a taxi medallion due to her violation of the rules,'' Ciccolo told the judge, according to the court transcript.
In short order, Corbin surrendered.
"My back's against the wall,'' she told the judge. "If I'm going to lose everything, then I guess I wouldn't push it any further.''
Ciccolo, through a department spokeswoman, said when he learned of the lawsuit "he felt it appropriate to notify the individuals about the department's rule on payment of insurance costs.''
Repeated attempts to reach Morrill were unsuccessful. He now owns four medallions worth nearly $2.5 million.
A spokesman for the Massachusetts State Police said the department was not aware that Morrill owned taxi medallions — licenses for commercial vehicles often policed by state troopers — until a Globe query.
David Procopio, the State Police spokesman, said Morrill's involvement in the taxi business "is not authorized by the department'' — a finding Morrill is disputing. "Our legal section will reiterate our position to Trooper Morrill,'' Procopio said earlier this month.
Three drivers for every cab
It is a flimsy piece of tin literally worth much, much more than its weight in gold — the medallion number screwed into the rear of each of the city's 1,825 taxicabs.
The number of medallions has risen only modestly from the 1,525 licenses the city had authorized in 1934. And this strict limit on supply has been a ticket to El Dorado for longtime owners.
In 1934, each medallion was worth $50. In 1995, they sold for $92,000. Their appreciation rate over three decades has outpaced the trading price of gold and the Standard & Poor's 500 index.
Besides enriching owners, the other predictable side effect of the medallion cap is that there commonly are too few cabs available to accommodate more than 6,200 licensed drivers. That makes drivers feel constantly on edge about losing their livelihood, and emboldens fleet owners to act with a sense of impunity.
"It's entirely run for the owners' benefits,'' said Edward Rogoff, a professor of management at Baruch College in New York who has studied the taxi industry for years. "The question is: Who does the system work for? And it works for these medallion owners. It's a socialist system. It's like Russian oligarchs.''
Boston cabbies for many years were classified as employees of their taxi companies, with owners and drivers splitting the daily meter receipts and drivers keeping their tips. At some companies, drivers received an array of benefits and protections, including subsidized health care coverage, paid vacations, pensions, and worker's compensation.
Taxi fleets gradually stopped hiring drivers as employees in the 1970s after the police commissioner lifted a decades-old ban on medallion owners leasing cabs to independent contractors. Today, behind the wheel of about half of Boston's cabs are so-called shift drivers, who own neither the car nor its license. The shift drivers pay to work: a fixed fee of about $100 due after every 12-hour shift, not including gas and, in numerous cases, improper charges and illegal payoffs.
For the owners, there's a steady stream of money, a vast amount of it cash. For each cab an owner rents for two shifts a day, 300 days a year, he earns about $60,000 annually.
"Regardless of how busy a day it is, regardless of how the work is . . . or whether there's not enough passengers out there, [the owner] knows he's going to get that shift fee from every driver, every 12 hours, rain, shine, whatever,'' said attorney Shannon E. Liss-Riordan, who has filed a class-action lawsuit in Suffolk Superior Court challenging the independent contractor system.
In sharp contrast, it is not uncommon for drivers to spend nearly half their work day earning just enough money to break even. Some days they can't even do that. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics puts an average Boston cabbie's income at $27,000, just slightly lower than the city's own estimate. With drivers often on the road for 60 hours a week or more, it can amount to minimum wage work — or less than that. Some sleep in their cars during shifts, or work 24 hours straight in what the drivers call "iron shifts."
The system's chief regulator is Cohen, who attended the University of Pennsylvania and has worked for the Boston police since 1985. He is credited with transforming Boston's taxi fleet from a rag-tag collection of belching clunkers to an industry propelled by late-model vehicles, many of them gleaming new hybrids.
Cohen, who sits on the board of an international association of transportation regulators, helped usher in a requirement that all cabs accept credit cards. He also introduced 100 wheelchair-accessible taxis into Boston's fleet of cabs.
"We are number one in some areas even in our cab industry,'' Cohen told the Boston City Council in 2011. "I would debate that with anyone.''
During an interview with the Spotlight Team, Cohen was alternatively expansive and brusque. And yet, on some basic topics, he seemed remarkably uninformed.
Asked his division's budget, Cohen replied: "No idea.''
The Police Department requires medallion holders to file annual financial reports, but Cohen said he has stopped enforcing that rule because the reports were "bogus" and a waste of time. The need for the reports, he said, has been supplanted by more reliable financial data obtained from credit card machines and modern taxi meters.
After Cohen promised to explain that data to Globe reporters, he struggled during a PowerPoint presentation at police headquarters to decipher the basic economics of his own division. He finally referred detailed questions to a city-hired consultant.
Cohen's unit also apparently has lost track of a fund established in the late 1980s for taxi drivers who die while on duty. According to a 1988 document supplied to the Globe by the Police Department, the "bereavement fund'' was administered by the hackney unit, whose chief uniformed officer was a member of the fund's board.
Each medallion owner was to contribute $50, which would have set aside $75,000 for taxi drivers' families. A police spokeswoman said the fund has been inactive for nearly a decade and there are no plans for an official investigation into the money's whereabouts "absent any evidence of wrongdoing.''
If Cohen was unable to address some elemental questions, on two points he was clear:
Times are good for medallion owners.
"The health of the industry from the ownership point of view is very, very strong,'' Cohen said.
And, he said, stories told by some cabdrivers about a minimum-wage existence for long hours and no benefits must be taken with a grain of salt.
"If you say to a cabdriver, 'Are you making any money?' they'll say, 'No. We're going broke. It's terrible. It's terrible out there,' '' Cohen said.
Cohen's outlook makes him a lightning rod for cabdrivers who believe that the city's hackney unit is enabling the economic squeeze they feel. Many drivers said they consider him imperious and dismissive, as if they were petulant children.
"I think contempt is a mild word for how he feels about cabdrivers,'' said Donna Blythe-Shaw, staff representative of the United Steelworkers and the Boston Taxi Drivers Association.
In a casual conversation last fall with two Globe reporters in the lobby of police headquarters at 1 Schroeder Plaza, that antipathy seemed clear.
"How did you get into this business?" Cohen was asked.
"I used to teach kindergarten,'' he quipped, a wry smile creasing his face.
Instructing 5-year-olds, he explained, is a perfect training ground for working with cabdrivers.
Little satisfaction for drivers
The Globe investigation found that most drivers are well aware of — or directly victimized by — the pattern of overcharges and the expectation that palms will be greased if you want to drive. That makes it infuriating to them that the hackney division professes to know nothing of the grimy reality of life in the city's taxi garages.
"Most of us cabdrivers, we wonder why hackney, who's in charge of this business, refuses to go to Boston Cab and look at Boston Cab's files and say to them, 'You can't treat cabdrivers like that,' " said cabbie Robert Bruce, a native Haitian who's been driving in Boston for about five years. "I really don't know why. This is the question that all of us have.''
Drivers told the Globe that they and most of their peers are wary of complaining to hackney for fear of retaliation when word gets back to the garage. And even when they do speak up, they say they receive little or no satisfaction.
Take Pierre Nammour, for example.
Nammour, a native of Lebanon and father of three, has been leasing a medallion for 10 years from a small owner.
The medallion owner recently transferred the license to her son. A paperwork goof left the medallion unusable for seven days.
That left Nammour without wages for a week, and still owing a healthy chunk of his monthly rent payment to the medallion holder.
Hackney's rules on this are clear: If a driver loses time because his cab needs repairs or is out of commission for such glitches, the owner must pay him $8 an hour.
Nammour said when he reported the violation to a hackney police officer, Sergeant Mark J. Fleming, he was encouraged to tread lightly. Fleming told him he could win his case but might anger the medallion owner and risk their 10-year business relationship, according to Nammour.
Were he to overcharge someone $10 in his cab, Nammour said, the hackney unit would exercise no such genteel diplomacy. Discipline would be swift, he said.
"They don't treat us with respect,'' Nammour said. "He didn't tell me, 'Listen, what's the medallion number? Who's the owner? We'll take care of it. Don't worry about it.' "
A police spokeswoman said Fleming does not recall the complaint. Hackney officials, after the Globe's inquiry, said they are now investigating.
Drivers aren't expecting much to change.
"The drivers are terrified because they [the owners] have control,'' said Bernie Allen, a veteran driver who's been robbed four times and is about to leave the business. "And if you really want to get out on a Friday night, of course you're going to give them $20.''
Lengthy, tiring shifts
Taxi drivers, or at least some of them, are not the most sympathetic characters in town. Most passengers have encountered a surly cabbie, or a driver who spends the ride on his cellphone, or doesn't know the basics of Boston geography, or claims he can't take a credit card for payment.
But put yourself in their world, and some of that misbehavior seems easier to understand.
Drivers can spend the first five to six hours of their shift — longer sometimes — earning enough money to pay for the daily rental fees due the owners. Regular $10 bribes or $25 in bogus overcharges can mean the difference between a working wage and chronic behind-the-wheel anxiety.
"Panhandling on wheels,'' is how one longtime driver described the business.
"Urban sharecropping,'' said another.
Nas Farah, a 34-year-old father of two, knows the feeling.
A licensed Boston cabdriver since 1999, Farah found his way to the United States from a refugee camp in Kenya in 1995 after having escaped civil war in Somalia. He had dreams of medical school. But more practical concerns intervened. He needed a job and found the independence of driving a taxi an alluring option.
Like many other drivers, Farah found his way to Tutunjian's garage on Kilmarnock Street in Boston's Fenway neighborhood. With hundreds of cabs wheeling in and out every 12 hours, drivers, particularly new drivers, often chart a course there.
Farah, like other drivers interviewed for this story, said he is often charged for gas, even when he returns his cab with a full tank. He carefully counts the money owed to Tutunjian, slipping the cash into a drop safe, yet is sometimes told days later that he is short. When he first started, he had to slip dispatchers cash for keys, a practice that he said diminished as he became more established at the garage.
"If I was a millionaire, I swear I would treat [drivers] well,'' Farah said during an interview in a South Boston doughnut shop one night after his shift. "I wouldn't allow anybody to [solicit] a bribe. I wouldn't ask them for extra money. They're poor! This job is tough itself.''
Many drivers have described Tutunjian as an avuncular presence with disarming charm.
"It's not about being a nice guy, believe me,'' Farah said. "Eddie's a very smart guy and he's a very calm guy, but that doesn't mean he's a nice guy. He's not. Because he is the one who is controlling the thing.''
Besides a brief exchange in his office during a reporter's visit, Tutunjian has declined to be interviewed for this article, instead issuing written statements to the Globe in which he said the newspaper's assertions about his business are "false and troubling.''
"No taxi driver has ever complained to me that they have paid or been encouraged to pay small bribes to dispatchers behind the window to get keys to cabs,'' Tutunjian wrote. "I have never been informed by the City of Boston hackney division that any driver has complained to hackney about this.''
Blythe-Shaw, whose Boston Taxi Drivers Association claims 1,200 members, lays the blame for exploitation of drivers squarely at the feet of Cohen — and Menino, whom she has implored to clean up an industry that she said rewards millionaire owners at the expense of drivers.
"It's within every corner of the industry,'' Blythe-Shaw said. "I haven't spoken to one driver in my years of experience with the drivers who had not been victim to that kind of corruption or abuse. Not one.''
The Police Department's taxi regulations offer protection to drivers like Farah who report violations. Any owner who retaliates risks losing his livelihood.
On that point, the police commissioner was unequivocal. If drivers are fired for openly complaining about being defrauded, Davis said, his department will do something it hasn't done in recent memory: revoke medallions.
"I want these guys to know I'm not fooling around,'' he said.
The Tutunjian empireMatt Carroll of the Globe staff performed database analysis for this project.