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For Malin Akerman, playing a superhero's household-name girlfriend might just be the perfect palette cleanser after playing the first household-name porn star.
Akerman, who's prior superhero experience consists of playing Silk Spectre in director Zack Snyder's "Watchmen," has been floated as a leading contender to play the Kal-El's main squeeze Lois Lane in Snyder's forthcoming "Superman: Man of Steel."
Although she hasn't seen a formal offer, she's definitely up for it.
U.S. & World
"I'd love to," Akerman tells PopcornBiz. "I'd love to be a part of it. I'd work for Zack any day. Dude, bring it on! I'm waiting for the contract and the offer."
Playing a plucky reporter in love with a super-powered Boy Scout would be a refreshing change for Akerman after playing infamous 70s porn star Linda Lovelace in "Inferno," which is about to go before the cameras.
"I'm very excited to start filming that," says Akerman, who currently appears in this week's "Happythankyoumoreplease" and assumed the role of Lovelace after Lindsay Lohan was reportedly axed from the production. "As of right now we're supposed to be starting in April. The movie is sort of behind-the-scenes: her life with her husband and what that relationship, was like which was pretty torturous. He physically beat her quite a bit and had a gun to her head many times and forced her into prostitution, so it's a very emotional journey."
Lovelace (born Linda Boreman), of course, was the star of 1972's "Deep Throat," the first-ever mainstream porn phenomenon, who struggled with both her abusive manager/husband Chuck Traynor and drug addiction before becoming an anti-porn activist prior to her death in 2002.
"The film is very much a biography, I guess you could say, of her life – or an interpretation of it, I think maybe four years of her life that we look at," says Akerman. "So it's a really intense, dark movie, for me anyway, and a great, exciting, nerve-wracking challenge."
Thus far Akerman has read Lovelace's autobiography and watched the documentary film "Inside Deep Throat" to prep for the role. "Her book is really hard to read, but it has a lot of great information," she says. "I've just been trying to get into the psyche of what it would be like to be a battered woman, people who are and why they don't get out and what happens. It's a really twisted mind frame to try and put yourself into. Obviously it's not the remake of 'Deep Throat' or anything. It's more just about what that life is like."


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Alcohol in the Atlantic
David Carey Jr.
Dating from the earliest times in Latin America, alcohol has played a crucial social, economic, political, and cultural role. Often reserved for politico-religious leaders, alcohol was a conduit through which power flowed in many pre-contact indigenous societies; indigenous drinkways (production, commerce, and consumption habits) were associated with communal ritual events and social prestige. Introduced to the Americas by Europeans, distillation profoundly altered the potency of alcoholic drinks for people who were accustomed to fermentation. Even as the social and cultural practices of alcohol consumption changed over time, alcohol continued to have political and economic implications in the colonial and national periods in Latin America. Fearing that inebriation bred disorder and recognizing that moonshining undercut their own revenues, colonial and national governments alike sought to regulate, if not control, the production, sale, and consumption of alcohol. In nations as diverse as Mexico, Bolivia, Peru, and Guatemala, indigenous women came to play integral roles in the (oftentimes illicit) sale and production of alcohol. A cash nexus for moving labor and land and a crucial component of the economic system by which (often unscrupulous) labor brokers recruited workers, alcohol was a currency of local economies. As a commodity of local, national, and international significance, alcohol shaped the fate of nation-states.
People's class, ethnic, race, and gender identities all played into their access to alcohol. Although a person's choice of libation could define their position, some of the more fascinating histories of alcohol are punctuated with women and men who used alcohol to disrupt social conventions. Through the consumption of alcohol, rituals and ceremonies created and reconstituted community both within and across ethnic groups. Imbibing could also divide people. Even while they sipped their cognacs and brandies, elites portrayed indigenous people, the poor, and other marginalized people getting drunk on moonshine to discount and denigrate them. Often associated with (particularly violent) crime, alcohol was seen as a vice by many and excoriated during temperance movements. Yet defendants across Latin America took advantage of judicial systems that considered alcohol a mitigating circumstance in many crimes. As 20th-century evangelical sects that preached abstinence as the route to wealth and marital bliss grew to unprecedented numbers, traditional healers and biomedical practitioners continued to tout alcohol's medicinal value. In short, alcohol was a marker of social position and cultural identity, a crucial component in community and state building, and a commodity around which different cultural traditions, healing practices, and policing policies developed and evolved.
Barcelona Business Interests and the Atlantic World
Yolanda Blasco-Martel and Jose Miguel Sanjuan Marroquin
Barcelona is an ancient Mediterranean Catalan city. It was inhabited by the Iberians, the Romans, and the Muslims, who turned it into an important port city. In the 10th century it became the capital of an independent county. It merged with the Crown of Aragon two centuries later and thus began a process of intensive commercial expansion that has characterized the city's history of over the intervening centuries.
The merchants from Barcelona were actively involved in trade with America in the 18th century, as were those from some other cities from the Kingdom of Spain. The last decades of that century saw the beginning of a process of population and commercial exchange that continued to develop through the 19th century. This process helped Barcelona become the first city on the Iberian Peninsula to industrialize. It is during this period that we observe the emergence of the indianos—individuals born on the peninsula who went to do business in America. Many indianos returned to the peninsula after the loss of the Spanish Continental Empire, others moved to Cuba and Puerto Rico, the last Spanish colonies in the Antilles. Around these individuals, commerce and business of all kinds were developed, giving Barcelona the appearance of an open and cosmopolitan city that it has maintained ever since.
Canary Island Immigration to the Hispanic Caribbean
Manuel Hernández González
The configuration of Canarian migration during the Conquest and colonization of the Spanish Caribbean was significantly influenced by its historic continuity, familial nature (with an elevated presence of women and children), dedication to agriculture, and contribution to the settlement of towns. This migration gave rise to quintessentially rural prototypes, such as the Cuban guajiro, linked to self-sustaining agriculture and tobacco; the Puerto Rican jíbaro, a coffee grower; and the Dominican montero or farmer from Cibao. All of these contributed a great many aspects of their speech, idiosyncrasies, and culture.
The migratory dynamic has evolved since the Conquest and includes such processes as Cuban tobacco colonization, the foundation of townships in Santo Domingo and Puerto Rico (in order to further analyze their adaptation to the economic boom of sugar plantations in Cuba and Puerto Rico), and the uprising of slaves in French Santo Domingo, as well as the cession of the Spanish portion of the island to this country in 1795. This event merits special focus, due to its great transcendence in terms of the signs of identity that emerged during the rebellion of the Canarian vegueros against the monopoly within the Havana context, and the defense of their configuration as a distinct people in San Carlos de Tenerife: processes that explain their response to 19th-century innovations in Cuba and Puerto Rico and to Dominican political avatars, as well as their attitudes toward criollismo and emancipation. Their singularities are reflected in the mass Cuban emigration that took place during the early decades of the 20th century.
Mexico in Spain's Oceanic Empire, 1519–1821
Christoph Rosenmüller
On August 13, 1521, the Spanish conquistadors and their native allies seized Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec empire. The Spaniards succeeded because they had forged alliances with the Tlaxcalans and other indigenous self-governing communities (altepetl) to fight the Aztecs. After the conquest these communities continued their traditions, and the Spaniards largely replaced Aztec leadership with their own. In addition, the friars and the secular church converted the natives to an extent, and together with the crown they foiled the conquistadors' attempts to become liege lords with jurisdiction. The process culminated in the New Laws of 1542, which curbed the encomienda, a grant to Spaniards that comprised several Indian towns paying tribute. A society of social bodies evolved, composed of municipal councils, lay brotherhoods of churches, and others, complete with their own laws and jurisdictions. Then a series of silver strikes beginning at Zacatecas in 1546 drew settlers into the Bajío north of the former Aztec and Tarascan empires. The local natives resisted initially, and when peace came, they and the settlers created a dynamic early capitalist economy that invigorated other regions. The frontier expanded when animal herds moved further north beyond the mines, and the zone of Spanish influence grew to the south as well.
In 1540 Spanish conquistadors and their indigenous allies began occupying the northwestern Yucatan Peninsula, and they took Tiho/Mérida in 1542. The Yucatan, the Bajío, and the other regions that composed colonial Mexico successively integrated into a global commercial network spanning Europe, Africa, and Asia. The crown and the merchant guild (consulado) in Seville sought to capture the burgeoning Atlantic commerce within the fleet shuttling between Seville/Cadiz and Veracruz and restrict the silver flowing from Acapulco to Asia via the Philippines. Yet market forces defied most of the rules they put in place. Merchants from Asia settled in Manila; Peruvians docked in Acapulco; and the Dutch, French, and English competed with fleet merchants or operated contraband trade from the Caribbean islands to New Spain. In the 18th century, the crown loosened trade regulations within the empire and continue curbing the autonomies of social bodies. A series of investigations (visitas) shook New Spain, and more compliant viceroys and officials appeared, while the friars lost over one hundred parishes (doctrinas) during the mid-century. The king expelled the Jesuits in 1767; registered ships sailing individually replaced the fleet in 1778; and in 1786 José de Gálvez introduced the intendants in New Spain. As the empire transitioned toward a territorial state, Napoleon imprisoned the Spanish king (1808). In 1810 Miguel Hidalgo and a popular following unleashed the War of Independence. As the conflict unfolded, the legitimacy of the old order crumbled, and the empire dissolved in 1821.

subset: commoncrawl


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This Week On The Conspiracy Show
11pm NEW WORLD DISORDER
Richard welcomes the recipient of the 2016 Conspiracy Factist Award by TruthRising to the program. They will discuss POTUS45 relationship with the intelligence community, He is known to keep his own security and not trust the establishment, as well as making bold moves in a world gone mad. Can they bring order out of chaos?
GUEST: GEORGE FREUND hosted his own popular talk show on That Channel delving into such issues as the debt crisis, 9/11, weather weapons and all things hidden.
When reality is conspiracy then by definition conspiracy must be reality. For 20 years George has been a talk radio junkie revealing to millions upon millions the deep dark machinations of the shadow government. He has learned that corporate media is nothing but a slick propaganda machine to lure us into sleep.
Conspiracy Cafe is an alternative media forum that challenges popular opinion with difficult truths. As a student with a passion for the intelligence history of the world, events can be applied to those dictum's. Those who don't know their history are condemned to repeat it. If there is anything learned from history, it is people learn nothing from history.


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In recent months, this senior has received two glossy flyers from our own representative in Congress, Scott Tipton. Both flyers tell me how Mr. Tipton is fighting to protect Social Security and Medicare for seniors. His feel-good message is supposed to reassure me that he really is my champion in Congress.
But then I read the fine print in his flyers carefully, and I realized that Scott Tipton is not telling all of us, as the late commentator Paul Harvey used to say, the rest of the story. Follow me closely now as I explain.
In this fine print, Mr. Tipton states that he is protecting both Social Security and Medicare for seniors now enrolled in these programs. So far, so good. But then he states that he is protecting these programs also for those whose age places them within ten years of qualifying for both programs. Do you see a problem with that statement? Here it is.
This subtle statement raises one very important, unspoken question. Does Scott Tipton support Social Security and Medicare for anyone younger than the two groups of people described above? Both his flyers say absolutely nothing to answer this question, and there are two good reasons for this deliberate omission.
The first is that Scott Tipton wants to privatize Social Security for all younger Americans. In other words, he wants to destroy one federal system of impeccable integrity which always has guaranteed seniors at least a floor of financial support to survive their old age. Scott Tipton wants to tear up a solemn contract between generations in which the younger support the older in their declining years, with the assurance that they themselves will be supported when their time of need comes. Now he wants to abandon all those younger generations.
Instead, Scott Tipton wants everyone to invest only for themselves to protect their old age, and where will that leave them? The massive financial debacles of the past decade which nearly destroyed our economy provide the answer. The Bernie Madoffs and all other Wall Street thieves would plunder the Social Security trust fund and victimize new seniors in the largest financial scandal of American history ever seen.
The second reason is that Scott Tipton wants to replace Medicare with nothing more than vouchers which new seniors would use to buy private health-insurance plans. He never has said how large those vouchers would be. Would they cover multiple bypasses of diseased heart arteries, which can cost $100,000? Would they cover brain-cancer surgery for one Albuquerque firefighter, which will cost $1,000,000 as reported lately on local TV?
And when new aging seniors with ever-increasing health problems try to buy private health insurance with Scott Tiptons tiny vouchers, what insurers ever will accept those new seniors with all their pre-existing conditions? Scott Tipton proposes nothing but more of the same health system which considers such people to be lepers and abandons them in droves now.
Now you can see that Scott Tipton is no champion of Social Security and Medicare. He and all other Republicans in Washington want to destroy both programs instead. Scott Tiptons glossy flyers are his calculated attempt to placate us seniors into thinking we have nothing to worry about, and that we need not be concerned for anyone else. But some of us still care about all younger generations who will follow us.
James F. Andrus is a resident of Cortez. He provides weather reporting for the Cortez Journal.


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ACORN is terrorizing and ripping off Canadian taxpayers too.
I wrote about it in Canada Free Press.
America needs to know that ACORN is restructuring in time to help re-elect President Obama in 2012. Obama used to work for ACORN and represented the group in court as its lawyer. These radical leftists who use the brutal, in-your-face, Machiavellian pressure tactics of Saul Alinsky want to destroy America as we know it and will use any means to do it.
Buy the book at Amazon. Visit the Subversion Inc. Facebook page. Follow me on Twitter.


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Loads of changes for me recently, both at a professional and at a personal level. Last saturday I packed my things and moved back to Gran Canaria for good. It has been four years and a half since I moved to Dublin for an adventure with extinct and moaned Sun Microsystems. And two years since I moved to Manchester to work for Codethink.
Being abroad in a foreign country has been an enlightening and rewarding experience, I have worked with great people and I am happy to be able to say that I never left any of my jobs and the places because I was fed up, quite the contrary, I am extremly proud and I feel privileged to have worked with the people I worked with and the friendships I have found in the middle. I left because it was the right time for me. However, being abroad has a huge emotional cost as well, and not always bearable.
So here I am, at the right time for another change. Two weeks ago I started a new job at Canonical as a Senior Engineer in the Product Strategy group. I am thrilled to be able to work on a project I care about, Ubuntu, which I think is key to make FOSS thrive for regular users (the so called "consumers") and not just servers and big corporations. I'm also quite excited to work alongside Ted Gould, Neil J. Patel and Álvaro López Ortega, among other great engineers.
By the way, that means that I'll be attending the next UDS in Orlando in a couple of weeks!
Exciting and happy times ahead for me.


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American Express Platinum Card Review and Complete List of Benefits
The American Express Platinum charge card comes with one of the highest annual fees in the industry and it's one of the most prestigious cards you can have in your wallet. It's definitely designed for big spenders, but is it really worth the fee? Here's an in-depth guide to the many benefits of the AmEx Platinum card and what you get for $450 a year to decide if this is really the card for you.
First, A Look At The Airline Benefits With American Express Platinum...
- First Class Airport Lounge Access
Enjoy unlimited first-class lounge access for yourself and two other people with complimentary internet, fax and telephones, luxury furnishings, complimentary refreshments and more. Unlimited access to first-class lounges typically costs hundreds each year and you get access to lounges around the world, including:
- Delta Sky Club
Priority Pass Select lounges, although guests do have an additional fee at US Airways Club,
American Airlines Admirals Club, and Alaska Airlines lounges.
- Companion Tickets on International Flights
If you book a business or first-class ticket on an international flight through American Express Travel Services, you'll receive a companion ticket. More than 20 airlines participate in the program, including Delta, Virgin Atlantic, Japan Airlines, Emirates, Air France and many others. You will only be responsible for any surcharges or taxes. This benefit can easily offer a savings of thousands, even if you only use it once.
- Global Entry Fee Rebate
The United States government charges a $100 fee for Global Entry, although American Express will automatically give you a $100 rebate if you use your Platinum card. Global Entry gives pre-approved, low-risk individuals quick entry into the country with no lines or paperwork, just a quick stop at a self-serve kiosk to confirm your identity. Once you're approved, Global Entry membership lasts for five years.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit
Receive up to $200 in airline fees reimbursed each year automatically once you select your favorite airline. Baggage fees, in-flight food and beverages, lounge day passes and flight change fees are all listed as covered expenses but many people report getting rebates on everything from airline gift cards and full lounge membership to cheap flights and award ticket fees! This is one of the greatest benefits from American Express and it's not hard to get the full $200 reimbursed every year if you travel fairly regularly.
- 25% Bonus with Pay with Points
If you redeem your points for airfare directly through American Express, you get a 25% bonus. Instead of the usual 1 point = 1 cent redemption rate, you'll get 1.25 cents for every 1 point you redeem. This means a $500 flight would cost only 40,000 points instead of 50,000 points and you can earn miles on Pay with Points purchases to save money on airline tickets while still earning elite status.
- Travel Accident Insurance
This is one of those benefits that you never want to use, but it's nice to have. Your American Express Platinum card comes with $100,000 in travel accident insurance, which covers you in case of accidental death or dismemberment on eligible common carriers.
- Baggage Insurance
Use your Platinum card to buy common carrier tickets and receive up to $1,250 coverage for lost, stolen and damaged carry-on bags and up to $500 for check bags. This coverage takes effect after the common carrier's liability, so if you lost $800 worth of belongings in a checked bag and the airline reimburses you only $300, American Express will cover the additional $500. This amount also includes up to $250 for high-risk belongings like computers and jewelry.
- Transferring Points to Frequent Flyer Programs
Another huge advantage to the Platinum card is the ability to transfer your Membership Rewards directly to more than 20 hotel and airlines loyalty programs, including Delta Skymiles, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America, Best Western Rewards, Jet Blue, HHonors and many others.
Note: Your points will be converted 1 to 1 with most airlines and you can actually boost the value of your MR points by transferring to a program with a value of 2-3 cents per point when you redeem.
American Express Platinum Travel Benefits
- Hotel Upgrades and Perks
American Express has more than 700 hotel and resort partners through their Fine Hotels & Resorts program that's only available to Platinum and Centurion members. You can enjoy free room upgrades upon check-in, complimentary breakfast for two every day, late checkout, complimentary third day stays, free golf, spa or food credits and more, depending on the property. This benefit alone can be worth the annual cost of the Platinum card if you travel with a partner fairly often.
- Starwood Gold Status
Once you get your Platinum card, give Starwood a call and let them know you want Starwood Gold Status then just fax them proof to get your account upgraded. Starwood Gold typically takes 25 nights or 10 days to achieve and you'll get a 50% bonus on Starpoints, late checkout and room upgrades.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees
Most credit cards have a foreign transaction fee of 3-4% whenever you make a purchase outside of the United States. The American Express Platinum card has absolutely no foreign transaction fee, thanks to some changes they made to their program a few years ago. This can save hundreds or thousands every year, depending how often you travel abroad.
- Personal Concierge
Whether you want to make reservations for dinner, book travel or get help tracking something down, personal concierge is available at all times to offer assistance.
- Roadside Assistance
Skip AAA and receive up to 4 roadside assistance service calls every year with $50 in coverage every time in the United States, Puerto Rico and Canada.
- Car Rental Collision Coverage
If you pay for your rental with your Platinum card, you can decline collision coverage and still be covered by American Express. This perk is especially nice in many countries with narrow roads although there are some countries that aren't covered.
- Premium Rental Program
Enjoy elite status with your Platinum card at National, Hertz and Avis for quick checkouts, upgrades and a four-hour return grace period. You also have the option to purchase premium insurance through American Express for around $20 per rental, which can be a big savings.
- Cruise Privileges Program
Here's a benefit that gets little attention: get up to $300 per stateroom shipboard credit or a 2-category stateroom upgrade, along with double MR points, exclusive amenities and a $100 annual travel benefit with your Platinum card. Their partners right now include Royal Caribbean, Princess, Regent Seven Seas, Celebrity, Holland, Cunard and many others.
And Finally... American Express Platinum Shopping Benefits
- Purchase Protection
If a purchase is accidentally damaged, stolen or lost within the first 90 days and you bought it with your Platinum card, your purchase is protected up to $10,000 per occurrence and up to $50,000 per calendar year. This benefit covers replacement, repair or reimbursement and it might just be one of your most-used perks.
- Return Protection
If you make a purchase with your Platinum card and the store won't accept your return for any reason, American Express will accept the return and reimburse you up to $300 per item and $1,000 per year within the first 90 days.
- Extended Warranties
There's no need to buy that extended warranty the clerk is trying to push on you; your American Express will automatically double the original U.S. warranty up to an additional year.
- Equinox Fitness
Sign up for a membership to Equinox gym with your charge card and get special pricing, four personal trainer sessions, and a 50-minute facial or massage.
The Platinum Rewards Program
Platinum and Centurion card members participate in American Express Membership Rewards First program, the highest level of awards offered by the issuer. Your MRF points can be redeemed for merchandise, travel, gift cards and more and you'll earn 1 point per dollar on everything with double points earned through the AmEx travel services site. The rewards program is a nice bonus to the Platinum card although most people find the host of benefits overshadow the rewards you earn.
American Express is also offering 25,000 bonus points if you spend $2,000 within your first 3 months, which is enough for a US domestic economy class round-trip ticket.
Is the American Express Platinum Right for You?
The benefits that can be valued -- such as lounge access, complimentary Priority Pass Select membership and $200 toward airline incidentals -- total about $700, far more than the card's annual fee.
This doesn't include other benefits that have no dollar value, or the rewards you'll earn. This card is designed for big spenders who travel abroad with its premium car rental program, Starwood Gold status and the rebate for Global Entry, among other things.
If you travel often, pay your balance in full every month and spend a few thousand a month, this is absolutely the card to have in your wallet and the privileges and benefits will quickly outweigh the cost. Their current sign-up bonus of 25,000 points is also hard to beat with an easy spending requirement and enough points to get a domestic economy class roundtrip ticket.Bad Credit? Read This >> The Ultimate List of Resources For Building Your Credit
- First Class Airport Lounge Access
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American Express Platinum Card many privileges:
Get a Welcome Gift 1 of 11,000 Bonus Membership Rewards Point
Get 1 Membership Rewards Point for every Rs.40 spent
Enjoy complimentary membership 2 to Priority Pass, with the US$99 annual membership fee waived off exclusively for you
Get exclusive access to the luxurious American Express Platinum Lounges 2 at Delhi and Mumbai Domestic Airports
Savour exciting dining privileges at Taj Hotels with complimentary membership 2 to Taj Epicure Plus
Enjoy complimentary golf 2 at 8 premier courses in India.
Put your day to day expenses on your Card and you can get a free movie voucher for two worth Rs. 700, every month.
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American Express Platinum Credit Card offers many benefits such as:
Earn 1 membership rewards point for every ₹40 spent for fuel.
Used for Insurance and Cash Transactions.
Great on travel and dining benefits.
Today, 07:21 AM #4
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I am a big admirer of American Express credit cards. I have been using these cards since 2007 and they saved my money so well.
In 2011, I had spent over $7000 on grocery and other home shopping and I get a huge cashback.
In the starting days, I really did not know how to activate or confirm the American Express credit card. But after some searching on the webs, I finally found a complete guide.


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Sayyid Salih Ozcan, one of the genuine followers of Bediuzzaman, explains that Hazrat Mahdi (as) will discharge all of the three duties together.
Presenter:Note that the Master (Bediuzzaman) says; "Great incidents are happening that will set the blessed power within such a devout community in motion and awaken it. Surely a supreme effort in that great power will take action and Hazrat Mahdi (as) will head it and lead it to the truth".
Sayyid Salih Ozcan:He says the truth. Listen to me; supreme movements are happening in Turkey. There are very good developments in Turkey. In the past there were no such incidents. They have now commenced Alhamdulillah. For instance, the construction of those shopping centers etc. These are not the Mahdi but they are the movement related to Hazrat Mahdi (as). This is my conviction. That is how I understand it.
Presenter: Insha'Allah. Then there will be a moment in which those will get in action and in which Hazrat Mahdi (as) will head it.
Sayyid Salih Ozcan: There will be such a moment, I am of the same conviction. This is my conviction.
Presenter: Masha'Allah. Bediuzzaman says, as you would know better Insha'Allah. "In every age a sort of Mahdi and reviver comes and they did until now. But because every one of them discharged one of the three duties in one aspect, they could not take the name of the Great Mahdi of the End Times."
Sayyid Salih Ozcan: They did not. That is true; everyone has performed the task of the Mahdi in his own age. But meanwhile they did not discharge the three duties. They did not fulfill both the political and sharia tasks. But when the Great Mahdi comes, he will both perform the political aspect and all others. That is, he will discharge all the three duties. This is my conviction.
Presenter: Masha'Allah. So you say that nobody has ever performed them in the past.
Sayyid Salih Ozcan:No they have not.
Presenter:Indeed the Master himself said: "The existence of these three duties all together in one person or in one community in this time," - that is the time Bediuzzaman lived- "its perfectness and their not being hindrance to one another is far in the distance. It is almost impossible."
Sayyid Salih Ozcan:That is true, it has not happened. It did not happen and it will not happen. But when Hazrat Mahdi (as) comes, all these will come to an end.
Presenter: Insha'Allah.
Sayyid Salih Ozcan:This is my conviction. This is how I believe.
Presenter: Hazrat Master tells this too.
Sayyid Salih Ozcan:I believe in what the Master says.
Related Works


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For all the laurels heaped on Apple's design philosophy, not nearly enough is said about just how delicious that logo looks. This "Who Ate My Mac" iPad decal from The Crazy Rabbit makes that playful point in three stages.
While the double-layered black and white vinyl stickers are currently sold out on Etsy, the MacBook version is still available for $5. [Etsy via Walyou]


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How to Get Started
Getting started is easy. Follow these steps and be on your way to a healthier and fitter lifestyle! If you are unsure on what trainer to choose or which package fits your goals, contact the Campus Recreation office and one of our personal traines will be happy to assist you.
Step 1: Choose your training options
We have a number of different services available. Take the time to look through them and find the one that best fits your needs.
Step 2: Purchase your training options
Register for services at the Campus Recreation Office, TRAC 1008. A valid UIS i-card and payment are required at time of registration.
Step 3: Complete paperwork provided at registration
You will be given paperwork to complete at time of registration.
Your paperwork will be evaluated by the Assistant Director – Fitness and Wellness and a trainer will be assigned to you based on your needs and personal preference.
Step 4: Scheduling your training sessions
You will be contacted by a Campus Rec trainer within 2 business days. We will do our best to contact you sooner if possible!


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Property TypeLand – Homesite
SubdivisionSee Remarks
Listing Date06/09/19
AreaOut of County
Lot Size2.26 Acres (98,446 SqFt)
Property Description
Large building lot in beautiful Buena Vista with panoramic views of Collegiate Peaks. Lots of room to spread out. Horse friendly. Close to town, hiking, biking and river activities. Well permit may be obtained through the state of Colorado, Division 2
Presented By
- See Remarks
- Mountains
- Valley
- Electricity Avail.
- Phone Available
Financial Information
We get asked this question a lot. Below is a tool that gives you the ability to see what the market is like in your community. Find out what homes like your own are selling for right in your back yard. Simply enter in your address, choose the proximity of the search and find out market data for other homes that are selling near you.
While we'll provide you with plenty of information, this is a snapshot of your market data and there are real people behind the high-tech and automated tools. If you would like more detailed information or help in understanding the results we are here to help.
Until then, enjoy the tools!
The data relating to the real estate for sale on this website comes in part from the Internet Data Exchange program of the Vail Multi-List Service, Inc.
Copyright © 2020 Vail Multi List, Inc. (VMLS). The information displayed herein was derived from sources believed to be accurate, but has not been verified by VMLS. Buyers are cautioned to verify all information to their own satisfaction. This information is exclusively for viewers' personal, non- commercial use. Any republication or reproduction of the information herein without the express permission of the VMLS is strictly prohibited.
Listing courtesy of Elite Mountain Properties LLC


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Shame on me. I have neglected to plug Free Darko's "The Macrophenomenal Pro Basketball Almanac: Styles, Stats, and Stars in Today's Game.." But I encourage all of youwho enjoy their sports books stuffed with the type of illustrations and freewheeling batshit basketball ephemera that will rock the body that rocks the party to buy it in Costco-sized bulk.
Last night, the Free Darko boys unleashed their snakeheaded lunacy upon the Varsity Letters reading series and killed, as much as one can kill in a dimly lit small venue using a slide projector. They're doing a couple more readings on their self-funded mini-tour, so go make yourself happy and experience it all firsthand.
Things not Free Darko-related:
• Hickman
• Layla
• Rolf
• Sloppy
• Feldman
Tonight: Spend your Friday evening with Matt Sussman as he live blogs his Ball States off.
Weekend writers...er...TBD? [KOGOD note: Mr. Joshua Zerkle will be handling the weekend duties]
Anyway, thanks for your continued support of Facebook. See ya Monday.


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Designed by Carleton Varney and featured in books and magazines, this Classic Regency home is a Palm Beach beauty. Exquisitely detailed to suit your every entertaining need—padded walls, marbled floors and custom fixtures are but a few of its fine design features—this residence is available fully-furnished. Sliding glass doors lead to wide, open loggia where your guests may lounge, enjoying the pool, private dock and water views, all surrounded by lush, verdant landscaping. A freshly painted exterior and new, brightly-renovated gourmet kitchen are but added perks to this already-sweet deal. View the listing.
Copyright LXTVN - LXTV


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Every day 10:00 - 18:00 -
Götz Winery is located in a Swabian village, Hercegkút, which lies about 3 kilometres from Sárospatak. The first mention of the settlement dates from the 1750s, the original name of the village was Trautsondorf. The village has two rows of wine cellars, in Kőporos and Gombos-hegy, both form ...
Every day 9:00 - 17:00 -
The Tokaji Kutatóintézet is the owner of the immense cellar in Tarcal, that throughout the centuries was the property of the Imerpial and Royal Court. This cellar and the harvest-house above it were processed the grape, whose wine were supplied the Viennese Court.
2020-04-14 16:00 - 18:00 -
Starting at 4pm every day from Monday to Saturday, our Tokaj Masterclasses give a full overview of the history, geography, grape varieties and wine styles of the Tokaj region via a guided tasting of six representative wines.


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Wood Frame - Original Earring Holder - Monogram - Owls
These cute little owls know the wise way to organize all their earrings is with this exclusive design from the Earring Holder Gallery. A super gift idea for any occasion! Each Earring Holder is a functional piece of original art used to display all types of pierced earrings and is made from an incredibly strong fiberglass mesh guaranteed to never tear, rust, or tarnish. Unlike some other styles of Earring Holders ours can accommodate all types of pierced earrings: Posts go anywhere in the mesh and are secured by their backs; French Wires slip into any of the thousands of little holes and hoops and lever backs are easy with our "Wire Thingy" accessory. All of our Original Earring Holders measure 7" X 10" and include a wire stand that fits into two pre-drilled holes in the base of the frame. An added benefit is that the same stand can be used as a hanger so that these frames can be hung on the wall as a picture. Check out our Jewelry Trees as an optional method of hanging the frame and organizing your other jewelry. Bonus: We always ship a FREE Wire Thingy with each Earring Holder you order. You do NOT need to order this accessory - it will be included with your shipment automatically. CLICK HERE TO ORDER EXTRA WIRE THINGYS


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As we were browsing the web for a different idea for Elena's 2nd birthday, we immediately loved the watermelon strawberry theme simply because of the color palette: pink, melon and lime. We were inspired by Whimsical Printables' Summer Party, and with the watermelon amazing graphics by Kelly Medina, I created my own design using a homemade gingham pattern, chevron and of course, polka dots.
My amazing balloon designer Johanna Padín created beautiful art in two columns and a number two with watermelon and strawberry elements. I made the huge fabric garland hanging in the background, as well as the birthday banner on the main table.
We wanted to feature desserts as well as candy, so I ordered cake pops, brownies, strawberry parfaits, fruit salad, cheesecakes and sugar cookies. All the sweets are from Pastry Gallery, sugar cookies by my usual talented baker, Peggy Pérez and the amazing cake and cupcakes by Wanda González.
Thank you for visiting!
Watermelon clipart: Kelly Medina
Desserts: Pastry Gallery ~ Noemí Nieves
Cookies: Peggy Pérez
Cake & Cupcakes: Wanda González
Balloon Art: GloboArte ~ Johanna Padín
Fabric Garland: Partylicious
Paper Products: Partylicious
Paper straws, paper bags & wooden spoons: Shop Sweet Lulu


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The School District of Milton seeks to ensure your child is learning in a safe and healthy environment. The following forms provide information related to the District's medical and health information policies, Wisconsin's immunization laws and other medical forms. If at any time you have a question about one of these forms, please call our School District Nurse Teresa Baker at 608-868-9300 ext. 1021.
Health Information
When To Keep Your Child Home From School
Wisconsin Immunization Laws
CDC Immunization Schedule
Immunization Form
Medication Policy
Medication Forms
Register 4K/Kindergartner to Receive Preventative Dental Care
Tweets by @SchDistofMilton


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Mike Essl has just sent me a link to a great visual resource of old calligraphy and penmanship manuals, where the above images are from. What's even more impressive is that most of them are available in PDF form. Take a look at what they have: www.iampeth.com/books.php
More images after the cut…
- Header image from: A Complete Compendium of Plain Practical Penmanship by L.M. Kelchner, 1901
- Top three images from: Ames' Guide to Self-Instruction in Practical and Artistic Penmanship, by Daniel T. Ames, 1884
- Thanksgiving Postcard
- Lessons in Advanced Engraver's Script, by Louis Madarasz
- Last two images from: Real Pen Work, Self-Instructor in Penmanship
Filed under: Books, Calligraphy, Lettering, Links, Reference


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The B sprouts looked so lovable that I had to adopt them, but as it turned out, they were little but not tender. I had to cook them to the point of funky and they were still chewy. But I loved the idea of them.
I love baby veggies Robin and buy a lot of them at the FM. For some reason the growers here grow Broccoli but not Brussels Sprouts. I tried growing them one year and apparently aphids love them. I wonder if the ones you bought are a type of sprout, or, if simply picked much too early?
I'm in love with the Pak Choi (looks like baby Bak Choi) and want to grow more of those this year....they are addicting. I grew them last year with great success, bugs do not like them and they are a power house of antioxidants.


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Local News Round-Up: Reports from other sources
Tuesday -more-
Planners Continue Work On West Berkeley Zoning
Planning commissioners will take a break from their rewrite of the Downtown Area Plan Wednesday night when they return to their revisions of West Berkeley land use rules. -more-
Environmental Review Hearing Moves Downtown Plan Closer
With the struggle to shape the future of downtown Berkeley entering its final months, planning commissioners are moving closer to finalizing their own vision. -more-
WORTH READING: from other sources
UCB's deal with Dow Chemical produces questionable research about termite control. -more-
City Alarmed by Police Impounding Cars of Undocumented Immigrants
Community organizers met with Berkeley city officials on Thursday to discuss concerns about the Berkeley police seizing cars of undocumented immigrants, which they said had generated fear among some Latino families. -more-
City Council to Consider Rescinding Ban on University Avenue Fast Foods
A moratorium on new fast food restaurants and convenience stores along a portion of University Avenue in downtown Berkeley may soon be lifted. The Berkeley City Council is scheduled to consider a Planning Commission recommendation to lift the ban Tuesday night, Feb. 24. -more-
AC Transit Supporters Seek to Stop MTC's Shift of Federal Recovery Funds from Local Transit Agencies
Officials and supporters of AC Transit are mobilizing opposition to a proposal before the Metropolitan Transportation Commission that they feel could siphon away federal stimulus money from the East Bay bus agency. -more-
Berkeley Unified School District Facing State Cuts in New Budget
The state budget approved by lawmakers on Thursday to close California's $42 billion budget deficit will impose billions of dollars in cuts on public education, leading to larger class sizes in grades K-12, fewer programs in arts and music and teacher lay-offs, officials said. -more-
Golden Gates Fields Fate Uncertain; Corporate Owner's Stock Plunges
After failing to raise enough cash to reorganize, the owners of Golden Gate Fields face the threat of liquidation—leaving the future of the Albany race track in doubt. -more-
Page One
Toward a Sustainable Planet
What's with the blank front page? readers may ask. Well, what local community papers like the Daily Planet have always done, which metropolitan dailies have never done, is report in depth on local news. The fine essay Ben Bagdikian contributed to the Planet about a year ago, reprinted below, explains why this is important for democracy. -more-
The Planet and Democracy
This commentary was originally published in the Daily Planet on Dec. 21, 2007. Bagdikian, a Berkeley resident, is former dean of the UC Berkeley School of Journalism, former editor of the Washington Post, and the author of The New Media Monopoly. -more-
With Local Journalism in Peril, Planet's Owners Seek Solution
Confronted with the same harsh economic realities as other American newspapers, the owners of the Berkeley Daily Planet are seeking a new business model to keep community papers alive. -more-
Citizens Turn Up the Heat On Pacific Steel Again
Community members will take to the streets once again Saturday to protest what they called toxic emissions from the West Berkeley-based Pacific Steel Casting Company, following the publication of a report by USA Today last December which identified three Berkeley schools in the top 1 percent of the country's most at-risk sites for exposure to dangerous toxic chemicals. -more-
No More Youth Parties at Gaia Arts Center
Berkeley developer Patrick Kennedy announced at the Berkeley Zoning Adjustments Board meeting last week that the Gaia Arts Center in downtown Berkeley will stop renting out space for youth events in light of a series of out-of-control parties there, with the most recent one leading to shots being fired in its aftermath three weeks ago. -more-
UC Berkeley Wants to Buy Golden Bear Building
UC Berkeley is buying the Golden Bear, the University Avenue building that sparked a major political battle 40 years ago and continues to rumble today. -more-
Police Blotter
Sexual predator at large -more-
Fire Department Log
Unfalse alarm -more-
Farrakhan in Oakland to Address Grant Shooting
National Nation of Islam leader Minister Louis Farrakhan came to Oakland this week to lend his powerful voice to the rising chorus of protest in the death of Oscar Grant III, telling an overflow audience of more than a thousand at West Oakland's Olivet Missionary Baptist Church on Tuesday night that "Oscar Grant's assassination stirred up something that was building in Oakland for a long, long time." -more-
Little Action Taken After Chaotic BART Board Meeting
In a chaotic, unruly, and frequently disrupted special meeting held in part to move forward on the Oscar Grant controversy, members of the BART Board of Directors took virtually no action last week on the controversy itself, instead spending most of their time answering immediate audience concerns and, in some cases, responding to repeated audience participation. -more-
Zoning Board Allows Thai Temple To Continue Sunday Brunch
Mango sticky rice and pad Thai aficionados in the Bay Area can finally breathe a sigh of relief. -more-
Office Vacancies Climb, But Retail Remains Solid
If housing is a bust, offices and commercial rentals aren't far behind. -more-
Commission Expands Downtown Area for High-Rise Construction
A proposal to dramatically expand the section of downtown Berkeley where high rises could soar hit a rough spot last week. -more-
School Board Approves BHS Redesign Plan
The Berkeley Board of Education voted 4 to 1 last week to approve the Berkeley High School redesign plan, as recommended by Berkeley Unified School District Superintendent Bill Huyett and Berkeley High Principal Jim Slemp, which aims to help close the achievement gap. -more-
Just Four Candidates Left for AC Transit Board Seat
The AC Transit Board of Directors has pared down the list of candidates to four finalists of the original 17 who sought to fill the remaining two years of the term of former AC Transit at-large board member Rebecca Kaplan. -more-
In memory of Jengyee Liang, 1983-2008
Jengyee Liang, UC Berkeley alumna, died on Nov. 10, 2008, near her hometown of Huntington Beach. The daughter of Mr. Tom Y. Liang and Mrs. Jan C. Liang, Jengyee was born in Fountain Valley on Feb. 18, 1983 and grew up in Huntington Beach with her parents and her two older brothers, Albert J. Liang and Ben J. Liang. Family and close friends surrounded her when she passed after her three-year struggle with lupus. -more-
Mexico's First Black President
Barak Obama admires Abraham Lincoln. Vicente Guerrero, Mexico's first black president, was his nation's Lincoln. In 1829 he issued Mexico's slavery abolition decree (which led a few years later to Texas slave holders taking Texas out of Mexico). -more-
Public Comment
Readers Respond to Herskovits' Israel-Palestine Commentary
Editors, Daily Planet: -more-
Letters to the Editor
MISSED OPPORTUNITY -more-
Blockade Harms U.S. More Than Cuba
The U.S. blockade is causing more economic damage to the United States than it is to Cuba. A December letter signed by a dozen leading U.S. business organizations, including the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, urged then President-elect Barack Obama to initiate the process of scrapping the 47-year old embargo. The letter pegs the cost to the US economy at $1.2 billion per year, an estimate made by the International Trade Commission in 2001. More recent sources put the projected 2009 loss at $3.6 billion annually in lost sales. -more-
Berkeley Remembered
History denotes sculptures from ancient times to present as having significant meaning to the peoples and cultures of that time, often commemorating heroes and capturing history. Centuries later, we still have a glimpse into their past. Chiseled into stone, metal, clay and wood, even into the sides of mountains, is the artistic equivalent to the historic written word, communicating to future generations of all languages a vision of the past. -more-
Grant Apologists Are Loud, But Wrong
Just had the opportunity to read J. Douglas Allen-Taylor's Jan. 28 column in the Daily Planet ("Justice Coalitions Fracturing in Oscar Grant Case") about the BART Police officer's accidental shooting of the convicted criminal Oscar Grant on New Year's Day. -more-
Public Space on Center Street
This city planner did not give "thumbs down to closed Center Street" at the Feb. 4 city Planning Commission. I have desired the creation of a major public gathering space in the heart of our downtown since working on the citizens' 1984 Outline for a Downtown Plan and the City's 1990 Downtown Plan. Now, more than ever, I believe that with the new downtown plan, the creation of such a wonderful urban space is inevitable. And consensus from both the DAPAC and Planning Commission is that it will be on Center Street between Shattuck and Oxford. -more-
What's Next in Afghanistan?
President Obama recently announced that he is sending 17,000 more troops to Afghanistan. But he is still faced with a decision about what to do long term in Afghanistan and with worldwide terrorism. If there is one point of agreement between Republicans and Democrats, it is that the U.S. war in Afghanistan was a legitimate response to the Sept. 11 attacks, mainly aimed at bringing Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda to justice—unlike the invasion and occupation of Iraq, which was bogus, based on the Bush administration's falsehoods regarding Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction and Saddam Hussein's links to al Qaeda. -more-
Of Councils, Courts and a Failure to Communicate
Let's go over what is at stake in the cell phone antenna permits that City Council has approved for UC Storage and the French Hotel. First, there is the question of health protections against possibly injurious technology. And second, there is the question of representation. -more-
Newspaper or Journal of Opinion? That's a Good Question
In the last issue of the Planet, reader Terry Doran asked some interesting questions which are central to our ongoing discussion of the future of the news. Here's his letter again: -more-
Dispatches From The Edge—Gaza: Death's Laboratory
It was as if they had stepped on a mine, but there was no shrapnel in the wound. Some had lost their legs. It looked as though they had been sliced off. I have been to war zones for 30 years, but I have never seen such injuries before. -more-
Undercurrents: Limited Scope, Limited Results in BART Investigation
Late in last week's chaotic BART meeting, BART Board Director Tom Radulovich made a point that almost certainly got overlooked by most of the meeting's observers, especially since the boardroom had virtually cleared by then. Radulovich said that he wanted BART staff to make available to the public the "scope of work" which BART has given the law firm of Meyers Nave in its investigation of the New Year's Day events on the Fruitvale BART platform. Those events included the shooting death of Hayward resident Oscar Grant by BART police officer Johannes Mehserle. -more-
Green Neighbors: The Richmond Chainsaw Massacre, Part One
This was the second time I'd seen the same stunned, stoic, pale, pained reaction to revisiting a restoration site. -more-
State Worker Layoffs
Arts & Events
On DVD: 'Bottle Rocket,' 'Magnificent Obsession,' 'Europa' and 'The Derek Jarman Collection'
Bottle Rocket -more-
Home & Garden
East Bay: Then and Now—Berkeley's City Hall Was Inspired by a Mairie on the Loire
On June 27, 1908, at the laying of the cornerstone for Berkeley's new City Hall, University of California president Benjamin Ide Wheeler delivered the keynote address. His was no florid speech politely suitable to the occasion. On the contrary. Wheeler seized the moment to "flay the politicians," as the San Francisco Call reported the following day, and "then asked citizens to take a more active part in municipal affairs." -more-
About the House: The Good Old Days
I've long observed (with some glee) that houses and their owners tend to be alike in notable ways and that this only increases over time. -more-


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Trade News
Manila, Philippines, 5 July 2016 - Linde Philippines, Inc., a member of The Linde Group, today announced an investment of PHP 1.3 billion (EUR 25 million) to upgrade its existing air separation unit and add a new nitrogen liquefaction unit (NLU) at its Apalit Pampanga site in the Philippines. When completed, the manufacturing facilities at the site will be able to produce more than 400 tonnes per day of liquefied gases and related solutions that are essential to support the fast-growing electronics, food and beverage, fabrication, shipbuilding and healthcare industries in the Philippines.
The NLU, expected to go on stream by 2018, will support the expansion of Linde's liquid nitrogen and liquid oxygen capacity and strengthen the position of Linde as one of the leading and most reliable gas manufacturers in the country.
Mr Alexander Coo, Managing Director of Linde Philippines, said, "This investment demonstrates our long-term commitment to strengthen our supply capabilities and service offerings in order to continue to support the growth of the local manufacturing industries."
Ms Seck Luan Lim, Cluster Business Head for Singapore, Indonesia and Philippines said that this investment is a testament to Linde's intention for growth and development in the South East Asian region. "The Philippines is an important part of our overall South East Asia business and we want to continue to grow and support the local markets. The economic growth that we have seen in the Philippines in recent years gives Linde the confidence to continue to invest in the country for the future."
The new NLU facility will be built leveraging The Linde Group's engineering technical and design expertise. Linde's world-leading technology in air separation design offers high energy efficiency and operational reliability.
About Linde Philippines
Linde Philippines, Inc, a member of The Linde Group, is the leading industrial gas supplier in the country. It operates nine production sites and various sales centers in key locations across the country. The company manufactures and distributes industrial, specialty and medical gases, and provides a range of related services including the installation of gas equipment, pipelines, on-site plants and associated engineering services.
For more information, see www.linde.com.ph.
About The Linde Group
In the 2015 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 17.944 bn, making it the largest gases and engineering company in the world with approximately 64,500 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment – in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.
For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com.


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Plenty of documents are describing how Malwares implement "Escape" techniques in order to evade Malware analysis. I did write posts on several of the most interesting evasion techniques ( available here and here) adding information on my side as well. Today I want to share a personal MAP that I made to correlate evasion techniques to detection techniques. It helped me a lot during some of my past talks as well as during my (research) malware writing nights.
Aims of the following MAP is to correlate evasion techniques to detection techniques without preteding to be "cool/graphically appealing" or "complete". It wants to be "remind me what happens there".
|Malware Evasion Chart 101 (Download PDF)
The "soul" of the entire chart is stright int the center. Highlighted in blue shape the Analysis techniques. Highlighted in red shape the corresponding evasion techniques. In separate colored boxes significant examples of evasion techniques (again, there are many many many other ways to perform debugging traps/Red Pills/etc../etc... this wants to be only a "remind").
A glimpse of content:
All the detection techniques could be clustered into two big groups: "Static Analisys" and "Dynamic Analysis". The Static analysis could be divided into "Signature" based techniques and "Decompiling" based techniques. The first set of techniques are based on signature matching. A signature is a set of bytes (not adjacent). The second set of techniques, look into binaries trying to understand behavior without running the binary on its own. These techniques are quite useful on pieces of data junk or not executable data. On the other side "dynamic analysis" where the analyst run the Malware. These techniques could be divided into "System Centric" and "Program Centric". The main difference between such techniques is the perspective. If you analyse the binary from inside you are "Program Centric" and so you might debug the bnary and/or look for internal API calls. If you are analyzing the binary from outside you are "System Centric" and you probably are sandboxing the binary.
In the example boxes you find significative pieces of code and/or softwares that are used to achieve the evasion technique. For instance in the green box named "Code not run" PEditor shows how to modify the OEP (Original Entry Point) of a program to run unaligned code. In the box named "Breaking/watching/Catching point handlers" one of the most famous signal handlers have been shown and so forth and so on.
If you find the MAP usefull, please leave a comment, if you'd like to expand it please send me an email I'd like to receive help in expanding it.
Hope you'll enjoy.
If you find the MAP usefull, please leave a comment, if you'd like to expand it please send me an email I'd like to receive help in expanding it.
Hope you'll enjoy.


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TekCollect, Inc.
Positive cash flow is critical to the successful operation of any business. When it is impacted by slow-paying customers, companies must seek solutions. Ones that are expedient, economical and effective.
TekCollect provides business owners with comprehensive accounts receivable management, collections and customer retention services. Our persistence, professionalism and pricing are unparalleled in the industry. And our service is completely Web-based for the most convenient, real-time account management solution available.
TekCollect has access to over 6,000 collection professionals and a national pool of litigation services. We have multiple state-of-the-art predictive dialers and automated call distribution systems for the most advanced collection efforts.
As our name implies, we put technology to work to generate maximum recovery results. And just as importantly, we are committed to non-alienation. Our collection protocol is designed to preserve our clients' image, integrity and valuable customer relationships. We invite you to explore our services and capabilities.


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Election Section
Support Education and Accountability—Yes on H…No on I
Measure H is a parcel tax that will provide approximately $5 million per year for 10years (from 2013 to 2023) at a total cost of $50 million. The revenues from the parcel tax will be used to maintain school facilities.
Measure I authorizes the District to issue $210million in school construction bonds that will be used to construct classrooms and renovate district facilities over the next ten years. However, the cost to repay the bonds (principal and interest) will be $611 million over 50 years through 2060.
Berkeley's investment in school facilities
Building and maintaining school facilities constitutes a "big ticket" item for any school district. We all want to support public education and mission-critical educational facilities. School districts create trust with the community when school construction bonds and school parcel taxes are used efficiently and effectively, and when there is oversight, transparency and accountability. Many school districts with growing student enrollments often struggle to build enough facilities to accommodate demand. However, BUSD has stable enrollment. BUS enrollment is currently at 9,000, a slight decline from 9,600 ten years ago. Ten years from now, the District anticipates 9,400 students.
Compared with California public school districts with comparable enrollments (from7,000 to 11,000 students), Berkeley voters have already generously approved more school construction bonds than any other school district by passing both Measure A in1992 and Measure AA in 2000. Measure A and Measure AA bond measures have provided BUSD $274.5 million. Including matching state and other construction funds, the total invested in BUS facilities since 1992 is $340 million.
Yes on Measure H: school maintenance parcel tax—cost $50 million
Berkeley residents have made a remarkable investment in school facilities, and we need to maintain those facilities. Measure H is a renewal of Measure BB passed in 2000.
Measure H is an extension of an existing parcel tax and provides approximately $5million per year for ten years to the district's annual operating budget to maintain the school facilities that Berkeley residents have already invested in. Property owners will pay approximately $50 million over the ten-year life of the parcel tax. Maintenance expenses come out of our district's annual operating budget. Other districts have cut maintenance due to decreased state funding. By providing separate maintenance funding through local parcel taxes, the BUSD does not have to either neglect maintenance or cut into classroom funding to maintain district facilities.
Moreover, BUSD has created a citizens oversight committee for Measure BB and such oversight will continue under Measure H. Measure BB funds have been subject to annual financial audits by an independent CPA firm, an important measure of accountability. In tough economic times, we should support Measure H because those parcel tax resources go directly to the district's operating budget and help to maintain the facilities that Berkeley taxpayers have so generously supported.
Track record of school bond Measure AA of 2000
When the Berkeley High "B building" burned to the ground in April 2000 and 26classrooms were destroyed, the District brought forth the $116.5 million Measure AA in November of 2000 to provide funding to replace the destroyed classroom building. The text of the ballot measure read, "To repair, upgrade and add new classrooms to address overcrowding and facilitate reduced class sizes at Berkeley High School…"
Berkeley voters were told that Berkeley High classroom building was at the head of the line of projects to be funded by Measure AA, and $19 million of Measure AA was earmarked for that purpose. (Source: Bond Measure AA Financial Summary,www.busduse.org/aabb/)
The ballot language of Measure AA provided a great deal of discretion to the School Board in implementing a building program. In 2007 at least $40 million of voter approved bond funds remained available.
At the September 5, 2007 board meeting, the Berkeley School Board voted to revise the allocation of Measure AA funding. The classroom building at Berkeley High did not make the list of district top priorities even though the Berkeley High population constitutes over a third of the students (3,300) enrolled in the district.
According to the minutes, the school board voted to use the remaining Measure AA funds to fund a transportation complex on Gilman ($12.5million), the relocation of the Central Office (administrative offices) to West Campus ($18.2 million), and a new football bleacher structure at Berkeley High ($10.4 million).None of these board-approved construction projects were mentioned in voter information for Measure AA. The cost of these three projects—$40 million, over a third of total Measure AA proceeds—could have easily covered a new classroom building on the Berkeley High campus.
In August 2009 according to the oversight committee known as the Construction Advisory Committee (CAC), "The funds of the 2000 bond are fully committed though not fully spent. But the building campaign is short by at least one mission-critical facility—the Berkeley High south-of-Bancroft classroom building. After the 2000 bond the CAC and district staff regarded this building the head of the line of projects funded by the second bond. In the succeeding years that building was delayed and at last went tithe end of the line of projects…This building's construction now stands unfunded."
Voters were promised annual financial audits of Measure AA funds by an independent firm. This has not happened. District officials have maintained that a "special audit" was completed in 2009. In fact, it was an "attest report," which does not have the authority of an audit.
Although the funds of the previous bond measures have been spent, Berkeley property owners are still obligated today to pay $300 million in principal and interest via property taxes through 2032.The classroom building at Berkeley High is once again at the top of the Measure I bond project list.
Measure I is too costly--$611 million is too much
Bond measures are loans that must be repaid from property taxes. The $210 million bond measure alone will require property owners to pay $611 million in principal and interest—three times the amount of the actual construction costs. Supporters say that tax rates will not be set higher than past levels. However, the ballot tax rate statement says," Approval of the ballot measure authorizes the issuance of bonds under certain conditions, and is not approval of a specific tax rate or a specific bond issuance plan.
The rate estimates in this statement reflect the District's current projection of future assessed values and of future debt service payments, which are based on assumptions." The bonds will be issued and spent over the next ten years, but Berkeley property owners will be repaying the debt over 50 years through 2060.
If Measure I passes, Berkeley voters will have provided BUSD with almost half a billion in facilities financing ($485 million). If Measure I passes, property owners will be obligated to pay almost a billion dollars—$911 million—in total payments (principal and interest) over the next 50 years through 2060.
Measure I is a vague and poorly written school construction bond measure and allows the school board total discretion in terms of how the funds are actually spent. No construction project is guaranteed completion. The text of the ballot measure states, "Inclusion of a project on the Bond Project List is not a guarantee that the project will be funded or completed. Listed projects will be completed as needed at a particular school site according to Board-established priorities, and the order in which such projects appear on the Bond Project list is not an indication of priority for funding completion." There is still no guarantee that Berkeley High students will have enough classroom space in the future.
Measure I also allows the District to "enter into agreements with the City of Berkeley or other public agencies or nonprofit organizations for joint use of school facilities financed with proceeds of the bonds…" Voters are left in the dark as to what the funds will ultimately be used for.
Measure I is not based on a BUSD master facilities plan covering the time frame during which bond proceeds will be spent. There is no master facilities plan, timeline, prioritization of projects or needs assessment. This is not prudent management of construction funds. We should be planning what we build and build what we plan.
We need a smaller targeted bond measure, not Measure I
School construction bond money can go only into building and renovating school facilities and does not go into the district's annual operating budget that pays for teachers and textbooks. If Measure I does not pass, the District should come back with a smaller more targeted bond measure. We need a bond measure that provides for better transparency, accountability and oversight. A better written and structured bond measure would be more fiscally responsible. The classroom building at Berkeley High remains an urgent need, but a smaller bond measure that is supported by a master facilities plan would be more appropriate given the current economic conditions.
[Note: The District did not make the estimate of the total cost (principal and interest) of the proposed $210 million bond measure publicly available until 9/15/2010, after ballot arguments and endorsements and had been filed. For cost of bond measures see the BUSD website; click on Measure I Information (Blue Book). "BUSD Cumulative Effect of Measure I and Previous School Bond Measures," page 58]
Priscilla Myrick is a former CPA and chief financial officer and a candidate for Berkeley School Board
Contact: email@example.com


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The new face of heart disease
It's not just a concern for older people and men
Crystal Ching has no family history of heart disease. She is under 50. Her cholesterol is low. She maintains a healthy weight. Yet she has heart disease.
"Suddenly one day I was overwhelmed by fatigue, upper body pain and nausea," says the owner of a Sacramento pet products company. "When my husband said I could be having a heart attack, I told him it was impossible because I was too young."
A physician and friend of Ching's was not satisfied with her initial diagnosis of "heartburn" at a Sacramento hospital. He provided a prescription for a stress test, which can evaluate the heart's response to varying levels of exertion. One of her customers passed along the phone number for cardiology at UC Davis Medical Center.
The stress test and an angiogram in UC Davis' state-of-the-art cardiovascular diagnostic and treatment center revealed three narrowed blood vessels — one was a potentially life-threatening 90 percent occluded. Ching was immediately admitted to the hospital. Amparo Villablanca, a nationally recognized expert on heart disease in women, has been the cardiologist overseeing Ching's care ever since.
"It is great to be connected with a team who could find the reasons for my symptoms, even though I had no obvious heart disease risk factors," she says. "I made the right choice to go to UC Davis for my medical care."
"Crystal says she is the 'new poster child for heart disease,'" says Villablanca, director of the UC Davis Women's Cardiovascular Medicine Program. "She is proof that it is not just a disease of older people or men."
Today, Ching's primary diseased vessel has a stent, and she works hard every day to make sure she doesn't have another cardiac event.
"I've made a few lifestyle adjustments," she said. "I don't eat meat, I've cut way back on the fat in my diet, I go to a gym and I take my medications regularly."
More information for women on heart disease risks and preventions is available at womenshearthealth.ucdavis.edu.


text: We've all had to fill out some sort of online form before that wants your name, address, phone number, lineage, whether you wad or fold your toilet paper, etc. Want to keep all this info from being freely distributed? When asked for your age, choose "under 13" and they're not permitted to retain or share ANY of that personal stuff. But wait...isn't that lying? Not really...they ask for your age, and the drop-down box usually doesn't specify YEARS. So hey...I really am under 13 DECADES old...they did mean decades, didn't they?


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New Logo Design for CaJenn Construction & Rehab Services
Held by: Billy Jennings (bjennings)
Last rated:
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Logo design created by professional graphic designer Mythos Designs
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Mythos Designs
$6,890.00 earned, 24 projects done
I don't design logos. I create Corporate identities.
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Dealer Comments
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic our dealership is taking steps to help prevent the spread of the virus while upholding our high standards of customer service. Please contact us to find out how we can assist you withthe purchase of one of our high quality used cars from the comfort andsafety of your home... Hyundai i30, Air Conditioning, ABS (Antilock Brakes), Air Conditioning,Smart Device Integration Android Auto Apple CarPlay, 16in Alloy Wheels, Brake Assist, Bluetooth System, Cruise Control, Chrome Grille Surround, Selectable Driving Modes, GPS (Satellite Navigation), Hill Holder, Engine.. Located 1 hour south of Sydney, we are a locally owned and operated family business, priding ourselves on great prices, great quality and great customer service. We will not be beaten! We are one of Australia's biggest used car operators. This means the best trade-in prices for you!All our pre-owned vehicles have had a 100 point safety check that incorporates any major accident damage checks, gear box checks, engine checks, so you have peace of mind that what you are purchasing is a great used vehicle! They all undergo a thorough process to make sure that our stock is one of the best presented around. It is near impossible to find vehicles of a better standard. Anything of poor quality is not soldon our yard. Our cars are either good quality trade-ins or hand-pickedpurchases. We are constantly buying and selling used cars meaning our stock is up to date and priced extremely competitively! We want your trade-in! We also deal with major Banks and Finance Companies, so financeand insurance can be arranged very easily by us on your behalf. We willtake care of the whole process for you. Please buy from a trusted riskfree source.


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WP WorldTraveler is a clean and fresh feature rich theme with subtle watercolor brush touches designed for Wordpress installations, it allows you to create a dynamic content managed site for use as a travel blogging site and more. It's very simple to get up and running, and includes many features allowing for complete customization.
- Custom Theme Administration Panel – Allows you to edit template and home page content including the logo, about me verbiage, about me image, our location widget, google analytics code as well as many other options. No need to go searching through code to make template changes.
- Custom Write Post Panel – Adds all the necessary image fields without the use of a plugin. This is built in and ready to go once you activate the theme.
- Fully Widgetized Sidebar – includes 3 custom widgets (Our Location, Flickr, and About Us)
- Dynamic Image Resizing – Never worry about having to re size your images, upload large images via the Wordpress admin and the theme takes care of the rest generating thumbnails, medium and large size images on the fly with caching.
- Very Easy to Change Color Scheme – by modifying the pre-sliced PSD
- Very scalable page structure – allows for accommodation of large amounts of content without breaking the layout
- Gravatar Ready
- Three nice large stock photos are included as well.
Files Included:
- (4) PSD's – Main layout, Single layout, Nav BG & Color Scheme
- WP Theme Files
- (3) Stock Photos
- Help File
Thanks for purchasing one of my premium themes! I pride myself on supporting my customers — if you're experiencing trouble getting setup, I'll do my best to answer your questions as soon as possible. Support covers getting setup, trouble using any features and bug fixes. I unfortunately can't provide support for modifications or 3rd party plugins.
Theme support is only offered to verified customers, through http://support.contempographicdesign.com — any other method will be redirected back there. Please search the knowledge base before submitting a ticket.
I actively update my themes with new features and additions, if you have any suggestions please leave a comment or shoot me a message via my profile.


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- See also: Morality Guide, Morality Guide (Mass Effect 2), Morality Guide (Mass Effect 3), Morality Guide (Mass Effect: Infiltrator)
Morality is measured in the original Mass Effect trilogy by "Paragon" and "Renegade" points. Unlike many contemporary role-playing games, such as BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, that represent morality as a single sliding scale of good and evil, Mass Effect keeps track of the Paragon and Renegade points on separate scales. A good action will not make up for an evil one; therefore, being nice occasionally will not stop people from fearing a killer or remove the reputation of an unsympathetic heel, but nor will the occasional brutal action significantly damage the reputation of an otherwise upstanding soldier. This also means there is no gameplay-driven motivation for avoiding a particular type of action.
Commander Shepard's Paragon and Renegade scores affect the availability of special "good" or "bad" dialogue options with significant impact. In Mass Effect, a higher score will unlock potential ranks for the Charm and Intimidate skills, where Shepard must invest skill points to make new dialogue choices available. In Mass Effect 2 the skills no longer exist; instead, the Paragon/Renegade scores unlock extra dialogue options directly.
Mass Effect Edit
Paragon Edit
Paragon points are gained for compassionate and heroic actions. The Paragon measurement is colored blue. Points are often gained when asking about feelings and motivations of characters. Paragon or Charm dialogue choices (colored blue in dialogue trees) often lead to people being more open and friendly with Shepard, and can sometimes avert entire battles that would otherwise be triggered.
Shepard starts the game with 3 open Charm ranks. The Paragon scale affects Charm and more as defined below:
- 10% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point.
- 25% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point. Bonus: 10% shorter First Aid cooldown.
- 50% – No charm ranks/points. Bonus: 10% maximum health.
- 75% – Opens 2 Charm ranks. Gives 1 Charm point. Bonus: 5% reduction in cooldown on all powers. Paragon Achievement.
After reaching 80% Paragon points, Admiral Hackett will give Shepard the UNC: Besieged Base assignment.
The "free" bonus skill points can be gained again if importing the character for another playthrough.
Renegade Edit
Shepard starts with 3 open Intimidate ranks. The Renegade scale affects Intimidate and more as defined below:
- 10% – Opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point.
- 25% – Opens 2 Intimidate ranks, gives 1 Intimidate point, 10% reduction in weapon powers cooldown.
- 50% – 1 health regeneration per second.
- 75% – Opens 2 Intimidate ranks. Gives 1 Intimidate point. Bonus: 5% increase in damage/duration on all weapons and powers. Renegade Achievement.
After reaching 80% Renegade points, Admiral Hackett will give Shepard the UNC: The Negotiation assignment.
The "free" bonus skill points can be gained again if importing the character for another playthrough.
Spectre Bonus Edit
Becoming a Spectre in Mass Effect opens 3 more ranks and gives 1 skill point in both Charm and Intimidate.
Infinite Paragon/Renegade Points Exploit Edit
1. On Noveria. You are given a side mission leading you to speak to Lorik Qui'in, a turian, at the bar. A mission progression choice enables you to encourage him to testify in a court case. You can choose from either a Paragon or Renegade dialogue option if you have at least 5 points in charm and/or intimidate. Choosing either of these options will give you a reward of 24 Paragon or 25 Renegade points respectively. The conversation will end but you can talk to him again. Ask about a different topic (i.e. Matriarch Benezia), then choose "Another question". The option to convince him to testify will reappear. Repeat this for infinite Paragon and/or Renegade points. This bug appears to exist across all 3 platforms (Xbox360, PS3, PC).
2. During the UNC: Lost Module assignment on Eletania, using the space monkeys.
You are only awarded Paragon points if you retrieve the data module without killing any monkeys.
After finding and searching the monkey holding the data module, save the game and reload. This will result in the Paragon point reward being reissued to the player, despite it already being claimed before the reload.
Note: You only need to save/reload after the initial search. Then all you have to do is double-tap start in between searching the monkey. If you continue to push the A button (360) or X button (PS3) to search the monkey, your Paragon points will continue to climb until you stop.
Ending Edit
At the end of Mass Effect, Shepard's morality affects the tone of the ending conversation, regardless of whether the Council was saved or killed. If Paragon, the Presidium will be brightly-lit and the background music will be Vigil's theme. If Renegade, the Presidium will have a darker lighting, with Sovereign's theme playing in the background. The closing shot of Mass Effect always shows Shepard, but varies according to morality choices. If the commander is a Paragon, Shepard is standing empty-handed against a blue-hued planet with an unknown space station in orbit. If the commander is a Renegade, Shepard is standing against a silhouetted planet in a red nebula, holding an assault rifle.
Mass Effect 2 Edit
The morality system of Mass Effect 2 works on percentages rather than the total points earned. There is a set number of morality points available in the game. Shepard's current "effective" morality score at any given point is the number of points earned out of the number of points available from the areas the Commander has explored so far. It is possible to have Shepard's Paragon/Renegade scale(s) maxed out, but still not have the percentage required for certain dialog options.[1]
Paragon Edit
In Mass Effect 2, there is no separate Charm skill; the success of Charm (blue) dialogue choices is determined directly from the Paragon score instead. Choosing Paragon options will cause the scars on Shepard's face to begin to heal and disappear.
Paragon interrupts usually involve sparing the lives of innocent people or to provide emotional support or comfort. In other cases it is used to call out immoral actions of others.
Renegade Edit
Renegade interrupts are usually done for combat and involve violent actions towards Shepard's enemies and other people. These can be used to gain an upper hand against the enemy in battle and sarcastic remarks from Shepard.
Interrupts Edit
In Mass Effect 2 Interrupts are an addition to the dialogue system that allow Commander Shepard to take direct, often physical, action at certain moments in conversations.
A Renegade interrupt, for example, may have Shepard physically assault another character, while a Paragon interrupt might have Shepard intervene to prevent one character from harming another.
Using a Renegade or Paragon interrupt will typically result in a significant number of the appropriate Renegade or Paragon points being awarded. Usually, not using an interrupt is not considered a moral choice, i.e. not using a Paragon interrupt is not considered a Renegade choice, or vice versa. However there are a few exceptions to this rule in various points throughout the game.
Infinite Paragon/Renegade Points Exploits Edit
1. At the conclusion of Samara's loyalty mission, if Morinth is dead, asking Samara if she is okay and then telling her you're not ready to leave will give you 2 Paragon points. You can repeat those two choices and get another 2 points an infinite number of times.
Note: This is a very poor way to gain Paragon points, because Samara must complete her dialogue before you can talk to her again, making it very tedious. It is recommended that the dialogue be skipped with the X button (Xbox 360) or Spacebar (PC) or Square button (PS3).
2. At the beginning of the game when Shepard must escape the station. After the Commander heals Wilson and Overloads the explosive crates, while heading for the exit, Jacob interrupts to explain that Cerberus funded the Lazarus project. During the conversation you may choose "That sounds familiar..." and "I'll never work for Cerberus!" for Paragon points or "You lied to me" and "What are you after?" for Renegade points. After the conversation, go into cover against the box on the left, then save. Reload that save file and Shepard should be at the same spot, albeit not in cover. As you approach the exit, the conversation will start up again. This process can be repeated, with points carrying over, allowing you to fill both Paragon and Renegade meters.
Note: As Shepard receives only 4 points for each conversation, this can take up to 250 saves per meter with an ME2-import Shepard with an evolved Class Power. Also, the player is unable to see their Paragon/Renegade meter until they leave the station (just before they see the Illusive Man). An easier way to tell how many points towards Paragon/Renegade is by watching the scars on Shepard's face, which will worsen if points are put towards Renegade and heal if points are put towards Paragon.
Ending Edit
At the end of Mass Effect 2, when Shepard is having the final discussion with the Illusive Man, the star in the background will change color depending on the choice made regarding the Collector Base. If the Paragon option (destroy the base) was made, the star will be blue; if the Renegade option (to keep the base) was made, the star will be red instead. However, if Shepard died on the suicide mission, the star will be its regular red/blue color no matter what choice the Commander made.
Mass Effect 3 Edit
Reputation system Edit
In Mass Effect 3 morality plays into the Reputation system. Whereas Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2 features separate Paragon and Renegade meters, Mass Effect 3 features a single Reputation meter, to which both Paragon and Renegade points contribute. The narration in the control ending will differ based on whether Shepard was a Paragon or Renegade.
Interrupts Edit
In Mass Effect 3 interrupts are an addition to the dialogue system that allow Commander Shepard to take direct, often physical, action at certain moments in conversations.
A Renegade interrupt, for example, may have Shepard physically assault another character, while a Paragon interrupt might have Shepard intervene to prevent one character from harming another.
Using a Renegade or Paragon interrupt will typically result in a significant number of the appropriate Renegade or Paragon points being awarded. Usually, not using an interrupt is not considered a moral choice, i.e. not using a Paragon interrupt is not considered a Renegade choice, or vice versa. However there are a few exceptions to this rule in various points throughout the game.
Mass Effect: Infiltrator EditMass Effect: Infiltrator features a new type of dichotomous morality system. At some moments in the game, Randall Ezno will have the opportunity to make a Paragon or a Renegade decision. This decision will trigger a specific action according to your choice. Those choices are limited regarding the lore but have some influence on the plot.
Unlike other Mass Effect games, Mass Effect: Infiltrator does not keep track of your decisions on a scale. However, the facial scars and biotic colors of Randall Ezno will change according to the choices you make. Renegade choices will turn them red, and Paragon choices will leave them the traditional blue.
Note: This mechanism has no impact on the Bonus Mission.
Mass Effect: Andromeda Edit
- Main article: Dialogue
Mass Effect: Andromeda abandoned the Morality System. Pathfinder Ryder's current conversation choices no longer determine future gameplay consequences.
The developers at Bioware felt that players were too often deciding to make a Paragon or Renegade choice for their character based on a predetermined personality, regardless of the context of the conversation.


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KABUL, Afghanistan - President Barack Obama will decide shortly how many U.S. troops he wants to keep in Afghanistan after the U.S.-led coalition military mission ends in December 2014, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Wednesday as he opened two days of consultations with top U.S. commanders and Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
Panetta offered no clues to what Obama may decide, but other officials have indicated the White House is considering plans that call for between 6,000 and 10,000 U.S. troops to stay for several years after 2014 in order to keep Afghanistan on a path toward stability and to prevent al-Qaida and affiliated terrorist groups from re-emerging as a significant force here. The U.S. now has about 66,000 troops here, along with about 35,000 from allied nations.
Obama also must decide how quickly to reduce the U.S. force from 66,000 to whatever post-2014 level he deems necessary and Karzai considers acceptable.
White House officials said the president's decision on both matters was not expected before the end of the year. His announcement could be timed to a meeting with Karzai in Washington early in 2013. The Afghan leader said last month that he had accepted Obama's invitation to visit the White House "at his earliest convenience."
Panetta had dinner with Gen. John Allen, the top coalition commander, as well as other senior commanders, and he was scheduled to meet with Karzai on Thursday.
Allen, who is under investigation by the Pentagon's inspector general for possibly inappropriate correspondence with a Florida woman linked to the David Petraeus sex scandal, met Panetta upon his arrival at the Kabul airport. Allen did not talk to reporters.
Before the dinner, Panetta had a one-hour meeting with Allen and other senior military officers. Panetta told the commanders he would be meeting with Afghan leaders to "try to tee up" the decisions Obama will have to make on future U.S. troop levels, according to media in the room before the meeting started.
Obama is currently reviewing options for what the U.S. mission might look like after 2014. But the White House has not yet asked the Pentagon for proposals on the next phase of the drawdown in 2013.
Panetta's visit comes at a difficult juncture in the Western coalition's efforts to shift more security responsibilities to Afghan forces so the combat mission can end without a Taliban resurgence. While security has generally improved this year, Afghan forces still lack some important capabilities and the government's ability to effectively govern beyond Kabul and to root out corruption is in great doubt.
Maj. Gen. Lawrence Nicholson, the coalition's deputy chief of staff for operations, said in an interview with reporters traveling with Panetta that coalition commanders are pushing the Afghans to do more on their own. The idea is to push them "right to the brink of failure" so that they are ready to handle the Taliban once they no longer have large numbers of international troops to support them.
"What we say is we want them to see failure, we want them to smell it, we want them to taste it, we just don't want them to achieve it," Nicholson said. "We will push them as far as we can to be self-sufficient."
Painting an optimistic picture, Nicholson said the effort to develop capable Afghan forces has evolved from an arrangement in which most combat operations were partnered or conducted with Afghan and coalition forces fighting together to one in which the U.S. and allied troops are merely "enabling" the Afghans by providing support, such as medical evacuation of their wounded as well as artillery support, bomb disposal and equipment to clear roads of homemade bombs.
The idea, Nicholson said, is to make the Afghan army and police almost entirely self-sufficient by the time the U.S. and NATO combat mission ends at the end of 2014.
"These guys are good fighters, they're natural fighters. What they're not good at right now is what we're working with - these enablers," he said.
Before flying to Afghanistan, Panetta spoke to about 100 U.S. service members inside an aircraft hangar at Ali al-Salem Air Base in Kuwait. He thanked them for their service and emphasized that the U.S. is winding down its involvement in lengthy wars.
Associated Press writer Julie Pace in Washington contributed to this report.


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Grundfos recently opened its 20th sales office in China. This marks yet another step in expanding our business presence in the country. And allows us to make our water- and energy efficient mark on its urban growth.
One new sales office opened in Zhengzhou. Another in Hefei. Both within a few days of each other. Add to that the plans of another opening in Hangzhou, and you can spot the pattern: Grundfos is expanding its presence in China. The two new offices are the 19th and 20th in the country, and they are important, strategical tread stones for extending our reach in China.
"China is growing. And a lot of this growth is happening in Middle- and Western China. We are established in these areas, but we want to increase our presence. Get even closer to customers. Understanding their needs, and being able of solving their challenges quickly. And to do this, we need to build even stronger, local presence," says Humphrey Lau, Regional Managing Director of Grundfos China.
The growth and economical power of several areas in China is tangible. Quite a few of the areas around the tier 1 and 2 cities have economies of equivalent size to European countries as e.g. Spain, Portugal or Austria. And cities are growing rapidly.
"We know this trend, and that is of course also a reason to why we strategically decided to expand in Middle and Western China, a movement we actually initiated some years ago," says Humphrey Lau with reference to e.g. the opening of a large sales office and an assembly plant in the city of Chongqing.
The recently established offices are not expected to be the last new additions to Grundfos' Chinese map. Other cities and areas have been identified as part of our strategy for growth in China, and we are expecting to keep opening new branches during the coming years.
"We want to be the ones in our business with the strongest geographical presence. And with the moves we make, we will be," concludes Humphrey Lau.


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I'm spending the morning at Gov-elect Jerry Brown's budget and education summit at UCLA. More than an hour in, the event has consisted of long recitation of sad facts about California's fiscal predicament, and how it impacts schools.
Even in a sea of bad numbers, one statistic jumped out at me: the scandalously low number of counselors in California schools. The state's public schools have 809 students for every counselor -- yes, you read that right. That's the most in the country, and nearly double the number in Florida and New York and more three times the number in Texas.
Why do counselors matter? In short, it's about college and other post-secondary education. School counselors are supposed to get to know students and advise them on how to get the courses and grades they need to be college eligible. Good counselors also can help high school students come up with ways to pay for college.
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This is crucial since California desperately needs to boost the number of college graduates it is producing. (The state is projected to be one million short of the number of college graduates it needs to fulfill its economic needs by Public Policy Institute of California). But with so few counselors in California schools, many students who aren't sophisticated about college aren't getting the advice they need to get to college and pay for it.