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A final day at the Dubai Desert Classic marked by great play, fluctuating fortunes and whipping sandstorms more suited to a David Lean film than the cosseted world of the European Tour ended yesterday with what might be considered an upset in the contemporary game: Tiger Woods did not win. The honour and the £204,000 winner's cheque fell to the Henrik Stenson, who birdied the final hole at the Emirates Golf Club to finish on 19 under par, one shot ahead of Ernie Els.
The world No1, meanwhile, finished two shots behind the winner, tied for third - his "worst" finish in 13 72-hole strokeplay tournaments since missing the cut at last year's US Open. Seemingly unbeatable on American soil, where has won seven successive PGA Tour events, Woods looks almost mortal when he travels elsewhere in the world. He has now failed to win three of his last four European Tour events; the World Match Play at Wentworth, won by Paul Casey; the Champions tournament in China, won by YE Yang of Korea, and now in Dubai.
"It is probably the first tournament I've won that Tiger has been playing in. He's a great player, obviously, so that gives me extra satisfaction to beat him," Stenson said. The 30-year-old Swede has long been viewed as a player capable of great things, not least by himself, and his victory against one of the strongest fields of the year lends weight to the theory that he is a prime candidate to end Europe's seemingly interminable wait for a major winner. "My main goal is to try and challenge for one of the big ones," he confirmed.
Stenson will get his chance at Augusta in April, but for the time being he was more than happy to bask in the glory of a hard-won victory achieved on a course he knows as well as anyone. Based in Dubai, the Swede is a member of the Emirates Golf Club and spends his winters playing and practising here - an invaluable edge on a day that came down to the most marginal of decisions.
One shot ahead of Els on the par-five 18th, he decided against going for the green in two, judging that the wind would push his ball into the water, and laid up instead. He then hit a wedge to eight feet and rolled in the birdie putt to win his fifth event on the European Tour. "The conditions were exceptionally tough, so it was all about trying to stick in and give yourself a chance on the back nine. Being based down here, this place is like a second home to me and to win in front of my friends and family is unbelievable. I'm so happy," he said.
The Swede did not have the monopoly on satisfaction. Despite his second-place finish, Els declared himself content with his performance in the first week of his bold three-year plan to usurp Woods as the world No1. The South African got off to a poor start yesterday, bogeying the 2nd, but gradually pulled himself back into contention. He holed a bunker shot on the 14th for a birdie to pull within one shot of the leader but, needing an eagle on the last, he could only produce a birdie. "I played well and just wanted to give myself a chance coming down the stretch, which I did," he said. "But Henrik played great for four days, and there was only one shot between us at the end. I had a good time."
Unlike Els, Ross Fisher is a long way from challenging Woods regularly, or even contemplating the possibility, yet the young Englishman could be justly proud of his performance on a day when he was paired with the world No1 and withstood all the scrutiny that it entailed. Indeed, for a spell it seemed he might pull off the unlikeliest of victories, not least when he captured the lead on the par-five 10th by holing an eight-foot putt for birdie.
His downfall came with three holes to play when he failed to get up and down for par on the relatively straightforward 16th, then hit his tee shot on the next into a bunker from where he could only make bogey. Redemption of sorts came on the last hole when he out-drove Woods off the tee - not for the first time during the round - and then made birdie to finish with a four-round total of 272, 16 under par. His fifth-place finish earned him £51,923 - the biggest pay day of his nascent career, for the time being at least.
As for Woods, there was a cheque for £68,945 - small change for a man of his means and scant consolation for an athlete who cares only about winning. "Hopefully, I'll get my putting organised before I compete again," he said. Even if he does not, he can take comfort in the knowledge that his next event will be on the PGA Tour in America - and no one can beat him over there.
How they finished
269 Henrik Stenson (Swe) 68 64 69 68
270 Ernie Els (SA) 66 65 68 71
271 Niclas Fasth (Swe) 69 69 65 68, Tiger Woods (US) 68 67 67 69
272 Ross Fisher (GB) 65 65 71 71
274 Peter Hanson (Swe) 69 65 69
275 Simon Dyson 67 69 69 70, Prom Meesawat (Tha) 68 68 68 71, Jyoti Randhawa (Ind) 66 68 67 74
276 Maarten Lafeber (Ned) 70 71 69 66, Colin Montgomerie (GB) 73 66 68 69, Miguel Angel Jimenez (Sp) 67 68 71 70, Robert Karlsson (Swe) 70 67 68 71, Thomas Bjorn (Den) 70 69 66 71


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Hate Crime Stats Deflate 'Islamophobia' Myth
by David J. Rusin • Jan 11, 2013 at 1:33 pm
A new Islamist Watch article by David J. Rusin that uses a decade of FBI data to dispel the media hype concerning anti-Muslim hate crimes was published on January 11 by National Review Online:
To read the rest of this article, please click here.
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The thing that struck me the most, apart from the many times, I went abroad, as Coleiro invested in me and in what I do, to train, is the service that they have. They are there whenever you need them.
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Ok. This is water. Water and nigrogen are the only ingredients. I won't pretend I don't think putting water in this container for use isn't a good idea. It sprays super evenly and feel real nice on the skin. But, labeling water as a "moisturizing mist" just seems like a chance to take advantage of anyone that will buy an expensive product.1
This feels nice. Cooling and hydrating, good for using before reapplying moisturizer and after exercising, etc. Great packaging. It's supposed to be fancy thermal spring water with fancy properties, but... you know, it did work. It was really soothing and had a kind of toning effect when used alone. 4 stars for doing what it said it would do, even though it's just canned water. This is really nice canned water, guys. Really.
The skeptic in me is disappointed in myself.


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Port Stephens Pelagic Trip Report Sun 24th June 2012
Boat: M.V.Argonaut, skippered by Ray Horsefield
A pretty comfortable day at sea with the westerly winds swinging somewhat to the south during the day, allowing us to return to port without punching directly into a westerly onslaught. Generally it never got over 15 knots and there was little swell to talk of. There was some hope of seeing some southern species given the cold airstream that had pushed up the east coast over the past few days.
The numbers of Albatross around the boat provided plenty of visual spectacles for the punters on board and we recorded our second trip with Bullers Albatross present, with 2 individuals seen. I wonder if, like Sydney and Wollongong, this species becomes one of the usual Albatross species seen in winter months. There were also a couple of interesting birds in the form of a dark-headed Yellow-nosed Albatross and a skua that appeared to be superficially like a South Polar, but for which identification is still pending (if it happens at all).
Departed Nelson Bay Public Wharf at 0710, returning at 1705.
Rounding Boondelbah Island we saw our first Fluttering Shearwater and soon after, some feeding flocks of Gannets could be seen ahead of us. By the time we got to these birds we noticed the occasional (predominantly Yellow-nosed) flying about. One Yellow-nosed with an unusually dark head was briefly picked up but frustratingly disappeared. The albatrosses followed our boat to the shelf and this was to set the scene for the rest of the day. The Albys were like Shearwaters in summer dozens of birds behind the boat. Two very distant petrels were seen on the way out, along with a Brown Skua and probably the boats favourite bird of the day in the form of an adult Bullers Albatross. About fifteen miles out to sea a flock of 43 Silver Gulls materialised and were to accompany us for the remainder of the day.
Once at the shelf (32 55.182 / 152 35.15) a single Sooty Shearwater did laps of the boat and eventually fed in the slick. There was some debate over its identity but eventually it was agreed that it had to be a Sooty. The dark-headed Yellow-nosed Alby made a brief return (assuming it was the same bird seen on the way out), but once again after it was called it disappeared in front of the bow, presumably leaving the boat altogether, as it wasnt seen again. The only images I have been able to source of this bird are my own, which can be seen at the link below. Thus far the feedback I have had is that it could be a good candidate for an Atlantic Yellow-nosed Albatross, but that with these images being the only ones available it is very tough to call. I would be very keen to hear from anyone with good experience of both (sub)species.
Another identification problem child came into the rear of the boat not long after setting up the drift. A second Brown Skua flew up the slick and a few comments were made about it appearing pale, but generally it didnt seem obviously different to our first bird, and most assumed it was the same bird. However, it is definitely an interesting bird given its general paleness, very pale lores / nuchal collar and really dark underwing coverts, all features that fit an (darkish) intermediate South Polar Skua. The bill also does not look definitive, but doesnt (to my eye anyway) appear as large as a typical Browns bill. Some very experienced sea-birders cannot assign the bird to either species and one very experienced person has even suggested it could be a hybrid! To see some images, go to the link below (and please, comments very welcomed).
A couple of Wilsons and a single White-faced Storm-Petrel joined the fray, along with one or two Fairy Prions and three Cape Petrels. The Pterodroma action was very slow with only brief and few passes from Solanders Petrels. But the day belonged to the albatrosses and soon a second Bullers joined the Yellow-nosed, Black-brows and occasional Shy.
The trip back to port was really just a journey for the birds that had been with us out at the shelf, with a few more albatross (most notably a few juvenile Shys) joining us, as well as a couple of Sea-Eagles close to port.
Mick Roderick
Species: Total (maximum number visible from the boat at one time)
Wilsons Storm-petrel: 2 (1)
White-faced Storm-petrel: 1
Fluttering Shearwater: 2 (1)
Fluttering-type Shearwater: 5 (2)
Sooty Shearwater: 1
Fairy Prion: 5 (2)
Yellow-nosed Albatross: 35 (18) (incl. one possible Atlantic YNA)
Black-browed Albatross: 12 (6)
Shy Albatross: 7 (4)
Bullers Albatross: 2 (1)
Northern Giant Petrel: 1
Solanders Petrel: 6 (1)
Cape Petrel: 3 (3)
Australasian Gannet: 150 (60)
Crested Tern: 25 (20)
Brown Skua: 1
Brown / South Polar Skua??: 1
Silver Gull: 70 (43)
White-bellied Sea-Eagle: 2 (2)
Short-beaked Common Dolphin


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Separate names with a comma.
Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by crypta333, Sep 30, 2013.
yeah it is, but we are all hoping for best case
I think he either had pads under his jersey or some kind of pockets on the front of his legs. Maybe I'm way off but it looks almost like a bone or something moved but it had to be something else. Watch the other leg as well and it looks like there is one there too.
whats a elrod
Burton Elrod.
Seriously, not sure what your point is here, other than not knowing what has been going on in the league the past few years, but theres a reason why people are fined so heavily for late hits, and this is the reason. Asking for a little consistency isnt asking for much.
And yes, if he wasnt injured, Id still be asking where the fines were. Maybe from a dim witted, narrow point of view, no one would care. However as someone who as advocated for the end of **** like this, I have a problem with it, with or without an injury.
"its football", dumbest excuse to go do whatever you want on the field. Rules are there for a reason, to be enforced.
That is what has been scaring me.
Oh Fitz is better than Freeman. But Rusty is not. I think that is the concern. However, there should be an FA better than Rusty out there.
And the grass is always greener
Yes. It is. The head of the femur does not have a good dual blood supply. So if it gets injured in just the right spot you can develop avascular necrosis which is what happened to Bo Jackson.
Someone questioned the screaming and I am just reporting what I was told. I think it was one of those screams of pain right when it happened. One of those screams when you know a guy is really hurt.
Let's all hope that it is a 4 week thing....Fitz gets us the win this weekend and then we get Locker back after the bye week.
Coples should be fined, definitely. Blatant late, unnecessary hit. Wilkerson... probably. Coples' hit caused the injury, IMO.
Coples should be fined even harder since Jake got injured.
Think of it this way:
If Coples got drunk and drove home... on the way he ran into Jake driving the other way, but no one was injured... he'd be charged with DUI and the wreck. But if this same scenario plays out with Jake getting injured - severely - Coples' charge would be increased dramatically. Right?
All that said... what pisses me off the absolute most about this is that f***ing Ref standing 5-10 feet away. He's not watching Jake. He's merely watching the ball. So there's NO WAY he was able to count the number of steps Wilkerson took, or even SEE the type of hit OR the hit Coples did. He wasn't doing his job of watching the QB. If that had been an "upper tier" QB, that Ref would be hunched down, eyes squinted, totally focused on the QB and his hand on the flag ready to throw it.
That Ref didn't do his job. He should be fired and never allowed to work in the NFL again. Imagine if he was a Flag Man at a construction site and didn't pay attention to his only job of stopping cars and decided to watch the bulldozer. All those cars would move on through - straight into the other on-coming cars.
Fine and FIRE that Ref.
Wonder if that is the same Ref that claimed Smith didn't get sacked for a safety...
I was doing the same thing as the ref. I was so focused on the ball after he threw it that I didn't even see Jake get hit. Wilkerson was far enough away from Locker when the ball came out that I didn't even perceive him as a threat to nail Locker and then Coples hits him even later.
I hope we can get a better officiating crew this week because our first 2 games have been putrid. But I'm sure the Chiefs vs. Titans will get the bottom of the barrell recordes be damned.


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Women Headed Off To College In The Fall Learn Self DefenseWhen a self-defense class geared toward women heading to college opened up to the public – lots of locals jumped at the chance to learn.
Security Expert Analyzes High School Stabbing Response One day later, there are still a lot of questions about why a stabbing rampage happened at Franklin Regional High School – and if anything could have been done to prevent it.
More Women Buying, Learning To Shoot GunsA little mother-daughter time on a sunny Tuesday.
PTL Links: Jan. 16, 2012Some of today's topics include:
Simply Frugal Living

Dr. Will Clower

Rob Wilson
 Click here for more of today's links!
Self-Defense Expert Talks About Ross Twp. ViolenceKDKA AM's Larry and John talk to self-defense expert Sam Rosenberg about hot to protect yourself from an assailant.


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In the wake of Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez's recent breakup, "Bachelor/Bachelorette" franchise host Chris Harrison is defending the reality pair, saying what the former couple had was real and not just for cameras.
"I get a little upset when people say, 'Oh, another one bites the dust.' It's like, no, that's not the case," Chris told Billy Bush and Kit Hoover on Thursday's Access Hollywood Live, when asked about Ali and Roberto's recent split announcement. "They very much loved each other. They were trying to build a life in San Diego and it didn't work out."
With Ali's face gracing the cover of this week's People magazine, Billy pointed out that many cynics may deem their breakup as an attempt to stay in the public eye – something Chris said he thinks is reflective of the public's growing fascination with the "Bachelor/Bachelorette" franchise stars, and not a publicity grab by Ali.
"There is this 365-day/year news cycle now of the people on our show," Chris — who is also hosting ABC's new game show, "You Deserve It" — said of the hit reality series. "The last couple of years, it's become this phenomenon where the tabloids and everything have kind of followed the people on our show. It's been interesting to see how it grows."
Catch Chris, along with co-host Brooke Burns, on "You Deserve It" — Mondays on ABC.
Season 16 of "The Bachelor" premieres on January 2 on ABC.


text: In <email@example.com> I wrote: > In <email@example.com> > firstname.lastname@example.com wrote: > > > Using Izumi's patches on a 60MHz R4400 (DECstation 5000/260) I saw a > > slight _decrease_ in a single kernel build benchmark (building a pmax > > almost-GENERIC kernel): > > This was done in single user using the same sequence of commands each > > time (mount needed filesystems, cd, make). I'll run the same thing > > again to see if there is any difference a second time around. > > I'll test again with the simular sequence on my newsmips (R3000/25MHz). Now I've done some more tests. All of them are done in single user. (just mount ufs, cd and make; config and creating build directory are done before boot) The test machine is: --- total memory = 65504 KB avail memory = 58360 KB using 844 buffers containing 3376 KB of memory SONY NET WORK STATION, Model NWS-3470D, Machine ID #10071 mainbus0 (root) cpu0 at mainbus0: MIPS R3000 CPU (0x220) Rev. 2.0 with MIPS R3010 FPC Rev. 2.0 cpu0: 64KB Instruction, 64KB Data, direct mapped cache [...] sd0 at scsibus0 target 0 lun 0: <QUANTUM, FIREBALL1080S, 1Q09> SCSI2 \ 0/direct fixed sd0: 1042 MB, 3835 cyl, 4 head, 139 sec, 512 bytes/sect x 2134305 sectors --- The results of normal ``make'' are: --- malloc: 10326.5u 1142.6s 3:13:54.67 98.5% 0+0k 6468+18102io 1327pf+0w pool: 10365.8u 1136.1s 3:14:34.64 98.5% 0+0k 6482+18178io 1329pf+0w --- The results of ``make -j10'' are: --- malloc: 10555.4u 1208.2s 3:17:34.85 99.2% 0+0k 8460+20677io 1343pf+0w pool: 10489.9u 1200.7s 3:16:26.71 99.1% 0+0k 8458+20671io 1353pf+0w --- Then, it _seems_ CPU time in kernel mode is always reduced by pool, but the difference of CPU time in user mode depends on its load. (the differences are ~0.5% anyway) --- Izumi Tsutsui firstname.lastname@example.com


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Endorse the Gaza Freedom March! To sign the Pledge click here!
This is the official "call" for the Gaza Freedom March. Any other version is not authorized or correct.
[see our earlier posting on the topic]
Israel's blockade of Gaza is a flagrant violation of international law that has led to mass suffering. The U.S., the European Union, and the rest of the international community are complicit.
The law is clear. The conscience of humankind is shocked. Yet, the siege of Gaza continues. It is time for us to take action! On Dec. 31, we will end the year by marching alongside the Palestinian people of Gaza in a non-violent demonstration that breaches the illegal blockade.
Our purpose in this March is lifting the siege on Gaza. We demand that Israel end the blockade. We also call upon Egypt to open Gaza's Rafah border. Palestinians must have freedom to travel for study, work, and much-needed medical treatment and to receive visitors from abroad.
As an international coalition we are not in a position to advocate a specific political solution to this conflict. Yet our faith in our common humanity leads us to call on all parties to respect and uphold international law and fundamental human rights to bring an end to the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967 and pursue a just and lasting peace.
The march can only succeed if it arouses the conscience of humanity.
Please join us.
The International Coalition to End the Illegal Siege of Gaza
For more information, please see the Statement of Context
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Darkness Coming – Rundas
Disclaimer: In case you haven't figured it out yet, I don't own Metroid Prime 3. All Metroid-related characters, settings, etc. are the intellectual property of Makoto Kano and Nintendo.
Strictly on the surface, the notion of Rundas feeling cold was patently ludicrous.
Hailing from the ice-moon Phrygis meant acclimating to temperatures several hundred degrees below galactic zero from birth; snow and frost were simply the Phrygisian way of life, even in the midst of the summer cycles. And indeed, even amongst his own people Rundas' physiology was exceptionally well-adjusted to the glacial atmosphere, his natural cryokinetic abilities having been graded at the highest possible level upon his graduation from the L'ad Conservatory several decacycles ago. Whether training his body and reflexes out in the frozen wastelands or sustaining his salary with part-time heavy labor in the Phrygisian ice mines, the absolute last thing he would ever choose to complain about was the frigidity of the surrounding climate.
So why was it – clattering around the boiling planet of Bryyo no less – that he was so frequently being moved to shivering these days?
Admittedly, the coldness that Rundas was experiencing was not a physical one…but then it did not appear to be either a mental or an emotion one at that, so far as he could tell. No, by all objective markers, the Phrygisian bounty hunter was in peak condition on all possible levels…and yet the presence of the foreign sensation was undeniable, even as its source utterly eluded him.
There were clues, of course – this clammy, depressing feeling tended to come-and-go with the waning and waxing of battle, a prospect that came up disturbingly often on a planet seemingly Hell-bent on brutally slaughtering him. The native Reptilicus were wild and frenetic, either unable or unwilling to speak as they attacked Rundas on-sight in roving packs. Distasteful as it was for the hunter to terminate potentially sentient life-forms, the creatures weren't really providing him with much of a choice, and the ease and efficiency of his newly acquired Phazon Enhancement Device continued to make such short work of the swarms that it almost seemed wasteful not to take advantage of it.
The P.E.D.…perhaps that was all there truly was to the issue? After all, Rundas had never before had such a thing literally implanted into his body, and the Federation scientists had warned that there might be some unforeseen side-effects stemming from this apparently benign flow of Phazon his body was now rather insistently generating. And if that was the case, a little bit of disorientation hardly seemed too steep a price to pay for the significant boost it was providing to his combat capabilities.
…Still, the lack of concern or restraint that he was increasingly meeting the Reptilicus with by instinct was beginning to seriously disturb him – with his well of energy continuously self-refilling, entering Hyper Mode to dispatch the hostiles with extreme prejudice was progressively becoming the rule, rather than the exception. But feeling the unbridled power flowing freely through him felt good, and meant alleviation from the oppressive emotional frost for at least a decent hour or so. The price was not great, and the advantages were nearly limitless…to the point where Rundas was now being sorely tempted, should he be able to figure out how, to disable the vent system in his P.E.D. and just spend a good couple of days locked into the Phazon-fuelled nirvana. What could be the harm, really?
Rundas' first indication that he had overlooked some rather significant flaws in this prospective idea came during a reconnaissance sweep of Bryyo Fire – there were Pirates swarming across this particular corner of the resource-rich planet, quite apart from the already bountiful array of deadly local fauna, and it couldn't hurt to get a better idea of exactly how well-entrenched their current presence was. As such, the Phrygisian was more than a little on-edge by the time he reached a secluded chamber of what appeared to be an abandoned temple, and found himself face-to-face with the most unusual Reptilicus he had ever seen.
From what little Rundas knew of Bryyonian biology – which wasn't exactly much – this creature appeared to be female, and exceedingly aged. And unlike her naked brethren, whatever tribal clothes they might once have worn before the onset of Phazon Sickness having degenerated into simple masks of bone, this Reptilicus was adorned with ornate and flowing robes, albeit ones that were evidently a few decacycles past their prime. But easily the most unnerving details of all were this creature's eyes.
The organs were chalk-white and milky, glazed over in a distant stare that suggested that this female was almost certainly blind…and yet, the manner with which she was currently regarding Rundas gave him the distinct – and uncomfortable – feeling that this was utterly immaterial to her ability to perceive his location.
Now she was muttering something in some ancient, inscrutable language, one with slurred pronunciation and a great many guttural tones, and a moment later his Galactic Federation translator module returned the sounds as, "Finally you have come forth, Ice-Bringer. I knew that it was only a matter of time."
"Who are you?" Rundas breathed, unsure of how to proceed. There was something implacably upsetting about this creature's utter stillness…not to mention the fact that she seemed to be claiming to have expected him.
"I am Ban-Fhaidh, last prophetess of the ancient lineage of Bryyo," she declared, still not moving from her meditative stance. "I had foreseen the starborne death of my people eons before its descent, and in the days since I have been ensconced away, able to do naught but idly observe as the once-great Reptilicus decay into madness from the poison that now runs through their veins. You know of this poison, do you not? You too carry its essence all about you, Ice-Bringer."
"Do you…mean the Phazon?" Rundas asked carefully, unconsciously taking a step back. "What do you know about it?"
"I knew that it would arrive within my lifetime…knew ever since I was but a hatchling, dreaming haunting visions of formless shadows and living death," Ban-Fhaidh told him, giving no particular indication whether she was answering his question or merely continuing to ramble. Her tones were so distant, and so despondent, that it was quite impossible to tell. "My mentor, the last and wisest of our world's antediluvian Lords of Science, devoted the last epoch of his miserable life to preparing these lands for the coming corruption…but of course, he failed. Destiny's hand is unyielding."
Rundas lifted his head to say something to this grave pronouncement, but found his roster of possible responses to be quite lacking. They were talking past each other to the degree that were the prophetess not staring directly at him with those blank, murky patches of white, Rundas would've sworn that she wasn't even aware that he was standing here to begin with.
"…But I sense that not all hope is yet lost," she said after a long pause, a strange sort of power blazing deep within her eyes as she did. "She who brought light to the barren wastes of the Chozo and the shadowed lands of the Luminoth…she who is someday fated to bring this galaxy to a final and lasting peace…her approach is nigh. She is coming. She is coming."
One keyword in all of this prophetic babble – "Luminoth" – jumped out at Rundas, and recalling the briefings he had received on his prospective teammates immediately preceding the call to Norion, the bounty hunter demanded, "Are you talking about Samus Aran? Samus Aran is coming here? When? Why? Give me a straight answer, dammit!"
But she would not; enveloped completely in whatever eclectic visions were currently overtaking her mind, all Ban-Fhaidh seemed either able or willing to say was the repeated declaration that "she" was coming. Frustrated and growing entirely impatient with this enigmatic diviner, Rundas growled angrily and stuck a claw in her face, already feeling the temperature within it dropping several hundred degrees as his cryokinetic powers began to charge to their fullest extent. "Stop blathering, lizard!" he roared in a voice that did not sound like it entirely belonged to him. "You know more than you're letting on about Phazon, about Samus, whatever…just tell it to me already! I'm not going to ask again!"
"She shall bring death to you, Ice-Bringer," the prophetess stated suddenly, her tone as dispassionate and ethereal as ever.
"What?" Rundas hissed, Hyper Mode apparently flaring up of its own volition at this literal death-sentence. "Explain yourself!"
"You have fought the poison for longer than most – even your compatriots of steel and formless matter have fallen completely under its sway while you continue to resist – but it is inevitable that you shall eventually give in," she intoned, apparently unfazed by the clear and present threat to her life. "Even now, it has become a crutch for you to rely on in these harsh and deathly lands. The corrosive power of the poison is irresistible…and it is only a short matter of time before it shall compel you to strike against she who shall save us all. She is coming, Ice-Bringer. She is coming. She is coming. She is…"
The point-blank blast came utterly unbidden by any conscious thought on Rundas' part, and that was the part that frightened him the most. As inexplicably furious as he was at the unfathomable prophetess, he had been possessed of no true inclination to actually fire upon her…much less go straight for the kill. But here he was, standing over the flash-frozen, mutilated corpse of the only sapient being he had conversed with in weeks, Phazon tendrils whipping and lapping around as his P.E.D. flashed warning signs.
"I…I need to get this thing off…" he muttered in a panic, respiring profusely as he fumbled with the Federation hardware and attempted to wrench it straight out of his skin, damned be the consequences. Above all, Rundas prided himself on his independence, and what he had just experienced was incontrovertible proof that there were some actions his body was capable of taking that he had absolutely no choice over. As intoxicating as the regular expulsion of Phazon was turning out to be, there was absolutely no way that this price was worth it. Rundas, scion of Phrygis, was a bounty hunter…not a murderer.
But the moment that Rundas tugged at the device, an overwhelming flash of pain shot through his entire body, and within seconds the mighty hunter was on his back crying in agony, screeching gutturally as the strands of Phazon emanating from within his very core grew longer and bolder. His vision and overall sense of perception rapidly dwindling as he began to lose control of his extremities, the small part of Rundas' mind still capable of rational thought struggled valiantly to reach the emergency vent switch on the Phazon Enhancement Device, but it was no use; writhing and howling anguished pleas for help from the Reptilicus or Samus or one of Phrygis' supposed deities or someone appeared to be the absolute most he could muster at the current time.
But surprisingly, a voice did answer his tortured entreaties…although not one that Rundas had either been expecting or welcoming. At first the voice merely chose to laugh at his suffering, echoing low and cold across some distant corner of his brain. But soon enough it was forming whispered words, words of cruelty and sadistic malice that overtook Rundas' mind completely as the Phazon tendrils continued to similarly overtake his body.
You thought it would be that easy to simply walk away from my power, slave? Do not forget that I bestowed upon you and your friends a gift…Commander Ghor and Mistress Gandrayda have not, after all. And now, my child…my seed…now it is finally time for you to join them.
Against Rundas' will – for it was still wholly occupied with the mind-splitting pain currently wreaking havoc on his psyche – the bounty hunter climbed to his feet, every molecule of muscle and sinew now held firmly within the grip of the pulsing Phazon energy. Slowly, laboriously, Rundas was wrenched forward by one foot and then the other, some strange force connected with the disembodied, cackling voice compelling him to proceed down a path he had not yet fully explored. Coming to a large stone door he felt his arm raise and another frigid blast of Phazon-laden ice impact the energy shielding, allowing Rundas' unresponsive body to continue pulling him into a room that carried with it an eerie, sinister glow.
The source of the luminosity became clear almost immediately – a massive pool of pure, liquid Phazon lay sequestered within this chamber, bubbling and sizzling as its azure aura stretched in all directions, silently commanding Rundas to take just a few more steps forward and immerse himself within its radiating bounty.
"No…" Rundas coughed, vainly attempting to pull his limbs back and fight off the voice now viciously ordering him to take the plunge. "No…not like this…"
But it was no use; disobedience was a luxury he would no longer be afforded. Another step and the dive was finally complete, his entire body submerging itself into the churning liquid as it hissed and flowed about him, injecting itself into the P.E.D. and into his very veins.
For the first and last time in his life, Rundas fully and truly felt what it was like to nearly freeze to death, and as the vague prospect of what he imagined hypothermia must be like loomed, the Phrygisian sunk deep into an impenetrable blackness.
Well, Ban-Fhaidh had been right about at least one thing: Samus Aran had touched down upon the planet only about two days later, her armor gleaming with the unmistakable mark of her very own Phazon Enhancement Device. But there was little opportunity for Rundas to warn her of the very present dangers that the toxic machine represented, given…recent events.
Rundas had never been a particularly sociable creature, but insofar as he considered himself to have any friends at all, Samus certainly qualified. He genuinely liked her – not like that, of course, although he wouldn't necessarily preclude the possibility somewhere long down the road – and admired her for her strength and dedication. Plus, her unceasing optimism (a rarity in this line of business if there ever was one) was always refreshing to behold; the line he had parroted back to her on Norion about "justice prevailing and all that stuff" had come from her on some previous mission they had embarked on together, though he couldn't immediately place which. There had been Pirates involved, he was almost certain of that…but there had been so many over the last handful of cycles that they tended to blend together fairly seamlessly.
As such, when the burgeoning corruption that was now totally in control of Rundas' brain and body began forcing him to track down and then attack Samus with the full intention to kill, the small portion of Rundas' true mind that still remained was…displeased.
Understatement-of-the-centacycle aside, Rundas was screaming bloody murder from within the Phazon-laden cage that was his own heart, but fighting was no longer an option for him – Dark Samus was pulling his strings from afar with nary but a small fraction of her ever-expanding power. Yes, he had finally discerned the true source of that malefic voice tempting him into madness, not that that knowledge was doing him any particular good…
Fortunately, Samus appeared to be winning their mortal duel for the moment, though not without a steep cost; the snatches of her soft, hominid face he had managed to glean through her verdant visor revealed a woman who was feeling painfully conflicted about fighting her longtime ally to the death, particularly as his constantly escalating assault forced her hand in activating her own version of Hyper Mode, blasting apart the pieces of Rundas' crystalline armor with concentrated surges of pure Phazon.
But eventually, inevitably, the battle ceased, with a barely breathing Rundas lying defeated at his friend's metallic feet, energy crackling throughout his bruised and battered P.E.D. armor as she gazed upon him with a mixture of contemplation, pity, and regret. But in her premature display of mourning, she was leaving open a critical opening in her defenses – her weapon arm was not raised, and his readings indicated that her current energy levels were too low for her engage Hyper Mode again anytime soon – and the dark and malicious voice echoing throughout the frigid chambers of his mind was bidding him to take swift and lethal advantage of this fact.
That's it, my child…make me proud…
Once again Rundas felt the cold and unwelcome sensation of his arms rising up by themselves, his cryokinetic powers building to their maximum and targeting the momentarily still form of Samus Aran.
"Samus…" he murmured, soft and strained enough that he knew she would not hear.
And then, in an instant, the decision was both made and carried out. The life rapidly fading from his eyes, the bounty hunter Rundas lay impaled upon a spear of his own creation, the result of his last, most desperate effort to wrest back control of his ice-generating abilities from the usurping parasite now roaring furiously at the wasted opportunity. It may not have been ideal…but at least this way, Samus Aran would have a much better chance of living to see another day. With what both the prophetess and Dark Samus had said about their remaining compatriots, the blonde hominid was going to be needed by the galaxy again very soon, and very urgently.
And so it was that, as Dark Samus' wraithlike projection absorbed his life's essence into her own, irritably attempting to salvage some use out of her first fallen lieutenant, Rundas cried out a silent plea of apology to the friend he had unwillingly betrayed, praying desperately that there might still be hope yet for his fellows still trapped within the throes of this sick corruption. Ghor, Gandrayda, and especially Samus…he wished them all luck in achieving favor with the guiding hand of fate.
Then Rundas of Phrygis fell still, and the woman who had been closer to him in life than any other sapient being turned away from his dissipating body, unable to bear witness any longer as a single, uncommonly warm tear slid down her slender face.


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Hearing Officer Rejects Denver's Claim Dexter is a Pit Bull
|October 13, 2009
|Posted by russmead under Breed Bans
Kevin O'Connell has successfully challenged the determination by Denver's Animal Control that his dog, Dexter, is a pit bull mix and thus banned from the city.
Denver's ordinance actually bans "any dog that is an APBT, AST, and SBT"; "any dog displaying the majority of the physical traits of" any one or more of these breeds or  "any dog exhibiting those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established" by the AKC or UKC for any of these breeds. Sec. 8-55.
Kevin O'Connell does not live in Denver. Dexter was actually at his pet sitter's home in Denver when officers in the neighborhood for another reason, spotted him and simply confiscated him. Â
Mr. O'Connell was represented at the hearing where he challenged the determination to ban Dexter by attorneys Wayne Swearingen and Jennifer Reba Edwards.
In Denver a 3 person "pit bull evaluation team" determines if a dog is banned under the ordinance. Each team member marks various characteristics listed on a pit bull evaluation form each believes the dog has that is consistent with a pit bull. Â The form is not dispositive and apparently the ultimate determination is left up to the team. Attached for downloading at the end of this article is an example of a pit bull evaluation filled out by the team. This is not the evaluation done on Dexter.
At Dexter's hearing Christine Lederhos, a veterinary technician, testified she is a member of Denver's pit bull evaluation team. She said she thinks Dexter is a "pit bull mix". She testified he has a "broad chest, body size, massive head, medium and compact feet, well-defined thighs and overall muscularity" as well as "straight legs and scissored teeth".
Animal Control Investigator Eugene Lopez, also a member of the team and who refused to answer questions about any employment prior to this job of pit bull evaluator for Denver, said he does not know if his evaluation of Dexter as a pit bull is accurate or if any of the evaluations are accurate.
Animal Control Investigator Richard Mouton, the third member of the pit bull evaluation team, could not recall the characteristics of a pit bull breed. Â He said he reviews the breed standards before he evaluates the dogs.
Mr. O'Connell presented evidence that 4 veterinarians and UKC Judge Sonja J. Ostrom do not believe Dexter is a pit bull mix. She and 3 veterinarians are of the opinion he is a boxer mix, and the other veterinarian said Dexter is a mastiff mix. Former AKC Judge Helen James and veterinary technician and show dog expert Linda Hart appeared at the hearing and testified Dexter is a boxer mix.
Hearing Officer Ann H. Cisneros found Mr. O'Connell presented stronger, "more detailed evidence" and the city had not sustained its burden of proof. Ms. Cisneros found that while Dexter may have some pit bull traits, he does not "display[] Â the majority of the physical traits of" those breeds or "exhibit[] those distinguishing characteristics which substantially conform to the standards established" by the AKC or UKC for any of the pit bull breeds.
Dexter will live and be able to continue to visit his pet sitter in Denver.  More dog owners plan to challenge determinations by the pit bull evaluation team that their dogs are pit bulls within the meaning of the ordinance.
One of Mr. O'Connell's attorneys, Jennifer Reba Edwards, commented, "I believe this to be a ban that does not prohibit pit bulls, but one that prohibits, Boxers, Mastiffs, or any other dog who was born with a broad head and well-developed musculature. The "experts" Denver has to determine and identify breeds have no business doing so. I am saddened to think of how many dogs were wrongfully euthanized as a result of this discriminatory and arbitrary ban. Why would we do such a terrible thing to such a beautiful creature, especially the one we have designated as our best friend?" Â
Go here for a look at how this ban became law and earlier legal challenges.
Read more about pending litigation to end Denver's pit bull ban.Â
Go here for a recent analysis by Karen Delise of the National Canine Research Council of the Denver pit bull ban.
Dog Breed Specific Legislation, The Cost to People, Pets and Veterinarians, and the Damage to the Human-Animal Bond
Shelter Medicine: A Comparison of Visual and DNAÂ Identification of Breeds of Dogs
2 Responses to Hearing Officer Rejects Denver's Claim Dexter is a Pit Bull
Challenge those identifications folks.
This ban needs to end.
I note that the evaluation forms ask NOTHING about the behavior of the dog.
Denver time to look elsewhere and may I suggest Calgary,Alberta,Canada.
Spend your money bringing Bill Bruce to Denver to explain how to properly run a RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP PROGRAM.
Denver officials you are being mocked around the World even by Ontario,Canada and their Officials are every bit as foolish and barbaric as Denver.
Dexter`s Attorney seeking costs.
"…. Edwards says that her firm isn't done with Dexter just yet. "Our client had to pay impoundment fees for ten days, attorney fees, and the money for experts," she notes, "so we're going to try to recoup all that, and it could conceivably be another day in court for that.""


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March 13, 2014
Could There Be Vast Oceans Of Water Beneath The Earth's Mantle?
April Flowers for redOrbit.com - Your Universe Online
The first terrestrial sample of a water-rich gem that reveals new evidence about the existence of large volumes of water has been discovered by an international team of scientists which was led by University of Alberta's diamond scientist, Graham Pearson.Analysis of the gem, called ringwoodite, reveals that it contains a significant amount of water — 1.5 percent of its own weight. These findings, reported in a recent issue of Nature, confirms certain scientific theories that vast volumes of water are trapped 250 to 400 miles underneath the surface of the planet, between the upper and lower mantle.
"This sample really provides extremely strong confirmation that there are local wet spots deep in the Earth in this area," said Pearson, a professor in the Faculty of Science, and Canada Excellence Research Chair in Arctic Resources at the U of A. "That particular zone in the Earth, the transition zone, might have as much water as all the world's oceans put together."
The new gem ringwoodite is a form of the mineral peridot, thought to exist in vast quantities under high pressures in the transition zone. Scientists have found ringwoodite in meteorites before this, but no terrestrial sample has ever been found — mostly because scientists are unable to conduct fieldwork at extreme depths.
The sample identified by Pearson and his team was found in 2008 in the Juina area of Mato Grosso, Brazil. The host diamond, which was unearthed by artisan miners from shallow river gravels, was brought to the surface by a volcanic rock known as kimberlite. Kimberlite is the most deeply derived of all volcanic rocks.
The discovery, according to Pearson, was basically an accident. His team had been looking for another mineral when they purchased the three-millimeter-wide, dirty-looking, commercially worthless brown diamond. Ringwoodlite is impossible to see with the naked eye, and it was buried beneath the surface of the diamond. So its discovery in 2009, by Pearson's graduate student John McNeill, was a fortunate accident.
"It's so small, this inclusion, it's extremely difficult to find, never mind work on," Pearson said, "so it was a bit of a piece of luck, this discovery, as are many scientific discoveries."
Using Raman and infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction, the sample underwent years of analysis before it was officially confirmed as ringwoodite. Pearson's Arctic Resources Geochemistry Laboratory — which forms part of the world-renowned Canadian Centre for Isotopic Microanalysis, also home to the world's largest academic diamond research group — performed the critical water measurements.
The research team included members from the Geoscience Institute at Goethe University, University of Padova, Durham University, University of Vienna, Trigon GeoServices and Ghent University. Pearson, himself one of the world's leading authorities in the study of deep Earth diamond host rocks, ranks this discovery as being among the most significant of his career. According to Pearson, this finding confirms about 50 years of theoretical and experimental work by geophysicists, seismologists and other scientists trying to understand the makeup of the Earth's interior.
There has been a deep divide among scientists about the composition of the transition zone and whether it is full of water, or desert-dry. The discovery that water exists beneath the crust will affect the study of volcanoes and plate tectonics, affecting how rock melts, cools and shifts below the crust.
"One of the reasons the Earth is such a dynamic planet is the presence of some water in its interior," Pearson said. "Water changes everything about the way a planet works."


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Selling your home is a big decision, so lets get it right. If you have some time before putting your house on the market here are a few steps that will ensure the process goes as smooth as possible and you get the most money for your property. First lets look at the outside of your house. Don't just think curb appeal, think presentation. In today's market over 90% of perspective buyers will view your house online before deciding to go and look at it, or worse not to look at it. So when looking at the outside of your house, think about how the professional photographer will view it. Yes professional photos are a must, if your agent takes their own photos, you may want to consider another agent. So lets look at landscaping, if some trimming is overdue, start there. Landscaping does not bounce back overnight, over grown shrubs take some time before they green up and look good in photos. Second, pressure wash your home, walkways, pool deck, and driveway. A dirty house leaves the impression that maintenance was not being preformed. Remember, you are trying to put your best foot forward and attract as many potential buyers as possible.
Lets move inside. First impression when someone walks through your door is not with their eyes, its actually with their nose. So get the odors out, have your home professionally cleaned. If you have pets like so many of us do, you already know your home can smell of dog or cat. Amazingly cat odors are more offensive than dogs. I think I have a fairly sensitive nose, and I can not tell you how many times I have been whispered to that the house smells like cat pee and its a no. So cleanliness is a must, second air fresheners, third odor eaters. Here I am talking baking soda, and volcanic rocks. The baking soda can be vacuumed into carpets, or just left in boxes. The volcanic rocks you put in your air return for the a/c unit. These are not magic bullets but they are effective. Next big issue is stuff, or clutter. I don't care if you need to rent a storage unit, it is totally worth it. Nothing makes your home look smaller than it is than to much stuff. Not just knick knacks, and tchotchkes, but furniture can overwhelm a space or floor plan. Into the bedrooms, if you or your children have a lot of clothes or shoes, then get those moving boxes with the hanger rod in them and thin out your wardrobe for a couple months. If your closets look like one of those Halloween pumpkins with the guts puked out of its mouth, than you will have difficulty selling your home. Again, remember this is about the photographs everyone will see online. I know its hard, its not about you, its about your home and highlighting all the qualities that had you fall in love with it in the first place. Once your house is on the market, continue to have a cleaner come in, you definitely do not want the good will you earned in the photos to be lost due to a big regression in cleanliness or organization.
Lastly, eliminate surprises. If your home is over ten years old get a home inspection and include the pest inspection. You may think your home is ready to go, but will a professional? This can assist on two fronts. First if there is a repair needed that you do not want to make you can disclose it and offer a credit upfront. You will be amazed how well that works. It defuses a potential landmine by being honest and offering a solution. Second, if it does reveal a defect that lenders would not be willing to lend on, you have the opportunity to make repairs. This can become more difficult once under contract. In an As-Is contract your buyer with their quality offer can walk away in the inspection period. This leads to some sore feelings, and possible anger, and absolutely stress that can be avoided. Worse, if the buyers do walk away, now this defect needs to be disclosed to all the perspective buyers and at this point you may not get the same quality of offer that you received prior. So for $400 or $500 dollar investment upfront can truly lead to more money in your pocket and a stress free sale. For me, I always recommend that, when my job is complete I expect to have a happy client and a new friend. It sounds trite, but we really do live off the recommendations of our clients. There is no advertising that can compete with the personal recommendation from a client.
If you have any furthers questions, feel free to contact me at 561-876-4568. Thomas Traub an agent with Platinum Properties.


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One of the ways that you can save money around your home is by using half the recommended amount of laundry detergent, dish soap, or shampoo.
Our friend Dan (who admittedly has very short hair) takes this suggestion one step further. He uses a permanent marker to label his shampoo bottle with the date (i.e. 12/1/11) when he opens it. Then he challenges himself to see how long he can make his bottle last! He boasts about bottles that have lasted months, or more than a year.
Are you up for it? Take the "Date Your Shampoo" Challenge, and make your shampoo last!


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Two New Posters for Resident Evil: Retribution
"Think Global. Kill Local" is a catchy tag-line that gives you a pretty good idea of what you're in for when Alice (Milla Jovovich) takes on the evil Umbrella Corporation for a fifth time in Resident Evil: Retribution.
The world is in ruins and Milla Jovovich is packing a big gun in the newest promo work for the fifth film in the Resident Evil franchise, and we're talking some awesome artwork here. If you know anyone that, for some reason, doesn't know anything about the RE films, they'll be getting a clue when they see these scenes.
In Retribution, Jovovich's character, Alice, is still looking for the people that are responsible for the T-virus outbreak that plunged the world into a post-apocalyptic hell, and she'll run into a few familiar faces because… well, because that's the type of stuff the franchise is getting into. The plot has been twisted around so much that the dead don't stay dead anymore. Still, the countdown to oblivion has started and it's up to the sexy heroine to save the day… and the world.
Resident Evil: Retribution hits theaters on September 14.
Source: Screen Gems
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How many times have you missed important dates like a friend's birthday? Well its not rare, with the work life balance being so difficult to balance lately, we tend to miss important dates like friend's birthdays. Well most of the times our friends are connected to us via Internet and social networking platforms like Orkut, Google Buzz, Facebook etc.. Well In this article I will share a small tutorial which will save you from missing important birthdays. In this tutorial, I will guide you how you can add you Orkut Friend's birthdays, Facebook friend's Birthdays and Google Contact's birthdays to your Google Calendar.
I will explain all these three methods one by one, the are fairly simple and won't take more than 5 minutes of your time to follow all three of them:
Add Facebook Calendar and Events to Google Calendar
Step 1: Log into your Facebook account and click on the "See All" link next to your "Upcoming Events" section on the top right hand side of the the Facebook home page as shown below.
Step 2: Click on the "Export Events" link on the Events page as show below. This will show a pop-up window with the URL(or link) to your Facebook Calendar. right click on this URL or link and copy this URL.
Step 3: Log into your Google Calendar and click on the Add link in the other calendar sections on the left bottom of the calendar window. From the options, click "Add by URL". An add URL pop-up window will appear, paste the URL which you copied from Facebook Events page pop-up in step 2, and click Add Calendar.
This is it, your Facebook Calendar is now added to your Google Calendar as you can see it listed under the other calendars on your Google Calendar sidebar.
Add Orkut Birthday Calendar to Google Calendar
Its very simple to add your Orkut Calendar to your Google Calendar when you use the same Google account for your Orkut and your calendar. To add the same, simply log into your Google Calendar, just copy paste the below link into the address bar of your browser:
It will ask you to confirm to add your Orkut Birthdays Calendar to your Google Calendar, just confirm and it will be added to your Other calendars as shown below. Thanks to Labnol for this trick.
Add Google Contacts Birthday Calendar to Google Calendar
Step 1: While you are logged into your Google Calendar account, click on the Add link under the Other Calendars and select the option called "Browse Interesting Calendars"
Step 2: Click "More" tab on this page and click subscribe to show your Google Contact's Birthday calendar in your Google Calendar.
This is it. Hope you never miss another Birthday again ! Please let us know your thoughts and suggestion about this tutorials and share your valuable comments with us.
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The Swedish Board of Film Censors gave X-Men Origins: Wolverine a 15 classification, the highest rating the board can give, which prevents anyone under 15 from gaining admittance to the movie. Fox Sweden CEO Hansi Mandoki was obviously upset about the decision since now all those violence-hungry Swedish teenagers can't get their blood and gore fix.
But Mandoki couldn't just stop by saying "it is sad that so many fans won't be able to see the film." No, he had to keep on whining by claiming "I'm certain the decision will mean more illegal downloading of the film."
Hearing a studio exec bitch and moan about someone not being able to see a movie, that's [...]
Continue reading Fox CEO Claims Ratings Promote Piracy


text: Aug. 14: Taiwanese people launch paper lanterns during the Keelung Mid-Summer Ghost Festival in Keelung, Taipei County, Taiwan. Traditionally, activities to please the ghosts and spirits include preparing ritualistic offerings of food, burning Ghost money and releasing miniature paper boats and lanterns on water. Releasing the paper lanterns signifies 'giving directions to the lost ghosts and spirits.'


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Here is a comprehensive list of what Vine has contributed to society:
The app, which is basically Instagram for six-second videos (before Instagram added video), has become a downward spiraling mess, with people doing anything for Vine likes—and hashtagging them all #DoItForVine.
This includes, but is not limited to: Rubbing ice cream on themselves in drive thrus, harassing strangers, lighting themselves on fire, gallon smashing, twerking, not dropping that thun thun thun, smack camming, slapping cops, etc.
And now this guy got hit by a car:
The Indiana University student in the video (H/T Gakwer) later explained on Twitter, "Here I am sitting in the hospital, thanking God I'm alive. Thanking God for my stupidity, for my courage. Life is precious. Thank the Lord."
For the record, he walked away mostly unscathed, aside from "a cut to the bone, bruised left butt cheek, and some common sense." But he concluded, "I put my life on the line, my friends' life on the line, my family's life on the line, all for six seconds. Don't do it for the Vine."
Kids, please stop doing it for the Vine. Instagram a #ThrowbackThursday or something.


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Your life can change in an instant through the wonderful power of repeating affirmations.
Affirmations are very powerful statements that you repeat over and over again in the present tense to shift and change your life and to create the situation you desire. With affirmations, your life does not have to the stay stuck in neutral. I think of affirmations as recipes. I pretend I'm cooking and I know that I have all the incredients within me to "cook up" whatever I desire in my life, a new soul mate, improvement in a relationship, success, prosperity and more. You are the cook for your love life and more.
It is very, very important to spend a lot of time and energy repeating affirmations, since many of our thoughts and beliefs have been instilled in us since childhood. Affirmations can help us to overcome long term conditioning. When our mind gets what we are repeating, we start believing in what we are repeating; and then it just clicks into place for us. Repeating an affirmation once or twice DOES NOT work. I recommend repeating an affirmation out loud over and over again 1/2 to 1 hour a day, if not more, depending on the importance of the situation.
If you are trying to change an inner belief about yourself, I recommend that you repeat the affirmation of your choice consistently EVERYDAY for 21 days. DO NOT SKIP A DAY. It takes approximately 21 days to change and transform a negative thought about yourself into a positive thought. You'll know that the affirmation is working and your specific inner belief is changing, because your life will begin to click into place. You will see situations in a different light and others will see you in a different light.
Example Affirmation — I am a beautiful soul that deserves to be loved.
If you are repeating an affirmation to release someone from your heart, mind, body and soul, like a lost love, you definitely would want to repeat your releasing affirmation for about 21 days. Again, you will know when you have released this person. It will feel like your shoulders are lighter and a burden has been lifted. When this happens, either your lost love will return or a new love will come in.
Example Affirmation — I wish you the best and I release you ________. (Fill in the blank with his or her name).
You can also repeat an affirmation to rekindle a relationship or to get a commitment from someone; however, if you notice that he or she is backing off, I highly and strongly recommend that you stop the affirmation at once. This means that it is against that person's will, and believe me you can never go against a person's will.
Example Affirmation — Divine love is working through me now in rekindling the love, joy, and intimacy between ______ and me.
If you are repeating an affirmation to enhance your already established relationship, I believe you should keep the affirmation a secret and not share it with him or her. You always want to leave an element of surprise in your relationship. Be mysterious and enchant the affirmation with your inner magical power. They don't have to know, and they will always want to come back for more.
Example Affirmation — Divine love is working through me now in creating greater love, joy and intimacy between ____ and me.
Example Affirmation — Divine love is working through me now in creating the perfect night of romance and passion between ______ and me.
If you have time restraints, repeat your affirmation in the shower, while you are shaving, putting on your makeup, doing your hair, etc. Make it part of your morning ritual. You can also repeat them while driving in your car, washing dishes, vacuuming, etc.
Linda Kaye, the Pink Chick Psychic, is available via phone, Skype and email for readings, healings and coaching. Visit her shop to purchase or contact Linda to schedule.
This article was originally published at Pink Chick Psychic. Reprinted with permission from the author.


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We strive to offer our customers books of all kinds on a wide
variety of interesting topics. We are a big enough book company
that we can offer interesting titles at reasonable prices
yet we are small enough that we are able to offer our customers
the personal assistance that they deserve and come to expect
– and that big book companies only wish they could offer!
If you have any questions please contact us, a helpful courteous
member of our staff would be happy to assist you! If you are
looking for a particular book and don't see it here,
we will do our best to obtain it for you.
In 1917 several friends decided to . . .
provide an unconventional meeting-place for the uninhibited
and free-thinking, including Socialists, atheists, anarchists
and liberated women, lecturers and soapbox orators, artists,
actors, playwrights, literary hopefuls, and a range of Bohemian
types. . . . And so was born the world-famous Dil Pickle
Club: One of Chicagos best-known Bohemian locales, the club
became a free-speech forum, frequented by labor movement radicals,
drifters, rebellious academics, literary figures, prostitutes,
actors, tourists and left-wing artisans of all sorts. To find
the place, both the famous and infamous were exhorted to squeeze
'Thru the Hole in the Wall Down Tooker Alley to the Green
Lite Over the Orange Door. 22 Tooker Place was located just
south of the Newberry Library on Dearborn Street, and a sign
outside read 'step high stoop low leave your dignity outside
. . . The atmosphere of the club was an enjoyable mix of the
radical, the rough, the erudite, the creative and sometimes
the inane. And there was always plenty of stimulating talk.
* The famous and not-so-famous found their way down Tooker
Alley to the Green Lite Over the Orange Door. They included
labor leader Eugene Debs, poet Carl Sandburg, novelist Ben
Hecht, lawyer Clarence Darrow, playwright Charles MacArthur,
Wobbly Ralph Chaplin, radical socialist Ben Reitman, and a
steady flow of University of Chicago professors: The atmosphere
of the club was an enjoyable mix of the radical, the rough,
the erudite, the creative and sometimes the inane. And there
was always plenty of stimulating talk. *
Essentially the Pickle was the creation of Jack Jones, who
remained the flamboyant, controversial owner of the club until
its demise. It was in the late 1920s when Jones, who as usual
was trying to find ways to raise money, decided to take his
free speech forum into print. The result was the Dil Pickle
Press, which was located inside the clubhouse in Tooker Alley.
The Dil Pickle Presss first and only major release was Ragnar
Redbeards infamous Might Is Right, which was printed in 1927
in yellow paperback. The Dil Pickle Press and the Dil Pickle
Club finally folded in the early 1930s a victim of political
corruption and the Great Depression.
In the spirit of the original Dil Pickle Club and Dil Pickle
Press, the new Dil Pickle Press was born. The goal of the
press (to paraphrase the above overview) is to provide an
unconventional forum for uninhibited and free-thinking speech.
No matter what the subject, we believe it is the right of
every man and woman to decide for themselves what is right
or wrong!
(*From a brief overview of the Dill Pickle Club holdings of
the Newberry Library, Inventory of the Dill Pickle Club Records,
1906-1940; The Newberry Library, Roger and Julie Baskes Department
of Special Collections, Midwest Manuscript Collection, Chicago,
Illinois, 2001.)


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Madrid Open owner to do away with equal pay
Madrid Open owner Ion Tiriac has indicated his tournament may move away from equal pay for men and women
Madrid: Madrid Open owner Ion Tiriac has indicated his tournament may move away from equal pay for men and women.
The debate was reignited in March by controversial comments from Indian Wells tournament director Raymond Moore about women players "riding on the coat-tails" of the men.
Novak Djokovic with the title after winning the Madrid Open final on Sunday. pic/AFP
Moore subsequently resigned but the issue has continued to bubble under the surface. Madrid and Indian Wells are two of three major tournaments outside the grand slams along with Miami that pay equal prize money.
Tiriac, a flamboyant Romanian and former top-10 player told The New York Times: "I like, very much more, women than men. All my life, I've done that. The longer the legs theirs are, the more beautiful they are. Even in tennis, they're gracious and so on.
Ion Tiriac
TV rights matter
"But I think we have to go and calculate how much money are the men putting on the table, and how much the women, with TV rights. "Because otherwise we have to compensate and you cannot compensate forever. For that reason, it's a beautiful sport, but I don't think the women can complain that they don't earn enough money."
Tiriac said he was in negotiations with both tours but would struggle to pay equal prize money. "If I increase the women's, too, I am broke and I don't know how to do a tennis event. Saying that they're equal — they're not equal. I prefer a woman on the court, they are beautiful. I prefer an elegant woman. But they are not bringing to the table the same thing."


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The rupee on Wednesday gained 23 paise to close at 53.86 on renewed dollar selling as Economic Survey strengthened forex market's expectations of Union Budget taking fiscally prudent steps to attract foreign investment and to put the economy back on high growth path.
The local unit started trading slightly better at 54.06 per dollar from last close of 54.09 and immediately touched a low of 54.07 at the Interbank Foreign Exchange Market.
Later, it bounced back on smart rise in local stocks to a high of 53.63 before losing some ground to end at 53.86, a rise of 23 paise, or 0.43 per cent.
Forex dealers said a smart rebound in local equities and sustained fund inflows amid a weakness in the US currency overseas also aided the rupee.
"Rupee gained in line with the gains in local equities. The Economic Survey calling for fiscal consolidation paves way for interest rate cut by RBI which will be good for the industry and indicates the Budget tomorrow to be fiscally disciplined," said N S Venkatesh, Head (Treasury), IDBI
"Also, euro strengthening against the dollar and dovish comments by US Federal Reserve's Ben Bernanke hinting at improved liquidity in the American system, which in turn will bring more funds into India aided the rupee," he added.
Dhanlaxmi Bank Executive Vice-President (Treasury) Srinivasa Raghavan said: "The Survey was practically fine. It hinted at steps for containing fiscal deficit in tomorrow's Budget, which is likely to pep rupee to up to 53.50."
Economic Survey for 2012-13 suggested projected an optimistic 6.1 to 6.7 per cent growth in the next fiscal and made a strong call for cutting subsidises.
Referring to the movement of rupee, the Survey said, the rupee has been volatile in the range of 53.02-54.78 against the dollar.


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Tottenham Hotspur, Arsenal and Manchester United want Internacional and Brazil striker Leandro Damiao. Hoo hoo! Oh, but he'll be off to Spain, as Barcelona have shown an interest. But never mind, this is the Rumour Mill, and we're after a top line.
Spurs and Arsenal are both prepared to pay the £26m asking price for Porto striker Falcao, who presumably doesn't fancy staying at the Portuguese club in order to win the Champions League, and would rather stand in the middle of a field in north London shaking his head sadly at what's going on 30-odd yards behind him. But this is the Rumour etc.
Billy Davies, board irritant, is the new name in the frame for the vacant job at West Ham United, the club co-owned by teeny-tiny publishing tycoon David Sullivan. Anyone remember those sketches with Benny Hill and Jackie Wright?
Newcastle United are trying to buy back Charles N'Zogbia. A happy ship.
Wigan Athletic are in for former Liverpool starlet Paul Anderson, the former Nottingham Forest starlet.
Liverpool will pay £12m for Stewart Downing, or maybe £15m, depending on which made-up story you believe, and purchase Birmingham City's Scott Dann while they're at it, whatever that'll cost, nobody's saying, so we're not copying.
Harry Redknapp has become the bookies' favourite to become the new manager of Chelsea.
Chelsea's Josh McEachran, 18, is a target for Hamburg, 123.
Bolo Zenden, one of the select number of footballers who would have looked great sitting behind the wheel of a Formula One car, with his flowing James Hunt locks and pleased-with-himself-without-actually-having-achieved-that-much expression, is to join motorsport concern Queens Park Rangers.
Internazionale are after Gaël Clichy, what with not being particularly interested in defending in the post-Mourinho era.
In other news, Arsenal are showing an interest in Blackburn Rovers' big man Christopher Samba, who is proficient in the defensive arts. This is almost certainly a lie, Arsène Wenger would rather field the corpse of James McNeill Whistler than anyone who can put a boot in, but we're not here to judge what's printed.
And in a majestic in-joke finale, Sunderland want Birmingham's Roger Johnson, perhaps with a view to quizzing the player on how his first name worked for him as a baby. Because it doesn't, does it? Baby Roger? Nah, don't think so.


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Futuresource Consulting announced it forecasts that nearly 15 million U.S. homes will own a 3DTV by the end of next year.
For more information visit: www.futuresource-consulting.com
Unedited press release follows:
15 million 3DTVs in US homes by 2012
3D for the home continues to gain traction in key markets, with nearly 15 million US homes forecast to own a 3DTV by the end of next year, according to a new Home 3D Tracker report from Futuresource Consulting.
3DTV emerged early in 2010 amidst a wave of publicity, with manufacturers quickly engaging in a battle for market supremacy. As a result of this, the price premium for the 3D feature has already reduced quite sharply and the well known-brands are now incorporating 3D in more and more of their TV and BD model ranges. The year finished on a positive note for manufacturers, with strong sales during the final quarter. However, 3D content was unable to keep pace with consumers expectations, as studios agreed hardware/content bundling deals with CE manufacturers, creating a lack of packaged 3D content at retail.
Limited retail content availability has placed greater importance on the role of the broadcast segment as a key 3D content source, says Fiona Hoy, Market Analyst, Futuresource Consulting. Although early broadcast services struggled to provide the breadth and quality of viewing material that this nascent technology requires, many CE manufacturers have now formed partnerships with pay-TV operators to help co-fund and produce original 3D content. Many of these partnerships will last up to three years, by which time the market will have become more established. Collaborations have included Cyfra (Poland) and LG for 3D sports; NTV-Plus (Russia) and Panasonic; Sky (UK), LG and Panasonic; and DirecTV and Panasonic (USA). By the end of 2010, 31 3D pay-TV services were available throughout Europe, with 18 linear/demo channels and 13 VoD services. Across North America, 11 3D services have been launched, with two 24/7 channels and six separate VoD services.
Looking ahead, broadcast will continue to play an important role, not only in providing 3D content directly into the home, but also in educating the consumer and driving awareness. The Sky 3D launch in the UK made a great impact on consumer awareness and helped drive equipment sales, with 3DTV sales picking up noticeably following the launch of the channel.
In addition, 3D disc title sales are expected to see a significant boost this year, says Hoy, with a strong release slate which includes key franchises Harry Potter and Transformers. Although 3D represented less than 1% of total US Blu-ray retail sales during 2010, this is expected to reach nearly 25% by 2015.
The need for 3D glasses continues to be a key talking point within the industry, with the high cost and weight of glasses and the premature hype around glasses-free (auto-stereoscopic) 3DTV said to be potential obstacles to market development.
Futuresource research continues to indicate that auto-stereoscopic technology is still many years away from offering the quality andlarge screen viewing experience demanded by the consumer and at an affordable price point, says Jim Bottoms, Director and Co-founder, Futuresource Consulting. Several key technical issues still remain: a highly restricted viewing angle and a limited number of viewing points or sweet spots are among the primary challenges. Outside the sweet spot, the viewer sees either no 3D effect or, worse still, a reverse image which is highly uncomfortable to watch.
Although 12-inch and 20-inch glasses-free 3DTVs are now available in Japan, designed primarily to work for a single viewer, a large screen watched by more than one person may need to display up to 100 unique views, each of which must be created separately. Even when the TV technology is in place, the production issues for live action content are still likely to be a major hurdle, as creating content for these multi-view displays requires multiple cameras and a different production/broadcast infrastructure.
This is just a small insight into the new Futuresource Home 3D Tracker report, which provides market updates for the USA, total Western Europe (including UK, France, Germany, Italy and Spain identified separately) and Japan. The report draws on the ongoing Futuresource dialogue with all industry segments concerned with the development of consumer 3D, including broadcasters, programme makers, the home electronics industry and movie studios and their home video divisions, among others. For more information about this report or to make a purchase, get in touch with Jim Bottoms at Futuresource Consulting on +44 (0) 1582 500 100 or visit www.futuresource-consulting.com.
Futuresource will be hosting the Futuresource Entertainment Summit in London again this year, taking place on 16 and 17 June. In addition to 3D, topics will include the rise of digital content delivery, convergent devices vs. dedicated devices, and the business opportunities presented by new home entertainment technologies, platforms and delivery systems. For more information visit www.fes2011.com.


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Urban Camping in BelgiumPosted by Bradley L. Garrett on Monday Oct 12, 2009 Under Anthropology, Archaeology, Cultural Geography, Film, Urban Exploration, Visual Ethnography
The time? About 11pm. The place? In the parking lot of a Carrefour supermarket somewhere near Liege, Belgium. It's a weird place to begin the story of my recent road trip with Winchester, Statler, Tigger, Rivermonkey and Furtle but the urge to do so was prompted by something Winchester said.
As we were unpacking/repacking the vehicles for what seemed like the 20th time in a day, pulling out bags of clothes, sleeping gear, food, a pith helmet, Mary Poppins DVDs and a stuffed squawking bird, preparing for our second night sleeping in an abandoned place, Winch says 'this is like urban camping.'
I have to agree. I have only had one such experience, a few months ago when I slept in the Paris catacombs with Marc and Hydra, but I have come to conclude, as did Winch, that this sort of camping (primarily prompted by the fact that we are all poor as dirt) surely puts 'wilderness' camping in a new light. I later asked the group what they thought camping in a place 'added' to the explore and although everyone had different ideas about this, everyone agreed that it definitely changed the nature of the explore, heightened it to some extent.
A recently received a new book called Interior Wilderness, a nice little collection of photographs from a guy called Ed Roppo (rustyjaw). On the back of the book, Ed writes that "abandoned buildings are a kind of wilderness turned inside-out. He also notes that "the most beautiful sites in abandonments are the result of natural processes left to operate on man-made materials".
I wonder if part of our fascination as urbanites living in areas where nature in sometimes not readily accessible is that we can feel it in ruins. It humbles us, it reminds us of our place in the world, it reminds us that Mother Nature can take back what she has given at any time. Any small vine can collapse a concrete wall within years, sometime months, and in a few hundred, or a few thousand, as Alan Weisman so poignantly points out in his book The World Without Us, the great remnants of human civilization would be buried in the matrix of memory, almost invisible to the world, useful to the plants and animal left behind in ways we can never imagine.
I once saw a deer drinking from a mortar hole in a large rock in Lake Elsinore, California.
I thought of the Luiseno Indian who sat there for years grinding out that hole with a pestle and wondered if they were ever curious about the possibility that this grinding slap might one day becoming a drinking hole for deer no longer hunted.
Urban camping is about adventure, yes, but it also about reminding ourselves what are place is in the world. A night in a ruin puts you in touch with reality, with homelessness, with decay, with nature, and over a few sips off good whiskey and some photograph sharing, with our friends.
I have fond childhood memories of camping, backpacking and road tripping. For me, these activities were always something done in solitude, something done alone to give one time to reflect. But this new camping that I am doing is an echo of my life in London. Social, active, full of encounter, danger, inspiration and intrigue. My research is building a piece of work (now my new solitude), but it is also building a new self, an identity that I never knew I loved. And perhaps, after all is said and done, urban camping is not about camping at all, it is about finding meaning in life.
4 Responses to "Urban Camping in Belgium"
October 13th, 2009 at 10:07 am
"In the parking lot of a Carrefour supermarket somewhere near Lille, Belgium", does it imply that Lille is in Belgium?
October 13th, 2009 at 4:50 pm
Haha, it was Liege we were near!
Great write up, really like the sentiments
May 12th, 2011 at 11:04 am
Hello, I am doing a television programme about camping and caravanning in the UK with Paul Merton. From your blog I can see that you bring a new perspective to it. Additionally I was interested in Urban camping in the UK and wondered if you might be able to shed some light on it?
My email is [email protected]
Number 0207 529 9456
Drop me a line if you have a minute it would be great to have a chat,
Thanks, Charlotte


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|The Altalena Affair
At that point in time they had unloaded 2,000 rifles, two million rounds of ammunition, 3,000 "Fiat" shells, 200 Bren machine guns, and this equipment was indeed a decisive factor in the war against the Arab Forces. Menachem Begin rejected the ultimatum and decided that the ship should leave Kfar Vitkin and head for Tel Aviv, so that he could negotiate with the command staff of the Haganah. The weapons that had been unloaded were handed over to the local IDF Commander, and made a major contribution to the prosecution of the war. Before the boat left Kfar Vitkin, Menachem Begin gathered the remaining Irgun volunteers and the ship's crew to explain the position and to say goodbye, when suddenly the Haganah attacked the assembled people with machine guns and mortars, and six men of the Irgun were killed. The ship left immediately for Tel Aviv and arrived at midnight. Begin had hoped to negotiate with the Government and to unload the remaining weapons peacefully. When dawn came, the shore area was surrounded by soldiers, and two armed corvettes surrounded the Altalena. Begin sent a message that the ship would neither open fire nor return fire. The Altalena was grounded opposite the Kaete Dan Hotel, 700 yards from the shore, and was totally immobilized. Ben Gurion ordered Yigael Yadin, Army Chief of Staff, to take the ship by force, and on 22nd June, as the Irgun men started to unload the equipment, the Army started firing, and issued a statement that if the unloading was discontinued the firing from the shore would stop, and a boat would be sent from Tel Aviv Port to evacuate the wounded. At that stage there was not even a doctor on board the Altalena, and the boat to evacuate the wounded never arrived. Then the shelling started, and the fear was that if a shell should land in the hold of the ship which contained a vast amount of explosives, there would be a catastrophic explosion. Because of this imminent danger the ship raised a white flag which was disregarded by the troops on the shore, and the firing continued at the unarmed survivors. Then, one of the shells penetrated the belly of the ship, and a fire broke out. The captain of the ship, Monro Fein, immediately flooded the hold because of the risk that if the vessel should explode all on board would have been killed, and there would have been much damage to property on the shore. Irgun boys from Tel Aviv rushed to the rescue and the wounded were evacuated on makeshift rafts and in small boats. These boys risked their lives knowing that the ship might explode at any moment. Begin left the ship only after the last of the wounded had been evacuated.
Notwithstanding this monstrous provocation by the Provisional Government and the Haganah, Menachem Begin swore an oath that under no circumstances would the Irgun raise arms against fellow-Jews. "A war between brothers, NEVER". Begin subsequently claimed that this was the most important decision of his life. In order to cover up its shameful actions, the Provisional Government became more Catholic than the Pope, by claiming "that the Irgun had disregarded the truce, and that under international law the Government was compelled to destroy the arms". This was an outrageous lie as the Government knew that the ship with its 930 fighters and equipment was coming to help Israel in its desperate plight, and at a time when Israel was under a complete arms embargo.
Sources. This article is based on the following authoratitive sources -


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Active forum topics
Lessons Learnt From BIND DNS Server's Flaws
ed@point Wed, 02/22/2017 - 00:00
Since the conceptualization of the internet, DNS security has been low on the totem pole of priorities. The researchers and developers who created the Internet never realized the global scale of adoption it would undergo. As a result, they kept the DNS simple and lacking in security protocols. Thus it is easy for skilled hackers to gain control. Sometimes use of DNS software can mitigate these attacks, but not a complete success is never guaranteed.
What is BIND?
BIND or "Berkley Internet Name Domain" is an open source software that helps network devices connect to the internet by configuring their DNS (Domain Name Server). Maintained by the ISC (Internet Software Consortium), it is the most widely used DNS software in the market.
BIND provides a robust and stable platform that allows organizations to build distributed networks while following standard DNS protocols. It is flexible and supports numerous features making it handy to use. However, like all things on the internet, this software too has its share of problems.
Security Issues
Critical vulnerabilities in BIND were exposed when an extensive attack took down the network causing Internet to become unavailable for many users. The flaw, which affects all versions of BIND from 9.1.0 to 9.10.2-P2, was exploited by hackers to crash DNS servers that are powered by the software.
This is a significant threat because even a single packet can corrupt both authoritative and recursive DNS servers. Authoritative servers are those that keep track of records for one or more domain names. Recursive DNS servers, on the other hand, connect devices to a network by searching through the DNS hierarchy till it reaches an authoritative DNS server that will satisfy the query. The information is then retrieved and relayed to the resource that requested it. Most computers and routers use the recursive DNS server.Thus, if the servers crash, the entire network will not be able to access the Internet.
To combat this flaw, ISC released a patch that must be added to the software. Since it is impossible to train the system to recognize a packet a packet with malicious intent, there is no configuration or work around the hole. Patching remains the only option.
ISC engineer Michael McNally has predicted that the attack code will soon become available to the general public since it is not difficult to reverse engineer it from the patch provided thereby exposing the flaw to the public. In fact, a security expert had already developed an attack kit, he claimed, and it wouldn't be long before others with more nefarious intentions followed.
What this means
This is not the first time that BIND has been the subject of a security controversy. Earlier versions like BIND 4 and BIND 8 were riddled with fatal problems. ISC has maintained a list of all bugs and issues discovered in its releases and it is by no means a short one. Some say this should be the final nail in BIND's coffin.
Robert Graham, CEO of Errata Security, has opined that the issue lies not with individual holes but at the design level. He claims that the increasing number of features present in BIND makes it too unwieldy and prone to security hazards. If he so desired, he could crash all of BIND's servers in an hour with a tool called masscan. Until BIND scraps the lesser used features, like the TKEY one which was the source of this bug, the software will never be safe to use.
Despite the CEO's staunch opposition, BIND remains one of the most popular DNS software to date. It is the one most engineers are familiar with and thus reluctant to replace. Thus, unless a complete system overhaul is undertaken, it is imperative that you invest in additional DNS security software.
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by Debra Rosenthal
© 2007
Sometimes the best way to see an image is to just look. Beginner's mind means trying to stay completely open to the reality before you, and coincidentally not bothering with a lot of tiresome research. A beginner in the eternal "now" can blithely ignore history in order to truly appreciate appearance. You may perhaps penetrate "behind the veil" by taking the images seriously, exactly as they appear. Try it with the Jacques Vieville, a circa 1650 cubist masterpiece.
Many Mysteries
Visually, this deck raises more questions than it answers. What's on the Bateleur's table? The objects always seem a bit odd, but surely these are the most confusing-a transparent box? Is that a book over on the left?
The Vieville tarot depicts lots of detailed hands and feet, although most of the hands are oddly drawn, with fingers all wobbly or askew. Yet there are lovely fingernails where fingernails belong, and Strength (somehow number IX) has cute little toenails on her cartoony naked foot which is wrapped by the tail of the lion she's suspended by the jaw. Is that a ribbon around Strength's wrist? How did the lion end up in such a state? What's the little loop down by the lion's rear end? More mysteries. Note the lion's elegant claws.
The Fool's little dog, or maybe his cat, has clearly defined paws and claws, too. This detail is so well-done and yet the poor animal's face is smooshed up against the fool's thigh in a most uncomfortable and unrealistic fashion.
Speaking of hands, consider the fingers growing from the shoulders of the Hanged Man. And the hands of the dead below the scythe of Death (a harmoniously proportioned Death, with a nice mix of bone and flesh from the point of view of being creepy but not totally chaotic) are jauntily expressive. Perhaps they yearn for his many-colored cape. Death's feet are beautifully rendered, especially the back one, although it's hard to see from the cant of his hips if he's coming or going.
Anatomical puzzles.
Death shares a "which direction?" problem with the Boy in the Tree Tower card and the Valet of Batons. To see this, start with Death. Which way is he going? Cover the bottom half of the body-he's coming toward you, run for your life! Then cover the top half. Whoops. The impossible torso is even more pronounced for the Valet of Batons. Then see if the Bateleur, whose table is wonky by tradition, could possibly be standing on those feet of his. The Wheel of Fortune demonstrates Chance in more ways than one, as the image is totally impossible.
And yet, there it is.
What It Is and What It Is Not
The Vieville cards demonstrate the gap that's developed between the accepted meanings and what the cards actually show. Consider the Sun. Honestly, if you didn't know it was "supposed" to be a Very Good Card, wouldn't you think exactly the opposite? Why is the little fella on the horse so happy, with only a banner between him and a scowling world-class grouch?
Today we say: The Star! Oh, joy, hope springs eternal! But the Vieville astrologer, with his compass, hourglass, and a baleful expression, seems cemented to his chair. Presumably he seeks order in the heavens, but perhaps he's also disoriented by the cattywhompus floor tiles, and what IS all that stuff in the background? Oddly, for a card depicting science and art, this card has the most disturbing treatment of size and perspective.
Where Are You Going?
The Vieville devil rampages the countryside; you can practically hear the thud of his heels and his deep growly grunts. Part of his problem is that he's got to haul around an entire committee everywhere he goes. His knee and shoulder (and maybe that forward elbow?) seem happy enough to be along for the ride, but the gent in his midsection looks bored with the whole thing: Are we there yet?
Beginners are always "there yet" because beginners are always here, now. In the "old man's" cards, the Jacques Vieville, here now is sheer delight.
Thanks to the participants in the Aeclectic Tarot Forum for their insights.