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In the fall of 893 After Starlight, within the alternate world of Pangaea, a boy named Andrew Champion found something special in the outcast Tarah Reichardt, and in the end accepted her friendship. Now, he'll have a chance to find just how special his new friend really is. A magical world of danger and heroics awaits him as he skydives through the rabbit hole. For the valiant can never rest, even as this journey twists and turns from Hell to Heaven.
These are the Different and Cool Fantastic Tales.
Different and Cool Fantastic Tales: Look What Tarah Can Do
By Reid M. Haynes
On the mainland of Pangaea, deep within the suburbs of Starlight City, December winds shook the skeletal trees like a rough interrogation session. Fall was over, and the nights were as stark and cold as could be expected. A single brown leaf remained on a branch of an oak tree, testament to the season of beautiful dying. That leaf, too, snapped off from the branch and wafted to the concrete below, soon to be crushed underfoot by the lone boy wandering through the streets.
Andy walked along the sidewalk at a brisk pace, as if trying to keep one step ahead of the frigid wind. His brown jacket was his only guardian against the gusts, buffeting him against the brunt of the areo assault. Strangely, his hands were not gloved nor were they in his pockets, but were instead throwing shadow punches that whipped and shredded the air. His manner was very much that of someone who had just seen a particularly exciting martial-arts flick; the white bandanna he wore below his sea-green bangs could be an indication of this.
In actually, the reality was a bit more exciting.
Andy worked the ball joint in his shoulder with wide, circular movements of his arm, trying to recover from the stretching and yanking he had been doing to it a scant twenty minutes ago. His latest martial-arts workout with Mari had pressed him a bit further than previous session, and the long walk home was again the sour, overly-ripened cherry on top. It was almost as if his instructor was one of those die-hard mutants from the infomercials that trained on five different machines a day.
In any case, he felt good. Andy smiled and exhaled a soft breath through his nose, which quickly turned to fog in the chilled air. This past month, Mari had shown extraordinary support for an awkward kid who wasn't even on the peripheral of her social circle, all because he had asked for her help. Her words to him today had shown him where she stood.
"Hey, it's no problem Andy!" she had told him, with the confident, playful smile he had begun to associate with her. "I'm been looking for something worthwhile to do with my time, and I don't care what people think of me hangin' with you guys."
The second one of those "guys" was Tarah, his other new friend. Their relationship was still like a blast of ice water to Andy; only a few months ago he had avoided the girl like she was the bubonic plague, and now he was walking over to her house right now to hang out. He hadn't even bothered to call, but had just set out knowing he would be received with open arms by her family. It was something he finally learned to expect from Tarah: appreciation, for being there and being himself.
Turning the corner, Andy arrived at Mimic Drive, where Tarah's residence was. The houses that aligned either side of the road were mostly one-story jobs, with huge backyards filled with trees and underbrush. His mind wondered on whether the Reichardts had chosen this neighborhood for their daughter's benefit. Tarah had once told him that her folks had done a lot of moving before coming here two years ago, so he hoped this eco-lover's dream of a subdivision meant that they was ready to give her a permanent home; there was still so much he had to learn about her.
A slight glare blasted Andy's eyes, and he shaded his faceto safely view its source. One baby ash tree was shining with what looked like holiday lights, and he realized a moment later that it was in Tarah's front yard. It must've been her mother or father that had decorated it, since Tarah would've thought the tree was beautiful as is. Still, he had to admit: it gave the leafless tree some character.
But as he proceeded towards Tarah's house, he began to rethink his assessment that the lights were those that came on strings. Not only were there no electrical cords, but each one seemed to be moving by its own power. All of them were spherical in shape, soft green, and seemed to be made of cloud-dust. They hovered around the tree like pixies inhabiting a sacred grove, never straying too far from their focal point.
Fireflies? Andy raised an eyebrow in confusion.
He slowly proceeded towards the tree, his eyes slowly following the sprite-like entities' patterns. Tarah never hesitated to tell him of her interest in bugs, and he wondered if, somehow, he could deduce what they were from memory. It was difficult, since the bright glow they emitted completely concealed their bodies, assuming these mystery lights had bodies. A weird, surreal feeling was growing in Andy's gut, and he was starting to wonder if reality had left his port for a land far away.
His apprehension didn't keep him from noting the beauty of the scene. It was like he was living a scene from a cartoon movie, where the animators would struggle to capture a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. And the tree, truly, didn't need holiday lights after all; in a way, it had the same gentle pride that Tarah herself possessed, as he had learned over the past month. He felt his worries face away with the soothing atmosphere of the scene and put his hand on the tree's trunk as if giving it his approval.
A ripping sensation clawed at Andy's heart, and his entire being felt like it had been grasped by a titan. "W-whaaat...?!" he stammered out, the word sounding less like it was being spoken and more like it was being pitched into an abyss. His lungs were sucked of the air that sustained his being, and he felt his world blacken around him.
Andy's next sensation was the hard impact of a face-first fall on cold earth. He felt the rough taste of dirt in his mouth, its unsavory flavor coating his tongue like a second skin. He sputtered a bit, spewing large globs of spit in an effort to expel the dirt from his mouth. Like a blind grub, he wallowed on the ground, trying to bring himself to his feet again.
Then, he felt his balance shift as he tumbled back over on his side, and tumbled again. He was rolling, rolling, as if a barrel on a steep incline. The somewhat painful experience ended a few seconds later with Andy at a lower altitude and dealing with groaning bones and muscles. He felt like he had just woken up late on a school day...by someone pulling up the mattress and dumping him on the floor.
He moaned, letting the pain pulse through his being, bringing a second sensation of relief in its wake. His senses were starting to flare up, and he exhaled a small breath, trying to get adjusted. A bright, yellow light was beating down on him, and he felt warm, June warm. He could feel a few insects run though the openings in his clothes, their feelers tickling and irritating his skin.
He didn't rush to wipe the bugs off his body. In fact, up until this moment, his eyes had been closed, and closed hard. Deep inside himself, he knew that he wasn't going to be looking at Tarah's lawn when he decided to accept the reality of his situation and look upon the world. He could feel the truth beckoning him like a train wreck, and like all present to a train wreck, his inclination to view it overtook all other instincts.
The first thing Andy saw before him was a brilliant blue sky, covered with an outcropping of snow-white cumulus. Birds of the like he'd seven seen fluttered overhead, sporting large beaks and a rainbow of feathers. He could see the treetops forming a canopy in the corner of his vision, along with a few large red objects that he couldn't quite define. He realized that he would need to stand in order to get a better view, and as he did so, he mentally prepared himself for any shocks that his surroundings might cause him.
What needs to be described here could be called a forest, or perhaps an oversized lawn that had never been cut. Everything about his surroundings existed in an exaggerated state. Small fungi common to Starlight City suburbs were present here at ten times their unusual size; the red objects he noted earlier turned out to be a even larger variety of 'shroom. All kinds of botanical life was within sight, some of which did not co-exist in the same season.
The trees were all gigantic, like the century old oaks one one finds every now and again, only with dozens of them within eyesight, competing for his attention. Strange animal noises could be heard coming from the depths of the forest, a great deal of them unfamiliar. A small brook to his right added a bit of tranquility to the setting, the one thing relatively normal about his surroundings. Nevertheless, the whole thing came across as a belabored artist's drug-induced idea of nature, and it was sensory overload for Andrew Champion.
The boy's heart-rate was through the roof, and his green mane flared like fire as he turned this way and that in a panic. What had happened? How did he get here, and what was here exactly? Was he asleep now? Did someone slip him something?
Calm down, a sharp voice from his rational half interjected, like the banging of a gavel in the rowdy courtroom of his consciousness. He responded quickly to this and willed his body to stop shaking, quietly reminding himself that he was not in any immediate danger. He grit his teeth and sucked in air through the gaps, feeling his heartbeat slow to a more regular rhythm. And, through the special training that Mari had given him, he began to methodically prepare himself for the upcoming trials.
Okay, it's obvious this isn't Starlight City, he told himself slowly, closing his eyes to free himself of the exotic imagery. The last thing I remember is walking up to the ash tree in Tarah's yard, and then...all this. I need to find out where I am, and for that, I need to find someone to tell me. A signpost, a map, anyone or anything that speaks my language, it's all good right now.
Andy felt his determination grow, a calling for the quest settling deeper than the fear in his heart. His hands went to the bandanna that still covered his forehead, the familiarity of the cloth between his fingers comforting. This bandanna is the symbol of my personal accomplishments. It's my sign that I can handle what Destiny throws at me, and throw it back. If something strange is happening to me, then I have to be strange myself.
He reached for the twin tendrils of his bandanna, which hung loosely in the warm, June-like weather. With two hands, he tightened the bandanna around his forehead, and his eyes opened once more to his unusual new setting, this time with courage.
With his mind set, he began walking.
A hour or so ran by, and the sun had moved to the three o'clock position behind a few clouds, making the light and heat more bearable. Time seemed to pass normally in this realm (Andy had been referring to this place in his head as a "realm"), even if nothing else was normal about this place. The jungle-like canopies generally kept things cool under their gentle shade, and there was also a small amount of dew left over from the night before. Once you got used to the gigantic man-eating plants that popped up every now and again, it was quite the pleasant place.
Andy wiped a bead of sweat from his head as he trudged up another small hill between more gargantuan oaks. Though he had managed to find a relatively walkable pathway through the mysterious forest, he found he had to periodically swipe foliage out of the way. Aiding him in this manner was a fallen tree branch that currently substituted as a staff. Whatever bizarre creatures that inhabited the forest had not yet revealed themselves, but he could always hear the noises, and thusly felt more secure with some sort of weapon.
His spirits were relatively high, given the circumstances. It was nice and warm here, warm enough to prompt Andy to take off his winter jacket and tie it around his waist to keep from sweating. The fresh air revitalized him, and he now felt like the main character of an adventure story. As he grew more comfortable with his surroundings, he took the time to examine his surroundings more closely, picking out any oddity he could find.
Of which there were many.
Those of note:
Flowers with bud that continually opened and closed in rhythm. Each time they opened, they made a small musical chirp, and since each flower opened at a different set time, they managed to create quite a little tune for themselves.
Long, vine-like growths that hung and perhaps even grew high up in the treetops. Upon closer examination, they were not actually vines, for at the end of each was a small tulip-like bud that indicated it was another strange type of flower.
Again, giant man-eating plants. Open maws big enough to fit a human up to his or her hips, and with "incisors" sharp enough to chomp that human down to size (he steered clear of those).
Large, rocky monoliths covered with moss. Certainly not strange in of itself, but there was the fact that they seemed to somehow be moving very slightly.
There was another thing odd about the mobile boulders. Andy scrambled over some bushes, and then carefully edged up to one of the boulders to examine the etchings in the rock face. There were some crude pictures of plants and animals, obviously those native to this realm, judging by their unfamiliarity. There was also a small, smiling stick figure, carrying what seemed to be a staff in its hand, with a crude speech balloon above it encasing the words: "PLANTS ARE OUR FRIENDS!"
So there's at least one person here. Andy smiled with satisfaction. I'll find this person.
He quickly turned away to set about on his journey again, but then on a sudden thought whirled back to the boulder. The unabashed, earnest attitude coming from the stick figure's message had struck something inside of Andy, and he appraised the drawing more carefully, a wild hunch forming in the recesses of his mind. Yes, there wasn't a doubt. That stick figure has glasses, twin pigtails, and a unmistakable passion for nature that he could help but find charming.
Then this means...
Any revelations that Andy was going through were cut short by the menacing growl coming from his rear. He turned around, and felt the color drain from his face as he caught sight of the first animal to reveal itself to him, standing outside of a thicket like it had always been there. It had the body of a tiger, but its stripes were green and brown, and it bore a snake's head in place of the standard feline mug. To add just the right touch of fearful oddity, its tail was a snake as well, hissing and snapping like live wire.
A chimera of a creation, apparently brought in just to give out a violent death. Sent from Hell, perhaps?
Andy followed his first impulse immediately, and took off for a dense cluster of trees to his right. Looking behind him, he could already tell the action was pointless, for though the beast was still a ways off, it has ample confidence in ability to catch its prey. It moved at a steady pace, obviously not wanting to overexert itself for what it thought was an easy meal. It hissed calmly through its fangs, licking its lips with blood-hunger.
Andy felt a terrible frustration building up within him, tearing apart any memory of his once-chipper attitude. Just one second after finding a clue to all this, his life was to be fodder for some monster. He felt his hand tighten around his makeshift staff, still held firmly in hand. All of a sudden, he just stopped and turned to face the creature, mentally turning it from an unstoppable force into his sworn opponent.
"You hungry, friend?" he yelled at the beast, as if trying to dampen its spirit with his barbed tongue. "I'll make you choke on that appetite!" Feeling more and more ridiculous by the second, he decided to throw all pride to the wind and adopted a mock martial-arts pose with his weapon. "Ho-choi!"
Andrew Champion. Died in cheesy martial-arts fight with fantasy demon. A very fitting epitaph, he supposed.
And that's when he caught a small blur, undefinable in shape, streaking from the lower branches of the oak trees. It started out moving from branch to branch, then moved onto the side of a large trunk, spring off that to another branch, and started sliding down the tree. This shape, now recognizable as a very familiar young girl, moved with the sharp grace of a stuntman in a martial-arts flick, with all the acrobatics that it entails. It reached the bottom of the tree at an almost inhuman pace, and sprung off it to perform a upside-down mid-air corkscrew, spinning upright to land in between the beast and Andy, with bent knees and an outstretched palm at the beast to keep it at bay.
Tarah's expression was as serious as Andy had ever seen, and yet there was a certain serenity to her manner, not unlike Mari's zen when she practiced her Double Helix Style. She neither retreated nor advanced on the beast, but kept her curiously calm eyes trained on the beast, straightening up with a subtle pride. He had trained under the Double Helix style long enough to pick up on the distinct signs of competence and technique in the girl's posture. She was a martial artist, and maybe more than that.
What she did next wasn't an exhibition of martial skill, but perhaps an indicator of the "maybe more." Slowly, she moved toward the beast, and her outstretched arm slackened a bit. Losing the sense of urgency, a small smile appeared on Tarah's lips, gentle and sympathetic. To Andy's shock, she went right up to the beast and put its hand on its cobra-like crest, and he felt at a loss at what to do.
No screaming or shouting was necessary for Tarah to avoid danger, as the situation had quickly gone from tense to surreal. Tarah was gently talking to the beast with closed eyes, and it nodded its head as if in understanding. Both their eyes were closed, and they appeared to share a certain synchronization, like a psychic mind meld. And then the beast opened its eyes, turned around, and slowly started walking back into the thicket, its camouflage allowing it to quickly become unnoticeable in the expansive forest.
Andy stared with astonishment at his friend, who seemed to be a amalgam of the familiar and extraordinary. The worry that she had obviously bottled up was now surfacing, and she was taking some rather large heaving, breaths. The boy walked up to her, dropping his stick on the ground. "Tarah?" he said, his face curling up in confusion.
She turned to him, her expression unreadable. "Andrew, what are you doing here?" she asked him, staring with large, protuberant eyes.
Tarah was dressed in a tank top and a pair of khaki cargo shorts; he had sometimes seen her in this getup when she had gotten through tracking bugs. However, there was a few notable additions to her ensemble. Strapped to her back via a sling was a long green staff of sorts, and her left wrist was adorned with a long, coiled vine that wrapped around like a bracer. Though his friend was known to accessorize strangely, Andy wondered if these items had some sort of special use in this realm.
He had taken too long to respond, and Tarah was walking up to him, a strange urgency in her manner. "Andrew, you can't tell anybody about this place," she said, gripping the front of his shirt. "It's a secret to everybody! Please Andrew, you can't tell anybody about this place!" She was getting frantic, speaking faster and faster, her eyes filled with some unrevealed fear. "Don't tell!"
"Okay, okay!" Andy broke in to keep her form hyperventilating. "I won't tell." Tarah's breaths were short and shallow; Andy had no idea what could scare a fearless girl like her. On sudden impulse, he placed his hands on her shoulders to steady her shaking frame. "I won't tell anyone, Tarah," he told her, trying to put her worries to rest.
Tarah blinked a few times, her breathing slowing down to a more regular pace. Then, she smiled. "Okay, I believe you," she said.
Andy stared into her honest eyes, and couldn't fight the blush coming to his cheeks. The trust he had won from Tarah had a way of embarrasing him sometimes. He broke away from her and coughed a few times in his hand. "Uh Tarah, what is this place exactly?" he asked her, peeking at her from the corner of his eye.
"This is Broodring," she said, smiling pleasantly at him. "It's the birth point and distributing center for all mana energy in the world."
"...huh?" The previous statement struck Andy with the same clarity as a koala quacking, and he didn't get much out of it other than the name of this strange locale. "Birth point...what?"
"The birth point of all mana energy in the world," she repeated. "Come on Andrew, it's Chapter 7 of Rizenfort's Big Book of Nature Mythology! I thought everybody knew about mana distribution!"
"Uh, I only skimmed it at the bookstore," he said, turning away and rubbing the back of his hair. A part of Andy still grounded in his world of Pangaea wanted to point out the significance of the word "mythology" to Tarah, and the fact that the book was regarded as a flop by many vendors, though it was true that he had skimmed it. In the end, he decided that any argument on the book's validity was futile, especially after what he had experienced on this night. (or day as it was; there was obviously a time discrepancy between Broodring and Pangaea) He was in Tarah's world, and he would just have to let her lead him by the hand.
Tarah was smiling again. "It's okay," she said. "I can tell you on the way, when we go visit the jaggerflies in the Great Prairie." Her face lit up with excitement and zeal, her fists clenching. "Just think about it, now we can have all sorts of adventures now with the plants and animals. Oh Andrew, I'm so happy you found me here!" She stepped up and hugged him, and Andy cautiously put a hand on her back, still a bit bewildered by this experience.
He suddenly felt her stiffen up like a ramrod. "Oh, I'm late!" she cried, backing away from him and turning around in a flurry of pigtails. "I gotta go!" She stepped into the middle of the clearing, where the mobile boulders had just departed from, and put her cupped hands to her mouth. The girl then made a high-pitched shrieking noise, like a kazoo modified on a computer. Afterwords, she folded her hands behind her back and waited expectantly, rocking back and forth on her heels.
Andy refrained from cocking his eyebrow, somehow knowing that his questions about this seemingly random action would be answered. Sure enough, a small lizard darted from the treetops and right up to Tarah's feet. She giggled at the agile amphibian hopped onto her clothes and crawled its way up to her shoulders, where it perched like a pirate captain's parrot. "Do you remember Cornflower?" she asked him, stroking the animal's neck with her finger.
"Yeah," he responded, recalling the last time he had seen the creature: lying in a fish tank in Tarah's room. The creature looked at him with glassy eyes, and made a noise that was something between a guffaw and a grunt. He winced a bit; Cornflower never really took to Andy, even though he had befriended its master. He could feel a grudge radiating from the supposedly simple creature; could it somehow be angry at the shameful way he had once treated Tarah in front of his former friends?
By now, Cornflower had leapt off Tarah's shoulder onto the grassy clearing. The girl was poised in front of the lizard and appeared to be chanting some sort of witchcraft; at least, with her eyes closed, that's how it appeared. Her right hand was thrust palm-out towards Cornflower, with her left gripping onto her wrist. Cornflower seemed to be responding, twitching in comprehension.
Then, the lizard suddenly jumped ten feet in the air, spinning around like some sort of aerial top. Its arms and legs became like putty, sloppily stretching out to ten times their usual length. The body and head soon followed in this transformation, as the form of the creature bulged and fluctuated in an attempt to become a scaled-up version of its original form. When Cornflower had landed, it crowded the clearing at around twenty times its former girth, with a new neck frill resembling the creature's namesake, and a certain underlying strength in its limbs.
Andy looked slack-jawed at the giant lizard, shook his head, and went back to looking slack-jawed again. He had thought Tarah would provided some semblance of normalcy to this fantastic world, but the issues had once again become further complicated. Cornflower regarded him with a casual, yet powerful stare; almost patronizing, if a lizard was capable of being so. 'Yes, Mr. Peer Pressure, I can kick your ass from here to Pangaea' is what the creature seemed to be saying to him.
With a accustomed manner born from practice, Tarah jumped an impossible five feet upwards to land on the lizard's back, straddling it as one would a steed. "C'mon, Andrew!" she called from atop Cornflower, offering an arm up.
Andy hesitated a moment at the proffered hand, regarding it as a ticket to another world. She would only drag him down deeper into this wonderland he had stumbled into. But again, he was in Tarah's world. He had always known, deep down, that any association with her would involve abandoning reservation and throwing himself into the unknown.
And after his previous trials, he had learned not to fear the darkness.
With a confident smile, he gave his trust to Tarah and let her pull him onto Cornflower. The lizard grunted at this unwelcome passenger, while Tarah rubbed its neck in an attempt to soothe it. Andy adjusted himself on the lizard's back, straddling it as Tarah had before him. Instinctively, he braced himself as if he had just slid into a circus cannon; somehow, he knew he would soon be moving very, very fast.
"Hi ho, Cornflower!" Tarah cried out, raising a fist in the air. "Let's go!"
With a massive leap, Cornflower bolted upwards through the canopies, and Andy could feel the leaves and small branches breaking against his back. He had time to hold one more breath from the clearing as the lizard sprung from the branches to bound across this mysterious land called Broodring.
Next Up- Part 2


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Event Information
You Can't Talke It with You
Kaufman and Hart's award winning comedy.
New Theatre
June 21-23 and July 16, 20, 25, 2013
The Crossroads Repertory Theatre opened their 2013 "Three Laughs and a Scream" Season with laughter for Kaufman and Hart's You Can't Take It with You directed by Dale McFadden. The play won Pulitzer Prize in 1937 and the film version took Oscars for Best Picture and Best Director. It's an award-winning show with a long track record. A Romeo and Juliet story lies at the heart of You Can't Take It with You: Alice (Caitlin Jeanne Boho) comes from the eccentric Sycamore family; her Romeo–Tony–from the very staid Kirbys.
Alice had been hoping to get her family on their best behavior to meet the Kirbys but they drop in a day early to find the Sycamore household in full swing. Mr. and Mrs. Kirby (Chuck Shutt and Sharon Ammen) find quite a melée. Penelope Sycamore is working on one of the plays that she started writing when a typewriter was delivered by accident to the house. Occasional explosions come from the basement where her husband Paul (Brandon Wentz) is crafting fireworks. Alice's sister Essie (Ariana Cohen) is attempting to whirl about in her dance costume. She's being coached by the colorfully mad Russian Boris (Josh Hoffman) accompanied by a xylophone version of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony played by her husband Ed (Rashad Ellis).
The only quiet members of the scene from You Can't Take It with You are Grandfather Sycamore (Lew Hackleman), who is placidly contemplating his collection of snakes, and the actress Gay Wellington (Corinne Koller). Mrs. Sycamore brought Ms. Wellington home to read one of her plays, but the actress is a bit of a tippler and has passed out cold.
The Kirby seniors are appalled. The young couple–Tony and Alice–are both mortified. As a result of a subplot that I won't explain, the second act ends as police arrive, the fireworks in the basement explode and both the Kirbys and the Sycamores are all carted off to jail.
As the third act opens Alice has given up on ever uniting herself and the family she loves with the man and his family that she loves. She's packing up to head for the mountains. Despite all the chaos and the mess, Boris, the mad Russian, asks to bring a guest to dinner. It's the Countess Olga (Ashley Jean Wolfe) an émigrée Russian Princess reduced to restaurant work at hourly wages. The Countess Olga brings with her an aura of glamour and grace that simply lifts the characters and the play to new level. She's the touch of royalty that this all too democratic mélange sorely needed.
You Can't Take It with You at the New Theatre on the Indiana Stage University campus has repertory performances on July 16, 20 and 25. The Crossroads Repertory Theatre's "Three Laughs and a Scream" season continues with the opening of Suds!: The Rocking 60s Musical Soap Opera June 28, 29, 30.


text: On Sat, 7 Oct 2000, Jesse Off wrote: > I too have seen this problem and can verify it does still exist in > 1.4.3. Until > > "John F. Woods" wrote: > > > > After pppd has run for a while, it sometimes declares an LCP ECHO link > > failure ("Serial link appears to be disconnected.") and hangs up and > > redials (I have a 24x7 modem link). About 30 seconds later, it > > declares the link dead AGAIN ("Serial link appears to be > > disconnected.") and hangs up and redials AGAIN, over and over again > > until I kill the pppd daemon and re-start it. I have the LCP echo > > frequency set to 30 seconds with a failure count of 6 -- so 30 seconds > > should not be enough time to discover a failed link. It must be limited to the lcp echo case. I use the "idle" option with demand dailing, and the daemon stays up as long as the rest of the system (about 10 days since I upgraded to 1.4.3, and counting). "pppd" even plays nice with "mgetty". I have a cron job do "ifconfig ppp0 down" on the machine at work, so it won't dial while I'm at home. Frederick


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Donna Aldridge, a 1988 University of Southern Mississippi alumna, will have her memories of visiting Hattiesburg's historic downtown post office as a child with her late father aired today on "The Story" at 7 p.m. on the networks of Mississippi Public Broadcasting (www.mpbonline.org).
Hosted by Dick Gordon, the show recently solicited comments from listeners about their memories of visits to small-town post offices, the focus of today's show. An award-winning graphic designer who lives in Dallas, Aldridge said she learned about the show's request for input on the topic via Facebook.
"I am on the NPR fan list for Facebook so I got a message on my iPhone that they wanted listeners to call in with memories of small town post offices," Aldridge said. "That immediately took me back 35 years ago to when I would go to the post office with my dad."
"I've always loved it. It's so massive and beautiful. When I am in town to see family, I drive by it. All during my childhood we would run up those steps, pull open the heavy iron doors and run inside," she said.
"The marble, gold lettering on the boxes, the giant tables that people sort their mail on – it's such a part of me and my family because my dad went down there every day to pick up his mail. It was such a treat to go with him."
At work and unable to call the show, Aldridge instead e-mailed her memories of the downtown post office. "I got a response about 30 minutes later for me to call in," she said. "I didn't really have time to, and figured they just sent that to every person so I didn't call in.
"But a couple of weeks later I received an e-mail from the show that said Dick Gordon was going to read it on air. I was thrilled, to say the least."
Aldridge said she's "addicted" to NPR and listens to it all day while she works and is a big fan of "The Story." "It gives glimpses into other people's lives," she said. "The stories are so intriguing."
For more information on the "The Story," online visit http://www.thestory.org/


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Financial Ramifications Of Body Art
And now a note from the other side of the fence – one worth considering before getting a tattoo IMHO…
You are only young once, and that is a good thing — not only for parents and children, but for everyone else, too.
Last year, one of my sons went to Boston for the summer to study creative writing. The program was designed to give him a taste of college life and living away from home before it was actually time for him to go away to school "for real."
Before my son left for his three week program, I cautioned him (really, I gave him an emphatic instruction) not to get his ear pierced. That had been an on-going discussion in our household and I had based my instructions on (i) his high school's prohibition of ear rings for boys, (ii) my concern that any place that would pierce a minor without parental consent would probably be less than hygienic, and (iii) my sincere belief that he should not pierce any part of his body until he reached adulthood and could consider the longer term implications of piercings, tattoos and other modern primitive adornment.
To make a long story short, he returned with a pierced ear and an infection that was attributed to the piercing. Lesson learned and, fortunately, there was no long term damage.
Pierced ears are not all that radical, I know, and piercings can be concealed. There are not many long term risks associated with them. Start piercing other parts of the body, especially visible parts of the anatomy, or start covering your body with tattoos, however, and there are long term ramifications.
Yesterday, for example, I went to lunch with another lawyer. We were dressed comfortably but professionally. Our server was dressed in what seems to be the obligatory black uniform of hair stylists and restaurant servers everywhere. She was very polite and otherwise appeared professional, but for the mere fact that almost all of her exposed skin (both legs, both arms and the exposed part of her torso at the neck line) was covered in tattoos. She could not have been more than 24 years old and her body was completely illustrated.
My friend and I both commented that we could not anticipate a day when professionals would be accepted if they were covered in tattoos. Neither of us would feel good about a doctor who had covered his or her body in tattoos and we could not think of a single lawyer or accountant we had ever met who was similarly decorated.
Perhaps we were just showing our age, but we both agreed that our young server had greatly limited her employment options by covering herself with tattoos. That is a shame, really. She seemed quite intelligent and articulate and, in reality, body art has nothing to do with ability. Unfortunately for her, however, most customers and clients want a less over the top appearance in their professional advisors. In a difficult economy, none of us has the luxury of eliminating potential jobs or customers from our respective futures, but I really do believe that tattoos, piercings and other "modern primitive" lifestyles do just that.
When I brought this up at dinner last night, my son suggested that people should be able to do what they want with their bodies — not a surprising perspective coming from a teen, and not one with which I disagree for the most part. The right to do something is entirely different from the prudence of doing it. I suspect my son is starting to recognize that, too. When I told him that he should wait until he is thirty to get a tattoo so that he will know what career he will be pursuing and whether a tattoo would harm his professional development, my son responded "But if I wait until I am thirty, I won't want a tattoo on my body anymore."
What do you think of piercings and tattoos? Do you believe that unusual piercings and bodies covered with art can limit professional advancement? If that is what you think, do you think that is fair? Are you a professional covered in tattoos? How has that affected your professional life


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Whirlpool apologizes for washer floods, will pay deductibles
Darcy Wintonyk and Lynda Steele, CTV British Columbia
Published Wednesday, November 7, 2012 5:52PM PST
Last Updated Thursday, November 8, 2012 7:41PM PST
The world's largest appliance manufacturer is now offering to pay the insurance deductibles of consumers affected by flooding problems involving one of its popular washing machines, following a CTV investigation that revealed widespread problems involving dozens of consumers.
CTV's Steele on Your Side has learned of 23 separate floods linked to the same top-loading Whirlpool model. In many cases, the washing machines turned on by themselves in a condo or townhouse and overflowed for hours. The floods resulted in hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage.
Related: Flooding problems at 3 condo developments
Many owners were forced to pay strata deductibles of up to $25,000 for damage incurred in adjacent suites when their machines overflowed.
Whirlpool had insisted there was no reason to believe there was a problem with the washer until CTV News uncovered a Whirlpool memo discussing potential problems with the model, along with seven others.
The memo, sent by Whirlpool to independent service technicians across North America (who are not Whirlpool employees) dated May 2012, said the washers "may overfill."
Describing model Y WET 3300XQO, the technical service pointer warns that the washer "may overfill" and that "the pressure switches will send incorrect water level readings to the timer."
The memo also warned about seven other models: MET3800SW0, MGT3800XW1, WGT3300XQ0, YMET3800XW0, MGT3800XW0, WET3300XQ0, WGT3300XQ1 and YWET3300XQ0. It offered a simple repair kit to fix the problem.
Related: Whirlpool knew of potential washing machine problems
After CTV News sent a copy of the memo to Whirlpool, spokesperson Kristine Vernier called Consumer Reporter Lynda Steele.
She said the service bulletin was sent out because Whirlpool staff had identified the washers as "a potential problem."
Vernier could not say why the memo – which contained information about a repair kit -- wasn't sent to the washing machine owners who experienced flooding in their homes.
"What I can say about that is that with everyone who has filed a claim with us -- we're working very quickly to resolve those claims," she said.
When asked about whether the company was considering any kind of consumer advisory or recall, Vernier only said "we are very sensitive to cases like this."
"We have a hundred year history of putting really quality products in homes throughout the world," she said. "This is something we – I – take very seriously."
Whirlpool sent a statement to CTV News on Wednesday saying it has now received 49 general water damage claims from consumers across the country whose washing machines overflowed.
The reports, which the company says are "isolated," came from a population of approximately 11,000 units. The model we received the most complaints about (Y WET 3300XQO) is primarily used in condos and apartment complexes.
The company refused to do an on-camera interview, but did send CTV News a prepared video statement from a senior executive offering up a long-awaited apology to consumers.
Kathy Nelson, Vice-president of Consumer and Appliance Care for Whirlpool, said the company is aware of "isolated reports of overfills in our washer/dryer combo units that led to water damage."
"We apologize for any inconvenience that some of our customers have experienced," Nelson said.
Whirlpool says the problem affects less than one per cent of washers shipped to Canada since February of 2011, but it is now actively addressing consumer complaints.
"We're also working diligently to verify and resolve claims already brought to our attention, including reimbursing consumers for any deductibles that they've paid," Nelson said.
"We're working to identify and proactively contact customers in Canada who may have one of these machines to offer a free in-home inspection and service if needed."
Whirlpool says its policy is to "reimburse our consumers for verified claims of damage that was caused by our products, including reimbursement for any deductibles paid."
Stephanie and George Mudrovcic, who suffered a flood in their brand-new Burnaby, B.C., townhome, aren't satisfied with the company's answer.
"Own up to it, do a recall. Get them out of people's homes," Stephanie Mudrovcic said.
There is no regulatory body in Canada that can force a recall or investigation of an appliance.
The only way consumer regulatory agencies will intervene is if public safety is at risk, and that doesn't apply in the case of these washing machines.
Consumer Protection BC, the organization that champions consumer rights in the province, told us it does not have the oversight necessary to enforce a recall but that it had reached out to the government.
"We feel there may be a gap in consumer protection around potential recalls of defective products. As a result we have brought the matter to the attention of the provincial government," a spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement.
Whirlpool has set up a special hotline for consumers who've experienced flooding. The number to call is 1-866-333-4408.
Below is the entire statement sent to CTV News:
"To date, we have received 49 general water damage claims, which we believe may be related to this issue. The isolated reports received in Canada have come from a population of approximately 11,000 units, which represents less than 1% of all Whirlpool laundry units shipped to Canada since February 2011. The model involved is a specialty combination washer-dryer unit that is primarily used condominiums and apartment complexes. Some of these claims have been resolved, and we are working diligently to verify and quickly resolve the remaining claims that have been brought to our attention. It is our policy to reimburse our consumers for verified claims of damage that was caused by our products, including reimbursement for any deductibles paid."
"Our safety experts have evaluated washers and the reports we have received and determined this is a product performance issue. We have communicated with regulators in Canada and will provide them with updates, as necessary. Because of the specialty nature of this product, which is sold nearly exclusively to apartment and condominium complexes, we have determined that our proactive outreach program directly to owners of these units is the most effective and efficient way to reduce the risk of future events.
As part of our commitment to our customers, earlier this year we provided service technicians with information and materials, including a service pointer and hose kit, to reduce the potential of these events in the future. We are working diligently to verify and resolve claims already brought to our attention, including reimbursing consumers for any deductibles paid. We are also working to identify and proactively contact customers in Canada who may have one of these machines to offer a free in-home inspection and service, if needed. Customers who have questions should contact us directly at 866-333-4408 so that we can offer appropriate assistance. As part of Whirlpool's standard process, we will continuously monitor the performance of these washer units."


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text:
Board of Studies, Teaching and Educational Standards news
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Review all media releases.
Media inquiries
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These contact numbers are for journalists only. Students, teachers and other members of the public should refer to the Contact Us page for the most relevant contact for their enquiry.
Official Notice: Amendments to the Guidelines for School Providers
BOS 15/13Who needs to read this notice:
Principals of non-government schools with overseas students
Representatives of school systems with overseas students
Representatives of school providers
The Guidelines for Approved NSW School Providers Delivering Courses to Overseas Students ('the Guidelines') have been amended to provide for the Board of Studies' approval of school providers to provide English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS).
The changes to the Guidelines include the addition of requirements for:
- approved school providers delivering ELICOS (section 4 of the Guidelines)
- initial approval of a school provider to provide ELICOS (section 6 of the Guidelines).
The changes to the Guidelines also incorporate:
- information about the ELICOS Standards (section 126.96.36.199 of the Guidelines)
- legislative requirements of the Tuition Protection Service framework including provider obligations when a student or provider defaults (section 3.3.2 of the Guidelines)
- re-positioning and re-numbering from section 3.22 onwards
- minor edits and clarifications.
These changes take effect from the publication of this Official Notice.
The amended Guidelines are available to download from the Schools with Overseas Students (CRICOS) section of the Board's website.
The following support materials are also available:
- Amended Proforma checklists for approval including additional checklists for a school provider to provide ELICOS
- Tracked changes to the amendments to the Guidelines
The fee schedule for school providers has also been amended to include fees for school providers delivering ELICOS.
For further information:
Caraline Cloke
Inspector, Registration and Accreditation
(02) 9367 8170


text:
4 prints available in the shop
I'm selling a small batch of prints again in my shop, available until sold out! Welcome :)
Special offer: Buy 2 and I'll give you 1 extra for free. Leave a note in the PayPal comment field or send me a message to let me know which one you want as the extra print.
Tags: illustration, prints, shop
2 comments:
Hello Sandra!ReplyDelete
i love lour blog, your photos, your hand worms, your prints, and i'm starting to love berlin!!
i wish i could live in a colder country (i'm not a big fan of heat!!) - I live in south america... we are facing 36 degrees these days, and i really like coming to your blog for some cold air!
you have a big fan here in the south!Replies
thank you, that's so sweet of you! :) sending some cold winds over to you.Delete
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text:
Pros: Budget phone, compact size, Android kitkat 4.4.4
Cons: low internal storage, no screen brightness sensor, Low screen resolution
The phone is small to medium sized, it's suitable to use with one hand and it pocket friendly. The body is made of plastic; The back cover is made of matte plastic which makes it look elegant and not cheap, and also there is a metallic looking frame that adds to the phone's looks but it's actually made of plastic, yet it does not look fake. The dimensions of the phone are 130.80 x 67.90 mm and 8.8 mm and weighs 130 g. The design looks like the original Galaxy devices.
Samsung Galaxy Core Prime runs on android OS Kitkat 4.4.4, and it probably will be getting lollipop update but no confirmation yet when will that happen. The phone also operates with a 64-bit quad-core processor which will guarantee reliable performance for your tasks. The internal storage is a bit problematic here because it's only 8GB and the available memory will be 5GB, you can still add an external memory card up to 64GB, but that will be useful only for storing files and data, any apps will have to be downloaded on the internal storage only. And lastly for the memory it's got 1GB or RAM only so this means that you might experience some delay or lag if you overload the phone with tasks or apps. So the phone is ideal for basic functions and apps, and if you'd like to run heavy apps it's better to make sure you clear other apps so you wont have to deal with delays and heavy loading. The phone is a dual-sim one with 3G and 2G connections, it supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS connectivity. And finaly the battery is a 2000mAh battery that will last only 13 hours of talk time with 3G, it will not last for a whole day , but what you don't know is that the phone has Ultra Power Saving mode so the phone will last as long as possible on low charge.
The screen of Galaxy Core Prime is not a very impressive one. The screen size is a 4.5 inch and it's a Capacitive LCD; it has no protection glass layer so you will have to get a screen protector sticker., it's got resolution of 480x800 pixels and screen density of 207 pixels per inch; this means that HD videos or games will not be up to your expectations, however, this is very reasonable for a phone in that price range. Although watching HD content on this phone will not be the most amazing experience but it will still be a good for browsing, texting, and using social networks. One of the disadvantages is that you cannot set the screen brightness to adjust automatically, only manual adjustment is available.
For a mid range phone don't expect so much from the camera, but don't be disappointed as well. The Galaxy Core Prime camera is a 5 megapixel one that can also record HD videos. You have different shooting modes like night mode, beauty shot and panorama. As for the front camera it's 2 MP camera; it will provide average quality for selfie shots but will be okay for video calls and chats.
The phone comes with charger, usb cable, battery, Headphones and users guide and warranty card.
If you are looking for a mid-range phone, it will be doing your basic tasks for smartphone, whether its social networks, browsing, gaming, or even texting, Samsung Galaxy Core Prime is a good choice, however you need to be aware of your battery consumption and also if you are a heavy user of apps, this might hinder the performance of the phone, other than that you are on the safe side.
See also
Samsung Grand Prime
Samsung A5
Samsung SmartPhones Buying Guide


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Create an Account - Increase your productivity, customize your experience, and engage in information you care about.
Have you ever wanted to make your own toy, jewelry, or figurine? Well, come to the Huntsville Public Library for 3D Printing Classes! In just two days, learn how to design a three-dimensional printed object. At the end of the course, each participant will be able to take home his or her printed object. This program will be held from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. This course is best suited for ages 7-17. Parental attendance is required for children under 13. Participants must bring their own USB drives to the class. Sign-up is required. January dates are as follows: January 22 & 24 or January 29 & 31. Register here.


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Heavenly Sword CG Movie On The Way
Heavenly Sword CG Movie On The Way
Nariko is getting her own movie.
That Ratchet & Clank movie trailer sure came out of nowhere, huh? Here's another tidbit of news from a little further out of left field; A studio named Blockade Entertainment is working on a CG movie based on Ninja Theory's Heavenly Sword.
The movie is currently in production at the studio and was scripted by Drive Angry writer, Todd Farmer. Anna Torv will be returning to voice Nariko, but unfortunately, Andy Serkis won't be reprising his role as the evil King Bohan. Instead, Bohan will be played by Alfred Molina, who you'll most likely recognize as Doctor Octopus from Spiderman 2.
Though often referred to as a flop, Heavenly Sword actually wasn't the expensive catastrophe many seem to think. It sold relatively well for a new IP, clearing a million copies sold, even as the PS3 struggled to match the install base of the 360. It received a warm critical response, with a Metacritic score of 79 and a generous user score of 8.4. But the game isn't really remembered for its mechanics as much as its bizarre plot - courtesy of Mirror's Edge pensmith, Rhianna Pratchett - and its stellar voice acting.
Heavenly Sword isn't exactly a huge franchise at this point, its planned sequel having been scrapped years ago, but, much like Ratchet and Clank, Noriko did appear in the recently released PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale. Could this be a start of a movie series based on those characters? Is there a vague possibility of a Gravity Rush movie, or alternatively, an 8-Mile-esque Parappa the Rapper movie? Please let that be the case.
Source: Variety
I don't care about a Heavenly Sword CG Movie...
What I DO care about is a ReBOOT CG Movie...
Sad by the lack of Andy Serkis.
Glad by the inclusion of Alfred Molina.
Sad by the fact they're even making a Heavenly Sword movie. *sigh*
I never asked for this
Did *ANYONE* ask for this?
It must be a pet project of the producer since I don't see anyone clamoring for more heavenly sword. Most anyone remembers it as a God of War ripp-off anyway.
Am I the only one that noticed that they referred to her as Noriko AND Nariko in the article?
I liked the game. I even primarily used the costume pieces from it in LBP.
Game is fantastic, no need for a movie, but good luck anyway and I hope it shakes out well.
Perhaps this and the Ratchet and Clank movie are proof of concept projects to show that Sony's intellectual property have the ability to carry a feature length film to turn them into multimedia franchises?
It wouldn't be a stretch of the imagination to try and turn them into more recognised franchises (granted Ratchet and Clank are already very well known) and relaunch/launch them on the PS4.
Wouldn't Rhianna Pratchett be better known now for the Tomb Raider reboot?
How about making a movie about good games, not bad games that ripped off God of War and greatly inspired the newest DMC thing?
I would buy a Bayonetta movie in a heartbeat.
I'm not entirely sure it merits a movie, and there's more chance of them ruining the poor little game than it being an unexpected success. Also, *Nariko.
Ok, ok.
Okay, I honestly hate you for putting those ideas into my head because now I really want to see those happen. But I also never want to see that happen because assuming a Hollywood release, I just know they'd both suck.
Chigau, ano onna no hito no namae wa "Nariko" desu...baka!
If its good then cool, i really liked the game and yes the story and the Yahzee quoted 'Twing Twang' all was a bit odd but hey it was good just a little crazy.
Perhaps they should be reminded that game to movie translations have never worked.
Sweet! Heavenly Sword was an awesome game. Maybe if this does well Sony can finally lure Ninja Theory back to do a sequel. Although I'd also be okay if they didn't; the ending was fantastic and wrapped up most of the loose ends.
Too bad they didn't get Andy Serkis back. Alfred Molina is awesome, but Serkis owned the part of that crazy motherfucker.
Robot chicken already saw to the Parappa the Rapper idea:
And for some reason I read the first one as Gravity Falls. I was gunna do the whole "six seasons and a movie!" bit
I didn't realize the movies were coming from the ReBoot series studio. That's pretty cool even though they were relevant more than 10 years ago. And so was Ratchet and Clank. Wow. How old am I?!
Good to know Noriko is getting her own movie.
Would rather one about Nariko though. :p
Indeed, this seems out of nowhere and somewhat ridiculous.
What would be amusing (to me, anyway) would be if Disney announced a "Star Wars: Battlefront" companion piece movie. For once, the fanboy rage would be entertaining.
Unfortunately, they've been saying they're working on a ReBoot movie since 2008. It used to be a trilogy, even.
They're too busy making Barbie movies, apparently.
EDIT: To clarify, I'm not referring to Heavenly Sword, but actual Barbie movies.
I know it wasn't an absolutely fabulous game, but I could actually see Heavenly Sword making a pretty good over the top Martial Arts flick in the style of Hero or House of Flying Daggers. Shame it wouldn't have Andy Serkis in it, though; he was one of my favourite parts of that game.
Though I'm not too bothered about a movie of it being made and it's doubtful I'll watch it, I actually quite liked the game and it has some of the best facial animation I've ever seen.
I just hope this will be better than the other stuff Rainmaker has done since they changed the name from Mainframe to Rainmaker. If you look at their modern filmography, it's full of stuff like the CGI Barbie movies and those crappy Scary Godmother specials. Really a shame for the place that brought us Beast Wars and Reboot.
I really liked Heavenly Sword. I didn't ask for this movie, but I am glad someone wants to make it. I'm going to watch the hell out of this.
People still remember this game and care enough for them to make a film out of it?
One day...one day it will return...
If this turns out to be as faithfull to the game as possible, then it should be fairly easy to sit.through.
Until you get to the climax, where the only way to see how it ends is to break every single one of your toes with a ball-peen hammer.
I think it's important to point out that the guys who made ReBoot don't work for Rainmaker. They're off doing their own shit now. Rainmaker just owns the rights to ReBoot after buying Mainframe entertainment.
This is like if I said the guys who made Star Wars are making Guardians of the Galaxy.
Sometimes I feel like the only person who actually likes this game. Good to know that there's at least a couple of us out there. Sure, bring on the movie. Too bad Andy Serkis won't be involved though
Oh, I hope so. Though who can you get to replace the amazing voice of Tony Jay?
I do believe a few people asked for a Deus Ex movie. They were supposed to be making one...
Eh... Final Fantasy: Advent Children was good...
And that's about it...
So... ALMOST never...
...god I love Tony Jay...what an incredible voice...
Wow sounds great! I am one of a few people who really enjoyed the game!! It's something I'd like to call: Flawed perfection.


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Author has written 35 stories for Nature, War, General, Family, Haiku, Friendship, General, Life, Biography, Love, Essay, Mystery, Supernatural, and Horror.
Okay, I'm back. I'll be updating stuff from my class at school and reading what I can get. No promises if I'll update stuff I've already written. I'll try to read as well.


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Yesterday via Ed Droste's Twitter page, Grizzly Bear released a video of re-arranged songs from their fourth studio album Shields edited alongside wacky stock holiday photos including dogs playing poker. Here's the video after the jump. Season's Greetings from Grizzly Bear:
Think we sound smooth? Well shit just got smoother. Seasons Greetings from myself and the Grizz gang 2 u! http://t.co/8ubgZgRu
— Edward Droste (@edwarddroste) December 18, 2012


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Want to play The Thing From The Future but don't have your deck of game cards? Hanging out on the space station or at Amundsen-Scott and eager to imagine some future things with your fellow astronauts / scientists / adventurers, but frustrated by the slow pace or total absence of postal delivery service? Just plain broke? Look no further — you can now download and print your own complete version of The Thing From the Future.
The Print-and-Play edition of The Thing From The Future contains everything you need to start playing with alternative futures — including printable cards, instructions, playsheets, and blank cards that you can customize with your own content. Simply download and print the .pdf, cut the cards (or, in a pinch, we suppose you could tear them), and start playing.
Download: FUTURETHING_Print-and-Play (.pdf)
This edition of The Thing From The Future is released under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Sharealike 2.0 license.
To read more about this project or to purchase a beautiful, hard-wearing, linen-finish version of the card deck, click here.


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Species Differences in the Relative Densities of D1- and D2-Like Dopamine Receptor Subtypes in the Japanese Quail and Rats: An in vitro Quantitative Receptor Autoradiography Study.
; Cornil, Charlotte ; Balthazart, Jacques et al
in Brain, Behavior & Evolution (2009), 73(2), 81-90
Evidence has accumulated that the regulation of male sexual behavior by dopamine might not be the same in Japanese quail (and perhaps all birds) as it is in mammals. For example, the non-selective ... [more ▼]
Evidence has accumulated that the regulation of male sexual behavior by dopamine might not be the same in Japanese quail (and perhaps all birds) as it is in mammals. For example, the non-selective dopamine receptor agonist, apomorphine (APO), facilitates male sexual behavior in rats but inhibits it in quail. Although the general organization of the dopamine system is similar in birds and mammals, it is possible that the relative distribution and/or density of binding sites are different. We therefore compared the relative densities of D1-like and D2-like receptor subtypes in Japanese quail and rats, with the use of in vitro quantitative receptor autoradiography. Brain sections from 8 male rats and 8 male quail were labeled with [(3)H]SCH-23390 and [(3)H]Spiperone. In general we found a systematic species difference in the relative density of D1- vs. D2-like receptors such that the D2/D1 ratio is higher in quail than in rats in areas, known to be important target sites for dopamine action such as striatal regions or the preoptic area, which is also associated with activation of sexual behavior. This difference might explain the variation in the behavioral effectiveness of APO in rats as compared to quail; with a higher relative density of D2-like receptors in quail, a similar dose of APO would be more likely to activate inhibitory processes in quail than in rats. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 25 (1 ULiège)
Quantitative aspects of the spatial distribution and morphological characteristics of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.; Teleostei, Serranidae) trunk lateral line neuromasts.
Faucher, Karine ; ;
in Brain, Behavior & Evolution (2005), 65(4), 231-43
The results presented herein report quantitative data relative to the distribution and morphological characteristics of both types of neuromasts encountered on the trunk lateral line of the sea bass ... [more ▼]
The results presented herein report quantitative data relative to the distribution and morphological characteristics of both types of neuromasts encountered on the trunk lateral line of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.). These data were obtained from scanning electron micrographs. They indicate that, as expected, each modified scale of the sea bass possessed a single canal neuromast with long axis oriented parallel to the fish's long axis. In contrast to several fish species, two thirds of superficial neuromasts observed herein were oriented perpendicular to the fish's long axis. However, whatever the main orientation of superficial neuromasts, two thirds of their hair bundles were oriented parallel to the long axis of the animal with approximately half of them in the direction of the head. Similar ratios were observed for canal neuromasts whatever the area of the maculae: central or peripheral. For both types of neuromasts it was not possible to clearly distinguish a paired organization of hair bundles with opposing polarities. Superficial neuromasts on each trunk canal scale were located on either the dorsal or ventral side of the canal and appeared to be distributed along the trunk lateral line with a higher probability to be encountered closer to the operculum. The frequency of presence and the average number of superficial neuromasts per scale increased with fish size. We observed a size gradient for canal neuromasts between the operculum and caudal peduncle. This gradation was correlated with a reduction of the width of the central area of the canal segment. Canal neuromasts were always localized in the larger portions of the canal segments. Taken together, these results point out some specific features associated with the sea bass trunk lateral line. With the previous report, they establish the first full description of the trunk lateral line of sea bass and will be useful for upcoming experiments regarding the function of the two types of neuromasts. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 29 (2 ULiège)
Spatial distribution and morphological characteristics of the trunk lateral line neuromasts of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax, L.; Teleostei, Serranidae).
Faucher, Karine ; ;
in Brain, Behavior & Evolution (2003), 62(4), 223-32
The morphology and spatial distribution of the different types of neuromasts encountered on the trunk lateral line of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were examined using scanning electron microscopy ... [more ▼]
The morphology and spatial distribution of the different types of neuromasts encountered on the trunk lateral line of the sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) were examined using scanning electron microscopy. The sea bass trunk lateral line exhibits a complete straight pattern. In their basic features, the two types of neuromasts present, canal and superficial, resemble what has been described in other fishes. They are similar in their general cellular organization but differ in sizes, and shapes, as well as in the densities and lengths of their hair bundles. However, the sea bass trunk lateral line distinguishes itself in several ways. For instance, the pores of the canal segments are partially obstructed due to the overlap of scales throughout the trunk. Moreover, based on the density and length of the hair bundles, two distinct areas, central and peripheral, could be distinguished within the maculae of canal neuromasts. Their cupulae are also peculiar as they possess two wing-like extensions and that their central core appears to be organized in layers instead of columns. In addition, the superficial neuromasts, up to 6 per scale, are either round or elliptical and seem to be distributed serendipitously. Finally, within the maculae of both types of neuromasts, a significant number of hair bundles do not follow the two-directional polarity pattern usually described. Although some hypotheses are proposed, the influence of these characteristics in terms of signal encoding and fish behavior is yet to be understood. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 60 (3 ULiège)
Effects of lesions of nucleus taeniae on appetitive and consummatory aspects of male sexual behavior in Japanese quail
Absil, Philippe ; Braquenier, Jean-Baptiste ; Balthazart, Jacques et al
in Brain, Behavior & Evolution (2002), 60(1), 13-35
Neurochemical, hodological and functional criteria suggest that the nucleus taeniae and parts of the adjacent archistriatum represent the avian homologue of parts of the mammalian amygdaloid complex. It ... [more ▼]
Neurochemical, hodological and functional criteria suggest that the nucleus taeniae and parts of the adjacent archistriatum represent the avian homologue of parts of the mammalian amygdaloid complex. It has been proposed in particular that the nucleus taeniae is the homologue of the mammalian medial amygdala. In male quail, relatively large lesions to the posterior/medial archistriatum selectively decrease the expression of appetitive sexual behavior in a manner reminiscent of similar manipulations involving the medial amygdala in mammals. We investigated the effects of discrete lesions restricted to nucleus taeniae and of lesions to an adjacent part of the archistriaturn (pars intermedium ventralis, Alv) on the expression of appetitive (ASB) and consummatory (CSB) aspects of male sexual behavior. ASB was measured by a learned social proximity response (after copulation a male quail stands in front of a window providing visual access to a female) and by the frequency of rhythmic cloacal sphincter movements. CSB was assessed by the frequency of mount attempts (MA) and cloacal contact movements (CCM). Lesions confined to nucleus taeniae and to Alv did not influence the acquisition or the maintenance of the two responses indicative of ASB. In contrast, lesions of nucleus taeniae significantly increased the occurrence frequencies of MA and CCM when administered before the beginning of behavior testing and increased the frequency of MA only when performed on sexually experienced subjects. No effect of Alv lesions could be detected. The discrepancy between these results and previous experiments in quail might reflect procedural differences, but more probably differences in locations of the lesions that were restricted in the current study to the anterior part of taeniae. Those in the Thompson study were in the posterior part of this nucleus. These findings indicate that there is a larger degree of functional heterogeneity in the nucleus taeniae than previously thought. The effects of taeniae lesions suggest that this nucleus, similar to the medial amygdala in mammals, might be implicated in the control of sexual satiety. Copyright (C) 2002 S. Karger AG, Basel. [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 42 (4 ULiège)
Steroid sensitive sites in the avian brain: does the distribution of the estrogen receptor alpha and beta types provide insight into their function?
; ; Foidart, Agnès et al
in Brain, Behavior & Evolution (1999), 54
Studies in avian species have often been useful in elucidating basic concepts relevant to the regulation of reproductive behaviors by sex steroid hormones. Once a link between a steroid hormone and a ... [more ▼]
Studies in avian species have often been useful in elucidating basic concepts relevant to the regulation of reproductive behaviors by sex steroid hormones. Once a link between a steroid hormone and a behavioral response has been established, one can use the localization of steroid hormone receptors in the brain to facilitate the identification of neural circuits that control behavior. The recent identification of a second type of estrogen receptor called estrogen receptor beta or ERbeta has raised new issues about the action of steroid hormones in the brain. A hypothesis has been proposed by Kuiper et al. [1998] based on studies in mammalian species suggesting that ERalpha (the name given to the ER that was previously described) is important for reproduction while ERbeta is more important for non-reproductive functions. In this paper we apply this hypothesis more generally by examining possible functions of ERbeta in avian species. We have initiated studies of the ERbeta in the brain of two avian species, the Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica) and the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris). ERbeta was cloned in both species and the mRNA for this receptor type was localized in the brain employing in situ hybridization histochemistry methods. In both species ERbeta was found to be diffusely present in telencephalic areas consistent with a role for this receptor subtype in cognitive functions. However, ERbeta mRNA was also found in many brain areas that are traditionally thought to be important in the regulation of reproductive functions such as the preoptic region, the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and the nucleus taeniae. Of the two receptor types, only mRNA for ERalpha was observed in the telencephalic vocal control nucleus HVc of male starlings. Steroid receptors in this nucleus are thought to be an example of an evolutionary specialization that has evolved to coordinate the production of courtship vocalizations with other aspects of reproduction. The lack of ERbeta mRNA expression in HVc is consistent with the hypothesis that ERalpha is preferentially involved in reproductive behaviors while ERbeta is involved in the steroid regulation of other neural functions. However, the widespread occurrence of ERbeta in other nuclei involved in reproductive function suggests that one must be cautious about the general applicability of the above hypothesis until more is known about ERbeta function in these other nuclei [less ▲]Detailed reference viewed: 29 (5 ULiège)


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Our Home In The Galaxy
Our galaxy has many solar systems. A solar system is a star with planets orbiting. Our sun is a star in the Milky Way Galaxy. We live in a solar system with nine planets and billions of asteroids and comets.
Our Solar System was formed by an exploding star. The Solar System is 7.6 trillion kilomtres in diameter or 1.6 light years and is 4.6 billion years old. The Solar System has 5 billion years left to live.
The nine planets in our Solar System were formed by rapidley moving peices of material that collided and formed together. The left over material began to orbit the Sun and became asteroids.
The planets in our Solar System form two groups, the inner planets and the outer planets. The inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. The outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto.
The inner planets are much smaller than the outer planets and are made of rock and metal. The outer planets are larger, with the exception of Pluto, which is the smallest planet in the Solar System. The first four outer planets are giant balls of gas with small solid cores. Pluto, however, is made up of rock, metal and snow.


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Table of Contents
ibbackup makes a backup of:
The InnoDB system tablespace, which by default contains all the InnoDB tables.
Any separate data files produced under the InnoDB file-per-table setting.
Indexes associated with InnoDB tables.
Data stored in both the original
Antelope and new
Barracuda file formats.
Barracuda is a relatively recent file format that was first
introduced with the InnoDB plugin. In particular, it includes
support for compression within table data. Barracuda file
format support is new in MySQL Enterprise Backup Version 3.5. It is automatic,
without any option required for
ibbackup does not,
however, copy
.frm files, MyISAM tables, or
MyISAM indexes to the backup. See Section 4.4, "Making a Point-in-Time Backup of InnoDB, MyISAM, and Other Tables"
for details on how to make a complete backup.


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As promised, the first End of Season poll is rolled out this afternoon as the Fantasy Football Scout awards get underway. To begin with, we focus on the goalkeepers, where the poll will be available on the middle column of the home page. Bear in mind that the vote is from an overall Fantasy perspective – overall points, price, performances and Fantasy Premier League (FPL) value should all come into consideration here:
Our five options have all merited their place in the list below. The league's tightest defence, the number one keeper in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) standings, the best value stopper and the two most impressive in terms of points per game are all included. Next term, we'll be hoping that the likes of Adrian can step up, having replaced Jussi Jaaskelainen as West Ham's number one midway through the season, whilst Joe Hart and Allan McGregor will be hoping to put the form and fitness issues that have blighted their respective campaigns firmly behind them in 2014/15. For now, though, here's our main contenders:
Wojciech Szczesny
The Arsenal stopper sits at the top of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) keeper rankings as we edge towards the final round of fixtures. Szczesny started the season priced at 5.5 after accumulating 102 points in 2012/13 but has comfortably surpassed that tally already – a current total of 157 points is joint-top with Per Mertesacker in the Gunners' rearguard and superior to all but Olivier Giroud amongst Arsene Wenger's charges.
The Pole is also joint-top with Chelsea's Petr Cech in the race for the Golden Gloves award, with 16 shut-outs apiece and, whilst the latter is a real doubt for the weekend trip to Cardiff, Szczesny – one of only four stoppers to have played every minute of the season so far – could well be set for another shut-out away to Norwich.
Petr Cech
Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge has re-established the Chelsea defence as the meanest around. Initially, the Blues struggled to deliver defence returns, though – only four times in the first 16 matches did they manage to register a shut-out, conceding 11 goals in the space of just six fixtures between Gameweeks 10-15.
A change in approach from Gameweek 17 onwards has reaped reward, with Mourinho's men keeping out their opponents 14 times in the last 22 games. A shoulder injury has deprived Cech of the chance to earn a pair of recent shut-outs against Liverpool and Norwich but, as mentioned above, no other keeper has registered more than his 16 clean sheets – for those looking to double up on the Chelsea backline, he's been a reliable option week in, week out, with an average of 4.3 ppg only just less than Branislav Ivanovic amongst Jose's backline regulars.
Vito Mannone
Sunderland's summer signing from Arsenal warmed the Black Cats' bench for the first ten Gameweeks before an injury to Kieran Westwood allowed the Italian to replace the stricken Irishman midway through an early-November trip to Hull.
In his first full start for the Wearsiders, Mannone set the tone for what was to follow by delivering a clean sheet in a 1-0 home win over Man City – his side's first of the season. With 10 shut-outs to his name, the Italian's heroics between the posts have been key to Sunderland's survival – his total of 127 saves is second only to Cardiff's David Marshall (144), despite failing to feature for the first few months. With six sets of 10+ hauls, 16 bonus points and an average of 4.6 ppg – higher than any regular stopper – Mannone has been an outstanding servant to the Wearsiders and Fantasy managers alike.
Artur Boruc
Priced at just 4.5 in the FPL, the Southampton stopper arrived quickly onto our radars after conceding a mere three goals in the opening nine league matches. Boruc's contribution to the Saints has been vital under Mauricio Pochettino – they have managed just one clean sheet in the nine matches he has missed through injury, compared to 14 shut-outs in 28 games with the former Glasgow Celtic stopper between the posts.
Indeed, whilst Boruc's reduced game time (due to hand and back problems) means Jose Fonte has outscored him amongst the St Mary's defensive options by 147 points to 122, his average of 4.4 ppg is superior to the centre-back's 4.2 and is bettered only by Mannone's 4.6 amongst keepers.
Julian Speroni
The Argentine sits in fourth spot in the FPL keeper standings, with 144 points picked up thus far – just two less than Chelsea's Petr Cech. After the first 10 Gameweeks of the season, though, Speroni – and, for that matter, the Palace defence, were far from Fantasy radars after shipping 21 goals in that run, without a single shut-out to his name.
Ian Holloway's departure and the subsequent installation of Tony Pulis at the Selhurst Park helm was the catalyst for a stunning turnaround in fortunes, though. Speroni has proceeded to deliver 12 clean sheets in his last 27 appearances and, having started the campaign at a price of 4.5, has proven to be the best value keeper in the league, scoring 25 points more than any Palace defender ahead of next week's trip to relegated Fulham.


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George Osborne Announces Plans for Budget 2013
The budget 2013 was unveiled in the House of Commons among a crowd of rowdy members of Parliament, where the Chancellor stated that, "we are, slowly but surely, fixing our country's economic problems".
Chancellor, George Osborne announced that growth of the economy in 2013 would be 0.6% compared to the 1.2% he had predicted in Autumn.
It was revealed that deficit had fallen from 11.2% of GDP in 2009-2010 to 7.4% this year and the revised forecast is for the UK's national debt to rise to 85% of GDP and not start coming down until 2017/2018.
Many of the cuts involved environmental companies such as Defra and DECC facing smaller budget allowances until 2015.
Mr Osborne's announced his plans for the budget spending, which included £2.5 billion being spent on infrastructure paid for by a further increase on public spending. New businesses will benefit from the budget due to the introduction of tax credits for research and new measures aimed at preventing tax avoidance.
The good news was that the price of beer is to be cut by 1p instead of the 3p rise in beer duty tax that was planned; the rise in personal allowance has been moved to 2014, meaning that no income tax is paid by anyone on the first £10,000. There is also to be an introduction of tax free vouchers worth £1200 per child, as well as increased support for families with children on universal credit.
The scandal of the day involved an employee at the Evening Standard accidentally posting a picture of their front page on twitter during the Chancellors speech, which revealed details of the budget. The Evening Standard have since publically apologised for their mistake.
The budget has caused Politicians and economics experts to publicise their opinions, Secretary of State for Business, Vince Cable is believed to have said that if "very very radical housing proposals in the budget 2013 do not get the sector moving, nothing will".
Economics editor of the BBC, Stephanie Flanders was tweeting throughout the Budget 2013 announcement and commenting on the chancellors borrowing figures, tweeting "Chancellor right to say borrowing has fallen since 2010 - but borrowing forecast for the entire parliament has risen by at least £140bn". Business editor of the BBC, Robert Peston, joined Stephanie in tweeting updates of the budget 2013 throughout the speech.
Meanwhile Jo Johnson used the social media site to show support for budget 2013 by retweeting Federations of Small Businesses tweet that said "We are pleased Gov has listened to the needs of small firms".


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nails, metal, hammer, nail, metallic element, mechanism, striker
metal hammer and nails


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In today's feature let's take a look at Alistair Overeem vs Shogun Rua from Pride Final Conflict 2005.
In this category of posts, I take one great fight (recent, or historic) and break down a single technique from that fight. That said, here's Shogun attempting a lateral drop on Overeem:
What a beast of a fight between two of the best in their prime. There's a lot of great clinch work in this fight, but also a number of mistakes from the clinch by Shogun that Overeem is able to capitalize on and score the takedown.
In the video above, Shogun goes for a lateral drop takedown :38, but Overeem ends up on top. In my opinion there's a couple of reasons why Shogun's lateral drop fails, not the least of which is that the lateral drop is a risky move with a high fail rate. That said, there are ways of minimizing the risk on the lateral drop:
1. Opponent has to be pushing in
Take a look at the clip above again, Shogun attempts his lat drop while Overeem is standing still, making it much easier for Overeem to settle his weight back and counter the throw. For contrast, notice how much pressure 3X NCAA Champ Greg Jones gets before attempting the throw.
2. Don't use your leg to try and trip above the knee
This is Shogun's second mistake. I have seen some variations of the lat drop where the outside leg is used as a foot prop/trip, but personally think this just takes focus off the most important parts of a successful lat drop:
- getting pressure from your opponent
- loading your opponent on you hips
- and throwing with a nice back arch.
3. Throw to the side instead of straight back
There's a 1,000 ways to skin a cat and even more ways to do a lat drop. Shogun attempted a lat drop that took him and his opponent almost directly backwards. I personally prefer variations that take your opponent more to the side. This type of variation forces you to execute the throw only when you are in good position and is much less likely to end with you on your back. The video below does a great job showing what I mean:
Note especially Coach Bedoy's comments on "tipping point", "loading on the hip" and "pop and throw".
What did you think of this technique post? I plan to do a lot more of them, so let me know in the comments what techniques you'd like to see, if you'd prefer a different format or anything else…


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Dance the flip-flop with InstaCRT
It was only today that I was reading about the flip-flop process, the process of pushing a work of art or craft from the physical world to the digital world and back again—maybe more than once. And eventually after a few hours stumbled upon InstaCRT.
Let me explain all this fuss better.
Robin Sloan has written a very thorough piece on the flip-flop process—you've already read the definition. In short, this is a quite good example:
- Carve a statue out of stone.
- Digitize your statue with a 3D scanner.
- Make some edits. Shrink it down. Add wings.
(Still Digital)
- Print the edited sculpture in plastic with a 3D printer.
(Physical Again)
This being a very simple example, I suggest you read his post for the complete familiarity with this concept.
InstaCRT is the worlds first real world camera filter. It gives your photographs this digital-to-analog-and-back trip, dubbed flip-flop. And the answer to "How?" is quite magnificent. Upload a photo from your iOS device and a machine (located in a studio in Stockholm, Sweden) receives the photo and projects it onto an CRT screen originally connected to a VHS camera from the 80's (kids: Wikipedia that). Then, a super modern SLR camera takes a photo of the screen and the InstaCRTized photo is sent back to your iPhone.
Pretty cool, I'll say. I've already tested it—here's the original photo and that's how it became after being flip-flopped:
InstaCRT is the result of an unlikely collaboration between developer Martin Ström, filmmaker Ruben Broman and photographer Erik Wåhlström.
Download the app from your local iTunes retail.
—Making photo, via Making Future Magic.
posted: May 28, 2012
under: Software


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Gary Johnson a Factor in 2012?by Free Britney at . Comments
President Barack Obama is a slight favorite over Mitt Romney, with Gary Johnson a factor in the 2012 election, according to a new poll.
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Tractel "Evak 500" Synthetic Rope Manual Operation Rescue Winch - Unlimited Rope Length
Tractel Evak 500 Rope Winch with Unlimited Length of Rope.
The EVAK 500 is a manual winch-hoist for lifting and pulling applications up to a capacity of 500Kg, having been specially designed for the emergency rescue services. It is intended for use by professional rescuers, and particularly the mountain rescue services.
Specifically designed for ease of handling, operation and transport, the unit is particularly compact and extremely lightweight (6 kg). Its overall size is greatly reduced by incorporating a folding operating handle. Even long lengths of textile rope are easy to handle and store, weighing up to two and a half times less than wire rope.
This unit can be optionally supplied with 12.5mm static braided rope in 20m, 40m, 60m, 80m , 100m and 200m lengths.
- The EVAK 500 can even be fitted to a rope which is already tensioned.
- The operating principle uses the textile rope passing through two jaws (1), which alternately grip and pull the rope (6). A shear pin (4) prevents overload of the machine and damage to the rope.
- The EVAK 500 is well protected against corrosion, using anodised aluminium and galvanised steel.
The EVAK 500 has been designed to be used exclusively by professionals who have been fully trained in safety and rescue procedures. For lifting people, an additional safety device fitted to a separate rope should also be used so that in the event of any incident the safety device operates automatically and the person is held safely. Please note that this safety device is not supplied with the EVAK 500.