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Reserve Commission Officer Training (RCOT) Living Arrangements
Dormitory hallway
Air Force Training Dormitories
Reserve Commission Officer Training (RCOT) is a formal Air Force school and you have the great fortune to live in Air Force style dormitories for the duration of the training. Staying off-base at any time is not authorized, even the day prior to graduation, so if you have family or friends coming in make sure they're aware of this.
The rooms are sparse but functional and most people will have a roommate. Although the idea of having a roommate for class may not be a palatable one before you get there, when you arrive it's nice to have someone else around so you can keep each other on-time and help each other out with the mandatory items that must be taken each time you leave the room for the day. (When there are so many items to keep track of and you're always running behind it's always nice to have someone else watching your back.) No one in my flight had a problem with their roommate as we were in our rooms for such a short amount of time each day and were always doing homework or other duties that there was not enough time or energy to get upset about any otherwise annoying personal habit.
Room from the doorway
Room details
The rooms are serviceable and clean. You and your roommate will have your own personal sinks and there is a private shower and toilet attached to your room so there's no sharing between rooms. There is never time to take a tub bath so you won't even notice one is missing. You will also have your own walk-in closet, study desk with credenza, and clothes drawers. Your drawers will include one that has the ability to secure items in if you bring a lock. The lock is highly recommended as there are times you will not be allowed to wear your wedding rings or carry other valuable items (your extra small bills cash for meals and your cel phone, unless you have special permission to carry your phone) and it's better to keep them locked up just in case. Some days you will not be allowed to wear jewelry at all due to safety issues so my roommate locked her wedding ring in my secure drawer as well.
Sink and bathroom/shower attached to the room
Desk area
Locking the security drawer
If you do bring a lock I highly recommend something that is easy to open. I used the Master Lock 1500ID Speed Dial Combination Lock which needs no special spinning to specific numbers, however if you get one of the easy combo locks that would work as well. Most of the time you are there you will not have the minutes to spare playing with a lock that may or may not open when you turn it to your magic number one way then twice the other way and so on so get something simple and quick so you're not stuck making your flight wait (or worse yet, being left behind).
Master Lock 2500ID Speed Dial Combination Lock
Bring your own laptop
The Holm Center website suggests students bring their own laptops. I would recommend that people bring their own laptops, and if they don't have one, that they beg, borrow or steal to bring with them. Make sure the laptop has the ability to create Word type documents and PowerPoint presentations.
Thankfully I had brought my own laptop but didn't bring my own internet connection source. There is wireless internet available for students in the dormitories but the routers can only handle a few connections and then it bogs down and becomes very slow or kicks people off randomly. When there is very little time to accomplish additional duties or homework having a good, solid internet connection becomes very important, especially when much of the information needed is on a web Blackboard created for the class.
This web Blackboard was an issue for my flight. At first – like almost all the rest of the directions given in the course – we were given different url addresses for the site and neither urls worked for anyone. We asked members of other flights and they were having the same problems. After a few days one person got one of the urls to work and only they could login, and although she shared the correct url with everyone else, none of us were not admitted to the site. That one individual who gained access to the Blackboard became extremely popular as we then had to ask her to download the forms we needed and other items posted which were only available on that site.
As the template for memorandums was on the Blackboard site that we had no access to yet but memorandums were due, I looked at the memorandums posted in the WELCOME PACKAGE we received the first day and created a memo template that looked similar. I found the logo online and used the same letterhead with the font as close as I could get it. As I was my flight's Administrative Officer every memo had to come through me before it was sent to the Flight Instructor so I was able to fix the margins and make sure their signature blocks were in the correct place and in the proper format. Thankfully the crafted memorandum worked and our Flight Instructor accepted all the memorandums as they were submitted.
PowerPoint is required for the formal briefings that need to be done in week 2. One of my flight members didn't have PowerPoint so he created his briefing through Google documents. I watched him do a little of it and even though he had his own wireless hotspot through his cel phone the process was extremely slow and tedious. As sleep is the lost commodity during this course the faster the briefing slides are completed the better off the student will be, so being able to create PowerPoint slides is a valuable option.
If there is no way to bring a laptop of your own the school will issue you one, however it will be a government laptop which means you will not be able to access anything but official sites on it. If you are not familiar with using a military computer that pretty much means you can't access anything you want, to include stock photos for your presentation. It will have the programs you need for the class installed on it so that's a bonus.
If you can't beg, borrow or steal a laptop to bring...
There are also desktops available to use in a student lounge near the flight rooms. These computers are CAC enabled so the first time you login to one expect to wait a while as the system will need to recognize you and allow you access.
Printing and copying
Printing is a challenge. There was a printer on the second floor of the dormitories for everyone to use but it didn't print – it made copies. Supposedly someone figured out how to get it to print two days before graduation but at that point most turn-in requirements were done so it was worthless.
The other item to note about the printer/copier is that there was no paper available for it. When our administrative officer asked for paper she was told it was rationed out on a daily basis. After that we were on the lookout for discarded copies where people only used one side as we'd make copies on the other.
If you're not interested in paper scavenging while you're in class perhaps it would be better to bring your own ream of paper (or two) just in case. If I knew we were going to have such issues with basic items I most certainly would have.
23rd Training Squadron Dormitories
Location of the dormitories for RCOT, COT, AMS and BOT trainees.
Holms Center RCOT In-processing Information
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I am 22 weeks + 5 days, and I am feeling faintly ridiculous. I am worrying about my weight gain. I feel ridiculous for worrying for a couple of reasons; first, this pregnancy feels a bit like a miracle so getting dragged down by the mundane and ridiculous upset of a bit of weight gain is annoying, is irritating my logical self and is making me feel vacuous and vain. Second, getting upset about weight gain while pregnant, seems counterintuitive. I am pregnant with a high risk pregnancy, unable to exercise as I usually do, and in order for baby to grow healthily and survive that naturally necessitates my weight to increase as baby gets bigger and weighs more, therefore my weight gain should be something I embrace as it means I am supporting the placenta and thus baby. Unfortunately my rational and logical self knows this, but that part of me seems to have shrunk to a tiny, quiet, quavering voice in my head, as each week of my pregnancy progresses the ridiculous, irrational, vain, vacuous voice has gotten louder and more consuming.
Let me catch you up…
In the first few months of my pregnancy the OBGYN was 'unconcerned' (read puzzled) by my lack of weight gain (we'll keep a close eye on this…'). Now I have gained weight, I feel like both an apple and a cow, unfortunately the OBGYN is still 'unconcerned' (read faintly concerned) about my sudden weight gain in the space of a month. Queue feeling ridiculous, I know logically that the weight I have gained, so quickly, is normal for my gestation particularly as it is has been Christmas (mince pies, chocolate, sausage rolls, cake, Christmas dinner, all yum) and I have not been exercising at all (not even my approved exercise of gentle walking) but the gain in kgs is not only affecting my self esteem, the way I see myself, but it is also making me feel anxious about my vain and vacuous thoughts and about the impact of weight gain as a whole on the pregnancy (could it be caused my something more nefarious than simple Christmas greed?!?). As someone who rarely weighed myself, the weigh in at the OBGYN's office is in my thoughts far too often. I have gone from using my bathroom scales to check how heavy my holiday suitcases are to weighing myself! Unfortunately, the numbers are encouraging my ridiculously unhelpful belief that I now resemble a giant apple while dressed and a cow while undressed (complete with swollen udders and belly), hence my new moniker Applecow.
I know that my Applecow image of myself is most likely all in my mind, and even if it isn't and I do resemble an Applecow, I look this way because I am pregnant, a state which doesn't last forever and is a miracle that I am even in, and still in. However ridiculous my despairing anxiety is, for me it is real and consuming. For now, I remind myself that being an Applecow isn't the worse state I could be in and focus on the fact that the baby is alive, healthy and growing. I would rather be an Applecow that is the mother of three children, two living and one not, than the mother of three children, one living and two not.

subset: commoncrawl


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Alex is the lead at the "WAR IN UKRAINE – THE UNREPORTED TRUTH" channel on youtube. He is from Moscow and has spent years in the United States studying as well as in Russia. He frequently travels to Eastern Ukraine and Crimea to report on whats actually going down, something the MSM will never do.
Written By Tyranny Unmasked


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Public Service Department in Malaysia
The various government agencies were established by the government plan, control, assist and implement agency will be able to perform its functions smoothly, the agencies concerned must be organised in a proper, systematic and effective manner. In addition, the government would appoint officers to hold public services posts at various levels.
The administration of a government agency would be incomplete without financial allocation to pay for all its activities. To finance the agencies, a yearly allocation is given based on their financial needs to enable the agencies to carry out activities and responsibilities entrusted to them. At present, the agencies established are responsible for providing public services in the field of social (welfare), economy, security and law.
In the government administrative machinery the government agencies are comprised of three main components, namely ministries, departments and statutory bodies. At ministerial level the functions of the main agencies are to formulate, control and implement government policies, while a department levels the agencies are responsible for implementing all the policies. Agencies of statutory bodies are semi government in structure and are responsible for carrying out duties assigned to them to meet the government aspiration.
Central agencies are bureaucratic structures which perform functions thought to be crucial to the common interests of government departments. Central agencies take the lead in or contribute greatly to the performance by coordinating the development of related policies between departments, developing policies which various departments must follow and monitoring the implementation of policies. Widely recognized that senior officials in central agencies play roles in the policy process that pose serious questions about their accountability to Parliament. More directly, several circumstances surrounding central agents position in government, point up the degree to which these officials are a breed very much apart from those in other departments. They are enjoying very high levels of educational and professional achievement. They are young and share a confident perception of success and upward mobility. They also strong motivations and feelings of personal satisfaction and efficacy, coupled with the reality of high incomes and security of tenure in public service. They can work in small organizational unit, characterized by collegial decision making. Before embarking on an analysis of central agents' accountability, the concepts of responsibility and accountability require conceptual clarification.
Five such functions may be delineated
1)Development of strategic planning and formulation of substantive policy 2)Development of integrated economic and fiscal policy
3)Allocation of budgets and management of government resources 4)Management of senior personnel
5)Conduct of federal provincial relations
Budget and management central agencies tend to be key players in public management subsystems, given their expertise, continuity, and power. The common pattern in performance management adoption has been for elected officials to rely on central agencies to design and oversee reforms, and states with influential budget officers tend to be the most enthusiastic adopters of performance management systems.
Central agency officials are therefore in a strong position to select and shape policy ideas to match their preferences. In each state the main promoters of performance management were central agencies, primarily the finance department, and to a lesser extent the state wide personnel office and legislative auditors. Together, this group of actors made up the main formal source of public management reform expertise within government, although states with less internal capacity relied proportionately more on consultants.
Central agency staff may not be...
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A mile from Bridestowe, on a quiet country lane and surrounded by a charming smallholding (ducks, chickens), a lovely cottage carefully created from one end of the owners' thick-walled ancient home. Three steps up to your own enclosed garden with long countryside views to Dartmoor's highest points, patio (table/chairs) and shed (tumble drier). Inside, considerately furnished with some wonderfully knobbly walls. Three steps up to front door into neat kitchen (slimline dishwasher, microwave, small fridge-freezer, electric cooker); step up to boot space and area for coats with washing machine and smart bathroom (suite, shower over bath). From kitchen, pretty living/dining room with large inglenook (woodburner), window seat, TV/DVD and central 5'8" beam. Door to stairs up to good-sized double bedroom (5' bed, TV). Spring water. A super, romantic bolt hole for exploring Dartmoor's wild fringes or further afield.
Bridestowe: village (pub, PO/shop) on the edge of Dartmoor, 2 miles from beautiful open high moorland and on the Granite Way cycle/walking trail between Okehampton (small town, golf, tennis, indoor swimming pool, cinema) and Lydford. Okehampton by road, 7 miles; Tavistock and Launceston (historic Cornish town), both 11 miles. Good base for touring Devon and Cornwall (easy access to A30).
One king-size double bedroom. Fitted kitchen, pretty sitting room with large inglenook, wood burning stove, window seat, and dining area. Bathroom with bath, shower over, basin and WC.
Bridestowe, nr Lydford Nestling among mature woodland on the western slopes of Dartmoor, the historic village of Lydford is a jewel in this area of outstanding scenic beauty. To the north, just half a mile away, the high tors come right down to the village edge, while to the south the River Lyd winds its way through Lydford Forest on its tumbling course northwards.
This property offers the following short breaks:


text: On Monday, April 18, 2016, seven athletes ran 26.2 miles from Hopkinton, MA to Boston to cross the 120th Boston Marathon finish line in support of the Bill Belichick Foundation. We want to thank and congratulations our Team Belichick runners Will DiTullio, Chris McHallam, Lisa Fox, Lizzie Paul, Rich DeCapua, Casey Craig and Bill McQuaide who trained through New England's cold winter months while taking on huge fundraising goals to support our mission. The inaugural Team Belichick Boston Marathon Team which was a part of John Hancock's Charity Team program raised approximately $70,000 for the BBF to support student athletes and start-up athletic organizations in need of financial assistance. Funds raised will go directly to our 2016 BBF scholarship and grant program. Student athletes and athletic organizations may apply for grants or scholarships on our website here. Again, thank you to our very first Boston Marathon team of runners for their dedication and hard work these past six months– we enjoyed cheering you all on every step of the way!


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Hawker takes up the role on January 1.
He was previously chief executive and managing director of Insurance Australia Group, the largest general insurance company in Australia, from November 2001 to May 2008 and is currently an advisory board director at GEMS, the Hong-Kong based private equity firm and a non-executive director of Australian Rugby Union.
He has also been a group executive at Westpac Banking Corporation, responsible for leading its retail and business banking operations in Australia and New Zealand and has held a number of senior capital markets roles at Citibank both in Australia and Europe.
Aviva chairman Lord Sharman of Redlynch says: "Michael's deep understanding of insurance and financial markets and his experience of leading large customer focused businesses will be invaluable to Aviva."


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Dave Allen got some news time tonight on channel 13.
He is supposed to get more on 13 at 7pm.
I have never met Dave. He looks nothing like he sounds on the radio.
Dave Allen at large
This is a good place to drop general and weird news, entertainment, and general show prep material that might be interesting to air talent or producers. Hot dog threads ALWAYS welcome.
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Dave Allen at large
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
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Re: Dave Allen at large
I hope he goes to the WVBA awards dinner in Morgantown next Saturday. He's always fun to speak with.
"Television is a medium because anything well done is rare."
~ Fred Allen ~
"Radio is the theater of the mind; television is the theater of the mindless"-Steve Allen
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Re: Dave Allen at large
As they said about "The Kramer" painting on Seinfeld.....he is a loathsome brute but yet I cannot look away. What was I supposed to look like?
Titties and beer...thank God almighty for titties and beer!
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Re: Dave Allen at large
And, apparently, he looks NOTHING like the photo in his avatar. All this time, I thought that was a self portrait.
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text: Studio Skiffle is the award-winning design and art practice of Marshall Lambert. Marshall has passion for color, smells, culture, the real, the surreal, the known and the unknown. The work of Studio Skiffle reflects the curious and processual methodology embraced while exploring and improvising with both digital and analogue technologies.


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If Jackie Kennedy were still alive, she'd be wearing Proenza Schouler's Spring 2011 Ready to Wear Collection.
Jackie Kennedy oozed style. After all we have her to thank for bringing over sized sunglasses into our lives- a personal favorite of mine. She is most widely known for her role as First Lady of the United States from 1961-1963. However, besides being First Lady, Jackie Kennedy also had a very successful career as a book editor in the later part of her life and was known for her contributions to the arts and historic preservation. And all of this equals a lot of dressing up and a lot of events to attend for this girl. I love the modern edge Proenza Schouler has given to the classic two piece suit, incorporating interesting lines and a fresh color pallet. It reminds me of the very best Jackie Kennedy brought to fashion. To see the rest of the "Now and Then Gang" go here and if you have any requests- leave a comment!
image 1, image 2
Now & Then: Jackie Kennedy
Wednesday, October 27, 2010FILED UNDER: now and then
6 comments:
seriously love this one.ReplyDelete
most definitely!ReplyDelete
perfect pairing! And as for the Proenza Schouler skirt - utterly covetable.ReplyDelete
She definately would! Love thisReplyDelete
Great blog!
i really enjoy your blog! it's beautiful! you have a good eye for design :)ReplyDelete
bravo!!! i die for this proenza line. love the chanel-esque tweed! so lady like! love how it then it turns into lingerie and neon. oooh, i love those boys!ReplyDelete


text: Let's talk about next Fall 2018 colors. In today's article, I want to show you cold season outfit ideas complemented with grey color. This is a neutral color that can be mixed up with other neutral hues, as well as with pastels and bright colors. If there is a color for Fall season, then it's definitely: GREY. Sure, it comes in versatile shades, from dark to light ones. All depends on how you gonna wear it during the Autumn months: from all-in-grey head-to-toe to only one grey garment in one look.


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If you're reading this, it is likely established that cider is made from apples. This, to say the least, is no secret. While an impressive amount of variety has been achieved using this one fruit, it may leave many fans of the drink yearning for something a bit different. The cideries below all shared that sentiment at one point and decided to utilize truly local ingredients — whether they be berries unique to a specific part of the country, a strain of honeysuckle foraged straight from the local woods, or their state fruit — to create a cider wholly unique to their home state.
Made Marion Marionberry Cider || 2 Towns Ciderhouse || Corvallis, OR
About an hour and a half outside of Portland sits Corvallis, home of 2 Towns Ciderhouse, the makers of this delicious, 100 percent Oregon-grown cider. Made with nothing but apples and marionberries, Oregon hybrid subspecies of the blackberry, Made Marion marionberry cider has both an aroma and taste dominated by the berries. A semi-sweet cider with a tart finish, this is a refreshingly Oregonian cider.
Kalypso Cider || Mad Beach Craft Brewing Co. || Madeira Beach, FL
If there's three things that Florida is known for it's sunshine, retirement homes and key limes. Valued for being a more flavorful variety of the standard lime, Madeira Beach's Mad Beach Craft Brewing has decided to take the key lime and use it to make their Kalypso Cider, a sweet and appropriately tart cider.
Honeysuckle Cider || Dingo Dog Brewing || Carrboro, NC
This unique cider from North Carolina-based Dingo Dog Brewing (named after the 16-year-old St. Bernard mix that serves as the company's mascot) is made from locally foraged, wild-grown honeysuckle that is then steeped in this release of the Suzie's Cider series, resulting in a sweet and floral cider. As an added bonus, a portion of Dingo Dog Brewing's profits go towards funding an animal rescue fund created by the brewery's founder's family in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.
JC Bull Dog Peach Hard Cider || Bull Dog Hard Cider || Cleveland, GA
In the heart of Cleveland, GA (not to be confused with Cleveland, OH) sits Sautee Hard Cider Co., cidermaker of Bull Dog Hard Cider and its wickedly tasty semi-sweet cider, supplemented with famous Georgia peaches. The slightly tart finish helps to prevent the drink from ever becoming too dominated by either flavor. Bursting with both the flavor and aroma of Georgia peaches, this is a cider that could be enjoyed on its own, with food, or even in food.
Blueberry Cider || Kennebec Cider Co. || Winthrop, ME
For this cider, Kennebec Cider Co. has combined both apples and hand-picked wild blueberries to create a delectably refreshing cider that is perfect for any season. Wild blueberries, Maine's state fruit, are smaller than run-of-the-mill blueberries but pack a much bigger punch, making them perfect for cooking, baking, and especially cider.
Cranberry Road || CiderBoys Hard Cider || Stevens Point, WI
In 2004, the fifth grade class from Trevor Grade School in Trevor, Wisconsin, carefully concluded that the cranberry would serve as a much better state fruit than would the runner-up cherry, and so the state adopted the cranberry as the official state fruit of Wisconsin. Almost one decade later, CiderBoys created Cranberry Road, a cider made with a blend of apples and cranberries. What resulted was a sweet semi-tart cider that would make for a perfect dessert in the fall season during which Cranberry Road is available.


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- Advances in Mathematics of Communications
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This article is the first in a series that will investigate symmetry and curvature properties of a right-invariant metric on a Lie group. This paper will consider Lie groups in dimension two and three and will focus on the solutions of Killing's equations. A striking result is that several of the three-dimensional Lie groups turn out to be spaces of constant curvature.
keywords: right-invariant Riemannian metric , Lie algebra , Killing vector field. , Lie group
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The Great War-After Effects on
Humanity & Challenges for tomorrow
Excerpts of the speech of Prof.Bhim Singh made in the 'International Science and Public Conference dedicated to the 100th Anniversary of the First World War' on 17-18 September, 2014 in Sava Centre, Belgrade, Serbia organized by the Board of Trustees, Center of National Glory, Dialogue of Civilizations World Public Forum and others.
I have come from India, a land of peace, harmony and fountains of composite culture that has been resonating the message of peace, harmony and complete disarmament. Let me express my gratitude to the organizers of this historic meet in Belgrade, Serbia, on the occasion of the centenary of the World War-I as a grim reminder to those who rule the world and stockpile nuclear arsenals and pose a threat to mankind.
I have come from India with an appeal to the leaders of the world and the so-called big powers to think about the future of humanity for tomorrow. 100 years ago the fury of anger and hunger for power combined with the mad dream to take control the world, resulted in the so-called World War-I, some calling it as a Great World War. I would like to salute the great Serbian people who have been resisting wars and all kinds of skirmishes for all these years. The Serbian people are known for their human feelings and philosophy of life to distribute a loaf of bread among the members of the community so that none is deprived of food and everybody is fed. I had a great chance to travel through the then Yugoslavia in 1968 on motorcycle on a peace mission. I visited all the lands of the then Yugoslavia and had a rare opportunity to share the love and affection of the great Serbian people. (You may have a look on a newspaper report on my travels on world peace reported in Politika in May 1968). I had the opportunity to shake hand with the first President of Yugoslavia, President, Tito and the last President, Mr. Slobodan Milosevic also. US jurist Mr. Ramsey Clarke and I visited President Milosevic in the US manned prisons in the Hague, Holland. We were asked to plead for President Milosevic but the so-called UN Criminal Court in the Hague did not allow us to argue for President Milosevic, saying, that the UN Criminal Court shall decide an advocate for President Milosevic. President Milosevic was not allowed to engage a lawyer of his choice. This is the situation when USA has been acting as global master immediately after the World War-I. This is the first after effect of the global war, the shadow of which continues to loom threatening peace and security in the world.
No doubt many empires, kingdoms and dictatorial regimes disappeared yet many new colonial powers emerged to colonize the new nations. Yugoslavia emerged by the Union of Slovenes, Serbs, Croats and Muslims. There was total collapse of Austrian and Ottoman Empire. The Belfour Declaration promising referendum in Palestine to decide their future brought all the Arabs together to fight the Ottoman Empire. Ottoman Empire disappeared but the great Arab Nation could not secure what they were promised in Belfour Declaration. Certainly there was rise of a new movement in the United Kingdom under the leadership of Labour Party. Churchill was the first casualty. There was total collapse from the German and French economies. It created a space for the rise of social-democratic party and end of the old outdated rule. The greatest tragedy after the World War-I was emergence of US as the most powerful country. This situation was strengthened after the World War-II and continues to dominate the political scene in the world.
India had to pay a heavy price for its masters, the British Empire and sacrificed 74,187 Indian soldiers during the First World War. Indian soldiers were forced to fight for the cause of the glory of their masters, Great Britain in German East Africa, the Western Front, Egypt and Palestine. The Indian National Congress grew stronger under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi who stood for non-violence and no war after the World War-I.
There is no exact calculation about the loss of lives, human resources, or properties in the world because of the horror of World War-I. It is estimated that nearly 16 million soldiers died and 20 millions were wounded. Millions of people died because of epidemics that spread immediately after the war ended in 1918. The historians have not been able to find out the fate of nearly two millions soldiers who went missing during the war. About 1,034,200 died from Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa & UK. UK has the highest record with 888, 246 dead whereas India stood second with 74,191 dead. This is UK and its colonies. Among the European Nations Russia was on the top with 3,394,369 dead and Serbia with 815,164, Italy lost 1,243,400 and France 1,737,800. There was a unique uprising in the world, particularly in Europe on the participation in public life. The rise of Bolsheviks under the leadership of Vladimir Lenin in Russia in 1917 bringing the Tsars Rule to an end for ever. The biggest after World War-I effect was the World War-II. The main cause was the Treaty Versailles.
The World War-I or the Great War fought between July 28, 1914 to November 11, 1918 speaks of horrors of war and its consequential effects, particularly, on humanity cutting across the boundaries of religions, races or even geographical borders.
The Great War fought between the Allies (United Kingdom, France and the Russian Empire) on the one hand and the central powers (Germany and Austria-Hungary) on the other took global shape when Italy, Japan and the United States joined the Allies. On the other hand Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria joined Germany and Austria-Hungary. The war may be called 'Great War' because more than 70 million military personnel which included nearly 60 million Europeans participated in the Great War. Approximately 60,000 Canadians died and another 173000 were wounded. In Britain about 750,000 were killed and approximately 1,700,000 were wounded. The estimate worked out that about 160,000 wives lost their husbands and 300,000 children lost their fathers. The memorials all over the world standing today from India (Amar Jawan Jyoti to the Liberty Memorial, Kansas City, Missouri in United States) speak aloud of the horrors of the Great War-I with its bloody history of death and destruction. The after effects of the war from the Treaty of Versailles to the Influenza epidemic (resulting into death of nearly 50 million people all over the world), depression on the Economic and geopolitical growth and the changes equations, particularly among the colonial and imperialist powers have been written in countless words by the historians. We have no time to give a detailed account but we can certainly realize the consequential effects of the war on the future history of mankind.
The end of four monarchies namely Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungry and Ottoman Empire left a huge impact on the future civilization and the political order in Africa, South-East Asia, Russia, the Arab World and even in Europe.
India itself gained its freedom following the great World War-I as the British Empire started losing its grip over its colonies in India and other places. Indian movement led by Mahatma Gandhi for freedom of India succeeded, though after the World War-II, yet the impact of World War-I could not be washed away.
The effects of the World War-I are obvious when Sharif of Mecca signed Belfour Treaty (1917) with UK and supported the allies in the war against Ottoman Empire. The conflict following the end of Ottoman Empire continues to disturb the world order even today. Nevertheless the Arabs got their own systems under their governance which have been functioning even after the World War-II.
No historian or even a critic could support the aggression against Serbia in 1914. The Balkans remained a target of the colonial power and its security, safety deserved a special mention even after the World War-II and creation of the United Nations.
After the completion of the 100 years of the Great War all the pacifistic elements in the world, irrespective of their nationality, regions or religions should work together to create a consensus for the world peace. The next war or Great War is not going to be war on the horses or ponies or camels nor it shall be fought on the streets or jungles. The heaps of nuclear arsenals which are lying in stores of the so-called big powers is capable to destroy the entire world in no time. The great initiative once taken by Yugoslavia, Egypt and India has to be revived to strengthen NAM countries movement and launch a roaring offensive against the nuclear arms and arsenals, against the nuclear bombs and weapons, waging a war against the wars for the survival of the humanity and entire mankind.
I hope and wish that this International Conference in Belgrade, Serbia shall convey this message of complete disarmament and peaceful co-existence to all the nations in the entire world so that the world lives in peace and lives longer, heralding the new dawn of erstwhile halcyon glory and prosperity.
Prof.Bhim Singh


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The news media are reporting on death parties of hate against former UK prime minister Margaret Thatcher's death and the song Ding Dong the Witch is Dead is making it up the charts but won't be played by the BBC. I haven't paid much attention but I do find Glenn Greenwald's article on the death of public figures very interesting.
He writes of why we shouldn't just stop criticising political leaders once they die.
Whatever else may be true of her, Thatcher engaged in incredibly consequential acts that affected millions of people around the world. She played a key role not only in bringing about the first Gulf War but also using her influence to publicly advocate for the 2003 attack on Iraq. She denounced Nelson Mandela and his ANC as "terrorists," something even David Cameron ultimately admitted was wrong. She was a steadfast friend to brutal tyrants such as Augusto Pinochet, Saddam Hussein and Indonesian dictator General Suharto ("One of our very best and most valuable friends"). And as my Guardian colleague Seumas Milne detailed last year, "across Britain Thatcher is still hated for the damage she inflicted — and for her political legacy of rampant inequality and greed, privatisation and social breakdown."
To demand that all of that be ignored in the face of one-sided requiems to her nobility and greatness is a bit bullying and tyrannical, not to mention warped. As David Wearing put it this morning in satirizing these speak-no-ill-of-the-deceased moralists: "People praising Thatcher's legacy should show some respect for her victims. Tasteless." Tellingly, few people have trouble understanding the need for balanced commentary when the political leaders disliked by the west pass away.


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Kung-fu icon Bruce Lee would surely have found a more forceful way to sort out a Hong Kong dispute over his legacy.
Instead, the debate over what to do with the Kowloon Tong district house in which Lee once lived has become a bureaucratic tussle between the government, martial arts fans around the world and billionaire businessman Yu Panglin.
Lee lived for several years, until his death in 1973, in the two-story house, affectionately dubbed "the crow's nest."
Yu hoped to sell the digs, currently being used as a "love hotel," for about $12.8 million. But Lee fans protested, fearing the place would be torn down to free its valuable land for other uses.
Yu backed off and instead aimed to turn the site into a Lee museum.
But last week the territory's famously hands-off government said it will not provide any money for the venture.
Now, according to the South China Morning Post, Yu is willing to foot the bill himself on condition that the government rewrites planning regs so he can restore the house and add a cinema, library and martial arts center.
Yu says any profits would go to charity.
San Francisco-born Lee became famous in the movies of Golden Harvest, but the territory has done little to recognize his work beyond erecting a statue of him on the Kowloon waterfront.


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Title: Could Be You
Rating: NC-17
Summary: You know you wanna dance. Spike knew it, the fans knew it, and this time, Buffy knew it, too. Begins in the alley scene outside the Bronze during Fool for Love and moves swiftly off-canon.
Disclaimer: I don't own 'em. I'm just borrowing them for a while. The characters herein are the property of Joss Whedon and Mutant Enemy. They are being used out of respect and admiration, and not for the sake of profit. No copyright infringement is intended.dampersnspoons. The last part of this chapter was heavily edited after she finished with it, so any errors are mine, okay? 'Cause dampers? She rocks my socks.
Banner: xtanitx
Word Count: 3916
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Any minute now it was going to end. He was going to wake up on a cold stone slab next to the wrong blonde and curse his subconscious for this latest experiment in cruel and unusual punishment. This had to be a dream; there was no sodding way anything tonight actually happened.
Buffy would never let him in. Except she had, and so he reckoned he must be dreaming.
But what a dream! This one would surely last him a good long while and make shagging Harmony a little more bearable for the week or two he'd be able to replace her stupid grinning face with images of Buffy's, flushed and blissful, her lips all parted and pouty while her hot breath fluttered over his cheeks.
On the off chance that he wasn't dreaming, that he hadn't gone off the deep end into a fantasy that would never see the light of day – or the dark of night, as it were – Spike resisted the urge to pinch himself and ruin the niggling sense of reality. He wasn't a stranger to the fact that one could trick one's brain into believing all sorts of nonsense if one wanted it badly enough. But in his hundred plus years of existence, one thing and one thing alone had always been true: Noses don't lie. Not vampires' noses.
And his? Told him to believe his brain.
The scent of her covered him. Surrounded him, like he'd bathed in it. Spike smirked. More like he'd bathed in her.
A vision came to him suddenly, of Buffy in a big old claw-foot tub brimming with bubbles. Her arms draped over its sides and her nipples peaked out of the water, rosy and hard as she arched her back and moaned wantonly.
Note to self: get bathtub.
His cock strained at his jeans, hard and eager. Alone on the back porch of Buffy's house, surrounded in darkness, Spike unzipped and wrapped his hand around his erection, stroking it slowly while he waited for her to come back outside, reliving in his mind the events of the night.
He'd thought for sure the spell had broken when the band's roadie caught them backstage with their pants down, drawing their attention to him with a particularly vulgar observation that lit Buffy's eyes with that blazing, indignant anger he loved so much. But then she flushed so deeply he smelled the rush of blood to her cheeks, and hid inside his coat with a whispered demand to find them a closet before she ripped the jerk's head off, lack of pants be damned. The nearby dressing room packed with the band's luggage had sufficed nicely, and Spike smiled remembering his delight at her wicked giggling when he dropped them into a chair and said he hoped it belonged to the grand git himself.
He hadn't wanted the night to end and whispered as much while he held her in his lap after. She'd nuzzled her face into his neck and admitted that she didn't either.
Next he knew, he was following her into the alley. She looked bloody adorable wrapped up in his duster and little else. Spike was half sure as they walked, side by side as somewhat more than what they were before, that he'd misheard her. That she hadn't agreed to spend the night with him so long as she could check in on her mum and sis first. Her creative use of that headstone for a quickie on their shortcut through the cemetery must have knocked things around a bit in his head. He knew she hadn't kissed him softly before disappearing inside the house with the promise that she'd be back soon.
But she had, and Spike knew he wasn't dreaming. No, he was wide awake and had really spent the past few hours making love to Buffy Summers.
And she let him. God, she let him. Hadn't held back, not once he called her on it, and she hadn't held him back either. Had she wanted to she could've found ways to do it, to deny the feelings he finally admitted to her, but she hadn't. He saw that acknowledgement in her tears and in the way she did her best to love him back.
Oh, he knew she didn't love him – she barely tolerated him most days – but she'd tried hard to give him whatever
sliver of affection she could, which turned out to be a hell of a lot more than he'd expected.
The way she felt, looked, sounded! She'd always been gorgeous in everything she did. Seeing her sweat and moan and shudder in pleasure, pleasure he'd brought her – he could live for another century or two and never see anything so primal, so beautiful, as Buffy when she came. The girl was a fireball wrapped in passion, she was. He'd known she would make an incredible lover, just as he'd known how earth-shattering the two of them could be, if she ever stopped to think about it.
And she had. He'd seen it in her eyes – the fear, the knowledge that it could never, ever be anything short of everything with them. He thought he'd been drowning in her before but he'd been a fool.
He wasn't drowning.
He was burning.
Spike quickened his pace a bit, though he didn't intend to finish anything alone here on the back porch. No, he wouldn't be spilling a drop tonight anywhere but inside Buffy, one way or the other. Likely one way and the other.
He bit back a groan just thinking of that hot little mouth of hers. She looked damn gorgeous with her lips wrapped around his cock, peeking up at him all innocent-like while doing naughty, wicked things that felt almost as good as being inside her. His falling apart the moment she touched him wasn't cause for debate, but Buffy's response astounded him. So wet just from kissing him. So needy for his touch. And what a sexual thing she was, hidden behind all that icy slayer exterior. Once he broke through that, she did as much to please him as he had to her. And she'd enjoyed both the giving and the getting. He saw how turned on she was after sucking him off and would have loved to watch her work herself into a frenzy with her fingers had he not had other, more mutually gratifying activities in mind. Spike squeezed his cock harder as he stroked it, thinking of how her eyes went all fluttery just before she crashed and her muscles – those searing, strangling, bloody amazing muscles – clenched around him like a vice. He'd never felt anything like it.
How had she managed being with Riley so long and having to hold back all the time? Because she couldn't possibly let go like that with the mortal twerp without breaking him in half. Now there was a pleasant thought. Maybe he ought to encourage that if only to take the wanker out of commission...
Spike fought a growl and barely resisted shifting faces at the thought of actually suggesting she go back to Riley. Could she go back to him now? She'd probably try. Spike had enough brains left in his love-and–lust-addled head to realize that. Didn't mean he had to like it or sit quietly while she did it. Nor did it mean he wouldn't enjoy her revelation when it came that she would never truly be satisfied with this so-called normal man or any other.
And, he realized, now that he'd touched her, been consumed by her fire, nothing and no one else could ever be enough for him, either.
As if you had any doubts.
A soft click drew him out of his thoughts. Listening closely, he heard it again and recognized it as the sound of the bolt on the front door. Had she gone out that way for some reason? But no, the car started a second or two later and drove off. Joyce then, heading out for a late errand. Above him, the bathroom window lit up and he heard the rush of water from the shower.
He wouldn't pretend he wasn't a little worried that going inside gave her an excuse to talk herself out of it. Didn't know what to make of the shower, either. Was she freshening up or scrubbing him away? He fretted for a few minutes, listening to the water running and imagining what she'd look like in it, except that whenever he got to the part where he joined her in her steamy haven, his mutinous brain replaced him with Finn instead.
Spike imagined he looked a bit of a nervous wreck when she crept out the backdoor a little while later, flicking on the porch light and smelling of a number of flowery products. He stuffed himself as best he could back inside his jeans and turned to greet her. She wore his coat, which would've done wonders for his worries if everything else about her hadn't screamed something's wrong. He saw it in her tight little smile she gave him in return and the hunch of her shoulders as she crossed the porch.
She glowed on the walk back here, with her cheeks flushed from sex and her eyes bright and wide and teasing. Her stride had a particular bounce to it, as though she felt light and carefree. She laughed and squealed and let him chase her through the cemetery, and when he caught her, flashed him a lascivious grin he couldn't resist that led to their getting up close and personal with one Mrs. Walters, 1901-1979. He'd loved seeing that playfulness, even if it existed only for the moment, as he was one half of the reason for it. Now, she took slow steps forward, her arms wrapped tightly around herself, and though her cheeks were pink from the shower's warmth, they lacked the lively colour of before.
"You all right?" he asked, after a brief hesitation. He didn't want to suggest she wasn't, but...well, she didn't look all right.
She refused to look at him as she slumped down beside him at the top of the steps. "Don't stop on my account."
Of course her downcast eyes would focus on his crotch, where his unbuttoned and half-zipped jeans, strained tight over his erection, easily gave him away. "It's precisely your account that's got me in this state to begin with, love."
The gentle teasing seemed to work, and her gaze flicked up to his and she smiled softly. Then she giggled, a twittery, girlish laugh and he thought maybe he'd been wrong. Maybe she was just tired or something. But no – the giggle dissolved into a choked sigh and Buffy burst into tears.
Anger he could handle. Let her scream at him, throw punches, or hell, even threaten him with a stake. Anything but tears. He never knew what to do when they cried, especially when he thought he might have caused it.
Buffy had her face buried in her hands and her shoulders shook. Tentatively, Spike patted her back through the leather.
"Is there..." He paused, unsure, as she looked up at him, her cheeks streaked with tears and makeup and more sorrow than he'd ever seen. "Can I do something, love?"
She launched herself at him, throwing her arms around his middle and burying her face in his chest. Startled, Spike froze, having no clue what to do with the weeping bundle of sobbing slayer now wetting his shirt with her tears and shaking his body with her shuddering. So he did the only thing he could – tightened his arms around her and held her as she cried.
"Shh, sweetheart," he whispered, stroking her hair, hoping he wasn't making things worse by offering comfort. "It'll be all right, yeah?"
She burrowed deeper into his arms and cried harder.
He felt like an awkward git trying to comfort her. It had to have taken a lot for her to break down like this, especially in front of him. Spike understood pride and he liked to think he understood Buffy, how she hid herself and couldn't bear to let others see her as anything less than strong and in control. From one fighter to another, he knew where that came from, that need to cover up any weakness with a confident exterior, lest somebody take advantage of it. Spike didn't know whether to be honoured that she felt she could show him this side of her, or terrified over the apparent tragedy that left her in this sobbing mess. If it were something so horrible she'd have broken down no matter who was with her...
Spike didn't want to contemplate that. Might not mean a thing to him, but he hated seeing her this way. Compassion wasn't something he, as a rule, let himself feel too often, except he couldn't prevent it when it was Buffy. He'd tried and failed often enough to know how hopelessly lost in her he was. Anything that broke her inevitably broke him, too.
Eventually she calmed but didn't pull away. She did loosen her hold, turning to curl into his side with her head pillowed on his shoulder and her palm on his chest. Spike kissed her forehead but said nothing, waiting with patience he wasn't sure he possessed for her to decide whether or not to talk to him.
Her breath hitched and she said, "It's my mom."
A stab of fear lanced through his chest, bringing with it the buzz of adrenaline usually reserved for a good fight or a thrilling chase. He pulled away from her to look directly into her eyes.
"What...is she okay?"
Buffy shrugged. "I don't know. She—" She stopped suddenly, looking on the verge of tears again. "I don't know if...I can't—"
Rumbling quietly, Spike pulled her back to him, trying to ignore the pleasant feeling of having her fit so nicely cuddled up to his side. Now wasn't the time to bask.
"Whatever it is," he said, touching his lips to her forehead as he spoke, "you can tell me."
Her answering sigh sounded very tired. "If I tell you, then it's real," she said, her voice so quiet and timid Spike could barely hear her.
He didn't like the sound of that. Not one little bit. But he waited, not wanting to push, either. Buffy said nothing for a few minutes, sitting quietly tucked up against him, fiddling with a little tear in his shirt and staring off into the darkness beyond the porch lights.
"I'm scared, Spike."
That couldn't have been an easy thing to admit. Spike looked down at her, at her tear-stained face looking up at him, and brushed her cheek with his fingers. "Of what, love?"
Biting her lip, she looked away again, and started talking. The whole story spilled out in halting, hushed words. Little nothings. Headaches. CAT scans. Hospitals. Dawn unaware, at a friend's for the night, wouldn't tell her until they were sure. She didn't come out and say it, but every word she spoke revealed how terrified she was. How lost. That stab of fear grew into a twisting knot of worry in his stomach.
If Joyce—
No, he wouldn't even entertain that thought.
When she finished, Buffy moved away to sit beside him, glancing at him out of the corner of her eyes before quickly looking away, a light flush colouring her cheeks. She stayed close enough that he was certain her reaction was a result of her breakdown itself and not because of him, but he felt relieved anyway when he patted her leg and she covered his hand with hers.
"Thank you," she said. "I—I'm sorry you had to see that."
"Can't be strong all the time, Buffy," Spike answered. "Something like this, I'd be worried if you didn't have a cry."
She exhaled a huffing breath. "That's the thing, though. I have to be strong." She looked at him briefly before staring down again at their hands. "Who else is gonna be if I'm not?"
He wrinkled his nose at her. "There's a difference between being strong and being human."
Her laugh this time held a little more humour. "Because you know so much about being human."
His lips twitched and he nodded in concession. "Point. But even the strongest need a shoulder to lean on sometimes, you know?"
One corner of her mouth lifted into a hint of a smile. "Let me guess – that shoulder's yours?"
Spike wasn't sure whether her little grin was meant to tease him for being foolish enough to fall in love with her and let her know it, or because she actually liked the thought that he could be there for her, if she wanted.
The former being so typically Buffy and yet not the Buffy of tonight, Spike chose to assume the latter.
"Could be," he said, removing his hand from her leg to wrap his arm round her. "Would be in a heartbeat." He looked directly into her wide-open eyes. "You know that, right?"
She held his gaze a moment before flicking her eyes away, and he wondered if he'd wandered a little too far down the emotional road. But then her head met his shoulder and she softly answered, "Yeah. I do."
Well. Spike hadn't expected that. The president of the soulless-equals-heartless club essentially admitted that he, Spike, a vampire in supreme lack of a soul, not only loved her but wanted to love her. She hadn't agreed to it, mind you, but acknowledgement was more than half the battle.
Here he was thinking about himself again with his would-be lady still on the verge of tears and probably sick with worry over her mother's health.
Spike tuned out his own selfish thoughts – well, pushed them back a bit, at least – and focused on Buffy. She wasn't crying now, and he could feel her taking slow, deep, calming breaths. He started making light circles on her back and she responded by drawing nonsense patterns into his thigh with her fingertips. After a few minutes, Buffy leaned into his touch and he pressed a little harder, finding knotted muscles even through the coat. Her quiet moan encouraged him, and he exchanged his fingers for his thumb, touching a nasty spot near her shoulder blade that made her jump and gasp.
Buffy nodded, rolling her shoulder and grimacing when the motion drove his thumb into the spot again.
"Come here."
She slid down a step to sit in front of him. Spike pulled his duster off her shoulders and went to work on the knot, finding its twin on the other side.
"Oh, God," Buffy said, groaning. She snorted and glanced up at him. "How is it that you manage to find that spot no matter what you're doing?"
Spike dug his thumbs in, and her eyes squeezed shut and her lips parted around a sighing moan.
"If it puts that look on your face," he said, "then who cares?"
Buffy chuckled and turned her head to look back out across the yard, making occasional small noises in response to his thumbs' efforts, but saying nothing else. Spike worked her shoulder knots for a while, but the temptation to turn his touch into a caress got the better of him and soon he was stroking her neck with his fingertips. Buffy sighed and shivered with the lighter touch.
"Spike?" she whispered.
"I can't go...to your place," she said, and he tensed, a feeling of dread rising in his stomach with what sounded an awful lot like the beginnings of rejection.
"Right," he said, moving his hands to his knees and clenching them into fists. "Just let me know when I've worn out my welcome, then, Slayer, and I'll be on my way."
"No." Buffy spun around to face him, wincing a little and pressing her hand into her belly. "No, Spike, I mean—" She laid a hand over one of his fists. "I should be here, just in case, but...could you stay?"
Spike blinked, certain that she couldn't possibly have asked that question. "Stay here?"
"Yes," she said, prying his fingers loose and lacing them with hers. "Here. Will you stay with me?"
Spike didn't answer her right away. He couldn't, even with her pleading eyes staring at him, waiting. He wanted to – he'd be an even bigger fool than he already was to doubt that – but he also wanted her, all of her. Back at the Bronze, she was fully with him every minute. Making love to him because she wanted to. Because she wanted him. But now, with her concerns about Joyce weighing on her mind...
Back to being a selfish wanker, is it?
There she was, fresh off a crying jag because her mother might be seriously ill, with him about to go all emotional blackmail on her when she needed the comfort a little more than she needed him. It was difficult enough for her to ask in the first place and he was what? Going to say no just because her priorities changed?
Yeah, great plan, Spike.
He realized he was taking too long to answer when her shoulders slumped and she pulled her hand out of his, moving to sit beside him.
"Dunno, love," he said, trying for a teasing tone. "Sure it's me you want? Could call
Buffy's forehead wrinkled and she pushed out her lower lip. "Don't you want to stay?" she asked.
"Course I do," he said, pushing at her lip and holding in his sigh of relief when she smiled. "Tonight was...the most incredible night of my life, Buffy."
He watched her eyes widen with his admission, and then she breathed out heavily. "Good," she said, poking him in the sternum with her finger. "Because I could call
When he flinched, Buffy smiled and trailed her fingers down his chest. "I could, but I don't want them, I want you. I..." She dropped her gaze from his and lowered her voice to continue. "I don't do helpless, and I think you get that."
He most certainly did. Spike squeezed her hand in response, heartened when she returned the gesture and looked into his eyes again.
"I-I'm not ready for tonight to end either," Buffy said in a whisper. "I want what we had in the Bronze, before this, before—"
She stopped, her next breath shaky, her eyes starting to water. Spike tucked her hair behind her ear and Buffy shook her head, scrubbing at her face with her free hand. When she looked back at him, her eyes, though misty, were wide open and sure.
"Please, just love me, Spike, okay?" she whispered. "Can you do that?"
Spike couldn't tell if she was being completely genuine, or if she'd already figured out how to get what she wanted by saying just the right words. He liked to think she meant it; it wasn't like Buffy to say these sorts of things just willy-nilly like that. But it didn't matter anyway. It should never have mattered. Buffy needed him, in one capacity or the other. She picked him over her best friend – over her boyfriend – and he hadn't the strength or the will to deny her.
"Yeah, Buffy, I can do that."
"So you'll stay?"
"I'll stay."
To be continued in Chapter Five


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The 2016 presidential election shook up the national map, but the reddest and bluest states may not come as surprise.
While Hillary Clinton's margin of victory in states like Hawaii, Vermont and Massachusetts hovered around 30 points, Donald Trump enjoyed bigger margins in the reddest states, some of which ticked up to nearly 50 points.
Watch the video above to see The Hill's Ben Kamisar and Molly Hooper discuss the candidates' performance and what the numbers say about the electorate


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From this week's event at Dudley there will be a couple of new rules and a new category:
NEW PRAM CATEGORY - Prams have proven so popular that we are giving them their own category. The new pram category is for parents with a child (or 2) in a pram and people pushing a child in a pram will also be allowed to jog if desired. The walking category will now be just for walkers only (you may compete in this category with a baby in a carrier for example but will only be allowed to walk). On the grey entry slip you will need to add a W for Walking or a P for Pram at each event where you are competing in a category otherwise you will be scored as a runner for that event. Your best 10 results in a particular category will count towards your total score for that category (In the next few weeks we will try to sort the previous events' results into this category as well for those who had prams in the walking category).
NO DOGS - For the safety and convenience of other competitors we will no longer allow people to compete with dogs. If you bring your dog to an event please keep it away from the start and finish areas and under control at all times. Please ensure someone is able to safely look after your dog while you are competing and do not leave your dog unattended in your car. Thanks very much


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Living for Him
We should be thanking him each day, each hour, each minute for each moment of our lives.
Each night
after I get the girls down to sleep, I usually clean up a bit, talk with my husband some, then retreat to the bedroom to watch something mindless before I drift off to sleep. This particular night I caught up on some 9-1-1, which basically does the opposite of calming me down, but this night was different. I saw something on this show that may have been "just another scene" to most. For me- it made
You see this guy (
who had lost his own family
) ended up having a rare blood type that could save THOUSANDS of babies lives all by donating his blood once a week. This exact guy had been contemplating whether or not he wanted to continue living- until this news happened.
When this guy went to meet the parents of a child he had saved, the father of the new baby hugged him over and over thanking him for his Blood- that without his blood their baby wouldn't be living- They wouldn't be living in peace.
Guess who
gave his blood to save lives? To save these lives for ETERNITY?
Our Heavenly Father gave his {only son}, like this family, to a world of sinners knowing his blood would be shed to SAVE them. To SAVE US.
This father had peace once he gave thanks.
We can have peace too. We are offered a life of peace when we accept Jesus into our hearts.
Why wouldn't we give thanks for this???
In a world full of dishonesty, hate, war, nasty politics, and sin after sin after sin- we have the opportunity to let peace into our lives.
God is at work in us because we are a part of his plan. He knew why Jesus' blood would be shed. Give into his plan. Give into him.
Just like this father did on this mindless show- we need to not only thank God over and over for saving us,
but thank him down on our knees. Give him that time. Give him the glory. Say thank you. Be sincere.
XoXo, the one behind the words
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Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Brown Family Christmas Card - 2008
12 comments:
- ~Mrs. Guru~ said...
Love all the attempts!!
- December 24, 2008 at 7:48 AM
- Brooke Bertalan said...
Those are the best pictures ever! I love them all...they really capture the personalities of Claire and O!
Claire, you are growing up too fast! What a beautiful little girl you have become.....now slow down. : )
I love you all. Thanks for sharing the pictures!
- December 24, 2008 at 8:22 AM
- Kristy said...
Cute! In a few of those, Owen looks like he's in pain. =) Oh the torture of having to get your picture taken.
- December 24, 2008 at 8:29 AM
- Brown Four...Never a Dull Moment said...
Cute pictures! I love the Christmas card!
- December 24, 2008 at 9:33 AM
- morewineplease said...
I love the final outcome! Beautiful card.
- December 24, 2008 at 11:58 AM
- Maggie said...
Great card, Rachel! Love all the attempts, too! ha ha
- December 26, 2008 at 9:24 AM
- The Heckathorns said...
Merry Christmas to you and your family as well! I love all the attempts! :)
- December 26, 2008 at 10:15 AM
- Lane said...
That is hilarious! Definitely shows their little personalities! :) So cute! I love your final choice though!
- December 26, 2008 at 11:17 AM
- Tara Gibson said...
hahaha love the outtakes! The card is ADORABLE!
- December 26, 2008 at 1:41 PM
- Carolyn said...
I LOVE the picture!!!
- December 29, 2008 at 5:48 PM
- Jessica said...
The kids are so Christmas cute. I love it. I understand Tara, seeing your kids makes me want to have some babies right now!! (HAHA). Can't wait to see everyone. It's been forever. PS - I got your b-day gift in Atlanta - yes I was thinking about you in the ATL. What's up for New Year's Eve? I want to shop on New Year's Day. Talk to you soon and I hope to see you sooner!!! Nicole and me had the exact same birthday - dress and all - LOVE IT!!!!
- December 29, 2008 at 9:44 PM
- Becky said...
Rachel the stars in the heavens must have lined up perfectly for you to have gotten that exact moment for the card. They never do that together! What an adorable shot. Love it!
- December 30, 2008 at 12:03 PM


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Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar
Everyone likes to talk about the superfoods they eat, but how many people bring up all the super liquids that they drink (or don't drink)? There are plenty of liquids that can be just as powerful as super foods. One such "super liquid" is apple cider vinegar. Far too many people have overlooked apple cider vinegar so here is a list of all the best health benefits of apple cider vinegar to convince you why you need to get in on this ancient remedy!
Reduces Cholesterol
The health benefits of apple cider vinegar begin with reducing cholesterol levels. A study published in the British Journal of Clinical Medicine showed that just one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar was enough to naturally reduce your cholesterol levels. This is because apple cider vinegar helps stimulate the production of bile and maintain liver health. Both bile and your liver are important when it comes to processing and creating cholesterol and breaking it down to remove it from the body. This makes apple cider vinegar a great way to reduce your levels of LDL (bad cholesterol).
Control Blood Sugar
Another of the great proven health benefits of apple cider vinegar is that it is effective at reducing blood sugar levels and so should be part of any diabetes treatment plan. It should be one of the most important parts of your diabetic diet. The journal Diabetes Care showed that taking two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and water before eating a meal was enough to reduce blood sugar levels by 6%. This is due to apple cider vinegar balancing your blood sugar levels and reducing A1C levels; two things that are important for diabetics. It also means that if you know your blood sugar will spike following a meal you can take control of that with apple cider vinegar, which also helps maintain energy levels.
Boosts Metabolism and Aids Weight Loss
Another great health benefit of apple cider vinegar is that it boosts your metabolism and supports weight loss through the use of an organic acid that is a byproduct of the process that turns apple juice into apple cider vinegar. This acid, known as acetic acid, boosts your metabolism. Don't let the word "acid" fool you. Much like the citric acid in fruit this acetic acid actually alkalises your body and helps you lose weight.
Reduce Blood Pressure
Another one of the great health benefits of apple cider vinegar is that it is perhaps the best way there is to reduce your blood pressure levels. While the results are not conclusive there was a study performed on rats that showed that acetic acid reduced blood pressure and renin activity.
Keeps Your Gut Healthy
The final apple cider vinegar health benefit we have for you is that the acetic acid also keeps your digestive system running smooth and prevents acid reflux thanks to the enzymes and probiotics. If you have acid reflux problems or another digestive problem such as GERD then you should consider taking one or two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with eight ounces of water before you eat a meal.


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Nicaragua is one of the safest countries in Central America, but in the case that something happens while a tourist is visiting the destination, there is immediate help available. The Nicaraguan Tourism Board has launched a free emergency number to provide assistance to all tourists visiting Nicaragua. Tourists can dial "101" if they need immediate attention because of an accident, loss of travel documents, or any other situation that requires immediate response.
The 101 number is available 24 hours a day and will be answered by a bilingual touristic police officer who will assess the situation. The traveler's details will then be forwarded to the Nicaraguan Tourism Board and local police department.
Emergency Line for Tourists
Nicaragua – An Adventurer's Paradise
Adventure Sports
To know where to go for exciting journeys in Nicaragua, one must first have an idea of the country's geography. Below is a quick snapshot of what to expect:
The Pacific Coast: Surfing, beaches, hiking, snorkeling, kayaking
Known for its A-grade surf, Nicaragua's Pacific Coast is also popular for hiking, mountain biking, snorkeling, fishing and other sea adventures. The lush forests and beautiful beaches in beach towns like San Juan Del Sur entice travelers to enjoy nature treks, zip-lining, rappelling and horseback riding.
The Caribbean Coast: Tropical paradise, scuba diving, trekking, snorkeling
Nicaragua's east coast delivers a Caribbean flare that invites travelers to enjoy a unique mixture of cultures, cuisine and adventure. Creole-English is the predominant language thanks to English settlers centuries ago. The food on this side of Nicaragua differs from that of the Pacific coast. While the cuisine on Nicaragua's west coast is based on corn, the Caribbean region's Costeña cuisine emphasizes coconut. The Corn Islands were once a haven for pirates and buccaneers in the 17th century, leaving behind shipwrecked boats along the coastal reefs for scuba divers and snorkelers to explore today. For travelers seeking off-the-beaten path activity, the Pearl Keys – a chain of largely uninhabited islands off the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua – present a fun and enticing excursion.
The Volcanoes: Hiking, sandboarding, swimming in crater lakes
There is a reason why Nicaragua is referred to as "the land of lakes and volcanoes." The country's 25 volcanoes, eight of which are active, are as diverse in environment as they are in size. Travelers seeking "something new" will get their fill with the following options:
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Aracne Rappelling Tours: This company offers excursions that include air, land and water, all in one outing. After a short hike, travelers are geared up and given instruction for their vertical descent down a 300-foot oceanfront cliff. From there, they exchange their helmet for a life vest, take a short swim to the boat that takes them on a cruise along the Pacific Coast before returning back to town. http://www.aracnerappel.com
Although not as unique as ashboarding down a volcano, riding a horse on the beach is certainly an exhilarating experience. Rancho Chilamate Horseback Adventures, just south of San Juan del Sur, offers intimate excursions for small groups of riders. Tours begin at the ranch house, where visitors are geared up with cowboy hats and boots; they ride through the rural community, over hills and down river beds, to the secluded beach, where "Survivor-Nicaragua" was filmed. www.ranchochilamate.com
The Surf Ranch, Nicaragua's first and only extreme-sports resort, located just outside San Juan del Sur, offers adrenaline-pumping activity. In addition to kite surfing, rock climbing, wakeboarding, mountain biking, scuba diving and surfing, guests can enjoy Jungle Paintball, a 6,000 square foot skateboard park, and an Airbag Drop from a 20-foot tower. The Surf Ranch is open to day guests, and offers casitas and rooms for overnight guests. www.surfranchnicaragua.com
A few travel packages that offer adventure-centric excursions include:
Global Adrenaline "Nicaragua Adventure" 8-day package: Extreme sports meet relaxing afternoons
Latin America Collection "A Taste of Adventure in Nicaragua" 7-day package: Sports, adrenaline, culture
Austin-Lehman Adventures "Nicaragua / Granada to San Juan del Sur" 8-day package: Exploring, adventure, relaxing
The Nicaraguan Tourism Board
Hotel Crowne Plaza, 1c Sur, 1c. Oeste. Managua, Nicaragua. Aptdo. Postal No. 5088
Pbx: (505) 2254-5191 / Fax: (505)2222-6610


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A gritty wet pavement day. Drizzling, grey twilight out the window of the bar in wintry Melbourne. My light down-jacket got a snag on the sleeve sometime in the past five weeks in Australia and is humorlessly launching a single poof of white feather each time I lift a chip to my mouth and two feathers just escaped when finished off my drink. I'd walk up and order another pint of beer but there is a dumb grin on my face I can't swallow due to the image of a back eddy of down feathers on wood floor following me to the bar counter.
There is probably a roll of tape at the register and I can temporarily remedy the problem with a cross of cellophane on the way out. Tomorrow I fly back to the heat of Japan. I'll deal with a more permanent solution to the leaky jacket next January.
I was in Australia to work and take a brief look at the country. A few dozen Aussies have made it up the driveway in Japan and spent some time at the indigo vats. Due to their good open nature a few have become good friends. It was good to spend time with them on their turf. All was good.
Aside from the choo choo train of down feathers, the solitude of wandering around the city these last days, riding trains and trams, eating too much, looking at architecture and people-watching/ listening while reflecting on and digesting the past few eventful months is a gritty luxury.
I put together a special program for the students and gave the same two day class six times. I took a good stack of antique Katagami stencils I'd collected over many years than still had a few prints left in them. Some of the stencils were from the early 1800's. Used with the tenderest care with a specially made net/screen to protect the fragile paper from tears while pasting and washing 90 students were able to make a dozen or so prints each.
Yes...the stencils are rare and even a little expensive. But instead of just sitting on a shelf they were used a few more times. There was some inevitable damage to some. They are retired now. A few of the rarer and beautiful ones can be remade by a professional stencil cutter in the town of Ise by being having a dry ink brushed through the stencil onto new persimmon stencil paper and re cut. The damaged areas can be redrawn quite easily.
I hope I can be like those stencils at the end of my life. If someone comes along and I can show them how to spin fibres, make bamboo reeds or some other skill I'd be taking with me. It would be a pleasure to be put to use one more time.
The first three hours of the workshop were spent looking at the stencils and the individual character of many of them. We looked at the feudal society that produced this culture in 17th century Japan. What were the social, cultural and economic circumstances that led to the creation of the indigo stencil culture of that level of sophistication. How was the special persimmon tannin paper made, how it was cut, sliced, awled and carved to get a pattern.
We looked at a collection of Edo period scraps of indigo cloth and discussed the techniques that had been used.
We were busy. The afternoon found us cramming a huge amount of information, including a chemistry lesson on how indigo dye is made from leaves to kind of blue green yogurt.
In the same afternoon we managed a lesson on Mochi rice flour stencil paste making.
It was important to see the true fragility of the stencils and how they could be used a few times more. Some of the stencils haven't been used in over 150 years.
A few delicate stencils melted before our eyes and had to be retired.
Most of the students were truly enthralled in the process and the new information. I left Australia knowing that I had converted a few people to the indigo world and left some with a desire to visit Japan and see the culture with their own eyes.
I was so busy that I didn't take any pictures of the workshops. We indigo dyed cloth with the antique stencils and we dyed many shades of plain blue so that the students take home a pile of beautiful indigo cloth to cut up and make quilts from. I look forward to seeing what they make.
I was so busy that I didn't take any pictures of the workshops. We indigo dyed cloth with the antique stencils and we dyed many shades of plain blue so that the students take home a pile of beautiful indigo cloth to cut up and make quilts from. I look forward to seeing what they make.
There was time to drive a few days through the magnificent kangaroo laden Australian countryside from Adelaide to Braidwood to spend some time on Kate's truffle farm with the truffle dogs digging truffles. It was good to be in winter for a short time.
The dogs are adorable. While they point a delicate paw to the hidden truffles are under the surface they casually look around to see what the other truffle dogs are up to or if a kangaroo is hopping by. They wait for their reward as you carefully brush the dirt away and look for the truffle shape and delicately dig the truffle out. The Snoopies munch down a treat and maybe another truffle pooch may drop by and expect a treat from the treat bag for doing no work. I wasn't sure what the treat/reward protocol was so I snuck them a beef jerky and even the obligatory ear scratch for not even doing a thing except being cute.
A dorky sleepy sweet wombat trots by and the truffle dogs go and want to play with it. It takes some time to call the shiny black Labrador crossed with a Dachshund back from the uninterested wombat and get them to concentrate on the work at hand.
Many thanks to Jean Haese for getting me to Australia finally. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to Jacky, Judi and Chris, Kate, Sue and Adam....
Many thanks to Jean Haese for getting me to Australia finally. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you to Jacky, Judi and Chris, Kate, Sue and Adam....


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X says The nice thing about being senile is you can hide your own Easter eggs
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The New York Timesleads with a look at an executive order issued by President Bush last week that ultimately gives the White House more power to control the rules and guidance documents issued by government agencies. These rules are designed to protect such things as public health and the environment, and they have traditionally been the work of career civil servants and experts. But now, under the new order, a presidential appointee will run an office within each agency to supervise their development. The Los Angeles Timesleads with a look at how the government has failed to fill several of the largest tunnels discovered on the U.S.-Mexico border. Some are concerned the open tunnels could be reused by those who smuggle drugs or people.
The Wall Street Journal tops its world-wide newsbox with the first suicide attack in Israel in nine months, which killed three people yesterday. Hamas praised the attack and characterized it as an act of legitimate resistance. USA Today leads with its own analysis of preliminary statistics that reveal traffic deaths fell by at least 5 percent in 16 states last year. Some states were quick to say the decreases are a result of better enforcement as well as an increase in programs aimed at educating drivers. The story ends with two experts basically saying the preliminary figures alone are not very significant. The Washington Postleads locally but goes high with new details about the militants who were the target of Sunday's daylong battle near Najaf. The fighters were apparently led by a cult leader who claimed to be a revered Shiite Muslim saint who disappeared in the 10th century.
The administration insists the new executive order wasn't directed at any specific agency, but some believe it was issued out of concern for rules and guidance issued by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Saftey and Health Administration. Naturally, business groups who have to deal with often costly rules praised the executive order while others aren't so pleased. Besides having the political appointees in place, the White House also wants to review any new guidance documents it deems significant. "Having lost control of Congress the president is doing what he can to increase his control of the executive branch," a professor tells the paper.
Interestingly, the LAT makes clear that the main entrance and exit points of several tunnels have been closed off, but much of their middle sections are still open, which means smugglers could still use them.
All the papers make sure to point out that the details of Sunday's battle in Iraq are still unclear, although it does appear the group's leader was killed. The militias were heavily armed and they were allegedly planning to attack Shiite leaders and holy sites during the religious holiday of Ashura. Estimates of dead fighters ranged from 150 to 400, and as the LAT makes points out, it's not clear how Iraqi officials came up with these figures. The Post had a correspondent on scene and says women and children were among the captured.
The LAT sees the group as a sign that "Iraq has become fertile ground for extremists of various stripes." McClatchy wonders how a group of this nature got such good equipment and training. The latest revelations are a stark reminder that violence in Iraq can't be quite so neatly summarized as Shiite vs. Sunni.
U.S. and Iraqi officials said the attack showed positive signs that local army and police forces are able to lead an attack, regardless of religious sect. But the NYT reefers word from officials who say there isn't much to celebrate as the battle, once again, pointed to deficiencies in the Iraqi security forces. The Iraqis are being criticized for failing to notice that a group of people was gathering in a tightly run compound. Also, it seems Iraqi security forces vastly underestimated the group's strength and U.S. troops had to help with air and ground support. The LAT gives a hint of what might have happened when it says that Iraqi security forces who were sent to investigate came under fire, which seems to demonstrate they had no idea what to expect.
The NYT and LAT front, while the rest go inside with, the latest from the Scooter Libby trial. Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said Libby told him of Valerie Plame's identity over lunch three days before Libby has said he first learned the information. The former press secretary also said Libby made it clear he was passing along sensitive information. Everyone notes Fleischer is the fifth witness to contradict Libby's version of events.
Slate's John Dickerson suddenly found himself mentioned in the middle of questioning yesterday when Fleischer said he told the reporter that Joe Wilson's wife worked at the CIA. Dickerson doesn't quite remember it that way.
Both the LAT and NYT go inside with separate pieces on how Fleischer's testimony gave an insider's view of the way the White House press secretary is often kept in the dark and then has to deal with changing explanations. "The worst place to stand as press secretary is where the ground is shifting," Fleischer said. The LAT points out that when Fleischer left the White House, he got a letter from Libby: "[W]e will still count on you to come to our rescue whenever the going gets tough."
Everybody fronts the news that Barbaro, the horse who won the Kentucky Derby last May, was euthanized yesterday after eight months of trying to fix extensive damage to his legs. Barbaro's owners decided to euthanize him after they realized there was not much left to do and they felt the horse was going through too much pain. Everyone points out that many who never cared about horseracing were captivated by Barbaro's story. Last year, Slate's Meghan O'Rourke wrote that "Americans have historically become preoccupied with horseracing in times of national strain," while the "Explainer" looked into why a broken leg is so dangerous for a horse.


text: Humanities Religion & Spirituality 15 Laws of Life from Swami Vivekananda What You Need to Keep in Mind Share Flipboard Email Print Ozgur Donmaz/Photodisc/Getty Images Religion & Spirituality Hinduism Arts & Culture Past & Present Important Texts Temples & Organizations Gods & Goddesses Gurus & Saints Christianity Catholicism Islam Judaism Buddhism Latter-Day Saints Taoism Alternative Religion Angels & Miracles Sikhism Holistic Healing Paganism / Wicca Astrology Atheism & Agnosticism View More by Swami Vivekananda Updated January 09, 2019 Swami Vivekananda, who lived from Jan. 12, 1863 until July 4, 1902, was a disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna and helped introduce Indian philosophies to the West. He was key in making the world aware of Hinduism as a major world religion. Here are 15 laws of living from the revered Swami Vivekananda: Love Is The Law Of Life: All love is expansion, all selfishness is contraction. Love is therefore the only law of life. He who loves, lives; he who is selfish, is dying. Therefore, love for love's sake, because it is law of life, just as you breathe to live. It's Your Outlook That Matters: It is our own mental attitude that makes the world what it is for us. Our thoughts make things beautiful; our thoughts make things ugly. The whole world is in our own minds. Learn to see things in the proper light.Life is Beautiful: First, believe in this world--that there is meaning behind everything. Everything in the world is good, is holy and beautiful. If you see something evil, interpret it to mean that you do not yet understand it in the right light. Throw the burden on yourselves! It's The Way You Feel: Feel like Christ and you will be a Christ; feel like Buddha and you will be a Buddha. It is feeling that is the life, the strength, the vitality--without which no amount of intellectual activity can reach God. Set Yourself Free: The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him--that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free.Don't Play The Blame Game: Condemn none: if you can stretch out a helping hand, do so. If you cannot, fold your hands, bless your brothers and let them go their own way.Help Others: If money helps a man to do good to others, it is of some value; but if not, it is simply a mass of evil, and the sooner it is got rid of, the better.Uphold Your Ideals: Our duty is to encourage every one in his struggle to live up to his own highest ideal, and strive at the same time to make the ideal as near as possible to the Truth.Listen To Your Soul: You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.Be Yourself: The greatest religion is to be true to your own nature. Have faith in yourselves! Nothing Is Impossible: Never think there is anything impossible for the soul. It is the greatest heresy to think so. If there is sin, this is the only sin--to say that you are weak, or others are weak.You Have The Power: All the powers in the universe are already ours. It is we who have put our hands before our eyes and cry that it is dark.Learn Every Day: The goal of mankind is knowledge... now this knowledge is inherent in man. No knowledge comes from outside: it is all inside. What we say a man 'knows,' should, in strict psychological language, be what he 'discovers' or 'unveils;' what man 'learns' is really what he discovers by taking the cover off his own soul, which is a mine of infinite knowledge.Be Truthful: Everything can be sacrificed for truth, but truth cannot be sacrificed for anything.Think Different: All differences in this world are of degree, and not of kind, because oneness is the secret of everything. Continue Reading