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Chimerans are a race of strange, widely-varied humanoids. An unintentional creation of the shapers, the chimerans are the result of thousands on thousands of failed shaper experiments interbreeding and mixing until their genetic makeup is impossible to predict from one generation to the next. The chimerans dwell in scattered communities throughout the world, though many still live near Myralis, and some ever remain within it, in scattered communities clinging to life among the ruins.
Personality: Chimerans are a fiercely individualistic people. No two chimerans are quite alike, in both small, inconsequential ways and large, important ways. As such, chimerans generally find it impossible to judge others by their appearance, preferring instead careful consideration, weighing the individual's merits and flaws. Chimeran children are raised to believe that such differences are a good thing, and that another's talents compliment their own. As such, chimerans are generally quite good teammates. One thing chimerans all tend to feel at one point or another, is that nobody understand them. Each chimeran is completely unique, so it's difficult to find others who understand their specific problems. Some respond to this stress by throwing themselves into their jobs, seeking to create an identity through their efforts, while others constantly wander, hoping to find some place to belong.
Physical Description: Chimerans vary widely from one to the next. Some have sharp teeth or claws and scaly skin, while others have lime-green hair, pointed ears and gliding flaps. Chimeran hair, skin, and eyes range through all colors of the rainbow, from snowy white to jet black, and all stops in between. Some have small spikes instead of hair, or wriggling, wormlike tentacles. Some have slit eyes like a cat's, or solid black, featureless orbs, or large, doe-like eyes. All chimerans share the same basic structure however, with an overall humanoid body type, standing between 5'6" and 6', with somewhat wide, rounded shoulders, and weighing in at between 100 and 180 pounds. Males and females share pretty much the same average in height and weight. One interesting quirk of chimerans is that when chimerans bear a child, the resulting offspring only rarely shares any traits with it's parents, even if both parents share the same traits. There is a tendency for certain traits to make their possessors gravitate toward certain jobs in chimeran culture, but it is not nearly as pervasive as it is in some cultures. Most chimerans reach maturity at 20 years and can live between 100 and 120 years. However, some mature and age faster, while others grow slower.
Relations: Chimerans in non-chimeran communities are universally outsiders to one degree or another, often viewed as curiosities at best and freaks at worst. The reverse is not true, however, as outsiders of most races can blend almost seamlessly into chimeran communities. Chimeran communities are often small, with many of their more individualistic members heading off to travel the world or live among other races. Chimerans are generally a friendly people, albeit critical. They can make no assumptions, so guests often feel like they're being constantly judged.
Alignment: Chimerans raised in chimeran communities are generally lawful, while chimerans raised in other communities are most often chaotic. Most chimerans raised in chimeran communities are good, while those raised elsewhere show no real preference for good or evil. The general number of evil outsider chimerans can lead to stereotyping all chimerans as chaotic and evil.
Chimeran Lands: Chimerans were originally from the Myralis, the central metropolis, where they formed large communities, their varied natures allowing them to fill all the roles of the society. When Myralis fell in the aftermath of the illithid, they fled. However, some die-hard chimeran communities struggle to survive within the walls of the city, fighting off the smaller monsters and moving around to avoid the earthshakers.
Language: Chimerans speak common almost universally. Most pick up other languages based on their location and the communities nearby, and some pick up more exotic tongues out of interest.
Names: Chimeran names are relatively simple. The chimerans give their children a personal name at birth, along with a descriptive name, which describes one of the infant's most prominent traits, like scalefang or glimmerwing. When a chimeran comes of age, he also chooses a name for himself to describe his profession or talents. This name can be changed at any time by the chimeran, though this change of name is taken quite seriously.
Adventurers: Chimeran adventurers are quite common, with a good number of young chimerans seeking their fortunes as mercenaries or explorers.
- +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma. Chimerans are sturdy and reliable, but their strange appearances often make it hard for other races to know what to make of them.
- Medium: As Medium creatures, chimerans have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Chimeran base land speed is 30 feet
- Emulate Race: Because of their radically mixed heritage, chimerans can use magic items that only function for a user of a certain race. This ability works like the emulate race function of the Use Magic Device skill. A chimeran can automatically emulate any humanoid or monstrous humanoid race, with no need for a skill check. Chimerans who have the Use Magic Device skill have a +4 racial bonus on attempts to emulate nonhumanoid races using that skill.
- Mutations: Chimerans are a genetic melting pot, and nobody knows the full breadth of the possible traits they will present with. Most of these traits are subtle features, like green hair or blue skin, but some of them are more complex. Each chimeran may choose his traits from the following list. A chimeran may not choose the same trait twice.Natural Weapons: A chimeran's mutations always provide it with at least one defense mechanism; choose one of the following mutations:
- Acid Spit: A chimeran with this trait shows very little outward sign of it. They gain the ability to spit a mouthful of acid as a standard action. This spit is a ranged touch attack with a range of 30 feat that deals 1d6 points of damage +1d6 points of damage for every 3 HD you possess.
- Claws: A chimeran with this trait has sharp claws on his fingers, and gains two natural claw attacks that deal 1d4 points of damage each.
- Club Tail: A chimeran with this trait has a heavy, muscular tail tipped in a spiny club, and gains a tail slap attack that deals 1d6 points of damage.
- Fangs: A chimeran with this trait has sharp teeth and a pronounced jaw, and gains a natural bite attack that deals 1d6 points of damage
- Horns: A chimeran with this trait usually has one or more horns, branching antlers, or spikes, and gains a gore attack that deals 1d6 point of damage. In addition, if a chimeran makes a charge attack with their gore attack, the attack deals double damage.
- Hungry Maw: A chimeran with this trait possesses short, stunted fangs, or a circular, lampreylike mouth, and can drink the blood of it's victims. If a chimeran with this trait pins a living creature in a grapple, he may take swift action to sink his teeth into them and begin to drink their blood. This deals 1d2 points of constitution damage each round the target remains pinned. If the target breaks the pin, the chimeran's grip is disrupted. The target takes 1d4 points of damage, and continues to bleed for 1d6 rounds thereafter, taking 1 point of damage each round. This attack cannot be used against targets immune to critical hits.
- Ink Spit:A chimeran with this trait has thick, black saliva, which can be quite disturbing to outsiders, and gains the ability to spit ink as a standard action. The chimeran may make a ranged touch attack against a target within 30 feet. If this attack succeeds, the target is blinded by the viscous goop. The target must take a full-round action to clear the ink from their eyes. The target may clear some of the goop with a move action, but the target is dazzled and takes a -4 penalty to spot checks until they take a full-round action to clean their eyes out. Underwater, this trait functions slightly different. By taking a standard action, the chimeran may create a 5-foot diameter cloud of ink in their square or a square adjacent to them, which hangs in the water for one round per point of constitution modifier they posses (minimum 1). This cloud provides concealment for anyone inside the cloud, but creatures outside the cloud have concealment against the creature inside the cloud as well. The cloud provides total concealment to those on opposite sides of it. Whenever the chimeran uses this trait, either in it's spitting form or ink cloud form, they must wait 1d4 rounds before they can use it again.
- Poison Fangs: A chimeran with this trait has two, long, needle-like fangs that produce a potent toxin, and gains a natural bite attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. Up to (con mod)/day (minimum one), any living creature hit by this bite attack must make a fortitude save (DC 10+½ HD+con) or take 1d4 points of strength or dexterity damage (chosen at character creation) as initial and secondary damage.
- Scream: A chimeran with this trait can unleash a destructive scream as a standard action. This scream takes the form of a 15-foot cone. The cone deals 1d6 points of damage for every 2 HD the chimeran possesses. Any creature within the cone may make a reflex save (DC 10+½ HD+con) for half damage.
- Slam: A chimeran with this trait has large hands and pronounced, bony knuckles, and gains a natural slam attack that deals 1d6 points of damage.
- Swimmer's Tail: A chimeran with this trait possesses a strong, flat tail, and gains a tail slap attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. In addition, this tail grants the chimeran a +2 racial bonus to balance, jump, and swim checks.
- Tentacle: A chimeran with this trait has one or two long tentacles sprouting from somewhere on their body, and gains a tentacle attack that deals 1d4 points of damage. This attack has a reach of 10 feet.
- Tongue: A chimeran with this trait possesses a long, thick tongue, and can use it to affect enemies at a range. As a standard action, they may make a ranged grapple, trip, or disarm attempt against a target within 10 feet. The chimeran makes the relevant grapple or strength checks at a -4 penalty. If the target is sucessfully grappled, the target is pulled into the chimeran's space. This movement does not provoke attacks of opportunity. If the target is successfully disarmed, the weapon is brought to the chimeran's mouth, and may be spit onto the ground in his square as a free action, or passed to his hand as a move action.
- Web: A chimeran with this trait posesses a pyramidal structure somewhere on their body, and can use this structure to spin silk. The chimeran can produce up to 20 feet of silk cord per day per point of constitution bonus. Any creature coming or object coming in contact with this web must make a reflex save DC (10+½ HD+con) or be stuck to the cord. This cord requires a DC(10+½ HD+con mod) strength check to break or pull free of.
- Armored Hide: A chimeran with this trait has his body covered with scales, fur, or thick hide, and gains a +2 racial bonus to natural armor.
- Chameleon Skin: A chimeran with this trait can change the color of his skin, and gains a +4 racial bonus to hide checks.
- Glimmering Skin: A chimeran with this trait has skin with a reflective sheen to it, and gains Spell Resistance 10+HD.
- Oily Skin: A chimeran with this trait secretes a slimy, oily substance from their skin when angry or scared, and grants them a +8 racial bonus on escape artist checks.
- Rapid Regrowth: A chimeran with this trait gains fast healing equal to his constitution modifier.
- Resilience: A chimeran with this trait gains energy resistance 5 against acid, cold, electricity, fire, or sonic damage. (chosen at character creation).
- Simplified Guts: A chimeran with this trait has simplistic organs that are extremely generalized. When a critical hit or sneak attack is made against a chimeran with this trait, there is a 25% chance that the critical hit or sneak attack is neutralized, and the damage is instead rolled normally.
- Thorny Hide: A chimeran with this trait has their skin covered with short spines. These spines deal 1d4 points of damage to anyone who makes an unarmed attack, melee touch attack, or natural attack against them, and anyone who makes a grapple check against them. They may also be used like armor spikes. The chimeran can suppress or resume this ability as a free action.
- Flippers: A chimeran with this trait has webbed hands and feet, or possibly a paddle-like tail, and gains a swim speed equal to his base land speed. They gain a +8 racial bonus to swim checks made to perform a special action or avoid a hazard, and may always take 10 on a swim check, even if rushed or threatened.
- Gliding: A chimeran with this traits possesses gliding skin flaps or weak wings. These wings can be used to glide, negating damage from a fall of any height and allowing 20 feet of forward travel for every 5 feet of descent. Chimerans with this trait glide at a speed of 40 feet (average maneuverability). Even if a chimeran's maneuverability improves, they can't hover while gliding. A chimeran can't glide while carrying a medium or heavy load.
If a chimeran becomes unconscious or helpless while in midair, their flight structures naturally unfurl and powerful ligaments stiffen them. The chimeran descends in a tight corkscrew and takes only 1d6 points of falling damage, no matter what the actual distance of the fall.
- Sticky Fingers: A chimeran with this trait has hands and feet that stick easily to any surface, and gains a climb speed equal to his base land speed. They gain a +8 racial bonus to climb checks, and may always take 10 on a climb check, even if rushed or threatened.
- Swift Legs: A chimeran with this trait possesses double-jointed legs or legs that are just exceptionally powerful, and increases his base land speed by 10 feet.
- Blind: A chimeran with this trait usually has milky white eyes, sealed eyelids, or shows no sign of having eyes in the first place, and gains blindsight out to 30 feet, and blindsense out to 60 feet, and can perceive the world through a combination of scent, sound, and vibration much like a sighted creature would. Additionally, a chimeran with this trait is immune to gaze attacks, visual effects, illusions, and all other effects based on sight, as well as all text-based spells or effects. A chimeran with this trait cannot read written words or activate scrolls. A chimeran with this trait that has it's hearing impaired by a spell or effect is limited to only it's blindsense.
- Extra Arms: A chimeran with this trait bears a second set of arms just under the first, though they're extremely small and relatively weak. Their weaker limbs are poorly suited to carrying weapons or shields, and do not gain natural weapons (even if the chimeran is under a spell or other effect that grants hand-based natural weapons), but they do an excellent job of providing stability and support to the upper limbs.
These extra limbs allow the chimeran to use weapons one size category larger than normal without penalty. The chimeran's secondary arms must be free for it to gain this benefit. This benefit does not extend to larger weapons. For example, a chimeran can wield a Large longsword with a single primary arm without penalty by steadying the blade's pommel with its lower limb.
A chimeran can wield a pair of two-handed weapons by using all four of its limbs. The chimeran gains the full benefits of wielding a two-handed weapon, such as 1-1/2 times its Strength bonus on damage rolls. The chimeran suffers the standard penalty for fighting with two weapons and carrying a non-light weapon in its off hand.
If a chimeran carries a weapon or shield in its secondary arms while one or more of its primary arms also carry an item, it suffers a number of penalties. When using a shield, the chimeran takes the shield's armor check penalty on its attack rolls and skill checks even if it has proficiency with the shield. When using a weapon, the chimeran gains only half its Strength bonus on damage rolls. It takes a -4 penalty on all attacks for each light weapon used in this manner. This penalty increases to -8 for one-handed weapons. The chimeran cannot carry a two-handed weapon with just its secondary arms.
A chimeran with at least one empty hand can cast spells with a somatic component.
- Fearsome Visage: A chimeran with this trait can contort his face in bizarre, terrifying ways, and gains a +4 bonus to intimidate checks.
- Keen Eyes: A chimeran with this trait usually has large eyes, or eyes with strange pupils, and gains a +4 racial bonus to spot checks. In addition, they gain dark vision 60.
- Keen Ears: A chimera with this trait usually has pointed ears, swiveling ears, or large, complicated ears, and gains a +4 racial bonus to listen checks. In addition, they gain blindsense out to 30 feet.
- Sharp Nose: A chimeran with this trait often has an oversized or upturned nose, and gains the scent special quality.
- Split Mind: A chimeran with this trait has very little outward signs of it, though they may show a slightly enlarged skull, but inwardly, this trait is manifested by having a greater division between the hemispheres of the brain. The two are not truly independent, but the division is enough. A chimeran with this trait takes no penalty for wielding a weapon in his off hand. This does not grant him the ability to make additional attacks with his off-hand weapon. In addition, the chimeran's divided mind allows for some redundancy. If a chimeran with this trait fails a will save, they may choose to reroll the save immediately. They must accept the result of this roll, even if it is lower than the original roll.
- Stability: A chimeran with this trait has a thumb-claw on their feet that allows them to brace themselves solidly when standing on solid ground, and gains a +4 racial bonus to resist bull rush and trip attempts while standing firmly on the ground.
- Hold Breath: A chimeran with this trait usually has a large, barrel-like chest and can hold his breath for a number of rounds equal to 4x Con score.
- Crown of Eyes: A chimeran with this trait usually has extra eyes placed around their head, or snakes for hair, or even short tentacles tipped with eyeballs, and gains a +4 bonus to spot and search checks. A chimeran with this trait gains all-around vision, and cannot be flanked.
- Naturally Psionic: A chimeran with this trait gains 2 bonus power points at 1st level. This benefit does not grant them the ability to manifest powers unless they gain that ability through another source, such as levels in a psionic class.
- Fire Acclimated: A chimeran with this trait gains a +2 bonus to saves to resist fire spells or effects. They can exist comfortably in temperatures up to 120° F without having to make Fortitude saves. they are considered to have heat protection 1.
- Cold Acclimated: A chimeran with this trait gains a +2 bonus to saves to resist cold spells or effects. They can also exist comfortably in conditions between –20° and 90° F without having to make Fortitude saves.
- Automatic Languages: Common. Bonus Languages: Any non-secret
- Favored Class: Any. A multiclass chimeran's highest-level class does not count when determining whether she takes an experience point penalty.


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FRASER, Mich. – Fraser police are investigating a report from a woman who says she was attacked and assaulted by a man Monday morning while she was walking on 14 Mile Road near Mulvey Road.
The woman told police the man ran up from behind and pushed her down. He ripped her shirt and bra and grabbed her breasts. He then tried to rip her pants.
The woman received a swollen lip during the attack. She was able to push the man away. He fled in an unknown direction when a vehicle drove by.
The woman ran to a nearby business where she called police.
The suspect is described as a white man who is balding. He was wearing thin glasses. The woman said he had a heavy smell of aftershave. She couldn't give any more details on his description, police said.
Anyone with information on the attack is asked to contact the Fraser Department of Public Safety at 586-293-1425.

subset: commoncrawl


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Friday, December 26, 2008
Manuel Antonio National Park Costa Rica
What trip to Manuel Antonio Costa Rica would be complete without a trip to the Manuel Antonio National Park?
You're right, it wouldn't.
Manuel Antonio National Park is actually one of the smallest in Costa Rica, but IS one of the most visited. So much so, they limit the amount of guests per day, (currently 600). So, think about arriving early, plus, early provides a better chance of viewing wildlife, since many animals tend to be more active earlier rather than later.
You WILL see a sloth(s). You will see white-faced capuchin monkeys, howlers, and squirrel monkeys, although the latter will be a little more difficult. You'll see the colorful crabs, not by the beach, but on the main pathway, kudamundies (raccoon family), iguanas, plus the beaches in the park are FAR superior to the main beach in Manuel Antonio, meaning, more animals, more scenic, and less crowded - always a good thing.
Bring those cameras; you will rarely get this close to white-faced capuchin monkeys that aren't behind bars. Unfortunately, they're fairly comfortable around humans, but boy does it offer a great chance at the perfect pic or video.
Here's our take on Manuel Antonio National Park:
Wanna know about Gay Manuel Antonio?
Want to see hundreds of videos about ANYTHING Costa Rica? Go to the Costa Rica Travel Channel and for tons of information about traveling to Costa Rica, check out Travel Costa Rica Now
Labels: Arenal Costa Rica, Costa Rica Travel Info, GAY Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park, National Parks in Costa Rica, Travel Videos
2 comments:
- laurent gaget said...
watch out!!!
if you go to Manuel Antonio don't go to the beach at night!!! We got robbed by somone with a gun who took all our money.. And everyone knows about it, they even said that there are 3 men who do that. Curiously there is no Police.. so be very careful in Manuel antonio.. I don't know about other places but be careful..
- December 31, 2008 at 9:50 AM
- Unknown said...
Normally it's malpais that gets the bad rap, not manuel antonio,,,always good to be aware of your surroundings..................anywhere you are, thanx for the heads-up.
- January 1, 2009 at 10:43 AM
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Kevin Costner and his country band were set to walk on stage at a Canadian music festival when it collapsed, killing one and injuring as many as 40 after a powerful storm swooped in and forced thousands to run for cover.
Fans began to scream as a storm with hurricane-level winds showered marble-sized hail on the thousands in attendance at the Big Valley Jamboree near Edmonton, Alberta, last night, according to Canadian television station CTV.
"We were all racing for the exit," said fan Lori Trelenberg, according to The New York Daily News. "It was devastation. It was strong and powerful. The stage just sort of crumbled."
U.S. & World
Country singer Billy Currington was on the main stage wrapping up his set when the main stage collapsed. He was bloodied when pulled out of the wreckage but was otherwise fine, according to reports.
Fifteen people were rushed to the hospital and four were considered "critically injured," according to CTV.
Costner's band, Modern West, was about to take the stage when the storm rolled through. The singer was not injured but went to the hospital to comfort others, The News reported.
Costner was seen helping people out of the wreckage and two members of his band were taken to the hospital, gossip website TMZ reported.
"It felt like bombs were going off around us in this concrete and steel building, Huge hits of power hitting the building, and then the lights were off," country music singer Jessie Ferrell told CTV News.
"Lightening, hail, thunder ... it looked like a tornado," she said. "Debris was flying everywhere."


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Microsoft's popular Xbox 360 game console can create a strong and strange signal on wireless LANs, according to IT staff at Morrisville State College.
It's not clear whether the signal disrupts the college's WLAN access points or students' wireless notebooks. There is some anecdotal evidence, however, that it at least affects other radios in the same 2.4GHz band.
Morrisville IT staff typically use Bluetooth headsets, which run in the 2.4GHz band, with their mobile phones when they troubleshoot problems on the spacious campus. "We had problems syncing our headsets to our phone where this signal was strong," says Matt Barber, the college's network administrator. A phone user had to physically touch the headset to the cell phone to make the initial connection, he says.
There may be effects on the WLAN that the equipment itself, from Meru Networks, is circumventing, according to Barber. Part of Meru's WLAN architecture employs software that gives the access points more control over wireless-client transmission behavior than does the software of some of Meru's rivals. An access point near a radiating Xbox may be compensating for interference by in effect guiding a wireless laptop to send and receive when open spectrum is available, essentially dodging around the Xbox signal.
Working with Meru, the small IT staff is planning to test soon the effect of multiple Xbox consoles in a dorm with a large number of active notebook clients.
Network World has asked Microsoft to comment on the Xbox signal phenomenon, but the company was not able to reply before this story was posted. We'll update this report as soon Microsoft provides information.
The latest version of the Xbox, the Xbox 360 Elite, went on sale earlier this year with a 120G-byte hard disk and a high-definition video interface.
Morrisville is a small college in rural New York state, taking its name from a nearby town. In summer 2007, the college deployed a campuswide 802.11a/b/g WLAN based on equipment from Meru.. The plan was to replace those access points with Meru's new, two-radio devices that added support for Draft 2 of 802.11n, the IEEE standard that boosts throughput from 22M to 25Mbps to at least 150M to180Mbps. That replacement was just completed, creating the first large-scale deployment.
During the fall, Morrisville IT staff, working with Meru engineers and IBM, the network integrator, detected an unusual signal in the 2.4GHz band. "We wanted to look at the [radio frequency] environment in our dorms," Barber says. "We always thought we'd run into some strange stuff [there] in the 2.4 range."
The signal was discovered using Cognio Spectrum Expert, from Cognio (recently bought by Cisco). Spectrum Expert is RF-analysis software packaged with a WLAN adapter card that slots into any laptop PC. Among other capabilities, Spectrum Expert identifies sources of radio energy in the 2.4GHz and 5GHz WLAN bands, and identifies the cause, such as a brand of access point or a microwave oven.
"The signal really stood out," Barber says. "In some places it was so strong we thought it might be affecting the air [that is, the radio environment] around it."
The Cognio software, however, was baffled by this new signal: "Unknown emitter" was the classification. The signal shows up in the Cognio display as a kind of green-blizzard effect, covering a large swath of the 2.4 band, Barber says. That means the signal "is jumping all over the spectrum band," he says. In contrast, a nearby Meru access point shows up in the same scan as a strong, stable yellow-red glow, almost like a sun. The green blizzard is shot through with red dashes, which show, Barber says, that the signal at moments nearly rivals the access point in strength.
The mystery signal baffled the IT staff and Meru until Barber had a brainstorm: He brought in his own Xbox 360 and plugged it in, and turned on the Cognio spectrum analyzer. Presto: The same signal appeared.
Barber says the signal seems be created by the console's embedded 2.4GHz radio, which is used to communicate with the handheld wireless controller -- the gizmo with the buttons that manipulate a game running on the console. The Xbox also takes an optional Wi-Fi adapter, in the form of an USB dongle, to connect to a WLAN access point.


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Thomas & Libowitz has been a vital member of the Baltimore/Washington business community since 1975.
We have represented numerous individuals and businesses and have helped our clients achieve great success. Constant and open communication with our clients assist in the development of effective legal and business strategies to achieve their goals.
Our experience allows us to provide sophisticated legal services and tailored representation to meet specific goals and needs. Many of our lawyers have been recognized (both regionally and nationally) as leaders in their respective disciplines.
"Our passion is your success."


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As for me, I'm still suffering in allergy land, although I did make it to the soccer games today. I've been desperately trying various treatments, and I may have found one that helps. I've been on Allegra every day for many years, so I decided to try Zyrtec today (it's now over-the-counter). I tried it years ago (pre-CFS) and it made me drowsy, but I've been feeling so completely crashed from these allergies I thought, "So what if it does make me drowsy? Would I even notice?" And, guess what? I think it might be helping a little, along with strategic doses of Sudafed in between nap and bedtime.
So, anyway, it is time once again for Quote It Saturday, featuring a quote from a book I've read. Today's quote is actually from a teen novel I recently read, Where Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten. As often occurs, the topic is not chronic illness, but one character's thoughts about a different sort of life-changing trauma rang true for me. Here, the main character, Ellie, is talking about her sister's mysterious disappearance two years ago:
There are some things a person just never gets over, that the phrase "get over" doesn't really apply to. And when one of those things happens in your life, it doesn't matter how much time has passed, or if you're sitting alone in your room or at a party surrounded by a hundred people, and it doesn't matter if you're actually thinking about it or not because no matter where you are or what you're doing, it's still there. It's not just something that happened. It's become a part of you.
- Where Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten
Isn't that just like living with CFS? Even on a good day when you're feeling pretty good, even at an important event that you are well enough to attend, even in the midst of a happy moment, it is always there, a part of you. By the way, it was an excellent book.
Hope you're having a good, allergy-free weekend!


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Europeans' beloved "Peek & Cloppenburg" with wide assortment of well-known brands will settle down in Kaunas soon. After 7 years of operating in Lithuania, the famous fashion store chain determined to expand. For new store they chose shopping and leis…


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Teen Poet Sparks New Debate on Islam in Denmark
COPENHAGEN – Yahya Hassan was about 10 years old when cartoonist Kurt Westergaard attracted passionate criticism from Muslims world-wide with his cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb as his turban. It ran in a Danish newspaper.
Hassan – the 18-year-old son of Palestinian immigrants who are Muslims – is now creating his own brand of controversy in Islamic circles and elsewhere with a new book of poetry that was published in Denmark last month. The writing student's self-titled book contains around 150 poems, many of which are severely critical of the religious environment he grew up in.
His book has been a surprise strong seller since it hit the relatively small Danish market Oct. 17, with 32,000 copies being sold in about two weeks. The publisher, Gyldendal, says books of poetry in Denmark are lucky to hit 500 copies.
In televised interviews, Hassan has been anything but tempered in his comments about what he views as a culture of hypocrisy underpinning Denmark's Muslim population. His words have prompted arguably the largest debate on religion in the small Scandinavian nation since the Westergaard cartoon.
Like Westergaard, Hassan's safety is on the line.


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Fire Circles
What is love if You don't connect it with sparkles. Is your love on fire? Because our is!
Frozen Sparks of Love
We tried to represent with each of these circles their souls. They are similar in a way and so different in a way. That is the real beauty of the world.
Magic !!!!
This little girl was so fascinated with light painting, that she asked me whenever I saw her when I am going to make her one. Kids are the innocent beings from which all of us could learn something. I did from her for sure.
Who is stronger, man or fire?
Flying Companion
Companion! Let's conquer the world together!
For All Eternity
Take this umbrella, and let's hide under the sparkly, stars filled sky.
Sound on Fire
In this shooting, we wanted to represent the sparks of music. Do you think that we made it happened?
Come closer and Kiss me!!!
He hugged her, and kissed her, while I added some magic!
Sparks of Love II
With this photo we wanted to represent the emotion of a couple; I don't see what could be better portrait photo of a two in love. Which name should we give to this one? Maybe.. #sparksofloveofcouplegoals? I don't see why not.
Drone Light Painting
The multi-colored photo on this cold night. We all could use some sparkle in our lives, don't you think?
Love on Fire on the top of the city
"We're all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness—and call it love—true love."
Robert Fulghum
Sparks of Love
Love, calm winter night and kiss full of sparkles. What do they need more? They have it all.
"One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain."
Bob Marley
One of the first in this series of photos. Those two umbrellas didn't make it through the night.
Burning Hearts
Burning heart is the same thing as their love, passionate and hot. What is more appropriating to represent their love than, literally, BURNING HEART!
Night on Fire
Sitting there on the ground, casually looking for some beauty. Do you need some? Let's find it together!
Road to Love
"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.."
Nicholas Sparks
Alone in the Fire
Fighting with our demons in one photo. They can't have us unless we let them. Remember that always.
Sound of Fire
"Reality is a sound, you have to tune in to it not just keep yelling."
Anne Carson
Hug and Kisses, Stars for Wishes
Love under the stars!
Sitting calm to make this photo, but in the same time driving, I found it tough. But yet, I was better in it than her, do you agree?
Love Flame
We love Banja Luka, and we love each other.
"Two possibilities exist: either we are alone in the Universe or we are not. Both are equally terrifying." Arthur C. Clarke
I climbed on the fence in order for a fire sparkles to be bigger. Did I make it? I think so.


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Would like to add http://www.xfire.com/live_video/crushadindin/ to the list for <No Chicks Allowed> Holy Pally PoV 13/13 Hmodes
Would like to add http://www.xfire.com/live_video/crushadindin/ to the list for <No Chicks Allowed> Holy Pally PoV 13/13 Hmodes
Pie Chart's stream is up, starting on heroic BoT.
H BWD (Maloriak, Chimaeron, Atramedes, Nefarian) then H Throne of the Four Winds tonight! Stream is up and raiding starts in about 20min.
No Chicks Allowed stream starting up around 8:30 est, Heroic Chogall, Sinestra, Conclave, and Al Akir tonight.
HCC's Stream is up.
H Cho'gall progression 9/13 HM
http://www.xfire.com/live_video/ivan017 Frost DK PoV
http://www.livestream.com/hccsc2 Prot Pala PoV
Last edited by Cistara; 2011-04-13 at 11:54 PM.
Xfire.com/live_video/dominater87 hpally pov for Rocket Surgery's group Z raid!!! just farming stuff is up!
Eternal streaming now, http://www.xfire.com/live_video/soccerplayaandy.
Also, please update our progression to 9/13 in 25s and working on H Cho'gall next
HardcoreCasual's Live Stream is up
9/13 HM working on H Cho'gall tonight.
When the mods get a chance can you update the first post to 9/13 HM and H Cho'gall please?
<Harlequins> of EU-Dethecus
www.own3d.tv/live/152 (Holypala Pov)
Contenct clear 13/13. Streaming our farm raids
Mon/Tues/Wed/Thurs/Sun 7:00 - 11:00 pm cet / gmt +1
New guild with new stream ) Innocentia is the past now Harlequins EU-Dethecus.
Content clear ! World 62. Streaming our 25man heroic farm raids.
<Fatality> H- US-Blackrock
www.xfire.com/live_video/thefhaith (Mage PoV)
5/13 HM's Streaming Everything
Tues/Thurs/Sunday 6-10 PST
Harlequins stream is up )
Tonight the last 3 encounter. Cow, Al Akir and Sinestra
No Chicks Allowed raid starting up tonight at 8:30 est. Probably starting off with BWD tonight.
Pie Chart's stream is up, BoT trash starting in 10min. =P
http://www.xfire.com/live_video/premiog/ can be added to us too, Hunter PoV
<Praetorian Guards> US-Kilrogg Horde
M,T,Th 8-10:30 PST
2/13 HM, working on Maloriak/Atramedes
Pie Chart up! Sinestra and all the end bosses left and stuff. With doods.
No Chicks Allowed stream starting at the regular 8:30 est, just ascendant council, chogall, sinestra, conclave, and al akir up tonight.


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With the growth of business, one needs to upgrade operational methods to keep up with the pace of other businesses. With the growth in credit transactions, good business homes have turned to business credit card processing.
A lot of hassle is associated with liquid money. It requires manual labor for handling even after which there are possibilities of errors that are associated with cash transactions. Here, the importance of a business credit card processing system comes into light.
A business credit card processing program helps your business to grow and provides a hassle free shopping experience to your customers. It is inexpensive and easy to operate and joins customers looking for hassle free shopping experience. A credit card payment system lets customers shop with peace of mind unlike when making payments with cash. Whether you sell used books or handmade baby clothes, a credit card payment option generally joins more clients who are willing to spend more than the person who operates on a cash basis.
You can grow your business and move ahead with a retail credit card processing method. You can also use the MOTO system for mainstream commerce. MOTO or a Keyed merchant account is used by businesses that do not sell face to face or those businesses which take orders over the telephone or through mail. A MOTO merchant account lets you process transactions through a credit card machine, a PC processing program, or by keying them in over the internet.
After deciding on opting for business credit card processing, look for credit card processing company that offers the best deal. The credit card processing company provides you with the credit card processing equipment, service, maintenance and other benefits associated with a credit card processor. Only after thoroughly going through the terms, sign the deal for the services that the credit card processing company provides.
Source by Zed Miller


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ceramic rasching ring is the earliest developed random packing, named after the German chemist Friedrich Raschig. It's small tube cutting, which outside diameter is equal to its height, providing a surface for (re)evaporation of the most volatile part in the refluxing distillate, typically 10 mm in diameter and 12 mm long.
It's used in commercial fractional distillation towers to reduce pressure loss (versus using trays), while maintaining good efficiency and economy. Typically the change in pressure (also called "delta p") is lower than in the case of trays but slightly higher than for structured packing.
With the characters of high mechanical strength, high chemical stability, and excellent heat endurance, Ceramic Raschig Ring can resist high temperature, acid (except HF), alkali, salt and various organic solvents. It's widely applied in various packing towers of desiccation, absorption, cooling, washing, and regeneration in industries of petrochemical, chemical, metallurgy, gas and oxygen generation.
For raschig ring with big size over 100mm, it's usually filled in the column orderly. If its size is less than 100mm, raschig ring is stacked in the column randomly.
Ceramic Random Packings
Ceramic random packings include Rasching ring, Cross partition ring, Pall ring , Intalox saddles, Super Intalox, Cascade ring and Conjugate ring.
Main specification:
Detailed Product Description
Ceramic saddles, ceramic saddle ring, ceramic saddle tower packing, ceramic tower packing, ceramic random packing
Size & Specification:
Ceramic Saddles are divided into two different types of products according to their properties, KPK-CIS-A is often used in the field of Chemical and Petrochemical industries, and KPK-CIS-B is mainly used in environmental areas such as RTO(Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers) equipment. But both of them are the most frequently used high-performance packing and exhibit advantages for most applications in comparison with other shapes. Their smooth surface imparts a high chemical resistance and provides Ceramic Intalox saddle rings (Ceramic Saddles) with a high level of stability. Due to their simple form, ceramic saddles can be produced at a relatively low cost.
Chemical composition:
Physical properties:
Pall Ringdetail
Ceramic pall ring is a kind of random packing further developed based on Rischig Ring, with two layers of windows opened along its tube wall. The outside diameter is equal to its height. For each layer, there are 3 ligules bending inward the axes of the ring. The open position for windows between the two layers is staggered oppositely.
Generally, the area for open windows occupies 30% of the total area of the tube wall. It helps vapor and liquid flow freely through these windows, making full use of the rings inner surface to improve distribution of vapor-liquid.
With the characters of high mechanical strength, high chemical stability, and excellent heat endurance.
Ceramic Pall Ring can resist high temperature, acid ( except HF ), alkali, salt and various organic solvents. It is widely applied in various packing towers of desiccation, absorption, cooling, washing and regeneration in industries of petrochemical, chemical, metallurgy, gas and oxygen generation.
If ring's size is over 100mm, it is usually filled in column orderly. If its size is less than 90mm, pall ring is stacked in the column randomly.
Technical Date:
电话:86 0510 87490186
传真:86 0510 87491100


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Radio 3 boss hints at DJ's return
The troubled DJ Andy Kershaw's two-year stint in the wilderness may be about to end after his former boss at the BBC gave a clear signal that he wants him back. In an interview with The Independent on Sunday, Roger Wright, controller of Radio 3, who resuscitated Kershaw's career in 2001, said he would welcome his old friend back on air. "I'm still in touch with Andy and the door is not closed… he's ready. I'm in contact with him."
Source: The Independent – Radio 3 boss hints at DJ's return
With thanks to Rob at the Peel Newsgroup for this.
See also…
The land of the Three: Inside Roger Wright's radio culture club
A bullet through the heart of Radio 3


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Services » Google Ads
We are Google Ads Specialists
FACT: There are approx. 3.5 billion searches made every day on Google.
FACT: 40% - 50% of ALL Google searches result in an Ad Click!
Too often when we speak to companies about Google Ads in particular and Pay Per Click advertising in general, we hear the response that "it's too expensive" or just "it doesn't work".
Clearly, with advertising revenues exceeding $100 billion per year, Google Ads is working for some people (and not just Google) otherwise revenues would be a fraction of that amount.
The reason that some companies have a bad experience with Google Ads is mainly down to preparation. Although on the face of it, Google Ads seems quite simple to set up and use, the reality is that it takes time and energy to ensure that you pay the lowest amount possible for the highest number of clicks.
DO YOU run a Google Ads campaign? We will assess your campaign's effectiveness for FREE and give you detailed feedback. Click here to request your FREE Assessment
Most people have no idea that when a search is made in Google, in the time it takes to produce the results - which as you will know is next to no time - Google carries out an auction to decide which Ads it will show in the paid for spaces above and below the main search results. The best quality ads that match the search query are the ones shown in the best places and get most clicks. Yet despite popular belief, the advertisers of those ads also pay less per click than ads further down the page! This is because those ads and their associated keywords have a high quality score. Ads with lower quality scores pay more per click.
Case Study: Vivafit
We took over an Ads campaign for a European company selling Ladies only gym franchises. Their campaign was bringing in results but was costing them a lot for each converted click. Our brief was to increase the number of conversions and bring the cost down. As the table below shows, we decreased the monthly spend by about 500€ per month, increased the number of conversions and cut the cost per conversion by about 75€ in September and by about 100€ in October compared to August. This trend continued and we settled on a conversion cost of around 50€ after approx. 6 months.
Having the time to spend working out the most efficient way of advertising on Google so you don't end up spending loads of money with little return is not always possible for most people because it can be time consuming and gets in the way of their day job. Google Ads IS our day job! We put our skills and experience into making sure that your advertising works for you. We also feed back to you the results of the campaigns in an easy to understand format so that you can accurately measure the success and the return on your investment.
If your business is considering advertising on Google (or other PPC platforms), ask us about how we can help you get the most bang for your buck! (or most clicks for your budget).
The amount that you need to spend each month will very much depend on the business you are in and what you wish to advertise. For example, advertising Nike Trainers for a sports shop will be much more competitive and require a higher budget than selling entries to a cycling event (both of which we have run campaigns for). Most of our clients that have not used Ads previously tend to start with a fairly low budget but very often when they see the success that the ads generate, they increase the budget to win even more enquiries.
We charge a set up fee to write and create the ads and do keyword research. The amount will depend on the campaign you wish to run and the monthly budget you have. (The bigger the budget, the more adverts we have to write). We also charge a monthly management fee starting at £50.00 but this will again depend on the budget that you spend and the amount of work we will need to do each month.
Is your business a Non Profit?
We work with Non Profit organisations to utilise Google Ad Grants. Google offers Non Profits up to $10,000 per month to use on Google Ads advertising. Imagine what your organisation could do with $10,000 each month. It could be used to recruit volunteers, attract donations and share your story with people around the world - with no cost to you!
We'll help you leverage your Google Ad Grant as a starting point for a scaleable, comprehensive digital marketing strategy. We'll work with you to outline short term and long term goals, build the necessary advertising campaigns to achieve those goals, and provide guidance on content, messaging, and conversion rate optimization.
We're not just going to help you spend your Google Ad Grant budget… We're going to build and manage campaigns that will attract the types of visitors that will truly benefit your cause.
Call us today for a free, no obligation chat about your campaign. We will also review existing campaigns and manage them for you..


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If Bethel Church of Cherokee County, North Carolina is your church, tell us more! Click here and email a detailed description of all the great things your church has to offer and we'll include it here.
Written by: North Carolina Church Directory Author
- Andrews Church Directory
- Cane Creek Church Directory
- Murphy Church Directory
- Pinelog Church Directory
- Slow Creek Church Directory
- Bearpaw Church
- Beaver Creek Church
- Bethel Church
- Boiling Spring Church
- Hopewell Church
- Little Brasstown Church
- Macedonia Church
- Mount Nebo Church
- Mount Olive Church
- Mount Pleasant Church
- New Hope Church
- New Prospect Church
- Old Martins Creek Church
- Owl Creek Church
- Poindexter Church
- Red Marble Church
- Shoal Creek Church
- Temple Church
- Wehutty Church


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2nd teen claims she was lured in 'Twilight' case
NEWTON, Iowa -- A second teenager has accused a 33-year-old California man who claimed to be an actor from the movie series "Twilight" of inappropriately touching her, raising questions about whether police should have intervened last week before the man reportedly lured another girl into his vehicle.
David A. LaVera of San Diego, Calif., was arrested Tuesday after police say he inappropriately touched a different girl and drove off with her in Baxter. The girl was found unharmed.
LaVera appears to have told both girls he was an actor in the popular movie series "Twilight" and enticed each girl to go to a park with him.
That's what he did on June 3, said Tammy Adams, who accused LaVera of touching her daughter inappropriately.
Adams said LaVera told her daughter that he was an actor in "Twilight" and talked her and a friend into going to a park with him. While there, LaVera inappropriately touched her daughter, Adams said.
He asked the girl if they could meet in the evening and make out, Adams said. The girl planned on staying at her friend's home and sneaking out in the evening, but her mother found out and called Newton police.
Adams said the police didn't arrest LaVera. An officer from Newton found LaVera at a bar that same evening, and told him that if he attempted to entice a girl again, he would be arrested, Adams said.
"They didn't do anything about it," said Raven Adams, Tammy's daughter. "If they had, I don't think this would have happened to this other girl."
Newton Police Department officials would have investigated LaVera more quickly if they were aware inappropriate touching occurred, police Lt. Bill Henninger told the Register.
Henninger said the initial report the department received regarding Raven Adams stated LaVera was making friends with girls at the park.
"It all obviously seems odd, but being odd is not a crime," he said.
Raven Adams said she met LaVera on May 28 during lunch at Berg Middle School's cafeteria, where he was signing autographs and taking photos with students. He performed at an assembly at the school May 30, where Raven Adams said he was presented as David LaVera. On June 2, he attended a school-sponsored pool party.
Tammy Adams said she questions how LaVera was allowed in the school, and then allowed to perform in an assembly and attend the party. "It's scary the schools would let him in without checking him," the mother said.
Raven Adams said the incident has scared her. She hopes her experience will serve as "an eye-opener for young people" and teach them not to hang out with "strangers they don't know," she said.
LaVera was presented to school officials as David LaVera, a stuntman from California, Newton schools superintendent Bob Callaghan said. A family brought LaVera to school, where he spoke in the child's classroom with both parents present, Callaghan said.
LaVera also went with the parents to have lunch with their elementary-aged child at Aurora Heights Intermediate School, Callaghan said.
In both cases, the schools followed the protocol of having visitors sign in and be accompanied in the school, he said.
LaVera was invited back to perform stunts at a Berg Middle School assembly, Callaghan said.
The Newton school board meets June 23 and will likely discuss procedures on allowing visitors in schools.
"I think we'll identify the factors that took place and allow input on signing in and out and school-community relations. If a policy is put in place, it affects everyone," he said.
It continues to remain unclear, after being introduced under one name, how LaVera was able to persuade several teens he was a different actor, officials said.
The family of the girl LaVera was with on Tuesday when he was arrested is "numb," said Trena McKenzie, the girl's grandmother. "The whole family is numb."
McKenzie said her granddaughter, along with others, believed LaVera was Kiowa Gordon, an actor in the "Twilight" movies.
On Tuesday, McKenzie was at home when her granddaughter's best friend knocked on the door. The girl was teary-eyed, McKenzie said.
The friend told McKenzie that the woman's granddaughter left with LaVera and that she hadn't heard from them.
"She said the guy was from 'Twilight' and I didn't let her finish. I just called the police," McKenzie said.
Friends of the family and police located LaVera and McKenzie's granddaughter in Baxter. McKenzie said she is thankful for the people who stepped in front of LaVera's car and told the girl to get into their car.
"Without that, I don't think we'd have our granddaughter," McKenzie said.
LaVera is charged with enticing a minor, carrying weapons and failure to have a valid driver's license. He is being held in Jasper County Jail in Newton on a $50,000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday.


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"My Rogue scouts have just reported an abomination in the Monastery graveyard!" -Kashya
This quest becomes available after completing the Den of Evil, and is activated by talking to Kashya. She informs the player that a corrupted Rogue named Blood Raven has been raising the dead as Zombies and she must be stopped. The quest involves defeating Blood Raven, which, in turn, earns Kashya's respect.
Blood Raven is located in the Burial Grounds, located just off of the Cold Plains.
Once Blood Raven has been defeated, her death animation, which most quest super uniques have, will kill any remaining undead monsters in the cemetery itself but not those outside of the perimeter of the burial grounds. Return to Kashya for the reward. She will grant access to her Rogue Mercenaries for a fee, as well as a free mercenary if the player currently does not possess one.
The area has a Crypt and a Mausoleum. It is worth checking out for that extra experience and items for low-level characters.
Completion of this quest prompts Akara to give the next Act I quest, The Search for Cain.
Once there, it may be useful to kill all the skeletons and hungry dead found at the outer edges of the Burial Grounds (outside the cemetery gates). This ensures that there will be fewer creatures trying to surround and attack the player while he/she takes on Blood Raven in the center of the cemetery. Blood Raven moves around quite fast while shooting arrows and flame arrows at you, so a weapon or charm that adds cold damage will prove very useful here to slow her down. Blood Raven can be found within the cemetery gates, surrounded by her army of Zombies and skeletons; in fact, she will continue to raise the dead as the battle progresses, so she should be the top priority. All remaining undead minions die shortly after Blood Raven falls.
Blood Raven is, statistically, the third strongest Super Unique in Act I, after Treehead Woodfist and Andariel, respectively. However, the former does not need to be killed and it is likely the player is of sufficient level the first time Andariel is met in order to battle her properly. Even in mid-teen levels Blood Raven can still take some time to kill.
Quest Activation DialogueEdit
- "My Rogue scouts have just reported an abomination in the Monastery graveyard! Apparently, Andariel is not content to take only our living. Blood Raven, one of our finest captains in the battle against Diablo at Tristram, was also one of the first to be corrupted by Andariel. Now, you'll find her in the Monastery graveyard raising our dead as zombies! We cannot abide this defilement! If you are truly our ally, you will help us destroy her."
NPC Quest DialogueEdit
After InitiatingEdit
- "Blood Raven fought valiantly against Diablo in the catacombs beneath Tristram...She was never quite the same afterwards. It is now obvious she brought an evil influence back with her."
- "Blood Raven was the leader of a Rogue band that once fought Diablo at Tristram."
- "I'm sorry...The undead are bad for trade. I have a strict no-return policy."
- "Death has done nothing to weaken Blood Raven's combat skills. If anything, she's more deadly than ever."
- "Hmmm...How can one kill what is already dead?"
Early ReturnEdit
- "If you fail to destroy Blood Raven, I fear that our Order will perish forever."
- "Akara felt something was wrong even before Andariel descended upon us. She feared that Blood Raven had stumbled upon some evil force beneath Tristram. I wish we had acted then..."
- "I wonder if that old gossip, Melra, is among the undead? Oh, she had dirt on everybody."
- "Each moment you delay adds another undead Sister to Blood Raven's army."
- "When the dead return to prey upon the living, it is a terror beyond understanding."
Upon CompletionEdit
- "Andariel must be made to pay for her sacrilege!"
- "Kashya wishes to reward you for your defeat of Blood Raven. I thank you, too, even though Blood Raven was once my friend."
- "Some of those gals weren't so nice the first time around."
- "I can hardly believe that you've defeated Blood Raven! Though she was once my closest friend, I pray that her tortured spirit remains banished forever. You have earned my respect, stranger...and the allegiance of the Rogues. I have placed several of my best warriors at your disposal."
- "You've done well, stranger. I hope all your efforts are worth it."
Character Quest DialogueEdit
Burial Grounds EntryEdit
- "I sense great sorrow and misery."
- "Hmm, whose handiwork lies buried here?"
- "I shall meet death head-on."
- "Planting the dead; how odd."
- "Too many empty graves."
- "This holy place has been desecrated."
- "There is dark magic at work here."
Quest CompletionEdit
- "Rest in peace, Sister."
- "What I kill stays dead."
- "Good riddance, Blood Raven."
- "Your time has passed, Blood Raven."
- "Blood Raven, rest well."
- "Sisters, there was no other way."
- "Rest now, Blood Raven."
Kashya will grant the player a free Rogue Archer, if they don't already have a hireling, and allow them to hire further mercenaries at any time. Should the quest not be completed, Kashya will allow players to buy her mercs anyway after players reach level 9.
|Diablo II and Lord of Destruction quests
|Diablo II quests
Act I — Den of Evil • Sisters' Burial Grounds •
Search for Cain • The Forgotten Tower • Tools of the Trade • Sisters to the Slaughter
|Diablo II: Lord of Destruction quests
|Act V — Siege on Harrogath • Rescue on Mount Arreat • Prison of Ice • Betrayal of Harrogath • Rite of Passage • Eve of Destruction


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Tickle Tap Apps
Tickle, Tap, Laugh and Learn
Tickle Tap Apps are award-winning age-appropriate educational games preschoolers can play anywhere. These apps kept our very small (and rambunctious) game testers entertained for hours, making it clear that iPhone is a terrific platform for the 3- to 5-year-old snack bracket. It's so easy for them to hold a device, touch, tap and play!
Tickle Tap Apps are creative, fun and encourage learning through practice and exploration. Playing these apps helps children improve coordination and motor skills and practice preschool-level math, alphabet, pattern, color and spatial concepts.


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Blog: Johnson on offense | Espinosa on success
Nats Tweetsmetsguy234: RT @washingnats: Chad Cordero Retires #Nats #MLB http://bit.ly/iCf6iX
9 years ago from TweetDeckfederalbaseball: @CapsNatsDCU I have to think Cordero had then pressed.
9 years ago from TweetDeckwashingnats: Chad Cordero Retires #Nats #MLB http://bit.ly/iCf6iX
9 years ago from TweetDeckfederalbaseball: Chad Cordero's cap brim was as flat as Sidney Crosby's stick blade...
9 years ago from txtfederalbaseball: Chad Cordero's cap brim was as flat as Ivan Drago's flattop in Rocky IV...
9 years ago from txtfederalbaseball: Chad Cordero's cap brim was as flat as Pete Rose's helmet hair in the '70's...
9 years ago from txtjtshiffman: Anyone want a ticket to the July 8th #Nats game?
9 years ago from Twitter for iPadMorseBeard: @JackoBeam @levineps @sodapop6548 @natsphasetwo If the #Nats sign #Prince, u just know his facial hair wld have a faux-Twitter in abt 3 mins
9 years ago from ÜberSocialhannah_kali: Ticket, check. @Mariners jersey, check. Voice rested so I can yell louder than #Nats fans, check. I'm ready for some Mariners baseball!
9 years ago from TweetDeckgheorghetheblog: @natsnq I'd like you to write about Eggos #leggo
9 years ago from Twitter for BlackBerry®del309: It's "Out" Night at #Nats Park tomorrow. It was all the talk at the #HIV Commission meeting. I'll be wearing my #GYT t-shirt.
9 years ago from Twitter for iPhonekhudak11: @jackobeam @masnBen He's probably plotting a prank of some sort. Luckily, I have my iphone with me.
9 years ago from HootSuitelevineps: @JackoBeam pretty safe to say the beat writers are enjoying a rare between home starts "off day" @masnBen
9 years ago from webJackoBeam: I wonder where @masnBen is. I feel like he is sitting back and watching NatsTown on twitter and plotting something. #Nats #offnight
9 years ago from Twitter for iPadIts_Ball_Good: Nationals WInning By Accident, Just As They Planned It... http://bit.ly/lwXISM #Nats #MLB
9 years ago from HootSuiteJackoBeam: @EffYeahJDub that's awesome! My daughter asks if Ryan and Stephen are playing ball with their friends tonight. she's 2 and a half. #Nats
9 years ago from Twitter for iPadelizabethtalks: I have in my hand a ticket to see the #Nats play the #Mariners tomorrow with @dharmabumx. Life. Complete.
9 years ago from webRKorby: What will the #Nats do when they have to sit Zimmermann when he hits his innings limit: http://t.co/Fl8BSAy
9 years ago from webKeethStone: @GoVenga no, i hate the #nats. I like #keystonelight and the #braves
9 years ago from webmatthewtstarr: @AdamKilgoreWP While he's had an awesome 1.5 months, let's see a full season out of him before we say Morse is at "the brink of stardom."
9 years ago from web


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Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Can somebody do a recap of the first episode?
Oh, but where do the clues take them? Dubai! Everyone is on the same flight. When they arrive, they must find a camel owner named Hassan (There is a Hassan for each team). Hassan will take them to his car and drive them outside the city to their next cluebox. The Twins and Sisters once again are having trouble, and once again work together to find their Hassans. At the next cluebox a team member must get on a camel while the other guides it around a course. Cathrine & Michelle arrive first, but after one of them slides forward and is in a position that would be extremely uncomfortable to one of the guys, camel handler has to readjust the blankets. The girls and Bjarne & Vilde finish the task at about the same time. The Cousins arrive toward the front but also have trouble with their camel. The sisters and twins arrive much later and one of the sisters is almost trampled by the camel. And this brings me to a question. Why do some teams from the foreign versions have trouble speaking English, but always know how to curse in it?
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Thursday July 19, 2012
Thanks For Reading!
I started Drunk Elephant Comics in 2008. Four years and five hundred forty-one strips later, I think I'm done with it, for awhile at least.
Drunk Elephant, for me, was a chance to really dive into webcomics. I did a digital comic series in the early part of the 2000s (Golden Boy for those keeping score). I was way ahead of my time on that front, but it was a great learning experience about what worked online and what didn't. So I wanted to try my hand at a webcomic strip and see if I could carve out a little place in webcomics for myself. My only rule was that I had to operate without a net. I wanted to challenge myself into doing cartoon improv. Nothing was written beforehand (other than this ending, I've always had it in mind from the start). I never allowed myself a buffer of longer than a week. I wanted to see what holding myself to a daily deadline was like, and to make the story up completely as I went along.
Thankfully, all of you were interested in seeing where I went also. My fans have been great, with many of you sending me emails this week once everyone started to figure out where I was headed with Hank. So, a heartfelt thanks to all of you out there who have been reading and supporting me.
What's next for me? I'm finishing up my thesis at the Center for Cartoon Studies for my final year there, which I hope will be published shortly after its completion. I also have a couple of mainstream comic projects coming soon that I can't wait to share with you all. And of course, you can find me every week on Signs & Meanings with the talented Kevin Church and Rick Hiltbrunner.
I also have a little idea I'm working on that I'd like to produce myself that I think you all would be interested in. If you would like to learn more about it, or just get updates on what I'm working on, please sign up for my newsletter.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you all for reading! Please share a comment, or drop me a line when you can.
And don't forget!
Sign up for my newsletter! I don't want you to miss out on what I'm doing next!
Comment [4]
Monday June 18, 2012
I Have A New Webcomic!
A few years ago, Kevin Church and myself did a webcomic together called Lydia, which was a spin-off of his regular webcomic with artist Benjamin Birdie, The Rack. It was always meant to act as a "limited series," in print comic terms, with the title character Lydia eventually going back to her original comic. We had a blast, and when it came time to collect the strips, we even went back and did a new 22 page story for the collection.
One of the characters from Lydia quickly became a standout favorite for both the creators and the fans, Ashley. Kevin and I wanted to eventually work together again, but we couldn't quite get the right concept together until it dawned on us both that we should go back to Ashley's story. I had also wanted to work with a good friend of mine who has a long résumé as a colorist for Dark Horse and Image, Rick Hiltbrunner.
So here it is, Signs & Meanings. Enjoy!
Sunday May 6, 2012
No Strip For Monday
I'm on the road to home from my first year at the Center for Cartoon Studies, and friends, it's a 3 day trip. I promise I'll update on Tuesday. Thanks for your patience!
Tuesday April 10, 2012
500 Strips
Holy cow, it's here. Today is the 500th Drunk Elephant strip.
I've been so busy at school that this milestone crept up on me. I've done so much over the last 9 months, including work on some outside comic projects that will be announced shortly. I am thrilled, however, that I've been able to keep this comic going through all of it though, and I'm equally thrilled that you all have stuck with me.
I've been thinking a great deal about when would be a good time to end this strip (I've had the ending thought out since the very first strip), and 500 strips is a natural time to start to think about it. Drunk Elephant has always been an exercise in improv for me; I usually create each strip the night before and don't work with a buffer. At the same time, I am also wary of overstaying my welcome with these characters, and don't want you all to slowly drift away from the strip but to go out on a high note.
In September of this year, the strip will have been running for 4 years. I have a ton of other webcomic ideas I'd like to share with you all in the future, so I'd love to hear your thoughts about this strip. Leave a comment, shoot me an email (this seems to be what most people prefer), but I'd love to hear from the fans. Again, I can't stress enough how great you have all been, and I value your input.
Thanks for reading!
Comment [4]
Saturday March 24, 2012
Spring Break!
Technically, Spring Break is over for me on Monday, but with traveling and trying to wrap up projects for the end of the semester, I'm going to take a break this week while I get settled back in at White River Junction and the Center for Cartoon Studies. I should have lots of announcements this month though, including the 500th Drunk Elephant strip, so keep up with me on the site! Thanks!
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California Lemonade
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Shake with ice and strain into a glass filled with shaved ice. Fill with club soda and top with several slices of lemon and a cherry. Serve with straws.


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text:
Stoke City: Butland, Cameron, Shawcross, Wimmer, Pieters, Shaqiri, Fletcher, Allen, Sobhi ,Diouf, Crouch, Subs: Berahino, Choupo-Moting, Tymon, Adam, Ngoy, Grant, Edwards
West Ham: Adrian, Cresswell, Zabaleta, Obiang, Ogbonna, Collins, Antonio, Noble Masuaku, Lanzini. Arnautovic .Subs: Hart, Ayew, Sakho, Haksabanovic, Hernandez, Rice, Makasi
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 14:13
No Carroll .sulkin again ?
Burkie 1
Deluded Hammer
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 14:55
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 15:03
Game delayed until Stoke find someone to pay the electric bill.
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 15:28
To get some 50ps for the meter!!
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 15:15
4 pm kick off. Glad to see we can really on Carroll reverting to type. (Letting us down) but we should all stay to the end! What a banker.
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 15:27
Hope they've got hot water bottles
Burkie 1
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 16:19
YESSSSSSS nobes scores pen ged in COYI
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 16:21
With Mark I don't miss many of these Noble putting it away.COYI'S.
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 16:53
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 16:57
Can't see the game dave,but Arnie should have scored I hear,he's got to take them chances
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:58
Happy days stan!!
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 18:03
Over the moon dave,it would have been an injustice, if he didn't score hearing the chances he had mate COYI
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:00
i dont want us to sit back on the edge of our area for the entire second half hoping we can see it out...we need a second...COYI...by the way anyone no why carroll not even on the bench or is the answer obvious?
La Vida Hammer
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:02
but back to making sill mistakes, should be 2 up, yes Arnie should have put that away
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:20
What that 3 chances now,for arnie tut tut
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:03
Lanzini had a great run on the counter attack. Even more dramatic penalty. Great dive that paid off for once. West Ham are always on the receiving end of these decisions.
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:22
Get chicha on he loves a goal against stoke
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:24
Take him off and put on Chico.
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:34
Yesss ARINE
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:36
And he done the hammers sign to the stoke fans earlier good lad COYI
Sun, 17/12/2017 - 08:57
Fair play to arnie,he was immense against a very hostile crowd,kept his cool throughout & rubbed their noses in it!!even had a stoke scarf thrown at him & i wouldnt inflict that on anyone!!
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:36
We need to put one more away and that should knock the fight out of Stoke
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:39
Yes red,another clean sheet would be fantastic also
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:39
Looks like arnie beat me to that answer! Well played my son. I can't see it but he sounded dangerous but was having trouble finishing.
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:41
He's really got some stick today by the stoke fans,so glad he came back to haunt em.
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:47
Dicks is the man
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:42
moyes is fantastic. I love you david.
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:45
Yessssss Sulko 3 nil
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:48
The mighty irons are back! Off for a Christmas meal tonight with my son, looks like we going to have a good night! Not sure about our other halves tho!
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:50
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:51
Don't forget the cigar red
Dicks is the man
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:48
this result will send pep into meltdown. we're coming!
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:52
It can be done,moyes on a mission lol
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:49
Dicks is the man
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:50
we've been so good an 'R' has appeared next to stoke.
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:52
Red Neck Iron
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:53
Changing the subject away from football spurs are 1-0 down
moore 6 legend
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:55
Great news we can still catch them f*ckers
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 23:12
See that tackle on De Bruwn by Alli, Jaysus he could have done serious damage
Burkie 1
Sun, 17/12/2017 - 05:48
ref bottled it..mark my words that boys gonna be a liability in the world cup just like beckham in france 98
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 17:55
mark hughes your boys took a helluva beating
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 18:00
What a difference!!
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 23:13
It proves one thing when a manager looses the dressing room he can fold up his tent
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 18:11
Chicharito should have crossed to Lanzini for the 4th, as he did not have the angle. No doubt Lanzini was the MOM, being involved with all the 3 goals. He is getting back to his best, and deserved to have his name on the score sheet. With Masuaku who has been a thorn in the side of Stoke, Moyes' game plan is beginning to go into fruition. Cresswell at centre back, along with Masuaku in midfield seems to add to the rock solid performance in defence. No goals shipped out in 270 minutes, and the Hammers now in 15th spot and climbing up that table. Was worried at the start of the second half with the Hammers sitting back and absorbing the Stoke pressure. But the game plan was working as West Ham looked a lot more dangerous when they counter attacked. Arnie should have had a hat trick. Sakho also missed a couple of sitters.
Christmas is looking a lot more rosier and Merry.
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 18:18
He aint gonna be playing so no harm in it.....ADRIAN clean sheet again with the ginger pele to things looking up big time
Burkie 1
Sat, 16/12/2017 - 19:08
Just 1or 2 things ,they were useless, they were nearly as useless as us when we were useless in fact they could graduate with honours from the university useless article's they give the wrd useless a bad name.secondly 2 goals conceded in 4 matches and 3 consecative games with clean sheets .thirdly considering the way shity are playing tonight we came so near to beating them in 17 straight wins
In case you hadnt noticed i think there might be a bit of an improvement
Burkie 1
Mon, 18/12/2017 - 03:41
We're in a good patch of form. Have to keep the heat on. Arnautovic and Lanzini have to produce like that week in and week out.
Dicks is the man
Mon, 18/12/2017 - 07:32
it could all have gone so differently and i suspect had Bilic still been in charge it would have. so its looking like its been a good move to get moyes in. the fitness is playing a key role imo, lanzini and co seem to be able to run the entire pitch again. we've come through a tough fixture list so far with great results and performances.
Red Neck Iron
Mon, 18/12/2017 - 20:53
Maybe Moyes isn't taking any sh1t either.


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5497.0.55.001 - Information Paper: Request to Confidentialise International Trade Data, 2001
Latest ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 07/05/2001
|Page tools: Print Page Print All RSS Search this Product
This paper explains why and how some detailed international trade statistics are suppressed for confidentiality reasons and describes the relevant legislation under which the data are suppressed. It goes on to provide information on how an entity may register an objection to the disclosure of its data and how such objections are handled by the ABS.
Document Selection
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text:
Grey flowy top from mags, Studio sequined leggings, Parisian shoe and bag.
My make-up was inspired by the movie BURLESQUE which I'am obsessed with.
My friend actually did my hair which was a lot of teasing going on.
At first I was really terrified when I got home from school to get ready because of
the sudden brown out. I was so worried because I didn't know what to do with out lights and
how the hell would I do my make-up and hair with out lights and energy? and I actually did
my make-up with a flash light at first because I have no time to wait for the lights to go back.
It was so hard to do my make-up with out great lighting because I cannot see the colors
clearly, Minutes later the lights went back and I was shouting like crazy.
I was an hour late when I got to the venue which was so embarrassing because some
of my friends were already at the venue waiting for me, But after that we all enjoyed
the rest of the night and took a lot of pictures. I went home at midnight with my friends
who decided to sleep over at my house and we were planning to watch movies but
it didn't happen because we all slept right away.
I'm not yet officially 18 because my birthday is still on the 23rd of February...
Probably on my exact B-day it would be more casual with my family and relatives.
I can't wait to turn 18
XOXO Miki


text:
- Fonds
- 1933-1978
Fonds consists of correspondence (1943-1975), publications (1946-1970), addresses and forewords (1944-1977), unpublished documents (1952-1978), material collected for reference and other purposes, newspaper cuttings, memorabilia (1934-1977), and black and white photographs (1946-1975), written or collected by Guy Henson. Reference and other materials pertain to a wide variety of topics, including golf, education in Nova Scotia, political movements and current affairs, social causes, labour, management, and the activities of many local, provincial and national societies.
Henson, Guy


text:
Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac 2.3GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
$1,139.00Was $1,339.00 Save $200.00
Originally released June 2017
21.5-inch (diagonal) LED-backlit display 1920x1080 resolution with support for millions of colours
8GB of 2133MHz DDR4 onboard memory
1TB hard drive1
FaceTime HD camera
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Apple Certified Refurbished Products
Quality products at great prices
Rigorous prior to sale
Covered by Apple's one-year limited warranty This will open a new window.
Covered by Apple's 15-day returns policy This will open a new window.
AppleCareThis will open a new window. product can be purchased
Engraving and gift wrap not available for refurbished products
Supplies are limited
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Refurbished 21.5-inch iMac
Magic Keyboard
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Power lead
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Double the speed and bandwidth of the previous generation.
Two Thunderbolt 3 (USB-C) ports come as standard on all iMac models, each delivering up to 40Gb/s data transfer for external drives and cameras and twice the bandwidth for video and display connectivity. Four USB 3 ports give you plenty of options for connecting peripherals, including your printer, iPhone, USB drive and more. And with ultra-fast three-stream Wi‑Fi and Bluetooth 4.2 wireless technology, you're instantly connected to all your favourite content.
Turn your workspace into a showcase.
Thunderbolt 3 lets you add one 5K display to the amazing one already on your iMac. Or, as another option, you can connect two 4K displays and put over 32 million pixels into play.
Iconic design. Advanced engineering. Talk about modern art.
iMac has always been the ultimate in form and function: an all-in-one computer that puts everything — display, processor, graphics, storage, memory and more — inside one simple, stylish enclosure. The new iMac includes the most advanced, most brilliant desktop display we've ever built, and it's filled with all-new technologies that take power and performance to a whole new level. Yet it's still just 5mm thin at its edge.
Includes Photos, iMovie, GarageBand, Pages, Numbers, Keynote, Siri, Safari, Mail, FaceTime, Messages, Maps, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, Reminders, Photo Booth, Preview, iTunes, iBooks, App Store, Time Machine and more.
Tech Specs
2.3GHz dual-core 7th-generation Intel Core i5, Turbo Boost up to 3.6GHz
8GB of 2133MHz DDR4 onboard memory
1TB Serial ATA Drive @ 5400 rpm 1
Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640
Video Support and Camera
FaceTime HD camera
Simultaneously supports full native resolution on the built-in display at millions of colours (21.5-inch) and:
One 5120x2880 (5K) external display at 60Hz with support for 1 billion colours, or
Two 3840x2160 (4K UHD) external displays at 60Hz with support for 1 billion colours, or
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Thunderbolt 3 digital video output
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Depth: 17.5 cm (6.9 inches) with stand
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text:
Waymo is the self-driving technology company with a mission to make it safe and easy for people and things to move around. Building on software and sensor technology developed at Google, Waymo is now launching the world's first fully self-driving transportation service that will take members of the public from A to B at the touch of a button.
Waymo takes an integrated approach to building the world's first self-driving car, with researchers, product managers, and technical program managers working side by side. We seek to understand the needs of our users and the opportunities of the technology to ensure we build the best product. From self driving behavior to user interfaces, we work to inspire the product vision and then make it a reality.


text:
On Nov. 11, our country will honor its veterans as it does every year, with parades, ceremonies, speeches and patriotic music. Schools will welcome us into their classrooms and ask us to tell our stories, and everywhere we go young and old alike will clasp our hands and say, "Thank you for serving." We are blessed to live in a grateful nation.
We also live in an incredibly diverse nation. Our veteran population – just over 23 million and counting – reflects that. As Americans seek out those in their communities who wore the uniform to recognize them this Veterans Day, they'll find that women and minorities are serving in the military in greater numbers than ever before.
According to the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics, about 2,600,000 living U.S. veterans – 11 percent – are black. Another 1,824,000 – 8 percent – are women. Smaller percentages include Hispanics (5.8 percent), Asian/Pacific Islanders (1.5 percent) American Indian/Alaska natives (0.8 percent) and "other" (1.3 percent). These numbers are always changing, but together, they're about 29 percent of America's veterans, or about 6,700,000. We're no longer Sgt. Rock's army.
Addressing The American Legion's 92nd National Convention in Milwaukee, I expressed my desire to see more of this diversity in our own ranks – not because our organization is a promoter of diversity for diversity's sake, but because from its inception, the Legion has always maintained that a veteran is a veteran. From Frank Buckles, the last living World War I veteran, to Dawn Halfaker, who lost an arm in combat during Operation Iraqi Freedom and now serves on The American Legion small Business Task Force, we all share a common bond, regardless of our gender or race.
This is not a new development. Women were welcomed into the Legion before they had the right to vote in the United States. One of our founders, Hamilton Fish, is probably best known as the commander of the first all-black U.S. combat unit shipped overseas in World War I – the Harlem Hellfighters, who in 191 days of duty at the front didn't have any men captured or ground lost. Two of the country's most prominent civil-rights voices, Earl Dickerson and Corneal Davis, were among the first black veterans to join the newly formed American Legion and organize posts for black soldiers.
If you honorably served our country during wartime, you have a home in the Legion, period. We know, and cherish, a camaraderie rarely found elsewhere in society – a camaraderie that is colorblind and, increasingly, genderblind. The oath we swore was the same. The commitment we made; the discipline we endured; the joy and pride we felt serving something greater than ourselves.
On this Veterans Day, let us thank God for the gift of freedom made possible by those who served our nation with honor, courage and commitment in our armed forces during all wars that enabled so many of them to earn that coveted title of an "American veteran."
Jimmie L. Foster of Anchorage, Alaska is national commander of the 2.4-million member American Legion, the nation's largest veterans service organization. For more information, go to www.legion.org.


text:
Amy Poehler is one of Hollywood's favorite funny ladies, but this week the comedian tackled the latest episode of "Ask Amy" with a heavy heart.
In the candid video, Poehler, a Newton, Mass. native and Boston College alum, advised a young girl who felt left out because she didn't keep up with popular viral videos.
Boston police take second marathon bombing suspect into custody
"What should we be looking at and watching these days?" the Parks and Recreation star wondered. "Because in light of recent events, I've — and I'm sure you have — and the rest of the world, if not America, have been looking at photographs that have been really hard to take. I've been thinking about what these images do to our brains and to our heart and how we should look at them, and when we should look at them."
"What do I want my eye to see?" she continued. "How can I keep myself informed and connected without exploiting people and harming myself?"
"I kind of feel like my eyes need a break. Don't you? And if you do, then my encouragement to you and to myself would be to take it. That it's okay to not be looking at what everyone else is looking at all the time, to know what you're ready to see and not to see and to be okay with letting some things rest in peace."
"I don't know if any of this makes sense," Poehler concluded. "I love you, Boston. See you soon."


text:
The first set of memorable wines were encountered at our Luma Cellar tasting where two of the three bottles in our second Burgundy flight were drawn from the fabled 1947 vintage, considered by some to be the greatest Burgundy vintage ever. The first bottle of the flight, the Remoissenet 1947 Chambertin Clos de Beze, drank like a 1990 in that it was amazingly rich and youthful. Manifestation of the classic soy and Asian spice notes. Really a step up over the 71's. The Drapier 1947 Romanee St.-Vivant was very aromatic. A nose of cherry, cinnamon, clove, and Asian spice. Classic Romanee St.-Vivant, feminine and aromatic but not as powerful or rich as the Clos de Beze. The final wine in this flight was the 1961 Hudeolet Bonnes Mares. Dark color, very spicy and floral. Someone referred to it as almost-perfume-like. A great flight of Burgundies.
The Night of Wines at Victoria and Albert's was plenty bountiful. The 1937 Boisseaux-Estivant Bourgogne Réserve de la Chevre Noire was one of the biggest surprises of the night. A bouquet of sour cherry, mushroom, and orange peel with sweet and smokey barbecue tones and an intensity which held for at least an hour. All you could ever expect from a Bourgogne!
The 1959 Caves du Chateau F 'Troyes Clos Vougeot had a soaring nose of red fruit, asian spice, iron, soy, and beef broth. This wine had incredible length and richness on the palate and seemed to get better with time. This was the group's wine of the flight.
The Bordeaux flight and was led off by a 1966 La Mission Haut Brion. Wow! It has been a long time since we had a Bordeaux that beat the Burgundies and this was the Groups' WOTN. This wine presented a kaleidoscope of flavors beginning with sweet blackcherry, smoke, tar, cigar box, soy, spice, and mineral. The finish is near perfect as it has reached it's peak. Well-stored bottles will keep for several more years.
One of the great Dominus vintages -- and one of the true Napa greats -- the 1991 Dominus would have been identified as a great Bordeaux if it had been placed blind into this flight. This wine is fully mature and showing amazing complexity with black currants, cedar, leather, tobacco, and earth. Long finish. Very Pauillac-like. The 1991 never disappoints.
The 2000 Rayas CdP showed cherry, kirsch liqueur and rose petal on the nose. Rayas to me is the most Burgundian of the CDP's and this vintage shows it's elegance and purity of fruit. The group seemed to really love this wine. They have almost become impossible to find. Groups' WOTF.
The next wine in the flight was the 2000 Usseglio Deux Freres CdP. Next to the Rayas this has always been one of my favorite CdPs. This wine kept getting better in the glass. Nose of garrigue, earth, kirsch, licorice, and flowers. Saucy texture with a beautiful finish.
The 1947 Pierre André Chambolle-Musigny was the leading wine at our Chatham's wine dinner. Wow! Massive red fruits, very sweet, ripe with great acidity. A touch of tomato and protein. This wine showed much younger than its age.
The 1999 Chapoutier L'Ermite and 1990 Les Cailloux Cuvée Centenaire were opened and tasted together. The Chapoutier had a nose of blueberry, roasted nuts, pepper, and herbs. Meaty with a shoe polish finish. These wines will age effortlessly for 50 + years. I had high hopes for the Les Cailloux and it delivered. Very sweet and opulent Kirsch fruit. Almost Burgundian but more rustic with soy, balsamic, iron, and beef blood in the mouth. I love CdP and this was a great one!
The Gruaud Larose 1982 showed sweet black fruits with spice and cigar box. Great aromatics with some barnyard and earth. This wine was reminiscient of the smell and taste of the 1966 La Mission Haut-Brion but was fresher. I feel this is the best vintage of Larose since the '61.
At the Vintage Rioja Wine Tasting at the Bull and the Bear, the stunner was the 1925 Marques de Riscal which ended up as the wine of the flight and of the night. This wine was opened just prior to pouring because we were afraid that it might be too delicate to survive extended exposure to the elements; but it got better with the passage of time and three hours later it was running at top speed. Phenomenal.
While all of the preceding wines were trully phenomenal, the wine of the year for me was the 1958 Biondi Santi Brunello Reserva consumed at dinner at Terra Mia. This was truly one of the best Brunello's that I have ever consumed and it was in really good shape. It started off as almost Burgundian (Russell thought more like a Barolo) and was opulent and sexy. It had a nose of cherry, orange peel, and mushroom. On the palate very rich red fruits along with some basalmic and tobacco notes, perfect acidity, and balance. The wine presented as much younger than its years.
Here is to more great bottles in 2013.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme


text:
WACO, TX — Seven individuals have filed a $20 million lawsuit against Gary Heavin, owner of Curves International, and Roger Schmidt, the company attorney, accusing the pair of defrauding them. Curves is calling the lawsuit baseless and frivolous.
The plaintiffs say they sold franchises for the chain, quit their jobs and mortgaged their homes to help launch the company when Heavin started it in the early 1990s. They claim that Heavin promised them large financial rewards for their work.
The plaintiffs say that they worked 20-hour days traveling around the country charging expenses to their personal credit cards while selling franchises for Curves. For taking a risk and investing, they claim they were promised a share in the profits once the chain became a success.
The plaintiffs say that Heavin promised them a return on investment in the franchise fees of 20 percent and on top of that, 20 percent of the monthly fees paid by each franchise they sold. The lawsuit contends that Heavin further promised that they would receive the residuals for the remainder of their lives and those residuals would pass on to their heirs.
The suit claims that in February 2002 after Curves had grown to 2,000 franchises, Heavin told the plaintiffs that they would earn too much money from the original agreement so he forced them to sign a new agreement that gave them a 5 percent residual with a buyout option at a fraction of their present value. The plaintiffs state that Heavin threatened to fire them if they did not sign it. Each plaintiff signed the agreement, and Heavin then bought them out in November 2002.
Due to the pending litigation, Heavin would not comment about whether there were two contracts, and if so, why a change was made.
However, he did say, "Most of the plaintiffs were hired as independent sales reps after Curves had hundreds of locations. They were highly paid for the work that they did. Their lawsuit fails to state that they were paid more than $26 million for their efforts."