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|Gaetano Morelli
Joined Jul 19 2010
General Info
Caserta - Italy
Friends (7)
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AtlantIQ Society
ELITE High IQ Society
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About Me
I am an engineer and I work in a software society in Italy.
Full membership in other high iq societies: Sinapsa, Tetra, Grand IQ Society (elite member), Miqro, SPIQR, Epida, ISI-S, Ludomind, Creative Genius Society (honorary member), Milenija, CIVIQ, Torr, Artifex Mens Congregatio, Greatest Minds, High Potentials Society, IQuestion, Iqual, Encefalica, IHIQS ....etc.
President and founder of STHIQ high iq society (www.sthiq.com).
I have a big passion for science, especially for physics; I wrote a book about the Theory of Relativity by A. Einstein.
Hobbies: fishing, chess, soccer, informatic, skiing, engines
My name is Gaetano, but people call me "Tany".
Something strange about me: I am really fastest in counting letters in a phrase, up to 700 and more letters. While you talk, I count in real time.
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1 Comment
Reply Beatrice Rescazzi
6:42 AM on July 20, 2010
Hello Tany! Welcome to AtlantIQ, sei il benvenuto!


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Hampshire County Council and Network Rail agree to reopen Sway railway bridge
Monday, 14 April 2014
Hampshire County Council and Network Rail have worked together to reopen a busy route in the New Forest.
Following representations from the community and the County Council, Network Rail have suspended their works on the railway bridge on the B3055 between Brockenhurst and Sway.
The bridge was reopened on Thursday 4 April, ahead of the school holidays and Easter period, and will remain open during the summer.
Whilst Network Rail have further work to do on the bridge to bring it up to full strength and protect it from the elements, work to date, has enabled operations to be suspended for the summer, allowing temporary access to the road. This is in recognition of the route's importance to local businesses and tourism over the summer period. The plan is for Network Rail to complete the work during the late autumn/winter, following consultation during the summer months, views will be sought around further closures taking place.
Councillor Seán Woodward, Hampshire County Council's Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, said: "Hampshire County Council, local businesses and Network Rail were able to reach a satisfactory solution thanks to a meeting chaired by Councillor Ken Thornber, local County Council Member for Brockenhurst, and currently the County Council's Chairman. I commend Cllr Thornber's part in chairing this meeting and helping to secure this positive outcome."
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The Church of England voted on Tuesday against allowing women bishops after it failed to win the support of enough lay members for the reform, leaving the Church facing more internal strife over an issue that has divided it for years.
After hours of debate, the General Synod, the Church legislature made up of separate houses for bishops, clergy and laity, fell just short of the two-thirds majority required in all three houses to pass the measure.
"It was carried in the houses of bishops and clergy, but lost in the house of laity. The motion having been lost … we do not proceed any further," said Archbishop of York John Sentamu.
Some women priests in the public gallery wiped tears from their eyes after Sentamu read out the results. The vote among lay members fell short by just four votes.


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Ventura County's largest private employer built its empire on a miracle: a drug that reduced the need for blood transfusions among legions of American dialysis patients and their suffering counterparts worldwide.
The astounding product, Epogen, even countered the anesthetizing fatigue that accompanies each dialysis session, Amgen of Thousand Oaks pronounced for 18 years after the drug's 1989 debut.
"We focus on science that uncovers new ways of understanding biology, makes significant contributions to medical knowledge, and can be applied to new approaches to treating disease," Amgen spokeswoman Christine Regan said in an email outlining company philosophy.
"Amgen's mission is to serve patients," she said.
But after more than two decades of widespread use and $60 billion in Medicare payments for the drugs, new regulatory guidelines have questioned the safety of Epogen dosages and dosages for Amgen-developed descendants of the product.
Health experts are coupling that development with Amgen's political lobbying against a proposal to provide kidney transplant patients a lifetime of the drugs needed to keep them off dialysis. They are sharply critical of the company.
"Over the years, Amgen has given us ample evidence that they're a very strategic, profit-motivated Corp. with questionable regard for patients' health or safety," said Rep. Pete Stark, D-Fremont, who has called for restrictions on Epogen use as a ranking member on the House Ways and Means health subcommittee.
Regan acknowledged that Amgen joined the rest of the dialysis industry in successfully opposing the kidney medication proposal by Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., which was extracted last winter from the health reform law. Durbin has pledged to reintroduce the measure before year's end.
Though the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would cost a relatively modest $100 million a year to fund the kidney medications, Regan argued the money could not be spared from Medicare's $8.6 billion annual dialysis budget. Amgen receives at least $2 billion a year from that Medicare coffer for providing Epogen and its other drugs.
"The important goal of expanding access to immunosuppressive drugs for transplant patients should not be tied to policies that will restrict access to other products of critical importance for dialysis patients," Regan said.
Lori Hartwell, a four-time kidney transplant patient who started the Glendale-based Renal Support Network, put it more simply: "We didn't feel it was fair to take away from one group to help another group. We wanted a different solution."
Hartwell's nonprofit organization for patients is part of a national lobbying group that includes Amgen and the country's largest dialysis providers.
The director of the kidney transplant program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Dr. Stanley Jordan, said he's disappointed Amgen opposed legislation providing the lifetime benefits. The company has been at the forefront of kidney disease awareness, he said.
"I don't see their argument," the doctor said. "I don't think there's a sustainable position."
Today, nearly all U.S. dialysis patients, as well as some cancer and HIV patients, are prescribed the Amgen drugs.
But with its home run drug, Amgen was forced to backtrack on a powerful initial claim.
The company's long-standing citation of studies asserting Epogen fought fatigue was scrutinized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which instructed Amgen and other drugmakers to reconsider such claims in 2007. Amgen now says on official company disclaimers for the drug that "Epogen has not been proven to improve quality of life, fatigue or well-being."
Amgen's assertion that the drug helped dialysis patients recover from the unrelenting fatigue that relegates many of them to part-time lives was based upon studies that posed open-ended survey questions to patients, said Dennis Cotter, president of Medical Technology and Practice Patterns, a nonprofit that evaluates the clinical and economic implications of health technologies.
By 2009, his studies showed strong evidence the drug increased risk for stroke, heart attack and death. His most recent findings, published last month, show a 28 percent increase in the risk of death for diabetic patients receiving higher dosages of the drug.
"What we do know, what we demonstrated, is that with high doses of Epogen the risk went up tremendously," said Cotter.
After years of issuing more-stringent warning labels, the FDA finally announced on June 24 new guidelines that are projected to slash the U.S. clinical use of Epogen by as much as a third. The FDA cited the increased risk of cardiovascular events ranging from stroke to death.
Amgen-developed offshoots of the drug called Aranesp and the Johnson & Johnson product Procrit, which is manufactured by Amgen under contract, are projected to see similar reductions in use.
The company issued a news release that coincided with the FDA announcement on June 24, saying it supported the new guidelines.
Years of regulatory scrutiny of showcase products might have been enough to cripple other companies. But by the time the benefits of Epogen were challenged by researchers and regulators, Amgen had become the world's largest biotechnology company with enviable political influence.
According to the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Responsive Politics, Amgen spent $10.2 million on federal political lobbying in the most recent full year of 2010. That is second only to drug giant Pfizer, which spent $13.3 million on lobbying.
Amgen also raised its charitable profile with its Safety Net Foundation program, which Regan said is providing free Amgen drugs to 7,600 patients currently enrolled.
Dr. Kant Tucker, who operates Simi Valley-based Kidney Center's eight dialysis sites in Southern California, said Epogen's undisputed ability to reduce the need for blood transfusions can't be overemphasized.
However, he wishes the drug was less expensive. It accounts for an estimated one-fifth of all Medicare dialysis expenditures.
"One starts to wonder when the price will start to come down," he said.
That could happen because Amgen's patents on Epogen products will begin to expire over the next few years, allowing the production of generics.
Cotter said his organization will continue to measure the safety of Epogen-type products, no matter who makes them.
But criticism of Epogen can be a hard sell to very ill dialysis patients who for years have taken the drug under the belief it helps with dialysis fatigue in addition to reducing the need for transfusions.Ron Taubman, a Santa Clarita resident who was on dialysis before receiving a kidney transplant last year, said he has no doubt that Epogen helped him recover from grueling dialysis sessions.
"I would sit and shiver. I was cold all the time. I would be getting aches and pains," said Taubman, who leads a Ventura and West San Fernando Valley support group of transplant recipients.
"It was a slow process, but I felt a whole lot better."
The reason Taubman felt better, Cotter said, also is what makes the drug dangerous. When Epogen increases red blood cell counts, it also increases blood viscosity, to the point that it has trouble passing through the circulatory system. That creates high blood pressure and a host of other problems among kidney patients, who are already often diabetic.
"There is much more work for the heart to do to pump blood," said Cotter. "That becomes the rub."


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Bowdle, SDUSA
Hometown: Bowdle
July 21, 2007
how man is condemned, how he is redeemed, what is the underlying basis for imputed rightousness when one has faith, why are we still here, and has God submitted His way of things to a court of reason. Does moral reality follow a natural order?
Hi, My name is Tony Barbieri. I grew up in Wisconsin and lived in Massachusetts up until a year ago January and am now in Plano. I became a Christan at 26. I have a tremendous desire to understand the character of God, and more.
Hi Tony, welcome to the AVA, and I look forward to reading your posts.
Welcome to FMO Tony: You have joined a group of great men who like to socialize and make new friends and have fun in the process. Hope you will find what you are looking for (you never know). Join us for Happy Hour Friday the 2nd and you will meet a lot of the members and get to know what we are all about. Always check the calender to find something that interest you. Again Tony WELCOME! Don
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Letha Light
member for 5 years, 4 months, 14 days
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I have been researching my ancestors for over 50 years. I follow these lines: Adams, Cowan, Covington, Henderson, Light, Massengale, Whiteley, and others. I appreciate the help I have gotten from this site.
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RE: Mahala Adams Henderson
I have fixed the memorial, thank you
Added by
on Jun 07, 2014 4:55 PM
Rita McKale
RE: Eleanor Springs Henderson
I forgot to say........ Let me know her maiden name and birth date etc. and I will update her memorial.
Thanks again,
Rita in South Carolina
Added by
Rita McKale
on Dec 02, 2013 11:51 AM
Rita McKale
RE: Eleanor Springs Henderson
Hi Letha,
There is no such cemetery as Old Union. She is buried in Old Unity Cemetery in Fort Mill.
Rita in South Carolina
Added by
Rita McKale
on Dec 02, 2013 11:47 AM
Roxy Nix
Whiteley name
My 4TH great Grandfather was Amos Martin Whiteley Sr. who married Nancy Bishop I am through their daughter Nancy Sophia Whiteley who married Jefferson Thomas Nance, who's daughter Cynthia mae Nance was my Great Grandmother.
Added by
Roxy Nix
on Sep 09, 2013 7:51 PM
JoLynn Mangum Cooper Self
RE: Erba Wiseman Light
I have fixed her middle name.
Thank you,
Added by
JoLynn Mangum Cooper Self
on Apr 24, 2013 5:49 PM
Wendy Johnson
RE: Elias O Wilhite
Can you send me the memorial number it please, so i can correct it?
Added by
Wendy Johnson
on Dec 30, 2012 4:18 PM
James Durham
RE: Lavinia C Hester
Thanks Letha, update made. Thanks, Jim
Added by
James Durham
on Jul 08, 2012 11:36 PM
RE: Susan Young
Ha, thanks for pointing that out! Fixed it, :)Jessica
Added by
on May 21, 2012 11:58 AM
Debra Carter Bates
Herbert Massengale
Since this is your family I am transfering Mr. Massengale to you. I am sorry for the wrong middle name and that has been corrected.
Added by
Debra Carter Bates
on Apr 05, 2012 5:22 PM
Waskow photos
I have updated the photos on their memorial pages, I think my photographic skills have improved since I add the original photos.
Please add the following when you copy them to your tree.
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The House Of Hades: fanfic
Chapter Two
Now this wasn't the first time Percy Jackson had waken up in an unknown place and not knowing who he was. Except this time it didn't take a huge quest to get back his memories, because soon a splitting headache screeched through his head. After that memories of the quest, Bacchus, and Annabeth came flooding into his head. He remembered holding onto Annabeth and falling, for what was a really long time.
When he shifted his weight from one side to the other, he noticed that the ground was really soft and mushy and formed around his body like one of those Temperpedic mattress. It's what must have cushioned his and Annabeth's fall.
Wait! Annabeth. Where was Annabeth?
Percy looked around, panicked. But he didn't see his girlfriend anywhere. Actually, he couldn't seem to see anything anywhere. He tried to stand up, to see if that would help him get a better view of the blackness he saw. But his hand was locked onto something. He felt around that area and soon realized it was his girlfriend who was clutching onto it.
"Annabeth?" He asked. But there was no response. He tried shaking, what he hoped was, her shoulders. "Annabeth? Are you okay?" Alright, so shaking a possibly injured person wasn't the brightest idea but if she was going through what Percy had just gone through then she really needed to wake up. "Annabeth, come on. I know you're in there." There was still no response.
Posted 1 year ago with 3 notes
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Spoonbar's Louis Maldonado to Compete on Top Chef
Late last week the Bravo tv network announced the names of chefs set to compete in Top Chef: New Orleans, which debuts on October 2. One of the chefs named is Louis Maldonado, 32, of Healdsburg's Spoonbar.
Chef Maldonado began his culinary career at San Francisco's One Market; he later became sous chef at Cortez, where he was quickly promoted to co-executive chef in 2006 and earned a Michelin star for his work. Maldonado has also worked at top area restaurants that include French Laundry and Café Majestic, and for 3 years served as chef de cuisine of Aziza.
In 2012 Maldonado moved to Healdsburg to become the executive chef of Spoonbar at h2hotel, where he was able to create a menu of clean and simple dishes that honor U. S. culinary traditions. He also also oversees the menu of Pizzando, the restaurant at h2hotel's sister property, hotel Healdsburg. www.spoonbar.com.


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Here are some photos of a very nice tuned BMW 335I with BBS styled 19 inch Le Mans Rims. These rims fill out the new 335i wheel wells perfectly and compliment the sport coupe perfectly. The wheels are finished in bright silver with a machine lip. What is the price of these wheels?
Source: www.bbs-usa.com
Each wheel is listed at $1000 dollar per wheel.


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Category Archives: Than Shwe
Phobias Of Foreign Leaders
Foreign Policy has a nice section on the phobias of world leaders. North Korea's Kim Jong-Il fears flying so he travels by train to everywhere. He has a 90-car private train that has taken him as far as Moscow. He also … Continue reading
Posted in Angela Merkel, George Bush, Kim Jong-Il, Muammar Gaddafi, Than Shwe 3 Comments


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Tampa Bay Rays
Matt Moore has thrown 6,266 pitches that have been tracked by the PITCHf/x system between 2011 and 2014, including pitches thrown in the MLB Regular Season, the MLB Postseason and Spring Training. In 2014, he has relied primarily on his Sinker (93mph) and Fourseam Fastball (93mph), also mixing in a Change (85mph) and Curve (81mph). He also rarely throws a Cutter (91mph).


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We use cookies to optimise your experience on Travelzoo. By using our website, you are agreeing to allow this. For more information, see our Privacy & Cookie Policy »
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
either, early after wow was released, disappearing boat bug from menethil, where the boat would disappear leaving loads of us stranded in the middle of the ocean, again and again and again. oh the hillarity ¬_¬
or where razorfen downs bugged so that every mob was duplicated. But as alliance we didn't know any better, so kept trying anyway.
or finding a part of the stormwind geometry that wasn't clipped, and falling through to an empty part of the map, trying to get back and falling through the world for ever.
or when combat pets wouldn't de-summon when you mounted up, and would consistently get lost, or stuck world geometry, meaning you'd have to summon them again - not so much fun for locks with no shards.
or before there were weekly maintenance windows, and a quest mob would become stuck, and therefore unattackable until the server was rebooted.. which could have been weeks.
or still in the game, where mobs would warp on screen from where they actually are in game. meaning it's hard to know where to stand to attack close range, or ranged. Thankfully hunter pets always know where to stand to melee.
thankfully the game is a lot less bug-ridden than it was 4 years ago! :D
First run of shadow labyrinth, not long after TBC started. Every single mob was duplicated, so 2 of every boss as well. We didn't actually realise until we cleared to the first boss - we'd thought it must have been set on "heroic" or something. Double loots off the first boss ftw, but on trying the second boss, we found that they staggered the mass mind control, and the best way to describe our complete lack of success was "hilarity ensued".
Ever since, that instance has seemed awfully easy ...


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In this post I will be covering the consumption of Green Tea for its possible weight loss properties. Over the past few years, the media has been revering Green Tea as if it were the cure to cancer. Which, it has shown to be an aid towards the battle towards cancer, but like everything else in the commercial world, they surround it with so much hype and misguiding information. I hope to break down those over hyped under informed facts in this post and hopefully bring to light how exactly Green Tea can help with weight loss, both its strengths and its limitations. The few points I'll be covering are:
- Health Benefits of Green Tea
- What Makes Green Tea Great
- Green Tea For Weight Loss
- Best Method Of Consuming Green Tea For Weight Loss
- What To Expect When Consuming Green Tea For Weight Loss
- Recommended Green Tea Product
Please keep in mind that, though I have consumed Green Tea regularly over the past 6 months or so, Most of the information here are based off studies and not from experience. I will however state, later on in the post my personal experience with consuming Green Tea.
Health Benefits of Green Tea
Green tea is by and large known as the healthiest drink that you can consume. Native to India and China, it has been consumed for centuries with the claims which now have been found true due to vast amounts of scientific trials, that Green Tea does in fact have massive health benefits.
When brewed without the addition of sugar, Green Tea is a 0 calorie drink which contains caffeine to a varying amount dependent on the variation of Green Tea you are consuming, and also the time spent brewing. As such it is highly suggested that you should only drink unsweetened Green Tea which should have more emphasis instated as most commercially available version of Green Tea contains high amounts of white sugar, or in some cases, high-fructose corn syrup, which is clearly makes it worse. If you so choose to consume Green Tea with added sugars, please keep in mind that it should be consumed in a moderated amount as over consuming sweetened Green Tea with undoubtedly lead to the downsides of sugar outweighing the possible benefits of consuming Green Tea. The same should be said about fruit juices sold commercially. Especially considering the fact that fruit, independently contain relatively high amounts of sugar as is, and the commercial version of juice tend to not only add more sugar, but also things like preservatives.
Animal studies conducted in laboratories have shown a visible decrease in tumor growth while also showing signs of protection against the damage that occurs when being treated with ultraviolet AVB radiation.
Studies done on countries which have are known to drink Green Tea as part of culture so much so, as a way of life, namely China, Japan and India, the percentage of its citizens who are afflicted by Cancer seem to hold a slightly lower number. However as this is a study based on huge numbers, and billions of situational variations, it cannot be taken as fact. It is but a study.
A clinical study conducted on a massive scale, compared individuals who regularly consumed Green Tea to individuals who did not, showed signs that those who consumed Green Tea regularly significantly decreased the chances of developing Pancreatic Cancer. Even more so for women, who showed that they were about 50% less likely to develop the disease. In a separate study, Green Tea also proved to positively impact cancer variations to the likes of ovarian, colorectal, Prostate, Breast, Stomach, Lung, Skin, Bladder and Esophageal cancer. Researchers believe that these health benefits of consuming Green Tea directly correlates to the presence of EGCG, that theoretically helps battle the growth of cancer cells in humans. The mechanics of this phenomenon however, has yet to be determined.
Heart Disease
The journal of the American Medical Association published a study in 2006, which concluded that the consumption of Green Tea directly correlated to a reduction of the mortality rate in patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. The study conducted traced 40,000 individuals residing in Japan, ages 40-79 for 11 whole years (The study began in 1994). The study concluded that the mortality rate of individuals who were part of the study who consumed at least 5 cups of Green Tea daily was significantly reduced.
A separate study concluded that the consumption of 10 cups of Green Tea daily lowered the total cholesterol levels in individuals. However, it is paramount to disclaim that the consumption of 10 cups of Green Tea daily may lead to side-effects of caffeine. As such, individuals should proceed with caution.
What Makes Green Tea Great?
The answer to this is extremely straight forward. EGCG (Epigallocatechin gallate). Without the presence of EGCG, Green Tea would simply be caffeine and water. EGCG one of the most studied compound in the world. Whenever there is a study that claims to be studying Green Tea, most probably, the study is really covering only EGCG as clearly we know what both water and caffeine can do for us quiet clearly already. Now this is very important to know. A lot of people out there don't actually know that what they are really looking for is EGCG as opposed to Green Tea. I will go into further detail why this is so important later on in this post.
Green Tea For Weight Loss
Now, once again, be reminded that any effects that you may benefit from the consumption of Green Tea is either because of EGCG or caffeine. There are also weight loss benefits when consuming caffeine. However I will leave that for another post altogether. The focus here is EGCG. So how does EGCG aid with weight loss?
Boosts Your Metabolism
It common knowledge that the higher the rate of your body's metabolism, the easier it is to not only lose, but also keep the weight off. Metabolism, to me, is a huge factor of which I actively try to get more of. Here's an example of why metabolism is so important for weight loss. Let's say a couple decided that they wanted to lose weight. And since they are a couple, they would eat and exercise the exact same amount. However, if one of them had a higher metabolism rate than the other, that person could expect to lose more weight for doing the same amount. It's as simple as that. That's nature bonus multiplier if you will. Overall, metabolism is something that you should definitely put more time or effort into increasing.
Store Less Fat
Studies have shown that the consumption of regular amounts of EGCG reduced the amount of fat your body stores. What this essential means is that for everything that you consume, your body stores less of it as fat. Let's run it through the same scenario as before, you have 2 individuals, who eat and exercise the same amount. The only difference being that one of them consumes EGCG regularly. He/She can expect to either gain less fat, or burn more fat over a period of time as opposed to the individual who did not consume EGCG.
That's it. That's all EGCG can do for you in terms of weight loss. However, you have to understand that this huge if you are looking to lose weight. Why? Simple, EGCG is the one very few proven methods of burning more fat without either burning more calories or consuming less calories. You would not have to alter your lifestyle very much at all to benefit from EGCG. It allows you to lose additional weight without being any more catabolic than your body already is when you're on a diet which restricts your calories.
Best Method Of Consuming Green Tea For Weight Loss
Before I go into what I deem to be the best way to consume Green Tea for weight loss, I'd like to explain why I feel consuming Green Tea as a beverage is not really a good idea.
It is recommended that you consume about 5 cups of Green Tea daily for you to benefit from the weight loss properties which Green Tea promotes. Here's why I don't like doing that:
Inconvenient and Time Consuming
Just the mere thought of having to boil water 5 times a day is hassle enough for me to not do it as is. Let's not forget individuals who are constantly on the move. But more than that, just the sheer amount of effort required to do so will mean that most people won't do it long enough for it to matter. It would just start to become too much work.
Given, the amount of Caffeine present in Green Tea is irrelevant compared to coffee. However, if you consider the fact that you are going to consume 5 cups of Green Tea a day, it adds up. What this means is that for you to consistently consume 5 cups of Green Tea daily, adding on another cup of coffee on top of that isn't the best idea. Caffeine addiction is a real thing. Also, you would essentially have to consume majority of your 5 cups of Green Tea in the morning to early afternoon to avoid sleeplessness (at least I need to).
In summary, you would have to boil water 5 times a day, not be able to consume any other caffeinated products and be on a schedule to consume all 5 cups of Green Tea as early into the day as possible. Sounds like way too much work to me. I would probably give up a week in.
The Solution: Green Tea Extract
In case you don't already know, Green Tea Extract is the extract of Green Tea (duh) in pill form. It is essentially Green Tea, minus caffeine and water. Consuming Green Tea Extract, in my opinion, is better because:
Clearly, popping pills is way more convenient. There really isn't very much of a point for me to make here. The recommended dosage, according to the brand I purchase, is 3 pills a day. Which I need not tell you, is not a very difficult task to fulfil. If you have read my other post: Effectiveness versus Sustainability, you'd know that it is of utmost importance that whatever you do, make sure it is sustainable. As such, I have found that Green Tea Extract is way easier to sustain over a long period of time as opposed to first boiling, then consuming 5 cups of Green Tea every day.
Maximum Dosage
Here's a hypothetical situation. You start consuming 5 cups of Green Tea consistently. Then you tried 8 cups daily and found that you see better results with 8 cups as opposed to consuming 5 cups of Green Tea per day. So you start consuming 8 cups of Green Tea a day. More likely than not, though you are enjoying the benefits of an even higher amount of EGCG in your system, you might experience the negative effects of consuming way too much caffeine every day such as dehydration, headaches, jittering, caffeine addiction and many more possible side effects from over consumption of caffeine. As such, the consumption of Green Tea for weight loss isn't very scalable because of caffeine. However, with the consumption of Green Tea Extract instead, you are rid of caffeine and have the ability to supplement your system with way more EGCG than Green Tea can.
The price of Green Tea, before taking the water and electricity required to boil that water into account, is already more costly to consume regularly than Green Tea Extract.
Recommended Green Tea Extract
The differences between the quality of Green Tea Extract from brand to brand isn't really a huge difference. There isn't really very much that can be added unless you're looking for a Fat Burner Matrix with the presence of Green Tea Extract. However, what I personally consume is just plain old Green Tea Extract. The brand I use is:
Bodybuilding.com's Green Tea Extract
Personally, the Bodybuilding.com Foundation Series is my go to for supplements. The price is always a notch lower than most big name brands in the market, and their quality is always top notch. Overall, I simply chose Bodybuilding.com's Green Tea Extract because I trust the brand. That's really it. So if you're wondering if there is something special as to why I chose Bodybuilding.com's Green Tea Extract above all other brands, the answer is nothing much really.
I hope you have enjoyed or at least gained something as much as I have enjoyed writing it, and I would just like to thank you, the readers for allowing me to enjoy what I do and to provide quality content. Please feel free to ask any questions. Peace ^-^v !


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According to NFL.com official stats, the average weight of a starting offensive lineman in the 2010 season was 314.5 lbs. The average height was 6' 4.5". The average weight of the Kansas City Chiefs starting offensive line was 306 lbs (with Richardson at RT). The average height of the Chiefs offensive line was 6' 3.6". In other words, the Chiefs offensive line was collectively shorter and lighter than the NFL average. Specifically, the Chiefs were the 5th lightest line in the entire NFL. The Washington Redskins laid claim to the being the lightest of all.
Breaking this down a little further, position-by-position, the following table shows how the Chiefs starting OL compared to their respective average OL counterparts. (I am using Richardson's dimensions for RT even though NFL.com for some inexplicable reason listed O'Callaghan as our starting RT).
At all positions other than Center and Right Guard, the Chiefs are pretty much in line with league averages. Weigmann and Lilja however are a bit shorter and significantly lighter than their average NFL counterparts. In fact, Weigmann and Lilja were the two lightest lineman at their respective positions out of the entire NFL. Is that good, bad, or does it even matter? Well, it can be good and bad, and in certain key situations, it matters a lot. I'll explain what I mean by that right after the jump.
First off, we need to acknowledge that Todd Haley places a high premium on players staying in shape, including keeping their weight down. I believe, among other things, that this produces positive results in terms of minimizing injuries. The Chiefs were blessed with being one of the least injured teams in the NFL in 2010. Due to our lack of depth at nearly all positions, losing starters almost always had devastating consequences.
Secondly, we also need to recognize that the Chiefs owe much of their success in 2010 to the running game where they heavily utilized a Zone Blocking Scheme (ZBS). As I am sure all of you know, the ZBS tends to favor lighter, and thus quicker linemen. Generally speaking, the teams with the lightest lineman feature some form of ZBS.
End of story? You know me better than that.
I'll be honest with you. I really don't like the fact that the NFL's smallest center and the smallest right guard play for the Chiefs right alongside of one another. Yes, I acknowledge that the Chiefs had a lot of success with running the ZBS. At the same time, it also needs to be acknowledged that the Chiefs generally struggled in short yardage situations last season and moreover struggled mightily against big, physical defenses. Indeed, you may recall from the DVOA analysis that I did on our offensive line a few weeks back, that the weakest aspect of our offensive line was in the power running game (we ranked 20th) and pass protection (we ranked 18th).
Please also recall if you will, that the Chiefs power game last season almost always consisted of trying to squeeze Thomas Jones between the guards where he would inevitably fall way short of the needed yardage. Plan B for the next short yardage situation? Our offensive brain trust would dial up a lateral toss to Charles – for a loss.
Listen to me Addicts. This is a situation that's only going to get worse in 2011. Think I'm kidding? Check the schedule. It is imperative that Scott Pioli and company take appropriate offseason measures to ensure we are no longer relying solely on the services of the Diminutive Duo for every down of every series. Note, I am not necessarily advocating the immediate replacement of either of these players as starters, but rather supplementing our interior line with bigger players who can handle bigger defenses and improve our ability to get those tough yards. What needs to happen is that we draft (or otherwise find) at least one, hopefully more, interior linemen that is/are beefier than the Tiny Twins and yet still suitable for the ZBS. Also keep in mind that guys like Weigmann and Waters are not exactly spring chickens and so we better also be thinking long term on this whole deal.
I am of the mind that a successful running game requires not so much individual offensive line talent at the interior positions so much as guys who are the right size, with solid skills (and/or upside in that department), who know how to work well as a unit. Let me repeat that, a good interior lineman possesses the right size, a good skill set and most importantly, the proven ability to gel with his fellow linemen. In the draft, where might one find that sort of player? At the college level, I say a good place to start that search is to simply look at schools that excelled at both running and passing the ball because you can't do both in DIV 1 without proper chemistry along your offensive line.
Naturally, I consulted Football Outsider's to see which college offenses faired best and came up with the following short list of schools based on their S&P Rankings:
That's my Double Take for today. Tomorrow, on Draft Thursday, I'll reveal some possible prospects from each of these schools. In the meantime Addicts, feel free to weigh in with your own personal takes on any or all of this!
Tags: Casey Weigmann Chiefs 2011 Draft Needs Chiefs Offensive Linemen Kansas City Chiefs Ryan Lilja


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So, this time of year seems to be a bit quieter with shops – but I've been lucky enough to have been kept busy with some interesting custom orders :)
Here are some pics of some of them – a nice variety, I think!
Posted in Custom Orders, Geek Jewellery, Silver Jewelry, South Africa, tagged contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, Durban, Durban Jewellery Designer, Etsy, geek jewelry, Megan McFall, Silver Jewellery, South Africa, Starbright Girl, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver on June 18, 2014 | 1 Comment »
So, this time of year seems to be a bit quieter with shops – but I've been lucky enough to have been kept busy with some interesting custom orders :)
Here are some pics of some of them – a nice variety, I think!
Have a great day :) xxx
Posted in Silver Jewelry on May 28, 2014 | Leave a Comment »
Ok, it's been many moons since I last blogged, but I now feel like I have something to blog about – so here goes!
A little bit Hedwig, a little bit random owl – I just wanted to make an owl pendant.. However, I think I have a slight mental block against sitting owls – my gran used to collect porcelain owls, and they were all just sitting there! So, I endeavored to find a great reference picture of a flying owl, and went a-designing from there..
I found a couple of nice pictures online, just to use as references – it's nice to see how other designers transform & detail a 2 dimensional image, so I often use these as starting points for my own designs..
In this case, I traced the outline of the silhouette of an owl, and then started filling in extra linework, as I felt the outline on its own too plain – I wanted to show more detailing. I used the idea of the other designs to add extra cutout detailing – knowing I would later blacken for extra effect. (A little side note here – I really wish I could draw by hand but, hey, I recognise my own weakness in this regard, so I use a computer as best I can!)
It's really not as easy as it sounds, however, as I always need to keep in mind my metal thickness & strength, the smallest drill bit I work with (0.6mm!), and therefore the smallest holes I can drill.. I also decided that I didn't like the way the left wing was folded in the image I used as a reference – so I copied and flipped the right hand wing details, and adjusted to fit to the left wing – which I felt worked better.. This whole process can take hours, which is why I have to charge more for custom orders!
Once I had finished the design, I sized & printed it – ready for manufacture.
I pasted the image onto my prepared metal (1.4mm thick silver plate), and proceeded to drill holes, pierce out the details, and then pierce the whole pendant out – which again takes a few hours.. Once this was done, I forged it flat, sanded, and then polished to to a high gloss finish..
I'm really happy with how this piece turned out – I like the idea of moving away from really simple designs, to more naturalistic detailing (although I will still be adding hearts and stars from time to time – I am me!) ;) Hope that my customers will agree!
Posted in Computer Design & Jewelry, Silver Jewelry, tagged computer jewellery design, contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, Durban, Durban Jewellery Designer, Etsy, jewellery techniques, jewellery website, Megan McFall, Silver Jewellery, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver on October 2, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Hi all.. Can you believe it's October already?! This year is flying by faster than the Man of Steel & his sonic booms! Anyhow…
I've just been updating the custom orders page on my website, and wanted to share a few words.. After a really good conversation with my husband yesterday, I realised I am charging far too little for custom pieces.. I so want to be able to accommodate everyone, but the truth is, custom work takes 2-3 times as long as any other work – from designing (with options!), meeting clients, working out costs & quotes, and actually manufacturing – often trying something I've never done before! Anyhow, I've realised that I need to actually start charging for my time, or else it's just not worth it for me to do :/
So – if you check out my website's custom orders page, you can see a new pricing guide, with some minimum costs.. As you can see, I'm keeping custom name necklaces as low as possible, as these don't take me long to provide a few font options – but for necklaces and rings, well, those have definitely gone up! I hope this doesn't put too many people off – you will be getting absolutely awesome custom pieces if you order, but they will cost a little more..
Click here to see some new pics of custom orders recently made up, as well as new pricing guides: http://www.starbrightgirl.com/custom%20orders.htm
Have a fantastic day everyone :) Megs xxx
Posted in Silver Jewelry, South Africa, tagged contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, Durban Jewellery Designer, Facebook, giveaway, Megan McFall, Silver Jewellery, South Africa, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver on September 6, 2013 | 39 Comments »
So, I'm reaaaally close to 500 likes on my Facebook page – and to celebrate, once I've reached 500, I'm going to give away this brand new pendant :)
This pendant is sterling silver, with the bird detail hand-cut, and is approx. 20mm in length.. It will come on a sterling silver 50cm chain :)
To enter, all you need to do, is leave a comment below (and your email, so I can contact you if you win! Promise I won't spam you!)
Also – please share this with your friends on Facebook – remember, I will only draw a winner once I have reached over 500 likes!
Thanks again to everyone for the continued support – getting "likes" on Facebook for pictures of items I've made always makes me so happy!
Please note – this particular giveaway is unfortunately only open to South African residents – if you're not based in Durban, I will post the prize to the winner.
Winner will be drawn at random from a hat! ;)
Happy Weekend!! Love Megs xxx
Posted in Computer Design & Jewelry, Silver Jewelry, tagged Aluminium saw frame, contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, Durban Jewellery Designer, Foredom motor, jewellery techniques, jewellery tools, jewelry, Megan McFall, sanding tools, Silver Jewellery, Starbright Girl, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver, The Fringe Arts, Wolf Belt Sander on August 31, 2013 | 2 Comments »
Phew, I have to say, I'm glad it's Friday – even though I'll be doing some work this weekend.. It's been a super busy week – with stock finished off & sent off to both Fringe Arts Cape Town shops, as well as the new Lonehill shop (JHB), as well as stock being dropped off at the KZNSA gallery, and a number of smaller orders!
(Update: I'm publishing this on Saturday – have to wait until some of the gifts at the bottom have been given! ;) )
But, the week has ended on a really good note – as I received some jewellery production tools, which I ordered from overseas, this morning..
On top, in the picture, you'll see a brand new, aluminium saw-frame. This is absolutely wonderful, as it's really light-weight & nicely balanced, which I think will definitely help reduce the strain my arms and wrists have been taking! I know some jeweller's who use these, and only have good things to say about them – and, so far – so awesome! The other nice thing (a technical detail), is that you can set your tension for your saw-blades – which means my chest/shoulder can rest easy – as I used to have to push my old frame against myself to tension it!!
In the box, is another totally awesome tool – a mini belt-sander for the bench.. I've been trying it out today, and it really is great.. Basically, it clamps to the bench, and then you connect your pendant motor to it. As I have a Foredom, variable-speed, motor, I can control the speed it runs with my foot pedal, which means no hot/burnt or sanded-off-skin-fingers! I ordered a variety of sandpaper belts to use – but must say, I'm taking a while to get used to the different grits – here it's all 400, 600, 800 etc, but these are American, and so are 320, 500, 1200.. Sigh, why can't the world be more standardised! ;)
Anyhow – here's a pic of me using the set-up sander (yes, I'm normally right-handed, but that would have been an awful picture!)
I was honestly surprised by how beautiful and flat the pieces are sanded – which is just perfect for my style & designs! To be honest, it is a bit of a mission to change the sandpaper belts, but for assembly production sanding – I can tell this is my new best friend!! :D
To end off, here are just a couple of pics of things I have been busy with this week.. The Converse pendant isn't quite finished – but I'm just so stoked with how it's looking – must make more! The others are mostly gift items, so I'm just hoping they have all been given to their recipients by now! ;)
And that's all from me – hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend :) Megs xx
Posted in Silver Jewelry, tagged contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, Durban Jewellery Designer, Etsy, I Heart Market, jewellery techniques, liver of sulfur, Megan McFall, Paypal refund, Silver Jewellery, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver, sulphur blackening, supernatural on August 8, 2013 | Leave a Comment »
So, it's been a very topsy turvy few weeks for me – which started with my first ever Etsy return.. I have to admit, I was pretty devastated to begin with – but as the whole situation worked itself through, I decided to take it as a learning tool..
Basically, some of the items I offer on my Etsy shops, are blackened. To do this, I use a Liver of Sulphur solution, on a heated hotplate (standard for all jewellers), into which the item is dipped. However, in this case, the blackening didn't take properly, and wore off within a day. The customer requested a refund, as they wanted a blackened piece.
I did try and offer a few alternatives, which to their credit, they did try, but unfortunately none worked, so I accepted that I would need to refund.
Luckily, Paypal is very sorted these days, so I asked for them to post me the item back, and Paypal would only refund once a tracking number had been entered! Quite impressed with that :)
In the meantime, I went back to the studio, and did multiple tests with the blackening solution – and determined that the solution was too old, and I needed to start fresh. I also did lots of research online, and found that adding ammonia to the solution helps the blackening – which I did. Lo and behold, I finally had perfectly blackened pieces! So, whilst not being a pleasant experience, I did learn something, and will definitely take added care when blackening in future (and will always test that the blackening holds well!) (I have also made adjustments on my Etsy shop for customers to note that it is a surface solution, and will eventually wear off – so they know it's not permanent!)
So, that was one aspect of the last few weeks – there was also a death in the family (my hubby's grandfather, who will be greatly missed), a friend wrote off his car, another ended up in hospital, and my tendinitis in my wrists has flared up quite badly, so it's been physio visits, and cortisone injections (with side effects!) for me..
But – there's also been a lot of good – my business is going well, and I had a wonderful day at the I Heart Market last week. One of my best friends was out from the UK, so I got to spend lots of time with her, which was lovely – and another set of friends had their first baby – who we get to meet tomorrow.. :)
So, it really is about taking the bad with the good – learning from the bad, and just appreciating & enjoying the good..
This has been a deep post from me today (as deep as I go!) – so I'm going to sign off, say Happy Thursday – and enjoy the long weekend everyone in South Africa! Megs xxx
PS – One more note, for the geeky Supernatural fans (who'll be the only ones to get this) – ironic isn't it, that SULPHUR is used to blacken the pendant!! :P
Posted in Computer Design & Jewelry, Geek Jewellery, Silver Jewelry, tagged computer jewellery design, contemporary jewellery, custom jewelry, custom orders, Durban Jewellery Designer, Etsy, international orders, jewellery techniques, Megan McFall, pop culture, Silver Jewellery, South Africa, Starbrightgirl, Sterling Silver on July 22, 2013 | 3 Comments »
Hi again – and welcome to the new week – hope it's going to be a great one! ;)Today I thought I'd write a little bit about custom orders..
I really enjoy doing custom orders for people – even though they stress me out, to be honest! Trying to match up with a vision in someone's head is not always easy! But, I like to tackle them.. Plus, I have one fallback – I NEVER start making things up until people are 100% sure about the design!
I'm pretty lucky in that I do all my designs on the computer (vector files) – so I'm able to create a jpeg, and email to customers to check.. This is also useful when I have to make sure of, for example, a ring size – when the customer is on the other side of the world! I send a 100% scaled image, they can print it out, cut it out, and wrap it around their finger to check! I did this recently for a ring headed to Germany – and thankfully, it apparently fits perfectly! (Plus, I love the fact that most Germans I have met are really accurate – and these customers were great and gave me perfect diameters!) ;)
Here's a pic of the design, and the finished ring :)
It's also really helpful for designing – I get some interesting requests, where a customer will ask, for example, if I can combine a variety of images to form 1 design – see the example below:
It was highly useful to be able to send a rough design first, to make sure I was on the right track, before spending ages fine-tuning it all!
So basically – I really do love doing custom work, and I'm always happy to be able to work with people all over the world, to create something they're going to love! ;) I'll leave you with a few more examples of work I've done this year.. Have a great week!! :) Megan xx


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I just realised that either I'm emanating an aura of general misanthropy or I'm really freaking obviously autistic
I sit alone. I eat alone. I read and listen to my music alone. At home I go immediately to my room after eating my snack and taking my meds. I stay there for upwards of 4 hours after school until dinner, at which point, I sit with my family for maybe an hour, then go back to my room.
Most of that crap is the same for normal teenagers. But when I say I sit alone, I mean that I never sit with other people for longer than an hour. I cannot physically stand to have them near me. I don't actually dislike them, but the closeness of them just freaks me out. Even my closest friends don't sit next to me for longer than 90 minutes, because if they try I move away again.
Now that I'm in an entirely new set of classes with people I've never even seen before, I'm realising that when I arrive in class early, people always seat themselves at a distance of one chair's gap or further from me. I don't do anything, because I kind of like it, but it's a little disturbing that I can be that easily sussed out after 16 years of practise.
People are hard.
Have you ever had a moment when you think that everyone knows you're "out of the metaphorical mental health closet"? This is open to anyone except people with clinical paranoia, for obvious reasons.
Lindsay edit:
Sammy, I've noticed that most people won't sit in a chair directly next to another person if there's another available. That may just be an American thing, though.


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New Delhi, (IANS) Successful conviction in cases probed by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has gone down by two percent in 2009, the agency said Wednesday.
Only 64.74 percent people got punishment in the cases investigated by the CBI last year, as against 66.75 percent convictions in 2008, a CBI official said.
"The two percent decline was because more cases were registered last year as compared to 2008," he explained.
The CBI registered only 999 cases last year as against 1,118 in 2008.


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National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th Edition
(Based on 3 reviews)
Category: Books/Animals and Nature/Animals and Wildlife
National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 6th Edition contains the most all-new material since the first edition was published more than 25 years ago. The 6th and latest edition includes 300 new art figures; unique subspecies maps never before seen in a field guide; extensive migration information overlaid on species maps; field-mark labels on all artwork; text updates to include new species; reorganization reflecting taxonomic changes in the bird community; organization, readability, and increased page count with a fresh new design.
The Biblical World
(Based on 4 reviews)
Category: Books/Culture, History and Religion/Culture and Religion
Casting the tumultuous history of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam against the rich canvas of the Near East, The Biblical World reveals how three great religions emerged from the same cradle. Author Jean-Pierre Isbouts employs a non-denominational perspective and a wide range of sourcesfrom ancient hieroglyphic texts to the latest scientific findingsto place Bible stories in the framework of history.
Atlas of the Civil War
(Based on 7 reviews)
Category: Books/Culture, History and Religion/History
In this one-of-a-kind atlas, scores of archival maps and dozens of new maps trace the battles, political turmoil, and great themes of America's most violent and pivotal clash of arms.
National Geographic Kids Almanac 2014 - Hardcover
(Based on 3 reviews)
Category: Books/Kids Books and Atlases/Atlases and Reference
The world's best-selling almanac for kids is packed with amazing animals, cool inventions, dinosaurs, robots, maps, games, activities, and more all in one "fun-tastic" volume. In true National Geographic style, this book excites young people about their world and everything in it, so it's no surprise that the 2012 edition landed at #3 on the New York Times best seller list! The 2014 almanac features fun information, browsable features, and helpful reference on subjects including technology, countries, presidents, animals, weather, funny roadside attractions, outer space, green tips, and natural disasters, just for starters. Chapters include Amazing Animals, Going Green, Geography Rocks, Super Science, Wonders of Nature, Awesome Adventure, Culture Connection, History Happens, and an interactive Fun and Games chapter. Exciting changes for 2014 include:
National Geographic Road Atlas
(Based on 26 reviews)
Category: Books/Atlases and Reference
Our road atlas provides accurate, detailed maps of all 50 states, Canada, and Mexicoincluding scenic routes, historic sites, recreation information, and points of interest.


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MILWAUKEE (WKOW) -- WISN News in Milwaukee reports new information in the death of a newborn has been released by the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner's office.
The death happened Monday morning in a home on 61st Street and Capitol Drive.
According to the medical examiner's report, the mother was drinking the night before and took a Percocet, which is a combination of Oxycodone and Acetaminophen.
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- Milwaukee police are investigating the death of a newborn boy.
According to the Milwaukee County medical examiner's office, the 7-day-old child was pronounced dead at about 4:30 a.m. Monday. An autopsy is scheduled for later Monday or Tuesday.
The medical examiner's office says initial reports indicate the infant was sleeping with his mother on a couch.
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Chasing details about the Little Mermaid attraction. No name was given for that, leading me to believe that it is still a bit up in the air. I'd heard ride, though.
Anyway, I went on the Pixar rides at Disney Studios in Paris and like I said, they were really good! The Crush Coaster should be repeated at some American Park because it combined a dark ride with a spinning roller coaster! Imagineers did a really good job!
As for Midway Mania, there's concept art that shows the attraction's signage as being "Toy Story Midway Mania," with the "Midway Mania" part being much more prominent than Toy Story.
Also, about the Cars Land, it's not like it's going to be *entirely* based around the movie. Yes, the general layout of the land will look like Radiator Springs, but all concept art currently released points to a "half and half" mixture of realistic cars and cartoony cars. I think it'll be a nice blend. It only makes sense, since Radiator Springs is a fictional California town that had its hay-day during Route 66's prime.


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125 E. 11th St.
New York, NY 10003
Category: Music Venues
Region: East Village
Exotic elements blended into loping electronic music has been Thievery Corporation's trademark for the past fifteen years. Their 2011 album Culture of Fear actually reigned in those sprawling tendencies somewhat, but they're up to their old tricks with their latest release, a set of remixes of 2008's "Vampires," which features both Afrobeat torchbearer Femi Kuti and lyrics pulsing with scathing indictments of the global finance industry.
Sat., Dec. 21, 7 p.m., 2013


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The new homes at Ashford Village are one of the best values in Fuquay-Varina. Starting in the low $200s, the final two homes at Ashford Village feature downstairs masters, open plans with wonderful secondary bedrooms and storage. Make your selections now!
Mungo Homes offers a generous list of options to personalize your new home. Sidewalks meander through this friendly neighborhood, and a quaint tot-lot is available for your children's enjoyment. Located in popular Fuquay-Varina, Ashford is an easy drive to downtown Raleigh.
To find your new home in Fuquay-Varina, visit Ashford Village today!
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Almond Milk Cookie Cutouts
Submitted by Kristy Wise
My daughter is allergic to milk so we adapted the family buttermilk cookie recipe to meet her needs.
Almond Milk Cutout Cookies
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups Crisco
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Submitted by Kristy Wise
My daughter is allergic to milk so we adapted the family buttermilk cookie recipe to meet her needs.
Almond Milk Cutout Cookies
- 3 cups sugar
- 2 cups Crisco
- 4 eggs
- 2 1/2 tsp. vanilla
As a follow-up to my recent post about some Christmas traditions I have wondered about, here it is! I found a recipe for FIGGY PUDDING! I have convinced my wife to let me make some for our Christmas Day celebration. (I'll have to let you know how it turns out!)
All that food, all that work. Thanksgiving dinner has been prepared, enjoyed and the leftovers have been put in the fridge. But what to do with the "remains of the day"?
I am sure you are still in shock. No more Hostess, and that means no more Twinkies or the other delicious treats they were famous for. Perhaps you read my post about the demise of Hostess the other day.
This morning (November 8), Taste of Home Cooking School Culinary Specialist Michael Barna set up residence in the 'Winging It!' kitchen to prepare his recipe for Mexican Shrimp Bisque.
If your craving a sweet anf healthy snack, make it salad. the strawberries are an excellent alternative to that candy bar you've been looking at.
People worked themselves up into such a fizz over news that the President brews his own beer that the White House decided to share its recipe. You may not be able to debate like Obama, but now you can drink like him!
Everyone loves a sinful bite of chocolate cake. Make it easy on yourself and make these easy chocolate cupcakes -- just don't over-mix them!
This is a excellent, spicy way to serve your tilapia. Tilapia is a great white fish. It's ultra healthy, with over 20 grams of protein for a 4 ounce serving.
Have you ever tried a cake pop? It's the latest craze in baking! Basically it's cake on a stick covered in creamy chocolate! YUMMY!
A fruity glass of sangria is tasty and refreshing. I load my sangria with a healthy dose of blueberries. I love serving this recipe when friends come over to sit and relax under a tree and listen to me talk, talk talk and talk. I'm kidding -- I let them get a word in occasionally!
The possibilities are endless when it comes to holiday entertaining. You want everything to be perfect. The Butterball call center is open for tips on cooking the turkey. I can tell you what not to do in one simple step. DON"T COOK THE TURKEY ON 425-450 . It will be drier than dry and it could split. I am contemplating on sharing a picture of my worse turkey ever. I'm embarrassed..... still.


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Categories > Anime/Manga > Saiyuki
The legend that wasn't0 Reviews
Hakkai, now happily retired, gets talkative that particular episode in his life when he was still known as Cho Gonou.
There were mooncakes, lots and lots of them, with succulent, sweet lotus seed filling. And the paper lanterns! Well. How we children scattered about the fields, swinging those flimsy things, barely aware of the little flames inside their gaudy prisons. The adults usually let us run wild for a couple of hours or so. Then, before we set the village on fire, they would lure us back into the house with the promise of more mooncakes.
There was such a thing such as too many mooncakes, even for children with their sweet tooth. But the adults were cunning, for they had had more practice. So it was that in every mooncake-equipped house, a person with a certain talent would be present (in any of these capacities: visitor, maid, valet, parent, etc.). The exact sort of talent did not matter, as long as the children were amused, and kept amused, for a stretch of time.
The person in charge of us was already middle-aged even then, but still sprightly and nimble, always looking sharp with his odd half-glasses. He had come to our village a few years ago, a world-weary traveler, only too happy to rest his bones in his chosen home. He often said he could not find a better sweet-and-sour soup than the one they made at our village inn. "Not all the way from Chang-an to India," he would add, which was a particular turn of phrase that no one else used, not even those of my elder cousin's age who had gone to Chang-an to pursue their dreams of acquiring sophistication, money, and modish slang/clothes/piercings.
You only had to look at him to know that he was better with children than the average person. There was the gentle, patient way he talked, which just hid the unbending firmness of will inside. There was the smile, just bright enough and no more, so that only the sharpest eyes caught a glance at the brittleness of his soul. This was a person with the tightest grip on himself, you would say. He would be able to handle those little terrors all right.
Perhaps they had really fed us too many mooncakes, or the apprentice at the cake shop had mucked up the scales when it came to the sugar. At any rate, even he was having a difficult time that year. In the midst of the screams and hair-pulling, a frantic look flashed across the green eyes, one naked, the other behind the quaint monocle. It was but very brief, and I was busy keeping an eye on my brother Dong, who was trying to get our cousin Ping to give him a pony ride, so I might have mistaken its meaning: that his supply of amusing tales was running short. Although I did not know it at the time, it was a very frightening thing for any person above the age of twenty-eight indeed, running out of attention-getting devices while surrounded by seemingly inexhaustible youthful, sticky energy, fueled by festive pastry.
His tale crawled to a mostly unheeded end. It was about a monkey who wished to be a king of his kind but ended up being the lackey of a smuggler specializing in temple goods. He stood up suddenly, dislodging Little Snow-root from his shoulders in an absentminded manner.
"All right, children! Be good, or I won't show you my special mahjong tricks," he announced.
Thinking it an excellent opportunity to avoid returning Ping the favor he had just received, Dong gave a delighted shriek: "Oh, please, Uncle Cho, that'd be grand."
"Please, Uncle Cho," His attention was drawn to the tugging at the knee of his trousers. "Yes, Little Snow-root?"
"What is mahjong?"
An hour later, orphanage or not, four of the children were lifelong converts to the game. You see, Dong and I had been taken in by Ping's parents, so we lived in a regular home and had a working knowledge of mahjong by the time we were tall enough to look over the table. Little Snow-root and most of the children in the village had to content themselves with the orphanage, run by strangely clad women who frowned heavily upon things that make life delightful. The Mid-Autumn Festival was the only night in the year they were freed from the daily curfew. Straight-laced as they were, the nuns did make some concession to native customs and fun.
("I asked Sister Henrietta about mahjong. She was mad. She said the tile game is for cardsharps and ne'er-do-wells. Oh, oh, what should I do? Uncle Cho is a good man, and I think it is fun," Little Snow-root confided to me later.)
They say familiarity breeds contempt. While Uncle Cho's instruction did awaken our jaded interest in the game, Ping, Dong, and I soon tired of it, and we let the four orphanage inmates at the table. After all, it would be a year before they got their hands on the tiles again.
Uncle Cho eyed the three of us in his usual calculating manner. Four dealt with, one almost at the end of his childhood and quiet, so two left. He was clearly casting for Amusing Things to tell us or make us do before Dong and Ping organized pony expeditions across the furniture again.
A rain of tiles hit the floor. Little Tranquil-pond, dismayed at his failed attempt to toss the lined-up tiles into standing position, looked as if he was about to cry.
"There, there, don't worry, it's all right," Uncle Cho comforted the child as he deftly swept up the tiles into his hands. "You don't have to do that yet - just turn the tiles upright one by one for now, there's a good boy. Oh, here's another one right under your chair, Little Snow-root."
His gaze lingered on the tile, which happened to be lying face-up, as he picked it up. Having handed the tile to the players, he turned a thoughtful look on the three of us.
"You know, there's a very interesting story about a tile just like that one."
This is Uncle Cho's story. I do not claim to tell it as it really happened because that was certainly not the way he told it. I can only try my best to tell it the way, well, he told it. And of course, I have done away with the questions from us children, which serve no purpose but to interrupt the flow of the tale.
Once there was a man with a double life. Oh, it was not anything as scandalous as it sounds. That just means that he was a teacher of the young during school hours and an amateur gambler during the other hours. He had wanted to upgrade to being a full-time professional, but his sister, with whom he lived, objected, and he did love his day job. So he contented himself with one or two hours of daily mahjong with his fellow teachers, listening to complaints about marking and syllabus preparation, before going home to his own marking and syllabus preparation.
One day, he came home to a quiet, dark house. Not quite. Old Auntie Purple Blossom from next door peered in as soon as he stubbed a toe noisily against a table leg.
"Oh, a terrible thing has happened, Mr. Cho! They have taken Kanan away," she blubbered, twisting her hands.
"Who, they? The neighborhood association?" Uncle Cho asked, knowing that Kanan - sophisticated, delicate Kanan - did not get on well with the local fishwives.
"No, no, why, we wouldn't do that," Auntie Purple Blossom sniveled, slightly offended. But never one to hold grudges, she soon revealed to Uncle Cho the identity of the kidnappers.
Uncle Cho listened, keeping his face expressionless. Not a difficult job, considering the dim setting. Then he thanked the old woman in his usual courteous manner, turned on the lights, changed, and set out for the local tavern.
That was what he did for the rest of the month. He came home from the daily mahjong session, was reminded by the kindly old woman of his predicament, and left for an hour or so of drinking at the tavern after taking polite leave of her. Then he went back to his marking and syllabus preparation.
The days at school and the nights at the bar poured seamlessly into each other - up to about the third week of Kanan's disappearance. Uncle Cho particularly recalled that night because of two things.
The first thing was the bartender's repetition of a recent rumor concerning an herbalist's surprise at his wife's true form. At the end of the tale, Uncle Cho noted that quiet looks were exchanged among several of the men, followed by grumbles about taxes and onerous tributes and despondent mutterings about pesky insects. Well, he was just a teacher transferred from the city, so he kept his peace and drank on.
The second thing was the son of the personage responsible for Kanan's abduction, who appeared almost right after the bartender had finished the tale about the herbalist's inebriated wife. At least, that was how he introduced himself, before dragging Uncle Cho to one of the private rooms upstairs.
They argued, for the sake of propriety, about who should take the honored guest place. After a sufficient length of time had passed, Uncle Cho decided to be persuaded to take it. Then he asked, even though he already knew the gloomy answer: "Now, sir, what can I do for you?"
The youkai was still, very still, his manners correct and his bearing proud. Only the slight quivering of his thin lips and the look in the liquid cat-like eyes betrayed the depth of his feelings.
"Please," he said, letting only the smallest hint of wretchedness spill into his voice, "take her back."
"Surely," Uncle Cho answered coldly, "that is a private matter between your father and my sister."
The youkai blanched. Then his composure broke. He stood up, his pointed ears twitching and his silvery pigtail bouncing in agitation. He mimicked Uncle Cho's words in his sardonic, sad way: "A private matter between your father and my sister. You don't know how miserable she has made my existence. She has taken over the harem, the kitchen, even the stable. Please don't smoke, Prince, I don't like ashes on the cushions and the smell lingers so in the curtains. Could you please keep the racket down, your poor Father is trying to sleep. Why do you keep bringing those riff-raff home to drink and gamble our money away? Oh. Oh."
He stopped.
"Oh," he repeated, robbed of words by the sudden realization. The reason behind Uncle Cho's lack of action regarding Kanan's abduction finally dawned on him.
Uncle Cho sighed. He almost pitied the poor creature. But he thought: Better you than me, Chin Isou.
"But she is your sister," Uncle Cho could hear the outraged words fighting their way out of the other's mouth. But they never came.
"Every man has his price," Chin Isou said instead, calmly fishing out a pair of toothpicks from a voluminous sleeve. Uncle Cho was almost impressed. That astuteness was surprising after the outburst. Still, Uncle Cho could not blame him. It was Kanan, after all. No creature alive, noble or otherwise, possessed the fortitude of the local fishwives, and the local fishwives had endured much from her.
And Chin Isou was right. Uncle Cho made his decision after considering the matter for a full second. He described to Chin Isou how he should be rewarded in return for retrieving Kanan. Chin Isou, cheerfully chewing at the end of his toothpicks, was very agreeable on all points. Then they began to finalize the details of the plan.
"Only, it will have to be a week from now, which also happens to be the old man's birthday. I am going away for a mahjong tournament, you see."
Uncle Cho's eyes shone dreamily at the last sentence. He knew that Chin Isou, who must have noticed his reaction, was smiling inside at it. Chin Isou had got Uncle Cho's measure all right; he did not wonder anymore about the first point of Uncle Cho's conditions.
"So, see you then," Chin Isou said, removing the toothpicks from his lips and stowing them into his sleeve again. "We shall have so much fun next week."
Once they were back again on the ground floor, in full view of the clientele, Uncle Cho gave Chin Isou a good box on his ears, shouting: "Dirty swine! Immoral kidnapper!"
The appointed day arrived. Armed with a fruit knife, for he disliked unpeeled apples and liked to be prepared at all times, Uncle Cho made his way to the castle of the One Hundred-Eyed Demon King. It was less than three hours' journey from the hamlet, actually, and Uncle Cho was spared from the tedium by the company of the barkeeper's apprentices, who were delivering four casks of wine to the castle.
"Oh, it's the village's tribute to the demon king. Today's his birthday, you know, and our master made this special brew just for the celebration," one of the boys told Uncle Cho.
They reached the gate, where the guards let the apprentices in without any trouble; they were familiar figures at the castle at tribute-paying occasions.
"And what is your business here?" one of them challenged Uncle Cho, eyeing the visitor's empty hands insolently.
"My name is Cho Gonou, and I have come to take my sister home," Uncle Cho replied mildly.
Uncle Cho breezed into the courtyard, leaving one guard keeled over in agony, cupping his tender parts, and the other guard with a buzzing headache. His sojourn at one of the more disreputable schools in the inner ghettos of the city had come to some use, after all.
The servants, who had been making a fuss over the apprentices and their offering, slipped away even before the first blow had been landed. Uncle Cho grinned inwardly. Chin Isou had been as good as his word. First the altercation at the tavern, and now the high-handedness with the guards.
Cho Gonou has been going to the tavern every night since the day the king took away his sister. Just drinking quietly. Listening. Looking. And waiting.
And then you know, the other night he gave the prince a sound beating, right there in front of the villagers.
One Strike. That's how much it takes for him to down a delinquent. That was what they used to call him at the city before he came here. Usually he did it with a piece of chalk, which was much healthier (for the said delinquent) than if he just used his bare hands. Certainly not a man to be trifled him. Uh-oh, the king has picked the wrong girl this time.
He is biding his time. He is coming.
Rumors did wonders for a man's reputation, indeed.
And so it was that Uncle Cho made his way unchallenged right up to the table where the host of the feast was seated.
"Greetings, sir," he addressed the corpulent, middle-aged youkai. The old king bore little resemblance to his son. The toothpicks had dropped from Chin Isou's trembling lips as soon as he saw Uncle Cho. Not quite a first-rate act, Uncle Cho thought, but passable.
"Have a seat," the king said magnanimously. "Come to take the sister back, haven't you? Castle been buzzing with nothing but talk of the terrible Cho Gonou lately. Yes, I do see the family likeness there. She'll be here in a moment."
"After she finishes giving the kitchen staff their daily dose of terror, I bet," Chin Isou chipped in bravely, earning a sour glance from his sire.
At the sight of Kanan, Uncle Cho's resolve was shaken. After all, what did he care of other people's sufferings? But he steeled himself with the thought of Chin Isou's promise of financial backing for his lifelong dream. And Kanan well-provided for, with a nice little pension and tucked away where she could boss about her own troop of domestics.
"Oh Gonou! How nice of you to come to the party."
"He has come to take you back, my dear," the demon king informed her.
"Why? Has something happened back home?"
"Er, no, not really," Uncle Cho stammered, his vision of himself, ever so dapper and smart, flipping tiles upright at a professional mahjong tournament, beginning to waver.
"I need you to come home," he made another go at it, reinforced by the image of the Nine Gates of Heaven hand he was about to construct in the world final. "There's no one to take care of the house, and it is a hectic time for me, being exam season and all..."
"Well...," Kanan was obviously touched. "But I like my new life here. There is so much to keep in order. You should see this place when I first came. It was not fit for creepy-crawlies, even."
The old youkai took a long swig from his bowl of wine and heaved a profound sigh. "And I do so want to know the end of the story, too."
"What story?" Uncle Cho asked stupidly, not caring. It was not going to work. So long, dreams.
"You know, about the prince who wished he was a foundling washed down the river, and the foundling who wished he was a prince."
Oh. So Kanan had been telling the geezer bedtime stories, taking care not to end a story before he retired. How clever. He would have done the same, in her place. Stiff competition from the other girls, not to mention the comely boys, in the harem. There were foul rumors regarding what the king did with concubines who no longer amused him. Still, Uncle Cho did not think that Kanan would make an appetizing meal, even for a ravenous youkai. He was about to nastily offer to tell them the end of that particular tale, when a poke in his rib reminded him of the next step in the plan. He looked in the approximate direction where the poke came from. Chin Isou was steadfastly examining the contents of his bowl with his chopsticks.
"All right. Let's settle this on a round then," Uncle Cho said. "Winner takes the girl."
"What do you think I am? Chattel?"
"It is three of you against me, after all," Uncle Cho countered his sister's indignant protest. "I am sure you have honed your skills among your, er, colleagues here. Or are you all afraid of one man?"
That was the genius of the plan. It was not impossible for one talented player to win with the connivance of another talented player. And if he lost, well, Chin Isou, the crafty bastard, did have Plan C. Which consisted of: You'll know what to do when the time comes. And oh, remember to carry a good-sized knife. Well, maybe not too bulky, but something that looks nasty enough. Okay? Here's the deal.
So the dishes were cleared off the table. The clack-clack of tiles against tiles did not last long. Uncle Cho revealed his final meld triumphantly.
"No!" Kanan cried in anguish. "I can't leave now. I am with child."
Uncle Cho was not sure whether Chin Isou was more shaken by the news than he was. At any rate, with the wisdom of hindsight, he was sure that the shock did affect the youkai's judgment. The second before Uncle Cho whipped the fruit knife from his tunic pocket and seized Chin Isou, he saw the youkai slip a tile into his hand.
"Your son or my sister," Uncle Cho said, his voice deliberate and clear. He let the knife graze Chin Isou's throat ever so slightly.
The old youkai hesitated. Did he think a half-breed an adequate substitute for his firstborn? Uncle Cho felt the slight stiffening of his captive's body. And then something drained away - from its place - and focused somewhere much denser, but not too far away.
Chin Isou fell on Uncle Cho's fruit knife.
The old youkai lunged towards Uncle Cho as Kanan let out a horrified shriek. In reflex, Uncle Cho flung Chin Isou's lifeless body away, trying to sidestep the oncoming attack. And then, the demon king vanished. Uncle Cho looked down on the table.
A giant centipede was wriggling feebly among the upturned tiles.
Kanan's shriek ceased, but its echoes reverberated in Uncle Cho's skull, so getting his mind to work coherently remained a complicated task.
Uncle Cho took a survey of his surroundings. It just occurred to him that nobody had interfered in what was clearly a villainous attempt to rob their liege of his handmaiden. They must have all vanished in fear at the sight of Chin Isou's spurting blood. Even the king himself, after a token show of violence. Huh. What a cravenly lot. Well, maybe it was the lack of a crowd. But a certain aspect of the castle, or rather, its housekeeping, hitherto unnoticed, had just been made very obvious.
He and Kanan were not just alike in appearance; they also shared the same tidiness of mind and the love of order that sort of mind commanded. He said to himself: "What have they gone and let the castle run to seed for, with all these dirty crawly things /everywhere/. And at a feast, no less. How unhygienic."
He looked at Kanan, who had reached the same conclusion, and more. She approached him, murmuring, "We'll have to get to work, cleaning this place up."
"Yes, of course," he replied, glad that she was coming back to her senses. And glanced up with horror when she seized the knife from him.
"I am sullied. I didn't know. They are so... ugly. And there is one of them, just like that, in me. So... goodbye, brother."
Uncle Cho's eyes were blurry with tears as he tried to grapple with the sense of it all. Why? he asked as he stomped on a few more good-sized centipedes under the neighboring table. They are just centipedes, disgusting yes, but you know how some of these posh youkais can be lacking when it comes to cleanliness, /he thought as he squashed another couple of giant centipedes with the leg of a broken chair. /But why kill yourself over some servants' laziness?
By the time he had methodically gone over every table and chair in the banquet hall Uncle Cho was tired out of his mind. He was sick of centipedes and the color green. He thought of carrying Kanan's body away from the terrible castle and giving himself up to the authorities. He tried to hoist her up on his shoulders, but slumped back on a squishy chair.
He carried her over to one of the rooms and laid her gently on the bed.
Then he walked out, and away.
He had no idea where he was going. All he wanted was to get as far away as possible. Then he saw the villagers, the barkeeper at the head. They were marching towards the castle, brandishing an odd collection of brooms and insecticides. They stopped dead when they saw him.
He stopped too, and wondered why they were staring at him in horrified silence. Then he realized that the upper half of his body was splattered red with Chin Isou's blood, and the lower half, was just, well, covered with dried slime. And the thought hit him: Chin Isou had to keep sober for the game. So he was the only one who did not touch the wine. He laughed.
The villagers scattered.
"As I said, I walked and walked until I fell down right there in the forest," Uncle Cho said. "I don't know why even to this day, but at the moment just before I lost consciousness, I felt at one of my pockets, and do you know, there's a mahjong tile just like that other one in it. I took it out and had a good look at it. 'Well, my friend,' I said to it, 'It's done. You've got her out of your hair forever. Are you happy now?'
"You see," he went on, "I know a youkai spell when I see one. I really meant to return that tile to the body the next day, though I was not sure if that was how it was supposed to work, but I fainted then and when I woke up in my rescuer's hut the tile was nowhere to be found. I never did find it when I went back to the forest, too. And then there was the trial, for the villagers must have gone to the castle after all and reported the whole thing to the authorities. That was how I met the Monk, you know, when he came to arrest me for the wholesale massacre of the One Hundred-Eyed Demon King's clan. I pleaded guilty, of course. There were the bodies. The effect of that wine didn't last long, even with death.
"Oh yes, I did find the tile again, a long while after that," he conceded, after much pestering by the younger ones, who had been fascinated enough by his tale to abandon their game. "Or rather, it found me. But that is another story, and it is getting late now, is it not?"
After the nuns had collected the orphanage children, Uncle Cho took his leave and I escaped to my room. I cried. For myself, for the end of innocence. Everyone in the village knew that Uncle Cho was the legendary thousand-demon slayer who was also part of the famous sutra-retrieving quartet. If his story were true, he was no better than a pest exterminator, and not a good one at that. How could he? How could he tell us this outrageous tale? If that part of his life were untrue, what other things that we knew about him were made of lies? Did the journey to recover the sutras even happen? Was Uncle Cho real? Was the Monk real? Was the Buddha real?
When I grew a little older, I began to appreciate the power of propaganda. It always pays to inflate your reputation, especially in the face of great, constant danger, as the party accompanying the Monk must have been in. It's like the lizard that puffs himself up to make himself bigger than he really is, in the hope that the predator would just give up and go away. By then I had completely lost my faith in the old deities. It was not that I no longer believed in them (they were there all right, as debauched and as immoral as ever); I just did not believe them anymore.
After some time I decided to go away with the strangely clad foreigner who visited the orphanage yearly, always near the Mid-Winter festival. He does not mind that I am what I am; it only matters to him that I am old enough to enter the seminary, although he advised me to always wear my limiters in the presence of others. I want to find out if the stern, upright barbarian deity, who sacrificed his only son to redeem the sins of humanity, was real. The priest said that there was a shroud imprinted with the features of the sacrificed personage in the city where he came from. I am going there to see for myself.
The End
A/N: Many, many thanks to qwerty the xsmoonshine for ideas, comments, and language-fixing. [In fact, she was responsible for the very existence of this fic! (Let's face it, someone has to get the blame.)] Any shortcomings that remain, though, belong to me and me only.
Life is a series of con jobs. The emo narrator is going to have to learn this sooner or later. The herbalist was conned into marrying a snake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_White_Snake), and somebody aimed to profit from the combination of an ancient-looking death mask and religious hysteria (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shroud_of_turin).


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Louis Tomlinson Is Mine!!
here welcome to: forums > random > food > is fried chicken good?-moved
Love food, cooking or just eating then this is the place for you! Share your favorite recipes, tell everyone what foods you love or just hang out and talk about desserts!
Louis Tomlinson Is Mine!!
N+N 4eva
Hello my name is
And I like GIF's
See some cinnabon pictures and more GIFs on my bio.
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