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View of Gravity?
Einstein's view of gravity is a warping in space where smaller mass follow the curverture of the space created by the larger mass. I want to know if this is observed in all solar system where the smaller mass is rotating around the bigger mass above the X axis, assumming the bigger/center mass is at the center of the this X/Y axis.
All planets and stars, everywhere, orbit about the center of mass of the pair. So the sun and earth orbit about their center of mass, this is a point which is inside of, but not at the center of, the sun. There exist binary stars which orbit a center of mass outside of either star. Mizar in the Ursa Major and Algol in Perseus are 2 famous examples.
Planet orbit at the center of mass, make sense, and I learn something new.
But what I am really interested in knowing is the Y cordinate position of the two planet. If this warping of space is true then the smaller mass must alway orbit above the bigger mass which ever way we want to define up as. In other word, the planets center of mass cannot line up 180 degree. Has this found to be true?
I am sorry I do not understand your question. Can you express it mathematically.
Meanwhile I am going to move this to the cosmology forums. Perhaps someone more knowledgeable then I can help you.
To me it seems the warping idea gives a nice description but unnecessary. As an example you could describe electrostatic attraction and repulsion in a similar warp and reverse warped space maybe using an extra 3 of those eleven dimensions identified so far. But we do quite well working that all out without warping. I think the idea is overused on gravity.
It is very hard to explain in words the visual we get in our minds, so not to get everyone frustrated I will try to state it more mathematically.
Mathematically(describe), the closest I can state is when the smaller mass is orbiting the denser mass at the center, the circular or elliptical plane that the smaller mass draw is or is not on the same plane as the center mass? This might or might not be enough for people to visualize to the answer my question.
But basically what I am trying to get at is the orbit of the outer mass should not be on the same plane as the center mass if Einstein view of gravity was to make sense.
Thanks Janus for clearing this up for me. But if that is the case then the question to "what gravity really is?" is not clearly answer, cause Einstein only give us a view but not what it really is.
Could it be that gravity don't really exist, it's only an effect of acceleration?
Everywhere that has the effect of gravity seem to have rotation where centripetal force is involved. Like planet rotation, solar system rotation, and black hole rotation at the center.
Do you really exist? How do you know that you really exist? Do I really exist? HOw do you know that I really exist? What is "real", anyway?
Sorry, but these philosophical questions (of which your gravity question is a very tiny subset) can be and are debated endlessly, and are notorious time-sinks.
All things move through spacetime along geodesics (quickest paths). You may have heard that light does this; they always takes the shortest path through space, because photons don't move through time.
The equivalence principle says that free falling (gravity is the only force) reference frames are flat spacetime. Equivalent to the spacetime of Special Relativity.
From other points of view, free falling reference frames do not appear flat. This is because all objects move through spacetime on geodesics, and it must be curved spacetime making them move in that funny way.
As I understood Einstein gravity and electricity are one in the same, therefore if you insulated yourself from gravity as we do electricity then one could step off a high rise building and not fall to the ground. Then how do we insulate ourself from gravity without just using another platform to step on?
Make something that repels the air with electromagnetism. Like a parachute!!! hehe.
I understand the view where spacetime is warped and mass follows geodesics as an explantion for the attraction of bodies when there are in motion, but what is it that actually accounts for the initial movement of a mass from a position of rest when it is in a gravitational field? Is there a force-carrying particle as with the other forces? Or, is there some other aspect of relativity that I am missing which accounts for this?
The intial movement of a mass from a position of rest when it is in a gravitational field can be understood in terms of geodesic motion.
An object follows a geodesic t(lambda), x(lambda), y(lambda), z(lambda). To simplify the concept, you can think of lambda as being the "proper time" for a timelike geodesic, i.e. the time measured by a clock following the geodesic. Technically, lambda can be any linear transformation of proper time, it's usually simplest to take it as being proper time, though.
An object may have a zero velocity dx/dlambda, dy/dlambda, dz/dlambda, but dt/dlambda will be non-zero. The fact that dt/dlambda is nonzero is what gives the intial accelration when the object is at rest.
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Cracking the World Ice Speed Record
On the frozen sea off the coast of Finland, four-times World Rally Champion, Juha Kankkunen, smashed the world ice speed record in March 2007.
Taking his privately owned Continental GT to an average speed of 199.86mph (321.65km/h), Juha eclipsed the previous record of 184.14mph (296.34km/h), set by a Bugatti EB110 Supersport at the same location.
On a 10km section of frozen ice and in temperatures of minus 30 degrees Celcius, Juha took around 5km to hit his optimum speed before reaching the start of the marked kilometre over which his speed was measured. In spite of the Continental GT's exceptional grip and traction he still experienced wheel-spin even above 120mph.
To fulfil the judges requirements, after a brief check over, Juha turned the Continental GT around and drove the measured kilometre a second time, peaking at an incredible 205mph (330km/h).
According to Kankkunen, "The Bentley performed impeccably. I was amazed how stable and secure it felt at these high speeds, despite the track's rough and icy surface being scattered with powdery snow. I even managed to stop the car from its top speed within 600 metres".
Modifications to Juha's Continental GT were kept to a minimum. For safety reasons, a rollcage was fitted, along with Nokiam snow tyres. Various aerodynamic tweaks were also made, but the powertrain was essentially untouched, although the car ran non-standard fuel with matching calibration to cope with the extreme temperatures.

subset: commoncrawl


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The late Dan Finneran was an attorney who worked pro bono as part of the appellate team for the Margaret Kelly Michaels case and for the Fells Acres case. The following document, which was not filed, was written as an appendix for the 1995 appeal. It was not written as a stand-alone document. Every entry cross-references the trial transcripts, the child interviews, and pre-trial reports none of which are currently available online. Nevertheless, I found the document interesting and informative and well worth sharing.
The main problems of reading this Appendix without the supporting documentation is that one doesn't see the process by which the allegations were produced or how the allegations were developed over time. To appreciate this, one must see the videotapes of the actual interviews, or at least read their transcripts.
There's an interesting old parlor game I sometimes played as a student. You send someone out of the room and tell them that the rest of the players are going to make up a story in his absence. When the person returns, he must figure out the story by asking questions that can be answered with a yes or no. But no story is made up by the other players. Answers are given depending on the final letter of the question. Almost invariably a fantastic and often graphically sexually explicit story is created. But the story is created entirely from the imagination of the questioner.
Something similar (but much worse) occurred in the daycare cases. The questioner in the parlor game at least would believe the answers given. In the case of the daycare investigations, "wrong" answers were just ignored. The question was repeated, or a follow-up question was phrased as if a different answer was given. ("Did he touch your dinky?" "No." "How did you feel when he touched your dinky?") Questions were not only leading, they were often loaded with thinly veiled bribes and threats.
As attorney Robert Rosenthal pointed out at a conference at Harvard Law School, the key to understanding these cases is that the interrogators, not the children, are the narrators. While these cases were raging, interrogators from all over the country were in contact, sharing theories and "information." (Scott Harshbarger, for example, flew Larry Hardoon out to California so that Hardoon could consult with the McMartin investigators. Harshbarger now tries to claim with a straight face that Fells Acres was nothing like McMartin.)
The narratives that attorney Finneran details in this appendix typical of the daycare cases. They provide an interesting and disturbing insight into the thinking and prejudices of police, prosecutors, social workers, and therapists. The pedophile of these narratives was a new kind of monster, different from anything the world had seen before or since:
The kinds of fantasies projected on the children weren't, of course, brand-new. In the past, similar fantasies were projected upon Jews, who were believed to kill Christian children and use their blood in Jewish rites. (Someone who didn't believe in Christ was often considered capable of doing anything.) And fantasies like this were often projected upon homosexuals, especially male homosexuals. (The taboo against homosexual behavior was and is very powerful in our culture. Someone who breaks this taboo is still often considered capable of doing anything.)
- These pedophiles were psychologically normal, with no history of suspicious behavior. These pedophiles were just like everyone else. Anyone might be a pedophile. No child was safe.
- These pedophiles were incredibly reckless and took chances that would almost certainly ensure their discovery. Yet they allegedly operated undetected for years. None of the teachers, parents, or adult employees of the daycare centers ever witnessed suspicious behavior. These pedophiles seem to possess almost supernatural power.
- These pedophiles abused girls and boys indifferently. Homosexuals were accused of abusing children of the opposite sex. Heterosexuals were accused of same-sex abuse. (These cases almost invariably began, however, with a man being accused of sexually abusing a little boy. This was true in Fells Acres.)
- These pedophiles were sadistic, focused on hurting children. Real pedophiles gain a child's trust, and sexual activity is usually confined to gentle fondling that leaves no physical trace. The last thing a real pedophile wants to do is frighten or upset a child. That would almost certainly lead to discovery. But these pedophiles brutally penetrated toddlers, often with sharp objects such as knives and scissors.
- These pedophiles secured silence by terrible threats. Typically, they threatened to kill the child's parents if he or she were to tell. Real pedophiles don't want to frighten or upset children and thus get caught. They may beg the child not to tell because something terrible will happen to the pedophile, whom the child considers a friend.
The daycare sex-panic, like all moral panics of the past, was a product of superstition, bigotry, and political opportunism.
I made one important change to Mr. Finneran's document. He identified all 10 of the children by their initials. I did this for seven of them, but used the full names of Brian Martinello, Phaedra Hopkins and Jennifer Bennett. Middlesex DA Martha Coakley has gone public with these three "victims" (and with Martinello's mother, Barbara Standke) in a disinformation campaign to preserve the Fells Acres "victory." Coakley is encouraging these "victims" in making freshly-minted charges, unsupported by anything on the record. Thus I felt it important that people be able to check the new claims against the record. For instance, no allegation was recorded anywhere before 9/2/84. Yet Standke, for one, now alleges disclosures by her son before that date. Standke also alleges medical "evidence" supporting her claims. No such evidence exists.
Martha Coakley's disinformation campaign is unethical, immoral, and highly unprofessional. It would be tragic if it succeeds.
Bob Chatelle
Interviews and Pre-Trial Reports
Volume Numbers and Page Numbers: 1986 and 1987 Trial Transcripts
Grand Jury Transcripts
Web Site About This Case:


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The fastest cars in the world: In pictures
Pagani Huayra – 231mph (claimed)
Pagani's follow-up to the Zonda was always going to be a spectacular affair, but even we were taken aback by the level of ambition.
While perhaps not quite as immediately alluring to look at as the Zonda that went before it, the Huayra features active aerodynamics at each corner of the car, active suspension and a 730hp twin-turbo Mercedes AMG V12. Top speed? A claimed 231mph.
Other Galleries
» More Autos Photos


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Paul Lambert and Ian Culverhouse during the 6-1 defeat at the hands of Manchester City. Picture: Paul Chesterton / Focus Images
Paddy Davitt
Monday, April 16, 2012
Paul Lambert insists his players must learn the brutal lessons from the biggest defeat of his Norwich City reign.
City were blown away in the final quarter of the game at Carrow Road after Andrew Surman's early second half strike had dragged them back into the contest.
Carlos Tevez and Argentine compatriot Sergio Aguero were in scintillating goalscoring form for Roberto Mancini's men before Adam Johnson slotted a sixth in stoppage time to complete the rout.
"The last 20 minutes I was disappointed," said Lambert. "I thought we were right in the game. At 2-1 the lads were in the ascendancy but three goals in seven minutes were poor from our point of view – but I am not going to criticise the team.
"The second goal I have just watched it back and the strike has come from nowhere but we are playing against lads who are top drawer.
"The finishing was lethal. That is the level you are up against and you make no apology for it. We are up against a fabulous side when you look at the players they have got, but when we got the goal back we had a chance to make it 2-2 when Aaron (Wilbraham) goes through.
"I can't ask for any more. Second half, I thought we got back into it really well, but when you are playing against that sort of calibre that is what can happen."
Lambert acknowledged Manchester City's potent attacking quartet is as good as any in the Premier League after watching Norwich hammered home and away this season.
"You look at their front four lads and they are definitely top, top players," he said. "You've seen the first goal. He (Tevez) is a goalscorer, that's the thing. When you've got those type of players, they can make things happen.
"It's not just the goalscoring, they can create as well. No matter what way you want to wrap it up, they're top players. They're international players and they seem to have a good understanding together. They've got a top side. The movement is very, very good. But where Manchester United are sitting in the table you have to also give them a lot of credit.
"Tottenham were very good when they came here, Manchester United as well, all the top teams, but I'm not so sure that we merited a 6-1 defeat."
Lambert opted to reward the same starting line-up who had earned a landmark Easter Monday win at Spurs, before making a double change to his midfield during the interval with the introduction of Wes Hoolahan and Surman.
"I thought the team against Spurs deserved the right to go again, but we looked tired towards the end of the first half so we changed it a little bit," he said. "The Spurs game was an incredible effort, to win there.
"The lads earned the right to go again and for 70-odd minutes we were in this game. Then three goals in seven minutes and you think 'Where has that come from?' But it happens and that's what happens when you play against top players.
"The important thing is I'm not going to let one defeat ruin what's been an incredible season and that's important for the team that they don't get their heads down."
1 comment
PL is right not to get upset about this defeat. Apart from Man City ( twice) and Sunderland away nobody else has turned us over and we still have Blackburn, Liverpool and Villa where we could get points from so could still hit 50 for the season. Who would have thought that last August when we went 5 games and 2 pts? One more thing remember back in '9394 season when we finished 3rd. We went to Blackburn and got stuffed 7 1. Best get the bad games out of the way and not dwell on them .
Tuesday, April 17, 2012


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Categories > Cartoons > X-Men: Evolution > Sinister Soldiers
Interrogation Terror0 Reviews
The Evo world is forever turned upside down when a man named Dr. Nathanial Essex begins a project known as Shadow Cell from which the lives of Scott, Jean, Vincent, Wanda, and X23 are changed forev...
Chapter 25: Interrogation Terror
It was a long, quiet ride in the specially converted humvee jeep as the five mutants of Shadow Cell once again found themselves driving towards the city of Bayville on yet another mission. Tensions ran high as the sheer magnitude of what they were doing continued to wear at their young minds. They had never gone on a mission like this before...So cut off from all of Shadow Cell's regular operating procedures.
Their whole lives had been run by rigorous protocol ever since they had been recruited. Every session of training and every mission had been done with the strictest of guidelines and procedure. It was part of what made them such disciplined, determined, and deadly soldiers. But this mission which was only ordained upon them by their trusted mentor, Dr. Nathanial Essex, seemed devoid of any such procedure and was completely in the dark.
It was a strange twist of irony that one of the most shadowy programs ever created was now taking on a mission so secret that even the vast majority of the organization didn't know about it. Yet as they had learned time and time again, a mission was a mission no matter how secretive it was. They may not have had protocols to guide them, but they were merely formalities in the grand scheme of things, for in the heat of combat...Protocols always took a back seat to the mission.
With this thought in mind, the five mutant soldiers that had grown, learned, and worked together for the better part of their lives did their best to look ahead with the given predicament that faced them. A crazed mutant supremacist known as Magneto was out to destroy humanity according to Dr. Essex, and like any other threat, they would have to neutralize him by any means necessary.
However, what made this threat more interesting was the fact that it involved the mutant/human problem that Shadow Cell often found itself stuck between. They had never gone up against a mutant foe like this before and there were plenty of unknowns to consider. But what also made this mission unique was the fact that Magneto was also Wanda's estranged father...A man whom she had come to loath in the utmost for throwing her away all those years ago. Up until now he had just been a dark figure of her nightmares...Now she had to contend with the very real possibility that she may face him again in the flesh. Such a possibility definitely made Wanda weary of this shadowy mission, but protocols or not, the chance to see her father again and pay him back for all the pain he caused her overshadowed any such lingering doubts whatsoever...But despite this, there were still many things that didn't sit well with her whenever she thought about the mission.
"Are you going to be okay, Wanda?" asked Vincent, who was sitting next to her in the back seat, seeing that she was still quite tense.
"I'll be fine..." she said in a monotone response, simply looking ahead in a daze as they neared the Brotherhood boarding house.
"Wanda...You know I can tell when you're not telling the truth," said Vincent, taking her weary hand and gently holding it in his in a show of compassion that they probably wouldn't have been allowed to show at a time like this under normal circumstances.
"Yeah...I figured," she said, choosing not to argue with him on the matter, "But trust me...I'll manage somehow. It's just...The thought of going up against my father again is a lot to take in. He's been nothing more than an image in my nightmares for so long that the thought of seeing him again in the flesh just makes me..."
Wanda chose not to finish as she found herself giving Vincent's hand a firm squeeze, taking a deep breath and doing some of the mental relaxation techniques that Magnum had taught her over the years. The eerie light blue eyes of Vincent Freeman that had so often given her comfort in her darkest hours continued to look back at her with great concern, not knowing how she could possibly feel with such a daunting prospect, but he was intent on helping her through it along with the others as they so often had over the years. And his comforting gaze showed it.
"I know...But we'll work through it..." said Vincent with confidence, "It's simply another mission. Off the books or not...A mission is a mission. That part of the game never changes."
"And it's a part that most certainly shouldn't be lost on us in this instance..." said Scott from the driver's seat as he added into their discussion as they neared the target area, "And like all missions...We'll face major challenges that we'll have to overcome whether it be against the Brotherhood or Magneto. And personal feelings aside...We have to work together and help each other as we would in any mission."
"Right...And against a man like my father, we'll need it," said Wanda with a determined look as the jeep pulled up to the Brotherhood house and stopped along the curb.
It was nearly midday and they were all definitely up. This part of the mission was as vital as any other, for the Brotherhood held the key to Magneto's location. They knew they would not give up their secrets easily...But that was to be expected as always with the kind of work they did and this was no exception.
After doing a brief survey of the house, Scott took out the black cell phone that Dr. Essex had given them as their only means of communication back to the base and dialed the specified number he had been given to contact their mentor, who was in his lab doing some extensive work on the bio-mutagenic accelerator while most of the scientists were at Washington or elsewhere in the base.
"Cyclops," answered Dr. Essex as briefly halted what he was doing and picked up his cell phone and spoke to his creations, "Are you in place?"
"Affirmative Dr. Essex," said Scott as he put the phone on speaker so everybody could hear, "We're parked right outside the house. And according to Jean, they're all in there including the shape shifter."
"Perfect..." he said with an ominous grin, "Then go ahead and proceed to interrogate them for Magneto's location. If they offer any kind of resistance...Well, you know how to handle it."
"Does that mean the others are expendable?" asked Jean.
Dr. Essex thought about that for a moment, wondering if it was truly necessary that the Brotherhood be taken out of the picture. It didn't really matter to him since they posed a minimum threat at best...But then again, if he was not to draw attention to his little operation, namely from Xavier who would undoubtedly be concerned if the Brotherhood were to mysteriously vanish, he would have to simply work around their pestilence...Which he was more than willing to do for the sake of his ultimate goal.
"No...They're still young and they pose no threat. But if they become a problem...Then I can't say it would upset me. I'll leave it up to you. Just find out what you can about Magneto's location and call me."
"Right Dr. Essex! Give us ten minutes, max and we'll get them to sing like canaries," said Wanda, eager to begin in this fight against her father.
"I have little doubts that you will..." said Dr. Essex confidently, "Just carry out the mission as I know you all will do with pride. You have my complete confidence and I wish you the best."
"Thank you sir..." said Scott, looking back at the Brotherhood house, feeling it was time to begin.
"Oh, and one more thing Wanda..." said Dr. Essex, hoping to prepare her for one last little shock she may not have been told yet, "Among the Brotherhood members that may pose a challenge...One of them is your brother...Pietro."
Wanda's expression immediately went cold as she heard that name. While most of her hate remained focused on her father, she didn't forget the one other person who had been there that day when those guards carried her off into the dark asylum...Her twin brother, Pietro Maximoff. She clenched her fists in a fury upon hearing that name, but would not allow him to come between her and Magneto. As much as she would have liked to settle some lingering feelings concerning him...Her father remained her top priority.
"I understand, Dr. Essex..." she told him in a firm tone, earning her a concerned look from her comrades.
"I apologize that you were not told earlier...But I felt as though it would be better if you dealt with only one startling revelation at a time," he said to her, mustering what compassion he could.
"It's okay sir. I'll deal with Pietro another day...But the mission comes first and so does Magneto."
"Very well then my dear...Then good luck and Godspeed my children," he said before he hung up the phone and went back to his job of prepping the bio-mutagenic accelerator for use with the stone which would finally enable it to turn his long coveted goals from mere dreams to reality.
Looking back at his work thus far, Dr. Essex knew he had a ways to go. Magnum was working to ensure that his laborious efforts went without interruption and even procured a few specialized parts for him in order to facilitate progress...Which would have to be quick if he was to get it up and running before anybody got too suspicious. In addition, he had placed a few 'suggestions' in a few of the GURSO officials that had weak minds and managed to use a few hologram projectors to provide an accurate and believable deception. And so far, everybody was believing it hook, line, and sinker.
As for Shadow Cell, they may have been working with a window on their mission, but he was working right along side them in a race against time before someone, namely the Colonel or the General, found out. However, in the eyes of Dr. Essex...Even if they did know, there would be little they could do to stop him from carrying out the goals he had worked so long and hard for.
Back at the Brotherhood house, everybody was still concerned a bit with the revelation that one of the Brotherhood members they would have to go through to get the information they needed was Wanda's twin brother, Pietro. Vincent had suspected at one point that he could be the brother she had so often described to him when she confided in him with some of the haunting memories that she still struggled with, only now he had confirmation.
"Wanda...Are you..." began Vincent, placing a hand upon her shoulder.
"I'm fine," she told them with confidence in her tone as a new sense of determination came over her, "So we're going to have to go through my brother to find my father...Big deal. As far as I'm concerned...He'll just be a nuisance like he always was."
"But are you really willing to go through your family for the sake of this mission?" asked Scott seriously, not wanting any of them to be held back in any case.
"As far as I'm concerned...I have no family...Only Shadow Cell," she told them, speaking truthfully and honestly.
Her response seemed good enough for the others as Vincent gave her an encouraging nod, letting her know that he and the others felt the same way about her.
"In that case...I say let's not keep our soon-to-be snitches waiting," said X23, feeling ready to get down to the action.
"I agree..." said Scott, sharing the former living weapon's feelings since time was a big factor with this mission even more so than usual, "Now I know this mission is different than any other we've ever faced...But let's not veer from what Shadow Cell is truly about. There is a real threat to the world out there and it's up to us to stop it...So let's not keep our enemies waiting."
Then, the five mutant soldiers proceeded to place their hands in the center and kept with the ritual that had bound them with each and every mission to date.
"Kuwabara...Kuwabara..." they all said simultaneously.
And with that, Cyclops, Phoenix, Mayhem, X23, and the Scarlet Witch all stepped out of the jeep and began to make their way up to the Brotherhood boarding house, ready to take on the challenges that awaited them whatever they may be.
"So exactly how many are in there?" asked Cyclops as they walked up the unkempt pathways leading to the front door.
"Five, counting the shape shifter," answered Phoenix, doing a quick telepathic sweep of the house.
"Five fully powered mutants who live like outlaws and reject humanity as having any sort of saving grace?" said Mayhem, framing up the situation before them, "Sounds like a challenge."
"Nah, don't worry," assured Phoenix, "If what I can sense from them is any clue, they'll be pushovers at best."
"That'll be nice for a change," said the Scarlet Witch, hoping that it would speed up the overall progress of the mission and get her a step closer to confronting her father, "So how should we neutralize them?"
"Hmm..." said Cyclops taking a moment to think about how to handle a situation like this, "Well Dr. Essex said not to kill them unless they pose too much a threat, so I'd think that maybe a desert scorpion or a Brazilian bushwhacker would work in this instance."
"Desert scorpion to a bunch of teenage wannabes?" said Mayhem in a questioning tone, "Nah, I don't think they'd be all that good at handling shit like that. Maybe we should try with something like a brain burnout or a gut buster."
"A brain burnout would be unnecessary if they don't know anything and a gut buster would take too long," argued Phoenix, who was their chief expert when it came to interrogation.
"I don't know...I think a gut buster or at least a Belgrade bazooka would be appropriate to neutralize them while you handle the shape shifter," said the Scarlet Witch.
"Or...Since this is an off-the-books mission, we could just play it by ear," suggested Cyclops, thinking they were simply running through too many scenarios for a part of the mission that was far from difficult in comparison to some of the other tasks they would probably face.
"Hmm...Sounds good to me," said Phoenix, already knowing what she was going to do once she got her hands on that shape shifter, "With any luck, they'll fall like Afghani fighter jets."
"Only one way to find out..." said X23 as they all approached the door.
Inside the Brotherhood boarding house it was business as usual for them. Todd and Lance were lofting about in the living room, Freddy was cooking another meal for himself up in the kitchen, and Pietro was at always at any number of given places since he seldom stood still for very long. Mystique was up in her room, taking a desperately needed nap after having been in numerous tense phone conversations with Magneto and running errands for him as she was so incessantly forced to do time and time again. Nobody dared to disturb her, for they all seemed bent on enjoying a day when she didn't yell at them for not being able to get them back into school. But as of lately, her efforts had seemed to wane and she had other concerns to take care of. And that was fine with them...For school was overrated to them anyhow.
"Hey Blob! Is that big sandwich of yours ready yet? You're gonna miss the best part of the movie!" yelled Lance as he and Todd lofted lazily upon the couch watching an afternoon movie on cable.
"Hand on man! I'm almost done!" said Freddy as he eagerly put the finishing touches on his sandwich, which looked more like a party sub.
"Well hurry up yo!" said Todd, "And be sure to save at least something in there for dinner later on!"
"No promises there man," said Blob as he poured a few lines of mustard on for the final touch.
Just then, the front doorbell rang.
"Ugh...Who could that be?" grunted Lance, "Todd, go answer it."
"No way yo! Why don't you answer it? I'm comfortable here," he said as he sank into his seat on the couch.
"Because I answered it last time and had to listen to some jerk off Jehovah's Witness guy blab on and on about whether or not I've found Jesus," quipped Lance in response, "You owe me man..."
To further push his point, Lance kicked Todd off the couch and sent him falling to the floor. Not wanting to make a scene, Todd got up and made his way over to the door, hoping it wasn't somebody who was going to make him miss too much of the movie.
"Damn...What kind of people knock on somebody's door in the middle of day?" groaned Todd, "It ain't like most people have the luxury of being expelled from school. Man I don't care who this is, if it ain't Magneto himself, I'm slammin' the damn door in their face."
Todd didn't think too much of what lay before him as he took a quick peak at who was on the other side through the peep hole. But as soon as he got his first glimpse of the five mutant soldiers on the other side, all hell broke lose.
"Knock, knock..." said Cyclops as his body glowed in a bright ruby red color and proceeded to give the flimsy wooden door a hard kick with enough force behind it to dent a tank.
Immediately, the force of the blast sent the young amphibious mutant flying through the air screaming like a little girl. The door was shattered like glass and the five mutant soldiers stepped in with an almost casual stride as they watched the young mutant who now lay before them groan in a heap of pain.
"Oh shit man..." he said rubbing his head, "Who the hell are you?"
"Just passing by..." answered Phoenix as she used her telekinesis to levitate the young boy into the air, causing him to squirm like a worm at the end of a fishing line.
"Wow! What the..." began Todd as he struggled with the strong invisible force that left him hovering just a few feet off the ground.
"The shape shifter..." said Phoenix in a stern tone, "Where is she?"
Hearing the commotion, Freddy stepped out from the kitchen to see what was causing Todd to let out that girlish scream of his. And like Todd, he was quickly drawn into a defensive stance by the five imposing soldiers standing before him.
"Hey Toad..." he said as he entered the main hall, "What the hell?!"
But before Freddy could say anything more, Mayhem sprang into action, using his super speed to land a fast fury of intense blows to the oversized mutant's body. Even though he could easily stop an oncoming car with his strength, the force with which Mayhem hit him was like that of being rammed by a freight train. Then, in a show of his immense strength, the powerful young mutant lifted the immovable Blob up over his head, surprising both Todd and Freddy in the process.
"Take a load off lard ass..." said Mayhem in the stoic tone of the soldier he was, "It looks like you could use it."
"Oh SHIT!" yelled Blob as Mayhem wasted no time in showing him just how serious this was.
Then, in an act that shook the very foundation of the house and awoke Mystique from her peaceful slumber upstairs, Mayhem body slammed him on the floor next to where Todd was still hovering. The commotion quickly garnered Lance's attention, who was next to show up from the living room on the opposing side of the kitchen.
"Todd...Freddy? What the hell was that?" yelled Lance from the other room as he entered the hallway, where he was met with a very vicious X23.
With movements as fluid as reflexes, X23 let out an animalistic growl and did a few quick CQC moves on him, grabbing his arm, twisting it around his back, and listening to him wail out in pain.
"AH! What the..." began Lance, but he hit the floor before he could finish.
Surprised by the younger girl's uncanny strength, Lance let out a groan of pain as he now lay flat on his back. X23 kept him down by keeping a firm foot upon his chest, making her message all the more clearer by extending the claw embedded within until it was a mere couple of centimeters from his neck.
Lance was immediately taken by the sight of a super sharp blade sticking out of the young girl's feet right up against his throat and couldn't concentrate enough to cause a tremor...Because judging from the look on this girl's face, she seemed all too willing to see his head and body suffer from a sudden bout of separation anxiety.
"Stay down..." she told him with a grunt, pulling out one of her guns and pointing it directly at his head.
Lance didn't say a word, but then before anything else could happen, a sudden silvery blur passed in front of the staircase as Pietro Maximoff unknowingly stumbled into the lion's den.
"Hey could you guys keep it down! I'm trying to..." but he didn't get a chance to finish...For what he saw standing before him instantly paralyzed him as if somebody had sent an electric shock through his system, "Oh...My...God! Wanda?!"
"Err! PIETRO!" bellowed the Scarlet Witch as her body was engulfed in a purple haze and the whole house began to shake under the power of her hexing abilities.
The sight of her twin brother...The one who had been there that day when her father threw her away...Was a sight that no amount of intense training ever could have prepared her for. Immediately, the four unprepared Brotherhood boys were engulfed in a haze of purple light and were slammed up against the walls, their powers now suppressed and contained while their bodies were now paralyzed and useless to resist.
"Ugh...Lemme guess," groaned Todd, "Ex-girlfriend?"
"No! Worse!" said the speedster as he continued to look back and disbelief at what he was seeing, "She's my sister! And she's supposed to be dead!"
"Dead? DEAD?!" yelled the Scarlet Witch as she turned up the intensity of her hexing powers, causing them all to let out a pained yell, "Why don't I show you just how painful a dead girl can be?!"
Then suddenly, the four boys let out another round of pained moans as they were lifted off the ground and slammed back into the wall, leaving another round of dents as they all struggled to fight against the paralyzing force of her hex bolts.
"Easy Scarlet Witch...Take it easy," said Mayhem as he placed a hand upon her shoulder, causing her to take deeper breaths and lower the intensity of her hexing powers so that they couldn't move and their powers were contained.
It was a tense couple of moments for both the Brotherhood and Shadow Cell, but they all stayed quiet, for only Mayhem was capable of truly calming the Scarlet Witch down whenever she let her emotions get the better of her. Phoenix also helped by soothing her a bit with a few relaxing thoughts, but Mayhem signaled to her that such actions were unnecessary and he had things under control.
'It's okay Phoenix...I got this,' sent Mayhem as the fury of shaking gradually died down and the four mutant boys were now paralyzed before five well trained mutant soldiers.
Once the Scarlet Witch had calmed herself, she locked eyes with her estranged twin brother, who was still looking back at her in disbelief, for his dead sister was now standing before him. He had always thought her to be dead, he had come to accept that she was dead, but now here she was...Standing there before him and understandably angry.
"Well then...Now that you're all settled, why don't we have a little talk?" said Cyclops in a casual, yet menacingly threatening tone, "Now I see you all are now familiar with the Scarlet Witch and her hexing powers, so don't think you're going anywhere anytime soon and don't think you're powers are going to help you."
"Err!" struggled Lance, "What the hell do you guys want?"
"I'm the one asking the question's here asshole! You'll speak when your fucking spoken to, got it?!"
Cyclops's forceful words sent the usually confrontational Lance Alvers into a frightened silence as he saw the eyes of the powerful mutant soldier glow a menacing ruby red color. And once all was silent again, Cyclops continued with the interrogation.
"Now then..." he said as he walked over to Todd, who was now cowering under his penetrating gaze, "I believe we asked you a question earlier...Where is Mystique?"
"I think she's..." began Freddy, but that quickly proved to be a mistake.
"I DON'T REMEMBER ASKING YOU A GOD DAMN THING FAT BOY!" yelled Cyclops in response, causing the immovable Blob to fall silent in an unusual show of fear as the Scarlet Witch gave him a quick little shock to show that they meant business, "Now then...Mr. Todd Tolensky if I'm not mistaken...Are you going to give us an answer? Or are you going to make this much, MUCH more difficult?"
Todd was already sweating in terror at the sight of the intimidating soldier and was too petrified to say anything. He wanted to tell him, but his brain just couldn't tell the rest of his body to respond. Cyclops took a step closer to him, causing him to squirm even more as he struggled against the Scarlet Witch's hex bolts as he cowered before the intimidating mutant's presence.
"I...Uh...Don't...I mean I..." he stammered, unable to find coherent words.
"If he's not going to answer, then please Cyclops...Blow his brains out. He's getting on my nerves," said X23, showing these four mutant misfits the kind of people they were dealing with here.
"Sure...I can do that," said Cyclops as he took out one of his guns from his holster and cocked it in a threatening gesture, "Now...Are you sure you don't want to tell me? Or are you going to have to pick up pieces of your brain off the floor?"
The sight of a gun pointed directly at him only rendered him more terrified, for neither he nor the others doubted for a second that he was capable of pulling that trigger. Then suddenly, before any of them could respond, a booming noise came from the top of the steps.
"Get out of my house!" yelled a very angry looking Mystique as she stormed down the stairs armed with a nine millimeter, getting off a few shots.
However, whatever shots she got off were worthless, as years of training kicked in and Mayhem used his super speed to appear before her, taking each bullet with ease as they all bounced off of him harmlessly. Mystique didn't have time to react to this as Cyclops then sprang into action, jumping back towards the area besides the stairs and firing a perfectly aimed optic blast at her hands, blowing the gun right out of her grip.
"Augh!" she yelled out in pain as she clutched her hands.
"There you are..." said Phoenix as a halo of fire quickly enveloped her and she used her telekinesis to slam her to the wall and back up the stairs, "Just the one we've been looking for."
Unable to fight against the sheer power of her telekinesis, Mystique was as helpless as a rag doll as she was flung against the walls, letting out pained yell after yell that echoed strongly within the minds of the Brotherhood, for it only added to the intimating aura of power that these five intruders wielded.
"You guys have a little fun down there...The shape shifter and I are going to have a little chat," said Phoenix as she ascended the stairs and used her telekinesis to fling the shape shifter back into her room where she soon joined her, slamming the door behind before letting the interrogation begin.
After having been thrown around the hall like a tennis ball, Mystique was struggling to get up from the stinging pain that lingered throughout her body. She now lay on the floor trying to push her self up with her arms, but Phoenix wouldn't give her the chance as she pressed her foot down upon her back and held her down.
"Ugh..." she grunted in pain, "Who...Who are you? What do you want?"
"I'll ask the questions here...Mystique!" shot Phoenix in a menacing tone as she used her telekinesis to once again fling her against the wall, causing her to let out another pained yell as she helplessly braced for the continuous punishment of this mysterious intruder, "Now...Let's keep this quick and easy...Where is Magneto?"
Mystique's eyes widened at the mention of Magneto, for she thought no one else outside the Brotherhood and the X-men knew of him or his plans. But keeping with her word of loyalty to the master of magnetism, she didn't give the angry redhead the answer she wanted.
"What do you want with Magneto?" she grunted as she struggled with a stabbing pain in her shoulder and ribs, "How do you know about him?"
That earned her another telekinetic slam against the wall...This time causing a cut along the side of her face. She felt blood trickle down her face as the young mutant soldier looked down at her with an intimidating, irked expression.
"You can ask more questions that'll keep on resulting in more punishment...Or you can tell me what I want to know," she said menacingly as she levitated her off the floor so her limp body now hovered a mere few inches from the deadly mutant soldier's face, "Now...Where is Magneto?"
As much as Mystique disliked Magneto, she wasn't stupid. She knew that if she told him, no amount of punishment that this woman could bring would ever equate to what Magneto would do to her if she betrayed him. Therefore, she kept her silence.
"I don't know..." she answered sternly, "That man doesn't tell me anything! He trusts nobody!"
Phoenix studied her expression as she had numerous other adversaries over the course of her experiences as a soldier. This woman was clearly strong willed and resilient, but she was still clearly lying. And if she wouldn't tell her directly...Then she would have to use more persuasive means.
"I don't believe you..." she said simply as she used her telekinetic powers to apply force on her pained shoulder, causing her to yell out once again, "You knew he called it Avalon...You knew of it's existence. Therefore...You must know something about it. And since you won't tell me...I'll just have to tear your mind apart to find it."
"Don't bother...My mental shields are unbreakable! You won't get anything out of me!" taunted the shape shifter, earning her a punch to the ribs.
Phoenix looked back into the yellow eyes of the shape shifter with a venomous determination that showed just how tough a soldier she was. Mystique seemed undaunted, but she was beginning to wonder just how far this stranger was willing to go to get what she wanted. She could clearly see two guns and a large knife assorted upon her futuristic military uniform and if her actions so far were any indication, she was more than willing to use them.
"Unbreakable you say?" said Phoenix as she used her telekinesis to lower the blue mutant down to the ground so she was now on her knees, "Well guess what lady? Breaking the unbreakable is what I do best. Now you can guard your mind all you want with every shield you want...But you will break. I will find out what I need to know one way or another...And you can either accept it and free yourself from a world of pain...Or you can fight me and feel just what it's like to have your mind burned through like the flames of the Phoenix!"
"No...NO!" she struggled as Phoenix placed her hands upon her temples.
"Tell me!" she yelled, tightening her telekinetic hold.
"I...Won't!" struggled Mystique.
Then, Phoenix used her pyrokinetic powers to engulf herself in flame, turning the heat up on the shape shifter as she prepared to go full throttle with her telepathy, ready to probe as deep as she had to in order to find the information she needed.
"Fine...Have it your way then," said Phoenix as the flames began to cause the mangled shape shifter to break out into a hot sweat, "But don't say I didn't warn you..."
Mystique's yells then echoed through the halls and back down to the Brotherhood boys as they all remained paralyzed and powerless as a result of the hexing powers of the Scarlet Witch. The four boys shuttered at the thought at what that redhead was doing to Mystique, but from the sound of it...It couldn't have been pleasant.
The four timid boys tried not to listen to the yells of their usually tough superior as they cowered before the four intimidating mutant soldiers. They were all sweating bullets as they looked into the penetrating eyes of the intruders, afraid to say anything that could possibly set them off.
Pietro was among the most flabbergasted, for he couldn't take his eyes off his sister. For so long now he had accepted the fact that she was dead. He had moved past it and always assumed that he would never get a chance to make up for what happened that day when their father so heartlessly threw her away. But looking at her now, seeing just how strong she had grown physically, he was downright amazed that this was the same girl who he once used to play hide and seek with as kids. Now she looked as though she wanted to put a bullet in his head and as fast as his mind was, he just couldn't process the sheer magnitude of what he was seeing.
"Wanda..." he finally managed to say as he collected himself well enough to speak, "How...How did you?"
"Shut up..." she said in a low, stern tone, sending another round of pain his way via hex bolts, "Over ten years of nightmares and I finally have to see your sorry face again...Don't say anything to make it worse."
"But...Wanda," said Pietro, looking back at the angry eyes of his sister with a mixture of shock and sorrow as many long buried memories surfaced as she stood before him, "Father told me you were dead...He told me that you died in the asylum six years ago. I...I went to your funeral...I stood in front of your tombstone."
The Scarlet Witch couldn't help but be a bit surprised at the revelation that she had a grave somewhere with an empty casket. But she did not falter even as a result of such news as she kept her focus in the face of a past she had come to hate so much.
"Well I'm not dead," she said in a firm tone, "I never was dead...Not completely anyways. Maybe I am to you and father...But I'm still breathing and I still haven't forgotten what you both did to me that day."
Images of that fateful moment when young Wanda Maximoff was carried off in the arms of two dark asylum guards resonated through her mind as she looked in the eyes of the white haired young man that used to be the boy she called her brother. At one point they had been inseparable, now she hated him as well as their father for what they did to her. They threw her away like garbage...They threw her away as if she was nothing. But now she was back...And she was out to prove that she was definitely a force much greater then he ever could have imagined.
"And understandably so...For there are certain memories that can never be forgotten," said Mayhem, who knew all too well how the actions of her father and her brother had affected her as he stepped forward and stood before the young speedster with an intimidating look on his face.
Pietro didn't like the look this guy was giving him. Having seen the effects of her family's actions, Mayhem couldn't say he didn't feel a bit of distaste for the young man who had caused the Scarlet Witch so much pain. Her most recent shift in demeanor upon the revelation about Magneto's presence was a testament to that and seeing her so conflicted was hard for him to witness. Now they were all standing before the source of all these troubles...The team for which Magneto had formed to further his cause. In the eyes of the five mutant soldiers, they were the enemy...And they would treat them as such as they had with countless other enemies in the past.
"So you're Pietro? And this is the Brotherhood?" said Mayhem as he looked down at the four helpless mutants, "I have to say, for a group that's supposed to be the front for mutant advancement, I expected more."
"Magneto must have really lousy recruitment policies," commented Cyclops, his intimidating gaze still holding strong, "I was expecting to see a team...But here we are standing in front of a bunch of mutant misfits who probably think that by rejecting the rest of the world, they can reject what they don't like about themselves. It's really sad..."
"Sad indeed..." said X23 in agreement, "And you do all this for what? Because you think Magneto will reward you? What kind of a cause is that?"
"Not a very good one..." said the Scarlet Witch in a deep, venomous tone, her eyes still locked with Pietro.
"It's an insult to people who actually fight for something more than insecurity," added Mayhem as he looked back down at the four boys with a threatening look in his eyes, "You guys are pathetic...Give us one good reason why we shouldn't shoot you out of general principle?"
The four mutant boys began to squirm again as they struggled against the hexing power of the Scarlet Witch. But no matter how hard they fought, they couldn't break free. It was like being a fish out of water and all they were doing was flapping helplessly, waiting until this dangerous looking intruders got bored with them. Some tried to speak, but only stammered words found their way out.
"Hey man! Don't-uh...I mean...I...I," stammered Todd, still petrified.
"Come on! What did we do to you?" shot Lance, who was also breaking out in a nervous sweat.
"Lance shut up!" said Blob, thinking he was just going to piss them off more.
"Wanda...Don't do this," said Pietro as he continued to struggle, "We haven't done anything...Father hasn't even..."
But he didn't get a chance to finish, for another round of hex bolts shut them all up as the four mutant soldiers continued to loom over them like hawks. Mystique's screams were still coming from the top floor and the longer this went on, the more nervous the four boys got.
"We know 'father' is planning something Pietro..." said the Scarlet Witch in response, hating even the mere mention of the man she hated so much, "And you guys intend to help him...Do you not?"
The four Brotherhood boys didn't say a word in response, fearful that if they said yes, it would give them enough reason to put a bullet through their head. But their silence seemed confirmation enough for the mutant soldiers and they were never ones to let something like that slide.
"Not gonna answer?" said Cyclops in a lighter, somewhat taunting tone of voice, "We ask you a question and you don't answer...Now I may not be an expert, isn't that by definition poor manners?"
"I think it is, Cyclops," said the Scarlet Witch in agreement, turning up the intensity of her hex field and adding to their discomfort, "And usually, when disobedient people are ill-mannered...That constitutes a punishment."
"Punishment, huh?" said Mayhem, also shifting his tone as he looked back down at the four mutant misfits known as the Brotherhood, "So then I guess that means we should punish them...But how?"
Just then, an idea came to Cyclops as he turned back towards X23.
"Hmm..." he said, pretending to really think about it, "Hey X23...You wanna do 'the test?'"
"I'm always willing to do 'the test,'" said X23 with a slight grin as she stepped forward and looked down upon the four unfortunate boys.
None of the boys liked the sound of this as they all began struggling more against the Scarlet Witch's hexing powers, but it was no use as they watched the former living weapon loom over them menacingly in preparation for what she was about to do.
"You boys look as though you're pretty lucky..." she said as Cyclops, Mayhem, and the Scarlet Witch took a step back so she could do her thing, "Born with amazing powers...No parents or rules to live by...The promise of leading a revolution to place yourselves at the top along with Magneto...You've really got it good here."
She then proceeded to take whip out the two advanced handcrafted guns that had secured in holsters on each hip and did a few quick gun slinging tricks, twirling and spinning them around her fingers to show off her skill and add to the tension that was clearly growing among the four boys.
"I think it's time we test how lucky you are..." she said, doing a few more quick tricks which left some of their mouths hanging open in amazement, "These guns are both empty...But my 'special' gun isn't."
Then, taking out the last gun that she had hand crafted herself to perfection, she showed the four Brotherhood boys what would be the means in which to test their luck. They all began breathing irregularly as they saw her hold up the loaded gun before them and began struggling more...Which only earned them another reprimand from the Scarlet Witch.
"Five shots...And trust me, it'll take only one to kill you," she told them as she held all three guns in her hand.
"What?! You're crazy!" shot the ever confrontational Freddy Dukes.
"Okay...Make that six shots!" said X23 with an annoyed gaze, shutting the immovable Blob up as she prepared to do the test, "Watch them go...And if you're all lucky...Then maybe one of you won't be spitting gum out through your forehead."
The four petrified mutant boys didn't make another comment as they watched with a mixture of horror and amazement as X23 tossed the loaded gun up into the air and began juggling them in a show of great skill. The four boys tried to keep track of the loaded gun, but they all looked the same and she was doing it too fast. At some points, she pulled off a few tricks that only further confused them as to which one was loaded.
"Oh man...Oh man..." said Lance, getting worried as to the outcome of this so called 'test.'
Cyclops, Mayhem, and the Scarlet Witch watched with complete indifference as they saw X23 pull off the kind of gun slinging tricks that only somebody like her could muster. This tactic was one they had often used in the past with enemies during interrogations to keep them tense and anxious so they wouldn't consider escaping. And so far, the Brotherhood wasn't even putting up a fight.
Then, after a good solid minute of juggling, X23 began to take a few slow steps towards the paralyzed mutants and fired off her first shot.
"Ahh!" yelled Pietro as he cringed at the sound of the gun letting off a simple click, hinting that it was empty.
She then proceeded with the next shot...This time on Freddy, who also closed his eyes and cringed, but again...The gun was empty. Next was Lance, who gasped loudly as if he was going to have an aneurism, but luckily, the gun was empty. Then after pulling off another couple of gun slinging tricks, she fired her fourth shot...This one at Todd, who let out another girlish scream as he began hyperventilating. It had been empty, but it was still causing him to shutter in uncontrollable fright. The next shot was back at Pietro...Who shut his eyes and cringed, but heard only the click of an empty gun.
"Oh shit...Oh shit..." began Todd, unable to control himself, which quickly drew X23's attention.
With only one shot left, X23 had to pick her victim carefully. And since Todd wouldn't seem to shut up...It was an easy choice. Only this time, she did something a bit more dramatic...She tossed two of her guns up, threw her third up afterwards, caught each of the first two guns on their way down and skillfully put them back in her holsters, and then easily catching the final gun as she pointed it directly at Todd's forehead with her hand firmly on the trigger, stretching out the tension for as long as she could. The young amphibious mutant closed his eyes and continued whimpering uncontrollably, thinking this could be it...This could be the end. All it would take was for her to pull that trigger...Which she finally did.
"AHH!" he yelled out in a girlish scream...But instead of a bang, there was only a click.
Not hearing a shot go off, Todd began hyperventilating again and in his fit of fear, lost control of his bladder and wet his pants.
"Oh shit..." he said as he looked down at the wet spot that formed in his jeans, "Oh man I pissed myself!"
It was a show of weakness and humiliation for them, but Shadow Cell didn't show an ounce of empathy for them as they simply looked back down at them with pity.
"Pathetic..." said X23 as she put her gun away.
"I agree...But also pretty damn lucky," added Cyclops, "They're all still breathing and they all still have their brains in their skulls."
"And trust me...That's not an easy feat and I'm still tempted!" said the Scarlet Witch, mainly looking at Pietro.
"Then you four had better pray to God that the shape shifter cracks soon...Otherwise we'll just have to find more ways of amusing ourselves," said Mayhem coldly, even though he knew along with the rest of his comrades that this was just for show and they had no real intention of killing them...For they just wanted to know they would be willing to if they got in their way in their fight against Magneto.
Upstairs, Mystique wasn't faring much better than the boys, for she had been battered, burned, and beaten by the determined telepath as she prodded and probed into her heavily shielded mind. She most certainly hadn't been lying when she said she had powerful mental shields, but they were not impenetrable and Phoenix was slowly breaking through.
"This can go on all day Mystique..." said Phoenix as she telekinetically pinned her to the floor and stretched out each of her limbs.
"Nn...NO! I won't...AHH!" she yelled out in pain as she struggled to keep her shields up.
All the physical punishment she was enduring was beginning to take a toll on her. She couldn't keep her shields up under the strain of this woman's powerful telepathy. She was definitely no Charles Xavier...She knew how to push and tear at her mind with a relentlessness and ferocity that he would never be capable of. Yet still, she resisted...But Phoenix hadn't even broken a sweat yet, for she was willing to go as long as necessary to get what she needed out of this woman. She was tough, that much was clear...But not tough enough.
"I just want to know where his base is...You don't need to tell me anything more," she said to her as she formed a large ball of fire and lowered it to her body, letting it heat the air up around her and making it difficult to breathe.
"I...Won't..." she struggled, but it was finally becoming too much for her.
The heat of the fire, the pain of the telekinetic blows, and the onslaught of her relentless telepathy was eroding her powerful shields rapidly as she let out another yell of pain. She tried not to falter, but it was all but impossible under the strain...And for a split second, her formidable defenses cracked and Phoenix got a clear glimpse of something.
It wasn't much, just a few images of the large, elaborate Asteroid M facility both inside and out. There were no inside images, but clues to the location were clearly there. It was in a cold, inhospitable environment wrought with thick snow and howling arctic winds. But what gave away the true location were the brilliant lights in the night sky...Lights that Phoenix immediately recognized as the aurora borealis...Meaning it could only be one place...The north pole.
Finally, the fires disappeared and Phoenix halted her telepathic probing, for she had gotten exactly what she needed. She was still pinned down by her telekinesis, but even if she wasn't she was too battered and bruised to put up much of a fight.
"There...Now was that so hard?" she told her in a light hearted tone, "Thanks for the info...You've been most helpful."
Then, with one last telekinetic burst, she flung her back onto her bed and exited the room in an almost casual manner, leaving the tattered and bruised shape shifter to deal with her pained body. Only the pain was just part of her concern now...For if she had managed to see what she thought she saw, Magneto would definitely not be pleased with her.
As Phoenix descended the stairs, she saw her four comrades still looming over the Brotherhood boys, who looked as scared as a bunch of rats in a cat convention. She had expected as much and hoped that what they did to them would make them think twice about fighting them in the future.
"Did you get what you needed, Phoenix?" asked Cyclops.
"Of course...She was a fighter, I'll give her that. But she broke...They always do," she said with confidence as they all turned back towards the rest of the Brotherhood, "So what do we do about them?"
"Don't worry..." assured X23 as she shot them a threatening glance, "I think we made our point to them."
"Good...Then let's get out of here," said Phoenix, "We've got much bigger fish to fry."
"Right..." said the Scarlet Witch as they all began filing out of the front door.
But before they all left, the Scarlet Witch shot them one last menacing glance, mainly focused at her brother. Having had the chance to look him in the eye for the first time since she cried out to him for help that day she was thrown into the asylum, it had been a trying ordeal for her to say the least. But nevertheless, she managed to vent many things towards him and had gotten a different reaction than she had expected. It was almost as if he felt remorse for what he had done...Remorse after having not shed a tear when she cried her heart out to him all those years ago. But she scoffed at such a notion at this point...For she and her comrades had much greater concerns at the moment...Like facing Magneto.
Once they were out the door, the four boys were finally released of the Scarlet Witch's hexing powers. They all let out loud gasps as they struggled to catch their breath after what they had just experienced. Even though they had fought in hard battles against the X-men...Never before had they ever faced such ruthless and determined adversaries. For these guys were not afraid to kill...They were not afraid to go the distance.
For Pietro, it had been even worse...He had just come face to face with his dead sister. All the sorrow and remorse that he had spent many years dealing with and pushing aside had suddenly come back with a vengeance...And now it seemed as though that vengeance would find it's way to his father as well.
"Oh man..." groaned Todd as he and the others struggled back to their feet, "That was messed up yo..."
"Yeah...No kidding," said Freddy as he helped the younger mutant up while trying to collect his thoughts after having come face to face with such violent intruders.
"Man...And I thought the X-geeks were bad," commented Lance as he leaned against the wall for support, "But compared to those guys, they're fucking angels!"
AN: Oh boy, the Brotherhood really took a beating with this one! Shadow Cell proved just what they were capable of and just how far they were willing to go in order to get what they needed. It just goes to show how different they all are in this universe given their upbringing. Now they have another challenge ahead, but trust me...The big stuff is still waiting in the wings! Oh and just so you know, that bit X23 did with her guns was inspired by that scene from Metal Gear Solid 3 where Ocelot did a similar juggling trick against Sokolov. Just thought you should know! Stay tuned to see how Shadow Cell continues to impact the X-men world as new events unfold and the plot continues to twist and turn it's way through this very ambitious story! So what do you think of the world I created here? I'd love to know, so please tell me! Send me your reviews via email or post them on the fanfiction website! Any reviews would be greatly appreciated so please take the time to tell me what you think! Thanks a ton for reading and I wish you all the best!


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2 Undervalued Tech Suppliers to Buy
David is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
With a dramatic secular transition towards smartphone and tablet technology, firms like Corning face great upside. While they have partially recovered lost shareholder value from improving momentum, the market correction hasn't been strong enough. There are several reasons why I find them to be undervalued and capable of outperforming in the next two years. Below, I present my take on the two.
An Improving Outlook For Corning (NYSE: GLW)
This maker of glass and other electronic supplies has recovered 20.6% from its 52-week low, but still trades compellingly at 9.9x past earnings and 13% under book value. Moreover, the company has excellent liquidity with a 4.3x quick ratio and $4.30 in cash per share, or just more than a third of the market cap. A recent report by National Securities has the stock at a "buy" and a target of $16--more or less in-line with Oppenheimer, Stifel Nicolaus, and RBC Capital Markets. At only around $12.63, the stock offers a healthy margin of safety.
But being inexpensive is meaningless if the underlying fundamentals are weak. Put differently, you want both an undervalued and good company. Corning recently raised its guidance due to an improved outlook on the LCD market and electronics sector in general. Management is now forecasted for a mid-single digit sequential rise in LCD glass volume. With Samsung's flexible OLED displays coming into production in the first half of next year, Corning's Willow Glass is likely to see a nice surge in sales. The change in outlook for LCDs suggests a reversal that will likely continue to drive momentum.
Analysts forecast Corning to grow EPS by 10% annually over the next 5 years. Combined with the 2.9% dividend yield, this is more than enough to justify making an active investment. Further, its return on invested capital of 12.7% means the business is generating value, more so than its competitors. Corning has no reason to be well under book value when the industry average P/B ratio stands at 3.4x.
Why You Should Also "Buy" TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL)
TE Connectivity trades at only 13.3x past earnings. Free cash flow has continued to go up since 2011 and now stands at $1.4 billion on a TTM basis, or a yield of 9.2%. In the recent earnings call, management expressed that it was "especially pleased" about "free cash flow performance, which has been strong and consistent over" the company's first five years despite an occasionally "volatile and uncertain economic environment."
There are several more reasons to be bullish on the company. Management's investments are already paying dividends--the Deutsch buyout added $153 million to the top-line in the fiscal fourth quarter. The decision to reorganize the business into four segments--while slightly gimmicky--is symbolic of the company's intent on improving efficiency. Partially because of the improved productivity, management has even guided for around 5% adjusted EPS growth even in a "no growth" revenue environment. If there is 3% economic growth with signs of a macro recover, consumer reservations will dissipate and the slowing order rate that we saw in the fiscal 4Q will give way to EPS growth of 10%. Either way, when you factor in a 2.3% dividend yield and multiple expansion, the risk/reward is very compelling.
When you consider that other electronic instrument producers, like Amphenol (NYSE: APH), can trade at a respective 19.3x and 16.4x past and forward earnings and still be rated favorably on the Street, its easy to see the favorable risk/reward in TE Connectivity. Even if Amphenol grows EPS by 10.9% annually, it will only be worth $68.37. This will only provide you with an average annual return of 2.7% when you factor in dividend yields.
TakeoverAnalyst has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of Corning. Motley Fool newsletter services recommend Corning. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
This list has been posted in late 2007. It nailed down deathknights and all the zones by the letter. I wouldn't be surprised if this actually holds true, even if it (back then) sounded simply like someone needed attention. Also, it frequently got deleted whenever postet in the official forums, which (kind of) gives it credibility.
David Whyld said...
And by late 2007, a lot of that information was readily available from a whole lot of different sources. I think someone's pulling your leg.
Also, I've seen this "list" before and it's different every time someone posts it somewhere. Blizzard may have had an idea to go to Northrend while they were working on TBC, but they sure as hell didn't have it worked out down to the zone. The way Northrend is structured is a hell of a lot different from Outlands, and that's not a coincidence. They learned from TBC and now have two entry level zones and a fairly free-flowing progression. Do you think entire servers would have been pouring into Hellfire on launch day if they'd already had Northrend planned out that much? Hell no.
Also, I've been a part of every beta, and I sure as hell didn't find any list of possible expansions in MY files in '04. This guy is full of shit, and so is his list.


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Pankaj Gakhar
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Posts by Pankaj Gakhar
Could not initialize class com.documentum.fc.client.DfClient while starting livecycle documentum connector services for documentum 6.7 SP1
If you are trying to configure documentum 6.7 sp1 with livecycle and while starting the services for livecycle connector for emc documentum you are getting the below error, then this post may be help ful to you.
java.lang.NoClassDefFoundError: Could not initialize class com.documentum.fc.client.DfClient at com.documentum.com.DfClientX.getLocalClient(DfClientX.java:43) at ……..
The cause of this error is that the classpath required for connecting for documentum 6.7 SP1 is not correct.
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
LiveCycle SharePoint Connector option convert to pdf is not available on .xml or .aspx pages
Users keep facing the issue that the LiveCycle SharePoint connector options are not available on certain type of files like xml and aspx.
To enable convert to pdf option for xml, aspx or any other type of documents (which are supported by LiveCycle PDF Generator component), you can follow the below steps:-
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
Store Content to FileNet server using LiveCycle Java APIs
- Pankaj Gakhar, Software Engineer @ Adobe
You should have LiveCycle server installed and LiveCycle connector for IBM FileNet should be configured with it.
Follow the steps below to store content to FileNet server using LiveCycle's Java APIs:
1. Create ServiceClientFactory Object.
2. Create an object of IBMFileNetContentRepositoryConnectorServiceClient class using the object of ServiceClientFactory class.
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
Installing and Configuring LiveCycle ES3 Connector for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 for JBoss, MySQL, Windows
- Pankaj Gakhar, Software Engineer @ Adobe
The LiveCycle ES3 connector for Microsoft SharePoint 2010 contains two parts:-
- Document Services Component (DSC) which is installed on LiveCycle Server.
- Web Part that is installed on the SharePoint Server.
Installing Adobe LiveCycle ES3 Connector for Microsoft SharePoint DSC (Fresh Installation)
Install the LiveCycle ES3 server on your machine and follow the below steps to configure the SharePoint Connector:-
1. Move to the LiveCycle server installation directory and start the LiveCycle Configuration Manager (LCM). LCM is available at <LIVECYCLE_INSTALL_DIR>/configurationManager/bin/ConfigurationManager.exe or .bat.
2. If you are adding SharePoint to an existing LiveCycle ES3 Installation, please go to section Adding SharePoint Connector to an existing LiveCycle ES3 installation. If this is a fresh installation then, choose express mode of installation and on the Modulesscreen select the components that you want to install along with LiveCycle ES3 Connector for Microsoft SharePoint.
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
Unable to Create new application in workbench
- Pankaj Gakhar, Software Engineer @ Adobe
You may receive the below error while creating an application in workbench:-
Failed to create application, please check if application name contains invalid string.
This is because the service provider has been changed to a value other thanRepositoryProviderService. Restore it back and you'll be able to create applications in workbench.
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
Adobe LiveCycle Forms Integration with SharePoint
- Pankaj Gakhar, Software Engineer @ Adobe
This post assumes that you have already installed LiveCycle server containing Forms and SharePoint Connector modules and also configured the web part for livecycle connector for sharepoint on the SharePoint server.
A sample livecycle archive adobe-formintegrationformssharepoint.lca is provided with Adobe LiveCycle Installation in the <LiveCycle_Install_DIR>/deploy folder. You can use this to see adobe livecycle forms integration with SharePoint server.
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.
Configure LiveCycle connector for EMC Documentum with Documentum 6.7 SP1
Access Denied while activating 'Adobe LiveCycle Connector' feature on SharePoint 2010
- Pankaj Gakhar, Software Engineer @ Adobe
After installing Adobe LiveCycle Connector Web Part on SharePoint 2010, you may encounter an error Access Denied while activating Adobe LiveCycle Connector feature on a SharePoint Site Collection. This issue occurs due to a new security feature implemented in SharePoint 2010. You can refer Microsoft KB 2564009 for details.
You can check SharePoint logs for details of the exception. The logs would look similar to:
w3wp.exe (0x0F48) 0x190C SharePoint Foundation Feature Infrastructure 88jm High Feature receiver assembly 'AdobeLiveCycleConnector, Version=18.104.22.168, Culture=neutral, PublicKeyToken=6720cbcc342f4ca4′, class 'LiveCycleInterop.LiveCycleFeatureReceiver', method 'FeatureActivated' for feature '33a7c6b5-4e62-44aa-bf99-62d283de683a' threw an exception: System.Security.SecurityException: Access denied. at Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPWebService.set_RemoteAdministratorAccessDenied(Boolean value) at LiveCycleInterop.LiveCycleFeatureReceiver.addToWebConfig(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) at LiveCycleInterop.LiveCycleFeatureReceiver.FeatureActivated(SPFeatureReceiverProperties properties) at Microsoft.SharePoint.SPFeature.DoActivationCallout(Boolean fActivate, Boolean fForce) The Zone of the assembly that failed was: MyComputer fda8f095-7baa-47e4-b400-740259ad8ff5
Read the complete post at Adobe LiveCycle Blog.


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In the event that children need specialized healthcare, families in Williamson County soon won't have to drive to Nashville.
Williamson Medical Center announced plans Monday for a major expansion, including a new tower for pediatric services.
It will named the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Williamson Medical Center.
The hospital is affiliated with Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Williamson Medical Center officials said the hospital needs a department dedicated to children's care because emergency room staff are treating more than 6,000 children a year.
The state has yet to approve the expansion plan.
Copyright WSMV 2012 (Meredith Corporation). All rights reserved.


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Roadside Sign Declares 'No Mugging'
March 6, 2013 by UPI - United Press International, Inc.
PROVIDENCE, R.I., (UPI) — Officials in a Rhode Island city said a "No Mugging" sign noticed on a street corner was not erected by the city.
Lorrie Prybyla, a Providence parking enforcement officer, said she was shocked when she spotted the sign on her rounds Monday, The Providence Journal reported Tuesday.
"No Mugging here to corner," the sign reads.
"How am I supposed to give out a ticket for no mugging?" Prybyla said.
Providence Public Works said the sign was put up by an unknown person without the city's knowledge, WPRI.com, Providence, reported. Officials said they plan to remove the sign Tuesday.


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With winter weather expected to blow through Central Texas this weekend Texas Department of Transportation crews are preparing to make sure the roads remain safe to drive.
Trucks have been loaded up and are ready to be dispatched to areas where ice forms on the roads especially bridges and overpasses.
Officials are urging drivers not to take to the roads in treacherous conditions if they can help it.
Drivers are also urged to take the following precautions.
- Slow down
- Maintain at three times the normal following distance on snow or ice
- Watch for trucks and equipment treating roadways and stay back 200 feet from them
- Use extra caution on ramps, bridges and overpasses – they freeze first
- If you start to slide, ease off the gas and brakes, steer into the direction of the skid until you have regained traction, then straighten your vehicle.
Road conditions will be updated on DriveTexas.org.
You can also call the highway condition line at 1-800-452-9292.
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Today, the crossword question is "Gas grade". First we find similar definitions for Gas grade, Next we will look for a few extra hints for "Gas grade". Finally, using all gathered information, we will solve , slangily crossword definition and get the final answer.
The best crossword puzzle solution and answer for "Gas grade" is:
Gas grade : PREMIUM
The difference between a premium and regular gasoline is its octane rating. The octane rating is measure of the resistance of the gasoline to auto-ignition i.e. it's resistance to ignition just by virtue of being compressed in the cylinder. This auto-ignition is undesirable as multiple-cylinder engines are designed so that ignition within each cylinder takes place precisely when the plug sparks, and not before. If ignition occurs before the spark is created, the resulting phenomenon is called "knocking".
Please note! There may be multiple solutions to "Gas grade" with a specific crossword puzzle definition. We apologize in advance, if there is another solution for "Gas grade". Please send it to us or leave a comment below and we will add it too, ASAP!


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9. Glenelg
Last season: 24-2, No. 6
Postseason: Class 2A South regional finals
Outlook: Only two starters return, and one, Sam Heisig, is out until January after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament. With All-Metro guard Emily Russo and several players with varsity experience, the Gladiators should still challenge for another Howard County title.
10. City
Coach: George Petrides
Last season: 17-7, No. 13
Postseason: Class 3A North regional first round
Outlook: The Knights return all but one player from a team that barely lost to Poly in the Baltimore City final and then gave Milford Mill a battle in the regional opener before falling, 48-45. Look for them to make another run at the city title.
11. Roland Park
Coach: Scott Buckley
Last season: 16-11, unranked
Postseason: IAAM A Conference quarterfinals
Outlook: The Reds' roster includes only two upperclassmen, but their youngsters are athletic, talented and versatile. If they can overcome the inconsistencies of youth, they could compete with the league favorites this season.
12. Seton Keough
Coach: Jody Powell
Last season: 13-13, No. 15
Postseason: IAAM A Conference semifinals


text: According to the Flour Bluff Independent School District Web site, a handgun was discovered in a backpack belonging to a kindergarten student on Thursday.A press release stated that the child alerted his teacher to the gun's presence, and she immediately reported it to administration. The Corpus Christi Police Department and Child Protective Services were brought in to investigate.As of 2 p.m., CCPD determined that the gun was actually a high-quality replica, not capable of firing. The child told them that the gun had been on his dresser for some time, and he took it to school to show others.The press release did not specify whether or not CPS is still involved in the investigation. Kiii News will have more details on 3News tonight.


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I love to lick my wifes *** so we have no need of lube during anal sex. I make sure she is nice and wet from my tounge. What do you prefer.
8anallastnight 46-50, M 8 Answers 7 Jan 26, 2012
i am always tied over the sex bench for anal and never get lube.
Best Answer
after a good licking I like to sit in his lap so I can control the speed and depth,
Best Answer
face down. prefer lube but sometimes it just happens so fast there is no time
Best Answer
saliva n doggy
Best Answer
My wife likes split the reed and lots of lube, but my ex, liked any time any position and spit..
Best Answer
Doggie style first and I prefer my own juice from my *****. Make me squirt and I promise you will not need lube.
Best Answer
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Hot on the heels of a record sales year in the UK, BMW has launched a new specification tier on BMW 1, 3, 5 Series and Z4 models, offering even greater value for money and personalisation. Edition models feature a range of specific colour choices and interior options as well as specification enhancements on four-cylinder cars.
BMW 3 Series Edition models offer an even broader range of models and customer choice, with 24 new models available. All four-cylinder petrol- and diesel-powered 3 Series Saloon and Touring models are available in Edition ES, Edition SE or Edition M Sport models. These models will add further driver appeal and offer even higher levels of standard equipment to the compact executive car of choice for retail and corporate buyers alike.
Edition ES and SE models come as standard in a choice of Carbon Black, Titanium Silver or Sparkling Graphite colours. To complement the exterior colour, these models also feature Dakota leather upholstery and Brushed Aluminium interior trims. In addition, they are all equipped with a 17-inch V-spoke alloy wheel (currently standard on 335i/d Coupé and Convertible models) and a three-spoke M multi-function leather steering wheel.
Both the Edition ES and Edition SE models add £750 to the price of the existing car but, at retail prices, add around £3,000 of equipment value to the car.
For those drivers who appreciate the sporting credentials of the 3 Series, Edition M Sport Saloon and Touring models are available. Building on the sporting pedigree of the 3 Series, the Edition M Sport models come as standard in Carbon Black, Titanium Silver or Sparkling Graphite. Like the Edition ES and SE models, Dakota leather seat coverings are standard.
The Edition M Sport also recognises BMW's continued success in the World Touring Car Championship. It features the same 18-inch WTCC-style alloy wheel as is fitted to the triple championship-winning BMW 320si.
In addition, the Edition M Sport models feature Business Navigation system, complete with map guidance, Bluetooth mobile telephone connectivity and BMW's new ConnectedDrive Online and Assist telematics package as standard.
With a nominal cost of £1,000 on top of the cost of the 'standard' M Sport models, the Edition M Sport derivatives add up to £3,100 of additional customer value to the car.


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UPDATE 1: E.ON CEO says EU carbon plan may fail to bring results
23 Jan 2013 13:06 Last updated: 23 Jan 2013 16:52
BERLIN, Jan 23 (Reuters) - A plan tabled by the EU's Climate Commissioner to shore up rock-bottom carbon emissions right prices, even if successful, may fail to bring the desired effect, the chief executive of Germany's top utility E.ON said.
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So, it came in like a lamb, this month of March. Though grey and somewhat looking bleak, at least we had no fierce winds accompanied by any blizzard. That event occurred at the end of February.
We were supposed to receive all of that again but somehow it was our Duluth neighbours who were the lucky recipients. The lion, though, had not left; he was just lurking.
And so it goes: a couple of days of warmth maybe with the occasional flurry and then wham!
The thermometer bottoms out, the winds blow, and my nose freezes. But, thank heaven for small mercies. I had to deliver a couple of round, hay bales to various horse paddocks.
The small mercy entailed Red starting up almost immediately regardless of the minus twenty degree temperature during the night. Hay bales were transported and deposited without mishap.
Murphy (of Murphy's Law) must have been harassing some other farmer that day.
My big fear, based on previous experiences this winter, is that while Big Red, my diesel tractor, is plugged in and the precious bodily fluids of the beast are warm, its battery has not on very cold nights. I've been repeatedly told to either a) remove the battery from the tractor at night and store it in Casa Jones or b) purchase what is known as a battery blanket that surrounds it and keeps it warm no matter how cold Jack Frost makes it.
Lazy I be in that I have not as yet bought the battery blankie and I refuse to extricate the battery from Big Red to be hauled into our hoosie because it weighs "a ton" as they say.|
I've pointed out to my children whenever we drive by famers' fields that "in my day", meaning just a few years ago, all the stubble on the fields that they see would have been covered by repeated snowfalls.
The promised dump of snow that was to have blessed us right on the heels of the blast on the previous Sunday, would have done the trick.
Then famers and other rural dwellers could have relaxed without worry that their wells would dry up come the paltry spring melt. As it is, with very little frost in the ground, what snow we have should seep right into the ground. One more large dump would insure it.
But spring is on the way. One sure sign for me is what is becoming an annual event at our local community hall. Marcus and Deb of Rose Valley Inn put on a fantastic feast featuring Irish food that is scrummy, doncha know.
It takes place this Sunday evening, March 11, at the Gillies Community Hall. Last year Deb and Marcus somehow finagled the incredible Pierre Schryer and his band to provide entertainment.
If Pierre is playing, I'm going. His music is a combination of Celtic and French foot stomping stuff. I cannot keep my feet still when they play all those jigs, reels, and waltzes. Pierre and his family/friend musicians are world-class and we are just bloody lucky that they were free to trundle out to the Gillies Community Hall (ours) for this St. Paddy's Day feast.
So we get wonderful traditional Irish grub to warm our tums and wonderful Irish/Scots/French Celtic music to warm our feet this Sunday evening at 5:30 p.m. at the Gillies Community Hall in South Gillies.
Tickets can be purchased by calling 473-5448. It is a good idea to purchase in advance so that Marcus knows how many tums to feed.
See you there and wear something green.
You can contact Rural Roots by e-mail: email@example.com or by writing to Rural Roots, P.O. Box 402, South Gillies, Ont. P0T 2V0.
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The City of Johns Creek held the grand opening of its new active adult center, Park Place at Newtown School, on Thursday.
The two-year project which was overseen by the Newtown Park Community Foundation, which converted Newtown School, built in 1929, into a thoroughly remodeled center for Johns Creek residents ages 62 and up.
Park Place at Newtown School will host recreational and educational activities such as yoga and art classes, bridge clubs, book discussion groups, computer training classes, cooking classes, movie nights and monthly health and wellness screenings.
For more information on Park Place at Newtown School and its programs, e-mail email@example.com or call 770-667-5030


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page 6 - High Desert Showdown: Ford SVT Focus
Battle of the factory-tweaked front-drivers.
By July 13, 2004 / Photos by Ron Perry And Marc Urbano
3rd Ford SVT Focus
1/4 mile:
15.6 @ 90.1
Lap time:
66.4 mph
122 ft
215 ft
Pros: Easy, predictable handling, free-revving engine, good grip at all four corners, idiot-proof
Cons: High seating position, lack of low-end torque, lack of connection to the road, hatchback
For more than a decade, Ford's Special Vehicle Team (SVT) has been transforming ordinary cars (and trucks) into serious instruments of speed. Everything from the dearly departed SVT Contour to the Cobra, Focus and Lightning pickup has received the SVT treatment to impressive effect. All are a blast to drive and all shared the same well-rounded execution.
The SVT Focus is no exception, performing better than the standard Focus in every way, but not at the risk of feeling like some thrown-together aftermarket experiment. From the moment you jump into the racy Recaro seats (part of our test car's optional $3410 European appearance package), this SVT variant possesses a certain "oneness" of character. Unlike the SRT-4 or, to a lesser degree, the Mazdaspeed Protegé and Nismo Sentra, the Focus feels less like the sum of its performance parts and more like a single, synchronized unit.
Driving it is so easy as to be almost uninvolving. It goes, stops and corners commendably well, but at times leaves you feeling a little detached from the process. Despite excellent balance and good grip from its SVT-tweaked suspension (shocks/springs/anti-roll bars), the chassis doesn't provide the kind of feedback normally associated with such performance. The steering comes across as a bit numb, the front wheels steering the car without communicating much of what they're doing.
Even so, the handling is all but foolproof, making the Focus easy to drive quickly both on- and off-line. It pretty much lets you do whatever you want and still go relatively quickly. Said Dror, "Definitely neutral. It feels like a medium, forgiving car all around. Both the Focus and the Civic are similar in that respect, though the Focus is slightly more so."
Its 170-bhp 2.0-liter four likes to be revved for maximum effect. A touch lethargic at low rpm, it picks up a good head of steam in the midrange and smoothly carries that all the way to redline. This comes in especially handy at the track, where the Focus can be left in a lower gear while other cars require an upshift. The snappy Getrag 6-speed box makes it easy to dance between gears and keep the engine in its powerband.
Easy, easy, easy is how the SVT Focus driving experience can best be summarized. While not the fastest or flashiest of the bunch, it's definitely the one with the most forgiving nature. Just get in it, get on it and enjoy the ride. Not a bad recipe for effortless everyday speed.


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Pelle Moda Gleam Sandals
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Item #03836935
Description:Make a shimmering statement in the Pelle Moda Gleam women's sandal. Glitter twinkles on the d'Orsay upper, while a contrast midsole gives the platform an eye-catching layered look.
- adjustable slingback strap with buckle closure for a custom fit
- metallic polyurethane lining
- leather outsole
- 5.31" heel
This item is not available for international purchase.
Reviewed by 1 customer
- Uncomfortable
Best Uses
- Date Night
Comments about Pelle Moda Gleam Sandals:
It's a great looking shoe, its a shame that it did not feel comfortable to wear for an all day event but I think it can be great for a couple of hours...I had to return it.
- Sizing:
- Feels true to size
- Width:
- Feels too narrow