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In today's edition:
* Several interesting pieces from Strange Horizons, including an interview with Nightwatch author Sergei Lukyanenko, and two recent reviews, the first of a pair of anthologies of Robert Howard's writing, and the other of Charles Stross's recently released novel, Rule 34.
* James Hibberd of Entertainment Weekly's Inside TV on the "winners and losers" of the fall 2011 season. Rather predictably, NBC's remake of Prime Suspect didn't last, while FOX's Terra Nova isn't looking as strong a performer as it seemed prior to airing (though its Nielsen numbers have been decent). Also of interest here: the results of a poll looking at the likes and dislikes of recent television shows among Democrats and Republicans, respectively. (I'm still wondering at the implications.)
* A trio of recent pieces from Jonathan McCalmont's Ruthless Culture on our "culture of passive-aggressive friendliness," Occupy Wall Street, and personal ambition (or to be precise, the lack of it).
* And finally, from April, an amusing bit from Cracked about "8 Scenes That Prove Hollywood Doesn't Get Technology." (Five of the eight are actually from crime dramas on CBS – with NCIS accounting for two all by itself, the original and New York spin-offs of CSI for another two, and NUMB3RS rounding out the group. However, the 1995 film Hackers, well-known for its unique attempt to convey the experience of computer hacking on the big screen, also appears here.)
YU-NO Remake Game Ships in West on October 1
2 hours ago


text: It is an ideal place to meet people or saunter through the picturesque alleys scattered around the market square. Since 1978 the old part of town has been a pedestrian precinct. There is a direct view of the castle from the Baroque fountain (designed by Stengel in 1759), and in the past there was also one of the Baroque church Ludwigskirche, from where you could see right up to the castle again – the so-called Stengel triangle.

subset: commoncrawl


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By James Reams
"I had to learn off the radio," recalled Walter Hensley during an interview for the documentary Making History with Pioneers of Bluegrass. "Didn't have any records or anything. I just kept messing with the banjo roll. Drove my Dad crazy because he worked in the mines, and he'd have to get up at four in the morning." Replacing broken fingerpicks and strings was possible only when someone with a car was going to town – 35 miles away – and could bring some back. So the future Banjo Baron of Baltimore sometimes made fingerpicks out of PET Milk cans. Walt insisted "They were not all that bad; better than nothin'." To replace broken strings he sometimes cut the insulation off blasting wire that was used for setting off dynamite in the mines, then tuned it down low enough so it wouldn't break when played.
Walter Hensley, legengary bluegrass banjo player, passed away Sunday, November 25th.
By James Reams
Walt and I met in the early 1990s at a bluegrass festival in Groveton, NH. The festival was being held at a Speedway and at night, they would stop the music so the cars could race. I walked up to Vernon McIntyre's bus one evening looking for somebody to pick with and knocked on the door. When I walked in, there was Walter sitting there on the bus with Vernon, smoking a cigarette and looking for all the world just like a confederate soldier. When I asked him why he hadn't recorded in a number of years and he said "No one's willin' to work as hard as I'd like them to!" I told him that I'd have as many rehearsals as he felt necessary to get a project done and we recorded James Reams, Walter Hensley & The Barons of Bluegrass. When I found out that the album was nominated for IBMA's Bluegrass Recording Event of the Year in 2002, I called up Walter. He asked, "Who are the other nominees?" I told him "The Chieftans and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band" and he responded, "Well, we might as well forget that one!"
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We present an interview of information agency InterpressNews with head of the Club of Experts, former security minister of Abkhazia Levan Kiknadze on results of the so-called Abkhazian presidential elections and what expectations official Tbilisi may have regarding the new head of the Sukhumi authorities.
- Mr. Kiknadze, Ankvab gained a convincing victory in so-called Presidential elections in Abkhazia. What can Ankvab's victory mean? Why did voters choose Ankvab and not two other candidates and what is a political portrait of his voter like?
- Judging by the standards of international law there is no doubt that these elections are illegitimate and have no legal justification, but its peculiarity is that one cannot escape the fact and we have to get used to these elections too. I cannot agree with statements that it does not matter for us who will be the de facto president of Abkhazia. One should not forget that among Abkhazians, like other indigenous peoples of the Caucasus, a huge role, if not decisive, rests with an individual in shaping public opinion and especially in its governance – on a leader whom people will follow. In the short history such leader was Vladislav Ardzinba. Therefore, we should not kid ourselves, much depends on Ankvab.
The era of Ardzinba ended in a way that his policies actually collapsed. Authoritarian regime, clan-based governance, corruption in all branches of government, unpunished lawlessness of armed gangs, drugs, prostitution and many other unsolved problems in the society gave rise to a feeling of protest that is often expressed in the form of rallies.
Naturally, there was a demand for a new face to come to power - a leader who will lead the "independent" Abkhazia declared by Vladislav Ardzinba out of deep socio-political and economic crisis. Therefore, choice fell on Bagapsh. Confirmation of the above is the defeat of Ardzinba's successor - Raul Khajimba which meant abandonment of the course of Ardzinba.
A person knowledgeable in the events of that time in Abkhazia would have noticed that Ankvab's authority played an important role in the victory of Bagapsh - who, of course, was supported by his considerable electorate. If during the first term of the Bagapsh governance and because of difficult situation Ankvab agreed to be a prime minister, in the period of Bagapsh's second term he was already a vice-president. This is an indication that Ankvab enjoyed confidence of Bagapsh. Having a huge impact in the government, he could clearly see those negative things that Bagapsh could not avoid, but Ankvab remained calm and quietly balanced situation between the "president" and society, so that he was not part of an open confrontation with either of the parties. Politically correctly-calculated moves further enhanced authority of Ankvab in the population. Everybody understood, including the Kremlin, that Ankvab aimed at "presidency" and of course, Bagapsh, at the end of his second term, would have supported him with its own stable electorate. We cannot rule out that like the Medvedev-Putin tandem, we could have seen tandem of Bagapsh and Ankvab in Abkhazia. That is why attacks had been constantly carried out against Ankvab to frighten him or altogether eliminate him.
Of course, Ankvab well seized the moment when society was not ready for elections, and better than all the other candidates conducted his campaign. His main trump card was meetings with all groups in society and open discussions purpose of which was to show them what he and his team intended to do in case of coming to power. He did not avoid accents that they in Abkhazia are not ready yet to discuss, but, in his opinion, there are problems without solving of which there can be no economic revival of Abkhazia. In particular, he discussed a question of introduction into the Parliament of an issue of granting the right to purchase real estate to foreign nationals in order to attract investment. His promises to declare an uncompromising struggle against corruption, to improve crime situation and bureaucratic arrangements were accepted by society as real, as all agree that only Ankvab is able to fix the situation in these directions. Also, the population has welcomed his promise to abolish some of the highest positions in the structures of power. Ankvab moderately used administrative resources in the election campaign as well as issuance of passports to the population of the Gali district, especially just days before the elections.
- There is a lot of talk in certain political circles of Tbilisi and Abkhazia about pro-Georgian attitude of Ankvab ... have you known him? And another thing, what can we say about the allegations of former Georgian Defence Minister Kitovani that supposedly in 1992-1993 Ankvab worked for Georgian intelligence? As we know, the Shamba team issued the video interview of Kitovani in Sukhumi during the election campaign, which caused big noise in Abkhazia and as they say, it played a crucial role in the sharp drop of Shamba in rankings.
- The role of the Kremlin must be especially noted. Although its representatives said that they would not interfere in the elections, as it usually happens in such cases, interference with hidden or open methods was still obvious. Cheap propaganda against Ankvab first in the Internet space, and then in the print media that continued in the activities that were planned by the Shamba team, turned against Shamba itself. Kitovani's appearance on the stage aroused particular irritation of the public and that again points to inadequacy of Russian security services and their outdated methods that had long outlived themselves. It was like as Chernomyrdin said "we wanted better, but it turned out like always."
I would like to comment on the accusation, which refers to the alleged surrender of weapons by Ankvab to Avtandil Ioseliani. This issue was raised in Sukhumi against Ankvab back then when Ioseliani was still alive. Ioseliani denied this and called the accusation absurd. For my part I would add that anyone who comes up with such nonsense should understand at least a little bit what surrender of weapons means. Since we are talking about a certain quantity of weapons its surrender-reception was to be documented in compliance with all rules, by drawing up the act and in the presence of several representatives. I, as Ioseliani's deputy at the time, know nothing about it. Other Georgian officials who, according to the rules were to take and store weapons, know nothing about this either. It would be interesting to know what Abkhazian and Russian officials in Sukhumi are saying? What Genady Berulava, deputy of Avtandil Ioseliani, who was with us until the beginning of 1993 is saying? What dozens of Abkhazian workers who had also worked with us till the end of December of 1992 are saying?
Now to the greatest nonsense that allegedly Ankvab cooperated with the Georgian intelligence. The Shamba team "swallowed" this cheap bait. For them here is an excerpt from my article published last year on the site of the Club of Experts: "I believe that Alexander Ankvab does not need any anti-publicity or publicity. All his life deserves respect, not only from Abkhazians but from Georgians as well and that, despite the fact that today, unfortunately, he is on the other side of the barricades".
- During the election campaign Ankvab said that if he is elected "president" he "will allow relations with Georgia in conditions of any government in Tbilisi." It is known that Ankvab does not make such statements for nothing. In addition, he is known for his adherence to principles, pragmatism and consistency and has a reputation of "a man of his word." What official Tbilisi may expect from Ankvab?
Ankvab has already said that Abkhazia and Russia will remain allies. Can we in fact assume that if Ankvab takes concrete steps towards official Tbilisi, his actions would be coordinated with the Kremlin as finding a way-out of "Abkhazian impasse" is in the interests of Moscow as well ... Presumably, what steps can Ankvab take towards Georgia from this point of view?
- Ankvab knows what he says, despite the fact that the statement was made during the campaign. We also know that pragmatic part of the Abkhazian society have already started talking about the need to establish relations with the Georgian side behind the scene. They are well aware that artificial barriers cannot keep two kindred peoples in constant enmity. If Ankvab begins this process, I hope there will be results.
If Ankvab prevents Russia from conducting the colonial policy, it does not mean that Ankvab should abandon the so-called strategic partnership with Russia. It would be unreasonable for him from political, and, most importantly, economical point of view. Let's hope that the time will come, and some de facto leader of Abkhazia will seriously start resolving the Georgian-Abkhaz problem. Ankvab will not go blindly to starting complications with Moscow. It must be remembered that it is necessary that the attitude of the Abkhazian population to the issue to be transformed in our favour.
In my opinion, a lot depends on the leader in Abkhazia. All the more that by choosing Ankvab Abkhazians rejected the ideology of Ardzinba. Therefore, if Ankvab wishes, it is possible that he would raise before Moscow an issue of necessity to take concrete steps to normalize relations with Georgia. As for steps, I find it hard to talk about it, and I do not advise to impose our thoughts on Ankvab, especially since he is well acquainted with the problems of our peoples. I repeat the main thing is to shape public opinion as well as bold steps toward each other.
- In your opinion, what would be political future of the candidates? Many believe that Ankvab will not leave Shamba as Minister of Foreign Affairs, and that he will offer Khajimba to be a head of one of law enforcement agencies. It is interesting that Shamba has made a statement about his likely departure from politics ...
- Shamba made a lot of fatal errors regarding Ankvab. Ankvab can even forgive him, but I do not think that Shamba himself will be willing to take any position. As for Khajimba, if he no longer wants to be in the opposition and Ankvab offers him a place in the government, he may agree to it.
- According to the Abkhazian law, inauguration of a newly-elected president should be held within one month after the election. In your view, will Ankvab combine a day of his inauguration with day of the fall of Sukhumi - September 27th or "the day of liberation of Abkhazia" - September 30th?
- If one day is not a problem, Ankvab may avoid wasting resources and combine these events...


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I'm going on indefinite hiatus from all AmoebaMike entities.
Goodbye and thanks for all the support.
Filed under: Biology | 1 Comment »
I'm going on indefinite hiatus from all AmoebaMike entities.
Goodbye and thanks for all the support.
Filed under: Biology | 1 Comment »
After what is just under 3 years of blogging, I'm changing venues. And form. I think Tumblr is a better fit for me and what I want to accomplish as AmoebaMike now that I've had my run. I'm leaving this blog up because my images and posts still get lots of hits despite my lull in posting for the past 6 months. I may decide to post to it from time to time, but follow me on Twitter or Tumblr if you want more Amoeba in your life.
I wouldn't call 50,000+ hits unremarkable, but FSM knows plenty of people get that in a week. I'm glad to have reached so many. Mainly with my science cards, my cell diagram, and the most popular: my spontaneous generation experiment image.
My move to Tumblr, will not be without changes. Besides the form, of course. My posts will become more varied and more adult–not necessarily pornographic, specifically I mean adult situations and language. There's your fair warning.
AmoebaMike will continue to live on at Tumblr, on Facebook, and on Twitter. I will also keep making science swag, when I get the bug. Additionally, I plan to do some professional writing that will use the AmoebaMike pseudonym. You haven't seen the last of AmoebaMike!
Filed under: Biology | Leave a comment »
Happy Mole Day!
For many of you, it's likely you have no idea what a mole is. Sure you know of a mole as a raised piece of skin that's darker than the surrounding area. You also know a mole as a small underground-dwelling insectivore. It's possible you even know a mole is a type of spy. There's even the kind of mole that you put on your food, but that's pronounced differently. "Mole-ay" sauce, as it's pronounced, is a dark-red/brown chili-based sauce used in Mexican dishes.
But there's also the mole used in science. A mole, whose unit is simply mol (mole : mol :: kilogram : kg :: meter : m), is a unit of measure used almost exclusively in chemistry.
A mole (mol) is an amount of substance that contains as many particles* as there are atoms in exactly 12 grams of carbon-12.
*By particles, I mean atoms in a sample (such as C) or molecules in a sample (such as H2O).
So 1 mole of carbon has the same number of "particles" as 1 mole of anything else, be it water, sodium, or gold.
Now what is that number? The short answer is, it isn't important. lol
The slightly longer answer is 6.02 x 10^23, which is called Avogadro's number. Yes, it's a HUGE number.
So if you have 1 mole of Carbon (pure carbon 12), it will weigh exactly 12 grams and will have 6.02 x 10^23 number of carbon atoms in it.
If you had a mole of water, it would have the same number of H2O molecules, but would weigh 18 grams (16 grams for the oxygens and 2 x 1 grams for the hydrogens).
So just as a dozen diamonds (made of carbon) would weigh a different amount as a dozen gallons of water, so does a mol of carbon weigh a different amount than a mol of water!
If at this point, you've missed what mole day could be celebrating, I will tell you that today is October 23rd. Otherwise known as 10/23, a magical part of Avogadro's number. 🙂 So scientists and numerologists unite! And at 6:02 am and pm, particularly, celebrate.
Filed under: Biology, Great Scientists, Teaching | Tagged: Avogadro, Avogadro constant, Avogadro's number, Chemistry, mol, mole, Mole Day | Leave a comment »
You may have heard that there have been a few deaths from amoebas this summer. As your friendly neighborhood amoeba, I can tell you that amoebas don't intend to cause harm. However, sometimes they do. Here's the lowdown:
When a natural fresh water source, such as a lake, warms up to about 80 F amoebas tend to get quite cozy. And that's when they start to multiply pretty fast. If a certain amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, makes its way up your nose, it can cause amoebic meningoencephalitis. Like any "mening" or "encephalitis" this is bad. It usually results in death.
Amoeba don't want to be in your nose anymore than you want them there, so there a simple way to prevent them from getting in there: hold your nose–or keep it pinched shut. Particularly when thrashing around in a way that would cause water to go up your nose–like diving bombing into the water.
It's pretty darn rare to get this little guy in your brain, but it can happen, so have fun but take a little precaution in warm waters.
Note the article titles below… they seem to suggest these are zombie amoebas! lol
Filed under: Biology, Today's Science | Tagged: amoeba, Naegleria fowleri, Primary amoebic meningoencephalitis | 1 Comment »
The New York Times has a piece on the latest in science successes. For only the 2nd time in history, the United Nations is calling a disease completely eradicated from the face of our planet. And like the first, smallpox, this one is a major killer. Unlike smallpox, though, you probably haven't heard of it. It's called rinderpest, which is German for "cattle plague," and is a cousin of the measles virus. The last case was seen ten years ago in a buffalo in Kenya. You can read more about the monumental undertaking of eradication and more about the thousand-year old rinderpest itself by reading the entire article.
Filed under: Biology, Today's Science | Tagged: Animal Health, Animals, Biology, Eradication, Rinderpest, Smallpox, United Nations, Veternary Medicine, World Organisation for Animal Health | Leave a comment »
April 27th is World Tapir Day. For those of you that aren't familiar with the tapir, let me introduce you.
Tapirs are large herbivorous mammals about 7 feet long, 3 feet high and weigh a few hundred pounds. They live in South and Central America as well as parts of Asia. Some species can be found in rain forests, while others live up in the mountains. There are 4 species of tapir and the species have different colorings, with the Baird's tapir being a dark brown, Malayan tapir being black and white, Mountain tapir being dark brown (but thicker fur), and the Brazilian tapir being dark grey/brown (babies are light brown with white markings).
But the thing you'll probably notice first about the tapir is its proboscis, which is shorter than anteater's. It's very flexible and aids in grabbing foliage like an elephant's. As you can guess, the tapir has a very good sense of smell. It also has good hearing, both of which help compensate for the fact that tapirs don't have excellent eyesight.
Like dogs and cats, and so much other wildlife, tapir are most active at dawn and dusk. They are related to horses and rhinoceroses, which means they shared a common ancestor a long time ago.
Tapirs are big enough to not have much in the way of natural predation. When they are attacked, a tapir's defenses include running away, hiding under water, and using its strong herbivore jaws to bite. Humans are the tapir's biggest threat. They can live up to 25 years or more, but more research has to be done to learn more about their typical lifespan.
To the tapirs of the world, today, we salute you!
Filed under: Biology, Teaching, Today's Science | Comments Off on World Tapir Day
This post has the most monstrous image I've made to date. I hope it will become more popular and useful than my current heavy hitters the cell and even Louis Pasteur's experiment of spontaneous generation, which I've seen make the top ranks of both Google and Bing image search!
In this image, I've covered energy as it passes from the sun in the form of light to the chloroplast of plants. In the chloroplasts, there are structures called thylakoids where the magic happens. This is where photosynthesis takes place in two parts, 1) light-dependent reactions and, 2) Calvin Cycle.
The waste products here are eliminated and the useful products are then sent to the mitochondria. The first step is 1) glycolysis, followed then by 2) the Krebs cycle (also called the Citric Acid Cycle) under aerobic conditions OR, 2) fermentation (under anaerobic conditions)
There's a LOT of stuff that happens here. These are the basics. This stuff can get extraordinarily complicated–the guy the Krebs cycle is named for won a Nobel prize for his work!
I've never, personally seen an image that attempted to go from the sun to photosynthesis to cellular respiration but I tried to keep it as simple as possible. That said, if you feel something's missing, its probably because it is. Some steps weren't explicitly mentioned for simplicity's sake.
One final note: ATP gives you a burst of energy. If you need energy to do anything for longer than about a minute and a half, you want sugar. Sugars provide longer-lasting energy. ATP (which makes up about a half-pound of your total body weight) doesn't store, in other words, it gets used shortly after it's made. ATP actually gets recycled over 1,000 times a day by humans!
Filed under: Biology, Teaching | Tagged: Adenosine triphosphate, Anaerobic respiration, ATP, Biology, Calvin Cycle, Cells, Cellular Respiration, Chloroplast, Citric Acid Cycle, Energy, Fermentation, Glucose, Krebs Cycle, Life, Light-dependent reactions, Mito, Photosynthesis, Science, Sugar | 2 Comments »


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India, a land of diverse culture is a fascinating country. It is home to thousand year old sculptured temples, modern skyscrapers and the mystic Taj Mahal.
People, places, and traditions come together to make this place truly incredible.
This time lapse video of India reflects it's truest beauty. From the beautiful landscapes, to the enchanting seas this video covers it all.
Even though India is known to have a bustling city life, the jaw-dropping night sky in the video will take your breath away.
Experience India for the next two minutes in a different way:
Feature Image Via Flickr/Abe Bingham.


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JXD S7300 GamePad 2 has some nifty features that trounce Nintendo's controller
China made a knock-off a consumer electronics device? Whoa! Jane, get me off this crazy thing!
In truth, it's not surprising that the Chinese copied the look and style of yet another gaming console or portable -- anyone up for a round of WiWi golf? -- but at least we know where such contraptions sit on the quality scale. When said contraption manages to outperform the device it's copying, that's a whole different story.
JinXing Digital's S7300 GamePad 2 certainly looks like and is obviously named after the Wii U's GamePad controller, but the similarities end there. Rather than being a controller for a base console, it is the console. This Android-powered portable is packed with tech in a form that's actually thinner than the Wii U GamePad. The S7300 also has a five-point capacitive screen and can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi, 3G, or Ethernet, and it can output a 1080p feed through HDMI for the full home console experience. Best of all, it can be purchased for as low as $140, which beats the pants off the Wii U GamePad's $150 tag.
Of course, no Chinese hardware clone is complete without a pack of emulators -- and despite a misleading image of Super Mario Galaxy 2 on the JXD page, Wii emulation is not among them. Still, that means you have access to a wider variety of retro gaming with this than with Wii U's current Virtual Console lineup of Balloon Fight and F-Zero -- not that I condone illegal emulation, but I'm just saying.
I'm actually tempted to buy one of these babies for myself! If nothing else, the S7300 GamePad 2 suggests that a Nintendo console-portable hybrid might not be such a bad idea in the future.
JXD S7300 GamePad 2 [JinXing Digital CO.Ltd via Nintendo Life]
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Obama Praises Anti-Kony Campaign
President Obama on Thursday came out in support of an online film aimed at bringing Joseph Kony, the Ugandan leader of the violent, child-recruiting Lord's Resistance Army, to justice. The film has gone viral, with 48 million views on YouTube and Vimeo—most of them in the past couple of days. Invisible Children, the charity that made the film, supported a bill to bring peace to northern Uganda, and the Obama administration has reaffirmed their support of the bill. But there has also been some criticism of Invisible Children, with charges of oversimplification and manipulating facts.


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On the drive in to work this morning I was thinking about what most people think of on the drive to work: what I'd be doing at work. And for some reason the words "Linux" and "open source" popped into my head.
Maybe that's because I've been hearing so much recently about the need for newspapers to develop more two-way conversations with readers, especially since New Media companies like Google are eating our lunch (literally, if you ask Rupert Murdoch). So, like the Linux guys and their collaborative software, I'm open-sourcing my week. Call it Open Source Monday here at @Charlotte.
A couple of story threads I'm thinking of following: Local politicians and how well or badly they're using Facebook and Twitter; The growing use of Foursquare and other geolocation networks in Charlotte; and how schools are controlling the use of social networks on school computers. (Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools, for instance, recently put out a new policy that keeps FB strictly verboten on their computers, but YouTube's allowed).
So, what do you guys think about those topics? Know of something else cool or new or important on the local social networking scene that I should look into? Caveat #1: I can't promise I'll do a story on every idea, but all will be considered. Caveat #2: Charlotte-centric ideas are sexiest.
Send 'em my way now via Twitter, on Facebook, or e-mail!
Monday, February 15, 2010
Wanted: Your story ideas on social networking and digital developments
On the drive in to work this morning I was thinking about what most people think of on the drive to work: what I'd be doing at work. And for some reason the words "Linux" and "open source" popped into my head.
5 comments:
- discourser said...
Sorry, Eric. This topic is stretching it. One thing that drives me crazy about CNN and other news networks is when they televise what people are Twittering. If I want to see what people are Twittering or Facebooking, etc., I'll go to those applications.
There's a lot of stories to be told in Charlotte and I really wish the CO would put more focus/reporters on local news.
- February 15, 2010 at 11:56 AM
- DanStat said...
The CMS ban on social networking sites is damaging and archaic. Rather than educating students on proper use of the sites, they restrict them. CMS owes it to students to educate them on the dangers/benefits of social networking in the same way they educate them on sex.
- February 15, 2010 at 12:25 PM
- Kyle Merville said...
Social networking is great but there is still the problem of REACHING your target audience and having them keep up with your information.
- February 15, 2010 at 12:50 PM
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Hard Bargain: Even a super-hacktivist can't change how sentencing works
Earlier this month, a federal judge sentenced "hacktivist" Jeremy Hammond to "the maximum available" sentence: ten years in prison for hacking 60,000 credit card numbers and 860,000 customer records from intelligence contractor, Stratfor. Speaking to TechCrunch, Hammond described the sentence as a "vengeful, spiteful act". He was shocked -- shocked! -- that the courts would be so aggressive in their punishment.
There were just a few problems with that narrative. In particular, the idea that ten years was the maximum being "faced" by Hammond seemed to jar with earlier reports that he was "facing" life behind bars. What changed?
A plea bargain, that's what.
For all of Hammond's stunned outrage at his decade in the slammer (which will likely be closer to eight and change when all is said and done), the hacker knew full well what he "faced" that day in court. In fact, his own legal team had agreed to it.
Plea bargains are one of those things that everyone thinks they understand, until someone is sentenced based on one and we all cry foul. As a defense attorney, it pains me to hear people crying foul. Once and for all, then, to avoid future confusion and to save future reporters from embarrassing themselves with unnecessary or misplaced outrage, here's a plea bargain primer...
In Reagan-era (versus Orwell predicted) 1984, the criminal sentencing of a person guilty of a federal offense became a fairly pedestrian matter of math by law. A balance sheet of plusses (good) and minuses (bad) that gave tiny range of punishments for judges to consider. Twenty years later it was finally realized that requiring judges to give mandatory sentences, regardless of circumstances, was horribly unconstitutional. Oops!
By this point -- the early 2000s -- prisons were filling up with people for long, long sentences as Congresspersons facing two-year election cycles kept upping the penalties in the name of law and order me a corner office in the Rayburn House Office Building. Appointed-for-life Federal Judges had been basically stripped of discretion except in extraordinarily limited situations. Finally the Supreme Court ruled that "guidelines" were precisely that: guidelines, and that judges could go back to sentencing as they saw fit. Defense attorneys like me applauded.
However, like muscle memory, judges continued to lean heavily (and by heavily I mean virtually all the time) on the old "guidelines." Sentences barely moved -- or in some cases continued to get harsher. Federal prosecutors realized that as far as penalty guidelines – the sum remains the same. They remained emboldened.
2013. Enter Jeremy Hammond (aka "Anarchaos," "sup_g," "burn," "yohoho," "POW," "tylerknowsthis," "crediblethreat," "ghost," and "anarchackerif") indicted on charges related to a number of high profile hack-attacks (or hactivistic campaigns if you're a supporter). As Hammond's lawyer did what we do in these situations: breaking out the abacus to figure the "guideline" exposure. The next question: what's the best way out? Trial or plea bargain?
To many Hammond is a hero. A Robin Hood who made no personal, financial gain despite the easy ability to do so. They see him as a person using his skills to bring down the "bad guys" and expose the "truth." Indeed, in this case, the prosecutors conceded that despite between one to three million dollars in alleged loss that he didn't take a dollar for himself.
As in any plea negotiation, parties go back and forth over defenses and mitigation. Here they likely disagreed over issues of a set-up, and the good of community and the net impact on society. In the end, and like in all cases where a deal gets struck, a person accused (even one with the loftiest of motives) usually has to swallow a whole lot of "that's not fair" to avoid putting his or her fate in the hands of 12 people who (as now irrelevant righty Dennis Miller once said) aren't clever enough to get out of jury duty.
According to the documents filed in this case, the prosecutors likely felt they could jack Hammond's exposure way up the beanstalk on the sentencing scale based on the alleged loss to the thousands of victims and Hammond's prior convictions along with the sophistication of his conduct. At the same time, few traditional mitigators were available. Both sides knew this when they entered into the agreement that initially placed Hammond at an enhanced level 30 (out of a possible high of 43) on the sentencing scale.
This meant that Hammond was looking at 151 to 188 months in Federal custody. And so the parties haggled a little more and landed on a stipulation of 120 months. That was their agreement going into sentencing.
That agreement is why when Hammond's pleas for an even lower sentence were rejected by the judge. His mitigating factors, as well as his admission of past offenses, had already been considered, and incorporated into the bargained sentence. The ten year deal stood.
Left open, of course, is the question of whether the underlying sentencing scale is too harsh for "hacktivism" cases like this. But Congress makes those numbers and unless someone can hack the United States Code, it doesn't matter if you're Robin Hood or Robin Leach (are they opposites?), the deal is, well, the deal.
Yes, it'd be amazing if a judge pulled an Al Pacino, condemned the entire system (YOU'RE ALL OUT OF ORDER!) and invited Hammond to brunch, but absent that fantasy…. you take the deal or go to trial. Hammond took the deal.
Illustration by Brad Jonas.


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|Don't you tell me how to pew pew!
Needless to say the movie got my mind turning, pondering if there's a way to capture Star Wars style blasters in all there glory in GURPS....
So you might be thinking this should be pretty easy, Star Wars blasters are pretty much just vanilla GURPS blasters and for the most part you would be right. In the movies blasters seem to be able to punch through armor like a hot knife through butter but only did damage on par with modern firearms to unprotected people which seems to line up with the (5) armor divisor that GURPS gives blasters as well as the damage range most small arm scale blasters do. Range and accuracy are hard to tell since most fights are done at close range and with what GURPS calls sighted shots at best but the ranges used at the Battle of Hoth seem to imply that GURPS is in the right ball park and since the rebels even thought they could hit targets as great range would also imply pretty decent accuracy so the range and Accuracy stats seem to work as is. The weight of GURPS blasters also seem to line up too and the examples listed on pg. 123 of Ultra-Tech also seemed to be inspired by classic Star Wars weapons when stated up (the heavy blaster pistol is clearly Hans Solo's DL-44 and the blaster carbine seems to be the E-11 used by the Empire for example).
So, case closed right?
Well, no. There's a quite a few things that just don't gel with how Star Wars blasters are portrayed.
For one, they don't seem to have the surge modifier since otherwise there would be no need for ion weapons. The number of shots that a GURPS blaster holds is also quite low compared to a Star Wars blaster (for some reason they are treated as being less then 1% efficient in GURPS). While the exact number very from source to source the are generally show to be at lest a hundred shots for a pistol sized blaster. GURPS blasters are also really expensive while blaster in Star Wars are cheap enough that even petty criminals get potentially afford one. Lastly Star Wars blasters have felt recoil, they kick when fired!
So just using GURPS blasters as is doesn't quiet work.
Based on a unhealthy amount of watching Star Wars footage, I'd use the following adjustments to stat out more convincing Star Wars style blasters:
Star Wars blaster weapons area treated a GURPS blasters when stating up using the Blaster and Laser Design System from Pyramid 3/37 Tech and Toys II with the following Exceptions; TL is 11^, damage is simply Tight beam burning damage without the surge modifier, under Empty Weight F is always 1, for Shots treat the blaster as a TL 10-12 Laser with a TL 11 Cell, Recoil is 2 and Bc under cost is $500.
Ion blasters can also be created this way, instead of doing direct damage an ion blaster only affects electrical systems and those with the Electrical Disadvantage. If hit, they must make a HT roll, reduced by a penalty based on how much damage the ion blaster does, with an armor divisor of (5) or be shut down (rendered unconscious for characters with the Electrical Disadvantage) for minutes equal to the margin of failure.
To stat up an ion blaster just treat the penalty to HT you want the weapon to give as dice of damage. For example, if you want the ion blaster to do HT-4 stat the weapon up as a normal Star Wars blaster that did 4 dice of damage.
Some Star Wars blasters have a stun mode as described under Omni-Blasters on pg. 124 of Ultra-Tech but the listed cost modifier of +100% is a bit too much for the purposes of the setting. For this write up the cost modifier is reduced to +20%.
Some of my example blasters use a stock. This adds 0.5lbs and $100 to the weapons weight and cost. It takes a ready action to attach or detach a stock to weapons with a detachable stock plus another action to retrieve or store it. Adding or removing a stock to weapons normally only adds or subtracts 1 to a weapons Acc but this is geared towards modern weapons which have a rather narrow Acc range. For blaster, both GURPS and Star Wars ones, should add or subtract 2.5 from a weapons Acc do to the weapons greater Acc range. In either case round the Acc up. Adding a stock to weapon reduces ST by 20% and removing a stock increases a weapons ST by 20%.
Hot shotted weapons should really boost a weapons range as well as its damage, recalculate a blasters range based on its new dice damage when fired in hot shot mode. Since blasters have recoil, hot shot rounds should increase Rcl by 1.
Some of my example blasters are modular in nature.
For modular weapons that simply switch out barrels for one that simply have a different mod of operation but are otherwise identical (from a blaster to ion blaster mode for example) simply increase the weapons cost by 50% per extra barrel. The extra barrels weigh half the weapons weight. It takes two ready action to attach or remove a barrel plus and additional action to retrieve or store it.
For modular weapons that can be configured into larger, more powerful modes stat out the weapon in its most powerful mode first and then stat up its second most power form on down to its lest powerful mode.
Next we need to figure out how this weapon breaks down into into its modular parts. For this take half the weight of its weakest mode and treat this as the weapons base that the modular parts for its other modes attach to. You then take this base forms weight and subtract it from each of the other modes weights to get how much the components that make them up weigh.
To get the total weight of the complete weapons system just take the weight of its base plus the total weight of all its components.
For example lets say that we are designing a weapon with a pistol mode which weighs 1.3lbs, a rifle mode that weighs 2.6lbs and sniper mode that weighs 3.9lbs. The base of the weapon would weigh half of its pistol mode weight or 0.65lbs. This means that the components that turn it into its pistol mode weigh 1.3-0.65 or 0.65lbs, the components that turn it into its rifle mode weigh 2.6-0.65 or 1.95lbs and the components that make up its sniper mode weigh 3.9-0.65 or 3.25lbs. The total weight of all its components is 0.65+0.65+1.95+3.25 or 5.85lbs.
To keep things simple, assume each mode is a simple barrel swap that takes two ready actions to attach or detach plus another ready action to remove or store. Though if you feel a given mode should be more complex to configure to then give it a base of two ready actions to attach or detach plus one extra ready action for every multiple of the weapons base weight the given mode makes the weapon minus one. For example if our weapon has a base weight of 0.65lbs and is configured into a mode that weights 3.9lbs it should take (2+(3.9/0.65))-1 or 5 ready actions to assemble the weapons if you use this option.
The weapons final cost is the cost of the weapon in its most powerful mode plus half of the cost of its other modes.
Star Wars blasters also seem to cause some blast damage, sending out fragments when they strike something hard like rock or metal. As an optional rules blasters should case incidental fragments if they hit something hard.
Ok, now that I showed you how to stat up some Star Wars style blaster here's a couple of canon blaster pistols to get you started. Let me know if you guys want to see more Star Wars goodness from me.
Blaster Pistols
BlasTech Industries A180 Blaster Pistol (TL11^)
A modular medium blaster pistol, the A180s barrel can be swapped out for a longer barrel and stock extension turning it into a blaster carbine or with an ion accelerator barrel making it an effective anti-droid firearm.
The total weight of the loaded weapon and all of its components is 4.7lbs.
It takes six Ready Actions to switch out the A180's barrel with one of its optional ones and another two Ready Actions to attach the stock.
If the stock is attached to weapons while it is in base or ion mode, the A180s stats change to Acc 8, Weight to 2.1/6B, ST 6 and Bulk -3. The stock on its own weighs 0.5lbs.
In its carbine configuration the weapons stats become Damg 4d-1(5) burn, Acc 8, Rng 470/1,400, 3.4/6B, Shots 75, ST 7† and Bulk -4. If the stock is not attached Acc remains 5 and ST becomes 9. The carbine barrel weighs 1.6lbs.
In its ion pistol configuration the weapons damage becomes HT-3(5) Aff. In this mode the weapon only affects electrical systems and those with the Electrical Disadvantage. If hit, they must make a HT -3 roll or be shut down (rendered unconscious for characters with the Electrical Disadvantage) for minutes equal to the margin of failure. Add +3 to resit past the weapons Half Damage range. The ion barrel weighs 0.65lbs.
The weapons base blaster barrel weighs 0.65lbs.
While this weapon was originally marketed to law enforcement and the Imperial Military, large quantities of these weapons were seized by Rebel Alliance terrorists.
BlasTech Industries DL-44 Heavy Blaster Pistol
One of the most powerful blaster pistols available on the civilian market, the DL-44 is one of BlasTech's best selling heavy pistols through out the Galactic Empire as well as the outer rim.
It has a built in 4× (+2 to Acc) optical scope.
A unique quirk of the weapons makes it easy to modify so that it can fire so called hot rounds giving it +1 to Armory/TL11^ (Small Arms) to modify it. Firing hot rounds makes the DL-44 more unreliable giving it Malf. 14 and changes the weapons statics to Damg 5d(5) burn, Rng 800/2,400, Shots 57, and Rcl 3.
BlasTech Industries EC-17 Hold-Out Blaster (TL11^)
A popular compacted blaster pistol favored in the outer rim territories for self defense as well as used by many Imperial law enforcement agents as concealed back-up piece and as the main side arm of Imperial Scout Troopers.
BlasTech Industries DH-17 Blaster Pistol (TL11^)
Do to the weapons weight and power it is seldom fired one handed and instead has to be properly braced with both hands!
The DH-17 has an stun mode that temporarily scrambles the targets nervous system rendering them unconscious. In this mode the blaster does HT-4 Aff(3) rather then its normal tight beam burning damage. A target hit by the weapons in stun mode takes no damage but instead must make a HT roll with a penalty equal to the weapons Affliction modifier, if they fail they fall unconscious for minutes equal to their margin of failure. It takes a ready action to switch between modes.
Blaster Pistol Table
See pp. B268-271 for an explanation of the statistics.
BEAM WEAPONS (PISTOL) (DX-4, other Beam Weapons-4, or Guns (Pistol)-4)
TL Weapon Damage Acc Range Weight ROF Shots ST Bulk Rcl Cost LC Notes
11^ A180 3d(5) burn 5 290/860 1.6/6B 3 160(3) 8 -2 2 $2,375/$18 2 [1]
11^ DL-44 4d(5) burn 5 +2 510/1,500 3.5/1C 3 112(3) 10 -2 2 $1,500/$10 3 [2]
11^ E-17 2d+2(5) burn 3 220/670 1.1/4B 3 156(3) 7 -1 2 $450/$12 2
11^ DH-17 4d+2(5) burn 5 +2 690/2,070 5.1/2C 3 144(3) 11 -3 2 $2,800/$20 2 [3]
[1]Can be turned into either a ion blaster or a blaster carbine. See weapons description above.
[2]+1 to Armory/TL11^ (Smalls Arms) to modify into being able to fire Hot-Shots. See weapons description above.
[3] Has a stun mode that changes its damage to HT-4(3) Aff.
|Rest in peace Carrie, you will always be royalty to me.


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Those Sub-Branches not represented at Congress will have missed an announcement I made regarding the flying of the National Flag at commemorative events conducted by the RSL.
Many of you would have been aware that there has been some recent media coverage of the issue of flying the Indigenous Flag at such services.
I advised Congress that RSL National had reaffirmed its standing policy that the only flags to be flown at commemorative events conducted by the RSL are the Australian National Flag and flagpoles permitting, the formal National Flag of any relevant allied nation that participated in the conflict being commemorated.
- Peter Aspinall, RSLWA State President


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By Bill Peckham
I check in with Dr Peter Laird for Sharp End of the Needle Talk5:
It is hard to discuss the hundreds of thousands dialyzing incenter who do not want a transplant, and who do not want to dialyze at home, and will not extend treatments. Do they have a voice? are their voices welcome? Peter and I are not the ones to speak for them but I know they're there; I don't hear their voices.


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Will of Jonathan Bradbury Senior
In re
In the name of God Amen. I Jonathan Bradbury Senior of Torbay in the Island of Newfoundland being at the time weak in body but sound in mind do hereby give & bequeath my houses, land, fishing rooms and all other property I may die possessed of in Torbay aforesaid to my beloved wife Anna Bradbury for her sole use during the term of her natural life and after her decease I do bequeath my fishing room in Greens Cove to my grandsons Jonathan Bradbury and Jacob Bradbury and my fishing room called Tilley's Room to George Bradbury and John Bradbury the sons of my late son John provided that my before mentioned grandsons Jonathan & Jacob shall have the use of Tilley's Room till George & John Bradbury arrive at the age of 21 years And the rest of my property I do hereby will to be divided into four equal portions one for my daughter Ellen Bradbury, another for my daughter Sarah Chancey a third for my grandsons the before mentioned Jonathan and Jacob Bradbury and the fourth share for my before named grandsons George & John, Jonathan & Jacob to have the use of the share bequeathed to George & John till they the said George & John arrive at the age of 21 years. And I do appoint Mr. John Brine Junr of St. John's the sole executor of this my last will & testament,
Certified Correct,
|Note: The wills in those will books are NOT actual wills. They are hand-written copies of a, "last will and testament," written by the court clerk, after the death of the testator, when the executor presented them to the court for probate. The court clerk didn't list the signatures at the bottom, he (or she) just put them in the book in whatever order they were in, on the original document, no spacing most of the time, no punctuation. The originals were kept by the executor.
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Friday, December 5, 2008
4 Tips for Christmas
1. Use a calendar to prepare the child for Christmas. Things to include: holiday time from school & when school starts, days visitors will arrive, the day decorations and the Christmas tree will be put up and most importantly when and where you will open presents. Highlighting these times on the calendar will help your child prepare for the time spent away from school, and changes in routine, and home.
2. As much as possible keep a child's routine consistent. For example, if the child uses any visual communication tools, continue to use them as much as possible.
3. Include the child in preparing for Christmas. Look at Christmas decorations or trees together. Allow the child to assist in decorating or watch as decorations are put up. Allowing the child to participate in decorating may prevent negative reactions to changes in the environment.
4. Decorating can be highly stimulating and stressful. To make it easier for the child you may want to put up a few decorations each day to ease into the Christmas season.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Two Tribes Collide
While out we decided to go visit our Indian friends. They own a liquor store and Thanksgiving day is always a busy one for them. When we got to the store we started to talk and enjoy each others company. After about 10 minutes one of our homeless friends walked in, saw me and gave me a hug saying, "happy Thanksgiving beautiful lady."
Just then I turned and saw my Indian friends. I can't really explain how they looked. It was a mixture of shock, surprise, dare I say disgust. At that moment I felt my cheeks get red and then my Indian friends asked, "do you know him?!" I shook my head yes feeling my face get hotter as I watched my friend buy a beer. He was unaware of what was going on and waved happily as he left...
After he walked out my friends quizzed me:
Do I give him money?
Do I let them get close to me?
Don't they bother me?
Don't I know they will spend any money I give them on beer?
I tried to answer them, but it was a one sided conversation. My friends didn't like what they saw and they didn't want to hear my answers. I tried to explain that I think God loves all men. That all men are made in God's image and no one is incapable of a new beginning, a new life, redemption.
When it was all done I think the thing that bothered me the most was that I got embarrassed. I've gotten use to smelly hugs, toothless grins, and conversations that don't always make sense. However, this is the first time I was associated with the homeless tribe and the truth is I didn't like it. I don't want to be in their tribe. I want to visit, and do good things, but I don't want to be associated with them.
The bottom line is this, its easy for me to talk about Jesus. Its much harder to live like Jesus and have His motives. When I take the time to look deeply into my heart sometimes it just stinks.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
National Autism Resources is at the Golden State Mall 11/15 & 11/16 in Bakersfield
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Meat and CHEESE!
G ate a sandwich with ham and cheese.
Now we are up to:
Turkey & Bread
Ham & Bread
Grilled Ham Sandwich
Grilled Ham & Cheese Sandwich
I'm so excited! Two ingredients mixed together! Whoo Hoo!!!
Happy Wednesday everyone!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
A Little More on ABA
As usual the Glassers cut straight to the a key point of Peter Gerhart's presentation which is this:
For example, when teaching an individual how to make their bed, why drill over and over again until they make a perfect hospital style bed? In real life do any of us really do that? What a waste of time and resources. Teach them to get out in the community independently. Raise the bar! Many people on the spectrum are capable of far more than they are allowed to experience.
They have likes, dislikes, interests, listen to them and help them to achieve THEIR goals. There were many examples of this in Peter's talk. For example, he talked about helping people find jobs. One autistic man had asked to quit his restaurant job 22 TIMES! The case worker would not let him quit because she had "placed" him in a job. How would you feel if that were you? Finally, the man was allowed to quit when he had a melt down in the restaurant.
- lots of money (don't we all).
- not too many hours (don't we all).
- not to sweat.
He was in a kitchen sweating, it was loud and over stimulating. Peter worked with him to find another job that matched what he was good at, and guess what: no tantrums, a happy employer, and a happy employee. Wow, treat people as people and watch what can happen!!!
I have lots more to blog on this subject, but I want to get some feedback from you. Unfortunately, they took down Peter's slides, so we can't access them anymore. Grrrrrr....
Let me know what you think. Come on you lurking readers. Just post a comment and choose to have it posted as anonymous I want your feedback!!!
Life - Liberty - and the Pursuit of Happiness for all!!!
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Awesome Day
We've had a ton of traffic at the National Autism Resources booth and that's been great!
I've been up since four, so I'm going to bed now. I'll blog lots more tomorrow, if I survive.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Collaboration in Autism Treatment Conference
I'm excited about this conference because some of the most knowledgeable people in the country will come together to talk about helping teenagers and adults on the spectrum. We now have a whole group of kids that have responded to early intervention, but continue to need various levels of support. Its uncharted territory. The conference is sponsored by the Autism Education Network. I love the founder Michele Waterman. We've never met in person, but we've hit it off on the phone. She's an awesome Mom whose as real as they come and committed to preparing the way for her child.
I hope to blog more over the weekend. Michele says she has some exciting news to share with me. So I'm definitely taking her out to coffee! I'll need it because I have to get up at 4:00 and its almost 11:00. If you think of me pray for energy!!!
Monday, October 27, 2008
Halloween's Coming
This year GA is going to be a bottle of ketchup, G is going to be Darth Vader (big surprise), and I'm going to be the chocolate eating Mom...
We found GA's costume at K-mart for $12.00! Score! GA was very happy. G on the other hand is now almost as tall as me!!! So we are making his costume and it looks excellent. We plan to trick or treat for a couple of hours and then watch the Black and White Frankenstein movie.
Then Saturday I will get up at 4:00 am for a weekend conference. Why oh why did they schedule it the day after Halloween???
That's OK, I'll rest on Monday. Oh wait, I home school, I'll rest next weekend...
Thursday, October 23, 2008
A Great Book with Great Coffee
I'm glad to report that this week I have been thoroughly enjoying myself. My dear friends Gary and Katherine have given me the best gifts ever. First the new book by Rob Bell an author I thoroughly enjoy reading.
this is so awesome...
I can't believe my taste buds awesome...
They brought me back fresh roasted 100% Kona coffee from their Hawaii trip. So not only do I have wonderful friends. They are wonderful friends who know how to spoil me!!!
Bliss, sheer bliss, I've been enjoying excellent coffee all this week and disciplining myself by only reading one chapter a day.
On top of that, last Saturday my husband helped me clean the whole house, which makes the reading/drinking all the more enjoyable because I'm doing it in a clean house...
Life is good my friends, life is good!
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A Card from my Dad
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Toooo Funny
We are done with our Math unit on real world math problems (word problems). G is so happy! Now we get to move onto a Geometry unit. Oh happy, happy day! G and I were so thrilled we had to do a happy dance in the living room.
It's the little things that make life wonderful!
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Healed from Autism
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
The View from my Window
Saturday, October 4, 2008
The Clone Wars!!!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
The Way I See It
I just finished reading Temple Grandin's new release The Way I See It. It was a well written and enjoyable read. Its full of very practical advice. As a matter of fact it reads like a big sister giving advice. The book is a series of articles that Temple wrote for the Autism Aspergers Digest magazine so you can easily read a chapter, put it down, and read another later without getting lost. I would highly recommend it for families supporting people with Aspergers or higher functioning autism.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Engineer It
Later we saw an awesome show called:
The show was great fun. We learned about fire, how to put out a fire,
when the facilitator asked for a volunteer...
Here is G helping to light a fire! He did a great job and after helping received a round of applause. He covered his ears on his way back to his chair, but he was smiling. (Look how tall he is, he will be taller than me soon!)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Anyhow, the other day G and I were talking about our favorite scientist Einstein. I asked G what he wanted to do when he grew up.
He replied, "I'm going to work with energy."
Then I asked, "what do you want to do with energy?"
He said, "I don't know I have to study it more first."
Have I mentioned lately I really love this kid! I love the way his brain works. I can't wait to learn about energy with him.
Monday, September 15, 2008
So I've been looking for sibling support groups, and guess what none exist. Sooooo I'm thinking of organizing one. I'm tired of starting something new. Kick, scream, cry, punch the wall... OK I got it out. I love both my kids, it will help others, and it looks like no one else is going to do it, so wish me luck! All I need to find is a facilitator I can't do it, I might start crying I'm a wimp.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The Missing Burger
Sunday, September 7, 2008
39 + 1
How can this be happening? I still feel like in my heart I'm 25. Thankfully my friends only had me blow out one symbolic candle... 40 surly would have made the whip cream melt! :-P
I feel blessed I have my family, good friends, some Kona coffee and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding.
Peace be with you my friends.
Friday, September 5, 2008
I love G so much. It is such a joy to raise him, I can't imagine life without him! The older he gets the more I enjoy who he is becoming. Autism for us isn't so much a tragedy as it is a different way of being. There is nothing wrong with being different, it just means a person is not ordinary - and who really wants to be ordinary anyway.
Happy Weekend Everyone!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
First Day of School
Anyhow, I was glad I went. I kept an eye out for GA. She started to get lost, along w/ several other 6th graders, so I had the pleasure of intercepting them and leading them straight to the sixth grade PE teacher. Don't worry I was cool, I told them all I've been helping kids find PE all day, which was true.
At lunch GA sat down and was all alone. She looked so sad. I told one of my new lunch lady friends, "look at my daughter." I probably looked like a wreak because I felt like so sad for her. Anyhow, long story short the lunch lady asked if she knew anyone, and then found the only girl GA knows at the school. They sat together and talked and GA brightened up right away.
I know GA is growing up and there are less and less opportunities for me to be there for her. I want to be there but not suffocate her. Oh this is going to be a hard balancing act! I'm glad the first day turned out well.
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Getting Ready for School
|Time Timer
School is starting and we are going to work on independence. We are going to use a time timer to help G keep track of time visually. He will have 30 minutes to get ready. The visual of the red disc smaller is starting to help him stay on task. Of course it helps that red is is favorite color!
I also found a really cool I Can Get Ready for School Chart. It is really sturdy, and it was only $10.00. What I like is its simple one side says need to do - the other side says completed. So G can choose the order he wants to go through to get ready for school. As he finishes each task like getting dressed, brushing teeth he can just move it over to the completed side. When he is all done he gets a star for the day. We will celebrate when he gets five stars.
|I Can Do It! School Chart
I'm getting ready for my second year of homes chool. I'm excited because I feel confident in adapting materials so G can understand them better.
This year I'm really looking forward to American History focusing on 1900-Present. I'm excited because I have found lots of videos through our library system that I will use to supplement the curriculum.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
He ate a sandwich!!!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Deprssion Stinks!
Monday, August 11, 2008
The Kids are Back
Monday, August 4, 2008
Sweet Freedom
I don't know what I'm gonna do, but I don't want to waste my time!!!
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Homeless Friends
Sunday, July 27, 2008
- Go to the movies,
- Come home and eat pepperoni pizza (his favorite)
- Watch the new episode of iCarly,
- Eat cake and open presents
- Watch the new Monk episode.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
The Winner Is...
The votes are in and here is the winner! It was a close tie between all three, but between, e-mail and the blog in the end picture number 2 was the winner. Thank you to everyone who voted. National Autism Resources is up and running. We should be able to take orders soon... what the heck was I thinking?!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Which picture do you like?
Picture #2Picture #3
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Good Coffee- thats CHEAP!
With gas over $4.00 a gallon, I'll be drinking this for awhile...
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Going on Vacation
Please God no weird smells...
I'll be back in two weeks, the website is looking great!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
What do you recommend?
Saturday, June 21, 2008
The Secret is Out...
Saturday, June 7, 2008
My God is Jealous
So I had to explain to my friend that my God is jealous, I can only worship him. I could go but could not participate in the worship of any other god or teacher.
She said that was fine, so I went and observed.
When we drove up she explained that the domes were built in Italy and donated by a very rich Sikh who lives there.
When we arrived we were asked to cover our hair. When I asked if this was something her god demanded my friend replied that covering one's hair is done for modesty reasons. It would be the same as someone not wearing a bikini top to church...
I came into their main meeting room. Sikhs bow and pray to a book called the Guru Granth Sahib, not sure of the name here... They enter bow, pray and then leave an offering I saw people leave money, and another person left milk. Elderly men from their faith spend the day by their book and are available for prayer or readings of the book. When they heard it was J's birthday they uncovered the book and read it. It was in Punjabi, but instead of reading they sang the words.
After the prayers we went downstairs to another room, there is always food and tea available to eat there. So we had some wonderful Indian food and talked. I could tell my friend was so happy that I had come. She mentioned that many American people become Sikhs. At that moment I thought to myself so this is what it feels like when someone wants to convert you...
My dear friend loves me so much. She would love for me to become a Sikh, but the truth is I believe I have found the greatest teacher that ever lived, Jesus. I am so attracted to Him, I can't fathom any other way. I would love for her to meet Jesus and follow him, but for now we have chosen different ways...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Autistic and Proud
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Warmline Last Night
Monday, May 26, 2008
Kit Kat Passed Away
Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.
2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death, [a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Busy Day
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Kit-Kat 2
A Bishops Wife asked what does the church do? That is such a good question, I've been thinking about that... We give money to shelters or we volunteer once a month to feed the homeless. These things are good, but they are also very convenient and safe. I've done this for years and because I did I gave myself permission to ignore the homeless in my neighborhood.
This question also spurred me to contemplate what is the church. What do we mean when we say "church?" On Sunday morning many of us drive to various church buildings and worship with a group of people. However, when people say "what is the church doing" they are not referring to a building they are referring to the people in the building. I often expect the leaders and/or pastors of these groups to "do something." As I read the scriptures it is clear that God does not view the "church" as a building, but as individual people who believe in Him. Could this mean then that instead of relying on the church leaders to do something, I as an individual of the church am responsible to do more than just write a check? If so when I ask "what is the church doing???" I'm really asking what am I doing? The truth is I have not been doing anything for far too long, writing a check is easier, and I don't want to add another "thing" to my life...
Friday, May 2, 2008
Last Friday I saw her, lying in a small brick enclave where they keep garbage. I walked up to her and noticed her fingertips were blue and she looked terrible. She told me she had been in the hospital, that she has congestive heart failure, and she was released without any medication. (The hospital was nice enough to give her a Taxi ride to the local mall, a prescription list, and a list of shelters she could call....) She had no money to call and couldn't stand up. I took her prescription to the pharmacy to be filled and started calling the shelters on the list. They were full and some shelters refuse to take the sick. I called a christian shelter, the manager was gone and they had shut the doors for the night (4pm) the lady told me please call back tomorrow...
Meanwhile at the pharmacy they inform me that they can't fill KK's prescription because she needs a new card. They give me an 800# and tell me that to get a new card KK will need to give the agency her social security number. Frustrated I went back out to KK and someone had given her water and cookies while I was gone. She's poured the water over her head, asks me if I want some cookies, I look at her and I think are her lips turning blue???
I tell her I need her social security number and the problem with her card. Then she remembers the hospital told her to call. So long story short I made the call, and the agency is closed for the weekend...
I go back to KK and yes her lips are turning a tad blue. I tell her I want to call 911, but she says no. They'll just get mad at her, make her wait in the waiting room and she doesn't want to go back. Just then it hits me what would Jesus do? Do I take her in my home? Will my husband kill me if I do? (I'm thinking yes he would definitely not be happy...) Yet I can't leave her on the street so I start praying and across the lot I see her friend Ricky.
I run to him and bring him over to KK. She is so happy to see him and tells him to get a shopping cart so he can take her home. (Home is a bush with blankets under it...) I tell them both I'm worried and I want to call 911. Then KK said no, "if I die I don't want to be alone I can die with my friends." I stood there dumbfounded as Ricky loaded her into a shopping cart and wheeled her home.
I still feel unsettled about all of this.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
God is an Artist
Outside my front door look complimentary colors. I've stared at the sky through my pine trees for hours...
My back yard contrasting colors of lavender and green. OK I'm not like my neighbor down the street the pics don't give God enough credit.
Heart shaped clover on my front lawn (I know its blurry, like I said I'm not a photographer, but still perfect little hearts everywhere...)(Note this is a picture the Hubbo took...)
I look out my window and the world is so amazing I can't accept that it all happened by chance.


text:
Retroreflective Sheetings Used for Sign Faces
Important Note: The current state of the retroreflective sheeting market is continuing to change, due to development of new sheetings, requested changes to ASTM D4956, and changes in product offerings by manufacturers. This webpage will try to keep up with current events in reflective sheetings as they develop.
There are a number of different types of retroreflective sheetings in use on highway signs.
Some types, as classified by ASTM D4956, are:
Important Note: The Types used in the ASTM sheeting specifications do not necessarily imply relative performance; i.e. a "higher"-type sheeting isn't necessarily better than a "lower"-type sheeting - it just meets different performance characteristics. Also note that some sheetings can meet the criteria of several ASTM Types.
Nearly all sheetings are available with pressure-sensitive backings for attachment to sign surfaces. Some sheetings are available with heat-activated backings, but with changes in sign manufacturing technology this type of adhesive is becoming less popular and less available.
Sign legends for retroreflective signs are produced by the following methods:
Colored inks used in sign silk-screening are translucent to allow reflectivity through the ink, whereas black ink used for signs is opaque.
Sheeting types normally fail in different ways, depending on how they are structured.
Single-layer types, such as Type I or II, usually fail by gradually losing their retroreflective intensity. This is due to increasing opacity of the pigmented material caused by ultraviolet ray exposure due to sunlight.
Multi-layer sheetings, such as Type III through Type XI, often fail structurally - the outer colored layer delaminates and falls off, exposing the underlying reflective layer to the elements, and ruining the contrast needed for legibility.
If properly applied and sealed to a good surface, most reflective sheetings are quite water, ice, and salt resistant.
Special thanks to Seth Chalmers of Chalmers Engineering Company and H. Gene Hawkins Jr. of Texas A&M University for their invaluable assistance in gathering this information.
More information may also be found at the Federal Highway Administration's webpages on sign retroreflectivity.
FHWA Retroreflective Sheeting Identification Guide
Return to Manual of Traffic Signs Main Page
Richard C. Moeur's Home Page
Updated 09 December 2015Scripting: Richard C. Moeur


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Get your Students or Group involved @ Juara Turtle Project
Programs have more scheduling and staffing than standard Volunteering so as to meet certain learning objectives. If you and your friends want to come volunteer and help out, please see our Volunteering page!
If you wish to visit Juara Turtle Project with your friends or family for an afternoon, while here on Tioman for holiday, please see our Visitor Centre page for details!
Student & School Groups
- Learn hands-on about conservation, biology, team-work and more.
- Our objective: For students to learn, help out, have fun, and spread environmental awareness back at your school!
- Choose from our activities menu, help with our current projects, and develop your own programming objectives.
Please download our program guide, and contact us for more information!
Costs vary depending on activities and programming. rm150 -rm200 pp/ night
*If you are a Malaysian public school or other with limited budget please contact us and we can try to help arrange a program for you.
Snorkeling Activity
"JTP provided the ideal location for a group of 18 IB Diploma students during our 'Project Week'. The aim of the week is to provide opportunities for our students to engage with issues of global significance within the region. Logistically, JTP provides a safe environment which allows students to enjoy some independence and develop new skills, such as cooking together and collaborating to take care of daily duties. The conservation issues that they engage with had significant impact upon all students who leave with a new understanding of the pressures of conservation and the relationship between communities and their environment. Students are not 'taught' this – they see it daily at JTP and discover the key issues themselves, asking questions and reflecting upon what they see around them. Perhaps most importantly, they are welcomed by the friendly community at JTP and see the human face of conservation. This has had an impact on many of the students who have increased their commitment to projects they are involved with in their own communities."
– Nick Cotton, Director of Studies, Li Po Chun United World College, Hong Kong
Organized Group Trips
- Activity and conservation based.
- Come to help out and get involved with your group.
- Choose from our activities menu, help with our current projects, or develop your own programming objectives.
- Recreation and service activities.
Please contact us for more information!
Cost varies depending on activities and program, rm150 – rm200 pp/ night
Visit Singapore's Temasek Polytechnic's Green Interests Group blog.
1/2 or Full Day Programs
Day programs are great as an additional activity for a tour group, school trip, corporate trip or other groups that are already in the Tioman area. The program will cover the basics of Sea Turtle conservation, provide some hands-on learning, and offer a chance to help out as well.
Basic program outline:
- Introduction
- Turtle Talk
- Visit Jo & Tour
- Nesting Demos
- Discussion and Videos
- Lunch *Full Day
- Afternoon Activities *Full Day
Please contact us for more information.
Cost varies depending on time, depth of material, and programs. rm20 – rm100 pp
Let's create a program that works for you and the Sea Turtles !
A wonderfully natural location and setting that inherently promotes learning about conservation, teamwork, environmental value, life skills, and of course the human relationship with the natural world.
Kg Juara is a natural and secure village with small clinic, restaurants, shops and primary school.
Kg Tekek has market shops, schools, ATM & bank, airport, full clinic, and emergency evacuation.
For visit our Travel page for more details or please contact us.


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Will was clear on arts
Gov. Sam Brownback defended his signing of anti-abortion laws that are now tied up in the courts, saying last week that "it was the will of the Legislature and the people of the state of Kansas."
It's questionable whether the public wanted the state to defund Planned Parenthood (65 percent of Americans favor continued funding for Planned Parenthood, according to a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll) or to impose unrealistic licensing requirements on abortion clinics. But voters did elect the state lawmakers who passed these bills — so Brownback has a point.
But using that same rationale, why did Brownback ignore the will of the Legislature and the public by vetoing funding for the Kansas Arts Commission?
Brownback issued an executive reorganization order in January to abolish the state arts agency, but a clear, bipartisan majority of the Kansas Senate blocked the order. The full Legislature then approved continued funding this fiscal year for the commission.
The public also made its will known with e-mails, letters and phone calls supporting the commission. State Rep. JoAnn Pottorff, R-Wichita, said she received more citizen feedback on this issue than any other in her 14 terms in the Legislature.
Those Brownback said he was trying to help — Kansas artists and arts groups — also made clear that they opposed his plan to privatize funding.
Yet despite the clear will of lawmakers , the public and the arts community, Brownback vetoed the commission's funding and laid off all its staff.
Throughout this debate, arts officials warned that eliminating public funding for the commission would endanger about $1.2 million in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Mid-America Arts Alliance. But Brownback insisted that Kansas could still get the funding.
Then last week the NEA informed Kansas that, sure enough, it would not receive federal matching funds. The regional alliance is expected to decide likewise.
"It's just been the biggest fiasco ever," said Peggy Cummings, executive director of the Bourbon County Arts Council, which has had to close its office because of the loss of funding.
The Wichita Black Arts Festival announced it is canceling its annual Labor Day weekend festival this year in part because the loss of Kansas Arts Commission funding.
Brownback now says he is confident that enough private money can be raised to replace the loss of both state and federal funding. Though that has yet to happen, and the newly formed Kansas Arts Foundation appears to be floundering, it's possible that some of Brownback's wealthy boosters will bail him out by donating money — at least this year.
Still, for a governor so concerned about the will of the public on abortion — whether or not it truly exists — Brownback has treated the public's will on the arts with remarkable disdain.


text:
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text:
Vauvert is a small town of the Gard with a population of 11000. North, it faces towards the "Plain de la Vistrenque" and all the major lines of communication. And as soon as you leave Vauvert by the South, you are immersed in the landscape of vineyards and Camargue lakes with its wild bird life.
The origins of the town are ancient. The remains of a Roman villa were found on its grounds. During the Middle Ages, the city (then called Posquieres) and its Castle where established on the Catselas hill. During the second part of the 19th Century, Vauvert experienced an important development linked to the development of the wine production in the region. This is when the elaborate town hall was build as well as some of the town's lovely "maisons bourgoises" (large elegant town house).
Vauvert is situated in Languedoc Roussillon, 20 km from Nimes, 35 km from Montpellier, 20 minutes from Arles, 1 hour from Avignon, 1 h 30 from Marseille and only 20 min from the sea. The near-by hamlets of Gallician, Montcalm and Sylvereal are part of the Vauvert commune.
You will find all the necessary services and shops in Vauvert including schools up to secondary school. The town also has a music school which has a good reputation in the region and an active cultural life, in particular during the summer (concerts, open-air opera in the arena and many local traditions and festivities). In terms of sport, Vauvert offers a tennis club, a public swimming pool, a boulodrome (place to play « boules »), access to footpaths and a 12km long « voie verte » (cycle path) for cycling or roller-skating along the canal.


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Release date: August 25, 1934.
Series: Looney Tunes.
Supervision: Jack King.
Producer: Leon Schlesinger.
Cast: Jack Carr (Buddy).
Animation: Bob McKimson and Ben Clopton.
Musical Score: Norman Spencer.
The hot-air balloon lands at the top of the pegs and then it immediately forms into a circus tent. There are some folks setting up some props outside and then one of the circus barkers calls them into the circus where crowds of folks dash inside. I must say that Jack King really does have some imagination for his cartoons - and Chuck Jones said that he had no imagination; although I guess that he received support for the cartoons he directed.
Buddy presents another act in which it the performer's name is Elastiko - the India-Rubber Man. He moves very rubbery and moves really well. The timing is done extremely well - and it's a safe guess maybe Bob McKimson had some involvement in the timing of that scene. The designs of the "India-Rubber Man" doesn't even look very Indian to me at all - and instead looks more like a black stereotype - but I guess that the director wanted to keep things simple, and not too stereotypical or complex. This act was re-used from an earlier Harman-Ising short I Love a Parade. The next act to be shown is Asbesto - the Human Stove who cracks two eggs inside his mouth. He then walks to the X-Ray and we see inside there is a pan sizzling with two scrambled eggs being cooked. Mmm eggs. His heart is ticking slightly, and as he steps out of the X-Ray - he rumbles slightly and then burps. That's the end of the acts feating stereotypes.
Another act that is being performed shows an aerobic who has a gap between his teeth and he places a hook between it. There is a man standing behind the pole that pulls the rope upwards as the aerobic is being lifted. It must be very painful for that to happen and it seems to be "impossible" - or is it?! The man who is still being lifted is really tired out, and then his whole false teeth fall out of his mouth and he falls down. Yep, even an animated cartoon has proven that it is physically difficult.
There is an act that is still going on where it involves aerobics - swinging around - with the crowds looking from left to right - one of them licks the person's ice cream as part of the gag; plus the cone itself and then his thumb. Okay, but the gag really had to go that far? It was only funny when he licked the ice-cream, we didn't have to see anymore. There is then a line of elephants walking into the arena where the baby is holding onto an elephant's ear. The elephants perform a dance sequence and the baby copies the same movements as the elephants do - rather cunning for a baby.
One of the aerobic performers then crashes onto a drum, in which to Buddy's surprise sees that the whole trapeze act is going awry. Buddy then climbs on top of the pole to try and stop the disaster going on, the mother follows him to rescue her child. Buddy grabs out a rope and grabs the baby tight, but then bounces from the hammock and then Buddy, the mother & her child are holding onto the trapeze artist (who is covered in dots since his costume was pulled down). Buddy and the mother then land on a bike by balancing on wire and all the gags are too complex to explain whilst they're trying to rescue the child.


text: When the Genevan council recalled John Calvin from Strasbourg in 1541, it also agreed to allow him to draft a set of Ecclesiastical Ordinances for them to adopt. These ordinances as written included a provision for the creation of a disciplinary body known as the Consistory. This was a moral tribunal of sorts, comprised of city pastors, elders, and magistrates. For the rest of the sixteenth century, moral supervision became a hallmark of the newly established Reformed movement. The experience proved complex in nature. Struggles ensued between magistrates and ecclesiastical leaders over the right of excommunication and the extent of disciplinary rigor. Individuals sometimes resisted openly. Meanwhile, this disciplinary fervor spawned a slew of moralizing sermons, treatises, poetry, and emblems. Public remonstrances likewise played an important role in the inner workings of the city. This symposium, therefore, examines this grand experiment in social control from several angles and attempts to clarify its theological and social foundations as well as its practical successes and failures. This examination in turn will shed light on tensions within the Reformed tradition in later periods.


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Yoshikazu Yamagata! Stunning degree show catwalk!
Posted by Unknown at 2:53 PM 0 comments
Paul McCarthy, Moriceau & Mrzyk, Jeff Wall, Fernando Renes
with thanks to http://new-art.blogspot.com/ visit!
Posted by Unknown at 2:41 PM 0 comments
God is Love. (bits and bobs from the bible found by my brother)
You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the forth generation of those who reject me.
Whoever curses father or mother shall be put to death.
If the owner knocks out a tooth of a male or female slave, the slave shall be let go, a free person, to compensate for the tooth.
When a woman has a discharge of blood that is her regular discharge from her body, she shall be in her impurity for seven days, and whoever touches her shall be unclean until evening. Everything upon which she lies during her impurity shall be unclean; everything also upon which she sits shall be unclean.
If a man lies with a man as with a woman, both of them have commited an abomination; they shall be put to death; their blood is upon them. If a man takes a wife and her mother also, it is depravity; they shall be burned to death, both he and they, that there may be no depravity amoung you. If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he shall be put to death; and you shall kill the animal.
One who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall be put to death; the whole congregation shall stone the blasphemer. (followed by 24.17: Anyone who kills a human being shall be put to death.)
And fire came out from the Lord and consumed the two hundred fifty men offering the incense.
If you do not diligently observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, fearing
this glorious and awesome name, the LORD your God, then the LORD will overwhelm both you
and your offspring with severe and lasting afflictions and grievous and lasting maladies. He
will bring back upon you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were in dread, and they shall
cling to you. Every other malady and affliction, even though not recorded in he book of this law,
the LORD will inflict on you until you are destroyed.
And just as the LORD took delight in making you prosperous and numerous, so the Lord will
take delight in bringing you to ruin and destruction.
Posted by Unknown at 2:13 PM 0 comments
Wow! Stella!
Posted by Unknown at 2:02 PM 1 comments
Charles Ray has an orgy with himself.
Posted by Unknown at 2:00 AM 0 comments
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text:
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