text:
ITRP Characters
A place to store ITRP's characters
Search Query
Display results as :
Advanced Search
ITRP Characters
The Westerlands
[darkestangel17] Cersei Lannister
Join date
Subject: [darkestangel17] Cersei Lannister
Thu Oct 25, 2012 5:19 pm
Cersei Lannister
Light of the West
Lady of Casterly Rock
Allegiance to House:
Role to House:
Lady of Casterly rock and Eldest daughter of Lord Tywin Lannister
Cersei is not the woman she claims herself to be, but more so Cersei is willful, ambitious and has a certain low cunning. She is, in her opinion, politically astute and likes to think of herself as her father's daughter, and feels slighted when people do not jump to her erratic commands. She resents the customs and conventions put on her because of her gender, but never realises that people do not come to her or respect her commands because she is an ineffectual leader. Cersei despises her youngest brother Tyrion, whom she blames for killing their mother Joanna, who died in childbirth. As a child she pinches him when she hears something she doesn't like and Oberyn Martell recounts to Tyrion that Cersei treated him cruelly in their presence, only stopping when Jaime intervened. She is
very close
to her twin brother Jaime; for years they carried on an incestuous relationship, and Jaime is the real father of her children. She is concerned for the safety of her children and stops at nothing to protect them, but stops far short of genuine motherhood. She often acts hypocritically and is cruel to people she meets. She shares her father's belief that fear is better than love.
Cersei though sees herself as a good leader, and a protector of her family name and her childeren. But she is far from the sight she sees herself within, most see her as beautiful, but also reckless. She is a bad decision-maker and a very poor ruler. She does not have the patience or judgment for the tedium of leadership. She fails to understand how her actions carry responsibilities and consequences, for example, causing the rout of King's Landing when she recalls Joffery from the front. When she comes into power in her own right and names a new small council she surrounds herself with lickspittles, who only tell her what she wants to hear. She begins drinking heavily. To her peril, she ignores news from abroad, including the momentous discovery of Daenerys' dragons. She generally prefers using court intrigue to get rid of her imagined enemies. Littlefinger once stated that Cersei lusts for power but does not know how to wield it, and also stated that while Cersei believes she is a player in the Game of Thrones she is actually just a piece who thinks she's a player And nothing more. She feels love to be weakness, and the more people one loves the weaker they are viewed by the ones surrounding themselve's.
She believes loving only your childeren, is the way one can hold themself strong, she even now in his passing holds a strong grudge against her late Husband Rpbert baratheon. For his foolishness, as she sees it, his drunkeness cheating and his love for Lyanna more then herself even after Lyanna died. She is a collected woman, in her worest moment's, however she finds it highly amusing to toy with other, as shown with Sansa Stark. Cersei can however show emotion's, even though she does not like to do such a thing, she has shed tears over her childeren and has had her heart broken. As most women she however does not feel the need to spill her feelings onto other's, she remains a Proud Lioness sworn to protect her cub's. And make her father proud, she loves her father and brother Jaime, and listens to them her father more so then any other. When she speaks of her brother, a smile is never far behind, but when she speaks of other matters a cold and emotionless expression plays upon her beautiful face. She is cruel and vindictive as well, offten doing anything she can to show her power, during her time as Queen many whispered against her and the things she did. But as always, she remained strong telling her eldest son, those are not us are against us, meaning Lannisters and their family.
Physical Description:
Cersei is a classically beautiful Lannister, with long curly golden hair, that rests gently at the middle of her back. And the trade mark bright green eyes, of the Lannister Lions of casterly rock. Cersei holds a slender figure, shaped and beautiful to behold in all her bare glory, her pale alabaster fleash, is perfect and flawless like glass. No scars no blemishes lace her perfection, nor tattoo's like the slaves across the sea, or the slave of Violantis. Cersei holds Large C Cup breast's, and long shaped slender leg's, as well as curves she is a seductive creature to be hold, she is known as one of the most beautiful women within the seven kingdoms and the vast land of Westeros. Her eyes are a bright green, but seem to darken in moments when she finds herself lost in thought, or furrowing her brows over a choice or news she finds silly and not to her liking's.
Her long golden curls are silken soft, and scented with the finest oil's, and perfumes gold can buy one. Cersei is a classic beauty, shaped curved lips as full and soft as silken, soft silken like fleash, that calls the eyes of many men toward herself. As well, as her voice, her voice is calm soft, yet stern when she needs it to be. She wears only the finest clothing and gown's, made of imported silk from across the narrow sea, and further from the likes of Qarth. Her most prized piece she is never seen without, is the necklace around her neck, it is a large pendant made of gold a intricate Lions side profile with his wide and massive jaw's opened letting a roar escape from within its mouth. Giving life to the Lannister house motto of hear me roar.
A long chain holds the pedant placed firmly above her breast's, and can offten be seen upon her, no matter the gown she wear's upon herself. Cersei is a strong woman, but she is also weak within the sense a man can over power her, Cersei has not spent the years of her life, learning to fight and wield a sword such as the Targaryen women, or the Stark women. She is a true Lady of court, but she can protect herself, feeling life to have been better to face a thousand swords rather then be gathered by women. Her slender frame holds a elegant, saunter to her walk, as she moves about, as a child of four she mastered a perfect curtsy, by keeping her back straightened and bending with her long elegant leg's. She is almost pure perfection to gaze upon, though through out the year's, motherhood and progressing of her years have taken its toll on her body. Her hands are slender and beautiful, with slender shaped finger's, offten wearing a singular ring upon one or the other. Her face is void of wrinkles scars or age, she is still as beautiful as she was as a young girl, but she does appear matured from the birth of her childeren and her life.
Powers and Abilities:
Cersei is a mere Human woman, though she holds no gifted power's, she holds her own power's within herself. Her devious and cunning mind, is able to form plans as quick, as a leaf blows adrift the gentle breeze. As well as the abilty to use her female Abilities as well, believing tears arent a Womans only weapon to use against a man. As a woman her main power is seduction, using her gentle movements, and beautyto get what she wants as well, as bend men to her will if need be for such a matter. Cersei's intelligence is also something she uses to the best she can, her manipulating ways as well as word's, and intiidating ones weaker then herself. In ranking of power, also add to her powers and abilities, she is a well hated woman, as well as feared by some, by most she is merely seen as a spoiled child, when she is happy it is time to watch for what is to come.
Her father's armies, as well as the power of the Lannister name fule to fire, of Cersei making her and her impulsive nature to do as she wishes. Far more dangerous then any other woman, within Westeros, She can fight enough to defend herself, through the typical means of a woman. But she can be over powered by a man, her words are her most powerful weapon, when she speaks she makes direct eye contact with whom she speak's. And when her venom filled words reach them, she can strike fear into someone through show of her calm nature, and that Lions smile she holds upon herself.
Her children
Her family
The natural gifts given to a woman
Her beauty
Cool and calm demenor
Her father
The Lannister name given upon her birth
The power she thinks she holds upon others
Her smile
Manipulative ways to gain for herself
The Lannister soldiers of Casterly rock
Her love of the finest silks
Her behavior in moments
Lusting for power
Her childeren
Being seen as a mere woman
Her strength as a female
Erratic commands that are not thought through properly
The cold
Jealous behavior
The prophecy given to her by a maegi, Maggy the Frog
As a Human she is a fragile thing, and can be killed with a stab or a fatal wound to herself
Her ego
Showing her emotions
Being questioned
Weapons and Armour of Choice:
Cersei is not a woman whom can swing a sword, she finds telling others to do such is better suited to herself. Then fighting to save the land, in which she calls her home, Her armour is something truly unique much like the woman it shield's from harm. Cersei's armour is beautiful to behold, the shining golden colored armour, is formed to fit upon her breasts and mid section, intricate floral patterns of wild flower's, and vines curl and form beautiful design. Over the breasts and stomach of the armour plate. Upon the stomach two Lannister lions facing one another, can be seen against the floral pattering upon the breast plate, the armour is made of the finest, and only the best will be worn by Cersei Lannister. From the back the piece is much different, only around the narrow of her waistline, does the armour hold, her back is fully exposed, the same floral designings, lace and intertwin around the strip upon her waist as well, as the rest of the piece.
The piece is removedable as any breast plate, and fits snuggly upon any gown or robe she chooses to wear the piece with. The piece is made to with stand direct attack's, but the piece will only hold off a number of attacks, from behind or above the breast plate attacks can kill the Lioness. Her taste is beautiful, no matter what she choose to wear upon herself be it a gown or her breast plate. Her choice of weapon, is a simple yet deadly piece, hidden within her gown she keeps a dagger hidden upon herself at all times. Even when she is home within Casterly rock, in case of a sudden attack upon the Lannister castle.
Her dagger much like anything she own's is truly unlike anything else within the land's, the blade of the dagger is made from the finest castle forged steel, Intricate designs lace the steel, of a the Lannister Lion upon the family sigil. The hilt is where true detail is found, the hilt is made from pure gold from the gold, that runs beneath Casterly rock, giving the Lannisters their vast wealth over the other kingdom's. At the very top of the Hilt handle, a lions head with two emeralds for eye's, make this piece of the most priced things within the walls of the rock. Floral deisngs like upon her armour, flow down from the lions head, and toward the very tip where the blade starts to form upon the dagger's smoothed steel. The Lioness of casterly rock's, holds her dagger high and proud, the few times she had revealed it, to wandering gaze's, and showed the brilliant beauty to them of her dagger none will ever know the pleasure of touching but her.
Background History:
The Birth of the Twin Lion's:
The birth of the first born twins to Lord Tywin Lannister, remains one of the most known within the westerland's, and Casterly rock to this very day, Young Joanna wife to the Handsome lion labored with her childeren, as her screams and cries of pain threatened to bring the very walls of the rock down, as each of them tore from within her womb. Two beautiful golden haired childeren where bore forth, that day one a beautiful little girl, and the other a already handsome young man. The childeren were bathed, and wrapped within the crimson colored robes of the Lannister's, they were given the Name Cersei and Jaime Lannister twins and first borns of Tywin and Joanna Lannister Lord and Lady of Casterly rock. They had shared a womb together, depended on one another for comfort safety and love, their were all one another knew. Even before the sun had shown upon the two newborn babe's, Cersei cried outwards for her brother to be near her, as soon as he was lain beside her her cries soon turned to playful coo's. Cersei and Jaime were close, even within their early childhood, never going anywhere without one another, if one sought to find one they merely went in search of the other. It was not long befoe the two soon sarted to share everything between them, from their home to their parents love to their bed chamber's. At a young age the two began to experiment together in a sexual manner, learning the pleasures of a lovers touch from one another, and not from any other. It was During one of these encounters, they were caught by a servant who informed their mother. Jaime was moved to the other side of the castle, and both twins were told never to do anything in such a way ever once more. Cersei was crushed even as a young girl, her young heart nearly broken she could have her brother with her, as she wished him to be. But she obeyed her mother, and never once seemed to question her for the means as to why this was seen as wrong within her eye's. It was not long after a few years had passed, her mother found herself to bear forth another child, to the proud House of Lannister when the time came for her child to be bore. Her birth was different then with Cersei and Jaime, she screamed loud enough, it nearly made the young Cersei deaf, her howls of pain sounding shrill as if she was being attacked. And not brithing a mere child, when the child was born he was small, smaller then most childeren or babies, any within house Lannister had ever seen. But as all eyes turned toward Joanna her final breath escaped her lip's, a scream escaped from Cersei's mouth, as the young girl soon ran from her mothers dead life-less body and her malformed imp brother.
Cersei ran until she found a place for herself, and did something she had never dne within her young life, she prayed as tear's rolled down her young face, she prayed and begged for her mothers return. Thinking if she did such her mother would be returned to her, but she wasnt it was during her prayers her father found her, and he explained to her the gods were not kind gods. Though she did not fully understand, what her father meant her prayer ceased, after the death of her mother much Like her father, Cersei started to blame her younger Brother Tyrion for her mothers death, a trait she still carries within herself to this very day. Her young heart started to deeply resent that her mother died so that Tyrion would be brought into the world. Many believed this was the day, young Cersei started to seal her heart from the world around herself. It wasnt long, Cersei's father Tywin was constantly away from home during her childhood and teenaged years, serving as Hand of the King at the capital, with only infrequent visits back to his seat at Casterly Rock. Coupled with the death of her mother, this meant that Cersei and her two brothers were primarily raised by servants attached to House Lannister. She had no one within her young life, no one to hold her no one to be there for her when she needed a gentle embrace. But she soon found the comfort she sought, when now a young teenaged girl, Cersei and her brother Jaime found themselve's able to carry forth what they had started all those year's ago. The two soon began a passionate incestuous relationship with Jaime in her youth which has continued for year's.
A Queen in the Making:
During her youth the young Lioness, As a girl, Cersei Lannister sought Maggy after hearing rumours about her magical powers. Cersei and her friends Jeyne Farman and Melara Hetherspoon went to her during the tourney held in honour of King Aerys II's visit to the West, at which Cersei became enamoured of Prince Rhaegar. But soon young Jeyne fled the scene at the sight of Maggy's yellow eyes. Maggy initially refused to tell the futures of the remaining girls, but grudgingly agreed faced with Cersei's threats. She allowed Cersei three questions and made the prophecy of the valonqar a word in High Valyrian for "little brother" which haunted Cersei thereafter. When Melara took her turn, Maggy predicted that she would die that very night, and hinted that it would be by Cersei's hand. her questions were simple as she asked if she would be queen, and if she would bear children to her Husband, but Maggys words highly Dissatisfied Cersei and soon the young girl threw a jar of potion into Maggy's eyes and fled, leaving Maggy to curse them both. As the years soon passed upon Cersei and she and Jaime carried on their romance, unknown to all who dwelled upon Casterly rock. It was from that childhood prophecy, she knew early in life that she was fated to rule the Seven Kingdoms, and embraced this destiny. The prophecy also stated that she would see all of her children die before her own death, and would lose everything to a younger queen. However, upon coming into her power, the clever Cersei began taking steps to avert the latter part of the prophecy, which sets the stage for many of her actions throughout her torried life. Such as correctly predicting the death of the friend who was with her at the time, her unrequited love for Rhaegar Targaryen, and her marriage and mutual infidelity with a King she would marry. It was not long Cersei was promised that she would wed Prince Rhaegar Targaryen. Cersei was delighted by this and was infatuated with Rhaegar when she the first met him. He was tall handsome and so unlike the men she had seen upon the rock, or within any of the Westerlands. But the marriage offer was rebuffed by Aerys II. When her father went to King's Landing, he took her with him. She missed Jaime and was highly jealous of the proposed match between Jaime and Lysa Tully, a mere Tully to wed her handsome Lannister brother.
So when he visited her in King's Landing she used the one thing Cersei could use against her brother, sex to manipulate him into joining up to the Kingsguard. Once he agreed, she orchestrated the arrangements behind the scenes and within a month, Jaime was sworn into the Kingsguard at the Tourney of Harrenhal. Cersei didn't think the consequences through very well, and her father Lord Tywin, soon became furious at the loss of his beloved son and heir, he soon resigned his handship under a thin pretext and left King's Landing for Casterly Rock and took Cersei home with him so she was once again separated from Jaime. However, she was consoled by the fact that Jaime will never be able to marry. Her plan had worked perfectly, no other would have him, but her. Cersei soon married Robert Baratheon shortly after the conclusion of his rebellion; she was head over heel's enthralled by the happy crowds at her wedding. When she saw him tall, muscular and black bearded and soon to be heres and her's alone, their wedding was one of the most beautiful within Kings landing. And as the night soon came, the young Queen now at age 19 found herself in bed with her new husband, she had never felt so amazing within her entire life, but her happiness soon grew to hate. After her husband, leaned forward and pressed his lips to her ear, and he called her "Lyanna" during their first night together as man and wife. Lyanna long dead withinher grave, and she his living young wife, left forever to be within the shadow of a woman cold within her grave. As Cersei returned once more to Kings landing she carried on her incestuous relationship with Jaime during her marriage, and all her three children Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen were products of this incest, rather than her husband King Robert.
Robert believed them all to be his own, merely taking for granted their golden hair was a trait passed from mother to child. As he named Joffery to soon be his heir. Cersei's lack of a parental relationship growing up was soonreflected in how poorly she served as a mother to her own children. While she certainly doted on them, she did not possess much in the way of wisdom or advice. She was unable to act as a stable moral instructor to them. During the 17 years of Cersei's loveless marriage with Robert, she increasingly fantasized about how her eldest son Joffrey would one day succeed Robert and become a great king himself. Ironically, while Cersei diss dote on her children, she was more attached to her own mental constructs of them than the reality. She had dreamed about the great king Joffrey would grow into, without acknowledging that he was really a petulant sociopath. Her denial only served to indulge Joffrey's madness. She considered herself to be obsessed with the welfare of all of her children. However, she had showered so much attention on Joffrey throughout his life that she actually didn't know her other children very well.
King's Landing and the Death of the Hand:
It was not long after the death of Jon Arryn from the drink of poision, after he had found the truth of Cersei's childeren father, to be not King robert but her brother Jaime Lannister to be their father of birth. In King's Landing, Queen Cersei watched the silent sisters preparing the body of Lord Jon Arryn, the Hand of the King, for burial. She and her twin brother, Jaime, discussed the situation and wondered if Jon told anyone else about what he had discovered. Jaime told her not to worry, since if the King knew the truth they'd be dead already. She suggested that Jaime could be the next Hand, but Jaime refused, citing the position as too much responsibility and danger. After the death of Jon Arryn, Cersei accompanied her husband, King Robert Baratheon to Winterfell. Robert travels with his wife, her brothers and a rather large following to winterfell to ask his best friend, and most trusted ally Lord Eddard Stark to be hand of the king, and return with them to Kings landing, as not only the new Hand, but he also proposes that his son Joffrey marry Eddard's eldest daughter, Sansa Stark. When the royal party settles in, Eddard presents his household to Robert and Cersei. After initial greetings, Robert demands to see the crypts and pay his respects to his former betrothed, Lyanna Stark. Which only added fuel to the fire of Cersei's impatience. After Robert and Eddard depart, Cersei sends Jaime to find their younger brother Tyrion, who has become distracted at the local brothel. That evening a great feast is held and Cersei and Catelyn Stark exchange cordial words. Cersei oddly seems impressed by Sansa, thinking that she will be a great hit at court. The next morning Eddard and Robert go hunting, leaving the castle largely empty. Cersei and Jaime liaise in derelict tower. Bran Stark is soon out within the area climbing the tower and finds them engaged in sexual intercourse. He is caught watching by Cersei, and Jaime grabbed him.
He asked how old Bran is. Bran replied "ten", Jaime sighed and pushes him out of the window, musing "the things I do for love."A month later, at breakfast, Tyrion tells his family that Bran is expected to live and notes his sibling's guarded reactions to the news. Cersei visits Catelyn who is sitting vigil for Bran. Cersei tells Catelyn that her first child, a beautiful, black-haired boy, died because of a fever. She and Robert were grief-stricken and her prayers and tears were for naught. She offers to pray for Bran's survival, hoping that this time the gods will listen. The royal party sets out for King's Landing, now joined by Eddard, Sansa and her younger sister the willful Arya. However, a minor fracas between Arya's direwolf and Joffrey On the Kingsroad escalates Cersei soon demands that her husband have the young girls hand cut from her for assualting her son whom is of royal blood. Robert resfuses to do such a thing, and Arya soon chases her direwolf away to save her life.
Once they all refound themselves within Kings landing, all seemed well enough, for the moment Joffery and Sansa seemed the perfect young couple. And Ned and Robert seemed content among themselve's, but Cersei was far from pleased with everything that had passed. It was not long Ned and Jaime soon fought, and Ned was injuried when Robert and Cersei went to see him. They once more foguth she telling him she should don his armour and he her dress, before Lord Stark's eye's. During the stay Lord Stark soon found the truth of Jofferys birth parent's, as did Lord Arryn, and within the red keeps garden he confronted Queen Cersei, with a simple brilliant smile, she admitted why she was to feel shame she did not know. But this man had placed himself within matters he did not belong within, he gave her a choice to flee for want of seeing her childeren safe but Cersei refused. It was not afterward the Queen soon put her plan into action, Bedding her uncle Kevans son Lancel squire to her husband, where she poisioned her husbands wine, he would be drinking throughout his hunt in the Kings wood. Where his Squire did not let him go of thrist, te poision made King Robert weary and he did not fight when he should have, a wild boar soon gored the great Robert Baratheon, as he returned to the red keep, Robert was mortally wounded on the hunt. Cersei was highly concerned that Eddard would tell Robert the truth, but Eddard choose to spare his friend further pain. Robert names Eddard Protector of the Realm and regent. Upon Robert's death Cersei quickly installed Joffrey on the throne. Eddard tried his best to reveal the truth with the help of Petyr 'Littlefinger' Baelish, but Baelish betrayed him and sided with Cersei. Eddard was arrested and imprisoned, whilst his guards were slaughtered within the throne room.
But this was not enough for Cersei, by any means, Cersei persuaded Sansa to write a letter asking her brother Robb to bend the knee to Joffrey in return for her father's life. Sansa agreed, but the plan backfired, as the letter merely encouraged Robb to raise an army and march into the Riverlands to confront the Lannister armies directly. In open court, Cersei encouraged Sansa to make a new plea to Joffrey for her father's life. Joffrey agreed to spare him and let him join the Night's Watch, if Eddard recants the claims he has made about Joffrey not being the true king. Sansa was certain he would do so. Cersei was present at the Sept of Baelor when Eddard Stark 'confessed' his crimes, as per their arrangement brokered by Sansa and Varys. She appeared for once to be genuinely shocked when Joffrey ignored the arrangement and demanded Eddard's decapitation. The order is carried out by Ser Ilyn Payne, the royal executioner. War erupted between the Lannister and Stark armies in the Riverlands and Cersei attempted to secure her son's hold on the Iron Throne. She took a new lover, her cousin Lancel who was King Robert's squire and gave him the wine that made him too drunk to slay the boar that killed him. She also received a letter informing her of Jaime's capture by Robb Stark. Which only seemed to fuel her anger, After the slaughter of Roberts bastards within Kings landing, and Tyrions time as hand of the King, all seemed well until a tragic event soon took place, the arrangment of marriage to the Stark girl, as soon cast aside, and Joffery was to wed a new girl, to take as his Queen. But before he even reach his full Adult-Hood poisioned wine, at his wedding soon killed the boy King. Cersei was pained screaming and in disbelif her eldest on was gone, and her only daughter was shipped to Dorne. It was not long after, she found herself pulled from the throne, and Stannis Baratheon took over as rightful king to the throne. Cersei doing the only thing she could, soon returned to Casterly rock, to plan her next movement and regain the power she had taken from herself.
[darkestangel17] Cersei Lannister
Permissions in this forum:
reply to topics in this forum
ITRP Characters
The Westerlands
ITRP Characters
The Westerlands
Jump to:
Select a forum
|--Thread Making Guide/Help
|--Professions of Westeros and Essos
| |--General Professions
|--Cult Graphics
| |--The Iron Throne Profile Layouts
| |--The Iron Throne RP Cult Layouts
| |--The Iron Throne RP Banners
| |--The Iron Throne RP Icons
| |--The Iron Throne RP Models
|--Mentoring Threads
| |--The North
| |--Staff
|--The North
|--The Brotherhood without Banners
|--King's Landing
|--The Riverlands
|--The Westerlands
|--The Crosslands
|--The Stormlands
|--The Reach
|--The Vale
|--Across the Narrow Sea
|--The Iron Islands
|--The Gift
|--Lands of Always Winter
Forum create on Forumotion
Free forum support
Report an abuse


text:
Buy Lil' Jon concert tickets in California today! Be sure to use discount code: orange at checkout
Lil' Jon in California ticketslocation.replace('/results-ticket?evtid=3892371&event=Jon+Boogz+%26+Lil+Buck
Lil' Jon Concert Tickets Nationwide
Lil' Jon tickets
|Event: Lil' Jon
|No events matched your search for Lil' Jon.
About Lil' Jon
Lil' Jon is a hip-hop/rap star.
About Citrus Tickets
Citrus Tickets is an official provider of concert tickets in California. We have the best selection of Lil' Jon tickets in California, use coupon code: orange. We are a family run business right here in California, so why not buy Lil' Jon tickets from a local company? Buy Lil' Jon tickets today at citrustickets.com, we have a variety of seating available and also several discount, premium and hard to get Lil' Jon tickets!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Currency Displayed in
Tactical acu digital camo Belt With Loop Interior And Two Belt Keepers On Each Side , 2 Inches Wide With Quick Release Buckle , Includes Two Removable Pouches-pouches Attached With Hook And Loop.
Digitla camo
This product hasn't received any reviews yet. Be the first to review this product!
All prices are in USD.


text:
10 novembre 2014
Raindrops aren't falling. Period.
The only existing postcard of Mayotte during the rainy season. The rainy season has just started. Just. As in two days ago. This is worrying the meteorologists. You see, Mayotte usually gets two lots of rain. A small spell, which usually comes some time in October and lasts for a week or two, and is known as the "Pluie des Mangues", or mango rain. This is because it hails the beginning of the mango season. And... [Lire la suite]


text:
Have you ever eaten at the Chipotle Mexican Grill?? Do enjoy the burrito or the burrito bowl? If yes, then have you ever wondered why their rice tastes so good??? Well, because it is cilantro-lime rice! I have tried to recreate it at home and I must say, that I have been successfull! Well, before going into the details of that recipe, let me tell you that Chipotle is one of the few fast food chains that I eat at.. May be once a year?? I cannot remember when I last ate there. You see, my husband and I we don't eat out much. We like everything fresh and cooked at home. But sometimes, when you are away or busy running errands, you have to kind of eat out. I don't eat pizza and sandwiches as I avoid gluten. Chipotle has gluten free options and is relatively fresh?? That's why it is one of the few place that I eat.
Coming back to the Cilantro Lime rice, it is pretty easy to make at home and requires very few ingredients: rice, cilantro, lime, salt, black pepper and olive oil. They might have put Adobo seasoning, but I have kept it to the basics! This recipe works well with both freshly cooked rice and leftover rice, which makes it perfect for weeknight dinners or for those times, when you want to put together a meal in a jiffy! I have shared the recipe for rice that is already cooked and ready. Please follow your method of choice for cooking the rice. If the rice that you are using is leftover rice, please warm it up before following this recipe.
Servings: 2
Prep time: 2 mins
Cook time: none
Total time: 3 mins
Cooked rice: 4 cups
Cilantro: 2 tbsp, finely chopped
Olive oil: 1 tbsp
Lime juice: from one small lime
Salt: to taste
Black pepper: 1/8 tsp
Garlic powder: 1/8 tsp ( optional)
Add 4 cups of warm/ hot rice to a bowl.
Now add all the other ingredients and toss until the rice is thoroughly mixed with the other ingredients. Be gentle while mixing so that the rice does not become mushy!
Serve hot with a side of your choice.
Cooking made easy:
While cooking Basmati rice, to ensure long grains, soak the rice for 30 mins after thoroughly washing it. Then drain it and keep it aside for 30 mins. The soaking lengthens the grains and the draining and drying helps it prevent from breaking upon cooking.
Follow the instructions on the package while cooking rice as every crop of rice is different.
Tip for healthy living:
While choosing rice, choose those with a higher glycemic index and those that have not been processed too much. Parboiled rice is better than raw rice. Matta rice & brown rice are less processed than their other counterparts and therefore have a higher fiber content, lower glycemic index and less calories.


text:
Oh how easily we forget that!
We wake up every morning and take it for granted that we got another day, some people aren't that lucky. This is your friendly reminder to show gratitude every morning and every night, for everything and everybody.
Now go forth and set the world on fire!
NineFrogs – "Where Attitude is Everything"
Till next time,
Patti B. <3


text:
FBI, CIA Debate Significance of Terror Suspect
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Al-Qaeda captive Abu Zubaida, whose interrogation videotapes were destroyed by the CIA, remains the subject of a dispute between FBI and CIA officials over his significance as a terrorism suspect and whether his most important revelations came from traditional interrogations or from torture.
While CIA officials have described him as an important insider whose disclosures under intense pressure saved lives, some FBI agents and analysts say he is largely a loudmouthed and mentally troubled hotelier whose credibility dropped as the CIA subjected him to a simulated drowning technique known as waterboarding and to other "enhanced interrogation" measures.
The question of whether Abu Zubaida -- whose real name is Zayn al-Abidin Muhammed Hussein -- was an unstable source who provided limited intelligence under gentle questioning, or a hardened terrorist who cracked under extremely harsh measures, goes to the heart of the current Washington debate over coercive interrogations and torture.
The House has approved legislation that would require U.S. intelligence agencies to follow Army rules adopted last year that explicitly forbid waterboarding and other harsh measures, but it has stalled in the Senate under a veto threat by President Bush.
A public assessment of Abu Zubaida's case has been complicated by the newly revealed destruction of the videotaped record of his questioning, according to congressional sources. Intelligence officials say no verbatim transcripts were made, although classified daily summaries were prepared.
Bush has sided publicly with the CIA's version of events. "We knew that Zubaida had more information that could save innocent lives, but he stopped talking," Bush said in September 2006. "And so the CIA used an alternative set of procedures," which the president said prompted Abu Zubaida to disclose information leading to the capture of Sept. 11, 2001, plotter Ramzi Binalshibh.
But former FBI officials privy to details of the case continue to dispute the CIA's account of the effectiveness of the harsh measures, making the record of Abu Zubaida's interrogation hard for outsiders to assess.
There is little dispute, according to officials from both agencies, that Abu Zubaida provided some valuable intelligence before CIA interrogators began to rough him up, including information that helped identify Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and al-Qaeda operative Jose Padilla. Footnotes in the 9/11 Commission report attribute information about a variety of al-Qaeda personnel and activities to interrogations of Abu Zubaida beginning in April 2002 and lasting through February 2004.
Former CIA officer John Kiriakou -- who participated in Abu Zubaida's capture, was present for the next three days and later saw classified reports of the agency's harsh interrogations -- attracted attention last week when he said that information obtained from Abu Zubaida under measures that Kiriakou now regards as torture "probably saved lives."
Former CIA director George J. Tenet, in his book recounting his tenure at the agency, also said claims that Abu Zubaida's importance was overstated were "baloney." Tenet wrote: "Abu Zubaydah had been at the crossroads of many al-Qaida operations and was in position to -- and did -- share critical information with his interrogators."
But FBI officials, including agents who questioned him after his capture or reviewed documents seized from his home, have concluded that even though he knew some al-Qaeda players, he provided interrogators with increasingly dubious information as the CIA's harsh treatment intensified in late 2002.
In legal papers prepared for a military hearing, Abu Zubaida himself has asserted that he told his interrogators whatever they wanted to hear to make the treatment stop.


text:
News & Press Releases
Press Releases after the end of the 2015 Circuit
Canadians Tommy Feigel and Christi McQuaker were crowned the winners of the Canadian Circuit Awards presented at the conclusion of the 2015 Vermont Summer Festival. This year's Vermont Summer Festival welcomed a record number of Canadian exhibitors to Harold Beebe Farm.
Week 6 - Vermont Summer Celebration
Week 5 - Manchester & the Mountains Horse Show
Week 4 - Valley Classic Horse Show
Week 3 - Manchester Classic Horse Show
Week 2 - Manchester Summer Festival Horse Show
Week 1 - Vermont Summer Special
Press Releases prior to the start of the 2015 Circuit
While exhibitors are preparing for another memorable competition at the Vermont Summer Festival, its area lodging partners are preparing to welcome them with all the comfort, charm and convenience that the area has to offer.
Several of show jumping's most celebrated international course designers will showcase their skills at the 2015 Vermont Summer Festival, running from June 30 through August 9 at Harold Beebe Farm in East Dorset, VT.


text:
+44 (0) 20 7490 8828
We help this sector because we understand manufacturing. We know about the restructuring of businesses as we have dealt with major change for global firms.
We also know that change can challenge stakeholders as diverse as trade unions, Governments and pressure groups because we have engaged with them on different continents.
And we know that the management in such manufacturing giants value those who can aid them to face such challenges, and protect their individual and corporate reputations. We have done this in the pharma sector, in energy, in packaged goods and packaging, and in chemicals.
Our consultants help the manufacturing sector confront and manage change. Our services cover strategic advice, change programmes, planning, crisis and issue management, stakeholder mapping and engagement, and internal and external communication.
Our experience spans decades, regions and major brands as the case studies below indicate.
For a discussion on how Lansons manufacturing consultants can help your business please contact:
Ralph Jackson
Director, Corporate Reputation
+44(0)207 294 3667
Scott McKenzie
Director, Change and Employee Engagement
+44(0)20 7294 3611
- Corporate reputation
- Crisis communications
- Local & national government relations
- International government relations
- Employee engagement
- Labour relations
- Media relations
Swiss-based manufacturing business
A Swiss-based manufacturing business briefed Lansons on a global restructuring project spanning 51 countries in April 2015. The project had some difficult messages with a 10% headcount reduction worldwide, the departure of the Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer, the relocation of the HQ, as well as changes to the organisational structure. It involved engaging senior stakeholders from the French State and across the political spectrum, along with a huge focus on the media – especially locally and regionally – at the turn of an election cycle in France. Lansons established a 24/7 press office to handle global media enquiries as a result.
Advising on the internal, external and customer communications, Lansons coordinated a multi-agency effort, selecting and managing agency partners in key markets to support us: Allison & Partners in France, our Swiss gfcNet partner agency Farner and our Italian PROI partner, TTA. We worked closely with corporate and legal advisers to provide consolidated reputational advice, with special emphasis placed on mitigating labour relations issues.
World leading suppliers of equipment and technologies
One of the world's leading suppliers of equipment and technologies that turn solid waste and biomass into thermal energy, with their technologies incorporated in more than 500 production lines in more than 30 countries, came to Lansons to help them with two things, initially, as they developed their projects in a small number of UK sites: first to better understand how their project teams could build good and lasting relations with key stakeholders in those project areas; and second, to assist with a dialogue with employee representatives as the workforce for each project was assembled.
On the former Lansons facilitated a UK project directors workshop to map, understand and prioritise stakeholders, begin the process of message development, and outline a programme of external and internal engagement for the UK sites in 2016. On the latter part of communication with employee representatives, this is still ongoing and we are advising on the process and communications around this.


text:
CAA Insurance
Founded in 1974, CAA Insurance has been serving Canadians for over 40 years through their Club partnerships. They entered the broker market with one thing in mind, to provide consumers the same coverage, at the same price, delivered under the same trusted brand – no matter how they choose to purchase.
CAA Insurance is one of Canada's most trusted insurance brands. Their focus is to continue to build its position in the Canadian Insurance market by creating innovative auto and property insurance products and services you would expect from one of Canada's premiere Membership organization.
CAA Insurance's mission is to keep each customer safe both on and off the road.


text:
Homicide Rate Highest in Honduras, El Salvador, Ivory Coast
The United Nations just released a Global Study on Homicide. According to the study, "young men, particularly in Central and South America, the Caribbean, and southern and central Africa, are at most risk from intentional homicide." In particular, the raw data shows that the homicide rate is highest in Honduras, El Salvador, Ivory Coast, Jamaica and Venezuela. In terms of sheer numbers, Brazil, India, Mexico and Ethiopia account for just over 1/4 of the world's homicides.
Worldwide, the homicide rate is 6.9 homicides per 100,000 people and there were 468,000 homicides around the world in 2010. The highest homicide rates in the world are in the following countries:
- Honduras (82.1 per 100,000)
- El Salvador (66)
- Ivory Coast (56.9)
- Jamaica (52.1)
- Venezuela (49)
- Belize (41.7)
- Guatemala (41.4)
- United States Virgin Islands (39.2)
- Saint Kitts and Nevis (38.2)
- Zambia (38)
The homicide rate in the United States was 5, in Canada it was 1.8 and in both the United Kingdom and Australia it was 1.2. There were two countries worldwide that reported no homicides in the last year: Monaco and Palau.
The use of firearms and lack of gun control is an escalating problem in regions with rapidly increasing homicide rates. According to the UN:
There is evidence of rising homicide rates in Central America and the Caribbean, which are "near crisis point", according to the Study. Firearms are behind rising murder rates in those two regions, where almost three quarters of all homicides are committed with guns, compared to 21 per cent in Europe.
The UN blames organized crime, in particular drug-trafficking, for about one quarter of homicides by firearm. The UN stresses the need for countries to ratify and implement the Firearms Protocol. In Honduras, for example, 83% of homicides are by firearm. In the United States, 60% of homicides are by firearm, whereas in countries with stricter gun control, it is much lower. Examples include Canada (32%), Germany (26.3%) and the United Kingdom (6.6%).
According to the UN, chronic crime is both a result and significant cause of poverty, insecurity and lack of development.
Countries with wide income disparities are 4 times more likely to be afflicted by violent crime than more equitable societies, it says. Conversely, economic growth seems to stem that tide, as the past 15 years in South America have shown.
For young people in countries with wide income disparities, the prospects are not good. Young people are driven to crime and violence, and their life expectancy is significantly decreased. Unless something is done to address the roots of violence and the violence itself, the pattern of escalating violence is likely to continue.
Related stories:
Nebraska "Justifiable Homicide" Bill Allows ANYONE to Murder an Abortion Provider
Mother Who Lost Son in Hit-and-Run Faces Longer Jail Term Than Driver
Photo credit: polandeze on flickr


text:
Interior Home Decoration Ideas Simple Kitchen Decoration With Small Room | As I have mentioned, we purchased our first home a few months back. Here is a peak into what I have been working on.
This is a shot into my kitchen. We needed a set of counter stool badly.
(And new paint, but we are not talking about that today!
Not to mention, a new back splash in my dream world!)
Interior Home Decoration Ideas Simple Kitchen Decoration With Small Room
Because I am working on a budget, I turned to overstock.com and purchased this set for an awesome price.
They met all my requirements:
* Had to be COMFY...well this was more of my husband's requirements!
* Had to have a modern flair without going too overboard...I love the square cut-out in the back.
* I really wanted white...These are more of an off-white but they work.
* Had to be able to wipe down...My daughter + ketchup fingers. You know what I mean. These look like leather, but are vinyl. Very easy to clean up!
Also, we have gotten our dining room painted. To find out how I made sure I picked the right color, take a look at this post.
Here is the BEFORE:
And here is a peak of the AFTER. I still have work to do in here - such as recover the roman shades, put artwork up, & hopefully get a new light fixture. So far though, new paint makes all the difference. I love how it is coming along!
We are also working on making over our 1990's wallpapered bathroom. Hopefully, I will get those pictures posted soon! Thanks for stopping by! support : google


text:
Яппаньки вам,уважаем(ый)(ая)(ое)!
not yet.
He slowed his breaths, opened his eyes. Where had Elizar been taking him? Somewhere to nullify his tech? Elizar had brought him back the way he'd come. He was only a few yards from the Eye. He saw no enclosed space where Elizar might intend to trap him.
As if from a great distance, he saw Elizar gliding toward him. He must catch Elizar off guard, try something different. Elizar's shields were only moderately strong; with sufficient time and effort, Galen might break through. How he would ever destroy the Eye, if each death incapacitated him as the others had, he didn't know.
Elizar stopped before Galen, brought his hand to his mouth, and with a jerk of his head released a short, precise syllable. The platform descended to the ground, dissolved.
Elizar's hand returned to his side, clenching into a fist. His dark blue gaze fixed on Galen, his jaw tight. His velvet coat betrayed short, rapid breaths. He wanted to attack Galen; Galen knew the feeling well enough to recognize it in another. The tech's energy quickened in response. He worked through his exercises, waiting, waiting.
Finally Elizar spoke, his voice hard. "Are they really all dead?"
Galen took a moment to steady his respiration, heart rate. "You should know. You and your 'associates' are responsible for their deaths."
"But all the mages? At first I believed they'd died. Later I started to wonder if they'd found some way to trick the Shadows, to get away."
"No doubt it soothes your conscience to think so."
Elizar gave a truncated laugh. "My conscience? I sacrificed everything to learn the secrets that could save our order. You're the one who could have warned them. You could have saved them. But you didn't. I still can't believe it."
"You saw what I did on Thenothk. I am perfectly
Предыдущая Следующая


text:
Codeline for long-term reverse osmosis applications
Learn more
Outstanding expertise and continuous innovations
Learn more
Membrane housing technology to maximize your system performance
Learn more
Enter the old or new part number to look up the corresponding number and description.
|Old part number
|New part number
|Description part number
As part of its separation into a new pure play water company, a new Pentair website has launched. Please visit the new Pentair.com to learn more about our exciting new company and your favorite brands!


text:
This private day-trip combines the following:
The above itinerary includes a lunch stop at the stilted restaurant.
The above prices exclude National Park fees. These NP fees are currently as follows:
The National Park fees are subject to change without prior notice. We can not control the fees levied by the National Park authorities, who sometimes put the fees up without letting us know.
Click here for the Ao Nang page and here for the Home Page
Taxis and Minivans - Prices and Times
What Tripadvisor says about us


text:
this sexy two piece features rose lace halter chemise and matching g-string to finish off this look.
You're reviewing: BLACK LACE HALTER CHEMISE TWO PIECE SET
© 2017 Lollicouture.com. All Rights Reserved.
Sign up to get most updated promotion and updates delivered to your inbox. First Time sign up to get a FREE lipgloss apply with first order.


text:
Leave the comfort of your bed to the mattress, pillows, and bedding but what to do about the style? Well, that is where the bed frame comes in. The luxurious, overstuffed headboard and sleek minimalist style of the Sabrina queen platform bed will fit the bill with oodles of style. Also offered in black (sold separately), this white faux leather version is equally attractive and just as plush, featuring a resilient polyurethane foam-padded headboard. The bed frame is constructed with engineered wood and comes with wooden slats, which function as a box spring (only a mattress is required). Wipe clean with a damp cloth to keep the unit looking good for the years to come. The Sabrina bed requires simple assembly.
Wholesale Interiors, Inc., began offering furniture in the year 2002. With over 10 years of experience in the sofa manufacturing business, the founders of the company recognized the overwhelming value and convenience that the internet could provide consumers when purchasing made-to-order furniture. Unique line of leather and microfiber fabrics are hand selected and leather sofas are upholstered with top-grain leather hides, shipped from the finest tanneries from around the world. Quality selection of contemporary style furniture is offered including coffee tables, sectional sofas, bar stools, dining sets, and accent furniture. Our state of the art factory utilizes the best of old world craftsmanship and design efficiency.


text:
Personalized journals. $16.00. WOW.. I'm in love! ( I heart paper products something crazy )
These darling little books are from MINTED, and there are so many gorgeous covers I could have uploaded them for hours. I had to stop myself with these-
Minted you're welcome for the free plug.. feel free to send me personalized journals in return ;) xx
design philosophy | providing a foundation to grow and alter through the years, I keep the core basic and layer in the current, creating a room that is innately yours. I believe great interiors are not found in one shop. I know you should feel a sense of calm in your space as well as balance, and revel in that gut feeling that it's the right fit. DESIGN SERVICES start at only 10.00. See Sarah Swanson Design at the top left of this blog!
November 29, 2012
I could buy one for everyone I know.. great gift under $20
posted by Unknown at 29.11.12
3 comments:
- Urbanstems said...
Wow - they look amazing. Love them ..Sinead
- November 29, 2012 at 2:51 PM
- lizziefitz said...
These are now on my list! Great pitch;)))
- November 29, 2012 at 6:53 PM
- Sarah said...
Utterly adorable!! Love your comment at the end! ;-)
- November 29, 2012 at 7:24 PM
Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)


text:
"Looking for a Good Book" 12" x 12" acrylic
by Greg Newbold
If you work long enough in this business you will invariably create images that seem to transcend time and keep selling long after their inception. This is one of those images for me. It originally was conceived when I was given one of those "dream jobs". You know, the one where the art director calls and says "we need a cover for our catalog and here is the theme - take time for a good book - do whatever you want, just make it cool". I painted this image as a cover for book distributor Brodart. It ran on the cover and was later licensed as a poster for the same client.
As a Publisher's Weekly cover
With rare exception, I retain all subsequent copyrights for my work so that I can potentially resell them to other clients. Rarely does a client need, or even want, to secure all copyrights, so I always make sure my contracts only list the specific rights being licensed. Consequently, this piece has been picked up and used for probably a dozen different applications, including the cover of Publisher's Weekly, and seems to keep on chugging.
Scott Foresman Reading textbook adaptation
I even adapted it for use on a textbook cover by adding a wraparound piece of art along with a new toucan rider spot which was then Photoshopped together. Most recently (I got my copy last week) it appears on a library card for a branch of the San Bernardino County, California library system where it will also be blown up to mural size and be permanently affixed to the wall of the children's section.
Wow- my own library card!
I have also used it on a business card and since I have about a thousand of them, I still give it out from time to time. That may have been one reason why it keeps hanging around. The piece made it into the Spectrum annual and hung in the first Spectrum retrospective several years back at the Society of Illustrators. The moral of the story is keep your copyrights- you never know when someone might want to use your painting again.


text:
Classic Travel Service
- Profile
275 Madison Avenue
10016 New York, New York
United States
Classic Travel Service is a luxury travel agency in New York City that is a proud member of the Virtuoso network. The combination of being located in New York City since 1982 and Virtuoso affiliation guarantees our global connections with the best hotels, cruise lines and tour companies.
Their client base is diversified; arranging travel for some of the most recognizable names in art, fashion and finance. Classic Travel Service offers the ability for their members to book luxury hotels online, many of which include exclusive Virtuoso offers only available to Virtuoso affiliated travel agencies.
- Services:
Luxury Hotels,
Luxury Resorts,
Villa Rentals
Related Luxury Travel Companies:
Carrier has almost 30 years' experience in luxury travel and has firmly established a reputation as one of the leaders in the luxury holiday market. Over the years their name has become ynonymous with quality holidays and first class personal service. This is complimented by the wealth of knowledge [...]
The Mayan Islands of Belize proposes a community of minimal urban impact where unique contemporary dwellings, boutique low density hotels and resorts as well as beach club facilities, focus in the preservation pf the natural resources. All properties and slips will be privately owned and in the [...]
The aim of Luxury Scotland is to guide you through the very best of Scotland, offering the discerning traveller a unique and memorable way to discover this beautiful and often astonishing country. Wherever you want to stay in this remarkable country, you will find a Connoisseurs Scotland [...]
To sense the essence of a place. To feel, taste, hear, touch and see its soul surrounding you, inspiring fresh interpretation and creating a new destination in your heart that you can return to, whenever you like. Each property in the Noble House Hotels & Resorts Collection captures the unique [...]
Sun Hotels and Resorts, is a one-stop destination guide that will act as your personal holiday connection to the Maldives. The Indian Ocean archipelago has never been presented like this before; with tailor made categories that suit the 'personal holiday' factor, you are presented with resort [...]


text:
Gabriel Hallevy is a professor at Ono Academic College's Faculty of Law in Kiryat Ono, Israel. He specializes in criminal law and in particular the interface between criminal law and new technologies, such as robots and other machines equipped with artificial intelligence. His work was recently featured in a Boston Globe article by Leon Neyfakh on the ability of the legal system to handle robots.
His new book, out next month, is "When Robots Kill: Artificial Intelligence under Criminal Law." We spoke Tuesday morning; a lightly edited transcript follows.
Dylan Matthews: A lot of people would assume that criminal responsibility should lie with the manufacturer and owner of a robot, rather than with the robot himself (or herself).
Gabriel Hallevy: Well, if we impose criminal responsibility on the robot itself, it does not mitigate liability on the part of the programmer or the manufacturer or the user.
Dylan Matthews: So you're adding liability to the robot, rather than shifting it from the manufacturer.
Gabriel Hallevy: Yes. The criminal liability of a robot is additional to the current criminal liability. The current criminal liability of the manufacturer is very limited. You can impose liability on the programmer or manufacturer only by negligence, if we're talking about AI, because the manufacturer can claim in court that the robot has learned by itself how to commit the offense and perhaps the user taught the robot what should he do or not, so he is majorly responsible for the commission of the offense.
Dylan Matthews: A lot of criminal law relies on subjective mental states. An intentional homicide is punished more harshly than one caused by negligence, for instance. How can the law make judgments on robots based on such factors?
Gabriel Hallevy: The key point here is that the current definitions in criminal law are too narrow and as a result today in most modern legal systems, including the American legal system, we have no legal process to impose criminal liability upon machines.
The key term here is "awareness." Generally in order to impose criminal liability we must impose two elements: the central element, and the mental element. The central element means the act. You cannot be criminally liable for homicide unless you take the knife or the gun and shoot or stab the victim. A machine can do that as well. A robot could have arms, it could move, etc.
The problem is with the mental element. In most criminal codes, including America and Israel and most Western European countries, awareness is the key term for the mental element. In most criminal offenses, there should be proven awareness of the offender. For humans, when we ask ourselves "what is awareness?", we think about the very deep philosophical significance of what it means to be aware. But in criminal law the definition is very narrow. It is the capability of absorbing sensual data and processing it. The process of processing some kind of sensual data, we wouldn't call that understanding something, but it just means to create an internal image.
The robot, and AI since the 1980s, has this ability when a robot is equipped with cameras. When we think about South Korean robots, they started to use them a few years ago as prison guards. So they're moving through the center of the prison, and when they see something that moves, they only have to identify if it is a prisoner who is trying to escape. If they identify that this is the situation, they start a process of alarming the human guards. This is awareness.
The problem is that when we think of the typical murderer or the typical rapist in non-legal terms, we think about the murderer as an evil person, the rapist as an evil offender. But evil is not required here. What is required is only awareness. In some offenses there are additional requirements like specific intent. In murder we require that. But intent is derived by the awareness. You must be aware in order to intend something. In the current technology, we have the capability to do that. We have the capability of applying awareness by the criminal law definition to machines.
I should say that the plan of the book is a bit different. I'm not calling for the imposition of criminal liability on machines. The point here is to call for a change in the criminal law and its narrow definitions, by stating that either you have to accept the possibility of imposition of criminal liability on non-human entities, as we have done since the 17th century on corporations, or that we should change the legal definitions. This is the point.
Dylan Matthews: A question many people would probably have is, "But how do you punish a robot?" The analogy seems less clear there.
Gabriel Hallevy: This is a wonderful question. The book has six chapters, and the biggest, the sixth one of them, is dealing with this part. After all, if you can impose liability and you can't punish the robot, what have we done here?
The rule is very simple. Any punishment that we may impose on humans, we can impose it both on corporations and on the robot, or any other non-human entity. You need some fine-tuning adjustments. We can impose imprisonment on corporations. We have no problem with it. I'm not talking about putting in prison the people who are managing the corporations. The legal technique for corporations is to ask, "What is the meaning of imprisonment?" It's to negate its freedom. The freedom of any corporation is the legal capability to make business. Therefore, when you impose six years imprisonment on a corporation, you cannot allow the corporation during this period to do business.
Robots, it has the same technique but it may lead to different consequences. When we impose imprisonment, we should ask what is the meaning of the certain punishment on the robot. It means to negate its freedom. That freedom is the freedom to commit its useful daily tasks. So you ban him from doing the daily tasks.
I don't think that imprisonment for robots would be effective as it is for humans. There are other punishments that may be effective on robots than on humans. For any corporation the most effective punishment isn't imprisonment. It's a fine. For robots, I can think of community service. For example, in the near future when I hire the services of a robot to help me with my daily task, and the robot commits a criminal offense, for the next few months it may help the community by doing daily tasks for the community. For example, to help in the community library, to help to clean the streets or such other things that contribute to the community.
This is not the only punishment, but any punishment can be adjusted to the robot. Of course, the death penalty, in the case that we still have this punishment, it would be the simple solution of a shutdown, to shut down the robot. If there is no other option, you must cease his life, and that means to shut him down.
Dylan Matthews: This really cuts to the heart of a lot of debates about whether punishments are meant to rehabilitate offenders or deter future wrongdoing. With a robot that relies on machine learning algorithms, you could imagine rehabilitation programs changing its behavior, perhaps more readily than with humans.
Gabriel Hallevy: You're right that the purposes of punishment not only deterrence but rehabilitation. That is a legitimate purpose of punishment. This works also for robots. When we have a robot who is equipped with artificial intelligence, it can learn. It has the capability of learning. So it acts, it does things. Somehow, somewhere, some time it commits a criminal offense. Now, we have in our criminal law system the opportunity to make him learn how not to commit offenses, regardless of the question of evil.
Now when we put the robot into the criminal process, the punishment would be interpreted for him, for that entity, as drawing the borders of what is expected of him to do and not to do. This is, in fact, the process of rehabilitation and deterrence. Now it knows that if he crosses these borders, he is to expect a sanction. He is programmed not to want it. The same process both for deterrence and for rehabilitation occurs in humans and in robots.
In corporations, the process was more wide. It may be that corporations initiate internal processes to heal the corporation, to get rid of criminal subcultures. When we're talking about an individual robot or human, it's much more simple because you don't have to change other entities. You learn something and you implement it by yourself. The purposes of punishment are relevant, but they should be adjusted to the new mode of being a robot.
Dylan Matthews: Robots are autonomous actors but they're also property. Why does your legal system get to say what I'm allowed to do with my robot?
Gabriel Hallevy: Take this example. My cat is a tiger, and I walk with my tiger, which is my property, in the street of my city. Now, can anyone tell me not to use my property the way I want? Well, of course! When you jeopardize the community, the community has the authority to restrict the usage of your property the same way as we restrict the usage of guns. What's the difference? Well, I use the gun as a hobby or to commit offenses, the same way I can commit offenses through using robots or use them for my personal need.
The community has the authority to restrict the usage of my private property when I jeopardize the community. And if I am using robots in such a manner that may jeopardize the community, the community has the right to defend itself from the robot and the user of the robot.
Dylan Matthews: In cases like self-defense, even intentional homicide is excused in many legal codes. If a robot feels threatened, should it be allowed to kill intentionally?
Gabriel Hallevy: It depends on the character of the robot, the technological character of the robot. I assume that advanced robots, from artificial intelligence of the fourth generation, would be closer to where we can identify jeopardy from humans. I think that this is a pure technological question. I don't think that the law has, or should have, different answers here for humans and for robots. I think that the key here is given by the technology, not the law.


text:
1. Who must submit research proposals to the Human Subjects Committee (HSC) for approval?
In general, any researcher (student, faculty or staff) who wants to include humans as subjects of a research project that will be made public should submit their project to the HSC well before the start of data collection. In-class activities, that will remain in-class, do not need to be approved by the HSC. Being made "public" includes activities intended for publication, conference or symposia presentation, or degree requirements.
2. What must be submitted to the HSC?
Researchers should complete the Proposal Transmittal Form available from this site and submit two copies of the completed form to the HSC. Do not provide the HSC with thesis or dissertation proposals. The Transmittal Form has established items that require discussion. Also submit proof of CITI human subjects training for all research personnel. All surveys, questionnaires or interview questions must be provided as part of the Transmittal Form.
3. How long will it take the HSC to review a research proposal?
The HSC has a policy that submitted proposals will be reviewed and responded to within three to four weeks.
4. What is the process if a co-researcher is not from the University of Hartford?
The approval process is essentially the same. The University of Hartford's HSC must approve a research proposal that includes a member of the University community (student, faculty or staff). This may mean that a research proposal needs to be approved by more than one institution.
5. What is the process if a University of Hartford researcher wishes to use a subject pool outside the University (for instance at another college or university, at an outside clinic or agency)?
Researchers must obtain written permission from the outside entity to access those subjects. For example, if students from another university are to be part of the subject pool, written permission from that institution must be obtained, and this approval must be included in the Proposal Transmittal Form submitted to the University of Hartford HSC. The same guidelines apply to clients of outside agencies or clinics.
6. What is the process if a researcher from outside the University of Hartford wants to use University students, faculty or staff as research subjects?
Any proposed research using members of the University community as subjects must be approved by the University of Hartford HSC prior to initiation of the study. This approval process may also include obtaining approval from a specific department, faculty member or college dean in order to gain access to a specific population of the campus.


text:
My app store downloads have gone glacial since last night. I don't know whether this is a problem with the iPhone, an actual bottleneck caused by the launch of the iPad, or the fact that I am in China.
Twelve hours ago I noticed I had 12 app updates for my iphone, most of them new iPad-ready retina rebuilds, including Kindle, Instapaper and Day One.
I restarted the iPhone a couple of times but a majority of the new apps were still showing "Waiting". The hotel wifi here in Beijing is fast and there is no slowdown at this end.
Overnight eight of the 12 apps had downloaded successfully while four are still waiting. This phenomenon has never happened before and I have no idea of the cause. I will report more as the day progresses. But, since I am on a restricted data plan I will have to pause the outstanding apps when I leave the hotel.


text:
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Merry Christmas 2010!
My son is growing up fast and is an amazingly smart 20 month old! I met several big name Directors in person about various projects and overall had fun.
Went to Japan with the crew from Modo and had a great time exploring Tokyo and all the fun and strange things to do there. Finally finishing off the year with the adventure of buying a house in CA and Christmas in snowy PA! Thanks to all helped this be an amazing year for me and my family we wish you all the very best in the new year and hope you all had a Merry Christmas!
God Bless
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 10:06 PM 1 comment:
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
long time no post...
sorry for the lack of art lately, busy with life... but here's an odd render of the Axis I found that I thought looked cool, enjoy!
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 5:17 PM 1 comment:
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Joining the Modo Road Trip in Tokyo!
I've been invited to be a guest speaker at 3DCG conference in Tokyo by Luxology and Modo! So if you're in the neighborhood stop by and see what's up :-P
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 3:13 AM No comments:
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Encounter with The Stig!
Just got back from Laguna Seca race track where the Rolex Monterey Motorsports reunion was held. Tons of classic race cars from 1910 - 2010. In the pack was a large group of classic Bugatti racers, a 'standard' Bugatti Veyron and the one and only Veyron Super Sport 16.4! Amidst the crowd I spotted a familiar... helmet....
Some say, that he is confused by stairs,
and that for some reason he's allergic to the dutch....
...All we know is he's called, The Stig!
"the radiation from the Stig gave me a headache"
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 1:51 PM No comments:
Friday, July 30, 2010
That was a good day...
ok, so this is obvisouly from many hairs ago, but back in 1994 I got the chance to meet Syd Mead at his house in Hollywood. Not only to meet him, but for him to review my portfolio! This is all pre ILM, pre graduation etc. I had bought one of his books, and inside the book was a comment card for their mailing list. At the bottom of the card was a space for comments. I asked if he reviewed portfolios and put my # on the card. 2 weeks later i got a call from Syd's assistant saying thank you for purchasing the book, and that Syd would review my portfolio, but only in person, and asked if i would like to make an appointment!
So I did, and my Dad and I (he took this picture) set out to California from PA to visit several places for interviews. ILM in SF, then a drive down the PCH to LA to visit Universal enterainment design, Warner Brother's, Dream Quest images and Syd Mead.
We arrived at his house, a huge black car in the driveway with 'OBLAGON' plates. (his book publishing name) I being a 21 year old dork wore a stupid suit and tie and came with my entire 24"X36" portfolio case plus a box of some models I had made.... and my Dad. Syd was very friendly and took his time going through it all, even giving me a few pointers and compliments along the way. At the end he told me my work was "very competitive" and that I should pair it down to just a few of the best pieces. Then he signed all the books I had of his, but I was missing one of the 11x17 red/green/blue series, so he went in the back room, pulled out a brand new book from it's wrapper, signed it and gave it to me. That was a good day!
So I did, and my Dad and I (he took this picture) set out to California from PA to visit several places for interviews. ILM in SF, then a drive down the PCH to LA to visit Universal enterainment design, Warner Brother's, Dream Quest images and Syd Mead.
We arrived at his house, a huge black car in the driveway with 'OBLAGON' plates. (his book publishing name) I being a 21 year old dork wore a stupid suit and tie and came with my entire 24"X36" portfolio case plus a box of some models I had made.... and my Dad. Syd was very friendly and took his time going through it all, even giving me a few pointers and compliments along the way. At the end he told me my work was "very competitive" and that I should pair it down to just a few of the best pieces. Then he signed all the books I had of his, but I was missing one of the 11x17 red/green/blue series, so he went in the back room, pulled out a brand new book from it's wrapper, signed it and gave it to me. That was a good day!
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 5:22 PM 3 comments:
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Here's another random car drawing, this 3 wheeled speedster was inspired by Syd Mead's speedboat sketches.
enjoy - Alx
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 8:06 PM No comments:
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
New Tron Legacy trailer! and music....
The Newest trailer is here.
and some of the new Soundtrack music from Daft Punk is here.
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 2:14 PM No comments:
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Video interview on CGchannel
Here's the video interview I did a while back for CGchannel.com in conjunction with the Gnomon DVD.
Watch my bald head blab about movie design :-P
CGchannel.com for putting it together.
Watch my bald head blab about movie design :-P
CGchannel.com for putting it together.
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 9:38 PM 5 comments:
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Happy 30th Empire!
Star Wars Visionaries from Darkhorse comics. Done all in markers and marker inks, old school style, for the old school king of all sci-fi films, The Empire Strikes Back! See the rest of the story in the full comic. Also here is a drawing I did back in '82-83 in crayon and water color. If you look closely in the bottom corner you can see a little red 'OK'..... that's a stamp from George Lucas that he stamped on there while I was working on EP3. ;)
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 10:21 PM 2 comments:
Monday, May 24, 2010
'69 Stang
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 1:36 PM No comments:
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
High Resolution Tank W.I.P. #2
Close up of the turret sensor pod
Top down view, here you can see the air-brakes and the offset barrel and hatch details
low angle on the barrel and the large blank spot below...
here's the rear view, still lacking the hatch and light details
nice low angle on the front 3/4
rear/ top view, again the air-brakes in their down position
Here's some more details on the high resolution tank model in Modo. Still plenty left to do, like the rear hatch, more barrel details and lots of small details like tie downs, bolts, cables and suspension parts. Also with this project I'll be doing an environment to place to the tank in a scene. All that still needs to be figured out along with all the texturing of the tank. I post some sketches of those ideas soon. For now enjoy these test renders of the gray shaded model.
the mean front end, still awaiting all the small stuff and below, the top of the turret-Alx
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 1:27 AM 4 comments:
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Tank Subdivision Model (Work In Progress)
The front suspension arm complete with panel lines and intakes
The rear tires showing the segmented tread sections, these will be applied to the exterior later as a detail. The Drive bar for the hub-less system is in place. The center of the wheels will be open with the suspension system mounted on top of the drive bar when I'm through.
Here's the front tire with a temp tread pattern applied. I'll be making a custom texture for the tires and sidewall lettering.
Here you can see the more detailed barrel and turret in the background. I'll show more of those in the next post.Here's some images of the Convoy tank model in progress. I've gone through most of the vehicle and added enough detail to sub divide the model now. The back half still needs to be detailed more and the rear hatch needs to be added. The barrel and turret are subdivided but need another level of detail yet. Keep checking back for further updates. If you have any questions please leave a comment or check out the DVD videos of this tank design being drawn at The Gnomon Workshops.
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 11:44 PM 2 comments:
Friday, April 9, 2010
Tank proxy model
Here you can see the mean 'muscle car' expression in the front end design. Going back to what I talked about in the DVDs on the aesthetic reason for this as well as the real-world function.
In this angle you can see how the turret is neatly, and safely, tucked behind the shoulders...
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 12:15 PM 6 comments:
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Happy Easter 2010!
Here's a link to a talk by Denton Bible Church's Tom Nelson on
"Was Easter Really Necessary? or Is Christ the Only Way?"
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 3:50 PM No comments:
Friday, April 2, 2010
Gnomon Tank 3D start!
OK, so I'm going to try and build the Convoy Gaurd tank from my Gnomon DVDs in 3D using Luxology's MODO. Since I did the whole design in 2D, I want to go through the process building the 3D to show that I was thinking in 3D while I was designing it. Sure there will be a few areas I'll need to do some rethinking on but that's all part of the process too.
I'll start with the orthographics I made that are on the supplemental materials on the DVD. Thankfully they line up pretty well, so I don't have to do any resizing.
Next up I'll block in the wheels and major shapes. I'm going to approach this by building a proxy model, or low poly count model, just to get the basic layout down. Then once I finish that, I'll start detailing the proxy geom to full sub-divided high resolution model, but I'll get to that later.
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 2:27 PM 3 comments:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Alex Jaeger
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 1:29 PM No comments:
Friday, March 26, 2010
Gnomon Dvd articles
From CGchannel.com:
"Really a lot of your job when working on productions involves interpreting a script and making something cool which will not only make the director happy but also make you proud to say I did that when it gets up on the big screen." This dvd series (or download, it really depends on your preference) will take you through the thought process of one of the leading art directors in the industry. Alex Jaeger's fingerprint can be seen in just about every majorly cool sci-fi movie for the past 15 years. Including Star Trek: First Contact, Wild Wild West, Starship Troopers, Galaxy Quest, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Special Edition, Star Wars: Episode 2, Star Wars: Episode 3, Transformers, Mission Impossible 3, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen, J.J. Abram's Star Trek. So check out the dvd its definitely worth your time and it should help you improve that aching mech portfolio.
Matt McCorkell /CGchannel
Also stay tuned for a video interview on CGchannel!
Quotes from Industry professionals:
"Nobody knows how to start and finish a design like Alex Jaeger. From raw concept to final film frames, Alex makes it sing every step of the way."
Ben Proctor / Concept Designer, Lead Robot Designer for Transformers
"Alex's unmatched credit list give him a unique insight toevery step of the Concept Design production pipeline. In
these DVDs Alex shares his techniques and workflow with
a vehicle design job from thumbnailing and rough ideation
to final refined design."
Ryan Church / Senior Concept Designer
"Through hard work and dedication, Alex has gained an amazing amount of achievements in his professional career. His designs and art direction have brought life to some of the most iconic films in Hollywood. It is individuals like Alex who continue to forge the unknown roads ahead and define the industry we all call Entertainment. He is truly an inspiration for me."
Posted by Alex Jaeger at 5:35 PM 2 comments:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Monday, November 30, 2015
10 Hot Christmas Toys & Where To Get 'Em Cheap in Toronto
If you are playing Santa to a kiddo or two this Christmas, I have an incredible tip to help you get great gifts on a budget. If you live or work in the Greater Toronto Area, get yourself to the Pop! Toy & Party Services Toy & Gift Warehouse Sale. Running until December 24th, this sale features popular toys for kids ages infant to 14 years at significantly reduced prices. Like, if you have $100 to spend, you can get 5 or 10 gifts! To give you a better idea of what you can find, here are 10 hot Christmas toys I spotted at the Pop! Toy Warehouse Sale.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
How To Be a VIP At The Mall - The RBC Avion Holiday Boutique
I don't think many people typically like the mall at Christmas time. Stalking people walking through the parking lot in order to get a parking space, wearing (or carrying) an uncomfortably warm winter coat, fielding the kids' constant requests for snacks (or just pleasing your own demanding tummy). Not to mention finding the perfect gift for each person on your list.
Wednesday, November 25, 2015
5 Tips To Expertly Light Your Room (and a Parrot Uncle giveaway - CLOSED)
Lighting is so important in a room, both for atmosphere and for practical reasons. The floor lamp we have in our family room recently broke (the base cracked and it wouldn't stand up anymore). My husband had to take it out of the room to fix it. That's when I realized how deficient the room was in terms of lighting.
Tuesday, November 24, 2015
My Food Photography Table & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #60
Granted my food photography table is sort of an odd item to feature for Vintage Bliss Tuesday. It's brand spanking new after all. But I bought it with my assortment of vintage and not-so-vintage dishes in mind. Rather than keeping the mismatched plates and cutlery mixed in with the daily family dishes, I wanted them to be kept separate and handy for food photos.
I bought the cart for something like $90 plus tax at Costco recently. I had looked at a number of other kitchen carts with a couple of desirable features in mind - particularly wheels so they could be moved around and shelves underneath the table top to hold a selection of plates, cutlery and cloths. I opted for this kitchen cart/chef's table for two reasons - because it is cheaper by at least half than the others I saw and because it has a solid bamboo top, meaning it provides a nice surface for pictures.
Thursday, November 19, 2015
3 Awesome Craft Books for Families
Winter is on the horizon and that means I'll soon be spending quite a bit of time hibernating. While evenings spent in front of the fireplace with a book and a hot cocoa sound pretty good, eventually all that time indoors (especially with kids) leads to boredom. That's where these books from DK Canada's Craft Boutique come in handy.
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
What I Ate Wednesday, a day of vegan eats
Happy Wednesday! For those of you thinking about going vegetarian or vegan or perhaps even enjoying "meatless Mondays," you might worry that vegetarian meals are laborious to prepare. And I'm not gonna lie - they definitely can be so. There is sometimes a lot of veggies to cut, tofu to press, lentils to cook and assorted things to sauté.
But we all have those nights when we don't want to spend two hours in the kitchen making dinner. I have days where I feel really energetic and motivated to try recipes and create something great. But not as often as I'd like. More frequently I just want to get something reasonably healthy on the table as fast as humanly possible. If you're the same way, then I hope my What I Ate Wednesday posts can provide you with some helpful suggestions for quick and healthy vegan options.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
How to Clean Silverplated Flatware Quickly & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #59
(By the way, in case you are in need of a definition for "silverplate" as opposed to silver, it's basically "a thin layer of silver electroplated or otherwise applied as a coating to another metal.") Recently, as I was setting up my new food photography table, I decided to take a stab at quickly cleaning my silverplated cutlery in preparation for future photos. Too lazy to polish each piece with some fancy store-bought silver cream, I decided to use this quick and inexpensive method for cleaning silverplate.
Friday, November 13, 2015
Thug Kitchen (Book Review)
When I first saw Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook: Eat Like You Give a F*cksitting on the shelf at a book store, I confess I was a bit turned off by the title. Not that I'm against swear words - where I come from they are used quite liberally actually. (Do I sound like Drake, trying to pretend I'm from the 'hood? I hope not - I'm from Hamilton, Ontario and I think swearing is akin to breathing there.) Anyway, I had the same kind of turned-off feeling I had the first time I heard about Skinny Bitch - like they were just deliberately trying to be shocking in order to sell books. (BTW, Skinny Bitch: Ultimate Everyday Cookbook is a great vegan cookbook.)
All doubts aside, I picked up that copy of Thug Kitchen and perused the recipes. They are vegan recipes, but they aren't really presented that way. It's suggested in the intro that the book is about eating healthy - giving up drive-thru dinners and adding more veggies to our meals. It's a book for ordinary folks. "We are your next-door neighbors and somewhere along the way, we learned to eat right," say the authors. "And you can too."
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
What I Ate Wednesday
It's Remembrance Day in Canada and together we will share in an 11:00 a.m. moment of silence to honour our military, past and present. Here are some interesting points to note on this solemn day. With Canada's newest Defence Minister, Harjit Sajjan, being a Sikh and a former soldier, this exhibition that highlights the contributions of Sikh soldiers over the years is timely. And I love this sweet, multi-flag tribute to Canadian veterans. It's difficult to comprehend how many people have lost their lives to war, but this video honours a few loved ones who paid the ultimate price. Peace to you, my friends.
On to What I Ate Wednesday. Today I'm looking at my food consumption from yesterday, beginning with my breakfast, above. I started my day with banana, raspberry, cherry "nice cream," with a few chocolate chips on top. (Because why not?) It's pure fruit, so you need a bit of fat on top. That's my thinking anyway.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Thrifted Coats & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #58
Monday, November 9, 2015
My Andros Island Bucket List
Guess what? Before you know it, winter will be here! Did you hear that ominous music just then? Winter around these parts is loooong. Come fall, I start dreaming about an escape. I have been doing some research and I think I have found just the place to retreat to in winter (or right now for that matter).
It's called Andros Island in the beautiful Bahamas and it's an actual paradise right here on Earth. Andros is the largest of the Bahamian islands (at 2,300 square miles), yet it is also the most sparsely developed. That makes for an abundance of natural beauty, perfect for nature lovers. This island gem boasts the third-largest fringing barrier reef in the world. It is home to miles of deserted beaches and freshwater lakes with countless species of wildlife, marine life, flora and fauna.
Friday, November 6, 2015
The Toxin-Free Home (Book Review & Giveaway - CLOSED)
The Toxin-Free Home guides us as we create a "clever house" - a house that's healthy, doesn't take an undue toll on the environment, is comfortable and safe, is reasonably affordable to maintain and is run efficiently. Sounds like a tall order, doesn't it?
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
What I Ate Wednesday
Happy Wednesday on this important day for Canada, as we swear in our new prime minister, Justin Trudeau, and his cabinet ministers, 15 of whom are women (16 men). Clearly he's not just good looking, he's smart too. My only complaint is the Canada Goose coat he wore on Halloween. Is fur a thing again? I hope not. Do people know these coats have coyote fur collars? Here's an article about the true cost of these fur-collar coats.
On to What I Ate Wednesday. My son requested lentils and rice for dinner one day and I was happy to comply, as it is one of my fave recipes of all time. I also smashed some potatoes with minced garlic, olive oil, salt and fresh parsley. This pic, above, is my next-day lunch leftovers. I made eight potatoes but this is all that was left. The kids said they prefer mashed potatoes over smashed but that didn't stop them from eating the potatoes up!
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Thrifted Dishes for Food Photography & Vintage Bliss Tuesdays Linky Party #57
Yesterday I bought a small table (chef's table/work surface) to help me with my food photography. It's going to sit under my kitchen window, but it has wheels so I can move it around to catch the light (which is becoming increasingly more scarce as fall progresses). Under the bamboo tabletop there are wire shelves that will hold some of the plates, bowls, napkins and cutlery that I like to use in my pictures. (We don't have the table put together yet, but I'll be sure to show it to you when we do.)
I used those new shelves as an excuse to stop off at the Salvation Army thrift store after I purchased the table. Because I am trying to limit the items that I bring into the house, I restricted myself to looking for small dishes and cutlery. The great thing about using small plates for food photos is that you can purchase just one of each style - you don't need to find matching sets. I found these three plates, above, two for 99 cents each and one for $1.99. I also found a few pieces of cutlery for 25 cents each.
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)


text:
Thanks for general information about installation issues of OpenLDAP 2.1.3
and Berkeley DB 4.0.14. I return to tackle this issue and get another road
Environment: RedHat Linux 7.3 and 7.2 on Intel
BDB configured with --prefix=/data/db-4.0.14
OpenLDAP 2.1.3 is configured as following:
env CPPFLAGS=-I/data/db-4.0.14/include
./configure --prefix=/data/openldap-2.1.3
The configuration runs without any error of BerkeleyDB version imcompatible.
So do make depend and make.
However, in the make test, I got the error: Can't contact Ldap server - test
failed. I remember to read somewhere about extra required information,
otherwise the slapd will not start. Could someone point me to the right info
and/or give me a quick solution.
Thanks. This is a great community


text:
Spank This is dedicated to college-aged jocks and twinks from 18 to around 24 getting hard spankings. Most of the guys - including some of the spankers - are boyish, smooth and slender or athletic, although there are some hairy guys as well. Many of them are sort of boy-next-door types, and some are also very cute, although others are regular guy type amateurs. Some of the spankers, however, are daddies over 40 who show they have a firm hand when it comes to discipline. There are some nice butts getting abused here, firm and round, resilient when struck. And at the end of each scene, those asses are glowing red.
The action includes over the knee spankings, paddling, hand and belt spanking on bare bottoms as well as shower brushes and hair brushes. And unlike some spanking sites, Spank This also has a number of movies that include hardcore fucking and sucking after the boys have been properly punished. The spankings take place in a variety of locations including outdoors, in hotels, dungeons and even in a principal's office. Discipline is meted out to badly behaved boys by men who know how to handle them, and there are boys spanking other boys as well. There's nothing like the sound of hands, paddles, and leather striking tender asses - and this is a sound that takes place in every single video.
Spank This currently offers 587 videos, 545 of which are Spank This exclusives and the rest (mostly added recently) are from Man's Hand studio. There are two kinds of memberships here: the full membership includes both downloads and streaming videos and there's also a streaming-only membership that's significantly cheaper. The videos are available in M4V format, and all members get access to the streaming videos, which are sized at 640x480 or 640x360 at average to good amateur quality although the newest exclusives are sized at 960x540 at good amateur quality. Full screen is available, but results vary depending on the video. The newer downloads are sized up to 1280x720, the older at 640x480. All videos are DRM free, have good sound, and play smoothly. I'm not sure if the Man's Hand videos are downloadable or if they're streaming only.
Each video also comes with a set of pictures. The newer Spank This exclusives come with good amateur quality digital stills sized at 1000x1500 or even 1333x2000, the older with average quality screencaps sized at 654x480. The picture sets for the Man's Hand videos are screencaps that are fairly small, sized at 400x300 but still decent quality at their original size; unfortunately when viewed on the page, these are shown much larger, which lowers the quality quite a bit. Each picture set can be viewed as a hands-free slideshow, downloaded as a zip file, or if you prefer you can save the pics you like individually. There are 10 to about 40 pictures per set.
There are also 72 standalone picture sets. These aren't spanking related, and are actually solo shoots that are also found inside of Helix Studios. If you love twinks and jocks, the pics are really great. They show off each model, both naked and dressed, and the photography and image quality is quite good. These model photos are shown anywhere from 1000x1500 to 1328x1999, and as with the other pics, you can download individual pics or save entire sets in zip files. These galleries do not include zip files.
Now let's talk about updates. The site adds a new video every week, however it's been a month and a half since the site last added an exclusive update. That's because it's been adding the Man's Hand videos instead. The exclusive videos were being added once a month recently, more frequently for a couple months, and then as you go back, there's a several month break in updates. This isn't the first time the site's stopped updating for a period, but at least this time they're continuing to add spanking content on a regular basis, even if it's not Spank This exclusives.
Spank This members also get access to the Helix Studios network, where there are over 2,500 more twink and jock videos, albeit focused on cock stroking, sucking and fucking, dildo play, and some kinkier stuff rather than spanking. There are videos from Helix itself plus four more sites from its own labels plus additional content from four partner sites, and there are three updates each week, so twink and jock lovers always have something new to look forward to.
Now let's talk issues. There's a pre-checked email offer on the join page, but if you don't want to receive emails, you can easily uncheck it. While it appears that the studio has taken a break from shooting their own content, they've solved the updates problem by using spanking content from another studio. You can browse the videos by DVD, but the most recent production is from 2011. It's possible that the new Spank This episodes are being shot exclusively for the site, as I couldn't find them listed as DVD scenes. And while not an issue, the model index lists all the Helix models, and in most cases, most of the videos listed for each guy are sexy videos, not spanking vids. Last, there are tons of ads on the right sides of many of the pages and animated thumbs on the page bottoms that actually link to a cam site.
Spank This delivers smooth twinks and well-built jocks from 18 to 24 punished by getting spanked by hand and belt, flogger, or paddle on their tender butt cheeks. The spankers are a mix of other college-age guys, men in their thirties and daddies over 40, and beside spanking, some episodes offer either hot gay sex or a touch of bondage and BDSM. The site offers 587 spanking videos, 545 of which are exclusive, and it updates weekly. Add in over 2,500 bonus videos from the Helix network, and there's a lot to like here, especially watching cute guys squirm and struggle as they're punished with good old-fashioned spankings till their bottoms turn red.
Click here to visit Spank This