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IPv4 Soft Landing Policy - AFPUB-2010-v4-005
|Ref Name
|Old Ref.
|25 Nov 2010
|Douglas Onyango
|Digiclear E.Africa Ltd
In order to ensure a smooth transition to IPv6, AfriNIC's pool should be managed to provide members with address space after the IPv4 pool is depleted, in order to maintain and deploy IPv4 networks while deploying IPv6 networks during a gradual transition to IPv6. This document proposes a strategy for allocation and Assignment and maintenance of AfriNIC's final /8 block of IPv4 from IANA.
Following the much anticipated IPv4 pool exhaustion, a global policy, "Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space", has been ratified. The policy ensures that IANA reserves one (1) IPv4 /8 address block for each RIR. Details of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space can be found at: www.afrinic.net/docs/policies/AFPUB-2009-v4-001.html.
This policy (IPv4 Soft Landing), applies to the management of address space that will be available to AfriNIC under this Global Policy. The purpose of this document is to ensure that this last block is used in a manner that is acceptable to the AfriNIC community.
2) Policy Documents to be affected:
(2.1) IPv4 Allocation Policy
(2.2) Proposal to Change the Allocation & Assignment Period to 12 months
(3.1) Local Internet Registry (LIR)
A Local Internet Registry (LIR) is an Internet Registry (IR) that receives allocations from an RIR and assigns address space to customers who use its services. LIRs are generally ISPs and their customers are end-users and possibly other ISPs. LIRs must be members of an RIR like AfriNIC; which serves the Africa Region and part of the Indian Ocean (Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, and Seychelles).
(3.2) Existing LIR's
An Existing LIR is a LIR that assigns address space to 'end-users' and has already been assigned or allocated IPv4 address space by AfriNIC.
(3.3) New LIR
A New LIR, is a LIR that assigns address space to 'end-users' and is a member of AfriNIC but has not been assigned or allocated any IPv4 address space prior to the Exhaustion phase.
(3.4) End User
An End User is an organization that receives assignments of IP addresses exclusively for use in its operational networks
(3.5) Final /8 block of IPv4 address space, or "Final /8"
The Final /8 block of IPv4 address space, or "Final /8", is the /8 block of IPv4 address space that will be allocated by the IANA to AfriNIC in terms of section 2.2 C of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space <http://www.icann.org/en/general/allocation-remaining-ipv4-space.html> at the time of exhaustion of the IANA pool of IPv4 address space. AfriNIC's version of the Global Policy for the Allocation of the Remaining IPv4 Address Space is also known as AFPUB-2009-v4-001.
This proposal describes how AfriNIC shall assign, allocate, and manage IPv4 resources during the "Exhaustion Phase" which begins when AfriNIC first needs to assign or allocate IP addresses from the Final /8 block of IPv4 address space.
The "Current Phase" is the status quo at the time of adoption of this policy. During this phase, AfriNIC will continue allocating or assigning IPv4 addresses to LIRs and End Users using the current policies, including AFPUB-2005-v4-001 , AFPUB-2006-GEN-001 , and any future amended versions of such policies.
The current phase will continue until an otherwise-valid request for IPv4 address space from any LIR or end user to AfriNIC either (a) cannot be fulfilled with the IPv4 address space available in the AfriNIC pool (with the exception of the Last /8), or (b) can be fulfilled, but would leave the AfriNIC IPv4 address pool empty (with the exception of the Last /8).
The request that results in either of the above conditions being fulfilled will be the last IPv4 address space request that AfriNIC will accept from any LIR or End User in the Current Phase. If the request can be processed in terms of the Current Phase policies, then it will be so processed; otherwise, it will be processed in terms of Exhaustion Phase policies.
AfriNIC will publically announce that the Exhaustion Phase has begun at this point.
During the Exhaustion Phase, the following allocation and assignment policy will be used. This policy applies to both LIRs and End Users, and applies at all times after the transition to the Exhaustion Phase.
The exhaustion phase will be divided into two parts:-
a).Modified Status Quo
b).Allocation for transition to IPv6
6.1a). Modified Status Quo
During this phase, allocation/assignment of address space will continue as in the Current phase (/24 for a EU and /22 for a LIR) but the maximum will change from /10 to /13.
Allocations and assignments will be made from the /8 pool until we reach a /11. At this point the Transition to IPv6 phase will kick in.
6.1b).Allocation for Transition to IPv6
During this phase a minimum allocation/assignment size will be /27. the maximum allocation/assignment will be /22.
6.2) If any LIR or End User requesting IPv4 address space during the Exhaustion Phase does not already have IPv6 address space, then AfriNIC shall allocate or assign an IPv6 address block in compliance with the IPv6 allocation or assignment policies in effect at the time.
6.3) The current allocation and assignment period of 12 months shall be changed to 8 months. This will help to ensure that LIRs request only for resources they need in the short to medium term, and promote fairness in the equitable distribution of the last IPv4 address pool.
7.1) In order to receive IPv4 allocations or assignments during the Exhaustion Phase, the LIR or End User must have used at least 90% of all previous allocations or assignments (including those made during both the Current Phase and the Exhaustion Phase). In the case of new LIRs or End Users with no previous allocations or asignments, this requirement does not apply to their first allocation or assignment request.
7.2) If an LIR or End User does not already have IPv6 address space, then AfriNIC shall allocate or assign an IPv6 address block in compliance with the IPv6 allocation or assignment policies in effect at the time of the LIR or End User's first request for IPv4 address space during the Exhaustion Phase.
7.3) AfriNIC resources are for the AfriNIC geographical region. For each allocation or assignment made during the Exhaustion Phase, no more than 10% of these resources may be used outside of the AfriNIC region, and any use outside the AfriNIC region shall be solely in support of connectivity back to the AfriNIC region.
A /12 IPv4 address block will be in reserve out of the Last /8. This /12 IPv4 address block shall be preserved by AfriNIC for some future uses, as yet unforeseen. The Internet is innovative and we cannot predict with certainty what might happen. Therefore, it is prudent to keep this block in reserve, just in case some future requirement creates a demand for IPv4 addresses.
When AfriNIC, can no longer meet any more requests for address space from the last /8 pool because the pool is either empty or has no more contiguous blocks, the Board will based on the demand and other factors at the time exercise their prerogative to replenish the exhaustion pool from the reserve pool in a manner that is in the best interest of the community.
|Similar proposal forwarded to rpd mailing list by Adiel.
|Proposal first posted to the mailing list by PDP-MG chair.
|Updated version of proposal is posted to mailing list by author.
|Updated version of proposal is posted to mailing list by author.
|Proposal fails to reach consensus at AfriNIC-10 (21.05.2009, Cairo-Egypt).
|Updated version of proposal is posted to mailing list by author.
|Proposal fails to reach consensus at AfriNIC-11.
|Author posts updated text of proposal to mailing list. New reference now AFPUB-2010-v4-001
|Proposal reached consensus during AfriNIC-12 in Kigali - Rwanda with some modifications
|15 Days Last Call for Comments period starts
|15 Days Last Call for Comments period ends. Due to objections on during the period, proposal now goes back to mailing list for discussion.
|Author posts updated copy of proposal to mailing list.
|Updated copy of policy proposal posted online. New reference now AFPUB-2010-v4-004.
|Author posts updated copy of proposal to mailing list.
|Updated copy of policy proposal posted online. New reference now AFPUB-2010-v4-005.
|Proposal finds consensus during AfriNIC-13 in Johannesburg, South Africa
|Previous Versions
Discussions are taking place on the policy working group mailing list if you want to subscribe to the mailing send your subscription request to rpd-request [at] afrinic.net with 'Subscribe' as subject line
Mailing list archives can be found at https://lists.afrinic.net/pipermail/rpd


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March 08. 2014 8:02PM
Exeter police say man briefly suffocated 3-year-old girl
EXETER — A transient man who allegedly briefly suffocated his girlfriend's 3-year-old girl was arrested Friday on felony assault charges.
Kevin Lynch, 27, who is "orginally from Rochester," confessed that he assaulted the girl, whose mother had taken the child to Exeter Hospital after noticing "visible problems" with her daughter's eyes, police said in a release.
Lynch is scheduled to be arraigned Monday, police said.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mayor Bronco Bostick has decided that Hardeeville does not need an election commission, but wants Jasper County to handle our city elections. In my memory of 40 or more years it seems to me that the Hardeeville elections have had far fewer problems than the elections in Jasper County.
One member of our election commission, Joyce Meeks, made a mistake in the city election in 2012. She has served for more than 20 years on the election commission, and has given generously of her time to our city. Joyce has acknowledged her mistake and has publicly apologized to the mayor, council members and citizens.
Some may say I am speaking out because I am related to Joyce and while I am proud to say she is my aunt, I can also say that I probably know her better than most. Knowing Joyce as I do and for as long as I have, I can unequivocally say that if she felt her own son-in-law had not followed the letter of the law in the city election her vote would have been the very same as it was in the 2012 election when she voted against someone else.
If the mayor and council feel that Joyce's error was so egregious that she needs to be replaced, then do so and so be it, but keep the Hardeeville elections in our city. We are Hardeeville and we need to run our own city. We do not need to give anything to the county. If there are other citizens who share my feelings about keeping our own elections in our city please contact the mayor and council members before the March 7 meeting and express your views to them.


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Babyproofing Your Home Office
One of the benefits to working at home is being able to spend some time with your family, which in my case includes a not-quite-two-year-old toddler who loves to touch things. Problem is, my current setup (a MacBook Air with a Thunderbolt Monitor) has this nice looking cable that my son loves to grab. The other day this almost caused my Air to launch onto the ground, and only some quick reflexes saved my computer from becoming DOA. It sounds simple, but a few quick fixes made the room substantially safer for both my son and my equipment.
1. Get the tools: I just needed a few things to keep things secure: a cordless drill, self-tapping screws, 1 1/2-inch desk grommets, 1 1/2-inch hole saw, blue painter's tape and zip ties with screw mounting holes.
2. Determine your placement: Although the distance between the grommet and the end of the desk seemed negligible, it was still a grabbing point for my son, so I wanted to minimize the length of the cord. After figuring out where I wanted the first hole to go, I covered up the area with blue painter's tape to minimize damaging the top of the desk. I did the same thing with the hole that I needed for behind the MacBook Air's standard position.
3. Drill your holes: Ater putting the hole saw in the drill, I placed the drill bit in the center of the saw and slowly started drilling the holes in the desk. Once the hole saw contacted the desk, I slowed the speed down further, and kept my hands tight on the drill to avoid it kicking and hitting something. Once the holes were drilled, I pulled off the blue painter's tape and cleaned up any sawdust.
4. Place the grommets and secure the wiring: After moving the equipment back to its original locations, I fed the wiring down through one grommet and out the other. Once everything was fitted the way I wanted it, I secured the wire to the metal frame of the desk using the zip ties and the self-tapping screws.
With the job complete, I decided to test it out with the kiddo. Although he still wanted to grab the cable, since there wasn't as much to grab he was out of luck. Plus, even if he had gotten ahold of it, it didn't have enough throw to toss the laptop off the desk. Mission complete!


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A week-by-week breakdown of the five-week Strength and Flex podcasts.
A week-by-week breakdown with links to video clips of the five-week Strength and Flex exercise plan for beginners.
Do each podcast at least three times within a week before moving on to the next podcast.
Once you've finished the programme, you can keep using podcast 5 to keep your activity levels up.
A gentle workout with music, starting with a warm-up followed by a series of strength and flexibility exercises, finishing off with a cool-down.
Duration: 35:28
Warm up
Watch a video clip of the warm-up routine.
Strength workout
Flexibility workout
Cool down
We've made some of the podcast 1 exercises a bit more challenging and increased the length of your workout.
Duration: 36:31
Warm up
We've added some new moves and increased the difficulty level of some of the podcast 2 exercises.
Duration: 35:32
We've introduced some new exercises and stepped up the intensity and length of your workout.
Duration: 45:12
Strength workout
Flexibility workout
For the last podcast in this series, we've made some of the podcast 4 exercises more challenging.
Duration: 43:32


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This is an activity about the states of matter. Learners will participate in a demonstration to reintroduce them to three states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas. The demonstration also introduces them to a fourth state of matter, plasma, through... (View More) investigation of the properties of volume and shape as they relate to common solids, liquids, and gases, and to the mystery matter later identified at the end as plasma. The demonstration also covers plasma's connection to the Sun and connections to science related to the Interstellar Boundary Explorer, or IBEX, spacecraft. This activity complements other IBEX informal education materials. The demonstration requires use of a small plasma ball and, ideally, a slightly darkened room so that the plasma ball can be more easily seen. An instructional video explaining how to facilitate this activity is available: http://bit.ly/125ZW5k. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Over $20
In this activity, students will demonstrate the generator effect, which is due to electromagnetic induction when a conductor (a long metal wire) moves through a magnetic field. Materials required to this activity include: a 100-foot extension cord... (View More) with ground prong, current or voltage galvanometer, two lead wires with alligator clips on at least one end, and one compass. This activity must be done in an open space large enough to swing a 100-foot cord as a jump rope, such as a gymnasium or outdoor field. This is activity three of "Exploring Magnetism." The guide includes science background information, student worksheets, glossary and related resources. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Over $20 per group of students
This is an activity about polarized light. Learners will use a polarizing filter to build and calibrate a simple polarimeter, use the constructed polarimeter to find sources of polarized light, and measure the angle of polarization of polarized... (View More) light sources and attempt to measure the strength of polarization. This activity is from the Touch the Sun educator guide. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Over $20 per group of students
In this activity, learners will explore the properties of color filters and filter bandpass by observing light sources using diffraction grating and color filters and create a graph of percent transmission versus wavelength to characterize the... (View More) bandpass of the filter. This activity requires various light sources, a diffraction grating, and two or more color filters that are transparent to some wavelengths of light and opaque, or nearly opaque, at other wavelengths. This is an activity in the Touch the Sun educator guide. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Over $20 per group of students


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By Jeffery Gilbert, CBS Detroit
DEARBORN, MI — (WWJ) Ford will be taking a concept vehicle to next month's Frankfurt Auto Show that's aimed strictly at the European market, but filled with technology that's meant for the entire world.
The S-MAX has been a popular 7-passenger small crossover vehicle. The concept version will feature Ford's new face, as well as a sleeker look for a vehicle that's always been considered a style leader.
"What we're actually doing is ratcheting up that sense of style even more," says J. Mays, Ford's Group Vice President of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer.
Mays says the S-MAX is part of an overall strategy that takes the mainstream Ford brand and make it more premium.
"I always maintain that premium doesn't scream," he said. "Premium has the confidence to speak a little more quietly."
The S-Max concept will be loaded with technology that will likely be on future Ford vehicles. It includes upgrades to Ford's parking assist technology. That now controls the steering as you parallel park. The next generation will also control braking and acceleration, and help you get out of the parking space. It also will back in to conventional parking space.
Ford's Jim Buczkowski, who's Director of Electronics and Electrical Systems Engineering, couldn't say when this may appear on a production vehicle.
Ford is also showing a navigation screen with a unique glass front that allows the front seat passenger to watch a movie, without distracting the driver. "It allows the driver to see one view of the display, and the passenger to see a different."
The concept vehicle also includes some technologies that are already starting to become available, including rolling wireless hotspot, and a docking station for tablet computers.
"Ford's strategy has always been to be friendly to the devices you already own," said Buczkowski.
That includes the European version of My Ford Touch, the system that connects your smart phone, and puts many of the vehicles commands onto a computer screen.
While it's been criticized here in the United States as being too complicated, Ford has maintained that the system is a popular option, that attracts buyers who are new to the brand.
Buczkowski says launching My Ford Touch in Europe is more difficult, especially with different road systems in different countries, and several languages. "Not only is it a language issue, but things like 911 Assist, to make that emergency call, it depends what country you're in."
Other new features being shown on the concept vehicle include a seat that can read your heart rate, and monitor your blood sugar.
While smaller vehicles are gaining in popularity here in the United States, Ford's J. Mays doesn't see a vehicle like the S-MAX being sold in this market. He says it's target is people who are moving up from smaller vehicles, making it perfect for Europe.
"When you look at the types of vehicles that people have migrated out of over there, they're all small multi-purpose vehicles, some multi-activity vehicles. We think it's probably best for the European market."
AutoBeat Reporter Jeff Gilbert will be covering press days of the Frankfurt Auto Show on September 10th and 11th. Follow him on Twitter (@jefferygilbert) or like his Facebook page (facebook.com/carchronicles)


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Estimated Value of dom.heps.pl - heps ($ 0.00 Value)
dom.heps.pl reaches an unknown number of unique users the month. It comes with 3 backlinks according to Alexa and the estimated revenue is $ 0.00 the month. We calculate the value and worth of dom.heps.pl with $ 0.00 while traffic and revenue is stable within the last 3 months.The hostname dom.heps.pl consists of the label dom within the domain name heps.pl. The domain itself is a .pl domain with the name heps. The Server of dom.heps.pl works under Apache/1.3.42 (Debian) mod_ssl/2.8.31 OpenSSL/0.9.8g webserver software and the server machine is located in Poland and uses 22.214.171.124. dom.heps.pl is not listed in the Dmoz open directory project.
More detailed:
|Website Value*
|Monthly Earnings*
|Daily Earnings*
|$ 0.00
|$ 0.00
|$ 0.00
|*Estimated Value Data
Summary for dom.heps.pl
Updated: 0 minutes ago
Website Title of dom.heps.plnone
Website Description of dom.heps.plnone
Keywords and Tags on dom.heps.pl
Value and Traffic Estimations for dom.heps.pl
Technical and Server Data for dom.heps.plThe webserver of dom.heps.pl uses Apache/1.3.42 (Debian) mod_ssl/2.8.31 OpenSSL/0.9.8g webserver software. The server is located in Poland.
dom.heps.pl is resolved into the IP address 184.108.40.206.
More detailed:
|IP Address
|AS Number
Nazwa.pl Sp.z.o.o.
|Nazwa.pl Sp.z.o.o.
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Am I the only one who senses a disturbance in The Force?
Twice now in a four-week span, Walt Disney Studios has had opportunities to ease the minds of Star Wars fans around the globe by revealing even the slightest inkling of information regarding J.J. Abrams' Episode VII: The As-Yet-Unnamed Sequel. And twice, the studio opted to remain silent.
Most believed that when Disney left Star Wars out of Hall H at San Diego Comic-Con, it was because they wanted to make the biggest splash at its own fan event: The D23 Expo in Anaheim. But as Eric live-blogged, Walt Disney Studios Chairman Alan Horn revealed basically what we already knew heading into the weekend. Abrams is directing. John Williams will score the sequel. And it will open in 2015 (though your guess is as good as mine as to when that summer we're destined to see Episode VII, and Horn wasn't spilling the beans on a release date, either).
Why the veil of secrecy? Why waste a golden opportunity at D23 to send tidal waves of glee through the Star Wars fan community by giving them something -- anything -- over the weekend? A title. A release date. Confirmation that original stars Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill and Harrison Ford are on board. ANYTHING would have been better than the soulless void of nothingness that was provided. Because in this case, a lack of answers only raises more questions. And the theories we're coming up with don't sound great.


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It's no surprise that not everyone likes same gender romance in SWTOR. It's been battled before in other games and it has been opposed in SWTOR previously as well. But with the recent update from BioWare about their intentions to add it to the game, there was one forum user who became exceptionally vocal about it Reddit, after being banned from the SWTOR forums for 7 days for "hate speech".
Seriously, who cares? Let people have same sex romances. If it bothers you, then don't go around seducing guys in SWTOR. It's not like Bioware of shoving it down everybody's throat (lol).
Calling homosexuality a disease when its NOT does not make the argument more valid. Oh! but he said they were "nice", so that must make him less of a bigot. Right.
Not wanting to be "infected" by "gayness" through a computer game (because that's totally possible) is not a rational opinion that deserves to be heard. Its idiocy.
I have a feeling this may be one of those articles people will rant about their personal views on. *slowly walks away*
I'm completely against having openly gay characters thrown in my face if they constantly remind you of their sexual orientation. I'm also opposed to being forced to play as a gay character or have gay romance thrown in my face (I can't watch Torchwood any more).
Having the option to be a gay character and being aware that characters are gay (Traynor in ME3 - that was very tastefully done) is a great thing though which increases freedom for the player, reflects modern society and is only fair for the percentage of the players who are gay.
The guy who wrote this hate comment is clearly either a religious zealot or an idiot, as his argument is totally unreasonable.
I'd like to keep seeing gay characters in games, as long as they don't make me feel uneasy (pda's if I'm not playing a gay character), I'm not forced to play them and they are tastefully done, trying and reflect the reality that most homosexuals don't act like the those on reality tv, but are instead normal people whose sexual identity you wouldn't be able to guess from ten minutes of knowing them (I have gay friends I've known for months without learning that they were so).


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Change We Can Taste
Bush's White House served terrible wine. Obama should do better.
With an economy in crisis and two wars to prosecute, Barack Obama will have lots on his plate when he becomes president on Jan. 20. But it would be a great service to the nation, to say nothing of his own palate, if he and Michelle Obama could also give some consideration to what will be in his glass. The White House needs a new wine policy. Sure, having a commander in chief who actually drinks wine will be a big improvement. However, it won't be enough. During the Bush era, wine service at the executive mansion has been hostage to a profoundly misguided strategy that has turned this most civilized of beverages into an unnecessarily crude instrument of statecraft. Candidate Obama promised change we can believe in; here's an opportunity to deliver change we can taste.
As with so much else, the Bush administration has given Obama the opening he needs to act swiftly and boldly on the wine front. During November's emergency economic summit in Washington, the White House poured the 2003 Shafer Hillside Select at a dinner for the world leaders in attendance. The Hillside Select is one of the so-called Napa cult cabernets; it is made in small quantities (1,800-2,400 cases per year), receives gushing scores from Robert Parker and other critics, and commands hefty sums as a result. The 2003 goes for around $250 a bottle. Although the White House said that it paid wholesale, the fact that it opened such an extravagant wine at a gathering intended to avert a global economic meltdown caused widespread indignation.
With the bitter taste of Shafer-gate lingering in the mouths of many Americans, Obama has a chance to take the White House wine program in a new direction. The need for a change of course was made shockingly clear in a recent interview that Daniel Shanks, who handles wine duties at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., gave to Bloomberg's Elin McCoy. According to Shanks, the White House currently stocks around 500-600 bottles. That is pathetic and another example of how America's infrastructure has been allowed to deteriorate. During his eight years in office, Thomas Jefferson amassed a 20,000-bottle collection, which he kept in a cellar that he had built under what is now the West Wing. Two centuries later, that space is being used for other purposes, and the president of the United States has less wine in his basement than I have in mine.
Even more dismaying, though, was what Shanks revealed about the process of choosing wines for state dinners. He told McCoy that because only 55 minutes are allotted for the actual meal, it is essential that the wines served on these august occasions "have presence." And what did he mean by "presence"? "A perfectly aged cabernet may be great in the glass," he explained, "but it can't stand up to the intense atmosphere of a White House state dinner. You have to have something with youth and vigor." Delicate wines will be overlooked; only strapping, assertive ones have what it takes to be "noticed in the context of the White House experience," as Shanks put it. In other words, the desired effect is shock and awe, achieved not with cruise missiles but fruit bombs.
Curious to see what this has meant in practice, I visited the White House Web site, which posts the menus for visiting foreign dignitaries. In October, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi joined President and Mrs. Bush for dinner, and among the wines broken out that evening was the 2005 Robert Mondavi cabernet sauvignon reserve. German Chancellor Angela Merkel was served the 2005 Kistler Carneros chardonnay and a 2004 Caymus cabernet when she supped with the first couple in November 2007. Six months earlier, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip were given the 2004 Newton unfiltered chardonnay and the 2003 Peter Michael Les Pavots, a Bordeaux blend from Sonoma County.
I think this is a pretty unappetizing group of wines. I recently had the '05 Mondavi, and drinking it was like sucking on tree bark—it was obnoxiously oaky. Cloying and buttery, the Newton unfiltered epitomizes the overwrought, blowsy style of California chardonnay, and Kistler isn't far behind. These wines may have presence, but it's not a presence I want in my mouth. Perusing the menus, I found a few good choices. For instance, when Bush hosted a dinner for French President Nicolas Sarkozy several days before Merkel's visit, he served the 2004 Dominus, an excellent Napa cabernet (sadly wasted on both men: Sarkozy, like Bush, doesn't drink). But note the vintages—these wines were hardly out of the barrel when they were opened. This is a disservice to the U.S. wine industry and is probably not doing our foreign policy much good, either. The knock on our wines has always been that they lack finesse and longevity—that they are all about short-term, in-your-face pleasure. In truth, many of them have complexity and elegance, and some can age brilliantly. By limiting his selections to juvenile behemoths, Shanks is perpetuating an unfortunate stereotype about American wines. (American wine drinkers, too—the rap on us is that we only like 'em young and obvious.)
These bruisers could also be sending an unhelpful subliminal message. Diplomacy is a subtle art, and when it is conducted à table, it requires subtle libations. Mellow wines promote conviviality, encourage reflection, and create goodwill—the very things state dinners are presumably meant to foster. A hulking cabernet that assaults the senses and flattens any food that gets in its way hardly lubricates the path to world peace. Indeed, serving such a wine might even be construed as a sign of hostile intent: Tonight we smash your palate; tomorrow your palace. Shanks was hired by the Clintons, but his preference for slam-dunk wines has been in keeping with the tenor of Bush's foreign policy—you might even say he's the vinous George Tenet. For this reason alone, it's time to put something different in the decanter.
So, what must Obama do? He can start by replenishing the White House cellar. He's pledged to create or save 3 million jobs over the next two years; he should set a goal of having 3,000 bottles laid away by the end of his first term. An executive branch buying spree will once again give the presidency a wine stash worthy of the office while also making a small but meaningful contribution to the ailing economy. There is no need to load up on trophies like the Hillside Select; there are lots of sensational wines that can be purchased for less money. Indeed, wine prices are now tumbling in response to the financial maelstrom, and amazing deals can be had at auction and retail.
At the same time, a new approach to wine service ought to be implemented at once. The Bloomberg piece indicated that Shanks will be staying on after Jan. 20; if that's the case, he can now leave the youth and vigor to Obama himself. Henceforth the emphasis should be on maturity and finesse. Instead of the '05 Mondavi, make it a wine like the 1996 Château Montelena Estate, a glorious Napa cabernet that will bend even the most obdurate foreign leader to our will (and which can be found these days for less than $100 a bottle).
There is one other change that Obama might consider: lifting the ban on foreign wines at the White House. Under Lyndon Johnson, it was decided that only American wines would be served during official functions, a stricture that remains in place. (Richard Nixon, a Bordeaux man, supposedly got around it by having the waitstaff secretly pour him his beloved Château Margaux; apparently, Tricky Dick was also Tricky Drinker.) Back in the 1960s, the world had no idea that our vineyards were capable of turning out decent wines, so it probably made sense to reserve the stage exclusively for homegrown cabernets and chardonnays. But four decades on, American wines hardly need a presidential seal to certify their worthiness, and it can reasonably be assumed that the politics of the issue has changed, too—a country that just elected a guy named Barack Obama president is unlikely to erupt in nativist anger should a French or Italian wine occasionally grace the White House menu. If a visiting head of state comes from a wine-producing nation, why not uncork something special from his backyard? Treating the Spanish prime minister to a great old Rioja or the Chinese president to an acclaimed boutique merlot from Shanxi province would be the ultimate gesture of respect and might even prove to be a diplomatic masterstroke. Suffice it to say, we could use a few of those.


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Even though this is the easiest route described in this chapter, it is without a doubt one of the nicest. Fixed protection is lacking so bring wires and possibly even pegs and a hammer. The start and first two pitches are the same as for Super Ponzio. At the second belay move off diagonally rightwards.
From Cortina drive towards Dobbiaco along the SS51. After the small village Fiames turn left off the main road (signposted Val di Fanes - Trevenanzes). Park the car at the entrance to the park and continue on foot. Follow signs for Fanes, over several bridges and along the forest road. After a few bends the path straightens out and continues along the valley floor, past the Taé walls on the right, and then on to the Spalti di Col Becchei. The path forks at this point; go right over a small bridge onto the other side of the valley floor towards the Spalti. A cairn indicates a small path leading off rightwards through the wood steeply up to the rock face. To reach Illusione Ottica and Thriller scramble up the scree, traverse leftwards along an exposed section beneath a band of rock, and then return rightwards. The other routes are reached more easily by walking directly up to the base of the crag. Taé's routes are reached by crossing the bridge and briefly following the road, to then ascend the gully on the right. Reach the pine trees and then scramble up the ramp rightwards to the base of the wall.
The start and first two pitches are the same as for Super Ponzio. At the second belay move off diagonally rightwards.
Abseil as for the other routes, or alternatively walk westwards directly down into the Val di Fanes.
A set of wires and friends, pegs and a hammer.


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Linn Mennonite Church (Roanoke, Illinois, USA)
Linn Mennonite Church (formerly Linn Township Amish Mennonite Church), is an unaffiliated congregation located five miles (eight km) northwest of Roanoke, Illinois, was organized about 1910 with 45 members under the leadership of Peter Zimmerman, who had earlier been a minister in the Roanoke Mennonite (Mennonite Church) Church. The meetinghouse of 1954 was built in 1916. Former ministers include Peter Zimmerman, John W. Kennell, and Joseph J. Kennell (bishop). The membership in 1954 was 169, with D. M. Hostetler serving as bishop, John E. Hostetler as minister, and S. E. Unzicker as deacon. In 2007 the membership was 81; the bishop was Stephen Ulrich.
The congregation was sometimes locally called the "Kennell" church, after Bishop J. J. Kennell. It does not belong to the Conservative Mennonite Conference, but remains unaffiliated. Its origin goes back to 1904, when Peter Zimmerman and 40 members withdrew from the Roanoke (MC) congregation because they wished to adhere to the rigid Amish practice of "shunning," which Roanoke refused to do. Zimmerman later came under the influence of John D. Kauffman of the "Sleeping Preacher" group at Shelbyville, Illinois (Mt. Hermon congregation), which had been begun there about 1907, and was ordained bishop by Bishop John R. Zook of New Wilmington, Pennsylvania.
Additional Information
Roanoke, Illinois (From Roanoke take 116 west 2 miles; take 1600 north 3 miles)
|D. M Hostetler
|Date Published
Cite This Article
MLA style
Hostetler, D. M. "Linn Mennonite Church (Roanoke, Illinois, USA)." Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. 1957. Web. 21 Sep 2018. http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Linn_Mennonite_Church_(Roanoke,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=66452.
APA style
Hostetler, D. M. (1957). Linn Mennonite Church (Roanoke, Illinois, USA). Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved 21 September 2018, from http://gameo.org/index.php?title=Linn_Mennonite_Church_(Roanoke,_Illinois,_USA)&oldid=66452.
Adapted by permission of Herald Press, Harrisonburg, Virginia, from Mennonite Encyclopedia, Vol. 3, p. 351. All rights reserved.
©1996-2018 by the Global Anabaptist Mennonite Encyclopedia Online. All rights reserved.


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Selected as one of the Best Books of 2011 by:
A Box collects memories and secrets from ordinary Chinese families, including a book of selected album photos, private letters, stories, and a secret draw which includes several objects, one aluminum toy plane, one red scarf for Chinese young pioneer's league, one classic tin ring, four crystal beads, one vintage train ticket, one vintage cinema ticket, etc.
It has been chosen by Martin Parr as the best photo book of the past year:
'This exquisite box contains an album of photos that this couple have located and have written up the with stories and secrets associated with images. Beautifully reproduced with many images and much ephemera tipped in. There are booklets with French and English translations. At the bottom of the box is a secret drawer that includes everything from a metal toy plane to a vintage train ticket." - Martin Parr
Read Sarah Bradley's review of Box - Pass It On in photo-eye Magazine.


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Architect's contemporary suburban home gets off tract
Kenneth Turner travels all over the world designing high-rise buildings.
In fact, when he was an associate partner and design studio head for Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings and Merrill, he directed design for the world's tallest tower, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai (think Tom Cruise scaling its exterior in "Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol").
So when he returns home to his wife, Miranda, and their son, Austin, in Arlington Heights, Turner wants to find himself in a home that meets his modern architectural standards.
"I am literally uncomfortable in a room where the windows, for instance, don't line up. I find architecture that is logical and purposeful to be soothing and I want to surround myself with those elements in my home," said Turner, now a design partner with his own international architecture firm, Turner + DeCelles.
That is why the Turners purchased an empty corner lot in Arlington Heights and hired JRC Construction and Kingsley + Ginnodo Architects, both of Arlington Heights, to build them a modern, three-bedroom, 2,200-square-foot home with a detached two-car garage. It was completed in late spring.
"This was the first contemporary home we have ever built and it is certainly unique in Arlington Heights," said Jim Cochran, owner of JRC. "We pride ourselves on building our clients the homes they want and this one turned out to be so much more home inside than you can see from the outside. The internal design, in particular, is awesome."
The Turners' home stands out in a suburban sea of tract housing.
"The fact that Arlington Heights, which is traditionally a conservative architecture environment, was so quick to approve this plan shows that officials here respond to good ideas and architecture, no matter the style," said Keith Ginnodo, the local architect who drafted the plans. "Before this, many had been afraid to try the modern aesthetic here."
In a modern home, the shape of the home and the basic finishes are your detail, Turner said. "You want a totally clean and functional look, so we included clerestory windows upstairs and a balcony off the master bedroom to cover the front door and to add detail," he said. "The trick in designing a modernist home is stripping it down to the basic elements without making it look cheap.
"You have to be careful to add just the right number of details to make it refined without losing its streamlined look. For instance, one huge continuous ceiling looks cheap, so we put in a drop ceiling over the kitchen/breakfast bar area to break up the monotony in our large family room/kitchen.
"In addition, the cove light ceiling in the dining room warms up the space and sets the mood for entertaining," Turner said.
Upstairs the bedroom ceilings follow the slope of the roof to achieve taller spaces. Travertine stone tile floors grace the hallway and bathrooms, but the bedrooms are carpeted.
"Many people are afraid to consider modern design for their homes. But once the trappings of traditional design are relieved, the architecture can respond more honestly to the needs of the occupants and the conditions of the building's location," Turner said.
In a bow to the neighborhood, the design team chose to use an angled, single-pitch roof instead of a more modern flat roof. They also installed the siding slats horizontally, like most of the houses that surround it, and used traditional cement-based stucco on large sections of the home. The stucco is painted a creamy white while the composite decking material used for the siding is a dark brown, which mirrors the color scheme of much of the home's interior.
"Instead of using Ipe wood like they use on home exteriors in California, composite decking was chosen as a less expensive alternative with the same look," Cochran said. "The low slope of the roof was also influenced by California homes."
Architecture lovers who look closely will notice that the siding has been installed in a basket weave pattern at the corners of the house. That, combined with the exposed stainless steel screws attaching the composite siding to the home, allows modernists to see and appreciate how the house is actually put together, Turner said.
A fence that shields the courtyard area between the house and detached garage is made of the same composite material as the home's siding. It gives the family added privacy when using their yard and allows the eye to travel seamlessly from the home to the complementary garage.
Turner freely admits that if it had been entirely up to him, he would have painted every wall in the house white and used travertine floors throughout. He said that Miranda deserves the credit for inserting homey warmth into the Turner home through her selections: painted accent walls in warm hues; oil-rubbed bronze hardware; dark hardwood floors in key rooms and a dark wood rail on the open riser staircase; oval light fixtures and accent furnishings; and espresso-colored kitchen cabinets to contrast with the vein-cut travertine floors and horizontal-cut white glass backsplash tiles.
"If it had been a bachelor pad, I admit it would have been very cold," Turner said.
In addition to building a modernist home, the team wanted to create a sustainable home that would use a minimal amount of energy. So they installed 36 solar panels on the roof, integrated cantilevers with 2½-foot roof overhangs for summer sun protection; and installed an electric hybrid water tank and energy-efficient mechanical, electrical and plumbing systems and appliances.
"The way the home is designed and oriented on its lot allows it to capture the sun when it is wanted and shade the house when it is not," Ginnodo said.
The long, single-pitched roof is oriented to the south for maximum exposure for the rooftop solar panels. The low roof slope also allowed the solar panels to blend into the roof, Cochran said. If the roof pitch had been steeper, the solar panels would be much more apparent.
"Its big overhanging eaves protect the exterior stucco from heavy rains. The same eaves are designed to protect and shade the large windows, blocking 100 percent of the sun at noon on the Summer Solstice and allowing lots of sun to come into the house during the middle of winter," Turner said.
The composite decking used for the siding slats are spaced to permit convective air flow and divert rain away from the house. This system allows moisture to dry out very rapidly while allowing the interior of the wall to cool by convection, Turner said.
A rainwater retention system may still be added and the Turners are considering applying for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification, for which certain environmental building standards must be met.
"I am most excited about the solar panels and knowing that, with this house, we are contributing to a safer environment," Miranda Turner said.
But their son Austin likes the fact that his house stands out from the rest.
"I like the fact that my house is not like every other house in the neighborhood," he said.
"With this home we have shown that with the use of credible architecture and common sense, you can solve a lot of problems and at the same time, enhance a home's design," Ginnodo said. "More and more people are moving out here from the city and many of them are accustomed to modern architecture. So we expect to see more of a call for these types of modern homes in the suburbs."


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BERLIN (AP) — Spain's Telefonica has agreed to buy German mobile unit E-Plus from Dutch telecommunications company Royal KPN NV for 5 billion euros ($6.58 billion) plus shares, a deal that would create Germany's biggest cellphone operator in terms of customers.
The proposed deal announced Tuesday would bring together E-Plus, currently Germany's No. 3 operator with 23.4 million customers, with O2 — the fourth-biggest, which is already owned by Telefonica and has 19.3 million customers.
Telefonica's German unit, Telefonica Deutschland, said it expects savings of between 5 billion and 5.5 billion euros, and will benefit from combining the two companies' distribution and customer service functions and networks.
The plan foresees KPN getting a total of 5 billion euros in cash and a 17.6 percent stake in Telefonica Deutschland, the Dutch company said, adding that the transaction values E-Plus at 8.1 billion euros.
The deal is subject to shareholder and antitrust approval. The companies expect the transaction to close in mid-2014.
Germany's biggest mobile operator at present is Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile, which serves some 36.6 million people; Vodafone is second with 33.9 million customers. The combination of E-Plus and O2 would have nearly 43 million; Telefonica put their combined revenues last year at 8.6 billion euros.
"This transaction is a strong commitment to the German market and a significant step in Telefonica's growth story — providing us with a leading position within the strongest economy in Europe," Eva Castillo, the chairwoman of Telefonica Deutschland's supervisory board and the chief executive of Telefonica Europe.
The German economy is Europe's biggest and has continued to grow even as countries across large parts of Europe struggle with public debt and recessions.
Telefonica has mobile and fixed-line operations across Europe and Latin America. The company said the German deal would make it Europe's second-biggest operator in terms of cellphone customers.
Telefonica, which has been working to reduce its debt, noted that "this transaction will mainly be financed via financial instruments, which will enable to maintain Telefonica's leverage ratio stable."
The announcement came as KPN said its second-quarter net profit fell to 108 million euros, down 68 percent from the same period a year ago due to tough market conditions for its mobile phone operations and an ongoing decline in fixed-line services.
KPN said its revenues in the second quarter dropped 8 percent to 2.9 billion euros from 3.2 billion euros a year earlier. CEO Eelco Blok said the company will now "focus on its core geographies," and the company said it will use most of the cash from the sale to "increase its financial flexibility."
KPN shares were up 5.3 percent compared with Monday's close at 1.90 euros. The deal also sent Telefonica's shares 2.4 percent higher to 10.31 euros in early trading in Madrid.
In Germany, rival Deutsche Telekom — which will face one fewer competitor if the deal goes through — was one of the biggest winners on Frankfurt's DAX index of blue chip stocks. Its shares climbed 1.8 percent to 9.35 euros.


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With the launch of the all-new 2013 Accord, Honda is ready to celebrate the 30th year of building the midsize coupe and sedan in the U.S. To give us an idea how the car has changed over the years, Honda released this infographic showing some key statistics on the eight generations of the Accord that were built on American soil.
It's clear from this graphic that the Honda Accord has grown significantly. The first version built in the U.S., from 1982, had a wheelbase of just 96.5 inches and a featherweight curb weight of 2184 pounds. The 2013 Honda Accord sedan, by contrast, has a 109.3-inch wheelbase and weighs in at 3254 pounds. While that's a big weight gain, it's worth noting that the 2013 Honda Accord is the first model that is lighter than its predecessor — the 2008-2012 Accord sedan tipped the scales at 3371 pounds.
It's also worth noting that Honda has endowed modern Accords with power levels unheard of when the car was first built on U.S. soil. The 1982 Honda Accord's 1.8-liter inline-four engine made just 75 hp. Today, the 2013 Accord offers a 2.4-liter inline-four engine with 185 hp, and a 3.5-liter V-6 good for 278 hp. Progress is a good thing for lead-footed drivers.
There's another way in which time has been good to the Accord. Back in 1982, the car's optional equipment list was highlighted by items like cruise control and an auto-reversing cassette player. And it wasn't until the fourth-generation Accord, sold from 1990 to 1993, that a CD player was available — as a costly option. The 2013 Honda Accord no longer offers a cassette player, but the options list does include a backup camera, Bluetooth, push-button start, a lane-departure warning system, and a touch-screen navigation system. Interestingly enough, the 1991 Accord was the model to offer the widest array of exterior colors.
Pricing for the 2013 Honda Accord starts at $22,470 (including destination charges) for a sedan with a four-cylinder engine and $30,860 with a V-6. The 2013 Honda Accord coupe costs $24,140 when equipped with a four-cylinder engine and $31,140. The sedan hits dealerships on September 19, while the coupe will be in showrooms October 15.
You can see the entire infographic in the gallery below.
Source: Honda


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Shorter product life cycles and rapidly changing consumer preferences have increased the need for fast and dynamic reporting. This helps manufacturers and retailers determine market trends, pricing and assortment management.
We help you gauge the ROI of your marketing activities; providing insights across all causal sources from all over the world. From printed circulars, to ecommerce websites, to e-newsletter, to the point of sale in-store, we cover the consumer journey at retail within a leader panel.
We identify and analyze assortment, pricing, placement and promotions at SKU level by named key account to give you the full picture to monitor the impact on retail sales.


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Tote Iswee Women Fashion Leather Handbag Top Handle Shoulder Bag Purse Dumpling BagWine Wine -
Material: High quality cowhide leather handbag. Polyester fiber lining.
Closer : Zipper closer, make your tote safe
Straps : Detachable and Adjustable shoulder strap, convenient to carry (40.5\"longest)
Structure: 1 main compartment for IPAD, A4 Paper books, magazines etc. 1 zipper interlayer pocket . 1 Zipper pocket for your important things, 2 pockets without zipper for your phone and your wallet etc.
Dimensions: Medium size (Top L)15.7\"(Bottom L)9.8*(W)5.1\"(H)*9.8\" Weight: 1.56 pounds
Design: Classic dumpling design. Made by high quality cowhide leather. Satiny and durable lining. With reflective lining.
Top-Handle Bags


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(Props: David Chen via FilmDrunk)
Gareth Evans is the badass Welsh writer/director behind The Raid: Redemption and The Raid 2, two of the most insane, over-the-top, and entertaining action flicks released in the last decade. In this clip, Evans discusses his five favorite movie fight scenes, which have all influenced his work in one way or another. Short version: Evans loves him some Jackie Chan, and the mall battle from Police Story (skip to 7:05-10:53 in the video) might be Jackie's masterpiece. Plus, the Roddy Piper vs. Keith David alley-fight scene from They Live makes an appearance, because how could it not?
Even if you haven't seen The Raid movies, it's fascinating to hear Evans break down these scenes from a filmmaker's perspective. Check it out.
Previously: The 10 Greatest Fight Movies of All Time


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Sunday, 16 December 2012
Rouge Bunny Rouge Fragrant Confections: Vespers
I had not smelt any of the scents nor read any reviews but such is my trust in the quality of RBR, I happily placed my order for Vespers (£81 for 50ml).
The fragrance comes beautifully packaged, even the box itself is gorgeous with its textured softy shimmered finish. The glass frosted bottle had etched flowers on the sides. Both the bottle and the lid are very heavy, it feels and looks extremely luxurious. Whoever designed this couldn't have got it more perfect.
These are the notes in Vespers:
TOP: Bergamot, Cinnamon Bark, Violet Leaves, Black Pepper
HEART: Green Apple, Muguet, Rose, Violet
BASE: Cedarwood, Musk, Sandalwood, Vanilla
Now when I read perfume reviews its all very detailed on how the notes interact and what other smells they evoke. I'm afraid I don't possess the skills to pick out all the intricacies of composition so you won't get any fancy descriptions here I afraid. To me this is a very feminine floral, it has a touch of sweetness but there is also a touch of mellow warmth.Its not heavy, nor green or musky. Its a truly beautiful scent, light, elegant and captivating.
I think with perfume reviews its helpful to know the scents the reviewer likes so you can see if you have similar tastes, so for reference my other favourite perfumes are: Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche, Jimmy Choo, Stella McCartney L.I.L.Y, and Jo Malone Blue Agava & Cacao.
Needless to say I will buy this again and am likely to try the other two scents in the range as well.
I bought this from zuneta.com
6 comments:
I didn't know that RBR has perfume! I think this might suits my liking as it sounds very refreshing. My current fave scent is Chloe EDP. It's a rosy smell perfume :)ReplyDelete
xx Meryl
Hi Meryl,ReplyDelete
Its a scent I would feel safe buying for someone as a gift. I sure Zuneta or the RBR site will have samples of the fragrances at some point so would be worth checking out.
I don't think I have smelt Chloe so will look into that :)
The bottle is very pretty. I love violet notes in perfumes, and muguet & rose as well. This sounds like it would smell great! :)ReplyDeleteReplies
Hello makeup magpie,Delete
It is one of those scents that I just find myself sniffing at my wrists during the day, so lovely, I could do with it in a bigger bottle really :)
oooh amazing description, I want to try it=) I try Chatoyaut and I'm going crazy...wonderful perfume!ReplyDelete
Thank you :) I really want to get the other two scents at some point :)ReplyDelete


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The student easily talked into ridiculous and dangerous situations
The class fool got three weeks detention and a sprained ankle when he fell out of the tree in front of the school after being dared to reach the top branch. His friends laughed, recorded it and posted it on the internet.
by HB Word January 08, 2012
buy the domain for your foodie blog


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Tortilla Chips and Tostadas
Tortilla Chips and Tostadas including brands Doritos, Tostitos, Takis, Rancheritos and more.
To keep reading about the differences between tortilla chips and tostadas ...
Tostada in Spanish means "Toasted" and they date back to the ancient Mesoamerican and pre-columbian cultures. They would take three different colored corns: red, yellow, and a purple/blue and made masa with it. Then they would take the masa and shape it into round, huge tortillas, which they will leave out in the sun to dry and have all their moisture removed. The process of drying the tortillas would take days or months depending on the amount of sunlight. The tortillas became tostadas once they were completely dry. People later realized how good the tostadas were and how longer they would last unlike tortillas.
The idea of making tostadas was to avoid wasting tortillas when they went stale, they were still fresh too eat, but to hard to be rolled into tacos. The old tortilla will be put into oil to fry, until it's rigid, golden and crunchy like a slice of toast bread (where the name tostada came from). They are then served alone to accompany different kinds of Mexican dishes like stews and seafood, like Birria, Menudo and Pozole.
Tostadas are a dish of their own, and it's very popular to eat them in Mexico. Beans are spread onto the tortilla, and then it's topped with the main ingredient which can be meat, chicken, pork, or chorizo to dress the tostada. Then its finally topped with chopped lettuce, tomatoes, sliced or chopped onions, sour cream, cheese and salsa are spread all over the tostada like a pizza or rigid taco. Due to the tostadas being fragile and flat, they tend to break when eaten, so the main topping must be pasty or sticky so the rest of the ingredients will stay on top and not fall when the tostada is eaten.
Tostadas are usually topped with ingredients that are similar to taco fillings, but they can also be topped with seafood like shrimp, chopped octopus, crab, cooked tuna, and ceviche. Tostadas can be cut or crushed into tiny triangles and served as snacks or appetizers, accompanied with guacamole, beans or salsa for dipping.
MexGrocer.com brings you the best quality tostadas so you can make your own at home. If you want to make tasty healthy tostadas use Sanissimo Picaditas Salted and Oven Baked Corn Tostadas, with no conservatives, no cholesterol, no artificial color or flavorings. Who said tostadas had to be only plain? Make yours with Charras tostadas Chipotle and Jalapeno for delicious tostadas with a spicy kick. Make sure to check out Los Pericos Mexican Tostadas and Los Pericos Tostadas Casera for regular tostadas and Charras other tostadas: Natural Yellow made with Mexican corn, natural, crunchy and delicious tostada that must be present at your table, Baked Sesame low in fat, made with 100% natural ingredients, helps lower cholesterol for its high sesame content for those palates who like to enhance their meals, Charras Natural Baked with 100% natural ingredients, low in fat and ideal to be enjoyed with no regrets and Tostada Casera ideal to make delicious tostadas at home and for soupy dishes as they are thick and tough. For your next party, accompany your salsas with Charras Baked Totopos Horneados, they taste like they just came out of the oven, and will make a delicious appetizers your guests will surely enjoy! If you prefer tacos try Casa Fiesta Taco Shells, for an authentic, crunchy and flavorful meal.
Tortilla Chips
Tortilla chips are a thin, crisp piece of snack food made from corn meal that are cut into wedges and are later fried. They are made of corn, salt, vegetable oil and water. Yellow corn is the traditional way Tortilla chips are made, but they can also be made of blue, red or white corn.
Tortilla chips are the complimentary appetizer in Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants, and are served with salsa or some type of dip like guacamole, chili con queso and refried beans.
MexGrocer is proud to bring you the best brands of tortilla chips snacks. For your next party, barbecue, reunion or for watching tv open up a bag of Rancheritos and enjoy the special and unique flavor for the mix of chili powder and mix, you can eat them by themselves or seasoned them with lime and your favorite hot sauce. You like it hot? Then Doritos has the right tortilla chips for you. For a snack that is sure to give a fiery boost of flavor try our Doritos hot brands: Fiery Habanero, Tapatio Salsa Picante Hot Sauce Flavor , Flamas, and Toro Habanero for a fiery flavor that will make your taste buds go up in flames. For a milder snack, but just as delicious check out Doritos Salsa Verde with a zesty flavor that will make you go for more, Spicy Nachos with a tangy cheese flavor you won't be able to put down, Spicy Sweet Chili that gives you a tasty combination of sweet and spicy for a snack that's irresistible, Toasted Corn for a unique great crunch and salty flavor, Doritos collisions Cheesy Enchilada / Sour Cream two flavors in one bag, eat them together for a cheesy enchilada taste with a delicious mix of hot and cool and flavorful spicy pizza taste have Doritos Pizza Supreme 11 and Pizzerolas Pizza Flavored Tortilla Chips.
Another very famous tortilla chip snacks in high demand are Takis by Barcel and MexGrocer has all your favorites. Takis are flavored roll tortilla chips covered with ingredients such as chile, lime and spices. If you love tangy snacks Takis has a delicious variety of tortilla chip snacks that are bursting with flavor, such as hot chili and pepper, Fajita Taco, Guacamole, Fuego, Salsa Brava and Nitro Habanero.
For your next party, barbecue or reunion Tostitos tortilla chips are the ideal snack to enjoy with loved ones or while watching a sports game. Tostitos has a delicious selection of flavors that will keep you craving for more: Scoops, White corn with a hint of lime, Blue Corn, Chipotle, and Garlic & Black bean. Make sure to dip your Tostitos tortilla chips with Tostitos salsas.


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How effective would solar cells be in any particular area of the United States? In this activity, students answer that question by analyzing graphs of incoming solar radiation. Students will download two solar radiation graphs, one based on latitude... (View More) and one based on cloud cover. After transferring that data to the accompanying worksheet, students will determine the areas in the United States best suited for the use of solar cells. Using both an overlay graph and a difference graph, students will determine the practicality of solar cell power for a home in various U.S. locations. This lesson uses student- and citizen science-friendly microsets of authentic NASA Earth system science data from the MY NASA DATA project. It also includes related links, extensions, an online glossary, and a list of related AP Environmental Science topics. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free
In this problem set, learners will calculate the energy consumption of a home in kilowatt-hours (kWh) to answer a series of questions. They will also consider carbon dioxide production associated with that energy consumption. Answer key is provided.... (View More) This is part of Earth Math: A Brief Mathematical Guide to Earth Science and Climate Change. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free


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Seattle Sounders midfielder Steve Zakuani may have signaled his return to full fitness on Sunday as he led the Sounders to a 3-2 victory over the LA Galaxy in Reserve League play at the Starfire Sports Complex.
16 months since suffering a devastating leg injury, Zakuani tallied two goals against the Galaxy -- his first goal since April 9th, 2011 -- before Sammy Ochoa scored the game winner canceling out goals by LA's Jose Villarreal and Michael Stephens. With the result, the Galaxy remain at the top of the Reserve League's West Division with 13 points and a record of 4-2-1. Meanwhile, Seattle remain at the foot of the West division with 7 points and a record of 2-4-1.
The Galaxy reserves return to action on September 4th against the San Jose Earthquakes at the Nutrilite Training Facility. While the Sounders reserves will play their next match on September 9th against Chivas USA at Starfire.
Scoring Summary
LA - Jose Villarreal (Pat Noonan, Mike Stephens) 35'
SEA - Steve Zakuani (Michael Seamon, Sammy Ochoa) 72'
LA - Mike Stephens (unassisted) 78'
SEA - Steve Zakuani (Sammy Ochoa, Marc Burch) 84'
SEA - Sammy Ochoa (Zach Scott) 90'
Seattle Sounders FC: Josh Ford, Zach Scott, Patrick Ianni, Daniel Steres, Marc Burch, Michael Tetteh (Moises Orozco, 81), Servando Carrasco, Michael Seamon, Steve Zakuani (Kyle Bjornethun, 92), Mario Martinez (Dawyne Smith, 67), Sammy Ochoa.
Substitutes Not Used: Bryan Meredith, Jordan Morris, Dominic Dismuke.
Total Shots: 17; Shots on Goal: 5; Fouls: 5; Offside: 3; Corner Kicks: 9; Saves: 6.
LA Galaxy: Brian Perk (Brian Rowe, 46), Oscar Sorto, Brian Gaul (Dan Keat, 70), Andrew Boyens, Tommy Meyer, Kenny Walker (Sebastian Valasquez, 90), Bryan Jordan (Raul Mendiola, 46), Rafael Garcia, Mike Stephens, Pat Noonan (Jack McBean, 77), Jose Villarreal.
Substitutes Not Used: None.
Total Shots: 14; Shots on Goal: 8; Fouls: 10; Offside: 0; Corner Kicks: 3; Saves: 2.
Misconduct Summary: LA - Andrew Boyens (caution; Reckless Tackle) 25' SEA - Patrick Ianni (caution, Reckless Tackle) 56' SEA - Zach Scott (caution; Reckless Tackle) 59'
Referee: Levi Rippy


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Do you have some .wma files that you want to convert to FLAC files so you can listen to them on your phone? Maybe you can only get your favorite song or lecture in the wma format. Fortunately for you, we've put together a simple guide for converting WMA files into FLAC. With WMA to FLAC file converter, you can turn those WMA files into FLACs and be on your way. WMA to FLAC Converter offers you an easy and fast way to convert WMA to FLAC audio with high quality. Audio Transcoder is an advanced WMA to FLAC Converter and Audio CD Ripper with support of various popular audio formats and encoders. It currently converts between MP3, MP2, M4A/M4B/MP4/M4R/ALAC, AIFF, WMA, AC3, Ogg Vorbis, MP3, AAC, WAV and APE formats. People often search for "wma to flac converter online" or "how to convert wma to flac online" without realizing that uncompressed audio files are large in size and by the time you upload, convert and download the files you are better off downloading WMA to FLAC converter on your PC and perform convention locally = 0 second waiting for uploading and downloading. With WMA to FLAC Converter you easily rip your audio CDs to FLAC, FLAC or WMA files for use with your hardware player or convert files that do not play with other audio software. You can even convert whole music libraries retaining the folder and filename structure. The integrated CD ripper supports the CDDB/freedb online CD database. It will automatically query song information and write it to ID3v2 or other title information tags. Have any questions regarding WMA to FLAC Converter? See the below Frequently Asked Questions.
Free download WMA to FLAC Converter, install it and launch it. Then follow the three steps to convert WMA to FLAC.
The first step is to select the files to convert wma to flac. Run WMA to FLAC Convertor and use the Folder Explorer to browse to the files you want to convert. Then select the file in the File List, drag it to the Drop Zone and drop it there. Optionally, the WMA to FLAC Converter allows you to edit the audio tags of any selected file in the Drop Zone.
Once the files are selected, the next step is to select the output settings in WMA to FLAC Converter.
The second step is to select the output settings. To begin, select the folder to save the output file to and choose the action to be executed if the output file already exists - create a new file, overwrite or skip the existing file.
You can also set the WMA to FLAC Converter to delete a source file after conversion and preserve the the original folder structure, when doing batch conversion.
Finally, you should select the output format and audio quality. In the FLAC dialog box, choose the format settings for the final FLAC files. Depending on quality you need, select the bitrate of the file, sample rate and the number of channels. You will probably lose some audio content if you choose the mono option. You can choose what sample rate you want to use. 44.1 kHz (or 44100 Hz) is the sample rate used by audio CDs. Less than that and you'll start to hear the loss in quality.
Once the output settings are customized, you go to the final step - wma to flac conversion.
Click Convert button to start to convert WMA to FLAC or other audio format you desired. A conversion dialog will appear to show the progress of wma to flac conversion. If you want to stop the process, please click Stop button. After the conversion, you can click the Output Folder button to get the converted files and transfer to your iPod, iPad, iPhone, mp3 player or hard driver.
During the turning wma into flac, you can change the priority of the process or set an automatic event to be executed when the conversion is over. After the conversion of wma to flac has finished, you can find the flac files in the output folder you specified.
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A: You can convert your WMA files to the popular FLAC format.
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A: The WMA to FLAC Converter download for PC works on most current Windows operating systems.
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A: Input File Formats: 3G2, 3GP, 3GP2, AAC, AC3, DTS, AIF, AIFF, AMR, APE, CDA, FLAC, M4A, M4B, M4R, MO3, MOD, MP+, MP1, MAC, MP2, MP3, MP4, MPC, OGG, SHN, SPX, TAK, TTA, WAV, WAVE64, WMA, WV, IT, XM, PLS, OFR, OFS, S3M, M3U and CUE. Output File Formats: 3G2 (audio track), 3GP (audio track), AAC, AAC for iPod/iPhone/iPad/iTunes, AC3, AIFF, ALAC (Apple Lossless), FLAC, M4A (MPEG-4 audio), M4B (MPEG-4 audiobook), M4R (iPhone ringtone), MP2, MPC, MP3, MP4 (audio track), APE, OGG, WAV, WMA and any ACM Encoder.
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A: People Convert WMA files To FLAC format for various purpose, however, most of them Convert WMA for the two common ones, first the WMA files are too large, they want to save some space, second their portable devices do not recognize WMA format at all, but these devices are capable of playing FLAC files without any compatibility issues.
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A: NO. Since FLAC is a lossless audio format, converting any audio formats (e.g. WMA) to FLAC is a quality-lossless process
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Under Programs click the Uninstall a Program link.
Select "WMA to FLAC Converter" and right click, then select Uninstall/Change.
Click "Yes" to confirm the uninstallation.
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Click the Add or Remove Programs icon.
Click on "WMA to FLAC Converter", then click "Remove/Uninstall."
Click "Yes" to confirm the uninstallation.
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Click "Start"
Click on "Control Panel"
Double-click the "Add/Remove Programs" icon.
Select "WMA to FLAC Converter" and right click, then select Uninstall/Change.
Click "Yes" to confirm the uninstallation.
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A: It's easy! Just click the WMA to FLAC Converter download button at the page. Clicking this link will start the installer to download WMA to FLAC Converter free for Windows.
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A: A: Windows Media Audio (WMA) is the name of a series of audio codecs and their corresponding audio coding formats developed by Microsoft. It is a proprietary technology that forms part of the Windows Media framework. Microsoft developed Windows Media Audio in an effort to undermine the MP3, Apple's AAC compression, and other codecs. Since its initial introduction, the format has grown to support a range of audio types beyond compressed audio — from high-fidelity audio and multi-channel surround sound, to a compression algorithm specifically tailored for the human voice. WMA consists of four distinct codecs. The original WMA codec, known simply as WMA, was conceived as a competitor to the popular MP3 and RealAudio codecs. WMA Pro, a newer and more advanced codec, supports multichannel and high resolution audio. A lossless codec, WMA Lossless, compresses audio data without loss of audio fidelity (the regular WMA format is lossy). WMA Voice, targeted at voice content, applies compression using a range of low bit rates. Microsoft has also developed a digital container format called Advanced Systems Format to store audio encoded by WMA. Even though Microsoft claims it is able to deliver the same quality as MP3 at half the bitrates, that statement is certainly false. A more realistic number would be same quality at around 25% smaller bitrates - and that applies to low bitrates only. At 128kbps, it is easily beaten by Lame. However, while WMA still remains widely used today, the proprietary codec pales in comparison to MP3 and other digital formats. If you listen to music on anything remotely similar to an iPod, you'll likely have to convert your WMA files into a more accessible format before enjoying your tunes.
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A: FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec, an audio format similar to MP3, but lossless, meaning that audio is compressed in FLAC without any loss in quality. This is similar to how Zip works, except with FLAC you will get much better compression because it is designed specifically for audio, and you can play back compressed FLAC files in your favorite player (or your car or home stereo, see supported devices) just like you would an MP3 file. Notable features of FLAC: Lossless: The encoding of audio (PCM) data incurs no loss of information, and the decoded audio is bit-for-bit identical to what went into the encoder. Each frame contains a 16-bit CRC of the frame data for detecting transmission errors. The integrity of the audio data is further insured by storing an MD5 signature of the original unencoded audio data in the file header, which can be compared against later during decoding or testing. Fast: FLAC is asymmetric in favor of decode speed. Decoding requires only integer arithmetic, and is much less compute-intensive than for most perceptual codecs. Real-time decode performance is easily achievable on even modest hardware. Hardware support: FLAC is supported by dozens of consumer electronic devices, from portable players, to home stereo equipment, to car stereo. Flexible metadata: FLAC's metadata system supports tags, cover art, seek tables, and cue sheets. Applications can write their own APPLICATION metadata once they register an ID. New metadata blocks can be defined and implemented in future versions of FLAC without breaking older streams or decoders. Seekable: FLAC supports fast sample-accurate seeking. Not only is this useful for playback, it makes FLAC files suitable for use in editing applications. Streamable: Each FLAC frame contains enough data to decode that frame. FLAC does not even rely on previous or following frames. FLAC uses sync codes and CRCs (similar to MPEG and other formats), which, along with framing, allow decoders to pick up in the middle of a stream with a minimum of delay. Suitable for archiving: FLAC is an open format, and there is no generation loss if you need to convert your data to another format in the future. In addition to the frame CRCs and MD5 signature, flac has a verify option that decodes the encoded stream in parallel with the encoding process and compares the result to the original, aborting with an error if there is a mismatch. Convenient CD archiving: FLAC has a "cue sheet" metadata block for storing a CD table of contents and all track and index points. For instance, you can rip a CD to a single file, then import the CD's extracted cue sheet while encoding to yield a single file representation of the entire CD. If your original CD is damaged, the cue sheet can be exported later in order to burn an exact copy. Error resistant: Because of FLAC's framing, stream errors limit the damage to the frame in which the error occurred, typically a small fraction of a second worth of data. Contrast this with some other lossless codecs, in which a single error destroys the remainder of the stream. FLAC is a format that is recommended to those backing up a CD collection because the sound quality will remain high, whereas MP3 compression will result in a deterioration compared to the original. The main benefits of a FLAC file in addition to it being lossless is that it can be used for streaming, and decoding is fast, allowing for real time decoding to take place.
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Sam Struss tops the Lady Flames with 19 assists on the season.
Seeking their third consecutive Big South road victory, the Liberty Lady Flames will make the short trek to face the Longwood Lancers on Saturday. The game is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. at the Longwood Athletics Complex. The match will be the final regular-season game for both the Lady Flames and the Lancers, before the 2013 Big South Lacrosse Championship begins on April 26.
How to Follow the Lady Flames Live stats for Saturday's game will be available by clicking the live stats link on the lacrosse schedule/results page on LibertyFlames.com. Live stats will be provided courtesy of the Longwood Media Relations department.
A Look at Liberty Saturday's match against the Lancers will wrap up a four-game stretch of away contests for the Lady Flames, all coming against Big South opponents. Liberty is 2-1 during the stretch after collecting a pair of victories this past weekend. On Friday, the Lady Flames edged Coastal Carolina, 7-6, before winning a thrilling double-overtime affair, 12-11, at Winthrop on Sunday. The two victories evened Liberty's overall record on the season at 8-8 and upped its Big South mark to 4-2. The Lady Flames' eight overall victories this season is a new single-season program record, besting the 2011 total of six wins. Sunday's defeat of the Eagles clinched one of the top four seeds in the upcoming Big South Lacrosse Championship for the Lady Flames.
Offensively, Liberty is paced by Sam Struss (16 goals, 19 assists) and Kallie Britton (20 goals, 15 assists), who have 35 points each. Britton is one of four Lady Flames with 20 or more goals on the season. Morgan Becker leads the team with 24 markers, while Nina Dunay and Jen Freymond have 23 and 22 goals, respectively.
Freymond is the team-leader in ground balls with 42, just one ahead of Chloe McIntosh's 41. Freymond has 27 caused turnovers on the year to top the Lady Flames, while ranking second to Jen Moyer (47) in draw controls with 41.
Goalkeeper Kristen Masullo was recently tabbed the Big South Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week for her effort in Liberty's two wins this past weekend. On the season, Masullo has recorded 133 saves, while allowing 141 goals for a Big South-leading save percentage of .485. The junior ranks second in the conference in goals-against average at 9.82.
Lady Flames Among Big South and NCAA Leaders Big South (as of 4/17/13) Assists/Game: Sam Struss (8th/1.19) Ground Balls/Game: Jen Freymond (3rd/2.62), Chloe McIntosh (4th/2.56) Free-Position Goals/Game: Morgan Becker (T8th/0.38) Draw Controls/Game: Jen Moyer (3rd/2.94), Jen Freymond (4th/2.56) Caused Turnovers/Game: Jen Freymond (2nd/1.69), Nina Dunay (7th/1.19), Chloe McIntosh (9th/1.06) Goals Against Average: Kristen Masullo (2nd/9.82) Save Percentage: Kristen Masullo (1st/.485) Saves/Game: Kristen Masullo (2nd/8.31)
NCAA (as of 4/14/13) Ground Balls/Game: Jen Freymond (22nd/2.63) Saves: Kristen Masullo (5th/133) Saves/Game: Kristen Masullo (17th/8.31) Save Percentage: Kristen Masullo (7th/.485)
A Look at Longwood The Lancers hold a 9-7 (4-2 Big South) overall record on the season, including a 5-2 mark in home contests. In its most recent game, Longwood was held to its second-lowest goal total of the year in a 7-6 setback at American, Wednesday.
Longwood has the second-highest scoring offense in the Big South, averaging 12.81 goals per game. The Lancers top the league in points per game with an average of 19.81. Lauren Prasnicki boasts a team-best 66 points (23 goals, 43 assists) on the year. Entering the week, the junior ranked seventh in the nation in total points. Katie McHugh and Jamie Brentlinger pace the Lancers in goals with 43 and 42, respectively. Kathleen Battle tops the squad in both ground balls (38) and caused turnovers (26), while Mary Barondess has a team-high 37 draw controls on the season.
In between the pipes, Christian Acker has started 12 of the Lancers' 16 contests this season. Acker is surrendering an average of 12.56 goals per game. The goalkeeper holds a .415 save percentage, registering 97 saves and allowing 137 scores.
Looking Ahead The Lady Flames will travel to Davidson on Friday for the semifinals of the 2013 Big South Lacrosse Championship. Liberty's opponent and game time has yet to be determined.
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Liquid Handling is used in automated pipetting, dispensing and microplate processing. Robotic automation makes multichannel liquid handling a high-throughput and walk-away technique. Features of liquid handling platforms / systems include accurate XY positioning of microplates, interchangeable or fixed pipette head tips, ultra low volume dispensing, robotic arms, software and programming.


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I'm usually pretty relaxed about people's kinks. Whatever goes on in their bedroom is generally no concern of mine. You like transexual midgets dressed up as characters from early-90s cartoons? Bully for you, here's a shemale dwarf dressed as Storm from the X-Men cartoon! However, there's a very distinct continuum, from eyebrow raising, to "that must be fun to explain at family dinners" to "brain bleach required" and peaking at "how are you still allowed to live in society?" Lets have a look at some that cover the entire range of oddity.
17. Balloon Fetish
The balloon fetish can span a couple of different specifics. Some people like seeing others rubbing themselves against balloons, or maybe popping them. Some like watching people inflate them until they explode. Others like super-huge ones that you can stick your head inside. I'm not really sure why people are attracted to this, but in my mind, I'm sure there's a link between balloons and breasts. Big, shiny, really light breasts. From that, you can kind of see why people rubbing against them might be hot. But then popping them? Huh, well at least it's harmless.
16. Vore
Vore should be much creepier than it is, but since it's entirely imaginary, it stays pretty early on the list. Voraphiles get off on the concept of being swallowed whole. Luckily, there aren't many creatures on this planet that could actually do that (whales, maybe? Certainly nothing on land.) There, they will be happily comforted and surrounded by the warm linings of the stomach, while slowly digested alive by stomach acid. Sarlacc pit anyone? As someone who is slightly claustrophobic, the concept of being utterly surrounded and digested scares the hell out of me. I can kind of understand the basis of this. It's like being spooned, but from all sides. I'm sure there's also a desire to return to the womb tucked into the fetish too, something unbirthers take seriously, as they want to get sucked back up the vajayjay.
15. Mpreg
Usually, fucked up fetishes get blamed on guys, and their crazy sex drives. You know what? Mpreg is entirely the fault of the ladies. An evolution of gay slash pairings found in fanfiction, some squeeing fangirl somehow decided the next logical step was for one side of the lucky couple to get pregnant. Blame it on magic, mutation, aliens, or just don't bother explaining it. Somehow, Snape is carrying Harry's baby. Or Wolverine's belly swells with Nightcrawler's kid. To channel Morbo for a moment "BIOLOGY DOES NOT WORK THAT WAY! GOODNIGHT!"
14. Quicksand, Pedal Pumping, Tickle Bondage, Women in Distress in general
These all fall under the general umbrella of "damsels in distress", but often expressed in very specific ways. So you start with the basic concept of helpless women, who may or may not need rescuing. Some people seem to enjoy the prospect of the damsels being saved, others get off on the distress itself. The peril they're involved with is then fetish-specific. The quicksand fetish has people trapped in a hazard that never really existed outside of serial films in the 50s. Tickle bondage is women tied up and then…well…tickled. Huh. Pedal pumping is even weirder, as it's an odd combination of foot and leg fetishism, women in distress, and cars. Good lord, it's like someone took the whole stupid "women can't drive" joke, and made it all about sex. Yeah, these videos are women trying to use their cars, and fucking up royally. Pumping the gas pedal, revving the engine, stalled cars, working the brakes. Slightly demeaning, but generally harmless, I suppose. Until someone starts sabotaging cars in order to get their jollies.
13. Wet and Messy/Splosh
This fetish oddly seems almost completely tied to the British Isles. It's women smearing food and dirty things all over their bodies. Getting custard dumped over their head. Baked beans down the panties. Sitting on pies. All that sort of stuff. Essentially, they take the idea of licking chocolate sauce off your loved one, and takes it to a ludicrous extreme. Sometimes called splosh, sometimes "wet and messy", it always involves goopy fluids on a lady. Like I said, it seems to be mostly British, though you could probably link it to Japanese lotion play — though the latter is more closely linked to approximating ejaculate than the former. Oddly, "wet and messy" stuff has almost no content that would be considered traditional pornography, and definitely doesn't involve urine or feces. It tends to be specific to foodstuff.
12. Gut Flopping
Femdom+masochism+BBW=gut flopping. A heavily obese woman comes up to you, usually on all fours, and drops her belly on you with full force. It combines the pain and control of your run of the mill dominatrix with the obsession and fetishization of fat that accompanies chubby chasers and feeders. The scariest thing about this fetish in particular, is the potential for damage. These ladies are large. Their stomachs are large. They're hitting your back with a significant amount of speed and force, and you're in a position where there's not much support. Imagine someone dropping a bag of oranges on your back, while you're in that position. Yeah…that's all kinds of screwed up.
11. Salirophilia
"Hey handsome, I've got a really dirty outfit to show you…"
"The fuck? This is just a blouse smeared with mud!"
Welcome to the world of salirophilia — the dirtying of clean things. Smeared dirt, mud, ripped and ill-fitting outfits. The person doesn't get hurt, they just get…filthy. As in, actually filthy. Her mussed, makeup smeared, clothes torn. I suppose this makes sense, as an extension of the "just fucked" look, ripping off clothes to get at someone? Or as a kind of objectification/demeaning S&M thing? But then it it goes into even weirder territories. Apparently it sometimes turns into people getting off on defacing pictures and statues of famous and beautiful people. Yup, there's nothing sexier than scrawling marker all over a poster of a movie star. I'm getting all hot and bothered just thinking about it.
10. Mucophilia and Nasophilia
I just don't get these ones. Fetishes and fascination with mucus and noses. What? At least with urine and feces, I can abstractly understand what's going on there. I suppose they both come from extremely sexualized organs? Or perhaps a fetishization of the disallowed and filthy? But snot? An orifice completely non-sexual? A bodily fluid associated with being ill? What? Do they look at girls passing on the street, and say "check out the nose on her!"?
9. Amputation Fetish
I'm going to make a distinction with this. I'm not talking about people afflicted with Apotemnophilia, who suffer a form of body integrity disorder, and feel the compulsion to remove a limb. Rather, it's people who are drawn to the remains of what was once a healthy limb. Is it an evolved form of damsels in distress? Getting turned on by people with disabilities who are helpless? There's certainly something to be said for amputees and otherwise disabled people reclaiming their sexuality — but the people who exclusively get turned on by this? That's weird. I'm sorry guys, but when you're starting to lust over someone just because they don't have the physical ability to escape you? Yeah…
8. Masking
You know what's super hot? How in Mission: Impossible, they'd pull of the mask, and it would be someone completely different! Now, imagine if it was a guy dressed up as a girl! And the mask was a less convincing version of what the Wayans Brothers wore in White Girls. Welcome to the utterly batfuck crazy world of masking. Where putting on a plastic mask vaguely resembling a woman is all of a sudden very, very hot. I have no issue at all with crossdressers, or traps in general. Just the moment you put on a fake face? That crosses a very distinct line. I know that some Japanese folk like to wear masks to look like anime characters, and that I can deal with, as they're not meant to look normal or real. They're cartoons, right? But maskers? They try and look like real women, but are so deep in the uncanny valley, they'd give the conductor of the Polar Express the heebie jeebies. I'm sorry gentlemen, you terrify the utter hell out of me.
7. Formicophilia
Imagine the feeling of a beetle, crawling up your inner thigh. Or ants, swarming over your lower back, thousands of prickly legs all over you. Did that turn you on? Congratulations, you have formicophilia, you sick bastard. You enjoy the feeling of insects and worms, crawling, climbing and sliding all over your body. Hell, you probably even enjoy them stinging. Do I need to explain why this is screwed up? And terrifying? Just thinking about it makes me want to grab a can of Raid, and coat every inch of my house in the most toxic chemicals man can devise. I flip out if a moth flies past me at night, and I can't get to sleep after. You enjoy that? I'm pretty sure that means you've resigned from the human race.
6. Symphorophilia
You know something ain't right when your idea of a sexy movie is Titanic — an only because you like the part where the boat sinks. Symphorophiles get off on watching accidents and disasters, like earthquakes and car crashes. David Cronenberg made a movie on the topic in 1996, starring James Spader, about people who could only get off by reenacting car accidents. I'm sorry, there's not a lot I can think to say here. These people get their rocks off from death and destruction. From horrible acts of tragedy and god. That's just wrong.
5. Plushies
You know what a plushie is? They take stuffed animals, and add vaginas to them. So they can fuck them. That's right, they have sex with stuffed animals. What the fuck? Seriously? That's quite possibly the worst thing humanly imaginable. You take one of the purest, most un-sexual objects in creation, and stick your cock in it? That's horrible. Utterly, utterly horrible. I don't mind that you have a fursuit, or a fursona. I don't care that you actually believe that you're a reincarnated weredragonfairy. I really, really don't give a crap who you want to yiff. But you have sex with stuffed animals? No. Not cool. Fuck right off.
4. Hybristophilia
Take the widespread womanly love of "bad boys" to its unnatural extreme and you get hybristophilia — the arousal of people causing violent crime. Commonly known as Bonnie and Clyde syndrome, it's the reason mass murderers get letters in the joint, and groupies to shag them on conjugal visits. You know what? It's actually kind of common, at least on the fantasy level. You think Heath Ledger was darkly sexy as the Joker? Gary Oldman in Leon? Johnny Depp in Once Upon A Time In Mexico? Guess what, you're a low level hybristophile! Which isn't so bad, until you spring a serial killer from jail, and proceed to go at it like weasels in heat while carving a bloody path down the country, trying to get to Mexico.
3. Pyrophilia
There are two types of pyromaniacs: those who get a rush from the flames, and those that get off on it. Can you guess which type falls on this list? People who suffer this disease get sexual gratification from starting fires. Going camping with these guys would be just about the freakiest thing imaginable. "Hey Bob…why are you looking at the fire that way?" Or bringing a date home, for a romantic cuddle in front of a log fire, before rapidly devolving into humping a burning log? Can you imagine trying to explain the burn marks to your doctor? "She was so sexy, with the sparks, and licks of flame! I just couldn't help myself!". Seriously though, if you're at the point where you're lighting things on fire to get off, you've gone from fetish to needing psychological help.
2. Zoosadism
Bestiality is wrong. That's pretty screwed up. But combine that with people who enjoy inflicting pain and you get a special kind of heinous. Zoosadism: deriving pleasure from torturing animals. There's a special level in hell for these people, because there is nothing I can imagine more horrific than hurting an animal for your own pleasure. Have you heard about crush videos? Where women in heels trample small animals to death? Can you actually imagine the point in your life, where you think "I know, I want to masturbate to a baby mouse being killed"? My rage at the very basic principle here is so complete, that I'm just about incoherent. There is nothing at all redeemable about anyone who practices this. Sorry, but you're one of the worst possible things a human can be.
1. Autassassinophilia and Erotophonophilia
So what in the world could possibly be worse than what we covered above? Only a fetish with the very real possibility of someone dying in the act. Autassassinophiles are turned on by the chance they might die during sex; erotophonophiles get off on murder. A perfect combination, no? This isn't just like enjoying getting choked while in bed, this is a real, actual and physical threat of their own demise. Or on the flip side, the serial killer-ish sexual arousal from the murders of others. These people are a serious danger to themselves and others. Yeah, that's totally hot.