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Thanks to all the SoSG readers who submitted questions. Due to space and time (continuum) constraints, we pulled one question from each submitter and here is the final list of questions. Sons, feel free to add your comments throughout the day; readers, feel free to opine on their responses or in general; the debate thread closes at midnight.
1. Dr. Geek: Zombies: fast, slow, or dancing?
2. Neeeebs: If you were on a desert island with Dusty (SOSG commentor), RBNLAW, Mr. Customer, and Neeebs, which one would you kill and eat if you were starving and there was no more food?
3. What Difference Does It Make: Two-part question; first: Ho w bad do you want to stay on; second, what lengths are you willing to go to keep it?
4. Loney Fan: If your significant other had Benjamin Button disease, at what age would you stop having sex with him/her?
5. Mr. Customer: Three-part question: 1) What is your name? 2) What is your quest? 3) What is your favourite colour?
6. Karina: will Harrison Ford and Joe Mauer make the front page again?
7. Paul: Favorite Manilow song?
8. Quadsevens: How do you order your scotch?
9. Jason: Ned calls and offers you the opportunity to put together a contract offer to a free agent. Within reasonable constraints, what is your offer and to whom?
10. Dusty Baker: Who is your favorite minor Simpsons character and why?
11. Mr. LA Sports Fan: You are trapped at the end of a tunnel. A horde of Giants fans are pursuing you. You find three weapons at your disposal: an Atlas of the country Tanzania, the lost memoirs of Rutherford B. Hayes, and a figure made out of fusilli pasta shaped like Jerry Seinfeld. What do you use to make your escape, and how?
12. Fanerman: Though you try to keep your lightsaber as a keepsake/lockpick, it is eventually confiscated from you. On what non-lightsaber weapon do you decide to spend your severance-package credits?
There you have it, Sons! Answer at will.


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Stop arbitrary power cold
Nip the shoots of arbitrary power in the bud, is the only maxim which can ever preserve the liberties of any people. When the people give way, their deceivers, betrayers, and destroyers press upon them so fast, that there is no resisting afterwards. The nature of the encroachment upon the American constitution is such, as to grow every day more and more encroaching. Like a cancer, it eats faster and faster every hour. The revenue creates pensioners, and the pensioners urge for more revenue. The people grow less steady, spirited, and virtuous, the seekers more numerous and more corrupt, and every day increases the circles of their dependents and expectants, until virtue, integrity, public spirit, simplicity, and frugality, become the objects of ridicule and scorn, and vanity, luxury, foppery, selfishness, meanness, and downright venality swallow up the whole society.

subset: commoncrawl


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No more spiders! I wouldn't want to torture poor VeggieGirl anymore. Now I'm going through a ghost phase, so we're having sweet ghosts today and probably savory dinner-ghosts tomorrow.
These were originally going to be pumpkin pudding pies, but my mother in law brought us some delicious strawberries and who I am I to say no to strawberry pudding pie? Sorry, no official recipe this time. I was chatting away and not paying attention to what I was doing, so the amount of arrowroot powder that I used for this pudding is a complete mystery.
Anyway, the general idea is to line individual mini pie/tart pans with graham crust, or shortbread crust, or whatever crust floats your boat. Fill the (baked) crusts with your favorite pudding, and chill for about an hour. And by "chill" I mean chill the pies, it doesn't mean that you should sit back and have some wine and listen to Kenny G with your cat napping on your lap. Although that sounds pretty good too! :)
See? I'm chatting away and not paying attention to the pies again. Once you and your pies have chilled, use a pastry bag to squeeze out a little cone-shaped vegan whipped cream or buttercream in the middle of each pie. There you have your little ghosts, now draw the eyes and mouths with some melted chocolate chips. Done.
See the little ghost in the little bowl in the background? That's just a ghost sitting on leftover pudding because I ended up with more pudding than crust. They are good like that too though, just the pudding and the ghost.
These would be cute made in a muffin pan as really tiny pies too. Speaking of cute, check out Shellyfish's spook-tastic Scary Skeleton Cookies and Kittee's awesome Halloween Sushi!


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15 Wege, dein Start-up an die Wand zu fahren. Und 15 Regeln, es nicht zu tun
by Söldner, Richard
More Information
Hanser Fachbuch
Hanser Publishers represents a wide range of products and concentrates at the same time on clearly defined target groups: Engineers and Technicians in training and at work in the following fields: Metalworking, Plastics Technology, Electrical engineering and Electronics, Computers, Economy and Management. Our portfolio has a range from Journals, Books, Training Books and electronic media up to seminars and conferences in German and in English language. Additionally Hanser provides information for different branches in the World Wide Web. Hanser Publishers also provides 25 Journals and about 200 new books each year. The whole backlist of books counts up to about 2,000 titles. With this amount of Books and Journals Hanser Publishers is one of the leading Publishing Houses in Germany. Our success mainly derives from the high quality of our products and content, from the expertise of our staff and their ability to identify new trends and products. Our strong and close ties to the industry and leading research institutes are the basis for a close cooperation with our authors. Supported by synergies of our books, journals, seminars and the World Wide Web we are accompanying our authors from their first discover of new technologies in form of an article in one of our journals till the maturity of a technology in form of an uptodate handbook. Characteristic for Hanser Publishers are its numerous cooperations with partners in Germany and other countries. The Journal "Kunststoffe" for example is the official Publication of the VDI-Society, the leading society of engineers in Germany. Our Journal "Qualität und Zuverlässigkeit" is the official publication of the "Deutsche Gesellschaft für Qualität (DGQ)". Also the Books are made in close cooperation with leading companies, associations and Universities.
View all titlesBibliographic Information
- Publisher Hanser, Carl, Verlag GmbH & Co. KG
- Publication Date October 2019
- ISBN/Identifier 9783446463059
- FormatEbook
- Publish StatusPublished
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Brighten your room with a picture from our stylish framed print range. We can mount your favourite photo from Picture Nottingham in one of our contemporary picture frames in black, white or oak. Wall art is the quick and easy way to add colour and personality to your home. We print and frame our photos in the UK.
If you can improve our knowledge about this image we'd be happy to hear from you. Please contact us here
Our framed wall art is available in a choice of sizes, orientation and three frame colours. The photo is printed on semi-gloss photo paper and the frame is completed with an acrylic front.
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Enjoy the benefits of LED without replacing existing fluorescent fixtures. LED tubes provide unmatched quality in both color rendering and consistency and can last up to 3 times longer than traditional fluorescent tubes.
Enjoy the benefits of LED lamps without costly fixture retrofits. LED lamp bulbs provide unmatched longevity and color rendering while operating at a fraction of the cost of traditional fluorescent or HID lamps.
Classic incandescent lamps still provide a familiar and comforting temperature that many people grew up with and still enjoy.
High Intensity Discharge (HID) lamps are favored for their energy efficiency and ease of maintenance. HID lamps are great for large outdoor spaces such as stadiums, warehouses, and institutional spaces.
More efficient and sharing the same aesthetics, halogen lamps can be an efficient alternative to incandescent. Halogen lamps are most commonly found in both residential and commercial applications.
Fluorescent tubes are one of the most popular and widely used lighting options because of their affordability and efficiency. Linear fluorescent tubes can be found in almost any application.
The successor of traditional incandescent, compact fluorescent lamps are used in everything from residential to commercial applications because of their long life and energy efficiency.
Fusion ballast systems are designed and engineered to provide optimal energy efficient solutions to everyday lighting applications.
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This block also works great in a scrappy rainbow quilt. This layout makes me want to dig into my scrap bins right now!
My block can work fabulously showing off your favorite fabric collection, too. Here, I'm showing it using Denyse Schmidt's Shelburne Falls line, due to hit shops later this fall.
Pssst....would you like to win a copy of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks, Volume 6 for yourself? There's tons of beautiful blocks in it, I highly recommend it. Leave me a comment here, and the winner will receive a copy of the newest volume of Quiltmaker's 100 Blocks as well as my newest pattern, Sea of Stars, which will be released tomorrow! Please be sure to come back to see it :) Entries will be accepted through midnight EST Friday, November 9th, and I will announce the winner on that same day.
Have a wonderful Monday!


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HONOLULU (AP) — Officials say a 16-year-old boy is "lucky to be alive" and unharmed after flying from California to Hawaii stowed away in a plane's wheel well, surviving cold temperatures at 38,000 feet and a lack of oxygen.
"Doesn't even remember the flight," FBI spokesman Tom Simon in Honolulu told The Associated Press on Sunday night. "It's amazing he survived that."
The boy was questioned by the FBI after being discovered on the tarmac at the Maui airport Sunday morning with no identification, Simon said.
"Kid's lucky to be alive," Simon said.
Simon said security footage from the San Jose airport verified that the boy from Santa Clara, Calif., hopped a fence to get to Hawaiian Airlines Flight 45 on Sunday morning.
The boy scaled the fence under the cover of darkness and remained undetected as he crossed the airport ramp, San Jose airport spokeswoman Rosemary Barnes said. San Jose police say they will be reviewing whether charges are warranted against the boy.
The child had run away from his family after an argument, Simon said. Simon said when the Boeing 767 landed in Maui, the boy hopped down from the wheel well and started wandering around the airport grounds.
"He was unconscious for the lion's share of the flight," Simon said. The flight lasted about 5 1/2 hours.
Hawaiian Airlines spokeswoman Alison Croyle said airline personnel noticed the boy on the ramp after the flight arrived and immediately notified airport security.
"Our primary concern now is for the well-being of the boy, who is exceptionally lucky to have survived," Croyle said.
A photo taken by a Maui News photographer shows the boy sitting upright on a stretcher as authorities get ready to load him into an ambulance.
Simon said the boy was medically screened and found to be unharmed.
His misadventure immediately raised security questions. A congressman who serves on the Homeland Security committee wondered how the teen could have sneaked onto the airfield at San Jose unnoticed.
"I have long been concerned about security at our airport perimeters. #Stowaway teen demonstrates vulnerabilities that need to be addressed," tweeted Rep. Eric Swalwell, a Democrat who represents the San Francisco Bay Area's eastern cities and suburbs.
Barnes said Mineta San Jose International Airport's security program exceeds federal requirements, but no system is 100 percent secure.
Airport police were working with the FBI and the Transportation Security Administration to review security at the facility as part of an investigation, Barnes said.
"Our concern is with this young boy and his family. Thank God he survived and we hope his health is OK," she said.
Officials at Kahului Airport referred questions to the State Department of Transportation, which did not return a phone call seeking comment. A TSA spokesman who declined to be named referred questions to the FBI and airport authorities.
The boy was released to child protective services and not charged with a crime, Simon said.
In August, a 13- or 14-year-old boy in Nigeria survived a 35-minute trip in the wheel well of a domestic flight after stowing away. Authorities credited the flight's short duration and altitude of about 25,000. Others stowing away in wheel wells have died, including a 16-year-old killed after stowing away aboard a flight from Charlotte, N.C., to Boston in 2010 and a man who fell onto a suburban London street as a flight from Angola began its descent in 2012.


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Serena Williams dispatched Francesca Schiavone, 6-0, 6-1, in the first round of the U.S. Open Monday night, in a game played under the lights at Arthur Ashe Stadium in New York.
With the win, Serena Williams, 31, joined her older sister Venus in the second round — only the second time this year that both players have advanced past the opening round of a Grand Slam event. That last happened in the Australian Open, seven months ago.
Faced with a dominant performance by the world No. 1 Serena Williams — and facing yet another break point in their match — Schiavone at one point jokingly took comfort on the court by seeking, and receiving, a hug from a ball boy along the court's back line.
Venus Williams, 33, advanced by beating Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium, 6-1, 6-2, Monday. In a sign of where the former world No. 1 player is in terms of her health and career, Williams' win over the 12-seeded Flipkens is seen as an upset. She lost to Flipkens in Toronto earlier this month.
In May, Venus lost in the first round of the French Open, her last major tournament. She withdrew from Wimbledon shortly before the tournament began earlier this summer, blaming problems with her back. She has also struggled with a lack of energy and other problems stemming from Sjogren's Syndrome, an autoimmune disease that causes joint pain and other ailments.
"I stay positive because I know I can play great tennis. Sometimes you just have to go through more than what you want to go through," Venus Williams said after Monday's match. "Sometimes you have to have losses."
In the second round, Venus will face Jie Zheng of China. Serena will be matched with Kazakhstan's Galina Voskoboeva. The two sisters are also entered to play doubles at this year's Open.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Employer supported childcare, commonly by way of childcare voucher, is for many employers and employees a tax and national insurance efficient perk. We consider the implications of this type of benefit on the employer and employee. This tax free benefit is being phased out from 4 October 2018. The scheme is being replaced with Tax-Free Childcare.
The workplace nurseries exemption was introduced many years ago. This exempts from tax and NIC the provision to an employee of a place in a nursery at the workplace or in a facility wholly or partly financed and managed by the employer.
Whilst these sorts of arrangements are not that common, the later introduction of a limited tax and NIC exemption for employer-contracted childcare and employer-provided childcare vouchers has been very popular with both employers and employees alike.
Salary sacrifice
Many employers use these childcare exemptions as part of salary sacrifice arrangements; for example, the employee gives up pay, which is taxable and NIC-able, in return for childcare vouchers, which are not. This may save tax and NIC for the employee and NIC for the employer. Such arrangements can be attractive; however care needs to be taken when implementing a scheme to ensure that it is set up correctly. Also, for those on low rates of pay, such arrangements may not be appropriate.
How much childcare can be provided tax and NIC free?
This depends on when the employee joined the employer's scheme. For those who joined the employer's scheme prior to 6 April 2011 the limit is currently £55 a week.
If the employer-contracted care exceeds £55 per week the excess will be a benefit in kind and subject to Class 1A NICs. However, with vouchers, although any excess is also a benefit in kind it is subject to Class 1 NICs via the payroll. As the tax and NIC issues are complex many employers limit their employees' potential entitlement to a maximum of the exempt limit (currently £55 a week).
The exempt limit applies to the full face value, rather than the cost, of providing a childcare voucher, which would normally include an administration fee.
An employee is only entitled to one exempt amount even if care is provided for more than one child but it does not matter that another person may also be entitled to an exempt amount in respect of the same child. As always, there are various conditions to meet but these rules have led to many employers providing such care, particularly childcare vouchers, to their employees.
What about those who join a scheme from 6 April 2011 onwards?
The limit on the amount of exempt income associated with childcare vouchers and employer-contracted childcare for employees joining an employer's scheme will be restricted in cases where an employee's earnings and taxable benefits are liable to tax at the higher or additional rate.
Anyone already in a scheme before 6 April 2011 is not affected by these changes as long as they remain within the same scheme.
What do employers have to do?
To identify the rate of tax an individual employee pays in any one tax year, an employer needs to carry out a 'basic earnings assessment' for any employee who joins an employer-provided childcare scheme on or after 6 April 2011.
Employers who offer or provide employer childcare are required, at the beginning of the relevant tax year, to estimate the 'employment income amount' that the employee is likely to receive during that year.
This is basically the contractual salary and benefits package (not discretionary bonuses or overtime) less the personal allowance if appropriate.
Employers must keep a record of the basic earnings assessment. These records do not need to be sent to HMRC but must be available for inspection by HMRC if required.
The employer must re-estimate the 'employment income amount' for each tax year.
What is the position for the employee?
For 2018/19, the personal allowance for most employees is £11,850 and the basic rate limit will be £34,500, a combined figure of £46,350. The higher rate limit is £150,000.
If the level of estimated earnings and taxable benefits is equal to or below the equivalent of the sum of personal allowances and the basic rate limit for the year, the employee will be entitled to relief on £55 exempt income for each qualifying week.
If the level of estimated earnings and taxable benefits exceeds the equivalent of the sum of personal allowances and the basic rate limit for the year as above, but falls below the limit at which tax becomes payable at the 45% rate limit for the year, the employee is entitled to relief on £28 exempt income for each qualifying week.
If the level of estimated earnings and taxable benefits exceeds the equivalent of the additional tax rate limit for the year, the employee is entitled to relief on £25 exempt income for each qualifying week.
Similar rules apply for NIC purposes.
As the employer has to estimate the employee's tax position each year, the amount of exempt income they can receive may change throughout their period of employment.
New starters
The rules are modified where employees join the scheme part way through a tax year. In that case, the earnings review has to be carried out at the point of joining. Basically, the joining employee's salary and taxable benefits need to be pro-rated upwards to estimate the notional annual earnings figure for the employee.
Gaps in payment
An employee can ask to stop receiving childcare vouchers temporarily whilst staying in the employer's scheme; for example, if an employee only works during school term time and doesn't need the vouchers during the school holidays. Basically, as long as the gap in providing the vouchers doesn't exceed 12 months the employee can still be classed as an existing member of the employer's scheme.
This also applies to employees who are on maternity leave, sick leave and those who wish to take a career break, provided that the total length of absence does not exceed 12 months.
Further information
HMRC have provided many questions and answers on their website to help both employees and employers and these can be viewed at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/employer-supported-childcare
Tax-Free Childcare scheme
The government has introduced Tax-Free Childcare (TFC) a new tax incentives for childcare.
The relief is 20% of the costs of childcare up to total childcare costs of £10,000 per child per year. The scheme will therefore be worth a maximum of £2,000 per child (£4,000 for a disabled child). All children under 12 (up to 17 for children with disabilities) are eligible.
To qualify for Tax-Free Childcare all parents in the household must generally meet a minimum income level, based on working 16 hours a week (on average £120 a week) and each earn less than £100,000 a year and not already be receiving support through Tax Credits or Universal Credit.
How does this relate to Employer Supported Childcare?
The existing scheme, ESC, will remain open to new entrants until 4 October 2018 to support the transition between the schemes. ESC continues to be available for current members if they wish to remain in it or they can switch to the new scheme but parents cannot be in both the ESC scheme and the TFC scheme at the same time.
How we can help
If you would like to discuss childcare in further detail, please do not hesitate to contact us.
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Worcestershire, England — Fans mourn the loss of former Lostprophets singer Ian David Karslake Watkins, who committed suicide early Wednesday morning in his cell at HM Prison Long Lartin.
Watkins was pronounced dead at 4:38 a.m. UTC. Cause of death was listed as "self asphyxiation, or suicide by hanging." He was 36.
Watkins is survived by step-father and Baptist minister John Davies, his mother Elaine, and Daniel, his 24-year-old brother who distanced himself from Ian in the final months of the singer's life. He is also survived by former Lostprophets musicians Lee Gaze, Mike Lewis, Stuart Richardson, Jamie Olider and Luke Johnson.
Inside reports suggest Watkins was facing pressure in the form of death threats from other inmates. Watkins was overheard remarking that he feared for his life.
Because no will was entered into the public record, Watkins' continuing charitable contributions to the Kidney Wales Foundation for Children will cease.
The Watkins estate is to be turned over instead to the UK for disbursement into public works projects, as is customary in Wales when a convicted pedophile with enormous assets dies without a notorized will.
Watkins suffered in the wake of numerous convictions on sexual assault charges against children, for which he was sentenced to prison for 29 years last December. Authorities got involved when the Lostprophets frontman made plans to rape adoring fans and their babies. Prosecutors uncovered "the most shocking and harrowing child abuse the nation has ever seen."
Senior investigating officers on Watkins' case described him as a "committed, organised paedophile." The judge, Mr. Justice Royce, said Watkins "plunged into new depths of depravity" referring to Watkins' text messages to his victims: "If you belong to me, so does your baby."
After entering his guilty plea, Watkins referred to his sex offenses as being "mega lolz."


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iThe sMerit report shows information about each sMerit transaction that BPIP has recorded between users. Specifying at least who the sMerit was sent "From" or who it was sent "To:" is required. Under the "Report Options" button, a minimum/maximum amount of sMerit involved and a date/time range can be specified.
Sum of merit: Total records: 0


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Job posting has expired
Retail Sales Associate
Verizon | |
parental leave, paid time off, tuition assistance, 401(k) | |
| |
July 03, 2023 | |
When you join Verizon Verizon is one of the world's leading providers of technology and communications services, transforming the way we connect across the globe. We're a diverse network of people driven by our shared ambition to shape a better future. Here, we have the ability to learn and grow at the speed of technology, and the space to create within every role. Together, we are moving the world forward - and you can too. Dream it. Build it. Do it here. What you'll be doing...As a full-time Verizon Retail Sales Associate, you'll have the opportunity to control your career in one of our retail stores. In this role you will:
We're hiring immediately for this entry-level position! Join today and earn from $43,000 to $56,000 a year, which includes base pay as well as team-based commission and opportunities to earn individual incentives. Compensation is based on geography and full time benefits start on day one. Our comprehensive benefits are designed to help you move forward in your career and in areas of your life outside of Verizon. From health and wellness benefits, up to 6% 401(k) match, stock awards, more than four weeks of paid time off (vacation, holidays, and personal days), discounts on Verizon products and services, up to four months of paid parental leave, up to $8K per year in tuition assistance, plus other incentives, we've got you covered with our total rewards package which begins on day one. What we're looking for...You'll need to have:
Even better if you have one or more of the following:
If Verizon and this role sound like a fit for you, we encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every "even better" qualification listed above. After you apply...You may be required to take an assessment. It takes about 20 minutes to complete. If you're selected to move forward, one of our recruiters will reach out to tell you more about the role and answer your questions. Where you'll be working We're proud to be an equal opportunity employer - and celebrate our employees' differences, including race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, and Veteran status. At Verizon, we know that diversity makes us stronger. We are committed to a collaborative, inclusive environment that encourages authenticity and fosters a sense of belonging. We strive for everyone to feel valued, connected, and empowered to reach their potential and contribute their best. Check out page to learn more. |


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Fossil fuels have been the primary energy source for society since the Industrial Revolution. They provide the raw material for the manufacture of many everyday products that we take for granted, including pharmaceuticals, food and drink, materials, plastics and personal care.
As the 21st century progresses we need solutions for the manufacture of chemicals that are smarter, more predictable and more sustainable. Industrial biotechnology is changing how we manufacture chemicals and materials, as well as providing us with a source of renewable energy. It is at the core of sustainable manufacturing processes and an attractive alternative to traditional manufacturing technologies to commercially advance and transform priority industrial sectors yielding more and more viable solutions for our environment in the form of new chemicals, new materials and bioenergy. This course will cover the key enabling technologies that underpin biotechnology research including enzyme discovery and engineering, systems and synthetic biology and biochemical and process engineering. Much of this material will be delivered through lectures to ensure that you have a solid foundation in these key areas. We will also consider the wider issues involved in sustainable manufacturing including responsible research innovation and bioethics. In the second part of the course we will look at how these technologies translate into real world applications which benefit society and impact our everyday lives. This will include input from our industry stakeholders and collaborators working in the pharmaceutical, chemicals and biofuels industries. By the end of this course you will be able to: 1. Understand enzymatic function and catalysis. 2. Explain the technologies and methodologies underpinning systems and synthetic biology. 3. Explain the diversity of synthetic biology application and discuss the different ethical and regulatory/governance challenges involved in this research. 4. Understand the principles and role of bioprocessing and biochemical engineering in industrial biotechnology. 5. Have an informed discussion of the key enabling technologies underpinning research in industrial biotechnology 6. Give examples of industrial biotechnology products and processes and their application in healthcare, agriculture, fine chemicals, energy and the environment.


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Textual folder
Papers of John F. Kennedy. Pre-Presidential Papers. Presidential Campaign Files, 1960
This folder contains correspondence between James Wine, adviser on religious issues for Senator John F. Kennedy's 1960 presidential campaign; J. Arthur Lazell, Community Relations manager on religious issues for Senator Kennedy's campaign; and various individuals from Illinois, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York, and Pennsylvania. Topics include the role of religion in the 1960 campaign, the prospect of a Catholic president, and Senator Kennedy's decision not to speak at a memorial service for four interfaith chaplains who died during World War II. Also included in this folder is a statement by religious leader Norman Vincent Peale.


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This, apparently, is still happening.
According to Page Six, Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (who supposedly has short brown hair now) were at a club together on Monday night. They were "flirty" and sat close together by themselves on a patio that had been blocked off just for them. Which... picture that: there's one of the most famous actors in the world, nuzzling his girl in a roped off private section of a Hollywood club while everyone else just... wanders around observing them? Like a museum?
Why is Johnny Depp behaving like David Hasselhoff?
God, would you get your sh-t together?


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Integrated Circuit
Manufacturer | FSC |
Description | |
Packaging | T&R |
ROHS Status | Non RoHS |
An integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit (also referred to as an IC, a chip, or a microchip) is a set of electronic circuits on one small flat piece (or "chip") of semiconductor material, normally silicon. The integration of large numbers of tiny transistors into a small chip resulted in circuits that are orders of magnitude smaller, cheaper, and faster than those constructed of discrete electronic components. The IC's mass production capability, reliability and building-block approach to circuit design ensured the rapid adoption of standardized ICs in place of designs using discrete transistors. ICs are now used in virtually all electronic equipment and have revolutionized the world of electronics. Computers, mobile phones, and other digital home appliances are now inextricable parts of the structure of modern societies, made possible by the small size and low cost of ICs. ICs were made possible by experimental discoveries showing that semiconductor devices could perform the functions of vacuum tubes, and by mid-20th-century technology advancements in semiconductor device fabrication. Since their origins in the 1960s, the size, speed, and capacity of chips have progressed enormously, driven by technical advances that allow more and more transistors on chips of the same size - a modern chip may have several billion transistors in an area the size of a human fingernail. These advances, roughly following Moore's law, allow a computer chip of 2016 to have millions of times the capacity and thousands of times the speed of the computer chips of the early 1970s. ICs have two main advantages over discrete circuits: cost and performance. Cost is low because the chips, with all their components, are printed as a unit by photolithography rather than being constructed one transistor at a time. Furthermore, packaged ICs use much less material than discrete circuits. Performance is high because the IC's components switch quickly and consume little power (compared to their discrete counterparts) because of their small size and close proximity. The main disadvantage of ICs is the high cost to design them and fabricate the required photomasks. This high initial cost means ICs are only practical when high production volumes are anticipated.
Order FSC NC7SB3157L6X at eXcessportal.com. Check stock and pricing, view product specifications, and order online.


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To find the best deals on flights to Denver from Dresden with Lufthansa, just enter your travel dates, filter by Lufthansa, and hit search. You'll find list of Lufthansa flights to choose from and can sort by price, flight duration, and arrival or departure time.
If you're planning a round trip, booking return flights with Lufthansa is usually the most cost-effective option as the fares will be very less when booking roundtrip flight. It's easy to find a flight that suits your budget, prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply depending on the route and airline you choose.
A one-way ticket gives you much greater flexibility—allowing you to choose your return date, destination, and time whenever you're ready. By booking in advance you can find great deals on one-way tickets too. One-way Lufthansa flight from Denver to Dresden cost and availability is subject to change depending on the day and season of the depature date.
To find a cheap Lufthansa flight from Denver to Dresden, sort your search results by price or filter by budget. Thanks to Travarc's flight fare comparison system, you can compare the flight fares from major OTA brands to select the one that suits your budget and requirement.
If you're looking for cheap flights, it helps to be flexible when it comes to your travel dates. You'll usually find lower cost tickets when you travel during quieter months such as April, or if you book a flight with a stopover. Use the filters provided as they will help you fine the best flight depending on your requirement.
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text: HomeFleur-de-coin.comBuy on-lineCoin ShopCategoryEuro coins Finland 5 cents 2001 - The heraldic lion of Finland EUR 1.17 Low price Guarantee!We are confident that the price for this item is unbeatable UNCGrade ExplanationA new condition coin that does not have any sign of wear. Marks on the coin that may come from the manufacturing process do not keep a coin from being unciruclated Please ignore the date on the image if different from the description Krause - Mishler KM# 100 Details The coat of arms of Finland displays a crowned lion standing on a red field. The lion holds a raised sword in its right gauntleted fore leg and is trampling a curved sabre. The lion, the crown and the sword and sabre handles are gold, as are the gauntlet joints. The blades and the gauntlet are silver. The field is adorned by nine silver roses. The coat of arms was originally created around the year 1580, but it was not until 1978 that legislation was passed concerning Finland's coat of arms. This legislation gives the official blazon and prohibits the sale of the national coat of arms, subject to fine.The Finnish coat of arms appears on the state flag, official seals, coins, banknotes and postage stamps. On the President's car it takes the place of an ordinary registration plate. The design has been used on several Finnish coins over the years, for example on the 1 markka coins between 1964 and 2001. Specifications Diameter - 21.25mm Thickness - 1.67mm Weight - 3.92gr Composition Copper plated steel (94.35% steel - 5.65% copper) Edge Smooth Comments Designer: Heikki Häiväoja Mintage 213,666,000 pieces To return to the previous page, please hit the Back button on your browser or click here


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Thursday, June 11, 2009
On Swords-and-Sorcery
A good case in point is the religion of Typhon. Typhon is one of the main deities of the City-State of Adamas. He is a god of law, order, judgment, discipline, and trade; he is also quite evil by most understandings of the term. However, because his faith inspires rulers, judges, soldiers, and merchants to channel their self-interest in defense of civilization, he is generally seen as one of humanity's main patrons among the gods. Typhonian clerics are among the foremost exorcists and demon hunters and undertake missions of extreme danger in the war against Chaos. Nevertheless, Typhon is not a "nice" deity and his church's teachings are cruel and unforgiving. As the players will discover, there's a powerful disconnect between Typhon's ethical philosophy -- which might be simplistically described as "Nietzschean" -- and his followers' role in protecting humanity and its allies from the depredations of Chaos.
In a similar fashion, the City-State of Yethlyreom is ruled by necromancers and whose armies, constabulary, and workers consist in large part of mindless undead -- but Yethlyreom is every bit as much on the side of Law as is Typhon. The ruling necromancers have effectively made a deal with the Devil, employing Chaos-tainted magic in order to "fight fire with fire." This practice began out of desperation in the past but has evolved into an orderly, almost scientific approach to death, dying, and the afterlife that has served the city-state well, even if it sometimes results in one or more necromancers succumbing to seduction by Chaos. But, by and large, Yethlyreom is a peaceful, justly-run city whose inhabitants know that their rulers do what they do to keep them safe from worse horrors. It's not pretty much of the time, but who said fighting Chaos would be?
Both Typhon and Yethlyreom serve to highlight the campaign setting's difference from less nuanced styles of fantasy, where good and evil form the basis for the cosmic conflict. Good and evil aren't absent from Dwimmermount by any means; people still think and act according to such notions. What's different is that, because the cosmic conflict is between civilization and those who would tear it down, good and evil are often arrayed on the same side. Chaos is utterly alien and inhuman and against it both good and evil sometimes must lock arms and stand side by side. For myself, I think this introduces a level of moral complexity that leads to good roleplaying and that feels true to swords-and-sorcery literature.
28 comments:
There is nothing wrong with using alignment in D&D whether there are four or nine teams of behaviour. However, claiming that there is anything nuanced or morally complex in what you described is either dishonest or grossly naive. Sword and sorcery literature is morally complex, are you having a laugh? D&D alignment has nothing to do with morality. It is a short list of labels for a very crude categorization of behaviour. This is the first post of yours I have found needlessly pretentious.
ReplyDeleteI've seen the situation you describe in other games, James, and I always think it makes for interesting gaming, because it challenges stereotypes resting in the modern minds of players: one side is bad and the other is good, no mixing allowed.
For example, in the Old World setting of WFRP, Ulric (human god of winter, wolves, and battle) is by no means a "nice" or good god. His doctrines are harsh, bloodthirsty, and singularly lacking in mercy, and yet he and his followers represent something essential to Humanity's fight against Chaos: the will to survive. One of the joys I had running my WFRP games was in presenting my characters with dilemmas caused by recognizing you need someone, even if you are thoroughly repulsed by them.
FWIW, I tossed alignments from my games early on; I felt if I presented the setting right, an alignment mechanic per se wouldn't be needed. The only place I'd keep it is in a game in Moorcock's multiverse, just because it's so integral to the setting.I am currently rereading Vance and Moorcock (in large part due to your blog, James). I'm not sure I would use "complexity." Maybe ambiguity? Maybe ambivalence? Maybe something else? Complexity doesn't seem to quite fit (not that I'll lose sleep over this).
But here is the cool thing for me: I was thrilled to read this blog as I have been intrigued, after reading your house rules, by how you might deal with alignment in the campaign setting. In this regard, this post was particularly interesting and thought-provoking. It seems to me that alignment and religion are shallow and lifeless unless they are contextualized and well-established in a campaign setting. If alignment is only something you choose while equipping your character (Long sword or broad sword? Bullseye or hooded? Good or evil?), the game may be better off without it. It seems the only way to make it matter in the game is to make it matter in the setting. Thanks, James.To groove on what Anthony from LA said, expanding from the WFRP setting to the larger setting of Warhammer 40K, when viewed from one lens, the Imperium of Mankind is nothing more than a nightmarish machine of sacrifice and death - your undead Emperor is fed the life force of a thousand psychics a day in order to power the psychic beacon that allows ships in the warp to travel between the stars. Likewise, a planet or whole system might be declared "tainted" by Chaos and Exterminatus declared - the most likely method of dealing with this is to strike the planet with a bio-weapon that kills, essentially, every living thing on the planet and turns it into a lifeless rock.
Billions upon billions of human lives are ground underfoot every day by the Imperium, but when you view it all from another lens, almost all of the sacrifice and hardship humanity is put through is done because the alternative is far worse - enslavement or death at the hands of chaos-tainted mutants and heretics, or one of countless alien species, some of which are so inhuman (like the Tyranids or Necrons), negotiation or even enslavement is not an option - it is a battle against extinction, pure and simple.
Not a very pretty picture, but it does make for some good storytelling (and, incidentally, a pretty cool setting for sci-fi wargaming...).I've been doing a similar thing with Vazkor (thanks Tanith Lee!) the major god of Law in my campaign. This is 1st edition so law can run the gamut from good to evil so monks, paladins and evil inquisitor types all revere him. My players are pretty much against any of his worshippers at this point so I'm thinking I need to put some chance of a sympathetic relationship into the mix.
ReplyDeleteOooh. Hmmm.
What's 'civilized'?
While your game does allow for more morally nuanced gaming (good and evil working together to defeat Chaos), there is that question that I keep coming back to: "What's civilization?"
I mean, to the Aborigines and Native Americans, "civilization" would have been a terrible thing, a thing of rapacious consumption and desolation that ravages the land to sustain its own existence, that eats its own people to perpetuate itself forever more.
Even characterizing these 'natives' as following some kind of "Neutral" force or "Nature" is kind of simplistic. Inter-tribal conflicts exist, even between so-called 'peaceful' and 'harmonious' peoples.
But it's an interesting idea. Hmm.I like this idea because I *hate* standard D&D alignments. However, I'm curious about whether or not the alignments you do have (law and chaos; not sure about neutral) are objective things--that is, are there "Detect Lawful" spells, and magic items that only work for certain alignments? Do you have Neutral as a usable alignment?
One thing I'd like to do in the old-school game I'm hoping to run fairly soon is drop alignments entirely--not because in the game "good," "evil," and the like don't exist, but because I *hate* having them as clear-cut, reified things. For those of you who have dropped alignments--how much tinkering with the rules does it require? Obviously, you have to get rid of "Detect" spells, but it seems like it wouldn't have that big of an effect beyond that. But I'd love to hear about others' experiences.I didn't quite go the whole "Runequest" hog of making the gods into endlessly recurring memes, but moral ambiguity and selfish inhuman gods works for me.
ReplyDeleteBeing a moral relativist from an early age the very first thing I remember thinking was stupid in the DMG was alignments and that alignment chart. I've never liked them, never really used them as a DM (although, fine with me if players wanted to call themselves CN or whatever).
For certain campaigns, the more S&S ones, Law vs Chaos works well
For others. the high fantasy/realistic/modern ones, I prefer allegiances. Which can maybe be thought of as mini alignments. Chivalric code, Bushido, religion, modern patriotism are all examples.Nice setup! I too have used something similar for my Classic D&D games set in the Grand Duchy of Karameikos, wherein all the churches are Lawful, but they fight among themselves: one represents the tradition of the locals, the other represents the "state religion" of the Thyatian conquerors. Moral dilemmas always offer good hooks for role playing.
ReplyDelete- AnonymousJune 12, 2009 at 11:58 AM
I've been reading a long time (thank you for many thoughtful posts) but haven't commented often (at all?).
I am a little confused on one point with regard to your emulation of S&S.
First, I think that what you've come up with is fantastic background material, and exactly the kind of deep thinking that makes a background interesting, makes it seem living and lived-in. The moral ambiguity is perfect for S&S.
My confusion perhaps stems from this statement:
As the players will discover, there's a powerful disconnect between Typhon's ethical philosophy -- which might be simplistically described as "Nietzschean" -- and his followers' role in protecting humanity and its allies from the depredations of Chaos.
In most S&S, with exception of Moorcock and, perhaps, some others (allowing the possibility of more authors, though certainly no other examples spring immediately to mind), most S&S *characters* don't get much of a glimpse of, care about, or find themselves able to do anything about, the big picture in terms of gods, alignment, etc.
Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are as often tools (of Fate, of their respective wizardly mentors/sponsors) as protagonists. Their morality is ambiguous at best, and often framed in terms of their loyalty to one another.
Conan has a code he lives by, but it's not framed in terms of Law or Chaos so much as what he considers "right." He does become a king in time, but it could be said that he disrupts law with chaos, only to become the new law.
(Aside: There's a thought. All "chaos" framed as such because it's simply a different order than the one currently in power. A little too postmodern for S&S? Probably, but I had the thought and wanted to jot it down. It wouldn't work in your campaign, anyway, if Chaos is specific to the extreme "Other" of otherdimensional/otherworldly creatures.)
Forgive my rambling, but the point I'm working up to is (again, with the exception of Moorcock, who uses the Balance), does the S&S genre really concern itself and its characters much with matters like capital letter Law and Chaos and the grand/cosmic scale? Or is that primarily the realm of Epic/High fantasy, with its Good and Evil?
OR, are the Dwimmermount characters not really able to affect the grand scale here? Again, I could be confused by the statement I mentioned above, thinking that if the characters discover the disconnect you mention, they might actually be able to do something about it. This may not be the case.
Alternately, they might be able to do something about it, but the solution would be just as messy as the problem, and the end result would thus be just as complex/morally ambiguous.
In any event, thank you once again for all the thoughtful writing, your comments on 0ed., RPGs in general, and books and genres, and your contributions to excellent games like Thousand Suns and the certain-to-be-just-as-excellent upcoming Shadow, Sword, and Spell. I think most people (me included, I admit) look at the big picture and see D&D's good/evil + law/chaos formula as being a sort of vestigial artifact of D&Ds roots,
it seems like you've managed to use that quirk of the system in order to generate some very interesting material for your campaign--sort of a fantasy equivalent of the ambiguous way many people feel about "the government".
Whether this is truly "morally complex" or otherwise, isn't the point, the point is: once again, your When In Doubt Trust Gygax philosophy has born more fruit than I would've guessed.Excellent post.
In my humble opinion, any alignment system is too wonky to be a hard-and-fast behavioral label, and better taken to be a character's "role in the cosmos" -- preserver (Lawful), destroyer (Chaos) or something in-between, from cowardly opportunist to stalwart agent of cosmic balance (Neutral).
I really like the cult of Typhon, and I loved the CAS reference. Kudos for that! Sounds like an awesome sword-and-sorcery world you're building yourself. :)How comparable is Typhonism to the state religion of ancient Rome, or other official cults of the ancient world?
There are certain similarities, due to my fascination with Roman paganism, but it's largely a fantastic creation whose main purpose is to hit home that, in S&S settings, sometimes the "good guys" aren't very nice people.What's 'civilized'?
That's where things get interesting in my opinion and where the divisions within Law start to matter. I'm generally of the opinion that alignment works best when it's nice and muddled, focusing on "big picture" conflicts rather than the nitty gritty of how to live one's life. "Civilization" is purposefully ambiguous, because it creates much better opportunities for gameable conflicts.However, I'm curious about whether or not the alignments you do have (law and chaos; not sure about neutral) are objective things--that is, are there "Detect Lawful" spells, and magic items that only work for certain alignments? Do you have Neutral as a usable alignment?
OD&D has no means to detect alignments, so, regardless of how "objective" the concept is or is not, there's no mechanical support for treating it as an attribute that others can know just be casting a spell or using an item.
"Neutral" comes in two flavors in my game. There's unaligned neutrality, which is the default for many beings. Then there's Neutral (Balance), which is a wacky philosophy that sees Law and Chaos as equally good/bad and in need of equilibrium to preserve the cosmos. This is the belief system of the druids.


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David Is Made King. 1a Then all Israel gathered around David in Hebron, and they said: "Look! We are your bone and your flesh. 2In days past, when Saul was still the king, it was you who led Israel in all its battles. And now the LORD, your God, has said to you: You shall shepherd my people Israel; you shall be ruler over my people Israel."b 3Then all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and at Hebron David made a covenant with them in the presence of the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, in accordance with the word of the LORD given through Samuel.c
Jerusalem Captured. 4Then David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, that is, Jebus, where the inhabitants of the land were called Jebusites.d 5The inhabitants of Jebus said to David, "You shall not enter here." David nevertheless captured the fortress of Zion, which is the City of David. 6David said, "Whoever strikes the Jebusites first shall be made chief and captain." Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was the first to attack; and so he became chief.e 7David took up residence in the fortress, which therefore was called the City of David. 8He built up the city on all sides, from the Millo all the way around, while Joab restored the rest of the city.f 9David became ever more powerful, for the LORD of hosts was with him.
David's Warriors. 10g These were David's chief warriors who, together with all Israel, supported him in his reign in order to make him king, according to the LORD's word concerning Israel.
11Here is the list of David's warriors:
Ishbaal, the son of Hachamoni, chief of the Three.* He brandished his spear over three hundred, whom he had slain in a single encounter.
12Next to him was Eleazar, the son of Dodo the Ahohite, one of the Three warriors.h 13He was with David at Pas-dammim, where the Philistines had massed for battle. There was a plot of land full of barley. The people were fleeing before the Philistines,i 14but he took his stand in the middle of the plot, kept it safe, and cut down the Philistines. Thus the LORD brought about a great victory.
15Three of the Thirty chiefs went down to the rock, to David, who was in the cave of Adullam while the Philistines were encamped in the valley of Rephaim.j 16David was then in the stronghold, and a Philistine garrison was at Bethlehem. 17David had a strong craving, and said, "If only someone would give me a drink of water from the cistern by the gate of Bethlehem!" 18Thereupon the Three broke through the encampment of the Philistines, drew water from the cistern by the gate of Bethlehem, and carried it back to David. But David refused to drink it. Instead, he poured it out* to the LORD, 19saying, "God forbid that I should do such a thing! Could I drink the blood of these men who risked their lives? For at the risk of their lives they brought it." So he refused to drink it. Such deeds as these the Three warriors performed.
20k Abishai, the brother of Joab, was the chief of the Thirty;* he brandished his spear over three hundred, whom he had slain. He made a name beside the Three,l 21but was twice as famous as any of the Thirty, becoming their leader. However, he did not attain to the Three.
22Benaiah, son of Jehoiada, a valiant man of mighty deeds, from Kabzeel, killed the two sons of Ariel of Moab. Also, he went down and killed the lion in the cistern on a snowy day. 23He likewise slew the Egyptian, a huge man five cubits tall. The Egyptian carried a spear that was like a weaver's beam, but Benaiah came against him with a staff; he wrested the spear from the Egyptian's hand, and killed him with that spear. 24Such deeds as these Benaiah, the son of Jehoiada, performed, and he made a name beside the Three warriors, 25but was more famous than any of the Thirty. However, he did not attain to the Three. David put him in charge of his bodyguard.m
26Also these warriors: Asahel, the brother of Joab; Elhanan, son of Dodo, from Bethlehem;n 27Shammoth, from En-harod; Helez, from Beth-pelet; 28Ira, son of Ikkesh, from Tekoa; Abiezer, from Anathoth; 29Sibbecai, from Husha; Ilai, from Ahoh;o 30Maharai, from Netophah; Heled, son of Baanah, from Netophah;p 31Ithai, son of Ribai, from Gibeah of Benjamin; Benaiah, from Pirathon;q 32Hurai, from Nahale-gaash; Abiel, from Beth-arabah; 33Azmaveth, from Bahurim; Eliahba, from Shaalbon; 34Jashen the Gunite; Jonathan, son of Shagee the Hararite; 35Ahiam, son of Sachar the Hararite; Elipheleth, son of 36Ahasbai, from Beth-maacah; Ahijah, from Gilo; 37Hezro, from Carmel; Naarai, the son of Ezbai; 38Joel, brother of Nathan, from Rehob, the Gadite; 39Zelek the Ammonite; Naharai, from Beeroth, the armor-bearer of Joab, son of Zeruiah; 40Ira, from Jattir; Gareb, from Jattir; 41Uriah the Hittite; Zabad, son of Ahlai, 42and, in addition to the Thirty, Adina, son of Shiza, the Reubenite, chief of the tribe of Reuben; 43Hanan, son of Maacah; Joshaphat the Mithnite; 44Uzzia, the Ashterathite; Shama and Jeiel, sons of Hotham, from Aroer; 45Jediael, son of Shimri, and Joha, his brother, the Tizite; 46Eliel the Mahavite; Jeribai and Joshaviah, sons of Elnaam; Ithmah, from Moab; 47Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobian.
* [11:11] The Three: the Chronicler actually names only two of these figures, Ishbaal and Eleazar. According to 2 Sm 23:11, the third member of the Three was Shammah.
* [11:18] Poured it out: as a libation.
* [11:20] The Thirty: they are listed by name in vv. 26–47. The parallel list in 2 Sm 23:8–39 often differs in names and spellings; for the numbers, see note on 2 Sm 23:8–39.
b. [11:2] 1 Sm 18:5, 13–16, 30; 19:8.
c. [11:3] 1 Sm 16:1, 13; 2 Sm 2:4.
d. [11:4] Jos 15:8; Jgs 1:21; 19:10–11.
f. [11:8] 1 Kgs 9:15, 24; 11:27; 2 Chr 32:5.
h. [11:12] 1 Chr 27:4.
j. [11:15] 1 Chr 14:9; 2 Sm 5:18, 22.
k. [11:20–21] 2 Sm 23:18–19.
l. [11:20] 1 Chr 18:12; 1 Sm 26:6–10; 2 Sm 16:9; 18:2; 21:17.
n. [11:26] 1 Chr 2:16; 27:7.
o. [11:29] 1 Chr 27:11.
p. [11:30] 1 Chr 27:13.
q. [11:31] 1 Chr 27:14.
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The Problem
If you're like most people, you have a few passwords that you use over and over again on many different websites. You know this isn't secure, yet you do it anyway. Why? Because it's difficult to remember a unique password for each and every web site that requires one.
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Warning - technical jargon in this section!
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Old Site
The old PasswordMaker website can be found here. Please note it is no longer maintained but is present for archival purposes.


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Drew Barrymore is Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actor
Drew Barrymore has the dubious honor of topping Forbes's annual accounting of the most overpaid film actors.
The magazine calculates an actors worths by comparing their salary in their last three live action starring roles to how much those movies ended up making for the studio.
In Barrymore's case, she only returned 40 cents on the dollar, making her by far the worst value in Hollywood.
Eddie Murphy, who doesn't get credit for his voice role in 'Shrek Forever After,' was second on the list, returning $2.70 for every dollar studios paid him. Will Ferrell ($3.50), Reese Witherspoon ($3.55) and Denzel Washington ($4.25) rounded out the top five.


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5 Things You May Not Know About Michele Bachmann
She was born Michele Amble. Her parents divorced when she was young. She studied political science and literature in college and was a student volunteer for Jimmy Carter's 1976 campaign for president.
When she graduated from Winona State University, she married Marcus Bachmann. She got a law degree from Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla., and another degree in tax law from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va. For several years she was a tax litigation attorney with the Internal Revenue Service.
Then she turned her attention to raising her children. Over the years she and Marcus had five children of their own and brought 23 more foster children into their home in Stillwater, Minn.
In 2000, Michele Bachmann was elected to the Minnesota state Senate. In 2006 she became the first Republican woman from Minnesota in the U.S. House of Representatives.
5 Things You May Not Know About ...
Since then, she has led a highly visible, vocally patriotic life speaking out for free markets, tax reform and the sanctity of the family and against the federal rescue of Wall Street financial institutions, "Obamacare" and same-sex marriage. She is a champion of the Tea Party. But there may be a few things you don't know about Bachmann:
1. She met her husband on a playground. Michele and her husband, Marcus, met when they were students at Winona State University. According to a 2007 profile in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, they both had jobs as playground supervisors at an elementary school near the college.
2. She received the Republican Party's endorsement in 1999 — for school board. When the Republican Party backed Bachmann — and four other candidates — for the Stillwater school board, many people were surprised, saying they could never remember a school board election being a partisan event, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. The shift "has opponents fuming that political-party endorsements in nonpartisan school board races are unseemly." Bachmann and the others lost.
3. She wore gloves to a fight. When Bachmann was running for an open House seat in 2006, President George W. Bush "needled her for wearing scalloped pink gloves" during a campaign visit, according to The New York Times. Bachmann said Bush told her, "When you campaign, take off the gloves."
4. She has had stay-out-of-jail training. As a newly elected representative in 2006, Bachmann told The New York Times that she spent her first days on Capitol Hill in freshman orientation learning "how to hire a chief of staff, how to hire other staff, how to stay out of jail ... the usual things that congressmen need to know."
5. She loves Israel. In December 2006, Bachmann made a presentation to the Minnesota chapter of the Republican Jewish Coalition at a celebration of her initial election to Congress. "I'm a member and I was there," recalls longtime Bachmann observer Scott W. Johnson, a Minneapolis lawyer and contributor to the Power Line blog. "Following her graduation from high school, Rep. Bachmann spent the summer working on a kibbutz in Israel. That's a claim I've never heard a gentile make. Her love of Israel is genuine and long-standing."


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LOS ANGELES (AP) — Seeking leads in a massive manhunt, Los Angeles authorities on Sunday offered a $1 million reward for information leading to the arrest of Christopher Dorner, the former police officer suspected in three killings.
Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa announced the reward, raised through several private and public donors, at a news conference at LAPD headquarters.
"Our dedication to catch this killer remains steadfast," Villaraigosa said. "We will not tolerate this reign of terror."
Meanwhile, authorities said camping gear was found along with weapons inside Dorner's burned-out pickup truck. The vehicle found Thursday in the ski resort town of Big Bear Lake was so charred that investigators couldn't be more specific about the nature of its contents, Sgt. Rudy Lopez said.
Also Sunday, police investigated a taunting phone call that may have been made by Dorner to the father of the woman they believe he killed last week. Two law enforcement officers who requested anonymity because of the ongoing investigation told The Associated Press they are trying to determine if the call days after the killing was made by the 33-year-old fugitive or a man posing as him.
SWAT teams with air support and bloodhounds fanned out for the fourth day to search for Dorner, who has vowed revenge against several former LAPD colleagues whom he blames for ending his career.
The effort was significantly scaled back as the weekend went on, with 25 officers and a single helicopter looking for clues in the forest and going door-to-door at some 600 cabins in the San Bernardino mountains, about 80 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles.
On Saturday, Chief Charlie Beck said officials would re-examine the allegations by Dorner that his law enforcement career was undone by racist colleagues. While he promised to hear out Dorner if he surrenders, Beck stressed that he was ordering a review of his 2007 case because he takes the allegation of racism in his department seriously.
"I do this not to appease a murderer. I do it to reassure the public that their police department is transparent and fair in all the things we do," the chief said in a statement.
Authorities suspect Dorner in a series of attacks in Southern California over the past week that have left three people dead. Authorities say he has vowed revenge against several former colleagues. The killings and threats that Dorner allegedly made in an online rant have led police to provide protection to 50 families, Beck said.
A captain who was named a target in the manifesto posted on Facebook told the Orange County Register he has not stepped outside his house since he learned of the threat.
"From what I've seen of (Dorner's) actions, he feels he can make allegations for injustice and justify killing people and that's not reasonable," said Capt. Phil Tingirides, who chaired a board that stripped Dorner of his badge. "The end never justifies the means."
Investigators have been examining the truck to determine if it broke down or was set ablaze as a diversion. Police say the truck had a broken axle. Investigators are trying to determine whether it was already broken when they found it, or whether it was damaged when it was towed away.
Also, newly released surveillance video showed Dorner tossing several items into a Dumpster behind an auto parts store in National City on Monday. The store's manager told FOX5 in San Diego that an employee found a magazine full of bullets, a military belt and a military helmet. Majid Yahyai said he and the employee took the items across the street to a police station.
On Friday night, authorities served a search warrant and collected evidence from a Buena Park storage unit as part of their investigation. Irvine police Lt. Julia Engen wouldn't elaborate on the nature of the evidence or say who had rented the unit.
Earlier Friday, another warrant was served at a La Palma house belonging to Dorner's mother. Officers collected 10 bags of evidence, including five electronic items.
In his online manifesto, Dorner vowed to use "every bit of small arms training, demolition, ordnance and survival training I've been given" to bring "warfare" to the LAPD and its families.
Dorner served in the Navy, earning a rifle marksman ribbon and a pistol expert medal. He was assigned to a naval undersea warfare unit and various aviation training units, according to military records. He took leave from the LAPD for a six-month deployment to Bahrain in 2006 and 2007.
The flight training that he received in the Navy prompted the Transportation Security Administration to issue an alert, warning the general aviation community to be on the lookout for Dorner. The extent of his potential flying skills wasn't known, the bulletin said.
Feb. 1 was his last day with the Navy and also the day CNN's Anderson Cooper received a package that contained a note on it that read, in part, "I never lied." A coin riddled with bullet holes that former Chief William Bratton gave out as a souvenir was also in the package.
Police said it was a sign of planning by Dorner before the killing began.
On Feb. 3, police say Dorner shot and killed a couple in a parking garage at their condominium in Irvine. The woman was the daughter of a retired police captain who had represented Dorner in the disciplinary proceedings that led to his firing.
Dorner wrote in his manifesto that he believed the retired captain had represented the interests of the department over his.
Hours after authorities identified Dorner as a suspect in the double murder, police believe Dorner shot and grazed an LAPD officer in Corona and then used a rifle to ambush two Riverside police officers early Thursday, killing one and wounding the other. A funeral for Officer Michael Crain, an 11 year veteran, was scheduled for Wednesday.
The crime spree spanned across a wide swath of Southern California, prompting several police agencies, including the FBI and US Marshall Service, to form a joint investigative task force.