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Like anyone else, truckers have their own, individual opinions and can certainly speak up for themselves. But when it comes to getting significant changes made that affect their rights, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association has ensured a strident, unified and collective voice since 1973.
Having grown from just a handful of truckers 44 years ago, the Association steadily sustains a robust membership. In 2017, we begin with 158,712 active members. As far as membership, Texas is number one with 17,313, followed by Florida with 9,927 and Georgia with 8,736.
On Capitol Hill and at statehouses all over the nation, the Association continues to represent members in a number of ways on critical trucking issues. OOIDA's national headquarters in Grain Valley, Mo., has 333 employees. The Association also maintains a fully staffed permanent office in Washington, D.C., for our government affairs people and for our director of security operations.
In 2016, OOIDA filed 29 official comments on rulemakings and info requests in the works at the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and an alphabet soup of other agencies. For example, AASHTO, NHTSA, NIOSH, EPA and FHWA. That's a statement of position every other week.
And I think it's safe to say we had an active year of members filing comments, especially on speed limiters and sleep apnea. We also had a Call to Action for Canadian members on electronic logging devices and got a great response.
On the state level, we've been actively involved in 16 unique issues in 24 states. This includes truck parking, towing reform, CDL training, tolling opposition and much more.
During 2016, OOIDA attorneys were working on eight significant legal actions, including some major class-action victories and some ongoing game-changing lawsuits. Last year, we reached a $44.4 million tax refund agreement with New York state a case regarding charges of discrimination against out-of-state truckers. Notices are now in the mail regarding refunds.
Communication is a huge and critical part of what OOIDA does, too. OOIDA publishes Land Line Magazine, mailed to an audited 215,632 subscribers. It also maintains a correlating website, LandLineMag.com and its blog, Tandem Thoughts. The Association's home website is OOIDA.com. Sirius XM's Open Road Channel 146 airs the Association's daily radio program – Land Line Now. The show has its own website at LandLineNow.com.
In addition to that, if social media is your thing – we are all over it. Our average daily reach on Facebook is 122,000, so it seems like a "thing" for more than a few of you.
We also interact with you via OOIDA's tour truck, piloted by Senior Member Jon Osburn. The Spirit of the American Trucker tractor-trailer was on the road last year for 289 days. Jon visited with thousands of drivers as he attended 12 events and stopped at 66 truck stops in 38 states.
Your participation and constant feedback enables us to pursue our mission of communicating your concerns and protecting your business interests. It also helps us keep you up to date on all the issues and changes that affect you. The keyword for 2017 is participation. In the February issue is OOIDA's annual grassroots guide – everything you need to know to make your voice heard. Together we can and will shape the future.
Sandi Soendker, editor-in-chief, brings more than 33 years of front-line journalism and publishing know-how to Land Line. She has covered the trucking industry since 1987. In 2013, she received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Truck Writers of North America.


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VLC Download
We enjoy watching Videos, singing and listening to music. When out DVD player recently broke, we were stuck using my computer to watch our DVDs. There are quite a few options when it comes to software to watch your videos. I was thinking of trying a vlc download just to see how that software would play my videos. One other thing I like to do is take digital video of both kids. Recently I took videos of their birthday parties and my eldest daughters swimming competition. I have records of them and with VLC Twoflower I can watch them in clarity. Not only can I watch my videos I can listen to music and sing along.

subset: commoncrawl


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And check out Five Reasons why you should attend a FREE AFA Seminar! See locations and dates here.
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Idea for a kindle book
Discuss working and making a living overseas, starting a business, or studying abroad.
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13 posts • Page 1 of 1
Idea for a kindle book
Looking at kindle forums and the self-published titles on sale, it occurs to me that most of their readers are Ameriskanks. I guess Ameriskanks need something to do while at work. Most of the authors of self published titles appear to also be female, allegedly so anyway. A major genre is romantic/erotic novellas and short stories, which appears to be largely given over to faded skanks recounting stories about their younger days of being used as public urinals by dirtbags so that their contemporaries can jack off to them.
This gives me an idea for a kindle novella. It would be written from the female character's point of view. She is at home with her loving, kind, hardworking provider husband whom she is champing at the bit to divorce as soon as she can extract the maximum amount of vaginamony. Then a dirtbag intruder breaks in, beats hubby to death, microwaves the cat and the baby, and proceeds to rape the woman in various nasty and degrading ways, which she really get off on, causing her to fall in love with him. She then helps him push the family car containing the bodies of the husband and baby over a cliff to make their deaths look like an accident, collects the insurance money and hands it over to the dirtbag. The novella would end with her riding off on the back of the guy's Harley looking forward to a life of crime, drugs and being pimped out to his friends. So it would basically be a knight in shining armor coming to take damsel away from all this story, but updated for vile Western pig women.
If I were to write such a novella under a female penname, would guys on here give in positive reviews, also under female pennames? Once a bit of momentum was built up, it should sell like hot cakes. Then I could write basically the same story but with minor plot changes, and would have the ideal happier abroad business.
Check out our Dating Sites and International Romance Tours!
Doesn't most erotic fiction aimed at females contain rape or quasi-rape scenarios? Why do you think Gone With the Wind was so popular? In other countries, such as Korea, plot lines with women being raped and getting off on it are mainstream. Women aren't really opposed to rape. They just want to be raped by high status men.
Just got back from a (monthly or so) foray into the American bar scene. Guys who have anything going for them -- looks, personality, intelligence, etc. -- have no chance. None. You have to be an ugly, brain-dead scumbag to play. And I don't think those poor saps get anything but prick-teasing.
By all means, I'll weigh in with accolades under a female pseudonym. Something along the lines of : "I'm strangely drawn to this book. Couldn't stop turning the pages, and I really don't know why. It's offensive on every level, but it exerts a hypnotic power that is irresistible." This could be lucrative.
There is an added bonus. This could be controversial and become viral, which would lead to even more exposure. Feminists start blogging about how outraged they are and suddenly you get women buying because they're angry, other women get it in secret curiosity and find out they're turned on, men get it because it's outrageous. I mean, a review on Jezebel would be gold. Once you're done I would send it in to every feminist website I know. Just email them a free copy and watch it spread.
中国人万岁! 中国美女万岁!
Seriously. I wrote what I thought was a very sophisticated, well-written, idea-intensive novella murder mystery with political themes, based on years of experience in political Washington and practicing law. On offer for 99 cents, it's sold one copy in nine months on Kindle. Next I think I'll try, "I Ran Away With My Rapist," under the pseudonym Jennifer Movato. Unless you claim the tile first, Cornfed. You have first dibs.
Yes, that might work. The only problem I can think of is they might be so far gone they don't even find it offensive. Perhaps there could be some debate as to whether is was offensive or liberating to women and that might attract some publicity.
Yes, that is the kind of thing that would help, and then give it, say, four stars. After several good female reviews it might not even hurt if men gave genuine reviews under their own names. Men saying the material would only appeal to the vilest of sluts would read as a ringing endorsement to the average Western female.
In hindsight I probably should have written the book before floating the idea here. I'm not sure I can really do the idea justice but I'll give it a go. You can keep that title. I was going to use something more subtle such as Like a thief in the night, but perhaps your title would sell better.
Since it is possible that this idea could spawn a genre, I thought I would suggest a name for the genre. It could be called Eripior Fiction. (Eripior means I am stolen/snatched away/rescued/raped in Latin and the verb is where words like rape, rip etc. derive from). The common thread of the Eripior stories would be AW being "rescued" from decent husbands and family life by dirtbags. Essential elements would be that the husband has to be killed, maimed or badly disadvantaged in some way such as being framed for some crime. Any children should similarly be disposed of in some cruel way. Also, though the AW can initially be a victim, she has to become complicit at some point and want to live a dirtbaggy lifestyle. I can see this really taking off.
I think this idea has wings. If you look at the stupidity of 50 Shades of Grey an dthe vampire novels, I don't think it would be that hard. Speaking ideas, I am working on a political novel, and as soon as I am almost through with it I will release the idea. It is going to be a very interesting plot, so stay tuned.
Last edited by zacb on April 1st, 2013, 7:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Daily Agorist, Learn to Live Independent of the System! http://www.theagoristreview.blogspot.com
Yeah, am just not sure about microwaving the baby though, maybe they could raise it to be a slave instead.
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|Preying Mystic ~ By Nick Gucker ©2013
Fine Point Sharpie, Charcoal white highlights on chipboard, 8½ x 11ish.
Might have to do a print run of this dude.
|Preying Mystic ~ By Nick Gucker ©2013
|North American Migrating Fungi. Original drawing done for Max Clotfelter's DUNE drink & draw at Cafe Racer.
|Original B&W illustration done for Skurvy Ink's t-shirt design promoting Kevin Shamel's "Rotten Little Animals" novel from Eraserhead Press.


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Our team works to make sure that you have all the correct information regarding our program of events. However, schedules change and updates need to be made. Please make note of the following information.
Shack Shorts | Feb. 12 | CANCELLED
Due to thin ice on the lake FRFF will not show films in ice shacks on Lake Winona as previously advertised. There are still plenty of activities happening during the Winter Carnival.
Brewery Tours at Island City Brewing Company | Feb. 17 | CANCELLED
We regret to announce that the Brewery Tour at Island City Brewing Company will be cancelled tomorrow. We are sorry for any inconvenience.
Fishnet Stockings | Feb. 19 | CANCELLED
Due to a family emergency, the artist presenting Fishnet Stocking will not be able to bring her work to Winona.
Updates to the printed program:
pg. 14 Dance on Camera
Correct Address: 119 W. 3rd Street
pg. 17 Winona Pollinator-Friendly Efforts
correct address: Winona Friendship Center | 251 Main Street
pg. 18 Adventure Unknown
In Person: Dana Johnson
Pg. 18 1-800-GIVE-US-YOUR-KIDNEY
In Person: Harold Mintz
pg. 22 Jeff Lowe's Metanoia
In Person: Connie Self
pg. 23 John Latsch
In Person: Mary Farrell, Blake Darst, Barbara Allaire
pg. 24 Love of Place
In Person: Deeps Russell
pg. 27 The Seeker
In Person: Jeff Johnson
pg. 28 Throw
In Person: Coffin Nachtmahr
pg. 32 SATURDAY SCHEDULE
Films at Winona 7
9:30 AM to 12:00 PM
Pg. 33 SUNDAY SCHEDULE


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Learn to Draw Almost Naked Animals: Learn to draw Howie, Octo, Narwhal, Bunny, and other favorite characters from the hit T.V. show!
Almost Naked Animals debuted on Cartoon Network in 2011 and quickly rose to earn a spot as one of the Top 20 shows for boys ages 6+ on the network. Now children everywhere can learn to draw the funny, quirky gang of animal characters just as they appear on TV"almost naked," with their fur shaven off and clad in only underclothes. In Learn to Draw Almost Naked Animals, young artists-in-training will recreate the animals in their tropical residence and workplace, an island resort called the Banana Cabana. With easy-to-follow, step-by-step instruction, each character and his unique persona will come to life on the page, whether a pink pig that is a ninjitsu-trained master chef, a yellow rabbit prone to mood swings, or a periwinkle narwhal known for singing and being self-centered. Featured lessons include Howie the Labrador, Octo the Octopus, Bunny the Rabbit, Duck, Piggy, Narhwal, Sloth, and Poodle, among others. Each project begins with a simple shape, such as a square or a circle, with each step building on the previous and progressing to a final piece of artwork. With tips and tricks from professional artists included along the way, children will be designing their own adventures featuring the Banana Cabana and its hilarious Almost Naked inhabitants in no time.
Product Details
|Walter Foster Jr
|Publication date:
|Licensed Learn to Draw Series
|Product dimensions:
|8.30(w) x 10.70(h) x 0.40(d)
|Age Range:
|7 - 10 Years
About the Author
Founded in 1922 by artist Walter T. Foster, Walter Foster Publishing, an imprint of The Quarto Group, is the world's leading publisher of instructional art books and kits for adults and children. Walter Foster's diverse selection of drawing, painting, doodling and mixed media art books and kits have created a foundation for millions of beginning, intermediate, and advanced artists looking to hone their talents, learn new techniques, and discover different mediums. From color mixing recipes and art tools to the fundamentals of drawing and painting, Walter Foster's books cover a wide variety of topics and mediums across a broad spectrum of traditional and eclectic subject matter for artists of all skill levels. Walter Foster Publishing continues to expand its offerings every year, producing cutting-edge art-instruction books and kits for a worldwide audience.
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Richard Seed
Richard Griffith Seed (born 1928) is an American physicist and entrepreneur best known for forcing a national debate on human cloning in the late 1990s.[1]
Life and career[edit]
Seed was born in Chicago and graduated from Oak Park and River Forest High School in Illinois before attending Harvard University, earning his undergraduate degree there in 1949.[2] He later received a master's degree, as well as a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard in 1953. His interests soon shifted to the new frontier of biomedicine. In the 1970s Seed co-founded a company that commercialized a technique for transferring embryos in cattle. Later, he and his brother, Chicago surgeon Randolph Seed, started another company, Fertility & Genetics Research Inc., to help infertile women conceive children using the same technique.[3] These efforts to transplant a human embryo from one woman to an infertile surrogate mother were published in 1984. The cumbersome procedure involved flushing embryos out of the uterus of the egg donor—and was soon eclipsed by in-vitro fertilization. Ultimately the venture failed.
On December 5, 1997, Seed announced that he planned to clone a human being before any federal laws could be enacted to ban the process.[4] Seed's announcement added fuel to the raging ethical debate on human cloning that had been sparked by Ian Wilmut's creation of Dolly the sheep, the first clone obtained from adult cells.[5] Seed's plans were to use the same technique used by the Scottish team.[6] Seed's announcement went against President Clinton's 1997 proposal for a voluntary private moratorium against human cloning. In the media frenzy that followed, the story of a 69-year-old eccentric, and maverick scientist emerged, but Seed possessed impressive credentials and was not dismissed immediately.[7] While virtually no mainstream scientist believed Seed would succeed, there began a subtle shift in attitudes after Seed made his announcement.[8]
Retired at the time of his announcement to clone the first human, Seed was reported to have dabbled in ill-fated ventures in the past. He claimed at one time to have commitments for $800,000 toward a goal of $2.5 million needed to clone the first human before 2000. Seed first said that he was going to make little baby clones for infertile couples. Later, "to defuse criticism that I'm taking advantage of desperate women," he announced that he would first clone himself. Still later he announced that he would re-create his wife Gloria. "God made man in his own image," he told National Public Radio correspondent Joe Palca in December 1997. "God intended for man to become one with God. Cloning, is the first serious step in becoming one with God." In a later interview on CNN, Seed elaborated: "Man," he said, "will develop the technology and the science and the capability to have an indefinite life span."
Seed was awarded the 1998 Ig Nobel Prize in economics, and a performance titled The Seedy Opera debuted at the event.[9]
Selected publications[edit]
- Buster, J. E.; Bustillo, M.; Thorneycroft, I.; Simon, J. A.; Boyers, S. P.; Marshall, J. R.; Seed, R. G.; Louw, J. A. (1983). "Non-surgical transfer of an in-vivo fertilised donated ovum to an infertility patient". Lancet. 1 (8328): 816–817. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(83)91868-8. PMID 6132146.
- Buster, J. E.; Bustillo, M.; Thorneycroft, I. H.; Simon, J. A.; Boyers, S. P.; Marshall, J. R.; Louw, J. A.; Seed, R. W.; Seed, R. G. (1983). "Non-surgical transfer of in vivo fertilised donated ova to five infertile women: Report of two pregnancies". Lancet. 2 (8343): 223–224. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(83)90208-8. PMID 6135059.
- Bustillo, M.; Buster, J. E.; Cohen, S. W.; Thorneycroft, I. H.; Simon, J. A.; Boyers, S. P.; Marshall, J. R.; Seed, R. W.; Louw, J. A.; Seed, R. G. (1984). "Nonsurgical ovum transfer as a treatment in infertile women. Preliminary experience". JAMA: the Journal of the American Medical Association. 251 (9): 1171–1173. doi:10.1001/jama.1984.03340330029018. PMID 6694323.
- Seed, R. G. (1996). "Short note: Towards re-interpretation of the standard model of the immune system--the saver system subset--and a very simple test". Medical Hypotheses. 46 (2): 75–76. doi:10.1016/s0306-9877(96)90003-1. PMID 8692047.
- ^ Bonnicksen, Andrea L. 2002. Crafting a Cloning Policy: From Dolly to Stem Cells. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
- ^ Staff report (September 14, 1998). Seed Proposes Cloning Himself Harvard Crimson
- ^ Evans, Debra (2000). Without Moral Limits: Women, Reproduction, and Medical Technology. Crossway, ISBN 9781581342017
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/24/us/eccentric-s-hubris-set-off-global-frenzy-over-cloning.html
- ^ https://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/science/jan-june98/cloning_1-8.html
- ^ http://www.sciencefriday.com/pages/1998/Jan/hour1_010998.html
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/TECH/9801/07/cloning.folo/
- ^ Merrill, Richard A.; Rose, Bryan J. FDA Regulation of Human Cloning: Usurpation or Statesmanship; 15 Harv. J. L. Tech 85: (2001-2002)
- ^ Wickramasekara, Sagara (October 5, 1999). Not-so-noble Prizes Amuse and Bemuse Audiences. The Tech
External links[edit]
|Wikiquote has quotations related to: Richard Seed


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Gyllenspoon Run Their Morning Errands
Reese Witherspoon makes a morning trip to the W Hotel while beau Jake Gyllenhaal pays for his parking after leaving a Medical Center in Beverly Hills on Tuesday.
Peep the little birdies on Jake's shirt!
Reese later grabbed lunch at Le Pain Quotidien Bakery in Beverly Hills. GYLLENSPOON 4EVA!!!
10+ pictures inside of Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal running their morning errands…


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Decreased hybrid 2019 audi q3 usa present year turned into the most effective end version of the Q3 family from the German organization 2018-2019 audi AG. Earth introduction of new things and people, generally speaking, is planned for late-winter as an important part of the annually Geneva Motor Show. Price of a new very powerful 367-in quantity and fast SUV 2018-2019 audi RS Quake 3, prepared for publishing 270 mph, is between 61 m. Euros. Request still another automobile in Europe are now able to, with the established conveyance date in the 2nd 50 percent of this current year.
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You are viewing Audi: 2019 Audi Q3 Rear View – 2019 Audi Q3 Usa, Redesign, Release, picture size 1025x681 posted by Alim at March 15, 2018. Don't forget to browse another pic in the related category or you can browse our other interesting pic that we have. Please also read our Privacy Policy and DCMA for the copyright of the images.Back to Hot News: 2019 Audi Q3 Usa


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Lanvin Rope and snake-print cork wedge sandals
Heel measures approximately 150mm/ 6 inches with a 65mm/ 2.5 inch platform. Wear them with a tonal dress and clutch for instant sophistication. With knotted rope straps and a snake-print cork platform, Lanvin's vertiginous sandals are perfect for sun-soaked days and balmy summer evenings.
Knotted straps, rubber sole, open almond toe
Buckle-fastening ankle strap
Come in a signature designer-stamped blue box
Wedge heel measures approximately 150mm/ 6 inches with a 65mm/ 2.5 inch platform
Light-brown painted snake-print cork, beige rope, brown leather
Lanvin Rope and snake-print cork wedge sandals
Shown here with: Lanvin dress and bracelet, Assad Mounser bracelet, Yves Saint Laurent ring, Alexander McQueen clutch.
For more women shoes, please visit this link: Designer sandals womenwww.mycolorfashion.com brings you the world of shoes fashion together.


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GROVELAND — Known as the "tale as old as time," the South Lake High School performing arts department will present the Disney musical "Beauty and the Beast" this weekend.
The final show of South Lake's 2013-2014 theatre season is the Tony Award winning stage adaptation of the musical based on the 1991 film. The music from the film won Golden Globe, Grammy and Academy awards.


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Why Choose Us
We know you have a choice when it comes to selecting a construction company.
We also know that a house is usually the single-most important investment you will ever make and that you want to fill your house with life, memories and everything else it takes to make it a home.
As a design-build company, Williams & Williams will work with you from first idea to final execution to bring your dream into reality. Whether you are looking for a custom home or an addition/renovation for your current property, we are committed to providing the highest quality in both design and craftsmanship.
Since 1996 we have been successfully building custom homes as well as providing additions and renovations throughout Virginia and the District of Columbia.
We've assembled a great team of:
- Designers
- Construction Managers
- Framers
- Master Carpenters
- Architectural Designers & Engineers
- Interior Designers
- Plumbers
- Electricians
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Each and every one is a professional who is committed to providing quality design and craftsmanship from the first idea to final execution.
At Williams & Williams Construction, we've built a good reputation and do our best daily to live up to the trust placed in us by our clients.
Whether we are building a custom home, adding a room or renovating an existing space, every project provides us with a new opportunity to create a living area that can be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come.
You have only one place to call when it comes to all of your construction needs – Williams & Williams. Let us know how we can help you!


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Roby Moves To Protect Military Pensions
Just one day after Congress passed a landmark budget agreement to control spending for the next two years, U.S. Representative Martha Roby (R-AL) is moving to replace one of the plan's least popular provisions and ensure that military retirees are not unfairly penalized under the new law.
Rep. Roby is partnering with Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) and other lawmakers to repeal a provision that reduces working-age military pensions beginning in 2015 and replace it with a measure to prevent illegal aliens from receiving fraudulent cash payments from the government in the form of the Refundable Child Tax Credit.
"There are many good things in the budget agreement passed by Congress: setting a sustainable path of controlled federal spending, preventing some of the harmful sequestration cuts to our military, and returning Congress to regular order to end the days of massive temporary spending bills passed at the last minute. I applaud the negotiators for tackling a difficult challenge and producing the first compromise budget in a divided government in 27 years," Rep. Roby said.
"However, the final product was not what I would have drafted, and House members were not given the opportunity to improve the bill through amendments on the floor. One provision that is particularly troublesome is the one percent reduction in the cost of living adjustment for working age military retirees beginning in 2015. Just look at the vast federal government that is rife with waste. Are reductions to military benefits really the best place for Congress to make cuts? I don't think so, and I that's why I believe that provision should be removed."
The legislation introduced today in the House – H.R. 3788 – is a compliment to an amendment offered by Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-AL) during debate on the budget plan in the Senate. It removes the cost-of-living increase reduction and replaces it with a measure closing a tax loophole that allows ineligible, non-citizens to receive fraudulent cash payments in the form of a Refundable Child Tax Credit.
The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates that closing this loophole by simply requiring the recipients of this taxpayer-funded credit to be eligible citizens would save as much as $7 billion, more than enough to offset the $6 billion gleaned from altering military retiree pensions.
"Today I am joining Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick and others in the House to offer a companion bill to Sen. Sessions' commonsense amendment. I believe that this is a fix the Republican Conference can rally around. I have personally contacted the House leadership this morning to give voice to the concerns of military retirees in my district who feel singled out by the budget agreement. I am strongly encouraging our leaders to use the Christmas week as an opportunity to build support for this or similar legislation so that we can pass it upon our return in January. In my opinion, it should be the first item on the docket for 2014.
"I greatly appreciate Sen. Sessions' leadership in crafting and fighting for this amendment, which was only denied because Majority Leader Harry Reid used procedural tactics to block it.
"We need to make this right. In the coming weeks, we will try to use our position of strength in the House majority to improve upon the budget agreement and better prioritize our budget savings."
Closing the gaping loophole the Refundable Child Tax Credit is more than justifiable, particularly given the budget situation.
According to a 2011 report form the Treasury Inspector General, "Millions of people are seeking this tax credit who, we believe, are not entitled to it. We have made recommendations to the IRS as to how they could address this, and they have not taken sufficient action in our view to solve the problem."
The Treasury Inspector General went on to say that "the payment of Federal funds through this tax benefit appears to provide an additional incentive for aliens to enter, reside, and work in the United States without authorization, which contradicts Federal law and policy to remove such incentives."
Read the full report from the Treasury Inspector General here.


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In The Guardian, David Hockney argues that "that painting can do things photography can't, even when it comes to telling the truth about war. […] Photography, with its claim to truth, is a discipline, he thinks, and he's glad digital technology is ending the rule of the one-eyed monster that never lied. 'I suppose I never thought the world looked like photographs, really. A lot of people think it does but it's just one little way of seeing it. All religions are about social control. The church, when it had social control, commissioned paintings, which were made using lenses' - as Hockney has argued in his book Secret Knowledge - 'and when it stopped commissioning images, its power declined, slowly. Social control today is in the media - and based on photography. The continuum is the mirrors and lenses.'"
Wrong, retorts Joel Sternfeld, winner of the Citigroup photography prize: "Photography has always been capable of manipulation".


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LOS ANGELES, CA – Since Halloween 2012, alt-porn princess Joanna Angel has been slashing the competition to shreds with Evil Head, a manic, lust-fueled parody of the iconic 1980s cult classic. Tonight April 5th, Ms. Angel and co-stars Dana DeArmond and Tommy Pistol will be celebrating this big-budget spoof's ongoing success with an exclusive promotional event at TRU nightclub in Hollywood.
Tonight's soiree will see the darkly sensual nightspot (located at historic
1600 Argyle) taking LA sophisticates into a world of the macabre tempered
with the unique aura and style of old Hollywood. Joanna, Dana, Tommy and
friends will enjoy the evening in a plush VIP retreat while lucky revelers
will enjoy chances to receive promotional copies of the Evil Head DVD.
Limited quantities of Burning Angel magazines, t-shirts, hats and other
collectibles will be given away.
For her part, Ms. Angel is thrilled to be pushing the project into the
Hollywood mainstream again. "Evil Head is by far the most expensive movie
we have ever made," she candidly reveals. "I love how it turned out and I'm
excited for people to see it!"
This event is open to the public and begins at 11:00 pm. Members of the
press are encouraged to RSVP with Daniel M ([email protected].com)
at (818) 266-7910 prior to 10:00 pm tonight.


text:
because we won't let it. By we, I mean you. By you, I mean your brain and heart. Yes your brain and heart are constantly fighting the world. The world will tell you things implicitly and your brain and heart strive to explicitly solve them. The implicit worldly tellings are challenging situations, obstacles and looming tragedies. Regardless of shape and size, these happen to us everyday. Then BOOM, the shot heard around the world gets fired. Your mind and heart start to make judgments around what they should do or not do. You sit there and ponder all day and all night and think... what you don't realize is that you are actually fighting. You create strategies and scenarios, much like arise in wars, and develop tactical moves to surmount these life situation. When it fails - fear, anger, anxiety infiltrate you much like an enemy. Happiness, love, fulfillment were apart of the strategy but got lost in the individual battles. Now, you are screwed. The enemy gets closer and closer and the war that looked like an easy feat in the beginning is now an epic fail. Your diet falls away, you can't sleep, lose your will to exercise and have headaches. All is lost.
Want to know the biggest disappointment? It never had to happen in the first place.


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The cruel reality of living in an open marriage: Olivia agreed her husband could have one affair a year and she could kiss 10 men... but then he fell in love with a mistress
- Novelist Olivia Fane was in open marriage with writer Adam Nicolson
- Married at age of 22 and drew up 'contract' stipulating rules of taking lovers
- Adam was permitted one affair per year, abroad, for two week
- Fane was allowed ten kisses a year, and a two-week affair every other year
- Couple had three sons and, initially, a very happy marriage
- Fane says in an open marriage the risk of losing your partner is more real
- Fane then married Mark May in 1993, and they have a traditional marriage
Novelist Olivia Fane has been married twice, the first time in an open marraige
When I was a girl of 13, my mother said to me, 'Darling, I wish to give you some sound advice. It's important you remain a virgin till you marry. No man wants soiled goods.
'But after you've married and had your children, take lovers if you want them. But you must do so with absolute discretion. No one must ever know.'
While my school friends considered my mother's words avant garde to say the least, the family into which I was to marry made her seem positively provincial.
The writer and historian, Adam Nicolson, was my first boyfriend. I was 19 when I met him at Cambridge University, where we were both students. He was as witty and clever as he is nowadays, and I adored him.
I remember watching him, awestruck, as he debated with two of his friends.
I didn't understand a word of what they were talking about, all I remember was interrupting to ask what the word 'paradigm' meant.
But right away, I knew this: I wanted to be the one he was talking to.
My background wasn't exactly bookish - in fact, both of my grandmothers warned me against being a 'bluestocking', because if I were one of those I would more than likely be left 'on the shelf' and never marry.
But my mother was an expert in the art of flirting and how to get a man to fall in love with you, though she remained utterly faithful to my father. I followed her advice to the tee.
'Always tell a clever man he's handsome, and a handsome man he's clever.' Doubtless her own mother had said the same thing to her.
And so, that very first afternoon, mesmerised by his elegant turn of phrase, I jumped onto Adam's knee in my tight jeans and pink mohair sweater and told him how handsome he was.
Soon after we met, he took me to meet his father, Nigel Nicolson, at the family home, Sissinghurst Castle in Kent. Nigel lived alone, having divorced some years previously, and I grew to love him as I might a second father. He taught me about literature and art, calling me his 'philosopherette'.
He gave me a copy of his book, Portrait Of A Marriage, the story of his parents, the writer and politician Harold Nicolson and poet and gardener Vita Sackville-West.
I read about the depth of their love, but I also read that they had both had affairs throughout their marriage, each with the same sex. The Nicolsons were a family in which infidelity was not only tolerated, but celebrated.
I began to consider that marital fidelity was a dull task barely worth considering. I was studying Classics and felt the ancient writers and love poets would have agreed with me.
The lesson of history seemed to be that what mattered was not the adultery itself, but getting caught. It was just about honour and propriety. But I didn't give a fig for propriety. Propriety is about appearances; what truly matters is the heart.
Olivia Fane pictured on her wedding day to first husband, the writer and historian Adam Nicolson, with whom she had an open marriage
The atmosphere at Sissinghurst was for me - at core, a simple Home Counties girl - intoxicating. My ten years with Adam were, quite simply, my education.
Adam and I would arrive there late on a Friday night and sit at the old scrubbed pine kitchen table while Nigel gave us what I came to think of as the 'cast list' for the weekend. He would take us through the private lives of the various politicians, writers and artists who would be staying with us, or coming to Sunday lunch.
He would say things such as, 'now X is married to Y, but having an affair with Z'. He would then ask our advice about whether a married couple would actually prefer to share a room (i.e. they were sufficiently young and in love) or sleep apart - leaving them free to entertain other people.
I embraced the Bohemian lifestyle, wholesale. I was young, I went with the flow. I had read somewhere that Inuits traditionally offer their wives to weary travellers after a day's trudging through the snow. Weren't sexual mores pure convention?
Within months of beginning our romance, Adam and I used to idealise our future life together, how we would have our own separate passions - not to mention lovers - in different wings of a large house, but then meet in the middle for lunch and tell each other all about them.
Olivia Fane's first husband, Adam Nicolson, and his book Sissinghurst
When we decided to get married three years later, at the tender ages of 22 and 24, we felt excited, radical. Everyone else was sensibly co-habiting. We, meanwhile, were preparing our marriage 'contract'.
The sexologist Alfred Kinsey was in an open marriage with his wife Clara Bracken McMillen
The rules were these. Adam was to be allowed one affair a year, provided it lasted no longer than two weeks, and it had to take place abroad. He also had to seek my permission first. My mother had warned me that all red-blooded men were unfaithful to their wives.
Certainly, when my paternal grandfather stayed on in Durban at the end of World War Two for three months longer than strictly necessary, everyone knew there was a woman involved, but no one even mentioned it and when he got home he went on to live many happy years with his wife. What did an occasional fortnight matter?
As for myself, I was allowed ten snogs a year and a love affair for two weeks every other year, provided it took place in Stoke Newington; a joke between us because it sounded the least romantic destination we could think of.
Looking back, our contracts seem childish, but we somehow trusted them. I never found out exactly where Stoke Newington was, but I did take advantage of the snogs.
Olivia Fane's new book, The Conversations
The time between meeting someone you like and kissing them has always seemed to me more perfect and less messy than the time between a first kiss and full-blown sex. I never felt that these flirtations threatened our marriage at all.
People ask me now what it was like to live in an open marriage, but the truth is it didn't feel 'open'. He was working as a travel writer for most of our marriage - how many young men can really be trusted to be 100 per cent faithful to their wives when they're in another country for weeks on end?
And the truth is, Adam's affairs were short and rare.
I remember the phone call when he first asked my permission to embark on a brief liaison with someone he had met in Los Angeles, a few months into our union. I was so pleased with myself, bordering on smug. I thought, our marriage is so strong, it can contain this.
years ago, I read an article by Adam in which he mentioned how happy he
had been in his 20s.
That was our decade, and it touched me. I was also very happy. I didn't know what 'working at a marriage' meant. We certainly did no 'work'. As far as I was concerned, it was all play.
I never knew a moment of boredom in his company. I adored his intelligence, his perceptiveness.
His use of words thrilled me. I once said to him, 'I wish I had your words, Adam,' and he made me a little matchbox and called it The Word Reservoir. I still have it tucked away in a drawer.
Even the last year of our marriage, 1989, began so well. At seven, four and two, our three sons were out of nappies: they were walking, talking sweet young boys and, after the hard work of their younger years, domestic life had taken a positive turn.
I was also enjoying writing a column in a magazine called Social Work
Today, my first foray into journalism. But most importantly, I was
beginning my first novel, Landing On Clouds.
I wanted to make Adam proud of me, to be part of the Sissinghurst myth, to deserve my place among those extraordinary people. He took my manuscript to read on a skiing holiday with his sister and their friends.
I was invited, of course, but I'm a useless skier and wanted to stay at home with the kids. Near the end of the holiday, he rang me from the resort. He told me he thought my novel was terrific. He said, 'You know, Olivia, you can really do this.'
Olivia Fane is now in a traditional marriage with her second husband, Mark, pictured here with their son Ben
I think that probably counts as the happiest moment of my life. But then he said, 'By the way, I've just met a rather nice girl, but the trouble is, she lives in London. Would you mind if I slept with her?' I was effusive: 'Adam, of course I wouldn't mind! But just once! Just the once!'
Between 1.7 and 6 per cent of married people claim to be in open marriages
Later, I would look back on this moment and think of a girlfriend of mine, who sends me pictures of roads. She writes: 'Wouldn't you just love to walk down this one? Just to see where it would lead you?'
They are long and leafy and often there is a curve round which you cannot see. It felt like I was watching Adam turn the corner in the road, leaving me and going somewhere else. And then, although we were still living in the same house, I lost him completely. He had fallen in love with a pretty doctor, one of those on the ski trip, and I didn't fight for him.
Fane with her second husband, Mark, in Tynemouth in the summer of 1992
You can't even talk to someone who's in love, they're on another planet. Losing Adam broke my heart.
A marriage is like a great fat book, a soap of the highest calibre, an epic on the scale of War And Peace. I had got to know and love all the characters within it. I wanted to know what they'd do next. My divorce was like losing the only copy in print, when I'd been so gripped, so enthralled by it, and knowing it was lost for ever.
Remarkably, I didn't fall into a depression after our marriage broke down. They say that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and that was certainly what happened to me.
We finally divorced in 1991. I have never blamed Adam for what happened. When you marry into a family such as his, you know what you're letting yourself in for.
I entered it, eyes wide open. Adam and I didn't even set out to be faithful to each other for ever and ever, so in a sense no trust was betrayed.
Yet it turns out that perhaps the rules in our marriage 'contract' were the wrong ones.
Two years later I got together with my present husband Mark, who was a year younger than me, an old university friend. And the truth is, I don't think he would have loved my naive, 19-year-old self as much as the graduate of the Nicolson School of Life and Love.
Mark is also from a family of artists and romantics, though with one crucial difference - in his family, fidelity mattered very much. It was at the heart of everything.
So, when we married in 1993, we took our vows seriously. We were going to be faithful to each other till death do us part. We wanted to become 'one flesh' as the Anglican marriage service poetically describes it.
The removal of the temptation of others is good for a marriage. I have learnt that I am someone who requires absolute closeness, I need to get inside my partner's skin and see the world as he sees it. Twenty years on, he is a part of me. Infidelity doesn't let that happen.
and I now have two sons of our own, as well my three children from my
first marriage.
A lot of our time together has been spent in the normal to-ing and fro-ing of domestic life.
We have been to weddings and funerals. We have grown up with our friends, and been with them through their own highs and lows. He was with me when my mother died; I was with him when his father died.
We have lived the most traditional of marriages. And the richest.
The Conversations: 66 Reasons To Start Talking by Olivia Fane is published by Square Peg, at £15.99.
Olivia and Mark pictured in 1992, the year before they married
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PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Somers' Mark Lasar and Ossining's Leo McCarthy turned in two tournament-shaking wins Sunday on the first day of the Section 1 Large School Wrestling New York State Qualifier at Pace University.
Lasat beat second-seeded Nick Didio from North Rockland in a quarterfinal of the 160-pound weight class. In the same round, McCarthy bested second-seeded Hassan Auwarter of Clarkstown South in the 170-pound weight class.
Those were two of the major upsets on a day dominated by North Rockland. The Red Raiders scored 90.5 points to take the lead. Yorktown is tied with Clarkstown South for second with 54 points and two-time defending champion Fox Lane is third.
Wrestling resumes 3 p.m. Monday with the semifinals at Pace University. The finals are scheduled for 6 p.m.
Lasar posted an 11-7 decision over Didio and McCarthy controlled Auwarter, 8-3. Lasar, seeded seventh, gets third-seeded Ben Miller of Mamaroneck in a semifinal. McCarthy, also seeded seventh, faces third-seeded Adam Hofling of Sleepy Hollow in a semifinal.
Yorktown has five wrestlers in the championship semifinals – Jimmy Kaishian (126 pounds), Joe Mastro (152), Thomas Murray (182), Steven Sabella (195) and David Varian (285).
Horace Greeley, which is sixth (45 points), also has five wrestlers in the semifinals – Kirby Atlas (120), Mitchell Klein (145), Brock Cvijanovich (182), Scott Wymbs (195) and Brent Lobien (285).
Tommy Grippi (145) headlines a group of four Fox Lane wrestlers in the semis, including Brandon Fay (99), Matt Grippi (106) and Ben Ettlinger (132).
Click here to sign up for Daily Voice's free daily emails and news alerts.


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Multibillion-dollar mergers are breaking out across the mining sector and a few mutual funds are well-positioned to reap the gains.
Last week, Teck Cominco Ltd. launched a surprise $17.8-billion bid for Inco Ltd.
Inco Ltd., meanwhile, on Saturday raised its friendly bid for Falconbridge Ltd. to $19.6-billion and is struggling to get regulators to sign off on the deal. Mining multinationals are watching from the sidelines, including BHP Billiton, Rio Tinto PLC and Anglo American PLC. Analysts widely expect another player to enter the fray.
Fund managers are placing their bets.
Teck Cominco: Toronto-based CI Financial Inc. has been an opportunistic investor in the Vancouver base metals play.
In the first three months of the year, CI-managed funds sold off about 1.4 million class B shares as the stock climbed from a low of $61.97 to a March high of $77.07. As of April 1, 11 CI funds hold about 3.5 million shares worth about $250-million.
CI Canadian Investment Fund is the fund industry's single biggest investor in Teck Cominco, owning 2.2 million shares. It's worth noting that the fund is underweight in the mining sector, holding about 12 per cent in materials stocks compared to the sector's 17-per-cent weighting in the S&P/TSX composite index. The $5-billion fund has a modest three-star rating from globefund.com, slightly besting the one, three, five and 10-year annual average returns of its Canadian equity fund rivals.
Inco: Fund giant Fidelity Investments of Boston is known for making big bets on stories it likes -- and it likes Inco.
The Boston-based firm has been building a position in the nickel company, snapping up about 3.7 million shares in the last few months of 2005. Sixteen Fidelity funds now control about 6.7 million shares, about 3.5 per cent of the Toronto nickel firm's equity.
Fidelity Canadian Asset Allocation Fund is the fund company's single biggest Inco investor, controlling two million shares. The tactical balanced fund is overseen by Alan Radlo, manager of a total of $9-billion for Fidelity. Inco is a rare mining stock he likes; the fund has a tiny 4.4-per-cent weighting in the materials sector.
Falconbridge: It's well known that Swiss based miner Xstrata PLC snapped up a 19.9-per-cent interest in the nickel firm last August and is signalling it wants the rest of the firm.
Bank of Nova Scotia may be a key beneficiary. Scotiabank has been taking profits, unloading 3.1 million shares in the last quarter of 2005. As of Dec. 31, the Toronto bank held 13.6 million shares worth about $187-million. Fidelity is close behind, buying Falconbridge stock through last year and, as of Dec. 31, holding close to 10 million shares across 19 funds. The biggest of the bunch is Canada's Fidelity True North Fund, holder of 2.3 million Falconbridge shares across 21 fund classes. The fund is overseen by research-driven Stephen Binder and is currently keeping pace with the S&P/TSX composite index and its rivals over one, three and five years.
Hamilton adviser sued
A $51-million class-action lawsuit has been filed against a Hamilton-based financial adviser.
Bob Adams, a planner who solicited clients in the Hamilton region in the early 1990s, is at the centre of the lawsuit.
According to court documents, more than 100 of Mr. Adams' clients invested money into limited partnerships called Standby Letters of Credit. The vehicle promised that for every $100,000 (U.S.), investors would receive annual returns of more than $12,000, the suit claims. The returns never materialized and millions of dollars remain unaccounted for, the suit alleges. Losses range from $25,000 to as much as $200,000 a person.
Investors are suing Mr. Adams and a handful of other defendants, including Select Financial Services Inc. of Cambridge, Ont. Mr. Adams declared personal bankruptcy in 2000 and continues to work as a financial adviser with Armstrong & Quaile Associates Inc., also of Cambridge.
Mr. Adams did not return telephone calls. Boyd Balogh, a Toronto lawyer representing Select Financial, declined to comment. A statement of defence has not been filed.
Norshield assets identified
There was some rare good news this month for investors in troubled hedge fund Norshield Financial Group.RSM Richter Inc., the receiver of the Montreal financial services firm, has identified a further $34-million in assets and is attempting to recover the funds. Richter declined to provide details but, when added to $36.1-million in errant Norshield funds the receiver is already chasing, the sum of potentially recoverable money totals $70.1-million. The bulk of money retrieved by Richter will be used to refund investor losses in the insolvent company.
Norshield, considered Canada's first hedge fund, filed for receivership in June last year amid investigations by securities regulators in Ontario and Quebec. About 1,900 retail investors sank $131.9-million into the company's funds while a group of institutional clients invested $210-million.
Richter is tracking the trail of dollars through Norshield's Byzantine structure and has interviewed senior management across the company, including founder John Xanthoudakis. All information is being shared with regulators and law enforcement officials.
© 2007 The Globe and Mail. All rights reserved.
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text:
Join us & thousands of other fine young professionals from around the world this New Year's Eve at our most spectacular, interactive, & instagrammable, 'Wondrous' event yet!
NEW THEME FOR 2018 ~ "Wonderland"
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Our Former Event: Passport to the World Video
This glitzy, landmark event truly embodies what this great city of San Francisco has to offer! Come experience for yourself the exciting and diverse mix of music, fashion, art, culture, sophistication, and charitable causes as we take you into 2018 in style at the largest black tie event in town.
Here we'll partner with other amazing San Francisco based Orgs/Non-Profits & companies to produce a fun & spectacular event showcasing some of the best Live & Interactive Entertainment in SF.
Featuring 20,000+ sq feet, Premium Hosted Open Bar, 5 different rooms with 10 DJ's & 2 LIVE Bands, LIVE Performances, LIVE Exhibitions, Interactive Demos, Interactive Visuals & more!
Portion of proceeds benefiting Hackcancer, Artpoint, Girls in Tech, Family House, Spark SF, Holidazzle, Alist & many others tba. Please let us know if you and/or your non-profit/org or startup/company would like to be involved too.
December 31st, 2017 | Doors open at 9pm
Westin St. Francis Hotel ~ 335 Powell St ~ On San Francisco Union Square
Hosted Open Bar | 21+ Only, 25+ preferred | Formal Attire, Black Tie requested
7 different areas | 5 rooms of music/entertainment | 10 DJs | 2 Live Bands : 80s Cover Band - the Spazmatics
& singer/dj duo Shane Mac & Wait What | Fashion Show | Taiko Drummers | Stilt Walkers | Performers | Photo Booths & more!


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[album id=3 template=compact]
I'm Rhi!
Originally from a small town in Tennessee, I enjoy moving around a lot rather than staying in one place too long. Truly Southern at heart, I like the smell of freshly cut grass and the sound of the wind rustling through the trees. I am in love with country music and cowboy boots. Although I have deep roots in the South, my journey from place to place makes for an amazing adventure. Traveling the world, seeing the sights, experiencing different cultures, trying new cuisines, taking pictures and making memories are the things I am most passionate about. You only live once, and I am making the most of it. Oh, and I'm deathly allergic to peanut butter.


text:
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text:
The initiative is part of efforts by Nestlé to find people with the required skills that meet the company's expectation, while ensuring the sustainability of training to unlock the potential of the youth in Ghana and elsewhere in the region.
Of the number, 430 were shortlisted for an aptitude test out of which 28 were invited to participate in the coaching exercises.
This included an aptitude test, personal presentation, group discussion and individual case studies. Candidates therefore worked individually and also in groups on exercises that allowed them to practically apply their academic knowledge to real life situations.
The candidates were introduced to the evolved Nestlé Leadership Framework, with particular focus on the following behaviors: Understanding the Business Environment, Proactive Cooperation, Know Yourself, Result Focus and Initiative. Consideration was also given to oratorical proficiency, appearance and analytical skills.
On the eve of the assessment, Raymond Naon, Human Resources Business Partner for Support Functions at the Central and West Africa regional office in Accra took the assessors through a training session on the rationale for the establishment of the Centre, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of the recruits.
All the candidates received "gifts" after lunch in the form of feedback. Both the successful and unsuccessful candidates were informed of their improvement areas and their strengths. It is said that constructive feedback is a gift and it was received positively by all the candidates.


text:
BOCA RATON — A coveted plot of land at the city-owned Boca Raton Airport attracted three proposals Wednesday for huge multimillion-dollar hotel, restaurant and office complexes.
The city`s Airport Authority now must choose one of the three plans, all of which include large hotels, gourmet restaurants, lounges, stores, office buildings and several acres of parking, all connected with lobbies, courtyards and pools.
Once a plan is chosen, the 28-acre tract on the south end of the airport near the Glades Road-Interstate 95 interchange could be leased to a developer for as much as $250,000 a year. The complex also would generate room and sales taxes, a portion of which the city would collect.
Authority member Kenneth L. Feigl said he was happy with the three proposals. Referring to the airport, he said, ``I think our ugly duckling is going to turn into a beautiful swan one of these days.``
The City Council cleared the way for the project in September 1984 by permitting non-aviation development on airport land. At the time, members said the development not only would offer more services at the airport but also would help finance future improvements to airport facilities.
The most expensive proposal was that of Brooks & Associates architects, planners and interior designers of Boca Raton, and Twin S Enterprises of Lauderdale Lakes.
Their $36 million complex plan includes a 300-room hotel and conference center, restaurant and private club, several office buildings and at least two parking structures, all sharing a villa-like architecture and atmosphere.
The two firms worked together to develop a key area near John Wayne International Airport in Orange County, Calif., south of Los Angeles, according to the owner of the Brooks firm, Richard Kenneth Brooks Jr.


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text:
Bizarrely Easy Boss Fights
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Pre or post patch. I hear that one no longer works, for those who used such cheap tactics.
Good poise and high damage output will take Four Kings down. His melee attacks do more damage at range, so stay close and hack away - just be mindful of his one spell that can wreck you if close.
Note: My first playthrough, I didn't even use magic/pyro/miracles at all. I used a Bastard Sword, had high END, STR and DEX. Almost nothing put into anything else (this includes VIT, so my Health was really low as well - had to up VIT in NG+ though).
OP: Pinwheel demon in Dark Souls. Easiest boss in the game. I don't know if he's ever even managed to hit me once. It's weird. Especially after the onslaught of asshole pinwheel skeletons... who are amongst the 3 most annoying regular enemies in the game.
The tutorial boss? Yeah... He's easy, I think most bosses on NG+ would be easy apart from Smough and Ornstein and the Four Kings. I still have 6 bosses to go on my first playthrough, but those are the only ones to give me serious trouble. We'll see how Nito, Priscilla, Seath, Gwyndolin, Gwyn, and Bed of Chaos treat me.
Also on a Dark Souls note: Pinwheel, the first boss in the Catacombs. I three shot him... He didn't even get one attack off. And... Moonlight Butterfly. But that's hardly a boss encounter.
343 Guilty Spark. As Yahtzee points out, the fight is insultingly easy. I mean, I died a few times because I fell off on my first run through but that wasn't his fault. Even after ramping up to legendary, I found he couldn't actually kill you as his attack regularly misses if you stand still. Then you get the laser and just stand still shooting him till he goes bang.
Satan from Castlevania Lords of Shadow, they give you unlimited magic and make war could have been an epic.boss fight the easiest part of the game by far.
Or you could just use Yojimbo.
OT: Any fight in FF VIII after you get Aura and Meltdown and Pulse Ammo, any fight in FF X after you get Yojimbo and finally the Fable 2 "final boss".
You had enough money to sustain Yojimbo? You can blow your entire purse on him and he still might not do something cool
it was General Scales BTW
The end boss for Act 1 Diablo 3. I saw his attacks coming from a mile away, the arena gives you to healing wells if things go wrong and he is so slow; my fat ass barbarian could just hop out of the way and keep hitting him in the face. I was expecting something a little more
I think a lot of games have boss that aren't on par with the course. I've played games where a boss is really easy, to the point that a mini boss earlier was harder than him, and I've played games where a lower boss is 10x harder than the final one! Sometimes it just depends on how you sink your stats, maybe you didn't grab the right weapon for the job, or maybe you found a glitch that made things easier.
Yojimbo training get overdrive, Yuna get overdrive 2 chances to instant kill anything and it wasn't that expensive.
Uhm back on topic. First one of the top of my head is Seymour in Final Fantasy X when he becomes a zombie and you can just phoenix down him to death, that's always fun. Also I found the last boss of Final Fantasy XIII-2 really easy since I was overpowered just by playing the game trying to unlock everything.
Really once you got Yuni's super weapon and limit break this game was easy. Summon the three sisters or Anima and everything died but quick.
At low levels, snipers aren't really that good. But once they reach the high levels, they almost become God tier.
Marina herself becomes the best sniper in the game, at high levels with a really good sniper rifle, the only possible way she can miss her targets is if they decide to duck.
OT: Well Mysterio in Spider-man 2 comes to mind. He literally goes down in one hit.
Also, the necromancer guy at the end of the mage's guild quest line in Oblivion. The game kinda hypes him up to be this man of ultimate power and is considered a huge threat. But I brought him down by using my paralysis staff and then hitting him a couple of times with goldbrand. :/
There's a reason for this and unless you haven't finished that quest, you should know it.
OT: General Shepherd from MW2. You kill him with an extremely easy quick-time event.
The final boss of Gears of War 2. How do you defeat it, you ask?
You mean, the easiest main series FF game ever made (and the FF series is generally easy).
BTW: The battle with Yunalesca was about the only fight that required a little strategy. And that strategy was let 1 person be zombified. That person will survive auto-death and will revive the others. It's also easier to keep a (mostly) living party healthy.
How needlessly expensive.
Quick Hit breaks the game. Give it to everyone.
It helps that I also retooled my Sphere Grid so that everyone has stats of 255 in all categories (except luck). There are only +4 stats on my grid. Nothing smaller.
Except Super bosses and anything else that auto-kills summons. Then both your and Glademasters strategies are fucked over.
Quick Hit for everyone people. It's all you really need.
The last boss of Xenosaga II uses his first turn to cast a spell which revives you if you die, and then proceeds to do nothing whatsoever to stop you from killing him. He get about three turns for every one of yours, but instead of attacks he has about thirty different fully voiced insults.
Handsome Jack and the warrior from borderlands 2 (solo /W Zer0).
holy fucking shit that was so anticlimactic it wasn't even fun. it took me three sniper shots to down Jack himself and the warrior barley hit me once.
I had more trouble with RPG loaders robots or those guys who runs around with rocket launchers than I had with the final "boss". heck I've taken more damage from accidentally hitting myself with weapons that are thrown like grenades when you reload them.
Borderlands 2... no, not Wilhelm - see: plot. And yeah, the final boss was piss-easy, but that's been mentioned, too.
BNK3R. There's a glitch that lets Zero one-shot him.
Hell of a time saver on True Vault Hunter.
The boss in Deus ex: human revolution where you run upto where he lands and stealth kill him before he can do anything to you. Gotta be the easiest boss fight ever although it didn't really seem like a boss fight at all. The final boss was a complete joke aswell...switch him off *rolls his eyes*. If ever there was a game with easier boss fights overall then i'd like to see it. Proximity grenades ruined everything.
I'll add the boss at the end of Final Fantasy 10...i was so overpowered from killing the dark thingies that the final boss died in 1 hit.
Zanmato: Yojimbo calls his katana out of a portal in the ground and uses it to slice all enemies in half. It instantly kills any enemy in the game, with the exceptions of Sin (when fighting face-to-face on the airship), Yunalesca and Braska's Final Aeon, which will only move to the next form (unless they have already reached their final form, in which case Zanmato will kill them).
Yeah it works just fine on anything in the game basically. Also 10k gil is not a lot for an instant kill which makes all boss fights easy. Abusing another mechanic you need to do a lot more work for which does not work unless you min/max to an insane degree. Over leveing or in this case overspeccing will of course make everything easy. Quick Hit may be integral to beating Penance and what not but so are the ridiculous spec.
So yeah time investment for that vs spending 10k gil for normal play Yojimbo is way less time consuming.
Metal Sonic in the Game Gear/Master System version of Sonic 2.
In the Megadrive version, hitting it while it's moving or doing its' chainsaw hair thing will kill you. You have to dodge it and hit it when it's vulnerable. Plus you also have to defeat Robotnik afterwards with no checkpoints so you'd better get good at beating it.
In the Game Gear/Master System version, if you jump into it while moving you both just bounce away and there is no chainsaw hair thing. So you can't die while you are in the air and if you just keep jumping you have a good chance of beating it on your first attempt. And it's the last boss in the game unless you've been collecting those chaos emeralds.
I'd always heard that the chance even then was pretty slim. I never managed to trigger it
I think you and I are talking about rather different play experiences, I never maxed out the sphere grid, I never get enough stuff to manufacture the auto spells on decent sets of armour. My playthrough was rather more mortal and pedestrian than yours and in that sense FFX was more interesting, in FFVII and XII, XIII (never could really get into 8, don't know why I haven't played 9) in that less perfectionist sense, I never felt like I needed to be particularly strategic in any battle and generally didn't need to employ much more of a strategy than healing and DPS.
Even on my first playthrough I breezed through FFX.
At the fight you were referring to, for example, I was not at god like levels of power.
Thing is, the biggest flaw with FFX is just how easy it is. And again, that's saying a lot in a series that's as easy as Final Fantasy.
Fair enough.
You might be the only person I've encountered to get the insta-kill special at any regularity.
As for my mechanic, you don't have to retool the grid like I did to make it work (I'm just anal that way). But everyone does have tot take a trip through Tidus' grid. I'd say take a walk through Wakka's while you're at it since that one is packed with physical power. It's not obligatory though.
Quick Hit is OP nonetheless.
Gonna have to add to the final boss from FFX with Yojimbo crowd. I just put down all my considerable fortune for him. What else am I going to use it for? It's the final boss!
I would say Goht from Majora's Mask. I consider it a major design flaw when I can just stand in the doorway an pelt him with arrows as he runs by and he won't be able to even touch me.
The more you get attacks with Yojimbo that aren't the god the higher chance you have to get better attacks and Overdrive boosts this a lot. I managed to beat all of the Dark Aeons bar Yojimbo by abusing this. Not that I couldn't have done it other ways I just wanted to see how much I could abuse the mechanic.
Final boss fight of BG1, maybe?
I think we're still talking about you being on a way higher level than me and (hopefully) other people on this stuff, you seem really skilled at these games. I at least didn't notice X being harder than the other FF's and in fact found X the hardest to complete of all the ones that I've played. I found they forced more tactical intricacies with the turn based system whereas the time part of ATB made the battles a little looser and gooey, one less variable that could be considered and used and the rest had to be toned down because nothing could be used as precisely.
I didn't struggle with it, I just nicked a load of mines from the supply cabinets inside and placed them around the outer ring, near the junctions.
OT: Whitney. Everyone complains about that Miltank, but I steamrolled it with a Machop-Haunter combo. xD
Salazar from Resident Evil 4.
Just buy a rocket launcher from the Merchant standing just outside, wait for Salazar to reveal himself, and then simply blow him away in one shot.
As a matter of fact, this is the only way I know how to beat him - I've never tried a different approach, because it involved getting grabbed by his tentacles and thrown down in the lower area which is crawling with those spider-y facehugger bastards.
To be fair, a lot of people were saying this before Wednesday.
My active theory is that a30 second attention span is too much to ask of gamers.
But your strategy only works at the end if the game anyway...so it's kinda moot in terms of rendering the game easy
By the time I got to Alduin in Skyrim, I had to cripple myself to get any fun out of it. In particular, I rendered my massive Heavy Armor stat worthless by wearing nothing but the Archmage's Robes (without any of the appropriate spells or perks, it may have well been a set of pajamas) and I used Mehrunes' Razor for the fun of trying to land the ever-elusive one-hit kill on him.
Pajamas and a razor.
I wore
Lord Harkon of the Dawnguard DLC at least put up a more unique challenge (if less of a fight because I just walked in the room with some dragon-bone armor and a newly made matching sword at that point). Once again, I prove I am superior to a bunch of bats and winged lizards.
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When you walk down the streets in New York City, you can't help but notice that every restaurant, coffee shop, retail store etc is packed! NYC knows how to attract the masses.
This was definitely true for our official New York City premiere of The People's Crisis last week. The New School was kind enough to donate Tishman Auditorium, a 480 seat theater in the heart of the city so that we could share our new documentary with our New York friends.
We must admit, we were somewhat skeptical of how many people would actually show up on a Friday night in New York. "Who wants to spend their Friday night learning about North Korea," we thought. But to our surprise, as we walked on stage to start the event, we saw a packed out auditorium with no available seats!
The highlight by far was when Joseph (one of the first North Korean refugees LiNK assisted out of the underground) took the stage. As Joseph spoke on behalf of the North Korean people, we were inspired by the response from the hundreds of people that attended as a result of Joseph's compelling story.
We hope the momentum will stay alive in New York City! It was such a great opportunity to spread awareness to so many new people and network with individuals who are passionate about this issue.
Thanks for being good to us New York! We love you.


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Nationwide is a different kind of company. We put members firstSM. And because we put members first, we know how committed you are to the success of the National Softball Association and Baseball Players Association, as well as the safety of young athletes.
We value your involvement and support of an organization that means so much to you – and to us. To show our appreciation, we are working with the NSA and BPA to offer you special discounts on insurance products that make sense for you.


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Baring Asset Management's Rob Smith gives reasons to be happy about Germany
The German economy recorded a healthy 3% growth in 2011, propelled by competitive exports and rising consumer spending. This might be a slower rate of expansion than the 3.6% recorded in 2010, but against a challenging backdrop we believe it's a good out-turn and still twice the pace experienced in the US or elsewhere in the Eurozone.
In spite of this, after outperforming the rest of the region in the first half of the year, the German market sold-off from August as investors lost confidence in the ability of the political leaders to resolve the European debt crisis.
Many of the medium and smaller-sized German companies we held in the Baring German Growth Trust were particularly affected as sentiment deteriorated.
After a good start to the year, this left the Baring German Growth Trust behind the benchmark for 2011, with a loss of 18.4% in sterling terms against a 16.8% loss for the benchmark HDAX 110 Index.
Today, we believe the consensus is unduly pessimistic about the outlook for the German economy and market.
We see a significant disconnect between the buoyant results many of the companies we meet are reporting and the extremely pessimistic view prevailing in the market.
With two-thirds of the portfolio trading at a price/earnings ratio of 11 times or less – close to historic lows in some cases – we believe the valuation case for these well managed but overlooked companies has become compelling, and more than reflects negative newsflow about the eurozone.
Within the portfolio, we have a bias towards medium and smaller companies, many of which are well positioned, in our view, to capitalise on this investment environment and surpass earnings expectations.
We see particular opportunities amongst exporters and likely beneficiaries of consumer spending with good prospects for earnings growth and strong balance sheets.
We believe the recent decline in the euro on the foreign exchanges will increase the price competitiveness of German manufacturers, many of which are already enjoying excellent trading conditions.
Results in the automobile sector have been particularly strong, with BMW, for example, recently reporting sales of 1.67 million vehicles in 2011 – a record for the company.
With economic data coming out of the US starting to improve, and China apparently on-target for a "soft landing", we believe 2012 should be a good year for German manufacturers selling into emerging markets or the US, and their suppliers.
At the same time, the number of people employed in Germany reached a new high at the end of 2011 at 41.1 million, which should provide for a positive environment for consumer companies.
Rob Smith is investment manager of the Baring German Growth Trust.


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The Big Picture: A Nerd By Any Other Name
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Regarding 3:45 Your not wearing a Tom Brady costume. Your just wearing a replica shirt.
Also great slam on Twilight Fans by calling them Yankies Fans...
Now this is what The Big Picture should be!
Since this show debuted a month ago or so, I was left feeling a bit empty. I had the impression (which I still believe correct) that this would be a structured rant/discussion on issues around today. But with the first four videos, I didn't really feel that. It seemed more of an unstructured list of facts with no little redeeming value. But this week's video seems a bit different, a closed loop of discussion that can bring us to a new understanding or idea.
I still think The Big Picture can go further with this though. I love all your thoughts on pretty much everything Bob, but I think you can still get a bit more interesting and illuminating with the Big Picture.
But whatever you want to do, keep up the good work!
I didn't like this video as much as your previous ones, but it's gotten better responses, and it was very amusing...so don't stop
I really liked the other vids a bit more, but that's because I love divergent rants. Fan response was good, though, so don't stop.
It has to do with popularity. Few people play dungeons and dragons, tons of people play fantasy football. What is done by a few is viewed as strange and wierd. What is done by many is viewed as cool.
People playing fantasy football in the 1970s were nerds and dorks. Now there's celebrity fantasy football teams because everyone is playing it. It's all a game based on numbers and statistics, it's just popularity.
If you do what everyone else is doing - you're cool. If you're doing something different from the norm - you're strange. That's all it is.
Actually, it's you who is missing the point that Bob is making. His entire point is that just because one is accepted doesn't make it any less nerdy than the other.
I've always seen this parallel between Geeks and Jocks.
I've never done stand-up comedy but I did write a couple of jokes in the past that I would consider using if the opportunity ever struck. And one of them is directly related to this:
Yeah yeah. I won't quit my day job. I can't anyway. I'm unemployed.
When my friends talk about sports stuff (i.e. Player stats, and fantasy teams) I call them nerds. Sooooo.... yeah.
Good video. Would have been better with reference to non-American (i.e. real) sports. :)
The answer to the question in the end is quite simple. Group Identity leads to who's in and who is out. Even "nerds" split dow to groups which not walk happily in hand with each other but looking down on each other. The analogies which are made between sports teams and diffrent "nerd" topics make this very clear. Twilight is like Yankees cause (insert reason). As soon as a group is formed people will tend to seem themselves in competition with other groups. So the question is not why don't we get along but why is this (sports) normal and this ("nerd culture") not. This is not a "Big Picture" it is an appeal to be less ignorant, stereotypical and xenophobic. You could've just broke it down to "we are all humans" which would be less entertaining and funny but still is the conclusion here.
So basically Bob said everything that was said on Extra Credits... Great.
I think that's actually Erma the TV station secretary from Teenage Mutant Teenage Turtles. Poor girl could never catch a break.
actually that is NOT a good point
the sports fans support and show appreciation for REAL PEOPLE
"Superman" is "Babe Ruth"? thats not right, superman never existed, Babe ruth on the other hand is a REAL sports hero, he DID played and showed superiority, Superman comes from the imagination of some guy
that is the Difference.
Honestly, i really really hope this isn't meant seriously. Knowing this site, i'm inclined to believe it is, but I've seen far too many people act like this in real life to write it off. I really just don't understand why people can't accept that others have different interests, and that it doesn't make someone better or worse than anyone else (Coming from someone who loves sports and nerd stuff).
Awesome video. I remember seeing an article in "the onion" I read years about a sports fanatic expressing his ignorance about various nerd subcultures only to go on about famous sports games, players, and scores.
Was called a nerd just a few weeks ago by a friend that knows more about sports then I'll ever care to.
I'd say the comparison requires the person to also wear a helmet or wield a bat for it to be completely fair.
I can't say I mind how things are now. I think the best you can do is to try to find a middle ground yourself rather than going to the extreme in either direction. I personally hate both extremes. I hate people who can't shut up about sports and I hate people who can't shut up about comics etc.
Best episode yet in my opinion. I always love to bring up the "sports nerd" argument, but Bob said it better than I ever could.
When I can describe all the Alien and Predator movies in severe detail while some classmates havent even heard of them. (Blashpemy I tell you! These are movie classics except for AVP cause that is just shit) I often get called a nerd. But when some sports fan can name who scored this goal in 2002 agains this team he sometimes even gets complimented for such devotion.
I always saw that Hardcore Sports fans and "nerds" had a lot in commen. And I love that Bob made a full episode about this.
Also Twihards=Yankee Fans that was just so damn funny.
It was serious. It's a stupid comparison. But of course, saying that a comparison isn't valid automatically means I can't accpet different people have different intersts and this makes them a worse person. That's exactly what I said.
It's really shot down by one huge problem; one is REAL.
If you can't tell the difference between a costume (imitating fiction) and a sports jersey (showing support for a group of real people) then there's something wrong with your perception of the world. The point is entirely stupid to say it's a "costume" just because it's a reproduction.
I totally get what you're saying and have a pretty close concurrence to it, but a huge aspect of the difference between nerds and sports...did we decide "sports nerds" was what we'd call them?
A big difference between nerds and sports nerds is the people on the furthest outside of the prism. The hardest-core nerds are not people who should go out in public. The hardest-core sports nerds are obnoxious, yes, but are obnoxious in public. At the stadium.
To put it even more bluntly and stereotypically: There are no pocket protectors in fantasy football.
Does that mean I think these two shouldn't coexist? Hell no. I'm all about harmony. And perhaps the worst of each group could maybe pull the worst of the other group into the middle. But the worst nerds are weird in a way that most of the rest of society doesn't like while sports nerds don't have that stigma.
And this is coming from a guy who isn't a nerd or a sports nerd at all. Yet I but still have to explain to people that my Xbox can be played by people who go outside and I can cheer for a team without having my heart broken if they lose.
(Because the real problem isn't with the nerds. It is with mainstream culture's depiction of nerds.
...stupid mainstream culture)
Well yes, the initial costume argument bob made was weak.You should also realize that costumes CAN be based off of of real people as well, but that's beside the point. What bothered me was how you and the person you quoted act like all people with nerdy interests (such as comics and anime and even coslay to an extent) are nothing bust basement dwellers and losers. I mean that first guy actually says
and you follow it up by calling people who like cosplay "basement dwellers". I in fact know several people that are into cosplay, and they are just as sociable as anyone else.
I'm not quite sure that people who engage in the more anal side of sport ie stats and stuff, aren't regarded as nerds. I know I was when I talked about stuff that most people didn't know.
Bob is mostly showing the extremes of sport fandom, why would we not reply with the extremes of nerds? If the characteristics of a group are supposedly most evident in the most "devoted" (for lack of a better word) why is what we're using to argue different?
And it seems that what you're saying is, you have no opposition to our point, but to our wording, correct?
I was called a nerd once, when I said I prefer books over TV.
Bob is mostly showing the extremes of sport fandom, why would we not reply with the extremes of nerds? If the characteristics of a group are supposedly most evident in the most "devoted" (for lack of a better word) why is what we're using to argue different?
And it seems that what you're saying is, you have no opposition to our point, but to our wording, correct?[/quote]
I see. Well I'm using extremes to counteract the images of fanatics used in the video, in addition to the usual "exaggerate to make a point" usage.
could you perhaps justify any of those comparisons?
Yet they've both done the exact same amount of good for people.
By this logic it's actually more impressive for Superman since he has managed to inspire people without ever actually existing.
They're just jealous.
OT: This was a rather good video. I plan on using some of these points in the future.
Another excellent social commentary from Bob. Keep up the good work! Kudos to you and Extra Credits for shining light into the strange and interesting social reactions to the gaming sub-culture... Bravo!
Soo true! But there is no need to bring the 2 nerd versions together, I know a lot of athletic nerds. We just have to wait our turn, in a few years, anyone not wearing a ST costume will be looked at funny!!
Words akin to "Nerd" for their duality of non-meaning.
Gay, Hetero, Catholic, Control Freak, Coffee freak, Woman, Man.
Generally, there's only one common thread that blends all of these types together, whether it's a biological one, genetics, beliefs or whatever.
Problem is that it's this thread they're known by, and it's the same thread that makes other behaviour more apparent.
So you're a woman - you like shoes, wear makeup, are concerned about your body etc.
And here's where it gets interesting - because even the women who don't do that sometimes feel they should. Women and the colour pink is as polar as it is with men. It's either "I MUST HAVE" or "I MUST NOT HAVE" - even if your thoughts towards it are "meh".
The Nerd thread is misplaced passion. We're all uptight. English people doubly so because we've also got the English thread. That means we'll tend towards certain things - OCD, telling stories about our best ever...
Sports nerds, however, have got their passion in a place where passion is expected. It's not weird to have a hockey shirt because "HOCKEY RULES!"...and there's the misplaced passion.
To be honest, I freak myself sometimes with returning to childhood everytime a really good bit of Doctor Who comes on, but them's the breaks. The main reason Nerd nerds and Sports nerds don't get on is that we do something while they watch something.
Can you imagine watching a game of D&D? Yawn. That's where the thread unravels and why we'll never truly get on. Even with Blood Bowl.
actually its more in "par" with people thinking "HEY!! ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS A GREAT MAN!" and another one saying "HEY!!! SUPERMAN WAS A GREAT MAN!!!"
they are pushing up "imaginary" people, wich in the eyes of this guys say the person doing this is childish and as such doesnt really deserve the "repect" we all other grown ups that actually believe in real things have
oh!!!, before you flame me, i´m just stating what people believe i have had this same discussion beforewithy friends and they actually told me that, dont get me wrong,i cosplay and do a lot of "Nerd" stuff, but i do see their point in that they would rather praise someone "tangible" than something "made up"
dont know if you understand what i mean.
i love the smooth jazz intro....
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