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Copyright© Bill Graham Archives and affiliates
We couldn't miss these guys any more than we do. We hope that Miguel is still paying homeless bums to do construction and plumbing work for him. We hope George is still a charming devil and we hope that Ryan is keeping his gnarly and snarled drum hands calloused. These are songs from the band's last full-length album, "Devastator," and they sweet-talked their soul-singin' back-up singers to hop into the van with them for a day and night in Rock Island. It was a hijacking that we could all get behind. We support anything and everything that the first-ever Daytrotter band has ever done. Here are some old words, explaining such:
Never in my life has George Hunter held me in his thick, hairy, Thurman Munson/Dick Butkus arms and made me putty there - vulnerable and vacant of all bashfulness. Wouldn't really know what that would be like, never thought of the Catfish Haven lead singer that way, nor would I ever, though he's a charming young man. He's winsome and romantic as all hell. Even the male folk can see that. The happily married can see that. The toothless and lonely can see that. Those committed in love can spot his earnest traits of living and dying by the power of the heart and the come-on as well as the apology and the sincere embrace of tenderness as if it were the noses on their own faces. He's not a dog casting his line out into the blue water and sitting back waiting for anything to bite and tug. He doesn't want to lure every agreeable woman into the sack or into a lip lock. He doesn't even want a grand sampling of the female species. He is not a collector or even on the prowl. He has the faithful gene, one wants to believe from the soulful offerings from the Chicago band's Please Come Back extended player and from the long-playing Tell Me, which was released in 2006 and is Motown at its finest.
It is pimp music for all, but it's even more so for the bearded, greasy indie rock and rollers who have long lamented the idiocy of girls looking at the beefy beau hunks of the gridiron games and wondered when was it going to be their turn. The life lesson that Catfish Haven and Mr. Hunter - along with always hard-partying bassist Miguel Castillo and likewise drummer Ryan Farnham - gives for free and in triplicate is that you stick to your guns, learn a trade involving a six-stringer and ensconce yourself with the kind of timeless music of R&B greats and you're going to be able to sidle up to numerous birds before you're wrinkled and nostalgic for the nothing days. The songs that Catfish Haven churn out so effortlessly are teaming with pure, unfettered raw emotion - more specifically, the intangible need that many associate on the pyramid with food, water and shelter. Nay, love is more important than all of that, says Hunter, for it occupies both the want and need category. Many settle for small homes, roofs over their heads for the time-being, food that's sub-par and worse, but they strive feverishly for the love that can shatter them. Hunter's songs go the one step further - when already shattered - and wondering where to go from there. It's about being shattered in the good way and the bad way. No matter what, it's great to live with. It's a good day to be alive.
©2023 Bill Graham Archives LLC

subset: commoncrawl


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Ambient Chill Melodies
'Ambient Chill Melodies' from Equinox Sounds features 30 beautiful and soothing melodies for producers of Ambient and Chillout as well as Film/TV composers searching for some melodic inspiration. All phrases are 100% royalty-free.
'Ambient Chill Melodies' features 30 inspiring melodies for creating the melodic foundations for Chillout, Ambient and Downtempo music tracks. These melodic progressions are also perfect as a basis for music for TV and film.
As these patterns are also supplied in MIDI format, they will provide you with as much flexibility as possible. You can edit and transpose them, assign any sound you want and get your own and original melodic lines. The editing possibilities are endless as you can play the performances at any tempo or pitch without artefacts.
You can use these melodies as a jumping-off point to start your own track or base your production entirely around them as they are 100% royalty-free!
Product Details:
• 30 MIDI Melodies
• WAV Previews Included
• 100% Royalty-Free
Suitable for:
• Ambient
• Chillout
• Downtempo
• Soundtrack & TV Music


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Master Polish with Learn Polish - Word Power 101. This e-book is a completely new way to learn Polish vocabulary fast! Start speaking Polish in minutes with the powerful learning methods you will master in this book.
The vocabulary words you'll find in Learn Polish - Word Power 101 were hand selected by our Polish language teachers as the top 101 most frequently used words in the Polish language. With each entry, you'll see the word and a vibrant image to help remember the meaning. You'll hear the word to master the pronunciation. Then you'll see how the word is actually used in everyday speech with sample sentences and phrases. Learning Polish vocabulary has never been easier!
In this book, you'll get:
- 101 of the most frequently used Polish vocabulary words
- Audio with authentic native Polish pronunciation
- Vibrant photos and images to help memorization
- Useful and practical sample sentences and phrases
Purchase Learn Polish - Word Power 101 today to start mastering Polish vocabulary in the fastest, easiest and most fun way possible!


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Playlist: All across the autism spectrum
June 18th is Autistic Pride Day, a day to celebrate the neurodiversity of people on the autism spectrum. Too often, autistic people are viewed as only autistic, and it's seen strictly as a disorder. As always, the full picture isn't drawn in black and white: it's complex, full of grays. At TED, scores of speakers […]Continue reading


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The Ceo Shaba Entertainment "SOLIDSTAR" one of the most talented singer in Africa with a high prowess vocal ability
and best known for his extremely quintessential delivery in all songs
As we approach this forthcoming stifling Nigerian election the singer decided to release this inspirational song titled "Nigeria Future" which central theme is a direct questions to the current and imminent leaders,government of Nigerian as so many suffering and smiling in the country. "What is The Future Of Our Children's Amidst the second-rate of our economy? wetin Be The Plan?
Download,Listen And Share Your Thoughts below


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The responsible authority within the meaning of the basic data protection regulation and other national data protection laws of the member states as well as other data protection regulations is:
Karlsruher Messe- und Kongress GmbH
Festplatz 9
D-76137 Karlsruhe
Tel.: +49 (0)721 3720-0
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.messe-karlsruhe.de
In principal, we collect and use personal data of our users only to the extent necessary to provide a functional website, our contents and our services. Collection and utilization of personal data regularly occurs only with the consent of the user. An exception applies to cases in which prior consent cannot be obtained for reasons of fact and the processing of the data is permitted by law.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. a EU General Data Protection Regulation (DSGVO) serves as the legal basis insofar as we obtain the consent of the affected person for the purposes of processing personal data.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. b DSGVO serves as the legal basis for the processing of personal data necessary for the performance of a contract to which the affected person is a party. This also applies to processing operations which are necessary to carry out pre-contractual actions.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. c DSGVO serves as the legal basis insofar as processing of personal data is required to fulfil a legal obligation to which our company is subject.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. d DSGVO serves as the legal basis in the event that vital interests of the affected person or another natural person require the processing of personal data.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO serves as the legal basis for the processing if the processing is necessary to safeguard a legal interest of our company or of a third party, and if the interests, fundamental rights and fundamental freedoms of the affected person prevail over the first-mentioned interest.
The personal data of the affected person will be deleted or blocked as soon as the purpose of the storage ceases to exist. In addition, storage may also occur if this storage is intended by the European or national legislator in EU regulations, laws or other guidelines to which the responsible authority is subject. Blocking or deletion of the data also occurs upon the expiration of a storage period prescribed by the aforementioned standards, unless there is a need for further storage of the data for conclusion or fulfilment of a contract.
We utilize state-of-the-art encryption techniques (e.g. SSL) via HTTPS to protect the security of your data during transmission
Each time our website is accessed, our system automatically collects data and information from the computer system of the calling computer.
The following data are collected in this context:
These data are also stored in our system's log files. The anonymization of the IP address does not lead to the storage of data which could facilitate their correlation with a specific user. Storage of these data does not occur together with other personal data of the user.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO is the legal basis for the temporary storage of data and log files.
The system temporarily stores the IP address because this storage is necessary to enable delivery of the website to the user's computer. To accomplish this delivery, the user's IP address must remain stored for the duration of the session.
Storage in log files is undertaken to ensure the functionality of the website. In addition, the data enable us to optimize the website and to ensure the security of our IT systems. An evaluation of the data for marketing purposes does not occur in this context.
These purposes also involve our legitimate interest in the processing of data pursuant to Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO.
The data will be deleted as soon as they are no longer needed to accomplish the purpose for which they were collected. In the case of collecting the data in order to provide the website, this deletion occurs when the respective session is ended.
In the case of data stored in log files, this deletion occurs no later than 14 days after the date of initial storage. Storage beyond this date is possible.
The collection of data for provision of the website and the storage of data in log files are essential for the operation of the website. There is consequently no possibility for the user to object to it.
Our website uses cookies. Cookies are text files that are stored either in, or by, the internet browser of the user's computer system. When a user accesses a website, a cookie may be stored on the user's operating system. This cookie contains a characteristic string that allows the browser to be uniquely identified when the same browser accesses the website again.
We use cookies to make our website more user-friendly. Some elements of our website require that the calling browser can also be identified when the caller returns to the website.
The following data are stored in, and transmitted by, the cookies:
In addition, on our website we use cookies that allow an analysis of users' surfing behaviour. Analysis cookies are used for the purpose of improving the quality of our website and its contents. Through the analysis cookies, we learn how the website is used, thus enabling us to continually optimize our offer.
You can read additional information in the sectioned titled "Google Analytics und Google Tag Manager".
Technical precautionary arrangements pseudonymize users' data which are collected in this way. This pseudonymization assures that the data can no longer be assigned to the calling user. The data are not stored together with other personal data of the users.
When users access our website, an information banner notifies them about the use of cookies and calls their attention to this Data Protection Declaration. In this context, a notification also appears explaining how users can modify their browser settings to prevent the storage of cookies.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO is the legal basis for the use of cookies in the processing of personal data.
The purpose of the use of technically necessary cookies is to make it simpler for the user to utilize websites. Some features of our website cannot be offered without the use of cookies. For these features, it is necessary for the browser to recognize the user when the user returns to the website.
We need cookies for the following applications:
User data collected via technically necessary cookies will not be used to create user profiles.
These purposes also involve our legitimate interest in the processing of data pursuant to Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO.
Cookies are stored on the user's computer, which transmits them to our website. Therefore you, as the user, have full control over the use of cookies. You can deactivate or restrict the transmission of cookies by changing the settings in your internet browser. Please use the help features of your internet browser to learn how you can change these settings. Previously stored cookies can be deleted at any time. This can also be done automatically. If cookies for our website are deactivated, it may not be possible to use all of our website's functions to their full extent.
Description and scope of data processing
We use the Usercentrics Consent Management Platform as a consent management tool as part of the analytics activities on our website.
We process the following data in the process:
(1) Consent data (anonymised logbook data (Consent ID, Processor ID, Controller ID), Consent Status, Timestamp).
2. (2) Device data or data of the devices used (including shortened IP addresses (IP v4, IP v6), device information, timestamp).
3. (3) User data (e.g. email, ID, browser information, SettingIDs, changelog).
The ConsentID (contains the above-mentioned data), the Consent status incl. timestamp are stored in the local memory of your browser and simultaneously on the cloud servers used. Further processing only takes place if you submit a request for information or revoke your consent. In this case, the relevant information is provided to the responsible person (FIELD M) in a compact data format in an easily readable text form for the purpose of data exchange (JSON file).
No user information is stored for the statistics on the use of consent given or not given. Only the frequency and locations of clicks are stored.
Personal data is stored on a Google Cloud server located in the EU (Brussels, Frankfurt am Main).
Purpose of data processing
The purpose of the data processing is the analysis and management of the consents granted in order to comply with our obligation of a DSGVO-compliant consent management. The use of Usercentrics serves the purpose of proving granted and non-granted consents as well as their management.
The specific processing purposes of the personal data named under 5.1 are:
4. (1) obtaining and providing consents
5. (2) Providing evidence of which device you used to provide consent and when you did so
6. (3) Legitimisation of access to the settings and documentation of changes
Legal basis for data processing
The legal basis for the management of your consents for the processing of your personal data is Art. 6 (1) lit. f DSGVO. Our legitimate interest lies in the legally secure documentation and verifiability of consents, the control of marketing measures on the basis of the consent granted and the optimisation of consent rates.
Duration of storage
The data is deleted as soon as it is no longer required. The associated cookie has a duration of 60 days. The revocation document of a previously granted consent is stored for a period of three years. The retention is based on the one hand on our accountability pursuant to Art. 5 (2) DSGVO. This obliges us to comply with the processing of personal data in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation. On the other hand, retention is based on the regular limitation period of three years pursuant to Section 195 of the German Civil Code (BGB). This limitation period begins with the end of the year in which the claim arose (§ 199 BGB). Consequently, the three-year limitation period begins at the end of 31 December and ends three years later at midnight on 31 December.
Possibility of objection and removal
The function can be switched on and off in our "Privacy settings" by marking the checkbox.
This website uses Google Analytics 4 and Google Tag Manager. These are web-analytics services provided by Google Inc., 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA, hereinafter referred to as "Google"). The use includes the "Universal Analytics" operating mode, which makes it possible to assign data, sessions and interactions across multiple devices to a pseudonymous user ID, thus analyzing the activities of a user across devices.
Google Analytics 4 uses so-called "cookies", i.e. text files that are stored on your computer and that make it possible to analyze your use of the website. The data which the cookie generates about your use of this website are usually transmitted to, and stored by, a Google server in the USA. However, in the event of activation of IP anonymization on this website, Google will shorten your IP address beforehand within member states of the European Union or in contracting states of the Agreement on the European Economic Area. Only in exceptional cases will the full IP address be sent to, and shortened by, a Google server in the USA. The IP address transmitted by your browser in the context of Google Analytics will not be merged with other Google data. On behalf of the operator of this website, Google will use these data to evaluate your use of the website, to compile reports on website activities, and to provide the website's operator with other services related to website usage and internet usage. These purposes also involve our legitimate interest in the processing of data. § 15 Abs.3 TMG or Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. f DSGVO is the legal basis for the use of Google Analytics. Sessions and campaigns will be ended after a specific interval has elapsed. By default, sessions will be ended after 30 minutes have elapsed without any activity, and campaigns will be ended after six months have elapsed. The time limit for campaigns can be maximally two years. You can find further information about terms of use and data protection at https://www.google.com/analytics/terms/us.html or under https://policies.google.com/?hl=en.
You can prevent the storage of cookies by setting your browser's software accordingly; however, please note that if you do this, you may not be able to use all of this website's features to the fullest extent possible. Moreover, you can prevent Google from collecting the data generated by the cookie related to your use of the website (including your IP address) and you can prevent Google from processing these data. You can accomplish this prevention by downloading and installing the following browser add-on: http://tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout?hl=en .
You can find further information from Google about terms of use and data protection at the following links:
This website uses Google Maps API for the visual display of geographic information. When visitors use Google Maps, Google also collects, processes and uses data about the visitors' utilization of the map features. For more information about Google's data processing, please refer to Google's Privacy Policy at http://www.google.com/privacypolicy.html. You can also change your personal privacy settings in the privacy centre there.
For detailed instructions on how to manage your own data related to Google products, click here: http://www.dataliberation.org/
We use script libraries such as Google WebFonts (https://www.google.com/webfonts/) on this website in order to display our contents across browsers correctly and in a visually appealing form. Accessing script libraries automatically triggers a connection to the library's operator. In such instances, it is possible that the operators of such libraries might collect data.
Google WebFonts is a service of Google Inc. ("Google"). Google WebFonts are transferred to your browser's cache to prevent multiple loading.
If the browser does not support Google WebFonts or prohibits access, contents will be displayed in a standard font.
The integration of these web fonts occurs via a call to a server, which is usually a Google server in the USA. This call tells the server which of our websites you have visited. Google also stores the IP address of the browser of the terminal of the visitor of these websites. You can find more detailed information in Google's Privacy Policy, which you can access here:
We embed YouTube videos on some of our websites. The operator of the corresponding plug-ins is YouTube, LLC, 901 Cherry Ave., San Bruno, CA 94066, USA. When you visit a page with the YouTube plug-in, it will connect to YouTube's servers. This will tell YouTube which pages you visit. If you are logged in to your YouTube account, YouTube can assign your surfing behaviour to you personally. You can prevent this by logging out of your YouTube account beforehand.
When a YouTube video is started, the provider utilizes cookies that collect information about user behaviour.
Anyone who has deactivated the storage of cookies for the Google Ad programme will not have to expect such cookies, also when viewing YouTube videos. However, YouTube does store non-personal usage information in other cookies. If you want to prevent this, you must block the storage of cookies in the browser.
You can find more detailed information about data protection at YouTube in the provider's data protection declaration at: https://www.google.de/intl/en/policies/privacy/
If you subscribe to our newsletter, we will use the information that you provide solely for this purpose or to notify you about circumstances relevant to this service or the subscription. We will not share these data with third parties.
A valid email address is required in order to receive the newsletter. In addition to this email address, we also save the IP address that you used to sign up for the newsletter and the date on which you ordered the newsletter. These data serve us as proof of misuse if a foreign email address is registered for the newsletter. To further ensure that third parties do not misuse an email address in our mailing list, we also work, in accordance with the law, with the so-called "double opt-in" procedure. In the context of this procedure, a record is kept of the order of the newsletter, the sending of the confirmation email, and the receipt of the confirmation of registration.
Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. a DSGVO is the legal basis for the processing of data after the user has subscribed to the newsletter and after the user has consented to such processing.
You have the option to revoke, at any time, your consent to the storage of data, to the storage of your email address, and to its utilization for sending the newsletter. To facilitate your cancellation, we include a corresponding link in each edition of the newsletter. You also have the option to notify us of your desire to cancel your subscription via the contact options mentioned in this document.
We offer you the opportunity to use the so-called "Social Media Buttons" on our website. To protect your data in the implementation, we rely on the "Shariff" solution. This assures that the buttons are integrated on the website only as a graphic which contains a link to the corresponding website of the button's provider. When you click on the graphic, you will be redirected to the services of the respective provider. Only then will your data be sent to the respective provider. If you do not click on the graphic, no exchange of data occurs between you and the providers of the Social Media Buttons. For more detailed information about the collection and usage of your data in the social networks, please refer to the terms of use the respective providers. You can find additional information about the Shariff solution here: http://www.heise.de/ct/artikel/Shariff-Social-Media-Buttons-mit-Datenschutz-2467514.html
We have integrated the Social Media Buttons of the following companies on our website:
One payment method possible in our webshop is PayPal.
PayPal is operated by PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg as the responsible party. If you have selected PayPal Express as the payment method, it is necessary for the further processing of your payment by PayPal to transmit the following personal data to PayPal (Europe) S.á.r.l. & Cie, S.C.A.:
If you have registered your PayPal account with Messe Karlsruhe, you will also have access (via PayPal/Braintree) to your PayPal account e-mail address. PayPal will then send the following data about your order back to Messe Karlsruhe so that the order can be processed:
You can find more information about PayPal's data protection at www.paypal.com/de/webapps/mpp/ua/privacy-full. Otherwise, you can also contact PayPal (Europe) S.à r.l. & Cie, S.C.A., 22-24 Boulevard Royal, L-2449 Luxembourg directly.
If your personal data is processed, you are the "affected person" within the meaning of the DSGVO and you have the following rights vis-à-vis the responsible individual or authority:
You can demand that the responsible individual or authority confirm or deny whether we process personal data that apply to you.
If such processing exists, you can demand that the responsible individual or authority provide you with the following information:
You have the right to demand information about whether your personal data will be shared with a third country or an international organization. In this context, you can demand notification about the appropriate guarantees related to the transmission of the data in accordance with Art. 46 DSGVO.
You have the right to rectify and/or augment the data vis-à-vis the responsible individual or authority, insofar as the processed personal data that apply to you are incorrect or incomplete. The responsible individual or authority must make the correction(s) without delay.
Under the following conditions, you can demand the restriction of the processing of the personal data that apply to you:
If the processing of personal data that apply to you has been restricted, these data – with the exception of their storage – may only be used with your consent or for the purpose of asserting, exercising or defending legal claims or to protect the rights of another natural or legal person or for reasons of important public interest of the European Union or one of its member states.
If the restriction of the processing according to the abovementioned conditions is curtailed, you will be notified by the responsible individual or authority before the restriction is lifted.
If one of the following reasons exists, then you can demand that the responsible individual or authority immediately delete the personal data which apply to you and the responsible individual or authority is obliged to delete these data without delay:
If the responsible individual or authority has made public personal data that apply to you, and if the responsible individual or authority is obliged to delete these data pursuant to Art. 17 Abs. 1 DSGVO, then the responsible individual or authority shall undertake appropriate activities, including activities of a technical nature, taking into consideration the available technology and the cost of implementation, to notify the individuals or authorities responsible for processing the personal data, that you, as the affected person, have demanded the deletion of all links to these personal data or to copies or replications of these personal data.
The right to deletion does not exist if the processing is necessary for one or more of the following purposes:
If you have exercised the right to rectification, deletion or restriction vis-à-vis the responsible individual or authority, this person or authority is obliged to notify all recipients to whom the personal data that apply to you have been disclosed about this rectification or deletion of the data and about the restriction in the data's processing, unless such notification proves to be impossible or would involve a disproportionately great effort.
You have the right to demand that the responsible individual or authority inform you about these recipients.
You have the right to receive the personal data that apply to you and that you have provided to the responsible individual or authority in a structured, commonplace and machine-readable format. In addition, you have the right to transmit these data to another responsible individual or authority, without hindrance by the individual or authority to whom or to which the personal data were originally provided, insofar as:
In exercising this right, you also have the right to demand that the personal data which apply to you are transmitted directly from one responsible individual or authority to another responsible individual or authority, insofar as this is technically feasible. This must not infringe upon the freedoms and rights of other persons.
The right to data portability does not apply to the processing of personal data which are necessary for the performance of a task that lies in the public interest or that occurs in the exercise of official authority which was conferred upon the responsible individual or authority.
You have the right at any time, for reasons arising from your particular situation, to object to the processing of the personal data that apply to you and which occurs on pursuant to Art. 6 Abs. 1 lit. e or f DSGVO; this right also applies to profiling based on these provisions.
The responsible individual or authority will no longer process the personal data that apply to you unless this responsible individual or authority can prove that there exist urgent reasons, worthy of protection, for such processing and that these reasons outweigh your interests, rights and freedoms, or if the processing serves to assert, exercise or defend legal claims.
If the personal data that apply to you are processed for the purpose of conducting direct advertising, you have the right at any time to object to the processing of these personal data for purposes of such advertising; this also applies to profiling insofar as it is associated with such direct advertising.
If you object to the processing for the purposes of direct advertising, the personal data that apply to you will no longer be processed for these purposes.
Regardless of Directive 2002/58/EG, you have the option, in the context of the use of services provided by the information company, to exercise your right of objection via automated means in which technical specifications are utilized.
You have the right at any time to revoke your Data Protection Consent Declaration. Your revocation of consent does not affect the legality of processing which occurred based on your consent prior to your revocation of same.
You have the right to not be subjected to a decision based exclusively upon automated processing, including profiling, which will have a legal effect or which exerts significantly deleterious effects on you in a similar manner. This does not apply if the decision:
However, these decisions may not be based on special categories of personal data pursuant to Art. 9 Abs. 1 DSGVO, insofar as Art. 9 Abs. 2 lit. a or g DSGVO does not apply and suitable measures have been taken to safeguard the rights and freedoms and your legitimate interests.
With regard to the cases referred to in (1) and (3), the responsible individual or authority shall take appropriate measures to safeguard the rights and freedoms and your legitimate interests, which include at least the right to obtain the intervention of a person by the responsible individual or authority, to express one's own position, and to challenge the decision.
Without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedy, you have the right to complain to a supervisory authority, especially to an authority in the member state in which you reside, in which you work, or which contains the location of the alleged infringement, if you believe that the processing of the personal data that apply to you violates the DSGVO.
The supervisory authority to which the complaint was submitted shall notify the complainant about the status and the results of the complaint, including the possibility of a judicial remedy pursuant to Art. 78 DSGVO.
We reserve the right to make changes in this Declaration at any time in order to ensure that our Data Protection Declaration always remains in compliance with current legal requirements. This also applies in the event that the Data Protection Declaration requires modification due to the introduction of new or revised services, for example, the provision of new services. The new Data Protection Declaration will then take effect upon your next visit to our offer.


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Vintage Petals Diamond Necklace
Unique vintage inspired floral pendant with chain necklace, set with 3 x 3.6mm and 5 x 2.7mm natural diamonds totaling 1.00 carat. All stones are colorless, eye clean and high brilliance F/VS2 natural diamonds.
Your chain necklace comes with an easy fish-lock fastening and an additional hoop to adjust between 16.5" (42cm) and 17.7" (45cm) lengths.
Responsibly sourced, conflict-free, naturally mined diamonds. Expertly hand-picked and guaranteed to be colorless, eye clean and high brilliance.
Your order includes a beautiful in-house appraisal certificate detailing every aspect of your jewelry and its estimated retail replacement value for insurance purposes.
Ships free, insured FedEx within 7 working days in high quality packaging. Return within 30 days of receipt with our pre-paid shipping label for a full refund or exchange.
All our jewelry is made to order with the finest craftsmanship and attention to detail. From the moment your jewelry is delivered, you're covered by our lifetime warranty on any manufacturing defects.
Made to order
That means higher quality, ethical sourcing, fairer pricing and more personal service.
Frequently asked questions
When will my order ship?
All of our jewelry is made to order and so requires 5-7 working days to be crafted. Platinum jewelry can take 1-2 days extra as it requires more work to cast and polish.
Is my order insured?
Yes. You're covered until your fine jewelry is safely delivered. We ship thousands of pieces of fine jewelry every year smoothly and securely.
What if I'm not happy with my order?
You have 30 days to return it for a full refund. We believe in the quality of our products so much that even though they're made to order, we still accept returns.
What is F/VS2 quality?
Our standard quality for diamonds is F (colorless) and VS2 (eye clean) grade. These are all carefully hand-selected diamonds guaranteed to be top brilliance, flawless looking stones in all shapes and sizes.
Still need some assistance?
Check out our FAQs or reach out to us for help.


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PSC Pro Gen II up to 30 x 60 Custom Tile Mud Shower Kit - NO DRAIN
PSC Pro Generation 2 Custom Tiled Waterproofing Mud Mortar Floor Shower Floor Kit for 30" x 60" (Or Smaller) Center Drain Showers - NO DRAIN
- Complete, fully customizable, easy-to-install dry-pack floor waterproofing shower kit maintenance free tile showers
- Installs with modern high-quality modified thin-set mortar for easier and stronger construction
This kit is for smaller center drain showers up to 30 x 60 inches
WARNING: This specific kit doesn't include the drain components. For the full kit go here.
This kit not only waterproofs the single layer sloped mud floor, but also provides for a seamless waterproofing of most or all of the wall areas, curbs, etc.
UP TO 30" x 60"
Center Drain
PSC GEN II Mud Kit Installation
- Includes all the components required to build an fully-bonded water-tight assembly for tiled showers
- Extremely reliable yet easy to construct
- Can be easily modified to accommodate smaller or larger installations
- Can be easily modified for non-standard drain locations
- Single layer sloped mud bed using quick pitch sticks allows full customization while reducing weight and installation time. No need for the second pre-pitch or pre-slope concrete floor
- Kit improved to include the strongest and most reliable drain flange for membrane systems on the market
- Drain flange allows the flexibility of multiple adjustment to riser assembly at end of install
- Riser-Grate assembly includes a construction plug and features locking grout and mortar grooves to ensure the strongest and most reliable final installation
- Riser threads into super-strong locking ring to provide ultimate strength and security while still allowing adjust-ability
- Numerous grate color and style choices available that offer easy removal/reinsertion so that integrated hair trap can be frequently and quickly serviced with no small screws to lose
- Protects floor, corners, edges, curbs and wall cavities against water and vapor penetrations. In steam applications, all surfaces can be protected
- Protects all surfaces, particularly in joints and corners, from grout cracking or tile instability
- Installation can use recommended high-quality modified thin-set mortar readily available from multiple manufacturers for better adhesion and elimination of failure possibilities.
- Install glass tiles and other high-density materials with this system where other unmodified thin-set systems don't allow these materials.
- Membrane tested at 0.07 PERM rating - much lower than required for steam showers! Other systems require specialized high-cost membrane for steam
- Installation methods very similar but easier than competing kits - little to no retraining required for contractors
- If installer accidentally damages membrane, problem can be easily identified and repaired before flood testing or tile installation
- Materials are backed by an industry standard 10-year warranty. Grates have a lifetime warranty
Note: You will need to obtain dry-pack mortar mix from your local hardware supply. 4 or 5 parts sand - 1 part portland cement is generally recommended.
How PSC Pro Kits Compare to the Competition
Features PSC Pro GEN II Shower Kit Schluter Kerdi Shower Kit Traditional Rubber Liner Install Total Material Cost $$$$$ $$$$$$$ $$$$ Ease of installation and labor time ******** ******* ** Warranty 10 Year 10 Year NA Choice of multiple brands of high quality modified thinset for easier and better bond Drain grate colors 5 + 20
(Call for additional color options)
5 Varied per Brand Riser/Grate construction cover included Advanced mortar and grout locking design built into a stronger and more adjustable riser and drain assembly Easily serviceable integrated hair trap Varied per Brand No need for silicone sealant in joint or corners of grout lines Can be easily modified for custom installs Rigid, stable non-flexible drain flange reduces chance of failure Purchased Separately Waterproofing for walls included Waterproofing seamlessly protects walls, floors and joints from moisture or cracking Perm Rating for Steam Shower Installations
(TCNA recommends PERM rating of 0.5 or LOWER)
(PERM rating of 0.07)
(PERM rating > 0.5)
(Must use sheet membranes for steam shower protection)
Fully customizable curb options
(Solid curb, build your own curb, or no curb)
(Curb always included)
(Limited curb options)
Why PSC Pro Mud Kit?
Rather than utilizing a pre-formed pan, these kits have been created to allow you to easily design and build your own custom pan with a single sloped layer of dry-pack mortar and dictate a customized drain location of your choice. These kits are particularly useful if your shower floor area is not a standard size, drain layout, or will include a complex shape. The kits are far less complicated than traditional sloped mud - rubber liner - sloped mud method that required advanced skills and additional installation time. Pro Advanced Mud kits make it easy for you to create a custom-sloped pan using the dry-pack mortar method with less concrete, less time and complete accuracy.
PSC Pro kit waterproofing doesn't just end at the pan like a rubber liner! This system seamlessly waterproofs from the floor area to the walls and curb barrier as well! Unlike rubber-liner installs where grout typically cracks in the joints and corners, the WP waterproofing membrane in this PSC Pro kit provides anti-crack protection. The installer can use modern high-performance grout throughout the entire tile installation without fear of grout cracking issues. The included Quick-pitch sticks help you ensure a quick and easy construction of a correctly sloped dry-packed mud pan.
Compared to older mortar-pan methods that required the tedious labor involved with two sloped floors and a buried vinyl/rubber liner, our modern PSC Pro Mud Kit creates a much faster, easier and fool-proof installation that utilizes superior "surface" membrane protection and next-generation drain systems. Continuous membrane protection from the drain throughout the pan area and continuously up the walls prevents not only damaging leaks but also moisture penetration into the walls. No moisture in the walls means no lingering moisture that can cause structural damage over time or fuel mold and mildew problems in the wall tile. Very high-moisture shower enclosures or steam showers can be installed with membrane
Unlike rubber liners that have to install under the wall board and cause the wall board to "bow" out, our WP surface membrane protects from the top. This allows you to build all of your substrates ahead of time, get them square, flat, level and plumb before you start the waterproofing process. The waterproofing membrane easily bridges and controls expansion gaps you will need between each wall board section.
The latest update now includes the PSC Pro GEN II drain flange. This flange features factory heat-bonded fleece to allow bonding of WP waterproofing membrane directly to flange without the need for an adapter. This flange has been specifically designed to allow for the easiest mud floor install ever! It's as simple as 1,2,3. Seat the flange to the sub-floor and glue into 2" plumbing, lay the quick-pitch sticks around the flange and pack the floor, and finish by applying waterproofing to all substrates.
The Pro Advanced Custom Shower Kit package includes:
- 6 Quick-pitch sticks for size of kit. More may be ordered as needed.
- Total of 108 sq. ft of Waterproofing Membrane. More may be ordered as needed.
- 1 - 33' x 5" Waterproofing Joint Strip. More may be ordered as needed.
- 1 Pro Advanced GEN II Drain in ABS or PVC
- 1 Grate cover in your choice of color (unless NO GRATE chosen)
- 1 Grate Puller (Grate is screwless!)
- 1 Easily accessed integrated hair trap
- 4 Pre-formed waterproofing inside corners
- 1 Universal pipe seal
- 1 Mixing valve seal
- Curb length and type of your choosing (or NO CURB)
- If no curb chosen, outside corners are optional
- Grate size: 3 3/4" x 3 3/4"
- Features screw-less design and accommodates integrated hair trap
- Comes with grate puller to easily lift grate for hair trap maintenance
Standard GratesSatin NickelChromeCopperBlackMatte BlackBrushed NickelOil Rubbed BronzeAntique BrassTile-able Top
Stainless Steel Designer Grates
(To order your kit with one of the stainless steel grates, choose "NO GRATE" on this kit and add the designer grate of your choice to cart separately)
Installation1. Mark drain location2. Cut drain hole3. Install steel lathe4. Test fit drain flange5. Glue drain flange onto plumbing6. Plan pitch stick layout7. Mark and cut stick lengths8. Place sticks into position9. Shim shorter sticks, if needed10. Mix dry-pack mortar11. Dump mortar mix into pan area12. Pack and shape floor13. Pack drain flange14. Perform final screed with straight edge15. Sprinkle water, then smooth final surface16. Install curb, if needed (handicap curb pictured)17. Set inside corners18. Install transition strip19. Install wall membrane20. Install floor membrane21. Expose drain22. Waterproof curb23. Install outside corners24. Test fit riser height and position25. Thin-set riser and ring26. Final riser adjustment27. Ready for tile!
Customer Reviews and Ratings
No reviews yet! Be the first to review this product.
Product Shipping Information
You will be able to estimate shipping amount to your specific destination for your entire cart during the checkout process.General shipping Information
Product Instruction/Manual Files[pdf] Gen2_Mud_Kit_06-01-18.pdf
Keywords: mud bed, mud bed shower kit, mud pan kit, mortar bed, quick pitch shower kit, mud pan shower, dry pack mortar shower bed, shower, tile, ceramic, waterproofing, kerdi, schluter, mud, dry, pack, waterproof, kit, membrane, offset, sloped, curb, drain, psc, gen 2, 32x60, gen2, genii, drainless, g230x60mnd, 7379, psc america root, complete shower kits, mud floor shower kits - no drain shower waterproofing systems, complete shower kits by size shower waterproofing systems, complete shower kits by size, 30 x 60 and smaller shower waterproofing systems, complete shower kits by type, mud floor shower kits - no drain, pro-source center, Generation, Custom, Tiled, Waterproofing, Mortar, Floor, Shower, Smaller, Center, Drain, Showers, DRAIN, Complete, fully, customizable, install, floor, maintenance, showers, Installs, modern, quality, modified, mortar, easier, stronger, construction
Description: PSC Pro Generation 2 Custom Tiled Waterproofing Mud Mortar Floor Shower Floor Kit for 30" x 60" (Or Smaller) Center Drain Showers - NO DRAIN. Complete, fully customizable, easy-to-install dry-pack floor waterproofing shower kit maintenance free tile showers. Installs with modern high-quality modified thin-set mortar for easier and stronger construction.
Categories: Shower Waterproofing Systems > Complete Shower Kits by Size > 30 x 60 and Smaller; Shower Waterproofing Systems > Complete Shower Kits by Size; Shower Waterproofing Systems > Complete Shower Kits by Type > Mud Floor Shower Kits - No Drain
Google Category: Hardware > Plumbing > Plumbing Fixtures > Shower > Shower Bases
SKU(s): 156278, 172094, 172097, 172098, 176178, 176179, 265414, 266141, 269603
MPN(s): 1 PIECE FROM XFS-101.2, 172097, HK-283, KP-543, WP, WP-5x33, WP-Out, WPMV, WPUPS


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The category "Best WTF Moment" has been added to the MTV Movie Awards this year, but with films like Slumdog Millionaire and Milk competing with High School Musical 3 and Twilight, every category screams, "WTF?"
This is the 18th annual MTV Movie Awards, but the first year that fans have voted on the final nominees. That may explain some of the odd match ups, which are, "pitting Hollywood vampires against the Mumbai slums," as the MTV press release put it. Of course, the MTV Movie Awards have never been presented as a serious awards show, but it's still strange to think that Anne Hathaway is nominated for her performance in Bride Wars not Rachel Getting Married, and that Ashley Tisdale could beat Freida Pinto for the best Female Breakthrough Performance.
From today through May 27 viewers can vote at MovieAwards.MTV.com to determine the winners, which will be announced during a live broadcast on Sunday, May 31, hosted by Andy Samberg. The nominees are:
• The Dark Knight
• High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Iron Man
• Slumdog Millionaire
• Twilight
• Angelina Jolie – Wanted
• Anne Hathaway – Bride Wars
• Kate Winslet – The Reader
• Kristen Stewart – Twilight
• Taraji P. Henson – The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Christian Bale – The Dark Knight
• Robert Downey Jr. – Iron Man
• Shia LaBeouf – Eagle Eye
• Vin Diesel – Fast & Furious
• Zac Efron – High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Amanda Seyfried – Mamma Mia!
• Ashley Tisdale – High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Freida Pinto – Slumdog Millionaire
• Miley Cyrus – Hannah Montana: The Movie
• Vanessa Hudgens – High School Musical 3: Senior Year
• Kat Dennings – Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist
• Robert Pattinson – Twilight
• Taylor Lautner – Twilight
• Ben Barnes – The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian
• Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire
• Bobb'e J. Thompson – Role Models
• Amy Poehler – Baby Mama
• Anna Faris – The House Bunny
• James Franco – Pineapple Express
• Jim Carrey – Yes Man
• Steve Carell – Get Smart
• Derek Mears – Friday The 13th
• Dwayne Johnson – Get Smart
• Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
• Johnathon Schaech – Prom Night
• Luke Goss – Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• Anne Hathaway vs. Kate Hudson – Bride Wars
• Christian Bale vs. Heath Ledger – The Dark Knight
• Ron Perlman vs. Luke Goss – Hellboy II: The Golden Army
• Robert Pattinson vs. Cam Gigandet – Twilight
• Seth Rogen and James Franco vs. Danny McBride – Pineapple Express
• Angelina Jolie and James McAvoy – Wanted
• Freida Pinto and Dev Patel – Slumdog Millionaire
• James Franco and Sean Penn – Milk
• Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson – Twilight
• Paul Rudd and Thomas Lennon – I Love You, Man
• Vanessa Hudgens and Zac Efron – High School Musical 3: Senior Year
BEST WTF MOMENT (New Category)
• Amy Poehler – Baby Mama, Peeing In the Sink
• Angelina Jolie – Wanted, Curved Bullet Kill
• Ayush Mahesh Khedekar – Slumdog Millionaire, Jumping in the Poop Shed
• Ben Stiller – Tropic Thunder, Tasting the Decapitated Head
• Jason Segel and Kristen Bell – Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Naked Break-Up
BEST SONG FROM A MOVIE (New Category)
• "Jai Ho" – AR Raham, Slumdog Millionaire
• "The Wrestler" – Bruce Springsteen, The Wrestler
• "The Climb" – Miley Cyrus, Hannah Montana: The Movie
• "Decode" – Paramore, Twilight
"TWILIGHT"VS. "SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE"! TOP FAN-NOMINATED FILMS GET READY TO RUMBLE AT THE "2009 MTV MOVIE AWARDS" [MTV Press]


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The "Gay Marriage" ControversyPosted By Greg Johnson On In North American New Right | Comments Disabled
First published June 28, 2013
Translations: Czech [2], French [3], Greek [4], Spanish [5]
Both the promoters and opponents of homosexual marriage share a common false premise: that the legalization of homosexual marriage overthrows "heteronormativity," i.e., the idea that heterosexuality is normal and other forms of sexuality are not. But the idea that changing marriage laws can change heteronormativity is simply false.
What do I mean when I say that homosexual behavior is abnormal? I don't mean that it is unnatural, since its exists in nature. It is even found in many species besides man. I don't mean that it is a sin, i.e., something that displeases God. The idea of sin pretty much paralyzes the ability to think rationally about morals.
For me, the issue of abnormality all boils down to homosexuality being a non-reproductive, recreational form of sex. And if everyone had non-reproductive, recreational sex all the time, the human race would perish. Heterosexual behavior is normal, because only heterosexual sex can perpetuate our species, provided conception is not blocked by birth control.
So the real issue is not even homosexual versus heterosexual, but reproductive versus non-reproductive sex. That's all there is to it.
Homosexual behaviors and tastes are older than the human race, but the idea of homosexuality as an identity is a rather recent phenomenon. People with exclusively homosexual tastes are a tiny minority in any society, no matter how permissive and decadent. Thus it stands to reason that no society has ever ceased to exist because the tiny homosexual minority doesn't reproduce. Societies decline demographically when the heterosexual majority doesn't reproduce, primarily due to birth control. Thus if non-reproductive sex is a problem because it does not perpetuate the human race, the bulk of the blame falls on selfish, hedonistic straight people.
Proponents of marriage for homosexuals think that heteronormativity is simply a social construct, a convention that can be changed through legislation, education, and relentless media brainwashing. But heteronormativity is based in nature, not in convention. Sexual reproduction has existed before human beings formed languages and conventions. Indeed, sexual reproduction existed before mankind evolved. The birds and the bees do it too. So heteronormativity is not a social construct and cannot be changed by society. It can only be covered up, lied about, and ignored — at society's peril.
It is easy to understand why homosexual marriage proponents believe they are overturning heteronormativity. It is harder to understand why the opponents of homosexual marriage agree with them on this point. Yet the opponents of heterosexual marriage claim that legally defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman is the key to preserving the institutions of marriage and family life.
This makes no sense for two reasons.
First, if heteronormativity is based in nature or divine commandment, not in law, then it cannot be changed by changing laws. (Human laws can, of course, strengthen natural laws by adding additional punishments and incentives to follow nature.)
Second, the institutions of marriage and family life have been pretty much destroyed already. But during the whole period that marriage and family life have been decaying, homosexuals have not been allowed to marry, and marriage has been defined as a union of a man and a woman. In other words, marriage and family life have declined with their heteronormativity entirely intact. Therefore, heterosexuals bear the primary blame for the decline of marriage and the family.
Since homosexuals are a tiny minority, and only a tiny minority of that minority wish to marry in any case, I think that homosexual marriage opponents owe us an explanation as to how, exactly, such a small group of people could mess up marriage any more than straight people already have.
If one really wanted to defend marriage and strengthen the family, one should do the following.
1. End no-fault divorce
2. Criminalize adultery
3. Criminalize alienation of affections [6]
4. End child support for unwed mothers
5. Establish a legal presumption that unwed mothers are unfit mothers, so that giving up illegitimate children for adoption is the norm
6. End adoption by unmarried individuals
7. Institute positive incentives for high-quality individuals to marry and have families
8. Institute tax incentives for people to marry/disincentives to stay single
These policies would significantly strengthen the bonds of marriage and family life. And the burdens and benefits of these measures would fall on the heterosexual population, where they belong.
But none of our pro-family politicians and moral crusaders shows any interest in such measures. And that, to me, is the sign that the whole anti-homosexual marriage campaign is just another phony Right-wing con job: (1) scapegoating homosexuals for the mess that heterosexuals have made of marriage and the family, (2) and channeling the discontent, energy, idealism, and money of a certain segment of the Right (albeit a pretty hopeless segment, from my point of view) into just another dead end, a battle that, even it it were won, would do nothing to halt the demographic decline of our race.
I used to think that these mainstream Right-wingers were merely stupid and/or deluded. A lot of the rank and file are. But they are generally far better than their leadership. The ones on top are so consistently wrong-headed and ineffectual that it is hard to resist the conclusion that they are agents of the enemy, working to misdirect and dissipate Right-wing dissent lest it give rise to a genuine populism that would threaten the hegemony of our ruling coalition of Jews and raceless, rootless plutocrats. I think that the purpose of their campaigns may be to run out the clock until whites are a minority and there is no hope of change within the present system.
The only political issue that matters is whether the white race will continue to exist on this planet in 200 years. White Americans are increasingly aware of, and alarmed by, our demographic decline. But frank appeals to white racial interests are still taboo on the American Right. Instead, the mainstream Right at best offers us race-neutral proxies for racial interests (opposition to "illegal" immigration, libertarian individualism, etc.) and at worst promotes distractions (opposing gay marriage and flag burning, or promoting school prayer) or outright demographic suicide (opposing abortion). Thus I think that White Nationalism will never move forward until the mainstream Right is thoroughly defeated and discredited. I just hope that, by that time, it is not too late to save our race.
I have argued that homosexual marriage is an unimportant issue from the point of view of white demographics. The most important thing to do to increase white fertility and improve white parenting is to strengthen marriage and decrease non-reproductive sex among heterosexuals. I have also argued that the gay marriage issue is being promoted by the phony Right as a distraction from far more important issues. But I am not going to deal with the merits of demerits of homosexual marriage as a policy, because I need to devote more reading and thought to the matter. I do, however, want to end this piece by at least raising the possibility of a society that combines "heteronormativity" with tolerance.
The only real way to maintain high standards is to recognize that people will fall short of them in some ways. That means a certain amount of latitude and tolerance.
A society that cannot tolerate deviation from its norms will inevitably lower its standards to make it easier for more people to comply.
And the end of that process is complete nihilism, for if integrity to one's values is the highest value, in the end, it will be one's only value. For the easiest way to insure perfect integrity and to make hypocrisy impossible is to value nothing but being oneself at the present moment, i.e., to collapse any difference between the real and the ideal, to affirm that whatever happens to be real at any given moment is the ideal.
In short, the only way to always practice what one preaches is to preach nothing but what one practices. And that boils down to doing whatever one feels like from moment to moment, a kind of groundless self-affirmation which is pretty much the moral and cultural dead end toward which liberalism is leading.
Even if one maintains heteronormativity as the social ideal, it is still possible to like people who fall wide of the mark. Particularly in a White Nationalist society, where our fellow citizens are also our own extended family.
Why can't we have a society in which parents of homosexual children say, "We're sorry that you are not going to give us grandchildren. It is a misfortune. But we still love you as our flesh and blood, and we know you will still be a good son to us, a good brother to your siblings, and a good uncle to your nieces and nephews"?
Why can't we have a society in which homosexuals accept that they fall short of the norm, rather than tearing down norms merely to feel good about themselves? Why can't we have a society in which homosexuals are grateful to the heterosexuals who gave them life and glad that others are carrying on their families and their race as a whole?
I believe that there are already quite a few people who think this way. But their voices are not being heard.


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I love the hour before takeoff,
that stretch of no time, no home
but the gray vinyl seats linked like
unfolding paper dolls. Soon we shall
be summoned to the gate, soon enough
there'll be the clumsy procedure of row numbers
and perforated stubs—but for now
I can look at these ragtag nuclear families
with their cooing and bickering
or the heeled bachelorette trying
to ignore a baby's wail and the baby's
exhausted mother waiting to be called up early
while the athlete, one monstrous hand
asleep on his duffel bag, listens,
perched like a seal trained for the plunge.
Even the lone executive
who has wandered this far into summer
with his lasered itinerary, briefcase
knocking his knees—even he
has worked for the pleasure of bearing
no more than a scrap of himself
into this hall. He'll dine out, she'll sleep late,
they'll let the sun burn them happy all morning
—a little hope, a little whimsy
before the loudspeaker blurts
and we leap up to become
Flight 828, now boarding at Gate 17.
Reprinted from On the Wing, published by the University of Iowa Press.


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Home » Beeline Interactive, Inc.
Glo Flo Review
It seems that Beeline Interactive is on a role and their latest title Glo Flo follows hot on the heels of the recent side-scrolling shooter Who's That Flying?!. In this colorful puzzler by developer GameTantra Digital you'll need to match bugs by drawing connections on a grid, however while the idea is sound it's hard to stay focused as the challenge quickly plateaus. Those familiar with similar puzzle titles like Pathpix will pick up the gameplay in a snap, though there's not too muc…Watch The Video Review
Who's That Flying?! Review
Perhaps I'm a glutton for punishment or maybe there's something bizarrely attractive about its simple, clean presentation, but Who's That Flying?! by Mediatonic and Beeline Interactive is proving harder to put down than I first expected. Considering its difficulty level you'd naturally assume that time would only dull the experience, giving you more reasons to not load it up, but with each attempt you'll manage to claw your way to victory as Earth's super-powered defender. Being a sup…Watch The Video Review
Mr. Bill Review
Oh no! I can't believe that I never heard of this popular Saturday Night Sketch until recently and now my woeful lack of familiarity of 70-80's late-night sketch show trivia has let me down. Never mind, I'm sure I'll pick things up as I go as Mr.Bill from Capcom puts this pop culture creation in to his very own game. And in typical fashion things aren't looking so good for Mr.Bill and his family as they try to deal with the poor job climate by taking up Sluggo's offer of working at a…Watch The Video Review
Dark Void Zero Review
Claimed to be a 20 year old 'lost' title from Capcom's back catalog, Dark Void Zero is a lovingly created 8-bit tie-in for the recent release of Dark Void on major consoles. From its artwork to the controls and tinny soundtrack, Dark Void Zero is full of what made platformers such strong titles 'back in the day'. In keeping with the NES-style theme, Zero uses a virtual d-pad to move and two buttons for jumping and firing. These controls work well to provide 'revolutionary' 8-way firin…Watch The Video Review
Mega Man® II Review
This is a difficult review to write. Mega Man II is this reviewer's favourite videogame of all time. This 1988 release on the NES has been ported to the iphone with a whole new streamlined experience. Dr. Wily is at again, and it's up to Megaman to stop his nefarious schemes. This iphone port comes with a few options that affect controls and gameplay. The game can be played in portrait or landscape view. Portrait makes the touch joystick and buttons harder to use while landscape featu…Watch The Video Review
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire 2010 Review
Based on the popular television show and board game, Who Wants to be a Millionaire offers players a chance in the hot seat to test their knowledge against a database of almost 1000 questions with new questions being added regularly. The gameplay contains the same classic elements as the television show. Players must successfully answer 15 multiple choice questions in a row to win the game and there are three lifelines there to help you; 50/50, phone a friend and ask the audience. The…Watch The Video Review


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Tuesday 24 May 2022 (other days)
Our Lady, Help of Christians
Using calendar: Australia. You can pick a diocese or region.
Christ is the son of Mary: come, let us adore him.
Year: C(II). Psalm week: 2. Liturgical Colour: White.
About the author of the Second Reading in today's Office of Readings:
|Mid-morning reading (Terce)
|Zephaniah 3:14,15 ©
Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.
|Noon reading (Sext)
|Zechariah 9:9 ©
Rejoice heart and soul, daughter of Zion! Shout with gladness, daughter of Jerusalem! See now, your king comes to you; he is victorious, he is triumphant.
|Afternoon reading (None)
|Judith 13:18-19 ©
May you be blessed, my daughter, by God Most High,
beyond all women on earth;
and may the Lord God be blessed,
the Creator of heaven and earth,
by whose guidance you cut off the head
of the leader of our enemies.
The trust you have shown
shall not pass from the memories of men,
but shall ever remind them
of the power of God.
Scripture readings taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published and copyright © 1966, 1967 and 1968 by Darton, Longman & Todd, Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc, and used by permission of the publishers. For on-line information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see the Internet web site at http://www.randomhouse.com.
|This web site © Copyright 1996-2023 Universalis Publishing Ltd · Contact us · Cookies/privacy


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Gartner has raised its worldwide PC shipment forecast for this year, predicting growth of 20% compared to 2009, partly driven by growth in shipments of mobile devices like laptops and netbooks.
The analyst firm in December predicted worldwide PC shipments to grow by 13.3% this year. Gartner is now saying PC shipments will total 366.1 million units in 2010, compared to 305.8 million units shipped in 2009.
"The PC industry will be overwhelmingly driven by mobile PCs, thanks to strong home growth in both emerging and mature markets," said George Shiffler, research director at Gartner, in a statement. Shipments of netbooks, which Gartner calls mini-notebooks, will also grow in 2010, but not at the rate of previous years. The devices could face competition from next-generation tablets and new laptops with ultra-low-voltage processors, Shiffler said.
Mobile devices accounted for 55% of all PC shipments in 2009, and will account for close to 70% of shipments by 2012. By comparison, desktop PC shipment growth will be minimal and limited to emerging markets. The market will remain robust over the next few years as consumer demand for PCs increases and companies open up budgets to upgrade PCs.
Gartner also said its "initial thinking" is that vendors could ship up to 10.5 million traditional, keyboard-based tablets and next-generation tablet devices this year.
Apple's iPad is one of many new devices coming to market that could change the PC market, Gartner said. The iPad bundles Web surfing, multimedia, e-book reading and gaming into one device. It is due to ship later this month.
Users may no longer need a PC to access Web applications, and the emergence of new devices is changing the way PC makers think about the market, Gartner said.


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Babe Ruth memorabilia, including contract and home run ball, to be auctioned in Baltimore
The first ball Babe Ruth hit over the fence in Yankee Stadium and his 1918 contract with the Boston Red Sox are among about three dozen Ruth-related items scheduled for auction in Baltimore.
The auction at the Sports Legends Museum will be held Saturday night, a day after the 100th anniversary of Ruth's major league debut. He played his first game on July 11, 1914. Ruth was born in Baltimore.
The items will be on display for the public ahead of the auction. Other collectables to be sold include Super Bowl rings from the 1970 Baltimore Colts and the 2000 Baltimore Ravens.
Goldin Auctions estimates that the 125 items to be auctioned off could fetch as much as $10 million. Ruth's contract is already up to $370,000 in online bidding.


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Secure your spot and get started today with our EXCLUSIVE offer!
The workouts you're doing now aren't getting you the results you want.
You need motivation to keep you going.
You have an injury that makes working out a challenge.
We try different workouts and equipment, but we might still struggle. We wonder if what we're doing is having the effect we want it to have. We might not want to believe it, but sometimes we might be doing more harm than good when we hit the gym.
Personal trainers have the know-how and expertise to guide anybody toward their fitness goals. Instead of trying a one-size-fits-all approach, it's time to work with someone who understands fitness. Someone who can help your body reach its full potential.
Working with a personal trainer is like getting a tutor for your body. These highly trained professionals understand human anatomy and fitness, and they can work with you to test your body's limits and help you lose weight, build muscle, and achieve your fitness goals.
Title Goes Here
Sometimes, it's hard to know which workout will be the most effective for your body and fitness goals. What works for someone else may not work for you.
A skilled personal trainer will do a complete assessment of your present fitness and your goals, and design workouts to help you lose weight, build muscle, and push your endurance.
As you progress, your trainer will adjust your workouts accordingly, so you never stop learning – and so your body doesn't get complacent and stop responding.
The hardest thing about working out on your own is find the motivation to keep going when you're not in the mood to work out – or when you're tired and want to quit.
Our personal trainers provide all the motivation you'll need to stay on track and get your body in shape. They understand how to encourage clients without overwhelming them.
Let's face it: it helps to know that you have someone in your corner when you're trying to get in shape. In the gym, your personal trainer is the one who believes in you – and pushes you when you need it.
If you've injured yourself, a trip to the gym can feel like a walk through a minefield. You want to exercise, but you're wary of making your injury worse.
Personal trainers work with injuries and physical limitations all the time. They understand human bodies, and they can help you maintain or improve your fitness without reinjuring yourself.
As your injury heals, they can help you adjust your workouts to accommodate new abilities and strengths, ensuring that your recovery is a smooth and healthy one.
Professional athletes get personal guidance when they prep for a big event. Whether they're training for the Olympics or getting ready for the next season, they don't have to do it alone.
Working with a personal trainer is the best way to get ready for your next event. Training for a marathon or another sporting event requires specialized guidance and workouts.
A personal trainer will help you create (and stick to) a training schedule to ensure you're ready when the big day arrives.
What a great way to redirect positive energy and train your mind and body to yeild to what you cant control in your life and to do new things in different stances to challenge your biggest most fierce competitor (yourself..so Bruce Lee would say) ..to gain more control to further be balanced,calm, & collective in life and in the octagon. Great strength, cardio, stamana, and skills training. The fighters there are really skilled and willing to share knowledge . Friendly environment. Great Team. Love , respect.
I've been here since the beginning with this amazing family. I would definitely recommend Headkicks to everyone of all ages. Aaron, Charity and the entire crew are not only amazing people, but also super knowledgeable in every aspect of martial arts and fitness.
Best place in town!!!
Coach Aaron Phillips and his wife are amazing people, from day one stepping into the gym they both knew me by name and greeted me at the door as they do everyday. Coach Aaron is an amazing martial artist and instructor with an amazing staff/coaches beside him who have helped me sharpen my skills tremendously. The facility is also the cleanest I've ever trained at. I couldn't be more satisfied, I've made some amazing friends training here and plan to make many more!
If you want the best training in kickboxing and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu this is the right place. I have learned a lot from both Aaron and Damon at their UL MMA classes. These guys are the real deal and they got skills to get you to the next level in MMA.
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Yes, it can! In fact, weight loss is one of the most common reasons people decide to hire a personal trainer. Discussing your weight loss goals with your trainer will help them design workouts to burn calories, build muscle, and lose weight.
No. Our trainers want you to achieve your goals, and they provide positive motivation to keep their clients going. This isn't boot camp. Personal training should be a good experience.
Absolutely. Our personal trainers are accustomed to helping clients at all levels of fitness and ability. Your trainer will help you learn the right way to exercise so you can achieve your fitness goals.
Personal trainers know how to work with injuries to help people get in shape. Whether you have a recent or old injury, our trainers can devise a workout that will support your healing and health.
One of the reasons people don't like going to the gym is that they don't know what they're doing. A good personal trainer will help you find workouts that you enjoy and that deliver the results you want.
Your personal trainer will assess your fitness and readiness and help you devise a workout schedule that will ensure that you're ready to compete in the event of your choice.
A personal trainer can help you achieve the right balance of fat loss and muscle gain.
Personal trainers hold their clients accountable by requiring them to show up for workouts.
Working with a personal trainer ensures that you'll learn proper form and avoid injuries.
Regular workouts with a trainer decrease stress and improve mental well-being.
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Are there primes of every Hamming weight? That is, for every integer $n \in \mathbb{Z}_{>0}$ does there exist a prime which is the sum of $n$ distinct powers of $2$?
In this case, the Hamming weight of a number is the number of $1$s in its binary expansion.
Many problems of this sort have been considered, but perhaps not in such language. For instance, the question "Are there infinitely many Fermat primes?" corresponds to asking, "Are there infinitely many distinct primes with Hamming weight exactly $2$?" Also related is the question of whether there are infinitely many Mersenne primes.
These examples suggest a class of such problems, "Do there exist infinitely many primes which are the sum of exactly $n$ distinct powers of two?"
Since this question is open even for the $n=2$ case, I pose a much weaker question here.
What is known is that for every $n \leq 1024$ there is such a prime.
The smallest such prime is listed in the Online Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences A061712.
The number of zeros in the smallest such primes are listed in A110700. The number of zeros in a number with a given Hamming weight is a reasonable measure of how large that number is. The conjecture at OEIS is quite a bit stronger than the question I pose.
Is there a theorem ensuring such primes for every $n \in \mathbb{Z}_{>0}$?


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The Mousetrap
Agatha Christie's legendary whodunit is still packing them in after more than 60 years in the West End.
The world's longest running play has lost none of its form. Indeed, the reputation of this murder mystery masterpiece goes from strength to strength as new generations of theatregoers are tricked and teased by a plot with more twists than a really twisty thing!
A group of people gathered in a remote part of the countryside discover, to their horror, that there is a murderer in their midst. Who can it be? One by one the suspicious characters reveal their sordid pasts until at the last, nerve-shredding moment the identity and the motive are finally revealed.
A cracking yarn and an irresistible treat for amateur sleuths everywhere!
Recommended for ages 12 and over.
Show Times
- Monday
- 19:30
- Tuesday
- 15:30 | 19:30
- Wednesday
- 19:30
- Thursday
- 19:30
- Friday
- 19:30
- Saturday
- 16:00 | 19:30
Nearest Tube Station
Leicester Square


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Kent State Celebrates University Press Week
In an information age glutted with questionable or misleading sources and data, university presses fill a critical role in reviewing and vetting information and publishing only the best research and writing. The Kent State University Press is a proud member of the Association of American University Presses (AAUP), a community of 133 publishers that serves, informs and educates the reading public.
Celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2012, AAUP's collective mission is to support creative and reliable scholarly communications. In recognition of that mission, this week (Nov. 11–17) has been designated the first "University Press Week," an event to be held annually.
One of the most vital ways Kent State University Press fulfills that mission is by publishing books about the history and culture of the Ohio region, books like Growing Season: The Life of Migrant Community by Kent State's Gary Harwood and David Hassler.
Kent State University Press also:
- Contributes to the variety and diversity of cultural expression;
- Partners with libraries, museums and other cultural institutions in our region;
- Gives voice to minority cultures and perspectives;
- Enriches undergraduate and graduate education by publishing supplementary material;
- Extends the reach and excellence agenda of Kent State University;
- Gives back to Ohio taxpayers by publishing works about the state and region;
- Connects the university to the community by publishing books of local interest and hosting local events for authors;
- Provides opportunities for students interested in pursuing careers in publishing.
During University Press Week, Kent State University Press invites everyone to visit the special display at the Kent State University Bookstore, explore AAUP's online Fine Print* gallery and read the testimonials of appreciative scholars, authors, readers, public servants and thought leaders at www.universitypressweek.org.
"By telling and preserving the story of Ohio, Kent State University Press helps students, scholars and citizens better understand our rich and complex past, and our work informs the conversation about where we are headed in the future," said Will Underwood, director of the Kent State University Press.
For more information about the Kent State University Press, visit www.kentstateuniversitypress.com.
# # #
Media Contacts:
Will Underwood, firstname.lastname@example.com, 330-672-8094
Susan Cash, email@example.com, 330-672-8097


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Trailer Choir's Big Vinny Ties the Knot
October has been a big month for country weddings, and the latest singer to walk down the aisle is former Trailer Choir member Big Vinny (real name Vincent Hickerson). Hickerson and his girlfriend of three years, Lori Diaz, married last Thursday (Oct. 11).
The happy couple said "I do" in a romantic sunset ceremony on the 225-acre Smiley Hollow Farm in Goodlettsville, Tenn. The bride handcrafted every detail for the wedding, from the programs and flowers to the table linens and rustic furniture used in the ceremony. Diaz wore an ivory lace Maggie Sottero gown with vintage high-heeled boots, while the groom looked dashing in a grey velvet blazer made by Calvin Klein. Diaz's 10-year-old son, Brennon, served as the Best Man and kicked the wedding off by reading a passage about real love from the classic book, 'The Velveteen Rabbit.'
After the ceremony, the 250 guests in attendance made their way to the reception, where they enjoyed a true southern style meal that included BBQ chicken and pork, green beans, mac n' cheese, corn bread, homemade banana pudding and Rice Krispie treats. Rather than having traditional wedding cake, the couple chose cake pop's, ranging in flavors of chocolate, peanut butter and strawberry, from the Cake Crumb Bakery in Brentwood, Tenn.
"I used to wonder what true love looked like," Hickerson tells Taste of Country following their big day. "Now I know because I am blessed to wake up beside my true love everyday"
Hickerson is well-known for his work in the country band, but a big accolade worth noting is the time he spent on TV's 'The Biggest Loser,' where he lost nearly 200 pounds. In recent months, Hickerson's duo partner, Marc "Butter" Fortney, has bowed down from Trailer Choir to pursue personal interests -- which include being a first-time father. Hickerson is continuing on with music, however, trying his foot as a solo artist under the name Vinny Van-Zant.
Hickerson proposed to Diaz last year during a private date at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tenn. The proposal was filmed and aired on 'The Biggest Loser.'


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3DLabs' P10 Visual Processing Unit - When a CPU & GPU Collideby Anand Lal Shimpi on May 3, 2002 7:30 AM EST
- Posted in
- GPUs
Darwinism left the market with two major competitors, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Performance has improved tremendously since the days of the Savage3D and G200 while image quality and features have reached new heights. But as we've seen time and time again, whenever there is a paradigm shift any market there is room for market share to be lost and gain. With the trend in GPUs lending towards more flexible and programmable cores (as we mentioned in our GeForce3 review, there's a trend towards making GPUs much more CPU-like) those companies that don't catch on will lose market share while the companies that can show leadership will undoubtedly gain.
Although NVIDIA has been shipping the world's first mass-market programmable GPU for close to two years now, the technology is still very infantile in nature. An incredible enablement platform for today's GPUs has been Microsoft's DirectX 8 which promised the ability to harness the power of these programmable "shader" units. While we still haven't seen many hard-hitting titles make use of the most attractive DX8 features, games are finally on the horizon. The demos and upcoming titles that make use of these pixel and vertex shaders show off a lot of the neat effects that can be accomplished when you're not dealing with a fixed function graphics pipeline but to 3DLabs just having a very flexible set of shaders isn't enough.
Why Programmable?
The name of the game is programmability; in the days before hardware 3D accelerators, developers used the host CPU to handle everything from the physics and AI to rendering the actual frames. The problem with this was that even the most powerful desktop CPUs aren't well suited to doing the type of intense work that's necessary to run these 3D games. They are very flexible in that you can program them to do just about any function you'd like, however they don't have the memory bandwidth nor the spare processing power to handle all of their "everyday" tasks as well as perform all the 3D rendering necessary at high frame rates.
The introduction of hardware 3D accelerators took the burden away from the host CPU by providing a dedicated processor with a good amount of dedicated memory bandwidth well suited for 3D rendering and nothing else. The problem with this approach was that the processor manufacturers defined what the programmers could do with their hardware. And while hardware engineers are great at implementing state machines and optimizing logic, they aren't the Tim Sweeneys or the John Carmacks of the world when it comes to defining what the next-generation of 3D games will need.
Then came today's generation of "programmable" (we'll explain the quotes in a bit) 3D accelerators. Architectures like the GeForce4 and Radeon 8500 give the developers quite a bit of freedom; the freedom to dictate what they want these very powerful GPUs to do. However the freedom isn't unlimited; the same freedom that currently exists for a developer writing code for an AMD Athlon XP or Intel Pentium 4 doesn't exist for a game developer creating a 3D engine. The flexibility that is offered by today's GPUs is a dream come true for the developers whose creativity has been limited by the fixed-function graphics pipelines of yesterday, but according to 3DLabs that's still not enough.
We've already mentioned why the host CPU, in all its infinitely programmable glory, cannot be used as the sole 3D accelerator in a system. But what if a similar, general purpose 3D processor can be introduced with the ability to be completely programmable much like a CPU? Imagine a processor with an incredible number of parallel execution units tailored specifically for the SIMD nature of 3D rendering calculations that also had the programmability of a desktop CPU. The power of this processor could be harnessed by a high-level programming language (much like C/C++, FORTRAN, Java, C#, etc for desktop CPUs) and it would give game developers the utmost flexibility to be as creative as they could possibly imagine.
This is 3DLabs' vision (we'll discuss how realistic it is with this part later on) and honestly it's the direction that the 3D graphics market is headed in. The competition within the market won't continue if developers are forced to choose between supporting ATI's pixel shaders or NVIDIA's. When a software developer goes to write a program for x86 CPUs they don't decide to support an AMD version of x86 or an Intel version; there's one general instruction set while the hardware implementing the instruction set may differ from one CPU vendor to the next, that's generally transparent to the developer.
The quote that 3DLabs' points to in order to illustrate the problem with the current "programmable" GPUs is from an old plan update by John Carmack in reference to the GeForce3's Pixel Shaders:
"Other companies had potentially better approaches, but they are now forced to dumb them down to the level of the GF3 for the sake of compatibility. Hopefully we can still see some of the extra flexibility in OpenGL extensions."
Instead of "dumbing down" their approach to a programmable pixel pipeline to the level of the GeForce3, 3DLabs decided to create an even more programmable architecture that they claim is a superset of anything currently available.
Today's surprise announcement is that of 3DLabs' latest graphics architecture that will be used in everything from future professional cards to consumer/gaming products later this year. Even more of a surprise is the fact that production quality silicon is currently running at 3DLabs and it would be pessimistic to say that the first shipments of this technology won't occur within 2 months.
Let's get started


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[Editor's note: This is the third installment of a four-part series. To read earlier segments of "Pro-Palestinianism: A Movement of Hate," click: Part I _and Part II. For the next installment, click:_ _Part IV.]_
Israel has been subjected to forceful criticism for decades. When those criticisms are hysterical, irrational and/or do not address Israel's concerns to the slightest extent, are we not obliged to query why these frequent criticisms seem so unbalanced. If any commentator treats a serious topic in an unbalanced fashion it is quite right to be concerned. Such a viewpoint could cause genuine harm if it gains currency. The questions, "Why is person or movement 'X' so extreme? why do they turn the facts upside down and ignore everything not in their favor?" are perfectly legitimate, especially if there was extensive hatred and oppression of the group historically that is now the subject of their ire.
The response is typically an approximation of "Oh, we are only concerned about Zionists not the Jews who we really like an awful lot, I like Dylan, Seinfeld etc." This argument seems a little suspect since Israel is the only state in existence populated principally by Jews. The only state in existence where Jews can live without being subject to the censure of hostile non-Jews in host nations. Of course it is quite feasible that many Palestinian supporters aren't anti-Semitic. The motivations of an individual can be difficult to establish: even if they make unjustifiable remarks, spread untruths and flatly refuse to accept opposing views no matter how well justified, they may not be driven by hatred even if that is likely to be the case. Ignorance, stubbornness and even stupidity can be alternatives. However, this is not simply an observation relating to individuals but rather a movement. If we were to accept the "concern of Zionism only" line we would have to ignore the dishonesty, usual methods of criticism and belligerent manner that defines the movement and which gives rise to concerns about anti-Semitism. If many pro-Palestinian groups are not anti-Semitic it is extremely unlikely they would then collectively resort to such forms of criticism and behaviour.
There are some curious similarities between the language use of the anti-Semitic far-Right and the pro-Palestinian movement. This can be seen in their related texts, articles, and on many Internet forums where one could easily mistake pro-Palestinians for far-right activists raging on about "Zionism." The traditional anti-Semitic anti-Zionism that the far-Right espouses has its roots in the fantasy that Jews are bent on World domination, where the fabricated Russian text "The Protocols of the [Learned] Elders of Zion" is their bible. Pro-Palestinians would of course reject these links. However, many of the armed Islamic terrorist groups they espouse subscribe to the very same far-Right theories! Indeed, the connection between traditional anti-Semitic "anti-Zionism" and the newer politically correct pro-Palestinian "anti-Zionism" can easily be seen on very popular hate sites like Jew Watch that often attack Israel.
In order to accept that pro-Palestinian groups do not hate Jewish people, the possibility that numerous conventional anti-Semites jumped on this populist bandwagon would also have to be rejected. How likely is this to be the case? It stands to reason obsessive Jew-haters would find the Jewish State a prime target for attack, especially as they do not have to endure much censure. Dyed-in-the-wool Holocaust denier and vocal anti-Semite David Irving has expressed much sympathy for the Palestinians. High profile Holocaust denier Mark Weber has actually decided to change tack by siding with the Palestinians in order to fight Jewish power. Even fascistic websites like Storm Front occasionally express sympathy for Arabs whilst remaining unrelentingly anti-Semitic. As a simple gauge of the popularity of traditional anti-Semitic belief, Jew Watch was at the top of Google's listings and continues to be near the top for number of hits when common words like "Jew" are typed into its search engine. With traditional anti-Semitic belief far from uncommon, today pro-Palestinians cannot believably assert that few of these people are among their ranks.
A feature of the pro-Palestinian movement is the prolific use of Jewish critics to publicly attack Israel, including victims of the Holocaust. While some Jews (particularly leftists) attack Israel on their own steam, there seems to be a ploy of promoting Jewish critics in the movement because although related to the issue, they appear to be greatly over-represented given population size. It seems likely that this is done to deflect accusations of anti-Semitism and possibly to undermine understanding of why Israel (as a Jewish state) ought to exist. Many pro-Palestinians criticise opponents who state that certain Jewish critics are self-hating. Not all Jewish critics of Israel are likely to be self-hating but of course self-hatred is apparent among minorities. Such people internalise certain oppressive views and dislike their identity. Amongst Jewish people this phenomenon is entirely feasible given Western cultural antipathy.
It is apparent that a pre-emptive form of the anti-Semitism argument is actually used by the anti-Israeli movement to their advantage. They frequently pre-empt any possible accusation of anti-Semitism by bringing it up first. This is done to help deflect any eventual accusation of anti-Semitism no matter how warranted it would be. Thus, if and when such an accusation is finally made the accuser actually falls into a trap as if such a comment is below the belt. This move is intended to make those who defend Israel against extreme criticism appear dishonest or unreasonable. This approach is used repeatedly in the media and Internet. The accusation is often ascribed by pro-Palestinians as being part of a Zionist conspiracy to deflect criticism of Israel. It is another example of their intellectual dishonesty.
Why do pro-Palestinians obsess about Israel while largely ignoring other conflicts in the world? This is a common question. On occasion, when well known pro-Palestinian campaigners were asked why they exclusively focus on the alleged human rights abuses of Israel, the usual reply was that they care about other cases of human rights abuse too! Yet the efforts of such people do focus vastly more so on Israel. Of course we are selective with regard to the issues we care about at a personal level. However, if human rights issues concern such people generally, and chiefly motivates them to attack Israel, why don't they campaign even a fraction as forcefully about other serious conflicts?
The intensive unceasing anti-Israel mass movement compares with no other internationally. Its scale compared to other single-issue movements is unprecedented, even exceeding the international campaign against Apartheid South Africa. One would think Israel is the only region where serious conflict occurs. There appears to be very little being done for Darfur, the Congo etc. where the contrasting scale of death and suffering makes Israel Vs. the Palestinians look like a fairly minor conflict. This point also lends credence to the view that the pro-Palestinian movement is not generally motivated by a concern for human rights. If the many do-gooders driving the Palestinian movement were truly concerned about human rights, the result would be a pro-Palestinian movement that was merely one of many highly active movements, and if scale was broadly a factor in their sympathies it would be quite a minor one at that.
People like journalist Khaled Abu Toameh have said so-called "pro-Palestinians" only care about alleged abuses to Palestinians involving Israel. Why are they not campaigning about the financial corruption and human rights abuses by Fatah and Hamas that are at times severe? While Israel's Christian population has never been higher, Palestinian Christians are fleeing from increasingly Islamicist Palestinian run territory. Why no regard for these Palestinians? Women have been subjected to poor treatment especially by Hamas. Yet feminist supporters have little to say about the issue. Sizeable Arab states refused to accept Palestinian refugees, while Israel took in a larger number of Jewish refugees expelled from Arab nations. They refused in order to achieve a continuous belligerence against Israel. The Palestinians became an agent to assist in Israel's destruction. A similar attitude is evident amongst pro-Palestinians.
A typical pro-Palestinian strategy is to strip the events of this conflict from their context. Isolating such facts will only mislead and indeed this is clearly the intention. For example, assertions that Israel was founded through ethnic cleansing require highly selective interpretations of decontextualised historic facts. Violent intolerance toward Jews existed long before Israel was established. Israel's foundation should be viewed in the context of a nascent state fighting for its survival, where both sides had been divided by violent sectarian tensions for a long time. Assertions that Israel was assisted by British colonialism could not be further from the truth. The British ceded 78 % of the mandated territory to Trans-Jordan, helped create a violent pogrom-like environment, and issued successive rulings designed to impede the establishment of a Jewish state. Profoundly distorted maps that attribute vast public lands to Palestinian ownership are used to compare Jewish vs. Palestinian settlement before and after the establishment of Israel, and selective historic quotes, often very dubiously interpreted, are produced to "prove" the very worst intent.
Many act as if Israel alone prevents a Palestinian state. The Palestinian's rejected every opportunity from the 1947 UN Partition resolution to the recent offer by Ehud Olmert who acceded to virtually all the territory they demanded. In any serious conflict both parties require a modicum of good faith before there is any possibility of achieving peace. While the Israeli electorate has backed peace-makers repeatedly, the Palestinians often choose the opposite such as with the election of the Islamicist group Hamas in Gaza after Israel withdrew from the region. At best such talks are an exercise to please the international community and at worst an attempt to cash in propagandistically.
The reality is that Israel will not be secure even if it achieves an improbable peace with the Palestinians. The negotiations between Egypt and Jordan were successful in terms of avoiding further military conflict but relations have not been truly normalised at state level and the majority of Egyptians and Jordanians are still extremely hostile to Israel decades after peace was made. Syria's leaders have indicated that normalised relations are not an option even if Israel returns the Golan Heights. Turkey has become increasingly hostile and its small Jewish population treated as ungrateful guests. Notwithstanding the apocalyptic utterances of its leaders, Iran is funding Hamas' and Hizbullah's assaults on Israel. It should be clear this conflict is an intermittent Islamic/pan-Arab war with Israel where the Palestinian's became a proxy. Despite the precarious situation Western leaders at times aggressively encourage this state to take risks for peace and it has done so repeatedly. Yet when peace efforts almost inevitably go wrong there is typically a one-sided condemnation of Israel whilst ignoring common Palestinian intransigence.