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Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Act III: Archimedes VII : Psychosis
Act III: Archimedes VII
Curse of the Yellow Sign using Psychosis
This was a game I offered Rafael and April, who both have yet to play under me. Both were open to try any kind of game, and since they were willing to play at our place at Cubao, it meant being able to play something with a lot more drama and mood. Knowing they were fans of Alien and science fiction horror stuff, as well, I felt John Wick's Curse of the Yellow Sign might be the way to go. Given I didn't want them to be too occupied with learning the game system, I decided to run it using a simpler system that I missed, Chameleon Eclectic's Psychosis.
A colony ship called Archimedes VII was travelling through outer space when something causes it to emit the distress beacon and awaken some members of the crew. From complete darkness, small points of light begin to emerge until a shade of blue covers the whole area.
A glass surface contains the condensation, and a hand presses against its face. A woman awakens from hypersleep, confused on how long she has been under. She steps out of the pod and finds herself still having some trouble keeping her balance. She picks herself up from the ground, dizzy from the shifting state of awake and asleep. The room has five other glass chambers in the vicinity. All are misted up and frosted from within. She finds herself annoyed that she cannot recall why she's in the room. She can't recall if they were on a journey off, or headed home. She investigates and soon comes upon a panel that tells her the cryosleep procedure has been interrupted. Another hand presses against the glass. Looking in, she realizes it is her best friend on the ship... and like her, he slips and tumbles to the ground as his body tries to regain sense of its location. They both have vague recollections of what has happened.
A whistle blares. The sound when the captain has an announcement to make. But no words follow. A glass panel opens to reveal a third occupant, a black woman with her hair pulled into a bun. When the guy reaches to check on her pulse, she grabs his arm and threatens him to give her a reason to break his arm. The black woman identifies them both as pilots, and like them recalls nothing of her name or role here. She seems surprised to learn they are in outerspace and that there are others. The pilot is Jenny. The guy is Regie. Jenny finds a cabinet and plugs in a three-number combination without thinking. The black woman tries using the computer to find out how long they have been sleeping. Regie realizes there is something in the pocket of the clothes - a bloodied knife. He slides it back into his pocket in silence. Jenny's uniform is blue with silver and white trimmings. Regie's is gray with a gear emblem. Neither of them have boots, however. The cold floor makes this even more apparent. They step outside to look around.
Bright lights blind them. The whole vessel seems to be still running, despite seemingly no crew active about. The opposite door is illuminated by numerous bright lights on metal stands. All around the door arch, strange markings and symbols cover it, none seemingly English in origin. Regie finds himself bothered, as flashes of recollection reveal he was the one who wrote them. Jenny wonders what they mean, given the don't seem to match any language she knows. Despite so many of them marking the door, not a single one overlaps another. And worse, they seem to be written in a reddish brown fluid... possibly blood. The black woman sees someone standing around twenty feet away from the two. Regie pulls Jenny close to her as the silhouetted figure continues to stare at them. Regie pulls out his knife to defend themselves. "Who's there?" Jenny calls out, and the thing turns to face them and address them.
"I believe you have named me Archie," the tall man in a black tuxedo responds. He is bald, pale, and seemingly constantly showing a smile. His mouth never moves as he talks. He asks to be of service, but when Regie asks about the journey and how much time has passed, it is the black woman who answers instead. She admits its impossible to determine as the ship's memory banks have been wiped clean. Archie asks to make the ride more comfortable for them. The black woman shares she noticed there's supposed to be another pod, possibly around six more people somewhere in the ship. When asked about the symbols, Archie tells them it is irrelevant to the situation. Regie remembers Jenny descending some steps to pilot the ship. He cannot seem to clearly recall where the bridge is in the vessel. Archie assures them everything is in functional capacity and once again offers to make the ride comfortable for them. He insists they do the standard procedural processes upon waking or they may find themselves suffering from physiological complications. Jenny asks if the other woman knows if that is true, and she admits she recalls memory loss does happen but she isn't that kind of a doctor. They decide to follow Archie to the medical bay.
The infirmary looks well stocked, and the whole place smells of antiseptic. A single bed stands with a side chair nearby. All of them notice however that the floor shows bloody footprints from the bed, to the table, then cabinets. Footprints, not shoe prints. A small mechanical robot.. its name is Zeppo.. and like a thermos with legs, it headpiece is popped open and it is busy cleaning the floor. Jenny asks Archie what happened and the AI calmly explains all the personnel involved in the incident have been treated and are recovering. When asked about the incident, how long ago the thing happened, and where the involved people are recovering, Archie repeatedly merely responds he has insufficient data. The other woman admits she knows this place, and as she stares at some files she opens, she begins to remember, "I work here." On the display screen, text emerges with an unexpected message: Doctor Reynolds, Bonnie. Ship Psychologist." Bonnie starts to recall she wanted to bring her family, but they... may have died. The outermost folder is labeled, "Maddox, R." Opening the file, the group discovers it is Regie's own file. It lists him as an outer planet colonist, and that he was known for Astronavigation, Electrical Computer, Mechanical Repair, Physics and basic piloting skills. Many of the later entries, however, are deleted. Another folder is labelled Bright, Jade. More names read Beach, J., Chambers, D., Murphy, S., Price, O.. Bonnie stops him from reading the files. Jenny asks her to check the last data log, and Bonnie mentions she was going to have a meeting with a Samantha, Murphy. "Talk about daughter."
Regie asks Archie what the standard operating procedure is for post-cryo waking. The AI instructs him to lie on the bed and the machines come to life to lock him down in place. Jenny asks what the check entails and Archie explains its a full bioscan. Thermal imaging, x-rays, and more scans are being done. Small abrasions, scratches on his toes and feet, fingers, palms and forearms are being detected. A foreign object is then detected, a dull roughly oblong shape in his stomach. Archie states invasive procedures are necessary to further identify the object. Archie requests from Jenny permission to commit to the procedure. A spinning serrated wheel emerges from the wall. Bonnie asks for more detailed x-rays, and the wheel goes back into the wall. "How could I have forgotten that?" Archie muses.
Jenny catches sight of something in the room. Silently, she pulls away from the others and walks to the nearby shelf. Tucked between two jars is a phaser gun. Bonnie is studying the x-ray and shares it looks like a sack of some sort. A clumped up bag inside Regie's stomach, roughly six inches long. Jenny slides the gun it into one of the utility pockets on her overalls. As a magnetic scan begins, Regie begins to feel a growing pulse of pain from inside his stomach. That thing inside is reacting to the magnetic waves. "Get it out!" Regie gasps, and Archie asks if that is compliance. Jenny confirms with Bonnie that it is not an entity, at least she doesn't think so. Arms extend from the walls. Bonnie gets Regie's consent to send him under deep anesthesia to undergo the operation. The lasers begin cutting, opening the wound large enough to draw the object out.
Some dark figure moves outside, just at the fringes of Jenny's line of sight. She hears the metal sounds clanging in the distance. She proceeds out to check the sound. It leads her to two door, near the cargo boxes and stairs leading to the bridge. As she walks down the cargo area, moving alongside the cargo crates, Jenny sees to her horror a dead body suspended above the ground. The body stares back at her, having no eyelids nor a face to help her recognize him. Jenny gasps upon seeing the bubbles on the body's lips, suggesting he is breathing! She hits the device to engage the pulley and have it descend. With the body down at the ground, Jenny moves close and tries to turn it over. The body is in a gray uniform with a gear symbol, suggesting he was one of the technicians or engineers.
The foreign object in Regie is extracted, but Bonnie panics upon realizing Regie is awake during the procedure! Bonnie sends him to sleep by engaging certain chemical releases. When Regie awakens, he is propped up on the bed, but still numb from the anesthetic. A plastic bag, still bloody, was retrieved from Regie's stomach. It contained three plastic cards. Card keys, to be more precise. Bonnie asks Archie how many of the crew is currently active, and the AI responds six. Regie asks for their locations and Archie explains one is currently with Miss Bright right now. They stare at each other in shock, realizing Jenny is not alone!
A voice barks out at Jenny not to move. She turns and finds a flashlight being shined at her face to keep her from seeing properly. The other person has a weapon trained at her and warns her that she is not "letting that bastard free." Jenny tries to calmly get the woman to explain what happened, and she starts talking about how that engineer reminded him of someone, and how he began to touch her and talk about how no one would hear her scream in space. When asked what happened to the man, the woman exclaims he deserved it. Jenny backs away slowly, realizing the woman was the one who did this to the engineer. The woman, however, starts to recognize Jenny. The woman hisses at Jenny, talking about how Pilots like her are all alike, all focused on the money. She identifies herself as Samantha Murphy, the Executive on board the vessel. When asked if Samantha has seen anyone else, she admits she saw Chambers and that he is still downstairs, trying to stop the whole ship. When Jenny asks why the ship has to be stopped, and where it was supposed to go, Samantha smirks about how she really doesn't remember anything at all. Not even what had just happened.
Bonnie refuses to go out and check. She has Archie inject a dose of adrenaline to boost Regie back to activity. He slumps against the wall, making his way out, asking Archie for Jenny's location. Bonnie complains about being unable to find the scalpel, so Regie decides to just go for it. He moves in the direction of the cargo central area, but as he starts stepping into the sticky bloody puddles, he slows down, not wanting to slip or fall. Flashes of memory hint of whose blood this all is, but he shakes it away and creeps closer at Samantha and Jenny. He listens as Samantha talks about how everyone was so focused on the money believing the statue they were bring was worth billions, but only she realized what was happening. Nonchalantly, she adds how the pilot is dead now and even as she talks, Regie inches his way closer to her with the plan to wrestle the gun from her hand. He makes a sound, telling at Samantha to stop, and as the executive turned to the direction of the sound, two chains suddenly swing down from the ceiling, its hooks tear into wrists, and Samantha suddenly is hoisted up into the ceiling. And she's gone.
The panel controlling the chains is untouched. No one seems to be manipulating it. Regie shines her flashlight up into the ceiling but there is no visible sign of Samantha any more. When Regie insists they return to the infirmary, Jenny tells him the body on the floor is still alive and that they have to bring him with them. As they both drop to the ground to help the man, Regie finds himself slipping into a flash back. He is in a room with boarded up windows. A table with a groove stands, a small channel from the center, to the sides, then into a circle. Leather straps are nailed to the surface to hold legs and arms. Regie hears himself say, "I am ready." And to his surprise, Jenny asks, "Ready to do what?" as his flashback ends. They lift the body back to the infirmary. Jenny sees a slip of paper drop from the body. She tells Regie to stop as she goes down to pick it up. The paper reads: You can trust Reynolds. Regie picks the body up and realizes as he carries him, the body is trying to whisper something. Regie lays him back down on the floor - but seeing the face lacking skin, Regie pulls back as the disgust overwhelms him. Regie leans closer, hoping to hear what he is saying. "We're all going to die. The Captain..."
The two return to the infirmary with the skinless man. Bonnie stares at them, terror marking her face, as they place the body on the bed. They close the chamber and quickly run diagnostics. Jenny asks Archie to run diagnostics on how many active people are about. Archie identifies five being operational onboard. Jenny asks to isolate them from the readings, and Archie detects two outside the infirmary. The man flatlines on the bed. "Joe.. Joe Beach," Bonnie mutters as the name crystallizes in her head. She admits she remembers talking to him, about some product he wanted to release - some kind of neurotoxin. "One that got rid of unwanted memories. Something to help people forget traumatic events." Jenny asks Archie to identify the contents of the crates, and the contents turn out to be two tonnes worth of a chemical product - one that has not yet been cleared for release on the market. "Probably a black market one," Jenny muses, especially given it is registered under Beach, Joe. Jenny asks Archie to identify anyone at the bridge. Bonnie and Regie whisper to each other, wondering what caused the man's injuries. Bonnie admits they look self-inflicted, especially those around the jawline area. Bonnie wonders aloud if the toxin, which they most likely had planned to sell at the outer planets, might be what is causing them the their memory loss. Maybe there was a leak?
Archie identifies the others to be currently at the bridge. Jenny gives "391," as the entry code for access to the security cameras. A man with a mustache, beard, and ragged jumpsuit is at the bridge. A leather strap over his shoulder is connected to a broken scrap of wood. He stands there, but is just seated there. Bonnie wonders if she should try to isolate the chemical and find a counter or antidote. Regie asks Bonnie if she knows a Samantha. Bonnie admits she remembers a Samantha Murphy, executive, sent by the company to Archimedes VII. "That must be the name of this ship." Regie raises the information he learned that the ship is headed for Earth and Archie confirms the vessel is headed back to their home, but given the current engine thrust: 476 decades. On self-sufficiency of the vessel with all at hypersleep, the passengers can arrive safely. Food stores not sufficient so long as a single person remains awake for the duration of the journey. Upon request, Archie projects a 3D hologram mapping the route to the bridge.
They notice the guy on the bridge seems to be pressed against the control console. He looks like he is kissing the keys. The two opt to head for the bridge. Bonnie, however, is too scared to leave, and again opts to wait at the infirmary. When Bonnie admits she wishes she had a weapon, Regie reveals he had the scalpel in his pocket. Bonnie starts to question Regie about having a knife, given they supposedly just awoke from hypersleep. Even Jenny isn't sure if Regie is telling the truth. But Regie reassures them they'd probably all be safer if they stick together. They head out.
Moving through the ship slowly, they walk past the mess hall, the private quarters, and hear a soft sound from the sleeping areas. The lights are weak, but their flashlights share some illumination. Shining into the room, they find something under the blanket, moving. Regie approaches, while Jenny stays ready with a weapon. Regie pulls the blanket despite his heart pounding so strong. The thing beneath the blanket leaps at Regie! Jenny fires, hitting the thing. It drops to the ground, the blanket burning away, and the three see its another mechanical robot, with its parts jury-rigged in some manner. It is lacking its rear legs. "Harpo!" Bonnie mutters, "It's one of the three robots on the vessel." Regie composes himself and looks around, searching for shoes or something to help get warmer. The don't find any else worth using and decide to now head back towards the Bridge. They, however, find a dead body just before they can leave and discover it is the pilot's body! When they try to lift the body to check its name tag, the back collapses open and spills out its contents. Bonnie panics and breaks into a run back to the infirmary. Jenny looks down and finds a severed hand among the things that fell out of the dead body's hollowed cavity. The name tag on the body reads Wellington, G. They decide to head straight for the bridge in hopes of getting answers.
The screens display AUTOPILOT ENGAGED. Star Charts display the journey. The man with the messy hair and jeans is still on the console. The strap with the wooden thing turns out to be a guitar. On the ground, another line of graffiti written in blood is all across the floor. Regie notes the man has boots. Jenny triggers the switch and the room illuminates. The man sits up, sees them, and admits he was wondering when they would show up. Grabbing the broken guitar, the man hoists it up like it was a baseball bat. When Jenny asks for his name, he questions how she could have forgotten the time they've had. He ignores her further questions and verbally assaults Regie being there. "Did you finally tell her the truth?" he asks him. Jenny and Regie don't quite follow his mad rants. "Thought I could trust you.. until I saw you, Regie, in that room with Joe Beach." Regie proclaims he remembers nothing. When Jenny asks the man how long he has been awake, he realizes they went to sleep. "You went to sleep and don't recall anything right now. You mean to tell me it worked! That thing inside your head is gone now!? And it worked!" The man even remarks that they don't have shoes, as if its important. He tells them to drop the knife, but Regie counters the man should drop the guitar. When the man repeats that he doesn't trust Regie after what happened to Joe Beach, Regie asks him to tell him what happened. The man's words unlock another suppressed memory: Regie was singing to Joe Beach as he sat on the wooden table on the workshop to collect any oil. Joe Beach was unconscious on the table as Regie used the scalpel to slowly remove his face. Just as Beach started to feel the pain, Regie plunged the knife twice to sever the muscles in the jaw line. And one final time to sever the tongue. "And you started wearing his face like a mask," the man spat at Regie. "And don't ask me to get started with you," he hissed this time at Jenny. "Oliver Price may be just a musician hitching a ride to his next concert, but he was smart enough see her switch the coordinates of the ship to that odd moon to pick up that god-forsaken idol," he complimented himself. They ask him about the markings on the floor, and Jenny tells Price to explain what they mean. He admits he ran to the bridge because it was the safest place he could lock himself in after everyone on the ship went nuts. Jenny notices Archie manifest behind them, listening, as Price talks about how the markings were the same ones that surrounded the idol. Regie had wiped them out while cleaning the idol, and that's when the shit started to happen. Price, however, turns out had photographic memory - which made him a master in music since he could memorize sheets at a glance - and he remembered what those markings looked like. He rigged the computers to reset to default state and send them back home. He challenges them to cross the line on the ground. "If you are who you say you are, the line won't hurt you."
Regie takes a step forward, but hesitates. Jenny steps through, landing past the line. Price seems overjoyed that she succeeded, dropping to his knees and the guitar hits the ground. "You're no longer possessed..." When Jenny asks one last time what is happening on the ship, Archie finally responds, "I am what has happened to the ship." Price screams upon seeing Archie is present too! "They can't cross the line! As long as it has not been broken!" Archie remains unmoving. Smiling. And the three see where Bonnie's vomit had splattered atop the markings, smearing some of it.
It takes a beat before Jenny and Regie realize this Archie isn't the same hologram they were talking too the whole time. This Archie is blinking and standing on the ground, solid and present. He thanks Jenny for getting him inside. Jenny fires the blaster but the plasma flies through the grinning man and fries the nearest console. Regie runs for Price, pulling him away from the electric fire. Chains from the cargo room have extended into the bridge, swinging at them. Jenny drops to the ground to roll away. Regie grabs Price's shirt, pulling him to his feet, and drags him backwards away from Archie. "We need to go back, somewhere where the symbols still stand!" Price gasps. Jenny remembers the markings at the cryo chamber. Regie worries about getting to Bonnie. He breaks into a run, dragging Price behind him. Jenny backs up following them but Regie gasps as the Grinning Man is already down the steps. As well as in front of Jenny. She fires a second time, and it strikes the glass at the bridge crack and fracture, but hold.
Regie whips out the scalpel as Archie taunts Regie that there is no place to run to. "You served me before," the grinning man hisses, "You will serve me again." Crates begin to drop from the stacks. Regie hits the floor as one of them crashes against his shoulder. The scalpel spins away on the floor. "Maddox!" Price calls out, "Hold on!" He presses a button and the crate that struck Regie begins to rise up from the ground. Regie grabs hold and the crate is hoisted up by the cargo chain system away from the Grinning Man. Jenny runs down the steps away from the bridge as the bridge glass spiderwebs. She sees Regie carried by the chains to the other side of the room, thanks to Price's manipulation of the controls. The Grinning Man however manifests behind Price and reaches for him. Jenny fires an aimed shot and it strikes the man on the head, distracting him. Regie lets go and lands at the entrance of the infirmary.
The Grinning Man snarls, turning to face Jenny. He eloquently speaks why she was the one who- he stops, realizing he nearly said too much. She asks what he wants from them, and he admits he already has what he wants. Jenny's mind races back to a lost memory as they detect some kind of lost radiation from the cargo. The Archimedes VII is actually dragging a massive cargo behind it. The bald guy, a captain, tells her to send someone to check out the radiation. Jenny chose Maddox to do the job. The cargo behind them, supposedly, is pure diamond. Maddox then told her not to worry as he can handle the space walk. They were best friends. A small explosion rocks the ship. Maddox hurries back with some damage to his suit. He has a tiny diamond shard in his hand, which broke from the main idol. Jenny just happy he's safe. Bonnie then gave a clear diagnosis and suggested to Maddox to just get some rest. Jenny returns to the Captain and they toast to their coming millions.
"Give it up. Give it to me. And I will let you live," the Grinning Man promises. Jenny refuses to believe his words. Regie shoves the door open and sees Bonnie, who in terror has been tearing her hair off her head in clumps. Blood trickles down her scalp and cheek. When Regie steps closer, Bonnie trains the gun at him.
She warns him not to get any closer, now that she is starting to remember what they had done. Regie explains they were possessed. Bonnie claims he is doing it for "her..." for Jenny. Bonnie starts to admit her feelings for him, claiming Jenny does not see him the way he does. "That's why you swallowed the keys. You knew she needed the keys but you wanted to make sure she had no access to them. So you swallowed them." She starts suggesting to Regie that they can leave Jenny with the Grinning Man. That they can go back alone. Regie starts acting along, moving closer to Bonnie as he whispers to her that he will escape with her. Bonnie is easily swayed by his words, given her feelings for him. She buries her face onto his shoulder. The two begin to walk out. Bonnie asks if Regie knows where the diamond is hidden, "Because that's all he wants back."
The Grinning Man hisses at Jenny how she is so much like her best friend. She blasts at the Grinning Man's head, searing it away, and she runs back towards the infirmary. Regie and Bonnie are moving in the direction towards Jenny. Regie starts to remember making the markings on the wall once more, and the spotlight being held by Jenny. The thing can't cross as long as the lines are not broken. The light keeps the Grinning Man at bay. The two step inside the cryochamber, and decide to wait it out in the room. Regie has the diamond in his hand. He swallows the engine bay key, as Jenny and he steps into the cryochambers. Bonnie, possessed, screams outside for them to step out. "It is with her," Regie gasps, realizing it is with Jenny.
Bonnie laughs, taunting Regie to admit where the diamond is. Suddenly, a crate on a chain system swings into Bonnie, smashing her to the wall. Regie sees Price yelling at them not to listen or talk to them. To keep running. Regie runs to the body and searches for the gun. The Grinning Man reemerges beside Price and Jenny fires at him again. Price admits they may have to blow up the ship, but Jenny wonders if there's anything else they can do. Regie remembers the bright lights at the cryo chambers and runs for that room. Jenny runs for the infirmary for the card keys they extracted from Regie.
Regie grabs one of the powerful lights and swings it to face towards the Grinning Man. The Grinning Man vaporizes upon hitting the light. Jenny finds the plastic bag where the keys were but discovers they are empty. She realizes it probably might be with Bonnie. She sees Regie with the light and Price is asking if any of them has the stone. The Grinning Man keeps trying to manifest close to them, but Regie keeps dispersing it with the light. Price asks how they broke the possession, and Regie thinks it may have to do with going back to Cryosleep. But then again, he recalls neither of them were possessed. They were trying to stop the Grinning Man even back then. Jenny slides to Bonnie's body but when she flips her over, Bonnie's face is replaced with the Grinning Man's. He hisses about teaching them a lesson and suddenly changes tactics, hinting he's willing to let them go. But Jenny just vaporizes Bonnie's head instead. Regie challenges Price's recollection about them being possessed, and Prince now wonders if it was the toxin that freed them. He had blasted them with it when he was running from them. The captain's whistle blares again, suggesting someone is triggering it from somewhere else in the ship. The three throw ideas, whether they cause the ship to self-destruct, or to fly it to the sun, but even escaping by the escape pod won't do much as they aren't sure where they would land. Jenny suggests they blow up the engines at the Engineering Station, so they all opt to head there.
They arrive at Atmosphere Control, where the hydroponics station stands leading to the Engineering Station. The three lament as they realize they cannot bring the strong light further with them as the cables only go so far. They leave it at the door way area, giving them a lit sanctuary to run to. As they maneuver inside the forest-like area of hydroponics, the damn floor and roots complicates their progress. Price loses his balance and begins falling. The others try to grab hold of him, but they all start slipping and tumbling in the darkness. The Grinning Man stands just outside the light. Price wonders if the ship's mechanic is actually still down there. They wonder if the intercom is down, but the man has been using the whistle to try and signal others to his location.
Jenny scans the area and sees Price and Regie finally recovering from their fall. But before she can call out for him, the lights all across the ship go out. Regie aims the gun at the nearest tree and fires. It ignites the tree, providing light as the wood begins to burn. "Do the symbols," Jenny calls out to Regie, "At the side of the door!" She hurries off to find the other guy. Price calls out that Engineering must be down his way. Jenny tells him to climb up to where she is, and she scans for an intercom unit to use. She shoves back some leaves and reveals the intercom unit. She activates it to contact the Engineering Station. "She calls out for Chambers," and the whistle blares. She asks if he's at Engineering and to blare the whistle twice if he is. The whistle blares twice. She asks if he's okay, and to whistle once for yes. The whistle remains silent. Jenny insists Regie works on the symbols while she goes for Chambers. When Regie exclaims he needs blood, Jenny tells him to cut himself or something. Regie tells Price to stay with Jenny, while he considers going back to the cargo hold, to get blood. Jenny tells him there's no light. "I'll bash your head if you need blood for the thing." A voice between Price and Regie suddenly responds, "That won't be a problem." A red light suddenly bursts in Price's chest, and blood gushes on Regie's face. Regie sees the Grinning Man behind Price and fires at him, making him vanish again. A second tree bursts into flames.
Regie runs to the shuttle entrance, trying to recall each symbol and paint it using Price's blood. His fingers shake with each stroke, fear threatening to overwhelm him. Jenny stays alert, scanning for any signs of the Grinning Man. Jenny asks Chambers via the Engineering Station to blare the whistles once more if he's still alive, and he does. When she asks him to whistle once if he's alone, the whistle once more remains silent. "Whistle once for human, and two if there's something else in there with you." The whistle blows. Twice. Regie thinks he's done with the symbols. They hope it will work.
Jenny and Regie consider if the fire will be enough to cause the ship to get destroyed by the fire at Atmosphere Control. With the two entrances to Engineering Station, the two decide to try the one at the right and run for it. Leaving the confines of the burning woods, the two reach the metal door separating the two sections and find it has been forced open with metal rods. There are signs of a nearby fire as well. With guns ready, the two move inside. They see two motionless forms past the door. Each one holds a knife, and each have cut their throats. Closer inspection reveals, the hands not holding the knives are holding each other, as if they were embracing one another. Deeper inside they move into Engineering Station.
They find a body squatted in the corner. Skin and hair pale and white. Eyes wide open. Jaw slack. The man has no shoes. Nor any visible injuries. Regie approaches and sees the name Peters on the tag. The door past him leading to the Main Engines beckons. Jenny checks Peters but finds no response. The green jumpsuit he is wearing has a symbol of a flower icon. Most likely the man in charge of the Atmosphere Control. They approach the final door and find it already ajar.
Walking into the room, they find Chambers grievously injured, with his body against the communications panel. His lower body is still smoking, dangerously burned. The Grinning Man stands beside Chambers, greeting them as they come closer. "Finally, we're at the end." Jenny trains the gun at it, but Regie warns her that if they hit the Engine, the whole place will blow up. Regie whispers to Jenny to run. To go. Jenny wishes there was time to write the symbols here. To trap him in the room. The Grinning Man asks for what he wants, and again Jenny admits they don't have what he wants. Chambers admits he witnessed how the two were in Hypersleep when Ronnie and Chambers, both in boots, were weighing to flush the two out of the cryochambers. They can't get into the room due to the symbols. But if they pump the room with the toxin, the cryo chambers would register the gas as a toxin and force them out of the sleep. The two however fail to properly flush the two out without getting Chambers blasted by the toxin as well. He awakens from the possession and runs for the room, only to have the others chase after him. And how he gets brutally hurt in this very room. He begins hitting the intercom call button, despite the microphone being dead, hoping to warn them two.
Explosions rock the vessel as the fire in Atmospherics spread more. Jenny trains the gun at the Engine and wonders if she should just blow it up. The Grinning Man wants the stone back. He even accuses Regie of being the one who took it. "Tell me and I will let her live."
Regie shoves Jenny out of the room. As she tumbles out, she yanks the gun out and fires at the Grinning Man. Regie screams out a no, but its too late. Her shot pops the Grinning Man's head once more. Chambers tells them to run. He'll make sure the whole thing blows. The two run back to the emergency pod, locking the door behind them. They initiate disengagement of locks and start the escape vessel's ejection process. The Grinning Man appears, standing outside staring at them, ever smiling even as they escape his clutches at last. They launch out of the Archimedes VII and a secondary explosion shunts them even faster away. A bright light erupts from within the ship, and the two feel themselves blinded for a moment by the immense white glow. The escape ship spins in space, faster and faster, until they both black out.
Hours later.
Regie and Jenny find themselves awakening inside the shuttle. Screen panels show oxygen levels are 99.7%, hull integrity is at 92%, power is good. Jenny plots the course to the nearest system. Regie turns to Jenny, admitting to her that the thing the Grinning Man had been looking for - the diamond - is inside of her. She had swallowed it.
Regie points at the shunt door, telling her they have to throw it out of space. Jenny admits she knows. She wants to sell it. To start a new life with it. The two however realize it would be best to bid it farewell. They shunt it out and watch as it crumples and fades away. Lights go dim. The two try to get some rest.
Light. Temperature shifts. The two open their eyes to see Archie standing at the center of the pod, smiling, as he addresses the two. "Co-pilot Bright, you have awakened. Your ship is ready to dock." Jenny and Regie stare at the Artificial Intelligence, but they remember all vessels have the same AI model. They just are bothered that this one reminds them too much of the Grinning Man. Jenny directs the ship to the Mining Planet below. "Would you like me to get you some shoe-" Jenny shuts down Archie, not wanting to hear his voice anymore. Regie and Jenny look at each other and smile, realizing they still have bare feet. The escape vessel approaches the Mining planet, safe... at least for now.
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Not being the biggest player on the field doesn't mean that Caprock senior wide receiver Addison Bustos won't be marked by opposing defenses.
Bustos is listed at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds on Caprock's roster - and he's actually grown since last season. A year ago, he put up impressive numbers in a pass-happy offense, catching 65 passes for 861 yards and 14 touchdowns. That captures the attention of anybody who will have to defend against the Longhorns and the prolific Michael Guerrero-to-Bustos connection.
Carrying such numbers into this year is nice, but they also could weigh heavily on Bustos.
"I think people will notice me this year and I'll have to work that much harder," Bustos said. "I'm trying to be like my favorite player Wes Welker and have a better year this year."
Bustos often drops the name of the New England Patriots and former Texas Tech receiver Welker as his role model. The connection is easy to make, because both are undersized wideouts who find ways to get open and make big plays when their teams need them to.
Few other receivers in the area can boast of a resume similar to Bustos, who perhaps represents the perfect fit between system and receiver.
"When I say he's the best, it's for our system," Caprock coach Seth Parr said of Bustos. "He's very technique driven. He knows how to set himself up to make a catch."
As a sophomore, Bustos was a running back but still caught 38 passes for 301 yards.
But with Kaleen Jones as Caprock's main ballcarrier last season, Bustos was moved to wide receiver, which was a more natural position to use his speed.
It only took two games to realize it was the right move.
In his second varsity start, Guerrero had one of the greatest passing games in Panhandle history, throwing for 476 yards and seven touchdowns in a 63-49 win against Borger. Bustos was Guerrero's favorite target, catching nine passes for 204 yards and four touchdowns.
"I had confidence going into that game," Bustos said. "A lot of people didn't really look for me after my sophomore year. Toward the end (of the Borger game), they started noticing me."
From that point on, Bustos had a reputation and continued to build on it. He was a first-team All-District 3-4A and Globe-News Super Team selection at receiver.
After his huge game against Borger, Bustos saw more double coverages from opposing defenses as the season progressed. He'll certainly see more this year.
"I've had three people on me at once, and I'm prepared for the worst this year," Bustos said.
Parr said Bustos should get used to it.
"(Opponents) are going to put more people on him," Parr said of Bustos. "He's going to have to be a lot more patient and not get frustrated if he doesn't get as many balls."
Furthermore, more attention on Bustos could end up opening up some lanes for Caprock's running game. As big as the numbers Bustos put up last season, he was just one cog in the machine of the most prolific passing offense in the Panhandle.
Bustos acknowledges the benefits he's gotten from playing in such a wide-open passing game.
"This offense is great," Bustos said. "Everybody on the field can get thrown to so you always have to be ready. Some of these receivers might even be better than me."
Maybe, but Bustos is the one guy who everybody now knows is pretty good, too.

subset: commoncrawl


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Reservoir Tree
Tue May 5, 2015
My first stop near Jackson was to the Ross Barnett Reservoir. I pulled off into a big parking lot near a small pier off of Spillway Rd. on the Rankin County side and spotted this tree next to the water. I love lonely trees! They make for great photos and with the Reservoir as the backdrop, it made it that much better. It was really cloudy and rainy the whole time I was there, but the cloudy skies added to the drama of many of the shots that I took. You just have to work with what you got sometimes.Read More


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dayan Thursday, 21 May 2015 03:52 PM
Bye for ever.
Add commentComments will be edited (grammar, spelling and slang) and authorized at the discretion of Daily Mirror online. The website also has the right not to publish selected comments.
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The sterilization charges against Dr. Seigu Shihabdeen Mohamed Shafi from the
As the people and Government of Sri Lanka reel with shock and grief in the wa
Weeks after guiding Mumbai Indians to their fourth IPL title--his second in t
A series of bombings struck churches and hotels in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday


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We have 4 new packs from Chrissy Clark released today with an awesome FREE BONUS TUBE offer too!!
This bonus tube has got tons and tons of assorted layers for this Holiday season. There's Christmas and New Year outfits. She's like a paper doll, you can dress her in so many different ways! Heck, we can't fit them all in the preview!!
Chrissy will be bringing out a mega tube like this for other Holidays coming up next year too!
So from now until 31st December 10pm PST just spend $10 or more (AFTER any discounts) on any Chrissy Clark tubes and we will email you your free Chrissy Clark bonus tube automatically during CDO business hours, you do not need to email in for it!
And here's the new packages!
Chrissy Clark Package 4
Chrissy Clark Package 5
Chrissy Clark Mega Package 4
Chrissy Clark Mega Package 5


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Actress Elizabeth Taylor has passed away at the age of 79. ABC News has confirmed that Taylor died of congestive heart failure this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.
Taylor's career in Hollywood spanned five decades. She was nominated for five Oscars and she took home the award for Best Actress for her riveting performances in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and BUtterfield 8. While she retired from acting in 2001, she was one of Hollywood's greatest legends and one of the most in-demand stars of the 1950s and 60s. In 1985, she devoted herself to fund-raising and activism against AIDS and the family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation. Our deepest condolences go out to Ms. Taylor's friends and family. Hit the jump for a statement from her son Michael Wilding.
Taylor's son Michael Wilding released an official statement:
"My Mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world. Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for Mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts."


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When Writing Lacks Direction
How much should I write?
Should I use paragraphs?
What should I write about?
-And yet, in other classrooms I gain a sense that the writers are reflective and self directed. They think, they solve problems, they articulate their writing intentions, they take risks and display a strong sense of ownership for the development of the text. The question arises, -What is the root cause of this difference in attitude?
The answer appears to lie in the classroom climate that exists. Frequently, when we dig a little deeper, it becomes apparent that a number of emotional blocks exist. -Blocks inhibiting thinking and prohibiting the growth of independence.
I invite teachers to ponder the following questions:
Are my students afraid to take risks, make mistakes and occasionally fail?
Do my students exhibit a strong desire for order and security?
Do my students display an inability to relax and allow ideas to 'incubate?'
Do my students fail to embrace the challenge of the writing project?
Do my students lack the flexibility to make the task their own?
Are my students overly motivated to succeed quickly?
Do my students primarily write to please me, their teacher?
If the majority of answers are YES, then it may well be that your students have been given some correct messages resulting from a desire to control the learning environment. Without knowing it, you may have been entrenching dependency.
A most interesting piece of data from a study conducted by (Taylor et al., 2001) came from the observational data on classroom instruction. A consistent finding was that the more a teacher was coded for telling children information, the less the children grew in achievement...
This does not mean that teachers should never tell students information; it would be impossible to teach without doing so. However, excessive amounts of "telling," especially in situations where coaching students to come up with their own responses is possible,telling may rob children of the opportunity to take responsibility for developing their own skills and strategies.
Similarly, where students demonstrated growth, the more they were coded as responding actively to teacher designed learning activities. Instead of merely listening to the teacher, these students were observed actually writing more often than other students....
Higher-level questions emerge as a significant predictor of growth. Questions that encourage thinking and reflection. In addition to what teachers teach, findings at the classroom level suggest that how teachers teach is important when seeking to make changes in instruction to improve students' writing achievement... Learning to tell less and ask more becomes a pertinent consideration.
As professionals, we must possess the conviction, the knowledge, and the teaching techniques necessary to ensure that every child is equipped with an armory of skills, strategies, habits, and attitudes able to be applied to writing. We therefore need to teach in ways that avoid a fear of audience, or harsh external standards. Such fears inhibit risk taking. Writing students produce is more likely to emerge as safe and formulaic under such conditions. Brave writers are not apparent.
We must develop within our students a healthy sense and preparedness to add, change, and expand their writing. To achieve this, we need to change the pictures they have in their heads regarding revision. Our consistent message needs to be 'Revision is the magic behind great writing.' If we don't work towards this goal, we will continue to witness the premature desire for closure, where the writer exhibits a resistance to adapting the original text in any meaningful way.
We need to work against a sense of isolation among our students. -A solitary feeling deriving from not knowing whether the problems and concerns surrounding writing are common or unique. Problems that arise throughout the writing process needs to be aired and shared, so that concerns can be alleviated, persistence and solutions celebrated. We must give feedback for effort.
Talking through these issues should be a strong feature of our teaching. Teaching needs to be guided by a desire to Investigate, rather than interrogate. Young writers must be encouraged to articulate their writing intentions, their concerns; to identify their achievements.
Often, we notice a tendency among young writers to create and criticize their writing ideas simultaneously. They begin to self correct and edit even as their creative thinking is spluttering into life. They become sidetracked on achieving the right outcome, rather than the best possible outcome. They work against their own creative energies for fear of making a mistake. The resultant text lacks sparkle or originality.
We need to build in an element of choice when considering writing tasks. Where tasks are consistently 'assigned' resistance is often a by-product. Students do not develop a sense of ownership and therefore feel unable to take responsibility for making meaningful modifications or revisions. The student develops a sense that it is the teacher's responsibility for thinking up the topic or focus.
Consequently, students develop an unspoken sense of limitation with respect to what is permitted, appropriate or possible with the writing. They continue to write merely to please the teacher.
When students reach a point in their writing development when they expect to make changes, when they expect order and meaning from the processes of revision and editing, when they understand that thinking and writing are forever linked- then writing will flourish.
For these reasons our students need to know that they are part of a community of learners, each able to demonstrate reflective, creative and critical behaviors in respect to their personal writing


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These Pears are original works of art, hand and machine stitched and appliqued using vintage and new fabrics. The Pear itself is cut from a vintage cotton and then sewn on to a natural pure linen background. The black outlines are hand stitched in a sashiko style. They arrive mounted on a matt ready for framing and fit a 30 x 40 cm Ribba Ikea frame perfectly (as well as others). Each piece is $45.00, including shipping. I think these are fabulous pieces at a fabulous price. From etsy seller Manda, take your pick!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Saturday Leisure
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 11:28 AM 0 comments
Friday, March 30, 2007
It's For You......
Great pop vintage telephone print from etsy seller Teresa Sheeley Art & Design. Print measures 5" x 7" with a white border for framing. Price? $8.00. Enjoy!
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 2:34 PM 1 comments
Spring Fever
Bright cheery Crazy Daisy tableware from Portmeirion . Enjoy!
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 2:28 PM 1 comments
Hand Painted Ceramics
Fabulous hand painted vase from etsy seller Ola Design at at the great price of $40.00.
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 11:52 AM 1 comments
Anne Gelbard
I did a post a while back about some gorgeous pillows available at Ugly Home designed by Anne Gelbard. I was lucky enough to receive an email from Anne sharing with me her recent work displayed at the last Maison & Objet exhibition in Paris, which included her cushions and wallpaper. Anne's designs revisit chinoiseries and XVIII century patterns with a modern and colorful pop art ambiance. Her work is fabulous and I am dying to see what she does next. To learn more about Anne please check out her biography below. Enjoy!
Who is Anne Gelbard ?
Upon graduating in 1990 from the National School of Decorative Arts in Paris with her degree in textile design, Anne Gelbard immediately launched her career as a free lance designer.
She works for various contracts for textiles creation and, since 1992, acts as a fashion consultant, as directing creative consultant, for embroiderer Deschamps and for the lacemaker Desseilles. Most recently, the Japanese lacemaker Takeda enlisted her services to develop new collections.
She opened a Paris studio in 1997, near the Bastille, that has become a center for research and creation of high-end fabrics. She has revived a special technique for applying copper, silver or gold leaf on all types of fabrics and leathers (patent pending).
She has surrounded herself with a team of designers that artisinally conceives and prints on large tables exclusive fabrics.
Aware of her studio, big names in luxury design show their confidence in her by asking her to design fabrics destined for their high fashion and ready-to-wear merchandise. .
At season openings and fashion shows, these unique pieces adorn the models and the patrons of Christian Lacroix, John Galliano for Christian Dior, Chanel, Givenchy, Emmanuel Ungaro, Hanae Mori...
Working with these fashion leaders, she influences up and coming styles and materials.
Concurrently with her work in high fashion, Anne Gelbard has extended her specialized techniques to the interior design market and table arts in creating textile motifs for Kenzo bed linens, for the Galeries LaFayette department stores and Primrose Bordier.
In the process of this diversification, she has transferred the style and the techniques of high fashion to articles of interior decoration. She has created a collection of cushions [decorative pillows], table linens, wall papers, and high-end decorative panels, inspired by the fashion world and working the materials in the same way and with the same high quality. She applies her technique of application and oxidation of leaves of gold or silver on most of the articles in her collection
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:58 AM 4 comments
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Great contemporary silk cushion cover set from etsy seller Oriental Lifestyle for just $39.00. Enjoy!
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:40 AM 3 comments
Duffy London
Chalkboard coffee table from Duffy London. A great addition to a casual family room. You could even DIY.
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:23 AM 4 comments
Work it!
Two sofas that caught my eye while browsing the Sofa Workshop. Extreme, polar opposites, I chose one for its over-the-top patterny goodness and the other for its minimal sleek lines.
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:16 AM 3 comments
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Just Perfect for Easter...
I think these owl pillows from etsy seller Lucky Kitty are adorable. They would make the perfect Easter Basket goody. Each owl has already been given a name and a personality, which makes them all the more special. Something destined to become a family hand-me-down. For $15.00 each, they're just too cute to pass up.
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 1:41 PM 1 comments
Julian Chichester
I'm loving the contemporary twist on the traditional that is the work of Julian Chichester. Available in the UK and the USA. Enjoy! :)
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:39 AM 5 comments
Oriental Garden - Designers Guild - Spring 2007
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 10:04 AM 1 comments
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Andrew Martin
Need I say more? Oh yes, click here. :)
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 9:17 PM 6 comments
It's jewelry for today...
I'm loving these pieces from etsy seller Contrary.
Vintage Leaves $12.00
Big Bumble Bumble Necklace $19.50
Vintage Fair earrings $14.00
Purple Envy earrings $14.00
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 11:48 AM 2 comments
Great fabric
New fabric by Marimekko 2004 for sale by ebay seller Atomic-Textiles. Designed by Teresa Moorhouse for Marimekko Finland. Out of print and hard to find so get it while it lasts. :)
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 11:18 AM 2 comments
Monday, March 26, 2007
Harris Marcus Home
I saw this lamp in this month's BH&G issue and went gaga. I just love the yellow with the white deco pattern. Very chic and modern. Shoot them an email to find a dealer near you. Enjoy!
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 2:27 PM 1 comments
It's Spring Break for us this week so I'll be spending time with the kids. I will be offering up an Etsy find each day and whatever else I can squeeze in. For today, I'm loving this "Circles Print" by Handmaid. The print measures 8" x 10" with a white border for framing. Very fresh. Enjoy!
Posted by Another Shade of Grey at 12:03 PM 1 comments


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If you would like ARCHFASHION to try to and find it for you complete the form below.
Looking for the perfect skirt? Look no further because here it is. Featuring a multi-coloured tribal print, this skirt gives a the perfect silhouette for any body shape with its symmetrical angled hem. Colour: pink multi fabric content: 95% cotton, 5% spandex


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Classrooms are often the last place that see the impact of revolutionary new technology.
In 2012, that started to change. Today there are a whole host of new technologies which impact educators including Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), online textbooks, Khan Academy, increasing numbers of teachers using Twitter, Edmodo, Pinterest and Tumblr, and last but certainly not least, the proliferation of mobile devices in classrooms.
But while many things change, some things stay the same. Giving students fast, meaningful feedback has a long-standing, proven impact on learning. Personal attention from amazing, dedicated and involved teachers and smart assessment practices have a proven and incredible impact as well. There is an overwhelming body of research which shows how students best learn and teachers best teach — however there are very few tools directly focused on making teachers' lives easier so they can teach smarter and better.
Our product and our approach is shaped by what we've seen and learned from hundreds of educators who interact daily with thousands of students. We thought about what goes into a teacher's day: an early start; an intense succession of ideas and children and parents, each with their own demands and requirements; recess duty, detention; sometimes played against a backdrop of additional and separate challenges, like behavioral, emotional or societal problems which impact the quality of learning that occurs in their classrooms. Teachers often wage an uphill battle to ensure that every child in their classroom is learning the maximum amount, is receiving incredible individual attention, love and encouragement every single day, no matter what is going on at home.
Our company was founded to support the teachers who supported us as life-long learners. We support teachers because we value education, and because we ourselves have worked in classrooms and know that the resources and tools could use some sharpening. We are hard at work on our first product which we'll release later this year. Our grading app is an formative assessment tool, designed to be user-friendly, to make teachers more productive, more effective and to drive instruction that maximizes students' learning and outcomes. We've started with a small but dedicated group of classroom teachers who are giving us feedback and helping us smooth out rough edges so that our tool speeds you up, never slows you down, and makes a research-proven impact on the quality of education.
In the meantime, we invite you to participate in a dialogue with us. We intend this space to be a place for discussion, a place where we can share conversations about best practices in education, ways to better support our students, and ways we can better support the dedicated educators that we encounter every day. We'll share stories like those of Sarah, Lisa, Kathy, Mike, and Mark; amazing teachers and school leaders who have dedicated their lives to students and are intent upon improving their practice. We believe we have a revolutionary new technology which allows teachers to put theory into practice. We believe this tool is going to improve learning based on the principle of more effective feedback while supporting the superhero teachers who are out there. We hope that all of us look back on 2013 and remember the tidal shift that occurred this year, when amazing tools caught up with incredible practice.
Please join us in this conversation and share a comment, question, or idea of your own — this is dedicated to all those awesome teachers out there, because without you, we know we wouldn't be here right now.


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Tacoma men rescued from Grays Harbor waters
A fishing boat rescued two Tacoma men who were in the water for four to five hours Sunday near Grays Harbor, the Coast Guard said.
The fishermen called Coast Guard officials shortly before noon to say they had rescued the pair, ages 53 and 72.
The Tacoma men were in a 16-foot boat that capsized when it was hit by a wave, and the incoming tide carried them toward Grays Harbor, where they were found near a buoy. Both men were wearing life jackets.
Crews treated them for signs of hypothermia at a nearby Coast Guard station before they were released.
It's not clear where the boat sank, and boaters should look for any hazards in the Grays Harbor area, the Coast Guard said.


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Mod Sun teased a possible collaboration with embattled Dance Gavin Dance vocalist Jonny Craig on twitter late last night. Check it out below.
Than the return of @jonnycraig4L x @MODSUN project in late may???? Yall ready?
— MOD SUN (@MODSUN) April 25, 2012
We'll keep you updated as more information emerges. The two have worked together in the past, collaborating on "Become My Life" on Mod Sun's Health, Wealth, Success & Happiness mixtape.
UPDATE 12:14 p.m. ET: We've reached out to Jonny's management, who offered this comment: "Right now it's just speculation there is nothing in stone as of now. Those guys have been friends for a long time and have toured together and recorded together in the past."


text: ACC Floor Carpet, Blue with 2 Blue Inserts, for 1971-1973 Mach I Fastback.Auto Custom Carpets' fully-molded 100% nylon carpet with 2 black vinyl inserts has a thick 36 oz. jute padding bonded to the underside as original. There is none better.Tech Tip: Carpets will need trimming along the edges & slits must be cut for bolt holes, etc. Warming in the sun also makes molding them into place a little easier.


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Tisno – Our Croatian Minibreak – Part Two
On Saturday I shared Part One of our minibreak in Croatia here so check that out if you haven't already!
As you can imagine the Sunday morning after our time at the Beats, Beer and Boogaloo festival in Tisno was pretty subdued. We slept in, packed our stuff and headed out for breakfast and a swim.
I was obsessed with this peach iced tea the entire holiday by the way – so refreshing and available everywhere in Tisno.
Breakfast was a pretty chilled affair until my Dad and his friend turned up looking way too awake for people who had also stumbled home in the early hours! PS I have it on good authority that the CRAMBLED eggs were tasty 😉
Krka National Park
I mentioned over brekkie that I really wanted to go to the Krka National Park as it was about 40 minutes away. Luckily my dad had hired a car for the weekend so we all grabbed our things, piled in and made the trip out to the park. I'm really glad that we did as it was incredible.
I'll do a full post on our visit to Krka during the week but just look at these pics for a teaser!
We spent the day swimming, sunbathing and relaxing and then made the drive back to Tisno. After that it was time to shower and go for one dinner in the pretty town centre. We tried some local delicacies and drank a few Radlers. And somehow found ourselves at a beach bar drinking cocktails and relaxing.
And just like that our minibreak in Tisno was over. Our car picked us up (LATE!) the next morning and transferred us back to the airport. And after another *quite bumpy* plane journey we were back in Glasgow.


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Americans for Tax Reform has a list of 20 new or higher taxes on American families and small businesses. Consider printing out a few copies and them handy. When you dish up homemade ice cream for Liberal Uncle Louie on Independence Day, give him a copy. When you're doing your daily walk around the block and encounter that obnoxious neighbor who runs 6 miles a day and glistens when she sweats, stop her and offer a copy as she jogs in place. Her annoyance will be worth it, and remember, you're doing them a favor. Read the list here, sorted by their effective date and where to find them in the law, for your convenience. Thanks to BadBlue, the baddest news on the planet for the tip.
I put the following together in March:
The Bush tax cuts expire on December 31st, 2012. Some of your new ObamaCare costs kick-in at the same time. Your new tax rates are below. I cannot link the source as it came to me from an investment advisor. If interested, a few days ago I posted on corporate tax cuts designed to shake down oil and gas, boost Unions and gain Democrat donors. Read it here.
When the new tax under health care reform is added to the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, in 2013:
• The top tax rate on ordinary income will rise from 35% to 43.4%—an increase of almost 25%
• The top tax rate on capital gains will rise from 15% to 23.8%—an increase of almost 60%
• The top tax rate on dividends will rise from 15% to 43.4%—an increase of almost 300%
• The estate tax exemption will drop from $5 million to $1 million and the estate tax rate will rise from 35% to 55%—an increase of over 55%
Most important, Congress need not pass a single piece of tax legislation in 2012 for these tax rates to take effect in 2013. They will happen by default.
Nearly all taxes impose hidden costs by choking off economic activity. In a soon-to-be-released Cato Institute study, Duke University professor Christopher J. Conover estimates how much economic activity the recently enacted health care law — the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — will destroy. Failing to account for those hidden costs of taxation and government spending can bias legislative decisions toward more costly policies. Conover argues that honest and transparent governance requires that Congress account for the "excess burden of taxation" in its legislative cost estimates, baseline budget projections, and budget options — much like the Office of Management and Budget already does.
In one year, the cost of ObamaCare has skyrocketed by $111 BILLION dollars – just one year, and they are still planning and adding and mandating. Find Americans for Tax Reform homepage here.
Linked at Grumpy Opinions – thanks!
Linked at BadBlue, the baddest news on the planet!


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Program Landing
Lost Sheep and a Shepherd
A young Marine loses faith in the midst of war and yet reaches out to fellow soldiers. A religious leader feels like he loses the parameters of his faith and yet goes on a journey with another man who is seeking answers to his faith questions. The modern church loses its footing in a fast-changing world and yet hears an invitation from society to enter into conversation. Will it go? Sometimes, as lost sheep, we just have to step forward and trust that we are following our master's voice and do the work for which we feel called.
Scripture: John 10:22-30
Venue: St. John Lutheran Church
Rev. Dr. Mike McQuaid
Senior Pastor


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On September 25, Representatives Emmanuel Cleaver and Trent Franks co-sponsored a letter to the Chief Minister of Orissa State, asking him to address the issue of violence and violation of religious freedom that has been taking place over the past year in Orissa. Prior to the letter being sent out, Open Doors hosted a campaign asking people to contact their congress representatives and ask them to sign the letter. Thanks to your efforts, 21 representatives signed the letter. Pray that the letter is well received by the Chief Minister of Orissa State and that effective, legal action is taken immediately to give justice to victims of the Orissa attacks.
The beautiful islands of Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, are in need of our prayers. There are currently 100 short term missionaries there. Pray that God gives them wisdom when evangelizing and that their short stay is able to make a long term impact. Also pray that God calls long term missionaries to the island to plan churches and share the gospel. Also pray for seafarers from Maldives as they are often lonely and go up to 12 months isolated from friends and family.
This article is a bit old, but still worth mentioning. In early September the State Assembly "approved legislation that would allow courts to seize any property, such as house or automobile, used in the commission of human trafficking. In addition to the courts seizing property, SB 557 would add civil penalties of up to $25,000." Praise the Lord! Pray that more advancement is made to stop human trafficking in the U.S. as well as other countries.
Pray for the recent events of persecution in India.
My friend, Jaime, is pregnant with twins and should be delivering in three days, on the 8th. Pray that everything goes smoothly and her two baby girls are healthy.
Keep praying for all who are unemployed. My dad has a second interview this week with a well known publishing company. Please pray that all goes well.
Please say a special prayer for our troops in Afghanistan. I don't have any details, but my friends fiancé is deployed there now and I know the past couple months the troops have had many brushes with death. Pray for all their families…strength, love and comfort for the families of those who have already been killed and perseverance, strength and hope for families waiting for safe returns.


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I made my daughter some sorting cups from an idea I saw on Pinterest. I LOVED her idea, but since LuLu is way into Princesses right now, I painted them to look (kinda) like some of her favorites. She got to choose which ones we made, and I went crazy. She absolutely LOVES them, and without her even knowing, she's learning to match colors and fine tune motor skills!
Here is the result:


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Stuttgart's White Elephant Germany Spends Billions on the Wrong Rail Project
A multibillion railway development project is going ahead in Stuttgart, despite the fact that it offers hardly any benefits for the rail network and the money would be better spent elsewhere. Experts have been warning against the plans for years, but they were ignored.
There are hundreds of little reasons to be opposed to the "Stuttgart 21" railway and urban-redevelopment project. Most of them are trees, which will be cut down as part of the work. Angry locals are now sitting on the branches of those trees in the city's Schlossgarten Park to protest against the chainsaws of power. And the massive demonstration against the plans, which involve moving Stuttgart's main railway station underground and turning it from a terminus into a through station, is starting to look more and more like an open-air festival.
There is also a big, truly compelling argument against Stuttgart 21, one that concerns all Germans and not just those living in Stuttgart: money. Or, more precisely, the extremely large amount of money that will be sunk into the project.
Current estimates put the costs of building the subterranean railway station in Stuttgart, the capital of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, at 4.1 billion ($5.38 billion). An associated high-speed rail line to Ulm, a city lying about 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of Stuttgart, is slated to cost another 3 billion.
Stuttgart 21 is one of the most expensive transportation infrastructure projects in Germany today -- and by far the most controversial.
To address the arguments of the project's critics, the people behind it have now launched an ad campaign that fires back with supposedly better arguments. When it comes to the trees, this is relatively easy: While 282 old trees will be cut down, it points out, the city plans to replace them with 293 new trees.
But when it comes to the issue of money, the case for Stuttgart 21 isn't as easy to make. "It's true that 'Stuttgart 21' is expensive," the campaign posters read. But, as they go on to explain, the funding also includes "billions from (Germany's national railway operator) Deutsche Bahn, the federal government, the state government and the European Union."
How comforting.
From Paris to Bratislava
Those in the campaign's target audience are probably smart enough to realize that -- since they aren't just Stuttgart residents, but also Germans and Europeans -- those state and EU funds are actually coming out of their pockets as well. But what, you might ask, is the payoff for Deutsche Bahn, the federal government or the EU of implementing Stuttgart 21 and building the new line to Ulm?
Deutsche Bahn CEO Rüdiger Grube offers one answer: The building project, he explains, will "eliminate the biggest bottleneck on the high-speed route from Paris to Bratislava."
Despite having been at the helm of Deutsche Bahn for more than a year now, it would seem that Grube still doesn't have his facts straight. It might help if he actually took the train from Paris to Bratislava. The roughly 13-hour trip would probably be enough to convince him that this so-called express corridor actually isn't so express and that boring tunnels through the karst formations of the Swabian Alps mountain range for the Stuttgart-Ulm line is not about to make the connection significantly more attractive.
'A Transportation-Policy Disaster'
As Düsseldorf-based engineer Sven Andersen puts it, "Stuttgart 21 does nothing for long-distance travel." Unlike Grube, Andersen has spent his entire career working in the railway industry, most recently as an expert on operational issues, and is considered one of the top experts on Germany's railway system.
As Andersen sees it, Stuttgart 21 and the related plan to built the Stuttgart-Ulm high-speed railway line are "a transportation-policy disaster." Likewise, he adds, the project seems to be based on a complete misunderstanding of Stuttgart's role in the German and European railway network. "Stuttgart is a destination," he says. "It's not a place people travel through to get someplace else. Converting the station into a through station won't be an improvement on any significant route."
Indeed, all you have to do is look at a map to realize that Stuttgart is not a central location. All fast connections between key economic zones pass through other cities. For example, the Frankfurt-Zurich route runs far west of Stuttgart through Karlsruhe and Basel, while the Frankfurt-Munich route makes a wide arch through Würzburg and Nuremberg, far north and east of Stuttgart.
What's more, while Deutsche Bahn forecasts substantial growth in traffic along these key routes, it predicts that the Stuttgart-Ulm-Munich corridor will continue to be less-frequently used. As Wolfgang Weinhold, who used to be Deutsche Bahn's director of network management, pointed out in 2007, "After Stuttgart, there's a big drop-off in traffic."
- Part 1: Germany Spends Billions on the Wrong Rail Project
- Part 2: Ignoring the Experts
- Part 3: Connecting the Railway Dots


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