text:
Chapter 504 – Mysterious Person
Translated by: Last
Edited by: Shiroyukineko
TLCed by: Shiroyukineko
Please do not host these chapters elsewhere without permission.
"Its not that there's no work. I still lack someone to wash my back, will you do it?" Once Yue Yang said this, Hai Yingwu who was pretending to seriously look at the documents couldn't help but to secretly laugh.
"You!" Xia Yi was so angry that she wanted to bite this brat to death.
"Actually, there is another thing that only you can do." Once Yue Yang said this, Xia Yi once again became happy.
Something that only she could do?
Look at that, she was really a talented person.
Xia Yi shot a smug glance towards Hai Yingwu. Hai Yingwu was also surprised. What kind of job could that be, that only Xia Yi could do?
The two girls secretly competed. As for the half elf girl, she completely did not care about these things.
She even took the initiative to prepare a hot bath for Yue Yang.
Xia Yi quickly let go of Yue Yang and pulled out a 'I am already prepared to set off at any time' kind of appearance.
Yue Yang nodded his head. Then, he grabbed a small notebook from the desk and gave it to Xia Yi: "Tomorrow morning, head off to the Gu Feng Continent and help me inspect the continent's Ancient Passage's current situation. I need it as soon as possible. If you think that you cannot do it alone, then I can assign some people to you."
"No need, I can do it alone." Xia Yi patted her chest to show her confidence.
Let alone her current Lesser Innate Level strength, even her previous Level Six [Elder] strength was enough to complete the task unhindered.
However, she wondered why Yue Yang wanted to know the situation of the Ancient Passage.
Could it be that he wanted her to leave so that he can be in contact with the daughter of the Ocean Emperor? Thinking about this, Xia Yi became anxious and immediately asked: "Are you busy tomorrow?"
As if he saw though Xia Yi's thoughts, he extended his hands towards her face and lightly caressed it: "I will return to the Soaring Dragon Continent tomorrow, but I'll come back here after ten days. Within that ten days, you must grasp the situation of the Ancient Passage. If someone is currently using it, then immediately return to report it. Never let anyone notice you. If someone is using it, then you must record the situation down. The best thing you could do is draw a picture of the entire situation."
Xia Yi, who had been caressed by Yue Yang on the face, immediately blushed red.
Normally, she would already be angry, but now, she bashfully lowered her head and looked at her feet. It was as if she could not think at all.
"Remember this. If you discovered someone using the passage, immediately return and report to me. Here's the Eye Destroying Dagger, use it to protect yourself." Yue Yang lightly inserted the Eye Destroying Dagger on Xia Yi's belt.
"If you meet a Demon that you cannot beat in the Gu Feng Continent, just note down his name. It would probably have its uses." Hai Yingwu suddenly added.
"…" Xia Yi was driven mad and thought to herself, 'If you do not speak, no one would treat you as a mute.'
She was not a stupid girl so how could she not even understand this?
Naturally, completing the task would be her first priority. She was not stupid enough to act impulsively and create trouble for Yue Yang.
Xia Yi turned around and immediately prepared to return to Gu Feng Continent to inspect the Ancient Passage. Tomorrow? No, she wanted to quickly finish the task given to her.
Yue Yang suddenly shouted and chased after her.
Xia Yi was stunned. This brat hated to part with her? Or was it to cancel the task?
"Give me your hand." Yue Yang indicted Xia Yi to extend her hand. Xia Yi looked at the notebook on her hand and felt that he must have regretted. He probably wanted to cancel her task, so she immediately resisted: "I can do it. Why don't you let me try it? When she said that she could do it, you allowed her to help you. Why don't you believe in me?" Xia Yi's eyes were reddening. She felt wronged as her teardrops almost spilled out.
She wanted to throw a tantrum.
However, she desperately endured not to cry, not to let the teardrop fall down.
Yue Yang pulled her small hands and stared at her: "What are you talking about?" When she heard that it wasn't to cancel the task, Xia Yi immediately stopped struggling and looked at him while pleasantly surprised. Yue Yang only placed a small pouch on her palm and urged her: "There are a few magic crystals and gold inside it. Try to make use of them as much as possible."
"Ah, okay. Okay!" Xia Yi bashfully lowered her head. It seems that she was just thinking too much.
"There are two Puppet Summoning Crystals inside. Each of them could summon two Gold Ranked Level Six "Earth General". If the enemy is too strong, just summon them and let them slaughter without any distinction. You do not need to retrieve them. Safely returning and reporting to me is you most important mission! This golden bracelet is a distinguishing tool. You must wear it at all times and never lose it. It is the puppet's true core." Yue Yang softly helped Xia Yi put on the incomparably fine golden bracelet with a peculiar rune on her white arm.
"…" Xia Yi tightly bit on her soft lips.
She tried hard to endure her tears and prevent her overflowing feelings from bursting out in front of him.
However, there was still a single teardrop that didn't listen and dropped down on his hand.
Hai Yingwu held onto two documents.
However, her eyes were not on it but on Xia Yi. She continued to look at Xia Yi, and at the golden bracelet that Yue Yang had put on her wrist.
After Xia Yi left, the place quieted down.
Hai Yingwu took back her gaze and suddenly asked Yue Yang: "Tell me, will she encounter any danger?"
Yue Yang muttered to himself for a while and shook his head: "Hopefully my guess is wrong. However, I have a feeling that nothing will happen to Xia Yi, or else I wouldn't have let her go alone." Hai Yingwu wanted to speak again but stopped herself. She immediately lowered her head and continued to devotedly work on the documents on her hands.
After five minutes, Xia Yi, who had changed her enticing clothes into a black thief outfit, once again appeared in front of Yue Yang.
She did not say anything.
Her bright eyes seemed to contain thousands of words.
Yue Yang recalled something and waved to indicate her to come over: "I remembered. I am currently researching on blood. Give me a few drops. A few drops would be enough!"
Xia Yi used the Eye Destroying Dagger to lightly prick her finger and squeezed out a few drops of blood on the jade bottle in Yue Yang's hand.
She looked at Yue Yang as if she wanted to leave.
However, her feet did not move.
Suddenly, she charged into Yue Yang's embrace and forcefully hugged him once. Afterwards, she left without looking back. Her stubborn figure gradually went further away.
Hai Yingwu kept pretending to look at the documents until Xia Yi left the second time. On the other hand, Yue Yang also prepared to take a bath so she spoke with a bitter tone: "She is very cute!"
"Sometimes!" Yue Yang replied.
"Are you the one who helped level up her body into one that could not be mind controlled?" Hai Yingwu calmly asked.
"You have the blood channel of the Ocean Emperor's Golden Dragon King. She also has a good blood channel and its not that inferior to yours. The only thing is that she does not have a father like the Ocean Emperor." Yue Yang removed the Gemini Mask on his face and confidently smiled.
"…" Seeing Yue Yang's smile, Hai Yingwu's expression became blank.
This was the second time her expression became blank. The first was three hours ago when he removed his Gemini Mask to show his true appearance.
After taking a bath, he enjoyed the half elf girl's massage.
After collecting Hai Yingwu and the half elf girl's blood, Yue Yang decided to leave the Thunder Fortress by midnight.
Although the half elf girl hated to part with him, she still sent him off with a smile on her face. Yue Yang even gave her a goodbye kiss. Despite the kiss being on her forehead, she still felt incomparably blessed, like a wife sending off her husband. The half elf girl kept waving her hand until Yue Yang finally left. She returned to the room with incomparable shyness and happiness. She happily climbed onto the big bed and used the blanket to cover up till her head, slowly reminiscing his embrace and kiss.
In the Sixth Floor of the Tong Tian Tower.
Yue Yang arrived at the Warrior's Guild. After meeting Ou Gen, he decided to write letters to Zhi Zun, Night Empress, Phoenix Fairy Beauty, Xue Wu Xia and Princess Qian Qian.
"Heyy gurl… I miss you. How much? As much as you miss me!" This was the letter he wrote to Xue Wu Xia.
"Tigress, it's been a long time since I have heard your voice. I cannot get used to life without someone roaring like a lion beside my ears. Hurry up and come back! When you return this time, I will never let you go anymore. I will not allow those blind bastards to take away my house's tigress! Right, I have a question that I never dared to ask. Since you can't hit me right now, then let me ask you, are you really the flawlessly white White Tigress?" This was the letter he wrote to Princess Qian Qian. He predicted that Princess Qian Qian would explode in fury when she reads this letter.
(Last: I am not sure what he is talking about.)
"I won't say too many things. Quickly bring small aunt Sky Disaster over the Tian Luo Palace and let me take liberties on her." This was the letter he wrote to Phoenix Fairy Beauty.
"The world's most beautiful, most generous, most kind hearted….(omitting 100 million more words) Night Empress, I am the Yue Clan's Third Young Master. I understand the warmth of the bed. I know how to flatter people. I ask you to please provide for me. That was wrong. I ask for guidance. I wish to ask about the usage of the Dream Jadeite. Could a person who never dream in his sleep use the Dream Jadeite?" Yue Yang felt that he should still ask this question to the most authoritative person, Night Empress.
The Night Empress' Mirage was just like a dreamland that was combined with reality.
It was said that she used the Dream Jadeite and another treasure to complete it.
It could even completely ignore the attacks from a Level Six Innate. The amount of people, who could breakthrough the Mirage, in the entire Tong Tian Tower could be counted with one hand.
(Last: I could count to 100 with one hand though)
The most important point was that the Code inside the Mirage was following Night Empress' will and thoughts. It was not a divine object but it was comparable to one.
As for the letter Yue Yang wrote to Zhi Zun, he could not mess around.
He diligently wrote: "Master Zhi Zun, the war is at hand. I sincerely invite you to visit. You disciple wishes to welcome you."
Just when Yue Yang was about to send the secret messages, the receptionist, who recognized Yue Yang, felt a headache: "It's you again? Even if you have money, you should not waste it like this."
"This time you can just deliver all of them to the Night Empress." Naturally, Yue Yang would never waste tens of thousands of gold to send a secret letter. However, this kind of letter clearly should not be seen by normal people, or else, the it would effect the Night Empress, Phoenix Fairy Beauty and the other's images. Spending ten thousand gold would be safer. In any case, Yue Yang's Titan Merchant Guild's income was greater than robbing money.
"YES!" When the receptionist heard the Night Empress' name, he was immediately surprised and quickly fixed his appearance. He respectfully bowed to receive the letter.
After writing the letters, Yue yang prepared to return to the Soaring Dragon Continent.
Suddenly, he saw three people waiting for him in front.
When these three people appeared, Yue Yang's heartbeat immediately sped up. His body tensed up.
The two people on the side did not speak and only looked at Yue Yang. The tall man in the middle, who hid himself using a cloak, spoke in a warm voice. His incomparably beautiful voice carried a peculiar attraction and softly asked Yue Yang: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Yue Clan's Third Young Master. I have long heard of your distinguished name. I just happened to hear the news about Shark King's defeat. As a result, I knew that you were in the Sixth Floor, so I intentionally waited for you here. Who knew that I would actually meet you. You are truly admirable. At your age, I was still a Level Five [Grandmaster] and worked hard to reach Level Six [Elder] and only succeeded after three years… A genius that only appears in a thousand years. I, Old Black, thought that the Prison Emperor at that time was the world's most outstanding person. I never could have imagined that someone would be able to surpass him!"
(Last: If you still don't know who appeared, then you are hopeless.)
Yue Yang's pupils slightly shrunk as sharp as a knife.
He knew who the people in front are, but he would never have imagined that they would met like this on this day.
This opponent had used a good hand. It was truly unexpected, he was truly not simple!


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With cold weather comes an increase in your heating bill, and Metzger's is here to give you the cost-saving solution you need with a programmable thermostat. Programmable thermostats may be used for basic temperature control, but they may also be set up to manage your indoor environment for different times of the day and different days of the week. No matter the outdoor conditions, your home can be the perfect temperature with a programmable thermostat.
Category Archives: Thermostats
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Programmable thermostats started as an easy way to save money on energy bills. The Bryant Evolution Control thermostat has gone several steps further, allowing you to experience a multitude of ways to be more comfortable in your home or business. Continue reading
Prepare For Fall With Annual Boiler Maintenance
When the trees start to change, we all know colder weather is on its way. Many homeowners know to prepare their forced air furnaces by changing air filters and cleaning out duct work, but less know that your home or industrial boiler should have some annual boiler maintenance as well. Dealing with water loss, checking the viability of the different components, even reviewing your thermostats and CO alarms will have you ready for the cozy days ahead. Continue reading
Five Ways to Cut Down on Air Conditioning Costs This Summer
- Check your house
The best thing you can do is have a professional energy audit of your home – sometimes utility companies will even perform this service for free. If you cannot get an audit performed by a professional, you can do an amateur audit yourself. Go outside and check along windows and doors to see if there is cold air leaking out from inside. If you find leaks – seal them.
- Review thermostat placement
You want your thermostat to be in the main area of your home and out of the way of direct sunlight. If the sun is shining in on your thermostat, your AC is probably blowing more often than it needs to.
Four Tips to Ensure Your Heat Pumps Works Throughout Winter
Some winters are longer than others in Michigan, but no one wants to get partway through the winter season and have their heat pump go out. All it takes is a little preventative maintenance to ensure your family stays warm and cozy all winter long. Besides ensuring the heat pump continues to work, you also are ensuring your indoor air is more healthy and clean and saving money on utility costs. In this post, you will find four tips to ensure your heat pump works throughout the winter.
- Remove vegetation near units
Be sure to remove any vegetation that is growing and any branches that have fallen from near your heat pump. These plants and branches can get caught in the fan of the heat pump and cause strain and stress which may cause it to break down.
Save Money This Winter with These 3 Energy Conservation Tips
Every year, as the temperatures start to dip, Michigan residents find that their electric and heating bills begin to rise. From adjusted thermostats and electric blankets to space heaters and water heaters, our homes' amenities are designed to keep us warm, no matter the cost. But, how can you conserve energy and keep those costs down? How can you stay warm without going broke? While a little increase is unavoidable, there are a number of ways that you can ensure that you're limiting your spending, conserving energy and still maintaining a warm, comfortable home.
Four Ways You Can Prepare Your Heating System for Winter
Fall is a time that homeowners often look forward to because energy costs are low. It's cool enough that air conditioning isn't needed and warm enough to avoid turning on the heat. It's also a great time to prepare heating systems for winter as well as making sure heating systems are run as efficiently as possible. In this post, we will look at five things you can do to prepare your heating system for the cold winter months and hopefully save yourself some money in the process.
- Inspect your filters
Filters that are covered with dirt and other debris cut down airflow in your heating system. When filters are properly maintained or changed when they get clogged it puts less stress on the heating system. This means that clean filters allow the heating system to work less hard which saved money on energy as well as putting less strain on internal components of the system.
Temperature Regulation in Vacant Homes is Extremely Important
Everyone knows that a lot of money can be saved by adjusting your thermostat when you're going to be out of the house on a short vacation or trip. But what should you do if you're going on an extended vacation or you have a secondary property that is vacant most of the time? In this post we will discuss what you should do that's easier on your wallet and your property.
A common mistake that homeowners make is thinking they can set the thermostat above 80 degrees in the summer and below 55 degrees in the winter. When a home gets really hot and humid during summer months, the high temperature and humidity can warp wood, strip wallpaper off the wall, and cause various other problems. In the cold winter months, too low of a temperature can mean freezing pipes and damage due to condensation.
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subset: commoncrawl


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With less than two months to go before Bessemer City starts its own police department, the new chief said he and his modest force will be ready.
With less than two months to go before Bessemer City starts its own police department, the new chief said he and his modest force will be ready.
Since settling in as the new police chief, Thomas Ellis Jr. has been designing a department.
From choosing uniform colors to hiring sergeants, Ellis said there are decisions to be made each day.
The former N.C. Highway Patrol commander said there�s no time for procrastination. Each day he has a to-do list. It�s essential for creating a cohesive police force by July 1, he said.
Along with freshly decaled cars and newly ordered uniforms, the police department itself will be spruced up. The building that�s been used by county police who patrol Bessemer City is being renovated to better suit the needs of a free-standing police force, said Ellis.
Ellis sat down with The Gazette to go over a few details about the new department.
How many officers?
One police chief, two sergeants, two full-time patrolmen and four part-time officers.
The two sergeants have already been hired � Jake Zaludek and Brooks Luckadoo.
Each has about 10 years in law enforcement. Zaludek comes to Bessemer City from the Shelby Police Department, and Luckadoo worked for Gastonia police.
What�s the new look?
Bessemer City police officers will wear navy blue.
The recently leased-to-buy patrol cars will be white and blue with the words �To Protect and Serve� along the side.
A familiar character will adorn police cars and uniforms. In the center of the new emblem is a yellow jacket, Bessemer City High School�s mascot.
Ellis� wife, Mary Sam Ellis, graduated from Bessemer City High School. He said incorporating a well-known symbol is a way to embrace the community.
Why the deadline?
Gaston County Police patrolled the city for 14 years, but the current contract expires at the end of June.
Bessemer City Council voted in January to start its own department rather than sign a new agreement that would require the city to pay more.
The city previously paid the county $435,000 a year for police protection, but county commissioners found an error that shorted the county. Commissioners drew up a new contract that would phase in a new fee, starting at $624,000 the first year and growing to $1.1 million by 2018.
Bessemer City Manager James Inman drew up the proposal with figures for the town�s own department. His estimated the city would pay $606,372 in the first year and $821,547 in four years.
What to expect?
The new police department will get calls through the Gaston County Police Department 911 system, said Ellis.
The department will have office hours through the week, and Ellis said there�s space available for officers outside of Bessemer City to work.
The new police cars, Dodge Chargers, will come out of next year�s budget, so the current budget won�t be affected, according to Inman.
Inman has been working on next year�s city budget. He said his suggestions to City Council will not call for a tax increase.
In fact, Inman said cuts will make his suggested budget lower than last year�s.
You can reach Diane Turbyfill at 704-869-1817 and twitter.com/GazetteDiane.


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Sunday, July 31, 2011
Cake for moi!
Some things have not been going so great lately (breast cancer diagnosis and money woes come to mind), but in the spirit of taking the bitter with the better - or in this case the bitter with the sweeter - a few things have been going well.
And they're things that money cannot buy.
In the past few years I've been fortunate to have met some wonderful people and to have made several friends.
One of them is Troy, a guy who always makes me smile. Actually he cracks me up.
I just met him in April when Ralph, Allegra, and I attended a viewing party to watch the SyFy channel's "Ghost Hunters" episode that focused on an investigation at the Sterling Opera House in Derby, Ct.
I just happened to be interviewed for that episode, and my interview was on TV. ;-)
You can read about my 15 minutes of fame here.
Once you meet Troy you feel like you've known him for years. He's a friendly chap, that's for sure.
Yesterday he surprised me with a delicious chocolate Bundt cake he baked (see above).
He already told me Bundt cakes were his specialty and he'd bake me one for my birthday, but instead I got the cake yesterday ~ five months early. It was such a cool surprise!
Thanks so much, Troy, you made my weekend!
Posted by Patti at 8:32:00 PM
2 comments:
- Empress Bee (of the high sea) said...
well tits honey!
(smile), bee
- July 31, 2011 at 10:43 PM
- barb @iPhoneographi said...
Dang. That looks yummy!
- August 1, 2011 at 11:51 AM
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Source: thekitchn.com


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Felarya forum
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Castle Design
Mara's snack
Join date
Shatterock Caldera
Subject: Castle Design
Mon Aug 29, 2016 8:38 pm
Because why not? This is for curiosity/education purposes. I also got it from facebook. Also, in hindsight it could go in either off topic or here, depending on if anybody wants to apply this to Felaryan structures.
The Moat
A moat, which is a body of water that surrounds a castle, is often thought of as a water obstacle that had to be crossed; but this wasnt the primary function of a moat. One of the biggest concerns of the inhabitants of a medieval castle or fortress was the fear that an invading army would dig tunnels under the fortification. This tunneling could either provide access to the castle or cause a collapse of the castle walls. A moat prevented this because any tunnel under the moat would collapse and fill with water. It was a very effective deterrent against tunneling. Often times the moat wasnt even on the outside of the castle. It was on the inside between the outer wall and the inner wall.
Concentric Circles of Defense
This was an extremely effective method of defense for the inhabitants of a Medieval Castle. It was a series of obstacles that started on the outside of the castle and worked their way in. It was usually a progression like a cleared field, an outer wall, a moat, an inner wall, a keep and then a strong hold tower. An attacking army would have to overcome each of these obstacles one at a time. And this took a lot of time and effort to do.
The Main Gate as a Death Trap
The main gate of a castle was often the most dangerous place in the castle because it was also a deadly trap. It often opened into a small courtyard that had another main gate at the far end. The forward main gate often had an iron portcullis that was held in the open position and if the main gate was broken through and attackers made it into the small courtyard the portcullis was brought down and the attackers were trapped in the small courtyard. The walls of the courtyard had small holes called death holes where the defenders could fire arrows and other projectiles at the trapped attackers.
The hidden secrets of Stairwells
Stairwells were often very carefully designed in Medieval Castles. Stairwells that curved up to towers often curved very narrowly and in a clockwise direction. This meant that any attackers coming up the stairs had their sword hands (right hand) against the interior curve of the wall and this made it very difficult for them to swing their swords. Defenders had their sword hands on the outside wall, which meant they had more room to swing. Another ingenious design of stairs was that they were designed with very uneven steps. Some steps were tall and other steps were short. The inhabitants, being familiar with the uneven pattern of the stair heights could move quickly up and down the stairs but attackers, in a dimly lit stairwell, would easily fall and get bogged down in the stairwells. This made them vulnerable to attacks and slowed their attacks down significantly.
Secret Passages
What Medieval Castle would be complete without secret passages? Many castles had secret passages and they served a variety of purposes. Some passages were designed to open up a distance from the castle so inhabitants could escape during an attack or get supplies in and out during a siege. Secret passages also led to secret chambers where people could hide, supplies could be kept or a well for water was dug.
A medieval castle was more than just a large glamorous palace with massive stone walls around it. A medieval castle was a structure that was totally designed right down to the last detail with the protection of its inhabitants in mind. If you ever visit a medieval castle and you notice that the stairs are very uneven you will know that it wasnt because the builders couldnt measure out steps evenly. It was just that this is a little secret of the builders of the castle.
Join date
Subject: Re: Castle Design
Fri Sep 09, 2016 4:20 pm
I'm not sure if this goes here or at offtopic, but I'll just shut up and enjoy this topic on... one of my favourite topics XD I always loved castles, ever since I was a kid, and I've given much thought to a lot of things about them, their structure, functions, efficiency and defence. I came up with lots of ways to take advantage of the constructions, divide and trap the enemy in a crossfire, along with the classic hidden doors and passages. I also fancied the idea of making part of the castle like a labyrinth, kind of in the way Japanese castles were designed.
Blackwater as hidden moat
: One of the things you had to take into consideration when under siege was where to store wastes safely to put off disease and avoid contaminating any available drinking water. I thought a good way of doing so was redirecting all that waste to stone-paved cavities dug up just outside of the outer walls, surrounding the whole castle. It would be a very unpleasant surprise for any attempts at mining under the castle, while helping survive more safely under a siege.
Multinucleus castle
: As Bael said, castles are traditionally built around a single building, the keep, that would be the absolute safest point in the whole construction. Sadly, that also meant the enemy knew exactly where their efforts should be focused into, and should the slightest defence mistake happen, they would probably be ready to take advantage of it. I figured that having not one, but multiple centres of defence, all of which appearing to be as safe as the rest, would mean they would have to focus on all of them at once unless they wanted to leave their backs exposed. Sure, the defenders would also be divided, but if placed smartly, the enemy would suffer greatly from the crossfire.
Divide and succeed
: Developing the previous advantages a bit more, dividing an army and making the resulting groups unable or finding it very hard to support each other is a sure way to weaken a stronger enemy. So from then on, my castle designs always featured a strong nucleus in the middle that just from the very start divided the access to the castle in two once you pass the front gate. The enemy army is forced to take both ways at the same time in order to prevent the defenders from using the free way as an escape or rear attack route.
Watch your step
: The outer gates are always a target ripe for the taking with a very practical method: the ram. Be it just a few men carrying a pointed log or a full-blown siege weapon with antiarrow structure and resistant to fire, the enemy army is bound to have one. Little could be done to help it in the past, since most of the times castles were built with ramps leading up to the door so carriages and heavy transportation could quickly go inside. If an alternative to that could be used, like cranes on the walls to pick up the wares without the vehicle going into the city, the ramp could be exchanged with a stairway, with uneven steps like the stairwell, and also a lack of protections on the sides against falling. All of it would make it very difficult for a ram to function properly, the people manning them having trouble to make a consistent charge with it.
The main gate, even deadlier
: One of the main disadvantages of the gate was that the defenders could only attack the invaders from up front, or maybe from the sides if the towers were well placed. I'm aware some castle designs actually did take that into consideration and built the gate deeper into a passage between two towers, but it was uncommon, and normally quite narrow. I took that a step further, having the walls actually protrude and envelop the gate from the sides, so the defenders could easily target the back of any attackers attempting to take the gate. However, since it would be a relatively small portion of wall placed more forward than the rest of the wall itself, it would also make it the weakest part of the wall. That's why a few precautions would be taken. First of all, it would be an area disconnected from the main wall; few, easily blockable passages, just small storages of materials, and the tallest area would also be lower than the main wall. In fact, a both offensive and defensive design would make the wall facing the enemy taller, and the one facing the gate shorter, so the area would descend towards the defenders and therefore be a clear shot from the wall in case it is taken, with hardly any cover for the enemies, while at the same time providing excellent cover from enemy arrows when it is still in allied hands.
[I know it's hard to picture, and looking at the image below isn't much help since it's older than the most recent revision of the idea, so feel free to ask me for a more detailed sketch and I'll draw it for you guys.]
: Siege towers were one of the most effective ways to assault a castle's walls. The most basic way of making their task more difficult was making the clear terrain surrounding the castle uneven. That gives the enemy footsoldiers some cover, but it makes the cavalry much less effective, and the siege towers far more difficult to move. Taking the game up a notch, hidden pools or lines of teal could be added throughout the field, in order to be shot with a fire arrow and make it burn with the tower on top of it. An even more crafty way to go about it would be to add camouflaged holes around the fields as well, keeping a layer of earth and having a strong enough structure so the soldiers can't notice, but giving in when the tower steps on it, making it fall forward and crash against the ground.
Fake traps
: There's nothing more effective than adding about a half and half amount of fake traps versus real traps. When the enemy spots them, they will always at least slow down and proceed carefully, just in case the trap is a real one, making you gain time and save resources at the same time!
Experimental defences
: I designed and toyed with lots of crazy defence mechanisms when I was small. Some are lost to time, others are impressive and probably implausible at the same time, but they are so cool they are worth a mention. Like for example, think of a wrecking ball. If you thought of an all metal one, change the actual ball for a catapult ball, made of stone. Now, attach the ball'n'chain to someplace firm above the gate, probably making it roll down and fall from a nearby tower so it moves laterally. If you even make it just long enough to hang a couple of feet from the ground, you have a lethal gate defence that can crush any ram or assaulting party. You can even pour hot oil down the chain and set it on fire for some extra deadlyness!
Last resort mechanisms
: I also thought about some things that may be used as a last resort, when it's clear you're about to lose a nucleus or an important piece of construction that could be very useful to the enemy. Having structural weaknesses made out of wood that could be set on fire before abandoning the building is one of my ideas, and it could have many applications provided you can protect them well from sabotage...
That covers a good part of my musings on the matter. I don't know how practical some of them would have actually been in the middle of a real siege, but they don't look too bad to me in general. I also made a 3D castle design for one of my subjects in University, so I'll attach it here in case someone finds it interesting and wants to visually see some of the tricks I mentioned.
TOA Heavy Industries, that's the name.
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Tue Sep 13, 2016 8:26 am
Ohh you made this ? impressive !
I happens to love castles as well XD
When I was small I would literally daydream in the middle of a visit to one and just imagine myself in the middle of a siege or something ^^
Archmage_Bael wrote:
The Moat
A moat, which is a body of water that surrounds a castle, is often thought of as a water obstacle that had to be crossed; but this wasnt the primary function of a moat. One of the biggest concerns of the inhabitants of a medieval castle or fortress was the fear that an invading army would dig tunnels under the fortification. This tunneling could either provide access to the castle or cause a collapse of the castle walls. A moat prevented this because any tunnel under the moat would collapse and fill with water. It was a very effective deterrent against tunneling. Often times the moat wasnt even on the outside of the castle. It was on the inside between the outer wall and the inner wall.
Very true ! A few years ago I visited one ( if there is a thing we don't lack of in France it's castles ! ) with exactly that type of inside moat. It certainly didn't look any easier to cross than an outside moat
The principle of the gate death trap with side fortifications enveloping the attacker is interesting. I imagine in Negav they could have something a bit like that with the gate itself being far into the structure :3
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Tue Sep 13, 2016 6:05 pm
How elaborate do Negav's defenses have to be though? Even pre-eye, Predators aren't the type to buckle down and siege to take the city at any cost. A few potshots with a cheap rifle would probably drive the vast majority off (case in point: bees). And nothing's going to invade them from the outside, due to those same predators. The only considerable avenue for invasion would be the portal already within Negav, no?
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Wed Sep 14, 2016 12:49 am
XionGaTaosenai wrote:
How elaborate do Negav's defenses have to be though? Even pre-eye, Predators aren't the type to buckle down and siege to take the city at any cost. A few potshots with a cheap rifle would probably drive the vast majority off (case in point: bees). And nothing's going to invade them from the outside, due to those same predators. The only considerable avenue for invasion would be the portal already within Negav, no?
Ha ha ha ha! I can
believe you said that! The Great Disaster ring any bells? ^^; IE the whole reason why the Eye was constructed? Actually though it does make me wonder how Neko Negav managed to fend off predators and invading armies.
As for a portal attack it's sound till you consider how paranoid Lesona and her fellows are and think that probably the higest level Battlemages keep watch in those gates incognito.
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Wed Sep 14, 2016 11:38 am
King Kerume started building up what would become Negav in 746, and the GD didn't happen until 1837. That's almost 1100 years of Negav doing just fine without the eye, not counting the ~2000 before that since the area was established as a trading hub between Ur-Sagol and the Dridders.
When the GD happened, Negav was basically in a state of civil war between the humans and nekos. Predators taking advantage of the city already tearing itself in half by freak happenstance does not invalidate my point.
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Wed Sep 14, 2016 11:45 am
jedi-explorer wrote:
As for a portal attack it's sound till you consider how paranoid Lesona and her fellows are and think that probably the higest level Battlemages keep watch in those gates incognito.
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Smart predators don't reveal their positions
Subject: Re: Castle Design
Wed Sep 14, 2016 1:13 pm
Dover Castle has always been my fave, been there loads of times
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Sat Sep 17, 2016 8:42 am
How elaborate do Negav's defenses have to be?
If we assume those massive walls of Negav predate the Great Disaster, then that's part of the answer; Negav is basically a conventional castle town, as far as defenses go, except at predator scale. As this is pre-Vishmital, the wall's armaments were probably a mix of heavy conventional cannons and ballista or catapults (depending on the era), most likely with magical enhancements (which would be one major way that the Psi'ol would be able to get a fair amount of leverage). The above picture is what I'm guessing is a good example of an enchanted cannon, roughly technologically on par with dreadnaught-era guns. Smaller predators might be driven off with potshots, but larger predators, more determined predators, and organized packs are all going to be harder to drive off; hence, cannons. I'd expect those to be lethal to most anything that makes the mistake of getting too close; even predators with powerful magic would face the threat of spell-loaded shells capable of piercing magical shields. This would be helped by one defensive feature we haven't mentioned yet.
Killing Field -
Large areas around the castle would be cleared of trees, rocks, and anything else that might provide cover to enemies. In peacetime, these fields could be used as farmland. In wartime, these large open areas gave defenders on the walls command of anything within (height-boosted) bowshot, stopped attackers from sneaking up on the castle, and generally made taking the walls a dire proposition.
I'd image, looking at the maps, that Negav has a rather large cleared area to the south. Interestingly enough, while Negav uses a large river instead of a sea, its location otherwise looks similar to that in David Macaulay's
That's Negav, though. I'd imagine anyone trying to build a smaller castle or fort on Felarya would build something significantly different than Earth castles to hold off predators. I'm envisioning thick-walled, squat, bunker-like structures capable of surviving being run over by an angry naga with very few holes, forcing predators to smash their way in while gunmen or archers drown them in a hail of fire through arrow slits.
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Shatterock Caldera
Subject: Re: Castle Design
Sun Oct 23, 2016 2:39 pm
This guy reminds me of taking an awesome idea you have to Anime-Junkie, and he'd tell you the real truth of how it looks :p
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Subject: Re: Castle Design
Castle Design
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Joseph S. Ezzell was born in Clinton, NC on November 16, 1981 and raised in Magnolia, NC. After graduating from James Kenan High School in 2000, he started working full-time while taking night classes. In 2010, Joseph made the decision to go to college full-time at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington where he graduated in 2013 and was awarded Criminology Student of the Year. That fall, he entered into Campbell Law School and received his J.D. degree in 2016 and received the Most Outstanding Advocate Award.
In 2010, Joseph married his wife Ashley and since then, they have been blessed with three children, Peyton in 2011, Connor in 2014, and Ella Kate in 2015. After graduating from Campbell Law School, Joseph decided to return to Duplin County to raise their children where he is practicing at Ludlum Law Firm and his wife is a local pharmacist at Kenansville Pharmacy.
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Notorious mass murderers Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin and Kim Jong-il have been given a most colorful pink make-over complete with earrings and heart-shaped tinted glasses by American artist Scott Scheidly. In reference to the work, the artist states that "the idea stems from Spoke Art gallery's "Coen Brothers Vs Quentin Tarantino" show I did last year from the film 'Inglorious Basterds'. I had previously come up with the idea of an all pink show and figured this was a great starting point.
"The idea is really all about the power of colour and symbology and how it can change perception."
"The reaction has been huge and mostly positive. I understand not everyone is going to get this type of art or humour. Controversy is always a good thing though.I decided to paint Hitler as actor Martin Wuttke."
Pretty in pink? Hardly. Ugly is ugly. But I do find those earrings, especially the one on Stalin, kinda funny.


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|The X-Files The Complete Eighth Season
Actors: David Duchovny, Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, Derick Alexander, Brien Blakely
Directors: Barry K. Thomas, Chris Carter, Frank Spotnitz, Kim Manners, Peter Markle
Genres: Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television, Mystery & Suspense
2006 15hr 30min
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Callie K. (ballofglitter) from GRAND ISLAND, NE
Reviewed on 9/25/2014...
I really don't want to give away anything but when I first found out about Mulder getting replaced I wasn't sure I would want to continue the X-Files but honestly I love Doggit just as much. He brings some new uniquness to the table.
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Some of the best writing and acting of the series!
Just Bill | Grand Rapids, MI United States | 05/24/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Until just recently, all my wife and I had were The X-Files Seasons 1-7 on DVD. We watched 1-6 of these seasons with rapt fascination, enjoying each one it its turn. Then we watched Season 7 and thought, "Hmmm. Something is different. The episodes are lighter, somewhat goofier, more humorous...but, thankfully, Mulder and Scully seem to be getting closer emotionally."In other words, even though Season 7 contained a few good episodes, we thought it was the weakest season we had watched to date.Since I knew David Duchovny's character (Fox Mulder) essentially left the show at the end of Season 7, I didn't have high hopes for Season 8. I read a few Amazon reviews and was expecting Season 8's stories to be just as fluffy, uneven and unsatisfying as those of Season 7. So I held off buying Seasons 8 and 9 until just last week. (I'm a completist and I really *had* to have all 9 seasons, even if they weren't up to par with the first 1-6.)What a mistake! I shouldn't have waited! Season 8 is amazing!Season 8's episodes are darker, more intense, and better written than any I've seen in a long time. Agent John Doggett (Robert Patrick), whom my wife and I were all set to dislike with a passion -- because he took the place of Fox Mulder, one of TV's most all-time enjoyable characters -- surprised the heck out of us.Robert Patrick is an excellent actor, and his character has shown a lot of depth, emotion and change over the course of the 15 episodes of Season 8 we've watched so far. We tend to measure a show's Creativity Quotient by how often our jaws drop and we say, "Wow." Season 8 of The X-Files caused us to do that a lot. So many times we wouldn't go to bed until 11:30 or later because we had to watch episode after episode to find out what happens next.We did that tonight, in fact. We just watched the episodes where Mulder comes back from the dead ("Deadalive") and the one following ("Three Words"). We were blown away -- totally swept away by the emotion Scully felt for Mulder, completely caught up in the unfolding story lines.That's how the entire Season 8 has been for us, actually. Each episode took us by surprise. We haven't been let down by a single episode in this season! Really. Of all the seasons of The X-Files we watched, Season 8 surprised us the most. It just flat-out surprised us.If Robert Patrick had not been such a great actor, and if the stories had not been so gripping, the loss of Fox Mulder would have sent The X-Files into a tailspin. But it's impossible not to like Agent Doggett. The character showed that he's a man of ethics, loyalty and determination. In his own way, Doggett is just as driven to find "the truth" as Mulder is.The bottom line? Season 8 didn't spiral downward. And it certainly isn't as weak as other reviewers have lead you to believe. Instead, the writers and directors and actors in Season 8 reached deep and made the show about STORY rather than CHARACTER. The solid stories have carried the day. And then some.If you haven't yet purchased Season 8 of The X-Files because you've read some negative reviews, please reconsider. If you don't think The X-Files could be any good without Mulder, please think again.I'd rate Season 8 of The X-Files right up there with my favorite seasons, which are probably Seasons 3-5. Season 8 offers incredible stories, powerful emotions, and a new character (John Doggett) that you'll respect and, eventually, grow to like (and admire) quite a bit.I highly recommend Season 8 of The X-Files."
Unusual season from the final years of THE X FILES
Ian K. Hughes | San Mateo, CA | 08/22/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Season 8 (21 episodes airing 2000-2001) was the most atypical of all nine years of THE X FILES for several reasons:
1. Much of the season makes due without the services of David Duchovny.
2. New characters, assuming key roles, are introduced.
3. An unprecedented percentage (nearly half) of the episodes are devoted to the mythology arc.
There is a noticeable, almost "symphonic", symmetry to the season (composer Mark Snow's haunting "Scully theme" functioning as "idee fixe") with the mythology arc divided into several well-defined sections: an opening 2-part prelude, massive 5-part mid season "adagio" and grand 2-part finale.
The loss of David Duchovny's full participation actually had the effect of re-focusing THE X FILES. Chris Carter and company were put to the test in coming up with an interesting and (somewhat) cohesive storyline that would work around the practical ( business related ) realities they faced behind the scenes. Though not without missteps, Season 8 succeeded both in revitalizing the dramatic intensity of the myth arc and maintaining the shows inexorable momentum toward a conclusion revealing much of Chris Carter's longstanding underground project.
In Season 8 Gillian Anderson became the lynchpin of THE X FILES, continuing to summon up her considerable skills in service to the show. The casting of Robert Patrick as Agent John Doggett was a stroke of genius; Doggett was written and acted in complete distinction to Mulder. This well-planned strategy allowed the imaginative landscape of THE X FILES to be viewed through the fresh eyes of a new character; in the process, some of the excitement of the show's early years was regained for longtime aficionados. Additionally, a measure of stability and strength is found in the season-long emphasis of producing truly serious scripts. The result is a consistently "dark" mood, similar to the melancholia found throughout Season 4. In fact, only in a short midseason slump did the show exhibit signs of true weakness.
The "stand alone" scripts, while certainly not the main emphasis of Season 8, were noticeable improvements over the previous season:
Vince Gilligan's ultra-violent "Roadrunners" (his only contribution in Season 8) is the single finest "stand alone" of the year, a savage parody of a religious sect ( barely disguised ) combined with an homage to the sci-fi classic "Invasion of the Body Snatchers". This is the first episode (aired early in the season) in which it is apparent that Gillian Anderson and Robert Patrick really "click" as a team; a most fortunate happenstance as the fate of the remaining two years depend in large part on their convincing onscreen chemistry. THE X FILES would never have maintained its integrity had the (platonic) Scully/Doggett partnership failed onscreen.
David Amann's moving "Invocation" is the first of several episodes over the course of the final 2 seasons that deal with the past event that most shaped Agent Doggett: the kidnapping and murder of his son ("Empedocles" was the other script so featured in Season 8).
Longtime staff writer Frank Spotnitz has a very prominent role in shaping Season 8; in addition to co-writing several episodes with Chris Carter, Spotnitz penned several solo scripts:
The excellent "Via Negativa", in addition to being superior on its own terms, has the additional virtue (shared with "Invocation") of allowing Robert Patrick to flesh out his character (David Lynch style cinematography adds a visually disturbing element to the storyline).
"The Gift" is one of the strangest X FILES episodes ever produced, a hallucinatory combination of "stand alone" and "mythology", all the more bizarre for the flashbacks which (purportedly) explain Mulder's pre-abduction illness.
"Alone" (aired late in the season) is essentially written for the elegiac touches of its final minutes, with Scully and Mulder humorously yet touchingly "passing the torch" on to a young and admiring FBI agent, the latter character symbolic of the legions of loyal (and often demanding) "X-Philes".
Regarding the failures in Season 8:
"Salvage", "Sure kill" and especially the execrable "Baddlea" should never have been aired. One of the most valuable aspects of this complete DVD set will be to allow the viewer to bypass inferior episodes and concentrate on the otherwise laudable unity demonstrated throughout Season 8.
Regarding the mythology arc:
The aforementioned symphonic structure of the season begins with Chris Carter's two-parter ("Within"/"Without"), which has the pregnant Scully searching for an abducted Mulder.
Carter and Spotnitz collaborate on the pivotal mid season block of mythology episodes dealing with the death and resurrection of Fox Mulder. One cannot help but notice the debt owed to the 2nd/3rd season trilogy ("Anasazi" / "The Blessing Way" / "Paper Clip" ).
Chris Carter wrote the season finale ("Essence"/"Existence"), which is the mirror image (in terms of title and plot) of the season opener. The series' philosophical (indeed, theological) underpinnings, while by no means hidden in previous seasons, are laid bare with allusions and typological references to the New Testament (as well as the metaphysics of Aquinas reflected in the episode titles).
While "Essence"/"Existence" was fashioned in such a way as to provide a satisfactory conclusion to both the 8th season and the series as a whole (should it have ended in 2001), it turned out that many of its themes would be carried over into what would in actuality become the final year. THE X FILES would eventually complete its long (9 year) run in artistic and spiritual unity; a testimony to the integrity of cast, writers, crew and (above all) creative vision of Chris Carter.
Here's the problem...
Just Bill | 12/03/2003
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I'm not nearly as prolific as some of the reviewers here, but I nonetheless had to add my two cents about this season. I've been an X Files fan since the very first episode aired back in '93. I know there are all sorts of wonderful things people can and have said about the mythology and the science vs. paranormal aspects of the show, but for me, the focus was always the relationship between Mulder and Scully. Now, when Season 8 came out and 1. Mulder was gone, 2. Scully was pregnant with whose baby? 3. They had essentially replaced Mulder with some street smart cop that was excellently portrayed by Robert Patrick but ultimately superfluous (in my opinion), 4. There was no real acknowledgement of a Mulder/Scully relationship prior to the pregnancy (beyond hints in "All Things", "Requiem", and maybe, if you're reaching, "The Goldberg Variation"), and 5., what had bothered me most about the majority of season 8, was that they KEPT INVESTIGATING REGULAR CASES when they should have been out searching for Mulder, I was more than a little wary. While plot-wise, I thought the standalone eps were pretty good, the context in which they were presented made them unnecessary and distracting. They would have been great if they had happened in the "regular" show, with Mulder and Scully investigating, but with all this other stuff going on, it just seemed like they kept getting sidetracked from the matter at hand: finding Mulder. Not to mention that pregnant Scully was more emotional than ever (and, while understandable given her relationship with Mulder, we've seen her hold it together better than that when her sister and father died, and on the numerous occasions when her mother's life was in jeopardy) and it started to get tedious seeing the amazing Gillian Anderson have to portray such a strong character with such weak characteristics. In addition, it really bothered me how they kept it a secret who Scully's baby's father was when it was so obvious, even without hints from Season 7. I mean, who else has she even DATED, let alone slept with, in the last 7 years? And she hasn't been recently abducted, so the birth couldn't have resulted from that. I mean, c'mon! To keep it a secret, hidden and obscure when it was so blatant was just foolish. It seemed at this point that Chris Carter was trying to keep hidden the fact that these characters were together because it would mean going against his previous adamant statements that that would never happen. So, what? They keep it a secret for at least several months(assuming things started with "All Things") and then Suprise! Not only have they been together all this time, but they have a baby now! I thought that was a betrayal to all the fans who wanted them together because it denied us the opportunity of seeing it, and now that they finally are and are in the open about it, Mulder's gone. So, anyway. I kind of went off on a mini-rampage, but basically I wanted to say that the lack of the Mulder-Scully dynamic really hurt this show, and while it was a decent television show, it stopped being The X Files as we knew it when Mulder left. Different isn't always better. So, I still haven't made up my mind as to whether or not to buy this set (I own all previous 7), but I wanted people to know that if you watched this show for this relationship, don't even bother. (On a side note, why do these sets continue to be so expensive when you can get the complete seasons of Alias, 24, and West Wing for less than half the price?)"


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Neapolitan Pie
To make this easy frozen pie, scoop vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream into a pie shell made with refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough.
Makes 12
Prep 20 m
Freeze 240 m
Bake 15 - 18 m
Freeze or until firm
- 1 of 6 Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat 9-inch glass pie plate with nonstick vegetable-oil cooking spray.
- 2 of 6 Set aside 1 cup of cookie dough. Knead flour into remaining dough. Press dough over bottom and up sides of prepared pie plate. Prick all over with fork. Line with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights.
- 3 of 6 From remaining 1 cup dough, roll 1 tablespoon dough into ball; repeat for total of 12 balls or cookies; place on ungreased baking sheet.
- 4 of 6 Bake the cookies and pie shell in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the aluminum foil and weights from the pie shell. Bake cookies and pie shell another 5 to 8 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool the cookies and pie shell completely on a wire rack.
- 5 of 6 Crush 4 cookies. Break remaining 8 cookies into halves or quarters. Once shell has cooled, scoop half of each pint of ice cream into shell, alternating colors and stacking as you go. Sprinkle crushed cookies over top. Continue scooping and stacking remaining ice cream. Tuck cookie pieces in between scoops. Freeze for 4 hours or until the pie is firm.
- 6 of 6 To serve, gently heat jam in a small saucepan or in a bowl in a microwave oven until spreadable. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to small plastic food-storage bag; snip off corner; drizzle over pie. Or spoon jam over pie. Let stand at room temperature until easy to cut into serving pieces, about 10 minutes. Makes 12 servings.
Nutrition Information for Neapolitan Pie
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Per Serving: 54 mg chol., 9 g sat. fat, 37 g carb., 15 g Fat, total, 1 g pro., 274 kcal cal., 2 g fiber, 28 mg sodium
Servings Per Recipe: 12
Per Serving: 54 mg chol., 9 g sat. fat, 37 g carb., 15 g Fat, total, 1 g pro., 274 kcal cal., 2 g fiber, 28 mg sodium


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Last week, amid a plethora of competing conferences and events around the country, AMD held its own meeting for developers. Called the AMD Fusion Developers Summit (AFDS, as if we needed another acronym), the conference was the second in this particular series. It was the second because Fusion hasn't existed all that long, the first instance of it, called Brazos, having been shipped only at the beginning of 2011.
For clarity, Fusion is the name that AMD has given to its new semiconductor system architecture. Chips based on this architecture AMD calls Accelerated Processing Units or APUs from the old idea that graphics processors are hardware accelerators for rendering visual data. Fusion blends (fuses) traditional x86 computing cores, which compute things serially or one after the other, with graphics processors, which compute them in parallel or all at the same time. Perhaps oversimplified, that explanation should hold for the duration of this article, but if the reader is truly interested in the details, further enlightenment is available here.
The theory behind Fusion, borne out in real-world cases, is that traditional processors (CPUs or Central Processing Units) are good at certain things and graphics processors (GPUs or Graphics Processing Units) are good at others, and that if these two types are harnessed in tandem, they are capable of "balanced" computing, producing better results faster and at lower power. This balanced approach is also called "heterogeneous computing." More on that in a bit.
Fusion is gaining a degree of traction, as AMD was able to draw hundreds, if not thousands, of developers during a week when a lot else was going on. I asked several developers that I ran into at various informal moments how they were getting on with Fusion and whether they were finding it useful. Those I spoke with tended to be in areas like medical imaging and videogame development, which already make plenty of use of graphics processing. They seemed enthusiastic, and I suspect they were a little more so by the end of the conference, as AMD painted a convincing portrait of the benefits of Fusion during the keynote speeches and breakout sessions.
It was interesting to see how AMD related to its partners. At most events of this type, the host tends to keep the vast majority of speaking slots to itself, all the better to bandy about its good works. In contrast, AMD shared many of the keynote slots with partners and gave most of the breakout sessions to a variety of other firms.
One of the better keynotes was given by Amr Awadallah, chief technology officer at Cloudera, who first cut his teeth on Big-Data meaning extraction at Yahoo. He and Jeff Hammerbacher, who was doing the same thing at Facebook, threw their lots in together, becoming early proponents of Hadoop, which everybody likes to say, but almost nobody groks. Like any great professor, Awadallah, with simple language, gave a complete and panoramic explanation of Hadoop that even a baby could understand.
Two announcements made during the conference gave a sense of the direction AMD and its partners intend to go.
One concerned the formation of the Heterogeneous System Architecture (HSA) Foundation, initial founders of which include AMD, ARM Holdings, Imagination Technologies, MediaTek, and Texas Instruments (TI). The foundation's mandate is to standardize hardware specifications for these mixed CPU/GPU platforms and nurture an ecosystem of developers and partners around it.
Of interest here is that AMD — a silicon maker known primarily for creating processors based on the x86 design pioneered by Intel and used in most PCs (even Apple's) — is matching up in this consortium with a crew from what could be argued is the opposing camp.
As high-mobility devices like smartphones and tablets continue their rapid rise in prominence, representing an increasing proportion of all Internet access devices, many processor sales are going to ARM licensees these days rather than to Intel and AMD. So, what's AMD doing up on stage with ARM, TI, and MediaTek, the last two being ARM licensees, and, while we're at it, with Imagination, which competes with AMD in graphics?
Some of the answer comes with the second announcement, which trumpeted the fact that AMD is licensing ARM's Cortex-A5 processor design for a security co-processor that will be integrated into future APUs — a sort of trusted chip within a chip.
The rest of it can be inferred from statements that Rory Read, AMD's new CEO, has been making about how AMD has to break out of its perennial role as an also-ran in a race with Intel and pursue products in the interests of its customers alone. If one takes the ideas that heterogeneous computing is primarily about efficiency (read: low power usage), and that ARM, with its legacy in mobile phones, is known for low power usage, then a future that includes AMD parts with actual ARM processor cores running them suddenly seems likely.
When asked directly about this possibility, AMD was a bit coy and continued to insist that x86 is alive, healthy, and slated for a magnificent future, but nonetheless left the door open a crack with respect to the potential that ARM cores could ultimately replace x86 cores in some future products.
Meanwhile, Mark Papermaster, AMD's chief technology officer, opened up a whole horizon of potential products that might make use of heterogeneous computing, including servers (remember the SeaMicro acquisition?), desktops, notebooks, tablets, automotive infotainment systems, game consoles, set-top boxes, smart TVs — and, yes, potentially even smartphones.
Disclosure: Endpoint has a consulting relationship with AMD.
© 2012 Endpoint Technologies Associates, Inc. All rights reserved.
Twitter: RogerKay


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An outdoor wall fountain is a great complement to your garden or other outdoor space. Not only are they elegant, they also have a soothing aura about them that is very relaxing. Consider adding some flair to any exterior wall, gazebo, deck, stone wall, fence or any other flat surface with a beautifully-sculpted wall fountain. Because they are exceptionally lightweight, these outdoor fountains can be mounted on any wall, and are easy to move and reinstall if you decide to rearrange your space. Fountains add a touch of serenity, calmness and tranquility that only water is capable of creating. Position your chaise lounge near the serene sounds of an outdoor wall fountain and your stress levels will decline and your bliss readings will rise.
Products Per Page: 12 24 48 72 96


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Installing gutters in any home is a good idea that comes with many benefits. How to get it done is usually where the small challenge comes in. You might opt to head over to an improvement store and try to figure out what you need, then struggle with the dangerous work of installing them and end up with bad results. Thus, employing the services of a professional to handle installation of seamless gutters in your home is always the best idea. It will come with better results regarding both integrity and aesthetics of your home.
Reasons to employ professional services
Prudent Utilization of Resources
The work that goes into the installation of a gutter system involves a lot more than what meets the eyes. Getting the right parts and equipment to work with is just the first step. There are chances of running into problems, usually associated with the roof line or the fascia. Ensuring that the new system works properly is also a bit of a challenge. Professional gutter installers can determine all these factors for you, even before the job begins.
Professional installation
Installing the system is usually the next step, after determining all that is needed and obtaining the materials. The job is quite dangerous, especially when dealing with storied houses, and the physical demands are quite high. In addition to that, you will need all the right tools, including the appropriate ladder, to get the job done.
That said, it is usually not worth all those tasks by individually, considering that you might mess up and end up paying a lot more for the project than you would have by using professionals. They have the needed tools and equipment and can handle the job better, thanks to their training and experience.
Time Savings
Installing a gutter system for your home may be a time-consuming project. You will have to deal with removing the old gutters, acquiring tools, and installing the new gutters. There will probably be a learning curve involved as well. All these must be done in a careful way so as not to damage anything. You can save all that time and use it for other more important matters by letting the professional take care of it for you. You can even go to work or continue with your regular routine as the gutter installers do their job.


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About the Southside Grill
Established 1978
Since our start 35 years ago we have changed many times, however, the airport has always held a special connection for us.
Southside Grill not only reflects airport locale at the South side of McCall, but more importantly, our preferred cooking method of grilling vegetables,
fish and steaks; a practice we've been incorporating into the menu for some time now.
Southside Grill's name change carries a new theme blending Aviation and South of the border collections in a fun, eclectic décor. In the back of the
house, we have welcomed new area chefs in the kitchen enabling us to feature uniquely flavorful entrées and added variety to our famous Mexican cuisine.
Look for us shopping local produce stands ensuring the freshest, highest quality foods available … we will not accept anything but the best for our customers! With ever changing diets, allergies and food restrictions becoming more prevalent, let us suggest meal options and alternatives you will not only enjoy, but will come back for.
Please relax, savor the flavors and enjoy your visit. Let us know if there is anything extra we may bring to make your experience at Southside Grill top flight!
Discover McCall's favorite hideout…the "Landing"
Normally only the locals enjoy our deck, but Harrison Ford enjoyed lunch here with us last time he was around. You may think we've been discovered or if you want to look at it our way. we enjoy sharing it with everyone…it's a great place to enjoy the airport and mountain views for lunch, cocktails and dinner.
FIND US across the street from McCall Idaho Airport at the Southside of McCall. Turn West at the stop light and look for the second building on the right with an airplane coming out of the roof!
WALKING? Easy walk to area Hotels including Super 8, Hunt Lodge Holiday Inn Express, McCall Best Western and The Western Mountain Lodge; pilots can walk over for a quick meal too!


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University of Winnipeg students Andreah Anterola and Ruth Mesgna have joined the ranks of students to be assisted by the Winnipeg Police Service Opportunity Scholarships in Memory of Injured and Fallen Officers, which supports students from high schools in the North End and Downtown Winnipeg. The two were awarded the scholarships at the start of the school year this fall.
"Having the privilege to be awarded this scholarship will not only help relieve the financial strain, but also assist me in furthering my university career," says Anterola, a pre-medicine student in her fourth year at UWinnipeg.
She plans to become a doctor that specializes in oncology. "Thanks to Winnipeg Police Service's generosity, I will be able to focus more on my academics, community service and leadership involvement. I hope to be able to repay this gift through my excellence in all my future endeavours."
Anterola is enjoying her UWinnipeg experience. "I appreciate the close interaction between professors and their students as well as between students… My UWinnipeg experience has helped me focus on what is important in life – that is, the attainment of proper education."
Like Anterola, Mesgna has no plans to stop once she receives her undergraduate degree. The biochemistry student says she enjoys her field of study, and plans to pursue graduate studies and obtain a PhD.
"I think it's a wonderful scholarship that has helped – and continues to help students in the inner-city," explains Mesgna. "I really like that UWinnipeg is close by and I'm very familiar with the campus, which has helped me adjust to university life that much easier."
Winnipeg Police Chief Devon Clunis believes the scholarship is a vital part of the police service's work. "As chief of police I truly believe that providing young people with access to education is a vital part in being a good community partner."
The first Winnipeg Police Service Opportunity Scholarships were awarded in 2012, and since then, the scholarships have helped seven unique students from the inner-city.
The $2,500 scholarships are awarded annually and are renewable annually, with the intention that students receive scholarship support throughout their university degrees.
For more information on scholarships and awards at UWinnipeg, visit http://www.uwinnipeg.ca/awards.


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Posts tagged 'Social Media'
You ask, they… erm…
Openness and transparency is a great asset for a company. Opening up a public forum to receive questions from the public can offer a great opportunity to build a positive vibe around your company.
But think it through before you agree to do it. Stempra tweeted a wonderful example of how not to do it.
Neal's Yard agreed to take part in The Guardian's You Ask, They Answer blog. There have been some really positive examples of companies using this blog to engage with their audience; Divine Chocolate were on last week and handled it well.
It didn't go so well for Neal's Yard. Straight from the off they received lots of informed questions about homeopathic remedies (no surprise from a paper which has Ben Goldacre as a regular columnist). Neal's Yard should have been expecting this and had answers ready, even the intro to the blog brought up the subject.
24 hours in and they still haven't responded to a single question.
So now all we have is a very widely read newspaper website listing criticism after criticism of the company with not a single response.
So what is the lesson here:
You have to anticipate what questions you are likely to be asked before you agree to take part in the forum, if you don't like the questions you think you may get – don't open up a forum like this.
You need to be ready to respond and properly engage with the comments you receive. When you do it well you get huge benefits from this kind of approach, when you do it badly the damage to your brand can be immense.
Neal's Yard may yet respond (I hope they will at least do a statement), but I am imagining they are regretting this exercise and I hope other companies learn the lessons.
Oh dear – they won't be responding to any of the questions. See this comment from the Guardian Moderator
The Guardian have done a follow up on this, agreeing it was a PR disaster.
Social Media and Political Campaigning
Hazel Blears' Observer piece this morning makes some strong arguments about the need for the labour party to actually engage with voters. A lot of what she says is eerily similar to John Major's (undeniable effective) soapbox strategy in the 1992 general election.
I think she picks up on the tendency for organisations (I include private companies in this as well) to see social networking as 'the solution'. She is clearly not impressed by Gordon Brown's video message, coining the fantastic phrase "YouTube if you want to".
YouTube is not 'the answer'. Social media is the means not the end.
But she misses the point – Blears calls for politicians to spend more time actually engaging with people, hearing their anger. Used correctly, social media offers a fantastic way to do this. Gordon Brown's problem is not that he's using social media, it's that he's trying to use it in 'old media' ways.
That YouTube video is simply a broadcast, something politicians have been doing ever since they invented the radio. Comments have been turn off – it's about as disengaged as you can possibly get.
A lot of politicians are getting it – where Twitter, Facebook and blogging work well it's where the publisher engages with other users. People like Tom Harris get this. He interacts with his commentators and gets into the debate on twitter. He isn't looking at the web as another tool to broadcast but as yet another way to meet with, listen to and engage with voters.
I think the biggest sign that he gets it is that he knows it's just one of the many methods he needs to be using. He held a town hall meeting in his constituency to listen to his electorate in person.
Everyone looks at Obama's election victory and get excited about social media – but it wasn't the web wot won it for Obama – it was engaging with the electorate. Online was the right tool for certain circumstances, but it isn't a panacea that will solve everything and miraculously win elections.
So Hazel Blears – you're right, politicians do need to get on their soapbox and engage with the public. But don't rule out doing that online.


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State Colleges
Ashley Flinn makes major impact on UM soccer team
To hear one of her teammates tell it, University of Miami soccer standout Ashley Flinn sleeps more than anyone around.
But once Flinn wakes up — which usually happens late in games — she is one of the most dangerous players in the nation.
Just seven games into her junior season, Flinn has already scored three overtime winners.
She also has two other last-minute goals that snapped ties and gave the Hurricanes a win.
Flinn, who has started all 45 of her team's games since arriving in Miami, leads the Canes (5-2) with six goals this season, including an overtime winner on a header against Jacksonville and a left-footed goal with 40 seconds left to beat Florida Atlantic 2-1.
"I've jokingly asked her if she can't get it done earlier in the game," said first-year Canes coach Mary-Frances Monroe, whose team lost its first two Atlantic Coast Conference games last weekend at No.15 Duke and at No. 7 Wake Forest. "She's starting to give me gray hair."
Flinn, a native of Romeo, Mich., always has been a successful athlete. At Romeo High, she played soccer, basketball track and volleyball.
And, as a senior, when the football team's kicker opted to play soccer, Flinn stepped in and made field goals and extra points for the varsity football team even though she had never previously tried the sport.
Yet, for all her heroics — including 36 goals as a junior in soccer — Flinn got only two Division I scholarship offers, and both were from lower-level Central Michigan and Oakland.
Flinn eventually committed to Central Michigan and coach Tom Anagnost. But when Anagnost got the job at Miami in 2011, Flinn followed him and became a Cane.
The signing was an immediate success.
As a freshman, Flinn scored her first career college goal on a double-overtime header against Clemson.
Later that season, she scored what still stands as her biggest goal — a double-overtime, left-footed blast to beat Alabama in the NCAA tournament's first round.
"I kicked it upper-90 to the right corner," Flinn said of the goal she remembers fondly.
Her sophomore season produced more dramatics, including a right-footed goal to beat No. 1 Florida State 2-1 in the last minute of regulation. That win put Miami in the ACC playoffs.
Tara Schwitter, a senior defender who is playing for her third coach in her tenure at Miami, served up the cross that helped give Flinn her first career goal against Clemson.
Schwitter knows Flinn's talents will be needed against an upcoming schedule that includes No. 1 North Carolina on Sept. 22; at No.4 Florida State Sept. 26; No. 8 Notre Dame on Oct. 6; No. 21 Maryland on Oct. 17; and at No. 2 Virginia Oct. 24.
Miami's next game is at home Thursday against North Carolina State.
"Ashley's speed and her height [5-9] are huge assets," Schwitter said of Flinn, who has a 3.3 GPA and is majoring in sports administration. "She is one of the fastest girls on our team. She's aggressive, and she doesn't mind pressure. When the clock is winding down, she wants the ball on her feet."
Of course, Schwitter is also the one who noticed Flinn's passion for shut-eye.
"Ashley sleeps more than any person I've ever met," Schwitter said. "All she talks about is how tired she is, and after she scores a big goal, we joke with her and say: 'OK, you can sleep now.' "


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As a large storm threatened the East on the busiest travel day of the year, Los Angeles International Airport was preparing for how it would be affected.
Some of the most popular areas for Angelenos to fly are San Francisco and Las Vegas, but other common destinations like Chicago, New York and Boston were expected to be a slog for travelers on Wednesday.
"For the early morning rush, it was fine, but we're starting to see Midwest cities like Dallas and Chicago, and New York" have to delay some flights because of weather, said Nancy Castles of Los Angeles World Airports.
Officials at LAX say more than 2 million passengers will pass through the airport in the 11-day period that started Friday. The busiest day is expected to be Sunday, with some 220,000 travelers passing through LAX. Monday will see similar crowds, Castles said.
Officials are advising travelers to check the time of their flights with airlines before going to LAX and to arrive at the airport with plenty of time to spare. Many travelers had arrived at the airport so early Wednesday that screening checkpoints had yet to open.
"While we have sunny weather right now, the fact that somewhere else has winter weather is going to delay their departure," Castles said.
The "pretty heavy rush" at LAX early Wednesday morning had slowed down but was expected to pick back up around 11 a.m., she added.
Twitter: @aribloomekatz | Facebook


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Are you on youare yet?
"Oh no, not another Twitter clone", was my first reaction to micro-blog youare. I've signed up for quite a few of these site already, and I always seem to end up back with Twitter as my main-stay. But what the heck, I have to at least look right??
At first glance youare looks like a Twitter clone, but it's got some added features that give it more oomph. It lets you interact on a deeper level through additional information.
- Like Linkedin you can add a resume, and educational background.
- When you add your work history youare links to co-workers who have filled out the same company in their profiles.
- Add your content from YouTube and Flickr or your Delicious bookmarks via an RSS feed.
- Like Tumblr, link to video or images to your posts with a couple of clicks, unlike Twitter where you can do these things through supporting apps.
- Youare has it's own built-in link shortener micURL to shorten those long URL's, and micURL has the added bonus of a Firefox plug-in that adds itself to the list of search engines in your browser. Paste in a URL and you get a shortened URL to post. (http://micurl.com/hnahv5 )and it even checks to make sure the link works.
- Add your favorite music playlists from Spotify, a beta music service that looks pretty cool itself.
All in all, youare looks to be a step up from Twitter in many ways, but will it go the distance?
Not unless it gets buy-in from major users of Twitter, and that has been a very hard thing for other micro-blog services like Plurk, Identi.ca, and Jaiku. Each of these have their place, and really prospered back when the "fail whale" was seen on Twitter on a regular basis. At the moment there don't seem to be a lot of Twitterati on youare. Will the expanded features lure them away or will they cross post? Time will tell. Interested in giving it a spin? Follow me there and let's see what happens!


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We decided to take the scenic drive through Capitol Reef National Park. We saw this dirt road and it called to us. We drove to the end of Grand Wash, it was!
When we left Fruita at 11, the temperature had already climbed to a warm 86 degrees.
|Factory Butte
The scenery as we left Capitol Reef continued to amaze us. We came upon the butte in the middle of the above photo, Factory Butte, and continued seeing it as the road wound north miles later. Driving east from Capitol Reef on Highway 24 we broke the half tank rule and were relieved to find out that Hanksville had a Shell Gas Station.
|Goblin Valley State Park
We stopped for lunch miles from anything at Goblin Valley State Park. Earlier we had noticed deer, or antelope, we weren't sure. Here we got a good view and could tell they were antelope, must have been playing with the deer. By 1:45 we were back on the road heading for Moab.
|Being left in the dust on Hwy 70 by an Airstream
As we approached the 70 Freeway, we realized that we had not been on a major freeway since leaving 395 in California. This shot was taken as we were on that freeway, with a truck pulling a trailer traveling at 70, the speed limit. We decided to pass the turnoff for the park where we would be spending the night and drive into Moab and have a late lunch, early dinner and buy some groceries. It was 3:30 by the time we arrived in town. We stocked up at the first "real" grocery store we'd seen in 6 days. It was part of the Ralph's Grocery Chain. Walking through town we spotted the Slickrock Cafe and had a burger and beer. After walking around the town a bit we arrived at our campsite at Dead Horse Point State Park. Our site had a cover over the table and electrical hookups. Another nice Utah Park. Nice restroom, but no showers.
After setting up camp, we headed to the point and watch the sunset. What spectacular place to watch the sunset.