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October 2019
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Franky.vandierendonck necesitaba un nuevo diseño de papelería y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 23 diseños de 8 diseñadores freelance.
We're going to launch a new webshop, in activity similar to http://www.linnenatwork.nl/.
Our core activity is going to be the sale of boxsprings and accessories to the professional market and owners of holiday houses in Belgium.
As reference material on the boxspring product, you can look at http://www.diamondspringcompany.com.
The professional market (independent hotels) and owners of holiday houses in Belgium. To a lesser extent the consumer market.
I need an identity design which we can use on our marketing materials (business cards, postal mailings, e-mail campaigns, brochures) as well as on our website.
Most important aspects are:
- used color set (we have no upfront ideas on that)
- logo design
- general look of the design
We need a trustworthy, qualitative look to support our message of selling cheap yet high quality boxspring products.
(http://www.)goedkopeboxsprings(.be) stands for "cheap boxsprings" in Dutch.
Please note that the used boxspring technology does NOT contain any iron springs. Hence the design should not make any refererence to iron springs.

subset: commoncrawl


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A recognized expert on the U.S. Constitution says the arguments put forward in a hearing today in Georgia challenging Barack Obama's eligibility to be president because his father never was a U.S. citizen are strong.
"That is much stronger than the question of where he was born," Titus told WND today after the hearing. "That alone is evidence … They don't need anything additional."
The hearing was before Judge Michael Malihi of the Georgia state Office of State Administrative Hearings. In Georgia, a state law requires "every candidate for federal" office who is certified by the state executive committees of a political party or who files a notice of candidacy "shall meet the constitutional and statutory qualifications for holding the office being sought."
State law also grants the secretary of state and any "elector who is eligible to vote for a candidate" in the state the authority to raise a challenge to a candidate's qualifications, the judge determined.
Citizens bringing the complaints include David Farrar, Leah Lax, Thomas Malaren and Laurie Roth, represented by Taitz; David Weldon represented by attorney Van R. Irion of Liberty Legal Foundation; and Carl Swensson and Kevin Richard Powell, represented by J. Mark Hatfield. Cody Judy is raising a challenge because he also wants to be on the ballot.
Malihi's determination is expected later.
As an authority on the U.S. Constitution, Titus' credentials are top of the line.
Now of counsel to the law firm of William J. Olson, P.C., he previously taught constitutional law, common law, and other subjects for nearly 30 years at five different American Bar Association approved law schools. From 1986 to 1993, he served as the founding dean of the College of Law and Government in Regent University, Virginia Beach, Va. Prior to his academic career, he served as a trial attorney and a special assistant United States attorney with the United States Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. and Kansas City, Mo. Today he is engaged in a general practice with a concentration in constitutional strategy, litigation, and appeals.
Discover what the Constitution's reference to "natural born citizen" means and whether Barack Obama qualifies, in the ebook version of "Where's the REAL Birth Certificate?"
His degrees are from Harvard and the University of Oregon.
He told WND that the case today set a precedent because all of the dozens of cases that have gone through the system before were dismissed before any evidence was introduced. That is, the judges mostly found that there was a lack of "standing" or some other technicality on which they could meet Obama's attorneys' demands and dismiss the cases.
The case before the Georgia court, saying Obama simply isn't a "natural born citizen" as the Constitution requires for presidents because his father never was an American, "is new."
"Those [other] cases were initiated about Obama's ineligibility based upon essentially that he was not born in Hawai. But now there's a different standard being urged upon the court, not about where, but to whom," he said.
He said "natural born citizen" in the Constitution simply means the son or daughter of American citizens.
"This is correct. There are lots of terms of the Constitution that are not defined in the instrument. This is one of them," he said. But he said the 1875 Minor vs. Happersett case in the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that the "natural born citizen" designation is reserved for "a citizen that's defined by common law, and that requires that the person be born to a mother and father of the citizenship that the son or daughter will have."
The merits of the arguments over the father's citizenship, documented as Kenyan in Barack Obama's own writings, are "much stronger than the question of where he was born."
On the document released by the White House itself, which Obama attested to as being valid, his father was "African."
Titus noted that's perceived as a nationality, not a racial statement, but "that alone is evidence he was not born to two American citizen parents."
"I don't think there's any need to submit any other evidence," he suggested.
He earlier made a video explaining the issue of "natural born citizen" as it's' used in the Constitution:
"'Natural born citizen' in relation to the office of president, and whether someone is eligible, was in the Constitution from the very beginning," he said. "Another way of putting it: There is a law of the nature of citizenship. If you are a natural born citizen, you are a citizen according to the law of nature, not according to any positive statement in a Constitution or in a statute, but because of the very nature of your birth and the very nature of nations."
If you "go back and look at what the law of nature would be or would require … that's precisely what a natural born citizen is …. is one who is born to a father and mother each of whom is a citizen of the U.S. or whatever other country…"
"Now what we've learned from the Hawaii birth certificate is that Mr. Obama's father was not a citizen of the United States. His mother was, but he doesn't qualify as a natural born citizen for the office of president."
There have been allegations since long before Obama's election in 2008 that he is not a "natural-born citizen," a requirement imposed by the Constitution on no other official.
Obama's critics believe that at the time the Constitution was written, the founders agree with Titus, and understood "natural-born citizen" to mean the offspring of two citizens.
Obama has claimed he was born in Hawaii, but birth documentation he's released has been judged by a number of document, imaging and graphics experts to be fake.
Others believe he would fail to qualify no matter his place of birth, because his father, Barack Obama Sr., was a Kenyan subject to the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom at the time of Obama Jr.'s birth. They allege the founders precluded dual citizens by specifically demanding a "natural-born citizen."


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You won't find anything else like Checkbook
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Finding a Good Shoe Repair Shop
Our ratings tables will help you find area shops that offer top-quality shoe repairs at reasonable prices.
What Can Shoe Repair Shops Do?
Talk with top-rated shops about whether repairs make sense, how well the job can be done, and how long the shoes are likely to last. You may find there are several ways to solve your problem—at substantially different costs.
Dealing with a Shoe Repair Shop
There are a few basic steps to follow in dealing with whatever shop you choose.
How to Make Shoes Last
You can make your shoes last longer and minimize trips to the repair shop by doing the following.


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Mitochondrial DNA deletions and transcription profiles of different brain regions from patients with Alzheimer´s disease at single cell level
Search Medline for
|September 11, 2012
Introduction: As all neurodegenerative diseases Alzheimer´s disease (AD) starts insidiously and ends in area- and layer-specific nerve cell loss. These phenomena are described in a staging system commonly accepted. Aside from changes in gene transcription there is growing evidence that mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in both age- and AD- related neuronal degeneration.
Methods: In order to unravel the differential vulnerability of neuronal types we analyzed 150 to 500 neurons respectively from the cerebellar granule layer, hippocampal pyramidal layer and the nucleus of the spinal trigeminal tract from control-, intermediate AD Stages (iAD) - and late AD-cases (lAD). Neurons were laser microdissected from 10 µm cresylviolet-stained slices for either direct lysis and cDNA-synthesis or isolation of DNA. DNA is used in a multiplex real-time PCR to reveal the level of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deletions. For gene expression studies different regulated candidate genes were achieved by previous microarray analysis. The validation of target genes by means of quantitative PCR using a strategy of normalization with multiple reference genes is in progress.
Results and conclusions: Suprisingly, the analysis of the mtDNA reveals constant high deletion levels in cerebellar granule cells of all three groups. MtDNA deletion levels of CA 2 pyramidal cells slightly icreases from intermedidiate to late AD stages. Neurons of brainstem and CA1 region show higher deletion levels in group iAD compared to controls. However, the data show high inter-individual variations independent of AD stages and regions indicating a celltype specific vulnerability. Transcription profile analysis of neurons from the hippocampal CA1 region revealed downregulation of genes related to DNA repair (FANCM), MAPK-signaling (MAPK1,TAOK3), mitochondrial biogenesis (SSBP1) and Aß binding (TM2D1) in cases of AD compared to controls. SLC1A3, a gene coding for a glutamate carrier was upregulated in case of AD. We hypothesize that the dysregulation of genes directly or indirectly implicated in DNA damage repair contributes to the progression of AD in vulnerable neurons. Strengthen the analysis of gene expression to all brain regions included in the study our experimental design promises to unravel new insights into the pathogenesis of AD depending on selective vulnerability of individual cell types.


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Hot Dog! Baseball Season Is Here Again, And We Have A Wiener!
By Barry Janoff
April 5, 2012: Major League Baseball stadiums sell food that ranges from pulled pork sandwiches and nachos to stone crabs, lobster rolls and Milk Duds popcorn.
But one old standby will likely get ordered more than any other menu item.
Baseball fans will consume 20.5 million hot dogs this season, according to the Washington D.C.-based National Hot Dog and Sausage Council's 2012 report on Major League ballparks.
That number of wieners is enough to round the bases 28,489 times, and if laid end to end would stretch from the new Marlins Ballpark in Miami to Coors Field in Denver.
However, perhaps due in part to the increase in menu options, that figure is down from previous seasons. In 2011, the NHDSC projected hot dog sales of 22.5 million; in 2010, 21 million hot dogs were projected to be sold; and in 2009 sales of 22 million hot dogs were projected at ballparks.
The Texas Rangers are projected to serve 1.6 million hot dogs over the course of the 2012 season at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, the most in MLB. The two-time defending American League champions moved up from fourth place in 2011.
Second place in this year's survey is a tie between Citizen's Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies, moving up from third in 2011, and Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Sox, which this year is celebrating its 100th anniversary. The Council projects that both stadiums will serve 1.5 million hot dogs over the course of the 2012 season.
Rounding out the top five are Dodger Stadium, which is projected to drop from first in 2011 to fourth in this year's survey, and New York's Yankee Stadium.
Not by coincidence, seven of the top ten U.S. cities ranked by sales of hot dogs at retail (excluding Wal-Mart) are homes to MLB teams: Los Angeles, New York, Baltimore/Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta and Boston, according to marketing research firm Information Resources Inc.
In addition to the 20 million-plus hot dogs expected to be sold this season, the Council projects ballparks will sell 5.2 million sausages this year. Miller Park in Milwaukee will maintain its annual sausage dominance, projected to sell 900,000 sausages this season, many of those their signature Klement's Bratwurst with sauerkraut and warm secret stadium sauce.
"The variety of hot dogs and sausages offered at stadiums this year truly stands out," Eric Mittenthal, National Hot Dog and Sausage Council spokesman, said in a statement. "There are so many unique options, fans can just go to the game for the hot dogs and skip the baseball if they want. Traditionalists can still get their dog of choice, but foodies can sample everything from pulled pork to mini potato pierogies on their dogs."
"There are so many unique options, fans can just go to the game for the hot dogs and skip the baseball if they want."
Among the specialties being offered this season:
• Texas Rangers "Boomstick" a two-foot-long, one pound Coney Island-style wiener that will be topped with shredded cheese, chili and sauteed onions and the bun will be "exotic bread flown in from France."
• Boston Red Sox Fenway Frank, a steamed hot dog topped with brown mustard and relish in a New England style bun.
• Philadelphia Phillies' South Philly Dog is topped with broccoli rabe, roasted peppers and sharp provolone on a crusty Italian roll.
• Pittsburgh Pirates Polish Hill Dog, an all beef footlong grilled and topped with mini potato pierogies, coleslaw and homemade onion straws served on a potato roll. The Pirates also offer a Pulled Pork Pierogi Stacker Dog and a Reuben Dog.
• St. Louis Cardinals BBQ Bacon Wrapped Dog, a Jumbo Hunter Dog wrapped with bacon served on a fresh Fazio's bun with baked beans, a dill pickle slice and topped with pico de gallo, Dijon aioli, sweet BBQ and tobacco onions.
* Food Network Hot Dog Bars: These topping bars will make their debut in Cincinnati, Cleveland, St. Louis and Texas featuring a 1/4 lb. hot dog served on a potato roll. Fans can choose from basic toppings such as mustard, relish and sauerkraut, but can also add bacon chunks, corn chips and other unique toppings. All together there are 500 million total topping combinations available, per the Hot Dog Council.
• Anaheim Angels Cali Dog: Anaheim is welcoming their two major off-season acquisitions, Albert Pujols and C.J. Wilson with two different Cali Dogs, each wrapped in a flour tortilla and deep fried. The North will be topped with homemade chili and cheddar cheese while the South will be topped with pico di gallo, shredded lettuce and an avocado sour cream.
"Like turkey on Thanksgiving, you simply have to have a dog at the game," Dan Smith, president, Legends Hospitality, which oversees food and hospitality for the New York Yankees and the NFL's Dallas Cowboys. "From a fan's perspective, they are relatively inexpensive, easy to consume in your seat, and are the ultimate stadium comfort food. From a concessionaire point of view they are easy to prepare, easy to serve, and enable us to feed the masses at a very rapid rate."
Marlins Ballpark Artist's Rendition courtesy Miami Marlins


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History of the Archive
The Ellis Paul Archive started, very simply, as my personal collection of Ellis Paul CDs. It began with the purchase of Stories on May 22, 1997 after a show at a venue called The Backstage in Seattle. Later that year I purchased Say Something and Carnival of Voices. The following year, Translucent Soul was released and became the fourth item in my collection. At some point during that first year I discovered that Ellis Paul appeared on several compilation CDs and I started adding them to my collection. I also discovered that Ellis had made guest appearances on several recordings of other artists and I began acquiring them. Thus began a continually growing and seemingly never ending pursuit. As of this writing the collection of compilation CDs and guest appearance CDs, when added to Ellis' own solo work numbers nearly 200.
In 1998 there was a feature article about Ellis in the magazine Dirty Linen. I began a subscription to the magazine and discovered the capability to order back issues. When I learned that additional articles about Ellis existed in a few of those back issues, they were added to my collection. From there I discovered other articles in other magazines. In most instances I have managed to acquire the entire magazine issue, not simply an article reprint.
Newspaper articles were next. The collection of newspaper articles includes online reprints as well as the entire hard copy in many instances. Friends around the country, most of whom I met through Ellis' Fan Out organization, sent many of these to me.
In the fall of 1999 I met Bill Eley who was one of the first members of Fan Out - Ellis' grass roots fan-based support group. By that time, I had started keeping a typed, annotated list of the CDs in my collection and shared the list with Bill. He commented on how much he enjoyed reading the annotations which was the beginning of our collaboration. At some point one of us referred to my collection as an "archive" and Bill and I started discussing the possibility of turning what began as my personal collection into a collection for true archival purposes. Bill started helping to add items to the collection by searching for CDs on E-Bay. I kiddingly refer to him as "Chairman of E-Bay Procurement." Many of the really obscure CDs now in the collection are a result of Bill's tenacity and generosity.
Bill and I both read what we could about maintaining an archive and together in August 2000 we visited the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. I should mention that since I am a librarian by profession, this visit was especially exciting for me. Bill arranged for us to meet with Jennifer Cutting, Folklife Specialist, and Stephanie Hall, who was the Director at the time. Both Jennifer and Stephanie were very helpful in describing their process for storing items in the collection and provided much encouragement. Jennifer gave us a tour of the Folklife Center, which included seeing some of the items in the Center's Woody Guthrie collection.
By July 2001, the Ellis Paul Archive had grown to such a degree that the next logical step was to inventory the items in the collection and develop a list of its contents. Over the Fourth of July holiday I designed a format for the print listing and added the contents. Since then it has undergone continual revisions as the collection has grown.
In June 2003 Bill and I decided to move forward by designing a web site for the Ellis Paul Archive. Jennifer Chorn launched the first website for us in 2003 and in September 2008 the website moved to a SLAB500 server.
Our objective in acquiring items for the Ellis Paul Archive and maintaining it in an organized way is to capture a moment in time during which folk music is enjoying a resurgence of popularity. We hope that future generations of folk musicians and folk music followers will benefit from having this historical documentation. We feel that the music of Ellis Paul will be an important part of that history.
Karen M. Zundel, MLS
Belle Vernon, PA.


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Mission Statement
"To serve the public by administering justice and resolving disputes under the law, thereby protecting the rights and liberties guaranteed by the constitutions of the State of Washington and the United States."
The information contained in this web site and its associated web pages is meant to provide legal information, not legal advice. It is our goal to provide information that will help the general public, but we cannot provide legal opinions.
Due to the rapidly changing nature of the Court's information on the internet pages, the Clark County Courts cannot insure 100% accuracy. The data is provided for informational purposes only and may not have been updated on the date you view it. The Courts assume no liability for any legal consequences arising out of any information on these pages.
Notice of schedule change for Department 10, Family Law (effective November 4, 2019)


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Visual Novels - Recommendation thread
I'd also second the Ever 17 recommendation, it takes advantage of being a visual novel in a way that no other game (i know of) has.
As far as availability goes...
True Remembrance is a very good, non-hentai, well-translated, legally free visual novel which is download-able at http://trueremembrance.insani.org/get.html (but don't expect any action) :p
I've read/played quite a lot of visual novels... though Ever 17, Fate/stay Night, True Remembrance and Planetarian is my absolute favorites so far.
If the rest of Little Busters is as good as what I've read in the partial patch so far, it might join the list as well, once it's completely translated :p
Other worthy mentions might be: KiraKira (VN about a rock band! got some nice soundtrack :3 ), Utawarerumono, Chaos;Head, Narcissu (another insani free VN) and Act 1 of Katawa Shoujo (incomplete English-made VN).
I'd also include Phantom of Inferno, the plot really is good, but the translation really is horrible in this awful stand-alone dvd thing, that is both frustrating and buggy to use...
There probably is a whole lot of others, but i think you got more than enough titles to check for now xD
You might wanna take a look at the Visual Novel Database ( http://vndb.org/ ), and see if you spot anything else you might like, along with links to the different translation patches or English publishers.
The full English version of Katawa Shoujo was released in January 2012.
meygaeraIf you have any other good visual novel or date sim that are free for PC I'll check them out. I'd still like to test the waters in this genre before I put more money in it. I don't mind NSFW titles as long as its not too obscene.
I originally recommended Heartache 101 because it has a modest amount of story along with quite a bit of gameplay. Not everyone likes it, but I thought it was enjoyable. Anyway, there's not much other freeware content that has *both* gameplay and quality writing. So most of what I'll end up recommending from here on is 98% writing, with maybe a hint of gameplay. As long as you're okay with that...
* Dusk: A Moonlight Romance. A woman from the UK spent several years working on her indie simulation game Lucky Rabbit Reflex. (Free demo, paid version around $20 US.) Just after it was available for sale, she also released this freeware story. It has no choices, but it's one hundred percent comedy. See its Lemma Soft discussion thread at http://lemmasoft.renai.us/forums/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11390
* Autumn. A freeware story with multiple endings that I found rather enjoyable. Originally written in Czech, and thankfully the English translation is pretty good. Archived here: http://www.renai.us/game/autumn.shtml
* The people at Insani.org translated quite a few demos and freeware visual novels from 2005 through 2008. Some of their best works are available in the Altogether section at http://altogether.insani.org . If you want something off-the-wall and cathartic, then check out Crimsoness (2008). If you want a cute, emotional story, try My Black Cat (2006). If you want something which is relentlessly sad, then read The Poor Little Bird (2005).
Awesome thanks I'll check them out and let you know what I think.
kira308 wrote:
I'd also second the Ever 17 recommendation, it takes advantage of being a visual novel in a way that no other game (i know of) has.
I read a review on this and I want to play it. But I'm not sure how to "legally" acquire it without forking over a large wad of my paycheck.
I'm not a witch, just a really magical cat
I'm playing "Family Project" right now, and so far it seems to be the most boring, drawn out, and sloppiest written vn I've ever played. It's kinda disappointing, the very beginning made it seem kinda cool.
I draw my avatars, bitches.
The only Visual Novel that I have every played was "Phantom of Inferno" and that was rite after I finished the anime "Requiem for a Phantom" since that ended was so insane in the anime that I just had to see the other alternative ending to the series.
I do want to dive more into the Visual Novel world since I'm vastly into Anime/Manga/Light Novels and such.
If you have any "MUCH PLAY" Visual Novels then make sure to recommend me some.
The only one I've ever read and finished (I've started many, but never got into them) was one called A Midsummer's Day Resonance. It's a girl x girl love story kind of thing though, so if you're into that, I suggest you really give it a try! I loved it. I think I'll go read it again now.
Well I certainly am into that kind of thing. I'll have to see if I can find it.
I draw my avatars, bitches.
A Midsummer's Day Resonance is both freeware and translated. It's one of several gems that the people at Insani finished before the group quietly disbanded.
YokuramaTalks wrote:
If you have any "MUCH PLAY" Visual Novels then make sure to recommend me some. :)
I've mentioned mostly freeware VNs in my last few posts. Let me name a few inexpensive VNs that are available in English and worth trying:
Cinders is one of only a few visual novels with a distinctly western aesthetic. It just might be the key to the future of VNs. Learn more about it on the VNDB -- http://vndb.org/v7506 -- and try the demo.
Analogue: A Hate Story is also rather different. It's a science fiction story which is both serious and avant-garde. VNDB link here -- http://vndb.org/v9680 -- and if you like the demo, then you can buy the game as a minimal-DRM download, or buy it on Steam.
Cafe 0 ~ The Drowned Mermaid is the most recent game released by Roseverte. Haven't heard of this group? They're one of the few independent studios that can be accurately described as international. They released Cafe 0 in English and Japanese on the same day, and translated it into German just a month later. If you like reverse harem, check out its VNDB blah blah blah at http://vndb.org/v8045, download the demo, blah blah blah.
Infinite Game Works is an independent game about... making indie games. It includes a boy x girls love triangle, but it's mostly a simulation. It was created by Sakura River, a team from Canada which is already talking about their gameplay goals for their next project. VNDB http://vndb.org/v6950 yadda yadda try the demo first yadda yadda.
meygaera wrote:
Awesome thanks I'll check them out and let you know what I think.
I read a review on this and I want to play it. But I'm not sure how to "legally" acquire it without forking over a large wad of my paycheck.
I saw a $15 PS2 game for Ever17 in Bookoff (New York) but it's the Japanese version. Time to start learning Japanese?
My experience with visual novels is very limited, but I'd like to get into more should they be localized to the US (unlikely I know). I know they're more along the lines of JRPGs with sim elements, but I really enjoy the sim aspect to Persona 3 and 4. I heard Sakura Wars: So Long My Love does something similar which makes me a bit curious about it. The only real Visual Novel I own is probably Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. I've only played it for about an hour, but I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl again one day.
katawa shoujo
It's not us no more. It's just you and me.
LeoCastell4 wrote:
My experience with visual novels is very limited, but I'd like to get into more should they be localized to the US (unlikely I know). I know they're more along the lines of JRPGs with sim elements, but I really enjoy the sim aspect to Persona 3 and 4. I heard Sakura Wars: So Long My Love does something similar which makes me a bit curious about it. The only real Visual Novel I own is probably Hakuoki: Demon of the Fleeting Blossom. I've only played it for about an hour, but I'm looking forward to giving it a whirl again one day.
Sakura Wars' gameplay is similar to Persona except the combat is turn-based. If you liked Persona then Sakura Wars would probably be something you might like. I think I prefer the Persona series a little better, I felt like the plot was a little bit more intelligent.
Anyways I've recently played:
Digital - A Love Story (http://scoutshonour.com/digital/)
don't take it personally babe, it just ain't your story (http://scoutshonour.com/donttakeitpersonallybabeitjustaintyourstory/)
Analogue A Hate Story (From steam, $15 I think)
(Christine Love binge I know)
These were all stellar. Especially Analogue. Very rarely does a game make me stop and think for so long after I've beaten it. Analogue brings up the gender issue like no other game I've seen, and probably does it better than most books and movies as well. It also brings up a more subtle point of whether or not civilization will actually be "better" in the future, or will it regress. I definitely suggest doing at least two different endings so you unlock at least 95% of the material (there is a little % tracker on your save files).
These games do tend to have a lot more reading and less visual appeal than other visual novels, but don't let that stop you. The music is good enough too, it definitely complements each game.
I'm not a witch, just a really magical cat
Eh, old thread, but still figured I'd contribute a bit.
It really does depend on what you want out of a VN. If you want a romance story with some sex but not a lot, Katawa Shoujo and Kanon are good choices to start, along with Hinata Bokko, Shuffle! and the Da Capo games. All of those (except Kanon) are easily available and fairly inexpensive in English; Kanon is a little trickier, since its a fan translation, but the game is old and not really too expensive to buy from Japan. To Heart 2 is another good choice, but the translation is unfinished, and might not be finished for quite some time.
If you're interested mainly in the porn, [you will find that the mod has removed the recommendations--lorreen]
If you want a good plot, G-Senjou no Maou is great, as is Kara no Shoujo and Cross Channel. Seiken no Inganock is pretty good as well.
Finally, while this should be obvious, if you like an anime based on a VN, you should probably check out the VN. The games are much longer than the anime, and give a lot more depth to the individual characters. I've never seen an anime adaptation of a VN that was as good as the game, so if you liked Clannad or Deus Machina Demonbane or Fortune Arterial, check out the games. Likewise, if you liked anime written by VN authors, their VNs may be up your alley. Liked Madoka Magicka or Fate/Zero? Check out Saya no Uta. Liked Angel Beats? Try Little Busters.
Anyway, I've gone on quite a while (I've played a lot of VNs, obv.), but hopefully anyone interested can use this list to start out.
I have almost no free time, and yet I'm here...priorities
I played deardrops,hyper->highspeed->genius and school days. Never even finished those :p
Stalking you.
only started playing visual novels just recently so at the moment i'm only playine one which is tsukihime might get around to play more but only after i finish this game.


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Julien Léopold Boilly(1796-1874)
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by Julien Léopold Boilly, after Descamps
line engraving, circa 1818
Sylvester Douglas, Baron Glenbervie
by Julien Léopold Boilly
lithograph, 1820
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Dealing drugs and death
Twelve Southeast Texans were indicted and arrested on federal racketeering charges in connection with a "whites only" drug distribution ring, according to an announcement by U.S Attorney John M. Bales on March 11. Four of the defendants named in the indictment also face capital murder charges.
The four-count indictment returned by a federal grand jury March 7 alleges the 12 defendants participated in a racketeering enterprise that engaged in methamphetamine distribution and murder. According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's office, seven of the charged defendants were already in custody and five were arrested on March 8. The indictment names Kenny Don Stanley, 25, of Vidor; Tanner Lynn Bourque, a/k/a "Two Shoes," a/k/a "Hitman," 33, of Port Arthur; Kristopher Leigh Guidry, a/k/a "Hollywood," 28, of Vidor; Vicki Stark-Fitts, 49, of Hull; Craig Pipps, a/k/a "Lone Wolf," 40, of Vidor; Erica Nicole Parrott, 27, of Vidor; Ricky Allen Nichols, 54, of Vidor; Michael Taylor Word, 45, of Silsbee; Juanette Marie Cunningham, a/k/a "Netty," 46, of Vidor; Mikell Allen Cunningham, a/k/a "Mikey," 28, of Vidor; Cassi Diane Hetzel, 37, of Silsbee; and Mack Langston Warner, 33, of Silsbee.
The indictment alleges that Stanley, Bourque, Guidry, Stark-Fitts, Pipps, and Mikell Cunningham, participated in the operation and management of the SWS gang. According to the indictment, SWS is a race-based organization operating inside and outside of jails and prisons, primarily in Texas. Inmates within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice reportedly founded SWS during the 1990s as the "Stupid Woods," now also known as "Solid Wood Soldiers" and "Separate White State."
A search of the defendants' criminal histories revealed that among those arrested, each has prior offenses. Prior charges within the group include felony theft, felony burglary, assault, felony possession of a controlled substance and the manufacture and delivery of a controlled substance.
Sgt. Chad Hogan of the Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed that Erica Nicole Parrot is the cousin of Vidor resident Joshua Parrott who was reported missing in May 2010. The missing man's wife, Heather Parrott who reported his disappearance, was arrested approximately one month later for federal drug violations. According to information from the U.S Attorney's office, she was one of 28 arrested when a combined task force of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies began arresting individuals named in a 35-defendant indictment on June 29, 2010. According to the indictment, beginning in August 2008, the 35 named individuals were alleged to have been involved in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and cocaine in East Texas. Prosecutors in the case alleged the defendants were directly linked to large drug cartels operating out of Mexico and that the drugs traveling into Texas were being routed to other areas of the United States.
When asked if there was any connection between the SWS gang and the Mexican drug cartels mentioned in the June 2010 indictment and whether or not Heather Parrott could have been associated with both organizations, Hogan said it is difficult to ascertain.
"There are a lot of people involved in these organizations," Hogan said. "It's a big hierarchy. They (federal investigators) have not told us a lot. Apparently, they were working undercover on this."
According to prosecutors, SWS protects its power, territory, and profits through intimidation and violence, including assaults, robbery, and murder. SWS members, prospects, and associates refer to the gang as the "wolf pack," "pack," or "family." Prospective members must be "white" and sponsored by another SWS member, according to the press release from the U.S Attorney's office. Prospects are required to study and learn the SWS constitution and by-laws and could be required to "work" for the enterprise, in which context "work" means illegal activity. The indictment further alleges SWS initiation requires a "blood in, blood out" commitment. That is, prospects are subject to a violent beating in order to become a member and when leaving the group.
SWS members, prospects, and associates are required to advance SWS goals through criminal activity, according to the indictment. Members and prospects are therefore required to commit to follow without question any order of SWS leadership. Prosecutors allege that means members and prospects must, when ordered, perform violent acts without hesitation. Maintaining power and avoiding loss of stature motivates SWS members, prospects, and associates to commit violent acts against individuals and groups believed to be disrespectful or detrimental to SWS.
The indictment additionally charges Stanley, Bourque, Guidry, and Stark-Fitts with murder in aid of racketeering. According to the indictment, on Mar. 14, 2011, the four used a firearm to murder Bridge City resident 25-year-old James Lee Sedtal, a/k/a "Lil Bit," in Liberty County, Texas. According to information from the Hardin County Sheriff's Office, Sedtal was found shot to death in the trunk of a burned car discovered in Hardin County on March 23, 2011. HCSO confirmed the four defendants accused of capital murder in this indictment were arrested for the crime in Hardin County shortly after Sedtal was discovered and have remained in custody since then. All four gave statements admitting to certain levels of involvement in the murder, deputies said. The indictment alleges that the four murdered Sedtal on behalf of SWS, after Sedtal assaulted Word, an Aryan Brotherhood of Texas (ABT) associate. The indictment states that ABT was poised to retaliate against SWS, and Bourque, Guidry, Stanley, and Stark-Fitts sought to maintain and increase their position within SWS by murdering Sedtal. If convicted of murder as charged, the defendants each face either life imprisonment or the death penalty.
The indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiring to distribute methamphetamine between Sep. 2010 and Mar. 2011. If convicted of the conspiracy charge, the defendants each face from 10 years to life in federal prison.


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2014: The year to 'go small'
If this was a dud year in Washington, get ready for 2014 — the year to "go small."
Lawmakers had already lost their appetite to "go big" this year, letting reforms of immigration, guns and the Tax Code slip away in the face of gridlock and dysfunction.
Story Continued Below
And now there's a new problem. Lawmakers are reluctant to rely on the federal government to get anything done — a guilt-by-association consequence of Obamacare's botched rollout. Republicans have called it an indictment of more than a website, but of Big Government itself.
( VIDEO: 2013 in five minutes)
While Democrats argue the problem is obstructionism — not ideology — the result will be the same: As Washington laments the end of a do-nothing year, lawmakers are fully prepared to do as little — or even less — in the new year.
"I think anything that has a significant expansion or role for the federal government is going to be problematic," South Dakota Sen. John Thune, a top Republican message strategist, told POLITICO. "Because I just think there's going to be such a cynicism and skepticism attached to any promises made with regard to the federal government's role."
There are top tier bills for 2014 that even a divided Congress should pass. A new farm bill, another debt limit extension and appropriations to keep the government from shutting down again are already lined up for action early in the year. But none is expected to be a blockbuster.
"Some things are big enough that they have to happen," said Sen. Jim Inhofe, an Oklahoma Republican at the center of several policy bills considered "must pass" that deal with the Pentagon, water infrastructure and highways.
( Also on POLITICO: The 10 craziest stories of 2013)
But beyond those few imperatives, expectations are beyond low that President Barack Obama's second term agenda will have much to do with legislating on anything comprehensive and much more to do with his own executive powers.
Obama has long faced a high bar for legislation that involves growing government — but the health law has turned it into a skyscraper.
Democrats counter that they're more than ready to take on the big issues of the day, if only Republicans would stop obsessing over Obamacare and its troubled launch. Party faithful argue that any talk of a dying legislative agenda associated with the health care law needs the critical context that the GOP long ago started fighting the president's bid for more significant victories.
"I think the problem is we ended up in something that was decided by the Republican party that this was their political ticket, this was their golden ticket to political success," said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
( PHOTOS: 25 unforgettable Obamacare quotes)
"Long before we saw any trouble with that, the Republicans blocked guns," added Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.). "Long before we saw any of that, the Republicans failed to take up an immigration bill even though we passed one. Long before we saw anything on that, we passed two farm bills, waiting for the Republicans to come up with one. I think it goes back a little bit further."
For policy advocates off the Hill, Obamacare's role in dampening prospects for other policy issues is beyond frustrating. They've been told for several years to get in line behind a seemingly endless series of budget battles. Now it's sounding like Obamacare will cool the legislative agenda for one — and perhaps two — more campaign cycles.
"Obama's credibility is shot," said GOP strategist John Feehery. "Frankly, Republicans simply don't trust this president to keep his word on anything. That makes it harder to legislate big things. Most Republicans would rather wait to see who the next president will be."
Public health funding expert Emily Holubowich said the policy issues she's been pushing for have been thwarted by a "been there, done that" attitude among lawmakers from both parties. Obamacare politics have stymied action since 2011 on a stand-alone spending bill to fund the departments of Labor and Health and Human Services. Many public health service agencies, including the National Institutes of Health, have seen their authorizations expire, with no serious talk of action. And she fretted that Democrats and Republicans won't partner on new health bills because it inevitably "becomes a debate about the merits of the ACA."
"Because of the Affordable Care Act, I think public health programs have at best been overlooked and at worse, tainted by association even though much of what is done in public health — medical research, infectious disease control and surveillance, health professions training — has little to do with the ACA," she said.
Obamacare's problems likely won't help motivate lawmakers who have fallen far behind in dealing with expiring laws and programs, including key parts of the PATRIOT Act, as well as the No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act. More than 500 programs currently are beyond their authorization deadline, according to a January report from the Congressional Budget Office.
Thad Hall, a University of Utah political science professor and reauthorization expert, said Obamacare and the rise of the tea party have left Congress with few legislators willing to dig in on the gritty details.


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Cambridge, Massachusetts has decided to offer a stipend to married gay workers who face an additional federal income tax that married heterosexual workers do not have to pay.
In the city, 22 public workers have put their spouses on their employer-provided health plan. But since the US doesn't recognize gay marriage, it sees the value of that coverage as taxable income, the AP reports. That costs those workers some $1,500 to $3,000 yearly.
"Two people who do the exact same job should be paid exactly the same for what they are doing at work," says a city councilor. Adds another: "This is a city that models what equality really means."


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Afterthoughts of a Composer, Author, Happy Husband and Father.
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Sheet Music
All Sheet Music
If You Could Hie to Kolob
Come Thou Fount
Abide with Me
Abide with Me, 'Tis Eventide
All Creatures of Our God and King
Amazing Grace
America the Beautiful
Angels We Have Heard on High
Away in a Manger
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Be Still My Soul
Be Thou My Vision
Beautiful Savior
Called to Serve
Canon in D
Canon of Carols
Carol of the Bells
Christ the Lord is Risen Today
Come Follow Me
Come Thou Fount
Come, Come Ye Saints
Count Your Blessings
Danny Boy
Faith of Our Fathers
The First Noel
For All the Saints
For the Beauty of the Earth, with the Help of Bach's Prelude #1
The Fourth Day (Original by Chas)
Gethsemane (Original by Chas)
God Be With You Till We Meet Again
His Rain (By Chas Hathaway and Ria Spencer)
Homecoming (Original by Chas)
How Can I Keep From Singing?
How Gentle God's Commands
How Great Thou Art
I Know That My Redeemer Lives
I Need Thee Every Hour
If You Could Hie to Kolob
The Iron Rod
Jesus the Very Thought of Thee
Jesus, Lover of My Soul
Joseph Smith's First Prayer
Joy to the World
Lead Kindly Light
Love At Home
The Lord is My Light
The Lord is My Shepherd
Master the Tempest is Raging
A Mighty Fortress is Our God
Moonlight Sonata
My African Dream
My Country Tis of Thee
Nearer My God to Thee
O Come All Ye Faithful
O Come, O Come, Emmanuel
O Holy Night
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O My Father
Onward Christian Soldiers
A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief
Praise to the Lord
Praise to the Man
Redeemer of Israel
Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini
Rock of Ages
Savior, Redeemer of My Soul
Silent Night
Simple Gifts
The Spirit of God
Still, Still, Still
The Star Spangled Banner
Sweet Hour of Prayer
We'll Bring the World His Truth
What Child is This?
Wide As Eternity
Who's Chas?
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The Voice of the Spirit
This is something we could all benefit from:


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The first thing that went through our head when we heard of the Matt Clement signing yesterday was "Jaime Navarro". The Jays signed him in December of 2000, and after a couple of Spring Training outings, he never threw a pitch in anger for the Jays. We're assuming the same fate for Clement.
The triumphant return of Cody
The Jays are apparently smitten with Cody Haerther, seeing as how they plucked him from the Cardinals for the second straight year in the Rule 5 draft. Which is a little puzzling, seeing as how he posted a .658 OPS in 100 games at Triple-A Memphis last season. If nothing else, this pick up provides the Jays' PR team with a do-over after mangling his name in successive press releases last season.
Harbingers of doom, courtesy of Bob Elliot
Sun Media's veteran baseball scribe raises the spectre of the Jays being put up for sale in the wake of Ted Rogers' passing. Our thoughts: no one at Rogers is going to make a decision this quickly on the team, because they've put to much time and effort into integrating their media properties and marketing initiatives into the Jays.
Some of the signs that Elliot points to have less to do with the team preparing to be sold than they have to do with the team battening down the hatches for the financial decline that is sure to have a significant impact on them for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Sadly, for us Jays fans, there are forces in the world working against the team's ultimate success that are bigger than the Yankees and Red Sox.
Why are we reading the National Post?
It took us a while to come around to it, but we have to admit that the NatPost's Jeremy Sandler did a pretty good job with his reportage from Vegas. We've been dismissive of some of his writing in the past, but we found his work to be frequent, informative, fair-minded and entertaining throughout the Winter confab. We still miss the Globe's Jeff Blair (come back Blairsy!), but in his absence, Sandler probably did the best work on the Jays' beat over the past week. Huzzah!


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For the 16th consecutive year, the Recreation Vehicle Dealers Association (RVDA) will ask dealers to express their level of satisfaction with their manufacturers and/or specific brands, confidentially, through the association's Dealer Satisfaction Index (DSI) survey.
RVDA's Industry Relations Committee made major changes to the DSI survey in 2007 to make it more useful for dealers communicating with manufacturers. Dealers and manufacturers agree the changes put in place then are extremely helpful in pinpointing strengths and weaknesses, so the 16th Annual DSI follows the same format with minor tweaks put in place in 2008 to make it better, according to a news release.
The DSI is not a scientific study, but measures dealers' attitudes about their manufacturers' performance in eight key areas identified by RVDA's Industry Relations Committee. The key areas include:
- Sales support
- Sales territory
- Vehicle design
- Vehicle reliability/quality
- Competitive price/value
- Parts support
- Dealership warranty support
- Overall dealer communications
One of the changes in 2008 involved asking dealers to pick which of the eight key areas listed above is the most important factor that helps their dealership sell RVs. They also were asked to pick the second- and third-most important factors.
Last year, dealers picked competitive price/value, vehicle reliability/quality, and vehicle design as the three most important factors in helping them sell RVs. Using 2008 as the baseline, the results of this year's DSI will help determine whether dealer attitudes change over time as to the most important factors in helping them sell RVs.
Dealers also rate the brands they carry based upon their performance in the eight key areas listed above. The ratings are on a 1 to 5 scale with 5 equaling outstanding and 1 equaling poor. Brands rated by at least 15 dealers, and receiving scores on the eight criteria that average 4 or above, will receive the RVDA Quality Circle Award.
Because the way in which manufacturers and brands are rated has not changed since 2007, dealers and manufacturers now can see whether a particular manufacturer or brand is trending up or down, in terms of its performance in the eight key areas.
Last year, 13 towable RV brands built by four manufacturers and four motorhome brands built by three manufacturers received Quality Circle Awards. Four hundred sixty-eight dealers responded to the DSI survey in 2008, for 2,547 brand ratings, an average of almost 5 1/2 per dealer.


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Peak Lists
Log In
Ascent of Gearhart Mountain on 2004-08-29
Dennis Poulin
Sunday, August 29, 2004
Ascent Type:
Successful Summit Attained
Gearhart Mountain
8370 ft / 2551 m
Ascent Trip Report
I started at 4:30AM from Medford. Arrived at the trailhead a little after 7:00AM. The road is paved all the way to the last 1.5 miles to the TH. The gravel road to the TH is nicely graded with no problems.
The Gearhart Trail is nicely maintained with a nice even grade and has forest cover all the way to the saddle. The Palisades are very interesting and are an easy walk from the TH. I just wanted to start climbing boulders, but forced myself to keep to the trail. After the Palisades the trail decends about 100ft and then continues through the forest for several more miles. I never saw any trails leaving the main trail and it is easy to follow.
When you get to the obvious saddle, bear to your left cross country through the short trees and up to the ridgeline. Make a mental note where you are when you get to the ridge so you can find it on your return trip. Once at the ridge line you still have more than a mile to go to reach the summit. In following the ridge line, there is one area where you have to do a little boulder hopping to get around one of the rocky areas. Generally stay to the left of the rocks on the ridge and work your way through the trees. Eventually you will see the highpoint and continue working your way up the ridge. The highpoint is all the way to the end of the ridge where there is a Benchmark on a rock and also a Witness Marker.
Enjoy the view. Mt. Shasta, Mt. Mcloughlin, Mt. Thielsen, Mt. Scott, and I think I could see snow capped South Sister peaking out from behind another butte.
When returning down the ridge you need to find the spot where you came onto the ridge. I passed my spot and went another .4 mile before I noticed, I had to bushwhack east about .5 mile to pick up the trail. Good thing my GPS worked and I marked several waypoints on my way up.
The short hike up to the lookout is worth the view. There is a scramble up the rocks to get to the lookout. The lookout is unmanned, but you can climb the stairs and get onto the roof if you want.
Not an inspiring peak to look at, but the views are fantastic. One of the top 100 peaks in Oregon and also #10 most prominent peak in Oregon.
Summary Total Data
Total Elevation Gain:
2990 ft / 911 m
Total Elevation Loss:
2990 ft / 911 m
Round-Trip Distance:
12.5 mi / 20.1 km
Route Conditions:
Maintained Trail, Unmaintained Trail
Ascent Statistics
Gain on way in:
2990 ft / 911 m
6.3 mi / 10.1 km
Gearhardt Trail
Start Trailhead:
5380 ft / 1639 m
Descent Statistics
Loss on way out:
2990 ft / 911 m
6.3 mi / 10.1 km
End Trailhead:
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text:
Before 9/11, when Muslims suddenly became to blame for everything, there were still morons; it's just that they believed different myths back then. Right-wing Americans, who hadn't yet been fed the "Islam is evil" myth, needed somebody to hate; and in general they chose to hate black people. White Supremacy, which went quieter after 9/11, and quieter still after Obama's election, was the right-wing American moron's prejudice of choice.
I spent a lot of time online in debate with some of these people. They had rehearsed their arguments well, but once the cracks in their reasoning were exposed, the whole edifice crumbled quickly. Their fundamental claim was that black people were genetically inferior to whites. This was old orthodoxy that had survived unchanged since the same argument was used to justify the slave trade, centuries earlier.
The racists made good use of a 1994 book called The Bell Curve, which examined both genetic and environmental factors in intelligence. However, noticing that intelligence is partly dependent on genes isn't the same as noticing significant differences between races – something the authors themselves made clear, although the racist morons chose to ignore this point. They also made use of IQ test scores which showed black populations in America significantly under-performing whites. Claims of "white supremacy", however, were dented by the fact that Chinese and Indian IQ scores were above those of whites. The poor supremacists were forced to accept Asians as their intellectual superiors, as the price of "proving" that blacks were their inferiors.
The argument was fairly easy to dismantle. IQ scores have been steadily rising since the tests were invented over a century ago, demonstrating that education is a major factor in IQ. In fact, the gap between today's white people and whites a century ago is far wider than the gap between any two racial groups today; to claim that modern whites are genetically much different from their great-great-grandparents would be nonsensical. Additionally, black IQ scores are rising faster than white ones. Again, this rules out a genetic factor.
The race-based arguments are further undermined by breaking the racial groups into smaller subgroups. For example, in the UK, black immigrants from Africa educationally outperform those from the West Indies; and Indians do better than those from Bangladesh. The arguments are old and thoroughly discredited.
So imagine my surprise when I was informed this morning that racist far-right American nut-job Ann Coulter was tweeting about a study about Hispanic "inferiority".
Liberal fear of science: Richwine Dissertation On Low Hispanic IQ Puts Heritage On Defensive – http://t.co/WGyx0w2A1U
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) May 10, 2013
This claim just happens to come at a time when a debate about amnesty for illegal Hispanic immigrants is raging. Which is convenient.
Ann is a genuine moron, but falls into the small group of morons who are just smart enough to make a good living from scaring those even dumber than themselves. She regularly pops up in the right-wing media to make racist and otherwise stupid comments that are calculated to get morons all hot and excited. The fact that she is blonde, and could be described as attractive (externally, rather than in her dark soul), if you like that sort of thing, certainly helps her win TV appearances and viewers. No doubt, Kleenex sales rise in Bible Belt states whenever she appears and calls for some country to be nuked, or calls Arabs "ragheads". Or whatever.
I wish Ann was a little more considerate. Now she's sent those tweets, my timeline will be filled by morons repeating the claims for the rest of the day. Sigh… and I was hoping for a quiet Friday.


text:
It's uncomfortable when people announce their godhood in front of you.
"Well," I say. "I can sing 'Stairway to Heaven' in Pig Latin."
More silence. Dr. Quark looks at me like I'm a bug.
"He does that a lot, the secrets of the universe speech," Ted says, referring to Dr. Quark. I'm stunned – did Ted just make a joke?
Quark continues, ignoring Ted. "I have a higher purpose, Mr. Mackenzie, and I'm willing to break a few Earth laws to reach my goal. I would expect you of all people to understand. Your relationship with the police could best be described as adversarial, yet you persist in pursuit of the greater good, breaking the law every night."
I bite back the obvious comment about how my nocturnal activities haven't spawned any unstable miniature black holes lately. I don't want to push my luck.
"My goal is simple: I want to bring dimensional technology to the planet, to humanity, before it's too late. Think of the possibilities, Mr. Mackenzie. Think of the problems it would solve."
I smile sourly. "And of course, it's proprietary technology, right? You'd license it to humanity - but at a price."
"Yes, we would stand to make a lot of money," Dr. Quark says in a matter-of-fact way.
"One has to cover one's costs," Aaron Clarke says.
Ted Bradbury bristles. "You got something against making money, Mackenzie?"
"Defensive much, Ted?" I say. "Yeah, I have a problem with making money when you're doing mad scientist shit and accidentally creating black holes just to make a buck. Call me crazy."
"Let's move on," Dr. Quark says flatly to me. "Next question?"
"All right. Are you shutting down QuantumWorks?"
Quark sighs. "Yes. Given the circumstances, we think it's best to suspend the project until we can figure out what went wrong and how to fix it."
That's the answer I was looking for. "Okay then, why did you bring me onboard? You must have known I was The Velvet Marauder – I don't get why you'd risk having me hanging around."
Dr. Quark smiles, and there's actual warmth there for the first time. "To be honest, we were scouting you for a project. We wanted to monitor you up close, see how you reacted."
"Who's we? QuantumWorks?"
"The Storm Riders."
He lets that one sink in for a minute, and then speaks: "We're interested in expanding our organization by creating a network of auxiliary heroes. It's similar to Silver Striker's affiliate program, but instead of a loose network of on-call agents, we want to form a few regional super-teams to support The Storm Rider mission."
"Like a minor league," I offer.
"More like a bush league," Ted says.
I mouth the words "fuck you" to Ted as Dr Quark continues.
"The regional teams would handle terrestrial threats that the Storm Riders might not otherwise have the time to handle. It would be a good opportunity for young heroes to learn tradecraft and get some experience, and provides the Storm Riders with a large pool of potential replacements if one of us is killed or otherwise incapacitated."
I'm a little insulted that he thinks I need to work on my tradecraft, but I'm flattered that I'm even on the Storm Riders' radar, to say nothing of actually being a candidate for an auxiliary program. I must rule.
"Why didn't you just ask me?"
Mr. Black chimes in from the corner of the boardroom. "That's not how it works."
Who is this guy? I turn my attention to Mr. Black as he rises from his seat and approaches the table. Big fella. "Okay, so how does it work?"
Mr. Black says, "We place candidates under surveillance so we can get a better idea how they work. We've been monitoring you for nine months now."
"Surveillance?" I ask. I'm starting to get a bad feeling about this. "What kind of surveillance?"
"We bugged your house with KOMA probes and set up micro-cameras in your secret chamber and gym-- "
"You WHAT?"
Without missing a beat, Mr. Black says, ""We bugged your house with KOMA probes and set up micro-cameras in your secret chamber and gym."
This is a nightmare. Am I blushing? I must be blushing, because I'm thinking of one night a few weeks back when I was online in the Secret Chamber, looking at pictures of Valkris. Specifically, I was looking at video footage of her famous "wardrobe malfunction" during the battle with those zombie conquistadors. Don't tell me you haven't looked that shit up – she's got to be the most Googled heroine ever. Anyway, I might have, you know, engaged in activity which requires the use of tissue paper that night – and these guys have it on video.
"Oh Christ," I mutter, hiding my face in my hand.
Mr. Black says, "We also installed GPS tracking devices in your armor, and set up a video feed through your goggles for point of view shots."
I'm still hung up on the whole masturbation thing, so I'm not sure I heard him right. "You what?"
Patiently, Mr. Black says, ""We also installed GPS tracking devices in your armor, and set up a video feed through your goggles for point of view shots."
"How the hell did you do that?" I say.
"It was built into the armor."
But my armor and stuff comes from My Guy -- Wombat referred him to me. Is MY Guy in bed with The Storm Riders? "Wait a second – are you My Guy?" I ask Mr. Black.
"My weapons and armor dude."
Dr. Quark interjects. "Your equipment was all designed by Hephaestus, our weapon smith."
"You gotta be fucking kidding me." Hephaestus designed my suit, my Marauderangs? The guy who makes Midnight Rambler's armor, who designed the Storm Shuttles, who made Sun King's containment suit, the guy who made the Katana giant robot? "Hephaestus made all my shit?"
"More accurately, Hephaestus' team of engineers made your shit," Quark says.
I stand up and walk away from the table, mind racing. This is all happening too quickly, I'm getting flooded here. If I was just a little smarter I could have figured this all out months ago. Steadying myself at the buffet table, I pour myself a mimosa. They're all looking at me when I turn around. Ted Bradbury has a big smirk on his face. He's enjoying this, watching me squirm.
"Hang on a second," I say. "Wombat referred me to My – to Hephaestus."
"Yes," Mr. Black says. "Wombat was under consideration for the teams as well. Hephaestus designed his suit and spades."
"But the KOMA probes – Hephaestus made those, right?" Nods. "But he does work for villains. I fought this ninja once – he was planting KOMA probes--"
"That was me," Mr. Black says.
"That was you? In the Interbionics Building that one time?"
"That was me."
"Who are you?"
Mr. Black says, "I'm The Midnight Rambler."
Any other time this would be a major, mind-blowing revelation, and I'd be awe struck by the presence of the hero who, let's face it, I've idolized for years. Now I'm just numb. Plus, The Midnight Rambler has been privy to some of the most humiliating episodes in my life: the embarrassingly one-sided fight with Ninja Rambler, the varsity football pep talk I gave myself in the bathroom before this meeting, and my pathetic masturbation session inspired by one of his teammates. Oh, and Midnight Rambler probably watched the video of me pissing myself that one night when I was drunk and decided to go on patrol. No, I'm not exactly psyched to finally meet my hero. Not like this.
"Great," I say gloomily. "You're The Midnight Rambler."
"So you were planting bugs in the Interbionics Building that night and I came along and screwed it up."
"Not entirely," he says. "You didn't find all the bugs; I got the information I needed."
"So I was right. Interbionics is dirty."
The Midnight Rambler nods. "They're in league with The Pomeranian government and have developed some extremely dangerous technology in their lab in eastern Washington."
"And that robot I fought – the Insekt model. That was a Pomeranian robot that Interbionics was going to use to guard their lab."
Then it hits me. "Hey! Hey, you were the waiter at the Interbionics Christmas party, the one that slipped me the note warning me about the champagne!"
"Yes. And I was the one that broke into your house and stole the canister of material you retrieved from Interbionics. It was very helpful, having a sample of that material to analyze."
"Well, what's in the canister?"
Mr. Black smiles. "I can't say unless you're part of the team."
"That's bullshit!" I say, forgetting who I'm talking to. "I risked my ass to get that canister! I saved the fucking day during that Christmas party!"
"Yes. But I'm still not telling you until you're part of the team. I don't share intel with outsiders."
"I can't believe this," I say. "You guys spy on me, jerk me around for the better part of a year, and now you're holding out on me."
Dr. Quark gets up and pours himself some coffee. "Any other questions?"
I've segued from embarrassment to anger now, but I stay cool. "Sure. What about Margo? Is she involved in all of this?"
"Ms. Thompson was brought on to the QuantumWorks project as a further incentive for you to join," Quark says. "We were aware of your feelings for her and thought you'd be more likely to participate if she were involved."
Aaron Clarke adds, "She's an excellent project manager, though. Quite intelligent. She was suspicious of the entire program from the beginning."
"What about Hydrangea? Was she working for you guys?"
Dr. Quark sits back down and sips his coffee. "We've had our eyes on her for a while, but direct surveillance was impossible given her powers. She's been tapped to join our teams."
I say, "So was she working for you during the whole Hungry Ghost caper?"
"No," Quark says, but I'm not sure I believe him. "We approached her shortly afterwards to ask for her help with the unstable dimensional vortex. Hydrangea is impressive. She's barely tapped into her full potential. In time…"
"Good for her. What about the bacon smell, what's up with that?"
"Well, an inevitable byproduct of side slipping – matter teleportation – is a fairly strong odor at the destination point. Originally it was an overpowering brimstone stench – like the devil had farted."
His joke gets a little courtesy laugh from me. I get the impression that Dr. Quark has explained the bacon smell a million times and he always throws that little gag in there.
"You can imagine how a noxious smell would undermine the drama of Dr. Quark suddenly appearing out of nowhere. Through a great deal of trial and error, I managed to change the smell to a sickly sweet perfume odor. I kept working at it, and now we have the relatively discrete bacon smell. I'm working on a Nag Champa scent right now. Next question?"
I point at Ted Bradbury. "Who is he?"
"That's Ted," Dr. Quark says.
"I mean, who is he really? You're Dr. Quark, he's The Midnight Rambler, he went to M.I.T. – who is Ted?"
"I'm retired," Ted says. "I don't do the cape thing anymore. I'm a businessman now."
"Okay, who were you then?"
Ted hesitates, and then says, "I was Action Lad. Then I was The Wanderer."
The room is quiet for a moment.
Then I bust out laughing. "You were Action Lad?" I cackle. "Fisticuffer's sidekick? Holy shit, Ted!"
Ted jumps to his feet, pissed, as I nearly collapse laughing. One part of me knows how inappropriate it is, but I can't stop myself. Maybe it's the stress of the situation, I don't know.
Laughing, I point at Ted. "Dude, and you had those shorts and the little cape!"
"Shut up, Mackenzie," Ted says, clenching his fists.
"I'm just trying to picture you in those shorts, Ted."
"I'm warning you."
"And the Wanderer!" I laugh. "What was with the shoulder pads and shit? When was that ever cool? You looked like an extra from that Olivia Newton-John movie, with the roller disco--"
"Xanadu," The Midnight Rambler offers.
"Right!" I cry. "Xanadu! You should combine the two looks, Ted, and wear those short-shorts with some big fucking shoulder pads and that headband."
"I think that will do, Mr. Mackenzie," Dr. Quark says.
But I'm on a roll. "The Wanderer! I heard Siegfried and Roy sued you for stealing their look!"
Ted lunges at me, snarling. I'm ready for it, and I swing my fist around in a roundhouse punch aimed right at his face.
My punch stops. I stop. Ted stops. We're suspended in mid-action, totally frozen, but Dr. Quark and the others can move. It's the strangest sensation, like when you just space out and stare for a minute into space. Do you ever do that? Just kind of zone out, staring at nothing, self-hypnotized, lost in non-thought? It's sort of like that – I feel like I am able to move, but won't.
Dr. Quark approaches and looks at me. "Do you have any more questions, Mr. Mackenzie?"
"No, I think I'm good," I say. I'm keenly aware that he could wrap me up like a pretzel if he wanted to.
He waves his hand and Ted and I float away from each other, weightless. Dr. Quark puts us on the other side of the room and lets us go.
"Now then, if you're done antagonizing Mr. Bradbury, let's talk business," Dr. Quark says.
"Talk business?" I say, smoothing out my shirt. "Are you kidding? You guys offer me a fake job, bug my house and my armor and shit, and just generally play me like a chump, and you want to talk business?"
"You're letting your pride dictate your actions, Mr. Mackenzie," Dr. Quark says. "Be reasonable."
"Fuck reasonable. You made a fucking black hole, dude! How is making a black hole on accident any worse than making one on purpose? I mean, if Diabolik did this you guys would be on him like stink on shit!"
"Nice analogy. Lower your voice," Dr. Quark says, his eyes growing dark.
"Sorry," I say quietly. "Let me tell you quietly, then: I quit. Connor Mackenzie quits, The Velvet Marauder quits. I don't want to be part of your little ant farm."
"Don't be stupid, Mackenzie," The Midnight Rambler says.
"Let him go, you don't need him," Ted says.
I hold out my hand. "Give me my phone back," I say to Dr. Quark, who is glaring at me now. I don't think he hears the word "no" a lot. Or "fuck," for that matter.
The Nokia transat phone that Silver Striker gave me appears in my open hand with a flash of light.
"Thanks," I say, pocketing the phone.
They're all looking at me.
I start to walk out. Nobody is saying anything. Lightning doesn't fall from the sky.
I stop at the boardroom door and turn around.
They're all looking at me.
Deliberately, I walk across the room to the buffet table. I grab a croissant and hold it up.
"I'm taking this," I say, then walk out.
My heart is thumping heavily in my chest as I walk down the main corridor of the QuantumWorks annex for the last time. At the end of the hallway Hydrangea waits for me, standing next to one of the big non-carnivorous potted plants. She's wearing a green silk kimono-type gown, and looks tired.
"Hello, Connor."
"Hello back," I say bitterly.
"What happened?"
"I quit. I'm walking away. I don't want any part of that bullshit, I don't care who they are."
"You're angry," she says in her Katherine Hepburn voice. "You shouldn't make any rash--"
I stop in front of her. "You could have told me. Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was instructed not to," she says.
"And if Quark told you to jump off a bridge, would you do that?" I say, then instantly regret it. What a dumb thing to say. What am I, seven?
"What are you talking about?"
"I don't know," I say. I turn and walk away. "Have fun working for Mr. God Complex."
She calls my name, but I'm gone.
I'm gone.


text:
From the author's note:
As a male, I'll never have an abortion. One of the privileges of
my sex is that I will never enter an abortion clinic as a patient.
However, according to Dr. Leroy Carhart, a friend and
associate of Dr. Tiller's, "men have had unlimited availability to
'abortion' since the beginning of time. Men can walk away from
unwanted pregnancies with virtually no response from
While our current political discourse typically rests on binaries
(good and evil; them and us), poetry often resists such
discourse. Its lines are less clean cut, less distinct. It
encourages us to see people as complicated human beings, not
simple rhetorical subjects.
And a review:
"The American debate about abortion and contraception is too often
conducted with anger and violence. Outside the Clinic is a powerful
look at these issues and those who stand on either side. It reveals
everyday truths that are often drowned out by the politicization of
abortion. It looks beyond the commotion and into the heart."
—Kellie Copeland, Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio
Buy the chapbook here.
Read it online here.


text:
Hash Table
|This is a stub or unfinished. Contribute by editing me.
A hash table is a dictionary-like data structure that provides lookup time. You associate keys with values (e.g. a dictionary associates words with definitions). Often a hash table is implemented using a hash function and an ordinary array. Collisions (when multiple keys map to the same array index) must be dealt with somehow or the hash table is severely crippled.
Typically a standard hash table library (see UsingHashMap for details) will be adequate.
There are two completely separate algorithms involved in a hash table -- the "hash function" and the "collision resolution algorithm". Any hash function can be mix-and-matched with any collision resolution algorithm.
Hash Functions[edit]
Most hash functions attempt to minimize the number of collisions, by attempting to spread all the expected keys uniformly over the array. In a few rare cases where all possible values are known ahead of time, it is possible to design a "perfect hash function" that maps each value to a different key, which eliminates all collisions.
Key Length[edit]
An incredibly simple hash function could be the length of the key. This is a terrible hash function for (hopefully) obvious reasons.
Key Value[edit]
If the key is given as a C-like string of length L, we can define the key value as such:
key[0] + key[1] + ... + key[L-2] + key[L-1]
This is a common but poor hash function. For example, "foo", "oof", and "fnp" all hash to the same index.
Good hash functions[edit]
- Julienne Walker has a list of good hash functions.
StackOverflow: "What is a good Hash Function?"
non-uniform hash functions[edit]
Has anyone done research on non-uniform hash functions? Non-uniform hash functions that deliberately make several related values hash to the same key?
- In a spelling checker using a Bloom filter, it's OK if a hash function allows thousands of non-words (such as strings that begin with "qqtt") to "collide" to a single key, as long as no correctly-spelled word collides with that same key.
- When searching a table of information using a person's name as the "value", it may be useful to have common mis-spellings of that name all hash to the same key.
- Since certain patterns in Hashlife occur overwhelmingly more often than other patterns, it may be useful to have a hash function that makes each of the most-frequent patterns hash to a key with no collisions, even if it causes less-frequent patterns to hash to a key with an average of 2 or 3 collisions, and some extremely rare patterns to a key with dozens of collisions.
- Most "hash functions" attempt to simulate a "random oracle", to have "well-mixed ... avalanche". However, the hash function used in Python dictionaries has horrible avalanche behavior, but it gives better results on typical hash tables than a perfect random oracle (and therefore better than even cryptographically secure hashes).[1].
Collision Resolution[edit]
Separate Chaining[edit]
Linear Probing[edit]
Linear probing means that if collision occurs, the next probe will be at a[index + k], where k is the constant.
Quadratic Probing[edit]
Common Operations[edit]
If we follow the wiki: RulesOfOptimization, we will need to do some testing before and after we implement some new "improved" hash table. Perhaps you will find the test data collected by Peter Kankowski to be useful as "fair and unbiased" test data to use to compare your spiffy new hash table with the default hash table built into your language.
- "Hash functions: An empirical comparison" by Peter Kankowski, and the follow-up article, "Hash functions: additional tests", gave some surprising results.


text:
Welcome to a
A Southern Lifestyle
Have you ever wondered what southern plantation life was like in the 1800's?
To know what it's like to share a Thanksgiving dinner where everything on the table came from your own fields and forests? To flee from your home when it's taken over by unwanted intruders? If you want to step back in time and find out about a fascinating tale of love and war and the strength of a Southern family, you have come to the right place!
Located on the Trent River in Pollocksville, NC, just south of New Bern, the Foscue Plantation welcomes you to Jones County and to a period in time more than 200 years ago. Built in 1824 by Simon Foscue, Jr., the plantation house has been in the family for nine generations. The décor is high-style ante-bellum and retains a number of original furnishings. In addition, the family has continued to acquire antiques which are correct to the period. Placed on the National Register of Historical Places in 1971, it was one of the first in North Carolina to be so designated. It is definitely a tour you won't want to miss. With three floors and a working basement, cemetery, garden, forest, plantation land, and the Trent River at the back of the property, there is certainly much to see.
Tickets may be purchased for tours conducted Thursday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m and by appointment. Tours begin at 10am, 12pm and 2pm. We are also available for special events and gatherings. Please call for more information.
Come visit us at
7509 US Highway 17,
Pollocksville, NC 28573
Phone: (252) 224-1803
*If no answer to above phone number, please contact Carol Foy at (252) 671-7725.