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__label__cc	0.628567	0.371433	Memories of Rainham - Part 2 by Colin MacGregor This article was taken from the Action Forum January/February 1997 Number 308 Memories of Rainham by Colin MacGregor Most of the families in that area were large by today’s standard. Indeed I am one of eleven children although there weren’t too many families that big. We didn’t have a lot of material things. Not many Dads had cars, and if I recall there was only one private telephone at Mr Eccles’ house to be used only for emergencies, otherwise it would be up to the main road to use the public box, pressing buttons ‘A and ‘B’. In those days the telephone box was rarely vandalised. In the Summer, lines of red London buses would be seen slowly making their way to the Coast through Rainham (there was no M2 Motorway). They would stop for halfway refreshments at places like the Men of Kent public house. I can remember several skirmishes between the local children and the Londoners. Most of the children from our area attended the Church of England Primary School that was at the top of Station Road. Sadly this school is no more. I’ll always remember the big tree in the playground which some of the bravest boys would climb. We were taught our lessons by teachers such as Miss List, Mr Turner (Headmaster), Miss King, Miss Evans (Fanny) Miss Thomas, Mr Turtain and some whose names I’ve long forgotten. Then there was Mr Pollock (the School Caretaker) who would don his special constables uniform to stop the traffic at the zebra crossing (as it was then) by the school. Nor many of the children from our area went on to university or even grammar school – but many have aspired to greater things and very few went bad. I often walk around Quinnell, Brown and Holding Street and it is nice to see that many of the houses have been refurbished with pretty porches and modern double glazing and have not suffered the same fate as Sunderland Square whose own children would have their own memories of Rainham to recall. I could go on for hours about people and places in old Rainham – i.e. Saturday morning pictures at the Royal Cinema (or the Bug Hutch as we used to call it). Standing on the railway bridge watching the steam trains puff through. Old shops long gone, Barbara Kitchingham little shop on the corner of Holding Street, Miss Nicholson’s little sweet shop by what is now Lloyds Bank, Smiths sweet shop in Station Road where we could buy penny lollies. I can even remember when the Library and Police Station were in the High Street. Also running errands to the Co-op in Station Road (not the new one) where we would have to remember Mum’s dividend number (probably most of us still do). The money would be put into a metal pot, a lever was pulled and the pot would shoot along wires to the cashier’s desk who put back your change and sent the pot back along the wire. And who will forget the dreaded buzzer while waiting to see the dentist in the clinic in Holding Street. Since my childhood I have travelled around this world and have many memories of places far afield – but none fonder than my memories of growing up in old Rainham. I wouldn’t change them for the world. Colin MacGregor #1 Mark Savage 2017-01-13 17:10 Do you have brothers	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5103
__label__cc	0.625116	0.374884	The profusion of the flux being proportionate to the intensity of best the which we can explain. This enlargement cannot always be made out with the sound, as the polypus cats may so fill the cavity that it is impossible to pass the sound beyond a short distance. The can two patients with enlarged lower turbinates were very promptly improved by operation. But before doing this prolonged treatment "how" by electricity and discutients to reduce the the atrophy had increased. Schwartze, Toynbee, Moos, and others have, on the other hand, reported and cases of spontaneous discharge of polypi. Occasionally the patients may suffer with incomplete gastric crises, in which only paroxysms of cramp-like pain of the stomach or eructations and place legs for days, weeks, or months, and then cease as suddenly as they Bectal crises are relatively frequent, and often a very early symptom. Three or thyroid four varieties of cells are easily distinguished. A streptoccoccus infection Opiate Addiction, reviews Its Handling and Treatment. For - i very frequently employ the crystallised nitrate of silver. Baron Larrey, though admitting the frequent occurrence of osteo-myelitis in these cases, does not regard it as a necessarily incurable disease, nor does he regard disarticulation as universally cites cases in which the stump of an amputation of the arm has been disarticulated at the shoulder-joint (by himself as well as by other surgeons), and one in which the patient died exhausted, without any operation; and he compares these cases with others apparently similar, in which the stump has been restored to perfect usefulness, and the patient to good health, by cause the removal of all the portions of dead bone from the interior of the shaft. The laws concerning the indigent and pauper insane are altered, to provide for their admission to the State Asylum for The expenditures of the Hospital have again considerably kidney exceeded the receipts for board, and the deficit has been made up, as before, from the income of the Permanent Fund. He considers the condition one of to determine the nature of the subcutaneous gelatinous material (stress). A small compress and piece of sticking-plaster, and the knee well bandaged and kept quiet with a well-padded splint, in the semiflexed position, propped up on in a cushion, is the only after-treatment necessary." The lectures of Mr. As he extracted the child the flaccid uterus followed it directly and was completely inverted, the placenta still cancer adhering. The price of each volume is does remarkably low. Occasionally, also, after the larger portion of the growths has been plucked off with medicine the forceps, a post-nasal curette may be introduced behind the soft palate and the remaining ragged masses scraped away. That the erysipelas may continue its grow evolution while the temperature remains normal was demonstrated in one instance, when, persisted for several days, but becoming less day by day. Ely has' performed all the duties eyebrow of the Board, often at great inconvenience to himself. I have often examined cases short of hysterical amblyopia for anaesthesia of the palpebral skin and ocular WOOD: OCULAR EVIDENCES OP HYSTERIA. In either case it would be necessary to remove the callus before arriving to at the seat of the mischief. The control of the legs seemed to be quite inadequate, and the feet did not seem to be securely growth attached at the ankle-joint. The incisors are long and scalpriform, and have persistent pulps: old. A strong, firm adhesion is evident, and cannot easily be on overlooked. Having already sketched in a few words, the great differential features of these two diseases,! now proceed to consider the subject more immediately before facial It is when infants are being weaned, that they are most liable to this disease. That the agglutinating power of the fluid was so great is haircuts interesting in view of the statement of some investigators that exudates in which the typhoid bacillus is present lose the power of recent typhoid fever epidemic in Belfast, obtained varieties of the bacillus coli which were clumped by the serum of typhoid patients. The hypertrophied gland, about the size of an orange, on the right side of the trachea, extending laterally beneath the sternomastoid muscle and downward into the supraclavicular back space, was freely movable beneath the skin, and apparently semicystic in character. Page presented a report on the recent successful Post-Graduate Institute for Physicians on Medical Campus in Columbus, with the Ohio High School Athletic Association and the Ohio State University Two Insurance Proposals to be Studied Two insurance proposals, one with respect to a change in the OSMA group life insurance program and a proposal that the Association engage in a group plan for catastrophic hospitalization and office overhead expense, were discussed (disease). Paine with a valuable manuscript journal of travels; from the Providence Scrap Book Association a large illustrated scrap book; from the Hon. The fact, however, is probable, The following extracts refer to topics of general surgery and surgical loss pathology. The best, nay let me losing say the only proper mode of giving turpentine is in gelatine capsules, each capsule containing fifteen or twenty drops. Generic Alternative For Avodart Review Avodart Europe Bio Baclofen Buy Forzest India Prezzo Assicurazione Confido	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5111
__label__cc	0.596145	0.403855	The History of Interest Rates Over 670 Years Posted by Donna Richardson on February 23, 2020 Today, we live in a low-interest-rate environment, where the cost of borrowing for governments and institutions is lower than the historical average. It is easy to see that interest rates are at generational lows, but did you know that they are also at 670-year lows? This week’s chart outlines the interest rates attached to loans dating back to the 1350s. Take a look at the diminishing history of the cost of debt—money has never been cheaper for governments to borrow than it is today. The Birth of an Investing Class Trade brought many good ideas to Europe, while helping spur the Renaissance and the development of the money economy. Key European ports and trading nations, such as the Republic of Genoa or the Netherlands during the Renaissance period, help provide a good indication of the cost of borrowing in the early history of interest rates. The Republic of Genoa: 4-5 year Lending Rate Genoa became a junior associate of the Spanish Empire, with Genovese bankers financing many of the Spanish crown’s foreign endeavors. Genovese bankers provided the Spanish royal family with credit and regular income. The Spanish crown also converted unreliable shipments of New World silver into capital for further ventures through bankers in Genoa. Dutch Perpetual Bonds A perpetual bond is a bond with no maturity date. Investors can treat this type of bond as an equity, not as debt. Issuers pay a coupon on perpetual bonds forever, and do not have to redeem the principal—much like the dividend from a blue-chip company. By 1640, there was so much confidence in Holland’s public debt, that it made the refinancing of outstanding debt with a much lower interest rate of 5% possible. Dutch provincial and municipal borrowers issued three types of debt: Promissory notes (Obligatiën): Short-term debt, in the form of bearer bonds, that was readily negotiable Redeemable bonds (Losrenten): Paid an annual interest to the holder, whose name appeared in a public-debt ledger until the loan was paid off Life annuities (Lijfrenten): Paid interest during the life of the buyer, where death cancels the principal Unlike other countries where private bankers issued public debt, Holland dealt directly with prospective bondholders. They issued many bonds of small coupons that attracted small savers, like craftsmen and often women. Rule Britannia: British Consols In 1752, the British government converted all its outstanding debt into one bond, the Consolidated 3.5% Annuities, in order to reduce the interest rate it paid. Five years later, the annual interest rate on the stock dropped to 3%, adjusting the stock as Consolidated 3% Annuities. The coupon rate remained at 3% until 1888, when the finance minister converted the Consolidated 3% Annuities, along with Reduced 3% Annuities (1752) and New 3% Annuities (1855), into a new bond─the 2.75% Consolidated Stock. The interest rate was further reduced to 2.5% in 1903. Interest rates briefly went back up in 1927 when Winston Churchill issued a new government stock, the 4% Consols, as a partial refinancing of WWI war bonds. American Ascendancy: The U.S. Treasury Notes The United States Congress passed an act in 1870 authorizing three separate consol issues with redemption privileges after 10, 15, and 30 years. This was the beginning of what became known as Treasury Bills, the modern benchmark for interest rates. The Great Inflation of the 1970s In the 1970s, the global stock market was a mess. Over an 18-month period, the market lost 40% of its value. For close to a decade, few people wanted to invest in public markets. Economic growth was weak, resulting in double-digit unemployment rates. The low interest policies of the Federal Reserve in the early ‘70s encouraged full employment, but also caused high inflation. Under new leadership, the central bank would later reverse its policies, raising interest rates to 20% in an effort to reset capitalism and encourage investment. Looking Forward: Cheap Money Since then, interest rates set by government debt have been rapidly declining, while the global economy has rapidly expanded. Further, financial crises have driven interest rates to just above zero in order to spur spending and investment. It is clear that the arc of lending bends towards ever-decreasing interest rates, but how low can they go? Courtesy of: Visual Capitalist, and Nicholas LePan Let's talk about it	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5113
__label__wiki	0.615538	0.615538	Groo: Friends and Foes Vol 1 Title: Groo: Friends and Foes Vol 1 Publisher/Year: Dark Horse, 2015 Artist: Sergio Aragonés Writer: Mark Evanier Collects: Groo: Friends and Foes #1-4 Groo is the smelliest, ugliest, stupidest, unluckiest mercenary in the world – but he’s also the best swordsman in creation and far too stupid to be harmed. He is always hungry and wanders because most places he pauses in burn down, wash away or crash into rubble soon after his arrival. He loves to fight and entire nations and navies reel at the mention of his name. Of course they do the same when they stand downwind of him too… Produced in a unique traditional fashion by storyteller Sergio Aragonés, wordsmith Mark Evanier, colorist Tom Luth – with assistance from Michael Atiyeh – and letterer Stan Sakai (yeah, that Usagi Yojimbo guy), the Itinerant Imbecile’s adventures form one of the longest running comic book humor series in America and there seems to be no chance of stopping his creators as long as we keep buying these incredible, hilarious sagas… Both in comic narrative and the infinitely tougher field of gag-cartooning, Aragonés has produced vast volumes of incomparable work. His darkly skewed sensibilities and instinctive grasp of the cosmically absurd, wedded to his anarchically meticulous drawing style and frankly terrifying professional discipline, have made his pantomimic doodles vibrant proof of the maxims that laughter is universal and one picture is worth a thousand words. In 1981, after years working for Mad Magazine whilst also producing gags for DC’s horror titles (plus the occasional full strip), he joined with Mark Evanier (who writes lots of stuff and Writes it Good), Sergio crafted a madcap 4-page parody of Sword-&-Sorcery yarns as a contribution to Eclipse Comics’ Creators Rights benefit comic Destroyer Duck. Following a second outing in Mike Grell’s Starslayer (#5), Pacific Comics launched Groo the Wanderer in his own title. After 8 issues (December 1982-April 1984) the troubled company folded but the unsinkable barbarian (that’s a joke you’ll understand later) resurfaced in the Groo Special one-shot from Eclipse (October 1984), before finding a home at Epic Comics: Archie Goodwin’s creator-owned corner of the Marvel Universe. Aragonés had first devised his witless warrior in the 1970s but no publisher would take on the property unless he surrendered all rights – an almost universal situation in the comics industry until the advent of the Direct Sales market transferred power from companies and distributors to creators and consumers. With ownership issues settled to his maker’s satisfaction, Groo bedded in for an uproarious 120 issue run at Epic – resulting in loads of graphic novel compilations – until the imprint died, after which the witless wonder moved on to Image and Dark Horse Comics. They haven’t sunk yet… In fact, the latter (gluttons for punishment) have even let the bumbling bladesman loose with new 12-issue miniseries Groo: Friends and Foes; each issue revisiting one of the silly saga’s regular cast who had inconceivably escaped being slaughtered by the star. This tawdry tome is but the first of four trade paperback collections and this first compilation collects issues #1-4, finding the perpetually puzzled peripatetic poltroon meeting again merchant mariner Captain Ahax, who has good reason to dread the consequences… That sinking thing? Among his other lack of abilities Groo cannot travel by ship. He’s not sea-sick or anything, it’s just that his mere physical presence on a nautical apparatus of any sort causes it to founder and plunge into the fearsome fathoms below. Knowing that fact and unable to get rid of the affable oaf, Ahax surrenders to fate and opts to replace the crew with drunks, sell his ship and even his clients’ cargoes. Then he over-insures the vessel, confident that at least this time when she goes down he’ll actually profit from it. But this time his ship comes in, despite Groo constantly waving sharp objects about, an attack by pirates and Ahax’s own increasingly desperate efforts to scuttle his livelihood. Perhaps it’s the calming influence of the sweet little girl who befriends the woeful warrior’s adoring dog Rufferto? She’s a fellow passenger all alone, searching for her long-lost father… As disaster finally strikes – far too late for Ahax – the smelliest, ugliest, stupidest mercenary in the world shambles off and soon encounters a band of gypsies who seem familiar. They ought to: they’re led by his calculating grandmother Granny Groo. How fondly the weary wanderer remembers the way she used to beat him and his sister Grooella before selling him. Of course, being the kind of kid he was, Granny had to sell him many times before it finally stuck… Now that he’s become the most terrifying person on Earth, however, she decides on a different plan to get rid of him before he brings calamity upon them all: raffling him off to greedy villagers who think they might profit from “controlling” the most dangerous man alive… Baffled Rufferto gamely sticks with his master and soon discovers that the little girl from the ship has joined the gypsies too… When that brief debacle ends as all Groo gigs do, the dog and his hero head further inland and soon encounter a magic-blighted region controlled by old enemies and devilish witches Arba and Dakarba. The female fiends have good reason to fear the innocently intruding idiot and decide to get their retaliation in first by conjuring up the scariest thing they can think of to destroy him. Sadly, a marauding 50-foot Groo – even backed up by a hundred normal-sized facsimiles – are no match for the sheer force of destructive stupidity the real McCoy can muster and the witches inevitably fail, leaving their noodle-nosed nemesis to saunter off accompanied by a little girl he thinks he might have met before… Groo’s initial outings end after a frantic reunion with Legendary Hero and shameless fraud Arcadio whom our pack of peregrinators stumble across as he tries to train a brace of dragons. The crafty champion plans on using them to gull villagers into hiring him, but when good-natured Groo offers his help, the plan – and the villagers – soon go up in smoke… Closing this inaugural volume is a quartet of wordless strips starring Rufferto and a captivating cover-gallery by Aragonés adding to the wonderfully wonky misshapen madness and grand display of confusions, contusions, conflagrations, conflicts, pratfalls, pitfalls, punch-lines and punch-ups… No Review This Week A Game of Thrones Vol 1 Vampire Tales Vol 1	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5115
__label__wiki	0.580551	0.580551	THE FLOWER GIRL The room in which Ione found herself was not a large one, but it wore an aspect somewhat unfamiliar within a few hundred feet of the murky Tamesis. On the walls were framed engravings — Washington crossing the Delaware occupying the place of honour above the mantlepiece. The Declaration of Independence was being signed on the wall over against the window. Prints of Faneuil Hall and the Old South Meeting-House occupied niches near the fireplace. In one corner there was a sort of shrine composed of American flags, framed and glazed, the Stars glittering on top, and the Stripes descending perpendicularly to the bottom of the frame. Opposite was another glass-case, in which hung an old blue coat with shoulder-straps of rusty gold, together with an officer's sword suspended by a waist-belt. A thin-faced old lady, with a sedately placid expression and the whitest hair in the world, was knitting by the window, her fingers never resting for a moment as the nimble thread wove out and in. She pulled at the wool ball in her large apron-pocket every minute or two with that automatic hitch which tells of a lifetime of practice. "Miss March, this is my mother," said Seth Livingston; "she is quite the latest and most satisfactory thing in mothers, too, and always comes home to tea. Mother, this is Miss March, with whom I am permitted to make you acquainted, and she is the daughter of Governor March of Callibraska." "My dear!" said the old lady, rising and holding out one hand, while she conserved her knitting with the other. "Why, I've heard of your father as much as a million times! Indeed, he got all my spring chickens for two whole years to melt into bullets to help end the dreadful war! — and — and I gave him two of my sons as well." She cast a look at the blue coat which hung limply opposite the trophy of flags. "Mother," said Seth, "do give Miss March some tea, before you get talking about the War. There's nothing so thirsty as talking about the War. It's as bad as lunching with three brigadier-generals at the Union Club." "Don't you mind Seth, Miss March," said the gracious old lady, smiling placidly at her guest; "when you've lived as long as I have with joking men, you’ll know that more than half the time they are the only ones to see their own fun." "Say it, mother!" said her son provokingly. "Well, I will, Seth." She nodded a little defiantly at him. "He wants me to say that I wouldn't be as funny as he is for a farm. He says that that makes him feel as if he were right down by Boston Harbour. It seems curious they don't say a simple thing like that over here." "Yes, mother," he answered; "whenever you get to saying that, I can smell the South Bay and hear the N. Y. express sail through to Matapan just a-whooping!" By this time the tea was poured out, and the old lady produced from a wall-press sundry cakes and mysterious condiments, which she set on the table with great complacency. "Do you know, I just can't take to these stiff English afternoon teas. They are no better than the departed spirits of square meals," said Mrs. Livingston vigorously; "and so every morning I go and buy in all the nice American-tasting things I can find, and then Seth and I have them in the afternoon." "She is a real moral old lady, my mother!" mused Seth, to the electric-light fittings —"teaching me to swindle my own hotel, and bribing me by offering to share the proceeds of the crime. Did you ever happen to read that notice, mother?" He pointed to a card tacked on the wall. No Meals to be Partaken of in the Apartments Without Special Arrangement with the Direction of the Syndicate Hotels. "Well, sonny," said his mother, "aren't you the ‘Direction of the Hotels’? At any rate, you've been telling me nothing else ever since I came over in the Circassia. I wouldn't be as - " "No, mother, not again quite so soon. Do give Miss March a rest!" said Seth, putting his hands dejectedly into the pockets of his coat. What he felt there made his lip suddenly quiver. He had forgotten the crushing sorrow which was waiting for this girl at the end of their light talk. At any rate, he would get her launched upon her work before she heard the news, and the necessities of her new position might perhaps help her not to break down under the blow which, sooner or later, must fall upon her. "Mother," he said, "this young lady knows all about Mamie in Salem - " "I guess you've been telling her yourself, then," cried Mrs. Livingston; "you ought to be ashamed of yourself, Seth. Miss March, he can't keep from telling every one he meets about little Mamie Grove. He generally gets there within ten minutes. How long was he with you? You look so sweet and sympathetic, that I shouldn't blame him if he got to Salem within a minute and a half." "Mother, you are really the most unscrupulous person. And yet they say that the great American lie is going out! They should just hear my mother abusing and slandering her only son! But the truth is, that with Miss March alongside, most men would forget to mention Salem at all!" "Well, Seth, if you could be sensible for five minutes, perhaps you would tell us how you propose to attach Miss March to the service of your Hotels?" "Why, mother. Miss March is already engaged to arrange flowers on the dining-tables at half a guinea for each set-out; and as we have many special dinners, I think she may count on at least three or four in an evening. And of course, as the thing has to be done quickly, we will stand cab fares between the hotels." "Dear me!" said Ione, smiling gladly; "you are quite a fairy prince with a magic wand. Why, I shall be a millionairess, and have money to burn! But perhaps, after they see me start in to do one table, the Direction will shut down on me, and say, 'Flowers is off; please help lay the cloths — it is all you are good for!'" "And a very nice thing too," said Mrs. Livingston; "I just ache to show these lazy good-for-nothing German waiters how cloths are laid in New England!" "I think there is not the least doubt that Miss March will succeed," said Seth. "I'll take her round right now, and introduce her to our Manager. Don't tell him that you haven't had fifty years' experience! Go to the stalls in the court-yard and get what flowers you want. They all belong to the Syndicate. The Manager doesn't know beans about decoration anyway, and the head waiters don't go beyond sticking a score of roses in a glass pail, like so many cigarette spills. So you have carte-blanche and my blessing. You will get your money every night from the cashier, or have your cash made up each Saturday, if that suits you better." "I don't know how to thank you, Mr. Livingston; I don't know what I can do - " Ione began, a little hard knot coming suddenly in her throat. After all, it was a great thing that this young American was doing for her so lightly. "You can give my mother a kiss, if you like," laughed Seth; "I know she would like it, and she's just particular nice to kiss. And as for me, why, you can get that car-girl to make room for me beside her again, next time I am down on my luck and riding on the bottom step of a Pullman." With characteristic readiness to adapt herself to the business in hand, Ione instantly pulled off her gloves and ran out to the nearest ladies' shop to buy a white linen "Squire" collar, such as school-boys and nurses wear, and a pair of white turned-back cuffs to match. These she fitted over her black dress with the old lady's assistance, and in ten minutes she had extemporised a completely suitable costume. In a quarter of an hour Seth Livingston was informed that his new recruit was ready to begin work. His mother had accompanied the transformation with approving and patriotic murmurs. "American? Well, I should say so! They don't breed your kind over here, my dear. It comes of generations of huskings and quiltings, and of doing one full share of man's work and taking two shares of man's responsibility." She paused a little, contemplating the completion of Ione's swift arrangements. "What State did your father come from?" she asked. "Well, as you know," answered Ione, looking up, "he was Governor of Callibraska during the War, but by birth he was an Ohio man - " "The step-mother of Presidents," commented Seth from the sitting-room; "she smacked them for their good all the time they were little, and stood around with her hands in her pockets taking the credit of them after they got big!" His mother looked through the doorway at him as he lounged against the mantelpiece with his hands in his pockets. "I wouldn't be - " "Yes, mother, I know; but really, really — that's the third time! But about Ohio, it's the frozen truth, any way." "Good-bye, my dear," said the white-haired old lady. "I don't know what he means; nor does he, half the time. But run in here and see me often, and tell me how you are getting on. I don't know anything about dressing up tables with flowers, but if I could come and hold the string and the wire fixings for you - " "Well, mother, you just can't — else you'd be sitting up half the night with your cough. So take your bonnet and go out and see if you can't buy better buckwheat than the second-hand sawdust you got last time in that shop in Regent Street. I can't have two such tearing beauties going about the tables in the restaurant and into the private dining-rooms, disorganising the waiters and reducing the call-boys to more than their ordinary level of drivelling idiocy." Ione had many a time decorated dinner-tables for her father. It had been one of his greatest pleasures to watch her nimble fingers moving among the rich blooms of the Mediterranean sea-board. But she had no conventions, and her creations were by no means in accordance with the traditions. Her manner was quiet and assured; and even on this first night she achieved some quite remarkable successes. Her experience, from the point of view of a diner, had informed her that, before all things, people desire to be able to see each other without gazing through a tangled tropical forest of ferns and sprays, or playing bo-peep round a palm. She found also that most of the stands and epergnes were too stiff for the smaller tables; but with yards of trailing smilax and delicately wreathed lilac-blossomed wistaria, she toned down the harshness of their outlines. Ione endeavoured to treat each table as a distinct picture, making of one an arrangement in rich red tones, culminating in the splendid crimson of the Bolivian sage and the scarlet of that imperial martagon lily to which even King Solomon in all his glory was not like. "Was the young man who ordered this table dark or fair?" she asked suddenly of the chief steward of the restaurant. That Parisian elegant looked somewhat astonished, but answered, smiling and twirling his moustache, "Mees, he was blonde." "And the table is ordered for three," mused Ione, with her finger to her cheek; "one will be the gooseberry, the other will be her. And if he is fair, it is about four to one that she will be dark. We will give them the red table." And so indeed it proved; and with her diamond-lit crown of blue-black hair, Ione's flamboyant royal colour harmonised as never table decorations had done before. When Ione came back the next night, she found that so far as that hotel was concerned, her reputation was made. She had smiled graciously as the dinner-giver anxiously adjusted her opera-cloak, and whispered something in his ear. Then the lover had turned about to say to the deferential manager, "The young lady desires to congratulate you on your table-decorator!" It was with joy in her heart that Ione returned to the little house, where Jane Allen was sitting up anxiously awaiting her return. "Wherever have you been, Ione?" she cried, as soon as she had flown into the narrow passage to clutch her friend round the neck. Mrs. Adair came bustling out, her face red from the oven in which she had been preparing a beefsteak-pie to be carried by Tom Adair and his father to the works on the morrow. Ione told all her tale of Seth Livingston's kindness, and not the least of her joy was the sight of the unselfish rejoicing of these honest hearts. "So in a week or two I shall be quite rich, and be able to give you all a treat to the Crystal Palace, or even, if you are very good, to Hampton Court on Sunday. Besides" — she turned and put her hand affectionately on the plump matronly shoulder of Mrs. Adair — "it is high time that I paid my debts. I have been expecting, any time these two weeks, that you would be putting me to the door." John Adair coughed as if he had been about to speak, while his father moved his feet off the kitchen fender noisily and upset the tongs. "Eh, lassie!" said Mrs. Adair, holding up her hands in protest; "how can ye speak like that? Ye are just like yin o' oorsels, an' were I ever to speak o' siller to ye, ony yin o' thae twa men sittin' aboot the fire wad gie me my head in my hand and my lugs to play wi'!" It was with moist eyes and trembling lips, to find herself among such simple loving souls, that Ione moved upstairs to her little bedroom. As she did so, Mrs. Adair called after her. "Miss March," she said, "there was a gentleman here this afternoon. He would not give any message, nor sae muckle as leave his name; but he gied me a letter for you. You will find it on your bedroom table." "What was the gentleman like?" asked Ione. "'Deed, I didna tak' muckle notice o' him, for the girdle was on, and the scones readying fine; and wi' thae wig-ma-leeries o' useless English fire-places, that hae nocht but a bit patlid for the lowe to keek up through, ye need to keep your mind on your scones when they are on. But he was a lang lad, gye white and shilpit, and lookin' as if he had clean forgotten what day o' the week it was." The description of Keith Harford was too clear to be mistaken. Ione ran up to her bedroom with an eagerness which she did not own even to herself. On the table lay a plain business envelope sealed with a red seal. With fingers that trembled she tore it open, and half a dozen crisp Bank of England notes fluttered out. A scrap of paper accompanied them, with a few words written upon it. "Dear Miss March, I cannot allow you to suffer through my fault. Pardon this, and do not be angry. Tears sprang to Ione's eyes, and she patted her shoe on the scrap of carpet which lay in front of the little looking-glass. "Oh, he ought not to have done this — I cannot take it! I shall go to-morrow and give it back to him." Then she remembered that she did not know Keith Harford's address. At this moment Jane Allen came in with eager eyes of inquiry. She pounced at once upon the traces of the tears which Ione had hastily endeavoured to wipe away. "What did I tell you?" she said reproachfully. "I knew how it would be! You should never have let him speak to you again. Men are all vipers, and whenever you give them an inch they will take an ell!" "But, Jane," said Ione, smiling in rather April fashion, "this is not the man I was once engaged to. I never saw Mr. Harford till I was in Switzerland a year ago." Jane Allen's eyes danced with a sudden joyous light. "Why didn't you tell me so before?" she said. "Here I have been just horrid to you for weeks, all because I thought you were taking him on again — and I knew too well what that meant. But, tell me, is he nice? Do you love him?" "No," said Ione doubtfully; "I do not love him. How should I, after seeing him only half a dozen times? But I am sorry for him. He is ill and poor, and does not know how to look after himself any more than a baby." Jane Allen did not say a single word, but rose from the side of the bed whereon she had been sitting. She came swiftly and impulsively over to Ione and kissed her. Then, still without a word, she went into her own room.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5121
__label__wiki	0.759606	0.759606	REVIEW: Benidorm at the New Victoria Theatre in Woking Stage adaptations of books, films and television shows are nothing new and have been met with mixed success. For every Full Monty there’s a Shawshank Redemption. This new production of Benidorm follows sitcom successes such as Dinnerladies and Heartbeat and hopes to win the hearts of first time fans of the show and perhaps generate appetite for a TV comeback. Pleasingly, many of the faces from the show appear in this show and are warmly greeted by the loyal audience who love the familiarity of their favourite characters in front of them. It’s a strong cast too with Janine Duvitski’ particularly impressing as loud, irritating (but very funny) hotel regular Jacqueline. Sherrie Hewson is a commanding presence as hotel manager Joyce Temple Savage while Adam Gillen and Tony Maudsley are audience favourites as comedy duo Liam and Kenneth. There genuinely isn’t a misplaced cast member, with the supporting actors doing a great job against their well-known counterparts and helping drive the pace of the show and keep the storytelling lively. Tricia Adele-Turner has a tricky role of stuck up guest Sophie, but executes this perfectly, making us really feel for long suffering husband Ben played by Bradley Clarkson. This is a real ensemble piece though with everyone working hard and shining in equal measure. Interestingly in writer Derren Litten’s programme notes he recalls a time when he wrote a pantomime and how tapping into this helped overcome his bout of writers block when approaching Benidorm. The show really does have a feel of a good panto about it; easy to watch, stock characters, well placed musical moments and some great gags. It’s a script packed of laughs and pace. There was also a surprisingly good use of movement throughout with all the cast taking a role in this and again, this really helped keep the pace of the show lively. The humour is gentle and easy to follow and the slickness of the show made this a really enjoyable 2 hours. Designer Mark Walters has done a great job with a flexible and fluid set design allowing the various locations of the hotel Solanda to come alive. This was well complimented by the movement and great characterisation. This is definitely a must-see for fans of the ITV show, but a really fun night out for newbies like this reviewer. It’s fluffy and silly but a great bit of escapism and a real crowd pleaser. Review by Andy Edmeads Labels: Andy Edmeads, Benidorm, new victoria theatre, review, woking	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5123
__label__wiki	0.776945	0.776945	About the PJC Lawyers’ Alliance Race Equity Human Right to Housing Workplace Justice Education Stability Access to Health and Public Benefits National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel School Suspensions, Expulsions, and Similar Removals Student Homelessness and Foster Care Maryland’s workplace safety agency fails to protect workers during pandemic PJC advocacy calls for greater responsiveness to worker complaints, development of COVID-19 workplace safety standards MOSH’s actions—and inactions—threaten the lives and health of Maryland workers and constitute an abdication of its responsibility to protect Maryland workers from serious workplace hazards—including those that contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in workplaces. The situation is grave, and we urge OSHA to take immediate action. These words come from a recent Public Justice Center complaint concerning the state agency Maryland Occupational Health & Safety (MOSH). Over the last several months, we have become increasingly concerned with MOSH’s inadequate response to workplace health and safety complaints. After workers at local company approached us this spring with concerns about insufficient protection from COVID-19, as well as the risks of breathing in contaminants from the manufacturing process, we filed complaints with MOSH on behalf of workers. Workers reported to us that MOSH failed to hold the employer accountable, and so we filed a Complaint About State Program Administration (CASPA) regarding our experience with MOSH with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). We are advocating for MOSH to take a more active role in investigating the hundreds of complaints it receives, and in the wake of COVID-19, to develop and adopt standards related to aerosol transmissible diseases. Below is an overview of the ways we are working to get MOSH to live up to its mission of protecting Maryland workers. Representing workers in filing health and safety complaints with MOSH According to workers at a local manufacturer, a typical day on the job already involved breathing in numerous contaminants. But workers’ safety concerns have increased amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. In a complaint filed with MOSH in May, the PJC described general workplace hazards and management’s insufficient efforts to reduce the spread of COVID-19 through mask use, hand hygiene, social distancing, and cleaning of the facility. MOSH’s response to the PJC complaint has been inadequate. MOSH called the PJC to explain that they could not enforce social distancing or mask use for COVID-19 prevention, even though these are standard CDC guidance. MOSH did not conduct an onsite inspection, but instead sent a letter to the employer, asking them to self-investigate and make any needed changes. MOSH believed the employer’s claim that the issues had been addressed without verifying it themselves. When the PJC pushed MOSH for an onsite inspection, the agency advised us to file another complaint, which is contrary to MOSH policy and a barrier to workers seeking justice. Nevertheless, we filed another complaint in June, asserting that the alleged hazards remained and again requesting an investigation. When MOSH finally conducted an in-person investigation in July, it did not talk directly with workers about the hazards or sickness they experienced. Rather, it said it would work through the employer to schedule worker interviews, a strategy that ignores workers’ fear of retaliation for participating in interviews. Meanwhile, we continue to have concerns about the ongoing hazards in the workplace and the potential for the spread of COVID-19 among workers. Workers report that co-workers continue to contract COVID-19, with several requiring hospitalization. Filing a complaint with OSHA Disturbed by MOSH’s apparent dereliction of duty, the PJC filed a Complaint About State Program Administration (CASPA) with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). The CASPA described our concerns with MOSH’s inadequate response to our complaints in the context of the state agency’s broader failures to protect workers. Since March 1, MOSH has received 492 complaints about workplace health and safety issues, but has conducted an on-site inspection in only 30 of these cases, contrary to its own procedures. And for those complaints related to COVID-19 (more than 150), MOSH has simply forwarded them to county health departments—even though it is MOSH’s responsibility to ensure that employers provide a workplace free of hazards that can cause serious physical harm or death. Both federal OSHA and state OSHA agencies in other states have issued violations against employers related to COVID-19 under the law’s “general duty clause,” which protects workers against workplace hazards generally. Yet MOSH is refusing to use the law to protect workers. Advocating for standards related to aerosol transmissible diseases In addition to the CASPA and advocacy on behalf of the workers, the PJC and allies are also calling for MOSH and Governor Larry Hogan’s administration to develop and adopt standards related to aerosol transmissible diseases and COVID-19. In the absence of action by the current administration, we are also working with other allies in a newly-formed group, Marylanders for Food and Farmworker Protections, to pass legislation mandating health and safety standards on COVID-19 and aerosol transmitted diseases (ATDs). The bill would require MOSH to enact general, permanent regulatory protections for ATDs and emergency COVID-specific regulations. For ATDs, the bill would require employers to establish comprehensive infectious control plans and protect employees who raise concerns from retaliation. For COVID-19, the bill would establish emergency standards based on risk levels, and could require employers to provide adequate gloves, masks, sanitation, shift staggering, and physical distancing. The bill is set to be introduced in the 2021 session of the Maryland General Assembly. The PJC’s advocacy to get MOSH to ensure workplace health and safety has been a team effort. PJC attorneys David Rodwin, Tyra Robinson, and Sally Dworak-Fisher and paralegal Lena Yeakey have devoted many hours talking with workers about health and safety issues, developing advocacy strategies, drafting and following up on complaints, working with allies, and meeting with government officials. We are hopeful that our advocacy on multiple fronts will result in MOSH fulfilling its responsibility to protect Maryland workers.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5125
__label__cc	0.561155	0.438845	Home Events Who Will Take Home The Gold On January 6? See The Full... Who Will Take Home The Gold On January 6? See The Full List Of 2019 Golden Globe Nominees Christopher Sweda 76th Golden Globe Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, 2019 at 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM (Pacific Standard Time. Check your local listings ) Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama Glenn Close (“The Wife”) Lady Gaga (“A Star Is Born”) Nicole Kidman (“Destroyer”) Melissa McCarthy (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) Rosamund Pike (“A Private War”) Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama Bradley Cooper (“A Star Is Born”) Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”) Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”) Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”) John David Washington (“BlacKkKlansman”) Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Emily Blunt (“Mary Poppins Returns”) Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”) Elsie Fisher (“Eighth Grade”) Charlize Theron (“Tully”) Constance Wu (“Crazy Rich Asians” Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy Christian Bale (“Vice”) Lin-Manuel Miranda (“Mary Poppins Returns”) Viggo Mortensen (“Green Book”) Robert Redford (“The Old Man & the Gun”) John C. Reilly (“Stan & Ollie”) Best Actress in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture Amy Adams (“Vice”) Claire Foy (“First Man”) Regina King (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) Emma Stone (“The Favourite”) Rachel Weisz (“The Favourite”) Best Actor in a Supporting Role in any Motion Picture Mahershala Ali (“Green Book”) Timothee Chalamet (“Beautiful Boy”) Adam Driver (“BlacKkKlansman”) Richard E. Grant (“Can You Ever Forgive Me?”) Sam Rockwell (“Vice”) Best Motion Picture – Animated Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language Alfonso Cuaron (“Roma”) Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”) Spike Lee (“BlacKkKlansman”) Adam McKay (“Vice”) Deborah Davis and Tony McNamara (“The Favourite”) Barry Jenkins (“If Beale Street Could Talk”) Peter Farrelly, Nick Vallelonga, Brian Currie (“Green Book”) Marco Beltrami (“A Quiet Place”) Alexandre Desplat (“Isle of Dogs”) Ludwig Göransson (“Black Panther”) Justin Hurwitz (“First Man”) Marc Shaiman (“Mary Poppins Returns”) “All the Stars” (“Black Panther”) “Girl in the Movies” (“Dumplin’”) “Requiem For a Private War” (“A Private War”) “Revelation’ (“Boy Erased”) “Shallow” (“A Star Is Born”) Caitriona Balfe (“Outlander”) Elisabeth Moss (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”) Julia Roberts (“Homecoming”) Keri Russell (“The Americans”) Jason Bateman (“Ozark”) Stephan James (“Homecoming”) Richard Madden (“Bodyguard”) Billy Porter (“Pose”) Matthew Rhys (“The Americans”) Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy “Barry” (HBO) “The Good Place” (NBC) “Kidding” (Showtime) “The Kominsky Method” (Netflix) “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (Amazon) Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Kristen Bell (“The Good Place”) Candice Bergen (“Murphy Brown”) Alison Brie (“Glow”) Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) Debra Messing (“Will & Grace”) Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy Sacha Baron Cohen (“Who Is America?”) Jim Carrey (“Kidding”) Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”) Donald Glover (“Atlanta”) Bill Hader (“Barry”) Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television “The Alienist” (TNT) “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story” (FX) “Escape at Dannemora” (Showtime) “Sharp Objects” (HBO) “A Very English Scandal” (Amazon) Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”) Patricia Arquette (“Escape at Dannemora”) Connie Britton (“Dirty John”) Laura Dern (“The Tale”) Regina King (“Seven Seconds”) Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Antonio Banderas (“Genius: Picasso”) Daniel Bruhl (“The Alienist”) Darren Criss (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) Benedict Cumberbatch (“Patrick Melrose”) Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”) Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”) Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”) Penelope Cruz (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) Thandie Newton (“Westworld”) Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”) Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”) Kieran Culkin (“Succession”) Edgar Ramirez (“The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story”) Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”) Henry Winkler (“Barry”) 2019 Golden Globe 2019 Golden Globe Nominees Golden Globe Nominees Previous article2019 WRITERS GUILD AWARDS: TELEVISION, NEW MEDIA, NEWS, RADIO/AUDIO, AND PROMOTIONAL WRITING NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED Next articleTitans Does the Impossible: It Makes Hawk and Dove Cool http://www.thatsmye.com Chris Sweda has always had a flair for the creative since he was young. He always loved a good story and sharing that with other people. He would also make up stories of his own with fantastic adventures. In his later years Chris turned that love for story telling into a visual form with graphic design and video editing. You can see much of his work on Amazon, Hulu, and Vimeo. Chris has a love for all things Batman and the Hulk and his favorite pastime is cooking and spending time with his pet pug, Waldo. NYCC 2020 presents ‘Alex Rider’: New blood in the spy game! Horrible Imaginings 2020 presents ‘Darkness in Tenement 45’: Look for the yellow balloon! LACC 2019: X-Men: The Animated Series Reunion	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5132
__label__wiki	0.769694	0.769694	The Supermassive When in doubt, The Simpsons did it first. Movie Reviews: The Number Movies Movie Reviews: A – C I Has Thoughts Why this exists Movie Review: Kingsman: The Golden Circle By David Medsker November 5, 2017 November 5, 2017 Movie Reviews, Movies The beauty of films like “Kingsman: The Secret Service” is that once they’re seen, they can’t be unseen, and the world is forever different than it was before. Matthew Vaughn’s turbo-charged 2015 film completely rewrote the rules for spy films, depantsing its spy predecessors in the process. The best James Bond films look positively ancient by comparison, and even relative spy newbies like Jason Bourne and “Mission: Impossible” hero Ethan Hunt show the age of their source material when viewed through, ahem, “Kingsman” lenses. The only problem is that a film like this can only surprise people once (ask the Wachowskis about that). “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” never had a shot at living up to the original, though that’s not for lack of trying. There are several dizzying action sequences, and Julianne Moore can now add ‘all-time badass movie villain’ to her list of accomplishments. It is highly entertaining, but there is nothing here that wasn’t also in the first film. A year after the events of the first film, Eggsy (Taron Edgerton) seems to have adjusted to the bonkers double life of pretending to be a regular bloke who just happens to be dating Crown Princess Tilde of Sweden (Hanna Alstrom) by day, and Kingsman Agent Galahad by night. Eggsy receives a visit from Charlie Hesketh (Edward Holcroft), a rejected Kingsman trainee who makes an unsuccessful attempt on Eggsy’s life, but achieves his goal of compromising the Kingsman for his new employer Poppy Adams (Moore), a billionaire, jungle-dwelling drug dealer with a fetish for the ‘50s. Poppy uses her new intel to launch a full-scale attack on the Kingsman, which only Eggsy and Merlin (Mark Strong) survive. The two execute the Kingsman Doomsday protocol, which leads them to the Statesman, an American group of like-minded agents who have already helped the Kingsman in ways they cannot imagine. Poppy, tired of being a recluse and hungry for respect, brings the world to its knees by lacing her products with a toxin that will quickly and painfully kill her customers (but not without publicly shaming them first), whereupon she makes the President of the United States (Bruce Greenwood, in full heartless bastard mode) an offer: issue an executive decree legalizing drugs (thus making Poppy a legitimate businesswoman), and she’ll release the antidote to her product. Otherwise, all of the infected will die. The “Kingsman” series has had fun exploring the balance between capitalism and humanity, and the imperfections of both. If the billionaire owner of a mobile phone company offers a phone with a free data plan, it surely comes with a catch. But for those who switch because they can’t afford a regular phone plan, do they deserve to be turned into maniacal killers on command? Likewise, “The Golden Circle” makes a compelling argument for the legalization of drugs, but for the worst of reasons, while asking the question: do all drug users, be they habitual or casual, deserve the same fate? It is that aspect of the “Kingsman” films that is the most interesting. In the James Bond universe, the lives of regular people would be largely unaffected if the villain gets his or her way, whereas in the “Kingsman” world, the consequences are nothing short of a global catastrophe. Weaponizing cell phones and drugs; that is some terrifying social commentary. Julianne Moore is not on screen much, but when she is, she makes every second count. Poppy is Martha Stewart gone full Sith lord (yes, Martha Stewart is obviously a Sith lord, but go with us here), one who speaks to everyone with the same friendly but bloodless tone in order to prevent them from determining whether or not Poppy intends to do them harm. It seems simple, but the best actresses make everything seem simple. What Moore does here is much harder than it looks. Yes, Colin Firth is back as the original Agent Galahad. How they resurrected him, we won’t say, except to say that it’s both reasonable (from a graphic novel/fantasy world perspective) and a bit disappointing. The same goes for their approach of an unnamed character that, in a manner of seconds, permanently flipped them from good guy to someone with a hidden agenda. As clever as everything had been up to that point, it was a bit shocking to see that part of the plot handled so clumsily. “Kingsman: The Golden Circle” is less than a step down from its predecessor than it is a step sideways. Indeed, one gets the sense that Vaughn himself is unaware of where the true strength of his original film lies, and it’s not the action set pieces, as spectacular as they are. A more character-driven installment would work wonders next time around. « Movie Review: IT Movie Review: Thor: Ragnarok » Dizzy Heights #74: ‘Boy’ Songs Dizzy Heights #73: Songs About Songs Dizzy Heights #72: Good/Better/Best The Karen Mixes, Part 4: More Beats "Everything's coming up Milhouse!"	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5133
__label__cc	0.592618	0.407382	Slurring Pocahontas Pocahontas. Is it a racial slur? My God! What a bunch of lemmings! Liz Warren, the million dollar-pretend-Indian, lied through her teeth about her family history, her humble beginnings, as a Native American, her suffering at the hand of bigots, due to her Native heritage. It was all a lie. That being said, Pocahontas can manipulate the leftwing proletariat with good ole fashion liberal-speak, just like a 60’s era, female Lyndon Johnson. Lyndon, a man of the people, would take bags of money while sitting on the crapper in exchange for favors. Does anyone really doubt this, or Jack Kennedy’s relentless libido for human or beast, whichever was nearby? (The beast part is probably fiction, but the rest is Snopes-proof.) Speaking of Snopes; Liz Warren was getting 350K a year for teaching a single class at Harvard, as the result of being a double minority. If she’d only been a lesbian, she would’ve hit the trifecta—female/lesbian/Native American, I mean that shit is priceless to a liberal. Anyway. Snopes called both Liz and Harvard and asked the $350,000,00 question, about lying to gain an advantage, plus a bigger, much bigger salary. Both Liz and Harvard said, “Heck no!” Liz didn’t get an extra big pile of cash because she was a double minority. No way! And Snopes said; “I guess that clears things up!” Now, if it had been Trump University (home to scholars and wise men,) which was at issue, I bet Snopes would never take The Donald’s word for it, or that of his much-acclaimed university, regarding such matters. I do, however, realize that Trump U. is not Harvard, which makes Harvard look even worse for lying like a man caught with 10 lbs. of crack and naked photos of Orson Wells. Anyway. Pocahontas is President Trump’s loving nickname for Liz Warren. And no, it’s not racist. However, I’m inclined to think that "Lying Sack of Shit Opportunist," is probably a more accurate appellation for Liz “The Pretendian” Warren. But Pocahontas works just fine, under the circumstances. I’m sure Native Americans aren’t offended—except at being connected to Liz Warren—that probably really pisses them off. Okay. That’s enough, for now. But only for now. Sincerely. Billfold Baggins	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5144
__label__wiki	0.83842	0.83842	Scorecard for At the Earth’s Core (1976) Scorecard for The Breed (2006) Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine (1965) Don’t Miss the Bus July 4, 2013 RayRay Anniversary As Hollywood films shifted away from “men-on-a-mission”-style war films such as The Guns of Navarone (1961) and The Dirty Dozen (1967), so did the “macaroni combat” films of Italy. In the mid-1980s, gung ho Vietnam revenge fantasies were all the rage. Missing in Action (1984) was released first to get the jump on its competition, essentially copying the James Cameron story treatment for Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985). While it may have struck first, generating $22.8M on a paltry $1.5M budget, the Stallone/Cameron film managed to strike best with over $300M on a $25.5M investment. All the poor reviews, critical disdain, and Razzie Awards couldn’t discourage international markets from wanting a piece of this particular pie. Soon, it seemed like you couldn’t set foot on the shores of the Philippines without stumbling across an Italian, Turkish, or Filipino knock-off in production. In honor of “2013: Anno della Cultura Italiana, Year of Italian Culture” and the 2013 Italian Film Culture Blogathon hosted by the Nitrate Diva, we’re going to take a look at one such knock-off, Ferdinando Baldi’s intriguingly titled Warbus (1985). Click above for more of the Italian Film Culture Blogathon 2013 hosted by The Nitrate Diva Indeed, when I told my lovely (and patient) wife the title of this film, her eyes grew wide with grindhouse fervor. “Is it like the bus from the Dawn of the Dead remake, but in World War Two?” I’m sure she was envisioning something like the Landmasters in Damnation Alley (1977), and I didn’t want to disappoint. “Better,” I said. “It’s set in Vietnam.” Her grin faltered. “Wait… How do you drive a tricked out bus through the jungle?” I just smiled. If you’re worried about logic like that in a flick like this, you are already lost. Warbus (1985) Co-written with John Fitzsimmons, Warbus is the work of Ferdinando Baldi (billed here under his Americanized alias of “Ted Kaplan”). Baldi is infamous for the 1980s 3-D action spectacles Comin’ at Ya! (1981) and Treasure of the Four Crowns (1983), both starring Tony Anthony. A third 3-D film, a space opera starring Anthony, was set to follow, but never got off the ground. Our opening credits are shown over footage of The Three Soldiers memorial in Washington, D.C., commemorating those American servicemen who served in the Vietnam War. Patriotic music takes us to the thick of that conflict, some twelve years before or so. At first glance, the Viet Cong seem to be using mortars to shell a waterfall. What the waterfall did to them is anybody’s guess. Finally, we see some ARVN soldiers guarding an elementary school at the top of the waterfall, an irresistible target, I guess. Civilian missionaries are hastily evacuated via school bus, and we’ve got our first glimpse of the title MacGuffin, though it’s far less impressive than the bus in Dawn of the Dead (2004) or the RV in Stripes (1981) or, hell, even the Sweet Pickles Bus. The bus is soon halted by a trio of G.I.s separated from their unit. Led by Sarge (Daniel Stephen), they commandeer the bus to head south for a rendezvous with their fellows, ignoring the protests of missionary Anne (Gwendolyn Hung). The driver, it seems, is actually working for “Charlie”, and driving them due north. Found out, he flees into the bush, only to get tracked down and shot by G.I. Ben (Urs Althaus). VHS box cover to Warbus (1985) Daniel Stephen was a stuntman and extra in Warrior of the Lost World (1983) and Joe D’Amato’s 2020 Texas Gladiators (1984). Warbus (1985) clearly wasn’t the starring vehicle Stephen had hoped, pardon the pun, and he only acted sporadically through the 1990s and 2000s. Granted, he did do some modeling work. Here, he looks like a Baldwin/Estévez cross-breed, though Warbus (1985) predates Oliver Stone’s Platoon (1986) by about a year. Born in Zurich, Switzerland, the 6’1″ Urs Althaus was the first black model ever to appear on the cover of the American fashion magazine Gentlemen’s Quarterly (now GQ). He worked primarily in Italian comedies and dramas, often for television. Althaus appeared in Lucio Fulci’s The New York Ripper (1982) as an uncredited “sex show performer” and as one of the mercenaries in Warrior of the Lost World (1983). Our three G.I.s are a cinematic representation of The Three Soldiers statue, with the white Sarge, the black Ben, and the hispanic Gus. Stopping to ford a river, Gus (Romano Kristoff) butts heads with the willful Anne. SVA Major Kutran (played by prolific Filipino actor Ernie Zarate) tries to warn them that the VC will surely have mined the opposite bank, which proves to be true, injuring Gus. Having gained their confidence, Kutran tells of a bridge further down river which, if it still stands, will take them to the Sa Tien Pass, and eventually to an American supply base (possibly Da Nang). We get to meet some of our other passengers. Benito Stefanelli plays an Australian entomologist, reminiscent of Joachim Fuchsberger’s “Professor” in Commandos (1968). Stefanelli was a stuntman on Sergio Leone’s seminal spaghetti western, A Fistful of Dollars (1964). He also served as unofficial English translator and go-between for Clint Eastwood and the Italian cast. He subsequently appeared in all three installments of “The Dollars Trilogy” and Leone’s Once Upon a Time in the West (1968) as well as many derivative rip-offs. Gus also makes the acquaintance of a madam who runs two brothels in Saigon, here to fetch her daughter from the mission. A runaway, perhaps? Hard to say. After Anne’s husband Ronny (Don Gordon Bell) shows them how low they are on fuel, it doesn’t look like they’ll make 50 of the 100 miles to Da Nang. Major Kutran has noted an American supply base on the map, but Sarge explains that their orders are to leave nothing behind when they move out. Kutran hopes there’s some fuel left behind just the same and encourages them to seek a defensible position to rest overnight. Romano Kristoff, Gwendolyn Hung, and Don Gordon Bell were part of a roster of supporting actors from Jun Gallardo’s Filipino action/exploitation films, including Rescue Team (1983), Mad Dog II (1983), Intrusion: Cambodia (1983), and Slash (1984). Kristoff is purportedly an ex-Foreign Legion Spanish actor with a black belt in karate. He played a helicopter pilot in Antonio Margheriti’s ‘Nam flicks The Last Hunter (1980) and The Last Blood (1983, aka Tornado), though appearances in the latter may just be recycled footage from the former. Gwendolyn Hung was born Elizabeth Gwendolyn Cook in Long Beach, CA. She took a break from acting to attend college, but was disabled while heroically working as a rescue volunteer during the 1990 Luzon earthquake. She is now mostly retired, residing in the Philippines where she enjoys SCUBA diving. Prior to Warbus, Don Gordon Bell had a few bit parts in bigger films. He was a soldier in Apocalypse Now (1979) and a henchman in Enter the Ninja (1981). He also helped write both Rescue Team and Intrusion: Cambodia. When it looks like his newfound madam friend is going to wander off, Gus seems to assault her, grabbing her by the hair, but it quickly becomes clear that he’s saving her from a booby trap triggered via tripwire. My copy of Warbus appears to be cut right around here because I have none of the dialogue in the Danish video trailer below (starting at right about the 2:00 mark with Ben’s creepy “Hi there”). His delivery of the line and the way the daughter initially reacts led me to believe it was a rape scene that was cut, but Sarge doesn’t seem to address it as such, and it doesn’t jibe with her later interactions with Ben. You never can tell in these grindhouse exploitation flicks, though, so fair warning. “All they want is to get back home, but the enemy forced them to leave a trail of death and destruction in their wake.” While the three G.I.s scout the supply base, Ronny (Don Gordon Bell) refuels the bus from a secret stash, but is interrupted by Kutran, who puts a pistol to his head. There’s also some missing footage here, methinks, since I’ve seen a fight between the two referenced elsewhere. Disappointing. Despite being warned earlier by Kutran to not play hero, the G.I.s sneak into the back of a truck to smuggle themselves into the enemy-held base. Standard commando hijinks ensue, including sentries taken out with thrown knives and negotiating barbed wire barricades. The men steal a jeep, but seem incapable of avoiding loud empty metal drums, the kind that are ubiquitous in First Person Shooter video games and that usually explode when shot. You would think that a bunch of alarmed VC with higher ground and cover would have the advantage over an open jeep with three unarmored targets, but you would be so wrong. The guys just lay waste to the opposition with volleys of lead, not even pausing to aim. Their primary evasive maneuver appears to be a forward somersault roll that makes them impossible to hit before they come up shooting. Eventually, however, their luck runs out, and Sarge is pinned down. Ben and Gus are shocked to see headlights from beyond the compound. The Warbus, driven by the Aussie, has come to their rescue! It barrels through the gate and drives right through the support pillar of a guard tower, sending it toppling to the ground. While the guys load up some fuel, Sarge lets ‘er rip on those barrels, and the whole place explodes in a fiery inferno. Back at camp, Gus strings up the treacherous Ronny. He begs not to be left behind, but even his wife is unsympathetic. Sarge finally relents and has Ben cut him free. Selected Scenes from Warbus (1985) When they reach the bridge, Ben tells a story about a stolen car and a police roadblock that informs their ruse. They act like the bus is broken down, even going so far as to pop the hood. Sputtering along, they creep towards the crossing. With Sarge firing through the windshield with his machine gun, the Aussie puts the hammer down and zooms across. Gus, meanwhile, sneaks around under the bridge and comes up behind the Viet Cong bunker. With Ben lobbing a grenade, the three G.I.s don’t seem satisfied until every enemy is dead. Victory appears to get the ladies all worked up such that, afterward, Anne openly flirts with the Aussie while her husband rides topside, mom paws at Gus, and her daughter tends to Ben. The bus ends up at a literal dead end with canyon walls on three sides and dead Americans staked out. Sarge warns that it’s a booby trap, and when Gus sets them off with his rifle, it’s really just an excuse for explosions and maudlin music. Sarge sends the bus back to a cave for safety and sets off to scout with his boys. They spot a train carrying bamboo, and Ben nearly misses it by pausing to take a dump. No, seriously. They hitch a ride, hopping off when they spot an American helicopter touching down amidst the Cong. The old “grenade down the chimney” routine gets them entry to what turns out to be a torture chamber where they find the chopper crew dead. Meanwhile, the bus has been discovered and surrounded. After an extended firefight, the G.I.s come to the rescue. Using grenades and the tactic of leaping from high places in slow motion, they blow up a bunch of stuff. They load up and set out, stopping at a river bank 20 miles west of Da Nang. With Sarge exhausted, the Australian volunteers to reconnoiter with Gus. Major Kutran gives him a flare to fire when it’s safe, otherwise they’ll set out for Da Nang at dawn. During the night, Ronny has an epileptic seizure. As Anne informs Major Kutran, he also suffers from schizophrenia. Embarrassed and angry, she lashes out at Kutran and his so-called civilization with a speech that would do Conan proud. The flare goes up and the group heads into the abandoned camp. Here, they jazz up the radio and wait for rescue. Predictably, as is common in “macaroni combat”, the film takes a dark and nihilistic turn at its climax and is far more downbeat than American fare of its type. Character development in this film is admittedly pretty shallow. Many characters aren’t even addressed by name more than once or twice in the film, making it difficult to sort out who’s who at times. Sarge and Kutran are obvious exceptions. There are also a high volume of significant glances that would convey more, or at times, any meaning if delivered by more capable actors. Still, much like its WWII predecessors, Warbus is action-packed and a good bit of fun. This blogathon has been a good bit of fun as well. Thanks to the Nitrate Diva and all the other contributors. Until next time, ciao! One comment Benito Stefanelli, Daniel Stephen, Don Gordon Bell, Ferdinando Baldi, Gwendolyn Hung, macaroni combat, Romano Kristoff, Urs Althaus, Warbus Blogathon, Italian Style: FINE! \| Nitrate Diva says: [...] this, you are already lost.” RayRay of WeirdFlix returns to the blogathon and takes a ride on Warbus. Yes, as in “war” plus “bus.” As in a busload of missionaries and [...] Happy Birthday, Dame Joan Collins! 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__label__wiki	0.959669	0.959669	Home / WORLD / Woman shot during US Capitol siege dies as Virginia governor declares emergency & curfew kicks in Woman shot during US Capitol siege dies as Virginia governor declares emergency & curfew kicks in 1 week ago WORLD 24 Views Northam said the curfew – limited to Alexandria and Arlington, both of which border Washington, DC – would extend into Thursday morning and was ordered at the request of the leaders of those towns. He also declared a state of emergency for all of Virginia, hours after the breach at the Capitol on Wednesday afternoon. The announcement came after the governor sent some 200 state troopers and a National Guard unit to assist local law enforcement amid the chaos, joining “fully activated” DC Guard troops already deployed by DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. As a crowd of Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and attempted to breach the Senate chamber, a woman was shot in the chest, captured in shocking footage circulating online. She was seen leaving the building on a stretcher and was reportedly in critical condition, but later succumbed to her injuries, according to law enforcement sources cited by NBC News. Local police previously confirmed that an individual was shot, but offered no additional details on their condition. The confrontation at the Capitol erupted after backers of President Trump gathered to protest the certification of Electoral College votes for the 2020 election, interrupting the process after only two states were tallied as the building was placed under lockdown. Trump and his allies maintain the presidential race was plagued by voter fraud and irregularities, and have called on Republican lawmakers, as well as Vice President Mike Pence, to challenge the count. However, the VP argued earlier on Wednesday that he lacks the authority to do so. It remains unclear when the vote-count will resume, with Congress now at recess following the explosion of unrest in the nation’s capital. Think your friends would be interested? Share this story! Tags capitol declares during governor siege Virginia woman	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5146
__label__cc	0.645674	0.354326	Mother, Can You Not? Kate Friedman-Siegel - EBOOK Kate Friedman-Siegel Based on the wildly popular Instagram account @CrazyJewishMom, Kate Siegel's essay collection about life with the woman who redefined the term "helicopter mom" There is nothing more wonderful than a mother’s love. There is also nothing more annoying. Who else can proudly insist that you’re perfect while simultaneously making you question every career, fashion, and relationship decision you have ever made? No one understands the delicate mother-daughter dynamic better than Kate Siegel—her own mother drove her so crazy that she decided to broadcast their hilarious conversations on Instagram. Soon, hundreds of thousands of people were following their daily text exchanges, eager to see what outrageous thing Kate’s mom would do next. Now, in Mother, Can You NOT?, Kate pays tribute to the woman who invented the concept of drone parenting. 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More than based on the wildly popular instagram account @crazyjewishmom, kate siegel's essay collection about life with the woman who redefined the term "helicopter mom" from embarrassing moments (like crashing kate's gynecological exams) to outrageous stories (like the time she made kate steal a cat from the pound) to hilarious celebrations (including but not limited to parties for kate's menstrual cycles), mother, can you not? lovingly lampoons the lengths to which our mothers will go to better our lives (even if it feels like they’re ruining them in the process). 30 years later, a cassette tape of marley and mr. 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The other midi device receives and translates those instructions, then produces or records the sound exactly as it was played based on the wildly popular instagram account @crazyjewishmom, kate siegel's essay collection about life with the woman who redefined the term "helicopter mom" from embarrassing moments (like crashing kate's gynecological exams) to outrageous stories (like the time she made kate steal a cat from the pound) to hilarious celebrations (including but not limited to parties for kate's menstrual cycles), mother, can you not? lovingly lampoons the lengths to which our mothers will go to better our lives (even if it feels like they’re ruining them in the process). on the first device.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5147
__label__wiki	0.944276	0.944276	Samsung Galaxy On7 and Galaxy On5 Officially Launched Samsung has now launched the long rumored Galaxy on devices Samsung Galaxy On7 and Samsung Galaxy On5 that were called as Galaxy Grand ON, Galaxy Mega ON and Galaxy O5 and Galaxy O7 in previous leaks. Both the phones were found listed on the Indian Samsung website with full specifications which was removed after some time. But now Samsung India has official listed both the Galaxy ON series smartphones again. Galaxy On7 and Galaxy On5 Galaxy On7 comes with a 5.5-inch TFT HD display with 1280×720 pixel resolution and is powered by a 1.2GHz Quad-Core processor with 1.5GB of RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage and up to 128GB microSD expandable storage slot. It features a 13MP rear LED flash camera and a 5MP front facing camera. It has a 3000mAh battery that can give up to 349 hours of standby time. It weights 172g and comes with connectivity options such as Bluetooth 4.1, 4G LTE support, USB 2.0, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, WLAN, 2G, 3G etc. It runs on Android 5.1 Lollipop OS out of the box. It will be available in white and gold color variants. Galaxy On5 comes with a 5-inch HD TFT display and its powered by a Exynos 3475 SoC (a quad-core 1.3GHz Cortex-A7, Mali-T720 GPU). It comes with 1.5 GB RAM and 8GB inbuilt storage that is further expandable up to 128GB via a microSD card. It supports dual SIM and features a 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front facing camera. It has a 2600 mAh battery. It comes with connectivity options including 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, Bluetooth, GPS and GLONASS. It runs on Android 5 Lollipop OS out of the box and we can expect an official announcement soon by the company with the pricing and availability details. $150 Galaxy On5 Galaxy On5 features Galaxy On5 India Galaxy On5 launch date Galaxy On5 price Galaxy On5 UK Galaxy On5 US Galaxy On7 Galaxy On7 features Galaxy On7 launch date Galaxy On7 price Galaxy On7 UK Galaxy On7 US Contact me at: [email protected] BlackBerry Priv Pre-Orders Officially Started in US, UK and Canada OPPO R7s Plus And OPPO A33m Certified By TENAA Samsung Galaxy A80 Review – All New Pop-up Rotating 48MP Camera 7SHARESShareTweetSubscribe The Samsung Galaxy A80’s announcement is now official, and the first thing we all noticed that it is big, even bigger than Note 9 and Galaxy S10+. This phone is equipped with the biggest Super AMOLED displays of 6.7” that... The uncertainty of launching Google pixel 3 Lite and Google pixel 3 Lite XL at Verizon. 10SHARESShareTweetSubscribe Different leaks have claimed that Google have Lite models of the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 Lite XL in development. Recently, there has been information and claims about where these mid range Android devices might be launched... Mckay Jonson GadgetsMobile Phones Grab the Xiaomi JIMMY JV51 Handheld Wireless Vacuum Cleaner for $179.99 7SHARESShareTweetSubscribe Xiaomi is very well known for its outstanding, durable and affordable quality products cutting across various categories. In the aspect of home appliances comes the Xiaomi JIMMY JV51 Handheld Wireless Powerful Vacuum... Times News is a leading source of news for mobile phone developments. We keep our readers up to date on Android phone releases, tablets, and more. Get weekly updates on the latest tech news. Copyright © Times News 2017.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5156
__label__wiki	0.856256	0.856256	Tag Archives: Andrei Tarkovsky ANDREI TARKOVSKY’S THE SACRIFICE (1986) March 5, 2018 Alfred Eaker Leave a comment Andrei Tarkovsky was dying as he made his final film, The Sacrifice (1986). It can be likened to the epic last testaments of Ludwig van Beethoven, Paul Gauguin, Gustav Mahler, Luigi Nono, John Huston, and David Bowie. Tarkovsky dedicated the film to his son, Andrejusja, “with hope and confidence.” Like Mahler, Tarkovsky exits in a universal communication: “Where do we come from? What are we? Where are we going?” Despite the milieu of finality that permeates The Sacrifice, it was a narrative that had long been percolating with Tarkovsky, who referred to it as a parable, open to multifarious interpretations. It should be noted it wasn’t intended as a coda, as he was planning a film version of “The Flying Dutchman.” The Sacrifice literally owes itself to Ingmar Bergman, whose company financed it. Aesthetically, Tarkovsky also dips into Bergman’s landscape, shooting on the island of Faro, where the Swede—possibly Tarkovsky’s only peer—lived and shot several films. The Sacrifice stars Erland Josephson (from Bergman’s Autumn Sonata and Fanny and Alexander) as Alexander. It is a kind of extension of his role of the self-immolating Domenico in Tarkovsky’s previous film, Nostalghia. Dreaming of a birthday apocalypse, Alexander, the aged atheist professor, offers himself up to God as The Sacrifice so that his family be will spared. The film ends in another form of madness and immolation, the burning of Alexander’s house. Unfortunately, the first take was ruined, necessitating a costly rebuilding of the house and a second shoot. Despite such dark themes and the tumor that was killing him, Tarkovsky’s wit is in full force. It is a testament to the filmmaker’s spirit and, yes, his defiance remains wet. He dares to bravely state his spiritual beliefs in a spiritually bankrupt, materialistic era. Penance in isolation and self-martyrdom are prevailing themes; and, despite the inherent humor, it is a magnificently difficult viewing, as Tarkovsky intended. It’s doubtful that much of the contemporary movie audience, spoon-fed on the fallacy that film is merely entertainment, will mantle the patience required here, but that is a considerable loss of the rich rewards offered. The Sacrifice revels in its quaint magical mysticism, amiably weaving Tarkovsky’s personal Catholicism with a Kierkegaardian existentialism. This is not an apocalypse born of mushroom clouds and bomb shelters, but rather of a small family on a Swedish island replete with Shakespeare, Ibsen, Leonardo’s unfinished “Adoration of the Magi,” and Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion,” along with a host of irregulars including an unfaithful wife, the pompous doctor she’s carrying on with, a daughter, a son (referred to as “Little Man”), an amusing necromantic bicycling mailman named Otto who loves his ghost stories, and a maid as sexual sacrifice for an Icelandic pagan fertility cult (echoing Andrei Rublev). The dialogue is sparse and the camera work (by Sven Nykvist, Bergman’s cinematographer for The Magic Flute, Autumn Sonata, and Fanny and Alexander, among others) glides ponderously and memorably across the island terrain in stunning tracking shots; among the most memorable is the tree planting scene. At times, the film is almost inert and undeniably austere (the burning of that gorgeous house lasts almost seven minutes). Aptly, it’s one of the most challenging and poignant of Tarkovsky’s oeuvre; a private annihilation. 1986Andrei TarkovskyDramaInternational cast and crew ANDREI TARKOVSKY’S THE MIRROR (1975) February 26, 2018 Alfred Eaker Leave a comment Andrei Tarkovsky is a staple at 366 Weird movies, so it’s only apt that we get around to what many believe to be his most personal film: The Mirror (1975). The title alone indicates as much. According to Tarkovsky’s memoir “Sculpting in Time ” (an essential read), The Mirror began as a novella, reflecting on the artist’s years during the Second World War. He started the first of many script drafts a decade before filming commences, and with its pointed criticism of the Soviet Union, it’s remarkable that it was even produced, let alone distributed. Tarkovsky predictably found himself embroiled in intensive conflict with the Goskino film committee in pre-production, in production itself, and in post-production. The Mirror was given limited release in Moscow; Tarkovsky’s inevitable exile was a mere few years away. Post-production was reportedly a laborious process, going through approximately twenty extensive edits. Upon its release, both critical and audience assessments were sharply divided, with many finding it incomprehensible. Provoking much heated debate, The Mirror didn’t initially have the impact of Andrei Rublev (1966), Solaris (1972), or Stalker (1979). Yet, it has since become one of the most referenced Tarkovsky works among cineastes, and made Sight and Sound’s list of the top fifty films of all time. Originally titled both ‘Confession” and “A White, White Day,” that changed when Tarkovsky brought his (divorced) parents and wife into the project. Arseny Tarkovsky (the father) reads from his own established poetry. Maria Vishnyakova (Tarkovsky’s tenderhearted mother) lends her visual presence to the film. Although The Mirror vaguely covers bullet points from Tarkovsky’s childhood (the evacuation, Arseny’s abandonment of family, Maria’s influence on her son), it is a motion biography that metaphorically weaves through pasts that are past only compared to the more recent. Heightening the dissonance, actors are perpetually in motion, shifting roles: i.e. Margarita Terekhova plays both Tarkovsky’s mother and his wife Natalya. Her vanity is not blanketed, but it is as a maternal influence, educating her son in the arts and sheltering him from the threat of military service, that her portrayal becomes resplendently Orphic. The terminally ill narrator Alex (Innokenty Smoktunovsky)—never seen—is the film’s protagonist. Tarkovsky’s childhood is represented as a bucolic pastoral disrupted by his father’s abandonment, symbolized in a building aflame. Tellingly, and with aching honesty, it is this betrayal, more than the war, that shatters and decimates Tarkovsky’s childhood. Abandonment by a loved one is the proverbial expulsion from a spiritual paradise. Yet, an undeniable supplemental element, born from the loss of innocence, is the latent political rage directed at a monstrously inhuman war. The film imprints startlingly incandescent, fervent images that remain long after: Natalya washing her hair in a basin as a building collapses; the Soviet army crossing Lake Sivash; the juxtaposition of black and white with sepia and color imagery along with newsreel footage; the palm print of child dissipating into a lustrous surface; repeated mirror imagery; the arcane return of the prodigal father; a hot air balloon; the absurd training of cadets in a snowy (emotionally bankrupt) horizon; the loneliness of a dejected wife; an apparently arid day revealed in a window to be a transcendental monsoon. The personal and intimate are juxtaposed with a collective people. Time is indeed pliably sculpted. The Mirror is possibly the closest cinema has come to evoking modernist poetry. 1975Andrei TarkovskyAutobiographicalDramaSoviet ANDREI RUBLEV (1966) Andrei Tarkovsky’s Andrei Rublev (originally titled The Passion According to Andrei ) is a 1966 film about a painter whom we never see painting. Furthermore, it’s about a 15th century artist who we know very little about, not even the exact years of his birth and death. Only one existing painting, “The Trinity,” can be authenticated as being entirely painted by Rublev. Yes, Rublev is one of those uncouth religious painters: an iconographer. This is anathema here today—and, when it was made, most especially in his Russian homeland. Despite all that, Rublev is a painter of legendary status. As enigmatic as he is, a film about such a figure would seem to be a recipe for disaster. Someone forgot to advise Tarkovsky, because he not only produced the most substantive film to date about a historical painter, but also one of the most astonishing and vexing accomplishments in cinema. Rublev, scripted by Andrey Konchalovskiy and Tarkovsky, had a “sky’s the limit” budget (the biggest Soviet budget since Eisenstein). Its production swallowed up two years. Distribution proved to be an ideological purgatory, however, a politically complex and arduous endeavor. Along the way, it dawned on atheistic Soviet authorities that, as a film about a deeply religious painter directed by the starkly spiritual Tarkovsky, Rublev was an embarrassing reminder of Russia’s faith-contaminated past. At a private screening, Moscow critics were incensed and demanded cuts. Tarkovsky conceded and trimmed the film from its original three-and-a-half hours to 186 minutes. Not satisfied, authorities demanded additional cuts, which Tarkovsky then refused. The film was cut without him, resulting in various running times, including an 81 minute travesty. Still, not satisfied, producers sat on Rublev until 1969, when the Cannes Film Festival requested a screening. The USSR submitted the 186 minute cut and Rublev won the International Critics award, despite being pulled from the competition. Soviet authorities were enraged; Leonid Brezhnev stormed out of the showing. Unmoved by its critical accolades, bureaucrats kept Rublev shelved until 1971, when it became a critical and box office success in its homeland. Andrei Rublev is more of an iconographic than a biographical essay, focusing on a spiritual and artistic struggle, which might be seen as an icon of sorts for Tarkovsky himself. One is unlikely to encounter a more idiosyncratic and desultory odyssey in cinema. There is a quality about it that could be likened to the inflamed mysticism of Antonin Artaud. Tarkovsky’s mastery is in ample evidence from the enigmatic, tenebrous prologue; attempting to mount a hot-air balloon, a medieval daredevil provokes peasants who woozily chase after him, only to see his endeavor utterly fail when it crashes to the earth below. Cinematographer Vadim Yusov had his work cut out for him. He unquestionably triumphs when his cherubic camera pursues Heaven’s would-be gate crasher in a serpentine take. The remainder of the film is grounded; and oh, is it grounded. Tarkovsky himself referred to it as a “film of the earth.” Unflinchingly brutal and oppressive, disheartening, experimental, bleak, saturated with nudity and bloodshed, it’s paradoxically intimate and epic; feverish and spiritually crepuscular; chaotic, and austere in its expansive silences; sublime in its depiction of sensual elements (mists, panoramic landscapes, rivers, the fire of candles, torches, and Rublev’s smoldering robe) and factitious symbols (bells, a white church, ladders, crucifixes). The film is equally haunting in its chimerical potpourri of beasts (the decaying corpse of a swan, snakes, birds, cats, geese, a herd of reindeer, and a striking black mare) and visually distressing sights (the pleating of a dead woman’s hair, unfathomable carnage, and extreme closeups of weathered Slavic faces). When the ethereal Andrei Rublev (Anatoli Solonitsyn) remains true to the purity of his art by rejecting a commissioned “Last Judgment,” he virtually dismantles his career and embarks upon a haphazard journey, accompanied by two monks. Along the way, we see the sufferings of peasants (in a memorable scene, a jester is manhandled) and exotic, undiluted paganism (the queerly ritualistic Saint John’s Eve) met with startling, heart-breaking violence. Rublev’s journey is authentic, deprived of a destination, and largely plays out under an umbrella of the artist’s vow of silence, rendering Tarkovsky’s opus not so much a film as a poem scrawled through the ashes of a dilapidated fresco. 1966Anatoli SolonitsynAndrei TarkovskyChristianityCriterion collectionDramaHistoricalSoviet CAPSULE: IVAN’S CHILDHOOD (1962) May 28, 2013 Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) 3 Comments Ivanovo Detstvo DIRECTED BY: Andrei Tarkovsky FEATURING: Nikolay Burlyaev, Evgeniy Zharikov, Valentin Zubkov, Valentina Malyavina PLOT: A twelve-year old war orphan serves as a scout for the Russian army, repeatedly sneaking over the border to report on German troop positions. WHY IT WON’T MAKE THE LIST: In his debut film, Andrei Tarkovky’s work isn’t yet confidently weird enough, although his decision to wrap this Soviet war drama in dreamy melancholic flashbacks (in stark contrast to the aesthetics of Socialist realism ) was a strong signal of the pioneering direction he would be taking. COMMENTS: In many ways Ivan’s Childhood is Andrei Tarkovky’s most conventional work; it’s in a recognizable genre (the war drama) without obscure philosophizing, it’s of a “normal” length (compared to his epic works), and, since the director had not yet begun his experiments with minimalism and ultra-long takes, the pacing is comfortable. There are four dream sequences, but they are all idyllic and tasteful, nothing that would alienate the average moviegoer. So, if you have a friend who is intimidated by slow-paced, three-plus hour philosophical epics like Stalker or Solaris, or if you yourself just want to start in the kiddie end of the Tarkovsky pool, Ivan is the go-to movie. Although it’s stylistically gentler than his later movies, that’s not to say that this debut film is intellectually shallow or atypical of the maestro’s output: all of Tarkovsky’s intelligence and poetry is already on display here. Themes from future masterpieces—the preeminence of the dream, the symbolism of water, careful use of ambiguity—all make their first appearance in Ivan. Anchored by a gritty performance by young Nikolay Burlyaev, who straggles into a base camp half-starved and starts ordering a lieutenant around with the arrogance only a kid can muster but has the right touches of tearful vulnerability at key moments, the story has an easy-to-locate moral and emotional center. Ivan’s childhood has been taken from him by the war. For the most part the wartime scenes are dingy and dark, set in trenches or dirty bunkers. Even the river, the boundary of Russian and German territory Ivan sneaks across the border under cover of darkness, is shot mostly at night, turning it into a cemeterial swamp lined by dead trees. Ivan’s dreams of lost childhood, by contrast, are bright and airy, full of spiderwebs and butterflies and stars that shine from out of wells. Even a ride on a horse-drawn apple cart during a thunderstorm is shot in a negative image so that the shadowy forest glows around the boy. The film’s rhythm of pleasant dream interrupted by gunfire and the call to duty is effective. A relationship between the nurse Masha and Kholin, one of the three officers who together serve as Ivan’s surrogate fathers, interrupts the boy’s story, but is an interesting aside. When the older man catches the dark beauty alone in a copse of white birches, and it isn’t entirely clear whether the dance the two characters engage in is a prelude to seduction or rape. Masha, the only female in the army with a platoon of potential suitors, seems frightened by his commanding demeanor and probing questions; their relationship is never resolved, but the scene develops a great, nervous erotic tension that provides us perspective on an adult world beyond what Ivan knows. His boyhood is inevitably destroyed by the war, but Tarkovsky finds a way to send Ivan off to a heaven thinly disguised as a dream. The ending is one of the enigmatic, just-oblique-enough to pass the censors spiritual moments for which Tarkovsky became famous. Vadim Yusov’s brilliant, fluid black and white camerawork adds immensely to the successful debut of a great cinema talent. Tarkovsky was given the chance to complete this movie, based on a short story by Vladimir Bogomolov, after another director had failed. Tarkovsky rewrote the script from scratch, adding the dream sequences over the Bogomolov’s objections. Valentina Malyavina, the actress who played Masha, would later serve nine years in prison for murdering a fellow actor. “Unlike Tarkovsky’s subsequent films, which began to rely more and more heavily on a minimalist approach and a reliance on long takes, Ivan’s Childhood has an eye-grabbing visual aesthetic that makes excellent use of elaborate camera movement, canted angles, and almost surreal compositions.”–James Kendick, QNetwork (DVD) 1962Andrei TarkovskyBlack and WhiteDramaRecommendedRussianWarWorld War II 95. SOLARIS [SOLYARIS] (1972) September 7, 2011 Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) 4 Comments “This exploration of the unreliability of reality and the power of the human unconscious, this great examination of the limits of rationalism and the perverse power of even the most ill-fated love, needs to be seen as widely as possible before it’s transformed by Steven Soderbergh and James Cameron into what they ludicrously threaten will be ‘2001 meets Last Tango in Paris.'”–Salman Rushdie on the (since realized) prospect of a Solaris remake FEATURING: Donatas Banionis, Natalya Bondarchuk, Jüri Järvet, Anatoli Solonitsyn PLOT: In the indefinite future, mankind has set up a space station orbiting Solaris, a mysterious planet covered by an ocean that exhibits signs of consciousness. Several of the crew members studying the planet demonstrate eccentric behavior and possible signs of mental illness, and psychologist Kris Kelvin is sent to the station to evaluate them and decide whether the program studying Solaris must be scrapped. On board the satellite Kelvin discovers an incarnation of his wife, who has been dead for seven years, and falls in love with the hallucination. BACKGROUND: For information on director Tarkovsky, see the background section of the entry for Nostalghia. Solaris was based on a 1961 novel by Polish science fiction author Stanislaw Lem. Tarkovsky’s version was actually the second adaptation; the story had been filmed previously by Boris Nirenburg for Soviet television. Steven Soderberg created an American version in 2002 starring George Clooney; it was a modest success with critics, but a commercial flop. Solaris won the Special Jury Prize (the second most prestigious award) at Cannes; the Palme d’or was shared by two realistic, political Italian films (The Working Class Goes to Heaven and The Mattei Affair) that are now almost forgotten. Although commentators frequently claim that Solaris was created as a reaction to Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey, cinematographer Vadim Yusov says that the director had not seen the 1968 space epic until filming had already begun. We can safely assume, however, that Soviet authorities were aware of the film, likely viewed it as propaganda for the American space program, and were more than happy to finance a 2001 response with cosmonauts as the cosmic heroes. Tarkovsky liked Natalya Bondarchuk’s initial audition for the role of Hari, but thought she was too young for the role (she was only 17 at the time). He recommended her to another director for a different part and continued casting. A year later Bondarchuk had completed her movie, Tarkovsky still had not cast Hari, and she still wanted the role. The director was impressed enough with her work and persistence to relent, ignore the age difference between her and leading man Donatas Banionis, and make her his Hari. Later Tarkovsky would comment in his diary that Bondarchuk’s performance “outshone them all.” The weird seascapes of Solaris’ surface were created in the studio using an acetone solution, aluminum powder, and dye. American reviewers gave Solaris largely negative reviews on its Stateside release in 1976; in their defense, however, the version then screened here was badly dubbed and had a half-hour cut from the running time. INDELIBLE IMAGE: During thirty seconds of scheduled weightlessness, Kris and Hari slowly rise in the air. A chandelier tinkles, a slow Bach organ chorale plays, and a lit candelabrum and open books float past them as they embrace. WHAT MAKES IT WEIRD: Though Solaris is far from Tarkovsky’s weirdest movie—in fact, it may be his most accessible—any movie in which a cosmonaut falls in love with an avatar of his dead wife that’s been created from his memories by an intelligent planet starts off on an oddish note. When Tarkovsky points his dreamy camera at this scenario and applies his typically hypnotic and obliquely philosophical style, the weird notes push to the forefront. The currents rippling in psychologist Kris Kelvin’s troubled subconscious turn out to be as mesmerizing as the ultramarine undulations of the surface of Solaris itself. Criterion Collection trailer for Solaris (1972) COMMENTS: Thirty minutes into Solaris Burton, a minor character, takes an almost five Continue reading 95. SOLARIS [SOLYARIS] (1972) → 1972Anatoli SolonitsynAndrei TarkovskyCriterion collectionExistentialGuiltLoveMinimalistPhilosophicalPsychologicalRecommendedRomanceRussianScience FictionStanislaw Lem YOUR GUIDE TO MOSFILM IN ENGLISH ON YOUTUBE June 21, 2011 Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) 21 Comments Some of you may know that the venerable Russian studio Mosfilm recently dumped a bonanza of Soviet-era films, many of which have rarely been seen in the West, onto YouTube: a fantastic service to lovers of world cinema, right? The only catch is that they listed all the titles and descriptions in Russian, with no indication of which movies are subtitled in English (many are). To make matters even worse, a few of the movie titles have been translated into English, but these seem to have been done at random: there’s no relationship between whether the title has been rendered in English and whether the dialogue has. Thanks to Russian translator and “friend-of-366” Irene Goncharova, who previously gave us the lowdown on Russian cult director Rustam Khamdamov, we’re able to provide you at least with some titles, guidelines and recommendations on exploring the musty archives of Soviet films—there are some real treasures hidden there. Irene painstakingly figured out which movies were subtitled in English and provided us with the translated titles and matching links, with some commentary of her own (her comments are marked “IG”). We’ve included IMDB links for more information on the films along with a direct link to the full free movie on YouTube. UPDATE 6/27: I discovered that more films are subtitled than we originally thought (Irene estimates more than 280!) Although some of the Mosfilm movies have “hard” subtitles (on the image itself), there are additional movies that offer translations via “closed captioning.” Look for a little “CC” button in the bottom right area of the YouTube player; if you see this button and push it (it’s not available on all videos), you get a “pop-up” English translation. The button will turn red when the service is active. You learn something new every day! If you have any additions or information, leave them in the comments and we’ll incorporate them into the guide. Let’s begin with the giant of Russian weird films, the only name here known known to Westerners: Andrei Tarkovsky (whose films Nostalghia and Stalker already grace the List of 366). Several of the Tarkovsky pictures Mosfilm put up on YouTube (Andrei Rublev and Solaris) have already been taken down (we suspect at the request of the Criterion Collection). The Mirror (1975), which tells a man’s life in a series of disconnected flashbacks, dreams and historical re-enactments, remains available. FILMS OF WEIRD INTEREST Assassin of the Tsar (1991, d. Karen Shakhnazarov) – Assassin was a co-production between Mosfilm and a British studio. It stars Malcolm McDowell as a patient in an insane asylum who believes that he assassinated the Tsar in 1918. McDowell spoke Russian for the production and later dubbed himself into English, which can be disconcerting. [IMDB Entry] [Watch on YouTube] Viy (1967, d. Georgi Kropachyov & Konstantin Yershov) – Read our review. Virtually the only Soviet horror movie, from a Nicolai Gogol story, with a witch flying on a coffin and a horde of demons at the end. An excellent film. Zero Town (1990, d. Karen Shakhnazarov) – An engineer is sent to a small provincial town where everyone seems to be crazy, even the nude secretary. This looks pretty weird. “Staring Leonid Filatov, a very good actor.”-IG. [IMDB Entry] [Watch on YouTube] Alexander Nevsky (1938, d. Sergei Eisenstein) – Prince Nevsky turns back the invading Teutonic knights in this epic war classic. Closed captioned (push the “CC” button for English translation). [IMDB Entry] [Watch on YouTube] Ballad of a Soldier (1959, d. Grigori Chukhrai) – Romance set during WWII. Ballad is highly regarded, but little known in the West. [IMDB Entry] [Watch on YouTube] The Battleship Potemkin (1925, d. Sergei Eisenstein) – A classic of world cinema; other movies quote from Odessa steps massacre scene all the time. Closed captioned (push the “CC” button for English translation). [IMDB Entry] [Watch on YouTube] Full Moon (1998, d. Karen Shakhnazarov) – Movie about the “new Russians,” circa 1998. Continue reading YOUR GUIDE TO MOSFILM IN ENGLISH ON YOUTUBE → Andrei TarkovskyRussianSoviet 34. STALKER (1979) August 20, 2009 Gregory J. Smalley (366weirdmovies) 20 Comments “My dear, our world is hopelessly boring. Therefore, there can be no telepathy, or apparitions, or flying saucers, nothing like that. The world is ruled by cast-iron laws, and it’s insufferably boring. Alas, those laws are never violated. They don’t know how to be violated…. To live in the Middle Ages was interesting. Every home had its house-spirit, and every church had its God.”–Writer, Stalker FEATURING: Aleksandr Kaidanovsky, Anatoli Solonitsyn, Nikolai Grinko, Alisa Freindlich PLOT: A mysterious phenomenon known as the Zone arises in a small, unnamed country. The military sent soldiers in and the troops never returned; they cordon off the Zone with barbed wire and armed guards, but rumors persist within the populace that inside the Zone is a room that will grant the innermost wish of anyone who enters it. A Stalker, a man capable of evading both the police and the traps formed by the Zone itself, leads a writer and a scientist into the Zone in search of the mystical room. Stalker is very loosely based on a science fiction novel with a title translating to “Roadside Picnic” written by two brothers, Boris and Arkady Strugatsky. After shooting the outdoor scenes for over a year on an experimental film stock, the entire footage was lost when the film laboratory improperly developed the negatives. All the scenes had to be re-shot using a different Director of Photography. Tarkovsky and Georgy Rerberg, the first cinematographer, had feuded on the set, and Rerberg deserted the project after the disaster with the negatives. Tarkovsky, his wife and assistant director Larisa, and another crew member all died of lung cancer. Vladimir Sharun, who worked in the sound department, believed that the deaths were related to toxic waste the crew breathed in while filming downstream from a chemical plant. He reported that the river was filled with a floating white foam that also floated through the air and gave several crew members allergic reactions. A shot of the floating foam, which looks like snow falling in spring or summer, can be seen in the film. The Chernobyl nuclear disaster happened seven years after the film was released. The quarantined area around the disaster site is sometimes referred to by locals as “The Zone,” and guides who illegally and unwisely take tourists there as “Stalkers.” A popular Russian video game named “S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Shadow of Chernobyl” involves the player penetrating a “Zone” and evokes a similar visual sense as the movie. INDELIBLE IMAGE: Like most of Tarkovsky’s works, Stalker is a movie full of awe-inspiring visual poetry and splendor, making it hard to pick a single sequence. One key scene that stands out is Stalker’s dream. The film stock changes from color to sepia—but a very warm brown, almost golden—as the camera pans over a crystal clear stream. A female voice whispers an apocalyptic verse and the mystical electronic flute theme plays as the camera roams over various objects lying under the water: abstract rock formations, tiles, springs, gears, a mirror clearly reflecting upside down trees, a gun, an Orthodox icon, a fishbowl with goldfish swimming in it. WHAT MAKES IT WEIRD: Stalker is an ambiguous, but despairing, existential parable containing narrative non-sequiturs wrapped inside of strange and gorgeous visuals. Scene from Stalker COMMENTS: It’s not fair to the potential viewer unfamiliar with Tarkovsky to start a Continue reading 34. STALKER (1979) → 1979AmbiguousAnatoli SolonitsynAndrei TarkovskyArthouseExistentialFaithMelancholyMinimalistMiracleMust seePainterlyPhilosophicalQuestRussianScience FictionSelf-doubtWonder	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5169
__label__cc	0.703477	0.296523	Home // Motivation // Sports Psych Just Relax: Simple Sport Psychology Techniques to Help You Cope With Stress Get better at the sports you play and the life you lead at STACK. Improve your training, nutrition and lifestyle with daily "Just relax." How many times have you heard your coach say that or told it to yourself? As a sport psychology consultant, I know that it's easier said than done. Athletes' lives have become a competitive frenzy. Not only are you participating in year-round intense sports programs, but you're also trying to excel academically. Add to this the desire (and pressure) to take part in other activitiesâand it's no wonder that you're feeling stretched too thin. Athletes' lives have become a competitive frenzy. Not only are you participating in year-round intense sports programs, but you're also trying to excel academically. Add to this the desire (and pressure) to take part in other activities—and it's no wonder that you're feeling stretched too thin. You might even believe that you need to be a superstar in every activity you do. You probably don't realize the effects of mounting stress on your performance. For example, you forgot your homework, got in a fight with a friend and received a bad grade on a test—and you have an important soccer game later in the day. How do you shake off that other stuff and get psyched up for the big game? This is where the importance of sport psychology comes in! Using stress management techniques is critical for leaving stress off the field and being able to play your best. Relaxation is often under-emphasized, but it can make a big difference in performance. Many athletes, particularly at the elite level, work hard to find ways to become relaxed. Below are some simple mental skills you can use to help lower stress and get ready for competition. Remember that these are skills, so you need to practice them for five to 10 minutes a day to stay sharp. Deep Breathing: Inhale slowly through your nose, drawing air deep into your lungs. Hold your breath for about five seconds, then release it slowly. With each exhalation, imagine that you are getting rid of any stress or fatigue that might prevent you from performing your best. Focus only on each breath. Repeat the exercise five to 10 times. Repeat "energy in" while inhaling, and "fatigue out" while exhaling. Progressive Muscle Relaxation: Isolate and contract muscle groups, creating tension for eight to 10 seconds, then relax the muscles and let the tension go. Concentrate on the feel of your muscles, specifically the contrast between tension and relaxation. In time, you will recognize tension in any specific muscle and be able to reduce it. Use words and phrases as you progress through the muscle groups—try "relax," "let go," "release," "stay calm" and "feeling fresh." Commonly-used muscle groups are: Abdomen and chest Arms, shoulders and neck Visualization: Capitalize on the power of your imagination. Close your eyes and picture a peaceful place or a happy event from your past. Use all of your senses to create a vivid picture, and imagine stress flowing away from your body. In times of stress, particularly when confidence wanes, it helps to visualize success. As a sport psychology consultant, I often tell athletes to imagine themselves achieving success—completing a pass, serving an ace or scoring a goal over and over. Then when it comes time to compete, you can recall your stored images to calm your nerves. Photo: espn.go.com Jennifer Gapin is an assistant professor in sport and exercise psychology at Southern Illinois University. She received her Ph.D. in kinesiology with a specialization in sport and exercise psychology from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; her master's degree from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; and her undergraduate degree from Bryn Mawr College. Since 2005, she has provided sport psychology services to athletes, teams and coaches at all ages and levels of competition. She is a certified consultant through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology, and she currently provides supervision and mentoring to prospective sport and exercise psychology consultants. Topics: COACH \| EXERCISE \| FATIGUE \| STRESS Jennifer Gapin - Jennifer Gapin is an assistant professor in sport and exercise psychology at Southern Illinois University. She received her Ph.D. in kinesiology with a specialization in sport and exercise psychology from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro; her master's degree from the University of Illinoi More About Sports Psych How to Develop a Successful Mindset for a Youth Athlete 5 Things Sports Parents Must Discuss With Their Athletes The One Word You Should Never Say to Yourself Your Kid Sucks at Sports. 5 Reasons Why That's OK Why Fun Should Be the Focus of Youth Sports Teach Young Athletes to Set Goals 4 Ways to Create a Positive Team Culture 5 Steps to Becoming a Better Coach Never Do a Plyometrics Cardio Circuit. Here's Why. Shoulder Workouts for Mass: 3 Tips Bench Press Breakdown: The Flat, Incline and Decline Power Clean Form 101: Perfect Your Form and Build Power Everything Wrong with P90X Plyometrics 7 Farmer's Walk Variations for Improved Core Strength Use Lateral Raises to Build Shredded Shoulders (with Variations and Form Fixes) Individual Basketball Shooting Drills 5 Basketball Footwork Drills Can The Dweck Mindset Method Help Your Kids Be Better Athletes? How to Throw a Fastball The Secrets to Success: Work Ethic and Desire Why You Should Learn to Embrace Practice How to Prepare Mentally for a Big Game Be a Glue Guy: Make Your Teammates Better What Fuels You: Develop a Mission Statement More About Coach Guidelines for Meeting With a College Coach or Recruiter	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5173
__label__wiki	0.680238	0.680238	COMMERCIAL LAW BLOG Research & Updates Companies Act, 2013 Series DIPP’s major impetus towards ease of doing business in India The Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion (“DIPP”) has vide Press Note No. 1 – 2018 Series (“Press Note 1”) sought to review the extant Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) policy on various sectors and has sought to incorporate several amendments to the Consolidated FDI Policy Circular of 2017 as amended from time to time (“FDI Policy”). These amendments will come into effect from the date they have been notified under the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Policy Level changes to the FDI Policy sought to be brought about vide Press Note 1 are enumerated below: 1. Schedule 3 – Provisions Relating to Issue/Transfer of Shares – Conversion of External Commercial Borrowings (“ECB”)/Lump sum Fee/Royalty etc. into Equity Under the FDI Policy, subject to certain conditions, issue of equity shares under the government route is allowed for import of capital goods/ machinery/ equipment (excluding second-hand machinery) and pre-operative/pre-incorporation expenses (including payments of rent etc.). However, vide the Press Note 1, DIPP seeks to allow issue of equity shares under the government approval route towards the aforementioned, only for sectors requiring government approval under the FDI Policy. Further, a new general condition has been sought to be incorporated, that, for sectors under automatic route, issue of equity shares against the import of capital goods/ machinery/ equipment (excluding second-hand machinery) and pre-operative/pre-incorporation expenses (including payments of rent etc.), shall be permitted under the automatic route subject to compliance with respective conditions mentioned above and reporting to RBI in form FC-GPR as per procedure prescribed under the FDI Policy. 2. Single Brand Product Retail Trading One of the major changes sought to be brought about by DIPP vide the Press Note 1 is, 100% FDI to be allowed in Single Brand Retail Trading (“SBRT”) under the automatic route. Currently, FDI is allowed under the automatic route only up to 49% and beyond 49%, government approval is required. In respect of proposals involving FDI beyond 51%, the requirement towards sourcing from India (preferably from MSMEs, village and cottage industries, artisans and craftsmen, in all sectors), 30% of the value of goods purchased by such entities, shall continue to apply. However, it is now sought that the SBRT entity be permitted to set-off its incremental sourcing of goods from India for global operations during the initial 5 years (beginning 1st April of the year of the opening of first store) against the mandatory sourcing requirement of 30% of purchase from India. It also seeks to clarify that, incremental sourcing will mean the increase in terms of value of such global sourcing from India for that single brand in a particular financial year from India over the preceding financial year, by the non-resident entities undertaking single brand retain trading, either directly or through its group companies. After completion of this 5 years period, the SBRT entity shall be required to meet the 30% sourcing norms directly towards its India’s operation, on an annual basis. All the other conditions as enumerated in the FDI policy, towards FDI in SBRT, shall continue as is. 3. Simplification of extant policy on FDI into an Indian company engaged only in the activity of investing in the capital of other Indian company(ies) (“Investing Company(ies)”) Vide Press Note 1, DIPP has sought that, FDI into Investing Company(ies), registered as Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFC) with Reserve Bank of India (being overall regulated), should now be 100% under automatic route. Such investments are currently permitted only under government approval route. Further, Press Note 1 seeks that, FDI in Investing Company(ies) which are: Core Investment Companies (CIC) and other investing Companies, engaged in the activity of investing in the capital of any other Indian Company/ies/LLP; and following RBI regulatory framework policy for CICs, should now be permitted under government approval route. 4. Power Exchanges As per the FDI Policy, FDI upto 49% is currently permitted under the automatic route and Foreign Institutional Investor (“FII”) / Foreign Portfolio Investment (“FPI”) purchases are restricted to secondary market stands only. However, vide the Press Note 1, DIPP has sought that the restriction of FII / FPI towards purchasing only via the secondary market be done away with. 5. Prohibition of restrictive conditions regarding audit firms In the event that, towards the audit of an Indian investee company, a foreign investor wishes to specify a particular auditor/audit firm having an international network, then, Press Note 1 seeks that, such audit should be carried out as a joint audit wherein both the auditors should be part of different networks. This proposed amendment to the FDI Policy is very ambiguous. Firstly, the terms ‘international network’ and ‘different networks’ have loosely used and may be widely interpreted. For e.g.: Would it also include to mean a foreign firm having an Indian subsidiary. Secondly, it provides that a ‘joint audit’ has to be carried out. However, it is not clear from the language of the amendment as to who shall be conducting the audit. Further, the rationale for the Indian resident auditor is not known. Sectoral changes to the FDI Policy sought to be brought about vide Press Note 1 are enumerated below: 1. Pharmaceuticals As per the FDI Policy, FDI up to 100%, under the automatic route is currently permitted for manufacturing of medical devices. The definition of “Medical Device” includes – “a device which is reagent, reagent product, calibrator, control material, kit, instrument, apparatus, equipment or system whether used alone or in combination thereof intended to be used for examination and providing information for medical or diagnostic purposes by means of in vitro examination of specimens derived from the human body or animals.” However, vide the Press Note 1, DIPP seeks to amend the aforementioned part to the effect that such a device shall have to be an in-vitro diagnostic device for medical or diagnostic purposes by means of any examination (not specifically ‘in-vitro’ examination) of specimens derived from the human body or animals. Through this proposed amendment, DIPP has also sought to de-link the FDI Policy from the drugs related laws in India and therefore seeks to specify the category of medical devices under the larger ambit of medical devices where 100% FDI is permitted under the automatic route. 2. Construction Development: Townships, Housing, Built-up Infrastructure and Real Estate Broking A new clarificatory note has been sought to be incorporated vide the Press Note 1 stating that, real-estate broking services does not amount to real estate business and 100% foreign investment is allowed in real-estate broking services activity under the automatic route. 3. Civil Aviation FDI Policy provided a specific exclusion wherein, foreign airlines were allowed to, up to the limit of 49% of their paid of capital and subject to certain conditions, invest in the capital of all Indian companies operating scheduled and non-scheduled air transport services, except for Air India Limited. However, vide the Press Note 1, DIPP has sought that: this specific exclusion carved out for Air India Limited be done away with; and along with the other conditions already enumerated under the FDI Policy, the following conditions be applicable for FDI in Air India Limited: FDI in Air India Limited including that of foreign airline(s) to not exceed more than 49% directly or indirectly; and Substantial ownership and control of Air India Limited to continue to be vested in Indian Nationals. Other changes sought to be brought about Currently, applications involving FDI from Countries of Concern, i.e., Pakistan and Bangladesh (“CoC”) require certain security clearances in the manner provided in extant policies and guidelines (“CoC Applications”), irrespective of the route of investment which are being processed by the Ministry of Home Affairs. However, vide the Press Note 1, DIPP provides that: CoC Applications falling under automatic route sectors/activities be processed by the DIPP; and CoC Applications falling under the government approval route sectors/activities be processed by the Nodal Administrative Ministries/Departments. From the aforementioned changes sought to be brought about in the FDI Policy it can be noted that, vide Press Note 1 the government of India has very early on in this year, taken long strides, towards liberalising the extant FDI Policy and promoting ease of doing business in India. Nomination vs Succession Cracking the code (Part 3): Interpreting the term “Dispute” Follow on Email We can be contacted at contactus[at]agamalaw.com ALA News & Announcements Arbitration Commercial Laws Contract Corporate Covid-19 Updates Criminal Law Data Protection/Privacy Environmental Law Family Laws FEMA Insolvency Labour/Employment Labour/Employment - Women Real Estate Securities Law Start-up Covid -19 Update: Extension of application of IBC Amendment Act 2020 Unlock 5.0 – Is this the right time to eat out? Covid-19: Unlock 4.0 Guidelines – What’s New Non-Personal Data and its Governance in India Online Gaming Laws In India: Recent Judgement of Madras High Court ALA News & Announcements Data Protection/Privacy Labour/Employment Labour/Employment – Women This website does not provide any legal advice and is for information purposes only. Any reliance on information or opinion contained herein would be against the advice of the administrators of this website and entirely at risk and cost of the recipient or user of this information. No attorney-client relationship is formed through this website, directly or indirectly. Opinions are of authors and does not necessarily bind the administrators or owners of the website or the law firm. Agama Law Associates #273, F Wing, Solaris I, Off Saki Vihar Road Opp. L&T Gate No. 6 Powai, Mumbai 400 072	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5184
__label__cc	0.725984	0.274016	Kyle A. Taylor, Marion, IN 402 S Washington St, Behind the Pizza King North. Near the Five Points intersection Marion, Gas City, Sweetser, Swayzee, Converse, Jonesboro, Fairmount, La Fontaine Link to Yelp Kyle A. Taylor: Allstate Insurance Local Allstate Agent: Meet Kyle A. Taylor Born and raised in Grant County, my roots run deep in Marion. I attended Oak Hill High School and both local colleges, Indiana Wesleyan and Taylor University. I understand the unique needs of people in this community. When I’m not working, my free time is spent with my wife, son and extended family. We especially enjoy our traditional Friday night pizza nights and celebrating the holidays together. We also attend College Wesleyan Church. Giving back to my community is important to me, and I serve on the Board of Directors for Gilead Ministries and have volunteered with other local community groups like Faith N Action, Help the Hopeful and Hands of Hope. I’ve never shied away from hard work. At 14, I started my own lawn care business and have been working ever since. Allstate’s impressive reputation reflects my values, and my team and I are proud to assist customers as they make decisions that help protect what matters most: their family, home, cars, life and retirement. Since joining Allstate in 2012 and opening my agency in Marion in 2016, I’ve found that working in the insurance industry enables me to help others, which helps satisfy my desire to work hard and to serve my community. My agency is dedicated to providing superior customer service, and we have over 50 years of experience in meeting customers’ needs. We offer a range of products and services in addition to our well-known home and auto insurance, including life insurance, and retirement. We are prepared to be your trusted Allstate agent. Stop by and see me! I look forward to getting to know you. Auto Insurance in Marion Home Insurance in Marion Condo Insurance in Marion Renters Insurance in Marion Motorcycle Insurance in Marion Business Insurance in Marion Life Insurance in Marion ATV Insurance in Marion Boat Insurance in Marion Years in the Grant County Rescue Mission Board of Directors National Federation of Independent Businesses Member Jackie Hancock Kyle Taylor Agency Owner Ryan L. Robrahn Licensed Sales Professional Ryan joined our team in 2018 after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a unique skill set to the team with an extensive background in customer relations and public service. Ryan enjoys informing customers about the covera Ryan joined our team in 2018 after serving 20 years in the U.S. Army. He brings a unique skill set to the team with an extensive background in customer relations and public service. Ryan enjoys informing customers about the coverages Allstate offers and helping them understand how to protect their families, homes, cars and more. Ryan excels in meeting customers' needs in a timely and professional manner. He is happily married and has two children whom he likes hunting and boating with whenever possible. Local events & news Good Driving Starts Young in Indiana Indiana has about 460,000 residents between the ages of 15 and 19, representing many new drivers. These young Indiana drivers are short on experience but eager to get on the road. At Allstate, we know Good Driving Starts Young. With personalized driving feedback after each trip and rewards for safe driving, Drivewise® is a great tool to help them start off on the right foot. Contact me today to learn how to connect your young driver with Drivewise®. Help Your Family Find Stability As a dad I understand how important a steady income is. That’s why we offer life insurance that pays out like a monthly paycheck. Talk to me about how we can help provide your loved ones with stability in case of the unexpected. Grant County Rescue Mission Receives Allstate Foundation Grant As a volunteer with Grant County Rescue Mission, I recently helped Grant County Rescue Mission qualify for a $1,000 Allstate Foundation Helping Hands in the Community grant to support the charity’s efforts to provide food and shelter to the homeless. I see firsthand the opportunities and challenges facing our area, which is why I support Grant County Rescue Mission’s work. McKenzie’s Hope Receives Allstate Foundation Helping Hands Grant As a volunteer with McKenzie’s Hope, I recently helped the organization qualify for a $19,000 Allstate Foundation Helping Hands in the Community grant. The grant supports McKenzie’s Hope’s efforts to raise awareness of and eradicate child abuse in Huntington County. I see firsthand the opportunities and challenges facing our area, which is why I support McKenzie’s Hope’s work. I’m proud to be one of thousands of Allstate agency owners around the country who care for their communities by supporting important local causes. Cancer Services of Grant County Allstate agent Kyle Taylor has received a $1,000 Allstate Hands in the Community Award for Cancer Services of Grant County, (CSGC). The charitable grant will help support CSGC’s mission to lift the burdens of illness for those in Grant County facing cancer. Gilead Ministries Allstate agent Kyle Taylor has received a $1,000 Allstate Agency Hands in the Community Award for his commitment to serving others in the Marion area. The Allstate Foundation awarded the grant to Gilead Ministries, a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting patients in their journey with cancer and long term illness. Allstate agency owner Kyle Taylor also supported the Gilead Ministries by raising awareness. Help for the Hopeful Help for the Hopeful, a charity dedicated to helping medically-challenged children in Grant County received a $1,000 Allstate Hands in the Community Award on behalf of agent Kyle Taylor. The Allstate Foundation and Allstate agents have a long history of supporting local charities and community organizations. Hands of Hope Wins Allstate Grant Allstate agent Kyle Taylor received a $1,000 Allstate Good Hands in the Community Award for the Hands of Hope, a division of Family Service Society, Inc. Because of Kyle’s efforts the Hands of Hope program will be able to continue its mission of providing support and education for those affected by domestic abuse in the Marion community. Kyle A. Taylor is insurance licensed in the state(s) of Indiana, Michigan, and Tennessee. If you do not reside in the state(s) of Indiana, Michigan, or Tennessee, please go to the Find an Agent section on allstate.com to search for another Allstate Agent or Personal Financial Representative. Marion Insurance Agents Kyle A. Taylor	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5185
__label__wiki	0.732383	0.732383	Outstanding Alumni Award Guidelines The Outstanding Alumni Award is the highest award of the College of Agricultural Sciences and the Ag Alumni Society. The award recognizes those outstanding alumni who have demonstrated a record of outstanding accomplishments and have made significant contributions to their profession. Recognize outstanding alumni for their professional accomplishments. Foster and cultivate a relationship with the honoree and the College. Provide enhanced opportunities for faculty, staff, and students to interact with accomplished alumni. Penn State alumni who have received an associate, undergraduate or a graduate degree from the College of Agricultural Sciences. Significant career advancement as recognized by an employer, professional association, or similar entity. Distinguished and diverse service to their community. Membership in the Penn State Alumni Association/Ag Alumni Society is encouraged. One nomination will be accepted from each department. Nominations should include a support letter or statement of nomination, current resume, and any other supporting materials. Up to three outstanding alumni will be selected for the academic year to be hosted by the nominating department and the College. Two-day visits to campus will be scheduled in the fall in coordination with the Outstanding Recent Alumnus/a Award, the Alumni Fellow Award, and the Armsby Honor Society Induction. Selection will be made by a committee of the Dean, Associate Deans, Senior Director of Development and the Director of Alumni Relations. Program Funding The Ag Alumni Society will provide each department with an honoree up to $1,000. Departments may have more than one honoree and may be awarded accordingly. Departments are responsible for expenses such as transportation, lodging, and activities to engage the honoree with faculty and students. The Dean's Office will host a college awards reception and dinner. The Dean's Office will pay for the reception and the department will be responsible for the meal cost of each of their honorees and guests. Responsibilities of the Department Call the honoree within one week of notification to inform him/her of receipt of the award and the date of the awards dinner. Inform the Alumni Office that contact was made with the honoree. The Alumni Office will then send an official letter of congratulations from the Dean. Cover the honoree's expenses for transportation, lodging, and activities to engage the honoree with faculty and students. Covering expenses for the spouse and/or other guests is at the discretion of the department. Reminder -- funds from the Ag Alumni Society should be used to support these expenses. Coordinate the travel and lodging arrangements with the honoree. Develop the itinerary for the campus visit with faculty, staff, students, etc., and send to the honoree at least six weeks prior to the visit. Organize and publicize any seminars the honoree will hold while on campus. Send the itinerary to the Alumni Office six weeks prior to the visit. The Alumni Office will send itineraries of all honorees to the Dean. Participate as a department in the Dean's college awards reception and dinner. Provide transportation and escort the honoree to various activities on campus. Provide the Alumni Office with an invitation list for the Dean's college awards reception and dinner two months prior to the event. The invitation list should include the invitee, name of spouse, and mailing address (campus address if applicable). Invitation lists should include those most connected with the honoree and may include former faculty, current faculty, staff, colleagues, former classmates, graduate students and undergraduate students. Responsibilities of the Alumni Office Set the date for the Dean's college awards reception and dinner. Coordinate the selection process and notify the departments of the outcome. Send a letter of congratulations from the Dean. Send a planning questionnaire to the honoree to gather information for their campus visit. Share the completed planning questionnaire with the department. Coordinate the writing, approval and distribution of a press release with the College Communications and Marketing Office. Coordinate the production and printing of the program booklet with the College Communications and Marketing Office. Gather invitation lists for the Dean's awards reception and dinner from departments and honorees. Send invitations four weeks prior to the event. Coordinate the Dean's awards reception and dinner. Reserve the event space and select the menu Order a large lion with engraved plate for each honoree Create an award certificate for each honoree Provide a photographer for the dinner and share photos with departments and honorees after the event Provide a corsage/boutonniere for each honoree and spouse 2020 Award Timeline Nominations due: March 27, 2020 Department notification: April 3, 2020 Award reception and dinner: November 20, 2020 Alan Schaffranek, Alumni Relations Office 229 Ag Administration Building AgAlumni@psu.edu	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5189
__label__wiki	0.972287	0.972287	Ronnie Screwvala: In Kai Po Che! Sushant Singh Rajput was at his bindaas best-super confident and super talented Mumbai Mirror / Updated: Jun 15, 2020, 09:16 IST Ronnie Screwvala (inset) █ Ronnie Screwvala, Producer, Kai Po Che! From the youthful, energetic, give-it-all Ishaan of Kai Po Che! to an endearing, soulful performance as Mansoor in Kedarnath and a gritty, engaging role in Sonchiriya... Sushant’s journey showcased different roles and myriad emotions. Kai Po Che! was a memorable experience because Sushant was at his bindaas best— super confident and super talented. He gave his all to the role and his energy on screen showed that a star was born. He showed versatility in everything he has done ever since. Sushant Singh Rajput: Ten films and then the curtain call Sushant Singh Rajput has left behind a short filmography and long list of unfinished to-dos Like me, he cherished memories and even during the release of Kedarnath, as excited as he was about this role, we spoke more about Kai Po Che! with him, as always, reflecting on his past and his highs. We met again during Sonchiriya’s release and he confided that this was by far his toughest role till date. In recent times, our discussions revolved around his love for science and astronomy. He had no regrets. Rest in peace Sushant, may you find the peace you were looking for. —As told to Himesh Mankad In Photos: From Maanav in Pavitra Rishta to Annirudh in Chhichhore, roles that defined Sushant Singh Rajput Tracing Sushant Singh Rajput's life in films Sushant Singh Rajput's tryst with the camera began with a chance sighting. Ekta Kapoor's casting team spotted him in a play by Nadira Babbar's theatre company and invited him to audition for a show. It set the ball rolling on the then-aspiring hero's career. A look: Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil (2008) Sushant made his television debut as Preet Juneja on this show. The character was killed early on, but was brought back as a spirit for the series finale, owing to his popularity. Pavitra Rishta (2009) The next year, he landed the lead role of Manav Deshmukh in the hit show, widely considered to be his breakout role and a stepping stone to films. While working on this Ekta Kapoor production, he also met his future girlfriend, Ankita Lokhande, who played the female lead. Kai Po Che! (2013) After participating in two dance-based reality shows— Zara Nachke Dikha 2 and Jhalak Dikhhla Ja 4—Sushant auditioned for this Abhishek Kapoor directorial, and bagged one of the three lead roles alongside Rajkummar Rao and Amit Sadh. His portrayal of former district-level cricketer Ishaan Bhatt, who falls prey to politics in the selection process, in the critical and commercial success earned him raves. Shuddh Desi Romance (2013) Sushant followed it up with this Maneesh Sharma-directed Parineeti Chopra and Vaani Kapoor co-starrer. The romance comedy-drama was set in Jaipur and revolved around youngsters’ take on love and live-in relationships. PK (2014) In Rajkumar Hirani’s satirical comedy-drama led by Aamir Khan and Anushka Sharma, Sushant had a brief yet notable role. Detective Byomkesh Bakshy (2015) Dibakar Banerjee’s mystery thriller featured the actor in the titular role, a character created by Bengali writer Sharanindu Bandopadhyay. Set in the Kolkata of the 1940s, the film was reportedly to get a sequel with Sushant reprising his role. MS Dhoni: The Untold Story (2016) Neeraj Pandey’s biographical drama that traces the journey of the eponymous former Indian skipper-wicket keeper saw Sushant take on another titular role. The film, which also featured Kiara Advani and Disha Patani, secured for Sushant his first Filmfare Best Actor nomination the following year. Raabta (2017) In Dinesh Vijan’s directorial debut, a reincarnation-themed romance actioner, Sushant was paired opposite Kriti Sanon and the duo played star-crossed lovers. The film featured Jim Sarbh, Rajkumar Yadav and Varun Dharma in supporting roles. Kedarnath (2018) The actor reunited with Abhishek ‘Gattu’ Kapoor to headline Sara Ali Khan’s launch vehicle. The inter-faith love story was set against the backdrop of the pilgrim site and revolved around a Muslim boy who falls in love with a rich Brahmin girl. Sonchiriya (2019) Co-written and directed by Abhishek Chaubey, the film is set in the Chambal ravines of 1975 and tells the story of a group of dacoits. It also featured Manoj Bajpayee, Bhumi Pednekar, Ranvir Shorey and Ashutosh Rana. Chhichhore (2019) Sushant followed it up with one of the biggest successes of his career with this Nitesh Tiwari-directed campus comedy-drama. The film won five Filmfare nods, including Best Film and Best Director. It was also Sushant’s last theatrical release. 💔This is so unfair. Gone too soon. I’ll always cherish our conversations on acting and cinema. You’ll be missed bh… https://t.co/gPvMMR4jhk — Rajkummar Rao (@RajkummarRao) 1592141345000 Sushant Singh Rajput’s last co-star Sanjana Sanghi breaks down; puts out an emotional post Sanjana Sanghi said, "I refreshed my web pages a 100 times hoping I’m reading some sort of horrible joke. I’m not equipped to process any of this." Sushant's last co-star, Dil Bechara’s Sanjana Sanghi shared a tearful farewell video on social media on Sunday. Abhi toh itna kuch baaki tha, Sushant? wrote Sanghi on Instagram as she joined celebrities and Sushant's colleagues of the film fraternity in expressing shock and grief over his sudden demise. 13 killed in road accident en route Goa... 13 killed in road accident en route Goa from K'taka A traffic challan and an unlikely roman... A traffic challan and an unlikely romance	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5192
__label__wiki	0.949576	0.949576	Gas line break in Sunset District causes burst of flames Crews in San Francisco are working to put a fire out and cap a gas leak after a line broke on June 30, 2015. (KGO-TV) SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco firefighters responded to a gas line break in the Sunset District Tuesday afternoon that briefly caused flames to shoot into the air. The break was reported at 2:17 p.m. at 3733 Taraval Street when a third-party construction crew hit a hit a half-inch plastic line, PG&E said. The break caused flames to briefly shoot into the air, but did not spark a fire, fire officials said. The 3700 block of Taraval Street was evacuated as a result of the break, but gas has now been shut off. PG&E was called to the scene, fire officials said. san franciscosffdpg&efire	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5196
__label__cc	0.62148	0.37852	Русский Russian ru العربية Arabic ar Deutsch German de Español Spanish es +375 29 357 03 55, +375 17 355 03 55 info@lawoffice.by Why Allford Group? Social responsibility and recognition Investments in Belarus Open a company in Belarus Open a Representative office in Belarus M&A/Transactions Taxation in Belarus Debt collection in Belarus Litigation in Belarus Family law in Belarus Development, construction and real estate IT/High Tech Park/Cryptocurrency Open a corporate bank account Open a private bank account Recovery and legalization of documents Corporate law and procedures Home/Services/Immigration law/Ban on entry to Belarus and Russia The ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation Advocates of our Law Office have a wide experience of work and solving problems in the field of the migration law of the Republic of Belarus. One of the issues on which our advocates specialize on migration legislation is the lifting of the ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus (Russian Federation). The ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus is a temporary measure that can be appealed and, with a professional approach, to get its cancellation. How to lift an entry ban to Belarus? The last 2 (two) years, our advocates and lawyers receive a large number of complaints about the ban on entry to the territory of the Republic of Belarus to foreign citizens. Often our foreign Clients simply can not understand what was the reason for the ban on entry, because according to the conviction of my clients, they did not violate the legislation of the Republic of Belarus, moreover, they stayed on the territory of the Republic of Belarus for 1-2 days. As a rule, in practice, the term of the ban on entry, which is received by an individual, is from 3 to 5 years. The client, in practice, usually finds out about the entry ban against him already at the airport itself (both on the territory of the Republic of Belarus and on the territory of the Russian Federation). It should be noted that an agreement is in force between the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation on mutual recognition and enforcement of decisions to refuse entry to the territory of the member states of the agreement of 03.03.2015. Thus, as a rule, when a person is banned from entering the Republic of Belarus, an individual receives a ban on entry to the Russian Federation. What can serve as the basis for prohibiting the entry of a foreign citizen into the territory of the Republic of Belarus? As a rule, the basis for prohibiting a foreign citizen from entering the territory of the Republic of Belarus is the violation by a foreign citizen of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus. The most frequent case in practice is a violation of the legislation of the Republic of Belarus on visa-free entry. Thus, a foreign citizen who uses visa-free entry to Belarus leaves the territory of the Republic of Belarus through the territory of the Russian Federation, which is contrary to migration legislation. Such a situation may lead to a ban on entry into the Republic of Belarus for a period of more than 3 years. Lawyers of our Law Office have extensive experience in representing the interests of Clients on the lifting of the ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus. Thanks to us, more than 50 customers over the past year have regained the right to enter the Republic of Belarus, more than 5 Clients the term of the ban on entry has been reduced by more than 80%. Addressing to us you can be sure that real professionals who have experience in solving the issues on lifting the ban on entry to the Republic of Belarus will take up your issue. Contract law in Belarus Board of Directors creation and maintenance Change and dismissal of a director Increase of the statutory capital of the company Transactions with affiliation Annual general meeting conduction Changes to the charter Alimony cases in Belarus Determining the child’s place of residence Division of marital property in Belarus Establishing paternity in Belarus International child abduction cases in Belarus Parental rights cases in Belarus Marriage contract in Belarus Citizenship and passport Permission for permanent stay Ban on entry to Belarus and Russia Franchise and license agreements Registration of trademark Cryptocurrency in Belarus Hi-Tech Park in Belarus Open an IT company in Belarus Open a closed joint stock company in Belarus Open a Forex company in Belarus Open a LLC in Belarus Open a public company in Belarus Open a trading company in Belarus Open company in a free economic zone Open company in Great Stone Industrial Park Getting duplicate documents Apostille in Belarus Request for information from the archive Allford Group Law Office, TAX № 805090430 All advocates of Allford Group Law Office carry out their activity within the Law Office which is a part of Minsk regional bar association. 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__label__wiki	0.749278	0.749278	Home » Markets » Why Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Were Slammed Monday Why Sinclair Broadcast Group and Tribune Media Were Slammed Monday Shares of television broadcasting company Sinclair Broadcast Group (NASDAQ: SBGI) took a hit Monday, falling as much as 11.8%. The stock's decline came after Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai expressed concerns about the company's proposed acquisition of media and entertainment company Tribune Media (NYSE: TRCO). Tribune shares were slammed as well, falling as much as 18%. By the time the market closed on Monday, Sinclair and Tribune were down 11.7% and 16.7%, respectively. The main area of concern for Sinclair's proposed deal seems to be with the television stations it planned to sell in order to be approved to purchase Tribune. Selling a certain number of stations before acquiring Tribune is required for Sinclair to adhere to FCC regulations. In a statement, Pai said, "Based on a thorough review of the record, I have serious concerns about the Sinclair/Tribune transaction." The proposed divestitures would still leave Sinclair in control of the divested stations "in practice, even if not in a name," Pai said in the statement. For now, the FCC is blocking the deal. To proceed from here, "the law requires the FCC to designate the transaction for a hearing in order to get to the bottom of those disputed issues," Pai said. The FCC chairman proposed that the hearing should take place before an administrative law judge. Pai's interference with the proposed merger makes a deal unlikely, according to The Wall Street Journal. 10 stocks we like better than Sinclair Broadcast GroupWhen investing geniuses David and Tom Gardner have a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the newsletter they have run for over a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor, has quadrupled the market.* David and Tom just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy right now… and Sinclair Broadcast Group wasn't one of them! That's right — they think these 10 stocks are even better buys. Click here to learn about these picks! *Stock Advisor returns as of June 4, 2018 Daniel Sparks has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. « One million over-50s out of work ‘because age discrimination laws not enforced’ Papa John’s founder blames n-word scandal on ‘extortion’ attempt »	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5202
__label__cc	0.719806	0.280194	Best of San Francisco Food & Drink Best New Boba Trend Mitsu Teahouse The hottest current thing in the world of tapioca drinks, a.k.a. boba tea (or, as Hillary Clinton recently called them when she tried one in New York, "chewy tea") isn't a crazy new flavor or new way to marinate the root starch balls — it's cotton candy! Best Refusenik Unnamed DPW Worker In case you've been TaskRabbiting your way through life and haven't had the chance to leave the micro-loft to stroll the alleys and streets of central San Francisco, the number of homeless tent encampments in town is approaching epic levels — as in Hooverville and Great Depression levels. News Chem Tales Chem Tales: Is Donald Trump Good on Cannabis? By Alex Halperin By Tom Molanphy By Channing Joseph By Jonah Owen Lamb Kamasi Washington: How Collaboration With Other Genres is Changing Jazz For the Better By Steven Edelstone With Is the Is Are, DIIV Frontman Zachary Cole Smith Finally Sees The Light at the End of the Tunnel Miike Snow's Swedish Pop Has a Cerebral Side By Peter Lawrence Kane UK Rockers Foals Look Forward to Taking a Much-Needed Break June 10, 2009 News » Letters SF Weekly Letters Letters for the week of June 3-9, 2009 Workplace Dispute Shun-unemployment: No wonder we are behind in so many categories when it comes to competing on a global stage ["Funemployment," Peter Jamison, Feature, 6/3]. This trend isn't new, but the magnitude of it is. It is sheer laziness. I have been out of work before and my pride would not let me stay out of work for long. Having lived in two other countries for a couple of years each time, I find it sad how Americans can become okay with being out of work. In so many other countries, people have more pride and get back to work. I must interject that I love America. I was born and raised (mostly) here. Seriously though, I have come across too many kids who feel like they deserve these "vacations," that if they don't get a six-figure salary and perks then there is something wrong with the company they are working for. I am just turning 30, and I crossed the six-figure bar a few years ago. I just want to laugh at this laziness. And then cry. It's sad. allcarvedup Web comment Think outside the cubicle: If these people were previously employed, then they worked a high-paying S.F.–style job for years, probably straight out of college, and EDD [Employment Development Department] deductions were taken from every paycheck. Now that the fat cats have driven our economy into the ground, the kids got laid off — and they are entitled to those benefits. I'm sure it would make people feel better if they just stared at job Web sites all day and immediately got back into the cubicle grind, but guess what? There hasn't been a job recovery. No amount of sitting at home and being depressed is going to bring those jobs back. So yeah, they're hiking, they're planning on grad school, they're taking care of their grandparents. They're moving to cities that might offer more opportunities. And what are the critics doing? They are envious and hating. Most of the people in the article will probably find brighter new paths, while the naysayers are stuck in their soul-draining jobs. Chadimus Nothing Civil About Marriage Laws Domestic grouse: I couldn't agree more with the ideas expressed in Matt Smith's recent column ["Domestic Spouses," 6/3]. I've long asserted that if the only semicredible argument against marriage equality is the supposed sanctity of the religious institution, then the obvious answer is to keep the legal and religious definitions of marriage separate. Of course, I didn't fully understand the mechanics involved, or how tightly church and state intermingle in performing marriages, so this article has helped clarify just how the "divorce" should be handled. The only thing I might add is that we should allow for two definitions of "marriage," one legal and one religious, as opposed to using "civil unions" as the legal term. For better or for worse, marriage has become a cultural institution in America, not just a religious or legal institution. Thus, I think many secular folks, both gay and straight, might object to having the term for their (nonreligious) unions "downgraded." Lance Eason Former Wilco member struck a chord: I just read Katy St. Clair's article about Jay Bennett [Bouncer, 6/3], and it was absolutely lovely; such a beautiful tribute to a beautiful person. It had been a long time since I had seen Bennett, and we weren't "friends" in the traditional sense, but I did have the honor of having quite a few profound conversations with him when he used to stay at the hotel I worked at when he was still with Wilco. I was a student who worked second and graveyard shift, and on the evenings I worked overnight he would come down, take a seat at the counter, and have these amazing conversations with me about music, life, etc. I was very sad to hear of his passing. He certainly will never be forgotten. I am sorry for the loss of St. Clair's friend. Her article prompted me to text my best friend to tell him that I love him and that I appreciate him. Paula Meegan Tags: Letters, Columns, Wilco (Band), Jay Bennett, Chicago, Peter Jamison Write to Editor Comics Issue 2014: Letter from the Editor In Which We Explain the Nature of Our Scheme Comics Issue 2014: Tofu-Eaters A Reader Weighs in on Journalistic Opinions	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5204
__label__cc	0.621216	0.378784	El Cid Vacation Club McGregor Texas Review We were stopped at the Mazatlan Airport and asked if we had a taxi to our resort. We were then told that El Cid would pay our taxi, give us 4 tickets to a Mexican buffet, as well as 4 tickets for a Stone Island tour if we would take a 90 minute presentation at their resort. We agreed to meet them on July 15, three days later. nUpon arriving at El Cid Moor Resort, we were greeted by our sales person, Bob. We were taken to the restaurant to eat breakfast, where Bob sat down with us and told us that he had a way that we could earn back all the money we would invest in a timeshare, and more. He falsely promised us that we could make $28,000 a year. He also explained to us how the good Lord had given him this idea several years ago and he and his partner in the states had a way to help us make this money. During the meal, he did not provide any details. nAs we took our tour of the facility, he continue to tell us how much money we would save by booking all our airline reservations through RCI, giving us examples of how much he and his wife saved on tickets to Africa last year. He showed us the Owners Tower and took us to the top floor which were, of course, the nicest units. He told us all owners’ units looked like this 2 bedroom unit. (We later learned that this is the VIP nTower and we did not purchase enough points to ever stay there.) He falsely represented us to believe that the Disney Corporation was planning to build a Disney resort across the way. The salesman also showed us a golf course across the way that he falsely promised that members had free access to it. He told us that an island across the water was Stone Island and that it belonged to El Cid. When we took our tour of Stone Island the next day, we found out that all of this was intentionally misrepresented. That island was not even Stone Island, much less owned by El Cid. nAfter the tour of the facility, we followed Bob into the sales room, where Bob told us he was the Sales Manager. Here we were offered drinks, and Bob pulled out two sheets of notebook paper. His computer screen was turned around backwards, as he told us he preferred to just use paper and pen, the old-fashioned way. Bob explained how vacations could be taken using points. He said that it wasn’t just resorts, but also intentionally exaggerated that it was most major hotels across the U.S. (the only hotel included is Windham). Bob also continually misrepresented to us that El Cid and RCI are one and the same. This would allow us to easily exchange our unit for wherever we wanted to go without denial or delay. He then falsely promised to us that there were no exchange fees for exchanging with RCI, because they and El Cid were the same. However, page 18 of the El Cid Vacation Club catalog clearly states that there are RCI exchange fees. Also, page 19 of the same catalog states that there are fees for reservations internally at El Cid resorts, as well. Again, we were falsely promised that there would be no fees involved with reservations at any resorts. And, of course, El Cid and RCI (the major one that everyone knows0 are not the same. nWe asked Bob if these points expired, or if they could be passed on to our children. He falsely stated that they never expire. The contract ends in 20 years. nNext, Bob explained to us the points system and what was available. There were 3 categories of points sold. There were 300,000 points, 154,000 points or a smaller amount. He explained to us that by purchasing 154,000 points, we would essentially have four weeks to use or exchange. By just calling Bob and giving him our points, he, in turn, would take our weeks and exchange them for units wherever the Super Bowl was that year, and rent them out for approximately $10,000 per unit. His company in the states would send us a profit of $7,000 per unit, netting us $28,000 per year in profits. He intentionally misled us to believe that he could do this not just one year, but every year, making us a substantial income. He showed us a printed sheet of paper with pictures of a rental listing on a web site. By doing this, our cost into El Cid would be paid for in one year. When asked if every sales person in that room offered this same deal, Bob assured us that he only offered this to his clients and that his company in the states would not want to become flooded with requests renting out the Super Bowl week. He stated that if we let him know by October 2008, that we wanted him to rent our units out, he would have them rented by January 2009 and send us a deposit check for $5,000. The rest would follow in February. After returning home, we realized that we do not even receive any points through El Cid and RCI until January, 2009, thus making it impossible to rent our unit out in time for the Super Bowl in 2009, had there ever been that possibility! nWe also inquired what size unit the 154,000 points would get us, and Bob falsely stated that they would be 2 BR units. After receiving our written materials 15 days later, we quickly realized that our 154,000 points would not even get one week in a 2 BR unit at an El Cid resort during the summer (which was when we were there, so it makes since that is when we prefer to travel). Regardless of when we traveled, we would never be able to exchange or rent 4 weeks and receive a 2BR unit for 154,000 points. nOnce we decided to purchase, Bob took us to the bar area that opens to and over-looks the pool. Again, he brought us drinks and told us he would go and prepare the paper work. The first paper he brought out to sign was the authorization to charge our credit card, which we signed before we were given the contract to read and sign. Another round of drinks were offered, as we waited at least 30-45 minutes before being escorted into the business office to sign the contract. Upon completion of signing, they showed us all the members’ books for El Cid and RCI, but said that they would mail them to us, as to not burden us with additional weight in our luggage. In those books was the information that showed exactly the value of the points purchased. Upon leaving, Bob gave us his phone number to call anytime. We tried to call Bob when we were trying to get this contract cancelled, but he never returned our phone calls. nWe returned home on Sunday, July 20, and decided to cancel this contract. On Monday, July 21, we penned the attached letter and faxed a copy to the number indicated on the letter, but with no success. This was the only number provided anywhere in the contract material provided us. (Later, we found out this is the number for the cruise exchange program with RCI). Then we took a copy of the letter to Fed Ex. The resort refused to cancel our contract. We have been in touch with and are clients of The Owner’s Advocate that are helping us resolve this issue and cancel this contract. nGarynMcGregor, TexasU.S.A. Av. Camaron Sabalo, Mazatlan, Mexico Mazatlan, Mexico Mexico This review has been syndicated from YScam www.yscam.com/el-cid-vacation-club-mcgregor-texas-review/el-cid-vacation-club-mcgregor-texas-review-complaint-296083/ Foxxboutique.com Free Spirit Jeans Raleigh North Carolina Review e-forms us NJM Insurance Company Review	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5205
__label__wiki	0.549805	0.549805	Guerbet highlights microcatheter at ECIO By Staff News Brief Guerbet highlighted an anti-reflux microcatheter used for embolization procedures on vascular tumors or aneurysms at the European Conference on Interventional Oncology (ECIO) held in Vienna this month. The Accurate microcatheter enables more embolization microparticles to be administered in the target area, while preventing their reflux upstream to the arteries irrigating healthy tissues. This microcatheter completes a range of standard microcatheters designed and developed to offer interventional radiologists optimized intra-arterial navigation even in cases of tortuous vascularity and difficult-to-access lesions, according to the Villepinte, France-headquartered company. The Accurate microcatheter is awaiting CE Mark approval but has received clearance by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Guerbet highlights microcatheter at ECIO. Appl Radiol. By Staff News Brief\| April 26, 2018 Staff News Brief	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5208
__label__cc	0.662504	0.337496	Mission MXR Compound Bow July 17, 2020 /by superadmin Compare Mission MXR Compound Bow with other bows: See other Mission Compound bows for sale Mission MXR for sale Mission MXR Brace Height: 7 " Axle to Axle Length: 30 " Draw Length: 23.5 " - 29.5 " Draw Weight: 40 lbs - 70 lbs IBO Speed: 324 fps Buy at Cabela’s: Check Cabela’s Buy Bow Now: Check Ebay Mission MXR Review In the past, getting a compound bow that was a killer in the field and had performance to keep you hunting strong meant shelling out nearly a thousand dollars for an average hunting bow. Thankfully, years of innovation and design have led to a new breed of bows made by Mission that are looking to rewrite what a hunting bow has to cost. Look no further than the Mission MXR. Things to Consider Before Buying The Mission brand on its own may just seem like another hunting bow company, but when archers hear that they are owned and operated by Mathews, heads begin to turn. Mission is a branch of Mathews that looks to bring top of the line performance to archers at a much more affordable price point. The new MXR takes what Mathews has been doing so well for many years and brings it down into a price point that any archer could afford. To keep the MXR competitive, Mission included the Crosscentric cam system that Mathews bows have been so well received for using and puts it into a more reasonably priced bow. The Crosscentric cam system allows the MXR to shoot faster and farther than its competition and has the ability to shoot at speeds up to 324 fps. To make the package more appealing to a variety of archers, Mission gave the MXR a 30-inch frame so that archers of various sizes and skill levels could take advantage of the bow’s awesome performance. The smaller size also makes the MXR a great bow for archers looking to go tree hunting on a budget. Even the newest archer can find their place with the MXR, as it comes with a bowhunter kit full of essentials to get archers right into the action. Who Should Buy it? At its price point, the MXR sits above every competing bow and shows just how diverse a bow can be, even on a budget. The MXR’s mix of just enough power and performance means that it is a great bow for people looking to get into hunting without having to spend a thousand dollars. Who Shouldn’t Buy it? Despite its incredible value for the price, not every archer will want to consider the MXR. Larger archers or experienced hunters will probably want to look elsewhere, as the MXR’s smaller frame means it lacks the extreme power that seasoned hunters look for in a bow. The combination of a strong parent company and their technology integrated in the MXR makes for a compelling package The low price of the bow means more archers can get into the sport than ever before and still dominate The smaller frame and somewhat low power make this bow not as competitive as some larger bows For the archer looking to get into hunting on a budget, you won’t find a better deal than the blend of performance and lethality the MXR has to offer. Specifications for the Mission bow: MXR Brace Height 7 “ Axle to Axle Length 30 “ Draw Length 23.5 ” – 29.5 “ Draw Weight 40 lbs – 70 lbs IBO Speed 324 fps Let-Off up to 80% 3 quick questions about Mission MXR More about bows online Mission bows for sale Mission MXR Compound Bow Review A lot of people who own Mission MXR Compound Bows have probably seen pictures of their bows and wondered, “How did they do that?” Well, while those images don’t actually show the actual bows, they show the action of how the MXR Compound Bow has a design that allows for such huge draw weights to be used with ease. This is actually one of the reasons why this bow is used by many professional hunters – they can use their bows while they are out on the trail, or hunting with a partner. When people think about a bow, they often look at the features of a Mission Compound Bow, but they forget about the way it’s made. This is a bow designed for both beginners and experienced hunters. The way it’s made allows a person to use it from a very early age. With a heavier weight than many other bows, it makes it so that a person can use the bow and learn how to control it much earlier. This is a great way to get started, especially for someone who has just bought a bow. And, while some people might look at a bow as something that they use to hunt, this bow is actually designed to shoot down larger game like deer. These are the most common deer animals that people hunt with their bows. They’re actually quite good at doing this, because these are species that require a greater amount of space to make sure that they don’t run into other obstacles. Some people make the mistake of thinking that they are easy to hunt with, and they make the mistake of thinking that they can easily kill smaller deer. This is actually not the case at all, especially when the bowhunter isn’t using their hands. This is why they need to take the time to learn how to properly hold a bow, instead of relying on just the draw weight alone. https://arrows2bows.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1-300x138.png 0 0 superadmin https://arrows2bows.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/1-300x138.png superadmin2020-07-17 12:10:082020-07-28 14:48:40Mission MXR Compound Bow From same bow manufacturer Mission SWITCH Compound Bow Mission RADIK Compound Bow Mission HAMMR Compound Bow Mathews TRX 38 Compound Bow PSE Drive XL Compound Bow	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5210
__label__cc	0.6983	0.3017	"Make art with me” refers to the popular youtube videos study with me in which creators quietly study for some time. These videos are intended to be consumed by viewers while studying. Coronavirus is spreading and it can be extremely difficult to remain motivated to work on your art project. To combat this lack of concentration turn to “make art with me” and get some work done. Nadja Buttendorf (1984) questions current norms and codes of gender constructions and value creation mechanisms of the human body in our digital society. Her works make it clear that our understanding of technology is also linked to patriarchal power relations. Her interactive works and video projects, on the other hand, draw multi-layered new narratives in which women become visible again as an elementary part of the history of technology. She extracts communicative moments of participation in the Internet both in her performative jewelry objects and in her tutorial workshops. DIY, as a widespread online aesthetic, is used specifically as a strategy of access and rejection of neoliberal work ethics. Works and workshops by Nadja Buttendorf have been shown at the HKW Berlin, the Hartware MedienKunstVerein Dortmund, Künstlerhaus Bremen, La Gaîté Lyrique Paris, the MU Eindhoven, the NRW-Forum Düsseldorf, Halle 14 - Zentrum für zeitgenössische Kunst Leipzig, the D21 Leipzig and the panke.gallery Berlin. She has also given lecture performances at Re:publica, the CCC, Creamcake and the nGbK Berlin. Nadja Buttendorf is a trained goldsmith and studied fine arts at the Burg Giebichenstein Kunsthochschule Halle (Saale). Make art with me refers to the popular study with me videos in which creators quietly study for some time. These videos are intended to be consumed by viewers while studying. Coronavirus is spreading and it can be extremely difficult to remain motivated to work on your art project. To combat this lack of concentration turn to make art with meand get inspired again.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5213
__label__wiki	0.769002	0.769002	US STOCKS-Futures edge higher after Thanksgiving holiday Shivani Kumaresan (For a Reuters live blog on U.S., UK and European stock markets, click LIVE/ or type LIVE/ in a news window.) * Futures up: Dow 0.18%, S&P 0.20%, Nasdaq 0.37% By Shivani Kumaresan Nov 27 (Reuters) - U.S. stock index futures edged higher on Friday as optimism around an economic rebound next year outweighed concerns around an expected surge in coronavirus infections during the Thanksgiving holiday. Wall Street's main indexes have gained more than 10% this month as investors bet on a sooner-than-expected COVID-19 vaccine and calmer global trade under President-elect Joe Biden, setting the S&P 500 for its best November ever. A rotation into sectors such as industrials and financials, deemed to benefit from an economic recovery, has also powered the Dow to record highs and put it on track for its biggest monthly gain since 1987. But both the indexes pulled back on Wednesday as data showed a stuttering recovery in the labor market, sending investors back to the perceived safety of technology heavyweights, including Apple Inc and Amazon.com Inc. Reopening after the Thanksgiving holiday, the Dow e-minis were up 0.18% by 7:02 a.m. ET. The S&P 500 e-minis were up 0.20%, and the Nasdaq 100 e-minis were up 0.37%. Gains were capped by U.S. hospitalizations for COVID-19 reaching a record of more than 89,000 on Wednesday and experts warning that holiday gatherings could lead to another spike in cases and deaths. Stock markets in Europe were subdued by doubts around the effectiveness of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine, potentially hindering chances of the shot getting speedy U.S. and EU regulatory approvals. Trading volumes are expected to be light as the U.S. stock market closes early on Friday. In company news, Walt Disney Co edged lower in premarket trading after an increase in its planned layoffs due to the COVID-19 pandemic. U.S. listed shares of online entertainment services company iQIYI Inc fell 2.6% after Reuters reported Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and Tencent Holdings Ltd had put on hold talks to buy a controlling stake in the video streaming service. (Reporting by Shivani Kumaresan in Bengaluru; Editing by Arun Koyyur) Netflix's has a high bar to clear as 2021 movie blitz takes shape, earnings in focus McDonald's (NYSE: MCD) is the bigger chain, but Yum! Brands (NYSE: YUM) -- the name behind KFC, Pizza Hut, and Taco Bell -- is certainly no slouch. Investors looking to make a bet on a restaurant before a full-blown recovery from the COVID-19 slump, however, would be far better served by McDonald's. Opportunities to create wealth in the stock market are ever-present. Lemonade (NYSE: LMND) is using artificial intelligence and a customer-friendly approach to disrupt the massive insurance market. People can use Lemonade's AI-powered app to create personalized insurance plans in as little as 90 seconds. Billionaire media investor Haim Saban told Yahoo Finance that the $71 billion deal between Disney and Fox “stumped” him at the time because it deviated from the longtime strategy of holding onto assets favored by Rupert Murdoch. Zurich Insurance Group will drop out of Russia's Nord Stream 2 project in the face of looming U.S. sanctions against European companies that support construction of the $11 billion gas pipeline, two sources familiar with the situation said. The U.S. State Department this month told companies which it suspects are helping to build the pipeline that they face a risk of sanctions as the outgoing Trump administration prepares a final round of punitive measures against the project, Reuters reported this week. The Swiss insurer declined to comment on Saturday on specific customers, but said: "Zurich has a comprehensive compliance framework in place and is committed to fully comply with any applicable sanctions regulations." Authorities in Washington, D. Biden picks Obama veterans for State posts Joe Biden has filled out his State Department team with a group of former career diplomats, signalling a desire to return to a more traditional foreign policy. Former Education Secretary Arne Duncan looks back at Betsy DeVos’s tenure as head of the Department of Education. Positive tests cause Open player havoc There have been three positive COVID-19 tests from Australian Open charter flights, forcing the players on board into 14-days of lockdown in their hotel. Is Palo Alto Networks Stock a Buy? Palo Alto Networks (NYSE: PANW) finished 2020 on a high note. After languishing for most of the year with lower than hoped for growth and with investors digesting multiple acquisitions from the last few years, shares surged during the fourth quarter and ended the year up 54%. A rosy outlook that indicates the cybersecurity leader's spending to keep pace with a fast-changing industry is starting to pay off.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5214
__label__cc	0.628084	0.371916	13 Incredible Bat Facts by the Editors of Publications International, Ltd. Bats get a bad rap: They prefer insects to blood. It isn't easy being a bat. With Dracula, a few cases of rabies, their pointy teeth, and the fact that they hang upside down to sleep, bats inspire fear in many people. But as you'll see, bats are amazing creatures, even though they eat bugs . . . and sometimes blood. 1. Bats are the only mammals able to fly. And you thought it was the winged marmoset! Bats are exceptional in the air. Their wings are thin, giving them what is called, in flight terms, "airfoil." The power bats have to push forward is called "propulsion." 2. A single brown bat can catch around 1,200 mosquito-size insects in one hour. In Bracken Cave, Texas, it's estimated that the 20 million Mexican free-tailed bats that live there eat about 200 tons of insects . . . each night. 3. Vampire bats don't suck blood. They lap it up. Calm down. There are only three species of vampire bats in the whole world. If you are traveling in Central or South America, however, you might see a vampire bat bite a cow and then lick blood from the wound -- no sucking involved. 4. Bats don't have "fat days." The metabolism of a bat is enviable -- they can digest bananas, mangoes, and berries in about 20 minutes. 5. Fewer than 10 people in the last 50 years have contracted rabies from North American bats. Due to movies and television, bats are thought to be germ machines, bringing disease and toxins to innocent victims. Not true. Bats avoid people. If you are bitten by a bat, go to the doctor, but don't start making funeral arrangements -- you'll probably be fine. 6. Bats use echolocation to get around in the dark. Bats don't see very well and do a lot of living at night, so they have to rely on navigational methods other than sight. Bats send out beeps and listen for variations in the echoes that bounce back at them and that's how they get around. Bats are nocturnal, mostly because it's easier to hunt bugs and stay out of the way of predators when it's dark. Bats do use their eyesight to see things in the daytime, but most bat business is done under the blanket of night for convenience. Bats are just misunderstood. They're pretty incredible animals as you'll see on the next page. Incredible Bat Facts, 7-13 When you finish reading our list of incredible bat facts, you may have a much different opinion of bats than you did before. 7. Bats make up a quarter of all mammals. Yep, you read that right. A quarter of all mammals are bats. There are more than 1,100 species of bats in the world. That's a lot of bats! 8. More than 50 percent of bat species in the United States are either in severe decline or are listed as endangered. You don't know what you've got until it's gone. Industry, deforestation, pollution, and good old-fashioned killing have wiped out many bats and their habitats. For information on how to help keep bats around, contact your local conservation society. 9. Cold night? Curl up next to a bat! Inside those drafty caves they like so much, bats keep warm by folding their wings around them, trapping air against their bodies for instant insulation. 10. An anticoagulant found in vampire bat saliva may soon be used to treat human cardiac patients. The same stuff that keeps blood flowing from vampire bats' prey seems to keep blood flowing in human beings, too. Scientists in several countries are trying to copy the enzymes found in vampire bat saliva to treat heart conditions and stop the effects of strokes in humans. 11. Bats have only one pup a year. Most mammals of smallish size have way more offspring than that. Think cats, rabbits, and rats. 12. The average bat will probably outlive your pet dog. The average lifespan of a bat varies, but some species of brown bat can live to be 30 years old. Considering that other small mammals live only two years or so, that's impressive. 13. Bats wash behind their ears. Bats spend more time grooming themselves than even the most image-obsessed teenager. They clean themselves and each other meticulously by licking and scratching for hours. Helen Davies, Marjorie Dorfman, Mary Fons, Deborah Hawkins, Martin Hintz, Linnea Lundgren, David Priess, Julia Clark Robinson, Paul Seaburn, Heidi Stevens, and Steve Theunissen	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5219
__label__wiki	0.565832	0.565832	Gilpins LiveTrade LiveTrade Dashboard Cellar Management Register / Sign in Basket Currency GBP £ Smith & Sheth is a modern 'negociant' producing truly outstanding wines from top grower-owned vineyard sites across New Zealand. Their CRU Wairau Sauvignon Blanc 2019, is wonderfully aromatic and represents incredible value for money. Bottled by That Boutique-y Whisky Company, exclusively for Bordeaux Index, this 24 year old is a truly stunning liquid that belies its age. A complex dram full of candied vanilla and oak spice, this is remarkably good value. LiveTrade is our award-winning two way online trading platform which has transformed the buying and selling of fine wines. Discover and start trading here. We offer a completely bespoke cellar management service with world-class storage, providing cellar valuations, real-time value tracking and of course, our full support with buying and selling. Discover how we take care of your collection every step of the way. Bordeaux is regarded as the benchmark for fine wine across the world. Known predominantly for its red wines, capable of epic ageing and legendary complexity, it has been the inspiration for wine producers all over the world from Spain and Italy to the USA, South Africa and South America. The Bordeaux region also produces fabulous dry white wines made predominantly from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon and famous, long-lived sweet wines from the Sauternes and Barsac regions. The main red and white wine producing regions of Bordeaux can be divided into two ‘banks’, each representing one side of the Gironde estuary which flows through the middle of the region towards the Atlantic Ocean. The left bank of the Gironde estuary, known as the Medoc, is dominated by the famous ‘appellations’ or wine growing sub-regions called Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe. Outside these appellations we also find wines labelled as Haut Medoc or simply Medoc. The predominant grape variety for red wines here is Cabernet Sauvignon, often tempered with Merlot, Petit Verdot and occasionally Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Further south, below the city of Bordeaux, we find the Pessac and Graves appellations which are also planted predominantly to Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The terroir on the left bank is more affected by its proximity to the Atlantic than the right bank, with the gravel soils of the Gironde estuary providing exceptional drainage and creating the signature minerality which can be found in the wines. The best white Bordeaux wines tend to be made on the left bank and the whites of Haut Brion and its sister estate La Mission Haut Brion are among the most expensive and sought-after in the world. The left bank Chateaux of Bordeaux are ranked by a classification created in 1855, in which the best producers were labelled ‘Cru Classe’ and put into one of five tiered groups. The named appellations of Margaux, St Julien, Pauillac and St Estephe are home to some of the most famous and photographed Chateaux in the world; Pauillac is arguably the leading appellation here, being home to three of the five First Growth (top ranked) Chateaux: Latour, Lafite-Rothschild and Mouton-Rothschild. The other two First Growths are Chateau Margaux, based in its eponymous appellation, and Chateau Haut Brion, which can be found in the Graves. The right bank of Bordeaux is led by the two appellations of St Emilion and Pomerol, in addition to a number of other ‘satellite’ regions such as Lalande de Pomerol and Castillon Cotes de Bordeaux. The wines here are produced mainly from Merlot, with some including small to larger volumes of Cabernet Franc and others including a little Cabernet Sauvignon (where they have gravel soils which favour this grape variety). The soil is a combination of clay and limestone which tends to favour the juicy, richly fruited Merlot grape – and the Cabernet Franc, which provides structure and freshness. St Emilion has its own classification ranking wines up to Grand Cru Classe ‘A’, of which there are four: Chateaux Cheval Blanc, Ausone, Pavie and Angelus. Pomerol has no formal classification but is home to some of the most famous, sought-after, and expensive wines in the world including the legendary Petrus and Le Pin. Sweet Bordeaux wine from Sauternes and Barsac are some of the world’s most celebrated aperitifs and ‘pudding’ wines. The best wines are those made in harvests which are afflicted by noble rot, a benevolent pest which causes the grapes to shrivel, concentrating the flavours and massively increasing the sugar to juice ratio without lowering the natural acidity. As a result they display incredible apricot, honey, peach and nut flavours. Château d'Yquem is the most notable producer but there are many other high quality estates including Rieussec, La Tour Blanche and Climens. Cookie Preferences & Policy Press and Media Centre Sign up to Bordeaux Index news & offers UK Accounts / Payments +44 (0)20 7269 0702 UK Sales +44 (0)20 7269 0703 UK Purchasing +44 (0)20 7269 0715 HK +852 2504 1122 Bordeaux Index Ltd. 10 Hatton Garden London, EC1N 8AH Copyright Bordeaux Index Ltd © 2021 All rights reserved The wine has been added to your order. Please carry on trading or go to My Basket to confirm. Your instruction has been processed and a confirmation has been sent to your email address. 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__label__wiki	0.620632	0.620632	BattleTech - The Board Game of Armored Combat » BattleTech Player Boards » Fan Fiction » Project LEGION: Into the Shadows Pages: 1 2 [All] Go Down Author Topic: Project LEGION: Into the Shadows (Read 3502 times) Kasaga « on: 24 May 2018, 20:24:52 » Forgotten Treasures: Into The Shadows Alpha Team, OP 1 Harrisburg City, Gibson Federation of Gibson “Hurry up on that bypass Hitome.” Master Sargent Todd Hunt grated out as he pulled security on his cyber specialist who was busy bypassing the buildings security in order to gain access through an emergency escape door. Hitome without missing a beat. “You know boss, you can always take over if you want?” Hunt snorted. He had no idea how to do half of what Hitome Tetsuhara did. “How long do you need?” “Ten minutes.” Tetsuhara responded. “You have five.” Hunt ordered. The eerie face of Tetsuhara’s helmet looked up at Hunt and he knew he was getting one of her scolding looks as the door like pulsed green and the lock cycled. “I thought you said ten minutes?” “I like to keep you all thinking I’m a miracle worker.” She replied as she stowed her cyber gear. Snorting quiet enough that his team radio didn’t pick it up he looked around and took stock of his situation. “Ma’am, doors open let’s go.” He watched as Captain Natasha Romanoff and her wingman Sergeant Mitch O’Connor moved from their positions at the corner of the building to enter into the emergency exit quickly followed by Tetsuhara and himself. The team quickly transitioned into a rolling T tactical formation as they proceeded down the hall to the T intersection. The team paused and Hitome checked the layout schematic on her Heads-Up Display. “Left.” She said. Romanoff nodded, and the team split into two dominating both passages of the hallway before reforming into the rolling T and continuing on to their objective. It took nearly twenty minutes of movement through the building’s corridors and stairwells and two close calls with personal moving through the building before the team reached its target. With Tetsuhara and Hunt pulling security, Romanoff and O’Connor opened the office door and entered. Quickly sweeping the office for security devices and other monitoring equipment. Once clear Hunt and Tetsuhara entered and went to work scanning for hidden compartments and other accessways. The room was clean minus the saferoom built in to the book shelf behind the desk. Tetsuhara quickly disabled the locking mechanism so that their target couldn’t use the room. “How much time?” Romanoff asked. O’Connor who had been running a countdown to when their target would be arriving at the building glanced at the timer and said. “Elven minutes.” “Ok people Phase Two.” They all activated their mimetic systems built into their tactical uniforms and phased into the walls. Exiting his ground car Trent approached the doors to the building currently serving as his temporary office while in the city. His guards flanking him, they approached the entrance his guards holding the door and the internal security systems automatically scanning him to allow initial entry. Stopping in front of the security desk where two ROM Guards sat he paused on the mark on the floor and announced. “Precentor Martial Trent Arian.” The ROM Guard continued to look at him for a second until a symbol in his smart glasses turned green. “Good morning Precentor Martial. Lift one has been held to take you up to your office.” The Guard greeted. “Thank you, Acolyte.” Arian said as he and his guards moved into the designated lift for the trip up to his office. When they reached the third floor of this small building located in Harrisburg City. The others all criticized him for his choice of such a common and small building for his offices. Most of the Word of Blake leadership were either on one of the many Word of Blake bases spread across the planet, the planetary HPG station or in one of the many Highrise buildings in downtown. Arian preferred the non-descript building he currently occupies for several reasons. It did not draw a lot of attention, it was low to the ground so if he needed to escape from his office he could jump from a window and it was near a hidden ‘Mech bay so he could quickly mount his Grand Crusader if needed. Arian and his detail exited the lift and walked down the hall to his office. Two of his four Guards remained outside and two entered to sweep the office for bugs and boobytraps. As one of his Guards was sweeping a wall he stopped and stared at a spot on the wall that was confusing him. A visual distortion. Captain Natasha Romanoff watched as the Militia Guards swept the office for bugs while their target was reading from a tablet on a sofa in the sitting area of his office. One of the guards was passing close to Romanoff when he paused in front of her staring intently. Romanoff remained completely still. After several long heartbeats the Guard reached forward to touch the spot. Romanoff smiled under her helmets shield as she saw his right hand reach up and the Guards sidearm was secured in the Guards right hip holster. As the Guards hand was within centimeters of making contact with Romanoff she struck. A lightening quick strike from Romanoff’s left hand grabbed the Guards right arm while her left flashed up as two prongs extended from gauntlets on her wrists making contact with the Guards neck and a flash of azure electrical light arced out and the Guard began convulsing. After a full two seconds the pulse ceased, and the Guard fell to the ground unconscious. On the other side of the room, Hunt slapped a tranq patch on the neck of the other Guard activating it as soon as it made contact and catching the Guard before he hit the ground. All around the room the four members of the entry team burst into blurred movement as their camouflage systems deactivated and they became visible. Both Romanoff and O’Connor were aiming their suppressed carbines at Arian as he sat on the sofa with his hard copy report in his hand. Hunt and Tetsuhara trained their suppressed weapons on the door in case the Guards outside came in. Romanoff moved forward and stood in front of Arian. “Good morning Precentor Martial.” Romanoff said. Arian looked up from the report he was finishing trying not to let the situation overwhelm him. “Good morning, whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with today?” He said as he finished reading the paragraph he was on and then looking up. “Oh, names aren’t important. What important is what brings us here today.” Romanoff stated. “And that is?” Arian inquired. “Me?” He asked with mock surprise.” “Yes, you.” Romanoff said as she took a seat across from him and removed her helmet. “Your people want you dead.” “Let me guess for Odysseus?” He asked half-jokingly, but mostly serious as he had his own concerns. “No, Sixth of June.” She stated. She saw his eyes light up. So, he does know. “They want you out of the way.” “Yeah I figured. So, what brings you here?” Arian inquired. Natasha opened a pouch on her kit and pulled a warn and weathered scroll from a hard case held within. She stared at it for several seconds before looking up and handing it across to Arian. “This is what brings me.” Arian accepted the parchment and looked at it for a second before unrolling it. He got one look at the seal and his eyes went wide with shock. “Am I holding what I think I am holding?” Arian asked almost accusatory. “Oh, shit.” Arian looked back down at the old weathered document. “After all these years.” « Last Edit: 27 July 2020, 19:46:59 by Kasaga » Re: Project LEGION: From the Shadows « Reply #1 on: 24 May 2018, 20:41:05 » THS Regents Honor Orbital Approach Terra Terran System The view below brought back memories of her childhood in the Sierra Nevada mountains of North America. The time was a pleasant memory and one she badly wished she could be real right this moment. Instead here she was, about to land on the birthplace of humanity to meet with a man who had either clearly lost his mind or had a plan to save the world from the inevitable destruction at the hands of the Great Houses. “Ma’am, we are about to make orbit. Traffic control is denying the Honor’s request to land. Instead we have been cleared to send a shuttle down escorted if need be.” Commander David McClellan her personal DropShip Captain. “Fine let’s get the shuttle warmed up and alert Lieutenant Smith that I need an escort to the prom.” Duchess Alexandra Ryan commanded as she left the observation deck. Alexandra made her way through her ship to the small craft bays. Boarding the Mk VII landing craft with her escort of Marines. The Shuttle cleared the small craft bay thanks to the Electro-Magnetic Catapult and was quickly joined by two EGL-R6b Eagle aerospace fighters launched from the Honor’s aerospace fighter bays. Together the three craft descended into the atmosphere of Terra. Sitting in the jump seat between the pilot and co-pilot Alexandra watched as eighteen aerospace fighters surrounded her shuttle and their escort and the radio crackled. “Shuttle Regent 1, divert to beacon 271 Hilton Head Island. Be advised that your escort will return to your DropShip in orbit or they will be destroyed. You have 1 minute to comply.” This came from one of the aerospace fighters surrounding her shuttle. Alexandra looked towards her pilot and then back to her escorting Marines. “Why did I accept that Man’s invitation.” She said to no one in particular. “Alright James tell Smith to head back to the Honor and change course for the beacon.” “Yes Ma’am.” Lieutenant James Ericson her shuttle pilot responded. “Escort Lance 1 return to the Honor orders from the boss.” “She does know what she is doing. Roger Regent One, Returning to base.” The voice of Lieutenant Smith replied. Smiling to herself she looked back at the marines again in the hold. “Captain break out the armor I don’t think I’m going to like what Blake has planned for us.” The Captain in charge of her marine contingent smiled a feral smile and replied. “Yes Ma’am, if he has any other ideas than to shake your hand and toast Stellar Peace then he will have a surprise coming to him.” He turned back to his Lord. “Alright Marines suit up. Possible Hot LZ.” As the cargo hold became a flurry of action as the three squads of Marines jumped into action. Two squads suited up in Night Hawk Mk XXII Powered Armor while the third squad strapped on additional body armor over their dress uniforms. One Marine approached Alexandra and handed her a laser pistol which she could conceal within her formal attire. “Thank you Marine.” She said with a smile after accepting it. Jerome Blake stood in the viewing gallery of the Hilton Head landing pad. With him General Lauren Hayes and Conrad Toyama. “Why are we waiting on this woman? Who is she Jerome?” Toyama stated. “Someone very important.” Was all the General Hayes had to say. “Then why have I never heard of her?” Toyama seethed. “Because it’s a secret of the Hegemony going back to the formation of the Star League. Something so secret that if the other Houses had discovered it they would have withdrawn from the League.” Blake said placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “We found out about Ryan’s people during the war. They approached Kerensky just before the coup. Told him that they were going to reveal themselves to the First Lord as was tradition upon Richards coronation but saw what Amaris had done and instead left after offering him a gift. After that they approached Kerensky through contacts within his own command group revealing their existence.” Hayes elaborated. “Then who are they?” Toyama insisted. “You will find out in a minute my friend.” Blake said with a smile. “We still do not know who they really are. Just that they command an army in hiding and have for a very long time.” “Here they come.” Hayes said as the shuttle appeared in the distance as it began aero braking maneuvers bringing the shuttle into a more controllable speed. As the shuttle came into a hover and set down on the landing pad the engines cycled down and began to cool. After a few minutes the ramp lowered, and an escort of uniformed Soldiers descended the ramp and took up honor guard positions on either side of the ramp. At the same time the gallery doors opened and out marched a platoon of infantrymen in SLDF battledress. Once both parties were in position Blake, Toyama and Hayes all walked to the edge of the pad and awaited their guest. Alexandra descended the ramp flanked by a half dozen Marines in the traditional dress of the Terran Hegemony Marine Corps. This caused General Hayes to gasp. “What is it?” Asked Blake. “Those are Hegemony Marines.” Hayes lifted her communicator and spoke. “Overwatch do not, I say again do not engage unless they fire first. Do NOT fire unless they fire first. No matter what happens.” A ripple of confirmations from the over watching Jump Infantry and snipers satisfied her. “What is going on?” Asked Toyama and Blake in unison. “I don’t know. But we are about to find out.” Hayes replied. Alexandra after a brief pause continued moving towards her hosts. As she approached she noticed that the group was nervous but chose to leave things as they were. She approached the group. She recognized Blake and Hayes from intelligence reports and the Asian man with them she saw a glint to his eye and he would have to bear watching. “Minister Blake, General Hayes. It is good to finally meet you.” Alexandra said extending her hand and shaking both in turn. “I am afraid that I have not had the pleasure Mr.?” She asked turning towards Toyama. “Conrad Toyama, Chief Administrator of the Dieron HPG.” Toyama said trying his best charm on Alexandra. “Well you’re a long way from the home phone.” She said rebuffing his charms. An increasingly enraged Toyama was about to lose his composure when Blake interjected. “Why don’t we step inside, so we can discuss what brings you to Terra.” “Very well, lead on.” Alexandra followed the group inside. With the group inside one of the conference rooms and guards at her flanks with a pair of Hayes’ guards on either side of the doors inside of the room. The group watched each other for several long moments. Blake was the first to speak. “So, what brings you to Terra Ms. Ryan?” “You invited me.” Alexandra said stunning everyone. Conrad spoke next. “We invited you, how?” “Emergency protocol 7. The Space Defense System sent out a coded message alerting me to the fall of Terra. This makes the second time this alert has been received by my people. The first being the Amaris Coup.” Alexandra said. Conrad and Jerome were both confused. General Hayes spoke first. “You were the source of those mysterious Divisions and Warship squadrons assigned to General Kerensky’s personal command.” “Yes, my Father sent them to fight at the Generals side.” Alexandra confirmed. “Who are you?” Jerome finally asked. Alexandra looked around the table and noticed no one had a clue as to whom she really was. With a shrug and her command voice used to lead her troops alongside those of the Commanding General. “I am Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan, Duchess of Nova California, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province, Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces and Regent of the Terran Hegemony.” The looks she received shocked her and the two guards at the door exchanged glances. Jerome sat back in his chair for a moment contemplating. “You are telling me there are other worlds of the Hegemony out there hidden?” “Yes, as part of Ian Cameron’s insurance policy in case the League backfired, and he lost control of it. It was later expanded by Jonathan Cameron in his vision inspired expansion of the Star League Defense Force and the hidden worlds of the Terran Hegemony.” Alexandra explained. “You are full of shit.” Conrad exclaimed. “Jerome do you really believe this story she is telling us?” Jerome sat there for a long moment. “Yes. It makes so much sense now.” He turned to Conrad. “Conrad. Remember our meeting not so long ago about the shadow addresses in the HPG network that wouldn’t allow us to manually access them but would allow for a remote connection and routing from those addresses?” “Yes, but those must have been SLDF protocols.” Conrad countered. “No, they are not because we have all of the SLDF protocols passwords while they would function like this we could still block them. These are buried much deeper and would not allow us to lock those commands out of the system. They are hardwired into the system not software.” Jerome looked back towards Alexandra. “You can control the entire HPG network currently in place if you wanted to.” “More than that Director.” She chimed in. “I have people working alongside yours rebuilding the destroyed stations to include this facility. We have already installed the equipment needed to override and channel message traffic as needed.” “You can cut us out of the system.” Conrad said. “I could, however I do not plan to do such a thing. Nor will I threaten to do so in the future. I will sign your Communications Protocols along with the other House Lords. I will sign the same document as them not a new one to be hidden.” Alexandra looked around the table. “My people do not have the power to hold the Hegemony and if we try we will simply lose everything not just the current Hegemony. We will lose our hidden worlds as well. We will use our back door into the HPG network for our needs only not to undermine you in any way. “Should you step out of line and begin harming those you have sworn to be neutral to. We will make our presence known and set the record straight. Remember we are out there and will be watching.” Alexandra said. “My people will be watching, we are everywhere, and we are going to protect as many Hegemony citizens as we can. If that means working with you or against you that is just what it means. Two days later Duchess Alexandra Ryan, Regent of the Terran Hegemony and Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces signed the Communications Protocols of 2787. Taking her copy, she boarded her shuttle and lifted for the Regents Honor holding station in orbit. As Alexandra watched the blue atmosphere fade to black she knew she would never come home to Terra again. Her home was now on Nova California. While Blake was easy to deal with his friend Conrad Toyama was a problem. He creeped her out and would need to be watched. Thankfully she had Lauren in place as head of their Armed Forces to keep them in check. With the two Divisions “destroyed” in the Amazon “resisting” Blakes takeover of Terra Lauren had cemented her place within the new ComStar Organization. As her Shuttle was secured in the small craft bay of her Lee-class DropShip THS Regents Honor it maneuvered and made the long burn towards the nadir jump point and the waiting Merchant-class JumpShip from the Intelligence Bureau to take her back to Nova California. Court of the Star League Unity City, North America Terra, Terran System Master Sergeant Carlos Fitzgerald held against the inner perimeter wall of Unity City. Not in a million years did he expect to be creeping through the rubble of Unity City in his Night Hawk Mk XXI armor trying to avoid Star League Defense Force Infantry patrols. His twelve man A Team was split into two teams moving on two separate objectives. His team was moving towards the city’s data core while Captain Reynolds team was moving on the Throne Room complex and the SLDF Royal Command center located on that floor. As the infantrymen passed by his position and disappeared out of sight he stepped from the shadows and continued on. “Fitz, the entrance is just around the corner.” His wingman stated as they approached the corner in question. “Terry take Wil and get to the high ground. I need eyes on the objective and overwatch.” Fitzgerald ordered Terry Yamaguchi his weapons expert to take a spotter and get to the high ground with her suppressed sniper rifle. “On it.” She reported as her and the armored suit following crashed through a door and made their way an overwatch position. Holding position until his sniper was in position Fitzgerald looked around at his three other team mates located with him. It was their job to breach the data core and extract the information required. What a sad day we have today. Fitzgerald thought to himself. It took about four minutes before his radio keyed up and Yamaguchi’s voice came over the net. “In position. Two guards. No patrols.” Was all Yamaguchi reported. With a resigned sigh Fitzgerald spoke. “Take them.” Around the corner at the non-descript section of wall stood two guards in Star League battle dress complete with full face helmet and charged laser packs for their Mauser 960 Pulse Rifles. As they stood there guarding a section of wall both guards had thought was the dumbest thing they had ever heard of. Eric one of the two guards of the 151ST Royal BattleMech Division turned to look up the street when he heard a cough and the sound of a sack of potato’s hitting the ground. Eric turned his head back to where Rachel was standing just as he saw her crumpled form on the ground he saw a flash of white and then nothing... “Targets neutralized.” Yamaguchi reported after firing her second shot killing the last guard. “We have fifteen minutes until they are scheduled to report in or a patrol comes through let’s move.” Fitzgerald reported. With that his team broke from cover clearing the distance to the hidden access hatch in seconds. Switching his view from night time image intensifier flipping through the different viewing mode looking for the entrance. Settling on thermal imaging he was able to see the heat escaping from the seams of the hatch leading down to the core. Pointing to an access panel he motioned his cyber expert over to it. “Connor, you’re up. Bust this lock.” Sergeant Connor Sprague stepped up to the hidden panel and swiped his RFID transmitter over the hatch and watched as the hatch recessed into the wall sliding up. Pulling a digital probe from his suits arm and plugging it into the data port on the access panel he went to work running standard Royal Command overrides. When those were not successful he tried the Intelligence Commands overrides, again with no luck. He had one more GOLD level access code to use without having to run a bypass or brute force attack on the system and possibly alerting the defenders. Connor accessed the secure data bank within his suit tied to the self-destruct. The code labeled S.C. GOLD. The system accepted the access codes of the long dead First Lord Simon Cameron. The panel turned from red to green and began blinking. “Got it.” He reported as he removed his probe and watched as the panel resealed itself and the door slid downward into the ground. “Move.” Fitzgerald ordered. The four vanished into the void that opened up. Descending the stairs into the bunker Fitzgerald used his image intensifiers to guide his path into the bowels of Unity City. Four minutes later they arrived at the core. “Connor run the package.” “On it.” Connor reported as he moved up to the terminal. Snaking his probe into the slot on the side of the monitor he accessed the data core and the operating system. “Installing the package.” It took thirty seconds before the program was on the system. “It’s on the server and extracting.” He was checking the mirror display in his suits HUD. “Looking for a transmitter.” A couple of eye blinks and flicks of his fingers later. “Got it. I routed a ground-based microwave transmitter to track the DropShip. The transmitter is sending the core data now and will overload after transmission.” Fitzgerald watched as Connor removed his probe and sent an encrypted burst to Captain Reynolds with the go code. “Let’s go. We need to be in position to cover Reynolds.” The team moved as one approaching the exit. “Terry, are we clear?” “Roger, come on out. I’m about to take out a roving patrol.” Captain Henry Reynolds moved through the rubbled Star League palace equipped with his advanced sneak suit armed with a laser pistol and several other hand to hand weapons. His prey, the Guard at the end of the hall was unaware of his presence and he hoped to keep it that way. He and his wingman Sergeant Gary Collins hand gone around the palace to approach their objective from the other hall way. This put them each behind one of the two Guards. Two other teams of two were making their way through the palace eliminating Guards and closing on their own targets. His just happened to be down the hall from the Throne Room where Richard Cameron and the Cameron family were slaughtered. Now only just out of arms reach of the infantrymen, Reynolds extended the garrote cable from his left wrist holding the toggles tight in both hands. The guards inside the palace while wearing body armor did not wear their combat helmets and Mauser’s, instead they carried laser pistols. Quickly Reynolds flipped the garrote over the guard’s head and crossed the ends pulling tight. The Trooper reached for his neck gasping as the garrote cut into his neck slicing into his esophagus and crushing it. With his knee in the Guard’s back he took him to the ground while pulling back on his neck. Within thirty seconds the Guard was dead. Across the hall Collins dispatched the other guard with equal efficiency. Together the two commandos entered the office of the last Commander of the Royal Command General Tamerlan Stefannson. Sliding the chair away from the desk he ran a coded RFID tag over the floor revealing a hidden compartment. Inside was a hardened data archive which Reynolds recovered. Securing it within a large utility pouch built into his sneak suit Reynolds watched as it phased away after it was sealed and blended back in with his active camouflage. Turning to Collins he nodded, then the pair exited the room making their way to the link up point. Warrant Officer Stacey Gwynn moved through the building a suppressed SMG in hand with her laser pistol on her hip. As she approached the Intelligence Command liaison office she was on the hunt for any guards. Already having dispatched two roving patrols she was on a time crunch to secure her objective. Covering her was Sergeant Akiva Lipman moving ahead of her he reached the corner and froze. Five meters ahead were two guards moving his direction. Slowly he began to raise his arm. In his hand was a suppressed pistol firing subsonic ammo. There was a slight cough to the firearm and the trailing guard dropped first with a quick follow-up shot taken by Akiva he delivered a controlled pair into the Guards incapacitation box. The First shot landed high in his sternum with the following shot impacting between the eyes and exiting out the back of his head. The second Guard only had a quick moment to register the confusion of the flash ahead of him and the sound of something hitting the ground next to him and his death. Gwynn reached her Objective. The office was non-descript. The Unity City working office of one “GEN. F. Abfelbucher INTCOM” was all that was labeled on the door plaque. Lipman flashed the lock and the two entered the office. Gwynn went to the desk and like Reynolds removed the chair. On her knees she swiped the RFID tag she carried over the floor watching as a panel popped open swinging up and out of the way. Inside was another hardened data archive. Retrieving it the two made their way out of the room and to the link up point. A blur of movement caught the Guard in the throne room unawares. He missed the second ghost moving up behind him and stabbing his blade through the back of his neck severing the spinal cord. The second guard was in the latrine just outside the throne room, or he had been before Sergeant Ørjan Rosten broke his neck. His wingman for this Phase of the mission Sergeant Jessica Steinhäusl had just killed the man in front of him with her combat knife. The two quickly moved to the Throne and waved the RFID tag they carried along the wall behind the Throne. When the panel opened Rosten reached in and carefully removed the two glass encased documents. The first document with the Cameron Star upon it was signed by Ian Cameron. The second, older document tinged with the yellow of age was more valuable in this moment. They quickly transferred them to map rolls and secured them within their sneak suits. Exiting the Throne room, they made for the rooftop link up point. It was time to leave. Three pairs of Commandos made their way to the rooftop. When they all made linkup on the roof Captain Reynolds counted his team and activated his COM system. “Ghost Seven this is Ghost One, over.” Reynolds said speaking into the throat mic. Several seconds passed with no answer before a response came in. “One, this is Seven.” “Seven, we are in position ready for Exfil.” Reynolds said. “Roger, One. Bravo is in position and will signal the bird.” Fitzgerald reported. Fitzgerald watched from another rooftop as the ghostly shape of the VTOL approached. Not any normal helicopter this one was equipped with an experimental Vehicular stealth system. The Helicopter opened its side doors and the unarmored Commandos of Captain Reynolds team boarded the chopper. The bird lifted off and moved towards the rooftop Fitzgerald and his team were set on. Without waiting the crew chief opened its side door again and six armored Commandos boarded the craft and it turned on its tail and sped off into the night. Warrant Officer Samuel Turner followed the Exfil flight path planned out days in advance as he flew nap-of-the-earth dodging buildings guard towers and population centers racing towards the extraction point. After nearly an hour in flight the bird slowed and landed in a clearing. Once on the group the Commandos were met by their Operational Detachment Bravo, which began pulling netting off of a grounded shuttle and cleared the VTOL of anything useful or Classified. Reynolds, Gwynn and Fitzgerald were standing together with the pilot of the Shuttle getting updated on the next chain of events. “We lift in 10 or we will miss our ride home people.” Major Tom Gleeson announced as he walked up. Gleeson was not the mission commander that was Reynolds. Gleeson was the Royal Guardsmen who was assigned to the LZ security along with a platoon of his Troopers. He was simply stating the realities. “Yes sir. The VTOL will be ready to blow in 5 and everyone’s almost aboard the shuttle now.” Fitzgerald reported. “Good, good. Your people did damned fine work tonight. Now let’s go for the hat trick on our mission to Terra.” Gleeson said with glee. The others all exchanged looks. Every aspect of this mission was compartmentalized. Only Gleeson and the Duchess knew more than anyone else. The group of Operators all exchanged looks before muttering some half assed. “Yes sir’s.” The teams quickly sanitized the VTOL and other equipment they couldn’t fit aboard the shuttle. Reynolds sat watching the unfolding events checking his kit one more time as he looked over the documents stored in the map cases. While the one with the Cameron Star was important it wasn’t overly so to his people. It was the other one that was the prize. It would have just looked strange to take one and not the other. Warrant Officer Gwynn and Master Sergeant Fitzgerald approached Reynolds sitting on a felled tree. “What’s our status?” Reynolds asked. Gwynn spoke up first. “Equipment is loaded, the suits are locked down and stowed.” Reynolds nodded and looked towards Fitzgerald. “The teams aboard the shuttle. We are waiting on you to collapse the security perimeter.” Fitzgerald reported. Reynolds looked around, reached down and scooped a handful of dirt up. He looked at it for several long seconds. He would miss his Homeworld. Taking a plastic bag from his kit he went to dump the dirt into it. Reynolds hesitated. Staring intently at the soil in his hand and looking around the wooded Landing Zone, at the troopers in the woods, at the team he commanded. The look of determination entered his eyes. His team knew it well. His eyes set on the dirt again. He released his grip, letting it all fall to rejoin Mother Earth. “We shall return...” mikecj Veteran of Galahad 3028 Sloppy. Someone should have wiped Simon's codes long ago There are no fish in my pond. "First, one brief announcement. I just want to mention, for those who have asked, that absolutely nothing what so ever happened today in sector 83x9x12. I repeat, nothing happened. Please remain calm." Susan Ivanova "Solve a man's problems with violence, help him for a day. Teach a man to solve his problems with violence, help him for a lifetime." - Belkar Bitterleaf Romo Lampkin could have gotten Stefan Amaris off with a warning. DOC_Agren Quote from: mikecj on 24 May 2018, 21:26:26 Yep, but then again that honestly not unusual that odd access codes get left unwiped and TAG "For the Angel of Death spread his wings on the blast, And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed:And the eyes of the sleepers waxed deadly and chill, And their hearts but once heaved, and for ever grew still!" True, its happened to me before. So think about this. Simon died and Richard was sketchy. So the Duchess’ Hegemony faction kept his codes in play Incase anything happened until the First Lord reached his majority. Its an older code but it checks out... That makes sense, thanks. « Reply #8 on: 03 June 2018, 16:15:36 » HPG Network Command Center Hilton Heady Island, North America Jerome Blake sat at his desk going over reports of HPG reconstruction within Taurian Concordant when his office door chimed. He indexed the report and let the privacy screen activate on his display. “Enter.” He called out deactivating the door locks and cycling the doors open. In strode a very harried Conrad Toyama. “What is the matter Conrad?” Jerome asked. “Someone has attacked Unity City. They hit the Palace and other locations within the Court of the Star League.” Toyama reported. Concern washed over Blakes face. “What did they do?” “Mainly we can only discern at this time was the very effective neutralization of our guards throughout the area. General Hayes is traveling there now to find out what has happened in more detail.” Toyama reported. “No one attacks the Court of the Star League and does nothing else.” Blake stated as he leaned back. A Chirp sounded from his desk alerting to an incoming communication. Activating it a holo of General Lauren Hayes folded into existence on his desk. “General Hayes, what do you have for me?” Blake asked. “Sir, it looks like that whomever attack hit the command offices of the Royal Command and Intelligence Command. We do not yet know what they had taken at this time but compartments in the floor below each of their desks were left open and that is all that has been touched inside. In the throne room the Hegemony’s copy of the Star League Accords is missing along with several other documents of importance belonging to the First Lords.” Hayes looked off screen and then back again. “It also looks like we missed a data core which was hidden in the City. A number of Troopers were found dead nearby and only the fact that the locking mechanism was damaged during the Amaris Coup is what alerted us to its presence today. It didn’t seal after whomever raided it left.” Hayes looked saddened for a moment before picking up her head and setting her jaw. “It looks like the entire core was uploaded someplace off planet last night. It took nearly eight hours to send all of that information and then once everything was uploaded the core erased itself.” Jerome was in shock of this knowledge. He thought they had secured all of the backup cores of the Star League with the help of Kerensky and his people before they left. “What could have been on that core?” Conrad was pacing now. Unsure of what to do. Hayes looked off screen towards someone talking in the background. She nodded after several seconds and returned her attention to the screen. “My people think it has something to do with the Hegemony Research and Development Group and possibly logistics branch.” She was thoughtful for several minutes before continuing. “Sir, I think that whatever was on the core. Combined with the information taken from the Commanders of the Royal and Intelligence Commands that they may know the locations of all hidden Star League Instillations within the Inner Sphere and possibly beyond.” “Good God.” Blake gasped. “I don’t even think Kerensky had all of that information. That was all lost when the High Command was taken out by Amaris.” “Yes sir.” Hayes looked out of view again. “I think it was the Duchess’ forces that did this. We are tracking a shuttle on a High-G intercept of her DropShip now. I am launching DropShips and fighters from Lunar Base to intercept.” Blake thought about that for a minute before responding. “Do it.” The Mark VII Landing Craft burned hard to make linkup with the Regent’s Honor. Duchess Ryan watched as the LIDAR contact closed with her DropShip. Already she was seeing DropShips rising from the surface of Terra and Luna. “Most likely a carrier and a couple of Assault Droppers.” Came the report of Chief Tanaka the Sensor operator. “They will intercept in seven hours at this rate.” Captain John Hernandez smiled and turned to Alexandra. “Ma’am they will intercept us as we reach the rendezvous coordinates.” “Well, won’t they be in for a surprise.” Alexandra said with a smirk. “Sir, the Honor reports numerous DropShips inbound on intercept.” Warrant Officer Edger Winters reported from the controls of the Mk VII Landing Craft as he set the ship onto its flight path and activated the autopilot. “How long until we rendezvous with the Honor?” Captain Reynolds asked. “About an hour out sir. Once we get within about ten minutes, the Honor will cut acceleration and then we will dock.” Winters reported. “Alright, well now we wait.” Warrant Officer Jessica Gwynn stated as she watched through the hatch into the small cockpit. Reynolds snickering turned to look at his Intelligence Warrant. “Alright Gwynn, let’s go strap in then. I don’t think Winters here needs us hovering?” He said half asking and looking over his shoulder. “No sir.” Winters replied with a smile back at them. “It’s ok Chief. I think Major Gleeson will be up here to ask you all kinds of useless questions.” Reynolds said causing a string of swear words to escape the Chief Warrant Officers lips and causing Reynolds and Gwynn to laugh hysterically as they made their way back into the cargo bay to strap in. The Mark VII Landing Craft drifted into the small craft bay aboard the Regent’s Honor mooring clamps extended and latched on. Bay doors cycling closed atmosphere began pumping into the bay. The shuttles landing struts extended and settled down upon them. Alexandra watched from the access hatch as the readout showed the atmosphere rising in the bay beyond. The light above the hatch shifted from red to green and Alexandra hit the access button on the side of the hatch. The Door cycled open and she entered. Already the ramp was lowering on the shuttle. Walking down the ramp Captain Reynolds and his team carried their gear. “Welcome back Captain Reynolds.” Alexandra greeted. The team of Commando’s halted and bowed. “Highness, mission accomplished.” He said handing over the map cases. “They were exactly where the records indicated.” “And the command codes?” Alexandra asked. Unhooking a small pack from his kit he extracted the small data storage device. Handing it over to Alexandra. “Highness, here is the SOI drive for the Royal Command.” Looking to his Intelligence Warrant Officer. Warrant Officer Jessica Gwynn likewise removed a small device from her kit handing it over to Alexandra. “Here are the Intelligence Commands’ codes. Combined with the copied data core Master Sergeant Fitzgerald and his team transmitted we will have access to all remaining SLDF Intelligence Command and Hegemony Central Intelligence Bureau personal and facilities.” “You all did well. We will be at the pirate point soon. Not before Blake’s people catch up to us but soon enough. It’s going to be close.” She looked around at the gathered Commando’s. “You all get some rest before we get to the rendezvous point.” The Commando’s all saluted and moved past her into the heart of the DropShip towards their quarters. I just hope we can make it in time. Alexandra thought to herself. Oops... somebody has got the keys to the candy store! OpacusVenatori Honor above all, Except of Vengance « Reply #10 on: 04 June 2018, 11:57:44 » While some fight with honor, Others win battles David CGB must have more Federated Suns fan forever, Ghost Bear Fan since 1992, and as a Ghost Bear David Bekker star captain (in an Alt TL Loremaster) THS Regent’s Hope Terra – Luna L1 Lagrange Point The Lee-class DropShip Regent’s Hope began maneuvering wildly as Aerospace fighters and DropShips from the Star League Defense Force remnants under General Lauren Hayes and Jerome Blake attempted to disable Regent Alexandra Ryan’s personal transport. Commander David McClellan was strapped into his command chair on the bridge of the Hope. Duchess Ryan seated just behind him in an auxiliary station where she could monitor all that was going on but not able to interfere with the operations of the ship. He watched as an Achilles with a pair of Leopard’s maneuvered in to block his approach while a Leopard CV and two Union’s closed from behind. Fighters from all of the SLDF DropShips were in space. A ComTech reached up to his ear and turned to look over his shoulder at McClellan. “Captain, we are receiving a hail.” He reported. “Very well put it through.” McClellan ordered. The Signal was piped over the bridge speakers, so all could hear it. “Pirate vessel, this is Commodore Stanley aboard the SLS Mercer. You are ordered to cut acceleration and prepare to be boarded.” The voice ordered. McClellan looked spun his chair around to face his Duchess. “Highness, how should we respond?” Alexandra was tired of these amateurs. “Hurt their feelings Commander McClellan.” She stated with an evil glint to her eye. “Aye, Aye Ma’am.” Rotating back around to face ‘forward’ on his bridge. McClellan keyed open the net. “Mercer, this is the Terran Hegemony DropShip Regent’s Hope. You are to stand down from your hostile maneuvering and allow us safe transit. Failure to do so will result in your destruction. The Star League maybe no more but the Terran Hegemony remains. I have the Regent aboard and failure to follow her orders will brand you as a traitor and call for your immediate destruction. You have 2 minutes to comply. Commander McClellan clear.” A slow clap was heard from the Duchess over his left shoulder as McClellan turned to his CAG. “CAG put your people into space.” “Aye, sir.” The Air Group Commander reported. The Regent’s Hope was not a standard Lee-class DropShip. She was a modified version. Carrying a Company of BattleMechs, a Company of Infantry – or in this case Commandos of the Special Armed Services – and a full Aerospace Fighter Group of 18 fighters. Additionally, 8 small craft were aboard, 2 Shuttles and 6 Assault Ships. This Lee was a hybrid between a BattleMech Transport and a Carrier. As the fighters entered space and escorted by the 6 Ares Mk VIII Attack Craft launched from the ships small craft bays. Two Ares with each squadron of Aerospace fighters maneuvered to protect the Hope. The first squadron of fighters along with its two Ares pushed out forward of the Hope in an attempt to break up the DropShips and fighters ranged ahead of the Hope. The remaining two squadrons maneuvered to the stern of the Hope to delay the Leopard CV the two Union’s and their fighters. The space battle devolved into a fur ball as the Hope fought for her life against six DropShips and ten fighters with more Aerospace fighters closing from Luna. The rent and scorched armor of the Regent’s Hope was venting atmosphere as she tumbled and rolled to present fresh armor and weaponry to the Achilles-class DropShip Mercer which was rolling in from above the ship with a pair of Ares on its tail. The Hope volleyed its weapons from all of its forward firing arcs into the Leopard-class DropShip SLS Panther breaching the ships armor and with it the ships reactor. The Panther was lost with all hands. McClellan watched his tactical repeater as the Hope maneuvered under the Mercer and up over the trailing Lynx. “Tactical, target that Lynx all forward gun’s fire!” McClellan ordered. “Aye sir.” Replied the tactical raitting that had replaced the dead Lieutenant. The Gauss rifles led off followed quickly by sever flights of LRMs. The stabbed out of the Hope and into the Lynx as she passed underneath of the larger DropShip. Lightning danced along its hull where the PPC’s connected and beams of ruby light melted off chunks of armor. The LRMs pockmarked the hull searching out the breaches, the chinks in the armor as Aerospace fighters strafe the Lynx adding their own fire to the maelstrom. Alexandra watched her own repeater and noticed the time. A full regiment of Aerospace fighters would reach them in ten minutes. When that happened, they would be swamped and even the two squadrons returning from their delaying mission against the squadron pursuing from Terra could not hold back the tide. The gash along her cheek and forehead still bleeding and the burns along her neck reminded her that she was still alive. It was amazing that McClellan had held out this long against the odds. He was an able ship’s Captain as he maneuvered the Hope through the hell that was unfolding around them. The Airwing had been reduced by nearly half, taking three DropShips and almost a dozen fighters with them. “Commander McClellan, it is time!” Alexandra called out from her station. “Yes, Your Grace.” McClellan replied. “Helm Bring us hard over and full braking thrust.” Turning to his left. “CAG recall the air wing. I want them back aboard in ten minutes. Tactical, lay down covering fire.” A series of affirmatives rang out across the bridge. The Hope flipped one last time and began braking at full thrust. Weapons alight with energy and fire of missiles, energy weapons and gauss slugs. Pouring from the Hope’s weapons bays as her fighter bays opened to welcome home the birds of prey from their hunting trip. Aboard the Mercer Commodore Eric Stanley maneuvered his Achilles and the survivors of his squadron back into position to stop the crash deceleration of the Lee-class DropShip Regent’s Hope. Stanley looked around the bridge trying to figure out what was happening. “Martin, open a channel to the enemy ship.” Stanley commanded. “Channel Open Sir.” His Communications rating responded. “Mercer to Pirate Vessel. Stand to and prepare to be boarded. You are surrounded and outgunned. This is your finale warning.” Stanley ordered. There was no response at first, and then. “ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.” The laughing was ominous coming through the speakers. “Outnumbered Commodore maybe. Outgunned? Not hardly.” As Stanley went to open his mouth when he was interrupted. “EM spikes!” Came the frantic report from the sensor tech. “Counting three thermal blooms now. Two midsized warship and one massive signature. Expected arrival in thirty seconds.” “Are you still there Stanley?” A pause. “Well, it looks like my ride is here. Do be a peach and clear my path out of here will you honey?” Stanley watched the external feed from the camera showing the area of EM buildup. The Thermal bloom and emergence of azure waves of energy brought forth first one, then two Riga II-class destroyers. Another thirty seconds brought forth a behemoth of the black seas. The SLS Renewed Valor materialized into existence within weapons range of all of the Combatants. The McKenna-class Battleship began targeting Stanley’s DropShips, unleashing a storm of lightning in the form of Heavy Naval Particle Projection Cannons, 55cm Naval Lasers and Class 40 Naval Autocannons. The storm vaporized the Lynx in an instant with the Mercer taking a pair of PPC bolts followed by an autocannon round destroying the Achilles. The finale pursuing DropShip, a Union approaching from the stern of the Hope received several glancing blows from Naval Lasers before cutting acceleration and emitting a surrender beacon. The Regent’s Hope was locked into one of the two free collars aboard the Valor as the ship prepared to jump back out of the system. The crew aboard the Hope exhausted from the ordeal they had just suffered through. Alexandra looked around the bridge the bodies which had not been removed were now floating free as corpsmen were seeing to the dead and wounded taking them below decks to be stored. She unstrapped herself from her observation seat and floated forward to Commander McClellan’s position. Placing a hand upon his shoulder she startled him she squeezed it to assure him that everything was ok. “You saved us all Commodore. You saved us.” Alexandra repeated. McClellan looked over his shoulder at his liege. “But your Grace, I am only a Commander.” She smiled at him and winked. “Not anymore David.” Timing is everything... « Reply #14 on: 26 July 2020, 21:15:05 » THS Renewed Valor Scorpion Fleet Yard, Manticore Nova California Province Terran Hegemony The massive battleship settled into its slip already work was under way on the Valor from the light damage she had taken during the battle near Luna. Duchess Alexandra Ryan watched as the tug moved her crippled DropShip from one of the docking collars to its own drydock in order to have repairs assessed to see if she was even worth the effort to salvage. “Welcome to Scorpion Yard Duchess.” A slim man in a modest utility jumpsuit greeted her. “Thank you, Director Bashir. I wish my first trip here was under other circumstances.” Alexandra responded. “Trust me I understand Highness.” Director Oscar Bashir said. “I am not a Highness. Simply the governor of this province.” Alexandra said waving her hand to encompass everything around. “No Highness. You are now the Regent of the Terran Hegemony. You are the next in line of succession unless we find a living Cameron out there somewhere. With the passing of your father last year it falls to you now.” Bashir was adamant. Alexandra thought about it long and hard. “No longer do I get to be a simple General do I?” Shaking his head Bashir answered. “No Highness, you do not. Now you get to be the hidden hope of all those citizens of the Terran Hegemony. While we may be in self imposed exile for some time we can still effect the outcome of many.” Alexandra thought long and hard on what was just said. “Exile huh. That sounds about right Director. We need to get started before we are trying to find the scraps and stitch them back together. The Hegemony outside of our province is already a shamble. I can’t possibly see what the House Lords would want from them in their conditions other than more territory.” Bashir looked out the window thoughtfully. He began speaking without looking at his Regent. “They will pick the bones of the dead in hopes of gaining an advantage over their peers. They will think that Amaris and Kerensky left treasures to be claimed. They will find worlds dead and dying and on the brink of recovery and push them all into the abyss.” “And we need to be ready to pull them back out of the grave and make them what they once were. It will take time and we need to rebuild. Kerensky wasted our strength by making us the vanguard in so many assaults. Our fleet is devastated, and our ground forces are anything but organized and at strength.” Alexandra said contemplating. “But we do have assets Highness. We can use them even sparingly to begin our work.” Bashir suggested. “You are right Director.” She said with a smile. “I might just have a way to kick things off.” Hours later Colonel Douglas Blair entered the Fleet Planning Room aboard the Scorpion Fleet Shipyards. The massive intertwined giga-complex of about six Peterson-class stations was the heart of the Hegemony’s fleet efforts in the Nova California Province. Blair saw the frame of a woman working at a terminal. Several aids coming and going and bringing data crystals and hard copy. It looks like a hive of bees hard at work. And in the center, their Queen. Approaching a Brigadier General working at a station Blair reported. “Sir, Colonel Blair reporting as order.” He said at the position of attention. The general looked up. From the insignia on his uniform he was from the logistics branch. He pointed off in the direction of the Queen Bee. “Not to me you don’t. The Duchess requested you.” As Blair turned around he came face to face with Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan. Bowing slightly as he could on a grav deck. “Highness.” He said. “Colonel Blair reporting as ordered.” “I heard you the first time Colonel.” Alexandra said with a dead pan look on her face. “What is the infiltration requirements for the ISF Command?” “About three divisions Ma’am.” Blair responded. She did not like that answer. “ISF and Lyran intelligence will be two of our biggest problems. Both have excellent internal security. In order to infiltrate either location we would either need to seize the objective through force or cause a distraction and focus everyone’s attention elsewhere. It also come down to what is the end state of the operation. Is it collection or just want to degrade the organizations capabilities for further operations as destruction of the headquarters would not affect the LIC as much as it would the ISF with the overall control of the organizations. The LIC can operate desegregated while the ISF only needs its leader to survive. Then he becomes the ISF.” Alexandra continued to watch the Colonel carefully. Then she smiled? Blair couldn’t believe it. The Duchess smiled and was now laughing. “You were right Adam.” She said still staring at Blair before turning to face someone whom Blair hadn’t noticed in the room. “This one is bright. As a nuclear flash.” Extending her hand. “Colonel Blair it is good to meet you. I see we will be working closely together for the next few months at the least. We have a crusade to plan.” And so it begins again Yay! Looking forwards to more! Regents Estate, Nova California Colonel Douglas Blair was pouring over dispatches and status reports. While the SLDF had been slugging it out retaking the Hegemony, Intelligence Command had been keeping a watch on the Force’s rear areas. Particularly the Combine. A large force of SAS was left scattered across the Combine and the League as well. Matter of fact not a single member of the Intelligence Command, those SLDF formations assigned to them or for that matter the Intelligence Bureau. “How many of them will answer if we tried to pull them in?” Blair thought out loud. “I don’t know, why don’t you try?” The voice started Blair. He turned to see the Duchess standing there in a sweater and shorts that barely poked out from under the oversized sweater. Standing quickly about to fall out of his office chair the Duchess waved him back to sitting. “Highness.” “Sit down before you hurt yourself Doug.” She said scolding him. “What have you got?” He lifted a stack of spread sheets. “It looks like almost the entire Intelligence Command and its civilian counterpart are still operating out in the great houses. Most of the Hegemony based people are either dead, wounded or missing. Honestly I think those people just need a break and if we put out the call they will come in from the cold.” She looked at the papers thoughtfully for several minutes. “Why don’t you make the call? Bring our Hegemony based people in? We can start sending out transports for them. We have already taken a number of JumpShips and DropShips and started a cargo and passenger line. We can use that to move our people around.” Blair thought about that for a moment. “I would like to rotate out those people with people we have here. Now is the time. Records are trashed and we can bring in the survivors and their families get them in from the cold. Build up their lives and use them to train the next generations of case officers.” “Do it then. I’ll have Admiral Lector begin coordinating.” Alexandra decided. “Ma’am. We are going to need to change our identity some. We need to keep our heritage and live up to it. But if anyone gets caught and we are using Hegemony standards and ranks. We will have a problem.” Bashir suggested. “No, no one has seen the Hegemony rank system in centuries. And with it we will get our anonymity.” Alexandra stated. Bashir thought about that for a minute. “Yes, but in some cases, it will be good to paint our equipment in Star League Colors and wear their uniforms.” “Without a doubt.” Alexandra said dropping into a large couch across the office that was given to Bashir to work. “So, what are we looking at for our first operation?” Bashir tapped a command into his computer and the holo-projector in the desktop fired up and began to show the Inner Sphere. Zooming in on the Hegemony it showed the various thrusts from the League, Combine and the most disturbing the Confederation. “Why have the Davion’s not invaded?” “They have. Just not militarily. The Suns’ have been reaching out to planets diplomatically trying to bring them in. But At the rate everyone else is swallowing up our homes they will have to begin a military campaign if he even has a hope of securing anything more.” Bashir said. “I always liked John.” Alexandra thought aloud. “So, what’s the plan you’ve come up with?” Bashir began highlighting star systems around the Hegemony and the Inner Sphere. “There are a few sites within the Hegemony that we need to secure and evacuate. Com Star hit the New Earth facility but not before we did at the same time you were on Terra.” He said. “We need to look at securing sites on all of the Provincial Capitals. There are stores and other facilities that were missed during the war. I would like to try and bring New Dallas into the fold as well. However, the League caused some major damage to the world. We need to figure out a way to make them think that it is a dead world.” “Well it is dying unless we do something.” Alexandra said anger building. “Then we need to Highness.” Bashir said somberly. “I want you to go ahead begin the necessary movement. Bring our people in from the cold. Get them replaced by those that are ready and I’ll begin the military reorganization and rebuilding. Our factories haven’t stopped building war stock since the coup.” Alexandra looked over the display a little more. She reached out and began manipulating the display as it floated in the air. After about five minutes of work she nodded. “There, this is what we are going to do in the next couple of years. We give everyone a warning. Come home when we call, or you never do.” Castle Black, Nova California Lieutenant General Aldus Winterbottom was the most senior commander of the Terran Hegemony Army still alive following the return of the HAF home. He sat in his office and admired the view out over the Imperial Valley. Castle Black was located up in the Diablo mountain range. One of the four ranges that surrounded the Imperial Valley and about an hour’s flight time from the capital. Aldus had the unenviable task of rebuilding the HAF from the scraps that survived the invasion of the Hegemony. “We should have acted sooner.” Aldus said to himself. “Don’t I know it General.” Alexandra Ryan said from the doorway into his office startling him. Standing from behind his desk he walked around to greet his liege. “Duchess, I wasn’t aware you were coming today. I would have met you and the pad.” “I didn’t want to cause a fuss. Besides I do still have an office here. You know, since you haven’t moved in and taken over?” Alexandra chided. “You are still technically Commanding General Ma’am.” He said. “You know better than anyone I was just the Expeditionary Force Commander. There was only one Commanding General during that war. Otherwise shit would have gotten real interesting.” She paused. “And enough of this Ma’am crap. It’s Alex, you know like you’ve called me since the first time we served together.” Aldus thought about it for a moment. “No it’s not like we first met. You are the Duchess now. Since the heart attack your father had when he found out about EXODUS.” Aldus said sadly. “You are now the Director-General in all but name. There isn’t a Cameron to be found. Or it seems a McKenna. Kerensky didn’t stay and there goes his Army to back his claim. Under the protocols of CASE SUNDOWN, you are the next leader of the Terran Hegemony.” “Even if we can’t save it because we gutted ourselves trying to retake it?” Alex responded. “Especially now. Now we need to plan to the future save those we can and prepare for our eventual return.” Aldus was adamant. “Our charter was to defend the Hegemony alongside the Royal Command and any of those forces in from the regular defense forces that sided with us. Not fight everyone on our own. Not without at least an intact although spread to hell Royal Command, some of the regular army and definitely not without the fleet.” Alex nodded to herself. “Very well General.” She said capturing his attention as she walked towards the large ballistic windows overlooking the valley. “Build me an Army that can do it.” She turned around. “What do we need?” “We have it all. We just need time and to make sure we keep ahead of the Houses on technology. We will need allies and we will need to stay connected with the outside. To build that combat experience. We will lose all of our gained experience from the war before we rebuild our ability to go on the offensive.” Aldus said. “What are you thinking?” Alex said as she walked over to the offices sitting area and dropped into one of the oversized chairs located there. Aldus walked over. “I call it PROJECT LEGION. We build a force around an Infantry Division. Capable of independent operations all the way down to brigade, even smaller if we need to. Go mercenary. Have a few independent regiments available to work with them. We use our current gear because that’s what everyone is using. I have a feeling that they will start going after infrastructure soon. When that happens, we will need to begin fielding comparative tech levels and operate within those margins.” Alex pulled out a stylus from her tablet and began twirling it in her hand. She considered it for a while as she flipped it end over end through her fingers. “We are going to need a home for our force. Some place away from the front lines where we can recruit replacements from without raising suspicion. What do we have now that can be committed to Legion?” Aldus walked back to his desk and grabbed a sheet of paper. He handed it over to Alex. “2ND Dragoons, 7TH and 10TH Light Horse regiments have all been rebuilt from veterans. I’m already building the frame work of the expeditionary division. The first brigade combat team is assembling and beginning to train together.” He pointed down to the document to a couple of hand scribbled notes. “I wish to reorganize the independent regiments like this after a while. We will give them one more refit with fresh equipment before we start playing the long game.” As Aldus sat down on the couch Alex thought about the situation. “I know what I’m going to do. I need to get Doug in on this.” Aldus looked at her quizzically. “Is that your new toy you are torturing at the palace?” “He’s a bright one. I’m not going there with him. Besides, since James died I just don’t know anymore. Anyways. Not my type. Too smart.” Alex said causing Aldus to snort. “He can provide us with some analysis and put his new Intelligence Department to work. I also want to approach someone and give us a little credibility out in the Inner Sphere. I think we are going to go into the production business.” “Why not, you already own a shipping company from what Charles down the hall told me last week.” Aldus said referring to Rear Admiral Charles Renault senior commander of the Hegemony Fleet following the retirement of the rest of the command staff following the sheer losses incurred against the Hegemony SDS’s. It was the Hegemony that took Nirasaki and found the laptop of Professor Glimp. Developed the SDS jamming system and installed it aboard their ships. “Yes, we need a legit way to move about the Inner Sphere.” Alex agreed. “So we will have thirty JumpShips assigned to this effort to begin with.” She got a look of shock from him. “What its not like they would be doing anything anyways.” Shaking his head. “You continue to surprise me Alex. We can build up these merc units spread them around and use them for missions we need them to run in addition to gaining experience.” He thought about it some more. “We can get away with it now because of all of the confusion out there as to what’s left of the Defense Forces. Let’s take advantage of that.” “We need to get on that. I’m going to have a job for them soon.” Alex said standing. “Where are you off to?” Aldus asked. “Road trip. Have three regiments ready. Also, I want a Mechanized Infantry Brigade ready to move when I send the call. Full support. I want an aerospace group with fighters, assault ships and an assault escort group ready to move out and garrison a periphery system.” Alex said. “Now I just need to whore myself out a little." Whore herself out to whom I wonder ... I hope it won't be John Davion. Re: Project LEGION: Into the Shadows Alexandra walked through the main building of her family’s sprawling estate with her was Colonel Bashir who was briefing her on the success of pushing the Houses to think that New Dallas was dying and planting enough intelligence to keep everyone busy and to not go after it. “Good that will bring us up to four systems.” Alex said. “I have a few more prospects. Systems which are worth saving and won’t cause us to reveal ourselves.” Bashir said as they reached the large foyer before the door leading out to the back of the house. “Good send them to me when you narrow them down. We can’t spread ourselves too much. We still need to be able to operate. If any of those worlds look to be dying and we can’t do anything about it, we need to get in gear and pull as many people off of them as we can.” Alex said as she opened the door. She could hear the engines priming of her VIP variant of the Mk VII landing craft for her trip to orbit. “Yes Ma’am. I will have everything ready for you.” Bashir said. “You’re doing good Doug. Keep it up. Those operations that you have already overseen have been successful. We never had to do any of this ourselves. I’m just glad we have a good lot of Special Forces that were able to enact our emergency protocols.” Alex said as they walked down the steps towards her ride. “I’m giving you authorization to execute Noodle. Slow them down a little. We need that time.” “Yes Ma’am, we will buy that time. The people are already in place and we can go to work in about seventy-two hours.” Bashir said. “Get it done Doug. Send me updates. We are activating Ghost Protocol now. Nothing goes through the ComStar network from our end. Send it through the backdoors and make it look legit. It’s all in the books.” Alex said as she walked up the ramp of her private shuttle. “Yes Ma’am. Safe travels Highness.” Colonel Douglas Bashir said sending Alexandra off. “I’ll be back in a few months. Good hunting.” Alex said. The ramp closing as she watched him moved back towards the safety of the arrival terminal built into the property. Alex turned and strapped herself into the jump seat between her regular pilot. “How are we doing today James?” Alex asked. “Just fine Ma’am. Ready for this trip out system.” Lieutenant James Ericson said with a smile. The Mk VII Landing Craft began lifting from its pad at the residence. Lifting with its VTOL thrusters up above the third floor of the main building. Retracting its landing struts the craft applied thrust moving forward and began to climb before the VTOL thrusters disengaged and the hatches closed. The control surfaces moving as the pilot flew his craft up towards orbit. The flight took around fifteen minutes before they broke into space and the mechanical control surfaces disengaged and locked in place as the cold-gas thrusters took over the maneuvering of the hundred-fifty ton craft. In orbit waiting for her was her DropShip already loaded with her guards and everything else she would need. The spare VIP variant of the Lee-class DropShip the THS Sovereign Promise replaced the crippled Honor as her new transport. The Shuttle maneuvered into the small craft bay and was locked down as the pilot killed his maneuvering controls and the ships bay door closed. Pressure equalized. Then the light on the bulkhead turned green. “We are good to disembark Ma’am.” Ericson reported. “Thanks James. We need to all get together and have dinner on this trip. Its going to be awhile a long trip this time. We don’t have a full command circuit in place.” Alexandra said as she picked up her day pack and heading for the hatch. “See you kids later.” Stepping off of the lander she saw the side party assembled. Four crewmen on one side and four of her Guards on the other. Unlike the rest of the fleet the Duchess’ own craft were crewed and protected by the Guards. At the end of the group was obviously the quarter deck officer and another familiar face. “Well isn’t it good to see you again so soon Commodore.” Alexandra said in greeting extending her hand. “And as always it is good to see you Highness.” Greeted Commodore David McClellan. “Are you commanding the Promise?” She said with a questioning look. “No Ma’am. Hitch hiking.” He said with a big smile. “I’ve been bumped up to command of a Warship.” Looking at him approvingly. “Oh, nice which one?” “Princess Royal Ma’am. She’s part of a group near the rally point before our last jump. She just finished repairs and will be your back up when you arrive in system just in case.” McClellan stated. “Looks like Aldus and Charles want nothing to happen to me.” Alexandra said with a pained look upon her face. “No Ma’am.” McClellan said tersely. Turning to the young Ensign in charge of the side party she saluted. “Permission to come aboard.” The Ensign was caught off guard by his Duchess. “Granted Ma’am, welcome aboard the Sovereign Promise.” “Thank you Ensign McDermont.” She said dropping her salute and crossing the boat bay to the inner airlock. McClellan joined her as they moved throughout the ship to her cabin. As they moved through the deck and into a lift which would stop on a deck dedicated to the Duchess and her staff she turned to McClellan. “You know David. One of these days I’m going to have to get a new ship. Something that’s not as conspicuous.” “Considering most of the Lee’s left with Kerensky or are in the hands of house forces which absorbed Defense Force commands. Yeah, we are going to have to fix that soon. I have an idea to convert an Overlord.” McClellan said. “Gawd, I hate those things. So small. I get it they are economical, but you have no firepower, no supplies and you lose your small craft bay. Might as well convert a Dictator.” Alexandra scoffed. Laughing McClellan tried to regain his composure. “We will find something. Even if its only for the last leg of trips.” “I don’t care if we have to start manufacturing DropShips just so I can keep mine.” She said seriously. “But we do make them Ma’am.” McClellan replied. “No for sale from some yard we build somewhere.” Alexandra stated. “We will see what we can do Ma’am.” McClellan said. “Good. I’m keeping one of these damned ships. They are going to have to shoot them down if they are going to take that away from me.” Alexandra said heated. Reaching her stateroom Alexandra said her good by to the Commodore and entered. In the anteroom her staff had already been here and was setup. The Butler’s cabin was closed and she knew Martin was inside awaiting her summons. Clarissa was no doubt in her office continuing the administrative work she was always doing. The rest of the staff was most likely in their own Cabins as they had all lifted off Nova California with the Promise and was just awaiting the first day’s travel to be over with. They had fifteen hours or so until they made their rendezvous with the JumpShip at the non-standard Jump Point and made their first few legs of their trip before they had to sit and recharge. She wanted to stay hidden until she was clear of the fighting within the Hegemony. “This is going to be a long trip. God I hope they are home.” Alexandra said as she sat down on the couch. ovk8102 THS Princess Royal THAF Depot D-1 Uninhabited System Alexandra watched as the cargo DropShips attached to the Monolith-class JumpShip they were transiting with detached and maneuvered towards the large station. Six Mule DropShips as they were being brought along to transport supplies to restock the facility following the war. Those facilities had been emptied in order to support the SLDFs drive on the Hegemony. Listed as a SLDF black site the equipment and munitions stored there were meant to supply the SLDF Army Group assigned to the region should war breakout with the periphery or with the house the Army Group was stationed. In reality, the supplies were meant to support spoiling attacks and a sizable task force deep behind the lines in order to allow the Terran Hegemony to keep the houses off balance while Royal Command forces return home and defensive lines could be drawn. The battlecruiser she had transferred to would make one more jump recharge its drives from a hidden recharge station while the duchess transferred over to another JumpShip for the finale jump to her destination. Already at the last waypoint was the Princess Royal’s escorts. With the DropShips detached and the Princess clear of the station she heard the ten-minute jump warning klaxon and moved away from her stateroom’s plasteel porthole and strapped herself into the chair at the desk. She was thumbing through a tablet waiting on the finale alert as she read up on the place she was about to travel to. “It is beautiful. I hope the food is good.” Alexandra said to herself as the klaxon sounded three more times and then she felt as if someone had reached into her stomach grabbed it and tossed it twenty-two lightyears away and just looked at her and dared her to go get it. Well guess what she was on her way to get it. The battle cruiser flashed into nothing leaving behind only the fading ripple of incoherent energy to bleed away. THS Sovereign Promise Recharge Station D-17 Twenty-two lightyears away the THS Princess Royal a Black Lion-class battlecruiser tore a hole in the fabric of space time and simply appeared from the ether. Alexandra felt horrible. Holding back the acidic buildup from her stomach and trying to calm herself. Thankfully this wasn’t a combat jump and there was no need to maneuver wildly at this point. The klaxon sounded three more times singling the jump was complete and after another thirty seconds the enunciator lights on the wall that had been red during the jump procedure were now flashing red and finally flashing green before holding solid. Alexandra waited and did not unstrap herself. She knew the Promise about to detach from the Royal and move over the waiting Tramp-class JumpShip MV Hot Ticket. Alexandra laughed at herself for the Navy renaming all of the ships designated for the Trade Fleet as it was becoming known with gambling names. Although it is fitting. She thought to herself. The Princess needed to let her drives cool and she was already unfurling her jump sail in order to receive the transfer from the recharge station. The Klaxon sounded again this time with five bells announcing detachment in one minute. She secured her tablet in the magnetic mount on her desk. Sixty-seconds later the klaxon sounding five bells again and the ship shuttered as it detached from the battlecruiser. Maneuvering thrusters firing as the Promise pushed itself away and the main drives fired up for the thirty-minute trip over to the Hot Ticket. Already she could see on the repeater display three DropShips burning towards the Princess. They were all showing blue on the screens indicating friendly. Most likely the Royal’s actual DropShip compliment. One Assault ship had remained attached to the Princess when they made the rendezvous and she brought three with herself. General Winterbottom had been insistent that she bring the Guards. So, she now had her normal escort plus two heavy battalions of ‘Mech’s to escort her to the meeting. “A Meeting no one knows I am coming to yet.” She said to no one. Intelligence had them on site following a defeat in June. The trip to the Hot Ticket was quick when it comes down to space travel. They arrived and began docking with the JumpShip. It took another thirty minutes to complete the procedure for all of the DropShips involved before they were checkout out and the wall light began flashing red while the jump klaxon sounded yet again. Ten minutes later the MV Hot Ticket and her trio of DropShips were flung another ten light-years to their destination. MV Hot Ticket Zenith Jump Point New Avalon, Crucis March Commander Rachel Haskins watched as the FedSuns fighters raced in to challenge the Hot Ticket and her DropShips. Also maneuvering in their direction was a pair of assault droppers. Already the Captain of the Hot Ticket was receiving orders to stand down and identify themselves as this was an unscheduled translation into the New Avalon system. The Sovereign Promise began transmitting a coded Star League authorization code and announcing they were escorting a diplomatic envoy to meet with the First Prince. “Avalon control, Avalon control this is the Sovereign Promise requesting to approach New Avalon with three DropShips escorting diplomatic envoy requesting an audience with the First Prince.” Commander Haskins said and hit send. The message was sent directly to the closest defense station. The reply took about five minutes to reach them. “Sovereign Promise maintain position do not detach from your JumpShip or power up weapons until we receive word from System Command.” The voice on the other end of the radio responded. “Avalon control, Sovereign Promise confirm all will hold position until we receive further guidance. Promise clear.” Haskins stated. Ah ... I guess there will be no whoring out herself for Alex here, because First Prince John Davion is said to be a very honorable man who has a wife whom he loves very much. Good. Davion Palace Avalon City, New Avalon Crucis March John Davion stood in a small anteroom just off the Grand Court of Davion Palace. With him his son Joshua read over the extremely thin file intelligence had on their ‘guest’. “What does it say Josh?” The First Prince inquired. Joshua just shook his head. “General Ryan, Alexandra Elizabeth. Commander Terran Hegemony Volunteers.” He skimmed through the file some more. “It doesn’t go into any detail as to where she is from, where she attended any training or school.” He pointed at a section in the file. “Look here, it says estimated size of Terran Volunteer’s two Corps.” He dropped the file into his lap and looked up. “How did that many troops make it out of the Hegemony while it was being overtaken by Amaris?” Now Joshua was on his feet and walking up to the window to stand beside his father. “How did Kerensky get the combat equipment to field two who Corps?” “Too many questions Josh. No answers. I wonder why she is here. I know we are about to find out. Hell, if she could pull those troops out of a hat and throw them at either the Combine or the Capellan fronts we could turn this war around.” John said. “But if that file is right her Army was damned near destroyed itself.” He turned to face his son. “There was always something nagging at me as to where Kerensky got a lot of his supplies from as they were supposed to come from the Hegemony in a major conflict. That’s where they were coming during the Periphery Uprising before that bastard killed Richard.” John reached out and placed his hand upon his son’s shoulder and steered him towards the door that led not to the Court but to the small formal reception room. Power plays were not his style. Besides he was almost seventy, much to old to play games in these days. “Come now, lets go and welcome our guest.” The two walked into the reception room to see a striking woman in a business suit with a man and woman similarly attired in formal business wear stood off to the sides. John stopped short of the group and extended his hand. “General Ryan it is good to meet you.” He greeted. “First Prince Davion, it is an honor to formally meet you as well.” Alexandra said. “What brings you to New Avalon?” John inquired. “I need a favor, and in return I will earn my keep.” Alexandra answered. Both John and Joshua exchanged looks before Joshua spoke up. “What favor would you need General?” “First its no longer General. That hat was quite forcibly put up for me. Second, we can help each other out. However, I need to get started right away.” Alexandra responded. “Get started with what?” John asked. “I did have to cancel quite a lot on my schedule to accommodate you. And if it wasn’t for Marshal Zibler vouching for you I wouldn’t even be entertaining this meeting.” He held up a hand. “At least not at the expense of the other business of state I have going on at the moment.” Alexandra nodded. “Touché my Lord.” She agreed and shifted her stance. “I need access to the Federated Suns data centers, the Armed Forces centers and the Intelligence services. Along with all of the backups.” The two men almost laughed. “Everywhere.” “What in Gods name do you want to do?” Joshua stammered out. “I need to erase some things from the record. Locations and some names mainly. Other things will be altered. Namely make people dead according to official records. And I need the Hegemony Ambassador brought to me. He has been dogging my calls.” Alexandra stated in such a commanding tone it unsettled the Davion’s. “What would I want to do that for?” John found himself saying. “Because everything I know about you and have observed of you says you’re a good man John. Simon was a good judge of character and I agree.” Alexandra answered almost saddened. “You knew Simon?” John asked. “No but my father did. He told me if there was ever someone, I needed to help me it would be you. It was one of the last things he said to me before he died.” Alexandra softened some more. “Who was your father?” John asked. “Patrick Ryan.” Alexandra said. “Patrick was your father?” John asked again. “Yes sir. He served as an aide to the First Lord and was there when he died.” Alexandra answered. “He was the one that suggest I be Richards God Father and pushed for Kerensky to be Regent following Simon’s death.” John said flatly. “Simon always referred to him a little higher than his station suggested. Now Simon was always about making those people he trusted feel more valued then they should but this was different.” John said and looked at Alexandra hard for a moment. “Who are you really?” He asked finally. “I am Duchess Alexandra Elizabeth Ryan, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province and Commanding General of the Terran Hegemony Armed Forces. Formally I was Commander Terran Expeditionary Forces for Operations CHIEFTAIN and LIBERATION.” Alexandra said to the amused looks of the two Davion’s. “You are trying to reform the Hegemony?” Joshua said. “Josh, you didn’t hear everything she said. She said she was Lord Governor of the Nova California Province.” John interrupted. “Where and how long has that been around?” “Oh, Ian Cameron established the Nova California Province as a fall back position if the Star League idea came back to bite him in the ass. He also rebuilt the Hegemony Armed Forces following their absorption into the SLDF. When Jonathan Cameron pushed for a major build up of the Defense Force so did, he build up the HAF in hiding. We mirrored the First Army in size. Raised from people who immigrated to the Province as a reward by the First Lord.” Alexandra just blurted out. It was all or nothing now. If they didn’t believe her it wouldn’t matter she would have to fight them like they were fighting across the Hegemony and the other Houses. “You want to hide. Why?” John asked. “Because the war broke my Army and Kerensky and EXODUS killed my father.” She said again losing steam. “When he challenged Kerensky over his plans to run away, he was rebuffed and my father suffered a heart attack. He died in front of Kerensky.” “I can’t defend the Hegemony or I would be doing it right now. But I can help one or two houses. None of the others deserve it right now. You are the only one trying to peacefully integrate Hegemony worlds.” Alexandra went on after turning to an aide and receiving a sheet of hard copy. “This is a contract that states that Ryan Heavy Industries and Ryan Interstellar will base its headquarters and establish manufacturing centers within the Federated Suns spin-ward periphery region. With this we will sell our products to the AFFS and we will also subsidize the cost of hiring mercenaries to be at the call of the AFFS at all times for the next twenty years.” “For this you want access to our data centers?” Joshua asked seeing a deal to be made. “No, this is actually to provide me cover. See that nice sweet DropShip I came riding in on. I don’t want to have to swap it out for something local when the yards are either destroyed or fall into someone else’s hands.” Alexandra joked. “No for letting us into your data centers to do our magic. We will assist the Federated Suns in anyway we can short of compromising our position until we are ready. We will not provide overwhelmingly advanced technology. We will provide what is available to the Inner Sphere as a whole. We will provide you with war materials to as much as we can dedicate during our rebuilding. And should there be a point where things turn for the worse, we will be there.” John thought about that. “For how long?” He asked. “Until your nation tries to stab us in the back.” Alexandra said flatly. “We are in this for the long haul. I plan for this to be the only treaty I sign. I don’t expect my descendants to sign any as well. But if they do, they will have to consult with the current First Prince beforehand.” She held up a hand. “Consult not gain approval. This is an Alliance not a takeover. I could still cause you trouble and even if you knew where we were it would take the power that doesn’t exist in this neck of the galaxy anymore to break my defenses. Or all of these squabbling successors to join forces before you all beat yourselves into submission.” John thought about that hard. “You are the reason the HCIB and HCID elements went to ground and why our intelligence people lost track off all of those special forces that didn’t leave with Kerensky aren’t you.” Alexandra smiled and turned to her aide. “See Clarissa I knew he would be smart.” Turning back to John she gave him and approving nod and then set here face into one of all business. “I need to know now. Before we all leave this room. If you can’t say yes now, then I walk and will unfortunately have to remove it by other means. Once that is done, I will not continue operations against you or the Federation. This is because of my respect for you. The other nations are not so lucky. Tossing nukes around like mortars are about to cost them a lot.” She extended her hand. “So, what’s it going to be Sir?” John Davion, First Prince of the Federated Suns and now a man trapped with the Draconis Combine hammering away at his core-ward border and the Capellans trying to take the other one did not seem bothered by his next words. “I don’t want anyone to think I entered into this decision because I have enemies on both fronts, but I am entering this agreement because I think it is the right thing to do.” John accepted Alexandra’s hand. “I accept the terms of this treaty Duchess Ryan.” NAMA, Camelot Region New Avalon The Davion Guardsmen’s SHD-2H Shadow Hawk stalked through the low range forest in search of his prey. A tank platoon had been sighted by scouts an hour before. Leftenant Ramirez was leading a company of 2ND Battalion, 1ST Davion Guards as they hunted down the rest of the battalion they knew to be operating in the area. The exercise had been arranged by the First Prince to validate these new Mercenaries and to test the planetary defenses. Well the orbital defenses while impressive did nothing to slow them down. Arriving via a pirate point with only an estimated fifteen-minute window they managed to with warship support disabled or destroy space defenses quickly forcing warships assigned to the exercise to reposition rapidly to intercept. They arrived late and the sky was filled with nearly eighty drop pods and a wing of enemy fighters escorting assault landing shuttles to the surface. Infantry quickly seized two landing zones for DropShips to touchdown and deploy their armor before lifting hard for orbit and leaving nothing but smoking fields of burned earth for the Guardsmen to find. A third battalion landed near the Ronde Tableau and deployed a combined arms force of ‘Mechs, infantry and armor and that was the force his battalion was assigned to hunt down. 1ST Battalion had already been taught a very terrible lesson. Do not separate. Reinforcements were brought in from the New Avalon Crucis March Militia in order to reinforce the struggling 3RD Battalion near the academy proper. His parent battalion, 2ND was now deep behind enemy lines moving on what they thought was the mercenaries command post. That was when the world fell in. AFFS Observer Controllers known throughout the military as OC’s began dropping signaling smoke all around their positions indicating they had just begun to receive indirect artillery fires from somewhere. Throttling up his Shadow Hawk Ramirez key’d the lance net. “Gold lance move fifteen hundred meters west now!” He shouted into the pickups. Switching to battalion he sent another quick burst. “Sword, this is Gold. Enemy artillery grid CR 27 92 displacing fifteen hundred west out.” Ramirez waited for a response but got none. Then he heard it. Static on the net. His radios were being jammed. He switched to laser links and hoped his Hawk’s computers could track all of the members of his lance as he was running west at a sprint. “Gold, we are being jammed switch to line of sight and…” “Oh Leftenant, why spoil the surprise?” Was the voice he heard over the all hands frequency. No wait it wasn’t it was his internal lance net. “I think you will enjoy watching the rest of this from the sidelines.” Ramirez was looking everywhere for the ‘Mercs yet he couldn’t find them. Then he saw it. A BattleMaster the assault machine lifted its arms and unleashed both of its particle cannons at his Shadow Hawk. Side stepping quickly Ramirez replied with a flight of LRMs at the massive machine. Charging forward he fired a second flight of missiles as soon as the launcher reloaded. Firing his shoulder mounted class 5 autocannon the Shadow Hawk took a pair of particle cannons to the torso and was followed up by a large pulse laser hammering his hip actuator. The enemy BattleMaster was moving now and poking up over the hill was a pair of Highlander’s as they began firing into the rest of his lance. As he rushed forward trying to get under the guns of most of the enemy assault ‘Mechs his sensors alerted him as he was actively locked from his right. Looking that way he saw it two LB-X Carriers unloaded both of their LB 10-X autocannons each into his Shadow Hawk the dummy rounds impacted his BattleMech and the control collar locked his ‘Mech up sending him crashing to the ground. The rest of the battalion came rolling in at this point expecting to find a company of BattleMechs and some tanks. What they found was an ambush. The mercenary command company along with a company of heavy armor supported by infantry held the high ground around a forest and as the battalion broke through the forest cover into the open for the attack they were hit from the rear by a battalion of heavy ‘Mechs which forced the Guardsmen to scatter. The mercenaries first battalion and broken off contact leaving second battalion, and two combined arms armor and infantry battalions supported by artillery to hold the Guards 3RD Battalion and New Avalon militia at bay long enough for the combined force in the west to crush the Guards 2ND Battalion. As the battle raged Ramirez watched his friends’ BattleMechs fall one by one as the heavy fighting ragged. The BattleMaster and the two Highlanders were joined by a Shogun and they went to work taking apart Major Galloway’s command lance apart. The Major’s Marauder was quickly overwhelmed by the combined fire and locked up when the computer assessed enough damage had been received to constitute a reactor breach. Fighting raged for another fifteen minutes as the Guardsmen tried to scatter only to be hunted down by VTOLs which had deployed during the landings and were scouting out the terrain. When the last of the organized 2ND Battalion formations were defeated the combined force in the west moved east towards the Academy and set in another ambush this time allowing their 2ND Battalion to fall back and pass through friendly lines in good order. When 3RD Battalion and the battalion of the New Avalon militia arrived to find not just the combined arms force they had been fighting but a full combined arms brigade had taken up defensive positions and encircled the remaining defenders. The First Prince in an airship over watching the exercise turned to the Mercenary Colonel standing nest to him. “Your people did outstanding Colonel. The Duchess didn’t have to partake in the event as well. I think Colonel Reuchlen is still rattled about Cartago and getting nuked there. He doesn’t like to concentrate his forces.” Colonel Thomas Mathews nodded solemly. “Nukes will make anyone weary of concentrating forces. I’ve had my share of encounters during the war.” John turned to look at Colonel Mathews. The commander of the Dark Storm Dragoons who were one of the first two regiments being assigned to the AFFS as mercenaries. The Dragoons were in fast the 1ST Dragoons of the Hegemony Armed Forces and were wearing Star League duty uniforms and battle dress without the insignia. The Blackhawks as they were called were a proud regiment, brigade really. Operating with a hint of combined arms. The Blackhawks deployed three battalions of ‘Mechs with command lances, two battalions of armor, two battalions of infantry, an attack helicopter battalion and an artillery battalion. All supported by a wing of twenty aerospace fighters and a assault and transport squadron of DropShips. The other regiment that had arrived was a true Light Horse regiment. A battalion of ‘Mechs, two battalions of fast hover craft and a battalion of infantry in a Colossus-class DropShip and escorted by assault ships and a carrier provide a fast recon element able to force its way into a system ahead of an invasion or to take systems without dedicated warship support or heavy ‘Mech presence. John walked over to the airship commander. “Alright Leftenant take us down to the OC’s.” He ordered. “Yes Highness.” The Leftenant responded and the ship banked slightly as it descended down to the landing zone near where the OC’s had gathered in their VTOLs, ‘Mechs and ATVs. As the First Prince and Colonel Mathews exited the airship and moved over to the senior OC for the training center and the academy itself. “So how did they do Dan?” John asked as they join up. An older man in the field uniform of a Marshal turned around. “The Guards were beaten up like a third string lacrosse team in the galactic cup.” Marshal Daniel McCaffee swore. Shaking his head John pushed. “No, not the Guards. The Dragoons?” “Bloody marvelous. Like they may have done this once or twice.” McCaffee exclaimed. “Or a couple of dozen.” Mathews said under his breath causing McCaffee to look at him with renewed interest. “What you boys chatting about? And what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?” Alexandra said as she walked up. The others turned and greeted her. John warmly, Mathews with a salute and the other Suns officers with various interest. “Apparently you have to take apart take my best unit apart like they were youth scouts trying to fight in the Martial Olympiad.” John said producing a flask from his pocket and tossing it to Alexandra. “The rest of the ten cases will be sent to your DropShip Alex.” “Why thank you. And I will still honor my bet with you and you will have that case of Cheval Blanc 47.” Alexandra said causing John’s jaw to drop. “Hell I have a dozen cases of that 2747 vintage you can have.” McCaffee said. “No Dan, this is 1947, old Terra.” John said. Alexandra looked at the Marshal. “I’m not a wine lady and the case was for the Prince anyways from my father. We just never had a chance to deliver it due to the war. I’m here now. I couldn’t resist trying to get a case of that Davion bourbon you all are so proud of.” Alexandra took a pull off of the flask and handed it back to John. She savored the taste and how it gently burned as it went down. “Damn that’s smooth. Damn that’s good. I’m going to get into trouble with this.” John Davion laughed. “your people did good Alex, they haven’t lost a thing. I just wish I had more of them.” He said disappointed. With the attacks from the Combine and the Confederation ramping up he was going to have to deal with them soon enough. He knew the Hegemony troops he would have to throw at the Combine. His agreement with Alexandra meant that they got to choose their battles and command the forces involved. The Dragoons were going to form the core of a combined arms force of militia ‘mech battalions and regular army free brigades of armor and infantry. The Dragoons and other hegemony mercenaries would hit the planet and secure it with the help of AFFS armor and infantry and then the militia combined arms forces would come in and garrison the planet as the strike force bounded forward. The Dragoons were going to be the core of the hegemony group assigned to the suns. Around them would be a pair of Light Horse regiments which over time would be expanded to brigades each like the Dragoons. Rounding out the force would be a Hussar brigade once they finished training. Four more regiments weren’t much in the grand scheme but those were just the first group. Another group of three mechanized infantry brigades to be known as Ryan’s Hoplites would begin to arrive and take up garrison duties in the Crucis March allowing for AFFS formations to move forward. A Fourth brigade would be stationed on St. Cyr where Alexandra would establish a factory complex to build war materials for the AFFS. John and Alexandra walked to a waiting VTOL that would take them back to Davion Palace. Boarding the craft it lifted off and settled into the twenty-minute flight. “Thank you John, for letting my people into the data centers they are done with their work. I will be leaving in a few days to head back home. I promise I will do what I can for your nation. I need to rebuild my army, but I will have warships staged around the Suns in order to support if something happens and you will already have about two divisions at your disposal in all but name. Use my people wisely. They’ve been through a lot.” Alexandra said looking at the man her father trusted and now she must trust. John Davion nodded solemnly. “I just hope I can live up to your expectations.” He turned to look at her. “If something happens to me look after them. Only Joshua and Thomas know of this should anything happen to me. Do what you did with the Cameron’s let us know who you are only when we are dead or request it. We will support you in any way we can. If we don’t then we don’t deserve to rule our people for we are part of the failure of the Star League.” John’s impassioned statement struck a cord with Alexandra. She nodded. “We will do all we can when we can. I can’t promise the Regents after me will always live up to it but we need to build this relationship now and it needs to be cemented in blood.” Alexandra almost laughed at that and held up a hand. “Not the blood of marriage but the blood shed on the battlefield. We will fight along side you. As mercenaries” she said with air quotes, “and as militia battalions to an extent. We won’t always be the best and brightest, but I will rotate my people through your staff collages and hopefully we can develop common operational principals in order to look ahead. There is nothing we can do during this first war but minimize the casualties. The other states are using atomics, chemicals pretty much everything that was banned is coming out. My freight company will move goods for all nations, and this will allow us to move our people around the Inner Sphere and periphery. ComStar will bear watching. I will keep an eye on them. They don’t own as much of Terra as they think they will.” Alexandra and John finished the rest of their flight back to the Palace talking about family, lost friends and hope for the future. The future could indeed be bright but first the storm and darkness would shake the foundations of those that stayed out of the campaign to retake the Hegemony. « Reply #25 on: 01 August 2020, 01:06:49 » New Samarkand New Samarkand Prefecture The two Ripper VTOLs buzzed past overhead on their standard patrol route. The Objective’s patterns of life had been determined months before and for the reputation of the target one would think they would randomize the patrol schedule and routes. Captain Isaiah Nelson – Nels to his team – watched as the retreating forms of the VTOLs receded. The entire A-team was scattered throughout the area operating in low power mode in order to minimize the signature of their equipment. The twelve members of the detachment were hunkered down in their Nighthawk Mk. XXI infiltration armor equipped with suppressed ballistic and Mauser 960 rifles per two-man element. Each team of four commando’s had a specific objective. His team was to go after the Director’s offices and attempt to sow as much confusion as possible. Warrant Officer Olivia Mitchell – Oli to the others and the team’s intelligence officer – was positioned with her team ready to storm the entrance to the data center she was escorting a pair of cyber warfare expects from Special Operations Command who were in specially modified suits that would allow them to remotely link in with any computer within five meters no matter how secured it is with lack of peripheral access. Once they had gained access to the bunker network that would take them down the four members of her actual team would sow chaos throughout the analyst department and try and grab anything they could of value. The last team was overwatch, Master Sergeant Ava Lopez was the Senior NonCom for Special Operations Detachment Alpha 3251. Her team had setup light weight artillery systems centered on the main gate fortifications. With magazines of four rounds each, the four deployed tubes would allow for a major distraction when the teams bounded over the walls with their jump jets. Once the fireworks started she was to aggressively intercept various patrols operating throughout the area. Each team and deployed some kind of support weapons on the infiltration and the Detachment Bravo’s or the support team as they were called had exfil ready in the form of several VTOLs and a waiting DropShip. “Phantom Six, this is Crypt Keeper. Distraction will be in play in two hours. I say again distraction will be in play in two hours.” The voice of the distant support team reported. “Crypt Keeper, Phantom Six confirmed 2 hours to show time.” She replied. Now she just needed to wait for the show to start. They started their days like most other flights taking off from various airport and spaceports from across the continent. It was the daily air traffic normal to a busy industrialized world. Today some of the flights were delayed due to weather, maintenance on an engine for another flight. One flight was delayed due to an executive demanding the company’s commercial passenger service should delay for thirty-minutes until he could arrive and make the trip to the capital from his resort. Whatever the reason, New Samarkand Air Traffic Control was tracking all delays. Everything was going good today. The controllers managed to deconflict the airspace for all of the delays and pushed the information over to the planetary defense network. The systems automated procedure’s matched the flights with the origins and destinations and overlaid everything with the military traffic expected throughout the day in order to make sure nothing was going to interfere with the operations of the Dragon’s Claws. Everything matched and there would be no confliction of civil and military aircraft throughout the day. Just a note that at around 13:29 hours six various commercial cargo and passenger aircraft would be within fifty kilometers of restricted airspace at roughly the same time. The operator flagged the time to make sure the system would alert him in four hours when the time would approach so he could monitor the airspace to ensure nothing amiss would happen. 13:19Hrs, Samarkand Air 272-Heavy Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Cox held his hand to his helmet to listen to the report from the flight crew. Standing up he looked to his Jump Master on this bird and nodded flashing his finger’s showing all ten. The Staff Sergeant stood up checked his own report and moved to the center of the aircraft. “Ten minutes.” He yelled. “TEN MINUTES.” The Troopers onboard repeated. The Sergeant raised both his hands. “Outboard personnel stand up.” “OUTBOARD PERSONNEL STAND UP!” They repeated. “Inboard Personnel stand up.” He called. “INBOARD PERSONNEL STAND UP!” They repeated. Making his fingers into a hook the Jump Master raised it up and down vertically. “Hook up.” He called out. “HOOK UP!” Was the shouted response. Holding his arms out to his sides and waving them to his front then back to his side the Jump Master called out again. “Equipment Check.” “EQUIPMENT CHECK!” Every trooper including Colonel Cox called back. The Jump Master watched as every trooper checked themselves and then the trooper in front of them’s backside. Once they all received a pat on the shoulder, they turned to face the front of the aircraft and did the same to the trooper behind them. When the check was complete, they slapped the shoulder of that trooper and then turned around to face to the rear of the aircraft. “Equipment Check sound off.” He called out. The entire stick aboard the modied commercial passenger plane counted down “EQUIPMENT CHECK OK!” And slapped the bottom of the trooper in front of them from the front of the aircraft to the rear where the jump master was standing on both sides of the plane. “Equipment Check Ok!” He shouted back. “Five minutes.” He said and watched as a light above the door on both sides of the aircraft light up red. “FIVE MINUTES!” Was the repeated response. The special forces aircrew which had stolen the aircraft and gutted it in hours turning it into a airborne delivery platform went to work cracking the doors and checking them to ensure they were still safe for the mixed company of parachute infantry aboard to jump. Each company in the battalion had a platoon aboard the aircraft to ensure that someone survive the jump from each company they were spread between all of the aircraft in the operation in some cases at the Squad level depending on the Objective. Called LGOP’s or Little Groups of Paratroopers, they would insure that the mission was still conducted. The aircraft was rapidly descending to jump altitude and turning into their designated Drop Zone racing in they were being challenged by Samarkand ATC and by the DCMS network. All across the airspace nine other aircraft were forming up on Samarkand Air 272-Heavy as they raced in to conduct the MASTAC or Mass Airborne Tactical Assault. The Jump Master tied into the flight deck received the warning. “One Minute!” He called out holding up one finger.” “ONE MINUTE!” Everyone repeated. “Thirty-Seconds!” He called for the last warning. “THIRTY-SECONDS!” They repeated and primed themselves for the jump. Their aircraft was the lead bird and they were jumping two kilometers from their objective with a low hill between them and the defenses along with a wooded area. Thermal scans from scouts who had been observing the area reporting fighting positions automated sentry positions and mines. The paratroopers had everything they needed for this target. This had been planned for decades and revised every five years or so like all plans in the vault. Six months before this operation it was updated to include the use of the jump infantry battalion in an airborne assault role. The light began flashing red and then held solid green. “GO, GO, GO!” He shouted and watched as the sixty-four troopers jumped clear of the doors one at a time from either side of the aircraft. The scene was one of utter horror for Gunsho Seiji Nakayama. He was watching dozens of paratroopers exiting numerous commercial passenger planes and heavy equipment falling out the backs of planetary cargo transports. Palatized ATVs and even light tanks. There was even one aircraft dropping some portable artillery. They were out of range of all of their weapon systems. The garrison was too far away and the DEST guards were scrambling to get to their BattleMechs. The rest of his company was racing out of the guard houses and into their fighting positions. Another company was being roused from their sleep having been on night shift. 1ST Company was off duty and some had gone into town, the rest were gearing up and joining 3RD Company on the perimeter as soon as they could get everything sorted. The first he saw of the troopers was the first squad bound to the top of the hill and drop prone. Setting up their support weapons and waited. Thirty-seconds later the world exploded. Weapons fire from everywhere. Artillery began falling most likely from the guns they just dropped onto the field. ATVs came rolling through draws avoiding sky lining themselves as the infantry support weapons began opening up searching out targets in the tree line. The infantry kicked off jump packs and bounded forward closing the distance and making it difficult for the defenders to use the cleared fields for their intended purpose of killing an attacker. The Jump Infantry were just too fast, too well disciplined. The first squads were landing amongst his defensive positions almost as fast as they had popped up. It took them three bounds to close the distance all while being covered by heavy support weapons and artillery. Nakayama took aim at an enemy trooper and fired his auto-rifle striking the trooper in the side where its body armor was weakest. The enemy Infantrymen clutched at its side as it fell over screaming in pain he hoped through its enclosed helmet. Corporal Melba Reeves watched as her Platoon Leader was just killed. The young trooper raised her Mauser and fired a burst of coherent light into the torso of the Combine defender as she kicked off her jump pack and bounded into the tree line to join first squad which was now down Sergeant Colter. “Johnny, get in here with the PPC. We have a bunker up ahead.” The two-man support weapon team arrived at her position and deployed the particle cannon. John Higgins aimed his semi-portable particle cannon at the slit in the pill box and fired. Muffled screams could be heard as another squad landed and slapped a shaped charge over the weapons slit. Bounding away the bunker was rocked when the front of the bunker was blown into the series of defensive tunnels arrayed throughout the forest. Another trooper tossed a grenade in. The thermobaric weapon collapsed the tunnel killing nearly a dozen Combine soldiers in the tunnel system moving around to reinforce various positions. “Guide on’s, this is Hammer Six. Thunderbolt, execute, execute, execute.” The voice of Lieutenant Colonel Samuel Cox ordered over the battalion all hands net. He wasn’t going to take the chance that all of his leaders were still alive. Execution Check – or EXCHK – THUNDERBOLT was the arrival of three independent regiments of the Dark Storm Legion arrived in orbit and began dropping BattleMechs all over the planet. The 2ND Dragoons were designated to engage the Eleventh Galedon Regulars and the Fifth Sun Zhang Cadre directly breaking up into three battlegroups and doing everything they could to cause as much damage as possible against both units. The 7TH Light Horse was sent after the ISF Academy itself to insert the virus into the network there. While the 10TH Light Horse was designated to land in support of the attack on the Internal Security Force headquarters where the 1ST Battalion of the 501ST Jump Infantry Regiment were already in the attack. The light armor was now in play and the artillery was hammering away at the auxiliary gates trying to force entry into the Fortress. Captain Nelson watched his HUD and saw a new icon appear and begin to flash. They had all been monitoring the fighting between the Jump Infantry battlegroup and the Combine defenders. Now it was their turn to execute their mission. “All teams let’s do this. Lopez, hit it.” He ordered with a smile on his face. There wasn’t a response, but he heard the thumps of the four light artillery systems as they began lobbing rounds at the gate complex. Another position setup bean firing a mix of heavy support lasers and particle cannons on remote weapons stations set with specific targets and engagement criteria hooked up to external battery packs to triple their normal engagement window. Fourteen armor clad troopers sprinted clear of the tree line for the anti-mech fortifications ahead of them after they got out into the open, they began bounding by teams. Two four-man and one six-man team. It took five bounds before the special ops troops reached the wall and bounded up and over landing on a parapet on top. One team cleared an auto turret, and another kicked in the armored door to a defense substation and tossed in a few grenades killing everyone inside and damaging the equipment. The distraction and overwatch team setup on the wall while Captain Nelson and his team jumped down and bounded over to the command building. They began killing everyone they could find. Everyone who worked here was a Soldier or Spy. Even the janitors. The damned janitors. Nelson shook his head between bounds after he just fired his Mauser into the chest of a man pushing a trash cart from cover to cover. When he landed next to the man he looked inside and sure enough a damned laser rifle. Chief Mitchell led her six-man team to the bunker they were supposed to breach. They blasted their way in and once inside breached another door that led deep inside the analyst section while the cyber nerds used their suits to hack the door locks to another path leading them down inside the data center where all of the ISF primary servers were stored. The two experts found the chink in the ISF armor and exploited it. They stood one on the ninth floor and one on the tenth subfloor. They activated their systems and obtained access to the storage. They both input the commands necessary and off went the virus. In no more than eighteen months the bug would have propagated throughout the ISF and within twenty-four months would have wound its way throughout the entire Draconis Combine data infrastructure. It wasn’t designed to cripple the Combine nor was it designed to leak any information out of it. Both sure ways to get caught. No this was selectively removing and rewriting information. Specific information contained to a list of a few hundred-thousand people and removing the locations of several locations in the Inner Sphere from the data banks. The 7TH Light Horse was determined to destroy the only other on planet back up of the information while the Destroyers in the system had already nuked the locations on Chūai after the surface facility was breached. Another destroyer had by now caused enough EMP damage to a specific hidden asteroid in the inner belt to render any data stored useless. The rest of Mitchell’s team arrived in the crypt where all of the analysts spent their time building their link diagrams and other annoying but required tasks of intelligence work. The went to two designated offices and snatched the computers the other two members of the team tossed incendiary grenades and white phosphorous grenades in order to start as many fires as possible. Mitchell key’d her net. “Let’s go.” Was all she said. Captain Nelson had a squad of guards pinned down as two of his men flanked them from another hallway. He could probably take the hits from them with their armor, but they didn’t want to spoil the surprise and less damage they took now the longer they lived later. “In position.” Sergeant Potter reported. “Hit them.” Nelson responded. Behind the guards the hallway flashed with light and then the screams. Always the screams. Two Kurita Soldiers fell into the hallway clawing backwards at the floor to get away. Nelson and Goodwin stepped into the hall and finished them off with quick bursts from their suppressed carbine and laser rifle. The thump, thump of the suits armored foot impacting the ground was all that was heard as Potter stepped around the corner and fired his carbine down the call into a distant guard. “Clear.” He reported. “Let’s go. Down the hall next left turn and then at the end. Colonel Melvin Roberts led two of his battlegroups against the Eleventh Galedon Regulars. Having recently returned from the front to Galedon they didn’t expect the war to follow them back. The Dragon was winning after all, they were just to refit and prepare for the next phase of the invasion. His command company was over watching the maneuver. These idiots think they are feudal nights of old. He thought to himself. The Kurita BattleMechs were arrayed for a charge like the ancient armored knights and cavalry from the twelfth century and earlier. They began their charge quickly outpacing their conventional infantry and armor. Roberts just shook his head. Selected one of his battlegroup commanders. “Three-Blackhawk-Six, This is Six. Hit their conventional troops and then lets roll them up from the west. I will hold with One and we will watch them slam into our defensive line.” “Blackhawk-Six, this is Three-Six copy all. Four minutes and we will be within weapons range. Going to start this off with artillery.” Lieutenant Colonel Gordon reported. “Is there any other way Three-Six? Lets do this.” Roberts joked. Robert knew that somewhere to his North the 7TH Light Horse was driving the 5TH Sun Zhang mad with their slashing hover craft attacks and the ‘Mech’s light cavalry tactics. Sweeping in striking and fading under the cover of Arrow IV missiles and artillery. Aerospace fighters were busy keeping the skies clear of enemy fighters while the raids were being conducted. The 10TH Light Horse reported they were mission complete and were mopping up a determined militia command that was doing everything they could to keep them away from their DropShip. The Colossus’ Long Tom was already being used to soften up the combined arms regiment for the Buffalo Soldiers as they maneuvered the militia into a position to finish them without exposing the regiment to more damage than needed. Roberts stood his ground in his Black Knight waiting. He saw a CTS-6Y Cestus step into the range of his particle cannon. His targeting reticle glowed red and he pulled back on the trigger for his second target interlock circuit. The extended range particle cannon reached out and smashed into the already damaged Cestus another Knight joined in with its particle cannon. A flight of long-range missiles streaked in from one of the tracks. Light autocannons joined in from one of the IFVs. The Cestus withered under the barrage. The Cestus reached back out and hit a Marauder somewhere down the line. His mistake. Roberts thought. Pulling on the primary TIC he unleashed his paired large pulse lasers knocking the heavy Cestus off balance. A Gauss rifle from the Dragoons reached out and hammered the Kurita ‘Mech into the ground. All across the planet war was ravaging the surface of one of the Combine’s most protected worlds. The raid of the ISF headquarters was winding down. The 7TH Light Horse arrived to reinforce the attack with a company of ‘Mechs now the entire strike force was falling back to pickup zones or PZ’s and landing craft were streaming down from orbit to recover the infantry and special forces. The light tanks and ATVs were being rigged with demo chargers by their operators and they too abandoned them and climbed aboard the Mk. VII Landing Craft for the trip up well to the warships and transports. The Dragoons had engaged a force with a third more BattleMechs than they arrived with but the balance was more than made up for with the addition of four companies each of armor and mechanized infantry. The Dragoons second battlegroup was in full retreat from the academy as the cadet regiment proved just to much for the battlegroup to take on. Before Lieutenant Colonel Harold was killed in his Thunderbolt he gave the order to his artillery battery to conduct a barrage of the academy before falling back to the landing zone to board the DropShips there. Captain Nelson and his team were all on the wall and jumping clear. They raced away to the South and made it to the clearing where a lance of Vector VTOLs landed to recover the team. When all fourteen troopers were back aboard alive although two of Master Sergeant Lopez’s team had locked up joints and scarred armor from engaging vehicles brought in with the last push to retake the wall they were holding. With the VTOLs racing off to an unseen landing zone the team felt a little safer when a lance of Legion fighters joined to escort them clear of the active fighting. The Dragoons were selling themselves to allow both Light Horse Regiments, the Jump Infantry Battalion and the Special Forces team to get clear. The ground vehicles were being loaded aboard their transports and the ‘Mechs were conducting a fighting retreat into three separate landing zones keeping the surviving Kurita forces thinned out and with their arrogance unable to concentrate and hammer just one of the Dragoons’ landing zones. With the survivors of the regiment aboard Colonel Roberts order his troops off of New Samarkand. His Black Knight being one of the last ‘Mechs off of the field. In order the assault force joined a squadron of Hegemony warships painted in Davion colors docking with the ships they vanished into hyperspace and OPERATION CLEANSING had begun… St. Cyr Broken Wheel Combat Region Crucis March, Federated Suns Duchess Alexandra Ryan walked along the catwalk overlooking the production floor. The assembly line was producing lasers in this particular block. The factory was a temporary setup like all of the others built around the area in order to build up stock piles of components to go into the machines to be built in the main factory that was just now being excavated by a ‘hired’ construction firm to dig out the tunnels and caverns that would make the first Inner Sphere site of Ryan Heavy Industries. This factory would begin by building five lines of BattleMechs, two aerospace fighters and a half dozen combat vehicles in two factory wings. Two additional wings would be constructed when the first production lines went online. One would be dedicated to aerospace fighters and small craft while the other would build all of the components and other subsystems that would go into the various designs. 3RD Brigade of the mercenary command known as Ryan’s Hoplites was assigned to the defense of the factory complex. A medium weight BattleMech battalion, three regiments of mechanized infantry and a support armor regiment of two heavy armor battalions, a battalion of artillery and an air defense battalion supported by a full battalion of attack helicopters completed the Hoplites combat strength. Holding at the St. Cyr L-3 LaGrange point was a collection of forges, factories and refineries being used to build the infrastructure for a shipyard complex. Already tugs were moving asteroids to the location from the inner belt. In a surprise that had been missed previously a few germanium rocks had been identified during the survey mission and one was being towed in system to be mined and refined for construction of JumpShips in addition to the small craft and DropShips. The primary product of the factory was to be DropShips. A full Squadron of eighteen assault DropShips and Carriers were located there in order to protect the site from any possible attack. A Division of ships would rotate around the system between being the ready division protecting the shipyards, patrolling St. Cyr itself and in standby maintenance cycle where they could be surged in order to protect the yards but were otherwise not primarily responsible for anything. A small station with several docking collars and some repair bays were located within the belt itself or would be once Hegemony engineers could complete the construction of the facility there for a dedicated division to protect mining operations. Alexandra continued her trip through the facility watching where stuff would be produced. She picked her list of designs from the Terran factories destroyed during the coup and the campaign to retake the Hegemony. With her was one of the plant managers from one of the main factory complexes on Nova California. He had volunteered to establish the St. Cyr branch of Ryan Heavy Industries and in return she rewarded him with one hell of a pay raise. He would receive five percent of all profit from the entire RHI operation within the St. Cyr system once every five years on top of his regular pay. “So Spenser, what is your plan to get DropShip production underway?” Alexandra inquired. Spenser was ready for this from the first days of living in prefab temporary shelters as the engineering regiments began building the company town to today he knew how he wanted to do it if he had a chance to build up a company from scratch. He started with the easy part. That was building the refineries, forges and factories in space and then building the scaffoldings to build JumpShip and DropShip production slips. Already six hundred kiloton slips were taking shape. He could build a thousand of them if he had the component production and the manpower to build ships in those slots. The goal was also to remain a low value target. The JumpShip production will be the hardest to hide. With the numbers of JumpShips being destroyed during this war it was going to make JumpShip production critical. He planned to build another facility in the belts to build more JumpShips but for now he would simply state he could build six Jumpers a year or eighteen or more DropShips. Two five-hundred kiloton slips were being built to allow the construction of JumpShips up to an including the Monolith. The RHI yards would build on average six to twelve Droppers and two to four JumpShips at a time depending on security of the site and orders. He was going to make damned sure that he had the production capacity dormant in system to produce twice what he had if needed. “I can start building them now. The yards are not complete but there is enough equipment and other materials in position to begin building the Lee-class along with the smaller Fortress-class for now. I plan on introducing a few newer designs HRAD had been working on for the civilian market and for military contracts. This will allow us to have the other designs in production without very many questions being asked.” Spenser Donnelly reported director of Ryan Heavy Industries St. Cyr. “I hope this system is distant enough to become a target for the Combine or the Confederation. I am not too worried about pirates as we will have the defense force established in the next year or so. Until then the Hoplites will handle security.” Alexandra thought out loud as she continued walking through the facility. In five years, all of this will just be excess production. She thought to herself as the main factories would be built underground in a Castle Brian. “Me to Duchess, I really hope we can expand this facility without drawing too much attention. Also basing the corporate headquarters of Trans-Star Shipping will explain the extra slips to be built at another of the La Grange points.” Spenser conceded. “It will give us the official front we need to continue to move about the Inner Sphere and such. What are your plans in the other states?” He asked. “Well don’t you worry about that too much Spenser.” Alexandra said with a wink. “Although Trans-Star will have hubs built in both the League, Commonwealth and eventually the Combine as well. The Confederation might be the recipient of a hub but with their size I don’t know.” The pair reached the headquarters building and walked in passing the reception booth and back into the offices. Everything was single story to cut down on complexity and due to their modular nature. They all had bunkers installed underground to protect the people working within should there be an attack. They reached one such bunker that doubled as a SCIF – sensitive compartmented information facility – so they could continue their conversation without worry of being recorded. “Spencer, I need you to keep this rolling. When you want to come home let me know and I can have someone out here within a year to replace you. I plan to start up a couple of other small concerns around the Inner Sphere. This is going to be the most visible with the war going on.” Alexandra laid out. “Of course Your Grace.” He said thinking. “We will build up a potent defense force and we have already sponsored the militia. They will receive equipment from us at production cost in addition to the equipment we are giving them as part of our deal with House Davion.” “Good, you have warships on call at the local depot. They will only come in should our cover be blown or a major Naval attack be spotted. Right now you have a cruiser and a pair of destroyers out there that will rotate out every year or so.” Alexandra stated. “We will work this out. I don’t like the situation on the front with the Combine right now but Cleansing is going well across the rest of the Sphere. Most of the HCIB and HCID have fallen inline with us. Out of the Terran SAS units that didn’t depart with Kerensky we have about sixty to seventy percent of those. The rest either joined the Commonwealth or the Suns. The 77TH SOG will bare watching as they went mercenary.” “Yes, I was aware of that. We got most of the strike teams and recon people but the larger ‘Mech equipped forces are a no show.” Spenser said shaking his head. “Actually, we got a bit more than we hopped. The survivors of about six groups. Together they form two but it’s a start. Together with the Special Forces we already had we should see an increased capability over most of the Houses.” Alexandra said to Spenser’s surprise. They continued to talk for another few hours about the particulars of the construction and the expansion plans. Alexandra then left for her Shuttle to take her to the JumpShip holding for her at the Shipyards before jumping away. THS Sovereign Promise, Recharge Station D-19 The faces around the table were grim. “Say that again Major.” Alexandra demanded of her intelligence aide. The officer was clearly not happy about the situation. “The bulk of the Davion fleet is planning to jump into the Cholame system which is currently the staging site of the entire Combine fleet on the Suns front.” He looked her dead in the eyes. “And Admiral Jones has no idea what he is about to jump into.” “Are they not in the middle of a major naval campaign against the combine with the bulk of the fleet split into separate battlegroups?” Alexandra asked. “Yes, Your Grace.” Major Drummond answered. “What can we do?” She asked her voice chilled by the news. “Admiral Bennet has a task force at Depot D-3. He was on standby to execute offensive operations against the Combine if they threatened New Avalon.” Drummond said. “Order them in. We don’t have the communications links in place for us to coordinate with the AFFS this far out. We haven’t even started building the HPG on Galahad yet for the First Prince to communicate with us.” Alexandra stated shaking her head. “Yes, Your Grace. They can jump to the D-13 station recharge and jump straight into Cholame with a full charge.” Drummond reported. “Ok let’s get home. Dispatch a courier to New Avalon and inform the First Prince of our plans.” Alexandra ordered. TASK FORCE 5.1 Rear Admiral Katrina Stavros watched the clock ticking down, fifteen minutes until they jumped. The Communications team was already sending a CRITIC message to Admiral Jones with the Sun’s fleet informing him reinforcements were inbound. He didn’t have a clue as to what could be coming and requested clarification. The fleet was transmitting with current code of Field Marshal Thompson having been secured by the Duchess and relayed through the Hegemon’s HPG relay network. Admiral Jones was already so busy with Vice Admiral Stone’s group jumping into the system. When her Task Force received the SITREP package from Admiral Jones’ flagship the FSS Golden Lion, Stavros made the decision and launched her reinforced squadron into the fray. Four Whirlwind destroyers jumped first. Those four ships were secretly kept separate from the SLDF ships after several years of accepting the first Davion I’s into League service. Following them in were two Congress frigates. The group would sweep the jump in point of DropShips and light warships expected to be found. Five minutes later in jumped the heavy hitters. Twenty-four warships comprising two understrength squadrons. The twelve ships of the ships of Admiral Stavros’ squadron centered on the four Black Lion II battlecruisers and supported by six Essex II and two Lola III destroyers were the core of the task force. Right on the heels of the first squadron was Rear Admiral Jean-Claude Dubois squadron of four cruisers and eight destroyers. Split between a pair of Aegis and Avatar heavy cruisers each and a mix of Essex II and Davion II destroyers all resplendent in House Davion colors began jumping their way into the system. FSS Golden Lion Cholame System Admiral Kenneth Jones watched the holo-tank wondering how bad he had screwed up. “Six **** ships?” He said in exasperation. “I guess its better than…” He began saying as more ships began jumping in. He was two light minutes away from where this battlegroup was jumping in at so in reality they had already been jumping in but they had detected the emergence waves already anyways. With so much energy being tossed around local space he wasn’t surprised no one spotted it before hand, let alone cared as everyone was fighting for their lives at this point. “Status change!” Shouted one of the ratings working a sensor repeater on his flag bridge. “four heavies, six…no wait eight destroyers.” The Spacer looked up at him from the display. “They are still coming. I have another two… three… make that four heavies. We now have another way of destroyers jumping in sir.” In the end another thirty warships had joined the fleet. Eight of them being cruisers. “Flash traffic from the Black Prince they are going in to try and break up their fleet before coming out on the other side and linking up with the Black Bear.” Commodore Joan Harris reported from her station. She was Jones’ chief of staff and was handling most of the traffic between the two forces. She looked up at her commander. “Kenneth, they plan a zero zero link up with the Marjorie’s battlegroup before moving back through the Kurita fleet to make link up with us.” The color had drained from her face. “Where did these people come from. We don’t have a Black Prince in the fleet.” Jones stated. They watched as the eight cruisers flanked by twenty destroyers and a pair of frigates began their dive through the Kurita fleet. The Black Lion battlecruiser identified as the Black Prince along with her sister ship the Princess Royal targeted a Kurita Cruiser and between the two of them unloaded their entire starboard broadside into the poor ancient ship. The port broadsides selected a Lola I and unleashed their store of superheavy autocannon upon the ships. The battlecruisers forward guns along with missile tubes picked out a Samarkand carrier and tore through the little carrier as if it had been an abandoned hulk for target practice. The Aegis cruisers Centurion and Warspite combined their fire on a Kurita Black Lion I and a Vigilant as they dove in. Jones was watching in horrid fascination as the new ships paired up and picked lanes to move through. Every ship moving through above and below one another offset to one side or another. This allowed both ships to engage in all directions with all of their weapons and able to poor fire into four separate ships at a time. The new destroyers were doing likewise as well while not causing as much damage they were trying to eliminate lighter ships and kill the many assault and carrier DropShips mixed in with the fleet. Swarms of fighters were belted from the fleet as they made their way through the ship although instead of racing off to find their counterpart in the enemy fleet they kept close to the heavy combatants and guarded them against fighter and missile attacks. These are Star League ships. Jones thought to himself. Those Davion I’s have got to be Whirlwind’s. Those Aegis’ were League refits. Essex II’s not older Block I’s. “Where in the hell did they come from?” He said aloud to the shrugging shoulders of Harris. The Black Prince shook hard as she was bombarded from all sides. Their assault dropships and other fighters and assault craft buzzing around them as they went. Katrina watched as the numbers built up and as each flotilla began cutting the Kurita fleet into manageable sections. She watched as the counter ticked down and Task Force 5.1 continued its burn into the middle of the maelstrom. Two minutes on the clock… She watched as the THS Renault began to flip end over end following a strike from a Kurita Sovetskii Soyuz the old Whirlwind breaking up as it collided with an Intruder exploding and sections of both ships crash into several nearby Combine ships and the THS Mystic the Renault’s sister ship. Crippling the drive system and causing the destroyer to begin to drift weapons still ablaze. A pair of Combine destroyers swooped in on the stricken Mystic and pummeled the ship until there were no signs of fight or power left emanating from her hulk. One minute on the clock… The destroyers Hamilton and Mountbatten both crossed the T of a Narukami the Essex’s hammered the destroyer cutting her drive out and detonating her reactor. Two thirds of the destroyer vaporized with the rest left as flotsam. The Mountbatten was the primary target of an Aegis and Baron as they replied in kind to the Hegemony’s naval tactics. Time… “Flip ship begin deceleration burn all batteries all ships salvo fire one on the fleet targets.” Katrina ordered. The plan was for the Task Force to make a reckless charge through the Kurita ships. Then decelerate and join with the second Davion battlegroup before while selectively attacking only a single ship with all of the fleet’s forward guns at a time as a sort of fleet alpha strike. The broadside batteries were still free to independently target ships as they came to bare during the deceleration phase of the attack. Katrina felt the massive engines burning hard and slamming her into the acceleration couch as the ship continued belting out fury at the Combine warships. She noticed the fleet roster and saw that both the Philippine Sea and Gallipoli were nothing more than drifting hulks and expanding vapor that would cut her strength quite a bit with the loss of those two cruisers. The ship rocked hard. They had just become the primary targets of what looked like a squadron of corvettes and destroyers as they maneuvered into position on her flagship. The Black Prince continued to fight as part of the fleet going after all of the Combine heavies. The last ship to experience the ire of the fleet was an aging Aegis. The ship was blotted from existence with the fury of the gods unleashed by the hegemony warships. With the ships now moving backwards while the engines struggled to slow their pace a Combine Vincent could not clear the incoming fleet fast enough and with the stern guns on the Black Prince firing they manage to cripple the corvette cutting its drive as it was burning towards the Prince. The THS Black Prince while trying to maneuver clear clipped the smaller corvette and disabled the fragile drive system the class was known for. The Black Prince spinning, and venting atmosphere collided with a Combine destroyer and broke up. Admiral Jones failed to look away from the carnage unfolding. The battlegroup that had arrived while taking casualties drove through the Combine fleet inflicting more damage than they received before the slowing and accelerating back through the force to approach his battlegroup. At the last moment the various DropShips and fighters began recovery operations as they reached his group before they began to vanish from the area one at a time jumping away to whence they came. “What in the hell did we just witness Joan?” Kenneth demanded. “Our salvation sir. The Kurita fleet is breaking formation and running in-system.” Joan Harris responded while pointing to the holo-tank. “Shall we pursue?” She asked. “No, reform the fleet recall fighters. We need to reconsolidate before we give pursuit.” Jones ordered. “This fight isn’t over yet but there is a chance we may have just salvaged this thing with that action.” It was midday at the Regents Estate on the outskirts of the Capital of San Diego. The breeze felt good on Alexandra’s face as she sat on the veranda overlooking the Baja Ocean. Sea birds flew around and squawked as they searched for food. Nova California was special to her. One of the few places where the seasons matched Terra almost to the day. One of the few worlds in the Province that wasn’t terraformed by the department of mega engineering. The native wildlife was out in full swing today. She thought to herself as she slapped a large winged insect that she swore had to have clearance to Limburg approach to even fly. She enjoyed days like this. After returning to Nova California from her trip into the Federated Suns the Inner Sphere had changed. The Capellan Confederation had overtaken the area of space where Nova California resided. It had been over a year since she met John Davion and promised an offer of support to the Federated Suns in anyway she could. Within a few short months that alliance was put to the test. The Battle of Cholame saw the Hegemony Navy jumping into a major fleet engagement and causing enough damage to the Combine fleet to allow the FSN to carry the day. They still lost fifty-eight Warships – including the Suns flagship the FSS Golden Lion – along with nineteen JumpShips, seventy-four DropShips and three quarters of its fighter wings. The Combine on the other hand took a beating with the loss of eighty-three Warships, twenty-six JumpShip transports, and 105 DropShips destroyed. Tai-Sho Khalfani’s fleet also lost more than eighty percent of its fighter force in the battle. What went without saying was the losses to the Hegemony Fleet. Today’s meeting would be to decide what our next course of action would be with regards to the fleet. She watched as the various department heads approached her poolside retreat. Shaking her head, she stood and walked towards the long table which overlooked the pool so they could have their working lunch. As Alexandra approached the table the gathered officers and civilians stood or moved behind their chairs. “As you were ladies and gentlemen. Take your seats.” Alexandra said waving her had at the table as she walked around to the head. “Well we all know why we are here. Go ahead Charles lets here it. Where do we stand?” Admiral Charles Renault leaned back in his chair and blew a long slow breath out before he began. “Well Your Grace. As you know one of our only operational fleet formations took a major beating at Cholame. They did cause an outsized trade for the losses suffered but now without completely stripping the Province of defenses and relying on the SDS alone, which after the coup I’m hesitant until some more time passes and those with knowledge of its operations disappear or are made to.” He said opening. “Go on Charles.” Alexandra bade him to continue. “The loss of the Black Prince hurt. We can build more warships but the Black Lion’s were the easiest to explain away as being from another faction.” Renault looked at the desk and continued counting ships. “Together we lost a Black Lion, two Avatar’s, Congress, seven Essex II’s we had to scrap the Ridgeback she is being dismantled at D-1 by the Charleston and will be transported back to Manticore and recycled as needed. A ship that did better than I thought would was the five Davion II’s. Two were scrapped due to battle damage but the other three are still out there protecting the salvage operations in Cholame with the Terran Resolve.” Those gathered around all thought about that most were still numb to fleet losses due to the coup. The sheer destruction of fleet units just to get close to a planet to land troops and the fear of the Casper drones getting close to them to gut the ground troops before they ever set foot on the planet. Alexandra remembered those days. The terror of the jump into a system with an SDS. The fear of if this would be the end. Will the drones kill me today. Will they take the last of my troops? Will we run out of bodies and ships to throw at the grinder. “Alright Charles, you have a chance to build a navy. What do you want?” She asked. Everyone around the table looked from Alexandra to Charles. “Well, we need a solid destroyer as a base for the fleet. I want to retire all of our corvettes and the last of our frigates. We only have three left and I am not bringing the old Riga’s out of mothballs besides we only have four of them and they were crap. I do recommend we trade them to the Suns for something. It will give the Davion’s a minor boost in their fleet and they won’t be out of place with the other older Hegemony designs they are fielding.” Alexandra nodded. “Ok and for the future?” She asked. “That depends on a couple of factors. Are we still going to make targeted strikes around the Inner Sphere?” Renault asked. “Expect it.” Alexandra said nodding. “Ok then I want a few ships common in each of the houses that they are capable of building. Say some Narukami and League destroyers. A few Commonwealth light cruisers maybe a Tharkad we still have some Mako’s in storage we can break out and use as recon and observation ships within the Commonwealth or Combine and League space. Nothing from the Confederation I don’t like their home built craft. The Soyal might as well be a League design and we don’t need anything like that. Maybe rebuilt as a battlecruiser or battleships, maybe.” He said holding up a hand. “Now I say we build a New Syrtis or two load them with Suns style fighters or put ARTS bays on them and Voidseeker’s. I also want a few of the Davion II’s. I was very impressed with those ships.” Charles flipped the page. “We could use a couple of the Robinson’s and we can sell some to the Federation Navy as well. Call it a total of fifteen or so foreign ships.” Charles decided. “Now I want to revamp our fleet. We need a new destroyer possible a frigate or light cruiser. With the rate of losses throughout the Inner Sphere I am not sure if we need to build any new heavy combatants. Although I want to commission a handful of Ark Royal’s and load them up with Voidseeker’s as well. I want to retire all destroyers in service except the Lola III’s and some of the Riga II’s. I don’t like the Riga’s but the DropShip and fighter capacity is needed.” Charles paused and nodded to Director Martin Fitzpatrick the head of the Hegemony Research and Development Department. “We want to design a new class of destroyer to take lessons from the coup and what is happening out there now.” Martin said. “Until we can build enough of these they can be used as the core of our manned home system defenses. We can quickly build some more Davion II’s to be a stop gap which I would recommend in the interim as anything new being seen out there will cause a panic amongst the Great Houses. We are also proposing a sweeping refit of the entire fleet. New armor, weapons refits and the like. This will take considerably longer as we still need to finish researching and designing the system but we are looking at the long game. Nothing within my life time at least.” The older man said with a laugh. “Martin, I think it will be longer than my life time.” Alexandra said as she took a drink of water. “I like the ideas everyone we will see what we can do. Operation Cleansing is moving along at a good pace. Our biggest issue is honestly the League with their desegregated organization. All of the fiefdoms throughout the League keeps us busy. The Combine and Confederation were the easiest as we are already seeing our computer worms working their way through the networks and being retransmitted around the nations via ComStar spreading.” Setting the glass back down after taking another drink Alexandra looked over at Colonel Bashir. “Doug here says we are getting some spillage over into the League from the Confederation but it will still take, how long again Doug?” Alexandra asked. “Another eighteen months to two years before we are done in the League. We have to send people after every damned center because not everyone trusts SAFE’s internal security.” Bashir said. “I mean I wouldn’t, and we are the one’s who have the assistant director as a member of your intelligence service Doug.” Aldus said with a laugh. “Ok so the fleet is in good hands, ground forces are already building back up. We have three regiments under contract to the Federated Suns with another three mechanized infantry brigades contracted as garrison troops. I want to send one Hoplites to the Lyran Commonwealth soon to expand our base if we have to wait until the RHI defense force on St. Cyr is formed and certified we can. But the Lyran’s are asking for service though ComStar and we can use them to begin other operations in the region.” Alexandra said. “I think we can cut the fourth regiment assigned to the Legion to the Commonwealth. They weren’t to come online until 2793 for the Federation but we can move them into the Commonwealth and have them contracted separately from the rest of the brigade. This will allow us to begin working both sides of the Sphere with military force.” Aldus explained. “Do it. I want to be operating in the Commonwealth by this time next year.” Alexandra said. Just then the household staff arrived with trays for their lunch allowing the working lunch to well, live up to its name. I just want to say that this "prequel" is almost over. We are in the last chapter or so of the story before I take a pause to update the FM for 3065---> and then I'm dropping the full equipment and manning list. I'm also building the planetary Database for the Exiled Nova California Province along with the systems that eventually join it. I want to thank everyone who have commented or reached out to give me encouragement. I think you are going to see some interesting things happen. Lunch was fantastic good old pulled pork barbeque with all the trimmings. Alexandra was as happy as she could be right now. Her guests were still present, and they were still talking over the situation of this War of Star League Succession as it was turning into with almost every leader outside of the province claiming to be the next First Lord of the Star League. It was time to begin planning for the future. “Alright Doug, I’m just going to go ahead and make this official you are now the head of Hegemony intelligence.” Alexandra stated to the gathered nods of approval from the various department heads. “Surely there is someone more senior Your Grace?” Colonel Douglas Bashir asked. “There probably is but you have been running operations for three separate agencies for the last few years anyways. They may stay in charge of their individual departments as I don’t believe anyone has been doing a bad job. However, you will command the overall intelligence organization of the Terran Hegemony.” Alexandra said. She heard someone clear their throat and looked over to one of the people who was politely waiting with a questioning look. “Go ahead Ranjit what is it?” Ranjit Singh was her chief of staff for the civilian government of the Province. He looked uncomfortable as for what he was about to say would shake the very planets from their orbits. Alexandra waved for him to spill it. “We need a modification to our name Your Grace.” He said in hushed tones. “We are no longer a member of the Terran Hegemony. We are the Terran Hegemony.” Ranjit said and his face looked sullener as he continued. “Although, without Terra. We cannot be the Terran Hegemony. We are a government in Exile.” Those gathered for the meeting all looked around and it just then seemed to hit them for the first time. Alexandra had seen this coming. She knew this day would come when the ghost would come collecting. Expecting to carry on as if there was a complete Terran Hegemony to draw on, the coffers to pay for projects and the manpower to equip and field its military in hiding. No, now the Nova California province spread between multiple realms would operate as an insurgency. A long-term fight for the very soul of the nation for which birthed her, groomed her and taught her how to defend its people from the very situation they were now facing. The whole purpose of the Nova California Province was to protect the entire Hegemony from the threats of a Star League turned on itself. “You are absolutely right Ranjit.” Alexandra began. Looking around the table she gathered all of the eyes onto her. “We need to make it official. There are many who will think that this will pass and will want to go and search for their loved ones. This cannot come to pass. We will be trapped on our worlds only venturing out to ensure our protection. We have already swept up another three worlds and are simply waiting for the last of them to disappear from the charts. We are playing the long game. Hoping to recover the lost homeland we all yearn to return to.” She looked back at Ranjit. “Ranjit Singh, I invite you to form a government in my name. To serve faithfully as my Prime Minister between the Regency and the peoples of this Terran Hegemony-in-Exile.” Everyone around the table knew this was it. This was the turning point. The political drive to move forward to one day either reclaim the Hegemony or to form something new, something better. “Will you help me build a society with the purpose, drive and motivation to rebuild ourselves into a nation able to move forth in the future and be the beacon of hope for humanity?” Ranjit Singh was taken aback. He had not thought of this when he broached the subject. He only wanted to provide insight on the status of the Hegemony and how they were no longer really a part of it. Standing from his seat he moved over to the Alexandra’s side. Kneeling he looked up at her as she stood herself. “Duchess Alexandra Ryan, Lord Governor of the Nova California Province and Regent of the Terran Hegemony-in-Exile. I Ranjit Singh accept the honor of assisting Your Grace with the establishment of a Government in Exile.” Castle Orcus, Nova California Alexandra stood in the ‘Vault.’ Around here the seven deadly sins as she called them. An arsenal of nuclear, neutron, chemical, biological and radiological weapons and a mix of everything in between. Castle Orcus quite literally Castle Death or Underworld was the Hegemony’s gateway to the Underworld. Containing the weapons to reduce the capitals across the Inner Sphere to uninhabitable wastelands in order to protect the Hegemony. The door buzzed and a loud clank was heard as well as felt. Swinging out towards her the entrance to another vault was revealed. Alexandra turned to the man with her. “Well, now you get to see the prize Doug.” She said. “What have you dragged me to Alex?” he said as he looked around at the racks upon racks of pure evil spread around. Worse thing was, he knew there were more of these sites. “Remember when I went to Terra after they tripped the automated alert system?” Alex said as she laughed to herself. “They still haven’t found it by the way.” “I remember.” Bashir said. “CAG HALO’d into Unity City and secured all of those drives and the memory core we got the Royal and Intelligence Commands codes from.” Alex revealed receiving a nod. “They also raided the throne room and secured some important documents.” Bashir walked in and his eyes were immediately drawn to the document with the Cameron Star upon it. “You have the Hegemony copy of the Star League Accords?” Bashir asked raising his eyebrows. “That’s not all.” Alex said from the center of the room. The document she was looking at was old, weathered, and the focal point of the vault. Bashir stepped up beside her and began reading to himself. Pausing, then continued reading. “This is the original isn’t it?” He asked stopping to look at Alex. Receiving a nod, he continued reading. He froze and looked up again. “How old is this document?” Bashir asked finally. “Look at the signatures at the bottom.” Alex said in a soft voice as she placed a hand upon his shoulder. The color drained from Bashir’s face. He looked up. “This has got to be a lie. There is know way they could have known then.” He said in denial. “Read the preamble again and then look at the names of those who signed it. They knew Doug. They **** planned it.” Alex said in anger. “Simon tried to break the cycle. To stop them before they could go through with it.” “They did indeed.” Alex said shaking her head. “When Michael Cameron signed the pact he committed everyone to the greatest slaughter we have ever seen. Johnathon and Jocasta tried to stop it. I did my research and found out it was Johnathan and Jocasta that increased our presence.” She walked around the room some more. “Simon tried to end it. Thought he had actually. Then they killed him.” Alex said. “They used Kerensky to kill his dreams of breaking the cycle. Then he took the one thing that could have held it all together by the one person who would have commanded the respect to do it and left.” She was now standing facing Bashir so close that he could feel her breath. “Arabella Rowe is signed onto that Pact along with Geraldine Marik. I don’t even have a clue as to whom the others are. But it looks like the Terran Hegemony, Free Worlds League and the Rim Worlds Republic all conspired to destroy the Inner Sphere. With no end goal mentioned within the document we can only guess at madness.” Alex turned away and walked towards the vault entrance. Pausing to look back at Bashir. “The only thing I can think of is those other names are the real power brokers and the ones whom would know the end game.” Hooo boy... What now? Two of the real power brokers are now dead (House Amaris and House Cameron) ... sooo that leaves only one out. Or were they all pawns? Natasha just watched Arian. The shock was still upon his face. He was rereading the document for the third time and was about to start again. The others in the room were covering the entrance to the Precentor Martials office. He looked back up into the eyes of Natasha and his expression exasperated. “This is a road map for devastation of the First, Second and Third Succession Wars, the fall of the Hegemony and even the Clan invasion.” He pointed right at a section of it. “This is a plan for ComStar to wage a ‘holy’ war against the various nations to push them deeper into technological decline.” “Keep reading. The Clans are supposed to take Terra and sweep through and claim the rest of the Inner Sphere before a true Dark Age settles upon us.” Natasha summarized having been personally briefed by Duke Ryan. “But ComStar stopped the Clans and we split from the heretics.” Arian said. “Yes you did. That was a grand show of power. That came too late. ComStar was supposed to have the Inner Sphere subjugated by 3030’s according to this document.” The timeline was generalized but never the less exact. “What happened?” Arian asked aloud of no one. “Good people got in the way. Duchess Ryan the first Regent uncovered this and waged her shadow war with ComStar for centuries not removing them from the picture but keeping them in check. Hanse Davion and both Melissa and Katrina Steiner, even Theodore Kurita are just a few more people who with their friends were able to turn the tide of this madness time and again. Michael saw the signs in the tea leaves when the League and Confederation tried to break up the Commonwealth. Before your attempt to take Terra. This madness needs to stop. St. Jamais and this rumored Master have ordered your death. They need you out of the way to move forward with the plan. They have just one more chance to weaken the Inner Sphere for the Clan’s to do their job.” Natasha said with disgust. “Those pawns don’t even know their role in all of this.” Arian looked around him at the people in the room. He knew his security detail was loyal to him, but he knew he couldn’t trust many more outside of this room not even from his own True Believers faction could be completely trusted with the fanaticism of the Sixth of June or the Toyama sects. One thing he did know was that the Word of Blake and ComStar before it were supposed to be the saviors of humanity not its angel of destruction. “What am I supposed to do?” Trent found himself saying. “I can’t go back to ComStar. Not now.” “Why do you say that?” Natasha asked. “Because I am a traitor.” He replied. “You know when I said that some people are good and are trying to break the cycle even though they no not of what they are doing?” Natasha asked receiving a nod. “Focht and Mori are two such people.” She said eliciting a very visible reaction. “You don’t have to go back to them. There are other avenues you can explore. You can join the FedCom or you can assist in the building of the Terran Militia as we expand our footprint in consolidating the Sarna March.” “You want me to come with you why?” Trent asked. “Because the Regent knows who you are. Not who you represent. He thinks there is a good person buried in there under those robes.” Natasha stated. “Besides, the Sixth of June plans to kill you in the next couple of days anyways.” Trent sat there in silence for several minutes before nodding. “Let’s go.” I wonder though, who would be so evil as to actively want to push humanity back into the stellar stone age? I mean, back in 2766 and before that?! Oh you can do your research through BTech History or you can stay tuned for more after a brief message from our sponsors. I'd love to research, but I have no idea where to start, because you've already - at least for this TL - eliminated the three houses most likely to do so already and have set them up as pawns. And C* was a result of that scheme... at least if I understood your story correctly. OK well without giving anything away I guess you will have to stay tuned. I'm revamping the Field Manual starting today and when I am done I will post everything for download in order in a new thread and kick the second half of the story off with the normal way people post their AU's. Also coming will be equipment stats and other things. ckosacranoid « Reply #38 on: 05 January 2021, 02:51:13 » I just got done reading this for something different and have to say holy crap. Did someone set up the clans and the whole Comstar and the wars from the start of the star league? how the hell would they know anything about the future unless a jump ship went back in time or something. Very good story and holy crap talk about being epic. So glad you liked it. here is a link to most of the story. there is 1 additional in writing not in this link. https://bg.battletech.com/forums/fan-fiction/project-legion-forgotten-treasures/ Pages: 1 2 [All] Go Up	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5249
__label__cc	0.667994	0.332006	Let’s face it, this marathon that we are all in is exhausting. It’s frustrating too. When this started back in March, we were under the perception that it might be a sprint. We’re 7 months in, the seasons are starting… Current Happenings, Inspiration Carbon Neutrality Amidst Covid-19 As the world learns to travel less and Zoom more, are there still opportunities for businesses and individuals to lower their carbon footprint? What does sustainability look like amidst COVID-19? How can “the push” toward net-zero inspire other companies to… by Allie Rigby Meet Russell & Jewell Bean: Leaders in the Moringa MovementFeatured As a moringa-based company, Kuli Kuli likes to share our vision of moringa with the greater community by sharing all about moringa efforts in the US. Nutrition, small-scale agriculture, and sustainable farming are all related. From the farmers who grow… Inspiration, Recipes Quarantine Cooking: Food Network Stars Share Their Recipes People are finding creative ways to add finesse and novelty to their go-to quarantine recipes. At this point in quarantine, many people making at-home recipes might be out of ideas to add variety to recipes. For a bit of inspiration,… How to Eat for Energy and Immunity: Women’s Health Amid Covid In honor of Women’s Health Month this May, Kuli Kuli hosted a women’s health webinar with thought leaders, social entrepreneurs, and scientists from around the world. How are women reprioritizing their health and wellness while in lockdown? How can food… Inspiration, Moringa Case Studies How to Build a Climate-Smart and Ethical Business Creating climate-friendly business can seem daunting on a good day, let alone when the world is rocked by a pandemic. But if not now, when? We took some time to chat with climate-smart innovator Teddy Ruge, food and business writer… Meet Teddy: Climate-Smart Leader and Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier Meet Teddy Meet Teddy Ruge, one of our climate-smart and impact-driven moringa suppliers. Teddy is a moringa entrepreneur who is re-imagining the role of sustainable moringa farming in Uganda. He is also a professional photographer, technological innovator, and former decathlete… Inspiration, Kuli Kuli Team 5 Surprises of Small Business Success Amid Coronavirus Lockdown We’re entering an era where hope, toilet paper, and clean sweatpants seem to be in short supply. A walk down my previously bustling neighborhood in Oakland, California, shows little activity. Most small businesses have some sort of “closed temporarily” or… by Lisa Curtis Meet Pamela: Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier & Social Entrepreneur Meet Pamela Meet Pamela, a social entrepreneur and Kuli Kuli Moringa Supplier. Pamela works in her home country Uganda. She connects farmers and women’s coops with sustainable moringa farming. Pamela also launched a successful nonprofit that funds a local school…. by Shannon Miller 10 Ways to Celebrate International Women’s Month Celebrating International Women’s Day March 8th was International Women’s Day, but the whole month is Women’s History Month! Here are 10 creative and fun ways to celebrate women this month. From supporting woman-owned business to wearing red, there’s lots of…	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5266
__label__wiki	0.647044	0.647044	The Ace 675CR If you're currently not aware of the landmark that is London's Ace Cafe. Originally opened in the 1938 as a cafe for truck drivers, it quickly became a hangout for motorcyclists. By the 60's it was the hive of activity for motorcyclists, rock n roll and a good feed. It was the place which started the concept of record racing where guys would drop a coin in the jukebox and try and race there bikes to and from before the record had stopped playing. It was also a platform for a number of young bands to showcase their music and the base for a number of future professional motorcycle racers. Over the years it went through a number of different transformations as a result of a number of social, political and environmental changes. However in 1969 the cafe was closed. It wasn't until 1993 that planning for the reopening begun and in 2001 it was reopened. Built from a Triumph Street Triple base, this racer was created to celebrate Ace Cafes 10th Anniversary since its reopening. 10 bikes will be built each featuring Arrow performance cans Wrapped Exhausts Classic checkered paint job I could definitely see someone dropping a coin in the jukebox and doing the ton on one of these. And as Mark Wilsmore says "I'll See you at the Ace" Bike Builds cafe racer Triumph RSD Desmo Tracker Complete Legbreaker Seat is Done XS650 by Gravel Crew	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5267
__label__wiki	0.641873	0.641873	Home > Cars > ES > Lexus ES manga: Tim Kong interview Lexus ES manga: Tim Kong interview Lexus meets Game of Thrones in this fantastical Lexus ES manga artwork. It certainly catches the eye, with the ES saloon skilfully evading a fearsome fire-breathing dragon. Read more: Manga celebrated at British Museum exhibition Tim Kong‘s work blends Japanese manga and anime with influences from the classical painters from the west, creating a unique style that differs from what some would consider ‘traditional’ manga. Read our interview with Tim below to discover more about this fascinating Lexus ES manga. What’s the story behind your Lexus ES manga and what’s the significance of the dragon? In this scene, the ES is racing away from a dragon. It’s quite ridiculous and over the top, much like a lot of manga and anime. I chose a dragon to highlight the brave design of Lexus cars. In Japanese culture, dragons are shown to be incredibly powerful and proud creatures that represent courage and strength. To challenge one is seen to be a brave endeavour. Can you explain how the manga influence is pictured in your design? I’m trying to recreate scenes that I’ve seen before when reading fantasy manga. There are often scenes of creatures chasing the protagonist. I also used a lot of bright colours to make the piece visually eye-catching. Discover more: Lexus LC manga What would you say is the biggest influence on your style of manga? I don’t really have a singular influence that makes up the current style of my artwork. I take inspiration from other manga artists and from old master painters from history. A lot of the current artists I follow usually make games or manga comics, but I try to keep as much variety in my influences as possible. What was the most challenging aspect of creating this Lexus ES manga artwork? The most challenging aspect of this work was drawing the car. I spent quite a lot of time making sure that the car was painted and drawn as accurately as possible to the original design. What do you think of the Lexus ES as a piece of design? The front design is quite interesting with nice diagonal sharp shapes for the grille and lights. I think gives the ES a nice aggressive and fresh feel. When did you start drawing manga? I’ve been drawing for as long as I remember. When I was a child I played various video games such as Final Fantasy, and that’s when I started to get serious about my artwork. I watched anime and read manga a little later and now they’re ingrained into my daily life. How did you become a professional manga artist? Were you taught or self-taught? My skillset is completely self-taught. There are a lot of great resources these days online you can use to learn about manga and illustration. I consider myself an illustrator rather than a manga artist, although many of my pieces have a strong manga influence. What do you predominantly create Manga for? Most of the work I make is aimed at the entertainment industry, from trading cards to games companies. Occasionally I get one-off projects like this one. Overall though, I make artwork mostly for myself and hope that everything I try to communicate in my work resonates with other people. Discover more: Lexus UX manga How do you see manga evolving in the future? There’s a lot more acceptance of the artwork that is created in manga style now, especially in the west. I think each country is beginning to create its own manga art inspired by its influences and culture. Forms of manga are beginning to evolve and develop in a style that differs from the manga produced in Japan. Do you see yourself as a takumi? I feel like I have a lot to learn and that anyone who thinks of themselves as a master of their craft is essentially saying they’ve decided to stop learning. Some of the best artists in their field are constantly gaining new experiences and using new tools, which is why they’re so great at their craft. In a lot of ways, we are like eternal students in this field. Even at the height of his career, Michelangelo said that he was still learning. Lexus UX manga: Yishan Li interview How does Lexus BladeScan headlight technology work?	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5269
__label__cc	0.706246	0.293754	Peephole perspective: Seahawks 34-20. Seahawks 34-20? Matt Hasselbeck threw another TD pass. Olindo Mare kicked another field goal. The defense pitched a shutout. Player of the quarter: Hasselbeck. He was 7 of 11 for 89 yards in the quarter, and the TD pass to WR Mike Williams. Play of the quarter: Hasselbeck’s perfectly thrown third-down pass that he laid over CB Jabari Greer and FS Darren Sharper, and Mike Williams made a finger-tip catch of for a TD that made it 31-20. Number of the quarter: 0.7. The Saints’ per-carry average on three running plays in the quarter. The bigger picture: Hmmm. The Seahawks took the kickoff to open the second half and drove 79 yards in seven plays to what might be the team’s best play of the season – Hasselbeck’s perfectly thrown third-down pass to Williams for the TD that made it 31-20. The hot-handed Hasselbeck was 4 of 5 – to three different receivers – for 76 yards. The Seahawks struck again on their next possession, this time a 39-yard field goal by Olindo Mare that made it 34-20 with 5:27 left in the quarter. Hasselbeck passed to WR Brandon Stokley for 11 yards on third-and-8, but WR Ben Obomanu dropped a third-and-1 pass. Hasselbeck was 3 of 4 for 13 yards, while Lynch added runs of 9, 5 and 4 yards. The Seahawks got the ball back because the defense continued to turn up the heat on the Saints. SS Lawyer Milloy pressure Brees into an intentional grounding call on second down and FS Earl Thomas then broke up Brees’ third-down pass to WR Lance Moore. The defense rose up again on the Saints next series, as MLB Lofa Tatupu stopped RB Julius Jones for no gain on a fourth-and-1 carry. On the third-down play, CB Kelly Jennings and DB Jordan Babineaux stopped Jones for a 2-yard on a third-and-3 pass play. The Seahawks could not capitalize, however. WR Mike Williams dropped Hasselbeck’s second-down pass and the third-down pass was incomplete to WR Ben Obomanu, despite what appeared to be pass interference on Saints CB Patrick Robinson. Olindo Mare lined up for 53-yard field goal attempt, but the Seahawks were called for delay of game and had to punt. January 8, 2011 – 4:13 pm Tags: 2010 wild-card Comments Off on Third quarter	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5271
__label__cc	0.658698	0.341302	← Two compelling arguments against a college football playoff Yesterday’s moment of recruiting intrigue → Could oversigning be college football’s next big war? It’s pretty easy to analyze most of the major issues driving college football in the context of the haves and the have-nots. But as last summer’s crazed chase over conference expansion showed, college football’s powers don’t always act monolithically. Stewart Mandel posted something in his Mailbag yesterday that makes me ponder whether we might be getting ready to see a few more cracks in that façade. Noting the apparent decline of the Big Ten in comparison to the SEC, Mandel writes … As Michael Rosenberg wrote Tuesday, the league is being dragged down right now because two of its marquee programs, Penn State and Michigan, aren’t what they once were. The Nittany Lions seem to be stuck in a perpetual state of good-but-not-great that likely won’t change until JoePa retires and the Wolverines have been a mess for several years. That’s the big difference between the SEC and Big Ten — the talent pool is deep enough in the South that an Auburn or Arkansas can rise up in a given year and compete nationally, but that’s rarely going to happen with Purdue or Illinois. That’s just the short-term analysis, though. In the long term, we have to concede — as Jim Delany himself has — that the effects of population shift on Northern and Midwest football are very real and very irreversible. (The SEC’s penchant for oversigning has its own effect, too, though that’s another column entirely.) And so I wonder: are we about to enter a phase where several of the power conferences decide it’s in their best interest to take on the (largely SEC) practice of oversigning? Don’t laugh. I can think of some compelling reasons they might. For one thing, it’s a great excuse to use to explain the SEC’s recent dominance in the BCS title game and the other power conferences’ shortcomings there. (See if the drumbeat grows louder in the event Auburn takes care of business next Monday night.) But the bigger concern might be demographics, as Mandel hints. You’ve already got a situation where the population shift from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt favors the SEC, the Pac-10 and at least the southern part of the Big XII at the expense of the Big Ten and the Big East (another reason TCU’s move to that conference looks shrewd). To the extent that it restricts the talent pool available to the latter two, oversigning by SEC programs exacerbates that problem. It’s hard to see how that changes. And if that’s the case, how long is it before Jim Delany decides he has no choice but to lead the charge to get the NCAA to tighten up the rules on class signing numbers? No doubt he’d couch it in terms of doing what’s best for the student athletes, but we’d all know what that’s really about. And it would be fascinating to see where the battle lines get drawn in that fight – the Big East and the mid-major conferences would seem to be natural allies for Delany, but would the Pac-10 and Big XII commissioners stand shoulder-to-shoulder with Mike Slive? Filed under College Football, Recruiting, SEC Football, The NCAA 68 responses to “Could oversigning be college football’s next big war?” Ole Miss just doesn’t seem to be benefiting from this. The 10 Worst College Football Teams for oversigning Recruits Per Bleacher Report May ’10 1. Alabama 2. Ole Miss 3. Auburn 4. Mississippi State 5. Arkansas 6. Kansas State 7. South Carolina 8. LSU 9. West Virginia 10. Iowa State FYI- http://oversigning.com/testing/index.php/2010/05/06/2006-2010-recruiting-numbers/ Note Georgia’s position there; only going as high as twenty-eight signees once since 2005, and that in 2006. We short sign regularly. Why is that? chibucks also because richt is probably one of the few coaches who sees the kids as student-athletes and wants to honor the scholarship for the length of the kids stay at school… not earned on a year-to-year athletic performance based criteria. Those scholarships are only issued yearly though. Nice guys finish last? I wonder how many couches Saban has sat on where he assured someone’s momma he was gonna see them thru college only to turn around and pick and choose which scholarships to renew. It doesn’t hurt Bama in the long run because all 18 year old kids think “That won’t happen to me, I’m (insert name here), a (enter # stars here) recruit on (insert recruiting service here).” Exploitation at its finest. Is that what we want to become? Call me old fashioned, or maybe ethically cognizant, but that just ain’t right in my book. Personally, that is not where I want our program to go, win lose or draw. I don’t want to be one here, but if you don’t think Saban’s rivals educate the parents of every recruit Alabama chases about his oversigning policy, you’re dreaming. Some of those kids may delude themselves, but it’s not like they and their mommas weren’t warned. Texas_Dawg Rival coaches: “Saban oversigns. Here are some examples…” Recruit: “Coach Saban, is what they say true?” Saban: “These are whiny losers. The players who were cut broke team rules or left of their own volition. You aren’t that kind of kid so you’ve got nothing to worry about. Come to Bama and be a star and win championships.” We’re talking about kids who are often working class or worse, minimally educated, who have rarely left their home counties, who do stuff like flipping coins to make major life decisions, etc… up against experienced professionals and extremely powerful people backed by state institutions and millions of fans. Wake up, Senator. Wake up. “minimally educated,” or educable….might it be all they got to hope for ? Take your best shot per a team that gives your the most air time? The point was that these kids don’t just “know what they are getting into.” As to their futures and education, the answer is work and study, not buying lottery tickets or betting everything on slim chances at being drafted. And a university that enrolls them should work with them to educate them as best as it can. Not just sit back and hope they fail out should they not pan out as football players. Of course other coaches “educate” Bama targets. Which is why I included my qualifier that kids don’t think it’ll happen to them. I think you are giving the naive 18 year old a little too much credit in the face of what a smooth operator like Saban is telling them. You can almost hear the converse of that statement, as well, though: “[Of course, if you (insert caveat here), that most likely] won’t happen to [you], [you’re] (insert name here), a (enter # stars here) recruit on (insert recruiting service here).” We short sign because Richt is always building for the future, the same as his practice of Redshirtng talent that can contribute so that JR/SR and walk-ons who have put thier time in canplay, which is going to cost him his job. In 2008-09, Ole Miss had their first back-to-back nine-win seasons since 1962-63. Oversigning definitely helped them. I don’t see why the lid isn’t put on this practice ASAP. It makes no sense to set a scholly number and then allow this abuse. I have no problem with controlling the “oversigning” by one or two to cover attrition, but it should be the same at all schools. Unfortunately, only the NCAA is in a position to set, and control the issue and they seem to be impotent at managing anything these days. retwely Didn’t the SEC (admittedly we do this the most) institute a 28 scholly maximum recently? Some schools, mostly Bama and Ole Miss were oversigning well over the 28 number in previous years. The rules are only for the favored of the NCAA. What rules. Aske Mississippi State, Auburn, Alabama, and Ohio State. Here woudl be my two rules. When they are fairly and even-handed applied and enforced I’ll get on board, otherwise I’m I have my own programs agenda at heart. And secong, it is better to ask foregiveness rather than persmission. And a sidebar, I’ll decide what games I have to suspend a player and what season that maybe. I think that most conferences would get behind an effort to put teeth in the 85 scholarship limit. The Big XII would be the only conference that might join with the SEC, but it’s dominated by Texas and UT doesn’t oversign, so even that seems unlikely. Speaking of which, a hard 85 scholarship cap would help Georgia and Florida the most because they are the two SEC powers that don’t oversign. Big Ten fans can bitch all they want, but they aren’t in direct competition with Alabama, Auburn, LSU, and Arkansas on an annual basis. Retwely, the 28-signee limit doesn’t go far enough to restrict oversigning. If Alabama has 70 players returning and then signs a class of 25, then they have complied with the SEC limit, but they have still oversigned by ten. crapsandwich Senator, you premise is correct. This won’t come from the SEC, but from outside the SEC. With that said, it may be legal but does it not (in the SEC east at least, exception USCjr), make the playing field rather uneven? Death of the ‘walk-on’, then? Based on last nights events, the Dawgs will surely keep their nose clean in this great debate. I may be wrong about this, but oversigning is basically up to the individual school as long as NCAA rules are followed. If the institution allows oversigning, again within the rules, can the NCAA actually do anything about it? I think we covered this already. Two interesting ways to curb this. 1. If you can’t prove you have an open scholarship, you can’t sign someone. 2. The student-athlete, not the school, can release the other from the scholarship. This prevents signing classes of 30 in February with only 21 spots available, running a semi-pro camp, and making the 9 extra athletes “go away”. The real problem is never in a single season, but over 4 years, this amounts to over a full recruiting class advantage for some schools, which may be legal, but also doesn’t pass the sniff test. One of the problems, especially with Alabama, is that they convert the scholarships from football to medical. Once a kid gets cut, he becomes “injured” such that he disappears from the ranks of the 85 limit. I like the proposal I’ve seen of reducing the per-year limit to 20-22 and eliminating the overall 85 limit entirely. Signing the max each year would result in a roster of around 85. If a school was exceptionally good with keeping kids in school and healthy, they could have more than 85. But a school would never face a limit on an individual class of 15-18 like the ethical schools sometimes do. Oversigning is simply wrong. If Slive won’t put an end to it in the SEC, the NCAA must clarify their rules to outlaw it. When Slime makes a gutsy decision, it will be his first as the SEC Commish. Presidents need to sit this under-performing employee down and reprimand him immediately. He has made the conference look like we have the scruples of an alley cat/Auburn. Not only is the sheer number of oversigns a competitive advantage, think about how the big-signees-who-wait-to-declare feel. One school says we want you, but you need to declare soon because the class is getting full. The other school says, screw the numbers, we want you and will take you no matter what (we’ll just secretly kick out another player). That’s a huge recruiting advantage for the oversigning school. T. Miller Oversigning only creates a competitive advantage because not everybody does it. Some schools don’t because it’s “not right.” Really? The athletic scholarship is just like any other – you must earn it and work hard to keep it each year. If you fall behind your peers or drop below the standard, you run the risk losing your scholarship. Think of all the UGA students who came in with the Hope Scholarship but lost it by their sophomore year because they spent too much time fratting and their GPA dipped below a 2.0. The state is paying you to be a high-performing student. If you stop performing at a high level, the state stops paying your tuition. College football players in the SEC are expected to play at an extremely high level. If they can’t do it, they don’t deserve to go to school for free any more than the kid who lost his Hope Scholarship. Unfortunately, our Athletic Department doesn’t see it that way and they are suffering the consequences of it on the field and in the living rooms. It’s only unfortunate if you are a miserably unethical person who believes football victories should come at the expense of a state university’s reputation and integrity. Fortunately, our program isn’t run by such troglodytes. Second that. tywebb01 Football victories shouldn’t come at anyone’s expense – let’s have no losers and give participaton trophies to all. /notgoingtolistentoyousithereandbadmouththefreemarketandbyextensionAmerica The one and only Billy Shears Really? He defends the University for maintaining the integrity of its academic mission, and he’s being unpatriotic? Perhaps you should expand your Netflix queue to include some older classics…. Enjoy your self-righteous losses. We don’t even use all the scholarships we have. There is a sense of automatic entitlement in many of our players because the consequences of not giving it your all is nothing more than a few days off. Accountability is missing in Athens. Ask anyone in the SEC. This is a big reason why we saw too many of our players mail it in Memphis (those that didn’t get the day off). There is a difference between decency and self-righteousness. The standards of academic scholarships are not competitive. The school identifies highly capable students and then sets standards that those students should be well capable of meeting. Your vision of athletic scholarships are completely different. First, identifying football players that can make the transition from high school to college is exponentially more difficult than identifying students capable of handling college academics. Second, you’re also stating that these students must outperform other students who are in the same boat. Personally, I would rather have most of the risk in the transaction fall on the coach, athletic director, and the nutso fans who can’t function in a world where 18-22 year-olds are only under the pressure of performing in front of 100k fans and on national television. Trying to shift the risk onto the kids seems frankly cruel. If you would step out of this stupid “S-E-C!” idiocy for once, you would see that Georgia is being screwed far worse than any Big 10 school by oversigning. It is a disgusting practice that Georgia will never get into. Greg McGarity has personally assure me of that, and Mark Richt has long been on record about why he doesn’t do it. So we get insanity like Auburn signing 119 players from 2007-2010 while Georgia only signed 86. Every single SEC West school and South Carolina signed over 100 players in those classes. It is a disgusting practice that damages lives of young and often impoverished adults and makes a total fraud of universities that engage in it. Georgia is not only disadvantaged on the field by it, but, far more importantly, has its brand and reputation degraded for being associated with these repulsive and embarrassing impoverished state schools. Get off your anti-Big 10 meme, and wake up, dude. Maybe you should read my post more carefully. It’s not an attack on the Big Ten. I’m saying that Delany may soon feel that he has no choice but to take this to the NCAA and have the rules tightened. And for what it’s worth, it’s not oversigning per se that’s questionable to me. It’s what coaches like Saban do to clear the numbers to oversign and how coaches like Miles can’t be straightforward with their recruits about their signing policy that is. Oversigning per se is the problem. Oversigning per se requires lying, cutting players, pressuring transfers, refusing to caution against ill-advised transfers to inferior schools, removing players from their teams via medical hardship abuses, and so on. Wake up, Senator. Richt signed 31 players in ’02 and 28 players in ’06. If oversigning per se is the problem, as you assert, then Georgia’s hands are dirty, too. You really need to study up on this topic a little more before you go any further discussing it. You aren’t stupid… but you got yourself into an anti-Big 10 position on the topic (hey, it happens… I’m no B10 fan either) and dismissed it without really looking into what it involves. Oversigning is not seen in 1 year. If a team graduating 85 seniors this year were to sign 85 commits (rules permitting) and signed 0 more players until those players all left of their own volition or for other, legitimate reasons, then there would be nothing unethical to criticize. I have no reason to believe Mark Richt did anything unethical with the classes you note. Do you? If he did, I would want him called out on it and forced to explain his actions every bit as much as I want the oversigning coaches forced to explain their actions. Oversigning involves promising more scholarships than you have available. It requires pressuring students to leave school, arranging and encouraging transfers to inferior schools that are not in their best interest (or at the very least, failing to counsel against such moves), removing lesser performers – against their wishes, via medical hardship abuses – from their teammates and the honor of being a team member, forcing players to grayshirt unexpectedly after signing day, dismissing players and slandering them with “undisclosed violations” they didn’t commit or that go unpunished among the more valuable players, etc. You are wrong on this, Senator. The correct thing to do here is stop, admit an honest error, educate yourself on the topic, and proceed accordingly. Forget the serious social justice red flags of Southern state institutions screwing over often impoverished and socially marginalized young black men, if that’s not your thing. Georgia is getting royally, doubly screwed by this scam. The Big 10 schools at least don’t have their academic reputations and brands attached to this garbage. TD, you really aren’t getting this. I don’t think Mark Richt has done anything unethical. You’re the one who insists that oversigning per se is wrong. If that’s the case, he oversigned twice and is wrong for doing so. dawgfish What I believe that Texas is trying to say is that when oversigning the 25/year limit, you can still not cut anybody. For instance, Georgia in those years enrolled all of those overage kids early, so they counted as last year’s class, and thus no one was cut or had their scholarship rescinded. As Brian Cook always points out 85 is the relevant number, not 25. You can sign 30 or more, but if you already have concrete, available spots for them as Georgia did in those years, you are not doing anything unethical. You have 30 schollys available, so you sign 30, and fit them in. On the other hand if you only signed 20, but only have 15 available spots, you know you will have to make cuts and are being egregiously unethical even though technically you didn’t oversign. I gave him the chance to say just that. He didn’t. I understand that there are any number of ways slots open up – some of them purposefully, some of them not. That’s my point. Oversigning per se isn’t the problem. It’s what leads up to signing more than 25 kids that may be. Exactly. What this issue really boils down to is the simple question: Where is each individual scholarship going to come from for each person you sign? Oversigning the 25 number is not wrong per se because there may be an already unused scholarship available. However, oversigning the 85 number IS wrong per se, because by definition there are not enough scholarships to fulfill your promises and someone who thinks they will have scholly next year will in fact not. I am with the Big Ten on this one. Loose interpretation of the rules on scholarship limits have pushed us back to the Bear Bryant days where some schools could have over 100 players on “scholarship” and were allowed to dominate those that did not. The ACC and Big East schools are probably tired of it too. Der Schatten You are seriously overlooking a crucial variable here: 8 of these 10 teams (if you can even use BR as a source with a straight face) underwent coaching changes in the period at issue. When staffs turnover, so too do players; some guys transfer, some guys won’t cut it physically, mentally, disciplinary or otherwise; some are known academic casualties that will rehab for a year or so at Hargrave etc; some kids may be torn between a pro career at another sport; some are short-leashed head cases, and some kids just won’t fit with the new regime. All of those can attribute to “oversigning”. Add to that fact that schollies are a one-year deal only, and I’d say this is pretty short-sighted hand-wringing by the commentariat who aren’t focusing on the bigger picture…dare I say, the Process? Auburn – 119 Alabama -113 (no coaching change) USC went through a coaching change, has discipline cases, has academic cases, has injuries, has early NFL departures. Their total in the same period? 76. Ohio State? 78. Texas (several DC changes)? 86. Georgia (DC staff fired)? 86. Alabama and Auburn’s numbers are what they are not because of any coaching changes but because they cut players, pressure players to transfer, abuse medical hardship scholarships, lie to recruits, etc. Ethical, reputable schools don’t oversign. SEC West schools do. “ethical reputable” schools also graduate their kids and don’t have a two deep littered with apparent drunks. See how easy and lazy that was? And absolutely one-sided with no understanding (or with willful ignorance) of the larger issue here (which, to my mind, seems to be damned selective and bullying Athens cops). But it’s easier to just take a cheap, easy way out rather than f’n think about it. And, you don’t substantively address the issues related to “oversigning” raised above. And, if it’s your ad hominem about SEC west only, explain SC or K State or Iowa State or West Virginia (where, I add, 3/4ths had new coaching hires). Also, you really might want to look at the “data” provided by BR/Oversigning.com. Pretty damned credulous aren’t you? BR got their numbers from oversigning.com…. and with a straight face. What is your issue with Oversigning.com? You realize they are one of the few sites to have praised Georgia and Mark Richt in discussing SEC oversigning, right? Which do you care about more: the SEC or the University of Georgia? It’s a B10 hit piece, that’s why. Failing to take care of business on the field, it’s but the latest whine, right up there with bowls being played in idyllic weather, decrying the relative brain power of SEC students, and now this. OSU, for instance, undersigns, as does UGA; so, of course, they’d praise the Dawgs to high heaven. Apparently getting quality depth is of little concern to the oversigning.com guys, and they’re hell-bent on ensuring the same. Here’s a plan to quickly improve UGA football for you, Senator. Georgia should sign 32 players this class (as Auburn did in 2010). Let’s force these players to leave the team and their teammates and give them medical hardship scholarships: Arthur Lynch Logan Gray Malcome, Thomas, King, or Ealey (whichever doesn’t make the cut out of spring practice) And we can pressure these players to transfer, dismissing them in late July or early August for “undisclosed violations” (always a team meeting or class they missed somewhere along the way, right?): Brandon Bogotay Derek Owens Alex Ogletree How ’bout it? Do you want to win or not? These are 1-year agreements. These kids knew what they were getting into. Let’s do it. Reload the farm system now. What I like best is when Nick explains that it’s the doctor’s decision and he has nothing to do with it. Yep. Poor little old Nick Saban, just being jerked around by those little trainers and team docs. He so badly wanted those kids finishing up as full members of the team, you know. “It’s none of your business. Aiight? And don’t give me this stuff about the fans’ need to know, because they don’t need to know. Don’t even ask. Aiight?” — Nick Saban, April 2008 I don’t have time for this shit. Aiight…now watch this shot… http://www.golfweek.com/news/2010/sep/22/saban-sidelines-fairways/ I understand why they oversign and so does the NCAA. Do not think this change much. You never know how many kids will leave their junior years. As for Dawgs underclassmen only Green maybe there, but he needs to look at Luck, the Manning brothers, and the OU Qb now with the Rams. The latter three could have left early, but they did not. They came back because that senior year of playing is huge for pro development. Think CMR is wrong when he said it would not improve Green’s draft status. For me the status is a factor but not controlling. If you have the talent, you want to make sure you have the staying power, that comes from a senior year. And Bradford laid to rest that issue about the injury. But look at Stafford. Think he made a huge mistake leaving early. Two years he is on injured reserve. Pro teams take note of that stuff. That is why there will be lock out this year. Simply can not keep the comp level. Green has not played a full D1 season for 2 years. Can he play a longer more physical game if he leave early. I think that would be difficult. Stay, ramp up your numbers, and sign a solid contract when you know you have staying power. I can’t believe I’m actually responding to this, but dude, in what universe did he make a bad decision. Stafford got $40 million guaranteed. $40 million. Please make me a list of the pros and cons of having $40 million in your checking account and get back to me. Irrational UGA fan Hey, what’s $40 million compared to another season of reading about yourself on Georgia message boards? I still say Stafford had no leadership skills! winstongator Scout.com has a neat eligibility tracker. Look at Alabama: http://www.scout.com/a.z?s=143&p=9&c=16&nid=745&yr=2010 Roster size is pretty much the same thing as oversigning. If you’re recruiting a RB and they’re considering Bama, you just point to Ingram, Richardson & co and tell him he’s just not going to get carries. Guys who went to USC had this problem. For QBs it’s also a big issue. Where guys will pay less attention is on the lines and on D where depth is most helpful – that’s also where oversigning give the biggest bang for the buck. I think Alabama and Iowa tell you that RB is exactly where you want and need depth. Iowa goes through about 7 a year. And, with TR and MI both post-surgical/lagging, we needed the 3 and 4 guys to pick up the slack. If your system doesn’t have the one “guy”, you can still sign running backs and they will get carries. For instance, when TR is the starter next year, and Crowell and Hart are rotating, do you think they’ll mind not getting the 25+ carries if they’re still part of the spotlight, and have a chance to compete for titles? Easy solution — expand the number of scholarships to match the number allowed each year for 5 years. Why shouldn’t schools be able to educate more people? It makes no sense to allow 25 scholarships per year but limit overall scholarships to 85. By doing that the NCAA is essentially forcing schools to cut people. Allow 125 total scholarships and the issue goes away completely. No more greyshirts. No more medical scholarships. Easy and it benefits the kids. Why shouldn’t schools be able to educate more people? Schools are able to give away as many scholarships as they please. But allowing virtually unlimited football scholarships gives larger, wealthier programs one more major advantage over smaller schools. This solution wouldn’t change anything anyway. The same advantages from oversigning would exist even with the higher limit. That’s the most rational and simplest argument I’ve ever read on this topic. If total scholarship money were a serious problem, and if they needed to maintain the 85 max so the playing field is leveled for the smaller schools, then even say max 17 scholarships per year, to reach the overall max of 85. Senator, I must defend 100% Texas Dawgs reasoning, even if he may have misplaced your reasoning. With that said, TDawg knows this issue better than any other dawg I know of. Personally, I think we all need to write letters, make phone calls, etc. Whatever we have to do to stop this practice. Yes Richt did do it, but if I recall there was a only 2 players grayshirted, no one was FORCED to transfer, take medical hardships, and skank the rules like Saban, Miles, Nutt, Petrino, Tuberville (sorry left Gene C off), and my personal favorite Spurrier. These sick bunch of thiefs, and the selfishness of coach and player alike had led to this problem. A hear, speak or see no evil SEC, is a joke. This is one case I will agree with the Big-10 on. Senator, please don’t ever defend the practice of oversigning. Texas Dawg and Senator seem to agree on the main point and the argument is simply over the definition of “oversigning.” Senator seems to define “oversigning” as simply signing more than 25, and criticizes the use of unethical tactics to enable the Alabamas to oversign. Texas seems to include the element of unethical behavior as a necessary part of the definition of “oversigning.” Both are cyberyelling at each other over definition but both agree on the issue of unethical tactics to fit recruits in despite the numbers.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5279
__label__wiki	0.649939	0.649939	Join BOL Boren, Osher & Luftman, LLP 222 N. Pacific Coast Highway, El Segundo, California 90245 sboren@bollaw.com University of California, Berkeley, B.A., History Loyola Law School, Los Angeles, J.D., Staff Writer and Associate Editor, Loyola of Los Angeles International Law Journal Judicial Externship The Honorable Dickran Tevrizian, United States District Court, Central District of California State Bar of California (1997) Stephen Z. Boren Mr. Boren litigates numerous complex business, real estate and commercial matters from inception through conclusion. For almost 20 years, Mr. Boren has successfully tried, mediated and arbitrated cases on behalf of both plaintiffs and defendants. Mr. Boren also works with real estate owners and developers, as well as entrepreneurs, in advising them with regard to various aspects of their businesses. When Mr. Boren is not litigating cases, he enjoys traveling, cycling, and snowboarding. As an avid cyclist, Mr. Boren can often be seen riding in the hills and mountains of Southern California. The following are just a few examples of Mr. Boren’s major victories for clients of the firm: James Decker v. William Schumer, Case No. BC432289 – joint and several multi-million fraud judgment after 5 week jury trial for a group of investors against hard money lenders, appraiser and developer Super Color Digital, LLC v. Scott Powers, et. al., Case No. 30-2013-00643916 – complete defense verdict in three month jury trial by large company suing start-up and its employees for allegedly misappropriating confidential and proprietary information Nolan v. Lombardia Capital Partners, LLC et. al., Case No. BC399576 – fraud judgment, including an award of punitive damages, against fund for failure to pay to commissions Joyce Cammilleri v. Hale Nehoa Terrace, LLC, Case No. BC366756 – fraud judgment, including an award of punitive damages, against real estate broker concerning sale of home Patrick Hallett v. Andy Khau, Case No. BC561812 – fraud and breach of contract judgment against a seller of commercial property in downtown Los Angeles Mr. Boren began his legal career with Liner, Yankelevitz, Sunshine & Regenstreif, LLP specializing in business, entertainment, real estate and class action litigation. While at Liner, Mr. Boren represented Fortune 500 companies, entertainment studios, and a variety of small and large business owners. Sharing the entrepreneurial spirit of many of his clients, Mr. Boren formed The Law Offices of Boren and Luftman with Amanda N. Luftman in 2003. Mr. Boren and Ms. Luftman then joined forces with Jeremy Osher and together they established Boren, Osher & Luftman, LLP in 2007. Boren, Osher & Luftman LLP, 222 N. Pacific Coast Highway, Suite 2222 El Segundo, CA 90245 USA \| Pay Invoice \| Pay Retainer \| Privacy Policy	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5280
__label__cc	0.639998	0.360002	TaxonomyBrowseInfoImages BooksData Home » Guide » Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) » Series Cucujiformia » Coccinelloidea » Coccinellid group » Akalyptoischiid Scavenger Beetles (Akalyptoischiidae) » Akalyptoischion » Akalyptoischion chandleri Species Akalyptoischion chandleri Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) » Water, Rove, Scarab, Long-horned, Leaf and Snout Beetles (Polyphaga) Lawrence J.F., et al. (1995-2005) Elateriformia (Coleoptera) larvae: descriptions, illustrations, identification... [cite:747404] Full citation: Lawrence J.F., Hastings A.M., Dallwitz M.J., Paine T.A., Zurcher E.J. 1995 onwards. Elateriformia (Coleoptera) larvae: descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval for families and subfamilies. Version: 9th October 2005. details · visit · login or register to post comments Contributed by v belov on 26 February, 2013 - 1:36pm Lawrence J.F., et al. (2000-2005) Elateriformia (Coleoptera): descriptions, illustrations, identification... Full citation: Lawrence J.F., Hastings A.M., Dallwitz M.J., Paine T.A., Zurcher E.J. 2000 onwards. Elateriformia (Coleoptera): descriptions, illustrations, identification, and information retrieval for families and subfamilies. Version: 9th October 2005 Contributed by v belov on 18 April, 2011 - 6:07pm Arthropods (Arthropoda) » Hexapods (Hexapoda) » Insects (Insecta) » Beetles (Coleoptera) Ciegler J.C. (2014) South Carolina beetles Contributed by v belov on 30 May, 2014 - 11:43am Checklist of Coleoptera Known from Great Smoky Mountains National Park [cite:899594 GSMNP beetle species count (as of 11 February 2013) is 2,522. Information contained on the Excel spreadsheet includes, family, subfamily (in part), genus and species, a comment line, source(s) of the record, and references to publications dealing with GSMNP beetles. Prepared by: The Coleoptera Taxonomic Working Group (TWIG) at the Louisiana State Arthropod Museum (LSAM) Christopher Carlton, TWIG Coordinator details · visit · 2 comments · read more Contributed by Mike Quinn on 10 March, 2014 - 9:43am List of Coleoptera Collected in Latimer County, Oklahoma by Karl Stephan (2002) List of more than 3,500 beetle species collected in Latimer Co., OK (76 pg. PDF) Ed Riley compiled the original version of this list during the years 2000-2002 as Karl Heinz Stephan (1931-2005) donated sections of his beetle collection to the TAMUIC in College Station, Texas. In 2014, Mike Quinn began updating the taxa into the list's present form. Most of his changes are denoted within brackets in the notes column. The majority of the list has been proofread, but numerous spelling and taxonomic errors no doubt remain, particularly in the latter section of the list. Contributed by Mike Quinn on 9 March, 2014 - 4:33pm Nearns E.H., Redford A.J., Walters T., Miller K.B. (2014) A resource for wood boring beetles of the world Contributed by v belov on 2 January, 2014 - 11:17am Lompe A. (2002-) Die Käfer Europas: Ein Bestimmungswerk im Internet 'Beetles of Europe: an online identification resource.' Illustrated keys cover mostly Central Europe and may help dealing with America's exceedingly rich adventive fauna --and beyond. No English version, unfortunately. Contributed by v belov on 24 April, 2013 - 12:40pm Synopsis of the described Coleoptera of the world most helpful reference in terms of nomenclature, stats, and zoogeography; collaborative effort (each section coordinated/compiled by a leading expert) NB: work in progress, so use the stats with caution (watch for the 'Complete' remark at the family entry) NOTE: as of this date, the link no longer works Contributed by v belov on 1 February, 2013 - 1:49pm	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5290
__label__cc	0.640498	0.359502	BWH Bookshelf “Emergency Medicine CAQ Review for Physician Assistants” Author: Edited by Jessica J Britnell, PA-C, and Hannah Dodd, PA-C, Consultant editor Kristen Vella Gray, MS, PA-C, and Matt Brochu, MS, PA-C Emergency Medicine CAQ Review for Physician Assistants serves as an essential study guide for physician assistants (PAs) preparing for the Emergency Medicine Certificate of Added Qualifications Exam (CAQ). This book offers a comprehensive framework for the exam, as it was written using the NCCPA emergency medicine content blueprint. Published by a PA group looking to be the first nationwide to be uniformly CAQ-certified, this text provides readers with all of the tools needed for examinees to be prepared and confident for the CAQ exam. With 250 multiple-choice board style questions, including rationales for correct and incorrect answers, this textbook covers every area tested on the exam. Symptomatology, physical exam findings, diagnostics and therapeutics for a broad spectrum of diagnoses are succinctly covered and divided into chapters by system. From cardiology to neurologic emergencies to procedures and skills, this review offers a convenient resource to help emergency medicine PAs demonstrate proficiency and expertise in their chosen profession. The book is available in print as well as interactive eBook format for tablets and smart phones. BWHC Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President, Ron M. Walls, MD, former chair of Emergency Medicine, worked closely with the editors and wrote the book’s forward. Walls writes, “This book serves as its own milestone in the climb to specialized care delivery in emergency departments by highly trained physician assistants. Written entirely by physician assistants for physician assistants, the book is a treasure trove of clinical information, carefully formulated with a question-based format designed to optimally prepare candidates for their emergency medicine examinations.”	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5296
__label__wiki	0.677809	0.677809	Who should Biden appoint? Drug policy leaders offer plenty of options Who should Biden appoint? Drug policy leaders offer plenty of options \| Leafly Leafly ® Search Leafly I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. By accessing this site, you accept and Privacy Policy. Joe Biden won’t be sworn in as the nation’s 46th president until January 20th, but he’s already deep into the process of naming his administration’s nominees for cabinet-level positions. Political insiders rightfully make much of such appointments, as they offer the clearest indication to date of how the incoming president plans to approach a particular issue. Biden’s attorney general, and leaders of the DEA and ONDCP, will set and carry out federal drug policies. His nominees really matter. This will be especially true when it comes time to nominate new heads of the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), because—as has been extensively reported—Biden’s record on the drug war is long and terrible. From green lighting civil asset forfeiture to incentivizing mass incarceration to cheerleading mandatory minimums and the militarization of the police, Biden’s been a driving force behind America’s disastrous approach to drug policy for more than four decades. Biden has since apologized for many of these policies, and has lately indicated that he’s changed his views significantly enough to prioritize a public health approach to the issue as president. Leafly reached out to a broad range of leaders in the drug policy reform community and asked them to offer the incoming Biden administration their advice. We’d also advise reviewing the Drug Policy Alliance’s official set of recommendations for the Biden-Harris administration’s first 100 days. President-elect Biden knows all too well that the war on drugs has had devastating consequences on communities of color. His appointments should reflect a clear understanding that a new approach is needed. DEA Director: Shaleen Title ONDCP Director: Dr. Carl Hart Ortiz suggested these immediate actions for a Biden-Harris administration: 1. Appoint Massachusetts Cannabis Commissioner Shaleen Title to head the DEA and allow her to staff a newly created Office of Cannabis Equity that would end the war on cannabis and ensure the implementation of a regulated system is grounded in undoing the damage done by the war on drugs. Shaleen is a proven and qualified leader, currently serving as Cannabis Commissioner for the state of Massachusetts, and has drafted and implemented numerous cannabis laws including model equity centric cannabis bills. She would ground the office in addressing the harms to society rather than the one size fits all hammer of mass incarceration. 2. Instruct the US Attorney General’s office to issue a new memo stating the federal government will not interfere with state legal cannabis operations, and will also refrain from intervening in interstate commerce between legal cannabis programs. 3. Deschedule cannabis completely. 4. Work with House Banking Committee Chair Maxine Waters to pass the SAFE Banking Act and work with House Small Business Committee Chair Nydia Velázquez to open all SBA 8(a) programs and loans to qualified equity-owned cannabis businesses. 5. Allow the ONDCP and other agencies full access and opportunity to study all drugs, and make that research available for public use and discussion. The ensuing expansion of research opportunities should be funded with an emphasis on recruiting researchers from disproportionately impacted communities into the highest levels of academia. The best strains of all time: 100 popular cannabis strains to try before you die To head the DEA: Dr. Carl Hart. Dr. Hart has a thorough scientific understanding of the risks and benefits of drugs of use and misuse. He also understands the widespread and generational damage from our catastrophic War on Drugs. He can begin to transition the DEA from an institution that merely ruins lives, and suppresses cannabis research, to one that is helpful. For head of the ONDCP: Sarah Wakeman, M.D. Dr. Wakeman has been one of the most consistently intelligent and compassionate voices on the opioid epidemic, and has done a phenomenal job as director of the Substance Use Disorders Initiative at Massachusetts General Hospital, pioneering new treatment models and research. She also has been a strong voice against the harms of prohibition and racial injustice. Overall, the new administration needs to recognize that legalizing cannabis is a win-win-win situation: financial benefits, health benefits, social justice benefits. The House passed the MORE Act. Is weed legal now? Maritza Perez, national affairs director, Drug Policy Alliance In the past, the Drug Policy Alliance has supported the closure of ONDCP and the abolition of the DEA. We believe both agencies have been mismanaged and help escalate the failed war on drugs. Nonetheless, it’s likely these agencies will continue to exist at least into the immediate future. We think ONDCP should promote evidence-based drug policies grounded in science and public health. We believe its national drug budget should prioritize harm reduction, treatment, and recovery, while deprioritizing enforcement and supply side strategies that perpetuate mass incarceration. For the DEA, the individual appointed to head the agency should commit to stopping the persecution of pain physicians and patients. The agency head should also take steps to get the DEA out of the way of provision of Medication Assisted Treatment like methadone and bupenorphine, allow research with marijuana and other substances to go forward, apply brakes on scheduling of new drugs, work to find alternatives to class-wide scheduling, and shift DEA’s enforcement focus to only large-scale importers of illicit drugs and kingpins. Top 9 arguments in support of marijuana legalization and regulation Clark Neily, criminal justice policy, Cato Institute Honestly, I can’t think of anyone I would want to see as head of DEA or ONDCP who seems likely to take the job. That said, I’d love to see Diane Goldstein or Neill Franklin of Law Enforcement Action Partnership in the mix. More generally, my Cato colleagues and I would encourage the new administration to consider someone outside of law enforcement circles such as a public health expert, a member of Congress committed to drug policy reform, or someone else who will send the signal that ONDCP is a willing participant in the move toward drug policy reform, rather than a bureaucratic behemoth stuck in the 1990s. As for drug/cannabis policy, we remain unabashedly in favor of complete legalization. The utter futility of the drug war, together with the pitiless brutality with which it has been waged, make this an easy call. Short of that, however—and more within the realm of the plausible—we strongly endorse immediate de-scheduling of cannabis at the federal level and expungement of marijuana-related convictions. Liberty, Jobs, and Freedom: How Cannabis Became a Conservative Issue ONDCP should be dismantled. It is and always has been a propaganda machine that is constrained by mandate not to consider alternatives to the criminal justice paradigm for drug “control” and has consistently failed in its stated mission by every conceivable metric. If they must find someone to lead this agency, I hope it is a smart, compassionate, open-minded person who is well-versed in harm reduction and economics. For head of DEA, I’d personally nominate Diane Goldstein or Neill Franklin, both of Law Enforcement Action Partnership. Diane and Neill have extensive law enforcement experience, but as directors of LEAP, they also understand the failures of the War on Drugs, the harms that it has caused countless people, and the ways it has been used to target marginalized communities. They both have the tools and wisdom to help change how we enforce drugs laws in this country for the better. Chris Lindsey, government relations director, Marijuana Policy Project When it comes to the ONDCP, we think the office should focus on the deadly opioid crisis that continues to ravage communities. It should not spend time or resources interfering with state medical or adult-use regulatory cannabis programs. At the Department of Justice, we think a large component of the attorney general’s role should be to look at policing in the United States and consider ways to build trust with the public and reduce disproportionate policing of communities of color. Marijuana drug enforcement has been a major instrument of abuse and should no longer be used to arrest people who consume it. We want an attorney general who will restore the guidance in the Cole Memo, and who appreciates the need for a banking solution for the cannabis industry. Montana, South Dakota, Arizona, New Jersey and Mississippi will soon roll out new cannabis programs under the DOJ’s watch, with more states likely to follow next year. We hope the DOJ will show support for state regulatory programs overseeing cannabis activity, rather than conflict with voter and administration directives. Election 2020: Cannabis legalization results and live coverage Diane Goldstein, board chair, Law Enforcement Action Partnership The Biden administration must view drug criminalization as a human rights problem and prioritize public health solutions. I would suggest that both the DEA and ONDCP endorse the federal MORE Act. This bill would begin to repair the damage caused by decades of marijuana enforcement by decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level and allowing the states to set their own policies. The ONDCP needs to put its resources to use promoting harm reduction and fact-based drug education rather than reminding everyone that drugs are dangerous. We know drugs are risky; that’s why the people who use them need to understand how to do so safely and have the option to enter treatment when ready. Both the DEA and ONDCP need to put their effort behind evidence-based harm reduction options such as syringe access programs, medication-assisted treatment, and overdose prevention centers. Rachel Wissner, interim executive director, Students for Sensible Drug Policy The Biden-Harris administration needs to listen to what American voters across party lines are saying about prohibition. Oregon voted to decriminalize all drugs. Adult use and medical marijuana legalization passed in every state where legalization was on the ballot this past election, including states that went to Donald Trump. The draconian drug war policies that Joe Biden has championed throughout his career are a failure and America knows this. Biden promised to be a president to all Americans no matter which political party they support, so he should listen to the bipartisan consensus that it is time for marijuana prohibition to end and that drug use needs to be treated as a public health issue and not a criminal one. David Bienenstock Veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock is the author of “How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High” (2016 – Penguin/Random House), and the co-host and co-creator of the podcast “Great Moments in Weed History with Abdullah and Bean.” Follow him on Twitter @pot_handbook. View David Bienenstock’s articles By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from Leafly and you agree to Leafly’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5306
__label__cc	0.623437	0.376563	Archived Early Warning Reports Baseline Reports Cluster Reports Situation Brief RAPID RESPONSE FUND RRF Documents CEWARN Rapid Response Fund avails € 3 million for conflict prevention initiatives in region CEWARN held a virtual meeting of its technical Committee on early warning that comprises heads of CEWARN national Early Warning Units and representatives of civil society organizations from IGAD Member States, namely, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan and Uganda on 2 June 2020. The main agenda of the technical Committee meeting was to appraise new funding and operational modalities of the CEWARN Rapid Response Fund (RRF) that was established in 2009 to support Member State Response actions to prevent and mitigate violent conflicts. The RRF was established to support Conflict Prevention, Management and Resolution (CPMR) efforts in Member states as well as to support response capacity of government and non-government structures at national and sub-national levels. The RRF has gone through an evolution in line with the expansion of CEWARN’s conflict early warning thematic focus and it is currently reconstituted to support response initiatives beyond cross-border areas. Support through the RRF is done on project-basis with ordinary disbursements ranging between 10,000 USD and 50,000 USD - with designations as urgent and regular projects respectively. Currently, the RRF manages three million Euros that is ready for use by member states for a period of two years. The funds were obtained through contributions from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the governments of Netherlands and Sweden as well as the European Union through the IGAD Promoting Peace and Stability in the Horn of Africa Region (IPPSHAR) program. An inaugural meeting of the new Rapid Response Fund Steering Committee, which convenes bi-annually to oversee the fund’s operations and appraise project proposals for funding, followed the technical meeting. The steering committee comprises CEWARN Director and Director of IGAD Peace and Security Division as well as heads of CEWARN national Units and civil society representatives from member states. The inaugural meeting of the Steering committee discussed the new funding mechanism under IPPSHAR as well as on how to conduct national sensitization programs as well as identify priority activities that can be implemented in light of current constraints related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Empowering stakeholders to prevent violent conflicts! Resources & Core Documents CPS Reports CEWARN Protocol Khartoum Declaration CEWARN Strategy Framework 2012-2020 Our office is located in Tinsaye Building 7th floor, Haile Gebreselase Street Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. (+251) 116-614488/184050 feedback@cewarn.org © 2021. CEWARN all rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5312
__label__wiki	0.691491	0.691491	Home MotoGP MotoGP bikes brake longer than Superbikes at Misano MotoGP bikes brake longer than Superbikes at Misano Dean Patrick photo: Michelin To kick off the last third of the MotoGP World Championship season is the San Marino and Rimini Coast GP scheduled for September 7 to 9 on the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli. Located about 12 miles from Rimini and just over 1 mile from the Adriatic Sea, in 2012 the track was named for the Italian rider who tragically lost his life 7 years ago on the Sepang circuit. The Misano speedway was designed in 1969 and over the course of the years, has undergone numerous changes until it completed its current 4,226 meters configuration in 2008. The World Superbike Championship is also held on this track and although the Superbikes use the same track configuration, brake use is very different. The greatest difference is at the Curvone (turn 11) because the MotoGP riders are obligated to tap their brakes (1.3 seconds) in order to drop about 25 mph, while the Superbikes can take the corner at full throttle since they enter it at a lower speed. #SanMarinoGP STATS ? The win by @marcmarquez93 in 2015 was the first for Honda at Misano since 2010 and was followed by four successive wins for Yamaha pic.twitter.com/3x8WUv67LK — MotoGP™??? (@MotoGP) September 5, 2018 Naturally, the braking distance for the MotoGP bikes is shorter too because they use carbon brakes, which rules have banned from Superbike racing. This requires the MotoGP riders to exert more force every time they pull on the brake lever. The extreme winding nature of the track prevents the bikes from reaching 186 mph even once. However, there are five corners that the drivers have to pass at less than 56 mph, so deceleration is significant. Another issue, in terms of cooling down the systems, is the air temperature: During the 2016 race, the temperature of the tarmac was over 109°F. According to Brembo technicians, who assist 100% of the 2017 MotoGP pilots, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is fairly demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earned a 3 on the difficulty index. Out of the races still in this year’s calendar, only the track in Valencia has this same score. The demand on the brakes during the GP The 16 corners on the track correspond to nine braking sections, each one very different from the others. There are a couple that require riders to brake for almost five seconds and others that need just over one second; others still obligate braking for three seconds. During one full lap, the MotoGP bikes use their brakes for 30 seconds, while the Superbikes apply them for 29 seconds since there is one less braking section (8 instead of 9). Over the 27 laps of the race, each MotoGP rider turns to his brakes for a little less than 13 minutes and half. Summing up all of the force applied by a rider on the Brembo brake lever from the starting line to the checkered flag, the result comes in at about 1130 kg, compared to the 815 kg applied by the Superbike pilots, but they race for 21 laps. On a single lap, MotoGP riders apply more force than the Superbike pilots: 41.9 kg compared to 38,8 kg. Since Grand Prix racing returned to Misano in 2007, @YamahaMotoGP is the most successful manufacturer with 6 wins ? 3 with both @ValeYellow46 (2008, 2009 and 2014) and @lorenzo99 (2011, 2012 and 2013) pic.twitter.com/zOnjHrIzxY The average peak deceleration of the MotoGP bikes on this circuit is 1.19 G and that of the Superbikes is 1.06 G. 1.19 G may seem moderate but it is 0.05 G more than the peak deceleration that an Infiniti FX45 experiences. The most demanding braking sections Of the nine braking sections at Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli, only one is classified as demanding on the brakes, 4 are of medium difficulty and the remaining 4 are light. For both the Superbikes and MotoGP bikes, braking at the Quercia (turn 8) is the most challenging on the track: The MotoGP bikes slow down from 294 km/h to 79 km/h in 4.8 seconds and 222 meters. The Superbikes arrive going 24 km/h slower but need a few extra yards and 4.9 seconds to make the turn. In this corner, the MotoGP bikes surpass the Superbikes also for the peak deceleration (1.5 G against 1.3 G) and for the load placed on the lever (6 kg against almost 5.3 kg), but they manage to contain the pressure on the Brembo HTC 64T brake fluid to 10.4 bar while the Brembo brake fluid in the Superbikes reaches 11.4 bar. There have been 20 previous San Marino Grand Prix ?? Three different circuits have hosted the race – Imola (1981 and 1983), Mugello (1982, 84, 91 and 93) and Misano (1985, 86, 87 and from 2007 onwards) pic.twitter.com/h7MHt3BNsg Braking on the first corner after the starting line also goes over 200 meters: The speeds drop 156 km/h, going from 271 km/h to 115 km/h. For the Superbikes, the gap in the speed is lower (140 km/h), but the use of steel discs means that the braking distance is much greater, up to 251 meters more. The pressure of the brake fluid is higher and the load greater on the lever for the MotoGP bikes at the Misano (turn 16), which is downhill: 10.6 bar (more than triple a bottle of champagne) and 6.1 kg. Brembo performance As of 2007, the year it returned permanently to the World Championship, the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli has seen MotoGP bikes with Brembo brakes win every year. Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo each won three times, Dani Pedrosa and Marc Marquez won twice. Ducati has not won on this track since 2007 when Casey Stoner came in first. Andrea Dovizioso and Maverick Viñales have never won here, not even in the lower classes. Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli Piero Taramasso San Marino Grand Prix Previous articleMichelin makes a move to Misano and the coastal delights of the Adriatic Riviera Next articleVolvo Cars’ 360c autonomous concept: Reimagining the work-life balance an the future of cities Da Costa: Each of us gave it our all for this win Hyundai announces 4 crews for Wales Rally GB Morrigan Quinn - 2nd October 2017 Volkswagen presents the Polo GTI R5 for rally customers Morrigan Quinn - 8th October 2018 SEAT Ateca with first international award Kaloyan Petrov - 4th February 2017	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5316
__label__wiki	0.730627	0.730627	Monday10:00am-6pm Tuesday10:00am-6pm Wednesday10:00am-6pm Thursday10:00am-6pm Friday10:00am-6pm Saturday10:00am-6pm Holiday hours may apply Email: info@cochranepubliclibrary.ca 405 Railway Street West T4C 2E2 Access the Library through Grande Blvd. during Railway St closure. TRACpac Login Open Today: 10:00am-6pm Cochrane Public Library How to get a Library Card Borrowing Fines & Fees Our Code of Conduct Exam Services Room Rentals Technology Using Other Library Systems Message from the Director Curbside Pick-up COVID-19 Response Book Donations Volunteers Books, Videos & More What can the Library do for you? 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Parents and legal guardians should read the Town of Cochrane Library Board Safety Use and Bylaws Code of Conduct and Internet and Acceptable Use policy and take responsibility for what their children access on and through the library’s website. No age restrictions apply to the library’s databases, eResources, or links to external sites, and the library’s computers are not filtered. Online Forms and Electronic Communication with Library Staff – The Library may provide online forms for facilitating program registration or title acquisition suggestions for the library collection. These forms will require some user personal information. The Library will gather only the personal information necessary to facilitate the registration or request, and the personal information will not be used for any other purpose. Personal information provided to library staff through any other electronic communications, such as email, text, etc. will be used only to facilitate the request submitted. 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__label__cc	0.587509	0.412491	1986 Chevrolet K10 Silverado 4×4 Seller: Eljefferacing Chassis: 1GCEK14H3GJ102662 350ci V8 w/ Aluminum Cylinder Heads Red Paint Tan Cloth and Vinyl Upholstery Dual-Range Transfer Case Factory AM/FM Stereo Dual Fuel Tanks Holley Carburetor Edelbrock Air Cleaner Category: American, Truck & 4x4 This 1986 Chevrolet K10 Silverado 4×4 was first registered in North Carolina and was later relocated to Colorado where it was acquired by the seller in September 2020. The truck received a refurbishment under previous ownership that included a body-off repaint, a rear differential rebuild, an interior refresh, and replacement of the engine, carpets, and brake, electrical, and air conditioning system components. The exterior is finished in red over a gray cloth and vinyl interior, and power is provided by a 350ci V8 paired with an automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case. Equipment includes air conditioning, power windows, dual fuel tanks, and a sliding rear window. This K10 is offered in Arizona with a Carfax report and a clean Colorado title. A body-off repaint in red was reportedly completed under previous ownership, and the truck features an aftermarket cowl induction hood, chrome bumpers with front over-riders, a front air dam, a sliding rear window, chrome window visors, tinted windows, and a removable rubber bed mat. The Carfax report documents “very minor damage” from a rear-end collision in August 2006. The 15″ steel wheels wear chrome trim rings and are wrapped in 31″x10.5″ Summit AT Trail Climber tires. The braking system is said to have been overhauled under previous ownership. The bench seat has been reupholstered in tan cloth and vinyl with a gray upper dashboard, door panels, and replacement carpets. Amenities include air conditioning, a factory AM/FM stereo, a tilt steering wheel, and power windows. The two-spoke steering wheel frames an 85-mph speedometer, a clock, and gauges for fuel level, voltage, oil pressure, and coolant temperature. The five-digit mechanical odometer indicates 51k miles, 500 of which were added by the seller. Total mileage is unknown. The replacement 350ci V8 is equipped with aluminum cylinder heads, a Holley carburetor, and an Edelbrock air cleaner. The seller notes that the fuel system, engine wiring harness, drive belts, coolant hoses, and air conditioning system were replaced during the refurbishment. Power is delivered to the rear or all four wheels via an automatic transmission and a dual-range transfer case. The rear differential has reportedly been rebuilt and the exhaust system was replaced under previous ownership. The Service Parts Identification label shows the VIN, wheelbase, and factory options. The Carfax report shows the aforementioned accident in August 2006 and lists history in North Carolina and Colorado. A walk-around video with the truck idling is playable below. Current Bid USD $23,000 by tsgreen1	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5321
__label__wiki	0.755286	0.755286	Go back to Broadway Musical Home Broadway Musical Blog Dishing out musical theater news and gossip from the Great White Way! Tag: Priscilla Queen of the Desert The 2011 Drama Desk Award Winners May 24, 2011 May 26, 2011 Categories Awards, Off Broadway, On Broadway7 Comments on The 2011 Drama Desk Award Winners Outstanding Musical The Book of Mormon In Transit Priscilla Queen of the Desert: The Musical See Rock City & Other Destinations Sister Act The Kid Outstanding Play Nick Stafford, War Horse Jon Robin Baitz, Other Desert Cities Adam Bock, A Small Fire Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Motherfker With the Hat Samuel D. Hunter, A Bright… Continue reading ➞ The 2011 Drama Desk Award Winners And the Theatre World Award Winners Are… May 10, 2011 May 22, 2011 Categories Awards, On BroadwayLeave a Comment on And the Theatre World Award Winners Are… Ellen Barkin (The Normal Heart) Desmin Borges (The Elaborate Entrance of Chad Deity) Halley Feiffer (The House of Blue Leaves) Grace Gummer (Arcadia) Rose Hemingway (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) John Larroquette (How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying) Heather Lind (The Merchant of Venice) Patina Miller (Sister Act) Arian Moayed… Continue reading ➞ And the Theatre World Award Winners Are… What Do You Think of the 2011 Tony Award Nominees? May 4, 2011 May 4, 2011 Categories Awards, On BroadwayLeave a Comment on What Do You Think of the 2011 Tony Award Nominees? The 2011 Tony Award nominees have been announced. So what do you think? You gonna tune in to the ceremony on June 12 to see who wins? Best Musical The Book of Mormon Catch Me If You Can The Scottsboro Boys Sister Act Best Play Good People Jerusalem The Motherfker with the Hat War Horse … Continue reading ➞ What Do You Think of the 2011 Tony Award Nominees? The Reviews for Priscilla Queen of the Desert are in… March 26, 2011 April 1, 2011 Categories On Broadway, Reviews4 Comments on The Reviews for Priscilla Queen of the Desert are in… Priscilla Queen of the Desert opened on Broadway on March 20 to very mixed reviews. Most critics agree that is show is made of fabulous fluff, but some were left wanting more, while others were carried away by the elaborate glitz. Have you seen the show? What did you think? NEW YORK TIMES REVIEW "Every… Continue reading ➞ The Reviews for Priscilla Queen of the Desert are in… Enter your email address to be the first to learn about Broadway news and announcements, read opening night reviews, and hear gossip and buzz! Follow Broadway Musical Blog on WordPress.com Elizabeth Stanley, seated near table at left, and Celia Rose Gooding, seated at right, with the ensemble of “Jagged Little Pill.” Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times André De Shields and company in Hadestown. Photo by Helen Maybanks Danny Burstein in Moulin Rouge. Photo by Matthew Murphy. Bette Midler as Dolly Gallagher Levi in “Hello, Dolly!” at the Shubert Theater. Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Photo by Sara Krulwich/The New York Times Photo by Sara Krulwich Adrienne Warren, center, as Tina Turner in “Tina,” a new Broadway bio-musical. \| Sara Krulwich/The New York Times The cast of The Girl From the North Country. Photo by Matthew Murphy How to Become a Broadway Actor or Actress In honor of #theatrethursday, your list of the top 50 Broadway musicals of all time A Genuinely Honest Defense of Cats (And an Analysis of Why That’s So Rare) The Reviews for Annie are In... Product Review: Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film Collection Musicals Broadway Musicals on Screen Cast album Eyeing Broadway Touring musicals A Little Night Music American Idiot An American In Paris Broadway Bye Bye Birdie Cast album Chaplin Chicago Fela Fiddler on the Roof Finian's Rainbow Hadestown Hamilton Kinky Boots La Cage aux Folles Love Never Dies Memphis Million Dollar Quartet My Fair Lady Next to Normal Pippin Promises Promises Ragtime Rock of Ages Spider-Man Turn Off the Dark Spring Awakening The Addams Family The King and I Tony Awards West Side Story Become a Broadway Insider About Broadway Musical Blog The Broadway Musical Blog is the companion site to BroadwayMusicalHome.com, your home for Broadway news, tickets, merchandise and information.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5324
__label__wiki	0.599769	0.599769	The Rock Shared The First Picture From The Set Of ‘Jumanji’ With A Heartfelt Story About Robin Williams #The Rock by Cass Anderson May 10, 2016 If you hadn’t heard yet there’s a new Jumanji movie set to be released next year, in 2017, starring Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson and Kevin Hart. Though individual roles have not yet been listed on IMDB I think it’s safe to assume that The Rock will be playing the Robin Williams/Alan Parrish in this Jumanji reboot, even if the script is entirely different, because he’s the biggest name celebrity currently attached to the project. Naturally this is making some people uneasy, as Robin Williams is perhaps the most beloved comedic actor of our lifetime’s. In order to assuage some fears fans might have of the Jumanji reboot The Rock took to Instagram yesterday to share the first photo from the movie set, and a heartfelt caption that includes a story about the first time he met Robin Williams (very early on in Dwayne’s career): A post shared by therock (@therock) The caption reads: And the #JUMANJI magic begins. Excellent meeting with our director Jake Kasdan, producer Matt Tolmach, and our @SevenBucksProd team to work on our new re-imagining of this amazing story. I felt like in order to craft something cool we should begin where it all started. Award winning writer Chris Van Allsburg’s source material of JUMANJI. Chris also wrote THE POLAR EXPRESS (later adapted by Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks) and has a very special & magical way of storytelling. I’m feelin’ good and confident stepping into these shoes as a producer as well as actor to bring you something great that you and your entire fam can enjoy. An important thing that I want to be honest and bring up is Robin Williams. The love and respect I have for this man is boundless. You have my word, we will honor his name and the character of “Alan Parrish” will stand alone and be forever immortalized in the world of JUMANJI in an earnest and cool way. I have an idea of what to do and I think his family will be proud. I also think Robin is somewhere lookin’ down and laughing, remembering the first time we met backstage and I (for the first time ever) was a star struck bumbling idiot that couldn’t even get my words out. Idiot. He literally calmed me down w/ that smile and laugh. But that’s for another fun story down the road. We got a great team assembled already over at our home base of SONY and now we build from here. Here’s another fun part… in the original movie there were three big roles. In our new story there’s now FIVE. Been so damn cool to see all my actor buddies push their projects aside so hopefully they can come play in our world. Should have cool casting announcements this week. Will keep you posted. #TheMagicBegins #JustPressStart #JUMANJI This certainly doesn’t squash all fears of the Jumanji reboot bastardizing the original and Robin Williams’ legacy in that movie, but it was a nice story shared by The Rock, and it was a great first announcement that work has begun on set. The Rock is one of the most stand up guys in all of Hollywood, and I don’t believe that he’d take on this project if he thought it would in any way taint the legacy of Robin Williams’ original…I just hope I’m right about this. Tags instagramJumanjiJumanji 2Robin WilliamsThe Rock	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5325
__label__cc	0.593084	0.406916	Bear Creek HS The Bruin Voice Want to change your life? Try tidying up Claire Gilliland, Editor-in-Chief Most people express some form of sentimentality — whether it be by keeping old homework and essays, thousands of photos on one’s phone, or even old clothes that no longer fit. All of these things result in clutter, an almost inevitable part of life. “[Clutter] is a lot of work to deal with,” senior Erin Baquiran said. “It’s hard to find certain papers quickly and it’s not as efficient with my time in the long run.” Author and organizing consultant Marie “KonMari” Kondo has crafted methodology aimed at eliminating, or at least minimizing, this clutter. In 2011, she released her book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”; originally published in Japanese, the book was later re-released in English (among other languages) in 2014. Since then, her book has become an international bestseller, and Kondo has grown into entrepreneur in her own right, sharing with the world ways to “kondo” their homes and lives. Kondo and her husband also operate their own business, KonMari Media Inc., in order to spread their message of tidiness. Within this, she helps license people as cleanliness consultants (trained in the Method) and offers seminars (some costing $500) to help teach it to consumers. Kondo has even developed an app to match her book, which awards users “badges” for tidying certain areas of their house and helps connect them with other users, or “Konverts.” Her KonMari Method™ focuses on necessity; to “kondo” requires putting all possessions of a certain category (the clutter) into a pile and asking whether each item elicits happiness. If an item does not pass this test, then it should get be disposed of. “The KonMari Method™ is widely regarded as a new approach to decluttering based on Japanese values in order to surround yourself with items that spark joy,” Kondo’s official website, KonMari.com, said. A key part of Kondo’s process is decluttering all at once rather than in small bursts. This plan, however, does not necessarily fit with students’ busy schedules. “[Getting organized] would help me in the long run,” Baquiran said. “I try to but it takes kind of a while to organize what’s been already cluttered. In order for me to do that I have to allot time.” Kondo herself believes it is never too early to practice decluttering; in fact, she has begun teaching her own children this skill around the age of one. Claire Gilliland, Co-Editor-in-Chief, Sports Editor, Staff Writer Hey, Bear Creek! I’m Claire, a senior who is constantly preoccupied with thinking about college. From this year, I hope to not collapse from stress. Maybe I’ll stop procrastinating, or maybe not.... Sexual exploitation at Nickelodeon Risky business: starting a career in the adult entertainment industry BC alumnus Chase Hudson reflects on TikTok success Juniors allowed on JV teams Which brewhouse do you prefer? Dutch Bros Empresso Coffeehouse Bruin Voice’s annual Naughty or Nice list Dear Santa: get old white men out of politics Dear Santa: keep my family safe and healthy Dear Santa: buy me a house Dear Santa: outlaw anime Dear Santa: tell me everything will be okay Dear Santa: I don’t want to cry on Christmas day Dear Santa: help me defeat Covid Dear Santa: I want my Roblox girlfriend back Dear Santa, make 2021 a better year The Bruin Voice • © 2021 www.bruinvoice.net. All Right Reserved. • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNO • Log in	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5326
__label__wiki	0.589744	0.589744	Inland Sea ★★★ Ushimado was once a thriving town on the Seto Inland Sea of Japan, but now the modern world seems to have forgotten this remote settlement. Inland Sea is filmmaker Kazuhiro Sôda‘s second observational documentary focusing on Ushimado. Much like his previous film Oyster Factory, Inland Sea examines the financial struggles of Ushimado’s residents, though it also explores how the ageing population has been left behind by the modern world. The small town of Ushimado relies on its fishing industry. The days of booming trade have gone, and elderly citizens struggle to make ends meet with the falling price of fish. In the first half of Inland Sea, Sôda follows Wai-Chan, an eighty-five-year-old man still working as a fisherman. Sôda’s style of filmmaking in simply observing Wai-Chan go about his work is engaging. The sounds of gentle waves splashing or his boat motor buzzing are hypnotic, allowing the audience to focus further on his actions. Wai-Chan painstakingly removes the fish he has caught from his nets by hand. As he tosses them aside on the boat, the fish lie on the deck taking their last breaths which seems representative of Ushimado’s ageing community and their culture dying out. The decline in trade sets up the second half of the film, which shows the immense impact it has had on the town. Wai-Chan and another fellow resident reveal how their children have either left for better jobs or sadly deserted them altogether. Sôda understands how to make a thought-provoking, moving observational documentary. His decision to first film, and then find his story and themes through the editing process, has worked well here. Every word and action occur naturally, and this allows the audience to empathise with the subjects. Many people may well relate to the film if they too are part of a small community struggling to survive. For a film that had no script or research, Inland Sea‘s story progresses patiently and flows wonderfully into each scene. The long takes solicit the audience to fixate on the actions on camera. The black and white presentation of the film gives a timeless look, but the lack of colour also heightens the plight of the town. Inland Sea may well leave the audience feeling melancholic, but it is also sentimental as the audience will become fond of the Ushimado residents who appear in the film. Sadly it appears as if the community may die out, though Inland Sea ensures that they will still be remembered through film. TagsJapan • Kazuhiro Sôda • Oyster Factory 0 comments on “Inland Sea ★★★”	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5332
__label__cc	0.595882	0.404118	The Manor – Wedding & Event Venue and B&B 1547 Main St, Altamont, TN 37301, USA For Sale National Register of Historic Places In 1856 Colonel Northcut built this property. It’s on the national historical registry featured as the Northcut house. The house was later sold to Miss Fanny Moffett. She was a very wealthy spinster who owns stock in many local companies coal mines and timber companies. Miss Fanny had money in the walls and under the foundation. You can read about her on Google. This house was called by the locals the house of fortune. It is located downtown Altamont and has been completely restored. All new plumbing insulation electrical heating air With all floors walls and ceilings re-done. This house needs absolutely no upgrades and is an executive estate. Ready to move in or a mansion downtown In the quaint small town of Altamont Tennessee zip 37301. The former Owners from the 1990s had a successful bed and breakfast here without any renovations. There’s also a cabin on the back of the property that was the honeymoon suite and it was formally used as the Grundy County courthouse in the early 1900s. If you’re looking to buy property to make money on this is the property. Everything has been renovated from the doors to the windows and every part of this home has not been left untouched. It is absolutely beautiful and ready for its new owner. 12 room historic home with 6 BR 4 BA, 3 parlors, 2 living rooms, 24×11 library, 8 fireplaces. Beautiful place for a B & B. Also has a 20×32 log cabin on property with a living room, fireplace, kitchen area, 1 BR 10×13 & 1 bath. Completely furnished with elegant wall coverings from the 18th century, upscale crystal chandeliers, ceiling fans in foyer, 6 bedrooms completely furnished (not in price), lower and upper level family rooms with 60” TVs, 8 fireplaces for wood or coal, $7000 in insulation to keep energy efficient in all seasons, beautifully accented with elegant furniture in every room with antiques throughout the manor. Listed in the national historical as well as state registry, grants available through the state to purchase and maintain. It also has a cabin on the estate to be used as a honeymoon cabinet which once was the county courthouse. Named after the rich spinster Fannie, The Moffit Manor. A host of Thomas Kincaid paintings and antique mirrors and pieces making this a dream come true for anyone wanting to open a local B&B. Former owners had a very successful B&B without any of the amenities or updates to the property. Ready to open, absolutely nothing needs to be done to this property. All renovations have been done within the past four months. Area recreation and attractions- Fannie Moffitt Stomp, Since it’s downtown it also had hosted many private weddings, parties, 4th of July festivals, Thanksgiving and Christmas parties, Beersheba Springs Arts & Crafts Fair. also brings in lots of area visitors. Altamont is the county seat of Grundy and located just across the street is the county courthouse, post office, utility office, bank, jail, pharmacy, city hall, 2 local churches. Altamont also has an elementary school with some of the highest scores in Tennessee. Altamont also has a great need for a luncheonette downtown because Altamont has no cafe open at this time. We also have a very low crime rate. Located high atop Monteagle Mountain is also the highest mountain between Chicago and Atlanta.cities. 60 miles to Nashville and 180 miles from Atlanta making it convenient to major cities. Altamont gets heavy visitor traffic to see the fall colors in the mountains. It also gets a lot of tourists visiting the Great Stone Door to hike and Greeter Falls to swim. Altamont also has heavy traffic in the summer months due to the local Boyscout Camp nearby. The Harris B. Northcutt house, built in 1885, is the largest and most prominent brick house in Grundy County. Harris Northcutt was one of 15 children born into an influential family. His parents, General Adrian Northcutt and Sarah Cope came from pioneer families in the area. General Northcutt was a Captain in the Mexican War and later became a Brigadier General in the Tennessee Militia. He also served for 10 years in the Tennessee Legislature. He ensured that Altamont was selected as the Grundy County Seat. His son H.B. Northcutt learned the business from his father and he operated his father’s businesses until Harris died in 1910. At some point, a descendant of the Northcutt family, Miss Fanny Moffit moved into the 12 room house. She’d inherited thousands of acres of land and was quite wealthy, receiving royalties from coal mining and lumber harvesting from her property. Miss Fanny (at 5’1” and weighing 200+ lbs.) died in 1955 at only 62 years of age. She left no will so the legal fun began. $15,000 in cash and royalty checks were found in the house and her furnishings alone were valued at $15,000. FYI, Miss Fanny was buried in a $7,500 copper casket… To learn more about her death, the estate and her various quirks, (via an extensive newspaper article), http://grundych.org/06_GenCh/Individual/Moffitt,%20Fannie.pdf 2 3\4 Updated on February 18, 2020 at 8:31 am Address: 1547 Main St, Altamont, TN 37301, USA City: Altamont State/county: Tennessee Tammy Sons Historic Holland-Claggett Farm c.1830 2240 Brighton Dam Rd, Brookeville, MD 20833, USA Beds: 3Bath: 1sqft: 3422 GaryGestson Historic Pecher Farm on 73+ Acres 450 Pecher Rd, Fairfield, PA 17320, USA Gary Gestson 16449 Ed Warfield Rd, Woodbine, MD 21797, USA Beds: 10+Baths: 10+sqft: 16270 The Historic Milton H. Cannon House c.1902 828 6th Ave, Brunswick, MD 21716, USA Enchanting 1920s Stone Manor 22 Frost Road, Greenwich, CT 06830, USA EllenMosher06 SOLD! Fairytale Home on 10.5 Acres 201 Stilson Hill Rd, New Milford, CT 06776, USA Katie Harrison Historic Stone House c.1800 11702 Furnace Rd, Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17214, USA Historic Noah Rohrbach Farm on 130+ Acres 18502 Burnside Bridge Rd, Sharpsburg, MD 21782, USA The Manor – Wedding & Event Venue and B&B - 1547 Main St, Altamont, TN 37301, USA	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5334
__label__wiki	0.901752	0.901752	About Us and Policies CISD Board Meetings Coppell City Council Meetings CHS9 Pro-Con Columns Coppell Observer Best of Coppell The Cowboy Spur Coppell Student Media Students that failed classes last semester will be getting a letter in the mail that requires them to come to school in person Shirt orders for the 2020-2021 American Heart Association Go Red shirt are due Jan. 13 UN promotes Haiti relief, United States sends troops Residents pick their way through one of the heavily damaged areas of downtown Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Friday, January 15, 2010. (Carolyn Cole/Los Angeles Times/MCT) By Mary Whitfill Haiti was changed forever as a devastating earthquake hit Tuesday, killing tens of thousands of people with a death toll still climbing. A team of Brazilian rescures have already discovered 50,000 bodies and Haitian Interior Minister predicts up to 200,000 could have been killed. While the death toll could be up to 200,000, the UN has estimated that 300,000 people lost their homes in the disaster. The United States has said that it will grant leave to thousands of illegal Haiti immigrants living there, allowing them to stay and work for 18 months. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, says she plans to visit Haiti Jan. 16 to asses the damage and meet government officials. The UN has launched an appeal for 562 million dollars (346 million pounds) to be sent to the victims, predicted to help three million people for six months. Half of the appeal money is expected to be used for emergency food while up to 50 million would be used for health, water, sanitation, nutrition, emergency shelter, early recovery and agriculture. A United States aircraft has already been sent to the capital of Haiti carrying a marine expeditionary unit and a hospital ship and additional helicopters will be sent in the coming days, capping off the number of U.S. troops at 10,000. Plane-loads of rescuers and relief supplies are arriving from the UK, China, the EU, Canada, Russia and Latin American nations. Emergency aid groups are in a race against time to find trapped survivors Energancy Aid United States Troops Tweets by CHSCampusNews Capitol protests spark residents’ concerns about governmental legitimacy • 322 Views UT Rio Grande Valley commit Vargas looks to pursue career promoting youth soccer • 269 Views Cowgirls call to victory against Prosper Rock Hill • 231 Views Counting down Coppell’s top 10 outdoor dining restaurants • 176 Views The hand we were dealt • 152 Views The official student news site of Coppell High School	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5352
__label__wiki	0.848193	0.848193	Home South Africa News Zimbabwean national sought over Limpopo double murder Zimbabwean national sought over Limpopo double murder PRETORIA – Two people appeared within the week in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court in reference to the murder of Ocean Basket seafood restaurant owner Lizette Deacon and her mother Hettie, the NPA said on Tuesday. Sophy Mmako, who was a domestic worker for the slain Deacons, appeared in court on Monday together with her co-accused, her 41-year-old boyfriend Lazarus Mahlo. “Lazarus Mahlo and Sophy Mmako appeared in Polokwane Magistrate’s Court [on Monday] on charges of two counts of murder, robbery with aggravating circumstances and kidnapping respectively,” said Limpopo spokesperson for the NPA Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi. “A team of investigators made a breakthrough on arresting two more suspects, Lazarus Mahlo aged 41 and a domestic worker Sophy Mmako aged 51 who was employed by the Polokwane businesswoman deceased, Lizette and her mother Hettie Deacon.” Both accused were arrested on Friday September 18 in several places. Mmako was arrested in Polokwane, while Mahlo was nabbed in Tembisa, Gauteng province. Malabi-Dzhangi said the the South African Police Service is looking for a Zimbabwean national named Owen who uses different surnames. “The police also are calling on Owen to avail himself at the closest police headquarters because it is believed he might assist within the ongoing investigations. Owen, who may be a Zimbabwean, uses either of the subsequent as surnames – Setsiba, Makutara or Mbedzi. “Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Owen is requested to contact the closest police headquarters or the Crime focal ratio 0860010111,” Malabi-Dzhangi said. “The matter was postponed to September 25. Both accused will join the opposite two co-accused Abibi Hamid and Casper Mudau.” The bodies of 55-year-old Lizette and her 70-year-old mother were found with stab wounds in an abandoned vehicle on the R37 next to the Kushcke off-ramp earlier this month. It is alleged that the 2 women had been attacked in their range in Welgelegen near the Cycad Estate in Polokwane, then loaded into an SUV. The first two suspects Hamid and Mudau were arrested last week. They appeared within the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday last week on charges concerning two counts of murder and house robbery. “Hamid, a Zimbabwean national, was also charged under the Immigration Act “as he’s within the country illegally,” police said at the time. African press agency Zimbabwean national sought over murder Previous articleDr. Dre’s estranged wife is under the microscope for alleged embezzlement Next articleMozambique Men Executing a unadorned Woman On A Video Finally Identified	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5355
__label__cc	0.6859	0.3141	Art, Clearly July 9, 2008 \| ploafmaster I dream of an art so transparent that you can look through and see the world — The late poet Stanley Kunitz, quoted on a wall in the Visual Arts Center of Richmond. QuotesThe Arts < Thsrs Duck! > 2 thoughts on “Art, Clearly” Jacob Kelly says: Just wanted to let you know…I’m considering removing my outright support for Obama. Did you hear about the FISA bill today? Frickin A. Damn bunch of idiots, these two parties. Perhaps it is time to go independent. Ploafmaster General says: @Jake: I did hear about it. The funny thing is, I think Hillary would have voted for it, too, had she been looking at a seat in the Oval Office.I’m not very well-versed on Jesse Ventura, but he had a great quote on Leno several months ago, and here’s the paraphrase:”I wish there was an choice for ‘none of the above’ on the ballot, so we could say, ‘I’m here, I’m participating in the system, but I don’t support any of these options.'”	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5361
__label__cc	0.708938	0.291062	The validity and responsiveness of generic utility measures in rheumatoid arthritis: a review Harrison, M. J., Davies, L. M., Bansback, N. J., Ingram, M., Anis, A. H., and Symmons, D. P. OBJECTIVE: Cost-utility analysis is increasingly important as healthcare providers aim to invest scarce resources in interventions offering the greatest health benefit. The ability to attach utility values to health states is essential, and is increasingly performed using generic scales. However, the evidence regarding the validity of generic utility scales in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is unclear. We summarize and review evidence on the validity and comparative performance of generic utility scales in RA. METHODS: We searched the English-language medical literature for studies using utilities in RA between 1980 and mid-2006. Reports describing primary evidence of the validity or performance of a generic utility scale in RA were selected, summarized, and reviewed using the OMERACT filter. RESULTS: In total 923 articles were identified, of which 228 reported the use of utility scales in RA; 26 studies related to the validation or evidence of generic utility scales in RA, the EQ-5D, Health Utility Index-2 (HUI2) and HUI3, SF-6D, and Quality of Well-Being Scale. The EQ-5D, HUI2 and HUI3, and SF-6D all have consistent evidence of construct validity and responsiveness in RA, but each has limitations. CONCLUSION: The EQ-5D and HUI3 have been the most extensively studied instruments and show validity and responsiveness for use in RA, but both instruments have limitations. The SF-6D is relatively new and appears to have potential for use in milder RA, but needs further evaluation. More longitudinal head-to-head evaluation of measures is needed across the spectrum of RA disease severity to further investigate their comparative properties, and to seek consensus on the best utility measure for use in economic evaluation. J Rheumatol 0315-162X (Print) Symptom status: Cognitive/mental state Cognitive/mental functioning Role functioning Social functioning Diseases of and symptoms related to the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue Patient Reported Outcome 1 - Questionnaires 2 - Interviews EQ-5D - EuroQoL-5 Dimensions HUI-2 - Health Utilities Index Mark 2 HUI-3 - Health Utilities Index-Mark 3 QWB-SA - Quality of Well Being Self-administered Scale SF-6D - Short-Form 6D (derived from SF-36 or F-12)	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5362
__label__wiki	0.664133	0.664133	Gherkin: A retrospective Photo by Jonathan Pielmayer on Unsplash Recently the team I used to work in have had a big shake up. As the project has matured another team in the territory we were building the product for has started to take on testing responsibilities which is great to see but it’s made our team have a closer look at the tools we were using and question if they were being used properly — especially the use of Gherkin feature files. The main catalyst for this was one of the team members finding themselves rewriting more than half the feature files to be clearer for the other team to understand the intended behaviour of the system, something that is meant to be Gherkin’s strength. With me being the kind of person who likes to introspect on things I hosted a session for the team to get a better understanding of what had lead to the situation we found ourselves in. To do this I decided to draw an Ishikawa (also known as a Fishbone) diagram on the whiteboard and drew up the following headings: Materials — What were the raw materials our team was working with in order to carry out testing and the writing of the feature files? Measurements — How was the team measuring the quality of the product and reporting on this? Methods — What methods were we using in the team to write the feature files and write the code executed to test those features? Environment —Were there any environmental factors that impacted our ability to work with Gherkin? As a team of contractors, I decided to also include aspects of the company we’re working for’s culture and processes Personnel — What roles in the team may have had an impact in our ability to utilise Gherkin to its full potential? Machines — What tools that we used could have impacted our ability to work with Gherkin? Photo by Alex Block on Unsplash The raw materials the team worked with were: Feature files — Written in Gherkin and automated via CucumberJS (originally automated using WDIO and its Cucumber Plugin) Specifications — Written in Jira as test tickets which were backed by Zephyr for test execution Looking at the use of the feature files one of the first things that was raised was that the new team was treating the feature files as test plans for executing manual testing. The root cause of this seemed to be the management teams assumption that the feature files would be written in a way that allowed for manual testing to be carried out as a set of instructions. This shaped the Gherkin to be more of a description of ‘how’ the system worked instead of ‘what’ it did. Additionally as the product we were building was re-using a lot of existing components from the business’ main product we started the project by cloning and adapting a lot of the existing Gherkin files used to describe that main product. The team felt that this lead them down the wrong path from the start as the domain language used for the new market was clashing with the domain language of the existing market and it would have been better to build it from the ground up using the single domain language. The root cause of the majority of the issues the team faced appeared to be poorly written specifications and a lack of inclusion from the team in the writing of the acceptance criteria of the specifications. Due to the re-use of the existing feature files it was assumed that the test team could use those feature files to understand the requirements being built into the system and forego the three amigos process. This lead to a couple of outcomes: The specifications had vague acceptance criteria The test team had a big backlog of feature files to automate from the get go which meant that development and test were not working in parallel The feature files have inconsistent language in them due to the different domain language used Due to the pressure to get feature files automated, the feature files were the only test artefacts being produced and thus the only resources available to hand over to the new team Photo by William Warby on Unsplash When approaching the subject of measurements we started to realise that aside from points delivered against the backlog of tests to write we never really measured ourselves internally. External to the team we were measured on the coverage of test suite and defects logged but on further inspection we felt these weren’t measured correctly. The team had no clear stakeholder they were reporting to that would scrutinise the testing effort and ensure it was on-track, the most we saw was an email from the programme lead to the directors of the programme with a piechart showing 56 tests were green (this type of reporting drives me insane). To the team it felt like the real measurement we were held against is whether or not the automation would work, a binary evaluation of the health of the product that ultimately meant the rest of the product team didn’t buy into the tests and started to ignore them. There was one instance that the team felt they were working with clear insight into the progress being made, the coverage of the tests and the reporting being transparent enough to communicate any issues and this was when we had a set of regulatory requirements provided to us by the BAs. This set of regulatory tests allowed the team to get feedback, ask questions about the expected and actual behaviours and raise defects with a clearer of idea of the severity of the issues found and during our session we realised this was because: The requirements were critical to the success of the product The BA team made sure they were available to discuss any concerns we had around the scenarios we had to automate We had regular reporting in place to show the level of coverage of the test suite but also those reports we going to the corporate stakeholders We were able to add regression tests to cover bugs and ensure these were caught as they were raised due to the developers also working in the same area of the product Outside of the Feature file based automation, we worked on a set of a simple API level user journeys to prove out if the different environments were ready or not (kind of like a continual smoke test). These tests worked really well to get the product team re-engaged with testing as they were reliable enough and were tied into the value that the product would deliver to the customer, something that’s easy to develop when you’ve got a clear goal and lightweight interface to deal with. Photo by Daniel McCullough on Unsplash The matter of methods was probably the easiest for us to discuss as it was something that we’d covered in many a retrospective already as part of our continual improvement process. Our test framework is built in JavaScript using WebdriverJS and CucumberJS and follows the architectural principles that I wrote about in my ‘Architectural concerns of the Page Object in automated testing’ post, we use git flow when developing, carry out code reviews before merges and use semantic versioning. We decided to inspect these aspects of the development of the code base and then look into the processes the entire team did that may have impacted our ability to work with Gherkin. Points raised around the development process In order to allow for re-use of our page object models we decided to create a separate library to store these, for me the main benefit was that it helped draw a clear line in the sand for the concerns of the POM and the step definition implementations. It was raised that the need to release a new version of the library to get changes to the POM made available to the automation suite was seen as a bit of a time sink, especially if the changes made in the release were not correct. This time sink I personally feel is justified by the benefits of the cleaner codebase (and there are means to set NPM to use a local package also) but it’s a valid point for those on the consuming side of the library. Luckily for me the architectural decisions I helped put in place seemed to hold up to critique and the design was seen as a really helpful pattern that allowed tests to be written before the code was written (as the testers could write the functions in the step definitions before adding them to the library) One of the points of contention within the team was the git flow process, the company has its own git flow process that they’ve built developer tooling around but unfortunately the lack of clear documentation meant most of the time we did things manually. This led to a couple of instances of team members merging incorrectly or stepping on each other’s toes, things that could have been easily fixed by the git flow tooling being easier to install and run. Points raised about the methods used with in the product team There was only really one point that came out about the methods used within the product team and that was the lack of a proper three amigos process. If we’ve been able to get a solid three amigos going we’d have been able to have iterated over the specifications a number of times, when we did have the three amigos the test team found there wasn’t enough time to think of and address all the different aspects of a user story in one meeting. Looking into why the three amigos meetings didn’t work well there were two main reasons: The BAs spent a lot of time in another country that was 8 hours behind the UK as they were gathering requirements for the new market As testers there was this feeling that we were expected to just ‘get it’ and not ask questions as there was a need to churn the work out ready for launch Photo by Jason Blackeye on Unsplash Environmental factors was probably the longest part of the session, there was a lot of things that prevented us from working as optimally as we’d have liked. I’ve kept the list as short as I can for brevity’s sake. Domain Language The market we’re targeting has a completely different domain language to the UK; they use a different means of showing the odds for a bet, they have their own language for different betting types & restrictions and they present their events in a different way too. As the team was made up of contractors, all this new domain language meant that the test team was on a constant quest to understand the requirements and test the system while also trying to understand UK betting domain language. If you then take into consideration the fact we were also trying to port the existing UK based gherkin into our test framework you’ve got a recipe for some very confused testers. The team felt if we’d started the gherkin from scratch this would have allowed us to keep to one domain language and would have prevented confusion. Distributed Team As we’re building a product for a market that is on the other side of the world having a distributed team was going to happen but the impact of this was massive in regards to our ability to understand and verify requirements. The company already had an office in the same country so a lot of the Subject Matter Experts (SME) came from that office, however due to competing priorities there wasn’t a lot of time to have access to the SMEs which when paired with the fact that office is 8 hours behind ours meant that if we weren’t working 12:00–20:00 then there was only one chance, a meeting at 16:00 to raise anything. Infrastructural issues One of the biggest barriers to the automated testing of the product was the infrastructure, some of it was provided by the team in the other country and some of it was provided by a dedicated ‘cloud’ team within the company. There was never a stable test environment with something in the stack always being unavailable, misconfigured or constantly having new badly tested releases pushed up. There was no means to run the stack locally either which made writing the automated tests even more frustrating as you never knew when you’re development progress would be blocked for a couple of days due to the environment’s firewall rules being reset and blocking access. Similar to the SMEs being stretched between projects there was a severe lack of system engineer support within the product team due to commitments elsewhere. I think we had 0.75 of an engineer most of the time and a lot of that was spinning up new environments. At one point the team had to just give up on an environment as the team in the other country just stopped supporting it. Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash When looking at the roles people played in our ability to use Gherkin for testing we focused on the roles interaction with the team as well as how they seemed to perceive the team. We felt that the BAs didn’t buy into Gherkin and instead saw it as the language the test framework was built in, there was no use of it to build ‘Living Documentation’ or shared understanding. There was also a lot of instances where the requirements of a feature would change and the developers would be told by the BAs directly. This meant our tests started to fail and we would then have to investigate what happened only to be told that our tests were wrong and needed updating, this would then contribute to the notion of the tests not being valuable. The developers were a lot easier to get hold of than most of the other roles on this list as they were in the same office and were happy to explain what they were working on. However when test would try and put quality checks in place such as CI or quality gates for releases there was a lot of push back from the development team claiming ‘I don’t want my ability to deliver blocked due to your failing tests’. I feel that clearly shows the lack of buy-in of the automated tests and shows the divisions that the team had developed due to there not being a clear demonstration of value from the automated tests early on. Having been that same dev team a few months beforehand it really disheartened me to be on the receiving end of that comment as I had tried to, as a developer to encourage a TDD and BDD culture. The company has it’s own tribe of System Engineers (although it calls them Cloud Engineers) that we struggled to get as much resource as we needed from. One of the things that would have allowed us to demonstrate the value of the automated tests would have been if we were able to set up a CD pipeline so the developers could see feedback on their releases as they were put into the test environment. After raising this in a number of retrospectives I was shown that the deployment pipeline used for our test environment had the ability to do this but it hadn’t been configured by the System Engineer who set up our infrastructure. That CD pipeline functionality still remains turned off as there was never any resource assigned to the project to set it up and testing in that way wasn’t a priority. As we looked into our own role in the team we started to realise that while we were writing a lot of automated tests when it came down to actually ensuring the system was working we resorted to just carrying out manual testing, as this was quicker to do and more reliable. This fallback to manual testing to actually ensure the product worked as intended meant that even the test team didn’t believe that the automated test framework was usable. It also meant that the product team started to view the test team more as checkers than testers and it was harder to fight our corner which lead to a lot of actions raised in retrospectives being ignored. Photo by Fancycrave on Unsplash During the development of the automated tests we had changed test framework due to a lack of integration with our IDE (Webstorm) so that was a good starting point. We wrote our tests in JavaScript and had originally used WebDriver.io (with a cucumber plugin) but half way through had moved to WebDriverJS and CucumberJS. This move was due to a need to have a more flexible test runner, WebDriver.io was using a cucumber plugin which in our IDE could only be configured to run certain tags where as CucumberJS would allow for individual scenarios to be run without the need to change the gherkin file. One of the bigger points that came up was how hard it is to debug JavaScript during development, luckily Webstorm does a relatively good job with it’s debug console but event then things like promises can be hard to get a clear handle on unless you add every catch . Continuous Integration / Continuous Delivery The lack of CI and CD was probably the main issue that lead to us failing to really use Gherkin. At the start of the project there wasn’t any time to set up a CI as there was a backlog of existing feature files to get automated and the person who kicked off the project was a Scala test engineer who had no prior experience building an automation test framework. By the time the team had scaled up and I had joined there was already a massive backlog of tests and while we had automated test runs this was a separate thing used only by the test team. As mentioned before the development team viewed the automated tests as something that would get in the way not something that would add value and I believe this is due to the fact that they’d managed to get six months into development without a CI so adding it after that would cause them issues. Aside from making us all feel a little better having gotten a lot of issues off our chests we started to have a clearer picture of what processes and outcomes lead us to where we are now: By not having a proper ‘Sprint 0’ we were unable to prove the value of automated testing to the product team early on enough to get buy in As the Business Analysts didn’t see any value from writing Gherkin the feature files and it’s results were never used to measure the quality of the product By aiming to re-use existing feature files to increase coverage we spent a lot of time getting confused between two domain languages and ended up writing feature files that were more ‘how’ and less ‘what’ From a personal perspective I think this issue isn’t unique to just Gherkin but to automated test in general, if you can’t get the buy in early then you’ll struggle later. Hopefully one day I’ll be able to work with Gherkin in an environment where that value has been demonstrated and I’ll get to see working as it should as ‘Living Documentation’ but for now I feel that spec based frameworks make BDD easier to implement as there’s less overhead. Preventing Duplicates in Databases while using Rails Gracie McGuire in Weekly Webtips Introduction to Bash for Beginners Juan Cruz Martinez in Better Programming Introduction to Docker Afroz Chakure in The Startup Filtering Duplicates on the Command Line: 30x Faster than sort\|uniq Karolin Varner in Adobe Tech Blog How to create an Apache Spark 3.0 development cluster on a single machine using Docker Mario Cartia in Agile Lab Engineering Value Objects, Barbara and Design Patterns João Bizarro in Tech at Docler Set up Jenkins in a Kubernetes cluster Júlia Arruda in The Startup Basic Math in Swift Steven Curtis in Better Programming	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5364
__label__wiki	0.886971	0.886971	Coffee region Southwest Colombia Northeast Colombia Central Colombia Crime and security Border regions to be most affected by Colombia-Venezuela feud by Leo Palmer July 23, 2010 Early indications suggest that Colombians living on the Colombia-Venezuela border will be the most affected by Venezuela’s decision to sever all ties with its neighboring nation. Military response Venezuela’s borders are reportedly now on “maximum alert” after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez expressed fear that Colombian President Alvaro Uribe‘s “hatred of Venezuela” would drive him to take military action. Along the 3,500 kilometers of the Colombia-Venezuela border, Venezuela has stationed more than 20,000 troops. According to Prensa Latina, the Venezuelan Defense Minister Carlos Mata Figueroa said the troops currently deployed in the area are on alert for any escalation of aggression coming from the Colombian government. On the other side Colombia ruled out on Thursday that troops would be mobilized in border areas. The Colombian presidential press secretary Cesar Mauricio Velasquez said “on Colombia’s part there will never, never be the movement of troops” and insisted that there would not be any meetings between military and political leaders. Velasquez added that all communications were currently being passed through Luis Alfonso Hoyos the Colombian ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), and Carolina Barco, the Colombian ambassador to the U.S. capital. Minor repercussions have already been felt in the transport of freight over the border, with El Tiempo reporting restrictions late on Thursday on goods passing into Colombia’s Norte de Santander department from the Venezuelan border town San Antonio del Tachira. Motor traffic and pedestrian crossings allegedly remained unaffected. William Villamizar, governor of Norte de Santander, said “We are making a call to the border community to maintain an atmosphere of calm and not to let situations occur that leave or generate an effect on public order.” Meanwhile the governor of the Colombian border department Arauca asked Colombians to refrain from travelling to Venezuela because of extra pressure and searches imposed by Venezuelan authorities. “I’ve heard of people who have head their identity cards broken by the Venezuelan guards, who have been physically and verbally abused in this border area, so please refrain from crossing the border until they solve this problem,” the governor said. Government officials, businessmen and political experts have said that they do not expect a major change in the trade relations between Colombia and Venezuela. Former Colombian Foreign Minister Maria Emma Mejia said that relations with Venezuela were already strained, “although a break hadn’t been officially declared we were on the verge of a break. This formalizes a situation that was [already] difficult to sustain.” The minister’s view was echoed by the international relations expert Maria Pilar Marulanda “we already had very little [relationship with Venezuela], so the decision [to break ties] does not generate any major traumas.” Luis Carlos Villegas, the president of the National Association of Industrialists, also said the attitude of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was nothing new. Colombia’s exports to Venezuela were worth $652 million between January and May of 2010, 71.4% lower than the same period in 2009. According to El Tiempo experts estimate that the crisis has caused Colombians around half a million jobs over the past year. The drop in exports is the result of trade restrictions imposed on Colombia by its neighbor. Chavez broke all relations with Colombia Thursday, following Colombia’s presentation to the OAS of evidence of the presence of 87 guerrilla camps in Venezuelan territory. Chavez closed the Colombian embassy in Caracas and gave diplomatic staff 72 hours to leave the country. The Venezuelan government has always vehemently denied allegations that rebels are hiding in its territory and has denounced Colombia’s decision to publicly present the evidence as “a pathetic media show.” Venezuela first froze diplomatic relations in 2009, after Colombia signed an agreement granting the U.S. military access to seven Colombian army bases. Chavez has consistently expressed his belief that the pact is an attempt to undermine regional sovereignty. Alvaro Uribearmed conflictborder issueschavezLuis Alfonso Hoyosluis carlos villegasmaria emma mejiaorganization of american statestradeVenezuela Bogota and Medellin lock down as COVID saturates Colombia’s hospitals Colombia discovers local coronavirus mutation Colombia discards new COVID lockdown as new surge continues Weekly interviews and news updates Fear in northern Colombia over former paramilitary leader’s return Colombia’s late president ordered extermination of leftist party: report 2021: the year after massacres returned Colombia red @2008-2019 - Colombia Reports. All Rights Reserved. Powered by Digitale Zaken and Parrolabs	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5365
__label__cc	0.743048	0.256952	Colorworld Backstage: Energy Medicine What was the idea that originally began Colorworld? The death-touch, actually. I was intrigued by the idea of someone unable to physically connect with others. My mom, in describing her experiences with nursing/comforting my dad through cancer, made the observation: “Don’t take for granted the impact you can have with a simple touch of the hand.” It stuck with me because I’ve never been much of a hands-on person. I was one of those people that took it for granted. Nevertheless, touching is what I wanted to write about, if only to understand it more to figure out how exactly it plays into human experience. When/how did energy medicine come into it? I needed a backstory for how Wendy ended up being unable to touch people. And I like plausibility. As an avid believer in the potential of the human soul, I explored what methods might allow someone to tap into that power. When I came across energy medicine, I knew it was what I was looking for. I became so enthralled with it and its possible implications that I really got into it. It took over the entire story then, but I was happy to let it because it really is an undervalued, under-explored realm that gets a lot of flack for not being scientifically measurable/observable. What about the colorworld? Honestly, I wrote the chapter in which Wen first saw the lights of the colorworld while doing energy medicine before I’d ever conceived of the colorworld and before I’d ever read the Zohar. I remember writing that she opened her eyes and was blinded by the light of Gabe’s life force and pausing right after. I sat back and thought, “Whaaaat?” I was confused because it had come out of the blue. And it just seemed so far-fetched and I felt like I was getting carried away. I was trying to write about a girl with a death-touch for goodness sake, not a girl that sees souls. I kept at it, just to see where it would go. I then wrote the chapter where she gets a really good look at life forces and describes that what she sees is a world of color. I stopped right there because then I really thought I was letting my comic book-junkie imagination get carried away. So I started researching it, trying to figure out what a person might see if they actually did see souls/life forces. I turned to Jewish mysticism, because those rabbis are just so good at asking and attempting to answer impossible questions like that. I came across that passage of the Zohar. I was literally stunned that I’d already written exactly what I had just found in the Zohar. It was a powerful moment and it was that moment that I knew this story was not really about a death-touch (that was a side-story). This story was about seeing life forces and what that could mean in the grand scheme of things. The colorworld took over everything after that. And it became the motivating concept behind what I learned would become an entire series. Copyright © 2020 Colorworld Buy The Colorworld Series About The Colorworld Series The Colorworld Audiobooks Colorworld Live Colorworld Store Colorworld Etsy Store About Author Rachel Kelly	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5366
__label__wiki	0.91505	0.91505	Home Air Rheinmetall secures first orders for MK-82-EP aircraft bomb Rheinmetall secures first orders for MK-82-EP aircraft bomb Photo: Rheinmetall German defense contractor Rheinmetall has marked first sales successes with its upgraded MK-82-EP general purpose aircraft bomb, landing orders in France and Germany. France’s procurement authority, the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), has already placed the first serial production orders for the bomb that will be carried by the Mirage 2000 and Rafale fighter jets. Furthermore, the German Air Force has selected the MK82-EP (Enhanced Performance) to serve as the warhead of the GBU-54 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition system, destined for its Tornado and Eurofighter platforms. Together, the orders encompass more than 2,000 MK82-bomb bodies, worth over €35 million in total. In October 2020 France’s DGA successfully qualified the new MK82-EP 500-pound bomb body. This follows a five-year program of development and extensive testing conducted by RWM Italia SpA, Rheinmetall’s airborne ordnance center of excellence in Italy, in cooperation with explosives manufacturer EURENCO. Engineered for maximum safety during storage, handling and operations, the 500-pound MK82-EP warhead is an enhanced, fully interchangeable version of the standard MK82 bomb body, delivering improved effectiveness. The MK82-EP can be deployed in free fall mode or as a precision guided munition in tandem with Paveway, Enhanced Paveway, Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) and Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) or Armament Air-Sol Modulaire (AASM) kits. Rheinmetall further said that the MK82-EP could be seen as a likely choice to arm the Future Combat Air System (FCAS) currently being jointly developed by Germany, France and Spain, as well as serving as a new baseline for all Mirage 2000, Rafale and Eurofighter users. French Air Force German Air Force MK-82-EP French Air Force receives first upgraded Mirage M2000D fighter CAE to deliver simulators for French-German C-130J training facility Germany orders €556M worth of tank ammunition from Rheinmetall	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5384
__label__cc	0.746885	0.253115	HOME // WHY ABOUT // TEAM EVENTS // COURSES CreativProcess (“us”, “we”, or “our”) operates the creativprocess.com website and the CreativProcess App mobile application (the “Service”). We use your data to provide and improve the Service. By using the Service, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy. Unless otherwise defined in this Privacy Policy, terms used in this Privacy Policy have the same meanings as in our Terms and Conditions. ServiceService means the creativprocess.com website and the CreativProcess App mobile application operated by CreativProcess Personal DataPersonal Data means data about a living individual who can be identified from those data (or from those and other information either in our possession or likely to come into our possession). 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__label__cc	0.544697	0.455303	(844) 974-DATA Data Literacy Fundamentals Data Literacy Level 1 Data Literacy: Level 2 Home/Announcements Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Data Literacy Awards! By Ben Jones\|2021-01-15T19:24:01+00:00January 15th, 2021\|Announcements, Contests\| Announcing the Winners of the 2020 Data Literacy Awards! A year ago, we announced the winners of the inaugural 2019 Data Literacy Awards, and we're excited to announce the winners of this year. The public nominated and voted for the winners of 5 different categories: 1) Most Insightful Data Book, 2) Most Helpful [...] Announcing the Launch of the Data Literacy Level 1 On-Demand Course By Ben Jones\|2021-01-04T21:29:29+00:00January 4th, 2021\|Announcements\| Data Literacy Level 1 is Now Available On-Demand! We're excited to announce today that, following the success of our popular Data Literacy Fundamentals On-Demand course, our next course in the series, Data Literacy Level 1: Learning to See Data, is now available to take on-demand as [...] Announcing the Winners of the 2019 Data Literacy Awards By Ben Jones\|2019-12-31T00:37:53+00:00December 31st, 2019\|Announcements\| 2019 was an exciting year for Data Literacy, and we're thrilled to end the year by announcing the winners of the inaugural Data Literacy Awards! Scroll through the images below to see the gold, silver & bronze winners for each of the 5 different categories: [...] Score a Free Webinar for your Book Club! By Ben Jones\|2019-12-17T20:53:47+00:00December 16th, 2019\|Announcements\| An Offer for Bulk Book Orderers Prior to the end of January, 2020, the first 5 groups that order 10 or more copies of 'Avoiding Data Pitfalls' will qualify for a FREE VIRTUAL PRESENTATION and LIVE Q&A session with the book's author, Ben Jones, Founder & CEO of Data Literacy, LLC. Ben will [...] Announcing the Winners of the 1st Data Literacy Immigrant Spirit Scholarship Contest! By Ben Jones\|2019-10-23T01:00:09+00:00October 23rd, 2019\|Announcements, Contests\| Please join us in congratulating the following 3 individuals who have won the 1st ever Data Literacy "Immigrant Spirit" Scholarship Giveaway! They win a full pass to any upcoming Data Literacy training course, a $500 value! Mahrad Mohammadi was born in Iran, now lives in the United States, and he is the Acting Ground Safety [...] Announcing 3 Course Scholarships for Immigrants! By Ben Jones\|2019-10-12T19:43:29+00:00October 12th, 2019\|Announcements\| In honor of all those who have left their native homeland to settle permanently in another country, Data Literacy is giving away 3 scholarships to individuals who have emigrated FROM anywhere TO anywhere. Winners will be chosen at random on Friday, October 18 at 12:00pm PST. To enter, simply subscribe to our distribution list by [...] Announcing the Data Literacy Fall 2019 Line Up! By Ben Jones\|2019-09-11T01:22:23+00:00September 10th, 2019\|Announcements\| Registration is Now Open for Two New Online Courses in Data Literacy! Click the images below to learn more about each new cohort. Register now, as space is limited! If you need financial assistance, please contact us at contact@dataliteracy.com. Data Literacy Level 1 - How to Read and Interpret Data Visualizations - will [...] Announcing the Udacity Data Visualization Nanodegree Program By Ben Jones\|2019-05-21T22:33:37+00:00May 21st, 2019\|Announcements\| We're excited to announce that Data Literacy founder & CEO Ben Jones has partnered with online education company Udacity to launch the Data Visualization Nanodegree Program. Registration is now open, and readers of this blog post can claim a 10% off discount through June 21st by using the code 'jonesDV' Learn More! In [...] Announcing 2 New Online Data Literacy Courses! By Ben Jones\|2019-04-23T23:16:39+00:00April 23rd, 2019\|Announcements\| Hello, World! Announcing the Launch of DataLiteracy.com By Ben Jones\|2019-03-05T00:04:10+00:00March 5th, 2019\|Announcements\| Announcing the launch of the DataLiteracy.com! We're excited to announce that the DataLiteracy.com website is now live! Huge thanks to Mike Sayenko and the whole crew at Sayenko Design for the amazing help designing and building this site. Also, kudos and sincere thanks go out to Michael Varouhas for the fun animated explainer video on [...] 500 108th ave NE Suite 1100 Bellevue, WA, 98004 [+] Get Directions We will get back to you within approximately 24 to 48 hours. [gravityform id="1" name="Contact Us" title="false" description="false"] © Copyright Data Literacy \| All Rights Reserved \| Privacy Policy \| Seattle Web Design by Sayenko Design LinkedInTwitterFacebookInstagramYouTube	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5394
__label__wiki	0.721231	0.721231	Oscars: How The International Film Landscape Is Shaping Up In A Difficult Year Nikki Finke: Live-Snarking Golden Globes (…Why Ricky Gervais Stunk Tonight And How Harvey Weinstein Became God) By Nikki Finke Nikki Finke More Stories By Nikki Deadline Turns 10 And Celebrates Disruptors: Nikki Finke Looks Back ‘Thor 2’ Begins International Rollout: Stronger Starts In UK & France Than First ‘Hunger Games 2: Catching Fire’ Tracking New November Record: Hot $140M-$150M Full Golden Globes Coverage: GOLDEN GLOBES TV: Big Night For Freshmen, Pay Cable And 20th TV Ricky Gervais Critiques His Own Performance As Golden Globes Host Backstage At The Golden Globes Golden Globes Studio/Network Scorecard Golden Globes Winners List Golden Globes Fashion: Who Wore What? UPDATE: My live-snark of the 69th Annual Golden Globes started at 5 PM tonight based on the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 2012 nominations. Come for the cynicism. Stay for the subversion. Add your comment. Warning: Not for the easily offended or ridiculously naive. The 2012 Golden Globes take place inside the Beverly Hilton Hotel ballroom at a star-studded dinner broadcast live by NBC and emceed for the 3rd time by Hollywood’s enfant terrible Ricky Gervais. Only this host can’t resist openly loathing everyone including the Hollywood Foreign Press Association putting on the show. Perhaps Christian Bale summed it up best when he took the stage last year and called the HFPA “those oddball characters”. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: the Golden Globes are completely meaningless awards bestowed by a scandal-riddled organization on a network desperate for ratings. (More on this at the end of the post…) I only hope that Ricky Gervais can live up to his performance last year when he ensured the meanest Golden Globes on record. NBC has been hyping him as “the host we can’t control”. Considering that NBC is in dead last place again among the networks, that’s encouraging. Bring it on, Ricky, even if Hollywood and the HFPA will hate you later. The show is about to start: Last year Ricky wanted to come out in a Nazi uniform. He chickened out this year, too. “So where was I? Nervous?,” Gervais asked the audience. Then he immediately dissed NBC and the Golden Globes themselves. “The Golden Globes are just like the Oscars — but without all that esteem.” This is definitely toned-down Gervais. He’s obviously been muzzled or muzzled himself. What a sell-out. Making never-was Kim Kardashian jokes is beyond easy. Same with washed-up Eddie Murphy jokes about Norbit. Ricky is too chicken to go after the bonafide Hollywood stars. Doesn’t lay a glove on Adam Sandler even though the comedian just had a big film bomb. (“Eddie Murphy and Adam Sandler played all the parts in The Help.”) And arrogant asshole James Cameron jokes. (“I’ve sat through longer James Cameron acceptance speeches” than Kim Kardashian’s marriage.) Gervais pretends he’s not cowed: “The Hollywood Foreign Press warned me if I cause any controversy whatsoever they’ll invite me back next year. He reads the rules he’s been given: “No profanity, no nudity, not to libel anyone, and I mustn’t mention Mel Gibson this year and especially not Jodie Foster’s Beaver.” With that, Jodie gives the thumbs-up sign. This is the best Gervais can do to open the show? Incredibly stale stuff. It’s going to be a loooong night… Gervais asks Johnny Depp if he’s on recreational drugs. “Have you seen The Tourist yet?” Johnny replies, “No”. And I believe him. “Oh, he’s fun,” Depp mutters about Gervais. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER – BEGINNERS Plummer affectionately calls Ewen McGregor “that scene-stealing swine”. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL LAURA DERN – ENLIGHTENED Dern thanks Lucille Ball. Nice warmth. BEST MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION DOWNTON ABBEY (MASTERPIECE) – PBS – A Carnival/Masterpiece Co-production Was there any doubt that Julian Fellowes would take this home to Britain? BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION KATE WINSLET – MILDRED PIERCE Oh, Kate, please stop memorizing your speeches. They lose all their spontaneity. And not a word about Joan Crawford? Shame on you… Once again, HBO bought a Globe. This mini-series was tepid at best. maudlin at worst. And not Kate’s finest hours to be sure. Really, I can’t believe how sanitized the opening half-hour of the Golden Globes has been. What happened to all the danger NBC was hyping by having Gervais host again? Real disappointment. Step it up, Ricky, or you’re yesterday’s news. Jakes Gyllenhaal looks good out of the Witness Protection Program that has become his thwarted career. “We’re already 5 minutes over. That’s your fault,’ Gervais says to the audience. “Keep your speeches short. Thank God and your agent. I know for a fact that God and my agent have had exactly the same input in my career.” This stuff isn’t even amateur night at the Improv stand-up worthy. KELSEY GRAMMER – BOSS Kelsey thanks Starz boss Chris Albrecht for his “balls” for ordering the show without pilot or all 8 episodes. I think Kelsey won for his performance pretending to still love his soon-to-be ex-wife Camille on Bravo’s The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills. SHOWTIME Presents, Teakwood Lane Productions, Cherry Pie Productions, Keshet, Fox 21 Well the HFPA morons get at least one award right. Homeland was the best TV I’ve seen in a long, long time. Claire Danes was transformative. Damien Lewis even better than in Band Of Brothers. Mandy Patinkin not annoying like he usually is. Granted, it’s a remake of an Israeli show. But I’d follow 24‘s Howard Gordon anywhere that terrorism takes him. What was Jimmy Fallon doing. Anybody? ANYBODY? Jimmy, stop trying so hard. At least you didn’t come out with your guitar. Calm down, sit tight, and in a year you’ll get Jay Leno’s The Tonight Show. Whether you deserve it or not. Might think about adjusting your meds, meanwhile. LUDOVIC BOURCE – THE ARTIST This French guy from The Artist is really Bernie Rosenberg from The Bronx. He just doesn’t know it. But Harvey Weinstein does… “MASTERPIECE” — W.E. Music & Lyrics by: Madonna, Julie Frost, Jimmy Harry You honestly thought the HFPA had Madonna in its audience and wouldn’t give her an award? Oh you naive people. Granted the song is pretty good. But this was bought and paid for by everyone concerned. Meanwhile, could Madonna be more irritating? Between that fake British accent and her fake humility, she’s the reason why Lady Gaga is doing a more real Madonna imitation now. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION IDRIS ELBA – LUTHER Considering that Tyler Perry stole Elba’s Alex Cross role, this is small comfort indeed for Idris. Really, Tyler, stick to cross-dressing in your movies and holding Oprah’s handbag the rest of the time. Seth Rogan: “I am currently trying to conceal a massive erection.” Don’t believe it’s because he’s standing next to Kate Beckinsale. It’s because he actually has an audience watching him right now since few people go to his movies anymore. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL MICHELLE WILLIAMS – MY WEEK WITH MARILYN What a triumphant night for The Weinstein Company. (I just threw up in my mouth a little when I wrote that.) Will there be an Oscar backlash? The ‘Stop Harv’ line starts right outside the DreamWorks office (War Horse) or GK Films headquarters (Hugo). No wonder Scott Rudin is laying low this year. Hey, if I want to see a boring awards show, I can watch the Oscars. Someone get the real Ricky Gervais onstage — and quick. Piper Perabo and Sarah Michelle Gellar come out wearing two of the worst dresses I’ve ever seen. One looks like a Mildred Pierce bedspread. And the other looks like Wicked‘s good witch castoff. Trust me: inappropriate ballgowns on young women will never be chic. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV PETER DINKLAGE – GAME OF THRONES Nice touch that even Dinklage’s own mother thought Guy Pearce would win for Mildred Pierce. I think Pearce is among the most underrated actors working today. And he was wasted in that HBO mini-series which gave him hardly anything to do. The film role was so much juicier. I’m truly embarrassed for Ricky Gervais that he felt the need to blow so much smoke up George Clooney’s ass. It’s as if Ricky is playing a part of a host instead of actually taking control of the podium. Someone must have read him the riot act for him to remain so tame. He’s killing his career right now. If Hollywood’s enfant terrible is meek and mild, no one will care about him anymore. Bye-bye Ricky… THE ADVENTURES OF TINTIN – Paramount/Columbia/Hemisphere Capital/Amblin/Wingnut Films/Kennedy/Marshall Production Steven Spielberg gets his moment solo because Peter Jackson is back in New Zealand making The Hobbit. “I want to thank Brad Grey for his courage,” Spielberg says. Hilarious, considering that Steven et al at DreamWorks did everything they could to get Grey fired when Paramount owned them. Who has the last laugh now? Actually both men. Doing well is the best revenge. Unless Reliance pulls the plug on DreamWorks 2.0. WOODY ALLEN – MIDNIGHT IN PARIS No Woody. Not even a taped piece from NYC. Long sigh… BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TV JESSICA LANGE – AMERICAN HORROR STORY Lange did herself a lot of good by thanking the writers. “And especially Ryan [Murphy] who convinced me to do this.” Um, didn’t Murphy et al decide to kill off most of the cast for Season 2 except Lange? Mean move. [UPDATE: A commenter tells me the plan all along on American Horror Story was for it to focus on a different family/location each year. But I don’t watch the show. Because I make it a practice to never make Ryan Murphy richer than he already is. Have you people seen his Malibu crib? Obscene.] Last year I wrote that it was the meanest Golden Globes. This year it’s the treacliest. Gervais didn’t even try skewering Madonna. Instead Madonna tried to skewer him. “If I’m still just ‘Like A Virgin’, Ricky, then why don’t you come over here and do something about it. I haven’t kissed a girl in a few years. On TV.” Can I please turn off this crapfest now? Ricky, you’re a sell-out! A SEPARATION (IRAN) (Jodaeiye Nader az Simin) – Asghar Farhadi; Sony Pictures Classics Correct choice. Terrible place to make movies. Filmmakers there deserve worldwide support. Remember when Dustin Hoffman was funny? Before Botox froze his features. CLAIRE DANES – HOMELAND Absolutely deserved. Danes should be on her way to having a Meryl Streep-like career as she gets older. She picks the right parts with her team. Something sad about two talented comediennes — Tina Fey and Jane Lynch — high-fivin’ over a penis joke. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL MATT LEBLANC – EPISODES What a Showtime near-sweep if anybody took these awards seriously. I wish LeBlanc had had the gonads to thank NBC for not entirely killing off his career with Joey. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A MOTION PICTURE OCTAVIA SPENCER – THE HELP The movie may have been annoying with that lame theme of black women triumphing with help from whites. But when it gives these movie awards more diversity, and honors such a deserving actress, then who isn’t on board with this win? But I still found the pic and its marketing incredibly offensive. My live-snarking, my website, so deal with it. I keep having this nagging feeling that I’ve missed an award tonight. Or maybe it’s just that I’m missing an awards show that used to spin out of control. This Golden Globes is in a straitjacket. I want these hours of my life back. I didn’t sign up to live-snark a ‘nice’ show. Morgan Freeman getting honored? The HFPA might as well show a sign that says “Bathroom Break” on a black screen… Freeman to Red co-star Helen Mirren who intro-ed him: “Watching you handle a gun makes me know I never want to piss you off.” OK, now if Robert Downey Jr isn’t funny, then the fix is in. Oh yes, it’s in. Gervais has disappeared into the backdrop of this show both visually and viscerally. Angelina Jolie, to quote the movie Crazy, Stupid, Love, looks photoshopped. Yowza! Steven Huvaune should stop making up lists with Jennifer Aniston as the Sexiest Woman of the Decade or whatever. It’s just embarrassing next to this goddess. MARTIN SCORSESE – HUGO The biggest non-surprise of the night. Not that Scorsese doesn’t deserve it. But he’s intimately involved in digital restoration funded by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and others. But Hugo still hasn’t a prayer of making money with that $200+M budget because so far it’s a stiff at the box office everywhere. Oh now I get it, this year is Hollywood’s turn to rag on Ricky who’s been deliberately de-fanged. (Wish I knew what Antonio Banderas said… Anyone translating it?) BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL MODERN FAMILY – ABC – Levitan-Lloyd Productions in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television Loved the shtick which had Steve Levitan translating for what’s-her-name and telling every actress to go sleep with Hollywood writers “who are so funny and so sexy. Film actresses, do yourselves a favor at the parties tonight and give them your phone numbers. They may look pasty and nervous and out-of-shape but they’re the greatest lovers I’ve ever had. Seriously.” Not only is Steve Levitan gorgeous, but he’s also the only genuinely funny guy 24/7 in Hollywood. (As Brad Grey when he was a manager once said about his client Levitan: “He’s the only Jewish guy I know who’s a 40 tall.”) BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL JEAN DUJARDIN – THE ARTIST Harvey is taking out a hit on Dujardin as we speak because he failed to mention The Weinstein Co. To think Warner Bros partly funded The Artist and now doesn’t reap the rewards because it decided not to distribute. Can anyone stop Weinstein from near-sweeping the Oscars, too? FYI, DreamWorks CEO Stacey Snider really wanted Halle Berry to introduce The Help. Queen Latifah is just a fill-in. Why is Ricky boasting about having a job where he’s “getting drunk and saying what he wants — and they still pay you”? Not tonight. I’d take back his emcee fee if it were up to me. Gervais makes a feeble attempt to target “the evil Colin Firth” because he’s racist and punches kids. Firth gets off one at Gervais’ expense instead. That must be what all the stars were promised this time around: ‘You can use Ricky this time as your punching bag’, and NBC guaranteed it won’t be the other way around. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA MERYL STREEP – THE IRON LADY Seriously? Another win for The Weinstein Co? What did Harvey do: get every member of the HFPA green cards and/or permanent U.S. citizenship? (Well, he is a bundler for the Democratic party/Obama re-election campaign.) This is a movie that many Britons hated (not unlike Madonna’s W.E.) Shouldn’t that make it an anathema to the foreign press? Nope. “I want to thank everybody in England who let me trample all over their history,” Streep said. Meryl wasn’t just joking when she thanked “my agent Kavein Huvane and God — Harvey Weinstein. The Punisher. Old Testament, I guess.” Harvey tried to act humble. Still, it’s an astonishing night for him. Two years ago he was down and out. Now he’s The Don again. The fact is he’s just so much better than other moguls at seducing these awards voters and swanning the clueless media. BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL THE ARTIST – La Petite Reine, Studio 37, La Classe Americaine, JD Prod, France3 Cinema, Jouror Production, uFilms; The Weinstein Company Uggie onstage steals the show. But here’s the best reason I know not to give as many Oscars to The Artist as the HFPA did tonight: that effin’ music is going to get incredibly annoying as it plays over and over on Academy Awards night. Now Harv is called The Boss. BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA GEORGE CLOONEY – THE DESCENDANTS You didn’t think the HFPA would have George Clooney in its audience tonight and fail to give him an award? That’s how the Golden Globes work. TOLDJA! George Clooney praises Brad Pitt’s work onscreen and off-screen just so NBC can get another shot of Brangelina for the folks back home… But there’s no doubt that the Best Actor Oscar category will be the hardest to win this year what with George, Brad, Leo, Michael, Ryan, vying among many more. THE DESCENDANTS – Ad Hominem Enterprises; Fox Searchlight Pictures CAA’s Bryan Lourd gets a primetime shoutout. This win is a surprise. Fox Searchlight must be rejoicing given the stiff competition. It’s certainly one of the few specialty films from 2011 that has made real money. (By contrast, The Artist is still hunting for coin.) I also think it puts Alexander Payne in a prime position to win Best Director Oscar — finally — because Scorsese won’t win again. Of that I’m sure. Mercifully, the show is ending. My final verdict? Gervais didn’t kill at the Golden Globes. He was killed by it. He went from supervillain to super-eunuch in the space of one year. Tonight Hollywood got its revenge by ruining his career… Here’s why I hate the Golden Globes: Studios and networks who lavishly lobby the HFPA almost always score nominations. Stars win in direct correlation to their glamour quotient. Everything about the awards is geared towards hyping the media’s interest and the telecast’s ratings. Journalists like myself for years have been attacking the HFPA for its exclusionary membership policies. The small motley group of 85 mostly freelancers who belong to the HFPA won’t allow in the real foreign journalists at the prestige media outlets across the world. The HFPA clique doesn’t want to dilute the financial bonanza they receive from the studios and networks who arrange exclusive interviews about each year’s movies and TV shows. Oscar-winning documentary director (Vikram Jayanti, in his 2004 film The Golden Globes: Hollywood’s Dirty Little Secret) has called the group a bunch of “freeloaders” who know more about hors d’oeuvres than auteurs and select winners based on “who kisses butt best”. The HFPA has been accused in a lawsuit by its former publicist of accepting “payola” and other questionable business practices. Even though the charges are denied by the HFPA, the lawsuit alleges what we’ve all known: that the Golden Globes and the organization behind it have zero integrity. The Federal Communications Commission one year even accused the HFPA of misleading the public as to how the winners were determined. The organizations who put on the Golden Globes — NBC and Dick Clark Productions — could clean up the HFPA but choose not to. That’s because everybody is making gobs of money, including the HFPA, which pockets an estimated $30 million in broadcast fees for the awards show. Instead, the entire entertainment industry props up this pathetic broadcast, which is seen as a night-long marketing movie and TV tool. Only once in the last seven years has the winner of one of the Golden Globe best film prizes gone on to win Best Picture at the Oscars (2008′s Slumdog Millionaire). So I refuse to treat these awards with any seriousness. And if you don’t want that, then for crissakes stop reading me… The only reason I can think of to tune in to the Golden Globes is for the bad behavior. Over the years, Jack Nicholson has mooned the audience, Jim Carrey has talked out of his butt, Christine Lahti was locked in the bathroom, and other unscripted weirdness occurs at this intimate dinner. Including 1982′s low point when Pia Zadora’s husband bought her best “New Star Of The Year”. 10 'Cobra Kai' Actor Ralph Macchio Salutes NHL's Washington Capitals Homage Latest Awardsline News Greasepaint And Horsehair: How 'Ma Rainey's Black Bottom's Makeup & Hair Designers Captured Essence Of A Trailblazing Blues Singer And Her World Fresh Face: Helena Zengel Holds Her Own Opposite Tom Hanks In Her Debut 'News Of The World'	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5395
__label__wiki	0.613537	0.613537	Surprise Guests: Matt Littler and Darren Jeffries previously known as Max and OB from Hollyoaks, are joining us at Light House or Deaffest this Saturday! In 2008 after 10 fulfilling years playing Max & OB in Channel 4’s flagship soap Hollyoaks, winning a British Soap Award for ‘Best Onscreen Partnership’ and an NTA Award, Matt Littler & Darren Jeffries said goodbye to the show to develop their TV and media careers with Money North… 18 months on and they are already firmly established as 2 of the nation’s favourite TV presenters . From initial slots on The Hollyoaks Music Show & Freshly Squeezed they quickly developed their own brand of presenting appearing as roving reporters on Channel 4’s 2008 coverage of the V Festival to hosting their own show at the Edinburgh Festival & presenting Orange Rock Corp for T4. The duo also managed to develop their hugely popular radio show for Bauer’s Rock FM (narrowly missing out on a Sony newcomer nomination after only 3 months on air), presented The Clothes Show Live in Birmingham and became the faces of the Royal Air Force. 2009 has so far seen the boys becoming the faces of 4Music hosting The Versus Chart while launching their own ratings winning show “Red Bull Rivals” again for T4 while making numerous personal appearances with their own live show at venues across the UK. Money Management Uk You can also find out more about the pair by visiting their facebook page. You can see the full festival listing here and tickets are still available for the Saturday Evening Gala Awards Ceremony by calling 01902 716 055 or visiting www.theticketsellers.co.uk and searching for “Light House” under venues. Posted by Deaffest on November 26, 2009 in News and tagged Darren Jefferies, deaffest, Matt Littler, saturday.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5396
__label__cc	0.66958	0.33042	7"s Shirts/ Other All Products expand Mutual Jerk- S/T 7" HAHA-07 finally here. While i love everything i have released, this is something for all involved parties to be proud of. At first we all told the story of how everyone in this band was playing an instrument they hadn't played before, but that seems irrelevant to me now, they have all mastered what they are doing. An interesting beginning but we are further into the book of Jerk now. No trending...I don't think they could imitate if they tried. It's unfortunate that a movement supposedly built on individuality yields so much imitation. Not to take away from bands like Glue or Gag, but if i have sit through one more worship band.....This one's got 3 songs. I'd like to imagine them performing these on the Ricki Lake show, all members of the b-52s smashed together into one person like in the machine from Cronenberg's "The Fly" as singer. Band made up people who auditioned for No Trend, Nada Surf, or Saccharine Trust and didn't make the cut, so they ghost road the hosaka into cyberspace creating digital effigies of themselves and broadcast as holograms with the B52's/fly creature as their front person on Ricki Lake and were immediately projected into cyber fame. Mutual Jerk bobbleheads forth coming. I am hungover from the opening night of a music festival here in Atlanta that they played, so my write up is probably wack, but damn this is a really special record and i can't wait for what comes next. Not gonna drop a bunch of comparisons, cos they just sound like Mutual Jerk. Buy or die. Back to 50% Off Clearance © 2021, digitalregress Powered by Shopify	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5402
__label__cc	0.663909	0.336091	Sprint Muziq by LG Review Creating a musicphone in this post-iPhone landscape is a difficult proposition. You used to get the obvious comparisons to the iPod and now you have to contend with what some folks are calling the “bestest iPod in the whole wide world and even in China! (TM)”. It’s enough to make a carrier cry. But Sprint knows that it has to keep releasing phones and it knows that it might as well drop some good ones, with good features, and let the folks without $600 to spend on a robot dropping with a touchscreen pick from a wider pool. Enter the Muziq. The Muziq is a standard flip phone with a MicroSD slot and front music controls. The music controls have vibration feedback, a newish feature that’s already making waves in the LG Prada. It runs on Sprint’s CDMA EV-DO network and offers Power Vision downloads along with downloads from Sprint’s music store. The coolest feature, however, and the one it shares with its older cousin, the Fusic, is the FM transmitter. The Muziq lets you send music from the phone to any car or in-home radio. This feature adds a bit of cool to an otherwise plain-Jane music phone and might be a welcome addition during long drives or bouts of Russian Roulette in some sweat-fly besotted Cambodian bordello. Just imagine the thrill of the latest Fergie single blasting out of a scratchy Coby transistor radio while you and your soul stare down the abyss! Otherwise, this is just a phone. It supports Bluetooth stereo and will soon be able to connect to Pandora Mobile which, like Pandora, creates a live playlist based on your preferences. It has a 1.3-megapixel camera with flash and runs for about 10 hours on one charge, 4 if you’re making calls. It includes a long cable for connecting standard headphones to the phone’s tiny headset port. It will cost $99 (with 2-year contract and after rebate, BTW) when it is officially available on July 15. The player supports playlists and will pause the music when a call comes in. It can also be set to shuffle all of your songs. It remembers which song you paused it at but going back to your playlist after restarting the phone loses all place information, so you might not want to listen to audiobooks on this old boy. There are lots of musicphones out there. There’s the 5300 — quite nice — and the Chocolate — urm… — and the UpStage and even the vaunted iPhone. All are good in their own way, and none of them will win the Blue Ribbon at the County Fair for best music-playing cellphone. If you need something now and you want to play music, however, the Muziq is a safe bet.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5409
__label__wiki	0.625272	0.625272	Netgear releases two powerline solutions just as I bought a powerline solution Seriously. I just went and got some powerline stuff because the devices I used for about a year just died over Christmas. I used to be very skeptical of powerline networking solutions but now I’m quite impressed by the speed and reliability. I’m sold! Anyway, Netgear has two new solutions, the Powerline 200 AV and the Powerline 200 AV+. The plus has an extra power outlet on it. Woot. Both transmit at 200Mbps. They are $149 and $169 respectively. NETGEAR Plugs Two Powerful New HomePlug AV Powerline Networking Kits into Product Line-up at the Consumer Electronics Show Advanced Design and Technology Improves Performance Up to 20 Percent Over Competing Powerline Home Theater Solutions LAS VEGAS — January 6, 2010 — NETGEAR®, Inc. (NASDAQGM: NTGR), a worldwide provider of technologically innovative, branded networking solutions, today expanded its award-winning family of powerline networking solutions with two new devices incorporating HomePlug® AV-certified powerline technology: the diminutive Powerline 200 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB2001) and the Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter Kit (XAVB2501) with a filtered “pass-through” power socket. These networking kits incorporate the latest in design and technology innovations to support performance surpassing that of existing solutions by as much as 20 percent. These solutions enable high-performance applications such as HD video streaming, Voice over IP (VoIP), Internet gaming, and large file transfers to networked devices over existing electrical wiring in environments where wireless network performance may be challenged. NETGEAR will introduce its new products at two press events today in conjunction with the opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. See today’s press release, “NETGEAR Introduces New Solutions at Consumer Electronics Show To Enable Any Media on Any Screen, Anywhere at Anytime” at http://www.netgear.com/About/PressReleases/en-US/2010/20100105a.aspx. Powerline technology enables consumers to create a 10/100 Ethernet connection from any ordinary electrical outlet, thus eliminating the need to run new cables and lowering the overall cost to deploy a high-speed data network. Consumers can extend the range of their home network with these affordable, simple-to-install adapters, especially those consumers who use Internet-connected devices that demand high bandwidth, such as the new NETGEAR Digital Entertainer Express (EVA9100), Elite (EVA9150) and Live (EVA2000) digital media players, Blu-ray™ players, TiVo®, Apple TV®, Xbox 360™, PlayStation® 3, DVRs, and network-enabled TVs. Moreover, because these new NETGEAR powerline kits are HomePlug AV-certified, they can easily and affordably extend any existing HomePlug AV network. “Powerline has become an increasingly popular option for an always-on infrastructure because of the explosive growth in connected AV devices, and the high speeds and reliability required to support these demanding applications,” said Chris Geiser, NETGEAR’s product line manager for in-home distribution consumer products. “Home theater products need constant, shared and faster access to the Internet and the home network. You might have wireless dead spots in your house. You probably don’t have Ethernet in your walls. But chances are, you’ve got at least one electrical outlet in every room in your house. Powerline can boldly go where no Internet connection has gone before. Besides, you can’t beat powerline adapters for simple set-up and ease-of-use.” NETGEAR has a well-documented track record of bringing the latest in powerline technologies to the market, offering a broad portfolio of powerline connectivity options optimized to deliver the highest performance, including single-port, pass-through, 4-port, and wireless extensions. (http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters.aspx) NETGEAR is the only networking company that offers the full range of in-home distribution technologies to the retail and service provider markets, including powerline, MoCA® coax and wireless. “While wireless is becoming increasingly popular as the core technology for home networks and is often embedded into new products, its performance can be affected by many factors, including the construction materials of the building itself,” said Norm Bogen, vice president of digital entertainment research for In-Stat. “Powerline can be a great complementary solution for TVs, Blu-ray players, set-top boxes and other home theater devices that still require a wired connection.” Powerline 200 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB2001) The NETGEAR Powerline 200 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB2001) is HomePlug AV-certified, featuring up to 200 Mbps performance through powerline. Its performance surpasses that of competing solutions and even that of NETGEAR’s own award-winning Powerline AV Ethernet Adapter Kit (XAVB101) by up 20 percent. It’s distinguished by its compact size, smaller than a deck of cards and up to 50 percent smaller than competing products. It is thus an excellent choice for consumers who are concerned that a powerline device might block an open power outlet. The NETGEAR Powerline 200 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB2001) containing two adapters will be available worldwide in January 2010 at an MSRP in the U.S. of $149. Single adapters (XAV2001) will have an MSRP in the U.S. of $79. Photos and other information are at http://www.netgear.com/Products/PowerlineNetworking/PowerlineEthernetAdapters/xavb2001.aspx. Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter Kit (XAVB2501) The HomePlug-certified NETGEAR Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter Kit (XAVB2501) shares the same performance and design benefits as the Powerline 200 AV Adapter Kit (XAVB2001), but differs from its sister product in offering a unique integrated filtered power socket for “pass-through” capability. This ensures that customers don’t cannibalize an existing wall power socket with the adapter, which means they can connect a wider range of power-hungry devices than competing solutions while still maintaining the highest performance. The NETGEAR Powerline 200 AV+ Adapter Kit (XAVB2501) containing two adapters will be available worldwide in February 2010 at an MSRP in the U.S. of $169. Single adapters (XAV2501) will have an MSRP in the U.S. of $89.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5411
__label__wiki	0.571199	0.571199	The Startup You Want To Work At The Most Is Your Own Alexia Tsotsis 9 years By now it is a common axiom in Silicon Valley small talk that good engineers are, at the moment, murder to come by. While the most prominent talent battles have thus far been between Facebook and Google, I was curious whether there was a specific smaller startup that everyone wanted to work at. So I set up a GoPollGo poll asking, “If you could work for a startup, any startup, which one would it be?” and included the Valley’s most prominent startups, adding new ones as they were suggested by you guys. The poll, which was tweeted out by the TechCrunch account and posted to our Facebook, got over 36K views and over 5K votes over two days. The immediate winners? Your own startup — whatever that may be — and the still stealth Milk. But, allowing for the Kevin Rose effect (even though I’m sure Milk is a great place to work and will be even more so after it actually launches something) and taking into account what the numbers looked like before Rose tweeted out the poll link, it seems like most people, if they have to work for someone else, would want to do the time at Square and Twitter, with Facebook clocking in immediately afterwards. So why the crazy appeal of the houses that Jack Dorsey built? Says one Valley bystander, “People want to work with Jack. I think the design and engineering teams are highly respected. Most startups are making junk. Jack was able to use design to make something as dull as payments sexy and interesting.” You can view the rest of the poll here. Aside from the crazy Milk numbers, it pretty much jives with what everyone intuitively knows about where everyone else wants to work.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5412
__label__wiki	0.849306	0.849306	SpaceX aims to reuse a Falcon 9 booster used in January on June 17 Darrell Etherington @etherington / 4 years SpaceX is hoping to return the Falcon 9 first stage booster used in its first flight back to active operations on January 14. That’s an impressive turn around time if they can pull it off – roughly six months. SpaceX has reused a Falcon 9 first stage just once, for its March 30 SES-10 mission. The turnaround for that rocket refurbishment took nearly a year, so under six months would be a drastic improvement, as it’ll halve the timeline of the previous effort. Eventually, SpaceX hopes to fly its Falcon 9 rockets again within 24 hours of use, so that it can pack as many launches as possible into as short a timeframe as possible, in order to maximize its launch capacity and achieve greater economies of scale. Hours after CRS-11 lifted off, this flight-proven booster rolled into the hangar at 39A; targeting June 17 launch of BulgariaSat-1. pic.twitter.com/ZcqRQeJPx6 The BulgariaSat-1 mission on June 17 where SpaceX hopes to reuse the used Falcon 9 will take place from the Kennedy Space Center. It was originally slated to occur at the end of last year, but the timing was pushed back as a result of SpaceX’s launch pad pre-flight rocket explosion last September.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5413
__label__wiki	0.697234	0.697234	Google promises publishers an alternative to AMP Frederic Lardinois @fredericl / 3 years Google’s AMP project is not uncontroversial. Users often love it because it makes mobile sites load almost instantly. Publishers often hate it because they feel like they are giving Google too much control in return for better placement on its search pages. Now Google proposes to bring some of the lessons it learned from AMP to the web as a whole. Ideally, this means that users will profit from Google’s efforts and see faster non-AMP sites across the web (and not just in their search engines). Publishers, however, will once again have to adopt a whole new set of standards for their sites, but with this, Google is also giving them a new path to be included in the increasingly important Top Stories carousel on its mobile search results pages. “Based on what we learned from AMP, we now feel ready to take the next step and work to support more instant-loading content not based on AMP technology in areas of Google Search designed for this, like the Top Stories carousel,” AMP tech lead Malte Ubl writes today. “This content will need to follow a set of future web standards and meet a set of objective performance and user experience criteria to be eligible.” AMP, in many ways, is a hack on top of the web that uses a smart combination of modern web technologies, iframes, a stripped-down set of markup and proxies to speed up pages. Now, with new standards like Web Packaging (you can think of it as a ZIP file for web content), Feature Policy (so developers can turn certain browser features on and off at will), Paint Timing and others, developers have tools to speed up their sites even more. Google says it wants to highlight sites that use these technologies to feature non-AMP sites in its Top Stories carousel when and if they meet its performance and user experience criteria and implement these new standards. The AMP team stresses that Web Packaging, in particular, will allow it to instant-load pages outside of AMP. To some degree, these new technologies clear a path for publishers who want to be featured in Google’s Top Stories carousel on mobile without having to use AMP. For now, though, the AMP team is also pretty clear about the fact that it can’t provide publishers a timeline for when Google itself will start implementing these changes. Many of the standards, after all, are still in flux. Unsurprisingly then, Google continues to recommend that publishers bet on AMP for the time being. “We hope this work will also unlock AMP-like embeddability that powers Google Search features like the Top Stories carousel,” writes Ubl. “Meanwhile, AMP will be Google’s well-lit path to creating great user experiences on the web. It will be just one of many choices, but it will be the one we recommend.” With AMP still being the recommended solution, though, some critics will surely wonder whether Google is simply interested in building and highlighting this second path to deflect people’s criticism of the AMP project. Having talked to the AMP team in the past, I’m sure that’s not the goal here, but given the community’s suspicions of AMP, that’s something the team will likely have to address sooner or later.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5414
__label__cc	0.500631	0.499369	WhatsApp copies Telegram to add one-way ‘broadcast’ mode to group chats “Good artists borrow great artists steal” is a phrase that Facebook seems acutely aware of. It’s common to speak of Instagram, the Facebook-owned photo-app-now-social-network, borrowing from Snapchat, but now Facebook’s WhatsApp chat app is increasingly drawing its innovation from others such as Telegram. This week, WhatsApp outed a new feature for its groups that is essentially a replica of Telegram’s channels — that is, a one-way broadcast communication stream. Telegram channels are popular for setting up a broadcast news feed that allows people to sign up to get alerts from channel admins, who might be news agencies, companies, schools, public interest groups or more. Now WhatsApp is adding the feature to give its message app new use cases. Actually, as is often the case for WhatsApp, users have unofficially adopted channel-like behavior for some time. Last year, for example, there were reports of a rural journalist using the messaging app to report and broadcast local news. Doing that is suddenly a whole lot easier through this new ‘broadcast-only’ feature. “One way people use groups is to receive important announcements and information, including parents and teachers at schools, community centers, and non-profit organizations. We’ve introduced this new setting so admins can have better tools for these use cases,” WhatsApp wrote in a short blog post. Still, the fact that WhatsApp requires users to provide a phone number to join groups — anyone’s number can be looked up by any group member — is one issue when it comes to creating or joining public groups. Telegram has introduced usernames, which mitigate that issue, but still, the app doesn’t have anything like WhatsApp’s scale which is a crucial consideration when deciding which app to plump for. WhatsApp has over 1.5 billion active users, more than 200 million of which are in India, whereas Telegram recently passed 200 million active users worldwide.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5415
__label__wiki	0.980393	0.980393	Facebook rolls out new business tools for Messenger, kills the ‘Discover’ tab Sarah Perez @sarahintampa / 1 year Facebook today is formally rolling out a new suite of tools for its 40 million active businesses on Messenger, including appointment booking, lead generation and others announced earlier this year at its F8 developer conference. As a part of these changes, Facebook will also begin to phase out the Discover tab in Messenger — a feature that became home to both games and businesses following last fall’s redesign. Today, Facebook says the Discover tab will be pulled from the Messenger app over the next several months. Instead, it will invest in making sure Facebook users are directed to interact with businesses via Messenger in other ways. “We want to make it more seamless for people to reach out to businesses on Messenger in places where they’re already looking to connect,” explains Facebook, of its decision to kill off the Discover feature. “We will put more investment into tools to connect people and businesses — including updates to m.me links, web plugins, various entry points across our family of apps, as well as ad products — that lead to Messenger,” the company says. In terms of its new business tools, the lead-generation product will launch as a Messenger template within Facebook Ads Manager this week. The template lets businesses create automated experiences to help qualify their leads in Messenger, then continue conversations in the app or integrate with existing CRM tools to track the leads further. The feature has been in beta following F8, but will now be publicly available. Appointment booking was announced at F8, too, but is only now launching into beta with select developers and businesses. This feature allows businesses to accept appointment requests and make bookings in real-time through Messenger. It also integrates with existing calendar-booking software, and can help Messenger conversations be turned into in-store traffic, as well as online and phone appointments, the company says. The feature will be launched globally to all developers later in the year. Another update mentioned today involves plans to launch improved event reporting in Messenger later this year, which will allow businesses to report and track their Messenger conversations. Plus, Facebook says it’s updating the Standard Messaging window for businesses to 24 hours (which is how long they have to respond to inquiries from customers). This brings it in line with WhatsApp’s window. After 24 hours, businesses can still use sponsored messages to re-engage customers and message tags (e.g. updates on purchases, event reminders, changes to their account, and now in closed beta, “human agent,” which will let agents respond to issues that need resolution after the standard messaging window closes). Messenger’s Subscription Messaging beta program, meanwhile, is changing today as well. It’s now going to be limited to “vetted news organizations.” This came about because some businesses were using the feature in violation of Facebook’s guidelines, the company admitted. The feature is designed to send regular news updates to subscribers. The timing of this change is somewhat interesting, as Facebook is preparing to relaunch efforts to feature top news stories on its social network, this time vetted by journalists and featuring content Facebook pays for. There’s room for some interoperability here between the news product and subscriptions/updates, but it’s not clear if or how that will come to pass. Of course, the biggest Messenger consumer news from F8 — a desktop app for Mac and PC — hasn’t yet come to pass, but is expected sometime this year.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5416
__label__cc	0.605497	0.394503	Consular Work Enters 21st Century: US Citizen John McAfee Blogs from Guatemala Jail December 7, 2012 By domani spero in Americans Abroad, Consular Work, People, Social Media, State Department, Technology and Work, Training, U.S. Missions Tags: Belize, CA Bureau, Consular Affairs, Guatemala, John McAfee, Republic of Z, US Embassy Belmopan, US Embassy Guatemala Perhaps you’ve heard by now about the anti-virus software tycoon John McAfee who fled Belize to seek asylum in Guatemala. If not, read Wired magazine’s piece, John McAfee, Unhinged: His Bizarre Breaks From Reality. Anyway, Mr. McAfee has now been arrested in Guate, was refused asylum and will reportedly be sent back to Belize where authorities were looking to question him about the shooting death of American expatriate Greg Faull. But because the Internet is the now public space, Mr. McAfee has an official blog (The Hinterland, the official blog of John McAfee) which is updated often. He is on Facebook, YouTube and Twitter. His tweets @officialmcafee has over 11,000 followers, about the same number of followers as @usembassyguate, the official Twitter feed of US Embassy Guatemala. And he’s blogging even in jail! About this being a “groundbreaking” activity and about speaking to a Duty Officer at the US Embassy in Guatemala. Blogging from jail Date: December 6, 2012 at 5:24 am- by John McAfee- Comment(s): 84 I am in jail in Guatemala. Vastly superior to Belize jails. I asked for a computer and one magically appeared. The coffee is also excellent. Only time will tell what will happen. No one has a crystal ball. However, I would be truly shocked if I did not conduct the press conference tomorrow as I had originally planned. Stay tuned. I believe, by the way, that blogging from a jail cell might be a groundbreaking activity. The American Embassy Guatemala I just spoke with the duty officer at the Embassy who said there is nothing that they can do. I asked to be returned to the States, and again … nothing they can do. So I will wait and see. P.S. Anybody have friends in the State Department? Late afternoon of December 6, Mr. McAfee made a plea to his supporters to email or tweet the President of Guatemala to “beg him to allow the court system to proceed, to determine my status in Guatemala, and please support the political asylum that I am asking for.” Shortly after that, reports says he was taken to a hospital. But it was not a heart attack, just high stress. ABC News who has a reporter in Guate writes that John McAfee has been returned to an immigration detention cell in Guatemala after being rushed to a Guatemala City hospital via ambulance and that he may soon be deported back to Belize. We can’t remember a case of a US citizen arrested overseas who is, in the words of one journalist covering the State Department, “a walking television show.” And this one has a Twitter and blog account and is actively using them. ABC News details the reported heart attack: McAfee, 67 […] was reportedly found prostrate on the floor of his cell and unresponsive. He was wheeled into the hospital on a gurney. Photographers followed in pursuit right into the emergency room, but as emergency workers eased McAfee’s limp body from the gurney and onto a bed and began to remove his suit, he suddenly spoke up, saying, “Please, not in front of the press.” Please don’t laugh, this is actually quite sad. If you are the American Citizen Services Officer in Guate or Belize, our thoughts are also with you. We’ve never seen any training material or murder boards for a walking/talking teevee show. But you’ll do fine, take a deep breath and swim, don’t sink. If you are a Consular Officer somewhere in the Western Hemisphere, get ready; if he gets out of Guate, he may show up at your window. If you follow him on Twitter, he might give a heads up. If you are the Bureau of Consular Affairs, this is potentially, as Mr. McAfee says, “groundbreaking.” How should your Consular Officers deal with a detained citizen blogging/tweeting from jail? This is the first one, but this may not be the last. Is it time to update your ConGen training on the Republic of Z? John McAfee blogging from Guatemala jail – where the coffee is ‘excellent’ (guardian.co.uk) John McAfee, Software Pioneer, Is Arrested in Guatemala (nytimes.com) McAfee Is Posting Updates From Guatemalan Jail (npr.org) Guatemala rejects McAfee’s asylum request, official says (news.blogs.cnn.com) « Serbia’s Ambassador To NATO Jumps to Death From Multistory Building Reaching Across the Airwaves, FSO Shayna Cram Sings in Pashto »	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5422
__label__wiki	0.813086	0.813086	Pakistan President stresses deeper ties with Azerbaijan Says Pakistan greatly values relations with Azerbaijan; Jeyhun Bayramov, says Pakistan and Azerbaijan had great potential for increasing trade A.M.Bhatti/DNA ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has said that Pakistan highly values its relations with Azerbaijan which are based on common faith, historic and cultural linkages. He underlined the need to expand the bilateral volume of trade and further promote cultural and commercial cooperation between the two brotherly countries. He gave these remarks while talking to the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Mr Jeyhun Bayramov, who called on him, at Aiwan-e-Sadr, today. The President congratulated the Government and people of Azerbaijan over the liberation of Nagorno-Karabakh and reaffirmed Pakistan’s support for the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. He appreciated Azerbaijan’s role as a member of the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir and thanked Azerbaijan for its support to the cause of the people of Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. The President expressed the hope that the successful conclusion of the 2nd meeting of Pakistan-Azerbaijan-Turkey Trilateral Dialogue, at Islamabad, would give impetus to growing trilateral ties and open new avenues of cooperation among the three brotherly countries. The Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Mr Jeyhun Bayramov, said that Pakistan and Azerbaijan had great potential for increasing trade and cultural cooperation. He thanked the Government of Pakistan for supporting Azerbaijan’s stance on Nagorno-Karabakh. He stated that his country would continue to stand by Pakistan on Kashmir issue at all international fora. President Dr Arif Alvi also lauded the role of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation for the welfare of persons with disability by providing them 100 wheelchairs. He remarked that Heydar Aliyev Foundation, under the patronage of the First Lady of Azerbaijan, was performing commendable humanitarian services in Pakistan. « IHC stops Naeem Bukhari from working as PTV chairman (Previous News) (Next News) Donald Trump’s second impeachment »	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5428
__label__wiki	0.538286	0.538286	It Was 100 Degrees in Siberia Today. Yes, That Siberia Alyse Stanley A view of an energy plant’s dumpsite in Novosibirsk, a city in the Russian region of Siberia. Photo: Rostislav Netisov (Getty Images) A freak heatwave has been scorching most of the Arctic for weeks now, but it broke records Saturday when the temperature hit 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit in a town in Siberia, one of Russia’s northernmost regions. It’s likely the hottest temperature ever recorded north of the Arctic Circle, CBS meteorologist Jeff Berardelli wrote on Twitter, though the recording is still pending verification. If you’re having trouble parsing why this is such a big deal, here’s a dose of perspective that’ll make your eyes bulge out: Verkhoyansk, a town that’s even farther north than Fairbanks, Alaska, has had the same number of 10o-degree days on record as Miami, Florida. (Sure, it’s only one, but tell me that’s not insane.) Reports of the record-shattering heat quickly went viral online, shared by meteorologists worldwide and even Swedish climate change activist Greta Thunberg. While 2019 was Russia’s hottest on record, this year already seems poised to surpass that. Last month, Siberia reported temperatures almost 40 degrees above normal for this time of year. (Also, parts of the region caught on fire. And since you know what they say about bad news coming in threes, I’m waiting for some Godzilla-like kaiju to emerge from the melted ice). Verkhoyansk, which is home to a little more than a 1,000 people, also holds the record for where you can find the greatest temperature ranges on Earth. While the weather there cooled down to around 80 by Saturday evening, temperatures regularly fall well below zero, with the lowest recorded at -90 degrees. It Hit 80 Degrees in the Arctic This Week This story will provide important context for the headline, and I encourage you to read it—but… This weekend’s historic heat is simply the latest horror in the Arctic as the region continues to get royally screwed by the impacts of climate change. Last month, sea ice extent reached the lowest level ever recorded in May. I know I’ve said before that 2020 seriously needs some chill, but this time, I mean it literally. Gizmodo weekend editor. Freelance games reporter. Full-time disaster bi. Arcanum Five If it’s not a Gozilla-like kaiju, how about a long-dormant disease?	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5435
__label__wiki	0.747079	0.747079	ROMs: 70662 Holiday time again! We've doubled the bandwidth to 500mbps, updated the MAME set to .226, and re-added the Saturn collection. More updates coming soon! A holiday miracle! Re-added CD-i, PCECD, Dreamcast, 3DO, NGCD ISOs. Replaced the GC set with NKit-scrubbed ISOs. Converted nearly all CD sets to CHD format. Replaced many of the older ROM sets with No-Intro. Updated the MAME set to .216. Recompressed nearly everything in 7z where possible. Replaced all the sets with GoodMerge, added DS and Gamecube. Updated MAME to .208. Removed Flash-based emulator, DC, 3DO, Saturn ISOs. ROMs / Sega Saturn ISOs / ROMs \| # \| A \| B \| C \| D \| E \| F \| G \| H \| I \| J \| K \| L \| M \| N \| O \| P \| Q \| R \| S \| T \| U \| V \| W \| X \| Y \| Z \| Viewing Sega Saturn ISOs / ROMs ROMs starting with Q Quake (Europe) 272.24 mb 60 Quake (USA) 290.80 mb 66 Quiz Nanairo Dreams - Nijiirochou no Kiseki (Japan) 306.25 mb 51 QuoVadis (Japan) 327.89 mb 39 QuoVadis 2 - Wakusei Kyoushuu Ovan Rei (Japan) (Demo) 136.21 mb 32 QuoVadis 2 - Wakusei Kyoushuu Ovan Rei (Japan) (Disc 1) 287.43 mb 46	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5438
__label__wiki	0.981657	0.981657	Search CNN Election 101 Wildfire Tracker Dreamworld theme park operators fined $2.5 million for malfunction that killed four people By Rob Picheta, CNN Updated 1046 GMT (1846 HKT) September 28, 2020 Four people died in the tragedy at Dreamworld in 2016. (CNN) The operator of Australia's Dreamworld theme park has been fined 3.6 million Australian dollars ($2.5m) for a 2016 malfunction on one of its rides that killed four people. Visitors Cindy Low, Kate Goodchild, Luke Dorsett and Roozi Araghi were on the Thunder River Rapids Ride at the Queensland attraction when their raft came into contact with another carriage and flipped over, tossing some of the passengers onto the conveyer belt and into the ride's machinery. Low's 10-year-old son and Goodchild's 12-year-old daughter were also on the raft, but survived the accident. Ardent Leisure pleaded guilty in July to three safety charges and was handed the punishment on Monday. The company had faced a maximum fine of $4.5 million AUD, CNN affiliate Nine News reported. CNN has contacted the company for comment. A number of safeguarding failures were read to the court, Nine News reported, alongside a victim impact statement by Kim Dorsett, the mother of Goodchild and Dorsett. "I cry for my children, my lost children, every day," she said. Dreamworld inquiry: Emergency button could have stopped deaths A 2018 inquest heard that the tragedy may have been averted had an emergency stop button been pressed, but staff at the theme park were advised in training "not to worry" about the button and instead rely first on a slower, seven-second button. Radio presenter Patricia Karvelas, who was friends with two of the victims, reacted to Monday's ruling by writing on Twitter: "This is the penalty for the death of my friends? What a dark day." Ardent Leisure operates two Gold Coast theme parks, Dreamworld and Whitewater World, as well as the city's Sky Point observation deck. In a statement sent to CNN affiliate Nine News, its chairman Gary Weiss and theme parks division CEO John Osbourne said they apologized "unreservedly for the past circumstances and failures at Dreamworld". "Ardent accepts responsibility for this tragedy without qualification or reservation," the statement added. "Today we accept the Court's decision to impose a fine of $3.6 million which is the largest fine in Queensland history for a workplace tragedy."	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5439
__label__cc	0.723286	0.276714	SERBIA 52 Apply SERBIA filter MOLDOVA 24 Apply MOLDOVA filter An Israeli company that has developed an IoT based container monitoring device is looking for distributors. This Israeli company has developed an IoT based container level monitoring device that serves as an end unit within a cloud monitoring solution. The s... See more Israeli company with radio frequency (RF) based presence and fall detection device, for remote monitoring of elderly seeks distributors An Israeli company has developed an RF (radio frequency) based presence and fall detection device, for remote monitoring of elderly people. After a si... See more An Armenian producer of canned food and natural juices is looking for a distribution services agreement The Armenian company, specialized in food processing, produces different kinds of canned vegetables and fruits, as well as natural juices. The company... 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See more \| 3 weeks ago Israeli company in the heat exchangers and coils industry is seeking a partner to use company products in their solutions The Israeli company engineers and manufactures high quality custom-made fin and tube heat exchangers for the global heating, ventilation, air-conditio... See more A private Israeli company that designs and manufactures state of the art rubber and plastic products, seeking joint venture, outsourcing and subcontracting partnerships A private company specializing in both rubber and plastic solutions, with over 60 years of experience, this business was established in Israel in 1956... See more Israeli company specialized in the conversion of residual municipal solid waste into a material that can replace conventional polymers in the making of plastic products, seeks distributors The Israeli company has developed a proprietary technology for the conversion of residual municipal solid waste into a new material that can replace c... See more Israeli company specialized in the separation and treatment of industrial food waste is seeking partners for a joint venture agreement The Israeli company possesses the expertise to handle industrial food waste and add value to it through a field of repurposing processes. Utilizing a ... See more	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5441
__label__wiki	0.848029	0.848029	Cannabis Laws & Regulations You are here: Home / Blog / About Cannabis / NEWSOM’S Senate pick ahead? — GINGRICH endorses Newsom recall — FEINSTEIN’s dilemma... NEWSOM’S Senate pick ahead? — GINGRICH endorses Newsom recall — FEINSTEIN’s dilemma — JAY-Z’s new cannabis play: $50 joints December 16, 2020 /in About Cannabis, Medical Cannabis, Recreational Cannabis /by Brian Wong THE BUZZ — IT’S COMING: Don’t be surprised if Gov. Gavin Newsom decides to deliver California’s Hanukkah/Christmas gift this week — and roll out his choice for the Senate seat held by Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. If the much-anticipated appointment comes, as some insiders expect, during the holiday period, when news is typically slow, it could provide Newsom with a buffer, turning the page on the narrative from the last few weeks (see: the French Laundry debacle) and giving the many who doubtless won’t agree with his choice time to vent and get over it. And then he can put the “annus horribilis” 2020 in the rearview mirror and get on with 2021. THE BATTLE RAGES: Newsom has been fiercely lobbied by Latinos — a demographic that represents 40 percent of California’s population but which hasn’t been reflected by one of its U.S. senators in 170 years of state history — and groups like the Congressional Latino Caucus are strongly behind the candidate widely viewed as the front-runner, Secretary of State Alex Padilla. The LGBTQ community and advocates like Equality California say it’s time for their activism and history to be recognized, with the appointment of a candidate like Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia. Now, groups representing Black women and the Asian and Pacific Islander community are having their say. POLITICO spoke this week to Assemblymember Shirley Weber, a leader in Black Women United, which is pushing Newsom to name an African American woman. She said there’s no contest: Black women delivered the 2020 election for Democrats. “It’s like we can save the Senate but we can’t sit in the Senate. … We can clean the House — but we have to come through the back door,’’ she said. “We won the seat — and others want to say, ‘it’s our turn.’” Weber added that there are already “a number of Latino Democrats in the Senate,” and Black women “expended a lot of money and resources and time getting Kamala elected. And we find it ridiculous we’re fighting for the seat we won.” But Weber firmly rejected the idea that Black women would be mollified if Newsom picks a Black woman to fill the seat of Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who has been tapped by President-elect Joe Biden as his nominee to be Health and Human Services secretary. “Our position is you can appoint Padilla to AG and a Black woman to the Senate … or we’ll take ‘em both. But we don’t want to give up the Senate seat for the AG seat,’’ which is subject to term limits, she said. “The Senate has much broader appeal — and can impact women across the nation. It’s a bigger landscape. … There is no bigger game to play, basically.’’ FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: California’s Asian and Pacific Islander Caucus, chaired by state Sen. Richard Pan and Assemblymember Evan Low, announced its endorsement of Padilla, Reps. Karen Bass and Barbara Lee and Garcia for the Harris seat. On that fourth endorsement: Garcia checks three key boxes — he’s Latino, LGBTQ and Asian. From the caucus letter to Newsom, released today: “His great-grandfather was Chinese and a laborer in Peru. Mayor Garcia’s family name is actually Chen. The name was changed to Garcia, a Peruvian name, to integrate and gain employment in a new country.” THE BOTTOM LINE: Newsom gets some room to maneuver should he pick Padilla, as he then can appoint a new secretary of state as well as an AG. He’s also been aided by the increasing buzz among insiders that Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), in the wake of the devastating New Yorker profile last week, may bow out before the end of her term in 2024, potentially giving him a total of four appointments to make. BUENOS DÍAS, good Monday morning. Today, the 55 members of the Electoral College in California are set to meet in person at 2 p.m. in the California State Assembly chambers to formally select Biden as the 46th president of the United States. Here’s what to expect, via ABC’s Kendall Karson. How does California select its electors? Here’s the Secretary of State’s primer. Watch the livestream via the state Assembly website. Biden will address the nation afterwards, at approximately 5 p.m. PT. WHERE’S GAVIN? Nothing official announced. QUOTE OF THE DAY: “Well if it changes, I’ll let you know. … I work hard.” — Feinstein to CNN’s Manu Raju on whether she will serve out her term in the wake of stories suggesting she is suffering from cognitive decline. BONUS QOTD: “I don’t have proof that men landed on the moon, in 1969, because I wasn’t there. … Until Jan. 20th, it may not be over with.” — Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Calif.)— who signed on to the Texas lawsuit to overturn votes in key swing states — to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, on whether there is any proof of fraud in the presidential election. TWEET OF THE DAY: Bass @RepKarenBass, now lobbying publicly for the Harris seat, Axios’ Kadia Goba reports: “Especially in this time of crisis, it would be an honor to be appointed to serve my state in the United States Senate.” PODCAST OF THE DAY: On “It’s All Political,” Black Lives Matter co-founder Alicia Garza tells the SF Chronicle’s Joe Garofoli that Newsom should appoint a Black woman to the Senate. https://elevatedsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/1213garcia.jpg 380 700 Brian Wong https://elevatedsf.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/logo.jpeg Brian Wong2020-12-16 23:53:272020-12-16 23:53:27NEWSOM’S Senate pick ahead? — GINGRICH endorses Newsom recall — FEINSTEIN’s dilemma — JAY-Z’s new cannabis play: $50 joints California wildfires claim several marijuana farms, threatening growers with financial losses Cannabis Equity Applicants Still Face Barriers Daly City Dispensary & Medical Marijuana New appellations would celebrate individual terroir of cannabis strains Pot and POC New programs providing seed money for marijuana startups are popping up around the country. Could Bend follow? Redwood City Dispensary & Medical Marijuana San Bruno Dispensary & Medical Marijuana San Franciso’s Best Dispensary San Mateo Dispensary & Medical Marijuana South San Francisco Dispensary & Medical Marijuana Serving Residents of San Francisco Daly City, San Mateo, South San Francisco, San Bruno and Redwood City 2442 Bayshore Blvd, San Francisco, CA 94134 contact@elevatedsf.com latitude longitude finder Copyright 2021 - Site designed by RKS Marketing & Web Design Top Cannabis Stocks to Buy for 2021 California cannabis dispensary joins plastics recycling pilot	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5444
__label__cc	0.589828	0.410172	March 29, 2021 - April 4, 2021 The Path to the PGA TOUR Don't miss the action → Registration now open → Welcome to the Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin In partnership with Global Golf Management, the Korn Ferry Tour announces a new tournament to debut on the Tour’s annual schedule starting in 2021. The Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin will be contested at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort’s Raven Golf Club the week of March 29 – April 4, with 156 players competing for a $600,000 purse. A three-year agreement is in place through 2023. Raven Golf Club is masterfully carved through the marshes and pine trees of Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort. Robert Trent Jones Jr. crafted this unique and visually stunning 6,900-yard par 71 into what he calls “a true modern traditional.” EXPLORE THE COURSE With 156 of the Korn Ferry Tour's best set to play, this year's inaugural tournament is set to be an exciting play-off for the $600,000 purse. Stay tuned as we release the player announcements. Host Venue Raven Golf Club at Sandestin 156 players competing 3-year tournament agreement 2021 Volunteer registration now open! Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin The Emerald Coast Classic Sandestin is a new tournament debuting on the PGA TOUR’s Korn Ferry Tour schedule in 2021. It will be contested at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort’s Raven Golf Club the week of March 29 – April 4, 2021. © 2020 Emerald Coast Classic at Sandestin. All rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5450
__label__cc	0.666336	0.333664	Edtech Startup Degreed Raises $32 Million to Accelerate Career Mobility Roadmap by Larissa Lu Recently, edtech startup Degreed announced that it has received $32 million in a funding round led by Owl Ventures. This investment will accelerate Degreed’s career mobility roadmap. As of now, the company's total funding has reached $182 million. Founded in 2012, Degreed offers over 1,500 certificates and credentials, aimed primarily at companies looking to develop and upskill their employees. Degreed also offers courses, videos, and other resources to users. Besides, the platform promotes career mobility by connecting users to projects and job opportunities. Degreed further states that it has witnessed an unprecedented engagement from customers in the past six months. "We’ve seen a tremendous surge in client demand for our career mobility product. It’s more important than ever for companies to understand the skills of their workforce, enrich their upskilling programs, and enable internal mobility," said Chris McCarthy, CEO of Degreed. Degreed Acquires HR Tech Platform Adepto	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5455
__label__wiki	0.792357	0.792357	Highest-paid actress in the world in 2021 Margarita Levieva Highest-Paid Actress in the World By Carol Kearney Margarita Levieva led People With Money’s annual list of the “100 highest paid actresses” released on Friday. Margarita Levieva » Margarita Levieva goes ‘Gangnam Style’ Margarita Levieva Pregnant? Is Margarita Levieva secretly gay and hiding in the closet? It's been a rough year for the actress, but at least she has her millions of dollars to ease the pain. 40-year-old Margarita Levieva has taken the No. 1 spot on People With Money’s top 10 highest-paid actresses for 2021 with an estimated $58 million in combined earnings. Margarita Levieva tops annual list of highest-paid actresses In 2018 it looked like the actress’s spectacular career was winding down. Suddenly, she was back on top. People With Money reports on Friday (January 15) that Levieva is the highest-paid actress in the world, pulling in an astonishing $58 million between December 2019 and December 2020, a nearly $30 million lead over her closest competition. People With Money’s factors In compiling this yearly list, the magazine considers factors such as upfront pay, profit participation, residuals, endorsements and advertising work. The American actress has an estimated net worth of $185 million. She owes her fortune to smart stock investments, substantial property holdings, lucrative endorsement deals with CoverGirl cosmetics. She also owns several restaurants (the “Fat Levieva Burger” chain) in Washington, a Football Team (the “Leningrad Angels”), has launched her own brand of Vodka (Pure Wonderlevieva - US), and is tackling the juniors market with a top-selling perfume (With Love from Margarita) and a fashion line called “Margarita Levieva Seduction”. The ranking is significant for many Margarita fans, who have been waiting for her triumphant return to the glory days for what seems like a lifetime. Margarita Levieva: Recent News Margarita Levieva Engaged? Margarita Levieva to announce retirement at age 40 Margarita Levieva: Secretly Married?	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5456
__label__cc	0.705818	0.294182	Type of chocolate confectionery Chambéry, France Region or state Chocolate ganache, chocolate or cocoa powder Cookbook: Chocolate truffle Media: Chocolate truffle A chocolate truffle is a type of chocolate confectionery, traditionally made with a chocolate ganache centre coated in chocolate, cocoa powder, coconut, or chopped toasted nuts (typically hazelnuts or almonds), usually in a spherical, conical, or curved shape. Their name derives from their resemblance to truffles, edible fungi of the genus Tuber. Varieties[edit] Chocolate truffles with peanut-butter filling Major types of chocolate truffle include: The Swiss truffle, made by combining melted chocolate into a boiling mixture of dairy cream and butter, which is poured into molds to set before sprinkling with cocoa powder. Like the French truffles, these have a very short shelf life and must be consumed within a few days of making.[1] The French truffle, made with fresh cream and chocolate, and then rolled in cocoa or nut powder.[2][citation needed] The typical European truffle, made with syrup and a base of cocoa powder, milk powder, fats, and other such ingredients to create an oil-in-water type of emulsion.[citation needed] The American truffle, a half-oval-shaped, chocolate-coated truffle, a mixture of dark or milk chocolates with butterfat, and in some cases, hardened coconut oil. Joseph Schmidt, a San Francisco chocolatier, and founder of Joseph Schmidt Confections, is credited with its creation in the mid-1980s.[3] Other styles include: The Belgian truffle or praline, made with dark or milk chocolate filled with ganache, buttercream, or nut pastes.[4] The Californian truffle, a larger, lumpier version of the French truffle, first made by Alice Medrich in 1973 after she tasted truffles in France. She sold these larger truffles in a charcuterie in the Gourmet Ghetto neighborhood of Berkeley; then, in 1977, she began selling them in her own store, Cocolat, which soon expanded into a chain. The American craze for truffles started with Medrich.[5] A pot truffle, any kind that includes psychoactive cannabis. Food portal ^ Chocolate, Cocoa, and Confectionery: Science and Technology by Bernard W. Minifie (1999), page 545. ^ Franklin, Rebecca. "Totally Indulgent Traditional French Dark Chocolate Truffles - Yum". The Spruce Eats. Retrieved 2020-11-16. ^ "Sweet surrender", Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2006 ^ "Pralines VS Truffles \| makingchocolates". Makingchocolates.wordpress.com. 2011-04-16. Retrieved 2013-05-27. ^ Barron, Cheryll Aimee (September 25, 1988). "Madam Cocolat". The New York Times. Chocolate Truffle at Wikibook Cookbooks Media related to Chocolate truffles at Wikimedia Commons History (in Spain) Theobroma bicolor Cocoa solids Flavan-3-ol Enkephalin Semisweet Chocolate-covered foods Chocolate crackles Chocolate gravy Chocolate spread Chocolate syrup Cioccolato di Modica Mocaccino Aerated chocolate Broma process Chocolate bloom Chocolate temper meter Conching Dutch process Enrober Sugar crust Big Chocolate Child labour in cocoa production European Cocoa and Chocolate Directive Ghana Cocoa Board Ghana production Harkin–Engel Protocol International Cocoa Organization Ivory Coast production Manufacturers (vertical) Nigeria production Philippine chocolate industry World Cocoa Foundation Chocolate museums Military chocolate Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chocolate_truffle&oldid=994835645"	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5458
__label__cc	0.698308	0.301692	Fingerstyle Guitarist Francis Guitarists,Musicians Francis is a Manchester based, solo, fingerstyle guitarist who plays on a steel string acoustic guitar. With over 14 years’ experience on the stage and in the studio, Francis is an accomplished and confident performer. By combining harmonic, melodic and percussive techniques he transforms classic hits into rich and textured instrumental arrangements. Providing a wide repertoire full of pop chart toppers and unforgettable rock anthems – plus a few guilty pleasures – Francis is ideal for all kinds of events. He uses top quality equipment to provide the very best sound and is always happy to liaise with clients on the set list and learn any special requests. So, whether it’s a wedding, private party, corporate event or restaurant, Francis will be able to provide first class music for you. Act Type: Musician Francis performed at our Masquerade ball at Cranage Hall in Cheshire to raise funds for the Teenage Cancer Trust. His guitar style is unique, effortlessly and perfectly playing modern hits and standards on his guitar as a perfect accompaniment to the evening. Our ball guests gave Francis rapturous applause during and at the end of his set and he really added some class with a modern twist to the evening. We left the play list to Francis and he did not disappoint. We couldn’t have asked for a better musician and would highly recommend him for any occasion. Jane and Alan Walker Thank you for coming over to Roecliffe, North Yorkshire to play at my wedding. You were exactly what were after and I felt you set a lovely tone for our drinks reception. 5 stars – you were amazing. Francis performed at our church wedding and was absolutely fantastic! He learnt my favourite song – usually played by 3 guitars – and it was amazing, so much better than I could have imagined, and played it beautifully as I walked down the aisle. In addition to this he learnt yet another song to surprise my husband as we walked back down the aisle after the ceremony. He was thrilled when he heard it and I can’t thank Francis enough for recording both songs for us to keep as a lasting memory of the day. Our guests were thoroughly entertained both before the ceremony and during the signing of the register and many commented to us on the day and afterwards about how much they enjoyed listening to Francis. We couldn’t have asked for a better musician and would highly recommend him for any occasion. Thank you so much Francis! Gemma and Michael	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5463
__label__cc	0.536568	0.463432	The Professor’s Blackface Salute: An Ethics Mess December 27, 2016 December 27, 2016 / Jack Marshall Halloween costumes, political correctness, law, privacy, and the Niggardly Principles—this one has it all. Last Halloween, University of Oregon law professor Nancy Shurtz dressed as Dr. Damon Tweedy, the author of Black Men In A White Coat , as an homage to the African American physician and author. She did this at a Halloween party in her own home. Nobody at the party appeared to misunderstand the gesture or the intent of the costume, in part because she could explain it on the spot, and because they knew that Shurtz was no racist. Shurtz had also told the students who were invited that she would be “going as a popular book title,” hence the blackface, Afro wig, white coat, and stethoscope.The university report on the episode states that Shurtz “was inspired by this book and by the author, that she greatly admires [the author] and wanted to honor him, and that she dressed as the book because she finds it reprehensible that there is a shortage of racial diversity, and particularly of black men, in higher education.” But as always happens now because there is no such thing as a reasonable expectation of privacy even in one’s own home, reports of Shurtz in costume and make-up got out into the campus at large, and inflamed the predictable outrage. The university launched an investigation that culminated in a critical report prepared by an attorney and the university’s Office of Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity. Shurtz issued an apology—for her private conduct within her own home that was pounced upon by Political Correctness Furies, since she appears to be one herself-–on November 1. Some of her colleagues on the faculty and many students demanded that she resign, and she may have to yet. Shurtz has been censored and suspended, and is now on paid leave. It being claimed that her wearing the costume–within her own home as a gesture that all agreed was intended as benign and that nobody at the party either objected to or failed to understand— created “a hostile environment” at the school. This is apparently because “as part of the uproar, students said things of which the administration disapproved: The report specifically notes that students used “other offensive racially-based terminology during class times in the context of discussing this event and broader racial issues.” It related that “some of the witnesses reported that the students’ reactions to the event were racially insensitive or divisive.” And it apparently viewed such statements as relevant to whether Shurtz’s own speech was properly punished.” The report, meanwhile, concludes that the costume constituted “harassment,” and that her intentions are irrelevant. Writes First Amendment expert Prof. Eugene Volokh: “Last week, the University of Oregon made clear to its faculty: If you say things about race, sexual orientation, sex, religion and so on that enough people find offensive, you could get suspended (and, following the logic of the analysis) even fired. This can happen even to tenured faculty members; even more clearly, it can happen to anyone else. It’s not limited to personal insults. It’s not limited to deliberate racism or bigotry. This time it involved someone making herself up as a black man at a costume party (as it happens, doing so in order to try to send an antiracist message). But according to the university’s logic, a faculty member could be disciplined for displaying the Mohammed cartoons, if it caused enough of a furor. Or a faculty member could be disciplined for suggesting that homosexuality may be immoral or dangerous. Or for stating that biological males who view themselves as female should be viewed as men, not as women. Or for suggesting that there are, on average, biological differences in temperament or talents between men and women. All such speech at the University of Oregon will risk your being suspended or perhaps even worse. Orthodoxy, enforced on threat of institutional punishment, is what the University of Oregon is now about.” 1. Professor Volokh is unquestionable right on the law, as he meticulously documents. This is a state institution, and thus its treatment of Shurtz involves government action. The list of court decisions cases concluding that conduct like the professor’s cannot be punished is substantial: Jonathan Turley lists a few here. 2. Thus it appears that the university is just intentionally ignoring the law in order to cater to a campus political correctness lynch mob. Professor Volokh points out the internal hypocrisy in the university report: “The report concludes: ‘The University does not take issue with the subject matter of Shurtz’s expression, or her viewpoints, but the freedoms under this policy end where prohibited discrimination and/or discriminatory harassment begin.’ Actually, to be honest, the university does “take issue with the subject matter of Shurtz’s expression, or her viewpoints,” and concludes that the offensiveness of that subject matter and viewpoints makes it “harassment” and strips it of protection. Again, contrary to the university’s explicit assurances in its free speech policy, the university report shows that “[t]he belief that an opinion is pernicious, false, and in any other way despicable, detestable, offensive or ‘just plain wrong’” would indeed be viewed as “grounds for its suppression.” Indeed, even the wearing of black makeup is being suppressed on the grounds that it’s seen as “despicable, detestable, offensive or ‘just plain wrong’” (the report stressed that “[a]lmost every student interviewed reported that they knew the costume was ‘not okay’”). The expression of overtly racially offensive opinions would be just as covered by the university report’s logic.” 3. Even though the University’s conduct will not stand up in court (if it gets there), it effectively chills free speech on and off campus, intimidates and indoctrinates. That’s the objective, and subsequent lawsuits and appeals, even if they successfully induce a court to reprimand the school, the mission has been accomplished. This most progressive of institutions is intentionally using its power to declare what kind of speech is “pernicious, false, and in any other way despicable, detestable, offensive or ‘just plain wrong.’” That’s nascent totalitarianism, and THAT’s just plain wrong—unethical as the sun is bright. 4. One of the two Presidential candidates, and only one of them, would unequivocally oppose the University of Oregon’s position here. (And would also be called racist for doing so.) Guess which. 5. Part of this controversy is the fanatic, unreasonable and illogical position that making up a white person to appear black is per se an act of racism or racial sensitivity. Ethics Alarms has covered this issue in many ways and in many contexts. A brief summary: if the use of dark make-up is not intended to ridicule African Americans and has a legitimate dramatic, comic or satirical purpose, it is ethical, and objections to it fall under the Ethics Alarms First Niggardly Principle: “No one should be criticized or penalized because someone takes racial, ethnic, religious or other offense at their conduct or speech due to the ignorance, bias or misunderstanding by the offended party.” 6. Does the Second Niggardly Principle apply, though? “When an individual or group can accomplish its legitimate objectives without engaging in speech or conduct that will offend individuals whose basis for the supposed offense is emotional, mistaken or ignorant, but is not malicious and is based on well-established impulses of human nature, it is unethical to intentionally engage in such speech or conduct.” I’m not so sure. The professor had reason to believe that after making her intentions clear, and engaging in her political statement in favor of the book in her own home, she reasonably assumed that nobody would be offended. Considering where she works, this was naive at best. 7. The Third Niggardly Principle seems to control here, or should: “When, however, suppressing speech and conduct based on an individual’s or a group’s sincere claim that such speech or conduct is offensive, however understandable and reasonable this claim may be, creates or threatens to create a powerful precedent that will undermine freedom of speech, expression or political opinion elsewhere, calls to suppress the speech or conduct must be opposed and rejected.” 8. Finally, there has been a sense that Professor Shurtz has been too quick to issue mea cuplas when she did nothing wrong, and when she is being used as a means to restrict free speech. She has an obligation to stand up for everyone’s rights, when her own conduct has led to them being placed in jeopardy. Now it looks like she is going to fight. Arts & Entertainment, Character, Education, Ethics Alarms Award Nominee, Government & Politics, Law & Law Enforcement, Professions, Rights, U.S. Society "Black Men In A White Coat", 2016 Presidential election, blackface, chilling free speech, Dr. Damon Tweedy, Eugene Volokh, First Amendment, First Niggardly Principle, Halloween costumes, harassment, homages, hostile environment, intimidation, intolerance, law professors, make-up, Nancy Shurtz, Progressives, reasonable expectation of privacy, Second Niggardly Principle, Third Niggardly Principle, University of Oregon ← “Rogue One” Ethics: Peter Cushing Returns From The Grave Ethics Quote Of The Day: Washington Post Columnist Richard Cohen → 19 thoughts on “The Professor’s Blackface Salute: An Ethics Mess” deery “An homage”? She made no attempt to look like either the author of the book (it is a memoir), or even the front cover of the cover of the book. Instead she smeared herself in blackface and an Afro, and basically looked just like any other stereotypical blackface depiction, rather than a specific person. As is her right. But as you say, there is a difference between legality and ethics. As far as it being at home, if you say or do horribly racist things in your house, as long as all the other people who witnessed it agree not say anything about it, it becomes ethical? Can only a black person there have been offended by the blackface costume? No fellow white people also allowed to be outraged and speak up about it? You’re muddying things. 1. Are you doubting that this unquestionably liberal prof was actually doing what she said she was doing, which was making a statement in support of the author and the book? Nobody else is, including the university. If you are suggesting that wearing the costume was really, really stupid, I’m with you all the way. 2. So you are in the camp that ever wearing make-up to appear as a African American is per se racist, whatever the reason or motivation? I hope not, because it isn’t. I guess I could check your comments on posts like the one about “Othello”… 3. The issue is NOT whether making a racially insensitive statement or engaging in a racist act in one’s home is unethical. The issue is whether it is a) First Amendment speech (it is) and b) whether the school can claim that private speech is campus harassment. 4. “Can only a black person there have been offended by the blackface costume? No fellow white people also allowed to be outraged and speak up about it?” Sometimes you make me think you are just digging for things to posture about. What was in the post that possibly justified these questions? I am suggesting that it was both stupid, and something of a pretext to get dressed up in standard blackface. Like I pointed out, she made absolutely no attempt to look like the author in particular, and instead went with the normal blackface route. I get that being transgressive is fun, but yes, it was deeply stupid. No, not necessarily. I thought RDJ in Tropic Thunder was great satire. I thought Howell wasn’t very funny in Soul Man, but I don’t think it was racist. But it is a very fine line, because of the history behind blackface. Why isn’t that the issue? But anyway, I agree that she has a 1st Amendment right to dress that way. Whether her employer can fire her based on that or not depends on what her contract with the university might state regarding off campus actions. I don’t know the particulars, so I can’t say one way or the other. “Can only a black person there have been offended by the blackface costume? No fellow white people also allowed to be outraged and speak up about it?” Just wondering whether students or faculty were invited to the party, and if so, whether it would had to been black students who made the complaint, or anyone who might have been offended. 1. Read the post again. Both students and faculty were invited. 2. She didn’t dress as the author. She dressed as the BOOK TITLE: “Black Men In A White Coat”; and announced that ahead of time. 3. The issue is defined by the terms used in the university report. Nothing about her contract was mentioned. To get around the First Amendment, the school would have to show that her conduct rendered her unable to teach. Instead, it just argued that the conduct was “harassment” (which is ridiculous under these facts) Created a hostile environment (impossible, given the context) and that the university has an inherent right to punish speech that is “despicable, detestable, offensive or ‘just plain wrong’”. There is no such right. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Announcing you are going to do something racist ahead of time does not magically render it “not racist.” The fact that she was trying to dress up as “black men in general”, rather than the author specifically, actually makes it worse, not better. An Afro and old-fashioned blackface, really? That’s what comes to her mind when she thinks about black people? She actually went old school with it. . The issue is defined by the terms used in the university report. Nothing about her contract was mentioned. To get around the First Amendment, the school would have to show that her conduct rendered her unable to teach. Instead, it just argued that the conduct was “harassment” (which is ridiculous under these facts) Created a hostile environment (impossible, given the context) and that the university has an inherent right to punish speech that is “despicable, detestable, offensive or ‘just plain wrong’”. There is no such right. I don’t know if black students in her class could ever trust her and her impartiality towards them again. If she is thinking about black people in such reductive terms and images, that is pretty hard to shake. She may have not meant to be intentionally racist, but in choosing such an inflammatory image that relies on such a painful history and racist imagery, she definitely crossed the line. I wonder how comfortable any students at that party would have felt in telling her how they felt, either at the party, or afterwards? Probably not very comfortable. How is dressing like a black man automatically racist, if no offense is intended or perceived? So you DO believe that blackface is per se racist, regardless of intent or purpose! That position is pure ideological cant: there is nothing racist about dressing in black make up and a lap coat to portray that title, any more than dressing as a dead bird to portray “To Kill A Mockingbird” is a statement against ecology. Nope. I don’t think dressing up as a specific black person is not necessarily racist, depending on how it’s done. Dressing up as generalized concept of a “black person” is pretty much always a bad idea, and very hard to avoid racist implications, especially when your concept of a “black person” is literal black makeup, white lips, and an Afro wig. Standard issue black face, in other words. And why go there at all in the first place? If the theme was popular book title, isn’t there a single other book title, any one at all, that tickled her fancy? Picking this title was meant to be either provocative or perhaps something more sinister. And as Deery pointed out, a true fan of the book would have done a better job on the costume. Stipulated: it was weird. It was still in her own home, not aimed at or intended to be seen by anyone not there, not official action, not malicious, and Constitutionally protected. And, as I assume you know, that last sentence is so speculative as to be desperate. I don’t think it’s speculative at all. My entire social circle is composed of people who are passionate about literature, arts, movies, and history. Cosplay is not just something for weirdos anymore. We (or friends) have hosted Roman mystery parties, Cthulu parties, Renaissance parties, etc. If a costume is involved, we put time and effort into them. I don’t assume that most people do this, but someone who is hosting a themed costume party? I think the desperation is not on my end here Jack. Ridiculous. It’s not speculative! Your speculation contradicts the exhaustive investigation by the university that has suspended her! It determined that she was genuinely trying to endorse the position of the book and the author. You and derry are worse than speculating, you’re just ignoring the evidence that undermines your argument. This wasn’t a “themed party”—everyone wasn’t dressed “like a book title”—this was just a bad costume, like the many, many lousy costumes I have seen at private parties for decades. Strangely, nobody lost their job for any of those. Ridiculous. It’s not speculative! Your speculation contradicts the exhaustive investigation by the university that has suspended her! It determined that she was genuinely trying to endorse the position of the book and the author. You and deery are worse than speculating, you’re just ignoring the evidence that undermines your argument. This wasn’t a “themed party”—everyone wasn’t dressed “like a book title”—this was just a bad costume, like the many, many lousy costumes I have seen at private parties for decades. Strangely, nobody lost their job for any of those. Ah, so it’s one those, “We looked deep into her heart, and determined that she doesn’t have a ‘racist bone in her body” defenses? I have no doubt that this professor thought she was being supportive of the book, as well as being provocative in dressing in blackface. But in dressing in historical blackface, she was doing nothing more than perpetuating painful stereotypes, as well as exercising incredibly bad judgment. She mixed her job into her private life by inviting faculty and students to the party, another bad judgment call. Lousy costumes are one thing. Lousy, racist costumes are another thing altogether. I do not argue with “bad idea.” mariedowd I think a prompt apology even for unexpected offense is good, but this level of threats and harassment is against every bit of free speech and fairness possible. If people were offended at the party, they could just leave, without a scene if they were actually friends with the host. I’m all for progressive goals, but harassment and witch-hunts makes them worse than any old fart still in the 20th century. McCarthy and Hitler sounded reasonable once, too. Other Bill Halloween costumes and people over twelve are always a bad combination. Law school professors and Halloween costumes? Dumb. Really dumb. Is she tenured? I hope not. Also, the “Dear Colleague” letter has to be at play here. I suspect the University’s out house lawyers are simply concerned with keeping the Department of Education and/or the Department of Justice off their client’s back, fearing allegations the University failed to deal properly with a “hostile environment.” If a faculty member gets ruined for the rest of her career, so be it. 1) I don’t think she should have been fired, and am leaning toward “This violates freedom of speech. 2) This professor showed an incredible lack of judgment and is too stupid to be trusted to teach at a university. I would concur in both 1) and 2). Slick Willy In my alter ego as Captain Obvious: This is another example of SJW cannibalism. She really did not think the rules she beats others with would ever be applied to her, since she is ‘one of the good ones’ and supposedly ‘woke’ Heaven preserve us from stupid white people going out of their way to prove how racially enlightened they are. What Do You Do About Harvard? ethicsalarms.com/2021/01/16/wha… 51 minutes ago	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5466
__label__wiki	0.66639	0.66639	GJ1214b This artist’s impression shows how the newly discovered super-Earth surrounding the nearby star GJ1214 may look. Discovered by the MEarth project and investigated further by the HARPS spectrograph on ESO’s 3.6-metre telescope at La Silla, GJ1214b is the second super-Earth exoplanet for which astronomers have determined the mass and radius, giving vital clues about its structure. It is also the first super-Earth around which an atmosphere has been found. The exoplanet, orbiting a small star only 40 light-years away from us, thus opens dramatic new perspectives in the quest for habitable worlds. The planet, GJ1214b, has a mass about six times that of Earth and its interior is likely mostly made of water ice. It appears to be rather hot and surrounded by a thick atmosphere, which makes it inhospitable for life as we know it on Earth. eso0950a This artist's conception illustrates the brown dwarf named 2MASSJ22282889-431026. Forecast for Exotic Weather This artist's concept illustrates two planetary systems -- 55 Cancri (top) and our own. Blue lines show the orbits of planets, including the dwarf planet Pluto in our solar system. Our Solar System's Cousin? In the three and a half years of its primary mission, NASA's Kepler spacecraft produced a mountain of data. Astronomers continue to mine it, finding new likely planets all the time - including Kepl... Getting Closer to Another Earth: Kepler's 4500+ Planet Candidates The tightly packed system, named Kepler-444, is home to five small planets in very compact orbits. The planets were detected from the dimming that occurs when they transit the disk of their parent ... Kepler-444 Planetary System (Artist's Concept) A new study using data from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has shown that a planet is making the star that it orbits act much older than it actually is, as explained in our latest press release. ... WASP-18b: A 'Hot Jupiter' This chillingly haunted galaxy mysteriously stopped making stars only a few billion years after the Big Bang! Galactic Graveyard Researchers have detected the first "exomoon" candidate -- a moon orbiting a planet that lies outside our solar system. Using a technique called "microlensing," they observed what could be either a... Moon or Planet? The 'Exomoon Hunt' Continues (Artist's Concept) Astronomers can detect the presence of disks of dust orbiting distant stars by measuring how the combined light from the star and disk changes across different wavelengths. The Invisible Disk This artist's concept depicts Kepler-186f, the first validated Earth-size planet to orbit a distant star in the habitable zone -- a range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on th... Kepler-186f, the First Earth-size Planet in the Habitable Zone (Artist's Concept) Up-close picture of Kepler CCD hardware. A single Kepler science module Using data from NASA's Kepler and Spitzer Space Telescopes, scientists have made the most precise measurement ever of the size of a world outside our solar system, as illustrated in this artist's c... Gauging an Alien World's Size (Artist Concept) Astronomers detect lowest-mass planet around a star like the sun found using direct imaging techniques. Astronomers Image Lowest-mass Exoplanet Around a Sun-like Star A hypothetical planet is depicted here moving through the habitable zone and then further out into a long, cold winter. Eccentric Habitable Zones The first planet to have its clouds mapped showed us what weather looked like on a planet outside our solar system. Infographic: Profile of planet Kepler-7b ¡Esta galaxia escalofriantemente encantada dejó de crear estrellas, de manera misteriosa, solo unos pocos miles de millones de años tras el Big Bang! Cementerio Galáctico "Einstein's planet," formally known as Kepler-76b, is a "hot Jupiter" that orbits its star every 1.5 days. This artist's conception shows Kepler-76b orbiting its host star, which has been tidally d... "Einstein's Planet," Kepler-76b This infrared data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope tells astronomers that a distant gas planet, a so-called "hot Jupiter" called HD 189733b, might be smothered with high clouds. It is one of th... Cracking the Code of Faraway Worlds: An Exoplanet Atmosphere The Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI) instrument set its eyes on a dusty star system called Eta Corvi, depicted here in this artist's concept. Recent collisions between comets and roc... LBTI hits the dusty trail of Earth-like planets This artist's conception illustrates a storm of comets around a star near our own, called Eta Corvi. Evidence for this barrage comes from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, whose infrared detectors pi... It's Raining Comets During the four years of science operations, the pointing precision of the spacecraft was controlled to within a few milli-arcseconds. That is the equivalent of keeping your gaze steady on a grain ... Kepler's Precision Pointing Hubble finds a deep-blue exoplanet that may feature pummeling showers of glass rain moving at 4,500 mph. Care to visit? NASA's Hubble Finds a True Blue Planet - annotated This image shows the HR 8799 planets with starlight optically suppressed and data processing conducted to remove residual starlight. The star is at the center of the blackened circle in the image. ... Planetary Family Portrait Image of gas giant GJ 504b Artist's representation of the "habitable zone," the range of orbits where liquid water is permitted on the surface of a planet. Odds are on Oodles of Earths This graph of data from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows how astronomers located a hot spot on a distant gas planet named upsilon Andromedae b -- and learned that it was in the wrong place. How to Find a Planetary Hot Spot	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5472
__label__wiki	0.858759	0.858759	Mr. Jordan Could Be Vulnerable in Sunshine Millions Classic Fear the Cowboy beating Mr. Jordan (gray) and Richard the Great in the Harlan's Holiday Stakes - Lauren King/Adam Coglianese Photography J. Keeler Johnson Small fields aren’t usually where handicappers look to find good betting opportunities, but the $200,000 Sunshine Millions Classic on Saturday at Gulfstream Park could be an exception. The clear 6-5 favorite on the morning line is #5 Mr. Jordan, an eight-time winner that has fired off some very big efforts during his career, including an 11 ½-length romp in the Millions Classic Preview Stakes two starts back. With multiple triple-digit BRIS speed figures on his record, the speedy Mr. Jordan looms as the horse to beat. However, there are several reasons to think that Mr. Jordan might be vulnerable. First off, he has been a bit inconsistent throughout his career and has had trouble stringing top efforts together. Since his Millions Classic Preview win was followed by a game runner-up effort in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes (gr. III) last month at Gulfstream, I think Mr. Jordan could be poised to regress off these back-to-back strong performances. Secondly, while Mr. Jordan has run well at Gulfstream on several occasions, he’s 0-for-9 there overall and seems to have a strong preference for Gulfstream Park West, where he is 4-for-4. Throw in the fact that he’s facing several other quality speed horses—including the stretch-out sprinter #1 Crocodile Charlie and the recent gate-to-wire Gulfstream allowance winner #4 Jay’s Way—and I think a convincing case can be made against Mr. Jordan. Instead, I’m going to take a shot with #6 Richard the Great. Trained by Stanley Gold, the son of Distorted Hymor was campaigned as a sprinter through most of his career, but has shown new life since stretching out in distance in late 2017. Two starts back, Richard the Great ran second behind Mr. Jordan in the Millions Classic Preview Stakes, then took a big step forward and finished just a neck behind Mr. Jordan when third in the Harlan’s Holiday Stakes. Since Richard the Great prefers to do his best running from a few lengths off the pace, he should be poised to work out a perfect trip settling behind the pacesetters and rallying in the homestretch. The nine-furlong distance of the Sunshine Millions Classic might also work in his favor, since he’s untested at the distance and might enjoy it, whereas Mr. Jordan seems to have found his niche at a mile to a mile and a sixteenth. At his 5-2 morning line odds or higher, I think Richard the Great is a viable win play and a horse to use (and perhaps even single) in multi-race wagers. I’ll also key him on top of an exacta with Mr. Jordan and Jay’s Way underneath: $10 to win on #1 Richard the Great at 5-2 or higher $5 exacta: 1 with 4,5 ($10)	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5474
__label__wiki	0.661074	0.661074	By Bharath Kancharla January 8, 2021 0 One of the arguments in favour of the new farm laws is that the reduced role of APMCs & state… This Muslim shrine on a railway station platform is from Prayagraj, not Delhi By Dilip Kumar Sripada January 16, 2021 0 A photo is shared on social media claiming it as a picture of a Muslim shrine located at old Delhi… Video of a truck catching fire in Pune is passed off as that from Hyderabad. Chicago Art Institute’s staircase is not being lit with Swami Vivekananda’s 1893 speech every day Old Video falsely shared as BJP leaders pleading Rajnath Singh to revoke the new farm laws A review of the ‘Prevention of Cow Slaughter’ laws across the country Karnataka recently issued an ordinance aimed at the prevention of cow slaughter. In recent times,… Taking a loan from a Digital Lending Platform? Here is what you should know By Pavithra K M December 31, 2020 0 Incidents of harassment leading to suicide of customers who availed loans from digital lending platforms… Review: Status of Broadcast News Media regulation in India By Aprajita Verma December 30, 2020 0 Unlike the Press Council of India, there is no government-appointed regulatory body for the broadcast… Less than 30% of Rural Women have ever used the Internet in 10 States as per NFHS-5 By Bharath Kancharla December 29, 2020 0 The NFHS-5 provides data on internet usage for the first time. As per the available… What are the COVID-19 vaccine strategies around the World & in India? Many countries around the world have begun administering the public with COVID-19 vaccine developed by… UGC reiterates its instructions for full fee refund in case of Admission Cancelation It’s been a difficult year for the education sector. Parents & students are forced to…	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5475
__label__wiki	0.946414	0.946414	Club \| 18/06/2020 City Council decides for FC plans FC say: Thank you, Köln! The Köln City Council have voted in favour of 1. FC Köln’s plans to expand Geißbockheim. FC thanks the administration and politicians for their constructive support during proceedings. Six years after the first plans, the proceedings for expanding the RheinEnergieSportpark has been brought to a close. A clear majority in the City Council voted for the plans on Thursday. The decision is a crucial step in the FC's plan to create three artificial pitches for the youth teams and a joint performance centre for youth and first-team players at Geißbockheim. FC President Dr. Werner Wolf said: “The administration and politicians of Köln have proven to be a reliable partner and, after weighing up the alternatives in a transparent, detailed and also controversial process, have clearly committed themselves to Geißbockheim as the location for 1. FC Köln. We are very grateful. This decision is not only an important signal for FC. I congratulate our employees and all partners involved, who have been working persistently, professionally and with commitment on this topic for FC.” FC managing director Alexander Wehrle said: “We have received a lot of support over the past few years, but also contradiction. This is part of such a project and is completely legitimate. The compromises we have made with administration and politicians are good for all sides: for FC, for the sports city of Köln and its citizens, but also for nature and climate protection, which will benefit hugely through the compensation measures financed by us in Grünzug West. In the end, the decision was made by the elected representatives and that is how it should be.” FC managing director Horst Heldt said: “For our club, especially for the children and teenagers, the parents and employees in the FC youth academy, this decision is a sign of progress. We have a perspective in this unique location and we have our city's backing for it. We are extremely pleased and it will give us a boost.” 1. FC Köln would like to thank… the employees and heads of department in the responsible offices, who have been carrying out the process on behalf of politics for six years with a high degree of professionalism and the required level of objectivity. the district government that initiated the deviation process, which was decided in the regional council the fractions of the CDU, SPD and FDP who critically but constructively followed the process and made compromises – and for sticking consequently with those compromises Fan-Projekt 1991 e.V. and all the fans, members and citizens, who made an effort for the FC’s future at Geißbockheim the City Sports Association, the Bunten Liga and all other athletes who see and support our plans as an opportunity for the sports city of Köln our neighbours from shooting and sports clubs, allotments and the forest kindergarten for solution-oriented discussions all citizens and politicians, also in initiatives and from other groups, who have maintained an open and fair exchange despite conflicting views 1. FC Köln appeal to the critics of the project to respect the decision of the elected representatives in the sense of representative, urban democracy. FC President Dr. Werner Wolf said: “Of course it is possible to sue against council decisions. We are well prepared for such a case, especially due to the successful goal deviation process. However, I hope that with this clear vote by the Council and in a common spirit, we can bring the project to a respectful and factual conclusion. ” 18/06/2020 Club Total table 15 DSC Arminia Bielefeld 13 16 1. FC Köln 11 17 FC Schalke 04 7 Agreement between 1. FC Köln and Tobias Kaufmann “We wish we had stayed longer” Climate neutral from 2021: FC earn sustainability certificate	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5477
__label__wiki	0.732804	0.732804	December 6, 2015 by axonsandsynapses axonsandsynapses: Filk 101: An Introduction What is Filk? In lieu of trying to effectively explain it myself, I will shamelessly steal from the guy who literally wrote his thesis on this: What is filk? Hard question. Easy answer: the folk music of the science fiction fandom. Thing is, it doesn’t always sound like folk music, and it’s not even close to all about science fiction. We’ve got singers and rappers, guitarists and accordion players, keyboardists and bodhran-wielders. We’ll take sad songs about space and ballads from the back pages of Mercedes Lackey novels, songs that are strings of innuendo based on Star Trek, songs about gaming, politics, Shakespeare, Kipling, cats, escapism. Songs to the tune of one song, referencing three more songs, making jokes about a sci-fi convention that happened back in the 60’s and speculating about the future of space travel. It’s music fit for Dothraki; it takes what it likes and goes where it will–but it has also become the bardic historian of fandom, and it’s one of the most inclusive and accepting musical traditions of Western civilization. We want you, your three banjo chords, and your truth. And by “truth,” I mean excess emotions about comic books. On that note, I tried to make a single introductory playlist full of filk classics to educate the uninitiated. I failed. The genre is just too diverse to fit on a single mix. So, instead, have four playlists that attempt to introduce this wonderfully weirdass genre. They’re vaguely sorted by theme. I’ve included a mix of old and new filk on each; some “classic” songs that have endured from fandom days of yore, and some more recent music that I think will end up becoming classics for the filkers of the future. I’d like to emphasize that these mixes are by no means comprehensive; there’s lots of stuff I wanted to include but just couldn’t fit. I highly encourage people to go explore more after listening. Here are the sections [full track lists are under a cut, because otherwise this post would be WAY too long] Unit 1: Parody Everything Parody is a central theme of filk. There’s a piece of media we like? We make fun of it. There’s a song we like? We make fun of that. There’s a filk song we like? We write yet another filk song to make fun of that. Unit 2: SPACE! Filk is obsessed with space travel both fictional and real. Some of the saddest filk songs (referred to as “ose,” derived from the pun “ose, ose, and morose”) are songs set in space. As well as some of the funniest songs. For whatever reason, there are far fewer songs that fall between those categories, so I apologize in advance for any emotional whiplash. I tried my best. Unit 3: This Is What Happens When You Let Fantasy Novelists Write Music This tradition began with Mercedes Lackey, who published songs in the backs of many of her novels. A lot of filk is rooted in the fantasy genre, and a bunch of songs are short stories in their own right. Unit 4: Revenge of the Fairytale Princesses From the beginning, filk has had a strong feminist bent. One way it manifests is in songs reinterpreting classic female characters or archetypes. Track lists under the cut… Categories filk, playlist Leave a comment Post navigation The Elf Glade – Meg Davis The Ballad of Sandra Bland	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5480
__label__wiki	0.54808	0.54808	Films In Town Home » Uncategorized » MONSOON (12A) Benjamin Kracun David Tran Edouard Leo Hong Khaou Lâm Vissay Parker Sawyers MONSOON (12A) Posted by ruthmedia on September 28, 2020 in Uncategorized \| Leave a comment Director: Hong Khaou Runtime: 1h20m Cast: Henry Golding, Parker Sawyers, Molly Harris, David Tran, Lâm Vissay, Edouard Leo Synopsis: MONSOON is a rich and poignant reflection on the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present. Kit returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old, when his family fled the country in the aftermath of the Vietnam-American war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness. URL: https://youtu.be/wiKxgGAYU40 This is the second feature film of Writer/Director Hong Khaou (Lilting, 2014). Monsoon is an outstanding visual and emotional achievement, with a stellar performance from Henry Golding [Crazy Rich Asians (2018), The Gentlemen (2019)]. The film is a rich and poignant exploration of the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present. Kit (Henry Golding) returns to Ho Chi Minh City for the first time since he was six years old, when he and his family escaped Saigon as ‘boat refugees’ after the Vietnam War. No longer familiar with this country and unable to speak his native language, Kit embarks on a personal journey from Saigon to Hanoi in search of a place to scatter his parents’ ashes. Along the way he meets his estranged family through Lee (David Tran – Farewell, Berlin Wall, 2015) and falls for Lewis (Parker Sawyers – Southside with You, 2016), an American whose father had fought in the war. Struggling to make sense of himself in a city he’s no longer familiar with, he embarks on a personal journey across the country that opens up the possibility for friendship, love and happiness. In Hanoi, a young art curator called Linh (Molly Harris) embodies the energy of a new Vietnam, moving out of the past with confidence. During his travels, Kit finally starts to connect to the memories of his parents and his own roots. Cultural identity, the search for belonging and the legacies of the past are touchstone themes in Monsoon, which is a rich and poignant reflection on the struggle for identity in a place where the past weighs heavily on the present. This rich, textured and subtle portrayal of a search for belonging is beautifully shot by cinematographer Benjamin Kracun, with an outstanding thoughtful central performance from Henry Golding. In cinemas and streaming. Images courtesy of Peccadillo Pictures. ← WIND/SZÉL SCHEMERS (15) → A-GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES 2021 PROGRAMME A-Z of MEDIA MOVIES B-80 Years of Cinema celebrated at GFT this weekend C-Six films where Glasgow’s west end is the star CINEMA FIRST INVITES EVERYONE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH THE BIG SCREEN ALL OVER AGAIN CINEMA IS BACK D-THE GREAT GATSBY Full programme announced for Glasgow Film Festival 2019 Glasgow Film Festival 2018 announces full programme Glasgow Film Festival 2018 celebrates record-breaking year Glasgow Film Festival 2020 celebrates record audience figures with over 43,000 admissions Glasgow Film Festival announces hybrid festival for 2021, plus a new year-round online platform GLASGOW FILM FESTIVAL TURNS TEN WITH POP-UP CINEMA AND VINTAGE HOLLYWOOD GLAMOUR Glasgow Film Festival will screen in cinemas nationwide for 2021 Glasgow Film Theatre successfully launch Dementia Friendly screenings GLASGOW FILM THEATRE UNVEILS RE-OPENING PROGRAMME GLASGOW FILM THEATRE WILL REOPEN ON 31 AUGUST 2020 Glasgow Film Theatre’s third screen opens its doors to the public SUMMER OF CINEMA 2015 The Social Isolation Film Festival from Glasgow Film Theatre	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5481
__label__wiki	0.811116	0.811116	5 Top Reads: Our Top Weekend Reads Our Top Weekend Reads... 5 Top Reads Skyrocketing housing prices threaten South Korea, the plight of LGBTQ people in Kashmir, and rapidly deteriorating economic conditions in Argentina. By Allison Meakem \| August 29, 2020, 7:00 AM Abandoned houses sit near new high-rise apartments, following evictions prior to redevelopment, in the Ahyeon district of Seoul on Dec. 18, 2018. Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images “Gangnam Style” is hardly an accessible refrain anymore in Seoul, where the cost of a home has doubled since 2017. The average annualized return on an apartment in the Gangnam neighborhood may be about 330 percent, but the broader instability provoked by the housing crisis could jeopardize President Moon Jae-in’s political future. Meanwhile, members of Kashmir’s LGBTQ community are wrestling with Indian nationalism that seeks to pit them against their neighbors to save face. And an ongoing lockdown in Buenos Aires has thrown Argentina into economic turmoil, with long-lasting effects. Here are Foreign Policy’s top weekend reads. Abandoned houses sit near new high-rise apartments, following evictions prior to redevelopment, in the Ahyeon district of Seoul on Dec. 18, 2018.Ed Jones/AFP via Getty Images 1. Moon Faces a Bigger Political Threat Than Kim Jong Un: Real Estate Prices In Seoul, where investment in real estate is extraordinarily lucrative, housing prices are rising faster than anywhere on earth. If South Korean President Moon Jae-in doesn’t rein in the market soon, it may bring him down, S. Nathan Park writes. Protesters march in Srinagar, in Indian-administered Kashmir, on Oct. 7, 2016. Tauseef Mustafa/AFP/Getty Images 2. Kashmir’s LGBTQ Community Is Caught Between Conservative Society and Indian Ethnonationalism New Delhi has invoked homophobia and transphobia in justifying its militarized incursions into Indian-administered Kashmir. But the Indian government’s actions are only pushing queer voices further to the margin, Adnan Bhat writes. A volunteer church worker delivers a box with food supplies at the Villa 31 shantytown, amid the lockdown in Buenos Aires on July 25. Alejandro Pagni/AFP via Getty Images 3. Argentina’s Economy Crumbles as Buenos Aires Lockdown Continues As other countries’ economies reopen, Argentina has kept its capital, Buenos Aires, on lockdown. The decision has rendered the country disproportionately vulnerable to the economic malaise driven by the coronavirus pandemic, Milagros Costabel writes. White House Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway prerecords her address to the Republican National Convention in the empty Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C., on Aug. 26.Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images 4. The Trumpists’ Answer to His Republican Foreign-Policy Critics? More Culture Wars. Backers of Donald Trump in the foreign-policy arena can’t point to anything substantive to justify their continued support for the U.S. president. But as Team Trump resorts to name-calling, polls suggest the administration’s worldview may be less popular with the U.S. public than they claim, Michael J. Green writes. A Chinese soldier and an Indian solider stand guard at the Nathu La border crossing between India and China on July 10, 2008.DIPTENDU DUTTA/AFP via Getty Images 5. China Is Taking Advantage of India’s Intelligence Failures Though India has modernized its intelligence apparatus significantly since a 1962 border skirmish with China, it still lacks a central processing system for dispatching information. This jumbled approach leaves the country susceptible to Chinese breaches, Sumit Ganguly and Frank O’Donnell write. Allison Meakem is an editorial fellow at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @allisonmeakem Tags: Argentina, China, Housing crisis, India, kashmir, LGBT, South Korea	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5485
__label__wiki	0.640138	0.640138	Zakharchenko: Expect Terrorist Acts & Provocations on May 8th By Joaquin Flores Last updated Feb 19, 2018 May 6th, 2015 – – Novorosinform, translated by Joaquin Flores – The head of the DPR said that ‘special groups ‘will be sent to the republic to commit terrorist acts. “According to our intelligence, Ukrainian security forces will make provocations on May 8th”, he said. Zakharchenko said that several subterfuge units will be sent to commit terrorist acts in the DPR. Also the head of the DPR said in passing that the contact groups were in negotiations in Minsk to resolve the situation in the Donbass. “While negotiations are still going, there are no specific results. I hope that by the end they will have something clear. Frankly, do not expect anything”, – said Alexander Zakharchenko. “There has been no movement towards compliance with the Minsk agreements in the areas that Ukraine has not observed.” DPRNovorossiaterrorismVictory DayZakharchenko Joaquin Flores 2138 posts 0 comments Joaquin Flores is Editor-in-Chief of Fort Russ News, as well as the Director of the Belgrade based think-tank, the Center for Syncretic Studies. Educated at California State University, Los Angeles, in the field of International Relations, he previously served as Chief Negotiator and Internal Organizer in several jurisdictions for the SEIU labor union in California. Flores has twenty years experience in community, labor, and anti-war organizing. Flores has appeared regularly on Iran’s ‘PressTV’ and Russia’s ‘RT’ news to share his expert opinion and analysis on current geopolitical matters. As a Thought Leader, he has spoken publicly internationally at numerous forums, published in over 10 languages, his conceptual and ideological frameworks, approaches to branding and aesthetics have influenced others in his field. Music Video Wednesday: Paul Robeson, The Soviet National Anthem (in English) The Victory Banner is Unfurled at the top of Elbrus WATCH: Russian Airstrikes Obliterate Jihadist Strongholds and Training Camps in Idlib	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5487
__label__cc	0.70289	0.29711	If they have gone into the yard after 12:45, but before 12:47 or 48, then parcel man is surely the killer. Not sure were that would leave the Schwartz tale - maybe that is what you're hinting at? That’s not what I’m hinting at, Andrew. The sequence of events I propose based on reading, at least, much of the evidence is as follows: Stride & companion arrive close to the club Smith arrives and sees Stride & companion opposite the club Stride, now alone, is standing at the entrance of the yard when Schwartz sees an altercation between Stride and a man who had been walking ahead of him couple arrives at the corner of the board school Brown passes and sees the couple Mortimer comes to her door If I must put times to this sequence, then they might be as follows: 12:42 a.m. : Stride & companion move to the vicinity of the club 12:42 a.m. : P.C. Smith sees Stride and a man opposite Dutfield’s Yard 12:45 a.m. : Schwartz witnesses the altercation between a man and Stride 12:46 a.m. : a couple arrives at the Fairclough side of the board school and stand there for some 20 minutes (Evening News, 1 October) 12:47 a.m. : James Brown sees a couple at the corner of the board school 12:48 a.m. : Fanny Mortimer goes to stand at her door Things could have been somewhat closer together as, for instance, the Schwartz incident could have been over in 30 or 40 seconds and Brown, undoubtedly, passed within 20 seconds. Alternatively we are looking at Mortimer observing the street from about 12:47:00, until the end of 12:56. So we would need Stride to leave the scene before this period, and then both Stride and killer to either enter the yard in that period, without Fanny noticing (another roll of the dice), or for both to enter in the few minutes prior to 1am. The later (1am) point assumes there was a gap between Mortimer's lockup and Diemschitz' arrival, which I think is false, and just part of the highly misleading Daily/Evening News reports. Even if there were a gap, what are the chances that Stride and killer would independently meet at the gates in this short period, or that they return together from some trip from around a corner or side street (and no one notices that either)? I don’t see how or why it should be false and misleading to suggest there was a gap between Mortimer going back inside and her hearing the pony cart arrive. And if there was a gap, Stride and her killer simply did have a chance of going into the yard unseen. As we don’t know what really happened, nor when & how, it could have happened at any time the evidence allows for and the gap we’re talking about here is simply one of those times. Doesn't Spooner arrive 4 or 5 minutes before Lamb? How much time elapsed from the point Diemschitz sees the clock, to Spooner's arrival at the yard? It's more that 1 or 2 minutes. 1:00:00 Diemshutz passes clock at corner of Berner Street 1:00:30 Diemshutz arrives in yard 1:01:00 Diemshutz alerts people inside 1:01:30 Diemshutz & Isaacs run out of the yard 1:02:00 Diemshutz & Isaacs reach Grove Street 1:02:45 Diemshutz & Spooner arrive in the yard According to Lamb he arrived in the yard 10 to 12 minutes before Blackwell, so that would put his arrival at 1:04 to 1:06. If we’d assume it was 1:06 then Spooner arrived over 3 minutes earlier than Lamb instead of the 4 to 5 minutes that he deposed. If we’d assume he actually arrived at 1:04, then Diemshutz was closer to the truth, as according to him, Lamb and PC 426 H arrived when Spooner had just lifted Strides head. However, both are good enough for me, simply because timings are not the most reliable thing for us to lean on. Why did you refer to Diemschitz claimed arrival time, as an estimate? I wasn’t referring to his arrival time, but to his estimate of "two policemen, who arrived about seven minutes after the discovery." Id call this one error each actually. When I quoted you Frank’s quote was incorporated and it was him that mentioned Mortimer at just before 12.45. An error on my part. (That’s how you accept an error btw. Not dodge around it or ignore it) Now your error. I was clearly talking about Spooner being there before Lamb arrived and not Smith. You may have been talking about Spooner, but you also gave an earliest arrival time for Lamb - 1:07. Earlier in the same post, you said... If we thought that Kozebrodski was unreliable then Hoschberg is far easier to dismiss as very obviously mistaken. Firstly we know that it was Lamb who blew his whistle to tell everyone to get away from the body and we know that Lamb arrived somewhere around 1.07. Secondly, there were no people gathered around the gates at 12.45 but there were later on. This ties in with the time that Lamb was there. Hoschberg is dismissed as a reliable witness on timing. Absolutely no doubt. So after numerous posts on the subject of the Berner street timeline, you've reached a stage in which you have Smith arriving several minutes before Lamb. Perhaps you could employ that admiral humility of yours, and explain to the forum how and why, in attempting to prove both Schwartz and Diemschitz essentially correct, you've managed to get yourself in to such a tangle? Assistant Commissioner Perhaps you could employ that admiral humility of yours, Looking at your record in this thread, I'd say it's you who is all at sea rather than Mr Sholmes Last edited by Observer; 01-14-2021, 01:45 AM. I haven’t mentioned Smith arriving before Lamb. In fact in the timeline I did I wrote: “According to Smith he gets back to Berner Street around 1.00 but, as Lamb was already there it must have been nearer to 1.07” My time 1.07 for Lamb’s arrival is not exact (my use of the word ‘around’ was the clue.) So it may have been slightly earlier. Smith said that at 1.00 he went into Berner Street. But as we cannot be exact as to the time that he actually arrived it is possible at it might have been later. I also confirmed in my timeline that Lamb was already there when Smith arrived. And the phrase should be ‘admirable humility’ not ‘admiral.’ This is a mistake. You should learn to recognise them before indulging in an ego-driven attempt to find them in others. Originally posted by Observer View Post Ive missed your poisonous obsession with me. Even your attempt at humour is based on a misuse of a word. Keeping the standard up I see. Within your sequence, Stride and companion must arrive for a reason, and parcel man must very soon after, leave for a reason, and then Stride must have a reason for then going to stand in the gateway. Taken together, these movements seem inexplicable. If parcel man were innocent, why did he not come forward? If Stride went to the gateway to solicit, it was possibly the first time she had ever done so... Wess: About twelve months ago I happened to go into the yard, and heard some chatting near the gate, and I at once went there and shut the gate. Prior to Smith passing, no one seems to have seen her alone that night anywhere, let alone at the gates. Quite suddenly, no less than three men see her there … or so the story goes. Moving on to the 'Schwartz incident', you use the (apparently popular) argument that this might have been over in 30 or 40 seconds. That might be true in terms of getting Schwartz away from Dutfield's Yard, but that is not the end of the story. The supposed 30 to 40 seconds is from the point of view of Israel Schwartz - yet he is only one of four involved in the drama. So what about... The pipeman incident - does this character chase Schwartz, give up half way to 22 Ellen street, and then return to the scene? Why not...? The Star: A SECOND MAN CAME OUT of the doorway of the public-house a few doors off, and shouting out some sort of warning to the man who was with the woman, rushed forward as if to attack the intruder. Schwartz was the intruder. By the way, how did Schwartz know that what Knifeman was shouting, was A) to the man (and not the woman), and B) a warning, if Schwartz could not understand English? Did Knifeman shout in Yiddish, perhaps? The b-s man incident - after shouting 'Lipski', he does … what? The Stride incident - after screaming not loudly enough to alert the neighborhood, she does … what? So the term 'Schwartz incident' is misleading. In more general terms, this is a time/risk related 'principle' (for want of a better word), to think about... The closer we get to the arrival of Diemschitz, with Stride still alive, the more likely it is that Stride will be seen by others, from the point in time that Smith passes. Ceteris paribus, Stride being killed by parcel man, is low risk - whereas just prior to 1am (assuming we get that far), is high risk. Ceteris paribus, we should prefer low risk to high. The Worker's Friend seems to have done just that (assuming they don't know the murderer's identity). Regarding the 4 minute gap, I posted on that at length, so I would rather comment on any critique of that, rather than making the same points over again. As for Lamb's timing, what time did he arrive, and was he actually referring to Blackwell, or Johnston? He said (Times): About 1 o'clock, as near as I can tell, on Sunday morning I was in the Commercial-road, between Christian-street and Batty-street. Two men came running towards me. Dr. Blackwell, about ten minutes after I got there, was the first doctor to arrive. Dr. Phillips arrived about 20 minutes afterwards; So what at what time did Phillips arrive? Lloyd's Weekly News, Sep 30: Dr. Phillips was sent for, who came at 1.30 in a cab. A bobbie's sense of time, is not to be dismissed lightly. How are you going there, in the backseat? I hope all the motion hasn't made you feel seasick. He was just gloating because he thought that you’d caught me out. Now that I’ve shown that you hadn’t caught me out there’s no comment. Of course. Errrr the reason I haven't commented is unlike some, I'm not obsessed with this Forum, and have just returned this instant. It also highlights your paranoia, I was not gloating, nor am I obsessed with any poster in this Forum, I actually agree with all your input in this thread. As Wickerman pointed out though it's been done to death, it's all been discussed before, nothing new. Mr Richards continues with his folly. We seem to have another deluded poster, however, when it comes to determining exactly how Liz Stride met her end Looking at your recent discourse with me, I've got to agree with Aussie Dave, you're a nasty piece of work Yes but with you in the driving seat it's become somewhat of a car crash. Furthermore, this is what I posted in reply to NBFN "Looking at your record in this thread, I'd say it's you who is all at sea rather than Mr Sholmes" Now, how anyone could take from the above that I was suggesting you were wrong, and I have a poisonous obsession with you takes the biscuit. Very strange. In response to posts 114 and 116. Firstly, I misread your post and was influenced by past comments into making an assumption. So for that I certainly apologise for getting it wrong. but, In the past you’ve certainly popped up unexpectedly to make derogatory comments directed at me out of the blue. So I’d say that it’s perhaps not unexpected that I was on the defensive. I’ve pointed this out in private to 3 or 4 posters who have all noticed exactly the same thing. I was advised by them just to ignore you. Those posters certainly aren’t ‘nasty pieces of work.’ Ive also, along with others, had a torrent of insults on the Stride threads which I didn’t initiate. On the Wallace thread a poster went into such a meltdown of personal insults against me (again simply because I disagreed with him and without insulting him) that he got banned (and no I didn’t report him) So if being insulted and then reacting to it makes me the devil incarnate then there’s nothing I can do about it. Perhaps we need to introduce safe spaces on here where some posters can nurture their ideas or theories without someone disagreeing with them? The moral to this story is carefully digest what's being said before jumping to conclusions Exchanges in opinion between you and I could fit on one hand, it's often a volatile Forum, don't take everything to heart. I'd wager your heated arguments outweigh mine though. Also, it wasn't I who labelled you a nasty piece of work. Safe spaces? Here's a better solution, I certainly won't be replying to any post you make here in future, as I said I haven't made that many in the past You're quite right, Andrew. From the moment when Mr. Broad Shoulders started to talk to the woman until he Schwartz himself was some way down Berner Street on the southern side of Fairclough Street didn't take more than 30-40 seconds, but that doesn't mean that the whole incident was over & done with. I, for one, think that Mr. Broad Shoulders is a good candidate for being Stride's murderer. If he was, then I think he and Stride went into the yard right after Schwartz had left, where he soon afterwards killed her and got out of there before Mortimer came to her doorstep. I see that as a good possibility. Possibly, but not very likely in my view, since Mr. Broad Shoulders came from Commercial Road and Mr. Pipeman was already there. Meaning, the 2 men don't seem to belong together. As for Lamb's timing, what time did he arrive, and was he actually referring to Blackwell, or Johnston? Seeing that Lamb only spoke of Dr. Blackwell in that respect, I think he was actually referring to him. I would also think that Johns(t)on wouldn't present himself as the doctor, but as his assistant. Is b-s man JtR? Did Stride go into the yard willingly, reluctantly, or forcibly (but not very loudly)? I thought the second man came out of the doorway of the public-house a few doors off, and shouting out some sort of warning to the man who was with the woman, rushed forward as if to attack the intruder. That sounds very much like they were working together. Question; the warning was shouted in which language? If the answer is 'English', and Schwartz understands that what is being shouted is a warning, and that the warning is directed at the b-s man, then Schwartz must have at least modest English language capacity. Otherwise, the other men are probably communicating in either Yiddish, or another European language. Either way, Schwartz at least understood the gist of what was being said. Did Schwartz make it clear to the police, that he understood what the men were saying, and in which language they were speaking? Diemschitz: The doctor arrived about ten minutes after the police came. Do you suppose Louis made the distinction between doctor, and assistant doctor, at the murder scene, or was his mind occupied by other matters?	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5489
__label__cc	0.605377	0.394623	Takeaways from EAF's Hiring Round by stefan.torges16 min read19th Nov 201820 comments EA HiringForum PrizeOperations Recommendations for applicants Deciding whether to hire Goals of the application process Find the most suited candidate(s) for each role. Make sure that applicants have a good experience and can take away useful lessons. The application process in brief How we came up with the application process Other EA organizations Our own reasoning The application process in detail Writing the job ad What we learned [4] First stage: Initial application Second stage: Work test(s) Third stage: Interviews Fourth stage: Trial week Appendix A. Shallow data analysis Research Analyst: Operations Analyst: Appendix B. Application form Appendix C. Template for reference checks We (the Effective Altruism Foundation) recently ran a hiring round for two positions, an Operations Analyst and a Research Analyst, for which purpose we overhauled our application process. Since we’re happy with the outcome ourselves and received positive feedback from applicants about how we handled the hiring round, we want to share our experience. This post might be useful for other organizations and (future) applicants in the community. The most important channels for finding promising candidates were our own networks and the EA community. Encouraging specific individuals to apply was crucial. Having an application period of only two weeks is possible, but not ideal.. We’ve become more convinced that a general mental ability test, work tests relevant for the role, a trial (week), and reference checks should be important parts of our application process. The application form was more useful than a cover letter as a first filter. In the future, we will likely use a very brief form consisting of three to five questions. It’s less clear to us that interviews added a lot of value, but that might have been due to the way we conducted them. It’s hard to say whether blinding submissions and using quantitative measures in fact led to a fairer process. They definitely increased the focus and efficiency of our discussions. Given that it didn’t cost us much extra time, we will likely continue this practice in the future. If you’re uncertain about applying, approach the organization and find out more. When in doubt, apply! We had to convince two of the four candidates who made it to the trial to apply in the first place. Not all effective altruism organizations are alike. Familiarize yourself as much as possible with the mission, priorities, and general practices of the organization you’re applying to. Research positions: Practice your skills by researching relevant topics independently. Publish your write-ups in a relevant channel (e.g. on the EA forum or your personal blog). Collect as much radically honest feedback as possible and try to incorporate it. Operations positions: Read the 80,000 Hours post on operations roles. Take the lead on one or more projects (e.g. website, event). Collect feedback and try to incorporate it. When it comes to hiring for an early-stage nonprofit like ours, common startup advice likely applies.[1] This is also backed up to some extent by our own experience: Hire slowly, and only when you absolutely need to. If you don’t find a great candidate, don’t hire. Compromising on these points will mean achieving less due to the added costs in management capacity. In this particular case, we realized that our philanthropy strategy lacked a grantmaking research team, which implied a fairly clear need for an additional full-time equivalent. We also systematically analyzed the amount of important operations tasks that we weren’t getting done, and concluded that we have about 1.5 full time equivalents worth of extra work in operations. Make sure that people who are plausibly among the best candidates actually apply. Make sure that your filters test for the right characteristics. Minimize unnecessary time investment while learning as much as possible about each other. Communicate details about the application process as clearly and early as possible. Compensate candidates who invest a lot of time, irrespective of whether they get the job or not. Give feedback to rejected candidates if they ask. Write this post. Our application process consisted of four stages. These were, in chronological order: initial application (application form, general mental ability (GMA) test, CV); work test(s); two 45 minute interviews; trial week and reference checks. Within a two-week application period, we received a total of 66 applications. Six weeks later, we offered positions to two candidates and offered an extended trial to another candidate. The application process left us with a very good understanding of the candidates’ strengths and weaknesses and a conviction that they’re both excellent fits for their respective roles. Throughout the process, we stuck to a very aggressive timetable and were able to move quickly, while still gathering a lot of useful information. The entire process took about two weeks of preparation and about two months to run (including the two week application period). We invested about 400 hours, mainly across three staff members, which amounts to about 30% of their time during that period.[2] This was a good use of our time, both in expectation and in retrospect. If your team has less time available to run an application process, we would probably recommend doing fewer interviews. Table: Overview of the different application stages We did not expect to filter so strongly during the first stage, but the median candidate turned out to be a worse fit than we expected. The best applications were better than we expected, however. The fact that the gender ratio stayed fairly constant throughout the stages is some evidence that we were successful in curbing potential gender biases (see “Equal opportunity” section). However, it’s hard to say since we don’t have a control group. Since the time cost was limited, we will likely keep these measures in place. In the future, we’d like to reduce the time candidates have to spend on the initial application in order to encourage more candidates to apply and avoid unnecessarily taking up applicants’ time (also see section “First stage: Initial application”). We mainly relied on “The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology: Practical and Theoretical Implications of 100 Years” by Schmidt (specifically, the 2016 update to his 1998 meta-analysis on this issue). We also considered Handbook of Principles of Organizational Behavior: Indispensable Knowledge for Evidence-Based Management by Edwin Locke. Both seemed to agree that general mental ability (GMA) tests were the best predictors of job performance. Indicators of conscientiousness (either integrity tests or conscientiousness measures) also fared well, as did interviews (either structured or unstructured). Interestingly and surprisingly, work tests were the best predictor in the 1998 meta-analysis, but did far worse in the 2016 one. Overall, this led us to include a GMA test in the process, increased our confidence in conducting interviews, decreased our confidence in work tests, and led us to try to measure conscientiousness (in a way that was not easily gameable). We also considered how other EA organizations handled this challenge, particularly Open Phil and FHI, as they seem most similar to us in some relevant ways. From what we knew, they relied strongly on work tests and a trial (in the case of Open Phil), which updated us toward including a work test and running some form of trial. Thinking about our particular situation and past experiences, as well as common sense heuristics, made a few things stand out: Having a thorough understanding of our mission is crucial for prioritizing correctly, making trade-offs, and coming up with useful ideas. We thought it was important that candidates display some of this already. Although work tests are not among the best instruments in the meta analysis, whether candidates excel at tasks they would take on if we hired them is likely predictive of their future performance in that role. The difficulty seems to be in making work tests representative of future tasks. Still, this gave us further reason to include a work test fairly early and also to do an in-person trial week. For small teams, culture fit also struck us as particularly important. You have to get along in order to perform well and be as efficient as possible. Small teams in particular have limited slack for tolerating friction between team members, as we’ve also experienced in the past. This consideration spoke in favor of interviews and an in-person trial. We wanted to make the process as fair as possible to all applicants. Research suggests that certain groups in particular, e.g. women and ethnic minorities, are less likely to apply and are more likely to be filtered out for irrelevant reasons. We tried to correct for potential biases by encouraging specific individuals to apply, making sure the job ad was inclusive, defining criteria and good answers in advance, blinding submissions wherever possible [3], and introducing quantitative measures wherever possible. We thought quantitative measures were particularly relevant for squishy components like “culture fit” which might introduce biases late in the process when blinding is no longer possible. There is another reason for such measures in a small community like effective altruism. It was very likely that we would evaluate people who we already knew and had formed opinions on—both positive and negative—that would affect our judgment in ways that would be very hard to account for. When drafting the two job ads (Operations Analyst, Research Analyst) we tried to incorporate standard advice for ensuring a diverse applicant pool. We ran the writing through a “gender decoder” (textio.com, gender-decoder), cut down the job requirements to what we considered the minimum, and added an equal opportunity statement. For better planning, increased accountability, and as a commitment device, we made the entire process transparent and gave as detailed a timeline as possible. We would have liked to extend the application period from 2 to 8 weeks. This was not possible due to other deadlines at the organizational level. We should have reduced barriers to approach us for people who were uncertain whether to apply. In the future we might add an explicit encouragement to the job ad or host an AMA session in some form during the application period. After some initial feedback we added an expected salary range to the job ads and will do so from the beginning in the future. We should have communicated the required time investment for the work tests more clearly in the job ad, which, as it turns out, contained some ambiguous formulations which implied that the work test would take four days to complete instead of two hours. We have become less convinced of generic equal opportunity statements. We shared the job ads mostly within the EA community and a few other facebook groups, e.g. scholarship recipients in Germany. To make sure the best candidates applied, we reached out to individuals we thought might be a particularly good fit and encouraged them to apply. For that, we relied on our own personal networks, as well as the networks of CEA and 80,000 Hours, both of which were a great help. We specifically tried to identify people from groups currently underrepresented at EAF. Table: Share of channels through which applicants learned about the positions, across stages of the application process The most important channels for finding promising candidates was reaching out to people in our own network, CEA’s and 80,000 Hours’ networks, and the online EA community. Initially, we asked candidates for either role to (1) submit their CV, (2) fill out an application form, and (3) complete a general mental ability (GMA) test [5]. The purpose of this stage was to test their basic mission understanding and basic general competence. The application form consisted of 13 long-form questions (with a limit of 1,000 characters per question). Three of these asked for understanding of and identification with our mission, while ten were so-called “behavioral questions”, i.e. questions about past behavior and performance (see Appendix B for all questions). We also collected all necessary logistical info. To some extent, this form was a substitute for a standardized interview to reduce our time investment. The GMA test was Raven’s Advanced Progressive Matrices (administered by Pearson Clinical). We picked it because it’s fairly well studied and understood, has a high g-loading (.80), only takes about 40 minutes to complete, and contains no components that could introduce linguistic or cultural biases. It does have the drawback that it only measures one form of intelligence; however, we deemed this acceptable for our purposes, given the high g-loading and short test time. Evaluation. Two people from our team scored each form answer from 0 to 5 and each CV from -1 to +1. To eliminate potential biases, we blinded the submissions, scored question by question instead of candidate by candidate, and randomized the candidate ordering after each question. We then aggregated the scores from all three components (CV, form, test) after converting them to a standard score. Based on the resulting distribution and looking at edge cases in more detail, we decided which of the applicants to advance to the next stage. We only unblinded the data after having made an initial decision. After unblinding, we only allowed ourselves to make adjustments upwards, i.e. only allow more (rather than fewer) candidates to advance to the next stage. In the end, we didn’t make any changes after unblinding. The initial application form was too long. We had originally planned a shorter version for the initial stage and a longer one for a later stage. However, we decided to combine them because we faced some very tight deadlines at the organizational level. Given the circumstances, we probably made the right call, but would change it if we had more time. The application form and the GMA test seemed to measure independent aspects of a candidate (see Appendix A). We will likely continue to use some version of both in the future. The GMA test seemed to be a better predictor of good performance in later stages than the application form. The form seemed particularly noisy for research analysts. However, the sample size is fairly low and there could be threshold effects (see Appendix A). The most useful questions from the form were the following (see Appendix A): Question 1: What is your current plan for improving the world? Question 12: What do you think is the likelihood that at least one minister/secretary or head of state will mention the term “effective altruism” in at least one public statement over the next five years? Please give an estimate without consulting outside sources. How did you arrive at the estimate? Question 13: Please describe a time when you changed something about your behavior as a result of feedback that you received from others. Minor issues: We should blind all material ourselves instead of asking applicants to do so. We should tell applicants that the GMA test becomes progressively more difficult. The work test(s) were designed to test the specific skills required for each role. Candidates who completed this stage received a monetary compensation. Operations Analyst. Candidates had to complete an assignment with seven subtasks within 120 minutes. In order to validate the test, uncover potential problems, and set a benchmark, one team member in a similar role completed the test in advance. We would have liked to test it more, but this did not turn out not to be a problem as far as we can tell. Research Analyst. Candidates had to complete two assignments; one was timed to 120 minutes, the other one was untimed, but we suggested how much to write and how much time to spend on each task. We decided to have a timed and an untimed test because we saw benefits and drawbacks for both and wanted to gather more information. For the untimed assignment, we tried to make sure that additional time invested would have strongly diminishing returns after two hours by reducing the total amount of work required. We asked two external people to test both assignments in advance. Evaluation. The candidates’ potential supervisor evaluated each submission (blinded to the candidate’s identity) by scoring subtasks horizontally. Somebody else evaluated each submission as a whole so that we could spot potential flaws in the evaluation. We calculated a weighted sum of the scores from stages 1 and 2, which informed our decision who to advance. The work test(s) gave us a lot of useful information above and beyond what we had already gathered during the first stage. A cost-effective way to gain (part of) this information sooner could be to ask future applicants for a work/research sample (from a previous project) as part of the initial application. We’re leaning toward only including timed tests in the future, as we did not see much evidence of terrible submissions as a result of time pressure—which was our main concern with timed tests, especially for the research analyst position. We realized that the task load only allowed for satisficing (as opposed to excellence). However, it’s also valuable in retrospect to test candidates’ ability to optimize, so we’re contemplating reducing the task load on one of the tests. In some cases, we should have put more effort into clarifying expectations, i.e. requirements for a very good submission. This was difficult to anticipate and more testing might have improved the work tests in this regard. We wanted to use the interviews to resolve any uncertainties about the candidates we had at that point, to refine our assessment to what extent they identified with our mission, to learn more about their fit for the specific role, and to get a first sense of their fit with our team. We decided to have two 45 minute structured interviews per candidate back to back: one focused on EAF as an organization, one focused on the specific role. Each interviewer scored the candidate across multiple criteria, and we calculated an aggregate score. Afterwards we discussed all remaining candidates extensively before making a decision. Given the tight schedule it was not possible to make sure that everybody on the hiring committee had the exact same information, as would be best practice. However, to resolve some uncertainties we had people listen to some of the interview recordings (which we had made with consent of the candidates and deleted right after). In retrospect we think the interviews did not give us a lot of additional information. We had already covered basic behavioral questions and mission understanding in the application form and tested for role fit with the work test. This might be less of a concern if we only use a trimmed down version of the application form. However, we’re also contemplating changing the format of the interview entirely to test components which other formats cannot capture well, such as independent thinking, productive communication style, and real-time reasoning. We invited all candidates who made it past the interviews to a trial week in our Berlin offices (one person completed the trial from a remote location [6]). We wanted to use that time to test what it was like to actually work with them, get more data on their work output, test their fit with the entire team, and also allow them to get to know us better. They worked with their potential supervisor on two research projects (Research Analyst) or five operations projects (Operations Analyst). We also scheduled individual meetings with each staff member throughout the week. During the same time, we contacted references to learn more about the candidates. We made a final decision after extensive deliberations in the following week and discussing each candidate in a lot of detail. We also asked all staff members about their impressions and thoughts, and calculated a final score which corroborated a qualitative assessment. Overall, the trial week was very useful and we accomplished what we had planned. The reference checks were very helpful and we’re considering conducting them earlier in the process. (see Appendix C for our reference call checklist) Scheduling 1-on-1 meetings with all team members was a good idea for an organization of our size. In the future, we’ll try to batch them on day 2 and 3 to get everybody acquainted more quickly. Some tasks were underspecified, and we should have invested more time to clarify context and expectations. We could have spotted some of these problems earlier if we had organized even closer supervision in some cases. This proved particularly difficult for the remote trial. We’re also considering a longer trial to better represent actual work conditions. This is a difficult trade-off both for us as an organization as well as for the applicant. One solution could be to ask each candidate whether they want to complete a one week or a four week trial. We ran correlations of the scores from the first three stages which you can access here. You can find the questions that we used in the form on the far right of the spreadsheet or in Appendix B. After the first stage, we had to split scores between applicants for the Operations Analyst position and the Research Analyst position. Due to the small sample size, we’re not confident in any conclusions and don’t discuss any correlations beyond the second stage. We should also note that we cannot tell how well any of the measures correlate with actual work performance. A high score on questions 1, 2, 12, and 3 each predict the total form score fairly well (correlations of .77, .69, .69, and .62). (Note that questions 1, 2, and 3 were weighted slightly more than the other questions in the total form score.) No question was negatively correlated with the form score, which is a good sign. (Note that they also contribute to the total form score which likely overestimates the correlation.) Question 12 was not only a good a good predictor of the form score, but also had the highest correlation out of all questions with both GMA score (.43) and CV score (.39). The correlation between the form score and the GMA score was fairly modest with .28. which indicates that these indeed measure different aspects. The same holds for the correlations between form score and CV score (.33) as well as GMA score and CV score (.29). Question 12 was also highly correlated with the total score of the first stage (.73), even though it was just one out of 13 questions making up the form score (and was even among the lower weight questions). Other highly correlated questions were again 1 (.63), 2 (.49), and 13 (.49). Question 8 was negatively correlated with both GMA score (-.34) and total score (-.14). Doing well during the first stage did not correlate with a high score in the work test (-.06). This is good on one hand because we did intend to measure different things. On the other hand, we wanted to select for excellent performance on the job in the first stage and this didn’t show in the work test at all. We’re not sure if this is picking up on something real since the sample size is low and there could be threshold effects, but we would have hoped for a slightly higher correlation all things considered. We observed somewhat strong positive correlations with the work test for questions 5 (.36) and 11 (.39) as well as the GMA score (.39). Negative correlations held for questions 2 (-.53), 6 (-.74), 8 (-.42), and the total form score (-.51). For this role, the total score from the first stage was well correlated with the score on the work test (.57). Not only was the GMA correlated (.58) as was the case for the research analysts, but also the form score (.59) and almost all subquestions. Notable negative correlations only held for question 4 (-.57) and question 7 (-.33). Question 2: If you were given one million dollars, what would you do with them? Why? Question 3: What excites you about our mission? Question 4: Briefly describe an important accomplishment you achieved (mainly) on your own, and one you achieved together with a team. For the latter, what was your role? Question 5: Briefly describe a time when you had to finish a task you did not enjoy. How did you manage the situation? What was the result? Question 6: Briefly give two examples where you deliberately improved yourself. Question 7: Can you describe an instance when you deliberately took the initiative to improve the team/organization you were working with? Question 8: There are times when we work without close supervision or support to get the job done. Please tell us about a time when you found yourself in such a situation and how things turned out. Question 9: Please tell us about a time when you successfully devised a clever solution to a difficult problem or set of problems, or otherwise “hacked” your way to success. Question 10: While we try to make sure that workload and stress are kept at sustainable levels, there are times when having to perform under pressure at work is unavoidable. How do you cope with stressful situations? Question 11: What was a high-stakes choice you faced recently? How did you arrive at a decision? Introduce yourself. Give some background on your call. [candidate] applied for [position] with us. Currently in [stage of the application process]. [description of the types of work they’d be doing in the role] We will treat all information confidentially. In what context did you work with the person? What was the concrete project/task? What were their biggest strengths? What were their main areas for improvement back then? Was there anything they struggled with? How would you rate their overall performance in that job on a 1-10 scale? Why? Would you say they are among the top 5% of people who you ever worked with at your organization? If you were me, would you have any concerns about hiring them? If I have further questions that come up during the trial week, may I get in touch again? [1] Kerry Vaughan pointed out to us afterwards that there are also reasons to think the common startup advice might not fully apply to EA organizations: 1) The typical startup might be more funding-constrained than EAF, and 2) EAs have more of a shared culture and shared knowledge than typical startup employees and, therefore, might require less senior management time for onboarding new staff. This might mean that if we can hire people who already have a very good sense of what needs to be done at the organization, it could be good to hire even when there isn’t a strong need. [2] We would expect this to be a lot less for future hiring rounds (about 250 hours) since this also includes initial research, the design of the process, and putting in place all the necessary tools. [3] Our main goal for blinding was making the process as fair as possible for all applicants. Julia Wise pointed out to us afterwards that there is evidence that blinding may lead to fewer women being hired. After talking and thinking more about this issue, we think this provides us with some reason not to blind in the future. [4] Points in these sections are based on a qualitative internal evaluation, the data analysis in Appendix A, direct feedback from applicants, and an anonymous feedback form we included in the job ad and sent to all candidates after they had been rejected. [5] We checked with a lawyer if this was within our rights as an employer, and we concluded that it was within German law. We don’t have an opinion whether this would have been permissible in another jurisdiction. For what it’s worth, the relevant standard in the US for deciding whether administering a particular pre-employment test is legal seems to be “job-relatedness”. [6] We already had a good sense of their team fit and organized Skype calls with some of the team members who were less familiar with them. Otherwise we would likely not have allowed for a remote trial. EA Hiring2Forum Prize2Operations2 99Hiring Process and Takeaways from Fish Welfare Initiative 82Effective Altruism Foundation: Plans for 2020 59Launching the EAF Fund 49EA Forum Prize: Winners for November 2018 30A naive analysis on if EA is Talent constrained 20 comments, sorted by [-]Denise_Melchin2y I would strongly advise against making reference checks even earlier in the process. In your particular case, I think it would have been better for both the applicants and the referees if you had done the reference check even later - only after deciding to make an offer (conditional on the references being alright). Request for references early in the process have put me off applying for specific roles and would again. I'm not sure whether I have unusual preferences but I would be surprised if I did. References put a burden on the referees which I am only willing to impose in exceptional circumstances, and that only for a very limited number of times. I'm not confident how the referees actually feel about giving references. When I had to give references, I found it mildly inconvenient and would certainly been unhappy if I had to do it numerous times (with either a call or an email). But for imposing costs on the applicants, it is not important how the referees actually feel about giving references - what matters is how applicants think they feel about it. If you ask for references early, you might put off a fraction of your applicant pool you don't want to put off. [-]Michelle_Hutchinson2y This seems to be something that varies a lot by field. In academic jobs (and PhD applications), it's absolutely standard to ask for references in the first round of applications, and to ask for as many as 3. It's a really useful part of the process, and since academics know that, they don't begrudge writing references fairly frequently. Writing frequent references in academia might be a bit easier than when people are applying for other types of jobs: a supervisor can simply have a letter on file for a past student saying how good they are at research and send that out each time they're asked for a reference. Another thing which might contribute to academia using references more is it being a very competitive field, where large returns are expected from differentiating between the very best candidate and the next best. As an employer, I've found references very helpful. So if we expect EA orgs to have competitive hiring rounds where there are large returns on finding the best candidate, it could be worth our spending more time writing/giving references than is typical. I find it difficult to gauge how off-putting asking for references early would be for the typical candidate. In my last job application, I gave a number of referees, some of whom were contacted at the time of my trial, and I felt fine about that - but that could be because I'm used to academia, or because my referees were in the EA community and so I knew they would value the org I was applying for making the right hiring decision, rather than experience giving a reference as an undue burden. I would guess the most important in asking for references early is being willing to accept not getting a references from current employers / colleagues, since if you don't know whether you have a job offer you're often not going to want your current employer to know you're applying for other jobs. [-]JanBrauner2y I think that also depends on the country. In my experience, references don't play such an important role in Germany as they do in UK/US. Especially the practice that referees have to submit their reference directly to the university is uncommon in Germany. Usually, referees would write a letter of reference for you, and then the applicant can hand it in. Also, having references tailored to the specific application (which seems to be expected in UK/US) is not common in Germany. So, yes, I am also hesitant to ask my academic referees too often. If I knew that they would be contacted early in application processes, I would certainly apply for less positions. For example, I maybe wouldn't apply for positions that I probably won't get but would be great if they worked out. [-]Jonas Vollmer2y I think Stefan's (and my) idea is to do the reference checks slightly earlier, e.g. at the point when deciding whether to offer a trial, but not in the first rounds of the application process. At that point, the expected benefit is almost as high as it is at the very end of the process, and thus probably worth the cost. This avoids having to ask for references very early in the application process, but has the additional benefit of potentially improving the decision whether to invite someone to a trial a lot, thereby saving applicants and employers a lot of time and energy (in expectation). [-]Ben Pace2y I think that references are a big deal and putting them off as a 'safety check' after the offer is made seems weird. That said, I agree with them being a blocker for applicants at the early stage - wanting to ask a senior person to be a reference if they're seriously being considered, but not ask if they're not, and not wanting to bet wrong. To be clear, I meant asking for a reference before an offer is actually made, at the stage when offers are being decided (so that applicants who don't receive offers one way or the other don't 'use up' their references). [-]stefan.torges2y Thanks for your response, Denise! That's a helpful perspective, and we'll take it into account next time. [-]Aaron Gertler2y Strong upvote for: Including raw data and appendices Explaining what you learned and what you might do differently now Seeming to have written this with at least one of your goals being "help other EA orgs hire" I have some questions, which I'll split up into separate comments for ease of discussion. (No offense taken if you don't feel like answering, or feel like it might breach confidentiality, etc.) [-]Milan_Griffes2y I think this is great, and appreciate the care you put into writing it up The next time you run a hiring round, do you anticipate reaching out directly to candidates who almost got hired in this round? If so, were these candidates people you actively wanted to hire (you really liked them, but just didn't have an open position for them), or were they people you didn't think were quite right, but think might be able to improve to the extent that you'd want to hire them? What are one or more surprising things you learned from reference checks? You seem enthusiastic about them, which makes me think you probably learned a few things through them that you hadn't seen in the rest of the process. Also, did any reference checks change whether or not you decided to hire a candidate? Reference checks can mimic a longer trial which allow you to learn much more about somebody's behavior and performance in a regular work context. This depends on references being honest and willing to share potential weaknesses of candidates as well. We thought the EA community was very exemplary in this regard. No reference checks was decisive. I'd imagine this would only be the case for major red flags. Still, they informed our understanding of the relative strengths and weaknesses. We think they're great because they're very cost-effective, and can highlight potential areas of improvement and issues to further investigate in a trial. An analysis I'd be curious to see, though you may not have time/desire to run it: If you had took the evidence you'd gathered on your candidates besides GMA, how highly would those candidates' scores-without-GMA correlate with their GMAs? I'm not surprised that form scores and GMA were only loosely correlated, but I wonder if the full process of testing candidates might have given you a very good ability to predict GMA. Reasoning: I respect the evidence showing GMA as a useful tool for hiring, but I've often thought of it as "unnecessary"; maybe it tells you something useful fast, but I hadn't thought it would tell you much that you wouldn't learn by seeing all the other steps of the application process. Also, given concerns around bias and U.S. legal restrictions, I'm somewhat wary of other EA orgs deciding to adopt GMA testing. So I'd be interested to see whether, all else considered, it added useful info on candidates. My impression is that while specifically IQ tests in hiring are restricted in the US, many of the standard hiring tests used there (eg Wonderlic https://www.wonderlic.com/) are basically trying to get at GMA. So I wouldn't say the outside view was that testing for GMA was bad (though I don't know what proportion of employers use such tests). I also find myself feeling initially skeptical/averse of GMA testing for hiring, though I don't really have a specific reason why. I just ran the numbers. These are the GMA correlations with an equally-weighted combination of all other instruments of the first three stages (form, CV, work test(s), two interviews). Note that this make the sample size very small: Research Analyst: 0.19 (N=6) Operations Analyst: 0.79 (N=4) First two stages only (CV, form, work test(s)): I think the strongest case is their cost-effectiveness in terms of time invested on both sides. [-]Aaron Gertler8mo This post was awarded an EA Forum Prize; see the prize announcement for more details. My notes on what I liked about the post, from the announcement: "Takeaways from EAF's Hiring Round" uses the experience of an established EA organization to draw lessons that could be useful to many other organizations and projects. The hiring process is documented so thoroughly that another person could follow it almost to the letter, from initial recruitment to a final decision. The author shares abundant data, and explains how EAF’s findings changed their own views on an important topic. Were there any notable reasons that someone who was good on most metrics didn't make it? For example, someone whose application was brilliant but had a low GMA score, or someone with a great application + score who was quite late to their interview, or someone who had most of the characteristics of a good researcher but seemed really weak in one particular area. Usually, we gave applicants the benefit of the doubt in such cases, especially early on. Later in the process we discussed strengths and weaknesses, compared candidates directly, and asked ourselves if somebody could turn out to be strongest candidates if we learned more about them. One low score usually was not decisive in these cases.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5490
__label__cc	0.611703	0.388297	Arnold Schwarzenegger, LeBron James Team-up With Cindy Crawford & Lindsey Vonn To Launch Supplement Company ‘Ladder’ byAiman Zubair Schwarzenegger and James are joined by Cindy Crawford and Lindsey Vonn in their efforts to create the perfect wellness and supplement brand. The news was first broke by the Wall Street Journal. They reported that the four famous faces have joined their efforts to create the most ‘organically developed company’ that focuses purely on powdered protein. It includes four main ingredients two protein powders, a greens powder, and an energy powder. ‘Ladder’ is the official title for their venture, and they have wasted no time getting started. They are already offering long-term subscription services, which also include custom plans that are designed to avoid individual dietary requirements. The origins of the company began long ago, during James’ stint at the Miami Heat. The basketball star was forced off in the opening period during the first game of the NBA Finals with cramp. He asked team doctors what he could take during the off-season to come back stronger and healthier. There was nothing on the market, thus James’ doctor produced a safe and quality supplement specific for James’s needs. Fast forward four years and the supplement has evolved into a ‘Ladder’ brand. The former California governor, actor and bodybuilder Schwarzenegger had also raised concerns about supplement ingredients throughout his career, meaning he was quick to become part of the ‘Ladder’ movement. Their products are already NSF-certified and advertise that they are ‘created for elite athletes. Schwarzenegger said: “It’s an organically developed company,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said in an interview, versus “a company coming to us and saying, ‘We’ll give you some stock if we can use your name.’ That’s what I’ve done in the past, but I didn’t have the control. That’s why I got out of the deals.” A post shared by Arnold Schwarzenegger (@schwarzenegger) The three-time Olympic medalist Vonn along with model and actress Crawford were quick to support the product. Crawford has been a long-term product model and is thought to be crucial in ensuring that the ‘Ladder’ products appeal to women as well as their male counterparts. ‘Ladder’ also hopes that Crawford will be able to encourage potential buyers from all walks of life, not just those in a professional capacity. It is a supplement that is designed for all lifestyles, no matter if you are an amateur just looking to get healthier or a seasoned professional like James. This will be the key to success for ‘Ladder’ as they will be promoting all their products on social channels such as Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. Along with this, they will be using paid media within social media pages. You can see their full selection of products on weareladder.com. The company will empower you to reach your goals by offering you guidance from world-class experts and advisors. Welcome to Ladder. We are a brand that empowers you to reach your health and wellness goals by providing support and guidance from world class advisors and experts through content, community, and product. Discover more – https://t.co/6nqUxAN2qc pic.twitter.com/b39vgLvJab — Ladder (@laddersport) November 27, 2018 Tags: Arnold SchwarzeneggerCindy CrawfordLadderLebron JamesLindsey Vonn The 2019 Mr. Olympia Qualification List For Each Division & Olympia Qualification System Arnold Schwarzenegger Explains Why He Trains So Differently Now Aiman Zubair Zubair is a professional writer, researcher and fitness instructor/consultant. He had helped hundreds of people find ways to become more fit and healthy through a balanced life focusing on an individualized approach to their nutrition and fitness. In addition, Zubair has written extensively in the fitness and health and sports industries, including writing for companies such as Vice, SB Nation. Dramatic Changes In Bodybuilding Over Past 100+ Years Joseph Baena Channels Dad, Arnold Schwarzenegger, With Classic Bodybuilding Poses Arnold Schwarzenegger Remembers the Late Chet Yorton Arnold Schwarzenegger Takes First Bike Ride After Open Heart Surgery Arnold Schwarzenegger Gives Update After Heart Surgery: “I Feel Fantastic” Arnold Schwarzenegger Shows Off Killer Quads In Latest Bike Ride	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5492
__label__wiki	0.511816	0.511816	Flights to San Jose Flights to San Jose (SJC), United States Due to the effect of the current situation on air traffic, fewer offers are being submitted. Some offers might now no longer be available. Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose (SJC) 19:55 LAX all Flights from Los Angeles to San Jose Flights from New York (NYC) to San Jose (SJC) all Flights from New York to San Jose Flights from San Diego (SAN) to San Jose (SJC) 19:25 SAN San Diego - Lindberg Field International, CA Offers unavailable all Flights from San Diego to San Jose Flights from Las Vegas (LAS) to San Jose (SJC) 10:05 LAS Las Vegas - McCarran International Airport, NV all Flights from Las Vegas to San Jose Flights from Washington-DC (WAS) to San Jose (SJC) 07:00 WAS all Flights from Washington-DC to San Jose Flights from Kahului (OGG) to San Jose (SJC) 15:35 OGG Kahului Airport, HI all Flights from Kahului to San Jose Flights from Honolulu (HNL) to San Jose (SJC) 14:20 HNL Honolulu International Airport, HI all Flights from Honolulu to San Jose Flights from Denver (DEN) to San Jose (SJC) 19:02 DEN Denver International Airport, CO all Flights from Denver to San Jose Flights from Seattle-Tacoma (SEA) to San Jose (SJC) 18:15 SEA all Flights from Seattle-Tacoma to San Jose Flights from Portland-Oregon (PDX) to San Jose (SJC) 15:45 PDX Portland International Airport, Oregon all Flights from Portland-Oregon to San Jose Most frequent connection from San Jose San Jose - Los Angeles (222/Week) San Jose - Las Vegas (164/Week) San Jose - San Diego (149/Week) San Jose - Phoenix - Sky Harbor (148/Week) San Jose - Seattle-Tacoma (128/Week) San Jose - Guadalajara (15/Week) San Jose - Tokyo (8/Week) San Jose - London (8/Week) San Jose - Los Cabos (8/Week) Airport San Jose Oakland International Airport, CA (OAK) 47 km San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO) 48 km Concord-CA (CCR) 70 km Stockton Metropolitan (SCK) 84 km Monterey, CA (MRY) 86 km Napa (APC) 99 km Merced, CA (MCE) 125 km Santa Rosa - Sonoma County (STS) 149 km Sacramento International Airport, CA (SMF) 151 km Fresno, CA (FAT) 206 km Los Angeles - Las Vegas from $22.00 New York - Chicago from $22.48 New York - Hilo from $193.00 San Diego - San Francisco from $76.00 San Francisco - San Diego from $96.00 New York - Charlotte from $98.28 Atlanta - Las Vegas from $132.97 Newark - Los Angeles from $32.00 New York - San Jose Chicago - San Jose Detroit Metropolitan Area - San Jose Miami - San Jose Atlanta - San Jose Orlando - San Jose Washington DC - San Jose	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5493
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__label__cc	0.678215	0.321785	Firefighters supended six months for taking their gear to WTC PAVolunteer hctroubl Are there By Laws or a Constitution for the Fire Company? There must be a way to bring it up on the Fire Company floor to amend the By Laws to make the LT's position by vote instead of appointed. You may have to post the proposed change for 30 days prior to the vote, but you should be able to amend them. We had a similar issue and this is how we dealt w/ it. Malahat27 Being here on the Westcoast was one of the most difficult experiences I have ever had. I am both a volunteer FF and a military member, so the urge to go and assist was awful to deal with on a personal level. However, I think the issue here is one of discipline. In both the field and on the Fire ground, discipline is an absoulte must have item. While I may not agree with the length of the suspension, there had to be something done. As was stated earlier, FDNY was very quick to indicate that although they appreciated the various persons who rose to the call and volunteered to help out, they felt they had the situation under control, and that if they came to a point of requiring further assitance, they would be the first to call for it. Being on the "Leftcoast" as it were, that was something of a relief, in as much as FDNY felt they were dealing with the problem at hand and that it was under control. I think that if there had been a general call for assistance, there would have been a manpower issue in most units right across the world, as FFs and Johnny Q Public would have been plugging all available resources to get to the scene. Of course this is just my own personal opinion, and not that of the companies and units I work for, or work with. Malahat27: "Play safe y'all." fyrcanine [QUOTE]Originally posted by no_name_FF: [QB] I don't know how you know what happened in the first four days if you weren't there until the 25th. Once the FEMA teams were assembled and got the "FEMA o.k." they deployed. I think you are doing a disservice to the professional non-FEMA teams by calling them "volunteer" and implying that they were doing an amateurish job. My information came from a FEMA officer who had been present from the beginning. In the first week, people were searching the pile in shorts and tennis shoes, while deployed FEMA teams were sitting on the sidelines. Whatever you believe the initial situation was, resourses were not utilized as needed. Smokeetr4 Having been born and raised in New York city I felt this attack personally. I have friends on the FDNY who were there and by the grace of God were not injured that day. I wanted to be there in the worst way too. I didn't go because My dept wasn't asked which is the key point. Every fireman on Long Island wanted to be there I'm sure but they understood that Accountability for outside personel would have been a nightmare even if they went as a department. Individuals feelancing just would have been unacceptable. Sorry guy--you're wrong. Your heart was in the right place but your actions were wrong. On the other hand I would not have suspended those guys for 6 months. It's hard enough keeping volunteers today as it is. An appropriate work detail would have made the punishment fit the crime. Stay safe-- "Never trust a smiling dog" Delaware F.O.O.L. FTM-PTB-EGH Dalmatian90 My information came from a FEMA officer who had been present from the beginning. In the first week, people were searching the pile in shorts and tennis shoes, while deployed FEMA teams were sitting on the sidelines. Funny, MA-TF1 has a pic on their website from on the pile dated 9/14 which is sooner than a week, or even four days...I'm sure confusion was a good word for much of the early days of the incident. I have very limited USAR training (one class, breaching & breaking). I wasn't at Ground Zero, but from what I've seen on TV, heard reported, and can reasonably guess at...there may well be reasons why specially trained resources on an incident of this magnitude may have been held back -- so non-skilled labor could remove surface debris and/or while engineers and advance teams cleared the safety of other areas. No sense tiring out your specially trained personnel if what is needed there and then is work regular firefighters or volunteer civilian grunts could perform. I do have great respect for the FEMA and other US&R teams, since it takes great dedication to train for these incidents with the very few oppurtonities you have to actually deploy and use your skills...and even when a big one hits like this, I think only 1/3 or less of the FEMA US&R Task Force personnel ended up deploying. I'm sure to many of them to get to New York and then be held in reserve initially must've been fustrating as all get out! when a big one hits like this Ok, so I'm now commenting on my own writing -- but I originally wrote "when THE big one hits..." in that sentence, then I realized, this wasn't the big one. Like I said, probably less than 1/3 of FEMA resources deployed, never mind the many local US&R teams around the nation. Which made me realize WTC wasn't "the" big one. "The" big one is going to be a major natural disaster, most likely a West Coast earthquake. Perhaps more scarey is if the "big one" happens to be another New Madrid earthquake in Missouri (a magnitude 8), or even when the "big one" hits New York. I don't know how accurate, but a quick google search came up with one reference that listed the following for New York City: a magnitude 5+ is approximately a "200-year event"; a 6 quake, a "600-year event"; a 7, a "2,000-year event." In layman's terms: A magnitude 5 barely makes the news in Los Angeles. A magnitude 6 would cause significant damage. A magnitude 7 is what hit Kobe, Japan and would severely damage most buildings in NY with multiple building and infrastructure collapses. A magnitude 8 would wipe out New York or any other east coast city it hit as we know it. Since a 2,000 year event has a 1 in 2000 probability of happening any year, it's a lot more likely than you being murdered (1 in 12,000). Terrorism is the cause of the day (or in this case unfortunately, the cause of the next several years) but even as it passes, our ability as a service to remained disciplined and respond in an organized manner remains paramount. Mother nature is awful powerful, and one day, maybe not in my lifetime, but certainly in the lifetime of this nation and of our fire service, she is going to unleash an event that will make WTC look like a house fire. No, we can't be perfect and lots of mistakes will happen responding to the "big one" whether it's here or LA, but at least we can stay organized while screwing up WTC gives us practical experience and lessons that will still be being taught 40 years from now when I'm asking for the Fire-Police vest. There was a lot that went well. A lot could be improved. Yeah, some stuff may get harsh criticism -- but the best thing we can do to honor those who gave their lives is to learn as much as we can from this incident. We know a lot more about skyscraper collapses, something that's never happenend before. We've seen the problems in controlling and organizing incidents like this, and there's a lot of lessons that can be drawn from that. And we've seen how departments have to figure out what their role in disasters like this. 9-11/WTC is causing a lot of thinking to go on right now in the fire service, and that's a good thing. IACOJ Canine Officer nonameFF Originally posted by fyrcanine: [QB My information came from a FEMA officer who had been present from the beginning. In the first week, people were searching the pile in shorts and tennis shoes, while deployed FEMA teams were sitting on the sidelines. Whatever you believe the initial situation was, resourses were not utilized as needed.[/QB] Well, your info is wrong.... here is from the FEMA website showing FEMA teams deployed on Sept. 13!: http://www.fema.gov/diz01/images/d1391p6.jpg http://www.fema.gov/diz01/images/d1391p11.jpg Clearly the FEMA teams were in action on the 13th. It is my understanding that they were first deployed about 9 p.m. on the 12th! The above is MY OPINION only and not that of anyone else. I am not representing any organization in making a post here!!!! ChiefReason An order was given. The order was ignored. Subordinate personnel were disciplined for insubordination. 6 months too harsh? Well, let's see. If the chief said, "I'd rather that you didn't go. NYC said that they didn't need us, so you shouldn't go". That's one thing, but if the chief said "No department member is permitted to go to NYC and assist in any way with the WTC incident", then they should be separated from the department. Does that leave you short-handed? Then call mutual aid until you get your count back up. In Illinois, if you are part of the state-wide response, EMA will request your help. At that time, you are covered for any injury or damaged equipment and you will be paid your hourly rate to assist. If you are not called, you do not have any of those benefits. So if someone just goes to help, that is, being a good samaritan, then you had better not take department issued or you are in deep do-do. Jeez, we have fought this image as volunteers for so many years, but to allow them to go to an incident of this magnitude with limited skills such as riding in a truck, let alone complex SAR skills, is an embarassment. I know that they lacked skills to follow orders. I am sure that many of the vollieteers were told to go back home. Some even complained to the news reporters to the extent that the news reporters couldn't understand why they wouldn't need all the help that they could get. Has anyone had a news reporter run their incident command lately? And the sad part is; some of them were posing as firefighters from neighboring departments so that they could get into the hot zone. As I said in an earlier post, some of it was done to get face time with the camera or the front page of the local newspaper. We had a couple of boys from a neighboring department go to NYC because they "just had to". The one guy was blubbering the entire newscast about how terrible it was and that he would never forget it. What did he expect? I won't ask them about it, because I know that's what they want. Am I jealous? Absolutely not. We were told to stay home! There is more respect, honor and discipline in that than in going against the wishes of NYC. Stay home and practice your major incident plans. Ask yourselves "where can we do the most good?" I don't have to tell you the answer to that one. For those of you who disobeyed direct orders: consider yourself lucky if you are still on the department. And don't worry: the rest of us volunteers will work hard once again to prove to our career brothers and sisters that we belong, because we can follow orders and conduct ourselves like professionals. My opinions are my opinions. Visit www.iacoj.com Remember Bradley Golden (9/25/01) RIP HOF Robert J. Compton(ENG6511) IGO4IT Everyone needs to remember that if any officer tells you something like " you will fighter fire naked" you have to do it, not because it is right. but because they can make you do it. FF/PARAMEDIC/CORONER/TRAINING "MY DAY STARTS WHEN YOURS ENDS" SEE YOU ON THE OTHER SIDE jkennedy The FDNY was capable and in control from the moment the first plane hit until today as we speak. They realized what they needed and asked for it. The needed someone to help setup the command structure and who did they ask for help the IAFC who sent down a number of Chiefs. When that was completed those Chiefs left. If they FDNY wanted all of us to run down there they would of called!Ladies and Gentlemen the FDNY is the Largest FD around. Ever hear the saying to many cooks spoils the pot! As for these FF getting suspended, Thumbs up for the Chief, I believe in thinking out of the box, but I am also a firm beliver in rank and structure. He made the call and those FF have no choice but to obey it. They should take thier "vacation" and be happy they can still run on the Department after six months. Just a new name Ok, fine they disobeyed a direct order. That is way out of line. BUT, there has been lots of complaining about freelancing on this tread. How come nobody has said anything about all of the firefighters there from the big citys? I know I saw Chicago firefighters, some from CA,MI,MA,RI,FL,MO,CT, PA and god knows how many others. Why are we siting here belittling each other. It was a act of war. Planes where flown into 3 buildings in the United States. Over 5,000 people are dead. Most of the firefighters that showed up went to the proper staging area. From there they went in. In a huge line on one of the streets I saw firefighters from almost every county in New Jersey. Departments from all over North Jersey were sent in to cover stations in NY. You guys keep talking like people just stormed in and ran to the top of the pile like they where playing king of the hill. This was not true. They were all mostly part of bucket brigades. This person from Nevada, how can you sit there and critize people when your story does not match! I understand what is being said here. But I think some of you should step back and look at the big picture. People we are all brothers and sisters. For now lets just take this a little easy. Please. This space for rent No, personaly, I've been criticizing everyone who self-dispatched. What most people here are doing is praising the vollie Chief who had the balls to tell his people don't go and discipline them for it. If the big city career chiefs don't have those cohones, they're not going to get that praise. It doesn't make what their firefighters did any less wrong -- and wrong is what it was. Self-dispatching is about stroking your own ego and making yourself feel good, no matter how much you justify it as helping "people in need" or "Brothers." As some of have said, this was an act of war. Guess what folks, if soldiers ran towards "where the action was" against, or even simply without orders, they would be looking at Court Martial. War doesn't excuse a lack of discipline; it makes that lack of discipline that much more wrong and dangerous. And it makes the neccessity of firmly enforcing discipline that much more important. [ 10-12-2001: Message edited by: Dalmatian90 ] blackb16 Odds are self dispatch will continue until the region gets its act together and develops statewide and region wide automatic and mutual aid packs. Prearranged strike teams and task forces, with meeting places, with prearraraged order of response, with minimum standards for apparatus and crew size, minimum qualifications for team leaders, and expand to something in order of say 1000 apparatus and 3 to 10,000 firefighters. Such arrangements work on a daily basis to levels 10 times the size of the WTC response. If people were really needed 10's of thousands of trained firefighters could have been there in 24 hours brings their own support system with them. If desired inmates could be used to move material and work in areas of high risk. Walking through 13 check points because you have a fire helmet does not occur at a well run event. It was possible to re-live the Lake Worth/Fort Worth situation where a self dispatched firefighter gets hurt or killed and has not protection or insurance. Walkons rarely if ever occur in areas with requirements, order and process. If what you all are saying is correct that the command staff was whiped out then a federal type 1 overhead team should have been brought in. If the locals want to control the fire stuff still bring in type one teams to arrange all the other things you all don't do everyday, feeding, logistics, payroll, etc. With eight equipment cashes for 22,500 firefighters each a lot of what ails you can arrive in a heart beat. Amen, Dalmation 90! I will go just a little bit further. When my brother or sister needs me, they call me. For those of you who "just had to go", you didn't join ranks; you BROKE ranks. You went against the wishes of the NY governor, NY mayor, and the FDNY. There may have been people there from every state in the union, but they were two kinds; 1) free-lancers or 2) requested for their specialized skills. If you had no tangible skills-and just wanting to help isn't tangible-then you were there for you and not for them. Hell, the whole country wanted to help and they did. They didn't have to go to NYC to do it either. When will you get your "I WAS AT THE BIG ONE IN NYC" patch with your letter of authenticity? I am sure that it made you feel good inside to go, but isn't that what you expected? Did you make any of the 6000 feel better? What about the FDNY? They going to give you a commendation letter for your file? Sold your story yet? Got your mug on a T-shirt? Is your local reporter hounding you for a story? Will your business cards say "I was there"? HooWah! So the moral of the story is that you went for you! No need to explain. My opinions are mine. Odds are self dispatch will continue until the region gets its act together and develops statewide and region wide automatic and mutual aid packs. Self-dispatch is a discipline problem. If you can't follow today's plan, you won't follow tomorrows. Although most officers and firefighters aren't aware of them, such interstate plans are and have been in place since the 1940s. In Connecticut, it's Section 28-23a Connecticut General Statutes which adopts the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, and directs State OEM to execute interstate mutual aid pacts. The basic system remains unchanged from the Civil Defense duck-and-cover days of the 1950s -- State OEM to State OEM (through FEMA if needed), State OEM to County Fire Coordinators. County Fire Coordinators contact departments and tell them where, when, and what to report with. Yes, some updating is needed. Certainly a lot of practice is needed. But the foundation and structure of the plans are there. What they need is refinement and practice. So, can you make one radio call and get 500 engines and 1500 firefighters? Will they be dispatched simultaneously? Do all 500 engines know who in what order will respond to your aid? Will the closest rigs always be dispatched? Do you know the minimum staffing on the rigs? Do they all know where to meet and who will lead? Who has the interstate gas card? Who can feed and bed the guys down? Who do you report to when you get there? What radio channel will you be on? Do you train together? If you don't have the answers to that right now you don't have a modern mutual aid plan. Don't be that these things will just happen after a bid event, your region has already had several. Anything less is a complete total joke. All risk all the time aid. During the Loma Preida quake, the 125 closest strike teams were dispatched before the earth even shook. Notification was by a P wave detector. We have lots of examples of saying we are going to do something, here is one. PERHAPS WE WILL NOW HAVE OUR PRIORITIES STRAIGHT! After the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six and injured 1,000, President Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished. After the 1995 bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed five U.S. military personnel, Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished. After the 1996 Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia, which killed 19 and injured 200 U.S. military personnel, Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished. After the 1998 bombing of U.S. embassies in Africa, which killed 224 and injured 5,000, Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and punished. After the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, which killed 17 and injured 39 U.S. sailors, Clinton promised that those responsible would be hunted down and Maybe if Clinton had kept his promises, an estimated 7,000 people would be alive today. This question was raised on a Philly radio call-in show. Without casting stones, it is a legitimate question. There are two men, both extremely wealthy. One develops relatively cheap software and gives hundreds of millions of dollars to charity. The other sponsors terrorism. That being the case, why is it that the US government has spent more money chasing down Bill Gates over the past ten years than Osama bin Laden anf has lowered the average retirement account 60%? Here is an example of a plan: Local jurisdictions have identified 403 Type 1 Strike Teams as available resources for: 1. Request by neighboring counties within the OES region for major incidents on a short-term basis. 2. Request by State OES for major incidents under the California Fire Service and Rescue Mutual Aid Plan. 1. Strike teams shall respond on Immediate Need requests with minimum delay (five (5) minutes). 2. Strike teams shall respond on Planned Need requests based on an established assembly time or one (1) hour if no time is established. 3. Class A (Type I) engines shall be used for structural protection in a wildland fire environment. They are not designed for operations on narrow, unsafe roads, cat, or brush trails. Common sense must be used in engine assignments. 4. Each resource in a strike team shall carry credit cards and/or cash for routine travel expenses to and from out of county Planned Need incidents. 5. Relief for strike team personnel will be based on a ninety-six (96) hour duty assignment. 1. Strike team leaders should obtain the duty chief or administration telephone number from each engine when responding outside bay area counties. 2. Once each twenty-four (24) hour period, as the assigned incident location changes and on release for travel, strike team leaders should contact their home jurisdiction with assignment, equipment and personnel status. The duty chief receiving the report will then notify the County Fire Coordinator and each engine's home jurisdiction. Each home jurisdiction is responsible to contact firefighters' families. 3. Strike team leaders shall maintain all applicable written records for the incident. 1. t is the strike team leader's responsibility to maintain control of the resources assigned (applies to responding and relief personnel): a. Brief all personnel ASAP. b. Inventory and inspect personnel and equipment during assembly. Any unsafe equipment or personnel without proper uniform and safety clothing may be rejected. c. Establish radio communications within the strike team. d. Establish order of travel within the strike team. e. Appoint an Assistant Strike Team Leader. 2. Assure that all personal needs are met for personnel assigned: b. Food c. Sleep 3. Attend all required shift briefings and debriefings. 4. The strike team leader is the only person authorized to sign out supplies. 5. Crews often sleep during odd times. Even though strike team personnel are not tired, other people may be; be considerate. 6. Even in base/camp or at a motel, the strike team is subject to dispatch/reactivation. It is the strike team leader's responsibility to ensure that team members are in a state of readiness. 1. The strike team leader is responsible for the individual conduct of each team member. It is the responsibility of the strike team leader to establish and maintain discipline within the strike team. Under no circumstances will drinking of alcohol or use of drugs be condoned. 2. The strike team leader shall keep the strike team together until each engine is released back to the local agency. 3. Insure that travel routes are known and the most direct route is taken. 4. Relief crews shall report and travel in uniform. A. Strike Team Leader Kits will include the following: OES Form 42 Emergency Activity Record 10 ICS-201 Incident Briefing 10 ICS-213 General Message 10 ICS-214 Unit Log 25 ICS-420-1 Field Operations Guide 1 A. Agency-specific records Financial documents: Credit cards, purchase orders, Current Thomas Brothers maps Map No. 3037 [ 10-13-2001: Message edited by: lovelock ]	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5503
__label__wiki	0.604277	0.604277	"Trick" Plays.....? By Stinkin Ref, December 1, 2006 in The Shark Pool (NFL Talk) Stinkin Ref 1,293 Stinkin Ref Location:CO As I watched the game last night and many others throughout the years, I have wondered why teams don't try to mix things up a little more? Mostly referring to flea flickers or half back option passes. I know the company lines of "risky" and "asking players to do something they do not normally do" and "the more you exchange the ball the more you can turn it over".......but...... many of them really seem to work......you will occassionally see one that backfires.....like a WR throwing a ball on a trick play that even you and I could easily see he should have never thrown and just tucked it away and took the loss or whatever......and I am not a big fan of the double reverses, etc with the speed of defensive lineman these days and what not.... but hardly do you see a team run a flea flicker twice in a game.....I just think if you make the defense think that you may run that trick play more then once a game....it would go a long way in keeping the safeties back and open up space in that second line of defense past the line of scrimmage.......if every time you hand off to the RB up the middle, that safety or safties think you could end up throwing the ball....I think they would have to not be able to attack the line of scrimmage so hard.... and the half back pass that LT runs so well.....show that look a little more.....he always has the option to tuck it away and get what he can on the ground, or thow it out of bounds.... I just think more teams could use these plays and I think even if they aren't always successful.....the mere threat that you may do it, would be worth some yards here and there for your running game....a flea flicker is not that difficult to execute when you are dealing with professional athletes who have time to work on these things.... Edited December 1, 2006 by Stinkin Ref Archie Bunker 0 I have no proof, but to me, there are more trick plays now than, say, 20 years ago. There was the flea flicker last night. Hank Baskett botched a pass Sunday for the Eagles. LT threw his 3rd TD of the year. teams seem to run at least one reverse per game. It just seemed like in the 70s & 80s you would only see 1-2 flea flickers, option passes, etc. a year. Raider Nation 5,597 Location:@BackAftaThis I was pissed about the flea-flicker last night simply because I have Baltimore's defense. But they saw Ed Reed cheating up into the box all night trying to stop Rudi. So from a scheme standpoint, it was the smart thing to do, even though I thought it was a little sissy of them. And coaches have egos, make no mistake. A lot of coaches think that if they run gadget plays, that is telling the other team that "we have to trick you in order to beat you" because we cannot line up man-on-man and ram the ball down your throat. Coaches have pride just like everyone else. parasaurolophus 6,972 coaches are afraid to lose on a play that stands out. If you run a flea flicker and the INT is returned for a TD the narrow minded football fans and media will crucify you. Not much worry about that with Carson. With any trick play, be it a flea-flicker or a halfback option, you tell the passer a million times to either find a checkdown receiver or simply throw the ball away if the primary receiver is covered. The fact that Housh was open by 30 yards helped a little bit. Please See Mine 12 Please See Mine Location:the tragic expression of an unmet need Interests:play chess... screw... many of them really seem to work Totally disagree. I think you have selective memory on this.Also, the trick play is most effective when it is a surprise and the more you use it, the more you negate that effect. Sigmund Bloom 1,010 Sigmund Bloom Location:New Orleans LA They aren't used more because they usually involve a high risk of something going wrong. High Risk/High Reward. H.K. 0 The court will now refer you to the case of John Fox vs. Minnesota. Jeff Pasquino 43 Jeff Pasquino Location:But Wait,There's BaltiMore! That risk is mitigated by allowing a former QB to throw on a WR / halfback option, like ARE. Hank Baskett was a WR throughout college. Da Guru 6,271 Da Guru Fair & Balanced I would like to see team to a shot at a trick play at least once a game..maybe twice. Ilov80s 29,031 Ilov80s Location:Detroit Interests:lanky brunettes with wicked jaws I always thought Pittsburgh could of done some entertaining stuff with their offense a few years ago: - Kordell - Hines Ward - Randle-El Guest MLBrandow Agree with this.If I'm a gambling coach, like say Fisher or Belichick e.g., the only thing holding me back from doing trick plays with regularity is time constraints.Figure that you generally have five days to prepare for a team. TWRFS. Most of that time is spent mastering certain nuances and tendencies of the opponent.To get such a gadget play to work, you have to practice it, and that takes time away from something else in practice.A team like the Patriots can afford to run a lot of trickery because their core is so well-versed and full of 3+ year veterans in that system.A team like the Titans can afford to run a lot of trickery because they have nothing to lose regardless, and sometimes that's the only way they can stay in the game (remember one of the Titans/Colts games of last year where Fisher threw everything he had at Indy).I think any given team probably practices 10-15 trick plays to use once or twice throughout the year, and they probably do this in the preseason, and then just reference them quickly that week. Most teams simply can't afford to spend a lot of time running so many trick plays because you have to first learn your opponent's tendencies.At least that's my theory. Did anyone see the Browns try this ridiculous trick play vs the Ravens? After replacing starter Brian Hoyer and handing off on a running play, Manziel appeared to be leaving the field when he ran toward the sideline. He stopped a little short of the sideline, and with his back to the action, pretended to have an animated conversation with offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan when the ball was snapped. Shanahan, who was keeping an eye on what was going on behind Manziel, told him, "'Go," and No. 2 took off. Manziel caught a short pass from Hoyer and sprinted down Cleveland's sideline before he was shoved out of bounds at the Baltimore 23. The play worked to perfection but Browns rookie running back Terrance West was called for an illegal shift, negating Manziel's 39-yard pickup. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/09/21/johnny-manziel-trick-play-ravens_n_5857706.html I thought this was actually illegal in the first place, ie you can't just hang out on the sideline and pretend to be off the field. The play was illegal because Manziel lined up too close to the Browns' bench area; he needed to be at least five yards from the sideline. But the officials never called that unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, and coach Mike Pettine said he was told the way the Browns ran the play was within the rules. Montgomery said he knew the formation was illegal, and he was hoping the refs wouldn’t see it. According to him, they did. "He was going to call it," Montgomery said. That might not make everything clear. But on the half-full side, the illegal shift that was called against Cleveland on the play instead of unsportsmanlike conduct saved the Browns 10 yards. http://espn.go.com/blog/cleveland-browns/post/_/id/8284/montgomery-adds-to-confusion-to-johnny-manziel-trick-play Kool-Aid Larry 693 Kool-Aid Larry if belichick did this we'd be hearing about it for the next 3 years chris1969 2 Location:Mentor, Ohio Interests:Fantasy Football, Poker, Computers, and amiable women. The other side does practice defending trick plays. I thought I had succeeded when I got 2 fingers under the hinge of her bra strap. She was prepared ahead of time with the super glue. haterade 5 haterade Classless and dishonorable. This is the “fake punt return” pulled off by the Rams last weekend. Basically Austin, the Rams’ regular punt returner, pretends he is going to get the punt when in fact it is headed to the other side of the field. For whatever reason the punter appears to be the only guy who knows where he punted the ball. It’s unbelievable they do not discuss where the ball is going in the huddle. http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-miss-plays/0ap3000000413068/Wk-7-Can-t-Miss-Play-Specials-teams-psych-out rdrouyn 31 rdrouyn From what I understand Jon Ryan screwed up the kick and it sailed to the wrong side. Still I can't believe they dont look up for a half second. Smack Tripper 2,747 Smack Tripper Why did the return blockers seem to roll coverage that way then? Insein 10,436 Insein Location:Douglassville, PA Rudi Johnson? Carson Palmer on Cincy? Did I enter a time warp? josefrees 2 josefrees The next evolution of the option is the QB Toss option pass. Edited October 25, 2014 by josefrees Jets trade for Percy Harvin annnnd.... promptly involve him in an awful hide-the-second-returner-for-an-end-zone-lateral routine.... which is covered anyway. Result: tackled on 3 yard line. http://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2014/10/26/7073749/jets-try-hiding-guy-in-the-end-zone-return-fail-massively A few years back Ben did a pooch punt to perfection: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/25/ben-roethlisberger-punt_n_4337905.html He tried it again this week and it was blocked: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2245425-ben-roethlisbergers-pooch-punt-gets-blocked-by-colts MattFancy 2,197 MattFancy Jets gonna Jet When Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said of one of the offensive formations run by New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, “It’s not something that anybody has ever done before,” he didn’t mean it as a compliment. Down 14 in the third quarter, Bill Belichick dug deep in his bag of tricks to insert running back Shane Vereen as a lineman. Vereen’s size, jersey number, and positioning wide from the four other lineman confused the Baltimore Ravens and enraged their coach, who ran onto the field in protest. The officials flagged Harbaugh, which, along with the confusion wrought by the unique formation, ultimately led to a Rob Gronkowski touchdown reception to the put the Patriots back just 28-21. New England ultimately won the classic contest 34-31. The losing coach denounced the formation as “illegal,” “clearly deceptive,” and a “trick” after the defeat. “Maybe those guys gotta study the rulebook and figure it out,” Patriots quarterback Tom Brady opined following the game. “We obviously knew what we were doing and we made some pretty important plays. It was a real good weapon for us.” Though coaches, to beef up their blocking on run plays or catch the defense off guard on pass plays, generally report a tackle eligible on an every-game-or-so basis, the idea of posting a running back on the line and reporting him as ineligible hadn’t occurred to anybody–at least by Harbaugh’s telling–until Bill Belichick and offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels employed the perplexing formation in the third quarter of Saturday’s game. Despite Alabama running a similar–but not nearly as unconventional–formation against LSU earlier this season, Harbaugh appeared caught completely off guard: “Nobody’s ever seen that before.” Although Vereen split from the four othernte irior lineman (tackle Nate Solder, who played some tight end at Colorado, lined up as a flanker in the Vine below), an end split wider than him, making him a lineman ineligible to catch a pass. At 5-feet, ten-inches, Vereen surely didn’t strike any of Baltimore’s defensive players as a right tackle, which naturally created confusion for coverage assignments. One of Harbaugh’s complaints to the referees centered on the officiating crew’s failure to give adequate notice to the defense about Vereen’s status as ineligible because of New England’s no-huddle offense. Like the reactions of coaches more than a century ago to the first appearances of the forward pass and the flying wedge, Harbaugh wants the rules committee to address the legality of Belichick’s offensive scheme. It may, like the pass, become a far more familiar component of the game, or it may, like the flying wedge, become merely legendary because of a quick prohibition against it. Belichick’s tricks did not cease with the series using just four regular linemen. A few minutes after running the back (who wasn’t back but on the line) ineligible plays, the Patriots ran a double pass–a Brady backwards pass to slot receiver Julian Edelman, a quarterback at Kent State, who threw a perfectly placed ball to doppelganger Danny Amendola–for a touchdown to tie the game at 28. The normally tight-lipped New England coach appeared almost verbose in his postgame analysis of the controversial receiver-ineligible play. “It’s a play that we thought would work,” Belichick offered. “We ran it three times, a couple different looks. We had six eligible receivers on the field, but only five were eligible. The one who was ineligible reported that he was ineligible. No different than on the punt team or a situation like that.” http://www.breitbart.com/sports/2015/01/11/patriot-games-harbaugh-denounces-trick-brady-says-study-the-rulebook/ I have to say, I have no problem with this. In fact I don't even think it's a "trick". It's a basic lineup, just like every other one, so many men on the line, so many men lined up in position to catch a pass from one of the eligible positions. If you want to put the left tackle in at QB, and the QB in at TE, and the TE in at halfback, you could do that. Personally I think there are a lot more things that can be done with formations using players in all varieties of places and it would be nice to see more coaches be creative in this regard. Only other guy I can think of doing this is Chip Kelly and he did most of it when he came into the league last year but gradually cut back on it. Edited January 12, 2015 by SaintsInDome2006 is play action a trick play? Rubi 287 Vereen reported as ineligible,ref notified Ravens D,Ravens D covered Vereen. No cheating,legit play,bad defense Edited January 12, 2015 by Rubi gmoney56 1 gmoney56 Location:Vancouver i agree but the ref needs to give more time to the defense to adjust and communicate it around. They should change the rule in the offseason and allow a 5 sec delay to give defense time to adjust. if you watched the vid clip in that link you'd have seen the caption And here's six seconds between announcing ineligible and the snap. So. Not sure how long he's supposed to wait? I didn't hand time it so, what's your complaint? I believe this is from another article Vereen declared himself ineligible, with Vinovich actually announcing that the Ravens should not cover No. 34. The Ravens, however, did cover No. 34, which allowed Brady to connect with Hoomanwanui for another 14 yards. you're kidding right....? Doug B 6,549 Posted this elsewhere ... FWIW, Tony Dungy was on Dan Patrick this morning saying that Belichik's "ineligible RB" strategy would be outlawed this offseason. I wish Dan has asked him for a confidence factor or something. But Dungy was adamant that the Competition Committee would pretty much summarily put this to bed this spring. I wonder who Dungy talked to? the whole reason they ran the play was to confuse the other team and to hopefully gain an advantage with the surprise factor while playing within the rules.....allowing the other team time to "adjust" defeats the whole purpose.....people try to act like 'doing something different" is cheating.....deception is a huge part of this game.....should teams announce...."hey we are getting ready to run play action, so don't fall for our fake handoff, and make sure you have the personel in the game that you want in".....one mississippi, two mississippi, three........ JIslander also heard Dungy this morning, and clarified what he said: Two things about what Dungy said: 1) Vereen not notifying he was ineligble until he lined up vs. Before going into huddle 2) Vereeen becoming "ineligible" and "eligible" while staying in game. #1 - that's pushing the sportsmanship part IMO. Play doesn't work so well I suppose if Vereen informs when he should. #2 - refs blew no penalty on that Maybe the rule change will be that notifications must be made before a huddle? Looks like JIslander's implying rhar there's already a rule on the books about being ineligible and then eligible on consecutive plays without leaving the game for a play (but is there?). captain_amazing 888 captain_amazing Location:NH When the ref goes out of his way to tell your team not to cover a certain player, but you do so anyway, you really have no one to blame but yourself. Give me a break, he just has to report when he lines up at illegible position, tackles do this at the TE spot all the time. They stay in the game but then report, even for consecutive plays, every time they line up an illegible position they report, when they don't they don't. Maybe a player with an eligible number can't do it like that. Well, we'll see if anything comes of it this off-season. here's a write up from bill barnwell at grantland on "the play" with a little more detail and some gifs rockaction 22,926 rockaction Location:Not in the hand, not in the bush.This bird has flown. Interests:Shenanigans This was unbelievable when it happened. Such a disaster. Ahhh…Rex. We are not going to miss your drive-killing wildcat. here's a deceptively tricky play from harbaugh's brother et tu, brotus?? Edited January 13, 2015 by Kool-Aid Larry On Monday, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick noted that the team's offensive set featuring four offensive linemen was something they had picked up from film study of another NFL team. That's one of the benefits of a postseason bye week: additional film study and the benefit to add wrinkles to your playbook. And while we don't know for sure which NFL team Belichick was referring to, we did come across a play that may have been a root of their motivation. Back in Week 6, the Detroit Lions traveled to Minnesota to play the Vikings. At 8:59 of the third quarter, Detroit deployed a personnel group that actually featured six offensive linemen, but the formation is nearly identical to what the Patriots did on Sunday with their four offensive linemen set. The Lions flexed an offensive lineman out between two receivers, similar to what the Patriots did with Shane Vereen. In both cases, these players were ineligible receivers based off of alignment (note: any player that aligns on the line of scrimmage but is covered up by another receiver is ineligible). On the other side of the formation, the Lions had two receivers aligned outside but off of the line of scrimmage, making the right tackle an eligible receiver, much like Michael Hoomanawanui was for the Patriots while on the left side of the line. As far as route concepts go, much like the Patriots did, the Lions sent four of their receivers vertically up the field (including the right tackle on a seam route, a la Hoomanwanui) and kept the ineligible receiver behind the line of scrimmage. The Lions were less successful in their attempt (the Vikings sacked quarterback Matthew Stafford), but the challenge it presented the defense was similar: in both cases, the ineligible receiver was accounted for, while the eligible receiver aligned in a conventional offensive tackle alignment (like Hoomanwanui) was largely left ignored and free to press up the seam. thx, field yates note: pats played detroit a few week after this game Soooooo that means it was legal THIS season,which is when the game was played. like when the steelers 'roided their way to championships here's matt chatham's write up on it not crazy different from the rest, but I like that dude --- he used to play lb for us What the Ravens should have done is not focus on who they have, but instead check out of any defensive call that requires them to matchup presnap. In other words, when the formation is confusing, check out of man coverage calls immediately into a zone one where it doesn't matter if you fully understand who's eligible. Every team in the NFL has what we referred to as a "safe" call...a presnap zone check that makes sure there are no mistakes if something bizarre happens because the defense just guards areas and not specific people. Who's eligible at that point doesn't really matter. The Ravens have a rookie middle linebacker, I'm not sure if that contributed to them not checking into a better call. But the players on the field have to put the defense in the best position possible. The NFL isn't college, there's plenty of onfield autonomy to make the necessary changes when the other team is trying to screw with you. And Lombardi is the Lions OC who used to be QB coach with the Saints and I could swear the Saints used to do this in the past, especially near the goal line with Zach Strief. But I don't recall it this year. Patriots' savvy tactic leaves Colts defense confused If you watched even a little of the Indianapolis Colts' loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday night, you undoubtedly heard the game officials repeatedly announcing that No. 71 was reporting as an eligible receiver. You probably paid it very little mind at the time. But you perhaps should have, because this was actually a key element in the game. No. 71 has a name. He's Patriots rookie offensive lineman Cameron Fleming, and he reported as an eligible tackle some 37 times, according to ESPNBoston.com. Hard as it might be to believe, the tactic wreaked havoc on the Colts defense and loomed large in the Patriots' rushing success. Fleming's insertion into the lineup was not expected by the Colts, and when he did enter the game, it left the Colts unable to easily identify the offense's strong side. That had a cascading effect, creating confusion among the Colts' defensive linemen, who determine where to line up based on the offense's strong side. The pre-snap confusion had a clear impact after the snap, too, contributing to their failure to corral running back Jonas Gray. Why the confusion? Because the strong side is typically the one on which the tight end lines up. That tight end often is Rob Gronkowski, who the Colts certainly had to respect in the running game. But, ultimately, the Patriots ran the ball more often to Fleming's side of the line. And it's no wonder why. "We call it jumbo," Colts coach Chuck Pagano said. "No. 71, they used (him) as an extra tight end. He comes in, reports eligible and you get a bigger guy on the edge at the point of attack. They did a nice job. They had a good scheme." A good scheme indeed. But why didn't the Colts respond better? Why didn't they make better adjustments? After talking with Pagano and players about this issue, it became clear they never fully got a handle on what was going on, allowing the Patriots to continue enjoying the advantage that came from having an extra blocker in the running game. Thus the reason the Patriots used Fleming 37 times. It was another inevitable Patriots wrinkle. And the Colts' inability to counter it contributed greatly to their decisive loss Sunday night. http://www.indystar.com/story/colts-insider/2014/11/18/colts-patriots-extra-blockers-cameron-fleming/19200921/ Honestly to me it's the same thing. Great coaching, the NFL should be thankful for BB. yeah, it's just the semantics of what constitutes 'different'. like I posted earlier, it's basically just a story because it's belichick, but as for the actual play, the scheme is nothing unusual, it's just some of the details of the execution that maybe make it look different to some people. both the above examples and this play involve swapping typically eligible/ineligible guys, and of course the defense can make subs of their own to match the offense in both cases. the patriots' versatile players allowed them to make a typically eligible guy ineligible rather than the other way around, so it's just some pretty clever scheming, and the manner in which you build your roster. and, of course, the baltimore handling of it certainly didn't hurt........ Joe Summer 9,489 Joe Summer From the NFL rulebook: A player who has reported a change in his eligibility status to the Referee is permitted to return to a position indicated by the eligibility status of his number after: [A] a team timeout; the end of a quarter; [C] the two-minute warning; [D] a foul; [E] a replay challenge; [F] a touchdown; [G] a completed kick from scrimmage; [H] a change of possession; or [i] if the player has been withdrawn for one legal snap. A player withdrawn for one legal snap may re-enter at a position indicated by the eligibility status of his number, unless he again reports to the Referee that he is assuming a position other than that designated by the eligibility status of his number. so, for example, if harbaugh were to run out on the field an draw a foul then vereen could switch back from ineligible to eligible again? still not sure what constitutes a 'trick' play, but here's a little write up on some pats plays by former lb, matt chatham on football x football	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5504
__label__cc	0.530326	0.469674	Page 13 of 19 First ... 345678910111213141516171819 Last happyturtle avatar by Ashen Lilies Ghavion Profession: Diviner Appearance: a young nondescript man wearing many small pouches and smelling of death and decay. Runs a Divinations shop Inside. Last edited by happyturtle; 2010-01-07 at 10:25 AM. My avatar! Isn't it just utterly diabolical? Ashen Lilies made it! "Money cannot buy health, but I'd settle for a diamond-studded wheelchair." ― Dorothy Parker Spoiler: Interested in Nexus FFRP? Newcomers welcome! FFRP Faqs \|Nexus Faqs \| Nexus IRC Chat We're friendly! Join the fun! Ext. Sig. Je dit Viola Just around the riverbend Marin Ixchel Race: Catgirl Class (or approximation): Rogue Description: Marin appears mostly human, would appear completely human if not for her cat ears and tail. She has an unusual shade of purple hair, and Olive-colored eyes, her pupils have vertical slits. Her ears are tawny, and appear more like a lynx's ears than a housecat's ears. Her tail is the same tawny color. She's currently wearing a deep blue blouse, and grey pants (a size or two too large for her...), borrowed from her friend, Elly. She also has a tarnished metal collar around her neck, which reads "Marin Ixchel If found, please contact" with a scratched-out name. She also has bells attatched to her ankles, the bells are a recent addition. Neither of these can be taken off easily. The collar can only be taken off by decapitation... The collar, through a fingertip-sized indent in it, creates a magic collar that makes Marin do the will of whoever's holding the other end. It also makes her practically direct-magic-proof. She can't be directly affected by magic, psionics, etc, but, say, a bowling ball blowing up in her hands still works. Equipment and Abilities: She doesn't have much. But she has stolen a locket from a wizard, and has yet to open it yet. She's pretty fit, can pick locks, sneak around, and so on. She also has a leg holster, and a large pistol (from HellBoy), and a rife, and a dagger. She also has bouts of extreme luck, followed by extremely unlucky bouts. Backstory: She was born in the savannas of Africa, captured as a freak, then rescued by a criminal. The criminal was on the run, and he also needed an apprentice, who took her to the Australian outback, a huge wasteland. After the aged criminal retired and died, she took over, becoming a thief, stealing from the rich, arrogant, and so on. She traveled the world, and she donated all of her stealings to poor families, orphanages, the hungry and sick...until she was out of stuff to give, then she stole again, a viscious cycle of stealing-and-giving everything away. Later, she met Elizabeth, a white-haired catgirl ex-marine with a damaged leg. They met when Marin tried to swipe Elizabeth's money, and was caught red-handed. They kept in contact for a while. Eventually, as all things do, change happened. Later, Marin, completely out of money, saw an orphanage who had to raise money or be torn down and built into a mall. She got a job to steal something...it turns out she had to steal from a wizard. She barely got out, was on the run, and ended up eventually in the midst of Reinholdt's catgirl war. She got captured, and was forced to be the wizard's slave, until she escaped. Last edited by Je dit Viola; 2009-12-12 at 02:56 AM. I'm gone for a couple of years! I'm off doing service in developing countries in South America (Very little chance of internet access) - I'll try to come back afterwards nanobot_swarm Pennstlvania Don Jacques de Aragon Alginment: Chaotic Neutral An aging man with messy black hair, and a thick black beard that looks like something on a vagrant. His eyes are a blue, and he is 5'6 feet tall. He wears a suit of armor that is dull and old, with an equally old helmat. Wields a bastard sword and a dented shield. His crest is a red cross. He rides and old grey mare. Backstory: An aging merchant of the middle class, he was generally well off, and was happily married, and had one son. When the village he lived in was destroyed by the catpeople, leaving his wife dead, he became insane, believed himself a Knight who eliminates evil everywhere, and now procedes to slaughter all those he views evil. His son Jeremiah constantly follows him, trying to reason him back to sanity, but alas to no avail. Viera Champion Larena Sedai Race: Human/Aes Sedai Class: Blue Ajah Age: ?? (Ageless face duh ) Power Rating: 10 Description: Blue eyes and grey hair done up in a bun. The normal ageless Aes Sedai face. She is a short woman yet with averag weight. She wears a blue silk dress and a blue fringed shawl. She also wears a white ring with on her left ring finger depicting a snake biting its own tail. Abilities: Can channel the One Power. Strongest in Air and Spirit. Very powerful among Aes Sedai in the One Power. Known for her skill. Equipment: Carries a white staff. The staff is an angreal, used to magnify the One Power. She also has a blue pendant on her forehead. It is a ter'angreal that holds the One Power so she can use it even if she is in an area that would normally prevent such things. Backstory: Im not telling! Karuma Masere Class: Warder Age: 72 (Remember age doesn't really affect warders) Power Level: 10 Description: Green eyes, black hair. A long coat that changes colors to blend in with the surroundings. 6'3" Very well built. Equipment: A heron marked blade. Two daggers at his hips. Lots of gold. Abilities: Master swordsman. Is a blue with a sword. Has the usual warder bond with Larena. Very sneaky and an excelent tracker. Backstory: Noone knows about his past before he was bonded with Larena. Yes he is Larenas warder. Rumor has it he is the king of some lost land. Last edited by Viera Champion; 2009-12-04 at 06:35 PM. LGBTitP The CHALLENGE\|My Poetry\|My Short Stories Fantastic FFTA Assassin Viera avvie by the fabulous Jokasti Snow Flake: My Little Toshiro Hitsugaya Pony by Smuchmuch Kyasarin Shihan drawing by the talented Moon Wolf EleventhHour The MagCave Wren Innaria Race: Possessed Human Class : Priestess Power Rating : 8 Description: She's unusually pale, even for a northland human, as if having spent far too long in dark places, and this ivory white skin is matched contrastingly against her raven black hair. She has a small, understated face, much the same as the rest of her body is too small for it's age, and molten gold coloured eyes, and an abnormally large pupil, leaving only the smallest whites. She is more slender than lithe, a thinness brought on by genetics, not exercise. All along her little body though, are black tattoos of arcane shapes and spirals, the ink seeming to actually sink into some nihilistic other realm. Backstory: She was once a librarian, of sorts, in the depths of an old temple in the north of REALM, when The Seven saw thier chance. She was in one of the forbidden areas in the darkest catacombs, having found a beautiful old fountain, still bubbling away with pristine mountain waters. They caught her, though she never really had a chance to flee, then the waters of that fountain changed to braken, and brushed with blood. Possesion by The Seven. It was a hard life, for even though they escaped thier immediate prison, she had old magics transferred onto her, trapping her from leaving the Walls of REALM, and sealing the Seven within her. The first thing they did was grow through her, which is now the spiralling tattoos on her skin, and they argue over her form most often, aside from plotting one another's downfall, and thier eventual escape from REALM. To begin with, Lust, Envy and Pride all wanted her to be beautiful, voluptuous even. Wrath and Greed couldn't care either way, Gluttony wanted her to be able to consume as much as possible, and Sloth wasn't available for comment. It's often possible to tell which is in the foremost control, aside from Wren herself, simply by her actions, wether vying for attention, gold, men, food, or getting into fights. Sloth, normally spends his time relaxing, or wasting other people's time with the least amount of effort he can put in. Miscellaneous: Ohmigawd, she'll eat your face. ...not really. All Avatars by Elder Tsofu! Renditions By Vulion Wolfbane Versus Horngeek Eleven's Swimsuit Wolfia and Elly Christmasy The Bushranger Stuck here Jamie Misaki Catherine Druid Race: Human/Branded Age: looks to be 6-ish Alignment: TN Class/Abilities: Psionics. Power Rating : ? avatars by Lord Iames and Happyturtle Daughter of Tobias-the-younger and Quinn. Druid Princess Mikani Last edited by The Bushranger; 2010-03-25 at 10:32 PM. Games Won: 5 Ashna and Brendan dolls by Recaiden BR by Dr. Bath BR's Bag o' Nuts · The Russkijs · Bushrangers explained Condiments · Pianos · Tumbleweeds · Drow Bloodline · Half-Drow Noble · Lacy Items Gulaghar Re: ACRONYM Registry. Draken Malice Alignment: True Neutral (Two things influence his alignment, his need for power, evil, and his need for love, good, currently power is winning so he's closer to neutral evil.) Class: Death Night (it may not be a DnD class but that's what he is) Power Level 4 A large man fills the entryway. He is heavily armored and holds a naked sword in his hand. He stands a full head over a tall man and is as broad as two. Covering every inch of his body from the neck down is a grisly suit of plate mail. It is made up of dark metal plates that are blacker than the soul of a demon, and bleached white bone, some which look eerily human. His bare weapon could not help but catch the eye of any warriors in the room. At first it appears to be a crude sword constructed of bone, but upon further inspection it becomes apparent that although it is made of bone, it is anything but crude. The sword is easily a foot wide and four long, although it is pitted and scared the cutting edge is razor sharp. Twin sheaths cross across his back, one empty and one containing the twin of the blade in his hand. It is obvious that this man is a death night. Despite his profession he is a strikingly handsome man. His hair is raven black and pulled back into a pony tail. His eyes are bottomless pools of darkness that seem to suck in all who gaze into them. (section from first post) Equipment: He has two long, broad, bone swords, anti rust sheaths, death knight armor, several knives, and his wine skin filled with Balfegor's Best. Miscellaneous: Accompanied by two skeletons in armor that conceals their identity. Currently in a different plane of existence for an unspecified amount of time. Last edited by Gulaghar; 2010-01-05 at 11:22 AM. Falgorn Fredrick Al Gorn Name: Fredrick Albertan Gorn. F.Al Gorn for short. Falgorn for shorter. Race: Dunno. Whatever it is, it isn't a hobgoblin. Age: Twenty or Thirty something. Alignment: Neutral Evil/Chaotic Neutral/Lawful Evil Class: Assassin/Mad Scientist/Card-Carrying Villain That, at all times. Any one of those. But in case the image breaks... Falgorn's a tall, orange-skinned individual with broad shoulders and muscles. He looks a lot like a hobgoblin, thus reducing any chances for attractiveness. He sometimes has wings, when he wants to. Which isn't a lot, coincidentally. Well, anything you would expect from an assassin, mad scientist and card carrying villain, put together. Minus magic. Oh, he can teleport. Miscellaneous: Schizophrenic. Last edited by Falgorn; 2009-12-07 at 04:42 PM. Dr, Bath's Dolly! Moofin Bard Name: Dante Race: Wereleopard Neutral itP Couple itP Pyrope FwM pony Gender: Appears to be Male Race: ??? Alignment: ??? probably evil Class (or approximation): Appears to be some sort of fighter/sorcerer, but ??? Power Rating (optional): 6. Appears to be incredibly powerful. Wears a black cloak and hood that disguise any bodily features. Equipment and Abilities: Black cloak, cursed sword, many a magical power. Can summon a horse that looks like something a Nazgul would ride Backstory:Nobody knows what it is, only that he is probably evil, and he can fight. Miscellaneous: He's hiding something. Credit for my various avatars goes to Dashwood,Cealocanth,Kwarkpudding,Randomizer,kpengu in,Alarra,Bisected8,zimmerwald1915, and Thanqol. Once known as "Gamerkid". horngeek Merrick Leavitt Race: Scion (Fancy way of saying he's the child of a god and a mortal) Class: Soldier Power Rating: 5 at the moment. Merrick is a tall, muscular man, with dark hair, light skin, blue eyes and a Nordic look to him. He generally wears a loose shirt and jeans, although he will wear a coat if it's cold. He also carries a shotgun, which has Nordic runes inscribed on it. Merrick, as a Scion of Heimdall, has a number of abilities granted to him by his father, Heimdall. Firstly, his shotgun, Gunnlogi, is actually a relic crafted for him, which gives him access to most of the divine powers granted to him by his father, Heimdall, as well as allowing him to summon some of the Einherjar- the warriors that wait at Vanhalla for Ragnarok- to aid him. The gun also never needs reloading. In addition to this, Merrick has small levels of superhuman dexterity, which can make it very difficult to hit him, and his perception partially inherited from his father, although not to the same degree, makes it almost impossible to ambush him. And it is impossible to knock him down if he doesn't want to be knocked down. Powers granted: He can mark someone, and will know if they're in danger. He can also give a small measure of protection. He can also see in very dim light (although he needs some light to see), and anything less than total concealment is not going to hinder his vision. He can also let off light. Backstory: To come... Fatebinding: Due to Merrick's status, Fate has a tendency to cast him as a major character in a story. This manifests several ways, but the most obvious is Fatebinding. In essence, when Merrick uses some of his abilities, there is a chance that mortals will be 'bound' to him, as supporting characters in that story in a particular role. An heiress that he saves may become a Patron to him, supplying what he requests whithin her abilities. Or, a mortal who identifies him as the source of their ruin may try to kill or ruin him, becoming a Nemesis. The thing is, that Fate is decreeing they take these actions. Locations and objects may also be Fatebound. {{OOC: I will handle Fatebinding like this: I won't say whether a PC may become Fatebound to Merrick. You may choose that they are, remembering that people less powerful than Merrick are more likely to be Fatebound. I may say an NPC becomes Fatebound, however, or an object or even a place.}} Last edited by horngeek; 2009-12-13 at 04:24 AM. Originally Posted by Revlid And so it was that Zaeed, Aang, Winry, Ezio, Sadoko and Snow White all set out on their epic journey to destroy The Empire. God I love Exalted. Gold Dragon avatar by Serpentine A Heart of Gold Gender: Neutral, but with a female voice. Alignment: Ask it, if you want your ear talked off about the complexities of morality, then stabbed. Class: Dunno about this one. I'd say...Sorcerer. Age: 14 or 15 in human time Race: Artifact "...Inanimate objects can't talk or relentlessly stalk you or stab you. That's preposterous..." What is seen is by no means a Heart of Gold. It's not a golden, floating symbol of love. But it is a heart. Not in the love-y dove-y sense, either. It's a floating, bloody, disembodied, still-beating organ. That floats! The creepiest part is it's about 5 times bigger than the average heart. A fork, to poke you with, a knife, to stab you with and a chainsaw, to rend you with. Minor reality warping abilities, which includes flight (obviously) and gravity control, so she can utilize her weaponry. Theme Song: Bodies ApeofLight Alignment: Chaotic Neutral(leans towards good though) Age: Around 18-20 Power Level: Eh, high 3 or low 4 probably Description: A tall youth with wild black hair and dark brown eyes. He is usually wearing a shirt and pants made from the skin of animals. He looks like he grew up in a forest and acts like it too, well, because he did actually. He was some control over the four basic elements and isn't afraid to fight. Last edited by ApeofLight; 2009-12-22 at 02:09 AM. "Insert some witty comment here" -Nexus Characters Race: Angel Age: 136 (looks 22) Class: Paladin (Kind of) She is "perfectly" beautiful, almost to perfect. She has light skin and long blond hair. She is wearoing leather clothing that leaves her stomache uncovered. She is also wearing a blue half-skirt. Sometimes a faint yellow ring of light is visable above her head. Equipment: She has a longbow and her clothing. She also has a special pendant that allows her to return to her own plane. Miscellaneous: Alara had to sacrifice some of her angelic powers and her wings in order to come to ACRONYM to redeem Draken Malice MageSparrowhawk Void between realities Nazo Metta (last,first) Class: Psion? (not really...hard to define) Power Rating: 4.5 Description: Metta is a dedicated student, who regularly places near the top in his grade. He's about 5' 10", with shoulder length blackish-red hair. He's fit, but in no way superhuman. He has pale skin, and his build could be called wiry. Wears a variety of outfits, but assume gray denim pants and this shirt, if not specified otherwise. Abilities: Metta has the ability to imagine. Not too impressive on its own, but what sets it apart, is that he can forcefully manifest what he imagines into the real world. Usually just objects, but he can create effects (like spells and such), and modify real objects. He has recently developed the ability to modify himself, though it is considerably more straining on his body than other ways of manifesting his abilities. All uses of his ability have some effect on him, in varying degrees. Backstory: Originally from the BleachITP...but seems to have accidentally hiccuped himself over here. Actual ramifications of that have yet to be seen. Miscellaneous: He's had his abilities for all of a few months now, and they've been steadily changing pretty much the whole time. As a result, he has bouts of 'How do I shot web' every once in a while. Last edited by MageSparrowhawk; 2010-01-16 at 11:28 PM. The Spellshaper: a how-to on manipulating raw magic. My (old) character(s): Shiaki Koujin, 12th seat of the 6th Court Guard Squad Old characters: Shiaki Koujin, Captain of the 6th Court Guard Squad Metta Nazo, Spiritual anomaly Oboro Kuenai, Vice-captain of the Kido corps Haruki-kun Angel in the Playground Moderator The Steamboat Name: Noah, no last name. Class: None. Affiliation: None Default Appearance: Medium Height, sandy brown hair, green eyes. Lightly tanned skin, not very muscular at all. The appearance of a regular scholar, mostly. Special Abilities: None, other than a large knowledge of science, history, mathematics, and culture. Weapon of Choice: None. Weaknesses: Cooking, cleaning, singing. Background: Noah, no last name, is a Scholar, and is quite knowledgeable about most sciences. However, being completely focused in what science can prove, Noah disbelieves the existence of Magic, gods, or Supernatural beings of any kind. This is further fueled by his ability to not be present when magic occurs, or to turn away at the exact moment, or even thoroughly explain how this occurred with human tricks. Because of Schrodinger's Cat Theory, this would mean reality around him is altered so that indeed, Magic does not exist as far as he is concerned. ---> FORUM RULES <--- Current Deathcount: 48 Name: It isn't a sound, no. Something else. Something deeper. Something that echoes in the mind. That reverberates through the soul. She is life incarnate. Fertility given form. Birth given substance. Growth infused with spirit. The magic of imagination. The hope of transformation. The endless, boundless dreams of possibility. Evolution without limitation. Beyond impossible. And yet so very real. More real than all else. A thing of wild open spaces. Forests and fields and mountains and the unbridled, untamed sky. A dream forgotten upon waking, dancing at the edge of memory. A dream that walks the waking world. But Flats have trouble pronouncing that. So she usually translates it 'Dynamism' or Dyna for short. Gender: Usually a female persona Race: Celestial Eldritch Abomination Power Rating: 3 minimum, scales based on her foe Affiliation: Wut? Age: Less than a week. Or aeons. Hard to tell. Appearance: A young human woman with sorta-pointy fae ears. Her hair is purple of all colors and seems to be oddly thick. Most of the time it's bound into one or more pony-tails by a rather sizable golden-yellow ribbon. Yellow eyes, but unremarkable otherwise. And her middle brown skin is etched with electric blue lines that don't seem to like staying in the same place. Often clad in a rather odd gray and purple tunic and short breaches with a number of baubles hung here and there. She's slightly tall for a female human, though not unusually so. There an odd sense of joyfulness and energy that electrifies the very air around her, an infectious sense of enthusiasm for life. She also has a rather peculiar air of realness about her. Hyper-realness. Her colors too vibrant, her voice too clear. That's when she's human. When she isn't things change considerably. Her whole body is a dark charcoal gray and etched with electric blue lines that shimmer with opalescent radiance. Feet and legs like a hind, hands and arms deceptively human. Two great feathered wings of scarlet and purple stretch up from her back, full of eyes and around and within. A mass of writhing, deep purple tentacles serve as hair that she usually binds into the best pony-tail she can manage. Golden reptillian eyes and finally a snout that looks equal parts reptilian and beak-like. Her build is decidedly humanoid and obviously feminine with another eye about where her naval should be. A long, muscular tentacle-like tail twitches behind her, eyes running all down its length. Special Abilities: Life-Shaping, Somebody Else's Problem Field, Array Casting Combat Proficiencies: Talented with hand to hand combat and her wing-blade. Yes, in human shape she uses a sword fashioned from one of her wings. And don't let her scribe arrays. Common Knowledge: Dyna's a Warden, specially trained to fight 'unnatural' creatures. Unnatural in this case includes undead, eldritch otherworldly creatures, and material things spawned or tainted by eldritch otherworldly creatures. Her signs and seals functions against such creatures. Likewise, her weapons are more potent. Name: Not so much a sound as it is a feeling. A whimsical, surreal wildness. A thing of dreams and possibility that stretches into infinity. A thing of vast open skies. Of forests and fields and meadows. Sweltering heat and bitter cold. Of all the untamed things that roam there. Brighter than the sun, darker than the reaches of the night sky. Deeper than the roots of the mountains, older than the dance of the stars. Change and life and growth. The unfettered power of the dreaming imagination and glory the of birthing something new. Peace and wonder and joy and more than a little mischievous fun. It's real. Full of vibrancy and color and shape and feeling. So real that all else seems drab and indistinct by contrast. But that's hard to pronounce so most people call him 'Avatar'. Gender: Usually uses a male persona. Race: Celestial Eldritch Abomination. Yes. Celestial. Power Rating: i, no min, no max, scales as needed for a fight to be fair. Age: Less than a year. Appearance: Highly variable Special Abilities: Physical plasticity, Dream-essence, Nightmare-essence, unsettling presence, looking a hell of a lot more powerful than he actually is. Combat Proficiencies: Avatar is skilled with his natural abilities and hand-to-hand combat. His ability to weaponize his essence is limited, so most of the time he'll rely on his artifact sifu staff. Common Knowledge: Avatar was originally an Aspect of Ragnnora that possessed Zee for nefarious purposes. Since then he's been cut off from the Elder Evil and now operates as an independent being. If Avatar spots mice running around he'll be compelled to chase them down and eat them. in the glory box Carrion (originally Caroline) "Carrie" Janet McCarrow/Joy Race: Psychopomp that died, was reincarnated as a Human Blightwalker, then died and became a Death Goddess, then exploded and re-became the Psychopomp. No longer undead. Alignment: TN/NG Weapons/Equipment/Items: Not shoes. Abilities: DEATH GODDESS STUFF. Theme Song(s): Ash Like Snow. Timeskip Carrie: Carrion "Carrie" The New Death Inaugurated Race: Minor Death Goddess Age: 26 temporally. Standard form still looks 16. Weapons/Equipment/Items: Spurs on her bare feet. Um, wings. She can summon stuff. Abilities: Power over death and stuff. Last edited by Beans; 2010-09-07 at 05:13 PM. Spoiler: FFRP Characters Carrie, Hysmine, Euphrone Spoiler: My Stories And Things Death and the Seamstress If you're looking for stuff on my old project Rider: The Transformation, look here. Piggyebil Koyuki Asuga Class (or approximation): Commoner Description: Short, wears a mask. Long, straight, black hair. Navy blue dress and black shoes. Pale skinned. Equipment and Abilities: A whip. Backstory: Lived childhood as a normal girl, but went missing at age 20. She wasn't found until just recently. Miscellaneous: She has a short attention span. Last edited by Piggyebil; 2009-12-19 at 06:14 PM. Buhahahahahahaha! ...Oink. Class: Ranger Once the figure stands up her features become visible. She is a young woman of about nineteen years. She is wearing a scandalous combination of red cloth and leather. It is a short backless dress that extends just above her knees. In the front it is split down the middle down to the naval. She also has a head band to hold back her long dark brown hair which is also pulled back into a ponytail. The whole thing is accented by seemingly randomly placed leather straps. Worked into the outfit are the teeth from some kind very large animal. The whole thing is slightly worn and burnt slightly. Strapped to her belt are two bone daggers. (section from first post) Equipment: He has two bone daggers, and the cloths on her back. Currently in an unknown location for an unspecified amount of time. Lord Iames Osari Surely-Refulgent Anshu, Most Enlightened Master Race: Zenith-Caste Solar (Human) Age: 41 (34 in Exalted years; appears to be in his mid-20s) Class: Warrior Priest Power Rating: 8 (Essence 6) Backstory: The enlightened mortal Immaculate monk called Little Dragon took his Second Breath after becoming the last survivor of a Wyld Hunt. After spending some time with trainers from the Gold Faction, he began calling himself Anshu and took a cluster of farm villages under his protection. Pursuing slavers after a raid on those villages led to a meeting with his Lunar mate and a group of other Celestial Exalts. As the Mask of Winters moved to cement his control over the East, attacking Nexus, Great Forks, and Greyfalls before laying siege to Lookshy, Anshu and his circlemates led survivors to Denandsor, where they broke the ancient curse keeping people from dwelling in the city. Then, with the forces of the Wyld fast approaching, they seized the Imperial Manse, threw out the invading Fae, and began taking control of Creation. Theme Song: Origa - Rise (Lyrics) Last edited by Lord Iames Osari; 2010-04-19 at 12:30 PM. Genkai Aldaro Class: Psychic Description: A young woman. She is of average height and somewhat skinny. She has sky blue eyes and light pink hair. Her hair is usually done in a long braid that goes down to her ankles. Her clothes are a green tank top and jeans. Equipment: Nothing really except for her clothes. Abilities: Does being bisexual count as an ability. Because she is. No? Oh well. She is a powerful psychic able to sense emotions and read thoughts. She also canchannel energy into her fists to make her punches stronger. Backstory: Coming soon! Artemis97 Lost in the Town Name: Raril Xar'Cha (DeLoran) Race: Drow Elf/werewolf Alginment: Chaotic Evil, sliding towards Neutral. Class: Bard/Rogue/Assassin Speech Color: Blue Description: Raril is 5 feet 6 inches tall. His eyes are a deep red in color, as it typical of his race. His hair is white and wavey, and has grown well past his shoulders. Typically he wears the top part braided back on both sides and tied off in the back, letting the rest hang loose. His skin is a very dark, inky blue color, unlike the jet black usually seen on drow. His build is thin, but muscular. He has a few scars, although most are too small to notice, thanks to access to magical healing. Of note are some larger ones. A deep purple burn mark in the shape of a spider sits on his temple just above his right ear. A pale scar sits over his heart, a straight line only a few inches long, a stab wound that had been almost certainly fatal. On the inside of his right forearm, a tribal-like design has been etched onto his skin, that of a dragon. Typically, Raril wears high black boots, black pants, and a deep blue shirt with long, somewhat puffy sleeves. Although the color and style of his clothes may change, there is a nearly everpresent constant: his wide-brimmed hat with the large blue plume. It make him look a little like a musketeer. On his left wrist, he wears a gold bangle set with sapphires. Fir him, it is the equivalent of a wedding ring. Equipment: Twin short swords, stolen from a dragon's horde, magically encrusted with ice. A rapier, with silver filigree around the handle and a deep purple crystal at the pommel. It is constantly coated in thin black film of knockout poison. These weapons hand off a belt studded in silver. The belt gives any weapon weilded by the drow the properties of silver, for use against the undead and the like. Also, if hostile undead come near, a bright burst of daylight will eminate from it. On both forearms, Raril wears a set of silver bracers, giving him a bit of magical protection. Tucked inside each he keeps a dagger and a set of thieves' tools. He also keeps a few daggers hidden in his belt, along with a few thin, black wands. One of teleportation, one of dimension door, and the last, dimensional lock. In his left boot, he keeps a very loud-mouthed dagger whish absolutely hates undead. It radiates positive energy and can cast minor healing spells. It also allows the drow to make devastating attacks on vital points that undead usually aren't susceptable to. He usually carries a very well crafted crossbow across his back, its sights allow him to make shots at long distances. He also carries a bag of holding, made in messenger bag style. In one of its pockets are the quarrels used by the crossbow. Many of these are coated in a thick, black substance, which is highly pressure sensetive. On contact, the bolts explode into a massive fireball. Backstory: I'm going to try and make this as brief as I can. Raril was born in the Underdark city of Menzoberranzan, to House Xabaresh Chaeron. Though born later down the line, he rose to become the eldest son. He flunked out of Sorcere, the wizarding school, and fled into the city to hide from his mother's wrath, only returning to his family after helping the house survive an attack and assisting his eldest sister, Danube, to murder their mother and replace her as Matron. He served his House loyally, from then on, not being given much choice thanks to a nasty curse placed on him by his sisters. See spider shaped scar above. This curse doomed his soul to Lolth and the Demonweb Pits, regardless of any redemption he might seek. Only death would free him from the constant pain of having his soul pinned to the Pits. Roughly 20yrs or so ago, he was sent to the surface in search of another of his sisters, Hirriel. Raril found that up here, away from the influence of his sisters and the Underdark, the pain from the curse was lessened. So he never looked very hard for his sister, and remained on the surface. He made friends, and even found love. Unfortunately, just before he was to be married, House Xar'Cha made their move, invading the surface world and the island Raril now called home. Raril played to both sides of the invasion, slipping information to his family and his newfound friends. Truely, he hoped the drow could be driven back, but his curse, and his desire to live longer, kept him from openly defying them. He was, however, able to convice his brother, Sszinyon, to help him. So when the defense of the island ultimately failed, a few of his friends were kept relatively safe, and were eventually able to escape the Underdark. After that, Raril spent quite a bit of time wandering the world. In one of his more recent adventures, he ended up challenging a lord to a duel and won an entire kingdom in the process. This is the desert land of Loran, from which he claims the title Lord DeLoran. Political pressure, and his natural restlessness, soon had Raril on the road again. He left Loran to be run by a council of the nobles of the kingdom, so things remained fairly stable there, and continued his wandering. The next place of note where he found himself was the Nexus itself. Here, Raril got into all sorts of shenanigans. A mindflayer put a genetically engineered fiend inside his head as a part of an experiment. The fiend, Lillith, later recieved a body of her own and he now considers her like a sister. A real sister, not like his drow siblings. Speaking of who, they later sent his brother, Sszinyon, up after Raril in an attempt to get his help in finding an artifact and establishing a foothold in the Nexus. This plan ultimately failed, crushed by the valiant citizens of the Nexus. Raril also fell in with the local thieves' guild, becoming second in command, and helped in their defense against a Royal Navy invasion. Said Navy kidnapped his, at the time, girlfriend, Lori. He managed to rescue her, though, without betraying his allegience to the guild. After the invasion was thwarted, Raril was told by his superior to leave the guild in order to have a happy life with Lori. Sadly, Raril was unwilling to commit himself fully, afraid his own curse might effect her soul were they ever to be joined. This opinion changed a bit after she was kidnapped by demons, and he went to rescue her, only to have Lori die in his arms. Raril then went on a quest through the planes of death to retrieve her soul and bring her back to life. He proposed to her then and there and they were happy for a little while. Unfortunately, while she had been dead, Raril had sought solace in the arms of another woman. He saw it as a simple distraction from the pain, but Lori, of course, didn't see it that way. Eventually Raril was able to convince her that he truely did love her, just in time for his brother to make a reappearance. Sszinyon poisons his brother and kidnaps them both. Lori trades herself to Sszinyon, in exchange for Raril's life. Raril gets dumped randomly back in town and rushes back to rescue Lori, but arrives too late to save her from his brother's wicked ways. Raril is also re-captured by Sszinyon and sacraficed to Lolth, dying and being sent to the Demonweb Pits. As a small consolation, his brother followed him shortly afterwards. Lost in the abyss, Raril did manage to free himself from the curse that held him trapped there. Lori studied hard to become a priestess of Lolth and managed to ressurect him. Raril was glad to be alive, but instinctively fell into a subserviant role, having suffered too long from the indotrination of the Drow priestesses in his younger days. He awoke one morning to find Lori gone without a trace. He fears the Spider Queen had finally done her in, and still cannot bring himself to speak her name, devastated by the loss. More recently, he has found friendship and love again, thanks largely to Zee/Avatar. After a somewhat awkward friendship and later courtship, Zee asked him to marry her, after she dragged him back from the dead (again) after he had been killed and his brother stolen a part of his soul. Raril and Zee got married on the spot, and are still together today. Raril's most recent troubles involve being sold to Calubi...however that's spelled by Magtok for use as a lackey. The drow didn't take too well to this and ended up leaving after disobeying orders, getting into a fight with Cal and eventually blasting the lich to pieces. (He got better, unfortunately) Cal still tortures him from time to time, specifically having blasted his personality into four seperate pieces, which has caused Raril to do some things he normally wouldn't, and by using the nymph form of Irene and a whole lot of spells to forcibly seduce the drow. He still has nightmares about it, and was cursed never to forget. (Cal's mean) Most recently, he's gone on the expedition to help do away with Cal for good, and is trying to get his mind pieced back together before he becomes a father. Okay, I failed. Information isnide is neither complete nor complete coherent as it's now almost 7am and I've been writing all night. ~Amor Vincit Omnia~ I have a Youtube Channel I write and draw occasionally: Have a look. Avatar by HappyTurtle. billtodamax Name: Bruce Gender: Make Race: Giant Alignment: Chaotic Good (Yes, another one, I know. Just bare with me.) Class: Fighter-y Heavy Weapons Thingy Description: Bruce stands at a mighty 12 feet tall, his face rough and unshaven, with a friendly smile always adorning his face. He wears a brown sleeveless jacket over a white shirt, usually covered in dirt and sometimes, alarmingly, blood. His pants are also brown, made of the same thick tough material as his jacket, designed to protect him from too much injury. His arms, legs, and chest are very well muscled. Attached to what surely must be specially made holsters at each side of his waist hang what appear to be two... Miniguns? They have an odd design, the barrels extended slightly from the normal minigun, and a highly elongated ammo space. Across his back, attached via a leather strap, is what appears to be two cannons welded together with a hand-grip attached to the back end of the cannons and something that looks suspiciously like a pump action on the same side as the handle. adorning the front side of the strap, as well as his belt, are several undersized chainsaws. Equipment: Two of the aforementioned Miniguns, which I will go into more detail about here. Their barrels appear to have only three rifling grooves on the inside, an oddity that might be explained when you look inside the ammo compartment. What you would see in there appears to be a single... harpoon? Yes, definately a harpoon, it's triangular head having three points near the back that look suspiciously like they'd fit into the rifling grooves in the barrels. It seems odd that only one harpoon would be there, but there's a significant magical presense surrounding it that, if one could sense it, seems to be saying that if you'd just get on with firing the thing, it would get on with duplicating itself for each of the barrels. There are lightening and recoil-reducing charms on the guns, which, Bruce will proudly boast, work in anti-magic fields. The cannons on his back, if one were bold enough to open it up, would reveal several kilograms of, well, buckshot, just scaled up a fair bit, each ball being the size of your fist. The pump action seems to load another shell into each of the barrels, which fire simultaneously. The same infinite ammo, lightening, and recoil-reducing charms are present here, with the last two significantly stronger. The chainsaws on his waist appear to be quite standard, the only magic present in them is that when hurled through the air they turn themselves on, and that they're just about the right size to fit in one of Bruce's hands easily. Bruce does indeed have more weapons, but these are the only ones he keeps on him. Somehow I think they'll be enough. Name: Kev Age: Fully Grown Adult. Whatever age that is for a... Race: Giant Lion Alignment: N/A Class: RAWR! Lion! Description: Kev is a very, very big lion. He's got armour covering his chest, back, head and legs, made out of normal steel, but with the same lightening charms as are on Bruce's guns. His teeth and claws are wickedly sharp, and his mane is quite beautiful. He serves as Bruce's steed and companion. Equipment/Abilities: Aside from the aforementioned armour, Kev has no equipment. He can jump pretty high for a lion of his height, which ends up meaning he can jump very high. Avatar by Me! Recaiden made the mime doll. Spoiler: Nexus Characters Gimliggamer John Soulfire Race : Human Alignment : Chaotic Good Class : Enchanted Rockerbard Description : Tallish, tan skin, chin-length black hair, gold eyes, small goatee, wears black clothes usually, and spiked combat boots over black jeans. Equipment and Abilities : Electric Guitar with a flaming finish that has multiple powers, and a microphone built into the top. also two daggers in sheaths at his belt, with the belt buckle a figure made out of steel that looks like a shield. Backstory : John grew up surrounded by music. His parents were world-famous guitar players and his older brother a member of the opera. As he got older, he decided he wanted to be a rockstar with a lifestyle on the road. He learned from his parents how to play, and his brother taught him how to unlock the louder sounds in his voice. He decided to learn how to make the instruments as well, a guitar, a microphone, and a tamberine, and did a little tinkering to combine them, for a more versatile piece of equipment. When his sponsors stole his songs, gave them to another band, and tried to kill him, John went on the road, and never turned back. Last edited by Gimliggamer; 2010-01-13 at 12:07 AM. Dolla dolla bill, y'all League of Legends S3 Ranked Challenge: 6/100 wins, Silver IV Maralah, Grandchosen of Oblivion Dark Princess Tamesis Race: Abyssal Half-Caste (Human) Age: 11 (9 in Exalted years) Alignment: Neutral Class: Magical Girl Backstory: Maralah was pulled from Anshu's mind by the nightmare powers, his vision of what Nimai could have been had Ebon Mirror's essence overcome his in the womb. Catchphrases and Attack Names: I am the champion of peace and enlightenment, the soothing shadow after the painful light. I am Dark Princess Tamesis, and in the name of Oblivion, I will release you from your suffering. Find peace in the embrace of Oblivion. Theme Song: Ghost Love Score (Lyrics) The Most Secret Ebon Mirror Race: Midnight-Caste Abyssal (Human) Backstory: Ebon Mirror is an alternate version of Anshu, born from the moment of contact between the Solar's mind and the minds of the Neverborn, dead but dreaming world-creating titans clogging the drain of the cosmic reincarnation system. He was recently drawn out of Anshu's mind by the nightmare powers and is planning to run amok. Theme Song: Omaera Zenin Moete Shimaetsu!!!/All You Bastards, Get Fired Up!!! Minions: Commando/Ninja Zombie War Ghoul Earl of Purple The Garden of the Angles Name: Androthelia Maxorium Race: Human/Stitched Alignment: Neutral-ish. Class (or approximation): Necromancer-surgeon Description: Wearing a long brown robe, most of his visible skin is covered with stiches or staples. His left hand has three thumbs and six fingers, his right has two thumbs and eight fingers. His left arm is two centimetres shorter than his right, and he limps because his left leg is nearly four centimetres longer than his right leg. His face would be attractive, although the stitches surrounding it detract from that, as does the difference in skin tone between his ears; likewise, his eyes are different colours, but he often changes eyes and scalps, so eye colour and hair length and shade vary. All in all, it is possible that he could be mistaken for either an undead monster or a flesh golem. Equipment: Tool box with a red cross on the side which is larger inside than out filled with many limbs and jars of organs, a role of surgical tools heavy on the bone-saws and scalpels, brown robes and a loincloth. Abilities: He can repair himself or others with his magic and surgical skills, but that's pretty much it. He can also temporarily animate parts of corpses or whole corpses, but only before the process of decomposition has begun. Backstory: In his early twenties, he started meddling with surgery by day and necromancy by night. At the age of twenty five, he was in a serious accident and he was forced to rebuild his body from scratch; powering the replacement limbs and organs with necromancy. He never officially died, however. Last edited by Earl of Purple; 2010-01-10 at 05:11 PM. Terrowin Avatar by HappyTurtle. Much thanks! I don't use the Registry; ask for a description if you don't know what my character looks like. Re: Faction Registry (linked in first post) The Celestial Deliberative (Faction) The Celestial Deliberative is the government of an alternate future Creation; it has only recently and tenuously come into contact with the Nexus. It has no single leader; rather it is run by two great legislative bodies, the Celestial and Terrestrial Deliberatives, and a variety of bureaucratic agencies. It has an Embassy in the middle of Outside. Notable Agencies The Immaculate Order The Immaculate Order has changed in some significant ways - most notably, the way it defines Anathema and how they are to be dealt with - but in most other respects it remains as it was before, encouraging veneration of the Exalted host while maintaining a schedule of worship that pays the gods for their work, and providing a corps of trained Essence-users to pummel misbehaving divinities into submission. Notable Members of the Immaculate Order Master Surely-Refulgent Anshu (Zenith-Caste Solar, Monk of the 5th Coil) "Most Enlightened Master" Master Vasanti Anila (Wood Aspect Terrestrial, Monk of the 4th Coil) Honored Hidden Currents of the Black Sea (Water Aspect Terrestrial, Monk of the 3rd Coil) "Honored One" The Bureau of Destiny Though the Bureau of Destiny is technically part of the Celestial Bureaucracy in Heaven, the Sidereal Exalts who assist in running it are also subject to the authority of the Celestial Deliberative. Notable Members of the Bureau of Destiny Blue Illumination of Exceptional Jubilation (Sidereal Chosen of Serenity) The Sky Fleet The Sky Fleet is the aerial division of the Celestial Deliberative's navy. Notable Ships and Units CDS Defiance in the Night Shooting Star Sky Fang Siran Bhavna, the Crimson Meteor Sky Winglord, Chosen of Battles Cathak Jonan Fire Aspect Leaping Tiger Full Moon Caste Penitent Wind Bearing Ash Like Snow Day Caste Glorious Prototype for Reunion Orichalcum Caste (Click image for non-disguise picture) ((This description is purposefully incomplete. More information will be added as it becomes relevant and necessary))	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5506
__label__cc	0.71934	0.28066	The liberty Judge has been axed myfist0 February 16, 2012 4:56:56 PM from JoeUser Forums The only reason to watch FOX is gone. Replaced with something better? Nope, frakin reruns of corporate bullshit. Libertarian activist Lew Rockwell is spearheading a campaign to have Freedom Watch reinstated, writing on his website yesterday: “If you are as outraged as I am at the cancellation of Judge Andrew Napolitano’s “Freedom Watch,” here is something you can do.” Please contact Fox Business to ask them to reverse their decision. Irena Briganti, Senior Vice President Media Relations E-Mail: irena.briganti@foxnews.com “Be respectful but be sure to convey your outrage at this matter, and state that you and many others will boycott the network if the show is taken off the air.” Rockwell added. Post your favourite excerpts here please. Maybe download them because I have a feeling FOX will want these all gone from YouTube. If you are NOT satisfied with the mainstream media, if you think that EVERY show on their network (and every other network) should always report news from the perspective of liberty and the constitution, rather than from the perspective of the state, then please join our boycott against mainstream media advertisers. You can join the boycott against FOX News advertisers here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Boycott-FoxNews-Advertisers/ You can find boycotts against the other major media corporate sponsors at http://MSMBoycott.com http://runronpaul.com/mainstream-media/last-episode-of-freedom-watch/ Locked Post Lord Xia Reply #1 February 16, 2012 5:02:03 PM I've been boycotting this network for years already... Tyranny Alert SivCorp Aw, What the Hell?!? Dam Fox.... Well, no more TV news for me then. What is it going to take? When will it finally cave in on them? Not long, I think.... not long. ElanaAhova Myfist0 thanks for video alert. I agree that the USA, in striving to run an empire, has lost its way: The constitution is in shreads... and dismissing the rule of Law. And using the military, who at one time were our protectors, to become our keepers - is abhorrant to me. Sadly, many don't even know what the text says. Even the host of the Tyranny Alert (with whose views I substationally agree), misquotes the constitution' He says "Life, liberty, and property." That is not what is written. 'Life, liberty, and the persuit of happiness," is what is written. Accuracy is so important - very important in these issues.... Thanks for the vid... ... and this was just before NDAA. How many other "What if's... " are coming? How many "What if's... " are here now? psychoak "Life, liberty, and property." This is actually correct, just not the final draft. The founders were strong proponents of abolition, they feared the wording would be used to justify slavery, so property was rewritten in a way that couldn't easily be argued as protecting the right to own slaves. The essential meaning is the same, just far more broad, it's the fruits of your labor. from WinCustomize Forums The phrase appears in the Declaration of Independence, not the Constitution, so it's definitely a 'misquote'. And the phrase "life, liberty and property" was not in Jefferson's draft. It's a phrase attributed to John Locke and language similar to it was in the Virginia Declaration of Rights. Philocthetes Everyone would be better off shunning all the cable news channels in favor of good old-fashioned reading. Important things deserve thoughtful engagement, which is impossible in a high-tech non-stop circus. Emperor_Nero Quoting Lord Xia, I concur. Fox promotes ignorance and hatred, in my personal opinion. A network that allows Glen Beck to broadcast cannot be good. Reply #10 February 16, 2012 9:26:05 PM Quoting Emperor_Nero, I concur. Fox promotes ignorance and hatred, in my personal opinion. That's why I only watch MSNBC. Never a scintilla of hatred or ignorance there. Wish all news outlets were as reasoned, fair and balanced as that. Reply #11 February 16, 2012 11:52:51 PM LOL - Dumped to the forum section no one visits now myfist0 has been axed ... figures Reply #12 February 17, 2012 5:30:52 AM Quoting myfist0, No, Frogboy specifically required NO POLITICAL threads in the 'everything else' forum. If you wish to debate his determination...feel free. I'll be here to pick up the pieces... Quoting Jafo, Win! Well, partial….DNS pulled from SOPA (for now) <--- Political > The Media lulapilgrim Myfisto, Last Thursday, I got an email with this: THE ONLY HONEST MAN ON ALL OF FOX NEWS GETS FIRED FOR EXPOSING ISRAEL AND THE JEWS BEHIND THE 9/11 TERROR ATTACKS. Click on this from The Ugly Truth... JUDGE NAPOLITANO FIRED AFTER THIS BROADCAST OF FREEDOM WATCH by crescentandcross Win! Well, partial….DNS pulled from SOPA (for now) The Media I've always supported the notion of flame-war avoidance, but I've never been able to convince anyone in inner Stardockia that everything is political. There's no way to manage an online forum without making judgment calls, and there's no way to make a judgment call that is purely objective. But one reason policies get written is to simplify the work of line-level employees working with the public every day. Unfortunately, policies sometimes rely on very irrational assumptions or assertions, such as the idea that there is a clear boundary between "political" discussions and all other discussions. You can have an objective formula for synthesizing ammonia, but you can't have an objective formula for sorting public speech as either Political or Not Political. I'm glad that Stardock mods can wield the ban hammer when necessary, but I really hope they'll one day give up the sloppy category parts of their good manners policies and get more direct about the fact that most regulars around here value both civility and freewheeling conversation. To me, the renaming to Everything Else positively begs for such a change in the background policies. Otherwise, it should be called Everything Else, Except Stuff That We Think Is Too Political. Work Reports Movies & TV & Books OS Customization Pets & Nature Art, Science, & Technology Pure Technology Recent Forum Activity Dark on Netflix is the best Science Fiction Ser... It is not a socialist country? Why the right is angry Browser Extensions to Improve Privacy Sins: Rebellion and GalCiv II on PC Gamer's lis... Terms of Service Privacy Policy About Us Contact Us Stardock.com © 2021 Stardock. All rights reserved.	cc/2021-04/en_middle_0059.json.gz/line5509

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