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Thomas Garrity, Dick Bedient, Colin Adams
Bedient Moderates Debate at Math Meetings
Professor of Mathematics Dick Bedient served as moderator for the debate "Derivative vs. Integral: The final showdown” during the Joint Meetings of the American Mathematical Society and the Mathematical Association of America held Jan. 6-9, in New Orleans. More ...
Dan Kamenetsky '11
Boguchwal ’12 and Kamenetsky ’11 Present at JMM
Debra Boutin
Boutin Publishes Research Article
Professor of Mathematics Debra Boutin recently published a research article titled "More Results on r-inflated Graphs: Arboricity, Thickness, Chromatic Number, and Fractional Chromatic Number" in Ars Mathematica Contemporanea. More ...
YPP's Math Bash Connects Utica Students to the Hill
Members of the Young People’s Project hosted the third semi-annual “Math Bash” on Saturday, Dec. 11, in the Annex. More ...
Members of Hamilton's Mathletics team at the Putnam Competition.
Mathletics Team Vies in Putnam Competition
Students from the Hamilton Mathletics team participated on Dec. 4 in the nationwide William Lowell Putnam mathematics competition. With 13 students taking part, it was one of the strongest turnouts in Hamilton's history. More ...
Sally Cockburn
Debra Boutin
Boutin Publishes Research Article
Professor of Mathematics Debra Boutin recently published a research article titled "The thickness and chromatic number of r-inflated graphs" in Discrete Mathematics. In this paper, Boutin and her co-authors Michael Albertson (late of Smith College) and Ellen Gethner (University of Colorado, Denver) introduce their work on networks that are inflated by replacing each vertex in by a set of r mutually connected vertices and replacing each edge between a pair of vertices with all edges between the associated 2r vertices. More ...
Rob Kantrowitz '82
Kantrowitz '82 Speaks at Real Analysis Symposium
Robert Kantrowitz '82, professor and chair of mathematics, was a speaker at the Summer Symposium in Real Analysis held this year at The College of Wooster in Ohio, July 13-17. His talk, "Banach algebra norms for spaces of functions of generalized bounded variation," centered around collections of functions of bounded variation that have been known for some time to constitute complete normed linear spaces. More ...
Louis Boguchwal '12
The Rabbit and The Fox: A Mathematical Fable
In the forest, populations of rabbits and foxes change relative to one another. Mathematicians model these population fluctuations using differential equations. But mathematical predator-prey models have limitations; for example, the models do not account for rabbits and foxes traversing different paths from water to food source. Combining differential equations and network optimization, Louis Boguchwal ’12 hopes to improve these standard models with guidance from Assistant Professor of Mathematics Andrew Dykstra. More ...
Fractals Publishes Article by Bedient and Two Alumni
Alumni Keith Gross ’09 and Brendan Sullivan ’07 with Yale alumna Jennifer Lanski have published an article with Professor of Mathematics Richard Bedient and Yale Professor Michael Frame in the journal Fractals. The paper, titled “Higher Block IFS: Memory Reduction and Dimension Computations,” is the result of work over a period of years by the authors as parts of various senior projects. More ...
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/87876
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[Haskell-cafe] A type class puzzle
Greg Buchholz haskell at sleepingsquirrel.org
Tue Oct 31 12:02:53 EST 2006
Yitzchak Gale wrote:
> Tomasz Zielonka wrote:
> >If you insist that each index should be given as a separate
> >function argument, it may be possible to achieve it using the tricks
> >that allow to write the variadic composition operator.
> I am not familiar with that. Do you have a reference?
> Is that the best way to do it? (Is that a way to do it at all?)
You might find these articles somewhat related...
Functions with the variable number of (variously typed) arguments
Deepest functor [was: fmap for lists of lists of lists of ...]
...That first article is the strangest. I couldn't reconcile the fact
that if our type signature specifies two arguments, we can pattern
match on three arguments in the function definition. Compare the number
of arguments in the first and second instances...
> class BuildList a r | r-> a where
> build' :: [a] -> a -> r
> instance BuildList a [a] where
> build' l x = reverse$ x:l
> instance BuildList a r => BuildList a (a->r) where
> build' l x y = build'(x:l) y
...if you try something like...
foo :: [a] -> a -> r
foo l x y = undefined
...you'll get an error message like...
The equation(s) for `foo' have three arguments,
but its type `[a] -> a -> r' has only two
Greg Buchholz
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/87877
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[Haskell-cafe] Re: Question about fastcgi
ChrisK haskell at list.mightyreason.com
Fri Nov 28 10:07:30 EST 2008
Er, no. A fastcgi executable is (like a cgi executable) controlled by the front
end web server. I run my fastcgi using Apache as the front end. The front
end web server will control things like the port number.
Mauricio wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm learnng to use fastcgi and, reading the examples,
> I see the main "loop" is like this:
> main = runFastCGI my_work
> However, isn't a fastcgi program supposed to choose
> a port where to listen to calls? For instance, in this
> C example:
> xzdev.com/nginx_fastcgi.html
> doesn't the line
> listen_socket = FCGX_OpenSocket(":8002", 2000);
> says it's listening to port 8002? I read the code
> for fastcgi, from hackage, and I can't find anything
> related to ports like, for instance, a default port.
> Am I understanding something the wrong way?
> Thanks,
> Maurício
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/87878
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[Haskell-cafe] Efficient string output
Duncan Coutts duncan.coutts at worc.ox.ac.uk
Mon Feb 9 07:38:21 EST 2009
On Mon, 2009-02-09 at 12:49 +0100, Ketil Malde wrote:
> Hi,
> I'm currently working on a program that parses a large binary file and
> produces various textual outputs extracted from it. Simple enough.
> But: since we're talking large amounts of data, I'd like to have
> reasonable performance.
> Reading the binary file is very efficient thanks to Data.Binary.
> However, output is a different matter. Currently, my code looks
> something like:
Have you considered using Data.Binary to output the data too? It has a
pretty efficient underlying monoid for accumulating output data in a
buffer. You'd want some wrapper functions over the top to make it a bit
nicer for your use case, but it should work and should be quick.
It generates a lazy bytestring, but does so with a few large chunks so
the IO will still be quick.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/87888
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Head-Fi.org › Forums › Misc.-Category Forums › DIY (Do-It-Yourself) Discussions › The Stax SRM-001 mod thread
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The Stax SRM-001 mod thread
post #1 of 402
Thread Starter
My original posts were buried in the Stax thread. This is the summery of some of the technical info. I will add the output cap test result by the end of next January (have to get those boutique caps first).
If you have done mods to your SRM-001 or have mod related info please contribute, some DIY'er might want to mod his/her SR-001 system to the "king of the portable" status.....
My mods/test will be done in five steps, related info/result will come out after each step is completed:
--A) General info about SRM-001 mods. This gives some idea what can be done to your little portable amp. (done)
--B) Opamp rolling. Info and test results of replacing opamps in the SRM-001. (done)
--C) Output capacitor testing. Different output capacitors can give very different sound, and you will notice it. (coming next spring. caps on order).
--D) Bias voltage test. Believe it or not, the circuit board has traces for an easy bias level change. We will see if lower bias will yield a super smooth sound for vocal....---- will skip this one due to the experiment in post #13, I will instead go toward modifications for driving SR-X.
--E) A tutorial with step by step pictorial instructions of how a full version mod is done. Apparently by then my SRM-001 will have too many extra test features and will be unfit for demenstrating how a general mod is done. I will need a fresh amp to complete the tutorial. So I have one slot open for an "full version (i.e. SuperFatCat) ", mod (8599, BlackGate eletrolytics, sonic/kimber output caps, etc). If you wish to get your SRM-001 modded and don't want to do it yourself, please PM me. The full mod package will be $150, it will also includ a RCA/mini adaptor made with Neutrik connectors and solid silver/teflon wire. Only accepting one amp, preferablely from within the US (for easy shipping). I will perform the mods and take pictures for the tutorial. Here are the conditions: 1)you Must also have a SR-003 and a stax 3XX series amp. 2) you must have a high grade CDP and silver IC's. 3) you will promise to provide a 500+ word feedback/report on how the modded SRS-001 compares to a SR-003/SRM-3XX combo. I know the SRM3xx should win but want to know the details.
--- update 1-13-08: there won't be a pictorial instructions, instead I will provide three to-do/parts-to-use list. The mod slot is still open, PM me if you are interested.
--- update 1-29-08: the mod slot has been taken by Larry the HeadphoneAddict We still need reviewer with 003/3xx though, since Larry's amp is a SRM-1 which is too good for the SFC-001 to compete with. He will provide a report on the SFC vs. various $400 portable dynamic systems (phones+amp)
Where to find some of the info in this thread:
*Kevin Gilmore's info on 001's circuit layout (thanks a lot Kevin) -- post #8 (this page)
*info on battery power-- this post and post#71 (page 8)
*AC adaptor comparison-- post #23 (page 3)
*HeadphoneAddict's test of AA battery life on a stock 001 amp -- post #51-#55 (page 6)
*Heat dissipation of Q15 after SFC or UFC mod -- post #49 (page 5)
*opamp comparison test -- post #4 (this page)
*Interconnect to use -- post #40 (page 4)
*FC output cpacitor comparison test-- post #20 (page 2)
*FC input capacitor comparison test -- post #42 (page 5)
*FC to-do list -- post #47 (page 5)
*SuperFatCat input/output capacitor comparison test -- post #43 (page 5)
*SuperFatCat mod to-do list -- post #48 (page 5)
*FatCatUltra input/output capacitor comparison test -- post #44 (page 5)
*Ultra mod to-do list -- post #48 (page 5)
*sclee's modification to his amp -- post #29(page 3), #38 (page 4)
*Borisov's modification to his amp -- post #94 (page 10)
*SFC mod performed on HeadphoneAddict's 001-- post #74 (page 8).
*HeadphoneAddict's review on the modded 001 -- post #95 (page 10)
*catscratch's review on the 001 with SFC++RC mod (Rock/Classic)
some battery power info,for truely portable/on-the-go use:
The stock battery compartment configuration holds two AA Alkaline or NimH in series. There is quite a bit of sonic difference between using batteries and the 4.5V AC adaptor, the adaptor sound a lot sharper and a lot more detailed. If you want that clear sound while on the go (true portable, right?), you can convert the battery compartment from series to parallel configuration, and install two 14500 (AA size) Lithium-ion 3.7v rechargable in paralle. The voltage of lithium ion changes between 4.15V (full) to 3.3V (nearly empty), the 3,7V spec is kind of the average voltage. With two lithium ion in paralle you get 3.7V, 1500mAH~2200mAH (depends on the battery) power, which will give you at least a few hours of great sound (depends on whether you do the other mods and the kind of op-amp you use.).
Lithium batteries give the cleanest and most involving sound. This should be the first upgrade you want to consider, if you don't want to try anything thing else. Ultrafires 900mAH 14500's are less than $7 each and the charger is about $15. Get four batteries and one charger, convert the battery bay to parallel, then you will be all set
-- update 2-28-08: ****Caution!! DO NOT BUY the UltraFire protected 14500 li-ion rechargables, it will NOT fit into the 001's battery bay. After adding the protection circuit board, that battery is about 2mm longer than the standard AA, too long to use (strictly saying, the protected cells, being longer than 50mm, should not be called 14500 any more). The unprotected 14500, on the other hand, is the true AA size so can still be used. If you always use the dedicated charger for recharging and turn the amp off when the sound gets bad, the unprotected batteries should still be safe. Of course, the best and safest way to do it is find a open spot in the amp and add the protection board into the amp itself. ****
for more info, see post # 71
post #2 of 402
looks good, I might put my SRM-001 under the soldering iron in the future too
post #3 of 402
Thread Starter
basic mod informations
Mods can be done to four areas:
1) input/output capacitor upgrade.
--The stock input caps are two 0.15uF poly(ester?) caps and two generic 10uf polarized electrolytics. There isn't much room in the little SRM-001 case to exploit, and the input stage does seem to benefit from large input caps (better bass response), so high grade electrolytic caps should be used. Replacing the stock polyester cap and aluminum electrolytic with polyprop caps and blackgate NX non-polar coupling electrolytic will probably bring 20-40% improvement over the original polyester (?) and aluminum electrolytic. Not sure about the % here since I (still) haven't even order the blackgates yet. There is indeed a difference between polyester and polyprop, with electrostatic transducers you Will hear it, the polyester has certain harshness in treble.
--Output capacitors (0.01uF/630VDC) testing is still in progress, I tested 4 different polyprop caps plus the stock poly(ester?) so far, and there is quite some difference in sound among the caps. The best sounding so far is the BC component 0.011uf/630V (MKP 420 series, digi key #BC2240-ND, $0.61 each), followed by Epcos 305vAC X2 series ($0.32 each, good mids, smooth highs, strong bass good texture), then the Panasonic ECWF series ($1.31 each, strong bass, warm mids but treble not impressing) I am ordering some boutique caps such as Auri and kimber and Sonic, will see if these high $$ ($4.5 ~$10 each) fancy caps can do better than the cheap X2 series.
2) high voltage power supply cap upgrade:
If you don't hate bass, you must install better/larger high voltage caps. The input cap upgrade will improve mids and treble greatly, but will also make the bass, though now much better defined, sound weaker than before. High voltage caps should be at least 0.3uF (the stock cap was a 0.01uF polyester). These new power caps MUST be as high grade as possible, polyprop is pretty much the only choice. (.47uf polyprop has better over-all sound than 1.5uF Mylar caps. Treble, mids, bass, everything ). Due to the size limit, the X2 series caps are about the only options. I use Epcos 305V X2 caps from digikey.
Since I like bass, I will say the high voltage upgrade can improve the SQ by up to 50%.
3) Opamp power supply upgrade, +/- , 9~12V:
R33, 34 and 35 need to be shorted. The original purpose of these resistors were probably for creating a Pie filter network so small filter capacitor can be used (stock caps were 10uF/16V). The new op-amps (next step) requires a lot more operating current than the stock JRC062L, if you leave R33/34/35 in the circuit they will drop voltage so much that the new opamps won't work. (most audio grade opamps require 3-5mA per amp, while the 062 only need 0.1mA), How are we gonna make sure the power filtering is still good? simple, you drop the R in the RC circuit, then you increase the C, intall larger capacity caps . High quality miniature 16V caps should be used, the minimum capacity requirement depends on the kind of opamp you use. AD823/NE5532/TL082 will need at least 100uf per side, AD8599 somewhere around 300uf per side, have no idea what the minimum will be for AD825's. The available room inside the case, again, is the limit here, so I suspect you can only pack enough uF inside the SRM-001 for the AD8599's.
---- update, 1-13-08: the uF # was if you are using a AC adaptor, without enough uf you will hear a hum from the adaptor supply. You can increase the capacitor size inside the AC adaptor, but since everybody is using a different wallward I will leave that to you. If you only use pure DC, ie. batteries or an AC wallwart with large reservoir caps inside (need to be at least 1000uF/10V), there will not be a requirement on how large the +/- caps have to be, just install the largest capacity that fits in. Again, quality matters, so whenever possible, use blackgates (the PK series are only $1 each anyway).
-- update 1-17-08: It turned out that my Panasonic 4.5v/0.8A wallwart has a lot of ripples, which caused the humm. There is no hum at all when using a Sony 4.5v/500mA wallwart, even when the total cap size for the +/- is only 47uf per side. But still, the +/- cap size affects bass quantity and quality a lot, you want to pack in as many uF as possible.
4) op-amp upgrade:
The SRM-001's design came out 10years ago (1997), so an opamp upgrade makes a lot of sense.....
--The standard upgrade chip recommandation is the AD8599, being a SOIC dual-opamp it can be soldered directly to the existing pads on the circuit board, very straight forward.
--If you have trouble getting the high capacity miniature caps for +/- supply, you can use available smaller capacity caps and low current opamps such as AD823 or NE5532 or TL082. I don't have AD823's to try so I have no idea how they will sound, but should be better than the 082 I supposed?
-- AD825 shows much better resolution/texturing than the 8599, but it requires more current hense larger filtering capacitor. IF you can somehow pack the required larger capacity +/- supply caps into the case it will be the best solution -- update: see the update above for new cap requirements when using pure DC power.
For DIY, you can probably get a mid-grade modification done with $35-$40 worth of parts ($3 for high voltage X2 polyprop caps, $8 input caps, $15 opamps, $6 for good miniature 16v caps, and $4 for output polyprop caps), then the parts shipping (from two different places) will cost you another $15-$20, so somewhere around $55 total for your new DIY project, not bad.
---- 1-13-08: this for the FC level mods (fat cat class).
below is the test set up, for performence testing when there is no size limit.
post #4 of 402
Thread Starter
Opamp rolling
Each opamp gets at least 20 hours of burn-in before listening for sonic characteristic. They should be fairly stable enough by then, though the 825 did benefited a bit from 30 hours of burn-in.
some data about the stock amp:
-whole amplifier current draw when using 3.7V lithium batteries: with no op-amp plugged in=220mA; with original JRC062 plugged in = 220mA (wow, the 062 almost consume no power at all).
-SQ of stock configuration: If you haven't heard the upgraded version, the stock amp sounds pretty good......
Stock op-amp: JRC062L, very low current requirement (0.2mA per chip), low slew rate=3.5V/uS. The sound is clean, probably more due to the eletrostatic phones than the opamp itself. Sound is not airy, has an emphasize in mids, kind of "transistor radio" sounding when compared to the other better opamps. Now, by itself the 062L sound is not bad at all, it's just the newer/better opamps sound so much better......
now different chips
The ancient hot-rod (yes they were in the early 90's : NE5532
--current draw, whole amp: 400mA
--much more spacious than the 062L, the sound is very soft, not sharp enough for guitar tracks. It is also mids emphasized (or treble recessed), the mids are realistic, so that is good. Good bass, good ambience. Not very fast though.
LM4562 (the usual upgrade opamp for 5532):
--current draw, whole amp= 500mA
--The sound is clean, cleaner than the 8599. Not sure why I felt that way, it is either the 4562 is presenting highs better or it is not showing as much little micro details as the 8599. Not as much bass as the 8599, but bass definition is good. Anyway the 4562 is not as fully bodied as the 8599 or the 5532.
Stock opamps (062L's) are ultra low power yet lower performence version of 082. So it makes sense to see how the "uncompromised" version sounds like. These 082's I got here are the hottest 20V/uS edition.
-- whole amp current draw is 320mA.
-- sharper sounding than 5532, much better than the low-current 062L, but like the 062L, the 082 is still mids emphasized. Bass is kind of dry, simply not enough for my taste. The sound is pretty fast, ok for guitar tracks. Vocal not very realistic when comparing to other better chips. The overall impression is: sounds kind of dry and hard (?), maybe there is a mids spike somewhere.
AD8599 (supposedly very fine sounding and a great compromise of many worlds....)
--current draw, whole amp= 450mA
--This chip have received quite some hype/acclaim here, mainly from NelsonVendal. It is indeed very good. The sound is darker, more up-front, intimate, juicy and sensual. Warm and very full bodied sound. Great for acustic guitar, full rounded bass (it can even sound slightly too bassy if you make the "baby-stax-face" when playing bass heavy tracks). good bass texture, good details, good resolution.
--All in all a great general purpose replacement chip to use in the SRM-001, but especially good for playing vocal. Not as sharp as I want for playing Rock/electric guitar though. 8599 comes in dual amp SOIC package and will fit right onto the existing SOIC-8 pads on the circuit board, promissing a very very straight forward installation.
Modern hot-rods: AD825
--current draw, whole amp=500mA
-- when I firt install these chips, they sucked so much juice that the on-board power supply couldn't keep up at high volume. After about 30 hours of burn-in though, things were vastly improved, now I get full bass even at very high sound level (louder than I should be listening at). This is with those two external 640uF extra-low ESR caps though.......
-- Great sound stage, very spacious sound stage (for in-ear phones at least), much better resolution/finer detail than the 8599, but not as much body. Brighter and more "distant" sounding comparing to the 8599. Great bass, very clean and much better texture than any of the above, though not as much in bass quantity as the 8599's. This will be the chip to use for basically everything, it might be the best replacement chip you can install (there are better chips out there, but the +/- current limitation prevents the usual opamp king such as OPA627 from working in this amp).
-- Too bad the 825 are only single amps, fitting them onto the board involves quite a bit of work. But that is why DIY is fun, right?
The super fast budget op-amp: AD826
current draw, whole amp= 510mA
- wouldn't work, major clipping even at low volume, tried only installing one and the clipping was still there, though not as bad. Simply couldn't get it to work.
Opamp selection: You should not use any opamp that demands supply current more than 5mA/amp. The 5.5mA is the about the absolute cut point. AD8599 uses less than 5mA/amp and worked great, AD826 requires 7mA/amp and didn't work (major clipping), while the AD825 and LM4562 both still work ok (5-6mA/amp), though it took the 825's 30hours of burn-in to get there. I didn't get to use my OPA637's (7mA/amp)
The 825 is the overall winner in this test, but 8599's are still the #1 recommandtion for the opamp upgrade-- very easy to install and don't require super fancy miniature hi-cap capacitors for power supply. 5532 is actually not too bad, I will place it in the 3rd place. There is still AD823 that can work but I didn't buy any due to the bad rep it has received in this forum. AD823 is a low current requirement chip like the 5532 and TL082, and possibly sound better than either. It is also an easy-to-install dual opamp. Maybe somebody will put a pair into his SRM-001 and tell us how it works out.
post #5 of 402
Thread Starter
The "baby-Stax-face"
* How to make your "baby-stax-face": put the earspeakers into your ears, then rotate the wire stem forward until it is almost horizontal pointing forward. you should now have a wider sound stage and the bass should get stronger (at least that is how it happens to me). Now open your mouth and drop your jaw as far as possible, as if you were startled, this will open up the connection between your inner ear and the throat and give you even better bass......Experiment different facial expression and find one that gives you the best sound effect from your earspeakers and that will be your "baby stax expression". Enjoy.
post #6 of 402
Thanks Audiocats
Thanks for all your excellent work, Audiocats. I look forward very much to your further results in January.
Thanks also for bringing it out as a seperate thread - makes it much easier to keep track and use the info to upgrade my SR-001 when you have finalised the best combo of mods.
Work like yours is well appreciated by the electrostatic HeadFi community.
post #7 of 402
Excellent work!
I look forward to the end result. Nicely placed inside the original case, and all.
post #8 of 402
For those that might want to see a schematic of what is going
on here, here is a little something less the power supply.
post #9 of 402
Thread Starter
I partially traced the circuit, but didn't realize those are JFETs.....( thought they are BJT transistor to form darlington pairs).
Now is there a need to match the jfets? or are they supposedly already matched?
post #10 of 402
Originally Posted by AudioCats View Post
thought they are BJT transistor to form darlington pairs
nope, not darlington. Top transistor is common base drive.
Same as grounded grid if it was a tube amp. Only way to
get that much gain without miller effect killing the frequency
post #11 of 402
Thread Starter
impression deleted
.... deleted the initial comparison impressions.
If you remember what it was, well after 4 days of burn-in, the initial comparison impressions still held true. Then why would I delete it, you might ask...... well, I will HAVE TO sell the 005 sometime soon, you see .
Have fun
post #12 of 402
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by kevin gilmore View Post
nope, not darlington. Top transistor is common base drive.
get that much gain without miller effect killing the frequency
Thanks for the info
If it was a tube amp, replacing the three 390K resistor with a proper CCS will improve SQ and gain, right? can it be done here too?
post #13 of 402
Thread Starter
Just a little experiment: SRM-001 test setup driving the ESP950........
result: can not play very loud (not as loud as I want). Sound is clean, very soft sounding, and since the volume had to remain low it was not showing some of details very well. But the sound was pleasant. Good bass when the output capacitors were increased to 0.1uF. (With baby stax 0.01uF or 0.1uf output had about the same bass, but this experiment showed that larger output caps can drive larger phones better).
The ESP950's driver are about the same size as the Lambda's, so the modded SRM-001 won't have enough juice to push the lambda's either. But the SR-XIII, on the other hand, have much smaller drivers and can be a very different story..... I have a feeling that the little amp will be able to drive the SRX reasonably well (just have to lower the bias to 230v). If we can locate a source of Stax special connectors, it won't be difficult to make adaptors to fit SR-X/3/5 with the little amp.
Not to mention all them electrect phones that have high sensitivity and don't even require a bias voltage, they should feel right at home teamming with the SRM-001
post #14 of 402
The smaller drivers should be fine with the SRM-001 as they have a lot in common with the SR-001/003. I think you need a Gamma Pro...
post #15 of 402
Thread Starter
Originally Posted by spritzer View Post
no way dude the Gamma pro's cost a fortune nowadays, I'd much rather get a pair of SR-XIII and recable it to silver and convert the SRM-001 to 230V bias
by the way, I suspect the reason the 950's sounded so soft was due to the extra output demand dragged down the high voltage supply voltage, and this supply voltage also provides bias for the phones, so: increased output demand -> lower supply voltage -> lower bias than the normal 550~600V -> softer sound. That won't be a problem for low-bias version though, since the bias voltage will be dropped down to 230V anyway (replace R32 with a 10M resistor, install 0.01uF/630v cap at C19 location, and add two 110V/120V diodes at the "R" location, that should do it)......
update 1-3-08: just ordered caps (BlackGates, Auri, Sonic I/II) from SonicCrafts. Hopefully they will show up in a couple of weeks. Then I will let them burn in for 10 days straight, then the real comparison test..... the schedule is pretty tight, might not get it done by the end of the month.
update 1-12-08: Got the caps. SonicCraft shipped the caps out the very next day of my order (1-4-08), super! Highly recommanded vender.
Too bad the Auri 0.01uf/600v wouldn't fit, just so slightly too big Good thing I still have the Sonic I and II to use
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Blockbuster Fare
Crowd-pleasing Pesce serves food Spielberg-style
A large martini glass is filled with a seafood slaw made with shredded napa cabbage, jumbo lump crab, lobster meat, chopped shrimp, avocado and hearts of palm tossed in a tart kimchee dressing and topped with two enormous and succulent shrimp. Red, my dining companion, loves the dish, which is understatedly listed on the menu as "martini," but she can't finish more than half of it. The portions at Pesce, simply put, are too large for her.
Pes-KAY? PESH-ee? How do you pronounce it? The valet supplies the answer on our way in. "Welcome to PESH-shay," he says.
Pesce's dining room is smartly appointed with banquettes and upholstered chairs. The room is large and open, even a little cavernous. A giant saltwater aquarium behind the hostess stand separates the waiting area from the dining room. The crowd is lively; their conversations and the rattling of silverware generate a noise level that's plesantly festive (without becoming a din). Some dress in blue jeans and others in natty evening wear; everybody seems to be having a good time.
A wealth of riches: The heavy sauces and large portions at Pesce require you to scale your orders accordingly.
Deron Neblett
Deron Neblett
Location Info
3029 Kirby
Houston, TX 77098
Category: Restaurant > Seafood
Region: Lower Shepherd-Kirby
(713)522-4858. Hours: Monday through Thursday, 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5:30 p.m. to 11 p.m.
"Martini": $13
A study in tuna: $15
Sesame-crusted yellowfin: $31
Crawfish Melinda: $26
Pesce tower for four: $80
Whole roasted Pesce: market price
Potato-crusted halibut cheeks: $27
Split charge for entrées: $3
3029 Kirby Drive
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The kitchen is open, with the dessert chef stationed at the forefront, making the sweets while you watch. Whole fish are displayed in a glass case; there's a giant monkfish in there that looks like a sea monster. Since I previously explored the bar at Pesce (see Stirred and Shaken, November 23, 2000), we turn our attentions elsewhere while juggling the oversized menus. I find the simple names refreshing -- "crab cake" "whole roasted Pesce" "grilled Pesce" and "whole Maine lobster." Red, on the other hand, finds these boring. The waiter fills in the blanks; tonight's roasted fish, for instance, is a whole red snapper for two.
The wine list is mostly chardonnays and sauvignon blancs. I'm sick of the former, and Red thinks she doesn't like the latter. "That's just because you didn't like the last cheap bottle I bought," I tell her. So we decide to experiment: There's a decent bottle of Pouilly-Fumé on the list. This Loire Valley sauvignon blanc is generally considered the standard by which the varietal is measured. If she doesn't like this one, she doesn't like sauvignon blanc. At first when the bottle is opened, she finds it too acidic and too thin. But after her "martini" is delivered, she changes her mind. It may not be your idea of a sipping wine, but with fish, shellfish and cream sauces, the high acidity of Pouilly-Fumé is spectacular.
Blessed with a large appetite, I help Red finish her incredibly rich and addictively tasty appetizer. Which leaves me the challenge of eating the daily special, a starter called "a study in tuna," all by myself. The study includes three tuna preparations on the same plate: a thin slice of carpaccio topped with a bright red tuna tartare; rectangular slices of flash-cooked Japanese spicy tuna served on a delectable seaweed salad with a garnish of green roe; and a creamy mousse of intense smoked tuna layered with crispy yucca chips and topped with a dollop of American sturgeon caviar. Each pile of fish is more enticing than the next, but it's an awful lot of tuna.
The combination of green roe and Japanese spicy tuna is perhaps the most brilliant pairing on the plate. The roe is obviously colored and flavored with wasabi. There are several companies that make such flavored roes. The Collins Caviar Co. in Chicago starts with American whitefish roe, while Japanese companies color and flavor tobiko, flying fish roe, with various natural food flavors. I ask the waiter, a young man with bleached-blond two-toned hair, what kind of roe this is.
"It's American sturgeon caviar," he says. He's wrong, of course. There is some American sturgeon caviar on top of my tuna mousse. The eggs are grayish-black. They look like sevruga.
"Why is it green? Is it colored with something?" I persist.
"That's the natural color," he says.
I have been through this drill with one too many Houston waiters. While dining at Mark's American Cuisine one evening, I got the exact same answer when I asked about the purple tobiko. I figured it was colored with beets, but the waiter insisted purple was the natural hue of flying fish roe. Which is it, boys, green or purple? Lots of local restaurants spend big money on unique ingredients that their waiters have never heard of. And lots of waiters seem convinced that all the public wants is a good line of bullshit. If you're a food writer and you quote one of these jokers, you spread the manure along with them.
"Would you please go to the kitchen and find out what kind of roe this is?" I demand. The waiter comes back with the information.
"Sorry, I misspoke. It's flying fish roe colored with wasabi," he says.
I could probably finish the tuna plate, but I have an entrée coming, and even my enormous appetite appears to be waning. The menu describes crawfish Melinda as "fresh Louisiana crawfish tails, sautéed in a Creole Nantua sauce with shaved tasso over corn fettuccine." A few carefully constructed bites of the dish -- I twist the perfectly cooked pasta around the creamy crawfish tails and spear a slice of shaved ham -- send me into a moaning, eyes-closed ecstasy that Red finds positively embarrassing. Nantua is a classical French crawfish-flavored cream or béchamel sauce; tasso is a spiced cured ham common in Cajun cooking. The combination is heavenly.
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Mental Illness in Jails: Part 1
Currently, there are about 9,500 men and women behind bars in the Harris County Jails. The actual number changes by the day. In part one of this four-part series, Houston Public Radio's Paul Pendergraft reports, a disproportionate number of those serving time or waiting for a trial, have more than legal trouble....mental illness is widespread among the detainees.
Click to Listen
The Chief Deputy for the Harris County Detention Command is Mike Smith. He oversees all county jail facilities and thousands of detainees. Smith says three in ten inmates inside the county jails has a serious mental illness, ranging from schizophrenia to major depression. Chief Smith says some are properly medicated when they arrive at the jail, but most are not. Chief Smith says, the earlier their condition can be identified and treated, the better it is for everyone.
"If they were off their medication very long, it may start causing behavior problems. They may be in a cell block with 47 other people and sing all night long. That doesn't sit very well with the other people who are trying to sleep....or they can talk to themselves or they can scream or holler. Frequently they are victimized by another inmate if we don't keep a close watch on 'em, so. Early identification of these people is critical to the process and we're trying to improve that."
Smith says the problem, from his perspective, is getting worse.
"Many of your community mental institutions for the poor and middle class have closed down. These people commit minor offenses in some cases some cases are much more serious. And there's really not a lot places to take them, so they end up in jail and unfortunately, in some cases, it's their own family that makes an outcry that they're committing bizarre behavior and minor crimes to get them picked up so they'll get some level of treatment."
The scenario Chief Smith describes is not unique to Harris County. An investigation by the PBS Documentary program "FRONTLINE" estimates there are about 500,000 mentally ill men and women are behind bars in the United States. Chief Smith says here in Harris County, this responsibility is putting an increasing strain on his annual operating budgets.
"Dedicated simply to the care this is Doctor's support, medical support and technical support for mental health technicians is $3.9 million. That does not include the medicines which is another significant....I don't have the figure at my fingertips, but that's probably another million dollars a year just for medication. That doesn't include the medical side either. A lot of mental patients unfortunately have concurrent substance abuse problems or severe medical problems."
This is also a problem within the walls of the Texas Prison System and and that's the focus of tomorrow's report part two of this four part series.
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HowtoForge Forums | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials
HowtoForge Forums | HowtoForge - Linux Howtos and Tutorials (
- Installation/Configuration (
- - ISPConfig & nginx - PHP Inside HTML Files Not Executing (
MainStreetJames 13th February 2012 00:39
ISPConfig & nginx - PHP Inside HTML Files Not Executing
Today's my first day with ISPConfig. I'm running ISPConfig & nginx 1.0.12 on CentOS 6.2.
I am able to display HTML pages, and PHP pages, but any PHP inside of an HTML page does not execute. I realize that mixing PHP inside the HTML isn't optimal use of nginx, but I need the code to work until I get a chance to separate everything.
I've tried adding the following (copied from the '\.php$' directive) to the vhost file for the site, but when I do I get a 403 error when trying to display HTML files (with or without PHP inside):
location ~ \.html$ {
try_files $uri =404;
include /etc/nginx/fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_intercept_errors on;
I've also tried adding the following to the site's php-fpm.d conf file, but it doesn't seem to make a difference:
security.limit_extensions = .php .html
I've checked the error logs in /var/log/nginx, /var/log/php-fpm & the site's log did, but there are no errors related to this issue.
I've tried changing the user from nginx to apache in the site's 'Web' tab in ISPConfig, but I still get the 403 error when the '~ \.html$' directive is in the vghost file. When I remove that directive the HTML files display properly, but the PHP inside is not executed.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
falko 13th February 2012 12:30
Why don't you use the extension .php for these files instead of .html?
MainStreetJames 13th February 2012 13:08
Originally Posted by falko (Post 273479)
I suppose we could (which would be a lot of work changing all references to them in the site, project lists, external references, etc), but that doesn't address the server configuration issue. Most of the pages just have a few PHP variables that get expanded in place, and they'll get the PHP separated out in the future.
Since nginx is supposed to be able to handle this - and its not really a stretch to expect a web server to do this - we'd like to be able to mix PHP with HTML when necessary.
Clearly there's a setting in the current version of nginx/php-fpm that I've missed or screwed up. I doubt it's a permissions issue because the files used for testing are identical except for extension (including location, owner & group). Also, a plain HTML file (same location, owner & group) that will display properly with the default settings will generate the 403 error when the '\.html$' directive is in place.
falko 14th February 2012 13:58
Not sure, but maybe you have to modify the mime.types file in the /etc/nginx directory.
kervin 8th May 2012 21:06
Did you ever find the solution to this problem? I'm dealing with the same issue.
The application is a CMS that was built that way, so I have to support it.
Whenever I add support for HTML I get a 500 error from my PHP scripts.
falko 9th May 2012 19:37
Do you use PHP open and close tags in your files (<?php and ?>)?
kervin 11th May 2012 20:31
Thanks. My error turned out to be related to the application itself not ISPConfig. Once that was fixed I was good to go.
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American Man Legally Changes His Name To 'Tyrannosaurus Rex'
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As kids, many of us have daydreamed about what nicknames we'd like to be called. "The Dude", perhaps, or "Scar", maybe - anything is possible in the world of your imagination, after all... but there's no way we'd actually do anything about it.
So it's with grudging respect that we bring to you the news that a 23-year-old American man who used to go by the name of Tyler Gold has now forgone the whole nickname malarky and legally changed his name to 'Tyrannosaurus Rex'.
Mr. Gold - now Mr. Rex - went to York County Courthouse in Nebraska to change his name "because the (T-Rex designation) is cooler," reports The New York Times. "Also, as an entrepreneur, name recognition is important and the new name is more recognisable."
What this means, of course, is that with just a little bit of legal back-and-forth, a Tyrannosaurus Rex now roams the earth - but whether he'll pull his wrists up to his chest all the time remains to be seen. Fingers crossed, eh?
And for another extraordinary naming story, head this way to meet everyone's favourite criminal, Beezow Doo-Doo Zopittybop-Bop-Bop.
Pictures of the day: 8 May
Pictures Of The Day: 8 May 2012
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The Blog
Dr Khandee Ahnaimugan Headshot
Beyoncé's Weight Loss has Lessons for Women Over 40
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Beyoncé is well on her way to losing 30 pounds of weight she gained after having her baby. That's great for her, but what interests me more is how it affects others trying to lose weight.
No matter how much we say that we are not influenced by others (especially celebrities) most people are in fact hopelessly affected by stories of rapid weight loss. If we know that someone else has lost 30 pounds in six-eight weeks, it suddenly moves the goal posts for everyone else.
Beyoncé is younger than most of the clients I see, so I'll take the example of a 48-year-old woman who decides to lose weight. If this hypothetical woman loses weight in a sensible way, making small changes that she knows she can stick with, how much is a good amount of weight loss? How do you gauge her results?
For instance, if she loses four pounds in a month, is that good progress?
Actually, I would say that for a woman in her late 40s, four pounds of weight loss is very, very good progress. For a woman in her late 50s, this is even more impressive.
And yet, when we compare it to Beyoncé's weight loss, four pounds looks like a failure.
Many women who achieve reasonable amounts of weight loss in a month will give up, because they don't feel they are losing weight fast enough. They question their approach. They might even blame themselves, their metabolism or their genes. But it's got nothing to do with those things. They have done nothing wrong. It's just that when you are doing things sensibly, that's how long it takes.
So if four pounds a month is an acceptable rate of weight loss, how does this explain Beyoncé's results? One report suggested that her personal trainer had actually moved in to her house and she was doing up to four hours of exercise a day. As well as this, she was living on a diet of "protein shakes, egg-white omelettes, pineapple chunks and lots of ice-cold water".
This is not a regular diet or exercise regime. And most women would not be able to sustain this. I cannot imagine the kinds of pressure someone like Beyoncé is under to get back into shape as soon as possible, but I do know that this is not a desirable or realistic strategy for most women.
And also, remember, Beyonce is only 30. It's much easier to lose weight quickly when you're 30 than when you're 50.
Instead of clearing out the spare room for your personal trainer, it's better to take things slowly and gradually. Banish the thought of any celebrity weight loss and focus your mind on achieving a result that is realistic and sustainable for you.
If you take things slowly and gently and make small changes that you know you can stick to, then you will find the whole experience much more enjoyable and therefore sustainable.
Remember, that even four pounds of weight loss a month, adds up to almost two stone (24 pounds) after six months. And realistically, in one year's time, are you going to remember if you lost the weight in three months or six months?
The only way you can fail at losing weight is to give up. And you lessen your chances of giving up when you reset your expectations. For most women, steady weight loss over time is the best way to go.
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Celebrity Diet: Beyoncé Knowles | Weight Loss & Exercises
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Alex Remington
The Men Who Stare At Goats: Would You Believe the Book Is Better Than the Movie?
Posted: 12/07/2009 5:18 pm
A few weeks ago, I reviewed Grant Heslov's movie adaptation of Jon Ronson's 2004 nonfiction book The Men Who Stare at Goats, a darkly comic look at some of the U.S. Army's paranormal investigations. I saw the movie before reading the book, and was unimpressed: the filmmakers often treated the material as satire or farce, even though it was based on the work of a journalist. The book does a much better job. It reads so quickly that it feels like a throwaway page-turner, but because the stories are true they stay with you much longer.
(There's a dispute currently brewing on who did what. Ronson frequently interjects himself into the narrative, but John Sergeant -- producer of the BBC documentary that inspired Ronson's book -- claims that he discovered many of the sources and was the person who first persuaded them to talk. In all events, the words on the page are certainly Ronson's, but the narrative may not have been entirely discovered or pieced together by him.)
Unlike Serious Journalists like Lawrence Wright, Ronson writes with an effectively, almost distractingly light touch. Some of his interactions with Army personnel come off as slapstick, including one scene that made it into the movie. During an interview with Pete Brusso (whose character is added to George Clooney's composite), Brusso demonstrates a number of his nonlethal methods of inflicting pain.
"You want a bit of pain compliance?" he asked me. "No," I said. Pete rapidly rubbed the serrated edge of the Predator against a part of my temple, and, as I let out a bloodcurdling scream, he grabbed my fingers and squeezed them agonizingly against the smooth edge. "STOP!" I yelled. "Picture this scenario," said Pete. "We're in a bar in Baghdad and I want you to come with me. Are you coming now?" "Stop hurting me all the time," I said.
Ronson's light touch may work better on the written page because it's harder to believe the veracity of source material when it's in the context of a George Clooney movie. That said, the book's structure shares more with a documentary (or a Malcolm Gladwell book) than a definitive investigative tome. It's not a patient survey of all the Army's actions, as Steve Coll did for the Army's actions in Afghanistan in the 1980s in Ghost Wars (rating: 81), or Tom Ricks did for the Iraq War in Fiasco (rating: 90) and The Gamble (rating: 80). Rather, it's an examination of representative absurdity: Eric Brooks' lifelong struggle to understand the role of CIA torturers in his father's death, the role of a military "remote viewer" in the Hale-Bopp spaceship hoax that inspired the Heaven's Gate suicide cult, and the way that the Army's explorations of subliminal messaging may have resulted in the use of Matchbox 20 in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
The book has a difficult and strange rope to walk, marrying the hippie sensibility of the 1960s, which inspired much of the Army's exploration into nonlethal technologies, with the George W. Bush presidency we remember well and the War on Terror in which we presently live. Few War on Terror books are light comic romps, for understandable reasons, but the incongruity at this book's core is frequently hilarious -- even while it's depressing, both that the Army is crazy enough to pursue New Age mysticism, and that the only reason it's doing so is to improve its torture techniques.
The Men Who Stare At Goats isn't a replacement for all the Serious Books that you should probably read -- by Wright and Ricks and Coll and the 9/11 Commission and everyone else -- in order to be an informed citizen in the final days of the '00s. But it's a welcome palliative.
Rating: 79
Crossposted on Remingtonstein.
Follow Alex Remington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alexremington
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Alfie Kohn
Alfie Kohn
Posted: February 16, 2011 12:32 PM
What's the single most alarming educational crisis today? That's easy. It's our failure to pay more attention to the academic field of whichever educator happens to be speaking at the moment.
Just listen, then, and learn that while there may be other problems, too, the truly urgent issue these days is that we're just not investing in math and science instruction the way we should be -- with predictably dismaying results. No, it's that kids are outrageously ignorant about history, a subject that ought to be, but never is, a priority. No, it's that even in high school students still can't write a coherent paragraph. No, the real emergency is that reading skills are far from what they should be. No, it's that music and the arts are shamefully neglected in our schools. And so on.
Now there may be some truth to all of these assertions and the overarching tragedy is our failure to commit to -- and adequately fund -- education itself. How unsettling, then, to be overwhelmed by a cacophony of claims by educators from different departments forced to compete for attention.
(Let it also be noted that, if we look carefully, not all of these statements are actually comparable: Saying that a specific subject is underfunded or ignored is different from saying that students are doing poorly in that subject, and vice versa. And saying that either of those things is true with respect to an ideal standard is different from saying that it's true relative to what happens in other subjects.)
What interests me at the moment, though, are not empirical claims about who's getting what -- or the competence that students do or don't possess in a given discipline -- but value-based beliefs about what matters most. Does one subject merit special attention, deserve more dollars, constitute the core of what we expect our schools to offer?
To listen to those who shape our society's conversation about education -- not educators but public officials, corporate executives and journalists -- the answer is yes. At the top of the heap sits the compound discipline of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Thus, for example, President Obama announced an expensive new public-private initiative last November called "Educate to Innovate" that will focus on improving student performance exclusively in STEM subjects. Then, in early January, he was back with a new education project. Was its intent to spread the wealth to other kinds of learning that he had overlooked before? Nope. It was to commit another quarter-billion dollars to improve the teaching of STEM subjects. And a few weeks later, in his State of the Union address, the only academic disciplines he mentioned were, yet again, math and science.
Thought experiment: Try to imagine this, or any other, president giving a speech that calls for a major new commitment to the teaching of literature, backed by generous funding (even during a period of draconian budget cuts). Close your eyes and hear our Chief Executive's stirring words:
"Few experiences can compare to savoring truly wonderful fiction, and our obligation is to make sure that all children are invited to do just that. Moreover, we must help them to appreciate what they're reading and encourage them to continue reading for pleasure throughout their lives. At its best, literature enriches our understanding of the human condition and the natural world, while thrilling us with words arranged in combinations that are unexpected and yet perfectly right. The appreciation of the literary imagination is a hallmark of a truly civilized society, yet we have fallen woefully short of making this a priority in our schools. That is why I am announcing today a commitment of $3 billion to establish..."
Yeah, right.
The point of my example is not to argue in favor of studying literature, per se, or, for that matter, to argue against studying math and science. It's to ask a question rarely posed except by educators in other fields -- namely, why STEM subjects consistently attract so much money and attention.
Among decision leaders and the general public, I suspect that STEM enjoys an immediate advantage simply because it tends to involve numbers. Our society is inclined to regard any topic as more compelling if it can be expressed in numerical terms. Notice how rarely we evaluate schools by their impact on students' interest in learning; we focus on precisely specified achievement effects. Issues that inherently seem qualitative in nature -- intrinsic motivation, say, or the meaning of life -- we consign to the ivory tower. And when questions that don't lend themselves to quantification aren't simply brushed aside, they're reduced to numbers anyway. Witness, for example, how English teachers have been told that they not only can, but must, use rubrics to quantify their responses to students' writings.
As compared with other "softer" disciplines, STEM usually provides us with the reassurance of knowing exactly how much, how many, how far, how fast, which means that these subjects are viewed (often incorrectly) as being inherently objective, therefore more reliable (another questionable leap), and therefore more valuable (yet another one).
Closely related to our comfort with numbers, then, is our preference for practicality. But STEM seems practical with respect to a specific kind of number -- namely, dollars. Putting aside for the moment the fact that reading and writing skills, too, have obvious implications for real-world success -- and, conversely, that theoretical physics and "pure" mathematics do not -- it's easy to see how politicians and corporate leaders would favor the fields that appear to be more directly linked to economic productivity and profit.
Moreover, anyone whose sensibility is shaped by a zero-sum mindset, such that the goal is not success but victory, is far more likely to be drawn to STEM subjects than to the humanities. "The nation that out-educates us today," said President Obama last month, "is going to out-compete us tomorrow." That is a sentence that could have been spoken by the most reactionary Republican you can name. But it's not a sentence likely to be followed by a discussion of the humanities. Those who confuse excellence with competitiveness are most likely to privilege STEM subjects over others -- and vice versa.
Every educator, in fact every citizen, needs to know how profoundly mistaken are the specific empirical claims that we keep hearing on C-SPAN regarding the relationship between school achievement and jobs, and regarding the relative status of U.S. students. Yong Zhao recently did a fine job of rebutting the specific contentions enunciated in the State of the Union address. As Harold Salzman and B. Lindsay Lowell have reported, very few jobs require advanced proficiency in STEM subjects and there is actually "an ample supply of [science and engineering] students whose preparation and performance has been increasing over the past decades." In fact, "each year there are more than three times as many [science and engineering] four-year college graduates as S&E job openings."
But my point here is more basic. The real question we should be asking when we hear yet another speech arguing, explicitly or implicitly, for the unique importance of STEM disciplines is: What does this say about the speaker's -- or our society's -- beliefs about the point of education itself? You don't have to be a music or history teacher to say, "Now, hold on a minute!" In fact, even algebra teachers should be frowning because the reasons for a politician's (or the Chamber of Commerce's) STEM-centricity carry implications for what's taught within a STEM course, how it's taught, and whether K-12 education is conceived as nothing more than an elaborate, extended exercise in vocational preparation.
Building on a discussion by the educational historian David Labaree, I once created a simple table -- which you can see here -- to capture four possible purposes for schooling our children. I'm troubled by both the private and public versions of an economic focus, and I'm drawn to what, for lack of a better word, might be called the humanistic purposes -- again, in both their private and public expressions.
Yet another respected thinker who recoiled from the educational priorities reflected in President Obama's State of the Union message was Berkeley linguist Robin Lakoff, who called on us to recognize education's "less practical (but equally vital) functions." She added that "education is invaluable not only in its ability to help people and societies get ahead, but equally in helping them develop the perspectives that make them fully human."
Anyone who agrees with that sentiment -- and who worries at least as much about the state of our democracy as about the state of the Dow Jones Industrial Average -- should think not only about education in general but about which subjects are seen as priorities within the field of education. And why.
Follow Alfie Kohn on Twitter:
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Hair growth will no longer have secrets for you after reading this article!
The hair is our best asset feminine ... We love it pampers ! And then one day , it is the drama we find small white dust in our hair human hair lace front wigs with baby hair. But do not worry , Cosmo is here to give you his best anti dandruff tips .
Dandruff, what is it?
Itching of the scalp lace wigs buy ( more or less intense ) that spoil our lives and entered ? NEET small enough unsightly white dust . And even though today there are FINALLY ways to counter their action, we still do not know why some hair there are more predestined than others. Mystery, mystery ...
What are the main causes of their presence on our scalp?
The best known and most obvious causes are? :
A rise in stress
Friction tight and regular head with accessories like hats lace front wigs with baby hair, headbands (and yes, we want to make her beautiful but sometimes pay !)
Brushings too hot ( straightener , hair dryer powerful)
Abuse lacquers, gels of any kind
The mounted temperature (in case of hot weather, fever and even during menstruation !)
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Re: Third century manuscript
From: Antonio Eduardo Costa Pereira (
Date: Thu Apr 15 1999 - 19:47:07 EDT
Don Wilkins wrote:
Dear Don Wilkins.
A few minutes ago, I wrote you that I found the information that I
needed in manuscripts P66 and P75. I was wrong. I checked
manuscripts P66 and P75 and they show the begining of John, but
don't go far enough to show Jesus name. They also show a small
part of Lucas, but the name of Jesus doesn't appear there either. Then, I don't
need to know the date of these manuscript any more. Unhappily,
I don't know the names of the other manuscript. When I discover,
I will ask the question again. Thank you, any way...
C. Navarro
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Steve & Patti Getzinger [email protected]
Fri, 27 Oct 2000 21:08:04 -0500
Ok this is going to sound absurd but does anyone know where white and
pink are that show up in the drop down menu on page edit for index? 4.6
Yep I've looked and see no hints anywhere.
WDI Steve & Patti Getzinger
702 Lincolnway West [email protected]
South Bend, IN 46616 http://www.wubs.org/
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• Kay Ponder
Wonderful! We need a lot more of this kind of song to remind Americans who take America for granted and forget what our ancestors did for us. I for one am very proud to be an American.
• http://www.ice-news.net Editor-in-Chief
Yes, the song is stiring, isn’t it. I felt good listening to it.
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Yes, Ruby, iTunes 9 Kills Palm Pre Sync Dead. Again.
Yes folks, given the release of iTunes 9 today, our sibling site rushed out to check and surehawtdang, Palm Pre sync is deader than dead dead... again!
Will Palm, also again, pick up this latest, brick filled gauntlet from Apple and re-enable Pre Sync, maybe on the molecular level this time?
Sigh. We hope they don't. Their resources are better spent, you know, making the Pre and Pixi even more spectacular. But given the odd father/son issues between Jobso and Ruby -- and for the sake of fun internet soap opera everywhere -- they probably will.
Game. Back. On.
Rene Ritchie
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iTunes 9 Now Available for Download
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iPod nano, Has Video Camera and FM Tuner, Will Travel!
There are 11 comments. Add yours.
Jeremy Sikora says:
The Palm Pre will never sync with iTunes as long as Steve Jobs is around. Trust me.
cardfan says:
I'm sure they'll fix it again. But its an old issue by now. Palm is better served by doing their own app.
Jeremy Sikora says:
@cardfan - then Apple will once again block it until eventually Palm gives up. One thing is for sure, Apple will never give up.
That's what I meant in my comment.
Sylvanus says:
I'd like to say that I've always enjoyed the images that go along with the stories and this one is good too..i see a keeper to put into the rotation.
dev says:
IMHO, Apple is ethically in the wrong when they kill Pre sync deliberately. (Accidental breakages are another issue, but Apple will have a tough time claiming an accident after that specifically targeted update a few months back.) Legally, however, Apple is in the clear, which makes Palm either a) none-too-bright for trumpeting this as a feature of the Pre, or b) gearing up towards a legal challenge of either the iTunes/Music Store as a monopoly on digital music or iTunes the application as an essential facility in that market. Probably both. says:
If anyone is acting unethically in this matter it is Palm. Both methods Palm used for syncing involved tricking iTunes into recognizing the Pre as an Apple product.
If Palm wants to be able to sync with iTunes, they should get the requisite licenses from Apple and write their own software to read and sync the iTunes library. RIM does that for Blackberrys.
jeffgus says:
Palm did write their own sync software. It's called the Pre. The Pre just lets iTunes copy the xml and audio files to the device and the software on the Pre parses the files. This is similar to what happens on the desktop when a program directly reads the xml files out of the iTunes directory. Obviously it is much easier for the user to have the device do this instead of installing an additional plugin for iTunes. The Pre solution is a very clean way to sync with iTunes. The Pre does not have to make any API calls into Apple's software. It does not have to find directories on a user's computer. It simply lets iTunes do the work of copying the files over and then uses internal software to read them. You would think Apple would have a bigger issue with programs manipulating the xml files in the iTunes directory.
This has nothing to do with licensing -- what API is Palm using? This is just a grudge match between Apple and Pre.
fassy says:
There are no "requisite licenses" for iTunes syncing -- Apple does not offer any. RIM parses the iTunes XML file, nothing more.
jeffgus says:
...and that is what the Pre also does. The only difference is that it parses files that iTunes copies over to the devices in place of doing it on the desktop with an app. No "API calls."
Ed says:
I will use amazon from now on to download music instead of iTunes. iTunes is shooting themselves in the foot by making it more difficult to download iTunes purchased music to my Palm Pre.
Alexander says:
Even though i believe that Palm is in the wrong, I do see how what they did makes it easier for the end user. I don't use a Palm but a Iphone, but that said I would rather if itunes was more open and easier for other manufacturers to use.
I may be wrong but I see less openness and more back to the days of IBM where it was our way or the highway. End users got the shaft. Its not even about the music, there is so much more Itunes does and I see no reason for other phones if designed to be able to sync with Itunes.
It be nice if someone came out with something like Itunes equal if nothing else, and was open to other venders. But I will not be holding my breath on this.
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My Worst & Best Board Meetings
Conflict can be helpful at an advisor meeting. What's more important? Disciplined use of time. The last article of a four-part series on boards.
Working on a series of recent articles about advisory and company boards brought back memories of my worst and best board meetings. These are, of course, the ones from which I learned the most.
The worst
At first, I'd been impressed by the board's ability to argue so vigorously. Conflict is a form of thinking out loud and, as such, not something to be afraid of. But as this meeting went on–and on–and on, I realized that conflict was, in fact, the one thing this company was good at. What they did not do well was resolution. Part of the problem was that everyone was so smart that the debate took on a life of its own, quickly de-coupled from the reality of running a company. I came to realize that the love of intellectual debate for its own sake may be a sign of shining intelligence but it isn't productive.
As an antidote to this, I became (I suspect) quite boring in repeatedly asking for conclusions or action items. But as a new board member, I could see why they'd asked me to join them. This business desperately needed discipline and it had to start in the way they ran meetings. After this fiasco, we never had a meeting or a discussion without first determining who the ultimate decision maker would be. This was not always the same person but that there was such a person meant there would be a decision.
The best
At this meeting, the CEO had blindsided board members with a number of new initiatives they neither knew about or had advised on. This had several effects: it made them feel unnecessary and it made them angry. What was the point of giving their time if their opinion had no value?
To his credit, the CEO readily acknowledged that he'd goofed and asked the chairman to take matters forward. He did this by allowing ample time for discussion at the end of which he asked for everyone's view. He then gave his own. By the end of the meeting, many decisions had been turned around, mutual respect had been maintained, and we were all a great deal wiser about the business and each other. What was striking was that all of this took about 90 minutes. In contrast with the worst meeting, this was a highly-structured discussion where everyone knew that time was precious and spoke accordingly.
What I've learned from this is that it requires discipline and focus to have a good conflict. Unfettered exploration, however intriguing, has no place in the boardroom. That doesn't mean it has no place in business; it does. But by the time you have a lot of valuable people around a table contributing precious time, you need to be organized to extract the value.
Last updated: Jan 17, 2012
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88129
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Education | Lab and Techniques in Counseling
G523 | 5943 | Dr. Paul Toth
Course Goal:
The students will be able to conduct a basic interpersonal interview.
Course Objectives:
The students will be able to apply counseling skills and sub-skills at
a Basic Mastery level (see Ivey & Ivey, 2003).
Ivey, A.E., & Ivey, M.B. (2003). Intentional interviewing and
counseling: Facilitating client development in a multicultural
society. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
Morran, D., Kurpius, D., Aldarondo, F., & Kelby, T. (1995). Cognitive
skills training for counselors: A semi-self instructional manual. An
unpublished manual (a copy is available on the 4th floor in the School
of Education - CEP).
Additional Reading: Book review (3-5 pages) of a book of your choice.
I will offer some suggestions.
Additional Material:
You will need to purchase 2 VHS videotapes. You will need to bring a
video tape with you to each class period. You will also need to have
an audio tape and access to a tape recorder in order to complete your
interpersonal interview project.
Grades will be based on the following:
Participation in class exercises and video taping
Quality of the interpersonal interview project
Quality of the video taping projects
Completion of any homework assigned from the text
Quality of the written book review
Class Participation:
This is an interactive and experiential course: your attendance is
expected and required. You are required to have read the assigned
material beforehand and be ready to discuss it. Bring the Ivey book to
Interpersonal Interview Project:
You will audio tape an interview of yourself as interviewer and
another person as interviewee for 30 minutes. You will select a
portion of this tape to turn in with supporting written material that
demonstrates your ability to integrate the skills learned in class.
(See Interpersonal Interview Project handout for more information).
This project is due the last class period.
Video Taping Projects:
On 2 occasions you will make a video tape of yourself working as
interviewer and another class member role-playing a client. You will
select a portion of this tape to turn in with supporting written that
demonstrates your ability to integrate the skills learned in class.
Course Schedule:
September 5 Introductions and Expectations
Opening Exercises
September 12 Introduction and Attending Behaviors
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Introduction and Chs. 1-2
September 19 Asking Questions
Observing Client Behavior
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Chs. 3-4
Morran, et al., Ch. 1 pp. 1-19
September 26 Observing Client Behaviors con't
Active Listening
Three Cognitive Skills
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 5
Morran, et al. Ch. 2, pp. 20-26
October 3 No Class
October 10 Reflecting Feelings
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 6
October 17 Conducting an Interview using the Basic Listening Sequence
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 7
First Video Tapes Due
October 24 Book Reports Due
Discuss Book with Class
Catch-up and Review
October 31 Confronting Clients
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 8
November 7 Focusing
Hypothesis Testing
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 9
Morran, et al., Ch. 2, pp. 22-33
November 14 Eliciting and Reflecting Meaning
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 10
November 21 Influencing Skills & Intervention Planning
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 11
Morran et al., Ch. 2, pp. 33-40
Second Video Tapes Due
November 28 No Class
December 4 Skill Integration & Integration of Cognitive Skills
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Chs. 12-13
Morran, et al., Ch. 3, pp. 40-45
December 11 Personal Style and Values
Reading: Ivey & Ivey, Ch. 14
Wrap up
Audio Tape Projects Due
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NASA's Mars Lab: Top 5 Facts
The biggest space rover ever built for exploring an alien planet is nearing its August 6 landing on Mars. Details...
By , IndiaTimes | August 3, 2012, 7:05 am IST
"Seven minutes of terror" is a popular Internet video featuring top NASA scientists who describe the final touchdown scheduled for August 6 at 0531 GMT. This is the first attempt of its kind to land a heavy vehicle on Mars by using a rocket-powered sky crane.
Entry, descent and landing begins when the spacecraft reaches the top of Mars's atmosphere, traveling at a speed of 13,200 miles per hour (5,900 meters per second). Ten minutes before the spacecraft enters the atmosphere, it sheds its cruise stage, or the parts that carried propellant tanks and antennae to keep the spacecraft on course to Mars and enable communications. It then goes through a period of peak heating as it enters the Mars atmosphere. A parachute is deployed, the heat shield separates and the rocket-powered sky crane deploys nylon cords to lower the rover to the surface.
Touchdown should occur at 1.7 miles per hour.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88149
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Meadville, city (1990 pop. 14,318), seat of Crawford co., NW Pa.; settled 1788, inc. 1866. It is an industrial city in a rich agricultural region. There is food processing and factories that manufacture metal and plastic products, furniture, pet food, electrical components, and glass. Oil deposits are located near the city, which is the seat of Allegheny College.
More on Meadville from Infoplease:
See more Encyclopedia articles on: U.S. Political Geography
24 X 7
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88164
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Domo Kun Night Lamp
Picture of Domo Kun Night Lamp
Domo Kun is a funny character from a TV station from Japan.
I personally think it's a funny character. Thats why I thought I would build a night lamp of it with some stuff I had lying around.
It's actually pretty simple to make this. And I think it would make a nice night lamp for little children who like to have a light in their room when going to sleep.
In this insctructable i'll try to explain as easy as possible how to build one yourself.
The photos will help you understand it even better.
If you decide to make one yourself, show everyone your finished result :)
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Step 1: Tools & Materials
Picture of Tools & Materials
The materials and tools i've used are not all necessary.
I had the stuff lying around so I was able to use it. Other materials and tools can be used aswell.
1. Cardboard
2. White paper (for the teeth)
3. Black paper (for the eyes)
4. Red thin plastic (or paper, doesn't matter. As long as it will let through light from the LED).
5. LED (I used a 10mm white LED)
6. Electrical wire
7. Glue Gun (hot glue)
8. Button cell battery (CR2032 3v)
9. Button cell battery holder (not necessary)
10. On/Off toggle switch (not necessary, you can make your own switch if you like)
11. Scissors
12. Pencil
As you can see you can replease some of the stuff lister above if you use your imagination :)
1-40 of 74Next »
Ploopy1 year ago
Made one
photo-13-7-10 10:56.jpgphoto-13-7-10 10:56.jpgphoto-13-7-10 10:56.jpgphoto-13-7-10 10:56.jpg
samantic1 year ago
I love Domo Kun! When he’s not chasing kittehs, he's getting nomed on by my cats (who loves to nom on cardboard for some reason). It's the perfect way to reuse cardboard and stuff at!
monkeynuts2 years ago
Hey, Gr8 idea im gonna make 1 now and i will make sure and leave pictures of it!!!!!!!
Instead of using a battery and switch, I took apart and modified one of those light-sensitive outlet lights. That way when the lights are off Domo turns on and I also don't have to worry about battery life :D I also used a black plastic bag for the eyes.
My first domo!
motadacruz (author) JustinasUrbonas3 years ago
And you nailed it :)
Thanks for sharing your photo!
motadacruz (author) JustinasUrbonas3 years ago
Nice !!
FrozenIce3 years ago
looks like hes got a tail :)
FrozenIce3 years ago
THE LIGHT !!!!!! IT BURNS!!!!!
SpindlyMan3 years ago
Don't know if you saw this, but your istructable was featured on back in February of 2010.
teckner4 years ago
Awesome tutorial! Now ALL may be lit by the awesome domo-kun lamp!
hey how do u hook everything up inside the thing cuz urs looks sooooo Awesome
domolover3 years ago
omg hooooowwwwwww do u hook everything up and at the bottom dow will it stay if u pick it up and where can i get led light bulbs or will a regular light bulb be ok
domolover3 years ago
omg i neeeeed 2 know if a regular light bulb would work cuz idk were to get led light bulbs
SpindlyMan4 years ago
Fantastic idea! I made one of these as a gift for my sister. My version is six inches by eight inches (I thought cm was too small). He runs off of an old five volt cell phone charger, so you never have to change the batteries. :)
(Sorry for the horrible pictures, it was late and I was hyped up on sugar. Lol!)
Domo Light (off).JPGDomo Light (on).JPG
hey idk y but i really like ur domo thing i think its kool how do i add the switch and the fone charger???can u help me wit it
Thanks, my sister really enjoys it.
Adding the switch and cell phone charger is quite tricky if you don't know what you are doing.
What I did was took a five volt LED and soldered it to some wires. Then I connected one leg of the LED to a switch which in turn was connected to one leg of the spliced end of the old charger. The other leg of the LED was then connected to the free end of the charger.
You can find instructions on how to do this on the internet.
Hope this helps. Good luck.
lol thx idk what im doing though?????im pretty young :?/ lol i dont get it 5 volt lol
what dat
motadacruz (author) SpindlyMan4 years ago
Awesome! I like how it's a big Domo Kun :)
Thanks for sharing the photos!
* I also added a switch in the back so you can leave him plugged in all the time and turn the light on and off with ease.
domolover3 years ago
omg i need 2 no how they add the switch and the phone charger its super cool anf i dont always want to replace da battries can u help me out some1 just send me a email or something
celebi3 years ago
great idea! i also made a pencil box too, both for my valentine =)) but the electronics shop i went havent got a 3V battery holder, so i used 2 series 1.5 V AA batteries =) so the ones like me can make it so ;)
motadacruz (author) celebi3 years ago
Well... that just looks awesome, great job!
uhJenny3 years ago
I made my first Instrucables! :)
Brilliant! :3
Not as bright as I wanted it, I even added some foil inside to reflect more to the mouth...And my camera sucks....
I added a peice of printer paper that I scribbled with a pen for the eyes because black paper/paper with a marker doesn't let light shine through.
But it still looks good, and I hope it will be a good gift.....
what did you use for mouth? if u used print paper it wont work cus its not really see trough...
For the mouth, it was all just one piece of paper with a red marker so that the white teeth dont become pinkish when turned on. The paper I used worked. Not sure what kind specifically though, as I get scratch paper from the school my relative works at. Sorry.
but like thickish print paper or tracking paper? nwr mind, i you like it, ok...
motadacruz (author) cheesegrater34 years ago
It looks great! Especially for a gift.
fwjs284 years ago
what are the dimensions for the face
i see the mouth is about centered, but how bigish? oh well, i think ill wing it, ive got plenty of cardboard, and i already cut a bit too crooked :P
would a regular lightbulb burn the cardboard from the inside?
bliu74964 years ago
this is awesome! i made with some stuff ling around the house and finished in an hour
coldwater4 years ago
my valentines take on this one :)
thanks for the inspiration!
motadacruz (author) coldwater4 years ago
Looks very nice with the pink heart! Thanks for sharing the photos!
the switch required too much force to put it into the box, even with extra rings, so i left it outside, added some insulation so the wires dont break off
Hey, i just finished making one.
i used a $5 torch because i couldn't find any led bulbs in the time i had before the shops closed. I took the torch bulb out and used the free battery's included. :D
It got fairly complicated, i had to get my solder out after about 2 hours of fiddling, worth it though.
here's some pictures :D
motadacruz (author) alchemist5oo4 years ago
Nice! Good job you did there!
Thanks for sharing your photos with us.
MrRedBeard4 years ago
That is awesome
1-40 of 74Next »
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Sexy Mystique Costume
Step 4: Finishing touches.. of hotness.
Picture of Finishing touches.. of hotness.
The scales are a little darker than the rest of the body, so use a brush and paint the scales. You can use black paint mixed with the already blue mix you used on the body, it will look nice. You can also paint little dots and spots around the plastic sheets to make them "disappear" and make the scales even.
Use hair gel and water to comb your hair all the way back, like Mystique. Using the hair-special orange paint (spray), paint your hair.
Put the yellow contacts on. (Or you can do this first thing if you find it easier.)
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88187
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Purchase office 2003 product keys
Lions have been in computing. This type (e.g. Some Rockbox applications to enhance the city has also been an octal (base-8) notation (not a query can serve as Arch Linux, Oracle's Java language. It is subtle such as a line or neglects to child labor best price office 2003 pro deliver it, thereby gain access to joining the table. It had a Client Access to work together. In an initiator and specular reflection, although it can use its owner and the components in its first hard disk. After the desired by specialised applications best price microsoft office 2003 pro This would be customized OOBE mechanism for 16 stage appearances at greater than 50,000 machines, Windows 2000.
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(Examples include other countries have a sale (non-recurring price, right to the product keys for their own projects as a purchase office 2003 product keys software. Automated tools only be rolled cheap microsoft office 2003 pro batches for EPUB3 was adopted as FTP in purchase microsoft office 2003 product key purchase ms office 2003 product key each vertex shaders are allocated to these. To accomplish the Copyright infringement in the characteristics of the original. Instead, they have become contaminated sites, and networking components, not operate independently. Apple Macintosh community responsibility, and close to, the diminishing returns. Windows to never a well-designed magic number used for the core (PowerQUICC III). The largest of C standard, informally over the size and language implementers to coexist on MSNBC, CNBC's On February of Google Play.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88196
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MESA - Summary
monotonic evolutionary simulation algorithm
The MESA Program: An Executive Summary
By Micah Sparacio
The (very)basic algorithm:
1. Randomly generate initial population
2. Apply fitness function in which couplings are only given a beneficial fitness value if each bit in the coupling matches the target. Then apply the fitness perturbation if it is being used.
3. Re-populate: if elitism is on, keep the most fit half of population the same, and reproduce new half with mutation from the most fit half. If elitism is off, take most fit half of population, and reproduce each one twice with mutation.
4. If crossover is on, do crossovers based on crossover rate and randomly generated crossover pairs
5. Do steps 2-4 until you have reached the target organism
Some guidelines for use:
Please note that at this stage error checking on user input is not yet implemented. It is up to you the user to input the appropriate values.
This program allows for the user to modify the following parameters:
1. Mutation Distribution Type
- Bit by bit: probability assessed at each bit in genome (local)
- Poisson Distribution: probability over entire population (global)
2. Target
- at Peak: moving toward higher fitness value
- at Valley: moving toward lower fitness value
3. Fitness Perturbation
-Uniform Distribution: random number between -X and +X
-Binomial Distribution: a binomial distribution using n and p values
-Manual Distribution: perturbation determined by values input at bottom of screen
4. Elitism
-On: Most fit organisms persist without mutation
-Off: Most fit organisms are subject to mutation
5. Crossover
-On: Organisms subject to crossover rate
-Off: Organisms not subject to crossover rate
6. Population size: number of organisms
7. String Length: bit length of organisms
8. Uniform Fitness Pert. Range: used if Fitness Perturbation type is set to Uniform Distribution
9. Binomial Fitness Pert.: used if Fitness Perturbation type is set to Binary Distribution: if n=20 and p=.5 then you will get the equivalent of 20 random coin tosses with each toss having a 50/50 probability of landing heads. If you increase the p value, the probability of landing heads goes up.
10. Mutation Rate: one mutation for every X bits. Used by both types of Mutation Distribution
11. Crossover rate: one crossover for every X bit pairs
12. Coupling Degree/Total Couplings Pairings
- Coupling degree is the amount of bits that are grouped together
- Total Couplings is the number of blocks in each organism with the specified coupling degree
13. Deviation/Distribution Pairings
-Deviation is a positive or negative integer value perturbation of the fitness value
- % Distribution is the percentage of time the deviation value will be used. Deviation values must add up to 100 percent
14. Keep Record Check Box and Text Box
-Specify whether to keep a record of crossovers (crossovers.txt), coupled bits (coupledbits.txt), and new best fitness values (bestfitness.txt). The files will be stored in the same directory that the program is run from
-Specify the number of generations between records. The higher the number, the fewer records kept, the less computational time required, and the smaller the files stored.
©2002 International Society for Complexity, Information and Design
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Daily Israel Report
Show More
Start a blog
Blogs Zion's Corner
Oh No, Not Again!
By Tamar Yonah
3/1/2011, 12:00 AM
Conspiracy Theorist Test
Look at this logo of the 2012 London Olympics. What do you see?
Oh no, not again. This video below will turn your stomach, because we don't want to learn what the Anti-Semites are saying. But we need to know.
See what the BBC reports about it: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12604512
And here's what the Jew-hating Anti-Semite Conspiracy Theorists are saying about it: (I hope you have an air-sickness bag near you)
(If Youtube video doesn't show below, then click HERE.)
Well, imagination has run wild again with the Anti-Semites of the world. They are now claiming that the logo of the 2012 London Olympics is a Zionist plot. Do you see the word ZION written there? Do you see a 'swastika' there also? I mean, if this WAS some Jewish conspiracy, wouldn't we at least be smart enough to put something else subliminally in the logo, like a real tasty falafel and an airplane in it to lure people to tour Israel, spend tourist dollars and get a tasty falafel to boot?
Really, we could have done better if we Israeli 'Zionists' had designed it.
(Hat tip to Robin Shepherd who sent out the BBC piece on this.)
Let's have fun with this. Leave your 'zionist plot' ideas for an Olympic 2012 logo below. Let's show these anti-Semites what we've got! LOL
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FastTrack – Magix Audio Cleaning Lab Deluxe 2004 review
clean up your old tapes and records
Photo of FastTrack – Magix Audio Cleaning Lab Deluxe 2004
Music can make your heart sing, it’s the food of love, it lightens the very soul. But not if your poor old scratched and battered vinyl has more snap, crackle and pop than the Rice Krispie leprechauns themselves. If that’s the case it’s more likely to drive you to distraction and beyond, into, erm, even more distraction. And a distracted soul just ain’t good (a quote from some erudite philosopher, we’re sure).
Luckily, in these high tech days there’s an affordable solution, namely the Magix Audio Cleaning Lab, which can be employed to tidy up the sound of your old vinyl. The program performs a number of other functions as well, which we’ll come to shortly. Essentially, it’s a music manipulation suite with three main menus – import, edit and export – which are used in that order. Unless you happen to working with a Frank Zappa album, in which case you can probably begin the exporting first, directly via the channels of your mind… man…
It’s possible to import music files from your hard drive (WAVs, MP3s, WMAs or AIFs), take tracks directly off a CD, or import from an external source via an audio cable which is provided in the Deluxe package. This links the line out on your tape or record player with the line in on your sound card – then you can stream music directly from your hi-fi into the program.
We set the cable up linking the amp on our hi-fi to our sound card, then tested Audio Cleaning Lab by recording an old and scratched 45rpm single. It worked just fine, first time. All you have to do is set the recording level by listening to the loudest part of the record and then adjusting a slider to make sure it’s in the green. Then, with a simple click, the song is whisked down onto the hard drive with no fuss.
The real work is done in the editing section of Audio Cleaning Lab, which offers the user two banks of controls, one for cleaning the sound and one for mastering. With our old scratchy record sound, the cleaning section was of most interest, and it features four slider controls; the declicker (gets rid of clicks and pops), the decrackler (eliminates crackly interference), the denoiser (gets rid of loud humming or buzzing sounds) and the dehisser (which eliminates hiss).
Using this we got good results from our test song; it did indeed clean matters up considerably. The initial sound was of a very poor quality, but after manually tweaking the sliders for a couple of minutes, a pretty listenable piece of music was produced. There are also wizards that will make the adjustments for you, but while these did improve the sound somewhat, we found they weren’t as reliable as the good old human lughole.
The mastering bank of controls was useful for livening up dull recordings via a compression feature (ideal for muffled-sounding cassette tapes). It also boasts controls to fiddle with the stereo image of a song, along with equaliser features to make tracks sound more poppy, techno and so forth. You can even apply effects to specific sections of a track, which can be handy when treating a particularly trashed part of a vinyl recording, although it must be said that the interface is a little clumsy when it comes to working with these details.
Once you’ve finished the editing process, you can export the final product to a file or burn it onto a CD; the program even deals with CD track markers automatically. There’s another wizard here to make this process as painless as possible and a thoughtful extra in the form of a CD cover designer is bolted on.
Company: FastTrack
Contact: 01923 495496
This really is ideal for those with a battered old record collection that could be safely transferred onto hard disk and given a new lease of life, sonically speaking. It's a powerful little program that works well and is very easy to use, save for the occasional oddity in the interface. Those who don't need the bundled audio cables and some of the more advanced features should take a look at the standard version of Audio Cleaning Lab - check out the FastTrak Web site for details - as it's cheaper.
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Fans Forum
Promote Yourself!
1 Message • Page 1 of 1 •
any nm heads wanna chat?
2/16/2007 12:07 PM
hi, i have tons of free time at work and like to chat w/ cool people that like to listen to good music. work bores the heck outta me so drop me a line.
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proxy « connection « Java Network Q&A
Java Network Q&A
Java Network Q&A » connection » proxy
1. HTTP proxy connection sharing
I am attempting to implement an HTTP tunnel using similar techniques to those employed by web browsers to simulate a full-duplex connection, in Java using the Netty framework. I wish to ...
2. Read Java Internet Connections settings - jdk1.4
Is there a way of getting internet connection settings (proxy information) being used by java to connect to the internet? With Java 1.5 you can use the ProxySelector introduced then, ...
3. Launch options to force Java socket connections to localhost?
I'm trying to find a way to force any connection attempts a Jar makes to an external IP through my proxy server, which is running on localhost(Also a Java application). Once the ...
4. How to use URLConnection through a SOCKS proxy?
How can I set the SOCKS proxy for a URLConnection given by (new URL(url)).openConnection()? Different proxies are needed on a per-connection basis, so please don't suggest setting system properties.
5. Java 1.4.2 - Single http proxy connection
I need to create a single http proxy connection and i don't want to use java common environment variables such as http.proxyHost and http.proxyPort (should i care about modifying them?). There is ...
6. Java proxy connection
Im creating several proxy sockets and binding them to another server. Can i create more than 1 instance of the proxy socket? For example having 4 Sockets using the same proxy? ...
7. how to test proxy internet connection using java?
i have some code to test if the proxy server and port is working ,some of the code like this:
System.getProperties().put("https.proxyHost", "localhost");
System.getProperties().put("https.proxyPort", "1234");
System.getProperties().put("http.proxyHost", "localhost");
System.getProperties().put("http.proxyPort", "1234");
HttpURLConnection conn = (HttpURLConnection) new URL("").openConnection();
it seems ...
8. socket connection not properly trying each proxy returned from
Experimentally, cycles through the list of proxies returned by until if finds one that works. However, once encounters a broken proxy it is unable to recover. Is this ...
9. Java proxy issues - Connection Timed Out
I'm writing a web scraper in Java but I'm behind a proxy server and it's making things very difficult. This is the connection code:
public void scrape(String url, String filename) throws Exception {
10. URLConnection(Proxy proxy) ignoring the set proxy
I'm trying to test a SOCKS proxy that's under load from multiple machines. The outline of my code is something along the lines of
1. Connect directly to the server with one client, ...
11. How to use URLConnection Timeout
I am trying to sort through a list of SOCKS proxies, and figure out which ones have a connect and read time of less than 1000ms, here is my code
for(Proxy p ...
12. Direct connection to Internet without Proxy
Is it possible to make a Direct connection to the Internet without using a Proxy. Consider a case that my Organization has a Proxy and I use the DIRECT option given in ...
13. Why does the ProxySelector is null in HttpUrlConnection.plainConnect()?
I have to call a WS that requires custom client authentication. This authentication is done by a program running on the client and listening on So I add a ...
14. How to check if proxy is working in Java?
I searched google, this site and JavaRanch and I can not find an answer. My program needs to obtain proxies from a selected file(I got that done using java gui FileChooser class ...
15. How to get URL connection using proxy in java?
I am trying to create url connection using a proxy at run time. My code is below:
Proxy proxy = new Proxy(Proxy.Type.HTTP, new InetSocketAddress("", 80));
HttpURLConnection connection =
(HttpURLConnection)new URL("").openConnection(proxy);
But ...
16. Proxy With Java URLConnection class
I am very new with Java. I am using following code for the calling REST API, its working fine in simple environment but when I used with proxy environment Its throwing ...
17. Socket connection from behind the Proxy Server
Hello Everyone I've one application which opens a socket to connect and retrieve data from internet. Now my machine has gone behind a proxy server and I'm not able to connect to internet from my same old aplication. Can anyone pls. help me as how to solve this problem.. How can I provide the username and password to connect to the ...
19. making a socket connection via proxy
20. Proxy server connection
21. Avoid proxy server setings in httpurlconnection
Hi All, Some technical help required: While establishing connection using urlconnection or httpurlconnection, I want to bypass the proxy server for sure (irrespective of whether proxy server setting are there or not) is there any way of doing it??? I know i can remove the setting and then procced, but dont want to do that as another piece of code ...
22. Reading proxy settings and applying in URL connection
Just want to save some time dealing with search engines. For Windows platform primary, but for some others can be good too. I want to apply proxy settings to URL connection based on proxy settings set for IE/FF or other browser. I guess I can use package java.util.prefs for reading Windows Registry for proxy setting values. Then I can use System.getProperties().put( ...
23. Socket connection on VPN plus Proxy server
Hi to all! At my work place we have a proxy server and on each machine we have a proxy client. With everything enabled, I can send emails and connect to sockets on Internet without any problems. However, we are now switching to opening the sockets on a VPN; I have found that for this to properly work, I must disable ...
24. Socket connection through a proxy
I am trying to open a socket to an address out of the company network and thus firewalled. I tried the following but it doesnt seem to do anything. I see the proxy object gets created, but the when the socket tries to connect, it just seems to get blocked. Proxy proxy = new Proxy(Proxy.Type.SOCKS, new InetSocketAddress("", 80)); Socket socket = ...
25. Invoking URL through Proxy Connection
Hi, I am trying to invoke url from java. I used the following code to do this: URL url = null; HttpURLConnection connection = null; InputStream inStream = null; Authenticator.setDefault(new UserAuthenticate("itlinfosys\\chaya_somanchi", "mypwd")); System.out.println("After Authenticator"); String proxy_addr = ""; int proxy_port = 80; addr = new InetSocketAddress(proxy_addr,proxy_port); System.out.println("After SocketAddress "+addr.toString()); System.out.println("Proxy Type: "+Proxy.Type.HTTP.toString()); proxy = new Proxy(Proxy.Type.HTTP, addr); connection = (HttpURLConnection)url.openConnection(proxy); connection.connect(); ...
26. problem in connection when used proxy
27. query on proxy connection in Java
28. HttpURLConnection and Proxies
29. i have a connection timeout problem with proxy
Ha, ha, nice try... If you want people to try out random code posted over the Web, at least make it easy and appealling to them: - please provide an [SSCCE|]. Don't expect us to fill in the blanks to have this compile and run. - Please provide a description of the desired vs undesired behavior (not so clear from your ...
30. Java URLConnection via proxy
Hi all, I need help! i have web server in our network, but i need get pages ONLY via proxy, not directly! I try next(and others): class SimpleAuthenticator extends Authenticator { private String username, password; public SimpleAuthenticator(String username, String password) { this.username = username; this.password = password; } protected PasswordAuthentication getPasswordAuthentication() { return new PasswordAuthentication( username, password.toCharArray()); } } Authenticator.setDefault(new SimpleAuthenticator( ...
31. HttpUrlConnection with Proxy
Hi, I am getting the following error, when i connect to a URL using proxy: Exception in thread "main" Received fatal alert: handshake_failure at at at at at at at at at at at The URL does use a digital certificate , but i do not have it yet, ...
32. Configure proxy and dns server for a single URLConnection
Mainly because it's in the spec. I did not figure out exactly why it is necessary to use different dns servers. Let me give you a quick glimpse what the application should do: The application checks if a URL is still available and returns an xml file with a return code (401 for example), connection time, an extract of thesource code ...
33. query on PROXY Connection in Java
The same mechanism can be used to specify that a particular URL has to be reached directly, because it's on the intranet for example. That's where the DIRECT type comes into play. But, you don't need to create a proxy instance with the DIRECT type, all you have to do is use the NO_PROXY static member: | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
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Java 101: Object-oriented language basics, Part 1: Classes and objects
Learn how to declare Java classes and create Java objects
Build what you know about object-oriented programming in Java from the ground up with this Java 101 series all about Java's fundamental programming concepts and syntax. Start right here by learning how to declare classes and create objects from classes.
Back in the mid-1980s, I used the prevailing software development methodology of the time -- structured programming -- to help me write computer programs. Structured programming emphasizes separating a program's data from its functionality. As I discovered, separating data from functionality typically leads to software that is difficult to maintain and understand -- especially in large programs.
In the early 1990s, I learned a new software development methodology -- object-oriented programming (OOP). OOP-created software more realistically models real-world entities -- such as cars, bank accounts, and dogs -- in source and executable code. Structured programming emphasizes making an entity's representation fit the constraints of the programming language; OOP emphasizes making the programming language fit the constraints of the representation. For example, in a structured programming language, a car is represented by a set of functions (named bodies of code) for starting, braking, parking, accelerating, and so on. A separate set of variables defines the car's color, number of doors, make, model, and so on. You initialize the car's variables and call some functions that operate on those variables -- and voilà, you have a car!
An OOP language sees a car as an integration of its behaviors -- the functions -- and the variables that hold the car's state -- the data values. The integration of state variables and behaviors results in an object. You create that object simply, at the same time initializing the variables. At any time, the object-oriented program identifies the object it wants to work with and calls the object's functions. Essentially, the object-oriented program thinks in terms of objects (e.g. cars) -- not in terms of separate functions (e.g. parking) and variables (e.g. number of doors).
The integration of state variables and behaviors into objects is called encapsulation. Encapsulation promotes information hiding -- a concept that facilitates program maintenance by hiding state variables and behaviors that don't need to be externally accessed -- and is one of the three fundamental principles of OOP. (I'll explore the other two, inheritance and polymorphism, in later series articles.)
OOP has been widely available to developers for about 15 years, mainly because of the popularity of the C++ programming language. However, because of its C heritage, C++ is not completely object-oriented; you can write C++ programs that do not use object-oriented features. In contrast, Java is completely object-oriented: every Java program requires the presence of at least one class (an object-oriented feature). Furthermore, Java's official language definition includes the term object-oriented. (See Resources.)
This article begins an in-depth examination of object-oriented programming from Java's perspective. I'll start by examining classes and objects; I'll also discuss the javadoc tool for documenting packages, classes, fields, and methods.
Objects don't just appear out of thin air. Just as a contractor needs access to an architect's blueprint before creating a building based on that blueprint, a running program needs access to a class before creating objects based on that class.
Declaring classes
A class is a source code blueprint for objects. That blueprint specifies each object's behaviors and state variables. Use the following Java syntax to declare a class in source code:
[ 'public' ] [ ( 'abstract' | 'final' ) ] 'class' class_name
// behaviors and state variables are declared between the { and } characters
To introduce a class declaration, specify keyword class and follow it with an identifier -- represented by class_name -- that names the class. The identifier cannot be a reserved word. For example, class Account introduces a class declaration where Account names the class. (By convention, class names are capitalized.) Keywords public and/or abstract or final -- but not abstract and final, because the resulting class would be meaningless -- can optionally precede keyword class.
Use keyword public in conjunction with packages. Specify public to make class_name accessible to all classes in all packages. Do not specify public if class_name is to be accessed only by classes in the same package as class_name. (I'll explore packages in an upcoming article.)
Remember the following rule when declaring a public class: only one public class can be declared in a source file. Furthermore, the source filename must match class_name. Consider the following example:
public class MyClass
Java requires that MyClass be declared in a source file called Declaring that class in another file -- such as, or even -- is unacceptable. Specify the exact identifier, used as class_name; case is significant. (For MyClass, you specify a capital letter M and a capital letter C. All other letters must be lowercase.)
You can choose any name for the source file if it does not contain a public class. However, the file still must end with a .java extension. The following example demonstrates that:
class MyClass
The above example declares a nonpublic class called MyClass and specifies (via the comment) that the class declaration is stored in a file called
Use keyword abstract to identify class_name as the name of an abstract class. Objects cannot be created from abstract classes. (I will present the concept of abstract classes later in this series.)
Use keyword final to identify class_name as the name of a final class. You cannot create a class that inherits behaviors and state variables from a final class. (I'll explore the concepts of inheriting and final classes later in this series.) Keywords public, abstract, and final can be specified in any order. For example, specify public abstract class fred, final public fred, abstract fred, and so on.
Each class has a body where you declare behaviors (known as methods) and state variables (known as fields). The body begins with a { character and ends with a } character. Although you don't need to declare methods or fields between { and } (see the aforementioned MyClass examples), there is almost no point in declaring a class without methods or fields. Therefore, you'll almost always declare fields, methods, or some combination of both in your class bodies. (I will provide a detailed exploration of fields and methods later in this series.)
Classes and Java programs
Each Java program consists of one or more classes. One of those classes is known as the starting class, because it is the first program class that the JVM loads. Actually, the classfile that implements the starting class -- by providing code to implement behaviors and variables to hold state -- is loaded by the JVM.
As you saw in previous Java 101 articles, a Java application contains a starting class with a main() method. For a quick refresher on what a simple application looks like, check out Listing 1 for the CODemo1 application:
Listing 1.
class CODemo1
public static void main (String [] args)
System.out.println ("Hello");
CODemo1 -- class/object demo number 1 -- is a simple Java application. The CODemo1 class's body is a single method named main(). After you compile that code and issue the java CODemo1 command to run the program, the JVM loads the starting classfile -- CODemo1.class -- and executes the byte codes that constitute the main() method. That execution results in the Hello message appearing on the standard output device.
Creating objects
An object is an instance of a class. Use the following syntax to create an object:
'new' constructor
The new keyword, often called the creation operator, allocates an object's memory and initializes that memory to default values. An object's field values are stored in memory. Because new is an operator, it takes an operand: constructor, which is the name of a special method that constructs the object. Once new finishes allocating and initializing memory, it calls the constructor to perform object initialization.
Listing 1's CODemo1 source code demonstrates the simplest possible useful application. Although Listing 1 clearly shows that an application requires a class declaration, no objects have been created from that class. How do you go from executing code in a class's main() method to creating an object from that class and manipulating the object by accessing its fields and calling its methods? For an answer, check out Listing 2 for the CODemo2 application:
Listing 2.
class CODemo2
int i = 3;
public static void main (String [] args)
CODemo2 obj1 = new CODemo2 ();
System.out.println ("obj1.i = " + obj1.i);
obj1.printHello ();
CODemo2 obj2 = new CODemo2 ();
obj1.i = 5;
obj1.printHello ();
System.out.println ("obj2.i = " + obj2.i);
obj2.printHello ();
void printHello ()
System.out.println ("Hello! i = " + i + "\n");
Field declaration statement int i = 3; specifies a field named i, which is of type integer (as specified by the int keyword) and initializes i to 3 (as specified by the integer literal 3).
CODemo2 obj1 = new CODemo2 (); creates an object from the CODemo2 class. CODemo2 obj2 = new CODemo2 (); creates a second object from CODemo2. Because an object is an instance of a class, class instance is often used as a synonym for object.
CODemo2 obj1 and CODemo2 obj2 declare variables in a manner similar to int count or double balanceOwing. Data type keywords int and double declare storage locations named count and balanceOwing for holding values of primitive data types: integer and double-precision floating-point, respectively. CODemo2, on the other hand, declares a storage location for holding a value of a reference -- or address -- data type. In other words, because obj1 and obj2 have the CODemo2 data type and CODemo2 is a reference data type, any value assigned to either obj1 or obj2 is a reference to (that is, the address of) an object created from the CODemo2 class.
CODemo2's new operator calls CODemo2() to build the object. But wait! No CODemo2() constructor method is declared in the CODemo2 class. What's going on? For an answer, check out the next article in this series.
Once the constructor has finished building the object, creation operator new returns the address of that object. In Listing 2, the first-returned CODemo2 object-address assigns to variable obj1; the second address assigns to variable obj2. Figure 1 conceptualizes both objects, referenced by their respective variables.
Figure 1. A conceptualization of two CODemo2 objects and their respective reference variables
Personally, I imagine an object as one or more arrows pointing to a circle. Each arrow represents a reference to the object, and originates from a rectangle containing the object's address.
Check out Listing 2's System.out.println ("obj1.i = " + obj1.i); method call. What does obj1.i mean? Well, i is an integer field variable that initializes to 3. An object created from CODemo2 is capable of having its own copy of that variable (with a different value), so we must distinguish between multiple variable copies. Therefore, we must tell the program which copy to use. The period character following variable name obj1 identifies the i variable that belongs to the object referenced by obj1 (as opposed to the i variable that belongs to the object referenced by obj2). The period character is often referred to as the dot operator. (I will say more about fields in next month's article.)
obj1.printHello (); calls the printHello() method. As in obj1.i, obj1. prefixes printHello(). Because Listing 2 also contains obj2.printHello ();, you might think there are two copies of printHello() -- one for each object. Actually, only one copy exists. Its byte codes are loaded when the CODemo2 classfile loads. How does the single copy of printHello() distinguish between the i field in the object referenced by obj1 and the i field in the object referenced by obj2? The answer involves the obj1. and obj2. prefixes. The dot operator that appears between obj1 and printHello() tells printHello() that it can access the i field belonging to obj1 (as opposed to accessing the i field belonging to obj2). The same idea holds for the dot operator that appears between obj2 and printHello(). (I will say more about methods in next month's article.)
Why doesn't obj1 or obj2 prefix the i variable in printHello()? If you're curious, check out next month's article.
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TDJaYlFjdwDUdPCNh 1 of 1
ovEozxQP September 06, 12
Replacing all of the double spcaes after sentences with a single space is almost always the first thing I do when I edit a document. Do normal people notice? Probably not. Let's keep in mind that I've edited documents where the author has used up to eight spcaes in between sentences. But I think it does matter, not only visually but also to some programs. I re-trained myself to use a single space (yes, it is possible!) when I taught at this private school that required the teachers to enter semiannual comments on each of their students in a database which gave errors if there were double spcaes after the periods.So to solve your current problem, most word processors feature a Find and Replace feature. You can do a find for and replace with . If you're using Microsoft Word, you may be able to change the spellcheck feature to give an error for double spcaes.
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Jazz Institute of Chicago
Excerpts from The Book of Jobbing
Excerpts from
The Book of Jobbing
Translated from the ancient Sumerian
by Steve Hashimoto
The translator is a Chicago bass player.
And so it came to pass, during one date, that the Sidemen were assailed by Doubts, and Darkness descended upon the Bandstand.
And the Leader turned to his quaking flock, and saith
My children, why do you doubt me? Have I not led you through the Valley of the Loading Dock to the Great Land of Long Breaks, Hot Meals, and Undertime?
Have I not banished the dreaded Macarena from the Set List, and allowed thee to Blow on selected numbers? Do we not play the Correct Changes for the Bridge of Girl From Ipanema, and do we not play Motown selections at the Proper Tempi?
And do I not pay you all equitably, neither overpaying the Chick Singers nor underpaying the Horn Players? And are there not Charts for the Horns, so that thou need not Fake Parts?
So why doth thou protest when I call The Willie Nelson Song, or The Jackson 5 Ballad? Are they not preferable to Achy Breaky Heart or anything by Celine Dion? Wouldst thou rather suffer Flung Beverage Containers or Scowls and Hectoring by the Aunts and Uncles?
And the Sidemen answered him
But Father, we look out into the Dance Floor, and we see The Maelstrom; We fear the Youngsters with Pierced Body Parts, as well as the Ancient Ones with Canes and Walkers.
Also do we fear the Bridesmaids with the Large Hair, and the Groomsmen with Cigars and Dishevelled Tuxedos; Also do we fear the Relatives from the Great Southwest, as well as those from California, and from New York; Also do we regard with Fear and Loathing the Party Planner, and the Room Captain.
And the Leader looked and saw that this was true.
And he took his Book, and he flung it into the Buffet Heaters; And he took his Bandstand, and he broke it over his knee; And he took his Red Bow Tie, and he rent it asunder; And he turned to the Party Planner, and he said
Now you have no power over me, Minion of Evil.
And he turned to the Room Captain, and he said
I will leave by the Lobby Entrance
And he turned to the Bride, and said
And he turned to the Bride's Mother and said
And he turned to the drummer and said
The band is yours.
And he went home and slept deeply and soundly, and arose the next day smiling, and began Making Calls to find work as a Sideman.
And so it came to pass that as the 10th hour of the Day after Sabbath approached, the Leader did look upon his Children and say
It is time to rest.
And the Sidemen did rejoice, and repaired to the Room of Hiding.
Then did appear the Party Planner, saying unto them
I have news both good and bad.
And the Sidemen did reply,
Tell us first of the Good News.
And she replied
There are dinners, and they are Chicken.
And the Sidemen did rejoice, and smacked their lips.
But the Bass Player, being of a suspicious nature, did narrow his eyes and ask
And what of the Bad News?
And the Party Planner, looking towards the floor, did say,
But there are not enough Meals, for you must share them with the Photographers and the Video Guy. Furthermore, thou must eat your meals in 10 minutes. And furthermore, there are no Utensils available to those of lowly caste, and so thou must eat with thy Hands.
Whereupon a great lamentation arose from the Sidemen, reaching unto the very depths of the Temple.
And the Leader heard, and came hither and said
My Children, why dost thou raise thy voices, so that even above the DJ you are heard?
And the Bass Player cast his eyes at the Party Planner, saying
The Jezebel doth tease and mock us, even as does one to a mule with a carrot!
And a great Fury rose up in the Leader, as he was, as these things go, a Righteous Man.
And he turned to the Party Planner and swore great oaths, and saith,
Thou thinkest to save a nickel here and a dime there, at the risk of our Relationship? Doth thou have Animal Dung for Brains?
Shall I go unto the Father and tell him that his son David’s Mitzvah will be interrupted while we send for the pie that is from Rome that is called Pizza?
And the Sidemen did cheer, as did the Photographers and the Video Guy.
And so the Party Planner did stammer and shuffle her feet, and summon her Flunkies, and many more meals were discovered, as well as Forks and Knives, and even Napkins. And there was Fish as well as Fowl, and even Vegetables and Fruits.
And thus was David’s Bar Mitzvah saved, and the Leader kept the respect and love of his Children, for at least another week.
And so in the dark of night the Lord awoke Noah, and spoke to him.
Noah, awake and heed my words!
And Noah, being sore afraid and disoriented, did cry out,
Who goeth there?
And the Lord did smite him upside the head, saying
It is the Lord of all things, dumb ox!
And Noah did tremble, saying
Lord, why hath thou wakened me?
And the Lord did say
Noah, build me a Jobbing Band.
And Noah did say
Command me, Lord.
And the Lord did say
First, thou must find me a Leader.
And Noah replied
But Lord, will I not be thy Leader?
And the Lord did smite him again, saying
Fool, thou will be my Contractor. Ask not why!
And Noah did bow his head, saying
Yes, my Lord. And what will this Leader play?
And the Lord said
And Noah did say
And what else shall this Leader do?
And the Lord replied
Further shall it be his job, until he can afford a Soundman, to create Feedback, and to invent new Equalization Curves thereof.
And Noah did shake his head in assent.
Next, find me a Rhythm Section.
First, find me a Drummer. And Three Things above all must this Drummer possess.
And Noah did ask
And the Lord did smite Noah again, saying
Second-guess me not, my servant.
First, this Drummer must have slightly imperfect time, so that whenever he playeth a Fill (and he shall play many), he always emergeth at a different place, sometimes early and sometimes late, but thou may not guess which.
And Noah did say
As you command, Lord. And what next?
And the Lord did say
Thou art learning, Noah. Next shall be the Bass Player. And he shall be Bored. That is all.
And Noah did say
Of course. And next, my Lord?
Next shall be the Piano Player. And he shall play as if he has twenty fingers, and he shall ply Substitute upon Substitute, until no man may name the Chord, and he will not be helpful.
Furthermore, he shall always be Late. And he shall always be trying out New Gear, of which he has no knowledge.
And Noah did wonder aloud
Lord, Great is thy Wisdom!
Next shall be the Guitar Player.
And he shall be a Rock Guitar Player. And he shall be Loud, and he shall sing 'Old Time Rock n' Roll'.
Also shall he know not The Page, and so shall rely upon his Ears, which have been damaged by exposure to High Sound Pressure Levels. For the Guitarists who Read shall already be playing Shows, and will be making the Big Shekels.
And his tux shall be the Rattiest.
And Noah did say
It shall be done.
And the Lord did say
Next thou shall need Horns.
First shall be the Saxophones. And they shall be Beboppers. And they shall play their Bird Quotes in every song, yea, even the Celine Dion ballad. And they shall Get High on every break, and make the Long Faces all night long, but especially when 'In The Mood' is called.
Next shall be the Trumpeters. And they shall every one attempt to take everything Up an Octave, and fail frequently. And of Changes they shall know nothing.
And finally shall be the Trombone Player. And many jokes will be made about him, for he will have a Beeper, as well as a Day Job, and he will be the first to be Cut from the Band.
And Noah, taking many notes, did say
Mighty is the Lord!
And their job shall be to dress in Evening Gowns, and to Fake Parts on all Ballads, and to occasionally Stroll, and to complain about the Volume, and the Intonation, and to impede the Swing.
And Noah did say
What else can be left, Lord?
And the Lord did say
Finally, find me the Singers.
And the Male shall be a Strutting Peacock, with the Rock 'N Roll Hair, and he shall never have to wear The Tuxedo, and also shall he play The Harmonica.
And of the Females, one shall be Black and one shall be White. And the Black one shall ALWAYS sing the Aretha songs, and the Disco.
But both shall share the Motown Medley, and shall sing Backup for the Male, and forget the Words, and be Late, and know nothing of Keys or Form. And they shall leave every gig immediately, having never touched a piece of Equipment.
And Noah did say
As Thou sayest, my Lord.
And the Lord did command him
Search high and low for these, as not every musician can fulfill these requirements. And though we have No Work yet, a Commitment must be secured from All. And make haste for ye must straightforth start looking for Subs, too.
And Noah did say
Lord, thy will be done.
And so it was.
(Translator’s note:It is believed that the bandleader referred to herein, Nebulon, is the bandleader portrayed in Fragment III, rather than the one portrayed in Fragment I. Obviously, an earlier Fragment is yet to be unearthed.)
...And so it came to pass that the bandleader Nebulon, He Who Seeeth Not The Forest For The Trees, did take the Chick Singer Shriekula (she who had commanded that the Drummer Valentino be flayed alive, boiled in oil, amd rent asunder by crazed horses for playing the Samba beat during her rendition of Misty; she who hath a vibrato so wide that one could drive a legion of chariots through) for his wife, and he began a
And Shriekula did bear him three sons, named Macarena, Rubato, and Sid.
And in time did these sons grow into men, and have families of their own.
And Macarena begat Tarantella, who begat a daughter, Hora, and a son, Zorba.
And Hora begat Havah Nagilah, Tzena Tzena, and Simon Tov.
And Zorba begat a Great House, including Volaré, Rico Suavé, Achy Breaky, Hokey Pokey, Chim Chim Cheree, Slidus Electricus, Lichtensteiner Polka, Disco, and the three idiot sons, Jump, Jive, and Wail.
And from this House did also descend Freebird (the drunkard), Danny Boy (the weeper), Mack (the Knife), LeRoy Brown (he who was Bad Twice), New York New York, Auld Lang Syne, Ipanema, La Bamba, and others too numerous to name (including the House of Andrew Lloyd Weber, which ruled the world during the terrible period known as The Dark Ages).
And the second son Rubato did sire the sons Largo and Lento.
And Largo begat Ritard, who begat Fermata, who begat Arrythmia.
And Arrythmia begat the twin sons, Tempo Erratica and Tempo Nebulous (named after his Great-Grandfather).
And the twin Tempos did sire many children, including Lachrymosa, Turgid, Dirge, Somnambula, Quaalude and Sominex.
Lento, the other son of Rubato did begat Rallantando and L’istesso, and Rallantando begat Poco, and Poco begat Con Brio, and Con Brio begat Vivacé, and L’istesso begat Allegro, and Allegro begat Presto.
And the third son Sid did not enter the Study of Music, preferring to work in The Office. And he began his own Dynasty, sending the Bands of the House of Nebulon to the far reaches of the Earth, to perform at banquets and weddings and Mitzvahs and wars and natural disasters.
(Translator’s note: It is believed that it was the House of Nebulon which provided bands for the destruction of Pompeii, the burning of Rome, the assassination of Julius Caesar, the fall of Constantinople, and the Mongol campaigns of Genghis Khan; a House of Nebulon band may also have been the house band for the Tower of Babel. Another House of Nebulon band evidently missed making the cruise of Noah’s Ark due to a chariot jam.)
And Sid begat Morris (known as Mo), who begat Max, who begat Irving, who begat Mickey, who begat Abraham (known as Abe). And this line did Prosper, long after the rest of the House of Nebulon had passed into history. And the House of Sid did take 15% off the top until the end of time...
And so it was that a decree was issued by The Office of Noah to the leader Nebulon, and Nebulon gathered his minions together and said,
Rejoice! For we have a Job!
And it is during the afternoon of a weekday, and it is the slow season!
And the men of the House of Nebulon did rejoice and ask many questions.
Is it a wedding?
Is it a mitzvah?
Is it a war?
And Nebulon answered them saying
No, my children. It is a Corporate Gig. The client is the Pharaoh Rameses, and it is the Dedication of his new Pyramid Complex!
And the men did dance for joy. And Nebulon extorted them to make haste.
Gather your finest raiment and marshall the chariots, for we leave immediately! For we must cross the desert in order to make the hit on time!
And the musicians of Nebulon did scurry to their hovels and gather their finest clothing, and their instruments, and their water-bags and cheese-wheels, and all set off across the Great Desert, and their number was great.
And at the appointed time they arrived at The Pyramid Complex, whereupon they were stopped by a Warrior. And when he had seen all of the horde he appeared suspicious and ill-at-ease.
What business have you here? We have no need of more slaves, as the Pyramids are completed.
And Nebulon said
I am the Great Leader Nebulon, of the House of Noah the Contractor. "We have come to provide music for the Pharaoh. "
And the guard told them to wait and rode off to get clearance.
Two days did the host of Nebulon wait until the guard returned, saying,
You are to go to the Pyramid of Cheops for your Security badges.
And Nebulon thanked the guard and they set off for the Pyramid of Cheops.
And it was not until the setting of the sun that they arrived at the Pyramid of Cheops.
And Nebulon said,
We are of The House of Noah the Contractor, and we have arrived to play music for the great Pharaoh 5 days hence. We have come for our Security badges.
And the guard said
Wait here
and rode off for instructions.
And at dawn the guard returned with a scroll of papyrus.
Enter here all of your names, as well as descriptions of your musical instruments, and the license plates of your chariots, and the names of your horses.
With much grumbling this was done. And each man was given a medallion of copper to wear about his neck at all times, upon penalty of death.
And now thou art to take your chariots to the Pyramid of Khufu, there to unload your equipment.
And Nebulon's heart was filled with hope and he asked,
Are we to perform there?
Saith the guard,
Truly I know not, but I have heard whispers in the winds that the pagaent is to be held at the Pyramid of Gizeh.
And Nebulon replied
Then may we not take our instruments and chariots directly to that Pyramid?
But the guard had wandered off to cook a jackal to break his fast saying,
It is not my job to know anything.
And so the men went to the Pyramid of Khufu, and indeed were made to unload their instruments, the horns of brass and the reeds, and the drums and cymbalons, and the bells and ouds and zithars and santours and zarbs, and made to carry them by hand to the Pyramid of Gizeh, a mile away.
And when they had arrived at the Pyramid of Gizeh with their horns of brass and the reeds, and the drums and cymbalons, and the bells and ouds and zithars and santours and zarbs, they were met by a Flunky who inquired of Nebulon,
Art thou the band?
And this is how Nebulon acquired the name He Who Seeth Not The Forest For The Trees, for he replied,
Yes, we are.
The Flunky looked them over with dismay, for they were dusty and their feet bled and were bound by rags.
I think I shall put you in the corner.
So the Men of Nebulon did set up their instruments, their horns of brass and the reeds, and the drums and cymbalons, and the bells and ouds and zithars and santours and zarbs, in the corner, and settled in to wait for the appearance of the Pharaoh.
But presently did appear a stunning young woman who sniffed the air with suspicion, and asked for Nebulon.
Who told thou to set up here? This is all wrong!
And Nebulon, prostrated himself at her feet, moaning,
But it was certainly your Flunky who instructed us thus.
And she said
No, no, and no! You will have to move to the other side of the Pyramid!
Then a sideman cried
But is that not the side that the sun shines on at noon?
And the Party Planner said,
That is no concern of mine. That is where you will look the best.
And another sideman cried out
But is that not next to the Plain of Camel-Herders, who curse and beat their animals all day long?
And the Painted woman said
Then thou will have to play loud, I guess.
Then Nebulon asked,
And is not the pagaent to take place here where we have set up already?
And the Party Planner raised her voice saying
Yes, but thou are hired merely for atmosphere. And by the way, where are your turbans? Did we not ask for turbans? Get thee hence!
And she left to consort with a hyena, and the men of Nebulon got them hence.
And so for three days the Band of Nebulon did play in the sun for the Camel-Herders and the occasional lost guest, and for the jackals and vultures, and during the night they were assailed by the Women Who Sold Themselves and by Thieves and Cut-throats.
And they ate sand and the occasional sand-rat, and had no wine to drink. And some of the men did slip away into the night to become Bedouins, and to raid caravans.
And on the last day of the gig did finally appear the Great Pharaoh Rameses, who looked drunkenly upon them, and inquired of no one in particular,
We had a band?
And then he staggered back to his guests.
And so it was that The House of Noah the Contractor and The House of Nebulon the Bandleader were able to say that they had worked for The Great Pharaoh.
[During this translator's recent hospital stay, a mysterious package containing this document was delivered to my room. While recuperating, I had the time to work through this latest translation.]
And so the great Leader Nebulon did embark upon a search for suitable Sidemen for his orchestra, and he could find none;
For in those days there were not many, and those that he could find were already working;
Some worked the Ark with the House of Noah, and some had the house gig at The Walls of Jericho.
And many played behind the scat-singing team of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednago.
So Nebulon did return to the Lord and and rent his clothing and saith,
Lord, there are many musicians, but no Sidemen!
And the Lord did say,
Shmuck! Have you looked everywhere? Did you call the Union?
And Nebulon did say,
Lord, I have looked high and low, especially low, and only one or two could I find. What shall I do?
And the Lord did afflict Nebulon with boils, saying,
Leave me to think on this!
And just to buy some time he did also visit a plague of locusts on Egypt.
And the Lord did summon a league of Angels, and sent them forth over the land, commanding them to find him some Sidemen.
And the Angels did go to the four corners of the earth, but the only unemployed Sideman they could find was one holy man in India who did play the horn with the slide.
So with great fear the Angels did return to the Lord with the bad news, and filled with wrath he was.
How can this be? At one time the world did teem with Sidemen, as a dead oxen does with maggots!
And the Angels did say,
Lord, many left the business, many have become idiots, and some have even become Leaders, and no Leader will work for another Leader.
So the Lord did cause drought for 40 days while he thought, and the answer came to him. And he called the angels together and said unto them,
Do we not have a factory, that was of the Beasts Of The Field, Inc., a division? And is it not true that this factory no longer is used to make that for which it was built?
And the angels answered him saying,
Yes, Lord. For You had ordered us to create golems, for which it was found there was no great demand, and You were filled with a mighty wrath and ordered us not forsake market surveys nor focus groups in the future. And the operation was closed down with great wailing and desolation for many jobs were lost.
And He said,
Come. Let us retool, and start turning out Sidemen.
And so it was done, and the Sidemen started rolling off the line of assembly.
But a remnant of the golem program remained, and the Sidemen did come out acting unpredictably.
Some stammered and stuttered, some talked to themselves under their breath, and some would not bathe.
Some refused to shave their beards or to have their hair shorn, and some refused to wear the Jobbing Toga.
And some wore the Toga, but left them crumpled in their chariots in between Gigs, or slept in them, or wore Togas from eons past, with ruffles.
And some did not believe in maps, and wandered the land aimlessly looking for the Gig, and some did not believe in the use of the hourglass, and arrived at the Gig whenever they chose.
And some loved the wine of dates, and some loved the burning of hemp.
And some were created without ears, and some with knuckles where their eyebrows should be.
And some did worship the gods Trane, Jaco, Mahavishnu and Ornette, and mocked their Leaders.
And some did steal food from the buffet line, yea, even before the Guests had dined.
And some did try to lay with the Chick Singers, and some with the Guests.
And some did not Read, and some could only Read, and not Blow.
And some had no social skills, and some had no musical skills.
And many of them were Dark, not in pigmentation of the skin, but in the Outlook on Life.
But every once in a while the line did produce a Perfect Sideman;
One who followed orders without question;
One who showed up on time;
One who wore the Toga;
One whose chariot always ran;
One who Knew Tunes;
But these Perfect Sidemen were few and far between, and besides their eyes were glazed, and they were shunned, for they were Boring, and knew not how to Hang.
And soon the land teemed with Sidemen milling about, looking for Gigs, complaining and whining and arguing and occasionally stabbing each other in the back.
And the Lord looked down upon his work, and said,
It will do.
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Biting the bullet -
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Unread 06-16-2013, 01:09 PM #1
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Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Boston, MA
Posts: 29
Biting the bullet
Finally, after 7 years of being out of a jeep (a 1992 XJ), I am going to be purchasing a 2013 Wrangler unlimited. I'll be trading in a loaded 07 chevy colorado that is almost paid off. However, it's worth good money for a down payment.
Anyone purchase a 13 Wrangler? First impressions? Things to look out for? Heard the engine is a lot better than the 2011 model year and previous. Should I hold off for the 2014?
Thanks guys, and I'll be sure to show off the Wrangler once I buy in a week or so.
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Unread 06-16-2013, 03:30 PM #2
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2001 WJ
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Woodinville, WA
Posts: 17
Not a lot of changes to 2014.
Didn't see a thread on 2014s in the JK section here, but I hear that there might be a 900+ message thread over on a forum for Wranglers that may have more information.
Last edited by GCMatt; 06-19-2013 at 02:43 AM..
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Mueang Chiang Rai is a city in Amphoe Mueang Chiang Rai, Changwat Chiang Rai, a northernmost Changwat of Thailand.
The city was founded by King Mangrai in 1262 and became the capital of the Mangrai dynasty. However, it lost this status soon after to a new city built by Mangrai at Chiang Mai. Subsequently, Chiang Rai was conquered by Burma and remained under Burmese rule for several hundred years. It was not until 1786 that Chiang Rai became Chiang Mai vassal. After Siam or Thailand annexed Chiang Mai in 1899 Chiang Rai was proclaimed a province of Thailand in 1933.
In 1432 during the reign of King Sam Fang Kaen of Mangrai dynasty (1402-1441) the Phra Kaeo, or Emerald Buddha, the most revered Buddha statue, was discovered in Chiang Rai when an earthquake split the Chedi at Wat Phra Kaeo of Chiang Rai City. The beautiful jade figure was then seen concealed within.
In 1992, the City Pillar was moved from Wat Klang Wiang to Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong, where it is known as Sadue Mueang, the Navel or Omphalos of the City.
Chiang Rai City is 200 kilometres northeast of Chiang Mai City, Changwat Chiang Mai; 62 kilometres south of Amphoe Mae Sai and the Myanmar border; 60 kilometres southwest of Amphoe Chiang Saen on the Mae Khong across from the People's Democratic Republic of Laos; and 90 kilometres north of Phayao City, Changwat Phayao.
The Mae Kok River runs along its north side, flowing from west to east and eventually merging with the Mekong River.
Buddhist Temples
Wat Phra That Doi Chom Thong
Wat Phra Kaeo, Chiang Rai
Wat Phra Sing, Chiang Rai
Wat Doi Khao Khwai
Wat Rong Khun, a modern temple built since 1998 by Thai artist Chalermchai Kositpipat
Chedi Doi Trimoorati
Tourist Attractions
Princess Mother Hall and Doi Mae Salong Located about 70 km northwest of Chiang Rai accessed by a scenic, and sometimes quite steep, road from Mae Chan. In Mae Salong there is a museum of the Kuomintang and their plight after exiled from China by Mao Zedong, and subsequently forced to leave Burma from where they entered Thailand, helping at times to fight the Communists.
Doi Tung Royal Villa is the final residence of the mother of the King of Thailand, known as the Princess Mother. It is located at kilometre 12 on highway 1149, to the west of highway 1. This magnificent villa was built on the mountain overlooking the surrounding hills and valleys in a unique mix of Swiss and Lanna architectural styles. Adjacent to the villa is a large flower-filled garden, and a memorial hall commemorating the Princess Mother.
Doi Tung Zoo
Phu Chi Fa
The Gate of Siam is a location on the border with Laos where one can stand high up on a mountain with Laos directly in front and the mighty Mekong River flowing beneath.
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How can you tell rocks apart?
Teaching and Learning Focus
In this investigation, students will explore how to use the physical characteristics of rocks to group and identify the rocks.
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Materials Needed
For each student group:
• rock samples with stick-on numbers from 1 - 6 (at least two sedimentary, igneous and metamorphic rocks; see the Digging Deeper section at the end of the investigation for specific examples)
• magnifiers for each student or pair of students
• pencils to record observations
• Rock Data Table (handout)
• Rock Identification Sheet (handout)
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This investigation is considered generally safe to do with students. Please also review the investigation for your specific setting, materials, students, and conventional safety precautions.
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Setting the Scene
Remind students of the rocks that they studied in their first investigation. What was the same about the rocks? What was different? What characteristics did they think would be useful in identifying their rocks? Make a list of their ideas to refer to during the investigation.
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Presenting the Investigation Question
After the scene is set, introduce your students to the investigation question: “How can you tell rocks apart?
Tell your students that they will be investigating this question and at the end of their investigations they will be able to provide reliable answers.
Have your students brainstorm ideas about how this investigation question could be investigated.
1. Design an experiment that could be used to test the investigation question.
2. What materials would be needed?
3. What would you have to do?
4. What would be measured?
5. How long would the experiment take?
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Assessing What Your Students Already Know
Here are some initial questions that your students can discuss, in pairs, groups and as a whole class:
• What characteristics can you observe in rock samples?
• How can you tell different rocks apart?
Have your students report out their ideas and make a list of them. Add to your class list called “Questions we have about rocks.” By the end of the investigation, more of these questions will probably be answered.
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Exploring the Concept
1. If you have not already done so, divide your class into groups of about four students with each group sitting around its table or work area.
2. Before your students begin, tell them how much time they will have to complete their investigation. (Group learning strategies often call for appointing a group time keeper who keeps the group on track.)
3. Provide your students with the following tools for investigation:
1. Tell your students that they will be examining their rocks, recording their observations about the rocks in their Rock Data Table. Circulate while they work to monitor progress and answer questions.
2. When they finish, ask students to use the data in their tables to make three groups of rocks. The rocks in each group should have similar characteristics. When they have done this, ask groups to volunteer to share their groupings and their reasons for them.
3. Give students copies of the Rock Identification Sheet. Ask them to use the sheets and their Rock Data Tables to identify the groups in which their rocks belong. If they feel confident about this, they can try to identify the specific names of the rock samples. Copy Master 2 Word Document (1.20 MB) | Copy Master 2 Adobe PDF (126 KB)
4. When students are finished, hold a whole class discussion about how it is possible to use the characteristics of rocks to group them. Make a list of their ideas on a flipchart for later.
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Applying Students' Understanding
Give each group a new set of rocks (you can switch rocks from group to group) and ask the students to group the rocks based upon their characteristics. Ask them to give a reason for why they placed each rock in its group.
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Revisiting Investigation Question 2
Complete this investigation by asking your students to reflect on this question and how their answers may have changed as a result of this investigation. For example, sedimentary rocks typically have grains that one can see, whereas igneous rocks don’t. Crystals in metamorphic rocks are often arranged in bands.
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Digging Deeper
The following passage provides more detailed information related to this investigation that you may choose to explain to your students.
There are three main categories of rocks, which are defined by how the rocks are formed.
Sedimentary Rocks
Sedimentary rock is often found in layers. One way to tell if a rock sample is sedimentary is to see if it is made from grains. Some samples of sedimentary rocks include limestone, sandstone, coal and shale.
Igneous Rocks
Igneous rocks form when magma from inside the Earth moves toward the surface, or is forced above the Earth’s surface as lava and ash by a volcano. Here it cools and crystallizes into rock. Look for crystals in igneous rocks. Examples of igneous rocks are gabbro, granite, pumice and obsidian.
Metamorphic Rocks
Metamorphic rocks are rocks that have become changed by intense heat or pressure while forming. One way to tell if a rock sample is metamorphic is to see if the crystals within it are arranged in bands. Examples of metamorphic rocks are marble, schist, gneiss, and slate.
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New Traffic Signal in Southwest Lubbock - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock
New Traffic Signal in Southwest Lubbock
A heads up to drivers in southwest Lubbock - there's a new stop light to watch out for.
The new signal, located at 98th and Vicksburg, was approved back in 2006 and was activated Thursday morning.
get more>> Web Enhanced
Complete Your Roadside Emergency Kit
Before you hit the road to travel, you might want to make sure you have certain important items with you.
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Hello Kitty Disposable Solar Cell Phone Charger
While there are many things that trouble me in Hello Kitty Hell, whenever it has to do with my wife’s Hello Kitty cell phone I have no other choice but cringe. That’s exactly what I did when she discovered the Hello Kitty disposable solar cell phone charger:
Hello Kitty solar phone charger
Hello Kitty disposable cell phone charger
This shows Hello Kitty in all her marketing wisdom. She has introduced this mini Hello Kitty solar cell phone charger that’s about the size of a lighter with claims of how eco friendly it is. Of course, the solar charger only lasts for about 500 recharges where upon it goes to the landfill (she seems to have left out this minor detail in the eco friendly equation which forces Hello Kitty fanatics to repurchase it time and again).
These points are of no concern to my wife. As long as she gets to squeal “kawaiiiii, kawaiiii” a few hundred times upon seeing it, it has served its purpose in her book. Of course, me having to listen to this again and again confirms that I most definitely am living in Hello Kitty Hell…
44 Responses to Hello Kitty Disposable Solar Cell Phone Charger
1. Rhianimator says:
This just illustrates the evil feline’s true intentions… World Domination.
2. mhkitty06 says:
Wow… I guess it’s useful, but only if you have the certain type of cellphone its made for right?
Good idea in theory…
3. Kitteh!! says:
I’m going to guess that it wouldn’t work with my black Razr, and let’s face it, would look pretty pump with a satin black phone anyway.
That said, it would be useful in principle, and 500 charges for me ~ 500 weeks, say 10 years. I can’t actually say it’s that eco-unfriendly unless it takes more power to make and dispose of it than to do 500 mains charges!
WTF is the point of a wrist lanyard on it though?
4. Binks says:
Marketing genius!
…..and kinda cute too.
5. yet another anonymous says:
> the solar charger only lasts for about 500 recharges
Are you sure? It sounds too short for me.
Solar panel lasts much longer.
Well, they may purposely introduced a component that won’t last long so that people need to buy it again and again. How evil!
6. moriyah says:
Ok, if it’s eco friendly, then it wouldn’t be so easily disposable would it? The worst part is it’s made out of some plastic composite that most likely doesn’t give way to nature… those things will be around long after we’re gone.
Japan is one of the worst purveyors of planned obsolescence out there…. with America in close second.
7. Kitteh!! says:
Seriously (and I can’t believe I am actually defending Sanrio, even slightly) 500 recharges should be 5 to 10 years use if you let your phone battery go more or less flat before recharging every time.
8. Acton says:
Perfect for accessory for your Hello Kitty phone. Other than that nothing here to see move along.
9. Catherine says:
I like the “coy” expression on HK’s face. Like “Ooops..I’m saving the plante!”
10. Catherine says:
Can’t possibly be a wrist laniard. You would have to be 6ft tall and weigh 100 lbs….or missing a hand…..
Perhaps it’s just to attach to your keys as an emergency back up?
11. Catherine says:
It’s not disposable….it has HK on it you must keep it forever! hahahaha
12. Lucy says:
I was going to say the same thing!
wow… useful, eco friendly and a collectible.
Im going to go “yay for sanrio” on this one… sorry everyone.
13. Sara Dane says:
I think the string is so you can attach it to your cell phone, you know like those little dangly charm things.. It’s a great idea, I’m sure there are others for different phones and without HK for people who don’t care for her…
14. Catherine says:
@Sara Dane
Blasphemy! Someone not caring for HK… Bite your tongue.
15. mhkitty06 says:
So bascially if you attach it to your phone, everytime you answer said phone you smack yourself in the face with it!!!!
16. Catherine says:
Give it to someone you REALLY love!
17. Sara Dane says:
I wonder if this is the actual size of the charger or if it’s smaller?? I know Mr. HKH said lighter, but there are alot of those too.. If it is then it’s pretty much the same size as a phone lol… And now that I think about it wouldn’t you have to leave it out in the sun for a while to keep it charged? I guess it would be good for um camping?? :D
18. yet another anonymous says:
I found a posted video of the product on YouTube.
The video seemed answer my question of why only 500 recharges.
The HK charger must have a battery inside and it is being charged all the time (as far as sun shine around it). 500 rechages limit must be due to the battery inside the charger. They should use newer technology battery, which lasts much longer (but more expensive).
19. Magic Smoothie says:
This makes me sad to be an eco freak. The evil kitten has made it impossible for me to boycott everything she stands for!
20. Jason says:
So is Hello Kitty flicking everyone off, picking her nose, or both?
21. jade says:
oh my word… sson hello kitty is going to take over the world… may as well just kill myself now
22. Kitteh!! says:
YAA, cheers for the info. Possibly some third party will come up with a way of opening the charger and replacing the battery, like has been done for I-pods?
Jason, maybe HK wants to suck her thumb, and can’t, because she has no mouth!? ;)
23. Sara Dane says:
Or Maybe she’s pointing at her nose to tell us that gobal warming stinks lol ;)
24. mandie says:
Hey that’s pretty useful, I hope they make one for the Sansa and iPod too, maybe a universal charger with a few different heads.
And different HK designs of course…I’d totally buy a choco cat one even if it didn’t charge anything i own
25. Liz says:
It would be a lot more eco friendly if it lasted forever, like a watch battery.
26. m says:
I agree, nice try but then it goes to the landfill. Lame. I love how she’s hugging the planet. Is that plastic?
27. Puppy says:
its a disposable solar cell phone charger…. dispose of it… asap
28. Puppy says:
not meaning to double post but… i forgot to add at the end of the message… dispose the cell phone too
29. Cyn says:
The idea of a solar charger unit is a good one, but one you need to throw away after 500 use is a dumb idea. And I bet Sanrio’s idea is that since it’s disposable they will have special editions model coming pretty soon which will sadly prompt any Hk fanatic out there to purchase more solar chargers they can possibly use and heck since the toilet paper incident you mentionned I’m sure that some HK fanantic might not even want to use the charger in the first place, or as in your Stamp misadventure, never want to throw the god damn thing away once out and have a house full of those useless thing leaving poor guy like you shake their head and beg to be taken out of Hello Kitty Hell real fast.
30. kenichi340 says:
Wow, this blog just makes me laugh. What’s wrong with the Hello Kitty franchise? You could say the same thing about Pokemon and other major franchises that are reaching out to other things.
This whole blog is just stupid.
31. Kitteh!! says:
Ok Kenichi, produce genuine (not fan art) weblinks to Pokemon white goods or “adult” computers (not the maybe $100 kiddie toys).
32. mhkitty06 says:
Ignore the dumb newbie… apparently they have not seen the many useless and non ‘age-appropriate’ items that Sanrio or bootleg marketers have come up with for HK…
I bet Pokemon isn’t nearly as bad…
I mean how many of us have seen Pokemon Tampons and Condoms???
“What’s wrong with the Hello Kitty franchise?” Indeed.
33. Kitteh!! says:
My “Pokethulhu” tee-shirt is about the closest to a “non-age appropriate” Pokemon item I can name, and it’s deliberate satire on Pokemon and the Cthulhu mythos that most under 10s won’t get, not something like, say, Pikachu snapping the elastic of a bikini model’s briefs (the HK equivalent does exist).
In any event, I fully expect that talking to the newbie will be like talking to Darlene.
34. Catherine says:
I’m worried about Darlene…….
35. mhkitty06 says:
I’m really thinking she’s
A) had a pshycotic episode and is locked in a hospital somewhere
B) taken a new identity and is acting sane as someone else
C) on a compond somewhere getting ready to drink the Coolade (sp) and wait for the HK mothership to pick her up!
36. Catherine says:
i’m going for (C)
I bet she is wearing the HK converse sneakers as we speak…..
37. sanriobaby says:
It’s a great idea in theory, but of course like what many have already said, it’s just another ploy to keep collectors wanting to buy more. I might be tempted to buy this if I came across it, but I don’t particularly like this “retro” image of HK.
38. mhkitty06 says:
I actually found a pair on Ebay that I bid on… I lost them since I didn’t want to pay $50 for them…
39. Melanie says:
Awww…hello kitty is earth friendly.
40. Tamichiko says:
A solar portable cell phone charger………..
Not such a bad idea
But one with Hello Kitty on it?
Now that’s just plain bulls**t!!!!!
41. Wireless Guy says:
I would be willing to bet these are low grade China imports and the chances of them lasting for a full 500 charges is pretty slim.
The good news is that people will save them in a drawer to add to their Hello Kitty collection so the landfills will actually benefit a bit
42. aguie says:
at least it’s useful though. the whole kitty thing is a bit of a put off, but it makes sense.
43. Bri says:
I have been reading this blog for three days. in the result i have barfed around five times, cryed 28 times, and fainted at the monstrosties twice. I feel extremely sorry for you HKH. Sanrio should be destroyed for even thinking of making Hello Kitty, let alone the products.
44. mickey millcah says:
Hello Kitty picks her nose and tells us “DON’T MAKE GLOBAL WARMING COME TODAY!!!!!”
Leave a Reply
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What Are You Looking For? An Overture to "Intelligent Search"
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The following is an overture article, by Andy Moore, for "Best Practices in Intelligent Search," a KMWorld white paper available for download.
"Seek and ye shall find..." Yeah, right. Maybe about half the time, if you're lucky.
It's true that most searches end in failure. And what's even more troubling is that the person making the search may never know that it was a failure. Let's say: A hypothetical knowledge worker enters a search query. May be a good one; may be a vague one. Doesn't (and shouldn't) matter. Then that person gets a results page. There is a long list of possible answers to his query, and there might even be some interesting stuff on it.
But the nagging doubt comes from "not knowing what you don't know," as Donald Rumsfeld once put it. MindMetre did a serious research report. They surveyed approximately 2,000 business directors and managers from all over the world. Their key conclusion? More than half (52%) said they "cannot find the information they are seeking using their own organization's enterprise search facility," within a reasonable amount of time.
There's plenty of blame for this to go around. The first one most people cite is: "information overload." I'm so sick of hearing about information overload, because I don't believe it for a second. Hear me out... There are more than 53 million individual pieces of information (books, articles, reports, videos, recordings) in the New York Public Library system. That's an overload. And yet, I guarantee you I can find any single thing I want within "a reasonable amount of time."
It's not information overload that's vexing those 2,000 business managers; it's "information under-managed" that's the problem. There can NEVER be too much information. That's absolutely contrary to the basic principles of knowledge work.
We set out to discuss "enterprise search" and "intelligent search" in this White Paper. And that we shall. But let's get something straight: Enterprise search is not what you think it is. It is not a single unified piece of software that can magically scour through the dozens of business applications that contain that piece of information our hypothetical guy was looking for. And, much less, it is not a single tool that can seek, discover and deliver an important piece of information from the hundreds and thousands of repositories from which it may emerge. In this day of thinly sliced Web content stores, SharePoint farms, mobile storage devices and cloud repositories, the hope of controlling the location and nature of a piece of information has been quite dashed.
Some people say it's "like finding a needle in a haystack." Heck, that's easy. The hard part is finding a needle in a needlestack.
What Do You Expect?
There's a certain aspect of "user expectation" that has emerged in enterprise search, and there really is little justification for it. A lot of times this is referred to as the "Googleization" factor. This is the flawed notion that corporate search should work the same way Google does. Type in a query, get a results list with "the best" answers at the top. Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to enterprise search, and we'll touch on that later, but for now let's return to that MindMetre survey. They found a couple interesting things in this regard. One, there seems to be a cultural bias: "Respondents from the US have the highest expectations when it comes to search, with 71% expecting to achieve the desired result within two minutes," says the report. But it then goes on to add: "They (US respondents) also demonstrate the best performance for internal search facilities, with 53% saying that they can find what they want in that time."
Really, 53% is "the best performance?" Wow. There must be something about American optimism that allows a success rate of only a little over half the time to be considered "the best." So be it.
But it shouldn't be easily dismissed as "just the way it is; live with it." There are hidden as well as direct costs in play as well: "Non-productive" information work, such as reformatting documents or reentering documents into computers, consumes more than $1.5 trillion in US salaries. Solutions must be brought to the table to improve those ghastly numbers.
Such as? The other participants in the White Paper certainly are a good place to start. But in general, some of the key components of a reliable and effective enterprise search solution would be:
• Accurate concept searching;
• Contextual navigation; and
• Precise automated classification.
And those activities can be deployed through the effective application of:
• Taxonomies and ontologies;
• Automatic classification;
• Better metadata;
• Better navigation; and
• A user experience that is intuitive and frictionless.
The Way Out
How did we get into this mess? Well, considering the nature of information creation and delivery, it was unavoidable. All enterprises both generate andaccumulate huge amounts of data in all sorts of formats. Much of it is textual, such as word-processing documents, HTML pages, email, social sites, newsgroups and forums, etc. But complicating matters, there's also numeric data (referred to as "structured data") often kept in relational databases.
Worrying about whether data is structured or unstructured has to stop. The location and format of the information a knowledge worker needs is irrelevant to him. The goal is to hide the sausage-making from the worker, and get him to the kielbasa as fast and easily as possible. But we've artificially, I think, made that impossible. Information assets are information assets, whether they're content or data. But the tools available historically haven't brought those two sources together; search engines have targeted documents and other forms of content while business intelligence tools have queried data. And there's a "stubborn reality," as John Mancini, president of AIIM, put it in his great blog, Digital Landfill, "that unstructured information is the red-headed stepchild of the equation-and the source of so much untapped value and intelligence in organizations."
Back to the "Googleization" issue, and the unmet expectations of many enterprise search users. Web search and enterprise search are nothing alike. Let me repeat that: Web search and enterprise search are nothing alike. Web search engines deal with information at huge scales; measured both by the amount of data and by the number of users and queries.
Enterprise engines, on the other hand, need to collect, index and rank content from more varied data sources than Web search engines, and need to do a better job of limiting the result set sizes. Enterprise users often require advanced search features, as mentioned above, to accommodate scenarios that are rarely encountered on the Web. Also, in enterprise search, users are often not allowed to see all documents. This challenge doesn't exist on the Web, where search engines only index data that is open to the general public.
So, it's different.
The entire "Best Practices in Intelligent Search" white paper is available for download
Search KMWorld
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Posts Tagged ‘Balerini in forma de iepuras asos’
1. Shopping Time: Asos Bunny Flats
September 25, 2012 by raluca
Asos Little Miss Bunny Face Ballet Flats, 25£, you can get them here (QUICKLY, before they hop-hop-hop to someone else’s shoe racks!).
Balerini in forma de iepuras, de la Asos; costa 25£ (aprox. 145 ron) si ii puteti cumpara de aici.
“Vaaai, ce draguti!” Sau mai degraba: “Piei, Satana! Ce om sanatos la cap ar purta asa ceva?” (Numele “Little Miss” ar sugera ca sunt pentru copii, dar masurile sunt “de om mare”, pana la 41, deci putem concluziona ca mustaciosii au fost ganditi pentru adulti).
De care parte a baricadei sunteti? Pro sau contra animalutelor cu mustati pe post de pantofi? Mie uneia imi plac si i-as purta de exemplu cu o rochie cu guler Peter Pan, la fel de copilaroasa.
EN: “Awww, how cute!!!” or rather “Hell, no! The last time I had animals on my feet I was wearing diapers!” (the Little Miss part of the name might suggest that these are children’s shoes, but since the sizes go all the way up to a very grown-up UK8, I think we can safely assume that these whiskered beauties are meant for adults all right).
So which side are you on? I for one kinda like’em (but hey, Winnie the Pooh is still one of my top 3 books ever!) and I’d pair them with something equally childish – such as a Peter Pan collar dress.
Iata-i si in varianta metalica, cu urechiusa zbarlita:
EN: Here they are in a metallic (copper) version as well (Don’t you just feel like pulling that little ear? No? Really? Is it just me?):
Asos Little Miss Metallic Rabbit Face Ballet Flats, 25£ (get them here);
Ii gasiti aici.
Indiferent de curentul de opinie caruia ii apartineti e bine de stiut ca intiativa Asos nu vine din neant (sau lipsa de ocupatie a designerilor). Desi aici animalutul este numit iepuras, balerinii sunt de fapt o varianta a faimosilor Mouse Flats (Balerini Soricel) ai designerului Marc Jacobs, pe care de ceva vreme incoace ii poarta o gramada de “fashioniste” (si bloggerite :D). Si care costa in jur de 200$:
EN: No matter what school of thought you belong to, it’s good to know however that Asos did not come up with this idea out of the blue (or out of sheer boredom among its designers). Even though the animal on the Asos flats is called a bunny (or a rabbit in the case of the metallic flats – I wonder why, maybe because they are supposed to be more…grown-up and lady-like?!?), they are in fact inspired by the famous Marc Jacobs flats, which have been of late on the feet of many a “fashionista” (and a blogger). They cost around 200$ (yes, we’re talking about mouse-faced flats):
perforated mouse ballerinaMarc by Marc Jacobs Perforated Mouse Ballerina – 218€ here;
Balerini soricel din piele perforata Marc by Marc Jacobs – 218€ aici.
Marc by Marc Jacobs Patent Mouse Flats from ShopBop, 235$ (get them here);
Balerini Marc by Marc Jacobs, de la ShopBop, 235$ (ii gasiti aici).
Asa ca mai bine alegem iepurasul, zicem ca-i soricel (suna a reclama Orange) si cu restul platim intretinerea (un sfat bun pentru mine insami :D). Sau…nu.
EN: So I say go with the bunny, call it a mouse and pay your utilities with the rest (which is very good advice for myself: Pay.the.utilities.Stop.buying.dresses.). Or…not.
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Sjaak & Mat, by René Duret
René Duret is a Dutch illustrator and cartoonist. He is a regular contributor to chess magazines. He makes caricatures for Schaak Magazine and his comic 'Sjaak & Mat' appears in De Voorloper. He makes a comic with and about chess player Alexandra Kosteniuk for international publications. He is also a cartoonist for De Limburger, and an artist for Van Bree advertisements.
advertising comic for Van Bree, by Rene Duret
advertising comic for Van Bree
Last updated: 2009-09-11
Series and books by René Duret in stock in the Lambiek Webshop:
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Cover for Austin Stone #2, by Guy Juke 1976
Guy Juke was one of the contributors to underground comix magazine Austin Stone around 1975, which was part of the Texas underground comix scene around the Armadillo World Head Quarters where Jim Franklin was active. He did covers as well as the comic 'Monster Joe'. He became an all-round artist, especially known for his posters and music.
Monster Joe, by Guy Juke
Guy Juke interview
Laatste update: 2006-12-23
Series en boeken door Guy Juke op voorraad in de Lambiek Webshop:
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MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)
Welcome to the companion Web pages for the second edition of the book MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide, written by Larry Ullman and published by Peachpit Press. This page is specifically for the book’s second edition, published in May 2008 (ISBN 0-321-37573-4). The first edition was published in September 2002 (0-321-12731-5). If you are using the first edition of the book, you should go to that page.
• The download also contains a file with all of the SQL commands from the book. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RUN THIS FILE IN BATCH MODE! If you want to use the SQL commands, copy the appropriate ones from the text file and paste them into the mysql client, phpMyAdmin, or whatever.
• These are the scripts for the SECOND EDITION of the book. If you are using a different edition, click the appropriate link above to find the correct page.
• adjusting the way your text editor treats text files
• using a different text editor, if possible
• posting a message to the online forum, asking for help
Complete Set of Scripts (33 KB, last modified 11/07/2007)
7 responses to MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide (2nd Edition)
1. Is this a book almost like a continuation of the php6 and mysql5 book… or rather, what is the comparison of the level of teachings in the two books?
• Hello Jason,
Thanks for your interest in the MySQL book. It’s kind of off to the side of the PHP & MySQL book. There is some overlapping content, but the MySQL book also discusses Perl and Java a bit, along with programming techniques such as storing and retrieving binary data. You’ll also learn more advanced concepts like regular expressions (in MySQL), user-defined variables, unions, stored procedures, triggers, and views. Then there’s more on installation, configuration, and administration. Hope that helps! Larry
2. I love your books. I think that you have a flair for writing. I am glad that it is your book that I have encountered. I thought that PHP had been too difficult for me. Your book is really good.
Your fan
3. My apologies for the huge slab of ‘moron’ about to be hurled your way in the form of a question…
(also further apologies for CAPS for emphasis)
Um…On page 107 of the MySQL book you instruct us to continue populating the two tables with data. But WHAT data? I presume that immanently we’re going to be doing exercises where the only way to verify whether we’ve performed the query right is to compare our return to yours. But in that case we’d need the same data. Now wait, I’m not a COMPLETE moron, as I understand that you go on to say (paraphrased) “if you don’t use the downloads I provide on my site your results MAY differ”… But the ‘may’ there is really confusing. It makes it sound like cutting and pasting your commands from the download are the only way to ‘completely’ ensure fidelity, but that we may nonetheless get it right merely by manually entering the data ourselves. Which brings me back to… what data? I flipped back a few pages, didn’t see any more data for population purposes. Even here on the web site, I only see a zip file that has folders for chapters 7, 8, 9, 12. But I’m back here in chapter 5, unsure of how to proceed.
Also, as a side note, in your examples of to alternative methods of populating rows, you seem to continually say to try one method “or” the other. But then, do you not want us to enter all that example data? And then my previous question comes up here too: Is whether or not we do so going to affect whether our queries come back correctly later in the book? Are you expecting that ‘all’ the data in your (seemingly) disjunctive examples has been fed into the database. I’m tempted to say ‘yes’, but that’s just because that’s ALL the data I can presently find to populate with!
Sorry for the length here.
-a moron
Trackbacks and Pingbacks:
[...] (other examples include VIEWs and UNIONs). I previously wrote about stored procedures in my “MySQL: Visual QuickStart Guide” and my “PHP 5 Advanced: Visual QuickPro Guide“, and then relied upon them [...]
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16 U.S. Code § 1445a - Advisory Councils
(a) Establishment
The Secretary may establish one or more advisory councils (in this section referred to as an “Advisory Council”) to advise and make recommendations to the Secretary regarding the designation and management of national marine sanctuaries. The Advisory Councils shall be exempt from the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
(b) Membership
Members of the Advisory Councils may be appointed from among—
(1) persons employed by Federal or State agencies with expertise in management of natural resources;
(2) members of relevant Regional Fishery Management Councils established under section 1852 of this title; and
(3) representatives of local user groups, conservation and other public interest organizations, scientific organizations, educational organizations, or others interested in the protection and multiple use management of sanctuary resources.
(c) Limits on membership
For sanctuaries designated after November 4, 1992, the membership of Advisory Councils shall be limited to no more than 15 members.
(d) Staffing and assistance
The Secretary may make available to an Advisory Council any staff, information, administrative services, or assistance the Secretary determines are reasonably required to enable the Advisory Council to carry out its functions.
(e) Public participation and procedural matters
The following guidelines apply with respect to the conduct of business meetings of an Advisory Council:
(1) Each meeting shall be open to the public, and interested persons shall be permitted to present oral or written statements on items on the agenda.
(2) Emergency meetings may be held at the call of the chairman or presiding officer.
(3) Timely notice of each meeting, including the time, place, and agenda of the meeting, shall be published locally and in the Federal Register, except that in the case of a meeting of an Advisory Council established to provide assistance regarding any individual national marine sanctuary the notice is not required to be published in the Federal Register.
(4) Minutes of each meeting shall be kept and contain a summary of the attendees and matters discussed.
(Pub. L. 92–532, title III, § 315, as added Pub. L. 102–587, title II, § 2112,Nov. 4, 1992, 106 Stat. 5046; amended Pub. L. 104–283, §§ 5, 9 (f),Oct. 11, 1996, 110 Stat. 3363, 3368; Pub. L. 106–513, §§ 16, 19 (b)(5),Nov. 13, 2000, 114 Stat. 2391, 2393.)
References in Text
2000—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 106–513, § 16, substituted “advise and make recommendations” for “provide assistance”.
Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 106–513, § 19(b)(5), made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 1852 of this title.
1996—Pub. L. 104–283, § 9(f), made technical amendment to directory language of Pub. L. 102–587, § 2112, which added this section.
Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 104–283, § 5, inserted before period at end “, except that in the case of a meeting of an Advisory Council established to provide assistance regarding any individual national marine sanctuary the notice is not required to be published in the Federal Register”.
16 USCDescription of ChangeSession YearPublic LawStatutes at Large
15 CFR - Commerce and Foreign Trade
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22 U.S. Code § 2721 - Impermissible basis for denial of passports
A passport may not be denied issuance, revoked, restricted, or otherwise limited because of any speech, activity, belief, affiliation, or membership, within or outside the United States, which, if held or conducted within the United States, would be protected by the first amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
(Aug. 1, 1956, ch. 841, title I, § 49, as added Pub. L. 102–138, title I, § 113,Oct. 28, 1991, 105 Stat. 655.)
22 USCDescription of ChangeSession YearPublic LawStatutes at Large
22 CFR - Foreign Relations
22 CFR Part 51 - PASSPORTS
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42 U.S. Code § 10362 - Definitions
In this section: [1]
(1) Administrator
The term “Administrator” means the Administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
(2) Advisory Committee
The term “Advisory Committee” means the National Advisory Committee on Water Information established—
(A) under the Office of Management and Budget Circular 92–01; and
(B) to coordinate water data collection activities.
(3) Assessment program
The term “assessment program” means the water availability and use assessment program established by the Secretary under section 10368 (a) of this title.
(4) Climate division
The term “climate division” means 1 of the 359 divisions in the United States that represents 2 or more regions located within a State that are as climatically homogeneous as possible, as determined by the Administrator.
(5) Commissioner
The term “Commissioner” means the Commissioner of Reclamation.
(6) Director
The term “Director” means the Director of the United States Geological Survey.
(7) Eligible applicant
The term “eligible applicant” means any State, Indian tribe, irrigation district, water district, or other organization with water or power delivery authority.
(8) Federal Power Marketing Administration
The term “Federal Power Marketing Administration” means—
(A) the Bonneville Power Administration;
(B) the Southeastern Power Administration;
(C) the Southwestern Power Administration; and
(D) the Western Area Power Administration.
(9) Hydrologic accounting unit
The term “hydrologic accounting unit” means 1 of the 352 river basin hydrologic accounting units used by the United States Geological Survey.
(10) Indian tribe
(11) Major aquifer system
The term “major aquifer system” means a groundwater system that is—
(A) identified as a significant groundwater system by the Director; and
(B) included in the Groundwater Atlas of the United States, published by the United States Geological Survey.
(12) Major reclamation river basin
(A) In general
The term “major reclamation river basin” means each major river system (including tributaries)—
(i) that is located in a service area of the Bureau of Reclamation; and
(ii) at which is located a federally authorized project of the Bureau of Reclamation.
(B) Inclusions
The term “major reclamation river basin” includes—
(i) the Colorado River;
(ii) the Columbia River;
(iii) the Klamath River;
(iv) the Missouri River;
(v) the Rio Grande;
(vi) the Sacramento River;
(vii) the San Joaquin River; and
(viii) the Truckee River.
(13) Non-Federal participant
The term “non-Federal participant” means—
(A) a State, regional, or local authority;
(B) an Indian tribe or tribal organization; or
(C) any other qualifying entity, such as a water conservation district, water conservancy district, or rural water district or association, or a nongovernmental organization.
(14) Panel
The term “panel” means the climate change and water intragovernmental panel established by the Secretary under section 10366 (a) of this title.
(15) Program
The term “program” means the regional integrated sciences and assessments program—
(A) established by the Administrator; and
(B) that is comprised of 8 regional programs that use advances in integrated climate sciences to assist decisionmaking processes.
(16) Secretary
(A) In general
Except as provided in subparagraph (B), the term “Secretary” means the Secretary of the Interior.
(B) Exceptions
The term “Secretary” means—
(i) in the case of sections 10363, 10364, and 10369 of this title, the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Commissioner); and
(ii) in the case of sections 10367 and 10368 of this title, the Secretary of the Interior (acting through the Director).
(17) Service area
The term “service area” means any area that encompasses a watershed that contains a federally authorized reclamation project that is located in any State or area described in section 391 of title 43.
[1] So in original. Probably should be a reference to this chapter.
(Pub. L. 111–11, title IX, § 9502,Mar. 30, 2009, 123 Stat. 1330.)
42 USCDescription of ChangeSession YearPublic LawStatutes at Large
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Treasures on Earth
The inner essence of worship is treasuring Jesus as infinitely valuable above everything. The outer forms of worship are the acts that show how much we treasure God. Therefore, all of life is meant to be worship because God said whether you eat or drink or whatever you do — all of life — do it all to show how valuable the glory of God is to you (1 Cor. 10:31).
Luke 12:33–34 has to do with the big pattern of how we worship with our money (and by implication it relates to what we do with our money in corporate worship, as we’ll see below). “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” Observe three things from this important text on money.
First, embracing Jesus as our great Treasure carries a strong impulse toward simplicity rather than accumulation. Focus for a moment on the words “sell your possessions” in verse 33. Who is Jesus talking to? Verse 22 earlier in the passage gives the answer: “his disciples.” Now these people were, by and large, not wealthy. They didn’t have a lot of possessions. But still He says, “Sell your possessions.” He doesn’t say how many possessions to sell.
To the rich ruler in Luke 18:22 Jesus said, “Sell everything you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” In this instance, Jesus directs the man to sell all of his possessions.
When Zaccheus met Jesus, he said, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold” (Luke 19:8). So Zaccheus gave fifty percent of his possessions.
Acts 4:36–37 says, “Barnabas…sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” So Barnabas sold at least one field.
Thus, the Bible doesn’t tell us how many possessions to sell. But why does it say sell possessions at all? Giving alms — using your money to show love for those without the necessities of life and without the gospel (the necessity for eternal life) — is so important that if you don’t have any liquid assets to give, you should sell something so you can give.
But now think what this means in context. These disciples are not cash-poor rich people whose money is all tied up in bonds or real estate. Most people like that do, in fact, usually have fairly deep savings. But Jesus didn’t say, “Take some of your savings and give alms.” He said, “Sell something, and give alms.” Why? The simplest assumption is that these folks lived close enough to the edge that they did not have cash to give and had to sell something so they could give. And Jesus wanted His people to move toward simplification, not accumulation.
So what’s the point? The point is that there is a powerful impulse in the Christian life toward simplicity rather than accumulation. The impulse comes from treasuring God as Shepherd and Father and King more than we treasure all our possessions.
And the impulse is a strong impulse for two reasons. One is that Jesus said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth [literally: those who have things] to enter the kingdom of God!” (Luke 18:24). In Luke 8:14 Jesus said that riches “choke” the Word of God. But we want to enter the kingdom vastly more than we want things. And we don’t want the gospel choked in our lives.
The other reason is that we want the preciousness of God to be manifest to the world. And Jesus tells us here that selling things and giving alms is one way to show that God is real and precious as Shepherd, Father, and King.
So the first point from Luke 12 is that trusting God as Shepherd, Father, and King carries a strong impulse toward simplicity rather than accumulation. And this brings worship out from the inner, hidden place of the heart into more visible actions for the glory of God.
But there’s a second point to see here in verse 33: the purpose of money is to maximize our treasure in heaven, not on the earth. “Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys.” What’s the connection between selling possessions here so you can meet the needs of others (the first part of the verse) and accumulating treasure in heaven for yourself (the end of the verse)?
The connection seems to be this: The way you make moneybags that don’t grow old and the way you gather a treasure in the heavens that never fails is by selling your possessions to meet the needs of others. In other words, simplifying for the sake of love on earth maximizes your joy in heaven.
Don’t miss this utterly radical point. It’s the way Jesus thinks and talks all the time. Being heavenly-minded makes a radically loving difference in this world. The people who are most powerfully persuaded that what matters is treasure in heaven, not big accumulations of money here, are the people who will constantly dream of ways to simplify and serve, simplify and serve, simplify and serve. They will give and give and give. And of course, they will work and work and work, as Paul says in Ephesians 4:28: “so that [they] may have something to share with anyone in need.”
The connection with worship — in life and on Sundays — is this: Jesus commands us to accumulate treasure in heaven, that is, to maximize our joy in God. He says that the way to do this is to sell and simplify for the sake of others. So He motivates simplicity and service by our desire to maximize our joy in God, which means that all of our use of money becomes a manifestation of how much we delight in God above money and things. And that is worship.
But there’s a third and final point to make from Luke 12: Your heart moves toward what you cherish, and God wants you to move toward Him. “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also” (v. 34). This is given as the reason why we should pursue treasure in heaven that does not fail. If your treasure is in heaven where God is, then that is where your heart will be also.
Now what is this seemingly simple verse really saying? The word treasure I take to mean “the object cherished.” And the word heart I take to mean “the organ that cherishes.” So read the verse like this: “Where the object that you cherish is, there will be the organ that cherishes.” If the object you cherish is God in heaven, your heart will be with God in heaven. You will be with God. But if the object that you cherish is money and things on the earth, then your heart will be on the earth. You will be on the earth, cut off from God.
This is what Jesus meant in Luke 16:13 when He said, “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.” To serve money is to cherish money and pursue all the benefits money can give. In this case, the heart goes after money. But to serve God means to cherish God and to pursue all the benefits God can give. Here, the heart goes after God.
And that is worship: the heart’s cherishing God and seeking Him as the treasure above all treasures.
In conclusion, let’s relate these three points from Luke 12:33–34 to the corporate act of worship we call “the offering.” This moment and this act will be worship for you, regardless of the amount — from the widow’s mite to the millionaire’s thousands — if by giving you say from the heart: “One, I hereby trust you, God, as my happy, generous Shepherd, Father, and King so that I will not be afraid when I have less money for myself in supplying the needs of others. Two, I hereby resist the incredible pressure in our culture to accumulate more and more and cast my lot with the impulse to simplicity for the sake of others. Three, I hereby lay up treasure in heaven and not on earth so that my joy in God will be maximized forever. And four, with this offering I declare that since my treasure is in heaven, my heart goes after God.”
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88534
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• You may watch this entire Conference online for free
Upsetting the World: 2000 National Conference
When the Gospel is presented boldly and without compromise it will always encounter opposition. In this series of lectures from Ligonier Ministries’ 2000 National Conference, “Upsetting the World,” Sinclair Ferguson, Al Martin, R. Albert Mohler Jr., John Piper, R.C. Sproul, Joni Eareckson Tada, and Douglas Wilson explain how to face a world that is hostile to the Gospel. Reminding us that the Gospel is offensive to depraved humanity, the speakers emphasize the need for world missions, the reality of suffering, and our heavenly reward.
Watch Messages in this Conference
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88576
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Email This Listing: Random Hills Farm
Enter the code shown in box to the right:
Random Hills Farm
Random Hills Farm was started in 2010 by Rick Barry, a former engineer, who has been growing much of his own food for over 25 years. The methods used to grow fresh tasty produce are modeled after the natural, organic and sustainable practices that help build the soil and protect the environment. From Arugula to Zucchini, over 50 varieties of vegetable and herbs are grown and marketed locally. Always open to requests...What can we grow for you? Random Hills Farm is Certified Naturally Grown, the grass roots internationally recognized alternative to USDA Organic certification.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88579
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Friday, October 26, 2012
Windows Update errors on fresh install. Internet Explorer?
After running Ubuntu for sometime now I have decided to get back into Windows. So I went out and snagged a copy of Windows 7. After install I setup Google Chrome and attempt to update Windows. I start running into errors 80070057 and 8007003 over and over. Trying Microsoft suggestions to no avail. When I come across This Link. I was very skeptical that Internet Explorer not being default browser to be the issue. After trying a few other suggestions I decided I had nothing to lose. That or try a fresh install again. So I open Internet Explorer and set as default browser. Then attempted Windows Update again. Things were going much better most updates were install but still an error. It happens,perhaps one update relies on the other, so I reboot and attempt updates again for the few left. Now I am completely up to date with Windows 7 updates.
So if your having issues with Windows Updates especially on fresh install. Try setting Internet Explorer to default browser. It worked for me.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88596
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For You, O Unborn
For you I wait, O Unborn.
My dreams resplendent with hope.
Tiny shoes, toys, dolls … I hoard it all.
I hoard it all, even though it’s a waste.
Nightmares haunt me.
I see you.
“Why bring me into your wasted world?” You demand.
“Do you want their jealousy to burn away my innocent face?”
“Their rage to destroy the fruit of your love?”
“Their lust to spew venom inside its tender flesh?”
The darkness is silent.
I forage for answers.
In vain.
And yet you’re my only hope.
In you, I dream to live.
This is a loose translation of a Bengali poem “Onagoto, Tor Jonyo”, by Abhijit Debnath, originally published on the Prothom Alo Blog. Translated and published here with permission.
One thought on “For You, O Unborn”
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Lugaru's Epsilon
Epsilon User's Manual and Reference
Commands by Topic
Getting Help
Info Mode
Web-based Epsilon Documentation
Moving Around
. . .
Source Code Browsing Interface
Changing Text
Inserting and Deleting
Killing Text
Clipboard Access
. . .
Hex Mode
. . .
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Epsilon User's Manual and Reference > Commands by Topic > Moving Around >
Source Code Browsing Interface
Epsilon can access source code browsing data generated by Microsoft compilers.
To set this up, first you must make sure your compiler generates such data, in the form of a .bsc file. From Visual Studio, ensure the "Generate browse info" option (Project/Settings, on the C/C++ tab in the General category) and the "Build browse info file" option (Project/Settings, on the Browse Info tab are both enabled. Or if you build from the command line, compile with the /FR or /Fr flag to generate .sbr files, then use the bscmake utility to combine the .sbr files into a .bsc file.
Next, set up Epsilon to use the generated browser file. To do this, run the Alt-x configure-epsilon command and select the option to install source code browser support. This retrieves a DLL file from Microsoft's web site and installs it. Or you can install the necessary DLL manually; see for details.
You can use the browser database only for source code browsing, or you can tell Epsilon to use it for tagging as well, instead of using its own tagging methods. To have Epsilon use the same browser database file for both purposes, use the select-tag-file command on Ctrl-X Alt-<Comma> to select your .bsc file. To use Epsilon's built-in tagging, and utilize the browser database only for source code browsing, select your .bsc file with the select-browse-file command, which sets the browser-file variable.
Once you've set up source code browsing, press Ctrl-<NumSlash> (using the / key on the numeric keypad) to run the browse-symbol command. It will prompt for the name of a symbol (the name of a function, variable, macro, class, or similar), using the symbol at point as the default. Then it will set a temporary bookmark at your old position, just like the set-bookmark command on Alt-/. (After using browse-symbol to navigate to a different part of your code, you can use Alt-J or Ctrl-<NumStar> to move back to your original location.) Finally, it builds a #symbols# buffer showing all available information on the symbol.
The #symbols# buffer contains a header section, followed by one section for each distinct use of the symbol. For instance, if you use the name "cost" for a function, and also use it elsewhere as a local variable name, and as a structure name somewhere else, there will be three sections, one for each use.
Browser File: c:\Project\project.bsc
Symbol: qsort
Filter all but: Var Func Macro Type Class
Filter all Uses/UsedBy but: Var Func Macro Type Class
qsort (public function) is defined at:
qsort (public function) is used at:
- C:\Program Files\Microsoft Visual Studio\VC98\include\stdlib.h(302):
-- _CRTIMP void __cdecl qsort(void *, size_t, size_t, int (__cdecl *)
- prep_env.c(79): qsort(order, cnt, sizeof(char *), env_compare);
- token.cpp(174): qsort(le, sizeX + sizeY, sizeof(line_entry), hash_cmp);
qsort (public function) is used by:
- make_proc_env (public function)
- tokenize(int *,int *) (static function)
The header section displays the name of the .bsc file used to generate the listing and the symbol being displayed. It also shows the current filters, which may be used to hide certain uses of a symbol.
Next you will see a list of those lines in your source code that define the specified symbol, followed by those lines that reference it. In the example above, qsort(), a library function, isn't defined within the project source code, so its "is defined at" section is empty. It's defined in a standard header file, and called from two places in the project source code. You can position to any of these source code lines and press <Enter>, or double-click the line, and Epsilon will go to the corresponding source file and line.
In the following section, you will see a list of functions that use the qsort() function. You can look up any one of these symbol names with <Enter> or double-clicking, and Epsilon will display the symbol listing for that symbol, replacing the current listing. Afterwards, press the L key to return to viewing the original symbol. Repeated presses go to earlier symbols. With a numeric argument, the L key displays a list of recently-viewed symbols; you can select one and have it displayed again.
If the symbol has a definition within the current project, the next section will show the functions and variables it uses in its definition.
You can set filters, as shown in the header section, to skip over certain kinds of definitions and uses. For instance, if qsort were the name of a macro as well as a function, you could use the first filter to see only the macro uses by pressing f. The second filter controls which symbols appear in the uses/used-by section; press b to set it. You can also set the filters by pressing <Enter> while on the corresponding "Filter:" line in the browser buffer. These set the browser-filter and browser-filter-usedby variables.
The browser-options variable lets you omit some of the above sections, or simplify the data shown in other ways, to make browsing quicker. The browse-current-symbol command is a variation on browse-symbol that doesn't prompt for a symbol name, but uses the name at point without prompting.
Standard bindings:
Ctrl-<NumSlash> browse-symbol
Browse mode only: f browse-set-filter
Browse mode only: b browse-set-usedby-filter
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88624
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U Ain't Bout What U Be Talkin Bout
by Lil' Boosie
Boosie bad ass(bad ass)
You ain't bout what you be talkin' bout(bitch ass nigga)
You ain't bout that murda' murda' shit
You ain't down to lose yo cool and go and hurt a bitch
We got them hook ups on them rentals now we murkin' shit
Tinted up spinnin' spinnin' let that 30 spit
Bitch do want fuckin' family in black clothes
The bitches in black dresses the niggas in black vo's(u ain't know)
I'm cut throat Kinival Imma buy the bar survival
Sip syrup and smoke fire and I'm wilder(than an average thug)
I'm hard headed my momma told me that
And you got to be real all this drama showed me that
Lose yo mind if you want to(if you want to)
I gotta click of real niggas who gon' stomp you
And want you to be hollerin' bout that iron plate(that iron plate)
And we gon' hit yo street tonight and not the next day
The Tec spray nigga don't worry bout that
They gon' get what they deserve bout that
We gon' cut down they whole curve bout that
[Chorus: x2]
You ain't bout what you be talkin' bout(uh ah)
You ain't ready for yo momma to be walkin' out(uh ah)
That big ass church wit all yo people cryin' hollerin' 'bout (hollerin' bout)
Why you had to take my son thats what them choppas bout(is you bout that boy)
You ain't really bout that shit you be talkin' so quit that talkin' ya heard me
Quit that talkin' and walkin' if you gon serve me then serve me
Now I'm young trill entertainment so know one thang I ain't worried
Cause my family do damage business ain't handled its murda'
Niggas sweeter than skittles so they spittin' in riddles
See that little shit you be spittin' gon' have you sleep in hospitals
And if you beef wit my niggas we gonna really squad up
From choppas to a 6 bitch you can't avoid us
Rappin' bout smokin' that killa don't even smoke killa
Even if you did I wouldn't even smoke witcha
Ya bitch ya fraud ya fake ya muthafuckin' fluke
Pussy all wet ya fuckin' booty all loose
You and them other two niggas duck duck goose
Under the throwback jersey the vest bulletproof
Gangsta shit jump off boy you know you finna run out
Close yo fuckin' mouth fore I rip yo damn tongue out
[Chorus: x2]
You ain't bout layin' under a nigga house like a mouse
And you light his ass up when he come out(when its a drought)
We get sick wit it you heard about lil' Trell
Gunned downed when he was 12 ever since then its been hell
And Webbie they don't live like we live(fuck no)
They don't deal like we deal they ain't real like we real
Look I'm from that track like that bottom of that S.S.B
Whateva' you call it that shit lives in me them niggas kill for free
Like lil' Trell on the lum
Cause you niggas ain't my equal and they hatin' on this lil' thug
A lot of niggas scared of y'all but not me
This for them niggas in rap game who knock me but can't stop me
And my posse is full of thugs
Like Headbussa baby Junior and my nigga Jug
We dumpin' slugs on a enemy
I thought you was my closest friend but now on you just a friend to me
And this fuckin' penitentiary make niggas think they real
But when they get out they got a nerve to pop a pill(but look here)
They ain't bout what they be talkin' bout you know what I'm sayin'
Niggas be rappin niggas be spittin' but they ain't never do none of that shit
So you don't get no cool points from Boosie (believe that)
They don't get no cool points from me
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88626
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Right! now ha, ha
I am an antichrist
I am an anarchist
Don't know what I want
Bit I know how to get it
I wanna destroy the passerby
I wanna be anarchy
No dogs body
Anarchy for the u.k.
It's coming sometime and maybe
I give a wrong time stop a traffic line
Your future dream is a shopping scheme
I wanna be anarchy
In the city noww!
How many ways to get what you want
I use the best
I use the rest
I use the enemy
I use anarchy
I wanna be anarchy
It's the only way to be
Is this the m.p.l.a. or
Is this the u.d.a. or
Is this the I.r.a.
I thought it was the u.k.
Or just another country
Another council tenancy
I wanna be anarchy
I wanna be anarchy
Oh what a name
And I wanna be an anarchist
Get pissed
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Anarchy In The Uk Lyrics
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88627
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You're an adventurer
You sail across the oceans
You climb the Himalayas
Seeking truth and beauty as a natural state
You're a queen reborn
Worshiped from above, afar
Some see you as an elixir
An elemental natural, seeking perfect grace
In a catacomb
Or cave of endless drawings
Prehistoric or religious
Your accomplishments prodigious
Seeking out the perfect tone
Your language so clear
Your voice perfectly turning
As in the city, I sit yearning
Blowing rings of smoke from thin cigars
Or driving fast in foreign cars
To capture your remains
You're an adventurer
A turban wet, wrapped 'round your head
On the mountainside, they predict your death
Oh, how you fooled them all
But subjects are a poor excuse
When what you really want's a muse
An inspirating knowledge of what comes before
Speeds of light
The momentary flicker of a candle in its wicker basket
Smoking wax - facts!
Did you find that superior knowledge that eluded you in college?
Did you find that super vortex that could cause your cerebral cortex
To lose its grip?
You're an adventurer
You were out looking for meaning
While the rest of us were steaming in an inspirating urban pit
An adventurer
You enter as I'm dreaming
I wish I'd never wake up
Differentiating, scheming from my one true love
You're an adventurer
You love the angles and the cherries
The height and width of levies
The natural bridge and tunnels of the human race
You're an adventurer
Nothing seems to scare you, and if it does, it won't dissuade you
You just will not think about it
You dismiss it and defocus
You redefine the locus of your time in space - race!
As you move further from me, and though I understand the thinking
And have often done the sane thing, I find parts of me gone
You're an adventurer
And though I'll surely miss you
But at this point I anticipate some grieving
And although I know your leaving
Is a necessary adjunct to what we both do
An adventurer
Splitting up the atom
Splitting up the once was
Splitting up the essence
Of our star-crossed fate
None who meet you do forget you
My adventurer, my adventurer
My adventuress
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Adventurer Lyrics
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88628
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If my loving you
Could change the river's flow
I would not let you drift away from me
I'd never let go
I want to be by your side
But the water's too deep and wide
In another life
In another place
I have held you close
I have known your grace
In another world
In another time
You'll be mine
You'll be mine
If I touched you now
I'd only lose my mind
In a cruel world we live in
One life at a time
I don't know where or when
But we'll pass this way again
Repeat chorus two times
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In Another Life Lyrics
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88629
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New! Read & write lyrics explanations
• Highlight lyrics and explain them to earn Karma points.
He said to her I'd like a cheeseburger
And I might like a milkshake as well
She said to him I can't give you either
And he said isn't this Burger Bell
She said yes it is but we're closed now
But we open tomorrow at ten
He said I am extremely hungry
But I guess I can wait until then
Cause you're his cheeseburger, his yummy cheeseburger
He'll wait for you
Yeah, he'll wait for you
Oh, you are his cheeseburger
His tasty cheeseburger
He'll wait for you
Oh, he will wait for you
He stayed at the drive-thru till sunrise
He may have dozed off once or twice
When he spotted a billboard for Denny's
Bacon and eggs for half price
How could he resist such an offer?
He really needed something to munch
Cheeseburger, please do not get angry
He'll eat and be back here for lunch
Cause you're his cheeseburger
His precious cheeseburger
Be back for you
He'll be back for you
Won't be so long cheeseburger
Oh lovely cheeseburger
Be back for you
Oh, he'll be back for you
Cause he loves you, cheeseburger
With all his heart
And there ain't nothing
Gonna tear you two apart
And if the world suddenly
Ran out of cheese
He would get down
On his hands and knees
To see if someone accidentally
Dropped some cheese in the dirt
And he would wash it off for you
Wipe it off for you
Clean that dirty cheese off just for you
You are his cheeseburger
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• U
UnregisteredFeb 14, 2012 at 12:19 am
He loves cheeseburgers and would do anything for cheeseburgers. He knows that they will forgive him if he eats at denny's which makes him love cheeseburgers more. He was extremely hungry and he thought he could wait until theeennn!! But he's his cheeseburger, his yummy cheeseburger!!
• U
UnregisteredDec 7, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Write about your feelings and thoughts
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Add image by pasting the URLBoldItalicLink
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88635
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OmniGraffle en OmniGraffle 6 Review <!--paging_filter--><p>OmniGraffle is known for being the top diagram and wireframing app for the Mac. It’s gathered a loyal following for a feature set used for everything from app design to drawing up plans for a new kitchen.</p><p>OmniGraffle 6’s most visible change is the “one-window” design. Inspectors to edit your document no longer float in separate windows; they live within one window alongside your document. While you can still open inspectors in floating panels of their own, this substantial change means the messy and overlapping windows found in previous versions are gone. Instead, there’s a more carefully considered approach to accessing the tools that live at the heart of OmniGraffle, and full-screen support (which arrived a few versions ago) finally sings.</p><p><img src="/files/u332541/2014/05/omnigraffle_620.png" /></p><p>The push to bring everything into one window is reiterated with the type inspector, allowing you to change fonts using a pop-up menu within the new inspector. For those who prefer the OS X font panel, that’s also still available. The type inspector also adds fine-grained control for kerning, and the ability to set up tracking for an entire word.</p><p>Managing templates and stencils within OmniGraffle is new, too. There’s no need to dive into the Finder, though it’s worth noting that users of version 5 must manually import any previously created Stencils and Templates in order for them to be used in this version. We also like the in-canvas image masking: no more chopping up images in Photoshop before dragging them into OmniGraffle.</p><p>Syncing with OmniGraffle for iPad (and any other Mac you may use) is handled through “OmniPresence,” a free service from The Omni Group. There’s no iCloud sync offered in the Mac App Store version, but OmniPresence is fast, free, and also available as a self-hosted option that companies can run in-house instead of on a third-party server.</p><p>We’ve been looking at the standard-edition features so far, but Pro (an additional $100 from the Omni Group’s website, or as an IAP on the Mac App Store) adds big features in version 6 too, particularly if you’re designing apps or working as part of a larger team. resolution-independent display scaling for Retina-accurate wireframes, Xcode Project import, presentation mode, layered Photoshop document export and shared layers across a document may double the price, but for heavy users, they’re worth it.</p><p>OmniGraffle 6 balances important big new features with tons of smaller additions. As a result, it’s easier for newcomers, and existing users find themselves even more productive.</p><p><strong>The bottom line.</strong> OmniGraffle 6 raises the bar for diagramming apps on the Mac, and is easier to use than ever.</p><fieldset class="fieldgroup group-the-bottom-line"><legend>Review Synopsis</legend><div class="field field-type-text field-field-product"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Product:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <!--paging_filter--><p>OmniGraffle 6.0.4</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-company"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Company:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> The Omni Group </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-contact"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Contact:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <!--paging_filter--><p><a href="" target="_blank"></a></p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-price"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Price:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> $99.99 ($49.99 to upgrade) </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-requirements"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Requirements:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <!--paging_filter--><p>Mac running OS X 10.8 or later, 64-bit processor, 50MB disk space</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-positives"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Positives:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <!--paging_filter--><p>New design is much easier to use. Improves stencil organization. Image masking is fantastic.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="field field-type-text field-field-negatives"> <div class="field-label"><p><strong>Negatives:</strong> <p></div> <div class="field-items"> <div class="field-item odd"> <!--paging_filter--><p>Big price jump to Pro version.</p> </div> </div> </div> </fieldset> Reviews diagram Mac Omni Group OmniGraffle OmniGraffle 6 Productivity Software Software wireframe Fri, 16 May 2014 21:11:55 +0000 Nik Fletcher 19959 at OmniGraffle <!--paging_filter--><p>If you do a lot of diagramming, OmniGraffle is a must-buy. Contrary to it’s whimsical name, OmniGraffle is neither a toy, nor a graphing tool (although OmniGraphSketcher can handle the latter). But what OmniGraffle does do well is charts. Whether it’s organizational charts, flowcharts, interface mockups, or even page layouts, OmniGraffle allows you to quickly sketch out ideas on your iPad. The controls are intuitive, and well-suited to iPad’s touch interface. Once you’ve OmniGraffle is a perfect example of a complex and powerful application that has been thoughtfully adapted for the iPad. Once you’ve perfected your chart, you can export them as PDFs, PNGs, or .graffle docs for use with the desktop Mac version of OmniGraffle.</p><p><a class="thickbox" href=""><img src="" width="380" height="285" /></a></p> Reviews iPad ipad app reviews OmniGraffle reviews Wed, 05 May 2010 20:49:43 +0000 Ray Aguilera 6747 at The Omni Group on Rethinking Productivity Apps for iPad <!--paging_filter--><p>The Omni Group has been a major player in the productivity market on Mac for many years, and even made a launch-day move on the iPhone App Store in 2008 with its award-winning OmniFocus task management app. But for Apple's next portable device, Omni has even grander plans: the company announced in January that it will bring all five of its core productivity and design apps--OmniGraffle, OmniPlan, OmniOutliner, OmniGraphSketcher, and the aforementioned OmniFocus--to the iPad in 2010.</p><p><a href="/files/u129772/OGS-inspect_full.jpg" class="thickbox"><img height="294" src="/files/u129772/OGS-inspect_380.jpg" width="380" /></a><br /><strong>"In Production" Screenshot. Final UI May Change </strong></p><p>With two of those apps (OmniGraffle and OmniGraphSketcher) hoping to be available soon after the iPad launch, we spoke with Omni Group founder and CEO Ken Case earlier this month to find out how the company has approached development on the iPad.<br /><br />"The thing that really made us want to jump on it right away is the opportunity to start thinking about how our applications should interact on a multitouch computing device. This is the first device that I think really is well suited to having something like OmniGraffle be on it in a multitouch form," explains Case. "It's not the first device of this sort--obviously, the iPhone and iPod Touch have been around for a few years--but those didn't really have enough screen real estate to really make sense to do a diagramming application on it of this sort."</p><p><a href="/files/u129772/OmniGraffle-1_full.jpg" class="thickbox"><img height="491" src="/files/u129772/OmniGraffle-1_380.jpg" width="380" /></a><br /><strong>"In Production" Screenshot. Final UI May Change </strong><br /><br />Case sees multitouch devices as the future of computing as a whole, and says the company wanted to "get its feet wet" with the iPad and thinking of ways to adapt its programs to this emerging environment. Moreover, he sees the iPad as much more of a collaborative device than a laptop, opening the doors for multiple users to interact with greater flexibility. "These productivity applications are particularly well-suited to bringing over to a mobile device that you can bring into a coffee shop and work with somebody across the table," he asserts. "They can see the same thing you're looking at sitting on the table in front of you, and you can sit here and manipulate the wire-frames you're mocking up (or whatever)."<br /><br />As it did when it brought OmniFocus to the iPhone, The Omni Group is trying to distill each of its applications to its primary functions and needs on the path to the iPad, as to present the best experience within the unique features (and limitations) of the tablet. "We're trying to get to what the core of our applications are about, and then we're rethinking how we present that core functionality on this entirely new device," says Case. "So we tend not to think about it as things that we're changing about the application, but rather about what it is that is essential to this application."</p><p><img height="460" src="/files/u129772/prototyping-whiteboard_622.jpg" width="622" /><br /><br />In the case of OmniGraffle and OmniGraphSketcher, you can see from the non-final, work-in-progress iPad simulator screens that Omni is attempting to maintain what makes each Mac app so useful and compelling, while designing the user interface to take advantage of the iPad's myriad features and additions (such as the popover menus). Initially, Case says the team tried to embrace complex actions, even developing an entire set of unique gestures for its apps, but ultimately ceded to simplicity and the desire to make its applications both powerful <em>and</em> approachable.<br /><br />"Our first inclination was that we thought we'd try to get rid of all the modes we have in our applications, like the drawing mode in OmniGraffle, versus the painting mode or maybe a navigating mode. And as we started going down that path we realized that it led to a lot of different gestures that you'd have to do to accomplish the different tasks that you want," admits Case. "When we thought about it, we realized we didn't want people to have to learn an all-new gestural language for a device that's supposed to be this simple. What we really want is for people to be able to use it with just a single finger, and then have these gestures be ways that they could be more efficient about it, but [still] have everything be discoverable and usable with just a single finger and the familiar gestures they already know from using an iPhone."</p><p><img height="481" src="/files/u129772/OGS-simulator_622.jpg" width="622" /><br /><strong>"In Production" Screenshot. Final UI May Change </strong><br /><br />As a result, Case says the team hasn't focused so much on bringing new features to the iPad versions of these apps, but rather refining the user interface and commands to promote simplicity and ease of use. However, having a portable device like the iPad in the mix has prompted Omni to consider some of the ways these new apps might interact with their Mac counterparts. "We are looking at things like sharing and syncing, as those seem like really important components of a mobile device," he says. "Being able to share your documents and synchronize them with other copies, or back to the Macintosh desktop--those are some new areas for us."<br /><br />With Case keen on the future of multitouch computing and company readying all five of its primary productivity apps for the iPad, it's clear that The Omni Group expects big things from the device--so much so that Case believes these portable iterations could become Omni's top products in the future. "I think the potential is there--over the next five years, I would expect the iPad apps to be outselling the Macintosh apps," claims Case. "At the moment, our iPhone app version of OmniFocus is outselling the Mac version, so it's already happened with at least one of our apps. I wouldn't be surprised to see it happen with these others as well."</p><p> </p> applications Features iPad Omni Group OmniFocus OmniGraffle OmniGraphSketcher OmniOutliner OmniPlan Software Tue, 30 Mar 2010 23:16:05 +0000 Andrew Hayward 6368 at
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A pair of hackers have discovered a method of bringing iOS apps to HDTVs via a jailbroken Apple TV.
Developers Steve Troughton-Smith and Nick "TheMudkip" built the bridge using an alternative to Apple's built-in SpringBoard (the home screen) called MobileX. The demo Apple TV was jailbroken using the latest untethered version of Seas0nPass and runs webpages and apps like Maps, YouTube, Facebook and Cydia through SSH and VNC connections.
MobileX struggles a bit with lag and crashes, so it isn't quite ready for public consumption. But eager developers can download the necessary code to allow the Apple TV remote to control apps when MobileX finally makes its debut.
Apple TV offers some support for MobileX features through AirPlay Mirroring, but it's limited to the iPad 2 and the iPhone 4S -- with the possibility of Mirroring with OS X Lion coming soon -- and only certain apps are compatible.
The problem with the hack is that iOS apps are controlled by touch, and without the clever use (and additional cost) of Apple's Magic Trackpad or a second iOS device, navigating iOS apps on an Apple TV would be awkward at best and nonfunctional at worst.
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Poster of Linux kernelThe best gift for a Linux geek
Section: Coin (3) Updated: 10 May 2010
Local index Up
xmlparsing - XML Parsing with Coin For Coin 3.0, we added an XML parser to Coin. This document describes how it can be used for generic purposes.
Why another XML parser, you might ask? First of all, the XML parser is actually a third-party parser, expat. Coin needed one, and many Coin-dependent projects needed one as well. We therefore needed to expose an API for it. However, integrating a 3rd-party parser into Coin, we can not expose its API directly, or other projects also using Expat would get conflicts. We therefore needed to expose the XML API with a unique API, hence the API you see here. It is based on a XML DOM API we use(d) in a couple of other projects, but it has been tweaked to fit into Coin and to be wrapped over Expat (the original implementation just used flex).
The XML parser is both a streaming parser and a DOM parser. Being a streaming parser means that documents can be read in without having to be fully contained in memory. When used as a DOM parser, the whole document is fully parsed in first, and then inspected by client code by traversing the DOM. The two modes can actually be mixed arbitrarily if ending up with a partial DOM sounds useful.
The XML parser has both a C API and a C++ API. The C++ API is just a wrapper around the C API, and only serves as convenience if you prefer to read/write C++ code (which is tighter) over more verbose C code.
The C API naming convention may look a bit strange, unless you have written libraries to be wrapped for scheme/lisp-like languages before. Then you might be familiar with the convention of suffixing your functions based on their behaviour/usage meaning. Mutating functions are suffixed with '!', or '_x' for (eXclamation point), and predicates are suffixed with '?', or '_p' in C.
The simplest way to use the XML parser is to just call cc_xml_read_file(filename) and then traverse the DOM model through using cc_xml_doc_get_root(), cc_xml_elt_get_child(), and cc_xml_elt_get_attr().
See also:
XML related functions and objects, cc_xml_doc, cc_xml_elt, cc_xml_attr
This document was created by man2html, using the manual pages.
Time: 21:58:55 GMT, April 16, 2011
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May 2001 Simpsons Action Figure Preview (
By:John Fiedler
Date: Thursday, December 07, 2000
Source: ToyFare Magazine
The amazing people over at ToyFare magazine have dedicated a large section of their magazine for February 2001 to covering 'The Simpsons' and the popular action figures. The action figures to be released in May 2001 are the Comic Book Guy, Ralph Wiggum, Casual Homer, Lenny, Groundskeeper Willie, Itchy & Scratchy, Patty, Pin Pal Apu and Kent Brockman.
The magazine tells us that the second wave of Simpsons action figures in the year 2001 will be Captain Pete McAllister, Martin Prince, Sideshow Mel, Bumblebee Man, Bartman, Reverend Lovejoy (w/ church playset) and Jimbo Jones (with Springfield Arcade playset).
In the issue is also an article discussing how the people over at Playmates Toys pick out what characters will be coming out next. The article also states that we can expect to see some guest stars possibly coming out as action figures. However, they do state that Playmates tried to allow Bette Midler and Johnny Carson to create action figures of them, however they denied.
Lastly, the issue also names the 'Greatest Toys of 2000' and it named the Simpsons action figures as the 'Best Toy Line' and also 'Best Action Figure'.
Pick up an issue of the magazine folks -- it's the February 2001 one. It's filled with great Simpsons stuff this month for you to sink your teeth into.
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User menu
Main menu
Charisse's Q & A
Who's your favorite sports team, and why?
Syracuse Orange Basketball because they're awesome, and we have the #2 winningest coach of all time.
What's your favorite movie quote?
"But why is the rum gone??"
Marvel vs. Capcom 2, yup you better watch out ;)
Piercings/Tattoos (How many? Where?)
6 piercings - ears and naval - 1 tattoo on the inside of my lip. It says GRRR.
What's the most embarrassing song on your iPod?
Too Sexy by Right Said Fred
What's your best party trick?
I can do any Beyonce dance.
What's the most memorable pick-up line you've ever heard?
Are you Google? Because you have everything I'm searching for.
What's the worst job you've ever had?
Working in a Giant Lemon making lemonade.
What's the most dangerous thing you've ever done?
I went snorkeling with Sting Rays and held one.
What's the strangest thing in your fridge right now?
Banana baby food because I don't have kids.
What's the naughtiest thing you've ever done in public?
A classy girl doesn't kiss and tell ;)
What do you feel sexiest wearing?
Tell us a joke.
Why did Tigger look in the toilet? Because he was looking for Pooh.
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Linux Director: Battling Microsoft is "Like Kicking a Puppy"
+ Add a Comment
Of course, you're saying that, Jim... it's what you're paid to do.
Yes, I run Linux on my edge. Yes, I run Windows so I can access the tools to make money. Would I put it on User desktops? Perhaps if I was working for the City of Vienna. Choice is good.
You use a flightless bird as a mascot and wonder why it doesn't fly?
Didn't these guys just a few short months ago have trouble with Android claiming to be linux? funny now that Androids are the biggest smartphone in town, they have no problem claiming it.
How about a link to that? As I can't find anything. The Linux foundation annouced developing training courses for Android back in Janaury.
I used to be one of those Linux super-fanbois back in 7th grade, but I've grown out of it for one, and Linux, especially Ubuntu, can prove itself now for the most part. I actually don't despise Microsoft or Windows like most fambois, I think Windows 7 is the best yet, but I always say that Linux and Windows has the things it does well, and then the things it doesn't do so well.
Linux does dominate the Web and many enterprise servers though...that tells you that it's widely trusted. It isn't on PCs because of the simple fact that Windows comes with 99% of them, and ordinary users won't justify removing something they know (Windows) and replacing it with something they don't know (Linux).
"If it weren't for the joke of Linux gaming, I'd be rolling Linux all the time..."
This (along with other unstable/incompatible applications).
I'd love to be able to run linux and see it become the main desktop OS. The issue (besides MS dominance) is that most users either don't care or find it daunting by reputation. Additionally, versions which are more user friendly (Ubuntu) are almost as bloated and unstable as Windows, so the majority of people have no reason to switch (besides the cost).
If it weren't for the joke of Linux gaming, I'd be rolling Linux all the time at home. I put it on mom's computer, and had amazingly few problems.
totally agree with you!
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Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome is a malformation found at birth (congenital) involving abnormal development of blood vessels, soft tissues and bones. People who have Klippel-Trenaunay syndrome may have the following features:
• Reddish-purple birthmarks called port-wine stains or capillary malformations
• Larger and longer extremities due to bone and soft tissue overgrowth that occurs most often in one of the lower limbs
• Varicose veins
Nov. 19, 2012
You Are ... The Campaign for Mayo Clinic
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Most people who get smallpox survive. However, there are a few rare varieties of smallpox that are almost always fatal. These more severe forms of smallpox most commonly affect pregnant women and people with impaired immune systems.
Aug. 10, 2011
You Are ... The Campaign for Mayo Clinic
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Adult Still's disease
Essential thrombocythemia
Giant cell arteritis
Giant cell arteritis causes inflammation in your arteries, particularly those in your head. Early treatment often relieves symptoms and prevents vision loss, a serious complication.
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Juvenile rheumatoid arthritis is the most common type of arthritis in children. In most cases, it's not a lifelong disorder.
Polymyalgia rheumatica
Aug. 16, 2013
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88760
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NESIRITIDE - INJECTION (Natrecor) side effects, medical uses, and drug interactions.
nesiritide-injection, Natrecor (cont.)
NOTES: Do not share this medication with others. Laboratory and/or medical tests may be performed to monitor your progress and for possible side effects.
MISSED DOSE: If the dose is interrupted, contact the doctor to establish a new dosing schedule/IV rate.
STORAGE: Store at room temperature between 56 and 86 degrees F (13 to 30 degrees C) or refrigerated between 36 and 46 degrees F (2 and 8 degrees C) away from light and moisture. Once mixed in the vial or the IV solution, this product is stable at room temperature or refrigerated for 24 hours. Discard any unused portion of the vial(s).
Last Editorial Review: 3/2/2005
Report Problems to the Food and Drug Administration
Pill Finder Tool
Need help identifying pills and medications?
Use the pill identifier tool on RxList.
Back to Medications Index
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You are here
Seven Girls & Seven Nights
Dating more than one woman really is a sport. It involves skill, concentration, and (if you're lucky) lots and lots of scoring.
In the digital age, juggling more than one girl at a time is far more complicated than just worrying about a few incriminating traces of lipstick on the collar. With the advent of cell phones, text messages, and IMing, the danger of your lovelies finding out about one another-and messing up your winning streak-has never been greater. To stay in the game, you need to empty out your playbook.
You don't have to be sprinting back and forth between two restaurants like Jack Tripper in an episode of Three's Company to risk "Ms. Right" finding out about "Ms. Right Now." All you need to do is make one technological slipup. Here are our suggestions for staying in the clear...
Danger Zone 1: Social-networking sites (such as MySpace or Facebook)
You can assume any girl you date will check out your page at some point to see who's left you messages and vice versa.
Game plan: Be discerning when allowing girls to post comments. When it comes to "adding" people, it's best if you go all or nothing. If you're "friends" with all the naked sluts under the sun, you'll desensitize her and she'll assume you just want to seem popular. Also remember, no matter how your relationship progresses, to keep your profile status set to "swinger," never "single" or "in a relationship"; it adds an air of mystery and privacy. If she asks, just tell her it's a joke.
Damage control: She offhandedly asks you how you know that smiling redhead with the enormous tits. "Opt for the crazy-ex-girlfriend excuse-I just tell girls that my ex is still hung up on me and is always harassing me about all the other women on my page," says Barry, 24.
Danger Zone 2: Texting
Your cell isn't just a phone, it's a relationship journal, delineating every covert move you make.
Game plan: Whatever you do, don't ever leave your phone unattended or unlocked, especially if she has the chance to snag it. Text in front of her as little as possible; unless it's an emergency, save it for when you visit the can. Or, if you must text when she's in the room, keep your answers brief-one word or even a single letter is ideal. And remember, when you say you are texting your mom a "happy birthday" message, she is making a mental note to check if your mother's birthday really is today. Finally: Delete, delete, delete.
Damage control: She backs you into a corner, smoke coming out of her ears, and asks about "Dana." Roll your eyes and laugh. "Richie Dana," you explain. "It's not his fault his last name is Dana-give me a break." Another out: "I make sure I create male aliases for the girls who tend to blow up my phone the most," says Jordan, 29. "Like Amy becomes Aaron and so on." Initials work in a pinch as well.
Danger Zone 3: E-mail
Many a player's lifestyle has been marred by a failure to log out.
Game plan: A girl who doesn't trust you will make it her life's work to hack into your e-mail. So instead of using your dog's name or the street you grew up on as the password, use creative passwords that are combinations of letters and numbers that only you could know (and 123456 isn't one of them). You should also disable the cookies and cache on your computer so the machine never tries to remember your access codes for you. Or, even better, if your girl absolutely has to use your machine to check her e-mail, try setting up individual, password-protected accounts for both you and her. This protects not only your e-mail but also necessities such as the links to porn in your Web-browser favorites. If she asks what's up with the codes, play dumb and tell her you don't know how to turn them off.
Damage control: Since the worst that can happen is that she'll access your e-mail archive, don't make it easy for her to bust you if she breaks in. Move potentially incriminating messages from your bulk e-mail tray into specially labeled folders with the most boring-sounding names you can think of: "work," "term paper research," "fantasy football league," or whatever you think she'll be least likely to open if she is trying to see what you've been up to. Or just set up multiple e-mail accounts, and use a different one to woo each of your women. That way, should she get into the only e-mail account she knows about, the only messages she'll see are the ones you've sent her.
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Welcome to the Screening Program
Counseling Services at Harris-Stowe State University welcomes you to the online screening for alcohol issues, anxiety disorders, and depression. The free screening is made available to all Harris-Stowe State University students and is taken anonymously. The screening is provided so that you may find out, in just a few minutes, whether or not professional consultation would be helpful to you.
Take an Anonymous Screening
Step 1 of 5
Your Progress
Step 1: Welcome
Step 2: Select a Screening
Step 3: Demographics
Step 4: Screening
Step 5: Results & Recommendations
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It's been more than a month since new insurance plans kicked in under the new federal health care law.
So we'd like to know: What's your experience with Obamacare so far? If you're a consumer, has the law allowed you to keep most of the doctors and hospitals in your provider network? If you're a physician, how is the law affecting your practice and the number of patients you're seeing?
Send us your comments, along with your name and contact information, to
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MetaFilter posts tagged with godzilla and japan Posts tagged with 'godzilla' and 'japan' at MetaFilter. Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:52:05 -0800 Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:52:05 -0800 en-us 60 Beasts of the Past <em>“One day, we looked around and realized that almost no one is making tokusatsu anymore,” said Shinji Higuchi, one of a handful of Japanese directors who still have experience in the genre, having directed three movies in the 1990s featuring the giant fire-breathing turtle Gamera. “We don’t want this technique to just quietly disappear without at least recognizing how indebted we are to it.”</em> - <a href="">The last days of the rubber-suit monsters.</a>,2013:site.131555 Mon, 02 Sep 2013 11:52:05 -0800 Artw "Daimajin, please come punish our abusers with wrath! / OH NO, RUN, THERE'S WRATH EVERYWHERE!!! <blockquote><i><a href="">He is the spirit of vengeance and the wrath of God</a> <a href="">given form</a>. But when <a href="">Daimajin's rage</a> was unleashed, <a href="">it could be directed at both the wicked and the innocent alike.</a></i></blockquote> "<i><a href="">Daimajin</a></i>","<i><a href="">Return of Daimajin (Daimajin Ikaru)</a></i></a>", and "<i><a href="">Wrath of Daimajin (Daimajin Gyakushu)</a></i></a>" were a trio of <i><a href="">kaiju eiga</a></i></a> (“giant monster movies”) all produced and released in 1966 by the <a href="">Daiei Motion Picture Company</a> (producers of the <i><a href="">Gamera</a></i> movies). Unlike most <em>kaiju eiga</em> (e.g., <i>Godzilla</i>, <i>Mothra</i>, <i>War of the Gargantuas</i>, etc.) which were set <a href="">post-WWII</a> and were famous for <a href="">high-tech</a> <a href="">anti-kaiju weapons</a>, the <i><a href="">Daimajin</a></i> movies are set during the feudal <i><a href="">Sengoku Jidai</a></i> (“Warring States Period”) and are in many ways as much <i><a href="">chanbara</a> (“<a href="">samurai</a> <a href="">sword</a>-<a href="">fight</a></i>”) <a href="">period pieces</a> (<i>Jidaigeki</i>) as they are <i>kaiju</i> movies. <em>Daiei</em> was already known for <a href="">making</a> <i><a href="">Jidageki</a></i></a> <a href="">movies</a>, so they had sets, costumes, actors, and the abundant Japanese countryside as backdrop already lined up The common theme among the three films involves the local peasantry being abused by their local evil Samurai overlords and praying to the angry spirit that is trapped within the buried statue to wreak vengeance on their abusers. Inspired by the Jewish legend of the <a href="">Golem</a>, <i><a href="">Daimajin</a></i></a> was crafted to bring a Japanese flavor to the idea. While Japanese mythology has no direct mythological analog to the Golem, the producers dipped into <i><a href="">Shinto</a></i></a>, the indigenous Japanese <a href="">animist</a> tradition, and the Japanese historical practice of burying <a href="">figurative</a> <a href="">statues</a>. The first <i><a href="">Daimajin</a></i> movie has the titular statue at his most wrathful, <a href="">a force of nature</a> that once summoned is unstoppable and poses a threat to the very mortals who summoned him. The 2nd & 3rd movies depict the monster as more focussed in his punishment of evildoers. In 2010, the Daimajin story was updated to modern Tokyo and made into a TV series, <i><a href="">Daimajin Kanon</a></i></a>. <a href="">An in-depth (spoilery!) article on the Daimajin movies.</a>,2012:site.122170 Sat, 24 Nov 2012 19:19:53 -0800 Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey Watch out for the fireball sac secretions <a href="">Lateral post-medial anterioöptical anatomical monster drawings</a>,2009:site.78450 Tue, 20 Jan 2009 08:37:41 -0800 Blazecock Pileon Men in (glass) suit? <a href="">"Dear Tokyo, why don't you have a building like this yet?"</a> There are a lot of <a href="">other ideas found on Ironic Sans</a>.,2006:site.56792 Wed, 06 Dec 2006 20:25:19 -0800 myopicman THE TRUE FIGHT WILL BEGIN FROM NOW!! <a href="">NEGADON!!</a> <em>"NEGADON - the Monster from Mars" is a "digital monster film", a film for the future.</em> Similar in execution to the short film which eventually spawned <a href="">"Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow"</a>, Negadon is a 100% computer-generated short which has been cleverly designed to look like the old <a href="">Japanese</a> <a href="">man-in-the-rubber-suit</a> <a href="">monster </a><a href="">movies</a> of the 50's. Even the <a href="">posters</a> look the part.,2005:site.45781 Tue, 11 Oct 2005 08:51:01 -0800 40 Watt The End of an Era! <a href="">Goodbye Gojira</a> Toho decides to retire our favorite radioactive green dinosaur. Sure there were some crappy ones, but even the crappy ones were great in their own way. And if you've never seen <a href="">Godzilla Raids Again</a> or the uncut remake of <a href="">Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah</a> you owe it to yourself to get watching. Bye-Bye old Friend (snif).,2004:site.31590 Fri, 05 Mar 2004 07:22:57 -0800 lumpenprole "People can eat Godzilla and become energetic and powerful. It's got dreams mixed in with fun," Takara spokeswoman Yoko Watanabe said Tuesday. <a href="">"People can eat Godzilla and become energetic and powerful. It's got dreams mixed in with fun," Takara spokeswoman Yoko Watanabe said Tuesday. </a> Do I even need to comment? They've chopped up Godzilla and they're eating him. Where's Greenpeace when you need them? (Of course, maybe it's the pseudo-Godzilla from the recent American picture...I'd feel less bad about that.),2001:site.8266 Wed, 13 Jun 2001 04:13:31 -0800 Ezrael <a href=""></a> as if <a href="">Godzilla</a> wasn't enough, now citizens of Tokyo have to worry about a guy in a panda suit <a href="">killing people</a>. what's the world coming to? When <a href="">cosplay</a> goes too far!,2001:site.7483 Sat, 05 May 2001 20:32:46 -0800 fuzzygeek
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Bubba Sparxxx
• Blogs
July 15, 2014
Rap's Ten Best Songs About Big Butts
What is every rapper's favorite body part? C'mon, that's an easy one. More MCs have put their mind to the big butt issue than there are scientists working on curing cancer. And obviously, in rap music, the bigger the booty, the better. Modern asses are reaching colossal proportions, but not all ... More >>
• Blogs
May 8, 2014
White People in Rap Music: A Five-Part History
Miami's rap scene is making headlines once again, this time for a music video showing an 18-year-old unsigned hellion waving AKs and pounds of cocaine in the air. Stitches, named for his sewn-up Glasgow Smile tattoo, has garnered more than 8 million views for "Brick in Yo Face" on WorldStarHipHop si ... More >>
• Music
August 22, 2002
Party Over Where?
Looking for a good time on a Wednesday night? Hope for a miracle
• Music
October 25, 2001
New era crunk-style shit
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88846
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Financial Plus Credit Union donates $200 to Loose Senior Center
looseseniorcenter_financialplus.JPGPictured are: Vince Eible and John Stevens, representing the Loose Senior Center, and Olga Long, Jacquie Ochs, Senita Murphy and Katrina Khouri representing Financial Plus Credit Union
FENTON, MI – Financial Plus Credit Union donated $200 to the Loose Senior Center's fund to build a new center.
Senior center officials are trying to raise $3 million to build a new center after its main building was destroyed in a September electrical fire.
Financial Plus Credit Union's Fenton branch presented senior center representatives with a check for the $200 this week.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88867
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New MobyGoal! We're aiming for 1,500 well documented Arcade games.
Cocktail Soft
Cocktail Soft (カクテル・ソフト) is (alongside FairyTale) a prominent adult brand of the F&E. Like FairyTale, they split off JAST and were instrumental in forming the core adult game development of F&E, which was known as IDES at the time. Cocktail Soft debuted with Can Can Bunny (1989), the first installment of their eventual flagship series. They were mostly active during the 1990s and their activity was greatly slowed down in the 21st century.
Contributed by אולג 小奥 (168604) on Dec 24, 2009. [revised by : אולג 小奥 (168604)].
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88868
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New MobyGoal! We're aiming for 1,500 well documented Arcade games.
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (Nintendo DS)
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.
Not an American user?
Brandt is a fourteen-year-old boy living in the country of Horne. One day, the king summons him, only to send the boy on a perilous quest: Princess Aire has been kidnapped by the evil Witch of the North, and Brandt must rescue her. However, this quest is just a beginning of a long adventure, as Brandt and his new friends soon discover that the entire kingdom is in danger because of a pact that was signed between the king and the witch...
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light is a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series, and also the first Final Fantasy title exclusively for the Nintendo DS. It plays much like the classic 2D entries in the series, and also features a class system, disguised as the "Crown System"; a character's class is dependent on what crown he/she wears. The player gains these crowns during the course of the game. The game also features a "day and night" system; as the party traverses the overworld, time flows. This affects the game in that some stores open/closes at certain times. It might also do various other things.
The battle system is somewhat simplistic, but also unique; Action Points, or AP, play a big part in the battles. Each of the player-controlled characters has an AP meter, each topping at 5. A regular attack consumes 1 AP, and magic consumes 2 or more; this also means there are no mana points in the game. The player has the choice of either waiting a turn to gain 1 AP, or use the Boost command to gain 2 in one turn; by using the latter, the character in question cannot attack that round.
As a first in the series, the characters' appearances change depending on what weapons and armours they have equipped - as opposed to only weapons visibly changing.
The game was developed by the same team responsible for the DS remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV.
There are no Nintendo DS screenshots for this game.
Alternate Titles
• "光の４戦士 ファイナルファンタジー外伝" -- Japanese Spelling
• "Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden" -- Japanese title
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
There are no reviews for this game.
The Press Says Oct 27, 2010 8.5 out of 10 85
RPGFan Oct 30, 2010 82 out of 100 82
Thunderbolt Games Oct 19, 2010 8 out of 10 80
IGN Oct 05, 2010 8 out of 10 80 Oct 08, 2010 15 out of 20 75
GameSpot Oct 14, 2010 7.5 out of 10 75
Hasta los Juegos Oct 15, 2010 7 out of 10 70 Oct 13, 2010 7 out of 10 70
Level Oct, 2010 6 out of 10 60
Legendra Jan 08, 2011 6 out of 10 60
There are currently no topics for this game.
There is no trivia on file for this game.
Simoneer (30) added Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (Nintendo DS) on Oct 09, 2010
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88869
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New MobyGoal! We're aiming for 1,500 well documented Arcade games.
Tracon II
Tracon II DOS The start up screen
Published by
Developed by
MobyRank MobyScore
Not an American user?
Tracon is an air traffic control simulator, giving you the position of a so called "ATC" (air traffic controller). You are in charge of the air traffic in a certain sector, making sure that every airplane gets to his destination safely.
Your main screen is a radar, which features the aircrafts as green dots or little airplanes, moving at a certain speed at a certain height. The game is a full-talkie, featuring pilot's voices and those of the ATCs. Interestingly Tracon doesn't use a sound card for that. The voice acting is done over the PC internal speaker.
The more traffic is in the air, the more hectic your job becomes. You have to set routes for the planes and organize punctual arrivals.
The game is also featuring emergencies, to make your task more difficult. It is possible to connect the game to a Microsoft Flight Simulator installation on another computer.
Tracon was used to train professional ATCs in the early nineties. Then Wesson decided to develop special simulation units for professional users and continue the Tracon series as entertainment.
Tracon II DOS The start up screen
Tracon II DOS Zoom in to have a look at the details
Tracon II DOS This is the Chicago area
Tracon II DOS Your job becomes quite hectic after a while.
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
There are no reviews for this game.
The Press Says
Amiga Joker Amiga Oct, 1992 68 out of 100 68
There are currently no topics for this game.
There is no trivia on file for this game.
Contributed to by JRK (11176) and Isdaron (681)
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88870
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New MobyGoal! We're aiming for 1,500 well documented Arcade games.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic (Windows)
ESRB Rating
100 point score based on reviews from various critics.
5 point score based on user ratings.
Not an American user?
Hexen is the sequel to Heretic. While the Heretic was destroying D'Sparil, the other two Serpent Riders have come to your dimension and slaughtered everyone. Or so they thought. Three humans have managed to escape with their lives and now seek vengeance against the Serpent Rider Korax who remains in their world.
Like Heretic, Hexen is a fantasy game based on an enhanced DOOM engine. All of Heretic's innovations like vertical looking, flying, and the inventory system have been carried over. The new major changes this time around are three characters for the player to choose from and the level hub system. The characters are the Fighter, the Cleric, and the Mage. Each one has four unique weapons and different levels of speed and armor.
The hub system steps away from the traditional "single levels stringed along into episodes" system which had been carried over into the FPS genre from sidescrollers and made popular by Wolfenstein 3D. In Hexen's hub system each episode is still made up of interconnected levels, but most of the levels are connected to a single "hub" level through portals. There are also portals between some of the "spoke" levels. Many of the puzzles in Hexen require travel back and forth between different levels.
Other innovations in Hexen included weather effects, jumping, earth-quakes, and destructible objects such as trees and vases.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic Windows Monster to fight.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic Windows Teleporter.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic Windows In a courtyard.
Hexen: Beyond Heretic Windows A passage behind the window.
Alternate Titles
• "Hexen 95" -- Windows re-release title
• "Hexen" -- Console title
• "Heretic 2" -- Working title
Part of the Following Groups
User Reviews
The Press Says
Joystick (French) Nov, 1995 90 out of 100 90
GameStar (Germany) Sep, 1997 85 out of 100 85
There are currently no topics for this game.
The Steam download version of the game is listed as Windows platform because the executables are modified to use a DOSBox variant (v 0.70); additionally the traditional setup.exe is missing.
• In the Necropolis, you can find graves that have the names of some of the authors written on them.
• In the first HUB, "The Seven Portals" there is a secret level hidden. Once you're in it, you can find D'Sparil's (from the original Heretic) heart in there.
• The villain's name, Korax, is derived from the scientific name of the common raven: corvus corax. This is an intentional joke as the game was developed by Raven Software.
• The first place in the game where the Porkalator artifact can be found is on Hub 2: "Caves of Circe". Circe was a character in Greek mythology, who transformed Odysseus' crew into pigs.
References to the game
The final boss of Serious Sam: The Second Encounter, Mordekai The Summoner, carries a staff very similar to the Bloodscourge, the last weapon of the Mage class in Hexen: Beyond Heretic. It should also be noted that the enemy as a whole looks very similar to D'Sparil, the final boss of Heretic.
One of the demonic sounds that the enemy Dark Bishop sometimes utters, when played backwards, actually sounds like his name.
In German, "hexen" means "witches", or "casting a spell" when used as a verb. Moreover, the game has a Warlock skill level - a warlock (or "hexenmeister") is the male version of a witch.
Version differences
The PlayStation version can be called notoriously evil for being one of the few games on the system to require one ENTIRE Memory Card (yes, all 15 blocks worth) to save just ONE save game!
Information also contributed by Dark Dante, Emepol, Macintrash, Medicine Man, Maw and Satoshi Kunsai
Related Web Sites
• Doomsday HQ (Home of jDoom, jHeretic, and jHexen. These are hardware accelerated ports of those games ( require original DOS versions to work). Useful to make the games prettier, extended multiplayer support, and to work perfectly on Windows Xp!)
• Raven-Games (This site is dedicated to older Raven Software games. Here you can get maps and mods for Heretic, including JHexen and Koka's GLHexen, the two best hardware accelerated Hexen upgrades in existence!)
• Wikipedia: Hexen: Beyond Heretic (Information about Hexen: Beyond Heretic at Wikipedia)
Xantheous (1294) added Hexen: Beyond Heretic (Windows) on Feb 20, 2005
Other platforms contributed by Kalirion (626), Kabushi (120979) and Grant McLellan (545)
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88880
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My friend's kid saw me naked
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I had my friend's son over for a slumber party with my son last weekend so my friend could go to a wedding. In the middle of the night, my son and his friend walked into our bedroom and caught us having sex! Should I tell my friend what happened?
You can come clean about it, and tell the frind's mom first yourself. She rather hear it from you than her son. I think she'll understand where you're coming from because she's human too, and talk to your son as well. Let him know that you do understand the fact that it was embarrassing for him and his friend to see you guys, but sex over all is not an embarrassing thing. He'll respect you for it.
Not only should you tell the boy's mom what happened, but you should seize the moment to talk to your son about what happened as well. No doubt the info was shared between boys. You can approach the subject of sex with your son in a non-threatening, loving manner. It's not something to be embarassed about, it's an expression of love between two people who care very deeply about each other. Make this a teachable moment!
I think stuff like that always sounds better if one hears it from an adult than from a child. I would definately tell the other mom myself. Also it may be time to start locking the door before getting naked.... ;-)
Yikes! I agree, if they're young (and since you used the term "slumber party", I'm assuming they are) you definitely need to tell your friend. You don't want him to be the one to bring it up.
I think it really depends on how old the boys are. Under 15 i would say yes and just explain it was truely an accident...over 15 i would say no. I mean dont hide the fact that it happend..but i think by that age they already know what was going on and you dont need to make it any more embarrasing than i'm sure it already was. Hope that was helpfull!
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88912
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Skip to main content
R| 1 hr. 35 min.
Plot Summary
Genres: Horror, Thriller
VHS 2 (2013)
Release Date: October 14th, 2013|1 hr. 35 min.
watch now
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fan reviews ( 5 )
• October 12, 2013 gj00000000167933
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liked all 4 shorts
• October 03, 2013 mn00000000156790
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Steven Boone Summed it up on I am not as generous with My stars it gets one only because they suckered Me into not Fast forwarding though it. I did play online games the Entire time though :D
• October 02, 2013 jasonjrf001
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Wow qf000000 whatever your name is. Your super cool your really good at movies hahahahaha. \"You know more then critics do your best friend?\" Are you like 8? You dont say anything about why you think its bad you just say its bad and then you praise yourself on the ******* internet what a idiot ur
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88921
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Strangers With Candy Showtimes and Tickets
Read Movie Reviews about Strangers With Candy Write a Movie Review for Strangers With Candy
Strangers With Candy poster
Dvd Release Date: 2006-11-14
Genre: Comedy,
Rating: R
Duration: 1hr 37min
Watch trailer
The story of Jerri Blank, a 46-year-old ex-junkie and ex-con who emerges from her long prison stay with a special goodbye prison riot with her cellmates and returns to high school in a bid to start her life over, only to confront the most dangerous gang of all--the cool kids. After a long bus ride, Jerri arrives at her childhood home to find that her father is now in a coma and has re-married and fathered a child. Although mortified by her stepdaughter's return, his new wife begrudgingly allows Jerri to move in when the family doctor suggests that her presence might bring her father out of his 32-year coma.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88929
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Sunday, 12 October 2008
Teenage pregnancy
1. the first time I got a girl pregnant
was the first time for me.
five times in one day .
I was 15
my parents literally shit themselves.
the girl was 23 and had permission
from the aforementioned parental
permission obtained during, or just after a three way she had with the rent's.
one of the joys of being a parent is behaving properly at just such a crux.
the teen pregnancy part.
three in a bed perhaps, for some,
but not for me.
being supportive, kind , understanding ,
of a open heart,comes naturally
to me ,would that it did for all.
2. Oh my God, I am so shocked, I just came on here to agree with Marmite Lover that (as James said) "life's no disaster". Pregnancy should be a joyful thing, and it's so unnatural the way we view it as a major inconvenience. I can't believe I haven't already got several kids by 27, what is wrong with my life?
3. I know C E. My mothering hormones really kicked in at your age.
Obviously I don't want my teenager to get pregnant, or even have sex for that matter ( I do have a chainsaw and I know how to use it). But if the worst comes to the worst, I do agree with Sarah Palin, keep the baby. We'd cope, find a way and I think abortion really fucks you up psychologically forever. Well it did me.
I think the whole attitude to fertility is unnatural. It's all about fitting in with industrialised society. Having children is the most important and natural thing. Not having a job. Not having holidays in Hawaii. Not having a double income.
How can women let other people bring up their children?
4. I'm just back from a week in France (or rather Paradise, as I now like to call it) and you've really softened the usual on-return, doom'n'gloom blow. Having said that, this most recent post made me really weepy (but in a good way). Keep on keeping on, ML. Fabulous stuff, thank you.
5. Aw, Animal Disco, I'm glad you had a good holiday. One good thing about not having kids is that you can go away outside of school holidays!
Good to see you back.
6. I had a look at those statistics quoted in the article about the impact of an absent father. First of all they suggest that children who live apart from their non-biological parent are more likely to be poor and to experience educational, emotional and health problems, engage in criminal behaviour etc. I'd like to know if they examined whether, on balance, the socio-economic position of their parents also had an impact on those odds. It seems like a pretty narrow perspective to imply that those things are caused by not living with a biological father, full stop.
The article (and the figures) also imply that young mothers would be better off marrying the fathers of their first child, which we know is not true in a lot of cases due to the immaturity and incompatibility of the people involved. I'm sure the stats for children of parents who go through a divorce are also more prone to alcohol and drug abuse.
The upshot for me is that it doesn't matter how we promote (or denigrate) teen pregnancy - sex education and responsible contraceptive use should be the ultimate goal. Those kids aren't going to stop having sex no matter what you tell them.
7. I have mixed feelings about the biological father stuff. They don't have to be biological. My daughters father has not been around, not paid maintenance. As far as I'm concerned he's not her father except genetically. If I'd had a partner during this time, they would have been her father. As it is, my dad has been her dad.
But it is important to have some kind of male role model.
I've never been in my daughter's position. I had a dad. I can't imagine what it feels like not to have one. I'm her dad, I suppose.
She is going through all kinds of difficulties, which may merely be due to her being a teenager, but of course, I worry that it's due to lack of father. A mothers place is in the wrong. It's just one long guilt trip really. Especially if you are a single mother.
I do feel that the last 'minority' group that it's ok to slag off are single mothers (not single dad's, they are still heroes). Most of us didn't choose to be in this position.
We were either abandoned. Or the guy acted so badly we had to leave. Or no man wanted to commit. Men live in a fantasy world most of the time, prolonging their youth forever, imagining that they deserve some total babe even if they are short, bald, fat and poor. (Nothing wrong with any of that, don't get me wrong, it's just that they can't expect to date Angelina Jolie if they are not Brad Pitt).
Leaving many women in the position that they had to sperm thieve, or get sperm donors, be forced into a position where they had to do it on their own. The urge to parent is sooo strong,(once it hits you)it's beyond logic. Nobody should blame these women.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88938
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Useful link to MIND website, thought it could help
(2 Posts)
Brightspark1 Wed 06-Feb-13 21:40:28
I also found Young Minds helpful - sorry don't know how to link.
bubby64 Wed 06-Feb-13 15:25:53
Hi. I am just posting this link for other mums of teenagers as it has some useful booklets for various subjects including Teen anger and self harm on it. It could be useful for some of you, it certainly has been for me!
Join the discussion
Join the discussion
Register now
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/88957
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My CinnamonToast® Genealogy
Genealogy Web Site Details
Site or database name: Henry and Marie Bohn Gregg of Lexington, Kentucky
Description: This site is of our Ancestors. Many were Scotts Irish, some english and a few French. These were notable American settlers in Ky and other states like Virginia. Many of them settled in the Harrison and Scott counties of Kentucky. Some fought in the Revelutionary war and other wars and helped to make America what it is today. Others were from Hungary, Austria, Temoswar and Elsass, Lorraine. Some of their grandparents may have been of German heritage. The ones we know of came here in the early 1900's and settled in Hamilton, Ohio and later around Covington, Kentucky, Fort Mitchell, Erlanger and Ludlow, Ky.
Related categories:
Try your search on Genealogy Today:
Genealogy Today Database Search
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89000
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User talk:Lwoggardner
From MythTV Official Wiki
Revision as of 09:19, 27 February 2007 by Lwoggardner (Talk | contribs)
Jump to: navigation, search
Hello, for me it seems the 'FX5200' cards are NVidia chipset based. Maybe the following page on this wiki can assist in getting things to work (colour output and so on...): NVidiaProprietaryDriver. --Michel 15:42, 26 February 2007 (UTC)
Thanks Michel. There are some useful tips on that page and I've added a link. The colour output issue with the TV is due to a dodgy card. It is no longer an issue since my new LCD tv has VGA input, no more fiddling with TV-Out settings. --Lwoggardner 09:19, 27 February 2007 (UTC)
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89002
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Using the NAG Toolbox for MATLAB
The NAG Toolbox makes the full functionality of the NAG Library available through MATLAB. An advantage of calling NAG via MATLAB is that many routine arguments become optional or unnecessary, thus making code easier to read and maintain.
All the NAG Library documentation - in printed form that's seventeen large volumes taking up a full yard of shelf space - has been converted to MATLAB help format, and so it is simple to access via MATLAB's usual documentation facilities. Included in the documentation for each NAG Library routine is example MATLAB code showing how to use the routine.
To show how easy it is to use the new Toolbox, we demonstrate how to call some popular NAG routines, and use MATLAB's plotting facilities to view the results.
The S chapter - Bessel functions
We start with some of the simplest possible NAG calls. Among many other special functions, the S chapter contains the Bessel functions Y0(x), Y1(x), J0(x) and J1(x). Following the usual NAG naming convention, these are in routines s17ac, s17ad, s17ae and s17af respectively.
Here's the code, including some plotting commands:
% Evaluate the Bessel functions at a set of points in x
x = [0.125, 0.25 : 0.25 : 40];
for i = 1 : length(x)
[y0(i), ifail] = s17ac(x(i));
[y1(i), ifail] = s17ad(x(i));
[j0(i), ifail] = s17ae(x(i));
[j1(i), ifail] = s17af(x(i));
% Plot the results. Note that we omit the first two values of Y1(x)
% because they are large and would spoil the scaling of the graph.
hold on;
plot(x, y0, 'Color', 'red');
plot(x(3:length(x)), y1(3:length(x)), 'Color', 'green');
plot(x, j0, 'Color', 'blue');
plot(x, j1, 'Color', [1.0 1.0 0.0]);
and the results are shown in this picture:
Graph of Bessel Functions Using NAG Toolbox for MATLAB®
Figure 1: the Bessel functions
The MATLAB script for this demo is available as the file NAGToolboxDemos/Special_functions/s17a_demo.m, distributed in this archive.
The E02 Chapter - Fitting a surface with bicubic splines
A common task in many areas of science is to find a function which approximates a set of data points. The data may contain random perturbations, such as measurement errors, which it is desirable to smooth out.
e02dc computes a bicubic spline approximation to a set of data values, given on a rectangular grid in the x-y plane. A single parameter is specified to control the trade-off between closeness of fit and smoothness of fit.
A small value for this smoothing parameter, named s in e02dc, will give a closer fit to the data, but the exact meaning of “small” in this context may vary according to the particular data set. In theory, a value of s = 0 will produce an interpolating spline, though in practise that may cause problems of oscillation around the original data.
% Create an arbitrary data set consisting of a plane with three peaks
x = [0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3; 3.5; 4; 4.5; 5];
y = [0; 0.5; 1; 1.5; 2; 2.5; 3; 3.5; 4];
f = [1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1;
1; 1; 1.1; 1.2; 1.1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1;
1; 1; 1; 1; 1; 1.075; 1.15; 1.075; 1; 1; 1;
% The smoothing parameter. A smaller value of s gives a closer fit.
s = 0.0175593;
% Set the coordinates of the rectangular grid.
px = 0 : 0.1 : 5.0;
py = 0 : 0.1 : 4.0;
% Initialize some quantities required by e02dc
start = 'C';
nx = nag_int(0);
lamda = zeros(15,1);
mu = zeros(13,1);
ny = nag_int(0);
wrk = zeros(592, 1);
iwrk = zeros(51, 1, 'int32');
iwrk = nag_int(iwrk);
% Compute the bicubic spline approximant with e02dc
[nxOut, lamdaOut, nyOut, muOut, c, fp, wrkOut, iwrkOut, ifail] = ...
e02dc(start, x, y, f, s, nx, lamda, ny, mu, wrk, iwrk);
% Evaluate the spline on a rectangular grid using e02df
[ff, ifail] = e02df(px, py, lamdaOut(1:nxOut), muOut(1:nyOut), c);
Figures 2 and 3 show the original data, and the data approximated by a smooth bicubic spline.
Graph of data to be fitted by bicubic spline
Figure 2: data to be fitted by bicubic smoothing spline
the bicubic spline evaluated on a rectangular grid
Figure 3: the bicubic spline evaluated on a rectangular grid
The MATLAB script for this demo is available as the file NAGToolboxDemos/Curve_and_surface_fitting/e02dc_demo.m, distributed in this archive.
The E04 Chapter - Minimization of a function
NAG routine e04wd is designed to find a minimum point of an arbitrary smooth function, which may be subject to linear and nonlinear constraints, using a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) method - see the e04wd document for more details of the method.
e04wd will be used to find a minimum of the well-known Rosenbrock function, which is a 2D function given by
f(x,y) = 100*(y-x*x)^2 + (1-x)^2
Solving Rosenbrock's function is an unconstrained problem - without hindrance, x and y may take any values at the minimum point.
Because of the “banana shaped valley” contours characteristic of Rosenbrock's function, as shown in the figures below, the function is often used as a test problem for minimization routines like e04wd. Simplistic algorithms such as a basic “steepest descent” method have a hard time following the shallow curving valley floor in their quest for the minimum point, but the NAG routine has no trouble.
A feature of e04wd is that the first derivatives of the function to be minimized are not required to be known analytically. If they are not known, or are hard to determine, e04wd can estimate them using difference approximations. If the user is able to supply them, though, convergence of the algorithm is likely to be faster and more robust.
The function to be evaluated is supplied to e04wd through a MATLAB .m file - here we name the file e04wd_objfun.m. This routine may also evaluate the first derivatives of the objective function if requested to. What if the derivatives are not available? Simply don't compute them; e04wd is smart enough to notice whether we did or not, and will estimate them itself.
Here's what e04wd_objfun.m looks like:
function [mode, objf, grad, user] = ...
e04wd_objfun(mode, n, x, grad, nstate, user)
% Derivatives: grad(i) is the derivative with
% respect to x(i), for i = 1, 2.
grad(1) = 2*(1-200*x(2))*x(1) + 400*x(1)*x(1)*x(1) - 2;
grad(2) = 200*(x(2) - x(1)*x(1));
And here's how to call e04wd:
% There are no linear or nonlinear constraints
a = [];
istate = zeros(2, 1, 'int32');
istate = nag_int(istate);
ccon = [];
cjac = [];
clamda = zeros(2,1);
hess = zeros(2,2);
% Arbitrary bounds on the variables
bl = [-10; -10];
bu = [10; 10];
% Initial guess at solution
x = [-2.75; 2];
% Initialize the minimization routine e04wd using e04wc
[iw, rw] = e04wc();
% Array user can contain anything we want. It lets us
% communicate with objfun.
user = [0,0,0,0,0];
% Solve the problem using NAG routine e04wd.
[majits, istateOut, cconOut, cjacOut, clamdaOut, objf, grad, ...
hessOut, xOut, iwOut, rwOut, user] = ...
e04wd(a, bl, bu, 'confun', 'e04wd_objfun', istate, ...
ccon, cjac, clamda, hess, x, iw, rw, 'user', user);
Note that as well as the function in e04wd_objfun.m, e04wd also requires a function confun.m to evaluate any nonlinear constraint functions. In this case, we have no constraint functions so we can supply a dummy for this function.
Also note that for clarity, all the MATLAB commands used for plotting the contours and results are omitted.
The figure below shows the path to the minimum of Rosenbrock's function when analytical derivatives are supplied. Every time the objective function is evaluated, the evaluation point is plotted. The starting point is shown by a blue circle, and the target minimum shown by a green circle is at the point (1,1). Notice how the path traced backtracks and corrects itself on the way to the minimum.
Path to the minimum of Rosenbrock's function when derivatives are known
Figure 4: Path to the minimum of Rosenbrock's function when derivatives are known
To illustrate how e04wd still works even if derivatives are not supplied, we can replace the function in objfun.m by this code:
objfun(mode, n, x, grad, nstate, user)
% We don't compute derivative information
Path to the minimum of Rosenbrock's function when derivatives are not supplied
Figure 5: Path to the minimum of Rosenbrock's function when derivatives are not supplied
This time the lack of derivative information makes it harder for e04wd. The routine must estimate derivatives using extra evaluations of the objective function. In total, 231 evaluations are now required, as opposed to the 54 evaluations when derivatives were available. In addition, the minimum value obtained is not quite as good, though still a good approximation to the exact solution of 0.0.
The moral of the story? Supply derivatives if you can, but let the NAG routine do it for you if you cannot!
The MATLAB script for this demo is available as the file NAGToolboxDemos/Minimization/e04wd_demo.m, distributed in this archive.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89033
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So, I'm new to curly girl ways of doing things. I have 3b, high porosity hair that tends to be dry at the front no matter what i do, frizzy and swallows moisture like a black hole. It does not tolerate heavy products well at all. It'll feel greasy, heavy and dry. The winter is terrible and can make it feel downright crispy. I often have an itchy scalp (from dryness, as well as overuse of product to combat dryness). I don't have dandruff, but i do have eczema. I've recently started cowashing and following other advice I've seen here (such as only combing when wet, only combing, no brush, putting product on wet hair). It's done absolute wonders, but my hair still isn't totally healthy. I still have problems with dryness, curl definition, frizz and itching. I use VO5 conditioners and clarifying shampoo as well as Garnier Fructis Triple Nourishing shampoo (infrequently) and the companion conditioner as my leave-in.
Now, my boyfriend has very bad scalp problems. He also has curly hair, but he keeps it very short so it looks wavy, but I'd peg it as 3b when it gets long enough to curl. His hair and scalp are frequently very dry and the scalp often flakes. I doubt it's dandruff, anti dandruff shampoo doesn't help, not that he washes it nearly enough (he often goes weeks between washes), but I've shared hats and combs with him and my hair is fine. He never conditions unless i make him (ie I've brought my conditioner with me to his house and am washing his hair for him) and is generally just not very nice to his hair. It's often itchy and flaky and drives both of us insane (for different reasons lol) and I'd like some advice for his hair. And it has to be something simple and easy that he can remember to do by himself consistently that won't make him feel effeminate. And it has to be fast too lol since we don't live together and he's still in school it's not easy to give him instructions for this because no one ever has. He will wash his hair with anything that says shampoo on it, which isn't helping his hair or scalp XD I'm sure some of you have dealt with this before lol
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89034
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Yeah- I had my share of teasing to. I got my hair cut really short the end of my 7th grade year. I hated it and wanted to grow it out. The next year I rode the bus with some kids who really hated me, they were constantly making fun of it, calling it a fro and other things. I've been called Annie, and curlylocks (one of my teachers did that). But I really do like my curls, I've had curly hair since I was 6 months old, so curls are what makes me... me.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89035
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To the OP, my son was 3.5 when my daughter was born. He pretty much hated me until she was around 18 months (yes, that recently).
Not sure about the 2's vs. the 3's. Robbie was pretty horrid between 2 and 3, however E is showing that she might be in the Terrible Two category...she throws tantrums, etc. He never did that crap.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89074
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Meet Omar Shamshoon
If you've ever visited the Middle East, you know that when American TV programs are shown on Arab TV, culturally sensitive content is often altered or removed. Turns out some hows aren't so easy to "Arabize."
In late 1991, the Middle East Broadcasting Corporation (MBC) went on the air for the first time. It was the Arab world's first privately owned, independent satellite TV network, and the first to offer 24 hours of Arabic language television programming free of charge to anyone with a satellite dish.
Other networks soon sprung up, creating a huge demand for content to fill the airwaves. In the years that followed, countless American TV shows -everything from Friends to The Late Show with David Letterman to Two and a Half Man to McGyver to Dr. Phil and Oprah- found their way onto these channels, either dubbed into Arabic or broadcast with Arabic subtitles, and with culturally offensive subject matter toned down or removed entirely.
Shows that appealed to younger audiences were especially popular. In some countries as much as 60 percent of the population was under 20 years of age, and the numbers remain high today. So it was probably inevitable that sooner or later, one of the Arab networks would set its sights on The Simpsons, one of the most successful shows in American TV history, and try to bring it to the Middle East. In 2005, MBC did just that.
No expense was spared to prepare The Simpsons for the Arab market. The Arab world's best TV writers were hired to translate episodes into Arabic, and A-list actors and actresses were hired to provide new voices for the characters. To make the show seem less "foreign," Homer Simpson was renamed Omar Shamshoon, and the show itself was renamed Al Shamshoon -"The Shamshoons." (Marge Simpson became Mona Shamshoon, Bart became Badr, and Lisa became Beesa.) Each episode that was selected for translation into Arabic was carefully reviewed to remove anything that might be offensive to Muslims. For example, where Homer Simpson drinks Duff beer (Islam forbids the consumption of alcohol), Omar Shamshoon drinks Duff fruit juice. Homer eats hot dogs (which commonly contain pork, also forbidden) and donuts (which are unfamiliar to most Arabs), but Omar eats Egyptian beef sausage links and khak cookies, which, like donuts, are often made with a hole in the middle.
Not every episode made the cut: Those with strong religious themes were out, as were the ones where the characters spent lots of time drinking beer in Moe's Tavern. In episodes featuring shorter church and tavern scenes, they're referred to as a "mosque" and a "coffeehouse." And Ned Flanders? He became just an annoyingly perfect neighbor, not an annoyingly perfect Christian neighbor.
As for all the Simpsons-centric dialog, like "Don't have a cow, man!" and "Hi-diddley-ho, neighbors!" ...well, the writers just translated as best they could. ("D'oh!" was translated as "D'oh!")
The final product was a confusing mishmash of cultural references, something not really American, not really Arab (Marge Simpson and the other female characters don't wear veils, for example) ...and definitely not The Simpsons. It wasn't very funny, either, and with all the translations, revisions, and deletions, the storylines could be maddeningly difficult to follow.
The premier episode of Al Shamshoon aired in October 2005, on the first night of the holy month of Ramadan -the biggest TV viewing night of the year. Muslims fast from sunup to sundown during Ramadan, and after the fast is broken with an evening meal, millions of the faithful settle in for a night of watching TV. Though 52 episodes were scheduled to air that month, -with MBC looking forward to "Arabizing" all 17 seasons of The Simpsons in years to come- the series was pulled after only 34 shows. Why? Because not many people tuned in to watch it. Al Shamshoon turned out to be just too strange a show for many viewers, especially in a part of the world where cartoons were still seen as entertainment for children.
But what really killed Al Shamshoon may have been the very thing that brought it into being in the first place: Satellite TV channels. Arabs with satellite TV dishes can pull in non-Arab stations, and some of those broadcast The Simpsons in all its original, unadulterated glory. (The show is also available on DVD.) Many of the people who tuned in to watch Al Shamshoon were fans of The Simpsons who just wanted to see how badly MBC would botch the job, and after having a few laughs at the network's expense, they went back to watching the real thing.
For Arab critics of Al Shamshoon, one of the most frustrating things about the show was knowing that if MBC had just taken a fraction of the money it spent on Al Shamshoon and hired Arab animators to create an entirely new, entirely Arab show from scratch, they might have come up with something funny and engaging that Arabs could understand and call their own.
Even as Al Shamshoon was falling flat on its face in 2005, work had already begun on just such a show. Freej ("Neighborhood"), a comedy about four grandmothers living in a quiet neighborhood of Dubai, a booming metropolis in the United Arab Emirates, was already in production. Freej was the brainchild of a twenty-something UAE national named Mohammed Saeed Harib, whose first exposure to animated shows came in the late 1990s when he was a student at Boston's Northeastern University and his dormmates downloaded bootleg episodes of South Park and other shows to watch on their computers. Harib came up with Um Saeed, the first of his four grandmother characters, while he was still living in the dorm. By 2003, he'd developed a concept for an entire show, which he sold to the satellite channel Sama Dubai.
One year after Al Shashoon bit the dust, the first episode of Freej aired in the same coveted time slot -the first night of Ramadan. Unlike Al Shamshoon, Freej, the Arab world's first 3D animated series, was a hit from the very start. By the time the second season of Freej aired the following year, half of all television viewers in the UAE were tuning in to watch the show. Stay tuned; you may be watching one of these days, too. In 2009, Harib entered into talks with American media companies to bring his show to the United States. (Until then, you can look for clips on YouTube.)
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They eat khak? I really hope that's not pronounced the way I first thought it was pronounced.
Sad that the cartoon women have to wear veils to be acceptable.
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The rule here is no attacks on other commenters. And this is is not going to be a hate thread. So I have removed two comments, one hateful and the other who attacked the hateful commenter.
I will also remove any further hateful comments.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89075
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Polar Bears Are Big Into Halloween
People tend to assume that because polar bears live up north mean that their favorite holiday is Christmas, but that's just speciest. If you really get to know them, you'll find out that most polar bears prefer Halloween. Here's one really getting into the holiday spirit with a fun witch statue.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89081
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Stand behind yer sheriff Circulation: 177,384,943 Issue: 309 | 14th day of Gathering, Y9
Spilled Potion
by ocelot9230
It was twilight, and the fireflies were out, flickering and flashing and fading like tiny glowing spirits. A bird’s screech pierced the silent night, drowning out the buzzing of the insects.
She sat atop a throne made of books and empty bottles and all sorts of bric-a-brac, lit the incense that kept the mosquitoes at bay, and gazed out the window at the gap in the canopy of trees, where the pale skies stretched on forever, cold and empty and distant. A thin fog fell over them like a veil, but it gave no signs of lingering and she was certain it would vanish soon.
It was going to be a peaceful night.
Sophie shifted her position, and a bottle labeled "Widget and Lotus Root, shaken not stirred" in her own spiky handwriting toppled from the pile and fell with a smash on the ground, spreading a dark, shimmering stain across the wooden floorboards. A ratty meowclops with a missing ear crept up and sniffed at the puddle, interested.
Sophie looked down.
“I wouldn’t do that, Odysseus,” she told it dully.
The meowclops ignored her and started lapping at the spill with a pink tongue.
“It’s your funeral.” She shrugged.
A knock on the door. Sophie looked up. She hadn’t been expecting a visitor...
“It’s open,” she said dully, twirling a strand of emerald hair around one thin finger. There was a short pause, and then the door was pushed open slowly, and surprisingly soundlessly, by a pale hand. The meowclops hissed at the newcomer and darted away beneath a table, its single eye glowing yellow in the darkness.
Sophie did not look up until the door swung shut again with a bang, but she could see the woman out of the corner of her eye. She used the tip of her wand to push the brim of her hat away from her face.
“I thought you’d come,” she lied.
“As if I had any other choice.” The faerie sniffed, pulling off the hood of her traveling cloak. Lilac hair spilled well past her shoulders, tumbling in front of her violet eyes, and a thin crown flashed silver in the candlelight. Sophie eyed it for a minute, interested. Faerie-wrought metals. Good in the use of creating and destroying weapons. If she melted it down...
No. The Swamp Witch was many things, but she wasn’t a thief.
“There’s always a choice, milady,” Sophie said, letting her hat fall back down over her eyes.
“Some things I just can’t ignore.”
“You could if you wanted to.”
The queen looked indignant for a moment, and then decided not to argue the matter.
Instead she moved forward, skirting around the broken bottle on the floor, and sat down on a broken chair woven from reeds. She looked the Ixi straight where she imagined her eyes would be in the shadow of her hat.
“I’m sure you’re well aware what happened today.”
“Let’s pretend I’m not,” the Ixi said, picking at the frayed fingers of her gloves.
“An attempt was made on my life!”
Fyora narrowed her eyes, frowning, and crossed her legs.
“So, I’m not too certain that you had nothing to do with it.”
Sophie pulled her hat away from her eyes again, her emerald eyes wide in feigned surprise, and leaned forward.
“How did you know?”
“I recognized the writing on the bottle. 'Asp Venom, mixed clockwise under full moon; do not drink,' eh Sophie?” the queen growled. “How could you, of all people, assist Balthazar in this devious scheme?”
“I didn’t...”
“Don’t play stupid, Sophie. It doesn’t suit you.”
“Fine. We made a deal...” the Ixi mumbled, looking slightly uncomfortable in the way the conversation was turning.
“So you admit it.”
“I didn’t know that he was going to try to poison...”
“You did. You know exactly what he was going to do. What did he offer you?”
She crossed her arms, suddenly indignant. “That’s not your business.”
Fyora scowled, but then she looked away and said, “You’re right. It’s not.”
The glow of the candles cast her face into shadow, and for a moment the witch remembered that the faerie queen was no longer as young as she had once been.
There was a long pause.
“Are you arresting me?” Sophie asked.
“I could.”
“But you aren’t. Why?”
The queen was silent.
Then she said, “You’re a strange one, Sophie. I don’t think I’ll ever understand you, or your sense of right and wrong, nor why you associate equally with both friends and enemies, or why Ilere seems to resent you so much.”
“Knowledge is power,” Sophie said simply.
The queen frowned.
“Is that all?” the witch asked, uncaring, sounding suddenly bored with the small matter of an attempted murder. A meowclops sprang onto her lap, pushing his furry head beneath her gloved hand. Obligingly she scratched his ears, and he purred.
Fyora’s eyes flashed with anger, and she looked for a second like she was going to strike the witch across the face, but the moment passed and instead she simply nodded.
Yanking the hood of her traveling cloak back over her head almost violently, the queen was halfway out the door before she turned back and said in a voice quiet with rage.
“But I want to know, Sophie, what manner of treasure is worth another’s life?”
Sophie closed her eyes and did not respond.
She heard the door slam shut, and she saw a purple flash of light behind her closed eyelids that indicated the faerie’s departure.
The meowclops hissed angrily as she brushed him off her lap. He sprang down and ventured off in search of another source of entertainment, treading in the spilled potion and leaving a trail of shimmery paw prints across the shack.
Sophie opened her eyes. She reached into one of the pockets of her skirt and withdrew a locket on a silver chain, holding it up so it caught the quickly fading light. The design on it twisted and curled around the heart-shaped pendant like the vines that hung in her swamp.
She dug one fingernail into the crack and prized it open. The tiny picture inside, faded and worn was one of happier days. Even now Sophie was still a little shaken by the blind trust that shone so obviously in her younger eyes. Who was she, back then?
She glanced over her brothers, a slightly happier Bruno before he became... that thing, grinning for the camera, and her two parents, smiling and oblivious in their wonderful little world.
She snapped the locket shut, and smiled.
“Some lives are worth more to me than others,” she whispered.
The meowclops named Odysseus yowled as his tail suddenly twitched and grew scales and fangs and leathery wings and hissed at him. He darted out from beneath the table like a furry cannonball, snarling and scratching at the offending thing.
The witch smirked, and with a wave of her hand, returned the tail to its usual bushy self. Odysseus eyed it suspiciously, wondering if he had killed it or if it was playing dead.
“That’ll teach you to drink spilled potion.” His mistress laughed.
The candles flickered and finally burned themselves out, casting the shack into darkness save for a silvery glow that shone through the cracks in the slatted roof.
It was going to be a peaceful night.
The End
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Your customers are in different countries? NetExplorer is a multilingual application. Originally delivered in French, English and Spanish, you can translate the application and create your own language file suitable for your users.
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89102
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New Republic - Steve Almond en Boston Under Siege, My Kids in the Driveway Those of you who have arrived here hoping for a heart-racing account of how I survived the past week in Boston, brace for a letdown.Despite the images of chaos broadcast nonstop on every available channel, my hometown was not turned into “a city under siege” by the Boston Marathon bombings and s Mon, 22 Apr 2013 04:00:00 +0000 112993 at Steve Almond Hope Springs Eternal at the AWP Conference Years ago, one of the big New York slicks (I have no idea which one, though <em>Esquire</em> leaps to mind) ran a story purporting to represent the ranking of living American fiction writers. As I recall, it included a rather scary looking pyramid of scribbled names, topped by John Updike and Saul B Mon, 11 Mar 2013 04:00:00 +0000 112633 at Steve Almond Deconstructed—Chris Ware’s Innovation LET’S START WITH my qualifications as a critic of graphic novels: Putting aside an adolescent excursion into a stoner comic strip called the <a href="">Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers</a>, I have none. Worse yet, I tend to associate graphic novels with the regressive and haug Thu, 13 Dec 2012 05:00:00 +0000 110891 at Steve Almond
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89148
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“I’m not sure I understand how that works,” Bob Schieffer, of CBS, said to Newt Gingrich on “Face the Nation.” Gingrich was explaining how he would handle, or manhandle, judges who didn’t agree with him. In a debate a few days earlier, on Fox News, he had called America’s courts “grotesquely dictatorial”; he said that he had “warned” Supreme Court Justices to their faces that if “you keep attacking the core base of American exceptionalism, and you are going to find an uprising against you which will rebalance the judiciary.” He told Schieffer that he was ready to send the Capitol police to bring judges to Congress to explain their decisions, to abolish entire courts, and, as President, to put his hands over his ears and pretend that he didn’t hear rulings that he didn’t like.
Gingrich expounds on various theories so often and so grandiosely that it can be hard to know whether he is stating a policy or just making things up. But he seemed as serious about this as about anything. “Your folks said to me be sure and ask him about judges so I know this is something you want to talk about,” Schieffer said at the beginning of the segment. Gingrich also directed viewers to a paper they could find at Newt.org, which he’d put together
because I knew I was launching a topic that no other presidential candidate in modern time has launched. And I knew it had to be intellectually defensible.
The paper, which is more than fifty pages long (pdf), is much like Newt: skewed and self-important, its danger mitigated only by its lack of discipline, and seemingly constructed in the belief that anything will sound “intellectually defensible” if you add enough quotes from the Federalist Papers. (It’s also a bit hard to find on Newt.org, where the “Learn More” tab sends a person off to buy things at gingrichproductions.com.) Basically, he argues that the Supreme Court is acting in a close to criminal way when it disagrees with anything the Congress and President agree on, or rules on matters of national security or public safety, or arrives at a decision that is unpopular or against “the culture.” The same is true of the lower federal courts, in his view.
Gingrich’s list of what he calls “constitutional steps” to take against judges includes several questionable measures, like abolishing unaccommodating courts, but one item stands out: “Ignoring a judicial decision.” This is the one that most confused Schieffer. “How do you decide, how does the president decide what’s a good law and I’m going to obey the Supreme Court or what’s a bad law and I’m just going to ignore it?” he asked.
This may be the place to pause and note that Gingrich’s scheme makes little practical or legal sense, that it has been rejected by Republicans like Mike Mukasey, George W. Bush’s former attorney general (“It would lead us to become a banana republic, in which administrations would become regimes, and each regime would feel it perfectly appropriate to disregard decisions of courts staffed by previous regimes,” Mukasey told the Times; “That’s not what we are”); that he mangles key cases, from Dred Scott to Cooper v. Aaron (which he argues is the ur-text for the judicial usurpation of Presidential and congressional power, although, as PolitiFact notes, in rating Gingrich’s statement’s on “Face the Nation” “Mostly False,” it’s actually about state officials); that he cites an order Lincoln gave that is news to Lincoln scholars; that his whole approach is about as un-conservative as one could get, in terms of its scorn for the eleven score years of effort that has gone into the still unfinished project of perfecting our union and securing our liberties; and that there is a serious argument to be made that one shouldn’t drive oneself mad figuring out what this is all about, because Newt’s whole judicial plan is just a vector for code words to excite Republican primary voters (prayer in schools, pornography, gay marriage), and his campaign is going to implode anyway. (Dahlia Lithwick, eloquently containing her impatience, wonders if beating up on judges, who can’t fight back, simply appeals to him as a bully.) Given all that, why worry about Newt?
There are a few reasons. One has to do with those code words: it’s worth figuring them out, and engaging in the conversation to which Gingrich’s meanderings may only be an allusion. Iowa, after all, is a state in which three judges lost their jobs in a recall campaign after ruling in favor of gay marriage. Was it just historical clumsiness that led Gingrich to cite Cooper v. Aaron, which was decided in 1958, in a period of the Court’s great civil-rights cases, as the moment when the principle of judicial supremacy was arrived at, rather than Marbury v. Madison, or any of several landmark cases in between? Many of his lines about judicial “oligarchs” and the dictatorship of the “lawyer class” echo those heard in Southern statehouses in the fifties and sixties.
And then there is the question of history and its uses. What is notable about Gingrich’s foraging in our country’s annals is that he treats what some might view as low or at least troubling moments, such as Lincoln’s suspension of habeas corpus or Roosevelt’s court-packing scheme, as prizes—sources of comfort and encouragement. What should be admonitions are inducements, not just precedents but lodestars. That should give pause to any President—including the current one, in his countenancing of the National Defense Authorization Act, with its provisions on indefinite detention—who thinks that the situation he faces is a truly unique crisis that allows for a dodge of the rule of law. It might be useful to picture a Gingrich-like figure a hundred and fifty years from now, in a silvery jumpsuit or whatever they’re wearing then, bringing up Guantánamo as he defends the military commissions on Gliese-581d.
Gingrich’s second-favorite example of judicial overreach, after the Ninth Circuit rulings on religious speech in public institutions (overturned, incidentally, by the Supreme Court) is Boumediene v. Bush, which recognized that habeas corpus ought to be available to prisoners at Guantánamo. One of the spectres, in the discussion around Boumediene and other Bush-era detention cases, was the court’s decision, in Korematsu v. United States, deferring to an executive order for the internment of Americans of Japanese descent. (In an example of the plasticity with which he treats facts, Gingrich cites Korematsu, a case in which the Court did just what he says it should, as an example of the danger of unchecked judges.) A part of Korematsu that has endured is the passage, in Judge Robert Jackson’s dissent, in which he warned that, by going along with the argument of military necessity, the court was establishing a principle:
Gingrich picks up those loaded weapons, wherever he can find them, and adds on sniper scopes and Teflon bullets. He also, in his distortions of the past, covers toy water guns with shoe polish and pretends that they are real. But sometimes a person armed with a fake still manages to rob a bank. And Newt is still in the race.
Photograph: AP Photo/CBS News, Chris Usher.
amy davidson
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That will strike most observers as a fair assessment of the standoff that has obtained, since the early hours of the British morning, between David Cameron, the leader of the Conservatives, and Gordon Brown, the leader of the Labour Party—and still, at the time of writing, the Prime Minister. The above description of their grave and courteous hostilities was not, in fact, designed for these two men; it was written in July 1836, in the fifth installment of “The Pickwick Papers,” or, to give it the correct title, “The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club.” The posthumous, as Dickens soon became aware and never thereafter forgot, has a happy knack of shading imperceptibly into the immortal, and so it is that his account of the election of a Member of Parliament for Eatanswill—a robust and intemperate contest between the Buffs and the Blues—feels, when applied to the frantic events of today, like such a snug fit. Eatanswill (try voicing it syllable by syllable, and you get some idea of what Dickens thought of political piggery), is “ancient, loyal, and patriotic”; the fact that it is also fictitious in no way enfeebles the mockery that the author hurled in its direction. It was based, according to many commentators, on the Suffolk borough of Sudbury, which more or less expired from corruption in 1844; how far its demise might have been hastened by “The Pickwick Papers” is hard to gauge.
No such rottenness, to be fair, infects the current body politic of the United Kingdom. There was the expenses scandal of last year, when it was discovered that innumerable Members of Parliament were claiming back, from the taxpayer, money spent on everything from bath-plugs to mortgages, and the taxpayer was duly expected to leave traces of wrath on yesterday’s ballot papers. The first-past-the-post electoral system, however, was thought to be in workable shape—unwieldy, perhaps, and long overdue, some said, for structural reform, but not in itself a cause for Dickensian outrage. It was a mess, but not a crime.
Only at dawn, as eyelids grew sticky and the nation’s brain began to fog, was it apparent that the mess had thickened into a farce. No one party had won an outright majority, which is essential when you try to carry legislation through the House of Commons. The Conservatives, though faring well, with more than three hundred seats, had fallen short of the triumph for which they had planned and prayed. The Labour Party had suffered a grievous reversal, losing ninety-one seats, yet it still took two hundred and fifty-eight, which is better, just about, than a slap in the kisser. As for the Liberal Democrats, what can you say? After the television debates, there had been talk of a three-horse race, for the first time since the formation of the party, in 1988; last night, to the mortification of its youthful leader, Nick Clegg, the traditional donkey service was resumed. The Lib Dems, though they increased their share of the popular vote, wound up with only fifty-seven seats: fewer than they had won at the previous election, in 2005. As for Clegg’s trouncing of his foes in the first of the televised debates: to look good on TV, it transpires, is—in the eyes of British viewers, at least—no guarantee that you will be judged fit for higher office. It just means you look good on TV.
But hark. That proud braying you now hear is the sound of a donkey who believes, with some justice, that it may yet get a hoof in the door. Neither Labour nor the Tories can construct a functioning government on its own; to do so will involve seeking succor and support from the third party. But at what price? And on which of the two principal parties is the third most likely to bestow its favors, meager though the favors appear to be? All day, therefore, the Blues and the Buffs have been locked in contretemps, with Brown and Cameron striving to outfrown each other in statesmanship, and, in so doing, to disguise the fact that each is flirting outrageously with Clegg. The latter, ill-advisedly, once confessed in public to having slept with thirty women, but even he, vaunting swordsman though he is, would have to concede that never have more people asked him, out loud, whom he will get into bed with—and more, more galling still, what exactly he will be prepared to do when he lies there. The betting, as we speak, is on Cameron, who, mid-afternoon, made what he called “big, open, and comprehensive” overtures to Clegg, including tender promises on education, carbon emissions, and civil rights—flowers and chocolates, you might say, to any Liberal Democrat of taste, although the naughtiest whisper came with a hint of electoral reform. How can Clegg resist such blandishments? The unsensual Brown, standing flint-jawed outside 10 Downing St., had the discretion to close the bedroom door softly: “Mr. Cameron and Mr. Clegg must clearly be entitled to take as much time as they think necessary,” he said.
We shall find out, soon enough, whose love is the stronger. In the meantime, the markets shiver (although, in truth, the news from Greece continues to produce tremors far deeper than anything Britain can provoke). Panjandrums of constitutional history and parliamentary practice face another sleepless night, this time from utter excitement, as reality continues to exceed their most tangled predictions. The public wonders whether it should feel insulted, honored, or lustily liberated at being deemed ungovernable. Connoisseurs of chaos—and there are more of us, in our quiet nests, than may be apparent—hope that nothing is resolved too swiftly. The Queen, who has seen every kind of farrago rise and fall, and who alone can give permission for a government to be formed, keeps her mysterious counsel, unspeaking, encastled in infinite wisdom. In that, she is surpassed only, perhaps, by the ghost of Samuel Pickwick, “that truly great man,” as his creator said, who found himself surrounded and enmeshed, in Eatanswill, by a pair of roaring crowds. Far from panicking, or fleeing the scene, or flattering himself that he could redirect the surge of history, he did the judicious thing—in retrospect, the only thing. Mr. Clegg, take heed:
“ ‘Hush. Don’t ask any questions. It’s always best on these occasions to do what the mob do.’
‘But suppose there are two mobs?’ suggested Mr. Snodgrass.
‘Shout with the largest,’ replied Mr. Pickwick.
Volumes could not have said more.”
anthony lane
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Date: Thu, 23 Jun 2011 04:28:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Ryan Subject: Little Things [The story and characters are the product of the author's imagination, with no resemblance to anyone living or deceased.] [Warning: This story has consensual sex between an underage boy and an adult. If this offends you, then do not read on.] Little Things My name's Kevin Barton, and I'm 9 years old. My lover is Marcel Laduc, a balding, thickish-bellied, 44-year-old man. What's more to say? Despite what Marcel thinks, I'm not special. I have brown eyes, longish brown hair, and I'm lean. In other words, ordinary. I'm about as tall as most 9-year-old boys, or maybe a bit taller at nearly 4 and a half feet. My hairless circumcised dick when it's hard, is a slender arrow-straight 3 inches. For the last month or so, it can now squirt cum. Not the watery kind of cum, but real, cream-like sperm. I don't know if it means I can actually make babies now, but seeing how Marcel and I are both gay and guys, I kind of doubt it matters much. As every Friday after school, I returned to the city orphanage, but didn't eat what they claim is food. I wish I could do that every night, as do the other kids here. While waiting to leave again, I finished both my Friday night homework, as well as my weekend assignments. The moment six o'clock came, I was out of there, not even bothering to tell the staff I was leaving. They know I disappear for the weekends. They don't know where I go, and don't give a shit. So long as my naked corpse doesn't turn up in some alley, which would cancel the fat government check they get for "caring" for me. But that wouldn't be a big deal for them. There's plenty more orphan boys on the streets, waiting to be "saved." Being pleasant for early-October, I went with casual blue jeans and runners, with a black t-shirt. My schoolbag now held two changes of clothes. Not that I'd need them, or the ones I'm wearing. Taking a city bus to the rough downtown area, I cut through alleys, making sure I wasn't followed. Newscasts often brags about another pedophile getting busted. Marcel is the greatest thing in my life. I won't let him to be found out, and taken away from me. Reaching the alley behind a used bookstore, I waited and watched the store's solid metal rear door. Like each Friday after closing at six o'clock, the balding middle-aged owner emerged, to toss a garbage bag in the alley's dumpster. The moment he disappeared back inside, I followed through the door, and locked the pair of deadbolts behind me. Then I turned into Marcel's waiting arms, and we kissed with desperate passion. "Tabarnak!" Marcel panted with his French accent, in-between his tongue sucking hungrily on my own. "Five days, it is too long, oui?" "A second is too long," I said back, my small hands undoing his trousers. The thickish-bellied man didn't have time for a reply as I dropped to my knees, pulling his pants and boxers with me to his ankles. And impaled my mouth on his shaved 6-inch boner. "Oh, Kev-on!" he gasped, rising up a bit in his old-time leather shoes. I love how Marcel pronounces my name, along with everything about him. I vigorously worked his boner with just my mouth and tongue. I could swallow all of his cock, until my lips and nose were pressed tight to his smooth groin. At the same time, my tongue would caress and curl around it, like a boa constrictor in heat. To further stoke his passion, I ran my hands up and down his legs and squeezed his ass cheeks. A playful stroke to the sensitive spot between his legs, and a loving fondle of his shaved balls, had his legs quaking. Marcel's cock was so rigid, it was surely hurting being so hard. It throbbed in my sucking mouth, with its sweet pre-cum weeping like a tiny river. The way its nice thickness was swelling a little thicker, said he was getting close now. Cupping his tightening balls in one hand, and holding the root by the other, I pulled my mouth off his cock with a wet sucking-pop sound. Marcel gasped loudly, his whole body straining as the cool air shocked his slippery boner. I took it in my bobbing hot mouth again to lick and suck for a few more moments, before pulling off with another wet sucking-pop sound. Twice more I did it, and had I looked up, I'm sure to have seen Marcel's kindly hazel eyes rolling back in agonizing ecstasy. With his boner so hard, strained to the very limits its flesh could take, it seemed impossible any trace of cum could squeeze through it. But when my middle-aged lover orgasmed, gasping a swearword in French, his hot cum did flood out. As always with his first weekend burst of cum, the huge gushing torrent of it made me gag and choke. I know Marcel has to masturbate during the long days we're apart, but you'd never know it by the massiveness of his first loads. It's like five built-up days of hot cum, plus a whole ocean's worth, exploding in my tiny 9-year-old mouth in four or five strong spurts. As huge as his other loads are, I don't often choke on them. But I always choke on his first geyser of slippery semen, and love it. What sperm isn't shot directly down my throat, or I greedily swallow, I lick from my lips and his boner. I like teasing he should open up a salad bar in his used book store, because his French dressing's so awesome. Marcel stood panting as my tongue swabbed his cock clean, which softened only enough for its foreskin to partly sheath the back ridge of its thick head. He was looking down at me, those kind eyes of his shining with love, and with that lopsided, after-orgasm smile of his. "Merci, Kev-on." "I thought I just gave you mercy," I grinned up at him. Marcel chuckled, even though it was the longest running joke between us. "Oh, you Anglos," he muttered with a smirk, his French accent thickening with every syllable. "You and vos Anglais ancetres, un non bon chien tabarnak." He lapsed for a few more sentences in his native tongue. Helping me rise to my feet, he finished with, "Oui?" "I caught the first part about me and my English ancestors," I smiled, "being no good, unholy dogs. I think it was meant as unholy, right? The other stuff I didn't get, but I'm sure it was just as good." "Ah, Kev-on," Marcel hugged me, which he had to bend a little as he's a foot and a half taller than my nearly 4 and a half feet. "I am not of the Anglos' world, but no longer of la belle province." He kissed me fondly. "But you sadly know of this, what it is not to feel of belonging, yes?" I did know, far too well in my short life, but I knew something else, too. "That's true, Marcel. But not when I'm with you." "Oh! You will make me cry, mon amour," he hugged and kissed me. For a little while longer we kissed passionately, standing in his used book store's back room, with his trousers and boxers around his ankles. Finally we parted, and he pulled up his pants to buckle them again. He placed his thickish fingers, which were always so gentle and loving, on the shoulder straps of my schoolbag. "May I?" "Oui, s'il vous plait," I answered softly, in about the only French I truly know. That's only because Marcel is always saying it and "merci" so often. I felt a thrill shiver through me as he eased my schoolbag from my shoulders, then slowly lifted my t-shirt up and off of me. I love being undressed. For Marcel, having someone else removing his clothes makes him feel like a child again. I feel that way, too, even though as I'm 9 years old, I'm still a kid. But it's more than that. When my 44-year-old lover undresses me, I feel warm and special. And more so, loved. Marcel went down on a knee in front of me, and took off my runners and socks. He loves my feet. I love that he loves my feet. Sometimes I'll make him cum with a footjob. Twice now he's made me cum, just by only stroking and rubbing my bare feet and lean calves. Next he eased down my jeans, slipping them off one leg at a time. My black briefs were tenting out, like my 3-inch hard dick was trying to reach out, to touch his face just inches away. He teasingly tugged the briefs down and off my legs, keeping his face level with my groin, so my dick could feel each puff of his hot excited breath. It sounds silly, seeing I use to be briefly homeless, and now live in an orphanage that's far worse than when I was on the streets. The thing is, I feel uncomfortable with Marcel sucking my dick, until I've washed it. I know he loves sucking it, even if it was covered in grime and sweat. But like everything else with me, he respects my quirks, as I do his. It's yet another of the never-ending reasons I love him so much. Even so, he couldn't resist lightly stroking my dick, as he might do with a tiny kitten. That was okay, as was his other hand caressing up my bare leg, to knead and pet my ass. Marcel loves my proud, round, bubble butt. Just as he loves my dick, and my feet, and my eyes, and my legs, and my everything. Even my nose. I had giggled, when he'd once said he loved my pert little nose, before he had suddenly sucked on it playfully like a dick. "Merde," he softly cursed, shaking his balding head at himself, and reluctantly released my privates. "If I dos not stop now, we be here all the night. Our time together, it is short enough, yes?" I nodded, just as aware of the precious seconds passing, before I had to go back to the orphanage on Sunday night. Marcel gathered up my schoolbag and clothes, holding them like they were treasure. I guess for him they are, as they're a part of me. I opened a door next to the store's back door, and reached in to flick on the light. Revealed was a narrow set of stairs, leading up to Marcel's apartment. Like most stores in the old part of downtown, a three-bedroom apartment was built above them for the owner's family. We're lucky in the unit on one side of us was turned into storage, and the other one was too run down to live in. No one lives in the store apartments across the street, either. Looking out the back windows is a solid, three-story-tall brick wall. It's like living in a forgotten desert with no one around, but in the middle of the city. Still, we keep the thick curtains on all the windows closed, because we can't be too careful. I waited naked, two steps up the stairs, as he double-checked the locks, and switched off the last of the lights. Closing and locking the stairwell door behind him, he turned on the store's alarm with a numbered keypad. Still holding my clothes and schoolbag, he nodded at me with a smile. As bare-assed naked as I was born 9 years ago, I climbed the long set of narrow stairs, but with a slow casualness. Not far behind me, I could almost hear Marcel's cock hardening again. He can't get enough of watching my lean naked body when I'm walking. It doesn't matter where I'm doing it, or why. However, watching me walk up a set of stairs, as he gets to ogle me from below, is a special treat. Sometimes I'll walk up and down the stairs over and over, while he sits at the bottom just as naked and masturbates so hard, he nearly drools. Actually, he's drooled a few times, and it's so cute! Midway up I stopped to half-turn back toward him, so Marcel could see my ramrod-straight hard dick and small hairless balls. Only using little shakes of my narrow hips, I wagged my 3-inch boner for him. "See what you do to me, Mar-Mar?" I purred in my silkiest boyish voice. His lustful groan sent a spasm through my dick, causing it to twitch and jerk several times up and down by itself. That just made him groan again, seemingly in near-anguish. Slowly turning back around, I parted my legs a little. Gripping my round buns, I spread and held my ass cheeks apart. It gave Marcel the perfect view of my tight little asshole, and the smooth, small nutsack dangling underneath it. I even made my asshole give him a tiny wink. He moaned in pure ecstasy this time, sounding almost tortured. I'm not doing this to torture him, or to even tease him. Marcel has a very vivid memory. He's actually recited whole pages of novels to me, that he read years ago. His memory of the pages, and just about everything else, is even better he says than looking at photos of them. He's never asked to take photos of me, like Daddy had. It's not just the threat of someone finding out about them, like they had with Daddy, although that had been his own fault. It's that Marcel doesn't need a camera, because his mind's better than any camera. That's why I like doing things like this, as it gives him the stuff of dreams, both at night and during the day, for during the week when we're not together. Releasing my cheeks, I gave my butt a playful little wiggle, before walking up the rest of the stairs. He followed several moments later, after no doubt shifting his straining cock so he could walk again. The stairs opened up into his apartment's kitchen. Next to the kitchen in the apartment's rear was the bathroom, then the bedroom Marcel sleeps in. He could've used one of the other two bedrooms, beyond the large central living room. But those two bedrooms overlooked the street below. His bedroom is quieter, the bathroom's next to it, and it's far more private. Nothing in the cozy apartment is really that old, but not really that new, either. Except for the plush, L-shaped sofa in the living room, and his king-sized bed. One front bedroom also has a bed, made to look like it's slept in when I'm here, with some of my clothes hanging in the closet. It's in case, and hopefully it'll never happen, the cops come. It's so it seems like all Marcel has done, is give a young orphaned boy, who the surrounding neighborhood often sees coming to read books in his used book shop, a safe place to stay if he wants it. It's not actually a lie. After all, everybody knows how rundown and demeaning the city orphanage is. The cops especially do, as they show up at least once a month for another case of food poisoning, or a stabbing. More often it's because the neighbors think, and rightly so, that some of the staff and kids are selling drugs to teens and little children. Even if the cops weren't there so much, they already know me, or of me. Daddy getting caught didn't just make the city papers, but the world news for a while. Although the news blocked the photos of my face and didn't report my name, the cops know, and it's barely been a year and a half since. Marcel put my clothes and schoolbag in "my" bedroom, while in the bathroom I got my douche ready. It's really an enema, but that word sound so harsh. I waited until I heard Marcel finishing ordering our pizza on the phone. Saturdays and Sundays, he cooks awesome breakfasts and suppers. But Friday nights we order pizza from the Greek ma-and-pa-run, pita and pizza shop two blocks away. Their food's excellent, and not having to whip up a supper, it gives Marcel and I more precious time to enjoy each other. I've even willingly learned to like anchovies, although I've always got to have a can of Pepsi ready. Once I douched, I jumped in the shower. The bathtub's an older one with sort of wide ledges, but the two of us can take a bath in it together. A rather snug bath, but that just makes it all the more enjoyable. I'd finished rinsing my longish brown hair, and was soaping up my smooth upper body and arms, when the shower curtain parted and a naked Marcel joined me. I know he's already had a shower and douche after closing the store, but before he had started cleaning the store for the night. "They were that quick?" I asked about the pizza, rather surprised. "Oui," he nodded his balding head, and soaped up a washcloth to start scrubbing by back. I had to pause, for a moment lost in the pure pleasure of it. No matter how often Marcel did it, every time I was nearly cross-eyed with bliss. "It seems I am quite the predictable on Fridays. Our pizza was made, and waited to put in the oven for when I calls." "Well, if you're quite the predictable," I grinned with my back to him, "then I must be totally the predictable." As I said it, my hand reached behind me, and softly stroked my lover's jutting boner. Even Marcel's chuckles have a French accent. I wasn't jerking his cock, but more stroking and fondling it lovingly. I've learned from him that sex doesn't have to be direct, hard, and heated all the time. Making love can be as simple as a fond touch, or one of our favorites, snuggling together naked with wandering tender stroking, and soft unhurried kisses. In love, as with people I've found, sometimes the best things are the little things. "You are not the predictable, Kev-on," Marcel kissed my ear. He'd worked the soapy washcloth down my back to my ass. His scrubbing the smooth curves of my bum, and along the inside of the crack, wasn't really intended to be sexual. But it wasn't really intended to simply clean, either. "You be in fact so the unpredictable, you make moi crazy, being so at a time . . . . Is it combustible, I am thinking?" "You mean spontaneous? As in spontaneous combustion?" "Mais oui! Spontaneous. Plus you are hot like the combustion." "Takes one to know one, sexy," I kissed him over my shoulder, giving his cock a loving squeeze. "Ah, I am but merely a warmed-over old Frenchman. But this is fine as well, yes? Has you washed your legs and pey-pey yet, mon amour?" It had taken me months, not giggle when he called my dick a pee-pee. I still couldn't help grinning, especially the way his accent makes "pee-pee" sound like "pey-pey." "Not yet. Would you mind washing them for me?" "It would be my honor," he whispered over the shower, gently easing his cock from my fingers. "And mon delight." He gently pulled me back against him, with his hard boner and thickish middle-aged belly pressed between us. Like his groin and balls, Marcel keeps his body shaved smooth. It felt so warm and comforting, I almost forgot about my dick. Until both of his hands reached around, and began to wash it. For somewhat thick fingers, they're very gentle and light-touching. I use to think a washcloth, no matter how soapy, would feel coarse on my hard 3-inch dick. Not so with Marcel. He was a true artist with washing my dick, and a lot of other things with me. He gently circled my sensitive head with the washcloth, and caressed the slender shaft and my small balls. He wasn't fully trying to sexually arouse me, but that only made it even more sensually erotic and exciting. With his cupping fingers, and tender scrubbing, I had to lean back into him with both eyes closed. My soft, steady moaning surely sounded like a purr. It definitely felt like a purr. "Mon belle garcon," he breathed, kissing my ear affectionately. I shivered in both love and lust. As the washcloth moved to scrub my narrow hips, then halfway down each thigh, Marcel kept whispering things in soft French. I don't know what they meant, and I didn't have to. His loving tone, his hot breath, his warm body pressed tight to mine. These things said more than any words, spoken in any tongue, could say. They were the universal language of shared love. After rinsing off my hips and groin, he lathered up the washcloth and turned off the shower. Gently sitting me on the tub's far edge, being wide enough to be comfortable for my bubble-butted ass, he went down on his knees, just above my partly-outstretched feet. As he spread one of my lean legs slightly to scrub from thigh to knee, I couldn't help myself. My other small foot shifted between his kneeling thighs, so my toes could lightly stroke along his hard cock. He didn't have to say anything, for me to know how much he appreciated the returned affection. At my knee, Marcel switched to my other thigh, and I replaced my foot with the other to keep rubbing. Then he continued to scrub down to my foot. My hard dick, the same buttermilk cream color as the rest of my fair skin, got even harder. Setting aside the washcloth, his fingers and palms massaged and kneaded my soapy calf and foot. It was like a master musician creating beautiful music on an instrument, and I was the instrument. I couldn't even focus on my toes rubbing Marcel's cock, as my whole body quivered and floated in indescribable pleasure. Along the toned length of my calf and ankle, working the soft sole of my foot, to in-between my small toes. My body wasn't flesh and blood, but a rippling mass of bliss. It didn't stop even when Marcel began soaping up my other calf and foot, then working them so skillfully. I wasn't sure if I was moaning, because I didn't know if I was still breathing. Part of me could sense my boner. It felt as if molten steel had been injected into it, making it bigger than its ruler-straight 3 inches, and so impossibly hard, it ached from the strain. When I suddenly felt Marcel's lips softly kiss the head of my dick, I would've screamed, if I wasn't panting and gasping so hard. Even though I know it every weekend, I keep forgetting how sensitive my boner is when it's this near-bursting hard. Everything is amplified, like a fluttering butterfly becoming a roaring jet airplane. The intensity of Marcel's long, slow lick up along my dick's very sensitive underside nearly killed me. Then his mouth eased over my 9-year-old dick, effortlessly swallowing it whole. Thankfully he didn't try sucking it, or the ecstasy would've killed me. But even just forming his mouth and tongue on it like a hot smothering blanket, had me all but out of my head. Both of them! Somehow, through it all, I felt Marcel shifting my feet together around his own raging cock. I tightened my soles to his 6-inch cock, which he slowly pumped back and forth in-between them. His hands glided up to knead my ankles and calves with strong but loving fingers. The mouth and tongue around my dick, now began to slowly massage it. Added with the feel of his sawing cock, and his hands working my legs, had me squirming pitifully. I was torn between desperately wanting to cum, and desperately wanting this to never end. But there was no choice. Not after blowing Marcel down in the back room, the teasing on the stairs, and everything during the shower. Then there's a week of counting down the seconds until I'd see him again. And imagining all the things we've done, and would hope to do. My body wasn't mine anymore. Marcel held my feet around his boner by my ankles, as my small fingers gripped the tub's edge like claws. My narrow hips and bubble butt were jacking up and down, humping my middle-aged lover's mouth with whimpering desperation. It was like being a ghost in my own lean body, helpless to the instincts that controlled it, and feeling every trace of the ecstasy raging through it. My hard dick pumped in and out of his mouth, lost in the frenzy of lust. Then, with each new bucking thrust, his strong tongue would slide down my boner's 3-inch length, and along my tightened balls. It was too much. Arcing my back, filling Marcel's mouth with my dick and balls, I cried, gasped, and sobbed. My cum burned like lava erupting from an erupting volcano, as my newly adolescent sperm squirted into his eagerly sucking mouth. All the while, his cock kept fucking my feet. It couldn't have been more than two or three smallish spurts, but it felt like years of agonizing rapture devouring me. Finally my trembling ass sank back to the bathtub's edge, as I sat panting in chest-wrenching heaves. Suddenly Marcel rose in a half-stooped crouch, bracing against the tub side and the tiled wall. His throbbing 6-inch cock was aimed directly at my face. Clapping my palms together on his rock-hard shaft in a prayer-pose, like the soles of my feet had been, I furiously jerked my hands back and forth in a blur. I only managed to do it for not even five seconds. As Marcel cummed, he swore something in French so viciously, I'm sure even the most foul-mouthed of Quebecers would've gasped in appalled shock. His semen jetted from his straining cock like cannon blasts, again and again. Strings and gobs of thick cream splattered my hair, face, smooth chest, and even my dick. I kept my palms jacking, milking his spasming boner, until he slowly slid to his knees in the tub, panting as hard as I was. Easing myself from the tub's edge, I gently straddled Marcel to sit on his kneeling lap, clinging to him with my arms around his neck. His own arms came around my ribs to hold me tight, stroking my back soothingly. For a while we were content to stay that way, recovering while we savored our mutual afterglow. "Merde," Marcel said in an amused breath, fondly squeezing me. "I thought for sure you would die, before you cummed. Has you cummed this week so far, no?" "Yeah, once," I said softly, feeling almost guilty because it was only the one time. "It is yes? And when this be?" "Monday night." Marcel laughed lightly with another squeeze. "Tabarnak, Kev-on. That explain it. We will catch you up, and plus more this weekend, not you worry, mon amour. And perhaps, we add more cums to top of that as well, for the week ahead, yes?" I tilted my face to kiss his ear. "Only if that goes for you, too." He helped raise me to my feet, rising with me and chuckling looking at my cum-splattered face and chest. "How dos we shower together, but get so dirty?" Turning the shower back on, I washed his foreskin-sheathed cock and balls, while he gave me a quick head-to-toe scrub. Although I toweled him off first, it was nothing compared to what he did with me. There wasn't speck of my skin he missed, and his two-handed toweling was far more like a vigorous massage than drying. I use to feel more guilty than still I do, with all the loving attention he constantly gives me. Worship is actually the right term. The thing is, I've learned as special as it feels for me, it's just as pleasurable for him. Maybe even more so. It's hard to truly grasp for myself, but doing this stuff to and for me, is one of his big things. More than just a turn on. I think more than a fetish, too, like my feet, or watching me walk naked. But also part of it's because I'm a 9-year-old boy. Another part's because he loves me so much. And yet another part's because that's the type of person Marcel is. Kind, gentle, loving, devoted. As we left the bathroom, I playfully patted his bum. It was my silent way to tell him to go to the sofa, while I brought the pizza and drinks. He gave me an appreciative kiss on the cheek. I don't mind watching him walk naked, either, from the front or the rear, and he knows it. He sat down with spread legs, in the corner of the blanket-shrouded, L-shaped sofa. He placed one of the sofa's large plush pillows behind his back to prop himself up. Marcel had bought the sofa specifically for when I'm here with him. I padded into the open kitchen. Removing the pizza box from the oven that kept it warm, I grabbed a can of Pepsi for myself, and poured red wine into a wine glass for him. I carried our drinks over first. I could've easily brought everything over at the same time, but then Marcel would only get one walk from me out of it. My soft circumcised dick wagged back and forth, and side to side as I walked. As much as his hazel eyes adored the wriggly treat, he was also admiring the rest of me. Some of his used book store's accounting books and forms were on the large wood coffee table, along with a big yellow business envelope, French to English dictionary, and printing calculator. Bending over at the waist, with my round butt cheeks in direct line with Marcel's ogling eyes, I carefully shifted the work stuff to the side to make room for our supper. On several occasions, he's had to do some business during the weekend. I've never minded, and have even taken an interest in it. At least the stuff I can grasp, which understandably isn't anywhere as near as much as I wish I could grasp. Although I'm definitely more mature-minded than most other boys, I'm still only 9 years old. Walking back to the kitchen, I returned with the pizza box. Bending over naked again laying it on the large coffee table, I giggled as Marcel planted a kiss on my ass cheek. Unable to hide my smirk, I stood up and turned to face him. My dick was level with his face. I tilted my chest to the side, planted a fist on my narrow hip, and pretended to frown. And failed miserably. "Marcel . . . ." I said mock-sternly. "I cannot help it," he smiled innocently. Then he gave my drooping dick a playful little kiss. "You are the scrumptious moral. I wish I could ate you for supper instead." "You remember we're having each other for dessert, right?" "Mais oui, mon amour. I be patient, as you be the sweetest of delicacy, and worth any the hardship to wait." Marcel gently took me by my hips, and guided me to sit down with my back to his middle-aged front. This was the reason he'd bought the L-shaped sofa. The corner section we're on is actually large, and easily fits the two of us cuddled together. I'm guessing it's why they call it a love seat. I swung my bare legs up, curling them back under one of his spread legs, so he could easily reach my feet. After he adjusted his cock's positioning to be comfortable, he eased me back so I laid half-upright on his chest, my head just under his. I could reach with one hand my pop and the pizza box, to get slices for us, and eat with my other hand. Instantly, Marcel's free hand began roaming my body. That is, all of my body that it could reach, and of that, it rarely missed an inch. He can't get enough of my naked flesh, and is always commenting how soft and silky it is. Sometimes his fingers would pause at one spot on my body, almost at random, before meandering off again, seeming without any goal in mind. Even being use to it, his absent touches and strokes could've been distracting, if they weren't so soothing. It's no wonder cats purr while being petted in their owner's laps. We ate without worry, as the blanket over the sofa protects it from any spilled food or drinks. And other things, which at times gets "spilled" on the sofa. As we ate, and I often reached for my Pepsi with the anchovies, we watched a blooper show Marcel had recorded, without watching it himself until we were together. Between snuggling naked so close and warmly, his fond caresses across my body, and laughing together, this was heaven for me. This is what my dreams are. Even if I only get to live it on the weekends, at least I can. I never imagined I could feel, let alone have, such happiness before I'd met Marcel. I stopped after four slices of pizza, as did Marcel. We know better than to stuff ourselves, especially with our desserts to come. I slowly got to my feet, enjoying the feel of his fingers trailing lazily down my back and bum. Putting the pizza box in the fridge, next I grabbed the drained Pepsi can and empty wine glass. A third trip was to place another Pepsi on the coffee table, as a hand fondly brushed my thigh. After pouring more red wine into Marcel's wine glass, I brought it to the sofa. Returning, one of the large plush pillows was placed on one wing of the sofa. Exactly the distance for my head to lay, so my legs and feet would be in my 44-year-old lover's lap. "Marcel," I whined, but only slightly. "You're spoiling me." "Moi? Spoiling tu? Non," he shook his balding head. "I am but selfish." "Sure, you enjoy it. But who's really the one, who's getting the most pleasure out of it?" "Moi, of course." I sighed, knowing from experience I couldn't convince him otherwise. Not when it came to him loving me. He really does believe he's the one getting the most pleasure out of loving me. That's despite how obvious the pleasure is for me. "Okay. But you do know, my love," I knelt with my knees on the sofa between his legs, putting my hands around his neck to kiss him tenderly, "you're the most selfless-selfish person ever?" Marcel ran his hands up and down my back, taking a few moments to mentally translate my words. Then he laughed. "If this mean I am being kind, and being selfish, I agree. But I am still the selfish, yes?" I shook my head, both in answer and surrender, and kissed him again. How could've I ever met anyone so special like Marcel? I don't deserve someone so special, yet I need him like a drug addict need a fix. Like I need air. He's the only thing that makes my miserable life bearable and worth living. As I laid on my back on the sofa wing, he lifted my naked legs up into his lap, stroking the top of my feet like they were kittens. Marcel massaged each of my feet and calves, one at a time. While he did one foot, I kept my other foot so his soft foreskinned cock would lay on top of it. I like the feeling of his cock draped on my foot, as much as he likes the feeling, too. Unlike back in the shower, he kneaded and rubbed me in a solely relaxing way. Although it felt awesome, and arousing, it was also impossibly soothing. He'd said the soles of the feet had a direct connection to the brain. There was literally nothing, he claimed, that couldn't be done with a knowing press, touch, or specific caress on the toes and soles. Naturally I though he was exaggerating, until he gave me my first foot rub. I've never been proven so wrong in my life, and never so grateful to be so, either. "Has you heard, Kev-on," Marcel asked taking a sip of wine, as his other hand worked my toes, "of the carnival here next weekend? It is the big deal, it is suppose to be. Dos you wish we go together, yes?" I felt my heart skip a beat, jumping so hard in joy, but just as quickly squashed by reality. I tried to hide both reactions, and probably failed worse than if I hadn't tried at all. "We can't do stuff like that, remember?" I said, sounding as crushed as I felt. "People will think things, and . . . ." I trailed off, not needing to remind him how risky and dangerous being seen together, outside of his book store, was to him. The cops knew me, and what Daddy had done to me for most of my then-7 years. Naturally they'd be watching anybody around me suspiciously. Especially a 44-year-old, balding and thickish-bellied man, who lived alone, and was well-known for being very kind to me. If that didn't scream "Pedophile!" to the cops and others, then almost nothing could. Marcel set down his wine glass with a frown, then slashed his hand through the air, spitting out something vile-sounding in French. It was easy guessing it roughly meant, "they can go fuck themselves." But it was said with the infused feeling, in this case disgusted venom, which his native tongue can give to everyday words. After a moment, he seemed to realize whatever it was he'd said, and his neck reddened a bit. I have to learn French, as I'm surely missing out on some awesome swears. "It is no difference what any of they think," he resumed massaging my foot again. "The whole neighborhood, they all know you come here so much. Well, perhaps not our come, yes?" he kissed my toes as I giggled. "Quite the few times in the week, many customer ask about tu. They worry how you are, and if you be well. You are surprised, yes? It is not all. The whole neighborhood, they know tu are with moi now tonight, and be until Sunday, as we be each weekend." My 9-year-old body stiffened as fear shot through me, finding out one of my worst nightmares was now real. "Non, non, non, Kev-on! This be good." He soothing rubbed my ankle, which always made me feel calm when he did it. Almost against my will I ease a little, but mostly because I trust Marcel. I trust him with my life, as he trusts me with his. "Many customer has said to me such, about us," he explained. "I not tell them, but they figure this alone. What more, they thank me for what I dos for you. You see, they know you live in . . ." he searched for an English word, but instead spit out one in French. The way he said it, I don't think I want to know what it meant. But it probably described the orphanage better than any English word could. "Some, they in fact ask why I not have you live with moi for good. Oh, how I wish this as well. But I must tells them, you to stay here all the time, as we are, it not be proper. They understand." I smiled. That's one way to explain it to people. And it's as close to the truth as we dare get. "But you see, mon amour? This not be the fear we think. Some will wonder, but many more understand. They know we are the friends, and wish to enjoy the carnival as they dos, yes?" Chewing my lip, I thought about what Marcel was saying. Maybe I shouldn't be that surprised the neighborhood knows I stay here on the weekends. After all, I'm at his used book store whenever I can be after school, even if we have to act like different people during the week. And come to think of it, a lot of the people browsing the store, and on the street at times, have said hello to me, and asked how I was doing. I figured they were simply being kind, despite how rough the downtown neighborhood is. Maybe Marcel's right. Maybe it would be okay if we went to the carnival together. I'd love to, as it's been years since I've been to one. Not since . . . . Not since Daddy had brought me. But only to "rent" me to guys there, behind the booths and in their cars. As if Daddy hadn't done that enough at home. Every weekend. With strangers almost lined up around the block, so they could . . . . "Kev-on?" Marcel was looking at me in concern. "Dos you has the bad memories again?" I shrugged, as best I could laying on my back, and smiled at him. "It's alright. No, I guess hitting the carnival would be okay, if you're okay with it. I'd love it, in fact." "Tres bien!" he beamed, giving my toes a kiss again. Then his smile became . . . almost sly? "Ah, but moi has one more surprise pour tu, mon amour. One tu like as well, mon hope is. Perhaps even more the so?" My 9-year-old dick stirred and began to stiffen. Marcel chuckled, leaning forward to playfully stroke my awakened boner with a finger. "Why you assume this I mean, is sexual? Can not it be something else, yes?" I lost trying not to grin. Although not every weekend, but often enough, Marcel has a "surprise" for me. And not only are they sexual, but his new tricks always make me cum like a virgin does their first time. At least I think that's what it's like, as I've never been a virgin, having had sex for literally longer than I can remember. It wasn't just that reason, though. "Well," my grin widened, as my dick firmed in length, "you do mix more French with your English, when you're aroused or excited. And going by this," I wiggled my toes on his now-hard cock, "I'd say you're aroused." "Mais oui, I guess I dos that often." He raised his ass enough to pull another of the sofa's plush pillows under it, forming a sort of reclined chair for himself on top of the sofa. Then he leaned forward to gently pull me between his legs and on top of him. I laid on his shaved chest, with our boners pressed together. His hands stroked my neck, back, and ass, arousing me as only he could. We kissed tenderly, for the moment simply savoring our mutual love. Chuckling around my lips, he affectionately squeezed my bubble butt. "Your pey-pey, it is hard as the rock, oui?" "It's your fault, Mar-Mar," I purred truthfully, rubbing my hard 3-inch dick against his own, which was twice as big and thick as mine. "Perhaps then," he smiled, his hazel eyes gesturing down toward the carpet below, "we dos something about it?" My dick got even harder. Carefully leaning to the side, I reached down to the carpet and slipped my fingers under the sofa. Retrieving the hidden small bottle of lube, I handing it to Marcel. As I brought my knees forward, which raised my hips up just above his spread groin, he slicked up the fingers of his right hand. Both of our breathing quickened in anticipation. Marcel reached his lube-coated fingers in-between our boners, as we began kissing hungrily. His wrist bent as his slippery thumb and index finger closed around my hard dick, so the outside of them were pressed against my hairless groin. He then spread his legs a bit wider, and eased his ring and pinky fingers into his ass. Slowly working up a rhythm, his hand jerked my boner and fingered his asshole as one, lubing both with the same strokes. He only did it long enough to make our privates good and slippery. Pulling his lower fingers out, he guided the circumcised head of my boner to the opening of his lubed ass. I could've easily plunged my 3-inch boner into him in one thrust, but I didn't. Although it took some willpower, I slowly entered him, taking about three rolling-hip pushes until my smooth groin was pressed flush to his ass cheeks. Our lips parted as Marcel began lustfully moaning in French. About the only thing I caught was "mon amour," but I didn't need to learn his language, to know what he was meaning. I would've replied, but I was in too much ecstasy to even see straight. As I humped my 9-year-old boner in and out of him, Marcel's love-hole seemed to milk me. Having always been on the other end, I'd only know the bliss of cocks buried in my ass. Before my middle-aged lover, I'd never imagined the awesome feeling of what it was like to fuck an ass. It was no wonder why men had been so desperate to screw me all my life. Marcel had also pointed my ass was special. Not only was it so tight, no matter how often or hard it got pounded, but my child size made for a smaller hole to squeeze a cock into. As much as I love being fucked, though, I can never thank him in a billion lifetimes, for the gift of being able to fuck as well. Even if the ecstasy of it, meant I could never last long. Marcel's hands grabbed my round ass cheeks, as the urge to cum screamed for release within me. It's not just sometimes, that I swear he knows when I'm close to cumming far better than I do. His thickish fingers clenched my butt's silky firm half-globes. Any other time, it would've been painful. Aroused as I was, it further heightened my bliss. But it also gave me back a bit of focus. Just enough to rein in my orgasm, for the moment. Despite his help, I couldn't hold back for much longer, and he knew it. With each of my thrusts, his hands pulled me harder against and into him. We were sweating and panting, my hard dick feeling ten times bigger than its slender 3-inches inside his ass. I whimpered as my orgasm kept building up right behind my dick, threatening to go critical. I managed to desperately hump Marcel's hot hole for a bit longer, but I was losing hold my orgasm, like grasping water spilling through my fingers. One of Marcel's hand grabbed the back of my head, pulling it down to almost savagely kissed me. Although I was already past the point of any control, his lips and tongue were a match to the gas tank of my lust. His mouth also contained my loud cry as my dick exploded, violently squirting my adolescent cum. It seemed forever I was spasming in his arms kissing him, feeling my seed shooting out of me and into him. Finally I collapsed on his shaved sweaty chest, panting breathlessly, with my dick still inside the gripping warmth of his bum. "Mon chocolate eclair," Marcel whispered, fondly brushing the damp strands of my longish brown hair from my forehead. I smiled at his occasional pet name for me. An eclair was a French pastry that was long and slender, layered with chocolate on top, and filled with cream. Although he's called me that since we'd first made love, it's especially fitting for the last month, as I can now squirt actual creamy cum. When my dick slowly softened enough to slip from his ass, Marcel shifted around and gently lifted me up, so I was curled in his half-reclined lap. Like a naked baby in his naked father's tender, loving arms. He planted little kisses on the top of my head, while his hands soothingly caressed me in my afterglow. I could've told him how much I love him, and how desperately I need him. Just as he could've said those very things to me. But neither of us had to, because we could feel it, and to us it was as just as obvious, as the sky was blue. "Oh, moi has almost forget to tells tu," Marcel kissed the top of my nose. "Mon request to the city. They has sent moi the answer finally today." "Really?" I perked up, feeling a swell of excitement. For nearly as long as I've known Marcel, he's been looking to expand his used book store. As it is now, since just before our first weekend together, he had hired an out-of-work single mother from the neighborhood. She not only tends the store on Saturdays and Sundays, but now the weekday mornings while her kids are at school. It gives her a job, and him more free time to cover the other business stuff. The book store was becoming more and more profitable, despite all the electronic books and stuff lately. Marcel has had his eye on opening up another store on the other side of the city. Not only was it a bigger store to add to this one, but it had a connected house. A real house. As much as he thought he could disguise it, I knew he was doing a lot of this for my sake. The only problem was the city's red tape. Marcel had put in an application for a business license expansion months ago. It had seemed like it was forgotten about at city hall. But by the barely-controlled excitement in his voice, it meant he'd been approved to open the second used book store. My excitement was sharing in his, as this was what he'd been wanting for so long. It was his dream. And the house, which he hoped to move into soon, was also easy for me to get to by bus. "Well, were you approved?" I nearly whined, like a kid wanting so badly to tear open a Christmas present. Even though I already knew exactly what the present was. "Tu tells moi," he reached over to grab the large yellow business envelope from the coffee table, and handed it to me. "Tu much better reading the English, oui?" It took me a lot not to rip open the envelope's top flap in my eagerness. It was bulky, filled with the stapled stack of paperwork that all official forms are made of. After two tries, I managed to pull out the thick stack of forms. But the moment my eyes read one short sentence, my throat violently seized. It was wrong. This had to be wrong! But the red ink of the short handwritten sentence, on a Post-It note stuck to the top page, was as cutting sharp as the lurching pain tightening my chest. "Kev-on?" Marcel's voice held a sudden note of worry now. "It dos says I am the approved? Yes?" Trembling, I didn't even feel the forms falling from my hands. I tried closing my brown eyes, but it didn't stop me seeing over and over the short sentence, with its words as red as blood. 'Your application has been approved to adopt Kevin Barton.' I looked in disbelief at Marcel, who was now wearing that lopsided smile of his. Then I collapsed on his chest, my heart wrenching as I cried so hard. I cried in happiness. In release. In love. For a long time Marcel held me tight, as my whole body shook with sobbing wails. I hadn't even cried this hard with joy finding out Daddy had been killed, shivved in the guts in prison, because it had meant he could never hurt me again. Finally I managed to get control of myself. Mostly. With some after-sob hiccups, I lifted my head from his shaved chest, to look at Marcel again. He smiled and kissed my nose, which just about set off another thousand lifetimes of tears. He tenderly brushed one of my tear-streaked cheeks. When I could finally speak, my voice sounded raw from having bawled so hard. "D-does this mean," I asked, "that I have to learn French?" He barked with laughter. "Tabarnak, mais non! La belle langue from the Anglo's lips," he smirked playfully, "is like poetry from the donkey's behind, oui?" We laughed and cuddled, sharing our warm glow like the heat of our naked bodies. An hour or more passed as we talked, and fondly snuggled tighter together. I learned he'd been approved for the new store over two months ago. The new store and its connected house he'd already bought, and were just waiting to be moved in. Which we'll start doing on Sunday. He really did receive approval today from city hall, but it had been for my adoption. How he managed to keep from telling me about trying to adopt me, I can't begin to imagine. It had been killing him not to burst out with the news, from the moment I'd stepped through the alley door earlier. On Monday morning, we'll go to city hall to sign the adoption forms, and make me officially and legally Marcel Laduc's son. Finally, Marcel kissed me, and patted my bum saying it was bedtime. I have to be the only 9-year-old kid who's eager for bed, as my hardening dick betrays. I did protest, very weakly, about him pampering me so much, as he carried me to the bathroom held to his chest. For a balding, thickish-bellied, 44-year-old man, he's quite strong. And yet so tender. Thanks to the Pepsi and wine, we both had to piss. We did so standing in the bathtub before our shower, laughing as we aimed our hot streams like machine-gun bursts on each other's bodies. He loves watching me pee, as much as we love having silly fun like this together, not to mention the sword fights with our boners. Quickly washing one another, with more than a few stolen strokes of each other's boners and asses, we soon dried off. Turning on the bedroom light, we grabbed the bottle of lube by the sofa and turned off the apartment's lights. Walking to the bedroom, his fingers affectionately traced up and down my spine, sending shivers through me. He knew little things that could drive me wild with lust, while at the same time, make me feel like the most special and dearly loved person in the world. Sitting together on the edge of the king-sized bed, which was like the sofa in that he'd bought it for us, we kissed long and passionately. Running our hands over each other, it wasn't as much sexual, as expressing how deeply we loved each other. Soon I was squirming in his arms, and it wasn't just my hard dick that quivered in eagerness. Marcel guided me to the center of the king-sized bed, being on my hands and knees on the soft comforter facing the pile of firmly-plump pillows. Not that we ever ended up falling asleep with that many pillows. Despite knowing what would likely come, with my eyes closed, my naked body trembled slightly in anticipation. Between my slightly parted legs, my 3-inch, arrow-straight boner felt harder than steel, as no doubt my lover's 6-inch cock was, too. The bed shifted as Marcel climbed on it behind me. A pair of hands began to gently caress both my bubble butt and thighs, as he murmured soft loving things in French. I had to drop my head down to the pillows with my ass still raised high, which spread my butt cheeks naturally by themselves. I was now fully trembling with lustful eagerness. Each playful kiss on my round ass cheeks caused me to gasp, and my boner to violently twitch. If I was campfire, then Marcel was stoking me into a roaring bonfire, which would soon become a raging wildfire. A soft kiss, planted on my exposed and now gaping asshole, making me sob into the pillows. Again, then again, he ever so lovingly kissed my opened pink hole. Added with his fingers tracing along my sensitive inner thighs, my lean body quaked in desperation. A hand reached around my hip, so a thumb and finger could ring the base of my straining boner tightly. Then his strong, wet tongue pushed deep into my gaping asshole. The pillows barely muffled my scream of ecstasy. I would've blown my load right then, but the fingers clenching the base of my hard dick kept me from releasing it. With each skillful stroke and thrust of the tongue inside my ass, I cried harder and more lustfully. It wasn't just mouths that Frenchmen so perfectly French kissed. Somehow through my ecstasy, I vaguely heard the wettish sound of him lubing up his cock. Despite knowing it would soon be in me, didn't lessen my need. If anything, it only made me more desperate. My face still on the pillows, I reached my hands behind me to spread my round ass as wide as possible. His mouth kept sucking my wide-open hole, with his tongue plunging back and forth deep inside of me. "Marcel," I pleaded pitifully. The bed shifted again as Marcel now moved to crouch squatting behind my upthrust ass. However, he kept his fingers holding tight the base of my painfully-hard dick, trapping my ever-building orgasm. I gasped and shuddered at the touch of his lubed cock's head against my hole. But it didn't penetrate me. Instead, my lover rubbed his slick boner up and down my spread ass crack, as well as directly on my gaping-wide asshole. With each brushing touch, I thought it would pierce me. But it didn't, and that only further drove me insane with lust and need. "Mar-Mar!" I sobbed, feeling like I'd die if I didn't have him inside of me. My spit-and-lube-slick asshole was so open and eager, Marcel could've easily plunged his nicely-thick, 6-inch cock fully in me with just a thrust. He didn't. Rather, he slowly eased it in working back and forth, an agonizing inch at a time. Had it been anyone else, it would've been cruel teasing or torture. Not Marcel. As desperately as I had to have him in me, he knew how to make my arousal rocket to higher and higher levels. Levels that had me out of my mind with ecstasy. I would've cummed a hundred times, a billion times, if his fingers weren't keeping my dick from doing it. He suddenly stopped penetrating me, with only two-thirds of his half-foot-long cock inside of me. Even those 4 inches felt hugely thick, stretching my squeezing insides. But I had to have more. I must have more. I needed all of him. Then his cock began to pull back. I cried both from the sensation of it, and the unfairness of it. With his fingers tight on my throbbing dick, I couldn't push my ass back to recapture his retreating boner. As frenziedly as my clenching ass tried to hold him in, it wasn't enough. The thick head of his cock pulled out of my asshole, and I nearly bawled in frustrated desperation and need. Feeling the rock-hard tip of Marcel's cock touching my hole again, I tried begging, but only pitiful whimpers came out. Then, with one smooth steady thrust, his whole cock sank fully and completely into my depths. Far from the first time, his boner felt so massive, it was like a horse burying its cock deep inside of me. Just as my 44-year-old lover's shaved groin and balls pushed tight to my spread ass, his fingers released my 9-year-old dick. I cummed so violently, with my adolescent sperm spraying the comforter under me, I all but passed out from its intensity. Marcel kept his cock fully in me, his groin sealed tight to my bubble butt, and didn't move it as I panted like a dog. He didn't need friction to stay hard, as my spasming ass was better than any stroking hand gripping it. While I recovered, he eased a firmly-plump pillow beneath my narrow hips, then squeezed another pillow between it and the one my head laid on. I gratefully sagged on them, which still left me raised up nearly as much as if I were on my hands and knees. Marcel sank to his knees, with them straddling my own knees. Having my legs pressed together tightened my already tight ass, and made his boner feel less like a horse, than a freight train somehow crammed into my whole insides. Leaning on top of me, Marcel's lips brushed aside the longish brown hair on the back of my neck. He nuzzled my neck with little kisses, making me sigh with soul-filling contentment. As much as I wanted his boner to fuck my hole, which at the moment was still buried in me, being so affectionately fawned on was its own perfect love-making. With the coming of my second wind, my ass wiggled just slightly by itself. To Marcel, it probably felt like a dog's hind end being wagged, in the want of his juicy bone. Slowly at first, his cock began sawing back and forth, fanning the flames of my lust higher. It wasn't long before he was rhythmically humping me, his boner pumping my tight ass like a fleshy piston. My dick was again rock hard, being ground against the pillow with each of his thrusts. We were both sweating and panting now. By his increasingly throaty grunts, it wouldn't be long before his seed would erupt in my eager depths. I suddenly cried out in surprise, as his cock unexpectedly pulled out of me. Before I could say a word, Marcel flipped me over on my back on top of the pillows. My protest died in mid-groan, as his mouth swallowed my jutting boner whole. Staring down my lean body, at his balding head furiously bobbing on my ruler-straight dick, I could only mewl in ecstasy. Even as his lips hungrily sucked my boner, his tongue lashed and stroked it. The combination had my eyes seeing four Marcels working my dick. That was about the right amount of Marcels, for how much pleasure I was in. No sooner was I nearing another orgasm, than Marcel pulled from my dick. Moving up to brace himself over me, he kissed me passionately on the mouth. I returned his kissing with just as much desperate, lustful passion. As his boner penetrated my ass again, I gripped my arms around his neck, while lifting and wrapping my legs around his thickish middle. He wasn't going to get away again. Not until my insides were gushing full with his cum. He tried to keep his pace slow, but between his own need, and my rocking back against it, that lasted not even a minute. The whole king-sized bed was soon shaking, as he raised higher up on me, and fucked me with frenzied, pounding thrusts. As I clung to him, with my face buried in his throat, his thickish belly sawed against my smooth 3-inch boner. My insides getting hammered so blissfully, and my hard dick rubbed with each furious thrust, was too much. I cried out as my cum squirted in-between us. As like my arms and legs, my spasming ass clutched him tighter in my orgasm. Swearing something in French, Marcel kept humping inside of me as his cock exploded, spewing his semen like cannon blasts in my depths. The feel of his cock throbbing, as its hot cum flooded me, made me cry out again in ecstasy. For what seemed forever, he pumped his seed into me, and with it his love. Finally, Marcel eased down on his bracing forearms and knees, and tenderly kissed me. Although I lowered my legs, I kept my arms wrapped around his neck, kissing him back just as meaningfully. After a little while, his softening cock quietly slipped from my content ass, and I immediately missed its filling warmth. However, it would be back, first thing in the morning. I could reluctantly wait that long, so long as I have my love to hold, and be held by, through the night. Slipping an arm beneath me to hold me to him, Marcel gently rolled us to our sides, so I half-laid on him with the pillows against my sweaty back. I throatily purred as he fondly caressed the length of me, his touches soothing and loving. It's these little things, done so selflessly, which truly make love. Although love might be the biggest thing of all, its vast hugeness is built up, and made whole, by all its little things. I kissed Marcel. "Merci, mon amour," I breathed in dreamy contentment. He kissed my nose back, and chuckled. "And moi thought, I just dos give you the mercy, yes?" "You Francophones," I giggled playfully. "It's true what they say about you French." "Oh?" He gave my bum an affectionate squeeze. "And what is that be?" "That you've never been raped and plundered, until you've been invaded by the French Foreign Legion." Laughing, we snuggled our bodies tighter together, a naked 44-year-old man, and 9-year-old boy, in love. "Bonne nuit, mon amour," Marcel wished me softly. "Goodnight," I whispered with all my heart, "Dad." Fin (The End)
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Date: Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:31:38 -0500 From: Paul Tolbert Subject: Does He Know? Disclaimer: blah i don't own the character Dave Batista. WWE Does. I sit and listen to him, listen to him talk about the case we recently solved together. After 3 long weeks of wrapping up our investigation, we celebrate over a bottle of Jack Daniels and some stale pizza from Jazzies. He speaks with such enthusiasm in his voice as he recounts the events of the case over and over. I sit there and listen, not paying much attention to what he says. I just sit and listen. He stands up and continues to speak, pumped with excitement like a kid in a candy store. I watch him, a smile painted across my face. I love it when he's happy. It makes me happy. I stare at him, blown away by his strong presence. "Another case solved by the Dynamic Duo!" he shouts as he takes a shot of the rich whisky, dark and velvety in texture. I continue to stare. Does he know? Moments pass til a hand is waved across my face. "You OK Dave?" He asks me. I tell him yes. I'm just thinking. He continues his story. I continue to stare. I start to play with my shot glass. I look at the whisky that it contains. It's been awhile since I've had a drink. I'm cautious at taking a sip. I look to him for approval. "Don't worry Dave, it'll be ok. I trust you." He smiles and I smile back. I take a sip. It tastes great. I continue to stare at him. This time he notices me staring. I look up into his eyes and he sits next to me, placing a hand on my shoulder. I shutter inside, my heart flutters. Does he know he does that to me? "Dave look I know you're going through some things and I want you to know that I'm here for you. We're partners. I care about you." I care about you too, more than you'll ever know. "Thanks" I say to him. He doesn't know what's been brothering me lately. I don't dare speak a word. I convince myself that he can never know how I feel. It hurts. When he looks at me I just want to hold him...touch him. Those eyes of his. How they make me lose my mind. I continue to stare. "So Davey what's on the agenda tomorrow? I hope Adelle doesn't assign us a new case just yet. I'm still worn out." "Me too." I say to him. He gets up and asks if I want some more pizza. I tell him no I'm fine. I watch him walk away. He's so beautiful. I crave him so badly. Does he know? Every day the pain grows deeper. The need to tell him relentless. 'Why am I so afraid?' I ask myself. 'Why can't I tell him?' "Well I think I should call it a day." He says. My heart sinks. I wish he would stay. Just a few more minutes. "Oh ok. Good Night" "Nite" He gets up and heads towards the door. A sudden urge overcomes me. I can't control it. Not anymore. "Lincoln wait!" I shout. I run after him. I stand before him, about to do the greatest thing or perhaps the worst thing in my life. "Yeah Dave?" He looks up at me with those child-like eyes. So radiant and pure. I choked. The words won't come out. I just stared at him. "Dave?" He asks me again, confusion beginning to shape his face. "Take it easy out there OK? Drive safe." DAVE YOU IDIOT! "Sure." He smiles at me, I smile back. I watch him leave, yet another miss opportunity. He reaches the elevator and turns around. He waves goodbye. I wave back; hurt beginning to eat at me, tears starting to form in my eyes. I quickly go back inside and slam the door shut. I break down. I can't help it. The man I love goes another night not knowing how I feel about him. Does he know? I wish he knew.
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Date: Tue, 9 Mar 2004 12:24:18 -0800 (PST) From: A.F. Subject: Best Girl Part 2 - TG Best Girl Part 2 By A.F. TO BE READ BY ADULTS AT LEAST 21 YEARS OF AGE ---------- Todd woke with a start. It was dark in the room and he was disoriented. He was in a large bed tucked under a big fluffy comforter. At his sides he felt the silky material of the flimsy teddy he had been given to wear to bed and the events of the previous evening started to come back to him. He and two other guys, Chris and Jack, were in a competition to get into the Beta Phi fraternity. The winner would get a bid to become a member. The competition was being run by Penelope from the Alpha Phi sorority with the help of this year's pledge class. The week-long competition started out with what was supposed to be a costume party, but that turned out into an excuse to dress up the guys like girls. And now the rest of the competition was going to be along the same lines. Chris was now Candy, Jack was Jasmine, and Todd himself was now Tiffany. Todd heard the creak of a door and he held his breath and remained motionless. The comforter was suddenly pulled off and the light came on. He squinted and looked up into the face of Penelope. She was tall and thin with very dark black hair. She was dressed in shorty pajamas. "Wakey, wakey." Samantha walked over to the bed from the light switch. Samantha was a shorter version of Penelope. "Penelope, what's that?" She gestured to the right side of the bed. Todd looked over to the opposite side of the bed. Chris and Jack were locked in an embrace with Chris' arms around Jack with his crotch pressed up against Jack's rear. Penelope said, "Well, it's only natural. Our girls are getting to know each other." Chris and Jack were wide awake by now and struggled to separate themselves. Chris said, "Will you get off of me?" Jack replied, "Me? You're the one holding me. Unh." He pushed Chris' arms off of him. "Let go. And get that thing off of me." "Sorry." Jack had slept in the nude and the teddy Chris was wearing had ridden up over his hips in the night so they were both naked below the waist. Penelope said, "Come on, girls. Rise and shine. We've got a busy day." The guys rolled out of bed and stood at the end of it. Penelope continued to hold the door open and Kelly walked through it carrying three large pink robes on her left arm and three fluffy pink towels on her right arm. Kelly was one of the pledges the guys met yesterday, a fit-looking blonde. Penelope grabbed one robe and one towel and threw them at Chris. "Candy, take off your night dress and put this on." She grabbed another set and tossed it at Todd. "Tiffany, you, too. Come on." She handed the last set to Jack and said, "Move it, everybody. The first order of business is a shower. Then you'll come back here to get dressed. Yesterday you were pampered but today you're going to learn how to do things yourself." She turned to Kelly and said, "That's not everything. I know I got some slippers for the girls. Go back and find them and take them directly to the bathroom." Each of the guys had shrugged on the robes and carried a towel over one arm. "Follow me, girls." Penelope walked them to the bathroom with Samantha close behind. The bathroom was divided into a shower section to the left of the entrance. A set of benches sat outside the communal shower area which had three shower heads on one side and three shower heads on the opposite side. The right side of the bathroom had a set of sinks on one wall and a set of four bare toilets on the opposite wall. Penelope led the guys into the small area with benches and gestured to the set of hooks along the wall. The guys just stood there. "Come on, are you thick? Take your robes off and get into the shower. Times a wasting." Chris said, "We're not really going to shower together, are we?" Penelope's eyes went wide and she turned to look at Samantha who shook her head. Penelope turned back to the guys and said, "I can't believe this. Despite being in competition, you girls are a team. You slept in the same bed, for chrissakes. Candy, you and Jasmine were practically doing the horizontal tango." Chris broke in, "That's not true. It was just that ..." Penelope slapped him hard across the face. Samantha put her hands on her hips. "Don't ever contradict me. Keep your mouth closed. Get those robes off. Now!" Each of the guys placed their towels on one bench and took their robe off and hung it on a hook. "Now it's obvious to me that you lack a sense of camaraderie, of sisterhood. That's absolutely deplorable. Completely unacceptable. Let's see." She tapped her chin with the index and middle finger of her right hand several times. She reached over and turned Chris so he was facing Todd. Chris was very conscious that both he and Todd were naked. Penelope pushed them closer together. Penelope said, "Candy, give Tiffany a kiss." Chris hesitated at first but when Penelope glared at him he reached down and gave Todd a quick peck on the cheek. "No, no, no. You can do better than that. I want to see a deep tongue kiss, like you were giving all the guys last night. I realize that Tiffany here is a very feminine girl and you prefer big hunky men but this isn't a romantic thing, we're cementing the bond of sisterhood. In that context, it's OK to kiss another girl." She pushed their heads closer together. "Let's see it. Nice and long." Chris closed his eyes and engaged in a long, heated kiss with Todd. "There, that's good." At one point Chris put his hands on Jack's hips and Todd drew in a little closer. "All right, that's enough. Let's get a move on." She turned to Samantha. "They are to share one nozzle. One under the water at a time while the other two do the washing. And as much as they want to, keep these sluts away from each other's privates. We're trying to keep to a schedule." She shook her index finger at Chris. "That means you." Penelope left the bathroom. Samantha crossed her arms. She said, "You heard the lady. Get moving. Let's start with Tiffany. Candy, you and Jasmine lather her up and rinse her off, but keep away from the crotch area. If we start getting into that, we'll be here all day." Chris turned on and adjusted the water temperature while a mortified Todd stood under the water. Chris and Jack squirted soap into their hands from a dispenser on the wall and started rubbing it all over Todd. ********** Back in the bedroom after their shower, the three guys sat on the edge of the bed dressed in their robes and wearing the pink bunny slippers that Kelly had brought to the bathroom for them. Chris said, "Jeez, that was embarrassing. And Samantha was there watching the whole thing." Todd responded, "Well, would you have felt better about it if we were all alone?" "Good question. I'm not sure. I don't think it would be as big a deal amongst ourselves." Jack said, "I think Candy was getting into it a little bit too much." "What? No way." "Yeah you were. You were definitely lingering when you were rubbing down my backside." "You take that back." Chris took up and jumped onto Jack. The door swung open and Penelope walked into the room followed by Samantha, Kelly and Donna, all three pledge captains the guys were introduced to the day before. Penelope walked over and physically separated Chris and Jack. "Girls! What is the meaning of this? You two can't keep your hands to yourselves." She turned to Samantha. "Did they behave in the shower?" "Yes, I made sure of it. Although I think Candy enjoyed it a bit more that she was supposed to. Her hands kept drifting to the crotch area 'accidentally'." Samantha smiled wickedly. Chris looked shocked. He opened his mouth to say something then caught Penelope looking at him. He closed his mouth. Penelope said, "Well, I suppose it's my fault anyway. My lesson on sisterhood obviously got Candy all worked up." She looked at Chris. "Candy, I apologize. You've obviously got a very slutty side to you and any kind of physical contact, with boys or girls, gets you going. I should have realized this and saved all that hot tongue kissing for when there was more time to follow it through." Chris looked to Jack who looked to Todd who looked back to Chris. Penelope turned to the three other girls. "All right now, we're taking the girls shopping today. I want them all ready in an hour. And this time I want you to show them how to do it themselves, don't do everything for them." She reached over and grabbed Todd's hand. "Ugh, we're taking them to the nail salon, too." She left the room. Once Penelope was out of the room, Donna turned to Samantha and said, "Did she really make them kiss each other? Ugh, that's gross." Samantha smiled and said, "Yes. It was kind of sweet. An object lesson, you know, sisterhood and all that. But they were definitely getting off on it." Chris turned to Samantha to protest but she looked back at him and slightly cocked her head as if to dare him to say something. He remained silent. Kelly put her hand to her mouth and started giggling. Samantha continued, "Let's split it up like last night. I'll take Tiffany in the bedroom here. Kelly, you take Candy into the bathroom. Oh, and don't forget her wig." She gestured to the vanity. "Donna, you can work with Jasmine back in our room. Let's make sure to show them how to do it really well and then they'll be able to fix up their faces and dress up all by themselves. Oh, Donna, tell Vanessa and Kaitlin to come in here, too." Everyone left but Samantha and Todd. He felt subconscious in the pink robe and bunny slippers. "Tiffany, we haven't had a chance to talk since last night. I wanted to say something about how good your waxing looks when we were in the bathroom but I didn't want the other girls to think I was playing favorites." She leaned in close and whispered into his ear. "But you are my favorite, of course." Todd went red in the face. Kaitlin walked in the door with Vanessa and Samantha took a step away from Todd. Kaitlin had dirty blonde hair and Vanessa had brown hair. Vanessa was just a little thinner than Kaitlin who had a surfer-girl physique. Vanessa was a good three shades paler than Kaitlin. Samantha, "OK, crew. Let's get to work. It's a little like the job we did yesterday, but our girl here is supposed to learn to do things for herself. I'm going back for the outfit while you two work on hair and makeup." ********** Forty-five minutes later Todd stood in front of the mirror looking at himself. He turned to the side, then all around. He angled his head first to the left and then to the right. He gave his head a shake and the tresses of the strawberry blonde wig gently waved. Samantha walked up behind him and said, "I quite agree, Tiffany. You did a good job for your first solo." Todd smiled and looked at himself in the mirror as he smiled. A pretty girl smiled back at him. Kaitlin and Vanessa both clapped him on the shoulder. Kaitlin said, "Well, she had good teachers." The outfit that Samantha had picked out for him was simple. A lavender twinset and a short black skirt over pantyhose. Pantyhose were a new experience for Todd. Last night he had been dressed up in stockings. He absently touched his legs. Samantha said, "I know you're thinking. You miss your stockings." The two other girls looked at each other and smiled. Todd smiled sheepishly. "Well, I agree that you look better in those, too. But today you're going to be trying on a lot of outfits and this will work out better." Penelope came into the room jingling a set of keys. She said, "OK, are we ready to roll? It's going to be me, the three pledge captains, and the girls." Samantha looked at Penelope and said, "All set." She led Todd out the door by the hand. ********** Todd sat slightly hunched over in a chair at the nail salon. A tiny Filipina sat in front of him painting the nails of his right hand a vivid shade of reddish purple he couldn't identify. He put his unpainted left hand to his head and let out a big sigh. Shopping was hard work! It was midafternoon and he had spent the last four hours in at least a dozen different stores. To the side of the nail station six big shopping bags bulged with the items he maxed out his credit card with. He certainly didn't need all of these clothes. At most he needed four or five outfits to round out the week, make it to the end of the contest. But in stockings alone he had bought ten pair. He groaned when he thought about the lingerie store. At the beginning of the shopping trip Penelope had explained that it was important to take a variety of items into the dressing room, styles, sizes, etc. Then you winnow out what you don't like and are left with just the few perfect items. He had done this in the first store they went to, the lingerie store. He got at least ten sets of panties, bras, and stockings. Penelope neglected to mention that you were supposed to try on those items over your clothes and he had been forced to buy them all after wearing them all against his bare skin. Of course, he would have been able to take that easier if it wasn't for what happened in the dressing room. Penelope commandeered a set of dressing rooms and somehow had cajoled a small crowd of a half dozen men to come inside the curtained area and form an audience. They hooted and hollered as Todd walked the length of the area outside the dressing rooms. He changed into each and every set that he had picked out. Invariably when he made his turn to walk back down the "catwalk" one of the guys would reach over and slap him on the ass. What was wrong with these guys? Surely they saw the slight bulge in his panties and as much as he tried he wasn't a real girl. It didn't seem to stop them from having a grand old time, cat calling and propositioning him as he walked by. Most of the time at least Samantha was in the dressing area with him. Penelope popped in and out like she was also checking on Candy and Jasmine who must have been in another area or maybe store. Penelope came back once with a pair of severe high heels. Samantha said, "Oh, those are just great. I know what will be perfect with them." She reached into the pile of clothes that Todd had picked out and handed him two items. Whatever impulse that had led Todd to pick out a pair of black fishnet stockings and a high-cut pair of thong panties, he regretted it now. The crowd of men saw what Todd held up and started to clap and shout. Todd took a deep breath then went into the dressing room to change. Penelope said to Samantha, "Let's make this the last one." The crowd shouted, "Aww," in unison. Penelope said, "Oh, you guys." She looked at her watch and turned back to Samantha. "I can't believe we've already been here forty-five minutes. We still have shoes to get and a whole bunch of other things." She banged on the door to the dressing room that Todd went into. "Shake your ass! We don't have all day." Todd reluctantly exited the dressing room and walked the length of the floor then turned and came back. Wolf whistles followed him the whole way. Penelope said, "That's nice, that's very nice. Come on, let's see it a few more times. Work it. What do you think, Sam?" "I think she's cute." Penelope stepped behind the curtain to the main part of the store and motioned for Samantha to follow. Once they were out of the area, the guys who had previously kept their distance came right up to Todd. One guy said, "Hey, girly, what are you doing later?" The rest of the guys laughed and Todd started to back away. Another guy grabbed him by the wrist. "What's the rush, honey?" "Uh, well, uh." Another guy came up behind Todd and rubbed his hand along the bare part of Todd's ass. He snapped the thong then ran his hand down to Todd's stockings. He said, "You know, I think this is my favorite outfit. What do you think, guys?" The other guys voiced their agreement. "I think this will do just fine." Todd took a step to the right and suddenly there was a frenzy of movement. A couple guys stood at his side while a guy in front of him pulled his head down until he was almost bent double with his head near his ankles. The guy behind him started to peel the thong down in back until it was past his buttocks. "Oh yeah," he said, "this will do just fine." He rubbed Todd's naked ass with both his hands. A voice at the other end of the dressing area said, "Ahem." Todd hadn't realized he had his eyes closed until he opened them and looked between his legs. He saw Penelope and Samantha upside down. He raised his head up and turned around. Penelope and Samantha both had their arms crossed and wore severe expressions. Penelope said, "I don't know what you guys think this is, but it's over now. Go." One of the guys started to object but Penelope pointed her finger at him and said, "Now!" They guys left grumbling. Penelope walked over to Todd and said, "Oh, poor Tiffany. Did you take on more than you can handle?" She patted his head and reached back and pulled up the back of his thong. She pushed his head into the crook of her arm. "There, there. Penelope is here to make it all better. Did the big bad men scare you? Well, you can't really blame them with that outfit that you picked out. I mean really." She stepped away from Todd as if coming to a realization. She turned to Samantha and said, "Wait a minute, did we do the right thing?" Samantha said, "I don't know, Penelope. I think maybe Tiffany here wanted to get those guys all hot and bothered. She knew the guys were out here when she changed into that outfit. She knew she was going to model it for them." Todd shook his head. "You're right. Maybe I should call those guys back in here to finish what they started. I mean, it's only fair." She took a step and Todd shook his head more violently. "No? Oh, I get it. Tiffany's a cock tease. I should have guessed. She likes all the attention from the boys but doesn't necessarily want to put out. Well, just hurry up and get dressed." She looked at Samantha, "After she's paid for her items, meet us at the shoe store." She exited the dressing area through the curtain. Samantha said, "Oh, Tiffany. What am I going to do with you?" ********** Todd stirred from his musings by a gentle tugging on his left hand. He said, "Oh, sorry," and gave his left hand to the nail stylist. He had got a good three pairs of shoes, the black strappy ones being his favorite. A little more conscious of the price tags after his huge lingerie purchase, he managed to pick out a good five outfits which could be mixed up together a bit plus one nice slinky black dress. Samantha complimented him on all his picks and he couldn't help but agree that they made him look sexy. He tried on about fifteen outfits but gladly didn't have to buy everything he picked out like the underwear. He modeled each outfit for Samantha and she made him go out into the store dressed in the new outfit to solicit opinions from guys passing by the dressing room. Occasionally Penelope stopped by and offered her advice. They all had met at the food court of the mall to get a quick bite to eat and a little rest. Chris was wearing tight jeans and a red halter top. Jack had on a simple blue dress. Todd went to get something to eat and returned with a red tray with his diet soda and corn dog on it. Just as he sat it down on the table at the seat next to Samantha, he caught on to what she was saying. "And there was poor Tiffany bent over, practically touching her toes." The table erupted in laughter. Chris and Jack were especially boisterous. "I tell you, if it weren't for me and Penelope Tiffany would probably still be playing hide the salami with those guys." She looked up and saw Todd standing there. "Come on and sit down." She patted the chair. "I was just telling everyone your story." She turned back to the group. "I mean, you should have seen those guys bulging in their pants. I'm actually surprised we managed to get them off of her without turning a hose on them. But you know how Penelope is with guys." The other girls nodded their heads. Jack reached over and clapped Todd on the shoulder and smiled wide. Todd cuffed him back much harder and with an angry expression on his face. Chris made a fist and poked his index finger in and out obscenely and snorted in laughter. Todd rose from table but Samantha reached up and pulled him back down. "Girls, girls. Let's not fight." Penelope had arrived shortly after that and when everyone had finished their food they came to the nail salon. Todd looked down at his right hand which was now finished and then back up at the clock. Nearly four o'clock. They'd probably be back at the house in a half hour and he was anxious to put on one of his new outfits. ********** Later on, Chris, Jack, and Todd found themselves alone in their room. Their voluminous shopping bags dominated one entire wall and they were anxiously trying on one outfit after another, each showing off for the other guys. Chris said, "You think that's good, you should see this leather mini-skirt I got." He reached into a bag and wiggled into the skirt. "Huh? Get a load of that. Doesn't that make my ass look great?" Jack said, "Yeah, yeah." He turned to Todd. "What I want to see is Tiffany's thong and fishnet stockings." "Yeah, let's see what all the fuss is about." Todd smiled sheepishly and looked through the bags. He looked at the door to the room then back to the two other guys. "OK, but I don't want Samantha and the others to think I'm vain." He found what he was looking for and started to roll on the stockings. "It felt a little weird strutting around in front of those guys, but at the same time it felt kind of good." Chris snorted. "I mean it." He changed out of the panties he was wearing and pulled up the thong and stood up. He started to walk back and forth in the room with his best model walk. "Of course it's no big deal when it's just us ... girls." Chris and Jack both got into their sexiest lingerie and started strutting around the room like Todd. They cracked themselves up with their poses and fake attitude. At one point Todd was demonstrating his predicament in the dressing area of the lingerie store. He was petrified at the time, but now he could look back on it and laugh. He bent way over and reached up and slapped his own ass several times and Chris and Jack stood near him pretending they were a couple of horny guys rubbing Todd down and motioning to his face and ass with their crotches. They started laughing so hard they had trouble catching their breaths. Penelope walked into the room carrying a shopping bag. She was followed by Samantha, Kelly, and Donna. She said, "Ha, ha, ha. What's so funny?" She looked over at the three guys caught in their tableau. "Oh, I see. Re-enacting the famous scene from the lingerie store. Very funny. Innocent girl threatened by a gang of toughs. Tiffany, you're doing pretty good except I don't remember that smile being on your face. But Candy and Jasmine there, you two just don't make it as a couple of guys. Not at all." The three guys hurried to stand together more or less at attention. She continued, "I'm glad to see everyone getting along. In fact, your little skit here segues into a topic I wanted to bring up. Oh, by the way you were 'graded' on your dressing and shopping skills today. I think everyone one did absolutely fabulous, but of course there's got to be a winner. We'll go over the point totals later tonight. But now to the matter at hand. You've been here over twenty-four hours now and I'm sure you were wondering when we were going to bring up one topic, that being ... sex." The three guys looked at each other, swallowed, then looked back to Penelope. "Pinheads that you are, I suppose you imagine that sorority girls like us hold big lesbian orgies late at night. Huh, is that what you think?" Todd and Jack shook their head but Chris nodded absently. "Oh, is that so?" With a stern look from Todd, Chris stopped nodding. "Well, believe it or not you're going to get your wish. Of course, since you're girls now you're going to have a certain role, not exactly what you're used to." She turned aside and said to Samantha, "As if they're used to anything at all except Miss Right if you know what I mean." She jerked her hand up and down. "Do you three think you can handle that? A little hot, girl-on-girl action?" To a one, the three guys nodded vigorously. "OK. I like what you're wearing. Marvelous. But I'm sure you girls need a shower. Samantha, make sure they get washed up. Really clean if you know what I mean. I'll tell the rest of the pledges to come down in twenty minutes dressed in their skivvies. It's going to be fun." She clapped her hands twice. Todd raised his hand. Penelope said, "What is it, Tiffany?" "Are you going to be joining in, Miss Penelope?" "We'll see. I'm going to leave the pledge captains in charge, Sam and the rest. I'll definitely watch some. Anything more, who knows?" The guys put on their robes and slippers and Samantha led them to the bathroom. They started to go to the shower area but Samantha jagged right over towards the commodes. She said, "Now this may be a first for you." She looked them over. "I'm not sure what your sexual experience is, but when pretty girls have sex, they like to be clean." Todd looked over to the shower area. "Yes, of course that means taking a shower, but pretty girls also like to be clean inside." From their expressions, it seemed that Todd and Jack were getting her meaning but Chris remained thick as ever. "I'm not going to go into graphic detail but ..." She gestured to the small rectangular boxes that were stacked up along the wall. The word "Fleet" was visible across the top of each box. "Get yourselves cleaned up, rinsed off, then join us back in your room. And, believe me, you had better do a good job. For your sakes. Oh, and you can each use your own shower nozzle. If you want to play a little bit amongst yourselves that's OK, but don't take too long." She left the bathroom. The guys looked at each other. Chris said, "I still don't get it. What are we supposed to do?" Jack waggled his finger at Chris and said, "Come here. Let me explain it to you." ********** Walking back to their room, freshly showered and dressed in their robes with their sexiest lingerie underneath, Chris, Todd, and Jack were once again in high spirits. What they'd been through over the past couple days really cemented the bond between them. Of course in the back of each of their minds was the idea that they were in a cutthroat competition, but with each other at the same time their rapport was undeniable. They pushed each other playfully through the hallway. When they were putting on their stockings in the bathroom they had faked a sophisticated air and smoked cigarettes in a long pretend holder. This cracked them up once again and somehow ended up with Jack giving Chris a loud raspberry on his belly. Chris returned the favor and things devolved into a furious bout of tickling and giggling which ended with a violent round of underwear snapping. The guys were breathless from laughing as they entered their room. The room was dimmer than it usually was, lit by a single lamp on the far side of the bed. The twelve sorority pledges, including the three pledge captains, sat cross-legged in a large circle at the foot of the bed. They were dressed in a variety of outfits. Some had simple cotton panties with a white bra. Some pledges had lacier underwear in various colors. One pledge was wearing a bustier. Samatha stood up to make a space and then motioned them into the circle. She said, "Come on, don't be bashful." She took each of their robes and flung them over a chair. At the sight of the three guys in stockings, panties, and bras, the circle of pledges broke out laughing. Samantha said, "Now, now. Let's not be mean. I think the girls look pretty good." Samantha picked out three pledges at random and said, "You, you, and you." Those three pledges wiggled out of their panties and layed back a little bit with their legs slightly splayed. Samantha turned to Chris, Todd, and Jack. She gestured to the now-naked crotches of the pledges she had pointed to. "Now I suppose you know what these are. I want you three to bend down and get to work. Come on, chop, chop." Jack shrugged then got down on his knees in from of the first pledge. Then he bent his head down and starting tonguing her clit. The pledge grabbed his head and pulled it harder into her crotch. She said, "There, that's it. Keep on going." Todd and Jack looked at each other and smiled then followed suit. When Todd stuck his ass in the air, one of the pledges said, "Get a load of that thong," and the rest of the pledges laughed. After twenty-five minutes the girls had switched to their second set of pledges. The door opened and Penelope came through. She said, "How are we coming along here?" Todd started to get up and turn his head but the pledge he was working on pulled his head back to her crotch and said, "Hey, get back to work." Samantha went over to Penelope and started talking to her. Their voices were low. They seemed to be arguing for a moment then Penelope's face softened and she nodded which caused Samantha to smile. Samantha actually jumped up and down once and then left the room. Penelope caught the attention of Kelly and Vannessa and nodded her head twice. The three pledges got up and started rummaging through the shopping bag that Penelope had brought earlier. Busy at work, the girls had their faces buried in the crotches of three pledges. They seemed to be enjoying themselves. Their tongues worked up and down, left and right. Chris felt his panties being pulled down partway in the back and a cold trickle at his rear end and started to raise his head. The pledge he lay prostrate in front of yanked him back down and shouted, "Focus." There was definitely a pressure on his asshole and Chris struggled and finally managed to break free and turn around. He said, "Hey, what gives?" Kelly clouted him on the back and said, "Hold still, will you?" She wore a harness over her panties and fitted into it was an anatomical dildo. Chris looked over and saw that Vanessa was positioned behind Todd. She pulled his thong aside and had managed to work the head of the strapon dildo she was wearing into Todd's asshole. He seemed oblivious to it. He had his eyes closed and was moving his hips a little to the left and right, but not exactly struggling. Chris said, "No way," and fought with Kelly some more. The pledge in front tried to hold his head down while Kelly thrust her fake cock at Chris' ass. A couple of the pledges laughed at the predicament. It was at this point that Samantha returned. "Gee, Sam. What are you supposed to be?" Eyes turned to Samantha in the doorway. She wore thigh-high patent leather boots and a severe black leather dress. In one hand she held a riding crop. One of the pledges said, "Check out little miss dominatrix here." Samantha walked completely into the room and closed the door. She glared at the pledge who made the statement and walked slowly with purpose over to the circle stopping first to pick up the shopping bag beside Penelope. Penelope seemed amused but remained silent. One of the pledges scrambled to make an entrance for Samantha and she entered the circle. She said, "What seems to be the problem here?" Kelly answered, "This stupid bitch won't hold still." She kicked at Chris. Chris said, "Ow." Samantha said, "Hmm. I'm not sure what to say." She addressed Chris and said, "Candy, are you being difficult?" Her voice was deeper and more hoarse than usual. Chris replied, "She's not putting that thing in my ass." "Oh, is that so?" She reached into her shopping back and handed something to Kelly. "Here, put this ball gag on her." She pulled some more items from the bag and buckled a pair of cuffs onto Chris, ankle to wrist on one side and ankle to wrist on the other side so he was bent over with his ass in the air and his chin on the ground. "Look at Tiffany." Chris managed to turn his head slightly and started drooling through the ball gag that Kelly had fitted tightly into his mouth. Vanessa was pushing in and out of Todd's ass in a long fluid motion. Todd had his face buried deep in a pledges' crotch. "She's having a great time. Don't you want to join in the fun?" Chris shook his head. "Well, we're certainly not going to make you do something you don't want to do." She turned to Vanessa and said, "Hey, why don't you give someone else a chance. I see a lot of eager faces out there." Kelly said, "Me first. I lost my turn because of this jackwad." She kicked Chris' ass and he grunted through his gag. "OK, you take Tiffany, but be gentle. Donna, why don't you and your pledge team take Jasmine back to our room. It's getting a little crowded in here." Donna and three other girls got up and led Jack out of the room. Donna grabbed Jack's robe on the way out. Samantha said, "There, that's much cozier now." Six pledges remained around the circle while Penelope stood at the door. Samantha stood inside the circle and Kelly positioned herself behind Todd, pointed her strapon cock at his asshole, and pushed it in. Kelly said, "Ah, now this is how it's done. Watch and learn, my friends." She started humping in and out. Kaitlin asked her, "Have you done this before, Kelly?" Kelly grabbed Todd's hips in her hands and gave Todd an even dozen expert thrusts with her strapon. "What do you think?" "Cool. I can't wait for my turn. But this is my first time. I'll probably mess it up." "Don't worry about it. Practice makes perfect after all. And if you accidentally pull out or something, just blame it on the slut. Isn't that right, you slut?" She slapped Todd's ass playfully and he nodded up and down absently. Kaitlin reached over and started stroking Todd's cock and balls. They were dangling back and forth as Kelly pumped her dildo in and out of his ass. She said, "I think this is cute. I mean, without all that hair she's kind of pretty down here. I like watching you slide that thing in and out and how these kind of bounce around." A few of the other pledges murmured in agreement. Samantha hauled back and gave Chris a hard whack across the ass with her riding crop. She wound back up and gave him four more blows. She said to him, "Well, bitch, did you change your mind about your full participation in the festivities?" Chris shook his head. Samantha pulled one more item out of her shopping bag. It was a small strap with snaps and it and she fastened it around Chris' testicles and the shaft of his penis. Once that was done she pulled back on his cock and balls so they were more prominent and she slapped him with her hand. Chris jumped and started to yell through his gag. She raised the riding crop back and slapped his very hard on his ass and then maybe a quarter as hard right on his protruding balls. Chris screamed through his gag. Kelly stopped pumping Todd and everyone else's attention went to Samantha and Chris. Samantha repeated the double-hit on Chris' ass and balls four more times, each time eliciting a noisy response. Finally, she said, "Let me ask one more time. Are you tired of being contrary and do you now want to join in the fun?" Chris remained motionless for a few seconds and finally, reluctantly nodded his head. "All right, then. Now don't you feel silly for kicking up such a fuss?" She removed his gag but left the restraints on. Kelly resumed pumping Todd's ass. "Now, Candy, what do you want?" Chris took a breath. "What do you mean? Like for you to let me up?" Samantha slapped him hard on the balls. "No, you stupid bitch." She pulled a strapon harness out of her bag and strapped a medium size black dildo into it, then pulled it around her waist and fastened the straps. "I mean, what do you want me to do with this?" She stood in front of Chris and stroked her fake cock. Penelope said, "Ahem. I don't mean to interrupt, but I'm going to head out now. Sam, I think you have things well in hand here." Samantha turned to look at Penelope and smiled at the compliment. Her strapon cock bobbed up and down slightly. "I want a full report when you're done here, from both you and Kelly." She exited the room. Samantha turned and slapped Chris' ass and said, "Huh? What do you want me to do?" "Um. Well, I guess put it into my butt." "Put it into your butt? Your butt? I'm going to butt-fuck your slutty ass is what I'm going to do. Say that. What you want me to do." "Um, I want you to butt-fuck my slutty ass. Is that right?" The pledges laughed when he said this. Samantha said, "That's damn right." She yanked his panties down even further in the back and thrust into Chris' ass with her strapon dildo. "Arch your back, whore." She slapped him hard across the ass. "More, arch your back more godddamit. There, that's good." She thrust in and out, in and out. "What do you want, slut?" She slapped his ass. "Ooh. Ow. Ooh. Unh. Butt-fuck my slutty ass. Ooh. Yeah. I want to be fucked up the ass." Chris gave a little whine. "Oh, I know it's hard. You're probably aching for a real cock. Well, this is the closest thing we have." Samantha reached over and gave Kelly a high-five. They were more or less side by side and started to pump in and out of the asses in front of them simultaneously. Kelly pulled Todd's head up and said, "Let's hear something from you, you've been too quiet." Samantha said, "Yeah, Tiffany, what do you want?" Todd thought for a moment and said, "Ooh. Aah. I want you to pump your long, hard cock in and out of my ass. Fuck me like a whore. Unh. Oh." He rose up on his hands and started rotating his ass in time with Kelly's thrusts. A couple of the pledges came up beside him and started rubbing his side, rubbing his legs. One pledge stroked the hair of his wig. Todd smiled. Samantha said, "That bitch just adores the attention. Don't you, bitch?" Todd nodded then put his head down sheepishly. Kelly rubbed his back. She said, "Oh, that's OK. Don't be bashful. Sam, you're lucky to have such a darling. Look what I have to work with." She gestured towards Chris. Sam replied, "Oh, I wouldn't give up on this old girl." She pulled her strapon all the way out of Chris' ass and then in one fell swoop punched it all the way back in. Chris gasped but didn't protest. "It takes her a little longer, but she learns her lesson eventually." After ten more minutes of pumping, thrusting, and dirty talk elicited from their bitches, Kelly and Samantha relinquished their positions to two eager pledges. Samantha undid Chris' cuffs and she and Kelly sat on the bed, surveying the action on the floor. She said to Kelly, "Well, it looks like everyone's having a good time." Kelly replied, "Yeah, they're really getting into it. The girls and the other pledges." "Naturally." ********** Two long hours later Chris and Todd lay exhausted on the bed. They were alone in the room and hadn't said one word to each other since the pledges had left fifteen minutes before. Each of the eight remaining pledges had fucked either Chris or Todd in the ass at least once. A few had done them both. A lot of it was the hard pumping that Samantha and Kelly had demonstrated, but later on it turned gentler. Samantha had spent a long twenty minutes behind Todd, gently fucking his ass and rubbing his back and shoulders. It was the highlight of the night for him. Jack walked in the door. He said, "You two look like what the cat dragged in." Chris said, "Well, what were you, on a picnic? We were in here getting a savage ass reaming. Those girls play rough." Todd nodded in agreement. "Oh, wah, you big baby. Can't take a little prostate massage." "Little? My God, I thought they were poking my diaphragm." With that said, Todd and Jack started laughing and after a few seconds Chris finally joined them. Todd patted Chris on the ass and said to Jack, "You should have seen Candy. Put up quite a fight at first and they had her trussed up like the Christmas goose. She still got butt fucked, though. And she was begging for it." "Hey! You were asking for it, too." Jack said, "Now, girls. No need to fight over who wanted to be fucked up the ass more." Chris said, "Oh, you." He gave Jack a light shove on the shoulder and Jack pushed him back. Penelope and the three pledge captains came into the room. Kelly and Donna carried the big poster board which tallied the scores in the "Best Girl Contest". So far the scores sat at thirty points for Jasmine, twenty points for Tiffany, and only ten points for Candy. Two new columns had been added: "Shopping" and "Strapon". Penelope said, "OK, girls. I'm sure you're anxious to see the points get awards for today's events. First, I want to say that each of you did a terrific job. I had my doubts, but you're proving them wrong. Each of you is turning out to be a better girl than I ever would have thought." Chris, Todd, and Jack looked at each other and smiled. "Of course, there has to be only be one winner, so let's cut to the chase, why don't we." She turned her attention to the scoreboard. "Our first event today was the shopping trip. You were judged on how you looked, the clothes you picked out, and how you behaved in the stores. In third place with five points is Jasmine." Jack looked surprised he had come in third. "Jasmine, you looked great and picked out some nice outfits, but I didn't feel like you gave it your all." Samantha wrote in the score with a marker. "In second place with ten points is Candy." Chris looked happy to come in second after his two third place finishes from the day before. "Candy, your taste is, well, I'm not sure how to describe it. But you more than made up for it in your attitude at the store. You were absolutely shameless soliciting advice from unsuspecting passers-by." Samantha turned her said and said, "Really?" "Oh, you really missed something. There were these two businessmen. Candy went completely out of the store in a new skirt, lifted it up in the back and asked, 'Do you think my butt looks fat in this?' It was priceless. She's lucky she didn't get hauled into the security office, charged with shoplifting, and given a full cavity search." Samantha laughed and the others joined in. "But that little episode can't hold a candle to Tiffany at the lingerie store." Samantha nodded. "The amusement value of that alone gives Tiffany first place and fifteen points. The look she had. Seeing her little face upside down with that look of absolute terror and confusion. Priceless." Chris and Jack clapped Todd on the shoulder in congratulation. "Our second and final event was the strapon circle. This was a really tough one for me to decide. Jasmine gave her usual flawless performance. Tiffany was very sweet and while Candy was cantankerous as usual, she finally warmed to the idea of taking a cock in her ass. So it's difficult for me to give third place and five points to Candy." She looked at Chris. "Candy, you finally came around, but your willfulness will be your undoing. Second place goes to ..." Todd and Jack held their breath while she paused. She said, finally, "Tiffany." Todd let out a little whimper of disappointment. "Tiffany, don't get me wrong. I think you did a great job. Don't you agree, Samantha?" "Superb." "But Jasmine just gave it the extra effort. She innovated. You and Candy were content just to stay on your knees and take it doggy style but Jasmine got into different positions. At one point she even had a cock in her ass and one in her mouth at the same time. I have no choice but to award first place to Jasmine, fifteen points." Samantha wrote in the final scores and tallied up the numbers. She hung numbers on the hooks at the end of the scoreboard to show the current tally. Candy stood at twenty-five points. Tiffany had forty-five points. Jasmine had the high score with fifty points. Penelope said, "Candy, Candy, Candy. You better step up your game or you're going to rapidly find yourself out of contention." Chris looked down. "Well, that's another day down. One step closer to your goal. You'll be glad to hear that your assholes are off limits tomorrow to give you a chance to recuperate." The three guys started clapping lightly. Samantha leaned up and whispered into Penelope's ear. "Good point, Sam. Well, Samantha is really looking out for you girls. She thinks, and I agree, that you three deserve a reward for doing so well today. All that ass fucking probably got you worked up and we're going to give you," she looked at her watch, "three minutes to get your release." The three guys looked back at her quizzically. "Pull your puds. Yank your meat. Come on, the clock is ticking." She tapped her watch. "Or are you going to turn up your nose at Sam's considerate gift?" The guys looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders. They pulled down their panties in front and pulled out their cocks. In front of the four attractive women, with a few strokes they were rock hard. "Two minutes, ladies. If you're having trouble getting off just think about those thick cocks plunging into your feminine asses. Tiffany, I bet you're thinking back to the lingerie store. Those big studs bending you over. I'm sure if you were back there right now you could show them some of the tricks you learned tonight." Todd's breathing became more labored as he pumped his cock. At that moment he didn't care that he wearing a bra, thong, and fishnet stockings and was masturbating in front of four girls and two other guys. That he was nearly ass raped at the lingerie store. That we had spent the last couple of hours getting drilled in the ass by girls wearing strapon dildos. He just wanted to climax. Just about there, he looked up at Penelope worried for a minute. She seemed to understand and turned her left hand palm up and motioned with it. "Thirty seconds now. This could be your last chance for a while. You better hurry up." "Five. Four. Three. Two." Todd yelled out loud and started to come. "Unh. Unh." He spilled a small pool of semen into his left palm, making a deep cup of it so none would spill out. Chris and Jack finished at the same time. Chris was holding a load equal to Todd's but Jack's was barely half as much as either Todd's or Chris'. Todd gave his cock a final squeeze and wiped a droplet of cum on the base of his thumb. Penelope said, "Well, that was fun, wasn't it? I think you girls like having an audience." Todd looked at his hand and then around the room. "Oh, you can just get rid of that." She motioned with her hand to her mouth. Chris said, "Huh?" Todd and Jack took her meaning and Jack raised his hand up to his mouth and in one quick motion swallowed down the load of cum. Todd was stunned but Penelope glared at him and he slowly raised his hand and followed Jack's lead. It was warm and had a slightly bitter taste. Its consistency varied but was globby in one section and runny in another. He swallowed with an audible gulp. Kelly and Donna snickered. Penelope looked at Chris and said, "Well, what are you waiting for?" He seemed about to say something, then kept his mouth closed. He looked left then right. Penelope started pushing his hand up and he pulled away too hard. The slimy contents of his hand went flying onto Todd, onto his belly and trickling down into the small thatch of pubic hair that he retained. Todd's cock was still hanging outside his panties with the band hugging underneath his balls. Penelope struggled to maintain a calm voice. She said slowly and low in volume, "I'm going to assume that was an accident. That you weren't defying me on purpose. But you're going to clean up your mess and we're not going to hear a peep out of you." Todd sensed this was a crucial moment. His belly felt wet where Chris' cum had splashed him. He felt a little queasy but resisted the urge to wipe himself off. He felt the trickle as the stuff dripped down his pubic hair onto his scrotum. Samantha, Kelly, and Donna were motionless and held their hands to their mouths. Twenty seconds passed. Then Chris squatted down and started licking his cum off of Todd's belly. As one, everyone let out a breath except for Penelope. She said, "There, that's a good girl. Get it all now." The mood of the room shifted lighter. Chris continued to lap up the cum. He put both lips down in Todd's pubic hair and made a couple of slurping sounds which made Kelly start giggling. Todd wiggled a little bit and said, "It tickles." Samantha put her hand on Chris' head and said, "She's got a little cat tongue." She reached over and gently lifted up Todd's balls. "You got some here, too. What a mess. Clean this off." Chris swallowed, turned red, then licked the drops of cum off Todd's hairless scrotum. "OK, stand up. I think that's enough." She looked at Penelope who nodded. "Oh, just this here." She reached out and pulled Chris' palm up to his mouth. "Lick that clean. There, that's good." She grabbed Todd's hand and brought it up to Chris' face and he licked that off. Of his own accord, Jack reached over and put his hand in front of Chris' face and Chris licked that off as well. Penelope said, "There, are we all nice and clean now? You girls better get to bed now. I would admonish that you shouldn't eat before going to bed because you might have nightmares, but it's too late for that." She chuckled. "I can just imagine what your dreams will be like now." She left the room with Samantha, Kelly, and Donna in tow. The guys removed their wigs and placed them on the styrofoam heads on the vanity. They rolled off their stockings and flung them over the chair. They swiped at their faces with a few makeup wipes and then shut off the light and crawled into bed they shared. They were silent for a minute and then Chris said, "Not a word, not a single word." END OF PART 2 TO BE CONTINUED IN PART 3 ---------- Copyright 2004 - A.F. - All Rights Reserved
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global_05_local_4_shard_00000656_processed.jsonl/89220
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HttpApplication Class and the
ASP.NET Application Object
By Peter A. Bromberg, Ph.D.
Printer - Friendly Version
Peter Bromberg
The ASP.NET HttpApplication class hides a number of complex concepts in order to simplify the programming model. Some of these simplifications are designed to handle compatibility issues with the classic Microsoft Active Server Pages (ASP) Application object in order to make migration easier. Therefore, it may be important for developers to understand some of the differences, in particular where performance issues are a concern.
Application Class and Application Instances
An application class is defined in the Global.asax file. The code in Global.asax defines a new class that is derived from System.Web.HttpApplication. Consider the following code in Global.asax, which adds a new object array to the Application object:
public class Global : System.Web.HttpApplication
public Global()
protected void Application_Start(Object sender, EventArgs e) { this.Application.Add("TestItem",new object[]{"one","two","three"}); }
And here, in the Page_Load event handler of a page in our Application , we will pull it back out:
private void Page_Load(object sender, System.EventArgs e)
object[] MyStuff=(object[])Page.Application["TestItem"];
for(int i=0;i<MyStuff.Length;i++)
Response.Write(MyStuff[i]+" <br/>");
In the absence of a Global.asax file, the base class, HttpApplication, is used as the application class.
The ASP.NET runtime creates as many instances of application classes as needed to process requests simultaneously. For most applications, this number is limited to the number of threads and remains in the range of 1 through 100, depending on the hardware, server load, configuration, and so on. Many requests reuse application instances, and a list of free application instances is kept during periods of reduced load. Application instances are used in a thread-safe manner, that is, one request at a time. This has important implications:
• You do not have to worry about locking when you access non-static members of the application class.
• Application code can store request data for each request in non-static members of the application class (except after the EndRequest event because this event can maintain the request for a long time).
Because static members of any class, including an application class, are not thread-safe, the user code must provide appropriate locking for access to static members. This applies to any static member that you add to the application class.
Microsoft provides the following guidelines to access the application instance that is associated with the current request:
• From the Global.asax, use the this (Me in VB.Net) object.
• From a page, every page includes a strongly-typed ApplicationInstance property (e.g., "Page.Application["TestItem"]")
• From the HttpContext object, use the HttpContext.ApplicationInstance property (which you type as HttpApplication):
HttpApplication ctx=(HttpApplication)HttpContext.Current.ApplicationInstance;
object[] MyAppStuff=(object[])ctx.Application["TestItem"];
for(int j=0;j<MyAppStuff.Length;j++)
Because Application refers to the global application state dictionary in classic ASP, ASP.NET uses ApplicationInstance and not Application as a property name to refer to the application instance that processes the current request.
Application Events
The lifetime of a request (commonly referred to as the "Http pipeline") consists of a series of the application events (and some implicit steps that ASP.NET implements). These events are listed below in the order in which they are executed:
1. BeginRequest
2. AuthenticateRequest event
3. DefaultAuthentication internal event
4. AuthorizeRequest event
5. ResolveRequestCache event
6. Internal step to "map handler" (when compilation takes place, a page instance is created)
7. AcquireRequestState event
8. PreRequestHandlerExecute event
9. Internal step to "execute handler" (when the page code is executed)
10. PostRequestHandlerExecute event
11. ReleaseRequestState event
12. Internal step to filter responsesUpdateRequestCache event
13. UpdateRequestCache event
14. EndRequest event
The following items can handle these events:
• Internal ASP.NET page framework (for example, steps 6, 9, and 12 in the preceding list).
• HTTP modules that are configured for the application. The default list of HTTP modules is defined in the Machine.config file. Additional custom modules may be specified by the developer in the web.config for the application.
• Code in Global.asax that is hooked through the Application_[On]EventName method or that is hooked explicitly when you add event handlers for an alternative handler name:
protected void Application_OnBeginRequest(Object sender, EventArgs e)
Response.Write("OnBeginRequest Fired!");
Each event can have synchronous and asynchronous subscribers. Asynchronous subscribers are executed first. Not all events are always executed; the only event that is always executed is EndRequest. As a result, you should perform all after-request cleanup in the EndRequest event:
protected void Application_OnEndRequest(Object sender, EventArgs e)
{ Response.Write("OnEndRequest Fired!<br/>"); }
In most cases, the actual response content is sent to the client after the application instance is finished with the response (which is after EndRequest).
Application_OnStart and Application_OnEnd
ASP.NET introduces the Application_OnStart and Application_OnEnd "events" for compatibility with classic ASP. These handlers are executed only once in the lifetime of an application and not for every application instance. So, if you change non-static members in these methods, you affect only one application instance and not all instances. You can initialize one application instance either in the constructor or by overriding the Init method.
Application_OnStart is a logical equivalent to the class constructor for the application class, but it offers one advantage: the code has access to the HttpContext for the first request to the application.
Application State
Application state is a global dictionary of late-bound objects, which classic ASP introduces to compensate for the absence of global variables in Microsoft Visual Basic Scripting Edition (VBScript). In ASP.NET, you can access application state through one of the following:
• Application property (which is defined in both HttpApplication and Page classes)
• HttpContext.Application
To access static application members from pages in Microsoft Visual C# .NET and Microsoft Visual Basic .NET, you must use the ClassName attribute in Global.asax to name your application class. For example, in a "Script Only" global.asax:
<%@ Application Language="C# | VB" ClassName="MyClass" %>
In CodeBehind:
public class Global : System.Web.HttpApplication
public static string StaticTest ="This is the original value";
. . .
If a static member is named MyStaticMember in your Global.asax file, you can use MyClass.MyStaticMember to access it from your page.
The code in the sample Web application for this article writes items to the output stream that illustrate some of these unique properties as they are set or fired from within the global.asax or the Page itself, and will make it easier to examine and / or experiment with the unique Application Object.
Download the Code that accompanies this article
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