text: "Now suppose," chortled Dr. Breed, enjoying himself, "that there were many possible ways in which water could crystallize, could freeze. Suppose that the sort of ice we skate upon and put into highballs— what we might call ice-one—is only one of several types of ice. Suppose water always froze as ice-one on Earth because it had never had a seed to teach it how to form ice-two, ice-three, ice-four ...? And suppose," he rapped on his desk with his old hand again, "that there were one form, which we will call ice-nine—a crystal as hard as this desk—with a melting point of, let us say, one-hundred degrees Fahrenheit, or, better still, a melting point of one-hundred- and-thirty degrees." -- Kurt Vonnegut, /Cat's Cradle/ It gives me great pleasure to announce Perl 5.12.1, the second stable release of Perl 5.12. You can (or will shortly be able to) download Perl 5.12.1 from your favorite CPAN mirror or from: http://search.cpan.org/~jesse/perl-5.12.1/ SHA1 digests for this release are: 75a8a17cec15d68c6bb959b0aa9879d2ded6f90d perl-5.12.1.tar.bz2 83b99f08379782dc06594a85eeb279edc5b0ca44 perl-5.12.1.tar.gz This release contains minor bug fixes and updates of several core modules, as well as minor documentation updates. It should be fully backward compatible with Perl 5.12.0. Perl 5.12.1 is a recommended upgrade for all users of Perl 5.12. You can find a full list of changes in the file "perl5121delta.pod" located in the "pod" directory inside the release and on the web at: http://search.cpan.org/~jesse/perl-5.12.1/pod/perl5121delta.pod Perl 5.12.1 represents approximately four weeks of development since Perl 5.12.0 and contains approximately 4,000 lines of changes across 142 files from 28 authors. Perl continues to flourish into its third decade thanks to a vibrant community of users and developers. The following people are known to have contributed the improvements that became Perl 5.12.1: Ævar Arnfjörð Bjarmason, Chris Williams, chromatic, Craig A. Berry, David Golden, Father Chrysostomos, Florian Ragwitz, Frank Wiegand, Gene Sullivan, Goro Fuji, H.Merijn Brand, James E Keenan, Jan Dubois, Jesse Vincent, Josh ben Jore, Karl Williamson, Leon Brocard, Michael Schwern, Nga Tang Chan, Nicholas Clark, Niko Tyni, Philippe Bruhat, Rafael Garcia-Suarez, Ricardo Signes, Steffen Mueller, Todd Rinaldo, Vincent Pit and Zefram. We expect to release Perl 5.12.2 in mid-August 2010, followed by Perl 5.12.3 in mid-November. The next major release of Perl 5, 5.14.0 should appear in spring 2011. Best, Jesse Vincent, on behalf of the Perl 5 Porters.Thread Next


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08/29/08 Who is Responsible for the Suffering of Cows?
Animal Friends will file charges for torturing pregnant cows
On Thursday, August 28, at 9:00 P.M., the cows were unloaded after 70 hours on truck, 30 of which were spent waiting at the border crossing. Being in state of advanced pregnancy and completely exhausted, they would have died on the truck had they spent another day at the border.
Members of Animal Friends accompanied the truck to the unloading point, but were not allowed to monitor or cover the unloading on video, probably because, owing to the exhaustion of the cows, the process included lots of blows and dragging on chains, which only increased the whole tragedy. A terrible fact is also that, after the rest that was long overdue, the cows continued on their way to Sarajevo.
Animal Friends and Association of Animal Friends "Dr. Ivan Rostas" will file criminal charges for animal abuse and demand that the incident should be thoroughly investigated. Since it is not an isolated case, we will also demand from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishery, and Rural Development to make a statement about non-compliance to the Regulation on the Live Animals Transport, the lack of necessary facilities at border crossings, and the changes that should be introduced regarding the transit of animals through Croatian territory, which Animal Friends thinks should be banned altogether.
Live animals transport is among the cruellest practices in the process of breeding animals for commercial purposes, resulting in millions of suffering, wounded, and dead animals. The agony suffered by these animals during long hours of transport without food or water, on overcrowded trucks, is by itself a sufficient reason for banning this practice altogether. By changing to a meatless nutrition, each and every person can refuse to participate in this cruelty.
Animal Friends in Bosnia and Herzegovina will take similar steps in their country.

subset: commoncrawl


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A 36-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of killing a University of California at San Francisco medical student in a brawl at a South of Market nightclub in 2011, San Francisco police said today.
Dung Minh Nguyen (pictured above), a Richmond resident, was arrested Thursday for the killing of 30-year-old Joe Hernandez, who was hit in the head by an object during the brawl at Temple nightclub at 540 Howard St. on Jan. 9, 2011, according to police.
Previously: Police Arrest One Suspect, Seeking Another In Temple Nightclub Slaying (Video)
Nguyen was booked into jail on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter, assault with a deadly weapon, battery causing serious bodily injury and battery, police said.
Hernandez, who was originally from San Bernardino County, was found unconscious on the floor inside the nightclub after police responded to reports of the fight. He was taken to San Francisco General Hospital but succumbed to his injuries two days later, police said.
During the attack, a bystander tried to intervene but was struck in the head by a woman wielding high-heeled shoes, police said.
Police in May 2011 announced the arrest of a 22-year-old woman for attacking the bystander and released surveillance video from inside the club that night in the hope of finding Hernandez's assailant.
Police spokesman Officer Gordon Shyy said today that he could not immediately release what led to the arrest of Nguyen.
According to police, Hernandez was a fourth-year UCSF medical student, volunteered as a disaster relief worker after Hurricane Katrina, learned Spanish so he could work with refugees in Guadalajara, Mexico, and worked as an unpaid hospital volunteer as a teenager.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News


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Syria, Iran discussed during Clinton Israel visit
JERUSALEM (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham and Israel's president spoke Monday about the need to halt Syria's violence and Iran's potential production of nuclear weapons, underscoring American support for an ally in a difficult neighborhood.
Clinton met President Shimon Peres for about an hour as part of what is perhaps her final visit to Israel as secretary of state, bringing a message of solidarity to the Jewish state after three-and-a-half years of only stunted progress toward a Palestinian peace deal.
After their visit, they each issued a statement to reporters without taking questions. Peres spoke about the importance of maintaining Israel's three-decade peace with Egypt, and decried the violence in neighboring Syria.
He also voiced support for the Obama administration's pressure on Iran to halt its nuclear activities — which has sometimes been a point of contention between a cautious U.S. keen to give negotiations and sanctions time to work and an Israeli government that has threatened military action.
Clinton said she spoke with Peres about "Egypt and Syria, peace efforts, Iran and other regional and global issues." She said she'd speak in greater detail later Monday, after meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.
She returns to Washington early Tuesday, ending a 12-day, nine-country trip that included stops in Europe and Asia.
Her visit to Israel follows a weekend visit by President Barack Obama's National Security Adviser Tom Donilon. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is expected to visit Israel soon.
Although Monday's agenda is designed to cover the breadth of U.S.-Israeli relations, the lack of action on peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians will be in the spotlight.
Negotiations have almost been nonexistent for the duration of Obama's term in office. They resumed briefly two years ago before stumbling over the same set of problems, namely Palestinian demands for a freeze on Jewish settlements in lands they seek for their future state and an Israeli insistence on no preconditions for talks.
Asked in an interview Sunday with WJLA-TV, a Washington D.C. station, what he believed he failed at, Obama cited Arab-Israeli peace efforts.
"I have not been able to move the peace process forward in the Middle East the way I wanted," he said. "It's something we focused on very early. But the truth of the matter is that the parties, they've got to want it as well."
Clinton hasn't visited Israel since September 2010. With little to show for U.S. efforts on a two-state peace agreement and a hectic schedule before she steps down as secretary of state next year, it is unlikely she'll return. Clinton has said she would leave the post, even if Obama wins a second term.
The flurry of visits by top U.S. officials to Israel could reflect an administration attempt to shore up Obama's support among Jewish voters as the election nears. The president has pushed back forcefully against Republican claims that he is weak in defending Israel's security, and GOP candidate Mitt Romney is planning to visit Israel later this month.


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Wolf Blitzer delivers the most important breaking news and political, international, and national security stories of the day. Tune to The Situation Room weekdays 5-7pm ET on CNN.
CNN's Lisa Sylvester reports on Israel being hit by a cyberattack. Hacking group "Anonymous" has claimed responsibility.
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Andy Samberg is ready to make someone his Mrs.! The Saturday Night Live alum (and co-star of "Dick in a Box," the best skit ever) proposed to Joanna Newsom, his girlfriend of five years.
From Us Weekly: Andy was smitten with the 31-year-old musician even before they met through mutual friends. "He liked her music and would go to her shows. He had the biggest crush on her."
Should we get a close-up of that engagement ring? Of COURSE we should!
Looks to me like a simple round solitaire in a not-too-busy vintage-y setting. I like!
Thoughts on Andy Samberg and Joanna Newsom's engagement? How 'bout that engagement ring?
I'm a huge fan of non-obnoxious rings! Love!


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It was recently revealed that Amazon has been stripping the sales rank of gay and lesbian books, labeling them as "adult" content and removing them from search rankings.
At the same time, books about heterosexual porn stars, Playboy centerfolds, and techniques on how to "cure" homosexuality remain ranked.
Please tell Amazon this discrimination is unacceptable and must be stopped immediately, and that as a public company they should release a transparent set of guidelines on how books are classified on the site.
Your change.org email will be targeted to Amazon customer service as well as Jeff Bezos the CEO of the company.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Tell Amazon to Stop Discriminating Against LGBT Books
It was recently revealed that Amazon has been stripping the sales rank of gay and lesbian books, labeling them as "adult" content and removing them from search rankings.
4 comments:
- Joe Stahl said...
This is awful. Did Amazon actually state the reason why they classified LBGT books as "adult content?" I feel that this classification makes gay media as grotesque, obscene, and hypersexualized. As a gay man, that makes me feel even more separated from the hetrosexual population than I how I already feel now.
My fellow queers, how are we going to stand up against Amazon? They may hide our books from its customers, but we can't be silent about this snubbing. I would never expect this from Amazon. I have been a good customer to the company over the years. I hope they can get their act together so I can feel better about buying from them in the future.
If anyone knows the progress that has been made on this issue, please let me know how I can join.
- April 13, 2009 at 2:02 PM
- WickedGayBlog.com said...
Good news, it was all an error:
- April 13, 2009 at 7:57 PM
- Queers United said...
Thank you for contacting Amazon.com.
This is an embarrassing and ham-fisted cataloging error for a company that prides itself on offering complete selection.
It has been misreported that the issue was limited to Gay & Lesbian themed titles - in fact, it impacted 57,310 books in a number of broad categories such as Health, Mind & Body, Reproductive & Sexual Medicine, and Erotica. This problem impacted books not just in the United States but globally. It affected not just sales rank but also had the effect of removing the books from Amazon's main product search.
Many books have now been fixed and we're in the process of fixing the remainder as quickly as possible, and we intend to implement new measures to make this kind of accident less likely to occur in the future.
Thanks for contacting us. We hope to see you again soon.
- April 13, 2009 at 8:39 PM
- LH said...
Glad to hear it. I was starting to freak out trying to figure out where I would be buying my books now.
- May 9, 2009 at 9:55 PM


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I have listed a new property at 15 NORMANDEAU CRES in St. Albert.
Luxurious finishing and spectacular detailing await you in this 1600 sq ft great room bungalow with triple car garage backing onto a lake and walking trails in the heart of Northridge. Main floor features include sundrenched rooms, banks of windows, custom millwork, gorgeous hardwoods, granite dream kitchen with massive breakfast bar island and large eating nook leading to a great upper deck with gas outlet overlooking the lake, feature wall fireplace, amazing master bedroom with 5 piece spa inspired ensuite with huge soaker tub, office /den, laundry area and 2 piece bathroom. The lower level features: glass wall designer staircase, Banks of windows, workout room, games room, recreation room with feature wall fireplace, wet bar with wine fridge perfect for entertaining, 2 additional large bedrooms with walk-in closets, huge double tiered exposed aggregate patio with covered area bench and pergola, brick accents, radiant in floor heating. Close to all amenities, schools and transit. This home is beautiful.


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EPA says comments shed new light on key areas and that the agency plans to propose significantly different standards from what was proposed last year.
A federal District Court judge in Washington D.C. has given the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 30 more days in which to issue emission standards for large and small boilers and solid waste and sewage sludge incinerators. An EPA press release said the agency is disappointed that the extension was not longer, but it will "work diligently" to meet the new deadline.
The standards will be significantly different from what EPA proposed in April 2010. The agency believes these changes still deserve further public review and comment and expects to solicit further comment through a reconsideration of the rules. Through the reconsideration process, EPA intends to ensure that the rules will be practical to implement and will protect all Americans from dangerous pollutants such as mercury and soot, which can damage children's developing brains, aggravate asthma, and cause heart attacks. The agency is considering all other options for addressing these issues before the rules would become effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
EPA received more than 4,800 comments and additional data during the public comment period for these rules. This information shed new light on a number of key areas, including the scope and coverage of the rules and the way to categorize the various boiler types. Given the extensive comments, EPA filed a motion with the court asking for more time to fully evaluate all the comments and data and finalize the rules.
This free webinar will inform attendees on the most significant updates and modifications in the new standard, known as E1527-21 Standard Practice for Environmental Site Assessments: Phase I Environmental Site Assessment Process.


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READ about Piers Morgan's long career in journalism here.
Amidst a flurry of hot-button, polarizing news stories, this evening "Piers Morgan Tonight" invites Jake Tapper to share his professional perspective and industry insight on everything from Benghazi and Barack Obama, to David Petraeus and the FBI
Joining Piers Morgan for a face to face, primetime interview, ABC News' senior White House correspondent offers his opinion on news stemming from an afternoon press conference at the White House, during which the president defended the United States Ambassador to the United Nations.
As various Republican Senators – including John McCain and Lindsey Graham – have criticized Susan Rice for her role in disseminating information following the attacks in Benghazi, Libya, Morgan asked his guest to add some context:
"Do you believe that Ambassador Rice is at fault, or is she – as Barack Obama said today – she was only passing along intelligence, she was not a key player in all this?"
"I was substituting for George Stephanopoulos that Sunday, as host of "This Week," and we were trying to get Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. All the shows were trying to get Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to talk about Benghazi," explains the print and television journalist. "For whatever reason, she didn't go out. They put out Dr. Susan Rice, the U.N. Ambassador. It's very interesting that today President Obama says Susan Rice had nothing to do with Benghazi, then I don't know what she was doing on the show."
As Rice is seemingly on the short list to replace Clinton in a Secretary of State capacity, Tapper suspects that her television appearances and statements following the attacks were merely an example of her following orders, as opposed to her intentionally and independently deceiving the American public:
"She, I think, was a good soldier. She did what the administration told her to do. She read the talking points," Tapper says. "I think that she was repeating the intelligence, and what the White House told her to say."
Watch the clip, and listen to the interview, as Tapper goes on to detail a conversation he had with an administration official three days following the attacks, during which he concluded "it seems like I had better intelligence and sources in the government, then the people in the White House did."
> Follow Piers Morgan Tonight on Twitter
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I have lost respect for John McCain. Every smart investigator knows that keeping information close to the vest is a great advantage and tool in any investigation? Even I know that Libya is over populated with street gangs representing every possible expression of radical Islam within what isesentially a wild west infrastructure. I have not the slightest notion why the public needs information on an obviously incomplete and early into investigation, or what they plan to do with that information. How would the UN Ambassador have anything to offer except the information she had been given? We wasted thousands of American lives in a war supposedly to secure what turned out to be non existant WMD. Iraqi and Afghan police and troops still like to blow our people in what we suppose to be secured areas.
What dreamer believes Libya has secured areas?
Why do we tolerate a press tha tdoes not always get things right, but always think they have aright to know (in this case even thing sthat might well impede the investigation and capture of attackers) Since the public has no power to punish said attackers,does their right to know trump the advantage gained in not letting out details to aid in them avoiding detection and aprehension? Chris Stevens knew the danger, and I beleive had the authority to be elsewhere, like Tripoli, which is more secure. Even his sister acknowledged that he knew death was a possibility, but that a man who did not leave during the revolution, would do what he thought best.
I never had any respect for McCain. He is the same stupid self who got lucky.
your an idiot
Grim reeper:
It's "you're" an idiot.
And yes, you are...
Regardless of how you feel about John McCain, you owe him respect for what he personally sacrificed for the United States. It is not luck that got him voted unanimously to the House and Senate since 1987.
You may not agree with his politics and his views on certain topics but you do owe him respect.
I don't know you but you certainly sound like someone that has never served and would most likely head to Canada if you ever were to be drafted.
This is what separates men from boys and hero's from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Just be truthful...you really just want to drag an "investigation" out in order to protect this administration.
The reason it is such a big deal is because the White House knew that the attack was a coordinated attack. Then for them to tell her to blame it on a anti-Muslim video shows to us the American people that obama is covering his behind. As it has already came out from parts of the investigation that he was watching it live. Yet, did not send any help; however, he was able to send a drone to scan the area. Due to his negligence four people died. Susan Rice was just a pawn in his scheme to mislead the citizens of this great country. Could this event be why Hillary Clinton is stepping down? She was the "fall guy."
The real question is – Should the White House tell America, and therefore the world, what it knows, when releasing that information may hinder our ability to go after the people that attacked our embassy? By saying it was a demonstration, is it not then possible that the terrorist might lower their guard? By calling it a terrorist attack and naming the group we suspect, will that not just drive them and the people that support them underground?
So the question is we need to be asking is – can the White House possibly be acting against American interests? If the answer is yes – then please continue with your theories. If the answer is no, then we really should give this Benghazi thing a rest.
The disgrace of this whole thing is that people like John McCain know the truth of what happened and why it happened, but at this point, all they are interested in is attacking this White House and they will continue to do so, despite the fact that they have failed in their mission of making this president a one-term president.
he;s 76 yrs old now..wish he would retire..he's still angry bitter @ not winning the election..he should return to his 13 cars & 7 residences.....
McCain is a grumpy old man and should retire.
And what about the 4 dead guys and their families? Small detail, right?
What happened to our men and women in uniformed who are dead because Bush lied to us about WMD? Where were you when they returned home as body parts in body bags? Where were you when over a million innocent Iraqis were killed? Why did Bush lie?
9/11 could have been prevented. What have you done to find the truth?
John McCain is an insane old bigoted racist right wing extremists who needs to retire. First and foremost, Ms. Rice's assessment of what happened in Benghazi was based on information that the CIA, the mainstrean media and the world was getting following the attack. What the CIA and the mainstream media heard for the first week after the attack was that the demonstrations and the attack on our sonsolate were the result of a religious wed video. It was weeks later that some claiming to be members of al Qaeda came out and took credit for the attack.
And by the way, did Ms. Rice's interpretation of what triggered the attack actually CAUSED the attack? Did her comments on what may have triggered the attack the reason why the attack was carried out? McCain said he would block Ms. Rice's nomination for Secretary of State if she is offered the position because in his opinion, Ms. Rice's comments about the attack show's she's unqualified for the job. Well, didn't Secretary of State Hillary Clinton make the very same assessment as to what triggered the attack? Didn't Ms. Clinton also suggest that the attack was motivated by the web video based on the information the whole world was getting? So why the racist double standard here?
Mr. McCain also scrutinized Ms. Rice's comment by further stating that this tragedy is bigger than Watergate and the Iran-Contra deal because in his view, no Americans died in Watergate and in the Iran-Contra deal. Well, Mr. McCain, you've purposely ommitted or forgotten anothe important campaign. You failed to mention the illegitimate and deadly Iraqi war that took the lives of over 4,000 U.S. troops because of a blatant LIE about bogus WMDs. And again, Ms. Rice's comments about what may have triggered the Benghazi attack did NOT cause the attack but the GOP's blatant and outrageous lies about bogus WMDs in Iraq did in fact CAUSE the deaths of over 4,000 U.S. troops and the deaths of tens of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians and that domino effect is still occuring today in Iraq.
Finally, while McCain say that Ms. Rice has not admitted that she was wrong about her assessment of what happened in Benghazi, Nine years later McCain and the entire GOP and the Bush administration are yet to apologize to the United Nations, the world community and the American people for their blatant lies that led to the deadly Iraqi war. And they are yet to admit publicily that they were also WRONG about WMDs in Iraq. Let's face it, John McCain and the GOP are a disgrace to modern civilization.
What does Rice have to do with the 4 dead Americans? Are you an election pollster? Clueless –
why do liberals hate old people?
No one hates old people but every genereation has its time to shape the world with great impact and McCain's time has come and gone. Why does the Rerpublican party look like a retired tax auditor's convention. We see you but you choose not to see us.
Liberals don't hate old people. conservatives do. They want to get rid of Social Security and Medicare as we know it. But McCain is the poster boy for the Republican party; an angry old white man.
Move to Arizona and vote against him when he's up for reelection.
I am really surprised that neither you nor Lenny Davis tonight highlighted that the President has been floating balloons regarding Susan Rice becoming the Secretary of State instead of John Kerry. McCain is playing politics and blocking that because Kerry is being considered for Sec of Defense.... Why aren't any of your guests stating so?
Was McCain not the idiot who chose Sarah Palien to be his running mate? Sarah Pailen could not even make it to Comedy Central. Why did McCain not stop 9/11 from happening or go after Bush for war crimes ? Both 9/11 and Bush's evil and wicked war could have been prevented. How many more of our young have to die because no one questioned Bush? Has McCain spoken to Annie Machon ?
You managed to misspell Sarah Palin's name twice, and in two different ways. That's. Just. Genius.
Why are you more worried about Sarah Palin than Benghazi and why four Americans died? Why don't you care that Susan Rice claimed that people died due to a video which was totally false.
Why are there so many fact fnders suddenly? Do not pre-occupy yourself with what is right and wrong now thatt Ronney has put on a clinic for not knowing the differrence between either. I guess now that the lies have been shut down – we are back to the truth mattering. Interesting
Incompetent or lying, real time information was available from Benghazi, video, as well as phone calls to those directly involved. If Obama still doesn't know what happened he and his administration are incompetent. If he knows, then he has been lying for months.
33 years ago Jimmy Carter lost our ambassador to Iran, and it led to his failed attempt at reelection. This was apparently more important to Obama than the four lives he lost.
Democrats are too funny as they convince themselves that what they've been told by their messiah in chief is the truth. You cling to whatever you can hold on to even though you see in this story questions on why the President got so angry and stated Rice wasn't part of Benghazi when it's clear to both Morgan and Tapper that Rice was purposely sent out by the administration. It was also clear that Tapper always understood that Rice's story didn't match what he knew. This makes her part of this problem with nothing that's come out from this administration matching what's now known. But all of you here would rather use jokes about age then face what's right before you.
Just a small example of the lies, today Obama said "as I said before I sent her out" with the talking points (this is the first time he's said this). Obama also clearly said in the debates "I called it terrorism in the Rose Garden" (debatable, but for laughs let's let that pass and also not get into the CBS part of the coverup), so why would he send the "not involved in Benghazi" Rice out with the story on the video and then double down on it with the speech he gave to the U.N.? What to believe – she wasn't involved but that's who you sent? It was terrorism, but only when it doesn't suit you to say it's a video? No wonder his followers are such an unhappy and confused lot – what DO you believe when they give you so many different versions of the story?
Yep, she's a good little soldier who went out with Obama's talking points in order to be rewarded with the bribe....I mean prize....she was promised if she did that. This stinks to high heaven and good for any public figure who is willing to stand up to the vitriol of Obama's cult and say that it's time for real answers and not the President's mock anger. I'm angry too Obama but it's at you and your refusal to own up to what happened.
well said.
You guys can be as partisan as you want to but our country is being destroyed a little more each day and the only protection we've ever had has been the media who's in NO WAY doing their jobs. For god sake people, wake up and stop the partisanship before it's too late. Both parties have issues and both parties are disgusting at times but's what's more disgusting is just how stupid we are as a country. Democrats think Republicans were morons for voting for Bush a second time yet they vote for Obama a second time. Seriously??? How in the world is Obama any freaking different? Is it more important that we're able to say that "our candidate" won even if he's a poor leader and worse, a liar? Only a complete idiot thinks Bush was anymore of a liar than Obama is. Is it really any wonder why the rest of the world disrespects us? We don't respect ourselves!!! There's nothing "United" about the United States. I feel sorry for our children as they'll never know how great this country could be if only WE stopped being so damn stupid.
Thank you Steve. We need to demand a responsible and mature government. Our election was as trashy as it could get.
Our media was just as bad. CNN looks more like Fox with Trump pasting himself on Piers Morgan.
Quite pathetic.
This is all so sad. Do you hear yourselves calling each other names.....? Do you realize how childish you all sound? I don't classify myself and "R" or a "D". I've voted for both in my lifetime. I've always paid my bills on time, saved for the future, worked 3 jobs to put my husband through college so we didn't have any debt, and I never waivered in my pursuit in the American dream. Work hard, be honest, use your common sense and help your neighbor. I never really had a huge interest in the political system but the Benghazi mess caught my interest so I thought I would do a little research. WOW. I'm actually very sorry that I did. My common sense from the very second it was first reported the embassy was attacked on 9/11 was terror.....then we couldn't get a straight answer from anywhere. I'm physically ill reading everyone's verbal attacks. I have no faith in our news organizations anymore, nor in my government. Nor in my fellow Americans. Very sad.
I was watching ABC the morning Susan Rice was on, and I am not sure what all the fuss was about. I remembered her saying that the facts weren't clear yet, but it seemed to be a spontaneous reaction to the YouTube video. Maybe the lesson in all this is for the Administration to say next time that they will not comment until the investigation is complete. The press badgers for answers. It is extremely inappropriate for Lindsay Graham and John McCain to announce they will block her nomination without even listening to her testimony. How ignorant and unprofessional??
I am sorry the Ambassador and his staff were killed, but honestly, do their lives have any more value than the 5,000 service men and women killed in Iraq and Afghanistan?????
I watched all week long and they pushed the "its a movie" story non stop, apologized for it, and had the FBI track down the film maker and put him in jail. Obama knew what happened from day one, and crafted a speech to both lie and cover himself later, which is lying twice.
What is sad is that lying about the movie was her debut performance, and not the center of my concern. Rice is incompetent, a socialite dilettante with no place in a official capacity of any kind.
You are probably just one of the ignorants who talks before thinking. Susan is more than qualify to take up any higher official position both within US and international settings. She's well educated and have achived the highest educational citadel that could be attained in any US University, yes PhD. She worked on international affairs during Clinton's administration and many others. What is your qualification and other GOP who said she is not qualified. You be quite if you got nothing reasonable to say.
Grannie, please tell me you can see through the lies? I'm begging you to tell me you see it. Politicians LIE to us because we let them. Susan Rice was lying to save Obama's ass, just like Bush's people lied to try and save his. We have got to tell the truth or we're done. You're grandchildren have to live in this world so don't you want to make it better?
I agree, with your sensible response. All that the GOP are doing is politicizing this event because they dislike Obama, esp John McCain who is a whining loser. But I am having a lot of trouble understanding and cannot find anywhere online, nor was it explained by the President, is why die he send UN Amb. Rice to the talk shows and not the SecState? not send Clinton is responsible for our posts abroad. From what I've been able to dig up, Jay Carney said she was unavailable but that doesn't make much sense because she's always been available for comment and that's her job.However, since they were all on the same page of talking points, she probably would have given the same account but GOPers seem to respect her info more.
Here is the transcript from Ms Rice's Sunday Show interview:
CBS's "Face the Nation"
MS. RICE: So we'll want to see the results of that [FBI] investigation to draw any definitive conclusions. But based on the best information we have to date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest outside of our embassy– –sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that– in that effort with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much more violent.
BOB SCHIEFFER: But you do not agree with him that this was something that had been plotted out several months ago?
MS. RICE: We do not– we do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned.
MR. SCHIEFFER: Do you agree or disagree with [the previous guest, the president of Libya's general national congress] that al Qaeda had some part in this?
MS. RICE: Well, we'll have to find out that out. I mean I think it's clear that there were extremist elements that joined in and escalated the violence. Whether they were al Qaeda affiliates, whether they were Libyan-based extremists or al Qaeda itself I think is one of the things we'll have to determine.
Ms Rice states, "Well we have to find out." So I conclude, Ms Rice was not very good with stretching the truth to protect classified information or was protecting the President from his "al Queda is on the run." claim or General Patraeus is lying or a combination of all three.
If the White House was not sure of the information or the information is still classified then be honest with the American people, but do not try to convince the American people otherwise in the age of instant information.
Truth over politics always prevails. The White House is losing its credibility over the way they have handled the dissemination of information of why these four Americans were killed at the hands of terrorists.
Its amazing how people can draw opposite conclusions from the same information. The transcript you just provided shows that Ms Rice was clearly stating that they did not have enough information but here is what we suspect. We think it coule be terrorists, but we do not know who for now. We think it could have started from these riots and video, but we do not know.
The so called Susan Rice is a woman who suffers from information deficit for the position at hand. As a citizen of this country, I have seen her muddling in stuff that the general public don't want. For instance, few months back when the prime minister of Ethiopia Mr Meles Zenawi died she praised and elevated him to the top of her favorites while many american house reprsentative and senators openly called him a dictator. She disrespectfully repeated of him again in New York. The PM she is praising himself felt sorry and apologized for 200 people he gunned down in a span of three days in the capital Addis Ababa. What a bad official she is?
Zenawi was also praised by Mrs Clinton, Ki-Moon,Obama, Netanyanwu, among many others for his achievement in Ethiopia. Yes he fought and took over power from the junta who governed Ethiopia at that time. He restored democratical government to Ethiopia and the people love him. What will then be wrong if Susan praised him too TDA?
"You would/could never believe it Pierse, but they're both dead (Elvis and Billy) yet I'm still alive and kicking.
Yes I can still most of their songs, and I'm old enough to be your Dad. Of course I just sing Karaoke, but tele-
prompters do have a use for us oldies. Quote: http://youtu.be/kqKTiR2aa3I Unquote These are easy, but country
gets a little more difficult when you're up to perform."
"It's a privelege to invest in a Horse, when your counting your winnings, but then you get part ownership of the gamble!"
Why is it Free loaders at the track think, because you took their peanuts; you still owe them something??
This is McCain logic. Because Condi Rice lied, thousands of Americans died needlessly, a nation was torn apart (how many tens of thousands of Iraqis died?), and our relations with our allies was strained. That is okay to McCain, but saying what is believed to be true of the deaths of four people, subject to change after further investigation that is still incomplete, and with no consequence whatever the answer is, is something to break the pitchforks out for. And speaking of responsibility, Mr. McCain supported that illegal war knowing the facts while Obama knew nothing until after the fact. Perhaps McCain, Bush and Cheney should line up at the Hague to get their just deserts as war criminals before pretending to be righteous.
You need to ask McCain questions.
What did he know and when did he know it? He had oversight and if he felt the consulate security was poor he the the ability to fire an email. Did he? Besides the clear crazy comparision to Condi Rice, this is just hypocritical BS. DONT LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THIS POLITICAL BS> Piers ask the questions, He is a US Senator and not God. He is being a partisan Hack.
Isn't it true that every Democrat in CONGRESS who voted for the Irag war then hypocritically blasted it have the very same intellegence that Bush had regarding "weapons of mass destruction"? Man it startes with you. If you'll stop arguing for "your side" and start arguing for the truth, then you can convince someone else to stop doing the very same thing. Then perhaps the people in this country start acting like adults.
I'm a republican but I NEVER fell for Bush's BS so why are you falling for Obama's BS? I know you're smarter than that and hey Dan, it doesn't evev hurt.
This is exactly what I'm talking about. Screw McCain and Lindsey. Stop blaming Bush he gone already!!!! If Bush was here you're the same people who would be crusifing him for the EXACT same thing. Focus on the man in charge. SUSAN RICE WAS LYING TO PROTECT OBAMA's ELECTION CHANCES. STOP BEING SO DAMN STUPID!
Steve you happen to be one of the FEW realistic individuals on this board. It's so obvious that Ms. Rice was protecting Obamalooney's reelection chances. This was not only true of Benghazi, but also true about Petreu's delayed resignation. We still d not have a report or a real report on Benghazi. With this administration everything is swept under the rug. And of course our lying/clueless so called Commander-in-Chief all along hopes that's where this issues will stay or that the American citizens will have a short memory, just like the lame stream media.
I know people have agendas and I have no right to say that their agenda is less important than mine but this is going way too far. I employ over 2000 people and so I have no choice but to be fiscally conservative but I'm also socially moderate so I'm for most of the social issues that people argue about but I know what this Pres is doing to small businesses. I've had plenty of chances to expend and hire more people but I'm just no going to do it. Why, because this MF scares me to death. Constanly wanting to beat up on the so called "Rich" people in this country who are the ones making the investments which grow the economy. The problem is we as people don't define "the rich" the same way the Govt/Pres defines "the rich" but the people we call "Middle Class" are about to find out just how F***** they really are. I have ZERO incentive to expand and hire people. ZERO!!!! This Pres is worse than any terrorist that has ever caused damage to this country and anyone who doesn't see it is a damn fool. Let's talk again after 4 more years.
This is simply a partisan attack campaign. Weeks ago, the Wall Street Journal commented about the tmeline of information:
"Despite their growing uncertainty, intelligence officials didn't feel they had enough conclusive, new information to revise their assessment. Ms. Rice wasn't warned of their new doubts before she went on the air the next morning and spoke of the attacks being spurred by demonstrations, intelligence officials acknowledged.
More information casting doubt on the protest element came in on Sunday morning, around the time that Ms. Rice was completing her TV appearances, the officials said. She began taping the shows early Sunday morning. By the time intelligence analysts began to realize "there's enough here to build a body of evidence that there probably were not protests, those things were already recorded and she [Ms. Rice] was already out there," a senior intelligence official said."
Re: McCain – He is so angry that he didn't get to be president – THANK GOD HE LOST BECAUSE HE WOULD HAVE US IN l/2 wars. Tired of his whining about the presidents choice of Sec. of State and everything President Obama does. He is so jealous he can't stand it. Anderson Copper last night nailed him and pointed out that (he) McCain excused C. Rice's oking the war in Iraque that killed 4,000 americans based on Axis of Evil comments info, and this Bengahzi incident killed 4 and that is his reason for being against Susan Rice. He just wants attention – he needs to go over a "physical clifff" (pay on words) along with Trum,p, and Karl Rove. Next in line for the jujmp is Grover Norquist and McCain. Can hardly wait. McCain has nothing to say that I want to hear unless it is complementing Presidfent Obama – The greatest president we have ever had!!!!! Tell McCain that is what Americans think and that is what they voted for. Not the old foot dragging guard like him!!!! .
I'm sure you're right about McCain but who cares? I think we'd all be a little jealous if we lost a Presidential Election. In fact, I'd say you would have been jealous as well if McCain had won so does that make you any different? And where in fact are we? Still at war, in debt up to our a****, begging the world to like us, still getting bombed and weaker than we've ever been. The fact is, if you think Obama is the "best", I really feel sorry for you and wish you'd raise your expectations. If not for you, then perhaps for your grandchildren...
Was the Yellow background last night requested by China? Sure looks good with their flag.
Boy, did Obama destroy Rice's credibility in 2 minutes. I keep visioning her now in a tense diplomatic negotiation where she stands up, runs out crying "Wait til I tell Obama!"
Please let me be as succinct as possible. On Wed. Sept 12th in the Rose Garden (by his own admission in the 2nd debate) President said in was a terrorist attack. 4 days later on Sunday, Sept 16th Susan Rice ( by the Presidents own admission yesterday) was told to say the attack was due to a video. Draw your own conclusions.
Mary Ann, could it be any simplier??? Although, if for some ungodly reason, I I was willing to lie to myself and my family just to be able to say "I was not wrong for voting for Obama even though I knew he was lying just to protect his election", I guess I could make up a few things that might complicate it a little more.
You are right, Steve. You could complicate the narrative more by giving an interview on 60 mins and refer to "some bad folks out to hurt us" (this clip not aired by CBS until weeks later) and then you could go to the UN and six times blame a video. Honest Abe doesn't have to worry about his moniker being transferred to this president.
McCain and Graham may hold grudge against Rice because i think Rice had big agreement with them in person or phone somewhere lin behind closed doors or something she made them get upset. So they decided to create something to block her get a new position as Secretary of state. think hard why they continue to complain.
A big AGREEMENT??????
Oh, and I sure it had nothing to do with 5 appearance on Sunday talk show with "presentations" that were not accurate. Right~
As an average citizen, I am so weary of both sides of the aisle telling me what I feel and what I want to know.
My vote may not have gone for President Obama, had I known more of the details about Bengazi, so the campaign delaying a Benghazi update worked to their advantage. The clear statement from General Petrais on Friday, about his talking points sent to the White House included "no movie all terrorist", leaves no doubt that the White House didn't want to open that can of worms until after the election.
I feel Susan Rice was sent out to make that statement so the people could get used to her. She was going to be presented to succeed Hillary Clinton and she needed more name recognition. Unless she's totally clueless, she had to know some of what she was saying had already been disputed. She was being a good soldier, I guess Hillary wouldn't go on all those shows and say it, and her reward was the "new" job. But will she have to run to President Obama to back her up when any questions arise? She has a reputation of being rude and polarizing, ie flipping the middle finger to someone she disagreed with in a meeting, shouting matches and hurling personal insults to staffers she disagreed with. Ambassadors from two friendly nations called her highly agressive and hard to talk with.
Compared to John Bolton, Susan Rice is a lamb. We need to decide what we want as a nation. We want to be tough, but we don't want our people too be hard?
Simple Enough,
The White House was able to keep their "we have al Queda on the run" talking points in the President's speeches. Using the word terrorist, which General Petraeus claimed it was within 48 hours of the attack, would of hurt the President's position on foreign affairs. The White House took a calculated risk by attempting to mask the truth. Words have meaning and the White House deciding to omit the word terrorist in Ms Rice's "presentation" is clearly playing politics with four American lives. If you do not know do not try to soften the situation by using misleading words and phrases. Simply stick with the statement it is too early to say what caused the situation. The American people deserve better from our government leaders.
So you might have voted for Romney's garbage instead. so that will be your only reason to vote otherwise? No-Sense
Its such as you read my thoughts! You seem to grasp a lot approximately this, such as you wrote the ebook in it or something. I feel that you can do with some percent to force the message home a bit, however other than that, that is fantastic blog. A magnificent read. I will surely be back.
ok, Is this about four dead in an enbassy located in the middle of a war zone? They knew the risk involved right? Or is this about some different? Something deeper? What about the thousands of men and women killed and still dying fighting in two wars right now that have now purpose and will never end. The war on terrorism is just like the war on drugs. Nonsense and making alot of people rich and killing alot of people at the same time.
This is something deeper. This is keeping elected officials honest. If we do not seek the truth the US will turn into the Middle East. Freedom and the free press keeps the US strong. Ms Rice can resolve this issue very quickly if she can hold a press conference or interview and tell the American people who gave her the talking points. It is interesting that Ms Rice has not been seen since September 14.
I agree with you about the risk of being in a war zone and the thousands of American lives lost in two wars. We need to withdraw from these two wars now, reduce our foreign aid to countries, and reduce our military bases around the world. The US cannot afford to continue to be the police for the world.
The larger problem is not the administration, but the enablers: the media that actively helps them push any false narrative, and the progressives that would believe it if the admin said the sun was made of cotton candy, and would call us racist if we argued the point.
I never understood why Obama is such a darling of the news media. It started in 2008 when they did everything they could to help him against Hillary, it continued during 2012 general election and it keeps going. Look how much time is spent now on the Petraeus affair while Benghazi was swept under the rug for 2 months to make sure Obama doesn't have to answer and to entertain the idea of his strength in foreign affairs. Media is serving the regime so is weakening the democracy in this country.
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Ends season as the ninth best men's long jumper in the country
EUGENE, Ore. (June 6, 2013) – ETSU junior Tyler Stepp (Dandridge, Tenn.) registered a mark of 7.79 meters to advance to the finals, but a pair of fouls and a regression in his last jump positioned him ninth overall in the men's long jump on Thursday at the NCAA Division I 2013 Outdoor Track & Field Championship at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore.
Stepp's 7.79m leap on his second jump to advance to the finals is identical to the NCAA Championship-qualifying score he tallied two weeks ago at the NCAA East Region Preliminaries. Today, the Dandridge native was unable reach his personal best of 7.80m, set earlier this outdoor season at the Sea Ray Relays, to move up in the standings.
Though he was unable to improve his score in the finals, finishing the season as the ninth best men's long jumper in the country is nothing to scoff at. The transfer notched numerous accomplishments this spring including earning First Team All-Atlantic Sun honors in the event and medaling gold at the 2013 A-Sun Outdoor Championships. The soon-to-be senior will surely have redemption at the NCAAs in mind and the ETSU school record of 7.93m in his sights for next season.
"Tyler [Stepp] did a great job making the finals of the long jump," said ETSU Director of Track & Field/Cross Country George Watts. "I know he's disappointed about not scoring, but he can hold his head high and he will be a contender next year. He made great progress this year and he understands the level of commitment necessary to become an NCAA scorer."
No Buccaneers will be competing on Friday which leaves Jason Johnson (Philadelphia, Pa.) to wrap up action for ETSU at the Championship in the men's triple jump on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. PST.
ETSU fans wanting to receive Buccaneer news, score updates, in-game promotions and much more sent to their mobile device can do so by signing up for "Buc Updates." Click here to sign up today!


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Facebook Home hits half million downloads in a week … but how many kept the 2-star app/overlay?
Facebook Home, the Android front-end that claims to offer a people-centric rather app-centric approach, has hit half a million downloads in its first week, noted Benedict Evans (via TNW).
It's an impressive number for an overlay that works only on a handful of handsets so far. However, we note that the poor reviews continue, with an average of 2.2 out of 5, and 1 star by far the most common vote. Based on the ratings, we suspect at least half of those downloads were people made curious by the hype and who removed it after a fairly brief play (like our own experience).


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You know the old saying… a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, instead of trying describe what we'll be doing in the "Old and New: Hand Lettering and Vintage Photo Transfer" workshop on June 4, here are a few thousand words' worth of explanation.
Not calligraphy, but hand-drawn letters that you design to fit your taste and personal style. Perfect for labeling botanicals, enhancing your journal or creating a wondrously literary sketchbook! Here is another example:
After lunch, we'll switch to "vintage" photo transfers, using a simple nontoxic technique with baker's parchment that does not harm your original in any way. Here's one made from a snapshot of a stone angel in a New Orleans cemetery, transferred onto heavy Strathmore watercolor paper:
…and here's one made from a 1932 photo of my grandparents, transferred onto handmade bark paper. Enjoy!


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On Election Day, Romney's Killer Whale 'App' Couldn't Stay Afloat
It was called Project ORCA, and the killer "app" was meant to be the Romney campaign's "unprecedented and most technologically advanced plan to win the 2012 presidential election," as described in a campaign memo.
It didn't quite work out that way.
A sly jab at the Obama campaign's Project Narwhal, ORCA was to be a digital voter turnout and monitoring system using volunteers with smartphones to replace the standard phone- and paper-based get-out-the-vote methods.
Romney poll volunteers would enter information they were getting from the field into an "app" about where voters were and were not turning out. That information would then be used by the 800 volunteers at the campaign's headquarters to allocate resources at precincts in real time.
On Election Day, however, volunteers described issues logging into the site and the inability to properly add voters to the system. The website eventually crashed for about 90 minutes, a problem the campaign attributed to an overload of the data servers at its Election Day headquarters in Boston. Volunteers also described issues with training and support from ORCA days before the election.
In a blog post, Web developer and Romney volunteer John Ekdahl wrote about issues with ORCA he saw early on:
"Working primarily as a web developer, I had some serious questions. Things like 'Has this been stress tested?', 'Is there redundancy in place?' and 'What steps have been taken to combat a coordinated DDOS attack or the like?', among others. These types of questions were brushed aside (truth be told, they never took one of my questions). They assured us that the system had been relentlessly tested and would be a tremendous success."
Ekdahl describes a combination of both logistical and technology failings of the ORCA effort. One of the problems was that the "app" itself was actually a mobile-optimized website. Confused volunteers searched for an app in the Android and Apple stores, not knowing they had to navigate to the site in a browser. The site also wasn't turned on until 6 a.m. on Election Day, Ekdahl says, so volunteers had no familiarity with it beforehand.
All of this, Ekdahl writes, resulted in "30,000+ of the most active and fired-up volunteers ... wandering around confused and frustrated when they could have been doing anything else to help."
In an interview with ABC News on Friday, Zach Moffatt, the Romney campaign's digital director, responded to the criticism of ORCA saying, "Was it flawless? No. ... Without a doubt, ORCA had its challenges."
Moffatt told ABC, however, that the system did work and recorded data on 14.3 million voters, and that volunteers reported 5,397 incidents of ballot box issues.
"You can't have a system that's not working and still get those numbers," he said.
While few, including Moffatt, are saying that Romney would have won had ORCA not failed, it does cast a light on the use of technology in campaigns. The most important lesson, perhaps, being that the technology must work properly when you need it most.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


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Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Simple Gifts
22 comments:
I love "brown paper packages tied up with string" ... as the song said, they are one of my favorite things! The mulberry leaves and small extra gift add such a nice touch.ReplyDelete
- AnonymousNovember 29, 2011 at 6:21 PM
You have given us all a gift with these beautiful gift images. Your creativity shames me -I just use boring Xmas paper and leave it at that...the shame. And we are a family who carefully unwraps and doesn't tear wrapping too. Might be time to lift my game I think. Will have to look out for baker's twine...can't recall ever seeing it.ReplyDelete
I, too use brown paper with the candy cane twine - it's simply beautiful! I also reuse gift bags and fabric boxes that I keep for the next year if the recipient doesn't want to keep it themselves. Wonderful post and gorgeous photos as usual, Gigi! xxoo :)ReplyDelete
Dearest Gigi,ReplyDelete
You should have labeled your post: Eco-Friendly! Lots of people could learn from you for recycling things and still creating the most lovely gifts ever.
Enjoy this season and I compliment you for the way you handle it. We've never done gift giving for Christmas as St. Nicholas on December 5th and 6th was our day...
Love to you,
Love brown butcher paper for wrapping gifts and then decorating with pretty ribbons. This year my family are getting nice socks with something special tucked inside. Not sure how they will be wrapped. Also making many of my gifts this year with either fused glass or small framed pictures in glass and wrapped and soldered in copper foil.ReplyDelete
Just beautiful Gigi..you have given me some great ideas!ReplyDelete
I have never thought of using baker's twine for ribbon. I love it!ReplyDelete
Several years ago someone I love was unable to buy presents on the scale that he normally did. But he had quite an enviable collection of beautiful and useful things which, to the near-teary-eyed surprise of the recipients (including me), he gave out for Christmas gifts. It is probably my most memorable Christmas ever.
Merry Christmastime to you!
I love the organic look of the leaves and pinecones with the brown paper. I'd love to have you link up to my Wednesday Wrap Party going on now! Warm Hugs,ReplyDelete
Your gifts look particularly lovely Gigi.... and so thoughtful, which is the most important part... xvReplyDelete
Thank you for sharing.ReplyDelete
Hi Gigi,ReplyDelete
Well, I know from experience, how beautifully you wrap your gifts. When I won your giveaway a couple of years ago, it was so gorgeously wrapped that I didn't want to open it !!
We have always wrapped our presents with great care and try to make the wrapping as good as the gift inside. My sister and I have always loved wrapping our gifts and, like you, all wrapping paper is saved and used again as well as the ribbons etc !! It's a bit of a family tradition.
Your gifts look beautiful and the gifts themselves are so thoughtful.
It's the most wonderful time of the year. XXXX
*swoon*...your wrapping photos are a treat for the eyes, Gigi--pure eye candy! I use brown paper a lot for wrapping. I can get a white variant too, which is especially lovely at Christmas with candy cane twine or ribbon. I like simple wrapping best, I suppose. We made an English-style Christmas cake, and been "feeding" it cognac for some weeks now--can't wait to taste! I bake a good bit usually. But you will be shocked to know that I'm really not a very Christmasy person. I do winter Solstice more. I'm a bit of a pagan. ;o) LOVE those pine cone candles...very sweet. Happy Days making ready for the holidays, my friend ((HUGS))ReplyDelete
Such thought and beautiful simplicity Gigi. Your friends must just wait to receive a gift from you. Lovely. XOReplyDelete
I love your ideas for gift wrapping. I bought some red and white twine last year and I am going to use it with brown paper for my gifts just as you suggested. I am a first time visitor to your blog and really enjoyed it!ReplyDelete
...brown paper packages tied up with string... me too!ReplyDelete
I love giving gifts... I love wrapping them... I love the picture you share of you as a little girl imagining that you were a department store gift wrapper.
(Sneaky mom....)
YOur photography is beautiful and I love your giftwrap approach. It was actually my goal to do brown and white paper this year. Would love to find the string. I know I am going to enjoy adding your blog to my favorites to follow.ReplyDelete
Anyone would love to receive a gift so beautifully wrapped for them! They are charming Gigi!ReplyDelete
I always have good intentions of wrapping beautifully but I am such a procrastinator that I usually end up doing something in a rush:) I do have memories of many years of wrapping all my mother and father's gifts with my sister ...usually on Christmas Eve:)
oh my goodness...these packages are sheer and utter delight.ReplyDelete
You have a way woman...
- AnonymousDecember 1, 2011 at 7:17 PM
such pretty gifts! i was (sometimes still am) my mother's official gift wrapper too.ReplyDelete
I love your ideas for Christmas decorating ideas was searching the net and I came across your wonderful blog, congratulations and Merry Christmas from Spain.ReplyDelete
oh man, but i love this. the sheer lushness of that simplicity cannot be beat. and i LOVE those votives! i would never ever light them. :)ReplyDelete
Gift wrapping is one of my favorite things. There is just something wonderful about unwrapping a box instead of digging into a bag. We make lots of presents in my classroom. One of my favorite things is teaching my students to wrap them. Big fun.ReplyDelete


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General Studies
General Studies provides a flexible program of study grounded in Niagara Universities liberal arts curriculum. It is intended for students who wish to:
- complete a two year Associate in Arts (A.A) degree,
- explore major or career options, or
- continue on to a bachelor's program.
Students enrolled in General Studies select from the same courses available to all NU students. The program aims to provide students with an integrated course of study in the liberal arts which introduces students to a specific body of knowledge, stimulates a student's intellectual curiosity, and encourages future study.
Individual schedules are tailor made with your advisor to explore your academic and career interests. A general outline of the courses required can be found on the Program Information page. Additionally a PDF copy of the Curriculum Card can be found here.
Students who wish to pursue a four year degree after finishing their associate degree, can easily continue on at Niagara University for a Bachelor's degree. As students figure out their interests, the curriculum can be adjusted to assist the transition to a specific major.
Students who wish to continue to explore an individually designed curriculum can take advantage of the new Bachelor of Arts degree in Liberal Arts and Master of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies programs.


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Sometimes, instead of asking "why," it's better just to say "woah." This piece by New York artist Naoko Ito is one of those times.
The project, entitled Ubiquitous, dissects a single six-foot wide tree branch into about two dozen pieces, the meticulously places them in jars to create this optical illusion. A comment on the commoditization of nature, or preservation's collateral fragmentary and isolating effects? Nah. Just one wicked cool visual idea. Woah. [Neatorama via Make]


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Ramadan Mubarak to all my wonderful readers who observe Ramadan 🙂
Today is the second day of the month of Ramadan.I wrote a little about Ramadan last year and I am hoping to explain more this year through the upcoming series of posts. I will be sharing popular recipes made in the month of Ramadan, family favorites, associated with childhood memories.You can get a sneak peak of the recipes in this album on my facebook page. If you have any special requests, send me an email or leave me a comment and I will do my best to include them. I will also be taking you on a tour in the old city markets and we will go back to Jerash to finish our visit to the old Roman city. Stay tuned 🙂
What I love about Ramadan is that it is a chance to slow down, step back and review the past year. On a personal and a spiritual level. It is also the month to reconnect with family and friends. Gathering for Iftar after a long day, sharing the experience and the lessons somehow brings everyone closer together.
Fasting is a school of discipline present in most religions and cultures. In Islam fasting by definition means to abstain, abstain from food and drink but it doesn't stop there. You have to abstain from everything that is bad. Abstain from lying, gossip and using profanity.One way to look at it is that in fasting what comes out of your mouth is just as important as what goes in. Keep in mind though, that your mouth is not the only part of you that is fasting, the whole of you is. Your hands are fasting, you can't do harm, steal or hurt others. Your eyes are fasting, you are not allowed to watch anything inappropriate. If you think about it, fasting is meant to impact the way you behave , it aims to build and develop a better person.
If there is one recipe that says Ramadan in my house then it has to be atayef. As a kid mum only made atayef in Ramadan. It was a treat reserved for this month. I fondly remember going to buy atayef with dad, waiting in line chatting with other kids about fasting, watching the baker pour the atayef with great skill and speed and then going home to help mum stuff them, sneaking a few to eat uncooked at Iftar time.
Atayef (kataif or قطايف) are thin and lacy stuffed Arabic pancakes. What sets these pancakes apart is that they are cooked only on one side, the other side is velvety because it is covered with bubbles, this allows the flavors of the filling to permeate the atayef. There are two types of atayef, regular and mini atayef (also known as atayef asafiri). The regular ones are usually stuffed with a cheese or nut filling, then they are sealed and baked or fried. Regular atayef are then served drizzled with simple syrup. The mini atayef also known as are served without cooking. They are usually filled with cream then they are dipped in ground pistachios and served with a drizzle of syrup. You can still make the atayef without stuffing them. Serve them the way you would serve pancakes, with butter and your favorite syrup. Served that way they make for wonderful vegan pancakes that are quick and easy to prepare.
If you have never tried atayef, biting into one of the regular atayef , you first get the crisp and crunchy exterior, then comes the filling. With cheese, the melted cheesy center, sweetened by the syrup with hints of mastic is the perfect balance to the crunchy exterior. With nut filled atayef, it is a joy to experience how the different textures play off each other, the nutty toasted almonds or walnuts vs. the crisp exterior. Add cinnamon and cardamom and drizzle of rosewater syrup and you have a dessert that you won't soon forget.
The atayef asafiri on the other hand are soft and velvety filled with a luscious cream. The cream is then topped with ground pistachios for a touch of color and nuttiness. A drizzle of syrup adds the sweetness and the signature rosewater hint of Arabic sweets
The recipe I am sharing with you today is the result of more than a dozen trials. I have tried so many recipes for the dough that were too thick, too yeasty, didn't seal, did not cook properly, you name it!! None of them worked! but I learned something from each one and eventually found the perfect balance of ingredients. To get successful atayef ,however,you need more than a great recipe, the technique is just as important. I have highlighted these technical tips in the recipe and the notes. I hope this will help you get great atayef the first time and every time.
Atayef dough/batter recipe
Makes 30 medium sized atayef. You can half the recipe
You use the same dough to make regular atayef and atayef asafiri
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup semolina
1/2 teaspoon yeast
1 teaspoon baking powder (see note in red)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom water (optional)
3 cups of warm water (you may need 1/4 to 1/2 cup more- see notes)
You can prepare the atayef mixture by placing all dry ingredients in a bowl and whisking them to insure that they are properly mixed.
Add the water, oil and orange blossom water and whisk thoroughly until you get a thin homogeneous mix. You can also place the wet and dry ingredients in the blender and blend until you get a thin mix.
Allow the batter to rest for 10 minutes
Heat a non-stick pan, once the pan is hot, start pouring the atayef and lower the heat to medium low
For small sized atayef, atayef asaferi, pour 1 tablespoon or 2 teaspoons of the batter. For medium sized atayef pour 2 tablespoons and for large atayef pour 1/4 cup of the batter.
The atayef should start to bubble around the edges.
The bubbles should then spread to cover the entire surface.If your atayef are not covered with bubbles then this means your batter is too thick and you need to add more water. Do so in 1/4 cup additions, whisk and try again
This is what the atayef would look like if the mixture is too thick
On the other hand this is what the atayef should look like if you have the right consistency.
If you add the water and despite that you only get a few bubbles then the baking powder you are using is old and has lost some efficiency. Add 1 more teaspoon of baking powder, whisk and try again. It should work perfectly now.
Wait until the atayef are done, you can tell by watching the surface. When it is no longer shiny.Then the atayef are done. The time depends on the size of the atayef, the small ones take about a minute, the big ones 2-3 minutes
Make sure to cook the atayef over medium low heat. Cooking them over high heat will cause them to brown too quickly and that will dry them out. That will cause them to split when you fill them or they will reopen once you seal them because they are too dry
Take the atayed off the heat, place them on a clean kitchen towel and fold the towel over them to cover them. This step is very important as it will soften the atayef making them easier to stuff and seal and it will prevent them from splitting when you fill them.
If you do not cover the atayef they will dry out and the result will be that they will either split when you fill them or they will open up after sealing.
Continue pouring the atayef until you finish the entire amount.
When your atayef cool you can either stuff them immediately or you can store them in a plastic bag that is well sealed or closed for a couple of hours and stuff them later. I would recommend that you don't keep them un-stuffed for more than a couple of hours because if you do they will dry out and sealing them will become problematic.
To store them in a plastic bag arrange them so that the top bubbly surface touches that of another atayef and then layer them in the bag.
Atayef filling suggestions
For the regular atayef
Cheese filling
2 cups nabulsi cheese
1 tablespoon sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon rose water (optional)
Cut the cheese into cubes and soak it in water the night before, this will soften it and reduce the salt content. You can use ricotta as a replacement
Almond filling
2 cups toasted almonds, chopped or crushed
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
To toast the almonds spread them on a baking sheet and place them in a preheated oven (200 C) for 5-7 minutes.
Turn off the heat and leave the almonds in the oven to cool
Place the almonds in a plastic bag and crush them using a rolling pin or any other heavy object. This way the almonds will retain texture and won't be ground too finely
Add the sugar, cinnamon and cardamom and mix to combine
None traditional but still yummy suggestions
Sauteed apples with sugar and cinnamon
Nutella with bananas and hazelnuts
Atayef asaferi stuffing
Clotted cream or thick cream like this one, you can make a replacement using this recipe
Top the cream with one of the following
Ground pistachios or your choice of ground nuts
Toasted coconut
A sprinkle of cinnamon or cardamom
Candied orange peel or your choice of candied fruit
How to stuff atayef
The large atayef (regular atayef)
To stuff the atayef place 1-2 teaspoons of your desired filling and fold the atayef so that it forms a half moon and start sealing the edges by pressing them between your thumb and index. Make sure you do not over stuff them because that may cause them to open or burst during freezing or cooking.
Arrange your atayef on a flat plate or baking sheet and freeze them. Once frozen place them in a bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Atayef asaferi
Fold the atayef into a half circle and seal it only half way as you can see in the picture
With a small spoon, fill the opening with clotted cream
Dip it in ground pistachios or your choice of nuts.
Arrange the atayef in a serving plate with some rosewater syrup, strawberry syrup or cherry syrup. Atayef asafiri are not baked or fried and they can not be frozen. You can store them in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Sugar syrup
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rose water or orange blossom water (optional)
Place the sugar, water and lemon juice in a pot,bring to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes
Turn off the heat and add the rosewater if using.
You can use other flavoring agents to replace the rosewater like cinnamon, cardamom or orange peel
Cooking the large stuffed atayef
You can either fry the large atayef or bake them
To fry them: place 1 cm of oil in a pan and heat it
Place the atayef in the pan and fry until the edges are golden brown and crisp
Flip the atayef over and cook until the opposite side is golden brown
Take the atayef out of the oil and dunk them in the simple syrup and then take them out and arrange them on serving plate. (Do not dunk them for more than a few seconds or else they will become soft and soggy)
To bake the atayef
Brush the atayef with melted butter or vegetable oil
Arrange them on a baking sheet
Bake in a preheated oven at 200 C until golden and crisp
Drizzle them with sugar syrup
عجينه القطايف
المقادير المطلوبة لعمل 30 حبه قطايف حجم وسط
نصف كوب سميد ناعم
اثنين كوب طحين
اثنين ملعقه كبيره زيت نباتي
اثنين ملعقه كبيره سكر
اثنين ملعقه كبيره ماء زهر
نصف ملعقه صغيره خميرة
ملعقه صغيره بيكنغ باودر
ثلاث اكواب ماء دافئ و ممكن تحتاجي اكتر حسب نوعية الطحين
تخلط المواد الجافة مع بعضها
نخلط الماء مع الماء زهر و تضاف للمواد الجافه و تحرك باستخدام مضرب سلك او على الخلاط
العجينة يجب ان تكون رخوة القوام اي صبها سهل
اتركي العجين ترتاح مده 10 دقائق
سخني مقلاه تيفال و بعد ذلك خففي النار بين العالي و الوسط
ابدئي بالصب
لعمل العصافيري صبي مقدار ملعقه كبيره
و اذا كانت للحشي و القلي فاستخدمي 1/4 كوب من العجين لكل حبه قطايف (انا استخدم الاكواب المعياريه)
بعد ان تضعيها في المقلاه ستظهر الفقاقيع على الوجه , ستبدأ الفقاقيع من الاطراف ثم ستغطي كل الوجه
لو لاحظتي ان الفقاقيع قليله عددا او كبيره جدا فهذا يعني ان خليطك ثقيل القوام. اضيفي ربع كوب ماء و اخفقي و كرري المحاوله
سبب اخر لغياب الفقاقيع هو ان البيكنغ باودر الذي تستعملينه قديم و فقد بعضا من فاعليته. اضيفي ملعقه صغيره مليئه اخرى من البيكنغ باودر للمزيج و اخفقي و كرري المحاولهز
عندما تلاحظين ان الوجه بدا ينشف (لم يعد لامعا و ابيض فاتح )و من الاسفل اصبح اللون ذهبي ارفعي القطايف و ضعيها على فوطه نظيفه و غطيها و هذه الخطوه مهمه جدا كي لا تجف القطايف, كما ان تغطيتها تجعلها اطرى و اسهل للحشي
بامكانك حشي القطايف فورا او وضعهها بكيس بلاستيكي و احكام اغلاقه و حشيها بعد ساعه او ساعتين و ان كنت افضل حشيها فورا
بعد حشي القطايف بامكانك قليها او شويها
الكميه المتبقيه دون قلي او شوي رتبيها على صحن و غلفيها بالنايلون و ضعيها في الفريزر
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text:
Vernon H:(In a previous iteration of my career, I was a Navy Flight Surgeon
assigned to a Marine Corps F/A-18 squadron where my training and duties
included aircraft mishap investigation. When I examine the aftermath of
my incident, I am convinced that fortuitous timing and the solid
construction of my Tesla Model S saved our lives, the lives of another
couple and prevented four young children from being orphaned. )from Liveleak:
Story follows:
I wanted to write and share what I experienced when my Tesla Model S
was involved in a major traffic collision. I had been driving my 60kwh
Model S for about three months. I was thrilled with my purchase, having
done a family road trip from the San Francisco Bay area to Southern
California and Las Vegas over spring break. We never experienced any
range anxiety, paid a grand total of three dollars for charging the
entire trip and astounded bellmen and valets everywhere we went when the
five of us would exit the car and unload seemingly endless amounts of
Needless to say, I was devastated when we were involved in a major
collision. My wife and I, as well as another couple, were going home on a
Friday night – my wife's birthday. We were crossing a four way blind
intersection in a quiet, unlit, residential neighborhood, when without
warning, out of the corner of my eye, I saw headlights approaching at an
extreme rate of speed and heard the loud roar of an engine. I barely
had time to shout an expletive before the other car struck us and my
airbags deployed.
It turns out that a teenage boy driving a BMW M5 at approximately 60
miles per hour completely ignored his stop sign and impacted the front
end of my Model S. Everyone in the car confirmed that they were all
right and exited the car. I called Tesla service at almost midnight and,
to my surprise, someone answered the phone and was able to give me
advice on securing the car for towing.
The police and fire department arrived within minutes and informed me
that the other driver had come to a stop down the road; I had
previously thought it was a hit and run. When I examined the other car, I
saw an unbelievable amount of damage. The BMW had hit me hard enough
that he had flipped and rolled his car at least twice and bounced off a
large tree; he was on his wheels facing the opposite direction of his
initial travel, and the car had experienced an incredible amount of
damage from the impact and rollovers.
My Model S, on the other hand, had damage to the front bumper and
looked pristine rearward of the bumper. When I looked in the bushes, I
saw that the BMW had hit me with enough force to completely snap off a
rear wheel and suspension. Luckily, the driver of the BMW was dazed but
otherwise appeared uninjured.
I am enclosing some pictures of the cars involved in the collision as
well as dashcam footage. When you examine the images taken at the
moment of impact, you can see that the Model S barely moved laterally
when the M5 hit our front end. The occupants experienced a slight
jostling and the only injuries sustained were bruises due to impact from
the lower airbags.
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text:
The Senate Committee on Insurance and Financial Institutions, to which was referred Senate Bill No.
356, has had the same under consideration and begs leave to report the same back to the Senate with the
recommendation that said bill be AMENDED as follows:
and when so amended that said bill do pass .
Committee Vote: Yeas 7, Nays 2.


text:
Tallahassee, FL | 16 young teenage girls between the age of 13 and 17 years of age have become pregnant after a pool party went terribly wrong, reports the Tallahassee Herald this morning.
A simple weekend pool party turned to tragedy when one of the young men attending the birthday celebration ejaculated in the pool without warning the house guests, accidentally ending up impregnating half of the girls present at the celebration.
"I'm glad I didn't have my swimsuit that day," remembers Daliah Jennings, present during the celebration.
"It was a surprise party to celebrate my 15th birthday, let's just say that a baby in my womb is the kind of present I'm glad I didn't get" she acknowledges, visibly relieved of not getting pregnant.
Tommy Coulter has admitted to ejaculating in the pool, thus accidentally impregnating 16 of the young women present
"Nothing like an orgy"
The young man claims there was no sex at the party at all and that he only ejaculated in the pool by accident.
"Some people in town say we had some kind of wild sex orgy going on and that's how I got all those girls pregnant, but I'm proud to say that I am still a virgin and that if anyone doesn't believe me, I'm ready to undergo medical examination to prove it if that's what it takes," says the 15 year old. "I've become some sort of a local celebrity.
"People come up to me all the time and shake my hand and congratulate me, but I didn't do anything!" he adds, visibly sincere.
"Highly" potent sperm
Dr. John Suzukima of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Hospital, who was the first to link the multiple births to a single cause, believes the young man has a rare medical condition called spermafortis which makes his semen unusually potent.
Dr. John Suzukima of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare Hospital believes Tommy Coulter has unusually potent semen.
"Clinical tests have proven that people who suffer from spermafortis have sperm counts close to a thousand times more potent and rich in spermatozoids than the average man," he explains. "This kind of semen is fairly similar to that of common water mammals, such as dolphins, manatees and seals and has properties that make it incredibly resistant to water. This condition could definitely explain what happened in this case but clinical trials and further tests would be needed to prove this theory," he told local reporters.
Most of the 16 girls are scheduled to undergo an abortion although two of the impregnated girls' families have reportedly admitted that they have decided to bring the birth to term being devout Christians.


text:
Purchases of restaurant food for delivery or takeout will result in a charge on your credit card statement. If you have any questions about this charge, please get in touch.
The majority of our markets are collegiate. If you are a parent with a student in college, you might want to check with them to ask if they've been using your card to order food online.
Occasionally, LoDel will submit an "authorization charge". Most duplicate charges will disappear in a matter of days and you will only be charged for a single transaction.
Still not adding up? Please contact us at email@example.com or 1-844-810-0983


text:
Pocket Gamer's Top 10 Games of the Year 2012 - iPhone Edition
Cream of the crop
It's been another incredible year for Apple and its increasingly-popular App Store.
iOS developers have conjured up a staggering number of Pocket Gamer Award-winning titles over the course of the past 12 months.
To be honest, it's been rather difficult to whittle an entire year's worth of excellent new iPhone apps down to just ten.
Beat Sneak Bandit, Squids Wild West, Angry Birds Star Wars, and dozens more iPhone games could easily have been included on the list below. But, they didn't.
These, however, did...Rayman Jungle Run
By Ubisoft - buy for iPhone
Rayman Jungle Run is great for many reasons. It looks amazing, for starters, but that's hardly surprising considering it's powered by the same engine that powers console hit Rayman Origins.
It's challenging enough to keep you entertained throughout, too, and it's been designed specifically for touch-enabled devices.
It's an auto-run platformer, you see, meaning you can focus all your attention on avoiding obstacles and making precision jumps.Punch Quest
By Madgarden - buy for iPhone
In Madgarden's brawler, the developer employs the same auto-run mechanic that Ubi does in Rayman Jungle Run. This is a good thing.
Instead of worrying about the speed at which you're running, then, you can concentrate on uppercutting skeletons in the face, jabbing mean ogres in the solar plexus, and riding on the back of a dinosaur that fires lasers out of its gaping gob.
Enough said.
New Star Soccer
By New Star Games - buy for iPhone
If you're looking for a casual kickabout, New Star Soccer definitely isn't for you.
If you're wanting to buy expensive apartments, date gorgeous women, and generally live the life of a real-world footballer, on the other hand, it'll be right up your alley.New Star Soccer is stupidly addictive, so be prepared to sink countless hours into it.
Need for Speed: Most Wanted
By FireMonkeys - buy for iPhone
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is proof that Apple's iPhone can compete with dedicated gaming handhelds like the PS Vita and Nintendo's 3DS.
Put simply, there's no doubting that this is a 'triple-A' title.
This iPhone version of EA's latest racer bagged an extremely shiny Pocket Gamer Gold Award at review, while its Vita counterpart picked up a Silver. I refer you to the opening paragraph of this segment. Yep, exactly.Super Hexagon
By Terry Cavanagh - buy for iPhone
Super Hexagon is a minimalist action-packed title from indie sensation Terry Cavanagh, who's the guy behind both rock-solid platformer VVVVVV and Don't Look Back.
This game is all about survival. You take control of a small craft that's stuck in orbit around a hexagonal sun, and attempt to avoid the waves of barriers that move towards you.
Simple, right? Wrong. Very wrong. It's tough as nails.True Skate
By True Axis - buy for iPhone
Fancy yourself as the next Tony Hawk, do you? Think you can pull off the fabled 900, do you? Here's your chance to prove your skills.
True Skate is one of the most authentic skating games on the App Store. In it, you can perform a multitude of cool-looking tricks with simple flicks and taps of your device's display.
Our favourite feature: the fact you can mess up a trick without breaking your neck.
By Action Button Entertainment - buy for iPhone
You're the last human on earth.
You're stood atop a large pyramid watching never-ending waves of aliens assault your once-precious homeland.
Your death is inevitable.
ZiGGURAT is an endless-shooter in which you're tasked with a single mission: wipe out as many intergalactic invaders as you can before they melt your face clean off.Zookeeper Battle
By Kiteretsu - buy for iPhone
We'll be blunt: Zookeeper Battle is a crazy match-three puzzler. And we do mean CRAZY. We're talking John Wayne Gacy crazy.
In this game, Kiteretsu gives you 30 seconds to match three or more cute and colourful animals. Certain animals increase your defense capabilities, whereas others improve your attacks.
Once your 30 seconds are over, your in-game avatar will duke it out with the avatar of another player from somewhere else in the world.
By Electronic Arts - buy for iPhone
FIFA 13 for the iPhone may not be as complex or as challenging as its console counterparts, but, boy, is it fun.
It's fast and fluid, and it handles perfectly.
You know the drill here. You can choose your favourite team (Barcelona) from some of the world's most prestigious leagues, and then spend 90 minutes trying to slide tackle Wayne Rooney.
VS. Racing 2
By Maciek Drejak Labs - buy for iPhone
This top-down racer doesn't look very special from afar, but didn't your mother ever teach you not to judge a book by its cover?
VS. Racing 2 is incredibly fun. Play on your own, and it's a pretty standard racing game. Get some friends involved, however, and it becomes a Mario Kart-style title full of oil slicks and other power-ups.
There's no blue shell, though. Thankfully.


text:
Inquiring minds might be interested in the analysis of artist Josh Begley who catalogs every U.S. military base in the world. Here is a representation.
Gizmodo comments on the Chilling Geometry of Every US Military Base Seen From Space.
The United States military is everywhere. It's so big that it's hard to quantify just how massive it is—any number used to describe it is so large that it defies the understanding of an ordinary human brain.
A self-described "data artist," Begley has started an ongoing effort to collect satellite imagery from every U.S. military installation in the world. The initial map, parked at Empire.is, collects all of the data listed in the Department of Defense's 2013 Base Structure Report. The official report doesn't include the military's secret bases, though, so Begley has included others that have been unearthed—and he encourages people to submit information for others that he's missing.
The resulting collection is mind-boggling. At the top, there's a zoomable world map with all of the installations plotted. Keep zooming in, and eventually the map will reveal the satellite imagery for each location, assuming it exists. As Begley points out, plenty of sites have been censored from public view.
Mapping the United States Military Footprint
Please consider Mapping the United States Military Footprint on Google Maps Mania (an unofficial Google Maps blog tracking the websites, mashups and tools being influenced by Google Maps).
The United States has well over 700 military bases across the planet with official facilities in at least 37 countries. Empire.is is a map showing the location of United States military installations, not only in the US but around the world.
As well as mapping known United States military installations Empire.es also provides aerial imagery of a large number of the bases, sourced from Google and Bing Maps.
The data for the military locations is from the 2013 Base Structure Report and from sites reported by journalists and geographers. The author of the map says that there are still many military bases missing from the map.
Image from Empire.Is
- Given that any satellite can pick up this information, is there any rational reason to have "secret bases"?
- Is any base really a secret?
- Would US security be hampered if 25% of the bases were shut down? 50%? 80%?
The answers are 1-no, 2-no, 3-no, no, no.
Mike "Mish" Shedlock


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by David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com August 13, 2004 DefenseReview did not receive any of the information contained in the first two paragraphs of this story from Le Mas Ltd., or from Stan Bulmer. Le Mas/Stan Bulmer will not discuss military operational use of, or field performance data relating to, the Blended Metal Technology (BMT) or BMT APLP …Read More »
Tag Archives: pistol reviews
Springfield Armory XDM-9 3.8 "Short Barrel" High-Capacity Compact 9mm Pistol for Concealed Carry (CCW): 20 (19+1) Rounds of Immediate Firepower!
By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com All photos contained in this article were taken by DefenseReview.com, and are copyrighted. DefenseReview.com owns the copyright on these photos. The photos were shot with a Canon PowerShot S90 10-megapixel digital camera (still camera with video capability). February 28, 2010 Updated on 4/01/10 There were a few new pistols that DefenseReview viewed …Read More »
Hi-Point C9 9mm Pistol: Viable Option for Defensive Use?
by David Crane [email protected] And, speaking of pistols, here at DefenseReview, we carry Glock pistols (primarily G19s and G30s), HK P7s (HKP7M13, specifically), custom Browning Hi-Powers, and custom 1911s. Recently though, we've considered adding one of the Springfield XD .45 pistols (.45ACP pistols made by Springfield Armory) to the mix, since they've been getting rave reviews from a number of …Read More »