text:
The wildly popular videogames Doom and Quake have been accused of everything from preaching Satanism to inspiring the Columbine school shooting. By comparison, the latest game from one of the original Doom and Quake designers could be found guilty of nothing worse than inspiring children to set up lemonade stands.
If John Romero's earlier games were marked by gore, his Ravenwood Fair is as clean as a Singapore sidewalk. In Quake, gremlins feasted on corpses. In Ravenwood Fair you guide a raccoon or bear around a forest, felling trees and erecting carnival attractions in the clearings. Should you encounter a monster, you simply scare it off with a few mouse clicks. But though Ravenwood Fair lacks the bluster of Romero's early shooters, it is on pace to become his most popular game to date. In the two months since its launch, it has attracted more than 4 million monthly players — in large part because you play it on Facebook. Facebook and its 500 million users make up the largest potential gaming platform ever—a fact that has not been lost on entrepreneurs. The founder of Farmville company Zynga, Mark Pincus, is on pace to be Silicon Valley's next billionaire, and even traditional gaming companies are getting in on the action, with Electronic Arts buying Playfish for $400 million last year.
Despite their profitability, Facebook games have always lacked respectability from traditional gamers—"Skinner boxes" is the common put down. Now that may change, as industry pioneers like Romero, who co-founded a Facebook gaming company called Loot Drop, are increasingly winning their bread on the social network. In fact, the lead designers of three different Civilization titles, among the most-beloved PC games of all time, are now working on Facebook games, including Sid Meier himself, who kicked off the series in 1991.
Beyond potentially reaching millions of users, many videogame pioneers enjoy the particular back-to-basics design challenge that Facebook presents. During the 1980s, when the videogame industry was still in its infancy, designers worked individually, or in small teams, with tight deadlines and tiny budgets.
But the rise of 3D graphics changed that equation. As the graphics grew more complex, gaming companies began investing hundreds of millions of dollars in their development, with design teams swelling to hundreds of people. On such large teams, it became impossible for any individual designer to own more than a handful of features in a game. "I was starting to feel like there were whole months going by when I wasn't doing actual game design," laments Brian Reynolds, chief game designer at Zynga. (During an earlier era, he coded Civilization II almost single-handedly in a London apartment.)
If John Romero's earlier games were marked by gore, his Ravenwood Fair is as clean as a Singapore sidewalk.
Videogame design suddenly resembled a Hollywood production. Romero, for one, recalls working with 75 people for four years on a game, before it was finally canceled. Or as Soren Johnson, who led the Civilization IV design team and now works on a Facebook game for Electronic Arts, puts it: Involvement in a big console game "was almost like a degree program."
Facebook games, on the other hand, are more like sped-up seminars. Because they're played in a Web browser, with millions of alternative distractions just a mouse click away, users won't wait too long for them to load, taking complex 3D graphics—and the large design teams needed to support them—off the table. And Facebook gaming companies like to get the games out speedily so that they can analyze user behavior and refine the designs. As a result, Facebook games rarely take more than a few months to develop, with the projects hardly ever employing more than a few dozen people. Johnson, for example, is working with about 20 people on a Facebook version of Dragon Age—a small fraction of the people plugging away at Dragon Age 2 for the consoles. The games themselves are quite different than what the designers are used to, as the average Facebook gamer— a 43-year-old woman—doesn't have much in common with your typical hardcore gamer kid. "A lot of unlearning needs to be done with the Facebook stuff," says Romero. For example: When typically designing a AAA game, you offer in-game items as rewards for accomplishing difficult tasks; on Facebook, however, almost everything is available for purchase the moment you load the game. "They want to buy things in the store immediately," Romero says. "Even though the game lets them get stuff over time, people want a short cut."
Some players go overboard, blowing through hundreds or thousands of dollars. Such players are, in fact, the core of a Facebook's gaming-company business. "There are certain industries in which the majority of revenues come from the minority of the customers," game designer Ian Bogost told Gamespot last month. "When you have a game that does not have a spending cap and the vast majority of revenue is coming from a minority of players, 10 percent of players generating 90 percent of revenues, how do we feel about that?"
Most Facebook game designers contend that Facebook is in fact preferable to the retail market, where players must fork over $60 for a game they've never tested. "To me it feels like a much more fair business model to the player in that they're only paying for things they see value in versus going to a store and looking at a box and really hoping that it's good," says Romero.
Still, despite the creative freedom of the Facebook platform, a player forking over $60 for a premium title would seem to have a larger variety of choices than a player logging onto Facebook. Nearly all of the most popular games on Facebook follow the same formula: Players create a digital property—a farm, a fair, a castle—and show it off to their friends. The similarity of the games explains, in part, the reluctance of other traditional gamers to sign up for Facebook, even as Facebook brings games to new swaths of the population.
The uniformity of Facebook games is probably a sign of the genre's infancy. It is in part for this reason that gamers eagerly anticipate what Meier will do with Civilization for Facebook. On Facebook, Meier says, "We can emphasize other parts of the game that we don't emphasize with the single-player game." In some ways, it's the perfect platform for the subject: "Civilizations, by definition, are groups of people working together." Fans of the Civilization games have typically favored competition and combat, but the Facebook game, Meier says, will emphasize "needing to work together with other people, creating strategies together, and having an important role on the team." (Combat will still play a role: "All the things that you love about Civilization, you'll find in Civilization for Facebook," Meier says.)
Romero, for his part, plans to work within the established Facebook formulas. He doesn't plan to bring the violence of Doom and Quake to Facebook. "I've done every kind of game pretty much," Romero says. "The shooter stuff was just in the '90s."
Ben Crair is the Deputy News Editor of The Daily Beast.


text:
Levin Kuningaskotka B6, 7 hengen huoneisto B6
apartment, Levi, Kittilä, 7 persons
Quality class: Q3
Number of persons: 7
Area: Levi centre, by the main piste
Address: Hissitie 11 B, 99130 Sirkka
Distances: Shop: 0,3 km, Nearest piste: 50 m, Skiing track: 20 m,
Snowmobile route: 0,3 km, Golf course: 4 km, Ski bus route: 50 m
Type: apartment in an alpine style house, on two levels with a slope view.
Built: 2000, textiles renovated 2015
Area: downstairs 42 m2 upstairs 28 m2
Bedrooms/other bed places: 4 bedrooms of which three upstairs
Beds: 2 single beds in three bedrooms, 120 cm-wide bed in one bedroom
Toilets: 2 toilets, 1 on each floor. Shower in the toilet upstairs.
Sauna: electric sauna, 2 showers in the bathoom
Equipment: dishes, fireplace / firewood, cable-tv, DVD,
electric stove+oven, dishwasher, microwave oven, coffee maker, kettle, toaster,
fridge, freezer, electric drying cabinet, iron, hairdryer, car heating point
Other things to be mentioned:
The balcony of the apartment B6 is to the main slope. Stair gate on top of the stairs.
In the basement of the A-house there is a washing machine and a ski maintenance room that are available with the apartment key.
Pets allowed. Pet fee 50e/booking.
Price includes bedsheets and towels as ready made in beds.
Departure cleaning will be added to the price during A1, A2 and B seasons.
Seasons: https://www.levi.fi/en/info/visit-levi/holiday-home-owner/classification-and-price-seasons.html
If additional services- departure cleaning, bed linen and towels are not ordered with the accommodation
booking or arent already included in the price, please clean the apartment properly and bring your own bed linen and towels with you.
Basic information
| Kittilä
Show location on map
|Type of holiday home:
|Name of holiday home:
|Levin Kuningaskotka B6, 7 hengen huoneisto B6
|Living area:
|70 m²
|Number of bedrooms:
|Number of beds:
|Number of additional beds:
|electric sauna, indoor sauna
|Rental number:
|Pets allowed:
|Internet connection
|Facilities and equipment:
|laundry machine
|Leisure-time activities:
|fishing, canoeing, hunting, tennis, motor sledging, hiking, downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, horseback riding, golf, children activities, biking, picking mushrooms/berries, ice skating, roller-skating
The destination is rented out by
99130 Sirkka
Tel. 016 639 3370

subset: commoncrawl


text:
On November 19, the first ever International Men's Day was celebrated in over 60 countries around the world. It was an occasion to put the spotlight on men's health, improving gender relations, and recognize positive male role models who make valuable contributions to family, community and society. This year, we recognize and celebrate the hundreds of thousands of men in East and Southern Africa who are stepping up for Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) to protect their own health and that of their families.
We also recognize the political, traditional and community leaders who are leading the charge in their countries and local communities. For many communities, male circumcision has cultural significance representing a rite of passage from childhood to manhood. Ministries of Health are working closely with traditional leaders to ensure that male circumcision is medically safe while still respecting the meaning of the tradition. In 2011, I participated in one such ceremony with the Changaani tribe at an "initiation camp" in a remote area of southern Zimbabwe where adolescent boys learn what it means to be a man. Despite the cultural challenges, the Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) with support from PEPFAR and USAID, and in collaboration with traditional leaders, was able to provide these boys with safe male circumcision services.
In June 2012, I was again fortunate to witness the kind of male leadership we celebrated on Nov. 19. Mr. Blessing Chebundo, Chairman of Zimbabwe Parliamentarians against AIDS, and a group of fellow Zimbabwe parliamentarians, underwent voluntary medical male circumcision to inspire other men in their country to follow suit. Zimbabwe aims to circumcise 1.2 million men aged 13 to 29 years by 2015 with the potential impact of preventing 750,000 new HIV infections. It will take leading by example, as demonstrated by Mr. Chebundo, to get this done.
USAID and UNAIDS have estimated that VMMC has the potential to avert more than 3.4 million new HIV infections in 14 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa, and save an estimated $16.5 billion in care and treatment over the next 15 years, freeing up resources for other crucial HIV interventions. It also offers a unique opportunity to not only prevent HIV, but improve men's overall health. VMMC services present an opportunity to engage men who might otherwise never interact with the health system.
While women are likely to learn their HIV status during prenatal visits, there are simply no comparable programs for reaching men. VMMC programs have the potential to offer millions of men the opportunity to learn their HIV status, along with counseling, condom provision, services around sexually transmitted infections, and the rare chance to discuss their reproductive health.
USAID, with PEPFAR funding, is committed to supporting countries in Eastern and Southern Africa to pave the path for an HIV-Free generation by accelerating scale up of VMMC over the next five years. As we work together to roll out this powerful, life-saving intervention in these 14 countries, let us remember the more than 2 million men who have already made the brave decision to step up and protect their health, their family and their communities by getting circumcised.
I wish all of you brave men a very happy International Men's Day!


text:
Billy McMillon, the new manager of the Portland Sea Dogs, thought he found a spot in the major leagues when the Florida Marlins traded him to the Philadelphia Phillies in 1997.
Two years removed from his playing days with the Sea Dogs, McMillon joined a building team under first-year manager Terry Francona.
"I had been to the big leagues and I wanted to get back," said McMillon, whose major league debut was the year before with Florida.
McMillon batted .292 for the Phillies for the rest of the season. He appeared to be looking good for the next year.
"But they wanted to get veterans," McMillon said of the Phillies. "I was relegated back to the minor leagues. I had to wait for my opportunity."
The wait took two more seasons.
McMillon returned to the majors in 2000 with the Tigers. He also played for the A's. His career ended with an injury in spring training with the Red Sox in 2005. He had carved out a major league career of 269 games over eight years.
Now McMillon is a manager. When it comes to preaching patience and perseverance to his players, he's already walked the walk.
"He's been there and he can draw from his experience," said center fielder Jackie Bradley Jr., who played for McMillon at advanced Class A Salem in 2012.
"It was exciting to come to the field with the energy he brought."
The Red Sox haven't always relied on former major leaguers to be coaches and managers. None of the previous three – Todd Claus, Arnie Beyeler and Kevin Boles – played in the majors. And the first Portland manager as a Red Sox affiliate, Ron Johnson, played all of 22 big league games.
But McMillion brings knowledge with his experience, as well as an ability to work with players.
"He's done a terrific job for us," Red Sox General Manager Ben Cherington said.
McMillon, 42, will become the first former Sea Dogs player to manage the home team at Hadlock Field.
He will be in Portland on Friday for the annual Hot Stove Dinner, helping to promote the Sea Dogs in the offseason. He knows about promotion, visiting Portland at this time 18 years ago as part of the Sea Dogs' Winter Caravan, which has been replaced by the Hot Stove Dinner.
McMillon's first venture to Maine was to Orono in 1991 as a Clemson freshman. He helped the Tigers beat the University of Maine to earn a trip to the NCAA World Series.
McMillion, who grew up in Bishopville, S.C., didn't figure to be playing big-time baseball, but a scholarship was offered at the end of his high school days and a career was in the making.
The Marlins drafted McMillon in the eighth round of the 1993 draft, and he found himself with the Double-A Marlins in 1995.
"He's a natural hitter," Manager Carlos Tosca said at the time. "He has a pure swing."
McMillon used that swing to bat .313 with a .423 on-base percentage. McMillon doesn't recall the numbers as much as the weather.
"I remember being really, really cold early," McMillon said. "But a lot of fans came out to games, even in the bitter cold."
McMillon moved to Triple-A Charlotte in 1996, when he got a call up to the majors, making his debut on July 26. Even before the game McMillon was awed, placed in a batting practice group of Gary Sheffield, Andre Dawson and Terry Pendleton.
McMillon played 28 games with the Marlins that year and only 13 in 1997 before his trade to the Phillies. That move didn't work out and McMillon signed with the Tigers in 2000. He batted .301 in part-time duty.
McMillon bounced around from there, including a minor league season with the Yankees in 2002.
After two years with the A's. McMillon signed with the Red Sox after the 2004 season. In his first spring training game, he separated his shoulder diving for a ball. He eventually had surgery and never played again.
McMillon left baseball and the Red Sox organization, but the door remained open.
"He impressed us with his intelligence and feel for the game during that time," said Cherington, who was Boston's director of player personnel at that time.
McMillon returned to Clemson and finished his degree in economics (he has since received his MBA). When he expressed interest in baseball again, the Red Sox welcomed him, assigning him to Greenville as the hitting coach in 2007.
After two years, McMillon was promoted to manager. Then came a promotion to Salem in 2011. McMillon discovered a passion.
"I get to stay around the game I love," he said. "It's really rewarding, especially when someone gets it, having an impact on an player's life.
"The ultimate is seeing guys I worked with make it to the big leagues. In no way am I taking credit, but to think that something I did might have helped them in their development, that's a pretty cool thing."
That list of players, which began with Josh Reddick, is growing. Among the latest players are Xander Bogaerts and Bradley.
"He helped me mentally, for sure," Bradley said. "It was my first full year (as a pro) and he said he just wanted me to play and not worry about anything else. He made it a very positive surrounding."
McMillon and his positive style return to Portland. The player is now the skipper.
Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or at:
Twitter: @ClearTheBases
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text:
Bhagyasree's "Qaid Mein Hain Bulbul." Sunil Gavaskar curled up like an armadillo defending against Wayne Daniel. Imran Khan sending Michael Veletta's stumps walking. Vinod Kambli crying in Kolkata. Zico missing that kick. A man in front of a blackboard and a long wooden stick explaining election results on DD. News of Indira Gandhi's assassination stopping the commentary of an India-Pakistan match. Cheering for VP Singh as the Congress gets drubbed. Mandal and feeling betrayed by the same man we had once cheered for. Hawa Hawa. Oye Oye. The taste of Re 1 chumchum. All of these feel just as fresh and as vivid as if they happened yesterday. But if you ask me about things that happened in the last few years—all the movies, matches, events become a jumbled mess of color and noise and I have to pause, hem and haw, trying to unravel the tangled web of what passes for my short-term memory.
I guess this is what getting old means.
It's not a bad thing after all. This passage of time.When you are young, you want it all. Not only that, you do not even know why you "want it all" except that everyone else does and you are afraid that if you don't you are going to miss something. It's kind of confusing and overwhelming. Once you pile on the years, you realize your own limitations, which of the "I want it all"s you *actually* want and what kind of things are you willing to let go for each item on that list. That simplifies life. A lot.
Of course, it's not all fun and games though. When I was younger, there were two kinds of food—-good and bad. You had as much as you could of the former and gulped down the latter. Now the same thing had become a most complicated beast; every bite being tarnished by words like "carbs", "saturated fat", "cholesterol", "triglycerides" and the vilest two words in the English language "portion control". For the mid thirties man, eating is the equivalent of watching porn in one's teens—an experience almost always accompanied by a gnawing sense of guilt.
But then again, it's not that bad. The pressure to look like John Abraham reduces every year and you get more comfortable looking like Amar Singh—the love-handles, the double-chin and the bald spot. It's age after all. I am not twenty-five any more you know. To be honest, despite the outwards sign of bravado, you do feel really tense when the results of your physicals come in but then again, it's the exact same butterfly-in the-stomach please-I-will-do-better-next-time sensation you used to have when your report-cards were given to you after the annual examination.
The most important thing about becoming old is the realization of how little everything really matters. When I was young, I thought getting thirty-seven in my pre-HS tests would ruin me forever. It didn't. After my disastrous performance in the Joint Entrance Examinations, I thought my career was over. That wasn't the case. When I kept on sending my writings to assorted publications, all in vain, I thought I would never be able to realize my dreams of becoming a writer. There too I was wrong. And through the years, if there is one thing I have learned (not that I don't re-learn it every now and then) is what seems a matter of life and death today becomes a mere footnote tomorrow, a heartbreak in the morning becomes a "Oh man what the fuck was I thinking" by the evening and that in life, there are just a very few things that are truly important.
And what are these things you ask?
A K Hangal knows. So does Shahid Afridi.
And, I guess at thirty-five, so do I.


text:
Item #: SCP-1059
Object Class: Euclid
Special Containment Procedures: Documents known to be written by personnel infected with SCP-1059 are to be re-written by uninfected researchers. Personnel known to be infected with SCP-1059 are to be treated with counter-memetic therapy and removed from duty until they show no further signs of infection. They are to afterwards be monitored for signs of relapse. Individuals outside the Foundation found to be carrying SCP-1059 are to be treated with Class-A amnestics if practical, or otherwise removed from positions where they can potentially infect others.
Description: SCP-1059 is a memetic compulsion to hide, censor, or otherwise obscure information when communicating with others. It is most prevalent in those already dealing with classified or sensitive material.
Infected subjects will, when conveying information, find that apparently random pieces of information will seem disproportionately important. This information will be treated as though it is at the highest level of classification the writer is familiar with. They will do so even after the information has been shown to be relatively harmless, or even vital to those reading the resulting material.
SCP-1059 is spread by reading infected material or discussion with infected individuals. Those most at risk are those still learning classification procedures. Infection can be easily prevented by maintaining a solid grounding in the rules and regulations governing classified material within the organization.
SCP-1059 was discovered at the National Security Agency when a discrepancy was noticed by Agent Jameson, a Foundation operative embedded in NSA headquarters in Ft. Meade, Maryland. Documents originating from certain offices were being classified at Top Secret, regardless of their actual content. After other possible causes were ruled out, further investigation showed several individuals were infected with a previously unknown memetic agent, which was eventually designated SCP-1059.
Addendum 1059-1: Improper handling of infected materials led to an outbreak of SCP-1059 within the Foundation. It has been difficult to track thus far, and a full audit of Foundation documents and staff is pending. So far, seventeen fatalities can be directly attributed to vital information expunged from containment procedures.
Addendum 1059-2: This document has demonstrated signs of SCP-1059 infection, and has been expanded to meet Foundation standards. Please see Document SCP-1059-A for previous version.


text:
NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana (CNN) -- Drumsticks in hand, Derrick Tabb has found a way to transform New Orleans children from troublemakers to tuba players.
Derrick Tabb's program provides free tutoring, instruments and music instruction to more than 100 students.
Tabb, wearing a gold chain and a baseball cap, doesn't look the part of a typical band teacher. But every weekday evening in the French Quarter, he beats out the rhythm on his music stand as students play their chosen instruments. In doing so, he gives them an alternative to New Orleans' rough streets.
"I tell everyone I'm competing with the drug dealers," said Tabb, 34. His program, The Roots of Music, offers free tutoring, instruments and music education to more than 100 students. Vote now for the CNN Hero of the Year
Reformed class clown Terrence Knockum credits Tabb with changing his life. The 15-year-old tuba player joined the band eight months ago, when he was failing in school and "heading up the wrong road," said Tabb. Today, Knockum is the band captain. He hopes to make music his career and teach it himself one day.
"Before, I was getting in trouble," Knockum said. "Now ... when I come here, I'm learning how to play the horn, be disciplined and, you know, just work hard."
Tabb can relate. During a rebellious phase in junior high, his band teacher became his mentor and helped him get back on track.
"He saved my life," recalled Tabb, a professional drummer with the Rebirth Brass Band, one of the city's most popular acts.
Now Tabb, a New Orleans native, strives to keep young people on the straight and narrow in the city with the nation's highest murder rate, according to FBI statistics.
"When all you've seen is the drug dealers and the killing, you know, they think that's cool," said Tabb, adding that many young people wind up in trouble because they have nothing else to do.
The type of music support systems that helped Tabb years ago have been struggling since Hurricane Katrina; musicians scattered after the storm and budget cuts ended many school music programs. As a result, Tabb chose to target 9- to 14-year-olds with his program.
"That's just the most vulnerable time of your life," he said. "If I catch them now, I can hold onto them for at least four or five years and guide them the way that we want to guide them."
Students meet from 4-7 p.m. every weekday, year-round. They work with tutors on schoolwork, practice their music and eat a hot meal before heading home.
Through funding from donations and sponsors, Tabb's group is able to provide bus transportation, instruments and food for free. He calls it his "no excuse" policy -- "you don't have no excuse why you're not here," Tabb said. With a 90 percent attendance rate, his formula seems to be working. Watch Tabb and The Roots of Music program in action »
Tabb attributes the success in part to the nature of music.
"You're constantly learning something new," he said. "That's what keeps the kids coming back every day."
Since getting underway last year, The Roots of Music has already exceeded Tabb's expectations. The band marched in five Mardi Gras parades this season. The program also helped students improve their academic performances, with 85 percent having raised their grades in at least one class; some D and F students have become A students. And there are more than 400 children on the waiting list.
Tabb said he's assembled a "dream team" of musicians to help teach the students, and he personally works with all the beginners. No previous musical experience is necessary -- many students don't even know the names of the instruments when they start -- but youngsters like 9-year-old Lauren Washington, who plays the flute, learn fast.
"It's kind of hard to play, but I sound good," she said proudly. "It's fun!" Watch Washington and other students demonstrate their talents »
But the program isn't only about fun.
"Music is about discipline," said Tabb. He insists on good behavior and keeps kids in order with threats of sit-ups, pushups or tasks like picking up grains of rice -- but these measures aren't just punishment.
"We wear them out so they don't have any time or energy to get mixed up in anything on the street," he said.
Discipline aside, Tabb wants young people to realize that music can help them build a better future.
"I don't say that I'm saving lives," he said. "I say I'm giving life -- a whole different life of music."
Want to get involved? Check out The Roots of Music and see how to help.
All About New Orleans • Hurricane Katrina


text:
Design submitted by Sam from Germany.
There are three rotating 3/4 circles in this watch design. The clockwise end of the 1/4 circle gaps mark the time in analog format.
The innermost segment shows the hours, the middle one shows the minutes, and the outer one shows the seconds. The biggest segment can be best seen moving which gives the case an impression of self unlocking combination lock.
All moving segments are connected to transparent planes which in turn are connected to the analog watch mechanism. Below the three watch hands is a translucent layer of metal faking plastic. Underneath is a light source which makes the time readable in darker areas. There are no indicators on the watch to keep the case pure in its expression.


text:
November 30th, 2012
While you were working ...
Today's news you might've missed:
November 30th, 2012
Carrie Underwood to star in NBC's 'The Sound of Music'
Raindrops on roses, whiskers on kittens and Carrie Underwood as Maria?
On Friday, NBC announced its plans to air a live broadcast of "The Sound of Music," starring Underwood as Maria, based on the original musical.
November 30th, 2012
MTV's 'Buckwild' to premiere January 3
With MTV's "Jersey Shore" coming to an end, the network is readying a new group of party animals to fill the void – and the Thursday night time slot.
"Buckwild," which follows a group of nine friends on their quest to entertain themselves in Sissonville, West Virginia, is set to premiere on January 3, according to MTV.
November 30th, 2012
Talk to us about Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'
Do you remember the time?
Actually, wrong Michael Jackson song. Today marks the 30th anniversary of Jackson's "Thriller" album which went on to be one of the largest sellers of all time and forever changed the world of music videos.
Do you remember where you where when you first heard it? Did you have the album? A "Thriller" or "Beat It" jacket? Can you still moonwalk? Did the "Thriller" video scare you?
Share some of your memories about the pivotal album and the King of Pop below.
November 30th, 2012
Clint Eastwood's daughter named Miss Golden Globe 2013
Looks like Clint Eastwood and Frances Fisher's daughter will join hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler on stage during the 2013 Golden Globes.
Francesca Eastwood was named Miss Golden Globe by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association at an event on Thursday.
November 30th, 2012
Why we're still watching 'Boardwalk Empire'
If you watched the Season 2 finale of "Boardwalk Empire" in December 2011, you were likely shocked that they killed off James "Jimmy" Darmody - and that actor Michael Pitt would have to find a new gig.
You might have cursed at your screen, and lost faith in the HBO drama altogether. If you're like me, you might have even vowed never to tune in again. So much for that.
What a difference a year, new characters and some awesome storylines can make. Sunday's Season 3 finale promises to be one of the most exciting yet, and we have to tip our hats to the "Boardwalk" team and HBO for keeping us hooked despite our early skepticism. How did they do it? Here are the moments, characters and stories that kept us watching:
About this blog
Our daily cheat-sheet for breaking celebrity news, Hollywood buzz and your pop-culture obsessions.


text:
No doubt the most difficult task in the months ahead for Western leaders responding to changes in the Arab world will be to stick to their guns on democracy — that is, to accord elected governments and their leaders all the respect due to democratically chosen heads of state. This is because the elected governments will almost invariably be Islamist, hostile to Israel, and suspicious of the United States.
But really, what else could we expect? Democratic does not simply equate to pro-Western. If you tell people: we have oppressed proponents of your authentic historical religion for decades to create dictatorships for the sake of better relations with the west and Israel, and now we want you to choose your own government, what else would they do than repudiate the pattern of the old dictatorships? And wouldn't that repudiation more likely take the form of voting for well known and established parties that stood against the dictatorships, rather than for new parties with young faces that stand for such vague things as 'secularism and liberalism?'
So let us start from the fact that an Islamist majority was always logically to be expected, and show no disappointment on that score. The crucial issues regarding the new regimes in Tunisia and Egypt is not that they are Islamist, but how will they act? How will they act toward other non-Islamist parties, and non-Islamic groups in society? How oppressive will they be toward women? How effective will they be on economic policy and science and technology? How will they manage popular hostility toward Israel? These are the issues that will determine the risks and success of these regimes.
So what can we realistically expect? I remain optimistic–for now. Egypt's leaders, whether military or Islamist, have no interest in a war with Israel. Egypt's people desperately need jobs and investment, which a war will put at risk. So provided Israel provides some modest concessions or assistance to Palestinians, so that Islamist governments can point to something positive, the Israel/Arab relationship should not shift too harshly.
Regarding domestic affairs, the interesting division to watch will be within the Islamist ranks, between the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist parties. Westerners tend to assume that all Islamist parties will stand together on policy, and that the strong showing of the Salafists will pull all Islamist groups to a more strict and extreme view.
I disagree — that was not the dynamic I observed when I was in Cairo earlier this year. The Muslim Brotherhood leaders, anticipating coming to power, were striving mightily to disassociate themselves from the Salafists. The Brotherhood wanted to present itself as open, democratic, cosmopolitan, ready to work with others on the world stage and to respect human rights within Egypt. They viewed the Salafists as putting all of that at risk, as wanting to drag Egypt back into a pre-modern past and isolate itself.
So my guess is that we will not see a Muslim Brotherhood-Salafist coalition ruling Egypt (or elsewhere). Rather, we will see either the Brotherhood allying itself with one of the secular parties to burnish its bonafides with the West, and bringing the Salafists into government only to a limited degree. Ideally, for the Brotherhood, the secular parties would balance the Salafists, leaving the Brotherhood to call the shots and guide the country. That would be much preferable for them to simply allying with the Salafists, which would create anxiety and suspicion from the West and risk a massive counter-reaction from secular and military forces within Egypt. The Brotherhood has seen the power of Tahrir square, and they are well aware they cannot ignore or wholly oppose the forces that appeared there. I expect the Enahda party in Tunisia to take the same, moderate approach.
So let us be patient and see how things unfold. It is not time to panic — yet.


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City Center Farmers' Market
DateSeptember 27, 2018
VenueCity Center at Oyster Point
Location703 Mariner Row Newport News, Virginia 23606
Shop the Farmers Market Every Thursday 10 a.m.-2 p.m.…products straight from the farm! Includes locally grown fruits and vegetables, eggs, free-range chicken, pork and bison. Also available are bath products, fresh bread, dog treats, seafood, plants, herbs, baked goods, dairy products, and much more! Come see what we have to offer every Thursday, May until September.


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Boner Note: This post has a dead link (extraneous quote at the end of the URL) to the first in this What Happens Next series by garrett3000 — an interview-ette with resigned commonwealth GOP head Peter Torkildsen. You probably shouldn't bother; Torkildsen makes no predictions and says largely that the party needs more social moderates to thrive. If you want to see that, use this link.To me, MFI is most decidedly on the wrong side of history, morality and humanity. Mineau is not about to concede that.
A typical citation on this blog ridicules their absurd predictions of disaster following gay-rights and same-sex marriage. Simply being obviously wrong again and again does not seem to deter Mineau and similar folk, as the RMG answers show too plainly. In that way, MFI seems like a doomsday cult, one that does not specify the date of THE END.
Then too, such groups have clearly dwindled in number, contributions and influence. Having repeatedly lost efforts to overturn SSM here, they no longer get the crowds of bused-in protesters. It's a sure bet that many who gave them money for years for anti-gay/anti-SSM causes don't any more. Even they eventually see the pattern of failure even if their emotions remain.
So, the Mineau on record seems too like an old Confederate sympathizer. Instead of the South rising again, it will be Republicans, social conservatives, and anti-gay forces.
Mineau reports:
- The state of Massachusetts politics is "Despicable!...ultra-liberal Democrat agenda controls everything."
- The local Republicans have largely "deserted our principles."
- MFI will throw itself into fighting the bill to protect transgender rights.
- SSM will not stand. "We sincerely believe that this is a radical and delusional social experiment that will ultimately fail when people see the tragic results on the traditional family and most of all, children."
First, it was if SSM starts, Massachusetts will spiral down immediately, the good people will leave (Atlas Shrugged, anyone?), and marriage will virtually end here. Then it was all those things will happen soon. Then, chaos and disaster will happen...just you wait and see.
Meanwhile, of course, after four years, our divorce rates are one of the very lowest in the nation (even lower among SS couples). More kids are being adopted, expanding the number and percentage of stable families. We have increasing numbers of straight and gay marriages, making us about the best state for the institution in the country. It looks like SSM is pretty damned great for marriage.
So, Mineau waits and watches. He says at least that he expects tragedy. It appears he'll have to wait a long, long time.
Tags: massmarrier, Massachusetts, same-sex marriage, MFI, Red Mass group, Mineau


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Creating a SDL Surface piddlePDL's core type is a piddle. Once a piddle is provided to PDL it can go do a numerous amounts of things. Please see the example in 'examples/cookbook/pdl.pl' that came with this module.
Creating a simple piddleFirst lets get the right modules.
use PDL; use SDL::Rect; use SDL::Video; use SDL::Surface; use SDL::PixelFormat;
Suppose you want a surface of size (200,400) and 32 bit (RGBA).
my ( $bytes_per_pixel, $width, $height ) = ( 4, 200, 400 );
Define the $width, $height and $bytes_per_pixel. Your $bytes_per_pixel is the number of bits (in this case 32) divided by 8 bits per byte. Therefore for our 32 bpp we have 4 Bpp;
my $piddle = zeros( byte, $bytes_per_pixel, $width, $height );
Create a normal $piddle with zeros, byte format and the Bpp x width x height dimensions.
my $pointer = $piddle->get_dataref();
Here is where we get the actual data the piddle is pointing to. We will have SDL create a new surface from this function.
my $surface = SDL::Surface->new_from( $pointer, $width, $height, 32, $width * $bytes_per_pixel );
Using the same dimensions we create the surface using new_form. The width * Bpp is the scanline (pitch) of the surface in bytes.
warn "Made surface of $width, $height and ". $surface->format->BytesPerPixel; return ( $piddle, $surface );
Finally make sure that the surface actually has the correct dimensions we gave.
NOTE: $surface->format->BytesPerPixel must return 1,2,3,4. !!
Now you can blit and use the surface as needed; and do PDL operations as required.
Operating on the Surface safelyTo make sure SDL is in sync with the data. You must call SDL::Video::lock before doing PDL operations on the piddle.
SDL::Video::lock_surface($surface); $piddle->mslice( 'X', [ rand(400), rand(400), 1 ], [ rand(200), rand(200), 1 ] ) .= pdl( rand(225), rand(225), rand(255), 255 );
After that you can unlock the surface to blit.
Error due to BPP at blittingWhen blitting the new surface check for the return value to see if there has been a problem.
my $b = SDL::Video::blit_surface( $surface, SDL::Rect->new( 0, 0, $surface->w, $surface->h ), $app, SDL::Rect->new( ( $app->w - $surface->w ) / 2, ( $app->h - $surface->h ) / 2, $app->w, $app->h ) ); die "Could not blit: " . SDL::get_error() if ( $b == -1 );
If the error message is 'Blit combination not supported' that means that the BPP is incorrect or inconsistent with the dimensions. After that a simple update_rect will so your new surface on the screen.
AUTHORSSee ``AUTHORS'' in SDL.


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Last week, Davin Coburn headed to the Pacific Northwest to learn about one company's revolutionary new build process for their high-performance kitplane—and then to go for a test drive, to figure out what it was like 180 degrees from a midtown Manhattan office. Catch up with his journey by clicking here, then learn how to build your own plane below...
It's known as the "51 percent rule," and it forms the backbone of everything that happens in Glasair Aviation's build shop.
For five decades, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has licensed amateur-built aircraft—and designated them "experimental"—when the "major portion has been fabricated and assembled by persons for their own recreation or education," according to Federal Aviation Regulation 21.191(g). There are more than 27,000 licensed homebuilt aircraft today.
More From Popular Mechanics
On the other hand, the Experimental Aircraft Association estimates it takes as long as 3000 hours to build a plane. With the standard distractions of family and a job, that project might well take a decade to finish.
Hence factory-assist programs, like the one at Glasair. As long as the owner of the aircraft does the "major portion" of the work—or 51 percent, as it's colloquially known—the FAA signs off. Through spreadsheets and checklists, Glasair has taken the build process for its beefy Sportsman 2+2 aircraft and broken it into roughly 130 basic projects that ultimately complete the plane—including engine, prop, wiring and avionics (crucial components that are left out of some kits). Not only that, but Glasair stomped the gas pedal: With assistance and constant monitoring from the company's mechanics, the plane can be built in as little as two weeks.
Where does all that saved-up time come from? "Sixty percent comes from having all the tools, jigs and parts for each stage of assembly laid out ahead of time," says Marc Cook, editor of Kitplanes magazine, and the man who went through the pilot "Two Weeks to Taxi" (TWTT) run. "Not just having them there, but organized for your use, with all the pages of the manual for that segment laid out with tools."
It's a 2-on-1 program, with one technician guiding you through a project while a second technician lays out the next step. There's a reason production lines are so popular—and surely the government doesn't care if someone else sorts the unholy number of rivets, or shows you some tool you never knew existed.
The approach means that Glasair isn't just selling this to people who've always wanted to build a plane—they're marketing this to the people who never knew they wanted to build one. Since the program began in September 2006, about 25 customers have completed TWTT. The total cost for the plane and program begins just shy of $145,000, and increases with optional upgrades. So why would someone plunk down 145 large—then pick up a pneumatic rivet gun?
The Sportsman 2+2 is something like the SUV of the airplane world. With two full-size seats up front, and two smaller seats to haul children or camping gear, the plane cruises at 150 kts (with a 210hp Lycoming IO-390) and has a useful load of nearly half a ton. And with a takeoff roll of 400 ft., a max-gross-weight climb rate of 1200 feet per minute and a set of tundra tires, this plane will also touch down on a riverbank or a dirt strip—and get you back up in the air without sawing the top off a pine tree.
The performance characteristics are what convinced Alan King, a 60-year-old retired civil engineer, to build a Sportsman. "I wanted to be able to go cross-country fast, so I looked at a Mooney or a Beachcraft—but those were half a million dollars and up," he says. "I looked at a Cessna 182—but I also wanted to go backcountry, to land on gravel bars for great places to go fishing. At my age, I can't throw 60 pounds of gear on my back and march off to go camping any more."
King agreed to let me spend two days helping with his build (the FAA allows it as long as I'm an unpaid volunteer)—and King was hard at work when I arrived at the customer assembly center at 7 a.m. I had no clue what to expect: I'm competent enough with a drill, but building a bookshelf and building an airplane are two very different animals. Luckily, there was little time to overthink things.
I was greeted by Ted Setzer, Glasair's R&D manager and a man who joined the company just after its inception in 1979. He walked me through the program architecture, and explained that cell phones get turned off now. If I have a BlackBerry, I might as well stomp on it.
From there, it was Riveting 101 on back-room scrap metal. I drove rivets, I drilled rivets, I bucked rivets. And soon enough, they sent me to King's real left wing, laid out across a table. I helped mechanic Seth Town install a fuel tank and attach the fuel lines—and I began riveting.
I mixed vinylester resin and applied fiberglass cloth to the seams on the wheel pants. I shaved-to-fit the aft shearwebs—aluminum bracing at the back of the plane that support help the horizontal stabilizer—then corrosion-proofed them, drilled my bolt holes and locked them down.
Before I knew it, I was helping hang the wings and ratcheting struts in place.
When 5:30 came and we called it a day, I was beat (and a little beat up: Reaching into the wing's inspection holes—then through lightning holes in the wing ribs so you can crank a ratchet wrench—is a good way to dent your arms), but exhilarated. I was actually helping build an airplane.
And if all goes well, tomorrow we'll mount the engine. —Davin Coburn


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http://mmajunkie.com SYDNEY – Court McGee finished strong, but "The Ultimate Fighter 11" winner couldn't dig himself out the hole he created.
Opponent Constantinos Philippou won the first two rounds of their middleweight bout and ultimately scored a unanimous-decision victory.
The competitive bout kicked off the four-fight main card of tonight's UFC on FX 2 event at Sydney's Allphones Arena. It aired on FX following prelims on FUEL TV.
After minimal action early in the first round, Philippou landed a few power shots and then shucked off a takedown attempt. The pace picked up toward the end of the round, and McGee landed a nice hook. Philippou had the edge, but neither fighter made a definitive case for winning the round.
McGee stalked to open the second round, but Philippou used good head and footwork to find openings. Philippou also mixed in good countershots and an effective uppercut to chip away at McGee. Later in the round, McGee focused on takedown attempts, but Philippou easily snuffed them out and made him pay with additional uppercuts.
Philippou again fought off takedown attempts in the third, but McGee's punches and kicks finally started finding their mark. Combos allowed him to close the distance, but Philippou avoided anything substantial and began matching the strikes later in the round.
In the end, MMAjunkie.com awarded Philippou the victory via a 29-28 score.
All three judges concurred, and Philippou picked up the unanimous-decision victory.
Philippou (10-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC) has now won three straight fights since a unanimous-decision loss to Nick Catone in his UFC debut. McGee (13-2 MMA, 3-1 UFC), meanwhile, suffers his first loss in the UFC and snaps an eight-fight win streak.
Up-to-the-minute fight results include:
- Constantinos Philippou def. Court McGee via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- James Te Huna def. Aaron Rosa via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 2:08
- Anthony Perosh def. Nick Penner via TKO (punches) – Round 1, 4:59
- Steven Siler def. Cole Miller via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- Andrew Craig def. Kyle Noke via unanimous decision (29-28, 29-28, 29-28)
- T.J. Waldburger def. Jake Hecht via submission (armbar) – Round 1, 0:55
- Daniel Pineda def. Mackens Semerzier via submission (triangle-armbar) – Round 1, 2:05
- Shawn Jordan def. Oli Thompson via TKO (strikes) – Round 2, 3:53
For more on UFC on FX 2, stay tuned to the UFC Events section of the site.
(Pictured: Constantinos Philippou)


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I remember the word covet securely fastening itself in my brain after I watched The Silence Of The Lambs. I had always admired the word as part of the English language but never truly gave it the power it so richly deserved. For having a mere five letters, the word yields much more of an impact than meets the eye. With the pun intended in that last sentence, I began to realize how it easy it could be to covet something that was so far removed from my reality, yet so much of a presence in my daily thoughts. I could always see what it was that I wanted.
Signs and portents of the things we covet will surely present themselves in a myriad of ways and those glowing neon reminders will only serve to keep that item at the forefront of our brains. Though we may not have access to the object of our attention on a daily basis, the wish plants a small seed in our brain that sprouts and grows every time we give it a moment of thought. That lingering speculation permeates the moments of our day and the spark of what could be fuels the evolution of our fascination.
By giving ourselves permission to covet, we allow ourselves the opportunity to keep our desires alive, to live with passion. And, even if those dreams never come to fruition, we were privately granted the right to give that fantasy a breath of life, if only for a few fleeting moments. There is no legitimate way of telling our heart it was wrong. It will beat the way it wants to beat and we are powerless to its incessant drumming.
I am intimidated by the fear of not following my desires, of never having opened the door to possibility and thus never being able to define what is truly important to me. Coveting those things, identifying the wants that truly envelop me but knowing they may be the things that I can never have, affects my world on a scale beyond my comprehension. But those impervious wants, those things I covet, allow me to begin to sketch the blueprints of what it is that I truly desire. The idea that I may eventually attain those things satiates my thirsts and attempts to quench that desire.
To covet is to wish. To wish is to dream. To dream is to live.


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DuPont: New Life for an Ancient Company
Back in 1802, when President Jefferson was trudging around the White House, DuPont was born. It's since moved from an initial concentration in gunpowder manufacturing into the vast world of chemicals, and now to its latest manifestation in agricultural and food-related products.
The most recent transmogrification has clearly gained momentum since Ellen Kuhlman assumed its CEO mantel five years ago. It's hard to see that directional change doing anything but intensifying.
In that context, it's probably not unrealistic to assume that, in another five years, the company will be devoting virtually all of its efforts creating the bio-engineered seeds, pesticides, and other products that will play key roles in feeding the 2 million additional folks who are expected to join us on Planet Earth in the next several decades. In fact, DuPont is already in a league with Monsanto , which had a head start in reinventing itself as a largely agriculture company, and now does little else.
For that very reason, it's been especially edifying for me to peruse the transcript of a presentation by Jim Borel, a DuPont executive vice president, with responsibility for the company's agricultural and nutrition businesses. At mid-week, Borel addressed analysts at the RBC Capital Markets Global Industrials Conference in Las Vegas.
The action never ceases
Before I pass along some of Borel's specific comments about DuPont's agriculture and nutrition segments, let's review the bidding on some of the recent structural changes that have been completed, or are pending, at DuPont:
In 2011, DuPont paid $6.3 billion, including debt assumptions, for Danisco, a global enzyme and specialty food ingredients company based in Denmark.
Last year, DuPont sold its car paint unit to the Carlyle Group , a private equity firm, for $5 billion.
Also in 2012, DuPont acquired the remaining 28% it didn't already own in Solae, a St. Louis-based developer of soy-based ingredients.
Last month, following an arduous three-year process, the company completed a transaction that gave it 80% of South Africa's Pannar Seed. It thereby has gained an entree to effect much-needed agricultural improvements and efficiencies on that giant continent.
With its Performance Chemicals segment suffering major declines in both revenues and operating income during the most recent quarter, it's a safe bet that the laggard operation will belong to someone else within the reasonably near term. A sale of the unit likely would fetch about $10 billion.
Real indications of progress
With those significant events as a backdrop, let's now look at some of Borel's key comments about DuPont's progress in the agricultural and nutrition segments:
Between 2010 and 2012, the ag businesses outstripped its peers, growing at an annual 15% rate.
The Dansco acquisition has become accretive to the company far faster than was expected, having added about $0.25 to 2012 EPS.
In crop protection, the company is already nearing $900 million in revenues from "our blockbuster insect control products called Rynaxypyr." (There will be a spelling test.) Beyond that, it has recently added two other unpronounceable, but effective, disease-control products to its repertoire.
Borel expects DuPont's contribution to the $40-billion nutrition and health-care market to maintain at least 6% annual growth over time.
The company is working toward the rollout of DP 4114, a lethal enemy of above- and below-ground pests, along with Optimum GLY canola, a weed eradication agent.
Also nearing its introduction is the company's Plenish high oleic soybean. The product is devoid of trans fats, a boon to food companies that now must label the volume of the trans fats in their products.
Bottom line
For the past several years, I've been keeping an eye on agriculture-related companies, given the almost-certain global expansion of their markets. Monsanto is, of course, a leader in the group, and Canada's Agrium , which plies its trade largely in crop protection products and soil nutrients, is well worth monitoring.
However, as an avowed management freak, I continue to find the decisiveness and steady progress at DuPont tough to top.
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Fool contributor David Smith has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
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A SeaTac man whose plans to wage "jihad" against a South Seattle military office were derailed by a child-molesting friend was sentenced Monday to 18 years in prison.
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Abu Khalid Abdul-Latif, 35, was nabbed after a rapist he tried to recruit went to police; he was arrested in a sting operation before he could attack the Military Entrance Processing Station, an induction center where young recruits to all military branches take their oaths and are sent to basic training.
The would-be terrorist planned to storm the East Marginal Way South center alongside Los Angeles resident Walli Mujahidh and the informant. Once inside, they were to open fire with automatic weapons and grenades on the Department of Defense workers and new recruits headed to basic training in the hope of killing as many as possible before being killed or captured.
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Mujahidh pleaded guilty shortly after his arrest and is scheduled to be sentenced later in the year. Abdul-Latif's guilty plea came in December, as his attorneys and prosecutors were preparing to argue over the improper destruction of hundreds of text messages exchanged between the informant and his Seattle Police Department handler.
The unlikely hero in the federal prosecution was a Seattle rapist who went to police after Abdul-Latif approached him about the attack. The man ultimately spent weeks working with police and recording conversations with the conspirators, and was paid about $90,000 for the work.
Abdul-Latif pleaded guilty to conspiring to murder government employees and to use weapons of mass destruction. He was sentenced Monday morning by U.S. District Judge James Robart at the federal courthouse in Seattle; in addition to the prison term, Robart ordered Abdul-Latif 10 years under supervised release.
Sentencing Abdul-Latif, U.S. District Judge James Robart described the government's handling of the text message as "at best sloppy." Robart added the Seattle Police detective's deletion of those texts would have impacted the government's case had a plea agreement not been struck.
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That plea agreement limited the sentencing range available to Robart to 17 to 19 years in prison. Life in prison is the suggested sentence for the crimes Abdul-Latif admitted to, and he would have faced a minimum term of 30 years in prison if not for the plea agreement. Had Robart imposed such a sentence, though, Abdul-Latif could have withdrawn his guilty plea, and doubtlessly would have done so.
Robart chastised the government for the detective's conduct – which was discovered by the defense months after charges were filed – while also dismissing Abdul-Latif's contention that he was led astray by the paid informant.
"The motivation for this attack was terrorism, and the idea for the attack was the defendant's," Robart said. "The government did not provide the instigation for this plot."
Attorneys for Abdul-Latif describe him as a mentally ill man who never would have gotten so close to attacking the center if not for pressure from the informant. Prosecutors say Abdul-Latif was well on his way before the informant got involved and maintained control of the plot until his arrest.
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In Youtube videos and discussions recorded by the informant, Abdul-Latif discussed his outrage at what he viewed as American abuses in the Muslim world. The attack on the Seattle facility was meant to spark other attacks elsewhere, Assistant U.S. Attorney Todd Greenberg said in court documents.
"Abdul-Latif did not intend to engage in a random mass killing – he wanted to kill specific victims in order to send a political message," wrote Greenberg, who prosecuted the case alongside Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael Dion.
"This was a classic crime of terrorism," he continued in a sentencing memo.
Ex-con aspired to 'physical jihad'
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Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh were arrested June 22, 2011, three weeks after the informant went to Seattle police and claimed Abdul-Latif was scheming to kill Western Washington soldiers. The informant contacted Seattle detectives on June 3, 2011, and said he'd met with Abdul-Latif four days prior. He then began to divulge details of the purported plot.
On May 30, 2011, the informant dined with Abdul-Latif and his family. The informant – a registered sex offender previously convicted of child molestation and rape – told police Abdul-Latif first proposed an attack on Joint Base Lewis-McChord during that dinner.
The men met several years before. Like Abdul-Latif, a failed janitor and ex-con, the informant adopted a Muslim name in recent years. It is currently listed as an alias on his sex offender registration.
According to charging documents, though, the informant did not share Abdul-Latif's views or desire to turn to violence.
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"Abdul-Latif said that 'jihad' in America should be a 'physical jihad,' and not just 'media jihad,' expressing his view that it was necessary to take action rather than just talk," an FBI special agent told the court. "Abdul-Latif referred to the 2009 Fort Hood massacre, when a single gunman killed 13 people ... (and) said that if one person could kill so many people, three attackers could kill many more."
Born Joseph Anthony Davis, Abdul-Latif spent much of his youth living in California group homes after his mother surrendered him to the state at age 12. By the time he reached adulthood, Abdul-Latif was struggling with a number of untreated psychiatric disorders that would later lead him to be hospitalized.
Offering claims disputed by prosecutors, Abdul-Latif's attorneys contend his mental condition made him susceptible to the informant's pressure. Public defender Jennifer Wellman, who represented Abdul-Latif alongside Erik Levin and Vikki Lai, described Abdul-Latif as an unwell man prodded along in the plot by the government informant.
"Had the plot been real, lives could have been lost," Wellman said in a recent statement to the court. "But the offense did not involve any real threats or loss of lives. Rather, the plot was manufactured and orchestrated by a deceitful, manipulative, and generously paid government Informant who targeted a susceptible individual."
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'Follower of no one'
Abdul-Latif found religion at 25 while being evaluated at Western State Hospital, a state-run mental institution. He was facing a robbery charge at the time, and his sanity had been called into question.
While housed at Western state, another patient gave Abdul-Latif a translated copy of the Koran. He converted to Islam while serving a three-year prison term for the stick-up.
Homeless when he went into prison, Abdul-Latif built a life for himself after regaining his freedom. He married, had a child and started a janitorial business.
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In November 2010, Abdul-Latif began recording videos exposing his extreme anti-Western views. He posted 21 videos on Youtube and apparently began interacting with others he believed shared his desire for violent jihad.
The FBI began investigating Abdul-Latif in February 2011, three month after he started broadcasting himself. According to the defense, the FBI agent on the case described Abdul-Latif as a man with a "huge chip on his shoulder" and a "follower of no one."
Four months later, the man who ultimately became essential to the investigation went to Seattle Police claiming he had information about an upcoming terrorist attack.
Guided by police, the man recorded several meetings with Abdul-Latif; during those meetings the attack plan shifted from Fort Lewis to the South Seattle center. Acting under police direction, the man arranged to sell several guns to Abdul-Latif prior to Abdul-Latif's arrest.
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Abdul-Latif was told the informant he was angry about United States activities in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen, saying that he believed killing American soldiers was justified. Abdul-Latif praised Osama Bin Laden as "a pioneer of jihad" and said he hoped to inspire others to kill.
"Imagine how many young Muslims, after this, if we're successful at it, will try to hit these kinds of centers," Abdul-Latif told the informant. "Imagine how fearful America will be. And they'll know they can't push the Muslims around."
Abdul-Latif sought machine guns, grenades
In early June, Abdul-Latif and Mujahidh spoke with the informant, offering details on the planned attack. They met outside the South Seattle build to reconnoiter the building.
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Despite a short stint in the Navy, Abdul-Latif knew little about firearms but believed the informant could assist him in acquiring automatic weapons.
"Abdul-Latif told the source that he wanted to acquire, for use in the attack, AK-47 assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade, grenades, and bulletproof vests," the FBI agent told the court. Abdul-Latif told Mujahidh and the informant their objective was to "take out anybody wearing green or a badge."
Law enforcement provided the informant with disabled weapons – a Heckler & Koch submachine gun, an M-16-style rifle and a fragmentation grenade – prior to a June 14 meeting. In the days that followed, Abdul-Latif provided the informant with money to buy the weapons, the FBI agent continued. Mujahidh arrived in Seattle two days before his arrest; the pair hoped to train with the weapons before attacking the facility.
Planning continued through the evening of June 22, when the guns were delivered and the plotters were arrested at a Seattle warehouse, the FBI agent alleged.
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Defense claims entrapment
Prosecutors note Abdul-Latif began putting his affairs in order prior to the attack. He arranged for a friend to take over his janitorial business, and asked the police informant to teach his wife to drive. The day before his arrest, Abdul-Latif said he'd begun cutting ties with people "because of what we're doing now."
Writing the court, the prosecutors said Abdul-Latif's financial commitment to the plot shows he was serious about carrying out the attack.
Bankrupt with about $300 in cash to his name, Abdul-Latif emptied a saving account he'd created to pay to make a pilgrimage to Mecca. The journey – the hajj – is a pillar of Islam required of all Muslims able to undertake it.
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"Abdul-Latif withdrew this hajj money and instead used it to purchase weapons for his attack plan," Greenberg told the court. "Simply put, Abdul-Latif put his plot before what he claims is the most important thing in his life – being an observant and devout Muslim."
Asking for a 17-year prison sentence – the shortest available under the plea agreement – attorneys for Abdul-Latif contend he was played by the government informant. Describing the plot as "directed" by the government, Wellman claimed Abdul-Latif was essentially incapable of leading such a scheme because of his mental health problems.
Prosecutors requested a 19-year prison term, the maximum term included in the plea agreement. Writing the court, Greeberg described Abdul-Latif as a continuing threat who has yet to apologize for his actions and may not be mellowed by his time in prison.
"There is every reason to believe that he is a future danger to the community," Greenberg told the court. "To this day, he has not disavowed the radical ideology that inspired his attack plot, nor has he expressed any meaningful remorse for his conduct. ...
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"The Court should expect Abdul-Latif to emerge from prison with the same radical and violent ideologies that led him to plan the mass killing."
Check the Seattle 911 crime blog for more Seattle crime news. Visit seattlepi.com's home page for more Seattle news.
Levi Pulkkinen can be reached at 206-448-8348 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow Levi on Twitter at twitter.com/levipulk.


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Networks Making a Killing with Serial Killer Shows
- 20 TV Shows About Serial Killers: Seven new programs added in 2013, including "Hannibal," based on monster Hannibal Lecter.
- Most Violent Broadcast Television Show: The FBI Estimates there are 35 - 50 serial killers operating in the U.S. at any one time. CBS' "Criminal Minds" has had more than 100 serial killers in past 7 seasons.
- Everyone's Favorite Serial Killer: Showtime's "Dexter" has killed 123 people in past 7 seasons.
- 'Dexter' Plays Role in Three Real Murders: There have been three documented murders and one prevented murder, all inspired by the serial killer show "Dexter.
Sawed off limbs, gouged out eyes, slashed throats, decapitation, disembowelment, cannibalism, human corpses used as fertilizer, graphic rape and blood splattering stabbings – just another day's work for TV's new favorite characters.
Serial killers are a hot trend on TV these days. You can even watch your favorite serial killer hero doing all the above, 5 out of 7 days of the week – and then go out and emulate him. Currently there are 20 shows revolving around serial killers, seven of which premiered in the beginning of 2013.
Hollywood is not only obsessed with making shows about serial killers, it even glorifies them as the "good guys." These "heroes" include Dexter Morgan, a blood-splatter pathologist who sawed off someone's head in the first episode. In the next few seasons, he goes on to slash throats, stab with pitchforks, decapitate some more, saw someone in half, beat another to death, and brutally murder in other ways. He's killed at least 60 people on camera, and another 65 off-camera.
Then there's Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a psychiatrist who appreciates opera and fine cuisine – oh yeah, which often includes human flesh. In one episode, the cameras linger on one of Hannibal's victims: a bloody woman with gouged out eyes, hung over a desk, her body skewered with poles and other sharp objects coming out at all angles. One of the characters even warns us, saying, "Prepare yourself, it's gruesome."
Unfortunately they don't give this warning before every graphic image in the show, and there are plenty of them. In the first episode, several times two women's bloody bodies are shown impaled with elk antlers. Another scene reveals lungs strung up and manipulated to resemble angels' wings. Naturally, a show about a cannibal wouldn't be complete without plenty of images of opened up bodies with organs removed as well and the doctor himself cooking and eating them.
Fox's "The Following"' doesn't hold back from the gross either. The show, about a serial killer who creates a cult following of killers who do his bidding as well as kill themselves on camera, comes up with creative ways to disturb audiences each episode. In one scene a girl walks into a crowd, takes off her clothes and starts stabbing herself repeatedly, while the camera focuses on the blood spurting out and the shocked faces and screams of the crowd around her. Another scene shows a woman taking an ice-pick to gouge out her own eyes and a person being buried alive.
While shows like these are shown later in the evening, "Bates Motel," comes on A&E as early as 7 PM. It had a graphic rape scene and brutal stabbing in the very first episode, yet somehow it was still rated appropriate for 14-year-old children.
Just Another
'Marginalized' Minority
picture shall be produced that will lower the moral standards of those who see
it. Hence, the sympathy of the audience should never be thrown to the side of
the crime, wrongdoing, evil or sin."- 1930 MPAA movie code
We've come a long way from the days of good guys in white hats and bad guys with big black mustaches. But sympathetic depictions of serial killers and mass murderers? Yes. With the increase in serial killer television shows came a correlating increase in the positive portrayals of murderers.
Television shows like "Dexter," "Bates Motel," and "Hannibal" place the murderer in the starring role. "Bates Motel" star Freddie Highmore said in an interview, "I mean, right from the start, we see Norman as someone we "empathize with and sympathize with." Huffington Post TV critic Maureen Ryan gushed that Hannibal's title character was "phenomenally charismatic" and "unfailingly mesmerizing." Former Showtime executive producer Robert Greenblatt was even quoted as saying about "Dexter,": "This is a complex and fascinating look at serial killers, which, up to this point, have been marginalized."
And we all know that marginalizing anyone is a grave liberal sin.
The very idea that a serial killer deserves a spotlight would've shocked audiences decades ago, but today, Hollywood thinks they are a fascinating topic worth exploring. To be sure, adding depth and nuance to a villain's character is not in and of itself a bad thing, in the same way that making the hero a human with human weaknesses is essential to good screenwriting. The problem is when the characterization sets up a moral equivalence between the killers and their victims or pursuers.
Sincerest form of Flattery
"I made a few attempts to chop her up like 'Dexter' with Masters power tools but I was afraid it was too loud and it sucked at cutting flesh ... I though t... it would be simple like 'Dexter.'" – San Diego woman who confessed that "Dexter" showed her how to murder and mutilate a woman in 2012
At least three brutal murders and one attempted murder have been inspired by the show "Dexter." A man who says he was fascinated with "Dexter" was convicted of murdering and dismembering a man in 2008, just a year after the show premiered. Police found the murderer had modeled a "killing room," covered in plastic sheets to do the deed, just like the one seen on the popular television show.
A 17-year-old Indiana teen strangled his 10-year-old brother, saying that he identified with Showtime's serial killer "Dexter": "I feel just like him," he admitted. The teen claimed to model his killing after Dexter.
In San Diego, July 2012, three people raped, murdered and dismembered a woman. The woman who confessed to the act wrote in a note to the police that, as she strangled the victim, it was "as if my idol Dexter had spoken directly to me." One potential murder inspired by Dexter was prevented thankfully. In 2011, 21-year-old Andrew Busskohl broke into a stranger's house and planned to murder the man, but was arrested before he could go through with his plan. According to the court papers, he got the idea from "Dexter," and dreamed of becoming an infamous serial killer like Jack the Ripper. According to the Star Tribune:
"Like the Showtime series character, Busskohl, 21, first targeted people he perceived had committed crimes and avoided punishment, documents say. After failing to find such a victim, he chose names from a phone book."
Producers Reject Criticism
Robert Greenblatt, head of NBC entertainment and former producer for Showtime, has had to defend "Dexter" multiple times. On Jan. 7, 2013, in the CNN newsroom Greenblatt stated that he was "skeptical of this direct connection that people are always trying to make between violence on television and violence in real life." Maybe Greenblatt hasn't heard of the three cases of murder that his show inspired.
Fox entertainment chairman Kevin Reilly had to defend his show "The Following" after criticism as well. He justified it as the FCC's fault: "If you actually put it through the filter of broadcast standards of what we say is allowable or not, there is nothing in that show that we've even had to fight over." Reilly added that broadcast networks like Fox were trying to keep up with the "intensity" of popular paid cable shows like "Dexter."
When "Criminal Minds" came under fire after the Sandy Hook shooting, CBS entertainment President Nina Tassler claimed her show was for adults, while not explaining why it was then rated TV-14. Tassler even admitted, "I don't let my [14-year-old] kid watch it."
The show even was criticized by a former cast member, actor Mandy Patinkin, who called joining the cast "the biggest public mistake I ever made." Patinkin left the "Criminal Minds" after just two seasons, calling the show's content "disturbing to my soul." He went on to condemn the show as unhealthy for anyone, not just himself, saying: "Audiences all over the world use this programming as their bedtime story. This isn't what you need to be dreaming about."
"Criminal Minds" is definitely one of the darkest programs on television, featuring more than 100 serial killers in its seven-year run, despite the FBI's estimate that there are 35 – 50 serial killers operating in the U.S. at any one time. ("Criminal Minds" resulted in a real-life death. An episode where a child killed his abusive father inspired a 12-year-old boy to shoot his own abusive father to death in 2011.)
Patinkin wasn't the only one who has admitted to being affected by his role in violent media. Doug Richardson, screenwriter for the 1995 film "Money Train," wondered if he'd made a mistake as well, after a violent scene he wrote was copied in real life. Shortly after the film was released in 1995, a group of teens tried to rob a subway toll booth and then torched it, killing the man inside; a scenario that came directly from the movie. Richardson later remarked, "So, as a writer, am I supposed to wonder if what I'm doing is drama or pornography?"
Reality has mimicked fiction so often that some network execs have realized they have limits. The April 19 episode of "Hannibal," which featured child-killers was pulled due to the "grisly nature" of the episode, which executive producer Bryan Fuller felt was inappropriate considering that week's bombing of the Boston Marathon, which left at least 21 people dead. The NBC station in Salt Lake City, Utah, actually stopped airing the show, after receiving numerous complaints for its violent content.
Meanwhile, the media can admit that they do influence society if it's for one of their pet causes. Hollywood and news media gush about the positive portrayals of gays on television and how that has increased approval ratings of homosexuality among youth, according to polls. Shows like "Glee," "Modern Family," and "The New Normal" have been influential forces on public perception, especially among those under 30, yet the media won't admit that they have just as much influence in glamorizing violence.
No End in Sight
After seven years on the air, the show that started the serial killer TV trend is coming to an end. According to "The Hollywood Reporter," Dexter will end in 2013 after its eighth season. The show ranked as the No.1-rated series on Showtime, drawing in 6.2 million weekly viewers. Millions of people witnessed hundreds of murders each year on this program alone. Unfortunately, "Dexter" won't leave a void in its wake. Hannibal plans to stick around, and there are six other shows about serial killers will replace Dexter. Except this time around, most of them are on primetime broadcast television.


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Seahawks' Sherman fined for unsportsmanlike conduct
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman earned the kind of exposure money can't buy with his play and his antics at the end of last weekend's NFC Championship Game.
The NFL is taking a little of his actual money, though. A league spokesman said Friday that Sherman has been fined $7,875 because he "unnecessarily taunted his opponent."
Sherman also drew a flag for taunting after tipping the victory-clinching interception to teammate Malcolm Smith in the final minute of Sunday's 23-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, sending the Seahawks to Super Bowl XLVIII.
After the play, Sherman offered a handshake to 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree, who shoved him away, and flashed a choke sign he said was aimed at quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Crabtree was not fined.
Sherman then called out Crabtree in an aggressive interview on Fox with Erin Andrews that has become the source of ceaseless discussion during the bye week.
The Seahawks leave for New York on Sunday. The Super Bowl is Feb. 2 against the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium.


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- Size 242.4 MB
- Ratings 656
- AgeRating 4+ [?]
- Developer: Hidetoshi Hayakawa
- Website: Official website
- Release Date: 2010-05-27
- Supports: Game Center,Family Sharing
- Languages: English, Japanese
- Compatibility: Requires iOS 5.0 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
## Description
#1 Hanafuda Koi-koi App!
Supports online matches! (the ONLY Hanafuda iPhone app that does!)
Introducing the "Echigohana" card suit design! (FIRST and ONLY of all the Hanafuda games.)
Fully Supports Apple Game Center! (the ONLY iPhone app to do so!)
Supports iPhone4's high-resolution Retina display!
Include beautiful Japanese-style background music!
The fastest Hanafuda App with the best operability!
Includes instructional guides with complete explanations so that even beginners can play easily.
\- Online Matches -(*i)
You can play online with players all over the world via the Internet (using 3G or a Wi-Fi environment) as long as your opponents have any "HANAFUDA Japan" series app.
It records your statistics, including your points, your win percentage and your number of straight wins.
There are no other iPhone Hanafuda Apps that support online play!
\- "Echigohana" card suit design -(*ii)
This is our first time to introduce the Echigohana card suit design!
(The "Hachihachihana" card suit design is the most popular design, so this app includes both the "Echigohana" and "Hachihachihana" designs.)
This visual design is a bit different from Hachihachihana, the defining feature of Echigohana is that there are Chaff cards that depict classical Japanese Waka and entirely gold and silver colored.
\- Game Center -
Your points, win percentages, and number of straight wins will all be registered on the worldwide Leaderboards which contain the highscore rankings.
You earn Achievement awards when certain conditions are met.
And also, you can extend friend invites to your opponents and invite friends. This app fully supports Game Center!
\- iPhone4's Retina display -
When it comes down to it, the best part of Hanafuda is the beautiful card design!
This app supports iPhone4's high resolution Retina display!
\- Beautiful Japanese-style background music -(*iii)
There are about 20 different background music tracks(BGMs), including Japanese Festival Music composed using Japanese Instruments. The Japanese instruments used include the Japanese zither (koto), the three-stringed banjo (shamisen), the vertical bamboo flute (shakuhachi) and the drum.
This app also includes a custom playlist function that allow you to select your favorite BGMs and order them as you like.
\- Speedy and Easy to Use -
This app optimizes the size of cards and the user interface to maintain good visibility and operability even on the iPhone's smaller screen.
You can use this app to play Hanafuda easily and comfortably!
\- Instructional Guides with complete Explanations -
Includes instructional guides with complete explanations so that even beginners can easily learn how to play.
*i~iii : In this free version some of these are available with an additional purchase.
\- Koi-koi Local Play : 1 Player (6 Hands(seasons), 12 Hands, and Knockout mode(*a))
\- Koi-koi Local Play : 2 Players (Bluetooth Client)
\- Koi-koi Online Play (using Game Center's Matchmaking)(*b)
\- Online Ranking (using Game Center's Leaderboards)
\- Achievements (via Game Center)
\- Statistics
\- 3 Levels of CPU Difficulty (Easy, Normal and Hard(*c))
\- 2 Hanafuda card suits (Hachihachihana and Echigohana(*d))
\- 3 types of BGM ("Pure Japanese Musics", "Japanese Festival Musics"(*e) and "Custom Playlist"(*f))
\- total of 20 different BGMs
\- iPod BGM
\- iOS 3.0 or higher iPhone, iPod touch, iPad (*g)
*a-f : In this free version, these features can be made available through an additional purchase.
*g : Features that use the Game Center's functionality, such as Online Play, Leaderboards and Achievements, are available with iOS 4.1 or higher on iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS and iPod Touch 2nd generation through 4th generation, and iOS 4.2 or higher on iPad.
- SnapScare
- SnapShot DIVA
- Snapszli 2
- Snaptox
- Snargg Splatt
- Snark Busters: High Society Free
- Snark Busters: High Society HD Free
- Snarl-Stegosaurus: Robot Dinosaur Fighting Game
- Snatchy Frog
- Snax - Puzzle Quest
- SNaX League – Students for Nutrition and eXercise
- SNCF TGV Family
- Sneak into the dormitory
- Sneak Ops


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Eloquent Defiance - Kufa
The next day the members of the Prophet's family were made to leave for Kufa to be presented to Ibn Ziyad. Among the prisoners were Zaynab [a.s.], her sister Umm Kulthum [a.s.], other women of the Bani Hashim, Imam Zayn ul-Abidin [a.s.], three young sons of Imam Hasan [a.s.] and other daughters of Imam Husayn. When, on their way, they reached the battlefield, a heart-rending sight met their eyes. The bodies of the martyrs lay naked on the burning sand, covered with dust and blood. The enemy had not buried them, although they had buried their own dead.
Seeing this scene of carnage, Imam Ali [a.s.] was so affected that he appeared to be on the verge of death himself. Noticing his state, Zaynab [a.s.] said to him, "O you who are a reminder of my grandfather and father. What has happened to you for I see that you are about to lose your life."
He replied "Dear Aunt, how can I be otherwise when I see that the bodies of my father, uncle, brothers and cousins are lying on the ground neglected while their clothes have been removed and there is no arrangement for shrouding and burying them." Zaynab [a.s.] then also openly lamented the murder of her beloved brother and their imprisonment.
Umar ibn Sa'd had entrusted the severed heads of Husayn [a.s.], his sons, and other martyrs, to different tribal chiefs so that on the way people would see that various tribes had taken part in the battle and none would dare to interrupt their march. The captives were made to ride on camels without saddles, their faces unveiled for all the world to see, while ahead of them their captors gleefully carried the chopped off heads of their loved ones impaled on spears.
Kufa was then regarded as the principal city of Islam. Ali [a.s.] had made it his capital during his caliphate and here Zaynab [a.s.] and Umm Kulthum had once lived respected and loved. Now they came to this city of their memories as captives.
It was night when they arrived at the city, and the palace of Ibn Ziyad was shut, so they were made to camp outside. When he was informed of their arrival the next day he ordered that a great function should take place to which all would be invited without distinction. The head of Imam Husayn [a.s.] was to be placed on a gold tray near the court chair, and the heads of the other martyrs were also to be displayed. The people of Kufa were told that some tribe had committed aggression against the Muslims, but the Muslims had secured victory and because of this there was to be a celebration.
Festively dressed and in anticipation of joyful celebrations the people poured into the streets and market place and the music of victory was heard as the captives arrived. But there were a few who guessed the truth, and they looked on with downcast eyes. One woman, on recognising Zaynab [a.s.] and her retinue of unveiled women, ran into her house and brought them all head covers and sheets with which to cover their bodies. But they were not allowed to preserve their modesty and the enemy guards snatched them away.
When Zaynab [a.s.] saw some of the men and women who had realised what had really happened weeping and wailing she bade them be quiet and spoke to them with piercing eloquence and insight, "Praise be to Allah and blessings be on my grandfather Muhammad and his purified and chosen progeny."
"So now, O people who deceive, forsake and contrive, it is you who weep. May Allah not stop your tears and may your chests burn incessantly with the fire of grief and sorrow. Your example is that of a woman who assiduously prepares a strong rope and then untwines it herself, wasting her own hard labour."
"You swear such false oaths which bear no truthfulness at all. Beware that you have nothing except vain talk, false pride, mischief, malice, evil, rancour, falsehood, and sycophancy. Beware that your position is that of slave-maids and purchased girls who are but the meanest beings."
"Your hearts are full of enmity and rancour. You are like the vegetation that grows on filthy soil and is yet green, or like the mortar applied unto graves."
"You should know that you have perpetrated a very morbid deed and that have prepared evil provision for your next life, because of which Allah's anger is against you and His wrath would fall upon you."
"Now you are crying aloud and wailing over my brother! Yes, cry, because it behoves you to cry. Yes, weep profusely and laugh less, because you have earned the shame of killing the Imam of the age. The stain of his blood is now on your clothes and you cannot remove it, nor can you secure acquittal from the charge of killing the son of the last Prophet of Allah, the Chief of the youths in Paradise. You have killed a person who was your support, the knower of the Sunnah and the ultimate arbitrator at the time of your mutual disputations. He was the basis of your talks and actions. He was your place of refuge in the event of hardship."
"Know that you have been guilty of the most heinous crime in the world and have prepared the worst provision for the Day of Judgement. Curses be upon you and may destruction overtake you. Your efforts have gone wasted and you have been ruined. You have transacted a losing trade. You have become the victim of Allah's wrath and have fallen into ignominy and degradation."
"O people of Kufa, woe upon you. Do you realise which piece of Muhammad's heart you have severed, which pledge you have broken, whose blood you have shed and whose honour you have desecrated? You have certainly committed such a crime because of which the sky may fall down on the earth, the earth may crack and mountains crumble to pieces.
By killing your Imam you have committed a singularly evil act of rebellious behaviour and heedlessness towards dignity. In view of all these acts would you wonder if blood should rain down from the sky? In any case you should mind that the chastisement of the Next World will be severe. At that juncture there will be no one to help you. Do not regard the time and opportunity given you by Allah as small and unimportant, and do not be satisfied with it because if Allah is not quick in acting it does not imply that He is unable. For Him there is no fear that the time of vengeance is passing away. Allah is certainly keeping watch over you."
People wept, putting their fingers in their mouths and biting them. Without appealing to sentiments of pity, she exposed to them the reality of their selves and their evil deeds. The eyes that had previously been raised in expectation of celebration were now downcast with shame by the truthful force of her speech.
Zaynab [a.s.] entered the government palace with which she was so familiar. In the great audience hall her father had dispensed justice during his caliphate. Her sons had played there and her brothers had been accorded great respect by the people there. Although she was shabbily dressed, and her head was uncovered, she entered with awe-inspiring dignity and took her place in silence. Ibn Ziyad was amazed at her boldness and enquired who she was. Zaynab [a.s.] did not reply, and it was left to one of her slaves to inform him of her identity.
Enraged because of her apparently haughty behaviour, Ibn Ziyad addressed her, "Allah be praised! Your brother and your kinsmen are dead and their false claims have come to nought." Zaynab [a.s.] replied, "It was Allah's wish that they should be martyred, and they met their deaths bravely. If this was your heart's desire then you must indeed be content today. But you have killed those whom the Holy Prophet[s.a.w.] held upon his knee when they were children, and, whose play filled him with joy. Soon you will stand with them before Allah and they will demand justice. Beware the day of reckoning."
And it seemed to all that heard that she spoke with the voice of Ali [a.s.], her father. Angrily, Ibn Ziyad turned to a young man and enquired who he was. The youth replied, "I am Ali, son of Husayn." Ibn Ziyad was amazed that he was still alive, and ordered that he should be killed. But Zaynab [a.s.] intervened and said that if the boy was to be killed then she should be killed with him. Ibn Ziyad was moved by her love and allowed the young Imam to live.
Chains were then put around him, and a ring around his neck; then he was permitted to remain with the women.
The family of the Holy Prophet [s.a.w.] were then kept prisoner in a house near the central mosque. There they were kept locked in and under guard, and none save slave-maids were able to visit them.
The day after their arrival Ibn Ziyad wrote to Yazid informing him about the killing of Husayn [a.s.] and the capture of his womenfolk. Yazid replied that the captives be sent to him in Damascus along with the heads of the martyrs. After about a month and seven days in Kufa they were made to set off for Damascus with a large escort of horsemen and footmen of the army so that none should intercept their journey.
With their steely-hearted escort the caravan left Kufa on the eighteenth day of Safar. The women suffered untold hardships on their journey to Damascus, which was no less than six hundred miles away. Their journey took them through many villages and towns, among them Karbala, Ba'albeck, Musal and Hums.
They were made to travel unveiled, on unsaddled camels like slaves, and the heads of the menfolk were carried on spears before them. In some of the towns crowds flocked to jeer at them, but if it happened that they were to pass through some place where the people were friendly towards the family of the Holy Prophet [s.a.w.], they came out to fight the Yazidites. They therefore were very often forced to take other routes involving long diversions, and the camels were made to run faster so as to cover the extra distance. The captives were harshly treated by their escort, and many of the children perished from the rigours of the journey.
After about twenty-eight days, on the sixteenth of Rabi' ul-Awwal, the caravan reached Damascus.


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It's kind of hard to believe that two decades have passed since Paramount Pictures released Wayne's World. On one hand, in the year 2012, the idea that Saturday Night Live could still create such a huge movie phenomenon seems unlikely, and maybe a little absurd. But Wayne's World was the highest-grossing SNL movie for a reason that makes it as relevant as it stays today: It was two pretty normal guys sitting around in a basement, doing things we all do. Which is what all the new comedies do these days anyway.
Sure, Wayne and Garth were icons, but they weren't the icons we were used to. They were the ones who never fully got over high school and were content enough to stay at their mom's place. Everyone wanted to be Ferris Bueller, but no one really wanted to be the host of a cable-access show. And yet we all still sang along to Queen and stared at Claudia Schiffer — we still do — and then came Beavis & Butt-Head and Harold & Kumar, and suddenly that seemed sophomoric again.
Wayne's World made a virtue of the drama-free comedy. What's seen as Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd's failure to "grow up" in Knocked Up was originally just Wayne and Garth's lifestyle, part of their effortless charm. (The least believable part of the movie is the same as in Judd Apatow's: The girlfriend is way too hot for that guy.) There's a plot about being bought up by a big-time producer, played by Rob Lowe in the same kind of parody he plays on TV now, that resonates with the mood of the 99 percent. But Wayne's World wasn't about politics. The message was to leave the little guys alone, because the little guy is all of us.
Of course, SNL is suddenly all about politics and the big-thing topics of the day. But at the movies, the guilt-free fantasy has more or less won out. If Lorne Michaels ever wants to create new movie icons, he may have to find his way back to the characters who are just sitting around and, despite all the wrong that's going on in the world, trying to have a good time. The closest he's come, strangely, is Portlandia, a show about people unlike everyone else, except in one way: They've created their own, slightly regressive world, where they can do whatever they want. Wayne's World was all about doing what you wanted, even if it took the rest of comedy twenty years to catch up.


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EVS Associate
Job Description
Location: Wadley Regional Medical Center
Posted Date: 3/1/2023
Essential Functions
Performs cleaning functions in assigned areas following established schedules and using prescribed methods to include proper use of chemicals, identifying, disposing and transporting of bio-hazardous materials, and safely operating cleaning equipment as assigned.
- High school diploma/GED or one (1) year applicable experience.
- Ability to read, write and follow oral and written instructions.
- Good customer relation skills.
Equal Opportunity Employer Minorities/Women/Veterans/Disabled
Application Instructions
Please click on the link below to apply for this position. A new window will open and direct you to apply at our corporate careers page. We look forward to hearing from you!Apply Online
Posted: 3/16/2023
Job Status: Full Time
Job Reference #: 124026