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Week of March 26-April 1
March 26
1831—The founder of the AME Church, Richard Allen, dies at age 71 in Philadelphia, Pa. As its first bishop, Allen set the African Methodist Episcopal Church on the path to becoming the first Black religious denomination in America to be fully independent of White control. He, in effect, chartered a separate religious identity for African-Americans. He also founded schools throughout the nation to teach Blacks. This includes Allen University in Columbia, S.C.
1944—Singer/Actress Diana Ross is born in Detroit, Mich. She headed the most popular female signing group of the 1960s—The Supremes.
1950—Singer Teddy Pendergrass is born in Philadelphia, Pa. For a period, Pendergrass was the leading sex symbol in R&B music. However, an automobile accident on March 18, 1982 left him paralyzed from the chest down. Pendergrass died Jan. 13, 2010.
March 27
1924—The sensational jazz singer Sarah Vaughan was born on this day in Newark, N.J.
1970—One of the nation's most popular pop stars, Mariah Carey, was born on this day in Long Island, N.Y. Her parents are of Irish/African-American/Venezuelan background. She lists as her favorite singers Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder.
March 28
1900—The British demand the Ashanti Golden Stool. Ironically, the Ashanti had been one of the tribes that had actually benefited from slavery by capturing and selling their fellow Africans. But when the slave trade ended, the British turned on the Ashanti in a bid to colonize the Gold Coast (now Ghana). In an apparent attempt to demoralize and humiliate the Ashanti, the British demanded that they turnover one of their greatest symbols—the Golden Stool. The demand led to war. The Ashanti were led by Queen Yaa Asantewa. Her fighters kept the British at bay for several months. But with superior fire power, the British eventually prevailed.
1972—The two surviving Soledad Brothers are found not guilty by an all-White jury in the alleged killing of a White guard at the California prison. The other Soledad brother, revolutionary writer George Jackson, had been killed during an August 1971 Marin County Courthouse escape attempt, which also led to charges against college professor and communist Angela Davis. Davis was also eventually acquitted.
1984—Dr. Benjamin Mays dies. The president of Atlanta's Morehouse College had been one of the leading Black educational figures in America during the 20th century.
March 29
1981—Dr. Eric Williams, prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago, dies in Port of Spain at 79. Williams was a historian and his classic work was "Capitalism and Slavery."
March 30
1870—The 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is ratified, giving Blacks the right to vote. Actually, it gave Black males the right to vote. It would take the Suffrage Movement and another 50 years before women (Black and White) had full voting rights. But even in the case of Black males, the "right" to vote only lasted briefly. With the end of Reconstruction, "Jim Crow" laws were passed throughout the South, which in effect took away the right of Blacks to vote despite the constitutional guarantee. African-Americans did not achieve full voting rights in this country until the mid-1960s.
March 31
1741—Black rebellion hysteria grips New York. A series of mysterious fires and reports of slaves plotting rebellion sweep New York. The hysteria lasts through April. Thirty-one alleged slave plotters and five White sympathizers were hanged.
1931—Cab Calloway recorded "Minnie the Moocher"—the first jazz album to sell more than one million copies.
1948—Labor leader A Phillip Randolph issues a threat before the Senate Armed Services Committee. He declares that unless more is done to end segregation and discrimination in the military, he would launch a campaign encouraging Black youths to employ civil disobedience to resist the draft. His threat helped to bring an end to a host of discriminatory practices in the U.S. armed forces.
1980—Olympic legend Jesse Owens dies at 66 in Tucson, Ariz. Owens won four track and field gold medals at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany embarrassing German leader Adolph Hitler and undermining his ideology of White Aryan superiority.
April 1
1868—Hampton University is founded during Reconstruction in Hampton, Va. The school is now one of the leading Black educational institutions in America.
1950—Surgeon Charles Drew dies at 45 in an automobile accident near Burlington, N.C. Drew developed the concept of a blood bank for storing large amounts of plasma. Anyone who has ever received a blood transfusion is indebted to Dr. Drew. He had dedicated his life to insuring that increased scientific knowledge actually led to the betterment of human life. One of his most frequently repeated quotes: "There must always be the continuing struggle to make the increasing knowledge of the world bear fruit in [the form of] increased understanding and the production of human happiness."
1984— Sensational, Washington, D.C. born R&B singer Marvin Gaye is shot and killed by his father during an argument. Gaye was 38—just one day short of his 39th birthday. The senior Gaye later died of pneumonia.
(This Week in Black History is compiled by Robert Taylor. He welcomes comments and additions at firstname.lastname@example.com or brief messages at 202-657-8872.)

subset: commoncrawl


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Ecoroof Portland Tour
As part of Ecoroof Portland next weekend, we'll be offering a Portland ecoroof tour on Saturday, March 13th, from 8:30-10:30. The tour will return to the Leftbank Annex in time for Saturday's Vendor Fair and program sessions.
Space will be limited. If you've not been able to visit Portland ecoroofs, this would be a great opportunity. so if you're interested please send an email to firstname.lastname@example.com.
There will also be resources at Ecoroof Portland to help you take a self-guided tour or sign-up for other tours later in March.


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This two-stage manual knife sharpener puts an excellent, longer lasting edge on both straight edge and serrated blades. This quality knife sharpener combines key features essential for consistently razor-sharp edges. The precision sharpening angle guides, two-stage sharpening, and 100% diamond abrasives are essential elements for providing a razor-sharp edge. Easy-to-use design can be used right-or left-handed and comes with a functional and attractive dust cover. Engineered and made in the U.S.A.
Condition: New
Manufacturer: Chef's Choice
Model Number: 460


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IGN's Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash guide has collectible locations for every hidden item in Chibi-Robo!: Zip Lash.
This collectibles page is a stub. Make it more useful by clicking the "Edit" button and adding your own text, pictures, lists, maps, and videos!
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In This Wiki Guide
Hogwarts Legacy: All Demiguise Statues Locations
In Hogwarts Legacy, there are many types of locks that will block your path as you seek to explore the depths of Hogwarts, as well as access to certain buildings in chests also found in Hogsmeade Village and the Highlands. As you learn the Alohomora unlocking spell from the groundskeeper, Mr. Moon, you'll find out about Demiguise Statues - small statues of creatures holding glowing moons that can be obtained only when they shimmer at night.By finding these Demiguise Statues, Mr. Moon will teach you more powerful versions of Alohomora to unlock level 2 and level 3 locks. So, to help you upgrade your lockpicking skills, this video details the locations for all Demiguise Statues you can find across all the regions in Hogwarts Legacy.
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom - Official Gameplay Demonstration
Join series producer Eiji Aonuma for a look at gameplay from The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including Link's new abilities. The video also reveals a Nintendo Switch OLED Model The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition will be available on April 28, 2023, with a Nintendo Switch Pro controller - The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition and Nintendo Switch carrying case - Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom edition available on May 12, 2023.The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom will be available on Nintendo Switch on May 12, 2023.


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The Henry Stickmin Collection Free Download Full Version
The Henry Stickmin Collection Free Download PC Game Cracked in Direct Link and Torrent. It Is Full And Complete Game. Just Download, Run Setup And Install.
An Old Series, Remastered
The Henry Stickmin games have seen some good times on the internet, but age has not been kind. Breaking the Bank has been completely reanimated from scratch. Escaping the Prison, Stealing the Diamond, Infiltrating the Airship and Fleeing the Complex have all had their backgrounds and sound effects redone!
A Grand Finale
A final game, Completing the Mission, is is featured in this collection. It's brand new, never before seen online! Cap off the series with a game 3x bigger than any of the previous games in the series.
- Requires a 64-bit processor and operating system
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How To Install Free Download The Henry Stickmin Collection
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Click start download button get started. You can easily download The Henry Stickmin Collection Game from here.


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- ✔ Classic premium faux leather cap toe oxford dress shoes.
- ✔ Comfortable and soft lining and insole keep your feet odor free and dry everyday.
- ✔ Lightweight and breathable man-made materials make walking easier and more comfortablele.
- ✔ Slip resistant and shock protection of ankles are provided by these lace up dress shoes.
- ✔ These Comfortable dress oxfords is suitable not only for work,but also for formal occasions like wedding.
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Do Screamers Work?
Suppose I'm aiding. I am daisy chained to a bomber bolt while I am bounce testing a marginal placement. If the top piece blows, will it be okay to take a daisy fall if I have a Screamer between the bolt and my daisy?
Listen up, Bagley, your entire system is jacked. You should never clip a daisy to a piece below you. A daisy chain is just a big pacifier. Sucking on it will give you a warm fuzzy feeling, but eventually it will make your teeth crooked and turn you into a chronic masturbator. Daisy chains are not intended to catch falls. Period. They are only intended to temporarily anchor you to overhead gear. There's this thing called a rope that is designed to catch falls in climbing. Why are you afraid of the rope?
A daisy chain clipped to pro below you is nothing more than a false sense of security. Daisy chains don't stretch. Every daisy fall is static, or very close to it, and can deliver a jolt that makes the electric chair feel like an Asian massage.
If the shock of a static fall doesn't rip your innards loose, gear will very likely break. Both might even happen. About five years ago, Rock and Ice conducted a series of drop tests using a 165-pound weight and daisy chains. When the weight was clipped to the end of the daisy chains and dropped the full 54 inches (the length of the daisies), the daisy chains both broke. When the weight was clipped to the pockets instead of the end, the pockets zippered out, creating a bit of a dynamic catch, but still pegged 2,200 pounds on the load-o-meter, enough to rip placements and break gear.
Here is how you should use a daisy chain (think of this advice as coming straight from the burning bush, because it is):
1. Place a piece overhead.
2. Clip an aider to it.
3. Clip a daisy chain to the aider.
4. Clip the lead rope to the piece you are hanging on. This placement is probably around waist level.
5. Unclip your daisy chain from the piece you are hanging on.
6. Test the placement overhead. If that piece blows, the daisy chain will catch it, and if you fall the rope will give you a nice dynamic catch.
Your notion of making a daisy chain dynamic by clipping it to a Screamer is misguided. When you incorporate a Screamer as you suggest, you are jury-rigging a piece of gear to suit a purpose that it is not designed for. In essence you are screwing a prosthetic leg into an arm hole — it will work at some level, but, again, why not just use the rope to catch you? Next!
Feature image by Leopold Roessingh.


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Report: Wikileaks releases what appear to be excerpts of Clinton's paid speeches
The latest Wikileaks release seemed to include transcribed excerpts of some of Hillary Clinton's paid speeches that the campaign had flagged for internal review, BuzzFeed reported late Friday.
The release, which was comprised of hacked emails from the account of Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta, includes a note to Podesta and other staffers from research director Tony Carrk and describes "the flags from HRC's paid speeches we have from HWA" — an apparent reference to the Harry Walker Agency, which helped arrange Clinton's speaking engagements after she left the State Department.
Clinton's paid speeches, many to Wall Street firms, came up repeatedly during her Democratic primary campaign against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who challenged Clinton to release the transcripts.
USA TODAY could not independently verify the authenticity of the email or the excerpts and the Clinton campaign would not vouch for them either.
The release came on the same day the Obama administration officially assigned blame to Russia for hacking the Democratic National Committee and other party officials in an effort to influence the presidential election.
"Earlier today the U.S. government removed any reasonable doubt that the Kremlin has weaponized WikiLeaks to meddle in our election and benefit Donald Trump's candidacy," said Clinton spokesman Glen Caplin. "We are not going to confirm the authenticity of stolen documents released by Julian Assange, who has made no secret of his desire to damage Hillary Clinton. Guccifer 2.0 has already proven the warnings of top national security officials that documents can be faked as part of a sophisticated Russian misinformation campaign," said Caplin.
U.S. formally points finger at Russians over hacking
In a series of tweets Friday night, Podesta wrote that he didn't "have time to figure out which docs are real and which are faked."
The campaign also noted an earlier tweet from Wikileaks promoting the release that falsely claimed Podesta is a co-owner of the Podesta Group, a Washington lobbying firm run by his brother, Tony.
The Carrk email, which is dated Jan. 25, 2016, according to the Wikileaks release, includes several "flags" for campaign officials to consider, such as one speech in February 2014 where Clinton acknowledges she is "far removed" from the middle-class lifestyle she grew up with.
"My father loved to complain about big business and big government, but we had a solid middle class upbringing. We had good public schools. We had accessible health care. We had our little, you know, one-family house that, you know, he saved up his money, didn't believe in mortgages. So I lived that. And now, obviously, I'm kind of far removed because the life I've lived and the economic, you know, fortunes that my husband and I now enjoy, but I haven't forgotten it."
Clinton also discusses trade in one speech, a significant issue in both her primary campaign and in her battle with Trump, and expresses her "dream" of a "hemispheric common market."
"My dream is a hemispheric common market, with open trade and open borders, some time in the future with energy that is as green and sustainable as we can get it, powering growth and opportunity for every person in the hemisphere."
If authentic, this excerpt may prove most problematic for Clinton, who has fought the perception that she is privately supportive of the same free trade agreements that Trump has maligned and that are deeply unpopular throughout battleground states in the industrial Midwest. It could also feed into Republican charges that the Democratic Party is supportive of looser U.S. borders.
In a statement, Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said: "With today's WikiLeaks revelations we are finding out who Hillary Clinton really is, and it's not hard to see why she fought so hard to keep her transcripts of speeches to Wall Street banks paying her millions of dollars secret."
"The truth that has been exposed here is that the persona Hillary Clinton has adopted for her campaign is a complete and utter fraud," Priebus added.


text:
From: Mr Waiti Zuweiri <email@example.com>
Subject: Dear Sir / Madam Please read.
Dear Sir / Madam Please read.
It is my sincere pleasure at this moment to exhibit my total trust bestowed on you in accordance to my Proposed partnership relationship with you of which I am fully convinced that you will really welcome my partnership with you in this transaction Being very sceptical about dealing with Africans in such transaction, Ranging from the height of fraudulent activities encompassing the African communities. Now it is my Godly nursed intention to prove myself to you that I am very much different from others which you must have come across.
I hereby attested my accepted conclusion to take upon my gentle self and to join hands together to cover any unforeseen expenses that may be involved here till the Final Transfer of the Funds to our Correspondent Bank before its Final remittance into your Nominated Bank Account.
This is to convince you of my spirited acceptance to have you as a confidant in a business of this magnitude knowing that you will not turn me down come-what-may, regarding this Claim/Transfer to boost my planned establishment of a funding Company out of Africa . In other Words, I went into a more concrete arrangement in couriering to your doorstep, a total of US$10.5Million Dollars through INTER-BANK TRANSFER. This amount of Money belongs to our Deceased Customer as there were no claims over this Dormant Balance Account for a period of many Years.
Therefore, I am in need of a Reliable Partner that would come forward to put claims over the Funds for its Transfer into his/her Foreign Bank Account. This is because I am the Director of Foreign Remittance Department of my Bank for secures Transfer of these Funds without any Hindrances.
All I am expecting from you, as a matter of greatest urgency and importance is your sincerity and Honesty as I have some of the Needed Legal Documents to prove that this Business is Lawful for its onward Remittance.I urgently want you to send all the demanded Personal Information's below to me as soon as you receive this PROPOSAL in order to show your readiness and Willingness in this Proposed Business.
1) Your Full Name…………………….. …
2) Your Age……………………… …………
3) Your Mobile and Home Phone Number…………..
4) Your Fax Number…………………..
5) Your Country of Nationality…………………………. .
6) Your Occupation……………….. ……..
7) Sex……………………… …………………
8) Alternative E-mail Address/ ……………………
Finally, you have to keep this Proposal confidential and secret from your Relations, Partners and Colleagues for our success in this Transaction as the basis of this Business is Secrecy. I promise you that I would protect your Personal Interest as this Business is 100 risk-free.
Therefore, I want you to express your interest to engage in this Business with me because your share is 40% of the Funds in Question so that I can send to you the TEXT OF APPLICATION which you have to Fill and send to the E-mail Address of the Bank.
I look forward for your immediate Positive response.
My regards to you and the family,
Mr Kuwaiti Zuweiri


text:
For Salad
Mesclun Greens
Pomegranate seeds
1 red apple, sliced thin
2 scallions, chopped
Handful of craisins
Toasted pumpkin seeds
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup maple syrup
3 tablespoons champagne
2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup oil
Put all ingredients into a container. Shake vigorously and refrigerate until ready to use.
Toss all ingredients. Add dressing and serve.


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Spied! Next Chevrolet Tahoe, Cadillac Escalade, GMC Yukon
New SUVs Hot on Heels of Redesigned Silverado, Sierra
Now that the initial buzz over General Motors' new 2014 full-size pickups has subsided somewhat, attention is now being focused on the next-generation full-size SUVs. Like their GMT-900 predecessors, the new "K2" family of SUVs is expected to remain body-on-frame and live rear axle. But that tried-and-true formula doesn't seem to have hurt their popularity.
Absent from the lineup will be the Chevrolet Avalanche and its uptown twin, the Cadillac Escalade EXT. The first models expected to roll off the line in GM's Arlington, Texas plant are the new Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban and GMC Yukon and Yukon XL, which will begin production in January 2014, and will probably start showing up in dealerships a month or two after. The Cadillac Escalade and long-wheelbase ESV are expected to start production in April.
As with the pickups, the 5.3-liter V-8 is expected to power the majority of models, with the Escalade and upscale Denali variants getting the 6.2-liter V-8. For the first time in a Tahoe or Yukon, the 4.3-liter V-6 could serve as the base powerplant. The availability of the V-6 is not solidly confirmed yet, but the fact that GM is now offering the V-6 in crew cab, 4x4 variants of its pickups shows its confidence in the new base engine's output and responsiveness. Estimated output for the V-6 is around 290 hp and 300 lb-ft of torque. Like the pickups, all engines are expected to launch with a six-speed automatic transmission, but an eight-speed could follow shortly thereafter, and could debut as standard on the Escalade.
LED front accent lighting is visible on these late-stage testers. While the Escalade has had LED front lighting for some time, it will be a first for the Tahoe or Yukon. The LED lighting pattern on the Escalade appears to follow the pattern set by the recently-debuted 2014 CTS, with a vertical strip running along the outside edge of the lights, bisected by the bumper, and continuing into the lower fascia.
Although the availability of the EcoBoost V-6 has been strongly hinted for the next generation Lincoln Navigator, its unknown whether Cadillac will utilize its new 3.6-liter twin-turbo V-6 in the Escalade, but it remains an intriguing option that could show up down the road.
Trending Pages
TikTok Fad Leads State Farm and Progressive to Declare Certain Kias and Hyundais Uninsurable
Confirmed: Acura Integra Type S Will Have More Horsepower Than the Honda Civic Type R
2023 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 First Look: A Wicked Quick, 1,025-HP Hell Yeah!
What Is the Optimum Engine Oil Temperature?
The Smaller Jeep Cherokee Is Officially Dead Following Plant Shutdown


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CHINO – Chino Valley Unified School District will have two openings on the Citizen's Oversight Committee come July 1.
The vacancies are for representatives from the following groups: Senior Citizen's Organization and a member of a bona fide taxpayer association.
The purpose of the Committee is to "actively review and report on the proper expenditure of taxpayers' money for school construction" at least annually by issuing a written report concerning the expenditure of bond proceeds from Measure M approved by the voters March 5, 2002.
The openings are for two-year terms on the Committee.
Interested applicants should send a letter of interest and include a resume (if available) by Wednesday to the Facilities, Planning & Operations, 5130 Riverside Drive, Chino, CA.
Committee members perform the following duties:
*Review quarterly expenditure reports produced by the district to ensure bond proceeds are expended only for the purposes set forth in the ballot measure and no bond proceeds are used for any teacher or administrative salaries or other operating expenses;
*Present to the Board an annual written report which shall include a statement indicating whether the district is in compliance with the requirements of Article XIIA, Section 1(b)(3) of the California Constitution and a summary of the Committee's proceedings and activities for the preceding year
To qualify, applicants must:
*Be at least 18 years of age and a citizen of the state in accordance with Government Code section 1020
*Reside within the district's geographic boundaries
*Not be an employee of the district
*Not be employed as or by a vendor, contractor, or consultant of the district
Information: 909-628-1201, ext. 1200.


text:
Smart TV Portals and Ecosystems
NetRange is the largest global provider for Smart TV portals and ecosystems. Our philosophy can be summed up in two points: Content and service providers only need to build one app, and it will run smoothly on all our portals. Our portals run on every browser-chipset combination imaginable, on Linux as well as on Android operating systems. This gives you the freedom to stay flexible in the choice of switching to new hardware or new technical components, without having to switch or modify the NetRange portal. Today, NetRange provides portal and ecosystem solutions to CE device manufacturers, infrastructure providers (satellite, cable and telecommunications), OEMs/ODMs and retailers. NetRange solutions have already been in regular 24/7 operation for more than five years.
Our service portfolio covers all necessary process stages: business model, UI design and concept, backend development and construction, integration of the portal into the hardware, and finally, live operation.
The operation also includes continuous functional development and maintenance as well as the expansion of the worldwide content portfolio. NetRange portals and ecosystems can be run as global solutions or designed only for specific countries.
Linux Portal UI
NetRange 2015 default Linux portal user interface.
Individual Portal UI
On request, we create individual portal user interfaces for our customers.
Android Portal UI
NetRange 2015 default Android portal user interface.


text:
Teasing, Tantalizing, chasing after chasing… all are experiences that we have become so used to as human beings, as consumers, as pictures within this picture world wherein energy as experiences is what has defined our life, sometimes entire lifetimes were defined according to keeping up a certain experience such as what I had lived in a rather 'unnoticed' yet deliberate manner which is teasing/ tantalizing men specifically and getting always an experience out of it which was in the category of power and feeling 'good' about that.
This emerges as that seemingly uncanny and seemingly 'natural' pull that we have toward the opposite sex- of course being a heterosexual – and in that, participating in the constant friction that is created whenever a man and a woman are within the same 'realm' and reality and creating/ developing any form of relationship, which doesn't necessarily have to be a 'partnership,' but any given encounter, friendship, school, work mates wherein I as a woman became aware of how easy it was to manipulate another man out of imposing myself in a way that could say – without words – 'I am a woman and I can have you bow down to me' – or so it seemed like that in my own mind.
It's interesting because I learned these words from songs that I would hear when I was 9/10 years which was the time in the 90's where all of these 'powerful women in music' were having a sudden uplift within media, and I simply wanted to be like them. I would 'resonate' with the presence and powerful personality that seemed to draw everyone's attention to them. And within having the ability to relate to men in quite an 'easy way' due to how I became aware of this ability at a very young age, I used this as a form of entertainment wherein I would make use of this form of manipulation to get a man to notice me/ want me/ desire me according to how much 'input' I would place into as attention that I would create or that I would deliberately manipulate myself into to 'match' what I would see would be wanted/ desired by such beings.
The point to clarify is how I really only wanted that initial playful and seemingly 'innocent flirt' that would keep me going for a while wherein I would enjoy having this sexual tension with other beings without having to go any further than that – which is what was mostly 'unexpected' by the counterparts, because I wasn't really interesting in anything else other than keeping up that tension, just like keeping up a 'flame' until the candle burns out and consume and that was it – off to the next round and that was a rather 'innocent way' of looking at it, and it became such a 'natural' thing to do that I had not really questioned until one of my partners pointed out that I was such a flirtatious girl and I didn't want to accept it because accepting it means my ego is destroyed and my secret forces of 'power' over others would be debunked, my 'mojo' would be lost – lol
So, this came up when I was walking yesterday and I saw a man that I know by default I would have obviously reacted to within myself in an energetic surge indicating that I was attracted to him, and the moment that I realized that, I deliberately breathed through it, to not participate, not glance, not do any seemingly 'unconscious move' that become those little points that are read as body language as a form of mutual recognition in one split moment that people can simply walk past by and just 'flirt,' and participate in that flirt without any other 'consequence' – apparently. What I see is that within me participating in such seemingly 'unnoticed' flirts, I am giving into a personality that was built over time wherein this power game toward men was developed. And I mean, this is not something 'new,' I guess that we all participate it in one way or another and there's a series of interviews that explain the entire sexualization of relationships within this world wherein everyone is constantly participating in this, without noticing, calling it 'human nature' without having understood before WHY – now we know.
So, within me becoming aware of this at an early age, I used it in means of building myself as this 'strong woman' that can kick men's asses and still be safe, because no men could 'get back at me' because of being a woman. And in this, I became rather cruel at some point – mostly when not really considering another in such relationships, because I wasn't really aware of what I was 'building' while giving these little hints of teasing and tantalizing wherein I knew that I was definitely not going any further than that, but eventually the counterparts would believe that it would and the whole friendship/ relationship would just crumble down because I had simply given 'false illusions' to others – apparently.
Yet, this whole experience was just like 'fun' to me, like a pastime wherein I didn't really consider what effect I was causing within others – and the same with some non-lasting relationships wherein because I ran out of the excitement quite fast, I simply would break up and that's it. It's interesting how even in relationships the 'who breaks up with who' as in who ended the relationship can be turned into a 'power game.'
I'm just realizing to what extent I came to live these lyrics of songs wherein women become like a religion to men, this 'unattainable' object of desire. And I had quite a moment just hours ago when I was scraping through the topic wherein one of those men that I had experienced such 'tantalizing' toward just suddenly sent an email out of nowhere in years, which made me react only in a sudden laughter while thinking 'oh fuck what am I doing!?' I can say that this is one of the weak-points wherein, as I've said before, the ground is not yet cemented and I realize that there is certainly a lot to learn and walk within this aspect of human relationships.
So for a moment I was a bit stuck within this writing because I knew that this is one of those nitty gritty points that I could deem as me being absolutely evil toward some men in my past. I also realized how I had victimized myself in my head more than what it was in reality in terms of relationships, due to me manipulating memories to suit my martyrdom when in fact, I would put another through quite a hell of a ride with my jaded nature toward their 'feelings' when it all would come to an end – wherein I would be moving on and they would be still seeking out for that same experience somehow. I created some arrogance within me out of that and mirrored myself in relationships wherein that power game would not recede into submission, but was kept as a one on one, a 'perfect match' in terms of keeping the power game alive.
And so, this is just the 'tip of the iceberg' to debunk Marlen von Tease because I became so used to such experience that I would eventually not even notice, until it was really really obvious and absolutely deliberate to go fully into it, which indicates a fucked up way to begin any relationship with –therefore, a lot to give back to myself in order to stop the desire for these 'sparks in life' for the sake of some variety show in our day to day living.
The interesting point is how after I stopped participating in what I would have deemed an obvious and certain flirting corresponding that being while walking/ passing by, was me perceiving myself as asexual, dead or even wondering if I seem like such a detached person or plain lesbian. So, fascinating to see how when I stop participating I immediately perceived myself as 'inert,' and immediately obviously realizing how it was simply a trick of the mind to then feel 'odd' and create an entire mindfuck out of it – which is obviously not necessary. It's simply realizing the 'withdrawal symptoms' after I'd been so used to always participate in these seemingly 'fleeting moments in my reality' that we apparently don't 'pay much attention to,' without ever really wanting to look at them and understand the level of identification and personality is held within these power games.
I guess that listening to songs like Supervixen shaped quite a chunk of my views about women and men and these tantalization process- you can hear cryptic words that I gave meanings to, all obviously related to this power that women can have toward males as you can read in the comment section below the lyrics to it.
It's never really about another, it's only us being vampires by using another's image to such ourselves dry with creating an experience out of another in an almost irrational manner, let's call it 'automated vampirism' for the purpose of seeing it as the program it is to keep an energy-sucking system alive.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to learn at a very young age that women were able to have men 'at their feet' due to this ability to use a woman's 'charms' to get the most attention and in that, creating within myself an energetic experience that would make me feel 'good' about myself, which means that I deliberately participated in teasing men in surreptitious ways wherein I knew that I could tantalize someone for the sake of experiencing 'power' over another.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to rejoice when being able to intimidate another being for the sake of weighing myself as superior, as having the ability to instigate a certain reaction on another as that would mean that 'I was able to push their buttons' and so, use it for my personal benefit to add-up to my score of being this witty smart ass girl that could not be easily fooled, which was only a game inside my head anyways, because I definitely experienced the exact opposite when the time came for me to really live it in a form of relationship.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to ever participate in the energetic reward of flirting through teasing another with physical movements that would suggest interest and attention, simply because of how 'I' would experience myself about it, which indicates that it was never really about another – therefore
I forgive myself that I ever accepted and allowed myself to use only another person as a image to develop these power games within my mind, where the female had the man 'at her feet' and I that, following the ideas of how women were able to astonish an entire crowd if the right moves, the right voice, the right hand movements, the right clothes were fitted into a sellable package wherein any positive feedback about it, would allow me to fulfill the intended experience of flirting/ teasing in an 'innocent manner.'
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to just get an energetic kick out of realizing that I enjoyed talking in cryptic manners where people would not be able to fully understand what I had to say, and in that seeing if I could instigate an experience of powerlessness within them, I had then the right to support such diminishment by following their own reactions and blowing them out of proportion –all this done in a seemingly playful manner within me, without realizing the actual effects this could case within another, because I was only considering my experience and energetic kick in the moment.
I forgive myself that I ever accepted and allowed myself to get a sense of power over others whenever I could say something that would be similar to playing a poker game wherein I knew exactly what effect my words would get in the moment, in this becoming like a vampire that would suck out the moment that the projected and expected reaction came up, as in my mind I would say: I knew it, I was right, everyone's so predictable – without realizing that all such games were a literal mindfuck between me and my own mind, wherein I would get a kick out of these experiences in a very subtle yet addictive manner.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to participate in subtle yet deliberate games of gaining attention from males, wherein I sought to create/trigger an effect/reaction on another, which would in response create an experience within me that I could feel 'good' about as that sensation of being 'more' through instigating a reaction within others which is seeking attention but within the context of a sexual nature.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to adopt ways of perceiving and categorizing men that I learned from lyrics in music written by these 'strong-female characters' that I idolized, wherein I learned about the thrill of being able to tease men and have men 'at your feet/ bowing down to you' wherein I simply adopted this way of thinking which made me part of the people that thought that females 'had the control' because of the sexual desires that are able to be instigated with 'great ease,' by using the female flirt and teasing as a way to power up or light up a certain 'sparkle' in another that will keep them 'coming back for more.'
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to ever rejoice in being able to diminish and be rather cruel toward men that I knew couldn't 'get back at me' because 'I am a female, I am powerful and I can't be dissed by a male' – in this I recognize that I used the 'female character' and characteristics as a shield to be able to get a kick out of teasing men in subtle ways, wherein I would just enjoy the experience from the answers I would get which were those of paying attention to myself in a way that would make me feel 'wanted' and 'desired' and 'accepted' yet using demeaning ways to get such attention.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to play these power games within the consideration that 'I am a female and I can have power over a male,' while playing the 'strong' and 'powerful' woman, when in reality, I would diminish and go into the opposite whenever I would deem that the man was 'more powerful' than I was – I see and realize that these 'power games' between male and female are part of the usual mind-games that use a sexual-attraction in a secretive/ subtle way, so that each one is able to keep the necessary 'pose' in place and still get the energetic kick out of experiencing ourselves as either good for having power over another or miserable when being 'at the bottom.'
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to ever believe that because I am a woman, I am the one that is 'dominated' by a male, while in fact I did play the role of using the female character as a way to play the dominant role, through instigating a desire that I would then use as a 'reward' which I would increase my ego with, within feeding another's obsessions and my obsessions to keep myself occupied within these mind games that I would give my power away to, believing that I was feeding only another's obsessions to keep them eating from my hand, neglecting the fact that it all happened in my own mind.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to use myself as a way to trigger experiences in another that could be regarded as 'compliments' in a subtle manner, wherein I would only instigate reactions without following through the entire relationship game, which means that I would only keep the 'suspense' in place for the sake of continuing that power game, until it would run out/ fade out and the interest would recede until it was simply not fed any longer.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to become an idea of a femme fatale that would enjoy seeing men suffer, within the belief/ idea/ perception that men had dominated women for so long that it was 'my time' to 'take revenge' and in that, becoming part of the incipient feminism that I would see on TV/ media/ music world and in that, believing that it's cool to tantalize men and that's it, like getting someone drunk and high for a moment without giving any further steps to follow all the way through what such flirting/ teasing usually leads to in the 'normal world.'
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to ever enjoy being able to tease men that were 'my friends' just because of wanting to debunk their entire façade of being 'strong men' toward the rest of the people, and in that, feel better about myself for being able to expose this that I deemed the 'real them' while in fact I was only doing it because of the excitement and enjoyment that 'I' would get from 'grounding someone' that 'bossy' or 'arrogant' – yet without really considering what type of energy I was getting from such events as only creations and power games in my own mind.
Yesterday I went past a man that I would have had a reaction to as an attraction, wherein you experience that fuzzy feeling in your stomach and I was aware right before it manifested, hence I deliberately breathed and didn't participate in the moment wherein I had become an automated flirt toward men that I would have a visual reaction to, without considering what such 'innocent flirt' or 'teasing' can lead-to by just participating in this game with looking back at another or doing a single physical movement that indicates that 'the game is on.'
In this I realize that I had become an automated participant of these teasing games wherein it became like a hobby for me to do so, when I deemed that it was 'worth it' to play the game – yet getting quite scared of the person getting the 'wrong message' and going 'too far' with perceiving the entire power-game to be more serious than what I deemed as simple innocent and 'almost non perceptible' ways in which I could still tantalize someone, yet not engage into further 'problems.' Which lead me to eventually having to stop some of those 'friendships' in a cold-manner, because of realizing that I had been giving/sending 'the wrong message' all the way, wherein I then deemed myself as 'too innocent' and 'not knowing what I was doing.'
All of this proves that the lack of communication between human beings in a direct, straightforward manner ensues misunderstandings and assumptions that can lead to events that are certainly not necessary if the points are straight from the beginning. By this I mean that whenever we engage within participating in these 'usual/ casual flirts,' we take responsibility for whatever comes after that, and in most cases it would lead me to have to distantiate myself from such beings in my world, because of them going 'too far' within the belief of 'who I was' or 'what I was up to,' which is how I realized that I could not go around just instigating others to believe that I was 'sending a message' as in deliberately teasing them to get a response for them for 'something else,' instead of me simply seeking the attention and appraise gotten in the moment and the reaction I would experience out of it.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to ever get infuriated if another female would do the same because then the entire 'power game' would be against another 'me' that could do the same and in that, lose my place within such being's world, eventually just stepping aside and diminishing myself to a non-existent place within 'their world.'
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to believe that 'I am a powerful woman that can control men' wherein I actually got to live out the exact opposite as a result of me having diminished myself within an actual relationship, wherein I see and realize that it was not always as I remember or have manipulated the relationship to be within my mind. I realize that I have blamed others for how I have experienced myself, while in fact I was actually quite rude and cruel at times toward them.
And it's interesting to see how I had hid in the back of my head these memories of seeing that I was 'really hurting men' because of a 'bad experience' that I had as the first relationship wherein I called a relationship a failure without even really starting, which was my way of 'washing my hands' when seeing that I was not getting the expected energetic experience within me out of another. It was really not about 'the other' but what I had built and created as the idea of another inside my head for my personal benefit.
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to feel bad and guilty for having cheated beings within relationships, simply because I was not getting enough 'energetic highs' out of just one being.
I forgive myself that I accepted and allowed myself to believe that I actually had any power over other, when in fact it as just me imposing myself as these ideas of 'who I am' and instigating reactions which are no different to putting up a fight to get the reactions/ experience of having the power to make another react in a way that I can feel 'good' about myself, feeling 'more' or 'powerful.'
I forgive myself that I have accepted and allowed myself to judge myself as 'bad' for this because of realizing what type of secretive and seemingly-innocent power games I'd play, wherein any interaction with males that I would deem as 'attractive,' I would use as a way to fabricate my own little game to get some energy going on out of it an entertain myself in my day to day living.
I commit myself to stop participating in these momentary 'fleeting flirting moments' that recharge this entire personality of the 'supervixen,' to finally establish a point of equality toward people in my world, where I make sure I do not participate in any form of energetic game or experience when being with another, as I realize that within energy there is a point of separation and a point of relationship created, which usually leads us to the usual outcomes of up and down to be eventually non-existent in our world, thus going out for more.
I commit myself to deliberately stop myself whenever I see myself seeking a similar experience in other ways wherein the personality of being a female overrides the point of equality toward men, and in that, creating an entire set of consequences within such power games of separation. I realize that we have all agreed to 'play these games' wherein I was not even aware to what extent such 'flirts' or correspondences would be interpreted as something way-out beyond my initial intention, which is what would cause some disruption within me when finding out what I was getting myself into.
So, I commit myself to expose these seemingly 'innocent power games' that are in fact keeping entire personalities in place within ourselves, wherein we become just another bolt waiting to be ejected by having any point of fuel to be catapulted. I see that who I am is able to not participate and still remain here, regardless of any initial thought of 'fearing losing my experience' which is that of flirting and creating this rather primitive way of establishing relationships with the opposite sex.
I realize that in order for us to stand as equals, all power games must cease to exist – and all identities as roles within society of being more than and less than in a sexist manner, are only that, labels, beliefs, ideas that do not support life and what's best for all, but perpetuate a self-definition within energy that is Not who we really are.
I commit myself to never again engage in relationships of flirting or sending out 'wrong messages' which implies participating in my world without giving into the experience of winning/ losing, feeling good/ bad about myself/ others in any given moment.
I breathe, I self forgive and let go of this all unconditionally, as they all were only memories in my head.
Thanks for reading.
Ode to Femininity (2004)
More on Energy-Sucking Matters in this Reality, supporting ourselves to stop all life degradation trips:


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SBA, UPR Carolina partner to aid small business
The U.S. Small Business Administration and the University of Puerto Rico Carolina Campus have signed a "Strategic Alliance Memorandum" to work together to strengthen and expand small business development on the island, SBA Deputy District Director María de los Ángeles de Jesús said Friday.
This alliance builds on an existing partnership with the UPR's main Río Piedras Campus, the agency chief added.
"For several years, the SBA and the UPR have been joined by the common goal of promoting economic development opportunities for small business entrepreneurs in Puerto Rico," de Jesús said. "Together, we commit to continue working toward increasing awareness and knowledge about the tools and resources available to help potential entrepreneurs start a small business and grow it successfully."
"This collaboration between the University of Puerto Rico in Carolina and SBA expands and strengthens the development of small businesses in the geographic area that serves our institution, it represents a useful tool to enrich our curriculum, and we are sure will contribute to the island's economic wellbeing," said UPR Carolina Chancellor Trinidad Fernández-Miranda. "Also, this alliance will facilitate the distribution of information and promotion of training events related to entrepreneurial development."
As part of the agreement, the SBA and the UPR Carolina Campus will keep each other informed of programs and services available to small businesses, join in training and outreach activities, and work to expand knowledge of and access to small business resources and technical assistance. The alliance will remain in effect for a period of two years.
In addition to strategic alliances with the UPR, the SBA also holds alliances with PR Trade and Export Company, United Retailers Association, and Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce. By maintaining and strengthening its relationship with trade and economic development organizations, as well as higher education institutions, the SBA expands its reach to more potential entrepreneurs, and further promotes the island's small business community.


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January 16th, 2013LWMW: How to remove text from header or footer area of a modal window
Knowledge Base support case for Likno Web Modal Windows Builder, abstracted and stripped of all user's private info.
Initial Email From: Buddy
Initial Email Subject: new web site
Support Case Month: July 2012
Hello Kostas, hope you are doing great. I have a modal window.
Scroll down and click on Click here to see pictures of the New Pocket Park, How do I remove the words "Window with padding px and border px?
I'm sure it's simple but I can't find them to remove.
Reply From: Likno Customer Support
Hello Buddy,
There is no URL in the email to see, but I can imagine that you refer to the content of the Header or Footer areas:
This is where you can change the content or disable it entirely.
Note that the above interface is of our new version which is available now online (in case you have an older one).
Likno Customer Support
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The Vegas Robaina Conundrum
The large cloud of dust should have been a dead giveaway.
The objects producing the dust resembled a small group of tanks rushing across the desert on maneuvers. But instead of M1 tanks, the vehicles were 1950s-era Grayline buses full of cigar-touting retailers from Spain. The battered coaches blocked the entrance to the tobacco plantation of Alejandro Robaina, the well-respected grower whose face and name are printed on hundreds of thousands of boxes of Cuban cigars each year. By the time I reached the plantation located in the outback of the Vuelta Abajo, Cuba's greatest tobacco-growing region, the passengers were already out of the buses. The merchants were taking a tour, which was organized by Jose Maria Cazes, the Cuban cigar agent from the small European nation of Andorra.
I arrived at the entrance behind about 20 other visitors, many of whom were carrying boxes of Vegas Robaina cigars for the tobacco man to sign, like groupies at a rock concert. Two well-built Cuban men with dark sunglasses stood at the entrance asking whomever came to the gate if he had an appointment. They looked like bouncers at clubs in New York and Miami and they were about as friendly. "I am sorry, but Don Alejandro cannot see you without an appointment," one of them said to me. "He has a huge group of Spanish cigar merchants with him. He couldn't possibly see you for an hour or two."
I don't do this very often, but I decided to explain that I was from Cigar Aficionado. "I am sure the Don would like to see you, but he is too busy at the moment," he said with slightly more interest. "Can't you come back later in the afternoon? Look, in the meantime, take one of these cigars. They are made with 100 percent tobacco from the Don's plantation. They are not the same as the Vegas Robaina cigars that you buy in shops."
I thanked him for the smoke, told him that I would try to see Robaina later in the week, and stepped back from the entrance. A rather portly man nearly knocked me over as he rushed up to the entrance and explained to the gatekeeper that he had traveled all the way from Canada to have his five boxes of cigars signed by the legendary tobacco grower. "I just gotta have these boxes signed by the Don," he said, with sweat pouring through his tight-fitting Ralph Lauren Polo shirt. He didn't get any farther into the plantation than I did and he didn't even get a consolatory cigar.
It was an amazing spectacle when you consider that just a few years ago hardly anyone near the tobacco town of San Luis ever visited the Robaina plantation. Maybe a government agricultural engineer would have stopped in to see the new crop, or a relative from the town of Pinar del R"o or Havana would have visited for a few days. But it would have been unthinkable to see hundreds of cigar smokers traveling thousands of miles to pay homage to the aged tobacco grower. Hell, a few years back you probably couldn't even have found anyone in the area to give you directions to the plantation. Today, people stand at stop signs in the tiny town of San Luis and, for a few dollars, offer to give visitors a guided tour of Robaina's plantation.
I certainly would never have fathomed that Robaina would become so famous when I first visited him in 1994. I stopped by Robaina's plantation with a couple of friends and a representative of Habanos S.A., the global distribution company for Cuban cigars. It was a no-frills visit. We sat outside on the porch of his small house and talked about tobacco. He spoke about how tobacco should be grown, how to get the best quality, and why other growers in the region could not get the same quality. We smoked a cigar together. We drank strong coffee. We listened to classical music on his ancient gramophone. He even brought out his scrapbook and showed me copies of yellowed newspaper articles describing an award he received in the early 1980s from President Fidel Castro for his outstanding tobacco.
What was really impressive, however, was his tobacco. We went into his drying barns to look at his silky green tobacco leaves and it was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. I have visited dozens of wrapper-leaf plantations around the world and have never seen anything like it. Even the sand leaf -- the tiny leaves at the base of a tobacco plant -- were of perfect quality. Robaina claimed that his yield -- the percentage of leaves harvested that could be used to make cigars -- was nearly 90 percent, and this was when the rest of the island was lucky to be able to use one in every five leaves picked and cured. He was clearly the maestro of tobacco in the Vuelta, and his nearly 40-acre plantation was ground zero for the best tobacco in Cuba. Most of his leaves ended up on some of the island's finest cigars -- from Cohiba Esplendidos to Hoyo de Monterrey Double Coronas.
That's why I was shocked a few years later when I first saw the Vegas Robaina cigar line. Five cigars made up the line -- and they were some of the worst-looking cigars I had ever seen. The wrappers looked like medium-grade sandpaper. Rough with an inconsistent color, I thought, they couldn't possibly have come from Robaina plantings. Although they were perfectly OK to smoke (in fact, the double corona and the torpedo were damn good smokes), I couldn't get over the poor appearance of the cigars. It seemed a bit of a sham. I thought that Vegas Robaina cigars were supposed to be made from the tobacco master's leaves, and perhaps these cigars were just a new brand made in honor of the great man.
To this day, no one, not even the tobacco man himself, has been able to explain to me the poor quality of the Vegas Robaina wrapper. The newer Vegas Robaina cigars look a bit better than the ones produced for the launch in 1997, but they still don't look like what I have seen drying in Robaina's curing barns at his plantation, Finca El Pina in Chuchillas de Barbacoa. Perhaps this is why the brand has not been a success in the marketplace.
The annual production of the brand is about 3 million cigars, with most made at the H. Upmann factory in Havana -- which is a respectable amount of cigars for a Cuban brand. However, most cigar merchants I speak to say every cigar in the line is a tough sell. My trips to cigar shops throughout Europe as well as Cuba confirm this. There's never a problem finding boxes of Vegas Robaina, even hard-to-get sizes such as double coronas or torpedos. The brand's lackluster performance could be attributed to its lack of a distinctive size. In other words, consumers would rather buy established brands such as a Punch Double Corona or Montecristo No. 2 torpedo. Or perhaps -- what I think is the case -- consumers just don't like the smoke. Not only does it look rough, it smokes rough, too.
I finally get an opportunity to speak to Robaina a few days after my doomed trip to his plantation. I meet him in Havana. It feels just like old times. We sit on the porch of a house in the Miramar section of the city, drink strong coffee, smoke great cigars and talk about tobacco. Robaina may be in his 80s, but he has the energy and enthusiasm of a 30-year-old. He believes that he has never grown better tobacco than he is growing today and he attributes that not only to the soil and climate of his plantation, but also to the dozens of people who work for him.
"I pay them well and I make sure that they do everything the right way," he says, puffing on a cigar made with 100 percent of his own tobacco. "If they don't do their work correctly, they don't have a job for long."
Robaina's farm, like most plantations in the area, is privately owned, but he pays his workers better than other owners in the region. In addition, few people have his experience. "I learned from my grandfather and my father about tobacco and my son has done the same, just like my grandson is now doing," he says.
He doesn't seem very upset when I tell him that I don't think much about the Vegas Robaina cigar brand. He doesn't really seem to know why the wrappers on the brand have been of such poor quality. "All I can say is the cigar you are smoking is from my plantation," he says, holding out a duplicate of the one he gave me a few minutes earlier. "The wrapper, the binder and the filler, all come from my plantation. And it's a great cigar."
I sit back and smoke the No. 1 -- the same size as the Cohiba Lanceros -- it is smooth, rich and satisfying. There isn't a trace of harshness. Moreover, it looks as if it was wrapped in a brown piece of silk.
As I smoke the cigar and speak to Robaina, I think back to my visit to his plantation. I think back to the crowd of people in the Vuelta Abajo clutching their boxes of Vegas Robaina cigars in hopes of getting a signature from the tobacco grower and the traffic jam of cars and buses on the dirt road of the plantation. It all seems so absurd, almost obscene, and it all, thankfully, seems a long time ago.


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Sunday February 26th, 2012
MLB reports – Jonathan Hacohen: When you think "Blue Jays catcher", the names Arencibia and d'Arnaud. Arcencibia is the Jay's power hitting major league catcher, who has quickly become a fan favorite in Toronto. Travis d'Arnaud is one of the Jays top prospects in the minors- and actually, one of the top prospects in the game, regardless of pitching. With the Jays as an organization having some of the best catching talent in baseball, we are ready to throw more names in the mix. Back in December, we interviewed Jays catcher George Carroll. Well, the Toronto Blue Jays have a serious catching factory going, as we were lucky to get some time to speak to catching prospect, Garrett Maines.
Drafted by the Pirates in 2009, Garrett chose to finish in school and finish his degree (way to go Garrett!) In 2010, Garrett signed with the Jays, after playing a season of indy baseball. After getting his feet wet in the Gulf Coast League in 2010, Garrett made it to Canada in 2011…playing for the Vancouver Canadians of the NorthWest League. Garrett really delivered in his 2nd professional season. He showed good pop, with 4 home runs in only 27 games. He hit .263, with a .337 OBP and .500 SLG, helping lead the Canadians to a league title. Clearly, this kid has some serious pop in his bat! Now going into 2012 and coming off a championship year, Garrett is hungry for more. After a hard offseason of workouts and preparations, Garrett is ready for 2012. Ready to take the next steps in climbing up the Jays organization ladder. Ready to work hard, offensively and defensively in becoming a solid all-around catcher. Remember the name Garrett Maines- this Jays prospect is going places! And if you need some quality baseball bats, give Garrett's grandma a call. He comes from a serious baseball family! Today on MLB reports, we are proud to feature our exclusive interview with the man behind the mask, Garrett Maines:


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Transsexual Barbara Vasconcelos Fucks a Guy on Her Bed
Brunette tranny Barbara Vasconcelos is making out with a guy on her bed. He strips her clothes off and she gives him a blowjob. He returns the favor and then they fuck in several different positions. They trade places several times and eventually...
Blonde Shemale Samara Has Plans to Fuck a Man That She Met
Samara is a blonde transsexual woman and in this scene she is making out with a guy who has a big tattoo on his chest. They strip naked and she sucks on his dick after stroking it in her hand. He fucks her ass next while she masturbates and by the...
Patricia Is a Transsexual Who Gets the Cock She Was...
Patricia Sabatine is a redheaded shemale and this scene begins with a lot of kissing before they get down to naked flesh. She sucks on her new boyfriends cock and then he sucks on hers before taking her dick deep in his ass. They trade off fucking...
Transsexual Girl Isabella Has Sex with a Guy on a White Bed
This shemale named Isabella wears some sexy lingerie and starts to strip it off when she enters the bedroom. The guy on the bed watches and soon strips off his clothing too. He sucks on her dick and then fucks her ass while she's on top. She fucks...
Renata the Tranny Is Having Sex with Her Man on the Couch
Renata Tavares is a brunette tranny and as this scene begins she is sitting with a guy and they're kissing and making out. He licks her ass and then she sucks on his dick before he penetrates her from behind. They fuck in several different...
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Paola Felix Has Transsexual Sex with a Bald Guy with Tattoos
Paola is a transsexual with bright orange hair and in this clip she is making out with a bald guy. He spends a lot of time licking and teasing her nipples before she gives him a blowjob. She fucks his ass after awhile and then rides on his stiff...
Miss Carla Is a Transsexual Who Is Fucking a Guy on the Bed
Carla Novaes is the name of this shemale and she's wearing a sexy black and white outfit as the scene begins. She makes out with the guy on the bed and rubs his dick. He licks her nipples and then she sucks on his cock. He licks her ass before...
Tranny Andrea Has a Man over for Some Hardcore Sex
Transsexual girl Andrea Mel sits on the couch stroking her cock when she is joined by a guy. The guy quickly starts sucking on her dick and then she returns the favor. She fucks his ass next while he's on top and then bends him over. He penetrates...
Thays Is a Shemale Who Is Having Sex with Her Guy at Home
Thays Schiavinato is a blonde transsexual girl and in this scene she is wearing panties as she makes out with a guy. She rubs his dick through his shorts and then pulls it out so that she can suck on it. She fucks his ass and then climbs on top of...
Shemale Sabrina Has Her Boyfriend over for Some Fucking Fun
Sabrina Kamoei is a brunette tranny and in this scene she is making out with her boyfriend who has several tattoos. She's wearing a skimpy outfit that comes off quickly as he sucks on her nipples and then she goes down on his cock. The couple fuck...


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|System: PC, PS3, Xbox 360
|Dev: DICE
|Pub: Electronic Arts
|Release: October 25th, 2011
|Players: 1-64 (online)
|Screen Resolution: 480p-1080p
|Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
BF3 has also taken a few cues from many of the other RPG-influenced FPS titles that have been making their way onto the market by implementing an incredibly deep reward system. I've been playing Battlefield 3 for roughly 24 hours straight and I've barely scratched the surface of my rewards, but eventually I'll be able to unlock upgraded ammo for my jets, anti-aircraft guns, sniper rifle modifications, etc., etc., etc. Earlier this year, EA promised that "Battlefield 3 [would] have more than 10 times the hardware unlocks spread over weapons, weapons attachments, gadgets, and a huge unlock tree for vehicles alone" when compared to previous Battlefield titles. And I tend to believe them.
The only thing that is frustrating about BF3's multiplayer mode is EA's new Battlelog service. Battlelog is a browser-based interface that forces PC players to exit their game and reconnect if they want to change game modes. All in all, the function seems tacked-on and cumbersome. However, PS3 players don't need to worry about that.
Battlefield 3 is kind of an enigma in the gaming industry right now. It's a big-budget shooter that was designed specifically for the PC. And while the console versions are competent, Battlefield 3 can really only be experienced on a functional PC. DICE and EA have managed to raise the bar significantly when it comes to graphical capabilities, but they've done it in a way that only a fraction of players will be able to truly appreciate. Hopefully their gamble will pay off.
Also, I want to mention one more thing as a side note: I know I may have made several comparisons to Activision's Modern Warfare titles, and that's partially because EA forced my hand with its copycat single-player campaign. But I think it's important to note that these two games are attempting to accomplish two very different things. Modern Warfare 3 is a console-based FPS that relies heavily on vertical gameplay, close quarters, and perks, whereas Battlefield 3 is a PC-based, open map, vehicle-centric shooter that focuses heavily on team play and strategy. Just because they're both big-budget shooters set in the modern era doesn't mean that they're meant to cater to the same type of gamers. If you like both, play both. Otherwise just stick to the one that matches your interest.
Also, can we all just agree that there are enough storylines concerning suitcase nukes in the FPS genre? I think we've explored every facet of the suitcase nuke storyline. It's time to move on.
Josh Engen
CCC Contributing Writer
Game Features:


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Above are the insides of sixteen different candy bars. How many of them can you name? (Finally, a game I can win!) Let's make this fun and turn it into a quiz like in the pages of Seventeen, and dissect what your answers "truly mean" about you:
- You recognized 0—4: Poor showing. Do you hate sugar? Do you hate America? You definitely aren't one of the types that prefer chocolate to sex. Or, you only enjoy the highest quality of chocolates — and they aren't included on the list.
- You recognized 5—8: Average. You identified enough candy bars to prove that Halloweens and Easters of your childhood were filled with plenty of sugary snacks. And that's okay, now that we know candy is good for kids.
- You recognized 9—10: Good job! You've sampled enough chocolates to become a connoisseur of sorts. Reward yourself with favorite brand of boxed of chocolates. You were also one of those kids who demanded chocolate in their milk.
- You recognized 11—13: Holy sweet tooth, Batman! You crave candy bars so often that you either dream of making love to a Whatchamacallit in your sleep, or you like to bring chocolate into the mix for some food & fucking.
- You recognized 14—16: Your knowledge of chocolates is second to none. You love your candy bars so much you've begun to tell your friends that eating chocolate is just as good as having a lover, like the woman addicted eating ice cream bars. You also might be one of those people who'd forgo sex for chocolate. But, as always, no judgment here. Reward yourself with a Ritter Sport.
[Photo by Rachel Been, via Slashfood. You can find the answers here.]


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First of all I want to apologize for being absent on your blogs' comment sections and not replying to your comments on mine. I have been really busy in studying and thesis work and will remain so for some more time. But I had to write a blog post to keep this blog alive, right? 🙂 Also you must know when I come back I will read each and every unread post and comment 🙂 So please bear with me till then.
As I mentioned in my last post, D and I had gone to Kolkata in December 2010. During our stay there, we went on two trips – a one day trip in Kolkata only and a 3 day trip to Digha beach which is the most popular weekend destination for Calcuttans.


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Couch Surfers—the elite who turn obnoxiously crashing on others' couches into an art form. They're going to find a way to weasel from pad to pad somehow, so here are eight gift ideas to make them—and you—more comfortable.
1. QuickPro Steamer & Sanitizer, $59.95: If you're going to be crashing on a stranger's couch, the last thing you want to do is stink the place up. A Couch Surfer probably doesn't have regular access to a washer, so this portable garment-zapper will keep them from becoming a bit too, ahem, fragrant. [Amazon]
Apple MacBook Air Laptop
Powerful performance
The M1 chip delivers 3.5x faster performance than the previous generation all while using way less power. Get up to 18 hours of battery life.
2. Novatel Wireless MiFi 2372 (Unlocked), $224.99: Is there anything more annoying than having to ask for someone's 64 character, randomly generated wireless password? No! Nothing! Let your Couch Surfer bypass the headache with a hotspot of their own. [Amazon]
3. Patagonia Lightweight Travel Duffel, $99.00: If your Couch Surfer is living out of their bag, they better have one a hell of a bag. Patagonia's duffel is super rugged, super light, and stuffs into its own pocket if they need to tuck it under that surfed-upon couch. [Patagonia]
4. Always Cool Pillow, $69.95: Sleeping on a couch sucks. Period. So having a pillow made out of heat-absorbing NASA material will make it suck a little less. [SkyMall]
5. Flip Fold, $18.99: You know what's an easy way to exhaust your host's good graces? By leaving your raggedy shirts all over the place. This folding tool for dummies will help a clothed Couch Surfer keep his or her apparel tidy and out of sight. [Flip Fold]
6. MUJI Travel Organizer, $28: See above. MUJI is known for its wonderfully minimalist wares—and being wonderfully minimalist is ideal when staying in someone else's pad. No more nasty toothbrush out in plain view. [MoMA Store]
7. USB Travel Adaptor, $35: Couch surfing is an international phenomenon, so if the surfing takes your giftee to a foreign land, they can rest easier knowing that iPhone will stay charged. The roaming bill, however, you won't be able to help with. [MoMA Store]
8. Sennheiser PXC 250 II Collapsible Noise Canceling Headphone, $129.95: Another choice item to keep the peace. Nobody wants to hear the Couch Surfer, so headphones are a must. But dammit, Couch Surfers have emotions too, and probably don't want to hear their hosts babbling on all the time. These cans keep music in and keep noise out—and keep both sides calm. [Amazon]
The burning sensation that comes from holiday shopping isn't from rubbing against the unwashed masses at malls: It's trying to pick out presents for everybody on your list. Gizmodo's daily gift guides are the all-natural, non-smelly cure.


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Last November, Russia launched a widely anticipated mission to the Martian moon Phobos. The craft would gather samples from the moon's surface to help determine if future space crews could obtain valuable supplies of oxygen there en route to Mars. For Russia, the mission was supposed to mark a "cavalry charge" that would redeem a quarter-century of interplanetary impotence. Instead it turned into a cosmic humiliation when the craft died shortly after takeoff and fell back to Earth.
Phobos was part of a series of recent disappointments for Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. Last August a Progress supply ship headed for the International Space Station crashed. Just a week before, an expensive, new-model communications satellite was lost because of a guidance coding error, and early in 2011 another military satellite was sent into an improper orbit, possibly for a similar reason. The overall track record of Russian space launches is still not significantly different from that of other spacefaring nations, and the country did successfully ferry two groups of astronauts to and from the International Space Station late last year. But it is the nature of the apparent causes of the accidents—often amazingly inept human errors—that seems most alarming. A recent Phobos accident report has confirmed some Western analysts' worst fears.
The report, posted in Russian on the agency's Web site, obliquely admitted that two fundamental design flaws were at fault. First, most of the more than 90,000 overwhelmingly foreign-built microchips were never screened for radiation hardness and were purchased with full knowledge that they were not "space qualified." This supposedly allowed cosmic rays to knock out microchips inside the craft at exactly the wrong moment, which led the probe's computer to default to safe mode and await remedial commands from Earth that never came because of yet another design flaw. (Most Western experts believe, however, that the mission failed as a result of software flaws.)
Russian space officials have admitted to problems in the past. Valery Ryumin, a former cosmonaut and now deputy chief designer of the firm that builds and operates Russia's human space vehicles, told Echo of Moscow the day after the Progress crash that "of course, quality is worsening—we have to admit this." He added that "checks have become far less thorough than back in old Soviet days." The main reason for this trend is the loss of experienced workers and the industry's inability to attract qualified replacements in sufficient numbers.
In hopes of preventing further accidents of this type, Russian space officials seem to be falling back on Soviet-era practices, calling for more controls, more committees, more discipline and, where justified, more punishments. Whether this will attract and motivate desperately needed recruits is questionable. And they won't cure the problem at a time when Russian participation in American and European space missions is only set to increase.
This article was published in print as "Not Ready for Takeoff."


text: This hot Gordon Goodwin chart is now for the younger player. Slick and funky describes this very accessible arrangement. There are written solos for 1st alto (cued for 2nd alto) and a 1st trumpet solo cued in all four trumpet parts. Lead trumpet has a written A above the staff, but technically this chart is not difficult and will come together quickly to earn a spot in your program.


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Moderator: Cartographers
AGreed ... the fonts in the legend on both large and small could use some work. I will look at that asap.RedBaron0 wrote:You do have a little bit of room, I wouldn't mind you trying going a tick or 2 higher on the small map font size for the legend.
koontz1973 wrote:dolomite, still having trouble reading the small font, small map. The size with the yellow glow is the smallest readable text. Everything else is completely unreadable.
dolomite13 wrote:koontz1973 wrote:dolomite, still having trouble reading the small font, small map. The size with the yellow glow is the smallest readable text. Everything else is completely unreadable.
Wow its all completely readable to me.
I will see what can be done.
How about we look into allowing a larger "small" map so I can make the text readable.
waauw wrote:explanation kingdoms: you can reduce the size of the explanation by saying "kingdom symbol *display example figure of a symbol*: attacks corresponding territory"
and also say "right: letter favoured territory"
That's all you need. Saying "kingdom forces are displayed on the left" is again just stating the obvious.
explanation auto, killer, reset: These explanations seem redundant too. People already know what you mean when you say "auto" or "reset". I also suggest you replace "killer" with "decay", so it needs no explanation and people will still know what you mean.
reduce the size of these things and I think you'll have enough space to enlarge the font size of the rest.
koontz1973 wrote:The first sets of maps when dealing with the wizards.
waauw wrote:omg dude, your maps are amazing.
where do you get all this inspiration
dolomite13 wrote:I am having issues with Nukes games on my Conquer 500 map and I think something similar could happen with this map. A random nuke could take out your special denying you access to that bonus. Likewise you could lose your race and the favored territory bonuses. Dropping you from 26 bonus to a max of 10.
Is there any way we could fix this with conditional borders... for instance if you lose your kingdom you can reclaim it from your any of your favored territory if you control all 4 of your favored territory... I do worry that someone who lost their kingdom could conquer 4 of someone else's favored territory and then take out that persons kingdom.
dolomite13 wrote:ok if your cool with it ...
Whats the verdict on graphics... can I start lookin at XML
isaiah40 wrote:dolomite13 wrote:ok if your cool with it ...
Whats the verdict on graphics... can I start lookin at XML
I was making sure that you were finished working out the extra gameplay. Now that you seem to be done, I will look at this a little closer over the next couple of days.
dolomite13 wrote:1) fanatics and Wizards rely on you having a favored territory.
2) you can lose your race and not recover it hence also lose a favored territory.
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I have a confession to make.
I do not believe that Windows is the future of the Free Software desktop.
Perhaps you wonder why I feel it necessary to make this point?
A surprising number of Free Software (or Open Source, take your pick) companies, evangelists and journalists these days advocate some Open Core groupware solutions that focus on Microsoft Outlook as their primary client as "consequential" and "the best approach." The term "pragmatic" is also quite popular among such comments.
Although some things could and should be said about this, let's ignore the fact that not everything that calls itself Open Source actually is. That is a case of deception and deceit, of misleading advertising where the users only notice they've been locked in at the time they try to make use of the freedoms they thought they had gained. It is not specific to the area of groupware, though, and not the focus for this article.
There is a set of technical and strategic issues that make this approach a dead end.
That is not to negate the strength of Microsoft Windows on the desktop, or to try and ignore it. We always need to take the prevalence of Microsoft on the desktop into account. But there are paths of action that reduce dependency, and there are paths that increase it. Samba, Mozilla Firefox, LibreOffice/OpenOffice.org are all excellent examples of solutions that create more degrees of freedom. These are bridge-building applications. But where do these bridges lead?
Their approach is to interoperate by basing themselves on Open Standards that are equally available on all platforms, and then do their utmost to ensure they also support the Microsoft specific formats and the deviations from Open Standards that were often deliberately introduced to create incompatibility in order to facilitate lock-in. So they bridge towards empowering the user with Free Software applications that can now interoperate, thus enabling multiple platforms and reducing dependency upon Microsoft.
A groupware application that focuses primarily around Microsoft Outlook may seem related, but where does this particular bridge lead?
For one interoperability is often achieved at tremendous cost, such as storing the binary blobs of Outlook that are based on the in-memory application specific data structure in SQL databases. A somewhat better approach is MAPI as the transport layer for Microsoft compatibility. As long as there is a truly open and interoperable communication and storage layer and mechanism underneath, that is. The inherent danger is that MAPI becomes the primary and most important protocol in such an application, genuinely turning things back into a "every platform as long as it is Microsoft Windows" situation.
But even more importantly: By building a deeper habitual and technological dependency on Outlook, which only runs properly on Windows.
So that bridge leads towards where users already are: An ever increasing dependency on Microsoft Windows, which is the opposite effect of applications such as Samba, Firefox or OpenOffice.org/LibreOffice.
Worse, even, they block in particular the office applications due to a quirk in Microsoft's licensing strategy which bundles Microsoft Outlook and Office. As a result, where one is already deployed, the other is already fully paid for. For the office suites that means LibreOffice / OpenOffice.org would have to pay users for using them. Everything else would be an added expense. Try getting this across the accounting department in a company that is struggling to stay within budget.
With groupware being a critical core functionality of any business, as long as MS Outlook stays firmly entrenched, the Free Software offices continue to have a much harder time catching up. So if your concern is to provide companies and users with more choice, investing into an Open Core groupware on the server can in fact strengthen the dependency on Microsoft Office if the deployment is predicated on Outlook as the client.
To make it worse the customer has now on good faith invested into something that promised openness and finds themselves deeper in the hole. Good luck getting that customer to trust in another solution that promises more degrees of freedom in a similar way and requires migration and further investment.
So while these Exchange competitors provide temporary relief in terms of cash flow, they do nothing to resolve the underlying problems, and companies that provide these kinds of solutions to their customers would be well advised not to oversell them as "Open Source Solutions with all the great advantages of Open Source" because they'd be misleading their customers.
Chances are the customer will anyhow harbour unjustified expectations even without the overselling, but overselling definitely increases the chance of leaving permanently scorched earth for Open Source / Free Software.
So what would be a sustainable approach?
Firstly, the solution should be based upon Open Standards as much as possible.
Secondly, it should be fully Free Software that is deserving of the name.
Thirdly, that solution should not predicate itself primarily upon Microsoft Outlook support. Support for Microsoft Outlook can clearly be a plus, but it should not permeate the design of the solution, nor should it be the only or even primary client of choice. So the client would be focused towards a truly heterogeneous client ecosystem, and ideally one that also assumes a multi platform world.
Then it should come with an up to date web client, mobile phone support and all the technical aspects users require, but it should not require a huge data centre to run it. In other words it should be able to scale up as well as down, to be installable on a single machine in an office as well as in a distributed cloud setup that can serve hundreds of thousands of users.
Why would you care about that level of scalability? Because it provides the grounds for ubiquity. And Microsoft has done a pretty good job at demonstrating how powerful ubiquity really can be. But that ubiquity depends upon a couple more factors. Such as the development process.
Does the solution you're looking at actually have public development mailing list, issue trackers, wikis and such where the actual developers of the company driving it participate and can the community participate in the steering of the solution on all levels? Is there transparency of the development process, and is there a development process to speak of?
But most importantly: You don't know your business requirements for the next ten years in advance.
What you do know, however, is that the domain of groupware is going to be a central part of that, because exchanging messages, planning your days and keeping track of the people you interact with is not going to become less important. Neither are the extended functionalities that are often associated, such as instant communication, telephony, video conferencing, collaborating on documents and so on and so forth. In all likelihood, its importance is going to increase as we move towards a more interconnected and cooperative world.
What does this mean for your decision right now?
You want technology that you can innovate upon and integrate into other technologies easily. That is partially covered by the Free Software & Open Standards points above. But there are also architectural aspects to consider here, and conceptual questions as to whether the solution is flexible enough to evolve with your needs.
Especially your groupware solution merits such in-depth analysis before you make a call.
Because lock-in starts at the application level this choice is an essential part of what you will be able to decide in the future. So next time you're thinking about your groupware strategy you might want to ask yourself: Do you think that Windows is the future of the Free Software desktop? Do you believe it is the only desktop you should ever be able to choose?
If you don't think so I would unsurprisingly suggest you take a look at Kolab. Good starting points might be the Kolab Story, the Kolab 3.0 Primer, and of course the Kolab Systems web page.
But perhaps even more importantly I believe this shows we need to be addressing groupware & office jointly if we want to displace Microsoft Outlook & Office.
So I invite everyone working on promoting the Free Software office solutions to get in touch and work together.


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Verdict: Narrow win for David Cameron although (1) he must stop breaching Commons rules and (2) I think Nick Clegg chose the right topic - the death of patients in Staffordshire because of Government targets.
Highlights, not verbatim:
12.27pm: Bill Cash says the Government's response to the Mid Staffs hospital disgrace is inadequate. He calls for managers to be replaced and not just suspended on full pay.
12.17pm: Asking the question I expected Cameron to ask, Nick Clegg invites the Prime Minister to accept that his Government's frenzied targets were part of the reason for the deaths at Mid Staffordshire hospital (see also Julia Manning's CentreRight post). Mr Clegg points to doctors who said they were obliged to abandon the very sick to tend patients with relatively minor ailments. Brown apologises for the deaths and promises a review to find out what happened.
12.13pm: Labour is displaying a lethal combination of hyperactivity and ineffectiveness says David Cameron. The Speaker orders the Tory leader to withdraw his attack on Gordon Brown as "phoney". This Government has presided over the fastest rise in unemployment in British history says Cameron and has done so without a hint of apology. The Tories are wanting to cut spending in a recession, charges Brown, and its first priority on tax is an inheritance tax cut for the very wealthy.
12.09pm: Cameron says the view from the bunker is that all government schemes have been implemented and are working properly. In reality little is working. This is an incompetent government that couldn't stop Fred Goodwin - the man Labour knighted for services to banking - from getting his bumper pension.
12.07pm: Brown fails to answer Cameron's claim that not one single person has been helped by the Government's subsidy for new job recruits. The Prime Minister goes on to list the schemes that Labour has introduced.
12.02pm: David Cameron asks about Britain's unemployment of more than two million. Isn't Gordon Brown's statement that Britain was best placed to survive the recession "nonsense"? In his second question he notes the IMF warning that Britain will be the only developed nation still in recession this time next year. Brown replies by saying that unemployment is higher in most other nations and that Britain went into recession later than other nations.
Tim Montgomerie