text:
Thanks to netizens + readers for contributing to this post.
This post explores interesting real estate connections.
References below. Presented in six parts.
INTRO: Excerpts on Singapore Property
Part 1: Nassim Jade + NParks + Gardens By The Bay + Corals At Keppel Bay
Part 2: Sim Lian + Far East + MapleTree + GoodWood
Part 3: Suntec REIT + CityDev + Pontiac Land + JTC
Part 4: Sentosa DC + GSH + Marina Bay + CapitaLand
Part 5: Keppel Land + Sentosa Cove + White Group
EXCERPTS on PROPERTY in SINGAPORE
1) We can infer from their cash-only purchases of condominiums during the "Hotel Properties Scandal" that all of the extended Lee family are probably cash millionaires. . .government connections can be very lucrative in state-run Singapore.
Source: AndyXianWong
2) The government is "the largest landowner in Singapore. . .the Land Acquisition Ordinance of 1955 and its amendment in 1966 were the chief policies that laid the groundwork for [the Singapore government] to acquire land from private holders.
Source: Emerald Group Publishing (2015)
3) CityDev is the third largest landowner in Singapore after the government and the family of Ng Teng Fong.
Source: AsiaWeek (2000)
4) Forbes' list of the 50 richest people in Singapore was dominated by real estate moguls as property emerged as the main source of wealth for 12 tycoons on the list.
Source: Property Guru (2015)
5) Property is the main factor in growing prosperity of two-thirds of names on Forbes top 50.
Source: Urban Land Rent (2015)
+ + +
PART 1: Nassim Jade + NParks + Gardens By The Bay + Corals At Keppel Bay
Lee Suan Yew (one of Lee Kuan Yew's brothers) was a past director of Singapore's Hotel Properties Ltd. HPL is headed by Malaysian-born tycoon, Ong Beng Seng.
In 1996, Lee Kuan Yew bought a Nassim Jade unit (a condominium project by Hotel Properties) at a discount during the soft launch without HPL (a publicly listed company) seeking permission of its shareholders.
LKY's relatives who also purchased units at discounts include:
- Kwa Geok Choo (Mrs. LKY);
- Lee Hsien Loong + Ho Ching (son and daughter-in-law);
- Pamelia Lee (sister-in-law);
- Kwa Kim Li (niece);
- Lee Wei Ling (daughter);
- Lee Kim Mon (sister);
- Freddy Lee (brother);
- Dennis Lee (brother); and
- Gloria Lee (sister-in-law).
All the purchases amounted to more than $10 million and were carried out without mortgages and loans.
Lai Kew Chai was a Malaysia-born Singaporean judge and the longest-serving member of the Supreme Court Bench, having served for almost 25 years as a Judge. He was a former partner of LKY's law firm of Lee and Lee and a close friend of LKY and family. He bought a discounted unit at Nassim Jade and was the presiding judge on Tang Liang Hong's case (Tang Liang Hong was a lawyer and opposition Workers' Party candidate, who was bankrupted after raising questions about the Lee family's Nassim Jade purchases).
For more details on the Nassim Jade saga, here are some articles:
The above ACS 1962 reunion picture shows that Ong Beng Seng, Managing Director of HPL, was a former classmate or schoolmate of Kwa Chong Seng (nephew of Mrs. LKY).
- NOTE: Chew Choon Seng (beside Ong Beng Seng in above ACS reunion pic) has been a member of the board of GIC since January 2004. Chew is Chairman of the Singapore Exchange, Chairman at Singapore Tourism Board, and the former CEO of Singapore Airlines.
Christina Ong has been the Managing Director of Club 21 since 2007 (estimated worth of S$150 million). She is a well-known hotelier and fashion retailer and has been Chairman of NParks since 2007.
Her husband is Ong Beng Seng of Hotel Properties Limited (HPL). NParks manages the Gardens By The Bay project.
Heng Swee Keat is married to Chang Hwee Nee. Mr. Heng was Principal Private Secretary to SM Lee Kuan Yew from 1997 to 2000. Ms. Chang, a President Scholar, is the former Deputy Secretary (Policy) of Ministry of Education and a member of the board of directors of Gardens by the Bay.
The development of Gardens By The Bay came under the scrutiny of the Auditor-General in 2015 for lapses in the control of contract variation works.
The Auditor-General's Office's test-checks revealed a general lack of documentation, failure to obtain approval and laxity in control over contract variations by NParks in managing the development of the Gardens By The Bay project, which has an estimated total contract value of S$1.06 billion.
There was no assurance that NParks had not spent more funds than necessary.
Source: CNA (and PDF 2014/2015 report)
Checks by the AGO found that managers of the $1 billion Gardens by the Bay project had awarded over $20 million of contracts through a waiver of competition, without compelling reasons.
4. CORALS at KEPPEL BAY
Mrs. Koh-Lim Wen Gin, a former Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) chief planner, has been an independent director of Keppel Land since January 2010. She has been a board member of NParks since 2010.
Her daughter, Ms. Koh Lin-Net, was one of the buyers of Keppel Land's units at its Corals at Keppel Bay project. Koh Lin-Net is the chief executive of the Media Development Authority and prior to that was deputy secretary of trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. Ms Koh and her husband Lawrence Low bought a unit at Corals for slightly below $10.1 million.
Mrs. Koh-Lim Wen Gin's husband is Koh Seow Chuan, retired founder of DP Architects. Under Koh's leadership, DP Architects has been responsible for many iconic buildings in Singapore, including Suntec City, Paragon, Bugis Junction and Esplanade-Theatres on the Bay.
+ + +
PART 2: Sim Lian + Far East + MapleTree + GoodWood
Ong Ye Kung (Sembawang GRC candidate; 2015) is married to Diana Kuik Sin Leng. Mr. Ong was a former top civil servant and Principal Private Secretary to PM Lee Hsien Loong.
Ong's wife, Diana Kuik Sin Leng, is the executive director of Sim Lian (owned by the Kuik family). Sim Lian has undertaken over S$2 billion worth of contracts, including public projects for the Housing Development Board (HDB), DBSS flats, and other government projects.
Ong Chit Chung (1949 – 2008) was a former MP, parliamentary secretary, and a director at Sim Lian. Associate Professor Sim Loo Lee was a former HDB director and an independent director of Sim Lian.
It is interesting to note that the Government did not consider the potential conflict of interests when it invited a Sim Lian board director to also sit on the board of HDB.
Netizen Melvin Chong says:
"Don't Be Stupid, Singaporeans. This is Detention Barrack Singapore-Style with Damn Bloody Shoddy Standard."
- NOTE: The Online Citizen, Property Guru, and The Straits Times have some articles on Centrale 8 Tampines DBSS's defects.
a) Ng Teng Fong
Robert Ng Chee Siong is the son of Singapore property tycoon and Far East Organization founder, Ng Teng Fong. Robert Ng is a board member of Temasek and is married to Yeoh Saw Kheng (楊素瓊), the third daughter of Dr. Yeoh Ghim Seng, the former Speaker of Parliament of Singapore (Source: CapitalProfile PDF).
Minister for Defence Ng Eng Hen is said to be the nephew of Ng Teng Fong (who had 10 siblings).
- Reader Tip: A forum poster said the Chinese newspapers mentioned Ng Eng Hen as "the nephew" of Ng Teng Fong. Does anyone have a newspaper clipping?
- UPDATE (2019): Thanks to a reader for forwarding this article at Sin Chew Daily, confirming Ng Eng Hen as the nephew of Ng Teng Fong.
One in six houses in Singapore today is built by the Ng family.
Ng Teng Fong's family has close ties to the governments of Singapore, Hong Kong and China (Source: PDF document). The Ngs have also enjoyed a close relationship with Lee Kuan Yew.
The late Mr. Ng Teng Fong was billed as Singapore's richest man by Forbes magazine in September 2009.
b) Colleagues
Leong Hong Kee was executive director at Far East Organization from 1993 to 2008 and a member of Singapore's parliament in Singapore for 32 years until his retirement in 2006.
Heng Chiang Meng served as executive director of Far East Organization from 1996 to 1997, during which time he was also a member of parliament. He resigned from FEO amid allegations of conflict of interest between private and public-sector roles. Heng has been a board director at Keppel Land since 2005.
Kwa Kim Li is the Managing Partner of Lee and Lee law firm. Ms Kwa is a director in Mapletree Commercial Trust. In addition, she sits on the Boards of Sentosa Development Corporation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and Singapore Chinese Girls' School.
Mapletree Commercial Trust is a unit of Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings' property arm, Mapletree Investments. Mapletree is a government-linked company (GLC).
Kwa Kim Li is the niece of Kwa Geok Choo (Mrs. LKY).
8. GOODWOOD GROUP of HOTELS
Mavis Khoo-Oei is part of the Khoo clan consisting of 14 heirs of late banker Khoo Teck Puat, founder of Maybank, Malaysia's most valuable bank (market cap:$23 billion). She is the Chairman of Goodwood Park Hotel. Her husband was Humphrey Oei, who is a grandchild of Oei Tiong Ham. Incidentally, Oei Tiong Ham is a forefather of Teo Chee Hean.
In 1986, the Brunei authorities issued a warrant for Khoo Teck Puat's arrest on charges of defrauding the bank.
+ + +
PART 3: Suntec REIT + CityDev + Pontiac Land + JTC
Chew Gek Khim is a grandchild of Tan Chin Tuan. She is a relative of Kwa Geok Choo through Tan Chin Tuan (her mother is Dr. Tan Kheng Lian, daughter of Tan Chin Tuan and cousin of Kwa Geok Choo).
Chew Gek Khim joined the Board of Directors of Suntec Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) on 21 January 2014 and was appointed Chairman on 17 April 2014.
Edwin Tong is an Allen & Gledhill Partner, who has made headlines as the defense lawyer acting for Pastor Kong Hee in the high-profile City Harvest case. He is a PAP candidate in the Marine Parade GRC in GE2015.
Pastor Kong Hee, City Harvest Church founder and co-owner, paid $9.33m for a luxury duplex unit at Sentosa Cove in 2007. Kong and five others are alleged to have misused $50 million of church funds and then falsified church accounts to cover up the misuse. They are accused of funnelling millions from the church's building fund to pay for the Crossover Project, to boost the music career of Kong's wife Ho Yeow Sun.
In 2012, City Harvest Church increased its stake in Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre to 39.2 per cent, from its original 20 per cent in 2010. The church's executive pastor, Aries Zulkarnain, said "we are co-owners of this property together with Suntec REIT."
Philip Yeo was formerly the Special Adviser for Economic Development in the Prime Minister's Office (2007-2011), and former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Defence for Defence Research, Logistics and Industry (1979-1985). He is a director of CDL and a member of the advisory board at NTU Business School.
Kwek Leng Joo, brother of Kwek Leng Beng, was appointed as a Director of CDL in 1980. He served as the President of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI) and is currently an Honorary President of SCCCI.
Kwee Liong Seen is one of the four Kwee brothers who share ownership of Pontiac Land, a major real estate company in Singapore. Kwee Liong Seen is executive director of Pontiac Land and a member of the advisory board at NTU Business School.
The other brothers are Kwee Liong Keng, Singapore's Non-Resident Ambassador to Poland, Kwee Liong Tek, and Kwee Liong Phing.
There is a Kwee Liong Phing in ICIJ's Offshore Banking database.
Ngiam Shih Chun, relative of Ngiam Tong Dow, is a board member of JTC Corporation.
Augustin Lee, is Deputy Secretary, Ministry of Manpower (2010+), Deputy Chairman of the CPF Board, and a JTC Board Member (2011+).
Ng Chee Meng, brother of Ng Chee Khern and Ng Chee Peng, was a JTC Board Member (2013-2015).
AGO's audit of the contracts (total contract value of $510.18 million) for the International Cruise Terminal development project undertaken by Jurong Town Corporation (JTC) revealed lapses in controls and management of contract variations.
+ + +
PART 4: Sentosa DC + GSH + Marina Bay + CapitaLand
Kwa Kim Li (niece of Mrs. LKY), Ngiam Shih Chun (relative of Ngiam Tong Dow), and Lt-Gen Bey Soo Khiang are board members of Sentosa Development Corporation.
Former cabinet minister Mah Bow Tan was the fifth biggest shareholder in GSH Corporation in 2014. As of 18 Mar 2014, Mah owned 365,575,000 shares with a current market value of about S$28 million. According to John Harding, Mah Bow Tan's son, Warren Mah, studied at the prestigious University of Pennsylvania — fully paid for on a scholarship from Monetary Authority of Singapore (a statutory board).
Keppel Corp director Alvin Yeo, who is also the senior partner at law firm Wong Partnership, is paying $6.54 million for a unit on the 32nd floor of the luxury project. Keppel Land director and permanent secretary Niam Chiang Meng is paying $4.577 million for his unit, also on the 32nd floor.
Jennie Chua, icon of Singapore's hospitality industry, is the former spouse of Goh Kian Chee, the only son of former Deputy PM Goh Keng Swee.
Goh Kian Chee took 5 years to clear $280,000,000 of debt. He is now retired and enjoys leisurely tennis and golf.
+ + +
PART 5: Keppel Land + Sentosa Cove + White Group
Tan Yam Pin, director at Keppel Land, has been a member of the Singapore Public Service Commission since 1990. Mr. Tan was appointed as a Member of the Public Service Commission in 1990.
According to Wikipedia, Singapore's Constitution, and PSC's 2012 Annual Report:
The Public Service Commission (PSC)'s constitutional role is to appoint, confirm, promote, transfer, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over public officers in Singapore.
It considers the suitability of candidates for appointment as Chief Executive Officers of Statutory Boards; it is also responsible for the planning and administration of scholarships provided by the Government of Singapore.
Chua Thian Poh was #26 on Forbes' Singapore's 50 Richest list (2015).
Mr. Chua is also the President of the Singapore Federation of Chinese Clan Associations (SFCCA) and a long-time grassroots leader, serving as Chairman of Bishan East Citizens' Consultative Committee.
He started the Ho Bee group of companies and ventured into property development. Ho Bee was the sole bidder for the en bloc sale of Coral Island on Sentosa Cove.
As revealed by AGO, 33 days after he "retired" from SCPL, Mr Chua was allowed to tender for sales of Sentosa Cove land through Ho Bee.
Peh Chin Hua is the executive chairman of White Group, a holding company with properties and business interests in China and Singapore. He was also a Singapore Member of Parliament from 1988 to 2001. He holds numerous positions in various clans, including the Peh Clan Association.
In 2013, White Group signed a $12 billion deal to develop a vast township site in China.
Peh Chin Hua's younger brother is Desmond Peh Chin Chye, Managing Director of Just Education Holdings. There is a "Peh Chin Chye" in ICIJ's offshore banking database.
Peh Shing Huei is the son of Peh Chin Hua. Peh Shing Huei was formerly The Straits Times' China bureau chief, based in Beijing.


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Greetings, Fangbangers, and welcome back! This week's TVD installment may have been a bit low on romance, and grist for the respective Shipper Mills . . .
. . . but, boy, did it make up for that with unparalleled Original Family Hijinks (which, of course, is the new Doppelganger Hijinks)!
Julie Plec and Co., I beg of you . . . please give this family it's own spinoff show . . . and while you are at it, you might want to make it a comedy. Because these guys are friggin hilarious!
See what I mean?
So, slip into your favorite dinner wear, and, for heaven's sake, hide your stakes! Because you have just been invited to the sexiest, wackiest, most jaw-dropping dinner party on this show, since . . . well . . . the last time they had a dinner party, on this show . . .
(As always, special thanks to my spectacular screencapper Andre, who is most definitely filled with awesomesauce! ;))
Cheap and Easy Ways to Renovate Your Home – starring Elijah
"This would make a marvelous tree ornament."
Our bloody tale picks up, literally, right where it left off, prior to last week's hiatus. Damon has returned the Original Family Coffins (except for one!) to Klaus. However, unbeknownst to the Original Hybrid at the time, one of those coffins contained a de-staked Elijah . . .
Now Klaus finds himself face-to-face with his undead brother, who is literally wearing his heart on his sleeve . . . well, someone else's heart, actually. To say that Elijah got up on the wrong side of the coffin, after sleeping away half the season, is an understatement, to say the least . . .
Klaus is clearly surprised to see his brother, alive, kicking, and KICKING HIS ASS for that whole "murder and storage" thing. Now, as we all know, apologies have never exactly been Klaus' strong suit. And while a simple, "I'm sorry I murdered you, and carted your rotting body around in a coffin for over 12 episodes," would certainly have been in order . . . Klaus, instead, offers his very irate brother a cheeky, "Hey, at least I reunited you with your family, like you asked!"
But as jovial as Klaus might be, he has very limited patience for people who (1) don't laugh at his jokes; (2) question his commitment to "family;" and (3) prefer other's company to his own. When people disappoint Klaus in this way, he does what any rational human being would do in such a situation: DRIVE A STAKE THROUGH THEIR HEART . . .
However, since Damon currently has the stake that originally came out of Elijah, Klaus is forced to "recycle" the one currently enmeshed in his brother Kol.
"Tell the mortician to ease up on the face makeup next time. I look like a vampire. Oh . .. er . . . nevermind."
Elijah then gently reminds his sibling that, since Kol has been dead at Klaus' hand for over 100 years, there's a good chance his wrath against the Original Hybrid will be even worse than Elijah's. Klaus ultimately re-daggers Kol, and opts for a change in tactics . . .
You know what they say, "If at first you don't succeed . . . try begging."
Ultimately, Elijah decides to hear his brother out. It can't hurt, right? After all, he does still want to be reunited with his family. And if Klaus tries to betray him again, Elijah can always go back to redecorating the mansion, by tossing his brother's body into various parts of it . . .
Meanwhile, over at the Gilbert house . . .
Alcoholism: Because expressing your true feelings is hard. But it doesn't have to be . . .
Alaric and his erstwhile foster kid, Elena, have very different ideas of what constitutes clean living. For Elena, clean living means waking up early for a morning jog, and having a bowl of fruit for breakfast. For Alaric, clean living means taking a shower, after you've polished off nearly an entire bottle of scotch.
This is likely one of the reasons that he and Damon get along so very well . . .
Damon's a big fan of drinking and
nakedness personal hygiene, as well!
In addition to clearly being a "morning person," Elena get some props for keeping her judgy side at bay, even after Alaric admits to (1) being massively hungover; and (2) having drunk dialed his new Doomed-to-Die-a-Very-Painful-Death girlfriend, Crazy Nanny Carrie, the night before . . .
Well . . . mostly at bay.
This super cute exchange is interrupted by a knock on the door. It's Lizard Forbes, a woman who's idea of clean living is putting a bloody murder weapon in a plastic baggy, before returning it to its rightful owner.
"In addition to murder weapons, I also sell bibles!"
That's right, Fangbangers! Remember that adorably dead medical examiner from a couple week's back?
Well, apparently, he was killed by a stake from Alaric's collection . . . one that conveniently contained only Elena's prints on it.
(Or Vampire Katherine's . . . isn't it conceivable that the two Petrova Doppelgangers would have identical fingerprints? Just a theory.) Of course, Lizard doesn't suspect Alaric or Elena, which makes her a very understanding person, but also a Really Sh*tty Cop.
OK . . . I take back the "understanding" part . . .
If this was Law and Order, both Alaric and Elena would be dragged down to the station for questioning faster than you could say, "Is that a stake in your chest, or are you just really happy to see me?"
Elena the
Vampire Founder's Council Slayer?
In which it was finally revealed that Damon Salvatore is actually Gossip Girl . . .
Those of you who read my Gossip Girl recaps, know that I am still not entirely convinced that Georgina Sparks is actually Gossip Girl. To be honest, she simply doesn't seem adept enough at snarky wordplay to pull it off. Damon Salvatore, on the other hand, is a spectacular wordsmith!
Take for example, his super quippy initial response to Elena's phone call regarding the incriminating murder weapon in question . . .
(By the way, Elena really shouldn't put Damon on speaker phone. It vastly increases the chance that Alaric will learn the truth about the couple's budding phone sex relationship.)
"I love it when you talk dirty."
Elena doesn't think the Mystic Falls Murderer is Alaric's girlfriend . . . but only because she's been too busy running away from Klaus, and making out with Damon to watch One Tree Hill or Pretty Little Liars.
Brush up on your pop culture, girlfriend. It might just save your life . . .
Elena actually thinks the murderer might be Stefan, despite the fact that her ex has absolutely no rational motive for staking a perfectly good meal, which the medical examiner clearly was
despite the formaldehyde smell, of course, and leaving it completely uneaten.
Oh, Mr. Former Bunny Muncher . . . how the mighty hath fallen . . .
Speaking of Mighty, Damon cuts his flirty phone conversation with Elena and Alaric short, to meet with one of the most powerful vampires in the world. Of course, I'm referring to the newly awakened Elijah. Honestly, if I were Elena, I'd be a bit concerned, because the sexual tension between these two men is fierce! I mean, Damon is already leaving flirty Gossip Girl style messages in Elijah's
underwear clothing, signed with hugs and kisses. . .
"I'm here. Let's talk," says Elijah gruffly, as he moves in mere inches from Damon Salvatore's chiseled face, and dreamy crystalline blue eyes. "Talk" . . . is that what the kids are calling it, nowadays? 😉
DAMON: "Just so you know, I am a VERY good 'talker.' In fact, just last night, Elena was complimenting me VERY LOUDLY about what a good 'talker,' I am."
Speaking of "talking," Elena kindly confronts Stefan, with her theory that he's a serial killer, which, clearly he IS . . . He's just happens not to be the one running around plopping Alaric's stakes in people's chests. (Eating off their heads, and gluing them back on to their bodies, is much more his style.)
Stefan, of course, is super offended by the notion that a bloodthirsty vampire like himself would do something as evil as KILLING HUMANS. *clears throat* Even more offensive to Stefan is the fact that Elena is accusing him, as opposed to . . . you know . . . the other vampire with whom she sometimes plays tonsil hockey . . .
*whistles uncomfortably*
The Bennett Family: Witches or Locksmiths of the Dead?
"Bippity Bobbity Boo?"
So, was I the only one having Bad Flashbacks of Poor Dead Grams, when Bonnie and Abby were holding hands and doing the whole "let's open a coffin with our minds" thing? In the past "communal spells" meant people DIED . . .
. . . and "solo spells" meant nosebleeds for Bonnie.
Now, it seems like both of those things are plot lines of the past . . . which, I guess, is a good thing, if you like Mama Bennett / want her to stick around for awhile, and a bad thing, if you don't . . .
*whistles uncomfortably*
Poor Mama Bennett wasn't having a particularly great
life episode. Both Stefan and Bonnie were riding her ass to "just buck up and BE MAGICAL ALREADY, dammit."
"The old lady did it, so why can't you, you lazy ass!"
Bonnie even added a fresh layer of guilt to her judgment. "You clearly suck as a mom, and a human being. So, please try not to suck at this too," she said . . . more or less.
Cue more creepy chanting, and flickering candles in Fourth Coffin's New Hiding Place: The Tomb of the Damned. "It's working!" Bonnie exclaims, excitedly about the new "Family Unbinding Spell" the two are testing out. "This would be a really good time for me to go call Damon, and leave you alone with the thing that is SO dangerous, the Biggest Baddest Super Villain on this show decided it needed to be locked up.
"I'll be right baaaaaaaaack."
Hopefully, by then, you will be as dead as our relationship, Mommy Dearest." Bonnie adds, before skipping up the steps, joyfully.
(Does no one on this show watch horror movies?)
Of course, it should surprise positively no one that the coffin bursts open, the minute Bon-Bon exits stage left. Be afraid, Mama Bennett! Be VERY afraid . . .
Come to Mystic Falls: It may only have one bar / social establishment, but it has multiple serial killers. So, SUCK IT, VEGAS!
"Y'all come back
from the dead now, ya hear?"
Caroline's at the hospital making small talk with Crazy Nanny Carrie, who's bedside manner is for sh*t . . .
The purpose of this conversation is two-fold. For starters, she wants to pick up her now vampire-blood infused, vampire hating daddy. For finishers, she wants to investigate the extent of Crazy Nanny's sanity, on her bestie, Elena's, behalf.
"So, have you ever played a character who actually WASN'T a murderer?"
Caroline comes to the conclusion that Crazy Nanny is normal, which only shows that becoming supernatural has done nothing to improve Caroline's judgment regarding humans.
But Caroline's vampire mojo DOES have it's perks. Using her super sensitive vampy hearing, Caroline picks up the sound of her father's phone. And this, in turn, allows her to find her father lying dead in the medical supply closet at the hospital . . . wait for it . . . staked in the heart with one of Alaric's weapons.
"So, THAT'S why my stomach's been killing me!"
I know it probably makes me seem like a heartless b*tch to say this . . . especially in light of what happened later in this storyline. But I thought it was pretty funny that Elena had to explain to Caroline that her father (who had died with vampire blood in his system) was now turning into a bloodsucker. Whereas, Caroline . . . the actual bloodsucker, was completely clueless. I mean, I guess you could argue that she was in shock, and couldn't think straight. But still . . .
Cue the gasps, wheezes and hacking coughs, as the man who hates vampires so much that he was willing to burn his own daughter to excise the "evil creature" from her body, comes back from the dead, craving blood. Ahh, irony . . . gotta love it. Papa
Douche . . . wait . . . sorry, he's dead, so I can't bad mouth him anymore Forbes ultimately decides that he would rather not feed and commit suicide than become like his kid.
Awww . . . a father / daughter bonding moment. How sweet!
Meanwhile, Elena heads home to tell Alaric how they almost became suspects to another murder. Alaric soon realizes that Crazy Nanny Carrie had access to and knowledge of both of the murder weapons. In other words, it's time to bust this murderous b*tch!
Or is it?
In which Caroline Forbes makes us cry . . . again.
Poor Caroline! Just because your dad can be a toolbox, doesn't mean you won't miss him when he's gone . . . particularly when you feel like, you, personally could prevent his death. "I'll force him to feed," says Caroline resolutely to her bestie Elena.
Well, as you might have suspected, Elena has something to say about that . . .
Hey Elena, did you ever think that, perhaps, JEREMY might feel the same way you do about issues of "personal choice?" Just a thought . . .
Elena then brings up the absentee Tyler, which kind of seems like adding insult to injury. I mean, come on, it's not bad enough that the girl is about to be father-less, you want to remind her that she's boyfriend-less too?
That said, it seems surprising, not to mention, more than a bit unrealistic, that Tyler wouldn't respond to Caroline's calls regarding a parental death. For one thing, Tyler, who, not too long ago, lost his own morally ambiguous father, could absolutely relate to the conflicting feelings the person expresses, following the death.
For another, you would think, considering how much Tyler loves Caroline, that he would come running to her, the minute she showed signs of breaking her silent treatment with him.
But alas . . . he didn't. (Perhaps, he's off trying to master that whole "wolfing out without pain," thing . . . you know . . . the one CAROLINE'S DAD taught him how to do? If so, why haven't we at least seen him shirtless this week? HUH? HUH?)
Anyway, of course, now Caroline is wondering if her ex is the murderer. She reasons that, perhaps, Tyler had done it as one of his sire's orders. But Elena disagrees. "I'm the only one who can accuse MY ex boyfriend of unspeakable acts," says Elena, more or less.
Then, there's some heartfelt talk between Caroline and Elena, about what it's like to be in the "Dead Dad's Club." (Elena is club president!) Cue the entrance of Matt, who's character I've been enjoying so much more, ever since he lost the Judgy Personality Chip.
Weed . . . it makes you more likeable . . .
That said, I'm starting to feel like Matt's whole function as a character has recently been reduced to Resident Hugger, and Cheerleader for Team Ex Girlfriend . . .
"Haha, he thinks now that Tyler is gone, he actually has a chance. But I'm the one who installed a honing device on her panties . . . ."
Speaking of Caroline's panties, she really grows some balls (not that she necessarily lacked them, in the first place.), when she confronts her now, clearly, dying father with a simple, but gut-wrenching, plea that he not leave her . . .
When "tears and emotions" don't convince Papa Forbes to fight for his life, Caroline tries a few other tactics: (1) first flattery. ("You can do this. You are the strongest person I now"); (2) then guilt ("Do you really hate me [and what I've become] that much?") Caroline wonders.
I've long admired Candice Accola as an actress. But she really blew me away, in this episode. Her raw reactions to her erstwhile absentee dad's untimely passing were both heartbreaking, and refreshingly real. In fact, Candice's acting ability elevated a story line that had the real potential to be boring and maudlin into a captivating dramatic piece.
But back to the story, I'm really glad, for Caroline's sake that she got her father to admit that he loved her, was proud of her, and thought she was a good person, despite the fact that she was an "icky vampire." Had Papa Forbes not said this to Caroline, I suspect it would have haunted her for the rest of eternity. At least. this way, she can begin down the long and windy path of "closure."
Adios, Papa Douche . . . as it turns out, you weren't nearly as big of an asshat as we initially assumed you were . . .
Bloodsucker, Party of Four . . .
Back at La Casa de Rich and Awesome, Damon tells a shirtless, and recently showered Stefan, that it's time to put a big ole smile on his face, and play nice with the Originals, in order to buy Bonnie some time to open Coffin Number Four with her mind. Stefan and his recent perma-scowl face don't want to attend. He'd much rather stay home and mope over the fact that Damon and Elena recently exchanged smoochies, thank you very much.
Stefan also doesn't trust Elijah, who ended up MAJORLY screwing the Scooby Gang over, during their first round of Kill Klaus Games.
The massive role reversal between these two brothers is highly apparent, in this scene. Last season, it was Damon perma-scowling and Elijah distrusting (with good reason, as it turns out). Meanwhile, Season 2's kinder, gentler
more boring, Stefan was begging his brother to keep the peace, for Elena's sake.
As for the kiss in question, Damon reminds Stefan that HE, Damon, is not the enemy in this situation. Rather, it's Klaus' fault is for making Stefan Bad!Stefan, thereby tossing Elena right into Damon's arms, in the first place.
Touche, Damon Sexy Pants! And yet Delena fans well know, that even without Stefan's newfound douchiness, Elena's mouth would have found her way onto Damon's, anyway. After all, it wasn't exactly the first time the two of them kissed . . .
So, off the Salvatore Brother's head to Klaus' newly renovated, and now slightly banged-up, home, for a sit down dinner. And I've gotta say, I was shocked that he served actual food! (Though, of course, I wasn't the least bit surprised that he devoured one of the blonde barbie types waiting by the table for dessert. We all know how much Klaus likes his blondes . . .)
Speaking of eating people, Grumpy Stefan childishly made a point to remind everybody at the party that HE didn't want to break bread with the Originals. He'd much prefer to negotiate some terms, and leave, as soon as possible. And to this rudeness, Klaus offers the Best Comeback, EVER!
"We can sit and eat, or I can reach down your throats, and pull out your insides. The choice is yours."
Ahhh, cannibalism jokes on vampire shows. They just never get old, do they?
I mentioned earlier that Damon and Elijah illustrate their latent sexual attraction to one another, through personal space invasions, sexy smiles, winks, and oh-so-obvious eye f*&king. But Klaus and Stefan have a much longer history with one another. (You just KNOW something had to have gone down between these two during that long hot Ripper Summer!) So, of course, their sexual tension comes in the form of saucy verbal jabs, and naughty teases.
Klaus and Stefan definitely know how to push one another's buttons. Stefan begins the game by inquiring after Rebekah, who Stefan knows full well is still staked, despite the fact that Elena returned her body to Klaus weeks ago. "She's still daggered, because you couldn't face her," Stefan observes viciously. (Stefan Salvatore would make an EXCELLENT mean girl.)
Oddly enough, it's Damon who attempts to put this verbal jousting to bed, with this hilarious remark . . .
Elijah definitely approves, and so do I. Stefan has been off the hook way too long for eating his father, in what might very well have been one of the most disturbing
and nauseating flashbacks in TVD history.
It's high time someone called him out on that little "performance." And who better to do that than his own brother?
Speaking of insults, Elijah unintentionally shoots one Stefan's way, by inquiring after Elena, who, last time Elijah checked, was still Stefan's lover.
AWK-WARD! Klaus is just loving the crap out of this exchange. And once again, Damon is forced to try and keep the peace, by deeming the topic of Elena not appropriate for meal time . . .
But just because Elena is off limits, doesn't mean ALL Petrova Doppelgangers are. Elijah, ever the gracious host, entertains the table with the tale of "Tatiya" i.e. NotCharlotte, a girl who lived in their village, and despite being deemed a bit slutty, for already being "with child" was loved by all, most notably Klaus and Elijah. And, much like the Salvatore Brothers, the pair fought viciously over the little chicky who resembled Nina Dobrev.
ELIJAH: "I should win her heart, I have better hair."
Not surprisingly, it was their fighting that prompted Mikael to kill Tatiya, and force the brothers to drink her blood, when being turned into vampires. It was also Klaus' love for Tatiya that prompted Klaus' mother to include her essence in the binding spell of Klaus' hybrid nature. Talk about history repeating . . .
But for me, the most interesting part of this dinner party, was the negotiation session, in which both sets of brothers made offers to the other to ensure a "lasting peace." Damon's offer was much what we would have expected: the Fourth coffin, in exchange for Elena no longer being a blood bag.
Klaus said "no deal." After all, he needs Elena's blood to make hybrids, and without hybrids, Klaus, adorable as he might be, has no friends . . .
But Klaus' offer was interesting, to say the least. He argued that what would ultimately be best for Elena would be for Klaus to ensure her a "normal" human life . . . married to someone like Matt, wherein she would pop out a bunch of puppies, thereby ensuring the continuation of the Petrova Doppelganger line . . . Klaus further conjectured that the alternative would result in Elena either dying very young, or being turned into a vampire relatively soon . . .
The significance of the statement is not lost on the two brothers, both of whom, above all, want Elena to be happy. And while most TVD fans would not prefer an endgame, in which Elena was compelled to forget about vampires, and live out a dull Stepford life in Mystic Falls, with the sweet, but not overly exciting Matt, this was actually a notion Elena herself had considered back when Damon had force fed her his blood in "The Last Day." Plus, if Elena's words to Caroline, regarding her father are any indication, the new Petrova Doppelganger's feelings regarding becoming a vampire have not yet changed.
And when Stefan rises to shake Klaus' hand, symbolically accepting his offer, there's a split second, wherein I actually believe he is being genuine. But Klaus, is apparently, more savvy than I am, because he doesn't believe it for one second . . .
Damon immediately moves to his brother's aid, as Klaus pushes him frighteningly close to the fire, his fingers already beginning to burn. But Elijah holds the Elder Salvatore back . . . in a show of brotherly solidarity . . . or just as part of the overall plan? We'll find out soon enough . . .
Either way, it seems for the moment, that Klaus, once again, has the upper hand . . .
Speaking of hands . . .
Because Useless Aunt Jenna (R.I.P.) isn't the only one capable of inviting super villains to the Gilbert House . . .
"Hey Alaric. How many times do I have to tell you to wash your hands before touching the walls? I'm not your MAID!"
Elena and Matt arrive home to an eerily dark apartment covered with bloody hand prints and footprints. It's a truly disturbing scene.
And since Matt is one of those character's whose fate is never entirely safe on this show, it's one of those few times on TVD, when you are really worried about something bad happening. And then it does . . .
It's not long before Elena finds Alaric . . . wait for it . . . stabbed in the stomach, likely because the serial killer knew he turned the weapons over to Lizard Forbes, along with evidence against Meredith Fell, who was "in surgery at the time."
An obviously dying (Seriously, this guy must die EVERY OTHER EPISODE) Alaric explains, just as Bill Forbes did before him, that never saw his assailant. Of course, this is odd, considering the fact that, if the bloody footprints and hand prints are any indication, the pair fought their way throughout the entire house. Something stinks here . . .
The problem, of course (aside from the obvious), is that Alaric's on-the-blink Ugly Ass Ring of Immortality only works when Alaric is killed by a supernatural creature. And since Alaric isn't sure who did this to him, there's a good chance he might bleed out and die, before he ever gets to the hospital So, there's only one thing for the "supernatural" Petrova Doppelganger to do . . . kill Alaric, herself . . .
I must say, I'm impressed! The Elena we used to know would have hemmed, hawed and cried about this for about twenty minutes, and Alaric probably would have died, while he waited for her to grow some balls. But New Warrior Princess Elena, stabs Alaric with a surprising amount of gusto. Poor Matt looks horrified, as he should be . . .
Just realized that every single solitary character on this show is capable of kicking his ass . . .
Then, the murderous Elena tearfully asks Matt to wait with her, while Alaric decides whether he's going to come back to life this time. "I can't lose any more family," exclaims Elena, finally breaking down, for the first time in the hour.
Matt agrees to wait with Elena, rather than comforting Caroline, who's father, as we just learned is Definitely Dead. Seriously? Everybody . . . chooses Elena,
except Tyler and Klaus, of course . . . or a doppelganger, who looks like her. It's actually rather frustrating, sometimes . . .
Ultimately, Alaric awakens at the last minute, Phew! But hey, if he's going to keep dying every week like this, he should really get a tune-up on that ring . . . not to mention, invest in some life insurance. Can you imagine if the kindly history teacher received a payout for EACH time he died? The dude would be richer than Klaus! 😉
Because watching attractive people beat the crap out of one another never, EVER, gets old . . .
So, for a while there, it was looking like Elijah screwed over our Salvatore Brothers TWICE in a row, didn't it? But remember that Elijah did what he did the first time around, for the opportunity to see his family. And now that he knows they are all just a stake pull away from being a live and well . . . well, all bets are off.
In what very well might have been my favorite scene in the entire episode, Elijah and his new boyfriend return to the Klaus House, not with the Magical Fourth Coffin, as previously promised, but, rather, with . . . dessert . . .
And by "dessert," of course, I mean the daggers previously immobilizing not one, not two, but THREE of Klaus' and Elijah's dear siblings: the newbies (to us anyway) Kol and Finn, and, of course, the recently daggered Rebekah. To say the sexy threesome is displeased with their brother for . . . umm . . . keeping them imprisoned for, in some cases, as many as 1,000 years, is the understatement of the century. Cue the Familial Ass Kicking!
We've seen Klaus pout, and cry, and rage before, when things didn't go his way. But this was really the first time we got to see him truly, and completely BEATEN UP AND REJECTED. That's right, fangbangers, Elijah and Co. are not exactly down with a Klaus Family Reunion that will most certainly end with one or all of them, back in their safe little boxes, once they do something to displease their Alpha Male brother.
"You are free to go," says Elijah — ever the gracious host — to his new boyfriend and Stefan. "This is family business."
Why yes, Elijah . . . indeed it is . .
Speaking of family business, Stefan and Damon have some of that of their own to do. Walking home from Klaus House, Stefan actually COMPLIMENTS Damon for a job well done on the whole de-staking the Originals thing . . . and, of course, the whole "saving his life" thing. Damon is only slightly smug in his response. After all, he still feels he owes Stefan for all HIS life saving of Damon . . . most notably, the "life-saving of Damon" thing that ended with Stefan temporarily becoming Klaus' b*tch, and possibly permanantly becoming Bad!Stefan.
Oh, but lest you think our sexy vampire brothers are ready to kiss and make up, this happened . .
It was such a short, quiet, exchange between too men, with a loooooong history of loving the same women. Two men who haven't exactly adopted the "bros before hoes" / "Family above all" maxim. (Not that it exactly seemed to help those guys all that much. After all, there are plenty of other things brothers can fight about, aside from women.) And yet, as vampires, they certainly understand the importance of having someone by your side for the rest of eternity.
In the past, I think Damon would have probably heard Stefan's declaration of love for Elena, and backed off . . . cow towing to the so-called "Good Brother," as he has so many times in the past. But despite the fact that Damon still thinks he "owes" Stefan for certain sacrifices the latter has made on his behalf, things have changed now between them. They have changed. And it is very clear that, although the two may form temporary truces between one another, in furtherance of a common interest, Elena will likely always come between them.
Back at Klaus house, a mutiny is being played out amongst the ranks of the Original Family, and Klaus is on the losing end. His brothers and sisters have decided to seek vengeance against him in the most effective way they know how, through ABANDONMENT. After all, Klaus has purportedly done all of this, simply out of a fear of being alone. So, for Klaus ,the thought of finally having his family reunited with one another, while he is still left to his own devices is just about the worst thing that can happen to him. "I'll hunt you down," Klaus threatens, his eyes filled with tears.
"And then you will become the thing you hate the worst," retorts Klaus. "Father."
Oooh! Now, that one had to hurt.
But lest you think all is lost for Klaus, he is about to get a hail Mary. Back at the tomb, Stefan and Damon find an open Magical Fourth Coffin, surrounded by an unconscious Abby and Bonnie. The coffin, of course, is empty.
So, who was inside? Why the Original Mother / Original Witch -Turned-Vampire, of course! I guess Klaus didn't kill her at all. Rather, he turned her and kept her in storage, along with the rest of his siblings. How very thoughtful of him!
Why hasn't her dress biodegrated yet?
So, of course, when Mommy Dearest enters stage left, all of the Originals along with, I suspect, a majority of the viewing public are preparing for the most excellent of Mommy / Son smackdowns. After all, if there is any instance at all, in which child abuse is warranted, this is probably it. Am I right?
"Awww, Klausipoo, do you need a diaper change?"
But NOPE! Mommy Dearest is all about hearts, flowers, forgiveness, and family reunions.
To be honest, I'm a little disappointed, as I was really looking forward to more, good old fashioned Vampire Fight Club-esque ass kicking.
But hey, if it weren't for Mommy, we probably wouldn't be treated to next week's BALLROOM DANCE EXTRAVAGANZA, now would we?
It WOULD be rude not to dance, Delena . . . especially when you are both so incredibly good at it . . .
Are a fan of Delena? Stelena? Klaroline? Pretty dresses? Hot men in suits? Perhaps, you just have a "Cinderella Fetish?" If you answered yes to any of these questions, something tells me you are going to adore next week's TVD installment, entitled "Dangerous Liaisons." If you haven't seen them already, you can check out the extended trailer here . . .
. . . the Canadian trailer here . . .
. . . and the new love triangle-y webclip, here . . .
And that's all I've got for this week. But something tells me, you and I are going to have PLENTY to talk about between now and next Thursday. See you soon, Fangbangers!

subset: commoncrawl


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Nowhere is development such an important part of U.S. engagement as it is in Africa. In anticipation of the President's trip next week, we thought we'd share some of our favorite FrontLines stories about our work in Africa. President Obama's strategies on global development and Africa have laid the foundation for a new approach that focus on sustainable development and a new operational model for assistance. We look forward to the opportunities that this visit will bring.
Our Favorites include:
Food Security
Senegal: The Mile Between the Market and the Farm. Community-based service providers link Senegal's rural populations to the private sector for better food security.
Zambia: Guns, Honey and Rice: USAID support is helping scale up efforts to turn former poachers into conservation farmers.
Child Survival
Ethiopia: Ethiopia's Army of Female Health Workers: 35,000 USAID-supported female extension workers are helping bring health care to Ethiopia's historically underserved.
The Idea Incubator: The Bright Young Minds Leading USAID's Innovation Quest. Several USAID innovation-seeking programs are giving young visionaries with big plans for development a major boost.
Tanzania: Bringing Tanzania on the Grid. Young Innovator Alla Jazmir's Egg-Energy is delivering electricity to low-income African households with rechargeable batteries for families without access to the grid.
Kenya: The Business of Waste. In a model that "starts with sanitation and ends with energy," young entrepreneurs' start-up Sanergy brings sustainable, entrepreneurial toilets—and some useful byproducts—to urban areas in Kenya and beyond.
Malawi: A Healthy First Breath For Malawi's Newborns. Rice University students' newborn breathing device aims to prevent millions of infant deaths in Malawi's hospitals at a fraction of the cost of its high-tech cousin.
Women and Development
Kenya: The Value Girls from Lake Victoria's Shores: A USAID/Nike program is helping vulnerable women in Kenya's Lake Victoria region find success in alternative industries.
Conflict Mitigation and Prevention
Ethiopia: Peace Brokers: USAID-sponsored reconciliation efforts usher in historic truce accord in Ethiopia's pastoral south.
Democracy, Human Rights, and Government
Kenya: In Community 'Parliaments' Kenyan Youth Find a Voice. The country's 'bunges,' or democratic youth groups, are serving as a powerful counterweight to widespread apathy, unemployment and election violence, all the while fomenting tomorrow's leaders.
Humanitarian Assistance
Ethiopia: Catching Ethiopians Before They Fall: Highlights Famine-Preventing Productive Safety Net Program
- Niger: Niger's Tree of Life: In the face of recurring food insecurity and acute malnutrition, USAID is promoting the cultivation of hardy, vitamin-packed moringa as one way to build resilience in communities in the drought-prone Sahel.
Follow @USAID and @rajshah on Twitter for updates on the trip and to learn more about our work in Africa. Join the conversation using #USAIDAfrica.


text:
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This course improves your awareness of the trends relating to global energy usage and, at the organizational level, helps you define rational and sustainable use. You will discover how a process of continuous improvement can help you save money and increase your organization's productivity while also reducing your impact upon the environment.
You will receive expert training in all the administrative and technical implications of implementing an energy management system based upon ISO 50001. You will gain an understanding of the standard's foundations and learn how to interpret its requirements. The course also looks at treating quality, environment and energy standards as an integrated management system that you can audit as one – saving you time and effort.
Course outline:
- Energy Management Systems
- Quality, environmental and energy management systems: the common drivers
- Energy Management System implementation
To find out more about our ISO 50001 Energy Management – Interpretation Training, contact SGS today.


text:
Bryan Fischer: Christians Baking Cake for Gay Weddings is Slavery
Coming soon to a paranoid theater near you: "12 Years a Baker."
The always anti-gay Bryan Fischer of the American Family Association recently commented on last week's ruling where Colorado's Civil Rights Commission said a Christian bakery owner violated the state's anti-discrimination measure when he refused to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple who were legally married in another state. In typical fashion, Fischer somehow compared the decision to slavery.
As the Raw Story reports, Fischer, director of Issues Analysis at the AFA, said the bakery owner, Jack Phillips was a slave to "the gay Gestapo."
"When a man is forced, under threat of being sent to jail, to do work that he would not do unless he was compelled to do it, he is no longer a free man but a slave," he said. "Apparently someone forgot to tell the Stormtroopers in the homosexual movement about the civil war, the civil rights movement, and freedom of both will and conscience."
Fischer, making the same tired old argument, then said Colorado's Civil Rights Commission violated the baker's First Amendment right to freedom of religion by forcing him to comply with a state law he opposes.
"Not only is Phillips being reduced to slavery, he is now the victim of tyranny as well since he is being compelled by the government to violate his own conscience," Fischer added. "So meet our new overlords, the new owners of the American plantation, the gay mafia. All hail Big Gay, our new slave masters."
The seven-member Civil Rights Commission unanimously ruled in favor of the same-sex couple, who filed the complaint in 2012, on May 31.
"I can believe anything I want, but if I'm going to do business here, I'd ought to not discriminate against people," Commissioner Raju Jaram said.
After the ruling, Phillips, owner of the Masterpiece Cakeshop in the Denver suburb of Lakewood, said: "I will stand by my convictions until somebody shuts me down."


text:
Fall River Dunkin' Donuts shop to offer coffee and comfort at new, bigger location
FALL RIVER — There will be easy chairs, Wi-Fi and television. There will be tables for groups and single seats for those who prefer to savor their caffeine buzz alone.
This is Dunkin' Donuts as you have never seen it before. And it will be here, on Brayton Avenue, on Tuesday.
That, anyway, is the hope, Carlos Braga said.
"We still have a lot of work to do," Braga said. "We are transferring equipment from next door.
"Since we are transferring everything, we really don't know what we will run into.
"But we are shooting for Tuesday morning, if there are no hiccups."
Braga is opening a new Dunkin' Donuts franchise at 540 Brayton Ave., right next door to the smaller Dunkin' Donuts he has run for eight years at 510 Brayton Ave. The new building is on the site of the former Gene's Market, which closed a year ago.
Braga will own this franchise with his wife, Betsy. Their daughter, Sharon Braga, will continue as manager.
Carlos Braga and his brother own the Dunkin' Donuts on Milliken Boulevard and the franchise on South Main Street next to the Fall River Justice Center.
"This new store will have the seating in the cafe style, which is the latest look for the brand," Braga said. "We are trying to make it comfortable and inviting."
Most of the customers for the current Dunkin' Donuts come from the neighborhood, Sharon Braga said. They have all been invited to take a look at the new store, she said.
"They are very excited about this," she said. "I have a lot of people who sit at the window rail already. This will be a lot more comfortable for them."
"This is part of the neighborhood," Carlos Braga said. "People tell us they are happy they will have a place to come in to read the paper or to stop by after their morning walk or their evening walk."
The old Dunkin' Donuts will close Saturday night and remain closed through Sunday and Monday to allow workers to move equipment from one building to the other.
"We told all our customers," Braga said. "They understand."
Braga said he expanded his business because of the support from the neighborhood.
"We want to do this for our customers. We hope they will enjoy it," he said. "We will do our best to give good service and be good neighbors."


text:
SHIRLEY — The Avenue of Flags leading from Front Street to Main Street has been a proud reminder of the town's patriotism. Its upkeep is a testament to an Eagle Scout's community service project, with poles inserted in the sidewalks to mount flags of the United States of America, displayed on national holidays.
On Friday, Oct. 11, local Boy Scouts put the flags up along Front Street for the Columbus Day holiday. That evening, two of the flags were stolen from their stanchions and set ablaze.
A 38-year old woman who was apparently staying in a Davis Street apartment has been charged with several crimes stemming from the incident.
According to the police log, the incident began Friday, Oct. 11, at 8:49 p.m., when vandalism was reported near the Net LaundryMat on Front Street, next to the railroad tracks, where charred remnants of a flag pole from the Avenue of Flags was found.
A couple of hours later, another call came in, reporting vandalism at 11 Davis St., where a second pole was found. A suspect at the scene, who fled on foot, was located and arrested about 20 minutes later.
Sgt. Peter Violette arrested the suspect, Darlene Dearville, 38, whose last known address was in Waltham. She was charged with two counts of vandalism and malicious destruction of property, both felonies; two counts of larceny under $250 and two counts of misuse of a United States flag, which is a misdemeanor.
Dearville was transported to the police station, where bail was set. She was held until her arraignment in Ayer District Court this week.
— M.E. Jones


text:
International Car Co. began specializing in caboose production as early as 1941. When the railroads entered the 1960s, many needed to replace their aging, in some cases home shop built, cabooses. International Car responded with a product that could be tailored to each railroad's specific needs. Using quality components and modern engineering, ICC became a leading name within the industry.
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Although cabooses are rarely used in their traditional role anymore, UP and many other railroads retain some for various uses, including as "Shoving Platforms" on locals and switch jobs. Some local and switching duties include long periods of shoving a cut of cars long distances. Since some freight cars are difficult or unsafe for crew members to ride during a shoving move, some railroads retained cabooses to give the crew a better and safer way of protecting reverse movements over long distances.
Perhaps one of the most recognizable icons of American railroading, the caboose completed the train. Cabooses provided shelter for the rear end crew. From the cupola or bay windows, the crew could keep a lookout for shifting loads, damaged equipment, and overheating axles, this was long required for switching and shunting. As rail cars became larger in the late 1950s and early 1960s, there was a real need for cabooses to have greater visibility for the crew. In the extended-vision or wide-vision caboose, the sides of the cupola project beyond the side of the car body. This model was introduced by the International Car Company and saw service on most U.S. railroads. The expanded cupola allowed the crew to see past the top of the taller cars that began to appear after World War II, and also increased the roominess of the cupola area.
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The leader of our new Group in the European parliament, the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR), is the Polish MEP Michal Tomasz Kaminski. He is a very sound conservative, and a good friend of mine, and I am delighted that he is the leader of our new group.. As a teenager in communist Poland, he listened covertly to the BCC and the Voice of America on a clandestine radio set, and he was inspired by Margaret Thatcher and Ronald Reagan. He decided he wanted to be a conservative, and a parliamentarian, and he achieved both ambitions. Elected first to the Polish national parliament, he is now an MEP.
I have travelled with him to America to visit Republican organisations, and the story of how he came to be a conservative goes down a storm in the US.
So it comes as a bit of a surprise to me to find that he is taking some stick from left-leaning British media like the BBC and the Guardian, and worse yet from recently-expelled Conservative MEP Edward Macmillan Scott, for his "racist and homophobic views". I have, needless to say, never heard Kaminski express any such views, despite spending quite a lot of time with him. It was Macmillan Scott, of course, who set out to undermine our new group by making a solo run for the Vice-Presidency of the parliament, in opposition to the new group's official candidate, Kaminski. It is clear that Macmillan Scott, who never wanted to leave the EPP, is setting out to destabilise our new group. Indeed he is openly speculating about whether it will survive.
Kaminski in turn has threatened to sue Macmillan Scott if he repeats these views. It seems that Kaminski's grandfather fought against the Nazis, and it is preposterous to suggest that Kaminski might have any sympathy with racist or fascist views. On the contrary, he has devoted his political career to promoting freedom and democracy, and the independence of his country, and to opposing totalitarianism.
The accusation of homophobia seems to be based on the claim that Kaminski voted against homosexual "marriage". I have no idea whether this is true, although it is certainly the case that his Polish colleague, Konrad Szymanski MEP, has said "We are opposed to homosexual marriages …that is how our MEPs will always vote".
Now I regard myself as liberal and tolerant on the question of homosexuality. I have no interest in telling consenting adults what they may or may not do behind closed doors. I have a number of colleagues whom I believe to be homosexual, and that causes me no problems at all. Indeed there may be more people that I work with, who may be homosexual without my knowing it, since (as a friend once remarked) my "Gay-dar" is poorly developed. I am content to treat people as people, regardless of race or gender or sexual orientation.
But I am, nevertheless, opposed to the concept of homosexual "marriage", on both semantic and social policy grounds.
The institution of marriage has been fundamental to virtually all societies through the whole course of human history, and marriage means the union of a man and a woman, usually with the implicit potential of procreation. That is what the word means. I have no problem with a same-sex couple setting up home together, but it devalues language — and the real institution of marriage — to call such an arrangement "marriage".
But the problem is not merely semantic. Many people naïvely argue that marriage is a private matter between two people, so it is up to them how they organise it. But it is not. Wherever the institution of marriage exists, it is a public contract between three parties — a man, a woman and society. Society recognises that marriage, and the nuclear family which may result, is fundamental to the stability and the future of the society itself. There is overwhelming evidence that children raised in conventional families do better on a whole range of measures than children raised outside marriage. This is not to denigrate single parents, who may do a fine job in difficult circumstances. It is simply a statistical fact. And society therefore recognises marriage, both in local and informal terms, and more formally and generally through the fiscal, legal and welfare systems. There is no comparable societal reason to recognise same-sex relationships.
That is why I think our Polish colleagues are right to vote against homosexual marriage, and why I would join them in doing so.
And while we're mentioning semantic issues, let me point out that the neologism "homophobia" is not so much a word as a political agenda. In psychiatry, a phobia is defined as an irrational fear. I have yet to meet anyone who has an irrational fear of homosexuals, or of homosexuality. So to the extent that the word has any meaning at all, it describes something which simply does not exist. "Homophobia" is merely a propaganda device designed to denigrate and stigmatise those holding conventional opinions, which have been held by most people through most of recorded history. It is frightening evidence of the way in which political correctness is threatening our freedom. It is creating "thought crimes", where merely to hold a conventional opinion is seen, in itself, to be unacceptable and reprehensible. I'm sorry, but I don't buy it.
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True Fakes: Scientists Make Simulated Moondust
Dec. 28 , 2006: Life is tough for a humble grain of dirt on the surface of the Moon. It's peppered with cosmic rays, exposed to solar flares, and battered by micrometeorites--shattered, vaporized and re-condensed countless times over the billions of years. Adding insult to injury, Earthlings want to strip it down to oxygen and other elements for "in situ resource utilization," or ISRU, the process of living off the land when NASA returns to the Moon in the not-so-distant future.
Right: A speck of Moon dirt. The strange shape tells a tale of violence: It results from the welding of rock, mineral and glass by the heat of micrometeoroid impacts. Image credit: David S. McKay, NASA/JSC.
To find out how tricky, researchers would like to test their ideas for ISRU and their designs for lunar rovers on real lunar soil before astronauts return to the Moon. But there's a problem:
"We don't have enough real moondust to go around," says Larry Taylor, director of Planetary Geosciences Institute at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. To run all the tests, "we need to make a well-qualified lunar simulant." And not just a few bags will do. "We need tons of it, mainly for working on technologies for diggers and wheels and machinery on the surface," adds David S. McKay, chief scientist for astrobiology at the Johnson Space Center (JSC).
Taylor and McKay are lead members of a small group of self-styled "lunatics" whose careers have focused on lunar soil and rocks. They are among several consultants to NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), which manages the Lunar Regolith Simulant Development Program.
Carole McLemore is the program manager at Marshall. Back in the 1990s, she explains, researchers used a lunar simulant called JSC-1 developed at JSC. But "there is no more JSC-1 available." So, to get started, researchers at Marshall are working with the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science office at Johnson to create a replica of the JSC-1 simulant: JSC-1A. It comes in three types based on grain size (fine, medium and coarse). MSFC has also begun work on more demanding simulants representing various locations on the Moon.
Until the Apollo astronauts brought lunar soil samples to Earth during 1969-72, the belief was that the Moon's dry, airless environment left the soil largely undisturbed. Reality is much harsher.
Micrometeorites, many smaller than a pencil point, constantly rain onto the surface at up to 100,000 km/hr (about 62,000 mph), chipping off materials or forming microscopic impact craters. Some melt the soil and vaporize and re-condense as glassy coats on other specks of dust. Impacts weld debris into "agglutinates." Complicated interactions with the solar wind convert iron in the soil into myriads of "nano-phase" metallic iron grains just a few nanometers wide.
Above: The lunar surface is exposed to solar wind and constantly pounded by micrometeorites. Credit: Larry Taylor, Univ. of Tennessee. [More]
These processes form the "regolith" -- Greek for stone blanket (litho + rhegos) -- covering the Moon's surface. What greets astronauts and spaceships is a complex material comprising "sharp, abrasive, interlocking fragile glass shards and fragments," Taylor says. It grinds machinery and seals, and damages human lungs.
"Some of the stuff that got into the Apollo spacecraft was very finely ground," McKay said. Dust was everywhere and impossible to brush off. All the lunar astronauts had lung reactions to this dust, some more than others, like Harrison H. (Jack) Schmitt's "lunar dust hay fever."
The Apollo specimens are America's Crown Jewels and are doled out in ultra-small samples to scientists who can demonstrate that nothing else will do for high-value experiments. Renewed interest in lunar exploration in the late 1980s meant that lunar simulants were needed to test schemes for building structures on the Moon or for extracting oxygen and other materials.
That led to JSC-1 in 1993, made of basaltic volcanic cinder cone deposits from a quarry near Flagstaff, AZ. The 25-ton lot -- distributed in 50-pound bags -- proved popular.
"We're totally out, but that's soon to be corrected," said McKay. MSFC has a Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract with Orbitec of Madison, WI, to manufacture about 16 metric tonnes of three types of JSC-1A: 1 tonne of fines (delivered); 14 tonnes of moderate grains (being delivered); and 1 tonne of coarse grains (coming soon). The U.S. Geological Survey in Denver and the University of Colorado at Boulder -- key partners -- are checking the chemical, mineralogical, and geotechnical properties.
Right: This photomicrograph of soil from a lunar mare hints at the underlying variety of genuine Moon dirt and the difficulty of reproducing it. [
"Instead, we will develop root simulants and manufacture specific simulants from these, but also enable investigators to enhance the products as needed," McLemore added. "I liken this process to baking a cake: depending on the type of cake you want, you need certain ingredients for it to come out right and taste right. Getting the recipe right whether for a cake or lunar simulants is critical."
For example, the new mare simulant will be enriched with ilmenite, a crystalline iron-titanium oxide. Source materials used to produce the three simulants will potentially come from locations as diverse as Montana, Arizona, Virginia, Florida, Hawaii, and even some international sites.
Initial lots will weigh just tens of pounds to ensure that the simulant is made correctly. "Eventually we will scale up to larger quantities when we can make sure that there is little variation from batch to batch," McLemore said.
Once NASA understands how to make the various simulants, plans are to farm the work out to companies to produce larger batches. "We will have certification procedures in place for vendors to follow so users know that the simulants meet the NASA standards," McLemore said.
And that will be the best way to tell it's a "true fake." Accept no substitutes.
Investigators and other potential users should contact Carole A. McLemore NASA/MSFC -- VP33, Huntsville, AL 35812 (256-544-2314 or email@example.com)
Author: Dave Dooling | Editor: Dr. Tony Phillips | Credit: Science@NASA
|More to the story...
Lunar Regolith Simulant Materials Workshop -- the online proceedings of this 2005 workshop held at the Marshall Space Flight Center include, e.g.:
Right: A vial of simulated moondust, fine-grained, produced by Orbitec of Madison, Wisconsin. Photo credit: Dr. Tony Phillips.
How do you know when the fake is true? McLemore answers: "We use Apollo core samples and other lunar data to define the figures of merit (FOMs) that we have generated as a mathematical reference to compare the 'goodness' of the simulants against known lunar regolith data." NASA also confers with other groups who have developed their own simulants, such as Japan's FJS-1 and MKS-1 and Canada's OB-1.
Dust, in particular, is a critical simulant need. Mark Hyatt of Glenn Research Center is working to characterize dust for development of a simulant by MSFC. Even Martian soil simulants will need to be developed in time.
"No matter who made the simulant, unless all simulants' properties are understood, there is no way to ensure 'apples to apples' comparison of research performed by scientists and engineers," she cautions. Thus, even the same tests with the same tools can produce conflicting results.
The Vision for Space Exploration


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An avid Xbox gamer died from a blood clot which formed as a result of marathon gaming sessions, an autopsy has revealed.
According to the UK's Sun newspaper, 20-year-old Brit Chris Staniforth, who had never had any serious health problems before, played on his Xbox for up to 12 hours at a time.
The pathologist who performed the autopsy said that the clot, known as deep vein thrombosis, was the cause of Staniforth's death.
Such clots can form in the legs or lower part of the body when a person stays in the same position for a long period of time without taking a break. For the clot to be fatal, it would have to become detached and enter the bloodstream, where it can eventually cause a blockage in the lungs. Air passengers on long-haul flights are particularly at risk if they sit in the same position for the entire journey.
Chris Staniforth's father, David, told the Sun, "Chris lived for his Xbox. When he got into a game he could play it for hours and hours on end, sometimes 12 hours in a stretch. He got sucked in playing Halo online against people from all over the world."
He continued: "I'm not for one minute blaming the manufacturer of Xbox. It isn't their fault that people use them for so long. But I want to highlight the dangers that can arise."
But let's just take a moment to get this into perspective. Most gamers do not die from blood clots caused by playing video games for long stretches. Staniforth was extremely unlucky.
But just as passengers on long-haul flights are advised to do, it would be wise to get up and have a stretch from time to time – it'll prevent the onset of a stiff back if nothing else.
A spokesperson for Xbox-maker Microsoft told the Sun: "We recommend gamers take breaks to exercise as well as make time for other pursuits."
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Notes: FSU "turned" 100 on Saturday
TALLAHASSEE — Florida State hit the century mark on Saturday.
The fourth-ranked Seminoles played against their 100th Top 10 opponent with No. 10 Clemson coming to Tallahassee for a primetime showdown. FSU entered Saturday 42-54-3 against opponents ranked 10th or higher.
This was the fourth time FSU faced Clemson with the Tigers possessing such a ranking. The Seminoles won the 1988 contest against the then-No. 3 Tigers 24-21. The teams also met with identical rankings in 2000, as FSU rolled 54-7, and Clemson won a 1989 matchup 34-23.
FSU had won seven straight games at home against Top 10 teams and was 9-2 all time against the ACC's best. FSU was 21-20-1 since 1992 against top-10 teams.
-- Last week's 52-0 win over Wake Forest gave FSU its first 3-0 start since 2005. FSU sought a 2-0 Atlantic Coast Conference start on Saturday for the 13th time in 21 years in the league.
-- FSU has played 10 true freshmen this season, putting the Seminoles in a tie for 13th in the nation. LSU, Ohio State and TCU were tied for the national lead with 15 entering this weekend's games.
-- Clemson has seven players from Florida, most notably Sammy Watkins, who was a freshman All-American and is a Fort Myers native. FSU defensive tackle Everett Dawkins is from South Carolina. Former Seminoles' standouts Peter Boulware, Greg Jones, Lawrence Timmons and Dekoda Watson also hailed from South Carolina.
-- Injured FSU defensive end Brandon Jenkins was on the sidelines wearing his No. 4 jersey. The senior broke his foot in the season opener against Murray State. His left foot was in a protective boot and he rested it on a moveable cart.
-- ESPN's College GameDay show emanated from Tallahassee for the eighth time, which leads the ACC. FSU also played in its 25th game with GameDay on the campus of a Seminoles' game. Clemson was competing in only its fourth game involving a GameDay site.
-- Quarterbacks EJ Manuel of FSU and Clemson's Tajh Boyd are from Virginia. Manuel is from Virginia Beach and Boyd is a Hampton native. They are two of six ACC quarterbacks from Virginia.
-- Menelik Watson returned to the starting lineup at right tackle for the Seminoles. Daniel Glauser started in his Watson's place last week while he recovered from an ankle injury.
-- Boyd threw a 60-yard scoring pass to DeAndre Hopkins on the Tigers' first drive of the game. It was the first touchdown scored against FSU's defense in 13 quarters this season.
-- FSU outgained Clemson 193-168 in the first quarter. The Seminoles had more balance with 114 yards rushing and 79 passing. The Tigers passed for 138 and rushed for 30.
-- The Seminoles called their three first-half timeouts by the 14:35 mark in the second quarter. They lost one for a failed challenge in the first quarter.
-- Lamarcus Joyner was aggressive with kickoff returns for FSU. He averaged 21 yards on two returns in the first quarter and moved the Seminoles to the 32 with a 30-yard return following Clemson's third score.
-- Sammy Watkins of Clemson was held to 8 yards on one kickoff return in the first quarter and limited to 22 yards for the first half.
-- Clemson led 21-14 at halftime. FSU's Dustin Hopkins missed two field goals. The Seminoles had 311 total yards and the Tigers 253 in the first 30 minutes.
-- FSU's Rodney Smith increased his streak of games with at least one reception to 29. He grabbed a 19-yard pass to open the Seminoles' first drive.
-- Clemson snapped FSU's streak of holding opponents to 19 or fewer points at 11 games.
-- Terrence Brooks recorded a career-high eight tackles for FSU in the first half.


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Per Bylund
Per Bylund, PhD, is a Fellow of the Mises Institute and Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Records-Johnston Professor of Free Enterprise in the School of Entrepreneurship in the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University, and an Associate Fellow of the Ratio Institute in Stockholm. He has previously held positions at Baylor University and the University of Missouri. Dr. Bylund has published research in top journals in both entrepreneurship and management as well as in both the Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics and the Review of Austrian Economics. He is the author of two full-length books: The Seen, the Unseen, and the Unrealized: How Regulations Affect our Everyday Lives, and The Problem of Production: A New Theory of the Firm. He edits the Austrian Economics book series at Agenda Publishing, and edited the volume The Next Generation of Austrian Economics: Essays In Honor of Joseph T. Salerno, published by the Mises Institute. He has founded four business startups and writes a monthly column for Entrepreneur magazine. For more information see PerBylund.com.


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I gave the Jester's Court a 9! This was one of the staple rooms on the show next to the Shrine, Dark Forest, and King's Storeroom. It had one of the most unique objectives on the show and the design for the Jesters on the wall was top notch. It was definitely a step up from the previous rooms too (although I still love you Bamboo Forest ).
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Retail Investors Flee, Lloyd's Work Ethic, Big Bodacious Data, and More
1. Head For the Hills!
Everybody asks: When are the retail investors going to come back? If we keep doing this, they'll never come back.
—Sang Lee (at right), managing partner at Aite Group, on the continuing fallout from the Facebook IPO.
Source: The Wall Street Journal: Nasdaq CEO Lost Touch Amid Facebook Chaos
Greg MacSweeney is editorial director of InformationWeek Financial Services, whose brands include Wall Street & Technology, Bank Systems & Technology, Advanced Trading, and Insurance & Technology. View Full Bio


text: "In many cases, mathematics is an escape from reality. The mathematician finds his own monastic niche and happiness in pursuits that are disconnected from external affairs. Some practice it as if using a drug. Chess sometimes plays a similar role. In their unhappiness over the events of this world, some immerse themselves in a kind of self-sufficiency in mathematics. (Some have engaged in it for this reason alone.)" — Stanislaw Ulam (1909-84)


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Bruins Notebook: Paille leaves dazed
BOSTON — There was little to gain for the Bruins in their final few games of this regular season. The final tangible reward was secured Saturday when they clinched the Presidents' Trophy with a 4-1 win over the Sabres at TD Garden in Game No. 81.
As big a goal as any was to avoid injury. Yet a worst-case scenario occurred with 12:43 to go. Leading 3-1, winger Daniel Paille woozily left the ice after being hit by Buffalo defenseman Jake McCabe and hitting the back of his head on the ice.
Paille stayed down on the ice for a moment and looked dazed as he needed assistance to go down the tunnel to the dressing room. Reilly Smith and Torey Krug guided Paille off the ice.
The team had no update immediately after the game, but it's unlikely Paille will play in Sunday's season finale at New Jersey.
The fourth liner has already missed nine games this season due to two concussions, the most recent suffered March 9. Paille has at least three concussions in the last three years.
McCabe was given a five-minute major penalty for interference and a game misconduct. Gregory Campbell confronted McCabe after the hit and received a roughing penalty.
Having just dumped the puck into the offensive zone, Paille had his head down in front of the Buffalo bench watching the puck when McCabe trucked him.
"It's just sad," David Krejci said. "This time of the year in the third period it's just sad. We need a guy like that. He's been a big part of the team. He brings so much speed on the fourth line and lots of energy. He's good on the PK as well, so it's just a sad day, not just for him but for us as his teammates, so we're going to miss him. Hopefully he'll come back soon, and it's just sad."
Scott again
The Bruins were once again not pleased with Sabres goon John Scott, who concussed Loui Eriksson in October with an elbow to an head that resulted in a seven-game suspension.
The 6-foot-8 Scott took a couple swipes at Patrice Bergeron and Eriksson early in the game. After Milan Lucic was sent to the box for roughing Matt D'Agostini at 7:40 of the second period, Scott waited for Lucic to exit the box and challenged Lucic, making the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Lucic look like a featherweight. Scott took a swing at Lucic's head and appeared to knock out a contact lens.
Zdeno Chara immediately stepped in, put his stick in Scott's face then bear-hugged the brute, with the 6-foot-9 Boston captain whispering a few things in Scott's ear. Scott got an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and a 10-minute misconduct, while Chara got a high-sticking double-minor.
"I don't know exactly what happened over there, I just saw gloves off and Looch kind of standing there so I kind of wanted to move in and jump in," Chara said.
With 3:40 left in the game, both Chara and Scott were sent home for the afternoon with matching game misconducts.
"At the end, I think it was just probably a referee assuming that there was more than there was because I know for a fact when [Sabres goalie Matt Hackett] got hurt there was a lot of chat about, 'Let's not turn this into a bad scene here,' " coach Claude Julien said. "Both teams were willing to keep it clean from here on in. So, I think at the end it was just talk and the referee played it safe and made the safe call."
Back out
Chris Kelly will not play Sunday as he deals with a back injury.
The forward hasn't skated since hurting his back at Minnesota on Tuesday. He'll miss the final three games of the regular season.
"That's too quick," Julien said of a Sunday return. "But again, as far as when the playoffs start, we're optimistic right now, but you know, I can't guarantee anything at this point."
The Bruins are expected to open the postseason Thursday.
Awards day
The Bruins presented their annual awards in the final home game of the season.
Brad Marchand won the Eddie Shore Award, given for demonstrating exceptional hustle and determination. Krejci received the Elizabeth Dufresne Trophy as the Bruins' best player for home games. Tuukka Rask was named the winner of the John P. Bucyk Award for charitable contributions.
The team's Three Stars of the season were Rask, Krejci and Bergeron. …
Hackett left the game on a stretcher with 11:35 left. The rookie goaltender hurt his right leg when Krug was upended and pushed backward onto Hackett's outstretched right leg.
''I just felt like my feet got kicked out from under me, and I landed on his leg,'' Krug said. ''For a second I thought he was OK and then he started screaming. So I feel bad.''
After more than five minutes being attended to on the ice, Hackett was wheeled off. He was not taken to a hospital and flew back to Buffalo with his teammates.
Hackett was replaced by Connor Knapp, who made his NHL debut. Knapp was a college teammate of Smith at Miami University. Coincidentally, Smith had the first shot on goal that Knapp stopped. …
Krejci was awarded the new 'Player of the Game' jacket from Lucic, who was the inaugural recipient last week. …
Devils goalie Martin Brodeur will start against the Bruins on Sunday in what could be the 41-year-old's final appearance in a New Jersey sweater. …
Krug celebrated his 23rd birthday. …
Andrej Meszaros and Corey Potter were the healthy scratches.
Dan Cagen can be reached at 508-626-3848 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @DanCagen.


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Chidambaram aka Thillai Natarajar Temple Pictures
Thillai Natarajah Temple, located in a town called Chidambaram or Chidambaram in Cuddalore district of Tamil Nadu. This Hindu temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. See the pictures below,
Inside Chidambaram Natarajar Temple
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With significant plot developments, emotional character moments, a heavy dose of comedy, and strong use of this show's huge cast, "Intervention" would be a near perfect Young Justice episode if not for two things: exposition and magic. After "The Hunt," the rest of the team has been rescued from the Reach, and Nightwing begins the next phase of their mission: saving Jaime Reyes from the Scarab's control. What follows is an elaborate mix of double crosses, intentional losses, and ancient Bialyan magic, with former Young Justice members Zatanna and Rocket helping out to get Blue Beetle contained. Peter David wrote this week's episode, and the story has his fingerprints all over it. The writer of DC's original Young Justice comic book, David steadily built up a large cast of teenage heroes who dealt with conflicts both fantastic and personal, and "Intervention" strikes that same balance while also incorporating a lot of DC mythology.
The episode begins with Mongul and Black Beetle continuing their fight from last week; the perfect way to build a lot of momentum is to have two hulking bad guys beating the crap out of each other at the very start. Starting with "War," Young Justice delivers a four-episode epic that ends in "Intervention," and the show has sustained a high level of energy and suspense over each chapter. This week, we jump right into the events immediately following "The Hunt," and the newly recovered team is quickly dispatched to rescue Jaime while the Reach is still weakened.
Blue Beetle continues to be paraded around by the Reach, and after stopping Toyman in Metropolis, he panders to the crowd for a bit of signature Peter David comic relief. We get to hear Jaime Reyes inside Beetle's head, lamenting how dumb he must look as the Ambassador forces him to wave endlessly and talk like he's on a superhero radio serial. Luckily, his old teammates are around to get him back in control of his body. As Blue Beetle flies back to Jaime's home, he's ambushed by Batgirl and Impulse, who disrupt the Scarab long enough for Rocket and Zatanna to encase him in a magic-reinforced force field that can't be destroyed by Reach technology. They take Blue Beetle to the ancient Bialyan ruins discovered by Batgirl in "Beneath," where they're attacked by Shimmer, Blockbuster, Devastation, and Green Beetle as Zatanna uses an ancient spell to cut off the Reach's control of the Scarab.
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Good old magic, it's always there to get you out of a storytelling crunch without needing much in the way of an explanation. Turns out the ruins that Batgirl discovered contained the directions for an ancient Bialyan ritual used to cut the Scarab off from the Reach when it first crashed on Earth. Zatanna says a bunch of words while her teammates fight, and the room basically turns into the end of Journey, with a bunch of runes and totems lighting up, summoning a spectral blue woman who sets off a magical explosion that somehow puts Jaime and B'Ars O'Ohm back in control of their bodies. It's the usual type of superhero magic nonsense, but it gets the job done. After completing the spell and saving the Beetles, there's a massive infodump as the team fills Jaime (and viewers) in on the history of the Scarab, from its ancient origins to possession by Dan Garrett and Ted Kord. It's a whole lot of exposition that I would have loved to see as a full flashback episode because it just seems like there's so much potential in a superhero story that has such a heavy pulp influence. Alas, this series only has so much time left, so we just have to settle for snapshots of these stories with some voiceover narration hurrying through the major plot points.
I've written plenty about how fantastic this show is when it comes to action, but it still amazes me how captivating the fight sequences are when the entire team is assembled and working as a well-oiled machine. It's the kind of thrill I had when watching The Avengers last summer during that sequence where the camera moved from hero to hero in the big climactic battle. For a superhero comic fanboy like myself, there's something infinitely exciting about seeing the characters I love on the page brought to life on screen, whether it's in a cartoon or live action. It's part of the reason Justice League Unlimited is so spectacular, constantly introducing new heroes from the comics and translating their look and backstory to fit in the Timm-verse. Young Justice does the same, but with a sleek sci-fi anime aesthetic, and Invasion has been a steady stream of heroes making the transition from the comics to the screen, and then kicking a whole bunch of ass.
When was the last time Bumblebee did something really cool in the comics? Beast Boy? Wonder Girl? These characters aren't being used all that well at DC Comics right now, so it's nice to see them get some time to shine in Young Justice. And yeah, they may not do much, but I'd rather watch Beast Boy transform from a lizard to an elephant and crush a villain over the course of five seconds than read whatever is happening in Ravagers right now. Impulse gets a lot of great moments this week, with director Mel Zwyer taking advantage of the character's super speed for some dynamic slow motion sequences. The action highlight of the episode is when Green Beetle shoots at Zatanna as she's finishing her spell. Impulse sprints forward, grabbing Wonder Girl's lasso that is wrapped around Green Beetle and swinging the Martian into both his and Blue Beetle's blasts, knocking them out as Zatanna completes the ritual.
This week's personal drama comes courtesy of M'Gann (as usual), whose time in captivity has given her clear eyes to look at her relationship with La'Gaan. When she visits him in Atlantis, he gives her a hug and she congratulates his healed leg, but then she drops the "I want to talk" bomb. La'Gaan's not enthused, and he shouldn't be because she's breaking up with him. On the trip back to base, M'Gann tells him they got together because he made her feel better about herself, an unfair reason to pursue a relationship. La'Gann angrily responds that he should be the one to decide if something's unfair to him, but M'Gann breaks it down and bluntly says that he was the rebound guy. She's trying to make the cut as sharp as possible so that he doesn't harbor any affection for her, but she does maybe too good of a job. Especially because La'Gaan is right when he accuses Conner of being involved somehow. M'Gann says that this isn't about him, but when she gets back to base, the first thing she does is ask Nightwing if Connor is around. When she finds out that he's out with Wendy Harris, she's visibly disappointed, but she also shouldn't be going after Conner immediately after breaking up with her boyfriend. That's just rude.
Stray observations:
- DC Nation: It's a rerun of the very Static Shock-influenced first "Thunder and Lightning" short, and what looks like the penultimate chapter of "Amethyst." "Amethyst" channels Sailor Moon hardcore in this chapter, with some glamorous anime action as she takes out the Big Bad and heads back home.
- Peter David suffered a stroke in December, but according to his wife's most recent post on his blog, he's making steady progress ten weeks later. David is a fantastic writer, and I wish him the best of luck with his continuing recovery. Here's how David's fans can help.
- Doesn't M'Gann know you don't break up with someone when you have to take a long awkward drive together after?
- Blue Beetle's staple gun would be the hottest toy of next Halloween if this show wasn't ending in two weeks. (sob)
- Turns out the Scarab likes hanging out with Jaime more than being a slave of the Reach. They're like super best friends forever now.
- "We have to set him free…y'know, before he conquers the Earth and enslaves all mankind."
- "Time to put the Toyman back on the shelf." The Ambassador loves his cheeseball superhero banter.
- "Stop waving! I look like the Queen of England. Great. Now Peter Pan."
- Rocket: "Girlfriend! Some day you have to tell me how you figure out those backwards words so fast." Zatanna: "Maybe backwards is my native tongue." Rocket: "Seriously?"