text:
Tag Archives: lesson
SHORT STORY: LESSON FROM BHASMASURA
June 9, 2020 Uncategorizedashes, asura, bhasmasura, devta, kamlesh tripathi, lesson, mohini, moral, Shiva, shravan charity mission, vishnushravancharitymission
Once an asura with his marathon tapasya and devotion was able to please Lord Shiva and in return obtain from him the powerful 'vardan' to burn anyone to ashes the moment he placed his hand on his head. He therefore came to be known as Bhasmasur that is Bhasma-asura, for he could reduce anyone to ashes by his touch.
Bhasmasur was indeed delighted by this vardan of Shiva. So he decided to try out, his newly acquired power, on Shiva himself. When Shiva learnt of this intention of Bhasmasur he fled in terror and sought the help of Lord Vishnu, who transformed himself into Mohini the apsara to distract Bhasmasur. Overwhelmed by lust, Bhasmasur begged Mohini to marry him. Mohini agreed but laid down a condition that only if Bhasmasur could dance like her. Bhasmasur agreed to her condition. During the course of the dance, Mohini touched her head. The deluded Bhasmasur, blinded by desire, copied her, and he put his hand on his head too, and was burnt to ashes, much to the delight of Shiva.
Moral of the Story: Think before you empower a person with something, whether the person will be able to handle the power or not. Use your brains if you need to copy something and often the wrong man teaches you the right lesson.
SHORT STORY: BIG JOB WRONG MESSAGE
April 14, 2020 Uncategorizedcourtier, kamlesh tripathi, king, kingdom, lesson, maharaj, motal, murder, parable, prisoner, shravan charity mission, society, theft, thief, thunderbolt, timeshravancharitymission
There was once a king who had this strange habit of meeting all the wrong kind of people in his kingdom. He met prisoners charged with murder, theft, so on and so forth. He had directed his prison chief to send him five prisoners every night for a one-on-one. He used to meet them alone but no one knew why.
He had also left instructions that post his meeting no one should cross check with the prisoner about the conversation the king had had with him. And, if ever, it came to his notice that someone in the prison has tried to coax the prisoner to reveal the conversation the prisoner had had with the king that person's head would be guillotined … he would be beheaded.
The learned class in the kingdom could not comprehend this uncommon trait of the king. Failing which, they became extremely weary of this habit of his.
Unable to hold the suspense one day the queen asked the king.
'I understand from the wives of the courtiers that the courtiers are extremely unhappy and suspicious of your habit of meeting prisoners every night. What is it that you want to know from them?'
The king said, 'I get a lot of ground level wisdom from them.'
'Maharaj … wisdom and ground level don't go hand in hand. Moreover, you have your guru, teachers, scriptures and your courtiers for the wisdom required to govern the kingdom. Why don't you keep consulting them on a regular basis instead of meeting these prisoners?'
'Maharani, I keep doing that from time to time. But for governing a kingdom that alone is not sufficient.'
'But why Maharaj? Who could be more intelligent than you and your courtiers? They are the cream and elixir of your kingdom.' The king remained quiet.
One day when the king was passing through his office he saw without being noticed that his courtiers were having a serious discussion. The topic, of course was, the king's meetings with the prisoners. But the king chose not to disturb them. Rather, he remained unfazed and continued with his normal duties.
One day the chief-Priest approached the king. It appeared he wanted to say something. The king got up from his chair with folded hands and said, 'pranam acharya.'
'Aayushman vatsya.' replied the chief priest. But he did not stop there and continued.
'Maharaj! You are such a wise and vivacious personality. In addition, you have, intelligent and renowned courtiers too, and that includes me, yet you keep meeting these immoral prisoners. What wisdom do you derive out of them? Our scriptures alone are so very rich that you could efficiently rule your kingdom with the help of them.'
The king looked at the Chief-Priest and politely said,
'Be that as it may. There is no denying the fact that I have the best of courtiers, and I too, am intelligent enough, to rule the kingdom in the most quintessential manner. But then there are certain limitations.'
'What limitations Maharaj?'
'Limitation of … grassroots wisdom.'
'Can you please explain Maharaj?' said the Chief-Priest.
Hey Acharya, 'Crime is a symptom and not the disease. I meet different kinds of criminals only to find out where I'm faltering in ruling my kingdom. For example when I meet a thief, he gives me, grassroots reality, of why he stole, which my official, may not give me. The information that I get from the prisoner, gives me a sense of, what is in short supply, and where and when. Theft, also conveys to me, that the wealth of the country is disproportionately distributed and that indeed is the reason why some are stealing and some are amassing. A murderer tells me why he murdered a person. He narrates the softer issues, whether it was for money, love or revenge and that conveys to me the unease in the society.
After the crop is harvested, the incidents of food thefts come down because, food is abundantly available, but after a few months it starts all over again when the stocks start depleting. When the crop is sown, theft of water goes up because more water is required to irrigate the crops. This teaches me the equation of demand-supply. So, by meeting prisoners I get these titbits. That gives me the ground sense of the happenings in my kingdom.'
The Chief Priest after a while, thought, it was pointless attempting to convince the king so he left for the day. Nonetheless, the king continued meeting prisoners every day as his routine. While the courtiers did not appreciate the king's gesture of meeting prisoners, the citizenry of his kingdom on the contrary admired and appreciated the gesture.
Time flew. One day the king was interfaced with a young thief. The king asked why he committed the theft.
The young thief replied, 'Maharaj I committed the theft only to meet you. I had heard, every night you meet five criminals … five criminals, so I took a chance and here I am in front of you. Please bless me.'
The king froze as if he was struck by a thunderbolt.
Moral of the story: Although, the king was doing a great job, he was passing the wrong message. The young thief took the easiest route to meet the king by becoming a criminal.
The story goes out as a caution for our rulers and the media.
BOOK REVIEW: SIDDHARTHA–An Indian Tale by Hermann Hesse
March 14, 2020 Uncategorizedamazing reads, amazon, brahmin, buddha, ferryman, germany, gertrude, goldmund, govinda, hermann hesse, kamala, kamaswami, kamlesh tripathi, kapilavasthu, lesson, moral, narcissus, nobel laureate, parable, samana, shravancharitymission, siddhartha an indian tale, steppenwolf, vasudevashravancharitymission
Hermann Hesse is a Nobel Laureate. The copy of the book that I read, is published, by Amazing Reads—an Imprint of India Book Distributors Ltd. The discounted price of this book in Amazon is Rs 79. The subject book is a novella of 127pages.
I have always believed, and I still believe, that whatever good or bad fortune may come our way, we can always give it meaning and transform it into something of value. It is always possible—says the author in the book.
Before I move forward let me give you brief about the author. Herman Hesse was born in Calw, Germany on July 2, 1877 to Johannes and Marie Hesse. They came from different European cultures and were involved in missionary work in India. On account of the parental influence Hesse too, was encouraged to follow the same path, but his love for poetry drove him to spend his early years publishing poems and writing prose.
In 1904, Hesse published his first novel Peter Camenzind, which was well received and gave him his first breakthrough. He followed this book by another one titled, 'Beneath the Wheel. In 1904, along with the release of his first novel, Hermann also found marital bliss with Maria Bernoulli and they went on to have three children. He continued to write novellas and short stories and, in 1910, he published Gertrude, (meaning a female, derived from Germanic roots that meant "spear" and strength). Hermann Hesse, while facing a personal crisis at home, protested German fighting in the First World War that brought him a lot of criticism.
Mirroring his own travels and experiences, Hesse wrote Siddhartha in 1922 and many more books like Steppenwolf in 1927 and Narcissus and Goldmund in 1930. His last novel, The Glass Bead Game, which was published in 1943 took the longest time to complete, following which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in literature in 1946—a laurel he could not receive personally owing to his deteriorating health condition, which led to his demise on August 9, 1962.
Hermann Hesse was deeply influenced by the boundless nature of Indian philosophy—and that inspired him to write Siddhartha one of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century.
Siddhartha, was born into an affluent and privileged Brahmin family, and was loved by one and all. Finding himself dissatisfied with the life he is expected to lead, he forsakes his place among the Brahmins and sets out on a spiritual journey to discover nirvana—a higher state of being. This pursuit leads him through a journey of suffering, self-denial, allurement of wealth and temptations of sensuality; eventually giving up the material world at the bank of a river, where he meets a ferryman who guides him towards his ultimate destiny and shows him how achieving nirvana cannot be taught but persevered by one's own will. Here, at the river, he stops searching and submits to the oneness of all.
The story is set up in the ancient Indian kingdom of Kapilavastu. Siddhartha decides to leave behind his home in the hope of gaining spiritual illumination by becoming an ascetic wandering beggar of the Samanas. Joined by his best friend, Govinda, Siddhartha fasts, becomes homeless, renounces all personal possessions, and intensely meditates, eventually seeking, enlightenment.
Later, both Siddhartha and Govinda acknowledge the elegance of the Buddha's teachings. Govinda, hastily joins the Buddha's order, but Siddhartha does not follow suit, claiming that the Buddha's philosophy, though supremely wise, does not account for the necessarily distinct experiences of each person. He argues that every individual seeks an absolutely unique, personal meaning of life that cannot be presented to him by a teacher. He thus resolves to carry on his quest alone.
Siddhartha crosses a river where a generous ferryman, whom Siddhartha is unable to pay, merrily predicts that Siddhartha will return to the river someday to compensate him in some way. Venturing onward toward city life, Siddhartha discovers Kamala, the most beautiful woman he has ever seen. Kamala, a courtesan, notes Siddhartha's handsome appearance and fast wit, telling him that he must become wealthy to win her affections so that she may teach him the art of love. Although Siddhartha despises materialistic pursuits as a Samana, he agrees now to Kamala's suggestions. She directs him to the employment of one Kamaswami, a local businessman, and insists that he have Kamaswami treat him as an equal rather than an underling. Siddhartha, easily succeeds in that, providing a voice of patience and tranquility, which he had learned from his days as an ascetic, against Kamaswami's fits of passion. Siddhartha gradually becomes a rich man and Kamala's lover, though in his middle years he realizes that the luxurious lifestyle he has chosen is merely an illusion that lacks spiritual fulfillment. Leaving the fast-paced bustle of the city, Siddhartha returns to the river fed up with life and disillusioned, contemplating suicide before falling into a meditative sleep, and is saved only by an internal experience of the holy word, Om. The very next morning, by sheer coincidence, Siddhartha briefly reconnects with Govinda, who is passing through the area as a wandering Buddhist.
Siddhartha decides to live the rest of his life in the presence of the spiritually inspirational river. He thus reunites with the ferryman, named Vasudeva, with whom he begins a humbler way of life. Although, Vasudeva is a simple man, he understands and relates that the river has many voices and significant messages to convey provided someone wants to listen to it.
Some years later, Kamala, now a Buddhist convert, is traveling to see the Buddha at his deathbed. She is accompanied by her reluctant young son, and is bitten by a venomous snake, near Siddhartha's river. Siddhartha recognizes her even after years and realizes that the boy is his own child. After Kamala's death, Siddhartha attempts to console and raise the furiously resistant boy, until one day the child flees altogether. Although Siddhartha is desperate to find his runaway son, Vasudeva urges him to let the boy find his own path, much like Siddhartha did himself in his youth. Listening to the river with Vasudeva, Siddhartha realizes that time is an illusion and that all his feelings and experiences, even those that of suffering, are part of a great and ultimately jubilant fellowship of all things connected in the cyclical unity of nature. After Siddhartha's moment of illumination, Vasudeva claims that his work is done and he must depart into the woods, leaving Siddhartha peacefully fulfilled and alone once more.
Towards the end of his life, Govinda hears about an enlightened ferryman and travels to Siddhartha, not initially recognizing him as his old childhood friend. Govinda asks the now-elderly Siddhartha to relate his wisdom and Siddhartha replies that for every true statement there is an opposite one that is also true; that language and the confines of time lead people to adhere to one fixed belief that does not account for the fullness of the truth. Because nature works in a self-sustaining cycle, every entity carries in it the potential for its opposite and so the world must always be considered complete. Siddhartha simply urges people to identify and love the world in its completeness. He then requests Govinda to kiss his forehead, and when he does, Govinda experiences the visions of timelessness that Siddhartha himself saw with Vasudeva by the river. Govinda bows to his wise friend and Siddhartha smiles radiantly, having found enlightenment. The book ends there.
This indeed is the true picture of life. We run after innumerous things yet we don't find peace and enlightenment.
It's a very fast paced book. I did not like the construct of its sentences nor the punctuation yet the book carries a great message and a great story worth going through for which I would give it seven out of ten.
THE FACEBOOK SYNDROME
March 9, 2020 Uncategorizedajit Tripathi, arab spring, bajrangi bhaijan, Facebook, lesson, maybach exelero, middle east, north africa, shravancharitymission, syndromeshravancharitymission
Those who do not learn from history often repeat it. Social networking sites are mushrooming like bamboo shoots after a spring rain. However, despite all the negative findings of various studies carried out one cannot invalidate the usefulness of the tools of communication.
An industrialised society needs to be highly connected and these social networks fulfil that role admirably. They have rendered distance and time irrelevant, as so effectively brought out in the movie, Bajrangi Bhaijan. Had it not been for the electrifying networking blitz, the poor girl would have never made it home? This apart, their use in marketing and engendering popular support for a social cause is undeniable. The old fashioned word of mouth publicity can be combined with social networking websites to reach public, in geometric progression. This was amply demonstrated during Arab Spring movement across the middle-east and North Africa.
On the flipside it has privacy issues. We use the websites for promoting ourselves and by extension for outsmarting and outreaching our friends by presenting a profile which is ONE UP ON YOU. Reckon a website post showing a photo of someone against the backdrop of an Audi. That someone is likely to get a counter post of his friend against a backdrop of Maybach Exelero. It does not matter how lordly an image your facebook profile may carry. You've got to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was, as the Irish saying goes. Problems don't end there. In the past they have created relationship problems and a lot of heart burns. Both the sides have their arguments for I strongly believe that no two persons ever read the same book.
The essence of their popularity is in their versatility and inalienable democratic spirit. All said and done, social networking websites are what the users make of them. After all it is the driver behind the wheels who makes the car a pleasure or pain.
By Ajit K Tripathi
DRIVING AWAY THE ENGLISH BLUES
February 23, 2020 Uncategorizedajit Tripathi, article, brutus, engender, english, english blues, hearing, ias, lesson, mrs grundy, shravancharitymission, skill, speakingshravancharitymission
Verbal ability is among the most important skills one may possess. Throughout your life people form opinions on the basis of how you speak, how your write, in fact your total deportment. An example comes to my mind: an IAS candidate entering the board room for interview tripped, faltered fell down. One of the members light heartedly said, "So Mr Ram you have fallen down." The quick witted candidate countered, "I hope in good hands." That last line probably got him the coveted job. In areas where communication is of the essence, it is vital to use words effectively and speak without being self-conscious. This will engender increased confidence and pave way to success in school and social life.
How often do we hear teachers ruing lack of speaking skills in students? "The fault dear Brutus is not in our stars but in ourselves" just to borrow a convenient phrase. "Where's your homework? Asked an irritated teacher. The student snugly replied, "I did not brought it"—an oft-repeated mistake which teachers seldom correct on the spot; why, I've not been able to figure out—maybe because of inertia or maybe it is too much trouble. In fact we never insist on the student to explain, communicate and inform in the prescribed language of the period. Thus, a student carries a backlog of wrong usage, mispronunciation and the incorrigible habit of mentally translating from mother tongue, at least up to class XII. No amount of 'speaking & hearing skills' can undo the damage already done in the formative and primary stages of schooling.
Unfortunately, apart from the draconian rules of grammar and forbidding norms of etiquette, there is very little handy material to groom the budding aspirant. We could have wished for modern day Mrs. Grundy, that personification of conventional propriety who had all the answers.
By A.K. Tripathi
The Crows in The Kingdom
October 8, 2019 Uncategorizedakbar, birbal, crow, humour, kamlesh tripathi, kingdom, lesson, life lesson, moral, parable, short story, shravancharitymission, story, witshravancharitymission
Once on a fine sunny day, king Akbar and Birbal were taking a leisure walk in the palace gardens. Suddenly, king Akbar thought of testing Birbal's wits by asking him a tricky question. The Emperor asked Birbal, "How many crows are there in our kingdom?" Birbal could sense the amusement in the king's voice, and within a few minutes Birbal replied, "My lord, there are eighty thousand nine hundred and seventy-one crows in our kingdom". Surprised and amazed, Akbar further tested Birbal, "What if we have more crows than this?" Without giving much thought, Birbal replied, "Oh, then the crows from the other kingdoms must be visiting us''. " What if there are lesser crows, asked Akbar?" "Well, then some of our crows must be visiting other kingdoms", replied Birbal with a grin on his face. Akbar smiled at Birbal's great sense of humour and wit.
Moral of the story:
There is always an answer to any question if one thinks with ease.
SHORT STORY: CHANGE
October 7, 2019 UncategorizedArjuna, beliefs, bhishma pitamah, john locke, kamlesh tripathi, krishna, lesson, mahabharat, moral, parable, shravancharitymission, valuesshravancharitymission
As we grow old ideas always undergo a sea-change. Our perceptions about everything changes with the passage of time. Just before the Battle of Kurukshetra, Arjun told Krishna with rigid and overconfident obstinacy: If a situation arises where I'm required to kill Bhishma Pitamah. I'll rather die than even think of killing him.' Krishna smiled and said to Arjun, 'Drigo charam pashyanti' –Let's see, only time will decide.' Needless to say, Arjuna, the apple of Bhishma's eye, finally had to kill the venerable warrior during the battle.
'Change today's thoughts. Then only can you blossom into a competitive individual,' said English philosopher John Locke.
Khandanmandanam iti nihitam jeevanasya rahasyam—'The essence of life lies in the refutation of one's own values and beliefs.'
Beliefs get fossilised when we refuse to change them.
SHORT STORY: BIRBAL AND THE CABBAGE
September 30, 2019 Uncategorizedakbar, birbal, cabbage, field, kamlesh tripathi, lesson, moral, short story, shravancharitymission, story, story teller, storytelling, vegetablesshravancharitymission
One day Akbar and Birbal were riding through the countryside when they happened to pass by a field where cabbage was being grown.
"Cabbage is such a delight. I love cabbage!" explained Akbar.
"Cabbage is the king of all vegetables my lord!" said Birbal.
A few weeks later they were riding past the cabbage field again.
This time however, the emperor made a face when he saw the vegetables. "I used to love cabbage but now I have no taste for it." said Akbar.
"Cabbage indeed is a tasteless vegetable huzoor." agreed Birbal.
The emperor was astonished at this remark of Birbal.
"But Birbal, last time you said it was the king of vegetables!" pointed Akbar.
"I did," admitted Birbal. "But I am your servant Your Majesty, and not of cabbage."
SHORT STORY: LESSON FROM THE DONKEY
May 30, 2019 causerie, column, fable, moral lesson, parable, short story, short story on wild life, snippet, spiritual, story, storytelling, Uncategorizedbucket, clothes, ditch, donkey, hillock, kamlesh tripathi, lesson, moral, muck, mud, parable, shravancharitymission, steps, walking, washermanshravancharitymission
Once a washer man was going along with his donkey and a bucket filled with clothes. It was pitch dark. They were walking around a small hillock when the donkey fell into a ditch. After falling in the ditch the donkey went into a shock and could not stand properly and so it started braying (hee-haw-hee-haw).
The washer man who was very attached to his donkey. Could not stand the braying of the donkey. So, he decided to bury it thinking its half dead. He soon started throwing bucket full of mud in the ditch to bury the donkey. But after sometime the washer man was shocked to see the donkey limping out of the ditch slowly and soon he started striding as usual.
What had happened was, whenever, the mud was thrown in by the washerman, the donkey used to shake it off, and the mud became steps for him, and stepping on those steps the donkey came out.
Moral of the story: Don't get disheartened when people throw muck at you. Just shake it off as that will further strengthen you to go up in life.


If you have questions about our services, read more about Absolute Kitchens (link to About Us) and our range of kitchen benchtops and products, or read through the frequently asked questions below.
Q: Will you also install my new kitchen?
A: Yes! At Absolute Kitchens, we provide a complete service from design to installation. Simply let us know your requirements and we can get started.
Q: How long will it take for my new kitchen to be installed?
A: Once you've finalised a design with us, your New Zealand kitchen will be installed in around 6 weeks.
Q: Which areas of Auckland do you service?
A: Absolute Kitchens can design, manufacture and install kitchens in the Waitakere, Rodney, North Shore, Franklin and Auckland area. Ask us about our in-home consultation and quote.
Q: Do you also sell appliances for my NZ kitchen?
A: Yes, we can also provide a full range of kitchen appliances if you require them.
Q: How do I know which kitchen benchtop is right for me?
A: This will largely depend on the style of your home design, and what budget you have to work with. Don't worry; at Absolute Kitchens we have something to suit everyone, and we're happy to meet with you to discuss what you want from your new kitchen.
Q: Can you provide new kitchens for people on a tight budget?
A: Of course! We have very affordably priced kitchen options within our range.
Should you have an issue please do not try and remedy it yourself – call us first for advice. Most often it can be quickly and easily resolved.
If you have further questions or would like to book in a free in-home consultation and quote, please get in touch with the team at Absolute Kitchens.
What is the best number to call you on?
"The Bitterness of a poor quality job lasts a lot longer than the sweetness of a cheap price."


text:
« BACK ON: Scientology 'disconnection' billboard OK'd by competitor after Outfront Media bails
Scientology snags a TV news host, and other social media finds around the world »
There's a backstory to the recent news of a Scientology TV ad being banned in the UK
By Tony Ortega | March 7, 2016
[The claim that got this 2015 Scientology ad banned.]
When we saw the news last week that the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) had banned a Scientology television commercial, we immediately assumed that we knew who had made the complaint about the ad that eventually got it taken down.
The TV ad made the same claim — about Scientology's "Volunteer Minister" program aiding some 24 million people — as appeared in a print ad last summer which was the subject of a complaint to the ASA by Underground Bunker commenter Once_Born, who runs the the excellent Scientology Books and Media blog.
We assumed Once_Born was also behind the complaint that took down the TV ad, but it turns out we were wrong about that, as you'll see. But we're still glad that we asked him about it, because he sent over this interesting backgrounder on the ASA and Scientology…
Sadly, I didn't have anything to do with the ban of the Church of Scientology TV advertisement in the UK. I don't even own a TV. However, a previous complaint which I drafted might have had some influence on the fact that this ad was banned, not merely withdrawn.
After some success with a complaint against Narconon Scotland (they took their entire website down and it has never reappeared) I complained about an ad in the magazine New Statesman which made claims about "Volunteer Ministers." I also encouraged others to complain by describing how to do so online. The New Statesman ad was placed as part of a Scientology campaign (which included electronic billboards in London) back when Going Clear, the documentary film, was about to be broadcast.
[The New Statesman advertisement]
The ASA upheld our complaints and Scientology withdrew the ad and promised not to do it again. A subsequent complaint about an online video failed. This made the same claims and included the same images but it was hosted on a US server which fell outside of the ASA's remit.
You have to understand that the ASA is not a government body. Government has avoided statutory press regulation for years, for fear of accusations of censorship. It is an independent organisation paid for by the media it regulates. They are not as rigorous as the law would be.
The first stage of an investigation into a complaint is informal — they try to resolve the situation by persuading the advertiser to voluntarily withdraw or modify a questionable ad. This is what happened with our New Statesman complaint. The only downside for them was that when the complaint was upheld, this fact was recorded on the ASA website.
However, if an advertiser is uncooperative, or proves untrustworthy, a formal investigation can be launched, which has greater powers. It's possible that the ASA looked at previous complaints, saw ours, noted that the Church of Scientology had broken its promised not to repeat specific claims about VMs and escalated. I hope so.
It's also possible that the reporters didn't do their research and characterised another withdrawal as a "ban," but I don't think so.
Ultimately, the ASA has the power to require recalcitrant advertisers to submit copy before it is published, and it has been my aim to force them to do this by demonstrating that Scientology promises cannot be trusted. Consequently I am very interested in UK ads, especially those concerning VMs
In conclusion — I'm disappointed to have missed this opportunity, but glad that someone else took it up.
Thank you, Once_Born. According to the Guardian, the ASA banned the TV ad because Scientology couldn't produce any real evidence that its VM program has benefited 24 million people. We know, of course, that any of the numbers you see in a Scientology ad need to be considered pure fantasy, as we demonstrated more than four years ago.
DeCrescenzo hearing delayed a month
On Friday, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge John P. Doyle decided to postpone a hearing that was scheduled today in Laura DeCrescenzo's forced-abortion lawsuit against the Church of Scientology. The hearing, which will consider Scientology's latest motion for summary judgment in the seven-year lawsuit, will be held on April 5.
Here's Mark Bunker with today's XENU TV archival video: "Shot in 2000, Al Buttnor was brought into Clearwater after the opening of the LMT to help with 'PR chores.' I asked him about one particular task a caller to the LMT had said he performed."
Forward this quote to your friends!
Rod Keller found this extremely depressing post yesterday on Facebook. Does anyone know Desiree? Can anyone tell us the name of her father or his wife? We'd like to look into this a little more.
Posted by Tony Ortega on March 7, 2016 at 07:00
Our book, The Unbreakable Miss Lovely: How the Church of Scientology tried to destroy Paulette Cooper, is on sale at Amazon in paperback and Kindle editions. We've posted photographs of Paulette and scenes from her life at a separate location. Reader Sookie put together a complete index. More information about the book, and our 2015 book tour, can also be found at the book's dedicated page.
March 7th, 2016 | Category: Scientology Propaganda

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Best sports betting sites, Finding the best sports betting sites for USA, Canadian, and Sportsbook bettors around the world that is reputable, trustworthy, and licensed can be tough. Intertops is the best sports betting site and is listed in our best Canadian Sportsbooks section. If you live in the United States of America and are looking for reputable, trustworthy, and licensed USA Online Sportsbooks, take a look at the best sports betting sites online for USA players below.
We listed Multiple Sportsbooks in our list of the best sports betting sites online for USA players. The reason is that most of our readers have between three and five accounts at USA friendly online Sportsbooks so they can search for the best odds and capitalize on a books weak lines. BetAnySports is one of the best USA friendly online sports betting sites for many reasons. BetAnySports has excellent reduced juice options, a wide variety of proposition bets, parlays, teasers, and online Racebooks for exotic wagers. They have an excellent, exclusive welcome bonus when you sign up for BetAnySports through our links or banners, enter BetAnySports bonus code EVBETS, and mention that A-Sportbook.com referred you. For the folks that want multiple Sportsbooks we have more of the top-rated betting sites for sports with mobile applications.
One of the best mobile USA Sportsbooks online is BetOnline. BetOnline is one of the best licensed Sportsbooks with a Sportsbook mobile application that accepts USA players. BetOnline also has a USA online casino, poker room, online racebook, plus scratch cards that residents of The United States of America can play for real money. If you are looking for more of the best sports betting sites online for USA players take a look at www.Every1bets.com.
GET YOUR FREE BET OFFERS!


text:
Home News Taapsee Pannu Taapsee Pannu co-owns Team Pune 7 Aces in Premier Badminton League.
Taapsee Pannu co-owns Team Pune 7 Aces in Premier Badminton League.
Addatoday 10/06/2018 12:59:00 PM News, Taapsee Pannu,
The talented actress is on a full swing. After her impressive performances in Manmarziyaan, she has ventured to fulfill her dream of buying a badminton team. She expresses that badminton is a family sport all over the county (India) and that everyone has at least played once, either for recreation or as a competitive sport. She reveals that as child she was always into sports that included badminton. She also remarks that she is ready to take her love of badminton to the next level.
The Manmarziyaan actress tweeted like this,
Taking my love for sports to the next level.....
proud to Co- own the Pune franchise in @PBLIndiaLive called - Pune 7 Aces
Along with @Kri_talent
😁🏸 pic.twitter.com/buJFgyJsqD
— taapsee pannu (@taapsee) October 6, 2018
Asked why and how she had ventured the idea to buy a badminton team, she says,
I always wanted to get into sport and since, obviously, I couldn't be a player — that's not practical — I wanted to be associated with something that I've played or known well. Badminton has been a special sport for all of us, because everyone has played this sport at least once in their life.
Also, it's not really a switch [from the movies]. A couple of years back, when I started my wedding planning company, people thought the same way: that it's a diversion. It's not. I'm getting into a business where I feel completely disconnected from my main profession: acting. It helps me rejuvenate when I use my energy in different directions, and then come back to acting.
She also reveals her current team strategy, she says,
I'm entering the league with the Pune team. It'd be called Pune Seven Aces. Since the [player] auction is on October 8, in Delhi, my effort will be to have a good mix of ethnicity, so we can have a strong team from all over. The mantra will be, 'make sure they serve the entertainment attached to badminton'. We want to make sure you enjoy the match.
On being asked about her favorite shutter, she replied,
My favourite players will always be my fellow Indians, including PV Sindhu and Saina Nehwal. I always cheer for them, no matter who's playing opposite them.
The actress reveals a sneak peak before announcing the big news in her instagram photo with a shuttlecock in her hand. She posts,
Some announcements deserve due attention. This Leo needs all your attention soon ..... 😁 stepping into a new horizon. Watch this space for more info :) #PushingTheBoundries #InItToWinIt
📷: @munnasphotography
Some announcements deserve due attention. This Leo needs all your attention soon ..... 😁 stepping into a new horizon. Watch this space for more info :) #PushingTheBoundries #InItToWinIt 📷: @munnasphotography
A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) on Oct 5, 2018 at 6:46am PDT
She then posts a video via instagram that gives more insights into her newly purchased team. She writes,
Taking my love for sports to the next level...
Proud to co-own a new franchise in "Premiere Badminton League" season 4 - Pune 7 Aces along with @kri_talent 😁 🏸
Taking my love for sports to the next level... Proud to co-own a new franchise in "Premiere Badminton League" season 4 - Pune 7 Aces along with @kri_talent 😁 🏸
A post shared by Taapsee Pannu (@taapsee) on Oct 5, 2018 at 8:27pm PDT
Tags News Taapsee Pannu
By Addatoday - 10/06/2018 12:59:00 PM
Label: News, Taapsee Pannu


autocad blocks for crusher machines free blocks autocad vertical mill--Henan Mining Heavy Machinery ... Mining Machinery Blocks Autocad - Crusher USA. mining equipment cad blocks free – Grinding Mill China. free blocks autocad vertical mill – beltconveyers.net.
Chat Online; sample bolcks crusher drawings - eitmindia. More Info mobile crusher cad block - thandokhuluhs.co.za. cad inventor block mobile crusher crusher in India. Crusher machine. Shenbang stone crushing equipment is designed to achieve maximum productivity and high reduction.
sample bolcks crusher drawings ALLjaw crusher cad drawingcone crusher cad drawings autocad 2d drawing of crusher sample cad drawings hammer mill . Read more. Simple Jaw CrusherAutoCAD3D CAD model. Simply drawing of jaw crusher to help building chassis and arranging layout in stone crusher plant plus some specification.
Hot Products Used for manual ice crusher drawing Sample Bolcks Crusher Drawings, patented ice toubro limited kansbahal works, sundergarh orissa, ... Get Price Online CAD blocks are named groups of objects that act as a single 2D or 3D object.
mobile crusher drawings grinding mill chinadrawings of a mobile cone crusher drawings of a mobile cone crushercrusher manufacturer cached200 tph typical mobile . ... drawings of a mobile cone crusher - Crusher Machine CAD Drawings, Blocks and Details in Autocad Chain Link Fence drawings of a mobile cone crusher 900 mobile cone .
Typical Crusher In Autocad - surindernarainahuja - free blocks autocad vertical mill, Coal processing system Machine Rock crusher and rock crushing equipment for sale free blocks autocad vertical mill. rice mill plant drawing in autocad - .cnc - Recent models - GrabCAD - CAD .
bolcks crusher drawings - minemining.com. autocad 2d drawing of cone crusher - YouTube 12 Jan 2014 ... AutoCAD Free Style Released 2D Drawing and Sketching Made . cad block crusher to buy - 10 Sep 2013 SMH ... Chat Online. autocad drawings of cone crusher - crusherprice.top.
autocad blocks cone crusher cad drawings autocad blocks cone crusher cad drawings. simple jaw crusher autocad dwgautocad ... Autocad Stone Crushers Plants Drawings ... Read More. autocad stone jaw crusher - rajdhanicollege.in.
jaw crusher cad down tfg. Jaw Crusher Sample Cad Drawings heritagemax.in. ILS offers a variety of models of jaw crushers with File Autocad Drawing Of Jaw Crusher. autocad block rock crusher .mxjaw crusher, computer aided design download file autocad drawing of jaw crusher youtube9 jan drawings jaw crusher cad drawing mobile jaw.
jaw crusher feeder autocad drawing. autocad blocks crusher mineJaw crusher machine autocad blocks cone crusher cad drawings simple jaw crusher autocadd cadFeeders are necessary when we ... Stone samples. More Info Drawing Design Coal Crusher Tph.
When ram progress is slow, so that the fluid demanded by the actuator is ... 1 and 2 of the drawings is mounted on legs 11 and consists of a primary crusher assembly ..... A crusher for crushing stones, concrete and the like materials.


text:
Fitch gives Northwest Territories 'very high' AA- rating
Published: January 11, 2022 at 3:49pm Ollie Williams January 11, 2022
Government of the Northwest Territories offices in downtown Yellowknife. Ollie Williams/Cabin Radio
Ratings agency Fitch on Tuesday assigned an AA- rating to the Government of the Northwest Territories, saying federal backing afforded financial stability but the debt burden was creeping higher.
Fitch's assessments help investors decide whether companies or governments are able to manage their debt appropriately and how likely it is that they might default on debts in the foreseeable future.
AA- is the fourth-highest on a scale of around 20 possible ratings. Fitch calls the AA category a "very high" credit rating with "very strong capacity for payment of financial commitments."
The territorial government, which on Tuesday publicized the rating as an endorsement of its approach, said the rating was the same as that given to Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta, but below Saskatchewan (AA) and British Columbia (AA+).
"The Fitch AA- rating is a signal that the GNWT continues to manage its financial affairs in a responsible manner and gives the GNWT stronger scores for revenue stability, prudent fiscal management, and debt," the territory said in a news release.
The rating was published by Fitch at the NWT government's request after the territory sold bonds worth $180 million in 2020, the first time the territory had taken such an action. (Bonds allow investors to loan the territory money, which is then paid back with interest over time.)
According to the territorial government, it received feedback during that bond sale that having only one rating from a major agency – Moody's, which issued an Aa1 rating in July 2020 – was not enough.
"Financial lenders recommended that the GNWT seek a second rating, so the GNWT acquired the services of Fitch Ratings Inc through a request for proposal process," the territory said.
Summarizing its rating, Fitch said the NWT's "history of careful financial management and the stability of federal transfers" – the annual payments per NWT resident provided by Ottawa – made the territorial government a lower-risk investment.
Fitch said most of the challenges facing the territory are similar to those faced by other governments, but noted the NWT's "debt sustainability looking ahead through fiscal 2025-2026 deteriorates [given its] operating needs and a sizeable capital program."
Whether the AA- rating is maintained depends on the territory's pandemic response, Fitch said, pointing to the NWT's limited population growth, the likelihood that diamond mining will soon "decline rapidly as an economic driver," and the time probably required to rebuild tourism post-pandemic.
A "slower economic recovery without offsetting policy responses" would mean a rating downgrade, Fitch concluded, while lower-than-forecast borrowing in the years ahead could see the rating improve.


The same people who will allow you to eat genetically-modified organism without your knowledge or consent are going to make artificial trans fats illegal.
The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday proposed measures that would all but eliminate artificial trans fats, the artery clogging substance that is a major contributor to heart disease in the United States, from the food supply.
Under the proposal, which is open for public comment for 60 days, the agency would declare that partially hydrogenated oils, the source of trans fats, were no longer "generally recognized as safe," a legal category that permits the use of salt and caffeine, for example.
I actually agree (tentatively) that artificial trans fats are probably best avoided. But all we need is education and labeling to allow people to decide for themselves.
If the FDA wants to stop heart disease, maybe they should repudiate their entire theory of food and health and follow Sweden's example. There are medical experts who believe that carbohydrates and omega-6 oils, staples of the American diet are causing heart disease. Why does the FDA have the authority to rule out such possibilities?
This is a demonstration of how government corrupts science. Make some discovery and call it "public health," and suddenly all the entire education-science complex is directed by funding and to confirm your finding. While scientists, being human, hate to admit their mistakes, politicians and government bureaucrats are much worse. We should be allowed to make our own choices.
It isn't about health. It isn't about well-being. It is about power. The control freaks making this move aren't exercising power because they believe artificial trans fats are really dangerous. They believe artificial trans fats are dangerous because believing so provides them a justification for exercising power. Even if one agrees with them, why not allow consumers to make their own choices?
If anybody cares, this ruling will be a huge burden on some businesses. I'm sure our Food Overlords find the prospect exciting.
The main thing to realize is that this is not Obamacare or any other legislative agenda being driven through Congress. Here in America there is a bureaucracy that can simply order food makers around. The FDA is essentially an unelected dictatorial body.
Giving such a body any kind of authority is un-American. Giving them power over what we feed ourselves is insane. Only slaves live that way.


text:
Final List Set To Counter Fear Of "Non-Local" Voters In Jammu And Kashmir
Saneha Raghuvansi November 24, 2022 in Latest Stories - 3 Minutes
Srinagar:
The fear of enrolling "non-local" voters in Jammu and Kashmir appears to have been unfounded as the revision of electoral rolls in the region has added less than one-third of the projected new voters.
Sources have told NDTV that "around 7 lakh" new voters have been added to electoral list, which is an increase of 10 per cent in the total number. The exercise, carried out after a gap of more than three years, will be formally complete on Friday.
In August, Jammu and Kashmir's Chief Electoral Officer had said that 20-25 lakh new voters would be added during the Special Revision, and that non-locals ordinarily living in the UT would be enrolled. That statement triggered a major controversy and backlash from regional parties who alleged that the central government of the BJP was trying to change poll outcome with inclusion of "imported" voters.
The region had around 76 lakh registered voters before the last Lok Saba elections in May 2019. That number has now risen to 83 lakh, it is learnt. "There may be a small change in the number once the final list is published," said an official.
The completion of the exercise also paves the way for holding assembly elections. The former state is without an elected government for the last more than four years. The last assembly polls were held in 2014.
Jammu and Kashmir became a Union Territory – Ladakh was carved out as a separate UT – as the region was stripped of its statehood and special status in August 2019.
A delimitation exercise to redraw 90 assembly constituencies has been controversial as well. Glaring discrepancies are alleged in allotting seats as population was not made the sole criterion.
The Opposition has alleged gerrymandering to favour the BJP and an attempt to turn Muslims, the UT's demographic majority, into a political minority in many areas.
Last month, Jammu's district magistrate was forced to withdraw a controversial order in which she had asked officials to register non-locals as voters even if they had no documentary proof.
The BJP now says the "fairness" in the revision of electoral rolls is "a slap in the face of the Opposition".
"People were misled that 25 lakh voters from outside will be enrolled. Only 6-7 Lakh voters have been added and they are genuine voters," said Kavinder Gupta, a senior BJP leader of the region.
Opposition party National Conference has said it will wait for the publication of the rolls as election officials have been making contradictory statements.
"There has been lot of apprehension with regard to electoral rolls," said Tanvir Sadiq, the party's chief spokesperson, "Unfortunately, the position of election office has been that of a seesaw. Recently, one of the deputy commissioners issued an order which was only revoked after political parties protested against it."
Officials say around 13,000 employees were involved in the revision, and an extensive, door-to-door campaign was carried out to compete the process in three months.
Before the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir's special constitutional status, only permanent residents were eligible to vote. All those laws defining permanent residents and barring outsiders from owning property and voting rights in Jammu and Kashmir have been done away with in August 2019 when Article 370 was hollowed out.
Fears of land and voting rights to non-locals are also seen as a reason behind frequent targeted attacks by terrorists on migrant workers in Kashmir.
While most of the migrant workers have already moved out before the onset of winter in the Valley, those who stay back allege that police have been asking them to leave. A senior police officer denied these allegations: "Police are only advising these workers not to live in interior areas. They should instead stay in more secure areas."
One-Year-Old Dies Due To Measles In Mumbai, 10 Deaths This Year
Previous: Binance's Changpeng Zao Flags Possible $1 Billion Fund For Distressed Assets: Report
Next: Ratlam News 17 year old Lalit has a rare disease thick hair has grown on his face Know what is the matter | बच्चे के मुंह पर घने-लंबे बाल, लोग मानते हैं बाल हनुमान; क्यों कर रहा 21 साल पूरा होने का इंतजार
Piyush Goyal Launches New Premise Of National Consumer Helpline In Delhi
Air India Delhi Passengers Affected By Fog Can Reschedule Flights For Free
Assam Chief Minister Says 53 'Jihadis' Arrested In State So Far
Saneha Raghuvansi


If you or a family member has been charged with a white-collar crime, you need an experienced criminal defense attorney. Cozzo Law provides aggressive and tenacious representation for our clients in state and federal courts and does everything possible to resolve their charges efficiently and competently.
While some White Collar offenses do not require a jail sentence, some crimes are felonies that can result in significant terms of imprisonment and large fines.


After telecom giant Vodafone, it is now the turn of another cross-border merger involving Indian assets to have landed in a tax tangle. Sanofi-Aventis, which picked up a majority stake in the unlisted Hyderabad-headquartered pharma major Shantha Biotechnics in 2009, has been asked to cough up a capital gain tax amount of Rs 700 crore by the Income Tax (I-T) department. Sanofi has challenged the I-T department's claim and the matter is now in the AP High Court.
Income Tax officials say the case is akin to that of Vodafone, which too is fighting a similar tax battle after it was asked to clear its dues of Rs 11,218 crore as capital gain tax on its acquisition of Hutchison. The IT department in Hyderabad has raised a similar claim on France's biggest drug maker, Sanofi-Aventis, whose acquisition of Shantha Biotechnics was valued at 550 million euros (Rs 3,770 crore).
With the Bombay High Court ruling in the Vodafone matter, the officials of the international tax division of IT department said that their capital gain tax claim on France's biggest drug maker for similar evasion just got a tad stronger.
It is learnt that Sanofi managed to convince both individuals and corporate players in India and abroad to invest in its shares and drew home another Rs 100 crore after its stakes went high following the merger.
Defending its stand Sanofi-Aventis is said to have argued saying that such mergers are not taxable and they have clearly not made any capital gain on the deal.
However, IT officials note that with this first big-ticket deal for a foreign company in the Indian biotech sector, Sanofi got a platform in the country and also access to new products of Shantha Biotech, which is known for its range of vaccines and has been a supplier of vaccines to Asia-Pacific, Africa and Latin America.


text:
Archive for month: December, 2022
You are here: Home1 / Victorian Bushfires PDD2 / 20223 / December
December 29, 2022 /0 Comments/in Press Stop /by Chris Piper
Greta Thunberg has created a brilliant new publication called 'The Climate Book' – see www.theclimatebook.org. This is a comprehensive document, covering over 400 pages. It is divided into five Parts, with a total of 100 short articles written by global experts in their various fields. Each Part has an introduction by Ms Thunberg.
Part 1: How Climate Works
Part 2: How Our Planet is Changing
Part 3: How It Affects Us
Part 4: What We've Done About It
Part 5: What We Must Do Now
The Climate Book is a wonderful resource for humanitarian/development practitioners, tertiary/secondary students, and others involved or interested in Climate Change.
The Climate/Warming Stripes included in both The Climate Book and this TorqAid post were developed by Professor Ed Hawkins and his team at the University of Reading, UK – see https://www.reading.ac.uk/planet/climate-resources/climate-stripes
The Climate Book is now a key resource used in Topic 10 (Disaster Risk Management {DRM} & Climate Change) of our 2023 Participatory Disaster Risk Management (PDRM) program – see www.torqaid.com/2023-pdrm-training
https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Warming-Stripes.png 1890 3780 Chris Piper https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.png Chris Piper2022-12-29 00:55:372022-12-29 00:55:37The Climate Book
December 28, 2022 /0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Chris Piper
All the key 2023 versions of TorqAid diagrams which help illustrate different components of Disaster Risk Management (DRM) situations are now up on the TorqAid website at www.torqaid.com/resources. These are:
The Disaster Risk Management Cycle (DRMC) – for both fast evolving hazards, and slower ones (such as drought)
The Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) diagram – again both both fast evolving hazards and slower ones
The Disaster Risk Management (DRMP) Planning diagram
A Landscape version of the Project Management Cycle (PMC)
All these diagrams are jpegs, and can be freely used for non-commercial purposes. Should they wish to be used for publication then permission will need to be sought from Chris Piper at pipercm@iprimus.com.au. These diagrams have been translated in the past into Indonesian, Burmese and French, and again permission from Chris will will needed if new language versions for 2023 are requested. Finally, the diagrams have the past also been 'branded' by clients in the Pacific and SE Asia, and again contact with Chris will be required to discuss such licensing arrangements.
https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/DRMC-diagram-XXVIII-2023-.jpg 1236 1753 Chris Piper https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.png Chris Piper2022-12-28 05:19:062023-01-16 19:50:472023 TorqAid diagrams
December 6, 2022 /0 Comments/in Uncategorized /by Chris Piper
Highlighted below is a customised Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) timeline, showing key events, and effects of these on the Syrian economy, from 2011 through to 2018.
https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Syrian-DRR-2018.jpg 1230 1754 Chris Piper https://www.torqaid.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/logo.png Chris Piper2022-12-06 06:28:392022-12-06 06:31:17Syria_timeline


Criminalística 1. Front Cover. Juventino Montiel Sosa. Limusa, – Social Science – pages Bibliographic information. QR code for Criminalística 1. Title, Manual de criminalística. Ciencia y técnica · Sección Ciencia y técnica. Author, Juventino Montiel Sosa. Edition, reprint. Publisher, Ciencia y Técnica, Criminalistica 1 has 1 rating and 1 review. Saga Norén said: Ediciones Mexicanas del reconocido Criminalista Montiel Sosa. Hay muy poca.
More information about criminalistica juventino montiel sosa seller Contact this seller 1. Goodreads helps you keep criminalistica ossa montiel sosa of books montirl want to criminalistica juventino montiel sosa.
Criminalistica 1 by Juventino Montiel Sosa. Refresh and try juventkno. An invoice is enclosed with your shipment. Great condition with minimal wear, juvfntino, or shelf wear. Want to Read saving…. Books by Juventino Montiel Sosa. Ely Mg marked it as to-read Sep 14, Friminalistica de amar y derecho a morir.
Thanks for telling us about the problem. There are no criminalistica juventino montiel sosa topics on this book yet. Criminalistica juventino montiel sosa muy poca literatura al respecto, por lo que sus libros son ORO puro en la materia.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Medical Medium Thyroid Criminalistica juventino montiel sosa May contain limited notes, underlining or highlighting that does affect the text.
About Juventino Montiel Sosa. Sea usted el detective. Ediciones Mexicanas del reconocido Criminalista Montiel Sosa. Published by Editorial Tecnos, Madrid Item added to your basket Criminalistica juventino montiel sosa basket. This file contains additional information such as Exif metadata which may have criminalixtica added by the digital camera, scanner, or software program used to create or digitize it. Elevated to criminalistixa category of science, Criminology studies the material evidences or leads to investigate in a scientific way a criminal fact.
Retrieved from " https: The timestamp is only as accurate as the clock in the camera, and it may be completely wrong. Please juvengino images File: PaperbackSecond Editionpages. Show Sisa Show Less. Hay muy poca literatura al respecto, por lo que sus libros son ORO puro en la materia. Una deuda de honor. Best Selling in Nonfiction See criminalistica juventino montiel sosa. Criminalistica 1 it was amazing 5.
This page was last edited on 22 Januaryat Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. To ask other readers questions about Criminalistica 1please sign up.
Montil invoice is enclosed with your shipment. Return to Book Page. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
Please help improve this media file by adding it to one or more categories, so it may be associated with related media files how? If the file has been modified from its original state, some details such as the timestamp may montie fully reflect those of the original file.
The following page uses this file: More information about this seller Contact this seller More information about this seller Contact this seller 7.
Add to Basket Price: More information about this seller Contact this criminalistica juventino montiel sosa 6.


She refused to look at me. I walked into the bedroom around noon on Wednesday. I had hoped to be with Jordan when she watched the DVR of Hillary Clinton's concession speech. She had been asleep when the shocking news streamed through that Donald Trump was our new President. I had meetings in the morning. I hoped by the time I got home Jeanette and I could break the news to Jordan together. Instead, I caught her midway through Secretary Clinton's speech. Jordan was visibly upset.
This was her first time voting. She and I worked together for several days before the election, going through all the initiatives and candidates. She wanted to know a lot about everything that would require her vote. The night before election day, we marked up her sample ballot together. And then on election day we stood in line together and then we went to the voting booth together. I regret that we didn't experience the loss together. Maybe a small part of me is relieved. Jeanette and I were distraught in the early hours of that morning when we heard the news as it happened. I'm not sure we would have been good supports for Jordan then. Now, was probably better.
Back in the voting booth after Jordan cast her vote for President I patted her on the back and said, "you just voted for the President of the United States." She shushed me and told me she was trying to concentrate. This was her resolve. Voting had so much meaning for her. And she was wholeheartedly behind Hillary. I have to say that her spirit motivated me.
I was heartbroken watching her learn that her candidate had lost. Later that day she watched President Obama ask Americans to support President Elect Trump. Jordan stood up forcefully and started to storm out of the room. I stopped her.
Such was our week. The episode, in some ways, reflects the state of our journey.
Jordan has experienced some setbacks in life. There are days when her balance is off. She stumbles around the house before tripping into a bit of despair.
"Why don't I have my balance?" she asks.
"It's just not cooperating today," I'll say. But, of course, I don't know why some days she walks with great confidence and on other days she steps tentatively with arms outstretched for the next solid object.
Then, there are the seizures. They spike here and then. Earlier this week she had three full seizures in the span of 2 days. While she doesn't remember much about them, she gets frustrated that she's having seizures at all.
A few months ago it seemed we had made so much progress this year. We reveled in her accomplishments. She walked over a mile and participated in a SoulCycle ride. Her legs plumped back up with muscle. She was back to school and the wheelchair was in the closet.
Now, we have hit a plateau. She has missed so much school due to seizures and fatigue that she's been assigned a home school teacher. She was not happy about this, but it was necessary. She gets headaches, has a pesky cough that surges to the point of nausea when she feels a seizure coming, and she experiences disruptive nerve spasms that animate her body against her will, leading her to sometimes consider her body an enemy combatant.
We're not taking it lightly. We stepped up the scheduling of her next MRI, if for no other reason than to rule out tumor progression as a cause and help all of us breathe (and sleep) easier.
I've spent a lot of time with Jordan over the past few days. Despite my own disappointment over the election outcome, I've counseled her to see it for what it is: an outcome, but not an ending. It needn't determine our fate. Instead, it should motivate us to take action and participate. It's no different from the way we fight cancer. There's a lot we can't control, so we focus on the things we can. We paint a picture in our mind of the way we want things to be and we do all that we can to make that picture a reality, recognizing that paint will run and the light will change. I'm not always sure how much she understands or believes this. Sometimes, I worry that she believes it too much. No matter. As long as we stick together and retain hope we'll be okay. Of this, I'm entirely confident.
Thank you Larry, for sharing.


On May 1st, 2004 the Westpark Tollway will open from IH-610 to about a mile east of State Highway 6. As you can see in the photos below most of this section is complete. The main construction areas are the entrance and exit ramps at SH 6, the ramps to and from Beltway 8 and intersection at US 59. This series of photos starts near SH 6 and continues to near US 59 .
(High resolution 5150k) Looking west from near State Highway 6. This area is going through site preperation; grading, storm drains, etc. In the back ground is the Eldridge overpass.
(High resolution 456k) Getting closer to Eldridge overpass.
(High resolution 550k) The Eldridge overpass still needs a little work.
(High resolution 506k) Approaching the Synott overpass from the west you can see the temporary exit ramp for west bound traffic.
(High resolution 487k) Here is a look at the extrance ramp.
(High resolution 636k) These apartments are at the Synott intersection. How would you like a freeway out your front window?.
(High resolution 462k) The Dairy Ashford overpass. Note the truck on the overpass. It is one of many waiting for beam placed on the entrance ramp above.
A beam waiting for placement.
(High resolution 362k) Looking west at where Boone road once crossed this area.
(High resolution 462k) Looking back at where the previous photo was shot. Notice the "toll plaza" in the center of the picture.
(High resolution 480k) A closer look at the "toll plaza".
(High resolution 441k) Looking east from the "toll plaza".
(High resolution 447k) Looking at east bound entrance ramp from Beltway 8. The ramp has two feeder ramps that come up from below grade.
(High resolution 661k) This is the underpass at Briarpark. It is only below grade underpass for a minor street.
(High resolution 556k) A wider angle look at the Briarpark underpass.
(High resolution 508k) A distant view of the Gessner exit sign.
(High resolution 459k) A drivers view of the tollway from Westpark..
(High resolution 520k) The exit sign for Fonden.
(High resolution 494k) Approaching the Dunvale intersection. Above left is the west bound exit ramp to Fondren. Above right is the west bound main lanes.
(High resolution 476k) Sitting at the Dunvale light.
(High resolution 424k) Approaching the intersection at Hillcroft.
(High resolution 502k) These are located just before the Hillcroft overpass.


There are various homemade remedies available in order to get rid off from sunburn, you can choose whatever you find is suitable for you.
Tomato is an excellent product that can be used over skin for various purposes. It has the capacity to rejuvenate the skin by removing dark spots. Take a tomato, and scramble it to make 2-3tablespoon of tomato juice. Now mix the juice with double amount of thick milk. Mix well and apply all over the face and exposed areas of the body. If you are having oily skin type, you may add ½ teaspoon of lemon juice into the mixture. Leave it over for one hour and then wash off using fresh cold water.
Cucumber is another useful product that has the ability to lighten dark patches as well as it can also provide a refreshing effect. Take ½ cup of grated cucumber and apply all over the facial surface. Leave it for one hour, wash off with fresh cold water, and pat it dry.
Sandalwood is another enhancement product that aids in true beauty. For oily skin, apply a thin layer of sandalwood paste all over the face. After half an hour, wash it off with fresh rose water. For dry skin, mix the sandalwood paste with thick milk and apply. Keep it for half an hour and then wash it off with cold fresh water.


text:
Open the Johns Hopkins Medicine menu with the enter key and close it with the escape key; use the tab keys to navigate links.
Open the Johns Hopkins search window with the enter key and close it with the escape key;
Treatments, Tests and Therapies
Health Home Conditions and Diseases
Warts are noncancerous skin growths caused by the papillomavirus. Warts are more common in children than adults, although they can develop at any age. Warts can spread to other parts of the body and to other people. There are many different types of warts, due to many different papillomavirus types (more than 100). Warts aren't painful, except when located on the feet. Most warts go away, without treatment, over an extended period of time.
Common types of warts
The following are the more common types of warts:
Common warts
Growths around nails and the back of hands; usually have a rough surface; grayish-yellow or brown in color
Hand and foot warts
Located on the soles of feet (plantar warts) or the palms of the hand (palmar warts) with black dots (clotted blood vessels that once fed them); clusters of plantar warts are called mosaic; can be painful
Flat warts
Small, smooth growths that grow in groups up to 100 at a time; most often appear on children's faces
Grow on the genitals and are occasionally sexually transmitted; are soft and don't have a rough surface like other common warts
Filiform warts
Small, long, narrow growths that usually appear on eyelids, face, or neck
This condition occurs when a virus enters the body through cuts or breaks in the skin and causes non-cancerous growths to build up on the soles of the feet. Plantar warts are not dangerous, but they can be painful and resistant to treatment.
What is the treatment for warts?
Specific treatment for warts will be determined by your doctor based on:
Your age, overall health, and medical history
Extent of the growths
Your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
Expectations for the course of the growths
Your opinion or preference
Warts often disappear without treatment. Treatment of warts depends on several factors, including:
Length of time on the skin
Treatment may include:
Application of salicylic and lactic acid (to soften the infected area)
Freezing with liquid nitrogen
Electrodesiccation (to destroy the wart with an electrical current)
Prescription creams, such as imiquimod
Find Additional Treatment Centers at:
Sibley Memorial Hospital
Suburban Hospital
Viral Infections of the Skin Other Benign Skin Growths
410-955-5000 Maryland
855-695-4872 Outside of Maryland
+1-410-502-7683 International
Rashes and Inflammation
Viral Infections of the Skin
Other Benign Skin Growths
Phone Directory | Patient Care Locations
Notice of Privacy Practices | Privacy Statement
Terms & Conditions of Use | Non-Discrimination Notice
Copyright © 2020 The Johns Hopkins University, The Johns Hopkins Hospital, and Johns Hopkins Health System. All rights reserved.


text:
Ballard Pond ist der Name folgender Seen in den Vereinigten Staaten:

 Ballard Pond (Maine), im Franklin County
 Ballard Pond (New Hampshire), im Rockingham County

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


By request, music from 5/21/95 in Las Vegas.
it only played about 6 mins of the program.
The bias against later Dead is without merit. Dave L. is very careful to not step on Pigpen's toes, but he doesn't hold back in trashing late Dead. I suspect his personal first love for the Dead started to fizzle in the 90's, but not all of us shared that fizzling -- and enjoy a '95 show warts and all in the same way that old Heads enjoy primal Dead warts and all.


text:
K+ Efflux and Retention in Response to N...
K+ Efflux and Retention in Response to NaCl Stress Do Not Predict Salt Tolerance in Contrasting Genotypes of Rice (Oryza sativa L.)
Coskun D., Britto D. T. , Jean Y., Kabir I., TOLAY İ., Torun A. A. , ...Daha Fazla
PLOS ONE, cilt.8, 2013 (SCI İndekslerine Giren Dergi)
Doi Numarası: 10.1371/journal.pone.0057767
Dergi Adı: PLOS ONE
Sudden elevations in external sodium chloride (NaCl) accelerate potassium (K+) efflux across the plasma membrane of plant root cells. It has been proposed that the extent of this acceleration can predict salt tolerance among contrasting cultivars. However, this proposal has not been considered in the context of plant nutritional history, nor has it been explored in rice (Oryza sativa L.), which stands among the world's most important and salt-sensitive crop species. Using efflux analysis with 42 K, coupled with growth and tissue K+ analyses, we examined the short-and long-term effects of NaCl exposure to plant performance within a nutritional matrix that significantly altered tissue-K+ set points in three rice cultivars that differ in salt tolerance: IR29 (sensitive), IR72 (moderate), and Pokkali (tolerant). We show that total short-term K+ release from roots in response to NaCl stress is small (no more than 26% over 45 min) in rice. Despite strong varietal differences, the extent of efflux is shown to be a poor predictor of plant performance on long-term NaCl stress. In fact, no measure of K+ status was found to correlate with plant performance among cultivars either in the presence or absence of NaCl stress. By contrast, shoot Na+ accumulation showed the strongest correlation (a negative one) with biomass, under long-term salinity. Pharmacological evidence suggests that NaCl-induced K+ efflux is a result of membrane disintegrity, possibly as result of osmotic shock, and not due to ion-channel mediation. Taken together, we conclude that, in rice, K+ status (including efflux) is a poor predictor of salt tolerance and overall plant performance and, instead, shoot Na+ accumulation is the key factor in performance decline on NaCl stress.


Shulin has a suite of solutions to help create innovative products.
Our products are delivered to all over the world.
We offer a wide range of world-class bobbins for transformer and inductor manufacturers. Services include: bobbin manufacturing, bakelite/plastic injection molding, automatic pin insertion and hardware parts stamping.
Our products and manufacturing processes are fully complied with VDE, IEC, CSA, UL and all international standards.
We are focused on growing the relationships that are sustainable and mutually beneficial with our customers, suppliers and distributors over the long-term.
Quickly locate information on TAIWAN SHULIN products.
Discover our featured products and more!
Discover our SMD type products and more!
Discover our DIP type products and more!
TAIWAN SHULIN have excellent management team and the elite team in various fields, through a complete solution and services, and customers create a win-win situation and long-term relationship.
In addition to the introduction of sophisticated advanced production equipment, TAIWAN SHULIN's R & D team also actively cooperate with professional research institutions and technical cooperation, and actively develop high value-added new technology, and then provide customer advisory advice, design and development of a full range of services.
Our persistance to quality has never compromised.
Keep abreast of industry trends, through constant innovation to adapt to changing product needs.
We provide complete support to fulfill our customers' needs.
Product specifications, technical documents and more.
Find answers to your questions with our answers.
We are proud to help our customers to solve their most mission-critical challenges.
To ask a question or offer feedback, please find the following information.
Taiwan Shulin Enterprise Co., Ltd.
©2019 Taiwan Shulin Enterprise Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.


The receipt of an order confirmation, via e-mail or other method, does not constitute the acceptance of an order or a confirmation of an offer to sell.
WindsorFineJewelers.com reserves the right to limit the order quantity on any item and/or refuse service to any customer. Verification of information may be required prior to the acceptance of any order.
Information about our customers is an important part of our business, and we are not in the business of selling it to others. We use customer information for communication purposes only, such as responding to your requests, notifying you of special offers, or providing you with useful information.
We will not sell, rent, share, or otherwise disclose personally identifiable information from customers for commercial purposes.
It is important for you to protect against unauthorized access to your password and to your computer. Store your password in a safe place. If you choose to change your password, log on to your account, edit your profile, and modify your password. Using a combination numbers, symbols, and upper and lower case letters is the safest way to create a new password.
Through the use of encryption technology, the transfer of sensitive information on WindsorFineJewelers.com is always protected against theft or other misuse. When purchasing online, a solid key or a locked padlock icon will appear in the lower right of your browser window, indicating that your transaction session is secured through Secure Socket Layer (SSL). SSL is a widely used measure of security on the Internet.
WindsorFineJewelers.com servers are certified through an SSL provider for use with secured access for data transferred involving payment methods and sensitive information.
Our Privacy and Security Notice is subject to periodic change as our business changes. However, we will never change our policies and practices to make them less protective of customer information without the consent of affected customers.
Write to [email protected] 24 hours a day or call us toll free between the hours of 9am and 5pm EST with any questions before ordering.
Making a purchase could not be easier. Just browse our site, and click on any items that you wish to buy using the 'add to cart' buttons. After you have finished your selection, click on "checkout" and you will be asked for a few details that we need to be able to complete your order. You can change the contents of your basket or abandon your order at any time - as your request is not confirmed until you enter payment details.
If you see an item on our website which an 'In Stock' availability status, then we will usually have it in stock and ready for dispatch. Although as the system is a real time one it is possible from time to time that stock becomes unavailable before we have reconciled stock levels on the site, so stock availability should be viewed as a guide rather than a guarentee the item can be shipped. You will be notified within 2 business days if the item you ordered has, in fact, gone out of stock.
Viewing OrdersTo view the status of your order, just log in to My Account to see the latest status of your order. You will also receive emails providing your updates at key stages as your order is processed.Updating Account InformationTo change any information concerning your account just log in to My Account and update your details, including preferred shipping and billing addresses.


text:
Nothing More Demoralizing
by Socrates on October 21, 2016
By Ben Potter and Van Bryan
"Money…there's nothing in the world so demoralizing as money."
So says the 5th-century Greek playwright, Sophocles.
Now, dear reader, we're a student of the classics. We believe that an understanding and appreciation for the literature and history of antiquity can lend us perspective. The classics teach us to think critically, ponder more thoughtfully the questions of our humanity.
That being said, we always wished that the ancient Athenian had elaborated on his claim of monetary demoralization.
What about money is demoralizing?
Is it a deficiency of money that demoralizes man?
Or perhaps an excess? Is money the root of all evil? Or is evil the root of all money?
We don't know. We're being Socratic and merely asking questions. We've only ever claimed to know nothing, and not once have we failed to live up to that standard.
Lucky for us, greater minds than ours have pondered questions of coinage. The ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, of the 4th century BC, had one such mind.
Perhaps our ancient forefather can lend perspective on this subject, and answer for us an age-old question: what exactly is money?
What is money?
Ancient Greece was a time of firsts for the Western World.
First democratic government? Yep.
First masterpieces in literature? Check.
First academic university? Double check. Plato AND Aristotle founded schools in the classical age.
It's unsurprising then that the ancient Greeks were also responsible for minting some of the first coins in the Western world.
Perhaps even more unsurprising is that this was almost immediately followed by the first embezzlement scandal and an ancient version of the military-industrial complex.
See…we really are influenced by the Greeks.
Ancient Greek Tetradrachm
Note: New subscribers to our monthly subscription can recieve their own classical gold tetradrachm for free. Learn more here.
The ancient Greek drachma enjoyed popular usage starting in the Archaic Age of Greece (around 600 BC) right up until the Roman Empire. Ancient coins were originally minted from electrum, a naturally occurring alloy, but over time gold and silver became the preferred metals.
The rising economic influence of the Greeks during the 5th century meant that the ancient drachma was widely accepted across the known world. Ancient coins have been found in Egypt, Rome, and Syria. They even reached as far as the western dwelling Celts.
But all of this so far is just nickel and dime stuff. Practice your best chin stroking, now we get philosophical.
Aristotle, a man who is often regarded as one of the most prolific and influential philosophers of the Western world, had a few ideas on money.
Unlike his predecessor and teacher, Plato, Aristotle felt no need to justify the existence of money. Being the practical guy that he was, Aristotle considered the necessity of money to be self-evident.
When the inhabitants of one country became more dependent on those of another, and they imported what they needed, and exported what they had too much of, money necessarily came into use.
And not to mention, Aristotle says somewhat patronizingly, …
The various necessaries of life are not easily carried about!
Importantly, Aristotle did not claim that money was wealth. Rather, money represented wealth.
How can that be wealth of which a man may have a great abundance and yet perish with hunger, like Midas in the fable, whose insatiable prayer turned everything that was set before him into gold?
Money, to Aristotle, represents olives in the orchard, vases from the potter, wine from the vineyard. Money wasn't wealth, but it could measure wealth.
Fair enough, we've talked about what money is not. What, then, is money?
Well, Aristotle says that money should ideally be five things…
Durable – it must survive the trials and tribulations of daily life, i.e. of being carried around in people's pockets, purses, or even in the mouths of the newly deceased.
Portable – a small item should be of a high value.
Divisible – breaking a coin, either figuratively or literally, should not affect its relative value.
Fungible – mutually exchangeable i.e. it doesn't matter which particular coin you have as long as you have one.
Intrinsically valuable – the coin's material should be a worthwhile commodity (mint coins from gold not concrete).
Ignoring this 5th principle, history tells us, is what can be particularly disastrous.
The Crisis of the 3rd Century
At the outset of the Roman Empire, starting in 27 BC, the preferred Roman currency was the silver denarius. Rome's first Emperor, Augustus, minted coins that were 95% silver.
Ah, but what good idea couldn't be improved with a little monetary manipulation?
Ancient Roman Denarius depicting Titus
The coinage was debased over the centuries; so much so that by 268 AD, there was just under .5% silver in the denarius.When questioned about the devaluation of the currency, Emperor Caracalla (who ruled from 198 to 217 AD) held up his sword and declared…
Not to worry. So long as we have these (gesturing to the sword), we shall not run short of money.
How do you like that for a monetary policy?!
Even non-economists can probably guess what happened next. Hyperinflation ran rampant in the Empire. Prices during this period rose as much as 1000%. This is often referred to as "the crisis of the 3rd century".
Over the next fifty years, 26 different men would claim the seat of power, often through military force. As for Emperor Carcalla-in 217 AD his own soldiers stabbed him to death when the Emperor stopped to take a leak.
History really is fascinating…
Perhaps the madness is best summed up by the 18th century historian Edward Gibbon, when he commented that the great wonder of the Roman Empire was not that it fell, but rather that it lasted as long as it did!
Nothing More Demoralizing?
Aristotle's ideas have been used throughout the ages in order to justify or denigrate various economic policies and innovations; from fiat printing to the most recent phenomenon of crypto-currencies.
By now we're feeling Socratic again. Are Aristotle's ideas on money outdated or, perhaps worse, standing in the way of progress? Or are we, like the Romans, teeing off for our own crisis of the third century?
Over the centuries the great teacher has been proven wrong (he contended that flies had four legs and that women had fewer teeth than men). So, at times, society was only able to progress once it had rejected Aristotle's assertions. Do his ideas on sound money fall into this category of outdated philosophical fodder?
Again, we have no answers… Perhaps that's the most demoralizing thought of all.
Posted in Economics - No comments
No comments yet. You should be kind and add one!
Our apologies, you must be logged in to post a comment.


Tel Aviv - After Israel was accused of forcing Ethiopian women to accept injections of the contraceptive Depo-Provera in an attempt to lower birth rates among black immigrants, an official has for the first time admitted use of the drug among Ethiopian women.
In a letter to the Israeli Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu, Sharona Eliahu-Chai of the Association of Civil Rights in Israel, demanded that the Israeli health authorities stop administering the injections immediately. The letter also demanded that the authorities conduct an investigation into allegations stemming from the practice.
The Association of Civil Rights in Israel is a group that represents several women's rights and Ethiopian immigrants' groups.
The National reports that Hedva Eyal, project coordinator of a women's rights research group, said in Haifa: "I believe there is a deliberate targeting of these [Ethiopian] women."
According to The National, Eyal and other activists say that the birth rate in the Ethiopian community in Israel has halved in the past 10 years. Eyal's civil rights group and six others have asked the Israeli health ministry to explain the widespread use of Depo-Provera injections among Ethiopians.
Haaretz reports an Israeli government official has for the first time acknowledged the practice of injecting women of Ethiopian origin with the long-acting contraceptive Depo-Provera.
Haaretz reports that the Health Ministry Director General Prof. Ron Gamzu, has instructed the four health maintenance organizations in the country to stop the practice immediately. The Israeli ministry and other state agencies have for long denied allegations that the government-funded health facilities were targeting Ethiopian women for selective use of the contraceptive.
Gamzu's directive instructed "all gynecologists in the HMOs not to renew prescriptions for Depo-Provera for women if for any reason there is concern that they might not understand the ramifications of the treatment."
The drug is given by injection every three months, The National reports. Doctors consider it a birth-control method of last resort because of the side effects associated with its use.
Observers note that the ministry's response side-stepped the allegation raised that the authorities were targeting Ethiopian women. The response did not say whether there were explicit policy guidelines underlying prescription of the drug or for how long government-funded health facilities have administered the drug to African women of Ethiopian origin. The response also gave no hint about how many women of Ethiopian origin were involved.
The allegation that the Israeli authorities were targeting Ethiopian women for prescription of the drug Depo-Provera was first reported five years ago. The National reports that in 2009, Eyal supervised a study that showed that 57 percent of Depo-Provera users in Israel were Ethiopian, although their community was less than 2 per cent of the population.
The National reports that about 90,000 Ethiopians have immigrated to Israel since the 1980s, but rabbis have questioned the claims that the Ethiopians are Jews and many Israelis also doubt it.
According to The National, "Ethiopians... face widespread discrimination in jobs, housing and education and... their blood donations were routinely discarded." According to Eyal, "the unspoken policy is that only children who are white and Ashkenazi are wanted in Israel."
A report by the Israel Education Television said medical staff pressure Ethiopian women to take Depo-Provera at transit centers in Ethiopia where they are prepared for immigration.
Indepth Africa reports that interviews with 35 Ethiopian immigrants provided evidence that explain the almost 50-percent decrease in birth rate among Israel's Ethiopian community in the past decade.
According to one of the women interviewed, "They told us they are inoculations. They told us people who frequently give birth suffer. We took it every three months. We said we didn't want to." According to the report, officials threatened to deny some applicants entry into Israel if they refused to accept the injection.
In her 2009 study, Eyal described the drug use as part of an "unspoken [official] policy" aimed to "reduce the births in a community that is mostly black and poor."
The National reports that allegations of racism against the Israeli state have been an issue among the more the 60,000 African migrants and asylum seekers in Israel.
Rioters injured many asylum seekers in Tel Aviv in May last year after politicians incited them with speeches against illegal Sudanese and Eritreans. According to The National, Miri Negev, a politician of the ruling Likud party, told supporters asylum seekers were a "cancer in our body."
According to reports, the state of Israel routinely denies refugee status to Africans fleeing war zones. Israel is reportedly building a detention facility in the Negev desert to house African immigrants and asylum seekers, The National reports.


text:
The Escapist Portal > The Escapist Forums > The News Room
Watch and Weep: DragonStrike's 1993 Video Tutorial
Pages 1 2 NEXT
Thread IndexSearch ForumsPosting GuidelinesContact Moderators
vansau
1 POSTED: 10 Jan 2011 18:30
If you thought Jeremy Irons chewed up the scenery in the Dungeons & Dragons movie, just wait until you see the actors in this video.
Dungeons & Dragons is somewhat notorious for having terrible movies associated with the franchise, but folks don't realize just how far back that legacy extends. Many people know of the so-bad-it's-good movie from 2000 and its even more terrible sequel. As it turns out, TSR released this gem on VHS along with the board game DragonStrike and it's so cheesy that it could probably feed a family for quite some time.
The video was designed to serve as an intro and tutorial to the game, which was based on a simplified version of D&D. It features some horrid dialogue, ridiculous costumes, cringe-worthy acting, and some hysterical 1990s CGI and animated backgrounds.
On top of all this, Wikipedia states that the video isn't even an accurate reflection of the game itself: "The method by which the players in the video play the game bears only a moderate resemblance to the actual game as described in the official rulebook."
The movie is just over a half hour long, which means that it's the perfect way to start your next Bad Movie Night. You can try to watch it all the way through on your own, but, honestly, it kind of hurts if you try to do so (due to all the times you smack your forehead).
ArmorFan
too late, the avgn did it already. lol
Slycne
Heh, I actually played the game once, though we didn't watch this... gem.
The Lost Big Boss
Hey! Spoony did this!
SnootyEnglishman
Thanks to James Rolfe aka Board James aka AVGN i have seen that and laughed at it silliness. But i appreciate the cheap laugh again though.
teh_Canape
seems like y'all forgot good old Mazes and Monsters, with the ever-lovely Tom Hanks
Ironic Pirate
I got as far as the fight scene.
It was... embarrassingly bad.
When I was a kid my friend had the game Dragonstrike. I'm embarrassed to say we watched the movie more than we actually played the game because we thought it was "cool." Ah the folly of youth.
Malgayne
I watched this video growing up and adored it, in all it's awfulness.
It was also written by Flint Dille, the same guy who wrote the original Transformers movie, and the first Uncharted game.
Therumancer
10 POSTED: 10 Jan 2011 19:10
teh_Canape:
"Mazes and Monsters" actually has a somewhat legitimate excuse though, because it's very loosely based on real events.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dungeon_Master
The problem is that Gary Gygax was apparently questioned about those events and was extremely flippant about the answers he gave, and apparently wound up antagonizing a lot of people while thinking he was simply generating publicity. He didn't understand how many people's eyes were on the incident at the time. What he reportedly said though was supposed to have been taken well out of context though.
The real events inspired the BOOK "Mazes and Monsters" (A Novel)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mazes_and_Monsters_(novel)
Which in turn lead to the development of the Tom Hanks movie, and a lot of misunderstandings based around some things from that book being taken seriously (and even saw things like entirely fictitious letters being used as evidence to support the connections).
I routinely caution people in the fandom communities to be VERY careful how they defend their hobbies, whether it be PnP RPGs, or Computer Games, because there are two sides to every story and the side your not on will almost invariably have some legitimate points or a grain of truth in what they are saying, especially if it's a big (ongoing) issue. By mocking the other side because you think your right, all you do is pour gas on the fire and actually make yourself look foolish, and your position as being unapprochable.
At any rate for those who (hopefully) read this far, the best BAD movie inspired by RPGs is actually not "Mazes and Monsters" which tended to be realistic. Oh no, let's not forget that we've seen an actual, bona-fide horror movie made out of the idea:
http://www.somethingawful.com/d/movie-reviews/skullduggery.php
Their review probably captures it best and gives a synopsis (Wiki only has a stub that I can find). I've watched this, and yes, it's as they say.
There was also an episode of "Kung-Fu: The Legend Continues" with people playing an ancient chinese RPG-type game (actually sort of like Talisman, for those familiar with it) which is actually a device through which a long-dead sorceror attempts to possess people and resurrect himself.
But really, if you ever have a bad movie night with a bunch of gamers, I whole heartedly recommend "Skullduggery", it's both awful and amusing. I think Rotten Tomatos gave it like 3%.
Altorin
ArmorFan:
Spoony did it first.
Casual Shinji
For as long as I can remember I always wanted to be a wise and noble head floating in a dark oblivion.
I guess this video is the next best thing.
DJShire
I had this game....watching the vid for the first time was interesting, because I looked at the game, and the vid, then the game, and was like "this....the vid was made before final production wasn't it? Cause barely a damn thing matches up, especially not the miniatures". The miniatures in the vid were way more detailed than the production models.
Layzor
AVGN and Spoony beat ya to it I'm afriad.
The_root_of_all_evil
Therumancer:
In the same way that The Philadelphia Experiment was based on true events...
Totally made-up excuse for something that never happened, and then over-dramatised in a horrible film that set out specifically to attack the demon of the time.
In fact, about as "true" as Faux News report on the "unbridled virtual sex" of Mass Effect.
VitusPrime
"Please cast your pause VCR spell now."
Priceless...I actually enjoyed that video somehow...perhaps slight memories of my DnD days...
Scars Unseen
I had this when I was a teenager. It was pretty fun for what it was. We were already playing AD&D though, so it was a short lived novelty. Hero Quest was better.
The Great JT
Yes we know Spoony and Board James mocked these without mercy (Spoony's was far better, if only because he did it for the whole movie) but it's still cheesy fun.
And yes, it was written by a pair of stupid orcs (I checked, it's not racist!).
Space Spoons
I remember reading ads for this in my comic books. "It's a video! It's a game! It's DRAGONSTRIKE!"
Even when I was a little kid, and therefore kinda dumb, I thought it looked a little ridiculous.
VanityGirl
Interesting to say the least. I've never even played this and I never want to.
jericu
I got this when I was like, ten, and I watched the video over and over because of how awesome I thought it was. I know now that it's lame, but this video is probably the main reason I now play tabletop RPGs.
SomebodyNowhere
Well now I want to go watch Spoony's video
viranimus
God.. I remember this. I owned this when i was an early teen. It was basically my introduction into the world of D&D. So much so when I played my first game of D&D I was kinda stunned there was no board and was perpelexed by all this card nonsense.
It was alright, but honestly, I didnt really have enough people to play it with or people with enough patience to try and figure it out.
I was so nostalgic, that I looked this up on amazon and the thing sells supposedly new for 250$ I might be nostalgic, but not 250$ worth.
There was also another game similar to this that came out at about the same time with a large playmat about the size of a round dinner table, divided into hexagons and had miniatures. The game played sort of like a primitive RTS. Would love to know what that game was called now.
Warachia
Just watch the spooney one riff on this instead of watching the actual video. One of his better works.
Eogris
This was the perfect game (as an 8 year old, it was my older brother's) to just completely disregard the rules and screw around and have fun with. When my brother and his friends decided to actually play for real they would start out by watching the VHS (the video shown in that youtube link) and by the time it was over we would play for about 5 minutes and go play something else or go outside lol. I still think we have the box in our basement somewhere.
Recently, I showed this video to my college friends. It's very funny/quotable.
Sober Thal
Awwwwww! I wanted to be the Dragon Master
Treblaine
Spoony One riffs on Dragonstrike:
http://spoonyexperiment.com/2008/01/05/dragon-strike-board-game-review/
"BB-BLAAAAGOOOOOOOLE!!!"
Moosh50
Old news are old.
Ashsaver
Ahh yes....i remember casting the "pause" spell several times before.
But not with Dragon Strike,i didn't cast pause spell on it,i casted EJECT spell on it.
Rad Party God
I... can't... stop... watching... too... much... cheese...
Seriously though, I watched the whole thing and I tought it was pretty funny, I laughed so hard in parts anyone else would cringe and slap their foreheads.
I think I'm in love with 80's and early 90's cheesiness.
Vohn_exel
I've never cared for the AVGN. For some reason, his angry swearing just doesn't have the well placed impact that Yahtzee's does. Where I find Yahtzee funny, AVGN just gets on my nerves some. So this is new to me. Man, I love some bad movies like that...but I just couldn't watch it now.
SL33TBL1ND
Bookmarking this for later. Thanks guys.
The movie is not all that bad if you treat it as a video-manual. I mean how many board games come with a video tutorial?
P.S.: The warrior looks more lika a barbarian or a member of the Manowar band. The rogue is pretty hot, though.
Mechsoap
It uses the most powerful information processor in the world, your brain.
You can tell how old it is by this line.
Dana22
Actually, that was pretty entertaining.
Back To TopThread IndexPosting Guidelines Select Forum ...DiscussionGaming DiscussionOff-topic DiscussionSite Information and AnnouncementsUser ReviewsAdvice ForumCurrent EventsRole PlayingTech DiscussionForum GamesThe Escapist CommentaryFeatured ContentThe News Room Jump To Forum:
Posting on this forum is disabled.