text:
Rifle-wielding gunman wounds lawmaker, then killed by police
| Giovedi, Giugno 15, 2017
He was transported to MedStar Washington Hospital Center, where he is now undergoing surgery. Rep. Steve Scalise , the number three Republican in House leadership, was shot, along with two Capitol Police officers, a congressional aide, and a lobbyist, according to law enforcement. [Full Article...]
Conservative lawmaker known for love of baseball
A congressional staffer, Zach Barth, was also injured . Two police officers, a congressional aide and a lobbyist were also shot. Mika is director of government relations for Tyson Foods Washington , D.C., office and has worked for the company for more than six years. [Full Article...]
Louisiana congressman shot at baseball practice
Politicians on both sides of the aisle took to social media to decry the shooting. Paul told MSNBC he was practicing in a batting cage just outside the fence to the baseball field when the shots started. The shooter fired 50 or 60 rounds, the Kentucky senator said. One of the officers was shot in the chest. Other members of Congress helped him, including Rep. [Full Article...]
Rifle-wielding attacker wounds GOP leader, killed by police
James Hodgkinson , 66, of IL, showed support for Sanders on his Facebook page, along with rhetoric critical of President Donald Trump . One committee that did not cancel its activity for the day was the House Foreign Affairs panel, which went ahead with testimony from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson about his department's 2018 budget request. [Full Article...]
May to form minority 'government of certainty'
Conservative MP Anna Soubry was the first in the party to disavow Ms May in public, calling on the Prime Minister to "consider her position". British media reported that there will be no formal coalition as neither party thinks it is necessary. [Full Article...]
Real Madrid has 'full confidence' in Cristiano Ronaldo over tax issue
A club statement said Ronaldo has "always shown ... a clear will to fulfil all his tax obligations". Ronaldo's agent denied any wrongdoing. Gestifute, the agency representing the Portugal captain, said in a lengthy statement posted on its website the matter is a complex financial one. [Full Article...]
US Attorney General calls Russian Federation collusion accusation "detestable lie"
If he did have a conversation with the ambassador, it was "certainly nothing improper". In March, Sessions stepped aside from the federal investigation into contacts between Russian Federation and the presidential campaign after acknowledging that he had met twice previous year with Kislyak. [Full Article...]
'I am safe.' Rep. Duncan on gunman shooting at Congressional Republicans
Nothing in his hands at all, that I noticed. "Had they not been there I think it would have been a massacre", Paul told CNN. "He, uh, moved [to] a new position to get us in a line of fire", Loudermilk said. "I don't know why I made a decision to try to get on the road by ten after seven, instead of seven thirty", he added. Marco Rubio quickly tweeted out his support to the Capitol Police an... [Full Article...]
Grandma's Dog Disguised As Baby To Sneak Into Hospital
Speaking to Metro.co.uk , Hennick explained her grandma is very attached to the dog , who she's had for 13 years. My grandma is in the hospital right now and wanted to see her dog. Hennick has received so much feedback, "I didn't think there was even this many people on Twitter", she said. She tweeted people were reaching out to her from all over the world, including Brazil, Uganda and Austr... [Full Article...]
Special Counsel Mueller Reportedly Looking Into Obstruction of Justice by Trump
It began over the weekend when Trump's lawyer wouldn't rule it out; then his associate Newt Gingrich appeared to call for it, as did some conservative commentators; Trump's friend Chris Ruddy said he was actually considering it. However, people close to the president said he may not change his mind if he comes to know the Russian Federation investigation was compromised. It would be hard... [Full Article...]
Video Obtained of Shooting at GOP Baseball Practice
In a message directed to Rep. Steve Scalise , the Louisiana Republican wounded in the attack, Trump said: "America is praying for you, and America is praying for all of the victims of this bad shooting". Rep. Mo Brooks reportedly said that several other people were injured , including two law enforcement officers. "With reports indicating that Wednesday morning's shooter is from ... [Full Article...]
Hill Russia investigators plow forward, Mueller meetings on horizon
It wasn't clear whether Ruddy, who speaks with the president often, was basing his remarks on a specific conversation with the president or entirely on Sekulow's comments. Still, Gingrich said any special counsel with an agenda can "all of the sudden find something procedural and technical to latch onto". Susan Collins of Maine what he would do if Trump ordered him to fire Mueller, Rosenstein said... [Full Article...]
Fire engulfs tower block in west London
And in the face of such unimaginable horror, I'm certain their good wishes went a long way. A baby thrown from the window of a blazing high-rise apartment building in London early Wednesday fell at least nine floors before being caught by a bystander, according to a witness. [Full Article...]
Sessions calls allegations of collusion with Russia appalling
A former Republican senator, Sessions was an early supporter of Trump's presidential campaign, but sources say there has been tension between the two men in recent weeks because Trump was annoyed that Sessions recused himself from the Russian Federation probe. [Full Article...]
Mueller investigating Trump for obstruction of justice
Rosenstein said he was the only Justice Department official who could dismiss Mueller because Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself from oversight of the Russian investigation because of his staunch support of Trump during the campaign and later revelations that he had met twice with Russia's ambassador to Washington. [Full Article...]
Macron's party headed for big French parliamentary majority
The far-right National Front (FN) was seen third with 13.1-14 per cent. Marine Le Pen's FN party was left disappointed as she struggles to rebound from her bruising defeat by Macron in the presidential run-off, with the party's result largely unchanged from the first round of the 2012 vote. [Full Article...]
Sessions to face sharp questions on Russian Federation contacts
Sessions previously offered to resign because of tensions with Trump over his recusal decision. Sessions shot back: "I am not stonewalling . You are impeding this investigation". Asked Monday if the White House thought Sessions should invoke executive privilege to avoid answering questions about his conversations with Trump, presidential spokesman Sean Spicer replied, "It depends on the scope o... [Full Article...]
Sharing Wi-Fi Passwords More Easily with iOS 11
I know, processing power on mobile devices is still not quite there yet. Other parts include an Apple A10X Fusion chip with 64-bit architecture and embedded M10 coprocessor, Flash memory supplied by Toshiba and the same NXP 67V04 NFC controller found in the iPad 5, iPhone 7 , and Apple Watch Series 2. [Full Article...]
Hostages held, 9 killed in attack at Somalia restaurant
The operation took place about 185 miles southwest of Mogadishu and was carried out in coordination with US regional partners as a "direct response" to the actions of al-Shabab, which include recent attacks on Somali forces, according to the Pentagon. [Full Article...]
Steve King ties baseball shooting to violence from 'The Left'
Steve King reacted angrily to the shooting at a congressional Republican baseball practice Wednesday morning, tying the suspected gunman to violence "from the Left". It was revived in 1962. Legislators and staff members have been practicing in the run-up to the charity game, which normally draws 10,000 to 15,000 people. [Full Article...]
« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 Next »
Libia: Conte, 'disponibili a forza interposizione pace Ue'
Ue. Biodiversità: il Parlamento europeo chiede obiettivi vincolanti
Bel tempo fino a giovedì (poi arrivano le piogge)
Salvini ironizza su un ragazzo con Dsa, Sardine: è cyberbullismo
Migranti:von der Leyen, novità per marzo
Libia: Di Maio, chiamare Tunisia e Paesi vicini a Berlino - Politica
Trump firma l'intesa con la Cina: "Passo importante per un commercio equo"
After London fire, desperate pleas for missing residents
May 'sorry' for election result which cost Tory MPs their seats
Spider-Man Is A Real Superhero in PS4 Gameplay Reveal
5 things we learned at Jeff Sessions' hearing
Russian Federation collusion claim 'detestable lie': US Attorney General
Sony Comments on Why They're Blocking Cross-Play
SHOWDOWN: Sessions battles top Democratic senator over Comey's testimony
Democrats Fuming Over Sessions' Refusal to Answer Questions
What Witnesses Saw When Gunfire Struck A Congressional Baseball Practice
Will Donald Trump prevent James Comey from testifying in Russian Federation investigation?
© 2020 nsg-italia.com. All Rights Reserved.


I am happy to report that grasses were planted at four locations in Florida. Starting in the North at Quincy to Tampa area (Balm) to Fort Pierce and then ending in Fort Lauderdale. All plants were planted in June 2012. All of the cutlivars were planted in Fort Lauderdale while only 12 (replicated trials) were planted at the other locations. For our own curiosity we added two Florida ecotypes to trial – Stuart and Miami. In the link you will see the initial height and width of plants as well as our flower and plant ratings for the summer months in FL.


If you're interested in playing online casino games and getting the chance to win some real money without having to wager money of your own, then you will be happy to know that there are many free online slots that give you this chance.
As the world of online gambling has grown significantly in the last decade, finding no deposit slots sites is very easy. The best online gambling sites have dozens or even hundreds of slot games for you to choose from. That way, you will have a high chance of finding at least a couple that you enjoy playing.
At Boomtown Bingo, we know that players love to play slots for fun before depositing their own money. This is why we bring you a selection of free slot games from various brands.
There are a number of online slot sites out there. Our company try our very best to find you the top rated slot sites, so you are able to register and begin enjoying the games right away. Free online slots may be played from a number of different devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and even PCs.
All of the websites we show you have got specific games and features which will appeal to you, even if you're new to gaming online. A lot of the top slot websites have numerous jackpots, promotional offers, features together with fantastic payouts which could be won.
Online slots with free signup bonus promotions have a lot more to offer you rather than slot machines in casinos, bars and restaurants. Free internet slot sites with bonus rounds can be found, in addition to jackpots which could rise to cash over hundreds and maybe thousands of pounds.
What are Free Slot Games and How Do They Work?
Simply put, free slots are online slot games that you can play without having to pay anything. They're a virtual version of the fruit machines that you would find at many land-based casinos, and they work in a similar way.
You will find several types of free play slots games on the Internet and you can play them using mobile slot apps or desktop applications. They range from the simple and classic three-reel fruit machines with one payline, all the way to video slots bonus offers with dozens of possible winning combinations and several promotional features that give you not only a more entertaining experience but also more opportunities to win.
If you want to play slots for free, you have two basic options. Nearly all online casinos and some gambling portals give you a chance to play free slot games for fun. This is often referred to as the "free play slots" or "play for fun" mode.
You get the opportunity to play free slots games without making any deposit, as you play with either points or virtual money, which could be compared to Monopoly money in real life. You can play the same slot games as people who deposit real money, without depositing yourself.
We try our very best to help you to pick the ideal online slot website for you. To reduce the number of websites you need to register with before finding the right one for you, we have made an effort to reduce them to the best choice sites. That is why we've developed a variety of overviews and also critiques related to unique slot sites for you to see.
Many of these websites will offer a slots no deposit bonus which you can claim when you sign up. It's common for brands to have this kind of promotion as it enables new players to get started by playing for fun without risking their own money. There are several different software providers including Microgaming slot games which create these features.
We're conscious that each person has completely different opinions, which is why we will present to you the different features of each and every site. We have come across a number of online slot games that require no deposits and no downloads. Brand new internet gamblers find these sites considerably more appealing, as they may test the sites prior to sticking to them.
These free spins slots can provide you with hours of entertainment. If you're new to online gambling in April 2019 and want to get some practice before you consider depositing real money, they can also be a great way to try out some of the games.
You can learn how internet fruit machines and new casino sites work and maybe even try some betting strategies that you've come up with to see how well they would work using free online slots. Some of these offers may be given for specific games like Starburst slots, for example, 100 free spins Starburst no deposit is a popular one that you could find on different sites.
Online slot sites with free spins offer players the chance to test a new game for free. No-deposit online slot websites allow for a variety of games to be played without a deposit being placed down, that makes these sorts of websites very popular with gamers on the web.
We've examined a great number of these types of sites for you to look at. Once you have looked at our reviews, you should be capable of finding a site that you'll like to play on.
Playing free slots involves creating a new casino account in "real money" mode and then taking advantage of a bonus offer which puts free money into your account without first requiring you to make any deposits.
As the online gambling industry is very competitive and players have thousands of casinos to choose from, gambling site operators are eager to attract new players by giving them generous bonus offers, including free slots no deposit win real money options.
The exact amount of the bonus will vary from one casino to the next and can range from £5 all the way to £100 or more. Sometimes it will be offered as free play bonuses such as 30 free spins no deposit required keep what you win which is a common promotion from some websites.
When you take advantage of such an offer, you get to play free slots win real money no deposit required. On the other hand, if you lose, then you haven't actually lost any of your own money.
But if luck is really on your side, you might walk away winning a great amount. Check out our free money no deposit casino list to see the sites which currently offer free play on a variety of games.
Can you actually cash out your winnings from a no deposit site?
When you play no deposit slots keep what you win UK, you can withdraw your winnings just like you would if you had made a deposit. Casinos give you a variety of payment methods to get your winnings sent to you, such as bank transfer or an e-wallet service like PayPal for slot games.
It's important to look at which banking methods are provided before signing up to a site so you know if they are suitable for you. Many now offer cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin slot sites and others like Ethereum and Funfair.
One important detail to consider is that some providers will limit the amount of money you can cash out if you take advantage of a no deposit slots win real money offer.
This amount can range from £100 to several thousand pounds. If you have received an offer such as a casino 30 free spins no deposit promotion, you should check the terms and conditions to see what the rules are.
It will be shown in the online slot offer terms and conditions. If you can't find it, you can always get in touch with the customer support to ask whether there is a limit to how much of your winning you can actually cash out if you play with a non-paid bonus. There will be many sites offering free slots no deposit keep winnings so you can take home the money you win by playing without even having to pay.
Some casinos automatically add the bonus when you open your account, with no other actions required on your part. Some have you enter a provided bonus code in the "cashier" section to get the bonus put into your account.
There are a few casinos where you need to claim the bonus manually. This can be done by filling out an online form or contacting their customer support by email, live chat or phone.
Other rules may apply as well, including country restrictions. There are a few that don't accept players from the UK. However, the vast majority do, so finding no deposit slots UK isn't going to be a problem.
Often you'll be able to find 200 free spins or other similar offers depending on the brands you are looking at. It's a good idea to shop around the different options and see which ones are offering what you want. The game selection may help make your mind too if you are looking for particular features to play.
If you are from another country you may find that certain brands have restrictions. It all depends on their licensing and where they are able to promote and run their games. It's best to check before signing up so you can make sure if the website would be suitable.
Do You Need a Credit Card to Play Free Slots?
At most casinos, the free no deposit slots offer doesn't require you to register a credit card. However, there are some sites which require that you make a small deposit, ranging from £1 to £20 before you can withdraw any winnings. If you don't want to do this, there are many free slots no deposit no card details casinos out there that you can play at instead.
Slot machines are a popular gambling game around the world. These kinds of slot machines can be seen in betting houses, bars, restaurants as well as pubs. Ever since gambling has gotten more popular online, a lot of people have begun to play online slot activities and particularly free play slots.
The reason why fruit machine games and online slot websites are so common is the big payouts available, in addition to the fun and exciting features. Try out the top free casino websites online today and make the most of the current offers.
Online slots for real money are enjoyable both for new and also present players. Sadly, often the gamblers do not have time to visit a betting house or even on their own personal computer; that is why a lot of mobile phone applications are actually produced.
The main advantage of an app is that the gambler can enjoy at their leisure. Many various functions are offered on these kinds of apps, some which include jackpots, bonus rounds, nudges and also extra spin offers.
As said before, it is essential that you are making sure the website you're using is reliable and trustworthy before installing the application and signing up. Be sure to check out some of our reviews for the no deposit slots sites April 2019 if you are interested in joining one of these today.
Leading into 2019 and 2020 then the free slot login bonuses might be harder to find. In the UK tax implications have hit these non-wagering welcome offers.
In 2019 I believe they will need to be careful or the promotions of the words FREE. Many brands have started to rename this fair spins and leading into 2020 the gambling commissions will certainly be looking closely into this.
You may also have seen similar deals on free bingo sites which can be found online. It's important to always check the terms for these offers and make sure you know all the rules before singing up.
In previous years like 2017 and 2016 then the signup deals were all the rage. It makes sense to promote this because allows the online gamers to play for fun before having to make any money deposits.
Have your say on whether you feel offering a non-depositing bonus offer to signup and login to play the brand is good or bad for the industry.
At boomtownbingo we feel it is a zero risk way to allow online players to test the games. When playing the slot games you can actually still win real money. So with no risk depositing your hard earned cash you can still have the chance on winning real money.
Would love your thoughts on this by sharing on social media and seeing what everyone thinks because moving into 2019 and 2020 legislations might change.


text:
a POODLE DOODLES Halloween
A Perfect Costume
A black man and his wife were going to a Halloween party in a couple of days.
So the husband tells his wife to go to the store and get costumes for them to wear.
When he comes home that night he goes into the bedroom and there laid out on the bed is a Superman costume.
The husband yells at his wife, "What are you doing? Have you ever heard of a black Superman? Take this back and get me something else I can wear."
The next day the wife, not too happy, returns the costume and gets a replacement.
The Husband comes home from work goes to the bedroom, and there, laid out on the bed, is a Batman costume.
He again yells at his wife, "What are you doing? Have you ever heard of a black Batman? Take this back and get me something I can wear to the costume party!"
The next morning his irate wife goes shopping.
When the husband comes home again from work, there laid out on the bed are three items: one is a set of three white buttons, the second is a thick white belt, and the third item is 2 x 4.
The husband yells at the wife, "What the hell are these for?"
The wife yells back, "Take your clothes off. You can put the three white buttons on the front of you and go as a domino. If you don't like that one, you can put the white belt on and go as an Oreo. And if you don't like THAT one, you can stick the 2 x 4 up your ass and go as a fudgesicle."
Aarrggh!
A man with a bald head and a wooden leg gets invited to a Halloween party.
He doesn't know what costume to wear to hide his head and his leg so he writes to a fancy dress company to explain the problem.
A few days later he receives a parcel with a note.
"Dear Sir, please find enclosed a pirate's outfit. The spotted handkerchief will cover your bald head and with your wooden leg you will be just right as a pirate."
The man thinks this is terrible because they have just emphasized his wooden leg and so he writes a really rude letter of complaint.
A week passes and he receives another parcel and a note which says: "Dear Sir, sorry about before, please find enclosed a monk's habit. The long robe will cover your wooden leg and with your bald head you will really look the part."
Now the man is really annoyed since they have gone from emphasizing his wooden leg to emphasizing his bald head and he writes the company a scathing letter of complaint.
The next day he receives a small parcel and a note which reads: "Dear Sir, please find enclosed a jar of caramel.
Pour the jar of caramel over your bald head, stick your wooden leg up your ass and go as a Candy Apple!"
Ladies Pick the Costume That Describes Your Man
(Click each image to embiggen)
(Images Left to right: Cock Out; Hung Like Horse; Snake Charmer; A Prick)
Curmudgeon responsible for this post: Hale McKay at 5:38 PM
Trick Me - Treat Me
♥ When this witch tricks — it's a treat! ♥
Top Signs That You're Too Old to Trick or Treat...☺
10. You get winded from knocking on the door.
9. You have to have another kid chew the candy for you.
8. You ask for high fiber candy only.
7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag, you lose
your balance and fall over.
6. People say, "What a scary mask!" but you're not wearing
a mask!
5. When the door opens you yell, "Trick or..." and can't
remember the rest.
4. By the end of the night, you have a bag full of
restraining orders.
3. You have to carefully choose a costume that won't
dislodge your hairpiece.
2. You're the only Power Ranger in the neighborhood with
a walker.
1. You ♂ avoid going to ⌂ houses where your ♀ ex-wife lives.
ℑ pulled this from my archives of October 31, 2005. On that Halloween night I was having computer problems. To record those problems for posterity, I wrote up a parody of Bobby "Boris" Picket's The Monster Mash.
The Microsoft Crash
I was working on my blog late one night
When my eyes beheld an eerie sight,
For my monitor on the desk begin to flash
And suddenly my PC began to crash;
....(It did the crash.) It was the Microsoft crash.
....(It did the crash.) It was a grave hard smash.
....(It did the crash.) It shutdown in a flash.
....(It did the crash.) It did the Microsoft crash.
From my blogatory in the castle west
To the plaster rooms where everyone slept,
The gals all came from their humble blanket
To see if I would hit the PC or if I'd spank it.
....(Chorus)....
The techies were having fun,
The system crash had begun;
Outside it was storming,
The servors went down with no warning!
The scene was rocking hearing the friggin sounds
Of all my yelling backed by our barking hounds:
The wall bangers were mad and they said
"Enough with the vocals, get up - go to bed!"
Above all my coughin' the PC began to worsen
Seems it was troubled by just one person.
It then opened a window and said to click restart
I stretched and yawned, loosed a belch and a fart.
Now everything's cool, Pointmeister's back on line
And my Microsoft Crash is gone till another time.
For you, the sleeping , this blog was meant too
When you get to my blog, tell them Boris sent you.
☺ Remember, separate your favorite candy - you wouldn't want to be handing out the good stuff, would you?
12 Pies In The Face
Inf-Obama-Mercial
Sometime after midnight last night, a visitor tripped the site meter to hit number 200,000! A gracious thanks to everyone who visit here.
....And on Mount Sinus He gave to him two tablets and said, "Take two and call me in the morning."
"That was possibly the biggest waste of television air time since that low-speed car chase of a certain white Bronco!" - the Pointmeister
"It used to be that only rain or some other act of God would delay the World Series, but I guess network execs figured an Obama infomercial was close enough." - John McCain
Depending on what polls you read, Republican candidate John McCain has narrowed the gap between himself and Democrat Barack Obama by 3 to 6 percentage points. It would appear that Obama's ill-advised choice to run a 30 minute, $3-$4 million dollar infomercial on the major networks and several smaller cable networks may have cost him.
It's all a matter of timing. In this case, it was bad timing. Ask those who are struggling to survive in this recessionary economy. Ask those who are facing foreclosures, losing their pension plans, and seeing their futures go down the toilet, what they could do with $3 or $4 million dollars!
After sitting through that rhetoric filled half hour I went outside to put out the trash for tomorrow morning pickup. A nearby neighbor, a 75-year-old widower, was doing the same thing. He called out to me and asked what I thought of Obama's air time.
He didn't really give me the opportunity to answer. "If I'd only had 1% of that money six months ago, I wouldn't have had to sell my house and move in with my son and his wife and their four kids and those two mangy dogs." He was shaking his fist. I said to him that he was lucky to have found a buyer for the house. I guess he didn't see it that way.
He said, "Can anyone answer me this question? Is that man running for office because he wants to the President or because he wants to be the first black President? And don't tell me there is no difference!"
He went in his house mumbling about taking all those damn pills he couldn't afford and that it was too damn cold and he was going to bed. (I'd be remiss not to mention that he is himself, a black man.)
By the way, I understand there were plenty of people in both Philadelphia and the Tampa area who were quite upset that Obama chose to preempt the pregame introductions to the World Series game.
Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies, the 2008 World Series Champions.
A tip of the hat to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for an outstanding "worst-to-first" season.
The following was received in an e-mail from John, a sometime contributor of material I use here from time to time.
To show his impartiality, University of Tennessee student David Kernell, who hacked into Governor Sarah Palin's private e-mail, did likewise to Senator Obama's, herewith,
From: Barack Obama [mailto:boarmpits@yahoo.com]
To: bshollywoodhills.com
Subject: RE: Cabinet Maker
Hey Babs,
Thanks for the kind words. The notion that, 'people who need people, are the luckiest people in the world', could not be truer, and by the way, one of my favorites, of all your songs.
Appreciate the offer of looking after the girls if Michelle and I decide to have a quiet evening, once I become POTUS.To tell you the truth, I'm going to add a few things to the Vice President's job description. I think Joe "The Babysitter" would be a great job for my VP. My eldest daughter is about the same age I was, when Joe was first elected to the Senate. You know Joe, he can tell some whoppers, which will be good entertainment for the girls.
Let me think about your request of being Ambassador to the Vatican. Hillary sorta hinted that she might like it, figuring Bill wouldn't be likely to get into old habits (no pun intended) if he was surrounded by all those religious types, if you know what I mean. I think Jeremiah Wright was also talking about that post but I've got to admit, after listening to him for some 20 odd years I still don't always hear or understand him.
Thanks for the suggestion of Jack Bauer for Secretary of Homeland Security but I think he's still under contract to shoot more episodes of 24.Don't forget that's FOX, I don't have a lot of time for that network, as you know.
I've got some ideas for my cabinet and other positions in my administration which I'd like to share FOR YOUR EYES AND NOSE ONLY:
Attorney General: Judge Mathis or Judge Judy
Secretary of Agriculture: A. Corn
Secretary of Commerce: Tony Rezko
Secretary of Defense: William 'Refrigerator' Perry – Da Bears
Secretary of Education: William Ayers
Secretary of Energy: Mayor Daley –he died in 1976 but he's still on the voter registration
Secretary of Health & Human Services: Smokey Robinson
Secretary of Homeland Security: The New York Times
Secretary of Housing & Urban Development: Tina Fey – just to stir McCain's 'plumbing'
Secretary of Interior: Martha Stewart
Secretary of Labor: Fannie May
Secretary of State: Sean Penn – the only one to go mano-a-mano with Hugo Chavez
Secretary of Transportation: Ralph Kramden
Secretary of Treasury: Freddie Mac
Secretary of Veterans Affairs: Gov. James E. McGreevey
Chief of Staff: Jay Silverheels – "That right, Kemo Obama"
Environmental Protection Agency: Al Gore – who else could fill that carbon footprint
National Drug Control: Dennis Rodman
Thanks John. (I still think you should consider doing a blog of your own.)
These Won't Make You Mensa Eligible
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT PROBABLY DON'T
1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.
2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana)
3. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle'.
4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and
down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.
5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.
6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was
albino.
9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother an d sister.
11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces
will kill a small sized dog
12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark's
stomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.
13. Most lipstick contains fish scales (eeww).
14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland because he doesn't wear
15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.
16. Upper and lower case letters are named 'upper' and 'lower' because
in the time when all original print had to be set in individual
letters, the upper case' letters were stored in the case on top of the
case that stored the smaller, 'lower case' letters.
17. Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other
at the same time. (Hence,multi-tasking was invented.)
18. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II
were made of wood.
19. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casinos.
20. The name Wendy was made up for the book Peter Pan; there was never
a recorded Wendy before!
21. There are no words in the dictionary that rhyme with: orange,
purple, and silver!
22. Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to
paint Mona Lisa's lips.
23. A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad
and sting itself to death.
24. The mask used by Michael Myers in the original 'Halloween' was a
Captain Kirk's mask painted white.
25. If you have three quarters, four dimes, and four pennies, you have
$1.19. You also have the largest amount of money in coins without being
able to make change for a dollar (good to know.)
26. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink
in quicksand (and you thought this list was completely useless.)
27. The phrase 'rule of thumb' is derived from an old Engl ish law,
which stated that you couldn't beat your wife with anything wider than
your thumb.
28. The first product Motorola started to develop was a record player
for automobiles. At that time, the most known player on the market was
the Victrola, so they called themselves Motorola.
29. Celery has negative calories! It takes more calories to eat a piece
of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. It's the same with
30. Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying!
31. The glue on Israeli postage stamps is certified kosher..
32. Guinness Book of Records holds the record for being the book most
often stolen from Public Libraries.
33. Astronauts are not allowed to eat beans before they go into space
because passing wind in a space suit damages it. I NEED TO REMEMBER
34. George Carlin said it best about Martha Stewart. 'Boy, I feel a
lot safer now that she' s behind bars.. O. J. Simpson and Kobe Bryant
are still walking around; Osama Bin Laden too, but they take the ONE
woman in America willing to cook, clean, and work in the yard, and they
haul her off to jail.'
35. The National Forestry's mascot is named Smokey Bear and NOT Smokey the Bear.
It's Looking A Lot Like ...
It has gotten to the point that if we didn't have calendars hanging on our walls or sitting on our desks, we would have no idea if we should be shopping for Halloween candy, picking up a turkey, buying Christmas gifts, or selecting that perfect card for our Valentine sweethearts!
Heaven forbid if we also happen to have friends and loved ones celebrating birthdays and anniversaries during this time of the year.
A Haunted White House
If it isn't bad enough that we are confused about the holidays, now we have to rethink what is and isn't a racial statement.
The "Trick-or-Treating" game has been in play ever since Hillary was swept under the rug after her failed dirt war with Obama. Whether intended or perceived, the Obama camp has decried nearly every word spoken by McCain as racially insensitive.
It seems that the Obama supporters are scared out of their wits by Republican remarks, and they aren't wearing scary costumes.
Elizabeth Edwards of the Democratic Underground website suggested that Sarah Palin's white suit jacket evokes images of the Ku Klux Klan! Said an unnamed Obama-cite, "She might as well wear a white hood and set a cross on fire." A poster to the site referred to her as the Grand Princess of the KKK.
Let me see if I have this right ... If she's wearing white stockings, drinking vanilla milkshakes and is referring to budgetary black holes, these are racially charged incitements? Perhaps she should drink more coffee — without cream — to avoid blinding us with her bright white teeth.
So where does that leave me? For starters, I don't know which holiday to celebrate. Secondly, it is apparent that I can see the difference between black and white. Why can't Obama and his supporters?
Thirdly, which costume should I wear on the 31st?
A Stone's Throw
Sunday POODLE DOODLES
Cold Shower
One Giant Step For Dogkind
I liked the following joke I found over at Mushy's, and I liked it enough to "harvest" it for today's post.
There once was an Indian who had only one testicle and whose
given name was 'Onestone'. He hated that name and
asked everyone not to call him Onestone.
After years and years of torment, Onestone finally cracked
and said,' If anyone calls me Onestone again I will kill them!'
The word got around and nobody called him that any more.
Then one day a young woman named Blue Bird forgot and
said, 'Good morning, Onestone.'
He jumped up, grabbed her and took her deep into the forest
where he made love to her all day and all night.
He made love to her all the next day, until Blue Bird died from exhaustion.
The word got around that Onestone meant what he promised he would do.
Years went by and no one dared call him by his given name until
A woman named Yellow Bird returned to the village after being away.
Yellow Bird , who was Blue Bird's cousin,
was overjoyed when she saw Onestone.
She hugged him and said, 'Good to see you, Onestone.'
Onestone grabbed her, took her deep into the forest, then he
made love to her all day, made love to her all night,
made love to her all the next day, made love to
her all the next night, but Yellow Bird wouldn't die!
OH, come on...take a guess!!!
Think about it!!!
You're going to love this!!!
Everyone knows...
You can't kill Two Birds
with OneStone!No.1506
Saturday POODLE DOODLES
What's Up, Dock?
My sore throat is better and I pretty much have regained my voice. So far so good for my weekend of convalescence!
I was able to adhere to most of the schedule I'd set forth in yesterday's post.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was all I'd heard it would be. Great movie. It ranks right up there with the first two films in the series.
I really enjoyed The Incredible Hulk. It was much better than Ang Lee's version in which the monster appeared as an obvious computer generated image. The new film used superior graphics and the Hulk character looked real enough. Like the Marvel comic book, this Hulk was angrier and more destructive than the previous incarnation.
10,000 BC was another good movie. I especially liked the Æ sopean touch wherein the hero rescues a vicious saber toothed tiger from drowning, and later in the film the beast returns the favor and saves him.
From the three titles mentioned above, you've probably guessed that I'm into action and special effect laden films, and you'd be correct.
The only deviation from original plans for the day was that I opted for more sleep vs watching the remake of King Kong.
After this post, I'll watch the Ohio St. - Penn St. football game and probably take in some of the World Series. I'm sure it won't be long after that before I fall asleep for the rest of the night.
At Home - At the Movies
It's going to be a stay-in-the-house-stay-bundled-up-stay-on-the-drugs kind of a weekend for me.
I woke up this past Monday with a slight sore throat. I ignored it, figuring it would pass. During the day and by the time I got home after work, it had not passed. It had worsened.
I toughed it out and went to work Tuesday through this Friday afternoon. What ever it was ailing me, it wasn't going away. On Thursday, I lost my voice for most of the day. Today I went through hot and cold spells. It was beginning to look like I might have a touch of the flu.
I immediately started a scavenger hunt for the medicines I could find in the medicine cabinet and other places around the house. I found some packets of TheraFlu, a bottle of Ny-Quil nightime cough medicine, a bottle of Vicks Formula 44 and all kinds of pills and tablets for colds.
Then I found a couple of nips of Seagram's Crown Royal! What they were doing in the medicine cabinet I don't know, but I'm sure I can put them to good use - for medicinal purpose only, mind you.
Having secured some treatments to supplement the planned rest and sleep, I prepared my Lazy Boy and the end table next to it.
Blanket and pillow - check!
Tissues - check!
Some magazines - check!
Crossword and Sudoku books, one of each - check!
A book to read - check!
Some movies on DVD to watch - check!
Cell phone close at hand - check!
Ah, all set to settle in like a snow bird in its nest! No wait! Something's not right. Something is missing ...
Of Course! The TV remote! How was I expecting to survive without it?
-Check and double check!
-I picked up Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Tuesday.
The Tuesday before I bought The Incredible Hulk.
Those two movies should take me up the late morning or early afternoon in time for me scrounge up something to eat since my wife will be out of the house working until 4 pm.
-After lunch, I'll take advantage of the time to watch a movie I never got around to watching.
10,000 BC - What a cute kitty cat!
I'll watch King Kong again. The last time I watched it in interrupted intervals. Even though it's over 3 hours long, I'll watch it straight through. This version of the 1939 classic is the best by far of the King Kong remakes.
If I throw in a nap or two and a post to the Blog, I should still have time to clean up any mess I might make before the missus gets home.
The entertainment schedule for Sunday will begin with some time spent reading my favorite book by my favorite author.
Sunday, of course, means NFL football - three games in the afternoon and one at night.
I imagine my wife will find some reasons for my Sunday schedule to be altered. Alas, it always seems that I never really get to enjoy those times when I am sick! If you can't slack off when you're well, and you can't slack off when you're ill - just when I can I?
When I was growing up in the fifties, the subject was not a contentious one. You were the child, they were the adults - and what they said was the law! If you were inclined to break their laws, you were punished.
I don't recall ever hearing the term 'Corporal Punishment' back then; the term is probably a precursor to the sentiments that led to today's notions of "political correctness."
Inasmuch, those of us known as "Baby Boomers" grew up having learned one very important rule and that was to respect one's elders. If we didn't - we got a whoopin'. Depending on your interpretation, doesn't it say in the Bible: Spare the rod and spoil the children?
I can't honestly say that I subscribe to the form of punishment my parents exacted upon my gluteus maximus for my transgressions, but by golly I was well educated in the differences between right and wrong!
My friends and I knew that there were only two ways to avoid punishment:
1) Stay out of trouble
2) Don't get caught
Inevitably there would be times that those two rules were ignored. We might not have seen the analogy at the time, but at an early age we were experiencing the elementary workings of our Judicial System.
(a) The crime: broken window, property posted 'No Trespassing'
(b) The charges: The owner calls your home.
(c) Indictment: "You're in trouble now."
(d) Adjudication: "Wait till your father gets home!"
(e) Sentence: Grounded until executioner arrives.
(f) Execution: To be determined (see (d) and (e) )
Nothing filled me with dread and fear more than that long wait until my father would arrive home from work. My father may not have been wearing a black hood like the stereotypical executioners in the movies, but his punishments were doled out swiftly and painfully.
There were no racks, broad axes or guillotines in his arsenal of penal devices, but those he used were effective nonetheless. Looking back, I realize that his choices of instruments were not randomly determined but were brought into play based upon his perceptions of the severity of the crimes.
The wooden paddle was brought to bear for the minor infractions.
When he removed his belt my misdeed was deemed a felony.
For capital transgressions, he would hand me his pocket knife. I knew that meant I was to go outside to cut off a switch from the saplings growing around the base of a large hickory tree next to our house.
Fast forwarding the clocks ahead to the present, those forms of Corporal Punishment would land a parent in jail charged with child abuse. The children living under the same roof of a parent who uses physical punishment would invariably be removed from the home.
No, I never subscribed to that form of punishment, especially for my own daughter. We instilled in her the knowledge of what is right and what is wrong. We taught her to respect her elders, inside and outside of our home. You know, she turned out all right.
I found the image above on the net and it "hauntingly" reminded me of an incident I observed in a supermarket a couple of summers ago. A woman dressed very much like the one in the picture was shopping with her daughter who was probably about six or seven years old.
Her appearance was that of a "trailer park queen" wearing a sun dress with a generous amount of cleavage visible, layers of makeup befitting Tammy Faye Baker, fishnet stockings and spiked heels. A trail of cheap perfume wafted behind her as she made her way through the store.
They stopped to look at a display of patriotic items on sale for the up-coming 4th of July holiday weekend. The woman picked up a couple of items, turned them over to check the price tag and then placed them back on the shelf. (I assumed that maybe the items were pricey enough that the expenditure might cut into her fashion budget.)
The little girl picked a small teddy bear clad in a red, white and blue shirt. She held it up for her mother to see, maybe to implore if she would buy it for her. Without warning the mother snatched it from her hand and began to go off into a verbal tirade.
Then, apparently oblivious to the fact that she was in public place in full view of several witnesses, she slapped the girl across her face. Not satisfied that her daughter had gotten the message, she produced a large hair brush from an over-sized bag hanging from her shoulder. There was a chorus of gasps from those observing the scene as she literally yanked the poor girl's underpants down to her knees. Six times she struck the screaming child's bare bottom with the brush.
Moments later she was again pushing a shopping cart, the girl sobbing in tow, and she continued her shopping chore as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. One of the witnesses had only moments before notified a policeman who was on duty in the store.
When I left the store with my purchases, I noticed the officer was talking to her near the other entrance to the store. She was animated, obviously agitated, and the little girl was standing close to her with an arm wrapped around her mother's legs.
I don't know what happened after that; whether she was cited or let go with a warning. I do remember at the time fearing for that little girl's well being. Stumbling across the image, I had to wonder how he is today.
Could it be that finding that picture, was a sign for me to author this post today to atone for not writing about it two summers ago? Perhaps, it gives me another opportunity to bring to light that there is punishment and there is abuse. There is no fine line separating the two.
I cannot condone the actions of parents who practice the same form of Corporal Punishment my father employed on my siblings and me, but on the same token I would never try to tell them how to keep their children in line. I would not admonish someone punishing their child in a public place. There are more than enough people out there who would report a parent for simply smacking the hand of their kid for touching items on a shelf.
Yes, many of us Baby Boomers had to endure physical punishment, not only at home, but at school as well. The Board of Education had a double meaning back then. Guess what. By and large most of us turned out to be fine upstanding folks. We learned it the old fashioned way - we earned it!
You might say we were also the Timex Generation. We took a lickin' and kept on tickin'.
Oh, Deer Me!
How would you like to wake up and see these guys in your front yard!!
This is what happens when YOU
move into THEIR YARD!!!
The location and addresses of this neighborhood have been withheld in order to prevent the current Vice President, Dick Cheney, and the Republican Vice Presidential hopeful, Sarah Palin from organizing a hunting expedition.
We wouldn't want Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen to miss their December 24 appointment at the North Pole, would we?
Dumb Questions For Dubya
The following "dumb" questions have been kicked around all over the blogosphere in one form or another. I was thinking they would serve as as a good set question to be asked of our Commander-In-Chief. (Also, I couldn't come up with anything fresh for this post.)
Do fish think they're wet and we're dry, or do they think that we're wet and they're dry?
Do you need a silencer if you are going to shoot a mime?
If nothing ever sticks to TEFLON, how do they make TEFLON stick to the frying pan?
If superman is so clever, why does he wear his underwear on the outside?
Why are there floatation devices under plane seats, instead of parachutes?
Why do they put braille dots on the keypad of the drive up ATM?
Why do we drive on parkways and park on driveways?
Why is it that when you transport something by car, it's called a shipment, but when you transport something by ship, it's called a cargo?
Why isn't phonetic spelled the way it sounds?
Why do you need a driver's license to buy liquor when you can't drink and drive?
Have you ever imagined a world with no hypothetical situations?
How does the guy who drives the snowplow get to work in the mornings?
You know that little indestructible black box that is used on planes, why can't they make the whole plane out of the same substance?
Why is it that when you're driving and looking for an address, you turn down the volume of the radio? Is it gonna make you see better?
When a crash-test-dummy hits his head, and no engineers record the results, does he make a sound?
Why are there Interstate Highways in Hawaii?
If a fire fighter fights fire, and a crime fighter fights crime, what does a freedom fighter fight?
If a cow laughs, does milk come out of it's nose?
If 7-11 is open 24 hrs. a day, 7 days a week, and open on holidays, why do they have locks on the doors?
What is the sound of one hand clapping?
If an unstoppable force meets up with an immovable force, what happens?
Why do they sell cigarettes at gas stations when you cant smoke there?
If pro is the opposite of con, what is the opposite of progress?
If a piece of toast always falls butter side down and a cat always lands on its feet then what would happen if you dropped a cat with a piece of buttered toast strapped on its back?
If you are driving the speed of light and you turn on your headlights, what happens?
Why does a record player play at the same speed when the revolutions get faster when the needle goes further to the inside of the record?
If you throw a cat out a car window does it become kitty litter?
If corn oil comes from corn, where does baby oil come from?
If there is no God, who pops the next Kleenex out of the box?
How do they get a deer to cross at that yellow road sign?
If it's tourist season, why can't we shoot them?
What's another word for thesaurus?
Why do they sterilize the needles for lethal injections?
Why is abbreviation such a long word?
Why do kamikaze pilots wear helmets?
How do you know when it's time to tune your bagpipes?
Is it true that cannibals don't eat clowns 'cause they taste funny?
When you choke a smurf what color does it turn?
Why do they call it a TV set when you only get one?
Do radioactive cats have 18 half-lives?
What was the best thing BEFORE sliced bread?
Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?
Can fat people go skinny-dipping?
Is it possible to be totally partial?
If a book about failures doesn't sell, is it a success?
Do cemetery workers prefer the graveyard shift?
Why do doctors call what they do practice?
14 Schlepping Days
This is the 1500th post here at It Occurred To Me, since it opened on Jan. 20, 2005. In about ten days, The 200,000th hit will be registered.
Those posts and hits do not reflect the 203 entries at Verbicidal Tendencies, the 47 entries at Suppository For the Soul* and the 70 at Footloose and Fantasy Free**.
*Suppository For the Soul - contains material of a strong adult nature that I wouldn't put on this site, and as such has been flagged accordingly.
**Footloose and Fantasy Free - is a 360 Yahoo blog which contains mostly some jokes that are duplicates found on the other sites.
To all who come hear, those who comment and those who don't, thank you for your patronage. I hope to make the next 1500 posts even more enjoyable with more original short stories and original cartoons, as well as the usual smattering of jokes, satire and parodies.
To quote the Bartles & James spokesmen, "Thank you for your support."
There are only 14 schlepping days left before the election.
A record number of the deceased have registered to vote thanks to the diligence of ACORN. Tourist mecca Disneyland was well represented at one registration office.
It's true, the nut doesn't fall far from the tree.
Rocket J. Squirrel flew on over to the Obummer camp. He was joined by his friend, Bullwinkle a long-time Republican.
Said the moose, "I switched parties because I was afraid that Palin woman would shoot me."
The number of young voters being registered has also increased. When one young new voter was asked for whom he would his cast his vote, his answer was unintelligible because he didn't bother to remove his pacifier from his mouth.
With his "15 minutes of fame" slipping away, Joe the Plumber is considering throwing his hat in the ring as a late third-party candidate for the Presidency. He would be running on a "Butt Cracks Are Beautiful" platform. He said he was tired of seeing John McCain adopting his persona.
Scary Halloween Costumes, 2008
Mario and Man In Black, J
Storm Troopers
...And the Scariest of All:
Dogs, Life and Nuts
Wet Dog
Lunch Brakes
If Life Were Like a Computer:
You could add/remove someone in your life, using the control panel.
You could put your kids in the recycle bin and restore them when you feel like it.
You could improve your appearance by adjusting the display settings.
You could turn off the speakers when life gets too noisy.
You could click on 'Find' to recover your lost remote control and car keys.
To get your daily exercise, just click on 'run'.
If you mess up your life, you could always press 'Ctrl, Alt, Delete' and start all over.
(I seem to remember that software used to be silk pajamas.)
Obama's Nuts

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Is LyondellBasell Industries A Good Bet?
LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) is a $40-billion-a-year global chemical company that produces olefins, polyolefin, aromatics, and specialty products , along with other essential petrochemical derivatives.
Low crude prices have been a mixed bag for LyondellBasell. On one hand, weak crude prices lower the price of the feedstock that the company uses, which increases margins. On the other hand, weak crude prices decrease the company's sales because many plastic and chemical end products prices are correlated with crude prices. Moreover, weak crude prices narrow LyondellBasell Industries' North American advantage. Due to friendly regulations and shale technology, natural gas is substantially cheaper in the U.S than in Europe and Asia. The cheaper natural gas allows American chemical companies to use cheap ethane to produce ethylene, while foreign companies have to use the more expensive crude-derived naphtha to produce the essential hydrocarbon. Because crude prices have fallen, however, foreign naphtha costs have declined and LyondellBasell Industries' advantage has decreased. This has trimmed LyondellBasell's North American margins from what they were in 2014.
Despite the challenging industry conditions and the sluggish global macro-economic environment, LyondellBasell reported excellent third quarter results, with earnings of $2.80 per share on revenues of $8.33 billion, beating profit expectations by $0.23 per share. Quarterly EBITDA was $2 billion, while income from continuing operations was $1.2 billion. Guidance was upbeat in light of the industry volatility, with management expecting demand to be stable in 2016.
Given the excellent results, LyondellBasell's dividend is secure and has room to grow. Because natural gas prices have been so low, the company has been a free cash flow machine, with a trailing free cash flow of $5.3 billion versus a last twelve month dividend payout of $1.4 billion. That translates to a dividend coverage of over 3x. The company is also only modestly leveraged, with a total debt/last twelve month EBITDA of 1x.
Rather than paying a higher dividend, the company has been using its free cash flow to buy back shares. LyondellBasell bought back 3.3% of the float in the third quarter, and could potentially repurchase 10% of its float annually at current prices with its excess FCF. Given that buybacks decrease the float, the company's FCF/share will increase 10-to-11% a year for as long as LyondellBasell keeps buying back shares at the same rate. If LyondellBasell's FCF/share rises 10-to-11% annually, the company's dividend can too.
Although LyondellBasell's margins have peaked as the company's advantage over European and Asian producers has narrowed, management is doing a good job of controlling costs and allocating capital. Given that the cost of producing natural gas from shale in the U.S is so much cheaper than extracting natural gas in other regions of the world, LyondellBasell's dividend is secure and has potential to grow 5-to-10% annually for the foreseeable future. In the long run, crude prices will normalize, and LyondellBasell's advantage over European and Asian chemical producers will widen again. That could translate to higher margins and more FCF. With a forward PE of 9.29 and dividend yield of 3%, shares are attractive for long-term investors.
According to our data gathered from around 730 elite funds, hedge funds were bullish on LyondellBasell Industries NV (NYSE:LYB) in the second quarter. A total of 61 funds reported stakes in the company worth $4.98 billion, representing 10.20% of the float as of the end of June. That compares favorably to the 57 funds which held $3.73 billion in shares at the end of March. Among the funds with large LyondellBasell positions at the end of the third quarter was Andreas Halvorsen's Viking Global, with a stake of 13.51 million shares.
Most investors don't understand hedge funds and indicators that are based on hedge funds' activities. They ignore hedge funds because of their recent poor performance in the bull market. Our research indicates that hedge funds underperformed because they aren't 100% long. Hedge fund fees are also very large compared to the returns generated and they reduce the net returns experienced by investors. We uncovered that hedge funds' long positions actually outperformed the market. For instance the 15 most popular small-cap stocks among funds beat the S&P 500 Index by 53 percentage points since the end of August 2012. These stocks returned a cumulative of 102% vs. a 48.6% gain for the S&P 500 Index (see the details here). That's why we believe investors should pay attention to what hedge funds are buying (rather than what their net returns are).


text:
Archives of Clinical and Medical Case Reports
Carlesimo M MD1, Framarino Dei Malatesta M MD2, Fortuna MC MD1, Caro G MD1*, Pigliacelli F MD1, D'Arino A MD1, Rossi A Prof.1
1Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy
2Department of Gynecologic Obstetrics and Urologic Sciences, "Sapienza" University of Rome, Italy
*Corresponding Author: Dr. Gemma Caro, Section of Dermatology, Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Specialties, Sapienza University of Rome, Viale del Policlinico, Rome, Italy
Received: 29 May 2019; Accepted: 06 June 2019; Published: 12 August 2019
Citation: Carlesimo M, Framarino Dei Malatesta M, Fortuna MC, Caro G, Pigliacelli F, D'Arino A, Rossi A. A Novel Late Effect of Chemotherapy: Fibro-Sclerotic Panniculopathy. Archives of Clinical and Medical Case Reports 3 (2019): 158-161.
Recently, increasing attention has been paid to late effects of chemotherapy. Even if cardiovascular and nervous toxicity is more often described [1-2], also skin and soft tissues are involved. Herein we reported 2 cases of chemotherapy-induced fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy.
Panniculopathy, Chemotherapy, Vascular, Lymphatic
1. Case 1
Case one is a 68 year old woman affected by breast cancer (left breast), treated surgically. Sentinel lymph node was negative. She underwent 4 cycles of epirubicine and cyclophosfamide (January-February 2017), followed by 12 cycles of paclitaxel (March-June 2017). In anamnesis she referred Raynaud phenomenon. The patient presented on April 2017 with asymptomatic non-inflammatory nodules intermixed with raised and depressed areas of her right forearm (Figure 1). The diagnosis of a chemotherapy-induced fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy, grade III according to Nürnberger and Müller classification [3], was made.
Figure 1: Non-inflammatory nodules intermixed with raised and depressed areas of the patient's right forearm.
Case two is a 43 year old woman, affected by breast cancer (left breast) surgically treated in February 2018, followed by 4 cycles of fluoruracile, cyclophosfamide and epirubicine (May-June 2018) and subsequently 12 cycles of paclitaxel (July-November 2018). Anamnesis was negative, except for a Hashimoto's thyroiditis and a thrombotic phlebitis of her right arm after the first chemotherapy infusion. The patient presented on July 2018 with asymptomatic non-inflammatory nodules intermixed with raised and depressed areas of her right forearm. The diagnosis of a chemotherapy-induced fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy, grade III [3], was made (Figure 2).
Figure 2: Non-inflammatory nodules intermixed with raised and depressed areas of the patient's right forearm. A: minor magnification. B: greater magnification.
To our knowledge these are the first cases of fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy in patients receiving chemotherapy. The cases reported above are not characterized by inflammation, and no inflammatory signs, such as erythema or warmth, were present, having a clinical aspect similar to lipodystrophy [3-5]. Even though drug-induced panniculitis have been reported in association to chemotherapy [6-7], our cases do not enter in differential diagnosis with panniculitis, because of the lack of an inflammatory component, and because clinical aspect is completely different.
Curri et al. [5] described the pathogenesis of lipodystrophy asserting that alterations in venous and lymphatic micro-circle leads to a tissutal hypo-oxygenation, and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) deposition in capillary walls with a subsequently stasis of circulation and interstitial accumulation of fluid and catabolites [4-5]. These alterations drive to a cell suffering, with more and more accumulation of toxic molecules, interfering with cell oxygenation and nutrition. As a response, it is possible that, in predisposed patients, pro-fibrotic cytokines are released, eliciting neovascularization and thickening and sclerosis of fibrous septae with the production of collagen fiber, which arrange adipocytes, producing clusters of adipocytes pads [4-5]. Moreover, some gene polymorphisms have been associated with lipodystrophy, validating the role of a subjective predisposition [8].
Standing to this clinical similitude, we hypothesize that also the pathogenesis of our cases could full fit with the one descripted by Curri, with the crucial difference in the causative agent, that in our cases is chemotherapy. It is well known that chemotherapeutic agents are able to induce an endothelium damage with different mechanisms: inducing apoptosis of endothelium cells (cyclophosphamide and 5-FU); through a direct cytotoxic effect (5-FU); producing reactive oxygen species (5-FU and doxorubicin); influencing angiogenesis (taxanes) [9].
It is important to underline that panniculopathy in our patients is contralateral respect to the cancer site, but ipsilateral to the peripherally inserted central catheter (PICC). For this reason, we suggest that its pathogenesis is due to drug accumulation, that could be worsened by inflammatory events such as thrombotic phlebitis in the second case. Even if it is reasonable that the presence of autoimmune traits such as Reynaud's phenomenon and Hashimoto Thyroiditis may have contributed to cause the fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy after chemotherapy, we do not consider it a determinant factor. Firstly, because these autoimmune conditions are very frequent in women, conversely not so many fibro-sclerotic panniculopathy have been described, and anyway up to date no data is available. Surely a skin biopsy should have been the correct procedure to be carried out, in order to highlight the cellular infiltration or the fibrotic tissue, but both our patients refused it.
The one we describe should be considered a late effect of chemotherapy, and a higher attention must be paid, because they are less alarming than acute ones, but they could have severe sequel even so. Moreover, cutaneous involvement could be a sentinel of damage to other organs, which are not so evident but have to be investigated.
4. Declaration of Interest
All the authors disclose any financial, consulting, and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could influence (bias) the author's work. We also disclose any scientific writing assistance, any grant support and numbers (including NIH/Wellcome-funded papers), and any statements of employment.
Meinardi MT, Gietema JA, van Veldhuisen DJ, et al. Long-term chemotherapy-related cardiovascular morbidity. Cancer Treat Rev 26 (2000): 429-447.
Duffner PK. The long term effects of chemotherapy on the central nervous system. J Biol 5 (2006): 21.
Nürnberger F, Müller G. So-called cellulite: an invented disease. J Dermatol Surg Oncol 4 (1978): 221-229.
Curri Cellulite and fatty tissue microcirculation. Cosmet. Toilet. 108 (1993): 51-58.
Curri SB, Bombardelli Local lipodystrophy and districtual micro-circulation. Cosmet. Toilet 109 (1994): 51-65.
Kismet E, Demirkaya E, Koseoglu V, et al. Panniculitis induced by a chemotherapy regimen consisting of topotecan and cyclophosphamide. Pediatr Blood Cancer 44 (2005): 98-99.
Maubec E, Oberlin O, Belhadj K, et al. Subcutaneous inflammatory edema induced by MINE chemotherapy. Ann Dermatol Venereol 128 (2001): 534-537.
Emanuele E, Bertona M, Geroldi D. A multilocus candidate approach identifies ACE and HIF1A as susceptibility genes for cellulite. J Eur Acad Dermatol Venereol 24 (2010): 930-935.
Svilaas T, Lefrandt JD, Gietema JA, et al. Long-term arterial complications of chemotherapy in patients with cancer. Thromb Res 140 (2016): S109-S118.
Protect yourself and others from the spread COVID-19. Uplifting content cuts across the quarantine lines and geographical boundaries, uniting all of us who are experiencing just about the biggest crisis of our lives.


You may need to adjust the two sleep intervals in seconds.
This is a quick hack until the AWS CLI team releases an official option, which is being discussed under AWS CLI issue #1090.
Categories: Linux | Tags: aws, bash, Linux, s3 | Permalink.


The contemporary concert guitar scene, its history, and how composers write for the instrument has been difficult to understand and explore. The history, notation, available techniques, have been so wide-ranging and yet there has been so little in the way of legitimate and available resources for the general public or even performers. Combine this fact with the fringe nature of some new music trends and the scene can be a tough nut to crack. However, things are looking up and are continuing to get more organized with new publications such as this one. This book, The Contemporary Guitar, by the excellent scholar, producer, and guitarist John Schneider is a big step forward in terms of understanding the contemporary guitar and its history. This updated and expanded second edition is a huge achievement. Along with Seth Josel's recent release The Techniques of Guitar Playing, we now have a much better understanding of the major developments, available techniques, compositional devices, and an overview of notation used for extended guitar techniques.
Conclusion: The Contemporary Guitar by John Schneider is one of the most in-depth and knowledgeable books about the contemporary concert guitar and its literature. From new musical language, notation, and the physics of sound to microtonality, instrument design, and historical surveys of the literature, this book is exactly what the guitar world needs. More importantly, this book will help non-guitarists and composers embrace the guitar for its unique possibilities and understand its historical and current legitimacy as a concert and new music instrument.
The Contemporary Guitar traces the extraordinary rise of the instrument in concert music over the past century. Though recognized worldwide as a popular music icon, the all-to-recent time when the guitar was looked down upon as a second-class citizen in the world of "serious" music is finally past, and it can now be found in the scores of the most important composers. The guitar's rightful place in chamber music, orchestral music, or as a solo instrument is now without question, whether in the classic acoustic form or the more recent electric version.
While the guitar has stood in the vanguard of musical experimentation, its many new techniques and notations remain a mystery for many composers and players. In The Contemporary Guitar, musician and scholar, John Schneider explains each class of technique and illustrates them with examples. Moreover, because the guitar is easily refretted, it has also become a leading instrument in the exploration of the relatively new musical language of microtonality. In this revised and enlarged edition from the original work of three decades ago, Schneider adds a broad-ranging, entirely new chapter on the instruments, notation and repertoire with insights into the interpretation of historical works through the application of accurate contemporary tunings and temperaments.
The guitar's unique timbre—its tone color—is one of the most versatile among modern instruments, both acoustic and electric. Most players who intuitively explore the subtleties of tone color will find outlined in The Contemporary Guitar the specific principles of physics that determine these subtleties which, once mastered, permit guitarists to control more completely the expressive palette of their instrument. Designated the Rational Method of Tone Production by its author, Schneider defines in great detail the timbral characteristics of acoustic and electric instruments from theoretical, physical, and musical viewpoints.
Players in search of new repertoire will find an historical survey of the literature, an exhaustive list of new music, and a multitude of techniques for bringing such music to life. The Contemporary Guitar provides audio examples online for those seeking to discover new sounds and includes the notation to perform them.


My Rosa 'The fairy' was still flowering when the snow hit last year. This shrub rose is renowned for it's long flowering period. Cold nights mean that many types will slow down, but others seem to enjoy autumnal conditions. Make the most of these plants and keep them flowering for as long as possible by continuing to remove spent flowers. Try not to cut back to bare stems, look for buds that have already thrown new foliage and cut stems back to these points.
Note: I'm using thorn resistant gloves from Town & Country, available in most good garden centres.
For rose cultivars that have reached the end of their flowering window in milder parts of the country, it is a good idea to get full pruning done and out of the way. Use secateurs to remove weaker stems totally, and cut stronger stems down to around five buds.
For those in colder parts of the country it may be safer to leave this job until spring, after the harshest frosts have finished. But do cut any long stems back by 50 per cent to reduce the risk of wind rock damage over winter.
Black spot and rust may still be evident on later performing varieties. To prevent further spread, pick off all infected leaves from your plants and gather up fallen leaves from around the plant bases. Bin or burn all infected material to prevent contamination of compost heaps and surrounding plants.
Once infected foliage has been removed from your plants it is still worth giving a final control spray, despite it being late in the season. Pest and disease sprays applied after the end of the month are unlikely to be effective, so don't delay. Cover all foliage with spray until it beads on the surface – avoid run off.
or so with new soil and manure to avoid a build up of pests and disease.
Dig out the top 12-15in (30-38cm), turn over the bottom and add well-rotted manure before filling with fresh soil from another border. If you are creating a new bed from scratch deep digging is required for a healthy rose display. Dig down at least two spade spits and incorporate manure to the mix.
There's still time to take hardwood cuttings of your favourite roses. Take 12in (30cm) lengths of current year stem growth, cutting just above a bud at the top and just below a bud at the bottom.
Dig a 5in (12.5cm) trench and lay an inch of sharp sand in the bottom. Set the cuttings at least 2in (5cm) apart. Back fill, firm and water. Cuttings will be ready in a year's time. For step by step photography go back to AG 24 September p11.


text:
Misión Lisboa (; ), también conocida como Espionaje en Lisboa, es una película de espías hispano-italiano-francesa de 1965 dirigida por Federico Aicardi y Tulio Demicheli y protagonizada por Brett Halsey, Marilú Tolo y Fernando Rey. El icono del cine de terror Jesús Franco escribió la historia original en la que se basa la película y también trabajó en la música. Es una entrada no oficial en la serie de películas del agente secreto 077, no teniendo relación con el interpretado por Ken Clark en la trilogía de películas La muerte espera en Atenas (1965), París-Estambul sin regreso (1965) y Operación Lady Chaplin (1966), dirigidas por Sergio Grieco.

Argumento
El profesor Von Kessler de Lisboa ha descubierto la fórmula para neutralizar la nube radiactiva que está a punto de ser lanzada por las potencias orientales. George Farrell, agente 077 del Servicio de Inteligencia, es enviado entonces a Lisboa junto con su colega Terry Brown para tomar posesión de la fórmula. Pero otra organización también está interesada en ella y logra obtener la mitad de la fórmula escrita en código por el profesor. Al descubrir que para descifrar el código es necesario encontrar la clave de lectura escondida en la campana de un monasterio abandonado, el agente 077 parte en su búsqueda, seguido por los agentes de la organización enemiga.

Reparto
 Brett Halsey como George Farrell, agente 077.
 Marilú Tolo como Terry Brown, compañera de 077.
 Fernando Rey como Agente de la Organización del Nuevo Mundo.
 Jeanne Valérie como Olga.
 Alfredo Mayo como Losky.
 Daniel Ceccaldi como Robert Scott.
 Francesca Rosano como Moira Johnson.
 Irán Eory como Amante de George.
 Barbara Nelli como Pamela.
 Erika Blanc como Chica en bikini (como Erica Bianchi).
 Ángel Terrón
 Rafael Bardem
 María de las Rivas
 Miguel Palenzuela
 María de la Riva
 Vicente Roca
 George Nader como Borracho entrando en la habitación del hotel (sin acreditar).

Referencias

Enlaces externos

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Cartographer Matthew Flinders and his crew mapped the Australian coastline, studying plants and animals along the way. His voyage in the HMS Investigator from 1801-1803 shed new light on the natural history of Australia.
Aboard the Investigator was Ferdinand Bauer (1760-1826) who was appointed natural history artist for the voyage. Franz and Ferdinand Bauer achieved great acclaim and contributed immensely to the study, recording, and understanding of botany and nature. Stunningly precise works that were almost photo realistic in their accuracy were their hallmark.
A round case with an exhibition caseback has the slimmest frame to mark out the minutes, exposing the full glory of each complex individual part that makes up this stunning timepiece from Earnshaw.
Beautifully honest in its representation of the mechanics of time, this is the timepiece for the connoisseur of horology. The watch is strapped with a genuine leather strap tanned in Italy.


Walk up the old stone staircase from the main entrance in common with Casa Martina. This small and romantic apartment is composed of living room with corner fireplace, couch and comfortable seats plus a table for 4 people. The couch is a small single bed. The adjoining kitchenette has gas burners, electric oven, fridge and microwave etc. A washing machine is available for guests in another building of the estate.
The bedroom which sleeps two has an en suite bathroom with shower. Lovely sweeping views of the countryside over the tiled roofs of the village.
Tiny private garden on the side of the house with table, chairs and deck chairs, right below the remains of the ancient castle walls.


As a transgender person myself, I am acutely aware of the health disparities the LGBT community faces as I've faced many of them myself.
According to the 2018 PA LGBT Health Needs Assessment, 23 percent of transgender people did not see a doctor when they needed to because of fear of being mistreated as a transgender person.
I avoided going to my local emergency room when I should have after a complication following a gender affirmation surgery for fear that they would mistreat me and because I felt it was too sensitive of an issue to discuss with a doctor I didn't know.
17 percent of LGBT Pennsylvanians do not or are unsure if they think of any healthcare provider as their personal doctor. For 4 years after I started hormone replacement therapy, I didn't have a primary health care provider because I didn't know any trans-competent family doctors where I lived.
36.9 percent of transgender Pennsylvanians smoke cigarettes compared to 18 percent of the general PA population. I was one of those 36.9 percent. I've been cigarette-free since 2014.
58.7 percent of transgender Pennsylvanians have never been tested for HIV. During one of my HIV tests, I had to advocate that the tester mark me as a trans male on the form so that the CDC realizes that trans men are being tested for HIV despite the fact that the CDC does not count trans people in their HIV testing data.
33.8 percent of transgender and gender nonconforming Pennsylvanians self-described as eligible to receive a cervical pap test have never been screened for cervical cancer. One of the reasons I chose to undergo a hysterectomy was so that I never had to tolerate the incredibly uncomfortable cervical cancer pap test as a male again.
According to the 2015 National Transgender Discrimination Survey, 8 percent of survey respondents reported currently using drugs or alcohol to cope with the mistreatment that they have received as a result of being transgender. I was one of those 8 percent. I've been sober for almost 5 years.
It is incredibly important for LGBT people to have safe, affirming, welcoming, competent care. However, it's not enough to say, "We welcome LGBT people," but then not have gender identity and sexual orientation data on the intake forms. It's not enough to say, "We accept LGBT people here" and then make the patient explain to the provider what HRT stands for. It's not enough to display a rainbow flag in your office and then have the receptionist misgender you or use your deadname.
Being competent and affirming matters. 57 percent of trans youth attempt suicide. However, that number drops to only 4 percent when they are supported by their parents. A study of at-risk trans people shows a rate of self-reported suicide attempts dropped by more than 80 percent when they were given access to transition-related treatment. After being allowed to emerge as their rightful gender, 95 percent of trans and gender nonconforming people report their quality of life and sense of well-being improved.
Don't be an ally in name only. Do your homework. Have the staff trained in LGBT care by an LGBT person. Update your intake forms. Use the right name and pronouns. You could literally save a life.


text:
Samsung's official Galaxy Fold screen damage statement doesn't offer much reassurance
Nick Gray	Apr 18th, 2019 publishUpdated Sep 11th, 2021, 9:25 am
Following numerous reports that Samsung Galaxy Fold review units are experiencing various issues with their foldable displays, Samsung has released an official statement on the matter. In cases like this, companies typically like to reassure the public that the issues reported aren't as serious as they seem, Samsung's statement does little dissuade the notion that the flexible displays on Samsung Galaxy Fold is extremely fragile.
A limited number of early Galaxy Fold samples were provided to media for review. We have received a few reports regarding the main display on the samples provided. We will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter.
Separately, a few reviewers reported having removed the top layer of the display causing damage to the screen. The main display on the Galaxy Fold features a top protective layer, which is part of the display structure designed to protect the screen from unintended scratches. Removing the protective layer or adding adhesives to the main display may cause damage. We will ensure this information is clearly delivered to our customers.
The only reassurance that Samsung does provide is that several of the reports of a damaged display on the Samsung Galaxy Fold were due to user error. The Samsung Galaxy Fold's internal display comes with a protective layer over it which can result in a broken display if removed. Samsung's statement makes it clear that this will be communicated to consumers when they purchase the device on April 26th. T-Mobile's @AskDes has shared an image which shows a warning sticker on the T-Mobile variant of the phone.
Dear future #GalaxyFold owners, I know I always say "No one ever read the instructions"… PLEASE READ THIS ONE!!!
(This is the wrap over the screen of the Galaxy Fold) pic.twitter.com/LuQPRfDZIE
— Des (@askdes) April 17, 2019
What's still unclear is how the Samsung Galaxy Fold will fare once it makes its way into the hands of general consumers. While review units can get handled during the review process, reviewers are typically pretty careful with the phones. Based on the reports from those who have experienced issues with the foldable display on the Galaxy Fold, none of the devices in question have been dropped or mistreated.
It'll be interesting to see this issue persists once the Samsung Galaxy Fold is out in the wild.
Source: The Verge
local_offer Samsung Samsung Galaxy Fold Samsung Galaxy Fold display issues
Samsung offering incredible deal for Galaxy Tab S7 or S7+
New report claims Samsung Galaxy S22 could be
This mod turns the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3'
Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra appears on Samsung support page
more_vertOffshore Mobile App Development: What Should
closeOffshore Mobile App Development: What Should You Know
It is almost impossible to picture someone without a smartphone app these days. In reality, people are increasingly adopting mobile solutions for their convenience since the phone is always at hand. In 2021 alone, users worldwide have downloaded 230 billion applications, and that number will continue to grow. That is why mobile apps are not …
more_vertOppo's tablet spotted at the benchmarks wit
closeOppo's tablet spotted at the benchmarks with Snapdragon 870 chipset
We have been hearing rumors that Oppo could be thinking of stepping into the tablet space, and now thanks to benchmarks, we have an idea of what kind of hardware it could be packing.
more_vertGoogle Play Games for Windows beta begins in select regions
closeGoogle Play Games for Windows is now available in beta in select regions
Google made a surprise announcement at The Game Awards 2021, confirming that you would soon be able to start enjoying some of the best games from the Play Store on your Windows computers. The company didn't provide much information as to a specific timeline, but we're now learning more about that. Starting today, if you …
more_vertSamsung Exynos 2200 officially announced with
closeSamsung Exynos 2200 officially announced with AMD graphics and ray tracing support
There were rumors suggesting that Samsung might be delaying the launch of the Exynos 2200 chipset, but it appears that those rumors have since been debunked as Samsung has officially taken the wraps off the chipset.
more_vertLogitech announces $65 USI stylus perfect for Chromebooks
closeThe new Logitech Pen works great for Chromebooks, if you can get one
If you look at the Chromebook market, it's chock-full of options with reversible touchscreen displays, many of which include support for stylus input. But as we know, not all stylii are the same, as there are different types that can be used. This has been a battle for years, but the USI standard is one …


text:
Veterans Plaque Unveiling at Old North Memorial Garden
Two new plaques were unveiled at the Iraq-Afghanistan Memorial at the Old North Memorial Garden. One plaque describes the dog tags as representing each American serviceperson who lost their life in the wars (the count currently stands at 6,970). The second plaque, a bronze poppy wreath, honors servicepersons from the British Commonwealth that have died.
Plaque unveiling by General (ret.) Martin Dempsey, former U.S. Joint Chief of Staff (right) and General (ret.) Sir Mike Jackson, former British Chief of the General Staff
Taps was played during the ceremony for the plaque installation at the Old North Memorial Garden
A plaque describes the dog tags as representing each American serviceperson who lost their life in the wars (the count currently stands at 6,970).
A bronze poppy wreath plaque honors servicepersons from the British Commonwealth that have died.
(L-R) Rt. Rev. Alan Gates, Bishop Diocesan, Simon Boyd of the Soldiers Fund, British Consul General Harriet Cross., General (ret.) Sir Mike Jackson, former British Chief of the General Staff, Stephen T. Ayres, Vicar of Old North Church and General (ret.) Martin Dempsey, former U.S. Joint Chief of Staff
Bagpipes at the Old North Memorial Garden ceremony
Stones recount the servicepersons who have died in U.S. wars (currently 6970).
Bruce Brooksbank has maintained the Old North Memorial Garden for several years
Two new plaques were installed at the Old North Memorial Garden. One plaque describes the dog tags as representing each American serviceperson who lost their life in the wars (the count currently stands at 6,970). The second plaque, a bronze poppy wreath, honors servicepersons from the British Commonwealth that have died.


text:
About
===

This package provides Erlang bindings for `libsodium`, a portable packaging
of NaCl cryptography library. The bindings are pretty complete, covering all
public APIs of all chosen primitives through NIF code in `c_src/salt_nif.c`
and supporting Erlang modules.

NaCl provides high-speed cryptographic primitives whose implementations
are resilient to side-channel attacks by design. The API exposes high-level
operations with clear security contracts and minimal space for user to
introduce undue risks accidentally. This is ideal for the working engineer
wishing to improve upon security aspects of his/her designs but unable or
unwilling to engage in fragile low-level cryptoplumbing.

Most of the crypto is performed directly on scheduler threads without visible
side effects (aside from allocation of result terms) and without performing
any system or library calls (outside libsodium). Upper bound on execution
latency is imposed indirectly by limiting input block sizes throughout.

This is not considered to be a problematic decision as it is likely that
networking applications will likewise prefer to limit maximum PDU size, and
storage applications are likely to operate on blocks of constant size. Fine
tuning of the limit may be desirable looking forward, current value of 16KB
is chosen arbitrarily. Future changes should be supported by measurements on
relevant CPUs with the target of one reduction per operation, or cca 1ms.
The author defines "relevant CPUs" as "enteprise class amd64 chips" :-).

Key generation and RNG routines are (at least potentially) blocking and
are therefore perfomed on a worker thread via call too `salt_server`. This
means all these calls get serialized and incur somewhat higher latency. It
is reasonable to expect key generation to only be performed at relatively
low frequencies. The same hopefully applies to random bytes generation.

References
===

Websites

 * Home of NaCl project: 	http://nacl.cr.yp.to
 * Home of libsodium: 	https://github.com/jedisct1/libsodium
 * Home of Salt: 		https://github.com/freza/salt

Papers

 * "The security impact of a new cryptographic library"
    Daniel J. Bernstein, Tanja Lange, Peter Schwabe
    http://cr.yp.to/highspeed/coolnacl-20120725.pdf

 * "Cryptography in NaCl"
    Daniel J. Bernstein
    http://cr.yp.to/highspeed/naclcrypto-20090310.pdf

### Credits and Licensing.

The original NaCl code was released by Daniel J. Bernstein, Tanja Lange,
Peter Schwabe and contributors into the public domain.

Libsodium, by Frank Denis and contributors, is subject to ISC license.

Salt, by Jachym Holecek and contributors, is subject to a 2-clause BSD
license.

### Compiling.

  * Install `libsodium`:

```
$ git clone git@github.com:jedisct1/libsodium.git
$ ( cd libsodium && \
./configure --prefix="/usr/local" --disable-ssp --disable-pie \
                --disable-silent-rules && \
make && make check && sudo make install && make clean )
```

  * Build `salt`, you'll need `rebar` utility:

```
$ git clone git@github.com:freza/salt.git
$ ( cd salt && rebar clean && rebar compile )
```

  * To run a simple self-test run `make test`

  * The `salt_test` module is also a good source of simple usage examples.

### TODO

  * Verify current message/block size limit of 16KB corresponds to reasonable
    latency.
  * Also export BLAKE2b hash function, despite not having "chosen" status.
  * Perform `libsodium` initialization from worker thread before app startup
    completes.

### Data types.

 * XXX document variables mentioned below, pretty obvious,
 * XXX also see include/salt.hrl

### Public-key cryptography.

```
crypto_box_keypair() ->
  {Public_key, Secret_key}.

crypto_box(Plain_text, Nonce, Public_key, Secret_key) ->
  Cipher_text.

crypto_box_open(Cipher_text, Nonce, Public_key, Secret_key) ->
  {ok, Plain_text} | forged_or_garbled.

crypto_box_beforenm(Public_key, Secret_key) ->
  Context.

crypto_box_afternm(Plain_text, Nonce, Context) ->
  Cipher_text.

crypto_box_open_afternm(Cipher_text, Nonce, Context) ->
  {ok, Plain_text} | forged_or_garbled.
```

## Scalar multiplication.

```
crypto_scalarmult(Integer, Group_p) ->
  Group_q.

crypto_scalarmult_base(Integer) ->
  Group_q.
```

## Signatures.

```
crypto_sign_keypair() ->
  {Public_key, Secret_key}.

crypto_sign(Message, Secret_key) ->
  Signed_msg.

crypto_sign_open(Signed_msg, Public_key) ->
  {ok, Verified_msg} | forged_or_garbled.
```

### Secret-key cryptography.

## Authenticated encryption.

```
crypto_secretbox(Plain_text, Nonce, Secret_key) ->
  Cipher_text.

crypto_secretbox_open(Cipher_text, Nonce, Secret_key) ->
  {ok, Plain_text} | forged_or_garbled.
```

## Encryption.

```
crypto_stream(Byte_cnt, Nonce, Secret_key) ->
  Byte_stream.

crypto_stream_xor(In_text, Nonce, Secret_key) ->
  Out_text.
```

## Message authentication.

```
crypto_auth(Message, Secret_key) ->
  Authenticator.

crypto_auth_verify(Authenticator, Message, Secret_key) ->
  authenticated | forged_or_garbled.
```

## Single-message authentication.

```
crypto_onetimeauth(Message, Secret_key) ->
  Authenticator.

crypto_onetimeauth_verify(Authenticator, Message, Secret_key) ->
  authenticated | forged_or_garbled.
```

### Low-level functions.

## Hashing.

```
crypto_hash(Message) ->
  Hash_bin.
```

## String comparison.

```
crypto_verify_16(Bin_x, Bin_y) ->
  equal | not_equal.

crypto_verify_32(Bin_x, Bin_y) ->
  equal | not_equal.
```

## Random number generator.

```
crypto_random_bytes(Cnt) ->
  Bytes.
```

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub