Lost cats find shelter at Loyalist Humane Society : Prince Edward ...

Sponsored by

A Sheltered Life ? stories as told to Maggie Haylock-Capon, by Liza, resident greeter at the Loyalist Humane Society. (Photographs by Alan R. Capon)

(If you are unable to adopt a cat or kitten, there are many other important ways to help the LHS. Donations of Javex and other household cleaning products, garbage bags, grocery bags, litter, cat food and kitten food are welcome. The Loyalist Humane Society is located on County Road 4, (Talbot Street), near the intersection of Tripp Road.)

?

Hi, All,

It?s Liza, official greeter for the Loyalist Humane Society reporting live from The Laundry Room, favourite hang-out of the in-crowd at our shelter. Most of us here are experiencing the winter doldrums. In the winter months we cannot use our outdoor runs, so we spend all of our time indoors. It?s nap time 24/7. Of course, we do have visitors sometimes and auditions, when families come to adopt. However, this week we did have some real excitement and I can?t wait to tell you about it.

Inky

Remember Inky, the handsome, long-haired black cat who was featured in A Sheltered Life last week? This sweet-natured young fellow was adopted some time ago but was returned to our shelter, recently, because he had developed stomatitis a life-threatening condition that causes painful sores in the mouth and throat. His owner felt unable to cope with the responsibility of medicating him and paying his veterinary bills. Stomatitis is incurable and makes it exceedingly painful for a cat to eat. Periodic shots of a drug called Depomedral reduce the inflammation for a time but do not effect a cure. The only effective treatment to return the cat to health is the extraction of its teeth. As was mentioned in my blog last week, this is a very expensive procedure that is not considered practical in most shelters, since it is necessary to judiciously distribute funding to provide the best possible care for all of the cats in care.

After reading my blog and seeing Inky?s picture last week a kind-hearted, generous woman who lives in Kitchener (yes, I have fans in many parts of Ontario) decided that she and her family should help. She said that Inky won her heart the moment she saw his photograph. After a family conference it was agreed that she would pay for a substantial portion of the cost to have Inky?s teeth removed. Our good friend Dr. Steve performed the surgery this week and now the Inkster has a toothless grin (eat your heart out Cheshire Cat) and an excellent chance of becoming a healthy, happy cat once again. Everyone here is very happy for him. It has also raised our spirits to know that there are wonderful people out there like the woman who came to Inky?s rescue. She insists on remaining anonymous so we have nicknamed her ?Inky?s Angel?.

Justin

There have been some new arrivals at our shelter this week and at least two of them appear to be family pets who were once dearly loved. Justin, a beautiful long-haired red tabby was found on County Road 8 near Waupoos. This handsome young gentleman was wearing a red nylon harness.

Bo Jingles

Bo Jingles was found at Skiff Cove in Wellington. He was wearing a collar with a blue bell attached. Unfortunately one of his forepaws had been caught in it. His rescuer brought him to us, hopeful that he will be reunited with his owner.

Recently, several cats who obviously were lost pets have come into our care. Curiously, we have received no inquiries about them. If your cat is missing, please follow these helpful tips to aid in its safe return:

1. Make posters featuring a picture of your cat and distribute them in your neighbourhood. Also ask permission to post them on the bulletin boards of local veterinary clinics.
2. Canvass your neighbourhood to inquire if anyone has seen your cat.
3. Call local veterinary clinics, shelters and animal control to ask if your pet has been taken to one of these facilities.
4. Check the Lost Cat network or our Facebook page

Now, on to Crawford?s clever plan to make life a little more exciting here. As our resident legal advisor has pointed out, many of us are still waiting patiently for our forever homes. It?s been years in many cases. Crawford says it is high time that those earnestly seeking laps to lie upon become pro-active. He has founded a dating service called Crawford?s Kitten Club and has persuaded several of our residents to post their profiles on County Live. Follow me to meet some of the coolest cats in town.

CRAWFORD?S KITTEN CLUB ? ENJOY HOT DATES WITH COOL CATS

?

MITTENS ? Meet Mittens a saucy calico miss who loves to play. She?s young, adventurous and waiting for that certain someone who will make her life complete. Take a walk on the wild side and give her a call.

FIGARO -If you enjoy opera you?ll love Figaro. This sleek black cat who wears white gloves is anxiously waiting for the day when a certain someone of refined tastes will come along to sweep him off his paws. It is rumoured that Figaro sings like Pavarotti and would be delighted to serenade his lady love. What are you waiting for girls?

BILL BAILEY ? Say hello to Bill Bailey, aka Billie, a mature gentleman of four, who was turned out without even a fine-toothed comb. He would very much like to come home and is hopeful that someone will call for him soon. As the song says, if you do the cookin? honey, he?ll pay the rent.

MEET THE FERALS ? a dysfunctional group with plenty of hang-ups. Led by Spitty Reilly and Hissy Missy they are not about to cuddle on anyone?s lap. These ?lifers? may never get a date but they would very much appreciate it if you could show them some love by sponsoring one of them or sending a few treats or a soft blanket or two their way. Spitty was recently sponsored by a kind gentleman who is the purrfect match for her. He?s a lawyer and she is the shelter cat voted most likely to need one. For just $20. a month yoiu could make an important difference in the life of one of these cats. For details, contact Crawford.

CASCADE ? Another member of the Feral family, Cascade is a beautiful, wild child. She would very much like a gentleman friend to support her. If you would like to sponsor this beauty she will be happy to send you her photograph. For just $20. a month you could buy her undying gratitude.

More members of the Feral family. This tiger puss is said to wear black leather and ride a Harley. It could be a serious mistake to mess with him.

BB ? This lovely tiger puss with a tragic past is B.B. She thought she had found her forever home but was returned after a short time on approval. She says rejection stings and she is urgently seeking a new home with a family who will love and understand her. She is not sure of what she did wrong but she would very much like a second chance.

HARNESS ? Looking for a special man in your life? Handsome, debonair and available, Harness is waiting for your call. He arrived at our shelter wearing a tight-fitting ? wait for it ? harness and had obviously been someone?s pet. However, no one called regarding his whereabouts so he became one of our residents. He?s eagerly waiting for a new owner who will appreciate his many fine qualities.

MISS MATTIE ? The most beautiful girl in the world, Miss Mattie, is eagerly awaiting a phone call from her very own Prince Charming. This long-haired tiger miss is a mature cat, but so petite that she will always look like a kitten. Good things indeed do come in small packages. For a date with Mattie please contact Crawford at the Loyalist Humane Society.

MAIN HOUSE CALLIE ? This sleepy miss is Main House Callie, a delightful little cat, who would be happy to warm your bed on cold winter nights. This pretty miss would be a welcome addition to any household.

MISS WHIPPLE ? Say hello to Miss Whipple, a winsome peach tabby who longs to be someone?s ?one and only?. She does not play well with others and would not be suitable for a multi-cat household. However, if you are willing to give up playing the field to become her significant other, she will reward you with her undying love.

TINKERBELL ? Beauty and brains ? Tinkerbell has it all. This delightful miss in the luxurious gray and white fur was adopted but the relationship did not work out. She came back to the shelter as a stray. Is there a mysterious woman with a past in your future. Come meet Tinkerbell and find out.

Roving reporter Franco catches 40 winks between assignments.

From the Desk of Liza:

This week I am sad to report that Hunter and Cremesicle, two long-time residents of our shelter, have crossed the Rainbow Bridge. We will miss them

Again, I would like to mention our sponsorship program. For a donation of only $20 a month you can sponsor one of our shelter cats. Choose one of our residents as your special friend and you will receive a letter and photograph from him or her. If it is not possible for you to adopt, sponsorship allows you to make an important difference in a cat?s life.

Please pardon me, but it is nap time so I?m off to catch 40 winks.

-Until next week,
Liza

* * *
Click here for previous Loyalist Humane Society blogs and other Margaret Haylock Capon features

Source: http://countylive.ca/blog/?p=34772

gainesville 2012 royal rumble the grey machine gun kelly saul alinsky annapolis wwe royal rumble

In Manila, Catholics pray for smooth succession

Filipino Benita Canlas prays outside the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI who can lead an embattled church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Filipino Benita Canlas prays outside the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI who can lead an embattled church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Filipino Catholics pray during a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI who can lead an embattled church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Filipino Catholic altar boy stands beside an empty priest' chair during a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI who can lead an embattled church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

Filipino Catholic Priest Victorino Cueto, center, sprinkles holy water on devotees during a mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday Mar. 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI who can lead an embattled church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

A Filipino devotee prays at the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in suburban Paranaque, south of Manila, Philippines on Sunday March 3, 2013. Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation on Sunday went to church that awkwardly had no pope for the first time in 600 years because of Benedict XVI's resignation. They prayed for the smooth rise of a successor who can lead the church. (AP Photo/Aaron Favila)

MANILA, Philippines (AP) ? Filipinos in Asia's largest predominantly Roman Catholic nation attended Mass on Sunday with their church awkwardly having no pope for the first time in 600 years and prayed for the smooth rise of a successor to Benedict XVI to lead an embattled institution.

Benedict stunned the world when he announced Feb. 11 that he would resign, citing his age and frail health. His resignation, which took effect Thursday, ushered in a period known as "sede vacante" or "vacant see" ? the transition period between papacies when a few Vatican officials take charge of running the church.

All cardinals worldwide have been summoned to the Vatican for a conclave to elect Benedict's successor, who inherits a church facing a tide of secularism in Europe, as well as clergy sex abuse and corruption scandals that have underscored the need to pick a formidable successor to lead the world's 1.2 billion Catholics.

Churchgoers and the clergy in the Philippines said they were not worried by the temporary absence of a pope, but nevertheless felt the vacuum.

"There is something missing more or less in spirit," said the Rev. Joel Sulse, who celebrated Mass at the Santuario de San Antonio parish in an upscale residential enclave in Manila's Makati business district. "It's also a challenge. It's like when there is no leader, you really have to stand for your convictions."

Sulse's parish and other Catholic churches across the Southeast Asian nation offered prayers for a hassle-free Vatican conclave of cardinals to elect a new pope.

Although Sulse said a new pontiff from the developing world may have a better grasp of problems such as poverty afflicting Catholics, he said Filipinos should pray for any pope who "can be strong yet loving."

Churchgoer Miguel Ma. Guerrero said the next pontiff should be a dynamic leader who can lead the church in a modern era beset by long-pestering problems such as poverty.

In another Manila church in the working-class district of Baclaran, Catholics said they yearned for a pope who would be able to lead the younger generation onto the right path. One churchgoer said she wanted somebody like the late Pope John Paul II, who was welcomed by millions when he visited the Philippines in 1995.

"I have been praying for a new pope to be just like Pope John Paul II, who was close to the people and was very humble," said Charlene Bautista, an insurance broker.

For the first time, a Filipino cardinal, Antonio Luis Tagle, has been regarded as among the group of cardinals who have a chance of succeeding Benedict. Although considered a long shot, Tagle's inclusion among the so-called papabile, or papal candidates, has electrified many in the country, where past pontiffs were welcomed by millions like rock stars.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-03-Pope-Faithful/id-5525f969d9e64b1ab33c59dd3b43769a

us open tennis Empire State Building shooting Republican National Convention Karlie Redd guild wars 2 adrian gonzalez Jerry Nelson

Insight: Will Dreamliner drama affect industry self-inspection?

SAN FRANCISCO/SEATTLE/PARIS (Reuters)- Eight years ago, U.S. regulators substantially increased their dependence on the aircraft industry to help keep flying safe.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said it would no longer directly manage routine inspection of design and manufacturing. Instead, it would focus on overseeing a self-policing program executed by the manufacturers themselves through more than 3,000 of their employees assigned to review safety on behalf of the FAA.

These so-called designees had existed for decades, but the FAA had vetted and controlled them. Under the new system, companies chose and managed them, to the point where the FAA even had trouble rejecting those they felt were unsuitable for the job, according to one government watchdog.

As the drama of the overheating lithium-ion batteries on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner unfolds, that relationship is coming under intense scrutiny.

No evidence has surfaced that the designee system is responsible for the battery problem that has prompted regulators to temporarily ban the plane from the skies. The story has raised the question, however, whether the regulator hands over too much power to the industry.

"This is an occupation with a built-in conflict of interest," said Gordon Mandell, a retired FAA certification engineer.

With Boeing doing about 95 percent of its own inspections, adds Mary Schiavo, former Department of Transportation inspector general, "it's kind of do-it-yourself." The situation was not unique to Boeing, she said. "There are places around the world that saw an FAA inspector once, maybe five years ago, and that's it."

HOW WERE TESTS VERIFIED?

Boeing's new ultra-modern carbon-composite jet has been grounded around the world for six weeks as the National Transportation Safety Board leads an investigation into two battery incidents, joined by the FAA. Both agencies are also looking into the 787 certification process.

"We need to understand what tests were done and who was certifying those tests, and again how they were verified - not just by Boeing, but by the regulator as well," NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman said on February 8, referring to the battery and other key parts made in a long, global supply chain.

At the broadest level, even some supporters of the designee process are asking whether the FAA is up to the task of effectively overseeing the system.

Among them is Ken Mead, another former DOT inspector general and a veteran of investigating the FAA. "The questions I'd want answers to are: Does the FAA have the right people with the right expertise to make sure the FAA is in a position to critically second-guess? And have they critically reviewed the approval process so this does not happen again?" he said.

The FAA's defense of its abilities and approach is unwavering. "Some have asked the question whether the FAA has the expertise needed to oversee the Dreamliner's cutting edge technology. The answer is yes, we have the ability to establish rigorous safety standards and to make sure that aircraft meet them," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in an industry speech on January 23. "The way to enhance safety is to keep the lines of communication open between business and government."

The FAA and Boeing both say the FAA is better off managing the system and picking out high-risk areas on which to concentrate. It lacks the resources to manage every individual and inspect every part, they say, and industry has a strong incentive to cooperate - unsafe products jeopardize business. They point out that FAA staff invested more than 200,000 hours over eight years certifying the 787 on top of work done by designees.

Perhaps their biggest defense is that there have been no fatal crashes of scheduled commercial flights in the United States for four years.

BIG JOB, NOT-SO-BIG BUDGET

The FAA's inability to expand its budget in line with an increasingly large, complex and global aviation industry played a major role in the 2005 decision to expand the delegation system. Certification work increased fivefold between the 1940s and 1990s and has only become more complex since.

"By shifting our inspection focus from reviewing test results to overseeing the designation program, we will be able to more efficiently use our resources while extending our oversight coverage, thereby increasing safety," the FAA said in the official announcement of the program, printed in the Federal Register on October 13, 2005.

It added, however, that "More than one commenter states that the FAA should be hiring more inspectors, not spending its limited resources creating an organizational designee system." Public comments from opponents of the new system outnumbered supporters 14 to 11, it noted.

While the agency still signs off on a new plane and key steps along the way, the bulk of the interim work - often 90 percent or more - is done by the designees at the manufacturers. As of 2010 there were about 1,000 FAA engineers and inspectors devoted to design review and inspection, compared with 3,655 designees working for companies on the FAA's behalf, according to government data.

Boeing has set up a separate group within the company to do the FAA work. Those employees approve the design of the planes except for the key steps and the final "type certificate" for new aircraft, which needs a stamp from FAA officials.

The jobs command respect and draw veterans who are more likely to stand up to pressure from their employers and won't risk losing their "ticket" - the FAA designee status - by cutting corners, people in the industry say. Candidates choose specializations and typically must pass written and oral exams meant to check their understanding of what a designee, also known as a "designated engineering representative" (DER), does and the limits of their powers.

"I've never seen it where a company's pressure on the DER was strong enough for them to bend from their loyalty to the FAA," said Richard Lukso, the former president of Securaplane, the company that made the chargers for the 787 batteries. They have unique insight into how companies work, he added, since they come from the inside.

A WATCHDOG BARKS

In 2011, the DOT's Office of Inspector General criticized the FAA for losing control of its oversight and risking safety. It cited one company designee, acting on behalf of the FAA, who took his employer's view in a dispute over whether an aircraft fuel system met agency standards. The manufacturer took a year to suspend the employee from FAA duty. The company was not identified in the report.

The FAA and the inspector general do not agree on how to weed out unwanted designees. The FAA says it is creating a new database of employees removed from consideration because of "misconduct"; the inspector general's office wants a broader set of employees to be included.

The FAA has been criticized beginning early in the Dreamliner program for skimping on supplier visits, as well.

In the first four years of the Dreamliner program, between 2003-2007, FAA officials visited only 1 percent of suppliers at Boeing and other major engine and plane makers, and left unchecked thousands of factories that would go on to make parts for the 787, according to another report by the same Office of Inspector General, this one from 2008. All parts for U.S. planes must be FAA certified at some point, but that can happen as part of the final assembly of a plane rather than at the factories where they are made.

The same report described how a worker at one factory - it is unclear if it was a supplier to Boeing or another plane maker - used a piece of paper, instead of a ruler, to measure parts. Another used a tool marked "uncalibrated." One supplier made a part fit by grinding away an edge, without permission from the manufacturer, and training overall was deemed inadequate.

The FAA made a number of changes in response to the report, but it only raised the minimum number of supplier visits at major manufacturers to nine a year from four, a spokesman for the inspector general told Reuters.

All FAA inspectors are based in the United States, even though much of the 787 airframe and many key components like the battery are made outside the country, raising the question of whether distance might make them less likely to visit. Inspectors travel when necessary, the FAA said. In its own statement, Boeing said that "in addition to requiring frequent and detailed progress reporting, during the development and design phase we regularly had people on site with our suppliers and they had people on site with Boeing."

FLAMMABILITY TESTS APPROVED

No full description of the process by which Boeing engineered and tested its lithium-ion battery has been disclosed, but emerging details show how regulators relied heavily on Boeing to do most of the work on what the FAA acknowledged from the start would be a potentially dangerous technology.

The FAA approved "special conditions" for the 787 battery in 2007, acknowledging risks including "Flammability of Cell Components."

"Safe cell temperatures and pressures must be maintained during any foreseeable charging or discharging condition and during any failure of the charging or battery monitoring system not shown to be extremely remote," the first condition reads. "Extremely remote" is FAA code for once in 10 million flight hours.

Special conditions do not include specific tests, so Boeing itself proposed them to the FAA. Designees could approve the design of tests and monitor the tests themselves, though the FAA told Reuters its staff also had approved the testing program and observed testing.

A Boeing presentation in February described "baking the battery to induce overheating, crush testing and puncturing a cell with nail to induce short circuit."

At the same time the FAA approved the special conditions in 2007, FAA staff and the aircraft manufacturing industry, including Boeing, were devising lithium-ion battery tests that included all the details the special conditions lacked.

Published in 2008 and adopted by the FAA three years later, the standard known as RTCA DO-311 gave precise instructions for tests. The worst-case-scenario test required turning off all failsafe electronics, short-circuiting the battery and watching for flames for three hours.

Boeing did not run those tests. "The RTCA standards were not designed for the 787," and Boeing provided extensive testing to show the 787 met the special conditions, spokesman Marc Birtel said.

The FAA acknowledged the batteries were potentially flammable in the special conditions approved. Said former Inspector General Schiavo, "They knew they had problems. They just said 'OK.'"

(This story is corrected with FAA to Federal Aviation Administration in paragraph two)

(Additional reporting by Mari Saito, James Topham and Tim Kelly in Tokyo, Andrea Shalal-Esa in Washington, Deepa Seetharaman in Detroit, Bill Rigby in Seattle and Karen Jacobs in Atlanta; editing by Martin Howell and Prudence Crowther)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/insight-dreamliner-drama-affect-industry-self-inspection-120645048--finance.html

Jessie Andrews bloomberg bloomberg Daily Caller Staten Island Trick or Treat Amy Weber

Sleds off as 41st Iditarod race begins in Alaska

WILLOW, Alaska (AP) ? Dogs aching to run bolted out of the chute Sunday to launch the 41st running of Alaska's Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

Now 65 teams will be making their way through punishing wilderness toward the finish line in Nome on Alaska's western coast 1,000 miles away.

The Iditarod kicked off Saturday with an 11-mile jaunt through Anchorage, 50 miles south of the real starting line in the town of Willow. Sunday's event marked the competitive portion of the race.

Saturday's ceremonial start took place amid a party-like atmosphere. But Sunday's mood was charged with tension as mushers switched to the business of racing ? at least among top mushers like defending champion Dallas Seavey and four-time winners Lance Mackey, Jeff King and Martin Buser.

They are among six past Iditarod winners in the running. Mackey, of Fairbanks, is the only musher to win the Yukon Quest and the Iditarod races the same year ? accomplishing dual championships not once, but two years in a row. Mackey, a throat cancer survivor, has won both races four times and was hoping for a comeback to his last Iditarod championship in 2010.

Others are in the race for the adventure and never come close to winning, yet there they are, year after year. Among them was Cindy Gallea, of Wykoff, Minn., whose best finish was 33rd among 10 Iditarods so far.

"I love running the dogs, working with the dogs," she said before the start of her 11th race. " I love being in Alaska, being around the beauty."

But even past middle-of-the-packers felt the pull of competition.

Scott Janssen, a musher whose family owns an Anchorage funeral home, said, "Today's game time. Today we're going to rock 'n' roll."

To reach the finish line in the old gold rush town of Nome, the teams will encounter mountains to climb, and forests and frozen rivers to cross. They'll possibly do battle with fierce winds and temperatures that can plunge to 50 below.

Along the way, they'll stop at village checkpoints for a hot meal, to drop an ailing dog or to sit out mandatory rest periods. Sometimes they'll blow right through after a hasty check-in.

As always, by the time the first musher reaches Nome, some participants will have dropped out of the race. Even the last place finisher knows that getting to Nome is a feat in itself.

The winner gets a new truck and a cash prize of $50,400. The rest of the $600,000 purse will be split between the next 29 mushers to cross the finish line.

___

Follow Rachel D'Oro on Twitter at https://twitter.com/rdoro

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sleds-off-41st-iditarod-race-begins-alaska-230340841--spt.html

brandon rios oklahoma news nascar news doppler radar colorado rockies moonshine news channel 4

Eye of a Hurricane

• Reputation:
  Words written:
  Words per post:
  Joined:
  Last visit:
  Location:
  Website:
  

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Eye of a Hurricane?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

Topic Tags:

Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.

First post: ? 1 post ? Page 1 of 1

This is the auto-generated OOC topic for the roleplay "Eye of a Hurricane"

You may edit this first post as you see fit.

"She offered herself to the big, bad wolf and didn't scream when he took the first bite."
</3

bandgeek

Member for 1 years

---

---

First post: ? 1 post ? Page 1 of 1

Post a reply

RolePlayGateway is a site built by a couple roleplayers who wanted to give a little something back to the roleplay community. The site has no intention of earning any profit, and is paid for out of their own pockets.

If you appreciate what they do, feel free to donate your spare change to help feed them on the weekends. After selecting the amount you want to donate from the menu, you can continue by clicking on PayPal logo.

Our Sponsors

RolePlayGateway is proudly powered by obscene amounts of caffeine, duct tape, and support from people like you. It operates under a "don't like it, suggest an improvement" platform, and we gladly take suggestions for improvements or changes.

The custom-built "roleplay" system was designed and implemented by Eric Martindale as of July 2009. All attempts to replicate or otherwise emulate this system and its method of organizing roleplay are strictly prohibited without his express written and contractual permission; violators will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

? RolePlayGateway, LLC | with the support of LocalSense

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/y5CpUsYTr5U/viewtopic.php

m.i.a. adrianne curry hoekstra best superbowl commercials 2012 best super bowl ads chrysler super bowl commercial madonna half time show

Top 10 Things You Can Upgrade with a Little Electronics Hacking

Rule #1 of DIY: Never settle for what you're given. You can upgrade and improve just about anything with a little knowledge and elbow grease, especially if you know a little about electronics. Here are 10 things in your home that you can beef up with a little soldering and DIY know-how.

10. Your TV

You may have the coolest home theater on the block, but even that won't save you when your TV rebels with the latest celebrity gossip you don't want to hear. Take control of your TV with the Enough Already, a little DIY gadget that mutes your TV whenever it hears a word or phrase you've programmed it to watch out for?like "Justin Beiber" or "Twilight Saga." While you're at it, you can use an Arduino to automatically lower the volume if it gets below a certain threshold, like when excessively loud commercials come on.

9. Your Home Security

It may not be as foolproof as a true home security system, but you can make quite a few DIY burglar alarms for almost nothing. $2 gets you a tiny motion alarm that beeps if its moved, while a few more dollars will get you a motion-detecting camera or an SMS-equipped monitor. Heck, you can even build your own LoJack for your car at a fraction of the price. Of course, you can also do quite a bit with just a few webcams and some free software.

8. Your Desk

If your workspace is starting to feel a little cluttered with gadgets, make them work with your desk. Instead of getting another power strip, build an outlet into the desk itself, or embed a USB hub for easy charging and peripheral connection. If you want to take it one step farther, you can add an inductive charging station or even build a computer inside the desk drawer. And, while you're at it, clean everything up by making your desk lamp cordless for under $20.

7. Your Video Game Consoles

What's better than having a couple of video game systems in your living room? Not much, except maybe combining them into one mega system that can play nearly any game. If you're more of a retro gamer, you can do something similar (with much less work) by building an all-in-one retro gaming console inside an NES, inside a briefcase, or even inside a coffee table to mimic the old arcade systems you love so much.

6. Your Cellphone Charger

If you want a really easy DIY project, try upgrading your wall outlets to charge USB devices. You can also build a super-simple portable USB charger in an Altoids tin. For a greener solution, make it solar-powered or charge it with the power of your bike pedaling. And, if you want to do away with wires altogether, we've shared a ton of options for modding your phone for wireless charging</a?without the bulky "induction charger" case.

5. Your Transportation

Many of us may upgrade our phones every year to stay up-to-date, but it's a little harder to do that with cars. If your car's missing a feature you want, though, just add it yourself. Put in an auxiliary audio jack for only $3, or add Bluetooth capability for wireless streaming wherever you go. If you're prone to running red lights, you might also consider this GPS hack that warns you when red light cameras are near. And, if you don't have a car, you can still beef up your transportation with these bike upgrades.

4. Your Headphones

We love headphone hacks, and if you're willing to dig into your DIY arsenal, you can mod the hardware in quite a few ways. If you have earbuds, you can add an inline remote control with just a little bit of work (and without ruining them). If you have a bigger set of headphones, adding removable cables can be really handy, or you could go wireless altogether and hack them for Bluetooth. Of course, a good pair of earmuffs can also make for a dandy noise-isolating pair of headphones, too.

3. Your Light Switches

Turning on the lights manually is no fun. Instead, mod the lamps in your house to turn on with a wave of your hand, or with an old-school made-at-home clapper. Alternatively, control them with your voice, or set them up in the hallway for easy motion-controlled lights that illuminate your path to the bathroom. Whatever you can think of, it's probably possible.

2. Your Chores

Doing chores is for chumps. Luckily, an Arduino and a bit of code can automate a ton of chores for you: it can make the plants water themselves, it can feed the cat for you, or even rock your baby to sleep. Just make sure your parents/spouse/roommates don't find out what you're up to.

1. Your Home

A home of the future isn't as far off as science fiction makes it out to be. With a little DIY electronics hacking, you can automate your home to do just about anything: open the blinds when it's light, tell you who's at the door, make you coffee with a tweet, unlock your door with a text message, and oh-so-much more. It won't get you George Jetson's flying car, but you'll feel like a futuristic badass nonetheless.

Title image by Your lucky photo (Shutterstock).

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/ZXYuz7gJrOc/top-10-things-you-can-upgrade-with-a-little-electronics-hacking

serrano staten island chuck dr jekyll and mr hyde edwin jackson punksatony phil 2012 groundhog day groundhog phil

This Week's Top Downloads

Every week, we share a number of downloads for all platforms to help you get things done. Here were the top downloads from this week.

XBMC Is Now Available for Apple TV 2 Running iOS 6.1

If you've been waiting for XBMC media center to finally be available for the latest jailbroken Apple TV 2 running version 5.2 (iOS 6.1), you no longer have to wait. You can now install XBMC with the latest stable update. More ?

---

Calm.com Trains You to Meditate in Two to Twenty Minute Sessions

Web/iOS: Meditation offers a host of benefits, from?improved memory and productivity?to?stress and pain relief. If you need a little help getting started, Calm.com's webapp and iOS app can guide you in as little as two minutes (two minutes a day?can go a long way towards building a meditation habit). More ?

---

SubtleLock Redesigns the iPhone Home Screen and Gives Notifications More Room

iOS (Jailbroken): The lock screen on the iPhone hasn't changed much since its inception, but if you're looking to give it a slight overhaul without changing everything, SubtleLock is a simple little jailbreak tweak that gives your lock screen a lot more room to breath. More ?

---

OblyTile Creates Fully-Customized Windows 8 Tiles

The Windows 8 Start screen has the potential to be a great application launcher, but the application shortcuts it creates for desktop apps can stick out against the slick, modern system tiles. Luckily, OblyTile lets you create custom tiles for any app or folder. More ?

---

Files Is An Incredibly Simple Yet Powerful File Manager for iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

iOS: You'll find a number of apps for managing your files on an iPhone or iPad, but most make it feel like a task or chore. A new app called Files makes the process so simple and elegant that you'll actually enjoy using it. More ?

---

Instashare Brings AirDrop-Like File Sharing to iOS

iOS/OS X:?AirDrop?is one of OS X's best features, and Instashare replicates its dead-simple wireless file sharing powers on iOS. More ?

---

Internet Explorer 10 Now Available for Windows 7

The latest version of Internet Explorer comes with Windows 8, but if you've?decided not to upgrade, you can finally download Internet Explorer 10 today. More ?

---

Custom Google Background for Chrome Personalizes Your Google Searches

Chrome: If you were a little bummed when Google?removed background images from its homepage last November, the Custom Google Background extension lets you add a little personal flair to your searches again. More ?

---

coconutBattery Keeps an Eye On Your MacBook Battery's Health

OS X: Over time, your battery's lifespan decreases, eventually reaching the point where it won't hold a charge nearly as long as when you bought it. Free app coconutBattery gives you detailed info on your battery's health over time. More ?

---

Predicter and TypeStatus Let You Know When Someone Starts Typing an iMessage for You

iOS (Jailbroken): iMessage has the handy feature that shows when someone is typing a message to you in the app, but it doesn't show up anywhere else in iOS. If you want to track when someone is typing a message to you from anywhere, TypeStatus and Predicter are both jailbreak tweaks that do just that. More ?

---

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/C7NUr8W0eLU/this-weeks-top-downloads

robyn texas relays meniscus the colony kids choice awards ncaa final four 2012 uk vs louisville

How do bacteria clog medical devices? Very quickly

Mar. 1, 2013 ? A new study has exam?ined how bac?te?ria clog med?ical devices, and the result isn't pretty. The microbes join to cre?ate slimy rib?bons that tan?gle and trap other pass?ing bac?te?ria, cre?at?ing a full block?age in a star?tlingly short period of time.

The find?ing could help shape strate?gies for pre?vent?ing clog?ging of devices such as stents -- which are implanted in the body to keep open blood ves?sels and pas?sages -- as well as water fil?ters and other items that are sus?cep?ti?ble to con?t?a?m?i?na?tion. The research was pub?lished in Pro?ceed?ings of the National Acad?emy of Sciences.

Click on the image to view movie. Over a period of about 40 hours, bac?te?r?ial cells (green) flowed through a chan?nel, form?ing a green biofilm on the walls. Over the next ten hours, researchers sent red bac?te?r?ial cells through the chan?nel. The red cells became stuck in the sticky biofilm and began to form thin red stream?ers. Once stuck, these stream?ers in turn trapped addi?tional cells, lead?ing to rapid clog?ging. (Image source: Knut Drescher)

Using time-lapse imag?ing, researchers at Prince?ton Uni?ver?sity mon?i?tored fluid flow in nar?row tubes or pores sim?i?lar to those used in water fil?ters and med?ical devices. Unlike pre?vi?ous stud?ies, the Prince?ton exper?i?ment more closely mim?ic?ked the nat?ural fea?tures of the devices, using rough rather than smooth sur?faces and pressure-driven fluid instead of non-moving fluid.

The team of biol?o?gists and engi?neers intro?duced a small num?ber of bac?te?ria known to be com?mon con?t?a?m?i?nants of med?ical devices. Over a period of about 40 hours, the researchers observed that some of the microbes -- dyed green for vis?i?bil?ity -- attached to the inner wall of the tube and began to mul?ti?ply, even?tu?ally form?ing a slimy coat?ing called a biofilm. These films con?sist of thou?sands of indi?vid?ual cells held together by a sort of bio?log?i?cal glue.

Over the next sev?eral hours, the researchers sent addi?tional microbes, dyed red, into the tube. These red cells became stuck to the biofilm-coated walls, where the force of the flow?ing liq?uid shaped the trapped cells into stream?ers that rip?pled in the liq?uid like flags rip?pling in a breeze. Dur?ing this time, the fluid flow slowed only slightly.

At about 55 hours into the exper?i?ment, the biofilm stream?ers tan?gled with each other, form?ing a net-like bar?rier that trapped addi?tional bac?te?r?ial cells, cre?at?ing a larger bar?rier which in turn ensnared more cells. Within an hour, the entire tube became blocked and the fluid flow stopped.

The study was con?ducted by lead author Knut Drescher with assis?tance from tech?ni?cian Yi Shen. Drescher is a post?doc?toral research asso?ciate work?ing with Bon?nie Bassler, Princeton's Squibb Pro?fes?sor in Mol?e?c?u?lar Biol?ogy and a Howard Hughes Med?ical Insti?tute Inves?ti?ga?tor, and Howard Stone, Princeton's Don?ald R. Dixon '69 and Eliz?a?beth W. Dixon Pro?fes?sor of Mechan?i?cal and Aero?space Engineering.

"For me the sur?prise was how quickly the biofilm stream?ers caused com?plete clog?ging," said Stone. "There was no warn?ing that some?thing bad was about to happen."

By con?struct?ing their own con?trolled envi?ron?ment, the researchers demon?strated that rough sur?faces and pres?sure dri?ven flow are char?ac?ter?is?tics of nature and need to be taken into account exper?i?men?tally. The researchers used stents, soil-based fil?ters and water fil?ters to prove that the biofilm streams indeed form in real sce?nar?ios and likely explain why devices fail.

The work also allowed the researchers to explore which bac?te?r?ial genes con?tribute to biofilm streamer for?ma?tion. Pre?vi?ous stud?ies, con?ducted under non-realistic con?di?tions, iden?ti?fied sev?eral genes involved in for?ma?tion of the biofilm stream?ers. The Prince?ton researchers found that some of those pre?vi?ously iden?ti?fied genes were not needed for biofilm streamer for?ma?tion in the more real?is?tic habitat.

This work was sup?ported by the Howard Hughes Med?ical Insti?tute, National Insti?tutes of Health grant 5R01GM065859, National Sci?ence Foun?da?tion (NSF) grant MCB-0343821, NSF grant MCB-1119232, and the Human Fron?tier Sci?ence Program.

Share this story on Facebook, Twitter, and Google:

Other social bookmarking and sharing tools:

---

Story Source:

The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Princeton University.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

---

Journal Reference:

1. K. Drescher, Y. Shen, B. L. Bassler, H. A. Stone. Biofilm streamers cause catastrophic disruption of flow with consequences for environmental and medical systems. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2013; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1300321110

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/jF0IQFyD8eU/130301131127.htm

macauly culkin joe namath stefon diggs nazi ss andrej pejic steve jobs fbi safehouse

Are Losers Interesting?

Are losers interesting? Considering the herd of suburban strivers who crowd our fiction shelves, publishers seem to think not. You can almost picture them scribbling ?Unlikeable!? on page after page of dark manuscripts, sidestepping tales of self-righteous day care workers with anger issues and depressed men engaged in affairs with their former mothers-in-law in favor of yet another tale of infidelity between sane, productive members of society.

Thank the sweet Lord, then, for Sam Lipsyte, whose twisted tales make sane, productive citizens look like a shadowy curse upon the land. In his new story collection, The Fun Parts, Lipsyte suggests that sanity and productivity are not, in fact, sane, productive responses to a world gone mad. Contempt, alienation, and escape?into fantasy, prophecies, heroin, papaya smoothies?these are the more natural responses to our late capitalist frightmare.

Here and in his earlier books?three novels and another story collection?Lipsyte has cultivated a sensitivity to the ways that economic swings and social uncertainty make desperados of us all. He recognizes the flavors of avoidance that build up around unfounded hopes and poorly charted dreams. Consider Gunderson, the self-proclaimed prophet at the center of ?The Real-Ass Jumbo,? a man who seems almost to long for the apocalypse. As Gunderson?s life falls to pieces around him?his pitch for a reality TV show appears doomed and he?s reduced to squatting in his ex-wife?s duplex while she?s away?he retreats into end-times visions and conversations with an imaginary golden guru. And yet this feels less like a descent into madness and more like his only chance at survival. By making willful delusion and other objectively bad choices seem perfectly rational, Lipsyte gets us firmly on the side of his protagonists, whether it?s Gunderson begging his golden guru for answers as his time runs out or Mitch, in ?The Wisdom of the Doulas,? brandishing nunchucks at the busy and important parents of a baby named Prague.

Like a cross between Mary Gaitskill and David Foster Wallace, Lipsyte has palpable affection for precocious misfits who, instead of living up to their advantages and talents, slip and fall and never really recover. Again and again, the protagonists of The Fun Parts start out humiliated and slide lower from there, moving gradually from debasement to hopelessness. Readers lucky enough to have met Milo, the sad sack at the center of Lipsyte?s vivid satirical novel The Ask, may recognize that trajectory. But in contrast to self-destruction-as-romance novelists like Charles Bukowski or Chuck Palahniuk, Lipsyte traces his characters? wildest misperceptions and most repugnant dysfunctional tics without glorifying or condemning them. Take ?This Appointment Occurs in the Past,? in which former college friends convene to revisit old wounds and possibly inflict some new ones. Our protagonist, after confessing his love for an old friend?s big ideas, confides, ?I wasn?t one of those narcissists who thought I had to understand something for it to be important. Besides, he wasn?t wrong about whatever the hell he meant.?

Distilling this kind of absurd preening?egos aloft on clouds of hot air, bitterness cloaked in self-conscious, choreographed swagger?is one of Lipsyte?s great gifts. Even more remarkably, though, he summons empathy for these petty miscreants and makes you understand them. ?We were poseurs,? the protagonist muses, ?but why do you think poseurs pose? Because they want to be invited to the dominion of the real, an almost magical zone of unselfed sensation, and they know their very desire for it disqualifies them. Dude just wants to feel.? Psychosocial projections are scattered throughout the story, even in the most mundane details. ?The dashboard robot in the Mazda goaded. Beneath its officious tones I sensed confusion, a geopositional wound. Had some caustic robot daddy made it feel directionless?? We learn in passing that our nameless protagonist?s father once ?recited a limerick that began ?There once was a dumb fucking boy/ who was never his daddy?s joy.? ?

But Lipsyte never seeks refuge in characters who are too knowledgeable or heroically self-aware. In ?Nate?s Pain Is Now,? an author of confessional addiction memoirs?Bang the Dope Slowly and its follow-up, I Shoot Horse, Don?t I??realizes that he?s fallen out of fashion. ?The world had worthier victims,? he explains. ?Slavers pimped out war orphans in hovels hung with rat-chewed velveteen. Babies starved on the desert floor.? In a hilariously humbled moment, the downtrodden author admits of his father, ?It?s true he never hit me. A father need not hit. His coughs, his smirks, are blows. Even a father?s embrace confers a kind of violence. Or so I once pronounced on public radio.? Despite his outsized self-pity, the man increasingly solicits our sympathy. Through absurdities and exaggerations, Lipsyte illustrates how fickle markets and fickle tastes giveth and taketh away in head-spinning succession?everything that is celebrated and embraced is eventually scorned in equal measure (and then graphed in New York magazine.) ?You mattered to me once,? a stranger tells the author on the bus. ?What happened?? the author asks. ?You mattered to me less and less,? she replies, as if her shifting tastes not only require no justification but are somehow the author?s fault. The author?s ego deflates like a balloon animal, and the implication is clear: In these capricious times, no one is immune to such violent shifts in fortune.

Even when his characters border on sociopathic, Lipsyte still evokes our compassion for them. ?The Dungeon Master,? one of the collection?s strongest stories, presents a group of boys enduring the whims of their imaginative but tyrannical D&D guide. The dungeon master?s little brother, Marco, is singled out for the most brutal treatment. ?Marco is a paladin. He fights for the glory of Christ. Marco has been many paladins since winter break. They are all named Valentine, and the Dungeon Master makes certain they die with the least amount of dignity.? The dungeon master?s mother has apparently fled the scene, but his father ?sticks his bushy head in the door, says, ?Play nice, my beautiful puppies.? ? Like his father and brother, the dungeon master seems relatively harmless?that is, until he transforms a dying ogre into the ghost of the real-life drowned little sister of one of the players. The boy starts to cry; our young narrator rises to his defense. A brawl breaks out. When it?s over, the narrator crawls to the window. ?In the next yard, some kids kick a ball. It looks wonderful.? The bewilderment of childhood, its loneliness and lack of boundaries, the longing that arises from the repeated sensation that you?re in the wrong place with the wrong people?Lipsyte conjures these disparate sensations with one melancholy image.

Author Sam Lipsyte

Courtesy of Ceridwen Morris

There is something courageous about Lipsyte?s losers, even in their ignorance, their vanities, and their desperate grabs for attention. And Lipsyte shows us how much we?with our fragile, hungry egos?have in common with a lonely kid, an extremely unskilled doula, or a junkie who is determined to write a children?s book about middleweight boxer Marvin Hagler (?The Worm in Philly?). Maybe that?s why these sad stories impart such a feeling of giddiness: By questioning the real gains of so-called winners and highlighting the subversive advances of so-called losers, Lipsyte frees us from the grip of false gods. His loser-heroes aren?t merely underdogs, they?re nihilistic seers who by understanding their predicament and graphing their own decline stumble on some sliver of salvation. In a last-ditch attempt at existential redemption, they give up on the hungry maw of ego and surrender, at last, to that ?sweet caress of absolutely nothing.? If there?s a moral to these stories, it?s this: Whatever trivialities and petty grudges rule us, they melt away in the face of our ultimate fate. We?re all doomed in the end. So why not let go of such vanities and savor whatever trivial joys we can manage?

Some hints of this lesson lie at the heart of ?Ode to Oldcorn,? in which a group of shot-putters are laid low by a wunderkind named Bucky Schmidt from a rival school. The world is divided between ?those who have met their Bucky Schmidt and those who have their Bucky coming,? the young narrator explains.

?I?ve met my Bucky Schmidt and so I?m never disappointed by the way of things. I don?t want and want. Good money, good times, I?m happy for what I get. You don?t worry so much about it all when you know there is somebody out there who can take everything away like some terrible god.?

Leave it to Lipsyte to make humiliation and defeat sound not just inspiring, but downright transformative. Modern scribes of satire: Meet your Bucky Schmidt.

The Fun Parts by Sam Lipsyte. Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

Source: http://feeds.slate.com/click.phdo?i=5233963a35a943cadf2e8587d8ba0bf9

whip it gabby giffords gabby giffords geithner gabrielle giffords juliette lewis chelsea handler

India on high alert: Twin bike bombs kill at least 11 in southern Indian city of Hyderabad

The explosions, which injured scores of market goers, come amid ongoing tensions in India over its recent execution of convicted terrorist Mohammad Afzal Guru.

By Arthur Bright,?Staff writer / February 21, 2013

Fire fighters extinguish a fire at the site of an explosion in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad February 21, 2013. Two bombs placed on bicycles exploded in a crowded market-place in Hyderabad on Thursday, and the federal home minister said at least 11 people were killed and 50 wounded.

Reuters

Enlarge

A pair of bicycle bombs rocked a crowded marketplace in Hyderabad today, killing at least 11 people and injuring scores more in the southern Indian city of 6.8 million, a major hub for information technology where Microsoft and Google have a large presence.

Skip to next paragraph Arthur Bright

Europe Editor

Arthur Bright is the Europe Editor at The Christian Science Monitor.? He has worked for the Monitor in various capacities since 2004, including as the Online News Editor and a regular contributor to the Monitor's Terrorism & Security blog.? He is also a licensed Massachusetts attorney.

Recent posts

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

Reuters reports that India has gone on high alert after the explosions, which local television stations report may have killed up to 15 people and wounded at least 50.?The last major bomb attack in India was a blast in September of 2011 outside the high court in New Delhi that killed 13 people.

"Both blasts took place within a radius of 150 meters," federal Home (Interior) Minister Sushil Shinde told reporters, adding the explosives were placed on bicycles parked in the crowded marketplace. "Eight people died at one place, three at the other."

The explosions come less than two weeks after India hanged a Kashmiri man for a militant attack on the country's parliament in 2001 that had sparked violent clashes.

Witnesses told Reuters they heard at least two explosions in the Dilsukh Nagar area of Hyderabad just after dusk but there could have been more.

The Hindustan Times reports that Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde told reporters that "it was too early to say anything" about whether it was a terrorist attack, but that the government was investigating. But the Times notes that the country had already been on alert for attacks due to the recent execution of Mohammad Afzal Guru, a convict in the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament.

The Monitor reported earlier this month that Mr. Afzal Guru's death sentence, though handed down in 2002, was carried out on Feb. 9 without advance warning, and appears to involve a significant political impetus.

The execution is being seen by analysts as the ruling Congress party?s way of regaining public confidence in the wake of several corruption scandals and protests over the recent Delhi gang-rape. Political commentator Seema Mustafa says the sudden decision to execute Afzal Guru, after years of dilly-dallying, is part of a Congress party effort?to improve its position for the 2014 general elections. ?The Congress in its usual cynical manipulation of the votes is trying to eat into the majority constituency with this action,? she says.

Executions had become more rare up until [that of Ajmal Kasab, the lone surviving terrorist in the 2008 Mumbai attacks] ? the first in India in eight years. Like Kasab's hanging in November, Azfal Guru's?came just ahead of a parliament session. ?I would just say it's extremely tragic if Indian democracy is going to survive on executing someone or the other before every Parliament session,? says lawyer Vrinda Grover. Congress party spokesman?Abhishek Manu Singhvi called such suggestions about the timing "irresponsible and childish."

The execution led to days of protest in Kashmir, where Afzal Guru was from.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/csmonitor/globalnews/~3/1etGfeXBkH4/India-on-high-alert-Twin-bike-bombs-kill-at-least-11-in-southern-Indian-city-of-Hyderabad

fred thompson fred thompson red hook romney tax return the tree of life movie academy award nominees 2012 2012 oscar nominations

Abou Zeid killed? Local Malians say it happened, but French not so sure

Abou Zeid killed: Sources in Mali that Al Qaeda commander Abdelhamid Abou Zeid was killed four days ago as French and Malian forces continued their pursuit of Islamist militants in the northern part of the country.

By Cheick Diouara,?Reuters / March 1, 2013

Abou Zeid killed: Abdelhamid Abou Zeid speaks in an unknown location in this still image taken from a undated file video footage obtained from Sahara Media on March 1, 2013.

Sahara Media via Reuters TV/REUTERS

Enlarge

One of al Qaeda's most feared commanders in Africa has been killed by French air strikes in north Mali, sources close to Islamist militants and tribal elders said on Friday, but France said it could not confirm this.

Skip to next paragraph

' + google_ads[0].line2 + '
' + google_ads[0].line3 + '

'; } else if (google_ads.length > 1) { ad_unit += ''; } } document.getElementById("ad_unit").innerHTML += ad_unit; google_adnum += google_ads.length; return; } var google_adnum = 0; google_ad_client = "pub-6743622525202572"; google_ad_output = 'js'; google_max_num_ads = '1'; google_feedback = "on"; google_ad_type = "text"; google_adtest = "on"; google_image_size = '230x105'; google_skip = '0'; // -->

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of
The Christian Science Monitor
Weekly Digital Edition

The local sources said Abdelhamid Abou Zeid, blamed for kidnapping at least 20 Western hostages in the Sahara desert in recent years, was among 40 militants killed four days ago in the foothills of the Adrar des Ifoghas mountains.

About 1,200 French troops and 800 Chadian soldiers are hunting down pockets of al Qaeda-linked insurgents in the border region with Algeria after a seven-week French-led ground-and-air operation broke Islamist domination of northern Mali.

Algeria's Ennahar television, which is well connected with Algerian security services, reported Abou Zeid's death on Thursday but French, Malian and Chadian officials did not confirm it.

An Algerian former smuggler turned jihadi, Abou Zeid is regarded as one of the most ruthless operators in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). He is believed to have executed British hostage Edwin Dyer in 2009 and 78-year-old Frenchman Michel Germaneau in 2010.

A trusted lieutenant of AQIM's leader Abdelmalek Droukdel, Abou Zeid imposed a violent form of sharia law, including amputations and the destruction of ancient Sufi shrines, while Islamists controlled Mali's ancient desert town of Timbuktu, in acts reminiscent of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

"The death of Abou Zeid has been confirmed by several of his supporters who have come back from the mountains," said Ibrahim Oumar Toure, a mechanic in the northern Malian town of Kidal who worked with Islamist rebels and remains in contact with them.

A community leader in Kidal, who declined to be identified, said Abou Zeid was dead. Members of the MNLA Tuareg rebel group, based in Kidal, said Islamist prisoners seized during the fighting had also said the militant leader had been killed.

However, French government spokeswoman Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said she could neither confirm nor deny the report, and French officials urged caution. An official MNLA spokesman said the group had no evidence proving he was dead.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/sUkxFC-WBb4/Abou-Zeid-killed-Local-Malians-say-it-happened-but-French-not-so-sure

troy miracle andy whitfield kennedy demi moore roy oswalt kevin martin

Netanyahu seeks more time to build new Israeli coalition

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Deadlocked talks with potential coalition partners have forced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to seek more time to build a new government and avert a possible snap election, officials said on Friday.

They said Netanyahu would meet President Shimon Peres on Saturday to ask for a two-week extension after his right-wing party, the narrow victor in Israel's January 22 ballot, exhausted the standard four weeks allotted to build a coalition.

Peres is expected to accept Netanyahu's request.

However, should Netanyahu fail to win enough allies for a parliamentary majority by March 16 and a third term as premier, Peres could hand the task to a rival party leader. If no government emerged then, Israelis must return to the polls.

U.S. President Barack Obama is due to visit Israel at the end of March to discuss the stalemate in Palestinian statehood talks and other regional challenges like Iran and Syria. But he would likely cancel if Netanyahu failed to form a coalition.

Washington has not published dates for Obama's trip, and the U.S. ambassador to Israel, Daniel Shapiro, has said it would take place only after the Israelis had a new government.

Netanyahu's Likud-Beitenu ticket won 31 of the Knesset's 120 seats in the January vote - an eroded lead that required he cast a wide net for partners while juggling their disparate demands.

He has faced unified resistance from the parties that placed second and fourth, Yesh Atid (There is a Future) and Bayit Yehudi (Jewish Home), which insist Israel scale back the mass exemptions from military conscription and the welfare stipends it provides to ultra-Orthodox Jews.

The third-biggest Israeli party, center-left Labour, has ruled out entering a government under Netanyahu.

PERKS, NOT PALESTINE

Likud Beitenu has tried without success to drive a wedge between the centrist Yesh Atid and the ultranationalist Bayit Yehudi, which differ on other major issues such as how - and if - Israel should revive peacemaking with the Palestinians.

After inconclusive meetings with both parties Likud Beitenu negotiator David Shimron said Netanyahu's party would not accept a boycott of the ultra-Orthodox, telling reporters: "We will have to see where we go from here in forming a government."

Netanyahu's outgoing coalition includes two ultra-Orthodox parties which have generally backed him on other policies such as the settlement of occupied West Bank land in defiance of world powers, who support the Palestinian drive for a state.

Fourth placed Bayit Yehudi is even less accommodating of the Palestinians than Netanyahu, who says he wants to revive stalled peace talks. By contrast, the centrist Yesh Atid says Netanyahu has not done enough to make peace with the Palestinians.

Opinion polls suggest that if a new election were held now, Yesh Atid and Bayit Yehudi, which currently hold 19 and 12 seats respectively, would make further gains on Netanyahu.

Analysts attribute that to middle-class Israelis' support for the newcomer parties' stand against ultra-Orthodox perks.

Bayit Yehudi says this has eclipsed concern in the Jewish state for the Palestinians, who are themselves divided between U.S.-backed moderates and hardline Hamas Islamists.

"Our understandings with Yesh Atid are already proving to have brought positive results for both parties," Bayit Yehudi negotiator Eyal Gabbai told Israel's Army Radio.

Netanyahu has so far reached a deal with just one other party, the centrist Hatnuah led by former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, which brings six seats to his coalition. Livni has made achieving a peace accord with the Palestinians her core policy.

(Writing by Dan Williams; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/netanyahu-seeks-more-time-build-israeli-government-083013516.html

shell houston open mega millions winners anthony davis palm sunday toure patti smith lottery winners

Puerto Rico slowly warms to more gay rights

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) ? The advance of gay rights across the United States is spreading into Puerto Rico, making the island a relatively gay-friendly outpost in a Caribbean region where sodomy laws and harassment of gays are still common.

The governing Popular Democratic Party is pushing a bill through the legislature that would outlaw discrimination based on gender or sexual orientation, a step taken by about half of U.S. states. Another bill would extend a domestic violence law to gay couples.

Soon after taking office in January, Gov. Alejandro Garcia Padilla signed an order extending health insurance coverage to the live-in partners of workers in his executive branch of government, regardless of gender.

And a popular former conservative governor, Pedro Rossello, surprised supporters and foes when he stated last month that he unequivocally supports gay marriage.

"We're in a period where it's important to talk about human rights," said Rossello, who 14 years ago signed a law as governor to prohibit the recognition of same-sex marriages held abroad.

"This is extraordinary," said Pedro Julio Serrano, a Puerto Rican gay activist. "We've reached a point of no return in Puerto Rico ... Equality is inevitable."

"The issues that we're discussing publicly now would have been unthinkable a couple decades ago," said Osvaldo Burgos, spokesman for the Broad Committee for the Search for Equality, which represents more than a dozen local human rights organizations.

Gay rights activists also say they are encouraged that the island's Justice Department is prosecuting its first hate crime case for the killing of a hairstylist who was set on fire.

The momentum has not all been one way, however. The island's Supreme Court last week narrowly upheld a law that bars same-sex couples from adopting children. Despite a string of legalizations in the U.S. over the past decade, adoptions by same-sex couples remain banned in many U.S. states as well.

And many Puerto Ricans remain uncomfortable with the changes. Church groups in February rallied an estimated 200,000 people against a move to include gay couples under domestic violence laws.

The spokesman for that march, Cesar Vazquez, said the state should not meddle with marriage and the family, and a prominent Puerto Rican pastor, Wanda Rolon, said children should not be taught at a young age that different types of families can exist, a proposal that Garcia's administration is considering.

"That is very dangerous," she said. "It's going to raise some doubts that can bring about confusion."

"What we need to protect in these times is the strengthening of marriage, the strengthening of families," Rolon said. "We will be a healthier society."

Resistance to rights for gays was even stronger in the 1970s, when gay activists protested the island's sodomy law, only to see legislators increase the penalty to 10 years in prison from three.

Many gays and lesbians lived in fear. A serial killer in the 1980s, nicknamed "The Angel of Bachelors," was linked to the killings of 27 gay men.

Public opinion remained largely unchanged until the early 2000s, when legislators passed a hate crime law and abolished the sodomy law. Another watershed moment occurred in November 2009, when police found the decapitated and partially burned body of 19-year-old college student Jorge Steven Lopez Mercado, known for his work with organizations advocating HIV prevention and gay rights.

Soon after, popular Puerto Rican singer Ricky Martin announced he was gay, saying he couldn't remain silent amid such hate, and legislators began considering gay rights bills. Last year, Puerto Rican featherweight boxer Orlando Cruz apparently became the first professional boxer to come out as openly homosexual while still competing.

"Puerto Rico at last recognized that homophobia was a social evil that had to be fought," said Serrano, spokesman for the U.S.-based National Gay and Lesbian Task Force. "After that, things began to change quickly."

Many other islands in the Caribbean remain deeply hostile to homosexuality.

Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana and Grenada still uphold sodomy laws, and many gay people live in fear of exposure and violence. Those fears are not unjustified: Masked gunmen broke into a vacation cottage in St. Lucia in March 2011 and beat three gay U.S. tourists. Two of five suspects were arrested. A year earlier in Jamaica, police found the body of a 26-year-old gay rights activist who had been stabbed to death.

Last year, authorities in Dominica hauled a gay couple off a cruise ship and charged them with indecent exposure. Angry protesters have met gay cruise ships in Jamaica.

Meanwhile, a large gay cruise arrived in Puerto Rico recently and caused not even a ripple in the media.

"(Puerto Rico) has long had a reputation for being one of the friendliest places in the Caribbean," said LoAnn Halden, spokeswoman of the Florida-based International Gay & Lesbian Travel Association.

The court ruling on gay marriage already has caused some backlash in favor of further gay rights.

"What they did was barbaric," said Eduardo Bhatia, president of the island's Senate and member of the governor's party, saying that children of gay couples should have equal rights.

Carmen Milagros Velez, a medical sciences professor at the University of Puerto Rico and the mother of the 12-year-old girl at the center of the adoption case, said the Supreme Court should reconsider its decision.

"We are a family like any other, with the same challenges, probably even more challenges because we have fewer rights," she said.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/puerto-rico-slowly-warms-more-gay-rights-183856225.html

john lennon leann rimes pearl harbor Jacintha Saldanha Butch Jones thursday night football japan earthquake