Assuming they were telling the truth, it would mean that people in that village actually age at a much faster rate than non-residents. One man from that village was 122 years old in 1971, and three year later, he was already 134! So yes, you die much older there, but your clock is going to be ticking really fast down there. Better hurry!
star trek 2 kathy ireland brooke mueller all star weekend lent undercover boss barbara walters
Amidst bad economic news from manufacturing to elsewhere, there are signs of life in the real estate sector. The Wall Street Journal reports that home prices have started to go back on the upswing for the first time since 2007. But while this is good news for homeowners, I wonder if it?s not a mixed blessing at best for the economy as a while.
If the real estate revival is built on the easy credit of the past, it will have the same ending the last "boom" did.
The real estate industry hit a boom thanks to easy credit, which presumably made it easier for more people to achieve what some see as the American Dream, that being home ownership. But the flip side of the easy credit was that as demand soared, the prices of new residences skyrocketed, and the high cost of a new house was often prohibitive for first-time buyers, especially in the Northeast. The only way to do it was easy credit?which resulted in people being pushed (whether through their own volition or by manipulative sales tactics, or a mix of both, is anybody?s guess). Which in turn led to the market collapse. And when the real estate market collapsed, it rippled across the construction sector and became the most visible aspect of the economic troubles these past several years.
Foreclosures then became the story of the day, and the media lapped it up. To listen to the mainstream press, one might have thought we were living through a modern-day version of It?s A Wonderful Life, with mean Henry F. Potter ready to close in on the homes of a hardworking family that just happened to be down on its luck. It makes for a great story, but it had little basis in reality.
I spent a few months working for a law firm that handled foreclosures in Maryland and as part of my job was able to see the sheets indicating how many payments the debtor had made. It was shocking to find out that the answer to this, in an overwhelming number of cases was ?zero.? That?s right, not a single payment made against a mortgage. And I don?t think I ever saw a sheet where more than one payment was made.
It's a myth to suggest that most people foreclosed on were the victims of a modern-day Henry F. Potter.
What that tells me is that the foreclosure ?crisis? was not something that hit a family who?d been faithfully making payments for ten years, hit a string of bad luck and saw the bank pull the rug from under of them. More likely it was a cause of wanna-be entrepreneurs trying to house-flip, getting caught in the middle and losing their bet. Now I?m sorry their bold venture didn?t work out, but losing an entrepreneurial bet is no different than losing a bet on a football game. Pay up, live with the consequences and don?t turn your problem into everyone else?s. At the very least, don?t try and align yourself with the interests of a stable family who really did just have some bad luck.
As a result I still get mixed feelings when I see a report that home prices are on the rise. If you?ve got a house that you?re trying to sell, I?m happy for you. But I wonder if the bottoming-out the market hit was less a crisis than a simple correction back to the norm, with a market no longer driven by easy credit and wanna-be entrepreneurialism. And on the flip side, is the rise in real estate value today something to be celebrated or viewed with a skeptical eye? We?re about to find out.
Dan Flaherty is the author of Fulcrum, an Irish Catholic novel set in postwar Boston with a traditional Democratic mayoral campaign at its heart, and he is the editor-in-chief of TheSportsNotebook.com.
Source: http://www.catholicvote.org/discuss/index.php?p=33545
the temptations rush limbaugh sandra fluke green book some like it hot whale shark whale shark duke university
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.
masters par 3 gwen stefani overeem laron landry mary j blige burger king islands joe flacco
updated to include additional comments from the analysts, sector-data ??i>
Source: http://topipadfinanceapps.com/bankruptcy-fears-stoked-coal-but-china-is-a-greater-risk/
whitney houston cause of death marquette university marquette hilary duff michigan state michigan state city creek center
The government will address issues affecting the economy in the days to come and the country will get back to high growth path, Home Minister P Chidambaram [ Images ] said on Friday. He said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [ Images ] will take more measures to contain inflation and bring the economy back on the higher growth trajectory, he said.
"It's not correct to say that measures were not taken earlier (to check inflation and promote growth). Measures were taken earlier. But we find that some more measures are required and I am confident that the Prime Minister will take the necessary measures," Chidambaram said.
The Prime Minister has already identified the issues like promoting savings and investment and containing fiscal and current account deficits, he said, adding, "in the days to come you will find the government addressing these issues and once we address these issues, we will get back to the high growth path," he said.
India's [ Images ] economic growth slipped to nine-year low of 6.5 per cent in 2011-12 after clocking over 8 per cent growth in the previous two consecutive years. At the same time, overall inflation rose to 7.55 per cent while retail inflation was 10.63 per cent in May.
"Getting back to the high growth path is not a matter of rhetorics or politics. We have to address the issues," he said.
On when he was going to take over as the new Finance Minister Chidambaram quipped, "I took over as the Finance Minister on May 22, 2004 and I demitted office on November 30, 2008. I cannot look into the future. I am not an astrologer."
When asked if Pranab Mukherjee [ Images ] was not capable as Finance Minister because the government was now talking about measures to be taken? to deal with the current crisis, he said "when Mukherjee was the Finance Minister,? he also took a number of measures to address savings, investment and the current account deficit.
"For example last year was a bad year for growth, but we got $46 billion of FDI last year."
? Copyright 2012 PTI. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of PTI content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent.
katie couric barista university of kentucky ncaa oakland news alec baldwin alec baldwin
Posted by admin on Jul 12, 2012 in Blog
3 beds, 2 full baths
Home size: 2,357 sq ft
Lot Size: 10,890 sq ft
Property Type: DETACHD
MLS Number: 12033132
Community: Johns Woods
Great cul-de-sac location for this 3 BR/2BA. Open flooplan with vaulted ceilings, updated kitchen with granite counters, stainless ovens, pantry. Upstairs Master suite plus loft area for exercise, office or pool table and a large bonus with built-in bar and fireplace. Oversized garage and large level fully fenced yard. Beautiful condition ? a must see!
Listed with John L. Scott
The content relating to real estate for sale on this web site comes in part from the IDX program of the RMLS? of Portland, Oregon. All real estate listings are marked with the RMLS? logo, and detailed information about these properties includes the names of the listing brokers. Listing content is ? 2009 RMLS?, Portland, Oregon.
lamar d antoni fashion star andrew bird lizzie borden lizzie borden iona
In this photo taken Thursday, July 5, 2012, Shauna Barbera uses a bottled water dispenser at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. The city that regulated Happy Meal toys and banned plastic grocery bags has a new target in its health-conscious, eco-friendly crosshairs: plastic water bottles. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
In this photo taken Thursday, July 5, 2012, Shauna Barbera uses a bottled water dispenser at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. The city that regulated Happy Meal toys and banned plastic grocery bags has a new target in its health-conscious, eco-friendly crosshairs: plastic water bottles. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
In this photo taken Thursday, July 5, 2012, Shauna Barbera uses a bottled water dispenser at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. The city that regulated Happy Meal toys and banned plastic grocery bags has a new target in its health-conscious, eco-friendly crosshairs: plastic water bottles. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) ? San Francisco, the city that regulated Happy Meal toys and banned plastic grocery bags, has a new target in its health-conscious, eco-friendly crosshairs: plastic water bottles.
City officials are considering an ordinance that would require owners of new and renovated buildings with water fountains to install special bottle-filling taps. The law's designed to encourage thirsty people to refill containers instead of reaching for another bottle of Evian or Aquafina.
"This is the appropriate next step to make it easier for San Franciscans to get out of the bad habit of using environmentally wasteful plastic water bottles and into the good habit of using reusable water containers," said Board of Supervisors President David Chiu, who introduced the legislation in June.
Bottle-filling taps like the ones that would be required if Chiu's measure passes already are found at San Francisco International Airport and at some city parks and schools. Installed behind a drinking fountain's regular faucet, they dispense chilled water in a quick-streaming vertical jet that is high enough to accommodate most water containers.
Advocates say having bottle-specific spigots encourages the reuse of water bottles by eliminating long waits to fill them and removing concerns about germs. Some people squirm at the thought of drinking from a fountain exposed to so many mouths, although city officials say water fountains are no less hygienic than bottle taps.
Skeptics question whether the ordinance is necessary, since the proposed taps pour the same highly-regarded public water that comes out of every other faucet and drinking fountain. Businesses often complain that San Francisco lawmakers are too quick to impose bans or restrictions that affect their bottom lines.
"If you are in an office, your kitchen has a sink, the sink has a faucet and that faucet puts out Hetch Hetchy (reservoir) water," San Francisco Building Owners and Managers Association representative Ken Cleaveland said. "It's just one more new law that San Francisco is implementing on top of hundreds of other laws to make, rather force, compliance in sustainable practices."
Despite initial skepticism, the association is waiting for more details before taking a stance on the law
Adding a bottled-water spigot to existing water fountains would cost at least around $750, according to manufacturers.
For officials at Pennsylvania State University, the cost has been worthwhile. The university is now installing taps on all its campuses after experimenting with them for three years, said Lydia Vandenbergh, an official overseeing the university's effort to reduce use of plastic water bottles. Students were more receptive to filling bottles from special taps than drinking fountains, thought to be dirty.
"In the era of hyper hygiene, for a lot of people, that's a barrier," Vandenbergh said. University officials have estimated the busiest tap replaces the equivalent of 35,000 plastic bottles a month.
Chiu's ordinance calls plastic water bottles "bad for the environment," unnecessarily taking up landfill space and causing greenhouse gas emissions when cheap tap water is available. San Francisco city departments have been barred from buying plastic water bottles since 2007.
Chiu said he considered other aggressive measures to curb the bottle, including a fee and an outright ban. The proposed ordinance is less severe and is meant to raise awareness about drinking tap water as an alternative, he said.
Environmental groups are supportive of efforts to wean San Franciscans from plastic water bottles.
"San Francisco has among the best drinking water in country. It's ridiculous that people would go out and spend their now very limited dollars to buy bottled water," said Mae Wu, an attorney with the National Resources Defense Council.
Chris Hogan, an International Bottled Water Association spokesman, said his industry contributes a small fraction of worldwide energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. He welcomed efforts to encourage drinking tap water, but said they don't require demonizing bottled water.
"When you make the argument to discourage people from drinking bottled water, you are removing the healthiest option when it comes to choosing a bottled beverage," Hogan said.
Chiu introduced the ordinance at a board of supervisors meeting on June 26. It is expected to go before the supervisors' Land Use and Economic Development Committee in September and if it passes, on to the full board of supervisors.
Associated Pressrandy travis arrested dickens amber portwood cujo greg kelly karen handel hangout
In a TV interview Obama says the presidency is not just about setting the right policy, but explaining it to the American people. What critics and supporters say about his record.
In an interview with Charlie Rose at the White House on Thursday, President Obama reflected on his first years in office. See more of this interview on the 'CBS Evening News,' 'CBS This Morning' and 'Sunday Morning.'President Obama stirred up a fresh round of political crossfire this week, when he responded to an interviewer's question by saying his biggest mistake has been in the arena of messaging, not policy.
Skip to next paragraph' +
google_ads[0].line2 + '
' +
google_ads[0].line3 + '
Subscribe Today to the Monitor
"The mistake of my first term ? couple of years ? was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times," Mr. Obama told Charlie Rose of CBS. The president said he wants to do better at "explaining, but also inspiring."
That prompted a quick response from his Republican opponent, Mitt Romney.
?Being president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and President Obama has failed to lead," Mr. Romney said, with his campaign citing millions of Americans who have lost homes or jobs in the weak economy.
Whether Romney is right or wrong, the exchange puts new focus on Obama's track record at a time when media coverage of the campaign had shifted in other directions, notably to questions about Romney and his years in private equity at the firm Bain Capital.
Central to Romney's pitch is the idea that he, as a former business leader, understands how the economy works. And that Obama does not.
Romney's statement Thursday was accompanied by less-than-inspiring statistics on unemployment, the national debt, consumer confidence, and health-care costs under Obama.
In the CBS interview, Obama called Romney's own leadership credentials into question, arguing that seeking profitable corporate investments is different from crafting policies to maximize job growth. "That doesn't necessarily make you qualified to think about the economy as a whole, because as president, my job is to think about the workers. My job is to think about communities, where jobs have been outsourced."
"When you look at the record [of Bain Capital on job creation], there are questions there that have to be asked," Obama said. (News organizations and fact-check groups have been asking those questions.)
How about Obama's record? A summary of pro and con views:
2012 nfl draft order mohamed sanu chris polk chicago bulls dallas cowboys st louis blues rueben randle
The capture of the Mohawk Airlines ad account by AMC's "Mad Men" might have rung a bell with veteran flyers, especially those living in the Northeast U.S. The real Mohawk was based in Utica in upstate New York, and it ran a fleet of 69 passenger jets and some prop planes. Its routes mainly linked small communities across New England to five airports around New York City at JFK, LaGuardia, Newark, White Plains and Islip.
In the TV series, the account went to the fictional Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce ad agency in the mid-60s -- a time when the real Mohawk was being clobbered by air traffic jams in the New York area. Flying into JFK, for example, passengers often found themselves circling nearby Lake Rokonkoma four or five times in the Deer Park Holding Pattern before the plane was cleared for landing. So Mohawk rarely showed up on time.
The airline was dubbed "Slow Hawk" by its passengers, a tag a Mohawk pr man countered with, "That's better than No Hawk."
It was, because if you wanted to fly from regional cities like Utica, Plattsburgh, Watertown, Burlington and Jamestown, you didn't have a choice of carriers. Mohawk was it!
Timetables of some regional airlines, circa 1970s.
Passengers from other small towns elsewhere in the country may recall similar one-airline service at the time. In the Midwest, for instance, Ozark Airlines flew you to St. Louis, where you connected to flights on larger airlines like American and United. And you flew on Southern Airways to Atlanta to hop on the likes of Delta and Eastern.
Likewise, six other regional carriers fed traffic to the big airlines at other connecting terminals: Hughes Airwest at San Francisco, Allegheny at hubs in Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C., Frontier (no relation to the present Frontier) at Denver, North Central at Minneapolis, Texas International at Houston and Piedmont at Charlotte, N.C.
The nine regional airlines shared a common source of financial backing: Uncle Sam, who shelled out subsidies for service to small communities unable to generate enough traffic to make the routes pay for themselves.
Uncle Sam also ruled the roosts of the big carriers. The feds doled out lucrative mainstream routes to the 10 so-called "trunk" airlines of the times, then told them how much they could charge for tickets, much like a regulated utility.
The system fell apart in 1978 when the Airline Deregulation Act became the law of the land. Unchained from Uncle Sam, big and small airlines alike could fly just about anywhere they wanted to and for whatever they wanted to charge.
At that point, as former Frontier CEO Glen Ryland put it, "Even well-run airlines found themselves at the mercy of their weakest, cheapest or dumbest competitor. To stay in the game, they simply had to match the other guy's prices, whether they made money or not."
Only two of the nine regional airlines managed to stay afloat in the choppy waters of deregulation. Among the others, Southern and North Central teamed up to form Republic Airlines (no relation to today's Republic), then added Hughes Airwest to the mix. That deal ended when Republic was sold to Northwest, one of the giant airlines of the day.
Ozark was gobbled up by TWA, which in turn was folded into American. Frontier became a unit of a post-deregulation carrier called PeopleExpress, which in turn became a unit of Continental.
Of the two survivors, Allegheny (which later became USAir and then US Airways) acquired Piedmont and America West, the latter another post-deregulation startup, along with several other smaller carriers.
The other surviving entity was Texas International, the winner of a fierce battle for control of Continental. After that, "TI" as it was called adopted the name of the larger airline, which a few years ago merged with United to become United Continental Holdings, operator of United.
And what about Mohawk? Zapped by the triple whammy of a long, bitter strike, a recession and the shutdowns of General Electric plants in the Northeast -- Mohawk's main source of corporate traffic -- the airline never made it to the deregulation starting line. It was sold to Allegheny in 1972.
Disclosure: The writer was Mohawk's director of public relations for a few years in the late 1960s.
Photo by Bob Schulman
?
"; var coords = [-5, -72]; // display fb-bubble FloatingPrompt.embed(this, html, undefined, 'top', {fp_intersects:1, timeout_remove:2000,ignore_arrow: true, width:236, add_xy:coords, class_name: 'clear-overlay'}); });
Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bob-schulman/mohawk-airlines-slow-hawk_b_1651794.html
alex smith alex smith robert deniro mexico news the talented mr ripley weather new orleans orcl
Pedaling your way through the streets of London Town and eager to avoid giant hills or dangerous traffic? Well, Google Maps is about to become your new best friend. The (still kinda-sorta) search company partnered with Sustrans to bring cycling directions to UK users of its mapping app. Now, alongside your typical driving, walking and public transit options you'll see an adorable little biking icon. Really, there's not much more to say, it's a feature we in the US have been enjoying for quite some time and we're happy that our friend across the pond are finally joining the party. There's a celebratory video and some PR after the break, if that sort of thing intrigues you.
Continue reading Google and Sustrans join forces, bring bike navigation to UK Maps
Filed under: Software
Google and Sustrans join forces, bring bike navigation to UK Maps originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 11 Jul 2012 10:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink
The Next Web | | Email this | Comments
Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/XTWh2n0lBw0/
matt bomer westminster kennel club dog show jeremy lin game winner chocolate covered strawberries shrimp scampi kate upton si cover lobster recipes
CWN - July 10, 2012
Cardinal Eugenio de Araujo Sales, the retired Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro, died on July 9 at the age of 91.
The Brazilian prelate had been the longest-serving member of the College of Cardinals, having received his red hat from Pope Paul VI in 1969. With his death, there are only two surviving cardinals who were elevated by Pope Paul VI: another Brazilian, Cardinal Paulo Evaristo Arns, the retired Archbishop of Sao Paulo, who was named a cardinal in 1973; and an American, Cardinal William Baum, the former head of the Apostolic Penitentiary, who was elevated at the conclave of 1976.
Cardinal Araujo had also served an unusually long term as Archbishop of Rio de Janeiro: from 1971 until his retirement in 2001 at the age of 80. He had previously been an auxiliary bishop of Natal from 1954 to 1964, then the Archbishop of Sao Salvador da Bahia from 1964 to 1971.
Cardinal Araujo was known for his support for the poor people of Rio de Janeiro and his opposition to the country?s military regime. In a message of condolence, Pope Benedict XVI praised him for his ?long life dedicated to the Church in Brazil.?
Additional sources for this story
Some links will take you to other sites, in a new window.
|
An appeal from our founder, Dr. Jeffrey Mirus: Dear reader: If you found the information on this page helpful in your pursuit of a better Catholic life, please support our work with a donation. Your donation helps us to reach over 2,000,000 Truth-seeking readers worldwide each year. Thank you! |
Progress toward our needs in July: $22,494 to go!
$31,000.00 $8,505.80 73% 27% |
Sound Off! CatholicCulture.org supporters weigh in.
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
There are no comments yet for this item.
Source: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=14873
apple juice apple juice occupy la miranda kerr adriana lima victoria secret angels fox 4
The samurai has been a popular icon in Japan since the Heian era (500 A. D. ? 1200 A. D.) In western culture, the samurai has been a pop culture icon since WWII, when the Japanese acted under a more violent type of bushido, or ?the way of the warrior? however, the position of the samurai isn?t given much thought on today. In fact, before writing this report, my knowledge of the samurai must?ve been about the same as yours. Now, I shall share with you my knowledge of the samurai, including their history, role in society, and influence on culture today.
When you want to look at the history of the samurai, you must also look at the history of Japan. It is unavoidable. From the time emperor Jimmu came into power in 600 B. C. there have been stories of the samurai. Though, the term ?samurai? didn?t come to be until he set up the ?buke? class, there have been stories about samurai- like figures since before the empire was established.
For example; there is a story that, before Jimmu came to rule Japan, he was attacked by eighty ?braves? (bandits). He responded to this by bestowing a banquet upon them. Then, Jimmu had eighty butlers, each with a sword, wait on them. Soon, Jimmu gave the signal by singing, and the butlers slew the braves. One would assume that the eighty butlers were then put into the buke, or ?warrior?, class, so this story has a seemingly small connection to the samurai. There are other stories pertaining to the beginnings of the samurai, but I thought this one was most interesting.
Stories told later in the Heian era are much more fantastical than they are today. Some involve young samurais wrestling deities, some involve them killing their brothers, some involve a fieldtrip to the underworld? they?re very versatile. However, all the samurai in these stories shared one trait; all died a hero?s death. In Japan, it was considered heroic and honorable to die for the imperial family.
The samurai?s claim to fame in real life was beating back the Mongol invasion, twice. Though the samurai were outnumbered, outmanned, and out of reasons to fight back, they still won. A normal person would wonder how, and a not-so-normal person would tell them ?it?s because of the divine winds!? or Kamikaze if you prefer. The Kamikaze were two typhoons that took place during the Japanese-Mongol war in the late Heian era. Though the war was in summer, when typhoons are most common, it was passed off as divine intervention.
Still, throughout the age of the samurai, they remained powerful, respected figures. The term ?samurai? literally means ?one who serves? and is a gender-specific term. Samurai often had shoguns or daimyos as their masters. Once a samurai lost his or her master, said samurai became a ronin and, more often than not, started living a life of crime.
Perhaps the most famous samurai was named Miyamoto Musashi, though it is not a household name, he is well known among samurai fanatics like me. Miyamoto is what most of us think when the word samurai is mentioned. His primary weapon was a sword, he even had some involvement in poetry. Miyamoto was also the author of the ?Book of Five Rings?, a reference to the samurai approach to business used by Wall Street people.
Not all samurai were comrades in arms, though. Whenever Japan split due to civil unrest, both sides retained their famous samurai. In the battle of Sekigahara, for example, two clans kept in line by Hideyoshi each controlled a separate part of Japan. Sekigahara was widely considered to be the unofficial beginning of the Tokugawa bakufu; the last shogunate to control Japan.
Regardless of the split, the samurai kept their beliefs, such as bushido. Bushido, literally translated as ?way of the warrior?, was a code of honor used in the buke class. Bushido was like a samurai?s manual for how to behave, and had rules such as a samurai who dishonors himself must commit seppuku.
On that note, seppuku was a tamer form of hari-kari, or disembowelment of oneself. The steps of seppuku include; stabbing yourself in the upper right corner of your stomach, slicing a diagonal line down to the lower left corner, slicing to the upper left, slicing to the lower right, and finally back to the upper right. If that doesn?t kill you, you stab yourself in the neck. In case of hesitation or dying too early in the process, a friend is often expected to be near you while you prepare to stab yourself.
As you can tell, samurai had to have been skilled in all kinds of weapons to survive. It is a common misconception that the main weapon of the samurai had always been the sword. This may not be too far from the truth when addressing samurai on foot, but mounted samurai held the bow and arrow in higher regard. No matter if the samurai were mounted or on foot, most had skill in using a wakazaki, a two- handed long sword, a tanto, a small dagger used as a last resort, a katana, a steel short sword, and a bow.
Women at the time also had the privilege of becoming akin to samurai. The most common way for a woman to get into the buke class was to marry a samurai. That being said, most women in the class did have some skill in martial arts, these women were called onna bugi-sha. Some of these women fought in wars, earning them the title of ?female warrior?
Today, the culture of the samurai has an impact on life. For example, martial arts classes that involve use of weapons often use bamboo katanas as their primary examples. One of these classes, known as kendo, even utilizes the fighting style of the samurai. Some of these classes show how to use staff- like weapons. A cornered samurai with nothing else on hand may have used something like that if it were nearby.
In WWII, the samurai was first introduced into western culture when Japan entered the Axis Powers with Italy and Germany. The Japanese acted on a form of bushido that would make most famous samurai cringe. With every battle they lost, Japanese soldiers either got into a fight they couldn?t win, or committed seppuku. When the Japanese won a battle, the prisoners of war were forced into labor on a bridge in Edo, or Tokyo as we know it today, most died during the project.
Somehow, though, the idea of the samurai stuck with us and became a respected figure in western media. Cartoons such as ?Samurai Jack? portrayed the samurai as rigorous sword- wielding superhumans. Others like ?Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles? had the samurai play the bad guy, like they did in WWII. Some even touch upon the ?female samurai?, such as the Mulan series.
The samurai was also put to extremes in eastern culture too. In anime, samurai come in all shades of noble, annoying, respected, and shy. Looking to a historically accurate anime, Boku no Genji depicts Sekigahara in grater detail than I have here, and Axis Powers; Hetalia has Japan fight much like a samurai. The less historic Bamboo Blade makes bushido a little more lighthearted and good humored in its cast of female kendo students. In addition to these animes, the manga Usagi tells the tale of a rabbit, who also happens to be exactly what comes to mind when we think ?samurai?. Even in an anime loosely based on Shakespeare, the heroine Juliet?s vigilante alter- ego acts on bushido.
In video games, the samurai is more or less portrayed with historical accuracy. In Total War, the samurai appear exactly as they do in real life. In Romance of The Three Kingdoms, the characters show more traits of samurai than Chinese soldiers. In visual novels, the samurai characters may be plucked from history, but things are always more fantastical.
In conclusion, the samurai has much more to it than western culture tells us today. Samurai were respectable, formidable, and somewhat elegant figures who acted in honor. They lived to serve and often died for honor. I hope that reading my report has been an eye- opening experience.
Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/RolePlayGateway
giuliana rancic temptations work hard play hard tim ferriss wmt human nature arkansas football
The spiritual successor to last year's Xperia Active has been given a performance boost. Now packing a dual-core 1GHz processor, Sony hopes it'll manage to keep up with your surf-heavy lifestyle. At least, that's the explanation we reckon underpins the Xperia go's (or Xperia advance) certified dust and waterproofing. The phone is notch above the Xperia miro and Xperia tipo hardware wise, although the software remains less so, leaning on the increasingly creaky Android Gingerbread. (Sony says it's coming -- but it wont be available on launch.)
Those curved corners and design lines make like a close relative to the Xperia S, P and U -- although it does lack that pervasive see-through bar. The increased processing power made web browsing a pretty painless affair, while wet finger tracking means you'll still be able to use the 3.5-inch touchscreen in the British Summer surf. The device will be priced around £250 (around $390) in the UK and is pegged to arrive over the next few months in white, black and yellow -- the latter has swiftly become our favorite. Take a visual tour of the yellow option in our gallery and hands-on video right after the break.
Continue reading We go hands-on with the waterproof Sony Xperia go (video)
Filed under: Cellphones
We go hands-on with the waterproof Sony Xperia go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Jul 2012 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsSource: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/10/xperia-go-xperia-advance-hands-on/
amare stoudemire tallest building in the world the pitch brandon inge freedom tower freedom tower eric church
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. ? ?Police say a would-be burglar was halted by unlikely obstacles ? window blinds.
KRQE-TV reports (http://bit.ly/LZ3mNV) that police found Thomas Molina on Sunday tangled in some window blinds at Central New Mexico Community College in Albuquerque after police received a call about a break-in.
Police say the 38-year-old Molina told police he was looking for computer hardware.
Molina was arrested and charged with burglary and breaking and entering. He is being held on a $10,000 bond.
It was unclear if he had an attorney.
___
Information from: KRQE-TV, http://www.krqe.com
Source: http://feeds.foxnews.com/~r/foxnews/national/~3/evjCnrDbGBc/
patti labelle the weeknd the weeknd payroll tax payroll tax aisha khan alanis morissette
A soot-covered cardboard box that had been buried under a wooden dollhouse in a Defiance, Ohio attic for more than a century contained a baseball card collection that could be worth more than $3 million, according to experts. Karl Kissner was cleaning out his late grandfather?s house when his sister discovered the box, and set it aside. When Karl saw what was inside, he took the collection to a baseball card expert, who was blown away. Some are calling it the most spectacular baseball card find ever.
The cards, all from around the 1909 era, include names such as Ty Cobb, Cy Young and Honus Wagner, among others. More importantly, they were nearly all in pristine condition.
?It?s like finding the Mona Lisa in the attic? Kissner said.
The cards are from what is known as the E98 series. It is not clear who manufactured them or how many were produced, but the series consists of 30 players, half of them Hall of Famers.
?Every future find will ultimately be compared to this,? said Joe Orlando, president of Professional Sports Authenticator.
The best of the bunch ? 37 cards ? are expected to bring a total of $500,000 when they are sold at auction in August during the National Sports Collectors Convention in Baltimore. There are about 700 cards in all that could be worth up to $3 million, experts say. They include such legends as Christy Mathewson and Connie Mack.
Kissner and his family say the cards belonged to their grandfather, Carl Hench, who died in the 1940s. Hench ran a meat market in Defiance, and the family suspects he got them as a promotional item from a candy company that distributed them with caramels. They think he gave some away and kept others.
?We guess he stuck them in the attic and forgot about them,? Kissner said. ?They remained there frozen in time.?
Professional Sports Authenticator has rated the cards at 8 and above (on a scale of 1 to 10), including a Honus Wagner rated a 10 ? which is a first. The collection will be divided among 20 nieces and nephews, most of whom have decided to sell theirs.
kansas city chiefs chiefs kc chiefs kc chiefs judy garland j r martinez j r martinez
Getty ImagesAs the owners of the New Orleans Times-Picayune plan to reduce the daily printed newspaper to a three-times-per-week offering, some of the most prominent citizens of the Crescent City are suggesting an alternative:? sell.
?If you have ever valued the friendship you have shared with our city and your loyal readers, we ask that you sell the Times-Picayune,? the letter from The Times-Picayune Citizens? Group states, according to, well, the Times-Picayune.
Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning has joined the effort.
?I don?t think I?m any different than the majority of citizens of New Orleans,? Manning said. ?I?ve been here for 41 years, and the daily paper is a part of my life, and if there?s any chance to continue to have it seven days a week, I would like to help.?
The request was immediately rejected.
As a result, printed papers will be generated in New Orleans only on Wednesday, Fridays, and Sunday, with the rest of the information made available on the Times-Picayune website.
Previously, the group urged the owners to simply rescind their plans.
?If there?s somebody in this community who likes this idea they have, I haven?t met them yet,? said James Carville, another prominent New Orleans resident who has joined the effort.
The solution seems obvious.? With so many rich and/or powerful people aligned to save the daily newspaper industry in New Orleans, they should pool their riches and/or power and launch a competitor that prints (drum roll, please) a daily newspaper.
If, of course, a potential group of investors for a daily newspaper that would compete with the Times-Picayune runs the numbers and realizes that the realities of the modern marketplace don?t support the concept of a seven-days-per-week paper in New Orleans, at least they?ll come to better understand why the owners of the Times-Picayune are doing what they?re doing.
Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/07/09/adrian-peterson-hires-roger-clemens-attorney/related
gmail down tim lincecum ryan oneal file taxes online tupac shakur sledge hammer tax day freebies
