Monday, December 5, 2011

The Mira

The Mira



Physical Traits

The first thing one thinks of when looking upon a Mira, other than the natural reaction of "Cat", is dominating. Often on the taller and slimmer side rather than bulk, the Mira are the definition of sleek and toned. The males among the Mira average between 5 1/2 feet and 6 1/2 feet tall, with the tallest Mira recorded being 7 foot, one inch. Females are significantly shorter, with the average ranging between 5 and 6 feet in height. The weight of the creatures is far more subject to variable, ranging greatly in width and shape, from lithe to broad of shoulder.


Culture

Rearing:

Children of the Mira are not raised individually by any one parent, but rather in groups and by the entirety of the tribe. It is a shared responsibility to maintain the education and rearing of the young.

Raised in the ways of combat and war from the age they can walk, there is little room for play amongst the children of the Mira. In a society where only the strongest survive little is spared in their education.

The rigorous nature of their upbringing builds strong ties between the young and their caregivers, such that the tribe is parent to them all.

Honor and tradition is paramount to their rearing and diligent care is taken in teaching them the values that every Mira must uphold.

Hierarchy:

The Mira are led by the Shief whos word is law in all matters save for those of the divine in which he must give way to the words of the Shamana. At his right hand stands his second and at his left his mate. Though a predominantly male dominated hierarchy, females with the combat prowess to do so have been known to claim the Right of Power.

Notable Traditions:

Right of Blood:
The Mira hold several traditions in very high regard - the very highest being that no Mira shall kill another Mira. This tradition came about during a period of great turmoil due to extinction that the Mira very narrowly avoided, and in order to maintain their numbers and their war-like, combat-fueled nature, they had to uphold this tradition.

Right of Succession:
Amongst the oldest of their traditions is the right of succession, that a Sheif's cubs will inherit the Sheif's duties and responsibilities, once they are of age and the Sheif has passed on. If there is an overthrowing, or a successful challenge of the Sheif's skills in combat, the offspring are expected to challenge the power of the usurper upon coming of age. However, it is not uncommon for a successful challenger to force the offspring of the old Sheif into exile, for fear of facing an inevitable challenge themselves.

Right of Power:
The Right of Power is another that also dates back to their early years. The Mira respect prowess over all else. Every Mira has the right to hold that which they can seize through power and experience - even the status of Shief. A strict hiearchy is determined through combat prowess and the right for any Mira to challenge another for status and renown. However, the Right of Blood supersedes this and to yield is honorable.


Abilities

Le'thorian's Blessing: Damage resistance and immunity to magic.

Legend tells of a time when the Mira's need was great and their numbers few.

Beset upon by great enemies and with their clans shattered the scattered tribes came together to make a stand. The last of the shamani joined in earnest prayer to beseech the divine aid them in their time of need. Such a joining of shamani that had not occurred since the dawn of the Mira and their voices did not go unnoticed.

As the days darkened and all hope seemed lost, the Mira stood strong through the trials of fire and blood. Even as their days became numbered and the last of their kin wavered beneath the dark magic that ravished the lands, it is said that not one of the Mira broke. Strong of spirit and brave of heart, the Mira met their foes with a ferocity never before seen.

A ferocity of the likes to capture the heart of Le'thorian, last of the ancient woodland spirits and lady of the wood. It is said that she came to them from the divine itself, an answer to their prayers and with her touch a blessing was placed upon the Mira. No longer did the Mira suffer claw and fang for the bite of both upon their hide was turned away. No longer did the Mira fear the void and arcane trickery for every manner of spell and magic placed upon them washed away as if beneath the spring rains.

And so goes the legend of Le'thorian's blessing.

- Leonis the Wise

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RolePlayGateway/~3/iToBKvy_gl4/viewtopic.php

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2 giant pandas on way from China to Scotland

AAA??Dec. 4, 2011?1:18 AM ET
2 giant pandas on way from China to Scotland
AP

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, an elderly woman sees off the pandas in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. As part of a ten-year joint research program, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the pair of giant pandas, were set off for the Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan here on Saturday, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Qiaoqiao) NO SALES

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, an elderly woman sees off the pandas in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. As part of a ten-year joint research program, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the pair of giant pandas, were set off for the Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan here on Saturday, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Qiaoqiao) NO SALES

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, giant panda Yang Guang eats bamboo prior to a journey to Britain in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. As part of a ten-year joint research program, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the pair of giant pandas, were set off for the Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan here on Saturday, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Qiaoqiao) NO SALES

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, giant panda Yang Guang eats bamboo prior to a journey to Britain in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. As part of a ten-year joint research program, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the pair of giant pandas, were set off for the Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan here on Saturday, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Qiaoqiao) NO SALES

In this photo released by China's Xinhua News Agency, staff carry giant panda Tian Tian in a cage, right, onto a truck in Ya'an, southwest China's Sichuan Province, Saturday, Dec. 3, 2011. As part of a ten-year joint research program, Tian Tian and Yang Guang, the pair of giant pandas, were set off for the Edinburgh Zoo from the Giant Panda Conservation and Research Center in Sichuan here on Saturday, Xinhua said. (AP Photo/Xinhua, Li Qiaoqiao) NO SALES

(AP) ? Two giant pandas are flying from China to Scotland, where they will become the first pandas to live in Britain in nearly two decades.

The pandas named Tian Tian and Yang Guang ? or Sweetie and Sunshine ? munched on bamboo at Chengdu airport ahead of their trip Sunday.

The pandas are to stay for 10 years at Edinburgh Zoo, where officials hope they will breed during their stay.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland will pay more than 600,000 pounds ($935,000) a year to China for the loan of Sweetie and Sunshine, not including the expense of imported bamboo.

Britain's last giant panda lived in London Zoo until 1994, when it was returned to China.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/b2f0ca3a594644ee9e50a8ec4ce2d6de/Article_2011-12-04-AS-China-Pandas/id-f39442937d60469f84a9bcc76010a64f

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Sunday, December 4, 2011

Stanley Kubrick Photographs New York (Theagitator)

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Galaxy Nexus OTA update quietly rolls out, addresses volume bug

Google, as promised, has begun rolling out an OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, in response to a curious volume bug affecting many European users. According to Android Central, "several" Nexus users have reported receiving the update, bundled in a package that weighs a little less than 1MB. Early reports indicate that the refresh only addresses the volume issue, though it appears to be rolling out on a piecemeal basis. If you've already updated, let us know how it's treating you in the comments, below.

[Thanks, Shaun]

Galaxy Nexus OTA update quietly rolls out, addresses volume bug originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Dec 2011 03:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/galaxy-nexus-ota-update-quietly-rolls-out-addresses-volume-bug/

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Saturday, December 3, 2011

Mohamed Mohamud: Terrorism Case Comes Together Against Muslim-American 'Wannabomber'

By Bryan Denson
Religion News Service

PORTLAND, Ore. (RNS) A year ago, a tall, skinny teen named Mohamed Mohamud stepped out of an SUV just north of Portland's Union Station. There, according to the FBI, the Somali-born American punched 10 digits into a cell phone believing it would ignite a vanload of explosives 16 blocks away.

The van was parked on the southeast corner of Pioneer Courthouse Square on the night of Nov. 26, 2010. Out on the wet bricks, thousands of bundled-up revelers waited for the lighting of the city's 75-foot Christmas tree.

Twenty minutes before the lights sparkled to life, the teen known to friends as "Mo" pushed the phone's send button to detonate the explosives, the FBI alleges. Mohamud heard no blast, only the sudden footsteps of federal agents.

The 19-year-old became one of America's accused "wannabombers." The bomb he allegedly tried to ignite was a harmless fake rigged by the FBI and presented to him by undercover operatives posing as Islamic terrorists. Their suspect, charged with attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction, was part of a series of FBI terrorism stings since 9/11.

Government officials have praised the stings as a means of preventing terrorists from harming people on U.S. soil. In some cases, the FBI has supplied suspects with money, transportation and realistic weapons -- including surface-to-air missiles.

Defense lawyers, including Mohamud's, argue that the operations amount to illegal entrapment. Mohamud became the 14th and youngest suspect to mount an entrapment defense in one of the FBI's stings. The 13 men who previously argued entrapment have been tried, found guilty and sent to prison for terms ranging from six years to life.

Mohamud's trial is set for May 15.

Prosecutors and defense lawyers haven't talked publicly about the Mohamud case since a few days after his arrest. But their arguments over the release of thousands of pages of evidence -- some classified -- and surveillance files foreshadow a lively trial.

Mohamud's lawyers accuse the FBI of tailing their client, a vulnerable teen with no criminal record, perhaps before he turned 18. Then, they say, the bureau loosed sophisticated operatives on their client and coaxed him into a crime he never would have committed on his own.

Defense lawyers allege that the operatives, well-versed in psychological techniques to gain Mohamud's "compliance," cozied up to him with a plan. The operatives, they wrote, told Mohamud he'd been hand-picked, and they gave him $2,810 to buy bomb parts and rent a hideout. They also assured him they would sneak him out of the country after the bombing.

Prosecutors say the FBI grew suspicious of Mohamud after learning that a friend of his in the northwest frontier of Pakistan -- a known training ground for terrorists -- had emailed him an apparent invitation to join him. Their court filings also allege that Mohamud wrote articles advocating holy war, which were published in the online publication Jihad Recollections.

They argue that Mohamud was the first to bring up the idea of a bombing, picked Pioneer Courthouse Square as the target and gave a pre-bombing speech in which he criticized his parents for holding him back from jihad. Finally, prosecutors allege, Mohamud eagerly dialed a cell phone number hoping for bloodshed.

Mohamud was in his late teens when his dad, Intel engineer Osman Barre, took concerns about his son to the FBI. But that meeting -- and the year it occurred -- haven't been disclosed in a public case file now 558 pages thick.

Mohamud's defense team has suggested that the FBI might have begun eavesdropping on their client in March 2008, when he was 17.

The defense also pointed out that FBI agents were listening in when state police questioned him in 2009 about a Halloween date-rape accusation at Oregon State University. To prove his innocence (he was soon exonerated), Mohamud took a polygraph exam and let police copy data from his computer and cell phone.

FBI agents weren't involved in the campus case. But they obtained a copy of Mohamud's computer hard drive and three pages of information from his cell phone, court records show. One week later, according to the defense, an undercover FBI agent identified in court papers as "Bill Smith" emailed Mohamud and solicited his participation in violence against the West.

Government prosecutors say the FBI's sting took form in June 2010, when Mohamud tried to board a flight to Alaska for a summer job and learned he was on the no-fly list. The FBI soon interviewed Mohamud, who told agents he had previously planned to fly to Yemen to visit a friend, who later turned up in Pakistan.

A little more than a week later, an FBI operative posing as an associate of Mohamud's friend, sent him an email. The two men agreed to meet in Portland on July 30. There, prosecutors allege, Mohamud first brought up the subject of a car bombing.

Mohamud's defense strategy might be broader than entrapment.

Jail visitation records obtained by The Oregonian show that three potential defense experts have met with Mohamud. Each could offer unique insights about his Muslim identity and childhood in war-torn Somalia.

Dr. Dave Kinzie, an Oregon Health & Science University psychiatrist, began meeting with Mohamud last May. Kinzie, an expert in post-traumatic stress disorder, has studied refugees struggling with memories of war in such countries as Somalia, where Mohamud was born in 1991. He declined to discuss his visits with Mohamud.

Dirgham H. Sbait, a Portland State University professor who holds a Ph.D. in Arabic literature, began visiting Mohamud in July. Sbait acknowledged he's helping Mohamud's defense with Arabic language assistance, but he declined to elaborate.

A man identified as Jeff Eamon met with Mohamud in September. Eamon could not be reached for comment. But online citations credited to a man by that name show he published papers on the impact of anti-terrorist financing policies on Islamic charities and the reshaping of Muslim identity.

Mohamud moved last June from a corner cell on the fourth floor of the Justice Center Jail, where he spent nearly seven months being protected from other inmates. He now lives in a less restrictive unit, where he socializes with fellow prisoners, takes walks and watches TV.

"For his long-term health, I needed to get him out of there," said Mike Shults, chief deputy of corrections for the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office. "It's never good to isolate somebody for such a long period."

Mohamud's new cell sits about 400 yards from Pioneer Courthouse Square.

(Bryan Denson writes for The Oregonian in Portland, Ore.)

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/03/mohamed-mohamud-terrorism-case_n_1126568.html

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New Sandusky accuser: Dozens of instances of abuse

Former Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky was sued by a new accuser in the child sex abuse scandal.

By The Associated Press and msnbc.com

PHILADELPHIA -- Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky sexually abused a young boy more than 100 times after meeting him through the charity he founded, then threatened the boy's family to keep him quiet about the encounters, according to a lawsuit filed Wednesday.

The lawsuit identifies the plaintiff, now 29, only as John Doe. It claims Sandusky abused the boy at the coach's State College home, at Penn State facilities and on at least one bowl game trip.

The plaintiff is not among eight victims named in a grand jury report released earlier this month that detailed a series of alleged assaults involving Sandusky and boys as young as 10. Sandusky has acknowledged showering and embracing young boys but denies molesting them.


?According to the lawsuit, Sandusky gave the boy gifts, travel and privileges after meeting him through his charity, The Second Mile, in 1992, when the boy was 10. The abuse began shortly after and lasted until 1996, the suit said, occurring in "multiple occasions and multiple locations."

In a written statement released Wednesday, the plaintiff says he's taking legal action because he doesn't want other kids to be abused.

"The people at Penn State and Second Mile didn't do the things they should have to protect me and the other kids. I am hurting and have been for a long time because of what happened but feel now even more tormented that I have learned of so many other kids [who] were abused after me," the statement says. "I want other people who have been hurt to know they can come forward and get helpand help protect others in the future."

Sandusky is charged with abusing eight boys, some on campus, over 15 years, allegations that were not immediately brought to the attention of authorities even though high-level people at Penn State apparently knew about at least one of them.

'Extreme and outrageous conduct'
The lawsuit filed Wednesday continues, "Penn State's and Second Mile's conduct in employing Sandusky, holding out its premises as a safe environment for children when it had reason to know it could be a dangerous place for children, and thereby causing Plaintiff to be raped by Sandusky constituted extreme and outrageous conduct that was atrocious and went beyond all bounds of decency."

The scandal has resulted in the departure of school President Graham Spanier and longtime coach Joe Paterno. Athletic Director Tim Curley has been placed on administrative leave, and Vice President Gary Schultz, who was in charge of the university's police department, has stepped down.

Schultz and Curley are charged with lying to the grand jury and failure to report to police, and Sandusky is charged with child sex abuse. All maintain their innocence.

The plaintiff is represented by attorney Jeffrey Anderson, a longtime advocate against child sex abuse. Anderson held a news conference Wednesday in Philadelphia, where the suit was filed.

Sandusky's lawyer did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

? 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/11/30/9116806-new-accuser-sues-sandusky-claims-more-than-100-instances-of-abuse

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Friday, December 2, 2011

Gone with the wind ? why the fast jet stream winds cannot contribute much renewable energy after all

ScienceDaily (Nov. 30, 2011) ? The assumption that high jet steam wind speeds in the upper atmosphere correspond to high wind power has now been challenged by researchers of the Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry in Jena, Germany. Taking into account that the high wind speeds result from the near absence of friction and not from a strong power source, Axel Kleidon and colleagues found that the maximum extractable energy from jet streams is approximately 200 times less than reported previously. Moreover, climate model simulations show that energy extraction by wind turbines from jet streams alters their flow, and this would profoundly impact the entire climate system of the planet.

Jet streams are regions of continuous wind speeds greater than 25 m/s that occur at altitudes of 7-16 km. Their high speeds seem to suggest an almost unlimited source of renewable energy that would only need airborne wind energy technology to utilize it. Claims that this potential energy source could "continuously power all civilization" sparked large investments into exploitation of this potential energy resource. However, just like any other wind and weather system on Earth, jet streams are ultimately caused by the fact that the equatorial regions are heated more strongly by the sun than are polar regions. This difference in heating results in large differences in temperature and air pressure between the equator and the poles, which are the driving forces that set the atmosphere into motion and create wind. It is this differential heating that sets the upper limit on how much wind can be generated and how much of this could potentially be used as a renewable energy resource.

It is well known in meteorology that the high wind speeds of jet streams result from the near absence of friction. In technical terms, this fact is referred to in meteorology as "geostrophic flow." This flow is governed by an accelerating force caused by pressure differences in the upper atmosphere, and the so-called Coriolis force arising from Earth's rotation. Because the geostrophic flow takes place in the upper atmosphere, far removed from the influence of the surface and at low air density, the slow-down by friction plays a very minor role. Hence, it takes only very little power to accelerate and sustain jet streams. "It is this low energy generation rate that ultimately limits the potential use of jet streams as a renewable energy resource," says Dr. Axel Kleidon, head of the independent Max Planck Research Group 'Biospheric Theory and Modelling'. Using this approach based on atmospheric energetics, Kleidon's group used climate model simulations to calculate the maximum rate at which wind energy can be extracted from the global atmosphere. Their estimate of a maximum of 7.5 TW (1 TW = 10^12 W, a measure for power and energy consumption) is 200-times less than previously reported and could potentially account for merely about half of the global human energy demand of 17 TW in 2010.

Max Planck researchers also estimated the climatic consequences that would arise if jet stream wind power would be used as a renewable energy resource. As any wind turbine must add some drag to the flow to extract the energy of the wind and convert it into electricity, the balance of forces of the jet stream must also change as soon as energy is extracted. If 7.5 TW were extracted from jet streams as a renewable energy source, this would alter the natural balance of forces that shape the jet streams to such an extent that the driving atmospheric pressure gradient between the equator and the poles is depleted. "Such a disruption of jet stream flow would slow down the entire climate system. The atmosphere would generate 40 times less wind energy than what we would gain from the wind turbines," explains Lee Miller, first author of the study. "This results in drastic changes in temperature and weather."

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry, via AlphaGalileo.

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Journal Reference:

  1. L. M. Miller, F. Gans, A. Kleidon. Jet stream wind power as a renewable energy resource: \newline little power, big impacts. Earth System Dynamics, 2011; 2 (2): 201 DOI: 10.5194/esd-2-201-2011

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

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/~3/sYXYCPbX0Io/111130100013.htm

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