Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Obama meets Georgia leader amid Russia dispute

President Barack Obama meets with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan., 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama meets with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan., 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama shakes hands with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili during their meeting in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan., 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Vice President Joe Biden watches as President Barack Obama meets with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, Monday, Jan. 30, 2012, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Barack Obama meets with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Monday, Jan., 30, 2012. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

(AP) ? President Barack Obama offered encouragement Monday for the former Soviet republic of Georgia's hopes for a preferential trade agreement with the United States, but said the country has a way to go in its economic reforms.

Obama praised visiting Georgian president Mikhail Saakashvili and said there is a "possibility" of a free trade agreement that is a top priority for Georgia. Obama said the U.S. will help Georgia strengthen its free market system with high-level dialogue, but did not address when or under what conditions that might expand.

Saakashvili thanked Obama for the possible free trade agreement.

"That's going to attract lots of additional activity to my country," he said.

Later, in a meeting with reporters he said that the White House meeting and Obama's words had great symbolic importance for his country. Though Georgia has recovered in many ways from its 2008 war with Russia, it still suffers from tensions with its much larger neighbor and looks to the United States for support.

Georgia's leverage in asking for trade advantages grew last year, when it quietly dropped objections to Russian membership in the World Trade Organization. Georgia is probably the most hostile toward Moscow of the now-independent nations that were once part of the Soviet Union.

Russian WTO membership was part of Obama's efforts to repair relations with Russia that hit a low point following the Russian invasion of Georgia over a territorial dispute.

Saakashvili told reporters that the Obama administration's so-called reset with Russia had not come at Georgia's expense.

"We have no reason to complain, and today's meeting clearly proved that," he said.

He said and that he believed the improved relations between Washington and Moscow had deterred further Russian aggression.

Sitting with Saakashvili following an Oval Office meeting, Obama said the two discussed the importance of protecting minorities and the rule of law, an apparent reference to alleged political power plays by Saakashvili's party and the recent arrest of journalists and others on allegations of spying for Georgia's rival Russia. But Obama praised Georgia as an example of democracy in the former Soviet region.

Obama said scheduled democratic elections, in which Saakashvili intends to step aside, "will solidify many of the reforms that are taking place."

Critics have accused Saakashvili of trying to engineer constitutional reforms that would allow him to pull strings from offstage, in the manner of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, after he leaves office in 2013. Saakashvili denies it.

Obama appeared to make an oblique reference to that debate by saying that he was "anticipating fair and free elections" and "the formal transfer of power" in Georgia.

Saakashvili, who has been president since 2004, has sought to steer Georgia toward joining the European Union and NATO. He has been credited with economic and anti-corruption reforms, but opponents have accused him of stifling media freedom and sidelining the opposition, and criticized his handling of the disastrous 2008 war with Russia.

Obama did not mention that war, or the underlying dispute, during brief remarks to reporters following Monday's meeting.

Earlier, however, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Obama would reaffirm U.S. support for Georgia's "territorial integrity" within internationally recognized borders. That's a reference to the dispute over a breakaway region of Georgia that prompted the war.

Obama said the two leaders discussed security issues, and he thanked Saakashvili for Georgia's contribution of troops to the war in Afghanistan.

Saakashvili said that Obama pledged to intensify security cooperation and help Georgia improve its self-defense capabilities.

Georgia is looking to Obama for a road map to NATO membership, something Russia opposes.

Saakashvili said that he expected that Georgia would see progress toward membership at NATO's summit in Chicago in May.

____

Associated Press writer Desmond Butler contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-30-US-Georgia/id-fb275a4fc39943d0827458911acc1ca4

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Monday, January 30, 2012

Jennifer Lopez: "I Don't Know" If I'll Get Remarried (omg!)

Jennifer Lopez: "I Don't Know" If I'll Get Remarried

Jennifer Lopez won't be hiring a Wedding Planner anytime soon.

PHOTOS: J. Lo's evolving style

The 42-year-old singer-actress has been dating 24-year-old backup dancer Casper Smart since the fall, but Lopez is wary of walking down the aisle a fourth time. (She and husband of seven years Marc Anthony split in July 2011; Lopez was also married to Cris Judd from 2001-2003 and Ojani Noa from 1997-1998).

PHOTOS: J. Lo, Casper and other hot hookups

"Do you think you'll marry again?" Today show co-host Matt Lauer asked the American Idol judge Monday.

"I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. We'll see. I mean, I don't know," a flustered Lopez answered. "It's not time to think about that yet. It's still fresh."

Unlike past loves, Lopez has remained in contact with Anthony, 43, with whom she shares two children, twins Max and Emme, nearly 4. "There is real love there," she explained of working with her ex-husband on their new TV show, ?Q'Viva! The Chosen.

PHOTOS: Marc and J. Lo's ill-fated romance

"Marc and I were friends before we got married. We were friends for years, and we always loved each other," Lopez said. "And, obviously, we have children together, so it's not going to be like he's not in my life. He's always going to be in my life."

Get more Us! Follow us on Twitter, Friend us on Facebook, Subscribe to Us Weekly

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/omg_rss/rss_omg_en/news_jennifer_lopez_dont_know_ill_remarried160422041/44354833/*http%3A//omg.yahoo.com/news/jennifer-lopez-dont-know-ill-remarried-160422041.html

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British police arrest 5 in tabloid bribery probe (AP)

LONDON ? The criminal investigation into British tabloid skullduggery turned full force on a second Rupert Murdoch publication Saturday, with the arrest of four current and former journalists from The Sun on suspicion of bribing police.

A serving police officer was also held, and authorities searched the newspaper's offices as part an investigation into illegal payments for information.

The arrests spread the scandal over tabloid wrongdoing ? which has already shut down one Murdoch paper, the News of the World ? to Britain's best-selling newspaper.

London police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested on suspicion of corruption early in the morning at homes in and around London. A 42-year-old man was detained later at a London police station.

Murdoch's News Corp. confirmed that all four were current or former Sun employees. The BBC and other British media identified them as former managing editor Graham Dudman, former deputy editor Fergus Shanahan, current head of news Chris Pharo and crime editor Mike Sullivan.

A fifth man, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.

Officers searched the men's homes and the east London headquarters of the media mogul's British newspapers for evidence.

The investigation into whether reporters illegally paid police for information is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.

Police said Saturday's arrests were made based on information provided by the Management and Standards Committee of Murdoch's News Corp., the internal body tasked with rooting out wrongdoing.

News Corp. said it was cooperating with police.

"News Corporation made a commitment last summer that unacceptable news gathering practices by individuals in the past would not be repeated," it said in a statement.

In an email to staff after the arrests, Tom Mockridge ? chief executive of Murdoch's British operation, News International ? said the internal investigation into wrongdoing at The Sun "is well advanced."

"News International is confronting past mistakes and is making fundamental changes about how we operate which are essential for our business," Mockridge said.

"Despite this very difficult news, we are determined that News International will emerge a stronger and more trusted organization," he added.

Thirteen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged. They include Rebekah Brooks, former chief executive of Murdoch's News International; ex-News of the World editor Andy Coulson ? who is also Prime Minister David Cameron's former communications chief; and journalists from the News of the World and The Sun.

Two of the London police force's top officers resigned in the wake of the revelation last July that the News of the World had eavesdropped on the cell phone voicemail messages of celebrities, athletes, politicians and even an abducted teenager in its quest for stories.

Murdoch shut down the 168-year-old tabloid amid a wave of public revulsion, and the scandal has triggered a continuing public inquiry into media ethics and the relationship between the press, police and politicians.

An earlier police investigation failed to find evidence that hacking went beyond one reporter and a private investigator, who were both jailed in 2007 for eavesdropping on the phones of royal staff.

But News Corp. has now acknowledged it was much more widespread.

Last week the company agreed to pay damages to 37 hacking victims, including actor Jude Law, soccer star Ashley Cole and British politician John Prescott.

The furor that consumed the News of the World continues to rattle other parts of Murdoch's media empire.

As well as investigating phone hacking and allegations that journalists paid police for information, detectives are looking into claims of computer hacking by Murdoch papers.

News Corp. has admitted that the News of the World hacked the emails as well as the phone of Chris Shipman, the son of serial killer Harold Shipman. And The Times of London has acknowledged that a former reporter tried to intercept emails to unmask an anonymous blogger.

News Corp. is preparing to launch a new Sunday newspaper ? likely called the Sunday Sun ? to replace the News of the World.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at: http://twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/tech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120128/ap_on_bi_ge/eu_britain_phone_hacking

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

Police: 3 found dead in VA were father, twin girls

Multiple bodies are removed from a home in Mechanicsville near Richmond, Virginia Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say they are investigating the suspicious deaths of a 40-year-old man and two 3-year-old girls _ all related _ whose bodies have been found in the home in central Virginia. (AP Photo/ Eva Russo, Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Multiple bodies are removed from a home in Mechanicsville near Richmond, Virginia Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say they are investigating the suspicious deaths of a 40-year-old man and two 3-year-old girls _ all related _ whose bodies have been found in the home in central Virginia. (AP Photo/ Eva Russo, Richmond Times-Dispatch)

Multiple bodies are removed from a home in Mechanicsville near Richmond, Virginia Saturday, Jan. 28, 2012. Authorities say they are investigating the suspicious deaths of a 40-year-old man and two 3-year-old girls _ all related _ whose bodies have been found in the home in central Virginia. (AP Photo/Eva Russo, Richmond Times-Dispatch)

(AP) ? Authorities on Sunday identified bodies found in a suburban Richmond home as a man and his twin 3-year-old daughters.

The bodies of 40-year-old Robert D. King and twins Caroline and Madison King were found Saturday in the ranch-style home where the father lived. The girls lived at a different address in Hanover County with their mother.

Police did not release the suspected cause of their deaths. Autopsies were planned.

Hanover Sheriff's Sgt. Chris Whitley called the deaths suspicious but said no suspect is being sought.

"Investigators continue to work with the families affected by this tragedy, as well as (to) evaluate all evidence gathered in this case in an effort to bring it to a final conclusion," the sheriff's office said in a statement.

Sunday, mourners placed flowers on the front porch of the home where the bodies were found.

"It's a tragedy all the way around, to lose two little girls at such a tender age," a neighbor, Jean Atkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/wA3TA7 ). "It hurts. It hurts everybody that has heard the story."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-01-29-Virginia-Three%20Dead/id-a35dd5af78c54401a9711ab24bb5270c

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Coll. of Charleston's Cremins takes medical leave

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. The school announced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, that Cremins is taking an indefinite leave of absence for a medical condition and assistant coach Mark Byington will take over the team. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

FILE - In this Dec. 20, 2011, file photo, Charleston coach Bobby Cremins signals to his players during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game against Louisville, in Louisville, Ky. The school announced Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, that Cremins is taking an indefinite leave of absence for a medical condition and assistant coach Mark Byington will take over the team. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley, File)

(AP) ? Bobby Cremins' assistant says the veteran basketball coach hasn't looked well the past few weeks and Friday evening the College of Charleston announced Cremins will miss the rest of the season because of a medical problem.

Yet, Mark Byington ? who will take over as the Cougars' coach ? was still surprised when the 64-year-old Cremins called him Friday morning with the news.

"The despair in his voice last night and this morning, I knew something was wrong," Byington said.

Cremins was at his home on Hilton Head Island when the announcement was made at the school. The college did not specify Cremins' medical condition or put a time frame on his return, and asked reporters to respect his privacy. Charleston athletic director Joe Hull did say Cremins' condition was not life threatening.

"I personally hope he coaches for many years to come," Hull said.

The AD also plans to speak with Cremins over the next few weeks to determine it the coach will be out even longer.

Cremins issued a statement through the school, saying he knows his top assistant for all six of his years at Charleston will do well in his new role.

"I have complete faith in him as do our players," Cremins said.

The Cougars started this season 10-2 with wins over Clemson and Tennessee, but have lost six of their last eight. Hull said the goal is still to make it to the NCAA tournament. They are 4-5 in the Southern Conference and will need a late season run to get a bye into the second round of the conference tournament.

"It will be business as usual," Byington said. "There will be a different guy calling the signals, but we will move on."

Hull said he will keep in touch with Cremins, but has no plans for the program's future beyond having Byington finish the season.

Byington said Cremins has not looked healthy for the past few weeks, but he thought the coach just might need a day or two off. Instead, he got a phone call from a distraught Cremins at 7:15 a.m. Friday. He told athletic officials that Cremins was taking the rest of the season off, then gathered his team.

"I was very upset. The first thing the team asked when they heard is he OK?" guard Andrew Lawrence said. "Obviously if this has happened and he needs to take a leave of absence we are completely behind him."

Cremins is in his sixth season with the Cougars after spending 19 years coaching Georgia Tech. He has led Charleston to 20 victories in each of his seasons, but his teams haven't been able to win the Southern Conference tournament to get to the NCAAs. He is 579-375 in 31 seasons of coaching, and the Yellow Jackets named their home court for him before he returned to coaching in 2006.

Cremins grew up in the Bronx then came south to play for South Carolina and fellow New York-transplant Frank McGuire. He got his first head coaching job at Appalachian State, leading the Mountaineers to the NCAA tournament in 1979.

Three years later, he left for Georgia Tech and the Atlantic Coast Conference. He led the Yellow Jackets to nine NCAA tournament appearances and reached the Final Four in 1990. He also won three ACC tournament titles and two regular-season crowns before the program tailed off and he was let go after the 2000 season.

Cremins spent the next several years as a college basketball analyst, playing tennis on Hilton Head, until deciding to come back to coaching at the College of Charleston.

Byington has been at Charleston nine seasons. He led Friday's practice and told players they needed to play well for Cremins and just concentrate on Saturday's game against Wofford.

"We're going to make it through," Byington said. "You're going to deal with worse things in your life."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-01-27-Coll%20of%20Charleston-Cremins/id-55fdf00b81f6492ca26a0312b1d347eb

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Saturday, January 28, 2012

[OOC] Monsters Manual

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, ?Through Monstrous Eyes?. 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.

This thread is for the posting of Monster Species only. Please respect what others have done before and use their content rather than violate it.

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Scumbag_Brain
Member for 1 years



Goblins by Scumbag_Brain

Image

Goblins are a kneehigh species of low to moderate intellect covered in green frog-like skin and sporting a pair of large pointed ears. Native to the wetlands of the south, wild goblin tribes once numbered in the tens of thousands. They now number in the hundreds of thousands, a trend of population growth at odds with other monsters who have seen their numbers drop near to zero after encountering the humans. Goblins, however, were lucky enough to be perfectly adapted for life in the sewers of the expanding kingdoms. Those not shipped to reservations in the west found new homes beneath the streets. There they scavenged for a living and accumulated wealth through the only means open to them, crime.

For the 'civilized' races, goblins are a plague, infesting the city substructure like packs of sentient rats. Young adventurers often start their careers by descending into the dank underworld in search of goblin heads. Goblins are not only small but preternaturally limber so chasing them through the narrow pipes of the sewers is no easy challenge. They also excel at traps and ambushes. Attacking from hiding and in great numbers, they have overpowered many a confident warrior or wizard.

Only a very small percentage of the goblin population actually lives on the reservation and even fewer of those keep the old ways alive. More shamans die every year and every year more goblins convert to the self hating dogma peddled by human priests.

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Scumbag_Brain
Member for 1 years


Gargoyles

Image

As a race:
The creatures that were originally sculptures or ornaments have been known to become animated if in a place of healing or holy worship. They are immortal until they either shatter or erode and are surprisingly quick. They are active mainly during the night time but if disturbed they will move during the day light but at a slower rate than during the night.
Different breeds of Gargoyle have been proven to exist. The oldest and most aggressive yet fragile are made of wood and can be easily disposed of if burnt thoroughly. Wooden Gargoyles will attack and feed on any living creature. If one encounters a wooden Gargoyle they should grab a large weapon or run and tell the local authorities.
The youngest and most durable and dormant being the metal gargoyle which has not developed sufficient energy to be any real threat. They feed on passing birds and animals. To dispose of a metal gargoyle you must allow it to rust and decay and then break it away piece by piece. If one encounters a metal Gargoyle they should let the local authorities know and maintain watch on the creature.
Now beware the most cunning of Gargoyle, the stone gargoyle. It has been existence long enough to gain strength to move and is made of a solid material that fire and water do not have such a great effect. This gargoyle has to be shattered or left alone. A rare few have been known to be civil but the vast majority keep to the monasteries they were placed and feast upon the dying or the frail. If one encounters a stone gargoyle and it doesn?t greet them there best bet is to leave it alone and warn the authorities.
No gargoyle is identical and they are masters at blending into there surroundings. If one suspects they are being hunted they should get into a large open area and call for help off anyone nearby.

Weaponry and abilities of the Gargoyle:
If one is to fight a Gargoyle ensure it is during the daylight hours and outside.
Gargoyles can be found with any kind of weapon. Most commonly found with halberds and axes but it is not impossible to find one armed with nothing but its claws. If a gargoyle wishes it can allow itself to appear inanimate by simply staying still, this can cause confusion within its opponent or its prey and allow for it to preform an ambush when the moment is right. Gargoyles have also been known to be exceptional users of holy magic if they have came from a holy ground. They can climb on any surface and move at fast speeds if in the dark. Although a gargoyle may be made to have wings they are far too heavy to fly and the only ones that can glide are wooden gargoyles due to the light nature and how they can be swept up by the strong winds. During the daylight however they can not climb on any surface and so there performance is reduced. Due to the fact they are nocturnal they have enhanced vision at night and dulled vision during the day. Due to the Gargoyles slow metabolism they must only eat once a month or risk damaging themselves.

All alone and the fire grows

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pathfinder Z
Member for 0 years


Vampire

Vampire are said to have appeared 400 years ago, but they were only recognized as ?real? 200 years ago. The official story says that a necromancer named Juniper Betz was researching immortality, the fruit of this research was a process in which he could take the life force of other living creatures. This new magic allowed him to become immortal, this came with a price. He no longer could get nutrition from normal food, his body could only work once he ingested pure life energy, which was easiest to obtain through the blood of living beings.

This gave the necromancer the incredible ability to use life force itself as a means to use magic, this type of magic would later be called ?blood magic?. Blood magic is a brand of the magic arts that uses life force itself as means of energy, this makes blood magic very good at interacting with living beings. This include mind control, shape shifting, creation and destruction of life forms and others.

After a while Juniper started a new cult dedicated to his worship,in time those devout enough received the gift of immortality. The cult grew in numbers quickly as the word spread about the miracle powers of Juniper. But once the cult became large enough Juniper and his minions could no longer feed only on their followers. They started hunting the nearby area for humans, soon enough everyone close to the castle was forced to give away their lives or become a devout follower. 50 years later and the area was devoid of any life. The cult slowly began to dwindle, some vampires fought and ate each other, others just left to the wilderness and others left to the cities of the humans.

A small group of vampires formed in the human cities. They began to think of themselves as better than any other race. They constructed a plan to infiltrate and control the human government by political means. For 150 years the vampires worked in the shadow, trying to manipulate their way into the human governments to try and obtain ultimate control. But the vampires arrogance and thirst got the best of them. After a while the constant reports of dead people and the strange disappearances forced the government to launch an investigation. The political power that vampires had helped them at first, but once wards were created to detect necromantic power their true identities were revealed. The whole vampires organization was destroyed, they were proclaimed ?evil? by the government and they have been hunted as monsters ever since.

Now hunted for 200 years, vampires are the verge of extinction, those who survive are cunning and ruthless. most stay way from the human and elven magics that can easily find them. they use their ability at shape shifting to integrate to other races and they are rarely seen close to cities. The last sign of the once powerful vampire race that remains is the old castle of the necromancer. Although abandoned, most peasants and knights stay away from it, as it is thought that if you enter those walls you might end up a vampire yourself.

Vampires Strengths

Vampires are incredibly strong and agile, they are immortal and regenerate at incredible rates while they remain well fed. They can use blood magic, which is exclusive to them and the Dhampirs. Although they can shape shift few are good enough to actually take the shape of anything other than a humanoid race.

Vampire Weaknesses

Vampires are relatively weak to direct sun light. The more a vampire stays in the sun light the weaker he becomes. Being the product of necromancy vampires are also weak to holy magic.

Dhampir

Dhampirs are the half human/ half vampire hybrids. Officially they don?t exist but some branches of the government are investigating this phenomenon. Dhampirs are almost human. They retain their ability to eat normal foods but this can only act as temporary solutions and sooner or later they have to feed on the life energy of live creatures.

Dhampirs also have some very big differences with the normal strain of vampires. Dhampirs are more human than vampires in a certain way. They cannot be detected with the wards that detect normal vampires. They are not affected by sunlight and they do not have such a strong weakness to holy magic, Holy magic does not harm them but it?s not very good at healing them either. Because of this most Dhampirs can live in the cities with general impunity and most of them do.

On the other hand Dampirs Physical abilities and blood magic capabilities are usually weaker than the normal vampires because they don?t usually feed unless they have to. With a similar diet vampires and dahmpirs do have the same the capabilities with 2 notable exceptions.

Number one, Dhampirs are not immortal they do have a very long life span (around 300 years) but contrary to vampires as they feed their bodies create a combination of an immunity and an allergic reaction to the life energy of other beings. They will need to feed more and more as times go by but at the same time the life energy triggers an adverse effect that becomes more extreme with each consumption. Dhampirs that have the same diet as a normal vampire tend to life around 200 years and than die quick deaths thanks to the allergic reaction.

Number two, dhampirs are relatively bad at shape shifting and the creation or transfiguration of living beings. Because of this Dhampirs tend to move away every 10 years or so to avoid suspicion.

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TechGorilla
Member for 2 years


Ogre

Ogres are a species of large bipeds native to the mountainous region Tuchanka, an area known for its harsh climate, scarce resources, and overabundance of vicious predators. Due to the brutality of their surroundings, natural selection has played a significant role in the evolution of the Ogre. Their thick hides are virtually impervious to cuts, scrapes or contusions, and they are highly resistant to environmental hazards, including toxins, radiation, and extreme heat and cold. Consequently their diets can include food and drink which would prove very dangerous to other species?a fact reflected in the Ogre liquor of choice, ryncol, which "hits humans like ground glass". Younger Ogre have yellow or blue tint to their skin only maturing to a deep green after puberty. Their bones are incredibly thick and dense making them nearly impossible to break. Do to that they can fall from incredible heights which is quite common for younger ogre growing up on the mountains more dangerous areas. Ogre are famous for their size and strength, growing to around 11-13 feet. There are legends that say it was Ogre's that formed the mountains by tearing into the earth and piling it up to reach the clouds.

Culture and Government

The harsh Ogre homeland conditioned Ogres psychology for toughness just as it did the body. Ogres have always had a tendency to be selfish, unsympathetic, and blunt. They respect strength and loyalty and tend to view treachery and betrayel to ones Krantt as a death wish. The weak and selfless do not live long. Young Ogre undergo a rite of passage that is overseen by a shaman respective to the clan the Ogre wishes to join. This rite consists of battling various wild fauna, ending with an encounter with a thresher maw. Merely surviving for five minutes is considered proof of worthiness. Killing the thresher maw increases the initiate's prestige and standing. Few outsiders have seen the rite of passage take place, even though there are no rules in Ogre tradition that state that a non-Ogre can't help with the undertaking of the rite by acting as the participants Krantt. The rite of passage and all other rites and traditions are preserved by the clan shaman. The shaman must undergo lengthy and torturous rites to assume the position, and is required to give up his name. Because of this level of commitment, the shaman is one of the most respected members of a clan. Membership of a clan allows a Ogre to own property, join the Horde and apply to serve under a Battlemaster. Ogre have powerful territorial instincts which serve them well in combat, but can create problems; when traveling on the road, for example, Ogre find sharing quarters nearly impossible.

Religion

Ogres have strong religious beliefs. One such example is the ritualistic burial grounds called the Hollows, where the skulls of their ancestors are displayed to remind them of "where we all come from, and where we all go." The Hollows are as sacred as any Ogre place can be, and violence there is forbidden. "The Void" is the Ogre version of the afterlife. The only Deity Ogre are known to pray to is Okeer, believed to be the first Ogre. Though Ogres do recognize other deities whom they call "The Old Gods".

Military Doctrine
Traditional Ogre tactics are built on attritional mass-unit warfare. Equipped with cheap, rugged gear, troop formations were powerful but inflexible. Command and control was very centralized; soldiers in the field who saw a target only needed wait for the order to charge. They focus on developing clean, brute-force economy of motion that exploits their brutal strength to incapacitate enemies with a swift single blow of overwhelming power. Battle Masters and Sergeants are not 'spit and polish,' but they do believe in being well-armed and equipped, preferably with a weapon for each limb. They are callous and brutal, but methodical and disciplined. They use any means at their disposal to achieve their goals, no matter how reprehensible. Hostage-taking and genocide are acceptable means to ensure victory.

Ranking System

The Ogre Horde is broken down into unabashedly simple ranks. At the very top you have the Supreme Battle Master. The Ogre version of a king, will rule with an iron fist. Though discouraged it is not uncommon for the Supreme Battle Master to engage in combat personally, he is Ogre after all.

Councilmen are the members of the Supreme Battle Master's war council. Technically his advisers. Chosen from the Battle Masters who have proven their worth to the horde and most importantly The Supreme Battle Master.

Battle Master is the title given to the commanders of the separate clans in the Horde. Each clan has a Battle Master who is permitted to run things as he sees fit in his village.

Sergeants are in charge of the individual squads or "Krantt" of Ogre warriors. There are usually anywhere from 2 to 20 Sergeants per clan depending on the size of the village.

I should go.

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Bromander Shepard
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Zombies

Zombies are often confused by the living to be the same as skeletons in the fact that both are undead. While they share a few of the same characteristics there are actually a load of differences. First off, zombies rarely form naturally. Despite all of humanities constant ranting and raging against necromancy, their kind are the ones that practice it the most. And zombies are the unfortunate bastard children of the livings constant intrusions into the realm of the dead

Since most zombies are the byproduct of some back fired attempt from a magician trying to break the natural rules, zombies have a varying degree of behavior. Intelligence can range depending on the type of zombie. Some are about as dumb as a sack of hammers, while others are able to keep hold of some of their memories from when they were alive. Their general abilities depend on how they were formed. However they do share some of the more common traits with other forms of undead, such as being stronger at night, vulnerability to fire, being strong against physical attacks and most having a weakness to holy magic (due to most being forged from necromancy).

Zombies tend to harbor resentment toward beings that practice necromancy, due to subconscious blame at the living creatures that dragged them out of their resting places in the afterlife and shoving them into rotting husk.

The most well known kind of zombie is the lich. A lich is able to keep hold of it's memories from life, and sometimes it's own time in the after life if they are allowed, which makes them much smarter then the mindless thralls that work as slaves for necromancers. More dangerous to, as a lich can operate independently and even preform magic. A lich can either be made by a necromancer trying to raise someone from the dead or the necromancer trying to turn undead themselves in an attempt to prolong their time on the living world. The magic that binds a zombie to a necromancer in considered very painful to the undead, giving a feeling like its suffocating when the magic puts a strangle hold on their souls. Raised liches often turn on their masters when they get the chance, which helps cement the popular opinion that all undead are evil even though the lich in question is just trying to stop the necromancer from tormenting it.

Slimes

slimes are arguably the most common, varied and wide spread species in the world. A slime is a strange genderless life form made entirely of liquid. They can be found almost anywhere in the world, from under city sewers, too deep forest, to high mountain ranges, too deep underground caverns, but they mostly prefer area's with access to water. And while they most often encountered and referred in the traditional form of a 'slime', they do have a a huge number of sub-species variations.

Adventurers mostly regard slimes as little more then annoying pest that are at best harmless and at worst annoying. And usually their right, as most slimes are small and aren't aggressive unless provoked, making slimes little more then a distraction. The key word, however, is usually. Some slimes are made out of dangerous substances, making their bodies deadly weapons against hostile creatures. Examples can range from acid, to poison or diseases. Sometimes they can even be made out of liquid metal, able to make their bodies hard and able to crush their enemies with blunt force. Some rare variations are even made of lava! And even if they didn't have these particular breeds as part of their kin, slimes can be extremely dangerous when in groups. All slimes have the innate ability to combine their bodies with others to make larger slimes. Most slime related death are the result of some foolish adventurer thinking they could pass the time bullying some poor defenseless slime, only to turn around and find that it's friends and merged together into a very large, very angry behemoth slime.

Since they often share the sewers with goblins, some slimes are known to coexist peacefully with goblin tribes. The relationship can be from being simple neighbors, to acting as companions.

There are a few facts about slimes that most people aren't aware of. The first is that slimes are actually nearly immortal, in meaning that they don't age. And while the more common breeds are as easy to beat as taking a single swing, actually killing a slime permanently requires effort in removing the remains as they can simply reform themselves after several hours. The exact length of time a slime needs to reform, however, depends on a few factors such as it's size and body make up.

The other fact is that slimes actually are sentient, indeed they will sometimes even take on humanoid shapes for short periods of time. They even have their own language, however few outside of their race can make sense of it, as it mostly consist of squeaks, whistles, and whines. Exactly how intelligent the slimes are is up for debate though. They rarely show examples of their apparent intellect, and there is little to say on how to tell if one slime is any more intelligent then the other.

As you can probably tell there aren't exactly a lot of epic tales of battles with the slimes told by bards. The closest thing to any real excitement with them is the occasional territorial battle between magma slimes and dwarves. Even then the dwarves usually back off as there rarely is anything valuable enough to bother trying to pillage from magma slime nest. However there is one old story about the 'mother' slime, the suppossed goddess that all slimes are decended from that was said to be 'as big as a castle'. This is regarded as just a made up story by some drunken adventurer trying ti make himself sound more impressive.

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Wake
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Oops! Slide deployment delays flight

By Joe Myxter, travel editor

A Virgin America flight was delayed several hours Wednesday night after the accidental deployment of an emergency slide.

"A slide was inadvertently deployed by a maintenance worker during a routine check on a Virgin America Airbus A320 aircraft at the gate at JFK," airline spokesperson Abby Lunardini told msnbc.com via e-mail. No one was on board at the time.

Kate Gardiner, a New York-based journalist booked on the flight, said the snafu resulted in a lengthy delay. "Between rolling it up, finding a new air canister and filling out all of the paperwork ... four hours at JFK," she said.

Virgin America Flight 29 was scheduled to depart JFK for San Francisco at 6:55 p.m. According to Virgin America?s website, the flight left JFK at 10:53 p.m. and arrived in San Francisco at 2:29 a.m.

The 110 affected passengers were issued a $50 credit and a $10 food voucher, Lunardini said.

The pilot, Gardiner added, kept passengers apprised of the situation.

More stories you might like:

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Source: http://overheadbin.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/26/10242862-oops-accidental-slide-deployment-delays-virgin-america-flight

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Friday, January 27, 2012

Limiting protein or certain amino acids before surgery may reduce risk of surgical complications

Limiting protein or certain amino acids before surgery may reduce risk of surgical complications

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Limiting certain essential nutrients for several days before surgery?either protein or amino acids?may reduce the risk of serious surgical complications such as heart attack or stroke, according to a new Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) study.

The study appears in the January 25, 2012 issue of Science Translational Medicine.

"Food restriction as a way to increase stress resistance may seem counterintuitive, but in fact our data indicate that the well-fed state is the one more susceptible to this kind of injury," said James Mitchell, assistant professor of genetics and complex diseases at HSPH.

The researchers, led by Mitchell and Wei Peng, a former HSPH postdoctoral fellow, analyzed two groups of mice. One group was allowed to eat normally for 6 to 14 days; the other group was given a diet free of protein or lacking a single amino acid (amino acids are the building blocks of proteins). Both groups were then subjected to surgical stress that could potentially harm the kidneys or liver. In the mice that were allowed to eat as usual, about 40 percent died. The protein- and amino acid-free mice all survived.

The researchers also found that removing the gene that senses levels of any type of amino acid eliminated the protective effect. This suggests that the pathway activated by amino acid deficiency?rather than the absence of any particular amino acid?is responsible for the observed benefits, and opens up the potential for targeting drugs toward that pathway.

The results are significant because they pinpoint protein as an important substance to eliminate from the diet before surgery to avoid complications. Stroke risk related to cardiovascular surgery ranges from 0.8% to 9.7%, depending on the procedure. Heart attack risk is 3% to 4%.

In numerous animal studies over the past few decades, scientists have found that long-term dietary restriction can improve health and lengthen life. Benefits include increased stress resistance, reduced inflammation, improved blood sugar regulation, and better cardiovascular health?and many of these benefits extend to humans. There is debate, however, about whether the benefits stem from the source of the calories (fat, sugar, or protein) or simply the total calories. Recent research on fruit flies demonstrated the benefits of restricting protein. The HSPH study aimed to provide further clarity by determining the benefits of protein or amino acid restriction in rodents.

As a next step, Mitchell and his colleagues will try to determine whether dietary preconditioning works as well lowering surgery-related risk in humans as it did in mice. They have taken early planning steps with colleagues at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston on a clinical trial of patients on protein-free diets before surgery. If the benefits are confirmed in humans, it may be possible to perform surgeries with significantly reduced risk of complications.

###

Harvard School of Public Health: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

Thanks to Harvard School of Public Health for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/117090/Limiting_protein_or_certain_amino_acids_before_surgery_may_reduce_risk_of_surgical_complications

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Economy likely ended 2011 with strong growth

A sold sign is seen in fron of a new home in Jefferson, Pa., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. The economy likely grew at annual rate of 3 percent in the October-December quarter, according to a survey by FactSet. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

A sold sign is seen in fron of a new home in Jefferson, Pa., Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012. The economy likely grew at annual rate of 3 percent in the October-December quarter, according to a survey by FactSet. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A weak year for the economy likely ended on a hopeful note.

The economy likely grew at annual rate of 3 percent in the October-December quarter, according to a survey by FactSet. The Commerce Department will release the actual figure Friday.

The gain would represent modest improvement from this summer, when the economy grew just 1.8 percent. However, even with the strong finish, economists believe the economy expanded just 1.7 percent for the whole year ? roughly half the growth in 2010.

And growth is expected to slow in the first three months of this year. A key reason is wages have failed to keep pace with inflation. That will likely force many consumers to pull back on spending after splurging over the holidays.

Consumer spending is important because it makes up 70 percent of economic activity.

Businesses are also expected to reduce spending in the first quarter after building up their stockpiles in the final months of 2011.

Richard DeKaiser, a senior economist at Parthenon Group, expects just 2 percent annual growth in the January-March quarter. But Kaiser says that should be the weakest quarter. He expects the economy to gain strength in each quarter and grow 2.6 percent for the entire year.

The year is off to a good start. Companies invested more in equipment and machinery in December. The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent last month ? the lowest level in nearly three years ? after the sixth straight month of solid hiring.

People are buying more cars, and consumer confidence is rising. Even the depressed housing market has shown enough improvement to make some economists predict a turnaround has begun.

Still, many economists worry that a recession in Europe could dampen demand for U.S. manufactured goods, which would slow growth. And without more jobs and better pay, consumer spending is likely to stagnate.

The Federal Reserve signaled this week that a full recovery could take at least three more years. In response, it said it would probably not increase its benchmark interest rate until late 2014 at the earliest ? a year and a half later than it had previously said.

The central bank also slightly reduced its outlook for growth this year, from as much as 2.9 percent forecast in November down to 2.7 percent. The Fed sees unemployment falling as low as 8.2 percent this year.

DeKaiser said part of his optimism stems from a view that housing sales and prices will rise moderately this year. That should lift the battered construction industry, which ended last year with three months of gains in single-family home construction.(backslash)

At the moment, housing remains the weakest part of the economy. New-home sales fell last month, and total sales for 2011 were the lowest on records dating back to 1963.

"I think the clouds will gradually lift over housing. Rising home prices will make consumers feel wealthier and this will translate into stronger consumer spending," DeKaiser said.

.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-01-27-Economy/id-3b6f41d4e5544080aa35147280d9a4c7

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Thursday, January 26, 2012

Wilco: Dawned On Me [Video]

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Newt shoots for the moon (Politico)

COCOA, Fla. ? Newt Gingrich wants to colonize the moon.

He loves to talk space exploration and a campaign stop on Florida?s space coast provided the perfect opportunity.

Continue Reading

?By the end of my second term, we will have the first permanent base on the moon and it will be American,? Gingrich said, drawing applause from the crowd. ?I will, as president, encourage the introduction of the northwest ordinance for space to put a marker down that we want Americans to think boldly about the future and we want Americans to go out and study hard and work hard and together, we?re going to unleash the American people to build the country we love.?

It?s just the kind of Gingrich big-think for which he has been ridiculed by others in the GOP field, including Mitt Romney. But Wednesday?s speech ? which Gingrich himself called ?grandiose? ? could actually resonate politically in Florida, where space exploration is good politics 14 miles away from Cape Canaveral. The space coast, home to many NASA employees, has been struggling lately as the space agency launched its last shuttle in July, and President Barack Obama canceled the lunar landing program in 2010.

But Gingrich wants to bring it all back, and more.

In his remarks, Gingrich dismissed the notion that his ideas are over the top, pointing to previous presidents and inventors who fueled changes in technology.

?I was attacked the other night for being grandiose,? he said. ?I would just want you to note: Lincoln standing at Council Bluffs was grandiose. The Wright Brothers standing at Kitty Hawk were grandiose. John F. Kennedy was grandiose. I accept the charge that I am grandiose and that Americans are instinctively grandiose.?

He added, ?Does that mean I?m visionary? You betcha.?

When working a particular state, Gingrich frequently talks about local issues ? like ethanol in Iowa, a power line in New Hampshire and an interstate project in South Carolina ? but Wednesday?s speech gave him the opportunity to sink his teeth into a pet topic.

?I want you to help me in Florida and across the country so you can someday say you were there the day it was announced that we?d have commercial space, moon colony and moving toward Mars,? he said.

Gingrich laid out a multifaceted effort to restart the space race, including devoting 10 percent of NASA?s budget to prize money for inventions to speed up manned travel to the moon and Mars. He said he wants the country to be able to launch multiple spacecraft daily and partner with private industry to eliminate bureaucracy and make development cheaper.

Gingrich even envisions a moon state.

?When we have 13,000 Americans living on the moon, they can petition to become a state,? he said, drawing laughter from the crowd.

?I wanted every young American to say to themselves, I could be one of those 13,000. I could be a pioneer. I need to study science and math and engineering. I need to learn how to be a technician. I can be a part of building a bigger, better future. I can actually go out and live the future, looking at the solar system and being part of a generation of courageous people who do something big and bold and heroic,? Gingrich said.

But Gingrich?s space fantasies don?t stop at the moon. He wants to see trips to Mars by 2020.

?By the end of 2020, we will have the first continuous propulsion system in space capable of getting to Mars in a remarkably short time because I am sick of being told we have to be timid and I am sick of being told we have to be limited in technologies that are 50 years old,? he said.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71991_html/44309428/SIG=11m1uocnv/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71991.html

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Wednesday, January 25, 2012

anyone remember steampunk?

I've been meaning to make a steampunk role play for quiet some time, and it has failed more than once because of my poor choice in website. I though coming to a site for roleplaying might work towards my advantage.

here goes:
Over six months and with the contribution of over ten skilled writers, "The Winds of Gramede" has developed a fully amorphous story-line. The course of the plot will change depending on the actions of each and every player. That means that regardless of your role: you have the chance to DRASTICALLY alter the course of the story.

"The Winds of Garamede" takes place aboard the GRGC: Diamond; the flagship of the Grand Republic of Garamede. The ship is on it's fifth voyage, one of diplomacy. It's headed to A location in the enemy Alliance in hopes of settling a border dispute Between two of the Alliance nations. If the GRG can settle this dispute, they may have a shot at avoiding war with the Alliance (a collective of ten nations, requiring a unanimous vote to go to war).
My characters On the Diamond are: Queen Rachel Louise II, Captain Aria Leet, Ambassador Marcus Raven, and Cheif engineer Nicholas Carson. I control these characters for the sake of having say in all aspects and an easy reign on the plot. Simply put: I need to play these so the plot doesn't get messed up.
As for character avalibility:
Engineer; this role would involve more character interaction then anything else. Often times you would need to be in the belly of the ship, chatting with characters who were taking a strole and devoloping your characters.
Royal Guard(wo)men: This role involves allot of detailed description of both the Diamond and it's enemies. Often times you would encounter having to take orders from the Captain without much explanation, but express resentment to her the whole time (your not supposed to like her).
Ambassador: This role is clearly one of diplomacy. As the Conference of Nedar is EXTREMELY important to maintaining the armistice, A large staff of skilled ambassadors has been hand-picked by the queen to negotiate. Your job would most likly be to interact with the rest of the council, mantaine character stability (little room for development), and eventually interact with Ambassadors and the like from the Alliance.
Other: also available are: mages, mercenaries, tag-alongs, stowaways, and family of Ambassadors. Most of these characters are self-explainatiry and tend to involve a good amount of character development and interaction.
All characters will become expendable once we cross into Alliance teritory.
Any and all weapons are allowed as well as magic, enchanted items, transformations, and super-human abilities. The only stipulation is that they must be expendable or otherwise defeatable in some way. Any God-Modding will be dealt with by my Anti-Godmods and likely killed off.
No skill is required safe for a comprehension the English language and a desire to enroll! I can't wait to see you all on the Diamond when it takes off

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Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Office Politics Fortune Cookie, cont. (Unqualified Offerings)

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Cain Gets 'Colbert Bump' in South Carolina (ABC News)

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Power of Europe's boardrooms captured in new book (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? For 15 years, New York-based Dutch photographer Jacqueline Hassink has been making her mark with global art projects, covering subjects as diverse as Haute Couture fitting rooms in Paris, the gardens of Kyoto and the boardrooms of Europe's leading corporations.

Magnum photographer Martin Parr declared Hassink's "The Table of Power" (1996), in which she photographed the boardrooms of 40 multinational companies, one of the most important photo books of the 20th century. Her new sequel "The Table of Power 2," revisits companies from the 2009 Fortune Global 500 list, documenting the impact of the economic downturn.

Hassink recently spoke to Reuters about "The Table of Power 2" and another book "View, Kyoto." Publisher Hatje Cantz released "The Table of Power 2" in Europe and Asia on January 17. D.A.P. will publish the book in the U.S. in March 2012..

Q: You made "The Table of Power" sixteen years ago. What drew you to this topic and why did you revisit the subject?

A: "I took part in a photography workshop in Oslo in 1993 and I was asked to pick a Norwegian book and choose one word to work with. I chose "table" in Ibsen's play "Peer Gynt." I projected this taxonomy as a map onto the city of Oslo, then looked for other tables in Norwegian society. That led to the idea of creating a map of Europe, by photographing its most potent meeting places: the meeting tables of the boards of directors of Europe's largest corporations. I wanted to reveal the centers of economic power, the meeting tables where top executives were seated, making decisions upon which millions of people depend. In 2008 with the onset of the worst recession since the 1930s, I decided to look once again at Europe's economic landscape."

Q: What do tables reflect in business and society?

A: "Tables symbolize the core of our society. They are a fascinating symbol of how we organize our private and public lives. Within families, tables show a hierarchy. The father heads the table and the mother sits closest to the kitchen. In corporations, boardroom tables represent a similar power play. CEOs usually sit at an oval or rectangular table at the head, or in the middle of the longest stretch. Ideally they face the entrance, which is the most secure place in the room."

Q: How does the value of these companies compare with 16 years ago?

A: "The top 40 in Europe in the first project had total revenues of $1,194,368.2 million. The top 40 from Europe in the second project had total revenues of $5,252,710.9 million.

Q: What else has changed in boardrooms since the last visit?

A: "The technology and the lack of ashtrays. Boardrooms can be highly complex these days with a lot of built-in technology. A striking new feature is the presence of BlackBerry trays."

Q: Which companies are still on the original list?

A: "BASF, BP, Daimler, EDF, ENI, Fiat, Nestl?, PSA Peugeot Citro?n, Royal Dutch Shell, Siemens, Total and Volkswagen. I only visited three companies twice -- ENI, Siemens, and Volkswagen -- where the same spokesperson accompanied me.

Q: Your project represents the first time in Europe that boardrooms have been photographed and made public. Do you consider this a journalistic endeavor?

A: "I consider it an artistic endeavor, simply because it is an artistic project and not a journalistic project."

Q: Why did you decide to include in "The Table of Power 2" the banks and financial institutions?

A: "Since major banks and financial service companies have played an enormous role in the economy's downward spiral, and thus our immediate social coexistence, they too were included in 'The Table of Power 2,' alongside industrial, multinational corporations. I simply observed the economic landscape of Europe in the year 2009, and I could not do the project without adding the banks nor not include Russian corporations in the project."

Q: Your work covers spiritual and material ideas, and you recently filmed the monks and their gardens in Kyoto. Why?

A: "My work develops over time. I travel extensively and ideas develop usually while traveling. Something catches my eye, which I observe in several continents. That is usually how a new body of work starts. I am interested in the relationship between private and public space in Zen Buddhist temples and gardens. I have been working with these monks since 2004 on a photography project called "View, Kyoto" and over time I have learned a lot from them. ... I talked with them about the meaning of space and their relationship to nature. As a person I have become more balanced. They taught me how to live life in a Buddhist way.

Q: What was your most challenging project?

A: "The hardest project was by far 'Arab Domains' (2005-06). Over two years I visited 18 Arab countries, portraying 36 top female executives. For almost every country I needed to get a visa and I traveled for weeks through the Middle East and North Africa."

Q: What are you working on?

A: "I just finished 'View, Kyoto' (2004-11) and I am making another film in Kyoto in 2012. In 2013, my book "View, Kyoto" will be published. I am planning to continue working on fashion world projects, like "Haute Couture Fitting Rooms, Paris" (2003-10) and a new project in China."

(Reporting by Liza Foreman; Editing By Bob Tourtellotte)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/fashion/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120122/lf_nm_life/us_boardrooms_book

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