This game is a bit different than the last 2. You are a disease in the form of a virus, bacteria, or parasite, and your goal is to infect and ultimately clear the world's population. Your disease, which you name yourself, starts in a random area of the world, with different traits depending on the area. As the game progresses, you get evolution points that you can use to buy symptoms, resistances, and types of disease transmission. Be warned: As your disease gets pretty bad in a few countries, other countries will close airports, shipyards, and borders, preventing you to infect the citizens. When everything gets really bad for the humans, they begin work on a vaccine, which will sometimes not work, and sometimes can't be given out because you made the hospitals close.

That just about sums it up. To play it click here.

Y'a pas juste vous autres qui trouvez que Parasite Hilton est la plus gossante au monde, les enfants aussi. Preuve à l'appui, le bébé est vraiment en train de péter sa coche après que Paris lui ait fait un de ses fantastiques sourires de sorcière.

Now THAT's hot!

Source

So if you'd like to have a quick play with one of the early movement prototypes ...

Click here

This is just a quick possibility on the way the parasite might move.  Linking each body part tothe next, and having roataion based on movement.  ( Drag the circle on the left hand side ).  The next item to introduce will be gravity, collisions, and then an attempt at the 'springing' motion once I've worked the kinks out of the movement system.  If all that seems to work, then the concept will be moved across to C# and I'll be able to get protoyping on other elements, including injection and slicing.

I thought I'd also share some new design sketches, just so you can keep up with the sorts of things we're thinking of when it comes to parasite design.

Such are the muslim bastards living in India - Oh yes, they want to enjoy the good life Mother India gives, in return, they only have only violence and deceit to offer.  They can hardly contain their joy every time India falters or stumbles.

WHY ARE THE LEADERS OF THESE INDIAN MUSLIM BASTARDS NOT CONDEMING BOMB ATTACKS IN INDIA?

Where are the leader of these evil people when it comes to speaking against killing innocent people via bomb attacks?  They are no doubt celebrating their "eid" and teaching how to make more bombs etc in their "madrasas".

Of-Course, these Indian bastards are grieving while India is shinning and making huge progress on the world stage while their "beloved Pakistan" which is based on their evil philosphy is left in the dust.  Therefore, what a better way to bring India down than to attack its IT center.

They are praying that few bombs will scare international companies and they would stop doing business in Bangalore.  No doubt they are getting plenty of help from their beloved brothers in PAK.

It was a Muslim bastard who stole lakhs of rupees from local IT company's American account thus embarasing whole India IT industry.  This is exactly what I mean about Muslim being parasite.  We give them a job, and they steal money to embaras India in USA's eye.

Fortunately, USA has experienced its own share of deceit from PAKIs and appreciate Muslim mentality.  Thus the long term damage was minimized.

Pakistan never wants peace with India.  Even after several humiliating defeats, they can never give up their evil mentality.  No doubt, they receive plenty of encouragement and support from Indian Muslim bastards.

There is a silver lining in these bomb attacks.  Hindus are awaking up and there will be shift towards BJP.

I am sure Governor Modi will be more than glad to see another riot break out to teach these bastards a lesson the forget so quickly.

And oh yes, you can bet that Maharashtra's police will be busy attending other "Important Matters", while Hindus take care of business.

But I am peeved, really hurt and angry.

This is about a person I recently came in contact with. I would not say where for I do not want my readers to pinpoint her identity. For sake of ease, let’s call this person Sam.

So Sam was good to talk to, you could identify with her background. She could make sensible conversation. She is earning good bucks every month. We became friends (not because of this last reason though :) ) and then fell to eating and traveling together.

Sam would invariably never carry cash. She would arrive in morning with only 10 rupees cash or not even that. She always had an ATM card, which too never seemed to have money at opportune moment. Once she even claimed to block her card!

Cartoon by Anshul of Brainstuck.com

I paid for Sam's travel (both to and fro), breakfast, juices, mineral water, snacks and even digestive lozenges. I think, my readers, you all get the picture. It was bad.

I pointed it out to Sam that she was not paying her share and that she did not even remember it later. She feigned to be ashamed for a while, apologised, but soon was back to square one. It was worse till last moment I spent with Sam.

Hurt is not about money. It’s a matter of principle. Everyday we squabble with rickshaw pullers, auto drivers if they overcharge us for even few rupees. At least they are providing a service, here is a well-to-do-person hoping to live off me. I would have been happy if I were feeding a hungry mouth. It’s that nagging feeling of being taken advantage off by a ‘leech’ in garb of friend. It hurts, because it was me at receiving end. I mean I don’t take shit from anyone!

Joke of the day is that Sam did quarrel (along with me) with a stall owner at CP about overcharging for 2 rupees! She would not have paid either shopkeeper or me anyway, why did she care to cry hoarse for consumer rights!

Sam, if you are reading this, we could perhaps have been good friends. But all I remember is your pettiness. I am writing this because I want you to know how I hurt and disgusted I feel by your attitude. I hope you feel shamed enough to stop taking advantage off others.

I tried talking to Sam, it didn't help. How would you deal with such human parasites?

P.S: Hope you had a nice friendship day! :)

Pandemic 2. When you hear the name you think that its going to be an epic game. The name pandemic, lots of possible things race through your mind such as capturing the world, killing zombies, and lots more. But this game is none of those. Pandemic 2 was created by  Dark Realm Studios. It is about causing pandamia via a virus, bacteria, or parasite. The first problem with this game is that it doesn't have some real instructions. You have to go to tutorials and then you click a link and you have to watch a boring youtube video. So whats the problem with that? The controls for Pandemic 2 are so simplistic that you think you are doing it wrong so you have to watch the instructions. The music is also rather annoying since it plays the same music over and over. It has an annoying crackling sound to it which makes it even worse. The actual gameplay is the worst ever. If you want to spend a couple of hours looking at numbers change and change then this is the game for you. If not, you can play it once and pretty much be done. The way you spread your disease is by constantly evolving it and its a little fun. Its also interesting to read about all of the diseases. This game is pretty average. It tries to be unique and new but it fails at that. This game deserves a solid

Well now for the hacks.

That is pretty easy. All you need to do is open up CE. Pause the game. Look at how many evolution points you have right now and *8 them. Sell something or buy something and *8 again. After that change it to a big number like 10000000.

Well do the same thing as mentioned for the easy badge. Sell all your symptoms and have 2 heat 2 moisture and 2 water and 1 vaccine. Put airborne and waterborne for transmission. You should easily infect everyone that way.

Well, do the same thing as mentioned for the easy and medium badge. Also start with a parasite, its easier. Now this is hard even with the evolution points hack. Buuuuut, you can hack the country's alive population. Pause the game. Click on a country. Look at its alive population and *8 that. This does not work if a country has a 9 digit number for its population. After that scan for it and put it to 0. Voila

Now why the hell did this game get an impossible badge? Anyways just do the same thing mentioned for the rest of the badges and you will do fine. Happy hacking

Il est malgré tout curieux que les 1er et 3e commentaires proviennent de la même adresse IP (c'est à dire du même ordinateur).

82.247.100.244

"Repo! The Genetic Opera" sera en salle (Really? No but REALLY?) au courant de l'année pis euh...Hum... classez ça dans J'sais pas quoi penser. Sérieux... j'ai... rien... à ... dire.

Sea lice are parasites that naturally occur in the ocean and live on wild salmon and other wild fish. Sea lice may be passed from wild salmon to farmed salmon. This video details Marine Harvest Canada's successful sea lice management on fish farms in British Columbia.
www.marineharvestcanada.com

Greenhouse bees spread disease to wild bees

Medical News Today (July 26): "A new study by a Tulane University research team gives support for the use of vaginal microbicide gels as a way to protect women against sexual transmission of HIV," though the researchers have not progressed to human testing.  Many HIV/AIDS workers hope microbicides could provide something of a breakthrough in prevention efforts by empowering women to take charge of protecting themselves from sexual transmission.

*** Medical News Today (July 26): Based on a study just published in Lancet, scientists fear that a statement from Swiss health officials could cause an increase in HIV transmission if it is misinterpreted.

Medical News Today (July 25): A recent study among mothers and infants in low-income countries provides new information on the relative advisability of breastfeeding by HIV+ mothers.  HIV can be transmitted through breastmilk (as well as through blood, semen, and vaginal fluids); this creates hard dilemmas in developing countries, as formula feeding deprives babies of important antibodies, may cause illness due to contaminated water sources, and is sometimes stigmatized.

Associated Press (July 25): Frustrated by the recent cancellation of an HIV vaccine trial, a group of American researchers argues, "Design of a vaccine that blocks HIV infection will require enormous intellectual leaps beyond present day knowledge."

Reuters (July 24): A group of American researchers have found that "mindfulness meditation stress-management" may significantly slow the progress of HIV/AIDS in an infected individual.  They suggest that the technique, "defined as practicing an open and receptive awareness of the present moment, avoiding thinking of the past or worrying about the future" may strengthen the immune system.  Study participants also reported that their quality of life improved as they were able to reduce stress.  [Comment: it would be interesting to see if different types of stress-reduction techniques had similar effects.]

Reuters (July 22): Researchers say people infected by a particular parisitic worm may be more likely to contract HIV.  It is suggested that this might help explain why HIV/AIDS has hit sub-Saharan Africa so severely, since parasitic infections are common in parts of Africa where the worms contaminate local bodies of water.

 
***For more on this study, see this post.

Our last apartment was blessed with a wonderful assortment of hymenoptera -- valley carpenter bees, cuckoo wasps, black and yellow mud daubers, mason bees, honey bees, bumble bees, etc.  It's a cool thing to look through my insect collection and realize that a good percentage of it came from our tiny second-story balcony and the landing in front of the front door.

We've recently moved to a little rental house with a teeny-tiny back yard that has space for a little garden.  I'm ecstatic about this; I've always wanted to learn how to garden, and now I have the chance!  Future projects include a little water garden (the 1/2 of a wine barrel sort), a compost heap, and flowers and shrubs that will attract lepidoptera and hymenoptera.

I've taken the first little steps to making this happen.  First, I just built a little nesting site that I hope will prove attractive to a few mason bees:

The little "Maison de Mason" was built with my typically craptacular construction techniques.  The last wasp nest/traps I built were occupied by mason bees despite their half-assed nature, so I'm sure that this little block of wood will do OK.

My first wasp nest/traps worked quite well -- I hot glued three 6" x 1" x 1" wooden blocks with holes drilled into either side.  Mason bees very quickly occupied the sites, and I've hatched a few already.  It has also been really exciting to try to study the little mason bee parasites (or are they just commensals?  I have *no* idea.) that also emerged from the nest/traps.  Here is a picture of one of these little wasps under 60x magnification:

Whatever my career path ends up being, I hope that I can refine my experimental techniques over the seasons and document, in a way that has scientific validity and utility, some of the parasitic/commensal relationships between different hymenoptera.

Look up your birthday and don't forget to share which you are ....

If you are an Ass: A very loyal and sweet person. Your loyalty can never be doubted. You are quite honest and sincere when it comes to your attitude towards working. You are a very simple person, indeed. Absolutely hassle free, humble and down-to-earth!! That explains the reason why your friends cling on to you! You have a good taste for clothes. If your wardrobe is not updated with what is trendy, you sure are depressed. Popular and easy-going. You have a little group of dignified friends, all of them being quality-personified.

If you are a Slug: Always up to some sort of a mischief! The mischievous gleam in your eyes is what makes you so cute and attractive to everyone. You are an extremely fun-to-be-with kind of person. No wonder people seek for your company and look forward to include you for all get-together's. However, you are sensitive which a drawback is. People need to select their words while talking to you. If someone tries to fiddle around and play with words while dealing with you, it is enough to invite your wrath. God bless the person then!

If you are a Cockroach: Quite contradictory to your name, you are a peace loving person. You best try to avoid a situation wherein you are required to fight. An outdoor person, you dislike sitting at one place for a long duration. You are a born leader, and have it in you how to tactfully derive work from people. You love being loved, and when you receive your share of limelight from someone, you are all theirs!!!! Well, well... Hence some people could even take an advantage, flatter you to the maximum and get their work done. So be careful.....

If you are a Parasite: An extremely lovable, adorable person, sometimes shy, with a passion for quick wit. At times, you prefer quietness. You love exploring various things and going into depth of each thing. Under normal circumstances you're cool but when given a reason to, you are like a volcano waiting to erupt. You're a fashion bird. People look forward to you as an icon associated with fashion. Basically, you mingle along freely but don't like talking much to strangers. People feel very easy in your company. You observe care in choosing your friends.

If you are a Skunk: You are near to perfect and nice at heart. The examples of your kindness are always circulated in groups of people. You, too, love peace. You wouldn't like to retaliate even to a person who is in the wrong. You are loved due to this. You do not wish to talk behind one's back. People love the way you always treat them. You can give, give and give love, and the best part is that you do not expect it back in return. You are generous enough. Seeing things in a practical light is what remains the best trait of you guys.

If you are a Bullfrog: You symbolize a very happy-go-lucky approach in life. Whatever the surroundings may be, grim or cheerful, you remain unaffected. In fact, you spread cheer wherever you go. You are the leader of your group of friends and good at consoling people in their times of need. You dislike hypocrisy and tend to shirk away from hypocrites. They can never be in your good books, no matter what. You are very methodical and organized in your work. No amount of mess, hence, can ever encompass you. Beware, it is easy for you to fall in love....

If you are a Snake: You are mysterious. You are someone who can handle pressure with ease, and can handle any atmosphere without going berserk. You can be mean at times, and love to gossip with your selected group. Very prim and proper. You like all situations and things to be in the way you desire, which, sometimes is not possible. As a result, you may lose out in some relationships. But otherwise, you love to help people out from difficult and tight spots when they really need you.

If you are an Ape: Very impatient and hyper!!! You want things to be done as quickly as possible. At heart, you are quite simple and love if you are the centre of attraction. That way, you people are unique. You would like to keep yourself safe from all the angles. Shall your name be dragged or featured in any sort of a controversy, you then go all panicky. Therefore, you take your precautions from the very beginning. When you foresee anything wrong, your sixth sense is what saves you from falling in traps. Quite a money minded bunch you people are!!

Times I have almost died:

1. North Carolina, 1982, autumn: Almost 3 years old… and very busy making shapes in river water with a long stick, mesmerized by the ripples I was making of my own volition – an early childhood revelation that I could actually have a formidable affect on the world at large. But I suddenly slipped on the loose, muddy bank and fell into the ice-cold, fast moving river, eyes wide open... my naive little body/mind had no idea how piercing water could feel. Rushing into my pink, virgin lungs – frozen, paralyzed, surprised by how I could not even muster a scream. My dad had to run a down the bank to fish me out. He claims it was only a second that I was under, but it felt like an entire lifetime. He yanked me out by my chubby, toddler elbow – I was coughing and crying and shivering. The river ran off with my favorite red baseball cap... it read, "Big Leaguer" and I wore it every day. Until that day.

2. San Francisco, 2002, 10 pm on a Saturday night: I was racing my bike (with no lights and no helmet – young, reckless, and infallible) down a steep hill to meet my friends down in the Mission at a dance club. I was supposed to go-go dance that night and had to get there early to stretch and “warm up” (warming up usually meant downing a couple of free shots of tequila and snorting a line of cocaine.) I was eager and in a faggy outfit… pink headband, pink boy-scout shirt, tube socks. But I digress… I approached a major intersection, but had a green light so I sailed through it, unthinking. A car was making a left-hand turn and was not going to yield to my right-away, as I was wearing my cloak of foolish invisibility. It turned right into my unwavering straight and speedy line. Well, almost... I was moving so fast. It was moving so fast. I narrowly swerved to miss the oncoming car but ran right into another parked car (full speed) and flew over the roof to land on the sidewalk on the other side. I landed with a thud, my bike with a clang... and took a moment to get up, dust off, and check for blood (the car did not stop... just honked aggressively and sped away, frightened by our near collision and my near death). I got back on my somewhat busted up bike and continued to ride to the bar, completely in shock. I could not feel my body. I arrived and shakily tried to tell my buddies about where I had just been... they didn't get it. I was fine. I looked fine. There was no ambulance. I was only bruised and wide eyed... They told me to drink it off. I did. I even danced that night, unwilling to admit that I felt busted and broken and spooked... I got drunk and shook off the discomfort of mortality.

3. Rishikesh, India, 2004: Amoebic Dysentery. I was alone in a tiny room in a run-down hotel. I had a new species of something living in my stomach... a pulsing, alien parasite. I awoke suddenly at two am, covered in a layer of sweat and hunched over from low, piercing, abdominal cramps. I tried to ignore it, taking those long deep breaths of denial like we sometimes do right before we are forced to "rid" ourselves of something. But, as if by no conscious choice of my own, I got up, out of my sleeping bag and went to the toilet. I threw up before I could even position myself properly. There was a moment of relief before the diarrhea started coming. Then more vomiting. Then more diarrhea. Back in bed, I tried to drink a lot of water, knowing that I desperately needed to stay hydrated. But there seemed to be no room anywhere in my body for it to stay, so I quickly gave up. I had seven more "spells" before morning arrived. My leg muscles were twitching as if poison was slowly trickling down the length of my body. I pictured microscopic monsters crawling around my insides -- loitering, polluting. Gnawing mercilessly on my duodenum, then giving each other high fives and peeling out with revved-up engines and a spray of mud. The sleep between was restless -- complex nightmares about ghosts and loneliness.

I was alone. I was going to die half way across the globe and no one would save me, no one would even know. I thought of my girlfriend at home – how sad she would be to get a call from one of those time-delayed satellite phones – "Cassie died last night" they would tell her. She would hear it nearly ten seconds later and not know what to say.

I was throwing up and shitting on myself – for over 2 days. It was unstoppable. Burning with fever... barely conscious. I was wasting away, stuck in my room... with no one around. I knew I needed help so I finally got up all my strength and went to the door and for one full minute (the longest minute of my life), I screamed help, help, help, please help me!, out into the courtyard and the dusty, desolate road. I needed someone to know I was there, almost dying. A British girl and a Canadian boy heard me and sheepishly crept up to my room. I had passed out on the floor... I couldn't move. The girl stayed with me and put cold washcloths on me and he ran out to find a doctor. An hour later, he came back with a little Indian man with a leather medical case just like in the olden days. He whispered to me how I was going to be okay and I that I just had a little “upset stomach”. He took my temperature and tried to get me to eat a banana. I could not. I barely remember what his face looked like, but I can feel his soft voice in my ear -- right now, there he is... the warmth and strength of god. He told me he would be back. I grunted in acknowledgment. The girl, I can’t remember her name -- she stayed by my bed, simultaneously so sorry for me and repulsed by my state of utter and reprehensible decline. I was withered, wilted, dying from dehydration. I could not drink water without it leaking like a sieve the moment I put it to my lips. It would pass right through me like I was already a hollow phantom. The tiny doctor from my dreams returned with a pocket full of giant pills. He gave me water and another banana. "You have to eat and drink or you will just throw up these pills." I threw them up. We tried again. I took another bite of the banana, but chewing felt grueling and impossible, like he was asking me to climb Everest. I had to harness my entire body's remaining strength just to keep the morsel of mush down. I took the pills, kept them down and fell back into my feverish coma. I was seeing things, hearing things. I was begging to see my girlfriend and my cat. The Canadian boy/British girl duo looked at me sympathetically and blankly. How could they possibly locate or present such things? I begged of them. I was sobbing, losing even more water. She shusssshed me and rubbed my scalp. Finally, the medicine started to kick in and I could hold some water in. The doctor hooked me up to some rudimentary saline IV. My body soaked it up like desert dirt. After five days, I started to be able to talk and think again. And eat bananas. The doctor checked in on me every day. On the third day when it was apparent that I was recovering, he laughed and told me that I had really scared him and that there had been a moment when he didn't think I was going to pull through. He said I had amoebic dysentary. I laughed with him to be polite, but I didn't think it was funny. I knew I was on that edge, but to have someone reiterate it, somehow made it concrete... made it more than a delirious figment of my imagination. It made my potential death real, my vulnerability real -- took it out of my fever induced dreamscape and translated into into a hard, cold reality. I almost died. I could have died. I will die. I am going to die. Death is imminent. I thanked the couple and the doctor for saving my life. They were humble and generous... I still think of them.

4. Gangotri, India, late 2004: Way up in the Himalayas, right at the border of Tibet. I had trekked up along the holy Ganges River to its glacial source -- a pilgrimage sight for devoted Hindus. High altitude. Very high altitude. I was perched up on a cliff, overlooking a ravine... the power of the Ganges rushing below me. A milky white color from the chunks of dirty ice that fell into it. It felt like meditating on the moon – no vegetation, no oxygen. It was unbelievably beautiful and moving. The austere landscape demanded reverence. I was deep deep in a meditation, alone on my rock. No one for what seemed like miles -- alone on the top of the world. Dirty and peaceful. All of a sudden, from nowhere, a giant padlock whizzed right by my head with enormous velocity, as if it had actually fallen from the heavens. It struck the cliff edge where I was sitting and made a loud clang before hurling itself into the river far below. It sank hard and fast as if it had never existed. In shock, I touched the rock where the impact had occurred. The hard rock was scraped and dented, chipped like a giant, prehistoric tooth. I ran my fingers numbly over the point of contact. Over and over again. I replayed the short clip in my head... the merciless sound and breezy feeling of it past my ears. The weight of it. The seriousness of it. WHAT THE FUCK?! I was in the middle of nowhere with no one in sight. The only sound was the rushing of the great river and the subtlety of moving constellations, overhead. Again, I was untouched. No evidence of ever being in peril except for the frenetic palpitations of my heart and the invisible, full body seizures of shock that had taken a quiet hold of me. I searched behind me for crazy sadus or rabid monkeys. But the lock had come from so far away. From the top of the mountain range. From another universe, falling like a manmade meteorite. If it had been two inches to the left, it would have hit me squarely in the head, knocking me out or crushing a part of my skull upon impact, and then taken me with it, down deep into the holy ravine. I would have died a hundred times over. First at impact, then again with the shock of the fall, the landing, the drowning. I sang a deep, resonate mantra, imploring all the Buddhas from all the ages to witness me there in that moment. To witness my survival. To remind me of how very precious our human life is, indeed. How we could go at any moment. Any inexplicable moment. From giant, unforgiving padlocks in the Himalayas. Incidental bike accidents. Viruses. Parasites that eat our insides out. Accidents, drowning... all within the range of normalcy. All within the context of the every day. We all die on a regular day, at a regular hour.

We are not one, but two. Dimorphs, in between, always escaping the fold and the unfold, running off madly in both directions. We are more viral -- composed of parasites, miniature bodies without organs -- than we are “hominid,” more “dead” than alive.

The origin of religion is the veil, the simplest tomb: the meaning of birth is not death but exposure, a novel opening into what admits of nothing but pure exchange. The two series diverge, but a singularity escapes both: a counter-signal, a nuance.

God is tucked behind innumerable folds, joyously obscured by the interweaving, patchwork garments of the messengers.

Perhaps the difference is tiny enough, and ever shrinking in this cosmos of interfusions. But already we are carefully following them, even -- as it were -- drawn forward by these untamed singularities...

He dances in their silences. What is the message? There is no answer to this question. Only, perhaps, the briefest of glimpses, the outline of the fold, an opening nearly obscured by dangerous glare.

The frame doesn’t converge with the outline; and there were never really outlines. Without signals the frame bursts, and what remains is neither finite nor infinite, but inter-finite, creation, resonance.

The evolution of hard Ragga-releated music

Is distorted Jungle with Raggasamples already Raggacore? For example D-Jungle like stuff on Riot Beats? Or Gabber with Ragga like WEDLOCK´s "Ganjaman" (Ruffneck Records) from 1994). Propably part of the origins but not an genre by its own- in fact these examples were Gabber or Jungle with Ragga but not something completely new yet.

How did everything start? Hard to define it specifically but the first time Raggacore became well known was with VENETIAN SNARES – „snares man“ 7“ (History of the future) and KNIFEHANDCHOP – „bounty killer killer“ 7“ (irritant/dyhane) in 2001 and BLOODCLAAT GANGSTA YOUTH - "kill or be killed" 7" (full watts). This was the first when it wasn´t Ragga Jungle any more but a step beyond- Breakcore combined with Raggavocals.

Since 2001 there are many records out combining Breakcore with Ragga. Like in Breakcore these records can´t be defined as one, specific style but as many ones. There is not one certain set of elements used to define a style but every artist inventing his or her individual style. So Raggacore is fusion or crossover of many styles getting combined in various ways. In many cases these are elements of Gabber, fast Amenbreakbeats, Ravesounds and Dancehallvocals or –elements.

Triangle of the sound: Dancehall, Ragga Jungle and Breakcore

So Reggae/ Ragga/ Dancehall is the common element sampled from. The reference to it is not clear at all: Most acts out of the Breakcore-scene didn´t have any relations to this scene. They simply sampled the music and didn´t care for the background of the music at all. So for them it didn´t matter first either sampling country&western, Heavy Metal or Dancehall- it was just a resource to get some musical material from.
But in the meantime when more and more Ragga stuff was sampled there seemed to be also more discussion about Dancehall music. This was raised by the discussion about Dancehall and Homophobia.
But people still see themselves as "Breakcore", many of them having roots in Punkrock. So the approach is not to make "Raggacore" or even "Breakcore" but to create an own, individual sound and not caring for some asthetic ideals of a scene.

In contrast to this many people in Ragga Jungle refer to Dancehall and the scene and identified themselves with Dancehall music and the releated culture out of Jamaica. Ragga Jungle seems to be a scene quite similar and connected to Dancehall putting out mainly versions with amenbreaks of Dancehall tracks.

Compared with Ragga Jungle Raggacore is harder and wilder. There are many more experimental elements in the music than just Ragga+Breakbeats. Also there is more distortion in the music and it´s not based on the same breakbeat all the time.
So for many Breakcore fans both Dancehall and Ragga Jungle seemed to be too monotonous and repeating all the time. This changed in the last time with the newschool Ragga Jungle which is quite big in North America. Acts like Twinhooker, Debaser, General Malice, DJ K, Soundmurderer do much harder music than the old Ragga Jungle from the UK in the mid-1990s.

But there are also some differences to Breakcore in most of the Raggacore records: the experimental approach is constricted in favour to dance compability. The impact of Industrial sounds and pure noise can be kicking and sexy, but it also can be extremly boring after listing to too many poorly produced records. Beat is still more danceable than noise, so in contrast to Breakcore the principles of dancefloor usually top the experimental approach often. So Raggacore seems to be more easily consumable to many people than "normal" breakcore.

It´s not definable where Raggacore starts or end. Boundaries are fluid. There are also similar combinations like Raggacore with music related to Dancehall- especially Dub but also Ska and Reggae. So "Noisedub" would be Tracks of DJ SCUD (Full Watts#3), some tracks of THE BUG or SAOULATERRE "We are da Rasta".

Raggacore-no scene?!

In fact there is no "Raggacore"-Scene. This has various reasons: At the one hand the output of releases is simply too small. At the other hand, most artists can´t be subsumed as "Raggacore" only. So many artists sample Raggarecords in some tracks, but in many other tracks not. Take VENETIAN SNARES for example. He started the hype with the "snares man" 7", but most of his tracks have nothing to do with "Raggacore". Even a artist like BONG RA put out a record with non-Ragga music ("Praying Mantis e.p."). Take all the other artists from DJ SCUD to ENDUSER- least of them fit to the term "Raggacore" only. Also if you would ask them "Are you Raggacore?" most of them would propably deny it. Most of the producers do what they want and not trying to produce Ragga based stuff only.
Same is valid for labels. Most of them also publish "normal" breakcore. Clash, Full Watts, Razor X and Shockout are the only ones specialized in Ragga-related releases only. All the others release different music, too.

Also there is no infrastructure for a scene: no networks, no fanzines for "Raggacore only" yet. For most of the communication and networking the infrastructre of the Breakcore scene is used.

So it doesn´t make any sense to talk of Raggacore as a "scene" or even a specific "genre"- it´s simply a collective term to describe hard, Ragga-related music.
So does it make sense to use the term "Raggacore" at all? I think: yes. Instead of describing it as "certain Breakcore records with Ragga-samples and/or Ragga-related sounds or rhythm structures" we simply call it Raggacore. Other people call it Speedhall, Yardcore or whatever...we call it Raggacore.

The candiru, also called the carnero fish, is a tiny parasitic catfish that inhabits the waters of South America. They can reach lengths of 1-2.5 in (2.5-6 cm) with a width of 3.5 mm. Their diminutive size and nearly transparent body makes them very hard to locate (not that you would want to). The candiru has sharp bones with a series of spines located around the head used while feeding.

Habitat

The candiru is found only in the Amazon and Oranoco Rivers of South America. They do not like the sun and tend to burry themselves in the mud and sand of the river bottom underneath logs and rocks.

Food

The candiru has a voracious appetite for blood and will parasitize fish, mammals, and humans. One scientist, while holding a candiru, accidently let it enter a small cut on his hand. It could be seen writhing under the skin towards the vein.

To find a fish, the candiru first tastes the water, trying to locate a water stream that is coming from the gills of a fish. Once such a stream is detected, the candiru follows the stream to its new host and inserts itself inside the gill flap. Spines around its head then pierce the scales of the fish and draws blood while anchoring the candiru in place. The candiru then feeds on the blood by using its mouth as a slurping apparatus and while rasping the long teeth on its top jaw.

When candirus parasitize humans, it is usually only when they are skinny-dipping while urinating in the water. The candiru tastes the urine stream and follows it back to the human. It then swims up the anus and lodges itself somewhere in the urinary tract with its spines. Blood is drawn, and the candiru gorges itself on both the blood and body tissue, its body sometimes expanding due to the amount of blood. This is all said to be very painful for the poor person who has this happen to him or her. Unfortunately, they are almost impossible to remove due to the spines. Amputation of the private areas is the cheapest, and most life-changing, way to remove the fish. Actual surgery is extremely expensive and involves inserting the Xagua plant and the Buitach apple up the urethra. These two plants kill and even dissolve the parasitic fish. If surgery is not done in time, the blockage of the urinary tract will prove fatal. The candiru is the only known vertebrate to parasitize humans.

Enemies

The candiru has few, if any, enemies at all, as they are feared throughout their geographic range and are given a worse reputation than the pirhana.

Be sure to check out our partner 

Shiite Iran is home to over 300,000 Mullahs. The most descriptive term for 'Mullah' is 'parasite'. A Mullah begins his career as a parasite, lives as a parasite and dies as a parasite, simply because he contributes absolutely nothing to the necessities of life, yet gobbles disproportionately more of whatever resources he can grab.

Right on the money. It is amazing how these Satan worshipers have sucked the blood of the Iranians for over 30 years.

The ruling Mullahs—the in—boys—are master practitioners of trickle down economics. Except that by the time they are through with pocketing some of the national income and paying off their supporters, there is little left for the out—boys—the sidelined Mullahs.

The in—boy Mullahs must pay for the loyalty of the military, the police, and the thugs to keep them in power. Furthermore, in contrast to their mastery of machination, treachery, and cruelty, they are inept at managing the affairs of the state. 

 There is more if you are interested:

http://www.americanthinker.com/2006/10/infighting_among_the_mullahs.html

The BEST colon cleanse program is our FREE recipe!

The Problems With Enemas.

Enemas can be very effective when used on an occasional basis, and adminstered in the right way. But most people don’t do them in the right way. There are many, many issues associated with enemas that can actually CREATE more problems that they solve. For example, if you use tap water, you are not only killing any remaining good bacteria that is in your colon with the chlorine contained in the water, but you are also INJECTING microscopic parasites directly into your colon! (Campylobacter, Giardia and Cryptosporidia and others.) When you have an enema, the lower part of the colon can balloon out and be permanently damaged, losing its elasticity. Another problem with enemas is that they don’t reach the small intestine, which is actually where a lot of the fecal impaction may reside. This is because of the ileocecal valve connecting the large and small intestines. (But, even if it were possible, you would never want to force contaminated water from the colon into the small intestine, where you absorb your nutients anyway!)

The Problems with Laxatives.

•  
  •  
    Someone taking laxatives to help lose weight will only cause harm and not lose weight. This is because the laxatives work usually to empty the large intestine but the majority of calories, nutrients and fats are absorbed by the small intestine. What the laxative does is act as a diuretic and create the risk for dehydration and water loss, which gives the ILLUSION of weight loss. This is seriously harmful for your health! This can lead to insomnia, restlessness, severe headaches, heart palpitations, weakened bones, and other serious health issues. A laxative works as an IRRITANT to the nerves of the colon. Long term laxative use can actually damage the nerve cells in the colon, causing it to lose its natural ability to contract. Laxatives can create a physical dependency. When you stop taking laxatives, the bowel is unable to function normally and constipation will be CREATED!

What Causes Constipation? 

Most people are aware that not eating enough “fiber-rich” foods and not drinking enough liquids can cause constipation. But let’s talk about some other things. The truth is that most health seekers do eat enough fiber and do drink water but STILL tend to be constipated! Why? I’m going to mention several things here that you may not have thought of and even if one of them relates to you then you have moved closer to solving your problem.
• Society causes constipation. Yes, we are obligated to hold in our farts when we are in public or to not heed the call when we are in a business meeting. This seriously damages the nerves in our colon and rectum until they shut down. We have to learn to be a little less polite and to excuse ourselves when we need to.
• Mucoid plaque causes constipation. If you have a layer of hardened mucoid waste lining your intestines, then it stands to reason that normal peristalsis is hampered. But what causes the mucoid plaque in the first place? This is your body’s natural protection against foods that may have created a strong acidic reaction or an allergic reaction and this thick, sticky mucous protects the intestines from damage. The problem is that if it happens on occasion, it will not stay, but if the offending food continues over time, the plaque just builds up. Think back to your childhood. Did you have a constant mucous condition draining from your sinuses? Did you constantly swallow this heavy mucous, for years as a child? Where do you think this mucous went? Another reason that the mucoid plaque can start forming is nature’s way of protecting you from something that you may have swallowed that is now stuck in your intestinal tract. For example, if you swallowed a coin like a penny or a dime when you were a child, your body would encapsulate this foreign object to “protect” you from it. Unfortunately, this starts a life-long chain of events that can lead to so many problems. The good news is that on a good cleansing program, these objects will be pulled out, along with the mucoid waste!
• Antibiotics cause constipation. When you take antibiotics it succeeds in killing all the bacteria in your body. The problem is that there was some beneficial bacteria in your gut that you need to digest food and to also help kill off some of the bad bacteria. When you kill off the good bacteria, you are at risk for a return of the bad bacteria because you have less of a defense in place. Also, there is a certain “aeration” that takes place in your intestines caused by the good bacteria which helps move things along. When you don’t have this good bacteria, things tend to become sticky. The first thing out of the woman’s breast is colostrum, which has this benefial bacteria to coat the infant’s intestines. If the infant was not breast fed or if the person has taken antibiotics, this good bacteria has been wiped out. What can you do? You can go to the health food store and get “probiotics.” It used to be called “acidophilous” but now the high tech preparations include not just acidophilous but many other strains of the beneficial bacteria, including acidophilous.
• Constipation may have been started from birth. Were you a colicky baby? Colic is in itself not a digestive disorder, but the parent’s reaction can then CREATE a digestive disorder. For example, if you were crying for three hours at a time, with no apparent reason, then it is likely that you were given a TEETHING BISCUIT made of WHEAT to “shut that kid up!” No child should be given wheat until they are two years old! But now, at three months old, you’ve been soothed by the tasty cracker and stopped crying but you the road is paved for a LIFETIME OF DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS AND SUFFERING as the mucoid plaque is being created in your sensitive system to protect your delicate infant intestines from the acidic residue of the wheat. Maybe there was cow’s milk diary butter in this biscuit? This is could also have aggravated the problem in a similar way.
• Maybe you were an intuitive and sensitive infant. This sounds very strange, but I know this scenario happens every day. Here you are an infant and you don’t understand words, but you are sensitive to feelings and emotions. Your parents just changed your diaper and then they hear that you go poop AFTER they just changed your diaper. They groan that they have to change it again and just maybe you’re actually aware that you “disappointed” them! So in your infant way, you learn to “hold in” your poop to “please” them. Later when you’re an adult, you’re still suffering from this old response.
• Maybe it was dehydration as a toddler. Many parents try to prevent bedwetting in their newly potty-trained toddler by restricting liquids before bedtime. This can be taken to extreme so that the food just eaten for dinner may not have sufficient moisture to assist with the natural progression within the small intestine. The result is a sticky glue that, night after night, is being deposited along the walls of the small intestine. Yes, no bedwetting but a lifetime of chronic constipation has been initiated. The parents proudly boast to their friends: “Our son never wets his bed,” unaware of the damage that is being done.
• Cigarette smoke can cause constipation, but not in everyone! Very often, smokers themselves have NO PROBLEM with their bowels. But often the people around them are the ones who’s constitution may be very sensitive are seriously affected. If your mother smoked when you were in the womb and you are a sensitive type, or if your father smoked around her when she was pregnant, this gets into your blood as an infant. Some people have a nervous “stress” reaction to this and because the colon is very connected to the central nervous system, “spastic colon” can be created before you are even born!
• Not heeding the call causes constipation. Many times there is no physiological reason for a person to become constipated, but they still develop the condition due to neglect. Remember as a child that you really had to go but you didn’t. How often did this type of thing occur? Some kids are prone to this, usually the ones who are very intelligent and who are focused on an activity and don’t want to stop doing what they’re doing to go to the bathroom..
• “Type A” personality causes constipation. Certain personalities are prone to stress which literally creates more of an acid condition in the body. This has all sorts of physiological results, including constipation.
• Holding onto dark emotions causes constipation. Anger, rage, depression, fear, sadness. Where do you feel these emotions in your body? Probably in your gut. Don’t fool yourself. There IS a connection between the mind and the body. Blocked emotional energy can manifest as blocked physical energy (constipation, in this case.)
• Walking lightly on your feet causes constipation. Are you a “careful walker?” Do you walk quietly? The souls of our feet are connected to nerves that stimulate our intestinal tract. If we walk “on eggshells” we develop a habit of NOT stimulating this natural area. Also, the emotional anxiety of walking quietly itself causes constipation as it mirrors a “holding in” of sound, which will inadvertantly manifest a holding in of the bowel matter!
• Parasites cause constipation. Supposedly 80% of the population now have parasites in their system. When we have parasites embedded in our gut, it can cause constipation in many ways. 1) First of all, peristalsis, or the natural muscular movement of the intestines that pushes things along can be restricted when you have various entities attached to the inner lining of your intestinal wall. 2) Then, the waste products of these parasites is toxic to the system, so more mucous is created to protect you from absorbing these toxins. But this is in such a constant state of activity that this mucous becomes thickened “mucoid plaque” which becomes permanently adhered to the inside of your intestines. This state FURTHER limits the peristalsis and adds to the experience of constipation. 3) Then there is the reality of the parasites of physically blocking the tubing of the intestines themselves, which can contribute to the experience of constipation. 4) Then there is the issue of certain malnutrition that begins due to these creatures parasitic nature. This means certain vitamins and minerals are not being absorbed into the system which are necessary for normal peristalsis to occur.
• Modern “civilized” toilets cause constipation. A one year old wearing diapers naturally squats in order to have a bowel movement. This is actually instinctive and ideal because the connection between the rectum and the end of the large intestine is bent, as nature’s “valve” to prevent accidents. When you squat, this bend becomes straight and allows for the most complete evacuation. Modern toilets do not allow for the squat position and, over time, we develop a habit of having an incomplete evacuation, which leads to a permanent state of constipation. (Is it any wonder that in Japan, where the toilet is a basin below floor level, requiring that you squat, has the lowest incidence of colon cancer in the civilized world?)
• Being self-conscious about stomach noises can cause constipation. Some people have loud sounds coming from their stomach and intestinal tract. At some point, this can become embarrassing and, almost like biofeedback, we do indeed have the ability to “make it stop.” So this person makes the sounds stop with their mind. But what have they actually done? Have they curtailed the natural peristalsis from happening?

The Problems with Most Colon Cleansing Programs. 

Harsh Laxatives. One problem with many of the intestinal cleansing programs out there is that they include laxatives, (senna or cascara sagrada) which are irritating to the system and cause you to be glued to the toilet. Some of these programs ironically promote themselves as if they DON’T use harsh laxatives in that they only use “natural” or “herbal” laxatives, but it is STILL a laxative! These programs will admittedly give you fantastic results, but they do contain laxatives. It is important to note here that for some people, the laxative is a VERY important part of the cleansing process and for this reason, this approach should not be completely ruled out. Some people are so toxic that the peristalsis is hardly working at all. In these cases, products with a natural laxative can have amazing results. Here are some popular cleansing programs that contain laxatives:
 Dual Action Cleanse and Blessed Herbs. (Keep reading below for our free colon cleanse recipe.)

• Inconvenient. Or many of them require you to take massive ammounts of psyllium bulking agent which causes too many bowel movements per day and also causes you to be glued to the toilet and also causes you to become bloated. Also, if you’re not having a bowel movement, you’re running to the toilet to pee all day because of all the additional water you have to drink to hydrate the psyllium.
• Questionable results. Some claim to “liquify the mucous” but it is possible that it is only liquifying yesterday’s food, rather than the old mucoid waste. Also, you do have to stay close to the bathroom. Having said this, it may be worth experimenting with this type of approach. These things are very individual. Many people claim to have had fantastic results with this approach.
• Extreme procedures. Another problem is that many programs recommend fasting on liquids only. This can cause you to cleanse too fast. The result is that huge segments of “bowel rock” mucoid waste can be loosened which may be exciting and amazing. BUT, as this hardened material moves through the intestines, it can actually become lodged further down the line which would require surgery. Or it might damage the intestinal wall on its way out. If some people indeed have a 9 inches thick layer of mucoid plaque lining their intestines, it would not be a good idea to have this 18 inch diameter glob try to pass through the full length of the intestines!
• Expensive. The costs can really add up when you use a commercial colon cleansing product. Some of them will cost you $275 a for a 21-day supply! (Or more if you do your research!) That ends up being around $4675 for the whole year (if it takes that long). I think the following approach, even though you have to purchase the ingredients separately, would total much less than that.

Benefits of Colon Cleansing. 

Notice that you have so much more energy. This is because you are now able to absorb the full nutrition from the good food that you eat. Notice that you require less sleep and still wake refreshed. Notice that the little aches and pains that you used to have are gone. Notice that your eyes are so much brighter. Notice that your skin is softer, smoother and healthier-looking. Notice that you feel lighter and happier overall. Notice that you have lost weight. Notice that your digestive system works 1000% better without needing laxatives, enemas, or any type of support, as you’ve gotten things working correctly again!

The Best Colon Cleanse Program.

When you cleanse the mucoid plaque lining the walls of your intestines, you will regain the normal function of peristalsis. This means that if you have become addicted to using laxatives or enemas, that gradually, you will be able to have normal evacuations without these extreme measures. 

The FREE 10-Point Colon Cleanse Recipe was designed to be the MOST effective to help cleanse your intestinal tract while being the LEAST intrusive into your daily lifestyle.

Article by Howard Richman of Sound Feelings Publishing,
Tarzana, California.
http://www.soundfeelings.com/free/colon_cleansing.htm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was always raised to be open minded, but I think only open minded in the way Bianca from Big Brother (hey, have an open mind about TV too...) is "open minded". I was raised to be aware that other people had opinions and ways, but MY ways were the correct ways. Sports were stupid. Cars were silly. Being smart mattered. Not knowing something made you worthless. Yes. I was an elite geek (elite enough to still reject the term "nerd", vulgar and American...). Bruised, but proud in my achievements in the rugby-is-sacred culture of an all boys Catholic bording school in regional Queensland.

I've definitely moved away from that position. I recognise the value of sports for both kids and adults. It's entertainment, skill building and fitness. I understand that actions make you a jerk, no matter how smart you are. I even eat vegetables I didn't eat before. And probably even best of all in the self development column, I can comfortably point out when I disagree with someone.

Many of my science stories used to come from PZ Myers' Pharyngula - hence the tentacle reference in this entries title. I'm still a big fan, and a daily reader. But I think I need to develop some indie blogger cred, Indie Pete style. We parasites need to stand up against the strongarm oppression of the betentacled overlords, or shameless traffic whores, or whatever.

I'm going to try and expand my repertoire to some other science blogs. Like scibling Carl Zimmer's The Loom, or Nature's The Great Beyond, and nice gems, like Science Made Cool.

SMC is home of Zygote Games, an American company combating the rise of Latin pokemon wikipedia entries by "creating games which are fun and challenging, but which are also based on real science". I've recently bought Munchkin. But if this nice little kids game - Parasites Unleashed! - had been available, I would have probably bought it instead. It looks like a great activity for school kids, and could easily be adapted to a drinking game. University students need learning too!