Facebook Pays 500$ to $40,000 for Facebook Bug Report - Hack Facebook and Earn

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Wednesday, August 31, 2011 | 9:13 AM

Do you want to earn some money and penny from Facebook?, now you can, Facebook has started a program called "Bug Bounty or Bug Spotter" it�s a program which Facebook has started three weeks go with an initiative to make security more strong and to avoid security flaws of a website of 750 million users. Facebook invites all security researchers including professional and also hacker hobbyists� persons to come and hack Facebook website.


Facebook wants you to Hack and Trace all security majors and find security flaws within website and if you are able to find it than you can send details of that particular hacking to Facebook and Facebook will pay you at least 500$ at startup and more. Facebook said this week that that it has paid out more than $40,000 under its new "bug bounty" security initiative. 

According to the Facebook spokesman;

"We've already paid a $5,000 bounty for one really good report," Facebook Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan wrote in a blog post. "One person has already received more than $7,000 for six different issues flagged."

According to Sullivan;

"We realize, though, that there are many talented and well-intentioned security experts around the world who don't work for Facebook."

Although the social networking has its own security team, Facebook launched its bug bounty program to tap into the collective wisdom of the site's 750 million users. Researchers from more than 16 countries have successfully submitted bounty bugs, Facebook said. Its public "thank you list" names dozens of contributors.

You're all invited, come and contribute your talent and show the world who you really are.
9:13 AM | 0 comments

Pakistan To Ban Encryption Software And VPN Connections Within Country

Pakistan's Telecommunication Authority (PTA), a governing body in Pakistan which looks after and maintains country's network traffic and also examines website structure and its access points within country has blocked encryption VPN connection in Pakistan due to terrorism and other hacking activities. It�s not a first time that Pakistan has banned any particular website or connection, In past Pakistan and PTA had also banned popular social networking website "Facebook� because of blasphemous material about the religion on Facebook.

According to the Guardian report, the banned was made over encryption and VPN connections specifically targeting Virtual Private Network (VPN) in country. All internet traffic in the country travels through the Pakistan Internet Exchange, which can be intercepted by the military and civil intelligence agencies. The move echoes a crackdown against encrypted communications across the border in India and in China. 

People have been using VPNs to bypass the filters, access data, and send private communications, but the PTA is requiring ISPs to report customers who are still using this technology. In Pakistan most of the company's owners are not happy with this step from PTA because in Pakistan many local and international companies use VPN technology in order to maintain an end-to-end tunnel that can be used to encrypt sensitive data between branch offices, and those connections will fall under this ban. According to the PTA note people can request waivers to this ban, but it is unclear how that process will work and who will be allowed to apply for these exceptions.

The Pakistan Telecommunications Authority legal notice urged ISPs to report customers using "all such mechanisms including EVPNs [encrypted virtual private networks] which conceal communication to the extent that prohibits monitoring". Anyone needing to use this technology needs to apply for special permission
8:51 AM | 0 comments

Nokia Opens Public Voting To Name First Windows Phone Smartphone

As we know soon Nokia and Microsoft is going to launch their first ever Windows Phone Smartphone device in a collaboration and it seems that they want public attention to gain more online presence, So as a first step Nokia's North American Head of Developer Marketing, Chanse Arrington has created a poll which allows people to cast their vote and suggest the name of the first Nokia's Windows Phone smartphone device. The poll is still ON and users can cast their votes with their own choices.


A public survey is online here, you can cast vote amongst many challenging and exciting names. The top name which has gain 14% of public vote is "Nokia Phoenix" which leads the survey and votes. The second name which leads the survey is "Nokia Genesis" which gains 08% of public votes. There are more exciting names out their just click here and cast your vote, may be your chosen name will become the first ever Nokia's Windows Phone Smartphone name.
8:28 AM | 0 comments

Nokia '703' Windows Phone Leak Image and Specification

Microsoft (Windows Phone) and Nokia is in collaboration to build next generation Mobile Operating System for mobile technologies and as we know they both are working on a similar project of Mobile OS called "Windows Phone Mango", So everyone is looking forward to know more about Nokia and Microsoft Windows Phone platform smartphone device, However WMPowerUser, a well-known website has revealed a leak image of Nokia 703, a new smartphone from Nokia and Microsoft which is based on Windows Phone hardware and software.

According to the site the upcoming Nokia 703 has built with Windows Phone OS called "Mango". The image was captured from a presentation document prepared for network operators, and reveals some details about its specification, in addition to showing off the form factor, which closely mirrors that of Nokia�s MeeGo-based handset, the N9. According to the image description which can be seen on bottom, the specification of Nokia's 703 is 703 has a 3.7� WVGA (480x800px) LCD, in a form factor that�s 12.3mm thick and weighs 114g. Its slim body houses a 5MP camera capable of 720p recording, along with 8GB of storage and 512MB of RAM. Expect NFC on board as well, given Nokia�s recent confirmation that all of its future handsets will include this feature.

8:09 AM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - Round 1 Press Conference


Novak Djokovic
An Interview With Novak Djokovic

Tuesday, August 30, 2011



PRINT
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please.

Q. You're in here a little earlier than expected. It was kinda quick.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. Well, I don't think I'm lacking any time on the court or matches. This year has been a very long year. So I really don't mind that I spend less time on the court. I think I've played well for these 45, 50 minutes that we had on the court. It's unfortunate for my opponent, obviously. He had food poisoning he told me after the match. But I felt great on the court, and that's something that's really important for the start of the tournament.

Q. How tired are you at this point in the season, playing so much?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm not really tired, you know, because I switched to the mode of Grand Slam focus, you know. Not really caring about what happens, it's just I'm trying to be in the present, trying to prepare well, and be 100% mentally and physically fit for the matches that are about to come here. You know, today was great opening performance. I know it has been long year, but it's not the first time that you know, I've played many matches in the past, as well, but, you know, you've got to adjust to it. I think, you know, right now with my time I'm doing a quite good job to stay fit.

Q. How would you describe how your shoulder felt in Cincinnati and how it felt today?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, the shoulder in Cincinnati didn't feel good obviously, and throughout the whole week I was carrying the, you know, kind of pain and discomfort in my shoulder. But after Cincinnati I took some time off, and I did everything in order to recover the shoulder. Today I didn't feel any pain. I served well and I played well, so I have no concern.

Q. Have there been any times this year where you just didn't want to go out on the tennis court, didn't want to get up in the morning and just wanted to...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: There is always those days, you know, where you don't want to get up and, you know, you don't feel like playing. It's normal, you know. Everybody has those days. Bad days in the office, if you want to call them. But, you know, in the end it's yours job. It's your profession. You have to do it. You go on the court especially if you're playing big tournaments, big matches, you have to try to play your best. That's something that, you know, always keeps me motivated, the will to win.

Q. When you think back on your performance here last year in the finals, do you primarily feel pride of your achievement of getting that far, or is there any disappointment? How do you think back on that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I actually have great memories from New York and from the US Open. Last four years, two semifinals, two finals. I played great, you know, throughout my whole career on these courts. That, you know, gives me enough reason to believe I can play well. This year, I think this year more than ever, you know, I have a good chance. I'm playing the best tennis of my life and I have a great confidence. Yeah, the conditions are suitable to my game. I love the entertainment. I love the crowd.

Q. Speaking of entertainment, for years you were trying to pass Roger and Rafa. In terms of entertainment, Rafa is almost like a rock star. He's so appealing. And Roger is beautiful and perfect and graceful. How do you think you're taken and received here in North America?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: What about me?

Q. You're No. 1. Just don't hit me when we're doing an interview.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: You spent all your words already on that. (Laughter.)

Q. What do you think your image is like here? How do you think it's changing?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, you know, it's equally important, of course, to play well on the court and to do your job to win, you know. As much as you're successful and as much as you win, you get more attention from the media and from the people, and you get more respect, obviously, from your colleagues. But I think it's really important as well to carry yourself off the court in a good way. I have been learning that throughout my whole career, and last couple of years I have experienced some good and bad situations on and off the court. But I accepted that all as a big lesson in my life and, you know, something that can serve me well for my future. You know, I'm aware of the responsibility that I have as a present No. 1 to, you know, represent the sport as well in some ways off the court. So I need to do that in a best possible way. You know, I'm trying. You tell me, how am I doing?

Q. And the maturing process, how critical was that for you for your breakthrough this year? Do you put that as the No. 1 reason?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes. I think everything in general just came together. And as I said, you know, I think progress is a slow process. It takes a while to really understand the game, understand the life that I'm having, and you learn from your mistakes obviously. You know, you try to get better as a person and as a player each day you wake up. I think maturing this year, you know, helped me a lot on and off the court.

Q. Do you think that we're past a time in tennis where we're gonna see 17, 18, 19 year old Grand Slam champions? Is it just not possible anymore?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's really hard to say, you know. It's hard to predict if that's possible, but maybe I'm wrong. In my opinion, it's much harder to have, you know, teenagers as, you know, Grand Slam champions or No. 1s nowadays because it takes time for a body to develop and to get stronger and to get experience. It's so competitive nowadays physically much more than it used to be.

Q. Last year Jack Sock hit with you during the rain and before the final, and now he's out here and he belongs to CAA like you do. What do you think of his future and what's to come for him?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I was saying last year that, you know, I'm really impressed by his game. His professionalism on the court, I think he has a bright future, you know, if he continues on being determined and focused on this sport. I've practiced with him quite a lot last year, actually, and during the tournament he has won the US Open juniors, so I have to give credit for that. And, yeah, he's a really nice guy off the court, as well. I wish him the best.

Q. Roger last night said he felt the conditions were a bit slower. Did you feel that too, or do you think that's because he played at night?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, there is difference I think in the night sessions and matches during the day. I think, you know, during the day the ball travels through the air faster than in the night. So maybe that's why it was a bit slower. I don't know. I didn't spend that much time on the center court, but I still I don't feel any big difference from last year. I think it's more or less the same surface.

Q. To clarify a subject you touched on in the press conference yesterday, what importance has this egg, the hyperbaric chamber had in its therapy for you? How much have you used it in the last year? Is there any sort of controversial aspect to it in your mind?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, look, you know, I said yesterday, and I'm gonna repeat it I think for the last time, you know, because I really wouldn't like to speak about it anymore because I don't there is no reason to open the subject. I have used it a couple of times, very few times last year just to test it and see how it is, and since then I haven't used it at all, you know, this year. So I cannot really say what's the effect. It doesn't have any influence on my success that I had in last 10 months, so that's really all I can say.

Q. Is there something controversial about it, for those of us that aren't that familiar with it?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I really don't know. There is nothing controversial. As I was aware, you know, many athletes, successful athletes, have been using that in the past. But as I said, I haven't used it for 12 months so I really don't know. I didn't keep track with its technology.

Q. I don't know if you remember Gaston Gaudio the Argentinian player. He's confirmed today officially that he's a retired player. What do you remember about him? What do you remember about his game?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, he's a Grand Slam champion, you know. He won Roland Garros and he had I think the year when he won French Open and the year before, year after, he had couple of best years in his career. He was the player to beat on the clay courts, you know, next to Rafa, Coria. You know, those guys were ruling the clay court season. Yeah, he's very talented. One of the nicest one handed backhands. Very relaxed guy off the court. Very nice.

Q. It's very rare actually that we ever talk to someone who has their dream come. Wimbledon, obviously, you became No. 1. Is it something that actually since you were a little kid you were thinking about it? Did it change your life? Did it change how people are around you, or were you surprised nothing changed? Did you think something like that would really change things for you, or in the end it hasn't changed much?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I wasn't thinking about, you know, the period after achieving my dream and winning Wimbledon and becoming No. 1 what's gonna happen. You know, I really try to, you know, take things lightly and see how it would work for me. But after that I have won Wimbledon I took some time off and I got to think about everything that I've been through. And to be honest with you, I even have more motivation to play and to win more Grand Slams now more than ever that I know that I can actually, you know, perform equally well on any surface, that I have equal chances on any Grand Slam that I play. So this is something that gives me a lot of desire to come back to the game.

Q. Do you see and read things about people are saying if you win here you might complete the greatest season in the history of men's tennis? Does that sound real?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Sounds big. (Laughter.) No, this year has been tremendous, best so far in my career, and there has been a lot of talks about history making and this incredible run. No doubt I'm extremely honored and privileged to be part of the elite of the players that have made, you know, the history of the sport in some ways. But my main focus is really on the court. I need to take one match at a time. That's the only way I can really perform well.

Q. Next year the season will get two weeks shorter. Do you think that that would be a good length of the season for you, or would you still want the season to...

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, we were all really engaged in the schedule issue. I mean, top players and most of the players will have been, you know, kind of complaining about the length of the season. I think it's good. It's really good for all of us to have a bit shorter season. You know, it's not an easy thing to do. It's not an easy process of changing the schedule because there is many things involved. It's not just ATP. It's ITF, it's Grand Slams. So can't always look at it from the players' perspective. You have to look at it from the tournaments' perspectives as well, what's good and what's not. So the intensity is gonna be I think the same, if not higher, next year because of the same commitment tournaments. But at least it's two weeks shorter and we're going to have a bit longer of off season.

Q. You'd be happy with that, or still need more time off?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, of course.

Courtesy: USOpen
1:13 AM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - Into Round 2

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Tuesday, August 30, 2011 | 2:02 PM

Such a shame that Conor could not give a better account of himself today. Food poisoning is not the nicest thing in the world and I hope he recovers quickly.

I won't bother with match reports as they are not going to say much, this was more a practice session than a match.





2:02 PM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - Signs Up With Piguet

Remember the visit Novak & Jelena took back to the Spring? This seems to be the result of that visit.


Novak Djokovic, the world�s top-ranked men�s tennis player, joined team Audemars Piguet as its latest brand ambassador. According to the Swiss watchmaker, the partnership began when Djokovic paid a �discreet visit� to the company several months ago. �I have discovered a new passion for fine watchmaking, and I truly admire both the traditional and modern aspects of the work accomplished by Audemars Piguet,� Djokovic said.

The tennis player is the latest to join the luxury company�s stable of brand ambassadors, which includes basketball player LeBron James, Formula One race car driver Michael Schumacher, soccer player Leo Messi, cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar and golfers Lee Westwood and Rory Mcllroy.

Courtesy: wwd.com
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Novak Djokovic - Pierre Has Made It To NYC

Tennis Player Novak Djokovic
WireImage

Novak Djokovic must be breathing easy. Not because he's got an easy draw at the US Open 'til the semis, but because his beloved French poodle,Pierre, has made it to the tournament with him. The world's No. 1-ranked player was reportedly crushed when Pierre was denied entry to the UK during Wimbledon. But the pampered pooch, which has its own Twitter account, was spotted by Djokovic's side last week when his owner took a break from training for a modeling shoot as watchmaker Audemars Piguet's newest brand ambassador. According to spies, Djokovic posed on an indoor court in Alpine, NJ, with the pup and his girlfriend, Jelena Ristic, nearby.

Courtesy: NewYorkPost



2:25 AM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - UNICEF Ambassador

UNICEF announced on Monday at the US Open that the current world No. 1 ranked tennis playerNovak Djokovic will serve as an Ambassador for UNICEF in Serbia. The partnership will allow Djokovic, a native of Serbia, to continue his push to defend children's rights and provide access to early childhood education.

"I am very honored to partner with UNICEF to help increase awareness for the importance of early childhood education," said Djokovic. "I look forward to working with UNICEF to help make a difference in the lives of young children throughout Serbia, particularly those who have fewer opportunities to learn and develop to their full potential."

"Of course, I would like to add that, you know, through my work as well with UNICEF I would like to help Serbian children to realize their dreams, you know, because I have been dreaming myself all my life to become the world's best tennis player, and I think anything is possible if you really believe that you can achieve it.

"Novak Djokovic is a natural fit for UNICEF," said Rima Salah, Deputy Executive Director (a.i.). "He cares deeply about the welfare of Serbian children, bringing the same passion and enthusiasm for his career on the court to addressing issues affecting children."

Djokovic's work as a National Ambassador will kick off with a focus on early childhood education. The importance of investing in learning opportunities for young children is well known, with abundant evidence that laying solid foundations in the early years results in better life outcomes for the individual child and society as a whole. This is the case for all children, but even more striking for children from disadvantaged socio-economic backgrounds. In Serbia, less than half of all children under-five attend early education programs, dropping to less than one-in-ten for those from vulnerable groups. Expanding early education to include all children is increasingly recognized as a key priority in Serbia.

In accepting the appointment, Djokovic said, "Through my work with UNICEF, I want to help Serbian children realize their dreams. I want to help them understand that they have rights and that those rights should be protected. I want them to believe that anything is possible."

Djokovic began playing tennis at age four and made his pro debut at 16. Since then, he has won three Grand Slam singles titles, the 2008 and 2011 Australian Open championships and the 2011 Wimbledon Championship, becoming the first player representing Serbia to win a Grand Slam singles title and the youngest player in the open era to have reached the semi-finals of all four Grand Slam events, separately and consecutively. Amongst other major titles, he also won the 2010 Davis Cup.

Courtesy: TennisPanorama



1:00 AM | 0 comments

Nova Djokovic - Pre Tournament Press Conference

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Monday, August 29, 2011 | 11:46 PM

Q. Did there come a time this season, maybe the Australian or afterward, where you knew your game was on a different level than it was last year and previous years?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's obviously a different level that I have of the game this present moment last nine months. It's been the best nine months of my career, and I just feel that I got better on the court. I just know what to do, and I have matured, as well. You know, there has been some improvement definitely in my game, and it's all coming together.

Q. Have you been able to hit much in the last few days? We had some kind of colorful weather.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I have been able to hit, and actually even yesterday I hit for an hour, hour and a half outdoors, so it's good.

Q. How is your shoulder feeling? Any remnants from the week before?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, my shoulder is feeling fine. I had a little trouble in Cincinnati throughout the whole week, and I carried that up to the finals. You know, it was unfortunate to finish this way the match against Murray. But I think it was right decision, because I needed not to risk anymore, any further, you know, further major injuries. So I decided to take some time off and went to MRI and everything is fine. I have been serving in last couple of days, playing 100%, so I'm ready for the tournament.

Q. Had you not had a Grand Slam tournament two weeks later than Cincinnati, would you have withdrawn? I mean, or would you have withdrawn under any circumstances with that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't know, because the Grand Slam is one week after Cincinnati, so I cannot give you an answer on that.

Q. In what way was last year's Open a springboard for all that you've achieved since? What do you take from last year's experience here?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I had a great US Open 2010. As you said, it was one of the springboards for me for the season that I had so far, 2011. The match against Troicki first round actually last year when I was two sets to one down and a break down and I managed to come back, and then I went to the finals and played an exciting match against Federer in the semis. So, you know, after that tournament, US Open I started to believe more that I can win big matches against top guys. You know, I got the necessary confidence, you know, in order to approach the next season. The Davis Cup win was probably the other tremendous experience that I had that gave me a lot of positive energy. I was very eager to come back to the court after that, even though the offseason was very short. But I still wanted to play tournaments. You know, in the end this is a very mental sport, so I think, you know, playing on the top level for last couple of years I was aware of the importance of a mental approach to the game. Obviously you need to have a high level of confidence. You need to believe that you can win matches when you're playing against top guys and when you're playing on Grand Slams. That's something that I think improved in my life and my game in my head in the last 12 months.

Q. So here specifically how did your belief level change?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, as I said, after the tournament I started to believe that I can win the matches, like against Federer for example, where I saved couple of match points, and, you know, I didn't give up. I had still a really good final against Rafa. So after a while, you know, I won my first Grand Slam in 2008. I had great opening six months that of year, and then I had a lot of ups and downs. You know, I struggled especially mentally. I was always coming to the later stages of a Grand Slam, semifinals, but I wasn't managing to make that extra step, you know, because I didn't get that positive mindset on the court when I played the big guys. Now I changed.

Q. You have been withstanding a lot of pressure for the last nine months, but nevertheless, it looks like you have been having a lot of fun. You did a recording with a fish saying, Don't worry be happy. That is like your secret, right?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Exactly. That's my best friend now. Yeah, I think it's been a roller coaster ride for me last ten months in every sense of that word. On and off of the court I have experienced some things that I didn't experience before. Obviously I had a fantastic ten months on the court and I had some incredible runs, but I did experience as well the, you know, expectations and the pressure of having that run. But I managed to mentally hold on and really, after that loss in French Open, you know, to stand up and really recover well and perform my best tennis on Wimbledon in the moment when I needed it most. I became No. 1 of the world, but I'm enjoying every single moment of it, to be honest. I don't really want to think of, you know, the time that I will spend on this place or when it will end, when I will, you know, lose the No. 1 spot. I'm really trying to accept everything that I have in front of me as a big challenge.

Q. There was a story today about your use of hyperbaric chamber for healing.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah, I saw that.

Q. And physicality.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. What can you tell us about that?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, all I can say is that I have used it a couple of times last year, and I haven't used it since. You know, it's very interesting technology, but I don't know the effect of it. It has nothing to do with my success that I had in last ten months.

Q. The story said you were using it last couple of days.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, it would be great if that machine had wings so it can fly wherever I am playing.

Q. Where is the machine?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: It's in New Jersey, one of the sports complexes there.

Q. When you happy when Tsonga beat Federer in quarterfinals in Wimbledon, or would you have preferred to play semifinals against Roger?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm happy the way it is right now (Smiling.)

Q. Once in a while in Monte Carlo you take your bag, you go up in the mountains playing. Which kind of stuff you do outside of the court to have endurance without the racquet?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I have different kinds of practice routines that I, you know, do with my team. I cannot say everything that we do obviously, but we try to put something new in our practices, because tennis schedule is more or less the same each year. We're traveling to the same places, going to the same tournaments, and most of the preparation for those tournaments are, you know, the same. So we always try to put some innovation in our practice to make it more interesting. We like to do different kinds of sports, you know, as our physical preparation, as in biking, as you said, and kayak and different kinds of things for endurance for general strength. You know, it just really depends for what we are preparing and which tournament.

Q. When we were talking to Federer, we were always asking him what was motivating him and what were still his dreams. Now that you are No. 1, you still have dreams? And what is the first dream of all

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, in my life I have a lot of dreams, but in my tennis career, as well. You know, look, I did achieve the dreams that I had throughout all my tennis career, but I still have lots to prove to myself, first of all. I think I'm able, if I continue on playing this way, I'm able to win more majors. That's one of my goals, you know, in the next couple of years, to try to stay healthy and try to perform well and win as many majors as I can. You know, Olympic medal and, you know, another Davis Cup would be great.

Q. One thing is a goal and one thing is a dream.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I kind of put them together. (Laughter.)

Q. When you played the match against Argentina in Davis Cup, it depends what happens here?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Will I play? The question is will I play Davis Cup?

Q. Yes.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: The way the things are standing now, yes, I will play.

Q. What do you think about this match in Argentina?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, we are playing at home, which is always, in my opinion, a little advantage, because Davis Cup is a very different competition. It's a team competition, and it's really important to have the home advantage and support of your people.But Argentina is very successful team. They have great players: Del Potro, Monaco, Nalbandian. They have many options. But, look, it's still US Open in front of us, so I will try to keep my focus on this tournament and then Davis Cup.

Q. How old were you when you started to slide on cement? Is it something that you learned or does it just come naturally?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I think it developed through the practices, you know, and through the matches. I don't know. It's not something that I really was planning to learn how to do, you know. I don't think that there is any coach that is going to tell you logically that it's right to slide on cement, right? It's not just good for your body. But I developed it, you know, through my game. I was always playing from the baseline and I always had you know, in the beginning of my career I had coaches who were telling me not to let any balls pass me. You know, even in practice, even if it's out, to try to get every ball, to try to fight for, you know, each point, each ball.So I guess that's why, you know, I was always trying to get you see the ball and it's far away, and I slide.

Q. You are going to play after US Open with Sampras exhibition match somewhere in Europe?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yes, that's true, but it's still not confirmed. We were supposed to play in Slovenia exhibition, but the negotiations are not over yet. It's not confirmed. Hopefully it's going to become true, because I would really love to play with my idol.

Q. The story about the pressure chamber, it said you stayed in New Jersey the last couple years.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Yeah.

Q. Is that not the case this year?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm staying at the New Jersey again with Gordon, because he's my friend for my years already. He's been in the tennis world for last 15, 20 years. He's been a player himself. Yeah, we're staying in New Jersey because it's very calm, it's very private, and we get to relax after, you know, exhausting day here.

Q. Will you use that since you will be in New Jersey, that chamber?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, I haven't used it this year because I'm really not intending to change my own routines. I have my own therapist I have with my team and it's been working well, so I have no reason to really try other things.

Q. Is there just a little concern that with a two week grind, that the inflammation could come back, you know, with long matches and stuff? Are you trying to get these matches maybe early on over maybe three sets instead of five set matches?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Well, I think every player tries to win in three sets in a Grand Slam. Try to spend as less time on the court as possible. Look, I cannot predict anything. I cannot say, you know, this is what's gonna be, you know. You never know what's gonna happen. But what I can say right now is that my shoulder is in a really good condition. I didn't feel any pain, I don't have any inflammation right now, and I hope it's gonna stay that way.

Q. You have the sensation that what happened this year, Roger and Rafa fighting for No. 1 and 2 are definitely over, or do you see a situation maybe in 2012 where they can fight again for 1 and 2 and you be the No. 3 in the world?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I don't think it's over. Look, you know, both of them, they're playing incredible tennis still. You know, even though maybe Roger didn't have the year as successful as he had in last five, six years, I still think he's playing really well. He's I'm sure very much motivated to come back to the No. 1 of the world. From all of us, he knows the best how it is to win the major events because he's record holder. He has 16 Grand Slams, has a fantastic career, and so I'm sure he wants to come back there. And Rafa is he's, you know, unbelievable player that is very complete that can perform equally well on all surfaces. He has proven that. We have played in five finals this year. I mean, I got the edge on all these matches, but, you know, that doesn't mean that I will win every single next match that we play in. The fact is that they have been the two most dominant players in the world. Even though I'm still No. 1, they are most the best two most successful players that there are active in today's tennis.

Q. In the last match you played Andy Murray. How would you assess him just now, and what would it be like to play him again here?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: I'm sorry, man, it's very hard to get the accent.

Q. Scotland.

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: Scotland. I think I get

Q. Want me to repeat?

NOVAK DJOKOVIC: No, that's fine. I have been talking to Andy many times, so I'm really kind of getting his accent. (Laughter.) Andy, you know, he has won in Cincinnati. He's definitely a player that everybody should look up to now. In US Open he's been always playing well in last four, five years in the US Open Series. He's been always coming I think to US Open with 1000 or Masters Series title, so I'm sure he's very eager to win his first Grand Slam. We all, we are all fully aware of his potential and we are all fully aware that he has great talent. There are some things that he just needs to get together mentally. You know, he has proven that he can win against anybody on any surface. I'm sure he's one of the favorites to win the tournament.

Courtesy: OfficalUSOpenWebsite
11:46 PM | 0 comments

BIRTH OF THE VAMPYRE

The romantic physician who inspired Dracula        

Life of the Day on the website of the Oxford Dictionary of Biography is that of John William Polidori, personal physician to Lord Byron, who was by turns his friend, his rival, and his enemy.


The son of an immigrant Italian writer, Polidori became Byron's personal doctor just a few months after being awarded his MD degree on 1 August 1815 at the age of nineteen.  When the poet went on a trip to the Continent, Polidori accompanied him.  Byron's publisher, John Murray, offered him  £500 to keep a journal of the tour, but whether Byron knew this is unlikely, as it wasn't published until 1911.


They were not happy travelling companions.  Indeed, Byron became highly irritated by the rather pompous young doctor, as witness the following anecdote. 


"Pray, what is there excepting writing poetry that I can't do better than you?" demanded Polidori during one of their altercations.


"Three things," retorted the great poet (or words to that effect).  "First,  I can shoot out the keyhole of that door with a pistol.  Secondly, I could swim to the other side of that river.  And third,  I can give you a damned good thrashing."


Byron rented a house at Lake Geneva, and they were joined by Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, her fiance, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and Mary's step-sister, Claire Clairmont.  One evening, after they had been reading a collection of horror stories (Tales of the Dead) to each other, Byron suggested they should each write a ghost story.


Mary wrote the tale that was later published as Frankenstein, Shelley wrote "A Fragment of a Ghost Story," and Byron wrote "Fragment of a Novel."  This last revolved about a charcter named Augustus Darvell.  Byron thought his contribution worthless enough to be discarded and forgotten, but Polidori was so inspired by it that he used the character of Darvell in his own tale, "The Vampyre," the first vampire story ever published in English.


He sold it to New Monthly Magazine after being dismissed by Byron and returning to England.  It appeared in the April 1819 issue -- under Byron's name, much to the poet's fury.  It was an editorial decision, apparently, because Polidori was chagrined, too.  Byron even retrieved and published his "Fragment of a Novel," to try to clarify the situation, but for a long time the public was convinced he was the author -- which didn't harm sales in the slightest.


"The Vampyre" was hugely popular, leading to many imitations, both on paper and on the stage, and the creation of a new genre that is a crowd-puller still this day.  Edgar Allan Poe, Nikolai Gogol, Alexandre Dumas, and Alexis Tolstoy all wrote vampire stories.  And then there was Bram Stoker's Dracula.  And that Stephanie Meyer series.


Single-handedly, Polidori transformed what had been vague folklore into the form discernible in all of the above -- of a handsome, aristocratic fiend who feeds on the highborn beautiful.


The fiend, in his story, was Lord Ruthven, a man of mysterious origins, who enters London society, and meets the young hero, Aubrey.  Enchanted, Aubrey accompanies Ruthven to Rome, but flees to Greece after the nobleman seduces a friend's daughter.  There, he falls in love with Ianthe, who tells him the story of the vampire.  Ruthven arrives, and Ianthe is murdered.  Heartbroken, Aubrey becomes Ruthven's companion again, an arrangement that comes to an end when they are attacked by bandits and Ruthven dies of his wounds.


But lo, after Aubrey returns to London, Ruthven reappears, as hale and hearty and evil as ever.  He seduces Aubrey's beautiful sister.  Aubrey dies in a bout of deep depression, desolate because he was unable to save her, and Ruthven marries the girl.  Within hours, she is discovered dead, drained of her blood.  Ruthven has vanished into the night.


Polidori's end was strangely like that of his tragic hero. He died in London on August 24, 1821, probably of suicide by poisoning, defeated by depression and gambling debts.   



3:03 PM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - Or Should That Be Podovic?

Lots of stories around about the funny looking egg shaped chamber Novak has been using recently.

Here are a few articles & video

WallStreetJournal

Video

FoxSports

USAToday
8:00 AM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic - Only Fear Is Burnout

Overworked: Novak Djokovic's punishing schedule may catch up with him
Overworked: Novak Djokovic's punishing schedule may catch up with him
Photo: AP

Who can beat Novak Djokovic, already the player of the season by an almighty margin, in the US Open? If he is 100 per cent fit, I doubt there is a player out there who is capable of doing it.

But this is not to say that Djokovic is a guaranteed winner. The one thing that could undo him is weariness. I don't believe he has a serious shoulder problem, even though he defaulted against Andy Murray in the final of the Cincinnati Open, but I do worry that his incredible record this season has pushed him close to the limits of his own endurance.

That is the irony of success. Look at the two back-to-back Masters titles in Montreal and Cincinnati and most of the top guys have played five or six matches, whereas Djokovic has played 10. Hard-court tennis creates a lot of wear and tear on the body.

It is a grinding style of play, and in the American summer it always seems to be hot and humid, so it is hardly surprising that he pulled up against Murray.

You can see why Djokovic wants to keep going. "Winning breeds winning" is one of my favourite axioms. Success is the only drug athletes are allowed to enjoy, and while you're experiencing it, you just want more and more. During a hot streak like this, Djokovic must feel as though he is on a constant high.

But there is one obvious downside to reaching the final of every tournament: you play so many more matches than everyone else.

I can only salute Djokovic for the way he has has maintained his performance levels. Having wonWimbledon, which was clearly the peak of his career to date, he went straight into a Davis Cup tie against Sweden. After that, I was expecting he wouldn't really be up for the first couple of hard-court tournaments.

But once again he started where he left off, beating some tough opponents in the Masters series.

Eventually he is going to run out of gas, and he has got to be careful not to do that in the second week of the US Open, when he is supposed to be playing the quarter-finals and semi-finals.

When Roger Federer was the king of New York, winning five US Open titles in a row, he was very canny in the way he structured his season to make sure that he had something left in the tank when he arrived at Flushing Meadows. He knew his own body and he knew how to balance his schedule.

But with Djokovic, this runaway success is still new. He can never have reached the end of August with 59 matches under his belt before.

That is why he and his support staff must be careful how they approach the end of the year. Djokovic is on course to match or even beat John McEnroe's incredible year of 1984, when he won 81 matches and lost three, but to get there he will need a decent run in New York. I don't expect him to play too much in the autumn.

The first week will be crucial. He needs to keep the matches quick: a couple of straight-sets wins, maybe one four-setter, and he'll make it through to the second Monday fresh.

But there aren't many easy games on hard courts. It's not like clay or grass, where there are a few specialists and everyone else feels a little uncomfortable. Just about every player is at home playing hard-court tennis, whether they are baseliners or serve-volley artists.

So what of the rest? I would always rate Federer ahead of Rafael Nadal on hard courts. Even though Nadal is the defending champion, I don't think he is going to retain his title this year. He is not yet physically or mentally back to where he was last year. His foot injury still seems to be bothering him, and he is unsure what to do about his five-match losing streak against Djokovic, especially as all of those defeats have come in tournament finals.

As for Federer, it only takes him a couple of wins to come back to his old self, but he needs to do that in a hurry. Over the last few weeks, he has lost in the third round and then the quarter-finals, and those are not the results of a potential Grand Slam winner.

Of all the guys behind Djokovic, Murray is probably the one with the most confidence and the best conditioning. He looked awful in Montreal, as if he was taking a holiday, but then he went to Cincinnati and as soon as he had a couple of matches under his belt he got stronger and stronger. In the final, even before Djokovic retired, he was the dominant player.

This has been a good year for Murray. He has cemented his place in the top four, and in effect he defended last year's win in Montreal with the result in Cincinnati. He had an average US Open in 2010 so a good result now, a semi-final or final, could be a major rankings break through. He could end up chall eng ing Federer for the No3 spot.

Remember what I said, winning has an extraordinary effect. After Cincinnati Murray � who really enjoys the fast courts at Flushing Meadows � could just be the man in perfect position to take advantage if Djokovic falters.

Courtesy: Telegraph


12:54 AM | 0 comments

"Whodunit" at the Edinburgh Book Festival

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Sunday, August 28, 2011 | 2:03 PM

Sculptures at the Edinburgh Book Festival  


Mysterious sculptures have appeared at the Edinburgh Book festival - and no-one knows who left them.

Festival staff said they were "mystified and thrilled" by the gifts which have labels giving enthusiastic support to "literature and ideas".

The two sculptures were found on a signing table at the book shop and the entrance tent.

One is of a tray, with a cup of tea and a cupcake. The second is entitled Lost (Albeit in a good book).

It has a paper figure inside a forest created from a copy of James Hogg's Confessions of a Justified Sinner.

The tea tray is inscribed "this cup is awarded to @edbookfest" - the festival's Twitter address.

It also contains a teabag full of letters, an unmarked book - and has a label marked "in support of libraries, books, words, ideas and festivals".

Over the past year similar sculptures have been left at the National Library of Scotland, the Scottish Poetry Library and the Scottish Storytelling Centre but their creator remains a mystery.

Festival director Nick Barley said: "I think there are seven or eight of these sculptures which have been delivered around the city.

"I would like to see them all together in a public place.

"It is an incredible piece of art that has the book at the centre of its work."

To read more about the festival:  BBC News/arts and culture
2:03 PM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic & The Singing Fish

1:45 PM | 0 comments

Poetic farewell for Happy Feet

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Saturday, August 27, 2011 | 4:20 PM

Geographically challenged penguin to be packed off home

The whole world, it seems, knows the story of Happy Feet, the confused Emperor Penguin who swam well off course, and landed on Peka Peka Beach north of Wellington, instead of some ice-shelf in the Antarctic.

At first the adolescent stray was simply a cute curiosity, as wildlife officers issued instructions to leave him alone.  Alas, he made yet another blunder -- when he got over-heated he mistook sand for nice, cooling snow (which, it seems, is eaten by penguins to counter hot flashes), and packed his tummy full of grit.  In a word, he weighed himself down, at dire risk of life.

So he was carted off to the Wellington Zoo, where he was given a nest of party ice, had the sand surgically removed, and became a local icon.  There was even talk of making him the All Blacks' mascot for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.

Instead, now that he's back to blooming health, he is being carried back to his proper environment, courtesy of a voyage on the National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) vessel Tangaroa.

Lots of words have been written about this headline grabber, many of them in response to a competition for the best poem about young Happy Feet, the prize for the two winners and nine finalists being guest attendance at a farewell party for the penguin at the zoo today -- plus publication in the Dominion Post

THE TWO WINNERS:

Happy Feet Happy Feet
Loves to groove to an invisible beat
Poor guy my oh my
Why did he swallow a sand and stick pie?
We hope he gets safely back
And joins up with his royal pack
Thanks to the team at the Wellington zoo
For healing him and saving him too!
-- TIAHO MOEAU

The wind blows hard,
The temperatures plunge
The sky is dark,
The waves rampage,
I'm tossed,

My flippers are weak,
And my energy's gone,
I've struggled so far,
And had nothing to eat,
I'm lost.

I'm all alone
In a foreign place,
The sand's too dry,
Stones have no taste,
I'm beached.

Before I know it,
I'm surrounded,
Human's concern
Here abounded.
I'm blessed.

Weak and helpless,
I don't enjoy it,
The stares, the fuss,
The skill, the focus,
I must rest.

I'm going home,
I heard them say,
For me these people,
go all the way,
I'm stoked.
-- ELAINE MARTIN

The competition drew entries from as far away as California, Switzerland, and Ireland.

Wrote the Irish contestant, Quinn Delaney, Oh, wee emperor mine / you've taught me much in a short time / on life, love and thermometers too / but way too much about penguin poo

Quinn, and anyone else who is interested, can follow Happy Feet's journey after release (about four days after sailing), courtesy of a GPS tracker that has been attached to his neck feathers. 

He can be found on twitter @Lost_Penguin

Or

www.sirtrack.com

or

www.ourfarsouth.org/Happy-Feet.aspx

4:20 PM | 0 comments

Facebook Ended Facebook Deals Product Feature

Just after its launch of four months Facebook is now going to shut down Facebook Deals product feature. Facebook Deal was expected to become a big rival of discount offering companies like GroupOn and LivingSocial in near future, but according to Facebook Spokesman;


After testing deals for four months, we�ve decided to end our deals product in the coming weeks. We think there is a lot of power in a social approach to driving people into local businesses.  We remain committed to building products to help local businesses connect with people, like ads, pages, sponsored stories, and check-in deals. We�ve learned a lot from our test and we�ll continue to evaluate how to best serve local businesses.

The main concept of Facebook Deal was to keep informed people about the happening and news of any special offers that are being made by local businesses. Facebook's program offered group deals in just five US cities. If you have noticed Facebook has recently made some changes in its news feed and privacy settings in which they have altered the visibility of deals, potentially reducing their exposure as users choose to limit who can see various activities. These changes also include the phasing out of places in favor of location tagging.
1:24 PM | 0 comments

'Slide' program to be shut down by Google Inc. soon

Google's own company or program Slide has been shut down by Google Inc. according to the sources Slide project was not responding according to the expectations of Google so that company has decided to close Slide program and keep their focus on Google+ Project which has become more popular than Slide. For you information Slide was founded back in 2005 and Google bought the Slide in August 2010. The main concept of Slide was to provide quality apps for Facebook and other Social Networking platforms.

However it looks like none of the apps created by Slide, including the ones made under Google's watch, were very successful. According to AllThingsD.com Google has closed its San Francisco based Slide division and that the original founder of Slide, Max Levchin, (who also founded PayPal) will also be leaving Google. Some of the popular apps which have been built by Slide program under the supervision of Google were Disco which offers people a way to text chat with groups of up to 99 different people.

Slide has recently launched its new app called PhotoVine under the supervision of Google which is basically an app for iPhone users which allowed people to collect groups of photos, or "vines", and put captions on them that have common themes or interests.
12:57 PM | 0 comments

Amazon to launch cheap and low price tablet device

The tablet pc market is growing rapidly and many companies today focusing to build quality tablet pc to entertain people, in which some companies provides high ended tablets while some provides cheap tablets to entertain every class of peoples. According to the inside news from Amazon and there has been some rumored, that company has started working on its new tablet pc with very low and cheap price.


Amazon has still undisclosed its tablet PC device publicly. Amazon is now focusing to build low ended and cheap in price tablet pc for users to compete with iPad and other tablet devices available today to gain market attention. According to New York Post Amazon's tablet could sell for "hundreds less" than the cheapest iPad, the 16 GB WiFi only model that sells for $499. The tablet itself is scheduled to go on sale in late September or early October. It�s not new for Amazon to introduce new device because Amazon is already providing its eReader device called Amazon's Kindle which is already popular amongst users all over the world.

In past months Amazon's CEO Jeff Bezos had also confirmed the news about tablet pc device. He said that company is interested to launch its first Tablet PC product which should sell alongside Amazon's popular Kindle eReader. The rumored about the tablet pc is that it will run Google's Android operating system and a nine inch dual-screen with a touch screen on one side and a Kindle-like eReader screen on the other side. Many analysts have conjectured that Amazon's tablet device will be a first real sales threat to the iPad. Some of this speculation is due in part to Amazon's success with the Kindle which has continued to sell well even with the iPad's own sales numbers.
12:41 PM | 0 comments

My Tennis Lounge

I now have admin rights to the Facebook page of the tennis forum I use.

Please have a look around this forum as it is a great place to chat about tennis with other fans from around the world.

We cover all the ATP tournaments and also have threads for other sports & interests. It is free to join and is open 24/7.

Here is the website www.mytennislounge.com The address is also posted in the link bar at the top of this Blog.

Thanks
7:29 AM | 0 comments

Novak Djokovic's 1st Round Opponent

The qualifiers have been placed in the draw for the US Open and Novak has been given Ireland' Conor Niland.

Updated draw link here

3:48 AM | 0 comments

Interview with an invisible thriller writer

Written By Lingkar Dunia on Friday, August 26, 2011 | 11:58 PM

A chat with famous playwright and pseudonymous thriller writer, Greg McGee, aka Alix Bosco

Cut & Run: When the Truth is No Protection
Ever since the launch of a new thriller series, beginning with the commercially successful, well reviewed, award-winning, Cut and Run, there has been huge speculation about the identity of the author, "Alix Bosco."  Theories abounded, and bloggers had lots of fun. 

Earlier this month it was revealed that Alix was none other than Greg McGee, wellknown writer for television, theater, and film.  Greg has very kindly agreed to subject himself to the following soul-searching questions:


Greg, you embarked on the voyage of life as a rebellious baby-boomer who happened to be good at the famous Kiwi collision-sport known as Rugby.  After playing at top level, including All Black trials, you exploded onto the literary world with an enormously successful play satirizing rugby culture, called Foreskin's Lament.  Not only did it get you a lot of admiring attention, but it happened at the indecently young (for a writer) and rather vulnerable age of just thirty.  

Did this sudden success mean that you felt confined to writing social commentary after that?  Stuck in a niche, as it were?  Is that the reason you chose to write thrillers under a penname? 

I guess it’s nice to be remembered for something! But you’re right, in that the success of "Foreskin’s Lament" back in the 1980s has proven difficult to get out from under. I’ve worked mainly in television and film since, but despite creating God knows how many different characters, many of them women, and despite winning every screenplay and scriptwriting award available in NZ, some of them several times over, and a Writer’s Foundation of America award, I’m still known as that bloke who played rugby back in the day and wrote that play about rugby, a bloke who writes about Kiwi blokes.

So when this character Anna Markunas started telling me her story, and it developed into a novel that happened to be a whodunit, I worried that Anna would have no chance of being received as a credible character if my name was on the book. By then I was very attached to her – she’d given me one of the best writing experiences I’ve had. My fears were confirmed by the readers of the manuscript, the very different responses from those who knew my name and those who didn’t. So, as proud as I was of my first novel I began the fight to keep my name off the cover. And it was a fight – no author means no interviews, and I was warned by Penguin and my agent not to do it if I wanted the book to sell. But I felt that my first obligation was to Anna, to give her a chance. So that’s how it all began.


One of the plays that followed [Foreskin’s Lament] was Out in the Cold, about a solo mother who cross-dresses as a man to get a job in the freezing works.  In many ways, it was a feminist as well as a social statement.  Did this influence you at all in the development of the character of the feisty and angst-ridden Anna Markunas?

Funnily enough, Joan, that’s my favorite play, after "Me & Robert McKee." In retrospect, I can see common elements. Outsiders are attractive to write, partly because many writers feel that they’re outsiders by virtue of their chosen profession (are we outsiders because we’re writers, or are we writers because we’re outsiders?), but also because of the unique perspective characters who are outsiders can bring to an environment. In "Out In The Cold," I wanted to put Jude into the most male environment I knew, the freezing chambers at the end of the slaughterhouse chain. She had good reason to be there, it was one of the highest paid labouring jobs in the land at the time. She was the ultimate outsider, but had to pretend not to be, to survive in that environment. 

Anna Markunas is also something of an outsider: her provenance is quite unusual for a New Zealander -  of Lithuanian stock, brought up by a solo mother who was a Second World War refugee, and whose job as a mid-wife took her from town to town, so that Anna was continually uprooted from school and friends and never felt that she really belonged. That’s an aspect of the pakeha [European] New Zealand character that really interests me, the longing to feel that we really belong here on this sliver of land at the edge of the world. Unlike the Maori, we Europeans have been here such a short time really, and while that youth gives rise to energy, robustness and a pioneering spirit, the flipside might be an insecurity about truly belonging. That’s certainly true of Anna, and it gives her empathy for other outsiders (who are often the kind of people who end up as victims in crime fiction and thrillers!).

 The first Anna Markunas book, Cut and Run, won the inaugural Ngaio Marsh Award, which was supposed to be presented at the Christchurch literary festival in September last year. Not only did a tragic earthquake fatally stall the proceedings, but you, as the anonymous winner, did not make an appearance.

It must have been hard not to feel bad about it (though of course you were not responsible for the quake!), because the bloggers had such a field day.  Any thoughts of turning the strange experience into a play?

I did feel regret at not being able to support last year’s Ngaio Marsh Awards, particularly after the quake delayed the original ceremony, but I didn’t realise my non-attendance was going to be such an anti-climax at the Awards ceremony because I didn’t know Cut & Run was going to win. Certainly, as soon as Slaughter Falls was chosen as a finalist this year, I knew I had to come out. I hope the support and the publicity my coming out has brought the Ngaio Marsh Awards this year has made up a little for last year. Don’t know about the play, Joan  – I’d have to cast myself as the villain, wouldn’t I?

Would Greg McGee have to cast himself as a villain? 

I personally feel that his very candid answers reveal him as something more than that ...

What do you think?

Comments welcome!
11:58 PM | 0 comments

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