A conversation between a Customer and Bank of America
Bank: This is the Bank of America, can I help you?
Customer: Yes, I want to cancel my account. I don't want to do business with you any longer.
Bank: Why?
Customer: You're giving credit to illegal immigrants and I don't think it's right. I'm taking my business elsewhere.
Bank: Well, Mr. Customer, we don't want to see you do that, but we can't stop you. I'll help you close the account. What is your account
number?
Customer: (gives account number)
Bank: For security purposes and for your protection,can you please give me the last four digits of your social security number?
Customer: No.
Bank: Mr. Customer, I need to verify your information, but in order to help you, I'll need verification of who you are.
Customer: Why should I give you my social security number? The reason I'm closing my account is that your bank is issuing credit cards to illegal immigrants who don't have social security numbers.
You are targeting that audience and want their business. Let's say I'm an illegal immigrant and you've given me a credit card. I have a question about it and call for assistance. You wouldn't be asking me for a Social Security number, would you?
Bank: No sir, I wouldn't.
Customer: Why not?
Bank: Because you would have pressed '2' to speak in Spanish. We don't ask for that information when calling in on the Spanish line.
CHECK THIS OUT ON SNOPES!!!!! IT'S TRUE!!!!!!
And yes, before you ask, my acvcount is at BofA- but not for long...
On 00:49:38 Oct 12 2007 orpeyem wrote:
hello am orpeyem i will like to no more of you ok so pls let chat on my yahoo id on ............lady_b4prettyluv@yahoo.com.i will like to hear you soon ok
john andrew
On 07:34:37 Oct 13 2007 RedQueen wrote:
1) I don't give out my yahoo to anyone I don't know-
2) there is nothing on your profile that gives me any idea who you are.
3) I tend to keep my friends from VR on VR. So if you want to talk to me, it will have to be here.
FROM: orpeyem
hhello red queen how are you doing i have ben waiting for your mesage all this day but you refuse to mail me why that pls let chat on my yahoo id on..............orpes4realy@yahoo.com ok i will like to hear from you every soon ok
opeyemi
MY answer:
You claim you have been waiting for my message all day, but it took you ELEVEN days to answer this?
I listed my answers to your original request. Since you obviously do NOT listen when you receive an answer to your questions, I see no reason to continue this one sided conversation
I recently read an entry in Daire's journal where he complained about the fact that people had randomly stamped an entry that his girlfriend had made in the database for an anime series. That most people didn't even take the time to read the entry, all they did was stamp it, and didn't even have the imagination to use an appropriate stamp.
Well, now...
After reading through some of the entries that are SUPPOSED to be edited before their addition to the database, I realized that my eyes were bleeding for a REASON:
And I quote...:
fog-shorouded
memerized
suspious
come back to seek vengences and steel a pontent elixer
And I'm not EVEN going to get into the punctuation, because I would simply have to copy and paste the whole fucking thing in here, and that would be more of a waste of space than it already is...
THAT is why some of us stamp and run, Daire...because it hurts to do anything more around here sometimes...
I'm sure Flannery is an excellent writer, like yourself, and like many others around here...unfortunately, those of us who bother to make it legible, grammatically correct and punctuated properly are sadly in the minority...
Oct. 22, 2007, 1:30 AM EST
The Associated Press
NEW YORK -- With author J.K. Rowling's revelation that master wizard Albus Dumbledore is gay, some passages about the Hogwarts headmaster and rival wizard Gellert Grindelwald have taken on a new and clearer meaning.
The British author stunned her fans at Carnegie Hall on Friday night when she answered one young reader's question about Dumbledore by saying that he was gay and had been in love with Grindelwald, whom he had defeated years ago in a bitter fight.
'"You cannot imagine how his ideas caught me, Harry, inflamed me,'" Dumbledore says in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," the seventh and final book in Rowling's record-breaking fantasy series.
The news brought gasps, then applause at Carnegie Hall, the last stop on Rowling's brief U.S. tour, and set off thousands of e-mails on Potter fan Web sites around the world. Some were dismayed, others indifferent, but most were supportive.
"Jo Rowling calling any Harry Potter character gay would make wonderful strides in tolerance toward homosexuality," Melissa Anelli, webmaster of the fan site http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org, told The Associated Press. "By dubbing someone so respected, so talented and so kind, as someone who just happens to be also homosexual, she's reinforcing the idea that a person's gayness is not something of which they should be ashamed."
"'DUMBLEDORE IS GAY' is quite a headline to stumble upon on a Friday evening, and it's certainly not what I expected," added Potter fan Patrick Ross, of Rutherford, N.J.
"(But) a gay character in the most popular series in the world is a big step for Jo Rowling and for gay rights."
Gellert Grindelwald was a dark wizard of great power, who terrorized people much in the same way Harry's nemesis, Lord Voldemort, was to do a generation later. Readers hear of him in the first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone," in a reference to how Dumbledore defeated him. In "Deathly Hallows," readers learn they once had been best friends.
"Neither Dumbledore nor Grindelwald ever seems to have referred to this brief boyhood friendship in later life,'" Rowling writes. "However, there can be no doubt that Dumbledore delayed, for some five years of turmoil, fatalities, and disappearances, his attack upon Gellert Grindelwald. Was it lingering affection for the man or fear of exposure as his once best friend that caused Dumbledore to hesitate?"
As a young man, Dumbledore, brilliant and powerful, had been forced to return home to look after his mentally ill younger sister and younger brother. It was a task he admits to Harry that he resented, because it derailed the bright future he had been looking forward to.
Then Grindelwald, described by Rowling as "golden-haired, merry-faced," arrived after having been expelled from his own school. Grindelwald's aunt, Bathilda Bagshot, says of their meeting: "The boys took to each other at once." In a letter to Grindelwald, Dumbledore discusses their plans for gaining wizard dominance: "'(I)f you had not been expelled we would never have met.'"
Potter readers had speculated about Dumbledore, noting that he has no close relationship with women and a mysterious, troubled past.
"Falling in love can blind us to an extent," Rowling said Friday of Dumbledore's feelings about Grindelwald, adding that Dumbledore was "horribly, terribly let down."
Dumbledore's love, she observed, was his "great tragedy."
FDA warns Viagra tied to hearing loss
Impotence drugs will soon bear new warnings about possible risk
The Associated Press
Updated: 3:40 p.m. PT Oct 18, 2007
WASHINGTON - Viagra and other impotence drugs are about to bear new warnings that users may experience sudden hearing loss.
It’s not clear that the drugs truly trigger hearing loss, but the Food and Drug Administration decided Thursday to add a warning about the possible risk after counting 29 reports of the problem since 1996 among users of this family of medicines.
The impotence drugs Viagra, Cialis and Levitra will bear the warnings. So will Revatio, a drug for pulmonary hypertension, which contains the same ingredient as Viagra.
Viagra’s label already mentioned hearing loss as a possibility, because a few cases were reported during initial testing of that drug. But given that hearing loss is a risk of advancing age and certain conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, that can lead to impotence, it wasn’t clear if the link was real.
That still isn’t clear, said FDA ear nose and throat specialist Dr. Robert Boucher.
But in poring over FDA’s database of possible drug reactions, what struck him was these 29 reports said the hearing loss occurred within hours to two days of taking one of the drugs.
“We don’t know enough to say that it’s ironclad caused by the drugs, but we see enough to say we can’t ignore it either,” he said.
The reports involve hearing loss in one ear, which in a third of cases was temporary.
FDA urged patients who experience any hearing problems — loss or ringing in the ears — to promptly call their doctors and stop taking the impotence drugs.
© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21368309/
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
MSN Privacy . Legal
© 2007 MSNBC.com
I managed to get up in plenty of time to get laid, get Scott to vacuum and dust the house, make barbecued pork chops, asparagus, rice, homemade biscuits, and applesauce raisin cake.
My mother in law is out of town, so since there was a Canucks game tonight (if you don't know, look it up) we invited Scott's dad over for dinner, and to watch the hockey game.
I have two VERY stuffed men on my couch, blissfully watching the hockey game and licking cake crumbs off their lips.....
Life is good-
Sex and marriage with robots? It could happen
Robots soon will become more human-like in appearance, researcher says
By Charles Q. Choi
Special to LiveScience
LiveScience
Updated: 3:05 p.m. PT Oct 12, 2007
Humans could marry robots within the century. And consummate those vows.
"My forecast is that around 2050, the state of Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize marriages with robots," artificial intelligence researcher David Levy at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands told LiveScience. Levy recently completed his Ph.D. work on the subject of human-robot relationships, covering many of the privileges and practices that generally come with marriage as well as outside of it.
At first, sex with robots might be considered geeky, "but once you have a story like 'I had sex with a robot, and it was great!' appear someplace like Cosmo magazine, I'd expect many people to jump on the bandwagon," Levy said.
The idea of romance between humanity and our artistic and/or mechanical creations dates back to ancient times, with the Greek myth of the sculptor Pygmalion falling in love with the ivory statue he made named Galatea, to which the goddess Venus eventually granted life.
This notion persists in modern times. Not only has science fiction explored this idea, but 40 years ago, scientists noticed that students at times became unusually attracted to ELIZA, a computer program designed to ask questions and mimic a psychotherapist.
"There's a trend of robots becoming more human-like in appearance and coming more in contact with humans," Levy said. "At first robots were used impersonally, in factories where they helped build automobiles, for instance. Then they were used in offices to deliver mail, or to show visitors around museums, or in homes as vacuum cleaners, such as with the Roomba. Now you have robot toys, like Sony's Aibo robot dog, or Tickle Me Elmos, or digital pets like Tamagotchis."
In his thesis, "Intimate Relationships with Artificial Partners," Levy conjectures that robots will become so human-like in appearance, function and personality that many people will fall in love with them, have sex with them and even marry them.
"It may sound a little weird, but it isn't," Levy said. "Love and sex with robots are inevitable."
Sex with robots in 5 years
Levy argues that psychologists have identified roughly a dozen basic reasons why people fall in love, "and almost all of them could apply to human-robot relationships. For instance, one thing that prompts people to fall in love are similarities in personality and knowledge, and all of this is programmable. Another reason people are more likely to fall in love is if they know the other person likes them, and that's programmable too."
In 2006, Henrik Christensen, founder of the European Robotics Research Network, predicted that people will be having sex with robots within five years, and Levy thinks that's quite likely. There are companies that already sell realistic sex dolls, "and it's just a matter of adding some electronics to them to add some vibration," he said, or endowing the robots with a few audio responses. "That's fairly primitive in terms of robotics, but the technology is already there."
As software becomes more advanced and the relationship between humans and robots becomes more personal, marriage could result. "One hundred years ago, interracial marriage and same-sex marriages were illegal in the United States. Interracial marriage has been legal now for 50 years, and same-sex marriage is legal in some parts of the states," Levy said. "There has been this trend in marriage where each partner gets to make their own choice of who they want to be with."
"The question is not if this will happen, but when," Levy said. "I am convinced the answer is much earlier than you think."
When and where it'll happen
Levy predicts Massachusetts will be the first jurisdiction to legalize human-robot marriage. "Massachusetts is more liberal than most other jurisdictions in the United States and has been at the forefront of same-sex marriage," Levy said. "There's also a lot of high-tech research there at places like MIT."
Although roboticist Ronald Arkin at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta does not think human-robot marriages will be legal anywhere by 2050, "anything's possible. And just because it's not legal doesn't mean people won't try it," he told LiveScience.
"Humans are very unusual creatures," Arkin said. "If you ask me if every human will want to marry a robot, my answer is probably not. But will there be a subset of people? There are people ready right now to marry sex toys."
The main benefit of human-robot marriage could be to make people who otherwise could not get married happier, "people who find it hard to form relationships, because they are extremely shy, or have psychological problems, or are just plain ugly or have unpleasant personalities," Levy said. "Of course, such people who completely give up the idea of forming relationships with other people are going to be few and far between, but they will be out there."
Ethical questions
The possibility of sex with robots could prove a mixed bag for humanity. For instance, robot sex could provide an outlet for criminal sexual urges. "If you have pedophiles and you let them use a robotic child, will that reduce the incidence of them abusing real children, or will it increase it?" Arkin asked. "I don't think anyone has the answers for that yet — that's where future research needs to be done."
Keeping a robot for sex could reduce human prostitution and the problems that come with it. However, "in a marriage or other relationship, one partner could be jealous or consider it infidelity if the other used a robot," Levy said. "But who knows, maybe some other relationships could welcome a robot. Instead of a woman saying, 'Darling, not tonight, I have a headache,' you could get 'Darling, I have a headache, why not use your robot?' "
Arkin noted that "if we allow robots to become a part of everyday life and bond with them, we'll have to ask questions about what's going to happen to our social fabric. How will they change humanity and civilization? I don't have any answers, but I think it's something we need to study. There's a real potential for intimacy here, where humans become psychologically and emotionally attached to these devices in ways we wouldn't to a vibrator."
Levy is currently writing a paper on the ethical treatment of robots. When it comes to sex and love with robots, "the ethical issues on how to treat them are something we'll have to consider very seriously, and they're very complicated issues," Levy said.
Levy successfully defended his thesis Oct. 11.
© 2007 LiveScience.com. All rights reserved.
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21271545/wid/11915829?GT1=10450
Apparently I need to revisit this subject, because some people JUST don't get it...
Yes, I am here to make friends. And I will talk to anybody, as long as they are civlized, can spell correctly, and the first thing out of your mouth isn't "what are you wearing" " wanna cyber?" or "U luk hawt, kin we talk?" Piss me off, and we're done. Get trashy with me, and we're done. Make overt sexual comments to me right off the bat? DITTO
THIS?
hello am orpeyem i will like to no more of you ok so pls let chat on my yahoo id on ............lady_b4prettyluv@yahoo.com.i will like to hear you soon ok
john andrew
NOT going to get you anywhere.
But apparently I have to re-iterate the ground rules around here....
I have nothing against bites. They are here for us to use, and for fun. If ALL you do is keep sending bites, you're wasting your time and mine. Cease and desist immediately, or else.
Do NOT ask me for my yahoo, MSN, or any other IM address or email address. I NEVER give that out to anybody unless I have known them for AWHILE. If you are a whelp and just hunting, again, don't waste my time or yours.
There are entirely too many assholes, predators, and playas out there and in here for anybody's good. Any woman worth her salt is going to be careful of who she talks to, and even then, we still get sucked in and hurt. It happens, but that doesn't mean we have to go out of our way to find that kind of shit, and deliberately put ourselves in harm's way.
VR is here for all of us to learn, have a good time, and enjoy the sense of community. If you want to hook up, cyber, or any of those things, do us all a favor....
1) Go somewhere else- there are plenty of places for that
2) At least TRY to get to know someone first before making those kind of suggestions. Not aLL the women on here are that kind of woman.. Some of us have standards, morals and TASTE. Don't make us angry...you won't like us when we are angry...
I started a thread for Requiem for her birthday, because she is a kind, elegant, wonderful woman, and she deserves it. She turned 35 this past Sunday, so off I went....somewhere down the list of well wishers was this tasty little insert:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
vampirelvr2007
Mosquito (2)
Posts: 12
Re: Happy BIRFDAY to da REQ!!!
Posted: 22:24:59 - Oct 07 2007
Times viewed: 94
Happy birthday. Please rate my profile I will rate yours.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I sent a copy to Khayman so she could see why I was pissed, and sent this reply.....
For future reference, birthday threads are for wishing people happy birthday if you know them.
Even if you don't, it is nice to say so...
It is NOT a place to put a request for someone to visit and rate your profile. If you wish to place an ad for people to view and rate your profile, start your OWN thread...
Don't put crappy requests like that in mine when I am trying to do something nice for a friend.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And yes, I sent the following missive to Khay before doing this:
"Permission to bitch slap a whelp, SIR!"
I waited...really I did...lol
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ROO edit: I got this today from this person:
"Can you send me what I said because all I remember was saying happy birthday"
So I copied and sent on the above. So today, I got this...
"Sorry don't remember typing that...."
For LordKratos2 and all the other names he goes by, for hypno, for blobluxblan, for peepslayer, for DarkenShorty, and for all the countless other assholes who darken our doorstep every once in awhile and irritate us NO end....
And for all the women the likes of QueenMorbid, BubbleGumClaudia, LadyKrystalynDarkstar, VampireWitch39, Chordewa etc. who have to listen to their inane childish bullshit...
This is for you...
.....that a man gets married and suddenly his common sense goes out the window?
I mean really...you hand a man a box of tampons, and tell him to put them were they usually go- under the sink, close at hand, as it were.....
now EXPLAIN to me why, when I am comfortably ensconced, and reaching for my necessities under the circumstances, that my BRAND NEW BOX of tampons is on the TOP shelf in the bathroom with the BEDSHEETS?????
And they say WOMEN don't think logically.....
http://www.counterfeitmini.com/main.swf
just use your mouse to swing the hand across this idjit's face...TRULY refreshing...
Leo (July 23- August 22)
Your October Horoscope by Susan Miller
Everyone thinks of you as warm and gregarious, and you are that - and much, much more! The lion surely knows how to enjoy life to the fullest, and part of your role is to teach the rest of us to take time to do so, too. You love to be out and about with friends, trying new restaurants, and soaking up the culture of your surroundings. As a Leo, you are completely charming.
The coming months will show that part of you, but also a less often seen side, one that will keep you off by yourself working intensely on a project behind closed doors. Mars, ruling energy and focus, moved into your twelfth house, the area of the chart that governs, among other things, solitude and creativity.
What's unusual about this visit of Mars is that the Red Planet will stay in this house not the more typical seven weeks but will instead reside there over six months. Mars will not depart this sector until May 9, 2008. As you see, this is a major trend that is just cranking up now - and one that will last and last!
You seem to be working on a project that requires a great deal of concentration, such as a thesis or a special report for your company. You may be writing a book or screenplay, doing special research, or working on a launch of a new product that will take lots more development over the coming months. Mars only comes by once every two years, so being a rare rather than commonplace visit of Mars, this is an influence you should notice.
This trend will be simply wonderful for showing off the full range of your creativity. With Mars stimulating your subconscious mind for so long, you should find that generating original ideas will be a snap - they will be bubbling up within you so often, you'll have to keep a notebook on your nightstand. It sounds like you'll be passionate about what you're doing, too, for you why else would you be so focused on this one project for so many months? If you stay with it, you will have something amazing to show for your time, and your artistic output should be excellent.
It is clear that in coming months you won't want to work with a team, preferring instead to work on your own, at least in the first few months. You won't want to punch a clock either, because you will want to work when you feel the flow - until dawn if necessary. Being free to work at your own pace, and to develop ideas outside of others' comments, seem to be a big part of this trend. I am with you, dear Leo. Ideas can be as fragile as butterfly wings, so if you truly do want to create something original, you are right to want to do it while you are completely alone. This visit of Mars is considered an excellent aspect for productivity, so later you should have plenty to show for your efforts.
There are other ways Mars in the twelfth house could affect you. This part of the chart rules confinement, so you may find that someone you know may be in the hospital, or going through several months of physical therapy or psychological rehabilitation (for example, to overcome substance abuse or to correct a psychological disorder). A relative or friend may be in the hospital, or need to be incarcerated in a prison. I know that is a shocking statement I just made, but I want to be careful to cover all the areas of confinement that the ancients listed as part of the twelfth house, even if your knowing someone who needs to spend time in jail is highly unlikely.
Alternatively, you may be doing charity work that puts you in touch with many individuals in these confined places. Everyone needs a little help and cheer, and you may be working on a program that will give people who are ill or down on their luck reason for hope.
It is also possible that you will decide to check yourself into a medical facility for a tune-up or schedule some physical therapy for a part of you (like your knee, for example) that has been squeaking lately. Going for medical help as soon as you see a problem is always a good idea. If you need to overcome a habit that you know is bad for you, start now. This would also be a great time to address that goal.
Mars will retrograde from November 15 to January 31, a time when you won't have the strongest, most powerful vibes from this planet. Keep those dates handy, as you may want to refer to them later. It would be best to start your endeavor or medical process in early October, before you get distracted with other things.
This month, Mercury will be retrograde from October 11 - November 1. While I would not recommend having surgery during a Mercury retrograde period if you can help it, it is a good time to follow up on something you've been meaning to do for a long time. If you always wanted to end a bad habit, get help for a medical problem, or see a professional about a dilemma that has kept you up at night, Mars position will now help you. As you see, there are many ways you can use the energy that Mars will provide.
A wonderful short trip could easily come up soon and quite unexpectedly. Do so over your glorious weekend, the best of the month: October 6 - 8. Jupiter will help things along by providing beautiful and luxurious accommodations, even if you don't spend that much! The moon will be in pampering Leo - your sign! This would be a fantastic weekend to go away, and October 8 is a holiday in the United States, so start booking your trip to enjoy Nature's blazing colors of autumn. (If you live "down under," celebrate the very first buds of spring!)
This emphasis on traveling short distances will be encouraged even more at the appearance of the new moon, October 11 and in the two weeks that follow. Watch the kinds of events that come up - there will be lots of talk, many meetings and overflow of calls, messages, and email. You will need to manage it all - it won't be easy! Take care to methodically note the name, address, and phone number of new people you meet this month. You may also reconnect with a few people you've known from your past, but have lost track of over time. In either case, you'll need to set up a good system to keep this person's number handy. Be flexible too, for there will be lots of changes of the scheduling of the meetings. Just say to yourself, in October, that nothing will be carved in stone.
If you were born on or within five days of August 9, you will be very cognizant of this emphasis on travel, meetings, negotiation, and meeting new people.
There is a possibility that travel taken this month would be taken to visit a client out of town. I say this because Venus, the planet that rules your quick travel sector, will move next to Saturn in your house of earned income. If you want to make a sale, you may have a creative venture that requires production in another city. You won't have to drive too far for your meeting or the place you want to visit (if it's for pleasure). It seems to be within a day's drive.
If someone returns to your life this month while Mercury is retrograde, there's a strong chance you both were destined to link up again - there seems to be more that you were supposed to do together in this life! Find the reason!
You may also suddenly decide to take classes to brush up on changes in your industry. If you've meant to complete a thesis or other report, but have delayed due to lack of time, Mercury retrograde will allow you to pick up that thread.
You may be asked to sign a contract in October, for the third house, which will be so strongly lit, also rules the making of formal agreements. However, as said, Mercury will be retrograde this month so you might want to discuss deal points early in October but not actually agree to sign until November 5.
Mercury will turn direct on November 1, but you should always leave a little space after this planet normalizes its orbit. Don't act until November 5 for best results. Mercury exerts its very worst energy in the days surrounding the onset date of the retrograde (in this case, days surrounding October 11) and at the end date of Mercury's move direct (in this case, November 1). These will be the hardest days for conducting business, signing agreements, making purchases and having them shipped, and so forth. Wait until November and you will be glad you did. Incidentally, don't buy any electronics in October as Mercury, now in a weak position, rules all electronics and moving parts in machines.
Financially, you need to be a tad more careful in the months to come, as Saturn is now in your second house of earned income and possessions. You may notice that employers and clients have become a bit more budget conscious, so it may be hard for you to get the fee or new salary you feel you deserve.
This will be a long trend, one that will stay in place until September 2009, nearly two years from now. You will need to pare down your spending on things that you don't care too much about so that you can continue to live the same lifestyle that you have become used to. You may have been a little in denial about how fast you've been going through money, but as time goes on, you'll notice that money does seem a little tighter and you'll have to trim where you can.
In October there will be two days that will stand out for extraordinary luck, and those dates might bring you good financial news. Those dates will be October 8 and 20. Both days bring a major planet into conversation with the Sun, your ruler, so you will want to put a big red circle around them on your calendar!
Your first banner day will be October 8, when Jupiter, in your house of creativity, will meet the Sun, in your house of communication - what a wonderful day for presentation or interview where you need to show just how fabulous your ideas can be! If money comes up on this day, it's likely to be the exception to the rule - generous. This day may be simply glorious for personal reasons, too. If you want to take the day off for a short relaxing drive in the country - do! No matter what you decide to do on October 8, it's sure to make you happy.
The other date I would like you to watch will be October 20. This day involves Pluto, also positioned in your house of creativity. Pluto will send the Sun a message that will turn out to be surprisingly helpful to you. The Sun will still be in your communication sector at the time, so again, your artistic expressions will have the power to move others - even transform them! And like October 8, your financial outlook on October 20 will be exceptionally positive. You certainly will have the power to persuade powerful VIPS to invest in you, so barrel forward. October 20 is a Saturday, so watch the two days leading up to this day, October 18 or 19, which could also be lucky.
Professionally, from a pure status standpoint, you will be on fire. The full moon of October 26, which will send out a strong pulse plus or minus four days, will bring an exciting culmination to career matters. Whatever happens near this day - news of a promotion, a call offering you a new job, or exceptional praise or publicity for your work - this full moon will help you to see that you have become a force in your industry.
If you do get an offer, it will be compelling. It will clearly be a step up, with lots of room for creative expression. The drawback will be that the salary is low, and that's disappointing. This will be due to the new position of Saturn in Virgo, something I touched on earlier. It will be hard to find a position with the right pay for a while, so if you feel this position has future potential, and you love the actual work you'd be doing, you might want to consider taking it. As I have often said, it is never wise to take a job simply for the money. The money will get old fast if the work doesn't use your talents well. Perhaps this is what Saturn in Virgo will be all about, to center your focus on the work. If you love what you do, you will flourish, and the money will follow in time.
I feel that events that take place within four days of this date will work in your favor either eventually or immediately. This full moon will allow you to reveal the excellence of your work to a great many influential people at the time, and it appears new VIPs may now call to hear more about what you're doing. It looks like all the hard work behind closed doors that you will be doing could add up to something big. Should you decide to quit your job at this full moon, know that you may have the right idea - sometimes enough is enough.
Still, I don't see too much stress here. Rather than quit a job or lose one, it looks like you will have exciting, stabilizing news to celebrate. With Mars and Saturn on your side, it would be hard to imagine any sort of difficult outcome. Leos who were born on July 24, plus or minus four days, will feel a little tension, as this full moon will be in hard angle to your Sun. Still, an aspect like this often helps one to turn a corner, to end a difficult phase and move into a new one.
Romantically, you will have a number of sweet days for love in October, especially in October's last week. Jupiter, now in your house of true love, will send a lovely missive to Neptune in your seventh house of commitment on October 30. If you have been dating for a while, this should bring a magical experience, when thoughts of commitment may naturally occur to you and your partner. Secrets may be traded, plans made, and lots of kisses stolen - this day and the days that surround it should be lyrical, for sure.
This same day, October 30, may be used for creative development too. These two areas - love and creativity - are covered by the same part of the horoscope, the fifth house. It's important to know that these two areas are not mutually exclusive: You can have a lovely romantic experience AND receive amazing feedback for your creative work at the very same time. In the case of creativity, the "partner" that appears to be instrumental to your happiness may be your agent, lawyer, or other person who represents you. The seventh house rules all serious partnerships - a person you might link with in marriage or in business.
Adding to the exciting aspect just discussed is the fact that Neptune will turn from retrograde to direct on October 31. Neptune has been retrograde for five months, since March 31. This change will allow you to see substantial progress in your plans for the future, whether in love or in your work. For example, if you decided to hold off on discussing marriage with your partner because conditions were all wrong, you will now see a new set of circumstances emerge, and a path will appear. The same could be said of a business arrangement. As said above, you may have a breakthrough in love, or your creative work, or both. If you are married or have been attached to someone for a very long time, you will see your partner do very well this month and you will benefit too as a result.
If you have no one in your life romantically, you will most likely feel this energy in a business way. Be glad! Everyone gets to participate in this lovely energy.
Should you find this month that you don't see enough romantic developments to make you happy (and you should, but just in case you don't), keep in mind that two months from now you will have spectacular romantic aspects, some of the best of the decade. This will become apparent from the last week in November through the first three weeks of December. Nothing in recent memory will compare to what's coming, so keep that knowledge in your pocket. You have a lot to look forward to this holiday season! Single Leos will have the edge, but in making this assessment I am spilling tiny hairs - every Leo, of every status, will benefit. Much more fun is heading your way! With a plethora of brilliant planets lighting your house of new and true love, it would be hard to go wrong!
Your most romantic evenings include: October 5 - 8, 11, 20, 23, 24, and 30 - 31 (These last two days rate four stars.)
Summary
The leaves are turning brilliant shades of red and yellow on mountains, country roads, and glens, so plan a divine long weekend trip out of town. Go on one of your favorite weekends, October 6 - 8. Jupiter will be in perfect angle to the Sun, your shining ruling star. The moon will cooperate too, by moving through Leo, allowing you to ensure that every detail is perfect. You seem to want to spend money, and although it will put a dent in your budget, go ahead. This weekend will be worth it, and besides, you'll be spinning a memory that will last forever.
It may also help to know that from October through April, you will be more productive behind closed doors than you would with others. Assuming a low-key stance will be a new role to those who know you, but doing so will help you now evolve and grow. Don't feel you need to explain your actions - just shut the door. Your work will speak for itself.
If you are not working hard on a research paper, product launch, thesis, or grant, you may be asked by your boss to assume a strategic role, perhaps to introduce a new product or service with a corresponding need to keep things confidential. It's also possible that this intense concentration you'll be showing will be related to a writing project - a book, screen play, or theatrical production.
Mercury will be retrograde in your money house, so a raise may be held up, a check lost, or a purchase disappointing. You'd do best to send second reminders to those who owe money (or promised it). Also, delay spending on big-ticket items for now, because you will not enjoy your purchase to the fullest if you buy it now. November will be a better month.
The full moon on October 26 will bring your professional work to the attention of many others, including certain VIPs who will be quite impressed with what they see. An intriguing offer for a promotion or new position may emerge at this time, and if so, it's one you need to look at closely. You will have everything going for you - praise, opportunity, and perhaps the most important, being at the right place at the right time.
The only fly in the oatmeal of the offer will be that the salary will not be as generous as you'd assume. The creative elements WILL be strong, however, and on that count alone, you may be interested. With Mercury retrograde, you should look before you leap. If you still want the job on November 9, then give your acceptance. You'll have a far better chance for future success if you wait things out a bit, for important information you need to make a proper decision will emerge in time.
Serious relationships, whether personal or professional in nature, will get a big push forward on October 31 due to the move of Neptune to stronger orbit. Jupiter will be on hand too to make your interaction warm and happy. The month ends on an enchanting phase if you are romantically involved, and if you use this energy for business purposes, there is likelihood for a truly profitable result. Your luck will be tied to your creativity.
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"My Healing Journey: Seven Years with Cancer"
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I SO need to get some sleep...
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English villagers scratch heads over mysterious gargoyles Tue Oct 2, 1:18 PM ET
Villagers in northern England were left scratching their heads Tuesday after a series of mysterious gargoyle-style stone blocks were left on their doorsteps, with cryptic messages attached.
The sculptures, which all have a carved symbol which apparently spells "paradox" and a riddle, have been left overnight outside homes and businesses across the northern county of Yorkshire over the last few weeks.
Security camera footage caught a man leaving three of the heads outside a post office, but detectives have so far drawn a blank over who is behind the bizarre nocturnal activity.
"It's very weird. They're a bit like gargoyles really, obviously somebody has taken a lot of trouble if they have been carved," said Valerie Hoyes, who runs the post office in Braithwell where a trio of heads were abandoned.
"On the back it looks like an occult thing, it does actually spell paradox, but we don't know what any of it means."
In all 12 of the heads have been left in the villages of Goathland and Kilburn in north Yorkshire, four in Arthington in west Yorkshire, and three in Braithwell, south Yorkshire.
They are accompanied by a riddle, which reads: "Twinkle twinkle like a star does love blaze less from afar?"
George Griffiths, an artist from Arthington, has so far received two of the statues, the first one on August 23.
"I thought somebody had just dumped it, that it had fallen off the back of a lorry. But then I read the message and thought 'it's queer is this'."
"I think it's a publicity stunt -- I can't see anything else. They're not sinister or anything like that. It's just a puzzle. We're all just waiting and wondering to find out more."
Valerie Hoyes added: "We're just a bit nonplussed really, didn't know what it was all about. We just moved them away from the front of the shop and more or less forgot about them.
"It's just a bit of a quandary."
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