Blog

SNOWFALL AT WALMART! (VIDEO)

2009-11-20T22:51:10+00:00

The snow started falling in huge flakes and heavy when we arrived at Walmart this afternoon, which I captured with the video camera for your entertainment pleasure. First it began raining, then the rain turned into snowfall in a white-out condition everywhere. Got very cold; the snowflakes on my face caused it to sting. TWO videos (go here for widescreen): First one is a short 2 minutes scene of the snow AMBUSH at Walmart, the second is a longer video of the windstorm in which I filmed the neighbor's little cat at my feet being blown and knocked over in the tumultuous wind! Omigawd! Poor little cat. It sought refuge within the safe environs of my entry way.

I've still got more video takes yet to upload, of the windstorm. Due to a brief power outage here I was unable to get some new links for you guys, but hopefully tomorrow there will be PLENTY of new stuff, including the annual ugly Christmas lights and decoration links which I will place at the top of the home page for you guys to check daily. A favorite is the Ugly Christmas Lights website, which is not to be missed. I also will be linking some other strange holiday related sites in that area as well, so I've got a LOT of work fixing up the homepage as well as videos.

One video has us driving to the pharmacy to get my meds, where the power had gone out today and they were just closing up the place as the power had been off for THREE HOURS. So I was lucky to get my prescriptions. Also, my friends Ken and Chuck sent me a HONEY BAKED HAM via UPS, which was very kind of them. I used to see long lines of people waiting in line to pick up their Honey Baked Hams in San Jose, California before Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm saving this delicious special ham for Christmas Dinner. Thanks again for the ham you guys. A big hug.

Also, it is with MUCH SADNESS that I report my friend Alissa's 17-year-old cat, Bernice, has died. Alissa is VERY UPSET, naturally, about this loss. Just a few months ago her other cat, named "Crash" died of old age as well. Alissa is a cat lover and these pets were very special. The last time I saw Bernice, she meowed at me and came to me and I pet her. She was a very nice, friendly calico cat. I'm worried about Alissa as her grief is causing her to not eat and have a stomach ache. But this is to be expected by those who are loving pet owners. The animals are not just animals, they become beloved members of the household and cherished. A loss is like losing a person to the devoted pet owner. It's very upsetting. So if you are reading this Alissa, all of us pet lovers are sending our condolences and well-wishes to you and your family over your loss.

OK, I've got much work to do on some videos and the website to alter it for the Christmas holidays with links.

Friday is Storm/Snow High-Wind Day

2009-11-20T08:07:59+00:00

WIND of HORROR!

The terrifying wind DESTROYED my fake silver Christmas tree! Oh GOD! It's the END OF THE WORLD!

INTENSE WIND STORM BRINGS POWER OUTAGES!
AIRLINES GROUNDED!

It would seem today is going to quite difficult for anyone moving around outside on the roads with rain and snow blizzards and high winds predicted for this afternoon. Best just to stay put indoors until the storm blows over! There will probably be some photos here later of big rigs blown over by the strong winds that have started to buffet the area as I write this. The trees are swaying to their sides and the building shudders under the brunt force of the high velocity wind. Even though the windows are closed tight, I can actually feel currents of wind wafting through the apartment. It is predicted that rain and snow are coming this afternoon and evening, but the skies this morning are cloudless, clear and blue -- devoid of any hint of the approaching storm. Reno sure is a windy area. Guess it's because of the high elevation and being within a valley surrounded by a mountain range.

Below is one of those retarded high school educational films they used to show when I went to high school in the 1970s. This one was made in 1958. The movies were film, on reels, and shown on a projector in the classroom -- and they were always OLD, OLD, OLD -- nothing new or contemporary. This one's about how to be popular and the acting is so bad it's laughable. I remember the teachers used to show these in gym class on rainy days or when there were no class assignments. We all were relieved when we found out we were going to see a movie, but they always were a disappointment like this silly thing. The film used to break in the projector at times, and if the teacher couldn't fix it the movie experience was over and we had to listen to the teacher talk. If you were teacher's pet, you got to help set up the projector and everyone was jealous of you for it. There's another similar one on Ultra Swank, a fun "retro" site.

Look at the ridiculous picture of some dude below. WTF is wrong with people anymore? For Christ sake! It's Gotta be DRUGS.

~ WTF Picture of the Day ~
Stop Fucking Around With Your Asses!
The Ass is for SHITTING!
The Ass Stinks!
The Ass Has GERMS!
The Ass is NOT a Vagina!

Neurotic Erotic Kitchen Cleaning Video

2009-11-19T21:13:29+00:00

Lubricate your cow udders, throw your legs in the air, and watch another one of my stupid domestic germ cleansing videos. (So as not to gross you out, I did not film the cleaning of the INSIDE of the microwave oven.)

Because... it all SUCKS.

NEVER Throw Away Beet Tops

2009-11-19T16:53:23+00:00

I got these three beets with the tops at the market for $2.18 and will cook them today. Beets are a powerhouse of vitamins and nutrients, as well as a high source of fiber. Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.

Naturally, just like Brussel Sprouts (another nutritional powerhouse), most people ignorant of how to cook or appreciate the beet's nutritional value, so they are not popular on the din-din table. They are quite good cold on a salad. And the tops also contain nutrients as well as fiber. What I do is sever the tops and use them for a vegetable for another meal. A lot of people cut off the beet greens and toss them away! DON'T DO THIS.

"The beets belong to the same family as chard and spinach. Beet leaves have a bitter taste like chard, but is rich in chlorophyll. Although bitter, the greens have a higher nutritional value than its roots.

Both beet root and beet greens are very powerful cleansers and builders of the blood. Betacyanin is the phytochemical in beet that gives it its rich 'amethyst' color that significantly reduces homocysteine levels.

SOURCE

I slow boil or steam the beets in their skin (trimming off the ends) and let them cool. It's important to LEAVE THEIR SKINS ON when cooking to keep the vitamins in them. When cool, I take the outside skin off (like a potato it comes off easily just using your fingers after boiling or steaming). Then I cut the beats up sideways and marinate them in Kraft Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing, which is sold dry in packets that you put in a salad dressing cruet adding vinegar, oil and water to it. If you don't have Good Seasons (here's an untried copy cat recipe), just mix up a concoction of red wine vinegar with a dash of Extra Virgin Olive oil, minced garlic cloves, ground black pepper, onion powder, a dash of powdered oregano and parsley, and teaspoon of dry mustard power to use as the marinade (can also be salad dressing). I let them marinate overnight so that the beets absorb the taste of the dressing, then I slice them and eat them. It tastes real good. However, I'm the only one in my household who eats these, so all three of those lovely beets I will have to consume.

KRAFT Good Seasons sells their own salad dressing cruet. If you don't have one, it can be purchased at the supermarket found in the salad dressing section. You get a couple of packets of their dry dressing mix with it. Costs about $4.00, but worth the expense; it's a very useful item to have around, and I've had mine for years.

An Early Frost

2009-11-19T15:11:11+00:00

Last night's freeze left ice on the truck, but will there be SNOW on it tomorrow morning as the weathermen are predicting (see Reno forecast: Snow or Rain Likely on Friday, Possible on Sunday)? In preparation, yesterday I replaced a bad windshield wiper on the driver's side. The rubber had come off the blade. Two trips to the store covered this fiasco. The first time, the clerk in the auto department looked up my truck and said the wiper blade for my vehicle was size 24, but when I got it home to change the blade, it was the wrong size -- way too big. So back to the store, this time taking the passenger side wiper blade which was OK still. Another clerk was there this time. And after looking up my truck make and model it was discovered the correct size for the wiper blade was size 20 -- not size 24. But before I left, I insisted the clerk open the package and compare it to my windshield wiper blade to be sure. It matched. Then I had to stand in a line to return/exchange stuff. All wiper blades must be in working order to help wipe off the snow and frost on the glass that will cover the truck in the coming days. I also got a gallon of stuff for the windshield wiper spray reservoir that is supposed to keep the windshield free of ice and snow when squirted on it. We'll see how that stuff fares. Last year the wiper fluid FROZE and wouldn't squirt out. This new stuff isn't supposed to freeze. Also there is a tire that needs to be replaced, but I ran out of cash. Will have to wait until December for that. Need as much traction as I can get to drive safely in the snow and ice. I also need to drain the radiator and put Winter anti-freeze coolant in it in preparation as well.

Gotcha!

Caught the Little Tiger Cat attempting to wreck
the pathetic silver Christmas tree, hee-hee.

* * * *

For weeks now I haven't eaten any red meat. Let's face it. I'm a carnivorous meat eater. The cravings for the BLOOD of medium-rare steak meat have been haunting my dreams, tormenting me with blood lust! This desire to EAT RED, BLOODY, FRESHLY-KILLED MEAT could be due to an iron deficiency:

But steak contains too much fat. The only kind of steak meat that is LEAN is Flank Steak (otherwise known as "London Broil") So when I saw a sale for London Broil for $2.59 per pound I had to act on it. But to prevent over-eating of it, when I got the London Broil home I took my sharp meat cleaver and cut it in half, and froze the other half, to reduce the temptation of eating too much.

LONDON BROIL (a.k.a. Flank Steak): All fat on the outside edges is trimmed off.
"London Broil" is just a fancy name given to lean flank steak. It's virtually fat-free -- all red meat -- without fatty veins running through it. It is the only meat I can eat on my cholesterol's reducing diet, and then only a small amount at that. Without the veins of fat (or "marbling" as mom told me) running through it Flank Steak (i.e., London Broil) is known to be TOUGH. It is because of its reputation for being tough is why it is usually marinated over night. In addition, it is sliced a particular way. The proper method of handling London Broil is that it is always sliced sideways against the grain into thin strips. The center of the strips should be pink (depending on how rare you like steak). Flank steak should be marinated overnight to tenderize the meat. My mom ALWAYS marinated her London Broil overnight. Her Italian boyfriend taught her how to properly cut it in strips against the grain, which she taught me. She used to smother it in mushrooms and never threw out the bloody juice that oozed out of it. She used to broil it (8-9 minutes per side). Flank Steak (London Broil) can also be pan-fried, using Olive Oil with a few garlic cloves smashed into the oil to season it. When you remove it from the hot skillet you then take RED WINE and splash some into the skillet to mix with the meat's juices and garlic flavor. This wine juice is then drizzled over the London Broil after it has been carved in strips against the grain and smothered in mushrooms on a elongated serving platter. It is a very delicious cut of meat -- if prepared right.

Teen Hangout Discovery on the Trail

2009-11-19T00:49:36+00:00

Out taking a walk on the desert trails surrounding the apartments we came across a teen hangout area atop a rocky mountain outcropping. Naturally we found a disgusting used condom on the ground amidst broken beer bottle glass and other paraphernalia.

Creepy.

Roommate holds used condom found on hiking trail. Caked, dried cum seen
inside it. Who would fornicate out there? Get a room, ferchristsake! ANIMALS!

A sharp close-up of the wondrous find for your entertainment pleasure.
Below is the site where the teenagers go to commit acts of sin and debauchery amongst the rocky look-out. Oh those filthy little degenerates! (Click to enlarge the high-res panoramic picture to see how sharp the new camera is).

UNGODLY ACTS have been committed amongst that rock outcropping!

Red arrow points to a series of white poles that will be a Christmas tree lot soon.
Afternoon sun shining on the scrub brush and rocky landscape.
It was icy cold out there walking around. My nose and cheeks felt the cold. I had a coat on, but I should have taken my gloves. It was a very cold day here today in the lower 40's. Tonight the temperature will drop below freezing (Weather.com Reno).

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HOME PAGE UPDATES TOMORROW
Had to do some running around today getting supplies, the new camera and to my roommate's doctor which ate up a lot of my time. Along with that, I developed a very aggravating pain in my side just below my ribcage that suddenly cropped up complicating matters, especially while driving. Fuck, it hurts. Got so bad I had to take a pain pill and it still hurts, just slightly numbed. I think it's a pulled muscle. Must have done it when I mopped the kitchen floor twisting. Sucks to be out of shape and old as the dirt Jesus walked on... I thought the walk on the desert trail might help, but the exercise had no effect. I'm gonna drop a Naproxen anti-inflammatory pill to see if that takes it away. Hurts when I sit upright. Someone is poking a voodoo doll of me, I just know it!

I'll be digging up some new items for your perusal for the front page tomorrow. Gotta lie flat to see if that helps matters any.

Flash Of Light Interrupts Meteor Shower Above Reno
(See this link for related meteor shower videos.)

Something about the size of a basketball lit up the western sky about 11:10 p.m. Tuesday as it burned after entering the earth’s atmosphere, a Fleischmann Planetarium spokesman said.

It appeared the object was comet fragments and part of the Leonids meteor shower during the past few days, said Dan Ruby, associate planetarium director. But scientists concluded it was not part of Leonids and might have been an asteroid that broke free from normal rotation around the sun and entered earth’s atmosphere.

It burned so bright because it traveled at hypersonic speed, about 20,000 mph, Ruby said. An official at the Clark Planetarium in Salt Lake City estimated 80,000 mph.

“It could have been the size of a basketball and it most likely disintegrated before it had the ground,” Ruby said. “You’re pretty lucky if you see one of those because not many people get to see that kind of fantastic fireball in their lifetime.”

Continue reading article...

My New Kodak Easyshare Digital Camera

2009-11-18T21:35:13+00:00

No more blurry, crappy pictures from that crummy, cheap Vivitar temporary camera I was using after my old Kodak DX3900 broke down a while back. I bought a new Kodak EasyShare C160 digital camera today. It was only $88.00 at Walmart and boy does it take great photos at super-high resolutions, including video (with automatic uploading to YouTube and Facebook feature), zoom to telephoto, action sports mode, face detection, flash, close-up setting and has anti-blur, anti-shake. It's all automatic, including the lighting, but it has a vast array of manual settings, back-light control, and much more. A vast improvement over my old Kodak DX3900 that I used for 10 years for all my websites that finally broke down a month ago. The new little EasyShare C160 model sports 9.2 megapixels and 3x zoom -- all that I need for website photos (in fact that's too much resolution for the Web, I have to reduce file size down to 1024 or 1280 anyway). And it's super sharp and takes great macro close-ups. It comes with Kodak EasyShare software which has a shitload of editing stuff I can use to crop and adjust instead of Photoshop -- for those things. I love the camera. Of course the store had other more pricey models with more megapixels and zoom and such, but this model suits -- no, exceeds -- my needs. So from now on, new pictures will be crisp and clear.

What better way to show the resolution than to take a photo of the Little Tiger Cat with all her stripes and markings? Click each to see the original uncompressed images to see the sharpness and detail of the new camera (large file sizes).

(Click to Enlarge her)

(Click to Enlarge her)
I've been lost since my original camera broke down, so today is a happy day of relief. Now I can get all the photos of the upcoming snow. It's 40-something degrees here today -- icy cold. People are going around with coats, wool caps and some with ear muffs on I saw when I was out and about. Snow is predicted on Friday morning, but we'll just see about that -- I think it's still too early.

Here is a photo of my booze stash in my bedroom closet. I have to hide my cocktail booze because my drunken roommate will suck it all up. I'm not a drinker, but I do enjoy a drink once in a while after din-din. I usually mix the whiskey with 7-Up. I've had this bottle hidden for quite some time and it's nearly full, that's how much of a drinker I am. Just don't like the feeling of being drunk. If I do drink some, I mix a shot with 7-Up on the rocks and only one round is all I can stand. This picture is here because I couldn't get a clear photo using that cheap Vivitar that didn't even have a flash. This is taken with the new camera and the original photo was monstrous in size -- poster size to be exact. I cropped it down and compressed it for the Web.

Bottle hidden in my bedroom closet.

Whiskers as seen through the slats of a chair. Odd.

White Paws, resolution reduced down to 3.2 megapixels.
The store had more advanced cameras costing a lot more, but this one works great for my needs. No need to spend a fortune I don't have on a high-end camera. I just hope this one lasts me ten years like the old Kodak Kodak DX3900 did.

So now, equipped with a decent camera, I've got to get off my ass and go out and take some photos. Still have to test the video mode as well. Those will probably eat up a lot of space on the camera's memory chip.

Counters to Get Space Makeover

2009-11-17T20:03:25+00:00

Charming thought, eh? Nice coated tongue.
Cum on A Taco... LAP IT UP Bum Stalkers.
Boy, the holiday push is in full gear on TV around these parts. Last night's TV watching was laced with Christmas commercials. But who's got the money in these times? Only society's privileged. Black Friday ads early, the tunes of Christmas... It's all ambushing us -- and the BURNED THANKSGIVING TURKEY hasn't even come out of the oven yet! Ha-ha!

For lack of anything better to write about (at this moment anyway), today's mental health project is to reorganize the cluttered kitchen countertops so that I may have more room to work joyously preparing Christmas cookies for all my minions of well-wishers, making rum cakes to share with my cherished loved ones, holiday punch to serve to all my guests who visit me incessantly during the holidays... Oh, I'm just such a social butterfly I just can't manage all the herds of well-wishers constantly knocking on my door bearing hand-delivered invitations to parties and dinners that I have trouble fitting into my social calender. It's TIRING being so loved and adored by man and feline alike. And all the GIFTS I get -- the jewelry, the mink coats, generous large-bill cash gifts in envelopes with poems of love written all over them in gold ink, expensive cologne from France, caviar and champagne handed to me by my multitudes of admirers gushing with compliments extolling my virtues, wishing my health good fortune with every syllable they utter ... yes, it's all just so TIRING, all this holiday spirit, being surrounded by such supportive, loving people in every direction who care about me so much. There's so much LOVE I can't stand it.

But I digress... back to the countertop reorganization mental health project of the day:

The microwave oven stuffed in the corner at the right in the photo above will be moved to the corner on the left in the photo below -- on the other side of the sink.

In the microwave's former place go all my gadgets: KitchenAid mixer, chopper, rice cooker, orange juicer -- gadgets that won't fit inside the dumbly constructed cupboards in this cell block of an apartment. I want the red ceramic cannisters in the lefthand corner to go in the middle where that spinning Lazy Susan is next to the blender so that I can have better access to them while cooking, instead of reaching for them on the other side of the sink.

Dumb wooden Lazy Susan filled with clutter get's taken out.
So everything gets switched around and cleaned, despite my feeling like shit -- because I am a glutton for punishment. I need SOMETHING to do to occupy my mind so I won't vent on ridiculous people and other irrelevant matters, and do something constructive with my time instead. Nice mental health trick, eh? Oh, the glory of organization.

FINE READING MATERIAL TO EDUCATE THE MIND.
From Gay On The Range, an archive of wacky gay dirty book covers from the 1950s and 1960s. Har-har.

RIPOFF REPORT: Supermarket Spice Price Gouging

2009-11-17T18:27:24+00:00

Gaze at these two small 1.1 oz. containers of holiday spice. I have a story to tell about them.

I bought these two at Walmart priced at $2.72, which I thought was high -- however, yesterday I saw with my own eyes, these exact two bottles priced for $5.99 each at Scolaris supermarket at 5430 Sun Valley Road (see this map). I rubbed my eyes in disbelief at how that market had marked these two items up. But not only that -- I also saw a container of cloves -- the exact same size as these -- priced for $7.50! WTF?

I was glad I'd gotten them for half that outrageous price at Walmart. But it bothered me that others were paying Scolaris' extorted price for these items. The $7.50 price of cloves -- which are used on holiday ham, apple pie or in hot holiday drinks -- was total, unequivocal robbery. No doubt about it. I only wish I had my camera to take a picture of this disgusting ripoff to expose those fuckers for the greedmeisters they are.

They were laid out in a special section the store had set up containing ingredients needed to make various holiday dishes. I was so shocked I mentioned it to the store clerk there asking if those price signs were accurate and was told, yes indeed they were. Thus, the only thing I bought in that rip-off market was a 10-lb bag of russet potatoes advertised at $.99 cents -- a deal too hard to resist, as I'm gonna need to have potatoes around for Thanksgiving Dinner next week. I then left that supermarket vowing never to shop there again.

BEWARE OF BEING RIPPED OFF FOR YOUR HOLIDAY GOODS. Be smart and check prices. Don't buy if they are heavily marked up.

* * * *
By the way, the same holiday section had cans of pineapple and mandarin oranges, along with marshmallows set out to make AMBROSIA (a recipe detailed in a previous post). But they forgot to set out jars of maraschino cherries that also go in it -- a fact I reminded the store clerk who worked that area of the store. Like, if you're gonna do something, such as set up a food display, at least do the job right! Actually, he was very happy about my pointing this failure out -- and knew of the recipe -- stating his grandmother makes the stuff every year. I just felt the NEED to be a good citizen by pointing this out so people won't go and screw up their recipes omitting very important items! We must preserve white trash tradition at all costs.

NO, I didn't buy any of that stuff for Ambrosia. ONLY the bag of cheap potatoes. That store price-gouges everything, but tries to CLOAK their greedy tactics by offering some stuff on sale. I don't like that trickery.

Clear, but blustery day in Reno as two storms approach...
As you can see in the picture above, Reno is DRY AS A BONE. In the coming weeks ahead that dry dirt will be covered with watery snow -- perhaps by Friday as is being predicted. Today is a clear, blue-skied day with blustery winds blowing the haze out of the valley floor. But this seemingly serene picture of the desert highlands may suddenly, drastically change in the coming days... I want the snow to come. Some do not want it. Some have auto accidents in it skidding on the ice... But I yearn to frolic in the bitter cold snow. And my meat-eating felines must feel its bitter shock upon their delicate pads, heh-heh.

Flip the Light Switch Off and Close the Door

2009-11-17T16:29:21+00:00

That's what they'll do to me when I'm laid out in the morgue after this cold bug KILLS me. Vicious headaches, runny, then stuffy nose, aches and pains ALL OVER my ancient body that has seen generations come and go. No, I don't want your pity. I'm just posting this to WARN YOU. I was all right for many days before I went out into the world to replenish supplies. Then this came upon me. I just know there is a connection to exposure to the outside world. One must a a tough old bull to bear the hideous onslaught of viral contamination, of which I am not at this thyme! Once I was -- once I NEVER got colds, only rarely, once in "a blue moon" to coin a tried overused and abused phrase.

But now, in this miserable foreign era of the 21st century, because someone who was diseased and was unaware of it, stuck their HIV-laced cock in my ass five years ago during a drug-induced session of obscene lust -- my health has faltered. Imagine that: all this misery caused from taking someone's DICK up my asshole! Maybe God IS right? Maybe sodomite do suffer his wrath?

THE NIGHT I WAS SEEDED BY A DEMON!
As I laid there like a wanton whore drugged out of my mind with my legs flailing in the air and a pipe hanging from my mouth, begging my sodomite to "Fuck me. Fuck me hard!" while the porn played in the background, little did I know his diseased sperm entering my anus would one day rob me of my life and health. How could I have been so foolish not notice his eyes blaze red at the point of contamination? Because, you see, during the heat of passion, unbeknownst to me, my demon fucker slipped off the condom that was to protect my life so he could "feel the tight walls of my asshole." But did I KILL HIM for his felonious act? No, the words, "thou shalt not kill" chimed through my head in my woozy stupor of sin. And so, because of another's selfish desire, my life was stolen from me forever more, and the repercussions of that moment of demonic possession will forever torment my days and nights. The sodomy, the drugs, the porn -- the acts against God's warnings! "We reap what we sew" as a wise old saying goes. It is so.

That night -- that horrible night of lament -- I was seeded with a curse so vile -- so tormenting -- it could be nothing else but holy vengeance for brazenly ignoring the laws of decency. And so, just like those who revolted against Moses while he chiseled the Ten Commandments high atop Mount Ararat, by engaging in a mass orgy worshiping gold and lust, I live an existence of pure misery, a mournful creature -- forever reminded of my folly.

"Oh go ahead. It won't hurt you. Use your asshole like a pussy. You have no idea how empowering it is," the Devil's disciple urged me as he put the pipe to my lips. "Let me fuck you in the ass. Everybody's doing it."

The Devil sent me a demon whose evil power was too strong to resist. And so my good senses were overwhelmed by the lustful desire of the possessed disciple of Satan. Why? Because Satan wants to spread disease and misery across the land so people will deny belief in God in their anger -- and believe in Him instead. It's biblical, I tell you -- BIBLICAL!

Listen to the Devil's music that played at the moment of my contamination!

"That guy's crazy," you mutter as you read my REPULSIVE ACCOUNT of demonic infection. HA-HA! Go ahead, think of me as a nutball! But ask yourself WHY -- why are so many millions falling prey to a disease obtained by the act of sodomy -- warned of in sacred texts? Ask yourself that!

* * * *
[LOL ]

Enough creative writing for now. I must call the pharmacy to refill my life-sustaining medications.