Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Check out these Series images:

Dark series #07 - the jail

Series


Image by Xavier Fargas

Explore, 2008 Oct 23, #457
Aquí se ve mejor / View On Black

DARK SERIES - SLIDESHOW
DARK SERIES - ALBUM

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View my latest images in darkR
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Series VI

Series


Image by Voxphoto

Forgive the geeky intrusion... but a few times lately I've wanted to explain to people how cool the "Series" filter system was, and finally decided a visual aid would help.

Using filters with my Olympus SLR system was always really easy, since all my lenses used the same 49mm size. Things got more complicated as I started acquiring more and more weird old cameras & lenses, no two of which had the same diameter filter thread.

In the 1940s and 50s, there was a hugely popular system of modular lens accessories called Series V, VI, VII, and so on. They allowed you to use one set of filters (in whichever diameter was large enough), which drop into different adapters matching all your different lenses.

The Series adapters were made as threaded, push-on, or bayonet attachments. The filter itself was held inside the adapter with a standard threaded retaining ring--or, optionally, a lens shade with the same threading. A few lenses (e.g. Argus and Canon rangefinder) had standard Series threading as their native filter thread.

Recently my pal Mark ended up having his garage turn into the Aladdin's Cave of Series filters, after helping dispose of some photographic estates. Thanks to his generosity, I've now unearthed Series VI adapters matching virtually all my odd lenses (even a push-on one fitting the Diana!)--plus a nice assortment of filters, hoods, and close-up lenses....

This system isn't so practical for polarizers (because you can't grab the filter to rotate it); and it seems it fell out of favor in the era when SLRs rose to dominance. But if you ever have a chance to root around in the accessories bin at some swap meet or old-school camera store, the Series system is still pretty cool.

The Essential Mediterranean: How Regional Cooks Transform Key Ingredients into the World's Favorite Cuisines





With The Essential Mediterranean, Nancy Harmon Jenkins continues her lifelong exploration of Mediterranean food -- how it is grown, prepared, and shared around the table. In her latest book, Ms. Jenkins introduces cooks and readers to a cluster of core ingredients and foodways that are fundamental to all of the Mediterranean's diverse cuisines. She shows how the Mediterranean attitude toward food -- a combination of respect, integrity, enthusiasm, and sheer joy -- can be cultivated across the Atlantic.

In twelve informative and captivating chapters, the author focuses on the core ingredients common to the diverse cuisines of the region: salt, wine and vinegar, pasta and couscous, bread, olive oil, Old World legumes, New World peppers and tomatoes, dairy products, the family pig, and the resources of the sea. In each chapter she travels to a different corner of the Inner Sea to describe how and why these essential ingredients are obtained, what determines their quality, and where they fit in local cuisines.

Each chapter draws on history and ethnography as much as on the lives of Mediterranean people today. Readers will delight in Majid Mahjoub, the colorful Tunisian "Shakespeare of olive oil," and commiserate with Provencal cheese maker Yves van Weddingen as he struggles to maintain his standards in the face of bureaucratic demands. Home cooks will garner a new appreciation of high-quality Spanish jamon de bellota as they follow the Trigo family through the annual winter ritual of transforming the family pig into hams and sausages.

More than 170 contemporary, accessible recipes, simple to reproduce at home, bring the foods and the regions alive, while additional chapters include basic procedures and staples, as well as a helpful guide to ingredient sources.

The Essential Mediterranean gets to the heart of this world, celebrating its diverse food cultures and the shared ingredients that are the essence of these remarkable cuisines.

The table of contents of The Essential Mediterranean is the first hint that author Nancy Harmon Jenkins is about to reveal to the reader a Mediterranean most never see or know. "Salt." That's the first chapter, followed by "Olives and Olive Oil," "Wheat," "Pasta and Couscous," "Wine," "The Oldest Legumes," "Peppers and Tomatoes," "The Family Pig," "The Sea," and "From the Pasture." This is a reader's book. Jenkins writes her way into the heart of the region, its history, its food, its people with a level of prose and insight rarely encountered in food writing. But she's also a wonderful cook. So these chapters are followed by two appendices that explain basic technique and food sources, because The Essential Mediterranean is also a cook's book.

"Food," Jenkins writes, "is present in Mediterranean cultures in a way it's not in our own ... the way it's grown and harvested, the way it's prepared, what's in season and out...." The Essential Mediterranean brings that same sensibility, or at least its potential, into the North American kitchen and home. These are fabulous flavors, she reminds the reader, simple foods, with health benefits suited to life in a spa. And, they are easy to include in our daily fare. It's a matter of understanding the key ingredients, as though they are building blocks. "A recipe," Jenkins notes, "is a formula.... Cooking, on the other hand, is a strategy...." This is a book to read, and then to taste, with dozens of classic, delicious recipes. By the time you finish The Essential Mediterranean, you will not only be a better Mediterranean cook, you will know why. --Schuyler Ingle









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Real Thai: The Best of Thailand's Regional Cooking





Nancie McDermott, widely regarded as the American expert on Thai cooking, offers a clear, straightforward approach to dishes that many Westerners have tasted only in restaurants. In Real Thai, she demystifies once and for all every aspect of this flavorful, healthy cuisine. Organized geographically by region, over 100 tempting, easy-to-follow recipes explore not only dishes that may be familiar to Americans, such as Chicken Coconut Soup and Pork Satay, but also lesser-known local specialties such as Crab Cakes with Cilantro Paste, Fish with Yellow Curry Steamed in Banana Leaves, Sticky Rice with Mangoes, and Son-in-Law Eggs. Including advice on basic utensils and techniques, a glossary of ingredients, a list of shopping sources, and a section of suggested menus, this is the definitive guide for novice and expert alike to the diverse flavors of a regional Asian cuisine that is rapidly becoming an international favorite.









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A Pocket Full of Rye: A Miss Marple Mystery





After wealthy financier Rex Fortescue’s sudden death, grains of rye are inexplicably found in his pocket. The coroner’s verdict is death by poisoning, yet only one of the dead man’s relatives seems upset. The others all have motives to want the old man dead. When two more members of the Fortescue household are murdered, Miss Marple enters the case. But is one bizarre clue â€" the pocket full of rye â€" enough to solve the strangest case of her career?










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Sunday, November 7, 2010

Check out these Religion images:

TRIFLE "NEW RELIGION"

Religion


Image by Neil Krug

Polaroids promoting upcoming video for Trifle’s “New Religion”

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TRIFLE "NEW RELIGION"

Religion


Image by Neil Krug

Polaroids promoting upcoming video for Trifle’s “New Religion”

FACEBOOK

Science and religion bicker in the backseat

Religion


Image by Colin Purrington

"I\'m telling -- Mom said our magisteria had to be nonoverlapping for the whole trip!"

Or perhaps a better caption is:

"Is mom driving, or is this just God\'s way of making the car go to the mall?"

This is a graphic I used when discussing Gould\'s "Non-overlapping magisteria" (NOMA) idea. Others have rephrased it, "Hugely Overlapping Magisteria", which is probably more accurate since that\'s exactly the problem. If religion weren\'t invoked to explain "things", THEN it would be OK to use the NOMA.

[Core graphic copyright Blue Mountain Arts.]

Freshwater Fishing Tips and Techniques







Expert angler Gene Kugach offers hundreds of tips and techniques for catching all types of freshwater fish based on his years of onstream experience. Filled with easy-to-understand illustrations, and geared for both the novice and the more experienced angler,

Freshwater Fishing Tips and Techniques

covers every aspect of freshwater fishing. 300 drawings.







Rating: (out of 21 reviews)







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Getting to Calm: Cool-Headed Strategies for Parenting Tweens + Teens





  • ISBN13: 9780982345405
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed


Parenting a teenager is tougher than ever, but new brain research offers new insight into the best way to connect with teens. With humor, wisdom and a deep understanding of the teenaged brain, noted teen expert Dr. Laura Kastner shows parents how to stay calm and cool-headed while dealing with hot-button issues everything from rude attitude and lying to sex and substance use -- with clear, easy-to-follow suggestions for setting limits while maintaining a close and loving relationship. Find out why Dr. T. Berry Brazelton calls Getting to Calm required reading for any parent who struggles with their teen!








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Check out these Design images:

"My Hero" tattoo design by Denise A. Wells

Design


Image by ♥Denise A. Wells♥

"My heart, my soul, my hero" Tattoo design by Denise A. Wells - Request completed Nov. 6th 2009
More of my work can be seen at
www.myspace.com/denyceangel666

\'Eagle Dream\' Tattoo Design by Denise A. Wells

Design


Image by ♥Denise A. Wells♥

Pencil sketch completed on Feb. 28, 2010.
Yet another insomnia inspired piece....I get up in the middle of the night unable to sleep so I sketch/draw usually until my vision gets too blurry to see the image or until I think I can finally sleep. I average about 4-5 hrs a night of sleep and always wake up about 12 times a night....it is a total pain-in-the-ass EXCEPT when I come up with a drawing sketch I can post, Some work out and some go in the garbage...this is one of the sketches that "worked out"....

More tattoo designs can be seen at
www.myspace.com./denyceangel666

A few nice Historical images I found:

(خانه های تاريخی عامری ها (کاشان -------- Kashan Historical Ameri Houses (Panorama)

Historical


Image by arash_rk

اين مجموعه مشتمل بر چند ساختمان و حياط مرکزی است که در دوره زنديه و با معماری سنتی و تناسب با اقليم کاشان احداث و در قرن 13 هجری قمری به وسيله مرحوم سهام السلطنه عامری به عنوان محل سکونت فاميلی توسعه يافته است
عکس پانوراما از شش عکس تشکيل شده است
This building is located in Kashan, Iran; and its built by Saham Alsaltaneh Ameri to live with his family and relatives around 130 years ago.
This Panorama picture is developed by six shots.




Jewish Historical Museum: Robert Capa retrospective

Historical


Image by Akbar Simonse

This exhibition takes a broad look at the work of Robert Capa (1913-1954), the legendary war photographer and founder of modern photojournalism. His photos of the Spanish Civil War and D-Day are etched in everyone’s memory and have shaped our image of the twentieth century.

Capa was commissioned by French, British and American photo magazines to cover all the major conflicts of his day. In 1938, following the publication of his photos of the Spanish Civil War, Britain’s Picture Post acclaimed him ‘the greatest war photographer in the world’. As well as photographing frontline fighting, Capa also captured the suffering of the civilian population. He had an unparalleled eye for the destructive effect of war on the lives of ordinary people. His photos can be hard and confrontational, but are more often subtle and moving. As a photographer with a social conscience and as a passionate anti-fascist Capa regarded his photos as a weapon in the struggle against injustice, persecution and oppression. As he always said: ‘The war photographer’s most fervent wish is for unemployment.’

Deze tentoonstelling geeft een breed overzicht van het werk van Robert Capa (1913-1954), de legendarische oorlogsfotograaf en grondlegger van de moderne fotojournalistiek. Zijn foto’s van de Spaanse Burgeroorlog en D-day staan in ieders geheugen gegrift en hebben ons beeld van de twintigste-eeuwse geschiedenis bepaald.

Capa werd door Franse, Engelse en Amerikaanse fototijdschriften uitgezonden naar alle grote militaire conflicten van zijn tijd. Al in 1938, na de publicatie van zijn foto’s van de Spaanse Burgeroorlog, riep de Britse Picture Post hem uit tot ‘the greatest war photographer in the world’. Capa fotografeerde gevechtsacties aan de frontlinies, maar bracht ook het leed van de burgerbevolking in beeld. Als geen ander had hij oog voor de verwoestende invloed van oorlog op het leven van gewone mensen. Zijn foto’s zijn soms hard en confronterend, maar vaker subtiel en ontroerend. Als sociaal bewogen fotograaf én als overtuigd antifascist beschouwde Capa zijn fotografie vooral als een wapen in de strijd tegen onrecht, vervolging en onderdrukking. Zijn grootste wens was, zoals hij zei, ‘een werkloos oorlogsfotograaf te worden’.

Saturday, November 6, 2010



Library\'s new nonfiction includes biographies, histories and more

New non-fiction for adults includes bios of musicians and athletes, explorations of spirituality, and histories of America as seen through literature and The Pill.

Read more on Juneau Empire







Book review: \'Iron Butterflies\' heavy on injustice

I love reading women\'s - and men\'s - stories of success, so when I heard about "Iron Butterflies: Women Transforming Themselves and the World," I looked forward to inspiring biographies about how women are changing the world. While Birute Regine, author of "Iron Butterflies" includes at least 50 successful women\'s stories, ranging from all walks of life, the book is a little heavy handed on ...

Read more on Summit Daily News







Packers panel picks: Week 9, Nov. 5

Weve asked four members of our staff to pick the winner in Sundays Packers vs. Dallas Cowboys game. You can view biographies of our staff pickers to the right of this story.

Read more on Stevens Point Journal







Politics for Dummies





  • ISBN13: 9780764508875
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BRAND NEW FROM PUBLISHER! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed


Whether you understand politics or not, it still affects your life in very real ways. But American politics can be confusing. What’s a caucus? How do primaries work? How can you sift through all the babble to get to the truth?

Politics For Dummies offers all these answers and more. And it’s not just for political novices; even those with a firm understanding of politics can use this book to fill out their knowledge of the little complexities â€" from how the Electoral College works to campaign contribution limits. If you have little or no knowledge of politics, don’t worry. Most people need answers just like you do, that’s why this book helps you:

  • Pick the candidate who best represents your views
  • Donate time or money to a campaign
  • Let your representatives know how you feel
  • Run for office yourself

This simple, friendly guide offers the kind of straight talk on politics you won’t get from a politician. It covers the nuts and bolts of the political process so you’ll have a working knowledge of the system. It shows you how to get involved at the grass-roots level and explains the rationale behind the two-party system. It helps you parse the propaganda to get at the truth and offers a complete explanation of presidential politics. Politics For Dummies covers these topics and many more:

  • How public opinion polls work
  • How money influences policy
  • Why your opinion really does count
  • How to donate to political campaigns and causes
  • Contacting your representatives
  • Politics on the Internet
  • Choosing parties and candidates
  • Lobbyists and special interest groups
  •  How candidates sell themselves
  • How negative campaigning works
  • What happened in the 2000 presidential election

You’ll also find fun and helpful extras like famous political quotes, the ten things you should teach your children about politics, and voting requirements for every state. Democracy won’t work for if you don’t participate in it. So pick up Politics For Dummies, get informed, and get involved. Your country will thank you!







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In the Eye of the Storm: A Day in the Life of Jesus (The Bestseller Collection)







Take a journey into a stormy day in the life of Christ and be assured that within every torrent there is a calm center.

Come face-to-face with Jesus when He experienced more stress than any other day of his life aside from his crucifixion. Before the morning became evening, he has reason to weep, run, shout, curse, praise, and doubt. If you know what it means to be caught in life\'s storms. . .if you\'ve ever ridden the roller coaster of sorrow and celebration. . .if you\'ve ever wondered if God in heaven can relate to you on earth, then this book will encourage and inspire you.









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The Scorsolini Marriage Bargain (Harlequin Presents)







Claudio refuses to fall under the Scorsolini Curse. He hates what it did to his father and his own life as a child. He marries Therese for many good, practical reasons…none of which are love. Therese loved Claudio from the moment they met and married him knowing his stilted view of tender emotion. She believes she will be content to be his wife and bear his children because she knows she can trust him to be faithful and though he does not love her, he respects and desires her. Her outlook begins to change when Claudio’s brothers remarry and show her what a Scorsolini man in love acts like. She doubts her importance in Claudio’s life as duty often takes him away from her and then she discovers she won’t be able to give Claudio the children they planned on. She knows for her sake and his, she has to end the marriage and let him go…but Claudio isn’t ready to lose his convenient wife.









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The Loudwater Mystery







Lord Loudwater was a perfectly detestable person so, when he was found stabbed to death in his study, there were no shortage of suspects. Was the murderer the much abused wife who he had threatened with scandal and divorce? Or the wounded Colonel Gray who had fallen in love with her? Or the fiancée who he had jilted? Or had the butler, who had just been dismissed, done it? Or, had it been an act of suicide? With a surfeit of suspects, all of whom are lying, it falls to Detective Flexen to answer this question in

The Loudwater Mystery

! This classic book was handcrafted by Resurrected Press. Resurrected Press is dedicated to bringing high quality classic books back to the readers who enjoy them. These are not scanned versions of the originals, but, rather, quality checked and edited books meant to be enjoyed!







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Five years of Tao



Spirituality first met sin five years ago. Delectable dining enticed guests before debauchery lured them upstairs. And don’t forget those girls in the tubs …

Read more on Las Vegas Weekly







Spirituality: Alarming e-mail from the wicked-wide Web

I recently found myself wondering what it might be like to get an e-mail from the devil.

Read more on The News-Press











Caution! Music & Video Downloading: Your Guide to Legal, Safe, and Trouble-Free Downloads





There\'s Safety in Knowledge. Are you informed?

Everybody\'s doing it - downloading music and video from the Internet and sharing files. But you\'ve always worried that such downloads might put your computer at risk, and wondered - are they legal? Relax. This book shows you exactly how to safeguard y our PC while enjoying music and video downloads from safe and legal sources. You\'ll get the facts, not the scare tactics, about online music services, virus dangers, spyware, identity theft, and other privacy concerns, with many tips to protect your computer and yourself.
* Select download sites that are safe, legal, and sometimes free
* Review major music downloading and file-sharing sites to choose the best service for your needs
* Make informed decisions about direct downloads versus file sharing
* Get the security track records of all the major file-sharing and direct-download sites
* Understand the types of file-sharing attacks and know if you\'ve bee victimized
* Examine the unique risks associated with network use
* Take a look at privacy laws and learn how to protect yourself online
* Learn why illegal downloads aren\'t worth the risk
* Download media files safely to your cell phone, MP3 player, or PDA







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Bad Luck and Trouble: A Reacher Novel (Jack Reacher Novels)





  • ISBN13: 9780440246015
  • Condition: New
  • Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed


From a helicopter high above the California desert, a man is sent free-falling into the night. On the streets of Portland, Jack Reacher is pulled out of his wandering life and plunged into the heart of a conspiracy that is killing old friends . . . and the people he once trusted with his life.

Reacher is the ultimate lonerâ€"no phone, no ties, no address. But a woman from his old military unit has found him using a signal only the eight members of their elite team would know. Then she tells him a terrifying story about the brutal death of a man they both served with. Soon Reacher is reuniting with the survivors of his team, scrambling to unravel the sudden disappearance of two other comrades. But Reacher won’t give upâ€"because in a world of bad luck and trouble, when someone targets Jack Reacher and his team, they’d better be ready for what comes right back at them.Ex-military cop Jack Reacher is the perfect antihero--tough as nails, but with a brain and a conscience to match. He\'s able to see what most miss and is willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done. Each book in Lee Child\'s smart, addictive series (The New York Times has referred to it as "pure escapist gold") follows the wandering warrior on a new adventure, making it easy to start with any book, including his latest gem, Bad Luck and Trouble. However, be forewarned...once you meet Jack Reacher, you\'ll be hooked, so be prepared to stock up on the series. --Daphne Durham


Who Is Jack Reacher? A Video from Lee Child


Watch the video


A Note from Lee Child

Two years ago I was on a book tour, promoting that year\'s new Jack Reacher novel, One Shot. One particular night, the event was held in a small town outside of Chicago. The date was June 21st. As I was giving my talk and answering questions and signing books, that date was nagging away at the back of my mind. I knew it had some significance. I started panicking--had I forgotten my anniversary? No, that\'s in August. My wife\'s birthday? No, that\'s in January. My own birthday? No, that\'s in October.

Then suddenly I remembered--it was ten years to the day since I had been fired from my previous job. That was why and how I had become a writer. That night in Illinois was a ten-year anniversary of a different sort, somewhat bittersweet.

And ten is a nice round number. So I started thinking about my old colleagues. My workmates, my buddies. We had been through a lot together. I started to wonder where they all were now. What were they doing? Were they doing well, or struggling? Were they happy? What did they look like now? Pretty soon I was into full-on nostalgia mode. Ten-year anniversaries can do that to a person. I think we all share those kind of feelings, about high school, or college, or old jobs we\'ve quit, or old towns we\'ve moved away from.

So I decided to make this year\'s Jack Reacher book about a reunion. I decided to throw him back among a bunch of old colleagues that he hadn\'t seen for ten years, people that he loved fiercely and respected deeply. Regular Reacher readers will know that he\'s a pretty self-confident guy, but I wanted him to wobble just a little this time, to compare his choices with theirs, to measure himself against them.

The renewed get-together isn\'t Reacher\'s own choice, though. And it\'s not a standard-issue reunion, either. Something very bad has happened, and one of his old team-members from the army contacts him, by an ingenious method (it\'s hard to track Reacher down). She gives him the bad news, and asks him to do something about it. He says, "Of course I\'ll do something about it."

"No," his friend says. "I mean, I want you to put the old unit back together."

It\'s an irresistible invitation. Wouldn\'t we all like to do that, sometimes? --Lee Child


Secrets of the Series: A Q&A with Lee Child

Q: Why do you think readers keep coming back to your novels?
A: Two words: Jack Reacher. Reacher is a drifter and a loner with a strong sense of justice. He shows up, he acts, he moves on. He\'s the type of hero who has a long literary history. Robin Hood, the Lone Ranger, Aragorn from The Lord of the Rings, Jack Reacher--they\'re all part of the same heroic family. Reacher just ratchets it up a notch. Maybe more than a notch. Why is he so appealing? Most often people say to me it\'s his sense of justice; he will do the right thing. Even though there is no reward in it for him, even though there is often a high cost to be paid by him, he will always try to do the right thing and people find that reassuring in today’s world when not too many people are doing the right thing.

Q: Jack Reacher gets compared to James Bond, Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne, each of whom now has a "face." In a movie, which actor do you think could fill Reacher\'s shoes?
A: That\'s the toughest question. The thing about Reacher is he\'s huge; he’s 6\'5" tall and about 250 pounds. There aren’t any actors that size--actors tend to be small. So we aren\'t going to find a physical facsimile for Reacher because there aren\'t any. We have to find someone who is capable of looking big on the screen. Many people have said to me a young Clint Eastwood would have been perfect--we need someone like that who has the vibe of a big intimidating man. Hopefully there will be somebody available like that. It\'s also a question of finding somebody ready to sign up for more than one movie. They want to make a franchise, minimum of three, and that makes it a little bit harder.

Q: What research is involved in writing one of your stories?
A: My research is all kind of backwards. I don\'t go to the public library for three months and take notes in advance; instead my best research is by remembering and adapting. I read, travel, and talk to people just for the fun of it, filing away these interesting little snippets to the back of my mind and eventually they float to the surface and get used. The problem is, I approach writing the book with the same excitement and impatience that I hope the reader is going to feel about reading it. But even so, I need a certain measure of technical intrigue in the story. There is specific research I have to do as I go along, anything that\'s a small detail; a car, a gun, a type of bullet. I will check that out at the time. But, that\'s what I call the detail--the broad stuff is the stuff I already know.


Meet Jack Reacher

The Killing Floor

Die Trying

Tripwire

Running Blind

Echo Burning



Without Fail

Persuader

The Enemy

One Shot

The Hard Way










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