Possible Plot Directions

Circus Monsters

((CLOSED Unless you reserved a spot o 3o )) Everyone knows most monsters in the carnival show are fake but in The Ringmasters Carnival, dubbed the greatest show on earth they are very real... And there sick of being slaves.

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Idk if you use the places tabs but if you want us too, now would be a good time to encorporate "Room 13" hahaha I can't speak for everyone but I would like to push the RP in the direction of splitting up into teams (one researching the bracelets, the other trying to find Cyrus for starters) and having them meet back at the room at nightfall/in the morning depending on when the safest time would be to do those things.

Also in going to research the bracelets I would like Dean- while searching The Ringmaster's tent- to find a letter from his father and possibly have him be smart enough to help the group out a little bit having studied and classified "monsters" in the world around him. Would that be okay

I PMed this to CC but I would love to know what you guys think about it. I know that is like 100% what is going through my mind for where I would like the RP to go but I am not alone in it. Please leave your thoughts! I would love to get somefeedback on this!

(BTW Haas: Idk if you have been to a motel before but they are one story little crappy rooms just strung together like 10-20 in a row. It wouldn't have a balcony due to the fact that it doesn't even have a back door.)

A man had sons who were always fighting. He one day told them to get a bundle of sticks. Then, he placed the bundle into the hands of each of them and told them to break it and they were unable to do it. He then opened the bundle, took the sticks separately and again put them into his sons' hands, and they broke them easily. He said: if you are of one mind, and unite to assist each other you will be uninjured by all the attempts of your enemies but if you are divided you will be broken as easily as sticks.

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Understanding Online Insurance Continuing Education

Insurance agents have a very important role to play in the lives of their clients.? With influence on their customers? investments, life insurance, and other financial concerns, it is crucial that insurance agents receive continual training to update their knowledge.?

All state laws require insurance agents to complete a certain number of credits every one to two years in order to maintain their license.? Luckily, online insurance continuing education is now available to make completing this requirement an easier task.

It is in the interest of everyone involved in the insurance process for the agents to have the most up to date training possible.? Consider the number of laws, regulations, and products which are created or modified every year.

Also, the more knowledgeable an insurance agent is, the more policies he or she will sell!? Thus, states and course designers are responding to this need by offering online insurance continuing education.? This helps ease the burden of time on overworked agents, or on agents who simply cannot afford to take the time to attend regular classes.

Now, every state works differently when it comes to online insurance continuing education ? some do not admit any online courses, still.? However, most states are beginning to allow such courses because they recognize their convenience and quality; they also know it is in their interest to have a body of insurance professionals who are as well-trained as possible.? Why not make it easier on them?

What makes online insurance continuing education easier?? The main reason is time flexibility.? Instead of spending a day, or even an entire weekend, sitting in a classroom listening to a seminar, you can complete the course at your own pace, whenever is convenient for you.? If that?s two in the morning ? no problem.?? For most people, this flexibility is the number one reason for choosing online insurance continuing education.

There is one drawback, and that is that most online insurance continuing education classes require you to present an exam and this is a requirement for California insurance continuing education classes and other states as well.? At a face-to-face seminar, all the agent has to do is sign a document or affidavit affirming their attendance; since there was a teacher present, this is considered all that is necessary.? But since online courses have no supervision, per se, a test is necessary.? Still, many people prefer to find time to take a short test over a long seminar, which explains why online insurance continuing education classes are growing in popularity.

Source: http://www.webworkshop.org/understanding-online-insurance-continuing-education/

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Tiny Urban Kitchen: Il Buco Alimentari & Vinera

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This is the sixth post in the?Eating the Big Apple?series. Other posts include?Soba Koh,?Sylvia's Restaurant?(Gospel Brunch),?Torrisi Italian Specialties,?Ippudo, and Tasty Hand Pulled Noodle.

I rarely visit the same restaurant twice.

OK, perhaps I exaggerate slightly. Maybe I should say, if I?m not in Boston, I hardly ever re-visit a restaurant that I?ve written about in a blog post. Why ?waste? a meal on a restaurant I?ve visited before when I could be trying dishes, photographing, and writing about a completely new restaurant?

Instead, my typical modus operandi involves scouring my favorite sources (my ?go-to?s include Chowhound, the Michelin Guide, Zagat, and various ?Best Restaurant? lists on the internet?) and planning the trip itinerary around the food.

I broke my own rule the last time I was in New York.

Come to think of it, I think I regularly break that rule in New York. I?ve visited Le Bernardin and Sushi Yasuda (two of my favorite restaurants in New York), at least three times each.

And now I think I?m adding another restaurant to that category.

Il Buco Alimentari & Vinera, the closest thing to?Roscioli (our favorite?Italian marketplace/restaurant?in Rome) this side of the "pond", is definitely a place that is worth visiting over and over and over again.
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Il Buco Alimentari & Vinera is the second restaurant from Donna Lennard, founder of the first Il Buco back in 1994. Donna longed for a restaurant that embodied the philosophy that she saw all over Italy. In Italy, markets selling the day?s freshest and best salumis, cheeses, and pastas sit a stone's throw from the local eateries.

What you end up getting are local, family restaurants that serve incredible food because they have easy, virtually immediate access to some seriously fine ingredients.

Il Buco Alimentari & Vinera aims to recreate that little Italian "village." They bake their own breads, cure their own salumis, and carry a huge selection of fantastic olives, olive oils, cheeses, and other fine imports from Italy.
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Culatello, salame Toscano, finocchi, guanciale, capocollo, pancetta, prosciutto, mortadello, ?bologna?

The house-cured meats are fantastic. The availability always varies depending on which meats are ready. During one visit, for example, our sampler plate included the mortadello, prosciutto, ?bologna?, speck, and guanciale. They also have a nice selection of imported cured meats from Italy and Spain (among other places). It's fun to order a variety to share.

If you don't want the entire large share plate you can custom order a smaller share plate (even though it's not on the menu). Bryan and I did that the second time we visited when it was just the two of us.
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We started with the Crispy Artichoke with Preserved Lemons and Parsley.?Pickled and then flash fried, these mini-artichoke hearts were great starters. I was not expecting them to be so brown, but I still enjoyed this snack. Artichokes are huge in Rome, and thus this appetizer totally reminded us of our recent Rome trip.
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Ceviche with Local Fluke, Black Radish, Cucumber, and Jicama was?light, fresh, and just a beautiful combination of flavors and textures (crunchy, creamy, and bright!). Perfect for summer.
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Octopus a la Plancha was expertly grilled - gorgeously crispy on the outside yet soft and tender on the inside. It came with?Corona beans, Taggiasca olives, and kumquats.
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The Chittara (house extruded pasta)?with Ramps, Fresh Chili, Lemon, and Pecorino?was fantastic. The texture of the pasta had a nice toothsome bite to it, and I loved the herbaceous flavor from the ramps, one of my favorite springtime vegetables.
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Paccheri?(another house-extruded pasta) with?Braised Oxtail, Greens, and Parmigiano also had great texture as well as a deep, rich, flavorful meat sauce.
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Bucatini Cacao e Pepe is pasta with?Pecorino Romano and black pepper. It?is deceptively simple, relying a lot on the pure quality of its ingredients. I loved the al dente "QQ" bite of the pasta. Though the ingredients were simple, this dish packed a ton of flavor, seriously contending as one of the best pasta dishes we?ve ever had in America. (!)
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The Lasagnette,?served with?spinach and braised pork shoulder, was also very tasty. The pork was fall-off-the-bone tender and the tomato-based sauce full of flavor from the braised meat.
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Salt-Roasted Branzino?
thyme, coarse sea salt, caramelized lemon?

I?ve had branzino several times in many area restaurants. Every restaurant I?ve visited recommends the branzino as the restaurant?s house special, claiming it's one of the best dishes. Although it?s usually quite good, at the end of the day, I?ve always though of salt-roasted branzino as an oven-steamed fish ? nice with lemon, but nothing extraordinary.

Il Buco changed all that. The branzino at Il Buco was seriously the best branzino I?d ever had. Though similar in preparation, the texture was super soft and?the flavor was somehow incredible. It must be the quality of the fish.
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Porchetta alla Roman
shaved fennel, blood orange, mustard greens, cracklings

This wonderfully ?porky? dish came with soft, fall-off-the-bone porchetta that was incredibly juicy and flavorful. The smoky cracklings added a lovely defining crunch to the dish.
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Spit-Roasted Short Ribs
Castelvetrano olives, celery, walnuts, horseradish?

The result of being cooked for many, many hours, these short ribs were soft, meltingly-tender, and absolutely delicious.

Dessert

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I did not expect a small splash of aged balsamic vinegar to make such a difference, but I was blown away by the house made panna cotta with 10-year aged balsamic vinegar. The aged vinegar was deep, almost-syrupy, and sweet. It added a lovely complex dimension to the creamy panna cotta.

In fact, I liked it so much I broke down and purchased a whole bottle of this gorgeous balsamic vinegar at the market after our meal.

I confess, I often sneak small cups of this addictive stuff and drink it straight up. It's that good.
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I ended the meal with a Cappuccino and some cookies.
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Bryan went with the Espresso. Both were great and totally reminded us of Italy, again.

The Food
The food here is excellent. We've only been here twice (once for lunch, once for dinner), but both times we had a great time. Everything?is good. The salumis are among the best we've ever had, the cheeses are excellent, and the pastas are unparalleled. Every single meat/fish dish was executed really well.

The Market
It's hard not to be tempted to shop at the market after the meal. The best part is that you can often purchase things that you enjoyed during your meal, such as particular cheeses, cured meats, or olive oils.

I picked up a huge bottle of amazingly fragrant extra virgin olive oil as well as a bottle of that lovely balsamic vinegar.

They are used to dealing with out of town customers, so they can help you pick out market items that will last your trip home. In our case, we ordered a bunch of fantastic cured meats as well as some of their delicious bread. Perfect for a sandwich on the train or bus ride back to Boston!

Il Buco Alimentari & Vinera
53 Great Jones St
New York, NY 10012
Il Buco Alimentari e Vineria on Urbanspoon

Source: http://www.tinyurbankitchen.com/2012/08/il-buco-alimentari-vinera.html

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5 Best Places to Post Product Reviews | Epou

As you may be aware, most consumers are very interested in what others have to say about a product they are interested in. while they are most interested in unbiased third party reviews, most appreciate having the ability to read an honest review on a web site that provides all the pros and cons of a particular product. Done right, you can capitalize on both situations ? being an impartial reviewer as well as by providing quality reviews on your site. by writing impartial reviews and posting them at various sites on the Internet, over time, you?ll become known as an expert on the products you review.

In this article, I?m going to discuss the best places for you to post reviews of products you?ve used yourself.

Of course, the most valuable place you can post your impartial reviews is on your own web site. by doing this, you?re providing a valuable service to your site?s visitors and you are empowering them to make better decisions. you know how it goes ? an informed consumer is your best customer. Anytime you are selling a product online, you should always incorporate a review into the product description.

But after your own web site, it?s a wise idea to get the word out about a particular product so that people will see that you are knowledgeable and are able to demonstrate to a much larger community the virtues of the products you review. of course, you?ll want to post reviews of products that you sell on your web site.

In my experiences, the best five places to post product reviews include:

1, About.com

This site has been around since just about the start of the Internet itself. There are more than 500 guides on different subjects on this site. They receive nearly 30 million visitors a month

2. Amazon.com

Amazon is the largest online retailer on the planet. They offer a huge number of reviews for the expansive catalog of products they offer. Customer reviews are one of the main draws of the site.

3. eBay.com

eBay is the world?s largest online trading platform and has been adding reviews and guides, all provided by their m embers. Both sellers and buyers alike have come to rely on these member reviews and guides in their purchasing and buying decisions.

4. News.com

This site has a huge number of product reviews for consumer electronics and computer related items. Beneath the editor reviews, you?ll find a section where user reviews are grouped and averaged.

5. Yahoo Shopping

Yahoo is one of the largest aggregators of merchants anywhere online. They have created product reviews that are placed alongside the various merchandise listings. this has helped millions find the perfect products for them. The reviews are really helpful and there is a mechanism that allows for side by side comparisons.

When you become active in posting reviews at various sites online, you?ll want to be sure to return to your reviews on occasion to see what others have said about your review. Take that response to improve your reviews, if others indicate issues with them. Don?t get defensive ? take any criticism as constructive. Writing reviews can be a very rewarding exercise and one that can help generate significant numbers of loyal customers.

5 Best Places to Post Product Reviews

Source: http://epou.net/?p=59280

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What is ?Love?? | Psychology Today

We often think of ?love? as the center of understanding romantic relationships but that is not the whole, or the most accurate, picture. We know that humans pair bond and are frequently in monogamous sexual and social relationships, but that does not mean what you think it does: love ? romantic relationship ? monogamy ? pair bond.

So what is love? Unfortunately, the answer that some people seek involves a philosophical and/or spiritual question that is way beyond the scope of this blog. However, I can slightly rephrase the question to ask: what is going on in the body when people feel strongly towards one another and why are these feelings so powerful?? Which is really what many people mean when they talk about ?love.?

Answer #1: the biology of attachment. We know that a suite of hormones and neurotransmitters (including oxytocin, vasopressin, prolactin, testosterone, dopamine, etc?) are involved in developing and maintaining physiological bonds between mothers and infants and fathers and infants. This system also functions in the same way between adults.? The system is triggered by physical touch, spending intense social time in contact or near one another, and positive social interactions. Humans have evolved a system that uses social and physical interactions, hormones, and the brain, to prime the body to feel closer and more attached to another individual.? In the most basic sense this is the same system common across mammals.? The anthropologist Walter Goldschmidt called this ?affect hunger[i]?? and suggested that the basic system that acts to bond mammalian mothers to their infants has been expanded and co-opted in the human species to act as a social and physiological bonding system between individuals of all ages and sexes.? This drive of affect hunger enables humans to form and experience types of social bonds across a wider range of individuals and with more intensity than in other animals, even than other primates.? Many researchers argue that it is these bonds which have enabled humans to do better than almost any other organism on the planet[ii].

So one answer to ?what is love? is that it is the biology underlying affect hunger, the ability to form multiple strong social bonds and part of the human adaptive niche, the evolutionary history that has made us so successful as a species. This view suggests that what is called ?love? has the same base between parents and offspring, between siblings or other family members, between good friends, and even between romantic pairs.?

But most people want ?love? between romantic pairs to be something different. Culturally we see romantic love as separate from familial or friendship love.? Unfortunately, aside from a slightly different pattern of some specific hormones brought about by sexual behavior, there is nothing truly different about romantic love than any other kinds of love.? Biologically speaking that is. Of course there are various different psychological and social elements involved, as well as religious ones, in what people see and experience as romantic love. However, the myth that romantic love is essentially (biologically) different from other types of strong attachment is created and maintained by cultural beliefs and our world views, not our biology. What most people are really trying to get at when they try to figure out romantic love is to explain the particular strong relationship between two people we call the ?pair bond? (which is answer # 2).

In the basic biological sense a pair bond is a special, predictable relationship between two adults.? When researchers look to humans (and some other mammals, especially primates) this is refined to focus on a special and predictable relationship between a male and a female that involves tight social connections and a sexual affiliation, and usually includes mating and the raising of young. It is often stated that this pair bond is the basis of human society and that we can look to our evolutionary heritage to see that it is a major, early event in human evolutionary history[iii].?

However, pair bonds are not exactly what many think they are and they are not necessarily linked to procreation and the nuclear family in human evolutionary history. There is substantial evolutionary evidence that humans do seek pair bonds (both social and sexual), but these bonds do not necessarily involve sex, marriage, exclusivity, or even heterosexuality.? Marriage is not equal to evolutionary or physiological pair bonds, the nuclear family is not the basal unit of human social organization[iv].???

Humans have extensive social pair bonding across genders and age categories, probably more than any other species. Humans have both social and sexual pair bonds, and the two are not necessarily connected.? We can have social pair bonds with our relatives[v] and our closest friends, they can be with same-sex individuals or different sex individuals, same-age or different ages. Humans are also unique in having sexual pair bonds both heterosexually and homosexually[vi].? Our sexual pair bonding, like our sexual activity, is not limited to reproduction

Pair bonds, both social and sexual, in humans are part of complex social networks that emerged as a core pattern in human evolution. ?Pair bonds can involve sexual relationships (and in a cultural sense, romantic attachments) and are probably involved in what most people experience when they think of romantic love. But pair bonds are not the same as marriage and they are not necessarily connected to monogamy or a particular sexual orientation. But they are an important part of being human.

Love is not a thing or a pattern.? It is simply a word that we use to gloss over the amazingly diverse, complex, and even messy, realities of human relationships. And as always, being human is much more interesting than that.

?

[i] Walter Goldschmidt (2005) The Bridge to Humanity: How Affect Hunger Trumps the Selfish Gene Oxford University Press

[ii] This notion is increasingly popular in studies of human evolution. For an overview of these ideas see Fuentes, A. (2009) Evolution of Human Behavior, Oxford University Press.

[iii] For recent versions of this approach see Chapais, B. (2008) Primeval kinship: how pair-bonding gave birth to human society. Harvard University Press, and Lovejoy, O. (2009) Reexamining human origins in light of Ardipithecus ramidus. Science 326:108-115

Source: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/busting-myths-about-human-nature/201208/what-is-love

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This Photo Really Shows How Impossibly Huge the Airbus A380 Is [Airplanes]

I know that the Airbus A380 is a titan, a winged colossus, the biggest passenger airliner in the world and all that. But this pictured taken at LAX—showing an Air France A380 taxiing by a Boeing 737-900—really shows its flabbergasting dimensions. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/5HTMnC4dORQ/this-photo-really-shows-how-impossibly-huge-the-airbus-a380-is

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Global activists gear up for Pussy Riot rallies

(AP) ? The global campaign to free Pussy Riot is gaining speed: Supporters of the punk provocateur band mobilize this week in at least a dozen cities worldwide to hold simultaneous demonstrations an hour before a Russian court rules on whether its members will be sent to prison.

Friday's rallies will ride a wave of support for the three women who have been in jail for more than five months because of an anti-Putin prank in Moscow's main cathedral. Calls for them to be freed have come from a long list of celebrities such as Madonna and Bjork. Protests have been held in a number of Western capitals, including Berlin, where last week about 400 people joined Canadian electro-pop performance artist Peaches to support the band.

In one of the most extravagant displays, Reykjavik Mayor Jon Gnarr rode through the streets of the Icelandic capital in a Gay Pride parade this weekend dressed like a band member ? wearing a bright pink dress and matching balaclava ? while lip-synching to one of Pussy Riot's songs.

Amnesty International has called the women prisoners of conscience and begun collecting signatures by text message for a petition to be sent to the Russian government, while the U.S. State Department has repeatedly expressed its concern.

Although the band members and their lawyers are convinced that the verdict depends entirely on the will of President Vladimir Putin, and prosecutors have asked for a three-year sentence, activists hope their pressure will ease punishment or even free the women.

Putin has said the women should not be judged too harshly, but he risks appearing weak if they walk free.

Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alekhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich were little known before their brief impromptu performance in Christ the Savior Cathedral in February. Dancing and high-kicking, they shouted the words of a "punk prayer" asking the Virgin Mary to deliver Russia from Putin, who was set to win a third term in a March presidential election.

They were arrested on charges of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years. Since then, they have been vilified by the state media ? while winning over hearts abroad.

Madonna donned a balaclava during a concert in Moscow last week and had "Pussy Riot" written on her bare back. Yoko Ono sent a personal message to Samutsevich, saying that "the power of your every word is now growing in us."

A group of leading British musicians, including Pete Townshend of the Who and members of the Pet Shop Boys, published a letter in the Times of London ahead of Putin's visit during the Olympics to urge him to give the Pussy Riot members a fair hearing.

On Friday, activists in more than a dozen cities, from Moscow to Toronto, are expected to take to the streets at 2 p.m. Moscow time (1000 GMT), an hour before the judge is to issue the verdict. The protests are being coordinated by the defense lawyers.

Venues vary from the square outside the ornate Sagrada Familia Cathedral in Barcelona to the yard outside the Russian Embassy in London.

In Paris, the protest will be held on Stravinsky Square and led by 29-year-old Alexey Prokopyev from Russie-Libert?s, a Paris-based organization formed in December to bring together Russians studying or working in France.

"Most people go to these rallies in Paris because we cannot be in Russia at the moment for various reasons ? because of jobs, classes," said Prokopyev, who was born in the Soviet Union and has spent most of the past 17 years in France. "We all wish we were in Moscow now, but since we can't we do it in Paris."

Russie-Libert?s also is helping to organize rallies in Marseille, Nice, Lyons and Montpellier.

Wearing balaclavas, activists protested earlier this month on the iconic Alexander III bridge, named after the Russian czar who was France's ally in the 1890s.

Prokopyev said that he and his peers "want Russia to be a normal country" and be able to elect a president "who doesn't make the country where we were born a laughingstock."

In New York, Friday's protest will take place outside the Russian Consulate and later on Times Square.

"It's absurd that this case is being treated as criminal, while in any other civilized country that would be merely an administrative offense," said Xenia Grubstein, a 31-year-old journalist helping to organize the New York protest.

She said the hope was that the louder people speak out against the Pussy Riot case, the greater the chance that the verdict will be fair.

A protest is also planned in Washington, where last month punk rockers and arts activists rallied outside the Russian Embassy.

The U.S. State Department has expressed concern about what it called the "politically motivated prosecution of the Russian opposition and pressure on those who express dissenting views."

In France, Culture Minister Aurelie Filippetti last week issued a statement expressing concern that artistic freedom was on trial.

A German cross-party group of lawmakers sent a letter to the Russian ambassador calling the five months the band members have spent in custody and the possible prison terms "draconian and disproportionate" punishment.

"In a secular and pluralistic state, peaceful artistic activities ? even if they may be seen as a provocation ? should not lead to accusations of a serious crime and long prison sentences," the lawmakers said in the letter, which more than 100 members of parliament signed.

The international press has been full of critical reports from the trial. One of Germany's most influential magazines, Der Spiegel, featured the band on its cover: a picture of Tolokonnikova behind bars and the headline "Putin's Russia."

___

Greg Keller in Paris and David Rising in Berlin contributed to this report.

Associated Press

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Syrian fighter jet crashes in flames, cause disputed

ALEPPO, Syria (Reuters) - A Syrian warplane crashed in flames in eastern Syria in disputed circumstances on Monday as President Bashar al-Assad's forces pursued their drive to quell rebels in Aleppo and elsewhere.

State media said technical problems had caused the crash and a search was under way for the pilot who had ejected from the aircraft during a "regular training mission".

Hours earlier, rebels said they had shot down a plane in the same area and an opposition activist who said he was in the northeastern town of Mohassen posted a video of a fighter jet bursting into flames while under heavy ground fire.

The video could not be independently verified. The downing of a warplane would be a rare coup for lightly armed rebels up against the superior weaponry of Assad's forces, which have made increasing use of air power in recent months.

Reuters journalists have seen fighter jets firing rockets at rebel-held villages and districts in the northern city of Aleppo, the main battle front in Syria so far this month.

Fawaz Zakri, a member of the opposition Syrian National Council visiting rebel fighters in Aleppo, urged outside powers to send arms and ammunition to help Syrians defend themselves.

"We are not asking for tanks or artillery launchers. We need anti-aircraft weapons and rockets so that we can stop this takeover by the Assad army and daily shelling," he said, toting a black rifle near frontlines in the Saif al-Dawla district.

Saudi Arabia and Qatar are believed to be paying for weapons reaching rebels via Turkey, while the United States and Britain say they are stepping up non-lethal assistance. Assad's main military suppliers are thought to be Russia and Iran.

BODIES IN STREET

Four civilians lay dead in a nearby street in Saif al-Dawla, next to the bitterly contested Salaheddine district. All were victims of army sniper fire, the rebel Free Syrian Army said.

The bodies of a man and a woman slumped in a bullet-riddled yellow taxi. A bloated male corpse lay on a stinking pile of rubbish. Another dead man sprawled in the street, his face purple and bloated, with several dolls lying near his hand.

Syria's uprising began in March last year with peaceful demonstrations for change, inspired by Arab revolts elsewhere. Assad's violent response spawned an insurgency, plunging Syria into a civil war in which more than 18,000 civilians, soldiers and rebels have been killed, opposition sources estimate.

More than 50 Syrians, including 39 civilians, were killed across the country on Monday, according to an opposition watchdog, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Daily death tolls have ranged far higher than this in recent weeks.

The head of a faltering U.N. monitoring mission said violence was intensifying across Syria and accused both sides of ignoring the plight of civilians caught up in the conflict.

"The indiscriminate use of heavy weapons by the government and targeted attacks by the opposition in urban centers are inflicting a heavy toll on innocent civilians," General Babacar Gaye said in Damascus. "I deeply regret that none of the parties has prioritized the needs of civilians.

The mandate for the U.N. monitors, whose original mission was to observe an April ceasefire that never took hold, expires on August 19. Their numbers have already been cut to a third because violence has made it impossible for them to move around.

The relentless conflict and disagreements among big powers and regional rivals foiled diplomatic efforts led by U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, who resigned in frustration.

The United States and Turkey indicated at the weekend they would consider ways of helping the Syrian opposition, with a no-fly zone among many options, and preparing for a post-Assad era.

Russia and China firmly oppose outside military intervention in Syria, not that Western powers have until now shown any stomach for any Libya-style air campaign or other overt action.

LOOSE TALK

Germany said it was unwise even to raise the subject.

"We believe that the discussion about a military intervention could exacerbate things because it could increase the danger of the situation in the entire region getting out of control," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said in Berlin.

"We continue to work on bringing about a change of heart in Russia and China that would enable decisive action by the U.N. Security Council," he said, alluding to past vetoes by Moscow and Beijing of Western-backed resolutions on Syria.

China said it would host Assad aide Bouthaina Shaaban on Tuesday and consider separately inviting opposition figures as part of efforts towards resolving the crisis.

Syria's ambassador to Iran said Damascus would welcome dialogue with opposition groups, as long as Assad supervised the talks - making them a non-starter for rebels.

Hamed Hassan said his country, under attack from "terrorist groups", had co-operated with Annan's peace plan, but that other countries had scuppered it, Iran's state news agency reported.

With diplomacy deadlocked, even efforts to bring aid to suffering Syrian civilians in war zones have stuttered.

U.N. humanitarian chief Valerie Amos will go to Syria on Tuesday to discuss how to increase emergency aid, but diplomats said fighting must ease to allow access to trouble spots.

"Two million people are now estimated to have been affected by the crisis and over one million have been internally displaced," a U.N. statement said.

More than 4,000 Syrians have fled to Turkey in the past three days, bringing the total there to almost 60,000, Turkish authorities said. Nearly 150,000 registered refugees from Syria are now in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq and Jordan, U.N. figures show.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry in Beirut, Khaled Yacoub Oweis in Amman, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Sui-Lee Wee in Beijing and Yeganeh Torbati in Dubai; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Jon Boyle)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syrian-rebels-call-no-fly-zone-042646230.html

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