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2014 NBA Preview: The Oklahoma City Thunder

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The Oklahoma City Thunder enter the 2014-15 season with their sights set on one goal, an NBA Championship. The young franchise has been at the brink of winning a title over the last five seasons, but OKC hasn't been able to put on the finishing touches. After losing in the NBA Finals to the Heat three seasons ago, the Thunder suffered injuries to Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka in back to back postseasons to derail all hope of winning that illustrious championship. Now with two seasons left on Kevin Durant's contract, the Thunder are all of the sudden in "desperation mode" to win a title before his contract expires. If KD is still empty handed at that point, who knows what decision he'll make about his future.

Kevin Durant is the reigning NBA MVP, and no one can argue with the fact that the guy is incredible on and off the court. Last year Durant averaged 32 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game to lead the Thunder to the second best record in the Western Conference. His shooting ability at his size is truly phenomenal and the guy seems to get better every season while adding a new weapon to his arsenal. Durant is constantly making his teammates better, and you can tell his "Thunder Buddies" love to play with him. Even though he'll miss the first six weeks of the season with a Jones Fracture in his foot, I still expect the superstar to return better than ever and get back on his MVP pace.

With the Durant injury, point guard Russell Westbrook will take on more of the offensive load for the Thunder. Last year Westbrook averaged 22 points, 5.9 rebounds and 6.9 assists per game in a season slowed down by injury. Westrook is the most athletic player in the NBA, and opposing point guards have nightmares about guarding the monster. In Durant's absence, Westbrook must find away to become a better facilitator and get his teammates involved. Russ is a guy who's confident enough to take on an entire team by himself, but he must realize he can't do that and he must involve the role players if the Thunder have any chance of keeping their head above water during Durant's recovery period. I know Westbrook is capable of doing that, and in my opinion he's the best point guard in the league. He will finally have a team of his own to lead during these next six weeks, and I look forward to seeing how he handles it.

Serge Ibaka is entering this season with a lot to prove. Last year he was very vocal that he wanted to be an all star and wanted to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, and neither of those things happened. He did averaged 15 points and 9 rebounds. Ibaka is the best rim protector in the business, and with an increased role early in the season I'm expecting the best year of Ibaka's career in 2014-15. He has elite athleticism and can knock down the mid-range jumper with ease. He's even added the corner three-ball to his bag of tricks, so expect Ibaka to average at least 18-19 points this season.

Reggie Jackson is another guy who has a lot to prove this season as he approaches the end of his contract. He saw the big payday that Eric Bledsoe got, so he's out to make some money this season. Jackson had a stellar season last year for the Thunder averaging 13 points and four assists a night. He stepped in nicely as the sixth man, and really gave a reliable presence for the second unit. He's been known to wave off Durant and Westbrook in the past which has led to frustration from the two super stars. In the end, he's a valuable asset who should have his best season

Potential Starters

PG: Russell Westbrook

SG: Andre Roberson

SF: Kevin Durant

PF: Serge Ibaka

C: Steven Adams

Check back later to see who I ranked first in the "HOOPSAHOLIC NBA Preview"

#2 Oklahoma City Thunder

The Thunder have announced that Steven Adams will be the starting center over Kendrick Perkins, which should give the Thunder more offense at the start of games. Both Andre Roberson and Jeremy Lamb will see some playing time at shooting guard, but I believe Roberson has the advantage right now. He has length and will provide great wing defense. The Thunder also have Nick Collison returning, the veteran will mentor the newest Thunder player, Mitch McGary when the rookie returns from injury since the two have very similar playing styles. Anthony Morrow was also brought in over the offseason to be a sharp shooting bench player, but will also miss time to start the season. Like I said at the beginning, this is a humongous year for the Thunder. The role players will need to take on more responsibility, especially early on in Durant's absence so the Thunder will be in good position to have homecourt advantage in the playoffs.

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the life of a Street Musician

Some call them homeless, others call them buskers, and some call them street musicians. Whatever name they may be called by, they sit on the street corner and play an instrument for money. Most have seen one of these people before, but have we ever stopped to talk to them or care to ask them if we can get anything for them? Most of us just walk by quietly; others judge them; some will even aggressively attack them with their words, or actions. We see them as filthy, dirty people that need to get a real job and quit begging us for food and our hard-earned money.

What if we have too many preconceived notions? We tend to judge them before we actually know why they are playing music on the streets. They are not all there simply to gain spending money for drugs and alcohol. Some are there because they love music and failed in all other areas of life and now are doing all they can to make a living. Some were abandoned as children or teenagers and had no other option than to drop out of school and doing something to support their siblings.

I can remember the one day I met a small, skinny boy of the age of sixteen who had lived his life as a street music, here is his story:

Jake lifted his eyes up in to the pouring rain, today he had to sit under the eve of a building in the downtown of New York. The city could look so dark and scary on days like this. Well, to Jake every day in this city was dark and scary. Like the walk home late at night always scared him, there were always at least five shady looking people that followed him with their eyes every night, sometimes more. Every day was a day he was scared he was not going to make it home. He knew he was lucky to even have a place to call home.

Both he and his little sister had been abandoned by their parents two years ago, they had been fortunate enough to find a man that rented a tiny, dark, and filthy room in his basement to them. Every night they could hear rats scurrying around on the floor. At first they had been terrified by the sounds of their claws clicking on the hard cement floor, but after a time they became accustomed to it. Jake tried to think of them like he thought of himself; just a poor animal that had been abandoned and that no one loved and cared for. It was very humbling for him to compare himself to a rat, but at the same time he knew everyone else saw the resemblance.

He was seen as filth by most, every now and then when he was playing his guitar on the streets he would gain a smile or a pat on the back, and if he was lucky some change, sometimes he even made a few dollars. It did not matter to him whether he got a penny or a dollar; everything helped. A handful of change could buy some day old bread which he and his sister would eat as their one meal for the day.

They had learned not to be greedy and to be grateful for what they had, but it was hard seeing people wearing nice, clean clothes; people that obviously had a few dollars to spare but simply turned up their noses and walked away. They would not give to someone who could go earn money elsewhere, but had they never thought that this was his only form of making money? They did not understand what had happened to him and that this was indeed his only form of making money for him. Of course, Jake and his sister could go to the courthouse and tell how they had been abandoned by their parents and then possibly get adopted, but they did not want new parents, they did not want anyone else to abandon them. The only ones they could trust were each other. They thought they could trust their parents, but they were proven wrong.

Jake did not understand how or why they had abandoned them. Maybe they had not, maybe for some reason their parents had to disappear. Perhaps they would come back for them, but that was only wishful thinking. Jake knew they had abandoned and they were on their own now. No one was going to help them. That also scared Jake, the world he had known and had trusted was, all of a sudden, turned upside down. Now he knew not who to trust and who would keep their word.

This had been a world that once showed promise of giving him a good life, but that promise was empty. There would be no glory in this life for him. He would always have to live on the streets, barely being able to make money, being judged for not having what most would consider a “real” job. It was a real job though, but no one would ever see it that way.

It was very easy for him to feel depressed, especially on days like this. The cold and the rain soaked through his old, torn clothes and left him feeling totally abandoned and miserable. No one would ever understand him or what he was going through; no one would ever show him compassion. He looked down at his guitar, for some reason it reminded him of himself: worn, battered, and just tired of being used. He was tired of being looked at as a wild animal and a beggar. He wanted more out of his life than this, he wanted to be more than what people thought of him as. He wanted to be a respectable, and pleasant boy. Never would he get that chance, unfortunately; he would always be a looked at as quite the opposite.

Jake looked up to a man that was giving him a dirty look. “Yes? Can I help you?” Jake asked. The man looked down at him, the dirty look getting more intense by the second. “Yeah, get off the street and quit begging,” said the man. “Never once did I ask you for anything, and you have much; but I have little, and you ask me to give up my only form of making money,” said Jake, he stood up, picked up his guitar and stormed off into the rain. “Have a blessed day, sir. I hope all your dreams come true, and I actually mean that. Mine never have, but I hope yours do.” Jake called over his shoulder.

That day was the day I met Jake in the rain on a stormy day in New York. I was the man that had given him the dirty look. Later that day I found him, he shared his story with me and opened my eyes to see that they are not all bad people; they are not all filthy people; they are not all drug addicts and alcoholics. We all have too many preconceived notions and are too quick to judge. Next time you see one of these people, do not just walk by or give them dirty looks. Hand them a dollar, or simply just give them someone to talk to. Next time you see one ask why they are out on the streets playing music, do not just judge them. Who knows? Maybe they have a sad life story and just need someone to show them kindness.

Human Trafficking

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Human Trafficking: The Secret Shame Around the World

What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is selling men, women and children into some kind of slavery. Sex slavery is the destination for many women and girls. Most of the men and male children go to labor-intensive places. According to freedom4innocence.org, human trafficking in the Middle East happens to 12% of men, 22% of children and 66% of women. The article also says that 80% of traffic victims end up as sex slaves. Traffickers do this for the sole purpose of making money. In 2005, the global human trade industry made over $31.6 billion in profits.

One thing many people do not know is the victims often go with the traffickers willingly. They go with promises of jobs or marriages. Some families also sell their children to traffickers. Many of the people are vulnerable individuals who have no family, such as orphans or street people.

The most common ways victims experience exploitation are prostituting, forced labor, slavery and removal of organs for sale. Sexual exploitation is by far the most common. The female victims suffer from a much higher risk for STD’s, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. These women are forced to have sex for making pornography.

These women often have permanent damage to their reproductive organs and many suffer from PTSD. A trafficker can make 20 times more than he paid for a victim. If the victim remains in “good condition”, a pimp could sell her again for an astronomical amount of money.

Around half of these victims are under the age of 18. Many of the trafficked children undergo sexual exploitation as well. These children are much more likely to develop mental disorders, to engage in drugs, to resume the prostitution and to become involved in violent crime later in life.

The other half of the victims go in to physical labor. This is the second most common form of trafficking in the world. As unbelievable as it sounds, there is a market for slaves. The average cost of a slave is $100. An estimated 27 million slaves exist around the world. The most popular destinations are Italy, Belgium, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Japan, Germany and the US. Many of the young victims become victims because their family members sell them into slavery.

There are many survival stories with human trafficking. However, the stories of those never saved are much more common. The stories of the survivors are hard to read and hear about but the public needs to be aware of what goes on around the world, even here in our own country.

Many of the survivors are forever damaged by what happened to them, whether the damage be psychological or physical or both. The following stories are from survivors.

Dai, a young female Korean immigrant was taken into sexual slavery after years of parental and spousal abuse. She escaped her abusive relationship, but not before he took her naturalization papers. A female pimp in Las Vegas who invited her to join an escort service approached her.

Another story, perhaps even more upsetting, is Concy’s story. When she was nine years old, she was taken from her village in Uganda. She became part of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). She became a child soldier and married the Brigade Commander against her will. At the age of 10, her “husband” forced her to have sex with him. The Brigade Commander had 20 “wives”, most of them between 12 and 18. Since Concy was a soldier who fought, she was the “top wife”. When he left, Concy was in charge of keeping the other girls in line. A year after being captured, there was a large fight between LRA and Ugandan government soldiers. She used that opportunity to run away. Life back in her village wasn’t easy, though. Her people shunned her, because they knew the unspeakable things she had been forced to do. She went back to school, and one day when she was 15, was forced into a man’s hut, where he raped her. She was shunned again and she returned to the man, as he was now her “husband”. She became pregnant and lived for a year with her “husband”. He abused her, and she left with her daughter. She is now working in a bakery in Pece and remarried a good man (Survivor Stories). Trafficking is something that happens all around the world. It is a hard thing to talk about, and because of that, many people just ignore it. It is something that needs to change, and future generations have the power to change it.

Several weeks later, she found herself in a prostitution/ sex slave ring. She spent six months in this world, where she lost her identity and her dignity. A wealthy man eventually bought her and conditioned her to become a female pimp. She began to do the same thing those people did to her. She became addicted to drugs, which she used to escape her reality. While she was on the run, she found people she could trust, became a voice against trafficking, and dug herself out of that hole (A Survivor’s Story).

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Diagnosing ADHD: What you need to know

There are no laboratory or imaging tests available to determine a diagnosis; instead, clinicians base their conclusions on the observable symptoms and by ruling out other disorders. The specialist who conducts you or your child’s evaluation will ask you a range of questions that you should answer honestly and openly. He or she may also:

• obtain a thorough medical and family history

• order or conduct a general physical and/or neurological exam

• lead a comprehensive interview with you, your child, and the child’s teacher(s)

• use standardized screening tools for ADHD

• observe your child at play or school

• use psychological tests in order to measure IQ and social and emotional adjustment (Segal & Smith, 2014)

The mental health professional assessing the problem will also look at the following factors:

• How severe are the symptoms? To be diagnosed with ADHD, the symptoms must have a negative impact on you or your child’s life. In general, people who truly have ADHD have major problems in one or more areas of their life, such as their career, finances, or family responsibilities.

• When did the symptoms start? Since ADHD starts in childhood, the doctor or therapist will look at how early the symptoms appeared. If you are an adult, can you trace the symptoms back to your childhood?

• How long have the symptoms been bothering you or your child? Symptoms must have been going on for at least 6 months before ADHD can be diagnosed.

• When and where do the symptoms appear? The symptoms of ADHD must be present in multiple settings, such as at home and school. If the symptoms only appear in one environment, it is unlikely that ADHD is to blame (Grohol & Martin, 2013).

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Willis Tower Disaster

“Officials at Chicago's Willis Tower say the popular tourist attraction is safe, even though a glass ledge jutting from the building's 103rd floor appeared to crack beneath the feet of a visiting family. The see-through glass bays are known as The Ledge and extend about four feet from the building, which was once called the Sears Tower. Officials say the family wasn't in danger when the cracks appeared Wednesday on a glass enclosure. In a statement Thursday, Willis Tower says a protective coating covering the glass surface cracked, not the glass itself. They say the cracks don't affect the "structural integrity" of the ledge, which is designed to occasionally crack. The ledges have proven to be a popular — if a frightening — experience since they opened in 2009 ( “Cracks Appear on Ledge at Chicago's Willis Tower.” (NBC15 RSS. N.P.)

About Willis Tower

The Willis tower was formerly named and still commonly called Sears Tower. This building is a 108-story, 1,451-foot skyscraper that was built in 1973. It was formerly the tallest building in the world and it held this rank for almost 25 years. At this point in time, the Willis Tower is currently the second-tallest building in the United States and the eighth-tallest freestanding structure in the world. Over one million people each year visit this enormous skyscraper, which makes it one of the most popular tourist destinations in Chicago. Due to a lease on a portion of the space, Sears Tower was renamed Willis Tower in 2009. Even though it was renamed, people often still refer to it as Sears Tower (Wikimedia Foundation).

How it was built

With about 350,000 employees, Sears, Roebuck & Co. was the largest retailer in the world in 1969. Sears executives agreed they wanted to consolidate all of their employees that had offices all throughout the Chicago area into one building; Sears Tower. Sears wasn't sure where to put it, so they asked an outside council to suggest a location. After the firm met with authorities and the applicable law, Sears was advised that the proposed structure could be built in an area known as Goose Island (Wikimedia Foundation).

After the site was decided upon, the preliminary inquiries determined that the necessary permits would be able to be obtained. The next thing that needed to be done in this process was to gain the property and a team of attorneys from the Arnstein law firm headed by Andrew Adsit. The attorneys began buying the property parcel by parcel. Sears bought fifteen buildings with character and paid $2.7 million to the City of Chicago for the part of Quincy Street which divided the property (Wikimedia Foundation).

Demanding 3,000,000 square feet of space, and predictions that they will grow in the future, Sears found amazing architects by the names of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) to come up with a structure that was predicted to be one of the largest buildings in the world. SOM’s team of architect, Bruce Graham and Fazlur Rahman Khan, a structural engineer, designed the building as nine square "tubes" squished into a 3×3 matrix producing a square base with 225-foot sides. The nine tubes would go up to the 50th floor of the building. Once the tubes hit the 50th floor, the northwest and southeast tubes end, and the remaining seven continue up. When they reach the 66th floor, the southwest and northeast tubes end. At the 90th floor, the south, east, and north tubes end. Finally, the center and west tubes continue until the 108th floor (Wikimedia Foundation).

The Willis Tower was the very first building to use Khan's tube structure. This amazing design was structurally efficient and economic. It effectively provided more space and became higher than the Empire State Building, although the cost was much less per unit area. This, in turn, highly influenced the skyscraper construction. It is usually used in extremely tall buildings today, including the world's tallest building, the Burj Khalifa. To honor Khan's contributions to the skyscraper, the Structural Engineers Association of Illinois made a sculpture of him for the lobby of the Willis Tower (Wikimedia Foundation).

Sears executives came together and agreed that the space they are going to occupy will be designed to house their Merchandise Group, and that floor space for future growth would be rented out to smaller firms and businesses until Sears could take it back. The latter floor areas had to be drawn up to a smaller plate to be attractive and marketable to prospective lessees. It also had a high window-space to floor-space ratio. On the other hand, smaller floor plates needed to have a taller structure to yield sufficient square footage. Skidmore architects proposed a tower with large floors in the lower part of the building, which would give the Sears Tower its distinctive look (Wikimedia Foundation).

As you can tell just from the reading, the Willis Tower is an extremely extravagant building that took a very long time to build. If you are interested in touring Willis Tower, it is located in Chicago, IL and is very easy to schedule. Even if you are afraid of heights, on the main floor you can learn more about the history and see pictures of the skyscraper dating back to when they were building it.

Work Cited

“Cracks Appear on Ledge at Chicago's Willis Tower." NBC15 RSS. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 08 Oct. 2014.

< http://www.nbc15.com/news/headlines/Cracks-appear-on-ledge-at-Chicagos-Willis-Tower-261135771.html>.

"Willis Tower." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 13 Oct. 2014. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.

< http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_Tower>

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The Main Ways to Drop a Duck!! continued..

Hunting from a boat is usually the least likely way to go duck hunting. This is because hunters need camouflage and cover when hunting from a boat. Sitting on the lake in a boat can make this difficult because water cannot cover hunters from ducks seeing them. The way to go would be to find some shallower water where weeds are growing to put the boat in. Finding tall enough weeds with hide the boat and the hunters from the sight of ducks.

Besides shooting from a boat, there is the option to hunt just from shore. This is by far the most popular kind because the cost of having a boat is not required. Usually only one pair of waiters is needed to set the decoys out. Using decoys would be the only reason for the necessity of waiters. Place the decoys in the preferred pattern right off shore making it easier to retrieve them also. The best part about hunting from the shore is that it is best or coverage. The trees hanging over the water or even the tall weeds by shore help form a camouflage around the hunters. In addition, sitting by shore makes it so ducks coming from behind cannot see the hunters until it is too late.

The main problem is that it is harder to see the decoys in the water, or even just to see past the weeds if any ducks have landed in the decoys. The perfect landscape needs to be in place for this type of duck hunting which is quite rare.

Hunting from a boat does not have to be from the middle of the lake either. If the shore is to muddy to sit on, then the boat works as a floor. This too would be very hard to find because cover would be another issue turning it into a bad hunting spot.

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The Main Ways to Drop a Duck!!

Duck hunting is one of the most exciting ways to hunt with a group of people or with just a friend. The beautiful landscape along with the cooling air sets the mood for all duck hunters and goose hunters. The noises of plants and animals waking up. The sun just popping over the horizon as morning birds start to look for food. Life begins to wake up for the day. Just being there almost makes it completely worth the duck-hunting trip.

Duck hunting is a different section of hunting and, duck hunting has many ways of being performed. From hunting from a boat in the lake to shooting from shore. Both ways though involve decoys and duck calls. The two main elements of trickery in duck hunting. Hunting form a boat, form shore, or from jumping ponds are three ways to duck hunt. Cost or the preferred way of hunting determines which way is usually done.

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The number of diagnoses of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder has ballooned over the past few decades. Many people label others with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as people who are just hyper all the time and can’t sit still, let alone focus on anything. There are severities of ADHD ranging from mild to extremely severe. Children, adolescents and adults live with this disorder every day. It’s a serious public health problem. We know that ADHD causes problems in how well children do in school, in their ability to make and keep friends, and function in society. Although there are treatments to improve ADHD symptoms, less is known about managing ADHD as a child ages and reaches adulthood.

RELIEVING THE BURDEN

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11) Wire Christmas Tree

12) Candy Cane Centerpiece

We hope these twelve Christmas crafts bring you and your home some fun and excitement over the holiday season. Remember, do the craft to save the cash. Happy crafting!

michael jakson

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King of money

Michael Jackson

Born Michael Joseph Jackson

August 29, 1958

Gary, Indiana, U.S

Died June 25, 2009(aged 50)

Los Angeles, California, U.S

Cause of death Cardiac arrest

Residence Los Olivos, California, U.S

Other names Michael Joe Jackson

Occupation Singer

songwriter

dance

Actor

Record producer

Bussiness man

Philanthropist

Religion Jenovah´s Witness (1965-1987) Christiaity (1994-2009)

Spouse(s) Lisa Marie Presley

(m 1994-1996; divorced)

Deborah Jeanne Rowe

(m. 1996-1999; divorced)

Children Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr

Religion Christianity

Spouses Lisa Marie Presley (1994-1996; divorced)

Deborah Jeanne Rowe(1996-1999; divorced)

Children Michael Joseph Jackson, Jr.

Paris-Michael Katherine Jackson

Prince Michael Jackson II.

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WINTER CLOTHES IDEAS

Fashion Diva

Now the most exciting part, for every girl is the clothing! What to wear in the winter that is not so boring? We have some great ways of keeping your outfit exciting. Being a babe is tricky if you're covered in head-to-toe layers and a big bulky coat. With our great fashion sense, you can avoid the marshmallow or mummy looking outfit, and keep your style looking good so people want to look like you. Don't throw a giant parka over a pretty cocktail dress; instead, cover up with a stylish looking coat and or pull over (cosmopolitan.com). Also you can wear any type of shoes!

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STEP 3, 4, 5 PICTURES

Fashion Diva

2010+ Chevrolet Camaro Stage 2 Kit

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2010+ Camaro Stage 2 Cam

Our team here at MAPerformance has assembled the best “Stage 2″ performance kit for your 2010+ Camaro SS based on track proven products. This stage 2 kit perfectly compliments bolt on parts such as headers, exhaust and intake boosting up the power of your modern muscle car, while staying budget friendly.

After dynoing between a Stage 1 and Stage 2 kit on the same vehicle, we picked up 83whp/78wtq.

What's Included?

-MAP Custom grind camshaft

-Chromoly one piece pushrods

-Upgraded valve spring kit

-GM Camshaft bolt

-Fel-Pro Timing Cover Kit

In stock and ready to ship at $199, order yours today a maperformance.com or call us at 800-651-348-8811

Vocaloid

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vocaloid

They are a group of synthetic voices, their respective characters .

were created in Japan and starting pulling her hanido creating several characters .

one of the famous group cantantesmas is Hatsune Miku .

she recently had a concert opening act for Lady Gaga.

My favourite songs are:

One fandub of Nonsense speaker by Hatsune Miku.

The fanduber is Hitori-tan neko

Rolling gril by Hatsune miku

ah it's a wonderful cat by: len and megpoid Gumi

Vocaloids i don´t like:

Len and rin

They don´t sing very well and i don´t like most of the songs

The most popular song of vocaloid is World is mine by Hatsune miku is one of the most

In japan they have gone so far that have created them each a personality of members