text: Loup Digital (recently recognized as a top Email & Marketing Automation Company on DesignRush) has been invited to be one of the early members in Forbes’ New York Business Council, the premier invite-only community for business owners in the greater New York City area with revenue over $500,000. As a member, Hughes will enjoy a number of exclusive benefits, including the ability to share her insights on all aspects of business on Forbes.com. Be on the lookout for her pieces, shared here and on our social channels.


text:
We want you to make the most of your Savannah vacation, so we’ve come up with a tool that’ll help you plan before you go and discover even more once you get there.
Our easy-to-use interactive map will help you maximize your Trolley Tour experience, so you won’t miss all the excitement that Savannah has to offer! And since it works great on mobile devices, you’ll have all the information you need during your trip, right in your pocket.

industry_corpus2: Travel & Geography


text:
I just wanted to ask what good class for solo is, and some tips for a beginner.
In my opinion, Commando or Mechromancer will be your best bet for a solo run. Having an ability that can pull aggro away from you will be really helpful. Mechromancer is going to be the most utility-focused ability, while the Commando just gets insane amounts of health and a badass turret.
Tip-wise, well...that's a big question. Keep your distance from things, but not TOO far. If you go down, you're gonna want a way back up. Solo is definitely a lot tougher than playing with a group, but it's doable.
Lastly, criticals. Make all of your shots critical hits.
I am a first time player doing solo. Playing Sal and blasting away! Some good advice I got was to slow down and do lots of sidequest, enjoy the game and have fun. Listen to the dialogue, it is hilarious sometimes. Golden keys help, lots of them available. I had to learn the game mechanics, and then the specific requirements for my toon.
Kreig. Max out the left tree. Almost TOO easy.
I've played all of them solo, my favorite is probably Maya but Gaige and Sal are both easy to solo with as well.
Most people think the Siren is only good in a team, and in solo is only viable with Harmony.
Not true. I have a lvl 45 Siren that has gone down cataclysm and halfway through motion and to be perfectly honest, I have felt the most OP with her than anyone else. Phaselock is amazing and the cat class mod makes her a monster with smgs.
Trust me, if you pick her you will not regret it. She is super fun and it's really easy to solo with her.

industry_corpus2: Gaming


text: The Brazilian Society of Family and Community Medicine (SBMFC) as official organizer of the RIO WONCA 2016 conference will offer 30 bursaries to provide the opportunity for young family physicians/general practitioners from around the world to attend the event. These bursaries will be available for family physicians/general practitioners from the countries listed on the conference website (see "more information"). The bursaries cover registration and provide 500 Reals towards expenses.

industry_corpus2: Health & Medicine


text:
One of the most basic DIYs is making your own wreath. I wanted to explain how to make your own wreath because this is a super fast project that pretty much anyone can do with minimal materials and easily accessible tools. Actually there is only one tool…wire cutters (or in my case tin snips!). And the truth is, wreaths can run you anywhere from $30 to $60 in the store and that is for ones that aren’t even full or have lots of blooms. I made these wreaths for my front door last year and they have lasted the entire year outside and were super simple and fun to make!
So if you are on a budget this is for you! Or if you want to do a craft night with your friends – this is for you! Or if you just really like shopping at the Dollar Tree – this is for you! All of my blooms and greenery is from the Dollar Tree – so I spent roughly $13 on the picks and a grapevine wreath costs about $7 in most craft stores.
Some greenery – I use some of this simple ‘mistletoe’ style picks….
And lastly some berry picks that were gold and glittery. These had really ugly and fake looking leaves on them so I didn’t use the leaves. You can rip them off easily or slide them off after you snip apart the individual picks.
Other optional materials is wired ribbon (that is my favorite for bows), some greenery wire (if you are like Jeremy and think that all the things should be tied down and extra secure) or even signs (like the chalkboard sign below that would be great for leaving messages for your Amazon Prime delivery person).
Lastly – I always use a suction wreath holder. They go on sale after the the holidays and they work GREAT on doors with glass. Otherwise I use a Command Strip hook for hanging them up.
And just in case you were looking to see what exactly we are making – it’s this wreath right here….
And if you are not the video lover, here is the play by play with photos instead….
First snip all your flower picks and berries. I like to bend the stems as I snip them. This makes the process 1000% easier.
Then take your wreath and space out the greenery first to cover the entire surface. In order to get them to stay, I usually stick them into the center of the wreath form. If you nestle them in, they will usually stay. Make sure all the greenery is going in the same direction around the wreath.
Then repeat with the flower blooms. My best tip is to squint a little while you are doing this so that things visually from afar will look even and balanced. I like to have a very full wreath so I use lots of blooms.
Once the thing is full of flowers, I like to add a little pizzazz…either a bow or an accent pick or sign or something. In this case I used glittery berry picks and they added a little gold to the wreath which accented the gold in my front doors.
And there we have it – a very crisp and clean and full wreath! And guys – this thing cost only $20.
And if you are looking for other wreath tutorials – I love making my own and sharing them! Here are some favorites from years past….
Very nice and simple instructions to follow!
Yes! I love seeing an alternative to buying full-priced wreaths. You make it so easy. And a transitional wreath is a great idea! It’s nice to hang something pretty on the front door without having to change it very often. Your video was perfect. The bloopers made my day. 🙂 Thanks for sharing!

industry_corpus2: Others


text:
in his Nuova Cronica (illustration pictured), the 14th century Florentine banker Giovanni Villani described the destruction of the original Ponte Vecchio bridge during the flood of November 4, 1333?
parts of California were declared a disaster area when Hurricane Kathleen killed several people and caused millions of dollars in damage due to widespread flooding?
during the Civil War years, the San Fernando Valley north of Los Angeles experienced floods, droughts, a smallpox epidemic, and even a plague of locusts?
during a flood in 1937, Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky was partially submerged, and a worker caught a two-pound fish in the lobby?
completion of the Howard A. Hanson Dam (pictured) in 1961 ended a 70-year era of flooding in the Green River Valley, and by 1996, the dam had prevented an estimated US$694 million in flood damages?
despite being unfinished, the Lazaro Cardenas Dam successfully protected the Mexican towns of Gómez Palacio and Torreón from possible flooding triggered by Hurricane Naomi in 1968?
España Boulevard, the main street of Sampaloc, Manila, is notorious for its waist-deep floods during the Philippine typhoon season?
Flood in Final Fantasy VI.
Flood is an offensive spell that does Water-elemental damage. It typically targets all enemies, and is usually the replacement for the spell Water in the games that it does not appear in.
Flood is a Ninjutsu for Edge. Gained automatically when fighting Rubicante. Costs 20 MP. In the Advance remake, Flood can be cast when the player uses the Triton's Dagger weapon as an item. It is also available as an Augment.
Flood returns as a Ninjutsu spell, usable by Edge and Izayoi, both of who start with it. It functions in the same way as in Final Fantasy IV, but now costs 7 MP to use.
Flood is taught by Leviathan in the Advance version. It costs 60 MP. It is notably the only Water-elemental spell in the game, besides Strago's Lores.
Flood appears as one of the Ancient Magic spells. It is available to Black Mages at level 58. For 368 MP, the spell will cause Water-based elemental damage and lower resistance to Lightning. A stronger version, Flood II, is also available through Merit Points.
Flood is one of Terra's initial HP attacks which manifests three bursts of water one after the other from beneath the opponent. As a Mime, Bartz is also able to use the attack which functions identically to Terra's version. Shantotto's Spirit Magic: Water casts Flood when she has 6,000 or more Brave. It summons a large torrent of water surrounding the opponent.
Flood in Final Fantasy IV.
Flood in the DS version Final Fantasy IV.
Flood in The After Years.
Flood used by Bartz in Dissidia Final Fantasy.
Flood used by Terra in Dissidia.
Flood used by Shantotto in Dissidia.
This article uses material from the "Flood" article on the Final Fantasy wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.
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Were you looking for the novel Halo: The Flood, or The Flood, the ninth level in Halo Wars?
Significant physiological and psychological mutations. They can also acquire their host's memories.
"One single Flood spore can destroy a species."
The Flood (Latin Inferi redivivus meaning "The dead reincarnated"), or The Parasite as they are known to the Covenant, are a species of highly virulent parasitic organisms that reproduce and grow by consuming sentient life forms of sufficient biomass and cognitive capability. The Flood were responsible for consuming most of the sentient life in the galaxy, including the Forerunners, during the 300-year-long Forerunner-Flood War. The Flood presents the most variable faction in the trilogy, as it can infect and mutate Human and Covenant species, such as Elites,Grunts,and Brutes, into Combat Forms. They are widely considered to be the greatest threat to the existence of life, or, more accurately, biodiversity, in the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Flood are extremely adaptable, dangerous, and expendable parasitic lifeforms. They were first encountered in the Milky Way Galaxy by a Forerunner pioneer group on planet G617 g1. It is a highly infectious viral supercell, and the cause of the "Forerunner-Flood War", which lasted approximately 931 years. They were the reason that the Halo Array was constructed, as a last final effort by the Forerunners to preserve biological diversity in the galaxy. After exhausting every other strategic option, the Halo Array was fired, resulting in the elimination of the original source of the Flood infestation and the death of every sentient being in the Galaxy.
The Flood exists in a fairly stable state in the absence of a Gravemind. They lack the ability to spawn spontaneously and spread by infecting sentient life forms, specifically those that are self-aware and capable of introspection. This stage of a Flood outbreak is known as the Feral Stage.
During its Feral Stage, the Flood is only capable of local coordination through use of pheromone-based communication. Research indicates that the content of said messages are of very limited complexity. Individual Combat and Carrier Forms have access to the skills and memories of their host; however, once an outbreak establishes a viable Gravemind, the Coordinated Stage begins—and it is at this point the Flood becomes truly dangerous.
With the formation of a Gravemind, the assimilated intelligence and memories of consumed hosts become part of a collective consciousness, which is capable of strategic thinking and commanding individual Flood forms in an organized manner.
A Gravemind (like the Proto-Gravemind that gave rise to it) is the fusion of pure Flood Super Cells and the evolved complex neuro-system of one or more sentient entities. The control it exerts over the more mobile forms it creates is accurately likened to an entity's control over its own limbs. Ergo, during the Feral stage, control is localized at the individual level, but once an outbreak enters the Coordinated stage control is assumed by, and broadcast from, a central compound intelligence.
Although no data exists from any adequately controlled experiment, data gathered in the field suggests that if a mobile form is removed from the influence of the Gravemind coordinating its group of origin it will revert to a Feral Stage. Insufficient data exists on whether mobile forms of one Gravemind would be influenced by another Gravemind, though logic dictates this would be the case. However, because individual Graveminds are remarkably similar and are all striving for the same goal, it is likely that a distinction would be impossible to detect.
The Bestiarum states that the society of the Flood closely resembles an "utopian socialist ideal as there is no wealth, no poverty, no want, no crime, and no disease; every individual works for the advancement of the Flood as a whole". It also states that it "is unfortunate that their one overriding goal is to [butcher and consume] every other life form in the galaxy".
"It fed on intelligent life and in doing so, became every more intelligent itself. The Flood was unique, it used their very strength against them."
—Cortana on the Forerunner-Flood War.
The Flood are believed to have arrived in the Milky Way Galaxy more than 100,000 years prior to 2552 when they encountered the Forerunners on the planet G617 g1. The Flood used unarmed civilian assets to penetrate planetary defense groups, first striking at the Forerunner-held planet of LP 656-38 e, bypassing the Forerunner Orbital Fleet, and infesting the planet below. They soon moved to similarly infest the planet DM-3-1123b. They were perceived as hostile by the Forerunners, whose ground forces were overcome by the sheer numbers of Flood forms on the planets. While at first the Flood demonstrated a lack of even "basic cohesion", they had "numerical superiority"; billions of forms dedicated to the assault, and every member of the Forerunner population a potential Flood host. In desperation, the Forerunner's armada was ordered to immediately commence full planetary bombardment on infested worlds, although at a great cost - many Forerunners were unable to be evacuated before bombardment commenced, leaving the Forerunner military with shallow victories against the Flood. In events where the naval garrisons were unable to commence bombardment, major Forerunner population centers appeared to activate localized weapons of mass destruction, effectively committing mass suicide, but stopping the growing infestation.
Thereafter, the Forerunners realized that ordinary naval tactics were unable to stem the growing tide of the Flood, and decided to pin their hopes of defeating the Flood on super weaponry. While the Forerunners initially deployed the Sentinel robotic drones to fight against and contain the Flood, almost immediately afterward, the Forerunner Fleet Command contemplated "Premature stellar collapse": using naval battle groups to destroy planetary star systems' primary stars in supernova that would engulf the planetary systems and prevent any possibility of Flood infection.
While the Flood were exponentially growing, spreading from system to system with the intent to infect the Forerunner population, not to wage war with Forerunner battle groups, the tide was turning: the Flood had reached sufficient proportions to create a Gravemind form, a creature that embodied a collective sentient intelligence for the Flood species, and one that could coordinate the Flood swarms in intelligent attacks against the Forerunner Fleets. The Forerunners were aware of this, and constructed the Contender class artificial intelligence Mendicant Bias in an effort to destroy this centralized Gravemind and disorganize the Flood. This too failed since Mendicant Bias went rampant and joined the Flood cause to destroy its former masters.
The Forerunners began a "Conservation Measure", researching the Flood, while constructing an Artifact to generate a slipspace portal leading to the Ark on Earth and possibly other uninfected home worlds of Tier 7 races they considered "worthy".
The Forerunners employed many, many measures, including intricate naval tactics in an attempt to contain the Flood, which ultimately failed. Finally, the Forerunners were forced to a Pyrrhic solution, building seven ring-like super-weapons, known as Fortress Worlds or Halos, across the galaxy. Because the Flood were parasitic, and their survival was directly linked to the presence of potential hosts, the Forerunners reasoned that eliminating all potential Flood hosts, that is, all sentient life forms in the galaxy, would "render the parasite harmless", as explained by the Forerunner AI 343 Guilty Spark. After all countermeasures failed, the Forerunners activated the Halos in 97,448 B.C, unleashing galactic destruction, and destroying almost all sentient life forms in the Galaxy. However, the human race and many other species throughout the galaxy survived the firing of the Halos because they were safely spared on the Ark which was out of range of the Halo Array or protected by the Shield Worlds, which were also out of range .
The Flood were contained, and unable to reproduce due to lack of hosts, and eventually died out. The only surviving specimens were contained in state of the art, high-security Forerunner research facilities, such as the Halo Installations and the Threshold Gas Mine.
Thousands of years after the end of the Forerunner-Flood war, the human ship Spirit of Fire jumped from Arcadia to follow the signal of Professor Anders, who had been captured by the Covenant. They were led to an unknown planet, which happened to be a Forerunner Shield World. Ground forces were deployed to investigate the presence of unknown hostiles sighted by the ship's radar. After fighting their way through Covenant forces, Sergeant Forge and several Marine squads were attacked by the Flood.
The surviving UNSC forces, which included Sergeant Forge, were ordered to recover some Elephants that were surrounded by Flood forms. After one was rescued, the small squad made their way into a site that would become a base. They then assembled a larger force to rescue the other soldiers. Following their successful rescue, the UNSC forces prepared to engage the Flood.
SPARTAN-II Red Team, while searching for Anders, was ambushed by several Flood forms, which forced their Warthog to crash. The remaining forces at the nearby base, led by Sergeant Forge, moved out to rescue the ill-fated team. As they attempted to rescue the SPARTANS, they soon discovered that the Flood was creating a Proto-Gravemind, and that it may have been jamming the tracking signal that Anders was giving out. On their way to the soon-to-be Gravemind, they encountered several Flood Colony forms, and found that by destroying them, the Proto-Gravemind would become weakened. Once they destroyed the Proto-Gravemind, Serina found a signal, which was believed to be Anders'.
Captain Cutter then ordered all UNSC personnel on the planet to return to the Spirit of Fire. These orders were impeded by the Flood, which attempted to prevent the humans' retreat, but the Flood were eventually held back long enough for the UNSC forces to return to the Spirit. The Flood attacked the Spirit as it entered the interior of the Shield World, but were wiped off by the ship's crew, Sentinels, and the Shield World's cleansing rings. All Flood on the Shield World were destroyed when Sergeant Forge used the Spirit of Fire's Shaw-Fujikawa Translight Engine to destroy the Shield World's internal sun, obliterating all Covenant and Flood forces on the Shield World. The Spirit of Fire narrowly escaped by performing a hastily-calculated slingshot maneuver around the exploding sun in order to shoot off into space. Without the Spirit's Slipspace Engine, however, the ship was lost in space, with humanity's only knowledge of the Flood lost with it.
"The only way to stop the Flood is to starve them to death."
—Cortana to John 117 and 343 Guilty Spark.
John-117 fends off the oncoming Flood Combat Forms and Infection Forms on Installation 04.
Although the first firing of the Halo Array starved large numbers of the Flood, samples of parasitic specimens were kept alive (perhaps in stasis) on various Forerunner outposts for research and further scientific study. One such research site was located on Installation 04. This proved to be a grave, irreversible mistake, as both Humanity and the Covenant stumbled upon the abandoned ring thousands of years after the firing of the Array and the destruction of the Forerunners and most of the Flood. Cortana, aboard the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, made what was presumed to be a "blind" jump through Slipspace (although it was later revealed that she used translated co-ordinates from a Forerunner artifact found on Sigma Octanus IV) to evade Covenant pursuers. This led both species to Installation 04, and in turn, the Flood that were kept there. After the crash of the Pillar of Autumn on the Halo Ring, the surviving crew members dug in for what they believed would be a long and brutal guerrilla campaign against the Covenant forces on Halo.
Meanwhile, the pursuing Covenant cruisers (among them the Truth and Reconciliation) amassed their ground forces on the surface, and soon discovered an underground Forerunner Flood Containment Facility in the swamps of Halo. Due to the secure nature of the facility, the Covenant came to use it as a fortified base of operations and an area for storing weaponry, oblivious to its true nature. Though some of the Flood managed to escape, the terrified Covenant soldiers eventually pushed the Flood back in. It is unknown whether a few still escaped. The Flood escaped due to a leak in the library, allowing the flood to reproduce by spores.
After Captain Jacob Keyes was captured by the Covenant for interrogation, he caught wind of this weapons cache and, upon his rescue, organized Fire Team Charlie to seize it. When the team arrived at the swamp however, they found the facility was completely devoid of Covenant personnel. However, upon takeoff, a Pelican Dropship, whose call sign was Victor 933, which had transported them to the base, crashed into the swamp as a result of enemy action. Then, immediately after the crash, the pilots were able to record a message about their attackers, calling them "Unknown Hostiles". These "Unknown Hostiles" were actually the Flood, and shortly afterward, they could be seen creeping throughout the swamp, as witnessed by John-117 when he was deployed into the area. At first, when he saw the Covenant retreating out of the Forerunner structure running from Assault Rifle fire, he believed them to be allied forces. However, after he opened the door that Captain Keyes had unlocked, he learned the truth through Private Jenkins' recording: this was no Covenant weapons cache. He then proceeded to escape, escorted the surviving marines to a drop zone, and encountered 343 Guilty Spark. Guilty Spark then promptly teleported him into the Library and said, "The Flood is spreading. We must hurry!"
The few surviving Covenant soldiers left were scattered and disorganized, and put up little resistance to the new Combat Forms created from numerous Covenant corpses. It is presumed that the Covenant occupants of the research facility had moved through the structure in hopes of finding Forerunner artifacts, and had inadvertently released living Flood specimens. Knowing full well what the Flood are capable of, the Covenant forces promptly locked the facility down and evacuated all personnel who survived the Flood's escape. Keyes and his team were unaware of this fact, however, and proceeded to delve deeper into the facility, ultimately coming across one of the unopened Flood Containment Chambers. Believing it was a weapons cache of some sort, they unlocked the door, and were promptly attacked and assimilated by the Flood inside. With a large supply of "edible" sentient life now occupying the ring, the Flood began to multiply and infest most of Halo. Soon, the infestation proved too great even for Halo's automated military force, the Sentinels, to handle, and the ring's commanding AI, 343 Guilty Spark, was forced to call upon a "Reclaimer" (John-117) to activate the array once more. Hearing of the above events, John-117 was deployed to the area on the drop ship Echo 419, proceeding into the facility, only to find out that most of the Marines he had been assigned to rescue had succumbed to the Flood.
These events brought the knowledge of the Flood to the UNSC. In a war of losses, this was another grim revelation for humanity.
Infection Forms feeding on dead corpses. Shown in one of the Chambers leading to a Pulse Generator in the Level Two Betrayals, in Halo:CE.
After the Flood's escape, the Covenant forces, who were widely stretched across Installation 04, were heavily engaged, and were being overwhelmed by Flood forces. While at places, the Covenant were able to hold the line by using vehicular and air support, most of the weaker Covenant soldiers such as Grunts and Jackals succumbed easily to the Flood, and the few Elites who remained were outnumbered and destroyed. The UNSC, having a much smaller presence on the Ring, found out about the Flood's might a short while later, when a UNSC Orbital Drop Shock Trooper force engaged with the Covenant near Alpha Base, was ambushed by the Flood and suffered heavy casualties. However, one of the attacking combat forms, Wallace A. Jenkins, who was one of the Marines in the original expeditionary mission to the supposed arms cache, was infected by a weak and elderly infection form whose powers of infection had been dulled by years of hibernation, making Jenkins' transformation into a combat form incomplete. Jenkins was still able to resist the pervasive Flood entity in his mind, and although incapable of articulate speech and with a physiologically devastated body, Jenkins was still able to betray the Flood through hand gestures during an interrogation with Major Silva, informing the UNSC Marine battalion that the Flood planned to assault the UNSC base from a series of underground catacombs underneath their base. In response to this intelligence, the UNSC moved to secure them, and prevented the Flood from staging another attack.
By the time of these developments, Flood dominance over the Covenant was assured. The Sentinels were unable to contain the Flood, and the Covenant and UNSC were sustaining heavy losses and rapidly losing ground. Meanwhile, the Flood were occupying whole areas formerly held by the Covenant, although Covenant and Flood forces continued to wage war on the massive ice plains of the Ring. Although the Covenant had the benefit of Shade stationary plasma turrets and vehicular/aerial support, the Flood had captured both UNSC and Covenant weapons, most notably M19 Rocket Launchers and massive numbers on their side.
The Flood, however, were not unintelligent. One of the UNSC personnel captured in the Marine force to the ex-Covenant arms cache was Captain Jacob Keyes, a brilliant naval strategist of the UNSC Navy. When he was infected, instead of using him in combat, the parasitic infection form, while deleting his memories, felt that Keyes held vital information. Keyes knew the location of Earth, the birthplace and major planet of the human race, a planet with tremendous possible assimilation opportunities for the Flood. Instead of becoming a combat form, he was merged with at least four other victims into a massive, engorged Proto-Gravemind aboard the CCS-class Battlecruiser, Truth and Reconciliation, a Covenant warship that the Flood were relentlessly attacking. While he was in the brain form state, the Flood began to comb his memories. Captain Keyes successfully withheld information about Earth by constantly accessing information available on his Command Neural Interface such as his name, rank, and serial number, until the Chief arrived. However, his arrival was too late, for Keyes was already dead. It was at that time the SPARTAN-117 punched a hole in Keyes' skull to get the Captain's CNI.
The Covenant Flagship Truth and Reconciliation was a major point of contention between the Covenant Special Operations units and the Flood. The Flood had likely entered the warship previously, decimating most of the Covenant crew and garrison on board, leaving only isolated pockets of resistance, mostly small numbers of terrified Grunts and a few Elites aboard the vessel. However, below the Truth and Reconciliation, in a series of rocky canyons, the Covenant were much stronger in force, with large numbers of Elites augmented by Grunts, Jackals, and Hunters, fighting off the Flood. The Covenant High Command on Installation 04, however, were terrified by the Flood presence. Because the CCS-class battle cruiser had been damaged in a previous space battle with the UNSC Pillar of Autumn, it had been grounded, awaiting repairs for at least two days. After The Flood were discovered to be aboard the battle cruiser, the Covenant High Command sent a Special Operations strike force to the Truth and Reconciliation to commence immediate emergency repairs, prepare it for lift-off into space and neutralize The Flood. These efforts, however, failed, with the Flood eventually retaking the vessel. Later, the remaining UNSC Marine forces on the ring staged an assault on the Flood-held Truth and Reconciliation, and managed to neutralize most Flood forms on the cruiser in a swift assault, and prepared the battle cruiser for take-off with emergency repairs to escape from the ring to Earth. However, there was tremendous risk if the Flood-infected vessel traveled to Earth, if there was even one Flood carrier form aboard, "Earth could fall," according to UNSC AI Wellsley, because of the Flood's exponential parasitic potential. Against orders, Marine officer McKay destroyed the warship with whatever Flood forms were still aboard, killing hundreds of UNSC personnel, including an infected Jenkins, but saving Earth and possibly billions of lives from the Flood.
The Flood appeared to be interested in seizing space-capable vessels, in the hope of spreading itself away from the Installations and into the stars: they attacked the UNSC Pillar of Autumn and CCS Truth and Reconciliation, for this reason. After the UNSC cruiser's crash-landing onto the ring, and after engaging over fifteen enemy warships, it had been taken by the Covenant, although a UNSC raid had managed to temporarily retake the hull. On the third and final day of the Battle of Installation 04, however, the Covenant were in control of the crashed warship when a Covenant patrol was ambushed by the Flood and infected; when it returned into the vessel, the Covenant garrison was attacked by Elite Combat forms. The combat forms were able to scatter before they could all be destroyed, and a steady trickle of Flood continued to enter the Pillar of Autumn through vents and openings in the hull, waging a tedious guerrilla battle against the Covenant security force on board. Eventually, the Sentinels came on board, overwhelming the dwindling Covenant forces as the Flood began to attack the warship in full force, in the end almost completely obliterating the Covenant presence, and severely limiting the Sentinels on board. Despite their best efforts and enormous numbers, the Flood, Covenant, and Sentinels were unable to stop John-117 from detonating the wrecked warship's reactors, and escaping in a C709 Longsword-class Interceptor. The resulting thermonuclear detonation severed the ring world, destroying it and its capability to annihilate all sentient life, and simultaneously killed all remaining Flood on Installation 04, along with any other life forms that were on the ring.
The Flood were also kept in the Forerunner-constructed Threshold Gas Mine, in one of the three peripheral arms of the station. A small Covenant special forces strike team of three Phantoms laden with Special Operations Elites and Grunts, led by Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee and Thel 'Vadamee, were dispatched by the High Prophets. This was to "silence" Sesa 'Refumee, the leader of the Heretics stationed within the mine encouraging dissent against the Prophets. While the force attempted to track down Sesa 'Refumee to assassinate him and destroy his forces, the Heretics, unleashed the Flood that were held within the station, and there was absolutely nothing they could do about it.
Dormant Flood in receptacles housed in the Gas Mine.
During Thel 'Vadamee's pursuit of Sesa 'Refumee, where Thel 'Vadamee neutralized several weapons emplacements. Enemy Banshees, Thel 'Vadamee, Rtas 'Vadumee, along with Spec Ops Elites and Grunts entered a laboratory, while the Heretics deliberately locked the doors: most likely by design, in order to crush the Special Operations force. The Heretics then released the Flood from containment in that arm of the station, locking Thel 'Vadamee and his five allies into a peripheral laboratory, and then besieging them with Infection Forms while Heretics dueled the Flood underneath them.
When that trap failed to annihilate them, instead dealing tremendous damage to the would-be trappers, 'Vadumee retreated to call for reinforcements and coordinate a continued assault while the Arbiter and any remaining allies pursued 'Refumee to a gigantic elevator that ran in the spine of the Flood-infested arm: while presumably used to transport gas conduits, its walls were rampant with ravenous Flood, and it ferried canisters full of Infection Forms. The tenuous, agonizing elevator was nicknamed "A Descent Into Hell". Thel Vadamee's allies were slowly picked off as Flood attacked the elevator, with Sentinels continually hovering overhead and firing lasers into the chaotic fray. Finally, Thel 'Vadamee left the elevator into a second wide laboratory hall, where the Heretics attempted to lock out both Thel 'Vadamee and the Flood. The Heretics' plan was not flawless, however, and handful of Heretic Sangheili were still present in the second laboratory when the Flood entered, these Sangheili were presumably infected while a horrid tide of Infection Forms, Combat Forms, and Carrier Forms lurched into the hall, and Thel 'Vadamee was forced to defend himself against them until the tide stilled and the doors were opened.
The Flood could not be contained in the rooms, however, and attacked both the Covenant assassination force and the Heretics themselves. Their assault was too much for either the Heretics or their attendant Sentinels to contain, and the Flood passed on a pathway between their infested peripheral arm to the central core of the station, where they overwhelmed the Heretics there. Thel 'Vadamee continued to pursue Sesa 'Refumee, but was impeded by large waves of Flood, crushing the outnumbered Heretic Elites, Heretic Grunts, and the ever-dwindling number of Sentinels. Eventually, the Sentinel presence was completely obliterated as the Flood spread to the upper levels of the station. However, Thel 'Vadamee managed to sever the cables that secured the gas mine to its support structure higher in the atmosphere of the gas giant. This caused it to plummet into the maelstrom as the Arbiter tracked down and eliminated the Heretic Leader. While Thel 'Vadamee and 'Refumee were engaged in battle, the Monitor 343 Guilty Spark explained that the act of cutting the cables was a fail safe in case of a Flood outbreak, and that any remaining Flood (and, presumably, remaining Heretics) would be killed once the facility entered the planet's solid Nitrogen core.
The Flood were in search of the Index, a device which would deprive UNSC and Covenant forces from the privilege of assured destruction of the parasite.
Unlike on Installation 04, where the Sentinels had contained the Flood until the Covenant began to meddle with the Forerunner containment measures, on Installation 05, the Flood had been in continual war with the Sentinels since the firing of the Halos 100,000 years ago. Even up to 2552, the Flood were presumably dwindling with no fresh supply of hosts (perhaps they were involved more in hiding than in open warfare). However, like on Installation 04, the fresh suitable host bodies of a newly-arrived Covenant armada and a UNSC strike force fueled the Flood's exponential parasitic capabilities, and Flood infestation increased at a surprisingly rapid rate, and within hours, Sentinel forces were being overrun, causing a risk that the Ring would fall to the parasite.
In order for the activation of the Halos and the facilitation of the ultimate Flood containment measure to occur, a Reclaimer had to retrieve the Index from Installation 05's own Library, making the Library a high-priority target for the Flood: if it could control the Library and prevent any Reclaimer from entering, it would make itself essentially invulnerable. Installation 05's Library was nestled in a tenuous series of wintry and snowy canyons and boasted three levels of defense: an exterior Sentinel Wall kilometers in the distance, an underground honeycombed facility that produced large numbers of Sentinels (that impeded any invaders from advancing), a Containment Shield (an energy shield that denied access by any means to the Library until it was deactivated), and a Quarantine Zone (a type of biological "airlock" to prevent the Flood from spreading any further). This multi-tiered defense was patrolled by hundreds of Sentinels and Sentinel Majors, and several Enforcers.
However, two external forces, the Covenant and the UNSC, wanted the Index as well: the Covenant, to activate the Halos and set off the misinterpreted "sublimation event" of the Great Journey, and the UNSC to secure the Index and prevent the Covenant from doing so. The Covenant sent a Strike Team of Special Operations Elites, commanded by Rtas 'Vadumee, and led into battle by Thel 'Vadamee, to retrieve the Index in a multi-staged assault. However, the Covenant first needed to deactivate the Containment Shield by disconnecting its power generator in the center of the Sentinel Wall.
Previously, a force of Jiralhanaes, Unggoys, and Kig-Yars had been dispatched to complete that operation, but they were overwhelmed by Sentinel defenders and forced into a defensive position instead of an attacking one. Thel 'Vadamee was personally ordered by the Prophet of Truth to find and retrieve the "Sacred Icon" (the Covenant term for the "Index") for the Covenant. Because the Sentinels activated the Containment Shield, he could not be directly air-dropped to the Library; instead, he had to land at the periphery of the Sentinel Wall, disable the generator, and then proceed to deactivate the generator. Tartarus deployed Thel 'Vadamee in a Phantom drop ship, where Thel 'Vadamee entered the first half of the Sentinel Wall, where there was evidence of heavy Covenant casualties and abandoned infrastructure, making his way down through the facility and finally deactivating the Containment Shield.
While the first half of the Sentinel Wall had remained pristine, the second half, the one buttressing the Quarantine Zone, was infested by Flood. Sentinel resistance had been destroyed in some segments of the Flood-Infested Wall, and in heavily infested areas, the Flood appeared to be beginning to terraform the Forerunner facility, spreading murky spores into the air. The UNSC deployed a small number of Marines to fight through the Flood-Infested Wall, but they were quickly overrun. Thel 'Vadamee was able to battle through hundreds of Flood forms that had taken up positions in the Wall, which had entered through wall-mounted conduits, although later, the Covenant deployed a team of three Special Operations Sangheilis in the lower levels of the Flood-infested Wall, although they were killed as well. Finally, Thel 'Vadamee was able to make his way out of the Wall, emerging at the ground levels: the Quarantine Zone.
With the Sentinel Wall compromised by the Covenant and the Flood, and the Containment Shield lowered by Thel 'Vadamee, there was only one last line of Forerunner defenses: the Quarantine Zone. There was a significantly elevated number of Enforcers present, even automated sentinel construction factories flying over watch, and automated factories built into the landscape, each churning out Enforcers and Sentinels, further swelling their numbers even in intense combat. Here, the Flood demonstrated their unusual technical aptitude, commandeering Covenant and UNSC vehicles, possessing dozens of Ghosts, Wraiths, Warthogs, and Scorpions to do battle with the hovering Enforcers. Flood forces also boasted large numbers of Combat Forms, which appeared to infiltrate the Containment Zone by means of gaping chasms that periodically split the ground, emitting a green mist and appearing to be of indefinite depth, perhaps linkages to the Flood-infested underground.
Six Special Operations Elites, along with Rtas 'Vadumee, were airdropped at the periphery of the Quarantine Zone by means of Covenant drop pods, and Thel 'Vadamee joined them, rallying their efforts to secure a landing zone against large numbers of Flood attackers. Using the advantages of elevated ground, Shielded Plasma Cannons, and a Deployable Lookout Tower, the small Special Operations contingent was able to hold an LZ for a Phantom to drop off a Spectre and a pair of Ghosts. Meanwhile, 'Vadumee commanded his men to assist Thel in forging towards the center of the Flood-infested Quarantine Zone, so that Thel 'Vadamee could reach the Library and secure the Sacred Icon.
The Flood, despite a significant vehicular and infantry presence in the Quarantine Zone surrounding the Library, were unable to deny access to the Covenant and the UNSC. Miranda Keyes managed to slip the In Amber Clad through the Forerunner Enforcer patrols, while the Covenant launched a ground borne attack, led by Thel 'Vadamee and involving a small team of Spec Ops Elites, using a gondola to get to the index while attempting to control the gondola and keep it from slipping into Flood or Sentinel hands. Later, In Amber Clad was captured by the Flood.
Spartan-117, who had arrived with Keyes and Johnson, met Thel 'Vadamee for the first time in the clutches of the Gravemind, the central controlling intelligence of the Flood hive, created from the combined intellect of tens of thousands of assimilated corpses. Gravemind attempted to convince Thel 'Vadamee, against his own beliefs, and through the use of the captured Monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent, and the semi-revived Prophet of Regret to not activate the ring. Still unswayed, although in question of his religion, Thel 'Vadamee prompted the Gravemind to show him, by "Stopping the key from turning.", transporting Spartan-117 to High Charity, and Thel 'Vadamee to Delta Halo's Control Room.
Taking advantage of the distraction that Spartan-117's presence caused, as well as the ensuing Covenant Civil War, Gravemind took the opportunity to deliver himself, as well as a multitude of Flood underlings, onto In Amber Clad and then jumped the UNSC ship inside High Charity, whereupon it immediately crashed into the city's superstructure to deliver its infectious cargo, while a wave of Flood-controlled Pelican Dropships delivered Flood all over the city. The ill-equipped and distracted populace was no match for the Flood onslaught, and the Covenant Holy City was quickly overrun, with even the Prophet of Mercy falling victim to an infection form.
The Flood soon spread to every district, and Flood spores began to infiltrate and overload the ventilation systems; the whole city was becoming Terra-formed into a massive Flood Hive. The Gravemind regularly rebutted the words of comfort the Prophet of Truth delivered to the city’s population over the comm system, to sadistically instill more panic and unease. Spartan-117, having successfully stayed in front of the wave of Flood running rampant in the streets, stowed away on the Dreadnought that was leading the Prophet of Truth's fleet to Earth. Cortana, who had to stay behind to manage the situation should Installation 05 be fired, was left in the clutches of the Gravemind, who could potentially learn all possible Human knowledge from her.
UNSC Marines being infected by the Flood.
""Child of my enemy, why have you come? I offer no forgiveness... a father's sins pass to his son.""
""I am a timeless chorus. Join your voice with mine, and sing victory everlasting.""
""Of course, you came for her... We exist together now, two corpses, in one grave.""
At the conclusion of the Battle of Voi, with the Prophet of Truth activating the Artifact and the Jiralhanae fleet escaping to the Ark, a Flood infested Covenant cruiser appeared out of Slipspace, having penetrated the Elite's blockade of High Charity and crash landed into the city of Voi in an effort to spread. In order to prevent the Flood from escaping and infecting the entire planet, Miranda Keyes ordered John-117 to detonate the cruiser's reactors and search the ship for Cortana, causing the city of Voi to be destroyed and the Flood there eliminated. As John-117 and the Thel 'Vadam fought their way to the ship, the Shadow of Intent arrived and deployed Sangheili task force to aid UNSC marines. SPARTAN-117, with the help of the Sangheili, was able to battle through the Flood forces, including the newly encountered Flood Pure Forms to reach the crashed cruiser where he found a message from Cortana. Upon this discovery, 343 Guilty Spark arrived pledging his assistance to the Reclaimers. With the Flood spreading, SPARTAN-117 boarded a Phantom while the Sangheili went on to glass the infected areas. The remaining Sangheili forces, fulfilling their mission of removing the Flood from Earth, retreated back to the Sangheili Carrier, the Shadow of Intent, along with Cortana's message and Guilty Spark.
With the assistance of 343 Guilty Spark, Cortana's message was repaired, revealing a solution to the Flood menace on the Ark. To Lord Hood's disapproval, Miranda Keyes led UNSC forces allied with Thel 'Vadam's and Rtas 'Vadum's Sangheili's through the Portal.
On the Ark, while attempting to lower the shield surrounding the Ark's citadel, the infested High Charity made a Slipspace jump and smashed into the Ark, releasing the Flood inside the structure and causing an infestation on the newly built replacement for the destroyed Installation 04. After retrieving Cortana from the derelict High Charity, SPARTAN-117 was able to kill all Flood present on the Ark and the replacement Installation 04 by activating the unfinished Halo using the Index Cortana retained from the first Halo. The ring's activation also presumably killed the Gravemind. SPARTAN-117 also destroyed High Charity by destroying its reactors, causing them to go critical and killing the billions of Flood that were present when High Charity was destroyed in a huge explosion.
With the Gravemind destroyed, and all the Flood on the Ark gone, it is probable that the Flood still exist on the other Halo rings, excluding Installation 05 (although it is possible that not all of the Flood on Installation 05 left and there are still some there, since Installation 05 was never destroyed), or any other remaining Forerunner Installations. The fact that the Flood were never originally from this galaxy further complicates the issue, and how they arrived leads to more possibilities. It may be that is why the Forerunners preserved some Flood for research on the Halo rings instead of destroying them all, since the Flood would return sooner or later, and it would be better to fight a researched enemy rather than a foreign one. At least for the moment, the Flood are seemingly defeated.
A wall covered in heavy Flood biomass: evidence of advanced infestation.
The Master Chief stepping in Flood Biomass as he enters the Flood infested High Charity.
The only known pathway for Flood reproduction and survival is by the infestation and assimilation of other species. They do this through a form of cellular reproduction known as lysogenic replication where the viral cells infect host cells with their own genetic code which mutates the host cells into viral forms.
Capable of surviving extreme environments ranging from -75 to +53 degrees Celsius and even underwater (in early stages of life), the Flood can withstand harsh environments of all known colonized planets.
It would seem that the Flood can infest any living organism, but that they prefer hosts with a large brain capacity to accelerate the formation and expansion of the Gravemind hive intelligence and the Flood intelligence as a whole. They are only as intelligent as the beings they infect; the more cunning the enemy, the more dangerous the Flood will be.
As the Flood spread and replicate, they will alter the environment to better suit their needs. This takes the form of biomass growing on any available surface, and the air being filled with spores. This appears to be part of the Flood life cycle and is done automatically, and leads to the development of a Gravemind and a Flood Hive.
The Flood seem to thrive in moist and humid areas, which lends itself to the fact the the Quarantine Zone is bereft of organic life, and is cold and perpetually snowy, to hinder the development of the Flood.
Infection forms selectively target other species that possess sentient intelligence and are of sufficient biomass, and can infest living or lightly wounded dead bodies. Infection forms have long tendrils that pierce the skin of the host and find their way to the spinal cord. From here they synchronize with the host, matching frequencies with the host's nervous system and taking over brain functions, completely rewriting the psychology of the creature to the ravenous and voracious psyche of The Flood, although retaining higher-level cognitive abilities, such as combat techniques and technical knowledge which may be useful. However, resistance of the host is completely destroyed, as the original mind's memories are systematically erased, leaving only a simplistic and primal urge to assimilate other species and destroy them. During the early stages of infestation, when the host still retains its original consciousness, there are distinct somatosensory sensations: first the host's extremities grow numb and their lungs feel heavy.
Then, the greater Flood intelligence begins to take over the mind, and sensation becomes increasingly indistinct: the host's vision seems to be "a gauzy white haze", but the host can make out shapes and the host can hear a low droning through the ordeal. Finally, once physiological mutilation occurs, the host can vaguely feel dramatic changes to its own body: the limbs feel to the host as if they are made of a spongy liquid and the lungs itch as well. However, the host can still control their limbs to some extent if the neurological contact with the infection form is weakened. They can use the vocal cords of Jiralhanae's, Humans, and Sangheili's to communicate as well as the moans they use as observed on The Covenant where the drop pod crashes into the third shield tower.
While baseline neurological assimilation is the same regardless of host species, The Flood's infestation includes physiological mutilation, which is species-specific.
Higher-level species capable of combat, such as Humans, Jiralhanae, or Sangheili are selectively infected to become Combat Forms. Combat Forms retain the general profile of their original species, although they are significantly mutated. Organ-based systems' physiology are corrupted, organ-specific functions are decentralized, and body cavities are decayed, making hitbox-selective incapacitation impossible; organ functions are decentralized, thus, decapitation does not down a combat form. Furthermore, highly area-specific munitions, such as sniper rifle projectiles, are completely ineffective, as picking off selective areas of a combat form leads to no wide-scale physiological impediments, and the projectile will punch through the decayed flesh rapidly, exiting through the other side of the combat form without consequence.
Combat forms also generate tentacles very quickly without regard for the skeletal structure of the host, with tentacles protruding from the combat form at odd locations, typically localized to the chest axial regions, such as the neck, armpits, or torso. A single arm is oftentimes mutated to a claw like or tentacle-like structure that splits into multiple angular, hand-like structures replacing the hand's usage, yet it will still be there. The musculature of the combat form dramatically changes as well, and the form is given prodigious arm and leg strength, allowing for heavy blows with its arm-like structures and for incredible speed and jumping height with its legs. The Flood are also prodigious climbers, able to scamper on walls with little hindrance to the organism . Metabolic requirements, however, appear to be extreme on the organism: blood vessels become extremely prominent on the surface of the Combat Form, with thick and distinct blood-colored vessels spawning all across the creature's surface, most prominently so on the head.
A Marine being attacked by an Infection Form.
There is no confirmed way to effectively stop a Flood infection when an Infection Form attacks a host. However, two possible exceptions are known. One of which is to contract the fictitious disease "Boren's Syndrome", a neurological condition where radiological exposure causes electrical anomalies in the host nervous system that is actually caused by biologically enhancing drugs, such as those used in the ORION Project. The neural frequencies of the host are scrambled, although without major negative manifestations to the host. However, it has been suggested that during Flood infection, the infection form is unable to tap into the host's nervous system to kill them. It is unable to proceed to a large-scale physiological mutation, not understanding why. Although Flood DNA is sliced into host DNA, even imparting the host with increased regenerative capabilities. Avery J. Johnson, having Boren's Syndrome, escaped the containment facility where The Flood attacked two squads of UNSC Marines. However the Boren's Syndrome was to cover his past in the ORION Project, and that the Boren's Syndrome explanation was invented to hide it. In the novel Halo: The Flood, Cortana uses an electrical charge which she generates from Master Chief's suit to destroy an infection form that was attempting to infect him.
While Boren's Syndrome left untreated may leave the victim immune to the Flood, leaving it untreated usually equates to death within a couple of years. There is said to be a one in a billion chance that research, from someone so inflicted with Boren's Syndrome in a way that they cannot be infected, could be carried on to produce a cure.
Since the Flood is a parasitic life form, they depend on other organisms for survival. Thus, the only logical foolproof way to eliminate them permanently is to take away their food sources. The Forerunners attempted this by bombing large population centers, but this was seen as one of their last resorts and as such was performed too late in the war to make much difference. The absolute last resort was the use of the Halo installations, which effectively destroyed all life in the galaxy and starved the Flood. However, the Forerunners' plan included some measures to preserve sentient life and return them to their home planets, allowing the Flood's "food source" to persist, while at the same time specimens were kept for analysis on Halo Installations, allowing the threat of the Flood to be merely forestalled, not eradicated.
Environmental stimuli seem to have an effect on Flood metabolism. Halo installations typically artificially incorporate low temperature into environments suffering Flood outbreak and to create natural obstacles to Flood progress, regarded as Quarantine zones. At least one Flood Research Facility used low temperatures to keep its specimens inactive and dormant as it studied them. This may be the reasoning behind keeping Installation Control Rooms in low degree weather, impeding their occupation by the Flood. The Flood are also vulnerable to temperatures on the other end of the spectrum. Plasma weapons will burn through them, as well as Sentinel Beams, indicating that the Forerunners had determined energy weapons to be the best 'basic countermeasure' available to fight the Flood. It may be a side-effect of the Flood's conversion of the body into biomass, breaking down cellular integrity and increasing flammability.
The Flood go through four distinct developmental changes.
Intergalactic is the last known stage the Flood enters, theoretically, in which it utilizes all captured technology to depart to uninfected galaxies to further replicate. It is assumed that the Flood that had arrived in the Milky Way had descended from Intergalactic level Flood.
The basic Flood form is the infection form, unique in its distinctive spherical shape. The infection form is used to infect organisms of other species, physically adhering to their surfaces and inserting tentacles, forcibly "hacking" into its host's nerve system, completely changing its psychology to that of the Flood's, and eventually physiologically mutating it into one of the various parasitic Flood forms of whomever the victim may be.
The Flood emphasizes "numerical superiority" in engagements and also aggressive swarming tactics.
While possessing an unusual sentient intelligence, with Combat Forms still retaining extremely high-level cognitive functions such as vehicular operation, lower level cognitive abilities, precise dexterity, and overall battlefield tactics, are notably lacking in the Flood, especially in their psychological and combat behavior. While the Gravemind coordinates Flood strategy on a galactic scale, small encounters are not coordinated between individual Flood warriors.
The Flood follow a zealous and ravenous strategy with little target selectivity, aggressively attacking all hostiles in range. Furthermore, Flood tactics are based primarily on asymmetrical warfare: the Flood uses all types of its different forms to kill the enemies that it sees. Usually the Infection, Combat, Carrier, and Tank Forms rush the enemy and attempt to quickly eliminate them. The Ranged Forms try to support their zealous comrades with ranged attacks. The Stalker Forms attempt to transform into a Tank or Ranged Form. The Combat Forms also utilize any weapon that they have picked up. While this strategy is observed to be a Zerg Rush, they aren't completely suicidal, since they usually dodge dangerous ordnance.
The Flood have a strong preference for close-range combat: combat forms possess abnormally strong melee attacks by whipping their tentacles, capable of dropping a SPARTAN-II MJOLNIR armor’s shields in half with a single hit. Carrier forms cause tremendous devastation at close ranges, and their explosions are extremely devastating to friends and foes alike at close range, with the added benefit of disseminating infection forms in the immediate vicinity of enemies. Infection forms are capable of attacking only at point-blank ranges, exploding in damaging bursts when meeting an opponent's personal energy shields or instantly grabbing hold of an unshielded enemy organism and infecting it. Combat forms can also use firearms, and have been seen clutching them in one of their hands (regardless of whether it is one-handed or two-handed). However, combat forms are extremely poor warriors at range with ranged weaponry: it is believed that the neurological ramifications of Flood infection significantly decrease accuracy, as well as weapon recoil if held in only one hand. The Flood are mostly only dangerous with heavy weaponry, such as the M19 Rocket Launcher or the M90 Shotgun, and are curiously ill skilled with close-quarters weapons such as the Energy Sword. However, it is still possible that a Flood with a Energy Sword can kill a fully shielded Elite or Spartan in one blow.
However, as mentioned previously, the Flood demonstrates a curious higher intelligence despite their poor combat aptitude and coordination. The Flood collectively learn any general information a species possess, even if only one member of that species is assimilated. For example, during the ill-fated raid on the Infinite Succor, after even one Sangheili was assimilated, all the Flood could open any doors and access any system on the ship immediately afterward, demonstrating that the Flood can share collective knowledge across their species. Furthermore, when the Flood assimilated the Prophet Legate, the Flood reflected the high-level knowledge of the Legate through its individual organisms to Special Operations Commander Rtas 'Vadumee, mocking him with the words, "the Forerunner could not defeat us...what chance you?". The Flood, however, reflect unusual knowledge in the individual psychologies of its individual species in processes facilitating increased infestation: The Flood were sighted gathering bodies in the corners of the Covenant ship Truth and Reconciliation, perhaps making it easier for Infection Forms to find hosts to reanimate. The Flood were also gathering body parts for a new Brain Form aboard the Infinite Succor.
Typical Flood combat behavior: ravenously targeting the nearest enemy, with infection forms running ahead of combat and carrier forms.
Flood Combat forms have been sighted crudely operating Ghosts, Warthogs, Wraiths, and Scorpions in ground operations, although with slow deliberation and clumsy driving and accuracy. The assimilated crewmen of the UNSC Frigate In Amber Clad were also able to initiate a Slipspace micro-jump for the frigate and perform rudimentary maneuvering of the In Amber Clad, navigating the frigate from the atmosphere of Delta Halo to High Charity and then crashing the vessel into a tower, releasing Pelican dropships to rain down upon the capital.
The Flood's millennium of existence are believed to have made the assimilation process unusually brief: creatures killed in a short firefight can be reanimated within seconds to minutes by an infection form, and live creatures can be mutated into fully grown and mentally devious combat forms within minutes of contact. The mutations can occur randomly, or uniformly: according to the Halo Graphic Novel, they can sometimes develop into engorged combat forms notably larger than the normal combat form, or can alarmingly grow thick shells within minutes, indicating that the Flood can facilitate tremendous and exaggerated metabolic activity during the physiological mutilation. Furthermore, in rare cases, the mutations can constantly shift: when Rtas 'Vadumee battled his comrade-turned-combat form Bero 'Kusovai aboard the Infinite Succor, 'Kusovai continued to mutate throughout the duration of the battle. Though never seen, it can be assumed infection forms were involved in infecting victims in this case. Before being killed to prevent his becoming a Flood, one of the Sangheili accompanying Rtas 'Vadumee appears to have a wound in his chest that may have been the entry point for an infection form. Many of the Flood on the Succor seemed to constantly be mutating the infected biomass and also seemed to merge them together. This suggests the possibility that over time any infected host can mutate further and further, as exemplified by the Brain Form or the Gravemind and different versions of the Combat Form.
It is best to use the MA5B Assault Rifle, Shotgun, or M6D Pistol against the Flood. The pistol is capable of killing a combat form with a single shot to the chest, but is generally not recommended for mass engagement, as its medium rate of fire and small magazine size can lead the player into a position where they are surrounded by Combat Forms, therefore, it is best to only apply it in long-range combat. Furthermore, Combat Forms have a tendency to revive after being shot once with a pistol. The Plasma Rifle is also a good weapon of choice to use (if the assault rifle/shotgun are unavailable) as its high rate of fire can quickly destroy infection forms while still being potent enough to destroy the combat forms.
The Sniper Rifle is ineffective against the combat forms and will not kill them. The Shotgun, on the other hand, is the best choice against Flood Forms, as it usually finishes them off in one or two shots, especially Combat or Carrier Forms. On lower difficulties, Shotgun ammo is almost always available.
The Assault Rifle, an all-round effective weapon with large spread range, is superb against masses of combat forms and infection forms. Never bother to melee Combat Forms or Carrier Forms, as it is practically useless and very time consuming. For infection forms however, a single melee can take down four to five of them.
All in all, the most practical option is to have a shotgun for close-up/quick work, and a Pistol or Assault Rifle for longer range. The pistol is most useful for the level Two Betrayals, while the Assault Rifle/Plasma Rifle is preferred on The Library due to the levels cramped nature.
It is possible to shoot the arms off of Combat Forms (alive or dead). Dismembered Combat Forms pose no threat. This works well on the level Keyes.
Dual wielding SMGs and other dual-wielding weapons has proven to be very effective, as well as the Sentinel Beam, Shotgun and Energy Sword. Plasma Pistols, however, are the least useful. Dual-wielding Plasma Rifles, and aiming at the arms of the Flood is more than enough to rip them apart easily. The arms will come off quickly and therefore leave the combat form, quite literally, unarmed. They will waddle about and explode after a few seconds. There is also a way of killing combat forms in one shot. On the chest, you can see the infection form's tentacles waving about. This is where the infection form has burrowed. Shoot the infection form, and unless the combat form is utilizing shields, the combat form will die.
The SMG is also an excellent weapon against the Flood, as long as ammo is in large supply. Also effective is the BR55 Battle Rifle, as aiming for the Infection Form in the chest of a Combat Form will kill the Infection Form controlling it in a single burst. It is often a good idea to use the Brute Shot's melee, as it will have the same effect as an Energy sword on Combat Forms; it will destroy the body and prevent Infection Forms from reanimating it. For one of the best combos, use Dual SMGs for Combat and Infection Forms, and keep a Shotgun in reserve. Another highly effective combo is to carry a Battle Rifle for engaging the Flood at long ranges and carrying a Shotgun for when you don't have enough time to be precise with your aim. A good strategy on The Oracle is to dual wield a pair of Needlers, you can usually do this without running out of ammo. Also, don't let the infection forms touch you if you have no shields; otherwise, they will kill you instantly.
The Incendiary Grenade instantly destroys all pure Flood forms and is the one true weakness of all pure Flood forms, as well as its Support Weapon counterpart the Flamethrower. Also, all forms can be instantly destroyed with a melee, with the exception of the Pure Forms, which cannot be revived anyway when killed. There is also a way of killing combat forms in one shot. On the chest, you can see the infection form's tentacles waving about. This is where the infection form has burrowed. Shoot the infection form, and unless the combat form is utilizing shields, the combat form will die. However, the corpse will be susceptible to infection by another infection form unless the body is in fragments.
Their tactics on Halo Wars are very similar to those they perform on the Halo Trilogy; they can obviously infect Humans, Elites, Brutes and now even Jackals and Grunts with their Infection Forms, and usually attempt direct attacks with large groups. They possess large tentacle-like Flood forms and large pods that can pin in and attack vehicles, in the case of the Elephants they capture, which is an in-game objective to rescue in the first level where are encountered in-game. The Flood establish bases by capturing and spreading an infestation on enemy bases.
The Flood have been confirmed by Ensemble to have been made overpowering to both UNSC and Covenant forces to keep their appearance terrifying. Early in development, Ensemble considered making the Flood a playable race, but this idea never made it past the concept stage. According to lead designer Graeme Devine, the main issue was that in order to balance the Flood with the UNSC and Covenant, the Flood would have to have been similar to StarCraft's Zerg, which did not mesh with the Flood's role in the games, to be "the single scariest thing in the galaxy."
The Flood can make screeches and roars, which were not present in the first game.
Skin is more textured, giving the Flood a more realistic and disgusting look. The faces of the human forms are also more readily recognizable.
If a Combat Form has both arms shot off, it will walk slowly then explode, releasing an Infection Form. This eliminated the Flood Buddy glitch.
Rather than having to "gather bodies," the Flood can seemingly infect hosts over the course of a few minutes or even a few seconds.
Rather than corpses re-animating themselves, an Infection Form will enter the body, then re-animate it.
If a player is jumped by an Infection Form while their shields are down, they will die instantly. In Halo: Combat Evolved, it would simply take a bar of health away.
Some Combat Forms derived from Elites still have functional energy shields.
The Gravemind is introduced, making the Flood a more significant faction in the series.
The Flood can use vehicles, albeit clumsily.
The melee attack does little to no damage against the Flood in Halo: Combat Evolved. It does a bit more damage in Halo 2.
The Flood appears to be "smarter" when in combat, preferring to stay back and fire on the player rather then "rush" him/her.
In Halo: Combat Evolved a Combat Form would walk slowly when shooting at the player. When losing the arm that shoots, it would go "berserk": charging at the player, madly flailing its arms. In Halo 2, the combat forms can "decide" whether to use a melee attack or to shoot at the player.
If a player is wielding an Energy Sword or Shotgun, a Combat Form may retreat. They will not do this if a player is wielding other weapons.
A Juggernaut Form was put in, but was not placed in any accessible area of the game, although it was kept on the disc.
Unlike Halo: Combat Evolved, shooting one Infection form will not result in the rest of the swarm exploding with it, although there is a significant decrease in their number.
Elite Combat Forms do not have the active camouflage anymore.
Flood Combat Forms do not "feign death" anymore.
Flood Combat Forms can board your vehicle, and then will proceed to melee the player.
Brutes may now be infected and transformed into Combat Forms.
Melee attacks and plasma weapons were nearly useless in Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2, but now can be used effectively against the Flood.
Also, any weapon can be used to dismember Combat Forms, either by melee or shooting. A realistic touch, considering the Flood's weak, rotten flesh. Thus, all Combat Forms are significantly easier to kill.
Infection Forms can mutate humans, unshielded Elites and Brutes into Combat Forms in a matter of seconds.
Pure forms are introduced, consisting of the Tank Form, the Stalker Form, and the Ranged Form. In addition, the Flood Growth Pods and Flood Dispersal Pods can be seen in the eighth Campaign mission, "Cortana."
Gravemind has the ability to speak through his minions during combat.
Combat Forms wield weapons far less than in both Halo: Combat Evolved and Halo 2.
Carrier Forms release significantly more Infection Forms when they explode. The explosion does not push the player away much as in Halo: CE and Halo 2. In addition, Carrier Forms are significantly more difficult to kill with projectile weapons, but they are easily destroyed by plasma weapons.
If an Infection Form hits you while your shield is down it will not only make a crunching noise, but also it will most likely kill you on higher difficulties.
Running over Infection Forms in a vehicle can result in a bumpy ride. The Infection Form that was hit by the vehicle will not pop.
Carrier forms will blow up and no infection forms will come out if it is hit by an incendiary weapon, a Plasma Grenade, or Spike Grenade.
In Elite forms at least, Flood Combat Forms no longer push back the heads of their victims. In fact, the Elite's head now moves with the form as if the Flood actually use it now. In addition, Flood Combat Forms have more tentacles than before, and resemble spikes rather than flexible appendages.
Infection forms are somewhat "chubbier" if compared to the trilogy version.
Grunts and Jackals are now able to be converted to Combat forms.
The Infection Forms don't "explode" when they are shot in the cinematics.
There are many new forms of Flood introduced in the campaign.
Carrier Forms don't always explode upon death.
Part of the Flood's Binomial nomenclature, Inferi, is Latin for "The Dead", and could be a reference to Roman mythology, as this was their name for the Netherworld and it's inhabitants. Inferi means 'The Dead' and Redivivus means 'renovated, reconstructed, rebuilt or recycled' so literally Inferi redivivus means 'The Dead Reconstructed'.
The Flood bear a strong visual resemblance to an enemy cut from Marathon 2, the “fungal zombie.” They were to be the result of a bioweapon invented in the final days of the ancient S'pht and reused by Robert Blake's forces on Lh'owon, designed specifically to target Pfhor. Both the fungal zombies and Flood were principally designed by Robert McLees.
There is a species of fungi that is frighteningly similar to the Flood, the Cordyceps unilateralis. They attack carpenter ants and take over their neural system in order to make the ants go to high places. By the time it gets there, it's been rotted from the inside out like a Flood host and it releases spores from that vantage point.
In a PC World article, the Flood was voted as #31 of the top 47 "most diabolical video game villains of all time."
The Flood was inspired by Christopher Rowley's The Vang.
In Halo: The Flood, Master Chief was attacked by an infection form while his shields were low. The infection form had slit the under parts of his armour, exposing his neck, and almost tapped his spinal cord. If not for the quick use of an electrical shock by Cortana to kill the form, Spartan-117 would have been infected like many before him.
The name "the Flood" is a biblical reference to the Great Flood in which God destroyed all life except for that which was carried by Noah's Ark.
In Halo 2 combat forms will go berserk if you kill their allies near them. They drop their weapon and charge at the nearest enemy.
↑ The Heretic: Thel 'Vadamee: "Noble Hierarchs, surely you understand that once the parasite attacked-"
This article uses material from the "Flood" article on the Halo wiki at Wikia and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License.


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The Learning Support Centre (LSC) aims to encourage pupils, build their self-esteem and set them on the road to independent learning. By having high expectations and developing positive working relationships, we aim to maximise the opportunities and successes of the pupils.
The LSC is well resourced, with an extensive range of programmes to support and promote learning; it is based in the main building of the school adjacent to the library and is easily accessible for both Prep and Senior School pupils.
Pupils with Specific Learning Differences (SpLD) are able to receive support from a dedicated team of fully qualified specialist teachers, experienced in assessing and teaching pupils with dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia and other specific difficulties. For those pupils who need more specific intervention, there is an established network of external agencies who are able to provide specialist advice and support where necessary.
All pupils follow programmes that are structured to match their individual needs to develop literacy and, where necessary, numeracy skills. In the Prep School, the focus is on developing reading and spelling skills through the delivery of a tailor-made, multi-sensory, cumulative programme of intervention. In Years 7 and 8, the focus is on literacy skills, grammar and punctuation. In Year 9 attention turns to the skills of independent study and learning as pupils begin preparing for the GCSEs they will take in Year 11. In Years 10 and 11, more emphasis is placed on supporting pupils with their individual GCSE subject choices and helping them develop skills, to encourage and support independent learning. Areas such as study skills, learning styles, revision strategies and examination techniques permeate every year group.
There is an additional charge for Learning Support services.

industry_corpus2: Subject Education


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Before shopping online, make sure you thinking it by carefully and that you recognize all of the doable pitfalls. 10.7 If the Customer fails to honour his or her payment obligations, or if any quantities paid are reverse-charged, Springer shall be entitled to block the Customer’s entry to the Online Shop and, if relevant, to SpringerLink, whereas at the identical time reserving the suitable to assert additional claims.
Quick on-line buying of a large range of merchandise & providers as a registered customer. By no means send cash or give credit card or online account details to anybody you don’t know or belief. Uncover the entire advantages accessible exclusively to you: like our Click on&Accumulate service that allows you to make your purchases on-line and to collect them in retailer, free of charge.
Because the revenues from online gross sales continued to develop significantly researchers identified various kinds of web shoppers, Rohm & Swaninathan 4 identified four classes and named them “convenience buyers, variety seekers, balanced patrons, and retailer-oriented buyers”.
The better on-line procuring and auction websites have detailed criticism or dispute dealing with processes in case something goes flawed. The social media primarily based retailer is very new and promoting merchandise at very low prices. A Federal Trade Fee (FTC) rule requires sellers to ship objects as promised or inside 30 days after the order date if no particular date is promised.
Michael Aldrich , pioneer of on-line buying in the Eighties. One of the best ways to detect an fake dealer or social media on-line buying scam is to search for critiques earlier than purchasing. The Internet shopping option must be activated separately in case of each new card.

industry_corpus2: Computing & Telecommunications


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Merchants of Doubt tells the story of how a loose-knit group of high-level scientists and scientific advisers, with deep connections in politics and industry, ran effective campaigns to mislead the public and deny well-established scientific knowledge over four decades. Remarkably, the same individuals surface repeatedly-some of the same figures who have claimed that the science of global warming is "not settled" denied the truth of studies linking smoking to lung cancer, coal smoke to acid rain, and CFCs to the ozone hole. "Doubt is our product," wrote one tobacco executive. These "experts" supplied it.
Whats Bad Science? Who Decides?

industry_corpus2: Literature & Emotions


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Yesterday we reported on widespread AMP errors with Google Search Console and Google mobile search. As we suspected, it was an issue on Google's end - not an issue with the the configuration on the webmasters/developers end. At least, in this particular case, there is nothing for you to do - Google will fix it on their end.
John Mueller from Google said on Twitter this morning "This was an issue on our side, and should be resolved in the meantime." "You should see the error-counts going down again automatically, no need to do anything special for this particular case," he added.
It may take some time for the reports to resolve themselves, so give it 5 days or so. After that, you may want to address any lingering AMP issues you see after the bulk of your AMP errors go away.


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Are you getting married soon? Or have you recently been dubbed the Maid of Honor and are at once delighted and petrified? Or are you simply an undeniable wedding enthusiast who seeks updates on the latest and greatest?
Enter Main Stage, help yourself to a front-row seat, and get swept up by Tom Noel’s latest masterpiece. Tom, a passionate wedding-planning guru – or, rather, Director – has been enlivening the industry for 30+ years.
We’d all like to think that a wedding – especially our own – would come together seamlessly, playing out like a perfected Broadway production. Planning a wedding is all about the personal details – the moments that convey exactly the type of relationship you’re in – and by breaking down the elements of a wedding, Tom wants to show you just how that beautiful intention can be accomplished.
A wedding is indeed a once-in-a-lifetime monumental event, one that has no do-overs.
That being said, Tom’s goal is that your wedding become a perfect memory, a tribute to your most treasured milestones, and a beautiful imprint of a forever-life-changing event.
One of the best ways to illuminate a stage comes from nature. Outdoor weddings set the ultimate scene. Whether the wedding is on an expansively green and lush lawn, an elegant Napa Valley vineyard, or a tropical and breezy beach, the atmosphere will be set to positively heighten everyone’s senses. This sets the stage by pulling everyone into a world where the beautiful, simple, and natural things are the most enduring, and that is where you want your love to be displayed to your guests. Get the most out of all that nature has to offer. The birds, the bees, the flowers and the trees are all bonuses of the bounty that the outdoors embody. In Tom’s view, nature is the best backdrop – richer and more fulfilling than any man-made object.
Another thing to consider – the SEASON of your event. Embrace your inner Goldilocks! Don’t settle for any time that is too hot or too cold. This is your perfect day; don’t settle for anything but the ideal temperature.
Tom suggests to put on your production in the Fall or the Spring, both of which happen to be the most popular wedding seasons and require advanced planning. Aside from both seasons being more moderately tempered in comparison to Winter and Summer, they both signify changing seasons. Themes of rebirth and renewal are often inspired by Spring. Lilac blossoms signify ongoing hope and renewal. In Fall, we can bask upon the radiance of the changing foliage we see during this time of the year. This is a time to savor the bounty and provision we’ve been afforded, a time for itemizing our blessings and recounting our joys. Likewise, weddings hallmark a change in life… from flying solo to joining our soul-mate.
Every set must have COLOR. Colors set the tone, and serve to effectively record the memory of your wedding. Embrace your favorite color, and use it to punctuate the moment. Tom suggests to stick with your favorite, to set a spirited thematic feel, from flowers to tablecloth. Narrow down your dream scheme to one color, and run with all of its tones, shades and hues.
And, how about an encore for the DJ, or live music? Another way to burn the memory of the wedding is to add this audible element, replaying the songs that have strung together the many moments you’ve spent getting to know your soul-mate.
A wedding should be an extension of who you and your partner are: your personalities, sense of humor, your ways of seeing and sense of being. The bride and groom are the lead actors, whose love creates the look and feel of the wedding. Your love is inspiring and should color every detail of the wedding.
Your performance raises eyebrows, encourages wide smiles, and inspires many tears. Treasure your platform, and try to walk down the aisle like you own it.
LOVE is one of the most liberating risks. It’s flying through the air without looking down. It’s filled with uplifting enthusiasm, in which you take that leap of faith. If your love were the only thing needed to plan a wedding though, this would be an easy task. However, Tom recognizes that your wedding has more players to take into account than just you and your loved one.
You must have enough tables and chairs to accommodate your guests, or cast members. Also, let your cast members participate by giving them something to clap to. From champagne toasts to speeches all around, encourage all forms of expression – aside from that one drunk relative’s crazy antics; We can live without that. The interactions between you and your guests will lend to a more intimate environment, one that will create even more lovely memories of this day.
Exchange your vows, take your bows. Embrace the applause, and savor the celebration between belly laughs and salty tears. Bravo – you’ve put on the perfect play.

industry_corpus2: Hospitality & Catering


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In der Nähe des historischen Zentrums, 2 Zimmer, Küche, Bad, Wohnzimmer, Balkon.
Nur 700 m vom historischen Zentrum von Malcesine, in einer sehr ruhigen und bequem zu erreichen.
mit 2 Schlafzimmer, 1 Badezimmer, Wohnzimmer und Küche. Reservierte Parkplätze.
Nur 700 m vom historischen Zentrum von Malcesine, in einer sehr ruhigen und verkehrsgünstige Lage zu erreichen.
Mit 2 Schlafzimmer, 1 Badezimmer, Wohnzimmer und Küche. Privater Parkplatz.
Apartment was exactly as described with amazing view of lake. The host Cinzia provided excellent communication and would be more than happy to stay here again.
Steven and Lisa are very nice and very willing to communicate. They only stayed 2 days, I hope they will return in the future.
Thank you for choosing my apartment!
Our host Cinzia was nice and helpful. The apartment is modern, comfortable and clean. Highly recommended.
Great views of the lake. Very clean apartment with everything needed. Great host, very helpful.
We had a great stay. The apartment is only a short walk from town. It is in a great elevated location with magic views across the lake. There is a fantastic pool available. The apartment is very bright and clean and has a balcony to sit out on and enjoy the view. Cinzia the host was lovely and picked us up on check out to take us to the ferry. She also leant us a pram and a shopping cart to help when going to the market.
A great apartment to relax in away from the busy laneways of Malcesine.
you are a beautiful family !


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Golden HSE is HSE’s main prize. It was first awarded in 2001. The prize categories have changed over the years but always recognize the best teachers, researchers, and graduates, as well as people who have made significant contributions to the university’s development. HSE staff members nominate the candidates and choose the winners so the award provides the perfect opportunity to express our gratitude to colleagues and show appreciation for their work. This year, the awards ceremony will be held on November 27, 2018.
The jury selects short-listed nominees. The short list is published on the website.
Candidates in all categories except ‘Silver Nestling’ and ‘HSE Lyceum Teaching Success’ may be nominated by subdivisions (either independently or jointly) and student organizations, as well as groups of at least 3 employees of HSE. Self-nomination is not permitted.
Candidates for the ‘Silver Nestling’ category may be nominated by groups of at least 3 HSE faculty members.
Candidates for the ‘School Teaching Success’ category may be nominated by groups of at least 3 HSE Lyceum or HSE's affiliated school staff members.
Previous year winners of Golden HSE award cannot be nominated in the same category the following year.
Short-listed nominees and winners of the ‘Silver Nestling’ category are selected by a special jury comprised of representatives from HSE Moscow’s faculties, the University’s regional campuses, and the HSE Lyceum.
Winners in all other categories and subcategories shall be decided by Contest Committee.


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Kimmel Racing had 2 cars at the ARCA Test in Datyona. Will Kimmel had a great test in the #68, while Chris Brown and Fain Skinner had great test runs in the #69.
Two cars are being finished for the ARCA Daytona test this weekend.
Please check ARCA website and Will Kimmel Racing website for updates.

industry_corpus2: Sports


text: Uta: Search homes, houses and land by Uta in Spring Valley NY. You can views homes and houses by distance, price, bedroom, bathrooms and square footage. Use the ?Near by? feature to find real estate for sale near a location in Spring Valley NY including schools, restaurants, local attractions and more!

industry_corpus2: Real Estate & Construction


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Want to sell books online? There are many sites where you can list your books for sale. Here are our top 12 (in alphabetical order), with some details about their size, fees, and other requirements.
Please note: The bookseller terms and fees listed below are not complete, and may change. We accept no responsibility for the accuracy of these details; please check with each site for complete and up-to-date information.
AntiqBook‘s slogan is “fine books, fair prices.” They hold booksellers to a high standard. Based in the Netherlands; 250,000 searches daily.
Biblio, Inc.“>Biblio, Inc. was founded in 2003 and is independently owned. This company is dedicated to giving customers and booksellers alike excellent service, and to charitable works. (There’s also a UK site, Biblo.co.uk.) Offers a choice of two different fee schedules.
first fee schedule: 15% commission per item sold ($.50 minimum and $40 maximum), with no monthly fee.
shopping cart; they will process sales for you, or you can choose to process your own; their credit card processing cost varies but is something like 4.5% plus $0.25 per transaction.
Bibliophile is based in Switzerland with a few hundred booksellers located around the globe, but mostly in the UK, US, South Africa and Australia.
the Independent Online Booksellers Association is a trade organization founded in 1999, for reputable booksellers who sell online. The site lists books from a portion of IOBA’s 300-plus members.
Livre Rare Book Based in France, with booksellers worldwide.
website available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.
Maremagnum is based in Milan, Italy. Its sellers are located worldwide. Sellers must ship within 2 days.
Scribblemonger is US-based and includes about 300 worldwide booksellers, most of whom are located in the United States.
commission: 5% commission on sales with a maximum of $5.00 per item.
TomFolio is a co-op, founded in 1999, whose members must adhere to a code of ethics. They offer books from booksellers from the United States and a handful of other countries, along with a small selection of antiques and collectibles. You can optionally buy into the co-op by purchasing a share.
Bookzangle (established in 2004 as World Book Market, and recently renamed), is focused on “quality of books and quality of service.” Based in Australia, booksellers are based in the UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.
Gold: not yet available; price to be determined. Up to 250,000 books; no commission.
AbeBooks was established way back in 1996, making it one of the first sites of its type, and it is one of the biggest. Amazon now owns ABE.
Alibris has been online since 1998 and offers many millions of books offered by thousands of booksellers. It is the largest independently-owned book marketplace and they are involved in several social responsibility campaigns. Offers DVDs, too. There’s also a UK site.
Alibris has two fee schedules.
Basic: no monthly fee; $19.99 yearly fee; list up to 1000 items; $15% commission + $1 per item sold.
Gold: $19.99 and up per month, depending on number of books listed; 15% commission.
For both options, there is a $19.99 sign-up fee, a minimum $0.50 commission and a maximum of $60.
Also assesses a “variable closing fee” on each sale, of $0.80-$1.25. Lots of fees at Alibris!
Where have you sold your books? Do you have any advice or feedback about any of these selling venues? Please add a comment below.
Sahat, I understand that it’s hard to sell books. Unfortunately, though, Empty Mirror doesn’t sell books — it’s just a literary website.
I am a novel writer and my novel has been marketed in various online bookstores in many countries. But the sales results are disappointing. Does your bookstore have privileges ??
As regards appraisals, you can probably come up with pretty accurate figure yourself by using a combination of bookscouter (there is a scanning app.) and Addall. Use Addall for antiquarian and rare books. Bookscouter gives you prices book buyers will pay for books in good or better condition. Sales rank on Amazon is a big factor regarding what they will pay but there are some books which are penny books on Amazon, which can be sold to buyers on books outer, for 2-4 dollars , sometimes more. These are usually larger text book sellers with direct ties to University book store sales. Also, as far as sales venues, it is still very hard, if not impossible to either ignore, or beat, the biggest elephant in the room… Amazon. I understand. If someone may not like them but realistically they both dominate and dictate the used book market. Not using them as a selling resource puts a vendor seriously behind from the start. They also buy a number of used books directly for Amazon credit.
Another easy way to sell back books, especially textbooks, is to use textbook buyback companies. I’ve used Mybookcart.com in the past, they pay well, and the shipping for my books is free.
Donna, thanks for your comment. Contacting a qualified book appraiser is a good idea. Both dealer and non-dealer appraisers can certainly make good appraisals.
As mentioned in the article, I do not recommend selling to the book dealer who provides the appraisal. And indeed it’s a conflict of interest for a dealer who makes an appraisal to also make a purchase offer.
Under the section on finding out how much your books might be worth, you suggest “get an appraisal”. However, your advice is to “contact a local bookseller who offers appraisals. Check your local phone directory under “books, used – dealers” to find an appraiser.” As a full-time accredited appraiser (International Society of Appraisers), I offer qualified appraisals, either for Fair Market Value [e.g., when donating] or Replacement Value [for insurance coverage, or damage claims]. I can also help to broker a sale and estimate what the most likely Marketable Cash Value is likely to be, depending on supply & demand, condition, and what the market is doing. So it would be nice if you could suggest getting an appraisal from an Appraiser. Dealers tend to low-ball values, particularly if they want to buy. But then you probably knew that. Thanks for listening.


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As we sat down on a cold, damp Monday afternoon in October it became evident those Monday afternoon blues would be blown away. We were there to review submissions made by chambers, Inns, organisations and Specialist Bar Associations as part of the profession-wide Certificate of Recognition for Wellbeing at the Bar.
Far too often these days we read news of vile acts committed by one human-being against another. Daily it appears we have reports of workplace harassment. The lack of respect for another’s wellbeing such daily news stories demonstrate leaves a terrible taste. For some members of the Bar this is part of their daily working life.
It was therefore a refreshing privilege to read dozens of inspirational examples of Wellbeing at the Bar in action. These salutary stories stand as a beacon of light.
We feel there is something here for everyone. No matter how small or large the organisation, nor what resources are available, the submissions we were discussing provided learning for all.
Some contributors are already leading the way in Wellbeing at the Bar. Others are taking their first steps on their own wellbeing journey. These steps are firm and certain. Every single step in every single submission awarded a Certificate of Recognition has the potential to deliver positive results.
The leadership roles already taken by some organisations including the IBC, Chancery Bar Association and Middle Temple jumped right out of the page. Their innovation and commitment will reap rewards for the whole profession.
Despite the diverse range of submissions as a group we felt there were some strong themes to emerge.
The positive ethos of “members looking out for each other”. Clerk and barristers helping each other through structured mentoring schemes, or initiatives like QEB’s active listening approach. These inclusive schemes are for all members of chambers and targeted at each stage of their careers. Also ably demonstrated at Henderson Chambers.
Use of policy and frameworks to guide the way. Maitland Chamber’s Framework Risk Assessment was one of a number of examples of good practice in this area.
The business case for implementing wellbeing was particularly well set out by St John’s Building rising to the challenge of their geographic spread. Their new choir will be singing about it for a long time. Elsewhere, there were even reports of wellbeing being used as a marketing opportunity by some chambers.
The great outdoors of chambers –While some opted for running clubs – this would have been a little too fast for a couple of us in the room on that damp Monday evening – Ropewalk’s ramble appealed.
The level of investment shown by some was frankly amazing. Free gym memberships, 24-hour helplines and the time to develop a full policy are not cheap, however the business cases were all clear. Other submissions demonstrated that a lack of resources is not a barrier to making a quick and positive intervention with some actions clearly having a material impact (e.g. yoga).
The levels of support for Wellbeing at the Bar demonstrated and the commitments made are inspiring and humbling. Whatever the reason for starting this journey we felt every single recipient of a Certificate of Recognition for Wellbeing at the Bar must be applauded.
Grant Warnsby (1997 call) is Senior Counsel at BP and is the Employed Bar Representative on the Wellbeing at the Bar Working Group. His principal area of work is providing legal support on oil & gas exportation and access.

industry_corpus2: Law & Justice