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[personal profile] brithistorian

You can see them here. They look really great, and you can pre-order them by 9AM PST on 12 November 2025, for delivery in October 2026. Unfortunately, you can only order them as a set of three for $150, which seems a bit excessive to me. I'm sure they'll set a bunch of them, but not to me.

I even double-checked to be sure this wasn't just another example of "prices going up while I wasn't looking," and it wasn't — $50 per doll is 4-5 times the price of a regular Barbie doll, which just strikes me as excessive. I could see twice the price of a regular Barbie, and at that price I'd think about it. But that at this price. At this price I look at the page and immediately nope right out.

Dept. of Remembrance

Nov. 11th, 2025 07:52 pm
kaffy_r: Diane/Leo Dillon illo of young black girl (House of the Spirits)
[personal profile] kaffy_r
The Cruel Stupidity of War ...

... and our proper hatred of it, does not allow us to dismiss those who were sent to fight, who died on the battlefields of the air, ocean, and blood-soaked dirt, who died years later still chained by PTSD and the memories of those things they saw happen in front of them, of friends they saw die in front of them, of the non-combatants they saw die in front of them, about whose deaths they had nightmares year after year. 

It took me until the end of the day to write anything at all. And this is the best I can come up with.

War is stupid and cruel and, with only a very, very few exceptions, largely useless. 

But we need to remember them. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, when the wind blows the poppies back and forth in their fields, when we see name after name of the killing fields all across our blessed and cursed world. 

We must. Not just on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day, of the eleventh hour; every damned day. 

threadbare tapestry unwinding slow

Nov. 11th, 2025 08:56 pm
musesfool: Sebastian Stan is trying to seduce you (drunk off all these stars)
[personal profile] musesfool
So I'm back on my HGTV bullshit again, and I just watched an episode where Egypt and Mike designed "the ultimate bachelor pad" for a dude who plans to entertain his friends and family for cards and football games, and who has two enormous dogs, and they put a WHITE COUCH in his living room. Who DOES that?

Otherwise, it was a nice reno - the three-seasons deck especially. But a white couch just seems like a terrible idea for 99% of people, let alone a guy with 2 huge dogs.

*

[ SECRET POST #6886 ]

Nov. 11th, 2025 07:33 pm
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[personal profile] case posting in [community profile] fandomsecrets

⌈ Secret Post #6886 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.


01.



More! )


Notes:

Secrets Left to Post: 01 pages, 18 secrets from Secret Submission Post #983.
Secrets Not Posted: [ 0 - broken links ], [ 0 - not!secrets ], [ 0 - not!fandom ], [ 0 - too big ], [ 0 - repeat ].
Current Secret Submissions Post: here.
Suggestions, comments, and concerns should go here.

30 in 30: DCU Comics

Nov. 11th, 2025 05:57 pm
senmut: A manip from Birds of Prey covers with Dinah and Slade (Comics: OTPoW)
[personal profile] senmut
AO3 Link | First Aid (300 words) by Merfilly
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Teen Titans (Franchise)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Characters: Slade Wilson, Dick Grayson
Additional Tags: Triple Drabble, +Modern Age (1986-Present), Post-Crisis, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence
Summary:

Dick's surprised he showed up bleeding but he'll help



First Aid

Dick didn't say a word of protest when he opened his door to see Slade there, not once the man moved the heavy jacket and showed blood seeping out of a hasty bandage. Maybe he should have; the man had to have other safe houses nearby.

He was going to land on the side of 'Slade thought it was bad enough to ask for help' and leave it at that.

"Any tail?"

"Partner's dealing with it; she'll go her own way after."

Ahh, the elusive — "You have her in the States?" Dick asked, startled even as he helped peel the clothes off.

Hell, that looked like shrapnel from an explosive.

"Kind of unavoidable this time," but Slade didn't elucidate beyond that about her. "I promise nothing I was doing would get me back on the wanted list here. Someone had a vendetta, and my healing's been slowed by whatever toxin was on the slivers."

"Cheshire?"

Slade's eye hardened, his jaw set. "There's a reason my partner is handling the cleanup."

Who in the hell was this woman? Had to be meta, to keep up with Slade, but no one had pieced together a solid profile on her.

"And you let her?" Dick asked, before huffing out an amused air. "Now I have heard everything."

"She's got people I prefer not to be known by, and leave it at that, Kid?"

"Alright." Dick shut up about it, and just saw to cleaning everything out, so that Slade could heal. He'd file a note with Vic later, for their unofficial file on the partner. Right now, he just wanted his… complicated to stop bleeding and probably get some rest.

"Not bad," Slade said, once everything was dealt with. "Appreciate the help, Kid."

"I'd say any time, but I bet I was closest."

Recent Reading: Flight of the Fallen

Nov. 11th, 2025 03:32 pm
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[personal profile] rocky41_7 posting in [community profile] books
It’s been a bit! Timing conspired to prevent me from reviewing my last audiobook (Katherine Addison’s The Grief of Stones), but I’m here with the conclusion of the Magebike Courier duology by Hana Lee, Flight of the Fallen.

On the whole, I think if you liked the first book, you’ll like the second. It’s more of the same, which is no complaint from me. Lee digs only slightly more into the worldbuilding of the Wastes, but as with the first book, it’s clear that’s not where Lee’s strengths or interests lie, and so she doesn’t overreach herself there, which I think is best.

The main trio—Jin, Yi-Nereen, and Kadrin—continue to be fun and engaging characters, although Jin’s self-pitying act that began at the end of book 1 grows a little tiresome, even if it is understandable. (Fortunately, she gets over it and her best traits--her courage, her determination to keep trying, her capacity to love--win resoundingly in the end.) Making a surprisingly delightful reappearance is Sou-zelle, who actually threatens to usurp our lovers as the most interesting protagonist for the first third of the book. Book 1 did a good job of making Sou-zelle a more dynamic character than merely Yi-Nereen’s jilted fiancé, and book 2 continues to give him more depth.
 
Read more... )
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[personal profile] github posting in [site community profile] changelog

Branch: refs/heads/main Home: https://github.com/dreamwidth/dreamwidth Commit: c8775ee9513aa01967abae3932ccaa537ccf8f00 https://github.com/dreamwidth/dreamwidth/commit/c8775ee9513aa01967abae3932ccaa537ccf8f00 Author: Mark Smith mark@dreamwidth.org Date: 2025-11-11 (Tue, 11 Nov 2025)

Changed paths: R .github/workflows/tasks/worker-search-constraints-service.json R .github/workflows/tasks/worker-search-lookup-service.json R .github/workflows/tasks/worker-search-updater-service.json M .github/workflows/update-workflows.pl M .github/workflows/worker-deploy.yml

Log Message:


Roll search system back to admin for now

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The algorithm failed music

Nov. 11th, 2025 09:35 pm
[syndicated profile] jwz_blog_feed

Posted by jwz

Music recommendation algorithms were supposed to help us cut through the noise, but they just served us up slop.

Spotify leadership didn't see themselves as a music company, but as a time filler. The employee explained that, "the vast majority of music listeners, they're not really interested in listening to music per se. They just need a soundtrack to a moment in their day."

Simply providing a soundtrack to your day might seem innocent enough, but it informs how Spotify's algorithm works. Its goal isn't to help you discover new music, its goal is simply to keep you listening for as long as possible. It serves up the safest songs possible to keep you from pressing stop. [...]

Artists, especially new ones trying to break through, actually started changing how they composed to play better in the algorithmically driven streaming era. Songs got shorter, albums got longer, and intros went away. The hook got pushed to the front of the song to try to grab listeners' attention immediately, and things like guitar solos all but disappeared from pop music. The palette of sounds artists pulled from got smaller, arrangements became more simplified, pop music flattened. [...]

It found that while new music discovery is traditionally associated with youth, "16-24-year-olds are less likely than 25-34-year-olds to have discovered an artist they love in the last year." Gen Z might hear a song they like on TikTok, but they rarely investigate beyond that to listen to more music from the artist.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

DHS Just Pepper-Sprayed a Baby

Nov. 11th, 2025 09:19 pm
[syndicated profile] jwz_blog_feed

Posted by jwz

Obergruppenführer Bovino took "dress for the job you want" to heart.
Gregory Bovino's Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago has hit a new low:

For months, border agents have been brutalizing civilians and making absurd excuses for their barbarity. After ICE detained a clarinet player performing with her band outside an ICE facility, they alleged she "attacked" an officer; when agents shot a priest in the head with a pepper ball, the Department of Homeland Security claimed he once flipped Secretary Kristi Noem "the bird"; and the 79-year-old man who was dogpiled by a gaggle of agents -- as assault that left him with broken ribs and a concussion -- was said to have "impeded" officers. How will they spin pepper-spraying a baby?

On Saturday, Evelin Herrera and Rafael Veraza were heading to a Sam's Club in Cicero, Illinois, with their one-year-old daughter, Arinna, when they heard commotion in Chicago's Little Village. After pulling into the store's parking lot, they saw a "convoy of federal vehicles," and decided it was best to leave. Herrera began recording, and as they passed the vehicles, a masked agent pointed a pepper-spray gun through his window and fired into their car.

Previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously, previously.

[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

Faro Francesco Crispi

Cape Guardafui marks the very tip of the Horn of Africa. Part of modern-day Somalia, the region is one of the most remote on the continent, and was historically known as the site of many shipwrecks. 

The British took control of the region in the 19th century, but ceded it to Italy in 1894 and it became part of the Italian colonial project. The Italians first built a lighthouse on the cape in the 1920s, but the current stone and steel structure was inaugurated in 1930. It was named "Faro Francesco Crispi" after the 19th century Italian Prime Minister whose authoritarian streak was said to be an inspiration to Benito Mussolini's fascist regime.

The lighthouse was built in the shape of a "fascio littorio", or fasces,  an ancient Roman weapon that was appropriated as a fascist symbol. Due to its unique shape, it remains one of the most emblematic constructions of Mussolini's Italy. While no longer in use, the lighthouse is a stark reminder of Italy's fascist and colonial past.

Smöjen Kalkbrottsbad in Sweden

Nov. 11th, 2025 04:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

Smöjen kalkbrottsbad

This was once a hub of hard labour, covered in limestone dust, but has now become one of Gotland's most unexpectedly picturesque swimming holes. Then the island still relied on limestone quarries, this industrial complex was central. Today you no longer come across rock drills and wheelbarrows, but will definately stumple across a colourful floatie or flip-flop.

Over the years, a team consisting of Mother Nature, gravity and groundwater, has transformed this industrial area into a surreal aquatic playground. The turquoise and teal coloured water in deep crystal-clear pools are inviting to the brave and curious. It's like a post-apocalyptic spa.

And if you’re feeling adventurous—responsibly adventurous—you can even swim into one of the old industrial buildings still standing in the water. It’s like diving into a forgotten Bond villain lair. Just remember: there are no lifeguards, no warning signs, and definitely no snack bar. Swim at your own risk!

asakiyume: (shaft of light)
[personal profile] asakiyume
I watched the documentary El sendero de la anaconda (The path of the anaconda, 2019) over the weekend, mere days before it's set to leave Netflix, mainly to feast my eyes on the sweet, sweet drone shots of the Colombian Amazon, not primarily down where I was, but up further north, where lie the absolutely stunning waterfalls of Jirijirimo and the massifs of Chribiquete. (The subtitles were not crooked; it's that I was taking snapshots of my computer and then I cropped the photos, etc. etc.)

drone shot of massive waterfalls surrounded by lush green and mist

drone shot of stone massifs with lush green below them and on top of them

The documentary went here and there, but one thing it touched on is rubber plantations, and in the story of these is the black swan event. The story goes like this:

In spite of torturing (completely literally) the local population to try to cultivate rubber commercially in the Amazon in the early years of the twentieth century, efforts were unsuccessful because of a pest of rubber trees endemic to the region. But the seeds were spirited out and taken to Southeast Asia, where successful plantations were established--and that's where all the world's commercial rubber came from.

Come World War II, Japan conquered the area and took control of the rubber plantations. Bad news for the Allies! They were desperate for any alternative source of rubber, so they sent an ethnobotanist down there--Richard Evans Schultes, in fact, the guy who's fictionalized in Embrace of the Serpent (review here). They wanted Schultes to locate a specimen of rubber tree that was (a) productive and (b) resistant to the pest. And he did find one!

Meanwhile, however, the Allies had developed synthetic rubber, and that was how they supplied themselves for the rest of the war. And then after the war ... "the clonal gardens that had preserved the germ plasm that had been collected at tremendous cost of blood and treasure were cut to the ground [on the orders of the US Department of State]. The files were seized and classified. Was it some kind of crazy conspiracy? No; it was just bureaucratic idiocy. That, plus faith in the future of synthetic rubber," says Wade Davis, the film's narrator, a writer, anthropologist, and student of Schultes.

Aye but there's the ... rub. Because along came radial tires--they need natural rubber. And then, even more important, along came airplanes that fly at 30+ thousand feet. "Only natural rubber has the qualities that allow it to go from the subzero temperatures of high altitude to the shock and impact of hitting the tarmac at 250 kilometers per hour within ten minutes. And because of that we use more natural rubber than ever before."

And it all comes from Southeast Asia, from trees that are all clones of the trees grown from the original smuggled-out seeds. "A single act of biological terrorism or the accidental introduction of the spore into Southeast Asia would completely disrupt the industry."

So that's fun!

The film leaves Netflix on November 14. It's a little bit unfocused, and even though it wants to uplift an indigenous worldview, it's VERY heavy on White Guy Talking, but it does have a few local voices. Still: it's very, very beautiful.

Books read, September

Nov. 12th, 2025 09:14 am
cyphomandra: (balcony)
[personal profile] cyphomandra
I forgot to put a divider between September and October in my highly technical & detailed booklog (an enote I stick titles in) so have just put half the books in each.

Horse trouble, Kristin Varner (graphic novel). 12 year old Kate loves horses and riding, but everything else - the mean girls at the stable, her concerns around puberty and body image, her brother’s creepy friends etc - isn’t going so well. And then she starts falling off her horse - is riding also not going to work out for her, or can she find a way through this? This is fine and I like the horse stuff but the rest of it is all a bit similar to other middle grade graphic novels I’ve read recently, which is probably the point but I need some variety.

The unlikely doctor: from gang life and prison to becoming a doctor at 56, Timoti Te Moke. I left in the subtitle because it provides a useful summary. Timoti spent the first six years of his life with loving grandparents - then his mother (and new, abusive, stepfather) took him back, and everything fell apart. Crime, state care, prison, gangs, here and in Australia - and then, in his 30s, he decides to take another path, and starts training as a paramedic, only to end up charged with manslaughter four months out from the end of his course. Timoti comes through as thoughtful, passionate, and surprisingly unresentful. There’s a ghostwriter credited, and they’ve done an excellent job, although it is a tiny bit annoying because it means there probably won’t be another book.

Can I steal you for a second, Jodi McAlister
Here for the right reasons, Jodi McAlister
Not here to make friends, Jodi McAlister


These are a trilogy set during the filming of a (fictional) Bachelor-style reality TV show, Marry Me Juliet, filming in Australia during the pandemic, written by an academic who specialises in romance fiction. I actually started with the second one because I picked it off the GLBTQ section of the local romance bookshop, and was quite some way into it before finally being baffled enough by the references to another couple to check - all three books do, however, cover the same time period (and only the middle one is same sex). Chronologically - in Here for the Right Reasons, Cece, an ex-foster kid who’s just lost her job, sees the show as her only possible chance- but then gets eliminated in the first episode. Due to lockdown, however, all the eliminated contestants are being kept on site, and Cece ends up spending time with Dylan, the show’s Romeo. He’s aware of her situation, and pitches a friendship arc to the show’s producers to get her more exposure - but are they able to stay friends, or do they want something more? Can I Steal You for a Second - Mandie signs up for the show to get over her toxic ex, but lies about that ex being female (she’s bi) to avoid the hassle that would go with being publicly out. And she’s doing well, but while she likes the show’s Romeo, it’s one of the other female contestants (also helpfully called Dylan) whom she’s really attracted to… Not Here to Make Friends has Lily Fireball, the season villain (she shoves Cece into a pond in the opening episode) revealed as a plant, and one with a complex history with Murray, the show runner - can they sort themselves out and save the show? I liked these while never being entirely swept away by any of the leads.

Heroines on horseback, Jane Badger. Nonfiction about the history of horse books, from the early books that were all about the horses themselves as characters (Black Beauty etc) through to the golden days of the Pullein-Thompsons et al and onwards. I have read quite a lot of horse books but do have some odd blind spots (I have never systematically tackled the Jill books and have only read the first three Jinnys despite really liking them) so it’s nice to catch up with some old faves and get nudged into trying some new. Badger is publishing horse books as well, and I’m currently dithering over acquiring a Caroline Akrill adult novel that sounds v Jilly Cooperish (Akrill has a really compelling style and a fondness for bonkers characters, but her het romance elements haven't worked for me, whereas Cooper’s often - suprisingly - do).

Katabasis, RF Kuang. I guess this is the Kuang I’ve least disliked so far? However this is partly because I consistently revise my expectations of her books downwards, so should not be perceived as an endorsement. Once again Kuang has an intriguing set up - Alice Law is at magical college, desperate to do well, but a mistake preparing a working for her exploitative genius professor kills him and leaves her in need of a supervisor’s endorsement, so she goes to Hell to get him back, helped/hindered by Peter, her rival for academic glories with a mysterious and frankly baffling secret - and falls apart on the execution. There are some nice moments in Hell and a secondary character (another academic) I quite liked, but meh.

What did you eat yesterday doujinshi 1-7, Fumi Yoshinaga. I don’t know why it never occurred to me earlier to look for these (there are more but they got ahead of where I am in the series). Explicit content for her more sedate series , which has always very firmly kept the bedroom door closed. I liked that Shiro and Kenji are not entirely sexually compatible (Shiro really wants to be more dominated while Kenji feels guilty for being too pushy/selfish) and that, as with the series, it’s a portrait of a relationship over time.

Dogsbody, Diana Wynne Jones (re-read). Sirius, a powerful luminary, is banished to Earth in the body of a dog after he is convicted of the death of another luminary, something he knows he didn’t do. He is almost killed immediately when someone sticks his litter of puppies into a sack and tosses them into the canal, but survives and is adopted by Kathleen, the unwanted Irish relation living with a family who range from indifferent to actively cruel after her father was imprisoned. As usual with DWJ I forget how bleak her endings are until I run head-on into them - this one, in particular, is painful because Sirius is mostly triumphant and only dimly aware that it isn’t the same for everyone else concerned.

Naruto Whirlpools in Naruto, Japan

Nov. 11th, 2025 03:00 pm
[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

Naruto Strait and its famed whirlpools

The name "Naruto" is now famous worldwide, forever associated with the popular manga/anime series of the same name. Those better versed in Japanese culture may also recognize the name as that of a delicious delicacy - narutomaki is a type of fish cake that's shaped like a cloud and has a pink spiral pattern, which can often be found in ramen bowls (and even in your phone's emoji dictionary).

It was made to resemble (and named after) the Naruto Whirlpools, the famed natural wonder of the Naruto Strait. Located in southern Japan between the country's mainland and the island of Shikoku, the strait boasts some of the strongest tidal currents in the world. The currents are created by tidal water moving through the strait from the Inland Seto Sea to the Pacific Ocean, and viceversa. About twice every day, this lowering and surging of the tides creates huge vortices that can size up to 20 meters in diameter - these are the Naruto Whirlpools.

It's an incredible sight, and the adjacent cities of Naruto and Minami-Awaji offer a number of ways to view it. One is a tourist boat that cruises right near the edges of the whirlpools, and another is an observatory deck built beneath the Ōnaruto Bridge, which connects the two cities. Of course, you can also view the whirlpools from either shore.

The type of spiral fishcakes that now bear the Whirlpool's name were popularized in the 19th century, and were likely referred to as such because they were primarily produced in cities near the strait. It's hard to say exactly why the creator of the Naruto manga, Masashi Kishimoto, chose to name his titular character after this water feature, but it seems that that the spiral pattern on Naruto's headband is a clear homage to the natural phenomenon.

[syndicated profile] atlas_obscura_places_feed

The modern space race has been defined by one key gamble: what if we could reuse and relaunch rocket boosters across multiple flights?

In 2017, SpaceX, with this B1021 booster, made history and changed the economics of spaceflight forever. 

For space enthusiasts, it’s an incredible installation in its own right, but seeing the 160-foot-tall rocket booster out of context and surrounded by nature is a marvel no matter who you are.

ffutures: (Default)
[personal profile] ffutures
At the request of (apparently) a lot of people who got Monday's Over the Edge 3E bundle, there's now an extra bundle, the third repeat of the Over the Edge 2nd Edition bundle from 2014. It contains more or less everything published for the classic weird conspiracy RPG Over the Edge, one of my favourites - and if you don't believe me, just ask Tiffany Trilobite!

https://bundleofholding.com/presents/2025OTE2E

  


I wasn't on the mailing list for reviewing this stuff in 2014, but when it was repeated in 2017 I said "As may be obvious from my introduction, I like this game - it's strange, weird, and wonderful, and there really isn't anything like it that's anywhere near as good. I already own a lot of this in dead tree format, but I'll certainly be downloading everything I don't have. Considering the original prices this is extremely good value for money - but as usual I have to point out that I get this stuff free if I want it, if you don't your mileage may vary.

Strongly recommended!
"

I should also mention that the last two times this was offered the books weren't added to buyers' Drivethru RPG account, because that part of the Bundle of Holding offers hadn't been set up yet. It has now, so buying the bundle will give you access to any updates etc. later offered via Drivethru, as well as making it easy to get them again if your files go blooey...

AKICIDW: Regional grocery shopping

Nov. 11th, 2025 01:24 pm
brithistorian: (Default)
[personal profile] brithistorian

I've been intrigued by the idea of Cincinnati chili since I first learned about it, but I never wanted to go through the trouble of cooking it from scratch so that I could experience it. The other night, when it made a repeat appearance in one of my fics, it occurred to me that they probably make canned Cincinnati chili. A quick web search revealed that not only do they, but that Skyline Chili, which is the particular Cincinnati chili restaurant that I've heard the most about, makes canned Cincinnati chili. I was prepared to order a can, only to discover that I could only order it in multipacks (4, 6, 8, or 12), which was not something I was willing to commit to with a food that I didn't know if I liked it.

Which is where you come in: If any of you live near enough to Cincinnati that you can buy canned Skyline chili at your local grocery store and you would be willing to buy a can and mail it to me, please send me a private message so I can send you my address and also arrange some way for me to pay you back, either by sending you money or by me sending you something they have in Minnesota that isn't available where you live or by some other option that would be acceptable to both of us.

*fingers crossed*

brithistorian: (Default)
[personal profile] brithistorian

Last night I dreamed that I was hanging out with Blackpink Jennie — I'm not sure if we were dating or just friends, but we knew each other very well and either option could have been a possibility. Anyway, we were at a convention that was like a combination craft fair/science fair for geology and/or conspiracy theories.[^1] While we were there, we ran into our dentist[^2] and our dentist's new business partner. Jennie and I both agreed that the new business partner was kind of strange — he was obsessed with the idea of some sort of link between diagonally opposing teeth[^4] — but we couldn't say anything about it because we didn't want to offend our dentist. Jennie and I were still trying to come up with a socially acceptable way to ditch our dentist and his partner when I woke up.

[^1] To give a better idea of what it was like, it was kind of like a dealers' room at a con: A huge room filled with tables, each table with a person behind it. Some of the people wanted to sell you something, some just wanted to tell you about their findings/theories. Some seemed to be related to geology, some to conspiracy theories, and some to both.

[^2] Not my IRL dentist, and probably not Jennie's IRL dentist either.[^3]

[^3] I don't know who Jennie's dentist is, but I'd be very, very surprised if her dentist isn't Korean, and this dentist was an elderly white man.

[^4] For example, that a problem with the left upper first molar would also cause problems in the right lower first molar.