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IntercontinentalExchange Inc., the 12-year-old energy and commodity futures bourse, agreed to acquire NYSE Euronext (NYX) for cash and stock worth $8.2 billion, moving to take control of the world's biggest equities market.
Proposing to combine the owners of the biggest American stock exchange and the second-largest futures market may revive the wave of exchange takeover offers from 2011, almost all of which failed.
ICE, based in Atlanta, will pay $33.12 a share for the owner of the New York Stock Exchange, 38 percent above yesterday's closing price, according to a statement today. Both boards approved the proposal and the companies expect to complete the transaction in the second half of 2013. Last year, the U.S. Justice Department blocked a joint hostile bid by ICE and Nasdaq OMX Group Inc. (NDAQ) for the New York-based company on concern the combination would dominate U.S. stock listings.
Merging NYSE Euronext, which owns the biggest exchanges by value of listings in the U.S., France and the Netherlands, with the second-largest futures market underscores both the growing importance of derivatives and the diminishing influence of the 220-year-old NYSE. The Big Board, once the benchmark for global free markets, has seen its share of trading in stocks listed on the exchange decline to 21 percent from 82 percent.
"Not only are they losing volume, they're also getting squeezed in their margins because of all these competitors who have different corporate structures," Thomas Caldwell, who oversees about $1 billion as chairman and chief executive officer of Toronto-based Caldwell Securities Ltd., said in a telephone interview. His firm owns shares of NYSE and ICE. "They're languishing as everyone sits and waits for cash equity volumes to pick up, which may or not occur for several years."
Shares Climb
Shares of New York-based NYSE Euronext rallied 24 percent to $29.77 in European trading before being halted. The stock closed at $24.05 in New York yesterday, bringing this year's decline to 7.9 percent.
Jeffrey Sprecher, the chief executive officer of IntercontinentalExchange, will head the combined company, with NYSE CEO Duncan Niederauer becoming president. The companies plan to explore an initial public offering for NYSE's European equity unit.
ICE's market value has grown to $9.3 billion as its shares rose 6.4 percent in 2012, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
A takeover would mark an unusual success after more than $32 billion of exchange takeovers failed since October 2010.
"This is a much easier deal to get done," said Brian Barish, who helps oversee about $7 billion including about 4 million NYSE Euronext shares as president and chief investment officer of Denver-based Cambiar Investors LLC. "When Nasdaq was talking about doing something with NYSE, there were obvious antitrust market concentration problems. ICE is a totally different story because they don't do equities."
Unsolicited Bid
Sprecher joined Nasdaq OMX CEO Robert Greifeld in an unsolicited bid for NYSE Euronext in April 2011. The offer, scuttled by the Justice Department seven weeks later, sought to derail NYSE's pending merger agreement with Deutsche Boerse AG. (DB1)
The merger with Deutsche Boerse was rejected by European competition authorities in February. NYSE Euronext subsequently began a cost-cutting plan known as Project 14 and said on Nov. 6 that it generated savings of $82 million so far this year, 33 percent of the total $250 million expected by the end of 2014.
In addition to the New York Stock Exchange, the company operates bourses in Paris, Lisbon, Brussels and Amsterdam and London-based Liffe, Europe's second-largest derivatives market. NYSE adjusted earnings were $653 million in 2011 on revenue of $4.6 billion. The company posted profit of $357 million in the nine months through Sept. 30, down 32 percent from the same period last year.
The New York Stock Exchange, formed in 1792 under a sycamore tree on Wall Street, became the center of American capitalism through its grip on trading and listings for companies from Ford Motor Co. to AT&T Inc. (T) and DuPont Co.
Faded Reputation
The Big Board's reputation faded in the last decade when scandals highlighted the potential for collusion on the NYSE floor and faster technology reduced the need for middlemen. In September 2003, Chairman Richard Grasso ended a 36-year career at the exchange as regulators and directors said a $140 million pay package called his leadership into question.
Grasso's successor, John Thain, orchestrated the 2006 reverse merger that gave the NYSE control of Chicago-based Archipelago Holdings Inc. and turned the member-owned exchange into a public company. By then, regulatory directives aimed at lowering transaction costs were in the process of cutting the NYSE's market share.
Buying NYSE Euronext is a way for Sprecher to get access to the company's derivatives platform, Liffe, Diego Perfumo, an analyst at Equity Research Desk LLC, an investment advisory firm in Greenwich, Connecticut, said in a phone interview.
Liffe Access
"When Deutsche Boerse and NYSE Euronext tried to merge, ICE immediately partnered with Nasdaq and tried to poach NYSE away," Perfumo said. "ICE was going to keep Liffe and Nasdaq was going to keep the rest of NYSE. Short-term interest rate futures are 70 percent of Liffe's business and the other 30 percent is equity derivatives, which is an undervalued asset within NYSE Euronext. What Sprecher is after is Liffe."
Sprecher founded ICE as an online marketplace for energy trading. Its seed capital came from settlement money collected by Sprecher's previous company, Western Power Group, in 1996 tied to a lawsuit over an agricultural-waste burning power plant in Southern California.
Intercontinental (ICE) offers contracts based on European energy commodities such as Brent crude, natural gas and heating oil at its London-based ICE Futures Europe exchange. In the U.S., it offers futures on agricultural commodities such as coffee, cocoa and sugar as well as Russell stock indexes and currencies at ICE Futures U.S. The company owns the world's largest clearinghouse for credit-default swaps, ICE Clear Credit LLC.
Enhanced Products
"The combined company could enhance the products offered across asset classes, cross-market to different client bases with different needs, expand ICE's reach in Europe to NYSE's exchanges and drastically reduce the cost of futures regulation," Joseph Greco, a managing director at Meridian Equity Partners, a New York-based broker that has traders on the NYSE floor, said in an interview. "For NYSE it would augment the futures and derivatives footprint domestically."
With more than 1,000 employees, IntercontinentalExchange earned $521.7 million in net income from revenue of $1.3 billion in 2011 when its profit margin was 39 percent. For the first nine months of the year, 87 percent of Intercontinental's revenue came from clearing and transaction fees.
As of Sept. 30, the company had $1.24 billion in cash and cash equivalents and had issued $400 million in bonds due in 2018 and 2021, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Add Scale
Equity-exchange executives have sought to add scale through mergers and acquisitions after the number of U.S. and European trading venues increased by about 50 in the past decade, driving down profitability. Stock trading has also declined, with daily volume of U.S. exchange-listed securities averaging 6.44 billion shares this year, the lowest level since at least 2008, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Populist outcry, antitrust concern and some of the most volatile markets on record have prevented the completion of more than $32 billion in announced transactions, according to data compiled by Bloomberg on deals since October 2010 that were valued at $1 billion or more.
The 25-company Bloomberg World Exchanges Index (BNWEXCH) has rallied 11 percent this year after tumbling 19 percent in 2011. The gauge of market operators averaged gains of 35 percent a year between 2003 and 2010.
Knight Capital Group Inc. (KCG), pushed to the brink of bankruptcy in August by a trading error, chose this week to pursue a takeover by Getco LLC over a competing offer from Virtu Financial LLC, three people with direct knowledge of the matter said. The Chicago-based high-frequency trader offered $3.75 a share for Knight, one-third of it in stock, for a total value of $1.4 billion, according to a statement yesterday.
-- Bloomberg News --


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Maritime News
Semi-submerged Tug Leaking Diesel after Bridge Allision
A tugboat is partially sunk and leaking diesel after alliding with a bridge in North Carolina's Oregon Inlet, the U.S. Coast Guard said.All eight people aboard the tug Miss Bonnie reached shore safely without injury after the vessel struck the Old Bonner Bridge at 11:09 a.m. on Sunday.The Coast Guard said its watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina received report from a local Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew at approximately 10:00 a.m. on Monday that a sheen was coming from the semi-submerged tug.The maximum potential for the discharge is 6,000 gallons; however, it is estimated 3,000 gallons were on board.
Rhenus-Arkon-Shipinvest Orders 4 Vessels
German shipping company Rhenus-Arkon-Shipinvest has placed orders for the first four environmentally-friendly vessels known as Hanse Eco Short Sea Coasters.The short sea bulkers are expected to be delivered during the second half of 2021, with the construction work scheduled to begin in February 2020.The vessels are based on the latest developments related to environmental protection, digitization and design.The 'Hanse Eco' fleet is the result of an initiative launched by Torsten Westphal, one of the founding members of Arkon Shipping.
Putting Palatka Back on the Map
Diverse and conveniently located, St. Johns Ship Building has quickly developed into a reliable partner for its many repeat customers. Today, and as a direct result, a lot more people know exactly where Palatka, Florida is located.On the St Johns River, just 60 miles south of Jacksonville, lies the sleepy town of Palatka, Florida. Founded as a trading post in 1821, its location on the highly navigable river made the area attractive to orange growers and timber men alike.In its heyday between 1875 and 1900, Palatka – "the gateway to Florida's interior" – was a tourist destination with several posh hotels having the capacity to host up to 6,000 guests.
Prepare Now for 40,000 Offshore Wind Jobs
The offshore wind industry in the United States is growing exponentially, with multiple projects in the development stages off of the Atlantic coast. The total megawatt capacity of U.S. offshore wind farms is anticipated to reach 22,000 by 2030 and 43,000 by 2050. To support this growth, U.S. Department of Energy reports estimate over 40,000 new jobs will be created by 2030.The new jobs anticipated to support the offshore wind industry include a wide range of types, including engineers, trade workers, surveyors, scientists, technicians, managers, and seafarers. Wind turbine technician has been one of the fastest growing occupations in the United States in recent years.
Exceptional Growth in LNG Trade, Says Awilco
The exceptional growth in LNG trade recorded in the first half of the 2019 continued in Q3, says Awilco LNG Group, the Norwegian based fully integrated pure play LNG transportation provider.According to Fearnleys LNG total LNG trade is up about 13 % in the first nine months of the year vs last year. In line with normal seasonal patterns gas prices inched upwards in Q3 but remained historically low due to increased production and muted demand in the Far East.Due to a relatively mild winter reducing gas demand for power generation and higher nuclear power generation in Japan and South Korea, LNG imports decreased by 8 and 9 % y-o-y Jan-Sept respectively

subset: commoncrawl


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For the ultimate gaming laptop, you must see Acer's Gaming range. Acer's best gaming laptops provide ultimate gaming graphics. Similarly, they provide loads of power and a unique gaming experience. Moreover, Acer's gaming laptops laptops use high performance graphics cards coupled with improved technology. Acer's range provide the ultimate award winning gaming laptops.
Or see more videos on the Acer Official YouTube Page - https://www.youtube.com/user/aceraust


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2013 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes Announced
By Chad Waller, Director of Communications and Sports Information
MARION, Ind. – The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced Friday that 313 women's track and field student-athletes have been named 2013 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes. Concordia (Neb.) and Nebraska Wesleyan lead all institutions with nine individuals each on the list.
In order to be nominated by an institution's head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status.
To learn more about the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete award, click here.
2013 Daktronics-NAIA Women's Track and Field Scholar-Athletes – PDF


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Countrywide has a wide reaching network of highly regarded, long established Estate Agency brands covering the length and breadth of the UK. To find out why you should choose a Countrywide estate agent to sell your property, click on the relevant brand below.
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Amazing Race's Brendon and Rachel: We Don't Regret U-Turning Dave and Connor
May 21, 2014 11:08 AM EDT
Brendon and Rachel came up short on The Amazing Race All-Stars finale, coming in third again thanks to a bad cab driver. Not only that, but they had to watch their nemeses/U-Turn targets Dave and Connor win. "They earned that, but it was tough becaus… Read more


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Today's NaPoWriMo is to "write a poem that explicitly incorporates alliteration (the use of repeated consonant sounds) and assonance (the use of repeated vowel sounds)." For A to Z Challenge the GoodReads quote is from the letter L. As well, thanks to Pricless Joy for hosting FFftAW.
"The thing about love is that you will never run out of it. It's an ever-flowing river. So go ahead and LOVE. What are you saving all this love for — death?"
― Kamand Kojouri
The river she flows fluent, flourishing in her mad descent,
Rapids, water reeling past rocks leading her to a path of providence.
Fast, and fleet, a river rivaling; I've experienced —
On the weary trail, the river cutting, crushing the rocks.
She carves her path, ploughing silt to the shore,
Debris of dramatic, erosion deciding on the the crooked carved path.
The water, she must flow, finding her fabulous spark in the light of —
Lumionous sunlight, searing in the afternoon heat.
For this river runs through the desert, the orange, organic trails,
Mixed with red-rock, rizing in the Arizona afternoon.
Cliffs creating a canyon so deep and wide, where the water dances through.
No one to stop her destruction of rock, her pounding so hard it hurts,
But the river rivals all, keeps on carving her way —
Through the canyon cringing, when she chops off more silt.
Off its brilliant fire, she finds a place where the —
River rests in waterfalls crashing and carniverous,
Then she wanes as she reaches shore and and lays back breathing,
At ease, she is pleased and settles,
Against the sand of some beach, somewhere; she's oblivious —
Simply sliding against sand,
No more cutting of solid rock required,
Tranquility is in the tide, easing in and out,
The river finds, rests with her lover,
Her and the shore are silent heart beats.
©Mandibelle16. (2017) All Rights Are Reserved.


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Wishing everyone blessings and that we bring home our babies in 2013!
I'll be checking in from time to time to see how my former cycle buddies are doing. It's been a long journey but our baby will make it all worth it!!
SdTrying- When will you start POAS testing?
Gi- Not much longer for you girl. I'm glad your parents are helping you out with Kayla, two yr olds can be pretty active.
Kynlee- I love Keegan's pictures, he is way too adorable, I want to kiss those his feet! Have you had any time to crochet?
Maria- I also appreciate the support you've given us throughout this journey. I hope those girls are feeling better today.
Tawny- I think I would like natural over c-section only bc it takes less time to heal but this is coming from someone who has
never given birth. lol
AFM: I'm doing well, just eatting my dh out of the house. We got to see baby pictures last Wed., measuring 9 wks. 184hb. Dh couldn't make it to the ob appt with me so I got video clippings for him. So precious and beautiful. I'm happier that I changed over from the PIO shots to Crinone last Thursday. My walking has improved and at work was apble to move quickly on my feet earning enough commission last week to cover May's IVF payment. Resting today and work 5:30a tomorrow for floor-set. Dh has job interview lined up for a college up in Hamilton, VA next week... I'm praying everything falls into place before November. I want to tell my brother to store all the baby stuff he's been saving for me until we figure out if we are moving or not. It's going to be an interesting year to say the least but we'll eventually figure it out. Cheers to a great 2013!


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Television's favorite prodigies return for a third season of the Disney Channel comedy series "A.N.T. Farm," it was announced today by Adam Bonnett, Senior Vice President, Original Programming, Disney Channels Worldwide. Production resumes in Los Angeles this December with season three scheduled to premiere in June 2013.
"A.N.T. Farm" takes an exciting turn in the third season when musical prodigy Chyna Parks and her friends, Olive Doyle and Fletcher Quimby plus Lexi Reed, who reveals her own prodigious talent, are accepted to a prestigious A.N.T. (Advanced Natural Talents) boarding school. With an unconventional curriculum and the opportunity to learn from other students in the program, the A.N.T.s strive to take their abilities to the next level.
"'A.N.T. Farm' is a series that was initially inspired by our audience's love for stories about uniquely talented kids," said Bonnett. "Our new direction for season three allows us more opportunities to showcase the A.N.T's, their unique talents and the dedication it takes to follow your dreams."
The series was created by Dan Signer ("The Suite Life on Deck," "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody") and is executive-produced by Signer and Stephen Engel ("The Big Bang Theory," "Mad About You," "Dream On"). Starring are: China Anne McClain as Chyna Parks, Sierra McCormick as Olive Doyle, Jake Short as Fletcher Quimby and Stefanie Scott as Lexi Reed.
"A.N.T. Farm" premiered in June 2011 and ranks as the #1 TV show in its time period to date in K2-11 6-11 and 9-14. In 2Q12 it reached more than 135 million unduplicated viewers worldwide, in 162 countries and in 31 languages.
The "A.N.T. Farm" soundtrack from Walt Disney Records spent five weeks at #1 on the Billboard Kids Album chart and yielded two hits for McClain, "Dynamite" and "Calling All the Monsters," each spending several weeks at #1 on Radio Disney's Top 30. Additionally, McClain, age 14, is a Hollywood Records recording artist and is currently working on an album with her sisters Sierra and Lauryn. Most recently, McClain Sisters wrote and performed "Rise," this year's Disney Friends for Change anthem, as featured in Disneynature's "Chimpanzee" and "The Great Divide" from the forthcoming Tinker Bell film, "Secret of the Wings."
New episodes of "A.N.T. Farm" air FRIDAYS on Disney Channel. The series is a production of It's A Laugh Productions, Inc and carries a TV-G parental guideline.
Disney Channel is a 24-hour kid-driven, family inclusive television network that taps into the world of kids and families through original series and movies. Currently available on basic cable in over 99 million U.S. homes and to millions of other viewers on Disney Channels around the world, Disney Channel is part of the Disney/ABC Television Group.
*Source: NTI, U.S. ratings, most current. "A.N.T. Farm" launch to date: 6/17/11-9/30/12; 2Q12 reach: 3/26/12-6/24/12.


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Baohaus restaurant's badass chef/owner Eddie Huang's new memoir "Fresh Off the Boat" is out now—-this is a must-read for anyone interested in a brutally honest, hilarious work. Huang details his unconventional immigrant background and the beginning of his immersion in food in his father's restaurant in Orlando, Florida, defying every "model minority" stereotype along the way: he obsessed over football, fought the All-American boys who called him a chink, partied hard, sold drugs with his crew, and idolized Tupac. His anchor through it all was food, from making Southern ribs with the Haitian cooks in his dad's restaurant to preparing traditional meals in his mother's kitchen to haunting the midnight markets of Taipei when he was shipped off to the homeland.
After misadventures as an unlikely corporate lawyer ("Yo, I was the president of the Minority Law Students Alliance [at Yeshiva University],....it was ill"), street fashion renegade (he moved a lot of sneakers), and stand-up comic using the stage name Magic Dong Huang, he finally threw everything he loved—past and present, family and food—into his own restaurant.
Huang possesses an original merciless wit, and the pages of his book crackle with his spirited, reflective writing, making this more than just another foodie memoir. It is wholly unsurprising how Huang has stormed the food world and made mediaites prick up with his incisive cultural commentary, take-no-prisoners opinions, and very, very funny lens on the world — the New York Times reports that Huang will be giving a TED Talk later this year on "the shifting waltz between authenticity and ethnicity". Yep, the Human Panda will bring his game to TED.
Check out Huang's popular blog and for more from HuangWorld get to Baohaus.


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Legal Ease 101
Legal-Ease 101: What is Intervention in court (and why)?
May 17, 2012 11:31 AM
Staff Column by Del Albright & Brian Hawthorne
You may have heard about one of our off-road groups "intervening" in a court action. This is not the same as filing a lawsuit. Herein we will explain what it means to be an "intervenor" in a court action, and why it is an essential part of our access efforts.
Legal actions can be described as offensive and defensive. To intervene is a defensive maneuver that can save the day for us, by ensuring we have a seat at the table when recreational decisions are made.
The core of the defensive maneuver is the "defendant Intervenor" play. Off-roader organizations intervene in lawsuits filed by the anti-access crowd as a defendant. Sometimes, we can mix the offensive and defensive play as well. This is an excellent way of making sure no federal judge makes a decision (about our trails and our sports) without hearing from the people who use them.
An Intervenor allows the OHV community to directly oppose the arguments made by the radical anti's. Specifically, to intervene (become an Intervenor) a person or group that was not part of an original lawsuit, must show that they will be directly harmed by the court's decision. Often, groups like BRC act as representatives of people who have a direct concern in the legal issues.
Interveners (like BlueRibbon Coalition, the California Association of 4Wheel Drive Clubs, (and others) become a player in the outcome of a lawsuit they were not originally part of. They often request intervention because the agencies defending the lawsuit may not fully represent off-road interests, or worse.
Being an Intervenor is a GOOD thing. Intervention is far more cost effective than offensive litigation and gets our issues, facts and opinions in front of the judge who would otherwise only hear from the feds and the anti-access group suing them. Obviously, the only option is for off-road groups to intervene on behalf of the federal government most of the time. We seldom find ourselves intervening on behalf of those who wish to shut us out of public lands.
Note: the entire process to get to this point means the intervenor was involved in Scoping as well as reviews of documents like an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This gives the group "standing" in order to prove "harm" could be done if we don't have a seat at the table, with a chance at a favorable decision.
Sometime folks question whether it would be stronger show of force to file a "real" lawsuit as a plaintiff instead of "only" an intervention. Fighting for OHV access is fighting for OHV access, no matter whether we carefully choose the fight on offense or are defending against a bully who attacks in our home. BRC does both, but public land access issues involve a complex web of law, policy and intangibles. Picking the "fight" is a choice best made with caution and wisdom. When the bully brings the fight to us we believe doing nothing is not an option.
So when you hear about BRC or the California Association of 4Wheel Drive Clubs (CA4WDC) or some other off-road group intervening on your (off-road) behalf, please thank them! A donation to their legal fund would be even better!
Extra note from Brian Hawthorne: For a variety of reasons, defensive legal actions can reap the most profound results for the OHV community. I site the example of a 9-0 Supreme Court decision on a lawsuit that originated in Utah. To make that very long story as short as possible, BRC and other OHV orgs ran a defensive maneuver in a lawsuit designed to close millions of acres of Bureau of Land Management land in Utah. In the end, it was the legal argument by BRC's legal eagle, Paul Turcke that thwarted the radical anti-access plans. (More specifics on that case here: http://www.sharetrails.org/alerts/20...victory-ohvers).
And for a listing of BRC's focused and effective Legal Action Program, be sure to visit this link for an overview.
STAY TUNED for the next Legal-Ease 101 where we'll talk about offensive maneuvers in the access courtroom.
(Taken from BRC website)
Dave Walters
Tri-Cities Peak Putters
Land Use Coordinator
WOHVA Board member
It's a Scout thing
I like it. great find Dave
Member #40 Hombres jeep club
Region 2 landmatters chairman
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Creative Conversation: Brandon Montclare
Welcome to a Creative Conversation with comics scribe Brandon Montclare. Today we'll dish on currently captivating run on Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, his controversial essential reads for newbies to comics, and some of his insane journey from intern, to editor, to writer. Along the way we'll make pit stops at Tokyo Pop, DC Comics, Vertigo, and discuss some tips for new writers wanting to break into the comic book industry. And of course, we'll get Brandon's take on whose faces would be on his personal Mt. Rushmore of comics. Agree? Disagree? Let's start the process…
MK: I am ready to have our next Creative Conversation with the current co-scribe of Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, THE Brandon Montclare. Thanks for joining me today, sir. Kind of just to ease in, get a little bit of background, do you remember the first comic you purchased, or the first one that stuck with you?
BM: Yeah, no, I never have and people ask me all the time. I've thought about it and I've thought, okay let me try to reconstruct that "what was my first comic" and truth be told it was Savage Sword of Conan. And I was a little kid, and we had the direct market but about a million stuff you would see on the newsstand and Savage Sword of Conan being magazine size either just by luck of where I lived or because of the actual distribution I couldn't tell you. It was a little more common.
MK: Do you miss the magazine format?
BM: Yes, very much so. And they were kind of old, kind of before my time even though Savage Sword of Conan lasted for a million years and I was reading it all throughout. But it would have been "Savage Sword somewhere in the early hundreds and I actually, okay, so I had this one and this was earliest, and you go online to find it. And then I said, "Okay, I know Spider-Man with the black costume was around that time" and Daredevil, I know the covers. Was Marvel Team-Up, I was joking earlier about Starfox before but there was this Marvel Star Fox, this Marvel Team-Up was a book I had and I can't find anything online about it.
MK: But you know it existed because you owned that comic.
BM: Well yes, because I said I had that and I saw that cover a hundred times. You know what that means? So, and then I should remember what the numbers are and everything else but I don't. So…
MK: I'm terrible with remembering numbers. I'm like you, I can remember the cover, I can remember the story, but the actual issue number, I'm just not wired that way.
BM: Yeah but I have brothers who are four years older than me. Two of them, they're twins of each other and there were comic books around and my grandfather, he was a big reader of magazines in general but also comic books and everything else. Because he spent many years at sea. He worked on, for Exxon, he worked on ships, he was an engineer. So it was kind of part of his personality where he would, even though he at that point working was up at Albert Einstein Hospital up in the Bronx, but he kind of still had that mentality where it was, "You're in port so go buy a bunch of stuff and then take it back to your little room on the ship" so to speak. So he would buy comics and magazines and everything else like that. And the comics at least would filter down.
MK: That's incredible. The generational passing of the stories. I mean, it's one of those really special things about comics though.
BM: Yeah, and I don't know that he even grew up on comics. It was just something where he would, you'd be at sea for a couple of months so he would go and he would just take Time magazine and he would take all the comics, too. And like I said he was a big reader. So there were always piles around. What the first one is I don't know. But Savage Sword of Conan was a favorite.
MK: Were there any other series growing up that stick with you?
BM: Yeah, you know it was probably a year or two after my, quote-unquote, "first comic" that I was into collecting. I was in grade school, right, so it's not like you have money to be a real collector but it starts with maybe the issues that you missed that you want to have. I think you're influenced back then in the 80's, mid-80's, with all the advertisements in the books were for back issues. You know what I mean? And collectors are all, "Oh, I want this, that and the other thing." Oddly enough I don't know if it was because of Conan or not but Groo was one of my favorite books. That was probably the first run of comics I had. But then there was a lot of Marvel stuff. I liked Spider-Man, all the titles they had like, three titles, right? Web of Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Amazing Spider-Man. I was in full swing when all that pre-Image stuff came out. When like McFarlane Spider-Man and Jim Lee's X-Men and everything else. But, yeah, so I was a big fan, Mostly Marvel. Some DC also, I liked Green Lantern along with Batman.
MK: So you're collecting comics as a kid. And you've had probably one of the most unique journeys that I can think of, as far as how many different boxes in the comics world you can check off having done. Can you tell people a little bit about your journey.
BM: I mean, I guess I've done it all. I was in junior high, so, I don't know-seventh grade, and selling at local conventions. I grew up near enough to New York City. My father grew up in Manhattan and, uh, but my parents were divorced so, I shouldn't say that, my father lived in Manhattan. I grew up in Westchester. But even Westchester had a bunch of comic stores. New York had a monthly comic convention. So, since I was eleven or twelve, I was selling every month at the Grady Stern conventions. You know, buying and selling. Making a little bit of money. Then, at nineteen, I opened up a comic book shop. And this would have been in the crash of the early-mid 90's. So…
MK: So you're timing was perfect.
BM: Well, I don't think as a nineteen year-old I could have opened, I did open a shop. I should say there was a shop going out of business and I took over half of it. Which was Alternate Realities up in Scarsdale. Which I always proudly said, "still going strong" but not anymore. They closed up about a year ago.
MK: But it's a legendary comic shop. If you know comic book stores, you know about Alternate Realities. And they had that documentary on it and everything.
BM: Yeah, yeah yeah! So I was a former employee but, so, yeah, worked at cons, worked at retail, at nineteen it was very cool to be a comic shop owner. In my mid-20's, I personally didn't feel it was that cool anymore (laughs). And it was a lot of work, you know. I mean you're working more than eighty hours a week.
MK: People don't realize the hours that goes into running a comic book shop.
BM: Yeah, definitely. So, I was married, well I still am married, my wife at the time, and still my wife (laughs) so I have no idea why I'm phrasing it that way.
MK: Congratulations (laughs).
BM: Yeah, there you go. She was relocating for school, she has a Ph. D in chemistry. We're basically fire and ice on the formal education scale. But she was doing a post-doctorate in California, Cal Tech. It was supposed to be eighteen months, wound up being two and a half years. I'd sold most of my interest in the store. I went back to school. And as part of that I got an internship working at Tokyo Pop. In editorial. Tokyo Pop, infamous, maybe more than famous. They did translations of manga. That was kind of their bread and butter. They had a lot of money coming in and always trying to expand the business. People would literally call up the office or contact the office and say, "Oh, we want to do a cartoon of Fruits Basket" or "We want to take Sailor Moon and put her on a lunch box." Tokyo Pop only had a license to do reprints, right? They didn't have any merchandising rights. So, the Powers That Be, who were a bunch of lunatics, said "We should start creating comics in the manga style, with creators, and that way we have properties that we can license off." And they had a bit of a controversy with some of the deals that they gave to creators and I'm not saying that stuff was weird over at Tokyo Pop. A lot of good people worked there, too.
MK: How long were you at Tokyo Pop?
BM: I was there probably a little bit more than a year. It seems like a long time because you're young. But I was an intern and then they hired me as like a freelance editor. Which only meant that [I] kind of had reduced hours which was fine because, as I said, I'd gone back to school.
MK: So you were editing manga for Tokyo Pop while you were also going to school.
BM: Yes.
MK: That's the best side gig ever.
BM: (Laughs) It's, well, it's complicated because you don't know what you're going to do with life. You know, my wife has a Ph. D in chemistry so her kind of goal and the plan always was to find an academic position. Tenure track someplace. Which luckily wound up being back in New York, she's at NYU. But it could have been anywhere. So it's like, "Oh, I'll go back to school, I'll do something, and we'll see." I was a terrible student in high school. And my first phase of college. But when I went back I became a very good student. So we had no idea though [whether] we would wind up in College Station, Texas A&M or you might wind up at Syracuse, right, not necessarily the biggest cities in the world. And I had done some writing also for Tokyo Pop. But I wasn't really thinking of that. So, like I said, I was doing my thing at Tokyo Pop and a lot of these type of businesses have a structure. You know interns would become a freelance editor like me then maybe they would offer you a staff position. And I got offered a staff position right when things were looking like they were about to get bad. So I was one of the, I hate to say rats leaving a sinking ship BUT ended up locating back to New York anyway.
MK: When you got back to New York where did you land?
BM: At DC Comics. I was lucky, I got, well I should say I was offered from Marvel and at DC Comics to be an assistant editor and maybe because I was overqualified more than I was just super brilliant. But both those places were getting hundreds of applications. But I worked for Bob Schreck over at DC Comics. And the reason I took DC, even though I was reading more Marvel stuff growing up was the opportunity to work with Schrek on All-Star Superman and All-Star Batman, with Paul Pope on Batman: Year 100
MK: Just, little known titles that probably no one's ever heard of (laughs).
BM: And that was stuff and for a short time, when I knew that I was coming in and Bob was transitioning out of it just the regular Bat-office. I didn't want to miss out on that opportunity. Because I loved editing. I had done some freelance writing, and a lot of people have a goal of becoming a freelance writer. It wasn't my goal. I loved editing. A lot of me wishes I could still do it.
MK: What was one of the most rewarding aspects about editing and what was one of the most challenging aspects?
BM: The reward was completely, it's like, when you're a kid you want to be an artist, you want to be a writer, whatever you want to do, you want to be the creator. But when you think about it, [being an editor] it's the ultimate fan position. I mean, I'm a writer, if I'm working on two or three books, which would be a lot for me, but even if you're the most prolific writer working on four books-
MK: Oh, you mean Jeff Lemire? (Chuckles)
BM: Yeah, there you go (laughs). Maybe more than four, I worked with Jeff, I was the first editor on Sweet Tooth. And that came later. So, you get to work with all these guys, you get to work with a bunch of, you know what I mean, you get to work with artists and writers. And by that point I was into a lot of new people. I mean I gave Shane Davis some of his first jobs, Amy Reeder her first job, Sean Murphy, I kind of worked on his early stuff. Also got to work with Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely, Michael Kaluta.
MK: You get to work with your heroes and help maybe create some new heroes in the process.
BM: Yeah, so it was like amazing to be an editor. What are the challenges? Generally it's a nine to five job. Given the opportunity to work freelance there's that, you don't have to go to the office everyday. But the challenge at DC was, and it wasn't unfair, but it's just kind of the reality of that work, is you're low man on the totem pole. You've got to wait your turn. I had gotten a few books that had gotten approved that I had a hundred percent put together myself. There's a China Mieville Swamp Thing that never came out…That's not a secret, it got absorbed back into DC and this was later, towards the end of me being there, it was New 52 spinning out where it was, "Oh, we're going to bring him downstairs." And that was a Scott Snyder book. So China had written, I think, it might have been the full scripts on the first ten issues. They certainly had the outlines so they made good by him for his work.
MK: That's one of those situations I'm always amazed by. It's learning how many scripts have been written for characters by major creators that'll never see the light of day. And you're wondering how it just stays in a drawer.
BM: Yeah, there's an issue eleven of All-Star Batman that was never drawn. And it was kind of like a standalone Joker story. So there's a Frank Miller script that was never drawn. And I think part of the reason was, and with good intentions, that Frank and Jim Lee would come back one day, maybe condense it to give it an ending. You know what I mean? That thing was paced for four hundred million issues
MK: If Marvel finally got out Captain America: White and David Lapham finished the initial run on Stray Bullets, I still can have hope for All-Star Batman & Robin.
BM: Yeah, but thinking about that script, if Jim Lee's only got time to draw one issue then every six issues you'd have to restructure it so that's something but there's stuff like that. So at the end of DC I was doing too many books, uh, more than they would let me as an Associate Editor. And at that time Paul [Levitz] had stepped down and there was kind of an interim, they didn't name the Dan DiDio, Jim Lee double-headed publisher so, it was time to go. So I said, "Okay, I'm not going to give away books that I singlehandedly put together just because I have too many books."
MK: How did you find the transition from being an editor to being a writer? Did you feel more prepared?
BM: Well, I had done some writing before. At one point you're mystified by it where you don't even know how this comes together. It's probably a lot easier now than it was ten or so years ago because of the internet. I mean obviously the internet was around ten years ago but maybe it's easier to get scripts and talk with creators with social media kind of demystifying it. So I think a lot of it is that. [As an editor] you're familiar with scripts, you're familiar with artists. You know more what does work, what doesn't work. And if you have a good head on the shoulders coming out of editorial maybe even if you're not the best writer – And I'm not saying I'm the best writer or the worst or anything else – but I did the stupidest thing imaginable. I left on very good terms, everybody loves me over at DC. I didn't want to be the guy, because I'd taken so much pride in editing, and a lot of people use that as a stepping stone and are upfront about it, and that's totally cool. But I loved editing so much, I didn't want to be the guy that was even perceived as using editing to take a stepping stone to writing. That was half of it. The other half says, "Hey, since I'm going freelance writing, why don't you give me a couple of books?" I didn't want to make other people feel like they had to humor me. So my first gig was kind of a cold gig at Marvel. I mean nothing's cold because everybody knows everybody. But my first gig was at Marvel having no connection to them as a publisher. Like anybody else I had a couple of short things that nobody remembers. The first thing I did wasn't the first thing that got printed. The first was an eight page back up, it was in Hulk, it was with Korg, who was The Thing, Ben Grimm looking alien from Journey into Mystery #83, the first appearance of Thor. Which Greg [Pak] had been hocking and then brought into continuity. And it's funny because, in comics, people think, "Oh, I'm going to pitch Hawkman. And it's going to be such a good idea that they're going to give me my gig and it's going to be Hawkman." Or, "I've got the best pitch for Spider-Man and Black Cat, I'm gonna pitch that and they're going to give me that book." What happens often, and it's probably the first half dozen gigs you're going to get is that an editor likes your stuff and they groom it for you. So they say, "Hey, Brandon, we're doing eight page back ups for all the supporting characters in Hulk. Do you want to do Korg? Because nobody's doing Korg." My answer was literally, "Korg, that's fantastic! A hundred percent. That's my favorite." I had to go look up for Korg was (laughs).
MK: When someone offers you a job, you take the job.
BM: Yeah!
MK: It's like, "yes, sir, I can build that submarine for you! When's that check in the mail?"
BM: Absolutely. And I got Simon Bisley to do it since I worked with him when he was on Hellblazer. I was the guy that said let's put him on covers. Which isn't a brilliant move. Right? I mean Simon certainly had done covers before he'd done any for me. But-
MK: Still a good get.
BM: Yeah. What came out first but that I wrote second was, there was a crossover called Chaos War, which was with Hercules and there was a bad guy in that called the Chaos King. And I got to do the Chaos King one-shot and it wound up being over-sized…They wanted to feature the bad guy who had to speak in haiku? In all appearances. And I said, "Well that's fine if he's like the mysterious guy," cause he had this God-like power cosmic level. So I said, "Well, that's fine if he's the guy behind the star that Hercules hears, he can hear it in haiku. But if you want to have an actual story with him, how often does he have to talk in haiku?" I sent that letter in. And it's technically my second gig so I'm trying to be very nice saying, "What if I, I'll give him a voice obviously that fits a cosmic entity but maybe I can just punctuate it with haiku. Like maybe he'll start in a different voice and then when makes a big point he'll do it in haiku." I wondered if we could get away with that and I got a response that said, "No, he always speaks in haiku." So I had to make a thirty page story with a guy speaking in haiku. Luckily, he's a cosmic entity so I broke it up so that it was different people bouncing it off of him. But, when the actual, if Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak are reading, they should cover their eyes right now, because when Chaos War came out, Chaos King, he wasn't talking in haiku in every scene. So it's like, "Thanks, thanks a lot." (laughs) They tried that for a day and decided "not."
MK: And it was your day.
BM: Exactly.
MK: When you were an editor and you were getting a pitch, were there certain things you looked for fundamentally? In terms of formatting or the types of pitches? What advice would you give to someone writing their first pitch?
BM: Unfortunately, editors are different…You want to tailor something to an editor and you want to tailor it to your strengths. I always try to not get hung up on format. I always thought it was crazy, you'd say, "Give me a pitch in the form you think is strongest" but the editor wants it a certain way. So, some editors will give out, if not an outline, "Here's the pitch that I got that's the perfect form, use this." And sometimes that's the demands of the publisher they're at because it has to cycle through certain things. But, obviously you want to keep it short. Because these things happen in stages. A lot of places can't take unsolicited pitches anyway. So you have to have a relationship. A lot of the gigs are going to come in. I did have to give a pitch on the story of what Korg was going to do (laughs). I mean it was eight pages so it probably didn't take me too long. This is the least sexy answer. You're probably going to be in a relationship with them if you're pitching anything now. And they'll tell you what they need. But personally, shorter is always better. Because things will change so much anyway. And if you have something you believe in, think of it this way, your editor believes in you but if you got the assistant, like I was, he's got to convince a lot of people above him. You almost don't want to have too much information in it because that generates more questions.
MK: The more information you give, the more opportunities you're giving someone to poke holes in it and you're not necessarily in the room to talk it through.
BM: Exactly. So you don't want to get too married to your pitch. The process of rewriting and going through the team it's going to be so different anyway. To me, you want to sell yourself. Because the editor's going to have an easier time selling the talent than the pitch.
MK: See, that's brilliant. That's, brilliant. I don't know what you mean that's not a sexy answer.
BM: Well people want a formula. And that, you'll be forgiven for being a little bit overenthusiastic, you hope (laughs). Because everyone's excited and everyone in comics was the person who at one point wanted to be in comics. So hopefully they're forgiving.
MK: Also, if you catch them on a bad day…
BM: It's going to happen. It's going to happen. And some people will be jerks, that's going to happen, to0. But you know, you have to make it happen.
MK: Switching gears a bit, and thank you again for very generously taking the time to do this. Your Mount. Rushmore of comics, who would go on there?
BM: I read the first installment and I was thinking about this question. So, for me, all I could think about was who should be on the actual Mount Rushmore of comics. And then I realized, well, I have to also make this somewhat controversial. Alright. So that I thought of and then I forgot everyone. Well, first you got to put Stan Lee. Because Stan Lee doesn't get enough credit. Well, okay he gets a lot of credit, but people ask, "Oh, does he deserve so much credit?" I'm a big fan of Stan Lee. I don't know about his business dealings. I don't know about his personal dealings…I'm sure he's taken credit from a lot o people. But he's kind of the guy that made comics what it is, I think. And not by his writing and maybe not by his editorial acumen, maybe it is, I don't know, but just by being the hawker. Neal Adams has to be on there. Frank Miller has to be on there. Neal Adams because just such an influential artist but also did more for creators rights which I also think translates to in a lot of ways creative freedom and people being able to do their best work, which I think more than everybody else combined. Frank Miller because he did everything in my mind. He was a writer, he was an artist, jumped into Hollywood and was able to sell himself there. Well, if you put Stan Lee on there I guess you have to put Jack Kirby on. And then I think about wanting to create controversy and then people are going to think I hate Jack Kirby, I love Jack Kirby. I do a Kirby book! So I'd almost throw Todd McFarlane on there just to drive people crazy. And I say that completely seriously though.
MK: McFarlane revolutionized the business. You can't argue that. Whether you think it was for the better or worse, or what you think of what he's become now and what he was then. But you can't deny his contribution.
BM: He was a popular artist and people [still] dig his stuff. And not for an artist but for his contribution to the business. So my personal Mount Rushmore is, I'll give you four guys I like and it'll change down the road. I'm a big Sergio Aragones fan, and these are just guys who influenced me and I like. I'm a big Larry Stroman fan because Alien Legion was the first book I really liked. And that stuff totally holds up now…Amy Reeder and Frank Quitely on there, too. I worked with them, too.
MK: I might put Amy Reeder in the top five of everything. And I hope she's going to read this.
BM: She is a world class artist that I've gotten to work with a lot. Having sat next to her at dozens of conventions, the list of people that seek her out to tell her, "How do you do that, you're amazing?" From Bill Sienkiewicz, to Frank Quitely, to Adam Hughes or lots of artists in between. I mean, she's that good.
MK: And you guys have worked together, on Madame Xanadu you were an editor, you selected her for a competition at Tokyo Pop-
BM: That's true.
MK: And then you've got Rocket Girl that you created together. And now you've got Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. What makes you the yin to each other's yang?
BM: It's just cause it works. Friendship and working with friends, I think, is underrated. I hired Amy, I gave her her first gig at Tokyo Pop. It was a contest. And she won it fair and square, I was the judge on one of them. We would take the top ten entries and make a little anthology out of them. I thought she was really talented. I was then leaving Tokyo Pop si I never got to stick around and work with her directly. I always wanted to work with her so I got her the Madame Xanadu gig at Vertigo. Which was a lot of fun to work on. And you know, as an editor you take a lot of credit for hiring somebody but they've got to make you look good. If I put her in the batter's box, she's got to hit out of the park or at least try to get on base and she hit it out of the park again and again and again. We had a really good relationship And when she was a little bit burnt out after Batwoman and leaving DC it was, let's just do a quick project I don't even want to think about it. Which became the Halloween Even one-shot which was very successful. And then we said, "Hey, we should do more of this." So we tried something longer which was Rocket Girl. We decided we'd do five issues and see how it does. Who knew ten issues would take four years. In a way it hasn't been a tremendous amount of pages but some of that is it takes a lot of time for Amy to do what she does.
MK: Sure, comics can take a long time to make.
BM: So Rocket Girl was a lot of fun. Rocket Girl opened the door to Moon Girl literarlly when Marvel said, "We want you to do something at Marvel like you guys do with Rocket Girl." Amy wasn't sure if she'd be able to draw that but she's a great writer. And really doesn't get enough credit for it.
MK: You had already seen her chops as a writer.
BM: Yeah, so we've co-written for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, this is not a secret, she's leaving with issue nineteen. And she did her part, she also did covers and designs. Amy can pick up the phone and call ten different publishers and get twenty different offers for covers. It was for her because Rocket Girl wasn't coming out on the shelf as often so if she was going to do a cover, she should do one on something she was writing. Then it became a comfort level, her not growing up on the Marvel and DC stuff, working with me.
MK: Okay, now for the few people reading this that haven't read Moon Girl yet, how would you describe the title?
BM: Well, it's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Devil Dinosaur is an old Kirby dinsoaur that went out eating other dinosaurs and sometimes some cave men. Marvel came to us and said, "Hey, give us some ideas of what you can do." And we wanted some obscure characters so it started with Devil Dinosaur but when it went to Moon Girl, she gave us something creatively to get excited for. So if you look at my files on computer it went from Devil Dinosaur, to Devil Dinosaur and Moon Girl, to Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. Whereas it is really, with all due to respect to Devil Dinosaur it's really a book about Moon Girl. She is a nine year-old super smart engineer, inventor, scientist, who doesn't get any recognition. She's still in public school and doesn't get why the world around her isn't respecting how smart she is. Over the course of now eighteen issues going strong, Marvel, and this is an idea we pitched to them that they picked up on, Marvel has named her the smartest person in the Marvel Universe. But she's still a kid, she still has challenges of getting along in the world. And Devil Dinosaur has become a buddy comedy, where maybe it's her with the least smartest person in the Marvel Universe. But it's a person who doesn't judge her, that's very faithful, that she can rely in, and in her entire life she hasn't had that. And they form a bond.
MK: Right now, in recognition of her new status, she's in the midst of the story arc, "The Smartest There Is" that's getting ready to wrap up. She's rubbed shoulders with X-Men, Hulk, Doctor Strange, can you give our readers a tease of what to expect from the final chapter of this epic adventure?
BM: Yeah, sure. What's coming up is, this was really a coming out party for Moon Girl. It's one thing to say she's the smartest person, it's another thing to show it. So how do you show it? With someone that's always been isolated let's show her meet all the heavy hitters. It was Hulk and then Thing, and then Iron Heart, and Dr. Strange, and most recently the X-Men. Issue eighteen is called, "Full Moon" and it's a battle royale versus a mysterious Doctor Doom that doesn't seem to match any of the other Doctor Dooms in Marvel right now. It will also have a pretty big reveal of Moon Girl's powers, that she switches brains with Devil Dinosaur and some other cool stuff coming up. It's been kind of the opening trilogy, I mean it is the third arc. But issues one through eighteen is in a lot of ways the first arc. And it's going to kind of leave her, where she started as a nobody, now she'll have a defined place in the Marvel Universe. The next arc after that will actually take a step back and just focuses on Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur. I don't want to spoil it too much but there's a secret mission they have to do.
MK: No spoilers, I hate spoilers. If people want the secrets revealed they should come down to Forbidden Planet and pick up what is, I say unabashedly, one of the best books from the House of Ideas.
BM: That's right.
MK: Okay, last questions. For someone who maybe has never read a comic book before. If you were running a store today and somebody walked in, what five stories would you tell them to read?
BM: Okay, I worked in a store and all my reads are wrong! I say, don't read Watchmen, that's something people should read later, it's too confusing but people read Watchmen and love it. I say, "Sandman's great but start with the second trade." Which they actually used to do (laughs). But people seem to just want it all. And it's funny having worked on both All-Star Superman and All-Star Batman & Robin, another fire and ice, All-Star Superman is great, and it won all the awards, but All-Star Batman & Robin might be a little more, accessible? I don't know, do you have to love and be familiar with comics to read All-Star Superman? I do not know. But, Saga, you can pick it up and read it right away. So that's number one. I think, Dark Knight Returns doesn't get enough credit, because people always want to try to get cute and say, "Oh, you should do Year One instead." Year One's a perfectly good story but I'm going to put that classic on there. See I got to be contrary and do all weird stuff.
MK: Do it! You got three more.
BM: Daytripper, which I edited. I worked on a lot of great books, some of which I was just lucky enough to be sitting there when Bob Schreck landed them or Karen Burger landed them. Daytripper might be the best thing I ever worked on. And I think everyone can read it. It's got an interesting form, it shows you what comics can do.
MK: I agree.
BM: I teach a class, too, so I should be a little bit more up on this stuff. You know, keeping it new also, Ms. Marvel, I think is as good as advertised and it's a great book. And for the last one, because it's obscure but great, Dial H For Hero by China Mieville and that'll bring us full circle. I don't know if those are essential but those are five oddball ones. Ask me again in five minutes, I'll give you five new ones.


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- This event has passed.
Keeper Talk
October 23 @ 11:30 am - 11:50 am
|Recurring Event (See all)
An event every day that begins at 11:30 am, repeating indefinitely
A Keeper Talk is offered at 11:30am each day in Animal Discovery Zoo. The featured animal changes daily, so please check the schedule located at the zoo's entrance. Please understand the schedule is subject to change during inclement weather, issues with animal health/safety, or in the case of an emergency that requires the attention of the keeper staff.


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A Virginia Senate committee rewrote Gov. Bob McDonnell's transportation funding reform bill.
The proposal would restore and increase the gasoline tax, add a 1 percent fuel sales tax and allow localities to add another 1 percent tax to fuel.
Changes to the House-passed legislation came in a Senate Finance Committee meeting Tuesday. The meeting was briefly held up by a Republican senator's demand that the bill's sponsor, Republican House Speaker Bill Howell, appear and explain it.
Republican Sen. Frank Wagner, however, offered his substitute to the Senate panel, which advanced it on a 9-6 vote.
The bill will face a floor vote later this week, then return to the House where it will likely be rejected. That will set up negotiations for a small committee of delegates and senators.


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BOSTON (AP) Paul Pierce hit a go-ahead jumper with 31 seconds left in the second overtime and the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat 100-98 on Sunday, then learned All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury.
Rondo will have surgery for a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee. He was hurt late in Boston's 123-112 loss, also in two overtimes, to the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night.
It was the first game in Boston for Ray Allen since he left the Celtics after five seasons and signed as a free agent with Miami. He scored 21 points.
Kevin Garnett had 24 points and 11 rebounds, and Pierce added 17 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists for the Celtics, who ended a six-game losing streak, their longest in six seasons.
LeBron James scored 34 points for the Heat, who had won four in a row.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Kobe Bryant had 21 points, 14 assists and nine rebounds, Steve Nash added seven of his 17 points in the final 5 1/2 minutes, and the Lakers held off the NBA-leading Thunder.
Pau Gasol scored 16 points in a reserve role as the Lakers picked up the most impressive victory of their thoroughly unimpressive season, coolly maintaining a small lead down the stretch of their second straight win after a four-game skid.
Los Angeles had lost nine of its last 11 against the powerful Thunder, including four of five in the clubs' second-round playoff series last spring.
Kevin Durant scored 35 points and Russell Westbrook had 17 points, 13 assists and nine rebounds for the road-weary Thunder, who finished their longest trip of the season at 3-3.
NEW YORK (AP) - Carmelo Anthony tied a franchise record with nine 3-pointers, then converted a go-ahead, three-point play with 12.5 seconds left to cap a 42-point night and lead the Knicks to the victory.
The Hawks shot a season-high 60 percent from the field but had their three-game winning streak snapped when Josh Smith, burned on Anthony's basket, missed a 3-pointer on Atlanta's final possession.
Amare Stoudemire and J.R. Smith each had 18 points for the Knicks, who were 16 of 27 (59 percent) from 3-point range. Raymond Felton had 12 points and 10 assists in his second game back after a 10-game absence with a broken right pinky.
Jeff Teague scored 27 points for the Hawks. Smith added 20 and Al Horford had 16.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Blake Griffin had 23 points and nine assists, helping the Clippers stop a four-game losing streak.
Clippers star Chris Paul missed his fourth straight game and seventh in the past nine because of a bruised right kneecap. Eric Bledsoe had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds in his seventh start at point guard, and Lamar Odom added eight points, 13 rebounds and six assists.
All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge led the Trail Blazers with 21 points and 11 rebounds. It was Portland's seventh loss in nine games, and it came in the second part of a home-and-home set with the Clippers.
Portland trailed 74-59 after a driving layup by Bledsoe with 3:15 left in the third quarter. Griffin didn't play after going to the bench with 10 seconds left in the third and the Clippers leading 78-62.
DALLAS (AP) - Shawn Marion scored 18 points for Dallas in his 1,000th game, and Dirk Nowitzki also had 18 while passing Allen Iverson on the career scoring list.
It was the 10th straight home win for the Mavericks against the Suns, who haven't won in Dallas since March 14, 2007.
Nowitzki passed Iverson for 18th on the NBA's scoring list with a third-quarter jumper that stopped a Phoenix run, and his 3-pointer early in the fourth started a surge that put Dallas in control for good.
Phoenix rallied from a first-half deficit and made it interesting for a second straight night in Texas after losing at Western Conference-leading San Antonio. Goran Dragic led four players in double figures with 18 points.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Ryan Anderson scored 22 points for New Orleans, connecting on seven 3-pointers.
Anderson was 7 of 13 from the field, all of his attempts coming from outside the arc. Fellow reserve Jason Smith was 5 of 7 from the field for 16 points, and Anthony Davis was the only New Orleans starter to finish in double figures with 10 points.
The Hornets had dropped consecutive games.
Zach Randolph led Memphis with 20 points and 13 rebounds for his league-leading 28th double-double. Marc Gasol had 14 points and 11 boards, and Jerryd Bayless also scored 14. Rudy Gay had 10 points, but was 3 for 17 from the field, including a 1-for-7 performance from long range.
New Orleans put the game away by outscoring Memphis 27-15 in the fourth quarter.
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - Brandon Knight had a career-high 31 points, including five 3-pointers, and Greg Monroe scored 17 to lead Detroit to the road win.
The Magic had a chance to tie the game in the closing seconds after a missed free throw, but missed three putback attempts.
Orlando's J.J. Redick tied a career high with 31 points and set a career high with eight 3-pointers. Jameer Nelson had 18 points and eight assists, and Glen Davis added 17 points and 12 rebounds.
The Magic have lost five straight games.


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I am SO behind on replying to comments (I will get round to it), and emails – I read every single message but sometimes I have so many other things to take care of I know it will take a while for me to respond.
I am not trying to ignore anyone, mind, I just have a distinct lack of time.
So this post is a quick question amnesty* – if you left a question on another post and you're waiting for an answer, if you emailed me, if you need to chase me up on something comment here and perhaps I can get some things answered quickly!
Good Questions
"What lip gloss were you wearing in this picture in post xxx?"
"Where did you buy xxx eyeliner?"
"Can you recommend a lipstick for xxx?"
Bad Questions
"Where did you put the remote?"
"I'm still waiting for me £40 back, when are you paying it?"
"Madam Viagra is the tool best for your love stick"
*I made that up, don't nick it!
Comment, if you want to ask something!
Love, MEEEEE!


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Tube Bed Chocolate
By B.Pet
PLEASE NOTE that this product is an overseas import and therefore it can take up to 3 to 4 weeks for delivery.
If your idea of a dog bed is a rather smelly basket/blanket combo, then think again. Designers B.Pet have, in typical Italian fashion, come up with a range of pet furniture that is not only stylish but achingly cool. If Bond baddie Blofeld's cat had a bed, this would be it.
Made in Italy to the highest specifications from lacquered mdf wood with a cotton/viscose cushion.
Size. diameter: 50 cm, height: 25 cm.
Product code: BPT-00020
- Western Europe - Courier or Signed for - £30.00
- UK Delivery (Non-Mainland) - Courier or Signed for - £30.00
- UK Delivery (Mainland) - Courier or Signed for - £30.00
This item will be dispatched to you direct by our partner seller B.Pet and has the following specific returns policy:
B.Pet does not accept returns or exchanges for any of its products.
B.Pet produces custom made products and does not mass-produce or hold inventory. Each item is
created and designed only in limited quantities. Therefore, due to the custom made exclusivity of each order
all sales are final.
General returns information for standard items:
Each partner seller may have its own specific returns policy, so please make sure you understand the
relevant partner sellers' returns policies whenever you buy. Please click here for the full PetsPyjamas
returns policy.
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Welcome to German American Business Council
The German American Business Council (GABC) in Washington, DC was founded in 2004 as an initiative of the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany. We are an independent non-profit organization which fosters transatlantic business dialogue between Germany and the US. Our mission is to support businesses and entrepreneurships by building trust and understanding between small, medium-sized and global companies and to create business opportunities for our members. We are truly a German-American organization, which is reflected both by our board members and our general membership.
Leadership and Founding Member Companies:
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MIT International Science and Technology Initiatives (MISTI) offers global seed funds to help MIT faculty and researchers launch early stage international projects and collaboration. Applicants are encouraged to involve MIT students — both undergraduate and graduate — in their projects.
The 2014-15 MISTI call for proposals will be announced in May 2014. Fo guidelines and eligibility visit: http://misti.mit.edu/faculty-funds/guidelines-eligibility.


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A five-person panel with dozens of years of field experience selected 20 products as finalists from more than 70 entrants in the 2001 CEE News Product of the Year competition.
After publishing the finalists in the April issue of CEE News magazine and asking the magazine's readers to select their favorite products, the winner of the competition was announced at the Electric 2000 trade show in Orlando, June 25-27. The panel's choices were displayed at the Electric West trade show and conference, February 27-March 1 in Anaheim, Calif.
The product entries included hand tools, lighting products, software and training aids, cable tray, connectors, automatic transfer switches and test instruments.
Panel members were Dale Vander Giessen, president Dale's Electric, Lynden, Wash.; Russell Fortmeyer, engineer, ARUP, Los Angeles; Helen Vozenilek, an electrician working with for the city of San Francisco; Joe Knisley, contributing editor for the Intertec Electrical Group; and John DeDad, editorial director, EC&M and CEE News magazines.
Helen Vozenilek, Electrician for the city and county of San Francisco
Helen has spent about two decades in the electrical field. In the early 1980s, she went through the apprenticeship program in New Mexico where she worked on commercial and industrial jobs. She then moved to California to work for the city and county of San Francisco. Helen has an electrical contractor's license.
Russell Fortmeyer, Engineer with Arup, Los Angeles, Calif.
Russell Fortmeyer earned a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kan., and is now an electrical engineer with Arup's Los Angeles office. His recent projects include the Saint John's Health Center Replacement Project, UCLA Medical Center Westwood Replacement Hospital, a library expansion for Santa Monica College, and the Broad Center for the Biological Sciences at the California Institute of Technology.
Dale Vander Giessen, President of Dale's Electric, Lynden, Wash.
Dale is a past president of Independent Electrical Contractors Inc. and owner of Dale's Electric, Lynden, Wash. He has served on various IEC executive committees for more than 12 years.
Joseph R. Knisley, Senior Editorial Consultant for Intertec Electrical Group
Joe earned his bachelor's degree from Queens College, City University of New York. He wrote and edited feature articles and columns for Electrical Wholesaling magazine from 1961 to 1968, and for EC&M magazine from 1968 to 1993. He has also served as a consultant for EC&M since 1993 and a contributing editor for CEE News and Electrical Marketing newsletter.
John A. DeDad, Editorial director of EC&M and CEE News magazines
John earned his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Northridge. He then became the manager of Application Engineering, GE Co., Wire & Cable Business Dept. and later a project manager/general superintendent for the New York City office of L.K. Comstock Co. Inc., the third largest electrical contractor in the United States. After serving as the editor-in-chief of EC&M magazine, he became the editorial director of both EC&M and CEE News.


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- Home >
- Why Organic >
- Organic 101
Why Organic
Organic 101
You've heard of organic vegetables and organic milk, but what on earth is an organic mattress? Is it really healthier?
Well, quite simply, yes. Organic vegetables are healthier because they do not have chemical pesticide residues. Organic milk is healthier because it comes from cows that are not given artificial chemical hormones. Likewise, organic mattresses do not have all the chemicals that regular mattresses have.
But that's just the beginning. Organic mattresses are made with organic and non-toxic materials instead of conventional and chemically questionable materials. Consumers are choosing organic mattresses as a way to avoid unnecessary exposure to these chemicals.
Recently Published Studies
Flame Retardants in Children
Chicago Tribune
Study partly funded by Environmental Working Group (EWG) and conducted by researchers at Duke University and the EWG
Phthalates Exposure in Moms Linked to Asthma in Children
Published Sept. 17, 2014 Environmental Health Perspectives.
Study led by Robin Whyatt from the Columbia Center for Children's Environmental Health in New York, part of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
How Flame Retardants End Up in Our Rivers, Streams and Lakes
Published Sept. 17, 2014 by the journal Environmental Science & Technology
Report co-authored by Erika Schreder, science director with Washington Toxics Coalition, and Mark J. La Guardia, senior environmental research scientist at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
U.S. Government Report on Phthalates
Consumer Product Safety Commission
The "Report on Phthalates and Phthalate Alternatives" does not call for a ban on all phthalates in children's products. Instead, it recommends which phthalates should be allowable and which are not. Read More
Flame Retardants in Repeat House Dust Samples from California
Silent Spring Institute
After the PBDE Phase-Out: A Broad Suite of Flame Retardants in Repeat House Dust Samples from California
Flame Retardants Found in Preschools, Childcare Center
Led by researchers at UC Berkeley and funded by the California Air Resources Board
Are mattresses labeled "eco" or "green" just as good?
No. "Eco" and "green" are not regulated terms and can be misleading. Many of these "eco" materials may sound good, but they are not really "natural" and are certainly not focused on eliminating harmful chemicals.
"Plant derived" or "Soybean" foam
These materials are used in many "eco" mattress models and are at least 80% petroleum/chemical based and are not really "made of soybeans."
"Bamboo" fabric
Also common in "eco" models, typically made using environmentally toxic chemicals with no trace of the bamboo plant in the finished product. Many of these "eco" materials may sound good, but they are not really "natural".
The only way to be certain about the quality of your mattress is to check its certifications. With Naturepedic, you will never have to worry about questionable labels and claims. We are more certified and awarded than any other organic mattress manufacturer and 100% stand behind the materials we put into our products.
Strict Certification Standards
- Organic mattresses, like Naturepedic's, are certified to one of the following standards, depending on whether the mattress primarily uses a coil-based or latex-based design:
Global Organic Textile Standard
The Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) is the world's leading processing standard for organic textiles and fibres, including ecological and social criteria, backed by independent certification of the entire textile supply chain.
Global Organic Latex Standard
The Global Organic Latex Standard (GOLS) is a materials and processing standard for organic latex and finished latex foam.
- Naturepedic organic mattresses and bedding products are certified by the most respected international certifying agencies:
Oregon Tilth Certification
The OTCO fiber program certifies to the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), which is dedicated specifically for Fiber & Textile Handling and production. GOTS is a project of the International Working Group, who developed these consensus-based standards over many years of discussion and deliberation.
Control Union
Control Union Certifications commits itself to conduct its activities impartially and in a professional manner. CU understands the importance of impartiality in carrying out its certification activities, managing of conflicts of interest and ensuring the objectivity of its management system certification activities.


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HMP - For medium cutting. Excellent chip control at a wide range of cutting conditions. Suitable for stainless steel.
AK - For aluminium cutting. High rake and low resistance cutting edge secures long tool life in continuous cutting. High speed finishing.
AR - For aluminium cutting. High stability of cutting edge secures great performance in high speed and interrupted cutting.
C25 - For medium cutting. Suitable for interrupted cutting. Good surface finish due to low cutting force. Suitable for both boring and outer diameter turning.
B25 - For general cutting conditions.
GS - For medium to roughing cutting of Stainless Steel.
HS - For medium cutting of Stainless Steel. Wear resistance is reinforced through high rake angle of chip breaker.
HA - For light alloy, stainless steel machining. Sharp cutting edge generates low cutting force. Specially designed tough main cutting edge. For low cutting low carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium.
VM - For general cutting conditions.
VF - Ideal for finishing. Good chip control on varied depth of cut. Excellent cutting edge strength.
VP2 – For medium to finish cutting. Stable chip control & high machinability in copying with various depths of cut.
VP3 – For medium cutting. High positive cutting edge with wide land. Stable cutting performance in interrupted machining with high toughness. Stable machinability and chip control in machining a high depth of cut.
HR - for roughing. Excellent chip control with deep cutting and fast feed rates. Strong cutting edge makes excellent cutting performance at intermittent cutting.
LW - for medium cutting (Wiper) – Excellent surface roughness and good chip controls at high feed machining.
MP - For medium cutting on forged Steel and bearing Steel. Chipbreakers have two step dots at the corner and bring an increase in productivity when machining forged steel at high speed(max. 350m/min) and high feed(max. 0.35mm/rev
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Scientific lifestyle programs designed to produce optimal wellness
You Have Control Over Your Health Destiny
Special Tests
The foundation of Dr. Debé's approach is the integratio n o f a new class of laboratory tests with personalized lifestyle modification and natural therapies. These new evaluation procedures, by "asking a different question", provide insight into the functional integrity of the individual's physiology.
Tailored Programs
With your personal health goals in mind, and the data from these various evaluation procedures, Dr. Debé then devises a treatment strategy. The options are numerous and the program is very flexible. Each individual's program is customized based upon his or her health goals, unique physiology, genetic proclivities, and other personal factors.
Meet Your Health Goals
Ultimately, you decide what steps you are willing to take in furthering your health. Whatever your health goals are, we are here to support you in their attainment.


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Musical Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre at Grand River Raceway - Sat., October 27th, 2018
Grand River Raceway - Events & Entertainment
Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Event Details
Grand River Raceway's Musical Murder Mystery Dinner Theatre is an award-winning, interactive comedy dinner show. Written and performed exclusively for Grand River Raceway, these all-original shows change each run with fresh side-splitting storylines and a cast of crazy musical characters. Enjoy a delicious, homemade 3-course meal as the hilarity unfolds in this unique whodunit night-out with your family and friends.
October, 2018: The 27 Club: A Hallowe'en Murder Mystery
Janis Joplin. Jim Morrison. Kurt Cobain. Amy Winehouse. Four musical icons, each heralded as geniuses and plagued by demons. All taken from earth at the age of 27. Put them together and you've got a jam band for all eternity.
Doors open at 6:00 pm and the show starts at 6:30. (Show & dinner conclude at 8:30 p.m.)
Lighthouse Restaurant at Grand River Raceway • Tickets $57. Savings of $3/ticket are available if you purchase 16 or more tickets, or if you purchase tickets before January 1, 2018. (These offers cannot be combined. Offer only valid with promo code.)
{Price includes taxes and gratuity}
Questions? (519) 846-5455 ext. 288
When & Where
Grand River Raceway
7445 County Road 21
Centre Wellington,
Saturday, October 27, 2018 from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM (EDT)
Add to my calendar


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Sanford wins, to face Colbert Busch
Former Gov. Mark Sanford has won in the GOP runoff election for a vacant South Carolina congressional seat, the latest test of his bid to resuscitate his political career.
With 100 percent of precincts reporting, Sanford led his underdog opponent, former Charleston County Councilman Curtis Bostic, 57 percent to 43 percent, according to The Associated Press. Sanford will face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a Clemson University administrator and the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, in the May 7 general election.
Story Continued Below
The race will surely become a national spectacle and draw attention from both national parties. Sanford, who four years ago lied about and then admitted to having an affair with an Argentine woman, has barnstormed the Lowcountry-based 1st Congressional District, billing himself as a figure of repentance and redemption and saying he has learned from his mistakes.
( Full results: 1st District runoff)
The two wasted no time drawing the battle lines for the next six weeks. Sanford called it an ideological clash between someone who will fight for less government spending and lower taxes vs. a pro-union liberal who supports Obamacare.
"My record is one of cutting debt, eliminating deficits, reducing taxes, and working to make sure business are more competitive," Sanford said in a statement. "On the other side, we have more of the same of what has gotten our country into the mess that it's in — a belief in government and government spending on things like the stimulus are a cure to all ills, an allegiance to unions that should be truly disconcerting to places like Boeing and a whole lot of other businesses out there, and a belief that the government approach to healthcare represented by things like Obamacare is the right direction for our nation."
( PHOTOS: Mark Sanford's career)
Colbert Busch countered that the race is about whom voters can trust.
"As a businesswoman," she said in a statement, "I will use my experience to cut waste in Washington, lower tax rates so small businesses can create jobs and do the people of South Carolina proud as their representative."
A Colbert Busch spokesman added: "Mark Sanford simply has the wrong values for our community — whether that's his terms as Governor or the last time he was in Congress, where he opposed commonsense measures like the Violence Against Women Act."
Sanford's Argentine fiancée, María Belén Chapur, who had been his mistress, appeared behind him while the ex-governor delivered remarks at his victory party on Tuesday night.


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A New Jersey woman is the third person to be charged with trying to defraud the One Fund Boston, established to aid people involved in the bombing at the finish line of the Boston Marathon in April.
Iris Gamble, 44, was charged with third-degree attempted theft by deception, fourth-degree fraud and fourth-degree creating fraudulent documents, said Union County Prosecutor Grace H. Park in a statement Friday. Gamble's first court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 16 in Union County Superior Court.
Gamble submitted a claim in June, saying she was injured in the April 15 explosions of two pressure-cooker bombs along Bolton Street in Boston. Three people were killed and more than 260 injured in the attack.
Gamble claimed she was in Boston and had been injured in the bombing. But the application had irregularities and was investigated, officials said.
"Before any money was distributed, One Fund Boston forwarded concerns about this claim to our office. After an initial investigation, we informed the Union County Prosecutor's office, which agreed to further investigate the case. Attempting to steal money from the real victims of the Marathon bombing, and from the people who gave so generously to help them, is unconscionable," Christopher Loh, a spokesperson for Massachusetts Atty. Gen. Martha Coakley, said in a statement emailed to reporters.
Gamble, who withdrew her claim, is the third case of alleged fraud stemming from applications to the fund. Two of the cases were uncovered by fund investigators who then passed them on for prosecution. One person got so far as receiving money until a tip was sent in to authorities.
The person who received funds was Audrea Gause, 26, of Troy, N.Y. She was arrested on July 19 and arraigned earlier this month on larceny charges.
Gause is accused of filing a claim in June and included several "pages of purported medical records, indicating that she had been hospitalized at the Boston Medical Center for two days, and thereafter at the Albany Medical Center for ten days," Massachusetts prosecutors said. Her claim was approved by the Fund based on those records.
Officials said they received a tip that Gause was not in Boston during the bombing. The attorney general's office said it began an immediate investigation and charged Gause, who is due back in court in September.
The third case involves Branden Mattier, 22, of the South End of Boston who made a claim on behalf of his aunt. That case was uncovered by the One Fund Boston which found that the aunt had died 10 years earlier and referred the case to the attorney general's office, which brought charges.
Mattier was arrested while receiving a fake check for $2.195 million.
"We will continue our review of all claims made to ensure that the only people who receive money are the true victims of this horrible event," Loh said.
'Whitey' Bulger trial: Day 4 ends without a verdict
16 New Jersey garage workers have winning Powerball ticket
Florida murder suspect allegedly posts photo of dead wife on Facebook


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Check BNN and Bulbanews for up-to-date Pokémon news and discuss it on the forums or in the Bulbagarden Discord server.
Difference between revisions of "EP123"
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|es_la={{tt|¡Entra Spinarak!|Spinarak enters!}}
|es_la={{tt|¡Entra Spinarak!|Spinarak enters!}}
|es_eu={{tt|Spinarak ataca|Spinarak attacks}}
|es_eu={{tt|Spinarak ataca|Spinarak attacks}}
|sv={{tt|Tjuvtricks|Thief tricks}}
Revision as of 15:38, 22 March 2012
| Spinarak Attack
First broadcast
English themes
Japanese themes
Spinarak Attack (Japanese: イトマル!だいそうさせん!! Itomaru! The Great Investigation!!) is the 123rd episode of the Pokémon anime. It was first broadcast in Japan on November 25, 1999 and in the United States on November 11, 2000.
|Spoiler warning: this article may contain major plot or ending details.
Ash and his friends make their way to Catallia City, a town recognized for its magnificent buildings. A patrol car barrels down the street, and knowing that Officer Jenny must be inside, Brock gives chase. However, a few seconds later, he trips over a thin web. Ash and Misty catch up with him and after Togepi notices something approaching, a Spinarak appears. Mistaking it for another Pokémon, Misty walks toward it, until she realizes that it's actually a spider.
In another part of town, Team Rocket breaks into a storage building. Dressed in odd uniforms, Jessie commands Meowth to pick a lock. Instead, he breaks his claw. Jessie tells Meowth that the Black Arachnid could break through thousands of locks while Meowth can't even open a single one. Using a lock pick, James enters the building. Inside, Team Rocket takes a small bowl. Suddenly, a patrolman spots them, but James hurls bottle caps at him as they make their getaway.
The police arrive at the crime scene a few hours later. An officer tells Jenny that they have apprehended the thieves. They approach Ash, Misty, Brock, and Pikachu, who are caught in a giant ball of web. Jenny lets them go and explains that they mistook them for The Black Arachnid, a thief that terrorized Catallia City over a hundred years ago. Jenny notices Pikachu and Togepi and asks the team if they're the professional Pokémon crime fighters her sister from New Bark Town told them about. Ash complies, and asks why the police force uses Spinarak instead of Growlithe. Jenny explains to him that it's traditional to use Spinarak in Catallia City. A long time ago, the Black Arachnid ransacked the town. He was known for his "stealthiness" and his professionalism. Accompanied by a Meowth, they used Pay Day to scare the police off whenever it seemed like they were about to get captured. However, the Black Arachnid was stopped thanks to the efforts of the Officer Jenny from eight generations ago and her Spinarak. Using its web, the Spinarak stopped the Black Arachnid dead in his tracks. Jenny says that her Spinarak is the same one that caught the Black Arachnid over a century ago. Ash volunteers to capture the thieves because it's wrong to use Pokémon for criminal acts.
On top of the clock tower, Jessie devises their next plan. Afraid of losing his bottle cap collection, James scolds Meowth for eating out of the bowl they stole. Jessie suggests that instead of stuffing his face, Meowth could be learning Pay Day. Suddenly, she gets an idea. She'll send a letter telling the police what they're going to steal, and while the they send guards to patrol the site, Team Rocket will take the item from under their noses.
The police receive Jessie's letter, and they learn that the Black Arachnid is planning to steal the mayor's prized trophy at midnight. Jenny convinces the mayor to let the team handle it, and he gives it the ok. Ash sends out Squirtle, Bulbasaur, Charizard and Heracross to stand guard. Squirtle dives into the pool. Bulbasaur goes into a flowerbed. Heracross climbs up a tree, and Charizard pretends to be a statue stationed next to a Blastoise fountain. Spinarak also helps by creating webs around the perimeter.
A few minutes before midnight, Ash struggles to stay awake. The clock hits twelve, but the Black Arachnid doesn't show up. They mayor rushes in and gives the group a giant meal to celebrate and congratulate them. After they finish eating, the lights go out. Team Rocket appears from the ceiling. Ash asks how they got in, and they explain that they hid in the attic all day. He then asks why they didn't show up at midnight, and Meowth tells them they fell asleep. James uses Pay Day and escapes with the trophy. Team Rocket gets away in their balloon, but Spinarak's net stops them. Squirtle uses Water Gun, followed by Bulbasaur's Razor Leaf. Charizard burns the web with a Flamethrower. Team Rocket's balloon spins out of control with the trophy still in their possession. Spinarak shoots a steam of web to stop Team Rocket, while Charizard Tackles the balloon and makes a cache of loot fall. Ash tells everyone to catch something. With everyone's hands full, the trophy has yet to be saved. Ash dives in to intercept it, but Spinarak suddenly shoots out a web to catch the treasure, finishing the job.
The next morning, Jenny reports that everything that was stolen has been returned to their rightful owners. She wishes the team the best of luck as they head out of Catallia City. Meanwhile, Team Rocket sobs over their loss. Jessie blames James and Meowth for messing things up, and everyone gets into a brawl.
Major events
- For a list of all major events in the anime, please see the timeline of events.
Pokémon debuts
- Ash
- Misty
- Brock
- Jessie
- James
- Officer Jenny
- The Black Arachnid (flashback)
Who's That Pokémon?: Snubbull (U.S. and international); Spinarak (Japan)
- Pikachu (Ash's)
- Meowth (Team Rocket)
- Togepi (Misty's)
- Bulbasaur (Ash's)
- Charizard (Ash's)
- Squirtle (Ash's)
- Heracross (Ash's)
- Spinarak (Officer Jenny's; debut)
- Meowth (The Black Arachnid's; flashback)
- In this episode, Team Rocket uses a variation of their motto.
- This is the first episode of the anime aired after the release of Pokémon Gold and Silver in Japan.
- The book Ash Ketchum, Pokémon Detective is based on this episode.
Dub edits
In other languages
|Mandarin Chinese
|Pavučinový útok
|Spinarak Aanval
|Spinarak virittää verkon
|European French
|Les filets de la justice
|Attacke Webarak!
|במלכודת הספינראקbemalkodet haSpinarak
|Nelle maglie della giustizia
|O Caso do Aracnídeo Negro
|O Ataque do Spinarak
|Latin America
|¡Entra Spinarak!
|Spinarak ataca
|This episode article is part of Project Anime, a Bulbapedia project that covers all aspects of the Pokémon anime.


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NaBloPoMo – Day 26
Welcome to November's Carnival of Breastfeeding sponsored by The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog. This month we are reviewing books and videos that have to do with breastfeeding and/or parenting. Perhaps this will give you some gift ideas for people on your holiday shopping list. I've chosen to review the DVD "What Babies Want."
"What Babies Want – An Exploration of the Consciousness of Infants," a film by Debby Takikawa and narrated by Noah Wyle (of ER fame), is an amazing and eye-opening movie that explores the "profoundly important and sacred opportunity we have in bringing children into the world." The movie takes a look at the birth experience and postpartum period through the eyes of the infant. It reinforces what we should already know – babies have feelings and can experience both pleasure and pain right from the start. "The experiences we have at our births sets up our perceptive neurology and influences the way we perceive the events of our lives. These early interactions shape our human ability to learn, to trust, and to develop relationships as we grow older."
We often think about birth in terms of what would be best for the mother. What can be done to make mom most comfortable and minimize her discomfort? But what about the baby? We also need to consider the baby's best interests and his/her wants and needs. The things that babies find soothing and calming during and following birth include their mother's touch, voice, breast, soft lighting and soothing sounds. While the things that can cause them fear and/or pain are bright lights, loud noises, machines, and especially being taken away from mom and dad (to a nursery, etc.) and being denied crucial bonding time.
The film contains stories and remarkable personal experiences from infants, children and adults. Noah Wyle and his wife Tracy also share their son's birth and postpartum experiences and their passion for "deeper understanding and awareness of what a baby truly is."
Even though I saw this movie a couple of years ago, many of the images I saw and things that I observed stick with me still today. I remember fighting back the tears when I saw newborns in hospital warming beds, crying out for human contact. I also recall shedding tears when seeing an adult who had a particularly difficult birth when she was born, relive her birth experience and find ways to heal from it and move on. I believe we as a society underestimate just how powerful our birth experience is and how it can shape who we are for the rest of our lives. This movie really emphasizes that point. It made me want to explore the experience I had as a newborn (I was born via c-section, due to being frank breech, and kept away from my mom for several hours following the operation) and made me curious how that may have shaped who I am and the relationship I have with my mother today.
The good news is that there are ways of working through past negative experiences and healing and reestablishing bonds that may not have been formed after birth.
What babies want is to be loved, to be nurtured and protected right from the very beginning. They want to know they are secure and that they are wanted. Babies deserve to have a peaceful start in the world. In the case where a birth isn't as peaceful as the parents would like, it's important for them to be aware of that experience, because it will help shape who this little person becomes. If bonding the baby and mother was missed at birth, it can be picked up later in life. Of course the sooner, the better.
I strongly feel that this movie should be required viewing in childbirth classes because it offers such a unique perspective to soon-to-be parents by offering a baby's eye view of what their own baby may experience during birth and how that experience can affect their baby for the rest of his/her life.
You can read more about the movie, including a detailed synopsis, here. As far as I can tell, What Babies Want is not available for rent on Netflix, but you can purchase your own copy here (it would make a great gift for an expectant mommy) or arrange for a screening among friends.
There are many other participants in this month's carnival. Please take a moment to check out some of their reviews. (More links will be added tonight.)
- The Motherwear Breastfeeding Blog reviews books for every mom on your list
- The International Breastfeeding Symbol Blog reviews The Baby Book and Unconditional Parenting
- Hobo Mama reviews Our Babies, Ourselves (one of my favorites!)
- Mama Knows Breast reviews bOObs: A Guide to Your Girls
- Breastfeeding Mums reviews many books, including The Breastfeeding Cafe
- On School Street reviews Blindsided by a Diaper: 30 Men and Women Reveal How Parenthood Changes a Relationship
- Tales of Life with a Girl on the Go reviews the children's book The Best Gifts
- James and the Giant Moose reviews Having Faith
- The True Face of Birth reviews Mama Knows Breast
- Breastfeeding 1-2-3 reviews Baby Matters: What your Doctor May Not Tell you about Caring for your Baby


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Beautiful handmade products for you and your home
Noah Royal Blue Rectangular Felt Cushion
All our cushions are made by hand, here in Cowes, on the Isle of Wight. Each design is individual, so no cushion is the same. A fabulous gift for girls, boys and the home.
For a personalised made to order cushion please click on the link below for more information:
Square: 38cm x 38cm (approx.)
Rectangular: 32cm x 44cm (approx.)
Care Instructions:
Cushions are NOT washing machine safe.
Gentle wipe clean only.
Extra Info:
All stuffing used is fire safety regulated.
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