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Game inclusion in the DB
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|#201 by gabezhul
2016-02-12 at 13:26
Pick one. Either you build a database for the sake of its own criteria or you build an utilitarian database.First off, the two are not mutually exclusive. Quite the opposite, really. VNDB is an utilitarian database because its criteria is designed to help people find visual novels. Not hybrids. Not games. *Visual novels.*
All the rest are just piggy-backing on the system because of fuzzy demarcation-lines, but in essence the goal of the DB is to collect, categorize and present a very narrow slice of the interactive digital media pie, and its inclusion criteria is a reflection on that.
If there being a certain title here is useful for people, makes navigation easier, stimulates looking up similar titles and doesn't overshadow VNs that benefit from the database, how can popularity and notions outside vndb's criteria not matter at all?A title "useful for people"? "Makes navigation easier"? "Stimulates looking..." The hell are you even talking about?! These are the kinds of silly generic arguments I said you people shouldn't use!
These are all subjective things that cannot be quantified in a criteria. People could argue that adding obviously non-VN titles was "useful" for them, or that adding FPSs into the DB would "stimulate FPS players to come over and read VNs", but that would not actually make any such title a visual novel! Hell, that's not even an argument!
Also, them overshadowing VNs in the DB is exactly the problem. We presume that when a person comes to a VN database. they are looking for VNs and not hybrids and borderline games, thus presenting them with VNs and not the others is the efficient thing to do. Once again, utility and inclusion criteria work hand in hand to achieve that.
Seriously, I think you must either really confused yourself with your own argument or you are not even trying, because you make no sense whatsoever here!
Didn't you mention the main reason not to remove Phoenix Wright is backlash?Because that is a fact. We tried removing the PW series several times, and we always got a backlash. Not from people defending it on the ground of the actual criteria, but from fanboys who just really wanted the games to be in the DB.
The PW series is actually the same case as LLtQ; as in we are damned if we do something about them and damned if we don't.
In the case of the PW series, keeping them had held the door open for any unconventional adventure games. You have no idea how many times I have seen people point their fingers at the series when their pet games got deleted from the DB and cry for high heavens.
However, if we were to remove them, it would open the gateway for fans, trolls or just misguided users who think they are helping start re-adding them to the DB, creating strain on the mods. Yes, this kind of thing happened before. The Princess Maker games had to be deleted like four times. Same with the Persona and Disgaea games.
Ultimately us keeping the PW series has came down to a pragmatic decision about including them in d15 (in fact they were one of the main reason the exception list was even made) and not bothering with removing them, as doing so would cause as much problems as keeping them, and in that case it was more efficient to stick to the status quo.
|#202 by palas
2016-02-12 at 13:33
|How can I be confused with my own argument if you just said it's the same case? You said it was a pragmatic decision - exactly based on its popularity and how much there were people affiliated with VNs who wanted the games here. So unless you're trying too hard to make sense for me, which you're making a good job of because you're basically saying the same things as I am, please stop derailing.
Derailing I say, because I did provide a case for LLtQ based on the guidelines and am discussing it with usagi. If you have nothing to say about it, please refrain from derailing the thread trying to attack the reasoning behind me wanting to have LLtQ listed, but not the actual ground I'm providing for it.Last modified on 2016-02-12 at 13:35
|Post deleted.
|#204 by ginseigou
2016-02-12 at 13:53
|Strange to see my post deleted because I wrote that the rules for inclusion are a subjective vision.Last modified on 2016-02-12 at 13:55
|#205 by gabezhul
2016-02-12 at 13:56
No, you are not getting it. The pragmatism wasn't that we kept the PW series because it is popular, but because removing them would have been more of a pain in the ass than keeping them around and house-ruling around them. It doesn't make them into VNs the same way a piece of brick doesn't become a painting just because a museum exhibited it so that the angry mob outside wouldn't burn the entire place to the ground (yeah, drastic analogy, but I am too tired to be subtle. bite me.)
The other problem at this point is entrenchment. Because we had the games in the DB, they became recognized as VNs in the west (though technically the developers may or may not have been referring to them as VNs, though the translation is pretty dodgy on that). Because of this other sites started referring to them as VNs, which meant that now there were lots of people unaffiliated with the DB who knew nothing about our critera who referred to them as VNs, which led to angry opposition when we wanted to remove them, so we kept them, which lead to even further entrenchment, and now we have the current situation. To bring back the previous analogy, it's as if a museum allowed a brick to be exhibited as a painting and none of the curators noticed it because they were too busy setting up the rest of the paintings. Then the visitors looked at the brick and told their friends about it, art-magazines wrote articles about it and people started associating the brick with all paintings, and when the curators finally noticed that something was wrong they couldn't remove it because the aforementioned mob outside, so they just shrugged their collective shoulders and went on doing something more productive.
However, I would actually remark that te real problem was not really the angry mob. I mean, no one likes to be hated by a bunch of strangers on the net, but they wouldn't really cause that much problem. The real issue comes from the other part of the entrenchment, where people who were just trying to be helpful would come over, look at the DB, notice that there was no PW entry and naively set out to "fix" the problem, which would be a waste of their time and energy, our time and energy for the removal and then some additional time and energy to explain why we did that in the inevitable "Why did X get deleted?!" thread.
But I digress. As for the derailing, you make a fair point. I think I should stop and let the discussion return to the actual titles at hand, we can discuss the PW series and its history in the DB another time.
As for you Ginsengou, I remember warning you before. One more strike, and I will have to put you in the corner for a week to cool your head.
P.S.: No, your post got removed because it was yet another random, nonconstructive jab against the horrible, horrible mods that we are. Don't play the victim.
|#206 by [deleted]
2016-02-12 at 15:28
|palas, I think you did make some good points about the integration of text and gameplay in LLTQ making it harder to judge story-gameplay ratio. Most hybrid VNs I can think of, if you take out the gameplay, you still have a visual novel. LLTQ has so much variation based on stats that the raising sim game is the backbone of the story; if you take out the gameplay, there's not much left. That makes it feel less like a visual novel to me.
|#207 by beliar
2016-02-12 at 15:38
|I see you have been having fun kids while Daddy was away :-D This thread has turned into a comedy gold courtesy of a certain bunny eared lawyer. The thread also showed that Gadget Trial has no love. No one got pissy that I removed that one, but you just remove a serial Darwin Award simulator and all hell breaks loose.
I almost feel like I should go back to my first post, delete its contents and just write:
Anyways, lets get serious. I have no ill will towards LLTQ. I don't really have strong feelings towards removing or including it in the DB. However, when I looked at it objectively, it seemed a particularly un-VN game. I admit, I haven't played beyond what the demo shows, but you cannot expect mods to play every questionable game in the DB to the completion. From what I played I saw that the game has narration, but as Usagi said in t7442.197, the reading is constantly interrupted by gameplay and there are no Vn scenes of significant length. I personally saw no VN scene longer than 2 minutes. However, maybe the game experiences a marked shift towards a more VN-like approach later on; I don't know. However, all the current participants in the discussion have their own strong opinions regarding the matter and they are going in circles like an overenergetic dog chasing its tail. DK382 said he will give the game a spin, so let's lay off discussing LLTQ so vigorously and wait until he gets back to the thread with his opinion.
So, to give some food for the discussion - this thread t7456 has just popped up. Anyone know anything about this game?
|#208 by ginseigou
2016-02-12 at 15:55
|Extrapolating the fact that hybrid games such as Mirror's Edge and Portal are considered FPS, the same approach is appropriate in the case of hybrid vns.
|#209 by palas
2016-02-12 at 16:00
|Soreyuke! Burunyanman Ecstasy!!! is apparently a horizontal shmup. A very confusing one at that. All sense of accomplishment or failure is clearly delivered by its mechanics and not textual information (p.s.: unlike LLtQ. I know I said all sense of progression is achieved within the game mechanics but, after all, it's the story that tells you whether you failed or not. Right. I know. No more LLtQ)
linkLast modified on 2016-02-12 at 16:10
|#210 by beliar
2016-02-12 at 16:45
|OK, from what my Google-fu got me it appears that Soreyuke! Burunyanman Ecstasy!!! is in fact an updated version of Soreyuke! Burunyanman Hardcore!. Also there is an all-ages PSP port. All this info is missing from the VN page, as whoever added the game didn't add the complete information.
There is a review of the portable version, but it's not really relevant to our determining if it's a VN or not.
I only found snippets of Ecstasy! on youtube, but there is a complete playthrough of Hardcore!
All the ADV scenes appear to be typical pre-battle dialogue and and post-battle humiliation. In other words, whoever added this game was delusional. We don't have Touhou games here, so this one has to go too, in my opinion. I don't think anyone is gonna argue in it's defence.
|#211 by PabloC
2016-02-12 at 17:44
|Oh yeah, I already mentioned it in t2108 - that Burunyanman is just as non-VN as the Hardcore version. It's a pure side-scrolling shooter.
Can't talk about Cute Knight as I haven't played it, but Black Closet is certainly better than LLtQ.Can't talk about Black Closet as I haven't played it, but Cute Knight is certainly better than LLtQ. :P
It's a weaker, more "casual" variation of Princess Maker with worse graphics, but it's still quite entertaining.Last modified on 2016-02-12 at 17:49
|#212 by warfoki
2016-02-12 at 17:57
|Damn, this thread is entertaining in a trainwreck sorta way. We didn't have a flamewar like this since Moogy got banned. :P
On a side note, I've just realised that I actually own LLtQ on Steam, so I'll give it a go as well to see what's this fuss is about.
|#213 by dk382⭐
2016-02-13 at 00:43
|I don't know how much ground the demo covered, but these opening 15 weeks of LLtQ are SO not a VN it's crazy. Like, not even remotely close to being a VN so far. I suppose this is where things are meant to change? So far all this playthrough has done is reaffirm my beliefs on the game so far. I'll get further than I did last time.
Also this game is great making you feel like an idiot at all times.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 00:44
|#214 by dk382⭐
2016-02-13 at 02:42
|Okay, I have finished one complete playthrough of Long Live the Queen, (with the help of a guide), was coronated, and have seen one of the many endings. And I'm really struggling to come up with a reason why it should be restored. Here are my thoughts. First of all, it only uses narration in a few select scenes that are more complicated than the rest. The vast majority of the scenes are super short dialogues. Outside of the lengthier scenes, most of your time will probably be spent deciding which direction to take Elodie. And those lengthier scenes aren't all that lengthy and are small in number in any given playthrough. This game REALLY doesn't feel like a VN to me.
Looking at the criteria, "The game consistently uses the novel narrative for telling its story," LLtQ does this in short bursts, only a few select scenes, so it doesn't "consistently" use narration. Most scenes lack it completely. "The story is told employing one of the known Visual Novel presentation methods such as ADV, NVL and their variations, consistently and for a significant length - at least 50% of the game should be made of pure, VN-style reading," Most of the reading isn't "VN-style." There's the lesson descriptions which are either little bits of exposition about the world or are descriptions of the actual lesson, and are presented in a manner that doesn't flow with the rest of the game, they don't count as being "VN-like" in my book. Very few of the map selection segments attempt to tell any sort of story and most are descriptive texts describing the consequence of your choice, they are an extension of the raising-sim gameplay and cannot be considered "VN-style" reading. Then the rest of the text is in the dialogues, which are all very short sequences shoved in between the raising sim portions. The longest segments are maybe like three minutes long. What's more, most of these scenes don't really connect to each other. You aren't reading a narrative interrupted by gameplay, you're playing a game interrupted by dialogue.
I just went on about narration, but in my opinion what's most important is the second part of the hybrid VN criteria, and how it affects the "feel" of the game. In my opinion, LLtQ is a raising sim first and foremost. The story sequences feel less like they're trying to build a narrative for you to experience, but instead to immerse you in the raising sim gameplay. Because LLtQ ultimately isn't about its narrative, it's about how you raise Elodie. Everything else about the title is built to support that. We contain other raising sims that also do this, but along the way they give us enough dialogue and story that they feel "VN-like" enough to include as well. LLtQ fails to do this. **At no point did I ever feel like I was reading a VN. Instead, I felt like I was playing a game where the consequences to my actions were being explained to me.** This is the pivotal point to my argument. And thus, it is my opinion that we shouldn't include it in the database.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 03:17
|#215 by takata
2016-02-13 at 08:26
|@t7442.214 dk342:
First of all, it only uses narration in a few select scenes that are more complicated than the rest. The vast majority of the scenes are super short dialogues.No, I don't think you can fault it on narration. See:
link - scene with owl - a line describing the owl, 2 lines of internal thoughts
link - inappropriate poem scene - plenty of narration
link - Countess Sirin - plenty of narration
Note: This playthrough ends in Elodie's death (as does the player's second playthrough).
The narration is mostly in 2nd-person, but I don't think that's a minus at all. I'm also not counting the text that reports the results of Elodie's studies.
The main problem I see is that the scenes are too short. You rarely read for more than a few minutes without being dropped back at a screen for the raising simulation. I think that counts as an "interruption". Why did someone get rid of the criteria that a VN should allow you to read for a long period without being interrupted by gameplay?
Looking at the criteria, "The game consistently uses the novel narrative for telling its story,"A quick Google search doesn't yield anything knowledgeable-looking that uses the term "novel narrative". Can you please stop using this seemingly nonexistant term? Replace it with "narration".
You aren't reading a narrative interrupted by gameplay, you're playing a game interrupted by dialogue....
At no point did I ever feel like I was reading a VN. Instead, I felt like I was playing a game where the consequences to my actions were being explained to me.These are probably subjective, but I think I agree. The indicators showing what effects Elodie's stats have on numerous events probably contributes to this feeling. They draw attention to the numbers, and away from the story of those numbers. (That said, forcing the player to play without seeing all those numbers would probably be a worse design choice.)
So, pros and cons:
+ Uses enough narration.
+ Uses ADV (lower-third textbox) to tell the story.
+ The ratio of [reading the story] to [playing the game] is sufficiently high (maybe).
- Rarely lets you read for more than a few minutes without being interrupted by the raising simulation.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 08:40
|#216 by dk382⭐
2016-02-13 at 08:43
|I acknowledge that the game possesses narration, but it only occurs in short, unexpected bursts and most of the scenes are pure dialogue. That was the point I was trying to get across. It's not consistent enough, in my opinion. And I would say that the large majority of scenes last 30 seconds, tops. Note that if you're watching an LP where the player reads every line aloud, that will at least triple the time spent "reading."Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 08:45
|#217 by takata
2016-02-13 at 09:22
|^ Well... okay, maybe there are some scenes lacking in narration, but I don't see that as significant compared to the main problem. That is, the very short time you can read before getting pulled back into the raising simulation (or "stat raising game"). The previous guidelines seemed to exclude this more explicitly...
I mostly skip through the video with the sound muted rather than waiting for the LPer to read every ### line. The longest scenes would be a few minutes, but I estimate most scenes would take under a minute to read.
So we both seem to reach the same conclusion.
How about Monmusu Quest! Paradox RPG Zenshou?Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 09:32
|#218 by PabloC
2016-02-13 at 11:22
Why did someone get rid of the criteria that a VN should allow you to read for a long period without being interrupted by gameplay?It was removed because it was too vague and subjective (what is considered "long" exactly?) and was ignored in plenty cases (does Rance have long, uninterrupted story-segments? What about relatively frequent, but very brief interruptions?).
A quick Google search doesn't yield anything knowledgeable-looking that uses the term "novel narrative". Can you please stop using this seemingly nonexistant term? Replace it with "narration".Narrative and narration aren't synonyms. Novel-style narrative covers usage of narration, but it also requires the text to present a sequence of events that form some sort of a story that's similar to those seen in novels.
The reports with results of Elodie's studies use narration, but they aren't really a part of a novel-style narrative. Those descriptions themselves usually aren't connected with the main story at all (stats influence the events, the reports are just a flavor text). Same with various gameplay reports in RPGs for example. "Steve the Rouge disarmed the trap." or "The Goblin attacks with a club and misses." - that's narration, and you could find exactly the same lines in a fantasy novel. But in this case, those are used as elements of a game narrative (just like study reports in LLtQ) not novel narrative.
I think we should stick to the term "narrative". Maybe we should modify this criterion a little ("The game consistently uses novel-style narrative for telling its story" with a Wikipedia link explaining what narrative is)?
We can just switch it to "narration", since in most cases everything boils down to the usage of narration indeed. But, from time to time we are bumping into titles that do use narration but don't "feel like VNs", or those that don't use a whole lot of narration, but somehow do "feel like VNs". That "feel" is determined by narrative style - the former use the narrative style more typical for games, while the latter - one more typical for novels.
As for Monmusu Quest! Paradox RPG Zenshou, I didn't play it, but when something has "RPG" in the title, its inclusion is automatically kinda questionable. :PLast modified on 2016-02-13 at 11:27
|#219 by usagi
2016-02-13 at 13:50
|Huh, it was pretty clear from the beginning that LLtQ is not a vn. It is a pity that so many people (myself included) falled for couple of trolls little show and spent so much time and efforts to dealing with "persuading" them. I hope such discussions will be much shorter in the future.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 13:51
|#220 by abyssaleros
2016-02-13 at 13:55
|Who said it is over?
I still have not voted for LLtQ...
|#221 by usagi
2016-02-13 at 13:59
..I mean, opinions of 3-4 mods/veteran users here, who played the game already are not enough for you? 0_0
|#222 by ginseigou
2016-02-13 at 14:03
|Of course mods would support each other, it's the common sense. There are still many questionable games mentioned but ignored in this thread apart from LLtQ.
I personally want to point out again at fighting games such as melty blood and blazblue. Calling them a visual novel is the same as including The Order:1886 or shooters alike with lots of scenes without gameplay to a movie database. Fighting games can't physically have one fight longer than one story segment. There are fightings with story told in animated videos, it doesn't make them anime because of that.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 15:09
|#223 by palas
2016-02-13 at 14:22
|I wasn't going to reply to this thread again as I thought "right, it's settled, it's not coming back to vndb, so why bother", but this
Huh, it was pretty clear from the beginning that LLtQ is not a vn. It is a pity that so many people (myself included) falled for couple of trolls little show and spent so much time and efforts to dealing with "persuading" them. I hope such discussions will be much shorter in the future.
infuriated me.
I mean, you think you were the only one who spent "so much time and efforts with dealing and persuading" you? Why, in your case, it's all in good faith and in ours it's trolling?
So right, since dk shared his experience with LLtQ as a raising sim, I might as well share mine with it as a VN. I don't intend to persuade anyone here. I just really want to share, because apparently I have to prove good faith now to the moderation and not only provide actual arguments.
When I first played LLtQ, I thought it'd be neat to go for a mystic, priestess kind of princess. I invested in Lore, Meditation, Divination, this kind of trait. However, I died all too soon and not once had the traits I'd invested in been even checked. It was a little weird, but I tried to avoid each death, one at a time, while keeping my "type". It never worked, so in the end I gave up and started playing according to what was more convenient according to the story. I ended up investing a lot in Intrigue, Foreign and Internal Affairs as well as Economy, but most of all, I had to pay attention to the scenes I was in. While, in the first playthrough, I didn't pay Elodie's mage aunt any mind, when I triggered her special scenes an actual magical girl kind of arc showed up, which led me to finally finishing it (after some adjustments).
So even though the story segments were short, they were many and got bigger as I started seeing scenes after the map movement instead of token descriptions of what I had done, and the lesson segments were even shorter as I knew beforehand what I had to train by only doing what I thought the story (or rather one of its arcs) wanted.
But it was weird for a sim to have this feeling that Elodie wasn't, after all, in my control. It was as if you had to leave it to fate, which meant the story, to give you a reason to use the sim mechanics in the first place. When, even after that, I started seeing deaths not as failures but as stories on their own (given how sometimes I'd avoid death by investing in Military but die anyway in the same scene because I wasn't skilled in Climbing), an approach corroborated by how encouraged you are to die, its sim mechanics were kind of lost in perspective. The story gets thicker if you try to talk to her family and this, in turn, completely messes up your stats (it'll get you Angry or Willful even if you don't want to or never saw it coming), further taking away the feeling that I was in control of Elodie - and instead, if I let the story and only the story guide my decisions, I'd be successful.
It is true my personal approach with VNs is to play them, whereas most of you seem to read them by default. So it was a lot easier for me to feel it as a VN in spite of how integrated the sim mechanics were to the story. Be it as it may, this is how I see it and I didn't come to test anyone's patience. Don't ever call me a troll again, usagi.Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 14:37
|#224 by abyssaleros
2016-02-13 at 14:24
That was just a joke, Usagi. ;)
But it seems I opened Pandora's Box again and steamers crawled out again...Last modified on 2016-02-13 at 14:25
|#225 by gabezhul
2016-02-13 at 14:31
|I actually have to say I kinda agree with Palas here (at least as far as Usagi's comment is concerned). While I would say Ginseigou is not out of the question (seriously, just how deep does your "mod conspiracy" rabbit hole go?), the rest of the people arguing for the inclusion were (mostly) using actual arguments. Labeling everyone who disagrees with you a troll does a disservice to the discussion and is the exact same attitude that keeps killing conversations on the internet lately; the labeling of anyone disagreeing with you a troll/misogynist/feminazi/etc. Note that, unless your opponent *really* goes off the deep end, dismissing them like that doesn't strengthen your position. It's quite the opposite, actually.
Now with that PSA over, we return to our regularly scheduled program of "People ignoring the PSA and calling each other trolls anyway"! News at 17:30. Stay tuned.


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- College of Health and Human Sciences
- Outreach
- Medical Laboratory Observer
Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO)
The College of Health & Human Sciences, in cooperation with Medical Laboratory Observer (MLO), offers Continuing Education (CE) credits (P.A.C.E. approved) for clinical laboratory professionals.
MLO and Northern Illinois University (NIU) co-sponsor at least twelve CEUs yearly. The CE cover articles and accompanying CE tests remain online until the indicated deadline has passed. Completed test and $20 fees go directly to NIU, and scores of 70% and higher qualify for indicated contact hour(s) of P.A.C.E. credit(s).
Tests can be taken online or mailed in. All current articles and tests can be found on the MLO Medical Laboratory Observer website. You can print your PACE certificate upon successful completion of the online test. Please allow four to six weeks to receive certificate(s) when mailing your written test(s).
Contact UsCollege of Health and Human Sciences
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The Dark World
(The Dark World #1)
Publication Date: May 27, 2014
Hardcover, 384 pages, Harlequin Teen
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Paige Kelly is used to weird--in fact, she probably corners the market on weird, considering that her best friend, Dottie, has been dead since the 1950s. But when a fire demon attacks Paige in detention, she has to admit that things have gotten out of her league. Luckily, the cute new boy in school, Logan Bradley, is a practiced demon slayer-and he isn't fazed by Paige's propensity to chat with the dead. Suddenly, Paige is smack in the middle of a centuries-old battle between warlocks and demons, learning to fight with a magic sword so that she can defend herself. And if she makes one wrong move, she'll be pulled into the Dark World, an alternate version of our world that's overrun by demons-and she might never make it home.
My Review
A book about a hunky, demon-slaying boy belongs on my bookshelf. Especially when that boy's name is Logan. The Dark World definitely delivers with its mix of smexy boy and sarcastic humor.
The Dark World immediately gets into the thick of things. There's no long introduction to Paige's world. And right off the bat you learn that she can talk to ghosts, but that information isn't just handed over. It's revealed in a unique, and somewhat shocking, way. There were a lot of other loopholes and plot developments that weren't predictable and that, when revealed, were mind-boggling.
Paige as a character is pretty cool. She's actually a person, unlike some other YA books' main characters out there nowadays. She has an obsession with pink and frilly pens (I loved this!), her parents aren't just in the book to be there, they actually have roles to play, and she reacts to situations in a fairly normal manner. I can't for sure know that her reactions would be realistic, simply because I've never been attacked by demons and saved by a hawt boy before, but I'll sign up for that life any day if it means having me someone like Logan to keep me safe. Logan is basically a cuddle-able (totally not a word, but Logan deserves to have many words made up about his awesomeness) razor blade. He's all soft and gooey and sweet, but sometimes, he can just be plain ol' deadly. I've added another fictional boyfriend to my extremely long list after finishing this book. *sigh*
The relationship between Paige and Logan is so cute. They aren't your average book couple. They're awkward. Logan gets extremely flustered around Paige's overprotective dad, and writes with her pretty pink pens just so he can talk to her. Paige talks in her sleep and awkwardly cries in front of Logan. Plus, they've known each other before all of this goes down. Meaning it isn't a love/lust-at first-sight storyline. AND Paige asks a question that I wanted to jump up and down and clap at! She asks Logan about their relationship, and she even mentions that they're young and still in high school. Hallelujah! This girl's got her head firmly planted on her shoulders!
As mentioned earlier, the plotline of this book wasn't as predictable as I thought it was going to be. Sure, the ending has something that I was hoping would happen, happen, but the way it was spun was different from what I had imagined. I really enjoyed how hard it was to guess what the heck was going on, without getting completely confused.
The bad guys in this book weren't as bad as I was hoping they'd be. I wasn't feeling them as much as the main characters. Hopefully they'll be expanded on in the next book because I would love to explore the Dark World through some of the freaky things that bump their way around over there.
All in all, this was a great read. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel, whenever it comes out… I need a date Harlequin Teen! Please?!
*Note: I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. This in no way altered my opinion/review.


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Customer Reviews
- Reviews


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I just about PUKED on all the good will towards (wo)men and love and thanksgiving that was flowing all over social media today. C'mon people, where's the hate? Where's the bigotry? Hypocrisy? You actually gave it up for a day?
Well my family did NOT put the "fun" in dysfunction today. It was an ordeal to be endured and frankly I am not down with that shit. Why I didn't bring some of the good shit with me is just beyond me. I am an asshole, I guess. My Dad, true to form, yelled his head off at my Aunt (my Mom's sister) because he is five years old (not 82) and doesn't want to share my Mom. I, being a mature adult, did not punch my Dad's 82 year old face in, although it was definitely my first choice. Instead, since I am also a five year old, I packed up my toys and left with a dismissive "Bye Bitch" (really just Bye but I like the sound of Bye Bitch oh so much more). If you could only see what goes on inside me when my Dad yells, it's like Satan lights the fires of hell in me and I want to scream and yell and hit something. Doing nothing like that is very unsatisfying. Instead, I drive home and proceed to turn it inward by getting stoned as hell. Solution! Shitty, addictive solution but I'm working with the tools at hand and that's what I've got. I know, I know, I should stay away from the damn marijuana store. Those fuckers lure me in with all of their delicious edibles and their different strains, their indicas and sativas and cbd's and cbn's and pain patches. But all it does is get you stoned. Nothing fancy. I go back and forth with "am I going to be clean and sober" and "am I going to go ahead and be a real pothead". Right now I am leaning towards pothead. But no drinking. Except for tomorrow night. Because I have a DATE! With a REAL BOY!!! Oh I say boy but hell he's in his thirties. He and I like to drink and smoke pot and talk a blue streak and, uh, other things. You know. Play tinker toys. It'll be fun.
I hope you had a satisfying day in some way. If you didn't, don't feel bad. It ain't all rose-colored dildos out there. There's a lot of trash. I had a bad day, so someone else didn't have to. That's the way I see it. Now for Christmas, I think I'm going to arrange to be gone. I better think of an elaborate lie, starting right now. Any ideas? Hope your day was peachy. Love, Bipolaronfire. FIRE!!!!!


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ROSWELL, Ga. -- The Country Club of Roswell was where the 39th edition of the Georgia Girls' Championship was contested. After 54-holes of play it was Jenny Bae of Lawrenceville to led wire-to-wire to win at 9-under-par 207 (68-70-69).
Bae separated herself from the rest of the field from the get-go thanks to stellar play. She managed an opening-round 4-under-par 68 to start the week with the lead and she never relinquished. As the only player to post rounds in red numbers all three days, Bae was able to breeze through the heat of the day on Wednesday to win by 10 strokes.
Kate Owens of Suwanee finished the closest to Bae to earn runner-up honors at 1-over-par 217 (76-69-72). Sara Im of Duluth, the two-time reigning Georgia Junior Golf Grand champion, finished third at 10-over-par 226 (79-73-74). In fourth place was Ahra Ko of Suwanee at 11-over-par 227 (76-79-72). A pair of players tied for fifth at 13-over-par 229, including Tess Davenport of Buford (77-78-74) and Carol Pyon of Macon (78-73-78). Emily Haigwood of Roswell came in seventh at 16-over-par 232 (79-78-75), while defending champion Ivy Shepherd of Peachtree City finished eighth at 17-over-par 233 (78-80-75). Kimberly Shen of Johns Creek finished ninth at 18-over-par 234 (78-78-78). Rounding out the overall top 10 were two players at 20-over-par 236, including Ava Merrill of Johns Creek (78-80-78) and Eujin Pyon of Macon (85-73-78).
After 36 holes were in the books, the field was flighted based on score. Bae captured the Championship flight and Shepherd won the first flight. Catie Craig of Sautee Nacoochee won flight two at 25-over-par 241 (87-80-74). Flight three went to Amelia Connor of Atlanta at 29-over-par 245 (86-83-76). Madeleine Krueger of Midland claimed the fourth flight at 36-over-par 252 (89-85-78).
The top four finishers at the Georgia Girls' Championship qualify for the Georgia-South Carolina Girls' Junior Challenge Team, which will be played at Cuscowilla on Lake Oconee in Eatonton, August 4-5. The Peach State will be represented by Bae, Owens, Im, Ko, Davenport and Pyon.


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Landlords are required to install security devices in rental properties
Texas law requires that most rental properties have certain security devices in place on the windows and exterior doors while a tenant is occupying the property under a lease.
Make sure that …
- Each exterior window has a window latch;
- Each exterior sliding glass door has a pin lock, and a handle latch or security bar; and
- Each exterior door-including a door between a living area and a garage, but not a sliding glass door or screen door-has three things:
- a doorknob lock or keyed deadbolt;
- a keyless bolting device; and
- a door viewer.
These devices must be installed at your expense before you have a tenant.


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How To Use Snapchat Stories
Snapchat a popular social media which takes media as a unique messaging app and site. This allows photo messaging to someone from the Snapchat contacts. You can use snapchat stories feature which means uploading some pics that will be removed automatically after 24 hour.Dont know How TO Use Snapchat Stories.Here is how.
How TO Use Snapchat Stories?? follow these easy steps:
- First of all, you will need to know how to post a story in your Snapchat. So, as you open the app, you will see the camera is open. The camera used to take snap of the moment.
- So, as you take a snap or moment it in a snap, you need to tap on the plus icon on the bottom of the screen. This will add the snap on your story. If you are adding the snap for the first time then you will need to tap in the "Add" text to confirm.
- Confirmation is always needed when its first time. You can also tap on the forward icon and then you can tap in the "My Story" section to add the snap in your Story.
- The added snap will be deleted after 24 hours as you uploaded. You can also delete it earlier if you want. For that you need to tap on the triple dot icon in the story snap.
- From there, you will need to choose the snap that you want to delete. As you choose and view the snap, you need to swipe up and then you can tap on the bin icon which is delete option.
- Then, there you again need to tap on the "delete" button just to be confirm. If you want to save the snap story before deleting then you can save the story in your device as well.
- As you open the snap story, you will get the downward arrow icon which means download/ save. As you see the icon in the story you want to save then tap on that icon. This will save the snap directly in your mobile phone.
Using Snapchat and working with Snapchat Stories, you are only able to do it with your own Story.


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Previous Issue
Next Issue
Reed Richards
Ben Grimm
Reed Richards
Ben Grimm
Reed Richards
Ben Grimm
Appearing in "The Fantastic: Part 1"
Featured Characters:
- Reed Richards (First appearance)
- Ben Grimm (First appearance)
- Johnny Storm (First appearance)
- Susan Storm (First appearance)
Supporting Characters:
- Gary Richards (First appearance)
- Mary Richards (First appearance)
- Enid Richards (First appearance)
- Reed Richards' Younger Sister (First appearance)
- Agent Lumpkin (First appearance)
- Franklin Storm (First appearance)
Other Characters:
- Earth-1610
- New York
- New York City
- Manhattan
- Baxter Building (First appearance)
- Midtown Middle School
- Manhattan
- New York City
- New York
- N-Zone Portal Prototype (Phase 7)
Synopsis for "The Fantastic: Part 1"
21 Years Ago:
Gary Richards and his wife give birth to their first child, Reed.
11 Years Ago:
Reed is the smartest student at Midtown Middle School. Because of this, he is not very well-liked by other students. A group of bullies torment Reed by shoving his face into a toilet in the boys room. But the star quarterback, Ben Grimm, scares them off and walks Reed home. Reed agrees to help Ben with his trig homework.
Arriving home, Reed shows Ben a project he has been working on in the garage. Using scrap and spare parts found around the house, he is attempting to construct his own teleportation device. Reed's bratty sister Enid finds the two tinkering about and threatens to tell their parents unless Reed agrees to teleport her once he gets the thing working. He reluctantly agrees just to get her out of his hair.
Late into the evening, Reed continues to experiment with some stuff up in his room. There is a loud sonic boom and a blinding flash of light. His mother and father race into the room to see what is the matter. His father, who regards Reed as a gigantic burden, berates him thoroughly and tells him that he is grounded.
6 Months Later
Reed introduces a miniature version of his teleportation device at the Midtown Middle School Science Fair. He successfully sends a toy car into a parallel dimension he calls the N-Zone (Or at least he thinks he does. He actually has no idea whether his device works beyond the fact of making the car disappear).
After school, a government agent named Lumpkin arrives at the Richards household. He tells them that he represents a scientific think tank in Manhattan that recruits young geniuses such as Reed. He offers to pay the Richards an undisclosed sum of money for the opportunity to have Reed transferred to their Baxter Building facility. Hungry for money, his parents agree.
Lumpkin takes Reed to the Baxter Building and introduces him to the project's administrator Dr. Franklin Storm. Storm introduces young Reed to his children, Susan and Johnny. He shows Reed that the project has created its own teleportation device, but they have never been able to actually pierce the N-Zone barrier.
However, using the machine as a transmitter, they were actually successful in receiving material information – in the form of a small toy truck. Reed's truck to be exact.
Reed has but one word to describe his awe and wonder, "fantastic".
- References to the Fantastic Four have been made in Ultimate Marvel Team-Up Vol 1, but that series is considered non-canon in regards to the continuity of the Ultimate Universe.
- Earliest chronological appearances of Reed Richards and Ben Grimm. The two will not begin to use the names Mister Fantastic and the Thing for several more issues.
- In the Ultimate continuity, Reed Richards father is named Gary. In the Earth-616 continuity, his father is the time traveling warlord, Nathaniel Richards.
- Agent Lumpkin is named for a character in the Marvel-616 Universe known as Willie Lumpkin. Willie was the US postal worker that delivered mail to the Baxter Building for many years. In the 2005 Fantastic Four movie, Willie is portrayed by Marvel Comics founder Stan Lee.
- Gary Richards refers to Ben by his football nickname the "Grimm Reaper".
See Also
- Write your own review of this comic!
- Discuss Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 1 1 on the forums
- 5 Images from Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 1 1
Links and References
- N-Zone
- Ultimate Fantastic Four entry at Wikipedia
- Ultimate Fantastic Four entry at the Marvel Universe
- Ultimate Human Torch entry at the Marvel Universe
- Ultimate Human Torch entry at Wikipedia
- Ultimate Invisible Woman entry at the Marvel Universe
- Ultimate Invisible Woman entry at Wikipedia
- Ultimate Mister Fantastic entry at the Marvel Universe
- Ultimate Mister Fantastic entry at Wikipedia
- Ultimate Thing entry at the Marvel Universe
- Ultimate Thing entry at Wikipedia
- Official Handbook of the Ultimate Marvel Universe: Ultimate Spider-Man/Ultimate Fantastic Four, 2005
|Like this? Let us know!


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When you no longer have a need for a Forecast, it can be easily deleted. Hover over the Forecast name and a menu will appear to the right with Share, Rename, Duplicate, Export and Delete.
Click on Delete.
Select OK when asking if you want to delete the Forecast, then it will be permanently deleted.
NOTE: This cannot be undone!
Related Articles: Creating a New Forecast, Duplicating Forecasts, Creating a New Scenario


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Dulcet tones
I'm not dead yet; it's just that most of my utterances go straight to Twitter. Since this blog is now acting as a kind of online CV, I suppose I'm obliged to mention my recent voiceover work on the English language version of The Thinker in the Supermarket, directed by Igor Simic and DOP'd by Nemanja Jovanov. Enjoy the trailer.


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Trust & Estates: Custom Bond Valuations
Dr. Michael Piwowar and co-author Barry A. Nelson published their article "Custom Bond Valuations Can Save Clients Money" in the May 2008 issue of Trusts & Estates, the monthly journal for estate planning and wealth management professionals. They explain why individuals who use standard bond valuations based on institutional prices are paying unnecessarily high estate taxes. They show how custom bond valuations for estates containing retail-sized bond positions can generate significant estate tax savings.


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Herbs have long been used for their medicinal, culinary and aromatic qualities, and for anyone seeking a healthy lifestyle, it has never been easier to start building your herb garden – these 8 herbs can all be grown indoors using water alone.
The best way to ensure you have a fresh supply of your favourite herbs all year round is to grow them indoors – using just water. This is a simple step by step guide to get you started on your very own hydroponic, indoor herb garden.
What you need…
- A selection of cuttings taken from your favourite herbs
- A coloured plastic or glass bottle/jar for each of your cuttings (the darker the better as the last things roots want is exposure to any form of light
- Water
- Remove all lower branches from your herb cuttings and prepare them into 5-6 inch sections.
- Choose containers that are not too tight around the neck at first as your herbs will grow and you don't want to suffocate them.
- Fill the containers 80% full with fresh water and place one cutting into each, making sure to submerge a good amount of the stem,
- Place on a window ledge or area of the house that gets plenty of light and free movement of air, roots should begin to develop after 2-5 weeks depending on the species of herb.
- Woody stemmed herbs need their water changing around once a week until roots begin to develop, then the water should be disturbed at little as possible.
There are many herbs which grow well using this technique, some of our personal favourites are:
Sage – Place in water in spring and leave in a bright well ventilated area.
Basil – Take your cuttings before the Basil plant has flowered and place in a well lit area.
Thyme – Take cuttings during spring time and submerge well in water. When branches begin to grow, prune to encourage bushing.
Oregano – Place fresh oregano cuttings in water and when new shoots appear be sure to pinch them to encourage bushing and branching.
Tarragon – After new growth has appeared on the mother plant, take your cuttings and keep them in a warmer, brighter area. In no time at all you should see noticeable growth.
Spearmint – Exactly the same as peppermint – easiest herb to grow in the world. So why not give it a go today and get your mini hydroponic herb garden up and running. It really is great fun and an awesome way to ensure you have a constant supply of your favourite healers, flavours and smells in herb form.


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Photos from 3 weeks in Todos Santos, Mexico. After living there last winter, it was restorative to spend time with family, old friends, and mountains. Quotes from Alan Weisman's ("The World Without Us") newest book, Countdown. Incredible achievement covering the complexities of our world population predicament. Heavy. Bleak. And important as hell. Read it.
A World Bursting its Seams. "Even if today's breeding generation is having fewer children per family, because their grandparent and parents had so many, every four-and-a-half days, there are a million more people on the planet. Even to a schoolchild, that does not sound very sustainable."


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Web-time is faster. That is no secret. More people participate in more sharing of information in more places at a greater speed. Faster, quicker, bigger, wider. More people in more places communicate and share more information.
The type of imaginative satire that would have taken Andy Warhol months or years to develop can now be done in a matter of days. If crowd-sourced, the compilation can easily exceed anything that anybody alone could have imagined. On web time everybody is famous for fifteen nanoseconds.
Which means cultural cycles beat to a faster rhythm. Fads grow quickly among the online hoards, and just as quickly become replaced by new fads.
Sometimes, however, it is astonishing. In a blink an iconic image becomes established.
Even more astonishing is the speed of the next stage. In a blink newly minted iconic images transform into parody.
As illustration, consider this now iconic photograph, taken by the White House photographer, released on Monday, May 1, after the death of Osama Bin-Laden.
It has become known as the "situation room photo." Over lunch at work my colleagues and I have had conversations about "that photo from the situation room." Everybody knows it.
It deserves the attention. The photo shows an intense meeting among US leaders in the situation room during the execution of that raid. Obama is hunched over. The VP looks up from his laptop. Hillary Clinton covers her mouth, as if in shock. It is a great photograph, capturing the intensity and tension of the moment.
Such an icon was just asking for a bit of humor. It did not take long.
Look at this parody, which has come out in the last few days. It includes one additional participant, a little girl covering her ears. Where have you seen that little girl?
Talk about iconic photograph. That little girl came from a photograph taken Saturday of the balcony of the royal wedding, where the newlyweds kissed for the crowd. That little girl gained worldwide fame for covering her ears when the crowd roared.
Look, it is funny to have her in the situation room. Give somebody some credit for imagination. I had a great laugh. Didn't you?
Now, here is my point. Once you get the idea behind the parody, there is no reason to stop with little girls. Within days others have started to paste lots of different people into the situation room. These parodies are all over the Internet.
If you are curious, see a whole list of them here.
Think about this for just a minute. The royal wedding resulted in a bunch of iconic photographs. The kiss on the balcony emerged as one, especially due to the little girl covering her ears. Her actions tell a story about the level of noise.
One image from one newly minted iconic photograph then got merged into another newly minted iconic photograph, resulting in a marvelous piece of Internet humor.
So that is the consequences of living in Web-time. Iconic images emerge with astonishing speed. Iconic images get merged easily. Iconic images descend into parody quickly.
If Warhol were alive, he would have laughed too. On web time everybody is famous for fifteen nanoseconds.
(Thanks to Marty Parker for showing me the parodies).
Late follow-up: Alert readers have sent email. The little girl's name is Grace Van Cutsem. She is three years old. Little Grace is getting more than her fifteen nanoseconds of fame. She has been put in many pictures, not just the situation room. If you would like to see some, click here.


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Rick Santorum can point to a conservative legislative record and sterling credentials on social and cultural issues. The left hates his guts.
Even so, he's got a long way to go before he can consolidate conservative support ahead of the Jan. 21 South Carolina primary.
Story Continued Below
One reason why: Arlen Specter.
Nearly eight years after Santorum endorsed his Pennsylvania Republican Senate partner against a conservative primary challenger, that single act continues to haunt him, an almost unforgivable heresy that lingers uncomfortably in the minds of many conservatives.
It's not the only reason why conservatives haven't coalesced around his candidacy. But the questions surrounding the 2004 endorsement remain prevalent enough to require frequent explanation on the 2012 campaign trail. And with just a week left until the crucial next primary vote, it's a blot on Santorum's ideological purity that he can't afford to have.
"Conservatives tend to have very long memories," said Lowman Henry, a longtime conservative activist in Pennsylvania and chairman of the Lincoln Institute of Public Opinion Research. "There are those that say what Rick did was wrong and can't forgive him for it."
There wasn't anything truly remarkable about what happened: it was a simple case of one Republican senator from Pennsylvania endorsing the other for reelection.
But Specter was no ordinary Republican. He was a sharp thorn in the side of conservatives and an abortion rights supporter. Nevertheless, Santorum vigorously campaigned for his moderate colleague in the face of a tough conservative challenge.
To some on the right, that was bad enough. But Specter ultimately switched parties in 2009 and became a reviled figure within GOP circles. Now, Santorum's being forced to square his support — which included cutting a 30-second television ad for Specter — with his effort to position himself as the one true conservative alternative to Mitt Romney.
So far, Santorum's role in the 2004 primary hasn't proved to be an insurmountable obstacle. After a hard fade in New Hampshire, on Saturday he captured the support of a group of prominent social conservatives, an important boost to his campaign as he attempts to catch Newt Gingrich in the polls in South Carolina.
But the Specter issue is never far from the surface — and it looms as an impediment to Santorum's efforts to dispatch Gingrich and Rick Perry and unite conservatives behind his candidacy.
In Pennsylvania, some contend that Santorum's backing of Specter over Pat Toomey (then a congressman, Toomey was later elected to the Senate in 2010) planted the seeds of his own defeat two years later by dampening conservative enthusiasm for his reelection campaign.
"It hurt Santorum a lot with folks who had been supporting him since his 1994 campaign," said Mark Dion, Toomey's 2004 campaign manager. "I would call it disappointment more than anything — disappointment that he didn't live up to his principles."
In Iowa, Santorum got more than mere questions about the Specter episode. Attack fliers featuring a photo of Santorum and Specter were posted on cars at one event, labeling Santorum a "pro-life fraud."
Gov. Rick Perry, Rep. Michele Bachmann and Sen. Rand Paul, serving as a surrogate for his father, Rep. Ron Paul, all ripped him over the Specter issue as Santorum began to rise in the polls.
"[The press is] going to look and see his support for Arlen Specter back in 2004," said Perry in an interview with MSNBC's Chuck Todd. "Arlen Specter being the guy who brought us the 60th vote on TARP and Obamacare, and [Santorum] supported him. I mean, that's a movement conservative? I don't think so."


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Commentary: On Kids with Guns, Racism, Hatred, How Fools Never Learn!
A message to BC and Oxnard
How can anyone deny that the world is a violent and turbulent maelstrom of racism, sexism, religious fanaticism bordering on the worship of insanity, hatred and intolerance? All this violence created almost exclusively by men all over the world, including Oxnard.
A high school kid that we will call BC, as in "Born into a Crazy World" recently revealed to me and others that a gun had been pulled on him at a local Oxnard high school. BC had a gun pointed at his gut and a chilling demand uttered, "Where you from fool?" The kid on the wrong side of the gun froze in terror. This loud mouth kid has lost his ability to "to talk mess" for the first time in his short troubled life. Luck saved the kid from being shot or worse. With a school official headed their way all the kids "on the right side of the gun that live forever" as Kendrick Lamar tells us, scrambled away like violent mutants seeking cover in a nearby classroom. The adrenaline kicked in and BC bolted to the administration office to seek sanctuary. In the office in front of school officials and Oxnard cops the kid started talking; rather he spun a tale of denial and manipulations. BC's incapable of speaking the truth. He's ratting out the "enemy". In potentially suicidal panic BC violated gangster cardinal rule number one: "Keep you stupid mouth shut."
How many times does this gun, violence and tribal insanity occur on our high schools in Oxnard? If you're interested in knowing the truth avoid the cops, the school and local officials and go directly to the kids. Ask them and they will tell you. BC confessed to me that in a two week period he saw a gun in the hands of kids on school grounds on two different occasions. All the kids know what is going on. The smart ones know how to avoid anger, the knuckle heads are drawn to the trouble, and kids like BC are neither smart or a knucklehead but caught in the middle.
BC was born into a dysfunctional roller coaster, accompanied by violence, abandonment and fear. All he knows is drama; as in doing whatever twisted deed necessary to survive. In his world BC learned to manipulate and now he's a master in the art of deception at the tender age of 14. The likelihood that the "enlightened" side of BC is going to magically appear today is very remote, but it is not impossible, and I have witnessed this miracle of transformation countless times with the toughest kids in Oxnard. Here is where we must act with love on a local level.
There are too many guns everywhere in this country and that of course includes Oxnard. The cops and school officials are the first to tell you they cannot solve the problem of the possession of illegal guns by kids in the local schools; if they could they would have done that already. The best community safety is where kids, young adults and everyone else in Oxnard feels a sense of peace, love and respect. In a very twisted way this is all BC has ever wanted, and that's what the kid with the gun wanted.
In Marc Lewis, P.HD., brilliant ground breaking book "The Biology of Desire", he reveals a compelling thesis that any "addiction is an unintended consequence of the (hard wired) brain doing what it is suppose to do – seek pleasure and relief – in a world that's not cooperating." So Lewis, and I concur; BC's brain and the brains of all our dysfunctional and troubled youth must be rewired. This can no longer be a failed war on crime waged against our youth as much as it is a mercy mission of science and psychology driven by love.
There are sanctuaries in Oxnard that practice this kind of community defined practices of social and restorative justice work that is complimented by culturally competent and ethnically congruent educational and psychological programming supported by an unwavering foundation of love.
The KEYS Leadership Academy at the Café on A is one such program that has for over two decades worked with the most troubled and dysfunctional youth and their families in all of greater Oxnard. The work is not easy, and never driven by traditional law and order drivers or functionary standard of measurement. Our motto is "LOVE IS THE KEY" and we never waver from that foundation. We have worked with thousands of kids in Oxnard, and I can tell you that I have never witnessed a kid, no matter how tough or broken, who does not respond to respect, social and restorative justice, and love.
The "problem" with the KEYS Leadership Academy program is that it is not geared to give the cops, the probation department, the school and local elected officials neatly packaged "success numbers" every quarter; but rather The KEYS Leadership Academy provides individual and unique award winning effective educational program of scientific and psychological empowerment drive by love. For one kid it took 17 years to get to "rewire her brain and heart" we are still working with her. It will take many year for BC working with us to "rewire" his brain and resuscitate his heart and soul but we will be there with him. This is how we do it at the KEYS Leadership Academy at Café on A, one heart, and one soul at a time.
Love is KEY!
Armando Vazquez, M.Ed. is Executive Director of Acuna Art Gallery/Café on A, Executive Director for The KEYS Leadership Academy and Chairman of the Oxnard Multicultural Mental Health/coalition
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Abensberg Solid Wood In Vintage Brown Bar Cabinet
What Makes it Irresistible?
Style Story:
- High-grade solid wood frame
- Seasoned wood is used for manufacturing
- Shelves are carved out of MDF plank
- Quality hardware gives this unit a sturdy structure
- Dedicated storage for 24 full-size bottles
Style Story:
Mingle Much? If yes, then you need an exceptional bar unit to display your passion for entertaining. With its impeccable design, our Abensberg solid wood in vintage brown bar cabinet can be your ideal companion. Innovative design is refined with traditional furniture making practices. Conceptualised in Germany, this piece exhibits admiration for industrial design and bold styling. Fitted with stemware holders, numerous shelves, and an ice bucket, our bar cabinet will offer you with ample space for mixing and serving drinks.
- Finish Colour: Vintage Brown
- Material: Solid Wood and MDF
- Style: Transitional
- Dimensions (HxWxD): 42x66x24 inches
- Assembly Required: No
Wood Care:
- Clean and dust regularly using a soft, dry, and lint-free cloth.
- Do not use abrasive chemicals, harsh cleaners, rough cleaning pads or polishes.
- Immediately clean spillage with a soft, dry cloth.
- Keep away from direct sunlight, if possible.
- Make use of coasters and mats while place cold or hot material.
- Avoid placing/using in areas with high humidity or directly in front of heating or air conditioning vents.
- While shifting, lift the unit and avoid dragging.
- A wax rub-down for solid wood furniture is recommended in every 6 months.
- Colour may vary due to photography angles, lighting sources, or screen settings.
- With the use of natural material, a few differences and occasional minor blemishes are possible.
- Every piece of furniture, in our range, is handmade and thus, no two products are exactly the same. This is the beauty of 'handmade' furniture!
- As every piece of wood has a different texture or pattern, the finished product may vary in finish and colour.
- We try our level best to match the mentioned finish colour.
- Manufacturing defects and issues with used material are covered in a 6-month warranty period.
- It does not include damages caused due to usage beyond intended use and wear & tear caused in the natural course of product usage.
- In the case of an issue, please inform within 36 hours of the delivery. Post that, no claims will be entertained.


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I find challenges very inspiring as they give me a direction to design my cards. So lately, I pick a theme and sketch whenever I make a card. Today I decided to give retrosketches #109 a second attempt and try out a new challenge - Simon Says Stamp Monday Challenge. I picked the stamps first and decided to go vintage with it. I then picked a recycled paper handmade using Starbucks serviette brown packaging and espresso ground, and gave it a texture. The background on the card was stamped with a sanded background stamp and colored using distress inks. Finally I sew the pieces together and add the embellishments. I love sewing cards. As I have trouble keeping things clean and simple, I find sewing giving my cards a higher definition of some sort. ^^
And I'm entering my cards for challenges below:
Card Stock: Popular Card - Dark Brown / Espresso & Ivory
Recycled Paper: Made of Starbucks serviette brown packaging + espresso ground
Stamps: Technique Tuesday - All Aboard, Verve Stamp - Joy for the Journey, SU - Sanded
Texture: Cuttlebug - Textured Script, SU/Sizzix - Square Lattice
Ribbon/Strings: Moyoyo - Light brown, Daiso - Strings
Other materials (no brand): Bronze brads, light brown button


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You do not have to be registered with Ravelry to buy my patterns from this site, although it uses the Ravelry cart facility.
All my patterns have written instructions as well as charts. For further details of individual patterns please click photo on side bar.
LICHEN & MOSS COWL (Skill level 3 / 5 or 2 / 5 if basic CO used)
Lichen & Moss is cosy cowl with an interesting but easily remembered pattern & an 1-cord finish to one edge. It's quick to make & so ideal for last minute gifts, as well as a useful accessory to see you through the cold months. It is worked in two sizes, which could easily be adjusted for width as required. Double Knitting yarn, approx. 210yd (460)yd / 192m (421)mSizes: Small (large) Approx 24" / 61 cm (48" / 122 cm) circumference. Approx 8.5" / 21.5 cm (10" / 25.5 cm) deep.
£3.00 (pdf download only)(cowl pattern only)
LICHEN & MOSS HAT (Skill level 2 of 5 or 1 of 5 if a basic CO used)
Lichen & Moss is a cosy quick to knit hat. It is worked in two sizes, which can be adjusted for length depending on the amount of slouch required. An optional pompom adds the finishing touch. The brim uses a slip moss stitch which is thick, yet quite stretchy and it will fit a range of sizes. A small amount of slouch is written into the pattern. If you'd like more (or less), it's very easy to adjust the length as required.
M (to fit 20" - 21.5" / 51 - 55 cm)
L (to fit 22" - 23.5" / 56 - 60 cm)
L (to fit 22" - 23.5" / 56 - 60 cm)
Double Knitting yarn, approx 212 (236)yd / 194 (216) m.
£3.00 (pdf download only)(hat pattern only)
BRODGAR (skill level 3 / 5)
The extra thickness from the stranded work as well as double thickness gives extra warmth for cold weather. It is suitable for the intermediate knitter whoa has worked some stranded patterning before.
Size: Approx. circumference 26'' - 28'' / 66 - 71 cm. Depth 7'' - 8'' / 18 - 20 cm.
Fingering yarn: MC: 290 - 330 yd / 265 - 302 m; CC: 170 - 190 yd / 155 - 174 m
£4.50 (pdf download only)
Luge is a fast knit cowl in 2 styles with matching fingerless mitts ('wristers'). It is worked in the round and uses cables as well as an open snowflake lace pattern (involving dropped stitches).
The standard loop version (shown left) measures approx. 46''/ 117 cm around & 8.5'' / 21.5 cm deep.
In super bulky (chunky) weight yarn it uses approx. 190 yd / 181 m. I used Rowan Big Wool, 3 balls for the cowl & wristers together.
This version involves shaping in the pattern and so it a little more difficult than the standard cowl. It does sit very well on the shoulders and is just a little deeper too.
Size approx. 46'' / 117 cm at bottom; 32'' / 81 cm around top; depth 9.5'' / 24 cm.
This version uses approx. 190 yd / 174 cm (although more will be needed if purl rounds are added top & bottom as in the standard version).
These are also knitted in the round (using double pointed needles or a short cable if you prefer, although I used the same length cable needle as the cowl & used the 'Magic Loop' technique.
They fit an average woman's hands (allowing for ease of fit): 9'' / 23 cm; length 5.5'' / 14 cm.
They use approx. 60 yd / 55 m.
(pdf download only for the set)
They fit an average woman's hands (allowing for ease of fit): 9'' / 23 cm; length 5.5'' / 14 cm.
They use approx. 60 yd / 55 m.
(pdf download only for the set)
All my patterns have been technically edited & tested to eliminate errors, however mistakes do still sometimes occur so do please contact me if you find any.


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I love a good shop update! Some new items in at Candy Violet this week. There's a selection of skirts and dresses in a super cute "day at the zoo" print, and a new purse based on old 1950's designs and covered in strawberries!
Friday, August 27, 2010
New Day Trip Collection
Posted by Vivcore at 4:52 AM
Labels: shop news
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I am a sucker for a bargain. In fact, the best way to get me to try something new is to put it on sale and to clearly indicate how much I'll save by buying it now.
Such was the case with Organic Heritage O's from Nature's Path, normally $9.59 for 32 oz. at the Elm City Market [I'd never pay that!], on sale for $5.99. The cereal's main ingredient is Kamut®!?? The other major ingredients are the more familiar ancient grains — spelt and quinoa — but I didn't have a clue about Kamut®—to what family it belonged or how its registered name should be pronounced. I bought it anyway.
Kamut® is the registered trademark for khorasan wheat flour, recognized as a protected variety and officially named QK-77 by the USDA in 1990. In his article "Kamut®: Ancient Grain, New Cereal," agricultural scientist Robert M. Quinn explores the elusive origins of this ancient grain, its arrival in North America, and how years later he and his father, Montana farmer T. Mack Quinn, managed to grow it successfully, to name it, and to register it. It's a fascinating story and you really should check it out. The acres of Kamut® which flourish today can all trace their origins to thirty-six grain kernels brought to North America after WWII by a US airman!
According to Quinn's article, "Kamut® is an ancient relative of modern durum wheat, two to three times the size of common wheat with 20–40% more protein, higher in lipids, amino acids, vitamins and minerals, and a "sweet" alternative for all products that now use common wheat… Nutritionally superior, it can be substituted for common wheat with great success. Kamut® brand wheat has a rich, buttery flavor, and is easily digested. A hard amber spring type wheat with a huge humped back kernel, this grain is 'untouched' by modern plant breeding programs which appear to have sacrificed flavor and nutrition for higher yields dependent upon large amounts of synthetic agricultural inputs…Perhaps the most significant aspect of the introduction and cultivation of Kamut® brand wheat is that it is an important new crop for sustainable agriculture. This grain's ability to produce high quality without artificial fertilizers and pesticides make it an excellent crop for organic farming."
There is an official website with all the information you would ever want to know about Kamut®, including details about its DNA. However, if you go at all deeply into the site, you will get a pop-up warning that all the material on the site is copyrighted, and that you need to get permission before sharing it with anyone. Counterintuitive as that seems, since the site is designed to sing the praises of Kamut®, I will heed the warning and direct you to the site where you can read about Kamut® for yourself.
I also discovered that Kamut® is pronounced [kah-MOOT] according to this Food Network site.
I also discovered that Kamut® is pronounced [kah-MOOT] according to this Food Network site.
Now, back to my bag of cereal where this tale began… Each 3/4 (30 gram) serving of Heritage O's has 16 grams of whole grains, 4 grams of protein, and 3 grams of fiber. The carbon footprint is rather large; the cereal is a product of Canada (as are many with organic grains). This is mitigated somewhat by the minimalist packaging – a lightweight bag rather than a cardboard box.
The grains can be prepared like pilaf. Bob's Red Mill is one source for Organic Kamut® Berries should you wish to prepare Kamut® this way. For recipes, check out the Kamut® site.
It is interesting to note that while QK-77 is thriving in the fields of Montana and Alberta, one site reports that Kamut® has vanished from its original home over the last 50 years. That airman had no clue just how important those thirty-six kernels would turn out to be.
Happy Monday. Eat well. Have a great week.
I often blog on food or food issues on Monday in support of Meatless Monday, one of several programs developed in the Healthy Monday project, founded in 2003 in association with Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Syracuse University's Newhouse School of Communications. Meatless Monday's goal is "to help reduce meat consumption 15% in order to improve personal health and the health of our planet."


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While working with AOL's design team, I was responsible for AOL's classic mail product crafting many new features for it's 25+ million user base. I led user research as well as created wireframes, flowcharts and specs that detailed application behaviors for development and QA teams.
I also helped with the conception and early design phases of Alto – AOL's next-gen email product. Named as one of the top 16 ideas in UI Design for 2012 by Fast Co Design Magazine.


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One of the security findings in the gap analysis given in the Case Document was
One of the security findings in the gap analysis given in the Case Document was high turnover and low morale among employees. Upon further investigation, you discover that the company does not provide specialized training to bridge special skill gaps, and there is no wellness system in place to help employees keep in physical shape. After completing the assigned readings (The Impact of Rewards Programs on Employee Engagement and How Employee Wellness Programs Can Generate Savings for Your Company), address the following in your initial post: •List five ideas for a worksite wellness program to help employees improve their stress anxiety, fatigue, and boredom. •To what extent do you think a wellness program influences employees' productivity? •To what extent do you think rewards affect employee performance? •What strategies do you propose to address lack of knowledge, skills, and abilities? TWO REFERENCES Then, thoughtfully respond to your classmates. Do you agree with their assessment of a rewards and/or wellness program? Why or why not? Do you have any personal experience to support your opinion?


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Office: Lexington, KentuckyPhone: (859) 257-2224 (Eastern Time Zone)
Miranda joined the CASE project in 2010 when she started handling administrative assistant duties while working at National Association of Agricultural Educators (NAAE). In 2012 she began her position as the Operations Coordinator of CASE, a position that oversees record keeping, invoicing, external communication, and management the CASE Store, Field Test Institute logistics, and travel logistics.In July 2015, she was promoted to Operations and Outreach Director and expanded her responsibility to include sponsor communication and outreach to state and regional conferences.
Before joining CASE, Miranda was the Meeting Planner for NAAE. She also served as a Professional Development Intern and student worker at NAAE. Miranda is passionate about supporting agricultural educators so they have the resources and skills they need to enhance their students' learning. Miranda and her husband raise beef cattle, corn, hay, and horses on their farm in central Kentucky.
• Certified Association Executive (CAE) – The CAE Commission (2015)
• Master of Science – Career and Technical Leadership Education, University of Kentucky (2013)
• Bachelor of Science – Career and Technical Education, University of Kentucky (2010)


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This is yet another finding in the same museum on marine related topics....This time, I went to a section related to life in the marine world of Malaysia.One giant turtle was displayed in a glass case.
I wonder if it's a real one or plainly a prototype/ fake one.
View from another angle
From the back, it is clearly seen that the turtle is laying some eggs ....a lot of white eggs !!
What's so special about it ? All of us know that turtles lay eggs !!
I can assure you the eggs that this turtle produced are very special !!
Very very special ..!!
NO. Dun simply guess...the eggs are not black or blue or pink in color...
. anticipating what im about to say bo ??
Yalah ...yalah...dun wanna be so mysterious lah...
You see hoh...I believe that there will be no more Ping Pong balls available once Turtle extinct..
Coz the turtle in the glass case laid KING brand Ping Pong balls !!
Made in China some more.
The Eggs
That's my discovery ...!! Bye ...


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Viral Video: The Force (Volkswagen Commercial Parody)
(CBS) - A special-effects and comedic team out of Montreal have created a hilarious parody of the wildly popular Volkswagen/Darth Vader ad that aired during the 2011 Super Bowl. The premise of the parody is ingenious and simple: "What if it wasn't a Volkswagen in the Superbowl commercial?"
The video shows another tiny Darth Vader attempting to wreak chaos in his family's home, although this time, he successfully uses his Sith Lord powers.
The Force is strong in this soon-to-be viral video... for more from this group, Violent Broccoli, click here.
And for comparison and your viewing pleasure, I've gone ahead and included the original Volkswagen ad below: