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Identification of regions in multiple sequence alignments thermodynamically suitable for targeting by consensus oligonucleotides: application to HIV genome
© Matveeva et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2004
Received: 14 February 2004
Accepted: 29 April 2004
Published: 29 April 2004
Computer programs for the generation of multiple sequence alignments such as "Clustal W" allow detection of regions that are most conserved among many sequence variants. However, even for regions that are equally conserved, their potential utility as hybridization targets varies. Mismatches in sequence variants are more disruptive in some duplexes than in others. Additionally, the propensity for self-interactions amongst oligonucleotides targeting conserved regions differs and the structure of target regions themselves can also influence hybridization efficiency. There is a need to develop software that will employ thermodynamic selection criteria for finding optimal hybridization targets in related sequences.
A new scheme and new software for optimal detection of oligonucleotide hybridization targets common to families of aligned sequences is suggested and applied to aligned sequence variants of the complete HIV-1 genome. The scheme employs sequential filtering procedures with experimentally determined thermodynamic cut off points: 1) creation of a consensus sequence of RNA or DNA from aligned sequence variants with specification of the lengths of fragments to be used as oligonucleotide targets in the analyses; 2) selection of DNA oligonucleotides that have pairing potential, greater than a defined threshold, with all variants of aligned RNA sequences; 3) elimination of DNA oligonucleotides that have self-pairing potentials for intra- and inter-molecular interactions greater than defined thresholds. This scheme has been applied to the HIV-1 genome with experimentally determined thermodynamic cut off points. Theoretically optimal RNA target regions for consensus oligonucleotides were found. They can be further used for improvement of oligo-probe based HIV detection techniques.
A selection scheme with thermodynamic thresholds and software is presented in this study. The package can be used for any purpose where there is a need to design optimal consensus oligonucleotides capable of interacting efficiently with hybridization targets common to families of aligned RNA or DNA sequences. Our thermodynamic approach can be helpful in designing consensus oligonucleotides with consistently high affinity to target variants in evolutionary related genes or genomes.
Finding optimal targets for oligonucleotides in multiple variants of related sequences is useful for a number of practical tasks. One of them is the design of oligonucleotide probes for RNA/DNA based pathogen detection assays. Beside PCR, such detection can be performed using strand displacement amplification (SD) [1, 2], transcription-mediated amplification (TMA) [3], nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA) [4], hybridization protection assay [5], branched DNA signal amplification [6, 7], in situ hybridization [8, 9] or other techniques that are currently being developed and require oligonucleotides interacting with RNA or DNA as a basic step.
Sensitive detection of HIV RNA in plasma of infected persons is also achieved by methods that depend on binding of oligonucleotides to viral RNA sequences. Currently, RNA detection of some proportion of HIV-1 variants is not optimal, especially at low viral loads [10, 11]. To develop more sensitive and far reaching detection assays, it is important to select HIV-1 RNA target regions where mutations are least disruptive for potential duplex formation with complementary oligonucleotides.
Computer programs for the generation of multiple sequence alignments such as "Clustal W" [12] allow detection of regions that are most conserved among many sequence variants. However, even for regions that are equally conserved, their potential utility as hybridization targets varies. Mismatches in sequence variants are more disruptive in some duplexes than in others. Additionally, the propensity for self-interactions amongst oligonucleotides targeting conserved regions differs and the structure of target regions themselves can also influence hybridization efficiency.
The currently existing methods that predict effective oligonucleotide primers for performing PCR from DNA templates work well for those applications where relatively stringent conditions are employed. This is because PCR experimental design greatly simplifies the prediction problem: hybridization is performed at relatively low ionic strength and high temperature. Under these conditions, oligonucleotide and target secondary structures are relatively unimportant. The secondary structure of an oligonucleotide or its target RNA may be not a significant problem for influencing hybridization efficiency at 65°C or higher temperatures, but it becomes a problem at temperatures close to 37°C. These temperatures are frequently used for oligo-RNA hybridization in a number of different RNA detection assays.
This work suggests thermodynamic filtering procedures to select optimal consensus oligonucleotide targets in multiple sequence variants that can be used for RNA detection assays performed at 37°C.
Results and discussion
The scheme developed for discrimination of conserved regions in multiple sequence variants is based on their potential to serve as efficient hybridization targets for oligonucleotides and involves several steps: First, creation of a consensus sequence of RNA or DNA from aligned sequence variants with specification of the lengths of fragments to be used as oligonucleotides in the analyses. Second, selection of DNA oligonucleotides that have pairing potential, greater than a defined threshold, within the set or subset of the aligned RNA sequences. Third, elimination of DNA oligonucleotides that have self-pairing potentials for intra- and inter-molecular interactions greater than defined thresholds. The consensus RNA sub-sequences complementary to the remaining set of oligonucleotides are preferred potential targets for hybridization.
The discrimination scheme described above was applied to the HIV genome where the need to identify hybridization targets is obvious. Here we present the result of analysis for the HIV-1 gag gene, data for the complete HIV genome are available at: http://www.gesteland.genetics.utah.edu/HIV/37C_targets.html. For each successive fragment of consensus sequence varying in size from 20 to 35 nt., oligonucleotides forming stable duplexes with 90% of RNA variants (free energies (ΔG°37) ≤ -30 kcal/mol) and little self-structure with (ΔG°37) ≥ -8 kcal/mol for inter-oligonucleotide pairing and (ΔG°37) ≥ -1.1 kcal/mol for intra-molecular pairing, were selected [13, 14].
The gag consensus sequence yields a total number of 23704 complementary oligonucleotides ranging in size from 20 to 35 mers. A set of 1747 oligonucleotides that is 14 times smaller than the initial one, remains after application of the thermodynamic discrimination steps described here. Limited work has been performed on simultaneous combinations of thermodynamic or homology analyses for predicting optimal universal targets in related RNA sequences for oligonucleotide hybridization [15–19]. The present work employs a distinctive scheme and shows its utility. The key ingredients in the present scheme are experimentally derived thermodynamic discriminatory steps. Decisions about the suitability of a particular target region are determined by a set of thresholds, which were found after analysis of the efficiency of oligonucleotides in the experiments performed in vivo and in vitro [13, 14]. Oligonucleotides that form stable duplexes with RNA (free energies (ΔG°37) ≤ -30 kcal/mol) and little self-structure are statistically much more likely to be active than molecules, which form less stable oligonucleotide-RNA hybrids or more stable self-structures. To achieve optimal statistical preference, the values for self-interaction should be (ΔG°37) ≥ -8 kcal/mol for inter-oligonucleotide pairing and (ΔG°37) ≥ -1.1 kcal/mol for intra-molecular pairing [13, 14]. Selection of oligonucleotides with these thermodynamic values in the analyzed experiments would have increased the proportion of active oligonucleotides by as much as six fold.
The temperature used for the experiments from which the thermodynamic thresholds were derived, is 37°C. Application of these thresholds in the current work yields hybridization target regions that are optimal for the same temperature. The list of selected regions for oligonucleotide hybridization targeting is good for procedures that involve oligonucleotide RNA pairing at 37°C such as branch DNA detection technology and often reverse transcription. For PCR that requires higher temperature, other thermodynamic thresholds obviously need to be used.
Future improvement of the predictions requires incorporation of target RNA secondary structure considerations. RNA secondary structure based thermodynamic filtration can be added when information about optimal thresholds for discrimination becomes available from analyses of experimental databases. A further improvement needed is combination of the software elements for different steps of discrimination analysis into one package with a common input and output. This can make the suggested analysis faster and more convenient for a broad range of users.
Whether or not an oligo-molecule will be a good hybridization probe for HIV detection also depends on the specificity of the oligo-RNA interactions. It is possible for an oligo-probe to be in the optimal range of thermodynamic values described above, but still to cross-hybridize with unintended RNA targets (human mRNAs for example). The BLAST analysis tool may be used to discriminate oligo-probes with high potential to cross-hybridize with non-specific targets [20]. We applied the BLAST program for this purpose and ranked oligos that passed all the thermodynamic filters in accordance with frequencies of non-specific targets in the human and HIV genomes (see ftp://ftp.ncbi.nih.gov/pub/kondrashov/HIV). To detect a maximum of sequence similarities the word size for the BLAST search was set to the smallest allowed value (-W 7). However, BLAST is unable to generate thermodynamic values that could be linked to the experimental oligo-probe hybridization, and the BLAST score alone does not allow prediction of oligoprobe hybridization specificity and sensitivity.
The consensus oligonucleotides for targets that were selected after rounds of discrimination analysis should be prime candidates for sensitive viral detection procedures or experiments that require efficient oligonucleotide-RNA interaction for the broad range of viral variants. The set of oligonucleotides for gag that remains after homology and thermodynamic selection is 14 times smaller than the initial set of all possible oligonucleotides in this range. Statistical and thermodynamic analyses performed with experimental oligo-probe datasets [13, 14] suggests that approximately 70% of the oligonucleotides from this theoretically selected set will demonstrate consistency in hybridization behavior with different HIV-1 representatives of group M viruses. It is likely that the suggested thermodynamic selection rules for finding the most efficient hybridization oligo-probes can also be applied to siRNA design. However, the thermodynamic threshold values and position scores of matches to target sequences have to be adjusted for this purpose, and is the subject of separate work (in preparation).
A selection scheme with thermodynamic thresholds and new software were developed in this study. The selection scheme can be used for any purpose where there is a need to design optimal consensus oligonucleotides capable to interact efficiently with hybridization targets common to families of aligned RNA or DNA sequences. It employs creation of a consensus sequence of RNA or DNA from aligned sequence variants and filtering procedures with experimentally determined thermodynamic cut off thresholds. This scheme has been applied to the HIV-1 genome and theoretically optimal RNA target regions for consensus oligonucleotides were found. They can be further used for improvement of oligo-probe based HIV detection techniques.
Consensus sequence and multiple sequence alignments
The consensus sequence for HIV-1 variants (group M) and multiple sequence alignments created by Los Alamos Laboratory staff [21] were used in this work.
Plot of conservation
The average percentage of conservation of each 30 consecutive nucleotides in multiple sequence alignments (based on division of the sum of percentage conservation of each nucleotide by the number of nucleotides) was calculated using the program created for this study.
Evaluation of the potential for intra-molecular and inter-molecular self-interaction of DNA oligonucleotides
Calculations of thermodynamic properties of oligonucleotides were done with the help of OligoScreen program from RNAStucture 3.71 package [22].
Evaluation of pairing potentials among DNA oligonucleotides and target RNA variants
A computer program AlignScan was created to evaluate, by ΔG°37 calculations, the pairing potential of each DNA or RNA consensus fragment with divergent RNA variants. The program is available for downloading from the site http://gesteland.genetics.utah.edu/HIV/AlignScan.zip. AlignScan requires aligned sequence variants as an input file (FASTA format). A sample input file gag.cgi with the list of aligned sequence variants of HIV-1 gag genes is included for downloading. AlignScan also requires for input the temperature, the range of lengths of oligo-probes, ΔG°T threshold value and percentage of sequences for which this threshold have to be valid. AlignScan creates consensus sequence from aligned sequence variants and ΔG°T values are calculated for all complementary duplexes between each successive fragment of consensus sequence and the corresponding fragment in all sequence variants. The AlignScan output file is in txt format and includes all oligonucleotides of inputted length from the consensus sequence with ΔG°T values for duplexes between each consensus oligonucleotide and the corresponding complementary target sequence variants below the threshold. The AlignScan output file can be further used as input file for the OligoScreen program. The output file can be also opened for analysis by other programs, such as Microsoft Excel.
List of abbreviations
polymerase change reaction
strand displacement amplification
transcription mediated amplification
nucleic acid sequence-based amplification
Human Immunodeficit Virus type 1
We thank Alexander Tsodikov for helpful discussions and comments. Mr Andy Hammer for updating and management of our downloadable files. We also thank Nikolay Spiridonov for critical reading of the manuscript. O.M. and J.F.A. were supported by a sub-contract from the Japan Society for the promotion of Science, and J.F.A. was also supported by NIH grant GM48152 and by Science Foundation Ireland.
Authors' Affiliations
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This article is published under license to BioMed Central Ltd. This is an Open Access article: verbatim copying and redistribution of this article are permitted in all media for any purpose, provided this notice is preserved along with the article's original URL.


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The Experience of Nature: A Psychological PerspectiveIn this volume concerning the natural environment, people, and the relationship between them, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan offer the first research-based analysis of the vital psychological role that nature plays in our lives. Over a period of twenty years, the authors have sought to understand how people perceive nature and what types of natural environments they prefer, what psychological benefits they seem to derive from wilderness experiences, and why backyard gardens are especially important to some people. The book examines the satisfactions and advantages that various natural settings bring to us. While many readers may have little doubt that the natural environment makes a difference to them, they may be suprised to discover the pervasiveness of its impact on people of diverse ages and cultural heritages. Beyond the awe-inspiring mountains and waterfalls, many comparatively simple natural settings foster tranquility and well-being. The book explores questions such as: Is the effect of nature on people as powerful as it intuitively seems to be? What makes natural settings so compelling? How do settings restore bodily health? Are some natural patterns more effective than others? Are there ways to design, manage, and interpret natural environments so as to enhance their beneficial influences? A wide audience will find this analysis of our natural environment compelling and insightful. |
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Nature and Human Nature | 1 |
The Prediction of Preference | 40 |
Group Differences | 72 |
Nearby Nature | 150 |
The Monster at the End of the Book | 201 |
A Overview of Preference Research | 207 |
B Preference Studies | 216 |
Outdoor Challenge Program | 292 |
Benefits and Satisfactions Studies | 300 |
References | 318 |
335 | |
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The Experience of Nature: A Psychological Perspective Rachel Kaplan,Stephen Kaplan Snippet view - 1996 |
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5-point scale analysis Ann Arbor appendix aspects Australian benefits biomes chapter Coherence Complexity consisted correlations effect ence Environmental aesthetics Environmental Psychology erence experience explore factors familiarity feel Forest Service function gardening Herzog higher preference human influence ICLUST important included involved landscape landscape architects least preferred Legibility Leisure Sciences less mean preference ment Mystery natural areas natural environment natural settings nearby nature Neighborhood Satisfaction Noteworthy Points one's park participants patterns perceived perception perceptual categories photographs prediction predictor of preference predictor variables pref preference for natural preference ratings preference studies preferred scenes psychological Rachel Kaplan reflected regression analysis relatively residential residents restorative role sample Sample/Survey savanna scenic Scrubland sense significant significantly slides solo Spaciousness spatial SSA-III suggest Talbot ticipants tion trees U.S. Forest Service University of Michigan Upper Peninsula urban urban forest vegetation vironment visual preference wilderness Zube

subset: commoncrawl


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The Jones Surname
Dedicated to the history, origins, and genealogy of the JONES surname.
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Standing on Hadrain's Wall
Two of my daughters are shown in the picture to the right. They are standing on the remains of a section of Hadrain's Wall. At the time of Hadrain I suspect that it would not be all smiles. Just think that after 2000 years, the descendants of Beli Mawr would be standing upon the remains of The Roman Empire. Way to go descendants.
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Product Summary
The USRobotics All-in-One USB 3.0 Card Reader with dual SD slots is the ideal memory card reader for both average users and professional photographers with blazing fast data transfer rates and excellent card compatibility. The reader/writer supports all new card formats including UHS, UDMA, SDXC, MSXC, and CF cards - including 2 separate SD slots making this card reader convenient for families with more than 1 camera or pros with multiple cards. USB 3.0's 5 Gbps data transfer speeds are up to 10 times faster than USB 2.0 allowing full capacity of faster, more sophisticated cards that demand more than 2.0 can provide. This blazing fast reader allows you more time to take photos than transfer them.
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Antique CZECH huge topaz GLASS filigree RING OLD
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Fnatic wins $100K in biggest Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament to date
Swedish e-sports team Fnatic has taken home the title for DreamHack Winter 2013 winning the event's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament. The team won $100K, the biggest share of the $250K prize pool.
Dreamhack headlines
Counter-strike: Global Offensive Championship offers $250,000 crowdfunded prize pool
Proceeds from the sales of the Arms Deal Update have helped fund a significant prize pool for a Counter-strike: Global Offensive tournament.
MLG, ESL and Dreamhack team up for unified rankings system
Major League Gaming, the Electronic Sports League and DreamHack have agreed to make their disparate eSports efforts compatible.
League of Legends announces $100,000 prize purse for official Season 1 Championship
Riot Games has announced that there will be a $100,000 prize purse for the first official League of Legends tournament championship


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Getting directly involved in politics and having our voices heard is vitally important to the movement for LGBT equality. That is why we need to run for office at every level of government.
Read Whole Story
Too often we see the queer community literally white-washed. Telling the stories and honoring the coming-out struggles of people of color like Frank Ocean and Diana King, or of people who challenge gender roles like Megan Rapinoe, is extremely important.
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day. Newsletters may offer personalized content or advertisements. Learn more.


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Kana Yume
Enjoy the sample nude picture collection of beautiful and young Asian model Kana Yume. For many more oriental beauties please visit SexAsian18.
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about Yoon Eun Hye
Yoon Eun Hye, is Korean actress, who shot to fame in Asia with Korean drama "Princess Hours" and "Coffee Prince 1st Shop" and my Fair Lady.
about Skinny Jeans
Slim-fit pants or skinny jeans have a snug fit through the legs and end in a small leg opening that can be anywhere from 9" to 20" depending on size. Other names for this style include pegs, drainpipes, stovepipes, cigarette pants, pencil pants, skinny pants or skinnies. Skinny jeans taper completely at the bottom of the leg, whereas drainpipe jeans are skinny but then the lower leg is straight instead of tapering and so they are often slightly baggier at the bottom of the leg than skinny jeans. In some styles, zippers are needed at the bottom of the leg to facilitate pulling them over the feet. Stretch denim, with anywhere from 2% to 4% spandex, may be used to allow jeans to have a super-slim fit. Skinny Jeans come in many different colors as well as style


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Mummys camera is broken. I have gone 12 hours without a white light flashing in front of my eyes. She is supposed to be buying a new one this weekend. So now seemed like a good time to do my meme.
1. Your age? 1 year and 2 months
2. Your age when came to live with your people? 12 weeks
3. What color is the collar you're wearing right now? I don't wear collars.
4. Who is your favorite person other than the people you live with? Auntie Di, because she looked after me when Mummy was on holiday.
5. How much do you weigh? I don't know
6. Most expensive thing you've ever chewed up? a jumper of Mummys, I rarely chew stuff I'm not supposed too.
7. Do you like other Dogs? yes, apart from one poodle who wants to kill me.
8. Who is your best non-human friend? Sky, he is a doggie I sometimes meet on my walks
9. Squeaky Toys or Tennis Balls? Squeaky toys
10. Do you like to be brushed? No!
11. Peanut Butter or Cheese? Cheese, I've never had peanut butter.
12. Do your people cut your toenails? No, I'd have no legs left.
13. Any formal education? Puppy class. I passed bronze level.
14. Couch potato or Energizer Bunny? a bit of both.
15. Five nicknames your people call you. Sims, Simby, puppy.
16. What is your best trick? Begging and giving my paw.
17. Do you like kitties? they are evil and should all die
18. What did you have for breakfast? best of nature dog food
19. Can you hunt (aka have you ever killed anything living)? I caught a baby rabbit but Mummy made me let it go.
20. When & why was the last time you went to the V.E.T.? A couple of weeks ago for my upset tummy.
21. Where do you sleep at night? in bed with Mummy and ff Daddy
22. Do you like to swim? No, I love water but only when my feet reach the bottom.
23. Can you make puppies? No
24. Your favorite place to visit? the seaside
25. Do you give kisses? yes, all the time.
26. Can you potty on command? yes
27. To Cuz or not to Cuz? stupid toys, no
So you don't forget what I look like here I am looking cute.
Simba xxx
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Thursday, June 28, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
Sorry I haven't been around much, we have had a lot of changes going on here. We decided to sell the campervan and the boat. Hopefully we will now be able to buy a bigger boat that we can sleep on. Mummy's friend is moving into her new home so we have been busy helping her pack and unpack again.
I will hopefully catch up with you all soon.
The good news is, Mummy won't be using her car today so I am ready to pick up a few friends and go for a drive with the wind in our fur.
Simba xx
Monday, June 25, 2007
I use to sleep at the bottom of Mummys and Fat fat Daddys bed. But I felt a little bit left out sleeping down there. So now I sleep here.
I sleep facing Mummy and when she wakes up in the morning we are so close we are almost touching noses. Fat fat Daddy is not so pleased with the end he wakes up facing.
It takes so long for humans to get ready for bed. I'm nearly asleep already.
Simba xx
I sleep facing Mummy and when she wakes up in the morning we are so close we are almost touching noses. Fat fat Daddy is not so pleased with the end he wakes up facing.
It takes so long for humans to get ready for bed. I'm nearly asleep already.
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A blue moon was shining on the retail sector yesterday as bellwether Next was hit with a 'sell' rating.
Veteran analyst Tony Shiret at Espirito Santo thinks "the nature of [Next's] customer base is not properly understood and this will make it vulnerable". Next is more dependent on over 25 mortgage holders than rivals, according to Espirito's analysis, making it most at risk from any rise in interest rates.
The company has also become too reliant on its Directory business, which has offset falling sales in stores. All this means that while Next "remains a great company", it is still at risk of a nasty bump should something not go its way – and investors are failing to price in this risk. Next fell 75p to 6235p.
Escalating tensions in Ukraine saw traders ditch growth stocks. Banks knocked 11.14 points off the blue-chip index, while miners accounted for a 12.19-point slide. The industry was also shaken by rumours that China's GDP growth figures overnight could be weak, sending metal prices tumbling.
Even gold lost its shine: the price fell on good consumer spending data in the US. The numbers piqued hopes of an interest rate rise from the Federal Reserve, which would end demand for gold as a safe bet against the dollar. Fresnillo lost 31p to 901.5p, while Randgold Resources was 118p lighter at 4727p.
Water suppliers United Utilities, up 16p to 769.5p, and Severn Trent, 28p better at 1787p, fared well, as did energy companies: SSE charged up 26p to 1495p, while British Gas-owner Centrica turned 3.1p higher to 342.4p. The FTSE 100 closed 42.15 points lower at 6541.61.
Debenhams jumped 3.45p to 81p despite poor earnings. UBS and Merrill Lynch were cautiously optimistic about prospects, while there was also chatter that Sports Direct owner Mike Ashley, who took a position in the retailer in January, could be gearing up for more activity.
Property consultant Sweett gained some respite from bribery allegations on a hospital project in Morocco as it flagged up results for the year to March "slightly ahead of market expectations", sending shares up 1p to 39.5p.


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Biography Collins was born in Guildford, Surrey, England, and is the daughter of British musician Phil Collins and his second wife, American-born Jill Tavelman. She is the half-sister of actress Joely Collins and musician Simon Collins, and also has two half-brothers from her father's remarriage, Nicholas and Matthew Collins. She graduated from Harvard-Westlake School and is currently a student at the University of Southern California with a major in broadcast journalism. Collins started acting at the age of two in the BBC series Growing Pains. She moved to the United States when she was 5 and began performing theatre at the Youth Academy for Dramatic Arts. As a teenager, Collins wrote a column (titled NY Confidential) for the British magazine Elle Girl. She has also written for Seventeen,Teen Vogue, and the Los Angeles Times magazines. She was chosen by Chanel to wear one of its gowns at the 2007 Bal des Débutantes (a charity ball) at the Hôtel de Crillon in Paris, which was featured on series 3 of the reality TV show The Hills. She was picked by Spain's Glamour magazine in 2008 as their "International model of the year" and appeared on the magazine's cover in August 2009. Collins covered the 2008 US Presidential campaign as a host on the Nickelodeon show Kids Pick the President. She won a 2008 Young Hollywood Award for "Newest Red Carpet Correspondent." She has appeared in two episodes of the television show 90210, including the 2008–2009 season finale. Collins was one of twenty women named by Maxim magazine as one of "The Hottest Daughters of Rock Stars" in 2009. Collins was in the 2009 film The Blind Side as Collins Tuohy, the daughter of Sandra Bullock's character Leigh Anne Tuohy. She played the warrior priest's niece Lucy in the thriller Priest, opposite Paul Bettany. MTV Networks' NextMovie.com named her one of the 'Breakout Stars to Watch for in 2011'. Collins is set to star in the first film adaptation of the New York Times bestselling "The Mortal Instruments" novels by Cassandra Clare, playing sixteen-year-old Clary Fray. Collins has the action-thriller film Abduction coming out later this year starring opposite Taylor Lautner. Collins has been cast in the starring role in an upcoming adaptation of the Snow White fairytale, costarring Julia Roberts.
Filmography 2012 - Snow White (pre-poduction)....Snow White 2012 – The Mortal Instruments (pre-production) … asClary Fray 2011 – Abduction (post-production) … as Karen 2011 – Priest (post-production) … as Lucy 2009 – The Blind Side … as Collins Tuohy 2009 – 90210 … as Phoebe Abrams • 1.23 – Zero Tolerance • 1.24 – One Party Can Ruin Your Whole Summer
Supportors sethamgal Clockwork Angel jules! autumn_hope xlennie bbertocchi Shadowhunter Queen of Babble delenalove XXXEmmaXXX lyndell75 twisted beauty eleonor baelfire24 nothingbutFifthHarmony
"Am I bothered?Am I bothered though. I ain't doing nothing cause I ain't bothered." - Lauren Cooper|icon | DW survivor
- Lauren Cooper|icon | DW survivor
icon | DW survivor


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Call of Duty: Black Ops Uncut Reveal Trailer
Comments are Closed
Man this game looks intense!!! Dont get me wrong, i think that infinity ward did a great job on both of the modern warfare games, but I always love treyarch's work! I liked all of the blood and gore of world at war! I liked the campaign of world at war. and I especially loved Nazi Zombies!!! I hope that Call of Duty Black Ops is as awesome as I anticipated! I also hope that there will be more ZOMBIES!!!
Posted: May 23, 2010 6:57 PM -
I hope the single player campaign will be longer than 5 hours this time. I still haven't bought modern warfare 2 yet because I don't want to spend $60 for only 5-6 hours of game play
Posted: May 23, 2010 5:14 PM -
you nay sayers are crazy the game, like the one before it looks amazing!!!!!!!!
Posted: May 23, 2010 2:37 PM -
No thanks. Reach will be my shooter of choice this fall... I've just gotten soured from the Call of Duty franchise recently... the last three games were almost identical in the multiplayer aspect, and you'd think that after so many they'd iron out the glitches and exploits, but all the did was get more and more.
And I used to be a COD fanboy for sure... but I really think it's jumped the shark. Bad Company 2 pwwwwwwns it anyway.Posted: May 23, 2010 6:29 AM -
There is only one important thing to take away from this video.... it made by Treyarch.. and thus it will suck!!! like every game they ever made.
Posted: May 21, 2010 3:13 AM -
Im sold on the trailer.. although that new crossbow is sick, i must say it kinda reminds me of the SEMTEX sticky explosives being used in MW 2. hopefully when this game comes out, no BUGS will come out of it in multiplayer mode and speaking of multiplayer, i wonder if they put in new perks on this game, along with additional options for load outs and abilities a player can use.
Posted: May 20, 2010 8:30 PM -
im going to buy this but if they put in a zombie mode ill deffiniatly buy this
Posted: May 20, 2010 4:50 PM -
as long as i get to shoot a zombie in the face with a SPAS shotgun ill be a happy
Posted: May 20, 2010 4:19 PM -
as long as i get to shoot a zombie in the face with a SPAS shotgun ill be a happy
Posted: May 20, 2010 4:18 PM -
hey, who knows... maybe treyarch will actually have a decent firewall and it wont get hacked by a bunch of 16 year olds. dunno about everybody else but im pretty tired of modded warfare 2. but hey if thats what the kids are into now-a-days then you guys can have ur infinate glitched out games and wacked out hacked leaderboards and modded weapons and controllers...cuz thats fun. im stickin with halo until someone makes a realistic warfare game, other than BF, that doesn't totally suck.
Posted: May 20, 2010 3:16 PM -
KoV HK6
Kind of looks like Call Of Duty MW 2.5 to me. I am not going to decide my opinion on this game until closer to release but for now it seems like another MW to World at War move to me.
Posted: May 20, 2010 1:43 PM -
So did they use their old pro strategy of taking the inifity ward graphics engine and butcher it again or is this going to be legit. CoD 2 had better graphics than WaW.
Posted: May 20, 2010 1:09 PM -
I think its looks really good but it probably wont be as a good as that trailer looks. I am still definately gonna buy it. I think people underestimate Treyarch sometimes. Pray for Nazi Zombie like mode!!!!
Posted: May 20, 2010 12:10 PM


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There are opportunities throughout the year to visit Whitgift. The times and dates of upcoming events will be published below.
For a map and directions to the School, please click here.
Our next Open Morning will be on Saturday 23 September 2017 from 9.00am to 1.00pm. There is no need to book a place on the Open Morning.
Our next Open Evening will be in October 2017 and we will confirm the date in due course. There is no need to book a place on the Open Evening.
Whitgift produces a wide number of publications each year, ranging from its formal School, Boarding, Sixth Form and Music Prospectuses through to the Whitgift Life (published in the Michaelmas and Lent Terms) and the Whitgiftian (biennial) magazines. Please click the link to view these publications online.


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Thursday, June 14, 2007
Bonnie Does Burnsville ! :c)
I met up with Fran and another guild member (sorry, can't remember her name!) at Bellagio's Bistro outside of Ashville. It was a wonderful cozy place and we had a great meal and got to know each other a bit better. Just before getting to Bellagios, it had started to pour and hail! Luckily by the time we were done with dinner, it had cleared up. The air smelled so clean and fresh.
From there it was about a 45 minute drive up into the mountains of western NC to Burnsville! The ride was very scenic up in the Blue Ridge. Lots of old barns, old country churches and church yards....just beautiful.
We got to the town center and unloaded everything. I had brought my lil red wagon to help haul the bundles of quilts. You know, quilts are HEAVY when they are all full to king size? The wagon made it easy to wheel from the car to the room where the guild met. I'm glad I brought it.
I met so many wonderful ladies..the show and tell was fabulous! They had also spent the month of may working on quilts for project linus. You can see all the quilts lining the walls....they are all so great and will be loved by the children who receive them.
I need to confess to something. When I am nervous, I ramble! To make things worse, I left my note cards at home on the computer desk, so I was flying blind as far as my lecture went. I'm afraid I jumped around a bit! But I had enough to talk about with scrap organization and how it works for me, the methods I use for piecing with leaders/enders, and showing quilts and answering questions, that we filled up more than my designated hour :c) I know where I need to slim down for the next time I travel to do this, and where to explain things a bit better. It's a lecture in progress, and I learned a lot!
Most of all I learned that quilters are wonderful anywhere you go!
Thanks to Fran and the Mountain Piecemaker's Guild of Burnsville, NC for inviting me!
9 comments:
- GRACE said...
bonnie, heard you were a rousing success; didn't doubt for a moment that you would be; wish i had been there
cityquilter - 9:41 AM EDT
- Darcie said...
Don't you know...you were supposed to leave those notecards at home! They were merely a study help and a mind organizer. I'm certain that you were most interesting with your approach!!! Looks like a lovely display of passion, Bonnie! Hurray for you!
(Love the wagon...ala Little Tikes?!) - 10:09 AM EDT
- Judy said...
Sounds like a great talk! I love looking at your quilts, so in person would be a real treat!
- Mrs. Goodneedle said...
I'm sure it was wonderful...well attended and appreciated. Looks like you handled it all well and didn't need your note cards anyway. I'm sure you're being hard on yourself and you are the only one who thought you rambled!
- Nicole and Phil said...
It is great you are able to share your wonderful quilts with others...I bet those women came home inspired to get some sewing done!
- Mary said...
OK, once I got past the image left in my mind by your post title...I was glad to read the lecture went well. Doesn't surprise me at all because there's a reason you have such a following on the web - great information and beautiful quilts.
- Hendrika said...
I'm sure everybody enjoyed it. You do such great work!
One time I was teaching a machine mastery class and I rambled and some might have thought I didn't own the machine I was teaching. Afterwards everybody gave me a great review and I was asked to teach again:) - 6:14 PM EDT
- Dawn said...
I knew it would be wonderful! I could never get enough at looking at your quilts!
- Chookyblue said...
wished I could have made it to the quilt show I would love to see some of you quilts close up...pleased it all went well for you.....


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Ave, citizen of Rome. SEGA has announced September 3rd as the glorious moment those legions burst forth from Roma and march North, South, East and, well okay, West as well - but will you march in style? A Collector's Edition has been detailed, with each CE copy being "laser-etched" in Roman numerals. You also get a Tabula set, Tesserae Dice, Total War Cards and more. A canvas campaign map depicting the 57 provinces of Rome II's campaign is also included, and the CE also lets you build a miniature Roman Onager (catapult). The Collector's Edition is available only through select retailers as it marks over 10 years of Total War games and Creative Assembly's 25th anniversary. There'll be an "extremely limited run" of just 22,000 "individually numbered copies" of the CE. It's all presented in a "leather-effect presentation box," resplendent with gold logo and magnetic closure. There are also pre-order incentives in the form of a Greek States Culture Pack, which adds three additional playable factions to the campaign; Epirus, Athens and Sparta. "These factions have their own unique units, buildings, missions and win conditions alongside a distinct tech tree and, in the case of Sparta, will present a considerable challenge to the advanced player wishing to restore the famous city state to its former glory," says the press release. Collector's Edition highlights: · Numbered copy of Total War: ROME II The most ambitious and expansive game in the Total War™ series to date, ROME II brings the statecraft, politics, intrigue, diplomacy and epic battles of the ancient world to life in thrilling detail. This version comes in a debossed Steelbook™ case, laser-etched with your unique collector's number in Roman numerals. · Tabula set The Roman forerunner to Backgammon, this Tabula set comprises 30 bone-effect game pieces supplied in their own burlap drawstring bag; the board itself is built into the base of the Collector's Edition box. · Tesserae Dice Three replica bone-effect dice for use in a variety of games. The design is based on original Roman Tesserae, found at the archaeological site of Herculaneum. · Total War Cards: PUNIC WARS Designed from the ground up to echo elements from ROME II, Total War Cards is a game of skill and luck for two players. Involving combat, territorial control, resource management and technological development, PUNIC WARS consists of 58 high-quality playing cards and a game-board printed with the PUNIC WARS tech-tree. · Canvas Campaign Map A reminder of the world you must conquer, this ribbon-tied canvas map depicts each of the 57 provinces of the ROME II campaign. · Roman Onager A complete, fully-functional Onager, or Roman siege catapult. This easy-to-assemble kit is constructed from weathered wood and steel, measures 26cm x 12cm x 12cm, and is capable of unleashing small projectiles at a variety of inanimate objects which may have affronted the glory of your empire. Total War: Rome II releases on PC September 3rd. |
Total War: Rome II
EU & US Release date: 3 Sep, 2013
News Story
Total War: Rome II releases September 3rd, SEGA reveals Collector's Edition
09 May 2013 | By Simon Priest
- Related Games:
- Total War: Rome II


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Battle of the Network Zombies
by Mark HenryEditorial Reviews
Product Details
- 9780758225269
- Publisher:
- Kensington
- Publication date:
- 03/01/2010
- Pages:
- 288
- Product dimensions:
- 5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)
Read an Excerpt
Battle of the Network Zombies
By MARK HENRY
Copyright © 2010 Mark HenryAll right reserved.
Chapter One
CHANNEL 01 Saturday 2:00-2:30 A.M. Tapping Birch's Syrup* * *
The remaining "ladies" share a group date with Birch and another challenge: create evening gowns with the local flora ... poison ivy! Plus, Ludivine reveals a secret deformity.
Its official name was the H & C Gentleman's Club-that's what it said on the tax statement, at least, and in the phone book-but everyone in Seattle knew it as the Hooch and Cooch, the Northwest's first hillbilly-themed titty bar, and it certainly lived up to its backwoods inspirations. The exterior was dilapidated, a hodgepodge of boards nailed up at weird angles and intervals as siding, while rust from the corrugated-metal roof striped the building a gritty orange. It clung to the hillside above Fremont on pilings so rickety, the slightest bump threatened to dump the shack's smutty guts onto the quiet neighborhood underneath.
I'd applaud the audacity, if the owner weren't Ethel Ellen Frazier, vampire, mega-bitch and, worst of all, my mother.
I considered leaving the car idling in the space-a sound getaway plan was looking like my best option-then fished out my cell and hammered in Marithé's number.
"Seriously?" I asked the second she picked up, fondling the address she'd written on the back of my businesscard.
"What?" My assistant's voice always sounds annoyed, so it's difficult to assess her tone. A good rule of thumb is just to assume I've interrupted something very important like saving time in a bottle, writing the Great American Novel or ending the plague that is zombie crotch rot-more likely, at that hour, she'd be using the Wite-Out to create a budget French manicure.
"The Hooch and Cooch? Since when is one of my mother's strip clubs an appropriate meeting place?" My eyes took in the stories-tall cowgirl on the roof, lit up old school-in lightbulbs rather than neon. Several were burnt out, but most notable were the cowgirl's front teeth. On closer inspection, those seemed to be blacked out on purpose-it's nice to see attention to authentic detail. The ten-foot-tall flashing pink beaver between her legs was a subtle choice, if I do say so.
"He insisted," she said, her voice echoing on the speakerphone.
"Fucking pig."
The pig's name was Johnny Birch and he was famous for three things-crooning jazz standards like that Bublé or Bubble guy or whoever, screwing anything with a hole (including donuts) and doing it all publicly on his own reality show, Tapping Birch's Syrup (shown exclusively on Channel SS12). He was also a wood nymph, but even though that's all ethereal and earthy, it's really secondary to the pervert stuff. Apparently he had a proposition, and from the look of the Hooch and Cooch, I had a pretty good idea it wasn't business related.
"Seriously, this better be a for-real deal or I'm gonna be one pissed-off zombie."
"Karkaroff was very specific that this was a priority meeting." I could imagine her sitting in the cushy office chair, making air quotes, leaning back with her ankles crossed on the desk,admiring her trophy shoes.
My business partner was already fuming from our recent clusterfuck with Necrophilique. How was I supposed to know the fecal content of the cosmetics? Do I look like a chemist? Still, we needed the money after word spread and the launch tanked. What was the saying, beggars can't be choosers? Not that I was a beggar, by any count, but ... shit, mama's got bills to pay.
"Fine." I gripped the phone to my ear and started loading my purse with all the important undead accoutrements as she yammered on about her day. Flesh-tone bandages (you never know when you'll get a scratch, and humans are normally surprised when they don't see blood seeping), cigarettes (why the hell not?) and lastly, Altoids, of course, because dragon breath doesn't even begin to describe the smell that escapes up this rotten esophagus.
I did take a moment to wonder if I was dressed appropriately for the venue. The Gucci skirt was definitely fitted and might draw some roving hands, but I could certainly handle those. My big concern was the white silk blouse.
It was Miu Miu, for Christ's sake.
The Hooch and Cooch didn't look like the kind of place that any white fabric, let alone designer silk, could escape without a stain.
As if on cue, two drunken slobs slammed out of the swinging doors and scattered out onto the red carpetless cement. One landed on his ass with his legs spread, an expanding dark wetness spread from his crotch outward. His buddy clutched at his stomach in a silent fit of laughter, but then fell against a truck and puked into the open bed. The rest dribbled off his chin and down his loosened tie as he slid to the concrete. I guess that answered my question about fashion choices. Pretty much anything will do if your competition is piss and puke stains, though clearly the blouse was in danger and the stains were much more dubious than I'd imagined.
"Ugh. Christ. Call me in ten minutes. I know I'm going to need an excuse to get out of here."
I stuffed the phone in my Alexander McQueen red patent Novak bag-yes you need to know that, if for no other reason than to understand that I've moved on from the Balenciaga; it's a metaphor for my personal growth-and headed in, stepping over the passed-out figure on the threshold. The urine smell was unbearable. Someone had enjoyed a nutritious meal of asparagus. I shoved the splintery doors into the strip club's lobby and was greeted by a wall of palsied antlers, Molly Hatchet blaring some 70s bullshit and my mother's pasty dead face beaming from behind the hostess stand.
"Darling." She crossed the room in three strides, cowboy boots crunching on the peanut shells coating the floor and arms reaching-the effect was more praying mantis than loving mother, I assure you. "You should have called."
I submitted to a hug and, over her shoulder, caught a glimpse of Gil, arms crossed and leaning on the open bed of a Ford F-150 that seemed to have been repurposed as the gift shop-how they got it in there, I have no clue. A pair of those ridiculous metal balls dangled between his legs from the trailer hitch behind him. I couldn't help but giggle. He tipped his Stetson in my direction and winked.
"You're right, Mother. I'll definitely call next time."
She pulled away, concern spreading across her face. The vamping achieved the kind of freshening a top-dollar Beverly Hills facelift aimed for, but no amount of magic could revive Ethel's sincerity.
"It's just, we haven't had a whole lot of time to sort out this ... tension between us and I'd like us to be a family, again."
Again. Just like that. Like there'd ever been anything remotely resembling a "family." Unless her definition of family was the people one ridiculed, judged and rejected, then yeah, I guess we had a "family."
I clenched my fists. If blood flowed through my veins rather than thick yellow goo, I might have turned beet-red. But instead of appearing angry, I took on a sickly jaundice, which is never cute.
I decided to stuff it and pushed past her to find Johnny Birch. "Sure, Ethel, let's work on that."
"I don't appreciate your sarcasm." She sang the final word, as she did when pretending something didn't actually bother her. I grinned, triumphant.
I bounded up to Gil. "How do you put up with that bitch?" I stabbed a thumb in Ethel's direction.
"Who, your mother? Oh please, she's wonderful to work for and so funny...."
His voice trailed off, replaced by the twangin' guitar of Southern rock. Mother had obviously brainwashed Gil to spout this pro-Ethel propaganda and I wasn't about to listen to it. "Yeah. Yeah. Awesome. A real peach."
"A better question is how do I put up with this 70s-ass rock."
The music changed. "Slow Ride" by Foghat. "Seriously. What's the deal?" I asked.
"Part of your mom's plan; it's all she'll play here. She says 70s rock forces guys to buy beer. Something in their genes. Oh ... and look at this." Gil reached into the truck bed, which was lined with various Hooch and Cooch promo items, T-shirts, CDs, pocket pussies-that sort of thing-and retrieved a DVD. A sleazy, greasy-haired dancer grinned from the cover. One of her front teeth was missing and she wore a wifebeater that didn't do a good job of hiding the fact that her boob job looked like two doorknobs. It read: Learn to Strip with the Girls of the Hooch and Cooch (see inset on page 5).
"Jesus. Like one of those Carmen Electra striptease workouts?"
"Yep." He tossed it back in the truck. "Sells like hotcakes."
"I bet."
I looked past Gil into the club for the first time and witnessed the horrors of uncontrolled testosterone production. A drunken mass of homely men and a few semi-doable ones, surprisingly, crowded around two spotlit islands, shouting obscenities and waving dollar bills. It was nearly impossible to distinguish them as individuals; they'd reverted to some sort of quivering gelatinous state. A few appeared near death, eyes rolling in the back of their heads as though they'd never seen a used-up hooker-I mean nude woman-writhing in a metal wash tub, scrubbing herself with a moldy bath brush and kicking suds off dirty feet at her sweaty admirers. Maybe it's because we were indoors.
Between the two performance spaces-though really I'm being overly generous with that description-was a large shack built into the back of the club complete with everything you'd expect to find in the backwoods of the Ozarks-or in a typical Northwest suburb for that matter-a covered porch, rocking chairs, even a butter churn. Everything, that is, but a little inbred blind kid playing the banjo and showing off the graveyard of teeth in his mouth.
He must have been on a smoke break.
Booths lined the edges of the room, where hillbilly chicks chatted up customers under the watchful glass eyes of various stuffed animal heads. Fog lights on truck grills jutted from the walls, lighting up the tables and the assorted (or sordid) activities taking place there.
"This place is a regular Rainforest Café. Only instead of cute plastic animals you've got dirty whores."
"Absolutely." Gil crossed his arms and beamed, as proud as a new father-sure, he had a stake in the place, but he was overdoing the satisfaction considering the place reeked of bleach and I'm pretty sure it wasn't emanating from a big load of laundry.
"Pays the bills," he said.
"Listen. I'm supposed to be meeting a guy. Johnny Birch, that fame whore from TV. Have you seen him?"
"Um." He scanned the room. "Totally. What a freak. I think he's just finished up with Kelsey." Gil pointed to a hallway flanked by two columns of chicken coops. A lanky dark-haired man emerged with a jug of moonshine in one hand and a skanky redhead in the other.
The guy was tonguing the girl's ear as I approached.
"Excuse me," I said. "Are you Mr. Birch?"
He spun the girl away like a Frisbee, absolutely no regard for where she might land. She twirled a few times, collapsed in some other perv's lap and started gyrating. Birch measured me in long sweeping stares. Head to toe, lingering on the tits and back to the head. "Sure am." He extended his hand. "And you're Amanda, lovely to meet you."
He pulled at my hand as though planning to pull off a gentlemanly knuckle kiss, but I snatched it back, wishing for a Clorox wipe. "Yeah. Um, you have some sort of business proposition, I've been told. Do you want to talk about that here or do you have a table somewhere? Maybe a private booth they reserve for regulars."
"You mean V.I.P." He winked.
"No." I shook my head. "Just regular."
Birch nodded and chuckled off the jab under his breath.
The next moment, the blaring 70s rock was silenced, an apparent signal for the strippers to make way for the principal dancer in this redneck ballet. They scrabbled off on bruised knees, wet hair dangling in clumps, bulldozing collapsing pyramids of dollar bills in front of them.
Birch pointed toward the shack.
The lights dimmed and a jaundiced glow rose behind the dirty shower curtain covering the front door of the facade. At the edges of the porch, slobbery men set down their jugs and hushed each other as though in reverence to approaching royalty. It became so quiet, I could hear the chickens scratching in their cages and crickets chirping or rubbing their legs together or whatever the fuck they do. Though that last bit was probably being pumped in through the speakers to set the mood. The stage light brightened until columns of dust motes stabbed into the audience from between the rusty metal curtain rings, stretching across the waves of corrugated roofing above and the five o'clock shadows of drooling businessmen below.
And then she stalked into silhouette-no ... shuffled is a better word-to the opening cowbells of Nazareth's "Hair of the Dog"-'cause really, what else would you expect?
"Harry Sue!" I could have sworn someone yelled.
"Harry Sue!" the crowd shouted back in liturgical response.
"Harry Sue?" I asked Birch.
"Short for Harriet, maybe?" He shrugged without taking his eyes off the dirty play unfolding.
When the guitar roared in, Harry Sue snatched back the curtain and stomped out onto the porch in Daisy Duke overalls and the most hideous high heels-since when did Jellies make a heel? Her blond hair had been teased and tortured into massive pigtails, hay jutting from the strips of gingham holding them in place. Her face was pretty enough, if you could get past her wild eyes, bee-stung lips and the mass of fake freckles that sadly recalled the broken blood vessels of an alcoholic more than the fresh sun-kissed face of a farm girl.
She didn't tease the crowd of howling men much, making quick work of the denim overalls with two rehearsed snaps at each shoulder; they slid off her bone-thin frame and pooled around her ankles. The ensuing slapstick of Harry wrestling her feet out of the denim mess would have been charming had my eyes not been stuck to her undergarments. Not satisfied with a dirty wifebeater and some holey panties, the stripper wore cutoff Dr. Dentons, complete with the trap door. Of course, in true trashy stripper fashion, Harry Sue wore hers backwards.
The room was filled with redneck boner and there I stood in the middle of it, without a vomit bag, a designer cocktail or a canister of mustard gas. You couldn't move through the room without rotating aroused men like turnstiles and I had no intention of doing that. I did notice that Johnny Birch was standing awful close to me.
Glad to see you, close.
Too close.
"That's my asshole, asshole." I jerked away from his probing fingers.
Johnny grinned in response, totally deserving the punch I threw into his kidneys.
"Ow!" He ran his fingers through his hair, eyes darting nervously at the men around us, as if any of them were looking for anything other than a beaver shot. "Jesus. It's all in good fun."
"Touch me again and we'll see who's having fun."
"Aw." He scowled.
Harry Sue slunk down in one of the rockers and the men whimpered in unison-apparently prepared for what Harry Sue had in store for us. She rocked slowly, pivoting her ass forward on the edge of the chair until the flap was front and center. She toyed with the buttons, tweaking them like nipples.
I glowered. Shot a glance at Birch. Wished I were drinking. The stripper got my attention when she unbuttoned one side of the flap, then the other, finally, exposing the biggest 70s bush I'd ever seen. It was massive. Afro-like. Harry Sue needed to be introduced to the wonders of Brazilian waxing, though she'd likely be charged extra. And then it clicked. The men weren't yelling Harry Sue.
They were shouting Hairy Sue.
Still. It didn't make sense.
I've read Cosmo. I know men prefer shaved to bouffant. Yet they were clearly enthralled by this stripper. I watched more closely.
Hairy (let's just drop the Sue part; it never had any real value anyway) reached for the butter churn and pulled out the plunger, dripping melted butter down the front of her jammies.
She peeked at the mess, frowned, then licked the end of the plunger before returning it to the churn. In one motion, she slipped out of the Dr. Dentons and reached into an aluminum pail next to the rocker and retrieved an ear of corn, which she preceded to shuck, using her teeth. She sprinkled her breasts with corn silk. With the ear she traced circles across her belly, her thighs and then, as though by accident, she dropped the cob on the porch, gasped and then slipped from the chair into a full split, hovering briefly above the ear before nestling it against her buttery crotch.
I shifted from one foot to the other.
There was absolutely nothing sexy about this. These guys were all perverts.
Hairy Sue rose then and bowed to the wild applause and showers of dollar bills. She posed there like she owned that porch, corncob dripping and a fat smile spread across her face.
The lights dimmed.
"I'd sure like to see your bush." Birch again. His lips curled into a lewd smile.
I nearly vomited up my dinner (let's not go into what that might have been, just yet). "Is that some kind of wood-nymph joke? 'Cause I'm done with your poor impulse control."
"Hey." He stepped back, spread his arms and wiggled his fingers. "I can control the trees and stuff."
Excerpted from Battle of the Network Zombies by MARK HENRY Copyright © 2010 by Mark Henry. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.
Meet the Author
Mark Henry recently traded a career in the helping profession to scar minds with his fiction. He attributes his ideas to premature exposure to horror movies, and/or witnessing adult cocktail parties in the '70s. He's been further formed by surviving earthquakes, typhoons, and two volcanic eruptions. Happy Hour Of The Damned is his first novel. He, surprisingly, lives and breathes today in the Pacific Northwest with his wife and two dogs. Readers can visit his website at www.markhenry.us.
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Amanda Feral, the celebutante zombie star of Happy Hour of the Damned and Road Trip of the Living Dead is back in action, returning to Seattle's night-life scene, albeit with far less cash than she started with. Like the rest of the world, Amanda's finances are on the rocks, and the only thing that looks like it will save her from the bone-breaking threats of the reapers, to whom she's indebted, is taking a role on a reality show. Amanda's no actress, but playing herself to the camera is something she's perfected. The problem is, she has to work opposite one Johnny Birch, a dirty wood nymph with sexual proclivities to make a yeti gasp. It's no wonder someone wants him dead - Amanda wants to kill him within minutes of meeting him, after all - but it does put a hamper in the reality show when someone actually does murder the star. Far from being willing to give up, Amanda smells opportunity: make the show about solving the murder!
Amanda's no detective, but her on-the-rocks boyfriend was a member of the police force before being turned into a werewolf. With his help, and the assistance of Wendy, Gil, and even Ethel (Amanda's mother, if the word mother translates to antagonist-for-life), Amanda's ready to crack the case wide open, and look good on camera doing it. And there are certainly plenty of excuses to check out the latest hot-spot openings in Seattle's undead-scene that help with solving the murder. Right?
Mark Henry includes just as much snark as ever, and his send-up of reality television, both with Amanda's show and the short TV Guide like blurbs for other programs at the beginning of each chapter, is dead-on.
(For my full review, visit http://www.flamesrising.com/battle-network-zombies-review/ )
If you are looking for an off-beat urban fantasy that ties together comedy, horror, action and the train wreck that is reality television - this is the book for you. I am a huge critic of reality television and even I loved this book. Of course the method of delivery really seals the deal. Nobody is safe from the snark in this series, everyone is a potential target.
In this latest installment of the series Mark Henry dives even deeper into the seedy underbelly of the paranormal genres. Raunchier, more gross and most likely the most hilarious writing I have seen from him yet. By the end of the book you will find yourself rooting for the characters you would have never thought you would be loving.
Not all zombies are disgusting creatures as depicted in the Night of the Living Dead saga. Take Seattle's Amanda Feral for instance; she is beautiful using makeup to cover rot like hiding acne, but when a part gets too nasty she can turn to the reapers who for an exorbitant fee (will health care reform cover this) will fix the blemish. Since her ad agency tanked thanks to a client who created a product that flopped once the public knew what is made of, Amada's "agent" Wendy KlarKaroff arranged a meeting with the despicable wood nymph Johnny Birch for some needed publicity by appearing on his reality TV show.
Johnny's new show "Minions Mansion" is overloaded with "guests" who hate him. When someone threatens him, he plans two hire a body guard from one of the contestants on his show. Amanda becomes a judge on Minions Mansion and is one of the first people to find his corpse inside his locked safe. Many of the crew including the judges had strong motives to incinerate Johnny, but Amanda fears the killer will strike again; yet her warning is ignored as everyone assumes Johnny deserved to die and prefer Happy Hour of the Damned.
Somewhat chick-lit comedy, Amanda's latest urban fantasy amateur sleuth (see Road Trip of the Living Dead) is a unique reading experience as Mark Henry gives the zombie treatment to reality TV. Amanda is perfect for pulling off the satire with her sidebar commentary about life as a zombie diva which is expensive because image is everything and she must have expensive make-up and a classy wardrobe and she hope the publicity of being a judge will get her some clients for her ad agency. Fans will enjoy this refreshingly something different as Amanda judges the undead as deadly, but her philosophy is to die with your makeup on. The audience will like the switch from a reality show to a mystery who-done-it which Amanda hopes to solve
Harriet Klausner
If you haven't read any other Mark Henry book, you must read this one. Full of snark and extra cool zombies it just doesn't get any better. Amanda Feral is on a new adventure to try to save her failing tv show. When a smarmy wood nymph gets murdered, she has to try and make it work. Join her and a riotous cast of characters as she and her friends Wendy and Gil navigate the hysterical world of the supernatural as told by Mark Henry.
While the premise is original the story quickly breaks down into a modified version of a who done it. The characters are interesting so far as the premise of the book, zombies, werewolves, and vampires, but the characters themselves aren't overly deep. It's definitely entertaining to read through on a rainy day or while you're at the beach and need something distracting, but not necessarily anything you'll write home about it.


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South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford admitted yesterday that his first thought as the scandal broke about his extramarital affair with an Argentinian woman was to leave office with 18 months to go in his last term. Close spiritual and political associates urged him to instead fight to restore the public's — and his family's — trust.
"Resigning would be the easiest thing to do," he said he thought.
He's sticking it out and now faces endless questions about the affair, whether he used public money to visit his lover and whether his 20-year marriage will continue. Add to it a barrage of criticism from South Carolina politicians who think the two-term Republican should step down.
"Part of walking humbly is you've got to listen to your critics out there," the 49-year-old Sanford said. "And all of us will have critics, and the higher you go, I suppose, the more critics you have."
Sanford, his wife, Jenny, and sons were in separate cars leaving their beach house on Sullivans Island, headed to his family's farm — where his 83-year-old mother lives — in Beaufort, an hour south.
He looked like a man of leisure: faded khaki shorts, T-shirt, bare feet. But behind the casual attire, Sanford appeared contrite and spoke of falling from grace and rebuilding his life.
"I am sorry," he said. "I apologize for letting everyone down."
The governor admitted last week to a yearlong affair with the woman he says he's known for about eight years. He and Jenny say they will try to reconcile. Reconciling with fellow lawmakers and constituents also is ahead of him. Some lawmakers want his resignation because he secretly visited his mistress during a state-funded 2008 trip, and because he was out of touch with his staff during his recent weeklong visit to the country to see the woman. His staff had told the public he was hiking along the Appalachian Trail before the real story of his mysterious absence came to light.
Sanford has agreed to reimburse the state for some of the more than $8,000 in taxpayer money spent on the Argentina leg of the economic development trip to South America last year. On Sunday, he repeatedly said he never used public money to see the woman.
Later Sunday, 41-year-old Argentinian Maria Belen Chapur said in a statement to news network C5n of Buenos Aires that she was having a relationship with Sanford.
She says e-mail exchanges with Sanford that were widely published by US media and elsewhere were obtained by someone who hacked her account. She says her 200-word statement will be her only comment on it.
When it comes to his critics — most notably Republican state Senator Jake Knotts — and their calls for him to step down, Sanford said he understands where they are coming from.
"I don't begrudge the Jakie Knottses of the world," Sanford said. "He's going to do what he's going to do. I gotta do my part."
The governor's efforts to stay in office appear, in the minds of some lawmakers, to hinge in part on his ability to salvage his marriage. While several critics wants a criminal probe and others want him to step down, reconciling with the first lady does have sway among legislators.
"That's almost become a proxy for how some are looking at this. They're looking at Jenny," said state Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican and former Sanford chief of staff. "In large measure, it depends on how things work and how people see things are working out between the governor and first lady."
As far as his marriage, Sanford said he and his wife are working on it.
"If there wasn't healing going on, I wouldn't be here," he said, pointing to his beach house, where he had dinner with his family Saturday night and where he took a run at sunrise on the sand with one of his sons.
Sanford added that he has been overwhelmed by the support he's received.
"It's only in the hard times you get a sense of how blessed you really are," he said.
Regardless of what politicians in the Statehouse think, his Sullivans Island neighbors are supportive.
During Sunday's interview, several folks stopped to say hello as they strolled by on their morning walks. One man, driving a golf cart festooned with red-white-and-blue decorations, paused to invite Sanford and his family to a Fourth of July celebration.
"How are you?" the man asked Sanford.
"Considering the circumstances, all right," Sanford replied with a wan smile.
- More about:
- Argentina
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Edouard Manet: 'Olympia', 1863, Musee d'Orsay, Paris
In Degas, in Toulouse-Lautrec, in Picasso: the most respectable of early modern art has prostitution as a recurring theme. The dangerous, immoral, outsider woman became a badge of advanced painting. But the great auntie of them all was Manet's Olympia. At its first appearance in a Paris salon, this painting proved itself the original shock artwork.
Manet composed a studied confrontation. The woman-commodity lies in the pose of a traditional Venetian nude but with dangling slipper, bangle and neckband making her modern position clear. She turns a brazen and level gaze at the viewer-client.
Her black maid presents a bouquet. At her feet, a hissing black cat arches its back at us. And her left hand is firmly clamped over her crotch which, the picture implies, is what we're really interested in and so provocatively, that contemporary critics were convinced (quite mistakenly) that they could detect in the shadows traces of pubic hair.
Public outrage duly followed. And not for the last time, the artist was deeply shocked by the response: "Abuses rain upon me like hail. I have never before been in such a fix... all this outcry is disturbing, and clearly somebody is wrong." It's strange he didn't see it coming; the sex industry is still an inflammatory area of morality.
- More about:
- Arts
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The sexiest man in SATC
One of the hottest young studs in Hollywood, Jason Lewis talks about his women, his older women, sex positions and G-spot. I know you all out there can't wait to see him in The Sex And The City movie. In his interview to ELLE magazine he really makes you want to see it. Some might get horny when reading this.
Read it till the end.
ELLE: When we first met Smith Jerrod, your character on Sex and the City, he was waiting tables and had a devoted clientele of women who hoped to bed him. Since you too once waited tables, I wondered if this ever happened to you?
JASON LEWIS: No, but I did get picked up on an airplane to New York once. It was pretty hot. I was probably 20. I was sitting next to this woman who must have been in her early forties. We had a couple drinks. I guess she was just looking for an adventure, because we made plans to meet at the Limelight later. I had absolutely no idea what the Limelight even was. It was an overwhelming evening.
ELLE: Have you always liked older women?
JASON LEWIS: Older women rock, especially when you're young. Young people should sleep with older people. Sex is something best done with experience.
ELLE: Just how old a woman have you been with?
JASON LEWIS: When I was living in France, I had a couple-month affair with a woman who was around 50. I never let her see where I lived, because I was a little scared of her. We'd meet in the city and she'd take me out to her chateau, have this great dinner, make love. In the morning, I'd ride her horse while she cooked me breakfast. Then she'd drop me off in Paris.
ELLE: Just to be clear, when you say chateau, is this just a fancy thing the French will call their shack or mobile home?
JASON LEWIS: No. I actually mean chateau. I was like, My God, what am I doing out here.
ELLE: On the show, you and Kim Cattrall's character, Samantha, are depicted having sex in a number of configurations I'd never seen before. Were these positions familiar?
JASON LEWIS: No, but luckily we had one of those Xeroxed flyers of 101 sexual positions.
ELLE: There was one butt-to-butt position I couldn't even figure out.
JASON LEWIS: The one where I'm treating her like a chair? Yeah, I think to actually do it you'd have to lean a lot farther forward. All we had were diagrams.
ELLE: In the show, there's an episode in which your character is plagued by gay rumors. Which of your habits would prove that you're irrefutably straight?
JASON LEWIS: This is how I'd answer that question: Who the fuck cares? It just depends on your taste and proclivities. I know gay men who dirt-bike just like I dirt-bike.
ELLE: The women of Sex and the City often deal with men they're not entirely attracted to. Have you ever been with a woman who's had a deal-breaker of a physical attribute?
JASON LEWIS: I was with a particularly malodorous girl once—beautiful but really stinky. She had every body odor. I remember thinking, Your arms stink. Your breath stinks. Oh, God, even your hair stinks. I had no idea what to do. I remember asking a female friend, "What do I do? Slip her acidophilus when I cook for her?"
ELLE: Did you mention the odors when you broke up?
JASON LEWIS: No, because there were other reasons. I think if I really loved somebody, I could probably get over their stench.
ELLE: Smith Jerrod appears to be very skilled sexually. Do you think you're good at it?
JASON LEWIS: I've read a book or two on the subject. The Kama Sutra's definitely one of them.
ELLE: Quick: I'm giving you 45 seconds to tell me as much as you can about what you picked up in that book.
JASON LEWIS: Oh, man, do we really want to get into the G-spot?
ELLE: We do.
Okay. Right up inside it's a little fleshy pad, and it's a little different on each woman. You need to stimulate the thing before you attack it. But once it's awoken, it's all about gentle pressure from the outside and kneading it from inside.
ELLE: You spent a great deal of time nude on SATC. What's the longest sustained period of time you've been naked off set?
JASON LEWIS: One night when I was 17 or 18, me and my buddies went from party to party naked—we were drunk. I was a little bit of a wild child.
ELLE: How do women respond to naked men in a social situation?
JASON LEWIS: We all went home alone that night.
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Vanessa Friedman Wore One Bag All Fashion Month
Because, if there's one thing the Financial Times fashion editor hates, it's dressing for bloggers.
By Ally BetkerBecause, if there's one thing the Financial Times fashion editor hates, it's dressing for bloggers.
By Ally BetkerEven in times of crisis, the rich stay rich, especially Denise Rich.
By Jessica PresslerWhich means either that dude has a real thing for cougars or it was a publicity stunt. That, and more wheat and chaff in our daily gossip roundup.
Also, Lindsay is still being lesbianish, Huma still loves Weiner, and Chace Crawford continues to be hot and available in our daily gossip roundup.
Jonathan Saunders is Pollini's new head designer, Angelina Jolie will reportedly appear pregnant on the cover of the July 'Vanity Fair,' and Naomi Campbell met with Gordon Brown yesterday.
Plus, dish on The Donald, The Portman and The Huma in our daily roundup.
The songwriter was a bridesmaid for Ivana Trump last weekend, and she tells us about her ultimate party trick.
The cast of Spring Awakening likes watching the parody video "Celine Dion Is Fucking Amazing" before taking the stage. Jamie Johnson's The One Percent, the second movie he's made about rich Upper East Siders, premieres tonight. Alice + Olive designer Stacey Bendet got engaged to Eric Eisner, son of former Disney chief Michael Eisner. Entertainment Weekly canceled its annual Oscar-night viewing party at Elaine's. Mary-Kate Olsen hung out with pals at old standby the Bowery Hotel on Friday.
Former New York Stock Exchange chairman Dick Grasso may or may not have had an affair and fathered a love child. Steven Spielberg ate at the Waverley Inn with his family and a whole lot of other famous folks. Denise Rich sang a Rolling Stones song to an audience that included Donald Trump Jr. and Ivana Trump at new venue Espace. Benicio del Toro appeared at the Gay Men's Health Crisis Center as a sponsor for a meth-addict friend. One of Howard Stern's sidekicks filmed a porno inside Stern's studio with Ron Jeremy. Jay-Z may be "scrambling" because the lead single from his American Gangster album is not doing well.
Lance Armstrong and Ashley Olsen hooked up at Rose Bar and then left at 2 a.m. The Jewish Theater of New York claims that the Times won't review its plays because the paper is anti-Semitic; the Times says it won't review its plays because they are bad. Kim Cattrall actually showed up to work before the other SATC cast mates for once. AOL chairman and CEO Randy Falco was roasted by Bob Costas and Brian Williams, among others. Ivana Trump made a kind of funny joke about Harper's Bazaar editor Glenda Bailey being the devil in Prada at Denise Rich's Angel Ball. (Diddy also left the ball with model May Anderson.) Michael Jackson went to Brooklyn to shoot a cover for Ebony magazine and was sweet despite prattling on about how much he likes kids.
A Long Island woman Michael Lohan met in family court is pissed off because he has another girlfriend. An item claims there's "trouble in paradise" between Amy Sacco and fiancé Luigi Di Carolis but doesn't specify what it is. Bill Clinton threw Chelsea's ex Ian Klaus a book party at Tabla. A number of people invited to the In Touch party at Tenjune never made it inside because the doormen let in their personal friends instead of invited guests. Denise Rich plans to take her 6,000-foot yacht, now docked at the Battery Park Marina, to the Caribbean for Thanksgiving. Gillian Hearst-Shaw and Christian Simonds are getting married tomorrow at the Pierre Hotel, with Lydia set to be her sister's maid of honor.
Sex and the City spoiler alert! Carrie Bradshaw and Mr. Big tie the knot at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Cameron Diaz and new fling Bradley Cooper spent a romantic weekend going to the SNL after-party at Primehouse and hanging out on the sideline of the Giants game. Denise Rich is throwing a party aboard her yacht in New York Harbor for those who donated to her cancer foundation. Richard Prince sent a sincere thank-you note to ArtNet.com after the site's critic panned his Guggenheim show. Derek Jeter's current flame is Gabrielle Union. David Blaine tried to hypnotize some exotic dancers at Tens. Kelly Ripa ate on the Upper West Side without makeup. James Gandolfini honked at Secret Service near the Four Seasons in his Mercedes.
Prince's highly publicized performance at the Ross School in East Hampton didn't exactly get the crowd going. And he wouldn't attend the after-party until everyone else left. Padma Lakshmi has been spending a lot of time with billionaire Teddy Fortsmann. Hillary Clinton has a subscription to the Post but not the Daily News. Jon Lovitz put a beating on Andy Dick at an L.A. comedy club during an argument over murdered SNL star Phil Hartman. Paris Hilton drugged her newest boyfriend with pills. Naomi Campbell gets to throw a temper tantrum in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial directed by Zach Braff. Some staffers don't like the cubicles and the food-paying system in the new New York Times building.
A new book alleges that Bill Clinton had an affair with socialite Denise Rich and that Nancy Pelosi knew about it. Barack Obama asked for Beyoncé's autograph at a fund-raiser at L.A. Reid's house on the Upper East Side. Star Jones signed a deal to host a show on Court TV. Katie Homes may have chosen her new upcoming movie, a girl-buddy flick, because it had no sex scenes that might make hubby Tom Cruise jealous. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas dined next to Barack Obama at the Waverly Inn. Reese Witherspoon and Jake Gyllenhaal may be hooking up. An intern claims Lizzie Grubman owes her more than $6,000 in back wages. Stewardess diddler Ralph Fiennes frolicked naked in a pool with four women at a hotel in Belgium.


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Euro-Area Unemployment Unexpectedly Declined in June
Stefan RiecherThe unemployment rate in the euro area fell in June as the currency bloc gradually shakes off the legacy of the region's debt crisis and longest-ever recession.
The jobless rate dropped to 11.5 percent from 11.6 percent in May, the European Union's statistics office in Luxembourg said today. While that's still near a record high of 12 percent, it is less than the 11.6 percent median forecast of 31 economists in a Bloomberg News survey.
Sluggish growth rates combined with low inflation in the currency bloc have prompted European Central Bank President Mario Draghi to warn of a stagnation that could lead to high unemployment becoming structural. The ECB unveiled a range of measures in June including targeted long-term loans for banks and a negative deposit rate to boost prices and growth.
"As long as the economy doesn't expand faster we won't see a significant improvement on the European job market," said Robert Kuenzel, an economist at Daiwa Capital Markets Europe Ltd. in London. "Companies are reluctant to hire unless quarterly growth rates reliably exceed 0.25 percent for a longer period of time."
Gross domestic product in the euro area grew 0.2 percent in the first three months this year and economists predict quarterly rates of 0.3 percent for the rest of this year, according to a separate Bloomberg survey. Last year, the region emerged from its six quarters of contraction.
Joblessness continued to vary widely across the euro area in June, from a low of 5 percent in Austria to 24.5 percent in Spain.
Ludwigshafen, Germany-based BASF SE said on July 24 that it plans more than 2,000 job cuts by the end of 2017 even as the world's biggest chemical company stands by its target to increase profit slightly this year.
Unemployment in the euro area will average at 11.5 percent in 2015 and 11.3 percent in 2016, according to Bloomberg's monthly survey of economists.


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One Chance
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I am from Apache Junction, AZ and I've been a Club Horse member for 10 years, 1 month and 21 days
Nicknames: Chance
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Height: 15 hh
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My Horse's Achievements: He has survived a difficult birth, and has become a city champ. He also is going to be a daddy.
My Horse's Favorite Treat: Any fruit or veggie(especial- ly carrots).
My Horse's Favorite Things To Do: Play with his toys. He may be a big stallion, but inside he's just a little teddy bear.
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