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HONG KONG (MarketWatch) — Most Asian markets rose Thursday after a survey showed China manufacturing activity expanded for the first time in more than a year, reaffirming an improvement in the Chinese economy, though Shanghai stocks fell after a strong rebound the previous day.
"The growth trend started in August and has continued to move in the right direction, which looks to justify the governments policies on targeted stimulus, whilst keeping the property sector on a tight rein," said Andrew Sullivan, a principal sales trader at Piper Jaffray, referring to the China manufacturing data released by HSBC.
Preliminary data released by HSBC Thursday showed China's manufacturing Purchasing Manager's Index climbed to 50.4 in November — the first reading above the 50-point level, which indicates an expansion, in 13 months, amd rising from a final reading of 49.5 in October. Read: China manufacturing expands in November: HSBC
Japan's Nikkei Stock Average NIK, +0.42% climbed 1.6% as further weakness in the yen spurred the nation's exporters. The performance gave the benchmark Average a 3.8% gain for this week, its second in a row. Japanese markets are closed for a holiday on Friday.
Elsewhere in the region, Australia's S&P/ASX 200 XJO, -0.07% jumped 1%, South Korea's Kospi SEU, +0.37% added 0.8%, Taiwan's Taiex Y9999, +1.20% advanced 0.2%, and Hong Kong's Hang Seng Index HSI, +1.24% ended the day 1% higher after briefly dipping into the red ahead of the Chinese manufacturing data.
The Shanghai Composite Index 000001, +0.00% however, dropped 0.7% after staging a sharp afternoon rebound Wednesday.
The overall strong performance came in the wake of a higher finish on Wall Street Thursday, ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday in the U.S., and on improved sentiment over the Chinese economy. Read: U.S. stock indexes rise on Gaza cease-fire.
HSBC's chief economist for China Hongbin Qu said that Thursday's manufacturing index "confirms that the economic recovery continues to gain momentum towards the year end. However, it is still the early stage of recovery, and global economic growth remains fragile."
The HSBC data, one of the earliest indicators on the health of the factories that drive a large part of the Chinese economy, added to gains for Hong Kong and South Korean shares in particular. It also boosted some other risk assets, including oil prices.
Stock movers
In Hong Kong, China Resources Land Ltd. 1109, -1.79% CRBJY, +0.84% climbed 3.5% and consumer-product maker Hengan International Group Ltd. 1044, -0.90% rose 1.4%, while in Seoul, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. 000720, -0.57% gained 3.8%, and Kia Motors Corp. KIMTF, +8.21% 000270, +1.19% advanced 2%.
In Shanghai, resource and financial stocks broadly declined, weighing the overall market.
Jiangxi Copper Co. 600362, -0.73% JIXAY, -6.95% fell 1.6%, Yanzhou Coal Mining Co. 600188, -1.60% US:YZC shed 2.5% and China Construction Bank Corp. 601939, -0.39% CICHY, -0.14% lost 0.5%.
Meanwhile, Japanese exporters rallied in what has become a familiar story of late, as the yen fell to its lowest point against the dollar since the spring.
With the U.S. dollar USDJPY, +0.44% trading around the ¥82.5 level and the euro EURJPY, +0.23% near ¥106 during the Japan trading session, blue-chip tech names saw solid gains in the last trading day ahead of a three-day weekend.
Sharp Corp. 6753, +0.76% SHCAF, -1.00% rose 4.3%, Advantest Corp. 6857, -3.78% ADTTF, +8.00% climbed 3.8% and Honda Motor Co. 7267, +0.05% HMC, -0.36% gained 3.5%.
Steel mills saw strength in Japanese and Australian markets. JFE Holdings Inc. 5411, -0.62% JFEEF, -3.25% added 3.9% in Tokyo, while BlueScope Steel Ltd. BSL, -0.56% BLSFF, +0.00% surged 11.1% in Sydney after a approving research note from Deutsche Bank, which retained its buy rating on the shares.
Miners were also enjoyed gains in Australian trade, with Alumina Ltd. AWC, -0.18% US:AWC climbing 4.2%, uranium extractor Paladin Energy Ltd. PDN, +0.00% improving by 0.6%, and BHP Billiton Ltd. BHP, -0.41% BHP, -1.11% adding 1%.
Shares of surfwear maker Billabong International Ltd. AU:BBG US:BLLAF leapt 6.6% after the Australian Financial Review reported it may list its e-commerce businesses as a spin-off. Read: Billabong eyes float of e-commerce businesses.


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Kazakhstan pg 1, 2,3 & 4 Globe Trotting Cows
**Due to quarantine regulations.....the photos shown here were NOT taken by me.** The only photo that I took is on page 1 of the blood tubes. Once we sold our cattle and delivered them to the Hobson Vet clinic we had no further contact with them. I thought that this was such an important story for our ranch that I "borrowed" the photos from my friend Sara's facebook page. These photos, while from a different export date, are representative of the same route our cattle would have traveled. Sara and her husband, have been pioneers in the export cattle business in Montana.
Katie Pertiet:
Pocket Pages Layered Templates No. 01
Classic Cardstock: Finest Paper Pack
Spot Dots No. 18 Paper Pack
Pocket Cards: Graphed No. 01
My Family Genealogy Clippings No. 01 tape
Be Labeled: Love
Cut Ups: Everyday
Pocket Cards: Krafty Words No. 01
Traveler Clusters No. 01 Brushes and Stamps
Vintage Postage Brushes and Stamps
Going Away Collection
Messy Stamped Numbers and Extras Brushes and Stamps
KP Quote inspiration 7.31.11
Ali Edwards:
Thick Travel Words Brushes and Stamps
Pattie Knox:
Dipped Chips: Travel Elements
Staple Its!: Clusters
Tack Its!
Maplebrook Studios"
Jules Kit
Font: Junction

subset: commoncrawl


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As one of the largest producers of marijuana-infused edibles in Colorado, Dr. J's Hash Infusion makes chocolates, caramels and candies. But many of the company's products contain only a minute fraction of the THC promised on Dr. J's labels, according to independent tests organized by The Denver Post.
One Dr. J's milk chocolate Star Barz labeled for 100 milligrams of THC had 0.37 milligrams of the valued psychoactive component, according to three tests conducted by Steep Hill Halent of Colorado, a state-licensed marijuana testing facility. Another popular Dr. J's chocolate bar, the 100-milligram Winter Mint flavor, tested similarly in two experiments, showing 0.28 milligrams of THC.
"They need to work on their process," said Joseph Evans, laboratory director at Steep Hill Halent. "I don't know that it's irresponsible, but it's nonprofessional."
Chart: See the results of The Denver Post's tests on various marijuana edibles.
The evolving marijuana industry is still finding its way in Colorado, and one of the evolving aspects is the testing — or lack thereof — of products. The state's Marijuana Enforcement Division enacted new regulations last week, and more changes are to come in May, July and October.
But as the marijuana industry looks ahead to the potential of regular, mandatory testing, Dr. J's problem seems deeper than a bad batch or two. The two bars that both tested for less than a half milligram of THC were purchased two months and 40 miles apart from each other, and they were separated by 282 batches — or roughly 70,000 units.
"I would be in shock (if those tests were accurate)," said Dr. J's CEO Tom Sterlacci. "We're one of the top businesses in Colorado. I wouldn't be in business this long if we weren't doing things right 99 percent of the time."
Enter enforcement agency
Hundreds of customers have complained about Dr. J's products. At least three recreational pot shops dropped the brand entirely; others said they won't carry them. And the grousing has the attention of the Marijuana Enforcement Division.
An independent Post study of several products showed that THC levels in edibles are never exactly what the package reads. Mile High Candy's watermelon drops are labeled at 100 milligrams of THC but actually contained 17. Incredibles' Mile High Mint chocolate bar advertises 100 milligrams of THC but instead included 146. The Growing Kitchen's chocolate chunk cookie tested at 101 milligrams on a product labeled for 100.
Colorado marijuana industry leader Dixie Elixirs tested at 60 milligrams of THC with its Dixie Rolls in The Post's study, which are labeled at 100 milligrams.
"While we are disappointed to learn of The Post's test results, we also know that testing can vary significantly from one lab to the next," Dixie Elixirs CMO Joe Hodas said. "Regardless, we will continue to focus on our quality control to be sure all of our products, from edibles to tinctures and topicals, reflect the agreed-upon milligrams of THC."
But of the 10 edibles tested in the exclusive Post report, no edible had the THC-level problems of Dr. J's, Evans said.
"You're talking less than a milligram of THC in a product that says 100," Evans said. "If people have no confidence in this industry, then there could be a sort of backlash against the whole legal marijuana movement."
How can these numbers be so disparate? While there's been much discussion over testing guidelines, it's still a voluntary action for the growers and makers of marijuana-infused products, or MIPs.
"Right now testing the product is permissive," said Colorado Department of Revenue communications director Daria Serna. "Starting in May 2014, it could become mandatory for MIPs to test every production batch of edibles for potency.
"Potency testing measures the value of THC in a product, and it also determines if the THC is homogenized in the product."
The MED investigates complaints, but until testing regulations become firmly standardized, a complaint like this would be addressed as "an advertising violation," said Serna, "because the product packaging would be inaccurate with a label that read it contained 100 milligrams of THC."
Just how popular are edibles? ArcView Market Research estimates that infused products make up 21 percent of total sales in Colorado, compared with cannabis flower's 62 percent and concentrates' 17 percent. But Dixie Elixirs' Hodas estimates that number has grown since recreational sales opened Jan. 1.
"The number we've used is 40 percent of transactions are infused products," said Hodas, who said his estimation is unscientific and based on anecdotal feedback from dispensary owners and colleagues. "Between December and January, we saw a five-times increase in our sales numbers. So it sounds right to us."
BotanaCare owner Robin Hackett knew something was off at her Northglenn recreational pot shop when her customers started calling, reaching out on social media and coming into the store with complaints — all about Dr. J's products, Hackett said. As of last week, Hackett had received nearly 450 individual complaints, she said.
"People kept coming in saying, 'I ate 100 milligrams ... 150 ... 200 ... 300 ... and I didn't feel anything.' And you don't eat 200 milligrams of activated THC and not feel anything," said Hackett, who has sold 15,000 Dr. J's edibles since Jan. 1. "Then somebody brought one back unopened, and I had it tested. There was nothing in there. No (THC) at all. The lab confirmed that Dr. J's is selling chocolate. He duped me and every patient who bought one."
"I called Dr. J's and said, 'You guys are ripping people off,' " she said.
Hackett said she spoke with two Dr. J's reps in the past month — and she reached out to other Colorado pot shops to see if they shared her concerns with the company's products. Dr. J's CEO Sterlacci said he'd first heard of Hackett's bad experience on Thursday when he called her to discuss the matter — after his colleague sent a letter to Hackett threatening legal action.
"If she got a bad batch, she got a bad batch. It happens," said Sterlacci, who said his batches yield 200-300 units each and that Dr. J's makes about 30,000-45,000 units per month. "We don't test every batch, because we're still doing small enough batches that that would be economically unfeasible at this point. But we test every week or 10 days. We have a commitment to the MED to keep our product at that 100-milligram mark."
Upon learning about The Post's study, which showed one Dr. J's product having less than one-300th the THC it should have had, Sterlacci at first questioned the testing process and Steep Hill Halent, which is one of only three state-licensed marijuana testing labs
"I have literally taken our hash, broken it up into two pieces, given it to different testing labs and they've been off by 50 percent," Sterlacci said. "It comes down to standards. This is a perfect example of the need for the MED to get standard procedures."
But he later admitted to a problem with Dr. J's recipe, something his staff discovered a week ago — nearly two months after increasing their batch size by five to 10 times to accommodate the significantly larger recreational market and orders that were 20-30 times their regular size.
"We were making smaller batches prior to recreational, but the demand went so high that we are now making bigger batches," Sterlacci said. "Because our hash is cold-water extracted, it's particalized. It's not an oil like butane or CO2. So if you have the medicine sitting, the particles could fall to the bottom. So somebody could get a high-potency product and somebody could get a low-potency product.
"We changed the recipe in the last week or 10 days. (Hackett) might have gotten it before we realized there was a problem."
Dr. J's is now offering refunds on a case-by-case basis to shops if packages are unopened.
Evans said the quality of marijuana testing in Colorado is significantly better now than it was a year ago. But until testing regulations are more stringent, he recommends consumers not put too much faith on the number on a package.
"A lot of confidence isn't present on the number printed on the packages," said Evans, who has been practicing environmental chemistry for 25 years. "This shows the importance of testing. I'm amazed that people are out there consuming these products based on the numbers that are printed on the package. It says it has 200 milligrams, but that number is based on what?"
A medical case study
Forty-five-year-old disabled customer Shaan Allen had never tried edibles before Jan. 1, when he started visiting BotanaCare to see if marijuana could help his restless legs syndrome. After working through 30 to 40 Dr. J's items — about 95 percent of which didn't provide the results he expected — he started reconsidering his experiment with pot.
"I just thought, 'That's what edibles do to you,' " said Allen, who lives in Arvada. "I went back (to BotanaCare) and they said, 'No, let's try something else out.' I bought one of their new edibles to see how it worked, and I was taking the same amount of milligrams and was like, 'Whoa, this is what it's supposed to do?' "
Some in the industry are concerned about customers relying too much on labels when they try different brands of edibles.
It's certainly important to customers like Allen.
"I feel like I got ripped off," said Allen, who is currently using edibles made by Edi-Pure, which tested for 45 milligrams of THC on a product labeled for 100 in The Post study. "If you're selling a Twinkie, make sure it tastes like a Twinkie. If you're selling pot, make sure it gets you high."
Some dispensaries had similar experiences to BotanaCare. Mile High Medical Cannabis got about 10 complaints on Dr. J's edibles, and the shop, situated across Federal Boulevard from Sports Authority Field at Mile High, was selling off its stock of Dr. J's at a discounted price of $9 last week before pulling them entirely.
"You want to trust the companies you're dealing with," said Mile High manager Nichole West.
Serene Wellness owner Dan Volpe stopped carrying Dr. J's at his Empire dispensary in 2012 after customers complained that "their dosing was less effective than other companies." But as Volpe began the switch at his U.S. 40 mountain shop from medical to recreational, he considered giving Dr. J's another try.
"They were one of the first people to get their recreational license, so we didn't have a ton of choices at that time for vendors," Volpe said. "They said they'd improved their recipe and had a new sales rep, and I was ready to give them another chance."
After 20 complaints — "Dr. J's is the only one I've ever gotten a complaint on" — Volpe canceled his next $3,000 order and began working with other edibles companies such as Incredibles, whose 100-milligram Mile High Mint chocolate bar (a direct competitor to Dr. J's Winter Mint bar) tested for 146 milligrams of THC in The Post's study.
Other dispensaries have had no complaints with Dr. J's.
"There were some little inconsistencies, but that's with any edible company," said Alex Arguello, owner of Colorado Wellness on South Broadway, which sells Dr. J's for $12. "Overall, I think they did a fine job."
At central Denver's Herbs 4 You, which made its switch to recreational in late February, Dr. J's is the only brand of edibles on the counter. The Dr. J's display is even marked with a "Special!" sign exclaiming their $7 price tag — a competitive price even for a medical edible.
"Dr. J's has worked great for us," said Herbs 4 You manager Roman Tsyporyn. "We make money, and people are happy with it."
In Northglenn, business is booming at BotanaCare. But even with a steady stream of customers, co-owner Hackett is still concerned about her customers' and her own experiences with Dr. J's.
"I'm a new business," she said. "I'm establishing a new clientele. And even though I've been medical here for years, I'm now recreational, and I'm trying to develop a new base of customers. And right out of the chute I'm making people unhappy?
"All these people, they spent a lot of money for just chocolate. I don't blame them for being irate."
Ricardo Baca: 303-954-1394, email@example.com or twitter.com/bruvs


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Talk and Play: The Anthropology of Record Collecting
Saturday, April 19, 2014, 1–2:30 pm
Saturday, April 19, 2014 - 1:00pm
Join a light-hearted discussion on the crazy world of vinyl—buying it, selling it, creating it, and that idiosyncratic slice of humanity known as the record collector—inside the interactive exhibition Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records. Grammy-nominated reissue producer, writer, and archivist Alec Palao will play and talk about records from his collection. His guests: collector and record dealer Barry Wickham, an authority on garage rock and owner of one of the most extensive 45 collections in the world, and Mike Schulman, deejay, collector, and owner of respected local indie label Slumberland Records.
Talk and Play, a program series in Vinyl: The Sound and Culture of Records, features guest participants from DJs to music journalists, record collectors to experimental musicians. With something different every week, you might find yourself swapping albums with collectors, learning from an expert about the mechanics of pressing an album, or listening to a specially curated music set.
Included with Museum admission. Admission for Members is always free.


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Main Site - :: Why Won't God Heal Amputees? ::
Quote from: Mr. Blackwell on October 21, 2012, 04:45:15 PMOh...well, what's wrong with boycotting?The action? Nothing at all. A very legitimate tool of coersion from a legal and ethical standpoint.It is the reason for the boycott, to undermine attempts at inclusivity. To try and make it mandatory that an action as secular as commerce to include exclusive religious statements.To illustrate the situation, lets say a town had a 75% Muslim population. Some of the Muslim Mullahs told there parishoners to refuse to go to any store that didn't have the cashiers go "Praise Allah, the one and only God" to every customer...then portrayed any resistance to this as "A War on Islam." Then say:Oh...well, what's wrong with boycotting?
Oh...well, what's wrong with boycotting?


text:
UM-Flint (UMF)
University of Michigan-Flint - Lansing
Earn your Bachelor of Science in Nursing or Bachelor of Science in Health Care Administration without traveling far from home. These UM-Flint programs are offered at the University Center in Lansing.
- The same high-quality curriculum taught by UM-Flint faculty.
- Students take most of their UM-Flint courses at the LCC University Center or online.
Apply here - Click on the Apply Now button and select Transfer Student.
Before processing your application please call Jennifer Spenny at (517) 483-9727.
Request to have all of your official transcripts sent to the
Admissions Office at:
University of Michigan-Flint
Admissions, 245 UPAV
303 E. Kearsley St.
Flint, MI 48502
If you have not already filled out your FAFSA, go to: http://www.fafsa.ed.gov and complete your FAFSA application. The school code for UM-Flint is 002327.
For more information or to schedule an appointment, please contact Jennifer Spenny at email@example.com or (517) 483-9727. Our Lansing Community College office is located in the LCC University Center at 125.7 LCC University Center, 210 E. Shiawassee St., Lansing, MI 48933.
For more detailed information on program requirements, visit the online catalog.
University Center
210 W Shiawassee Street
Phone: (517) 483-9700
Additional contact information »


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2010 volleyball
Transylvania 3, Bluffton 0
Transylvania sweeps Beavers in Founders Hall
October 15, 2010
By: Erin Oberly, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - Despite putting up a last minute fight late in the third set, the Bluffton University women's volleyball team fell to conference opponent Transylvania University in three sets, 27-25, 25-22, 25-23. With the loss the Beavers now sit at 16-6 overall and 3-2 in the HCAC while Transylvania moved to 18-6 and 3-1 in HCAC play.
Sophomore Heather Schierer (Crescent Springs, Ky./St. Henry) led all Bluffton attackers with 13 kills, while junior Courtney Zimmerman (Leesburg/Fairfield) and senior Allison Streicher (Continental) contributed nine and eight kills, respectively. Senior Shauna Rowland (Bucyrus/Wynford) dished out 34 assists, and Schierer served up three service aces.
The Beavers were led in the backcourt by Rowland who had nine digs. She was followed by Schierer with seven digs and Mandi Leemaster (Fremont/Old Fort) with five digs. Zimmerman led at the net as she put up one solo block and three block assists, while Streicher tallied three block assists.
Bluffton heads back out for another Founders Hall challenge Saturday afternoon when it hosts HCAC foe Hanover College. Match time is slated for 1 p.m.


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Thibodaux City Council Tuesday night discussed concerns about distracted driving in school zones but acknowledged cell phone use is not against the law in Louisiana, although texting is.
Thibodaux City Council Tuesday night discussed concerns about distracted driving in school zones but acknowledged cell phone use is not against the law in Louisiana, although texting is.
The matter was brought up by crossing guard Serena Martin, who told the council cellphone use is a recurring problem among young people where she works near St. Joseph Catholic Elementary and E.D. White Catholic High schools.
"They're eventually going to hit a child," Martin said.
Floyd Benoit, spokesman for Lafourche Parish schools, said the School Board is always in favor of protecting kids at school, but he does not know of any complaints about cellphone use.
Texting while driving is illegal, and Councilman Eugene Richard said it also is becoming a problem in school zones.
"It's a pretty significant (problem) too," Richard said.
Richard said he would talk to Police Chief Scott Silverii about being more vigilant in enforcing the law.
"I'm not saying we can make it perfect, but we can enforce the law better," he said.
Silverii said police don't know how much texting contributes to accidents because they can't check people's cellphones without a court order.
According to a 2011 study, more than 2,000 accidents in the state resulted from cellphone distractions and more than 500 accidents were related to texting.
Fines for texting while driving are up to $175 for the first offense and up to $500 for every later offense.
"Texting should be treated like drunk driving in school zones. That's how dangerous it is," Martin said.
Richard said he brought this up for discussion now so that the council would have the summer to consider the issue.
Warning signs along roads in school zones and speed bumps to prevent texting were discussed.
"I don't know what the answer is to this, but in a school zone you can't do enough to be safe," Martin said.
Thibodaux resident Tammy David said she doesn't think drivers should be allowed on their phones in school zones for any reason.
"School zones are for the safety of our children," she said. "(They're) for paying attention, not distracting yourself."
Councilwoman Candace Johnson said she has observed texting while driving quite often and the council and police need to be more aware of the problem.
"If somebody hits a child, it's going to be awful," Martin said.
Staff Writer Jacob Batte can be reached at 448-7635 or firstname.lastname@example.com


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dragonpilot wrote:Two best days in a man's life: the day he buys his first RV, and the day he sells it!
BTW, if anyone would like a copy of my RV House Rulz, PM.
Having rode in the Dragon Wagon, I have to say that this guy was a complete prick about his rules and cleaning the RV. It contributed to having an AWESOME burn.
Thanks DP!
You should have seen him laugh at the couple who came by on Tuesday and asked if we had any water because their RV tank ran out.


text: My name is Laurence Girard and I am a student at Harvard University and the CEO of NutritasHealth.com. We have 3 Harvard Business School graduates on our team, 1 Harvard Medical School student, 1 Cornell graduate, and 2 physicians from Harvard Medical school. Our Chief Medical Officer is a cardiology fellow at Brigham & Women's Hospital. We are essentially the healthy living version of WebMD with telemedicine and e-commerce. We have completed our business plan and financial projections and have raised a small amount of money. We are currently seeking a chief technology officer in exchange for equity to improve upon our demo site www.nutritashealth.com. We plan on approaching venture capitalists soon after our site is upgraded. Please email firstname.lastname@example.com for more information.


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TRENTON —The city's top financial administrator is using ingenuity and grant funding to run the business of Trenton, trying to make more out of an ever lessening pool of state funding.
"We're looking at a number of revenue enhancing budget impacting initiatives," said Business Administrator Sam Hutchinson.
Since 2010, the city has had a steady decline of approved funding which is divided between each department head to run the day-to-day business of Trenton. The approved budget for 2010 was $214.9 million, in 2011 funding declined approximately five percent to $205.5 million , and the city faced a bigger drop in 2012, decreasing the total city budget by almost 10 percent to $185.6 million.
"This year, we are expecting a 15% decrease in transitional aid and have factored that into our proposed budget for fiscal year 2013," said Hutchinson.
While city council reviews the proposed fiscal year 2013 budget for $186.4, department directors are given a quarterly stipend until the final budget is ratified.
"We are nowhere near the amount of money needed to operation the city," said the Business Administrator. In an effort to close the budgetary gap, Hutchinson has proposed initiatives to collect outstanding payments owed to the city, slated to begin in the spring of 2013. "Collecting old tax liens collecting municipal court fees that are open and there are a number of inspection fees which have been open for years."
The B.A. estimates there are $3-$4 million dollars in outstanding fees owed to the city which greatly help the year-over-year financial shortfall which has impacted Trenton's public safety, education and quality of life efforts.
In addition to collecting back payments, over $3.1 million in federal funding from the U.S, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD,) has been awarded to helpTrenton's most impoverished citizens.
The grant monies, which are broken out into three subdivisions of the Community Development Block Grant, the HOME Investment Partnership and the Emergency Shelter Grant were created to aid in the city's community and economic development.
The bulk of the grant, over $2.3 million dollars has been allocated to improve public offerings such as improvements to city pools and can possibly be allocated to keep the city learning centers open through fiscal year 2013.
In a complete contrast to his chief financial director, Mayor Tony Mack's approach to rejuvenating city funding is to attract big business to Trenton's city streets. "We are working to hire a marketing person to help bring in more revenue to the city," said Mack at a Meet the Mayor meeting held earlier this month.
However, according to the B.A., Mack may be looking towards an opportunity which has not been fully accepted by his administration. "Hiring a marketing coordinator or a marketing firm is a bit premature," said Hutchinson. " We're certainly exploring the option at some point in the future…but it is tied to a more comprehensive economic development initiative. "


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A New Age of Jefferson: New Hampshire's "Free Staters" started it all
Jefferson could awaken us again in 2010 and 2012. And it all started up here in woods of New Hampshire with the Free Staters. Never underestimate the power of a handful of rural red necks, duty-bound, born-again to the Constitution and hell-bent on a free vision of starting the world again. 'Twas ever thus.Details


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The California educational system has been used as a way to balance the state's enormous budget deficits for years by deferring payments or flat out not paying some bills altogether. But there is hope that some of the deferred money will be paid back, according to Gov. Jerry Brown's January Preliminary Budget Proposal presented last week. A full proposal is presented to legislators in June.
Locally, a promising increase of funding may be coming through the federal government to schools that are "federally impacted," such as Sierra Sands Unified School District and the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake. The base does not pay property tax, a staple for local education funding. Sierra Sands is part of a small group known as the National Association of Federally Impacted Schools.
While the money is not yet guaranteed — the federal money has to go through the Washington legislative maze and the state's budget proposal will not be presented until June — it does offer a bit of hope for an increase in local funding.
The new money could not come at a better time. The state has recently found itself ranked near the bottom in per-pupil spending compared to the other 50 states and Washington, D.C.
According to Quality Counts Reports presented annually by Education Weekly, the average per-pupil spending in California for 2011-12 was $8,341 — $3,523 below the average spending nationwide of $11,864. This places California 50th for per-pupil spending, above only Utah, and spends $11,000 less per pupil than top-ranked Wyoming.
Another organization doesn't rank the state quite as low, but it's not even near the middle according to the National Education Association. It found that per-pupil spending in California was $2,137 below the national average of $10,826.
The January Preliminary Budget proposal has grandiose plans of starting to pay back schools for money it borrowed or deferred from schools to help balance the state's multi-billion-dollar budget. There is also a proposal to put an end to deferred payments to schools and pay them when promised.
There is also proposed funding to help schools implement two new groundbreaking concepts for education that are also causing some rumbling. These two new concepts will radically change the face of California education, but there has been little direction of how to implement the programs, especially the Local Control Funding Formula, and even less money from the state to implement the mandated programs. The programs are: the LCFF, the new unprecedented new way in which schools will receive money and how it will be allocated; and, the Common Core state standards that will replace a decades-old system of assessing students and preparing them for modern living and the global work force. LCFF has goals of reducing class size, for example, and a school must meet class-size reductions at a certain time or not receive funding.
Christina Giraldo, assistant superintendent of business services for the district, said some of the proposals presented this month "sound very promising" but added that there is no way of knowing now what the budget, and money for schools, will finally look like.
"This is just the start of the budget process," Giraldo said.
She said things "look hopeful" and if the proposals presented this month come to fruition, the future could look a little brighter for public education. Hopefully that light at the end of a long tunnel won't be snuffed out between now and the budget proposal in June.
Giraldo said she and her department will continue to be prudent in its budget analysis and spending.
Board member Amy Covert ecstatically told the board and those in attendance that just hours before the meeting, she had received an email from local Rep. Kevin McCarthy, personally, with news that a bill containing a measure to help federally impacted schools had passed the Senate and was headed for President Barack Obama's desk for final approval. The bill passed the House of Representatives Wednesday.
"The Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 3547) contains $1.2 billion for Impact Aid. In addition, $66.8 million in funding is restored in the bill for Impact Aid federal property payments, which our local school districts rely on," McCarthy stated in a press release.
"Our community is home to the best and brightest at Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Edwards Air Force Base. I am proud to fight for critical Impact Aid resources to help our local school administrators and teachers ensure that the children in our community get the best education possible," McCarthy stated.
Superintendent Joanna Rummer said McCarthy has called her with the good news as well. She said McCarthy had a giddy tone to his voice, clearly excited and happy about the bill's progress.
"What an advocate," Rummer said. "We have a great supporter out there."
School funding looks up
The California educational system has been used as a way to balance the state's enormous budget deficits for years by deferring payments or flat out not paying some bills altogether. But there is hope that some of the deferred money will be paid back, according to Gov. Jerry Brown's January Preliminary Budget Proposal presented last week. A full proposal is presented to legislators in June.


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NEW YORK – Police have reportedly detained a suspect in connection with the execution-style murder of a Los Angeles man in broad daylight in New York City.
The New York Post reports that the man was taken in for questioning in Queens, New York. The suspect is one of several persons of interest.
Earlier on Wednesday, police found the getaway car linked to the slaying of Brandon Lincoln Woodard.
Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that the car has been found in Queens.
Police officials in New York say they are in touch with authorities in Los Angeles as they try to get a clearer picture of why anyone would have wanted to Woodard dead. Read More


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Just interested, to me it seems CC has been hitting an all time low in terms of activity, I barely login these days and hardly see any changes in threads.
Do you maintain a forum statistics kinda thing ?
Just interested, to me it seems CC has been hitting an all time low in terms of activity, I barely login these days and hardly see any changes in threads.
Do you maintain a forum statistics kinda thing ?
CC has been quiet for some time tis true theres not been so much cricket about but I suspect it also shows that whatever some may think of him that CC needs Richard to stimulate debate
Have heard from a reputable source [SPOILER](Prince EWS)[/SPOILER] that the staff have put together a package to stimulate activity in Cricket Chat.
Involves in depth moderator profiles iirc.
Parmi | #1 draft pick | Jake King is **** | Big Bash League tipping champion of the universeCome and Paint Turtle
FWIW I did a course in Theory Of Traffic Flow at Uni.
FYTI I didn't pass
Cricket Web's current Premier League Tipping Champion
- As featured in The Independent.
"Like queuing at the post office, or a cardboard cup of weak milky tea there is a quality of slightly clichéd but still beautifully reassuring Englishness about watching Cook bat"
- Barney Ronay
I think we're using different criteria Brumbers - I just had in mind the "traffic" issue - I think Aussie would perk up the traffic flow in CC but, based on previous experience, he'd do nowt for the atmosphere
Sadly I believe SJS intends to remain inactive - hopefully Archie will resume posting with his old enthusiasm before long - just so long as it isn't an Ashes drubbing for us that prompts it
As for Lucky Eddie and the fabled SlowLove I am afraid both were before my time but perhaps they'll return one day - characters are important - I believe fiery may be available - I may start a petition for a pardon for him!
Should go and play in traffic imo. Just thought I would throw that out there to keep the thread on topic.
There's no real proper cricket going on right now.
And the T20 World Cup had a different forum.
"I am very happy and it will allow me to have lot more rice."
Eoin Morgan on being given a rice cooker for being Man of the Match in a Dhaka Premier Division game.
Happy now, Sanz? This is all your fault.
'You will look very silly said Mr Salteena with a dry laugh.
Well so will you said Ethel in a snappy tone and she ran out of the room with a very superier run throwing out her legs behind and her arms swinging in rithum.
Well said the owner of the house she has a most idiotick run.'
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famous for gum and for having their name on the ballpark where the Chicago Cubs have lost so many games over the years.
The Royal Canadian Air Force was formed on this date in 1924. This marked the formation of Canada's first official national air force; the creation of the proposed Canadian Air Force in 1918 was aborted a year later when Britain decided to cut funding following the end of WWI. The Royal Canadian Air Force existed until 1968, when Canada's army, navy and air force were integrated into the Canadian Forces.
Check out this link for rare archival footage of the first official Royal Canadian Air Force test flight. It's hard to believe they used to fly missions in these things.
Nunavut was established as a Canadian territory in 1999. It was formed from land that had formerly been part of the Northwest Territories.
Finally, in 2004 Google introduced Gmail. Some news media and bloggers were convinced Google's announcement of Gmail was a joke, given its date of introduction and the fact that it offered unlimited inbox space (something then-unheard of from a free email provider).


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As expected, franchise-tagged safety Dashon Goldson was absent Tuesday for the first day of the 49ers' three-day mandatory minicamp.
So where, exactly, is Goldson these days? There's a chance he's at a gym near you.
Goldson, 28, who has yet to sign his $6.2 million franchise tender in hopes of landing a long-term contract, has been a workout warrior while his teammates have attended offseason workouts.
He has trained at a minimum of three well-known athletic-performance facilities this offseason: PerformanceGaines in Redondo Beach (Los Angeles County), Proactive Sports Performance in Westlake Village (Los Angeles County) and Bommarito Performance Systems in North Miami Beach.
He might not be playing football these days, but it appears he'll be in top condition whenever he returns to the field.
Ryan Capretta, a former NFL strength coach who is the founder of Proactive, said Goldson has popped "in and out" of his facility this offseason.
Goldson has also spent a few weeks at Bommarito Performance Systems in South Florida working with trainer Pete Bommarito, whose 49ers clients have included tight end Vernon Davis and running backs Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter. Goldson returned to PerformanceGaines this week to reconnect with director Travelle Gaines, who has worked with Goldson since 2008.
"It's the same old Dashon," Gaines said. "Just working hard. He's the same tough kid every day. He works hard, he doesn't say much, and that's about all. He sets very high conditioning goals for himself. Whenever this stuff is worked out, it will be business as usual for him. He's not the guy that rests on his laurels. He's so hungry and determined to be the best and improve. He's worth whatever they're going to pay him."
Goldson's commitment served him well last year when he missed the first two weeks of training camp before signing a one-year deal to return to San Francisco. Despite the late start, which came on the heels of the lockout, Goldson had a career-high six interceptions, earned his first Pro Bowl berth and added another interception in the postseason.
Cornerback Tarell Brown, who spoke to Goldson three days ago, expects his teammate to again be ready whenever he reports to the team.
"He's always committed to football," said Brown, Goldson's teammate since 2007. "When you're a veteran player, you know what it takes to get yourself ready. He knows his body better than anybody else; I know he's been doing the right things and training really hard."
Goldson has until July 16 to work out a long-term deal. If he lands such a contract, Gaines said, it will change his bank account, but won't alter his offseason routine.
"He's not like players I've known in the past – you knew when they got their big deal they were going to let up," Gaines said. "When Dashon gets paid, he's probably going to want to work even harder. He's that type of guy."
Eric Branch is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: email@example.com Twitter: @Eric_Branch


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This weekend was a big one for the ACC, despite the fact that not all of its teams were in action. With all eyes on Tallahassee to still if Florida State could deliver on the weighty expectations bestowed upon them this season, the 'Noles did not disappoint. After a big FSU victory, the conference now has a legitimate title contender and potential Heisman winner — something it hasn't seen in a decade. Expect great things this season.
1. Florida State Seminoles (4-0) (LW: 1): About midway through the first half of Saturday's game, I was wondering if Florida State would disappoint once again, as they were struggling to really stop the Clemson offense, and could not necessarily break through with their own attack either. But then the second half happened, and we all witnessed an impressive onslaught the likes of which may be a recurring theme for the Seminoles. This team is a bona fide national championship contender, and EJ Manuel could very well be setting up for a surprise Heisman run.
2. Clemson Tigers (3-1) (LW: 2): The Tigers fought valiantly, though in the end, there were just too many weapons on the Seminoles offense, and not enough answers from the Clemson D. Sure, the loss may sting now, but based on Tajh Boyd's players-only meeting on Monday, it already looks like they're focused and ready to continue what should be a very successful campaign. As has been the case these past two years, only the defense can truly hold them back.
3. Virginia Tech Hokies (3-1) (LW: 4): Needing a big rebound win, the Hokies shut out Bowling Green on Saturday, and appear to be back in control of their season. Unfortunately, however, their offense is still only marginal at best. Even against an inferior team, VPI still managed just 150 yards in the air, and committed nine penalties. If not for Logan Thomas remembering how to run the football, the unit would have been stagnant all day. They just can't rely on him to do absolutely everything.
4. NC State Wolfpack (3-1) (LW: 5): For all the talk of their "disappointing" start, the Wolfpack are still 3-1, and very much alive in the ACC title race. With the team's defense seemingly coming on as of late, and their offense establishing an unexpected degree of balance between run and pass, State could actually recapture its darkhorse role and make a midseason run.
5. Miami (FL) Hurricanes (3-1) (LW: 11): Crushing loss to Kansas State aside, the 'Canes have actually looked like a fun offensive team that relies on a bevy of contributors — most notably Mike James and Duke Johnson, who have each had four-TD games, respectively. The defense will be a continuous problem, but if it can find ways to make adjustments and improve throughout the year, maybe they surprise. Like NC State above them, they're undefeated in conference play (in Miami's case, at 2-0), and technically have an inside track on playing for a conference title already.
6. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (3-1) (LW: 6): Wake's taken care of business when called upon this season, though that 52-0 drubbing at the hands of Florida State will continue to linger in our minds. Injuries have had an enormous effect on the Deacs from week to week, and if they repeatedly find themselves without key players like Nikita Whitlock and Josh Harris, they will struggle to get through the conference schedule without a few hiccups, at least.
7. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (2-2) (LW: 3): This team appeared to be on a significant upswing after their opening-game loss to Virginia Tech. Yet, they sit at .500 after four games, with even more doubts than when the year started. Tevin Washington is inconsistent at best, and with that inconsistency, so goes the passing game. We won't touch on the Orwin Smith debacle, because we've already done so. But know that that error was Saturday's game in a microcosm.
8. North Carolina Tar Heels (2-2) (LW: 7): The Heels failed to look overly impressive in their matchup against cross-state rival ECU, but a win's a win. Aside from the W, the big takeaway from Saturday's game was the return of running back Giovani Bernard, who managed two scores and over 100 total yards in the contest. Depending on the extend of his injury, it may still take some time for him to come back at 100 percent — though this was a good start.
9. Pittsburgh Panthers (2-2) (LW: 10): Pitt has buried their early season struggles, and now looks like at least some form of the team advertised during preseason. Another strong performance led by the defense and a balanced offensive attack suddenly has them looking dangerous, and back on the road to a potential conference title in their Big East swan song.
10. Maryland Terrapins (2-2) (LW: 12): I'll admit, I was a doubter on Maryland's pass defense… until this Saturday. Facing one of the country's most lethal air attacks, the Terps hung with Geno Smith and West Virginia for the majority of the game, keeping the score close and the Mountaineers in check. Despite the eventual loss, it was a growing experience for a young team that needs as many of those as it can get. Also worth noting: the budding chemistry between QB Perry Hills and his main target, Stefon Diggs.
11. Virginia Cavaliers (2-2) (LW: 8): The Hoos have looked somewhere between pedestrian and awful for the past three weeks now, beating Penn State mostly on luck, before getting absolutely housed in their last two games. As expected, the hot seat is now warming up quickly underneath veteran quarterback Michael Rocco. Should he continue to put in poor, inconsistent performances, there's little doubt Mike London will insert Phillip Sims into the role.
12. Duke Blue Devils (3-1) (LW: 14): The Blue Devils got busy winning the games it was supposed to this year, in case it struggled in ACC play yet again. While not overly impressive in any of their non-conference blowouts (wins or losses), I will admit that Duke does look like a much different team than in the past. When they're clicking on offense, it's a tough group to stop. Some of the lesser squads in the conference may very well find that out the hard way this year.
13. Syracuse Orange (1-3) (LW: 9): For much of the fan base, this season is already teetering on the edge of a cliff, ready to fall off the other side at a moment's notice. Through three games, Orange fans could at least take solace in a proficient offense and gutsy second-half performances. After their 17-10 loss to Minnesota? Just demoralizing, uninspired numbness.
14. Boston College Eagles (1-2) (LW: 13): Boston College was idle this past weekend — a welcome sight for a team about to go up against the Clemson Tigers' buzzsaw of an offense. The new Eagles' offense may be able to hang around for a while on Saturday. But that said, it's the defense that's of most concern. If they get into a track meet early, it could be a very frustrating day for the BC faithful.
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Bertha Mae West Miller, 96, died Sunday, Jan. 11, 2009, at Oaklawn.
She was a native of Elizabethtown, and a member of the Pewee Valley Presbyterian Church.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Albert Herman Miller, and a sister, Pearl Detenber.
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Two military servicemen who were wounded in combat will be honored at the Atlanta Falcons' next football game.
Team officials said Marine Cpl. Todd Love and Army SFC Michael Schlitz will be honored at the Atlanta Falcons "Salute to Service" game on Sunday. Both men have ties to Georgia.
Falcons officials say they've partnered with the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation and the Gary Sinise Foundation to raise awareness and money to honor both men. The men were scheduled to visit with team members during Friday's Falcons practice.
The two foundations are partnering to build homes for Love, Schlitz and other injured veterans nationwide.
Sinise played an amputee in the 1994 film Forrest Gump and stars in TV's CSI: New York.
The Falcons host the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
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Originally published on February 19, 2012 6:47 am
Thailand says three Iranians arrested this week were planning to assassinate Israeli diplomats in Bangkok. The bombs went off on Tuesday, wounding one Iranian and four Thai residents. Since then, Israel and Iran have been trading accusations of waging shadow warfare against each other through a series of recent attempted assassinations in several countries.


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THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. - Justin Haulcy-Bateman was named to the D3Football.com National Team of the Week for his performance during Saturday's 52-17 road win over La Verne.
Official Release: D3Football Team of the Week
Haulcy-Bateman grabbed two second quarter interceptions including a 20-yard pick-six during Cal Lutheran's 17th consecutive SCIAC win. His second of the game halted a late first half Leopards drive that had reached scoring territory.
He also had a 47-yard kick return in the final minute of the opening half. Haulcy-Bateman's return started the CLU offense in ULV territory and the Kingsmen finished off the first half with a quick touchdown drive to take a 35-3 lead into intermission.
It is the second two-interception game of his CLU career after snatching a pair during the team's 30-21 home win over Redlands back on Nov. 14, 2009. In that victory he also returned a pick for a touchdown as Cal Lutheran secured its first undefeated conference season in program history.
Haulcy-Bateman is the third Kingsmen to earn this distinction after both wide receiver Eric Rogers and defensive lineman Rian Younker were named to the team for their performances following a 56-0 win over Whittier on Oct. 8.


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Stephanie Porta, one of activists that worked to pass an earned sick pay initiative in Orange County, says that's because the two county commissions are very different.
"I would say that they are two completely different stories and two different strategies," Porta says.
She says the fact that Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Jordan has even sponsored an ordinance that requires all employers to offer earned sick time, sets Miami's situation apart.
Porta says that in Orlando it would have been a tough task to get a someone like Jordan to sponsor an ordinance in the first place.
She also says that Miami-Dade commissioners, unlike Orange County, have a history of passing worker-friendly ordinances. For example, a few years ago, the Miami Dade commission passed a wage theft ordinance that prohibits employers from stealing wages from their employees.
"I think in both places this is needed just as much-- and I think that the difference is that we have one commission that has a role, in Miami, and is being assigned the idea of passing an ordinance through the county commission," Porta says. "In Orange County is was totally separate."
In Orange County, the local Chamber of Commerce, as well as big business like Disney and Darden Restaurants fought a ballot measure with the county commissioners there that would require earned sick pay because they said it would hurt the economy.
Activists in Orlando this year gathered signatures for a ballot measure that would bring earned sick pay to Orange County, but even though they were able to gather the necessary 52,000 signatures, their efforts were thwarted by a political maneuver levied by Orange County Commissioners that stopped the proposal from getting on the ballot this year.
"Orange County does not have a history of passing anything progressive or pro-family," Porta says.
Groups in Miami fighting for earned sick pay in Miami say they are confident they can get an ordinance passed because the wage theft fight was successful the last time around.
Jordan is asking commissioners to place this proposed ordinance on the commission's agenda for preliminary approval on Nov. 20.


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Auckland Mayor Len Brown believes the growing number of celebrations have an important role for the region's melting pot of 180 ethnicities and will help bring communities together
Belmont Primary School associate principal Moiera Clews does not think the Lantern Festival has helped her increase her understanding about the Chinese culture, but it has taught her "a thing or two" about how and what to celebrate.
Mrs Clews said since attending her first Lantern Festival about 10 years ago, she has made her family adopt festivals that other cultures celebrate.
"We don't have very much of a festival culture, there's Christmas and New Year, and that's about it, but what the Lantern Festival shows is that we now have lots of other festivals we can celebrate," Mrs Clews said.
"Now, in our family, we celebrate Chinese New Year, Bastille Day, the 4th of July ... we grab any days in the world that are happening because I think it opens you up to the food, the language, and the cultures that we can all enjoy."
Publicly celebrated Asian festivals, such as Auckland International Cultural Festival, Diwali, Lantern Festival, are a recent development in the country's largest and most ethnically diverse city.
An Asia New Zealand Foundation report said these festivals were "highly visible manifestations of Asian ethnoscapes" in Auckland, and were being attended by increasingly diverse participants.
The annual Chinese Lantern Festival at Albert Park, held around Chinese New Year, is estimated to attract crowds of about 200,000 over three days, and the foundation estimates between 60 and 70 per cent of those are non-Chinese.
The foundation's research director Andrew Butcher said these festivals gave New Zealanders a window into Asian festivals and was also often a gateway into the different cultures.
Computer technician and Indian immigrant Sunil Rajoo, 31, attended his first Lantern Festival last year and described it as an "incredible experience".
"Often when we talk about experiencing another culture, we refer to European Kiwis experiencing an Asian culture," he said.
"But I think these festivals also give migrants a peek into how other migrant communities celebrate."
Mr Rajoo said the Diwali celebrations, due to take place next week, also helped him feel at home in Auckland.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown said more than 180 different ethnic communities were living in Auckland, and festivals and celebrations helped bring communities together.
"Our various festivals and celebrations, Matariki, Anniversary Day, Pasifika, the Lantern Festival and Diwali, are already huge events in the Auckland calendar, but they have potential to be more and that's why Pasifika, for example, is growing," Mr Brown said.
From next year, Pasifika will become a two-day event with an increased emphasis on tradition and authenticity in the festival villages.
Auckland Council was also looking into introducing an Islamic Festival and a Caribbean Festival within the next two years.
The mayor said festivals played a key role in attracting visitors to Auckland. "As well as celebrating our diversity, they are great draw cards for the visitor economy as we make Auckland an events capital.
"In Otara, I grew up being exposed to a multitude of cultures and it is one of the things I love most about this city."
But University of Auckland Asian Studies professor Manying Ip said the "gateway" role these festivals played were slowly being replaced by Asian pop-culture.
"Festivals may be a cultural eye-opener for Kiwis during the first two decades of Asian migration, but it won't be for their children who are already interacting with Asian classmates and schoolmates," she said.
"More of these kids will be experiencing Asian pop-culture, like K-Pop and cosplay and watching Asian cultural performances at school assemblies even before they attend their first public festival."
A K-Pop song, Gangnam Style, last week became the first Korean song to top the New Zealand music charts.
Massey University sociologist Paul Spoonley said festivals were a good first step to Auckland's embracing of cultural diversity, but efforts should be made to look for more permanent ways to recognise migrant communities as being part of the city.
"Politically, there remains a reluctance to acknowledge the immigrant and minority ethnic nature of Auckland's cityscapes," he said.
"There has been some resistance, from the communities concerned, both co-ethnics and others, to brand some city as ethnic. The opposition to the establishment of a Chinatown is one example."
He said migrants were already changing some areas, such as Northcote, Sandringham and Dominion Rd, into ethnic precincts, but these were products of "immigrant-driven processes" rather than a policy reform or political leadership which were prepared to see diversity as having direct economic benefits.
Professor Spoonley said the recent migrants, from Asia, Africa and the Middle East, have helped New Zealand become more connected globally as these new communities maintained strong connections with their homeland and their diaspora.
"Nothing could more markedly signal the difference between the British-dominated migration of the 19th and 20th centuries and the diasporic connections that this produced, than the Asian migration of the 21st century," he said.
"The immigrants are visibly different.
"They maintain origin of languages and practices, and they have transformed parts of the city as their ethno-burbs and ethnic business precincts signal their differentness."
Embracing Auckland's diversity
What you can do this month to experience a different culture:
Diwali: Join in the Indian festival of lights celebrations next weekend at Aotea Square and Queen St. Highlights include Indian food and cultural performances, a Bollywood dance competition and fireworks display.
Indonesia festival: Join in the dynamic njot-njotan dance from Jakarta and experience the Balinese trance dance kecak. Sample some Indonesian signature dishes such as mie bakso, sate ayam, nasi padang and siomay. North Shore Events Centre, October 20 from noon to 7pm.
Speak Korean: Learn the Korean language for free at the Korean Education Centre, which is funded by the Korean Ministry of Education. New classes starting next school term. Contact centre adviser Lisa Lee on (09) 303-2625.


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As he spoke Monday to the Tiger Bay Club of Polk County, admiration for John Stewart, now Polk's interim superintendent, was easy to understand.
BARTOW | Those who care about schools in Polk County felt a great loss when Superintendent of Schools John Stewart resigned in 1996.
When Stewart was named interim superintendent for Pinellas County in 2011 and then finished up in 2012, praise came Stewart's way again.
As he spoke Monday to the Tiger Bay Club of Polk County, this admiration for Stewart, now Polk's interim superintendent, was easy to understand.
Stewart demonstrated a straightforward approach: He started at the beginning.
"The most important thing happening in education today is not graduation rates and it's not test scores, and it's not funding — although it impacts all the three," Stewart said. "It is early childhood education.
"Early childhood education that I'm talking about is that period of 0 to 3, and then when we get them in prekindergarten."
Stewart quoted an older statistic, with the caveat that it might not be current: "About 90 percent of everything you learn in life is learned before the age of 5. That is an enormous amount of information."
He explained why a good start in the beginning is so important in the end: "The same number of students who come to school not prepared to learn — that's in kindergarten, age 5 — is the same percentage of students that will not graduate from high school."
After that sobering assessment of childhood, both early and late, Stewart explained the necessities for first-time students and the unfortunate reality for too many of them.
"What do we mean by ready to start school or ready to learn? Well, they should know what their colors are. They should know what their shapes are. They should know just the very basic things — they can identify a few letters of the alphabet and count maybe '1, 2, 3, 4,' something like that, at age 4. But they don't. They're not ready.
"And the biggest thing for 'ready to start school' is you know what you have to do: Sit in the seat, and let the teacher read to you or have class, or teach.
"They have few or no social skills to recognize that the teacher has to be able to teach the other 17 youngsters in the room."
Contrary to those who have said in recent years that the Polk County School District can relax over the issue of school construction, because of the housing-market collapse of 2008, from which the county has yet to recover, Stewart said the area from Dundee to Poinciana will be a construction focal point for the district soon.
"We have to start using what few resources we have in the district to pay attention to that part of the county because we have no infrastructure.
"So, we're going to be trying to refinance some of our bonds to have enough money and partner with someone to build a high school up in the Poinciana area," he said. "We also need another elementary school up there."
Stewart spoke against putting a moratorium on the impact fee for schools: "We need every dollar we can raise to deal with our infrastructure problems, of which there are many."
Just a few hours before Stewart's noontime talk, a worrisome attack was made on Qvonda Birdsong, principal of Oscar J. Pope Elementary School in the Eaton Park area of Lakeland.
Elester Trudell, 42, was accused of entering the school about 7:30 a.m. and charging and punching Birdsong. He was arrested and charged with battery and related infractions.
Noting that school safety became a major topic following 26 killings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Stewart said, "Safety is as big a concern here as it is anywhere else."
Stewart was asked whether school personnel should be armed. "I would never — I don't like to use the word 'never,' but never might fit here — support" such a proposal, he said. "Too many things can go wrong. You need to have a qualified law-enforcement person."
Given Stewart's clear and calm manner even during difficult times, there will be good reason for educators to become wistful again when Stewart leaves the Polk School District.
[ Glenn Marston is editorial page editor. E-mail: email@example.com. Phone: 863-802-7600. ]


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Like a wind blowing across the country, a particularly nasty flu season is about to hit Solano County and the rest of the Bay Area.
"It's becoming a severe flu season," said Michael Stacey, Solano County deputy health officer and chief medical officer. "It's coming soon, and will probably be here within a few weeks," he said.
Health officials say California is seeing more flu cases, but the increase is not unexpected. So far, there have been no reported widespread vaccine shortages and officials, including Stacey, urge residents to get inoculated.
There have, however, been some instances of temporary shortages at Kaiser Permanente Vallejo Medical Center, a spokeswoman said Friday.
The state typically experiences a surge in flu activity in late December or early January, with illnesses peaking in February or March.
The predominant circulating flu strain -- influenza A H3N2 -- has filled doctors' offices and sent scores of people home in East Coast and Midwestern states.
Flu was widespread in 47 states last week, up from 41 the week before, a representative of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday.
Officials said the main strain of the virus circulating tends to make people sicker than usual while Stacey cited the following symptoms -- high fever, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, cough and congestion.
"It's a miserable illness," he said.
The only states not showing widespread flu cases, so far, are California, Mississippi and Hawaii.
But Stacey and state officials say that's about to change.
"So far, California doesn't seem to be at high (flu) levels. We can anticipate that, based on what's happening in the country, that Solano and the state will be next," he said.
Stacey said there is a "small window of opportunity" before the flu strain hits here to prevent some illnesses through vaccinations. As such, he strongly recommended people get vaccinated against influenza A H3N2 as soon as possible.
Many in Solano County are trying to do just that, but there are signs that the availability of the vaccine may be spotty.
At a counter at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in Vallejo on Friday, a sign was posted that the facility had no more inoculations, but may have more on Monday. The vaccine's mist variety was available for people under 50, the sign said.
A written statement from a Kaiser spokeswoman indicated that in the past week "sudden increased demand has caused some spot shortages of vaccine in our facilities."
The statement indicated Kaiser would dip into its reserves of the vaccine to make supplies plentiful, and is also ordering more supplies.
Kaiser members can call 1-800-KPFLU11 (1-800-573-5811) to get more information about vaccine availability as that information becomes available, the statement read.
At Sutter Solano Medical Center in Vallejo, spokeswoman Nancy Turner said the hospital had not yet seen any flu cases this season. She said the facility has plenty of flu vaccines for its employees, and primary physicians have enough for their clients seeking flu shots.
"We order a good supply to make sure we don't run out," Turner said. "The flu season started out very slow but it's becoming much more prevalent," she added.
Flu vaccinations are recommended for everyone 6 months or older.
Nearly 130 million doses of flu vaccine were distributed this year, and at least 112 million have been used nationwide.
The California Department of Public Health on Friday indicated there have been no reported flu vaccine shortages in California.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Contact staff writer Sarah Rohrs at firstname.lastname@example.com or (707) 553-6832. Follow her on Twitter @SarahVTH.


text: ...discuss. http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...chel-maddow-angry-young-man-article-1.1201800 A Fox news anchor was back on the air Tuesday night following a 2-day suspension for calling MSNBC host Rachel Maddow an "angry young man" on Facebook. Tricia Macke, an anchor for Ohio's Fox 19, took to her personal Facebook page last month to rant against the cable news personality, writing "Rachel Maddow is such an angry young man" on Oct. 12. She was quickly criticized by her Facebook followers, who compared the comment to making racist jokes. "I am sorry," Macke wrote to one such fan. "I should have said antagonistic." Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertai...gry-young-man-article-1.1201800#ixzz2CLtWKy3k


text:
I made a promise to myself that when I decide to visit Palawan, I will bring my family with me. Palawan is special to me and the family, as father dearest was born and raised there. Of course, like a little boy with a brand new toy, father is the most excited and happiest. 🙂
The Coron trip was my 2nd time in Palawan, Puerto Princesa being the first. I knew that Coron has the best pristine beaches in the country, so I'm kind of thinking how would my parents appreciate the trip if they're not the outdoor, beach bumming type of people. But I still brought them there anyway for a well deserved family vacation.
Our first stop is Calauit Safari. The place was far from Busuanga (city), 2-3 hours of bumpy ride at least. I think we spent most of our time inside the van just traveling which is pretty tiring. Upon arrival, we immediately started the tour so as not to waste time. We saw a herd of Calamian Deer freely roaming around. They're cute, I even took a picture of them staring right at me. 🙂 Other animals can also be seen such as zebra, bear cats, porcupines and wild hogs. I'm very much looking forward to see some giraffes but unfortunately, they're hiding somewhere in the forest since it was a hot 2PM then.
Next day, we went on an island hopping tour. We just enjoyed the beautiful scenery while inside the boat (can't force the parents to swim/snorkel) — hahaha!
After the island hopping tour, we went to Banul Beach for lunch. We were given free time in case we wanted to swim or explore around.
Last stop, Kayangan Lake. You have to walk all the way up to get some nice view of the lake. Since this is the last in our itinerary, my parents were already tired so they just waited for us. I don't mind going up since I'm curious as to what is in there. Now I know what's there to see…
It's been six months already since I last went home. I miss the domestic and short out-of-town trips in the PH. Feeling ko gusto ko umuwi, pero kelan?


text:
I'd be on board with OG and RT as our first 2 picks. When we took Brick and Mangold in the 1st this franchise changed for the better and went on a pretty long run.
We are not going anywhere this year. 4-8 wins tops. So we sure up our oline early in this draft. And then fill our other needs with BOP the rest of the way. Next years draft is where we can look for our franchise QB and we can still take one mid round this year.


text:
GHC Foundation Camp Is a Tremendous Success
The 5th annual Foundation Camp for at-risk boys held on the Floyd campus of Georgia Highlands College was a tremendous success, with a record number of 92 campers in attendance. The camp is offered annually through a partnership between GHC and the 100 Black Men of Rome/Northwest Georgia. Boys aged 10 to 14 are eligible for two weeks of academics, athletics and cultural enrichment. Breakfast and lunch are served every day and there is no cost to campers. Transportation is provided within Rome.
The Foundation Camp grew out of the National Youth Sports Program, which Georgia Highlands hosted for more than 30 years. When federal funding for that initiative was cut, GHC faculty members who had been involved in that program and leaders at the 100 Black Men of Rome joined together to keep the camp going. NYSP provided a valuable experience to countless children, attested to by the fact that so many of its alumni returned as counselors or instructors.
Because organizers had to solicit community members and businesses to support the new venture, the post-NYSP Foundation Camp started small. Last year, however, the camp hosted 75 boys, and this year will see at least that many. Campers will experience a wide range of sports - tennis, softball, canoeing and others - as well as classes on nutrition and etiquette.
Interested parents and guardians may contact the following camp organizers to learn more:
David Mathis, lab coordinator in the Physical Education Department at the college, at 706-204-2202 or email@example.com
Dr. Jon Hershey, professor of English, 706-368-7629 or firstname.lastname@example.com
Greg Shropshire, vice president of 100 Black Men of Rome/Northwest Georgia, 706-857-8308.


text:
To keep people at arms length, to put up emotional barriers, to forcibly not make any connections with others or to just let them slip away is taking the easy way out. It's much more difficult emotionally, physically and more time consuming to make the effort to connect with others. That's why I say it's the "easy way out" in life. That said, I love being a loner. I love doing what I want, when I want, for as long as I want. I always say my favorite person to hang out with is myself.
I always used to be loud and tomboyish when I was younger.
Not anymore.
People just see me as cold, awkward and self centered. And so I just gave up.
I mean, I still talk to people in school, I just wouldn't say that they are that special to me. I have a hard time trusting people and I'm scared of letting people too close and then having them reject me.
During school I do hang about with my friends and talk and stuff, but outside of school I rarely ever see them, and I most certainly won't call them up.
I see it as 'if they don't attempt to make contact with me outside of school, then I don't really care.'
To be honest, I pretty much enjoy being a 'loner'.
I've been like that ever since my best friend (of possibly eight years) decided she preferred hanging round with some other girl. From then on I haven't made an effort. Even though it's only been three years, it feels as though I was never friends with her...
But I don't care. I've decided not to let anyone close enough to seriously hurt me.
I prefer to be by myself anyway, I can't tolerate loud people.
I wouldn't say that I hate people, I just don't trust them.
i think anyone who's a loner doesn't choose to be, they probably all fail at attempting to be social.
... i guess i am pretty much a loner.. i dont like to be in crowds even when they are my friends and i dont have many friends (i do have a few close ones) who really know me.. i dont think any of them really do KNOW me... i was always the quiet one back in secondary school where i was insignificant and ignored for almost 5 years as i was the only chinese girl in class.. my fellow classmates only talked to me when they needed me eg. when they wanna borrow my stuff/ copy my homework.. i felt used in a way and i could feel that i was detested by their sarcastic tones as i always did better than them academically.. till now i am still scared to talk to people/ initiate a conversation and when i do they complain i talk too soft.. i guess its just my void.. scared of ignorance and rejection...i knoe i AM PATHETIC..
It's just too boring to be social.....
I'm a loner to the point of being a recluse.
I've always been quiet, and used to be very shy. I can count all the people I've considered friend on one hand. The only people I' really talkative with is my family, but there are times where they need to leave me alone too.
I was the only hispanic in my class when I was a kid, and prefered to play by myself. Of course I was picked on, and was subject to much racism throughout my childhood thereafter. I really just don't fit in anywhere. And then I started home schooling really early, have never really had any social skills, and find socializing generally tiring. And I sound like a robot on the phone.XD If you were to see me in person, I have the same expression as Mana all the time, until you start talking to me anyway, but then I just act the way that seems the least awkward. I think a lot of people find me creepy, but I don't really care. There's some pictures of Mana in my profile, if you want to see.
My motto is: "I have three best friends, Me, Myself, and I. They always have my best interests in mind, and are always willing to listen to me."
Being a loner is the best lifestyle for me. Although I admit I get lonely from time to time.
And you people who keeping saying, "I guess I'm a loner", and "I'm considered a loner", and "I used to be a loner", need to stop posting. You either are, or aren't, got it?
Never stop rocking......
im loner in the morning..because i sleep in the cafeteria in the corner table.. i have to get on the bus freakin early and i have like an hour freetime..so i sleep..
JDrama Fandom Group - New Active Members Wanted!!
i acctually feel lonely sometimes since i dont have a best friend.
but i do have a group of friends that just 'play' all the time.
& all we do is chill and have fun so there is no drama.
the person that i tell all my troubles to is like... in like drama cuz of some girl... -_-;; so i cant bug him about my troubles when hes like in shit.
but i love to be in a crowd and love hogging for the center of attention.
& i usually dont care what others think of me..
but for now im lonely.... i dont have anyone to rant at. D:
샹녀 들아!!
mexicanopunx wrote:
And you people who keeping saying, "I guess I'm a loner", and "I'm considered a loner", and "I used to be a loner", need to stop posting. You either are, or aren't, got it?
hmmm true but stop crying lol
abel89 wrote:
I'm pretty sure there are many people here with a good amount of friends, and that's cool and all
But I want to learn more about my fellow loners here, and since there are 2 anti gender threads, it only makes sense to have an anti people thread as well.
this sounds like a bad anime.
How long have you been a loner?
Did you give up on people?
if so, why?
What do you generally dislike about them
How well does it suit you?
As a child I had very few friends and the few I had were questionable, I grew up looking white in a black neighborhood in the south, I was quite lonely back then and quite sad and at the time was despeerate for friends, to the point that I'd be overjoyed everytime someone offered to hang out with me, even when they were just using me as something to keep them busy before their real friends arrived and I'd be cast to the side, or lead into a group of kids so they could make fun of me, or worse.....
As I got a little older I became disgusted at what I was, a weak minded sycophant basically, so I quickly realized that people in general were fake and untrustworthy, and that I didn't need or want them hanging around me.
Today, I can say that I have never had a real friend, and that I keep myself guarded and on alert for liars and sluts and potential back stabbers, I trust the intention of a person trying to kill me more then that of a person who walks up to me with a smile on their face, at least then I can counteract those intentions with a proper response easily, like I always say.......
"you can't get stabbed in the back if there's no one behind you"
sounds like a bad anime. get out and see the sun or something
some point in life,im a loner too.im always quiet,not interested in making friends or talking to anyone.that happens ever since i was little too and is still happening.only have a few good/best friends but i don't see them much now espically since i started high school.don't know anyone and always feel left out
smiling hurts so dont smile too much D;
whazzupkp wrote:
sounds like a bad anime. get out and see the sun or something
You must have ignored the fact that I'm an albino.
yah sometime i feel like a loner too. i don't know why but i just feel like one though.
life is short so make the best when u still can
ja well, when I was little I had lots of friends, but one by one they just seemed to drift away, different schools, their parents divorced, started being mean to me to make themselves look "cool" in front of others, or moved..... Eventually I was left all alone, since then I guess you could say I developed trust issues... so making friends is hard for me.... I think I've only ever considered 2 or 3 people in my entire life as actual friends, keeping them is hard over long distances........ Its funny really the more I resented and shunned things like "being cool" and "popular" the more people began to associate these things with me, further feeding my trust issues thanks to those idiots and making it even harder to make real friends.
Impossible is just a word to let people feel good about themselves when theyquit


text:
It's Super Bowl time, and what better way to pretend you care who wins than by gambling! In addition to betting on the winner, gamblers often place 'prop bets' on various fun details such as who scores first, the number of fumbles, and who wins the coin toss. Still not enough? Here are ten more side bets you and your friends should make:
Number of times announcers refer to this year's Super Bowl as a rematch of four years ago
Over/Under 12.5
Number of times announcers use the word 'overshadow' when referring to Eli and Peyton Manning
Over/Under 16.5
Likelihood of some dude at your Super Bowl party half-jokingly mentioning his man-crush on Tom Brady
Yes +300
No -100
During 'God Bless America,' Tim Tebow miraculously appears before audiences in a vision … which actually just turns out to be a cutaway shot of him in the stands.
Yes +250
No -150
Odds that Elton John makes a surprise appearance during the halftime show and starts playing 'Rocket Man' in the middle of Madonna's performance. The battle quickly devolves into an all out catfight which eventually gets broken up by Slash, who just happens to be nearby for some reason.
Yes +175
No -125
In addition to reprising his role as 'Ferris Bueller' in Honda's much hyped Super Bowl ad, Matthew Broderick also appears in Suzuki's less publicized 'Deck the Halls' ad.
Yes -100
No +500
Number of Bud Light ads featuring man-children who come up with clever ways to secretly drink crappy beer instead of going shopping with their wives while attempting to popularize a ridiculous new buzz word like 'Freshability' or 'Dudification'
Over/Under – 2.5
Point at which people realize Super Bowl ads aren't actually that good anymore
Before overtly sexual but illogical Go Daddy ad +250
After second Pepsi ad with grossly underutilized celebrity cameo +325
After fan-made Doritos ad with special effects made using free iPhone app +150
During ad referencing much better Super Bowl ad from ten years ago +400
Odds that someone makes a 'Sh*t People Watching the Super Bowl Say' video
Yes +1000
No N/A
Odds that despite all the excitement, you won't even be able to remember the score of the game by Tuesday
Yes +500
No -200
Follow Ken on Twitter @kenfurer.


text:
Overclocking the GF114 should not be a problem, regardless of whether it's reference or specially designed GTX 560 Ti or GTX 560. Most GTX 560 Ti cards will run stable at 920+MHz. We tested the first GTX 560 so far, Gainward's GTX 560 Phantom. Compared to Gainward GTX 560 Ti, the new card turned out to be a better overclocker.
Gainward's cooling provides a nice foundation for a healthy overclock and we got the following results. We managed to push the GTX 560 Ti's GPU from 835MHz to 930MHz, and the card remained quiet throughout. GTX 560 Phantom was quiet as well, despite achieving even better OC results - we pushed the GPU to 945MHz.
Noise is not an issue. In fact, this is one of the quietest cards we've tested. Temperatures are within normal limits as well, as you can see from the pictures below.


text:
|2006-04-24, 05:57
|Link #1
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 28
Flag - war-documentary style series
Please shoot me with a gun of your choice if there has been a thread for this started up.
Anyway, I just wanted to squeal at HOW AWESOME THE TRAILER FOR THIS IS: go here and look for the promo thingy for FLAG. Bandai Channel gives some of the best-buffering promos I've ever experienced, but more importantly than that the quality of this trailer is fantastic! I believe this OVA is about a war photographer and the director intends to portray it as realistically as possible; and by jove I think he has suceeded really well. Great character designs, realistic expressions, smooth movement, nice 3D, realistic camera movement, convincing sequence of shots, and yet it's not bland - there's intense action and very very cool music by the wonderful Yorihiro Ike. The sound director is the same one from Ergo Proxy and Blood (not Blood+), I remember Blood sounding quite realistic given the constraints and time.
I'm normally not much of a war person but I've always always wanted more hard-hitting realistic anime! If this is on the level of Planetes or better I'm going to kiss the heavens. If I could.
Going to b-ch brings to my attention the fact that Wings of Rean ep 2 was finally released just 3 days ago!
|2006-04-24, 09:44
|Link #3
The Commissar Vanishes
Well... I am not too sure about this.
I liked the beginning part, with the war and the girl and the way she looks for a perfect picture, but that last part with mechas.... That felt a bit like a mix of MS IGLOO and Metal Gear Solid cut-scenes.
I wouldn't mind MGS-feel, but an IGLOO-like show is not something I'd be looking forward to.
Wings of Rean ep. 2? WOOHOO! Finally, more Anna Tsuchiya. 8)
|2006-04-24, 09:49
|Link #4
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 28
My guess is that they put more of the 3d in the trailer because the 3d was produced before the detailed animation, hence to throw things in they did whatever was done first. But what 2d animation I saw really was good - I liked the bit when she was spinning that thing around her finger and caught it.
Heck, I think I'd be pleased if it was just Speed Grapher done right!...
Anyway, I will not put all my money on it anyway because I'm not entirely familiar with the staff and I don't know what they'll really do, though since this seems to be a pet project of the overall director (its his original work as well), Ryousuke Takahashi, I think it ought to turn out fine. It's an OVA, he should be given quite a bit of control and he'd probably try to keep it consistent even if the other staff aren't that consistent.
Whatever it is I'm definitely watching it if I can, just tosee if it will really be good. I too hope it won't be very MS Igloo-ish.
|2006-07-03, 05:14
|Link #5
In the Tatami Galaxy ↓
Join Date: Feb 2006
I searched for a thread everywhere in this site, but to no avail. As it seems that no one has posted on this yet, I'd like to ask if anyone among you have seen beyond the trailer of this series? It's also pretty queer that a lot of raw procurers and subbers alike steer clear of this series: it has been two weeks already, after all, and all I could find somewhere was a .wmv trailer.
I personally don't think much of it, but as no one bothered to reply on my blog post on this anime, and because I'd like to know more, I decided to post a thread here in AnimeSuki, where its visibility is greater, and thus I'd probably get the answers that I'm looking for. (See statement above.) It's generally about a mecha anime containing a lot of war photography. Seeing that Zero no Tsukaima and Tsuyokiss ~ CoolxSweet weren't really good per se, and having only Honey and Clover II as my sole interest this season, I'd like to watch at least an episode of this series (and it's already going in its third week with nary an interest within anyone to sub it).
In case you'd like to discuss anything taboo within these forums, I'd like to redirect you to my blog post and my opinion on this series here. Those contain my first impressions after seeing its trailer on YouTube; feel free to comment anything about FLAG that you'd like to comment about.
|2006-07-03, 07:46
|Link #6
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2004
|2006-07-06, 09:43
|Link #8
Waiting for more taiyuki!
Join Date: Jan 2004
So is this something that's going to be ultra-popular in Japan that it can be broadcasted as an exclusive showing or something that couldn't be broadcasted on a more easily accessible channel?
|2006-07-06, 10:48
|Link #9
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 28
No, I think it's more like it's airing on Bandai Channel as a way for people to watch the OVA without the usual procedures of buying the DVD and then watching it for teh first time. A lot of OVAs get aired on TV first nowadays so that people can 'sample' it and then decide to buy the DVD; in this case replace TV with Bandai Channel (an online streaming content provider sort of thing; they have lots of anime episodes there. Recent ones I remember are Noein and Wings of Rean)
It's probably the most illegal thing to rip off because it's not meant to be saved or downloaded at all, entirely. Nothing like the provision for, say, free-to-air TV where one can argue that they recorded from the channel... here there shouldn't be any recording in the first place.
They may not have aired it on a TV channel either because a. they can't afford to, b. Bandai has a special package and wants to tie them to it (in return for paying - well don't forget this is done by SUNRISE which is part of Bandai), or c. There are so many people who will watch it that they'll watch it somehow, so making it Bandai Channel will help them a lot.
I think c. is what they did in the case of Wings of Rean (Yoshiyuki Tomino's OVA)
|2006-07-06, 14:27
|Link #10
Join Date: Dec 2005
Bandi channel is a pay per view channel for broadband access to thinks that can recieve it like PCs and game consoles. link
The first DVD of flag being released in september. The first two episodes have already aired. episode 1 was june 16th and episode 2 was june 30th episodes 3-6 will air one per week starting july 14 then 7 on airtimes have yet to be announced.
I have yet to find anything out there on it except the trailer and don't think we will see anything until the DVD release.
|2006-07-07, 00:57
|Link #12
Junior Member
Join Date: Jul 2006
FLAG Episode 01 screenshots
The Episode 01 release in somewhere already...?
|2006-07-07, 13:02
|Link #13
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 28
Wow, I love the realistic feel of the character designs and the shading. It's awesome just to look at!
The raw must be circulating among Chinese circles - they're usually better at finding these hard-to-crack and terribly illegal sort of things. If I can't find it by other means in 1 week I'll have to figure my way around... or, technically, I should buy the DVDs OTL
|2006-07-20, 16:42
|Link #15
The Commissar Vanishes
Well, episode 1 certainly took my attention.
Here's the plot:
That's the first episode there.
Now, the narrative device used for FLAG is nothing short of brilliant. Imagine this. The whole episode is told through the point of view of a camera or the shots that were taken by a camera. We watch Saeko either through the narrator's camera, or through Saeko's webcam, or through the pictures Saeko has taken. There is a ot of still photography there.
The man who has directed this episode obviously knows and loves his Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras. Think about the first episode of Suzumiya Haruhi and multiply it by ten. Whoever shot FLAG knows every single technical aspect of camera work right there. From the blur of movement to the artifacts to the background noise to the menus to editing work to how lighting affects a camera. Wow, it really is impressive and shows quite a professional approach.
It really is a photographer's dream. Despite the lenghy demonstration video for the mecha, with all the shiny 3DCG used, the best part of FLAG is the use of still shots to convey ideals.
Narrator's initial introduction to war photography, when images of life and happyness (as conveyed through family photos) is intermingled with images of death, grief and destruction, is impressive. When Saeko is looking at the military video of the mecha using it's powerful guns to destroy a vehicle, she immediately flashes back to the photos of grieving people that she has taken.
It really is presented with a very powerful message of photography capturing life and death on a daily basis. Very moving and meaningful.
The story itself is somewhat lacking and most of the episode is highly conceptualized introduction stuff that only starts showing the hints of a plot somewhere closer to the end, as we get introduced to the HAVWC crew. Perhaps we will be following them, as Saeko will be shooting footage for her project.
I don't know if they'll contunue using the camera POV as a complete narrative device even further, but I certainly hope they will, because I thought it was highly effective, imaginative and unexpected method of storytelling.
So, all in all, color me impressed. FLAG is a serious, innovative work that approaches a new subject for anime in a surprisingly fresh and realistic way. I am looking forward to further episodes.
|2006-07-24, 07:47
|Link #17
Resident devil
Join Date: Nov 2004
Location: Philippines
I'm very impressed with the raw I watched. This is really professionally-done anime and I can see that the producers are going with hard-hitting realism more like Planetes than with, ahem, Speedgrapher.
What I noticed also was the western-style animation technique. Not just the character designs (with full lips by the way), but even their movement. It was still effective.
Although the transforming mecha is borderline fantastic, they still made it very tanklike and believable as a not-to-distant-future scenario.
|2006-07-28, 05:00
|Link #18
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: The Fields of High Attus
Age: 28
Just watched this... I've got to go do some stupid survey analysis thing now but to be concise, it was excellent. Very suitable and effective atmospheric music; added greatly to the mood which I liked very much. I love the realism. The animation is, as DaFool mentioned, in a more full Western flavour, but it works very well (without being blatantly obvious) and is quite nice to watch anyway. The impact and power of photography is well brought across here... and it deals with everything in a very intelligent, non-melodramatic way. That's another big plus: no anime melodrama here... The sound design and voice acting were excellent; Saeko's voice is one of the most refreshing yet professional ones I've heard in a long time. She sounds very very convincing, without having to overact one single bit. Interesting to note the sound and music ishandled by the exact same team as Ergo Proxy but is much better here (better production schedule, of course). I love the ending theme too.
All in all, an excellent show, and I'll definitely watch more. Could be better than Planetes by the end of it.
|Thread Tools


text:
Today I am bringing you various reviews and swatches from the YSL Spring 2011 collection, Bohemian Chic:
"After a rock and baroque themed winter, spring is back with a burst of fresh roses to flush the cheeks while enhancing the complexion with a seemingly innocent purity. Sensual full lips in bright pink or coral light up the face. A bold touch of eyeliner completes the look."
– YSL Artist, Lloyd Simmonds
I absolutely look the look from this visual -I LOVE hot pink on the eyes with lashings of black liner. *sigh*.
The model is a lot paler than me so how it translates on to tan skin, I don't know.
One of the main products from this collection is the Ombres 5 Lumières N° 10 in Bohemian Chic:
This palette is certainly bohemian! The texture is interesting too because yes it's soft, but there's a mixture of pigmented (the darker shades) and deliberately sheer (such as the green and white). Also they are infused with a light glitter.
White, light green (for of a glittery top coat), hot pink with glitter, dark blue and chocolate brown – that's weird right? It's a strange one!
Even though it's strange I can see that a few looks can be achieved, ie. focusing on the pink, focusing on the blue, focusing on the brown or being a bit wacky and mixing the pink with blue or pink with brown. I'll have to see as I play with the palette what I can do. I'd love to be able to recreate the hot pink.
Swatches for now:
I'm all for different, unusual palettes so, I like this palette, I think it's interesting but will reserve complete judgement until I have tried to do some looks with it!
Would you go for Boho Chic?