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A Special Report on the Fertility Industry:
What Price Pregnancy?
Since the birth of the first "test tube baby," assisted reproductive technologies have been hailed as medical miracles. Ms. goes behind the hype. >by Ann Pappert
- Both Sides Now:
She married at 18 and instead of finding bliss, she became a shrinking woman. Now, at 54, marriage is on her mind again.
- Marriage Vegas Style
In this desert empire 295 couples marry every day.
-Who Wants to Marry a Feminist?
But the real question is why do feminists want marriage?
-Otherwise Engaged
The issue of same-sex marriage has sparked an impassioned debate. Asked if she would marry if she could, this author takes a long hard look at the institution and herself.
-What, Me Marry?
-What Price Pregnancy?
Ms. goes behind the hype of assisted reproductive technologies.
When it comes to fertility treatments, gender makes all the difference.
- What?
- Women to Watch
- Word: Fuck
- Just the Facts
-The Struggle to Preserve Reproductive Rights
- Laws of Entrapment
- Taxing Menstruation
- High Anxiety
- Austria Ditches Women's Ministry
- Opinion: Partial-Truth Abortion
- $5 and a Dream
- Czech Mate
- Newsmaker: Lisa Oberg
- Women Organizing Worldwide: Reports from Philippines, Mexico, Zimbabwe, and the Internet
No doubt plenty of serial-mystery detectives have been introduced to their readers with a dramatic courtroom scene. But how many were being arraigned on bounced-check charges thanks to their employer's skipping town? There is only one Blanche White, the irreverent, middle-aged, African American domestic worker and occasional cook who, along with being a full-time mother, is also a part-time amateur sleuth--the inimitable creation of writer Barbara Neely. With her debut novel in 1992, Neely joined a growing number of female African American mystery writers who are gaining a wide audience with their compelling whodunits set in black America. But even among her peers, Neely is unique. You might say she has demystified the mystery by delivering a thoroughly engaging protagonist who not only solves the crime, but who also exhibits familiar foibles and strengths, believes in kitchen-table wisdom, and possesses a wicked sense of humor. As Kate Mattes, owner of Kate's Mystery Books in Cambridge, Massachusetts, puts it, "Blanche could be a friend. When I read the books I feel as though she's talking to me."
The keep-it-real ethic of Neely's writing is a natural outgrowth of the author's down-to-earth nature and her fierce commitment to political activism, her profession before she turned to writing full-time. She created Blanche while suffering writer's block with another project, and no one was more surprised than Neely when her first book, Blanche on the Lam (St. Martin's Press, 1992), grew into a top mystery series. "I thought I was writing a novel that happened to have murder in it. Blanche was an amusement," Neely says. "But when the book did so well, I realized the mystery genre was perfect to talk about serious subjects, and it could carry the political fiction I wanted to write. In a way, I feel the genre chose me."
This happy accident of form meeting function has resulted in four books thus far. In Blanche Among the Talented Tenth (St. Martin's Press, 1994), Neely's second stab at the genre, her hero gets a chance to vacation at a hoity-toity, all-black resort in Maine, where, along with trying to find a connection between a suicide and a possible murder, the "eggplant-black" Blanche encounters color and class pigeonholing within the black community. And in Blanche Cleans Up (Viking/Penguin, 1998), the sharp-eyed domestic worker-cum-sleuth inadvertently gets involved in a political scandal, before literally and figuratively cleaning up. As she winds her way in and out of sticky situations, Blanche reveals a healthy dose of attitude. Neely writes in Blanche Cleans Up, "Once in a while she'd been messed with so badly, she'd had to let her finger slip into somebody's drink, put too much salt or hot pepper in the eggs rancheros, or add a couple of tablespoons of cat food to the beef bourguignonne."
Not quite the nuances you might expect from your average gumshoe. Says Neely, "I wanted to provide a perspective rarely seen in fiction, that of a poor, black domestic woman." This she has done to the delight of mystery readers hungry for a hero of substance. Neely's eye for the literary detail that reveals as much about the human condition as it does about murder has led some to compare Blanche to no less than Langston Hughes's classic character, Jesse B. Semple, from his Simple stories. As writer Ntzoke Shange has been quoted as saying, "[Blanche] rivals Simple in her insight, political savvy, and humor on the ways of white folk."
Translated into French, German, and Japanese, the books have brought Neely major critical and academic recognition, along with literary awards such as the Agatha, the Macavity, and the Anthony, three of the four major U.S. mystery prizes for best first novel. Neely's fourth book in the series, Blanche Passes Go, where Blanche, a rape survivor herself, tackles issues of battery and rape, is due to be published in July by Viking/Penguin.
Born 56 years ago in a small town in Pennsylvania, Neely comes from a family of readers and local activists--people who read not just for entertainment, but also to understand how worlds they weren't a part of worked. "I grew up with the idea I ought to be able to do anything I wanted to do." She says, "I was encouraged to write, though it didn't occur to me people made a living at it. But I've always kept a journal and in the sixties, I wrote extremely bad poetry."
The sixties were also when Neely first ventured into activism. While working as a medical typist at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, she got involved with the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. She began giving talks on black history at schools and from there, became an organizer at the Philadelphia Tutorial Project, working with gangs and housing issues in the black community. Thinking she could use a degree in urban planning, Neely headed to the University of Pittsburgh. Her master's thesis focused on women and incarceration, and landed her a job with the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections as designer and director of the first community-based correctional facility for women in Pennsylvania. When her partner took a teaching job in Boston in the mid-1980s, Neely followed.
Throughout her career as an activist, Neely had been honing her writing skills. She'd created stories as gifts for friends and had one published by Essence magazine. With the move to Boston, she began to more fully explore the pull of the pen. "I didn't take myself seriously as a writer until I was in my thirties; then the understanding came to me that a full life would mean doing something I was absolutely in love with doing, whether it paid or not." Now writing full time, Neely is still a committed activist--an identity that's amply evident throughout the books. "I'm not sure my message isn't polemical," Neely admits, "so I rewrite and rewrite so that it's always Blanche, not Barbara, talking. You can't call yourself a mystery writer without understanding how the genre works. On the other hand, for me the question isn't 'Have I got the clues right?' but 'What would Mrs. Buffalo who lived across the street from me do about this?'
"I see Blanche both as an everyday black woman and as an agent for change," Neely continues. "She's a behavioral feminist!" But, when asked if she feels women are such avid readers of mysteries because the genre offers them the "dream of justice," Neely snaps, "Anyone looking for justice in a book needs to sign up with an organization and make it happen in the world! There's very little justice in the Blanche books; they're reality based."
Neely's had a number of movie offers, but fearing her beloved character will be turned into "an Aunt Jemima, or someone lighter, thinner, younger, and cuter," she has turned them all down. She's not interested in writing the screenplay herself, either. "I've already imagined it in the form it's in," she says. "My stuff is always about what's going on in the black community, because that's who Blanche is. It's interesting to me that academic papers have been written on Blanche. But I'd like to hope, too, that women who have domestic help will, after reading a Blanche book, look at the woman vacuuming the floor and see her as a person, rather than as a function, and act accordingly."
Ann Collette is a contributing editor to "Fiction Writer" magazine.
Photography by Asia Kepka


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The Khoja: tales of Nasr-ed-Din
D. Appleton and company, 1924 - Nasreddin Hoca (Legendary character) - 259 pages
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subset: commoncrawl


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American Midstream (Midla), LLC
Sixth Revised Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 05/01/2010, Docket: RP10-483-000, Status: Effective
Original Sheet No. 136 Original Sheet No. 136
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The sanguine temperament is fundamentally impulsive and pleasure-seeking; sanguine people are sociable and charismatic. They tend to enjoy social gatherings, making new friends and tend to be boisterous.
They are usually quite creative and often daydream. However, some alone time is crucial for those of this temperament. Sanguine can also mean sensitive, compassionate and romantic. Sanguine personalities generally struggle with following tasks all the way through, are chronically late, and tend to be forgetful and sometimes a little sarcastic. Often, when they pursue a new hobby, they lose interest as soon as it ceases to be engaging or fun. They are very much people persons. They are talkative and not shy. Sanguines generally have an almost shameless nature, certain that what they are doing is right. They have no lack of confidence.
The choleric temperament is fundamentally ambitious and leader-like. They have a lot of aggression, energy, and/or passion, and try to instill it in others. They can dominate people of other temperaments, especially phlegmatic types. Many great charismatic military and political figures were choleric. They like to be in charge of everything. However, cholerics also tend to be either highly disorganized or highly organized. They do not have in-between setups, only one extreme to another. As well as being leader-like and assertive, cholerics also fall into deep and sudden depression. Essentially, they are very much prone to mood swings.
The melancholic temperament is fundamentally introverted and thoughtful. Melancholic people often were perceived as very (or overly) pondering and considerate, getting rather worried when they could not be on time for events. Melancholics can be highly creative in activities such as poetry and art – and can become preoccupied with the tragedy and cruelty in the world. Often they are perfectionists. They are self-reliant and independent; one negative part of being a melancholic is that they can get so involved in
what they are doing they forget to think of others.
The phlegmatic temperament is fundamentally relaxed and quiet, ranging from warmly attentive to lazily sluggish. Phlegmatics tend to be content with themselves and are kind. They are accepting and affectionate. They may be receptive and shy and often prefer stability to uncertainty and change. They are consistent, relaxed, calm, rational, curious, and observant, qualities that make them good administrators. They can also be passive-aggressive.


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I really like the "stargateish" aspect of facadetraveling and, again, the idea of sundering.Well planning sundered worlds isn't that different from planing others, with the different that these worlds have to contain everything they need in this small area. Which would mean that certain materials are not easy obtainable in certain "worlds" and would cause technological reversion.
A "Waterworld" with only a few landmasses. Huge, magically strengthened ships with "sideships" that span fishingnets for food. The only freshwater sources are a small island and a magical artifact (which has to be stolen to 'reweave' the realms). The Facade goes directly into the ocean, so crossing is only feasible if a ship is near. (So you have to look before you jump).
A mountain region, where only the tops of the mountains were sundered into a different realm (or the other half is some other region without a clear sky and where you can climb into oblivion). People live on cold islands above the nothingness and use dirigibles to cross over. It is said, that the volcano in the mids of the realm has caused the sundering, to destroy the Empire, which had tried to mine gold and other rare metals.
A world where only young people live, everyone over 25 (or younger depending on standard-parenthood age that you want to allow for your campaign). At their 25th birthdays people go through the edge of the realm to a better world (or not actually). The people of this world believed that the old wizards of the empire where responsible for the attack over time knowledge faded and people believed that it was "old people" who caused it and gradually the age limit sank to todays number. Naturally there won't be a warm welcoming for older people.
Before I go on wanted to apologize, if anyone felt affronted by the "age-limit world". I actually didn't think about the moral implications at that time. How to topple that issue?Whether a group wants to get into the moral realms of "mass murder" or not is up to their own bidding. I always thought of sci-fi and fantasy as a possibility to discuss themes that couldn't be discussed in "real life". Maybe it's me but mass murder never bothered that much in these kind of stories. We're talking about a world, where 3.000 years ago a huge part of the world was just shattered apart.
I have three other ideas about a battlefield, hunters and a never ending party but they will have to wait until later.
Any Idea about how the whole "reweaving" will work?
Or you could just let them weave. Literally.
Reweaving Ideas:A Mirror. Always an easy pick. The Mirror shattered with the Empire and the shards are all over the realms. As a plot twist: The Mirror holds a mighty demon (or thousands of demons) and they will be released as soon as the mirror is put together.A Model of the Empire. The strategists room holds a gigantic, but shattered model of the empire. Each Realm Holds a representation of it self. So the battlefieldworld would hold a golden soldier (or horse or whatever). A town could hold a small golden house, a bigger city could hold a miniature representation of its actual appearance. You could also use landmarks, or things the towns where known for.Each object could have unique abilities, if you fear that these are to powerful you could restrict the powers to the realm they belong to or the realms in general. (Magic is awesome... No Explaining necessary...)So the "Neverending Party" world could have a golden horn that creates food and wine.
That's a neat idea. It could be that they have to draw the maps (with draw tests if your system has them) or that these maps make themselves. Like in Video games (Not really into those but I'm sure I've seen that). You go somewhere and the map draws itself of your immediate surroundings. Or you have to go to certain "Map Points" (maybe old cartographer's measurement points, marked with stones or other carvings?).These Points could Mark Borders of the Empire or Provinces within them or "official" townships and cities of the empire. (The Waterworld could have ships and islands that have to be travelled, one ship is the official flagship, a town on an island was officially founded by the empire and one ship has a marker for a new town that never arrived)
Well, so much for later that week. Some problems came up.
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FFMPEG & FFSERVER RTSP Stream over VLAN
Budget $250-750 USD
I would like to stream the desktop and sound of multiple Windows computers connected to a VLAN via RTSP to another computer connected to the same VLAN. The receiving computer will have a multiviewer showing the live feed of each desktop (multiviewer application already exist). We would like to use FFMPEG or FFSERVER. The stream does not have to be high quality but should show a minimum framerate of 25fps and a 16:9 resolution. (stream 280-400 kbps).
We are able to install FFMPEG or FFSERVER but need guidance on the configuration and the command line.
8 Freelancer bieten im Durchschnitt $613 für diesen Job
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Very good experience with ffmpeg and other open source software. Can provide you the command to achieve this. You can pay once you confirm it works.


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Russia 'Clarifies' Anti-Gay Propaganda Law In Letter To IOC
The Russian government penned a letter to the International Olympic Committee today, per the IOC's request that the country "clarify" its anti-gay legislation.
Personally, we're just as confused as ever.
The Russian government assured the IOC on Thursday it will not discriminate against homosexuals during the Sochi Olympics, while defending the law against gay "propaganda" that has provoked an international backlash.
The IOC received a letter from Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak giving reassurances the host country will comply fully with the Olympic Charter's provision against discrimination of any kind.
"The Russian Federation guarantees the fulfillment of its obligations before the International Olympic Committee in its entirety," Kozak said.
However, Kozak did not back down on the issue of the new law, which penalizes anyone who distributes information aimed at persuading minors that "nontraditional" relationships are normal or attractive.
The law applies equally to everyone and "cannot be regarded as discrimination based on sexual orientation," Kozak said.
The letter still leaves open the question of what would happen to Olympic athletes or fans if they make statements or gestures that could be considered propaganda.
In his letter, Kozak said the legislation does not impose any restrictions on sexual orientation, and stressed the Russian constitution prohibits discrimination against anyone based on sex, race or religion.
The law on gay propaganda, he said, centers on the "restriction of information that promotes non-traditional sexual relationships among children."
"These legislations apply equally to all persons, irrespective of their race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation, and cannot be regarded as discrimination based on sexual orientation," he said.
The letter added: "These requirements do not attract any limitations for participants and spectators of the Olympic Winter Games in Sochi on their legal right of residence in the territory of the Russian Federation or participation in any events stipulated in the Games program that are contradictory to the Olympic Charter or universally recognized standards of international law on human rights."
Kozak's letter came after IOC President Jacques Rogge asked the Russians for further clarifications on the law and how it could impact on the Sochi Games.
"We have today received strong written reassurances from the Russian government that everyone will be welcome at the games in Sochi regardless of their sexual orientation," Rogge said in a statement.
The letter was addressed to Jean Claude-Killy, the French IOC member who heads the coordination commission for the Sochi Games.
It's still not clear if an athlete or spectator could be prosecuted for wearing a badge or rainbow pin or waving a small flag in solidarity with gay rights. Political gestures of any kind are also prohibited by the IOC.
Well, IOC Pres. Rogge certainly seems satisfied (though we doubt George Takei will be).
What do you think, Instincters? Feeling any safer? Are things more "clear"??
Bullshit from a man with secret Hitler like plots just to throw everyone off his scent until (maybe) he could amend that constitution or find other loophole around it until only pure blooded Russian heterosexuals without any disability will feel even the slightest bit safe in their own country. You can tell a lot from a man's eyes and every picture shows the eyes of someone who is either a psychopath or sociopath. They exude "evil" intent. Not just him either. I have seen those same evil eyes in at least one politician under him (the one who said the Olympics are not safe from their laws).
We are supposed to believe their letter to the IOC even though the Russian Government does nothing to protect their own LGBT citizens from attacks not only by the general population but also from branches of the Government. What Russia has given to the IOC is about as Trustworthy as a Snake Oil Salesman (Con Artist). It is a smoke screen to Placate the IOC and the Rest of the world. But there are those of us outside of the IOC that can clearly see this as a sham. Russia is only thinking about its financial gain.
MORE CONFUSED NOW THAN EVER. It seems Russia is still side stepping the issue and clarification. But then what can you expect from the current government in that country. Instead of moving the country forward it is taking it backwards. All the people of Russia did is trade one Controlling form of government for another. What amazes me the most is that the World is so shocked by Russia's new legislation and it's timing. Honestly, I can't believe that they didn't see this coming? This was all strategicly planned by the Russian Government after winning the Sochi location for the 2014 Winter Olympics. The new so called "Propagand Law concerning Homosexuals" was approved by Russia close enough to the games that it would make it almost impossible for the IOC to change locations last minute. I would hope the IOC would grow a pair and point blank demand clarification. What is the IOC afraid of when it comes to Russia? What hold does Russia have over the IOC? Is the IOC's lack of action due to the fact that one of the "Presidential hopefuls of the IOC" is from Russia? What? There is a lot of clarification that needs to come from both sides. I have been an avid viewer of the Winter Olympics since I was a child. Every time the Winter Olympics happened I was glued to the TV. This TIME I will not be watching. The world is outraged at the actions taken by the Russian Government against its LGBT citizens and lack of involvement protecting them from the rest of the citizenry. The 2014 Winter Olympics and the IOC have been given a black eye by Russia.
Wake the H*** up IOC!!!!!!!!!!
WHO THE HELL DO THEY THINK THEY'RE KIDDING? - Russia states in NEW letter that the Anti-Gay "law applies equally to everyone". The IOC interprets that as, "We have today received strong written reassurances from the Russian Government that everyone will be welcome at the games in Sochi regardless of their sexual orientation."
IMAGINE - This is like saying we passed a law stating people exhibiting the presence of darker pigmented skin should be fined and imprisoned (including athletes), AND that this does not go against the Olympic Charter, because the law applies equally to everyone, so cannot be regarded as discrimination based on race.


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Unlock your front door, swing it open wide. Look out from the porch, the stoop, or the doorway. Look back and forth down the block or up and down the hall. List the names of all the children whose homes you can see from where you stand.
I'll start.
Next door, to my right, is Lexie's house. My children are Mia, Isabel, Ian, and Theo. Just down the block and across the street are Ari, Adam, Luke, Madison, and Allie. Further along are more; I know many of their names: Aerin, Cara, Ella, Jonah, Hudson, and Anna. Some of them I seldom and only fleetingly see as I drive past. Others are often framed in my front windows as they rake the leaves or ride bikes up and down the sidewalk.
That Daniel Walker, the author of God in a Brothel: An Undercover Journey into Sex Trafficking and Rescue, includes the names of several of the children he has met in his work is one of many reasons his book is an agonizing – but important – read. Walker is a New Zealand police officer who has devoted his life to disrupting human trafficking. Throughout God in a Brothel, he presents the names of some of the children — truly modern-day slaves — he has met in locked cells and brothels all over the world, including in the U.S.
"Her name is Daya," Walker writes. "Her name is Maria. Jeni. Mahal. Emily. Phi. Tan. Sua."
The list goes on.
In Southeast Asia, where Walker meets two girls named Lan and Milan, he observes that by the time children who have been sold into sexual slavery as young girls reach the age of eleven or twelve, all the life has gone from their eyes.
"They appeared to be in a trance or under some dark magician's spell," Walker writes. "They moved with a slow resignation; no amount of smiling, warmth or kindness on my part could draw them out. The systematic and prolonger sexual abuse of children and young people is perhaps the very worst crime against humanity because, as I saw day after day, it strips them of their heart and soul."
God in a Brothel isn't about nameless, faceless children. It's about real children — children with names, personalities, and potential as specific and precious as those belonging to the children you and I know. But, unlike the kids in our lives, these children have been kidnapped or sold into slavery by adults who should be their protectors.
In some cases, traffickers visit poor, rural settings in their own countries and convince parents to allow their daughters to accompany them back to a city where, the parents are told, the girls will be given well-paying and respectable jobs. The girls are then kidnapped, often across national borders, and sold into slavery.
Other parents deliberately choose to sacrifice one or more of their children and sell them into slavery in order to provide for other children at home.
Still others function as their own children's pimps.
Crushing poverty has shaped the perspectives and circumstances of their lives. Addressing the causes of poverty, Walker acknowledges, is a vital piece of ending sexual slavery. Investing in long-term development work is critical, as is the need to end the sex trade and rescue the children and young people who are abused and imprisoned today.
"I imagined that if I were ever a father, I would rather die than sell my own child. Indeed I think I would rather see my own children die of starvation than see them ripped apart by the predatory lust of other men," Walker writes. "But this is just what I think because, thankfully, I have never had to watch a child I know go hungry. I have never had to look my hungry children in the eye and tell them as their father that I could not provide or protect them from wasting hunger pains and preventable disease."
The statistics Walker includes in his book are staggering. He reports that there are more than 2 million children enslaved in the multi-billion dollar global sex trade. These children experience "long-lasting physical and psychological trauma" such as HIV/AIDS, drug addiction, pregnancy, malnutrition, social ostracism, and death.
Walker wants to change the way the people of faith approach human trafficking. It is a problem many of us have been unaware of or have found too upsetting or complicated to address. He implores the church to stop such neglect.
"The worship lyrics of most modern churches are often inserted into a PowerPoint image depicting the beauty of nature," Walker writes. "How would our worship change if we used images of imprisoned slaves instead? What would happen if we stopped asking to see God in heaven and instead asked to see him in the eyes of prostituted children?"
Walker's call that we see God in the faces of prostituted children brings Matthew 25 to my mind. Jesus said, "They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
What if we protected and cherished the dignity of each and every person, regardless of the situation into which they were born?
What if we forced ourselves to see them, meet them, and to learn to say their names?
What are we doing – and not doing – as the light is being robbed from the eyes of so many children today?
To learn more or to support Daniel Walker's work, read God in a Brothel and visit http://www.nvader.org.
Jennifer Grant is a journalist, poet, author and mother of four. Her new memoir, Love You More: The Divine Surprise of Adopting My Daughter is available in bookstores everywhere. Visit Jen online at jennifergrant.com.This post originally appeared via Patheos.
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Full slate awaits Cherington at Winter Meetings
BOSTON -- As they head to Baseball's Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the Red Sox have already added a catcher in A.J. Pierzynski while losing a dynamic leadoff man in Jacoby Ellsbury.
General manager Ben Cherington still has plenty of business that should keep him busy at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.
BOSTON -- As they head to Baseball's Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla., the Red Sox have already added a catcher in A.J. Pierzynski while losing a dynamic leadoff man in Jacoby Ellsbury.
General manager Ben Cherington still has plenty of business that should keep him busy at the Walt Disney World Swan & Dolphin Resort.
After first baseman Mike Napoli reached an agreement to return to Boston on Friday, one key component from the World Series-winning team, shortstop Stephen Drew, is still a free agent. Cherington would like to keep Drew, and he might have more financial flexibility to do so with Ellsbury moving on to the Yankees.
The Red Sox will likely be active in the pursuit of trade and free-agent acquisitions.
"We're trying to make the team as good as we possibly can, as strong as we possibly can, as deep as we possibly can without making moves that handicap us for the long run," said Cherington. "You know, with every decision we make that there's a range of possible outcomes, and we're going to shoot for the high end of that range."
Club needs
Shortstop: Although Drew had an inconsistent season at the plate, the Red Sox are firm believers that his defensive excellence outweighed that. The Sox hope they can persuade Drew into a return engagement, but it's not yet clear what his market is.
Xander Bogaerts, Boston's top prospect who came up big in the postseason, could take over the position if Drew leaves. But the Sox's best team would probably have Drew at short and Bogaerts at third.
Center field: There are certain scenarios in which Cherington would be comfortable going into the 2014 season with prospect Jackie Bradley Jr. as the Sox's center fielder. That would entail surrounding Bradley with as many good bats as the team can afford in case he struggles for a while at the plate. Bradley already plays Major League-caliber defense.
Though Shane Victorino has played center field for most of his career, the Red Sox remain adamant that they want to keep him in right, where he won a Gold Glove Award last season.
Who they can trade if necessary
The one thing the Red Sox have as a trading chip is starting pitchers. It's hard to fathom anyone from the big three of Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz or John Lackey would be moved, but Boston also has Felix Doubront, Ryan Dempster and Jake Peavy, any of whom could interest potential suitors.
It isn't as if the Red Sox are looking to deal a starter. But if it helps them fill another need, they'd certainly consider it.
Bogaerts is at the stage where he's just about ready to start being called a player instead of a prospect. However, Bogaerts can still hold that distinction entering 2014, considering he still has his rookie eligibility. It would take a blockbuster trade of epic proportions for Cherington to even consider moving Bogaerts, and the chances of Bradley getting traded are also slim, given the loss of Ellsbury.
Third baseman Garin Cecchini is developing a reputation as a hitting machine. Lefty Henry Owens could be a star in the making. Righties Matt Barnes and Anthony Ranaudo are other pitchers the Sox remain optimistic about. Catchers Blake Swihart and Christian Vazquez are the reason Cherington went for a short-term solution behind the plate for 2014 in Pierzynski.
Boston's farm system currently has a lot of depth, which means Cherington could utilize it if an impact player became available in a trade.
Rule 5 Draft
With 39 players on the roster and a signing or trade acquisition expected at some point, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Red Sox pass on a Rule 5 pick. As for players they might lose, the Sox didn't protect Kolbrin Vitek, a former first-rounder.
Big contracts they might unload
The Sox aren't looking at any contracts they have to get rid of. But Peavy is making $14.5 million in 2014 and Dempster will earn $13.25 million, meaning Cherington could gain some financial flexibility if either of those righties are dealt to help fill another hole.
Payroll summary
Last season, the Sox had an Opening Day payroll of roughly $154 million. They will probably stay in that general range for 2014. The Red Sox traditionally have one of the top five payrolls in the game.
Ian Browne is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Brownie Points, and follow him on Twitter @IanMBrowne.


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I have a problem with Madsonic , I have a QNAP that I installed tomcat, then install the Madsonic I set it up .
My server has an off time and encedido function to save energy, Madsonic is running, when you restart the server and access to Madsonic , all settings are reset , including the administrator password changed again make the password defect.
Can I get help ?
The program is very good but I found the problem.


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The wholly-owned WPP companies Grey, G2 Worldwide and MediaCom have bought the remaining share in ad agency REP/Grey, digital marketing agency REP/G2 and media-buying firm Massive respectively, for an undisclosed sum.
The companies were part of the Grey Global Group which WPP bought it in 2005.
When asked what proportion of the three businesses WPP had left to buy and what the deal valued the businesses at, a spokesman for WPP declined to comment on the terms of the deal.
In a statement, WPP said the investments "further strengthen WPP's position and commitment to the Colombian communications services industry". Other WPP agencies in the country include JWT, Ogilvy, Y&R and Wunderman.
Last week WPP invested $70m in a 20% stake in Buenos Aires-based technology services provider Globant, which Sir Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP, said would make "digital marketing efforts more effective and simpler to manage".
Other recent investments in the region include WPP network Wunderman buying the Mexico City-based digital marketing agency Crossmedia in December last year.
Follow @MaisieMcCabe


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Apple has called for an overhaul of European patent laws which it says are currently inconsistent, it has emerged.
The Wall Street Journal reports that the company wrote a letter to the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) in November last year in which it calls for clearer regulation of FRAND patent licensing.
FRAND - fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory - licences allow companies to develop open standards for systems such as 3G mobile networks by sharing information and technology. Standards bodies typically require that companies participating in the development of a standard agree to license any relevant patents they hold on FRAND terms if their technology is essential to the standard.
However, Apple said in the letter that it was difficult to tell if terms of FRAND agreements were actually "fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory" because the royalty rates were being negotiated in secret. In the letter the company recommends that ETSI should set clear polices governing how its member companies license their patents.
"It is apparent that our industry suffers from a lack of consistent adherence to FRAND principles in the cellular standards arena," Apple's intellectual property head Bruce Watrous writes in the letter.
Apple is also unhappy that companies are bringing legal actions against other companies using patents covered by FRAND agreements. This allows them to dictate negotiations for royalty rates, Apple argues in the letter.
The EU is already sniffing around Samsung and Motorola for bringing lawsuits against companies for using patents covered by FRAND licences.


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Dell and EMC Receive US Federal Trade Commission Clearance for Proposed Merger
Date : 2/23/2016
- Transaction is on schedule under the original timetable and original terms
- Initial proxy statement filed in December, updated on February 12
- EMC shareholder vote expected this spring
As announced on Oct. 12, 2015, the combination of Dell and EMC will create the world's largest privately-controlled, integrated technology company. The company will be a leader in the extremely attractive high-growth areas of the $2 trillion information technology market with complementary product portfolios, sales teams and R&D investment strategies.
"We are delighted that, with this key regulatory milestone now complete, we have taken another step on our path to becoming a combined company," said Michael Dell, Chairman and CEO of Dell Inc. "Our teams are engaged in integration planning and all transaction-related workstreams are on track."
"We are very pleased to receive FTC clearance as this takes us a step closer to realizing our vision of creating a global privately-controlled technology company. Together, our investments in R&D, focus on innovation and world-class sales and service will enable our customers to accelerate their journey to hybrid cloud and digital transformation," said Joe Tucci, Chairman and CEO of EMC.
About Dell
Dell Inc. listens to customers and delivers worldwide innovative technology, business solutions and services that give them the power to do more. For more information, visit www.dell.com.
About EMC
EMC Corporation is a global leader in enabling businesses and service providers to transform their operations and deliver IT as a service. Fundamental to this transformation is cloud computing. Through innovative products and services, EMC accelerates the journey to cloud computing, helping IT departments to store, manage, protect and analyze their most valuable asset – information – in a more agile, trusted and cost-efficient way. Additional information about EMC can be found at www.EMC.com.
EMC Media Contacts
Dave Farmer | EMC | (508) 293-7206 | firstname.lastname@example.com
EMC Corporation Disclosure Regarding Forward Looking Statements
This communication contains forward-looking information about EMC Corporation and the proposed transaction that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for "forward-looking statements" provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual results could differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements as a result of certain risk factors, including but not limited to: (i) the failure to obtain the approval of EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction; (ii) the failure to consummate or delay in consummating the proposed transaction for other reasons; (iii) the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or that required financing for the proposed transaction may not be available or may be delayed; (iv) the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is delayed, is not obtained, or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; (v) risk as to the trading price of Class V Common Stock to be issued by Denali Holding Inc. in the proposed transaction relative to the trading price of shares of VMware, Inc.'s common stock; (vi) the effect of the proposed transaction on VMware's business and operating results and impact on the trading price of shares of Class V Common Stock of Denali Holding Inc. and shares of VMware common stock; (vii) the diversion of management time on transaction-related issues; (viii) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions; (ix) delays or reductions in information technology spending; (x) the relative and varying rates of product price and component
cost declines and the volume and mixture of product and services revenues; (xi) competitive factors, including but not limited to pricing pressures and new product introductions; (xii) component and product quality and availability; (xiii) fluctuations in VMware's operating results and risks associated with trading of VMware common stock; (xiv) the transition to new products, the uncertainty of customer acceptance of new product offerings and
rapid technological and market change; (xv) the ability to attract and retain highly qualified employees; (xvi) insufficient, excess or obsolete inventory; (xvii) fluctuating currency exchange rates; (xviii) threats and other disruptions to our secure data centers or networks; (xix) our ability to protect our proprietary technology; (xx) war or acts of terrorism; and (xxi) other one-time events and other important factors disclosed previously and from time to time in EMC Corporation's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). Except to the extent otherwise required by federal securities law, EMC Corporation disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements after the date of this communication.
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This communication contains forward-looking statements, which reflect Denali Holding Inc.'s current expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by such forward-looking words as "anticipate," "believe," "could," "estimate," "expect," "intend," "confidence," "may," "plan," "potential," "should," "will" and "would," or similar expressions. Factors or risks that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results we anticipate include, but are not limited to: (i) the failure to consummate or delay in consummating the proposed transaction; (ii) the risk that a condition to closing of the proposed transaction may not be satisfied or that required financing for the proposed transaction may not be available or may be delayed; (iii) the risk that a regulatory approval that may be required for the proposed transaction is delayed, is not obtained, or is obtained subject to conditions that are not anticipated; (iv) risk as to the trading price of Class V Common Stock to be issued by Denali Holding Inc. in the proposed transaction relative to the trading price of shares of VMware, Inc. common stock; (v) the effect of the announcement of the proposed transaction on Denali Holding Inc.'s relationships with its customers, operating results and business generally; and (vi) adverse changes in general economic or market conditions. Denali Holding Inc. undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by law.
Additional Information and Where to Find It
This communication does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any securities or a solicitation of any vote or approval, nor shall there be any sale of securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction. No offering of securities shall be made except by means of a prospectus meeting the requirements of Section 10 of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and otherwise in accordance with applicable law. This communication is being made in respect of the proposed business combination transaction between EMC Corporation and Denali Holding Inc. The proposed transaction will be submitted to the shareholders of EMC Corporation for their consideration. In connection with the issuance of Class V Common Stock of Denali Holding Inc. in the proposed transaction, Denali Holding Inc. has filed with the SEC a Registration Statement on Form S-4 (File No. 333-208524) that includes a preliminary proxy statement/prospectus regarding the proposed transaction, and each of Denali Holding Inc. and EMC Corporation plans to file with the SEC other documents regarding the proposed transaction. After the registration statement has been declared effective by the SEC, a definitive proxy statement/prospectus will be mailed to each EMC Corporation shareholder entitled to vote at the special meeting in connection with the proposed transaction. INVESTORS ARE URGED TO READ THE PROXY STATEMENT/PROSPECTUS AND ANY OTHER DOCUMENTS RELATING TO THE TRANSACTION FILED WITH THE SEC CAREFULLY AND IN THEIR ENTIRETY IF AND WHEN THEY BECOME AVAILABLE BECAUSE THEY WILL CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE PROPOSED TRANSACTION. Investors may obtain copies of the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus and all other documents filed with the SEC regarding the proposed transaction, free of charge, at the SEC's website (http://www.sec.gov). Investors may also obtain these documents, free of charge, from EMC Corporation's website (http://www.EMC.com) under the link "Investor Relations" and then under the tab "Financials" then "SEC Filings", from Denali Holding Inc.'s website (//www.dell.com/futurereadydell), or by directing a request to: EMC Corporation, 176 South Street, Hopkinton, Massachusetts, 01748, Attn: Investor Relations, 866-362-6973.
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EMC Corporation and certain of its respective directors, executive officers and employees may be deemed to be "participants" in the solicitation of proxies from EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction. Denali Holding Inc. and certain of its directors, officers and employees may participate in the solicitation of proxies from EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction without additional compensation. Additional information regarding the persons who may, under the rules of the SEC, be deemed participants in the solicitation of EMC Corporation shareholders in connection with the proposed transaction and a description of their direct and indirect interest, by security holdings or otherwise, is set forth in the preliminary proxy statement/prospectus filed with the SEC in connection with the proposed transaction. You can also find information about EMC Corporation's executive officers and directors in its definitive proxy statement filed with the SEC on March 2, 2015 and in its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 27, 2015. You can also obtain free copies of these documents from EMC Corporation using the contact information above.
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This is a building-wide enrichment program consisting of a series of posters and accompanying questions designed to pique student interest in science concepts and their application to the world in which we live. Accompanying each poster is a series... (View More) of question sheets of increasing difficulty levels that students answer and submit at a designated location (collection box, office, etc.). Random prize drawings can be used to recognize/celebrate student participation. The purpose is to expose students to and create school-wide interest about science so students want to "STOP for Science" as displays are changed throughout the year. Although the focus is building-wide, content can be linked to classrooms through use of accompanying teacher resource guides. The website includes several resources for program facilitators, including posters, answer sheets, podcasts, implementation guide and webinars for facilitators. The program targets grades 3-6 for independent use, but can be used with grades K-2 with adult or upper grade level assistance. Each poster in the series stands alone and is not tied to concepts in other posters. Therefore, posters can be displayed in any sequence desired. (View Less)
Materials Cost: Free per group of students
Maps and images are examined, compared and contrasted in this introductory lesson. Beginning with the school building map typically posted in their classroom, students analyze the information it contains, describe its features, and determine its... (View More) purpose. Students then examine maps at different scales to compare and contrast the amount of detail and the purposes. Maps are then compared to NASA satellite images. The use of satellite images to measure and map land usage is explored through images of Las Vegas taken in 1972 and 1992 (note: see Related & Supplemental Resources for link to more current images). The URL opens to the investigation Directory, with links to teacher and student materials, lesson extensions, resources, teaching tips, and assessment strategies. Note that this is investigation two of four found in the Grades K-4 Module 1 of Mission Geography. The Mission Geography curriculum integrates data and images from NASA missions with the National Geography Standards. Each of the four investigations in Module 1, while related, can be done independently. (View Less)
Materials Cost: 1 cent - $1 per student


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Federal funds rate
From Conservapedia
(Redirected from Federal Funds Rate)
The Federal funds rate is the rate set by the Federal Reserve Board that has a strong correlation (direct most of the time) with the prime rate. It is a lending rate for banks of balances at the Federal Generally lent to other banks. The difference between the federal funds rate and the prime rate is 3 percentage points.
It is the way the Federal Reserve sets monetary policy and attempts to keep inflation down while also attempting to avoid recessions.


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This is the most amazing project I have seen lately. Nurai Island is a private community of limited edition resort beach front estates and water villas on a natural island off the coast of Abu Dhabi.
One boutique luxury lodge resort equipped with 60 suites, 31 beachfront manor and 36 water villas. The colossal project is an association between New york based Studio Dror Benshetrit and the Paris-based firm AW2. The cost of this island $6 billion.
The seashore estates would comprise of six bedrooms, seven bath, private beach and rooftop garden. here will be no cars on the island, so you can either walk or take one of the golf carts. The island itself is only 1.5km long and 400 metres wide.
Nurai resort residents will have access to all of the services and comforts provided by the boutique resort. In addition to the amenities of the contemporary hotel, which include three restaurants and multiple lounges, Nurai also offers a private helipad and marina with arrivals lounge, a fully equipped spa and fitness centre, private beaches and water sports facilities.
It is expected to open in 2010, and the price for this piece of paradise start at $19 million.


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Bernard B. needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 59 designs submitted by 22 freelance designers.
OPES - Wealth Trust
OPES - Wealth Trust - A brand new company requiring a new Logo. It's clients' are all High Earning Individuals who receive Financial & Investment Advice. Therefore their Logo has to portray a look of "Class" "Distinction" "Trust" and "Good standing". - If this is possible???
A concept of a "Clam shell" with a Pearl inside has already been decided but the challenge is on for the winner to come up with a clever design.
Remember: OPES is selling "Pearls of Wisdom" to it's clients.
High Earning individuals. This Company is selling "Pearls of Wisdom" to it's clients.
Logo to be a "Clam shell" with a Green Pearl inside it.
Logo restricted to 2 colours - Purple & Green.
Envisaged is a Line Art style of logo-piece.
with the OPES Wealth Management in a traditional font.
Text to be separate from the Graphic.
Apart from on Corporate stationery, the logo will need to be reproduced on Umbrellas, T-shirts etc...
Lateral thinking is needed on this project.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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City of Lincoln
Mayor's Office
Mayor's Office
"We recognize the budget challenges faced by the State and want to be part of a solution, but the City of Lincoln has already cut nearly 120 jobs and millions in spending the last four years. The $1.8 million in State aid the City of Lincoln stands to lose will place immediate pressure on property taxes or lead to cuts in core services such as police and fire protection. We hope to discuss alternatives that meet the State's budget needs without further burdening local property taxpayers."


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Twisted Andes Adventure 2013 - Day 5Posted in Events on September 30, 2013
Our day 5 journey on the Twisted Andes Adventure continues in Chile as a road day from the north to the southern regions. After a killer rock trail at night and an awesome camp and BBQ at midnight, we woke to repairs being made. Sebastian's jeep received custom doors and hardware for the trip as the good weather would turn to cold and rain, much like driving from Alabama to Michigan. In the Southern Hemisphere the seasons as well as the toilets are backwards, and it gets colder as you head South.
Every fuel stop on our 450 mile trek revealed more and more damage and parts in need of repair. Road days can be the worst for 4x4s as the weak links become apparent. We found spun bearing caps, leaky covers, broken stealing studs, and even some Mustangs at our fuel and rest stops. Even double-swapping rigs on the support trailers was needed to get us all the way to camp.
At Fagundo's farm, where we camped, the shop was filled with half of the rigs for a long night of repairs, and a bit of lamb as well! The next day was a road/trail day so all of the rigs needed to be in tip top shape for the long trek ahead.


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Creative design talks directly to people's heart. Creative designers must be equipped with software tools that enable them to easily craft and adjust the product's emotional content through their designs,while collaborating with engineering to ensure proper coverage of product functional scope.
Successful products in the market are usually those with designs that elicit positive emotional response from their consumers. CATIA is at the service of creative designers and their creativity. Whether starting ideation in 3D from scratch or from 2D sketches, industrial designers can manipulate shapes with unrivaled freedom and take advantage of a true creativity accelerator to explore more ideas in the early conceptual phase. CATIA fully addresses the Automotive Class-A process with a solution for surface refinement that integrates industry leading ICEM surfacing technologies. By combining the V6 technology strengths, which include knowledge capture-and-reuse paradigm, it delivers a powerful and intuitive suite of tools for modeling, analyzing and visualizing aesthetic and ergonomic shapes for the highest Class-A surface quality.
CATIA 3D Reuse
Helps companies prepare their design for downstream applications
CATIA 3D Reuse enables reconciliation and fixing tools to heal parts to be used in downstream applications such as manufacturing, analysis, or tooling design. It also helps users to check the validity of imported data pertaining to CATIA modeling criteria, then to correct or improve the topology and the geometry of the analyzed objects.
CATIA 3D Reuse recognizes part design features from an Isolated B-Rep. It is used to retrieve a comprehensive CATIA data structure (product structure) from an Isolated B-Rep part. When the user imports a part, he can recover elementary part design features.
CATIA 3D Reuse helps companies to manage and protect their intellectual property (IP) by providing filtering mechanisms integrated into their exchange processes. The OEM, supply chain, and risk sharing partners are provided with only the data they need to share to complete their product definition operations. As a result, company knowledge is preserved without impairing data exchange requirements.
- Take manufacturing constraints into account with a wide range of discipline-oriented features
- Enable order-independent feature creation resulting in history-free part construction
- Implement hybrid design featuring fully associative shape design within the context of parts
- Check accuracy and improve quality of imported shapes
- Generate and optimize STL meshes for rapid prototyping
Checks validity of imported data in regards to CATIA modeling criteriaYou can check the validity of imported geometry with regard to CATIA modeling criteria and improve the topology and geometry of analyzed objects. Perfectly suited for designers who have to deal with complex parts from various CAD applications and formats, it allows you to make your Parts "CATIA compliant" so you can reuse components in any other application.
Checks the intrinsic validity of each surfaceCATIA Healing Assistant checks the intrinsic validity of each surface, detecting self–intersections in boundaries, wrong topologies, thin surfaces, etc. The surfaces to be repaired are moved to specific bodies for easier handling.
Provides an automated tool to carry out global and local join operationsCATIA Healing Assistant provides an automated tool to carry out join operations. The Global Join feature can assemble curves or surfaces according to a specified topological tolerance (merging distance). The Local Join feature is available to join only selected edges of a surface, for example to close a gap, according to a local tolerance which can be user-defined or computed automatically.
Analyzes surface boundaries and provides tools to clean themCATIA Healing Assistant analyzes surface boundaries and provides tools to clean them. Then users can automatically fill all gaps up to a given value in mm, smooth all tangency discontinuities up to a given value in degrees and even erase all curvature discontinuities between edges of the boundary. It is also possible to automatically remove very small edges (very short curves) and to concatenate boundary curves to reduce the number of edges. The same operations can be performed on any type of curve other than surface boundaries. The modifications are controlled by a maximum deformation parameter.
Reduces gaps, imposes faces, and freezes faces and edgesYou can modify the geometry of the faces of a multi-face surface in order to reduce gaps. The gap width is made smaller than a specified objective distance. You can also impose faces not to be modified if necessary (planar elements are frozen by default). And you can freeze the faces and edges that need to be preserved.
Compares two models as 3D shape representations thanks to the Geometric ComparatorYou can compare 2 models as 3D shape representations to find differences according to a distance criteria. This function can be helpful to compare 2 versions of the same model to propagate or to check modifications. The Compare function supplies you with persistent information and the comparison results are stored in the model and can be reused afterwards.
Includes a geometric comparator to compare two versions of a modelYou can compare 2 models as 3D shape representations to find differences according to a distance criteria. This function can be helpful to compare 2 versions of the same model to propagate or to check modifications. The Compare function supplies you with persistent information and the comparison results are stored in the model and can be reused afterwards.
Offers automated and manual part design feature recreationThis function is intended to recognize a Part Design feature from an Isolated B-Rep. This product is used to retrieve a comprehensive CATIA data structure (Product Structure) from an Isolated B-Rep Part. The user imports a part and can recover elementary Part Design features. It allows better downstream application integration to improve Part simplification for tool definition and flexible local design.
Makes secure exchanges with supply chain and OEM thanks to IP filtering mechanismThis capability helps companies manage and protect their intellectual property by selectively removing sensitive information prior to data exchange. It provides a filtering mechanism integrated into company exchange processes where the OEM, supply chain, and risk sharing partners are provided with only data they need to share and complete their product definition operations. This way, company knowledge is safely guarded without impairing data exchange requirements.


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Ok, I had heard some of the Oriental Orthodox baptize Byzantine Orthodox, but wasn't sure. So I suppose that OO's are the traditionalists of Orthodoxy. That is interesting. It would be interesting to know why Coptic Orthodox baptize Byzantines or Latins. Do they have the same concept of Grace as Byzantine Orthodox? If not what is it?
It seems with the Copts thought that the concern is not grace per se but the fact that Latins do not have immersion baptism (for the most part).
I'm not sure how you came to that conclusion. I've always understood the primary concern to be that we simply do not accept the legitimacy of RC priesthood.
I can only see such a group arise out of the armenians since they celebrate Easter with the west and not with their fellow OO's.
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MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- It's official. Gov. Robert Bentley is running for re-election in 2014.
"I remain humbled and honored to serve the people of this great state as governor. After prayerful consideration, Dianne and I have decided to seek the Republican nomination for a second term," Bentley announced in a statement from his campaign.
"Our state has been through a great deal of hardship over the last two years, but we have also enjoyed a great deal of success,"he said.
"I am proud of the progress we have made, especially when it comes to economic prosperity. I look forward to continuing that progress in a second term."
Bentley, 70, first confirmed his decision, which was not widely noticed, at the state convention of college Republicans over the weekend.
Slideshow: Key moments from Bentley's first two years
The announcement was not a surprise since Bentley has been strongly suggesting for some time that he will seek a second term.
"I'm not truly undecided. I'm just not going to tell you yet," Bentley said when asked in February about his re-election plans.
Bentley, a state legislator from Tuscaloosa, was initially a long shot in the 2010 GOP primary for governor. His campaign was boosted after the Alabama Education Association weighed in to try and defeat Bradley Byrne in the Republican primary.Bentley, a retired dermatologist, vowed to be a doctor to an economically ailing state. He promised not to take a salary until the state returned to "full employment" a number he pegged at 5.2 percent unemployment.
Republicans praised Bentley.
"I think he has done an excellent job. I think he has been effective. I think he deserves to be re-elected and I intend to support him," Speaker of the House Mike Hubbard, R-Auburn, said.
House Minority Leader Craig Ford, D-Gadsden, criticized Bentley's leadership saying the state's unemployment is still around 7.2 percent.
Ford also criticized Bentley's decision not to expand Alabama's Medicaid program under the Affordable Care Act and to sign a bill that will give tax credits to families at "failing" public schools to help pay tuition at a private school.
"I don't know how he can justify those decisions and hope to win re-election," Ford said.
The Republican primary will be held June 4, 2014.


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A Paramount title licensed to Olive Films, Knock on Wood is presented in a mostly impressive 16:9 enhanced widescreen presentation. There are no extras.
Jerry Morgan (Kaye) is a ventriloquist engaged to Audrey Greene (Virginia Huston) but while on stage Jerry's dummy Clarence - who resembles Kaye but, oddly, also comedian Harry Ritz - lets loose a string of hurtful, passive-aggressive insults, leaving the audience nonplussed. In the tradition of Dead of Night, Clarence seems to be taking control of Jerry's personality, and Jerry smashes the dummy's face in response. Marty (David Burns), his friend and manager, compels Jerry to visit Dr. Krueger, an eminent psychiatrist.
Meanwhile, two sets of villains are after the blueprints to Lafayette X.V. 27, a top-secret whatsit. Godfrey Langstrom (Torin Thatcher) is a respected British philanthropist but actually secretly selling intelligence to the highest bidder. Brodnik (Otto Waldis), is a Soviet spy in all but name and also after the plans. He gets a hold of them first, hiding them in the woodenheads of Jerry's two newly repaired dummies, Clarence and Terrance.
In a plane bound for London, there's a funny scene with Langston, believing Jerry is a courier working for the Commies, subtly offering him a million dollars for the blueprints, though Jerry thinks Langston is talking about something else. Aboard the same plane, Jerry has an unusually good meet-cute scene with Ilse Nordstrom (Mai Zetterling), who turns up later as the psychiatrist Dr. Krueger assigns to the case.
She tries to cure Jerry but he's too busy falling in love with her to care. Meanwhile, the spies converge on Jerry at his hotel.
At 103 minutes, Knock on Wood is overlong and rarely laugh-out-loud funny but consistently enjoyable. The picture is a bit disjointed: Jerry's psychological problems, stemming from vaguely abusive, alcoholic parents (Kaye also plays his own father in one scene) and his weird relationship with Audrey and Clarence are played straight for the most part, and at times is almost squirmily uncomfortable. (Reader Sergei Hasenecz helpfully points out that Kaye's character quirks are given a psychological explanation in several films.) Jerry deflects any critical analysis by shifting the focus to Ilse, and her feelings of guilt for having survived her soldier husband during the war. None of this leads anywhere, particularly, and except for a brief gag near the end Panama and Frank underutilize Jerry's skills as a ventriloquist.
But there are many funny scenes, Kaye delivering some especially well-timed physical gags with Zetterling aboard the plane in that meet-cute scene; in the final reels, when Jerry attempts to demonstrate a high-tech sports car that goes berserk; and at the end, when Kaye becomes the reluctant principal in a ballet wittily choreographed by Kidd. He also gets to sing several wordplay songs written by wife Sylvia Fine, including the amusing "Monahan O'Han," which Kaye performs with a thick Irish brogue.
The cast is also especially good and somewhat unusual. The beautiful, Swedish-born Zetterling was one of the first international stars to emerge from Ingmar Bergman's troupe of actors, and her subsequent success in British films led to a brief Hollywood career before her liberal politics sent her packing back to England. (Among the many fine films she made during this period is Seven Waves Away, known as Abandon Ship! in the U.S., a better, grimmer variation of Lifeboat.) Zetterling turned to directing in the 1960s, influenced by Bergman and often featuring actors associated with his films (Bibi Andersson, etc.), but which were also so sexually explicit and taboo several were banned outright from competition at the Venice and Cannes film festivals. She started acting again and is probably best known to younger generations as the kindly grandmother in Nicholas Roeg's delightful film of Roald Dahl's The Witches (1990). She died four years later.
Also exceptional is David Burns, who gives a funny, nuanced performance as Marty, Jerry's manager. A legend on Broadway, Burns won Tony Awards appearing in the original productions of The Music Man and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, and also introduced the song "It Takes a Woman" from Hello, Dolly! - but he made few films. (He plays Tim the barkeep in It's Always Fair Weather, which co-starred Michael Kidd, for instance. One of his best recorded performances was as Ralph Kramden's rich Uncle Howard in an episode of "The Color Honeymooners," from 1969.)
Torin Thatcher (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad) makes a good foil for Kaye, somewhat anticipating Basil Rathbone's function in The Court Jester a few years later.
Filmed in Technicolor, Knock on Wood is fairly lavish, probably costing in the $3-4 million range, but it's also quite obvious Kaye is doubled for all of the second-unit location footage in London, though Mai Zetterling is visible in these scenes.
Video & Audio
Knock on Wood is presented in 16:9 enhanced widescreen. The titles are slightly windowboxed, to about 1.66:1, though the rest of the film is 1.85:1. In any case the image looks properly framed throughout and is generally fine, despite some color flashing and other minor damage. The mono audio soundtrack (English only, no subtitle options) is in a similar state, the sound a bit wobbly here and there but generally okay. There are no Extra Features.
Parting Thoughts
A pleasant star vehicle, Knock on Wood is a funny family film that holds up well today. Recommended.
Stuart Galbraith IV's audio commentary, for AnimEigo's Tora-san DVD boxed set, is on sale now.


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Next Episode of Big Cat Diary is
not planed. TV Show was canceled.
Big Cat Diary, also known as Big Cat Week or Big Cat Live according to the format of the show, was a long-running nature documentary series on BBC television which follows the lives of African big cats in Kenya's Maasai Mara. The first series, broadcast on BBC One in 1996, was developed and jointly produced by Keith Scholey, who would go on to become Head of the BBC's Natural History Unit. Eight further series have followed, most recently Big Cat Live, a live broadcast from the Mara in 2008. The original presenters, Jonathan Scott and Simon King, were joined by Saba Douglas-Hamilton from 2002 onwards. Kate Silverton and Jackson Looseyia were added to the presenting team for Big Cat Live.
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"Life in the Mid-Atlantic", a book by the late Peter Boyle, a cephalopod specialist and professor of marine biology at the University of Aberdeen, is now available for purchase through Amazon.co.uk [1]. This well illustrated text, published by Bergen Museum Press, provides background information, accounts of goals, plans, and technologies, and a final summary of results to date of the Census of Marine Life project MAR-ECO (2001-2010). By adopting novel technology and the best research vessels the international team significantly enhanced the knowledge of biodiversity of the mid-ocean ridge system. Illustrations in the book include photographs produced by project partners, not least the renowned wildlife photographer David Shale, as well as historical illustrations of deepwater organisms by Thorolv Rasmussen from Bergen, Norway, and artwork by the contemporary Norwegian painter Ørnulf Opdahl.
[1] http://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Mid-Atlantic-Peter-Boyle/dp/B002T6C20Y/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1257754578&sr=8-1-spell


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Trials Evolution, FEZ, The Witcher 2 Enhanced Edition, Diablo III Beta, An Interview With Kim Swift, Levelling Up in Games, Your Emails and more!
This week Jeff Cannata joins the crew to talk about levelling and RPG systems invading games. The free to play angle, Diablo III and much more. We also have an interview with Portal creator Kim Swift about Quantum Conundrum!
To contact us, email [email protected]! Send us your thoughts on the show, pressing issues you want to talk about or whatever else is on your mind. You can even send a 30 second audio question or comment (MP3 format please) if you're so inclined.
Tech Thing Daily
Game Thing Daily
Good Old Games
Totally Rad Show
Quantum Conundrum
Trials Evolution
The Witcher 2 Catch-All
Diablo III
Ora et Labora
Discworld: Ankh Morpork
Intro/Outtro Music - Ian Dorsch, Willowtree Audioworks
New Tristam Theme - Diablo 3 - http://www.diablo3.com - 37:39
Vergen by Night - The Witcher 2 - http://en.thewitcher.com/ - 52:14
Yay, more Jeff Cannata!
Yay, more Jeff Cannata!
Throwing my native skills into the round...
"Ora et labora" is in fact not German, but Latin and refers to the old saying "pray and work".
Of course, it is still the title of the German version which makes all statements on the podcasts still hold true
But enough wise-cracking, now I am back to Nightfall and the Kerbal Space Program.
Thanks GWJ for being a horrible influence by diminishing my personal workforce.
EVE can actually teach you more than just that everyone is out to get you. There are real lessons about leadership, propaganda and morale in there, because even though it's just a game the social structures in groups consisting of thousands of people are very much real. There's actually a lot of lessons you can take from the game and apply to the real world. I even know of one person in the US Navy who actually used a recording of an EVE fleet commander as an example of how to command troops to people he was instructing. It's interesting, because the game lets you interact with other people in ways that you normally don't.
This is relevant to Certis' man-crush interest in Adam Sessler, which was revealed in this week's podcast.
Sean, I had that exact same experience and revelation with the Diablo 3 rune system when I was playing the beta this weekend. I got the shock pulse skill for my wizard, tried it out, found it completely underwhelming and immediately went back to magic missle.
I read the description for my newly unlocked shock pulse rune at level 9 and figured it was at least worth trying. That lone rune changed shock pulse from a pea shooter into an AoE wrecking machine. Useless to incredible just like that.
I'm so excited for this game.
This is relevant to Certis' man-crush interest in Adam Sessler, which was revealed in this week's podcast.
Let me guess, he's heading to Polygon/Vox Games?
I read the description for my newly unlocked shock pulse rune at level 9 and figured it was at least worth trying. That lone rune changed shock pulse from a pea shooter into an AoE wrecking machine. Useless to incredible just like that.
Conversely, I got the rune that makes the Monk teleport when I use the skill and I turned it off because it was way too disorienting for me to play with. However, the one that added a vortex of flames to my roundhouse kick was awesome.
Blizzard: Feel free to fill my glass of Kool-Aid, I do believe I'm ready for another round.
It's 8!
*Discworld fanatic out*
It's 8!
*Discworld fanatic out*
Right, as in, Octarine, right?
Did I get it wrong? (bows head in shame)
My man crush is Geoff Keighley, thank you. Sessler was Cannata.
Whoops. Guess I should've relistened before posting that. I was going only on memory from listening to the podcast about 5 hours prior.
Slacker1913 wrote:
It's 8!
*Discworld fanatic out*
Right, as in, Octarine, right?
Did I get it wrong? (bows head in shame)
Nope, you got it right.
Worth pointing out that there are potions in D3, but they seem more like an "in case of emergency break glass" sort of thing. We got into a couple of tight spots with the Skeleton King fight where I was running around looking for the health globes to heal my Monk who got a little overwhelmed. The frentic "oh god I'm going to die" tension while running around looking for health because my potion button was on cooldown was quite fun.
!pr0n. Haven't heard that in a while. Funny it outlived the UT2003 mod that was created by the same team
Normally I'm not the sort to listen to podcasts. However, I've discovered that the Conference Call is a great way to pass the time joyfully during my morning and evening commute. I've tried a few Podcasts, and I have never really enjoyed most of them, but the Conference Call is delightful. Like Cory brought up at the PAX panel, I'm surrounded by folks that don't really play games at my job and few of my friends are as invested in the medium as I am. So just being able to listen to the Podcast is...it's just another great thing to love about this website.
As for the latest Conference Call, I still got 30 minutes left of this one. However, I wanted to mention the whole "jumping" thing. It's still around in a surprising number of games, but it feels as if it is utilized less and less.
I'd hate to open up this argument as, unlike Ser Merdoch, I do not find the keyboard and mouse to be as God intended it to be. I love the controller so much. However, in terms of first-person shooters and traditional control schemes, it's often a lot easier to jump with a keyboard and mouse. Your fingers occupy WASD, but your thumb is still free for the space bar. On the controller, jump is often mapped to the A button. This means you have to remove your thumb from the aiming-stick in order to jump.
While I managed through Half-Life 2, a first-person shooter with TONS of jumping in it, just fine on the Xbox and then the Xbox 360, it does inhibit my ability to aim. Perhaps with the increased focus on console development, that has been a conscious change. Include the jump button for the sake of it always being there, but have no implementation within the game or levels itself.
Or it could just be no one is thinking about it since we're more focused on cover-based shooting than twitch-based.
There was one shooter, however, where the left-trigger was jump. Good design choice, I think, but it only works for certain types of shooters on console.
[/i]I think that is the wrong link for Asteriods?
[/i]I think that is the wrong link for Asteriods?
He must have been referring to Asteroyds (can't link to that as a mere coffee grinder)
After putting more time into Trials, I think Jeff is right, and the leaning mechanic is binary. I think there are three lean setting, normal, forwardd, and backwards.
I will say that some of what makes Trials awesome is lost as you make your way further into the game. My wife is loving it to death, but she is just likes the gameplay and is not worried about medals. She was pretty upset that she had to go back and replay tracks until she got a silver or gold in order to gain enough to move on. I like the SSX model in which they just let you move on and enjoy the whole game.
Currently I'm going back and trying to work my way up to 75 medals to open the next section. I don't mind, as it is fun try to beat folks on my friends list, and I've found some of them easier now that I've spent more time honing different skills.
But right now, Gigatrack go go eff itself. That was an insane track that just went on for way too long. It also eliminated all of those close checkpoints, which introduced those annoying parts of games where you repet the same sections over and over.
Skimmed. Still listening.
Is the fireflower leveling?
I keep bringing this up, but hey, Guild Wars. Especially in Factions, reaching the max level was really just like finishing the tutorial. Everything beyond that was progressing through the story, finding new skills and learning how to use them effectively.
And yes, I'm one of the "insane" people. Not that I'm obsessed with numbers, but I like games in which I can try something totally new, like the Kingslayer Sorceress, and be succesful with it. Recent MMOs are limiting this option more and more.
Downloading GW2 beta client... Cy'all tomorow
Holy cow.. I was laughing so hard at the Diablo 3 description: "And then the hand of God comes down and smites your enemy and you go "YEAH!! I want to do that a million more times!!" and the game says "I got you covered, buddy"".
What a great description.
Great podcast and thanks for taking the existentialism question seriously. I've researched and written quite a bit on games and learning, especially moral learning, so it was great to hear such high-level yet non-dbaggy conversation on a very meaningful topic.
We have a tendency in liberal society (which is to say, informed by the Enlightenment) to privilege moral reasoning over other forms of moral learning. Specifically, when we think about profound experiences we tend to weight more heavily the experiences that lead us to reflect on our lives and make a conscious changes, which is how I think you interpreted the question.
But there is another way to think about how games change our lives, and that's through affecting us directly through, e.g. emotions. You touched briefly on Journey, which I didn't play, but I felt like I did after listening to the totally amazing spoiler section several weeks back. That's an example of a game which, if it was the kind of thing you'd play every day a little bit (it's not, from what I understand), could create a change in your outlook on life in the long run. There's a different educational tradition that focuses not on reflection but on practice -- the idea being that changing how we behave then shapes how we think, not vice versa. In the U.S. this has generally been thought of as "character education" and associated with the Boy Scouts, etc. But it's also implied in yoga and other practices.
Anyway, affecting how we feel as a way to change our lives is a touchy subject, especially when it comes to video games. It's the root of the argument for why violent video games are bad. I think those arguments are rooted in ignorance -- in fact, the actual practice embodied in most FPSs tends to be tactics and teamwork -- but the danger is there.
Finally, if folks are really interested in this conversation it's the entire basis of the Games for Change organization, which is having its annual Festival in New York June 18-20. If parent scheduling permits I'll be on one of the panels on June 20 talking about games in schools, but as you can tell from this disquisition, games and moral learning is my passion.
(BTW, to tie back to another theme in the show, my interest in this topic spawned out of watching a college roommate play the original Diablo and seeing how random passers-by would drop him free loot to help him out. This led me to start wondering about why altruism might exist in video game worlds.)
Oh, and Rabbit, if your son likes geography games maybe he should check out my organization's civics games at www.iCivics.org. I'd love to know what he thinks, and we're also always looking for playtesters for our future titles. (We're developing one now about jury duty, and are spooling up one about federalism (!) and about the Civil Rights Movement).
Re: games as movies... I'm pretty sure a couple years back (I cannot find a link to source it though) Square-Enix was floating around the idea of releasing non-interactive versions of their games (or at least key scenes) so more people could enjoy their stories without needing to slog through the game.
The discussion on pricing was interesting. Its' really sad to see something like Bulletstorm not getting a sequel because the sales of the first one weren't good enough at $60. That's a perfect example of a game that should've sold closer to $30-40.
Older examples exist in the market too: Katamari Damacy was originally released as a budget title at $20 which was frankly unheard of for a company like Namco at the time. Nintendo had similar succeess with Brain Age at $20 a couple years later.
I think one of the biggest barriers to expanding the gaming audience is the sheer price of video games. It is an incredibly expensive hobby. Every 5-7 years you need to shell out $200+ dollars for the new hardware. Then $50-60 for every AAA title that comes out (not to mention recent "innovations" like paid online access and DLC). That's insanity. Look how long it takes other mediums to roll over to new hardware. How long did it take CDs to fully supplant casette? DVD took at least a decade to replace VHS. There is an incredibly fast churn rate on gaming hardware compared to every other medium out there.
It's no wonder that social, mobile, indie and free-to-play games are absolutely creaming the traditional AAA mode right nowl. All of these have without a doubt smashed through the barrier to entry. Social games are free and run in your browser. Mobile games just work with your device. Indie games are cheap and therefore less a risk at $5-15 than a $60 title. Free to play is even less risky.
I'm not totally sure where this train of thought is going so I'll just stop here, but hopefully as the average price trends downward, that maybe the gaming audience will expand. It'd be great if one of these days publishers were crowing more about the number of people that played their game instead of just comparing the money they raked in at $60/unit vs. a $10/unit movie ticket. I know Rovio has somewhat done this by talking about the number of Angry Birds downloads, but I have yet to see an Activision or EA compare the number of people who bought Mass Effect or Call of Duty in comparison to blockbuster movies.
Skimmed. Still listening.
Is the fireflower leveling?
Nope, it's a power up, which has limitations. In this case, the limitation is that it disappears when you get hit. Just like the mushroom and jumping on Yoshi's back does the same thing, and the star is time limited.
I would also say there is distinction between permanent pickups (Metroid, Half-Life guns) and leveling. Typically those permanent pickups are something the game has set before you as a gate to allow you into the next part of the world. Leveling is more a relative metric that isn't integral so much that you have to use a specific level to progress. You can be higher level and something will work, but in Half-Life, sometimes only the RPG works and nothing else. Metroid, even more so.
Of course, some games like Skyward Sword, Darksiders, and God of War have leveling of permanent pickups, where an item is necessary to do a task, but you can change its effectiveness in said task as well.
Things about the price of games
This was what I forgot to bring up. It's interesting that there is this fear that releasing a game at $30 new will make people believe it's crap, and I must wonder how widespread it really is. I know lately I've gone to GameStop and tried to browse games around the $30 mark, but what I see tend to be games I've already played or own. Games that are even a year old that I want to play are still $40 or more.
I know plenty of friends that didn't buy games often, and when they did they waited for it to hit $30. Friends that loved Halo, for example, didn't buy Reach until they could get it on sale. These are guys that barely play new games and just don't feel like keeping up with it all, and would rather wait to find out what's good and buy it when it's cheaper.
But what if it started out cheaper? They're a lot more willing to spend money on a new movie than a new game.
But, this is assuming you could sell enough units at $30 to match or beat profit made at $60. As long as you go with current budgets, that is. I'd be all for cutting back on graphics and other superficial features in order to have better games at lower cost, but based on a recent Game Informer writer's thoughts, this isn't universal.
But, this is assuming you could sell enough units at $30 to match or beat profit made at $60.
That's the argument Gabe Newell has been trying to make for a while now. Then you have detractors like Nintendo and GOG saying the race to the bottom is an issue because it devalues the product. Which is a good point, but I think there's a happy medium somewhere in there.
Chris Kohler had a great editorial on the price of games a couple weeks ago. Really worth a read.
EDIT: Here's John Walker's response to the same comments from the THQ exec, which delves more into the demonizing of used game sales but also food for thought.
Great podcast and thanks for taking the existentialism question seriously. I've researched and written quite a bit on games and learning, especially moral learning, so it was great to hear such high-level yet non-dbaggy conversation on a very meaningful topic.
+1. I hate how often these kinds of questions or conversations are immediately kneecapped by the asker (defensively, "I hate to sound pretentious") or the audience (dismissively, "This is pretentious"). This, to me anyway, is where all the good thought is to be found and is a part of what makes playing video games so rewarding. To wit...
And when three other countries declared war on me, I could not have felt more like Saddam Hussein. But it launched all kinds of ideas in my head about how and why countries might make such poor decisions. After that, playing Civ always brought to mind real world conflicts and how they play out.
Glad to hear that story, Jayhawker.
Just finished the podcast. Just thought I would add that you guys successfully avoided crawling up your own ass on the last email. I thought it was a fantastic discussion about how games affect us.
And Kudos to Jeff Cannata for bringing up Sim City and Civilization.
Civ doesn't teach me about how international politics works, but it sure does encourage me to think about the value of allies and trade partners versus the cost of taking what I want by force.
I remember a game specifically where I needed saltpeter desperately. There was some just across my border, but the other civ refused any trade proposals. So I decided to launch a strategic attack and take just one city from my opponent, and get the saltpeter in the process. I planned and built up for this effort until I was ready to take it and hold it.
And when three other countries declared war on me, I could not have felt more like Saddam Hussein. But it launched all kinds of ideas in my head about how and why countries might make such poor decisions. After that, playing Civ always brought to mind real world conflicts and how they play out.
ccesarano wrote:
But, this is assuming you could sell enough units at $30 to match or beat profit made at $60.
That's the argument Gabe Newell has been trying to make for a while now. Then you have detractors like Nintendo and GOG saying the race to the bottom is an issue because it devalues the product. Which is a good point, but I think there's a happy medium somewhere in there.
Chris Kohler had a great editorial on the price of games a couple weeks ago. Really worth a read.
EDIT: Here's John Walker's response to the same comments from the THQ exec, which delves more into the demonizing of used game sales but also food for thought.
Chris Kohler's response was excellent, though truthfully, I'm not a fan of the used games industry myself. However, part of the problem there is video games are one of the only entertainment industries that will print a limited run of games and then stop. Try getting a copy of Phoenix Wright brand new, or Kameo: Elements of Power, or the first Lost Planet. A lot of those games will be difficult to find because at some point they stopped printing them.
The only reason I can imagine this is done is because retail space is limited, but that doesn't stop me from being able to purchase five to ten year old DVDs and music. Not unless it's a product that wasn't or isn't in higher demand.
Which just brings about another problem with games. Once you've released, it doesn't matter. Maybe a game will get DLC for a year or so, but very few are really supported afterward.
Though I did forget about your earlier mention about the platforms constantly changing. I feel like that's also a product of people demanding better graphics while the industry continues to support the notion that they're important, as well as a method for the manufacturer to make money off of brand new accessories and peripherals...
Gah, there's just way too much to say on this topic.
:D Glad to hear that story, Jayhawker.
ccesarano wrote:
But, this is assuming you could sell enough units at $30 to match or beat profit made at $60.
That's the argument Gabe Newell has been trying to make for a while now. Then you have detractors like Nintendo and GOG saying the race to the bottom is an issue because it devalues the product. Which is a good point, but I think there's a happy medium somewhere in there.
I don't worry too much on the price of games. They are what they are. When they are too high, they lose sales. If they open too low, it costs them revenue, and possibly additional if a certain segment views them as budget titles.
But if you want to see publishers be more aggressive in pricing from day one, then you are also going to see publishers get aggressive on used games. As long as budget games are always beaten on price by used games, it decreases the incentive to pen with a cheaper price. Publishers will target the high end gamer that wants to buy a game week one for $60, and let Gamestop do their thing with the rest.
If they drop to $30, they just lose revenue, as the budget gamer will still use Gamestp to find it for $20-$25. But if publishers get their wt dream, and new consoles make it hard to play used games, they can afford to market their games much more aggressively.
But like I said, it doesn't really matter. I will buy or not buy games based on the price and other relevant factors. So yeah, selling my games, and buying some used, is a factor now. But if it is taken away, I will just adjust and move along. I just can't blame publishers for trying to capure a higher % of the revenue their games produce.


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stubby wrote:omg noob, balrogs are maiars too, don't you know anything
ForlornCreature wrote:Does anyone know how to curve a picture in gimp
As in squashing an image by curving the top and bottom? It would really help in making space backgrounds to create a sense of depth in the composite.
ForlornCreature wrote:Test footage, I'll be able to make it look much nicer when I get a new computer.
ForlornCreature wrote:triple post
mr.duckie wrote:SirCheese wrote:I will be neutral. (Cuz I don't want to make enemies)
Get Him!!!!
Silverdream wrote:Gaze upon my cyan complexion
And fall in love with my flying perfection
I am a pegasus of awesomeness shaped by sonic rainbooms
Sonic Rainbooms
All over my sky.
Predator wrote:ForlornCreature wrote:triple post
Edit button. (They do know I'm trolling right...)
Tzan wrote:Semaj Nagirrac wrote:Well, I took some land without checking if it was owned by a faction or not. I'm not going to be banned, am I? I can destroy everything if need be.
That's what Hitler said,
in 1938.
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