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After browsing through the old threads lately (boredom/artist's block) I came up with the following:
26 tips for beginners, or how to avoid the mistakes the rest of us all made:
1. Learn to draw
No, seriously, LEARN to draw. Whether self-taught from books and tutorials or by taking art classes you need to learn to draw and draw the real world before you draw comics, so just bookmark that how to draw manga tutorial for now and go buy a good simple art book (I'd recommend this book it's a good all-rounder) and any anatomy for the artist book. You don't have to become great at drawing just learn to understand.
2. Have a story
Preferably a good one but so long as it's competently written you've got a good starting point.
Alternatively if you're doing a gag-a-day comic (which is a good way to learn comicking) learn to tell a joke.
3. Make your bible
No don't go start a cult or anything (yet), a bible is basically just a book of information - in the case of your comic this should include character designs, location layouts, plot outlines, character bios, rules of your universe, anything you need to know about your comic - and do it in advance, if you can resist just jumping into your comic, it will make everything a LOT easier.
4. Be realistic
Don't expect you're going to be the next big thing, the truth is the vast majority of new webcomics fail miserably.
Also don't expect your first webcomic to be the one you stick with, more often than not you'll use it as a learning experience and your second (or third etc) will be the one you can truly be passionate about.
5. Be prepared
Try to have a decent amount of strips/pages done before you go online, either as a buffer or so you have a reasonable sample for when you go around asking for critiques /reviews. Having a buffer is probably the better idea but be sure you maintain it, if you can't draw a page one day/week/whatever draw two next time to make up for what you've used.
6. Be patient
A quick check of topwebcomics.com shows over 3000 comics (I wasn't clicking anymore pages than that) so there are plenty of comics out there waiting to be discovered, no matter how loud you shout about it people will take their own sweet time to discover you comic. Don't watch the hits counter and don't get frustrated by the lack of feedback just enjoy doing the comic.
7. Never be ashamed of your work
Artwise most of us beginners are frankly dreadful, but that's okay keep trying you WILL improve. The same thing goes for the writing.
More importantly don't be ashamed of the subject matter you choose (especially if it's "controversial") because I guarantee you some troll will find your comic and bash it to hell, ignore them or if it really gets to you maybe rethink your ideas (especially if they involve some wierd fetish).
8. Don't be an arrogant SOB
If you strut around the place acting as if you/your comic/your opinions are gifts from the Goddess then people will NOT like you, will NOT take you seriously and even if your comic really is the best thing ever people won't stick around to enjoy it.
9. If you ask for help be prepared to accept it
There is nothing more annoying than someone asking for help around here and then arguing with every single pointer they are given. If you don't like or disagree with the advice given, ask for a second (or third or sixteenth) opinion, none of us in this world is an all-knowing expert but at least respect the fact we're trying to help you AND you asked for our help.
10. Your comic isn't perfect, accept this now
Your first critique/review will more than likely point out numerous flaws you have been "blind" to, these people (generally) are not saying these things just to be mean.
11. Quality materials for a quality result
This doesn't mean rush out an buy all the expensive professional equipment/paper/tools/programs/etc but at least use materials that are of a good quality.
If you're traditional use clean, flat, unlined, uncreased paper a nice new pencil/pacer and INK your comic, avoid using shapies, ballpoint pens, etc go to an art store and buy real pens (or nib pens if that's your thing).
If you're all digital DO NOT USE MS PAINT, you can find free programs like gimp if you can't afford to buy software.
12. Cut and paste or tracing paper CAN be your friend
But only if you use it properly. For instance here I needed to maintain the same basic positions/expressions from the previous comic (the effect being two characters having one of those meet-cute, crushy moments) but I still made subtle changes to expression and the hair flow so as it does not appear to be a static moment, time visibly flows between frames of the conversation.
13. Tell the story with the images
You should, in most cases be able to take a comic and remove the words without removing the feel of the story. Certainly in some more conversational pages you may not get across the exact details of the story but you should at least be able to tell the tone of the conversation (mind you I have seen some comics where you wouldn't even know it was a convesation, just two people on a couch staring like goldfish).
One big exception to this is the offscreen gag, sometimes you do have to tell rather than show but this normally is only one frame of the page.
14. Creation is a multi-step process
The first thing you put on paper (or first layer in photoshop) should not be the final product.
My process goes roughly: script - thumbnail - layout - underdrawing - inking - colouring - scan - tidy - background fill - lettering - resize.
Your exact process will be different than mine but even digitally you should have a similar amount of work going into each comic.
15. Stick to a schedule
If you plan to update three times a week update three times a week - a buffer will help on those occasions that real life interferes, and let life interfere from time to time you need the chance to chill and find inspiration - if you can't stick to the schedule change it, start small and increase updates as your speed/skills improve.
16. Realism
Make your characters believable - they're people, they have flaws and insecurities and motivations.
For instance if your character is a 107 year old vampire don't make him act like a whiny petulant teenager, would he really still be in highschool and wouldn't people have noticed after a couple of decades, perhaps a more reclusive, pining for the outside world (like Edward Scissorhands or the Beast) personality would better suit the character and the story.
17. Design
I have to blame anime/manga for the single biggest flaw I see in characterization: characters whose designs don't fit.
There are too many examples out there of overly cute characters with dark personalities, violent activites, etc - and sometimes this can work as a contrast to other characters around them - there should always be some hint of the character's true nature in their appearance, give your secret schoolgirl assassin colder eyes or a stiffer posture.
18. Clothing makes the character
It's more than something you use to cover up the nakedness. Clothing is a great shorthand for the characters personality, whether you use it simply to illustrate stereotypes (goth, jock, slut, etc) or as a more subtle, personal expression of the character - for instance a girl wearing baggy t-shirts could hint at certain body-insecurities.
19. Your world is a character too
Even if set in the here-and-now real world your comic's world is just as much in need of characterization as the cast.
For example if your story is set in a medieval fantasy world the people shouln't speak like 21st century teenagers.
Everything from the appearance of the world to the language usage should be considered and consistent.
20. Variation
Everyone is an individual. Remember that.
21. Obey the rules
Your world needs to have established rules, you need to have limitations on where you can go, this helps to maintain a streamlined and cohesive story. If you allow yourself to go anywhere you can lose track of the destination.
22. Let today lead into tomorrow
If you plan on telling a proper story rmember that not only does each page of a webcomic need to stand on its own it also has to build expectation for the next page.
23. If you set it up pay it off
If you introduce an idea earlier in the story you must return to is eventually to pay-off the idea, all super-secret weapons must be used eventually and all prophecies should be fullfilled.
Of course you don't necessarily need to pay it off as expected, your super weapon could be a dud and your prophecy may have been made up by a drunk at the local pub, the point is to return to the idea at some stage and close the circle
24. Let the story explain itself
You shouldn't be drumming story-points into people's heads, just tell the story and trust them to understand it for themselves. If you have some little mystery plot-point that is "important" to the story don't jump and shout "Look at this, look at this", it ruins the story later, be subtle.
25. Don't lecture
If you have an important message to make with your comic, just make your comic, people will generally get your point without you having to get on the soapbox under the [insert opinion of choice here] banner. You get more people thinking by weaving your message into the story than by shouting at them "[subject of choice] is good/bad!!!"
Alway push yourself, always try new things.
Try to draw a new pose or expression or object.
If you always draw teen characters try drawing an oldy once in a while.
Normally draw furries? try a human or a real animal. Draw Sci-fi? Why not try a cowboy or an elf.
Normally write a funny comic? try a little drama or action or romance.
You don't need to include your experiments in your comic but experiment anyway, you never know you might get a great new idea.


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Damien Hirst New Religion Cashmere Blanket
Damien Hirst
New Religion Cashmere Blanket
Featuring icons from Damien Hirst's New Religion series and large enough for a double bed, Other Criteria's luxury blankets are 100% cashmere, made in Scotland on a Jacquard loom and finished by hand. Each has a purled fringe and 2 New Religion labels. Using techniques similar to those used 150 years ago, fabric and color are built up in layers and given clarity and depth by the use of soft, pure Scottish water and cloth woven from the finest of fibres. Part of the finishing process involves air-drying and paper-pressing the blankets to ensure a lustrous surface.

subset: commoncrawl


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Save More with AMTA
$4.99 Shipping
| To Order 1-888-918-2253
Save More with AMTA
$4.99 Shipping
| To Order 1-888-918-2253
Cylinder Works™ Variety Pack
New Cylinder Works™ cylinders are made from 100% cotton muslin cloth, certified organic essential oils and natural beeswax or food grade paraffin waxes. 20 ct
Kit includes:
Just wanted to let your customer's know that any ear candle I have ever used had a closed tip that you had to cut yourself. I have never seen them pre-cut before and the previous review should be taken with a grain of salt.
I was very dissapointed in these. All the ends where closed, so i had to trim the ends to create an opening. I have used other ear candles with great success in the past.


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Well, it's happening. Again. Comedy Central has announced that 'Futurama' is being cancelled. The network opted out of renewing the show for another season, meaning that the 13 episodes airing this summer will be the show's last. In theory. Unless it gets another revival, pops up on Netflix or maybe they just make some more movies.
Predictably, fans of the show are not happy. Here are some memes they've made to express their feelings. We think they pretty accurately represent the characters we've loved since 1999 as well.
Новости партнёров


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I talked about what abilities I thought could be eliminated from the Resto Druid kit last week, and now it's time to talk hunters.
As I looked through my spellbook for all three specs last night, it struck me that I was fine with the hunter's basic rotational abilities. I wouldn't get rid of any of the basic 7-8 shots used by each spec. There are not too many. If anything, some new shot or mechanic could be added to spice things up a little bit. Where hunters feel bloated is in our cooldowns and situational abilities.
There are a whole bunch of abilities that could be removed or streamlined to make hunters feel more fluid, and possibly make room for other, more interesting abilities.
These used to be a lot more interesting back when we had Aspect of Nature and Aspect of the Viper. We needed to make a meaningful choice for what aspect we were in and would often switch a few times during fights. Now there really is no choice and these abilities seem unnecessary.
Aspect of the Hawk/Ironhawk should be passive, or just removed. There's really no reason we should ever have to reapply it. Right now it only serves as an annoyance to have to make sure to put it back on after switching specs.
Aspect of the Cheetah/Pack we could probably live without. Having a whole aspect bar just for these two things seems silly, if AotH is removed. Perhaps we could get an ability like Stampeding Roar as a replacement. That would actually be really nice, even without a root/snare break.
Trap use has gone down a lot since previous expansions and they're clunky to use compared to other abilities. The only real positive traps have is being able to place them before a pull, but even that only gives a marginal increase in damage.
As far as a I know, Survival is really the only spec that gets any use out of Explosive Trap. In order to be worthwhile, there needs to be a certain number of enemies and they need to stay still within the area of effect. I'd be more than happy to have this taken away.
Likewise, Snake Trap has very little use in PVE. I remember there used to be some cool uses for it, when snakes could be targeted by boss abilities and save your raid some damage, but I don't think that's the case anymore.
The PVP implications of this might be too big, but I'd also love to see Freezing Trap and Ice Trap combined into a single ability. The first hostile mob to hit the trap would be frozen. If the trap gets broken, or the mob is immune, the Ice Trap effect would show up.
Trap Launcher should be removed and made baseline.
Rapid Fire and Focus Fire are very similar abilities which increase haste and I see no reason for both to exist. One could be removed, or they could be combined into one. The pet haste effect from Rabid could also be combined into this.
Other Spells
This one may be a bit more controversial, but I'd love to never be asked to Misdirect again. With all the changes to tank threat and ranged taunts, it really shouldn't be necessary (and whatever happened to "wait 3 seconds before you attack the boss?"). Of course, MD is most useful in directing stray/spawning mobs to the tank, but our ability to do this marginal at best. As BM especially, my misdirect can't out-threat much of anything.
Hunter's Mark seems unnecessary at this point. We don't really even need to cast it anymore since its application is baked into basic shots. The tracking component is useful for PVP, but I'd rather it become a situational spell used for the tracking and have the damage buff component removed.
These spells don't impact much and the only reason to keep them would be nostalgia.
I can't remember the last time I used Beast Lore. Since pets have been normalized, and don't need to be fed, there's not much point.
I didn't even remember hunters had Eagle Eye until I was browsing through my spell book. I wouldn't miss it.
Well, that's 13 abilities I think could safely be removed from Hunters. That's a lot. It seems that there are a lot of opportunities to streamline our toolkit.
What do you think? What Hunter abilities would you like to see removed? Are there any you wouldn't want to lose?
Ashunera has written another well-thought out piece about ability bloat, and wants to know what 5 abilities you'd prune from your class. You should check it out.


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The APT Group, encompasses Australian Pacific Touring and Travelmarvel boasts the country's most comprehensive range of premium touring for the discerning traveller.
Acerca de
As a member of the well-known and always reliable APT, you can think of Travelmarvel as the "everyday touring option from APT." Travelmarvel offers affordable touring and cruising of exceptional quality in New Zealand. When you travel with us, you will receive the great value for money touring for which Travelmarvel is known, as well as all the reassurances of travelling with a well respected and reliable tour operator, APT.
Dirección física
Travelmarvel, Level 4, 1230 Nepean Highway, Cheltenham, Melbourne, Victoria, 3192, Australia.


text: Windows Phone 8 handsets are finally hitting retail shelves on Friday, which means anyone can get their hands on Microsoft's latest mobile operating system. The company has detailed several of the platform's features -- Live Tiles, the new Start Screen, Kids Corner, a revamped Camera, and more -- but whether you're a Windows Phone veteran or thinking about buying your first Windows Phone device, there's a lot to learn with Windows Phone 8. We've collected some of the most useful tips, tricks and hidden features that you'll encounter in Windows Phone 8. Got any suggestions we didn't mention here? Let us know in the comments. Take a Screenshot You can finally take screenshots in Windows Phone 8 by simultaneously pressing the Home and Lock buttons -- as you would on the iPhone. Prior to WP8, capturing your screen required developer-unlocking your phone and downloading a developer-specific app. Now anyone can quickly share all of their ridiculous text threads and Home Screen variations. Above: Alexandra Chang demonstrates taking a screenshot on a Windows Phone 8 Nokia. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WiredKnow That Tune You won't need to download Shazam onto your Windows Phone 8 handset, because the operating system has its own song-recognition feature built into the Search tool. Just tap the hardware Search button and tap the music icon in the bottom toolbar. The phone will listen for music and tell you what song is playing, along with a link to purchase that song in the store. In our testing, the feature worked very accurately and delivered results in under 15 seconds.Power Down When your battery is running low, Windows Phone 8 has a special trick to help prevent total power loss. Just go to Settings and turn on the Battery Saver option. Doing so tells the OS not to run any apps in the background or sync email automatically. You'll still be able to make and receive calls and texts, but everything else will require manual syncing (opening up the app and choosing to sync). You can choose for Battery Saver mode to kick in only when your battery is actually low, or keep it on at all times. A little heart over the battery icon tells you when the phone is in Battery Saver mode.Filter Your Feeds Don't want to look at your 500-plus Facebook friends while trying to find your mom on your contact list? When you're in the People hub, go to Settings, tap "filter my contact list," and select which accounts you want to show up. You can also hide updates from certain networks, so you won't have to scroll through your high school friend's baby bump updates while you're trying to browse the latest news links on Twitter.When You're Running Late Windows Phone 8's built-in Calendar has a Late button option that comes in handy when you're behind schedule. Tap the button in an event and the app will draft an email addressed to all of the people invited to or attending that event. The default text: "I'll be a bit late, but I'm on my way. See you soon." You can edit or just hit send to use it as is. We only wish this could send late notices to contacts via text too.Get From A to Z It's not immediately obvious how you should navigate your People hub contacts. If you've added all of your social networks -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn -- then the list of people can get too long to just swipe through. For quicker navigation you can just tap the header letter of a section, the "a" at the top, for example, and get a large overlay of all the letters in the alphabet. Tap one and hop over to that section of your contacts. Of course, you can always just tap the search icon at the bottom and type in your contact's name.Blocked Number Remember back when you had to dial *69 to block your phone number and caller ID when making a prank call or dialing the number of your crush, who you were too afraid to speak to? Windows Phone 8 lets you choose who to show your caller ID to. You can select everyone, no one, or your contacts.Attach Your Location In Windows Phone 8 you can compose a text, tap the paper clip icon, and attach your location directly to the message. If your contact has a Windows Phone, they'll receive a thumbnail of your location on the Maps app, which they can open up from there. If they have any other kind of phone, they'll get a link that will open up in their browser.See Things Clearly Microsoft doesn't want you to have to hold your phone up to your face to be able to read the text. The Ease of Access settings option lets you make text larger across the platform, from the Lock Screen to e-mails and texts. You can also opt for a high-contrast mode so that words appear starker against the background. Myopic eyes will appreciate this feature.Internet Explorer Buttons Internet Explorer is speedy and smooth in Windows Phone 8, but it does have some quirks. For one, there's no easy way to switch through tabs. But you can change this. By default, there is a stop/refresh button to the left of the address bar located at the bottom of the screen. If you go to the settings in IE, you can actually change that button to be either tabs, favorites or stop/refresh. We personally recommend the tabs button, since it's much easier to switch through all of your windows than having to open up a separate menu.Mail in One Place This isn't anything fancy, but it can be useful if you have multiple e-mail addresses. In Windows Phone 8 you can choose whether or not you want to consolidate your e-mail accounts into a single inbox or keep them separate. It's possible to link multiple inboxes together while keeping some others as individual apps. Just go to your Mail app, tap the ellipses icon in the lower right corner and then tap "link inboxes."Don't Shoot Since Windows Phone handsets have a dedicated shutter button, there's a chance they might go off when they're banging around in your pocket or bag. The camera shutter does work in Lock mode, but if you want to make sure you don't get any closeups of whatever's in your pocket, go into the Photos app (that's right, not the Camera app) to turn this function off. In Photos settings, just check the box next to "Prevent accidental camera launch when phone is locked."


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Open Source Bridge 2014 Birds of a Feather proposals
We are no longer accepting new Birds of a Feather sessions, but please join us at the conference.
Sort by: Title, Track, Submission date ∨
* Birds!
I get really sad when I see "Birds of a Feather Sessions," and none of them are about birds. Let's fix it!
|Birds of a Feather session
|2014-06-25 02:16:31 +0000
|Coral Sheldon-Hess
* Free Software, Free Culture
Meeting up of people who support Free Culture issues beyond just tech-related issues
|Birds of a Feather session
|2014-06-24 18:42:26 +0000
|Aaron Wolf
* Gophers at OS Bridge
An informal gathering of Go language enthusiasts.
|Birds of a Feather session
|2014-06-13 17:29:45 +0000
|Michael Schurter
* CryptoParty
An informal skill share where peers share knowledge about open source privacy tools.
|Birds of a Feather session
|2014-06-11 16:53:19 +0000
|Thomas Schreiber
* Hacks / Hackers June Meeting
Hacks / Hackers June meeting
|Birds of a Feather session
|2014-06-03 16:26:52 +0000
|M. Edward (Ed) Borasky


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Well, isn't this the picture of comfortability and ultimate chicness? And while it looks like it might cost you one month's rent to do up your digs like this, it's actually quite the opposite ($80 for this linen duvet set) thanks to H&M Home, which recently made its way to the U.S. via hm.com.
"The H&M Home category will deliver a wide variety of choices for the home at the best possible prices, similar to H&M's fashion collections," Daniel Kulle, U.S. President for the fast fashion brand. Sounds good to us! Now we can get our interior design on without depleting our entire savings.
So, what can you expect from this fall's home collection? Pieces inspired by vintage Bohemia, but modernized with Baroque prints, digital patterns, floral and animal prints, lace—the list goes on. "I love the diversity and drama of H&M Home this fall. Our growing range of decorative items such as vases and cups makes it even easier to create great style in your home," says Evelina Kravaev Söderberg, H&M Home's Head of Design.
Here's just a taste of what we think is super cool from the latest collection:
We're all about these stone gray printed, $6, and moss-knit pillows, $25, this minimalist black label candle, $6, and glass vase, $8.
This beetle/floral-printed ceramic plate, $7, is also on our wish-list. Its interesting pattern will definitely give you something to talk about over dinner.
Not your average shower curtain, this pretty printed one, $20, will bring a smile to your fashionista face everytime you step foot in your bathroom.
For more home goods from H&M, go to hm.com. Now, get decorating!
Photo Credit: H&M


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Chief's Mascot reaches settlement over injury
KANSAS CITY (AP) - The man who performs as the Kansas City Chiefs' mascot has reached a legal settlement over severe injuries he suffered last November while practicing a zip line routine.
Lawyers for Dan Meers, better known as KC Wolf, announced the settlement Thursday but said the terms prevent disclosure of the dollar amount or the parties involved.
Attorney Tim Dollar said in a news release that Meers is still recovering and is talking with the Chiefs about a modified role as KC Wolf in the future.
Meers has performed as KC Wolf since the Chiefs adopted the mascot 24 years ago. He suffered what was described as a severe back injury Nov. 23 while practicing a zip line routine at Arrowhead Stadium.
Few details have been disclosed, but Dollar said earlier there may have been an error by a third-party company in securing the rigging.


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Yesterday's announcement of a Royal pregnancy from Kate Middleton has led to a flurry of speculation about the Royal baby.
Perhaps the most interesting speculation so far has revolved around Middleton being admitted to hospital for deep stomach pains. A report from the Telegraph theorized this could be a sign of twins:
The Duchess is suffering from hyperemesis gravidarum, a condition that is more often experienced by women expecting twins. Mothers-to-be who suffer from the condition are three times more likely to have a multiple birth than other women.
While the idea of twin royal babies is fun in itself, this is of particular interest to those interested in placing bets on the Royal baby. The Telegraph today notes that the odds on twins on Paddy Power have been cut from 50/1 to 8/1, while the odds on triplets have gone from 1000/1 to 100/1 and quads from 5000/1 to 500/1.
However, it should be noted that twin royal babies most likely would not lead to twin Kings or twin Queens. The current rules of succession would only allow for the first born to reach the throne. While royal twins are rare — there has never been any in prominent line to the throne in the UK's history — last year Crown Princess Mary of Denmark gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. The boy, born 25 minute earlier, will be before his sister in line to throne.
There may be some complications if the twins are born seconds apart, or if a Cesarean is needed (meaning the doctor would effectively be choosing which infant is next in line), the Daily Mail notes.
However, being second out of the womb might not be all bad. "I expect the twin who isn't out first would have more fun - they'd be the Prince Harry," Ingrid Seward, editor of Majesty magazine, told the Daily Mail.


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US National Telecom, Inc a Florida based corporation is actively looking to acquire real estate investments that produce positive cash flow results. The company was established in 1999 and was formerly know as Yi Wan Group. The company has an office located in Miami Florida and plans to open other offices within Florida and other markets where deemed necessary. The mission is to invest in highly undervalued and distressed properties that are under market value and are well below reconstruction cost in todays market.
We have a professional group of real estate professionals that not only source the prospective investments but are also willing to manage the investments long term. These professionals have been chosen due to their knowledge and understanding of where the market is now and where it is headed in the future. We specialize in residential investments and to some extent commercial investments if the returns are satisfactory. The reason for the residential acquisitions is that the credit market has essentially changed over the past two years. It is a lot harder as a family or individual to gain financing for your home or investment property. The rental market is quite strong in many areas of Florida, combined with a depressed price and lack of financing available properties are not only historically cheap but also provide a strong rental return. The company aims to buy or finance as many cash flow properties over the next 2-3 years while prices of homes are severely depressed. Florida: Several key markets in Florida exist in todays real estate market. The thousands of homes that are still to go through foreclosure are astounding. Each individual County of Florida offers a wide variety of options for investment purposes.
The company plans to invest in areas that offer the most stable job opportunities and growth so that we can maximize out tenant base and risks associated with investments not being occupied. Some markets that we have researched include Orlando Fl, Gainesville FL, Miami Fl, Tampa and St Petersburg Fl. These municipalities offer strong population size, potential for growth and a strong possibility for capital appreciation. The large majority of these cities have large colleges, existing large commercial and industrial investment, access to major rail and air terminals and have existing high valued medical facilities. All of these factors considered means that these areas should receive higher rental returns and reduce the risk of tenants not occupying the investments.


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Trailer fire ruled electrical
Lisbon firefighters Tony Hunt and Adam McCullough make an intense attack
from the inside of the trailer, or the belly of the beast, to knock down stubborn
fire burning in the roof of the trailer. Bringing the fire quickly under control is imperative with a park full of closely located neighboring trailers. Morning Journal/Patti Schaeffer


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The Paranoid Gamer writes: "Which portable is right for you? Well it certainly all depends on what you want to do with your device, and more importantly, what kind of games you want to experience. The article won't be discussing tablets or smart phones, though they are a viable alternative of sorts to these systems. If you want to browse the net, read books, watch movies, listen to music or have access to a myriad of apps and bite size gaming than perhaps those options are best for you. Here though we will cover the more core systems that have some of those features, but their main focus is on gaming."
Wait till vita gets a price cut to get one....no one was buying 3ds untill the lowered the price...its going to be the same with vita
I have both. Both has promising titles. The 3DS has games like Pokemon and Luigi's Mansion. The PS Vita has games like Tearaway and Killzone Mercenaries. Device wise, go with the PS Vita.
In comparison; The 3DS has a few functions that it's predecessor, the DSi had. The DSi had features like a alarm clock and better features with the camera. But the 3DS makes up for that with the Mii apps and the ability to take 3D photos.
PS Vita has so many free apps and superior tech than the 3DS. The only thing the 3DS has better when it comes to functionality is that it can produce 3D graphics.
I would choose the PS Vita over the 3DS.
Vita if u want some new 3rd party games to play now & in the future.. 3DS if u like nintendos 1st party games..We have yet to see smash bros, wario land, etc make an appearance but I dont know of a single nintendo system that releases sequels in the same generation besides mario platformers.. Mario kart already released as well as mario land, mario bros, etc.. So its already peaked while vita has much more to give other than whats available.. In conjunction with PS Plus, vita is an incredible value & gaming machine to own
I prefer the 3DS simply because it has a more varied, extensive and attractive game library. And at the end of the day, you buy a handheld mainly for that, games.
I don't know about you, but games like Kid Icarus, DoA Dimensions, Code of Princess, Fire Emblem and a few downloadable ones like Sakura Samurai, Crimson Shroud, Mighty Switch Force, Gunman Clive (with physical controls!), Liberation Maiden and others have been enough for me, not to mention stuff like Soul Hackers, Etrian Odyssey, SMT4, Monster Hunter 3 and more are coming out later.
I already made my choice and bought a vita at launch. Games like Lbp vita, Uc Abyss, MvsCap., Unit 13, and others really put the competition to shame and show how vita is in another league.
Games like Kz merc, tearaway, Soul Sacrifice, etc.... are just icing on the cake.


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Cornerstone OnDemand Announces Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results
- Cornerstone ended the quarter with over 1,100 clients and approximately 10.3 million users, representing 57% and 44% year-over-year growth of Cornerstone's client base and users, respectively.3 Q3 Bookings of $42.7 million, up 78% year-over-year
- Record quarterly revenue of $30.8 million, up 54% year-over-year
- Record quarterly gross profit of $21.6 million, up 48% year-over-year
- Ended the quarter with over 1,100 clients and approximately 10.3 million users
SANTA MONICA, Calif. — November 12, 2012 — Learning and talent management software provider Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSOD) today announced results for its quarter ended September 30, 2012.
Revenue for the third quarter of 2012 was $30.8 million, representing a 54% increase compared to the same period in 2011. Revenue for the first nine months of 2012 was $81.5 million, an increase of 53% compared to gross revenue for the same period in 2011.2
Gross profit for the third quarter of 2012 was $21.6 million, representing a 48% year-over-year increase compared to the same period in 2011. Gross profit for the first nine months of 2012 was $57.6 million, an increase of 51% compared to the same period in 2011, based on gross revenue.2
Bookings, which Cornerstone defines as gross revenue plus the change in deferred revenue for the period, were $42.7 million for the third quarter of 2012, representing a 78% increase compared to the same period in 2011. 1 Bookings for the first nine months of 2012 were $98.2 million, representing a 66% increase compared to the same period in 2011.1 Deferred revenue at September 30, 2012 was $72.6 million, which was 82% higher than the balance at September 30, 2011, and 20% higher than the balance at June 30, 2012.
"The third quarter was another exceptional quarter for Cornerstone OnDemand, and a continuation of what has been an outstanding year of growth for the company," said Adam Miller, Cornerstone's President and CEO. "We believe our bookings performance demonstrates that the recent wave of consolidation in talent management has improved our competitive positioning. With our commitment to the ongoing innovation and expansion of our product suite, we believe we will continue to strengthen our position as a leading talent management partner to organizations of all sizes."
Cornerstone's net loss for the third quarter of 2012 was $7.6 million, or a $0.15 net loss per share.
Due to purchase accounting rules applicable to the acquisition we completed during the second quarter of 2012, Cornerstone recorded an adjustment of $1.6 million to reduce to fair value the balance of deferred revenue attributable to contracts assumed from Sonar Limited. This fair value adjustment has the impact of reducing the amount of revenue attributable to contracts assumed from Sonar Limited by $0.4 million for the quarter ended September 30, 2012 and $1.1 million for the first nine months of 2012. Non-GAAP revenue for the quarter ended September 30, 2012, which excludes the $0.4 million reduction, was $31.2 million, representing a 56% increase compared to the same period in 2011.1 Non-GAAP revenue from the acquisition date through September 30, 2012, excluding the $1.1 million reduction, was $82.6 million, representing a 56% increase compared to the same period in 2011.1
Non-GAAP net loss for the third quarter of 2012 was $3.6 million, or a $0.07 net loss per share, and non-GAAP net loss for the first nine months of 2012 was $13.1 million, or $0.26 net loss per share. Non-GAAP net loss is based on non-GAAP revenue and excludes, for the periods in which they are present, stock-based compensation and employer-related payroll taxes, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition costs, amortization of debt discount and issuance costs, early debt retirement expense, change in the fair value of preferred stock warrant liabilities, adjustments to taxes related to acquisition adjustments, and accretion related to preferred stock.1
At September 30, 2012, Cornerstone's total cash and cash equivalents were $64.5 million and accounts receivable were $45.2 million, yielding a total of $109.7 million.
Quarterly Conference Call
- Non-GAAP revenue, bookings, non-GAAP net cash used in operating activities, non-GAAP net loss, non-GAAP net loss per share, non-GAAP gross profit, and non-GAAP gross margin are non-GAAP financial measures. Please see the discussion in the section "Non-GAAP Financial Measures" and the reconciliations at the end of this release.
- Gross revenue in the first nine months of 2011 excludes the impact of a non-cash reduction of revenue related to a common stock warrant issued to ADP of $2.5 million. Net revenue and net loss for the nine months of 2011 was impacted by this non-cash reduction of revenue.
Includes contracted clients and active users of any combination of our four integrated cloud-based solutions, consisting of recruiting, learning, performance, and extended enterprise as of the end of the period. Our client and user counts exclude our Cornerstone Small Business Solution, or "CSB".
Cornerstone OnDemand will host a conference call to discuss its third quarter 2012 results at 2:00 p.m. PST (5:00 p.m. ET) today. A live audio webcast of the conference call, together with detailed financial information, can be accessed through the company's Investor Relations Web site at http://investors.cornerstoneondemand.com/investors/news-and-events/events/default.aspx. The live call can be accessed by dialing (888) 357-3694 (U.S.) or (973) 890-8276 (outside the U.S.) and referencing passcode: 65175817. A replay of the call will also be available at http://investors.cornerstoneondemand.com/investors/news-and-events/events/default.aspx or via telephone until 11:59 p.m. PST on November 16, 2012 by dialing (855) 859-2056 (U.S.) or (404) 537-3406 (outside the U.S.), and referencing passcode: 65175817.
About Cornerstone OnDemand
Cornerstone OnDemand is a leading global provider of comprehensive learning and talent management solutions. We enable organizations to meet the challenges they face in empowering their people and maximizing the productivity of their human capital. Our integrated software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution consists of the Cornerstone Recruiting Cloud, the Cornerstone Performance Cloud, the Cornerstone Learning Cloud and the Cornerstone Extended Enterprise Cloud. Our clients use our solution to source and recruit top talent, develop employees throughout their careers, engage employees effectively, improve business execution, cultivate future leaders, and integrate with their external networks of customers, vendors and distributors. We currently empower approximately 10.3 million users across 186 countries and in 38 languages. www.csod.com
Note: Cornerstone® and Cornerstone OnDemand® are registered trademarks of Cornerstone OnDemand Inc.
Forward-looking Statements
This release contains forward-looking statements, including statements regarding Cornerstone OnDemand's future financial performance, market growth, the demand for and benefits from the use of Cornerstone OnDemand's solutions, and general business conditions. Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release are based upon Cornerstone OnDemand's historical performance and its current plans, estimates and expectations and are not a representation that such plans, estimates, or expectations will be achieved. These forward-looking statements represent Cornerstone OnDemand's expectations as of the date of this press release. Subsequent events may cause these expectations to change, and Cornerstone OnDemand disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements in the future. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from Cornerstone OnDemand's current expectations. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in our forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, our ability to attract new clients; the extent to which clients renew their subscriptions for our solution; our ability to compete as the talent management provider for organizations of all sizes; changes in the proportion of our client base that is comprised of enterprise or mid-sized organizations; our ability to manage our growth, including additional headcount and entry into new geographies; the timing and success of solutions offered by our competitors; unpredictable macro-economic conditions; reductions in information technology spending; the success of our new product and service introductions; a disruption in our hosting network infrastructure; costs and reputational harm that could result from defects in our solution; the success of our strategic relationships with third parties; the loss of any of our key employees; increased demands on our infrastructure and costs associated with operating as a public company; failure to protect our intellectual property; acts of terrorism or other vandalism, war or natural disasters; changes in current tax or accounting rules; unanticipated costs or liabilities related to businesses that we acquire; and other risks and uncertainties. Further information on factors that could cause actual results to differ materially is included in Cornerstone OnDemand's reports filed with the SEC, including its Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 6, 2012, and subsequent reports filed with the SEC, including its Form 10-Q filed on August 14, 2012.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
To supplement its consolidated financial statements, which are prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP, Cornerstone OnDemand has provided in this release certain measures that have not been prepared in accordance with GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures include (i) non-GAAP revenue, which is defined as gross revenue plus revenue not recognized in the period due to the impact of purchase accounting rules on deferred revenue acquired through acquisitions, (ii) bookings, which are defined as gross revenue plus the change in deferred revenue for the period, (iii) non-GAAP net cash used in operating activities, which excludes acquisition and acquisition-related costs and employer-related taxes from stock-based compensation, (iv) non-GAAP net loss and non-GAAP net loss per share, which are based on non-GAAP revenue and exclude, for the periods in which they are present, stock-based compensation and employer-related payroll taxes, amortization of intangible assets, acquisition costs, adjustments to taxes related to acquisition adjustments, amortization of debt discount and issuance costs, early debt retirement expense, change in the fair value of preferred stock warrant liabilities, and accretion related to preferred stock, and (v) non-GAAP gross profit and non-GAAP gross margin, which are calculated based on non-GAAP revenue and exclude stock-based compensation and amortization of certain intangible assets reflected in cost of revenue.
Cornerstone OnDemand's management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally in analyzing its financial results and believes they are useful to investors, as a supplement to the corresponding GAAP measures, in evaluating Cornerstone OnDemand's ongoing operational performance and trends and in comparing its financial measures with other companies in the same industry, many of which present similar non-GAAP financial measures to help investors understand the operational performance of their businesses. However, it is important to note that the particular items Cornerstone excludes from, or includes in, its non-GAAP financial measures may differ from the items excluded from, or included in, similar non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies in the same industry.
Non-GAAP financial measures should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, financial information prepared in accordance with GAAP. Investors are encouraged to review the reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures. A reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures to such GAAP measures has been provided in the tables included as part of this press release.
Cornerstone OnDemand, Inc.
Investor Relations Contact:
Carolyn Bass, +1 (415) 445-3232
Media Contact:
Michelle Haworth, +1-310-752-0178


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Where Deflation Risks Stir Concerns
In Europe, Fears Grow of Falling Prices and the Economic Destruction They Cause
Relatively few people alive today in the West have experienced deflation, but for Europeans, that may be changing.
Anxieties are rising in the euro zone that deflation—the phenomenon of persistent falling prices across the economy that blighted the lives of millions in the 1930s—may be starting to take root as it did in Japan in the mid-1990s. "Deflation: the hidden threat," ran a headline emblazoned across a December research note by economists at HSBC....


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WNBA Champs Getting Jersey Sponsor, NBA Fever Pitch Not Far Behind
By Barry Janoff
October 22, 2012: The WNBA continues to move in a marketing and sponsorship direction and paving a road on which the NBA may not be far behind.
Pacers Sports & Entertainment and the Indiana Fever said they have signed a new multi-year deal with national athletic retailer Finish Line that would include feature the Finish Line logo on Fever team jerseys beginning in the 2013 season.
Under terms of the deal, the Finish Line brand would also be integrated into Fever TV broadcasts and team merchandise, team advertising and signage at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, in-game advertising as part of the NBA's Indiana Pacers and Fever radio networks, and Web links on FeverBasketball.com and BankersLifeFieldhouse.com.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The Finish Line, which already has been a partner with the Fever, is headquartered in Indianapolis and has 641 stores in the U.S.
The Indiana Fever won their first WNBA title Sunday night, riding 25 points from all-star Tamika Catchings to defeat the Minnesota Lynx.
According to the WNBA, Indiana's pact with Finish Line means that half of the league's 12 teams now have jersey-front sponsorship deals. The others are the Phoenix Mercury (LifeLock), Los Angeles Sparks (Farmers Insurance, pictured), Seattle Storm (Microsoft's Bing), New York Liberty (Foxwood) and Washington Mystics (Inova Health System).
The NBA said that it would allow "advertising patches" on game jerseys beginning with the 2013-14 season, which would be in addition to the logo allowed from adidas, the league's official uniform supplier.
Industry analysts said the NBA move could generate upward of $100 million in revenue for the league. Other sports groups in the U.S. that allow prominent ads on their official garb are Major League Soccer and Nascar. Other leagues, such as the NFL, allow marketers logos on practice jerseys but not on game-day gear.
"[This] agreement with Finish Line is one of the landmark moments in our franchise history," Kelly Krauskopf, COO and GM for the Fever, said in a statement. "Finish Line is a widely respected national brand in the athletic retail market. Partnering with such a reputable and prestigious company as Finish Line will enhance our own branding and visibility in the Indiana sports community and abroad."
WNBA Adds Fifth Jersey Sponsor


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Yesterday was my day at the Archives and the request pile is getting larger. There are seven volunteers and yesterday I found out that there are 78 requests. We all routinely go in one day a week, when you volunteer you make your own hours. I, and some of the others, also put in another day of research I think the deluge of requests is because of the recent interest in Genealogy and the shows on TV.
I was speaking to a librarian and they said that about three hundred fifty hours of research goes into the making of one of the shows. The problem with the shows is that it seems like you can call the library and ask them to get all of your information, put it in a folder and all you have to do it pick it up.
Yesterday I did work for three clients, so I guess it is now down to 75 and then I have to add in the number of request that arrived yesterday.
People complain that they are charged for the search, well I will tell all and let others know that the money you send goes to maintaining the Archives and the old books that are falling apart. They need to be restored and rebound and the cost is not cheap. Why is it that people want everything for nothing?


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imarket1 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 52 diseños de 8 diseñadores freelance.
Solutioneers Pty. Ltd. - http://www.schoolsites.com.au
This site is about online communication tools for schools. We have developed a range of communication tools, both email based and website based specifically for schools to use to better communicate with their schools communities.
For them it is about better communications while saving time and money.
Schools - specifically the administration staff who do most of the communication with parents and students.
I need a new website header to replace the existing one (attached). It needs to be the same size as this one, but I would like it to have some "Wow Factor" - at the moment is doesn't say anything and the logo means nothing in terms of what the website is about and what it does.
So, you can consider the following:
1. The header needs to be the same size as the current one
2. It needs to fit in with the look and feel of the site
3. You can use the existing background of the current header or design from scratch - whatever you think looks best - I am open to ideas
4. The search box on the right hand side can be removed
5. The logo on the left hand side needs to be completely redone - I need a logo that refers to what the site is about - ie: schools and communications
6. The text needs to stay the same - ie: "School Sites.com.au" and "Tools For Schools"
7. I am completely open in terms of fonts and presentation etc.
8. The header still needs to be clean and reasonably simple, but still have the "Wow Factor"
9. I can provide a psd of the background if necessary


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My life has changed in the last year and a half. This became clearer than ever as I visited my friend, Brye, this past weekend. She has been my closest friend since grade school and after many twists and turns in her own life, she finds herself the single mother of an 8 year old girl and a 5 year old boy. We laughed about the fact that, suddenly, I too am the step-mother of two kids who are the same ages. But now I also have The Lorax. This last fact is, above all, humorous to her and her family as I've historically never been able to take care of myself. But Brye put her finger on something when she said, "SR has done it all before so he can tell you what to worry about and what you need to do to take care of a baby." This, for sure, has made all the difference and certainly has resulted in The Bois being a calm, happy baby.
We ate the best bowl of pasta I've ever had, courtesy of Brye's dad, with a little red wine.
The next morning I scouted out a trail on a local map. It was part of The Ice Age Trail (famous in ultra circles because of the race with it's name), a thousand-mile footpath entirely within the state of Wisconsin. No bikes or horses allowed. It's absolutely astounding that such a thing exists, maintained cooperatively by local groups, and simply dedicated to the state's geological history. It seems like something that would be in Denmark, and not in The United States. And, to be sure, people are fighting feverishly against it, not wanting such a path to get in the way of their McMansions and gourmet Italian grocery store chains. The last part of my run was cut off by the building of new suburban things. Little do they know what they're destroying.
Up until that point, it was a glorious, spiritual run through fields and forests, over bridges, marshes and paths through overgrown long grass. (Should I mention all the poison ivy? I had a suspicion I didn't react to the stuff, but after falling into a plant of it, I'm happily convinced.) It was just me and my water bottle belt. I ran into no one else on the path except for the brief section when it goes through a park. I felt so strong and happy. As has become routine on long runs, I went through every possible emotion over the course of 3.5 hours, including bringing myself to tears.
By the end, I felt like a creature, just existing in the beautiful prairie land. But much like the Dire Wolf 12,000 years earlier, I wanted my mate. But SR was working in an ER far away. I knew once he heard about me finding a new trail, he'd feel as if I'd cheated on him. And that's exactly what he said.
I went to my parent's house to find them playing with The Bois. I went for a long swim in the nearby lake. I thought of how much I wanted SR to be there with me.
I sometimes still can't believe we've found each other. I used to say we fit together like puzzle pieces. And I still feel that way. Before I met SR, I thought I knew what love was, but I was wrong. All I can say is when you find it, you'll know.
Running Song of The Day: The Story by Brandi Carlile
Monday, 11 August 2008
The Ice Age
2 comments:
- olga said...
I say "When you know - you know":)
Wonderful soul-fulfilling run. I am with you on suburban crap growing more into the green life, why? How many stores do we really need?? Sick, just sick.
- 12 August 2008 at 15:23
- Danni said...
Will you guys still be in the states this spring? If so you should do the Ice Age 50. I think I might be running it.
I sickens me when McMansions take over open space. It's not like there aren't already plenty of nice homes on the market. Such a waste in so many ways.
- 12 August 2008 at 23:35
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Production gear,
We got the same problems, the shops do not have any race boards.
At this moment their are no local dutch events planed for 2012.
In Holland, we hopefully have the pkra & kte.( Not confirmed jet. ) The only thing is that we dispite good dutch riders we do not have dutch riders with new production gear.
Underground is not sure and Airush holland will deliver in june.
The production rules are to early for Holland.
cheers Bram


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Emirati Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahyan announced on Monday that the UAE will forgive AED21.3 billion ($5.8 billion) in Iraqi debts saying, "An agreement will be signed soon to lay out the legal framework for waiving old Iraqi debt of $5.8 billion." The announcement was following the conclusion of a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart, Hoshyar Zebari. The debt dates back to the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s. In 2008, the UAE also cancelled $7 billion in debt from the Saddam Hussein era.
Minister Zebari thanked the UAE for cancelling the debt, which he described as "a very heavy burden" on Iraq. He said, "The relations between the two states did not stop [since the US invasion], but today we started the official framework of cooperation." The debt consists of a combination of loans and grants.
The two foreign ministers also expressed their intention to cooperate on the issues of Syria and Iran. Iraq also thanked the UAE for supporting the decision to hold the next Arab summit in Iraq. Sheikh Abdullah said regarding the summit, "We Arabs should make sure the next summit will be a step forward, and at the same time keep Iraq's right to host an Arab summit." A date for the summit has not yet been announced.
Trade between the UAE and Iraq amounted to over $4.5 billion in 2011. (Source: english.nuqudy.com)
© 2000 - 2019 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)


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WHO: Gucci
WHY: When it comes to show-stopping pumps you can't get much more dazzling than Gucci's Queencore heels. Made in Italy, they feature a bejeweled, snake on the heel and gold leather upper. If you're looking to up your shoe game, than these are for you.
Spread your wings with these gorgeous Sophia Webster's Evangeline sandals.
Indulge your inner princess with these bejeweled mules; a part of Rihanna's collaboration with Manolo.
You'll be proud as a peacock in these exquisite Prada pink satin embellished sandals.
Are you looking at me? Malone Souliers ups the style stakes with these awesome black and white ankle boots.
When it comes to show-stopping pumps you can't get much more dazzling than Gucci's Queencore heels.
Make a sizzling summer statement in these hot pink Michael Antonio Jestin heels.
Baby you're a firework, at least with these heels you will be.
Rupert Sanderson wows us with his Barrii heel in Moroccan Blue Velvet.
It's happy hour somewhere so why not celebrate with these Taylor Says Vino heels.
Go commando with these sexy Macayla sandals from GX by Gwen Stefani.
Be fierce in these fabulous leopard-print booties from the house of L.A.M.B.
Versatile, elegant and classic, treat yo'self to Rupert Sanderson's Vanity heel.
Taylor Says' Frenchie heels mean your dog can always be in your heart and on your heels.
Stay preppy this season thanks to these vintage-inspired heels from GX by Gwen Stefani.
Think pink with these hot heels from Michael Antonio.
Rupert Sanderson's Prestige ankle boot is one hot commodity.
Old school comfort with new school cool, wrap up in these mighty "Care A Lot" boots.
Add a pop of color to your Winter wardrobe thanks to these GX by Gwen Stefani heels.
Stand up and roar in these Taylor Says Ember heels.
Westwood teams up with Melissa shoes for these fab dragon-lady heels.
If a heel felt like it identified as a turban, this is what it would look like.
Turn heads with these incredibly sexy black Giuseppe Zanotti heels.
Halloween may be over but that doesn't mean the fun has to stop.
Day-to-night style courtesy of the Solita stiletto from Rupert Sanderson.
Add a slice of Big Apple style to your wardrobe this season with Taylor Says' Libertay heels.
Snow days have never looked this cool.
Turn heads with these jaw-dropping red Maryjane Patent heels by Vivienne Westwood.
A classic with a twist, we've fallen for these affordable and versatile Michael Antonio heels.
This heavenly heel brings a touch of classic femininity to any outfit.


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Priestly Ordinations 2015
Five new priests were ordained for the Archdiocese of Detroit on May 23, 2015, by Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron. The new priests were Fr. Mario Amore, Fr. Brian Meldrum, Fr. Jacob VanAssche, Fr. Radoslaw Zablocki and Fr. Sean Bonner. (Photos by Larry Peplin, Special to The Michigan Catholic)Read More


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Artist description:
just a statue
Canvas Draw Created Jan 17, 2013 640 x 460px Unless noted Copyright 2013 vis_in_vis.
We encourage you to submit a comment and let the artist know what you think of this drawing. Please log in or join to post a comment.
Post a comment
amazing , miss your drawings !
awesome your drawings are always so incredible and amazing to look ar like fav
Arata...impunator, am remarcat asta la personajele desenate de tine!frumos si backgroundul si texturile.
loving the idea , awesome textures and very beautiful.
i love the idea :D it seems a great place to be. I love the feathers, the rose and the skull. Great drawing ^^ like and adding to fav :D
Woow very nice! Great statue! 5/5h
very beautiful !
your imagination is beyond beautiful !
This is B E Autiful .


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Thanks Mike, you are a leader. Job well done and I can always count on you, thank you again.
Thank you for your knowledge and experience. The sale process was smooth and I was surprised with the end value agreed upon -- far higher than I speculated it would be. I look forward to working together in the future when the opportunity presents itself. Enjoy the summer, Ben
Thank you very much for your excellent service, Mike! We truly appreciate all your help! I recommend Mike Adler to anyone looking to move to the Middleton / Madison area. Mike went above and beyond helping our family move from San Diego to Madison. We threw him a challenge when our first request was to find a 6 month rental property within 2 weeks. He found us the perfect location to get our family settled in and answered all of our questions regarding schools, restaurants, etc. Then he spent the next 6 months patiently visiting potential homes with the five of us. Mike is so well respected in our neighborhood he was able to find a house that exceeded our needs and wasn't even on the market yet. He took great care of us and we are very happy in our home.
First of all, we appreciate all the time you spent finding houses that met our specifications, and the time you spent with us.Ā You always kept us informed of every detail we needed to know, and you got back to us very quickly with answers to all our questions.Ā You gave us good advice in choosing our home, and in negotiating our offer and counter offer.Ā You represented us well in dealing with US Bank, and at our closing.Ā You are very easy to work with.Ā We were very pleased with your service, and would highly recommend you.Ā Thanks again...
ThankĀ you for your assistance in locating and purchasing my condo.Ā You made a very challenging time in my life much easier.
My husband and I tried to sell our home for a year and a half, going through?Ātwo agents (through a different company), 40+ showings, and 0 offers.??ĀI came to know Mike through one of his previous clients who recommended him?Āto me. My husband and I believe Mike is one of the most personable,?Āhardworking, honest realtors we have ever met!??ĀHe was able to get an accepted offer on our home in 14 days with no?Āproblem you need a realtor? Choose Mike Adler!
Mike was the best.ĀĀ He listened to my needs, kept me informed on the sale of my property and was the utmost professional in selling my home.?You would be the only person that I would forward to people that I know that are looking to buy or sell in Real Estate.
As always,Āthank you for an excellent job.Ā Not the easiest of sales.ĀĀ But you followed through, and got the job done.Ā
It was a pleasure working with you through the purchase process and closing.Ā It is refreshing working with another agent who brings a high level of professionalism to the transaction.Ā I look forward to working with you again in the near future.Ā?
It is impossible to find words to express our appreciation to you for all you did for us.Ā You were always there for us when we needed you, and for that thank you soĀveryĀmuch. We are so happy in our new home.Ā
Both my wife and I are very grateful for your help on selling our house.
Thank you for your attention to detail and professionalism in dealing with our transaction.Ā ThisĀlevel of service is rare in our experience.Ā
Thank-you for all your help with finding me a condo in Middleton!Ā Your customer service was outstanding!Ā You made the whole buying experience fun and positive.Ā I am happy Todd and Aimee recommended you to me.Ā I love my new condo and mostly all settled in.Ā Its aĀHappy Home!Ā Thank you again!
Thank you very much for your help in the purchase of my house. I could not be happier. Doing this on my own was intimidating, but working with you took the majority of the stress away.
Thanks again with all your help with our home purchase!Ā We will be sure to recommend you to anyone in Madison.
Thank you for helping me find the perfect house in the perfect location. Thanks for holding my hand and showing me I could afford this and be independent.Ā
Thank you does not begin to express our family's gratitude for your work in selling Mom's house. You have been professional and fun to work with every step of the way. We are so grateful to have found. You are a true professional.Ā We have benefited from your expertise.
WeĀdon't mind encouraging other people to work with you and think they'd be foolish to work with aĀdifferent agent.Ā Your knowledgeable, experienced andĀgood natured...and get an A++++++++ from us.Ā :)
I can't thank you enough for all the hard work that you put into my home sale even knowing it was a short sale! Thanks for all the work, sweat and tears to get it done!
You did a fantastic job and made it easy for me.Ā I will definitely pass on your name to anyone that I know selling or buying.
Thanks much Mike!Ā It has been a pleasure working with you on this.Ā I much appreciate all your guidance and responsiveness, and particularly the suggestion to my parents that made the whole thing happen.
We can not say enough regarding Mr. Adler's professionalism, attention to detail, and timeliness that we would and will recommend any future sellers or buyers wanting to do real estate business in Madison, WI, to contact him. With out Mr. Adler's expertise and knowledge of the area, we would not have sold my wife's house as quickly had we chosen to do it ourselves. Again, thank you for your service and place 5 stars beside Mr. Adler's name on your website (www.homegain.com).
Mike is one of the very best Realtors that we have ever worked with. He went above and beyond to market and sell out home in one of the toughest markets. He was straight forward in all his dealings with us, never over promising but also not under valuing out property. He was steadfast and "on top of it" at all times. He was a great negotiator and had the right polish and professionalism that is required for the upper end market. All that, and he's a nice guy too. I highly recommend Mike to any serious home seller who deserves top dollar for their property.
What more could I ask of you. You sold my home in Middleton and also found me a condo that I really, really enjoy. You are a very easy person to communicate with, along with all the knowledge you have in the Real Estate Business, you amaze me. I will and have forwarded your name to friends that I know will be selling in the near future. Sincerely,
Dear Mike, We cannot Thank You enough for helping us buy our First House! We are so grateful you thought of us for the home it is going to be a wonderful home for our family! We appreciate your help and professionalism every step of the way ¢ from showing us the home multiple times, to drafting our offer, to identifying items on the inspection report. You made buying our first home seem easy. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
New construction is being offered for this Prairie-Craftsman style home in an approved PUD-SIP plat recently approved by the City of Middleton. 2309 SF, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, second floor laundry, mud room, screen porch, spacious mater suite with walk in closet, and special master bath. This special home also offers you a tandem 3 car garage, walk out lower level, plus the ability to add a bedroom, approved by the City of Middleton.
Property Type: Single Family
Taxes: $0
Basement: Full, Full Size Windows/Exposed, Poured Concrete Foundation, Stubbed for Bathroom
Garage: 2 car, Attached, Opener inc.
Style: Prairie/Craftsman
Fireplace: 1 Fireplace, Gas
Kitchen Features: Disposal
Interior Features: At Least 1 tub, Cable available, High Speed Internet, Walk-in closet(s)
Exterior Features:
Elementary School: Sauk Trail
Middle School: Kromrey
High School: Middleton
Master Bedroom:14x17
Bedroom #2:15x13
Bedroom #3:12x13
Living/Grt Rm:17x18
Dining Area:11x14
Bedroom #4:0x0
Rec Room:0x0
Accuracy of information for 2105 N Gateway St, provided by seller, listing broker, and other third parties, is not guaranteed and should be verified by buyer if material.
Listing provided courtesy: Restaino & Associates
Copyright 2019, South Central Wisconsin MLS Corporation. All rights reserved.


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VATICAN CITY — When Pope Benedict XVI was elected pope in 2005, the Vatican quickly (just 16 hours after his election) set up six different email addresses by language for well-wishers to send greetings and prayers.
Just two days after the accounts were set up, the Vatican Internet office received over 56,000 emails. But as more people found out about the addresses, the servers soon crashed, prompting the Vatican, this time around, to no longer continue the shortly-lived tradition.
Vatican spokesman, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi told journalists today that the 2005 initiative triggered "an avalanche of messages that put the system in crisis."
The small staff at the Internet office is also "unable to respond to the number of emails that come in," therefore, an email address is not currently in the cards, he said.
"I don't know if it will happen in the future, but for now there are no plans," he said.
So greetings, messages and notes will have to go via Twitter @Pontifex. Or if 140 characters aren't enough, there's always the old-fashioned way: via snail mail to His Holiness Pope Francis, 00120 Vatican City State. But don't go overboard or the poor papal postmen lugging all those the letters might protest and discourage that option too!


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You know what would make an art-heist flick even cooler? If you combined it with some extreme memory-wiping shenanigans. 28 Days Later and Slumdog Millionaire director Danny Boyle seems to agree, going by this trailer for his upcoming movie Trance.
This looks quite… chaotic. The story of an art heist gone wrong, ending in amnesia, with James McAvoy holding the key to the stolen painting's location, but no memory of it. If Boyle's past work is anything to go by, Trance is gonna be something interesting at the very least. And hey, it's got Rosario Dawson hypnotizing people. I'd let Rosario Dawson hypnotize me, just saying.
Here we are, it's Thursday, and we're almost to the weekend again. Seems like these weeks just fly by, don't they? Feel free to discuss Danny Boyle's oeuvre, memory movies, or whatever else, here or over in the Talk Amongst Yourselves forum. Have good conversations, see you on Friday.


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Maria Sharapova has lost only five games in four matches on the way to the Australian Open quarter-finals, a record at the season's first major that seems to be immaterial to the 25-year-old Russian.
The world No. 2 beat Kirsten Flipkens of Belgium 6-1, 6-0 on Sunday to continue a dominant and unparalleled run.
"Well I'm certainly happy to be playing this well, but ... it only gets tougher from here," said Sharapova, who is playing her first tournament of the year after withdrawing from an exhibition match in South Korea and a warmup event in Brisbane because of an injured collarbone.
Steffi Graf conceded only eight games in her opening four matches in Melbourne in 1989, when she won the second of her three straight Australian Open titles. Monica Seles matched that mark. Sharapova has been even more dominant.
She started with a pair of 6-0, 6-0 wins — the first time that has happened at a major since 1985 — and then beat seven-time Grand Slam winner Venus Williams 6-1, 6-3 in the third round.
The reigning French Open champion is showing no signs of trouble with the collarbone in Melbourne, where she last won the title in 2008.
"The year that I won here I don't think there were many games that I lost, but I don't think it was five or six," she said, reflecting on a run to the title where she beat three players who had been ranked world No. 1. "Toughest draw in my career."
It has not been as tough this year, but she next plays fellow Russian Ekaterina Makarova, who ousted fifth seed Angelique Kerber 7-5, 6-4.
Sharapova beat Makarova in the quarter-finals last year on her way to the final, which she lost in straight sets to Victoria Azarenka.
Sharapova had to beat former world No. 1 Justine Henin in the quarter-finals when she won in 2008. Last year, she beat Makarova at the same stage en route to the final, but Makarova, ranked 19th, said she is better prepared this time.
"I really want to play against Maria," Makarova said. "Now I'm pretty confident and I like my game."
Li Na saved a set point in the tiebreaker, before beating Julia Goerges 7-6 (8/6), 6-1. She is next due to play fourth seed Agnieszka Radwanska, who beat 13th seed Ana Ivanovic 6-2, 6-4 for her 13th consecutive win. Radwanska won the Auckland and Sydney titles before traveling to Melbourne.
In men's matches, fourth seed David Ferrer had a 6-2, 6-1, 6-4 win over 16th seed Kei Nishikori of Japan to reach the quarter-finals, where he meets Nicolas Almagro.
Nishikori had won two of his previous three matches with Ferrer and was a quarter-finalist in Australia last year, but struggled with 65 unforced errors in the 2 hour, 10 minute match.
Almagro advanced later yesterday, leading 6-2, 5-1 when eighth seed Janko Tipsaveric retired.
In the late match, top seed Novak Djokovic of Serbia was in a tight battle with Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka, with the score standing at 1-6, 7-5, 6-4, 6-7 (5/7), 10-10 as at press time last night.
The winner plays fifth seed Tomas Berdych, who needed five match points in the tiebreaker before beating South Africa's Kevin Anderson 6-3, 6-2, 7-6 (15/13) to reach the quarter-finals for the third straight year.
In the women's doubles, Taiwan's Hsieh Su-wei and her partner, Peng Shuai of China, pushed their top-seeded Italian opponents to the brink, before succumbing in the third round.


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It turns out that if your bank uses Verified by Visa and you use Firefox 5 or newer then you need to enable the "accept third party cookies" option or payments will mysteriously fail :-(.
Archives for 2011
Needs a paint
Not sure if I've posted a picture of this bridge before: It's over the Thames between Cookham and Bourne End where I went for a wander this morning. If they painted it it would look quite nice.
Big Value
For some reason Tesco are currently selling 4.25kg boxes of "big value" Persil non-bio washing powder cheaper than the otherwise identical 2.5kg boxes. Stock up now!
Holiday Camp
I've been in Norway for a few days for our annual company conference thing. We stayed at this Butlins-esque convention centre on the coast about an hours drive from Oslo. The chalets are very cute. Weather wasn't great but at least it wasn't -20°C like last time.
Further Evidence
Fresh evidence has recently been uncovered supporting the existence of distinct left and right socks. This hotly debated topic has been featured previosuly on this blog. This image of two socks seen in the wild clearly shows distinctive "left" and "right" markings: Quite how sceptics can continue to claim that left and right socks are […]
Isle of Wight
I spent last week on the Isle of Wight with my family. It was awesome! If you haven't been, the Isle of Wight is one of the best holiday destinations in the world. In no particular order, here are the amazing attractions we visited. Hovercraft! As previously documented the Isle of Wight has the UK's […]
The pier in Ryde is sooo long. Looks very pretty when the sun goes to nap behind it:
Nice evening to go for a walk… …and spot some hovercraft.
Is it a plane? Is it a boat? No! It's a hovercraft!! The 20th century's greatest invention and a glorious engineering achievement. Here is one parked: The passengers are onboarded, the hovercraft is ready to go! POOF! The hovercraft inflates! 😀 Vrooom! Zoom! Off it goes! The hovercraft cares not whether it travels on the […]
In Detroit there are lots of things that are borked: http://detroiturbex.com/content/index.html Interesting photos, especially the inside ones.


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Myonk necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 95 diseños de 16 diseñadores freelance.
Limo-tainment LLC will provide luxurious, safe transportation in and around Chicago. Limo-tainment's limo-bus (party bus) will accommodate to a variety of events including but not limited to: Weddings, Proms, Bachelor & Bachelorette Parties, Tailgating, Nights out on the Town, Corporate Events and Tours.
This logo is for a limo bus company. I want the logo to have a luxurious feel to it since this is a high end service. For those of you who do not know what a limo bus is, imagine a limousine interior, raise the ceiling 3ft, increase the size of the TV's and the quality of the sound system and now you have a limo bus.
I would like black to be the primary color because it represents luxury and classiness which we want to evoke out of our company. Other colors to incorporate: metallic colors (silvers, golds, copper color, etc.) , vibrant red (we may have a red carpet on websites main page so it might pair well together) and grays. Feel free to throw in your won ideas but I think these colors should be the base of the logo.
Additional information:
This is a Chicago based Business.
The target demographic: Upper-middle class or more affluent, corporate executives and anyone in need of a special event (i.e. weddings or proms).
For the name of the company feel free to mess around with "Limo-tainment" and "Limotainment" (with and without the hyphen).
I would like the text to look sharp and pop out. Be creative, try to avoid the common everyday fonts.
The attachment has pictures of what a limo bus looks like and logos with my comments.
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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All fine art prints are created using archival pigment inks on museum grade fine art papers. Finish is matte and image area is slightly smaller than indicated to provide safe handling.
All prints are signed on the back by Darryl Bernstein and Limited Edition prints are accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity.


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MIAMI, Fla. - With each brush stroke, the color caresses the canvas, capturing the essence of her spirit.
Katiuska Gonzalez feels her artwork connects her closer to God.
Her work is so meticulous, you would expect it to be on display at any of Miami's top galleries. Instead, she placed her work in a church.
"It has been very successful. The community gets to know about your artwork. It's really a great venue," said Gonzalez.
There are no paintings of the Last Supper or saints at Crossbridge Church in Miami. Instead, it is contemporary art that cover the walls.
Through an outreach program called "19-One," South Florida artists are invited to showcase their works in the sanctuary.
"We just want to bless the artistic community. We feel the artist have a very special place in society," said Lead Pastor Felipe Assis.
Assis said he also feels the artwork can be a very effective ministry tool, even if the artist is not a believer.
"The art is communicating a certain truth that the artist may not be aware of. That is because the artist was created for that purpose," said Assis.
If a piece sells, the church does not collect a commission nor does the church charge for wall space. Instead, the focus is glorify God through the artistry.
Copyright 2012 by Post Newsweek. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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Yahoo! co-founder to keynote UH Hilo commencement May 16
UH Hilo Home > News and Events > UH Hilo Press Releases
Date: Friday, May 1, 2009
Contact: Alyson Kakugawa-Leong, (808) 974-7642
For Immediate Release
The University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo will feature one of the biggest names of the Internet era when Yahoo! Inc. co-founder and part-time Hawaiʻi resident Jerry Yang delivers the keynote address at spring commencement, scheduled for Saturday, May 16, at 9:00 a.m. at Edith Kanaka`ole Stadium.
A total of 487 students representing the Colleges of Arts and Sciences (404), College of Agriculture, Forestry and Natural Resource Management (20), College of Business and Economics (43), and Ka Haka `Ula O`Ke`elikolani College of Hawaiian Language (20) are candidates for various degrees or certificates.
The 40-year-old Yang was born in Taipei, Taiwan and moved to San Jose, California at the age of eight with his mother and brother. Yang earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University where he was a member of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity. He has maintained ties to his alma mater, and is presently on leave from the University's electrical engineering Ph.D. program.
Yang emerged as one of the stars of the dot-com explosion while still in college, when he teamed with David Filo to create an Internet website consisting of a directory of other websites in 1994. "Jerry's Guide to the World Wide Web," was later renamed Yahoo!, leading to Yang and Filo co-founding Yahoo! Inc. the following year.
What began as a web portal with an extensive directory of products and services for online activities has since grown to become a leading global Internet brand and one of the most heavily trafficked networks. The company provides services in more than 30 languages and in more than 30 countries, regions and territories, including localized versions of Yahoo!
As a key member of the executive management team, Yang's focus at Yahoo! throughout the years has included corporate strategy, technology vision, strategic business partnerships and international joint ventures and talent recruitment.
Yang is also a member of the company's board of directors, in addition to sitting on the boards of Yahoo! Japan, Cisco Systems, Alibaba, the Asian Pacific Fund and Stanford University Board of Trustees.
In addition to his high tech achievements, Yang has earned a reputation as a philanthropist through his generous support for higher education. In 2007, Yang and his wife, Akiko Yamazaki, donated $75 million to Stanford University, with $50 million designated to support environmental research. His previous gifts to Stanford have funded scholarships, undergraduate education, and other campus programs at the School of Engineering, the Asia Pacific Research Center, the Stanford Japan Center, and the Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve.
Yang will be honored during the UH Hilo Commencement with an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree to recognize his achievements as a global visionary and for his charitable contributions.
Patricia Michaels-Hausman-Walters, who will earn bachelor of arts degrees in psychology and anthropology, along with a certificate in women's studies, will serve as student speaker. A non-traditional student, Walters` success at UH Hilo is the latest chapter in an inspiring story of triumph over adversity.
Walters enrolled at UH Hilo in 2003, 12 years after suffering a traumatic brain injury when she slid head first into the galley service door handle of a DC-9 while working as a TWA flight attendant. The accident initially left her in a vegetative state with numerous physical and cognitive injuries, unable to write or speak.
After months of rehabilitation, Walters regained the ability to speak and write. Years later, she still faces long-term learning disabilities such as long- and short-term memory loss, and the loss of math and organizational skills, but manages to overcome those challenges through hard work and determination made possible by an unshakable spiritual strength.
She completed her first semester at UH Hilo with a 3.5 GPA, and despite the challenges she must continually overcome, is on track to graduate with a GPA of 3.0. She spent three years with Professor Stephanie Dodge researching domestic violence issues in addition to volunteering at the UH Hilo Women's Center since 2003, and performed in the 2009 Vagina Monologues.
Active in campus affairs, Walters served two years as president of the UH Hilo Chapter of PSI-CHI National Honor Society for Psychology. She held various offices with the Psychology Club over a three-year period, including president, vice president and secretary. Walters also served as president of Freedom Equality Movement to promote equality for all and is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.
Her commencement address will challenge the graduating class to use the power of their education to change the world.
Walters plans to return to the classroom this fall to pursue a masters degree in counseling psychology or a Ph.D. in clinical psychology. She hopes to eventually open a wellness center to help women who have suffered similar traumatic events by providing training and teaching new skills they can use to help them rebuild and enrich their lives.
For more information on Commencement, contact Judith Fox-Goldstein at 974-7555 or email email@example.com. For special accommodations, contact Susan Shirachi at 933-0816 (V) or 933-3334 (TTY). Requests should be made at least 10 business days prior to the event.
Disclaimer: The University of Hawaii at Hilo is not responsible for the contents, links and/or materials presented in any web site listed above that are not of the "hilo.hawaii.edu" or ".uhh.hawaii.edu" domains. All comments, complaints and grievances should be filed with the author, host and/or owner of said site.


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Over a year ago, a Los Angeles Judge ruled that file sharing software programs were legal and developers could not be held liable for copyright infringement that may occur when people use their products. The record and movie industry appealed the decision, and now the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld that ruling.
"The (record labels and movie studios) urge a re-examination of the law in the light of what they believe to be proper public policy," the court wrote. "Doubtless, taking that step would satisfy the copyright owners' immediate economic aims. However, it would also alter general copyright law in profound ways with unknown ultimate consequences outside the present context."
This quote highlights some concerns the Congressional Budget Office outlined in a report on digital copyright issues. They stressed that "Revisions to copyright law should be made without regard to the vested interest of particular business and consumer groups." In essence they urge that lawmakers help restore the balance between copyright protection and consumer concerns that recently have shifted in the copyright holders' favor.
Now the question is how long will the Ninth Circuit Court's ruling be relevant? As many may already know, Senators Orrin Hatch and Patrick Leahy are aiming to push through the Induce Act that would circumvent today's ruling and make any software or technology that aids copyright infringement illegal. Senator Hatch has vowed to move ahead with the Induce Act even though software and other tech companies believe the legislation goes too far in protecting copyrights and may stifle innovation. Today's ruling may lead the MPAA and RIAA to place added pressure for the bill's passage. Even though hearings on the proposed Act ended in with a call for compromise, the bill may still end up heavily slanted in the copyright holders' favor after Hatch placed the Register of Copyrights in charge of organizing comments for a consensus bill. This move is disturbing since the Register of Copyrights, Marybeth Peters, testified the proposed Induce Act wasn't strong enough in protecting copyright holders' interests.


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Note: Crown closed in March 2015. The reasons are unclear, but chef John DeLucie has been in numerous disputes with his business partner, Sean Largotta.
Crown is the first of chef John DeLucie's restaurants that I have visited—or wanted to.
Exactly how DeLucie became New York's "chef to the stars" is beyond me. He parlayed a mediocre resume into the top job at La Bottega in the Maritime Hotel, which got a goose-egg from Amanda Hesser in The Times. He parlayed that unimpressive achievement to Graydon Carter's reboot of the Waverly Inn (one star from Bruni), then opened his own place nearby, The Lion, where reviews were terrible.
From there, he took his gravity-defying act to the Upper East Side, where his downtown audience has inexplicably followed him, only to find a great surprise: the food is very good.
DeLucie isn't cooking here. Instead, he's got Jason Hall, former chef de cuisine of Gotham Bar & Grill; and Heather Bertinetti, Michael White's former pastry chef at Marea (and other places). They're joined by a first-rate sommelier, Jordan Salcito (Daniel, Eleven Madison Park, Veritas, Gilt).
Crown occupies an Upper East Side townhouse from the gilded age, in the former Bruno Jamais space. It has been completely remodeled, in country-club velvet and mahogany, with ornate, coffered ceilings and dim sconces.
There's a series of three rooms: a narrow, back-lit bar; a main dining room resembling a dark library, and a second dining room (doubling as an event space) with skylights and a window onto a courtyard.
At short notice, the only reservations you'll get are 5:45 or 10:00 p.m. — my first visit was at the earlier time — but with a couple of weeks' advance planning we had no trouble getting in at 7:00 p.m. on a weeknight.
Crown proves that there is still a market for traditional elegance, at least when it's done by someone who can attract an audience. DeLucie draws a mix of downtown and uptown guests, young and old. Most dress up, buying into an an old-school charm seldom seen these days. Crown would be instantly denounced as old-fashioned, had anyone else opened it.
Old-school luxury costs old-school money. Most appetizers and pastas are in the $20s. Entrées start at $27 (chicken), rising to $65 (bone-in tenderloin), with most in the $30s or $40s. There is, of course, caviar service; and when in season, ricotta gnudi with white truffles ($110).
The wine list is very good, but most bottles are in three figures, or at least the high twos. The by-the-glass list is fairly expensive. Cocktails ($14) are a comparative bargain, with classics like the Dirty Gibson (vodka, olive brine, pickle juice).
The cuisine is basically American, with French and Italian influences. None of it is ground-breaking. It might even be called timid. But over the course of two visits I sampled ten dishes, and most were flawless.
A luscious foie gras terrine with mission figs, 50-year balsamic, and warm walnut raisin bread ($23; above left), was all it should be. There are three pastas on the current menu. I enjoyed the silk handkerchief pasta (above right) with a rich bolognese sauce, but you do not get much of it for $26, and it needed to be in a bowl, not spread out horizontally on a nearly-flat plate.
A side of cauliflower, raisins, and almonds ($10; below left) was the only dish that I didn't like: it was too salty and too watery.
A sampler of sorbets ($10; above right) hardly gave pastry chef Heather Bertinetti much chance to shine, but there was an attractive mix of flavors—mango, green apple, and grapefruit.
My friend Kelly joined me for a second visit. We loved both appetizers, a Tasmanian Trout Tartare ($21; above left) and a vibrant Chilled Seafood Salad ($21; above right).
Milk-fed Veal Sirloin ($37; above left) wrapped in speck may not look like much, but it was one of the tenderest veal dishes I've had in a long time. My friend was impressed with the Bay Scallops ($38; above right) with potato confit and fresh laurel.
A side of Brussels Sprouts ($12; below left) with bacon and pecorino was full of smokey flavor.
The desserts, like everything else, are not very adventurous, but a chocolate soufflé ($14; above right) was just about perfect.
The professional reviews of Crown have started to roll in (two stars from Platt; two stars from Cuozzo; a dissenting one star from Sutton). Some critics have complained about the service, and you can see why.
On my first visit, I was seated in Siberia, at a small two-top near a beverage station, even though the restaurant was nearly empty, with only nine tables seated by 7:00 p.m. Service begins with the choice of five kinds of bread, but both that I sampled seemed stale, and the butter was cold. Staff were milling around, but none noticed that I needed my water glass refilled, or that I wanted to order wine. (When I mentioned this to the sommelier later on, she kindly comped a glass of dessert wine.) The food came out quickly, as if they wanted me gone. I ordered regular coffee; espresso came instead (not billed), and it was lukewarm.
It was all much better on my second visit, although this time the restaurant was far more crowded. But the bar will not transfer your tab to the dining room, which at a place this expensive is inexcusable.
With DeLucie exploring new restaurants spaces every other week, success here depends on keeping his high-powered team together, so that they can continue to improve it. He needs a house manager, who can make the dining room experience as near to flawless as the food. Will Crown be among the 30 percent of restaurants that get better after the reviews, or the 70 percent that get worse?
Crown (24 E. 81st St. between Madison & Fifth Avenues, Upper East Side)
Food: ★★
Service: ★★
Ambiance: ★★★
Overall: ★★


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|Syntactic Confectionery Delight
Re: Re: Re: How do you critique another person's code?by merlyn (Sage)
|on Dec 20, 2001 at 22:29 UTC ( #133556=note: print w/replies, xml )
|Need Help??
Does he have potential? Yes, we all do.If by that you mean "Does he have potential to be an expert programmer?", I'm going to disagree with you.
Over the years, I've had lots of opportunity to watch various people attempt and master programming.
Some people "get it". Others... just don't.
Now there's nothing lesser about those that don't. Let's take the inverse as an example. Most people consider me to be an expert programmer. But I can't draw worth beans. It mystifies me. I can't figure out how people know where to put the lines or the colors, or how to transform the 3-D world they are viewing into the 2-D projection of it for the paper.
So, I don't draw. I'm not braindead. I just don't think that way. Similarly, I've seen that most people don't think in the way that it takes to be an expert programmer. Nothing wrong with them. They just don't have that particular aptitude.
And I may get flamed on this. Lemme also say that I think as children, we probably can and do pick a path, and maybe only then were all possibilities equally probable. But at some point, we start specializing, and after that, there's a commitment to the wiring of a particular brain. My theory, anyway.
Now if you meant "has potential to get a bit better", certainly, I can support that. But maybe he oughta take up another line of work. Seriously.
-- Randal L. Schwartz, Perl hacker
In Section Meditations