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New Jersey Home Design Trends for 2014
New New Jersey homes are being built every day. According to Kiplinger's Economic Outlook, "there's more expansion ahead for the housing market in 2014, with starts and new-home sales continuing to rise at double-digit rates, thanks to tight inventory. (Click here to Read More)". In a state with the economy the size of Austria's GDP (Click here), NJ families are rebuilding, repairing and reconstructing. People are building new homes and updating old houses. Based on the Kiplinger's report, we expect a 4 percent rise in existing home sales, to just below 5 and a half million in the US this year. New Jersey will be a part of this rise as homeowners flee New York (click here for Forbes article).
How are people updating NJ homes?
With each new project on restored and new homes, we've noticed a few building and design trends with homeowners. Here is what is going on inside the houses being built every day in New Jersey for 2014.
5 NJ Home Construction Trends for 2014
1. Focal Kitchens
Historically, the kitchen was reconciled to low traffic areas near the back of the home. However, in 2014, we see New Jersey customs shifting. Over time the kitchen has become the center of the home. Homeowners are using the kitchen as an accessible space designed for daily family juggling. By having the kitchen remain open, moms and dads can help their kids with homework, as they do their taxes (which are due pretty soon) , all while keeping an eye on the meal they are cooking.
2. Peace and Quiet
Homeowners are employing their house as a retreat from the stresses of work. The home is becoming the new place for micro-vacations. What's a private getaway without some spa treatment? Requests are made every day in places like middletown, New Jersey for the glorious spa bathroom.
Keep an eye out for bathrooms with walk-in showers equipped with benches and sauna features, cozy bathtubs and inviting heated tile flooring. When planning construction, many homeowners find inspiration for their future spa bath on pinterest. (Click here for some Pinterest ideas)
3. Flex Space
Let's face it, more and more homes are becoming multi-generational. According to the Huffington Post, there is a rising amount of senior citizens in the U.S. moving back home with their kids (Read More). This shift has started a trend of NJ homeowners building "Flex Rooms" (Click here to see Flex Room Ideas on Pinterest). Flex rooms are generally bedrooms planned to create space for larger families to relax, read or ruminate.
These rooms represent the freedom to have options, say if there is a natural disaster, or if the family grows, or you want to claim your man space.
Although, many homeowners are building flex rooms with private entrances. These type of flex spaces are normally intended to generate some passive income with a renter. Usually, that is until the family needs the space. Either way, it makes sense to build for the future. Throw your hat over the wall.
4. Building with Nature
Homeowners are looking to save on long term home costs while limiting harm to the environment. This change in thinking sparked the adoption of a home that is saving money and the planet; the passive home. This house works with nature, not against it. That is, this house harnesses the sun, wind, and air flow to minimize long term cost of running a home. (To learn more about passive homes click here)
5. Electric Vehicle Charging
Electric vehicles are here to stay. According to ClipperCreek, an authority on electric vehicle charging, cities like Palo Alto and Santa Clara "mandated new homes and non-residential buildings be pre-wired to accommodate electric vehicle charging stations during their construction. This prevents owners from having to pay up to $2,000 to redo wiring in a building that has already been constructed, pre-wiring buildings during original construction only costs around $200." Even in New Jersey, it's easy to find businesses and homes with e-vehicle charging stations(Click here to see if there are charging stations near you).
Chances are, in the not too distant future, you will be charging your car rather than filling it at the gas station. We are seeing more future homeowners and people rebuilding requesting electrical charging station rewiring. It's something to think about, specifically for resale.
Connect with HHTA
Here at HHTA, we can help you create a dream home for you to live in or sell. We have award winning architects already helping your neighbors with historical restoration projects, and even rebuilding your home after a natural disaster, like Hurricane Sandy. Contact us for all the advice and guidance on your home restoration and construction projects.
Don't forget to follow our posts about inventive design, architecture, and historic home care on our Google Plus and Facebook.


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The American dream of home ownership is becoming a nightmare to the middle class. It absolutely amazes me that the general public still has the mind set that because they are "American" and live in the United States that they are some how protected from fraud and theft. People sign mortgage documents without reading what they are signing.
When you purchase a mortgage there are a few different options to keep in mind. First is the Government backed loans referred to as Ginnie Mae loan products. These are VA and FHA loans. What this means is the government issue insurance to back the loan. These loans were designed to give the people of this country an opportunity to purchase a home with a fixed rate over a manageable period of time like 30 years.
A VA loan is a loan product specifically designed for our Veterans. If you served in our countries Navy, Air Force, Army or Marines Corps you are entitled to a zero down loan. The cost of this loan is a little more expensive than a traditional loan and most of the cost can either be mortgaged or paid by the seller. The mortgage insurance for this loan is paid by the government. The benefits of this loan are that the mortgage insurance is paid for you and you can purchase with no money down. You will need to show some money however to qualify for the loan.
An FHA loan is 3 1/2% down with mortgage insurance. There are several FHA loan products. One of the best loan products that is frequently overlooked is called a 203k. This loan allows the borrowers to purchase a home that may need work. Say you have your eye on a house that needs a new roof or replacement windows. You can purchase the home for whatever price you negotiate with the seller then add the cost of repair to the loan. You will have to put 3 1/2% down on the total amount that you will finance. The great thing about this is the house transfers title and then you can have the work done and the money is in an escrow account to pay the bill when the work is finished. This loan isn't cheap but you usually get a house for a better price when it needs work so it all evens out at the end.
There are traditional loans called Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. These generally start at 5% down. Some of these will stop charging mortgage insurance at 15% loan to value. Meaning if your home is worth $100,000 and your mortgage is $85,000 your $15,000 in equity is 15% loan to value. Private mortgage insurance prices vary depending on how much you have in equity and what your credit score is.
When I refer to Ginnie Mae, Freddie Mac, and Fannie Mae these are the names of the products that resell on the secondary mortgage market.These are called Mortgage backed securities. People invest in these and until recently it was a pretty good investment. By making this an investment product it frees the money up to lend more. What has happened is it kind of got out of whack. This was a good thing and it helped get our country out of the 1930 depression. When people lose jobs and were unable to pay their mortgages it created a financial tsunami. When people default on their loan these securities go down in value. If there aren't investors in these securites there is no money. The Federal Government has been investing in these and of course selling these securites.
There are several types of loan products that you can get in all three groups. The best and safest is the fixed rate. This can be for any amount of time. Generally people do 30 years. If you make one extra payment a year you will save thousands of dollars and payoff your mortgage in 20 years. There is a loan product that is kind of hard to find it is called a biweekly mortgage. It is set up on the extra payment principle. You take whatever the 30 year mortgage payment is and divide in half and pay that every two weeks. This will result in an extra payment a year which will pay down your loan in 20 years. You can get a 20, 15,10 year amortized loan as well.
The adjustable rate loan (ARM) is a little more tricky. This is where you really need to read the fine print. If you see an ARM described as 3/2 that means every 3 years it can adjust up or down by 2%. These loans are based on different indexes. Most are based on Treasury securities rates. The lender adds a margin to whatever index they are basing their ARM on. Basically the cost of money with a profit added in.
Always make sure there is a cap on the ARM. There are different kinds of Caps. There is a cap of the life of the loan. Meaning it will not ever adjust over say 7.5%. There is a cap on the amount you can adjust on in every adjustable cycle. Like 5 years or 3 years.
Third Federal has an interesting ARM. They are showing a 5/1 and a 3/1. This means the rate is locked for the first 5 or 3 year cycle. Then it adjusts every year up or down by 2%. They state that you can re lock your rate anytime for the cost of $495 The cap on the life of this loan is 5%. This is a great product if you are planning to move soon or want to take advantage of the lower rate and make extra principle payments. In general adjustable rate loans are risky especially when we are at the bottom of the market. You know it can only go up. The savings is usually 1%.
Another loan is the interest only loan. This is one that I think the banks should start to take another look at. When you have people in a recession like we are in. If we can modify their present loans to interest only for a set time like 5 years then we can keep people in their homes. If after 5 years they haven't been able to correct their situation, they probably won't and should look for less expensive living situations. An interest only loan can cut the cost of the payment in half.
There are interest only loans out there, but the problem is most of these products are put out by mortgage companies. Mortgage companies are in the sales business. Their entire goal is just to sell mortgage loan products. After a mortgagee purchases one of their products Mortgage companies generally sell the loans.The servicing of these loans go to several companies that get paid a fee to collect the money on the debt instrument. The problem with that is the companies that do the servicing aren't that great. I have heard horror stories about the servicing company double charging, or foreclosing on a home because money that was withdrawn from an account went to the old servicer and didn't get credited to the new servicer. By the time a borrower can get the situation repaired there is usally all sorts of penalties and fees that you have to try to get waived. Most of these companies are incredibly hard to work with.
In short get a fixed rate loan try to make principle payments or one extra payment a year if you can. If you do a ARM be careful understand it completely before doing it. If you find you are in some sort of hardship call your bank before you get behind and try to work something out. As you can tell I'm not a fan of mortgage company loans because your loan becomes a piece of paper with no face behind it. If you work with a bank that you use on a regular basis hopefully they will help you with some sort of modification. Most important make sure wherever you get a loan from make sure they service their loans. Third Federal does not sell their loans and will always be the servicer. They do not have FHA or VA loans and tend to prefer at least 15% down. Most banks keep the servicing of the loan as another tool for the bank to earn income. Always ask about the servicing to avoid the nightmare to can result from ending up with one of the bad companiesout there.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Look what our Congress it up to now!
I recently got this in an email and it really bothered me!
The Time Has Come:
Governors of 35 states have already filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50) States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
An idea whose time has come!
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest was to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform ... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We are not supposed to have an elite that is above the law.
I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
A Constitutional Convention - this is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come. And, with the advent of modern communication, the process can be moved along with incredible speed. There is talk out there that the "government" doesn't care what the people think. That is irrelevant. It is incumbent on the population to address elected officials to the wrongs afflicted against the populace...you and me. Think about this...
The 26th amendment (granting the right to vote for 18 year-olds) took only 3 months & 8 days to be ratified! Why? Simple! The people demanded it. That was in 1971...before computers, before e-mail, before cell phones, etc.
Of the 27 amendments to the Constitution, seven (7) took 1 year or less to become the law of the land...all because of public pressure.
I'm asking each addressee to forward this Email to a minimum of twenty people on their Address list; in turn ask each of those to do likewise.
In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:
"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States ."
We need to do something about this! Like write your Congressman today!
Friday, September 10, 2010
I agree with Donald Trump
Donald Trump is known as a great Real Estate investor. I have not always been a big fan of his, but I have to side with him on this one. Donald called Inman Feisal Abdul Rauf, lets just call him Inmam for this article. He is the man who wants to build the Mosque in New York close to Ground Zero in New York. Donald offered this man 25% more plus all closing costs to purchase the building from this man with the agreement that Inman would not build a Mosque within a certain amount of blocks from Ground Zero. The man countered Donald.
Her are the details. Inman bought the building for 4.85 million and some change. Donald offered 6.2 million and some change. Inmam countered at 20 million.He has since been quoted to say if someone wants to give me 18 - 20 million I will sell it. Donald's take on this guy is that he doesn't have the money to build a Mosque. In fact Donald thinks this guy is using emotional blackmail on the people of the United States to get rich or richer! Talk about cold hearted business!
Are we going to let this guy pull this off? He has gotten the public so upset and outraged using our countries laws of freedom to fuel the fire. Like a game of chess what is the next move here?
Donald doesn't want to give into Imam's use of emotional blackmail to make him rich. Inmam has a pretty shady background. Otherwise this is this guys style! Ugly yes but do we let him win and get the best of us?
Donald has stated that Inmam has stated that he would be interested in selling. Donald and I think this guy is grandstanding and the he has no real interest in building a Mosque. Do we call his bluff? What happens if Donald and I are wrong and he does build this Mosque so close to Ground Zero.
I say lets call his bluff and see what he does. If he comes up with the money to actually get the building started then we can start using other methods to delay and add expense to his plans.
I looked at the building site and it really isn't that big! Usually a Mosque takes a lot more space. I thought that a Mosque would require more area for parking. This property is a building that has buildings on both sides of it with no space in between. Every Mosque that I have seen is a monument style building with lots of space around it. Plus the entry of the site has to face Mecca their most holy city in Islam. Does this site allow that? I can't tell from Cleveland, Ohio. So unless I'm wrong the property might not be the proper site according to their Islamic rules to even construct is correctly!
Lets get smart here and stop letting Inmam manipulate us on our emotions. Lets use our heads here. I believe that Donald Trump is on to something. This guys is trying to pull off the biggest real estate deal in New York with the use of emotional blackmail! I guess that is a legal form of terrorism!
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The History Of Blaxploitation Cinema
Article by Aaron Haughton
This month, we pay tribute to the blaxploitation film genre by examining the movement and all its cinematic glory. We'll discuss everything from the quintessential films and figures in the genre, as well as its resurface within contemporary cinema. To lay a solid foundation, we begin the month by taking a brief look at the history of the genre from its formation to present day.
What does blaxploitation mean, and where does the term come from?
The blaxploitation genre is a subset of exploitation cinema, which is fundamentally comprised of independently produced, low-budget B-movies or grindhouse films. These films typically revolve around lewd, violent or taboo subject matter, and are engineered specifically to attract an audience through sensation and controversy.
Blaxploitation films featured black actors in lead roles, and typically centered around African Americans overcoming oppressive, antagonistic and generally white authority figures, referred to as none other than "The Man." More often than not, protagonists in blaxploitation films were outlined as stereotypical characterizations, such as pimps, pushers, prostitutes, or bounty hunters, but at their core, promoted a message of black empowerment.
The term "blaxploitation" was coined by Junius Griffin, the then-head of the Los Angeles National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), in the early 70s as a criticism for the less-than-positive images of African Americans depicted in the genre, and his influence would later contribute to its demise. However, not everyone in the black community agreed with the NAACP's assessment.
Despite the genre's potential to reinforce negative stereotypes, a large majority of the black community considered blaxploitation cinema to be a sign of progress. Before the genre's birth in 1971, the typical depiction of African Americans in television and film was as sidekick or victim; however, the dawn of this new cinematic movement would seek to put an end to that.
The creation and formation of the genre:
The 1960s were not only a turbulent time for race relations in America, but also for Hollywood as well. With the insurgence of television and the rapid decline in popularity for musicals, the film industry was bleeding out and facing the possibility of bankruptcy. With the proud proclamations of "Black Power" becoming progressively more audible throughout America, it became impossible for Hollywood to ignore African American society, making it easier for black filmmakers and actors to begin to penetrate the system. Amongst the first of these filmmakers was Melvin Van Peebles, and he lit the match that would ignite the blaxploitation sub-genre with his independently financed feature Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which he wrote, directed, produced, edited, and starred in, in addition to composing the film's score.
Upon the film's release in April of 1971, it astounded black audiences with its provocative depiction of a black man fighting the system and winning. Prior to Sweetback, there had never been a film where a black man running from the police got away, and so the film made a justifiable splash within the African American community. It managed to gross 15 million dollars despite its X-rating for sexual nature from the MPAA, which Van Peebles' turned into a positive with the film's "rated X by an all-white jury" tagline. With Sweetback, Van Peebles laid the framework for the blaxploitation genre and gave Hollywood the formula that would prove to be their deliverance from ruin.
If Van Peebles' was the match that sparked the ignition of the blaxploitation movement, then Gordon Parks' Shaft was the fuse that lit the dynamite. The film was released by MGM only a few short months after Sweetback's surprise success, and it was a hail Mary toss for the once reputable studio that gave us The Wizard of Oz and Gone With the Wind. The original script included a white version of Shaft; however, Gordon Parks, decided to cast Richard Roundtree as the titular character, which forever altered the fate of the film.
Shaft could've been the last nail in the coffin for MGM, but the film singlehandedly liberated the studio from the looming threat of total liquidation. The iconic theme to the film even earned Isaac Hayes an Oscar, and the name Shaft become commonplace. Shaft gave audiences a more commercially accessible brand of blaxploitation, one that boasted a catchy, energetic score, a hip hero, and a depiction of urban life that was previously unseen in Hollywood films. It also proved to Hollywood that black directors can be just as successful within the Hollywood system.
Both Shaft and Sweetback marked a turning point for these types of films, and gave rise to a demand Hollywood hadn't realized existed. While the vibrantly badass, larger-than-life characters that emerged were specifically targeted at black audiences, they didn't stay that way for long. The genre's appeal broadened across ethnic lines, seeping further into the Hollywood frame of mind and out into the mainstream.
The golden era and decline of the movement:
1972 gave way to the proliferation of the genre, which would prosper throughout the mid to late 70s before the genre slowly fizzled out as the 80s crept in. Following the release of Sweeetback and Shaft, another blaxploitation feature would surface and rise to the same iconic status as its predecessors, the independently financed Super Fly. Backed by Curtis Mayfield's soulful soundtrack, Super Fly took the depiction of urban life to an all time extreme with its cocaine-dealing protagonist trying to score one last big deal before retiring from his life of crime. The film further troubled the NAACP as it depicted its hero as the richest, most respected, and envied man in his neighborhood.
By 1976, nearly 200 blaxploitation features had been produced spanning the gamut from independently produced to Hollywood backed. However, regardless of a film's financiers, action, gratuitous sex and violence, and the dichotomy of white versus black always permeated through the core of the genre and remained its defining elements. The secret to the blaxploitation sauce was also its musical counterparts, which added depth and sophisticated pizazz to the films.
Throughout the years, the blaxploitation genre succeeded in creating its own stars, such as Tamara Dobson, Pam Grier, Rudy Ray Moore and Fred "The Hammer" Williamson; however, as the years wore on, the genre began to flounder for new ideas and plundered any available genre to keep afloat. This gave rise to horror variations to blaxploitation, like Blacula or Blackenstein, gangster variations, like Black Cesar, black westerns and kung-fu films, amongst others.
All the while, the genre continued to receive backlash, which really boomed in the mid to late 70s. The NAACP continued to criticize the studios for the negative stereotypes perpetuated by the genre and its tendency to reinforce white stereotypes about black culture. At the same time, audiences were growing tired of the cheap production and re-hashed ghetto crime-thriller formula. By the time the 1980s arrived, productions within the blaxploitation wheelhouse had pretty much come to a grinding halt. This ironically put many of the actors, directors, artists and technicians that had fought so hard to break into the film industry back out into unemployment. However, as things tend to rise and fall in cycles, the genre didn't stay dead forever.
The movement's revitalization and prevalent influence:
The blaxploitation genre may have dried up by the 1980s, but the lasting impression the genre left on young filmmakers would spawn a revival that can still be seen today. Films like Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing and Jon Singleton's Boyz n the Hood also focused on the urban life of young black Americans; however, this was a new wave of black filmmaking and not a mere regurgitation of the typical blaxploitation plots. These films that emerged in the late 80s and early 90s would incorporate elements common to the blaxploitation genre, while simultaneously blending in implicit criticism of the genre's glorification of the stereotypical "criminal" behavior.
Perhaps, the biggest contributing factor to the revival of the genre would come from the films of Quentin Tarantino, specifically Jackie Brown; although, you can see traces of blaxploitation in nearly all of Tarantino's films (just look at Jules in Pulp Fiction). Jackie Brown not only provoked audiences to revisit the then-forgotten genre, but the film also sparked a second wind to Pam Grier's career. A few more blaxploitation films appeared in the early 2000s in the form of parody, like Pootie Tang, Undercover Brother, and Black Dynamite, or a reboot, like Shaft.
Blaxploitation was also a major musical influence for America, both during its heyday and beyond. The attitude of the genre would make a lasting impression on the hip-hop movement. Tupac, in particular, cited the blaxploitation films of the 70s as a major influence to his life and music. Rudy Ray Moore's blaxploitation character Dolemite, who used a rhymes in his dialogue, is even cited as one of the earliest predecessors to hip-hop.
The genre continues to kick ass today, and will likely continue on strong, considering the popularity of Luke Cage and the modernized remake of Super Fly coming later this year. Michael Jai White also dropped a trailer for a follow up to Black Dynamite, which will release this year. Given the current political state of America, it's a perfect time for the genre to make a comeback.
What do you think? Do you enjoy blaxploitation cinema? What films are your favorite from the genre? We want to know. Share your thoughts and feelings in the comments section below, and as always, remember to viddy well, sucka!


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Welcome to our main directory of information about juicing.
What Are the Best Apples for Juicing?
If you're new to juicing — or even if you aren't — it can be a little daunting to figure out which apples to use for making apple juice. You're probably aware that some apples are better than others for various purposes, including apple pie-making, eating fresh, and apple cider brewing. So which apples are best for juicing? Find the answer here.


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(Not so) Mini Review: Project X Zone
on 01.15.2013 (server time)
This post is an edited version of my post on my personal blog. Some bits were cut cos it was really rather wordy and there were more videos on the original as well. If you want to see the full thing, you can find it here:
OK, this one has been a long time coming. 2 months in fact! But then again, I did need to get a japanese 3DS to play it and then progress far enough to get a decent feel for the game but we're here now. This weeks post is a review of Project X zone on the 3DS
This review is going to be considerably longer than previous ones. I've noticed that the game hasn't really had much coverage since its release and there's not really any explanation on how the game actually plays. This might be because every news outlet knows something we don't and a western release is on the horizon, but I have my doubts for reasons I'll get into later. But what that means for is that this post is going to be rather long and wordy! I'll try and pad it out with some pics but there's such a dearth of pics on the net, aside from the stuff collected by andriasang.com that I had to take some myself using my trusty cameraphone (ergo, they suck!)
You might want to get into a comfy chair and have a hot cup of good tea handy as well...
OK? Here we go! Project X zone is a direct sequel to Namco X Capcom, a Strategy RPG which was released on the PS2 and combined many characters from various games from the 2 companies, spanning right down to some of their earliest titles. The game also tried to do something different by giving you limited control of your characters during the attack and defence phase. You needed to input basic button presses to launch attacks and, by careful timing, combo them together for bonus effects. Project X Zone continues in a similar trend but adds Sega into the mix as well as a good helping of another game which was developed by monolith soft...
The game occasionally references the events of NxC, especially between characters who made it into both games and certain stages from NxC are lifted wholesale and placed into Project X Zone, so it's pretty safe to say that this is a direct sequel. But for now, lets get into the meat of the game.
First, we'll get the cast out of the way. There are 2 types of units which are available to you in the game. The first is a pair unit, which are the ones which you will have direct control over. Each pair unit consists of 2 characters (obviously) who can be moved around the map and have items equipped. Each company provides characters for 6 pair units each with a new pair of original characters and the main characters of Namco X Capcom, Arisu Reiji and Xiaomu, taking another 2 pair unit slots. The second unit type is the solo unit. Unlike in Namco X Capcom, where there was nothing to distinguish between a solo and pair unit (you used both types as individual units and some start off as solo units but become pair units later in the game. KOS-MOS, Ryu and Kazama Jin were examples of NxC solo units while Chun Li started as a solo but paired with Cammy later. Morrigan also became a pair with lilith later in the game), in Project X Zone, Solo units must be attached to a pair unit to take part and cannot do anything on their own. If they are not assigned to a pair unit in the intermission, they cannot be used in the later battle. A complete list of characters available can be found on the wiki page for the game.
As for the selection roster, the companies chose to stick with some of their most recent titles with only a few exceptions but each one comes from a very famous and relatively recent series so there's no "who the hell is that?" moment like there is in Namco X Capcom (Did anyone who played NxC know of wondermomo, bravoman or kagekiyo before they started?) The only exception might be Valkyrie from the legend of Valkyrie. But she plays a big part in some of the humour of the game so she passes! For the most part, each character takes the form from whichever was their most recent game so Shinguji Sakura and Oogami Ichiro are an item (and Sakura gets jealous if Oogami spends too much time with another lady, like Kaguya from Endless Frontier�), Jill and Chris appear as they did in Revelations (Resi 6 wasn't out yet), Heihachi is young again, like in Tekken Tag 2 and the street fighters are all from SSIV:AE. The only exception is Megaman and Zero, who take their cues from Megaman X4.
Before each stage, you are taken to an intermission screen where you can save your game, equip certain items to units as well as work on your units by experimenting with different unit combinations. Some Solo units don't play well with some pair units. Initially, you will have gaps but when you complete the full roster, each pair unit can have a solo unit assigned.
Once you get to the main battle stage, things start to look familiar. You're presented with a 3D map with a fixed viewpoint. From there, each unit on the map is designated a turn which is decided mostly by their speed stat (which can be augmented by skills and equipped items). You move units directly using the circle pad and your maximum allowed movement is shown in dark blue. While on the map, you can come across destructible items and chests which can be opened or removed by pressing "Y". Unlike in NxC, this does not end your turn and that change is massively welcome! In NxC, using a unit to obtain items usually meant sending them far away from battle and wasting a turn getting it. With PxZ, you can use units to get the item and get back into the fight quickly! Action points from NxC have been scrapped so once all units have ended their turn, the system resets so there's a definite turn end here, as opposed to NxC where they all merged into 1 long queue and you could get units to skip up the wait list.
While still able to move around, you can bring up a menu which allows you to save the game mid-battle (though you are limited to 1 save here), use items or skills on your unit. Items are used mainly to heal your units or raise your special bar, which I'll get to in a bit. Skills allow you to buff up or heal your units and each skill costs a certain amount of special bar. The more powerful the spell, the more it consumes. For the most part, you don't need to worry too much about them, aside from the heal spells and speed increase. One other skill you need to keep an eye on is the one which allows your characters to move a few more spaces than usual. This is especially important as a later stage requires you to defeat a number of enemies before they reach a certain part of the map and you CANNOT get to them without said skill!
The special bar in PxZ is called the cross gauge and is filled with cross points, confusingly called XP here. Experience points are labelled as EXP. XP are gained by beating up enemies or using up items and almost everything in the game bar moving, using items and basic attacks uses a certain amount of XP. Defence uses it, Skills uses it. the super moves of the pair units use 100 XP and the multiple assault attacks (moves which hit more than one enemy at a time) also uses them! Furthermore, in a rather boneheaded design choice, you only have 1 XP bar for your entire team! So if you have 100XP and decide to use them all on a super attack, your next unit will have 0XP (and not defend if they get attacked). This does mean that enemies can repeatedly pound a single unit until they are unable to defend due to lack of XP and kill them... This is, thankfully, rare but it can happen.
Still with me? Good! Next up, we'll talk about the attacks. There are 2 types of attacks available in the game. The first is when your unit attacks a single enemy. This is shown as yellow blocks when you move your unit. The second is when the attack can take on multiple enemies (up to 4) and is shown as a light blue block. The multiple assault moves, however, uses up XP and will not become selectable until you have 100XP. Furthermore, units need to learn their respective Multiple assault attack and some don't get theirs until quite late into the game.
Most of your damage will be done with the regular attacks and the system takes a few pages from NxC but the vast bulk of the combat system takes its cues from Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga on the DS. If you've played that game, you'll feel right at home. If not, basically, units can have up to 5 attacks corresponding to the "A" button and a direction on the circle/d-pad. Each attack is a short combo which is automatically done and every move has one of 2 properties; Knockback and floater. Knockback attacks throw the enemy to the wall, where they bounce back and floaters are where they are launched into the air. As they come back, you can time your attacks to continue the assault and prevent them from touching the ground. This is important because later enemies have shields which need to be broken before you can inflict damage. Once broken, they will roll with your punches but if they touch the ground again, the shield returns so you need to break it all over again.
Now, remember the solo units which you could attach to your pair units? They are mapped to the "L" button on the 3DS and you can call them to attack once per attack phase. You can use them as an additional attack after you have spent your attack points but you can also call them in while you are doing your main attacks. This is the better option as, if both units attack the enemy at the same time, you score a cross hit, which is shown as a green X icon over the enemy unit. The cross hit will freeze the enemy in place so they won't move as you hit them but it also increases the amount of XP you gain and furthermore, it's the only way to get more than 100XP. with cross hits, you can get up to 150 total XP and that can come in very handy! On the down side, your timing has to be very good because if you miss, the enemy unit won't stop and you could also end up freezing them high above your units where their attacks cannot reach effectively!
Furthermore, if you position your attacking unit next to an ally, your ally can also join in and perform an attack like the solo units. Your pair units also have a super attack which can be performed when you have more than 100XP. This needs to be done at the end of the turn though, as your move immediately ends upon completion of the move, so you can't do a combo afterwards to raise your XP again. Here's a short video I recorded of the basic stuff in the battle stage. It shows cross hit combos, super moves and also, multiple assault attack.
still with me? Nearly there! The only thing left now is the defence options. I'm just going to leave this to another video but basically, any action will cost a certain amount of XP. If you don't have enough, your unit will take the full force of whatever attack the enemy does to you. Furthermore, some units and all boss units have super moves and multiple assault attacks like your units. these cannot be blocked. But on the plus side, everything is over really quickly so you don't have to faff around with pressing the D-pad in a mini-game of "simon says" like in NxC.
Most stages follow a simple "kill everything" objective but there are a few which throw curveballs at you. Nothing major. They're usually something like "reach character X and press "A" within Y amount of turns" but be aware of them. There are probably some guides on the net to help you if you get stuck but most are self explanatory.
That's pretty much everything there is to the game... I think. How is it overall?
� In-jokes and references - I have no idea how localisation teams will be able to handle translations for some of these things but boy, did they put a smile on my face. The first one was when you get Kurt, Riela and Valkyrie into your team. The 3 meet in an underground cave after Riela and Kurt get teleported there. After a slightly awkward introduction where the 2 nameless introduce themselves by their numbers, despite valkyrie overhearing their names earlier. So, as a compromise, Valkyrie asks them to call her a number as well, 17. To most people, this means nothing but if I say that the voice of Valkyrie is Inoue Kikuko then, to anime fans who know her works, it has meaning! Valkyrie also says "saiyusen Jikou yo!" again, you need to be an anime fan to get the reference. But there's plenty for gamer fans as well. In fact, there's a cool little reference to the original Megaman X on the SNES (as well as another game) in the
multiple assault
by X and Zero. A later stage also brings back a familiar face in the form of Iris from Megaman X4. She doesn't do much but she does manage to throw zero out of the loop for a while.
� An active battle system which requires attention - for many SRPGs, it's a matter of "tell unit to attack -> think of next move" so it's really refreshing to have a system which forces you to pay attention and consider your moves more carefully. It makes it less automated and encourages experimentation. Some unit pairings also have unique dialogue between characters. Examples include X, Zero and Alisa Bosconovich as well as Lindow, Chris and Jill.
� Seriously cool attacks! - some of these animations are a joy to watch.
� The music - Hearing remixes of the themes for the characters is also really fun. Especially when Tekken Tag theme or Zeros theme starts playing! I still prefer the battle theme for Xenosaga episode 1 though! But hearing Subarashii Shin Sekai is sweet!!!
� The Camera - this was an annoyance which was much larger than it should have been. Basically, because the maps are fully 3D, there are times when the camera angle prevents you from seeing what you are doing. Here's an
� Artificially long stages - Later stages have nearly 100 units on screen at once. You'd think that would be cool but all it means is that you have a very large number of enemies to plough through and you can sometimes have to wait a long while between your moves while you wait for the AI to finish all its moves and attacks.
� Setting up your units... Again! - At certain parts of the game, your characters can get split into smaller teams with solo units going one way or another, depending on the story. This can wreak havoc on your unit setup as you may have spent ages moving units around until every pair unit has a solo unit which works with them and then suddenly, *poof* the units are split and you have to figure out something else with limited resources. And to add insult to injury, when the paths combine again, you need to put your original setup back manually!!!
� Missing some big titles - No Soul Calibur from Bamco? I miss Taki and Mitsurugi.
� Single XP gauge for the entire team! - This is just annoying and stupid. Particularly since super moves take a huge chunk of the gauge and yet are the only real way to inflict any serious damage on boss units. It just ends up dragging the fight. I would have preferred to have seen individual XP gauges for each unit but made them harder to fill or certain moves to cost more.
Overall though, I can't really complain. The game is lots of fun but it does feel like Monolith soft fixed many of the annoyances of Namco X Capcom but replaced them with new issues instead. The single XP gauge really irked me but overall, it's just great to watch these random mashups smacking things around! Veterans of previous monolith soft games may be glad (or dismayed) to hear that KOS-MOS has been severely nerfed in this game. She's no longer the one unit map clearing weapon of death she was in NxC (seriously, she could stand toe to toe against most boss units! ALONE!!!). She still hits hard but her speed is quite low (though one of her skills increases it for one turn) and she doesn't have a skill which allows her to move twice in one turn or have items which restores her MP like in NxC. Hell, she was stupidly powerful in Endless Frontier as well. Never take on a boss without her!! But in Project X Zone, she's just very good!
Also, Wing Wanderer is a decent enough song but it doesn't hold a candle to Subarashi Shin Sekai, the opening song for Namco X Capcom
It's just a shame that Nintendo has chosen to keep such gems out of the reach of most western gamers by putting in region locks on the 3DS. I know there's talk of a western release for the game and a part of me hopes it happens but I'm skeptical due to the licensing minefield the game is. Most of the units are fine but there are just a few which could cause headaches, such as Bruno from Dynamite Cop. That game was released here as Die Hard Arcade, so they might need to ask FOX for permission to use it. Sakura wars V is also licensed to NIS America and the Super robot Wars titles to Atlus USA. Now, they might be fine with the licenses and play ball or they may not. And it only takes one team to not play ball for the release to collapse. Legend has it, this is what happened when a company tried to bring Super Robot Wars alpha on the PS1 to the US. ADV held the license to Evangelion and sank the idea by asking for an extortionate amount of money to use the Evangelion license. Not sure if it's true though.
Speaking of which, Yumeria and .Hack also have anime shows attached to them. God knows where the licenses to those are held, but I know they aren't with Bandai! I'm not saying a release won't happen, but I wouldn't put my hopes up either. In any case, I've had the opportunity to play the game and I like it a lot! If other gamers get a chance to experience the game without having to import a whole new handheld, then I'm happy for them, but for now. I'm having a blast playing through the only release so far on my limited edition Char Aznable 3DS!
That's about it then. Well done for making it this far. If you have any requests for videos from the game, provided they won't take too long (no walkthrough requests), I'll take them under consideration. I've also purchased Senran Kagura aka 3D boobies game. Perhaps I'll do a review of that when I've played through some more...
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About GundamJehutyKai
one of us since 5:23 PM on 10.30.2009
Greetings true believers!!
In real life, I go by the name of Chris, but in the realms of the internet, I am known as GundamJehutyKai!
The name itself came by an IRC chat many moons ago and is a combination of my 3 main loves: Anime (Gundam), Video Games (Jehuty) and Giant mecha, which can be seen from the names used. The "Kai" was just added later as a suffix.
I'm a pretty big collector of anime figures and spend a lot of my time building and painting resin kits, so I tend to be more active on the Destructoid sister site, Tomopop but I thought I would jump the gap and see what else is in store!
I've been playing video games since the days of the NES and I still own almost all my consoles which I have purchased over the years, all in still working condition!
As well as building anime model kits and playing video games, I also maintain a small blog which I use primarily to show the progress of whatever model kit I am working on but I also throw in a few random video games review and particularly noteworthy news as well.
Feel free to check it out if you wish.
My Top 10 Games of all time:
1) Xenogears (PS1)
2) Valkyrie Profile (PS1)
3) Burning Rangers (SAT)
4) Virtual On: Oratorio Tangram (DC/XBLA)
5) Super Metroid (SNES)
6) Sonic the Hedgehog 3 + Sonic & Knuckles (MD)
7) Dragon Force (SAT)
8) Resident Evil 2 (PS1)
9) Dungeon Keeper 2 (PC)
10) Metal Gear Solid (PS1)
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Newton's Law
Guest Columns
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Congratulations are in order to Christin Wilson, Zachry Hanlan, Hayley Kruse, Hunter Madison, Alexanaka Nabors and Jakob Palmer.


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We have done our utmost for the renovation of residential, commercial and historic properties in New Orleans since 2005. This award is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to continuing in our work to restore this great city.
METAIRIE, La. (PRWEB) March 22, 2016
MLM Incorporated of Metairie, LA has won "Best of Customer Service" on Houzz®, the leading platform for home remodeling and design. The local renovation contractor was chosen by the more than 35 million unique monthly users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
The Best of Houzz is awarded annually in three categories: Design, Customer Service and Photography. The winners of the Design category have work that was the most popular among the more than 35 million monthly users. Customer Service honors are based on several factors, including the number and quality of client reviews a professional received in 2015. Architecture and interior design photographers whose images were most popular are recognized with the Photography award. A "Best of Houzz 2016" badge will appear on winners' profiles as a sign of their commitment to excellence. These badges help homeowners identify popular and top-rated home professionals in every metro area on Houzz.
"We are honored to be recognized by this important award," said Machi Medrzycki of MLM Incorporated. "We have done our utmost for the renovation of residential, commercial and historic properties in New Orleans since 2005. This award is greatly appreciated, and we look forward to continuing in our work to restore this great city."
"Anyone building, remodeling or decorating looks to Houzz for the most talented and service-oriented professionals," said Liza Hausman, the vice president of industry marketing for Houzz. "We're so pleased to recognize MLM Incorporated, voted one of our 'Best of Houzz' professionals by our enormous community of homeowners and design enthusiasts actively remodeling and decorating their homes."
Follow MLM Incorporated on Houzz.
About Houzz
Houzz is the leading platform for home remodeling and design, providing people with everything they need to improve their homes from start to finish—online or from a mobile device. From decorating a small room to building a custom home and everything in between, Houzz connects millions of homeowners, home design enthusiasts and home improvement professionals across the country and around the world. With the largest residential design database in the world and a vibrant community empowered by technology, Houzz is the easiest way for people to find inspiration, get advice, buy products and hire the professionals they need to help turn their ideas into reality. Headquartered in Palo Alto, CA, Houzz also has international offices in London, Berlin, Sydney, Moscow and Tokyo. Houzz and the Houzz logo are registered trademarks of Houzz Inc. worldwide.
For more information, visit http://houzz.com. For more information about MLM Incorporated, call (504) 322-7050 or visit http://www.mlm-inc.com. MLM's office is located at 3500 N Causeway Blvd. Ste. 160 in Metairie, LA 70002.
MLM Incorporated is a commercial and residential contractor that has been featured in "Our Louisiana" magazine for bathroom and kitchen remodeling designs. With an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau, MLM Incorporated is also a member of the Home Builder's Association of Metro New Orleans. Also equipped for new construction projects and the restoration of historic homes, MLM Incorporated serves the New Orleans metro area.


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Cruising along the Eastern shore of Loch Striven, we found a nice spot to pull the camper off the road. The sea bed falls away very quickly and the Vis is quite good, with sandy, stony base. Not a great variety of subjects to go at with my camera, but some very co-operative long-clawed squat lobsters made the gas time pass pretty quickly.
Braving the rain for a second dive, we took a different direction and found different terrain and different species. Much more sandy/silty and lots to see, though at this time of year we did miss the fish.


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Look At A Number Of These Tremendous Online Video Marketing Tips
If you are considering expanding your web marketing strategy to stimulate higher sales, consider video marketing. Your campaign is going to be successful when you take the time to educate yourself about online video marketing first. This article has a good amount of smart strategies for marketing with video, to be able to take full advantage of this fantastic method.
Do not expect customers to observe a youtube video that is certainly over 20 mins. If you're displaying a product or service and ways to apply it, it can take you over 20 minutes, and that is no trouble. But, if you intend just to chat with viewers regarding a promotional sale or provide new information, your video ought not be beyond 10 minutes.
Be certain to optimize each video. Each video you are making requires a unique title and outline. Don't just forget about keywords! Information must show up in descriptions or even the video so people have the ability to contact you.
Place a screen capture of your respective company's website with your videos. It will help viewers realize the way you have your blog designed. Screenshots can also be used when showing a how-to video. Try saving a copy of your screenshot and then apply certain video editing program to incorporate it in to the video.
While you are posting marketing videos you would like to choose your titles carefully. People have to get hooked. And this is what causes them to be more interested in this issue you're discussing. Invest some time contemplating smart titles for your personal marketing videos.
Online promotion is easy through online video marketing. Allowing people to discover how an item works can actually enhance their trust inside you and the product by itself.
Personal awareness of how a product works is sure to motivate visitors to buy things.
Folks are constantly searching to find out how-to do or accomplish something. You are able to attract a number of people by creating some video tutorials on topics your prospects will be interested in. As soon as they see you're an expert, they'll need to see what else you need to offer.
Make sure to add an opt-in mailing list form near your video. Your viewers will sign up for your newsletter or join your social websites updates as soon as they view your video if mention these campaigns within your video to make these links visible.
Analyze your video's statistics. You will notice stuff like the amount of video views you may have, when it is viewed and where traffic emanates from. This can be used information to learn how to better advertise into a specific group of people.
Use marketing with video on a variety of social media marketing websites. If you are found by someone by chance, you want them to discover you elsewhere too. By promoting your other social media and websites, it is possible to help pull in additional customers. Increase the amount of visitors to your video websites by including links in your social websites messages.
As already mentioned, video marketing assists you to reach your goals for the business effectively. Equipped with these practical ideas and advice, you could start to formulate a fresh angle in your web marketing strategy — one which is practically certain to drive sales and boost traffic. Get right down to business today..


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Join The Squad
Hey you, come and join us in the Iris Lillian Squad!
The Iris Lillian Squad is a free Facebook group and forum for you to generate ideas, ask questions and connect with other impressive women working across a range of industries, at all levels, around the globe.
One of our members recently said that,
"Iris Lillian is a great community to go to touch base – even if for just five minutes during lunch – to remind myself that other women are still out there (my work group is almost entirely male), that it's OK to want to achieve as a woman and that it's OK to be a woman!"


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This article is the next and last part of Khuram's article on underground MV/LV distribution systems. Enjoy and comment BELOW if you have any questions.
Underground electrical distribution is not only tidier but also less prone to environmental hazards as compared to the overhead distribution. Installation and maintenance cost, operational pros and cons, and a brief overview of cable structure are discussed in the previous part. Distribution transformers, switchgear and MV/LV cables are the main components of underground distribution system.
Structure and types of underground cables for a distribution system are discussed in this article.


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Advent Devotional | 2nd Wednesday in Advent | Year C | December 9th, 2015/
Isaiah 35:3-7
Strengthen the weak hands,
and make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart,
'Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God.
He will come with vengeance,
with terrible recompense.
He will come and save you.'
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped;
then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
For waters shall break forth in the wilderness,
and streams in the desert;
the burning sand shall become a pool,
and the thirsty ground springs of water;
the haunt of jackals shall become a swamp,
the grass shall become reeds and rushes.
Crazy stuff is about to go down!
That's probably the most accurate translation of today's passage from Isaiah in modern vernacular.
You think you've seen everything? Well, have I got something for you! Isaiah 35:3-7 says that just because everything has been one way does not mean that that way is going to continue forever. This passage challenges us to remember that we must not accept the way things are as the way things are supposed to be. Blind people are not supposed to be that way. Deaf people, likewise, are not meant to remain so. People will illness will leap with joy, unencumbered by their disabilities. Those who have been unable to sing will do so with great joy. Streams will shoot out from the parched land of the deserts and waters will break forth in the wilderness.
For some people, this is good news. Anyone who is blind, deaf, or lame would probably be in this camp.
For others, this is bad news. Anyone who profits off of people who are weaker than them will probably be in another camp.
"Be strong, do not fear" we are told. God is coming to make all things new. Which camp do you want to be in? The camp of people who welcome God's newness with open arms or the camp of people who resist it with senseless futility? I don't know about you, but I want to greet God's newness even if it challenges me to see things and people in different ways. I'm not saying it's going to be easy, but it's certainly going to be one blessed adventure! Come, Lord Jesus!
Prayer of the Day:
God of All Newness,
come and bring sight to the parts of my life that have been blinded by my shortcomings.
Come and bring movement to be parts of life that have been immobilized by my brokenness.
Come and bring new birth to the parts of my life that need renewal and redemption.
Come and bring praise to my speechless lips and songs to my silent heart. Amen.


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1. Rinse tomatoes. Pull off stems. Using sharp knife, cut out cone-shaped core from stem ends. Spoon out center of each, using small spoon. Drain upside down on paper toweling.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to boiling. Add broccoli; boil 5 minutes or until tender. Drain; let cool slightly. Combine broccoli and sour cream in food processor. Whirl to puree.
3. Heat oil in nonstick skillet over low heat. Add onion; saute for 3 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add puree to skillet; cook 2 minutes, until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in salt, cayenne and black pepper. Cool slightly. Stir in Parmesan. Spoon mixture into pastry bag fitted with large plain tip; pipe into tomatoes. Or use a spoon. Makes 36.


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The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigrants held in detention have no right to periodic bail hearings, no matter how long their detention lasts.
The vote was 5-3, with conservative justices in the majority. Justice Elena Kagan previously recused herself.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr., writing for the majority, said the detention of people seeking asylum or fighting deportation was needed to give immigration officials time "to determine an alien's status without running the risk of the alien's either absconding or engaging in criminal activity."
Justice Breyer responded that the decision was most likely "the first time ever" that the Supreme Court had interpreted a federal law to allow the long-term confinement of people held in the United States and accused of misconduct without an opportunity to obtain bail. "An 'opportunity,' I might add, does not necessarily mean release, for there may be a risk of flight or harm that would justify denying bail," he said from the bench.
The attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union representing the immigrants in Tuesday's case, Ahilan Arulanantham, said he was disappointed with the ruling.
"The Trump administration is trying to expand immigration detention to record-breaking levels as part of its crackdown on immigrant communities," he said. "We have shown through this case that when immigrants get a fair hearing, judges often release them based on their individual circumstances."
But attorney Richard A. Samp with the Washington Legal Foundation, which filed a brief on behalf of 29 members of Congress, said the decision was a win for the public:
"When Congress determines that the best way to prevent aliens convicted of felonies from repeating their crimes is to lock them up until they can be deported," he said, "lower courts don't have the authority to second-guess that determination by attempting to rewrite the law."
The case now returns to the lower courts, where Arulanantham said they will argue that detention without hearings violates the due process clause.


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Woodville MS Debt Consolidation Services
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Almost every person in Woodville has gotten into some kind of credit card debts trouble at some point in their lives in Woodville MS. That doesn't define you, it is how you get out of it in Woodville. That is why credit card debt relief is so good for you. In consolidate debt in Woodville you are still paying off what you rightly owe in Woodville, but at a slower pace. It's not like bankruptcy in Woodville were you lose everything and it's on your record for years in Woodville.
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I am very pleased with Citrine PR's dedication, hard work and results. They have been a great asset – from writing press releases to identifying and approaching the leading magazines and editors. Citrine PR are responsive, proactive and have secured influential press for Purling London. I would highly recommend Citrine PR to any growing business
Simon Purkis MEng CEng MIMechE, Purling London Ltd
We have been working with Citrine PR for over two years and the agency has helped elevate the brand and gain great exposure. I have been really impressed with the extensive contacts and relationships Citrine PR have with the fashion press and we have seen Closet featured in a great breadth of publications from Grazia, Look, Cosmopolitan, Metro and regional publications such as Surrey Life. Having just launched our own website we have really benefited from both online and offline editorial and features. We work very closely with Citrine PR and are really impressed with their dedication and passion for the brand
Sajjad Baig, Closet
I was recommended Citrine PR by a colleague to help launch our new label Almari. Carol was involved right from the start and secured excellent press as we introduced the brand into Oasis. Citrine PR have a breadth of experience in fashion PR and a great database of contacts and is instrumental in helping to grow our new brand as well as gain exposure for the company including features on the business
CJ Basra, Almari
We first heard of Citrine PR when Carol contacted us on behalf of one of the artists she represented. Her tenacity and dedication to ensuring she got the press needed from The Palette Pages led us to using Citrine PR instead of our usual company for FLUX Exhibition. We have since worked on two events and soon to be a third. Citrine PR has secured numerous features in high-end magazines and publications and we could not be happier with the service provided. Whatever future event we are planning Citrine PR will be our first call to ensure maximum and quality marketing and press
Lisa Gray, Founder at The Palette Pages, Founder at FLUX Exhibition


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Web ID: 7254082
Levinsohn Pillow Guard™ Satin Beauty Care Pillow Protector
Select all your options above to check availability
Levinsohn Pillow Guard™ Satin Beauty Care Pillow Protector
Product Description
Keep your hair in place and minimize morning wrinkles with this satiny, easy-care pillow protector from Levinsohn.
- zippered closure
- easy care
- measures 20x28"
Polyester. Washable. Imported.
Helpful Guides
Shipping & Returns
Same Day Pick Up
Need it right away? Confirm availability & buy online, pick it up at your store.
Convenient Shipping Options
Not available at your store? We can ship to you directly or to your favorite JCP location.
Easy Returns
Shop with confidence. Read our full, common sense


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Dec 28, 2017
Amazon Japan ordered to act against misleading "reference prices"
TOKYO - Amazon.com Inc.'s Japan unit was ordered by the country's consumer watchdog Wednesday to take preventive measures against misleading "reference prices" on its retail site that could lead customers to wrongly conclude that the products offered are bargains.
The online shop run by Amazon Japan K.K. displayed reference prices along with substantially lower sale prices for products such as Japanese sweet sake and vehicle brake oil, making the products appear to be bargains, but the reference prices were actually higher than the products' sticker prices, according to the Consumer Affairs Agency.
The sweet sake carried a price tag of 956 yen ($8.4) per bottle along with a reference price of 3,780 yen between June and July, but the suggested retail price was actually 600 yen.
For the brake oil, the online shopping giant showed a reference price of 4,640 yen from September 2016 through June this year, although the manufacturer's suggested price was 3,300 yen.
The agency issued an administrative order against the Japanese arm of the U.S. online retailer to ensure it will not display such misleading prices again.
"It is regrettable that misleading representations have been found on one of Japan's largest online retail sites," an agency official said, adding, "Reference prices must be a benchmark for consumers to judge if the price is high or not."
Kyodo News Plus is an online publication delivering the latest news from Japan. Kyodo News Plus collaborates with City-Cost to bring those stories related to lifestyle and culture to foreigners resident in Japan. For the latest news updates visit the official site at https://english.kyodonews.net


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Fushi Organic Coldpressed Evening Primrose Oil 100ml
Fushi's organic Evening Primrose oil is fresh, cold pressed and packed under nitrogen with minimum oxygen exposure to prevent oxidation and ensure freshness
• Great source of omega 3 and 6 fatty acids which play a vital grown in brain function and growth development.
• Organic Evening Primrose oil has a minimum Gamma Linoleic acid content of 10%. This Evening Primrose oil is a great source of Omega 6 fatty acids and is commonly used for women to relieve PMS symptoms.
• Evening Primrose oil is a source of omega 3 which is sustainable and suitable for vegetarians and vegans.
Evening Primrose oil is a dry oil which can be used on acne-prone skin and on its own in localized areas, such as on a spot.
Can be used internally or externally.
Skin Type: Inflamed, Acne-prone, Dry Damaged, Eczema, and Rosacea
Contains: 100 % Natural
Organic: 100% Certified by the Soil Association
Handmade: Yes
Made in: UK. Evening Primrose is grown in the UK
Packaging: Glass bottle, PET lid. Both recyclable.
Oneothera biennis (Evening primrose oil).
Cold Pressed, Unrefined, Organic. Certified Organic by the Soil Association Licence No: DA22368. EU Organic Certified GB-ORG-05 EU/non-EU agriculture.
Country of origin: UK
How to use:
For Internal use
The recommended daily dose for Fushi's organic Evening Primrose oil for internal use is one-quarter teaspoon per day, preferably with food. This recommended dosage is equivalent to two and a half 500mg capsules. You can take up to half a teaspoon if required, this is equivalent to five 500mg capsules. It is important not to exceed the stated dosage.
Fushi's organic Evening Primrose oil has a smooth, mellow, creamy, nutty flavor which makes the oil a joy to consume. Some people take the oil from the spoon, but it can also be used as an everyday alternative (with the added array of health benefits) to your usual salad dressing, dips, smoothies, and soups. Like all unsaturated oils – this oil should not be used at a high temperature. It is best to avoid heating
For external use:
Evening Primrose oil can be used for body massage, as a face oil or to dab on spots. You should not go out into the direct sunlight with Evening Primrose oil. Please allow 12 hours for the oil to fully absorb before washing the skin.


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Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cornerstone Capital?
At Cornerstone Capital, our goal is to provide you with exceptional financial advice and information. We're committed to helping you reach your financial goals while providing the highest level of service possible.
Why are the financial professionals at Cornerstone Capital different from other advisors?
The financial professionals at Cornerstone Capital offers a personal, hands-on approach to wealth management. Unlike many large corporate financial firms, we specialize in working with your particular lifestyle and focus to design a plan to help you reach your financial goals. At the same time, we are supported by the resources of our broker-dealer which allows us access to a wide variety of investments and portfolio managers.
The world and the markets are constantly changing. You need a working relationship with your financial advisor based on trust, service and results combined with responsive investment strategies to succeed in reaching your financial goals. These are the hallmarks of Cornerstone Capital's business and the key elements that will help you build a financially independent future even when market conditions shift in the years ahead.
What kind of services do you provide?
We offer a variety of wealth management services designed to achieve positive results in today's rapidly changing world. They include:
Financial plan design & coordination
We'll serve as your financial architect, designing a wealth management plan to help you achieve your specific goals.
Tactical investment management
We have the tools, technology, knowledge and experience that can potentially help you get successful investment results.
Portfolio deconstruction
We'll take a look at your current portfolio including retirement plans, IRAs, brokerage accounts, annuities and stock portfolios. We'll show you what you actually own, what you're paying, the return you're getting and the risk you're taking.
Workplace retirement plan management for employees
We have a program that provides you with proactive, professional advice on an individual basis for the retirement account provided by your employer.
Customized retirement plans for your business
We can assist you with a 401k plan customized to meet the needs of your business and offer a variety of plan designs to meet a range of employee investment preferences.
Life insurance rescue
We'll compare your life insurance coverage with current rates at top-rated insurance companies to help find the one that gives you the best coverage at the best price.
What is Cornerstone NFP?
Cornerstone NFP is a division of Cornerstone Capital that specializes in services for not-for-profit organizations. Our clients include cemeteries, family foundations, ministries, charities, colleges and universities, service societies and maintenance funds.
What other wealth management issues can you help me with?*
The financial professionals at Cornerstone Capital can also provide you with the information you need to understand a variety of issues that are critical to the development of a comprehensive wealth management plan. They include:
- Liabilities
- Stock Options
- Business Succession Plans
- Durable Power of Attorney
- Gifting to Children/Descendant Strategies
- Charitable Giving During Life
- Titling of Assets
- Executor/Trustee Issues
- Distribution of Wealth at Death
- Charitable Inclinations at Death
How do you work with your clients?
We work with our clients on a one-to-one basis and communicate clearly in everyday language, so you understand what you own, how it works and what to expect. We set up a communication plan to make sure you are frequently contacted and updated on strategies and results based on your goals, feelings, family dynamics and tolerance for risk.
How much do your services cost?
We offer a complementary, no-obligation initial consultation and will develop a plan for you at no charge. After you become a client, our fees are based on a percentage of assets under management, so we do not have an allegiance to any product or company in the financial services industry and you are never charged for any personal meetings or telephone time.
What kind of experience do you have?
Our managing partners are Joseph M. Ervolina, CWS® and Robert C. Meissner, III, CWS®. Their combined areas of knowledge/experience include comprehensive wealth management plans, risk management, stock options, executive benefits, employee benefits, investment policy guidelines for not-for-profit organizations, business succession planning for closely held businesses and key person insurance. They're always available to assist you, answer your questions and discuss your needs.
Joseph M. Ervolina
Robert C. Meissner III