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"Way of Life" brand philosophy taps into motorcycle heritageBREA, Calif., Oct. 9, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Following three years of record growth and on the heels of three major product introductions, American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) today launches a new brand campaign designed to more fully reflect its heritage as a company that builds exciting vehicles â from motorcycles to automobiles.
American Suzuki's New "Way of Life" Brand Campaign
"With the launch of the Grand Vitara last year, followed by the all-new SX4 last month and the all-new XL7 next month, we felt the time was right for us to honestly evaluate our strengths as a company and to reflect those strengths in our communications," said Gene Brown, vice president of marketing and PR, ASMC. "At the core of the Suzuki brand lies the promise of exciting, fun-to-operate vehicles, and it's a promise reflected in everything we offer, from our iconic motorcycles to these three all-new automobiles. With our new campaign, we are taking a significant first step to crystallize our reputation and image in the eyes of American consumers."
Suzuki's new communication strategy reflects Americans' widespread recognition and appreciation of the company's motorcycles, and it also brings greater clarity to Suzuki's "Way of Life" brand mantra, which promises vehicles that are designed for life enthusiasts â those who choose to live life to the fullest and not simply watch it go by.
One key element of the new strategy is an advertising campaign that broke Oct. 2 with two 15-second "teaser" spots announcing the upcoming launch of the all-new XL7, while also laying the foundation to link Suzuki's motorcycles to its automobiles. The campaign also features four 30-second commercials that integrate the invigorating thrills of riding a Suzuki motorcycle, while showcasing the product strengths of Suzuki's vehicles. As such, all broadcast advertising uses the themed mnemonic: "It's gonna be a great ride," accompanied by Suzuki Automotive's well-known "Way of Life" tagline. To subtly re-emphasize the point that the same company often thought of as a great motorcycle company also offers great automobiles, all spots end with the Suzuki logo "closing" as if it were a car door.
Developed in conjunction with the company's advertising agency, Colby & Partners of Brea, Calif., the comprehensive campaign sets the stage for an indelible stamp on Suzuki's brand identity as the company expands and improves its product line in 2007 and the years to come.
"If you entertain people, you get them to listen to your story. We were in the fortunate position of having a real story to tell, a question to put to the viewer, the idea that our cars and SUVs could be as much fun as our bikes," said Carmen Dorr, creative director of Colby & Partners.
The television campaign targets 25- to 54-year-old men and women and will appear on major networks skewing toward active-lifestyle programming including ESPN's "Monday Night Football," the Major League Baseball playoffs on FOX and regional college football games throughout the country. Additional cable support starts at the end of October and includes programming on ABC Family, Comedy Central, CNN, Lifetime, A&E, TBS, TNT, USA and VH1.
The broadcast ad spots are augmented by a series of print ads to further support Suzuki's "Way of Life" positioning, which will be featured in active lifestyle publications such as Men's Fitness, Men's Journal, ESPN, Outside, National Geographic Adventure, Shape and Surfer. Additional print support for SX4 spans several auto enthusiast publications including Sport Compact Car, Super Street and Import Tuner, and to reinforce the sophisticated styling and packaging of the XL7, Suzuki will advertise in publications such as Money, People, Popular Science, Real Simple and Time.
In addition to a dedicated television and print campaign, Suzuki also will launch a series of in-cinema and in-flight print and television efforts to support its all-new XL7. In December, the company will release a one-minute film trailer to be aired in movie theaters in key markets nationwide, as well as on the Internet. The XL7, along with the entire model line, will be featured in "The Briefcase," an espionage action-thriller produced as an extension of Suzuki's new television ad campaign. Viewers can visit www.suzukiauto.com and partner Web sites to access additional episodes of the three- to five-minute Suzuki feature film. Trailers will hit theaters beginning Dec. 8, and individual episodes of the movie will gradually be released for download thereafter. The final episode will be available exclusively at SuzukiAuto.com.
"Kickstand" and "Shadow" Teasers
* Two 15-second "teaser" spots that reveal only part of the all-new midsize XL7 SUV.
* Began airing October 2.
* Running for three weeks.
* Lay the groundwork for Suzuki's new communication strategy while letting customers know that the all-new midsize XL7 is coming November 1.
* One spot shows an XL7 with an unexpected feature â a kickstand.
* The other shows a Suzuki Boulevard motorcycle shadow being cast by an XL7 SUV.
"Tunnel" (30 seconds)
* Introduces the leading voiceover, "Are our cars as much fun as our bikes?"
* Shows a Suzuki GSX-R 600 morphing into the all-new Suzuki SX4, then into a Suzuki Grand Vitara, and finally into the all-new Suzuki XL7.
* Closes with a reprise of all three of these exciting new vehicles and the campaign's new signature line, "It's gonna be a great ride."
* Filmed at Mt. Rainier National Park in Washington.
"Great Ride" (30 seconds)
* Opens with an XL7 accelerating along the highway â suddenly a group of motorcycle riders overtakes the SUV.
* A voiceover asks, "Are our SUVs as much fun as our bikes?"
* The men pull over and step out of the XL7 while the motorcycle group leader presses down the kickstand, steps off the bike and removes a sleek black helmet, revealing she and the rest of the riders are all women.
* The leader surprisingly hands one of the men a cell phone and says, "You left this at the diner. There's a new number in it."
* The women mount their bikes and ride off into the distance, leaving the guys smiling and speechless.
* Closes with the campaign's signature line, "It's gonna be a great ride."
* Filmed outside Salt Lake City.
"Salt Flats" (30 seconds)
* Opens with a Suzuki Boulevard M109R motorcycle aggressively approaching from the right and XL7 from the left before sliding to a halt.
* A man emerges from the XL7 and a woman steps off the motorcycle. The woman asks, "Think you can handle it?" The man replies, "Can you?"
* They toss their keys at each other in exchange and drive off in the opposite direction.
* During the sequence, the lead voiceover asks, "Are our SUVs as much fun as our bikes?"
* The commercial closes with, "It's gonna be a great ride."
* Set in the desolate Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah.
"Race" (30 seconds)
* "Race" begins with a young man and a young woman leaving their house. The man is driving a Suzuki Grand Vitara, while the woman is riding a Suzuki GSX-R600.
* As a playful challenge, the woman says, "Don't keep me waiting too long," as she takes off.
* En route, the man takes a shortcut on dirt roads while the woman rides along a twisty mountain highway.
* The voiceover asks, "Are our SUVs as much fun as our bikes?"
* At the destination, a restaurant that is clearly popular with motorcycle riders, the man sits waiting for the woman and asks, "What took you so long?"⦠she playfully accuses him of cheating.
* The voiceover finishes with, "The 2007 Suzuki Grand Vitara. It's gonna be a great ride."
2007 Suzuki Product Line
Suzuki's diverse product line now features the midsize XL7 and compact Grand Vitara SUVs, along with a variety of cars to match the needs of active lifestyles. The 2007 vehicle line also includes the fun and functional SX4 compact X-over (crossover), popular and versatile Forenza sedan and Forenza Wagon, European-styled Reno and sporty, yet fuel-efficient Aerio sedan.
The entire vehicle line offers something for everyone with standout virtues of toughness, leading-edge style and high-end features at very competitive prices. All 2007 Suzuki automobiles are backed by America's #1 Warranty: 100,000-mile/seven-year, fully transferable, zero-deductible powertrain limited warranty.
About Suzuki
The Brea, Calif.-based Automotive Operations of American Suzuki Motor Corporation (ASMC) was founded in 1985 by parent company Suzuki Motor Corporation (SMC) and currently markets its vehicles in the United States through a network of more than 520 automotive dealerships in 49 states. Based in Hamamatsu, Japan, SMC is a diversified worldwide automobile, motorcycle, ATV and outboard motor manufacturer with sales of more than two million new vehicles annually. Founded in 1909 and incorporated in 1920, SMC has operations in 125 countries. For more information, visit www.media.suzukiauto.com .
Source: American Suzuki


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Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Five years!
Where did the time go?
Nestled in the depths of my wallet, with a loyalty cards from the local curry house and the local airport is my NHS Prescription Charge Exemption Card. In the UK anyone who has treatment for cancer, or for the effects of cancer, can apply for one of these cards and once you have one all of your prescriptions are free, no matter what the prescription is for.
It took me a while to find this out, no one in the NHS told me, and it was on the Macmillan website that I found the magic form number (FP92A) that I had to ask for. I received my card in the post the same week I started my chemotherapy and was daunted by the expiry date of 2nd January 2015.
Back then, very ill and very scared the year 2015 seemed impossibly far away. A time that I daren't contemplate actually reaching. Outliving my Prescription card was one of the targets I set myself whilst bored out of my mind in the isolation room that became my home for much of the following months.
Immediately after my treatment, along with my Irradiated Blood transfusion Card, my Free Prescription Card, took pride of place in my wallet. Used to score the mountain of antibiotics I took for six months and then hay-fever medication through the summer because once my leukaemia had gone my hay-fever came back.
Much like the discomfort, thoughts and worries of that time, slowly and almost unnoticed these cards have drifted into the background as the years have passed. Replaced by work ID cards, credit cards, and a photo or two of Emma as a toddler the corners of which are now getting dogeared and worn.
She's a proper person now with thoughts and opinions and endless, endless chatter. Her birthday this week is a reminder of exactly how long I've been out of hospital. The day she was born, three days after I got out, looking forward to now seemed like an impossible eternity; now looking back to then seems like only a moment has passed.
In those five years I've walked 27 miles through London at night to raise money for Cancer Research; I've spoken at Macmillan events of how they helped me through diagnosis and treatment; I've met the amazing founders of Shine Cancer Support who are working to make the lives of us 'younger' cancer sufferers and survivors at least a little better; and I've been in a room with more than a 100 other Hairy Cell survivors one of whom was a spritely 73 years old.
I now know of two septuagenarians, still living, who were diagnosed with HCL in their 30's. Surviving from a time when today's treatments were to them probably also a distant and seemingly impossible.
Its hard now to pick the next landmark to aim for: The Next Check-Up seems a little short term; Giving Emma Away a little far out. Right now I can't think of specific targets to hit, I have no bucket list. For now then I look forward to experiencing more of the impossible and also more of the ordinary: Sunsets, rain, wine, friends and more of that endless, endless chatter.
Posted by RC at 19:05 6 comments:
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#EverydayEffortless #CollectiveBias
This summer has been super crazy so far and June has flown by! My life has been a whirlwind of house cleaning, house staging and house selling; house looking, house hunting and house finding. Between working on this here blog and my other side jobs, making sure the house is cleaned at a moment's notice and taking care of my family and kiddos, that really doesn't leave enough time for dinner. Most times I look up at the clock and it's 5 pm and nothing has been started for dinner. That then leads to eating out or PB&J sandwiches, which is not the thing I want to be eating every single night of the week! So, in light of all of the above, I have been on the hunt for easy, quick meals that I can throw together and that give my family tasty and more nutritious food than what comes out of a drive thru.
Insert Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breast fillets, the new Birdseye Steamfresh Protein Blends Southwest Style Veggies, some tortillas, avocados and cheese and I have a quick meal that's easy to throw together on the stovetop!
I got both of these fabulous items in the frozen section at Walmart. All you've gotta do is heat them in the microwave, or cook them in the oven and throw them into this recipe! I will show you how to do that!
Easy & Quick Quesadillas
For this recipe you need only the above ingredients! Feel free to substitute out the avocado. My whole family loves avocados so I quickly sliced up a few to put in the quesadilla and on the side to eat alone or with some tortilla chips. So good!
My outdoor grill has a stove-top like feature on the side that you can cook things in a pan, so that's where I decided to make my quesadillas. Our kitchen gets hot pretty quickly so I try to do most, if not all the cooking outside to help save some money on my electric bill. The first thing to do is melt a little butter in a medium-large pan on medium heat. Once it starts bubbling, throw in the tortilla. Right away, put down a handful of cheese, the warmed Tyson Chicken Breast fillets cut into strips and a spoonful of the cooked Birdseye Protein Blends (I cooked them both in the microwave beforehand according to their package instructions).
Once the cheese starts to melt a bit, flip one side of the tortilla it meets with the other side. The cheese will help adhere both sides together. Take it out of the pan, let it cool a bit and slice it in half or into strips using a pizza cutter! Feel free to serve it with a side of the Birdseye Protein Blends and some avocado or guacamole and chips.
I really love how the Birdseye gives the whole quesadilla an extra kick of Southwest flavor, and I love how the avocados give it some creamy-ness too.
And, I can't say enough good things about the Birdseye Protein Blends! It's so flavorful and delicious and really perfect for a night on the go. I always try to give my family enough protein each day and this helps to do so.
My oldest daughter, who is super picky really liked it after she fought me on eating it at first. Don't knock it until you try it is my motto!
- Tortillas
- Avocados (optional)
- Tyson Grilled & Ready Chicken Breasts Fillets, cut into strips
- Birdseye Steamfresh Southwest Style Protein Blends
- Shredded Cheese
- Butter
- Heat a large pan on medium heat and throw a little butter in to melt and coat the pan. Throw a tortilla in the pan, a handful of cheese on top and let it begin to melt.
- Add one to two pieces of microwave-warmed Tyson chicken and a spoonful of microwave-cooked Birdseye.
- Top wiith fresh sliced avocado (optional)
- Once cheese is somewhat melted, flip one side of the tortilla to meet the other side. The cheese will adhere it together.
- Take out of pan, let it cool a bit and slice in half or sections with a pizza cutter.
- Enjoy!
If you haven't tried either of these items and really want to before you buy, Walmart is having a demo at these select locations on 6/25 – 6/28 from 12-4 pm! If you live near a location, I highly suggest you go try it out. Such good products for the family that are a healthy!
What meal ideas do you have that are quick and easy? Let me know in the comments below. I need all the ideas I can get!


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Thrilling International Crime
Craig Sisterson takes a look at some recent bestsellers.
New Zealand readers love their crime and thriller fiction. Although we've been a little slow to embrace the fantastic, high quality writing now being produced by some of our own local writers, we certainly devour titles from international authors. A quick glance at the weekly bestsellers lists shows that crime and thriller titles not only regularly top the International Adult Fiction bestseller list, but in fact often take up the majority of the Top 10 positions. We love our fictional crime tales, that's for sure.
In the past few weeks there have been new releases from several of the biggest names on the international crime and thriller writing scene. But which of these five international stars are continuing to produce high quality crime and thriller fiction that is well worth reading, and which are relying more on reputations or past glories?
Here's a quick round-up.
61 Hours by Lee Child (Random House, 2010)
New Zealanders packed out the six events held around the country when Lee Child toured here last month – local readers loving the chance to get up close to the creator of maverick hero Jack Reacher. As Child said himself, we are "the world capital of Reacher madness" – buying more copies per capita than anywhere else in the world.
After some big city and terrorism-fuelled plots recently, in 61 Hours Child takes Reacher back to his transient roots, on the highways and byways of backcountry America. A skidding bus leaves the wandering ex-military policeman stranded in a blizzard-bashed small town that's straining at the seams thanks to a federal prison opening nearby. Once Reacher convinces the over-stretched local cops he's not an out-of-town hitman sent by a ruthless Mexican drug lord to silence an elderly witness, he finds himself roped into protective detail. Battling freezing elements, and rare self-doubts, he turns his attention to the drug-running bikers squatting next to a mysterious stone building on the prairie. But are they the real danger?
Child delivers another taut, exciting thriller. A gripping page-turner that will have readers chattering their teeth in sympathy for the coatless Reacher battling Arctic cold and unseen dangers, while also revealing a bit more about the popular hero – who in effect is a modern day cowboy, a 21st century knight errant or Ronin samurai traipsing from place to place, trying to stop those who put the world to wrongs. Child builds momentum well, slipping in some nice twists and turns, as well as unexpected and rare Reacher self-reflection and details about his military past, to keep everyone guessing on the way to an explosive climax and cliff-hanger ending.
Caught by Harlan Coben (Orion, 2010)
After bringing back popular sports agent-turned-investigator Myron Bolitar in last year's Long Lost, acclaimed suspense king Harlan Coben (who won the inaugural ITV3 Bestseller Dagger at last year's Specsavers Crime Thriller Awards in the UK) changes tack with a high-octane standalone thriller this year.
A New Jersey town is rocked when 17-year-old Hayley McWaid, captain of the high school lacrosse team, disappears without a trace. Meanwhile social worker Dan Mercer's life is turned upside down when he's outed and publically shamed as a sexual predator on ambitious reporter Wendy Tynes' nationally-televised news program 'Caught in the Act'. Even when the evidence against him is tossed out, his old life is gone for good; but that's the least of his troubles as the town turns on him and his estranged family. Violently. Tynes finds herself questioning her own instincts and the motives of everyone around her, and as she digs deeper to find the truth, all sorts of skeletons start coming out of all sort of closets, in the town and beyond
Coben has built his name on 'pulse-pounding' tales where secrets of the past come terrifyingly to bear on the present, and he delivers once more with Caught. Pages will whir, and lights will stay on, as readers are kept up late at night by this cracking thriller. Some may find the plot a little too intricate, with too many characters, issues and aspects brought together – everything from paedophilia to embezzlement to murder to the dangers of social networking websites to underage drinking – but there's no doubt it's an exciting and entertaining story that gallops along. And in amongst the mayhem, Coben raises several interesting issues and philosophical questions (though many may be overlooked by readers due to the pace of the story), including ruminations on good intentions with bad outcomes, forgiveness, and redemption.
Unlike James Patterson, Coben is a master at injecting emotion and human turmoil into his pacy plots. For many readers, Caught will be an enjoyably frantic 'airport' or weekend read; a rollercoaster ride that has their heart pumping and head spinning. But for those take a breath and look around, there may be even more to see.
Never Look Away by Linwood Barclay (Orion, 2010)
Small town reporter David Harwood's life is turned big-time upside down when his wife Jan disappears during a family outing to a local theme park. Bad becomes worse when information David gives the police about Jan's recent depression, combined with other unexplainable events, gets the authorities thinking David might not be a distraught husband, but a man with a murder to hide. Could Jan's disappearance have something to do with the council corruption David has been investigating? When a body turns up, so are the stakes, and David finds himself in a desperate search for the truth, however horrible that might be.
Barclay first shot to wider attention and fame when his thriller No Time for Goodbye became the biggest-selling book overall in the United Kingdom in 2008. His next two standalone novels (he doesn't feature recurring characters) clinched his reputation as the master of suburban terror, and with Never Look Away he's created another chilling page-turner; a superb tale that eschews spies and super-cops and brings thrills and spills much closer to home. Right now there are few better at crafting pulse-pounding storylines centred on seemingly nondescript 'heroes'. A word of warning: start Never Look Away only when you've got time to read it all, because one you're a few pages in, you might not be able to put it down. A great, engrossing read.
Hell Gate by Linda Fairstein (Little, Brown, 2010)
In Hell Gate, the twelfth instalment in her Alex Cooper series, Fairstein's heroine (who in many ways comes across as an aspirational version of the author) finds herself investigating a shipwreck that spills illegal immigrants into the frigid waters off Manhattan. At the same time a promising young congressman is caught up in a sex scandal that leads to murder. Alternatively flanked, lead, and pulled along by regular NYPD detective sidekicks Mike Chapman and Mercer Wallace, Cooper, an Assistant District Attorney, realises a sinister sex trafficking ring may be making power plays in New York City.
In a way, fans of crime drama Special Victims Unit, one of the most popular TV shows on our screens, already know Linda Fairstein – before she became a bestselling author she was the real-life New York ADA who helped set up the famed sex crimes unit – and this gave Fairstein instant credibility (as well as a nice marketing angle) when she turned from prosecuting crimes to writing about them.
Other than her background, Fairstein's 'trademark' has always been her fondness for taking readers on journeys through well-researched, intriguing New York settings sprinkled with fascinating tidbits (largely unbeknownst even to locals), from past and present. But in Hell Gate it feels like she's relying on such trivia to create and maintain interest, creating a rambling storyline to show off that research. It's trivia, rather than vivid details bringing the book to life. Unfortunately, readers may feel disengaged, and wishing Fairstein's plots, characters and dialogue contained a larger measure of that freshness and richness. Because in the end with crime and thriller fiction, quality trumps credibility.
The First Rule by Robert Crais (Orion, 2010)
Like Fairstein, Crais had a helpful background prior to becoming a bestselling crime novelist; he was a successful screenwriter for cop shows like Baretta, Cagney & Lacey and Miami Vice. The First Rule is his thirteenth novel in an award-winning series featuring popular private eye duo Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, but only the second to have the strong-but-silent Pike as the lead.
Pike is pulled into a vicious home invasion turned mass murder; the father, Frank Meyer, was an old mercenary buddy, long ago. Unwilling to accept the police view that his friend must have been corrupt, like other victims of a violent burglary outfit, Pike starts tearing LA apart to find the truth and clear Frank Meyer's name. And mete out his type of justice on those involved in the brutal slayings. Even when the trail leads to the ferocious Serbian mafia, Pike doesn't care. Mirrored shades on, red arrow shoulder tattoos facing forward, and with the wise-cracking Cole to call on, Pike plans to take them all down anyway.
Break-neck is probably the phrase that best describes The First Rule. It's more out-and-out action thriller than Robert Crais's crime novels with Cole at the centre, but is highly enjoyable nonetheless. In amongst the mayhem as Pike hurtles around LA, readers get a better insight into the enigmatic ex-Marine sniper and ex-cop – and Crais even tosses in a few intriguing curveballs near the end. A fast and fun read from a crime and thriller writing master.
Craig Sisterson is an Auckland-based features writer and book reviewer. He also blogs on crime and thriller fiction news at http://www.kiwicrime.blogspot.com


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Don Jon Violated Me
It's weird when I feel compelled to warn everyone about explicit content. I mean, I'm me, I love explicit content. I wish people were less shameful, more open, talked more freely about sexuality and in general embraced the full spectrum of human sexuality. But you know what I love even more? Consent. I fucking love consent. And if you're going to show me endless clips of porn, I have the right to consent to that. Which, for the record, I probably would. But not with my daughter and Mother-In-Law.
But you have to inform people so that they can make their own decision. Informed consent is REALLY the only kind of consent there is.
The chances are good that this was a mostly decent movie. I can tell you, for sure, that the acting was fantastic. All around, spot-on and impressive. The directing? Well, it ran into the usual problems with films that are written and directed by the same person – no one to say, "dude, I get what you're trying to do, but it's not working, you need to edit this down." It is repetitive and totally predictable. I even understand the point of that movie – an exploration of how our modern media and lifestyles makes intimacy impossible and fantasies make it hard to enjoy the reality of our lives. With an extra hard look at club culture and hook-ups and the performance of love rather than the reality of it.
But a film that does that beautifully already exists, and Julianne Moore was in it too. Crazy, Stupid Love. Watch it, it's awesome.
All that said, I really only have 2 bones (or, should I glom on and say "boners") to pick with this movie. The first is consent. The second is shame.
And one big bone to pick with the prudish and hypocritical MPAA and how they gave this thing an R rating as opposed to the NC17, which should be obvious to anyone who sees it.
Consent. If you are going to engage people in a sex act of any sort you need to have their consent. We ALL know that watching porn is a sex act. That's why we generally do it in private. People experience porn in many different ways, based on their own life experiences. I have no idea how many minutes of porn were in Don Jon, but a lot. And people should have been warned.
In every review and article that I read before deciding to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon seeing this film with my family, porn was mentioned as a passing through line, something that is "gotten over" in the course of the movie, and the bulk of the movie is about the relationships with family, friends and lovers. I can totally stomach that. I consented to that. My daughter is 15, the chance that she hasn't yet seen some porn seems totally impossible to me. And it's a good thing to talk about. I am fine with anything that presents an opportunity to discuss human sexuality with my daughter, and then tosses me the ball to run with it. "Appropriate" is not generally a word that I use. Things happen, we learn from them, onward.
But this was relentless porn. Yes, as people have pointed out, there are no genitals in it. But if you really think that sex starts and stops with your genitals, you, my friend, are doing it wrong. (Yes, that's part of the point of the movie.)
It is one image after another of thongs being pulled out of women's asses, boobs being bounced in all directions as a result of women being fucked in all positions, blow-job mouths approaching cocks that are just off-screen, and a cacophony of fake-sex porn sounds that just doesn't stop.
Once or twice, to outline the "problem" the character was having? Fine. But it goes on and on and on and on and on and on through the whole film.
And it's only women who are seen in these sexual positions. Never a guy. The only mention of guys in porn is to say that they kill a boner, or worse, that if you cum when the scene suddenly cuts to the dude, well….. Dude, you came to a dude.
All of which is mirrored when the three friends are in clubs, discussing the pussies and asses and blow jobs of real people. I get it. I know what he was trying to do. He's trying to show us that the unrealistic expectations of porn make it impossible to see women and relationships for what they really are. Which may or many not be true, but if you are going to show us porn, you have to warn us.
And all that porn-bashing is its own separate problem. Although the film dives into the unrealistic depictions of sex and love in porn, it never touches the unrealistic depictions of how people use porn in the real world. I have news for you – porn isn't all bad. People who use porn aren't all bad.
Just like any "thing" that can be abused, the problem isn't the "thing" its how you use it. Sure, he made the Barbara character (brilliantly played by Scarlett Johansson) seem shallow and controlling and judgmental for demonizing porn, but we never once discuss that the underlying problem was the dishonesty, and the inability to separate fact from fiction.
Porn is real. It's here to stay. So do we really need yet another "Just Say No To Porn" movement? Because that's working so well with drugs?
No. We need to look at how to honestly negotiate our sexual relationships. We need people to say, "this is what I'm into, how can this work within our relationship." Assuming he was able to separate fantasy from reality, porn could have been a perfectly healthy component of his relationships with women, IF THEY WERE BOTH HONEST AND, yup, here it comes, CONSENTING to it.
If you want to make a ground-breaking film that looks at porn and technology in relationships, make THAT ONE. That's the one we need. Don't fall back on the comforting couch of shame and conformity.
Especially while bathing us in images that are totally misogynistic depictions of men hunting pussies, topped off with disembodied body parts performing sex acts on men.
What the hell was the MPAA thinking giving this an R rating? Seriously. Were you all just jacking off. Did you honestly see nothing objectionable in showing audiences one minute after another of PORN?
The last family movie that we all watched together was Safety Not Guaranteed. It was R rated too. We all laughed about that, trying to figure out how on earth it got an R rating. We assume it was the SUGGESTION that sex had taken place between consenting characters in the course of their relationships. It was more benign than what we see on Prime Time TV. Yet, it had an R rating. (We all loved this movie, by the way. From start to finish.)
So ya, based on that experience last week, I was pretty sure that this movie would be fine. A tad edgier, but fine.
WHAT THE FUCK? I felt totally violated. I basically sat there watching porn, with my daughter and my father and my Mother-In-Law. Why? Because NO ONE WARNED ME. So I kept thinking, "well, I knew it started this way, this must be the last time." Nope. It just kept cumming. As it were.
Look, there were good things about this movie. Well, one good thing – the acting. The acting is fantastic, across the board. The writing is sophomoric, the directing repetitive as hell, the point is pedantic, unoriginal, predictable and trite. But the rating? That's the real kicker. The rating is TOTALLY INAPPROPRIATE.
At least I tried to warn you. God knows, no one else out there is.
How ironic. Me, the queen of inappropriate and talking about sex. You've been warned. But then again, I've always been honest about how much I love consent.
Trevor Montroy permalinkOctober 5, 2013 6:06 am
Thanks for the review. It is one of the more honest and insightful ones that I have read. I will save the film for a watch on cable.
I agree the MPAA ratings system is broken and beyond repair. The film ought to have been rated NC-17. This rating though frightens distributors and theaters. Thus we get the imprecise and useless rating of "R" on almost all things beyond prefab comedy or melodrama.
I would like to see only one rating: For people over 18 years of age or not. I doubt though the film industry has the courage to enact it. Thus, we are stuck with an archaic ratings system from the era of Russ Meyer.


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West Point police seeking murder suspect after Saturday shooting
Police in West Point, Ga. are seeking Latrell Harper as a suspect in the fatal shooting of Willis Bulger on Saturday.
According to West Point police, Harper and Bulger got into a physical confrontation at West Point Spirits and Wine on 3rd Avenue in West Point and that Bulger was killed when Harper pulled a gun and fired.
Police say Harper then fled the scene.
Harper is described as a black male standing 5-foot-6 and weighing approximately 130 pounds. Hew has black hair and brown eyes.
Police believe Harper is still in the West Point/Lanett area.
He is considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with information about Harper or the shooting of Bulger should contact West Point police at 706-645-3525.


text: In this most David Lynch-like of episodes — "eps1.3_da3m0ns.mp4" explores the monsters in the things we build in the things we create — and the very monsters that may reside inside of us, especially the hidden ones. After all, isn't technology modeled after us — imperfect humans? This episode of Mr. Robot is part caper, part psychological horror as we go deep inside of Elliot's subconsciousness. A major pat of the ongoing narrative revolves around how much of a box we live in — questioning the very meaning of freedom. As Qwerty the beta fish so aptly states: "When you live in a fishbowl, ain't no such thing as change. My entire life's been spent in this thing, my whole world's on your side table. I look around. Same shit, different day. The lighting, the furniture, even the sounds. Always the same. I'm on a loop. And it won't stop unless my life does. I'm exhausted with this world." If you like what you hear, please think about rating and reviewing this episode. Thank you!


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I live in a beautiful place, similar to yours. Aren't we lucky!ReplyDelete
Despite the damage, your photos look very peaceful...ReplyDelete
- AnonymousFebruary 8, 2011 at 2:15 PM
Dixie's right... Peaceful, very peaceful Christine. I can almost smell those eucalypts.ReplyDelete
That sky makes my heart ache - so blue and bright - what a wonderful road to walk!ReplyDelete
Ooh I am so ready for old man winter to turn tail and run.ReplyDelete
It has been such a strange Summer for us Victorians.ReplyDelete
I love our Australian colours - the Eucalyptus grey-greens - it's very distinctive of our part of the world! Lovely pics, Chris, nice to see green in Vic after so many years of dry brown!ReplyDelete
I like your road home - lovely tall gums.ReplyDelete
Thankyou all!ReplyDelete
Like Hazel said, we are really lucky to live in a place like this..it is very calming, even with raucous cockatoos and noisy roosters vocalising their thoughts and horse trucks rumbling up and down the road.


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Hellooooo old friends. Is this thing on?? I'm going to eventually stop blogging about my unintentional blogging hiatus-es - but not today, apparently.
Last week.... woohoo, what a week!
I had a bunch of business and travel and meetings for work, which definitely threw me off my blogging game. And then, on Friday and Saturday, I was the unofficial/official "day-of" coordinator for a friend of a friend.
Let me just say friends... if I ever needed verification that weddings are a helluva lot of work and completely exhausting - I GOTS IT!
The above picture is of the wedding venue. Can you imagine?! It was BEYOND stunning. Two weeks ago, every leaf on those trees were green... and they just turned perfectly bright and vibrant just in time for the wedding.
Of course, I don't really have any pictures of anything during the wedding or reception because I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off.
I felt terribly because I was worried that things weren't going smoothly enough or that the bride wasn't enjoying herself (and worse that I was the cause of it!)... but I think things went pretty smoothly.
And did I mention that after two days of wedding madness... I worked yesterday because it's my boss' birthday and she totally deserves a day off.
Needless to say, I've still not fully recovered and I am more overwhelmed than ever with all the daunting wedding planning in the next year. With another night of sleep under my belt, I think I might just be ready to get back on the horse. Bring it on!!
Happy Monday!


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Markets are gearing up for an expected rate cut from the European Central Bank on Thursday, but stock investors shouldn't get too excited about the prospects of lower interest rates, according to some analysts.
Looser monetary policy—such as rate reductions—usually spark a rally in the stock markets, but when it means yanking the deposit rate further into negative territory, the easing could end up doing the opposite, according to J.P. Morgan Chase JPM, -0.55% analysts.
In a report out earlier this week, the bank outlined how major economies with rates below zero, such as the eurozone, Japan and Switzerland, all have suffered stock-market losses since negative interest-rates policies (NIRP) were introduced. Eurozone equities are down 4.6%, Swiss stocks have lost 9%, while in Japan stocks have dropped 6.7%, as laid out in the chart below, published on Monday.
"NIRP has been counterproductive for equities so far where it was put in place, in Japan, the eurozone, Sweden, and Switzerland. We are a bit concerned about how NIRP is negatively impacting the banks and we think the banks should rather be helped to lead to better economic growth going forward," said Emmanuel Cau, equity strategist at J.P. Morgan.
"It's hard to see the eurozone economy growing materially, if banks do not lend more," he added.
Read: Will Portugal be next flashpoint in eurozone debt crisis?
Lower interest rates are aimed at boosting a flagging economy by making lending cheaper and encouraging investing and fueling purchases. The ECB deposit rate currently sits at minus 0.3%, but is expected to be cut to minus 0.4% on Thursday in an effort to lift inflation, which currently stands at negative 0.2%. That is far below the ECB's target of near, but just below 2%.
Read: 5 things to watch for at Thursday's key ECB meeting
Several economists have spoken out against the use of negative interest rates, arguing it hurts bank's profitability and effectively works as a tax on the financial system. With the banks in poor shape, there are fears NIRP could derail the economic recovery and continue to keep a lid on inflation and growth.
These concerns have weighed hard on the banking sector. In Europe, the Stoxx Europe 600 banks index SX7P, +0.09% is down 16% year-to-date, compared with a 7.2% loss for the broader Stoxx Europe 600 SXXP, -0.09% This is less an issue in Denmark, where negative rates also are in play, because banks aren't as heavily weighted in its main benchmark OMXC20, +0.16%
"Banks constrained by negative rates may seek to recoup some of their lost profit by increasing rates on new loans and thus tighten financial conditions, which major central banks would likely view as a counterproductive response to their easing," analysts at Bank of America Merrill Lynch BAC, -0.39% said in a note.
So what is the ECB to do at its meeting this Thursday? J.P. Morgan's Cau said another cut to the deposit rate is unlikely to help sentiment. He said Draghi & Co. instead should instead come up with a way to fight low inflation without hobbling the banking sector's profitability. This could happen through another round of cheap, long-term loans and a tiered-deposit system where some of the excess liquidity from banks would be placed at the ECB at a rate above the deposit rate.
Read: Here's what a 'radical' European Central Bank would do
"I think the markets are becoming more and more skeptical about the endgame. Will these policies be successful, or are they just a reflection of policy makers being desperate to find the right tools to combat low inflation?," Cau said.
"The endgame is whether inflation expectations will go up, if the ECB succeeds, in boosting inflation expectations, whichever tool they use, that will be a very good development for the market," he added.
Read: Disappointment reigns as ECB's QE celebrates anniversary


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Its almost exam week and we are wrapping this week with presentations and assignment submissions. I wasn't really presenting on Monday, I was more of a moral support to my team. So I opted for a smart casual ensemble....I traded the heels for animal print flats (last minute decisions).
I was busy taking photos while the cab guy had arrived, there was no chance to think of the lighting or poses. Funny how I resemble one of my friends in this photo..each and everything.
I guess that makes me the friendly imposter, hahahha! Stay tuned, more posts and probably exciting news to come.
Outfit deets: Top - Seed (Padini) Jeans- Padini Bag- Zalora
Until then, please stay healthy.
Much love


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Name: Fariyanto S.N.
Age: 24
Occupation: Law student
From: Sumatra
Marital status: Single
What can be done to improve Bali's image?
Take part in Ajeg Bali (program to develop and preserve Balinese culture). It's really important to keep Bali good. Bali already has a good rule: when newcomers to Bali arrive, they have to inform the local government within 24 hours. But the new ruling from Jakarta says that newcomers have a whole year to register with the authorities. This will cause a lot of problems and the local government should do something about it.
Are you satisfied with the current level of security?
I do feel satisfied with the level of security in Bali right now, but for Indonesia in general, I don't feel satisfied.
Is the central government doing enough to improve Indonesia?
No. Neither the local or central government try hard enough to improve Indonesia. For example, food distribution is not well organized.
What are the challenges that lie ahead?
The practice of law. In theory, the law is good but in practice it's bad. We need more discipline and hard work to improve it.
Where's the hottest spot in Bali right now?
Dreamland. It's such a beautiful beach and although it has become a popular tourist destination, it's still not too crowded or polluted.Filed under: The Big Questions


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Enterprises Transition to All-Flash Storage and Data Centers.
Based in Pembroke, Massachusetts, Evan Loring holds leadership responsibilities with the technology consulting firm Congruity. His experience includes providing large corporations with budget conscious data storage and virtualization solutions. Evan Loring has a particular interest in developments in all-flash storage and data centers.
In 2015, HP announced the launch of an innovative all-flash data center, which underlined a trend away from hard drives to solid state drive (SSD) alternatives. In an associated white paper, HP asserted that costs had decreased and storage capacities increased to such a point where SSD could now be considered feasible as a primary storage medium.
A major driver of this trend is increased storage demand coupled with an array of new offerings from startup storage venders that are supplanting the roles of traditional storage providers. The next generation drive-based arrays have flash memory that does away with the complex storage tier requirements of legacy systems. Efficiency is enhanced by factors such as compression, thin provisioning, and deduplication, which do not significantly impact performance.
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Tel: 585-657-4444 / 394-3290 • Fax: 585-657-4449


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Am I My Brother's Keeper? (Part 2. Jesus' Mandate: Experience Real Fellowship)
Although this article is part of a series, it is a Complete study on its own. (2 of 3 in Series)
* all [bracketed] words in Scripture are mine *
Review: In part 1 we learned the vital importance that Christ attached to love between the brethren. It was to be a different kind of love than the World had ever seen. It was to mark them as different so everyone would know they were Christians by the mere presence of this love demonstrated in their lives.
Part 2. Jesus Commanded: Have Real Fellowship
In part 1 we mentioned Cain's famous quote: "Am I my brother's keeper?" was a statement that Cain had hoped would stall the inevitable, as God called him to task for the murder of his brother. The words say, "Don't ask me about my brother, I'm not responsible for him. I take care of my own affairs and my brother takes care of his. I owe no allegiance to him. We have no ties that bind."
It is amazing to me that after thousands of years the attitude Cain demonstrated still exists. Most of us don't murder our brother as he did, but we do something far worse in the spiritual sense. We write him off as unnecessary to us, or we allow ourselves to verbally kill his reputation, thinking that we can objectively judge him and his actions. We abandon him in his hour of need and think him unworthy of genuine fellowship. That is far worse than if you took his life and sent him Home.
(And in a very real sense the Bible says that to hate one's brother makes one guilty of murder in the spiritual sense. 1 John 3:15 - Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.")
Jesus had a much better idea for His followers: become one body of believers - the Body of Christ.
1. Learn Real Love.
There is a problem: Love is not easy. People do not easily agree, easily co-exist, easily share lives. How would all of these diverse individuals, with real long-running divisions between them become one "body" so that the kind of fellowship that Jesus desired for them could happen? There were Jews, Greeks, Romans, Cretans, Ethiopians; all coming from diverse backgrounds, all encouraged by tradition to not fellowship with each other. Rome was ruling Israel and had their foot on the neck of all the Jewish people to try to control any uprising. Romans hated this job and Israel was a place none of the Romans wanted to be. Samaria was there in that area and Jewish-Samaritan hatred was very well known. Also, Jews were taught from early childhood that Goyum (any non-Jew, Gentile) was not one of the Chosen because they were not related to Abraham by blood nor did they obey the Law, nor were they circumsized. Rome considered Jews superstitious and dangerous. Roman Gods were kept at a distance and were thought of as mysterious, vengeful, and feared because they could and would distroy at a whim. These Jews saw God as someone you could and should talk to, revere and trust. Romans did not understand that. Also, anything outside of Rome was viewed as barbarian territory and civilization ended at Rome's borders. Ethiopians were really the most civilized, by which I mean that they were less tribal for more years having the oldest civilization, but spiritually, had grown away from the God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Joseph that had been in the African continent in generations past. All of this mixed into a hodge-podge of discontent, distrust and a force for disunity.
Amongst all this juxtaposition of cultures and peoples, Jesus arrives and makes the incredible statement that His command for Christians was to love all the brethren, no matter what their background, no matter what their history. They would be known for the love they had for each other. How could such differences be reconciled?
First, they would learn have to learn about love. Not a love that is empowered from within themselves, not one born of great effort on their part, but one that comes from a source that is spiritual, superhuman. The Greek language has a word for this kind of love and that is agape'. It is something that cannot be faked and is impossible without God loving through that individual. The next time you're in church, look around at the sea of faces. What do those people mean to you? Are they just people you know that happen to come to learn about God in the same place you do? No! These people are placed around you to be your family. Our Lord taught us this. Jesus stretched out His hands and said of all around who believed on Him, "Behold my mother and brethren!"
"While He yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and brethren stood without, desiring to speak with Him. Then one said unto Him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. But He answered and said unto him that told Him, 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?' And He stretched forth His hand toward His disciples, and said, 'Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.'" (Matthew 13:46-50)
His example is that we are to think of the assembly as real family not just "pew buddies." Jesus loved us so much (enough to die for us) and His command to the believers is for them to love each other in kind. "Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought to love one another." (1 John 4:11)
Once we acknowledge and nurture our love for our brethren then we can begin striving for the next piece of fellowship:
2. Become Of One Mind And Of One Accord.
The Holy Spirit was strong in the believers on that first Pentecost after Christ's crucifixion. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to indwell each believer as He said He would. They were all focused on the Risen Christ and waiting as He commanded. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." (Acts 2:1) When the promised Spirit came and infused them with power what happened? Did they become lukewarm in their love and in their focus on God? Absolutely not.
"And they continued steadfastly in the apostle's doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and of prayers. And fear [heightened reverence] came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things in common [eager to share]; And sold all their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need. And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart." (Acts 2:42-46)
There are people that point to these verses to say that this was a type of communism. It most certainly was not. They still believed the Scriptures that said if one does "not work, neither let him eat" and "rejoice in the work of your hands." Working just to give this away so all would be equal is not what these verses say. As these folks were added to the Church and became Christians, they were "cast out" of the Temple (John 9:22) and their lands were confiscated. They were many times left destitute and had next to nothing. Eagerness and willingness to share the bread and the necessities that were left is what kept a lot of people alive during this church age that began in 33 A.D. and went until approximately 100 A.D. That is how families opporate. They share with each other during the hard times.
So what happened? How did we lose this sense of oneness? We took our eyes off Christ and took back control of our lives instead of being filled with the Spirit. With Holy Spirit control, we will love and fellowship with one another. "Let [your choice] this mind be in you that was also in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 2:6) Because Christ's mind is in us and that mind is one Mind, it follows that all who are controlled by that same Spirit of Christ will have one mind and one purpose. Without Him it is impossible to love or to be of one mind.
The Last part of fellowship is also impossible in our own strength:
3. Become part of one another.
Notice in Acts it says that they "had all things in common." (Acts 2:44) In other words, they shared supply when their brothers had a need. Think about what that kind of interaction would entail. They would have to be concerned about each other to the point of sharing each other's lives. They would have to care about the needs of their church family and be ready to reach out to them. They would have to talk to one another, and not just superficially, letting others see their needs and vulnerabilities. They would have to keep each other's needs in their daily prayers. Let me ask you: Are you mindful of those in your church family? Do you share with them your love, your resources, your time? Do you reallly care about them enough to get to know them and be a part of them and their lives?
Here are some suggestions for strengthening your fellowship skills:
a). Be friendly and greet your brothers when you see them. Smile and try to get them to do the same. Reach out in friendliness to them. Shake their hand or give a hug. That is known as a "holy kiss." (Romans 16:16)
b). Ask how they are and then stay around to hear the answer. Ask the Spirit to show you people who need your Spirit gift that day and then minister to them. That is edification.
c). When someone comes to you and asks you how you are, don't lie to them. Share your burden since they asked. show them that despite your trial you love God, and just the idea they care to ask and help if possible, is uplifting to your spirit. Allow them to minister to you.
d). All of us become weak from time to time. We are buffeted by our flesh and we need to be built up. Become strong for your brothers that need a helping hand to regain their strength. Focusing on others makes your problems fade and you end up stronger because of the interaction.
Love your brother like Christ loves starting now!
I am sure that there are some that have read this and considered it "pie in the sky" thinking. There is no way that people can or would act like this in America today. Each person is doing his own thing, his own pursuit of happiness. No one will make time to listen to the gripes and aches and pains of another. No one takes the time away from their own life to share like this, no one. I must agree that this is not common but it will exist in the church because Jesus said it would. It will be cultivated in His people by the Holy Spirit.
Some, no doubt, are probably thinking that if people actually did act like this, would I really want them to? That is the world in you talking. If you know Jesus as Savior, you somewhere in your heart know that this is the way it should be, but perhaps you have been lax in exercising this kind of love because you are comfortable where you are. You are missing a great blessing and you may be hindering your own growth in Christ.
It is possible that you can not envision people interacting like this because you do not know the God that causes and empowers such love. It may well be that your experience is very different, even of churches with individuals perhaps even hurting you or your feelings. People are sinners and are not perfect. Jesus wants to use you to heal hurts and wounds. He wants to make each person into a unique gifted son or daughter of Christ. He can't use you as a son or daughter until you have come to Him and confessed your need of Him to save you. God will not force Himself on anyone. There will be people that decide that they do not want God's help with their sins and those people will die and the blood of Christ will not be covering them. That is why God pleads with each person's heart. He stands at the door and knocks. He has been knocking for years and you knew that it was He that stood outside waiting to be let in. He has used death and birth and things of nature and problems and health to get your attention. Now is the time to open to Him. His death on the cross was for you. Come to Him and tell Him that you need Him to save you. Pray this:
Dear God, I know I am a sinner. I know that You came in human flesh and died for me. I know that You were buried and rose again from the dead for me. Please Jesus, forgive me of my sins and save me. I promise I will follow You all the days of my life and obey You as my Lord. I know You are the only Way of salvation. Thank you for saving me. I pray this in Jesus' holy name. Amen.
Others In This Series Of Independent Articles:
Am I My Brother's Keeper? (Part 1. Jesus' Mandate: Love The Brethren)
Am I My Brother's Keeper? (Part 3. Jesus' Mandate: Forbearing One Another)
Just beautifully written! I never knew that a "hug is a Holy kiss".
I found this to be well in depth and understandable. I can almost feel the Spirit of God move through you as you write this.
I think it is a sincere blessing to find this high quality here on HP.
Shared and Up for Awesome, beautiful, interesting! :-)
Blessings and I send you a spirit "Holy Kiss". ((((((((( Bob ))))))))))
Always spreading the WORD! Loving it!!! Voted Up!
Fine work, brilliant Hub. I enjoyed it. God Bless You!
Good word, my brothers!
No Body
M'r:12:30: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
M'r:12:31: And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Neighbours keeper in the Lord


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Good news: We've got a new contest! This time around I wanted to open the floor a little bit and let people go wild. We had such an incredibly number of really interesting entries for the Bee's Knees Sandwich Contest that I wanted to encourage imagination. With the last contest we were held back a […]
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Ginger & Lime Sparkling Cocktail
With a bit of a zing and the softness of fairy floss this is a real winner for festive occasions.
Joe Filshie
Proudly supported by
3/4 cup green ginger wine
juice of 4 limes
750ml bottle chilled Prosecco
200g packet of Pashmak vanilla, pistachio or rose flavoured Persian fairy floss
Combine green ginger wine and lime juice in a jug. Chill until cold. When ready to serve, pour mixture between 8 chilled champagne flutes.
Top up each, with chilled Prosecco. Garnish each glass with fairy floss.


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Timing Fungicides And PGRs To Control Greenhouse Pests
The management of pests and diseases during the production of greenhouse crops is not an isolated event. As such, interactions may occur that can have a significant impact on the success of any pest management strategy.
For example, under conditions of high relative humidity (greater than 75 percent), naturally-occurring populations of beneficial or insect-killing fungi may cause substantial mortality of insect and mite pests. Although beneficial fungi typically require high relative humidity, these fungi can be effective when the microclimate relative humidity around the spore (e.g., leaf surface) is high. This can occur even when the relative humidity within a greenhouse is less than 50 percent.
In addition, the effectiveness of beneficial fungi can vary depending on light intensity, plant size and plant architecture. Fungicides used to manage plant diseases may create issues associated with the compatibility of these chemicals and beneficial fungi, such as Beauveria bassiana, Metarhizium anisopliae and Isaria fumosoroseus, by impacting their effectiveness and persistence.
Furthermore, fungicides used to regulate or manage plant pathogenic fungi may or may not have any direct or indirect effects on beneficial fungi based on timing of application. However, not only do certain fungicides inhibit the effectiveness of beneficial fungi, but they may also affect insect or mite pests.
In fact, some fungicides have been shown to increase fecundity of insect pests, and fungicides could be potentially harmful to certain natural enemies, causing inadvertent outbreaks of pest populations.
Finally, plant growth regulators (PGRs) that are applied to regulate plant development, may increase populations of certain arthropod pests. So in this article, we will discuss both the direct and indirect impact of fungicides and PGRs, as well as possible interactions that may occur when greenhouse producers are attempting to manage pests.
Chemical fungicides may negatively impact beneficial fungi. This depends on a number of factors, including the particular fungicide (contact versus systemic) and rate used, as well as the formulation of the product.
Certain broad-spectrum fungicides might also decrease susceptibility of insect and mite pests to beneficial fungi. For example, certain scales are less susceptible to beneficial fungi after exposure to copper sprays, which may impact pest populations.
Although older fungicides such as benomyl and sulfur have been shown to have direct effects on plant-feeding mite pests, there is also the issue associated with indirect effects. There are some indirect effects that may involve increasing pest populations by inhibiting the activity of beneficial fungi through preventing infection of insect or mite pests. For example, fungicides have proven to inhibit infection by beneficial fungi of the green peach aphid (Myzus persicae), resulting in increases in aphid populations.
Still, this may not necessarily be due to the active ingredient. Inert ingredients, such as surfactants, adjuvants, carriers or solvents in the formulation may be responsible. In fact, certain surfactants and solvents have been shown to exhibit efficacy by themselves. Moreover, some fungicides may inadvertently delay plant senescence, prolonging the time that insects remain on plants and continue feeding, thus causing damage.
So what accounts for some of these interactions? Well, fungicides can affect conidial germination, or they may inhibit mycelial growth of beneficial fungi. Any inhibition of germination, growth and "killing power" of beneficial fungi may slow or prevent infection of insect and mite pests. Furthermore, fungicides may have variable effects on germination and growth of different beneficial fungi, which influences the infection process by inhibiting germination on the insect cuticle and decreasing the ability of beneficial fungi to kill insect pests.
The germination and production of conidia associated with the primary infection of beneficial fungi may be inhibited by a wide range of systemic and non-systemic fungicides. As such, conidia production affiliated with infected insect hosts may be reduced when exposed to fungicides. However, results may not be consistent, and again, application timing could influence compatibility with beneficial fungi.
Laboratory studies have reported that certain fungicides are capable of inhibiting growth, conidia germination and infection of insect hosts. Still, the results are quite variable. So it is important to note that most labels associated with the commercially available beneficial fungi products, including BotaniGard (BioWorks), No-Fly (Natural Industries) and PFR-97 (Certis USA) clearly state that fungicides can be detrimental to these products.
Companies typically provide specific information and directions for using these products in a program with fungicides. For example, both metalaxyl (Subdue) and mancozeb (Dithane) have been shown to inhibit development and mycelial growth of Beauveria bassiana, and the fungicides thiophanate-methyl (Cleary's 3336), mancozeb (Dithane) and chlorothalonil (Daconil) inhibited mycelial growth and sporulation of B. bassiana under laboratory conditions.
Although certain fungicides may inhibit germination of beneficial fungi under laboratory conditions, they may have minimal to no affect on the ability to kill insect and mite pests under greenhouse conditions. In addition, many of these responses to fungicides are dose-dependent. For specific information on compatibility, always consult with a company representative of the product.
One of the primary means of utilizing chemical fungicides and beneficial fungi in a pest management program is to delay the timing of fungicide applications. In fact, reports indicate that delaying fungicide applications may enhance the efficacy of B. bassiana, though the mechanisms responsible for this are still unknown. Studies have shown that individual applications of the fungicides azoxystrobin (Heritage), fosetyl-aluminum (Aliette), iprodione (OHP 26 GT-O), myclobutanil (Eagle or Systhane) and fenhexamid (Decree) did not inhibit infection of B. bassiana. In addition, application of fungicides, after applying beneficial fungi, did not negatively impact efficacy nor inhibit infection or growth within the insect.
Interactions between pesticides (in this case, fungicides) and beneficial fungi may also be synergistic (enhance) or antagonistic (inhibit), which could affect insecticidal activity of beneficial fungi. For example, applications of B. bassiana two to four days before applying the fungicides metalaxyl (Subdue) or mancozeb (Dithane) appeared to synergize the activity of B. bassiana, whereas fungicide applications made before applying B. bassiana resulted in antagonism (reduced mortality). This delay appeared to allow the beneficial fungus to initiate the infection process (adhesion, germination, differentiation and penetration) without any disruption following the fungicide applications.
Fungicides may also affect arthropod pests by impacting prey quality and/or influencing plant quality. In fact, some sterol-inhibiting fungicides have demonstrated PGR activity, which may result in an increase in plant susceptibility to arthropod pests. Furthermore, effects of fungicides on beneficial fungi may be due to subtle influences on plant metabolism, resulting in an increase in susceptibility to particular phloem-feeding insects such as aphids.
In addition, certain fungicides may indirectly impact natural enemies negatively by reducing the acceptability of prey to either parasitoids and/or predators, which could alter the ability of natural enemies to regulate populations of insect or mite pests. This would allow pests to escape, attack and continue to cause damage.
Plant Growth Regulators
The interaction of PGRs with arthropod pests has not been studied as extensively compared to fungicides. However, PGRs, similar to fungicides, may change plant physiology by modifying levels of essential plant nutrients. This makes the plants more nutritious (a better food source) to insect or mite pests, particularly those with piercing-sucking mouthparts such as aphids, whiteflies and the twospotted spider mite.
This phenomenon has been demonstrated with chrysanthemum and leafminers in which the levels of amino acids were elevated following applications of PGRs, thus increasing susceptibility to feeding and subsequent plant damage. Furthermore, it has been proposed based on cultivar sensitivity that PGRs may modify or increase the attractiveness of certain cultivars, enhancing susceptibility to insect and mite pests.
Conversely, plants receiving applications of certain PGRs may actually exhibit a negative effect on insect pests via changes in the physical structure of plants. This occurs by increasing cuticle thickness, which may make it difficult for phloem-feeding insects like aphids to insert their mouthparts into plant tissues when probing for food.
This article has presented information on the potential interactions that may occur between fungicides, beneficial fungi, plant growth regulators and arthropod pest complexes. The use of these compounds in commercial plant production is important in regulating plant pathogens, pest populations and plant growth with the end result being production of a quality and salable crop.
As such, the goal is to provide applicable information to greenhouse producers on possible inadvertent factors that may be responsible for the failure to regulate arthropod pest populations. One of the key factors to consider in order to ensure compatibility of fungicides with beneficial fungi is timing of application. Once this is understood, you can integrate both chemical fungicides and beneficial fungi into pest management programs.


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A video of someone failing that will eventually end up on youtube, and then slowed down to where the act of being hurt is made funnier by having millions watch you eat shit over and over again.
DOOD! Did you see the slo-mo fail of the fat kid getting his nuts ripped off when he tried to jump over the fence using a trampoline!
by A.Z.A.S. Forever! January 10, 2009


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Published Sep 18, 2014
Oldies but goodies. Where do you go to find the best antique treasures?
Biking enthusiasts are very particular about their choice in bike shops... see the Top 5 →
Extra, extra, read all about it. Where do you pick up your favorite reads? see the Top 5 →
Cameras, flashes, film development. Where is that picture perfect store? see the Top 5 →
Where can you find hot new comics along with a great selection of the... see the Top 5 →
Need to frame that picture perfect memory? Where do you go? see the Top 5 →
From living room to bedroom to kitchen nook, who has the best home... see the Top 5 →
The 2014 Philly HOT LIST awards are based on more than 90,000 votes from local Philadelphia-area experts.


text: On our trip to Malaysia, we stayed in the DoubleTree Kuala Lumpur for two nights. It is in a central location and whether you book it on points or cash it's cheap. Costing around £60 a night or 10,000 points. If you are Silver, Gold or Diamond your 5th night is free.The hotel is located about 3km from the Petronas Towers, which you have a view of. It is close to a metro station so you can … [Read more...]


text: Rob Stevenson wrote: > the intention of this snippet is to only print slices where character 1 > is lower case, 2-4 and 6-8 are upper. The logic here looks right to a > VB eye. > for i in h: > j=s[i:i+8] > if j[0].islower(): > if j[1:3].isupper(): > if j[5:7].isupper(): > print j > > Any help much appreciated! If you want the second character through the fourth (three characters), use j[1:4]. Slices include the first index, not the second - they are 'up to but not including' the end index. Likewise j[5:8] would be the sixth through eigth characters. Kent


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It doesYes, it would seem to at first, but then again there are plenty of grammatical errors that would violate Man Law (saying "I seen X" or "I axed", using emoticons and/or texting lingo, etc.) so there's a fine line between worrying about grammar too much vs. using atrocious grammar in Man Lawdom.
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text:
Lower Elementary Curriculum
Language Arts
- Literature groups encourage children to read and respond to literature.
- In addition to grammar, sentence structure, and word study, students are also exposed to poetry and creative writing.
- In addition to the basic operations of arithmetic, students are exposed to geometry, fractions, measurement, graphing, algebra, and story-problem solving.
Cultural Subjects (Zoology, Botany, History and Geography)
- Centered on the two timelines of life on Earth and the history of humankind.
- Students study the fundamental needs of humans, the history of writing and numbers.
- They also learn about the earth itself – its land and water forms, rocks and fossils, volcanoes, continents and oceans, and maps.
- Each spring semester students study the biomes of a different continent, and how the plants, animals, and people adapt to life in these different regions.
- Students replicate weekly experiments in the physical sciences.
- Students conduct many independent research projects, which are typed up and shared with the class.
Peace education
- Weekly peace circles allow for students to listen to and discuss books, role play, and appreciate and compliment each other's special qualities.
- A spirit of giving is encouraged during the holiday season when the class raises funds to sponsor a needy local family and send contributions to humanitarian relief overseas.
- Spanish is held three times a week
- Music is held twice a week.
- Weekly art projects introduce elements and principles of art and utilize many different media.
- Plays of folktales from the continent being studied are performed in the spring.


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There are two main components to having an effective offensive strategy: the deciding of your military composition and order of deployment, and using the specific abilities of the Gunboat.
The Gunboat has unique capabilities that can boom beach strategy aid and support your troops. It should be noted, on the other hand, that all damaging skills and the stun capability allow for friendly fire.
The most frequently used are Barrage and Artillery. Both of these bargain damage to the opponent's buildings. It's wise to ruin essential defenses like Boom Cannons and Cannons before deploying troops. But this order may shift according to the types of troops you want to deploy. It needs to be noted that shells from both these deal splash damage to enemy buildings; two or more buildings that one shell can touch that.
For armies consisting of lower-health units, for example Riflemen and Zookas, defensive buildings should be targeted in this sequence (with Artillery or Batteries), with number one taking the highest precedence:
Rocket Launchers, due to splash damage and high range. Just one chain of shots may have the ability to wipe out most of a military that includes low health units.
Mortars, due to splash damage, and ability hit Zookas with their long range.
Flamethrowers, because of their ability to inflict high damage to multiple units too as their damage.
Sniper Towers, due to ability to one -shot lower- shooting speed that was comparatively fast and health units. Not as dangerous -health units as some other defensive buildings, however.
Cannons are essentially smaller Boom Cannons with a slightly higher rate of fire, and are hence ruined for the same reasoning. If the Cannon in question can one-shot the troop(s) you plan to deploy, it may be advisable to prioritize the Cannon over a Boom Cannon, as they've similar health and the Cannon fires quicker (and will consequently kill more of your troops).
Machine Guns can make short work of low health units, notably at close range, but the difficulty will be easily solved by a multiple or Hefty Heavies.
Boom Cannons can readily one-hit kill a low well-being unit, but swarming this defensive structure with enough units will readily make waste of it.
For armies that rely on high health units, for example Tanks and Heavies, defensive buildings should be targeted in this sequence (with Artillery or Batteries), with number one taking the best precedence:
Boom Cannons' long range and high damage enable them to decide of your health units that are high one by one, badly crippling your army.
Cannons can eat away at them fairly nicely and additionally deal high damage to high health units, but they are prevented by their shorter range from getting as many shots off before being ruined, so they should be prioritized after Boom Cannons.
Rocket Launchers have exceptionally long range and adequate DPS splash damage which allows them to pummel all your Troops for a long time. Also, if your Heavies get in DPS's spot, it will start killing your fragile Zookas which have a range more in relation to the Rocket Launcher's blind spot.
Sniper Towers deal decent, long range damage to your own Troops. Given enough time, they could seriously damage your well-being Troops that are high, but their well-being that is higher than ordinary makes them advantageous to take out with Gunboat Weaponry.
Mortars have shots that drop slowly which may make them fire over your Heavies as they move up which can result in a chunk Zookas dying.
Flamethrowers can deal high damage to chunks if they have been allowed to, but their short range hinders their ability to fire at your Troops enough to make a big difference. Tanks can even destroy it without it hitting any of them because Tanks have an extended assault range than the Flamethrower.
Machine Guns do such low, erroneous damage, they are a very low risk to high health units.
Another skill that is incredibly important is the Flare, previously known as the signal smoke. This ability is employed to direct troops towards a designated place or to attack a specific building. The careful utilisation is a great means to ruin the opponent's defensive buildings like the Cannon that can just shoot one target simultaneously and the Sniper Tower. It ought to be noted, on the other hand, that the Flare can be used in conjunction with the Shock Bomb to facilitate a Warrior rush at the HQ.
Both the Smoke Screen and the Shock Bomb allow an opportunity to troops at not being hit by defenses. The main difference, however, is that troops are protected by the Smoke Screen from enemy fire within its area of effect (allowing troops to move through it but not shoot), while the Shock Bomb disables defenses. It is suggested to use these to disable and avoid the effect of high damage or splash damage units, depending on which military makeup is employed.
Troops can be healed with use of the Medkit. It must be noted that although it might be used to counteract the damage like Flamethrower, Machine Gun and the Mortar, it doesn't do much to counteract the damage of single -target defenses, particularly at higher amounts. Your Troops are especially useful when dealing with Flamethrowers, as it deals damage to troops even after it has ceased shooting flames at them.
Common Offensive Plays
There is a meat shield when you use well-being troops that are high in your front line of attack to defend your rear line. Meatshield army's most common sort is the Hefty- Zooka or Hooka military. This is really useful against moderate-level bases with few high-dps single-shot defenses.
Normally used with Riflemen, opposing defenses overwhelm with the absolute amount of troops deployed. Singleshot defenses are usually no match for this particular military, but Mortars, Flamethrowers, and Rocket Launchers can damage and take out many troops at the same time.
A base which is laid out with the map's HQ at the rear is not invulnerable to being sniped. By sending around enemy defenses with Flares in Riflemen or Heavies, a HQ with few defenses behind it's vulnerable to attack from the tree-covered areas behind the foundation. Use this to your benefit.
HQ Rushing
Usually used with Warriors, Flaring the HQ and supporting them with Shock Bombs and Smoke Screens, the Warriors quickly destroy the HQ because of their high damage. AOE (area of effect) and splash damage is generally healed back by the Warriors, but Cannons, high level Boom Cannons and Sniper Towers can 1 shot or 2 shot them so make sure to Shock Blast these defenses.


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Since we were off work on July 4th and her sister was in town from South Dakota, Jenn made us reservations to see the 9/11 Memorial.
The fountains were enormous and incredible and impressive. The plaza was a little meh. I'm hoping one day, after all the surrounding construction has been put to rest, that the area around the fountains is just open to the public. The security we went through was pretty intense and I don't feel like the space contributed to your experience of the memorial much. I think it would be better free flowing, mixing tourists and Wall Street-ers on their lunch break. It will be interesting to see how it evolves!
On our bike ride back to Brooklyn, Kurt couldn't resist this open fire hydrant. I'm not sure I've ever seen him happier...well, maybe when Ohio State is involved.
Kurt and I considered going to Hoboken to see the Macy's 4th of July Show on the Hudson River, but since I don't really care for fireworks all that much, and it was technically a school night, we grilled out in Kurt's backyard instead. I drank Mexican beer. We grilled tons of food, including fresh peaches (served with ice cream, of course). Then we tried to catch some glimpses of the fireworks from Kurt's roof. From our high perch, we could see distant displays in Staten Island, New Jersey, and throughout the streets of Brooklyn. I think I prefer that to a big show on the river anyway. You can keep it, Manhattan!
I hope everyone had a great Independence Day!


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Gold is always at a premium in the World of Warcraft. I guess it's sort of like the rest of life that way. Generalized reinforcer par excellence, and all. In 2005, even 100 gold could buy a tremendous amount, for the raider looking to boost their power. As much as I joke about it, even I, paragon of laziness, spent a couple hours out fishing in the oceans outside Gadgetzan, farming rare voodoo essences in Winterspring, and scraping up ghoul drool in the Plaguelands. A couple hours, for every night of full raiding. Buying gold would have been faster.
Especially for an epic mount. Every Joe Blow had his 100 gold mount. The riding tiger, or giant wolf, or flaming black shadow steed. The 1000 gold one was a bit harder. The Eternity Dragoons all had theirs, of course. They flew by me at high speed, as we all made our way to the raid entrance. I'd catch up eventually, usually to some loud sighs.
You could always buy gold from the Chinese farmers. The 2010 documentary Gold Farmers tracks hundreds of Chinese youths, starting with a shot of a whitewashed office space in Zhe Jiang Province, and eventually showing cramped, dark buildings where young men walk around shirtless, in boxer shorts. One farmer estimates 500,000 professional gamers, in China. One farm owner says, "Gradually we have developed to more than 100 computers and more than 200 workers. This is just medium size in this industry."
The farmers talk about the scarcity of work in China. One says, "I used to work at a zipper factory… this one offers free food and bed." He worked Warcraft from 8AM to 8PM. It was easy to ID the farmers from the comfort of a Hawaiʻian dorm room, they'd just be in the same spot, killing the same thing, for hours on end. One farmer noted, "Because this is his job and there is pressure from the boss, he has to stay there. If some other players come to that spot, then he has no choice but to fight with them." I'd killed my share, usually only if they were hogging some specific tiger, whose mystic claw I needed for Mighty Epic Quest #73.
The gold is often bought by Americans and Europeans – typically via PayPal transactions – then delivered on burner Warcraft characters. If you're a well-off programmer making eighty bucks an hour at your day job, maybe it makes sense to buy gold. Skip a little farming, here and there. Even though it's strongly prohibited in the legal agreements you click "agree" on, before you can play. Even though your accounts could possibly be obliterated for the infraction.
A few months after my escapades with the Dragoons, and C'thun, a 31-year-old Manhattan woman reportedly sold her body over Craigslist, for the 5,000 Warcraft gold required to pick up one of the coveted flying mounts. By the going rate of farmed gold, on her server, it was probably three to four hundred US dollars worth.
Journalists had a lot of fun with their headlines, like, The Oldest Profession in the World Catches up with MMO Worlds, and Escort Quest. Her original Craigslist ad, much embellished by various good citizens of the internet, read, "Hello I need 5000 world of gold for my epic flying mount. In return you can mount me."
I guess we pick and choose our grinds.


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Filing Your Return -> Students -> Tuition, education and textbook tax credits for courses outside Canada
Tuition Tax Credit for Courses Outside Canada
Income Tax Act s. 118.5(1)(b)
In some cases a tuition tax credit may be claimed for courses taken outside Canada. The following criteria must be satisfied in order to claim the credit:- full-time attendance at a university outside Canada in a course leading to a degree (not just a diploma).
- the university must be recognized by a nationally accepted accrediting body of its country. The institutions in Schedule VIII of the Income Tax Regulations are qualifying institutions. To obtain a current list, contact a Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Tax Services Office.
- the course must not be less than 3 consecutive weeks in duration (13 weeks prior to 2011).
- fees paid by the student's employer, or by the employer of a parent of the student, may not be claimed unless those fees have been included in the income of the student or the student's parent.
When the courses taken outside Canada have been completed online, the tuition tax credit may still be claimed if the courses have a duration of at least 13 weeks. See the Tax Court of Canada cases McGrath v. The Queen, November 2006 and Valente v. The Queen, March 2006.
When the courses taken outside Canada have been taken by correspondence, the tuition tax credit may not be claimed. However, the education credit for part-time enrollment may still be claimed, because the criteria includes enrollment, not physical attendance. See Tax Court of Canada case Cleveland v. The Queen, October 2003.
The educational institution will provide form- TL11A - Tuition, education and textbook amounts certificate - university outside Canada
- TL11C - Tuition, education and textbook amounts certificate - commuter to the United States, or
- TL11D - Tuition fees certificate - Educational institutions outside Canada for a deemed resident of Canada
There have been Tax Court Cases which denied the tuition credit for courses which did not meet the 13 week duration criteria. See Tax Court of Canada cases Fayle v. The Queen, January 2005, and Ali v. The Queen, November 2004.
CRA Resources:- Eligible tuition fees
- RC192 Information for Students - Educational Institutions Outside Canada
- RC190 Information for Educational Institutions Outside Canada
Tax Tip: Make sure your university courses taken outside Canada have a duration of at least 3 weeks.
Education and Textbook Tax Credits for Courses Outside Canada
Ref: Income Tax Act s. 118.6(1)(b), 118.6(1)(c) and 118.6(2)
The Federal 2016 Budget eliminated the education and textbook tax credits effective for the 2017 taxation year.
When courses are taken outside Canada, education and textbook tax credits may be claimed according to the guidelines in Tuition costs and education amount above. A designated educational institution includes:
- a university outside Canada at which the individual was enrolled in a course, of not less than 3 consecutive weeks duration (13 weeks prior to 2011), leading to a degree, or
- if the individual resided throughout the year in Canada near the US border, a university, college or other educational institution in the US providing courses at a post-secondary school level, to which the individual commuted.
To qualify for the part-time education tax credit, the individual must be enrolled at a designated educational institution in a program of not less than 3 consecutive weeks duration, that provides that each student in the program spend not less than 12 hours in the month on courses in the program.
For the amounts of Federal and provincial/territorial education and textbook tax credits, see the tables of non-refundable tax credits.
See also Tax Information for Students
Revised: April 21, 2019
Copyright © 2002 Boat Harbour Investments Ltd. All Rights Reserved. See Reproduction of information from TaxTips.ca


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FULTON — The sound of a volleyball hitting the gym floor at Stan Borgman Court echoed through the sizeable crowd in attendance for a scrimmage game.
Varsity was matched against the sophomores as the Fulton Steamers invited family and friends to watch a scrimmage game before the regular season began.
The energy was high for the scrimmage as a result of the energy, enthusiasm and intensity that the Steamers have on the court this year. That energy is fueled by a combination of underclassmen called up and returning players who have put in the work and want to improve on last year's underwhelming season.
"They have energy, they have the love for the game and they have the want and the drive to be here, and that's going to take them even farther." Steamers coach Stacy Germann said.
The energy and drive on the court breeds teamwork and consistencies on the court that are heightened by returning setters Rachael Beiermann and Olivia Edfors. Setting was a weakness last season as both girls were learning the position, but now that they have the experience, the confidence is growing and becoming contagious.
"I'm a lot more comfortable because I'm a lot more used to it," Edfors, a senior, said. "Last year it was a little more difficult just because it was my first year so I was always worried, but I'm a lot more comfortable now just it being my second year."
Nowhere is the team's energy more evident than in senior Marla Stoecker, who keeps things fun on the court for her teammates, going all out when the ball in play. Stoecker has a tenacity for the game that she spreads to her teammates during both games and practice.
"To play to the best of my ability and to dominate," Stoecker said with a wry smile on her face about expectations of herself and the Steamers.
Chelsea Lesniewski will step into the role as one of the big hitters on the outside, and Germann remarked about her visible improvements over her sophomore season last year. Lesniewski will give consistency to the front line with the setters that also welcomes underclassman Betsy Leonard to the middle and junior Jamie Huennekens to the outside.
The Steamers roster is full of talented athletes and volleyball players this year that allows Germann to fill out the positions on the floor easier and have confidence that the players on the floor will execute no matter what combination is out there.
"We're always going to have two very, very strong people up in the front row at all times, and then even our third hitter is still strong," Germann stated. "We also added (sophomore) Averi Leitzen — we moved her up (to the varsity) for our libero. She is quick and she's ready to pick up everything up back there. By moving Averi up, then that allows me to have Marla Stoecker and Averi in the back row, so I've got two great defensive specialists in the back."
The improvements on the court are raising the expectations.
"I expect us to work a lot better together this year. We get a long very good so we play really good as a team," Edfors, one of the team's captains, said.
The Steamers hope the enthusiasm on the court will take them far and allow them to meet their high expectations and set even higher ones, but they will not be short on challenges, either, with conference powerhouses Erie and Riverdale restocking their teams and new teams joining the Three Rivers Conference this season.