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Reviews & Features
Combat Arms
| 21 January 2009 |
If you are a keen FPS player and like your FPS action fun and fast then you should at least give Combat Arms a test run.
TOG enters clan in new FREE FPS game
| 23 December 2008
TOG has a new FPS clan in the free to play Nexon game, Combat Arms.
Internet Censorship: Part Two
| 10 December 2008
Reoh concludes his report on censorship of the Internet
Internet Censorship: Part One
| 9 December 2008
The Australian Government is proposing mandatory ISP (Internet Service Provider) Level filtering of the Internet. Reoh discusses the plan and how it will end up doing more harm than good.
LoTRO: Mines of Moria
| 17 November 2008
"And they call it a mine! A mine!"
Left 4 Dead Preview - Zombies, Guns, and Explosives - Oh My!
| 16 November 2008
A small preview of Left 4 Dead based on Valve's recently released public Demo.
Fallout 3
| 6 November 2008 |
"Wasteland? You mean WONDERLAND!"
The Zombie Apocalypse
| 27 October 2008
Your guide for preparing for the next zombie outbreak
Dead Space
| 26 October 2008 |
Dead Space lifts the 3rd person shooter genre on so many fronts thanks to its innovative approach that you would not want to miss this great experience.
STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC is announced
| 21 October 2008
The offical announcment has happened.
Newsfeed Selector
» GameSpot Headlines
Microsoft Buys Minecraft, And the Rest of the Week's Top Stories
20 September 2014 |Welcome to GameSpot's weekly news roundup where we'll feature the week's top stories, and some offbeat ones you might have missed. Below you'll find a quick-hit roundup of some stories, with links you can click on for further ...
Final Fantasy 15 Demo Timing "Has Not Been Confirmed" Says Square Enix
20 September 2014 |Just in case you had any doubts, the ...
PSN Flash Sale Discounts Need for Speed, Burnout, MotorStorm, and More
20 September 2014 |Sony has kicked off a PlayStation Network ...
New NBA 2K15 Video Gets Really Awkward Explaining 2KTV Feature
20 September 2014 |I'm a big Kevin Durant fan. I think he's ...
Violent Video Games Don't Lead to Increases In Violent Crimes, Study Finds
20 September 2014 |The effect violent video games have on real-world behavior has long been a hotly debated topic. Some argue there is assuredly a link between playing violent video games and increased levels of aggressive behavior, while others ...
New Xbox One Game Launches With 25% Discount for Xbox Live Gold Members
20 September 2014 |<iframe ...
Destiny: Guide to Level 20 and Beyond
20 September 2014 |After hours of travelling across hostile lands, fighting waves of relentless alien soldiers, and testing your might against your fellow guardians, you have finally reached level 20 in Destiny. By now, you must be wondering what is ...
Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel Is a "Full-Blown" Borderlands Game
20 September 2014 |Following Gearbox Software president ...
Another Kickstarter Game Bites the Dust: Writer Neal Stephenson's Clang Is Dead
20 September 2014 |
 Spearheaded by author Neal Stephenson, the ...
Everything We Learned From the Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain TGS 2014 Trailer
20 September 2014 |Kojima Productions showed off a brand new gameplay walkthrough video for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain at this year's Tokyo Game Show. It included a whole lot of new stuff: a brand new level, new weapons, new (ridiculous) ...
» IGN Headlines
» 1UP Headlines
Review: Bending Genres in Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon
22 March 2013 |  Feature  Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
Review: Shambling Mirror of Fate Signals Time to Jam a Stake in Castlevania's Heart
8 March 2013 |   Castlevania: Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate brings the series back to Nintendo's portable systems, ...
An Unflattering Boll Cut
7 March 2013 |  Feature  Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
The Trials and Tribulations of Gears of War: Judgment
6 March 2013 |    As the next generation of home consoles slowly emerge into the limelight and enter the ...
The Cinematic Nature of Parasite Eve
1 March 2013 |  Feature  Share it: Tweet [removed][removed] [removed] window.fbAsyncInit = ...
A Plea for the Gaming Industry to Respect Gamers
1 March 2013 |   Although the economy might not be in the thick of a recession as it once was, that doesn't mean things ...
Moving Forward and Looking to Indies, Not Better Graphics
28 February 2013 |   Excited as I was to finally see a next-generation console, much of the PlayStation 4 software we saw ...
Urban Trial Freestyle Review: Where Flash Trumps Substance
27 February 2013 |   There is no getting around the similarities between Urban Trial Freestyle and the Trials series. The ...
The Orwellian Superheroes of Watch Dogs and inFamous: Second Son
23 February 2013 |    Always the eyes watching you and the voice enveloping you. Asleep or awake, working or ...
» GameDaily Headlines
» Gamasutra Headlines
Oculus freely distributes DK1 headset schematics, firmware
20 September 2014 |Today at its Oculus Connect event in Hollywood, the company announced it's made the DK1 available to everyone -- so you can make your own. ...
Blog: Why the Creative Europe program won't improve video games
20 September 2014 |"I'm still not sure about how the program is currently designed, and I would like to reflect for a bit about what I think could have been done better and why." ...
Video Game History Museum finds permanent home in Texas
20 September 2014 |With $1 million in funding in pocket, the VGHM moves to Dallas-area city Frisco, Texas as the permanent home of the collection, which has only been exhibited in part and on a traveling basis. ...
Kickstarter updates terms: 'The creator must complete the project'
20 September 2014 |The popular crowdfunding site has added some serious new stipulations to its terms of service -- which are designed to ensure backers get what they back. ...
Video: Jon Blow on building a new programming language for games
20 September 2014 |The designer of Braid and The Witness has published a talk outlining his thoughts on how we might go about building a new programming language specifically for game development. ...
Video: Perfectly pitching your game in three sentences or less
20 September 2014 |Speaking at GDC Europe 2014 earlier this year, Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail shared some useful advice on how developers can perfect the art of pitching their game. ...
F2P game maker Motiga snaps up ex-CCP marketing lead David Reid
20 September 2014 |Motiga has brought on game industry veteran David Reid to serve as its senior vice president of publishing as it ramps up production on its debut offering, the free-to-play multiplayer PC action game Gigantic. ...
Get a job: Runic Games is hiring a Visual Effects Artist
20 September 2014 |The Seattle-based studio responsible for the Torchlight series is looking to bring on an experienced artist interested in designing and optimizing the production of real-time visual effects. ...
Procedural generation: By molecule or mythology
20 September 2014 |"This post will help you choose the best 'zoom level' for your game. It's part post-mortem, part raw idealism, and entirely intended to be just one way to think about design within a procedurally generated system." ...
Don't Miss: The Gamasutra community's game developer flashcards
20 September 2014 |Developers from across Gamasutra's community contributed to this quirky taxonomy of personalities and situations that you're likely to encounter if you spend much time in the game industry. ...
» GamesIndustry.Biz Headlines
Billy Berghammer joins Nintendo's Treehouse
20 September 2014 |Former games journalist will serve as a product development analyst at Nintendo of America
Sony internet TV service to launch this year
20 September 2014 |SCE has Viacom lined up, in talks with more content partners to stream channels online
Objective: Impossible?
20 September 2014 |An objective approach to games journalism is a noble goal, but black-and-white reporting still has a lot of gray area
Fiksu sees mobile CPI increasing
19 September 2014 |Incentivised installations still important for Apple platforms
A Journey to the East: From Dundee to Tokyo
19 September 2014 |How BearTrap games took Sky Patrol to TGS
Mind Candy axes 30 staff - report
19 September 2014 |Headcount has halved in the last two years
Harmonix pulls support for Rock Band Network
19 September 2014 |User content platform sunsetted as studio moves forward with other projects
Swrve raises $10 million funding
19 September 2014 |Analytics firm takes lifetime total to $22 million
Square Enix sets up cloud subsidiary
19 September 2014 |Shinra Technologies has Yoichi Wada at the helm, promises a new future for gaming
Watch Oculus Connect livestreams here
19 September 2014 |Two days of panels and presentations from the bleeding edge of VR
» GamePolitics Headlines
Watch Super Podcast Action Committee Tonight at 6p PST!
20 September 2014 |
Frisco, Texas: The New Permanent Home of the Videogame History Museum
20 September 2014 | The city of Frisco, Texas plans to invest $1 million to bring the Videogame History Museum to town. Founded as a non-profit in 2009 by John Hardie, Sean Kelly, and Joe ...
Frisco, Texas: The New Permanent Home of the Videogame History Museum
20 September 2014 | The city of Frisco, Texas plans to invest $1 million to bring the Videogame History Museum to town. Founded as a non-profit in 2009 by John Hardie, Sean Kelly, and Joe ...
ESL to Host BlizzCon 2014's World Championship Opening Weekend
20 September 2014 | Professional eSports league ESL announced that it will host the BlizzCon 2014's World Championship Opening Weekend at its studios in Burbank, California. ESL will be ...
ESL to Host BlizzCon 2014's World Championship Opening Weekend
20 September 2014 | Professional eSports league ESL announced that it will host the BlizzCon 2014's World Championship Opening Weekend at its studios in Burbank, California. ESL will be ...
Report: 'Destiny' Drives PS4 Sales in the UK
20 September 2014 | Apparently Destiny's release in the UK helped increase sales of Sony's PS4 console in the region dramatically. PS4 sales rose by a phenomenal 300 percent ...
'Angry Birds Epic' In-Game Purchase Supports Room to Read Charity
20 September 2014 | Rovio has teamed up with Room to Read, a non-profit literacy advocacy group whose goal is to promote reading and gender equality in Asia and Africa. For the next two weeks ...
'Alice v. CLS' Supreme Court Ruling Strikes Again
20 September 2014 | Another day, another patent case tossed out on its ear thanks to the Supreme Court ruling on Alice v. CLS. This time out it's Lumen View Technology, who had its case ...
Kickstarter-Funded Sword Fighting Game 'Clang' is Officially Cancelled
20 September 2014 | On Sept. 20 of last year the developers of the Kickstarter-backed sword fighting game Clang announced that the project had run through all of its funding and was looking for ...
'Rock Band Network' Shutting Down
20 September 2014 | Harmonix announced that it will no longer add content to or provide maintenance for the Rock Band Network, the long running downloadable content portal for the Rock Band ...
» Joystiq Headlines
Barely Related: The Millennium Falcon's Batmobile baby
20 September 2014 | A happy weekend tip from us, your pals: Take a walk. Enjoy the sun, the shade and the way your new iPhone screen looks in both of those lighting situations. Welcome to Barely Related, a conversational Friday column that presents ...
WRUP: Orange Mocha Frappuccino [Update: Behold the magnificence]
20 September 2014 | Update: CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! And masterfully executed. Thanks @Vicky_Bit And we're still waiting on someone to take this Final Fantasy 15 video and add Wham's "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go" in reverence to the opening scene from ...
Harmonix announces closure of moribund Rock Band Network
20 September 2014 | Despite a nearly half-decade-long run, developer Harmonix has made the decision to shutter the Rock Band Network, effective immediately. As a showcase for Rock Band Network authors to share their music with potential fans, the ...
Persona 4 Arena Ultimax heads to Europe courtesy of Sega
20 September 2014 | It's been up in the air, but Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is confirmed now to be coming to Europe and other EMEA territories. Sega revealed it's publishing the follow-up fighter in November, with retail and downloadable versions on the ...
Hohokum dev's latest boasts llamas that go boom
20 September 2014 | Super Exploding Zoo is a game that developer Honeyslug describes as a "arcade-y tower defense-y explode-em-up," though most players will simply know it as "that game where explosive llamas stop an alien invasion." "That old ...
Joystiq Deals: LithiumCard portable battery pack
20 September 2014 | This edition of Joystiq Deals features the LithiumCard Portable HyperCharger, a battery pack aimed squarely at those who would like to recharge their gadgets on the go, but who don't have the space to tote around a bulky box full ...
Tropico 5 delayed on PS4, now arriving in 'early 2015'
20 September 2014 | Despite prior word that Tropico 5 would reach the PlayStation 4 during 2014, a new announcement from publisher Kalypso Media bumps the banana republic simulation to "early 2015." Kalyspo offers no explanation for the PlayStation 4 ...
Bandai Namco TGS pics? Yeah, when Dark Souls 2 freezes over
20 September 2014 | The third and final round of Dark Souls 2 DLC, Crown of the Ivory King, is a blustery romp through a frozen kingdom, complete with snow and giant ice beasts. Bandai Namco has dumped a lineup of screenshots from Tokyo Game Show on ...
Tropico 5 delayed on PS4, now arriving in 'early 2015'
20 September 2014 | Despite prior word that Tropico 5 would reach the PlayStation 4 during 2014, a new announcement from publisher Kalypso Media bumps the banana republic simulation to "early 2015." Kalyspo offers no explanation for the PlayStation 4 ...
Disney Infinity 2.0 Marvel Super Heroes review: Super friends
20 September 2014 | Disney Infinity 2.0: Marvel Super Heroes is adorable. From the plucky way characters stride toward danger, to the fantastic, real-world figures that power their adventures, it's hard not to be enamored with the sequel. Each time ...
» Kotaku Headlines
» Next Generation Headlines
» Digg Headlines
» Slashdot Headlines
The Minecraft Parent
20 September 2014 |HughPickens.com writes: Michael Agger has an interesting article in the New Yorker about parenting in the internet era and why Minecraft is the one game parents want their kids to play. He says, "Screens are no longer simply ...
Commander Keen: Keen Dreams Source Code Released
18 September 2014 |New submitter ildon writes: Recently, the rights holder of former game publisher Softdisk's game library put the rights to some of their old titles up for sale, including Commander Keen: Keen Dreams, one of the few games in the ...
The Growing Illusion of Single Player Gaming
16 September 2014 |An anonymous reader writes: Multiplayer modes used to be an extra part of most games — an optional addition that the developers could build (or not) as they saw fit. These days, it's different: many games are marketed under ...
Canon Printer Hacked To Run Doom Video Game
16 September 2014 |wiredog writes Security researcher Michael Jordon has hacked a Canon's Pixma printer to run Doom. He did so by reverse engineering the firmware encryption and uploading via the update interface. From the BBC: "Like many modern ...
Microsoft To Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang For $2.5 Billion
15 September 2014 |jawtheshark writes The rumors were true. Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, is being sold to Microsoft. Of course, the promise is to keep all products supported as they are. From the article: "Microsoft said it has agreed to buy ...
Malware Distributed Through Twitch Chat Is Hijacking Steam Accounts
15 September 2014 |An anonymous reader writes If you use Twitch don't click on any suspicious links in the video streaming platform's chat feature. Twitch Support's official Twitter account issued a security warning telling users not to click the ...
Early Reviews of Destiny: Unfulfilled Potential
13 September 2014 |Destiny is a first-person shooter set in a persistent, online world. It was released on Tuesday by Bungie, the development studio behind Halo, and billed as a blending of console shooters and progression-based MMOs. Reviews for the ...
Kickstarter's Problem: You Have To Make the Game Before You Ask For Money
13 September 2014 |An anonymous reader writes with this piece about Digital Knights, the studio behind the Kickstarter campaign project Sienna Storm, which was cancelled this week after the team raised only 10% of their $180,000 target, despite a ...
Report: Microsoft To Buy Minecraft Studio For $2bn+
10 September 2014 |dotarray (1747900) writes "A surprising story has emerged today that suggests Microsoft is looking to buy Minecraft developer Mojang. The reported price tag is "more than US$2 billion." The original report is at the WSJ (possibly ...
John Romero On Reinventing the Shooter
9 September 2014 |An anonymous reader writes: John Romero helped bring us Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein, but he's also known for Daikatana — an immensely-hyped followup that flopped hard. After remaining on the periphery of game development ...
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An Introduction to Guild Wars 2 and the TOG GW2 Crew.
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Change is coming to Cantha


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Several years back, I wrote dozens of articles for eHow on a wide range of topics, including private investigations. Today I'm listing ten of these articles and their links. Some are helpful for writers crafting private eye stories and characters, others for people interested in becoming a P.I., and others for private investigators on specialized topics in the profession. Note: I do not have access to these articles, so I'm unable to update any resources or information within them.
To read an article, click on its link:
How to Start to Be a Private Investigator
Equipment List for Private Investigators
Burden of Proof Requirements for Private Investigators
How to Tell If You Have a GPS Magnet on Your Car
How to Read a Traffic Accident Report
How to Learn Private Detective Techniques
How to Start a Background Investigations Business
How to Subpoena for an Email Trace
How to Find Recorded Family Trusts
Praise for The Zen Man
"Great humor. Great dialogue. Author did a great job of establishing the relationship between Rick and Laura. It never overshadowed the mystery, but it made the book truly multi-dimensional."
~New York Times best-selling author Dorien Kelly
"A fantastic read from start to finish. Reminded me a great deal of the works of Robert Crais and Robert B Parker."
~MacKenzie Brown
"A real page turner. I enjoyed this book full of suspense and surprises. I have never read this author before but will look for her next surprise."
~C. Phillips
2011 – 2012 Book Blog Tour Articles
December 6, 2011: Beth Groundwater's Blog: "When Writing a Whodunit, Think of Dear ol' MOM (Motive, Opportunity and Means)"
December 18, 2011: The Thrilling Detective: "Props and Peeves! Private Eye Stories from a Real-Life Private Eye"
January 14, 2012: Interview w/ Colleen at Chatterrific
February 3, 2012: Coffee Time Romance: The Zen Man-Read It, Wear It
February 14, 2012 Terry's Place: Lust, Ethics, and the Private Eye
February 17, 2012 Savvy Authors: Tips from a PI-Tracking the Bad Guys in Stories
February 27, 2012 Elizabeth A White blog: Do Private Eyes Solve Murders?
February 28, 2012 Book Reviews by Elizabeth A White: The Zen Man
March 8, 2012: Coffee Time Romance: 13 Private Detective Couples in Books and Film
March 10, 2012 StoreyBook Reviews: Interview and Review
March 22, 2012 Minding Spot: Book Review
April 17, 2012 Fresh Fiction: 5 Hot Private Eye Heroes
April 24, 2012 Savvy Authors: Tips from a PI: Writing a Sleuth Who Finds Missing Persons
May 18, 2012 Novel Rocket: Top 5 Mistakes Writers Make at a Crime Scene
May 2012 Mrs. Mommy's Booknerd's Reviews: Book Review
June 18, 2012 Jersey Girl Book Reviews: Be Your Own Investigator: Four Free Online Resources

subset: commoncrawl


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Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures, right? All kinds of people -- good people -- are being forced to lead lives of crime these days, which must be why suddenly we're hearing more stories than ever about nice burglars. Robbers with hearts of gold. There truly is honor among these thieves, or at least remorse. And so I hope that none of the following compassionate crooks were punished too severely for their crimes. Personally, I don't think I would even press charges.
Check out their crazy stories and you'll see what I mean:
An Ohio woman was nicknamed "the cleaning fairy" for breaking into people's homes to take out the trash, wash dishes and vacuum the carpets, leaving nothing behind but a bill for $75. (Which really isn't a bad deal.) If only I lived in Ohio!
Turns out a guilt complex can be quite the roadblock to success for thieving types. Just ask the Ontario burglar who stole a bunch of expensive things (like an Xbox and a digital camera) from some random family's home -- and then returned it all with an apology note and $50 to pay for damage to the window.
Hey, bath salts get a bad rap for making people eat other people's faces and all that, but what about the dude in Ohio who broke into a house and decorated it for Christmas while allegedly high on the drug? Another Festivus miracle!
Probably my favorite burglar ever, a man who stole two cell phones and a wallet out of a parked car was so disgusted when he found child porn images on one of the phones that he turned himself in so he could help authorities investigate the pervert (and they caught him, too!).
Just because a person is a car thief doesn't mean he's a kidnapper, sheesh! Which is why a homeless man who drove off in a car left idling (by a woman and her boyfriend who were fishing off a nearby pier) made an abrupt u-turn when he noticed the woman's 2-year-old son in the backseat. Not only did he bring the car back, he gave the mom a lecture on leaving her son unattended!
So, what you do think?
Would you press charges against any of these burglars?
Image via Wayne Wilkinson/Flickr
My fav is the car thief who lectured the stupid mom! omg!
I wish the people that broke into my home (1 year ago this past Saturday) would of been that nice. They took a laptop that we used strictly for photos and editing and a video camera with a video in the camera and tapes in the bag. Both of those items had the last photos and videos taken of my father in law just 2 months before he passed away in 2009. I pray and hope everyday that they would at least bring back my pictures and home movies. It was such a violation. We don't have a clue as to who could of done it. Just a senseless and heartless deed.


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Founded in 1978, the Insurance Committee for Arson Control (ICAC) is the only organization in the fire and investigation industry composed entirely of insurance companies. ICAC promotes attention to many important fire investigation and arson prosecution issues each year and works to increase public awareness of the arson problem.
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Updated: 09/23/2013 1:50 PM |
Created: 09/23/2013 1:30 PM
By: Nikki Ibarra and Elizabeth Reed, KOB Eyewitness News 4
Child advocates angry that New Mexico ranks last in a recent child well-being study have introduced a plan they hope will push state lawmakers to action.
On Monday, New Mexico Voices for Children released a proposal called "New Mexico Kids Are Counting on Us." The group says there are a number of factors the state needs to improve on to help children, including economic well-being, education, health and family/community.
"New Mexico has real problems when it comes to the well-being of our children, but they are not insurmountable," said Veronica C. García, executive director of the child advocacy organization. "There is no single solution. Instead, we need a comprehensive plan. Our children can't do well if their parents aren't doing well, so many of these policies target our state's economic problems."
The proposal is structured to address each of the 16 indicators of child well-being that are measured in the annual Data Book, which ranked New Mexico last in June 2013.
According to the report, 31 percent of New Mexico kids live at the poverty level. Voice for Children says raising the minimum wage would help fix this problem.
As for education, 79 percent of New Mexico fourth graders aren't reading at the right level. Voice for Children proposes restoring K-12 funding to pre-recession levels and increasing funding for early childhood programs.
"They're not going to materialize without the funding and so we really do need to make children a priority in our state and that's what this call to action is," Dr. Garcia said.
Voices for Children's plan also includes restoring outreach efforts to enroll all eligible children in Medicaid, expanding adult basic education programs and curbing tax cuts.
"Not only are these tax cuts not working, but this is a backward approach to luring jobs to the state," said James Jimenez, Director of Policy, Research, and Advocacy Integration. "Companies don't want to come here if we're not doing a good job of educating our workforce. Not only do our children deserve better, but our investments in them today will yield a more prosperous future for all New Mexicans."
KOB welcomes a lively and courteous discussion as long as you follow the rules of conduct set forth in our Terms of Use. Comments are not pre-screened before they post. You agree that anything you post may be used, along with your name and profile picture, in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the license you have granted pursuant to our Terms of Use.
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Agreed, it is only Fair.
Please stop it with the Jews references. Honestly, there's not a more productive ethnicity in the U.S. If you want to refer to liberals, that is one thing. But There are a lot more Christians than Jews voting themselves govt. benefits, welfare, and social security.
Lol! Can you say "Money Supply Bubble?" That is as complex as it needs to get. We could go deeper, but why obfuscate the truth?
I shouldn't dignify your comment, but I would note that said alleged prosperity is like the binge debt addict before the bill comes due. This idiot Greenspan blew the bubble that accelerated the chain of events that led us here. He will be remembered as one of the biggest fools on the Hill in history. Not even close. But you would need to understand money to get it.
Bigoted pig.
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Agreed 100%
In response to:
Maher is vile. No other way to put it. If character means anything at all. I mean, really, truly vile.
Warrior, come on, I don't think it has anything to do with being Jewish or not. Jeez, there are tons of Christians that are just as bad and frankly socialist in their ideas.
No 1960, I am totally serious really. I have to pray that it remains that way. What scares me are all of those "African American" riots, most recently 1992, possibly if Obama loses, remember the 1960s, think of the flashmob attacks - hundreds of poor whites and many chinese brutalized by African American or whatever you want to call them gangs - I believe strongly in nonviolence and pacifism, kind of like MLKJr but for a conservative cause and liberty.
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Best column I have seen from her in a long time. Right on.
In response to:
Kira, I agree, I just watched your video and kudos to you. Brave gal.


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|I'm Nowhere, Yet Somewhere
|Member Since
|Jul 07, 2012
|Votes Received
Okay, so I'm officially bored and thought I should just update this thing. Haha, I'm now really good at this! I'm simply a girl. An crazy, random, friendly, and silly girl. But also, a girl with a dark side. A girl with many secrets, a girl that has learned many life lessons, a girl that you can become to know if you talk to her. I'm simply just a girl.
Chapter 1
How to Live RightThere is only one thing Julian Sullivan wants to accomplish in life. To get out of the small town of East Coast. She throws herself into her studies, into getting enough... read more
My Little MonsterAbby Timber is a nerd. Luke Thomas is a troublemaker. What happens when these two forces meet? Nothing good. Abby doesn't like people and she doesn't understand them at ... read more
Darker Than DarknessLaura Stone has thousands of secrets she keeps to herself. Soon people who know her secrets and share the same ones come to protect her from 'them'. 'They' want her t... read more
As I Awake.I knew I was going to go through this. I wasn't prepared for this. Darkness flowed around me, trapping me, more like crushing me. Everything I've done should have prepared me f... read more


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Categories > Books > Harry Potter > Hero, Villain, Saviour, Conqueror
Chapter Nine: Of Lycans and Lords0 Reviews
Post-OotP: In the summer following his Fifth Year, Harry is arrested and sent to Azkaban Prison. The catch: he's innocent. Follow Harry as he discovers his heritage... and all that comes with it.
Harry groaned as the sun invaded his room. "Five more minutes, Ron," he mumbled, before his eyes flew open and he remembered where he was. "Gotta remember to close those bloody curtains," he muttered.
With a heavy sigh, he rolled out of bed and walked to his dresser, grabbing his clothes before walking to the bathroom. It was quickly becoming a routine.
When he stepped back out of the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to go, he was only mildly surprised to see Nimi there. "Is Luna coming?" she asked.
Harry nodded. "Even with me being Lord of Azkaban, knowing Remus he wouldn't come. He knows Luna."
Nimi wrinkled her nose. "Well, he knows you, doesn't he?"
"He knows Harry Potter," Harry corrected. "Not the Lord of Caer Azkaban and the Druid Isles. And I don't want to risk someone else finding out that they're the same person."
Nimi nodded and looked to the clipboard in her hands. "Our spies have tracked him to a Muggle Hotel- it's called The Grand and its in London."
Harry nodded. "Sounds good. Let's get Luna, and we're ready to go."
Nimi nodded, and they set off down the hallway to Luna's room. They met her halfway; she was already dressed. "Let's go," she said, her voice without the dreamlike quality it had used to hold.
Harry nodded solemnly, producing a Portkey from his pocket. Nimi tapped it with her wand, muttered "Portus," and, in a minute, they were off.
Imagine how surprised they were to find Remus' room empty with none of his things in sight.
Remus snapped at the man gripping his arm. "Let go of me, you great oaf!" His break into Azkaban hadn't worked as well as he had hoped. Apparently, they had set up advanced wards since Sirius had escaped, and his description of Azkaban hadn't been much use.
In short, Remus hadn't set a foot into the prison before he had been grabbed by some guards and hauled off towards Castle Azkaban. From what he could tell, they were almost there.
And they were. In less then a minute of intense struggling on Remus' part, they were in front of a large set of double doors. One of the guards knocked, and a rather annoyed looking girl with her hood pulled over her eyes and shadowing the upper half of her face opened it. "What?" she snapped. "Our Lord is rather angry at the moment."
The guard nodded respectfully. "I apologize, High Admiral Primary Advisor Stardreamer." Remus raised an eyebrow. Quite a mouthful for such a young girl. "Could you please just tell him that we caught this man trying to break into the prison? He could just discuss the matter in his Throne Room..."
The girl nodded with a heavy sigh. "I'll help him find his way. He still doesn't know the layout very well."
The guard nodded. "We'll come in in five minutes, ma'am."
The girl nodded, and, leaving the door opened, swept through the halls towards where, presumeably, the Lord of Azkaban waited.
"Harry!" she called out. "The guards have intercepted someone trying to break into the prison."
There was a sound of something that sounded expensive and breakable hitting the door. "I'm coming," came a growl from behind the door, and a moment later Harry came out. He silently followed her to the Throne Room and glared at the chair in the front of the room. "Can't I sit on something comfortable?" he whined.
Nimi scowled at him. "No. That's the Lord Azkaban's throne; you'll sit in it, or I'll curse off your buttocks."
Harry scowled back at her and reluctantly sat on the chair. Nimi took a place by his side, shortly behind him. In a moment the door opened and guards came in, dragging a man that looked oddly familiar to Harry. When the man lifted his head he was sure. "Remus?"
The man looked up at him. "Lord Azkaban. I am amazed you know my name."
A smile flitted across his features, and he adressed the guards. "I know why he tried to break into the prison. I thank you for bringing him here. I need to speak with him; would you mind?"
The guards shook their heads and left, and soon it was just Harry, Nimi, and Remus in the room. When Harry was sure no one else was there, he turned back to Remus. "Hello," he said calmly. "We were looking for you earlier; we didn't think you'd come here."
Remus looked confused. "With all due respect, what are you talking about?"
Harry laughed and pulled back his hood, his emerald eyes shining. "Good to see you, Moony."
Remus stared at the boy on the throne. "Harry?" he whispered breathlessly. He ran forward and enveloped the boy in a hug. "Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, I should have known right away-"
Harry waved a hand. "It's alright Remus, really. You didn't do anything to hurt me." He paused. "Although there was something I was wondering if you would do for me."
"Anything, Harry."
"Would you be one of my Secondary Advisors?"
Luna was pacing her room when a young man poked his head in. He immediately blushed and stammered an apology, turning to leave. "Wait!" Luna called, confused. "Who are you?"
"My name is Nikolai Nadreski," he said nervously. "I'm sory, I didn't mean to bother you. I was looking for the Throne Room; I was told to talk to the Lord of Azkaban."
He gulped. "I- I can't really..."
She smiled. "It's alright, I understand. I overheard his Primary Advisor talking to him about ten minutes ago; he's in an audience."
The boy's face fell. "Oh," he muttered.
Luna smiled at him. "You can stay here, if you'd like. I'm sure Lord Azkaban wouldn't mind."
"Oh, no! I wouldn't want to intrude-"
She shook her head. "Not at all. I... don't have very many friends anymore... I'm open to making some more."
He smiled uncertaintly. "Oh- alright then."
She smiled at him, and motioned him to a chair. Perhaps she wouldn't be left with only three friends after all.
Dumbledore paced his office. Not only had Luna Lovegood not yet come back, but Remus Lupin was missing, and according to Hermione Granger, had quit the Order.
How to get him to sign back up? Having a werewolf was good for his cause. He needed Remus in the group. They didn't really have anyone of another species, though Hagrid was a half-and-half.
Remus would come back eventually. The Wolfsbane Potion was hard to brew, and very expensive to buy. The werewolf would never be able to afford it. Dumbledore had made sure of that, giving tips to all of his previous bosses about him so that he would be fired and would eventually agree to work with Dumbledore.
Besides, the werewolf had a soft spot for Harry Potter. Perhaps, Albus mused, he could claim to believe in Harry's innocence when he next spoke with Remus? Yes, and then, perhaps a week afterwards, tell him he had just found out of the boys untimely death... That would work. The werewolf would rejoin them.
He would have to.
"Are you all right?" the blond asked.
The chestnut haired one snorted. "Yeah right." Her voice raised to a high shriek. "I just found out that MY HUSBAND'S DEAD!"
The blond winced. "Lucy was probably lying, just to hurt you."
The other woman let out a breath and shook her head. "No. He was totally convinced with what he was saying." She smiled sadly through the darkness. "Maybe he's wrong."
The blond nodded. "I can't see him just off and dying and leaving you like that."
The chestnut haired one let out a bitter laugh. "Well, he wouldn't exactly have much of a choice in the matter, would he?"
The blond shook her head vehemently. "Honestly Melly, you know that he would have fought tooth and nail to come back to you."
'Melly' chuckled. "And its not like your wolfman wouldn't have done the same for you!"
The blond shook her head sadly. "If they hadn't fooled him into thinking I was dead, he would have."
'Melly' sighed heavily. "I forgot about that. I'm sorry, Ari."
'Ari' shrugged. "It's alright. I know he loved me, and that the fool probably still does. He should just get on with his life if he hasn't. I don't want him moping around."
The other woman sighed again. "Most of me feels the same way... but there's this small, jealous part that hopes he's miserable over me."
'Ari' nodded. "Same here." There was silence for a moment before 'Melly' began to sing in the clear, dulcet tones of a soprano with a bit of a lilt to it.
"Warning sign
I lived the good life, and it passed me by
Then I started looking, and the bubble burst
I started looking at excuses."
'Ari,', understanding exactly how 'Melly' was feeling, joined in a harmony with a beautiful alto voice.
"Come on in
I've got to tell you 'bout the state I'm in
I've got to tell you, in my loudest tones
How I started looking for a warning sign.
"When the truth is
That I miss you
And the truth is
That I miss you so.
"Warning sign
Came back to haunt me, and I realized
That you were my true love, and I let you go
You were my true love, I didn't let you know.
"Come on in
I've got to tell you- what a state I'm in
I've got to tell you, in my loudest tones
How I started looking- for a warning sign.
"When the truth is
That I miss you
And the truth is
That I miss you so
And I'm tired, oh-oh-oh
I should not have le-et, you go-
The last note faded into silence as the two women thought of the loved ones they had left behind.
The man in the grey mist stared into the abyss of nothingness that surrounded him. He had thought he had heard her singing.
It had been the song that Ari had written back in their sixth year, when she had found out what his friend was. She had sang it to him. She had forgiven him. She had still loved him. His friend had been amazed.
But he must have been imagining things. He just wanted to hear her voice so badly, he had thought he had. But he hadn't. He couldn't have.
It was just a dream.
A/N: And chapter nine has emerged... The song featured is "Warning Sign" by Coldplay.


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Healthy Stuffed French Toast
Eight slices of bread (try my vanilla whole wheat bread which is perfect in this recipe)
8 ripe strawberries, thinly sliced
2 medium bananas, thinly sliced
2 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 cup nondairy milk like soy or almond
¼ cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp chia seeds, powdered in a food processor or spice grinder (can use 2 tbsp of flaxmeal instead)
1 tbsp maple syrup
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
½ cup walnuts, crushed to a fairly fine consistency. Some bigger pieces are okay.
Oil spray to coat the pan
See more:


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Your business cards suck. We'll help you fix em.
(Source: College Humor)
(via imgTumble)
The CollegeHumor Staff Blog is the official Tumblr of CollegeHumor.com's staff. Here you can find regular updates from some folks with way too much time on their hands, plus the best and newest pictures, original comedy, links, articles and videos from CollegeHumor.com.
Send us all the funny! Submit stuff to CH's Tumblr


text:
The National Association of Credit Management: Teleconferences
- Title:
- Teleconference: The Credit Department's Role and Responsibilities to Ensure Unclaimed Property Polic
- When:
- 09/17/2014
- Category:
- NACM Teleconference
The Credit Department's Role and Responsibilities to Ensure Unclaimed Property Policy Compliance
General Information
Time: 3:00 - 4:00pm EST
NACM Teleconferences are easy,
so convenient and so worth it!
Reserve your spot now!
Full compliance with the states' unclaimed property laws is mandatory with the penalties of non-compliance being significant. To be fully compliant, a company must not only correctly identify reportable property, but must file an unclaimed property report in accordance with each state's requirements.
This session will focus on the types of unclaimed property that could exist in accounts receivable, best practices regarding how to research and remediate credit balances and unapplied cash so they don't become susceptible to unclaimed property, the reporting process including reporting best practices and a review of state due diligence requirements, including due diligence tips and tools.
Laurie Andrews and Lisa Montelbano, Keane Unclaimed Property Practice
Laurie Andrews joined the Keane Unclaimed Property Practice following over 15 years of service with the Pennsylvania Department of Treasury. Laurie brings with her an extensive unclaimed property background focused on Unclaimed Property Fraud Prevention, Claims, and Research. Laurie's expertise includes a wide range of client needs. Throughout her career, Laurie was involved with all areas of unclaimed property and developed and provided training about fraud, customer service, and claims to her staff, other departments within the Pennsylvania Treasury, and other Unclaimed Property state programs.
Lisa Montelbano joins the Keane Unclaimed Property team with over 19 years of diverse and extensive experience in the financial service industry. Lisa brings a deep and unique background in the securities industry coupled with several years of unclaimed property consulting experience. Lisa's areas of expertise include Regulatory Reporting, Internal Audit, Sarbanes-Oxley Section 404 Compliance and Business Analysis. Lisa possesses subject matter expertise in knowledge over the functionality of retail and institutional brokerage firms, including the prime services business.
EventList powered by schlu.net


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New York Monday: Too Cold
March 25, 2013 | Filed Under New York Monday | 4 Comments
It is definitely too cold to dine al fresco.
Spring is officially here. However, it feels like winter.
The weather is very cold and we're actually expeciting snow this Monday.
I hear some of the weather forcasters call it spring snow.
I think these tables and chairs will remain empty for a little while longer.
Have a wonderful new week, everyone!
New York Monday: Massawa Restaurant
March 4, 2013 | Filed Under New York Monday, Restaurants | 4 Comments
I love that you can find almost any kind of restaurant in the city.
This particular restaurant serves Eritrean and Ethiopian food.
So, if you're in the mood for some East African cuisine, you come to the right place.
Happy New York Monday, everyone!
New York Monday: Empire State Building
February 25, 2013 | Filed Under New York Monday | 3 Comments
Happy New York Monday, everyone!
Have a wonderful new week.
New York Monday: Love in the Air
February 18, 2013 | Filed Under New York Monday | 7 Comments
On Valentine's Day there were a lot of people in the streets carrying flowers and balloons.
As this couple walked in front of me, I noticed one long stemmed-rose sticking out of his backpack.
Happy New York Monday, everyone!
New York Monday: After the Snow Storm
February 11, 2013 | Filed Under New York Monday | 8 Comments
We recently had a snow storm The city is looking nice and white, momentarily.
Everything is covered in snow.
Nothing outside was spared from the blanket of snow.
A lot of people went to the park to play, build snow men and just enjoy the winter wonderland sight.
I saw a lot of snowmen, like the snowman above…
… and this snowcouple.
Perfect weather to be a snowman.
Happy New York Monday, everyone!


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I made a monstersona!! This is how I would appear in the world of Maya's super kawaii comic Monster Pop!
it's also how I actually appear IRL
I attend Unity University in an enchanted claw-foot bathtub that can walk! Unfortunately it can't waddle very fast so I always end up late to class u___u#quillart #monster pop! #my face


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We will beat any other Washington dealers' advertised price on any new Chevrolet, Buick, or GMC vehicle or we'll pay you $500. Simply show us the competitor's current advertised price, and we will beat it on an identical vehicle in our inventory (or we'll order one for you) or we'll pay you $500.*
For details, call us today or schedule an appointment online.
*Excludes demos and damaged vehicles. One vehicle per person.


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Lettuce and Tarragon Soup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 medium leeks (about 1 pound), white and tender green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock or canned low-sodium broth
- Salt
- 1 head romaine lettuce (1 1/2 pounds), cored and cut crosswise 1 inch thick
- 1/4 cup packed tarragon leaves
- Freshly ground pepper
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce-pan. Add the leeks and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the stock; season with salt. Cover and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
- Stir in the lettuce and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the tarragon. Puree half of the soup at a time in a blender until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and gently reheat. Season the soup with salt and pepper and serve in warmed bowls.
Suggested Pairing
The tarragon and leeks in this soup have a distinct affinity for Chardonnay. Try one from California.
You Might Also Like
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Add a Comment
Congratulations to Nicholas Elmi, winner of Top Chef: New Orleans, the 11th season of Bravo's Emmy-Award winning, hit reality series.
Photo © Matthias Merges
Already looking forward to next year (June 19-21, 2015)? Relive your favorite moments from the culinary world's most sensational weekend in the Rocky Mountains.


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Categories > Cartoons > Delilah and Julius > Heart Strings
Black and White0 Reviews
"We better get out of here quick," I said. "The adacondas are going to come back soon." "Uhhh...Delilah?" Julius said. "A little too late...they're here!"
"DELILAH! DELILAH!" screamed a voice. "Please, please, wake-up!"
A moan escaped my lips. I slowly opened my eyes to find Julius. I looked around. We were still in the cave, just on the other side. Both of us were soaking wet. He fell on me.
"Oh, thank God!" Cried out Julius. "Glad to know you're ok."
"We better get out of here quick," I said. "The adacondas are going to come back soon."
"Uhhh...Delilah?" Julius said. "A little too late...they're here!"
We both gasped as we saw the three adacondas coming towards us. I was shocked they haven't killed us already, but hell, I'm not complaining. They started to get closer, and closer. Julius pulled me into a hug to protect me. We kept on shaking, asa the adacondas got closer, and closer...
Huh? I opened my eyes. One of the adacondas let out a huge, ugly scream. It got shot. Blood started to come out of its stomache. Someone shot it...but who? A shadow figure came running. He...or she run. Whoever it was was a fast runner. The person had a gun in there hand. It was all dressed tightly in black, so I couldn't see their body or face. Crap. An adaconda quickly came to the person, attempting to bite her/him. But the person was fast. It quickly did a shoulder roll, and began shooting like hell. The creature screamed, and also fell to the ground. One more left...The third one went down easily. He let out a scream of defeat. Julius and me went to go greet the person. But it was too late. Like the speed of light, the person was gone. CRAP. I felt a pain in my ankle. I cried out in pain, then fell.
"DELILAH!" cried out Julius.
"I'm ok. I think one of the adacondas bit my ankle. No big deal."
"Let me look at it," demanded Julius.
He took of my shoe, then rolled up my pants sleeve.
"It's bleeding pretty bad," commented Julius.
He then ripped both of his sleeves of his shirt. He used the first one to whipe the blood off. He used the second one to badage up my ankle.
"It's usually me nursing you back to health," I joked.
Julius rolled his eyes and did his fake laugh. (a/n: Don't you just love it when he does that?!?)
"Can you walk?"
"I think so." I told him.
But I proved myself wrong when I tried to get up.
"Here." Julius told me.
He picked me up softly, as if I only weighed as much as a baby. He put me on his back, and put my arms around his neck.
"Hold on tight." He told me.
We realized the water level of where the water began to slowly go down. It then split in half.
"HOLY CRAP!" cried out Julius. "It's the parting of the Red Sea again!"
I couldn't help but laugh. It was funny, I had to admit that. We went on the cold, wet ground, and began to walk. It lead to a hole in the wall. What's behind there, I had no clue...
xxDarkness' Kidxx


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No demo? Well I'm sure plenty of players will end up making a "demo" of their own upon release. Me? the game looks more like one big cinematic and walks the thin line between playing a video game and watching a movie. Game looks beautiful and gameplay animation is smooth and fluid. I'll wait for a fan-made "Let's Play" on YouTube to come out before deciding whether I'll buy or not.
Watch Lara tumble down a mountain for 11 minutes in this Tomb Raider footage
11 Feb 2013  by
You know what's a bit weird. Crystal Dynamics' rationale for not releasing a demo of Tomb Raider was that they didn't want to spoil parts of the story in advance. Well … alright, but that's a stance that may have held more weight if 'developer walkthrough' videos weren't being issued left, right and center.
Here's a new one, featuring eleven minutes of Lara's island trauma. I'll not say too much about it, as spoilers do apply, but watch below if you're not too bothered by that sort of thing.
Tomb Raider is due on 5 March.
Related to this story
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February 12, 2013 at 12:26 am


text:
Budapest is also the home of one of the flagship McKinsey proprietary knowledge efforts, focusing on the global banking industry. Similar to the Budapest office consultants, the GBP research team shows up diversity by nationality and professional background. GBP analysts and experts hold business, economics, mathematician, engineer, or social science master's and Ph.D. degrees from top Hungarian and/or Western universities.
Global Banking Pools provides an opportunity to build up specialized knowledge and gain a deep understanding of the financial industry, and take on exceptional analytical challenges, while building knowledge assets to clients, providing support to engagement teams or working on top-notch publications.
Through the knowledge I learnt over the years, it was also amazing to see my personal impact growing over time: from taking part in global publications to helping more and more people who contact me directly with their questions.
Read more »
Endre, Research Analyst, started in 2010
GBP is a truly a global workplace with lots of learning opportunities.
Read more »
Meet more consultants from other offices and with other backgrounds.
Read more »
The team lies at the core of McKinsey's work. See how a team works together to solve a client problem.
Read more »
© Copyright 1996-2014 McKinsey & Company


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Monitise: A Buying Opportunity
Nathaniel Matherson • Fri, Aug. 1 • 32 Comments
- The pullback in Monitise is a buying opportunity for the longer term investor.
- The Markco Media acquisition brings many synergies in terms of mobile payments and partnerships.
- Growth metrics remain solid considering the move to subscription pricing.


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Toys That Never Go out of Style
Family Time and Memories
Classics particularly stand out with board games. Clue, Operation, Connect Four, Life, and Monopoly have long shelf lives and can be enjoyed by the whole family. For girls, baby dolls and Barbies rank high, and for boys, anything with wheels is a good bet.
Experts, as well as parents, agree basic is best. Roseann Fox, mom of two in Holland, Pennsylvania, says her favorite toys were her dolls and Barbies. "They didn't talk or do anything, but my friends and I played for hours," she says. Her children love imaginative play like house, school, and restaurant and are continually thinking up new ideas for these games.
"Today's toys do way too much," Fox says. "Everything takes batteries and talks, sings, or lights up, and kids get bored with them too fast." When Fox buys a gift, she looks for something that will keep kids occupied independently and will promote imaginative play.
Tim Walsh, author of The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys, says today's toys don't allow for flexibility and that many high-tech toys have already established the play pattern with a pre-determined ending. You turn on a robotic dog, he barks, and that's it, while Legos, for example, can become anything the child dreams.
Walsh, who also invents games, says classic toys are better than new fad playthings because they already come with memories attached. "Recalling their own youth, parents often buy for their children a toy, game, or doll that they loved growing up," says Walsh. "This, of course, continues through generations as the plaything continues to endure."
If you share the classics you enjoyed as a kid, playing together will give you and your child something special to do together and you'll be creating family memories while having fun. Just don't get frustrated if your child steals your Park Avenue property, sends you to jail, creates a better Lego tower, or sinks your Battleship. Remember, it's all about the fun!
Toy Trivia
In his book, The Playmakers: Amazing Origins of Timeless Toys, Walsh has dug up some fascinating details on nostalgic toys:
- Play-Doh began its life as commercial wallpaper cleaner.
- The original Mr. Potato Head set required a real potato spud.
- PEZ candy was originally modeled to look like a cigarette lighter because it was a mint for smokers.
- Frank Lloyd Wright's son, John Lloyd Wright, invented Lincoln Logs.
- <
- 2
- of
- 2
- >


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New Zeiss CP.2 compact primes with interchangeable mounts (and new LWZ.2 cinema lens announced)
Zeiss has just announced the brand new CP.2 compact prime lenses. As the ".2" indicates, this is a second generation of 35mm full frame lenses, and they have interchangeable lens mounts, so you can use them on cine systems or DSLRs (PL, EF, F). No need for adapters Zeiss says. There is an embedded Flash application on the Zeiss website detailing these. Also be sure to check the right side of the screen there, you will find three PDF files, one of which is a technical brochure (direct link to PDF).
The standard lenses of the set all start at
f2.1 T2.1 [corrected!], and as a set, they cover 18 to 100mm, including a 50mm macro. The complete list is: 18mm/3.6, 21mm/2.9, 25mm/2.9, 28mm/2.1, 35mm/2.1, 50mm/2.1, 50mm/2.1 macro, 85mm/2.1, and 100mm/2.1.
We obviously have to see what the prices are before we can assess what type of interest and impact they may have on traditional photography, in addition to the traditional video world and DSLR-videographers. Here is one of them, extracted from the aforementioned PDF file for your LBA-entertainment (the interchangeable lens mounts obviously go on the silver side):
They have also announced a brand new cinema lens for the NAB 2010 trade show, a lightweight zoom named "LWZ.2", which covers the ANSI Super 35, so you can use on cinema or DSLRs. (yes, a Zeiss zoom and the world is still spinning ;-)
Further Reading
+ Zeiss itself (CP.2 lenses) [also look for three PDFs on the right side of the page]
+ FAQ on Compact Primes
+ ALC blog (LWZ.2)
+ Photography Blog (LWZ.2)


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Watch out, Wiki Leaks is about!
Richard Lees, chairman of dbg, argues that the Wiki Leaks scandal in the US highlights the importance of data security
They've antagonised the BNP, embarrassed Sarah Palin during the US elections and caused a threat to US National security; if you handle sensitive information then every new Wiki Leaks headline probably sends shivers down your spine too.
Although most of us don't have documents affecting national security to worry about and therefore can rest reasonably easy that Wiki Leaks is not out to get us, we do have our customers' data security to protect and it does bring this topic to the top of the agenda again.
So why are we so scared of data security? Probably because we see the aftermath of data scandals and know how debilitating to a brand they can be. Bad PR does not even come close.
My second instinctive reason is not one you might expect - a feeling of inevitability.
It's so easy to get data processes wrong and everyone is always waiting for the real clanger to happen. Working in the marketing and data industry I understand the responsibility of handling personal data and the trust that exists between organisation or brand and consumer.
Despite what people may want to believe, no bank wants to lose customer details to expose them to the risk of identity fraud; no Government organisation wants to publish private individuals details; no organisation wants to cause worry over data security but the number of diverse touchpoints that are relatively loosely controlled means it's far too probable that this can happen.
So a scandal hits and we all get worried. There is no need to book onto a lecture on how to avoid espionage attempts, but rather than panic, perhaps it's time to dust off 'best practice data security'.
It amazes me how some people still fail to do the basics such as merely password protecting data they are sending offsite, using secure file transfer protocols (SFTP) or if they do password protect the data at least sending the password in a separate communication to the data. It is remarkable how much customer data still moves around the internet every single day with very little control.
Wiki Leaks get so much coverage because they challenge our assumptions that data is safe. It takes a story about a data leak or mishap to remind us that security should always be at the top of the agenda, as soon as we take our eyes off it the potential for disaster appears.
As proud and responsible marketers, it reminds us that although the laws are there to try and regulate the industry and protect consumers from a range of mishaps, ultimately their fate lies in our hands and without regular reminders of the dangers, those hands can become a little too loosely clasped.
Readers' comments (1)
Good article, couldn't agree more. I believe the primary causes of these type of ad-hoc security breaches are due to lack of technology in the organization (to protect data), enforcement of that technology, and employee education. I, too, am amazed how often email is used to transfer confidential data. Most people aren't aware of how unsecure it is, or to your point, they "assume" the data is safe. For this purpose alone, we have several companies that use our Secure File Transfer software to avoid potential data leak incidents (in addition to meeting compliance standards). Every company should have the tools and plan to protect themselves.


text:
- Funding Received
- $794.8 Million in 6 Rounds from 18 Investors
- Most Recent Funding
- $475 Million Series D on April 16, 2014
- Headquarters:
- San Francisco, CA
- Description:
- Airbnb is an online community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book accommodation around the world.
- Founders:
- Nathan Blecharczyk, Joe Gebbia, Brian Chesky
- Categories:
- Hotels, Travel
- Website:
- http://airbnb.com
Company DetailsUpdate
Airbnb is a community marketplace for people to list, discover and book unique spaces around the world through mobile phones or the internet. Whether an apartment for a night, a castle for a week, or a villa for a month, Airbnb connects people to unique travel experiences at any price point, with over 500,000 listings in 33,000 cities and 192 countries.
With a growing community of users, Airbnb also provides an easy way for people to monetize their extra space and showcase it to an audience of millions.
Founded in August 2008, Airbnb has acquired several of its competitors, including Accoleo, CrashPadder, NabeWise, and Localmind.
Airbnb was founded in August 2008 by Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, and is currently headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA.
Current Team (31)Update
Brian Chesky
Co-Founder & CEO
Nathan Blecharczyk
Co-Founder & CTO
Joe Gebbia
Co-Founder & CPO
Chip Conley
Head Of Global Hospitality
Joe Zadeh
Director of Product
Phillip Cardenas
Head of Trust and Safety
Brian Armstrong
Co-founder/CEO @ Coinbase
Carly Chamberlain
Co-Founder @ CaterCow
Chris Collins
Co-Founder @ CaterCow
Funding Rounds (6) - $794.8MUpdate
Board Members and Advisors (2)Update
Alfred Lin
Board Member
Joel Cutler
Strategic Advisor
Acquisitions (6)Update
Localmind is a location-based information platform providing real-time answers for...Dec, 2012 -price and terms unknown
Fondu is an online community for sharing bite-sized reviews about places to eat and drink.Oct 3, 2012 -$575k (terms undisclosed)
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A Lodi daycare provider accused of leaving small children in darkened closets strapped into car seats for hours on end pleaded guilty to charges of child endangerment and forgery in San Joaquin County Superior Court on Friday.
Dorothy Bernhoft appeared in the courtroom with her attorney while roughly 20 parents sat in the audience awaiting the announcement.
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I wish I was my daughters age, life is so much more exciting and educational these days. I grew up with no computers until around the 8th grade and even then we had to type in terminal commands to make things happen. Getting the floppy to play Doom was like hacking into a website. I am sure some of you can relate
That's one big iPanel!
But seriously, I'm sure education will be one way Apple will try to sell their iPanels, or whatever they'll call them. I still think it's a huge mistake and they should stick with a $100 box that can achieve much more market penetration because it's cheap and can be plugged into anything: TV's, projectors, computers, etc.
Imagine great teacher's editions e-textbooks that can be accessed through an Apple TV connected to projectors schools already have. The teacher can show flawless, beautiful, engaging presentations to the students that students can connect to and interact with using their personal iPads and e-textbooks. The possibilities are amazing. This should be Apple's move to gain deeper market penetration into the education system. ultra-expensive TV's won't do it. They also need to release a cheaper 8" education-only priced iPad so more schools can afford to adapt.
One of my friends is a teacher and she has 30+ iPod Touches to teach. I never had seen that many iPods in one pile before. But playing tic tac toe with one iPod per square is pretty fun.
Since when do educational institute do things because of teen's fondness with something?
It that were true there would be only 1 class, it is called recess.
Here is my thoughts on the matter:
Many families around the country can barely make it every month, no way they can spend couple hundred on an iDevice. Expect the school system to pay for the hardware is not realistic, last I checked school systems is not hemoraging money (well maybe not the private schools). If it is going to be done it would be Android open system, with cheap hardware which almost everyone can afford.
Here in Utah all the school district's use Apple computers, the teachers get MacBooks to use in class and at home. The past couple years they've all been getting iPad's (two for each classroom) for the kids to learn/play with! I think it's a great idea, Apple's iOS is so simple and easy for them to use.


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In 1997, Jeff Shaara, the critically acclaimed best-selling author, established The Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction. This prize is named in honor of his father, the author of the novel The Killer Angels. In 2005, the Prize moved to the Civil War Institute at Gettysburg College. A $5,000 prize is awarded annually at Gettysburg.
Information about nominating a title for the Michael Shaara Prize.
Set against the dramatic backdrop of the Civil War, May the Road Rise Up to Meet You is a story of four unforgettable characters who, together, illuminate the quintessential American experience.
Ethan McOwen survived the worst of the Irish Famine and made the treacherous crossing to America, but his endurance is tested by the rough neighborhoods of New York until he discovers a passion for photography; Marcella Arroyo arrives from Spain a high-spirited society girl but defies her father to become a devoted abolitionist; and slaves Mary and Micah plot a clandestine escape on a cold Christmas Eve in the hopes of finding a better future. When war brings them all together, it will dramatically change the course of their individual lives.
Sharon Ewell Foster was announced the winner of the Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her book The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part One: The Witnesses A Novel. The truth has been buried more than one hundred years . . Leading a small army of slaves, Nat Turner was a man born with a mission: to set the captives free. When words failed, he ignited an uprising that left over fifty whites dead. In the predawn hours of August 22, 1831, Nat Turner stormed into history with a Bible in one hand, brandishing a sword in the other. His rebellion shined a national spotlight on slavery and the state of Virginia and divided a nation's trust. Turner himself became a lightning rod for abolitionists like Harriet Beecher Stowe and a terror and secret shame for slave owners.In The Resurrection of Nat Turner, Part 1: The Witnesses, Nat Turner's story is revealed through the eyes and minds of slaves and masters, friends and foes. In their words is the truth of the mystery and conspiracy of Nat Turner's life, death, and confession. The Resurrection of Nat Turner spans more than sixty years, sweeping from the majestic highlands of Ethiopia to the towns of Cross Keys and Jerusalem in Southampton County. Using extensive research, Sharon Ewell Foster breaks hallowed ground in this epic novel, revealing long-buried secrets about this tragic hero.
Robin Oliveira was announced the winner of the Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her book My Name is Mary Sutter. Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York. She dreams of becoming a surgeon. Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine and eager to run away from her recent heartbreak, Mary leaves home and travels to Washington, D.C. to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded. Under the guidance of William Stipp and James Blevens, two surgeons who fall unwittingly in love with Mary's courage, will, and stubbornness in the face of suffering, and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister's baby. Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capital.
Cornelia Nixon was announced as the winner of the 12th Annual Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for her book Jarrettsville (Counterpoint, 2009). This is her third novel, and tells the story of a distant relative, who shot and killed her lover just after the Civil War ended. The rest of the novel follows the trial of Martha Jane Cairnes, who is charged with murdering her lover. To find out why she murdered him, the story steps back to 1865, six days after the surrender, when President Lincoln has just been killed by John Wilkes Booth.
Dr. Nixon, a professor of English and Creative Writing at Mills College in Oakland, CA, received her BA from the University of California, Irvine, her MA for Creative Writing from San Francisco State College, and then her Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkley. She has taught at Mills College since 2000, and served as the chair of the English department from 2006 to 2007.
Nick Taylor has been selected as the winner of the 2009 Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for his novel, The Disagreement. He is an English professor at San Jose State University, and resides in the Bay Area.
Donald McCaig has been selected as the winner of the 2008 Michael Shaara Prize for Civil War fiction for his novel Canaan. He has also authored Jacob's Ladder and resides in rural Virginia.
GETTYSBURG, Pa. - Critically acclaimed author Howard Bahr has won the 2007 Michael Shaara Prize for Excellence in Civil War Fiction for his book, The Judas Field.
Bahr was born August 3, 1946, in Meridian, Miss. From 1964 to 1968, he served as a gunner's mate in the United States Navy, participating in coastal and amphibious operations in Vietnam and the Western Pacific. After his service, Bahr worked as a brakeman and yard clerk on several railroads in the South and Midwest. In 1973, Bahr enrolled at the University of Mississippi where he earned a bachelor's degree majoring in English and history and a master's in English. He completed the coursework and examinations for a doctoral degree, but withdrew before completing a dissertation. From 1976 to 1993, he was on the staff at Rowan Oak, the home of William Faulkner, serving as curator from 1982 to 1993. He was also an instructor of literature at the University of Mississippi. In 1993, Bahr became an English professor at Motlow State Community College in Lynchburg, Tenn., until 2006. Bahr has published in various magazines and journals including Southern Living, Civil War Times Illustrated, The Southern Partisan and The Saturday Evening Post. He is the author of The Black Flower,The Year of Jubilo, Pelican Road and a children's book, Home for Christmas. He lives in Jackson, Miss.


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I love red nail polish and red lipstick. I love it just as much as I like pink nail polish and lipstick, but red always makes me feel invincible. It may come as a surprise that I own about 10 red lipsticks – more than I will use in the next 5 years – and I love them all.
Worse than my collection of red lipsticks is, in numbers, my collection of red nail polishes. I seem not to be able to part with any of them – I try, I wear them and try to tell myself that they don't look that good or I have one just like it, but I fail mostly. (This is essie Bungle Jungle, btw)
It's just that when I wear red lipsticks and red nails, I feel like I can pull any pose off. (I'm wearing: KIKO 392)
Even the idiotic duckface. Well, at least my things can't talk and won't ever tell me.
Blazer: H&M, shirt: Uniqlo (men), nails: essie bungle jungle, lips: KIKO 392.