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High Content 3D Cell Culture Assays for Mechanistic Toxicology
Dr. Moo-Yeal Lee email@example.com (216) 687-9399
Differences in individual responses to drugs, chemicals, and environmental toxicants are attributed to genetic variations that limit the expression or activity of certain drug metabolizing enzymes. Thus, determining which enzymes will activate or detoxify a particular compound is essential to understanding variances in the toxicity of biologically active compounds among different population groups. In an effort to address these issues and improve predictability of compound toxicity in vivo, we will construct physiologically relevant cellular microarrays on a micropillar/microwell chip platform by using miniaturized three-dimensional (3D) human liver cell cultures, simulate drug metabolism in the liver by expressing diverse drug metabolizing enzymes using recombinant adenoviruses, and then elucidate mechanistic liver toxicity through high content imaging (HCI).
Under the guidance of Dr. Lee and his graduate students, students will learn how to culture mammalian cells, perform biochemical and cell-based assays on microarray biochip platforms, and operate a microarray spotter and a chip imaging system for chip preparation and data acquisition.
Investigating Axonal Biology using Microfluidic Devices
Dr. Chandrasekhar Kothapalli firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-2562
During the nervous system development, various biomolecules guide the growing axons to their targets along specific pathways. These biomolecules could be attractive or repulsive, and exist at different concentrations (gradients) in the brain microenvironment. The tip of the axons, i.e., growth cones, sense and respond to these biomolecules, by exhibiting longer outgrowth or by changing their direction. However, it is not yet clear how the distribution and gradients of biomolecules is maintained in the nervous system to modulate this axonal biology. The goal of this project is to investigate the effect of biomolecules and their respective gradients on cortical neuronal extensions and turning in a microfluidic environment.
Students work, under the guidance of Dr. Kothapalli, learning the aseptic cell culture techniques, isolation and culture of cortical neurons from rat brains, implementation of microfluidic devices, and imaging and analysis of biomolecular gradients; aiming to optimize the conditions for cortical neuron culture in microfluidic devices and evaluate the role of biomolecular gradients on their outgrowth and turning.
Optimization of Algae Bioreactor Systems for Biofuel Production
Dr. Joanne M. Belovich: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-3502
Biodiesel is one of the fastest growing renewable fuels in the U.S. It can be used in existing diesel equipment and vehicles and with existing distribution infrastructure. Biodiesel plants rely on feedstock sources such as recycled grease, meat fat, and soybean or canola oil. However, none of these can meet the long-term demand for transportation fuel. Algae has significant promise as a feedstock for biodiesel production, since up to 50% of the algae dry mass can be lipids, the precursor for biodiesel. The cells use CO2 as their carbon source and can be grown in large open ponds, or in photobioreactors, with power plant exhaust as the source of CO2. Algae growth can occur in non-arable lands with minimal freshwater required. One of the major limitations to the cost-effective use of algae for biofuel production is the low algae concentration in the production stream and the high cost of nutrients. We are investigating methods for optimizing biomass and oil productivity while minimizing raw material costs.
Computer-Aided Design of Gravitational Settlers for Bio-fuels Production from Microalgae
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7274
Dr. Joanne M. Belovich: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-3502
There are two major limitations that currently prevent algae from being a biodiesel feedstock. The capital costs associated with the algae cultivation systems, either open ponds or bioreactors, are high, relative to the price of diesel. Even in the best culturing systems, algae concentration will not surpass 20 g/L because of light limitation. The low biomass concentration results in a large amount of water that must be removed before the biomass can be processed into biodiesel. This process of removing the water and concentrating the cells, called the dewatering process, is both energy and equipment intensive. The purpose of this research is to optimize the design of gravity settlers for algae dewatering for large-scale biofuel production. The research activities will expose students to both computer simulations and hands-on laboratory work. Finite-Element (FEM) based Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) constitute modeling environments well suited to handle complex geometries such as those of gravity settlers. This project is aimed at formulating a FEM CFD model of cell-fluid interactions in the process equipment to simulate dynamic and steady-state particle settling scenarios. The model will be validated and refined using data collected from a laboratory-scale settler prototype. The CFD model is then anticipated to be used in design optimization of pilot-scale configurations and identification of [optimum] operating conditions to maximize equipment performance.
Measurement of Transport Parameters in Bone Tissue
Dr. Joanne M. Belovich: email@example.com (216) 687-3502
Bone tissue readily forms during skeletal development, juvenile growth, and most adult skeletal repair processes. However, more than one million annual bone injuries in the U.S. require bone grafts to assist in repair and this number is expected to increase as the population ages. The growth of bone tissue in vitro, which mimics in vivo bone in form and function, requires selection of the proper scaffold, cell source, loading environment, and culture conditions, among numerous other factors. Two important features of native bone to be mimicked in tissue-engineered bone are the spatial asymmetry of the tissue and the extracellular matrix (osteoid), and while these have not been replicated in vitro, it is well-known that mechanical loading is vital for osteoid generation. It has been hypothesized that the availability of growth factor molecules in the tissue contributes to the formation of the tissue, supported by observations that mechanical stimulation appears to enhance the transport rates of these molecules. We plan to measure the effective diffusion coefficients of key metabolites such as oxygen and glucose, as well as larger growth factor molecules, in bone tissue. The enhancement of transport of these components by mechanical loading will also be ascertained.
Attachment and Growth of Bone Forming Cells: Influence of Surface Texture
Dr. Surendra N. Tewari: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7342
Dr. Joanne M. Belovich: email@example.com (216) 687-3502
The purpose of this research is to examine the influence of surface textures of Ti-6Al-4V (wt pct.) alloy on the attachment and proliferation behavior of bone forming osteoblast cells. The optimum texture would be the one that demonstrates the highest cell adhesion and proliferation even when it is pre-coated with the non-adhesive proteins. The student will establish an experimental set-up to observe and record in-situ the attachment and proliferation behavior of cells, and carry out the associated experiments. The student should be highly motivated and have strong interest in hands-on bio-chemical experiments in a lab environment.
Characterization of Thermally Responsive Polypeptide Nanoparticles
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: email@example.com (216) 687-2572
Our lab is working with an interdisciplinary team to characterize a material system that reversibly forms nanoparticles in response to environmental changes. The system has potential for use in numerous practical applications, e.g. as biosensors, drug-delivery vehicles, or viscosity modifiers. The particles are prepared from materials inspired by elastin, a naturally occurring protein. They are biosynthesized in E. coli and can be made to respond to a wide variety of stimuli, including temperature, pH, salt concentration, light, and solvent. We are characterizing the size and shape of the particles and devising methods to control their behavior.
Protein Purification Using an Elastin-like Polypeptide Tag
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: email@example.com (216) 687-2572
Purification is a critical issue in the preparation of biologically active proteins for use as enzyme catalysts, pharmaceuticals, or biological reagents. Separation of proteins can be performed by utilizing chemical or physical properties of the proteins. An alternative approach tags the product with a fusion protein or polypeptide expressed as part of the protein. The tag can have a high affinity for a specific resin that can be used to bind the protein and after release by some method pure protein is obtained. To remove the tag after purification enzymatic cut sites can be introduced between the tag and the protein to cleave off the tag. We are developing a system that utilizes environmentally responsive polypeptide tags to purify proteins at low cost and under gentle conditions.
Making Responsive Hydrogels from Molecular-Scale Building Blocks
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: email@example.com (216) 687-2572
Responsive materials can exhibit drastic changes in their volume and generate force with small environmental changes. The stimulus can be temperature, pH, light, or other solution property. These materials have found applications as biomaterials, drug delivery devices, and in microfluidic devices. The most common materials currently used are randomly cross-linked polymer hydrogels. Their major limitation is their slow response time and limited volume change due to the process of chain aggregation and water transport. The objective of this project is to overcome these limitations by developing molecular scale responsive subunits. These molecular building blocks will be composed of only three polypeptide chains linked together, and will respond to their environment independent of being incorporated in a bulk gel. Because of their organized folded structure, these materials will respond much more quickly and exhibit a greater percent reduction in size than the traditional responsive hydrogels. These benefits should be retained when these building blocks are connected to form larger responsive networks.
Antifreeze Protein Design for More Effective Ice Crystal Growth Inhibition
Dr. Nolan B. Holland: email@example.com (216) 687-2572
Antifreeze proteins help organisms that live in cold climates survive freezing temperatures. They function by binding onto specific surfaces of ice crystals, which prevents the crystals from growing. This reduces the temperature at which ice can grow in antifreeze solutions. However, the proteins do not correspondingly reduce the melting temperature of ice, leaving a temperature gap between the melting and freezing point (termed thermal hysteresis) where the ice will neither freeze nor thaw. Within this temperature window, the proteins prevent ice recrystallization, i.e. the growth of large crystals at the expense of smaller ones. Because of this ability to stabilize ice solutions, antifreeze proteins have already found application as a frozen food additive. They also show promise as additives to help extend the storage life of transplant organs or for stabilizing ice slurries to improve efficiency of refrigeration and air conditioning systems. The primary research objective is to design new molecular constructs to increase the efficiency of the antifreeze proteins by as much as 100 times, so that the same activity can be achieved with only a fraction of the protein. This will be accomplished by producing constructs with multiple binding regions to increase the avidity for the ice surface.
Adsorption Isotherm Database
Dr. Orhan Talu: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-3539
Adsorption processes such as drying, oxygen production for air, hydrogen purification, pollution control, etc. utilize microporous solids with molecular dimension pores to adsorb one or more species from a fluid phase. The feasibility of any adsorption process depends on 1) affinity and 2) capacity of the microporous solid for the fluid molecules which is commonly measured as adsorption isotherms. Measurement of adsorption isotherms is complicated and time consuming therefore data scattered in literature is of extreme value to scientists working in the area on research, process development, and design of adsorption processes.
The long term goal of this project is to collect, digitize, evaluate and to organize isotherm data in literature in a searchable relational database. The students will learn fundamentals of adsorption as an industrial process gaining importance as well as database principles and how to use them (particularly Microsoft Access).
Catalytic Gasification for Waste Management and In-Situ Resource Utilization
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: email@example.com (216) 523-7274
This research project is focused on the formulation and characterization of a low-to-mid temperature catalytic gasification process. The overall goal is to develop alternatives for converting spaceflight waste materials into high-value products. Since, approximately six (6) kilograms of waste are produced daily by a crew of four, the intrinsic value of this waste can be greatly enhanced by gasification technologies. Indeed, in-situ processing of trash would provide an option to control waste, while maintaining a healthy habitat, during long-duration missions. Affordable human exploration beyond low earth orbit (LEO) cannot include continuous logistic resupply. The results are therefore anticipated to find application in advancing NASAs mission supporting space exploration activities such as the International Space Station or extended Space Travel.
Sugar Cane Bio-ethanol Dehydration Assessment including Environmental Issues
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7274
Environmental effects and health hazards posed by fossil-fuel based technologies complemented by changes in the global economy have further demanded the need for developing cleaner and more efficient technologies that rely on renewable or synthetic resources. An alternative, commonly referred to as bio-fuels, has significantly matured and todays economy recognizes the significance of being able to produce ethanol from renewable resources such as biomass. Moreover, the potential of ethanol to be further converted to hydrogen makes it a very attractive alternative to replace or complement fossil fuels as sources of energy.
Though many techniques for ethanol dehydration are known; adsorption, distillation, hybrid processes, and pervaporation, are the most common technologies in practice. Two alternatives ethanol dehydration technologies are considered in this project. The first is based on the combination of distillation and azeotropic distillation, while the second relies on hybrid distillation and pervaporation processes.
Currently we are developing a simulation model (a user-defined module) and the interface that would enable to integrate this module with two popular Porcess Simulators: ASPEN Plus(TM) and ASPEN HYSYS(TM)
The immediate goal is to simulate both alternatives aiming to identify optimal design and operating parameters by means of rigorous simulation. Plans for a second phase include formulating an approach that would account for environmental issues in explicit form. The approach is to be based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as described by the ISO 14000 series. Unlike most common approaches that consider environmental impact by focusing on reducing effluents, this methodology also considers the impact associated with all the involved processes in the FPD. One could consider the addition of environmental aspects within energy systems optimization as a promising contribution to the energetic optimization and LCA.
Adsorption and Diffusion in Zeolites
Dr. Orhan Talu: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-3539
Dr. D.B.Shah: email@example.com (216) 687-3569
Zeolites occupy a pre-eminent position as adsorbents and catalysts. To determine the potential of any zeolitic material for an industrial application, its adsorptive and diffusive behavior must be well characterized. Our laboratories possess a number of such systems that allow us to characterize these zeolites in terms of their adsorption capacities and the rate of adsorption. Students participating in this project will gain hands-on experience in measuring adsorption isotherms and diffusivities in zeolites. Appropriate adsorbent-adsorbate systems will be identified and measurements will be performed on such systems.
Solidification of single crystal dendritic array through cross-section change
Dr. Surendra N. Tewari: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7342
Modern aircraft engines use single crystal turbine blades, which are manufactured by directional solidification of superalloys in a mould where solidification, progresses through several cross-sectional changes. Presence of spurious misaligned grains is highly detrimental to the elevated temperature mechanical properties of single crystal blades. Formation of structural and compositional defects caused by convection associated with such cross-section changes during directional solidification is being investigated under this research project.
We are currently carrying out ground-based research in our lab to generate morphology data so that terrestrial (presence of convection) results can be compared with those obtained from samples to be solidified during future low-gravity environment of Space Station (absence of convection). Research involves preparing refractory crucibles having a built-in cross-section change using investment-casting shell mould process, or using graphite crucibles specially machined for this purpose, conducting directional solidification of aluminum-silicon and aluminum-copper alloys under varying thermal gradients and growth rates, examining microstructures by quantitative metallography, and image analysis, and preparing and presenting experimental observations in an organized and cohesive manner in the light of other literature reported research.
Zeolite Membrane Permeation: Modeling and Validation
Dr. D.B.Shah: email@example.com (216) 687-3569
Zeolites are crystalline aluminosilicate absorbents that have a distinctly defined pore structure.
In comparison to other absorbents in its class (i.e. silica, alumina, or activated carbon), zeolites
have pores that are of uniform size and thus show no pore size distribution. As a result of this
unique feature, they can be used to separate chemical species based on size, shape, and
configuration. In this work, we will investigate the conditions under which a hydrocarbon separation
based on molecular size, shape, and adsorptive and diffusive properties can be accomplished.
In the analysis of zeolite diffusion and permeation, a mathematical transport model is required to simulate and fully understand the overall separation process. In this study, a mixture of different components is used as a feed stream. These components diffuse and permeate across a zeolite membrane at different rates. A mathematical model will be used to predict the rates of transport of individual components. The model will require the adsorptive and diffusive properties of these components in the zeolite. The model to be used in this study is based on the Maxwell-Stefan equations and was developed by Krishna [1]. It will be used to simulate the permeation behavior of mixtures. Two separate scenarios associated with weak and strong interactions will be investigated. The simulated results obtained from the solution of the model equations will be compared with those derived from more rigorous calculations. Such calculations will illustrate whether a simplified transport model can be used to simulate permeation of individual components of a hydrocarbon mixture.
R. Krishna, R. Baur, Analytic solution of the Maxwell-Stefan equations for multicomponent permeation across a zeolite membrane, Chemical Engineering Journal, 97 (2004) 37-45
Reaction Engineering Principles in Thin Film Applications
Characterization of Precursors leading to Protective and Conversion Coatings in Metallic and Ceramic Substrates
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7274
Corrosion resistance and energy efficiency have long been driving forces to substitute low-carbon steels by advanced materials in the manufacture of car body parts. Chromate-based coating processes have been used by industry for many years as a means to generate protective coatings on metal surfaces. In order to meet EPA mandates, chromate-based technologies need to be phased out.
In this research we are investigating new approaches in coating technology that could provide alternative practical options to chromate-based coatings. Preliminary research conducted at Cleveland State University has identified metal-working fluids that can provide effective high-temperature wear and friction control as potential precursors for producing thin films in non-ferrous alloys and ceramics. The purpose of this research is to investigate the effect of different intermetallics as additives that can promote the chemical interaction of these precursors with metallic and non-metallic substrates.
Current research activities complement this long-term research project aiming at elucidating the effect of transition metals on mechanisms leading to protective coatings. At present we are focusing our attention on deposition experiments complemented by spectroscopic and calorimetric characterization of precursor solutions and the coatings these solutions yield on aluminum alloys.
Computational Fluid Dynamics of Chemical Vapor Deposition
Analysis and Optimization of Thin Film Deposition Processes by Mathematical Modeling
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 523-7274
Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) has become an efficient technology for the production of thin films. The analysis of this technology, typically characterized by the potential for high throughput and minimal effluent generation, involves the complex interaction of transport phenomena, fluid dynamics, and chemical kinetics. Moreover, deposition environments often consist of complex assemblies in intricate flow geometries.
Proof-of-concept experiments are currently carried out in laboratory scale in a radiation furnace. Our goal is to design and optimize deposition experiments with the aid of a multi-physics mathematical modeling. With that purpose, a finite-element-based multi-physics modeling environment has been licensed by the Chemical Reaction Engineering (CRE) Group at CSU.
The immediate goal is to integrate this modeling environment with SolidWorks(TM), a CAD software that allows the design of complex three-dimensional structures, such as the deposition stage used in thin films experiments.
Remote Access and Control Kits (RACKs) for Laboratory Experiences in Chemical Engineering
Dr. Sridhar Ungarala: firstname.lastname@example.com (216) 687-9368
Dr. Jorge E. Gatica:email@example.com (216) 523-7274
This project proposes to enhance student learning by means of an approach that combines interactive computer modules, experimental equipment accessed through the Internet, and process design using modern analysis tools. The project is focused on the recommendation by ABET that promotes exposure of engineering majors to laboratory practices, planning of experiments, experimental data acquisition and statistical analysis. The project aims to develop a set of interactive modules that enable remote access of laboratory settings for experiment monitoring, control, and analysis. These modules will be developed using high-end graphics, point-and-click graphical user interfaces and context-sensitive online help.


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Five points to El Tri's friendly vs. Finland
Mexico interim boss Miguel Herrera spent the past couple of weeks preparing his revamped squad for the modest test ahead against Finland tonight in San Diego.
They must start to show the necessary progress in those labors. This encounter with the domestic-based Finns offers the only opportunity to take the field prior to the World Cup playoff with New Zealand next month. It is not an opportunity El Tri can afford to squander.
Herrera must evaluate his chosen starting XI (more on his team selection in a moment) and sift through his squad. He cannot afford to waste time with a system to implement and more players to integrate with his regulars from Club América. With those tenets in mind, Herrera must ponder a few quandaries as the spectacle unfolds at Qualcomm Stadium:
Mexico (5-3-2): Munoz; Aguilar, Márquez, Rodríguez, Valenzuela, Layún; Medina, Peña, Montes; Jiménez, Peralta
1. Is seven too many?: Herrera opted to include seven Club América players in his starting XI to face Finland. It makes sense to include them to facilitate the transition to the 5-3-2 setup, but their enduring presence raises questions about whether Herrera is making the best use of the resources available to him. His stars must produce against a poor opponent in order to justify his faith and validate his decision to lean so heavily upon them.
2. Pondering the awareness and the concentration at the back: This defensive structure compensates for a lack of pace with an extra man in central defense. It is the sort of gambit capable of working against teams like Finland and New Zealand with this personnel, but Rafa Márquez, Maza Rodríguez and Juan Carlos Valenzuela ensure its viability by maintaining their focus at all times. If they drift away at the wrong times (if the two fullbacks are pushed into the attack, for example), then Mexico could find itself exposed.
3. Assessing the latest heir to the poisoned chalice in central midfield: Juan Carlos Medina steps into fill that troublesome breach in front of the back three. Medina earned the gig by performing well in a similar role with América, but his physical limitations might prove more harmful on the international stage. He must dispel those concerns to prevent any clamor for yet another spin on this merry-go-round.
4. Montes in the middle: Herrera turned to the Club León man to fill the gaping void left by Lucas Lobos' withdrawal through family problems (the ensuing summons for aging Toluca schemer Sinha revealed Herrera's desperation for a creative player). Montes is a winger by trade, full of direct runs and timely hijinks on the left flank. A little directness isn't a bad thing for a Mexico side that often contemplates a bit too much in the attacking third, but Montes must exhibit all of the necessary tools in possession in order to state his case for inclusion against New Zealand.
5. A glimpse into the future up front: Raúl Jiménez and Oribe Peralta possess the first crack at forming the partnership against New Zealand. They should have plenty of openings to exploit against the Finns. A successful night would slide them onto the inside track to face the All Whites from the start and spark questions about Javier Hernández's place in Herrera's setup.

subset: commoncrawl


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King Arthur
02 Apr 2010
How to Decorate Easter Cookies
By Colleen Hammond, in Catholic Church, Lent, Recipe | 1 Response 1 Comment
It's that time, again! Make sure you allow 24 hours for the icing to dry before giving them out. HT to Mary.
Full posting here which includes recipes and detailed directions.
Outline your cookie with your background color and "flood" it to fill in. Be sure the icing stays wet, this technique just doesn't work with dry icing.… Read the rest...read more
Posted in Catholic Church, Lent, Recipe | Tagged cookie, cookies, cutter, decorate, Dessert, Easter, egg, icing, King Arthur, Lent, royal | 1 Response


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Main menu:
Extra-Curricular > GAA > Archive
High School Make History in Herald Cup Final victory
History was made in the Patrician High School when they captured the U16 Ulster Colleges Herald Cup against St Louis Kilkeel from Down for the first time in Carrickcruppin GFC in Armagh.
The game started at a high tempo with the opening score from a well-taken free by Pauric Keenan. The High School continued their dominance of the opening encounters, with two more points from Donal Meegan and Pauric Keenan. St Louis Kilkeel replied with a well-taken point from open play by Jordan Fagan and a point from a free kick to level the scores after 15 minutes. However, midway through the first half, the Patrician High School half back line began to assert their authority, with both Fergal Keenan and Colin Clerkin in dominant form. Two more points from Pauric Keenan put the Carrickmacross side in the driving seat again. But the Down side battled ferociously and were rewarded minutes before the break with an opportunistic goal, leaving the sides level at 1-02 to 0-05. Carrickmacross however picked up the tempo again. Fergal Keenan picked up a loose ball and expertly picked out Aaron Lynch on the half forward line. Lynch glanced up, and released the ball into the path of the onrushing Pauric Keenan who powerfully fisted into the corner of the Kilkeel net. This vital score left Patrician High School leading 1-05 to 1-02 at half time.
On the re-start points from Fagan and McAlinden closed the gap for Kilkeel before James Reillys fine goal on the 49 minute looked like giving the Down side the platform to kick on. Further misery was then piled on to the High School when they lost Shercock player and inspirational captain Colin Clerkin to injury. But the High School rallied and maintained their composure with substitute Peter Linden coming in and making the full back position his own. With Aaron McMahon, Darren Byrne and Killian Rudden now attacking from defence at every opportunity the game began to swing in favour of the High School. Excellent work was being done in attack by Paudie Kirk and Donal Meegan. The Kilkeel defence stood firm but eventually conceded a 45 and free, both converted by Pauric Keenan who eventually scored an epic 1-8 for the Carrickmacross side. The High School closed out the game in the final few minutes with a goal coming from Jonathan Coleman after some good work dispossessing the Kilkeel corner back by Kevin O Hanlon. Man of the match Pauric Keenan converted his final score of the game to leave the finishing score line of Patrician High School 2-09 St Louis Kilkeel 2-04. There were great scenes at the end of the final whistle as the supporters engulfed the pitch to celebrate this famous victory for the High School.
After the match Colin Clerkin was presented with the Herald cup and said that this was a massive achievement for the school and hopefully there would be more to come.
Managers: Eoghan Cunningham and Elaine Coughlan
Patrician High School: Declan McGlew, Paul McArdle, Colin Clerkin, Fergal Keenan, Aaron McMahon, Darren Byrne, Aaron Birdy, Killian Rudden, Niall Clerkin, Paudie Kirk, Adam Waller, Donal Meegan, Pauric Keenan, Kevin O Hanlon, Jonathan Coleman.
Subs: P Linden, D Jones, N Loughman, M Murnaghan, C Meegan, A Lynch, F Lonergan, P Matthews, C Rice, N Hand, C. Finnegan, F Daly, P McMahon.
All results and fixtures can be viewed on Ulster Colleges Webpage
High School wins another Ulster Title!!
With the U16 crown in the bag the spotlight now turned to the under 14's managed by Paddy Martin and Lorcan Keenan. The group stages contained no easy opposition with the likes of St. Columbas College, Derry, Our Lady's Secondary, Castleblaney, Our Lady and St. Patrick's College, Knock and De La Salle College, Belfast. The High School emerged group winners and now faced Kilkeel in the quarter final. With fine performances from Daire Rowe, Stephen Finnegan, and David Garland the High school grounded out a victory of 6.5. to 5.5. They now faced Rathmore in the semi-final. A comfortable victory in the end on a score line of 4-10 to 1-9 made sure the High School reached another Ulster final. Scorers on the day included Daire Rowe, David Garland, Stephen Cunningham.
So the High School now faced St. Pauls Bessbrook who went into the game as favourites. Previously when the two sides met earlier in the year the Armagh outfit came out on top by a big score line. But since then the managers had changed things around and this Carrickmacross team was now stronger with a belief to win.
The game was played in difficult conditions with a very strong wind and some light rain hampering both teams. Bessbrook started of the stronger and had a commanding five point lead going in at half time. But spectators witnessed a very different High school team take to the field in the second half. Now playing with more intensity and been lead by Daire Rowe in attack Bessbrook found themselves in severe difficult. Man of the match Aaron Jones commanded the defence with Kingscourt man Cathal McKeon helping also to clear the lines time after time and put Bessbrook under pressure. In the end the High School ran out winners by six points. Another great day in the history of sport in the High School
Squad: Ronan Curran, Stephen Finnegan, Conor Russell, Alan Kieran, Adam Duffy, Sean Marron, Pauric Marron, Daniel McDonnell, Stephen Cunningham, Ronan McDonnell, David Wilson, Shane Garland, Aaron Jones, Daire Rowe, Thomas Finnegan, David Garland, Stephen O Hanlon, Fergal Hanratty, Colm McEvoy, Jason McConnell, Ryan McDonnell, Gavin McEnaney, Sean Burke, Shane Woods, Ciaran Rowe.
Under 15 BT Treanor Cup Runners Up 2011
The High School continued their good run of form in Ulster when the U15 squad managed by Sean Rafferty and Des Halpenny reached the final of the BT Treanor Cup but unfortunately came up short on the day.
Mon 7th Mar Castleblaney 2.10 Patrician 2.11
Thu 10th Mar Downpatrick 2.4 Patrician 5.11
Wed 16th Mar Patrician 2.12 Crossmaglen 2.9
Wed 6th Apr QF Patriican 1.13 St Paul's 1.4
Fri 15th Apr SF Kilkeel 0.9 Patrician 4.14
Mon 9th May Final Patrician 1.3 Knock 0.10
Squad 2011
Richard Curtis. David Eakin, Alan McCahey, Ciaran McClory, Cathal McKeown, Corrie Sullivan, Pauric Kirk, Paul McArdle, Shaun McClory, Michael Murnaghan, Aaron Birdy, Ryan McNally, Donal Meegan, Aaron Lynch, Conor O Halloran, Jamie Dooley, Shane Woods, Stephen Cunningham, David Wilson, Ryan Owens, Thomas Finnegan, Daire Rowe, Daniel McDonald, Shane Garland.


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Cashel, Ireland Vacations - Travel guide to Cashel, Ireland accommodations and vacation packages. Visit Cashel, Ireland for getaways and adventure travel. Plan your Cashel, Ireland vacation today.
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Cashel, Ireland Youth Hostels - Our homely atmosphere makes you very welcome. We offer self catering accommodation and B&B if desired.
Cashel, Ireland Youth Hostels - Our rooms are brightly decorated and spotlessly clean, with a well equiped kitchen, best of all we are located in the centre of Cashel town 150 meteres from the bus stop.
Cashel, Ireland Bed & Breakfasts - Beautiful home in peaceful countryside. North West of Cashel on Goldscross Road. Golf, fishing, walks, pr
Cashel, Ireland Bed & Breakfasts - Highly recommended family home. Scenic view in quiet location. Downstairs bedrooms, residents lounge. Pri
Abbey, Ireland Summer Camps & Programs - Ideal for those looking for a cultural experience in Ireland, with surfing & outdoor sports qualifications. 12 weeks Spring & Fall each year. USA and Irish students.
Connemara, Ireland Bike Tours - Eight days, cycling on gently rolling paved roads, with a half-day hike. Evenings include small inns, a charming castle, and pub options.
Banagher, Ireland Vacation Rentals - John and Marian invite you to rent this 300 year old farm homestead ' Chestnut Cottage' which is situated on the McDonald farm at Lusmagh, Banagher, Co. Offaly only 1 Km from the River Shannon....
Cork, Ireland Vacation Rentals - Two bedroom second floor apartment with 2 double beds , 1.5 bathrooms sleeps 4 in a gated development with basement parking for one car and a a lift to the second floor . Located on the mouth of Cork...
Cork, Ireland Vacation Rentals - Traditional style rural Cottage in the heart of East Cork , one bedroom sleeping up to 2...
Rockbrook, Ratharnham, Ireland Hotels & Resorts - The only pub and Irish music night in Dublin that is owned and run by traditional musicians, guaranteeing a high standard of authentic entertainment and hospitality. Dinner and show (including Irish Dancing) almost every night of the year.


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New video: Eat Cancer-Fighting Chocolate Mousse!
Want to learn how chocolate mousse may be part of a cancer-reversal strategy? And by the same logic, a cancer-preventative one too? In November, I studied with Dr. Lloyd Jenkins, who runs the Budwig Clinic in Malaga Spain, on the southern coast. He is the only doctor endorsed by seven-time Nobel Prize-nominated Dr. Johanna Budwig. […]14 Comments • Continue Reading →
I ACCIDENTALLY WALK FOR BREAST CANCER, PART 2 of 3
Ask your oncologist what he knows about Nobel Prize winner Otto Warburg. Ask him what he thinks of the well documented principle that cancer is starved out by a highly oxygenated internal terrain, utilizing fresh green juices, alkaline foods, nutrient density, as administered by Dr. Max Gerson, M.D., to thousands of patients. And some supplements […]3 Comments • Continue Reading →


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About the Landscapes BlogThe Landscapes for People, Food and Nature Initiative is an international collaborative effort to support and scale-up the practice of whole landscape approaches to address the full set of needs from the rural land base – from sustainable, climate-resilient food and fiber production to biodiversity conservation to rural livelihoods. As part of this Initiative, the Landscapes Blog serves as a venue to learn about, share, and discuss topics related to landscape approaches. It seeks to engage leaders in the field, highlight research, present examples of landscape approaches in practice, and contribute to the discussions during major international events and policy processes.
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Mapping Resource Rights in Sub-Saharan Africa
Secure land tenure and resource rights is often cited as an important foundation for long-term sustainable land management, and can provide the incentive needed to maintain multiple ecosystem and livelihood benefits on the land. In order to get a better … Continue reading
Posted in Exploring the Evidence Tagged Map, Natural Resources Management, rights, Southern Africa, WRI 1 Comment
One Watershed at a Time: Improving Water Quality in the Mississippi River Basin
As we saw on Monday, the measuring, valuing, and mapping of ecosystem services has progressed in recent years, and new tools are emerging that can help decision makers account for the benefits landscapes provide and target areas that are most … Continue reading
Posted in Exploring the Evidence, Landscape of the Week Tagged United States, Water, Watershed, WRI Comments Off
Regreening Climate Change Resilience: The Case of Burkina Faso
"If you want to know how to grow crops in the face of climate change, drought, and land degradation, ask Ousséni Kindo, Ousséni Zoromé, or Yacouba Sawadogo—three farmers in Burkina Faso's Yatenga region." These words began an article yesterday by … Continue reading
Posted in Voices from the Field Tagged Africa, agroforestry, Climate Change, Policy, Resilience, Water, West Africa, WRI Comments Off


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Video Search Clipta.com To Index One Billion Online Videos
Clipta Inc., a Web video search start-up, today announced that it has secured $500,000 in financing through Angel investment. In addition, Clipta also revealed today that it has successfully implemented the advanced self-learning deep Web crawler technology that will propel the company toward its goal of indexing one billion online videos worldwide by 2010.
Clipta.com has operated as one of the fastest growing worldwide video search provider since its first release in May of 2008. Over six months, Clipta's servers indexed approximately 35 million videos. Based on dramatic growth in online video and with the onset of Clipta's new deep crawling technology, Clipta expects to meaningfully index all searchable and available online videos.
With self-learning deep crawlers implemented in eight languages around the world, Clipta is already a leading global video search. Today, Clipta also has a complex multilingual conversion script and Web platform that offers the site to users in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Romanian, Chinese, Japanese and Ukrainian. The company plans to roll the site out in ten additional languages by the end of 2009. The new technology will combine with Clipta's already sophisticated tools and applications to offer users instant access to millions of the most relevant videos on the Internet through an innovative and unique platform.
Lenny Doubinski, President and Chief Executive Officer of Clipta.com, remarked:
"Clipta is a working model in the future of online video. This launch is the proud product of our powerful team of international engineers, and we are confident that it will help us reach our goal of indexing one billion online videos worldwide by 2010. As soon as we reach our goal, using Clipta's easy and efficient video search will be critical for anyone who wants to find something to watch online."
What do you think? ▼


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I recently got sent to the psychiatrist after having something of a meltdown re: wanting plastic surgery (precipitated by the fact that I accidentally had the forms sent home where my mother opened them. OOPS. I need to remember to check the mail before she does.) It really didn't seem to be as much of an issue as those yelling people around me made it out to be, but evidently it was alarming enough to warrant some sort of Saturday-morning-ruining intervention. Anywho, I got to be witty to some stranger for about 250$/1 hour session and that was approximately a self-esteem boost, though I still hate my mother horribly for not telling me about it until an hour before I was scheduled to go in (and then telling me, "We have family problems that need to be addressed. This is for all of us." What the hell, woman.) I was very bitter and decided to turn the session into me ragging about my mother's problems, and it worked out fairly well.
About 8 hours later I get into this giant bitchfest with my sister over AIM about why all my goals are wrong and bad and how I think I deserve cupcakes because everyone else has them, which results in me having horrible and unrealistic expectations for everyone and everything. I then told her "duh," and wasn't convinced that I was doing anything wrong, since I knew what I wanted (perfect-simultaneous-orgasm-requited-love, or, failing that, someone to dump all my affections on) and was being proactive about getting it (because, at the time, I equated being pretty to a greater sense of charm, which is partially true). She then asked if I'd ever tried internet dating, to which I replied, "No, because the internet is full of creepy Asian fetishists and/or gross cumbuckets." And then she agreed and continued to try and convince me that I was being vain, thinking that I wasn't listening. But, in fact, without knowing it, she made everything about her argument fall into place perfectly and it was all very alarming and annoying. Sure, the internet can be gross. But, if all I really wanted was to have the opportunity to blow something (like cursory interest) out of proportion into a deluded sense of smashing-euphoric-oops-I-need-a-tissue, then the internet was the perfect place to do it and I should totally be all over that.
It was a very deflating thought, and I realized that, while I wasn't being a total whiner, I was probably letting my hormones and my biological curiosity get the better of me (Dear Self, STOP IT. Love, Self).
Um. So. Yeah.
I think the moral of the story is that, now, I'm totally over everything and everyone, and I'm back to my other weird and deluded state of non-porn-star moviestar crushes (he never wrote me back), and that's AOK! because it's kind of endearing and it's probably a lot more fun than cosmetic surgery. I'm back to my forum-trolly (yield: David Boreanaz in a bathtub) slash-loving (yield: Angel/anything, Tidus/Auron [WARNING: dirtydirtydirty, but hot]) Youtubing self (yield: that new Dido song I like)


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A man was found dead in a New York emergency room eight hours after he asked to see a doctor.
Jon Verrier, 30, came into Saint Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx, complaining of a rash. Hospital officials say he was checked in and asked to wait. They say his name was called several times, but he didn't answer. Eight hours later, he was found dead in the waiting room.
The hospital has an average wait time of five hours.
Employees say the hospital is understaffed.
Read further details from the New York Post.
KMSP-TV11358 Viking DriveEden Prairie, MN 55344
Phone: (952) 944-9999Fax: (952) 942-0455


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JB and Chris Breezy Setting The Stage on FIRE!!
Sunday, May 1st, 2011
[youtube]_U0UaRYXwBQ[/youtube] Look at them now! Chris Brown joins Justin Bieber on stage to perform "Look at Me Now"
Texas Talent!
Saturday, February 12th, 2011
I love love love to find new raw talent in the Houston or neighboring areas. Hey it's where I'm from! These three artists/groups, I feel will only get bigger in the coming years and need your recognition! Go out and see them play, or find their music it will be worth your time! The […]


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Hello, My name is Alexander Chang and I'm a Web Designer, Web Developer, and iOS developer. I was California born and raised and am currently a junior at University High School. I love to tinker and build random things. I started developing GradeCheck in 2012.
For more information about me, check out my website.
If you want to request a new feature, report a bug, or just simply say Hi, use the 'Contact the Developer' form.


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Renting or Buying a Home: What's the better option for you? We break down the pros and cons of renting and buying a home. Brought to you by Sparefoot Read More »
Home » Tag Archives: Real Estate
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1031 Exchange: The Ultimate Guide
Ever heard of a 1031 exchange? In this infographic you will learn how to defer your capital gains taxes utilizing a 1031 exchange, what kinds of properties qualify for 1031, what the basic 1031 rules and time limits are, and how to benefit your heirs by stepping up your basis. Brought to you by 1031 Gateway Read More »
Infographic: Most Popular Real Estate WordPress Plugins
For a real estate company, your website is a vital component to your marketing mix. The best platform for real estate site is WordPress. Once you get your WordPress site up and running, the next step is to use the right plugins that will turn your visitors into leads. Below are the 4 most popular real estate WordPress plugins. You ... Read More »


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Categories > Anime/Manga > Naruto
Fireworks0 Reviews
AU- Naruto's life as a chunin starts with a new partner, new challenges, and explosions. First in the NMasks series.
Beta: Randomesome1
Beloved Nag/Muse: Kelriia Frettlar
Pairing: None. Might someday grow up to be Naruto/Neji.
Disclaimer: Don't own. No money being made
Author's notes: This is very much AU. Though the general setting and terminology is the same, certain things (like how ninjas advance in ranks, how the teams are set up, the animal masks, where chakra is from) are different. Hopefully, things will be clear enough. If not, please let me know. Ages are fifteen/sixteen-ish
Also, this is essentialy a prologue to an entire series. So it's basicaly just how they first team up. Other stuff to come. . . eventualy.
January first, New Years. Naruto is running terribly late.
And what the hell had he been /thinking/? He'd only meant to train for the better part of the morning in the forest, and make his way back to the village before noon. Plenty of time for the big announcement. But instead he'd lost track of time and trained way too late (and, ok, getting caught in his own rope-trap while trying to improve it certainly hadn't helped) and now he is going to risk ruining the biggest day of his ninja career!
He bites his lip and pushes himself to run faster, fox tail skirt swishing around his knees and out behind him, his form a blur of black and orange. The sun hasn't set yet. He still has time before the fireworks start.
He speeds into the heart of the village, weaving through the streets as fast as his legs can carry him. He ducks through alleys, elbows through the evening's crowds, and eventually scrambles up a fire escape and onto the rooftops, where he leaps and runs, setting flocks of starlings into angry flight as he passes.
Panting and sweaty, he jumpes down to the sidewalk and skids to a halt outside the Hokage's office. Of course, it's pretty much deserted now. The ANBU guards really don't count. Everyone else had been on time, so. . .
He slips inside and hurries down the halls, slowing as he comes in sight of the great bulletin board that hangs outside the mission room. The slouching figure of a fellow genin (chunin? Were they all considered chunin now, or was that only after midnight tonight, and they'd all gotten their partners?) leaning against the wall by the board startles him, until recognition registers.
"Oy, Shikamaru!" he calls, a grin blossoming as he comes closer.
The other nin looks up at Naruto, face a study of boredom. "Naruto. You're late."
"Shut up. So're you."
"It was a nice day. I fell asleep," Shikamaru says. "What's your excuse?"
Naruto glances away guiltily. "I, ah- had to help Iruka-sensei with something."
Shikamaru snorts. "You're a terrible liar. Hope your partner can beat some better skills into you, cuz you won't go far with the ones you have now."
So, I'm not with Shikamaru, then? "Hah! I bet I'm the one who'll be doing all the teaching! In fact-"
"Whatever." Shikamaru pushes away from the wall. "I've got to go find Chouji."
Naruto watches him walk away, a soundless shadow in the gathering gloom. Shikamaru's porcelain monkey mask is hung around his neck and dangles down his back, a pale, mocking face with hollow eyes that seem to stare back at Naruto as Shikamaru leaves to go find his new partner.
Naruto toys with his own mask, kept up and out of the way at the side of his head right now. Not paired with Shikamaru. . . It sucks, because Shikamaru is one of the few people who doesn't much care about Naruto's totem. When they'd been genin in the rotating three man cells, he and Shikamaru had worked together fairly often, since the monkey-nin's family didn't have the pull necessary to keep them from winding up on the same team. So they'd become . . . ok, not friends. Naruto doesn't have any friends.
Because who wants to be friends with the ninja whose totem had slain its own get, painted itself with their blood and danced in the ashes of their homes? Fox had gone rabid fifteen years ago, killing all its nin for no apparent reason, and no one wanted to get close to the last of its children.
After all, what if that madness was contagious?
It makes Naruto burn inside. Ok, so maybe his totem is fucking nuts and a homicidal maniac. But he isn't, no matter what people think. He can be a competent ninja for the village, a useful, contributing member of society. He'll prove it to everyone! Somehow.
And the next step on that path is his new partner. Chosen at random in the Konoha Raffle, he'd finally get to work with someone picked purely by chance, and not as a result of politicking among the great ninja clans. It is exciting. . . and terrifying.
The sun has set at last, leaving the hallway in shadowy twilight. In the semi-darkness, Naruto stares at the bulletin board with the list of teams and swallows back his nervousness. He is a ninja. He is last of the Fox. He can do this. And whatever nin has been assigned to him, well, he'll make then accept him as partner.
As the first of the fireworks celebrating another generation graduating from genin to chunin begin to light up the sky, Naruto steps forward. The sky flashes with blue, gold, red and then gold once more. In the flickering light, Naruto reads the name of his new partner.
Hyuuga Neji.
/Oh fuck/.
Life is a great river whose currents you cannot fight. It is a truth Neji lives his life by. A member of the Branch House to the prestigious Hyuuga clan, Neji had long ago been made to face the fact that his wishes and desires mean nothing.
The cage his own uncle had carved into Neji's flesh and soul was proof enough of that.
And yet, despite knowing this truth, despite living this truth, sometimes he still feels the need to fight it. Times like now.
Fireworks burst overhead in the twilight of evening. The dark waters of the river flash the glittering shine back up at the sky, gilding the bottom of the bridge with faint streaks of colour. Neji leans against the railing, face an expressionless mask. Five minutes ago, Shikamaru had finally wandered over to collect his partner. Neji had watched them shuffle off together into the gloom, leaving him alone in the gathering shadows on the bridge.
Off in the darkness, the rest of the village is celebrating the new generation of chunin. He can hear the roar and chatter of them, the music, the laughter. He can even see them, if he bothers to put so much as an ounce of effort into it. He is Hyuuga, and Hyuuga are of Owl. There is nothing he can't see if he wants to.
But right now, he is content in the darkness on the bridge. Alone in this between time, where he drifts without any ties. There are no teammates, no teacher, no family. Just himself and the bridge, and the fire in the sky. In this here and now, he can pretend that he isn't waiting for his new cage, the partner Fate has selected for him. The grim sentence he will carry for the next three months.
Uzumaki Naruto.
Uzumaki Naruto, the last of the Fox nins, the worst of the current genin. Loud and brash and half feral. Living, or so the grapevine says, in an apartment on the fringes of town. The place apparently doesn't even have running water.
Neji has spent all his life striving to stretch his wings as far as he can, despite the cage the Main House had placed around him. Servant and meat shield to his cousins he might be destined to be, but that doesn't mean he has to be a bumbling fool of a pawn. His natural brilliance, talent, and an enormous dose of hard work have pushed him to a level others label genius. When he'd compared himself to his cousin, the current Main House heir, he'd far surpassed her.
Not that he expects anything to come of it. The Main House has locked him in his prison, and there he will stay. But he has to admit a certain venomous satisfaction at the thought that even bound as he is, he still soars higher than pitiful Hinata, or even his uncle Hiashi had back when he had been genin. Branch House Neji might be, but he is still better than the rest of them.
It seems the wheel of Karma has come full turn, however, and now he is being shown his place once more by being shackled to the lowest of the low.
One so low, in fact, that he is apparently unable to arrive on time, to an event that encompasses all the ninjas of their generation, at a location that has been predeclared for three weeks solid before today.
Perhaps he had an accident while training, and drowned? he thinks, vague blooms of hope forming in his mind as the river glitters with reflections of the fireworks above. The bright burn of someone's rapidly approaching chakra and the sound of muttered swears are Fate's instant reply. Neji will not escape this cage either.
The sound of footsteps slows, and the swearing tapers off as Naruto draws near. There is a pause. A moment of pregnant silence in which Neji knows Naruto is watching him, trying to figure out some way to start down the long road they had been sentenced to when their names were matched up by Destiny. It is awkward and uncomfortable, and Neji savors it as a death row inmate savors his last meal.
And then he turns away from the railing, and faces the fox-nin.
"Uzumaki Naruto." The words fall from his lips like kunai, heavy and edged.
"Ah! Er, yeah." Naruto fidgets, hand coming up to comb roughly through wild blond hair, blue eyes squinting shut with his wide, twitchy grin. "Heh. And you're Hyuuga Neji. We never worked together in the genin teams."
'Your family wouldn't allow it' hangs unspoken in the air between them for a heartbeat.
Naruto rushes on. "But we're partners now, neh, and we'll totally kick ass! Cuz I know I totally kick ass, and Lee says you kick ass -that guy is obsessed with you by the way, we worked together all the time as genin and it was always 'I will beat Neji with the power of my Youth and Really Big Eyebrows, because Neji is a genius and I really want to be awesome like him!' or somethin' like that- so together we'll kick everyone's ass, right? And I guess I'm pretty late but I was busy training and trying out this new rope-trap that I can show you if you want, but later, ok? Cuz right now they're havin' the big festival for our graduating and there's all these really awesome booths and games and stuff, an' they give discounts to the new chunin, and I'm really hungry-"
It's a damned good thing his eyesight is so accurate, Neji thinks bitterly. Because he is fairly certain that he'll be stone deaf within a few weeks of working with this chattertrap deadbeat, and he'll be forced to rely on lipreading.
And as he stares at his new partner, he feels the bitterness grow. Is this it? Is this idiot to be his end? Because there is no way such a loudmouthed looser can possibly last through the three months 'trial period' every new partnership endures, during which the Konoha council assigns an endless stream of back to back missions in a brutal effort to beat them into teamwork. And though Neji is a brilliant ninja, even he can not completely compensate for a lack of partner. If Naruto falls, Neji will as well.
It seems death is inevitable.
Something in him twists at the thought, as Naruto chatters on about getting udon or dango or maybe even ramen/. Something in him howls. He is tired of cages. He is tired of being bound. And this, this creature, is the final straw. This /savage who lives in what can barely be called civilization on the edge of the village, who's only made it through the academy to genin because of a certain teacher's nepotism, who lets his nails turn to claws and his hair go to bird's-nest tangles and who is dead last in everything because he is just such a loudmouthed /idiot/. . .
"My partner?" Neji sneers past the bile gathering in his throat. "I think not."
Three heart beats of utter silence. Neji counts them.
Naruto's face, gone slack with shock at Neji's abrupt announcement, crumples in on itself before twisting into a savage snarl. "W- what the hell's that supposed to mean?! Our names're on the list outside the mission room. 'Course we're partners!"
"No." More fireworks flash, brilliant starbursts like spurting blood in the sky. Their multicoloured lights make Neji's face a mottle of shadows and shades, and glint off his porcelain eyes. "For us to be partners, you would have to be a ninja. I am no Inuzuka, to serve with a barely trained animal by my side. I am Hyuuga. And you are a savage. Do you," Neji continues as Naruto squirms, voice cool and measured, "even eat cooked food? Or are all your meals raw? I'm certain you don't have running water." He smirks. "It's a wonder you can even talk."
Naruto's own eyes have narrowed to slits of blue, almost luminous in the dark, and his lips peel back in a snarl that reveals sharp white teeth. "S-shut up! What the hell do you know? Shitty stuck up bastard. . . people like you piss me off!" His hands clench tight, knuckles white, nails digging into his palms. "I'm not an animal. I'm just as good a ninja as you. And one day you, and everyone like you will see it." He brandishes his fists. "I'll make you see it. Just like I'll make you be my partner."
Neji snorts, body shifting into the elegant stance of the Hyuuga Gentle Fist style. He rakes his pale gaze across Naruto's ragged form, sight unhindered by the dark and the flickering lighting. His smirk widens. He won't even need the Byakugan for this. "Hopeless. You can't even get through a simple disagreement without baring your fangs. And you think you can force me to be your partner? Give up."
"Not a chance," Naruto snarls. "I'm gonna be the best ninja Konoha has ever seen. I'm going straight to the top! And you're coming with me as my partner even if I have to drag you every damned step of the way!"
And he lunges, as great spires of golden light streamed up into the sky like fountains, his body gilded and his blond hair glowing.
It is laughably predictable. Neji slappes aside his punch with barely an effort, ducking down and aiming a chakra laced, open handed blow at the fox-nin's unprotected chest as great blossoms of red and blue flash and bleed above them. Naruto grunts with the impact, sliding back and coughing violently with the hit. He manages to recover, kicking out at Neji's legs, but the attack is slow and poorly timed, and Neji sidesteps with ease, hands jabbing down into the pressure points on Naruto's leg.
Naruto yelps at the pain, stumbling forward and futilely trying to snatch at Neji's clothing. The owl-nin moves like water, slipping out of reach and around to plant a firm kick to Naruto's backside. Green dragons of light swirl above the pair mockingly as Naruto hits the bridge's railing hard, scrabbling for purchase as his leg buckles under him, coughing wetly once more from Neji's earlier hit. He pauses a moment, stamps his foot once as if to work through the numbing pain, and then turned and lunges again. Two kunais fly out before him like messenger birds, glittering in the uncertain light. Neji swats them away as mere annoyances, and easily vaults over Naruto's head.
As the last of the fireworks burst and die above him, Neji slowly resumes his original guard position, confident smirk unwavering. "Your attacks have no strategy, no discipline. You are merely a wounded animal seeking to lash out any way you can. I'll repeat myself: give up. I can see into your heart. You are nothing more than a beast. You can't escape the chains of your nature. "
Naruto staggers and turns. Neji can hear his harsh pants of breaths over the mutterings of the distant celebrating crowd. The fox-nin is hunched over and coughing again, and favoring his leg besides, but his eyes still burned with defiant anger.
"Arrogant sonuvabitch." Naruto spits blood. "No one is gonna tie me down to a fate I don't want!" And his hands flash up in a familiar seal.
Neji has the briefest moment to realize his error before the explosive tag Naruto has planted on the bridge railing ligts, and the sky is once more blazing with fire -though this time it is from Konoha's Good Luck Bridge, and not some expensive firework.
The explosion hits him full force from the side, flinging him up and over, knocking the wind out of him and dropping him unceremoniously into the frigid river. He gasps in shock and then chockes as he swallows water. Still too stunned to react, he goes under.
The world becomes a swirl of darkness and cold. Overconfident, he thinks as numbness spread. Should have known better than to fight. Then everything goes black.
Ok, so maybe blowing up your new partner isn't the best way to start things off.
Bastard had it coming though.
Naruto glares down at Neji, sopping wet and stripped to the skin, splayed out on Naruto's bed. He's still out of it. Naruto is starting to think that maybe he should have taken the owl-nin to the hospital instead of his apartment. But, well, what the hell was he supposed to tell them? 'Yeah, sorry, I seem to have blown up my new partner. Can you fix him?'
Besides, Neji's colour is still good, and his breathing is steady. He's just. . . unconscious. It isn't that bad. And they had really needed to get the hell away from the bridge.
Naruto winces guiltily. Though the Good Luck Bridge hadn't been completely destroyed, a good chunk of it had been blown apart, and the resulting explosion had attracted a lot of attention. He's pretty sure he'd managed to convince at least some of the frantic ninja that had shown up that it was nothing more than a firework he'd set off but accidentally blown up and gee, they'd needed to repair the bridge anyways, right? And his partner? Uh, Neji had just been accidentally caught in the blast!
In the end though, it doesn't really matter if they believed him or not. They know he'd blown up the bridge. That he'd caught Neji in the blast was unimportant. The pair of them have entered the three month trial period now, and are each other's responsibility. What they chose to do with one another is their business. Whether they kill each other or manage to struggle into a team is up to them. No one else will interfere.
They'll probably bill Naruto for the bridge repairs, though. Shit. Hopefully, his missions will pay well.
And then Neji moves. Twitches, really, just twice, but it's enough for Naruto to realize his new partner (and the ass is his partner) was waking up and, damn, what the hell is Naruto supposed to /say/? Or do, for that matter, if Neji attacks him. He'd rather not blow his own apartment up.
He fidgets restlessly in his chair as Neji's dark eyelashes flutter, and those moon-white Hyuuga eyes open slowly. Silence hangs between the pair as Neji slowly shifts to a sitting position.
The owl-nin scans Naruto's one-room apartment, colourless gaze taking in the posters, the tiny eating area, the few dishes stacked by the sink. It skims over the tiny TV and VCR set Iruka-sensei had given Naruto for his last birthday, over the mess of tan and brown and water on the floor that is Neji's clothing, over the old bookcase stuffed with scrolls and books and the odd kunai, over the potted plants. It is an assessive, emotionless gaze.
It's also fucking creepy. Naruto felt like Neji's eyes are peeling back what's actually in his apartment and seeing what isn't there. The lack of money. Of family. Of culture. The place isn't dirty (Iruka-sensei'd kick his ass if he let himself live in filth) but everything in it is second hand and patched up more than once. Even his posters are torn and faded. To someone like Neji, who'd grown up in Konoha's richest, oldest ninja clan. . .
"Why don't you have running water?" Neji asks. His voice is cool and even.
Naruto shifts. Uneasy in his own home. . . "The building's pump is broken. And I don't have the money to get it fixed."
"Your landlord?"
"You're lookin' at him. I'm the only one who lives in this building."
Neji accepts that without comment. His gaze drifts off to one of Naruto's windows. "It's small, but not unmanageably so," he says at last. "The pump will need to be fixed. I'm not living some place without running water."
Naruto jerks upright so quickly he nearly topples his chair. "Wh-what?"
"It's not uncommon for partners to move in with one another," Neji says coolly. His eyes stay locked on the window.
Partners. . ."You- you mean. . ? Alright! You'll be my partner? Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" The chair clatters to the floor as Naruto leaps and whoops, pumping his fist in the air. "Partner! Partner! I've got a partner! Heh heh heh!" He beams at Neji, blue eyes squinted shut and whisker marks curving over rounded cheeks. He pauses suddenly, though, expression growing thoughtful. "But. . . how come you changed your mind?"
The barest hint of an expression twitches accross Neji's mask-like face. His eyes stay on the window, but his gaze grows unfocused and distant. "You said you didn't want to be tied down. I know that feeling. Heh." He smirks and ducks his head. "And you did manage to beat me, when no-one else of our generation has. Somehow, you went beyond your previous limits in that fight. It's true I was overconfident, and hadn't even bothered to invoke my abilities but. . ." He pauses. "It doesn't matter. You achieved your goal, despite your past track record of constant failures. I wonder. . . can you go all the way to the top, like you said you would?" He shrugs then, finally turning his gaze to Naruto. "It doesn't matter. It seems it's my fate to be your partner. I won't fight that."
Naruto frowns, then let it melt back into a grin. "I dunno about all that fate crap, but whatever. We're partners, and we're gonna kick ass."
Neji lips twist up into a smirk. "You think?" His pale eyes are still curiously blank, but there is something there. . . something almost like recognition. Like Neji is seeing /Naruto/: what he is, and not simply what he lacks.
Heavy pounding on Naruto's door shatters the moment. "Naruto? Naruto!" Iruka-sensei's voice carries through the thick wood. "Naruto! They told me you blew up the Good Luck Bridge! You idiot, what the hell did you think you were doing?!"
"Shit," Naruto swears softy.


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01-23-2010 10:56 AM - edited 01-23-2010 11:00 AM
So I signed up for Verizon FIOS in June of 2009. Before I did, I asked the rep if I would be charged any fees for moving to a new location if I didn't want to renew my lease on my current apt. (which was up in February, 2010). I was told by the rep AND again by the installation agent that there would be NO problem provided I moved to a location that had FIOS access. Totally understandable, right? Well apparently not!
I called another rep AGAIN the first week of January, 2010, and asked if there was FIOS service available at a new apt. I was looking to move into. I was told there was, and there would be no problem switching the service over, and that I should call about 1 week before I move so they would have enough time to put in the order. SOOOOOO....I called the 22, and all of a sudden I'm being told I'm "breaking the contract" and the rate I had ($44.99/month) is no longer availabe, so what they're going to do is sign me up for ANOTHER 1-year contract at the new rate of $54.99/month! Oh yeah, and don't even THINK about getting the $99 service termination fee taken away if I try to "break the contract."
My contract is not up until June, so how can I be entered into a new 1-year contract before my old one is up? I'm moving to a location that already has FIOS installed, so all I have to do is take my modem with me.
I actually wouldn't mind so much if the rate was increased on my old contract (not sure they can get away with that legally though), because I had every intention of NOT signing up with Verizon after my 1-year of dis-service with them. But I REFUSE to deal with Verizon's incompitence for another year.
I don't see how any of this can be legal.
Has anyone else had this issue come up with their service?
Hello hengest1066...I read your post and would like the opportunity to find out exactly what is going on with your move and termination fees. If you would be so kind as to fill out this form in order to provide us with your account information so we can access your account. Thank you. https://www98.verizon.com/content/verizonsupport/
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01-25-2010 04:45 PM - last edited on 01-25-2010 07:11 PM by ElizabethS
Well I called again today, and after going through another customer "service" (not really) experience, I was given the # to Corporate HQ, and that's when I got in touch with {edited for privacy} I explained the situation to her, and she said the same thing, "impossible," "it's a new policy as of Jan. 1st (if it's a new policy, why didn't ANY of the reps I talked to this month tell me that right at the beginning of the conversations?) that's completely legal," "there's nothing that can be done." So I asked her, "Are you saying there's no possible way for the ETF to be waived?" "It's not likely," she said. So I asked, "So is there ANY way at all for the ETF to be waived?" and she said, "Let me see what they'll be willing to do." So her manager offered a 75% refund on the ETF. Better than nothing, I guess, but I still don't understand why I'm being charged at all.
At least I'll be done with Verizon soon.
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Estimate your home's value
How to decide whether or not to sell and how to price your property.
Understanding what your home is worth can help you decide whether or not to sell, how to price your property, and whether your property is holding its value.
Consider getting a comparative market analysis or appraisal done by a certified real estate professional. Bear in mind that these estimates are based on local sales and prices at one point in time, and may not reflect other issues affecting your home's value.
Also, you can estimate your home's value using an online resource such as MSN Real Estate's home valuation tool (powered by Realtor.com).
It also helps to have a basic understanding for what drives home values. When you bought your home, you bought it for its inherent value. Inherent value is what attracted you to the house in the first place: architecture, quality of construction, landscaping, even just how the house felt to you. But property value, or market value, depends on many other factors:
Direct factors
Community: Efficient city services, adequate resources, and a thriving business district usually translate into healthy propertyvalues. So can a community's history and identity, and its perceived desirability by current buyers.
Neighborhood: A neighborhood that is attractive, safe, and well-located usually results in stable or steadily appreciating propertyvalues.
Schools: Good schools and solid property values go hand in hand.
Amenities: Parks, bike paths, libraries, and other amenities can enhance property values, provided that the areas are keptclean and safe.
Transportation: Whether it's public transportation or a nearby freeway, easy access to transportation can be a plus for propertyvalues, especially if you need to drive to a job or the grocery store.
Zoning and planning: Property values can be positively or negatively affected by zoning decisions and community development plans.
Indirect factors
Economic changes: A rising economy lifts most home prices and boosts sales; a depressed economy carries home prices and sales down with it.
Demographic changes: Until fairly recently, home prices in California and other major metropolitan areas grew steadily as waves of new residents competed for a limited supply of housing. In smaller cities and towns, however, prices remained low as entry-level buyers move to job-rich metropolitan areas.
Disasters: Earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfire, and other severe natural phenomena can decimate property values, at leasttemporarily. Recurring problems can depress values permanently, and affect a buyer's ability to obtainhomeowners' insurance, without which no lender will approve a mortgage.
Perceptions: Perceptions, negative or positive, real or unreal, can drive property values into the ground or into the stratosphere.It's important to know where your neighborhood stands.
In these trying times where can i go to get a free estimated home value report. A report that is unbiased without sales pressure. Its great to know what factors go into the value of your house. Also what tips are available for someone to do some home improvements?
I found this site really useful and informative. I am constantly
asking myself whats my home worth. Finding a site that helps me and others to answer that question is really great. It is always good know what I can do to increase the value of my house.


text: Chinese pagoda are used as feng shui pagoda or wen chang pagoda. Pagoda looks like Chinese tower. There are 5 element pagoda, crystal pagoda and 7 level pagoda. Wen chang pagoda is used to activate the flying star #4 which is in charge of education and career. Feng shui 5 element pagoda is used to dissolve the deadly sickness energy which generated by flying star Five Yellow.


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Portico Design Architect - Aberdeen
about us
Portico architects provide a professional architectural practice in the Aberdeen area.
Are you looking for a professional Architects' practice in Aberdeen?
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Run by Michael Grattidge BSc (Hons) Arch, Dip Arch, ARIAS, Portico operate a policy of design and specification to promote sustainable architecture through the use LZC (low/zero carbon) technologies, construction materials with low embodied energy, passive thermal performance techniques and in-use energy efficiency in completed buildings.
Portico Design operates from offices at 18 Abercrombie Court, Prospect Road, Westhill, Aberdeen, fully equipped for architectural practice. Our architectural team are all honours degree graduates and experienced Chartered Architects with membership of the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland.
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Please mention thebestofaberdeen when contacting Portico Architecture of Westhill, Aberdeen
Architects - Aberdeen


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The gooseneck faucet is the latest symbol for the environment at the University of Vermont, which, rather than simply getting rid of bottled water, is also trying to promote practical alternatives.
On Jan. 1, Vermont will become the nation's biggest public university to ban sales of bottled water, according to the advocacy group Food and Water Watch. After years of student activism, a 10-year contract with Coca-Cola, maker of Dasani bottled water, was allowed to expire. That was no small issue; under the old contract, Coke reportedly paid the university nearly a half-million dollars for "pouring rights" — money that went into student aid and academic and sports programs. But students made the case to give up that money by citing the environmental waste of plastic bottles and the cost of paying for what, in most cases, is regional tap water anyway.


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Appreciate Jaheim at Stage 48
Yesterday, in what turned out to be a (NO SHIT!?) dunderheaded PR move, the intellectual stalwarts running the R. Kelly Twitter account (remember, Kelly is illiterate) decided it would be a good idea to start a hashtag game called #AskRKelly. The results were as disastrous as you'd expect they might ... More >>
True story: A couple weeks ago I got the stream (loaded word here, I know) of R. Kelly's new album, Black Panties, which is out today. My 21-year-old female intern, Brittany Spanos, a native Chicagoan and fan of the R-uh, was in, sitting in the cube next to me. "Oh! The new R. Kelly just landed in m ... More >>
[Editor's Note: In his column Serrano Time, award-winning scribe and goofball Shea Serrano writes about his life and times.] Here's what you need to know about Robert Sylvester Kelly: He's the fucking best. At singing. At wearing masks. At making videos of himself having sex. All of it. And so of ... More >>
In spite of the massive contributions he has made to video art, children's entertainment, and inventing the modern remix, "R. Kelly" is still a soiled name. Ever since his erratic behavior and outsized personality pushed his raw talent to the side, he has been regarded by many as more of a caricatur ... More >>
Have you been feeling that the National Anthem is getting a bit tired? Feel like you need to spice up your sense of patriotism? Well, then thank God for the internet and R. Kelly. See also: What's So Funny About A Little Bump N' Grind? R. Kelly, Frank Ocean, And The "Right" Kind Of R&B
R. Kelly's "Ignition (Remix)" celebrated its 10th birthday yesterday (which means the crooner is probably giving the song a second look right about now -- sorry!). The tune was one of Kelly's best, and helped convince exhausted party-goers everywhere to hit the hotel lobby before going home. In hon ... More >>
Sex addict, preacher, comedian: the many sides of r&b's Pied Piper
When I Will Always Love You--The Best Of Whitney Houston drops on November 13, it wil include two new cuts: *A duet version of "I Look To You" with R. Kelly, which producer Clive Davis swears is an instant classic. *And "Never Give Up," written by Jermaine Dupri, Bryan-Michael Cox and Johnta Austi ... More >>
In case you haven't yet gotten your fill, over the past couple of years, of artists beating Aaliyah samples into a flavorless pulp, not to worryYeasayer frontman Chris Keating has got your back. In a Rolling Stone interview published this week, Keating recalls being struck by watching high sc ... More >>
R. Kelly's Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me was supposed to be a soul-baring memoir. "I'm tired of being misunderstood," he said 2009 SmileyBooks statement. "I will show you the tears, fears, and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama." Soulacoaster was sl ... More >>
Around this time last year, I saw R. Kelly at the Prudential Center, and it was one of the most impressive live spectacles I've been witness to in my two-plus decades of attending big arena shows; there was an onstage bar complete with cocktail-shaking mixologist, an acapella reworking of his 1994 s ... More >>
Remember last fall's hullabaloo surrounding R. Kelly's memoir Soulacoaster: The Diary of Me? First announced back in December 2009, Kelly's book was originally slated for last November 15, but then mysteriously disappeared from online retailers a few days earlier, only to be pushed back to spring 20 ... More >>
R. Kelly's 2010 throwback album Love Letter was one of my favorite records of that year, full of romance and and aesthetics that grabbed from Sam Cooke, late-night smooth-jazz playlists. ("Taxi Cab," in particular, is a corker.) His follow-up to Love Letter is reportedly going to be called Write Me ... More >>
The mysterious case of Soula Coaster's disappearance This isn't a surprising development, but it's an unfortunate one. There seems to be some unexplained drama with the R. Kelly life-changer Soula Coaster: Diary of Me, the cover of which made the rounds this morning. Online bookseller Indigo has th ... More >>
R. Kelly w/Keyshia Cole, Marsha Ambrosius Prudential Center Thursday, June 30 Better than: A 45-minute R. Kelly show. It's probably fitting that R. Kelly is opening his shows with a black-and-white film, starring him, one where he's at first bummed out while dressed to the nines and sitti ... More >>
The song is "Sign of a Victory," R. Kelly's Soweto Spiritual Singers-assisted bonkers paean to the evils of global warming and the glory of rainbows, the light at the end of the tunnel, the spirit of nations, sung with the bombastic, reality-denying conviction that is Kelly's signature. He perform ... More >>
Complete with obligatory ambient animals-on-the-veldt noises! In the vaunted twin R. Kelly lineages--raunchy, metaphorically-detailed sex jams, and completely unrealistic, head-in-the-clouds inspirational homilies--official World Cup anthem (one of three, anyway) "Sign of a Victory" is firmly ... More >>
Little Brother: happy or not, it's an ending. Photo by Studio KompleksIn this week's Village Voice, Rob Harvilla falls hard for Sam Amidon, the gentle, affable, R. Kelly-covering young folkie, while Camille Dodero applies a lifetime of Courtney Love-related knowledge to Hole's new Nobody's Da ... More >>
The gentle, affable, bewildering young folkie banters bizarrely, covers R. Kelly beautifully
Critic, author, radio show co-host, professional R. Kelly antagonizer, and all-around polarizing pop-music raconteur Jim DeRogatis announced his resignation from the Chicago Sun-Times late yesterday, where's he held down the pop-critic spot for nearly two decades, give or take a brief, unhappy sti ... More >>
Never in my life did I think I'd witness a late night TV bit that turned on explaining to a national audience who exactly Skeritt Bwoy is, and why you might see him at a Major Lazer concert. You've got to give it to Aziz Ansari--from Kanye to R. Kelly to Diplo and Switch, he keeps music-related jo ... More >>
"I'm writing this book as Robert, not R. Kelly," the singer says. "I'm tired of being misunderstood. I will show you the tears, fears, and sweat. I will open my heart and reveal the good in my life as well as all the drama. I want to tell it like it is." This is gonna even better than that ot ... More >>
527,000 copies. She is a commercial juggernaut no one can touch, not least because in all likelihood the vast majority of her fans have no idea how to pirate and/or steal I Dreamed a Dream--the 10th best-selling record of the year and rising fast. If you can find a demographic old enough, thi ... More >>
R. Kelly's latest mixtape is The "Demo" Tape, a free, very unlicensed suite of riffs on tracks by T-Pain, Jeremih, Lil Wayne, and more. It's a funny, ouroboric project: Kelly remakes songs by a generation of rappers-turned-singers who in turn make music directly inspired by R. Kelly. At the center ... More >>
--R. Kelly, who still wants to have sex with every woman in the world, has been keeping a low profile as of late. But that's changing. The R&B singer has announced Untitled, his first album in two years. Kelly explained to MTV News, "I wanted to mix it up a little. I want whoever listens to the ... More >>
R. Kelly hasn't tested out his commercial might much since his 2008 acquittal on child pornography charges--12 Play, the follow-up to 2007's Double Up, never came out--so the album-buying public has yet to get a chance to render a verdict on the continued viability of dude's career. But he has occ ... More >>
This blog's second sojourn to the Happy Ending Reading and Music Series last week reminded us of Colson Whitehead's stand there back in April, when the evening's musical guest, Sam Amidon, covered R. Kelly's "Relief," one of the most underrated, if also most exceedingly bizarre, tracks in Kells' v ... More >>
Always loved that moment when pop music snake bites its own tail, and Gwen Stefani rips off Fergie-ripping-off-Gwen Stefani, or Jay-Z bites Rick Ross-biting-Jay-Z, or whatever--the moment when some foundational artist gets lapped by their own legacy and suddenly has to play catch-up. So one nascen ... More >>
In a BET special aired Tuesday, R. Kelly finally spoke on the not-guilty verdict in his June child-sex case. We've struggled, over the past year, to sort out complicated feelings regarding Kelly—his somewhat brilliant gambit to conflate his weird, (rightfully) persecuted life with his art, and vic ... More >>
Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 right here. No Context By Zach Baron "I know the music is one thing and the life is another, only I also know that in pop they rarely are." Amazing how much it explains, R. Kelly's embrace of this credo in the years since the video that led Christgau to coi ... More >>
Insight into the artistic process of one R. Kelly
R. Kelly gets a little too comfortable with his mysterious failure to come to trial
Super-freak turns smooth and frothy Jesus freak, tries to prove he's not your steppin' stone
Stripping the sexiness right out of sex
Taking a manifestly skillful, manifestly simplistic oeuvre seriously now that it's news
Why Michael Jackson Is Damned and R. Kelly Is the Man
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back