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Review suggests that game is not perfect, fans outraged
This Monday, GameSpot editor Carolyn Petit published her review of the greatly-anticipated Grand Theft Auto 5. While the review is fundamentally positive, Petit did not shy away from the more questionable elements of GTAV: inconsistent characterization, ill-executed political messages, and an atmosphere of profound misogyny. In particular, Petit cited the portrayal of the game's few female characters (depicted as laughable new-age feminists, housewives, and sex workers) and a proliferation of offensive in-game advertising (such as fragrances that would let consumers "smell like a bitch"). In the end, GTAV received a 9/10 and an Editor's Choice award from GameSpot - but apparently, that wasn't enough.
The responses to Petit's article are myriad. Many have been supportive. Many others have been abusive - questioning Petit's "agenda", her qualifications and objectivity as a reviewer, and even calling for her resignation. Rather than responding to each fallacious argument, FNVG will point you in the direction of several articles that dovetail with our subject matter.
"It is Petit's job as a video game reviewer to make observations about video games - whether it is gameplay, story or graphics - and to praise and/or offer criticism accordingly to inform the reader to the best of her ability. It would be unprofessional for Petit to not mention the sexism she found in the game." Fruzsina Eördögh responds to claims that Petit's review was politically or emotionally biased.
"Humor, just like anything else, isn't meaningful unless it risks enough to actually say something. […] The self-proclaimed iconoclasts of contemporary humor have become, in fact, shills for the status quo, selling their shameless endorsement of it as edgy and subversive." Mammon Machine explores the true meaning of satire, and how some humor fails to qualify.
"Loyalty to the product is unwavering. Inherent to this unidirectional wave of unchecked enthusiasm is the tendency to wipe out, drown, tear down or eradicate anything that stands in opposition." Kris Graft addresses a consumerist culture that demands validation above critique.
Further reading: GTAV lets players to touch strippers, Dan Houser claims that the game is a critique of masculinity.
"Grand Theft Auto V Review." (Carolyn Petit, GameSpot.com) 16 Sept. 2013.
"Game Reviewer Does Her Job by Pointing Out Sexism in GTA 5, Is Pilloried for It." (Fruzsina Eördögh, Medium) 17 Sept. 2013.
"This Isn't About Grand Theft Auto V." (Kris Graft, Gamasutra) 17 Sept. 2013. Web. 18 Sept. 2013.
"Penny Arcade and the Slow Murder of Satire." (Mammon Machine) 3 Sept. 2013.
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So they are angry is got a 9 out of fucking 10? I'm more disappointed it didn't get a 5 out of 10 but Metacritic scores...
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Irish rock band, U2, has set its worldwide Vertigo tour schedulle. According to Billboard spokes person the band will begin its tour on March 28, 2005 at the San Diego Sports Arena while waiting for the details schedulle in January 24.
Will step forward as the first performer who open the first leg at the tour is Tennessee rock band, Kings of Leon.
© AceShowbiz.com

subset: commoncrawl


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Tag Results
46 posts tagged parenting
46 posts tagged parenting
Build a positive school climate and culture…one feeling at a time! The Kimochis® Feelings are a powerful tool for principals, teachers, school counselors, speech language pathologists, therapists, school psychologists and all school staff members.
Feelings fuel behavior, and all behaviors are communication. This downloadable PDF gives educators the tools to use the Kimochis® Feelings to:
• Build emotional vocabulary and social-emotional fluency
• Guide individual children through emotional moments
• Use a Restorative Practices model to guide two or more children through conflicts
• Add fun, team-building activites to staff meetings
• Give students fun, communication-oriented brain breaks
• Introduce social and emotional learning in a quick and easy way
Use thisFREE downloadable with the Kimochis Mixed Bag of Feelings or individual Mixed Feelings Packs. Learn more at www.shop.kimochis.com
We are so GRATEFUL for YOU, our friends and followers. To thank you we are offering 20% off all products at www.shop.kimochis.com using promo code: Thanks12
Receive a FREE Mini Huggtopus on orders of $75 or more.
This offer is good from Nov 22- Nov 27. Enjoy and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!!
CONNECT with your kids by recognizing feelings and learning to anticipate situations that can trigger emotional - or Ki-motional- reactions.
COMMUNICATE using a calm tone of voice and relaxed body language to help your child know what to say and do when feelings arise.
CREATE a comfortable environment for Ki-motional conversation and play.
PRACTICE communicating feelings with your family and friends. Help children catch themselves during emotional moments by giving a secret "try that again" signal such as a knowing look, head nod, wink, or gentle "uh-oh" sound.
Our natural brain and body reactions can be one major challenge to using the Keys to Kimochis® Communication during emotional moments. "Our bodies all have a general alarm mechanism. This mechanism is used to mobilize your body so that it can effectively cope with emergency situations. According to Dr. John Gottman, it is called Diffuse Physiological Arousal (DPA for short). In situations that are perceived as "dangerous" or "threatening", DPA turns off the part of your brain that are logical and rational and triggers your "fight" or "flight" mechanism. In this state, we only hear and see signals of danger, nothing else. It's harder to problem-solve or think logically and we are more likely to attack or be verbally defensive. Empathy and creativity fly out the window, along with our positive communication skills.
When you feel yourself beginning to lose control, Take a Kimochis Moment (TKM) to cool down and regain your composure. You and your kids will thank you for it.
Have a HAPPY and safe Kimochis Halloween!
No one is born with hatred or intolerance. Let's acknowledge the humanity in others. Be kind, say "hello". It's the Kimochis Way.
Huggtopus - "So Much Love"
Are you looking for Halloween Costume Ideas? Halloween is one of our favorite holidays! Sometimes it's a little SCARY but mostly it is so much FUN. We love to dress up and spend time with our friends. We even like to dress up as our favorites Kimochis characters.
Baby Ainslie just LOVES Bug, so much in fact, that she dressed up as Bug a couple of years ago.
Which Kimochis character would you dress up as?


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|28 May 2010
Windows 7 64 bit
Program installer placing wrong shortcut in quick start
Hello I'm new... is this the right place for a dev. type question? Agh well...
The installer for my product uses Windows Installer MSIs, and this has worked OK under Xp & Vista.
Under Windows 7 though it pops a shortcut in the quick launch area of the start menu. Now our installer actually does a suite of programs and puts 8 or so shortcuts in the correct place in Start->Programs. Why it consistently chooses this one shortcut to go in the 'special shortcuts' section we don't know. And it's the wrong item...
screen shot attached.
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Full Disclosure
mailing list archives
I myself use this method to open up the SSH port for a particular IP
address. When you try to open a particular URL on my website,
you get a 404
because that document doesn't exist. The webserver logs this.
A script in
the background sees in the log that this happened, and opens
up port 22 to
the IP address which requested the non-existant URL.
Aren't these all different versions of portknocking ? All of
them work untill someone outside can figure out the pattern of
events - at most I would call this security by obscurity -
Trivial to detect but good enough for some low security
Full-Disclosure - We believe in it.
Charter: http://lists.grok.org.uk/full-disclosure-charter.html
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Welcome to the Hampton Inn Milledgeville, GA hotel. Set in the heart of Milledgeville, Georgia, this modern hotel is conveniently located on scenic US 441, (Columbia Street) across from Milledgeville Mall and is only minutes away from many popular attractions, shopping and dining options and businesses. Visit the campus of Georgia State College & University, only 5 minutes away or spend an afternoon fishing or enjoying a variety of water sports at the nearby Lake Sinclair.
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"I care more what you'll think of me at 35 than I do now"
The above was a near constant refrain from my dad over the years, it was probably most used from 5 yrs old to 19 or something. I've come to appreciate the sheer genius of this line as I've grown older. As you'd expect, I had zero appreciation for it when he was saying it. What I didn't appreciate at that time was that, as a kid, I wasn't the intended audience. The intended audience was two: my adult self and, perhaps most importantly, my dad himself.


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I'm working with my feeling,…
I had a chance to work with WRAP Magazine recently and made a piece I titled Cryptobotany.
Hope you guys like it, detail shots in the post :)
Bulbing: a magical lamp design by Studio Cheha
Norman Rockwell reference photos alongside finished works
Roaring 20's
(by Casmic Lab)Roaring 20's is an illustration created for the "Circuíto de Ilustración Valencia. 2014" inside the exibition "Champagne 1920".
The subject as the name suggests had to be about 20's. We found interesting show from the point of view of the night and through substances that marked this era.
In the Street (1948), silent documentary film by Helen Levitt
Good morning world!
Hugh Kretschner's imaginative photo illustrations apprehend real-world topics with an imaginative approach. See more on the Hi-Fructose blog.
Pastels at work.
ed: Not everything is perfectly placed, but this is beautiful.


text:
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text:
New Grad RN looking for a job in CT
- 0May 22, '13 by Jessica.ReddenI graduated with my BSN in December 2012, passed my boards in Feb, and have been applying to jobs literally everyday since I finished nursing school. I haven't been picky about where I have applied to, I am not looking for a dream job at this point, I just need to get the "experience" everyone is looking for.... I have yet to get any interviews, any phone calls, or anything at all.... I have over 300 applications out, I have even tried using contacts that I have formed over the years but nothing seems to be working.... Does anyone have any advice as to where I should be looking or doing differently? Thanks again for any suggestions!
- 5,120 Visits
- 0May 23, '13 by Jessica.ReddenI totally understand, and thank you, Good luck to you too!
- 1May 23, '13 by jan286Most of the nursing homes in the Northwest Corner are also hiring...Noble Horizons in Salisbury, Sharon Healthcare in Sharon, Geer Nursing and Rehab in North Canaan. Charlotte Hungerford Hospital in Torrington is probably hiring as well.
- 1Jun 8, '13 by jrinctTry the VA in West Haven.
- 0Aug 2, '13 by atigerlily5Try job fairs, that is how I got my first RN position. It helps networking and works on your interviewing skills.
- 0Oct 18, '13 by RipeChanceWoodsHave you found anything yet? In the same boat here.
- 0Oct 20, '13 by teterichko123I graduated last September. After applying to tons if jobs I finally put in my best suit and literally went from facility to facility. The first one I went to the DIrector of Nursing happened to be at the dest when I asked for the app. Next day she hired me for a sub acute position.


text:
Yeah, yeah, we know everyone and their cat has a list of their top things from the past year. And, well, that's exactly why we wanted to join in the fun, too!
Click here to find out which albums, bands, events, and colors of vinyl made 2011 a great year for the entire PV staff (be sure to click "More" toward the bottom to get the full list).
And if you're into pop-punk and the like, you can check out my extended list in the comments. Giving myself preferential treatment because I run the Tumblr is an unwritten "honorable mention."


text:
TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY ANGUS MCKINNON AND AMELIE HERENSTEIN (FILES) -- This file photo taken on October 16, 2014 in Milan shows Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (R) and China's Prime Minister Li Keqiang (L) after a group photo with international leaders during the 10th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM). 700 years after Marco Polo showed how it was done, Italy is once again knocking on China's door looking to do business. AFP PHOTO / OLIVIER MORINOLIVIER MORIN/AFP/Getty Images
Content engaging our readers now, with additional prominence accorded if the story is rapidly gaining attention. Our WSJ algorithm comprises 30% page views, 20% Facebook, 20% Twitter, 20% email shares and 10% comments.


text:
(Source: divide-et-simpera)
950+ Follower Gift!
Starlight Shores Revisited
Hey guys! I decided to re-vamp Starlight Shores with some Highrises and EP content, because it's a world with loads of potential. I was inspired by the-pinkflamingo's attempt at adding highrises to the world (which looked awesome!) and perksofbeinga-sim's Delmar Boardwalk which she has very kindly let me include in the world, woo! Make sure you click the link and find out her terms and stuff :3
You can find pictures in more detail here, which shows all the different districts with my stupid captions, haha.
This world now includes a LOT more bars and stuff, with all the Showtime venues still included, as well as a resort and houseboat mooring. Basically other than that I just did a shuffle-round of things, bulldozed, replaced, etc. Some of the interiors of the highrises are pretty sparse, just to warn you, I was lazy and used ugly blueprint mode.
There are only 2 pieces of CC in here, that is the Ferris Wheel for the Boardwalk and the Surfing Station from the store, but both are optional. I have and may have used all EPs, but you will need Showtime and LN for sure, IP for the…IP features and the other EPs for random features. You're welcome to try playing without the other EPs and see if it will run, and the game will replace any objects that it doesn't have, but you definitely need Showtime and LN. You will need patch 1.55 at least.
Have fun, feel free to modify as much as you wish as long as you give credit, and I would really love tags! I think this turned out pretty cool :3
This is a save file. It goes in your 'Saves' folder!
EDIT: Link now updated, I'm so sorry for the broken link! Please reblog so I can get this out <3
Official Screenshot
Lovely 1920 x 1080 version of this picture courtesy of Graham (follow the link for the full sized version). We first saw this picture last month in the GamesTM magazine.
View all of my Sims 4 News posts.
Teddy Bear Chair set
This set includes three items:
Bear Chair - living chairs category, 2895 simoleons, CAStable four channels, 2616 faces
Bear Chair_Ottoman - dining chairs category, 512 simoleons, CAStable three channels, 426 faces
Bear Chair_Lounge - lounge chairs category, 3000 simoleons, CAStable four channels, 3042 faces
Sims can relax and nap on the lounge chair.
DOWNLOAD (sims3packs & packages)
Non edited pictures
I'm Clara Oswin,
the impossible girl.
I was born to save the Doctor.
A new skinblend called Whipped Cream with editing done by yours truly.
The face uses Ephemera's sunny as a base, and Joedy's MESA skin's cheekbones. The eyes are a combination of Moonskin93, Orangesims, and Ephemera (The fold is by moonskin93, the eyebags are ephemera, and everything in between is Orangesim). The nose uses Opeu's bridge, and Joedy's Mesa's nose tip, the nostrils are from ts2, from this nosemask by Lilith. The lips are from ts2, as well. (mouseyblue's sugar skintones).
The body is orange sims, without all the moles. The female body uses ephemera's collarbones from her natural skin, and legs which are (as usual) slightly more tanned than the rest of the body, (sort of like navetsea's skins…)
The non-default version of this skin comes with custom color ramps that are labelled. Enjoy <3
Download Whipped Cream NON-DEFAULT
Download Whipped Cream DEFAULT
Credit: Ephemera, Orangesims, Moonskin93, Joedy, Opeu, Lilith, Mouseyblue, and me
sims3pack and package format included.
All ages included.
It was getting dark, the sky was turning a purple pink and there was a very slight chill going through the air. Luke was standing in front of the diner, gazing across the campus. He then heard footsteps walking across the pavement and turned to see her. "Hey wonderboy." He smiled at her "Hey" he was surprised with her next set of movements, she swiftly grabbed his hand and ran, dragging him into the diner "I hope you brought enough money because I'm STARVING."
It's been almost a week. Luke kept checking his phone and none of his messages have ever been from her. Well of course, there was a reason she didn't give him her number, she was just being nice.
He took a deep breath and walked into his next class. After two hours of daydreaming he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and checked the screen. He didn't recognize the number, but he knew who it was when he read the text.
"Meet me at the Diner across the campus @ 7. Cya, Wonderboy."


text:
Happy Saturday everybody! Here are today's news surrounding the Washington Capitals and the rest of the NHL!
Washington Capitals
- CSN Washington gives out their final report card for Brooks Laich
- The Washington Post looks at Ray Shero as a potential GM candidate
- Craig Custance of ESPN takes a look at the Capitals GM and head coach searches
- The Washington Capitals have signed 2012 draft pick Christian Djoos to an entry level contract
- The Hershey Bears have announced that they have re-signed 2013-2014 team captain Dane Byers
- Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin rode a tank and fired a machine gun
- Forward Troy Brouwer could win a local Emmy
- Russian Machine Never Breaks and Japers Rink review Marcus Johansson's season
Around the NHL
- Bruce Boudreau once again comes up short in a game 7 as the Los Angeles Kings beat the Anaheim Ducks 6-2
- While former Washington Capitals head coach Boudreau and former Capitals forward Mathieu Perreault did not advance to the Western Conference Finals, former Capitals defenseman Jeff Schultz did
- Boston Bruins forward Milan Lucic is not sorry for what he said during the handshake line after the Bruins' game 7 loss to the Montreal Canadiens
Next Capitals Game Full schedule »
Saturday, Nov 11 Nov7:00at Tampa Bay LightningBuy Tickets
Tags: Alex Ovechkin Brooks Laich Ray Shero Washington Capitals


text:
- Publisher: Electronic Arts
- Release Date: Mar 8, 2011
- Also On: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Summary: EA announced that a new installment in the Dragon Age series will arrive in the first quarter of 2011.
- Developer: BioWare
- Genre(s): Action RPG
- Cheats: On GameFAQs
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
Positive: 38 out of 45
Mixed: 7 out of 45
Negative: 0 out of 45
Mar 14, 2011If you were like me and worried about Dragon Age II, you can relax. It's not quite the same game, but where it's different it is better.
Mar 8, 2011It may be difficult for hardcore gamers to ignore the revamped combat system, but once you calm down and excuse some minor flaws, you'll find an amazing game in Dragon Age II.
Mar 21, 2011Dragon Age II might stir up a little controversy for the radical changes BioWare implemented in the series, but many of them were done to make the game more accessible. It's still the Dragon Age many of us know and love, it's just growing up a bit. If you're looking for a fantastic adventure with incredible dialogue, vastly improved visuals and visceral combat, this game won't disappoint.
Mar 31, 2011I found Dragon Age II to last about 27 hours for my first playthrough, split almost evenly between its three acts (though the last was a bit shorter). This was disappointing compared to Origins, which took more than 50 hours, considering both were fully explored at a fairly leisurely pace...With that said, DA2 is still a pretty darn good game.
Mar 20, 2011Ultimately, Dragon Age 2 still manages to be a good game, but it will also be a VERY divisive title among RPG fans.
Mar 8, 2011But as a game, its streamlined mechanics and more action-oriented combat should appeal to console players, but hardcore fans of PC RPGs may feel slighted.
Apr 12, 2011Despite some advancement in storytelling approach and liberal borrowing from Bioware's Mass Effect approach to gameplay, Dragon Age 2 on the PC has a lot of bugs and is populated with re-used settings that make this feel like a play performed on a stage with two sets.
Score distribution:
Positive: 454 out of 1671
Mixed: 191 out of 1671
Negative: 1,026 out of 1671
Apr 9, 2011I rate 9 for this game. This is the best game i ever played. The graphics are solid. The wide variety of consequences that can occur from choices you make(or fail to make). Intriguing and open yet linear story. Easy combat system, and the pause is beneficial to play on hard or nightmare. Only thing I see negative about Dragon Age 2, is the repetitive use of game zones; There is a wide enough story, and number of zones, that you aren't going see how overused the zones are, unless you focus on the environment. The development of love affairs with different party members is a nice addition to the game. It will take more then 1 run at this game to see all this game has to offer. played with mods and DLC… Expand
Mar 14, 2011As the low "user score" shows there's a ton of negative feedback from the community on this game. Some is very valid, some is sensationalism.
The interface; Big update since DA:O. Pretty much the entire UI is nicely set up, clean, and easy to use. The first thing that will hit when you first play the game (if you played the first) is they adopted the "dialog wheel" from Mass Effect, which was a huge bonus for myself. It was something i was wishing for when playing the first dragon age. Lots of people don't seem to feel the same way as me, but i guess it all comes down to person preference here.
The gameplay; Very fast paced, which is fun but after a few hours and you start to gain abilities, it becomes an absolute cluster****. Spell effects going off everywhere, sometimes i cant even tell if abilities are from my party or from the enemy. The game is also very difficult. I started on normal, but after wiping to one of the boss fights for about an hour i gave up and switched it to casual. Apparently i am all of a sudden bad at video games, Haha. Don't get me wrong, I find the gameplay years ahead of the first game. Which im probably alone in saying, Its much more fun to just pick up and run with. One thing that disappointed me was the fact that you couldn't give gear to your group (except for rings/belts/necklaces) which i thought was a bit lame. The talent trees are well laid out, I would say mages probably have the best set up trees of all of them, they a lot have incredibly powerful spells. But thats not much different from DA:O except now the CC is toned down quite a bit. With my playthrough I chose a rogue. After a few hours i started playing one of the mage side-characters when in combat because of how powerful they are, thankfully after getting the rogue some more abilities i switched back and she's a beast now, lots of hard hitting abilities and the gameplay for rogue after you get up to level 8-9 is just so fast paced and fun.
The story; Well... this is probably the weakest part of the game. When going through the storyline it feels a little forced, but I still find it engaging. I would say the story is a lot more accessible than the first game. I wont get into specifics so there are no spoilers but there have been a few points that made me facepalm and say "REALLY?".
Graphics; I dunno where the complaints about this are coming from... It looks beautiful once you get the HD texture update. But it probably takes quite a newly updated computer to seriously run it at high settings.
All in all, This game has some major flaws, but is well worth a play-through. I had a hard time getting into DA:O. But DA2 is much more accessible and fast paced for gamers that are newer to the RPG format. Which I guess can be viewed as a good or bad thing depending on your standpoint.… Expand
Mar 17, 2011Combat system improved, but everything else is worse than Dragon Age: Origins.
Nobody needed a game like DA II. There are tons of titles like that.
We needed an improved realistic, revolutionary & innovative npc interaction. Because there wasn't an RPG like Origins for that aspect before.
In DA II you cannot talk to your company whenever you want, you have to wait for a Cutscene (quest or gift). You cannot talk to your party friends about your accomplishments, while the old good Origins did.
We got a step back to something pointless, instead to improve the innovation, they killed it.
A static location into the same city for the whole game and some anonymous random cave, BAD.
No longer an epic journey like Origins, but the dumb match Templars Vs Mages.
Efforts reduced on DAII, a team weakened to work on an other project like SWTOR. BioWare revealed in July that the ME2 system has been adopted cos the Dragon Age system requires too many efforts and resources, despite the higher quality / success of DA compared to ME2.
The DA2 sales are pushed by what people know about DA:Origins.
If DA3 will never ship, it will be a fail, because DA2 won't push anything.… Expand
Apr 12, 2011Dragon Age II is another sequel that would have been better as a new IP. Looking at it as a new IP, it has a flowing combat system, decent customization, good story, and interesting characters. This, however, is not a new IP. This is the sequel to one of the best RPGs i have ever played. Compared to DA:O the customization is laughable, the leveling is limited, combat animation is more interesting and flowing, but is very limited, and the characters are too stuck in their roles. Essentially the only thing that they improved was making the combat more flowing, especially for the mages. Everything else was cut by 1/3. you have only one race instead of 3, cutting your character options by 1/3, any non mage class is stuck in archery, 2handed swordsmanship, etc instead of being able to choose between 3, and you are stuck in one city and the mountain out back instead of being able to travel around a huge map. Will I buy it? Yes, once the price drops to 1/3 that of DA:O.… Expand
May 19, 2011I have played this game on the Xbox and on the PC. I didn't like it on the Xbox but I hated it on the PC. The camera view during combat on the PC is downright awful. The dungeons are all copy and pasted. You have very few choices in the game ( very linear playthrough), almost no interaction with your companions, and they removed the ability to customise your companion's armour and in some cases, weapons.
Bioware removed some of the best parts about Dragon Age!
Oh, and the story made you despise both sides in the "major" conflict so at the end of the day, you are forced to take sides when my character didn't even care one way or the other.
I also felt almost nothing for my love interest since as I wrote above, Bioware removed almost all of the interaction with your companions that was one of the unique and great things about DA Origens, so all my companions including my love interest, felt almost like strangers.. I hope Bioware straightens their act out with DA3, otherwise, they can forget about getting my money.
On a last note, the replayability of DA2 is crap. Both endings (yes, there are only TWO with the exception of which love interest you pick), are almost exactly the same. So, why replay the game? Where as Origens, had great replay value with many different endings depending on your in game choices. Could this mess be EA's doing? Trying to rush the game to make a quick buck? I think Bioware has lost their soul.… Expand
Mar 20, 2012After the great game Origins, this game is rather poor in comparrison, the plot holes are everywhere, the ending was surely made for a laugh, and the combat system has no tactics and is built just to appeal to fans of Tekken or Fable, where button mashing is a must.… Expand
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"The opportunity is that when you get new blood, you get different perspectives," Oleson said. "But we're having a major change in the makeup of the council. We could have five totally green people coming in.
"If four of the five are Tea Party people, I am really concerned for the city."
Hulting, who with Wilcox has been the most steadfastly conservative voice on the council, said he hopes people turn out for an off-year election. If they do, he said, he thinks conservatives will have a chance to become a majority on the council.
"Certainly there's a chance; frankly, I think there is a good chance," he said.
Peterson said he hopes voters look past political labels to temperament and decisionmaking.
"I hope we get people who are open-minded and willing to learn and don't think they have all the answers," he said.
A fuller look at all the Bloomington council candidates will run in the Oct. 30 West Extra.
Mary Jane Smetanka • 612-673-7380


text:
Image Unavailable
- Sorry, this item is not available in
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- To view this video download Flash Player
|Item Weight
|3 pounds
|Product Dimensions
|5 x 1 x 2.5 inches
|Item model number
|Manufacturer Part Number
|Special Features
|A horn that can record and playback any sound you want
|Best Sellers Rank
|#289,967 in Automotive (See top 100)
|Shipping Weight
|3 pounds
|Date First Available
|December 8, 2005
We ordered this for my husband's dad and he loves it! Tons and tons of options and lots of fun!Published 13 months ago by Courtney Goode
This was a Christmas gift. He loved it, and can't wait to have
it installed when the weather turns warm.
I purchased this for my 17 year old grandson, and he loves it. Was easily installed. If he's happy I'm happy.Published 21 months ago by Wanda Hogue
i put this on my golf cart for when we go camping , everyone loves it so much , good onePublished 22 months ago by Jeffrey
Was cool for a while... the pre programmed sounds are great but the only way to talk is to record your voice and then play your recording which i thought was rediculous... Read morePublished on August 10, 2012 by CJ


text:
I just love this guy. His is an amazing dance photographer!
Hip Hop Cha Cha Cha
I have always been a fan of dance fusion, pushing genres. What do you guys think of this?
Dancers are genetically different!
I thought this was pretty funny. See I always new dancers were a special breed!
Stop motion salsa!
La Perla by Calle 13 & Ruben Blades
I love this! New school meets the old school. I had no idea Ruben Blades could rap so well.
How to dance a sexy Cuban salsa
Unleash your inner rhythm and feel the music while you learn to dance the sexy Cuban salsa. Feel inspired? Discover our sensual Cuba Holidays and salsa Exper…
Q:Hi there! I was wondering if you'd be interested in reblogging the salsa video we've just posted? Let me know :) Thanks a lot and enjoy the rest of your day
Hi there,
Very sexy, I love the lighting and will definitely repost. I would love to know how you did the set up for the shooting. I like to video dancing and I think you really captured it well.
Dance fusion | Breakdance meets salsa.
This video was shot in Bogota, Colombia at Damsha studios. This is mixing a bboy top rock with the salsa basic step.
What is salsa? A very fun explanation. Agree? Is salsa different now?
Awesome Salsa Joke
If you have ever danced salsa you will love this.
"How many salseros does it take to screw in a light bulb? 1 to screw in the light bulb and 2,000,000 people to argue about what count it should be on."
Page 1 of 7
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The Nobel Prize for fuzz.
The ravages of puberty leave a few unscathed.
If I think her thoughts, that is a bit like sex.
Anyway, wanna watch me eat an ice cream sandwich shirtless?
My body is a temple, and there's another funeral today.
The sublime tigress has another nap, because who cares.
That's who I think of when we fuck.
You should never have come here alone, hoss.
My heart is layers of scar.


text:
As a key supporter of my campaign I wanted to make sure that we stay in touch…
We still have a really important campaign still on the go, and the outcome of it will affect our country.
Many have already declared support for Justin Trudeau as the best candidate for the federal leadership of the Liberal Party. So have I.
Deadlines are looming, and while you may have received emails already, I hope you'll accept one more. While so many want to see him win the leadership, we also have to be sure to get as many Liberals signed up as supporters, register to vote, and then vote during the week of April 7-14th.
So, if you haven't had a chance yet, please:
1. sign up as a supporter for Justin at www.justin.ca/support This has to be done by March 3rd. That's this Sunday!
2. Register to vote before March14th and,
3. Cast your ballot between the 7-14th of April. Please remind our friends there is no charge to sign up as a supporter, no charge to register or to vote.
It takes so little time and can mean so much to all of us.
Thanks for your help with this,
Best regards,
Sandra Pupatello


text:
Being a vibrant mission is not just about caring for the homeless in our city, it's about serving our friends who support our ministry. One of the ways we do this is by sharing the wonderful things that are happening in our shelters to encourage and prepare our clients for re-entering society, with obtainable goals for self-sufficiency.
As you read the blogs written by our staff and guest bloggers, your heart will be touched by the stories about life in the shelters and the experiences of the men, women and children living in them. You will find ways to connect that meet your charitable ideals and many opportunities to deepen your involvement with Star of Hope Mission.
5 Ways to Help Houston's Homeless This Christmas
Monday, December 2, 2013
by Scott McKinley
by Scott McKinley
Are you looking for ways to help the poor and homeless in our community this Christmas? Please consider these five suggestions:
- Provide Christmas meals for hungry and homeless men, women and children with Star of Hope. It only cost $1.92 to provide a meal. How many people will you help feed?
- Adopt a Family with Star of Hope and give Christmas presents to families in need. Register today and we will match you with a family. Registration ends this Friday, December 6!
- Organize a drive for Christmas presents. Get Star of Hope's full Christmas needs list now. Gifts are needed by December 16.
- Give gifts from Star of Hope's 2013 Christmas Gift Catalog. Honor your friends, family and other special people with a donation. When giving your gift you can send or schedule an eCard to let them know that you gave a gift in their name this Christmas.
- Give your Christmas away! Raise money to help Houston's homeless with Star of Hope. Register today and let your networks know why caring for the homeless in our community is important to you. Together, we can help end homeless in Houston one life, one family at a time.
Thank you for helping Houston's homeless with Star of Hope.
Happy Christmas!
Scott McKinley
More Ways to Give
Star of Hope Mission


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To keep or to share? How to know when to tell an adult a secret
The biggest OMG celeb moments of the week
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Sporty chic: Cool workout clothes you can actually wear beyond the gym
5 cute ways to rock a beanie
4 foods that give you bad breath
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text:
If you need help with launchpad usage, read all of the documentation below, especially the section on troubleshooting. If you still require assistance, send email to batch-users mailing list in order to post to it.
The Martinos Center High-Performance Compute Cluster is called launchpad. It consists of 127 nodes (GPU and nonGPU). Each node has 8 processors (CPUs) and 56GB of shared virtual memory. By default, when a job is submitted to the cluster, it is allotted 1 CPU and 7GB of vmem. Eight jobs can normally run on each node at once, and a maximum of 1,016 on the cluster at a time. Read through the tutorial, Troubleshooting, the FAQ and advanced info sections. If you still have a question (request access, usage, etc.), send a message to the mailing list batch-users [at] nmr.mgh.harvard.edu.
This tutorial is a guide to help users use the launchpad cluster with a step-by-step example using actual data. This example shows a standard FreeSurfer reconstruction on the sample subject, bert.
Log in to launchpad
$ ssh launchpad
Source the current FreeSurfer stable environment and set the SUBJECTS_DIR environmental variable, the same as you normally would if you were to run it locally.
$ source /usr/local/freesurfer/nmr-stable51-env
$ setenv SUBJECTS_DIR /autofs/cluster/freesurfer/subjects/
$ cd $SUBJECTS_DIR
Change the SUBJECTS_DIR path in the example to the path where your actual data is.
In order to run your command, it must be submitted to the scheduler on the batch cluster and queued for execution. The wrapper script, pbsubmit, will do this for you. Here is an example command.
$ pbsubmit -m <username> -c "recon-all -subjid bert -all"
> Opening pbsjob_2
> qsub -V -S /bin/sh -m abe -M <username> -l nodes=1:ppn=1,vmem=7gb -r n /pbs/<username>/pbsjob_2
> 3440112.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
This will submit your command [recon-all] to the batch cluster and send an email to the user when the job begins execution and when it is completed. Change '<username>' in this example, and all subsequent examples, to your actual Martinos username.
As seen in the output above:
The job has been sent to the scheduler. If there are any nodes available, the job will begin execution, and you should get an email to inform you. If there are no nodes available, your job will be queued for execution and wait till a node becomes available.
To check on the status of your job:
$ qstat | grep -w <username>
> 3440112.launchpad pbsjob_2 <username> 00:03:05 R default
This display shows all your jobs on the cluster. The columns specifiy:
When the job is done, you will get another email to confirm that the job has completed execution. Make sure that the job completed as expected and with an exit status of 0. To do this, either look in the 'status' file, or run jobinfo:
$ cat /pbs/<username>/pbsjob_2.status
> ...
> compute-0-62.local
> running Mon May 14 16:23:22 EDT 2012
> done Tue May 15 10:36:25 EDT 2012 status 0
The job completed on Tuesday May 15 2012 at 10:36am with an exit status of 0. That means the job ran, and completed properly.
Or you can check on the exit status by running jobinfo:
$ jobinfo 3440112
> Queued on 05/14/2012 16:23:21
> Started on 05/14/2012 16:23:22
> Ended on 05/15/2012 10:36:25
> Run on host compute-0-62
> User is <username>
> Cputime: 17:27:07
> Walltime: 18:12:56
> Resident Memory: 1515836kb
> Virtual Memory: 2429044kb
> Exit status: 0
There are several advantages with this method. The first, is the amount of virtual memory required during execution is listed. If you need to explicitly specify the amount of vmem, please read these questions concerning memory usage in the FAQ section. The second is the comparison between Cputime and Walltime. This will help to determine whether a job is bogged down by I/O or multithreading. Please read these questions concerning this topic in the FAQ section.
If your job exited with a non-zero exit status, then something went wrong. See the Troubleshooting and FAQ sections below for help.
Use the 'jobinfo' command shown above. If your job finished with a non-zero exit status, check the log files. After termination of a job, the standard output and standard error from the job are sent to log files in your pbs directory. Read through those files, and search for any helpful exit messages.
$ less /pbs/<username>/pbsjob_2.o3440112
$ less /pbs/<username>/pbsjob_2.e3440112
If you are having trouble diagnosing the problem, trying running the command locally. Additionally, you can ssh into 'oct' to test-run a command or compile software before using launchpad. The problem may not be related to launchpad.
If this section does not address or solve your problems, read the "FAQ" section below.
How many jobs can I submit at once? and how?
Good question. We generally recommend running a maximum of 100 standard jobs at once (1 CPU and 7GB, which is the default amount of resources allocated). If you require more cores or virtual memory than the default, you can only run 100 jobs worth of computational resources. Read this question for a more detailed explanation. During busy times, consider running only 50 jobs at once.
If you plan to submit dozens or hundreds of jobs that run a command you've never used before, only run a couple at once and wait for them to finish to get a good idea of the computation resources required. Use the 'jobinfo' command to inspect the memory required, and the I/O performed.
If you've run a couple test-cases and are ready to submit hundreds of jobs, use one of the max queues: max10, max20, max50, max75, max100 (See here for usage). These allow for self-imposed limits on the number of jobs running at once.
Lastly, if you plan to run more than 10 jobs that each request more than 2 CPUs and/or 14GB of vmem, please discuss on the batch-users [at] nmr.mgh.harvard.edu mailing list to discuss proper cluster-sharing etiquette.
Why is my job automically cancelled after running for 96 hours?
We restrict jobs to run for 96 hours. After that, they are automatically deleted. If you submitted a job and are worried that it will not complete before the time limit, email batch-users [at] nmr.mgh.harvard.edu and one of the admins can extend the job for you. If you know, before you submit the job, that you will need more time use the 'extended' queue.
$ pbsubmit -q extended ....
$ qsub -q extended ...
This queue imposes a time limit of 192 hours.
I just submitted my job but it is not running, it is in a queued state. Why?
If the cluster is filled up with other jobs and there are no available resources (CPUs or Mem) to execute your job, it will be queued. As soon as another job finishes, opening up a slot, the scheduler will automatically begin execution on the next job in the queue, according to priority.
Someone just submittted 1,000 jobs and the cluster is now full. All I want is to run 1 job, will I have to wait for all their jobs to finish??
The user should have used one of the max queues (max100). This means their jobs can only occupy 100 CPUs at a time. After that, the rest of their jobs enter a 'blocked' state. There are three job states; Running, Idle and Blocked. If you subsequently submit a job while the cluster is full, it will enter the idle state. It is from this state which jobs are selected for execution, according to priority, when resources become available. For the max100 user, once one of their jobs complete, and they only have 99 CPUs occupied, one of their blocked jobs enters the idle state with your job. In this manner, the cluster won't be highjacked by any single user.
What is the I/O problem?
There are two different components to this issue. The first deals with file access from the launchpad compute cluster to disk space outside the storage cluster (ie - /space/). An example of this is data on a local CNY machine or user workstation. Each request from a cluster node to a CNY workstation funnels through a single 1GB network connection on the launchpad master node. This can affect users in a couple ways. Interactive activity on launchpad appears slower for all users, and the workstation will be affected as it has to process each I/O request (usually multiple at once). We don't want any usage of this kind.
The second form of the I/O problem is large amounts of I/O from the compute cluster to data on the cluster storage (ie - /cluster/). When a series of jobs are all trying to access data on /cluster, the storage servers can be overloaded. This will result in a slowness for all users at the center who try to access data and file paths on /cluster. Through experience and trial-and-error we found that ~20 jobs of this type can run at once before it negatively impacts users. For this reason any jobs that fall under this category must be submitted to the 'highio' queue. It sets a limit at only 20 concurrently running jobs on launchpad.
The one exception we allow is if the particular job does all of it's I/O at the very beginning or very end of execution. In this case if you can determine where/when and most importantly, how long the I/O lasts, you can space out the submission of each job with that particular time interval. In this case, when one job's I/O ends, the next job will begin its own I/O; so only one job will have an I/O requirement at one time.
After my job finished, how can I tell if my job used too much I/O or was multithreaded?
After your job finished, run the jobinfo command. Compare the two values for Walltime and CPUtime. Walltime measures from the beginning till the end of execution, in real world time. CPUtime is the amount of time the processor was active during the execution of the command.
If the CPUtime is larger than the Walltime, then the job used multiple processors during execution. These extra CPUs were either requested, or the program used multithreading.
If the Walltime is longer than the CPUtime, then the job was held back for some reason. Usually this is because the job is I/O intensive. If this is the case, we try to limit the total amount of these jobs on the cluster at one time to only 20. Submit the jobs using the 'highio' queue. Too many jobs that require large amounts of I/O overload the cluster and make it slow and unusable for other users. In this case we will delete the jobs that are the most egregious until the load is assuaged.
If my job is running, how can I tell if my job is using too much I/O?
To see the activity during execution, ssh directly onto the node your job is running, and run 'top'. The most important columns are %CPU and just to the left of that is 'S', or Status. They will give a general idea of what the job is currently doing. If the job is listing less than 100% of a CPU, it means that your job is not reaching maximal efficiency on the cluster. The most likely culprit is that it is wasting time in I/O transferring data back and forth between the cluster and external data storage. The other column, 'S', lists the status of your job. Your should be actively running, or in 'R' state. If you see your job in the 'D' state (i.e., uninterruptible sleep), it is using large amounts of I/O.
If the job is using significantly less than 100% of a CPU and is stuck in the 'D' state, it is using too much I/O. We only want a total of 20 of these jobs running on the cluster at once (from all users). Use the 'highio' queue for these jobs. If we notice the cluster performing slowly due to a large load, we won't hesitate to delete any users' jobs that are taxing the cluster too much.
How can I avoid my jobs from using too much I/O?
There are several tips and tricks to avoid using too much I/O.
The first is to make sure all your data is read from or written to /cluster/ storage. This is the best way to prevent I/O bottlenecks from forming.
Use the compute cluster 'tensor'. It is located here in CNY, and isn't subject to the same I/O bottleneck limitations. Usage is the exact same as on launchpad. The nodes are slower and have less memory, but the jobs may actually complete faster because they won't have the same restrictions put on them.
Additionally, you may use shared 'scratch' space. If temporary or intermediate data files need to be read or written throughout execution, use the /cluster/scratch/ or /scratch/ directories. Upon completion you can move/copy any files back to any network mounted storage.
Also space out the submissions by several seconds or minutes, so the jobs aren't all reading and/or writing at the same time. In the case of a FreeSurfer recon, even if the data is on /cluster/ storage, one of the first steps in the pipeline uses heavy I/O. The nu-correct stage reads large amounts of data from a /space/ directory causing a bottleneck. By simply spacing out jobs by a couple of minutes, not all the jobs enter that same stage at the same time, thereby mitigating the I/O load on cluster.
Advanced users can track execution stats including I/O levels with timeplots and gracefully handle instances if the job is killed due to high network loads. Please read this post from our friends at the Neuroinformatics Research Group at Harvard for instructions.
How can I tell if my job requires more processors or memory?
You may not know till you run it. Run the command once as a test case. When it is completed, use jobinfo to get a summary of the required resources. If it failed due to insufficient memory, increment your memory request by 7GB at a time, until it successfully executes. To track it in real time, you may ssh directly onto the node the job is running and run 'top'. There should be a column called 'VIRT'. Never ssh directly onto a node to do anything other than 'top'. More advanced users can run the command locally, or on oct, with /usr/bin/time. If you explicitly select the CPUs and vmem, only use what you need. Taking extra CPUs or vmem wastes resources and blocks other users jobs from running. Not requesting enough CPUs forces sharing on the node and makes your job, and all the other jobs on that node to run slower. Know thyself.
What if my job requires multiple processors or more memory?
By default a job is allotted 1 CPU with 7GB of virtual memory. If you are absolutely 100% positive that you need more of either or both you can request more.
$ pbsubmit -n 3 ...
$ qsub -l nodes=1:ppn=3,vmem=21gb ...
Will ask for 3 CPUs with a total of 21GB of virtual memory for your job.
Be aware that if you ask for more than 7GB of memory, you are using up a limited resource on a node. If you submit a job that asks for 1 CPU, but 8-14GB of memory, you are actually using up two-sevenths of the nodes' vmem resource. This one job actually counts as 2 jobs. Keep this in mind. If you plan more than 10 jobs that require more than 2CPUs and/or 14GB of virtual memory, please email the batch-users mailing list to discuss the proper protocol.
How do I select a different queue to use?
Typically, you should only submit your jobs using the default queue. However, for special circumstances there are other queues available.
High Priority Queues - You need permission to use these queues.p20p30p40p50p60
Max Queues - Use one of these if you have hundreds of jobs, they restrict the total number of your active jobs. The rest are blocked, until another one of your jobs completes. Please only have 100 jobs running at once, consider 50 during busy times.
I/O Queue - This is new and was created for any user who runs a job that requires high I/O. We used to limit it to 20 jobs per user, but we now limit it to 20 jobs total running on the cluster. Any user who knows their jobs use a lot of I/O or we tell them use too much I/O must submit their jobs with this queue.highio
Matlab Queue - Use this queue to run any Matlab jobs. Since there are a finite number of Matlab licenses for the Center, this queue limits the total number of jobs to 60 and for each user to only 20 at once.matlab Read this post on how to run a Matlab script without using Matlab licenses -- in which case you don't need to use the Matlab Queue
Extended Queue - This queue is for any jobs that require more than 96 hours to complete. The time limit for this queue is 192 hours.extended
GPU Queue - This queue is only for jobs that require GPU nodes.GPU
For example, to use the max100 queue:
$ pbsubmit -q max100 ...or$ qsub -q max100 ...
For example, to use the max100 queue:
$ pbsubmit -q max100 ...
$ qsub -q max100 ...
How do I run a series of jobs together that each depend on the previous job completing?
The easiest way to do it is to write a parent script that runs a series of programs. Then submit the parent script for execution on the cluster. In C-Shell, the parent script should look like this:
!# /bin/csh -e
Program 1
Program 2
Program 3
The '-e' flag in the script above, specifies that it should exit if any of the individual processes exit with an error (a non-zero exit status). Make the script executable and then submit it for execution.
If this is not sufficient, there are other ways to accomplish this. Slightly more complicated is passing '-W depend=afterok:JobID' in the qsub call. If you have two jobs and the second should only start after the first one has completed execution, you can follow this example:
$ pbsubmit -c "Program1"
> Opening pbsjob_5
> qsub -V -S /bin/sh -l nodes=1:ppn=1,vmem=7gb -r n /pbs/<username>/pbsjob_5
> 70593.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
$ pbsubmit -o "-W depend=afterok:70593.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu" -c "Program2"
How can I run a Matlab job?
Create your matlab script (i.e. - analyze_data.m) with the last line of the script 'exit'. Make sure it is in your current directory (the one you run pbsubmit from) or your Matlab path.
$ pbsubmit -q matlab -m <username> -c "matlab.new -nodisplay -nodesktop -nojvm -r analyze_data"
This will run your Matlab script on the cluster using the matlab queue (required for any job that uses a Matlab license) and mail you when the job begins and ends. Notice you leave off the ".m" extension in the script name.
We recommend deploying your Matlab code by "compiling" it. This is more efficient for all the Matlab users at the Center. See the question below for instructions on how to do this.
My Matlab job is exiting with license failures. Why?
There are a limited amount of Matlab licenses for use throughout the Martinos Center as well as on the cluster. Because of this restriction, please exit out of any idle Matlab instances and any toolboxes to free up resources for everyone to share. Users are limited to running no more than 20 jobs on the cluster that use a Matlab license and can only run 1 job that uses any toolbox. Use the matlab queue to enforce the 20 job limit.
To see a list of current Matlab licenses in use:
$ lmstat -a
We highly recommend deploying your Matlab code into a stand-alone program. The main advantage of this method is that the program can be exported and run without even needing Matlab. This preserves the finite number of Matlab licenses to users running individual instances of Matlab. Read these step-by-step instructions, written by Jean-Phillipe Coutu. Thanks.
$ lmstat -a
We highly recommend deploying your Matlab code into a stand-alone program. The main advantage of this method is that the program can be exported and run without even needing Matlab. This preserves the finite number of Matlab licenses to users running individual instances of Matlab. Read these step-by-step instructions, written by Jean-Phillipe Coutu. Thanks.
My job is running, but I need to cancel it. Can you help?
You can help yourself. Use the qdel command with the Job ID to cancel that specific job.
$ qdel 3440112.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
How do I run an interactive job?
Use qsub to specify an interactive job and allow X11 forwarding:
@launchpad] $ qsub -V -I -X -m b -M <username>
> qsub: waiting for job <JobID>.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu to start
> qsub: job <JobID>.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu ready
@<node>] $
-:Run Interactive Job Here:-
@<node>] $ exit
> logout
> qsub: job <JobID>.launchpad.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu completed
@launchpad] $
If there is a waiting list on the cluster, append '-q p30' so that you will be given a high priority. Do not submit an interactive job with the default queue if there is a long waiting list. When a slot opens up, you must be able to actively attend to it. When your interactive session begins execution, you will be ssh'ed into the node. Run your interactive job directly in that window. Once the job is done, exit out of the node. Your job will still be considered "running" and thereby occupying a processor until you exit out of the node. So don't submit a job, or leave the job idle after execution, if you can't actively attend to it.
If your problem/question is not addressed in the Troubleshooting or FAQ sections, ask on the batch-users [at] nmr.mgh.harvard.edu. Provide as many details as possible for someone to help diagnose the problem.
Run 'pbsubmit -h' for help.
Run 'man qsub' for help.
If you used launchpad to conduct your published research please include these grant numbers in the article: "Instrumentation Grants 1S10RR023401, 1S10RR019307, and 1S10RR023043."


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|Total (w/tax)
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Book Description:
They're baa-ack! Make way for the bestselling children's series of all time! With a fresh new look, GOOSEBUMPS is set to scare a whole new generation of kids. So reader beware--you're in for a scare!A PICTURE-PERFECT NIGHTMARE…Sourball. That's what Greg calls his English teacher, Mr. Saur. He's a real grouch. And he just gave Greg a big fat "F" on his oral report. He didn't believe Greg's story. About the camera Greg found last summer. About the pictures it took. About the evil things that happened. Poor Greg. He just wanted to prove old Sourball wrong. But now that he's dug up the camera, bad things are happening. Really bad things. Just like the first time....
Tags: Childrens-Books, Literature-Fiction,


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Tag: Mass Hysteria
Delving into the iPhone's DCIM folder
Today, Dave Caolo discovered what happens when your iPhone camera rolls past picture number 99999 (or so). As he and other Apple users have found, a picture count that goes too high can lead to unforseen errors. Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria. Or a camera roll that...
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Can young leaders make a positive difference?
Asked by farishta khan, 06 May '09 11:43 am
Earn 10 points for answering
Answers (23)
Cannot be genralisedAnswered by jameel ahmed, 06 May '09 07:35 pm
Sure.The young India today is more knowledgeale and concered than ever.Answered by Ramsingh Sachan, 06 May '09 12:16 pm
Hope... leads to that belief.. no assuranceAnswered by thyagarajan mahadevan, 06 May '09 11:44 am
Sure, only to the youngsters can be change today\'s worldAnswered by Anas pk, 07 May '09 07:21 pm
Hi you said young leader young means fresh like a kid ( however kid is know\'s young leader also know\'s ) But experance is good always for ever end ever. Don\'t take a chance with out knowing deep. ByeAnswered by rajesh, 07 May '09 06:01 pm
Ofcourse.the young blood can think different from the routine and can throw radical ideas.L:ate Prime minister Rajeev Gandhi was a classical example of it!Answered by gkr, 07 May '09 05:24 pm
Not necessarily. If you look at young leaders of our country, they happen to be son/daughter/nephew/niece of the corrupt politicians. Nowadays, to be an young leader, the basic qualification is to be the son/daughter/nephew/niece of a known leader.Answered by Hariharan Krishnaswamy, 07 May '09 04:00 am
Yes there will more differenceAnswered by anthony louis, 07 May '09 02:30 am
Yes Definitely they will work as they have the energy ,knowhow ,latest challenges like infrastructure development,Homeland security etc can be mplemented when old half way to the grave will think of making maximum money in minimum time.Shashi tharoor omar abdullah are intelligent and YOUNG BLOOD as well as Ravi shankar prasad who ,live in todays times NOT Rahul who is a outsider and a white skin ignorant boy who has no idea of what to do in INDIA.He can be good for ITALY with bersculoni eating PIZZA and drinking wine.Mamas boy We need young dynamic smart leaders like Obama who can change bring positive change not pickpockets like todays OLD budda politicians.Answered by Alice Janho, 07 May '09 01:14 am
No, unless corruption is rooted out ,it is real bane in political life.Answered by ganayak, 07 May '09 12:54 am


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Researchers shed light on how rice blast fungus invades plant tissue
Like a stealthy enemy, blast disease invades rice crops around the world, killing plants and cutting production of one of the most important global food sources.
Now, a study by an international team of researchers has shed light on how the rice blast fungus, Magnaporthe oryzae, invades plant tissue. The finding is a step toward learning how to control the disease, which by some estimates destroys enough rice to feed 60 million people annually.
The team, led by Barbara Valent, Kansas State University distinguished professor in plant pathology, found that the fungus has evolved two distinct secretion systems that facilitate its invasion into rice plants. Study results have been published by Nature's new online journal, Nature Communications: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/130618/ncomms2996/abs/ncomms2996.html.
"Knowing that a special secretion system is required for disease is significant, because it means we can block this system without harming other fungi that are critical for healthy ecosystems," Valent said.
In addition to researchers from Kansas State University, the team includes professor Nicholas Talbot, from the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, and students in his laboratory, as well as scientists from the Iwate Biotechnology Research Center in Japan.
Rice blast has been known throughout recorded history and occurs in all countries where rice is grown, including the U.S. In 1985, wheat blast emerged as a new disease sharply reducing wheat yields in Brazil. So far, wheat blast has only spread within South America and has not been detected in the U.S. Valent is now leading a team of scientists focused on developing resources for rapid identification and elimination of the disease if it should arrive in U.S. wheat regions.
"Rice blast disease is a threat to global food security and it's closely related to wheat blast," Valent said. "Because those two crops are the most important food staples worldwide, learning about these diseases is incredibly important."
Researchers know that to cause plant diseases, pathogenic microorganisms secrete proteins, called effector proteins, into the host plant's tissue, Valent said. The proteins suppress the plant's immunity and support the pathogen's growth. The goal of the study was to learn if fungi need different secretory systems to aid their invasion into host plants.


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RX8 last moments
Posted by crashman32 on Jun. 15, 2010
Posted by crashman32 on Jun. 15, 2010
 the suspension "didn't do it's job correctly by allowing the car to fly"? Uuh... you do realise that the suspension isn't there to hold the car to the ground, right? If you come over the crest of a hill too quickly.... yes... you WILL loose traction, and possibly catch a bit of air. It's not mechanics.... it's physics. Don't blame it on the suspension "not doing it's job"..... blame it on driving like an idiot. And by the way.... it doesn't look like it remotely caught air. If that's all the room t
Weel being the one that was on the car I can tell you the the car was actualy lift from the ground for a few second. Of course the dynamics have more to do in this story since the speed is the most responsible cause of this accident. The suspension, if it was less stiff would have absorbed a bit of the crest. The porshe on the frost was about the same speed with a bit more weight (2 people), it lifted too but not as bad as my car. I know it's a stupid accident and it's all about myself. I was driving to fa


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Get ready for the season with our fantasy hoops rankings, with some familiar faces leading the way and some surprising names on the way up and the way down. Top 200 ranks• More ranks: PG | SG | SF | PF | PF
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Last night i-D hit Milk Studios, our official partner for New York Fashion Week, to snap NYC's finest. From fashion fans, designers, models and more, this season there was just as much style off the catwalk as on!
Name: Dorian
Age: 26 Baby.
Where are you from? NYC.
What do you do? I produce Martian music Man on Marz.
What's the best thing about New York fashion week? Free Fun!


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Prospect Video: Hak-Ju Lee
Kiley shares video of Rays shortstop prospect and center piece of the Matt Garza deal, Hak-Ju Lee.
Via sbb.scout.com
December 02, 2013 | Discuss
Rays prospect Hak-Ju Lee injures knee, will likely miss rest of season
During Saturday night's Durham Bulls-Norfolk Tides game, Tampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect Hak-Ju Lee of Durham suffered a gruesome looking knee injury in the fourth inning. LJ Hoes of Norfolk hit a grounder to second baseman Tim Beckham, who flipped to Lee at short to try to turn a double play. Travis Ishikawa of the Tides slid into second base, and his head collided with Lee...
Via The Outside Corner
April 21, 2013 | Discuss
Rays pull out a win against the Twins
The Rays were on the verge of dropping a second straight game when they played the Minnesota Twins Tuesday afternoon. But an eighth inning rally completed their comeback to win 8-5. Starting pitcher Matt Moore started a bit shaky after giving up two runs in the first inning. He would be unable to get out of the third inning with two outs and finished his outing with two runs, two...
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March 05, 2013 | Discuss
Lee busts out moves to delight of clubhouse
Hak-Ju Lee got his welcome-to-big-league-camp moment Monday morning.
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February 27, 2012 | Discuss
Hak-JuLee puts on a show for teammates
ROGER MOONEY PORT CHARLOTTE There's nothing like calling out the shy rookie during the team stretch on his second morning in camp and asking him to perform in front of the entire group. That's what James Shields did to Hak-Ju Lee this morning, when the veteran pitcher asked the…
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February 27, 2012 | Discuss
Tampa Bay Rays excited to get look at top shortstop prospect Hak-Ju Lee
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Gifted shortstop Lee relies on speed
Hak-Ju Lee addressed the media on Saturday morning, boldly speaking without the use of a translator and the native of Jeonju, Korea held his own.
Via raysbaseball.com
Hak-Ju Lee reports to first big league camp
ROGER MOONEY PORT CHARLOTTE Hak-Ju Lee spent 16 hours traveling from South Korea to Port Charlotte on Thursday and spent most of Friday catching up on his sleep. On Saturday, the highly-touted shortstop prospect reported to Rays camp, anxious to continue his climb to the major leagues. "Really exciting,"…
Via Rays Report
Hak-Ju Lee among 18 non-roster invitees to Rays big league camp
ROGER MOONEY Shortstop Hak-Ju Lee is among the 18 non-roster players invited to the Rays big league spring training camo. The highly-touted prospect will join Tim Beckham in Port Charlotte, providing Rays fans with a glimpse of what is likely the future of the shortstop position. <img…
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February 14, 2012 | Discuss
Top 50 Prospects: #40 – Hak-Ju Lee
#40 Hak-Ju Lee Tampa Bay Rays DOB: 11/4/1990 Previous Rank: N/R ETA: 2013 Lee was signed as an 18-year-old out of South Korea and was sent to Tampa from the Cubs in the Matt Garza deal. He likely will prove to be the most valuable chip that was traded in that deal except for maybe Garza himself. Lee is an exceptional fielder, arguably the best shortstop in the Minors today in...
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November 21, 2011 | Discuss
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> News
Been down so long, it looks like up to us
Published: 5/20/2009
In a country whose economy is experiencing the worst crisis since the Great Depression, San Antonios got the dubious luck of being a poor city already: Our average median family income scrapes along at about two-thirds the national benchmark. Roughly a quarter of Bexar Countys children live under the poverty line, yet we consider ourselves lucky. The Economy, that great godlike abstraction, has less capital to mess with down here, or so says conventional wisdom; the effects of the great tanker run aground are felt last by those who had nothing on the ship-coming-in to begin with.
San Antonio, though, in addition to (and sometimes because of) our poverty, is engaged in a vast and diverse shadow economy, a bajillion financial transactions by countless folks whose necessities are paid for through means not accounted for by the GNP, not measured in the Dow Jones, and usually not registered with the IRS. Statistics for this shadow economy are, well, shadowy, involving as it does barely understood labor performed by sometimes-undocumented people with no written record of it ever happening.
But its happening. Chances are, you know one of the shadow economys participants, whether or not you number among the working poor. Your neighbors cleaning lady, for instance, may not get a W-2. Maybe youve purchased a roll of samizdat Hannah Montana stickers at a flea market, or a handmade Sponge Bob piñata at a (likely not-City-licensed) yard sale. Or consider the Wild West marketplace of Internet commerce, whose convoluted backways are signposted by Nigerian scam emails addressing you as Beloved. Or perhaps youve paid cash for sex, or drugs, or have been, yourself, paid with one or the other.
And maybe you wonder how the financial practices of the poor and/or creative are affected by Great Depression 2.0. Are there economic sectors which, to paraphrase Tony Soprano, are so clandestine, or so compulsive to the flawed human animal, as to be recession-proof?
So with all that in mind, I took to the streets and to the world wide web and to Westside bungalows and Northside apartments to do some highly unscientific, highly anecdotal investigation. People are making ends meet somehow in a city where 25 percent of the population qualifies for food stamps, but only half of those actually participate in the program, according to a 2005 San Antonio Food Bank/USDA survey.
Whether at street level, or bolstering the strained coffers of the middle class, the shadow economy is cast everywhere, scattering money, risk, desperation, and way more comic absurdity than I imagined. Here are some some notes from the underground, vignettes of financial rasquache, the art of making-do. A comedy of errors.
So, lets start with the obvious. I managed a feat I found rather nifty of myself: to interview two drug dealers. Well, weed dealers. Im not sure how successfully I couldve infiltrated a crack dealership, and while Ive got intellectual curiosity and a job willing to pay me to find out stuff, Im not trying to get shot. Both the drug dealers I interviewed proved affable and interested in talking, though unsurprisingly cagey about particulars.
Trey is a 30ish, fratboy-esque, truck-drivin, beer-belly sportin, George Strait-listenin, Bush-votin (though he flipped for Obama), church-goin, insurance-selling, married-with-two-kids Aggie. He sells what he describes as pretty much low-level schwag, mainly on the golf course, to a select few of his buddies in a tightly closed network. Hes earned some extra bucks this way ever since high school, and says hes been buying weed from the same dude forever, a guy he met while waiting tables at a popular Northside burger joint.
This dude was washing dishes, and we got to be so-so friendly, and he said hed brought in some stuff from Mexico, and he asked if I thought I could unload some of it, you know, starting at about 20 bucks a quarter [ounce], he chuckles. Trey started selling nickel and dime bags, really of buds to his buds, and enjoyed being the guy youd come to for that shit.
Like many involved in the shadow economy, Trey is ritualistic in his thinking, always selling on the golf course. He has a secret compartment on his golf bag, he says, proud as a particularly crafty Cub Scout. Hes been busted only once in College Station, more than 10 years ago, but got off with a good lawyer. Im lucky that way. That time, though, I had some on me during a party that got busted. Thats the thing about golf courses, he grins. Very seldom raided by the 5-0.
His wife kinda-sorta knows about his sideline, which he plans to ease out of by the time his small children are old enough to figure it out. Im not trying to run a schwag dynasty, here. I dont hardly even smoke anymore, tell you the truth. The habits in selling; its a social-type thing.
Josh, on the other hand, is more of a cannabis entrepreneur, aficionado, and economist; think James Francos character in Pineapple Express meets Alan Greenspan. He gives me the lowdown on the micro- economics of it all: He has national out-of-state contacts, and sells more high-end product. Hes never been busted, though he got beaten up by thugs once who were after his earnings.
Josh maintains that the low-end schwag weed sold by the Treys of the world is actually more likely to have emerged out of a dangerous and exploitative system, such as the Mexican cartels currently terrorizing the North of Mexico and the border. Its also more likely, he says, to have been processed with chemicals, or transported along with God-knows-what. Josh buys from contacts in the Pacific Northwest, as part of a non-permeable agricultural distribution system. He only knows the vendors in the chain with whom he deals directly, and like Treys, its a long-term business relationship, but one in which Josh knows the origins of the product.
Another surprising fact: The price of marijuana is actually going down. Josh estimates that hes selling a pound for approximately $4,000-$4,800, down from $4,800-$5,600 two years ago. Still, seems more stable than the housing market.
WEEDING-OUT EARNING POTENTIAL: For Trey, approximately $800 to $1,000 monthly. For Josh, it varies according to availability.
RISK FACTOR(S): Worst-case scenario: Possible assault, hella jail time, and/or large lawyer fees. And in Treys case, some moral turpitude associated with witlessly supporting violent gangs, as well as possible expulsion from upper-end golf clubs if discovered en flagrante on the green.
Blanca runs a hairdo speakeasy out of the living room of her small, wood-framed Westside home. A small cardboard sign taped to her porch railing reads Sala de Belleza, especialización en ondas permanentes in block letters. The sign changes periodically; the first time I noticed it, it simply read PERMS. On a recent hell-hot afternoon, I finally spied its author sitting on her porch. When I stopped and asked her if I might ask her a few questions, she seemed baffled, but agreed.
Blanca is tiny, friendly, speaks no English, and is about 80 years old, though Im guessing her age her front sala, dominated by a big green velvet couch and an old-fashioned bonnet-style hairdryer, is decorated with family photos that indicate her late husband was a World War II vet. She doesnt have her teeth in, which gives her a kind of Madrileña lisp, and she wears a crisply ironed pink housedress. Her silver halo of hair is meticulously permed. She started doing hair in her house about 15 years ago, she guesses, when her youngest grandchild (for whom shed been caring after school, as she had for all 16 of her grandchildren) became a teen and didnt need abuelita daycare anymore, and Blanca got bored watching TV. She goes to church, she hastens to add, but remarks that, You can attend Mass every day even, but the rest of the day, youve got to do something.
Shes completely self-taught as a stylist, and maintains a small clientele almost entirely through word-of-mouth. Since the economy tanked, her business has improved, and she reflects that shes doing more mens haircuts, since shes cheaper than the barbershop. But Blanca says that the bulk of her business is in perms, mostly on older ladies, for which she charges $35. Many of her best customers are, as she characterizes them, las Chinas.
I lost faith in my very imperfect Spanish at this point in the interview.
Las Chinas? I ask. Mujeres del pais de China?
¡Si, mija! she chirps. A ellas les gustan perms, y todas van a la misma iglesia.
This enchants me, the notion of a Chinese ladys church group who rely on Señora Blanca for their permanent waves, who sit together on her green couch, each awaiting her turn under the the warm whoosh of the ancient bonnet hairdryer, emerging together as an upbeat church-bound phalanx helmeted in perfect, black-market curls.
BLANCAS DIY BELLEZA EARNING POTENTIAL: Up to $400 monthly.
BLANCAS DIY BELLEZA RISK FACTORS: Shakedown from local gangs (Im not sure how valid this fear is, but shes afraid of it), the state salon-licensing authorities shutting her down, IRS (though shes never had an actual above-the-table job, so thats unlikely), possible loss of her Social Security benefits, and perhaps most dangerous: perm fumes.
Sandra is a 30-something San Antonian whose tastes and inclinations have always run to the eccentric. Smart and articulate, Sandras had more unusual jobs than usual jobs. Shes done retail and customer service, but her preferred lifestyle is creative; she started traveling the country on the Renaissance Faire circuit (whose workers and adherents are known as rennies) years ago, working food and crafts booths, making costumes and jewelry, doing hallucinogenic drugs, and even performing in the dreaded Drench the Wench dunking booth.
She laughs as she describes the perils of her Ren Faire past: clouds of Wisconsin mosquitoes, that time in a rainy Louisiana campground that she slogged through ankle-deep mud to a port-a-pottie, sick with a kidney infection that landed her in the emergency room. She characterizes the rennie life as half Medieval Deadhead, half carny: a bohemian tribe. She met some of the most fascinating, creative people, who lived by soap-making, or leatherwork, or making chain mail, all these skills from times long ago.
After the Louisiana kidney incident, she and her then-boyfriend decided to settle in San Anto. Shes not sure who came up with the idea, but they began to sell crafted items of a dubious legal nature on eBay. Lord of the Rings merch sold best; Sandra estimates they kept ourselves in rent and weed on Legolas clocks alone!
So: Theyd find a film still online of Legolas (Orlando Blooms pointy-eared, archery-based LOTR character), which theyd enhance using Corel Paint Shop, then print out on a photo-quality scanner-printer. After carefully cutting out the new design with an X-acto knife, they popped it into the circular face of a $3.50 Wal-Mart wall clock. They charged about $15 per clock on eBay. Voila! Electronic-age rasquache for the LOTR fetishist of which there are gobs. And because the clocks were made to order, Sandra and her boyfriend (now ex) were never stuck with overstock. But where customers desiring wall clocks festooned with hobbits or Bettie Page can find Sandra, so can various license-owning entities.
You learn how to get around the [license owners] of course I wouldnt put Legolas on the [eBay] ads, Sandra says. Phrases like DIY are red flags for the infringement-spotters, too. But sexy elf always got customers attention.
Shes received cease or desist letters from various corporations, perhaps most humorously from Russ Meyers people. And, she warns with a cocked eyebrow, Dont even mess with J.K. Rowling.
Sandra has never reported her eBay income to the government. Right now business is slow; People are spending a lot less on collectibles. But she is selling some clocks featuring German boy band Tokio Hotel. In her tidy one-bedroom just north of the airport, full of carefully arranged Renaissance and Bride of Frankenstein memorabilia, Sandra has extended the romantic vagabond economy from Ren Faire campground to DIY camp objects. She has, by her own estimation, and over the course of three different eBay accounts, sold more than 12,000 clocks in five or so years.
SANDRAS UNDERGROUND EBAY CRAFTING EARNING POTENTIAL: 12,000 times $15=$180,000.00 which over five years = $3,000/month.
SANDRAS UNDERGROUND EBAY CRAFTING RISK FACTOR: More cease and desist letters, IRS sniffing her out, capricious marketplace in which people have less money to spend on Tokio Hotel clocks.
Melinda is a carpool-driving, blog-posting Mom with undergraduate degrees in art and sociology, and a Masters in social work. She married her college sweetheart, an IT manager with a good job. Melinda has worked as a university administrator and as a social worker, but then she stayed home to raise her two kids, both of whom are now enrolled in a prestigious private school.
After planning her own wedding, Melinda needed another creative project, so she started baking special-event cakes, becoming so good at it that she even teaches cake-decorating classes at area hobby shops. Her rep as a baker and cake designer has spread largely through word of mouth through her upscale network of entertaining-obsessed moms, who pay her in cash, or by check made out to her name. She does an above-board business in exquisite paper goods such as wedding invitations, decorations, and place cards, too. Where Melinda runs afoul of the law is by baking commercially out of her home kitchen.
You can cook for somebody in their kitchen; thats perfectly legal, she stipulates, but you cant cook commercially from home without arousing the ire of the Health Department. Also, Melinda dabbles in licensed materials i.e., Disney princess cakes for childrens birthday parties, or with characters from Cars, at around $45 a pop (wedding cakes, of course, are much more expensive). Like Sandra, shes received cease-and-desist letters, and mentions that other shadow-economy moms have been ratted out to the IRS or health inspectors by envious frenemies or irate clients.
The recession has also affected her business. My clients just arent spending as much on special events as they were, she says. It isnt personal. She finds it frustrating when moms from her network become vague or prevaricate, but respects moms who level with her about doing budget kids parties, with cheaper cakes from Wal-Mart, she laughs. Im doing a budget party for my own kid this weekend.
When I ask her what her husband makes of her clandestine cakemaker status, she says, Well, what Im doing, its small potatoes, really.
MOMMY MELINDAS EARNING POTENTIAL: $400/month
MOMMY MELINDAS RISK FACTOR: IRS, health inspectors, Bridezillas, remote but scary possibility of Disney /Pixar having her neutralized.
My contacts in the sex industry are regrettably few, given how much it fascinates me. I did talk to two rent boys, young male hustlers who cater to male clients, and who were remarkably unabashed about the source of their income.
Fausto refers to himself as kept rather than rented. Originally from Harlingen, he came to San Antonio for college, and because he knew it would be a lot easier to be gay up here than down there. I knew Id never be able to come out at home.
Faustos very good looking, with close-cropped dark hair and a compact, gym-toned body; he refers to himself unapologetically as a gym queen. He started making extra money from his relationships while at college, originally through a wealthy older man he met at an area club. He bristles at the term sex worker, and explains that hes mainly kept by several older, affluent men, one of whom is a married guy in Mexico who comes to San Antonio two weekends a month, while another is a local lawyer. Faustos rent, car payment, and gym membership are all paid; meanwhile, hes still going to school off and on, trying to formulate a plan for the inevitable time past, say, 35, when being beautiful and fabulous dont necessarily monetize.
Really, Im more of a courtesan, he sighs. I have long-term relationships with generous people. People he cant afford to alienate, clearly; when I later ask if the Current might photograph him, he is appalled at my lack of discretion.
The other hustler, Efraim, is in his early 20s, and was born in Chihuahua, though he mostly grew up on the South Side. Like Fausto, hes very attractive, but is also both very feminine and very street. He is not out to his family, though he was abused by an uncle as a kid, and moved out of his house at age 16 when his moms boyfriend, suspecting he was gay, beat him up. He has an apartment near Monte Vista with several other boys (all in their 20s), and does a lot of trick-turning business in local clubs, none of which know what hes doing, business-wise. He also sells party favors to some of the men with whom he regularly meets.
I havent noticed me making less money, Efraim says, but I know there are other boys out there who arent doing all that good. But its like they say people still need to have a good time. I dont discuss [their financial situations] with the people I date.
Not surprisingly, neither Fausto nor Efraim has any contact with female sex workers.
Im given to understand that a large percentage of sex-for-pay business is brokered through Craigs List (Efraim uses it), that bane of classified-ad sections everywhere. Craigs List has come under fire recently for its lawless personal ads; it came under scrutiny after the April murder of a New York City masseuse by somebody she met on the site, and was threatened by South Carolinas Attorney General with the charge of aiding and abetting prostitution. The San Francisco-based company plans to consolidate the more baldly erotic of its ads into adult services section, which Craigs List staffers would screen. This touches on the worst perils of the shadow economy, of course; the possibility of abuse of and by its practitioners. All entrepreneurial souls engaged in extra-legal activities share things in common; as Melinda says, when I jokingly ask her if she feels any camaraderie with sex workers, Sure. We all work at night. But joking aside, sex workers face risks and dangers most of us never know.
So its no surprise that when I put several ads up on Craigs List, asking people who have sex for money to get in touch with me for an unpaid interview, they garnered me exactly zero interviews.
Undaunted, I convinced my friend (and Current contributor) Beto Gonzales to drive with me around the Southeast Side, hoping to spot and interview some sex workers on the job. Beto, a fine and graphic artist who enjoys classic country and karaoke, had accompanied me to a Christmas-themed burlesque show at the Overtime Theater and is pretty intrepid in general. I thought if I had a dude with me, I might have more luck, or seem less freakish.
I dont know what, exactly, we were expecting. A scenario out of Dr. Detroit, perhaps, wherein a bevy of fancy-dressed ladies would loudly and humorously accost passers-by with lurid promises of a good time?
Wheres the Donna Dixon character? Beto planned to demand.
But last Wednesday night, as we drove up and down Roosevelt Avenue, we found no such thing. The street and those around it were quiet as the grave. While we did field some nibbles (see the CurBlog at sacurrent.com for the whole story), we ultimately proved total failures in picking up prostitutes.
SEX WORKERS OF ALL STRIPES POTENTIAL EARNINGS: For Fausto, bills are footed to the tune of approximately $8,000 per month. For Efraim, monthly earnings average $2,500.
SEX WORKERS OF ALL STRIPES RISK INDEX: Enormous. Possibility of arrest, STDs, assault, loss of customer interest due to aging assets, having your kids taken away from you, displeasing your pimp, possible stalking by writers, and getting murdered by somebody you meet on Craigs List.
So what have I learned from my glimpse of the San Antonio shadow economy? Weed prices are going down, but not failing as badly as the housing market. Some drug deals happen on golf courses. I know where to get a perm for $35. Dont mess with J.K. Rowling. Bakers and sex workers burn the midnight oil. Dont ask to take a courtesans picture. And female sex workers are the least willing of my potential interview subjects to actually talk. Also, I respect the necessity of the shadow economy, that complex financial organism. Rennie-gades, baker moms, weed dealers, and sex-workers share parallels of tight social circuitry and cost-benefit analyses arrangements and tradeoffs we might shun till need and opportunity come knocking in tandem on our door.