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Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008
April 06, 2008, 11:58:55 PM »
Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008
Starting off at home...
Iconic scenes in the Saga tend to make for some interesting figures. One such iconic scene from REVENGE OF THE SITH among fans seems to be Yoda's "Sword in the Clone" moment, as he and Obi-Wan fight their way into the Jedi Temple. Would something like this be a viable candidate for a Basic Figure pack, even though it might incorporate 2 figures that could stand on their own as Basic Figures? Or would this be a more likely candidate for something like the Order 66 2-packs?
We like to theme our waves as much as possible, and have made basic figures in the past that "interact" with other figures to form a scene, so it is not out of the question that we could do ideas like this. However, that's not where our focus is on basic figures and we like to look for ideas where figures could go together in the same pack for things like Order 66 or the upcoming Droid Factory exclusive packs. Exclusives like Order 66 do need strong figures that could be basic figures themselves; if you look at the lineup, there are many core heroes in those packs, needed to "anchor" the quality of the set and give kids something to meet their interests. As great as Tsui Choui is to us collectors, we still need to deliver the Vaders and Obi-Wans for kid traction.
The Saga Legends for later this year is reportedly offering characters that we're going to see in the Clone Wars line, such as Anakin, Obi-Wan & Yoda but in the movie-realistic style. It also seems to be widely accepted that these figures will be reissues, as we've seen in the 2007/08 Saga Legends line. Will this upcoming Saga Legends line mine recent figure sculpts, or in keeping with this year's Clone Wars theme, can we expect reissues from 2003's Clone Wars line?
All of the Saga Legends figures coming this Fall will be resissues of current "realistic" sculpts. We will not be reissuing the 2003/4 Clone Wars sculpts again.
In your most recent responses to JTA's Q&A session, you mentioned that the V-Wing fighter will be carried forward in the Clone Wars starfighter vehicle assortment. We've also seen indications that there is another wave of REVENGE OF THE SITH Basic Figures on tap for the Legacy Collection. Given those factors, and collectordom's love affair with all things Clone Trooper, could we be in store for a V-Wing Pilot Clone sometime in the near future?
Not for this year, but we are looking at one possibily for 2009.
And now to continue on through the Star Wars collecting commuinity:
A few months ago Hasbro announced a Bothan figure in the Q&A. What has happened to this figure? Is the character that the figure is based on Master Hudorra from the Republic #79 Comic?
It's possible that we'll have a sneak peak at San Diego Comic Con. It will not be based on Master Hudorra, although we do like him. We already used Republic #79 for the Commander Keller/Galactic Marine comic pack, so if we ever do Master Hudorra, it would be in some other fashion.
Ak-Rev comes out with the second part of the big drum and with a drumstick. The band will then at last be completed. But what is the deal with this other instrument Ak-Rev plays? Will Hasbro jumps at the chance to release this to a later time perhaps within another figure compilation or in a new band edition? What considerations have led to the decision not putting this instrument in the Ak-Rev package?
It's a question of costing. We planned the release of the drum in two halves and this pack is packed as it is. We have no plans to release Ak-Rev with another instrument.
In Germany we do have some problems refering availability, price and case-composition of the Star Wars Action Figure line that we want to pick out as a central theme encouraged by lots of collectors and likewise by a lot of retailers in Germany. The distribution of the Star Wars segment is nearly exclusively ruled by one single wholeseller. Formerly there were a handful of wholesellers but in the last years only one wholeseller had focussed on the whole sortiment of action figures. Last year that wholeseller has closed down and another single wholeseller has carried over the distribution of the Star Wars segment. Like each seller does this wholeseller even has to calculate his business. Within the last months it has turned out that this wholeseller is rather hesitant and cautious with his ordering policy and it had happened that more and more Star Wars items didn't find their way to the German collector. Unfortunately retailers are not allowed to order directly from Hasbro and of course it is not allowed to import items that are not available in Germany from the US or other countries. So collectors do have to pay a lot more money for each single action figure than in other countries. Another point is the awkward case-mix that seems to be not balanced well in a nearly 100% collector market that Germany is. Retailers don't sell Darth Vader figures as well as in the US but have to buy 3 Darth Vader figures each case to sell other figures at least one time that are asked for by the collectors. So retailers have begun to sell the whole case but single figures and collectors do have pay more and more money to get their desired figures and have to throw away their hundreds of Darth Vader figures. More and more collectors order their figures via ebay or direct from US retailers so more and more retailers give up the Star Wars segment. All these trends do spoil the party for most collectors. The demand is high to let Hasbro take more attention to the German market. Sollutions to these problems would be
a) offer solid cases (the market is too small for bad case-mixes and retailers would better be able to buy exact those figures that would be selling and in consequence they would sell more figures as yet,
b) prices should not rise over 10 EUR per figure,
c) offer better availability of toys for Germany or at least advertise if and when some certain items would be available (even if delayed) and
d) perhaps allow retailers to buy directly from Hasbro to avoid higher prices or less availability.
Thanks for the thorough update. In the U.S., where the product line is developed, we were not aware of the severity of changes to the German marketplace. Some of the changes you suggest are not possible (solid case packs of figures) or out of our control (retail figure pricing), but the others deserve scrutiny and we will look at them. The German market (and German collector) is very important to us but unfortunately things are no so simple as the German market by itself is not large enough to commend separate production; our releases must be synched up with the broader EU releases. We are looking at options to figure this out though....thanks for sticking with us as we work through these issues.
Many collectors have noted that Moff Jerjerrod was not a great seller and can still be found in stores, while it seemed as though Admiral Ozzel, Captain Piett, and Grand Moff Tarkin seemed to have sold better. There are times where Hasbro really nails a likeness, but unfortunately Moff Jerjerrod did not look like the actor and had an angry facial expression not seen in Return of the Jedi. Would Hasbro ever consider resculpting this figure or does the perceived poor performance of the Jerjerrod figure make it unlikely he would ever be revisited. Do you agree that if this figure sold poorly it may have been in part because of a poor likeness?
We don't attribute a lingering quantity of his figure to the likeness (we think he is a nice addition to the officer ranks). Instead, it is due to the fact that we released him at levels higher than we had typically gone for purely collector-targeted figures. In any case, he was one of those characters that helps us figure out our "baseline" for collector-targeted figures.
A number of fans would like to see more figures from the SW Holiday Special, which you've stated is not a priority for Hasbro. One of the characters from it, Ackmena, played by Bea Arthur, has been getting some traction lately in the collector community as a figure they'd like to see made. Before fans get too fired up, might you comment on if Hasbro even HAS the licensed authority needed to make a Bea Arthur Ackmena figure? (If by some miracle the answer is "yes", could you posit on its chances of being made?)
The SW Holiday Special is not high on our list, or importantly, Lucasfilm's and as such, any additional figures have a very, very low likelihood of being produced. It is something best forgotten, and we are happy that we were able to at least get Boba Fett out of there.
Has there been any thought about doing a few deliberate variations to some of the figures this year as running changes offered in later assortments, like you did with the ROTS line? For instance, the new '08 Anakin-as-Vader figure could be repainted with Sith eyes, or the '08 Obi-Wan could be redeco'ed with battle damage.
We don't have any plans to do that for figures this year. Instead, we would probably release those as separate figures down the road.
Just wondering if Hasbro has a "green" initiative. Are the plastics used in the manufacturing of Star Wars figures recyclable? And if so would it be feasible to do a mail-in redemption using action figures instead of UPCs? I know I wouldn't mind shipping off three or four figures to receive a new one, especially if it was helping to save the planet. (Question from MisterPL, resident hippie.)
We do have a green initiative related to reducing the materials we use whenever possible. On the figure question - while it's a very interesting and appealing suggestion - there are many issues surrounding doing something like that. Foremost would be the overall carbon footprint of shipping back/providing a new figure for replacement, which would not result in a significant amount of material that could be recycled (figures in general do not use large amounts of plastic themselves). Second, since we do not do domestic figure manufacturing, we would need to get the the figures back to Asia which would further defeat the purpose. In short... it would consume more resources than would be saved. Very interesting thought, though... thanks.
Is there any chance you can give us a look at what the new Darth Vader's 3-piece helmet looks like when disassembled? (Question from Shabby Blue, roving reporter.)
Sorry, but we still don't have our pre-production samples to send you any updated pics.
More an observation and a couple suggestions than a question for Hasbro: My 6-year-old daughter enjoys playing with my vintage Ewok Village playset using her Galactic Heroes figures. The two generations of product are surprisingly compatible.
Very recently she discovered the Ewok Battle Wagon and has added that to her list of favorite toys. (She loves the working winches and knocks over block walls with the battering ram.)
My suggestions: 1) Offer more Ewoks in the Galactic Heroes line and 2) reissue both of these toys under the Galactic Heroes brand not only for the younger demographic but for the older collectors who just want to get their hands on these fun toys. (Question from MisterPL, stay-at-home Mom.)
Those are great suggestions. We hadn't considered using these old toys as part of the Galactic Heroes universe, but we will take a look. Great ideas. Please tell your daughter that more Ewoks are on the way, and first up is a special Cinema Scene available at Target including three Speeder Bikes, one with Paploo.
Is there any chance of seeing a re-sculpted Yak Face figure in near future?
There is defintely a chance, as one of the Kenner vintage figures, we hope to get a chance to update him and produce a "definitive" version some day. However, there are quite a few brand new or more significant resculpt figures ahead of him from Jabba's Palace....so the wait may be awhile.
Will the VOTC line be making a return in any way for 2008?
The VOTC line will not be making a return in 2008.
To be continued.
Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.
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Re: Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008
Reply #1 on:
April 07, 2008, 02:10:58 AM »
Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008 - Part 2
A question about upcoming Battle Packs. During Toy Fair, you mentioned that you were not sure when the Battle of Mygeeto and Hoth Speeder Patrol sets would hit retail. Will we see these two in the 30AC packaging or will we need to wait until July to find them on the shelves? And any chance we could get a nice image of the new SA Bacara from the Mygeeto set or the Snow Scouts from the Hoth Set?
Battle of Mygeeto should be out on shelves by mid-April or early May. It will be the last of the 30th Anniversary Battle Packs in the current "footprint." A new line of Battle Packs will debut on 7/26, with slightly different boxed dimensions (a little deeper, a little less tall). Hoth Speeder Patrol was suffering delays and had to be moved out, and will be in the first wave of the new Fall assortment.
So, when do we get to see more Clone Wars figures? You cant just make us wait until SDCC for more basic figures, right? I mean, Julys a long way off and we need something to keep us going! So, how about a hint at Wave 2?
We hope that there will be something to reveal (ideally as part of the now-resumed Republic News Posts) before San Diego Comic Con. It all depends on how the schedules are going; if it is running later than we would like, we'll probably just hold for San Diego Comic Con.
Since you were willing to share pics of the SDCC exclusive Disturbance in the Force set, can you share pics of the planned Mighty Muggs exclusives - Commander Gree and the Golden Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark?
Glad to help!
See images
How far in advance do you plan a new figures release, how long does it take to develop a figure and can you explain some of the design and build process? Also, how much input do LucasFilm have in the design of the figures and do they request certain figures to be made?
Genenerally, the mainline assortments and stand alone items (those offered to all retailers) are planned from 15-24 months in advance. Exclusives are developed on a shorter lead time - 8-15 months depending on whether there is new tooling involved and the complexity of the item, and are usually developed as retailer promotional windows become clear. For the mainline, we plan out a year's worth of product at once, and then develop systematically, wave by wave, as we go through the year. Sometimes, there will be changes as we go through the year depending on schedules and deadlines. In about six months time we should have a good idea of what we will be doing for 2010. While we brainstorm and come up with the broad brushstrokes of the line, Lucasfilm has a great deal of input (and complete approval) over all figure selections, sculpts, etc.
We know there are 2 Mandalorian Comic Packs coming but with more having been written about Mandalorians (Legacy of the Force series of Books, etc) will there be any more Mandalorian figures coming, for example Mirta Gec, Goran Beviin, Ram Zerimar or maybe Jodo Kast?
At least one of those figures will be coming out this year. The rest have not been slotted into the lineup anywhere, since it is relatively difficult for us to do novel figures without the visual reference of a comic to draw from. Given the popularity of Mandos, though, there is a chance we will be looking at more down the road.
Have there been any further discussions between yourselves and Sideshow Collectibles with regard to the production of play-sets? If so, are you able to shed any light on this?
There is no new news to report on this front.
It was mentioned in a Q&A last year that Hasbro had potential plans to re-release some of the figures that kept *just* missing out on winning the polls for Saga Legends such as Ephant Mon, Pablo-Jill, Sio Bibble, R3-A2, and Coleman Trebor. Are there any plans to get any of these figures back out to collectors in any form in 2008-2009?
We don't have any specific plans right now for these guys. If the opportunity beckons, for example in future waves of the new Saga Legends, they will be good candidates for inclusion.
Any chance of re-releasing the old Unleashed figures that were hard to find? Maybe as a Target exclusive ala the Luke & Vader versions from a few years ago?
We don't have any plans to re-release any more Unleashed 7". Not to say it won't ever happen, but our focus remains elsewhere.
Are there any OT battle packs scheduled for 2008? Possibly one featuring Jabba's skiff guards?
There are OTC battlepacks slotted for 2008 (and 2009), but none feature Jabba's Skiff Guards. Details on the new packs will be announced at San Diego Comic Con. We promise there WILL be some pleasant surprises for fans of the Original Trilogy.
Where's Lumat? On the sticker sheet in the Action Figure Base Packs, Lumat appears on the list. While the "Graak" figure from 2007 appears to be based on the same Ewok photo that the vintage Lumat figure was based on, they apparently are different characters. Speculation was that we'd see Lumat in the ROTJ wave (what's now been revealed as The Legacy Collection wave 1), but that turned out to be another Ewok named "Leektar". So back to our original question....where's Lumat? Has he been bumped in favor of lesser-known Ewoks, or are there plans for this long-lost figure to come out? Longtime fans want to know if we can look forward to checking off another vintage upgraded figure!
Yes, indeed. Lumat was originally meant to be the figure we were doing in the two-pack with Romba. Lucasfilm asked us to change him to Graak, but the sticker sheet was already out to be printed. Someday soon we hope to get to Lumat.
Another question on a mystery figure....in the latest issue of Star Wars Insider, there is a photo of a blue-striped Stormtrooper figure from The Force Unleashed. Wizards of the Coast's miniature game identifies this character as a "Felucian Stormtrooper Officer" and the Unleashed Battle Packs identify him as a "Stormtrooper Commander." While loose and carded photos have leaked (on a TAC cardback, no less), we've not heard anything official on this character. We understand the frequent delays of TFU has changed the release of some tie-ins, but it seems the bulk of Hasbro's line is still on target, except for this one. Can you shed any light on this figure, and where and when fans can acquire him?
This figure, a Stormtrooper Commander, will indeed be released as part of an upcoming promotion dealing with The Force Unleashed. As the game was delayed, so too was the promotion. Details have still yet to be announced or finalized, but the figure should be out around the time the game is released.
In a recent Q&A session with our friends over at Jedi Defender, it was revealed that there will be another wave of Saga Legends repacks in the fall, featuring kid-targeted characters from the Clone Wars era. Without giving away the figures in this line, I'm wondering which characters you have listed as "kid-oriented", meaning are there in fact specific characters that are primarily targeted towards kids? If so, who are they? Also, which characters do you consider targeted towards collectors?
On a similar note, are there any characters that are "must haves" when you are setting up a line for the year? Presumably the ones listed above would fall into this category, but are there any others that are shoo-ins?
Kid-targeted figures include heroes and key villains (characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi, Anakin Skywalker, Yoda, R2-D2, General Grievous, etc) as well as core troopers and key droid opponents. In general these are figures that kids want in order to play out the major battles, which are also figures that we have a strong history with as "outperformers" because kids select these before anything else.
Since these are re-releases, with no changes, we consider these releases to be kid-targeted, even though collectors may be interested in the troops, or to some extent, the change to a new line. We don't have room in the Fall assortment to offer any collector-targeted Saga Legends as we did for the 30th line (based on voting). It's possible we could add that later for 2009, but for Fall '08 it will be all hands on deck to get the hero potential on shelf as quickly as possible for the movie and TV series.
Finally, this is not really a question, but I'd like to show our support for
Jedi Defender's
recent request for fans to follow the development on the Willrow Hood figure. We'd love to watch the step-by-step development on this fan-supported figure!
To be continued.
Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.
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Re: Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008
Reply #2 on:
April 07, 2008, 11:37:02 PM »
Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008 - Part 3
2008 TAC sees a return to the pack-in stands last seen in 2006. What about the Legacy Collection and the Clone Wars figures? Will they also contain stands? And if so, will the Clone Wars come with a Clone Wars stand or the generic Expanded Universe stand? While I'm on the subject of stands... I know that in past Q&A sessions you have mentioned that revisiting the sticker sheet for a new set of names is not something on the horizon. But what about if you were to make a package that contained software and blank sticker sheets so that fans and collectors could print their own name stickers, similar to what Testors does with their car and airplane model makers? And what would be the chances of releasing the stands in small packs - say 25 or so - of a movie specific stand instead of the entire set, so that someone could buy 30 ROTS stands to display a Clone Army or 30 ESB stands to display a Snowtrooper army, or something like that?
The stands (which are still available on HasbroToyShop.com) have done OK, but not great enough yet for us to make a re-release from the first batch. It's a nice item to keep availalable, but we wouldn't be able to get near the forecast required to do dedicated packs by movie. At the rate of sales predicted for each, we would have to release years worth of inventory up front - not a prudent decision. Instead, we'll continue to make available the current pack. When that sells out, we will release a new sticker sheet, but we aren't really near that point yet. We have no plans to return stands to the basic figures for 2008/2009, because each of the basic figure sublines already have extra pack-ins that take the place of coins/stand: Legacy will come with a Droid Factory, Clone Wars figures will come with attachable missile launchers for the most part, and the new Saga Legends will come with a small packs of spare weapons.
You recently said no to the idea of modular playsets in battlepacks due to the usual reasons (cost and no play value for the kids). That's understandable so what about revisiting the idea of scene-specific stands like what we saw in the RotS line? You had a few stands that were generically sculpted (hallway/Temple, swampy/Dagobah-ish, rocky/Mustfarish) and were able to get some nice variety of scenes by just repainting them differently. These stands obviously had some intent on being able to connect together (especially the hallway/Temple one) but as much as I struggled with it, I was disappointed to find that I couldn't make anything sensible with the pieces.
This felt like a huge missed opportunity since if Hasbro was going to pay for the tooling of these stands anyway, a better design that incorporated more seamless and logical connectibility could've allowed your company to, in future years, release more environmental stands that plugged in and could eventually give us our Tantive IV hal lway or Hoth rebel base or Death Star hallway... And by making one stand into an "intersection" piece that let us connect many separate stretches of hallways together, we could literally build our own Death Star/Tantive passageways as large as we're willing to pay up for (by buying more and more SW figures of course, to get those stands). And a slit in the floor moulding would allow us to slide in either a cardboard or thin plastic wall piece. So how about this idea? It'd be like Build-a-Diorama but done slowly over years to reward collectors for sticking with the hobby (especially when figures are getting more expensive to collect) and the cost would be incorporated into the cost of the stands as you did with the RotS line.
The idea has some merit, but it simply isn't practical for a number of reasons. To do it the "right way" we would have to start with a completed playset model and then chop it up and distribute it across 50 to 60 packs. (We can hear the shouts of fans saying "Yes! Yes! That is exactly what we want!"). However, where the idea falls apart is in the amount of tooling required to do that and the end-result being structurally very poor and probably not aesthetically pleasing. If we thought there was an opportunity to make a specific playset scene, we would just commit to doing it as one item. The Episode III stands were an attempt to build something greater with an environment-specific stand; however, the product ends-up looking generic anyway and not scene-specific since the stands themselves were constrained by the needs to connect together universally. To have made each one different and unique, to make a unique structural element such as a blockade runner hallway or what-have-you, we would have had to do each as a separate tooled part, which would have dwarfed our tooling budget assinged for the pack-ins.
I've always wondered about this: the RotS Padme figure did not have a "baby bump" even though the character had a full belly at that point in the movie. Your Saga line Taun We figure came with a container for a clone baby yet oddly the ba by was absent inside. In both cases, was there some concern about the negative reaction from the more conservative elements of your customer base that caused you to go in the direction you did? I can see that an action figure of a pregnant woman or of a genetically-engineered baby might offend some people but I've always been curious if this was Hasbro's reasoning too. And if not, does that mean we might actually get a "clone baby in a bottle" someday?
In the case of Padme, she does have a bump to indicate her pregnancy, but it is not nearly as stated as the upcoming Evolutions figure. We wanted to present her as an action figure still at that stage, to appeal to the greatest audience of kids as well as collectors, so we chose to dial back a bit. As for Taun We, we did think that showing the baby was too stark an image and chose not to include one in the capsule. Could we do one in an incubation chamber some day? It's possible, but we have no plans right now.
Regarding Luke Jedi in his Death Star 2 look, the only basic figure of this is from 5 years ago, is preposed, has an action gimmick with floppy arms, and a likeness somewhere between "caveman" and "Harpo Marx". That despite Luke DS2 being the only OT main character figure in the last Fans' Choice poll's top 25 - 10 of the 14 figures above him are made or confirmed, as well as 4 of the 9 figures beneath. Hasbro's past answer on this matter was "theming issues, it may be a while, hang in there," yet since the 2003 DS2 Luke figure there have been 7 ROTJ waves and 2 Vintage-style lines with ROTJ figures; as well as 4 more Luke Jedi with Jabba's Palace outfits and Toy Fair has shown yet another ROTJ wave, this time with a Jabba's Palace-styled Luke Jedi from a deleted scene; and the previous new Luke Jedi figure could have fit the bill with its removable vest and outer belt yet was designed specifically against making it into DS2 Luke. Fans want Luke DS2, most of the other Fans' Choice poll results have been made or confirmed, Hasbro's had several opportunities, now we have sandstorm Luke coming - a deleted scene figure - over Luke DS2 which is baffling. So what's the full story here, why no Luke Jedi DS2 yet again? When can collectors finally get the last main OT character's significant costume yet to be done as an action figure?
We chose the deleted Sandstorm theme to bind several core characters together. We had long planned to do both versions, but the Sandstorm scene came first in rotation because of our desire for the new Han and Chewie, so a new Death Star II Luke was slotted into the next Episode VI wave. We are pleased to announce that if our schedule holds, you will see the next Episode VI wave in late Spring 2009.
Back in 1996, Kenner/Hasbro was developing a Virago vehicle toy for the Shadows of the Empire figure line to go along with the 2 other vehicles the line produced. Several pieces of concept and packaging art were produced, a retailer-enticement sheet describing some cool features was found not too long ago, as well as a prototype model, but the vehicle never materialized. The Galoob Action Fleet Virago remains one of the most sought-after vehicles on ebay, as this ship makes for a unique and exciting Star Wars toy. Did your Virago design ever get turned into a mold? Does Hasbro still have any molds or prototypes of it? What would the chances be of seeing a Virago released today?
The Virago was never tooled, as the somewhat ambitious plans for the continuation of the EU line at the time were scaled back. While it is a different story to do, we are committed to figures and have not gone the vehicle route for EU aside from repaints. It is doubtful we will get to the Virago in anything other than perhaps Titanium.
The current R5 droid mold (used on R5-D4, R5-J2, and R5-F7) is close to "perfect", but there are a few glaring issues that should be addressed before this mold becomes the all-purpose version. They include the antenna, which comes out and may be lost easily; the pop-up motivator, which worked on R5-D4 but had diminishing returns on later uses; and the chest plate being a separate piece, which has been a problem on every figure to use the VOTC R2-D2 body. The head could just be retooled and used on the more-accurate R4-G9 body. Will these issues be addressed, or will we continue to get more less-than-perfect R5 figures?
Most often it is a capacity issue - which tools are available when, etc. Certain elements, like a pop-out chest plate, are necessary parts of the design, but we will take your comments into account the next time we release.
Also, could we get clarification on the Ishi Tib answer we received last round since there actually is no vintage precedent that we're aware of?
(Thanks for giving us a chance to update out answer. We obviously misremembered the PotF version as vintage). While no new Ishi Tib is planned, we would probably do a Jabba's Palace one first. However, we're not sure on that . given that the Ishi Tib have been fairly prominemt backgrounders in many places, it's possible we would do an entirely different version first.
Hasbro, do you have any updates on the remaining Saga Legends Sandtroopers that you said we might see this spring? I tried to jot down all the "forthcoming" ones mentioned after the main four in the fall and here's what I came up with:
5. Dirty with black pauldron and probably Evolutions but maybe TSC body
6. Super-dirty Evolutions to be possibly released as a last shot
7. Clean with black (unpainted white) pauldron Corporal with TSC body.
Some claim the clean-black was a short run error that was quickly corrected but its existence caused a demand that made you consider turning it into an official running change at some point.
So, have any of these been released or are they going to be released this year, and can you settle for us whether or not the mysterious clean-black was ever released at the retail level or did all of the existing specimens come directly from Hasbro sources?
There are five types of Sandtroopers total. The final (fifth) will be the clean with black (unpainted) TSC body, and our response was indeed to correct the very short run of error figures by getting it into wider distribution. Look for them to be showing up within the next month or so. The other two will not be coming out.
With the Evolutions sets doing so well, could this be where we might finally see a figure of Senate Duel Palpatine, along with a new THE PHANTOM MENACE Darth Sidious and a non-action feature version of Empire Proclamation Palpatine? "The Palpatine Legacy" has a nice ring to it!
We don't have a Palpatine set planned for Evolutions, but your suggestions are interesting. Maybe someday we would do a pack like this, if Evolutions returns, and if we haven't done these versions already (we have already slotted at least one of them into the basic figure line for a future wave).
I see we're getting a new SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE Comic Pack with new sculpts of Leia and Xizor. Why still no Guri? She's been getting the brush-off for a decade now!
You'll have to wait a little longer for Guri, as she still does not have a pack slotted in with her name on it. However, she has been bubbling to the surface of a number of internal conversations and chatboards, and we will be strongly considering her for a future wave. The wait may be awhile, but we think your patience will eventually be rewarded.
Since Hasbro was able to recently provide a nice "shield" half-piece for the Droideka, is it possible that someday we'll see something like this for a basic-carded eps2 Clone Pilot where he comes with a half-piece for the Ball Turret of the Republic gunship?
We have looked at the turret, and it is simply not possible to include it on a basic figure card. Does that mean that it won't be done? Not necessarily; it does remain on our list of things we want to tackle sometime, someday, but just haven't been able to fit it in anywhere.
I love softgoods but I have to admit that there's never really been a case where the hood part of the cloak looks even remotely good. The hood always fails to convey the same sense of "weight" that a real hood would (obviously due to the scale of the figure I realize) so I was wondering if Hasbro would ever do something similar to the Sideshow 12" Darth Maul figure where the hood has a small wire running inside it that lets you shape the hood to look as it does in the movie? If not that idea, then what about using a plastic head/hood combined with soft goods for the rest of the body (you did this with the TPM Darth Maul figure that came with the Sith Attack Speeder for e xample).
That is an interesting idea. We agree that the hood is a challenge to get it to look realistic in 3-3/4" scale, and we are looking for ways to make cloaks even better in a general sense for display purposes. One thing
we are looking at is exploring wire for cloak hems on a few of our upcoming figures (Kit Fiso in the upcoming Wal-Mart exclusive Droid Factory packs is one of them). If the results are good, we will see if it offers a solution to help the hood keep shape.
Will the VotC Lando sculpt ever be updated with ball-jointed elbows? I was more than a little disappointed when after years of waiting for Hasbro to make a Smuggler Lando from TESB, that the figure ended up just being a minor retool of the VotC mold given that the swivel elbows design meant an inability for the arms to be posed straight and more natural. Will we ever see a better Smuggler Lando if the mold itself does get better elbows, say in a Battlepack or as part of a Saga Legends release?
Along those same lines, have you ever considered using the Battlepacks or Saga Legends line as a way to re-release older figures with minor but new SA updates to make the figure more appealing to collectors who may already have that figure? For example, a RotS Aayla Secura or RotS Shaak-Ti but with ball-jointed elbows (since the swivel or fixed elbows were the only real flaw when these figures were originally released) or a taller 41st Elite trooper? ; You mentioned that we are finally getting an "upgraded" SA Bacara in the upcoming Mygeeto battlepack for example. In all cases, these would be figures that you have 90% of the tooling for but with just a small added cost to update the tooling you'd be able to sell that figure again to those of us who want the real "ultimate" version of that character with the best articulation.
Battlepacks are a great format for getting to some characters that we would not probably otherwise update, but it is on a scene-by-scene basis. With some battlepacks we look to make them all new in some way, or leave them alone. Saga Legends will remain a line where the figures will be pretty much unchanged from their earlier form unless there is an updated body we can use (such as the 501st trooper migrated to an SA body). Now, specifically on Lando, we just did this figure last year, so we don't have any plans to go back to him any time soon. If someday we do update the VOTC Han body, then you can be sure it will be playing in the back of our heads that there is a future Lando upgrade waiting. In the meantime, we really enjoy Smuggler Lando as a figure who was long overdue, in our opinion.
The Mighty Muggs line has certainly been a welcome addition to the Hasbro stable for those of us who dig vinyl toys (especially those into collecting Biskup, Kozik, Brian Flynn etc). However, given that the body shape is generic and that two of the most beloved Star Wars characters - Yoda and R2 - don't fit the dimensions, do you plan to represent them in this line by some other means? Or should we just accept that some icons won't make the Mighty Muggs concept?
Yoda will in fact be seeing some Mighty Mugg love, in a form to be announced later this year. However, we still have not decided what to do with R2. As the series continues (and the response has been great thus far, so we are hopeful for a long run), you can be sure we will look for ways to get R2 (and his other Astromech stablemates) in there.
A few fan sites have been touting alleged pics of the rumoured Millennium Falcon re-do. Do pics exist? Can we see them? Is this just wishful fan-boy thinking - or is the product actually in development / production?
The pics that we could see - all based on wishful thinking - were of previous model kits or Code 3 product. We have not done anything to encourage hope that a new Millennium Falcon is in the works.
We haven't seen the Indy line at retail yet, and already interest is focusing beyond your initial offerings - specifically on vehicles. The 'Last Crusade Tank' and 'Raider's Flying Wing' - are these something you've considered producing?
We are indeed considering the Flying Wing for the vehicle line and are looking at whether it can be done in our $19.99 assortment (if we did it, it would be in '09 at the earliest). However, the Tank is just too big to do in our $19.99 vehicle line. As we don't have another, higher priced assortment in the IJ line, this one will have to be a "wait and see" based on the response to the IJ line, and possibly tied to future movies if we can't get it done for this one. The entire IJ line will have a shelf-date of 5/1.
To be continued.
Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.
Gold 5
War Room Staff
Jedi Council Member
Karma: +25/-1
Posts: 1682
Stay on target!
Re: Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008
Reply #3 on:
April 07, 2008, 11:41:03 PM »
Hasbro Q&A Roundup - Week of April 4th, 2008 - Part 4
Dear Hasbro, in the forth coming Indiana Jones vehicles (which i might add are brilliant), you have made the inserts of the boxes into pull-out cardboard dioramas and crates. Is their any chance that you could do this for the Star Wars line since you will not produce stand alone playsets? Death Star corridors and Hoth hangars etc would be great.
We have looked at this, but it's not so easy to do for Star Wars since this comes with an added cost that has not been factored into the continuing Star Wars vehicle line. When possible, we will look at the feasibility.
I recently purchased the Force Unleashed Jump Trooper and I understand why you didn't make his new gun and gave him an existing similar gun, but on the cardback it shows him with a jetpack on and even mentions it in the description; so why did you make a jump trooper without a jetpack - the main requirement for his expertise?
We try very hard to create product that accurately relates to the SW fantasy and with the highest levels of authenticity and detail. But, the development timelines for the video game are much more fluid than our product development schedule and we were using the best reference we had at the time (which was supplied by LFL) to create the figures. The reason he does not have the correct gun and jet pack is because those were added to the game after we had the product designed, sculpted, and released for tooling. We were however able to match the package copy and images on the package to match the game because these type of changes can happen very late in our development process where as the actual product can not change because of the time needed for tooling and ramp-up time on production capacities.
Dear Hasbro, for several weeks now there have been a couple images floating around of a Stormtrooper Commander (an OT-style Stormtrooper with blue markings) from THE FORCE UNLEASHED line. According to the figure backer card, there is no number indicating that it is part of the basic figure series. Is this a store exclusive item? If so where/when will it be available?
This figure, a Stormtrooper Commander, will indeed be released as part of an upcoming promotion dealing with The Force Unleashed. As the game was delayed, so too was the promotion. Details have still yet to be announced or finalized, but the figure should be out around the time the game is released.
More to come.
Stabilize your rear deflectors. Watch for enemy fighters.
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When your lower back is achy and sore, everything you do -- from reaching into a kitchen cabinet to bending over to pet the dog -- can trigger an excruciating jolt of pain. At that time, it may feel as if nothing is more important than finding relief. Medications, like the ones listed in this guide, may help. But they should be used along with exercise and physical therapy for effective pain relief.
If you are considering medications to relieve your pain -- especially chronic back pain -- it's also important to consider their risks and side effects. Certain drugs for low back pain may also interact with other medications you are taking. So, carefully weigh your options with your doctor when choosing medication.
Over-the-Counter Pain Relievers
People with lower back pain often try over-the-counter pain relievers first.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs ( NSAIDs) -- including aspirin, naproxen sodium ( Aleve, Naprosyn), and ibuprofen ( Advil, Motrin) -- are among the most commonly used pain relievers. They work about equally well to improve mild inflammation, swelling, and lower back pain. Although NSAIDs are reasonably safe medications, it is important that you are aware of potential side effects. NSAIDs are safest when low doses are taken for brief periods. Side effects most commonly occur if you are taking large doses over a prolonged time (months or years) and can include stomach pain, bleeding, and stomach ulcers.
Naproxen and ibuprofen and certain other prescription NSAIDs may increase the risk of heart attack or stroke in people who take them for a long time or in people with heart disease. You should see your doctor before taking NSAIDs for longer than 10 days.
Acetaminophen (Actamin, Panadol, Tylenol) is not an NSAID, but it can help with pain and doesn't raise the risk of stomach problems like NSAIDs do. However, taking more than the recommended amount of acetaminophen can cause liver damage, especially if you have underlying liver disease. So it's important not to take more than the dose recommended on the package. If you have liver disease, check with your doctor before taking acetaminophen.


text:
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Michelle Lynne Morris of Port Richmond and Paul J. Zito of Tottenville have announced their engagement.
The future bride is the daughter of Wayne Morris of Marlboro, N.J. and the late Regina Morris. She is the stepdaughter of the late Sharon DePaolo-Morris. The bridegroom-to-be is the son of Angela and Paul Zito Sr. of Annadale.
Miss Morris is a graduate of New Dorp High School. She earned a bachelor of arts degree in science, letters and society, with a concentration in elementary education, from the College of Staten Island, where she also earned a master of arts degree in elementary education. She is a fifth-grade teacher with PS 188, Brooklyn.
Mr. Zito is a graduate of Tottenville High School and attended the College of Staten Island. He is a detective with the city Police Department's K-9 Narcotics Unit.
A November wedding is being planned.


text:
According to her promotional flyer, Guobadia offers insight into Greek ritual, and says that tearing a person down or using ridicule and violence to make them feel they are part of a special community a life-long bond cannot build a life-long bond. The workshop is free and open to all college students and the general public. For more information call Hermine Jones at (504) 816-4837 or go to www.dillard.edu or campuspeak.com/guobadia.
Guobadia is the Director for Fraternity and Sorority Life at the University of North Carolina where she advises 33 fraternities and sororities.
The Saturday Science Academy (SSA) enrolls 200 students from grades 2-8 who are divided into two clusters by grade level for a 10-week program. The Academcy starts Oct. 1, 2016 and ends Dec 10, 2016. Classes run from 9 a.m. to Noon.
The SSA grants minority students access to potential careers in science and engineering. The project helps develop skills in the creative expression of scientific and mathematical ideas. It also provides activities in the technical use of computer to hone quantitative and analytical problem solving skills and also exposes students to the scientific method in a laboratory setting where discovery and heuristic methods are used in observing, classifying and analyzing physical phenomena.
The program also motivates and develops positive attitudes towards science, mathematics and engineering through direct exposure to role models; and improves precision and power in oral and written communication skills. Students will establish coalitions between Dillard University and community organizations including the church to form a broad-based approach to solving problems associated with having few minorities working in science and technology fields.
Apply here, then contact Dr. Ruby Broadway at (504) 816-4725.
The Daughters of Charity held a ribbon cutting and dedication of its newest center located in the Student Union on Dillard's campus Wednesday, Aug. 27. President Kimbrough, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, Councilman Jared Brossett (District D), New Orleans Health Department Director Charlotte Parent, other elected officials, health care providers, and members of the Gentilly community were in attendance.
The center, which is the Gentilly location, is accessed from 100 Warrington Drive.
According to Michael G. Griffin, president and CEO of Daughters of Charity, and former member of Dillard's Board of Trustees, the opening of a health center at the University had always been part of Dillard's vision in rebuilding the campus after Hurricane Katrina.
Until now, there was no full-service primary health care facility in the area. The Daughters of Charity Health Center provides women's health (OB/GYN and prenatal services), primary care for children, adults and seniors, as well as dental services and behavioral health services.
Daughters of Charity Health Center in Gentilly is open to all members of the community Monday through Friday between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. The health care facility accepts most private insurances, Medicaid, Medicare and the Greater New Orleans Community Health Connection (GNOCHC). A sliding fee scale also is available, as well as low-cost medications through a pharmacy assistance program for those who qualify.
(New Orleans), LA – Conservative Republican, economic activist, award-winning ballet soloist, and noted civil rights attorney - Dillard University's 2014 Brain Food Lecture Series promises to serve up a savory array of speakers guaranteed to feed the intellectual appetite of all who attend.
On Thursday, Sept. 18, 2014, Michael Steele, first African American Chairman of the Republican National Committee, will deliver the first lecture in Georges Auditorium at 7 p.m. on Dillard's campus. The event is free and open to the public.
Steele is recognized as an African American conservative Republican and has achieved unprecedented success in the political arena. He made history in 2003 when he was elected Lieutenant Governor of Maryland and again in 2009 as Chairman of the Republican National Committee (RNC), a position he held until 2011. During his tenure as lieutenant governor, Steele worked to reform the state's Minority Business Enterprise Program and chaired the Governor's Commission on Quality Education.
As RNC Chairman, he led the party in record-setting fundraising and won more seats at the federal, state, and local levels since 1928. He is president and CEO of The Steele Group and co-founder of Purple Nation Solutions, a D.C.-based strategic communications and public affairs firm. Among other positions, Steele has served as Chairman of GOPAC, held posts on the National Federal Election Reform Commission and the NAACP Blue Ribbon Commission on Election Reform.
Steele is a Political Analyst for MSNBC and has appeared as a contributor on a number of national broadcast media including Fox News and the Salem Radio Network's Morning in America Show. He has also been a guest on cable talk shows such as HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher and Comedy Central's The Colbert Report.
As an author and writer, Steele writes a regular column for The Root and BET, and has articles that have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times, and The Journal of International Security Affairs, to name a few.
Released in 2010, his book, Right Now: A 12-Step Program for Defeating the Obama Agenda, focuses on denouncing overall policies of the current administration and offering conservative solutions.
Steele received a bachelor's degree in international studies from Johns Hopkins and earned his law degree from Georgetown University Law Center.
Upcoming lectures:
Oct. 14 – Maggie Anderson,
Author of Our Black Year and Founder of the Empowerment Experiment
Nov. 11 – Misty Copeland
Phenomenal ballet soloist with the American Ballet Theater
Author of Life in Motion
Dec. 2 – Revius Ortique Lecture on Law and Society – Benjamin Crump
Noted civil rights attorney; represented Trayvon Martin's family and currently representing
family of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri
Jan. 26, 2015 – Jason L. Riley
Author of Please Stop Helping Us: How Liberals Make it Harder for Blacks to Succeed
Seats are on a first come basis. For more information go to @BrainFood, visit www.dillard.edu/brainfood or call 504.816.4800.
NEW ORLEANS, LA – Dillard University will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its Upward Bound Program during a breakfast on Saturday, September 20 at 10 a.m. in the Student Union. Founded in 1964, Dillard's Upward Bound Program is one of 17 pilot programs in the country and is the first in Louisiana. Upward Bound is a Federal TRIO Program and was initially created as part of President Lyndon Johnson's "War on Poverty," to assist students of color and low-income white students in attaining a college education.
The breakfast will feature graduates of Dillard's Upward Bound program as well as the first director, Ms. Adrienne Tervalon, who will be honored along with Dr. Camacia Smith-Ross, who spearheaded the program after Hurricane Katrina.
Dr. Monique G. Cola, alumna of Dillard's Upward Bound Program and assistant to vice chancellor of student affairs/executive dean at Delgado Community College is the keynote speaker. Prior to her position at Delgado, Cola served as Director of the Biology Resource Center at Xavier University. She also served as the first African American faculty member in Tulane University's Neuroscience Program. While at Tulane she taught the Neuroanatomy Laboratory for the Neuroscience Graduate Program and a course on the "Brain and Behavior." As a neuroanatomist, Cola has done clinical research using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) to measure regions of the brain in Alzheimer's disease (AD), stroke, and healthy controls to better understand how dysfunctions in the brain occur.
As the only black female neuroscientists in Louisiana, Cola says her personal endeavor is to expose underrepresented minority students to careers in the sciences. "My goal is to eliminate the illusion that only the best and brightest can do science, " she said. " I want to demonstrate that scientists can be normal warm-blooded people from backgrounds and circumstances similar to theirs." Cola is known affectionately by local high school students for her "brain in the bucket" workshops from laboratory demonstrations she has done for budding STEM students. Her awards include the prestigious Neuroscience Fellowship by the American Psychological Association (2005) and her selection in 2008 as a scholar by the African American Mental Health Research Scientist Consortium. Cola has also co-published a number of scientific articles that have appeared in the Journal of Comparative Neurology. Cola received a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Tulane University; a M.S. degree in Pathology from Louisiana State University; and her B.A. in Biology and Chemistry (double major) from Pitzer College in Claremont, Calif.
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text:
|[TowerTalk] Tri-Ex Tower
|email@example.com (Rick Stoneking)
|Mon Jun 2 13:28:42 2003
Tri-Ex is no longer in business. You might be able to get the information you need from Karl Tashjian of Tashjian Towers in CA. www.karltashjian.com. They support some of the Tri-Ex line. Good luck, Rick W2RDS At 05:37 PM 5/31/03 -0500, David Vondrasek wrote: >Where can I find information, specs on a Tri-Ex 40 foot crank up. That's >all the guys knows about it. Im looking to see if it will fitmy needs.. >Can't find a website for tri-ex towers anywhere. > >Thanks > >_______________________________________________ > >See: http://www.mscomputer.com for "Self Supporting Towers", "Wireless >Weather Stations", and lot's more. Call Toll Free, 1-800-333-9041 with >any questions and ask for Sherman, W2FLA. > >_______________________________________________ >TowerTalk mailing list >firstname.lastname@example.com >http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/towertalk
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text:
This report comes directly from the New Orleans Police Department's Major Offense Log for 6 a.m. Monday through 6 a.m. Tuesday.
Armed Robbery (Gun)
21:55 hrs.
8300 blk Zimple Street
Victims: 1) Female DOB 10/1/53
2) Male DOB 3/18/79
Gist: Victims were approached by an unknown male armed with a gun demanding money. The victims complied and the perpetrator left, fleeing with a cell phone and cash.
Aggravated Battery (Cutting)
22:38 hrs.
14200 blk Chef Menteur Hwy.
Victim: Male DOB 2/27/70
Perpetrator: Phu Ngo DOB 11/20/72
Gist: Victim was trying to break up a physical altercation with the perpetrator and another subject. The victim was accidentally cut on the neck with a broken beer bottle and was transported to Interim LSU Public Hospital in stable condition. His injury is non-life-threatening.
Aggravated Battery (Cutting)
23:10 hrs.
1900 blk Piety Street
Victim: Male DOB 7/13/91
Perpetrator: Kia Harris DOB 3/29/93
Gist: Victim and perpetrator were involved in a verbal altercation when she stabbed him in the left thumb with a utility knife. The victim was transported to Tulane Medical Center and the perpetrator was arrested.
Armed Robbery (Gun)
00:20 hrs.
900 blk Second Street
Victim: Male DOB 2/16/85
Gist: Victim was approached by two unknown males, one armed with a black semi-automatic weapon demanding money and property. The victim complied and the perpetrators fled in an unknown direction.
Aggravated Battery (Stabbing)
02:50 hrs.
2000 blk A P Tureaud
Victim: Male DOB 10/16/87
Gist: Victim was breaking up a fight when he was stabbed in the right arm, the left arm, the top of his head, and in between his fingers. He was brought to Interim LSU Public Hospital by private conveyance with non-life-threatening injuries.
Armed Robbery (Gun)
04:10 hrs.
5700 blk Crowder Blvd.
Victim: Female DOB 10/4/90
Gist: Victim was approached by two unknown males. One of the males pointed a gun to the victim's head and took her purse.


text: So i was just wondering what does everyone think of different training techniques? like do you prefer topping or FIMing? and do you recommend SOG or such and what everyone thinks about there favorite techniques. here's a list of different techniques and how there done. NOTE*: Copied from Highgrade-Seeds Forums/Blacky! I take no credit for this piece of literature. LIGHT BENDING Light bending occurs when a plant grows at an angle toward the light. You may have noticed plants on the perimeter of your grow area bending toward the light to try and get their share. If your plants bend too much they will eventually grow toward or even into another plant and block other plants from the light. Also, during flowering the buds will become heavy and may cause plants to fall over. A simple way to avoid light bending in an indoor grow environment, is to simply switch your plants around. If a plant leans too much in one direction, then move it toward the middle of the grow space or turn the plant around. It only takes a day or two for the plant to straighten. If your plants can't be easily moved, as is the case with hydroponic setups and outdoor gardens, then you may have to tie your plants so they don't bend. If you are growing outdoors and have a major problem with light bending you may have to cut away surrounding foliage to allow more light to reach your plants. If this is not possible, try using thread and small stakes, such as bamboo, to keep your plants upright. Remember: if your plants are bending they are trying to tell you that they need more direct light. PRUNING FOR YIELD Pruning is the action of manipulating the number of node regions (potential bud sites) that your plant creates and has nothing to do with the thinning process. Cutting a plant at the stem will automatically result in Hopping'. For this reason, plants that are thinned via cutting will end up growing more than one top cola. Topping is discussed in the next section. This section covers pruning to increase yield. By using stakes you can also control and separate branch growth after pruning. Prune cuts are made using clippers held at a 45-degree angle to tbe shoot being cut. For every stem or branch that you prune, the cut area will develop two more branches.This process is natural: just look at any tree to see how the stem divides into branches which sub-bivide into more branches which divide into new shoots and leaves. Marijuana plants grow branches out from the stem. Any filling out occurs when new leaves and branches develop at the node regions. Some of these branches may develop new shoots, but these are somewhat smaller and thinner and don't support as much bud growth. If you prune your plant 0you can make it more like the example of the tree. If you learn to prune your plant properly you can produce small bushy Sativa plants that grow in tiny spaces. Without pruning, a Sativa plant can stretch to five feet or more. Keep in mind that there is a limit to how much you can prune a marijuana plant. If you prune the stem, it will split in two. You can prune both of these new stems and end up with four stems. You can 0000to prune each of these four stems to create eight stems, but results will depend on the strain and its genetically predetermined branching limit. You might be able to prune some of the lateral branches, but again, if the plant has reached its threshold it will not produce more branches. All strains are different in this respect. TOPPING Some marijuana growers will take a pair of clippers to the top of their plant just above the last branch formation during the third or fourth week of vegetative growth. The top is removed by shearing it away at the stem. What happens next is that the main stem splits off in two or more directions, creating a V-shape at the top of your plant. The end result after flowering is two or more top colas instead of one. Now, two top colas instead of one does sound appealing and some growers have even managed to force a plant to grow more than six top colas using this method. Unfortunately this topping method of pruning doesn't always lead to better results. Depending on the strain and the growing environment, the 'topped' plant may produce two small top colas instead of two big ones. Also, each strain has a threshold for bud production that cannot be improved upon because it is a genetically predetermined factor. On the other hand, some plants when fully grown without topping do not reach their threshold. The strain Blueberry is a good example of this. If you grow Blueberry without topping you won't achieve maximum bud production from that plant, but if you top the Blueberry, you will. Other strains aren't so flexible and the two top colas will simply share the same volume of bud that a single cola would have produced on the same strain. It's advised that you keep in mind that pruning for yield using the topping method is strain-dependent and experiment carefully with this pruning method. Do this with 2 out of 10 plants in every grow. You'll find in time that during this vegetative prune you will be able to shape your plant. Plants are generally pruned three to four weeks into their vegetative cycle, but can be pruned sooner or later or more than once. Pruning during flowering is not advised as the plant will be forced to divert its energy from bud production into branch and leaf production. This results in a slower rate of bud growth. For optimal growth finish your pruning well before flowering. FIM Technique There is a topping method known as the FIM technique. If you push the leaves apart at the very top of the plant you should see a small bud (not flowering bud but an actually leaf bud). Use a pair of nail clippers to pinch off about 3/4 of the bud. This should result in more than two top colas being developed. In a single FIM clipping you can produce up to eight new top colas. The origins of this technique are humorous. As the story goes, FIM was discovered accidentally when a grower messed up a topping exercise. FIM stands for: "f**k I Missed". Super Cropping Technique Another method of topping is called Super Cropping'. By taking a branch between your forefinger and thumb you can gently crush the branch, causing it to develop multiple branches above the crushed area. You must crush it on the correct side or risk breaking the branch. Just squeeze lightly until you feel the branch give, then let go. If it gives easily then you have crushed it on the correct side. If it is hard to crush and the branch splits then you have chosen the wrong side. Practice makes perfect with Super Cropping. Super Cropping should be carried out during the second or third week of vegetative growth and does stunt the plant. You should also note that plants that are Super Cropped can remain in the vegetative growth stage for twice as long as normal but the end result is a very bushy plant with multiple node regions that should all produce bud. Many growers have thrown Super Cropped plants away because they believed that the plants were not flowering in time. If you Super Crop your plants make sure that you have the patience to wait until the process is finished which usually about four to six more weeks of vegetative growth. HOW TO MAKE CANNABIS BUSHES Some people prefer their plants small and wide. Fortunately for them, making cannabis bushes is a simple process. During the third week of vegetative growth prune half the plant's branches. Cannabis plants need at least 50 percent of their leaves in order to continue growing without experiencing fatal stunting problems. If you prune off more than 50 percent of their leaves, you may end up killing your plants.* Do not prune only one side of the plant; prune both sides to achieve the 50 percent. You may also prune the main top cola if you want to split it into two or more parts. If the prune cuts you previously made grow new branches and leaves, you may wait until the fourth or fifth week of vegetative growth and prune again, leaving 50 percent growth. During the seventh week of vegetative growth you'll notice that your plant has started to grow outward more than upward. Let's say you have a plant with eight shoots. That means it is four nodes high. You prune the plant and end up with 16 shoots, but the plant is still only four nodes high. Now this does not mean that you can keep doubling shoots forever. Pruning merely pushes the plant to grow all of its shoots early. If you keep pruning a plant that is four nodes high until the eighth week of vegetative growth, the greatest number of shoots you will get will be about 32. Most marijuana plants will not grow much beyond this factor, but again this is strain-dependent. Now each new shoot has a junction point or a node that it grew from and each node should produce bud during the flowering stages. It is possible to create a marijuana plant that droops over the sides, completely concealing its own pot. With the right strain, it is also possible to have a single plant spread over an entire 6x6 foot space using this method. Creating cannabis bushes usually requires a few additional weeks of vegetative growth. TRAINING Training simply means tying down your plant's main stem so that it grows in an S-shaped pattern. You can also train your plants to bend into other shapes but the S-shape is the most common. Training is mainly used to prevent plants from reaching their natural vertical height without pruning, although you can also prune trained plants without a problem. Training does not stop your plants from growing to their natural height but instead promotes horizontal instead of vertical growth. You can also prune trained plants if you want but most growers just rely on the training to achieving optimal results. Training is accomplished by bending the plant over, attaching a piece of thread to the stem and securing the thread to either another part of the stem or another plant or object. By tightening the thread bit-by-bit, day-by-day, you can successfully bend your plants without causing them undo stress. Fishing line works very well in cannabis plant training. Some of the threading may be located very close to your lighting and heat can cause some threads to snap or even burn. Fishing line works best because it is one of the most durable and heat-resistant filaments you can buy. Make sure not to tie your line too tightly around the stem or you could end up cutting into it and causing plant stress, topping it or even killing it. People have managed to grow plants of all sorts of shapes using this method from corkscrews to full circles. Some growers even like to grow their plants horizontally during the vegetative growth stage with just a single 90-degree bend at the base of the plant. When done correctly with the right strain, training can lead to excellent overall bud production. If a stem breaks during training, simply hold it in place using a stake/stick and bind it with cheesecloth or a porous cloth bandage wrap.There are many types of plant waxes that you can buy from gardening stores to help close the wound. If you do not have a wax, applying honey to the wound also helps. Honey has healing properties that help rejuvenate plant wounds but must be carefully examined every day for fungi development on the honey-treated area. Watch for any new growth at the break area and trim these away, because they will try to break away the upper part of the stem, effectively topping your plant. It is not uncommon to find roots trying to grow out from a damaged area although the high percentage of air outside of the break zone will prevent the roots from growing much more. CLONING Cloning is a simple method of replicating your plants. In most cases a clone is taken from a mother plant and grown into a new plant that contains the exact same genetic code as its mother plant. In a selection of 30 seeds you may find a nice mother plant that you wish to keep. You can sustain and keep using her genetic profile indefinitely through cloning. Any cannabis plant can be cloned once it's been grown to a certain height and has developed a number of node regions. The best place to take a cutting for cloning is above a node that has at least two nodes above it. The smallest cuttings on average are three inches in length. Once the cutting has been taken it is placed in the growing medium and should form new roots over the next one to three weeks. One hundred and twenty clones rooted in rockwool! Cloning straight to soil can have a low success rate and is very dependent on the type pf soil that you are using. Use the wrong soil and the clone will fail quickly. The best soil for cloning is a standard loam type with an even N PK ratio. Avoid using seedling or cutting soils as most of these have added hormones and nutrients that are not suitable for cannabis or cannabis cuttings. Cloning in water also has a low success rate because the roots need air to breath once they have developed. If they remain submerged, the cuttings will eventually die. In water cloning, the cutting needs to be transferred to another medium, such as soil, rockwool or a hydroponics system. This means that the clone will have to move through a number of mediums before finally being transplanted to the main growing environment. Multiple transplants can lead to stress and the overall success rate can decrease because of this. Some advanced growers like to use an aero cloning kit that acts like a miniature aeroponics systems for the propagation of clones.These systems can be expensive, however, and tend to require a lot of practice before getting cuttings to successfully root in the system. In order to increase your success rate with cloning you may wish to purchase a rooting solution, which can be bought from most grow shops. Make sure you that use a clean instrument, or better yet a sterile instrument, when you make your cut. Try to take a piece of stem of no more than three inches between the cut zone and the next node level. The longer this section is, the more difficulty the cutting will have in the uptake of water and nutrients it needs to grow and produce roots. Take the cutting and dip the cut area into the rooting solution before placing it into the medium. Make sure that you close any holes where the cutting may have punctured the medium to prevent air from reaching the cut zone, which can stunt root growth. Do this by simply filling in any gaps with little pieces of the medium. Clones don't need much light to root. Try to avoid using the bigger grow bulbs for cloning as this can be a waste of electricity and bulb life. A simple window with some outdoor light is all you will need for the clone to root. Many people use fluorescent lights for clones. When the clone takes root in the rockwool you will see the roots jut out from the sides of the cube. It is best to keep the cube size small so that you can observe the roots' progress. A two-inch squared cube is ideal for rooting cuttings. Any bigger and it will take longer for the roots to grow outside of the cube. When they do the clone should be transferred to its new grow medium: soil, hydroponics or aeroponics. This is the most successful way of producing clones. The great thing about cloning is that you can create hundreds of female plants from a single mother. Clones also flower more quickly and you know what you are getting in the end because you have already seen, smoked and grown the plant that the clone was taken from. Two labeled trays of fresh clones. After a few days of rooting the clones will look more vigorous. Although you can take clones at any time during the plant's life it is best to do so during the vegetative stage of growth. Clones carry the same age as the parent plant. Some clones used by seed-bank breeders are actually more than a decade old. They have been propagated for years and years by constantly taking cuttings from clones and then taking further cuttings from these cuttings. If you take a cutting a week before the plant is mature enough to display sex then the cutting should only need a week after rooting before it is able to flower. If you take a cutting during flowering the clone should be able to flower right away after it has rooted. If you want to revert a cutting from flowering to vegetative growth simply keep the cutting under 24 hours of light and clip away any calyx or flower formations that appear. After a short time under constant light, the cutting will revert to vegetative growth; however any manipulation of the photoperiod will throw the plant back into flowering almost instantly. Clones that are taken from a plant during vegetative growth are much easier to control than clones that are taken from a flowering plant. That is why we generally take clones during the third or forth week of vegetative growth. Growers can use cloning hormones or rooting hormones, which come in two main formats: powders and gels. Powder hormones are generally used for cloning in soil. The powder is tapped into a small hole in the soil and the cutting is placed into this hole. A small amount of the powder is then added to surface of the soil so that, with successive watering, the powder will seep down into the soil and promote root growth. Rooting gels are much better because they act as a seal, preventing air from reaching the cut zone. In addition, gels are not water soluble, whereas powders tend to be.This means that gels have a longer lifespan than powders. A proper rooting hormone should contain the vitamin Bl (Thiamine). As an experiment, cut some roots from a test plant and place half of the 'dead' roots into a solution of water and the other half into a solution of water and vitamin Bl.The roots in water with added thiamine will continue to grow for quite some time, while the roots in the plain water solution will die. The time it takes to root a clone depends on the strain and the cloning method used. Some strains, like Blueberry, are notoriously hard to clone. Others are much easier. On average it takes about a week and half for a clone to develop a root mass suitable for transplantation. Do not be surprised if you find that it takes a set of clones more than three weeks to develop a root mass.The best way to tell whether or not your clones are rooting properly is to clone in batches from the same strain. If some of the clones do not develop a root mass after the others have, chances are that these clones have failed to root.Take one of the clones without any obvious root mass from the medium and pull it up to check for roots. If none have developed then the cutting has failed to root and should be discarded.


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The Albion College men's golf team defeated Kalamazoo College, 41.5 to 30.5, in a unique match play event on a blustery day at College Fields Golf Club in Okemos.
The front nine matched four, two-man teams competing for one point per hole in a scramble format, while the back nine was two-man alternate shot. Jake Bloom, Taylor DesEnfants, and
Drew White were undefeated on the day.
The Britons return to action Wednesday when they play in the Eddy Invitational on the campus of Trine University.
Bloom-Margolis (A) d. Reichle-John (K) 6-3
Brooks-Koaches (A) d. Manski-Ziberi (K) 5-4
DesEnfants-White (A) d. Vizulis-Dueweke (K) 5-4
Bloomfield-Schultz (K) d. Gaudette-Albright (A) 5-4
Reichle-Manski (K) d. Brooks-Margolis (A) 5-4
Ziberi-Vizulis (K) d. Archer-Koaches (A) 5-4
Bloom-Mills (A) d. John-Bloomfield (K) 6-3
DesEnfants-White (A) d. Dueweke-Schultz (K) 7.5-1.5


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I came to Dr. Bandy's office for breast augmentation surgery. I wanted to improve the appearance of my breasts and to increase my self-confidence. My goal was to increase the size, while maintaining a natural look. Words can not adequately express how pleased I am of the outcome. The pros of the... READ MORE


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Colgate's long history of strong performance comes from absolute focus on
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successful worldwide financial strategy. Around the world, Colgate has
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Colgate managers around the world are dedicated to increasing market shares in all our core businesses. Colgate has achieved global leadership in toothpaste, hand dishwashing liquid, liquid hand soap and specialty pet food.
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I am new to combustion. Im having trouble getting nice shadows in my composite. I have an object sitting in front of an image with a g buffer builder operator and it is understanding z depth and creating shadows nicely....but in the foreground I have these strange posterized sort of lines....I have a gut instinct that there is something wrong with my zbuffer or normal channels but I dont know enough to pinpoint the issue and the files themselves look fine....
any ideas what I might be doing wrong? Oh one more thing - the issue does not really occur with a distant light, only with point, or target light


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A Tennessee man who fled to the Philippines to avoid prosecution has been convicted on five counts of selling unregistered securities by a Coffee County jury, the Alabama Securities Commission said.
Scott Alan Frye, formerly of Knoxville, is being held in the Coffee County Jail and awaits sentencing, the securities commission said. Frye also faces 74 counts of securities law violations in Jefferson County.
Frye fled to the Philippines after a Coffee County grand jury returned a five-count indictment against him in November 2005, the commission said. He was arrested in the Philippines by authorities in October 2009 and extradited to Alabama a year ago.
Evidence shows Frye got access to deferred compensation accounts of Century 21 agents and obtained $44,500 through loans taken out against the plan. He used the money to purchase notes in a land development without the agents' knowledge, the commission said.


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DAPHNE, Alabama -- Though officials hoped the project would be done by mid-September, work now is expected to be completed by Oct. 22 on the city's new roundabout at the intersection of Whispering Pines and Pollard roads.
Over the weekend, workers removed the four stop signs that had been erected six weeks ago, before construction began, at the circle's four entry points. The stop signs were replaced by yield signs, said Daphne Public Works Director Richard Johnson.
The four yield signs were ordered before construction began and just arrived last week, he said.
Using the stop signs was "the only solution to have it open when we didn't have the yield signs yet. We were treating it as basically a fancy four-way stop," Johnson said.
The stop signs were a source of frustration because they forced drivers to stop before entering the roundabout, interrupting the intersection's intended smooth flow and confusing those unaccustomed to such intersections, city officials said.
"Now, the roundabout can function the way it was intended," Johnson said.
The $282,000 roundabout is part of a $650,000 city project awarded this summer to M.C. Williams Contracting Co. of Mobile to resurface the section of Whispering Pines Road from Pollard Road to Baldwin County 13. The rest of the project is essentially complete, he said.
On Saturday, the contractor successfully finished pouring a reinforced concrete apron along the inside edge of the roundabout's central circle, Johnson said. The apron spans 15 feet, measured from the circle's edge toward its center.
The space in the middle, which is now only red clay, will be covered with sod sometime in the next few weeks, Johnson said.
A few more items must be completed, including "some curbing to do on the corner adjacent to the Park at Whispering Pines apartments," Johnson said. But all should be finished by the contractor's Oct. 22 deadline, he said.
Roundabouts have been a subject of controversy in Mobile and Fairhope. Plans for Daphne's roundabout, however, were approved by the council last year with little public discussion.
The construction of Mobile County's first roundabout, at Airport Boulevard Connector and Grelot Road, began this summer. In 2008, Fairhope's plans to construct a traffic circle at Ala. 104 and Section Street were abandoned because of public opposition.
A roundabout was chosen for the Whispering Pines-Pollard Road intersection because it was the cheaper option, city officials said.
A standard intersection with a traffic light would have cost the city about $535,000 -- roughly $253,000 more than the cost of the roundabout, said Scott Hutchinson with the city's engineering firm Hutchinson, Moore and Rauch.
Before construction began, the intersection was a four-way stop with a flashing light.
Resurfacing Whispering Pines and other city roads was a prominent issue during the 2008 mayoral and council elections.
The City Council voted last month to seek bids from contractors on the second phase of the project, which will resurface Whispering Pines from Pollard Road to U.S. 98 at an estimated cost of $359,000. It is one of five road-paving projects the council is considering for 2011 together costing an estimated $3.5 million.
One proposal entails resurfacing the 2.1-mile south section of Ridgewood Drive from Lawson Road to Bay View Drive at an estimated $2.3 million -- a project long sought by several Lake Forest subdivision residents.


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Authorities say they're looking for a registered sex offender who escaped from a work release facility in Davenport.
The state Department of Corrections says 29-year-old Randy Paul Doss was placed on escape status Tuesday after he failed to return to the facility from an authorized appointment to update his sex offender registry status.
Officials described Doss as a "lifetime sex offender" under a special supervision sentence following the end of his sentence for third-degree sexual abuse. Additional information was not released.


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Newegg.com - A great place to buy computers, computer parts, electronics, software, accessories, and DVDs online. With great prices, fast shipping, and top-rated customer service - once you know, you Newegg.
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This review is from: PQI U822V 32GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model 6822-032GR3XXX
Pros: Worked well when it was functional.
Not quite USB 3.0 speeds but faster than 2.0.
Cons: Failed after two months use max. It is no longer recognized by any of the computers or OS's that it was tried on. Not recognized by Disk Utility. I read the reviews and took a gamble knowing it might fail. It's no surprise that it has received many more negative reviews since I purchased it. Heed everyone else's warning, do not purchase this item unless you like wasting your money.
Other Thoughts: Thought I found a decent deal, was ultimately deceived.READ FULL REVIEW


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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico -- The sign in above the scoreboard in Coliseo Roberto Clemente reads: BIENVENIDOS!
Following that cold, windy trip to Ames, Iowa on Sunday, Michigan is welcomed in San Juan.
And vice-versa.
The 14th-ranked Wolverines (2-1) open play in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Thursday against Long Beach State (1-3) -- a program with three straight Big West regular-season titles and a coach with a pedigree.
Long Beach enters Thursday riding three straight losses to Arizona, Loyola Marymount and Kansas State.
Michigan is here following a 77-70 loss at Iowa State.
Whichever team wins heads to a Friday semifinal against either No. 10 VCU or Florida State.
Of Michigan's 13 scholarship players, only senior forward Jordan Morgan and junior forward Jon Horford have played in a tournament similar to this -- the 2011 Maui Invitational. With three freshmen and five sophomores on scholarship, U-M ranks as the 11th-youngest team in the country by experience.
"It is going to be something new for them, but I think it speeds the learning curve even in victory or defeat," coach John Beilein said.
Playing three games in four days (Saturday is an off day) is nothing new. Between the experience of high school tournaments and AAU play, the freshmen will keep their legs.
There are, though, some oddities of these in-season, island-hopping tournaments that can't be replicated. Highly meaningful games will be played in mostly empty Coliseo Roberto Clemente (capacity 10,000) -- no bands, no students, no atmosphere. Beilein will be dressed like a cruise ship carouser instead of his typical high school math teacher ensemble. Time off the court is spent in resorts with tempting distractions.
But every team in the tournament (the other side of the bracket consists of Georgetown, Kansas State, Charlotte and Northeastern) combats those peculiarities.
Long Beach presents an interesting test. Not your average mid-major program, the 49ers annually play one of the most severe non-conference schedules in the nation. They are 2-9 against ranked opponents since 2010-11 under seventh-year head coach Dan Monson, the same coach who led Gonzaga to within a whisper of the 1999 Final Four.
Monson went 7-4 against Michigan as Minnesota head coach before being fired in 2006-07, seven games into his seventh season with the Gophers.
Monson and Long Beach are coming off an NCAA tournament appearance in 2012 and NIT berths in 2011 and 2013. This season the 49ers struggled to score against Arizona (57 points) and Kansas State (58), and are, all told, shooting 44.8 percent from the field. They fire at will from deep and, if they're falling, can hang with a team of Michigan's caliber. Against Arizona and K-State, Long Beach combined to shoot 11 of 44 (25.0 percent) from deep and was blown out.
"I don't think those two scores are indicative of who they are," Beilein said. "They've got back-to-back-to-back Big West championships, so they've got that culture in place."
The 49ers are led by junior forward Dan Jennings, a transfer from West Virginia, who is averaging 14.5 points and 12.0 rebounds, and junior guard Mike Caffey, who Beilein called, "A volume shooter that we need to keep from being a volume maker."
Caffey is averaging 16.3 points on 13.3 field-goal attempts per game.
Between Michigan and Long Beach, these are two teams that took inconvenient paths to Puerto Rico.
Beilein's boys flew from Ann Arbor to Ames, Iowa on Saturday, then back to Ann Arbor on Sunday night, to Atlanta on Tuesday night, and to San Juan on Wednesday morning.
Monson's men flew from Southern California to Manhattan, Kan., for a Saturday game, only to then travel here to San Juan.
It's another oddity of the Puerto Rico Tip-Off and tournaments like it.
The notable dynamic of this tournament is Michigan has the chance of playing Long Beach State, VCU and Georgetown over a four-day span. That's a lot of NCAA tournament implications transpiring 1,950 miles from campus in an empty gym named after a Puerto Rican baseball player.
But really, that's also the beauty of these tournaments.
"Over these three games I think you'll get a real indication -- a benchmark -- of where you are right now," Beilein said. "It will tell you a lot about your team's toughness, your resiliency, your talent level . A lot comes out of these … "
… most notably, one team with three wins.


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Beautiful Bed and Breakfast in a 4-story brownstone located in the Historical Clinton Hills-Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn.
Gordy is the master innovative innkeeper. Whenever he hosts me, I feel like I am at home whether sharing the space or having it all to myself.
Gordy was an excellent host from the very start. He made sure I had no difficulty finding the place, and he was there when I showed up to greet me and show me his place.
Gordy's house feels like a home away from home.
Beautiful Bed and Breakfast in a 4-story brownstone located in the Historical Clinton Hills-Bedford Stuyvesant area of Brooklyn.
Yellow Block offers New York City's premier short stay housing accommodations. It is conveniently located 20 minutes from Midtown Manhattan on the Subway. (G train to Bedford-Nostrand or the C Train to Franklin Avenue).
As its name suggests, Yellow Block boasts exposed brick walls painted a delicate yellow to offer a serene comfortable setting to suit your needs.
Breakfast is included in the nightly room rate. Vegetarian, Organic, Kosher, and Halal meal options are considered.
Gordy Jackson started the Yellow Block BnB simply because he enjoyed being a good host. He and his sons are best described as hardworking and honest. He has worked in the hospitality business since he was 14 years old, as a bus boy, dishwasher, valet car driver and ultimately in the kitchen in some of the most prestigious world acclaimed hotels of New York and the Catskills.
We offer a range of continental breakfast options for the duration of your stay. We buy our products from the local grocery store and make every effort to provide fresh fruit and tasty bites to kickstart the day. Breakfast is included in your room rate.


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PagePuppet™ CMS
Having a website that uses a CMS (Content Management System) is great. Most of the changes that you're likely to make on a regular basis are things you can do yourself, without having to call a designer or programmer. Some CMS options out there require that you base your website on a template that you can only customize within certain parameters.
PagePuppet works a different way. You start with your very own design - whether it's one you create yourself, have a designer create, or hire us to create for you - and PagePuppet inserts your content seamlessly into that design. Whether your design is simple, complex, traditional, modern or anything in between, PagePuppet will display your content in any div or table cell.
And unlike many CMS products, PagePuppet is very CSS-friendly, meaning you can style the content that it outputs just like you would any other content on your site: Using standard CSS.
PagePuppet is based on the idea of modules, each of which handles a particular type of content. There's a module for updating your home page text. Another one for photo galleries. And one for posting News updates.
In fact, we've already got a bunch of modules that handle different types of content, and we'll continue to add more. Or, if you have a specific module in mind, we can probably develop it for you for an additional fee.
Current Modules
Here's the current list of PagePuppet Modules. Check back every once in a while as we add to this list when we introduce new modules. Or, if you have a particular module in mind, let us know and we'll tell you what it would cost to develop it for you.
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PagePuppet is easy to use...log in, click on a module such as News, fill out a form, click Save. That's about it! In fact, we believe in PagePuppet's ease of use so much, we run our own site on it. Yes...you're looking at a site powered by PagePuppet right now.
Best of all, PagePuppet is an affordable, complete website solution, offering fast, reliable web hosting, e-mail at your own domain name and the PagePuppet CMS all for just $9.99 / month (paid yearly).
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