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If you want to stay on top of all of our video reviews of the latest tech, be sure to check out and subscribe to the Gear Live YouTube channel, hosted by Andru Edwards! It's free!
Weekend Reading: Avengers, Starlin, Finger and Bagge
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Movies, Reviews, Independent, Marvel Comics,
Next week, we'll all be talking about Men In Black III, but this week was still a lot of chatter about Joss Whedon's The Avengers. Let's hit that:
Avengers creators assemble! Here's a short but excellent interview with Jim Starlin, courtesy of Hero Complex and Geoff Boucher. It's super-spoilery so if you haven't seen the movie yet, don't click!
And speaking of Avengers, here's writer Lance Mannion's review, titled "The Romance Of Tony Stark."
Tim at Balloon Juice views The Avengers: "It's a Whedon movie, and quite a good one. Every other line of dialogue could end up on a t-shirt, characters come across as layered and real, conflicts involve profound philosophical differences where it is only sometimes clear who has the 'right' side of it, and one or more title character will have a very near-death experience."
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Avengers, Starlin, Finger and Bagge
Weekend Reading: The Avengers, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dave Berg
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Independent, Marvel Comics,
Now, how many times have you already seen The Avengers? Doesn't it just kick movie butt? And what movie do you think we'll be talking about all summer? Avengers or The Dark Knight Rises?
Avengers Assemble...in line! Former Malibu Comics publisher and co-founder Dave Olbrich (now a manager at Space Goat Productions) and for Malibu Comics Editor-In-Chief Chris Ulm (now the head guy at Appy Entertainment), show up at the :20 mark in this report from AMC theaters in southern California.
Longbox Graveyard goes Marathoning and Assembling for Avengers and other Marvel-based movies. "Five of my favorite superhero movies, in a day-long sitting, followed by a midnight debut of The Avengers! Seventeen hours in a movie theater, ninety minutes in the car each way getting there, a day off work to do it and another day off to recover. Great for a twelve-year-old, not-so-great if you're half a century old. So I found a couple twelve-year-olds and went anyway."
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: The Avengers, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and Dave Berg
Kickstarter: Dumbing of Age
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,
David Willis, creator of the popular webcomic Dumbing of Age, is using Kickstarter to raise funds for a collection of his strips.
This Campus Is A Friggin' Escher Print will be "185 full-color pages with author commentary, character profiles, and behind-the-scenes material" promises Willis.
More than a year's worth of stuff will be inside, from September 10, 2010, to October 28, 2011. This includes storylines: "Move-in Day," "Uphill from Here," "Men Are from Beck, Women Are from Clark," "The Bechdel Test," "Media Rumble," and "Yesterday Was Thursday."
Click to continue reading Kickstarter: Dumbing of Age
Read More | Kickstarter
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Kickstarter: Soulless by Logan Giannini & George Kambadais
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,
"When you wake up in a morgue drawer with a hole in your chest the size of a cantaloupe, it's only natural to have certain questions."
Now that's a first sentence that grabs my attention and it's from writer Logan Giannini in his pitch for Soulless, a new Kickstarter project that's illustrated by a friend of mine, George Kambadais.
Neill is the star of Soulless and after waking up in the morgue he sets out to uncover not just himself but what happened to him as well.
As Neill searches, according to writer Giannini, he "learns a great deal about the true nature of the people around him, from his girlfriend Sarah (who, it would seem, didn't exactly wait for Neill to be dead to start seeing other guys), to Neill's vampire friend Bradley (a name he hates), to a young ghost girl (with questions of her own) who's accompanied by a large gorilla and a parrot..."
Click to continue reading Kickstarter: Soulless by Logan Giannini & George Kambadais
Read More | Kickstarter
Weekend Reading: Avengers, Overload, Don Bluth and John Cleese
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Interviews, Movies, Independent, Marvel Comics,
So how many times are we all seeing The Avengers this weekend? And in how many ways is it the movie of the summer?
In honor of the new Avengers movie, Longbox Graveyard looks at the Kree/Skrull War, from Avengers #89-97. "Nearing the end of his iconic six-year stint on Avengers, Roy Thomas — along with artists Neal Adams and Sal & John Buscema — delivered what was up to then arguably the longest and most complex continuing story in superhero comics, as Earth became a battleground between the warring Skrull and Kree star empires."
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Avengers, Overload, Don Bluth and John Cleese
Kickstarter: The Devil Is Due In Dreary
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Independent,
I love comics with a Western-style setting, and if you throw in some apocalypse too, even better. Creator David Parkin and Executive Editor Daryl Freimark describe The Devil Is Due In Dreary as "Classic cars, pompadours and rock-n-roll meet the folklore of the American southwest in this rockabilly take on the classic western."
Team Dreary, in conjunction with artist Allan Jefferson, successfully published their first issue through Ardden. Now they're going through Kickstarter to fund issues 2-4 and wrap up the story.
Click to continue reading Kickstarter: The Devil Is Due In Dreary
Comic Book Jobs: Checking Out Craigslist
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions, Editorials, Movies, Television, Independent,
Regular readers know how much I love the craigslist, the big box store of odd comic book jobs, and this week is no exception!
Some producers in New York are looking for an "American Comic Book Geek" for a Japanese TV program promoting the new Avengers movie.
A new band in Manhattan called The Super Friends needs a bass player.
Are you an actor who wants to be in a superhero hip-hop music video? "The actor does not have to rap, just act."
Click to continue reading Comic Book Jobs: Checking Out Craigslist
Free Comic Book Day 2012
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Independent,
Hey kids, free comics!
One of my favorite things is Free Comic Book Day, because, you know, "free" and "comics" are the peanut butter and chocolate of the Direct Market. It's the first Saturday of May, and this year that means May 5. Out of all the ones that are being released, I've put together a shortlist of the ones I want most.
Kaboom! is the kid-friendly imprint of Boom! Studios and their Peanuts/Adventure Time Flipbook looks like fun. The Peanuts comics are clearly crafted with care and affection for the original material, and Adventure Time is just as nutty as the animated series.
Atomic Robo from Red 5 is one of my favorite comics and why it's not talked about in the same group as Hellboy and The Walking Dead is beyond me. It's one of the best comics around - terrific characters, excellent writing and art, beautiful coloring. I grab the latest ones each year at San Diego, and whatever pops up on FCBD. If you see a copy, grab it. Highly recommended.
Click to continue reading Free Comic Book Day 2012
Read More | Free Comic Book Day
Shia LaBeouf Writes His Own Comics
Posted by Andru Edwards - Categories: Conventions, Movies, Independent,
Shia LaBeouf writes his own comic books. The Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull actor has drawn three comics, Stale N Mate, Cyclical and Let's... Party, and last week bought a table at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo to sell his work and autograph copies for fans.
"I just did it for fun. I had some downtime and I've always been a big fan of comic books. I've said it's like singing in the shower. It's very free and without edit," he said.
Of attending expo, he added the best thing was "having an opportunity to blend in with 5,000 fans all enjoying the same thing."
However, Shia - who is currently filming two movies, The Company You Keep and The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman - has no plans to give up acting and take up his hobby full time: "I do love acting. But this is a fun escape once in a while."
Click to continue reading Shia LaBeouf Writes His Own Comics
Weekend Reading: Spider-Man, Steve Gerber, John Scalzi and Dr. Goyle
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions, Editorials, Reviews, Independent, Marvel Comics,
If you're at C2E2 this weekend, I hope you're having a great time. And if you're not at C2E2, what's your problem, buddy?
This is the weekend that I close out a lot of tabs and polish off some links that have been in my inbox for a couple of weeks. But if you haven't caught these stories yet, that makes them new, right?
Daniel Best has been on fire lately with his posts on Gary Friedrich and the Archie Comics lawsuits. He's got another good one up now - a look at the behind-the-scenes backstabbery and finger-pointing surrounding the Spider-Man musical.
I like this political cartoon by Monte Wolverton.
Creator/writer/artist Howard Tayler (Schlock Mercenary) talks about writing, especially sub-plots, and he illustrates his points with comic strips.
Click to continue reading Weekend Reading: Spider-Man, Steve Gerber, John Scalzi and Dr. Goyle
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STOCKTON - There are losses that linger over the course of a season even if a team doesn't want them to.
STOCKTON - There are losses that linger over the course of a season even if a team doesn't want them to.
The Pacific women's basketball team suffered such a defeat at Cal Poly on Saturday, losing 96-95 in triple overtime. The Tigers (12-3, 2-1 Big West Conference) desperately wanted the win to end a seven-game losing streak against the Mustangs and erased a 21-point deficit to take a lead late in regulation, but they couldn't finish it off.
"We all really felt that one; it was very draining," Pacific coach Lynne Roberts said. "It was a gut punch, just a heart-wrenching loss, but we have to move on. You never want to let one loss turn into two."
The Tigers have little choice but to move on if they want to remain in the conference title race, as they will host two foes ahead of them in the standings beginning with Hawaii (7-8, 3-1) at 7 p.m. today. First-place Cal State Northridge (10-5, 4-0) visits Spanos Center on Saturday.
"That was a tough, hard game, but we have to get back to it with the right mind-set," senior guard Erica McKenzie said. "Losing in triple overtime by one point fuels your fire."
The Tigers played heavy minutes at Cal Poly, with all of the starters playing at least 34 and seniors Kendall Rodriguez and Erica McKenzie playing 53 and 52 minutes, respectively. Roberts doesn't expect to alter her rotation to rest anyone, but said the team's bench production needs to improve dramatically after providing just 20 points in the past two games.
The Rainbow Wahine has won three consecutive Big West games after a challenging nonconference schedule that included losses to No. 1 Baylor, No. 6 Stanford and No. 16 Oklahoma. Senior center Kamilah Martin is the focus of Hawaii's offense, averaging 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds per game. The responsibility of guarding her will likely be split among St. Mary's High product Kendall Kenyon, A.J. Smith, Shanice Butler and Brianna Johnson, all of whom struggled against Cal Poly post player Molly Schlemer (28 points, nine rebounds).
"Martin is a good player and strong just like Schlemer," Kenyon said. "We've been working on doubling the post and being better."
Contact reporter Jagdip Dhillon at (209) 546-8292 or firstname.lastname@example.com.

subset: commoncrawl


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After acquiring the media credential the Dodgers were so gracious to grant me, the first stop was the back field. Seemingly every player in camp was present, as the team was working on rundown drills.
Dee Gordon was the loudest, which is no surprise, but he seemed to be enjoying himself well enough. This included an interesting gesture after completing one leg of the drill.
It was just cool to be so close to the players.
Some ESPN guys were there, including Jim Bowden, Orel Hershiser, John Kruk and Buster Olney. Aside from Hershiser, "meh."
I saw guys like Zack Greinke, Clayton Kerhsaw and Hyun-Jin Ryu up close. I also saw Yasiel Puig, who is as physically impressive as advertised. And I somehow snapped what could be my favorite Puig photo to date.
That's Scott Wingo he's hugging. It was a nice moment between 2012 teammates, even if Puig is questioning why I'm snapping a photo of a "bro" moment.
As I was about to make my way to the back fields when I heard, "Eric. Hey, how was the Dr Pepper burger?"
Yes, I had been mistaken for Eric Stephen (True Blue LA). I told Ryan Denton and his father Harold who I was -- and he knew. Oh my God, I felt like a celebrity (can't think of a better word), even if I was the farthest thing from it. It was just awesome to get positive feedback from a fan of "Dugout Blues" in person. I was flattered.
Oh, and a heads-up: Stephen had some choice words about the burger and his experience at the Metro Sportz Grill. Here's a preview from Twitter last night:
I would like to cordially invite everyone at the Metro Sportz Grill to take a trip to the Grand Canyon, and then jumpHe'll explain in the next episode of the TBLA podcast.
— Eric Stephen (@truebluela) March 14, 2013
After the players broke and went to different sections of the facility, it was off to the minor-league fields -- specifically to see Carl Crawford make his in-game Dodger debut. I wrote about it for the Yahoo! Sports Contributor Network.
"Los Angeles Dodgers' outfielder was the designated hitter for six plate appearances in an exhibition minor-league game on March 14 -- the first time he's faced live, in-game pitching since being acquired by the team in August.As soon as I nail down some decent video editing software, I'll post video of his first at-bat.
Crawford had three plate appearance against Meiji University -- a Japanese university -- and three against Dodger minor-league pitchers.
Crawford struck out swinging in his first at-bat. He would double in his next against Dodger right-hander Sean White. The Meiji University bench erupted, playfully, with cheers after the double. He would follow those first two plate appearances with back-to-back singles. He would fly out in the following plate appearance before drawing a walk in his last against Dodgers' prospect Jonathan Martinez."
Three interesting Dodger prospects also played in the game -- 2012 No. 1 pick Corey Seager, Jeremy Rathjen and Martinez.
In the two at-bats I saw, Seager struck out looking and grounded out second base. No big deal. What is a big deal is his size.
When Jared Massey and I had Ross Stripling on the podcast, Stripling said Seager was 6'5, 220 lbs. People tend to exaggerate -- not just baseball players -- which is what I thought happened here. Well, I think I owe Stripling an apology because Seager is every bit of 6'5/220. He's only 18 years old and is probably already too big for shortstop, but he's going to keep playing there until the Dodgers move him to third base.
Rathjen, playing left field, also made an appearance and struck out swinging on a high fastball.
Then it was off to the actual game. I know Arizona is hot, but it was obscenely hot having to sit in the sun for any extended period of time. Suffice it to say, I spent most of my time in the press box.
Puig got in the game and flew out to right field in his only at-bat. Word is, he'll be starting on Friday and Sunday at Camelback Ranch, so that should be fun.
Photo credits: Dustin Nosler, Feelin' Kinda Blue


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Council gives accolades, revisits concerns
BREMEN — Bruce Jennings, principal of Bremen High School, received the District 2, High School Principal of the Year award and was recognized for it by the Town of Bremen during the most recent monthly council meeting.
Jennings has served in Bremen for more than 25 years, and said upon hearing the words of the council, "I am very grateful for all of this. I have had so many accolades, letters and cards from all over the state of Indiana, even from different states," he said. "It has been wonderful to get all of the accolades. I wouldn't be able to do it without the supportive staff I have, the students, and parents, and community. … I am proud of Bremen. I truly bleed green."
In other matters, the town attorney, Anthony Wagner, discussed the need to decide whether or not Bremen will join Marshall County's online permit site. The county is creating a program to ease the acquirement of building permits; it would allow contractors to get their permits online, and would smooth out some of the current kinks in the system. Councilmember Trend Weldy said it seemed like "…a convenience for the contractor." Other council members agreed that the online permitting site appears to have more positive attributes than negative, and it was noted the town could get out of the deal with the county within 90 days if desired. The motion was passed.
At the last council meeting there was much active discourse concerning the biological oxidation towers at the wastewater treatment plant. The towers have some water leakage problems; it could potentially be a rather costly and large problem if left untouched. It had been suggested that a product called Mountain Grout might be the solution to the leak, but the council desired to seek some outside advice before proceeding with the grout.
The town engineer, Larry Long, spent the week talking with sealant experts at the Adhesive and Sealant Council based in Maryland. The council has 55 members composed of both companies who produce sealants, as well as service consultants. The town will fill out a form describing the specific problem of the towers and send it to the sealant council. The companies that believe they can help will contact the town.


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Wary High-Rollers Shy Away From Macau's Casinos
China's Corruption Crackdown Deals Revenue Blow to World's Gambling Capital; Hong Kong Luxury Malls Also Suffer
HONG KONG—Beijing's intensifying crackdown on corruption is hitting two of the playgrounds of China's elite: the VIP rooms at Macau casinos and luxury shopping malls in Hong Kong.
Casino revenue in the world's gambling capital fell for a second-straight month in July, dropping 3.6% from a year earlier as high-rollers from mainland China stayed away from the tables in Macau. In Hong Kong, sales of jewelry, watches and other luxury items dropped 28% in June, marking a fifth-straight monthly decline....


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Election Commissioner
Do these words Describe you?
If they do, then you would make an excellent pollworker.
Please download the application (PDF 39K) and mail it as soon as possible to:
Lancaster County Election Commission
601 North 46th Street
Lincoln, Nebraska 68503-3720
The Lancaster County Election Office must appoint an election board to serve in each County precinct on election day. Good pollworkers are a real asset!
We are currently looking for recruits. A pollworker must be a Lancaster County registered voter and be able to work on election day from 7 A.M. until the polls close at 8 P.M.
EMPLOYEES-Once appointed, even if they volunteered, poll workers enjoy the same civil leave protection as those who serve jury duty.-- The employer must allow an employee the time to serve without threat of or loss of personal or holiday pay, sick leave, loss of overtime pay, or any other form of penalty for absence from work when serving as an election poll worker.
Should you decide to become a pollworker, you will be required to attend a training class prior to the next election. You will be paid for each election you work.
ELECTION HOURS - You must be at the polling site at 7:00 A.M. You may leave as soon as the work is finished after the polls close at 8:00 P.M.
PAY SCALE - Election judges and clerks are paid minimum wage an hour. Inspectors are paid minimum wage plus $.60 per hour. In addition, inspectors receive mileage and $5.00 for picking up and returning supplies.
PAY PERIOD - Your pay check will normally arrive 3-4 weeks after an election.
APPOINTMENT PERIOD - Every two years appointments are made for a 2 year term. You are expected to work at every election in that term. In an emergency, you may call the election office and be replaced.
ELECTIONS - City Elections are every 2 years in the odd numbered years in April and May. State and Presidential Elections are every 2 years in the even numbered years in May and November.
TRAINING SESSIONS - Every 2 years all election board members are required by State Law to attend a training session. This will be approximately 2-3 weeks prior to the election, will last from 1-2 hours, and you will be paid for attending. All board members will be given an Election Manual.
INSPECTORS - It is the policy of the Lancaster County Election Office to promote Inspectors from within the election boards (either Judge or Clerk positions). Inspectors are in charge of the polling place election day. They are responsible for supervising board members and informing the election office if any of the election members are not adequately performing their duties.
Prior to an election the Inspectors pick up the supplies, check the polling place to make sure all necessary arrangements are made and call their four board members.
All election supplies must be returned by the Inspectors to the Election Office as soon as the polls close after 8:00 P M.
QUESTIONS - Call Kelli Kraft at (402) 441-7054, or Stop at the Lancaster County Election Board Office at 601 North 46th Street, Lincoln.


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Comment on the blog or connect with us on Twitter for your chance to win a "Florida Tote Set" by Nancy Zieman!
We are huge fans of Nancy Zieman, and are just a bit jealous that someone will be walking away with this amazing set ;) This set is priced at over $50, but can be yours free!
Here is the product description:
Get convenience and style all in one pack! The new Trace 'n Create Bag Template Sets are just what you need to complete your bag creations. From rings, piping to strap interfacing — Nancy has got you covered!
INCLUDES: Trace `n Create Bag Template (Florida Tote), Shape `n Create Bag & Tote Stabilizer (White), Create-A-Strap 1" X 2.2 yds., Wrap `n Fuse Piping 3/16" x 2.2 yds., Snap Closures 1/2" and 3/4" (Black Nickel), D Rings 1-1/4" (Black Nickel) 2 sets
For more information, please go here.
Until Tuesday, June 28th you can win this amazing product! To enter, answer the following question: What does your favorite bag that you own look like?
If submitting an answer via Twitter, be sure to include the @BurdaStyle tag and the hashtag #comment2win.
Good Luck!
- David @ BurdaStyle


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scott09 needed a new logo design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 54 designs submitted by 20 freelance designers.
Black Fox Farms
Black Fox Farms is a medium size whole sale nursery supplying plants and flowers to retail outlets and landscaping companies. Black Fox Farms is a whole sale nursery that means it does not sell to the general public. The company is located in Cleveland TN and services the entire southeast.
The audience is other professionals (landscapers, retail nurserys, and contractors).
Would like to see a few different styles. I would like to see a flat 2D version and a dynamic one with 3D attributes. I am open to a variety of colors they just need to be natural colors like greens, browns, and grays. If possible I would like to see a logo that just says "Black Fox Farms" and another one that has the Name with "Cleveland Tennessee" under it. A fox (animal) needs to be incorporated by some means. I am open to any design ideas but prefer to a subtle fox outline similar this one. http://www.blackfoxfarms.com/Image_Fox.jpg
Thank you for the interest I look forward to seeing some great designs.
Find out how a design contest works or learn more about our logo design services.


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If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood,
who ya gonna call?
I'll say call no one, lock the door, stay inside and bake a cake! That's exactly what I did. Besides, you definitely would not want to call anybody and share these amazing macarons from this month's Daring Bakers' challenge. You heard me right, I used the "M" word.
Macaron, a word that makes a lot of girls swoon. Some say it's even better than sex …. …. … *~ahem* Well, I guess I'll just have to take their words for it. I first discovered macarons from the Adriano Zumbo patisserie, you can't help but drawn to the glass cabinet full of macarons that almost covered the whole pastel colour palette. And with the endless possibility of different flavours, I can see why the macarons are truly the girl's best friend. I also tried my hands at making the macarons last christmas. Slowly I learned about the attractions of macarons and able to share my appreciations towards this beautiful delicate French pastry.
The 2009 October Daring Bakers' challenge was brought to us by Ami S. She chose macarons from Claudia Fleming's The Last Course: The Desserts of Gramercy Tavern as the challenge recipe. Since Halloween is just around the corner, what could be more appropriate than baking a cake for this spooky occasion. Hence, I give you – the Halloween calendar cake! (with macarons!)
In Australia, Halloween is actually not as big and exciting as in US. However, I've noticed the trend has finally caught up here in the last couple of years with kids dressing up in costumes, knocking from door to door for Trick of Treats. So I thought why not, I'll make a Halloween cake and join in the fun. I have always wanted to make a calendar cake, and when I found out that macarons are this month's baking challenge, I thought it is the perfect timing to incorporate them into my Halloween cake.
During the design phase, all I can think of is "Black" and "Orange" for Halloween. So I decided to make a checkerboard cake using this two colours and it is orange flavoured, of course. Then it is covered in black chocolate glaze and decorated with black macarons as the days of the month, except one orange macaron to highlight the day of Halloween. Hence, the cake is predominantly in black colour and oh boy, you wouldn't want to know how much black food colouring I've used for this challenge.
I bought two tubs of black food coloring powder, it cost me a total of AUD$12.00 and there are only 8 grams in total! It is rather expensive for some black powder I must say. I've made two batches of the black macarons – first batch is a failure with no feet and a moon crater-like shell, and it is also not black enough even I have added in half a tub of the black colouring powder into the mixture. And I also found the recipe provided is a little unstable in measurement, as it only asks for 5 egg whites without an exact weight given, and also baking twice in oven at two temperatures seems way too complicated for my liking. I believe the recipe doesn't work for many of daring bakers by reading all the similar failure results on the forum.
Soon I've given up on the recipe and used Tarlette's recipe as a basic guideline for my second batch. This time I've decided to use up all the black powder to achieve the blackness I've hoped for and it came out perfect with a much darker greyish black. Same story for the orange food colouring powder I bought, the 4 grams of orange dust is just enough to make one batch of macarons. (Don't look too closely on the orange macaron on top of the cake, is a fail!)
And for the checkerboard cake, I used black and orange food coloring in liquid form which is much more economical. Also thanks to ChocolateSuze for her kind offering of the black coloring, as I couldn't find any of them here at the stores. Again, you do need a lot of black coloring to really make the cake black. As for the orange part, the orange-flavoured cake will already have a orange yellowish tint to start off with, so you don't really need as much as the black food coloring to achieve the result.
It is best to find a recipe that bakes a cake with a firmer texture as it can be a challenge to assemble them together if the cake is too soft and crumbly or too moist. You can either use condensed milk or jam to glue them together to form the checkerboard, I opted for the orange marmalade and works like a treat.
Thanks to the Pom's suggestion to make the cake even more haunting, we used the off-cuts from the cake and make them into little tombstones, a little branch as dead tree in the background for that eerie ghostly final touch. And there you have it, your own miniature graveyard for this Halloween season.
I had a blast tackling this month's challenge, and thanks to Ami S. for the opportunity. Here's the recipe of the macaron and the cake, but I suggest please do take this recipe with a grain of salt. Macaron can be fiddly and time consuming, so practice makes perfect.
Macarons I won't provide the recipe from the challenge here as I don't think it works for many of us. You can try a few of these recipes proven to be more successful: Tarlette's recipe - a much straight forward and simple recipe Syrup and Tang - a recipe that involves three Daring Bakers to change the lightbulb Melanger - a more stable Italian method
Halloween calendar cake (Orange flavour) Adapted from Bon Vivant's middle eastern orange cake recipe. Checkerboard Orange cake Ingredients 2 large oranges, left whole 6 large eggs 9 ounces/ 250 grams plain flour 9 ounces/ 250 grams granulated sugar 9 ounces/ 250 grams softened unsalted butter 1 teaspoon double-action baking powder black food colouring orange food colouring 3 tbsp marmalade 3 tbsp sugar 1 tbps water Methods: 1. Place the oranges in a saucepan and barely cover them with water. Bring to a boil, lower the water to a simmer and leave on low heat, covered, for 1 hour. When done, remove the oranges from the pan and leave to cool. 2. Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Butter two 8-inch (24cm) square baking tins. 3. Roughly chop the oranges, discarding any pips, then thoroughly blend the orange pieces into puree. Beat the eggs with butter in a mixer. Add the orange puree and mix together until well combined. 4. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar and baking powder, then whisk in the egg-orange mixture. Pour exactly half of the batter into another mixing bowl. 5. Add black coloring to one of the mixture, and orange colouring to another. If you don't have orange colouring, add yellow and red coloring with the ratio of 2:1 until it achieves the orange colour that you are happy with. 6. Pour the mixtures into the prepared pans and bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Use a skewer stick and poke in the centre of the cake, and if it comes out clean. It's ready. 7. Allow the cake to cool completely in the tin before turning it out gently on the cooling rack. 8. Prepare your glue for assembling the checkerboard cake by adding the marmalade, water and sugar into a saucepoan and bring it to boil until all melted. Do not stir and let it caramelised for couple of minutes until the mixture has thicken. Once ready, set aside and let it cools down. 9. Use something as a guideline (in my case, the diameter of a pastry brush), cut the cakes into long strips at around 1.5cm. The width and the height of the strips should be the same. 10. Alternate between the black strip and the orange strip, brush some of the marmalade on each side of the cakes and stick them together. The best way to do it is to re-jigsaw them back together inside the square baking tin again. Once putting all back together, put the unused square baking tin on top of the cake and weigh it down with a bowl. Let it set for at least 2 hours before flipping the cake out onto the cooling rack again, ready for the chocolate glaze. Chocolate glaze Ingredients: 170g dark chocolate 200g thickened cream 1 tablespoon honey black food colouring (liquid form) Methods: 1. Chop the chocolate into very small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add about a teaspoon of the black colouring. 2. Bring cream and honey to a boil, stirring to dissolve. Pour over chocolate and let stand a couple of minutes. 3. Whisk slowly and gently until all completely combined. If is not black enough, add a few more drops of the colouring until it achieves the blackness you are looking for. 4. Place the cake on the cooling rack on top of a big bowl to catch the chocolate drips while glazing. 5. Pour the chocolate quickly in the center and around the edges. Steady but gently, tilt the cake in a circil motion and make sure the glaze is covering the whole cake. 6. let it set for at least 2 hours before decorating it. 7. Once set, you should be still able to see some outlines of the joints of the cake. Use them as a guideline to place the macarons on top of the cake according to the calendar month you are working for. For eg, first macaron on the left is Monday, and the last macaron on the right is Sunday. 8. For the tombstones, use the offcuts and slice them thinly and cut them into small rectangles. Make the round curve of a tombstone by cutting two corners off, then stick the bottom gently onto the cake. Make as many tombstones as you like. 9. Cut a small dead branch and stick it at the back of the tombstones as the final touch.


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Registration Process
Washington University School of Law Students
First Year Law Students:
All first-year law students take the same first-year curriculum. The Registrar will assign students to sections and register all students for courses. First-year students are not permitted to take any additional courses.
Upper-Level Law Students:
- Regular registration takes place in April for the Fall Semester and November for the Spring Semester via the University's online registration system ( WebSTAC ). Consult the Academic Calendar for the specific dates.
- Pre-registration is available for upper-level students for Clinics prior to the April registration date. Students pre-register for BOTH FALL AND SPRING of the following academic year and are notified of course placements prior to regular online registration.
- WebSTAC will allow students to be enrolled in or waitlisted for up to 17 units each semester (in the spring semester students can register for up to 18 units if they are taking a 1 unit course in the January Intersession). Overloads are not allowed.
Students Not Currently Enrolled at Washington University School of Law:
Some courses may be open to upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in other Washington University departments and to non-Washington University law students currently in good standing at an ABA accredited law school. Openings will be based on space availability, permission of the instructor, and permission from the home school establishing good standing and confirmation that the credit will be accepted. Students must submit a Non-Law Student Course Request Form to the Registrar's office.
More Information:
- WebSTAC -- Online Registration/Viewing Grades
- PreRegistration Forms
- Academic Calendar (includes general add/drop deadlines)
- Transfer Student Registration Information


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XL Handbag with Pears
Added Oct 6, 2012
by froggypondd
Hamilton, New Ze...
I completely fell in love with this material when I saw it. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it too. I drafted the pattern from scratch (not that it was particularly difficult) but had trouble finding lining which matched – turns out I have lots of cream and off-white linen, but not this white-white. It was interesting sewing on the handles (I only accidentally sewed the bag together once), I sewed them onto the outside, then sewed on the lining (having to pin the handles down so they didn't get in the way). Next time I'd probably sew the handles on the outside of the bag before I sewed it together (would create a nicer finish on the bottom). But overall, fairly proud of my work!
Material Notes
1/4m of white cotton, some white linen scraps I found at an op shop, 2m of white webbing
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Strong beef demand and limited supply growth is expected to bode well for the global beef market for the rest of this year and into the next, according to a Rabobank report.
The main question for many customers will be where to source sufficient supplies of beef. The second question will be whether consumers will resist higher prices, Rabobank analysts stated in the bank's quarterly beef report Oct. 3.
The global economy's slow recovery and buoyant markets in Asia, especially China, are expected to keep global demand strong. In addition, Chinese imports of beef might surge in the coming months, due to the rapidly approaching holiday season of Chinese New Year.
That could have Australian exporters switching their traditional trade patterns to those rapidly growing nearby markets instead of U.S. markets, where supply will remain tight. That scenario would support strong prices, which might be difficult to pass along to consumers. But prices for competing proteins are also expected to remain elevated, limiting competition, the analysts said.
Declining feed costs is inducing herd retention in many beef exporting regions, further limiting already tight supplies, they reported
Here in the U.S., the big story has been the ongoing saga surrounding the use of beta-agonists, feed additives used to increase lean muscle in the final days of finishing cattle. Tyson announced it would not accept cattle that had been fed Zilmax effective Sept. 6, following reports of lameness in cattle, and manufacturer Merck later temporarily discontinued sales of the product to evaluate the issue.
Despite the fact that the use of another beta-agonist, Optaflex, has not been affected, the issue of the use of beta-agonists is expected to negatively impact the U.S. beef supply, the analysts stated.
Ever-tightening supplies of U.S. feeder, and thus fed cattle, have been further tightened by a sharp decline in feeder cattle imports from Mexico. Those imports are down in excess of 450,000 head year to date, as cattle stock there remain tight.
In addition, recovering pasture and range conditions in the U.S. have renewed hopes of herd rebuilding, which would slow the liquidation of cows and could encourage heifer retention in the second half of 2013, Rabobank reported.
U.S. fed cattle prices rallied to $123 per hundredweight in August and September. Rabobank expects those prices to rise toward $130 per hundredweight by the end of the year and even higher in the first quarter of 2014 as a result of reduced placements into feedlots in the spring and summer
Feeder cattle prices (with heavy feeders at a record-breaking $160 per hundredweight) are expected to ease some this fall as shipments of feeder cattle and calves increase seasonally. Any price easing, however, will likely be temporary due to demand from excess feeding capacity, lower cost of grain and improved feedlot margins, the analysts reported.


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Conference Sponsors & Exhibitors:
Exhibition & Networking:
As the exhibition foyer directly outside the plenary hall was limited on space, the congress was only able to accommodate 17 exhibition stands. Those fortunate enough to secure an exhibition booth were promoted to the world's leaders who are making tall buildings happen around the globe. Every breakfast, coffee and lunch break, almost 1000 delegates spilled out from the plenary hall to chat, network and view the exhibition spaces. For many, that's where business began.Exhibition layout plan
View Down to Exhibition Area
Dubai Municipality Exhibition Booth
Poster Presentations
Networking, Exhibition
Networking, Exhibition


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While there has been some movie coverage of Darkwatch on the web (and more is coming!), most folks reading this column have experienced the game primarily through screenshots. While those shots do a fine job of showing off the mood, environment, and visual design of the game, they fail to adequately convey the remarkable experience of watching Darkwatch's cast of shambling horrors in gruesome motion. For an update on how the animation side of Darkwatch is coming together, I sat down with The Two Seans: Lead Artist Sean Miller, and Senior Artist Sean Letts.
Darkwatch features a bloodsucking cast of two dozen uniquely terrifying creatures. Bringing these beasties to (un)life is the job of the team's animators, which, at the moment, numbers six full-time artists. Having seen a troop of actors flying around our studio in high-tech "ping pong ball suits" during motion capture shoots, I would have thought that the characters would have gotten up to move on their own, but I was quickly disabused of that notion. "We aren't strictly a motion capture house," Miller said. "We hired keyframe animators with experience in mocap, but it's important to us that the art of keyframe animation be a part of our process. We need stuff that is stylized and sharp, but we want it to be believable. We're trying to get comic-book realism."
So it seems there's more to animating a character than putting an actor in a suit and using sophisticated sensors to translate their movement into a computer model. By combining motion capture and traditional animation, the Darkwatch team enjoys the best of both worlds. Motion capture is especially handy for rapidly establishing the baseline motion of a character, and for trying out different ideas. "mocap gets us 80% of the way there," says Letts. "We push for the last 20% to match the art direction."
That last 20% must be quite a challenge, given the bizarre design of some of Darkwatch's characters. "In areas where the characters are more monstrous, we keyframe, rather than fall into the man in the monkey suit syndrome," Miller says. "I performed the role of the Oozer, but a lot of the data still comes across as man in a monkey suit, because I am not a 700 lb. man." (The understatement of the century -- in fact, I don't think that five Sean Millers would make up a 700 lb. man.)
Traditional animation has long made individual animators responsible for key characters, but actually wearing a mocap suit to "become" the character you're working on takes things to a new level. It also requires a specialized and extended skill set to succeed as an animator using this process. "A lot of animators are wannabe directors -- directing the mocap talent is a unique skill," says Letts. "You get in there and you have your vision about what's going to come out of a shoot, and you seldom think about the flavor your actress is going to bring. In the case of Tala, some of the combat moves the actress performed fit the character so well that we changed the combat system she's using -- we have kicks in there now, as opposed to the punches and slashes commonly used by our other characters. You get a subtle nuance of motion that would take an animator a lot longer to find (using strictly traditional methods)."


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text: TMZ releases mugshot for Kurt Angle By Adam Martin - September 5, 2011 0 Facebook Twitter Google+ Pinterest WhatsApp TMZ.com has obtained the mugshot for TNA Champion Kurt Angle following his arrest on Sunday for DWI. You can view the mugshot at this link. WWE NEWS Enzo Amore crashes Survivor Series on Sunday night, Amore removed by security November 18, 2018 SPOILERS: 11/17 NXT TV tapings in Los Angeles before NXT TakeOver: WarGames II November 18, 2018 Triple H talks the goal of NXT programming, Velveteen Dream and WarGames in 2018 November 18, 2018 Matt Riddle on making his TakeOver in-ring debut, Interviews following WarGames: II November 18, 2018 Video: Triple H gives thoughts on NXT TakeOver: WarGames II on Saturday night November 18, 2018 IMPACT NEWS Impact Ratings: Viewers down on November 15, Big drop in 18-49 demographics November 16, 2018 Report: Former X Division and Tag Team Champion officially parting ways with Impact November 16, 2018 Impact Highlights: Cage wants title shot, Impact vs. Sydal, Eli Drake and Tommy Dreamer November 16, 2018 SPOILERS: 11/13 Impact Wrestling TV taping results from Las Vegas to air on Pop TV November 14, 2018 Anthem files motion to dismiss lawsuit brought against them by Jeff Jarrett in August November 13, 2018 WRESTLING RESULTS NXT TakeOver: WarGames II Results – 11/17/18 (WarGames returns, NXT Title Match) November 17, 2018 Impact Results – 11/15/18 (Brian Cage vs. Sami Callihan for the X Division Championship) November 16, 2018 WWE NXT Results – 11/14/18 (WarGames Advantage, Evans vs. Rivera, Yim vs. Belair) November 15, 2018 WWE 205 Live Results – 11/14/18 (Cedric Alexander vs. Lio Rush, Tag Team Matches) November 15, 2018 WWE Mixed Match Challenge Results – 11/13/18 (Week 9 of the Tournament on Facebook) November 14, 2018


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Although Pilates as a form of exercise was developed in the early 20th century, it is gaining momentum in the recent years. Its popularity has increased many folds and we've seen the rise of many contemporary Pilate instructors. Let's bust some myths and get to know the real 'Pilates'. Let's experience it the way it was meant to be. Here are 10 facts you will love to know about Pilates.
1. Pilates is a physical fitness system– It is not a derivative of yoga
We are tired of such misleading advertisements on the internet about Pilates. If you didn't know this already, let us tell you that Pilates is not a form of yoga. It is a system by itself developed by Joseph Pilates who was a physicist. He infused his belief that both mental and physical health is interrelated in Pilates. Did you know that only a very few were allowed to practice this form of exercise, that too confined in specialized studios?
2. Pilates is incomplete without method and apparatus
Pilates is all about achieving the right method in your exercise. Now you all must know that Pilates and mats go hand in hand. But did you also know that Pilates cannot be complete without apparatus? Traditionally there was a lot of use of chairs and tables. In the contemporary version of Pilates we've seen a lot of use of rollers, exercise balls, rotating disks and resistance bands. But mind you– a mat is must and it is your best friend while practicing Pilates.
3. Pilates requires maximum concentration
And you thought Pilates was all about moving the limbs around in different motion? Pilates is all about precise movements and it demands a lot of concentration. As funny as it sounds, Pilates is based on the belief that 'the way exercises are done is more important than the exercises themselves'.
4. 'Contrology' is Pilates' second name
When Joseph Pilates was working on developing Pilates as a system of physical fitness, he also termed it 'Contrology'. Can you think of a reason why? It's not rocket science. He believed that whoever is practicing Pilates should be in constant control of each and every movement. What's the benefit? Experts say that it results in enhanced muscular control of the back, limbs and abdominal muscles.
5. Breathing is the key
We are not talking about just 'breathing'. Pilates involves slow movement and a series of exercises along with attention to proper breathing techniques. If you didn't know, a lot of stress is laid on exhaling by wriggling out all the air from your lungs, while practicing Pilates. It is said to be much like 'squeezing out a wet towel'. Any form of Pilates will not be complete without conscious breathing in and breathing out.
6. Mat-based Pilates and Equipment based Pilates
Okay, here is the truth– there are basically two ways in which Pilates can be practised. Mat based Pilates involve a series of exercises done on the floor. The key here is to use the combination of gravity and your body weight to provide resistance to the muscles. Equipment based Pilates is exercise that incorporates the use of various equipments and weights for muscle training.
7. Quality is more important than quantity
If you are someone who likes to do everything the right way, Pilates is definitely for you. Right from the posture, the breathing, the movement, the number of repetitions, and the amount of energy that is spent– everything needs to be done in a precise manner. As you might know, there are thousands of books and videotapes out there in the market. We'd suggest that you avoid going down that path and learn from a qualified teacher or physiotherapist.
8. Be cautious– before and while practicing Pilates
Very few people are aware of this– the term 'Pilates' is generic and free for unrestricted use. Did you know that this means anyone can offer advice on Pilates to the society, whether trained or untrained? That's massive and can be dangerous! Besides the general precautions that you'd take before doing any exercise, we suggest that if you are pregnant, or over 40, overweight or have any pre-existing medical condition, be very cautious and careful. Take advice from qualified medical professionals before starting Pilates because Pilates is very challenging – mentally and physically.
9. Pilates caters to everyone
There is a common misconception that Pilates is only for women. If even you think so, get with the times! Pilates was invented by a man and Pilates is for everyone and caters to the needs of beginners, and experts.
10. Pilates will challenge your body
We think this is the best advantage of practicing Pilates. Are you used to putting your mind through such extreme control, concentration, and focus? Top that with a strenuous physical workout. You have a deadly combination of mind and matter working towards a goal. Super challenging!
From improved flexibility to better posture, from enhanced muscular strength to stabilization of the spine and from rehabilitation to prevention of injuries– Pilates helps one and all. Believe us, even if you are the super woman who is always running around town to juggle work, family and the kids, Pilates is possible. 2-3 sittings a week is all it takes. Know these facts and use Pilates to stay healthy and achieve that super sexy figure.


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There is only one character that I really hate, and and that is Sasuke from Naruto. He is a looser and behaves like a frikkin child.
Name: Nozomu
Manga: Stepping on Roses
Why? This guy seriously needs help. His Obsession with his best friends Wife (Sumi) is unhealthy. I'm not saying her Husband Soichirio is a saint he has his faults as well. But this guy kidnaps her ties her to a pole in a hotel so she wouldn't run away and the place catches on fire and tells her they will die together. What the--? Sumi is terrified of this psycho! I don't blame her! His nonstop attempt to win her over is outrageous and every time I see him I cringe!
Yess~!!!! I read that manga too and Nozomu is straight out crazy i'm on book 6 i believe and he's just getting worse
Tsuyn makes all my avii\'s they are just wonderful
Hmmmm, ok, this would be a hard one for me if i hadn't read Highschool of the Dead..
Who- Koichi Shido
Manga- Highschool of the Dead
Why? Well for obvious reasons, like him being a total arseholiooooooo. Oh, and because his manipulitive and evil. And his smile creeps me out...
You see, I\'m simply one hell of a butler ;)
Ruki is the best <3
balck star from soul eater
Chiibihime wrote:
Name: Sakurai Eichi
Manga: Full Moon Wo Sagashite
Why: He's the ultimate example of the shoujo 'Gary Stu'. The author's obsessed with him, he's her ideal man, he BARELY has a personality, and when it does come out, he seems to be nothing but a hormonally-confused, manipulative teenager who likes to kiss ten-year-old girls who haven't hit puberty yet. YUCK.
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
I'm GLAD he died in a firey plane crash. :'D
Name: Kuran Kaname
Manga: Vampire Knight
Why: For being too perfect and loved and stealing Yuuki from Zero. I also think he's UGLY!! I don't know why everyone worships the ground he steps on but it's REALLY annoying!
Name: Hotori Tadase
Manga: Shugo Chara
Why: For being too girly, for the outfits he wears, for being shallow about Amulet Heart, and for trying to get in Ikuto's way.
I don't hate him as much as the others though-he's not one-dimensional, perfect, or a jerk and he treats Amu with respect and kindness, for the most part. I LOVE when Kiseki turns him all psycho and his psycho laugh. XD
.........but it's like.........DEAR TADASE, PLZ TO BE WEARING BOYS' CLOTHES AND ACT MORE LIKE A BOY, KTHXBAI.
You may or may not disagree.
Do not flame me. If you do disagree, civilly state why and provide information to back up your opinions, thanx
Oh my gosh i agree with these three!! I thought that i was the only one who thought that about Kaname, I am not alone!! ^_^
Sora7395 wrote:
I agree with most of what you said, the ones I know at least. I don't really "hate" them though. Well except for Kaname...just don't get me started on it...I don't really like Eichi, Aoyama, or Tadase. (Tadase is the best of them, but he's not my fav character from SC) I just don't really care for the "prince" type. They are like a 5 year olds dream guy, which is unrealistic. The only "prince" type I like is Tamaki Suoh from Ouran because his personality is like the "prince" type with a twist. Although, I don't like all of the bad boys either. Like Sasuke Uchiha from Naruto. I disliked him from the beginning. -_- Basically I dislike who the girl falls for first. The really popular guy. People like Tadase, Sasuke, or Kaname. Now there's a couple guys like Tamaki or Usui Takumi, where they are popular but I like them because the main character doesn't fall for them right away, without getting to know them. And I don't care what the fans say. The fangirls of the anime don't annoy me, the fangirls in anime do. :P
omg i got the same problem. i hate it when the girl falls for the 1st guy or when they knew each other as kids and hook up when they're grown
uhohimdead wrote:
the only issue i have here is why only MALE characters and no female characters? that aside doesnt this thread exist already?
Name:Ikuto Tsukuyomi
Manga: Shugo Chara
Reason: for being the paragon of the bad boy stereotype. those that flock to him are easily the most shallow minded individuals in the world. but for the character himself id go with his inability to free himself, constantly shackling himself to something that wasn't his problem to start with.
im pretty much indifferent with all other male characters either i just dont care enough or they dont bother me
Funny! I respect your opinon of course but that's exactly why I like Ikuto. Because he tries to do everything himself, so he doesn't hurt others. Yes I agree that is a flaw he has. At least he has flaws and isn't a Gary-Stu.
That part of him is exactly like me and something I had to deal with....
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
And he LEARNS from it because Amu saves him by helping him find his FREEDOM and TRUE SELF.
Only male character i hate is Akinu.
He killed Ace. period. i dont need any other reason
I've always had something against Natsume from Gakuen Alice. A lot of boys in shoujo manga are pretty boring anyways, and they aren't even attractive :/.
Tom-san spanks Shizu-chan as punishment for having a perfectly round derriere
I hate Sasuke Unchiha the most. I mean, why wouldn't he open his eyes? :wacko:
And it's raining again.
KleinerSkollexxx wrote:
I've always had something against Natsume from Gakuen Alice..
I freakin' LOVE Natsume.....but I can understand if someone doesn't like him. He can be a jerk. XD I do find him attractive though. Incredibly. Which is totally wrong since he's like, ten but......oh well. XD
A lot of boys in shoujo manga are pretty boring anyways, and they aren't even attractive :/
You haven't been reading the GOOD ones then... But unless you "swing that way", I would not trust another guy's opinion on what makes a shoujo boy attractive, no offense.
I can think of countless boys in shoujo manga I would *ahem*...........do things to. LOL
Me father was a test tube and me mother was a rubber band!
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
Chiibihime wrote:
KleinerSkollexxx wrote:
I've always had something against Natsume from Gakuen Alice..
I freakin' LOVE Natsume.....but I can understand if someone doesn't like him. He can be a jerk. XD I do find him attractive though. Incredibly. Which is totally wrong since he's like, ten but......oh well. XD
A lot of boys in shoujo manga are pretty boring anyways, and they aren't even attractive :/
You haven't been reading the GOOD ones then... But unless you "swing that way", I would not trust another guy's opinion on what makes a shoujo boy attractive, no offense.
I can think of countless boys in shoujo manga I would *ahem*...........do things to. LOL
I don't really find anything about him appealing, that's all :/
Tom-san spanks Shizu-chan as punishment for having a perfectly round derriere
There are two male characters that I absolutely detest: Sasuke, and the Mad Hatter from Alice in a Country of Hearts. I have plenty of reasons, but their all pretty spoilery so..
Spoiler Alert! Click to show or hide
In my opinion Sasuke is just completely selfish in his motivations. He assumes he knows what others are thinking and that they could not possibly have any decent or understandable reason for doing the things they did. He says he's avenging his brother by attempting to destroy Konoha when he's really just venting his own frustration with what's happened. If he were to state his real motives I wouldn't dislike him nearly as much, besides Itachi never wanted Sasuke to harm Konoha. His actions alienate all who really cared for him and put them in really difficult situations.
And then there's the Mad Hatter. He always acted like a jerk, to Alice, to everyone. There is no real reason that Alice should have fallen for him except that he looked like her ex, and since it's been shown her ex was a complete cad that should have been even more of a turn off. While reading Alice in a Country of Hearts I assumed that the Mad Hatter would be used as a mechanism that characterized all that was wrong about her previous relationship, allowing to move on and leave Wonderland with a clearer outlook than before. Instead his Bad Guy allure, took Alice in and he kidnapped her rom the real world, bringing her back to the dream. In other words, he keeps her from acknowledging reality, and keeps her from moving on. And I think that's unforgivable.
hahahah I haxed u!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! luv Cennah! <3 x2
I don't actually have any problems with mangas that have characters like these. Well, aside from the fact that I find them annoying every now and then. I don't actually have any problems with them
name:kaname kuran
he's an idiot
i\'l take a potatochip...and EAT it!!!!


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20 U.S. Code § 955a - Omitted
Section, Pub. L. 98–146, title II, Nov. 4, 1983, 97 Stat. 949, which provided that persons serving on National Council on the Arts continue until their successors are qualified for office, was omitted as superseded. See section 955(c) of this title as amended by Pub. L. 98–306. Similar provisions were contained in Pub. L. 97–394, title II, Dec. 30, 1982, 96 Stat. 1994.
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


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CRESTVIEW � The Crestview Public Library�s Music at the Library series will raise a notch on June 25 when classical guitarist Jeff Bianchi continues his summer concert tour in the Hub City.
CRESTVIEW � The Crestview Public Library�s Music at the Library series will raise a notch on June 25 when classical guitarist Jeff Bianchi continues his summer concert tour in the Hub City.
The Friends of the Library is underwriting Bianchi's appearance during his tour of Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama, Wisconsin and Georgia.
"We got a great deal on his performance fee," reference librarian Sandra Dreaden said. "He has a friend who lives in the Crestview area so he's not charging us for hotel and travel expenses."
The Upstate New York native began performing at weddings and cafes while in his teens.
After performing at the Rantucci International Guitar Festival and the nationally recognized Ithaca Guitar Festival, Bianchi took a break from classical guitar to tour with country music performers Young Guns and Chace Roberts.
Returning to solo performances, he toured Georgia in 2009 and undertook his first cross-country tour in 2010. National tours followed in 2011 and 2012, including the National Old Time Fiddlers' Competition in Idaho.
Bianchi's Crestview concert will feature music by Leo Brouwer, including several melodies from Cuba, Issac Albeniz and Jose Luis Merlin's 1952 "Suite of Memories."
In addition to rousing Catalan melodies, Bianchi will demonstrate his virtuosity with several Renaissance and Baroque selections.
"I am very grateful and excited to have the opportunity to perform for a new audience," Bianchi said. "I have always enjoyed visiting new places while introducing people to the classical guitar.
"Having the opportunity to play in Crestview will be a wonderful addition to my summer touring schedule.
Want to go?
When: 6:30 p.m. June 25
Cost: Free
Where: Crestview Public Library
Notes: CDs will be available for purchase. See www.velvetguitar.com for more information.
Contact News Bulletin Arts & Entertainment Editor Brian Hughes at 850-682-6524 or firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @cnbBrian.


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By Associated Press
ALTUS, Oklahoma -
The assistant police chief in Hollis has been arrested on a sexual assault complaint.
Harmon County District Attorney John Wampler told the Altus Times that assistant Police Chief Jayson Scott Vest allegedly had sex with an inmate of the Harmon County jail.
Vest is jailed on $250,000 bond. Court records do not list an attorney for him.
Wampler says Vest is expected to be arraigned Tuesday on a charge of raping an inmate. Wampler says the inmate claims she had sex with Vest when he took her from her cell to question her about drug activity in Harmon County.


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Pledge to Take a Stand against Domestic Violence and Child Abuse
Living optimystically to overcome domestic violence and child abuse
Living optimystically to overcome domestic violence and child abuse
Childhood should be free of gender stereotypes and sexualization. It is time we change the way we think about our kids.
What if members of the military accused your daughter of advancement, because of sexual favors, in a public forum? Rape
By selling this product, a Chinese e-commerce platform is helping children become a normalised part of the sex industry
because ive lost a child ,due to ignorance on my girlfriends part
EVERY CHILD MATTERS. We want to highlight the plight of abused and raped children in South Africa - numerous child abuse
it may sound harsh but the child victims of this abuse deserve justice to the full extent.especially the vicitm's who
every child deserves the right to have both parents,, shouldn't have to choose..I miss my daughter this is so heart
Together We Can Demand Harsher Sentences and Penalties. To Deter these Sexual Predators from Re - Offending.
<3 <3 <3 HELP SAVE MIMI <3 <3 <3 Mimi is a sweet little girl that needs our HELP


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Your head electrician just delivered the bad news. Three major feeders are wrong, and you have to redo them. Unfortunately, they are the service entrance feeders, and you've already poured cement over them. Not only that, 10 of your lighting runs don't meet Code, and you have to replace 37 receptacle circuits because the receptacles are in the wrong places. Bad working drawings have struck again!
If you've spent much time in the field, you probably agree there is an epidemic of bad working drawings. This epidemic affects not only those of us in the electrical industry, but also the civil, architectural, manufacturing, and mechanical engineering disciplines. You may look at a typical drawing today and ask: "Are you kidding?" Unfortunately, there's no simple cure to this complex problem. However, EC&M Magazine continues the grass-roots movement Editor-in-Chief John DeDad started just a few years ago. Together, we can make good working drawings a reality.
A major impetus behind the deterioration in drawing quality has been cost-cutting in the name of delivering a set of drawings under a reduced fee. Anyone who's had to deal with poor documentation or poor as-built drawings knows the falseeconomics of this approach. Still, the pressure for cost reduction remains. Some "non-answers" include "drawingless installations" and "minimum documentation installations." Both of these are examples of saving pennies while wasting dollars. Other answers are much more useful and far less costly.
One useful solution to the cost reduction problem is Computer Aided Drafting (CAD). Unfortunately, many firms implemented CAD without considering traditional drafting principles or the needs of the people using the drawings. To make matters worse, they ignored the fact that CAD systems and electronic formats must follow certain principles of electronic drawing production. These principles include proper grid orientation and layer management, among others. This resulted in many CAD users wiping out the cost savings the software would otherwise provide them. So, not only must we contend with poor working drawings, but we also must deal with poor electronic sources of those drawings.
The working drawing is where the rubber meets the road. Even if we do all other steps correctly in the drawing process, the fruit of our labor isn't sweet-unless our working drawings follow certain principles and meet certain requirements. You can sum up these principles with one sentence: The drawing must be a well-thought-out plan to get you from start to finish. Think of the drawing as a road map. Do you correctly identify all the detours and details? Will the user, or a crew of users, have to stop and ask for directions?
If the layout looks good, the plan is usually successful. This is true partly because the appearance of a drawing indicates what to expect in terms of accuracy. It's also true because the layout of the drawing will determine if people can understand and work with the content. A clear, thoughtfully laid-out drawing is conducive to a thorough and proper review before it hits the field. The drawing is a perfect place to save time and money. Changing your plans electronically or on paper is cheaper and faster than doing reconstruction; plus the end result looks like a designed project instead of a patch job. A good rule of thumb is: "Measure twice, cut once." Here are the requirements your drawings should meet, if you want them to work for you in the field. Make sure your drawing:
Contains all relevant title block information. Title blocks are for reference purposes. A person in the field will examine the title block to make sure the drawing is the correct one with all current revisions. The worker will also rely on the title block for contact information, in case of a design error or another issue you must resolve or clarify.
Let's take a look at what Power Engineering, Inc. (PEI) , Shawnee Mission, Kan., uses for a title block in Fig. 1, on page 32 (original article). The title block should contain this information: Company name, Engineer/Designer, Reviewer/Checker (checked by), Date drawn, Date revised, Project name, and Drawing number (Sheet X of Y). Drawings with architectural elements should have a scale. If your drawing does not have a scale, the words "not to scale" should appear in the title block or other prominent spot. Your drawing must indicate the purpose or description of any revision. One way to do this is to indicate the revised item with a number inside a triangle, and then describe the changes in a list on the drawing. Some firms use a general description in the title block instead, and some do both. Some also "cloud" the revised area on the drawing and mark the cloud with the revision number. This makes it very easy for the field crew to spot the noted changes.
Uses standard symbology and nomenclature. Fig. 2, on page 32, and Fig. 3, on page 34 (original article), show some standard symbols used in the electrical industry. Close is not good enough. Most skilled trades are familiar with the standard symbols.
A good source of symbols is the Electrical and Electronics Graphic and Letter Symbols and Reference Designations Standards Collection, 1996 Edition (IEEE Item No. SH94458-NZU). It consolidates 12 IEEE standards related to electrical diagrams in one handy volume. Included are graphic symbols for circuit diagrams, architectural plans, logic circuit diagrams, device function numbers for electric power systems, letter symbols for units and measures, and more. This 688-page book sells for $165 for nonmembers of IEEE and $140 for members. To order, call (800) 678-IEEE.
Besides symbols, the designer must use standard industry terms, Xrefs for continuation from one drawing to another, and proper combinations of terms. For example, in your Bill of Materials (BOM) or Equipment Schedule (ES), you don't list "Green No. 2 wire." You list "Wire, No. 2, green" to facilitate alphabetical sorting.
Identifies components and their capacities clearly. Your BOM will list every item-an Equipment Schedule will not. The electrician usually doesn't care how many of each generic fitting an engineer estimated for the job. The electrician cares very much about the specifics of major or unusual components. If your job does not require a comprehensive BOM, then prepare an Equipment Schedule. Other names for Equipment Schedule include Master Equipment Listing and Major Component Schedule. The name itself varies by region, but the content is similar. The BOM or Equipment Schedule will give you more detail than the drawing.
The drawing must identify the components and their capacities so the electrician can compare the items in the drawing with those in the field. Large items, such as transformers and panels, require significant information. The drawing must show enough information to identify these items beyond a doubt. For a panel, show the wiring system and number of circuits (4-wire grounded wye, 480/277V 3-phase, 42 circuits, for example). You also may need to show the manufacturer and model number on the drawing to avoid confusion among similar equipment.
Shows wireway sizes and lengths. If you were going to "pipe" an electrical distribution system, would you be able to do so from the information given on the drawing? You should see, without much effort, what sizes of conduit you need and how many feet of each size. This helps you plan for laying out hangers, developing your critical path (see EC&M, May 1998), and scheduling the work.
Shows conduit content. Anyone who reviews the drawing must be able to see the wireway contents (and sizes) at a glance, for comparison to the National Electrical Code. Having the information "20 No. 12 AWG, THHN" is also a big timesaver during wire pulls. If putting all this information on a drawing makes it too crowded, you have some options. One is to reference a separate wire schedule. Another is to break the drawing into smaller drawings. Which one you choose is a judgment call. If you reference a wiring schedule, it becomes part of the drawing package, subject to inspection and the official stamp.
Uses good aesthetics. If your drawing requires a magnifying glass, highlighter, or scratch pad for someone to work with it, you have a bad drawing. Use good spacing, standard fonts (e.g., Arial, Times Roman), and only a few line styles (thickness or line type). If you use more than one thickness, represent main circuits with heavy lines and control circuits with light ones. Or, use heavy lines for new circuits and/or equipment and light lines for existing circuits and/or equipment.
Don't depend on shades of color or marginally different line styles to differentiate meanings. Make drawings as large as practical, so people don't have to squint. Leave some white space for notes and field changes. As-builts suffer when an electrician can say: "I had no room to make notes on the drawing." Don't put too much in one drawing.
As a contractor, this writer once received a CAD drawing as the basis for doing the electrical portion of a project. We had a four-pen plotter, but the original drawing had more than a dozen colors. This meant reloading the pens and drawing several times into the plotter. The extra colors added nothing, so we converted them to a set of three colors.
Ed Rafter, president of PEI, contributed drawings for background to this article. He had a similar experience with fonts. The architect who'd provided the basic drawing used a font pack that prevented Ed from opening the drawing. So, he had to purchase and load the memory-hogging fonts onto his machine. Unusual fonts also cause problems with reproducing the drawing. In short, don't use them.
Makes proper use of notes. If a wire size exceeds Code, a note should explain why. Otherwise, electricians may see the excess as an error and not incorporate it. Notes show other information like allowable substitutes to specified equipment, work method cautions or requirements, reference document names, "typical of" notations, "approval pending" notations, and lockout/tagout information.
Drawing packages. In a set of drawings, reserve Sheet One for symbology tables, legends, and other clarifying information common to all drawings. This sheet serves as a Table of Contents for the drawing package. When do you need such a sheet? The need depends on the type of information, project scope, project duration, and number of pages. If Sheet One will help the person in the field, include it. If not, leave it out. Make it comprehensive, but also make it lean-usefulness is your overriding concern. With huge amounts of information, you may have to reserve a block of drawing numbers, say Sheets 1 through 9, for clarifying information.
Use main plan diagrams to show the switches, contactors, relays, etc., as close to their actual arrangement as possible. Show panel-mounted devices enclosed in a rectangle made up of broken (or dashed) lines that represent the panel, to clarify what is in each panel. Indicate coupling between process loads and items like motors, generators, and exciters. This type of drawing gives you a quick overview.
Use external wiring diagrams to show how to make up the external connections-nothing else. If the connections are on the rear of a panel, the drawing must show this view. Use arrows to point to the cabinets to which wireway runs connect. You can draw lines across wireway runs to show the number of included conductors, but it's better simply to write the information, as described earlier. This type of drawing is useful for equipment layout and installation.
Use simplified wiring diagrams (also known as ladder diagrams) to show the operation of a control system. This diagram uses two vertical lines, with the control elements represented between them. You arrange the elements in the order in which they energize. This type of drawing is useful for troubleshooting control problems.
Use wireway charts to give details beyond what the wiring diagrams can contain and to give a concise visual representation of all pertinent information. Typically, you'll list the wireway ID number down the left side and have headings across the top. Headings should include wireway size, wire size, wire type, wire quantity, function, and "from and to" information. Note: You might have several entries under each heading for a given wireway ID.
Use single-line diagrams (one-lines) to show the layout of power generating and distribution systems. In this drawing, you show the wires to an instrument or the conductors in a power line or feeder with a single line. You can find these symbols in Fig. 4, on page 36 (in original article).
Taking the time to produce a good working drawing just makes sense. Don't get stuck with a bad working drawing. Remember: A thoughtfully laid-out drawing will almost always lead to success.


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Take a look at some of Monday's midday movers:
Call it the Twitter effect? Social media stocks are higher after Twitter announced an $80 million investment from BlackRock that values the social media company at $9 billion.
LinkedIn traded up to its 52-week high. Facebook shares also gained ahead of its quarterly earnings report after the bell on January 30.
PetSmart shares were hit by a downgrade from Nomura to "reduce" from "neutral." The price target was also cut to $55 from $72. Nomura turned bearish on the pet supply retailer, saying its online advantage is being eroded by competitors including Amazon.com.
Hess was higher after announcing plans to exit the oil refining business and focus on exploration & production. In addition, activist hedge fund Elliot Associates filed with regulatory authorities to up its stake in shares of the energy company.
Waste Management and Republic Services traded up to 52-week highs after a Credit Suisse analyst noted both firms could qualify for conversion to REITs. Price targets were raised to $38 for both waste management companies.
Newmont Mining is trading down to its lowest price in a year.
Netflix shares hit a fresh 52-week high before reversing course and moving lower. The video streaming company has been on a tear since reporting its quarterly earnings, with shares up about 69 percent over the past week.
Lockheed Martin shares were lower after a Reuters report said it was a manufacturing problem that likely caused engine problems in its F-35B fighter jet.


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In particular, you may want to check out government agencies and international organizations, both of which need professionals who understand the dynamics of the policy environment and have the business, communication and diplomatic skills to make things happen.
Specific positions you can pursue with a Political Science major include:
- Consultant
- Foreign affairs officer
- Fundraiser
- Grant writer
- Health care administrator
- Journalist
- Legislative aide
- Policy analyst
- Research associate
Want to learn more? Check out these resources for more information on a career in public policy:


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Welcome to Waterville, Maine a beautiful and diverse city in the heart of central Maine. With a population nearing 16,000 it is a great place to live in or visit. Waterville, Maine is located at Latitude 44.545731 and Longitude -69.661259.
The city is in the Eastern (GMT -05:00) time zone. Telephone area codes in Waterville include 207. This hometown does use daylight savings time.
Waterville, Maine is situated in Kennebec County. Kennebec County has an average elevation of 47 feet.
This guide to Waterville, Maine is a must have for both visitors and residents of the Elm City. It features restaurants, lodging, shopping, business listings, coupons, photo galleries, photo sharing, event calendars, employment opportunities, weather, map and directions, government information, history and more.
Businesses represented include businesses that both are located in Waterville, Maine and in the surrounding towns of Winslow, Oakland, Fairfield, Sidney, Vassalboro and others.


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When I first heard about the flap over "excessive" spending on events by the U.S. General Services Administration, I was worried, concerned we'd suffer through another event drought à la the bad old days of the "AIG effect."
But no longer.
And that's because the more I learned about the alleged antics of the GSA exec at the center of the storm—a fellow named Jeff Neely—the more I concluded that he isn't on the same planet as the event professionals I have known for more than a decade.
Giving phony "awards" to justify an F&B spend? Taking the Fifth so you don't have to describe your event? Then failing to show up even to take the Fifth?
The event pros I know can explain their event choices, outline their objectives and strategies, and document their results. They are proud of what they do and confident their work serves a legitimate business purpose. Because it does.
Of course, probably the most ironic feature of the GSA brouhaha is that Mr. Neely seems to have been under the impression he had access to an unlimited budget. When was the last time you felt that way?
Subsequent news coverage is raising questions about Mr. Neely taking fancy trips and about missing award prizes, including 115 iPods. This story isn't about special events; it's about the difficulty some people have managing greed.


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SCRANTON, Pa. (AP) - November 8, 2012 --Scranton police say a man was drunk when he walked into a strange home and fixed himself a late-night dinner and a nightcap as the home's occupants slept soundly on the living room couch.
Authorities say 24-year-old Steven Johnson cooked a steak on the stove and helped himself to some clams, crab and shrimp from the fridge.
The man on the sofa woke up and called police after watching Johnson head out the door.
The Times-Tribune reports that officers arrested Johnson nearby. They say he'd made off with some of the leftovers, a box of Klondike bars, and bottles of rum and vodka.
Johnson faces charges of burglary, criminal trespass and public drunkenness. He's behind bars on $10,000 bail.