text:
South Beach's famous Lincoln Road promenade, with its clean sidewalks, chic designer boutiques, and smartly dressed tourists, seems a long way from the rough-and-tumble neighborhoods of Liberty City. But it is here in the offices of SoBe Entertainment, hidden away in a nondescript white office building a few doors down from the Van Dyke Café, that Poe Boy Entertainment is convening a first press day for its signature artist, rapper Angela "Jacki-O" Kohn. The setting that the three-year-old record label chose, a stark contrast from the neighborhood in which it was first born, reflects a desire to achieve success in the music industry no matter what the cost.
For the past three years the fledgling urban music company, led by 32-year-old Elric "E-Class" Prince, has fought to overcome a host of overwhelming odds, from the death of E-Class's best friend in a shootout with police to a distribution deal with well-known indie label Rufflife Records that went horribly wrong. Along the way, it has collected a host of allies in the music business as well as some unlikely foes. But it wasn't until the release of Jacki-O's debut single, "Nookie," in May of 2003, that Poe Boy finally began to taste national acclaim, win a major-label distribution deal with Warner Bros. Records, and perhaps become a successor to other legendary Miami rap imprints such as Luke Records (mastermind behind Eighties superstars 2 Live Crew) and Slip-N-Slide (home of current hit-making rappers Trick Daddy and Trina).
Which makes Jacki-O hot. She's so hot, in fact, that an appointment to talk to her turns into a 40-minute wait. When she finally walks into a conference room set aside for her with three publicists, including Alex "Poochie" Bethune, one-third of Poe Boy production team the Execs, she's stylishly dressed in a Dolce & Gabbana black jersey with matching jeans, augmented by a string of Chanel pearls. Though far from a typical grand entrance, her entourage is the first sign that there's more to this scene than meets the eye.
"Okay," Poochie announces after everyone is seated, "let's have a good interview." Unfortunately that proves to be impossible with three overprotective publicists carefully vetting every question. They even bristle when Jacki-O is asked how old she is, although that may be a concession to her vanity. "He wants to know how old I am," she laughs to Poochie.
"Let's not get into the personal stuff," he replies.
Jacki-O describes her hit single, which was originally titled "Pussy" until commercial considerations motivated Poe Boy to change the "clean" version to "Nookie," as a message of female empowerment that will encourage women to enjoy their bodies without submitting to domineering men. "I don't see nothing wrong with me saying, 'I'm a girl, I have nookie, it's good,'" she says. "But me being a woman, you get to a point where you're, like, 'What can I do to make this man like me?' Just be yourself. If he don't like you because of that, fuck him."
She says she wrote it when producer Gorilla Tek gave her a beat CD, a collection of instrumentals for her to rhyme over, sometime last May. Her ears honed in on one slinky, sensuous track titled "Horny Toad." "I thought, 'That's a nice, funky track. It would be nice if we did something with a Southern twang to it,'" she remembers. "We came up with 'Nookie.'"
A few days later the funky, freaky romp was blasting from the radio and at local strip clubs. On Memorial Day weekend, the Poe Boy street team cruised up and down Ocean Drive, playing it at top volume from a boom box as they made their way through the throngs of college-age revelers. "The strip clubs was eating it up, the clubs was eating it up, the streets was playing it, so it was like ... yeah," she says, smiling.
Naim Ali, an A&R executive for Warner Bros. Records, fell under the power of "Nookie" during a business trip from New York last June. "I went to the club at 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning, and they were blasting the Jacki-O record 'Nookie,'" he says during a phone interview from New York. "The dance floor erupted." Impressed, Ali eventually signed Poe Boy Entertainment to a multimillion-dollar distribution deal in August.
Warner's industry muscle ensured that "Nookie," which was already garnering respectable airplay in other radio markets such as Detroit and Chicago, would make the rounds of the New York rap world. As regionalized as hip-hop has become -- two of the genre's biggest acts are Eminem from Detroit, and Atlanta duo Outkast -- the Big Apple is still the culture's chief tastemaker. After Poe Boy signed its deal, the label began organizing industry meet-and-greet parties in Manhattan. On August 23, "Nookie" entered Billboard magazine's hot R&B/hip-hop singles and tracks chart at number 78. Meanwhile influential Miami station 99 Jamz (WEDR-FM 99.1) spun the track nearly every hour, turning "Nookie" into a corporeal, inescapable presence.
Now Poe Boy is assembling a strong team for Jacki-O's debut album, Poe Little Rich Girl, including multiplatinum wunderkind Timbaland, Red Spyda (who has made beats for bullet-riddled superstar 50 Cent), and Cool and Dre (a local production duo that has worked with P. Diddy and Fat Joe). "Poe Little Rich Girl is me. People that don't know me will get a chance to know what I'm about," she says. "Just the hard street life ... that's what Poe Little Rich Girl is about."
Jacki-O doesn't like to divulge too much about her "hard street life," but she will allow that none of her boyfriends have been "corporate guys"; none of her friends are "college graduates." She attended both Barry University and Florida Memorial College, though, studying forensic science and Spanish before dropping out. "It's not that I wasn't motivated. It just didn't work out," she says. College also left her in financial straits, she moans: "My credit's still messed up from that."
How did she survive those prestardom years? "From the fruit of the land," she replies. When asked what that means, she coyly laughs, half-joking, "Somebody might want you to give them a song. Somebody might want you to give them a ride up the block. You do it. You take that job because you need the money ... escort services, giving people rides, whatever."
Was Jacki-O an escort? Both Jacki-O and Poochie quickly shake their heads. "No, I'm just saying that in general," she responds. "You can scratch that. I'm just talking about different jobs in the street that you can make money from."
Jacki-O somehow manages to give polite, generic answers without coming off as evasive or angry. After all, the "escort" question could have yielded a well-deserved slap in the face. But there are other pressing questions that remain unanswered. First there is SoBe Entertainment itself. Not just an upscale publicity firm playing host for Jacki-O, it has a considerable financial stake in Poe Boy Entertainment. SoBe's CEO is Cecile Barker, a multimillionaire from Washington, D.C. who made his fortune with OAO Technology Solutions, Inc., an information technology consulting firm with offices in North America and Europe; he owns other businesses around South Beach, including the nightclubs 320 and Club Krave.
Several phone calls are made to SoBe to determine the extent of its involvement with Poe Boy. Finally, a man who identifies himself as "Dana West" angrily answers the phone, demanding that a list of questions be faxed to the office. When a follow-up call is made, another woman who also identifies herself as "Dana West" confirms receipt of the fax. But no one is willing to answer such basic questions as "What is SoBe Entertainment?" In fact no one is willing to identify who any of SoBe's executives are.
As weird as SoBe's support staff act, their behavior (which seemed a parody of a bad 60 Minutes episode) and apparent fear of the press only masks what's really at stake. Another Miami rapper has just gone public with his claim that much of "Nookie" was actually lifted from him. In fact this veteran songwriter knows all about Poe Boy executive E-Class -- they used to be partners. Now their relationship is just another gone bust in the Magic City's small, tightly knit, and frequently litigious hip-hop industry.
Charles Trahan has been making music since the late Eighties when he and Leonarist "Prince of Power" Johnson formed Young & Restless and made national rap hits like "B Girls" and "Poison Ivy." The 32-year-old has since refashioned himself as a producer, lyricist, and arranger for hire. His recent efforts include two buzzworthy tracks for Slip-N-Slide artist Duece Poppi, "Lose Your Mind" and "Nasty Ho."
Back in the day E-Class used to be a member of the Young & Restless entourage. But Trahan isn't jumping on the Poe Boy bandwagon. Instead he's accusing the label of stealing one of his songs to create "Nookie."
Trahan says the theft took place while he was shopping his song "Pussy Good" back in November of 2002 to several local companies, including Slip-N-Slide, Miami's biggest hip-hop label thanks to platinum hits such as Trick Daddy's Thugs Are Us; and Pandisc, an important bass, dance, and rap imprint that has released countless influential records over the past two decades. (Slip-N-Slide owner Ted Lucas could not be reached for comment.)
He also serviced, or gave away, copies of "Pussy Good" to several underground DJs, and its airplay on local pirate radio stations allowed him to register a clean version titled "Coochie Good" with BDS Radio, a service that charts how often a record is spun on radio stations throughout the country. (A representative from BDS confirmed that it registered "Coochie Good" sometime in 2002.) Trahan alleges when he brought it to Poe Boy, E-Class saved it to his hard drive so he could consider it for an upcoming compilation. Trahan believes the label executive later played it for Jacki-O. (After the initial interview, Jacki-O could not be reached.)
E-Class turned down several requests for an interview. But at Poe Boy's warehouse office in Hialeah, his brother, Poe Boy COO Elvin "Big Chuck" Prince, categorically denies that Jacki-O listened to "Coochie Good" before she wrote "Nookie." He says E-Class would entertain Trahan's offers and sometimes purchase a few beats out of sympathy because, he explains, "His career isn't going so well." He concedes that his brother did play the song on his computer, but never made a copy of it.
"When he brought it to us, [E-Class] was like, 'No. I don't like it,'" he says. He claims it was never considered for a future Poe Boy compilation: "I don't want to hear a guy sing about 'pussy, pussy, pussy.'"
Though E-Class passed on the song, Pandisc's Bo Crane, who has a long relationship with Trahan dating back to when Young & Restless were stars on his label, decided to purchase rights to the track in March of 2003 for around $5000. Trahan had already signed a contract with Crane to release his solo debut on Pandisc under the name Mr. Charlie. Crane decided to buy "Coochie Good" too, so he could release it as the album's first single.
Trahan says he first heard about "Nookie" when a friend called him about it. Big Chuck confirms this, noting how when the song was played during a Poe Boy party at the Club Honeys strip club, that same friend approached him and said, "That's our song." "I was like, 'I don't know what you're talking about,'" says Big Chuck. "But they were adamant about it."
Days later Trahan went to Poe Boy's offices, hoping to discuss the matter with E-Class. But the label executive's response was alternately sarcastic and dismissive. "He was in a 'playful' mood," Trahan remembers. "He said, 'Well, when Jacki-O and Rick Ross brought me the song, I told them that Charles had a song like that ...'"
Trahan then brought "Nookie" to Crane's attention. "I thought it was strangely, almost uncannily the same as his version," says the latter. "Same subject matter, same lyrics." While Crane threatened to bring a lawsuit against Poe Boy for copyright infringement, Trahan tried to convince E-Class to reach a settlement. "A couple of friends of mine who talked to him said, 'Y'all try to work it out,'" he says. "So I tried to call him again, but he had a more arrogant attitude, like, 'I don't want to talk about that.' So we're going to court."
Last November Trahan and Pandisc Music Corporation filed a complaint against Poe Boy Entertainment, Inc. and Eric [sic] Prince, charging that the label "conceived of a way to exploit Trahan's musical compositions and ideas without compensating Trahan." They also allege "Prince and Poe Boy caused the musical compositions 'Pussy (Clean)' [or "Nookie"] and 'Pussy (Dirty)' to be recorded. These Poe Boy musical compositions copied Trahan's ideas." They're seeking $15,000 in damages along with attorney fees, and plan to seek an injunction to stop Poe Boy from selling the "Nookie" track.
On the surface, "Nookie" and "Coochie Good" sound markedly different. While "Nookie" slinks along at a slow pace, "Coochie Good" is a high-speed bass romp co-starring funk legend Blowfly. But there are a few similarities. The former's chorus goes, "Nookie real good/That nookie real good"; "Coochie Good" goes, "Coochie good/Coochie real good," mimicking Salt-N-Pepa's Eighties dance classic "Push It." At the end of "Nookie," Jacki-O starts shouting out different countries ("Bahamian nookie/Puerto Rican nookie"), just like "Coochie Good" ("What about Puerto Rican pussy?"). Big Chuck calls these similarities "a coincidence."
According to a local entertainment attorney familiar with the case who does not want his name disclosed, Pandisc's suit will hinge on three factors. First Pandisc will have to demonstrate that "Nookie" carbon-copied part of "Coochie Good," whether that is "common lyrics or common melodies," he says. The more commonalities that are found between the two songs, the more likely that "Nookie" will be found to be in violation of Pandisc's copyright. The second factor is that the copied elements must be original to the infringed work. For example this would invalidate the claim (which wasn't a part of Pandisc's written complaint) that "Nookie's" chorus unfairly copies "Coochie Good," since the latter itself appropriates the Salt-N-Pepa hit.
The case may be decided on the third and final factor: Did Jacki-O have "access" to "Coochie Good," which would have allowed her to copy it? Even if one discounts Trahan's belief that E-Class saved the track to his computer, there were probably several other opportunities for her to hear it. Trahan and Jacki-O separately claim allegiance to Club Rolexx, a local strip club and community hangout that often breaks new and unreleased Miami rap tracks as the dancers perform; Trahan says he gave a copy of "Coochie Good" to one of the club's DJs back in late 2002. Furthermore BDS's confirmation of its existence that year, well before "Nookie" was even written, means that the song was garnering airplay, no matter how minuscule.
But that doesn't prove that Jacki-O was at Club Rolexx, or listening to the radio, at the exact time it was being played. Big Chuck is adamant that she never heard it before writing "Nookie": "She came up with it totally on her own."
You could say that Trahan is indirectly responsible for Poe Boy Entertainment. Back when he was rapping in Young & Restless, he used to take a teenage E-Class along with him on tours through the South with artists such as Public Enemy and Ice Cube.
"We was cool ... he used to stay with me and cook. He was a great cook!" laughs Trahan, noting that E-Class often stayed at his house back then. "He could cook anything: kitchen peas and rice, chicken, macaroni and cheese."
The success of Young & Restless's 1989 debut, Something To Get You Hyped, led to a lengthy lawsuit over royalties with the album's executive producer, Sam "P-Man" Ferguson, who had the group under a production contract. By 1992 it was able to extricate itself from Ferguson's P-Man Productions and sign directly with Pandisc. But the legal proceedings proved to be too much of a distraction for the young rappers, and their 1992 followup, That Was Then -- This Is Now! sank without a trace. "We didn't put no creativity into it like we did with the first album because we were unhappy," laments Trahan.
Meanwhile Trahan claims that E-Class "got more into the streets. He started hustling." When asked to elaborate, he only says, "I'll let you figure that out." Miami-Dade County court records show that E-Class accumulated several criminal charges in the Nineties, from a battery misdemeanor (for which he was acquitted in a jury trial) to petty larceny and theft (for which he paid a fine). But in August of 1993 the U.S. government indicted E-Class for conspiracy to distribute and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He was extradited along with ten co-conspirators to the U.S. Federal Courthouse in Tallahassee.
Trahan testified on E-Class's behalf, using pictures the two had taken together during Young & Restless tours to illustrate why the defendant was innocent of the charges. "I told the jury that there was no way he could have been with [his co-defendants] at the time they said he was with them," says Trahan. Thanks to his testimony, E-Class was acquitted of the charges in 1994.
When asked to comment on the charges, E-Class's brother Big Chuck would only say, "I know he never got convicted, so it was kind of thrown out. They didn't have any evidence, so that was the end of that."
As the decade wore on, Trahan built his reputation by working with a variety of local artists, including J.T. Money and Luke Campbell. But most of the tracks never saw the light of day. He did manage to get a few projects off the ground, though, including a 1996 album (Who Am I?) for Fort Lauderdale label Neurodisc as the leader of a group called Southern Conference.
Trahan's closest brush with Young & Restless-style fame came when he recorded "U Like Piña Colada," a minor but memorable club hit that mimicked Rupert Holmes's kitschy classic "Escape (The Piña Colada Song)" ("U like piña colada/U like drinking champagne"), for And Then There Was Bass: Dis Bass Game Real, a 1997 compilation. He roped in E-Class for an appearance in the song's video; Trahan feels it was this moment that convinced E-Class to "get serious" about the music industry.
In 1998 Trahan and E-Class formed Fat Pocket Entertainment, a production company that would make music to sell to record labels. "The deal was, 'I'll handle the production and you handle the finance part,'" Trahan says he told E-Class, who had steadily built a nest egg from sundry ventures like selling real estate and selling cars at local auction houses. The business soon foundered. Unsure of the partnership's viability, E-Class refused to put up enough money to make it work. "It got to the point where we got into bigger arguments and bigger arguments. Then we stopped doing it," says Trahan.
By 2000 E-Class had begun assembling his own record label. He named it Poe Boy Entertainment after Kenin "Poe Boy" Bailey, a Liberty City associate who was shot to death by police in 1999 while trying to rob a check-cashing store. Big Chuck notes that Bailey was just trying to get money for E-Class's label. "That's when things got serious and people started to straighten out," he says. Big Chuck says Bailey exemplifies "the Poe Boy mentality. When we go out in the streets, we promote ourselves," he says. "We handle ourselves accordingly, but we still have that aggressive mentality to go out and do this."
As E-Class struggled to establish Poe Boy, he recruited his old Liberty City companions to help out. Among them were former Young & Restless member Johnson, who now called himself P.O.D.; younger brothers Big Chuck and producer Lee "J-Freezy" Prince; and producer Poochie, who would also serve as the company publicist. Another artist, rapper/producer Dwayne "Cognito" Webb, had once been a part of R&B act Distinguished Gentlemen, who only managed to release one single in 1994 on major label Def Jam, "Soakin' Wet." Finally there were other Liberty City upstarts such as Jacki-O, Brisco, Six Six, and Rodney.
From the start, E-Class set out to secure a distribution deal with a bigger label. One of the first he spoke to was Pandisc, who would later bring the copyright lawsuit against him. "He came to me two and a half years ago," reveals Crane. "I listened to the stuff and I turned him down."
For its first CD, P.O.D.'s The Power of Dollars, Poe Boy secured a guest appearance from the more famous Trick Daddy on the lead single, "Something Going On." Trick's presence ensured airplay on local urban radio stations Power 96 (WPOW-FM 96.1) and 99 Jamz. But when the album was released in 2001, it fell victim to yet another lawsuit filed by Atlantic Records on behalf of platinum rap-metal band P.O.D., who discovered the CD through Amazon.com. "P.O.D. was the name [Johnson] always used, even when he was with Young & Restless," Big Chuck erroneously points out, though Johnson did use the name for a 1996 album on Atlanta-based Ichiban Records, Life. The lawsuit, which Big Chuck says is currently being settled, forced Johnson to change his rap moniker to Mr. Flim-Flam.
However, the zeal with which Poe Boy promoted The Power of Dollars -- from pushing copies of "Something Going On" into the hands of local DJs to pressing up T-shirts with the Poe Boy logo, riding around in vans with wraparound ads for the label and its artists, and even hawking bottles of water marked "Poe Boy Natural Spring Water" -- sparked a buzz that eventually reached New York City.
E-Class talked to several majors, including Elektra and Sony, but eventually settled on a one-year distribution deal with independent Rufflife Records (best known for putting out a record by Eminem's former crew, the Outsidaz), which planned to distribute Poe Boy vis-à-vis its own distributor, ADA Distribution. He also found a major investor in SoBe Entertainment, which agreed to put hundreds of thousands of dollars into the label. Big Chuck says the alliance -- though he's not sure what percentage of the label SoBe owns, he refers to it as a "parent" company -- helped fund bigger street teams and advertising campaigns. "They've helped a lot," he says.
By the time of Cognito's 2002 debut, Tru Cognizance, Poe Boy was backed by some powerful allies. One of the album's executive producers was Cedric "Hollywood" Anderson, who also happens to be the program director at top-rated 99 Jamz, deciding which songs make it into the station's rotation. The album also featured several guest spots from the Slip-N-Slide roster. One of its skits, "I'm Feelin' Ya," starred DJ Khaled, a mix show personality for 99 Jamz and one of the most popular DJs in Miami.
Poe Boy worked hard at pushing Tru Cognizance by running commercials on BET and MTV, purchasing ads in hip-hop magazines like The Source, and filming a video for its first single, "Big Bank." Unfortunately Rufflife lost its distribution deal with ADA midway through the campaign, which made it unable to get the album into stores around the country. Tru Cognizance flopped and has only moved a paltry 1600 copies to date, according to industry sales tracking system Nielsen SoundScan. Big Chuck blames Rufflife for the failure of the Cognito project. "They really didn't do anything to help at all," he complains. "It was in a lot less places than they said it would be."
Trahan, of course, paints a different scenario. He believes that, after two costly disappointments, E-Class may have been under pressure from SoBe Entertainment to produce a winner. "I think what happened was that he knew the response that the 'Pussy Good' song that I had was getting on the streets, and just had Jacki-O push it around and do it over," says Trahan. "I just feel like he was desperate for a hit."
Regardless of who really wrote it, "Nookie" is definitely a hit. But how big? After debuting on Billboard's hot R&B/hip-hop singles and tracks chart in late August, "Nookie" bubbled in its lower depths before peaking at number 61 on October 4, then disappearing from the chart altogether. Meanwhile the "Nookie" video, where a bikini-clad Jacki-O floated on a raft in a pool amid dozens of scantily clad models while the Poe Boy crew mugged for the camera, only garnered light rotation on MTV Jams.
Recent rap history is littered with raunchy novelty tracks from sexually flamboyant women. In 2002 there was Khia's "My Neck My Back," which sailed to number 42 on the Billboard pop chart. But she never released a convincing followup. On the other hand there's Trina, who successfully used her outrageous debut with Trick Daddy, "Nann Nigga," to build a more lasting career. Whose path will Jacki-O follow?
Ali, Poe Boy's advocate at Warner Bros., swears Jacki-O has big potential. "She's going to be the Madonna of hip-hop," he proclaims. To build on "Nookie"'s promise, Poe Boy put out a remix version with multi-platinum musician Wyclef Jean, who has also written hits for Carlos Santana. They also released Jacki-O's "Sugar Walls," a brand new track produced by Red Spyda.
If you like this story, consider signing up for our email newsletters.
You have successfully signed up for your selected newsletter(s) - please keep an eye on your mailbox, we're movin' in!
But Poe Boy is understandably anxious to get Poe Little Rich Girl out in stores to build on "Nookie"'s waning buzz. In spite of its considerable strengths, the song already seems old, last year's memorable soundtrack to a blazing hot summer. The label lobbied hard for Warner Bros. to stick to the album's original November 4 street date, but Ali says that after careful consideration it will now be released on February 24.
"There were a lot of heavy hitters" competing for consumer dollars in November, he says, noting that multiplatinum rappers Jay-Z, 50 Cent's group G-Unit, and the late Tupac Shakur all dropped albums that month. "So we decided to pull back," he adds. Warner Bros. has something to prove as well. The venerable record company hasn't had a big rap hit since Ice-T fled the label during the 1992 "Cop Killer" controversy. The recent Poe Boy deal is one of many moves it is making to try and win back a prominent role; impressively, it also signed another imprint, white-hot rapper/producer Lil Jon's BME Records, to a national distribution deal.
In the meantime, of course, Poe Boy has a pending legal battle with Pandisc and Trahan. If Pandisc is able to secure a court injunction on "Nookie," Poe Little Rich Girl might not appear in stores for the next several months, all but derailing Poe Boy's chances of capitalizing on the biggest hip-hop song to come out of Miami in 2003.
Poe Boy clearly has a lot to lose. But Big Chuck is confident that his crew will prevail. "I think we're going to come out on top in the long run," he says. He characterizes Trahan's lawsuit as a pathetic attempt to cash in on "Nookie"'s success, the sad result of a career in decline. "I don't know what he's doing," he notes wistfully about his former friend. "It's a shame because we all grew up together."


text:
The downside of being a natural light on-location photographer the majority of the time is that I can't always take samples of my products with me. For those of you unfamiliar with my gallery wrapped canvases, I am offering a little more information and some images. The canvas I offer is a high quality print on artist's canvas stretched over custom made wood supports (stretcher frame). The texture is wonderful. The images stand out boldly without the distraction of a frame. The back is finished with hanging hardware so the canvas is ready for your wall upon delivery. :) Gallery mounted canvas can be ordered in any size and come in both color or black and white. I have them in my own home and always get tons of compliments.They are much more beautiful in person, but this will give you a sense of what they are like.
This is a 30x40 gallery wrap canvas.
and a close up of a corner.
and a 24x48

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I'm quite easy to please actually.
Maybe it's a flaw, but as long as a show has cute girls or explosions and decent humor I'll prolly find it enjoyable.
The only stuff I really ever dislike is stuff that comes off to me as a train-wreck from the get go.
Ryuunosuke don't you dare sink my ship
you guys might think im silly but i hate having to rate something.
i dont like criticizing i hate being negative about things
cause i know people worked hard on they're anime projects
im weird like that
Not much. I do like to pick out the things I like and dislike, but I don't really press on the issues. And I only really critique when I finish a show, since I never know when a show might get better in the end.
I don't write reviews on a blog or anything. But I am quite a tough person to please to give 5*. I'll only give 5 stars if its grips me from the very start to carry on watching. For example Fate Zero, I can't believe I only watched it like a week ago and it didn't come up on my radar in the past, I was just too addicted and watched it all afternoon into the night on a Sunday,seriously that shit is addicting lol. Shows that normally make me laugh and don't have much of a story normally have a 3*. But its just personal preference.
I'm a hardass critic, though I only turned out that way because of http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/HomePage
Thinking of something cool to say...
not harsh but vague...
His Holiness Optimus Maximus Decimus Meridius Colossus Nemesis Nexus Genesis
I don't try to review, just score the anime based on my own likes and dislikes
Pretty much if I sum up my own 5 star rating system -
5 out of 5: Great, I really enjoyed it (I don't call "perfect scores" masterpieces like say MAL does with their system, IMO it just means I really liked the show)
4 out of 5: good, though some elements in the show detracted from my enjoyment of the anime
3 out of 5: average to ok, some boring/annoyances in the show but still watchable for the most part
2 out of 5: poor, show for the most part I disliked but still managed to watch through
1 out of 5: lol worthy (I don't really call it that but pretty much that)
cannibalcarrot wrote:
I'm quite easy to please actually.
Maybe it's a flaw, but as long as a show has cute girls or explosions and decent humor I'll prolly find it enjoyable.
The only stuff I really ever dislike is stuff that comes off to me as a train-wreck from the get go.
that Tsukasa avatar haha
What even
I'm absolutely brutal. I'm not one to nitpick (unless there's a lot of things to nitpick) but if something is stupid, annoying, or doesn't make sense within the context of what i'm reading/watching/etc. I will point it out. Even if I like the series in question i'll gleefully tear it apart.Strawberry Panic is one of my favorite series ever partially because it's so fun to point out every cliche, cheesy line, or character trait that comes up. I like to think i'm pretty objective outside of certain cases (you can't convince me that Big Trouble in Little China isn't objectively the greatest film ever made) and I tend to use a ton of details in explaining why I like or dislike something.
If I had a type it'd be you, fortunately I don't have a type so please stop.
A real A-hole :X
The past is the past, don't let it cloud who you are now.
from the scale 1 to 10 almost every anime is 1 when i started to get criticizing it
If I want live up to my high standards, I'd give 80-90% last year's anime with a fail mark. Needless to say that most anime nowadays are just capitalizing moeblobs, ecchi and cheap flashy scenes to compensate their poorly written storyline.
I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you.
I'm pretty tough, in that if something is good almost the whole way through, but then the ending is shit, I will take two stars off
not really hard if theres like romance in it ill probably give it 10/10 LOL
Sailor Candy Moderator
Summer forum cleaning! To keep the forums neat and tidy we only keep 6 months worth of threads since its June 19, 2013 [6/19/13] we will keep only keep posts open from January 19, 2013 [1/19/13]. Please feel free to recreate any thread closed, as long as someone else didn't open another similar one before you.
Tuxedo Mask!!!


text:
Fr. Frank Pavone
Fr. Denis G. Wilde, OSA
Fr. Walter Quinn, OSA
Death Penalty
Church Documents
Inspiring Stories
America Will Not Reject Abortion Until America
Sees Abortion
Prayer Campaign
Take Action
Social Networking
Rachel's Vineyard,
A Ministry of Priests For Life
Silent No More Awareness Campaign, A Project
of Priests For Life
Clergy Resources
Civil Rights Summit 2014: What about the babies?
Dr. Alveda King
Director, African American Outreach
April 11, 2014
This week's 2014 Civil Rights Summit missed an historic moment to acknowledge the most important civil rights struggle of our time – securing the rights of those alive in the womb.
Seven men, four U.S. presidents, three civil rights icons, offered presentations at the Summit. Yet when it was time to discuss civil rights in the 21st Century these men made no mention of the fact that America still discriminates against the unwanted – and that today the unwanted are the unborn."
Ambassador Andrew Young, Past NAACP Chairman Julian Bond, and Congressman John Lewis were part of a Summit panel titled "Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement: Views from the Front Line." I would be good to think that the introduction of the panel by King Center CEO Bernice King was intended to recognize women's participation in the struggle for voting, housing, and other rights; yet where were any women on the panel? Believe me, we did march; some went to jail; and some women and children died.
My friend Day Gardner, founder of the National Black Pro-Life Union, said of the event, "Someone at the Summit should have acknowledged that Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 'beloved community' is inclusive, but that American law still segregates – regarding babies in the womb as separate and unequal."
Gardner added, "While there was lip service to the upcoming 50th Anniversary of the U. S. Civil Rights Act, four of the holders of America's highest seat of power never spoke of the sanctity of human life in the womb. While President Carter did address human trafficking from the perspective of sexual slavery, no one spoke to the truth that America can never truly be the leader of the 'free world' until the dignity of every man, woman, and child - born and unborn - is protected."
Remarking on the progress of civil rights since the 1968 enactment of the law, and going back as far as 395 years ago when slavery came to the Americas, Rev. Wayne Perryman remarks:
"While there have been some positive inroads during the past 395 years, some things have not changed. One interesting enigma is that while science and theology both point to the truth that there are not separate human races, only one human race; the lie of racism is still perpetrated in America.
"In addition to the 395 years of African Americans in America, 50 years have passed since the passage of the United States "Civil Rights Bill" was passed in America, promising equality for Black Americans. And yet, in 2014, 395 years or 50 years later, depending on the perspective, African Americans still do not comprehensively experience the liberty and freedom that other ethnic groups enjoy in America.
"Tragically, after 395 years of living in America, helping to build this great nation, having literally served this great nation, African Americans, in some isolated cases, and in some more blatant situations, Black Americans are still often treated as second class citizens.
"The significant role that blacks have played and continue to contribute in the success of America – the unique giftings and talents – their contributions in various fields are seldom ever included or valued in regular American history classes or substantial historical documentaries; all of which perpetuates negative racial stereotypes. African Americans started working and contributing the moment they stepped onto American soil in 1619 and have been doing so ever since. Unfortunately most Americans are not aware of their contributions. Based upon the generally noted founding of America in 1776, America is 238 years old this year (2014). Notably with the advance of the transcontinental slave trade which began in 1619, the contributions of African Americans began 157 years earlier, Together, the sum of these years bring us to this 395th anniversary of Black oppression in America."
Day and I are both members of the National Black Prolife Coalition. We agree with Rev. Perryman. There is still inequity among Blacks and other Americans. Day and I remain concerned about all injustice, all inhumanity among humans. That is why we are working to expose the impact of abortion on the African American community and all of America. We are also working to expose the role of Planned Parenthood in the decimation of our communities. Yes, as Rev. Perryman says, we acknowledge some "inroads in race relations," yet lament that many liberals still ignore the rights of 55+ million aborted babies since Roe VS Wade. It has been fifty years of Civil Rights struggles and 395 years of oppression against Blacks, and still today in the 21st century, the babies are not free and the wombs of women are still endangered. LET OUR PEOPLE GO!
Help us spread the word. Share this with your social network.
Click here to leave a comment
Priests for Life
PO Box 236695 • Cocoa, FL 32923
Tel. 321-500-1000, Toll Free 888-735-3448 •


text:
Swisscenter (MIPSel)
You will need to install:
Create a swisscenter directory in apache's DocumentRoot (/mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs) : ((note I did not change it as in the docs e.g share/www))
mkdir /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter
Download Swisscenter into previously created directory
cd /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter wget http://www.swisscenter.co.uk/downloads/swisscenter.zip
Unzip the downloaded file
unzip swisscenter.zip
Change user:group
chown -R nobody:nogroup /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter
Restart apache
/mnt/hda/opt/apache/bin/apachectl restart
Run it
Go to your Swisscenter on your Linkstation
Hopefully you will see this message
You have not created a database. Please use the Configuration Utility to create a database
Now goto Swisscenter config on your Linkstation
and hopefully you'll see this:
Set up the databases and point it to your media and you should be away! In order to be able to get weather forecasts, internet radio and updates you will need to
vi /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter/base/server.php
and add change
if ( $sock = @fsockopen('188.8.131.52', 80, $temp, $temp, 0.5)) // www.google.com
if ( $sock = @fsockopen('google.com', 80, $temp, $temp, 0.5)) // www.google.com
Once it's configured
and you should see this:
In the event of something not working as it should, do this and ask for help
Create a file to see your php settings
vi /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter/config/test_php.php
and put this in it
<? phpinfo(); ?>
It should output your PHP settings when you try to reach it, check for MySQL support
Create a file to check you MySQL settings
vi /mnt/hda/opt/apache/htdocs/swisscenter/config/test_mysql.php
and put this in it
<? echo mysql_pconnect('swiss','swisscenter','swisscenter'); ?>
Try and access it and see what it gives you
More screenshots can be seen from here


text:
Sometimes my friends and I will declare war on one another. Back in high school and the early days of college, we would get in our ninja gear, airsoft stuff or whatever and fight the battles ourselves. Now that I moved an hour away from them, its been a bit harder to go to their places at night, break into their houses and "take them out".
But, thanks to LDD and Brikwars, we've found a happy medium to wage war on each other once again. Here are some shots of what we do.
I live in northern Utah and the terrain is pretty diverse. We have gigantic lakes, pine forests, deciduous forests, deserts, mountains, etc. When we begin, we normally take a screen shot of our area in Google Earth and paste it in MS Paint or Adobe Photoshop. In this picture, north is to the left and I've tilted the camera just a bit to view more area.
Then we add borders and capitals. My friend's kingdom is in red, in the Ogden area. Mine is in yellow, the Provo/Orem area. Salt Lake City is in the middle and we don't really care about it. The red dot in his borders is roughly where his house is whereas the yellow dot is where my place is. Pretty simple. When borders change, we update the map and send it to each other.
Sacred sites (orange and hard to see) are key points that we try to take. Since we went to high school in Ogden, most of the places are in his realm.
My army, sent to my buddy over a word doc attached in an e-mail. This was from the time when I officially declared war on him for denying my people the right to visit the sacred sites within his borders and because he's a dick.
A shot of one of my patrols making their way through his kingdom towards his most holy place.
He just happened to have a lot of ninja in the area.
And the ninja took my men out. It was a disgrace.
This is one of his minor outposts that I made for him (he just got LDD and hasn't used it that much). Being descended from proud Norwegian stock, he wanted his civilization to be more Norse and with Orks. Also, he's pretty good with a tomahawk, so a lot of his soldiers, plus his sig fig, will use axes.
An Ork.
One of his warriors.
One of my Elven warriors. This specific shade of blue is reserved for only the strongest weapons. We're Minecraft nerds, so diamond weapons are legendary and rare in our game.
My men have a more Roman/Elvish feel to them since I have a lot of Italian ancestry on the FBI's side of the family (we can actually trace our family tree back to the Ceasers) and I like Elves.
Its pretty simple and if you and your friends are bored and don't want to go on the Brikwars forums, this is a pretty fun alternative.
Nothing beats using real LEGO, though. And when our physical armies clash, the gods themselves flee in terror.


text:
U.S. & Canada, call 800 228 3360
More Contact Information
World of Hyatt Special Offers
Take advantage of free nights, bonus points and more on your Hyatt stays.
Platinum Membership
After 5 qualifying stays or 15 eligible nights in a calendar year, you will enjoy automatic upgrades to Platinum membership that lets you experience a premium level of benefits and rewards.Join Hyatt Gold Passport
Achieve rewards faster with a 15% point bonus when choosing points
Enjoy a preferred room including rooms on higher floors or larger rooms, based on availability upon arrival1
Stay connected with complimentary premium Internet access where available2
Expedite check-in at a dedicated area for elite members3
Ensure a room is always available with our 72-hour guarantee4
Extend your stay until 2:00 p.m. with a late check out request5
Book reservations through an exclusive Platinum line
1Excludes Regency Club® and Grand Club® rooms and suites. Not available at Hyatt Place properties, Hyatt House properties, and Hyatt Residence Club resorts.
2Daily complimentary Standard in-room internet access, or Premium in-room internet access where available, will be provided during all stays. Internet access may be wired or wireless and varies by property. If the hotel offers wired and wireless internet services, it is at the hotel's discretion which internet service to provide.
3Not available at Hyatt Place, Hyatt House, Hyatt Zilara™ and Hyatt Ziva™ properties or Hyatt Residence Club resorts.
4Guarantee not valid at Hyatt resorts, Hyatt Zilara and Hyatt Ziva properties , Hyatt Residence Club resorts, or during extraordinary room demand.
5Subject to availability at Hyatt resorts and casinos. Not available at Hyatt Residence Club resorts.
These benefits are subject to the complete Hyatt Gold Passport Program Terms and Conditions.


text:
Watch Full Sicario in HD QualityNow you can enjoy Sicario in top quality with duration 121 Min and has been aired on 2015-09-18 and MPAA rating is 243.
- Original Title : Sicario
- Movie title in your country : Sicario
- Year of movie : 2015
- Genres of movie : Mystery, Crime, Drama,
- Status of movie : Released
- Release date of movie : 2015-09-18
- Companies of movie : Thunder Road Pictures, Black Label Media,
- Countries of movie : United States of America,
- Language of movie : Español, English,
- Durationof movie : 121 Min
- Average vote of movie : 7.1
- Youtube ID of movie : 3yn6Q-FnchY
- Translation of movie : EN,IT,NL,SV,FR,ES,HU,RU,PT,HE,DE,TR,DA,CS,AR,EL,FI,RO,ZH,
- Cast of movie :Emily Blunt (Kate Macer), Josh Brolin (Matt), Benicio del Toro (Alejandro), Daniel Kaluuya (Reggie), Jon Bernthal (Ted), Maximiliano Hernández (Silvio), Raoul Trujillo (Rafael), Lora Martinez-Cunningham (Jacinta), Jeffrey Donovan (Steve Forsing), Victor Garber (Jennings), Dylan Kenin (Charlie), Sarah Minnich (Pretty Blonde), Matthew Page (Operator), Kaelee Vigil (Immigrant Woman)
Movie synopsis of Sicario :
Best Sicario in HD Video with movie plot "A young female FBI agent joins a secret CIA operation to take down a Mexican cartel boss, a job that ends up pushing her ethical and moral values to the limit." in best look. Watch full Sicario in Top Video Format by clicking the button above.
Now you can enjoy Sicario in high quality. See Sicario video with single submit the style by hitting the image of the sign way up button. Enjoy all of the albums new movie along with all preferred movie internet! only play this movie Sicario now for easy access this online movie. This is truly spectacular and may even some of those rare amazing. The excellent was great all over. Management, images and visible effects were being all incredibly innovative along with brilliant. The pleasure in the script, often humorous possesses many heart for everyone his characters are common very well toned.
... Release Sicario in High Quality Video 1080p ...
Director : Denis Villeneuve, Screenplay : Taylor Sheridan, Director of Photography : Roger Deakins, Art Direction : Bjarne Sletteland, Special Effects : Stan Blackwell, Art Direction : Paul D. Kelly, Music : Jóhann Jóhannsson, Editor : Joe Walker, Casting : Francine Maisler, Producer : Basil Iwanyk, Executive Producer : Basil Iwanyk, Producer : Thad Luckinbill, Producer : Trent Luckinbill, Producer : Edward McDonnell, Associate Producer : Emma McGill, Line Producer : Stacy Perskie, Executive Producer : Stacy Perskie, Producer : Molly Smith, Associate Producer : Donald Sparks, Production Design : Patrice Vermette, Set Decoration : Jan Pascale
Yes, now you can view movie connected with Sicario fully length and acquire the url to this motion picture Sicario in best look.
Tags: fbi, fbi agent, moral dilemma, cia, mexican cartel,


text:
St. Johns County Sheriff's Office detectives are looking for a suspect after an elderly Hastings couple were the victims of a home invasion robbery Wednesday night.
The 74-year-old female victims said someone kicked open the rear door before 10 p.m. and then demanded money.
The woman said she didn't have any, so the suspect asked where the woman's husband was.
She told him that her husband was asleep, and the suspect ran in the bedroom and demanded money from the male victim.
The woman checked on her husband and found he had been beaten.
County Fire Rescue treated both at the scene
There were also two car burglaries in the same area around the same time.
The suspect is described as a 6-foot-tall black male with a thin build wearing a black jogging jacket, black pants and a black ski mask over his face.
Those with information are asked to call Detective Gene Tolbert at 209-3985 or 1-888-277-TIPS.


text:
|2013-02-18, 09:20
|Link #40426
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Less serious than it should be, actually,
The general consensus between character is depending on how sentient the AI in question, some that are humanlike, Setsura for example, are treated as companion/servant, while Oracle, omnipotent as it is, still treated as tool.
@ Stratos
Good enough. The generations system reminded me of Cosmic Break than canon version (no model is ever rendered obsolette)
Hmm... due to SAO-like simulacra that appear in chapter 12, a shoutout will be inevitable... assuming I ever continue...
|2013-02-18, 09:31
|Link #40427
Just another Idiot
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Delusion world
I will adjust the male OCs in my story.
Cyril's wimpy side is shown by having a lot of monologue (things to say) but when people ask him to speak out his mind, he wuss out.
Yea.... Not being manly is kind of the whole point.
All male IS pilots have a reason why they can pilot IS regardless of how absurd the reason is:
Joan can pilot IS.....
My reasoning: "because he looked like a girl enough to get the IS confused."
Technical Excuse: Joan is actually a walking techno-bane that cause machine to go into error status. Further pseudo-science explanation is that his techno-bane status has something to do with his Bio-electricity (which I will deliberately not explain because Cyril is not an expert on this kind of field).
Edelweiss altering to Adel Schwartz:
Adel can pilot IS because he made his own IS core and basically kick everybody's figurative balls while at it. He is a martial artist who can understand blackboxes (such as IS and Vantier) and build IS core within 7 days.
Sure, fake IS cores has limitations but it still function as normal IS. Oh, and he is apparently a prince and have a Harem that is better than Ichika's Harem because his Harems are technically his royal guards.
Serving as Ichika's foil, he is technically one of the antagonists in my story....but put him in another story... he is an hero who is a cross between Chuck Norris, MacGyver and Einstein.
He is just following his heart and do the right thing without thinking through. His fortune and talent is the result of good karma from his idea of "being himself and following his heart".
A new Male IS pilot who cross-dress as a girl , like act like one (or rather stereotypical portray of girl) but is actually guy.
That is until he activate his IS and transform into a real girl (reusing glitch IS core concept). Currently his nationality is set at Chinese... (Excuse is: apparently China dislike Japan enough to take a risk and make their own male IS pilot via glitching IS core...).
|2013-02-18, 09:40
|Link #40428
Titans Test Team Pilot
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The Elysium
Then there's also naming issues, surely the Reps wouldn't want to use their real names in a game.
|2013-02-18, 10:05
|Link #40431
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
I always have that scenario, but unleashing the bunny... never found the good timing.
1. 46.700 core (no kidding) in a futile war against BETA. They literally overcrowded the Low Earth orbit constantly shooting at stuff that try to come to earth, constructing starship powered by 100 cores and firing wave motion gun etc. Basically the story is endless war that, while human will curbstomp constantly with no exception, is literally endless.
2. 468 Old core & ~550 imitation vs 4000+ golems. Tabane went batshit insane and challenge the world... just because peace is boring. When freaking PT submit themselves to world government, you knew it's screwed.
|2013-02-18, 10:18
|Link #40432
That one guy
Join Date: Nov 2011
Metal gear makes me imagine... Women with Tabane just making cores and the women themselves just salvaging the "failed" projects. One lady decides to wage feminist war and half the female population join her crusade. Those the disprove aren't exactly willing to piut on power armor and pick up a weapon like their more vehement counterparts.
The men would be driven underground. Making use of conventional sciences and pushing them to their limits, the create cyborg technology carbon nanotube fiber musculature, HF blades, EM charged gauss small arms, DNA based architecture for compiuters in data storage and processing, etc.
|2013-02-18, 10:37
|Link #40435
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
It's quite popular of an idea, multiple manga has that as basis. I refer this as creator making fun of themselves.
Because in reality, especially old Japan, women are oppressed, that is. This is why male oppression is considered hilarious in Japan media, and for japanese, tragedy reversal equals comedy, values dissonance ahoy.
|2013-02-18, 10:54
|Link #40436
Titans Test Team Pilot
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The Elysium
Too much splurging in my head from thinking about the Infinity Online bunny...
Spoiler for CC cast:
This list is pretty short with only four OCs(Though I plan to have more), one of them being the Luke guy from one of Athena's reviews, suddenly I have a use for that guy.
Spoiler for OC cast:
Spoiler for Other notes:
|2013-02-18, 12:39
|Link #40437
Just another Idiot
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Delusion world
|2013-02-18, 14:20
|Link #40438
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
輝 - Kagami (Radiance)
Is a weapon system developed by Tenjouin Corporation nine years ago, although lost to Yukihira due to system imperfection. However, the actual origin is a lot more vague, and it was said that the rapier predate the I.S. themselves.
In reality, Kagami is made from recreating a relic weapon, simply dubbed Kira. Kira, despite being a mostly conventional weapon, is more than capable of piercing very basic, low grade energy barrier.
It was then found that the double-helical solenoid construction of the intricate ferromagnetic metal, is capable of disrupting the barrier integrity. Kagami's attempt to recreate such feat at larger scale failed, however, the second attempt came into fruition after years of painstaking test and research. The second sword is personally wielded by Saki Tenjouin herself, who handled the project personally.
|2013-02-18, 23:35
|Link #40440
I am no one
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Inside your head
Nope. Saki look and act like typical spoiled and haughty conglomerate's daughter, imagine Cecilia on crack, then some. And yeah, usually other character's first impression is either "Funny" or "Bitch" or combination thereof.
However, knowing her a little better, she had depth insight and golden heart, is more than ready to help a stranger in need and not above putting effort in achieving what she want. And when she really act like a bitch, karma drop the hammer more often than not.
When the project almost mothballed, she use her own purse (=her corporation stock that is) to take over, result in very minimum funding, with only loyal worker and modest facility on her side. The weapon finally finished one year prior to the story start.
Oh, and it's a plot point for her not having a personal I.S., despite being AT LEAST Charlotte level in skill.
That sounds quite naive and very optimistic view of pacifism.
Last edited by ZeroXSEED; 2013-02-18 at 23:53.
|fanfic ideas, fanfiction, ff.net, harem, is fanfic, warning fanfic spoilers, wincest
|Thread Tools


text:
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare (26 April 1564 - 23 April 1616 / Warwickshire)
» Click to list general statistics » OR, select a date :
Sonnet Clii
In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn,
But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing,
In act thy bed-vow broke and new faith torn,
In vowing new hate after new love bearing.
read more >>
- Hits: Number of visitors who read the poem on the given date.
- Posts: Number of visitors who posted the poem to a friend (via e-mail) on the given date.
- Dates that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list.
- Dates, poems and poets that have "0" hits may not be shown on the list. Statistics are generated daily.


text:
Copper catalyst transforms lactic acid into glycol
liquid detergents could soon stand alongside animal feeds,
sweeteners and cooking oil.
An industrial chemical found in antifreeze, de-icing fluids, and liquid detergents could soon stand alongside animal feeds, sweeteners and cooking oil as a commercial product made from corn, US scientists report this week. Randy Cortright and James Dumesic, chemical engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, have invented a catalytic process for converting the corn-derived compound, lactic acid, into the chemical polypropylene glycol. More than 450 tons of polypropylene glycol are used in the United States annually. Unlike current processes for manufacturing polypropylene glycol, which make use of petroleum-based starting materials, this advance taps into a low cost, renewable resource available in surplus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that over a billion bushels of corn went unused last year. "This [technology] provides a sustainable method of producing important chemicals,"Cortright says. It also promises to reduce reliance on imported oil and open new markets for U.S.-grown corn, the scientists comment. A chain of processes links corn to polypropylene glycol. It begins with fermentation of the corn-derived sugar glucose into lactic acid, followed by separation and purification of the acid. Cortright and Dumesic's method completes the critical last step by using a copper catalyst in the presence of hydrogen gas to chemically transform lactic acid into polypropylene glycol. According to a statement the approach is more cost-efficient than past methods. Cortright remarked, "We're using a relatively inexpensive metal, running the reaction at lower [hydrogen] pressure and we get 100 percent conversion," of the lactic acid, with fewer unwanted byproducts like alcohols. Cortright and Dumesic's research builds upon the work of Homer Adkins, a UW-Madison chemistry professor from 1919-49. At a time when most chemicals were produced from agricultural products rather than oil, Cortright says, Adkins was the first to use copper catalysts to turn lactic acid into propylene glycol. "It feels like we've come full circle," Cortright said. "We enhanced the technology, but the basic ideas were known 70 years ago."


text:
OnStar RemoteLink review
OnStar RemoteLink keeps you connected to your vehicle so you can remotely control your vehicle features all from your Apple devices.
You'll need your OnStar.com username and password to login. Forgot yours? Retrieve either at: onstar.com/login
Brand-new features plus a new user interface mean you can do amazing things because you drive a vehicle connected by OnStar:
Send remote commands to the vehicle - Remote start/stop vehicle - Remote lock/unlock car doors - Remote horn & lights/cancel horn & lights View vehicle status - Monitor fuel level and economy - Check oil life and tire pressure (if equipped) - Retrieve electric vehicle-specific data (battery charging status & options) Map and plan trips - Pinpoint vehicle location - Search for destinations - Send directions to vehicle through OnStar Turn-by-Turn Navigation or in-dash navigation system (if equipped) Manage the OnStar Wi-Fi® hotspot (if equipped) - Turn hotspot ON/OFF and view or change hotspot name and password - View the status of the vehicle's data package View important information about your OnStar account including: - OnStar account details - Available Hands-Free Calling minutes - Preferred dealer information Contact Support - OnStar Advisor - Roadside Assistance An active OnStar account is required to use RemoteLink. Some features require paid subscription. Features may vary by vehicle. For a list of supported vehicles, please visit onstar.com/remotelink.


text:
She's got a hit show, a mega summer movie and a contract with Chanel—so, yeah, things are going pretty well for Blake Lively. She tells her new best friend, singer Florence Welch, all about it.
She makes you feel that she and life are going to go on forever." Can you guess whom director Baz Luhrmann was talking about in his tribute to one of Time's 100 most influential people of 2011? Streep? Kidman? Bacall? Nope—it's Gossip Girl's Blake Lively! Her role as Serena van der Woodsen may have made her a household name, but it's Blake's impressive drama chops (have you seen her turn as a drug-addled single mom in 2010's The Town?) that have helped her land movie parts more seasoned actors would kill for. And she's quickly becoming a fashion icon (without a stylist, mind you). Karl Lagerfeld—Mr. Chanel himself—brought her as his date to this year's Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute gala, one of fashion's highest-profile events, calling her an "American dream girl."
This summer, Blake fights big-screen villains with Ryan Reynolds in the blockbuster Green Lantern; next up is the indie drama Hick and a role in Oliver Stone's Savages. The girl's on fire—and did we mention she's only 23? Listen in as Glamour's guest interviewer, Blake's good friend Florence and the Machine singer Florence Welch, pumps her for details on all that good stuff and more.
FLORENCE WELCH: Blake, you looked a-mazing at the Met ball the other night.
BLAKE LIVELY:Stop it! I think we love each other too much—it's not healthy! The performance you did that night, it's the best thing I've been to yet.
FLORENCE WELCH: It was so nice having you in the crowd. I remember meeting you after my first show in New York. You got the band pizza, and they instantly fell in love with you. It was so sweet.
BLAKE LIVELY: I feel like the story of our meeting should be a little more happenstance so I sound less like a stalker, but it's not. My brother was obsessed with you. When he played your album for me, my jaw dropped. Two days later you were playing the Bowery Ballroom, and we said, "This is serendipitous! We're supposed to see her."
FLORENCE WELCH: [Laughs hard.]
BLAKE LIVELY: So I got a ticket, and when they said, "Do you want to come backstage?" I'm like, Oh my gosh, I would love to meet this wonderful goddess! And then you were the nicest person I'd ever met. I thought, I need to know her better.
FLORENCE WELCH: And then Vegas was really fun as well, wasn't it? That sealed the deal on our friendship, spending New Year's together in sparkly outfits, standing on a table.
BLAKE LIVELY: You said, "Come to Vegas!" and I rounded up 16 of my family members.
FLORENCE WELCH: I think it was your uncle or your dad who went to get me ice because I'd fallen off the table mid-freestyle rapping.
BLAKE LIVELY: Well, it's difficult to wear such high Louboutins and also freestyle rap. [Laughs.]
FLORENCE WELCH: [Pauses.] How am I doing on interviewing you so far?
BLAKE LIVELY: Wonderful!
FLORENCE WELCH: OK, my career in journalism can start, then. So how does it feel to be the face of Chanel's Mademoiselle handbag?
BLAKE LIVELY: It's such an honor. When I found out I got [the job], you and I went to dinner and concocted this plan, like two little girls at a tea party, saying, "Oh, it would be the best if we had a party. And you'll perform, and we'll do it in Paris." Like you and I were in charge of Chanel!
FLORENCE WELCH: What's amazing is that you don't have a stylist, do you?
BLAKE LIVELY: You know, my mom modeled and made clothes, so I always had such an appreciation for design. And then Gossip Girl completely blew open the door to fashion for me. I'd go to fashion shows and call my publicist and say, "Can I wear that?" I think I became my own stylist by not knowing any better. And once I was told it was time to get one, I thought: This is one of my favorite hobbies! And I'm going to pay someone to steal my hobby from me? That's a terrible idea!
FLORENCE WELCH: It's incredibly fresh, your look. I can imagine you stepping out of Studio 54 with Andy Warhol on one arm, looking radiant. How would you describe your personal style?
BLAKE LIVELY: I should have you describe it—that was incredibly flattering. There's no one thing I would say, because like me, my style is growing and changing, and it's very moody. [Laughs.]
FLORENCE WELCH: It was interesting what you said to me about being nervous on the red carpet at your first Met ball.
BLAKE LIVELY: You're referring to this beautiful teal Versace dress that I wore. I loved that dress, but I am far too shy to walk around in a dress like that with a slit up to my neck. So I thought, The only way I can wear this is to pretend I'm someone else. Who is somebody who completely owns her sexuality? I thought, Marilyn Monroe! So I'm going to be Marilyn Monroe tonight.
FLORENCE WELCH: That really does help. When you're getting ready for an event, what are your rules?
BLAKE LIVELY: I like it to be easy. I don't feel like I have to do so much with hair and makeup, because I'm the mannequin for these beautiful clothes, so I never want to do anything too distracting. Most of the time, I put my hair in a ballerina bun, and I take it down and it's wavy, and then I leave. I feel shy when people are fussing on me. And my diet of choice before events is a chicken potpie from Tea & Sympathy, because they never have enough food at these things.
FLORENCE WELCH: You are a great cook! My gosh, I had an amazing time having brunch with you, and you made the most delicious—what in the world was it?
BLAKE LIVELY: Puff pastry and then those little pancake balls. I'm always traveling, and I get so excited when I find a new spice or a new sauce. This is absolutely crazy, but I wanted a sauce from New Orleans, and they wouldn't send it because the FDA didn't approve it. I called the restaurant and I said, "OK, can you buy a teddy bear and cut it open and put it in and send it?" They're like, "No, we are not the drug cartel; we're not sending you your sweet potato sauce in a teddy bear."
FLORENCE WELCH: Knowing you—you're such a happy person—it's strange to me to see you play a f—-ed-up character so well, like you did in The Town. What draws you to those darker roles?
BLAKE LIVELY: That's the real me—that's what you don't know! [Laughs.] No, I'm drawn to those roles because [they're so] rare, especially for someone my age. Women in film are often the prizes for the men and nowhere near as layered or complex as the men get to be. My character in The Town was written for a 37-year-old. I had to fight for that role. But also, I'm not this super-tortured soul, so it's fun to be able to go there.
FLORENCE WELCH: I can imagine that you could be quite tough if you needed to be.
BLAKE LIVELY: Well, I have a strong sense of myself. That gives me a sense of security, you know? If I define myself by things that are always changing, like the public's opinion or what I'm wearing or what job I'm doing, there's no stability in that.
FLORENCE WELCH: You're a fighter pilot in Green Lantern. Was that fun? Did you get to fly a plane?
BLAKE LIVELY: I got to do a lot of flight training in the flight simulator. It was unbelievable. Now I'm, like, the coolest aunt ever.
FLORENCE WELCH: I'm learning a lot over this conversation. You are really good at doing interviews, Blake. How was my interviewing?
BLAKE LIVELY: I get shy, but having you do it makes it easier. I feel like I need to interview you now!
FLORENCE WELCH: OK. Call me!
Source: www.Glamour.com


text:
When I tell people—VCs included—that we made a social search tool for Twitter, I get a lot of head scratching. People say, "Sounds interesting, but I don't do a lot of social search." Hey, I get it. It's true for just about everyone. The newness of social search—and the lack of clarity around search paradigms—has muddied our sense of what it is, and its potential.
My bet is that we're going to do a lot more of it soon.
If I do my job, by the time we reach the bottom of this post, social search will have a place at the table with the interest graph and purchase intent, distant though they may now appear.
There is no fold
Before we rush to the end, let's pause for a minute and take a look at the fold. As I'm sure you know, the fold comes from newspaper design, and its definition is literally what it implies—it's where the newspaper is folded before it gets stacked on the rack at the local bodega. It's important because what's above the fold sells newspapers much like what's on a cover sells magazines. It's also a place for expensive ads.
A look at the fold:
Figure 1. At a screen resolution of 1024 x 768, the bottom of the browser—otherwise known as the fold—divides the home page of the New York Times
For as long as the Web is old, the fold has confounded Web site designers. Talk to any who've been around awhile and they'll roll their eyes and then launch into stories about clients or bosses who lived and died by the fold and who forced unsatisfying or truly awful design compromises to account for the fold.
Fear drove this insanity. A fear that users would never scroll and therefore never see this content below the fold. This content—these About Us links and photos and ads, etc— would not be findable, invisible and all-but-worthless.
The good news as it relates to Web design is that the mania surrounding the fold has abated of late. While it's safe to say that things at the top of the page are still what's most important (ie, emphasized), the scrollbar is no longer a thing to fear; it has evolved into a feature todesign for. So we've made progress in regard to Web design; but we users still consider the fold as a meaningful divide in our social streams, as if it separates good from bad. More relevant from less relevant.
Like these social streams are newspapers.
We carry this notion around with us because Facebook and Twitter have borrowed from the design of the news. They also happen to have made what's come before all-but-impossible to recall. As if now matters most, and everything before now is gone. Invisible.
Like this:
Figure 2. A look at how the fold divides the stream of Tweets on Twitter.com
But here's the thing. That's crazy. It's not like the stuff below the fold on my timeline has been put there by some world-class curator or editor, who's digested everything and then determined based on business and/or user needs what should be above it or below it.
My timeline isn't The New York Times.
There's no digest. No edition. There's no top, and no bottom. No first page. There's no fold. There is only flow.
Attentive though I am and good though my memory is, most of this stuff lies not recalled, valuable though much of it is to me. Which is a shame, because a lot of this stuff matters to me. These bits are the things I want to know and use as I move forward in life and at work.
These countless bits I missed and would want to recall.
Figure 3. The best bits below the fold in my Twitter stream are no less valuable than what's above it
Social search should bring this valuable stuff back from below the fold. It should connect us to the things we knew and know and want to know—these things that we have shared and have been shared with us. These things from the back of our minds.
E.g., Foursquare Explore
Lest this seem all-too-theoretical, take a look at what Foursquare has just done with their so-called Explore feature. If you haven't been back to Foursquare in a while, now may be the time. No longer is just a place to check-in; it's now a place to search and discover what's good nearby.
Here's a look at the desktop version. Nice, isn't it?
Figure 4. A screenshot of Foursquare's Explore social search results, of a search for Food near North Cambridge that my friends have been to.
This is social search, pulling valuable content from below the fold and putting it to work. In this case, to find a place to eat, and buy some food.
Our streams. None of us can keep up with them. And not even the brightest among us can remember everything we see, valuable as those things may be. Social search means that I don't have to miss the best, most useful stuff just because I was sleeping. Or in a meeting. Just doing something else.
A better memory. Doesn't it seem like it would be good for each and every one of us? And if it's good for each and every one of us, it's bound to be good for business.
What do you think?


text:
Welcome New Plumbers
One Call ServicesHouston, TX(713) 880-5200
American Pinnacle Plumbing Service IncDallas, TX(972) 307-6666
American PatrolsMidland, TX(432) 682-5055
American Mechanical Service of TexasFort Worth, TX(817) 332-3743
American Leak Detection IncAmarillo, TX(806) 351-1118
American Leak DetectionAustin, TX(830) 755-8150
We have located a matching Plumber in Mason county Texas that can service you.
Site Location: Home > Mason Texas Plumber Contractor - Mason TX Plumbers & Plumbing Contractors
Helpful Homemaking tip...:Do you have a central air conditioning system? Have you had it for seven or more years? Perhaps it's time to acquire a new Energy Star label unit that will use 20% less energy than standard models do. According to the Energy Star commission, if 1 out of every 10 households switched to Energy Star certified cooling and heating, the change would keep over 17 billion lbs. of pollution out of the air.


text:
MILWAUKEE - After committing $50 million to free agent Matt Garza, the Milwaukee Brewers are feeling much better about their pitching staff.
Garza completed a four-year contract with Milwaukee on Sunday, strengthening the top of the rotation and boosting the Brewers' hopes following a disappointing season.
The team made the announcement, saying the contract included a vesting option for 2018. Earlier in the afternoon, team owner Mark Attanasio was on stage during a question-and-answer session at a fan event and said a deal was in place.
General manager Doug Melvin called Garza an "established, top-of-the-rotation pitcher."
"The thing about signing Matt now, it gives us a lot more depth and, as you know, during a baseball season, you never use five starters," Melvin said. "So, just kind of wait and see how spring training unfolds, and always having the available depth is important to stay in a 162-game season."
A person familiar with the negotiations, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the contract, told The Associated Press the deal was worth $50 million with an extra $1 million per year available in reasonable performance bonuses for a starter.
The 30-year-old righty went 10-6 with a 3.82 ERA last season for the Chicago Cubs and Texas Rangers. He missed most of the first two months while recovering from an injury that affected his side and back.
Garza will join Yovani Gallardo and Kyle Lohse as Milwaukee's top starters. He is 67-67 with a 3.84 ERA in eight seasons with Minnesota, Tampa Bay, the Cubs and Texas.
The Brewers ranked ninth in the National League with a 3.84 ERA last season, when they finished fourth in the NL Central at 74-88.
Garza was looking forward to pitching -- and hitting -- in the NL Central again.
"It's fun. I like the Central, I like pitching in the Central," he said on a conference call. "I like swinging the bat in the big parks."
The move also adds depth to Milwaukee's staff and puts less pressure on young pitchers such as Wily Peralta and Tyler Thornburg at the back end of the rotation.
Milwaukee also has Marco Estrada and Johnny Hellweg as rotation options, and lefty Will Smith was acquired from Kansas City in December for outfielder Norichika Aoki.
"We've said now for a couple of years that we're focusing on pitching and pitching depth," Attanasio told reporters. "You can never have enough pitching depth, and I would argue we have as much pitching depth as we've had (in) my 10 seasons of ownership."
Garza was the MVP of the 2008 AL championship series for Tampa Bay, beating Boston twice. He also has thrown the only no-hitter in Rays history, on July 26, 2010, against Detroit.
His agreement with Milwaukee was reported last week -- but the Brewers were a bit of a surprise suitor for Garza's services. The team issued a statement Thursday that it was in talks with Garza but hadn't reached a deal at that point.
"These deals can go to the 11th hour and then not come together," Attanasio said. "So you don't know until you know."


text:
TB Control 2007: Meet the New Kids on the Block
Indiana Epidemiology Newsletter
May 2007
Tina Feaster, BS
TB Epidemiologist
The Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH) Tuberculosis (TB) Control Program has a new look. The program added three new positions in 2006, including two Regional Nurses and a TB Epidemiologist. The program also has a new Program Director and Public Health Advisor.
In January 2007, Sarah Burkholder assumed her role as the new TB Control Program Director. Sarah has approximately 15 years of TB experience, with 6 years in South America and almost 8 years in Elkhart County. Her responsibilities include overseeing TB cases, writing grants and policies, and assisting the TB Regional Nurses and Outreach Workers.
Shameer Poonja, who came to the ISDH in March of 2006, is a Public Health Advisor with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Shameer's previous seven years of TB experience comes from working with New York City's homeless population and the refugee program in Boston. His duties at the ISDH include overseeing Marion County's TB cases, education and training, grants and policies, and refugee and immigration B1/B2 arrivals.
Tina Feaster started as the TB Epidemiologist in September of 2006. This position is new to the program. Although part of the ISDH Epidemiology Resource Center, the position is embedded in the TB Control Program. Tina has 13 years of experience working as a microbiologist in the ISDH Mycobacteriology (TB) lab. Her duties include contact investigations and follow-up, surveillance, analysis of genotyping information, and outbreak investigations.
Before 2006, the TB Control Program included two contractual Regional Nurse Consultants, Joy Hardacre and Barbara Weber-White. Two additional Regional Nurse Consultants were hired in 2006 to provide additional coverage throughout Indiana. The Regional Nurse provides education and training to the local health departments along with guidance on case management, contact investigation, and site visits for active TB cases. Joy has been a TB Regional Nurse for nine years and has an additional five years experience as a TB Outreach Worker. Barb has eight years experience as a TB Regional Nurse and one year as an Outreach Worker. In May 2006, Linda Ramirez came aboard as a Regional Nurse. Linda had been an Outreach Worker in Lake County for the previous year. Donna Ewing came aboard as a Regional Nurse in July 2006. Donna has 21 years of experience as a Licensed Practical Nurse.
Lori Mathews has served as the TB Administrative Assistant for the past three years. Lori plays a critical role in coordinating all the correspondence received from the daily activities of the TB Control Program. Through her comprehensive organizational skills, she enters data, relays information on new cases, and orders TB meds.
The TB Control Program includes several other team members: Two Medical Advisors, Dr Richard Kohler and Dr Erica Leazenby, conduct monthly case reviews. The ISDH also contracts eight TB Outreach Workers: Sandy Miller, Kay Wilcox, Patricia Gray, Renee Cotterman, Deb Moon, Jean Glover, Mike Exom, and Anitra Mitchell. TB Outreach Workers help with contact investigations, trainings, and, especially, Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) of TB medications.


text:
Judaic Education
Explore an ancient Israeli city through the written word, discuss and analyze the latest modern and classic books that relate to Judaism, participate in the live reading of a Jewish-themed play, attend an Introduction to Judaism class co-sponsored by the Wisconsin Council of Rabbis…these are just a few of the many educational opportunities available throughout the year.
"Never Forget" is the Jewish mantra for the Holocaust. Telling future generations about their 6 million fellow Jews who lost their lives is everyone's responsibility. To bring that mantra to life and fulfill that responsibility, the JCC partners with the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center and the Coalition for Jewish Learing (CJL) to provide the community with compelling, provocative, moving and inspiring programs about the Holocaust. This programming includes a series of films, many followed by talkbacks/discussions. The annual community wide observance of Yom Ha Shoah, the Day of Remembrance, takes place every spring and culminates with an all day, multi-generational interactive tribute. A discussion with Holocaust survivors and their families is a highlight of the day. Students have the chance to interview survivors and get their stories first hand, making the experience truly a living expression of L'dor V'dor, from "generation to generation" and ensuring that we "Never Forget."
If you love to visit Israel, if you've never been but have always wanted to go, at the JCC you have a chance to learn about the Holy Land without leaving Milwaukee. Participate in a monthly Israeli film discussion group led by experts on Israeli life and culture. Meet with Milwaukee's Shlichim, Ro'ee and Michal Peled, the Israeli representatives who live and work in our community. Ro'ee and Michal love to talk about modern life Israel and share their insider's view of the Promised Land. Be a part of the community-wide Yom Haatzmaut celebration that includes the annual Walk for Israel and features Israeli music, dancing, food and fun!
Discover what life is like for Jews Around the World through the Free Jewish Film Class. This film series features contemporary dramatic and documentary Jewish-themed films from America, Israel and the global Jewish Community. Click here to view upcoming FREE Jewish Films.
For more information about Jewish education programming at the JCC, contact Mona Cohen at 414-967-8249


text:
Scientists with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System and the state's soybean farmers are preparing to do battle with a new foe, Asian soybean rust. While Asian soybean rust was found on soybeans in 18 Alabama counties last fall, this will be the first planting season that growers have to take the disease into consideration.
Edward Sikora, a plant pathologist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, said the disease could be a significant problem if it becomes widespread in the United States.
"Soybean rust may cause significant economic losses to U.S. soybean growers," he says. "Conservative predictions indicate yield losses of 10 to 15 percent in nearly all the U.S. soybean growing areas with losses up to 50 percent in the Southeast when the disease is not properly managed with fungicides."
Sikora says some growers are considering using early maturing soybean varieties and planting them earlier than normal as one way to battle the disease.
"Farmers are hoping that by planting early maturing varieties they can raise a crop of beans before the disease reaches their fields," says Sikora.
Sikora notes there may be problems with that strategy.
"If soil temperatures are too cold or if the weather stays cool, your crop is susceptible to other plant diseases and environmental disorders. Also, if they are growing corn, they may find themselves at harvest time with both crops ready to harvest at the same time."
He adds that farmers are going to have to take proactive measures to battle the disease successfully.
"Waiting for the disease to show up in your field before initiating your spray program could result in significant yield losses," says Sikora. "Once an epidemic reaches 10 percent severity, a fungicide application may not be of much benefit."
Extension scientists and colleagues with the Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station are planting about 25 sentinel plots across the state to monitor the disease's entry and progress this year.
Sikora says the plots are 50 feet by 50 feet in size and will be planted earlier than the conventional planting date for the area with an early maturing soybean variety.
The plots will be checked weekly for the presence of soybean rust.
"This is part of a national program to monitor movement of the disease within the United States," said Sikora. "The information will be made available through a USDA Web site for use by the public. This information will be vital for successful fungicide management of soybean rust by our growers as well as soybean growers in neighboring states."
Soybean rust can be managed with the judicious use of fungicides. Fungicide applications can reduce yield loss, depending on the plant's developmental stage, time when soybean rust is detected, and fungicide application method.
Sikora says the timing of the first fungicide application is critical. Applications should begin at flowering when the threat of the disease is considered high for an area. Subsequent applications should be made 14 to 21 days apart, depending on the product used.
"The fungicides will raise producer costs by some estimates as much as $20 to $30 dollars per acre," says Bob Goodman, an Extension agricultural economist. "Lots of farmers who planted soybeans last year may be reevaluating if they will plant beans this year. They should also be looking at all their production practices critically to insure they are using the most cost effective means of operation."
Sikora notes that the disease is caused by the fungus, Phakopsora pachyrhizi.
"The fungus, which requires living tissue to survive, did not over-winter in Alabama. But viable spores have been found on kudzu leaves in two Florida counties. This indicates the disease survived the winter in Florida. It's only a matter of time before we see it on kudzu and other host plants in Alabama."
All commercial varieties of soybeans currently available are highly susceptible to the disease.
The USDA recently launched a Web site, www.usda.gov/soybeanrust. From this page, you can link to the USDA Public Soybean Rust website, www.sbrusa.net. This site contains maps for observations, recommendations, and scouting information controlled by state soybean specialists.
Sikora also recommends another Web site that offers a comprehensive look at the disease as well information on identification and management of the disease.
"The American Phytopathological Society, the Plant Management Network, and other scientific organizations have launched an online soybean rust center at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/infocenter," says Sikora. "It offers breaking news on soybean rust, links to featured soybean rust sites, and information on the identification and management of soybean rust as well as links to university and Extension sites."


text:
Welcome to the second part of the article "Building a Template Parser class with PHP." In the first part of the article, I've hopefully demonstrated that building a simple template parser class is not as intimidating as it seems. Given the flexibility and power that PHP offers, it's possible to implement efficient applications without scratching our heads.
Since the original version of the class was quite simple, I felt strongly tempted to expand it, adding a little more functionality. So, I thought that incorporating caching capabilities to the class, without incurring time-consuming processes, was worth considering. In this second part, I'm going to show how to improve the original class, by adding a simple caching mechanism, with little modifications. So, let's get started.
Refreshing memories: a quick look at the original class
Before we get into the process of tweaking the class code a bit, it would be good to remind ourselves how the original version looked, in order to establish a starting point for implementing the new caching capabilities. Here's the full code for the template parser class:
class templateParser {
var $output;
function templateParser($templateFile='default_template.htm'){
>output=file_get_contents($templateFile):die('Error:Template file '.$templateFile.' not found');
function parseTemplate($tags=array()){
foreach($tags as $tag=>$data){
else {
die('Error: No tags were provided for replacement');
function parseFile($file){
return $content;
function display(){
return $this->output;
Since we're talking about a template class, there must be a template file for proper processing. Therefore, let's show the code for the template file used, as it was originally conceived:
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1″ />
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="style.css" />

{header}

{navbar}

{leftcontent}

{maincontent}

{rightcontent}

{footer}

Now, things are beginning to make sense, and I can briefly explain the underlying logic of the class. To begin with, the class constructor accepts the template file as the only parameter for being processed. After checking whether the file really exists, it simply assigns the file contents to the $output variable, which is storing the page, as it's being generated. Then, the workhorse method of the class, that is, "parseTemplate()", takes the incoming $tags array for replacing all of the placeholders present in the template file, along with the corresponding data, stored in the mentioned $tags array. Doing so, the placeholders {header}, {navbar}, {leftcontent}, and so forth, will be substituted will real data, coming from regular variables or files.
As you can see, the method is calling internally to "parseFile()," which takes care of retrieving the contents from any file that might be included as part of the $tags array, parsing static or dynamic content. This is extremely handy for processing data from PHP variables, including any kind of dynamic information. Stick with me, because the explanation is almost done.
Once the "parseTemplate()" method has performed the replacement process, the remaining task is a breeze. The class exposes the "display()" method for getting the finished version of the page, which is stored in the $output variable, to be displayed in the browser, or processed in another way, according to the application's needs.
Well, maybe this is not shocking news, but if we feed the class with a correct template file, we obtain a finished page populated with the corresponding data. This is a simple and effective way to give websites a consistent look with no big hassles. The final class implementation might be something similar to this:
// include the class
// instantiate a new template Parser object
$tp=&new templateParser('template.htm');
// define parameters for the class
$tags=array('title'=>'You are seeing the template parser class in action!','header'=>'header.php','navbar'=>'navigation
// parse template file
// display generated page
echo $tp->display();
Okay, if you read the first part of this article, the above code is pretty familiar, but for those just coming in for this sequel, the previous explanation was well spent. Now, having briefly explained the core logic behind the class, let's get ready to add a pinch of caching capabilities. Just keep reading to find out more.
{mospagebreak title=One step forward: defining caching methods}
The first question that came to my mind when I decided to implement a caching mechanism was: is it really worth having those capabilities? The answer was a resounding yes! Let's think about it. If we're working with websites that don't change their content very often, say on a daily basis, it's highly desirable to have a caching system that simply reads the contents to be displayed from a flat file, and delivers them directly to the browser, without the need to process a template file each time the requested page has to be rendered. That sounds like common sense..
With this conclusion firmly in mind, I quickly started implementing those desirable caching capabilities inside the class. To keep things ordered, I defined two class methods for reading and retrieving data from a specific cache file, specifying a time-based cache validity policy. The first caching method, "readCache()" simply reads data from a cache file, and is defined in the following way:
function readCache($cacheFile,$expireTime){
return file_get_contents($cacheFile);
return false;
As you can appreciate, the above method takes two parameters: the cache file and time expiry, respectively, allowing us to specify a value expressed in seconds for setting the proper cache validness.
The method checks simultaneously if there is a cache file in the system and that the time expiry has not been reached. Accordingly, if the cache file exists and is valid, the contents from the file are returned. Otherwise, the method returns false. Certainly, you'll agree with me that this is not rocket science.
Now, let's take a look at the next method, "writeCache()", which, not surprisingly writes contents to a specified cache file:
function writeCache($cacheFile,$content){
On the opposite side, this method accepts a cache file name, and the contents to be written on it as parameters. It naturally opens the file, writes the contents (overriding any previous values) and closes the file. The method is straightforward and easy to understand.
At this point, we're armed with two methods to read and write cache files in an efficient manner. It's time place them into the class puzzle.
{mospagebreak title=Putting the pieces together}
Now, things are getting more exciting. Once we've defined the corresponding caching methods, the class' logic is really easy to understand. Take my word for it. Before doing any template file process, the handy class just checks whether there is a valid cache file for retrieving contents. If there is, they are grabbed from the cache file and assigned to the $output variable, avoiding any additional template processing. Otherwise, the class performs the regular template-parsing task, as defined in the original version. Isn't it sweet and simple?
Indeed, the explanation I just gave would be rather useless without showing the code of the new, caching-improved class. So here's the complete listing:
class templateParser {
var $output;
function templateParser($tags=array
Template file '.$templateFile.' not found');
function parseTemplate($tags,$cacheFile){
foreach($tags as $tag=>$data){
else {
die('Error: No tags or files were
provided for replacement');
function parseFile($file){
return $content;
function writeCache($cacheFile,$content){
function readCache($cacheFile,$expireTime){
return file_get_contents($cacheFile);
return false;
function display(){
return $this->output;
From the above code, we can deduct that this new version is similar to the "cache-less" one. But let's break down the code to understand what it does. First, we notice that the constructor takes four parameters respectively: the $tags array, the cache file, the time expiry and finally, the template file. For all of these arguments I've specified default values, in the following sequence: an empty $tag array, "default_cache.txt" for default cache file, a value of 3600 seconds (1 hour) for cache time expiry and finally "default_template.htm" for the template file.
Then, as stated previously, the constructor checks for the existence of a valid cache file, invoking the private "readCache()" method. If a valid cache is found, the cached contents are stored in the $output variable to be returned later from the class. Otherwise, if no valid cache exists (the file doesn't exists or the time expiry has been reached), the constructor performs the regular template parsing process, as defined in the original version, calling the "parseTemplate()" method.
As you can see, here we've moved "parseTemplate()" inside the constructor, turning it into a private method (remember that originally it was defined as public), for being called only if no valid cache file is found. The reason for doing this should become clear, since the class on its own is now capable of determining where to look to retrieve page contents. Regarding the "parseTemplate()" method, the only addition resides in writing the contents of the finished page to the cache file, once the template file has been parsed.
Finally, the "display()" method remains identical to the previous version, this time returning either the contents from the generated page or directly from the cache file. Not too difficult, right?
At this point, we've made some minor changes to the original class, adding a couple of simple methods for implementing a basic cache mechanism, based on a time expiration policy. This might be a possible implementation of the class:
// include template parser class
// define class parameters
$tags=array('title'=>'Template System','header'=>'header.php','navbar'=>
// instantiate a new template parser object specifying a cache file valid for 2 hours
$tp=&new templateParser($tags,'cache.txt',2*3600,'template.htm');
// display finished page
echo $tp->display();
Truly, the example is self-explanatory. First, as usual, we include the required class file. Second, we define the values of the $tags array for processing, specifying page title, and the required files for page generation. I've chosen to pass file names, but I could have hard-coded HTML instead. Finally, we instantiate a new object from the class, assigning a cache file valid for two hours (2*3600), and the corresponding template file, in this case, "template.htm." The last statement simply displays the page created, either from the parsed template file or directly from the cache file.
Good! We have a template parsing class that offers basic but effective caching capabilities. Let's congratulate ourselves. If you ever thought that building such a class was an obscure and painful experience, you were mistaken!
Wrapping up
In this article series, I hope I've demonstrated that building a PHP class for parsing template files and caching generated output is not difficult at all. Also, I hope this encourages PHP programmers wishing to taste the power of Object Oriented Programming with real-world applications. Of course, we must keep in mind that PHP4 doesn't offer the full features for doing so, but with a little bit of will power, the job can be done decently. If you really want to dig deeper in OOP, while keeping your background in PHP, give PHP5 a try. The new and powerful Object Model will amaze you. The challenge is out there. Just try it out.