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DURHAM, N.C. – The ninth-ranked Duke men's tennis team picked up two wins Sunday at the Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center, defeating No. 21 Michigan, 5-2, while sweeping cross-town foe N.C. Central, 7-0. The Blue Devils advanced to 9-1 on the year.
"It was a really big home weekend for us," said head coach Ramsey Smith. "I am excited with how we played and we competed extremely well top to bottom. We handled adversity well, and I am very proud of my team. This will give us a lot of confidence going into National Team Indoors."
No. 9 Duke 5, No. 21 Michigan 2
Duke claimed their ninth consecutive doubles point to start the season on their way to posting a 5-2 victory of Michigan (4-3). Playing without the services of senior captain Henrique Cunha in the match, as well as junior Chris Mengel in singles, the Blue Devils used their team depth to overwhelm the Wolverines in the first match of Sunday's doubleheader.
The junior tandem of Fred Saba and Chris Mengel, the 37th-ranked doubles pair in the nation, won the first doubles match of the afternoon, defeating Alex Petrone and Michael Zhu on court two, 8-4. The only matchup that saw ranked teams go head-to-head was played at the No. 1 position in the lineup, where the tandem of No. 39 Michael Redlicki and Jason Tahir edged No. 30 Evan King and Vlad Stefan of Michigan, 8-5. The win is the duo's 15th of the season, as they own a 15-4 record.
"I have always been an emotional player," said Redlicki after the match. "Playing with a crowd really helps, I have always dreamed of it. It is nice to know those people are behind you as you are competing."
At the No. 3 spot, sophomore Raphael Hemmeler and freshman Bruno Semenzato trailed in their match against Michigan's Barrett Franks and Justin Rossi, 5-7, before the match was left unfinished.
The Blue Devils claimed the first three matches in singles to clinch the team win at 4-0. Hemmeler posted the first victory in singles for the team as he overwhelmed No. 48 Vlad Stefan 6-1, 6-3 from the No. 3 position in the lineup. On court four, Tahir cruised to a 6-3, 6-0 straight set victory over Zhu.
Playing in the No. 2 position for the second match of his career, Redlicki used his powerful serve to edge Michigan's Petrone, 6-2, 6-4. The win from Redlicki clinched the match for the Blue Devils. Redlicki posted two aces in his final service game to secure the match for the team.
"I am proud of Mike [Redlciki], as he was able to step up and help clinch the doubles and singles," said Smith. "He came through when we needed him. Jason Tahir had a heck of a day as well. He is playing some of his best tennis right now."
With the score standing at 4-0 in favor of the Blue Devils, Michigan claimed their first win of the afternoon on court one, as Saba dropped a hard-fought, 6-4, 6-4, decision to King. Semenzato was defeated in his match at the No. 5 position against Bernstein, 6-4, 6-3. After suffering a narrow loss in the opening set in the No. 6 position, freshman Josh Levine came from behind for the second time in three days to edge Franks, 6-7 (6), 6-4, 1-0 (7).
Tennis Match Results
Michigan vs Duke
Feb 10, 2013 at Durham, NC
(Sheffied Indoor Tennis Center)
#9 Duke 5, #21 Michigan 2
Singles competition
1. Evan King (MICH) def. #23 Fred Saba (DU) 6-4, 6-4
2. #14 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Alex Petrone (MICH) 6-2, 6-4
3. #38 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. #48 Vlad Stefan (MICH) 6-1, 6-3
4. #123 Jason Tahir (DU) def. Michael Zhu (MICH) 6-3, 6-0
5. Shaun Bernstein (MICH) def. Bruno Semenzato (DU) 6-4, 6-3
6. Josh Levine (DU) def. Barrett Franks (MICH) 6-7 (6-8), 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)
Doubles competition
1. #39 Jason Tahir/Michael Redlicki (DU) def. #30 Evan King/Shaun Bernstein (MICH) 8-5
2. #37 Fred Saba/Chris Mengel (DU) def. Alex Petrone/Michael Zhu (MICH) 8-4
3. Raphael Hemmeler/Bruno Semenzato (DU) vs. Barrett Franks/Justin Rossi (MICH) 5-7, unfinished
Match Notes:
Michigan 4-3; National ranking #21
Duke 8-1; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (3,4,2,1,5,6)
No. 9 Duke 7, N.C. Central 0
In the second match of the day, Duke put away cross-town foe N.C. Central, 7-0, picking up the doubles point and earning straight set victories in each of the six singles matches. N.C. Central falls to 0-1 on the season.
In doubles, Saba teamed with Levine in the No. 3 position and the duo won eight consecutive games to defeat Tamina Kienka and Jamal Hoyte, 8-0, while the pair of freshman Daniel McCall and Redlicki clinched the doubles point for Duke from the No. 2 spot with an 8-2 win over Daniil Gerasimov and Jose Fabara.
In the No. 1 position, the tandem of Hemmeler and Semenzato led their match against NCCU's Thomas Persico and Fabrice George, 6-3, before the match was left unfinished.
Redlicki picked up his fourth win of the day after he picked up the first singles win of the match from the No. 2 position, 6-1, 6-0, over Jose Fabara, while McCall was impressive in his debut at the No. 5 position with a 6-0, 6-0 win over NCCU's Kienka. Levine clinched the match for the second time in three days after cruising to victory over Jamal Hoyte at the No. 6 spot.
Hemmeler picked up his second singles victory of the day after the Zurich, Switzerland product notched a 6-0, 6-3 win over Fabrice George at the No. 4 position, while Saba defeated Daniil Gerasimov, 6-2, 6-0. Playing on court three, Semenzato notched the first win of his Duke career with a 6-1, 6-1 decision over Thomas Persico.
Up next, the team will travel to Seattle, Wash., to take part in the ITA National Team Indoors from Feb 15-18. The Blue Devils went 3-1 at the event last season, falling in the semifinals to Southern California, 4-0.
Tennis Match Results
N.C. Central vs Duke
Feb 10, 2013 at Durham, NC
(Sheffield Indoor Tennis Center)
#9 Duke 7, N.C. Central 0
Singles competition
1. #23 Fred Saba (DU) def. Daniil Gerasimov (NCCU) 6-2, 6-0
2. #14 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Jose Fabara (NCCU) 6-1, 6-0
3. Bruno Semenzato (DU) def. Thomas Persico (NCCU) 6-1, 6-1
4. #38 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Fabrice George (NCCU) 6-0, 6-3
5. Daniel McCall (DU) def. Tamina Kienka (NCCU) 6-0, 6-0
6. Josh Levine (DU) def. Jamal Hoyte (NCCU) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. Raphael Hemmeler/Bruno Semenzato (DU) vs. Thomas Persico/Fabrice George (NCCU) 6-3, unfinished
2. Daniel McCall/Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Daniil Gerasimov/Jose Fabara (NCCU) 8-2
3. Fred Saba/Josh Levine (DU) def. Tamina Kienka/Jamal Hoyte (NCCU) 8-0
Match Notes:
N.C. Central 0-1
Duke 8-1; National ranking #9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,2); Singles (2,5,6,4,1,3)


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Television and Start Times Set for Two Husker Basketball Games
Lincoln - The Big Ten Conference announced television and start time information for a pair of Husker basketball games in the coming weeks.
Nebraska's game against Iowa on Thursday, Feb. 21, will now air on ESPN2 with a start time of 8 p.m. (central). The Huskers are 4-0 on the season in games televised by the ESPN family of networks (ESPN/ESPN2/ESPNU) following Saturday's win over Penn State. Tickets for the Iowa game are on sale now at Huskers.com or by calling 800-8-BIGRED.
In addition, Nebraska's game at Illinois on Saturday, March 2, will start at 4:15 p.m. (central) and will be televised on BTN. The start time of that game was TBA, depending on the other games televised that weekend.
Nebraska is in action tonight when they take on No. 1 Indiana at 6 p.m. (Central). The game will be televised on BTN and carried on the Husker Sports Radio Network. Nebraska returns home to face No. 8 Michigan State as part of Legends Weekend this Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.

subset: commoncrawl


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Sponsored by Alumni
There will be a pre-game gathering at 12:30p.m. at Muldoon's in downtown Wheaton. The Luther College vs Wheaton football game will start at 3:00p.m. in Wheaton, Illinois.
133 W. Front Street
Wheaton, IL 60187
Phone: (630) 668-8866
Join the Luther College Alumni-Chicago group:
This group is for those who are graduates of Luther College who live in the Chicago area.
Questions? Contact [email protected]


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Secret Snowflake
If you have a large group of friends, it can get extremely costly to make sure each member has a stocking stuffer. Why not get together and do a nice, old-fashioned Secret Snowflake. Put everyone's name in a hat, and each pick one. The person you choose is your Secret Snowflake. Devise a group budget of no more that $25, or so, and now all you have to do is buy one gift for that one person. Try to personalize it - it's always nicer that way – and breathe easy knowing you have drastically cut down your holiday shopping. Another option is to do a grab bag, where everyone buys a gift (again at a set budget) and during one of the many holiday gatherings, a grab bag is conducted. Here, all the gifts go in a bag and each member literally dips into the bag to pick out their gift. By the way, trading is allowed!
One Gift Per Family
If you have a large family and an extended family and a family of friends, you know how hard it is to cover all bases. How about designating one gift per family unit? If you have four siblings, who are all married with kids, not to mention your parents who are divorced and remarried, plus your friend Sara who married your other friend Bob, that's a lot of individual presents to buy – and that's a lot of money. Instead, get one present for your sister and her husband and kids, one present for your dad and stepmom (and her child from a previous marriage), one present for Sara and Bob, etc. Your nieces and nephews and cousins will understand. Hint: Try to make the gifts something that the whole family can enjoy, such as DVDs, cookware, candles or bath accessories. They will love you for it!
One way to give everyone you love a great memory is to give a great party! Spend the money you normally would on gifts by throwing a holiday bash instead! This could take place before Christmas or for the New Year. Make sure to have great food, interesting drinks and festive decorations. Then surprise everyone by making a toast somewhere in the middle of the bash, telling all of your guests how much you care about them. In fact, why not use this opportunity to single out your friends and share with everyone why they are close to your heart. Memories last a lifetime!!
Gift Certificates
Gift Certificates are a great way to manage your finances while allowing your loved ones to pick out their own version of the perfect present. You can personalize a gift certificate by picking stores that cater to your loved ones' interests – have a friend who loves the outdoors? Have a cousin who is into the latest fashion trend? Is your mom obsessed with beauty products? There's a store for everything, and almost all of them offer gift certificates. SO set a limit and buy a gift certificate - even if it is only for a few dollars, it will make it easier for your friends to buy something they will love!
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Shawnee City Commission voted unanimously to approve an agreement to repave and widen Kickapoo Street.
Shawnee City Commission voted unanimously to approve an agreement to repave and widen Kickapoo Street.
The project, which is being funded by the Oklahoma Department of Transportation and the City of Shawnee, will widen Kickapoo to four lanes from the Kickapoo Spur to MacArthur Street, as well as replace the water line.
Larry Clore, ODOT spokesman, confirmed that the Oklahoma Transportation Commission voted unanimously to award the bid to Haskell-Lemon construction for the amount of $11.3 million. This number includes incentives for the contractor to finish the road early.
"We're happy that the project is approved and we hope to get started soon," Clore said.
He added that construction will begin in 2013, but could not say when.
Dan Overland, Division 3 commissioner for the Oklahoma Transportation Commission, said, after the presentation on the bid, it was an easy decision for the commission.
"The department felt it was in the state's best interest to go ahead," Overland said. "We're moving forward."
Overland addressed the high bids, which came in well over the estimate. He explained that several things, including the water line, were underestimated.
"Sometimes that's easy to do," he said.
Another underestimate was from the old pavement. Originally ODOT estimated they would only need to haul off the old pavement once. However, there is nowhere to store the pavement, so it must be continuously hauled off. This leads to a higher cost, Overland said.
The commission thought it was a good bid, and didn't believe waiting would get them a better one, he said.
"We anticipate that it wouldn't get any cheaper if we waited and rebid it," Overland said.
The city of Shawnee will contribute more than $2.1 million dollars. This will include 100 percent of non-participating costs, which includes the entire cost of the water line at 1.8 million. Additional non-participating costs came to more than $140,000.
The city was capped at $136,000 for participating road costs.
The city will pay a total of $2,150,715, or 19.68 percent, City Engineer John Krywicki said.
"It's a great deal," Krywicki said at the city commission meeting. "I strongly recommend approval."
The city has already paid $1.3 million, so this leaves nearly $850,000 additional that the city will need to pay, Krywicki said. From the Kickapoo street fund, there is still more than $1 million which is more than sufficient to pay the remaining $850,000, he added.
Vice Mayor James Harrod moved to approve the agreement and Commissioner John Winterringer seconded. Commissioners voted unanimously to approve the agreement.


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Submission + - Google Outage Shows Risk of Doing Business in China
Hugh Pickens writes writes: "The WSJ reports that widespread disruptions to Google in China over the weekend halting use of everything from Google's search engine to its Gmail email service to its Google Play mobile-applications store underscore the uncertainty surrounding Beijing's effort to control the flow of information into the country, as well as the risks that effort poses to the government's efforts to draw global businesses.The source of the disruptions couldn't be determined but Internet experts pointed to China's Internet censorship efforts, which have been ratcheted up ahead of the 18th Party Congress. "There appears to be a throttling under way of Web access," says David Wolf, citing recent articles in foreign media about corruption and wealth in China spurred by the party congress and the fall of former party star Bo Xilai, "that's their primary concern, people getting news either through Google or through its services." Beijing risks a backlash if it were to block Google outright on a long-term basis, says Wolf and such a move could put Beijing in violation of its free-trade commitment under the World Trade Organization and make China a less-attractive place to do business. "If China insists in the medium and long term of creating another Great Firewall between the China cloud and the rest of the world, China will be an increasingly untenable place to do business.""


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LOWELL -- After years of sharing space at the Girls Inc. building on Worthen Street with the younger kids, the teens finally have a cool new space of their own.
At a reception Sunday, Executive Director Carol Duncan unveiled the new third-floor teen center, which will provide older girls with programming that addresses issues like pregnancy, substance abuse and avoiding violence.
The renovations also include a new media room, a new staircase and a new elevator between the second and third floors. The goal is to encourage girls to stay with the center longer for more enrichment, with programs like Discovery Leadership and Girls Make the Message.
"I'll be 13 in August and join the teen program in September. I'm so excited. I can't wait for the opportunities," said Destinee Melendez, a Robinson School sixth-grader.
Girls Inc. of Greater Lowell, with a mission of helping girls navigate gender, economic and social barriers to grow into healthy, educated and independent adults, currently serves about 40 to 60 girls on a typical after-school day, but there are only about six teens who regularly attend programs.
While Outreach Coordinator Charya Uong has been working to bring programs to students in the middle schools who can't get over to Girls Inc. regularly, Duncan said she's hoping that with the new teen center, more girls who can will choose to stay in their older years.
"We used to talk about this in staff meetings; for many years, the girls kept telling us they need a space to call their own," said Duncan.
In addition to having a better space to run programs for teens, the new center will also be a place for the girls to do homework with their friends and play host to new programs made possible by a recent $5,500 grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council.
Claudayzia Brown, a Bartlett Community Partnership School eighth- grader who is involved with Girls Inc., said she looks forward to using the new teen center with her friends to make PSA-type videos on subjects like violence, bullying, racism and sexism.
"Now we have the power to put it to a stop," said Brown, who was at the reception with friends Katelyn Kosiadelon, Kendra Vadnais and Jailyne Rodriguez.
"They're really excited to watch videos about historical issues, too," said Maritza Grooms, Latina program and teen-initiative coordinator for the local Girls Inc.
Duncan thanked her business manager Bob MacPhail, board of directors President Susan Mitchell, past President Carolyn Gregoire and Development Committee Chairman Diane Jeray, along with Chris Clarke of Picard Construction, for their help with the estimated two-year, $300,000 project.
She also expressed gratitude to Jericho Road Project Director Nancy Coan and two affiliated architects, David Holdorf and Bob Jefferies, who helped out significantly.
"The Jericho Road Project provided us services pro bono," Duncan said.
U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas plans to tour the new teen center Tuesday for the anniversary of President Barack Obama passing the Lilly Ledbetter Act in 2009, ensuring salary equity for women in the workplace.


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The Lake Arts Council sponsored "Informational Wine and Cheese" socials continue at Willmore Lodge on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m.
The Lake Arts Council sponsored "Informational Wine and Cheese" socials continue at Willmore Lodge on Thursday, Sept. 12, from 5 to 7 p.m. Featured guests in September are members of the Lake Area Fiber Arts Guild. They will display, demonstrate, and in some cases sell their works of art. The public is invited to come, observe, learn and socialize. There is no charge but donations are always appreciated to help cover expenses of the LAC.
As defined by Wikipedia, "fiber art refers to fine art whose material consists of natural or synthetic fiber and other components, such as fabric or yarn. It focuses on the materials and on the manual labor of the artists as part of the works significance and prioritizes aesthetic value over utility."
The Lake Area Fiber Arts Guild was founded in March 2007 by a group of seven women with the mission of promoting awareness and understanding of the arts of basket weaving, knitting, spinning, weaving, rug hooking, felting and related fiber arts to its members and the general public. The membership has grown since that time to forty.
The Guild meets on the second Thursday of each month at Harper Chapel United Methodist Church in Osage Beach. The schedule begins at 10:30 a.m. with socializing and a bag lunch. Meeting time with "Show and Tell" is from noon to 1 p.m. followed by a program and/or a speaker. There are also workshops and occasional field trips as well as an annual Fiber Festival.
Mary McGowan, President of the Guild, has this to say, "Fiber Arts day is my favorite day of the month. I come away from each meeting with new inspiration and and ideas and a greater appreciation for the fiber arts."


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There is a reason for learning all these basic drawing tools I've been talking about. Once you understand your basic tools, you'll want to do something with them.
By themselves they have no meaning unless you apply them to some purpose.
If you just fill up sketchbooks with floating characters that look neat, that's not really functional. That's good for showing your friends, and it's good if you are studying how certain things look, but it won't help you do an actual job.
That's the next step- using your skills to perform a function.
I have learned (and I learned this slowly) from experience that talent and skill is not enough to be able to do a job.
I have hired many young artists just on the basis of some sketches in their portfolios that indicated to me that they had talent.
Sometimes it paid off fast. A small % of them learned quickly and then after a couple months started doing work that was usable.
Most didn't. Talent and even basic skills isn't enough. I used to assume if you had talent, you could just sit down and bang out a scene.
Everyone learns to function at different rates. Some never do.
It's a sad state of the system today that people can't learn the best way to do functional animation drawings.
The best learning system existed in the 1930s, when all the animation was done in the studio in the country, and under the direction of an experienced animation director.
You started as an inbetweener working for an animator and by tracing his drawings and filling in the inbetweens you learned how to animate.
You learned to leave enough space between your characters for when they had to stretch their arms or jump up or walk out of the scene or sit on a chair. This is stuff you can only learn by doing it, and all that is done outside the country now, so really hardly anyone who makes cartoons today really knows how they are made, because they never learned by doing it themselves.
So it's not the fault of the young artists today, but the system makes it almost impossible to do anything truly animated in a creative way because you just can't afford to train people on the budgets that the studios give you. And the most important jobs are done overseas.
That's what this blog is for, to give young cartoonists as much knowledge and common sense tips to help them teach themselves what will give them the the most skills and more skill and knowledge means you have more tools to create from.
Here are some rough functions of some departments:
These are the drawings that write and tell the story.
The function of a storyboard artist is to make the story make sense, be entertaining, have structure and give some indication of the acting and personalities of the characters.
It's not enough to be able to draw funny characters that float in a sketch book.
You have to be able to draw logical steps in continuity.
The characters to be staged in a way that tells each story point the most effectively.
The characters have to make expressions that not only tell the viewer what they are thinking each step of the way, but tell you in a way that only that particular character would do it.
The expressions have to be
1) funny
2) in character
3) in context of the moment of the story
The same goes for the body poses and gestures.
Now these are just a few functions you have to be able to perform to draw a storyboard.
You also have to have good and logical cutting.
You have to understand how animation works so that you don't storyboard something that is impossible to animate.
You can only really know this by having done some animation and having shot some storyboards on film and then seeing the final animation working and having people who you don't know laugh at the final product.
I'll talk about storyboards more in another post.
Doing character layouts is similar to storyboard posing but more detailed and finished.
The functions (besides using all the fundamental drawing tools I've been talking about) are
breaking down the scene into every pose that tells the story and that tells the changes in emotion.
Drawing the characters "on-model". Not on-model in the sense of tracing model sheets like most studios do, but to draw them recognizably as who they are.
Here's a relatively simple scene below as an example of a functional and creative scene.
Before you draw a scene, you have to analyze the story meaning of the scene and the physical restrictions of the scene. You can't just sit down and be creative and draw in the style of your sketchbook or phone doodles.
You need to analyze...
the Story purpose: In this scene above, you have to tell the audience in a funny way that:
1 The Happy Helmet has just kicked in and Ren is feeling his first moment of pure happiness.
2 Stimpy is an idiot and has no clear expression unless something moves.
3 Ren laughs joyously, innocently, not crazy yet
4 Stimpy sees Ren laugh and has a "pre-reaction" -slight surprise before:
5 Ren stops laughing/moving and Stimpy goes retarded again
6 Ren starts to talk, all happy now
7 Stimpy reacts- he joins in with Ren's new found emotion
Physical requirements:
This means there has to be enough space in the scene for the characters to do all the story things they have to do.
Ren basically moves up and down, so he has to have space above his head to move up.
This sounds simple, but you wouldn't believe how many layout artists (me too) who don't leave enough room for the action to happen in and have to go to the xerox machine to shrink down and reposition everything.
The expressions have to be clear, specific and in context and have to wrap around the construction of the characters.
So... having to balance all the story requirements and physical requirements of the scene drags your brain down and makes it hard to be creative. You have to work out a lot of creative and mechanical problems at the same time.
You might wonder: Where is there room for creativity here if the story is already written?
In the quality and entertainment value and humor of the drawings. In fact, to me this is the most creative and important step in the animation process-drawing the drawings that the people see. These drawings are the entertainment. They are the performers of the show and every other job on a show is subservient to the performance.
It's a lot easier to do a free and creative fun looking drawing in a sketchbook when you don't have anything to think about except how cool the individual floating drawing is, but as soon as you sit down to do functional drawings that have a consecutive order and have to build emotionally and be in the right place, then you find out what drawing really means.
This process of functioning makes you stiff. All of a sudden your drawings are lifeless and boring and awkward. This is natural to most artists and the only cure for it is to keep doing it until you are able to loosen up and function at the same time. This is a very frustrating balance and it breaks a lot of cartoonists. It separates the boys from the men. I've seen people give up just because they hate that stiff period while they are learning something new that they haven't done before. Every real artist goes through this constantly (unless they settle into a comfortable cliched simple style). You have to eat the pain and get used to hating your drawings every time you try to improve yourself. It's natural.
This takes time and practice. Start now! If you want to have cartoons that are filled with funny drawings and acting you better get your fundamental skills down as soon as possible and start doing whole scenes! Once you get confident and loose you will have a lot of fun.
Every expression and pose in here is completely specific to the progression of the story. There are expressions that were created for the scene because no stock expression would do. Of course after the cartoon, you've probably seen some of these expressions again out of context in other cartoons.
The drawings look free and crazy and fun, but they are not at all arbitrary. They are suited to the needs of the scene. I wouldn't be able to think of expressions like this arbitrarily if I didn't have a funny story to inspire me. I could think of arbitrary crazy non-functional drawings and I do on my napkins at Lido's, but those drawings are only seen by 2 or 3 people and they sure wouldn't affect the world the way tailored wacky drawings to a story can.
Here's a scene that a talented Spumco cartoonist was struggling with. The more things that happen in a scene, the harder it is to coordinate them together. The scene becomes way harder to plan. There were a ton of complex problems to work out in this scene.
There are a lot of long long scenes in Spumco cartoons. A general theory I have heard at the Saturday morning (and prime time) studios is that you should keep your scenes short, keep cutting at random from a long shot to a close up to a medium shot etc. Why? "To keep the film interesting". That's because nothing interesting happens in many modern cartoons, so you have to have quick cuts to fool the audience into thinking the film is moving along.
I've had scenes without a cut that lasted more than a minute and people laughing all through them. That's because I make sure there is always something happening, not just flapping lips.
Like this one.
This scene was extremely hard to work out functionally and it took 3 of us: Mike F., Bob Camp and me all helping each other.
Stimpy is cute, stupid and sincere and has to press a button with clear silhouettes.
Learn your fundamentals and then start to function!


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Welcome disc golfer! You can login or create an account.
Questions? Call us: (785) 258-2494
The Discraft Pro D Crank is a maximum distance driver with a stability rating of 1.3 (moderately overstable). The results of months of research, the Crank is wicked fast yet incredibly controllable and suitable for most skill levels. Its narrower rim fits more comfortably in the hands of the majority of players. It's a great disc for easier accuracy and big distance.
Crank it out and watch as it slowly flips flat, rips down the fairway and slowly finishes on a chilled out hyzer. It's a very serious combination of speed, glide and control for serious disc golfers.
Pro-D plastic is the least expensive. It's great for beginners as entry level discs and pros love them too when they get 'beat up' and 'broken in'. It offers superior grip and comes in a rainbow of colors.
About Color and Availability - Pictured above are some available Pro D colors. This model may not be available in all of these colors. Likewise, each weight range may not be available in all colors. Therefore we ask you to list and prioritize your color preferences and to give us guidance if the color or weight range you want happens to not be available. Feel free to contact us if you need more specific info.


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I rarely believe any thing sports media reports on a National or local level, as most report based upon hearsay, speculation, & lack of credible sources. Their "source close to the situation" is crapola most times.
Profootballtalk.com I do however, consider to be the most reliable these days for accuracy & honesty in reporting. Below is a link to their opinion on the current rumors related to Pioli's extension.
I would like to point out a comment within their article related to Pioli's extension. PFT know's who those people are & so do I. Those people who "dislike Pioli", since he came to KC, because he didn't kiss their butts like former GM Peterson. They have done their best to crucify Pioli among a fan base that typically buys any thing media says or reports as gospel. Even though much of whats been reported has been false based upon ONLY hearsay, gossip, unreliable, & non credible sources. Clark Hunt made it perfectly clear to the KC Star, which they ran a story misleading fans yet again, even after Clark made it clear.."we don't discuss our contracts with the public"...including media.
Profootballtalk.com - "Theres also a chance that folks who dont like Pioli are pushing embellished, exaggerated, and/or fabricated facts in order to foment further fan discontent regarding Hunt and Pioli, fanning the flames so that Hunt will feel like he has no choice but to move on. Either way, someone is dead wrong on this one."
King confirms report that Pioli was not offered extension | ProFootballTalk


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2x Strike frame
2x Strike frame
Hummn I've never been a fan of 2x trigger frames but this is changing my mind. I got a few name suggestions:
Frame 2.0
Elfbox (sry if someone already suggested something of this nature, i didnt read all the posts)
Oh ya, i also thought of the perfect advertising line for it (maybe we might see a pic of it in apg some day?) "Got Frame?"
I say it should be called:
Twin Turbo Pro
AGD v-twin frame
AGD Gemini frame (astrological symbol is twins)
Double Trouble
the Terminator
Super comfort frame (takes aftermarket 45 grips, double trigger)
A-Frame (A for automag)
El Muerto
Malum frame (malum is latin for evil)
Malice frame
Magic elf frame
the Twain frame (twain like two)
the Double-finger paintball flinger thinger (ok, that one's pretty lame)
That's all I can come up with for now.
Someone probably posetd this already. How about:
AGD 2x grip frame
The AGD Double Trigger Frame
Follows the K.I.S.S. Principle!!!!
I want one of those, two of those over there, one of those, and oh, oh, and definitely, three of THESE.
Put this here in case AGD doesnt go over the one i added to my old entry.
How about the Edge Blade 2x frame or 1911 2x trigger frame after the colt 45 which all 45 grip frames are modeled after.
Image frame/grip
Double Trouble
Im not too creative, and I am not about to go through the last 7 pages of stuff since I last posted.
OK, here is my suggestion:
the "AirFrame"
It's good to finally be a part of this forum!!
compact grip
perfect hold
back hander
quick shot
quick finger
compact hold
serious hands
wonder shooter
The AGD Purifier
AGD Provoker
AGD Exterminator
AGD Exodus
Gosh are these cheesy
45 Flash
A-Bomb (A for Airgun)
Body Dropper
2TF - Two times fast
AGD Darwin 2x
Thanks for all the contests AGD. I can't think of any other manufacturers that are willing to let their owners help with the design policies. Glad to see someone wants to listen to the end users.
some more are,
The aluminum eliminator, the aluminum Azz Kicker, and Lions wrath, TnT (Toms New Toy)
My Mag can beat your spyder w/ no paint.~~~me
Dont worry if it wasnt for losers like u, There couldnt be winners like me.~~~me
My mag is my mag, not yours, so go get your own one and be happy like me. ~me
[This message has been edited by zvanut (edited 07-25-2001).]
Haven't read through all the entries yet, but...
Double Aught (as in "00")
Double Digit (get it, digits = fingers)
Twin Reflex
(...at work, must look productive...)
I've been looking through this post, and maybe I just missed it, but I didn't see any that have to do with the AGD Lions??
What about the Lion Heart, or Lion's Roar??
Something to bring the mascot's back into the mainstream?
Either that or we could ditch the lions and go straight with the all powerful omniscient elves. The elves would kick the lions butts anyway..
Just my thoughts
-Krazy Ivan
I have a couple, first I have to say that Tom kaye and Agd is the greastest, my first gun I bought was a mag and it is the greatest. Thanks Tom and Agd
How about these:
The k frame(Tom Kaye)
The Desecrator(i think thats spelled right)
The Dead Box
The Hot Shot
The Maverick
Didnt read all the other names.
DDT = Dope Double Trigger!!
Or you could just name it Slick Willy!
The "harminizer" frame
The "processer" frame
The "stringer" frame
The "fame" frame
The "DeeT" frame
The "Hans" frame
The "DBT" frame double blade trigger
Sorry if i copied by accident
How bout just
AGD's "THE EDGE" 2x trigger. sounds nice
Form meets functionality with Airgun Design's
(D-XP) Double Experience
(MXP) Max-Performance
(TPD) Two-Pump Dump
I don't know about you guys, but I wanna give this guy the grand prize aren't those great ideas?Originally posted by joeyjoe367:
"Mag-Ma" 2x Frame
or "Auto-Tag" 2x Frame/ "Auto Frag" 2x Frame
I'll think of some more later.
Here's a couple more that I thought of.
Airgun BearClaw Frame
Airgun Li0nPaw Frame
Airgun HellFire Frame
Airgun Paintbrush (okay, that's not that intimidating, but oh well) Frame
Airgun Bunkermaster
Expanding on my earlier idea
The titan AGD (you know like Titan AE)
And AGD could stand for (Awesome Grip Design)
Yeah I know it sounds silly, so sue me.
retro mini
And shepherds we shall be
For thee My Lord for thee
Power hath descended forth from thy hand
That our feet may swiftly carry out thy command
So we shall flow a river forth to thee
And teeming with souls shall it ever be
In nomine patre, at file, spiritus sancte.
- MacManus Family Prayer
the remedy frame
More free stuff from AGD.
AGD is #1
MAGnificent DT
Im not sure if this is already taken
Flip Out
Geez alot of you think sucking up will get you the prize..sad..*tucks a few 50's in some shirt pockets"
How about the AGD "Blade" Frame, cooresponding to the trigger name, lol kinda cheesy
Originally posted by Krazy Ivan:
I've been looking through this post, and maybe I just missed it, but I didn't see any that have to do with the AGD Lions??
What about the Lion Heart, or Lion's Roar??
Something to bring the mascot's back into the mainstream?
Either that or we could ditch the lions and go straight with the all powerful omniscient elves. The elves would kick the lions butts anyway..
Just my thoughts
-Krazy Ivan
umm yes many people did. I posted the Roar Frame or Lion's roar and a lot of people did like the lion's claw and stuff.
AGD "Regga" Frame, I dont know what that has to deal with paintball i thought it sounded cool
here's one
AGD Twister 2X
force it, if it breaks it
needed to be replaced
AGD A-Grip
Z-grip looks like a Z
.45 frame looks like an A
simple, catchy, and trademark of AGD frames
- Blue Smear and Chrome Automag RT p/f
- Dye 14" BOOMstick
- Hyperflow 201 68ci 4500
- Custom offset drop forward
- V-Force Morph Metallic Blue
- Z-Grip


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The Art of Reading
Without doubt you know how to read. But do you know how to read artfully? Unlike everyday reading, artful reading is the way novels and short stories are read. This class is less about reading for specific information and more about reading to enjoy the literary experience. Instructor: Claudia De La Toba, 8 hours.
Room 1620
CS 246-01 F Aug. 23–30 9 a.m.–Noon Fee: $45
Please call the Continuing Education office at 619.482.6376 for registration information.
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Southwestern College is an equal opportunity educator and employer | Non-Discrimination Policy |
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© 2011 Southwestern College, 900 Otay Lakes Road, Chula Vista, CA 91910. (619) 421-6700
The Southwestern College is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Thank you for visiting the Southwestern College website.


text:
A 38-year-old man was taken to a local hospital by ambulance Saturday night after he was struck by a car near 34th Street and Valmont Road in a what was initially reported as a hit-and-run accident , Boulder police say.
The incident occurred at 10:16 p.m. Friday, according to Boulder police Sgt. Alastair McNiven, the department's night shift supervisor.
The victim, whose name has not been released, was reportedly struck by the car while walking in the 3100 block of 34th Street, near the entrance to the San Juan Del Centro housing division, McNiven said.
While police scanner traffic indicated the man may have broken both his legs in the incident, McNiven could not confirm those injuries. He did say the man, a Boulder resident, was taken to a nearby hospital via ambulance.
A description of the vehicle involved in the incident was not available Friday night.
McNiven said the circumstances surrounding the accident remain under investigation, but officers have been in contact with people they believe to have been involved.
Further information was not immediately available.


text:
Katt Williams allegedly pulled a gun on someone Tuesday night at the Comedy Store in West Hollywood, prompting police to respond with guns drawn.
Guns don't stop hecklers ...
Or maybe they do.
Witnesses reportedly told TMZ Williams was in the club, but not on stage, when a heckler confronted Williams, reportedly over his height and race. Williams -- who isn't known to be the most stable fellow (please don't tell him I said that) -- allegedly drew a gun and threatened the heckler with it.
That's usually a really effective way to deal with such situations.
Someone called 911 and six police cars full arrived at the club. Officers with shotguns and bean bag guns were spotted outside, TMZ reported, preparing for a confrontation. But apparently Williams, realizing this sort of thing might not be legal, already took off.
As of Wednesday morning, police were still investigating, according to TMZ.
Williams has a history of wild confrontations. He was escorted off the stage during a 2012 show at the Oracle Arena in Oakland after he started screaming profanities at a heckler, and was arrested in Oakland the same year after allegedly beating a Berkeley man with a bottle on his tour bus.
Tony Hicks provides celebrity commentary for the Bay Area News Group. Contact him at Facebook.com/BayAreaNewsGroup.TonyHicks or Twitter.com/insertfoot.


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"I am very happy with our performance today in our season opener against Hawaii," said Smith. "We were strong from top to bottom and all three freshmen were impressive in their dual match debut. We've been practicing hard this week, and that carried over to the match today."
Duke (1-0) was able to gain an early 1-0 advantage over Hawai'i (0-1) after claiming the doubles point. Playing on court two, the 37th-ranked duo of freshman Michael Redlicki and sophomore Jason Tahir cruised to an 8-2 win against Danilo Casanova and Chas Okamoto. The win is their fifth consecutive dating back to the fall. The top-ranked pair of senior Henrique Cunha and sophomore Raphael Hemmeler overwhelmed Jonathan Brooklyn and Dymtro Kovalyov on their way to an 8-1 victory in their first action since capturing the USTA/ITA National Indoor Championships in November. Cunha now sits just one victory shy of matching Doug Root for the most career doubles victories in program history with 121.
After taking an early 3-1 advantage, the junior pair of Fred Saba and Chris Mengel completed the sweep for the team against Jared Spiker and David Schuster from the No. 3 position, 8-2.
Duke proved to be too much for the Warriors in singles, as 11th-ranked Cunha rolled to a 6-3, 6-0 win over Kovalyov in the No. 1 spot, while Saba, who was ranked No. 23 in the latest ITA rankings, defeated Brooklyn, 7-5, 6-3. Making his dual match debut at the No. 3 position, 14th-ranked Redlicki earned the first victory of his career in the spring season, overpowering Spiker in straight sets, 6-3, 6-0.
At the No. 4 position, No. 43 Mengel cruised to a 6-2, 6-0 victory over Okamoto. Hemmeler, who earned a No. 38 ranking in the latest ITA rankings, captured his first win of the spring by defeating Casanova at the No. 5 position, 6-1, 6-4, while No. 123 Tahir won his match of the year in the No. 6 position over Nils Schuhmann, 6-1,6-2 .
Freshman Daniel McCall defeated Carter Lam, 6-1, 6-2, while fellow freshman Josh Levine was the third freshmen for the Blue Devils to earn the first dual season win of his career, edging Schuster in three sets, 6-3, 3-6, 6-2, to complete the sweep for the Blue Devils.
The team will play its home opener against Elon on Saturday, Jan. 19 at noon, before hosting Charlotte on Sunday, Jan. 20 at 1 p.m.
Tennis Match Results
Duke vs. Hawai'i
Jan. 9, 2013 at Honolulu, Hawai'i
(UH Tennis Complex)
No. 5 Duke 7, Hawai'i 0
1. #1 Henrique Cunha/Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Jonathan Brooklyn/Dmytro Kovalyov (UH) 8-1
2. #39 Michael Redlicki/Jason Tahir (DU) def. Danilo Casanova/Chas Okamoto (UH) 8-2
3. #37 Fred Saba/Chris Mengel (DU) def. Jared Spiker/David Schuster (UH) 8-2
1. #11 Henrique Cunha (DU) def. Dmytro Kovalyov (UH) 6-3, 6-0
2. #23 Fred Saba (DU) def. Jonathan Brooklyn (UH) 7-5, 6-3
3. #14 Michael Redlicki (DU) def. Jared Spiker (UH) 6-3, 6-0
4. Chris Mengel (DU) def. Chas Okamoto (UH) 6-2, 6-0
5. #38 Raphael Hemmeler (DU) def. Danilo Casanova (UH) 6-1, 6-4
6. #123 Jason Tahir (DU) def. Nils Schuhmann (UH) 6-1, 6-2
7. Josh Levine (DU) def. David Schuster (UH), 6-3, 3-6, 6-2
8. Daniel McCall (DU) def. Carter Lam (UH), 6-1, 6-2
Match Notes:
Duke 1-0; National ranking #5; Regional ranking #2
Hawai`i 0-1


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The Redboxification of Home Performance
Thanks to Redbox for including me in a great Earth Week panel on Innovation, Entrepreneurism and Green Business. Nearly 150 employees showed up to learn about new ideas, and striking a balance between running a business and looking out for the Earth.
One of the reasons I love to get out and work with groups is that I usually end up learning as much as I teach! Yesterday was no exception. In fact, as a result I think I invented the term "Redboxification" (I claimed it in the middle of lunch and no one stopped me so I'm going to run with it!). And no industry needs Redboxification more than Home Performance!
What is Redboxification?
Redbox has reshaped the DVD rental market since it was founded in 2002, surpassing rival Blockbuster in volume in a mere five years. In fact just while I was onsite, Redbox rented about 20,000 videos. (A ticker counts throughout the day and projects the running total on the floor of the reception lobby!) They are famous for their red rental kiosks at the entrance of grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retail locations.
Redboxification is a measure of making something so seamless with the consumer experience, and making it easy and engaging.
What does this mean for home performance?
The last question for the panel was the best one: "If I have 15 minutes to spend, what can I do to make a difference in energy efficiency?"
This is what Redbox gets that Home Performance does not. We've reached the early adopters of home performance. To reach the masses we have to understand consumers like Redbox does. Don't add one extra errand for me. Don't make it too complicated. Get me started quickly. And give me immediate, fun gratification that tells me I've accomplished something – and motivates me to come back for more.
Sure, whole home performance and building science are a lot bigger than a red kiosk. The meat and potatoes of home performance could never be Redboxed. But couldn't the first steps into home performance be a lot more engaging? Couldn't we make this a part of how home owners maintain and love their homes instead of an add-on process? Couldn't we find a way to get immediate satisfaction out of a 15 minute start?
There is no better measure of Redboxification than a measure of leads to conversions. (Think of that running ticker on their lobby floor.) And if your ratio is looking bad, maybe it's that you're asking too much of the consumer – Are they hearing all or nothing…and doing nothing?
As a Realtor, my success measure for the Home Performance industry is how many homes can say they've passed a threshold of improved home performance (let's say 20%) and have earned some sort of documentation that proves it. That documentation gives me something to promote one that home comes up for resale. But I don't think it's an all or nothing proposition. It's about the getting there. And like Redbox the secret might be in getting consumers to come back for a little more each time.
Home Performance is all about loving our homes. Redbox turns the video rental proposition on its head – Why force the consumer to add an extra errand when you can make it simple and engaging to accomplish two errands at once? Redboxification of home performance is about finding those spots where homeowners are already loving their homes, and helping them accomplish the goal of energy efficiency at the same time. The typical energy audit report is organized around low-, med- or high-investment projects or by system type. Why couldn't it be organized around levels of loving your home instead? For example – maybe solutions more like:
- Weekend Warriors: The 10 most common home comfort perpetrators and how to blast them from your home.
- Martial Spats: Three projects that balance comfort and kill thermostat wars.
- Redecorating: Projects that are simple to add when a little dust is already flying.
- Replacement: NAR's Cost vs. Value report finds that replacement projects (like windows and siding) add more value every year than remodeling projects (like updating a kitchen or turning an attic into a bedroom). What are the no-brainer add-ons to achieve the real efficiency out of replaced systems?
- Remodeling: What are the projects you'll kick yourself for later because they are so much easier and cheaper to do when other projects are already underway and walls and cavities are most easily accessible?
My guess is that by the time a consumer takes a second step, they are loving their home's improved performance, and will take that bigger commitment towards a 20% improvement.
Laura Reedy Stukel is a homecycle coach who aims to bring smarter choices to the home-buying and the owning process. You can read more of her blogs at notyetgreen.com.
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text:
Welcome disc golfer! You can login or create an account.
Questions? Call us: (785) 258-2494
The Discraft Elite Z Meteor is a midrange driver. with a stability rating of -0.5, understable. It is Discraft's most popular understable midrange, and delivers incredible glide. The Meteor fits nicely into Discraft's midrange golf disc lineup next to the Comet. It delivers steady, controlled turnovers with a lot of glide. Release it at a seven o'clock angle for a nice smooth hyzer. It was the 2006 Ace Race Prototype. Beginner friendly disc golf disc.
Z plastic provides the truest flights as ratings are based on Z models. It is the most durable, longest lasting, slowest to season and makes a disc more overstable than D and X models.
About Color and Availability - Pictured above are some available Elite Z colors. This model may not be available in all of these colors. Likewise, each weight range may not be available in all colors. Therefore we ask you to list and prioritize your color preferences and to give us guidance if the color or weight range you want happens to not be available. Feel free to contact us if you need more specific info.
|Elite Z
"Meteor is a must throw disc. The glide is amazing; the biggest problem with the Meteor is that it is easy to throw it too far! The Meteor is the disc to use when the fairway forces you to throw a left to right shot." - Chris Smith


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This is my forum for my very own feedback...isnt that special? Feel free to post anything trade-related about me, good or bad. Thanks!
This is my forum for my very own feedback...isnt that special? Feel free to post anything trade-related about me, good or bad. Thanks!
Great buyer, communicates very well, and Is also very understanding.
I would LOVE to do business with him again Thanks Carp.
My Trading Feedback
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."
-Edmond Burke
Wewt! Got to do business with Carp. Again Traded my max-flow tank for a 'Cocker CP kit and some munnay.
Hehe, threw in some stickers with the barrel kit too. FUnny guy You should get a 'mag
A great trader. Easy to deal with, quick to pay, very honest and concerned about staying in touch.
Great buyer!
Payment received same day
Proud AGD Marker Owner Since 94
My Pretty Pewter ULE MiniMag!
Stuff for Sale
Fantastic absolutely flawless trader. Tank was in excellent condition. Very quick shipment. Awesome awesome awesome person to deal with!
Great seller got me a slam pack with pods couldn't find one threw in 2 extras just to make me happy And wow fast shipping it got to my house in 2 days can't wait for another opportunity to trade/buy stuff from you thanks again.
Paid promptly. Great guy! Look forward to future business! A+
Feedback - AO
Feedback - PBN
Feedback - eBay
Paypal Verified Premier Member - 60+ Transactions
Exceptionally Good Traders: FunkTheManMunky, MRAirgunRT
Ask about my 3rd party trading services/prices
Great buyer, paid quick and no hassles. Great guy to deal with and looking forward to future trades.
team PAIN "it's not fun and games until somebody gets hurt."
My AO Feedback
this guy is so good its scary!
seriously, great guy, added the paypal fees. would absolutley do business with again.
AIM: DionHolm
MSN & Email : firstname.lastname@example.com
Fantastic Traders: mark_426, Demobilized
Good Traders: Flogzero, LstCause7, mirthvader, rapidshooter, SIGSays
Speedy payment and a pleasure to deal with. I look forward to dealing with Sean in the future...
Last edited by LuisV; 11-18-2003 at 08:53 AM.
SUPER fast payment, pleasure doing business with you!
� Mike Erickson
� email@example.com
� Frostburn Paintball
� Farm Land Paintball Club
� My Feedback
Picked up a Freak tip from him. Easy to work with, great communication, and shipped fast.
traded my old hyperframe for a classic cocker of his. very pleasant guy to deal with, highly recomended.
Quote: MarkM
"virus attacks have been dealt with, same with back door nasties. ."
My feed back
excellent! kept in contact with me throughout the deal. being local to me we met with no hassle. awesome guy. i would wihtout hesitation do business with again. in fact i plan on it very soon. pimp spyder bro haha. lmk when your done with it.
Good traders/buyers/sellers: ClassicMagger, Carpecerevesus, PsycoReaper, want2race, wigglesrewind, Faultie, JadedT, ewu, SoldierzHonor
AO feedback: here
Would I push her off my lap if at an event she just sat down... it wouldn't be with my hands, I'll tell you that much.
Kept in touch,items were as described.Definately would buy from again(if I had some cash,lol).Thanks again,Richie
TAC-ONE Camomag,Retro Valve w/LVL-10,milled RT-Pro rail,E-mag battery pack,KAPP stubby dropzone,CP on/off, 16" Stiffi and it's bewy,bewy qwiet
Richie's feedback
All in all, he's a great guy.
funny funny dood still in touch w/ sean and he wants the gun i got from him back lol (i just traded it sorry!)
oh yea great trader to if u need stickers.......just ask
fast payment ,good buyer,A++ AOER
ANYONE CAUGHT STARTING *poof* IS GONE, PERIOD.
Tunamart for all of your mag needs
Team Magfiea
Long Live Tom Kaye
Long Live The Mag
Great trader. Sent the $$$ fast. No hassles. No worries. Lets do it again.
Thanks for the purchase. Said he wanted it and it was done, plain and simple. Couldn't ask for a better transaction.
He purchased my Bob Long Spyder. He was very easy to understand, didn't lowball, and the payment was shipped very promptly. A+ guy!
A+ buyer, he got an am/mm sear and pin from me.
Sent payment immediately! Good trader, thanks!
Great trader. Shipped out the same day and gave me a tracking number. Which more traders were like this guy. Thanks again.
Yet another great AOer, Carpecerevisi purchased and evlution off me. Fast payment and great communication. It was a pleasure doing business.
Ausome trader, reccommended, good communication A+
would deffently trade with again
-Jim "CodeMA" Brown
Fire 'N Squad
Great trader. Sent the $$$ really fast. Communication was on the spot. Would definately trade with him again. A+++++
Traded markers with him. No problems. Would trade with anytime.
Kept in good contact with me, shipped as scheduled, I got the product everything was in perfect condition. Great trader.


text:
Sponsored by Golf (women)
Luther finished ninth of 11 teams at the Mount Mercy Spring Invitational held April 13-14 at Hunters Ridge Gold Course, Marion, Iowa. The Norse carded a two-day total on the Par 72, 5,809 yard course of 388-376-764.
Led by tournament medalist Jessica Tomash, Truman State (MO) won the team title shooting 678. Grandview was second at 698.
Laura Davis (14th- 93-85-178) was Luther's team medalist. Kaitlyn Traxler (T34 - 90-101-191), Annika Ring (T41 - 97-99-196), Trinda Phelon (44th - 108-91-199), and Isabelle Krogh (56th - 109-166-225) completed the Norse five.
Luther will play its second tournament of the spring schedule next weekend. The Norse will travel to Waverly, Iowa for the Wartburg College Inivitational that will be held April 20-21.
Questions? Contact David Blanchard, post_to_results, 563-387-1586


text:
Circa 1950
A vintage strawberry-shaped holophane pendant on polished nickel and aluminum hardware. Cast fitter signed by maker Crouse hinds. Due to the antique nature of this fixture, there may be some nicks or imperfections in the glass.
Current height: 34"
Minimum height: 16-1/4"
Overall: 7-1/4" diameter
Can be UL listed for use in dry or damp environments.
Single Edison socket, maximum 75 watts
1 fixture total available.
On display at our 28th Street showroom.


text:
NPL Events Calendar
NPL Programs and Events
Use the drop-down menus below to filter events and programs by age or program category, branch location, or both. You can also sign up to have NPL event eNotifications delivered to your inbox.
View the NPL Bookmobile Schedule online.
The 100 Club
Join the 100 Club!
- Date: 06/30/2014
- Location: Little Creek Branch Library
7853 Tarpon Place
Norfolk, Virginia 23518
Pick up our list of 100 of the greatest children's books ever written and read them all this summer! (Family)Hours & Locations


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ADRIAN — When "Pippin" opened on Broadway in 1972, it was regarded as a pretty innovative, if rather disturbing, piece of musical theater, largely due to the vision of it that director Bob Fosse brought to the production. And while in the 40 years since, the show has evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into something harmless enough for high school students to perform, as is the case this weekend at the Croswell Opera House, it's still quite unlike just about anything else in musical theater.
For one thing, while the play-within-a-play concept is certainly nothing out of the ordinary, in this case it leads to a show without any semblance of a traditional structure. The action just kind of arises spontaneously, the lines between what's the internal play and what is "reality," so to speak, are very deliberately blurred, the costumes are, on purpose, all over the place when it comes to era. "Pippin" is supposed to be disorienting, sometimes abruptly so, and the Croswell's production captures the show's unsettled, and unsettling, nature very well.
And unlike most musicals out there — certainly unlike practically anything that had come before it — there's no neat, happy ending (although I'm not going to give anything away here for people who don't know the show) and the "hero" really isn't all that. The character isn't even exactly all that likeable; he's really kind of whiny and angst-ridden.
But even with all that and saddled with a score made up of basically forgettable tunes, the themes of the show are as relevant today as they ever have been, from the whole "coming of age" idea to the extended riff on the absurdity of war. And they're certainly relevant to the young people performing it in the Croswell's version, which is the fourth annual edition of an all-area high school musical.
After all, "Pippin" is all about a journey of discovery, with all sorts of themes in it about faith and relationships and family and finding one's own way in the world and the desire to go out and do great things, and that's a journey these high schoolers are taking themselves. As are, probably, any number of people in the audience, for whom "Pippin" is liable to be pretty thought-provoking about all those concepts as well as the whole idea of what's real and what's not in our lives.
One of the things the Croswell's production definitely has going for it is that it's directed by Erin Yuen, and as such it just has a solid, polished feel to it. Of course the whole conceit of "Pippin," the play-within-a-play, leads to a certain atmosphere of "Hey kids, let's put on a show!" and the result is a deliberately unfinished look in which the swords are fake, the banners look hand-drawn, and crates and carts become all sorts of props requiring the audience to use its imagination. But the show unfolds impeccably timing-wise, the actors are doing interesting and creative things, and every inch of the stage (as well as parts of the house) are used excellently.
And no matter your feelings about "Pippin" itself, the quality of this cast makes this production what it is. Lenawee County and the surrounding area consistently turn out some spectacular young theatrical talent, and the Croswell's high school productions are a chance for those students to show off what they can do. From the leads to the chorus (or "players," in "Pippin"-speak), this is a very fine cast and a delight to watch, especially in a show like this that stretches them more than some musicals would.
A top-notch performance comes from Derek Kastner as the demonic, vaguely disturbing Leading Player. You're never exactly sure what Leading Player is up to — one moment he's simply introducing the characters and entertaining the audience with magic and song-and-dance, and the next moment he's manipulating the action and berating the actors for not following the script. But one thing that IS sure is that the actor playing this role has to be able to command the stage, and Kastner definitely does.
Another excellent performance comes from Kyle Krichbaum as the title character. With his fine singing voice, deft acting and sense of timing, and solid stage presence, this is a great role for him, and he captures it perfectly.
Similarly terrific work is done by Bryan Gilbey as Charlemagne, Candace Lee Ostrander as the scheming Fastrada, Becca Nowak as Berthe and Jordyn Norkey as Catherine. All of these actors bring great vocal abilities into play and turn in compelling performances besides. Kyle Sell does a very fine job in the role of Pippin's basically dimwitted younger brother Lewis, as does David Bough, who doesn't get a whole lot of stage time as Theo but makes a lot out of it.
The Croswell's production also benefits tremendously from a Doug Miller set design that's every bit as intricately thought out and well executed as Miller's work always is, from Emily Gifford's veritable riot of costume designs, from Sarah Nowak's interesting and creative choreography, and from the good work of music director Michael Yuen and his orchestra.
Saturday's matinee performance came off with only a couple of hitches. The "sing along" sequence just didn't work, both because the timing of the projection was off and because even if it had gone smoothly it's tough to see the projection itself due to the way it's lit. And Norkey's entire first scene was marred by not having her microphone on. But other than those small issues, things came off pretty smoothly.
It seems to me that "Pippin" is one of those shows that you either like or you don't. This is a story that exists on multiple levels all at the same time, and either you're fascinated by its implications, or you find the whole thing way too strange. But if you're willing to go along for the ride, the Croswell's production is a very worthy realization of the musical. And if you want to see some of this area's best budding theatrical talent, this is definitely the place to do it.
There is one more performance of "Pippin," at 2:30 p.m. today. Tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for senior citizens and students, and $5 for children, and are available at the box office.
Area's top young theater talent put on show in 'Pippin'
ADRIAN — When "Pippin" opened on Broadway in 1972, it was regarded as a pretty innovative, if rather disturbing, piece of musical theater, largely due to the vision of it that director Bob Fosse brought to the production. And while in the 40 years since, the show has evolved (or devolved depending on how you look at it) into something harmless enough for high school students to perform, as is the case this weekend at the Croswell Opera House, it's still quite unlike just about anything else in musical theater.


text:
25 holiday gift ideas for children
Kids can be difficult to buy for. You want to find gifts that challenge their minds, develop hobbies, and spur their imaginations, but that's not always easy to do. Our gift guide provides some gifts suggestions to get you started thinking about that perfect gift!
1) Small fishtank and goldfish or Butterfly Garden
2) DVDs
3) Books
4) Tickets to a local theme park
5) Electric train, Racetrack, or radio-controlled cars (Matchbox cars are good gifts for younger boys)
6) Recreational lessons (soccer, karate, gymnastics)
7) Tickets to the local zoo or aquarium
8) Electric scooter
9) Walkie talkies
10) Video game console (XBox, PlayStation, GameCube.)
11) Outdoor recreation equipment (Rollerblades, Razor scooter, paintball guns)
12) Fanwear for their favorite sports team (Personalized jerseys or fitted hats)
13) Portable CD player / MP3 player with a selection of music included.
14) Swingset or outdoor gym
15) Planetarium set, Telescope or Microscope
16) Barbie
17) Sports equipment (Soccer goal set, bike ramp, basketball goal, t-ball set, golf clubs)
18) Clothes
19) Motorized car or jeep
20) Sports memorabilia
21) Art supplies (Paints and easel, pottery wheel, art case with supplies)
22) Musical instruments (drum set, guitar, keyboard, or karaoke singing system)
23) Educational software
24) Jewelry (earrings or locket or charm bracelet)
25) Milkshake, ice cream, or snowcone machine


text:
Just to preserve pics for later.
Just to preserve pics for later.
RPG Rogue rail, Chimera frame, Viperblade pro trigger, RPG gas thru grip and Sub-zero feedneck.
Last edited by Karta-mag; 01-21-2008 at 01:57 PM. Reason: Updated pic with new parts.
So there's my nice simple Mag.
My E-Mag. Picked it up back in March from latches. I've changed a few things since I received it. I put the old trigger and Luke's aluminum grips back on it. After playing around with different remote and tank setups I settled on the NDZ angled rail and new ASA as you see below. I also picked up a Palmer's Brass Barrel for it. Oh, yeah, I also got a hardline for it and shrink wrapped it myself. Now, the pics:
after going thru several mags i think i settled on one.
ule karta emag w/ agd 1.37 software.
feels great in my hands, ive yet to use it but im gonna do some shootin up in the backyard soon enough.
New addition to the family
My baby but i just got some new goodies and another mag
everyone is entitled to my opinion

- Scepter Barrel Kit
- ULE Body
- CCM Feedneck
- Reverse X-valve
- Splinter Rail
- Palmer's Fatty Stabilizer (used as an LPR for pneumag conversion)
- 15* blemished ASA (it works with LOTS of tephlon tape)
- Logic UMF
- MacDev PushButton LegionAir 68/4500 tank
- Dye Stickies
Last edited by rawbutter; 11-08-2007 at 02:38 PM.
Last edited by SN toter; 10-24-2007 at 09:23 AM.
Tac-One Warp Right
T2W Stock
16" Sly Woodland Barrel & backing kit
ATN Ultralight sight
Barska 3-9x42
UTG Tri-rail
My newly acquired Classic Mag with ANS Phase II valve, ACI Sub-Zero exp. chamber, 32* CF barrel, and hand-polished brass fittings:
heres my tac-one.
I have a pepperstick kit, empire on/off, cp lightning drop, and a nostalgic piece.
Last edited by Skiddz; 11-14-2007 at 07:30 PM.
Nice, but how do you run it with a Low Pressure tank? Does it really work or is it just for pics?Originally Posted by BlueDragonX
Here are my 2 mags along with a friends new blue toy
*** updated ***

Last edited by jade_monkey07; 02-01-2008 at 09:35 PM.
A few snaps of my Mag with some brass barrel hawtness :
Compliments of Neppo @ AOSoCal
these are my favorite mags (own four total)
Qmag warp left is actually my first mag ever owned
killa ball detent
d.w. foregrip and fibur barrel
Xvalve lvlX
logic grip frame 90* and trigger
alum/ black gloss 90* panels

and of coarse,....the xmag
tuna blade
krugar grips
warp breech also ano'ed to match
and feedneck

Last edited by NU_METAL; 11-30-2007 at 04:37 PM.
hooray new anno!
My new mag, just need a clamping feedneck, viperblade pro trigger and maybe a pneumag kit and I'll be set.
Just bought this beast: Custom APE Rampage E-Pneumag
ULE Warp Left main body -Black
Classic Rail -Black
X-Valve -Black
15 Degree For-grip adapter
Bicycle grip -Black
Intelli-Frame -Chrome Customized for E-Pneumatic conversion.
30 degree drop
CP on/off
CP 14" 2 piece- gloss back and dust front
Warp-Feed & nbsp;with dual 9v mod-Smoke
Now on the the good stuff..
Custom APE Rampage A5 board (Wired to run off the warp-feed. This keeps the amount of batteries needed to run this setup down.)
SMC PM3 solenoid
Clippard MPA-3 air piloted actuator
Custom Air fittings for Actuator to Solenoid
Palmer's Rock LPR
All hoses, fitting, wiring, and so on, to make it run...
APE board features:
-Push button selection to change Firing Mode
-Visual LED Mode Indicator on back of frame
-User Programmable
-7 Firing Modes and 15BPS Operation
-Semi Automatic
-Full Automatic
-3 Round Burst
-Rampage tm
-Rate of Fire From 15 to 25BPS!
-Adjustable Dwell and Debounce
-Programmable Ramping and Turbo+ Mode
Last edited by Texas Trigger; 12-01-2007 at 09:01 PM.
I couldn't find a Sydearm I could afford so I built one..Sorta
Why be normal?
I took the road least traveled...now where the hell am I ?
Does that forgrip house a 12 gram?Originally Posted by Runamok
Yes.Originally Posted by Digler45
Where did you get that top spring feed? Also, if you rotate the front co2 handle forward, lining it up with the barrel, you'll have a holsterable gun.Originally Posted by Runamok
I think this is not spring fed. It looks like a standard Phantom stock-class rock and shoot (as it's a semi so it isn't a rock and cock either).Originally Posted by Bagheera
There she is
I had to wait on my Machinist.
Okay: Phantom SC feed(slightly Modded)
AIR Valve w/ Lvl 7
Phantom 12 gr quick changer
ULE Body(Like you couldn't tell)
Dye asa mounted on a cut down bench mark rail
And I did evil things to a stock(?) cocker barrel. which will be machined to take Freak inserts soon.
If I can figure it out I will add a spring feed. It's damn hard to find the right spring that won't jam up the feed,But I'm working on it. It feeds great now. But I can't leave well enough alone.
If you want to try this and need help PM me. The more sickies out there the better.
Last edited by Runamok; 12-15-2007 at 06:07 PM. Reason: Had to add Mod's
By the way, I'd like to thank everyone who put up pictures of their mags. There's some beautiful Mags posted. Alot of inspiration posted up here.
Thank you,


text:
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The Bedford County Board of Supervisors, Monday night, unanimously approved a change of use request by Centra Health for a pavilion on New London Road.
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CD Projekt RED officially announces The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, following the revelation earlier today of plans for a new installment in the RPG series next year. This new trailer accompanies the announcement (though this does is show off the game's title) and here's a bit, including word this will be the final installment in the series:
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I'm holding out hope for the battle ram. Aside from that Skeletor throne room, and that's it. Not even sure I care about slime pit. I'm far more interested in getting more of the cats in the line (Battle Lion, Blue Lion, Clawdeen) or other steeds.
I'm holding out hope for the battle ram. Aside from that Skeletor throne room, and that's it. Not even sure I care about slime pit. I'm far more interested in getting more of the cats in the line (Battle Lion, Blue Lion, Clawdeen) or other steeds.
Trader Feedback: http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...d.php?t=213634
I finaly want Snake Mountain, a mix of the Original Toy and the Filmation design.
Last edited by Merman79; November 14, 2012 at 02:04pm.
I would like them to try a Snake Mountain Pre-Order next, but not for a few years. Maybe start the pre-Order in 2014 for a 2015 release date.
Also It would have to be a combo of Filmation & 200x for me to even consider it and it would either have to have Skeletors Bone Throne & table or his 2oox throne.
sweet thread, but the spelling mistake in the title is annoying me, sorry.
Does Galactus fart?
Snake Mountain is a must, and a given with what Scott has said.
I'd love a new Fright Zone, Slime Pit and of course a Point Dread with the Talon Fighter.
Eternia would be amazing too, but I agree with most, that might be best handled in three different sets, should these all prove successful. In many ways, I'd hope for Point Dread and the Eternia sets to preceed the Horde stuff.
I'd also love to see Grayskull get some more love later on, with another wall or two.
Last edited by Baena; November 14, 2012 at 02:15pm.
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. -George Bernard Shaw
Nate Baertsch Illustration Blog
ToyGuru should start a Snake Mountain Preorder if Castle Grayskull is shipped.
I think Grayskull has opened up a viable new approach for Matty on big ticket items; I would be very surprised NOT to see Snake Mountain given the same "pre-order it and we will make it" approach next year. Now, a lot depends on how the actual sales go in the end on Grayskull, whether all the pre-orders are honored by the orderer, how the set turns out, the feedback from fans, etc. I also don't think that Matty is going to go crazy with such things even if Grayskull is the smashing success I hope for; the Legion set sold extroadinarily well from my perspective for a near $200 set of figures, and I've still not heard a thing about a follow-up set.
It opens a door, and I hope Mattel does take advantage of it. A Filmation based Snake Mountain is something I've wanted since the 80's (bought the Power Lord Volcan Rock as a stand in back in the day).
"I will use this power for all the good that can be done, to work for peace, to encourage virtue, and above all, to preserve life in all its forms..." Superman
Snake Mountain Has to be next. But I gotta say I really would like to see a Crystal Castle eventually. I know it might be hard to get support for it, but if people could think outside the box and think of it less like this pink thing for a girls line and more about what the 4hmen could make it into I think it could be really amazing.
And I share in your vision that yes, the 4HM would do amazing things with it if given the chance.
I could see a Filmation/toy blend being really, REALLY cool for the Crystal Castle.
Last edited by Baena; November 14, 2012 at 02:41pm.
We don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing. -George Bernard Shaw
Nate Baertsch Illustration Blog
I would love a Filmation Snake Mountain set and think it has the best chance given how iconic it is right after Grayskull. Also without retail support I think its the only viable playset aside form Grayskull. I would love a Filmation fright Zone or a Crystal Castle, but I know they have little or no chance of getting done right now. Let's just hope that Mattel gives a bigger pre-sale window to ensure adequate sales. Rather than start in October, start the pre-sales in August right after SDCC.
I'll buy anything Matty wants to put out, I just have to be skeptical that there would be enough interest to justify some of the other proposed playsets. As previously state numerous times, Grayskull was too iconic not to do. I just don't know if anyone outside of the 'die-hard' fans would support another playset.
IF, there were to be others, I would love to see an Eternos palace. We already have all the figures that would go with it, Randor, Marlena, Adora, Adam, Cringer, Guards and all the usual good guys seen lurking around there. Just seems a natural fit to me.
A 4-Horsemen designed Eternia would be insane! While I am sure it would cost a pretty penny, the job they could potentially do is unfathomable. I wouldn't even care if it didn't have the monorail, as long as we could get the three towers.
The thing i am most excited about would be to get the filmation inspired snake mtn. I feel that has been one of the greatest missing pieces to the masters of the universe line, and according to Scott, this is coming up next after CG. Others I would love to see are filmation Fright zone, and instead of a Whispering woods, how about castle brightmoon for the great rebellion.
"Mattel's policy of things being seen as a failure if they don't sell out in minutes still annoys the hell out of me." .org Member paulioscorchio
Enjoy my articles on action figures, Christianity, and much more on Infobarrel.
100% serious when I say....
Eternos Palace w/ Roast Gooble Dinner.
-A great nod to Val, Dan, Danielle & Eamon as they do so much for the fans & the line/brand.
-Obvious Filmation reference.
-Multiple episodes featured a "dinner scene"
-2 thrones by themselves would be pretty boring.
-Benefits long time collectors by giving a place for the loaf of bread & Randy's pimp cup.
-If Miro gets made, he can make Keldor sit there 'til he eats his veggies.
-Opens door for Chef Allen, justifying a new figure.
I know, won't happen, even with those solid gold reasons stated above. But a nod to our beloved Gooblers would be cool.
The Space Mutants are missing something CRITAcal!
I really don't want the toy versions of Snake Mountain, Crystal Castle, or the Fright Zone. Their Filmation appearances are essential. I can sort of accept a big hybrid for Snake Mountain like the image that appeared on the DCUC vs MOTUC packaging
But they need to bring in Filmation details too. The Snake Head with those skeletal HR Giger-esque details and fang-like rocks would be very welcome.
I honestly don't expect anything beyond Castle Grayskull. They have to do a lot of work to make the other big three sets happen, as they can't base anything off of the existing playset designs the way they are said to be doing with Castle Grayskull. All of them need to be redesigned to the point of being totally from scratch.
I'll be sated if Icon Heroes makes miniatures of all those playsets (I might settle for two Fright Zones as long as we get the Filmation one) plus:
- Palace of Eternia (can use MYP, but I think Filmation's has a more unique and interesting look)
- Castle Brightmoon
- Towers of Eternia (four separate pieces to include Dragon Tower)
- Starship Eternia
- Moon of Nordor
- Myticor
- Horror Hall
- Scorpion Hill
- Darksmoke
- Just about all those locations in the Preternia Map
Last edited by gbagok; November 14, 2012 at 05:06pm.
Be sure to read Book of Evil Part 2: The Bells of Doom, only in the He-Man.org Fan Fic & Media forums!
On another note, every time I see that this thread is called "Future Palysets!" I cringe a little. I hate to be that jerk, but it's true.
Ive already posted this before but this is a better thread for it to be.
"I want a filmation designed Frightzone not to mention a modern combo Eternia playset with a built in filmation Royal Palace all in one."
Ask me about my power. I bring new meaning to the phrase superhuman.
No surprises given my name and avatar, but a Filmation Fright Zone is top of my want list.
I absolutely adore the look of that thing, it's incredible. I certainly won't hold my breath though, I doubt we'll get any playset beyond CG.
They might attempt a Snake Mountain presale but I don't think it would make the numbers.
I am an illustrator, please check out my work:
Whatever wins could be done just like grayskull was to see is theres enough interest.
Mainly I want diaramas to go with motu figures for display especially filmation and several myp designs.
Ask me about my power. I bring new meaning to the phrase superhuman.
I would buy any playset they choose to produce.
Frankly... I care little for Snake mountain. The original toy had NOTHING on the inside that was any fun... and a Filmation version would NEVER be a usuable scale... so i don't see any real potental here...
MAYBE the hybrid version that combined the play features of the outside toy.... with some added levels inside... I don't know. That frankly I really WOULD need to see a prototype or detailed drawing to preorder...
I would like the three towers... ONLY because it has that 'Holy Grail' status from the original line. Back then I wasn't that impressed with it as a toy, and the price was out of our range anyway so I never had one... now I'd kind of like one.
Otherwise?? There really aren't any great 'sets' that i WOULD plop down another $300 for. I want some VEHICLES (TALON FIGHTER!!!!! 'CMON!!!!!') But crystal Castle? Frightzone? They weren't really COOL enough the FIRST time to make me want them redone..
I would love more playsets!
Snake Mountain should be next with Skeletors throne room included. Filmation style would be great but I think the best thing to do would be to merge styles like the Snake Mountain artwork that came with Lex Luthor vs Skeletor 2 packs.
I feel the same could apply to the Fright Zome. The old playset could be the lower portion with the crazy tech Filmation stuff on top. If it was as large as Grayskull is i think they could really get creative. Best of both worlds I say!
"I summon forth the portal to the terrible dimension of Despondos!"
Snake Mountain might sell. The pitch would be to get a REAL Snake Mountain that matches the cartoons. That's going to be interesting...Filmation Snake Mountain or MYP Snake Mountain with the LAVA coming from the mount and snap on two extra snakes to show King Hsss has taken over?
The Fright Zone could the cheapest playset of all, but would fans want the vintage Fright Zone with the dragon, murder tree and bamboo cage or would they want the Filmation factory version?
The Slime Pit seems to be a rather easy to make diorama! Probably cheap too -- maybe $40. I can't see Mattel selling slime that creeps and cakes up the joints of these modern high level of articulation action figures, but fans could slime their figures if they wanted to.
The Crystal Castle is yet another playset that could benefit from the "it's the Filmation version that we never got" pitch. But is the Crystal Castle iconic enough to sell, even if it looks like the Filmation version? POP fans would love this, but would the casual fan? This could be our chance to get Light Hope.
The Starship Eternia is both star-spanning vehicle AND space station playset. It could be the MOTUC version of the Millenium Falcon. However, since it's NA, I think it's on the bottom rung of the playsets.
Eternia Towers might be too expensive to produce. Castle Grayskull was a stretch, let alone it's far less iconic, later in the line replacement. Mattel could try to sell the towers individually, but I doubt that they would go that way. The line could end before we completed the playset.
The Official 200X Sorceress vs 200X Evil-Lyn 2 Pack Support Thread
The Blonde Teela Thread
Sagitar (Jetlag) Azdar Belzar Chazdar 200X Evil-Lyn 200X Teenage Prince Adam 200X Teenage Teela 200X Sorceress General Rattlor (MYP) 200X King Randor and Queen Marlena 200X Battle Armor King Randor and Battle Armor Queen Marlena Ice Armor He-Man WMD Roboto


text:
by Bruce Boyers
What if the criteria for success in agriculture were the nutrient content of produce, rather than quantity of yield per acre? Farmers growing high-nutrient crops could command a higher price by delivering greater value, and consumers would reap the healthful benefits. This might seem like a dreambut for Dan Kittredge its a vision and a passion he works at daily.
Remarkably, his seven-year journey to realize this vision all began with one simple, pragmatic decision: he just wanted to be a better farmer.
When Dan was four, his parents purchased an organic farm in Barre, Massachusetts. He grew up on that land and in his adult years managed it. But after he got married at age twenty-six, he saw that something had to change. I realized that I needed to be able to make a living, not just subsist, Dan told Organic Connections. I wasnt making very much, and I didnt know how to create a higher income. The only thing I knew how to do was farm, so I figured I should actually learn how to do it instead of just going through the motions that Id been brought up with.
Dan set about reading books, attending seminars, and asking questions of those more knowledgeable. He was trying to get to the bottom of how a biological system worked, and as he researched he began applying what he was learning to the land.
When I first started doing this, I was struggling with the fact that I was an organic farmer yet regularly experienced high levels of pestilence and disease in the crops that I grew, he related. It seemed to me there was something wrong with that picture. So I began initially by reading and by talking to people, then started applying various locally occurring basalt and granite materials to the soil. I next moved on to volcanic materials; then I deeply engaged in specific minerals, soil testing, and a whole array of management, monitoring and fertility practices.
Quality, Not Volume
As part of the process it became clear to me that the objective of agriculture should be quality and not volume, Dan continued. No one was really talking about quality and focusing on that as the objective. To obtain this quality, I found that there are basic principles involved in how biological systems operatesoil and plant interaction being the key one in this case.
It wasnt long before Dan realized that, as a farmer, he had struck pay dirt. When I really began putting these factors into practice, I found that it was remarkably easy to make a living through farming. Pests and diseases do not have to be present in your fields. Yields can be much larger than youve ever experienced. Flavor can be augmented dramatically through fertility and management practices.
As to that flavor, Dan certainly isnt alone in the observation that high-nutrient crops yield the best taste. Some of the worlds top chefssuch as Alice Waters, Rick Bayless, Dan Barber and Suzanne Goin, to name but a fewfirmly agree, and will only cook with ingredients that possess this exact quality.
Were talking about a living system, Dan added. The real essence of what were trying to do is remove the limiting factors in that living system. If we assume that the genetic potential of our crops is far beyond what we experiencewhich is what the geneticists will tell usthen the simple objective is to remove the stresses to our plants that are keeping them from fulfilling their full potential. If were viewing it from that lens, we need to talk about mineralogy, biology, hydrology, irrigation, tillage and structure. There are a number of components to this living soil system. What were trying to do is lay out what the normal stumbling blocks and limiting factors are, help people understand them, and give people the tools to address them.
Getting the Word Out
While conducting his research, Dan connected up with like-minded individuals and organizations with similar paths. One notable example was Remineralize the Earth (RTE)a nonprofit organization assisting the worldwide movement of remineralizing soils with finely ground rock dust, sea minerals, and other natural and sustainable means to increase plant growth, health and nutrient value. He became a board member of RTE and its president.
While working with RTE, Dan founded the Real Food Campaignsince renamed the Bionutrient Food Associationa nonprofit research, education and advocacy organization whose objective is to apply bionutrient farm techniques to improve quality in the food supply.
The needed change of viewpoint in produce quality is expressed in the name of Dans organization. Were coining a new termbionutrientthat doesnt exist anywhere, Dan explained. Were going to use a term that describes that goodnessthe nutrients that are biologically viable and valuable. Our focus is a shift from only concentrating on various standards and processes to a quality metricthe bionutrient level.
The Bionutrient Food Association was, however, without funding. Thanks to the intervention of RTE board member Ken Whitman, president of the environmentally conscious supplement company Natural Vitality, that was to change. For about a year after starting the Real Food Campaign, I had not done much, Dan said. I had given a couple of courses to growers, but had to work a full-time job at the same time as trying to get the organization going. At an RTE board meeting we discussed what we wanted and what it was we were able to do, and I said basically that if I could work at this full-time we could really kick the campaign into gear.
Whitman clearly perceived the importance of Dans work and, through his companys Natural Revitalization environmental action initiative, he and co-owner Justin Farmer provided the necessary funding. As a country, we eat too much and get too little from it, Whitman said. Nutrition is, after all, the purpose of eating. I have tasted high-nutrient produce grown by boutique farmers in the field and prepared by top chefs in their restaurants. The truth is in the tasting, and Im a believer. Supporting Dan and the BFA is an opportunity to be part of changing the way we farm, the way we eat, and, most importantly, opening the door to improved health simply from enjoying this good food.
With that support, and the blessings of RTE, Dan was able to hire employees and garner a number of enthusiastic regular volunteers as well. He went out full time, giving talks and traveling around his native New England, teaching growers through hands-on workshops and classes how they could achieve these incredible results with their crops. Just a few short years later, some 700 farmers, landscapers, home gardeners and other growers have come through Dans trainingwith outstanding results.
We give 30- to 40-hour year-long seminars for growers, starting in the fall and going through the entire growing season, said Dan. Weve seen some really major successes. One farmers produce became so popular that nobody would line up at any other farm stand at a farmers market because his tasted so much better. On another farm, four years ago they were grossing about 60,000 pounds of produce, and this year I think its somewhere in the ballpark of 150,000without expanding their production space. Elsewhere, weve seen decreases in harvest times and 40 percent to 100 percent increases in yield. Pests dont attack anymore.
Farmer Jones
These are remarkable claimsbut the farmers back them up. Farmer Phil Jones of Chelmsford, Massachusetts, raises vegetables, has about 180 CSA customers and also sells through farmers markets. He has had amazing success with methods he learned from Dan. The beauty of it is that what youre doing is really interpreting what Mother Nature and God are telling you, Jones said. I think the wonderful part of the course is that you learn to really read the plants and the whole thing becomes part of you. To be able to see four flowers in my tomato cluster, to watch as I input more nutrition and more balance, and then all of a sudden see six, eight and ten on a clusterI can read that and watch the leaves change and see so many things that the plants are telling me.
Jones also noticed the recognizable difference in flavor. Its much smoother on the palate, he said. To me, thats the most phenomenal thingwhen you think that youre going to be getting something that will be a little bitter at the end of it and then that doesnt come. The smoothness of the vegetable and the sweetness of it is what changes.
Jones has been witness to the truth of Dans words regarding pests and their reaction to truly healthy crops. Its fun to see the insects go away, he told OC. You might have them for a week or two until the plants photosynthesize the complex carbohydrates, but then they kind of disappear. You change the frequency of the plant, or you make it so that they dont want it.
We experienced a great learning session about two years ago when there was a drought. We had a field of potatoes, and potato beetles had been in the grasses, not on the potatoes. With the nutrient levels as high as they were, the beetles were leaving the potatoes alone. But then conditions changed. We got into a drought situation and ran out of water, Jones continued. The nutrient levels dropped, and the beetles just moved right in. All of a sudden the complexity of the plant altered; it became simple sugars again and there they were. But it was interesting to see that whole thing happen where they left, then they came back when it was good food for them.
Farmer Hess
Farmer Don Hess raises vegetables and blueberries in Oakdale, Connecticut. In applying the methods he learned in Dans training, his results have also been exceptional. The quality of the crops definitely improved; theres no doubt about that, Hess said. The plant vigor, productivity and taste all changed. It was really excellent. The first year I applied the methods it was also a fantastic growing year here in southeastern Connecticut; so those two things combined just pushed the productivity of the farm. It had to have at least doubled, if not a little more.
The best crop I had this year was garlic, and a lot of people at the market said we had the best garlic going. People are also pretty much amazed at the fact that they can keep our lettuce for two to three weeks, and can keep arugula for three or four weeks.
Only the Beginning
But the training is only the base. Dan has seen the futureand the future is bright, tasty and very healthy.
The initial part of his plan, which is well underway, is to get a high number of growers using bionutrient farming methods and record the practices in a way that they can be broadly disseminated. The first step that weve been focusing on the last couple of years is codifying the how-to principles for the general public, Dan said. This would exist in something like a handbook. While a larger-scale farmer might be able to hire a consultant to help with these issues, the average small organic farmer does not have access to the foundational principles about how to maximize vitality. Its not that this information isnt knownits just not well disseminated. We feel its very important that a clear how-to guide be presented and made publicly available to anyone on the planet as a first step.
Dan is also aiming at broadening the Bionutrient Food Associations website so that growers can interconnect and benefit from each others knowledge. We really want to build out the website so that farmersand everybody who is engaged in this missioncan find each other. Right now there is no facility for people to coordinate around quality in the food supply. Its all relationship based; if youre not in the know, youre not in the know. Theres no easy way, if youre a farmer, to find consultants or mineral distributorsor if youre a consumer, to find farmers and so on. We dont have the infrastructure for communication in place, so thats one important piece were working on.
Measuring Nutrient Levels
A key part of Dans mission is the objective quantification of plant nutrient levels. He is working with a scientist to develop a device that would measure crop nutrient levels in detail. Not only would such a device allow growers to evaluate their own efforts, but it would eventually give retailers and consumers the facility to measure nutrients in produce as well. What were proposing is a near-infrared spectroscopy device, which looks like a little flashlight or a pointer, Dan explained. Basically you flash the light at a carrot and monitor the light that bounces back in the near-infrared spectrum, which contains the vibration of the minerals in compounds. The technology for this exists currently and is used to a large degree in pharmaceutical industry manufacturing. Were looking at two to three years to develop it for our uses.
Boiling It Down
We figure if we broadly put out the information about how to grow high-nutrient crops and the ramifications of doing so, we can then expose these farmers for the quality of their produce. Then we can really drive consumer power to bring about different fertility practices in agriculture, Dan concluded.
Real food is for everyone. With Dans vision brought to full reality, the standards of high-nutrient crops will become mainstreamand change the whole dynamic of how produce is grown, processed, distributed and purchased.
For more information on the Bionutrient Food Association and their work, visit www.bionutrient.org.
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