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Addressing Climate Change Through Education
Tamara Shapiro Ledley, Juliette Rooney-Varga, and Frank Niepold
The scientific community has made the urgent need to mitigate climate change clear and, with the ratification of the Paris Agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the international community has formally accepted ambitious mitigation goals. However, a wide gap remains between the aspirational emissions reduction goals of the Paris Agreement and the real-world pledges and actions of nations that are party to it. Closing that emissions gap can only be achieved if a similarly wide gap between scientific and societal understanding of climate change is also closed.
Several fundamental aspects of climate change make clear both the need for education and the opportunity it offers. First, addressing climate change will require action at all levels of society, including individuals, organizations, businesses, local, state, and national governments, and international bodies. It cannot be addressed by a few individuals with privileged access to information, but rather requires transfer of knowledge, both intellectually and affectively, to decision-makers and their constituents at all levels. Second, education is needed because, in the case of climate change, learning from experience is learning too late. The delay between decisions that cause climate change and their full societal impact can range from decades to millennia. As a result, learning from education, rather than experience, is necessary to avoid those impacts.
Climate change and sustainability represent complex, dynamic systems that demand a systems thinking approach. Systems thinking takes a holistic, long-term perspective that focuses on relationships between interacting parts, and how those relationships generate behavior over time. System dynamics includes formal mapping and modeling of systems, to improve understanding of the behavior of complex systems as well as how they respond to human or other interventions. Systems approaches are increasingly seen as critical to climate change education, as the human and natural systems involved in climate change epitomize a complex, dynamic problem that crosses disciplines and societal sectors.
A systems thinking approach can also be used to examine the potential for education to serve as a vehicle for societal change. In particular, education can enable society to benefit from climate change science by transferring scientific knowledge across societal sectors. Education plays a central role in several processes that can accelerate social change and climate change mitigation. Effective climate change education increases the number of informed and engaged citizens, building social will or pressure to shape policy, and building a workforce for a low-carbon economy. Indeed, several climate change education efforts to date have delivered gains in climate and energy knowledge, affect, and/or motivation. However, society still faces challenges in coordinating initiatives across audiences, managing and leveraging resources, and making effective investments at a scale that is commensurate with the climate change challenge. Education is needed to promote informed decision-making at all levels of society.
Aerosols and Their Impact on Radiation, Clouds, Precipitation, and Severe Weather Events
Zhanqing Li, Daniel Rosenfeld, and Jiwen Fan
Aerosols (tiny solid or liquid particles suspended in the atmosphere) have been in the forefront of environmental and climate change sciences as the primary atmospheric pollutant and external force affecting Earth's weather and climate. There are two dominant mechanisms by which aerosols affect weather and climate: aerosol-radiation interactions (ARIs) and aerosol-cloud interactions (ACIs). ARIs arise from aerosol scattering and absorption, which alter the radiation budgets of the atmosphere and surface, while ACIs are connected to the fact that aerosols serve as cloud condensation nuclei and ice nuclei. Both ARIs and ACIs are coupled with atmospheric dynamics to produce a chain of complex interactions with a large range of meteorological variables that influence both weather and climate. Elaborated here are the impacts of aerosols on the radiation budget, clouds (microphysics, structure, and lifetime), precipitation, and severe weather events (lightning, thunderstorms, hail, and tornadoes). Depending on environmental variables and aerosol properties, the effects can be both positive and negative, posing the largest uncertainties in the external forcing of the climate system. This has considerably hindered the ability to project future climate changes and make accurate numerical weather predictions.
Agricultural Dispersals in Mediterranean and Temperate Europe
Aurélie Salavert
Along with ceramics production, sedentism, and herding, agriculture is a major component of the Neolithic as it is defined in Europe. Therefore, the agricultural system of the first Neolithic societies and the dispersal of exogenous cultivated plants to Europe are the subject of many scientific studies. To work on these issues, archaeobotanists rely on residual plant remains—crop seeds, weeds, and wild plants—from archaeological structures like detritic pits, and, less often, storage contexts. To date, no plant with an economic value has been identified as domesticated in Western Europe except possibly opium poppy. The earliest seeds identified at archaeological sites dated to about 5500–5200
The Neolithic pioneers settled in an area that had experienced a long tradition of hunting and gathering. The Neolithization of Europe followed a colonization model. The Mesolithic groups, although exploiting plant resources such as hazelnut more or less intensively, did not significantly change the landscape. The impact of their settlements and their activities are hardly noticeable through palynology, for example. The control of the mode of reproduction of plants has certainly increased the prevalence of Homo sapiens, involving, among others, a demographic increase and the ability to settle down in areas that were not well adapted to year-round occupation up to that point. The characterization of past agricultural systems, such as crop plants, technical processes, and the impact of anthropogenic activities on the landscape, is essential for understanding the interrelation of human societies and the plant environment. This interrelation has undoubtedly changed deeply with the Neolithic Revolution.
Agricultural Methanogenesis
Alexander N. Hristov
Agriculture is a significant source of methane, contributing about 12% of the global anthropogenic methane emissions. Major sources of methane from agricultural activities are fermentation in the reticulo-rumen of ruminant animals (i.e., enteric methane), fermentation in animal manure, and rice cultivation. Enteric methane is the largest agricultural source of methane and is mainly controlled by feed dry matter intake and composition of the animal diet (i.e., fiber, starch, lipids). Processes that lead to generation of methane from animal manure are similar to those taking place in the reticulo-rumen. Methane emissions from manure, however, are greatly influenced by factors such as manure management system and ambient temperature. Systems that handle manure as a liquid generate much more methane than systems in which manure is handled as a solid. Low ambient temperatures drastically decrease methane emissions from manure. Once applied to soil, animal manure does not generate significant amounts of methane. Globally, methane emissions from rice cultivation represent about 10% of the total agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. In the rice plant, methane dissolves in the soil water surrounding the roots, diffuses into the cell-wall water of the root cells, and is eventually released through the micropores in the leaves. Various strategies have been explored to mitigate agricultural methane emissions. Animal nutrition, including balancing dietary nutrients and replacement of fiber with starch or lipids; alternative sinks for hydrogen; manipulation of ruminal fermentation; and direct inhibition of methanogenesis have been shown to effectively decrease enteric methane emissions. Manure management solutions include solid-liquid separation, manure covers, flaring of generated methane, acidification and cooling of manure, and decreasing manure storage time before soil application. There are also effective mitigation strategies for rice that can be categorized broadly into selection of rice cultivars, water regime, and fertilization. Alternate wetting and drying and mid-season drainage of rice paddies have been shown to be very effective practices for mitigating methane emissions from rice production.
Agricultural Practices and Environmental Impacts of Aztec and Pre-Aztec Central Mexico
Deborah L. Nichols
The Basin of Mexico is a key world region for understanding agricultural intensification and the development of ancient and historic cities and states. Archaeologists working in the region have had a long-standing interest in understanding the dynamics of interactions between society and environment and their research has been at the forefront of advances in both method and theory. The Basin of Mexico was the geopolitical core of the Aztec empire, the largest state in the history of Mesoamerica. Its growth was sustained by a complex economy that has been the subject of much research.
Two themes underlie a broad interest in the pre-Hispanic agriculture of the Basin of Mexico. First, how with a Neolithic technology did the Aztecs and their predecessors sustain the growth of large cites, dense rural populations, and the largest state system in the history of pre-Hispanic Mesoamerica? Second, what is the relationship of agricultural intensification and urbanization and state formation? Mesoamerica is the only world region where primary civilizations developed that lacked domestic herbivores for either food or transportation. Their farming depended entirely on human labor and hand tools but sustained large cities, dense populations, and complex social institutions. Intensive agriculture began early and was promoted by risk, ecological diversity, and social differentiation, and included irrigation, terracing, and drained fields (chinampas). Most farming was managed by smallholder households and local communities, which encouraged corporate forms of governance and collective action. Environmental impacts included erosion and deposition, but were limited compared with the degradation that took place in the colonial period.
Agricultural Subsidies and the Environment
Heather Williams
Worldwide, governments subsidize agriculture at the rate of approximately 1 billion dollars per day. This figure rises to about twice that when export and biofuels production subsidies and state financing for dams and river basin engineering are included. These policies guide land use in numerous ways, including growers' choices of crop and buyers' demand for commodities. The three types of state subsidies that shape land use and the environment are land settlement programs, price and income supports, and energy and emissions initiatives. Together these subsidies have created perennial surpluses in global stores of cereal grains, cotton, and dairy, with production increases outstripping population growth. Subsidies to land settlement, to crop prices, and to processing and refining of cereals and fiber, therefore, can be shown to have independent and largely deleterious effect on soil fertility, fresh water supplies, biodiversity, and atmospheric carbon.
Consequences of Agriculture in Mesopotamia, Anatolia, and the Levant
John M. Marston
The ancient Near East was one of the earliest centers of agriculture in the world, giving rise to domesticated herd animals, cereals, and legumes that today have become primary agricultural staples worldwide. Although much attention has been paid to the origins of agriculture, identifying when, where, and how plants and animals were domesticated, equally important are the social and environmental consequences of agriculture. Shortly after the advent of domestication, agricultural economies quickly replaced hunting and gathering across Mesopotamia, the Levant, and Anatolia. The social and environmental context of this transition has profound implications for understanding the rise of social complexity and incipient urbanism in the Near East.
Economic transformation accompanied the expansion of agriculture throughout small-scale societies of the Near East. These farmsteads and villages, as well as mobile pastoral groups, formed the backbone of agricultural production, which enabled tradable surpluses necessary for more expansive, community-scale economic networks. The role of such economies in the development of social complexity remains debated, but they did play an essential role in the rise of urbanism. Cities depended on agricultural specialists, including farmers and herders, to feed urban populations and to enable craft and ritual specializations that became manifest in the first cities of southern Mesopotamia. The environmental implications of these agricultural systems in the Mesopotamian lowlands, especially soil salinization, were equally substantial. The environmental implications of Mesopotamian agriculture are distinct from those accompanying the spread of agriculture to the Levant and Anatolia, where deforestation, erosion, and loss of biodiversity can be identified as the hallmarks of agricultural expansion.
Agriculture is intimately connected with the rise of territorial empires across the Near East. Such empires often controlled agricultural production closely, for both economic and strategic ends, but the methods by which they encouraged the production of specific agricultural products and the adoption of particular agricultural strategies, especially irrigation, varied considerably between empires. By combining written records, archaeological data from surveys and excavation, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction, together with the study of plant and animal remains from archaeological sites occupied during multiple imperial periods, it is possible to reconstruct the environmental consequences of imperial agricultural systems across the Near East. Divergent environmental histories across space and time allow us to assess the sustainability of the agricultural policies of each empire and to consider how resulting environmental change contributed to the success or failure of those polities.
The Agriculture of Early India
Charlene Murphy and Dorian Q. Fuller
South Asia possesses a unique Neolithic transition to agricultural domestication. India has received far less attention in the quest for evidence of early agriculture than other regions of the world traditionally recognized as "centers of domestication" such as southwest Asia, western Asia, China, Mesoamerica, South America, New Guinea, and Africa. Hunter-gatherers with agricultural production appeared around the middle of the Holocene, 4000 to 1500
As a case study for the origins of agriculture, South Asia has much to offer archaeologists and environmental scientists alike for understanding domestication processes and local transitions from foraging to farming as well as the ways in which early farmers adapted to and transformed the environment and regional vegetation. Information exchange from distant farmers from other agricultural centers into the subcontinent cannot be ruled out. However, it is clear that local agricultural origins occurred via a series of processes, including the dispersal of pastoral and agro-pastoral peoples across regions, the local domestication of animals and plants and the adoption by indigenous hunter-gatherers of food production techniques from neighboring cultures. Indeed, it is posited that local domestication events in India were occurring alongside agricultural dispersals from other parts of the world in an interconnected mosaic of cultivation, pastoralism, and sedentism. As humans in South Asia increasingly relied on a more restricted range of plant species, they became entangled in an increasingly fixed trajectory that allowed greater food production levels to sustain larger populations and support their developing social, cultural and food traditions.
Air Pollution and Weather Interaction in East Asia
Aijun Ding, Xin Huang, and Congbin Fu
Air pollution is one of the grand environmental challenges in developing countries, especially those with high population density like China. High concentrations of primary and secondary trace gases and particulate matter (PM) are frequently observed in the industrialized and urbanized regions, causing negative effects on the health of humans, plants, and the ecosystem.
Meteorological conditions are among the most important factors influencing day-to-day air quality. Synoptic weather and boundary layer dynamics control the dispersion capacity and transport of air pollutants, while the main meteorological parameters, such as air temperature, radiation, and relative humidity, influence the chemical transformation of secondary air pollutants at the same time. Intense air pollution, especially high concentration of radiatively important aerosols, can substantially influence meteorological parameters, boundary layer dynamics, synoptic weather, and even regional climate through their strong radiative effects.
As one of the main monsoon regions, with the most intense human activities in the world, East Asia is a region experiencing complex air pollution, with sources from anthropogenic fossil fuel combustion, biomass burning, dust storms, and biogenic emissions. A mixture of these different plumes can cause substantial two-way interactions and feedbacks in the formation of air pollutants under various weather conditions. Improving the understanding of such interactions needs more field measurements using integrated multiprocess measurement platforms, as well as more efforts in developing numerical models, especially for those with online coupled processes. All these efforts are very important for policymaking from the perspectives of environmental protection and mitigation of climate change.
The Anthropocene
Jan Zalasiewicz and Colin Waters
The Anthropocene hypothesis—that humans have impacted "the environment" but also changed the Earth's geology—has spread widely through the sciences and humanities. This hypothesis is being currently tested to see whether the Anthropocene may become part of the Geological Time Scale. An Anthropocene Working Group has been established to assemble the evidence. The decision regarding formalization is likely to be taken in the next few years, by the International Commission on Stratigraphy, the body that oversees the Geological Time Scale. Whichever way the decision goes, there will remain the reality of the phenomenon and the utility of the concept.
The evidence, as outlined here, rests upon a broad range of signatures reflecting humanity's significant and increasing modification of Earth systems. These may be visible as markers in physical deposits in the form of the greatest expansion of novel minerals in the last 2.4 billion years of Earth history and development of ubiquitous materials, such as plastics, unique to the Anthropocene. The artefacts we produce to live as modern humans will form the technofossils of the future. Human-generated deposits now extend from our natural habitat on land into our oceans, transported at rates exceeding the sediment carried by rivers by an order of magnitude. That influence now extends increasingly underground in our quest for minerals, fuel, living space, and to develop transport and communication networks. These human trace fossils may be preserved over geological durations and the evolution of technology has created a new technosphere, yet to evolve into balance with other Earth systems.
The expression of the Anthropocene can be seen in sediments and glaciers in chemical markers. Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen by ~45 percent above pre–Industrial Revolution levels, mainly through combustion, over a few decades, of a geological carbon-store that took many millions of years to accumulate. Although this may ultimately drive climate change, average global temperature increases and resultant sea-level rises remain comparatively small, as yet. But the shift to isotopically lighter carbon locked into limestones and calcareous fossils will form a permanent record. Nitrogen and phosphorus contents in surface soils have approximately doubled through increased use of fertilizers to increase agricultural yields as the human population has also doubled in the last 50 years. Industrial metals, radioactive fallout from atomic weapons testing, and complex organic compounds have been widely dispersed through the environment and become preserved in sediment and ice layers.
Despite radical changes to flora and fauna across the planet, the Earth still has most of its complement of biological species. However, current trends of habitat loss and predation may push the Earth into the sixth mass extinction event in the next few centuries. At present the dramatic changes relate to trans-global species invasions and population modification through agricultural development on land and contamination of coastal zones.
Considering the entire range of environmental signatures, it is clear that the global, large and rapid scale of change related to the mid-20th century is the most obvious level to consider as the start of the Anthropocene Epoch.


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Is leasing a car right for you?
04/28/2014 8:46amLeasing a car for a period of two or three years is at an all-time high. Good news for automakers, but is it good news for the consumer?
20 tweet-length tips to help sell your home
04/28/2014 10:01amIf you're looking to sell your home, you have to be a realist. Those in the business can tell you buyers notice the smells, as well as the sunshine. They need to see themselves hosting an outdoor barbecue or a neighborhood get-together.
Teen critically injured in ATV accident
04/28/2014 10:58amTwo teenagers were riding on an ATV when they left the trail onto pavement and lost control, investigators said.
Feeling the Monday blues? 5 moments that made someone's day
04/28/2014 11:06amIf you are having a case of the Monday blues, here are some stories that will make you feel better.
Museum of Natural Curiosity to open at Thanksgiving Point
04/28/2014 11:58amThe Museum of Natural Curiosity is the newest attraction at Thanksgiving Point, and Utah's newest children's museum. This new museum opens May 15, 2014.
Suspect arrested in fatal shooting in Preston
04/28/2014 12:08pmPolice in Preston have arrested a suspect in the fatal shooting of a man at a local residence over the weekend.
Hike of the Week: Mount Van Cott
04/28/2014 12:19pmUtah has a variety of beautiful mountain ranges and hills that make for a great pastime. If hiking is your thing, check KSL.com each Monday for the "Hike of the Week" to get new ideas of where you can go exploring.
13-year-old accused of robbing man at gunpoint
04/28/2014 1:42pmA 13-year-old boy was arrested over the weekend after police say he robbed a man in Salt Lake City at gunpoint.
6 ways to prevent social media from ruining your career options
04/28/2014 2:11pmIs your social media profile turning off current or perspective employers? Find out how to avoid the social media fail.
Quiz: Can you pass the US citizenship test?
04/28/2014 2:34pmIt's a requirement that you pass a test to officially gain U.S. citizenship. Some argue the test is too difficult and should be simplified. We want to see if you could pass a shortened version of the test.
Men arrested in connection to 5 pharmacy burglaries, police say
04/28/2014 3:08pmTwo men were recently arrested in connection with five pharmacy burglaries and two stolen credit card cases, police said.
Woman robs Taylorsville credit union, flees on foot
04/28/2014 4:51pmA Deseret First Credit Union in Taylorsville was robbed around 10 a.m. Monday morning by a suspect described as a Polynesian woman around 5'6" and 250 lbs.
Man showed up to sell stolen bike while driving stolen car, police say
04/28/2014 5:02pmA man who police say showed up to sell a stolen bicycle by driving a stolen car was arrested over the weekend.
Local man opens food truck at Utah Lake
04/28/2014 6:59pmA Utah man has taken a business venture that includes tasty food to the shores of Utah Lake.
Man killed in auto-pedestrian accident
04/28/2014 7:05pmPolice have identified a man who was killed while crossing a street in Salt Lake City late Sunday night.
Weather a factor in 2 fatal accidents Monday, UHP says
04/28/2014 7:16pmTwo people were killed in separate auto accidents Monday morning in Salt Lake City. Poor weather conditions may have played a role, according to the Utah Highway Patrol.
Chemical container spontaneously explodes in Logan food plant
04/28/2014 7:16pmEmployees were evacuated from a food plant Monday morning after a large container of hydrogen peroxide exploded.
Photo business offers free family portraits to police officers
04/28/2014 7:17pmEvery day, men and women in uniform risk their lives to keep our communities safe. One South Jordan business is finding a way to support them, while at the same time honoring the legacy of a fallen police officer.
Murder charges filed against woman accused of killing her newborn infants
04/28/2014 7:23pmMegan Huntsman, 39, is facing six counts of murder, a first-degree felony, in connection with the death of six infants found in the garage of a Pleasant Grove home.
Body discovered in the Jordan River identified as missing man
04/28/2014 7:23pmThe body of a man found in the Jordan River Sunday has been identified as a man reported missing by West Jordan police a month ago.
First report shows MacNeill is competent, attorney says
04/28/2014 7:29pmMonths after a judge requested a competency evaluation for Martin MacNeill, the man's attorney indicated that one of two requested evaluations found his client is competent. MacNeill was convicted of murder in the 2007 death of his wife.
Local artists paint historic mural on Angie's Restaurant
04/28/2014 7:50pmA USU student inspired a community art project after seeing the blank wall of Angie's Restaurant.
Elderly woman removed from theater, accused of bootlegging movie
04/28/2014 9:09pmA Provo man said Cinemark Theaters accused his elderly mother of bootlegging a movie and made her leave the theater.
Multiple factors made for complex and dangerous standoff, police say
04/28/2014 9:39pmNew information has come out about Sunday's I-15 standoff and why negotiators believed the situation to be extremely delicate.
Utah County sees alarming spike in heroin use, police say
04/28/2014 10:07pmUtah County is known as a safe, family friendly place to live and work, but a KSL investigation reveals that heroin is finding its way into the county at an alarming rate.
Utah storms help snowpack in north; south still faces severe drought
04/28/2014 10:18pmLast weekend's rainstorm gave a boost to the snowpack and farmers in northern Utah, but southern Utah is still struggling with extreme drought.
Director accused of sexually abusing 15-year-old resident
04/28/2014 10:22pmThe former program director for a Utah County center that treats juveniles for sexual behavior problems and pornography addiction has been arrested and accused of sexual misconduct with a 15-year-old patient.
Driver thought crawling baby was garbage in the road
04/28/2014 11:01pmDon Olson didn't immediately comprehend what he saw Friday, driving along a four-lane road near the mouth of Sardine Canyon; but it didn't take him long to figure out it was a baby crawling across the street.
Man rescued after rolling 60 feet off Rim Trail
04/28/2014 11:47pmA hiker was rescued on the Rim Trail in Washington County after he was injured in a fall.
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Keanu Reeves Slams Police State As Scanner Lights Up Cannes
Media suggest films show world is in sorry state
Paul Joseph Watson/Prison Planet.com | May 30 2006
Keanu Reeves has slammed the modern day police state and surveillance society, a centerpiece of the upcoming film in which he stars, during promotion for A Scanner Darkly at the Cannes film festival.
In A Scanner Darkly, the government, corporations and the elite conspire together to keep free thinking, free expression, freedom itself on the outside-- to facilitate a perceptive wall confining individuality itself to a realm doomed to the fringes.
The film chronicles how power interests exploit the drug war in order to create unthinking armies of drone servants and erect police state measures to prevent the people from ever glimpsing the dark truth behind a highly mechanized surveillance panopticon.
"Certain personal rights that were protected in the (U.S.) constitution for privacy are being chipped away at under the guise of homeland security without redress, and that's not good," Reeves told Reuters.
Several years ago the media tried to create a stereotype that Keanu Reeves isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer, a complete 180 from the truth. Anyone that knows Reeves and has spoken in depth with him comes back with the same impression, that Keanu is a deeply engaged thinker and cares passionately about real issues.
Media reports out of Cannes have focused on the hard-boiled edge of the productions filling the screens this year, which include Aaron Russo's eagerly awaited America: From Freedom to Fascism, saying they represent a mirror for a world in a sorry state.
In reality the overwhelming rush of influential new films tackling topics of war, government control, surveillance and dictatorship are a creative backlash to the tiresome dumbed-down verbal diarrhea dished out by the establishment propagandists.
In a nation where the White House produces fake government PR and packages it as 'news' for the indoctrination of a bewildered US television audience, movies like Scanner are a refreshing challenge to the conformist driven orthodoxy
The outstanding Scanner Darkly website is continually updated and has a new audio clip of one of Alex's rants from the movie. Click here for the website and then click 'substance D'.
A Scanner Darkly is set for release on July 7. Read producer Tommy Pallotta's Cannes blog by clicking here.
Infowars.com is Copyright 2006 Alex Jones | Fair Use Notice


text: The Center for Venture Research is a multidisciplinary research unit of the Peter T. Paul College of Business and Economics at the University of New Hampshire. The Center's principal area of expertise is in the study of early stage equity financing for high growth ventures. The Center for Venture Research, since its inception in 1984, has undertaken and published numerous studies in the area of early-stage equity financing of entrepreneurial ventures. The Center has appeared on CNBC, MSNBC, National Public Radio, NHPTV's NH Outlook, and has been quoted in several publications including, Inc., Forbes, Fortune, Red Herring, Business Week, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Financial Times. In addition, the Center has presented its research in academic and practitioner forums in the United States, Asia, Australia and Europe, in testimony before Congressional Committees, and in briefings for several government agencies and scholars from the United States, Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Asia and Africa.


text: A stock Bimota in-of-itself is a special machine, and for some they are the epitome of motorcycle design. This leaves a high hurdle to improve upon, but Long Beach, California firm ArthaWorks Solutions felt up to the task. Taking a Bimota DB7R, the company spared no expense in taking the 1099cc Ducati 1098 motor and placing it into a carbon framed chassis. With a weight of 164kg (361 pounds) and 164hp on-tap, the bike achieves the golden 1:1 power-to-weight ratio. But if you want to get one in time for Christmas, you better be prepared to spend the $59,500 price tag.


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SAN DIEGO (AP) — San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews is listed as "day to day" after getting banged up in a car accident.
Mathews told reporters he banged an elbow "a little bit" and was sore on Tuesday.
He said the accident occurred while he was driving a familiar road on his way to the team hotel after watching a movie at his home. "It's a freak thing that happened," he said. "I drive that corner every day going to work."
"I felt like I played about four games when I woke up this morning," Mathews said after sitting out Tuesday's practice.
The California Highway Patrol says Mathews lost control of his BMW while entering Interstate 8 on Monday and hit another car.
A CHP officer says Mathews might have been driving too fast, but no drugs or alcohol were involved in the crash. The other driver wasn't hurt.
Information from: U-T San Diego, http://www.utsandiego.com


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How Amazon is forcing retailers to go online
Bricks and mortar retailers like Nordstrom and Walgreens have found a way to deal with growing pressure from Amazon, by joining forces with small e-commerce companies.
Through acquisitions, investments and partnerships with smaller, emerging start-ups, large retailers are breaking into new markets and tapping into the social media and marketing expertise of the firm's often tech-savvy founders.
And as consumers keep hitting the mousepad instead of the mall, the trend is likely to keep growing in 2013 and beyond.
US retail e-commerce during the third quarter grew 17.3 percent from the year-ago period to $57 billion, or 5 percent of total retail sales, according to the Census Bureau of the Department of Commerce. Total retail sales rose just 4.6 percent during the same period.
"It's a market-share shift," said Kristen Green, a venture capitalist at Forerunner Ventures who backs online companies such as men's retailer Bonobos and cosmetics company Birchbox.
It is also a change for retailers who have woken up to the threat fromAmazon fairly recently.
"When I was meeting with brick and mortar retailers 24 months ago they weren't thinking about online," said Carlo Bronzini Vender, a senior partner at New York-based investment bank Sonenshine Partners who helped advise the sale of Drugstore.com to Walgreens. "Now people are being more proactive about it."
Looking for online smarts
"They're buying learning, people and energy," said Bruce Cohen, a strategist at retail consulting firm Kurt Salmon. "They're buying labs to test and learn to see what works."
Other recent deals within the last year include Nordstrom's acquisition of flash sales siteHauteLook and investment in men's clothing company Bonobos; Walgreens' acquisition of Drugstore.com and PPR SA's partnership with e-commerce site Yoox.
Fast growing e-commerce start-ups pegged by bankers as potential acquisition candidates by large retailers include vintage-inspired clothing site ModCloth, customised-jewelry site Gemvara and eyeglass company Warby Parker.
Missing out on digital expansion can sting. Wal-Mart chief executive Mike Duke said at a conference last week his biggest regret was not moving more quickly into e-commerce.
In fact, some prizes may have grown up too fast to be acquired.
Several online retailers have raised large funding rounds at such high valuations that venture capitalists say initial public offerings are likely the only way that investors can make back their money.
Among the list this year are One Kings Lane, a furnishings company that raised $50 million earlier this month; Zulily, a children's clothing company that raised $85 million last month; and Fab.com, a flash-sales site that raised $105 million earlier this year.
Web companies also see real-world benefits to offline partners.
Bonobos, which received a $16.4 million investment led by Nordstrom in April, now has access to the Seattle-based retailer's distribution network. Bonobos' fitted chinos, non-iron trousers and other staples are now available on Nordstrom's website and in their department stores.
"We realised there was a big portion of the available target market that we weren't reaching through online," said Jeremy Liew, a partner with Lightspeed Ventures and a Bonobos investor.
Since then, the company has opened five "offline showrooms" across the country in which men can try on clothing that they can then order from the Bonobos website.
Be Amazon or be different
Some venture capitalists view the rush to invest in online retail with a skeptical eye. Bessemer Venture Partners' Jeremy Levine, who backs companies including online diapers company Quidsi, sold two years ago to Amazon for $500 million, thinks investors need to be on guard.
"Online retail is a natural monopoly business and people aren't seeing it," he says. "These companies are going to start to feel serious pain from Amazon."
While it is relatively easy for smaller sites to generate meaningful sales in the short term, Levine says, the long-term outlook is cloudier. "As soon as Amazon decides it doesn't want you," he says, "they will just crush you."
Amazon's March acquisition of order-fulfillment company Kiva Systems will further widen the gap between the e-commerce giant, brick and mortar retailers and upstarts struggling to keep up, bankers and analysts say.
That is why Fab.com CEO Adam Goldberg says the company focuses on crafting personality for its site so browsing is fun. He also aims to triple the percentage of unique products to 15 percent of merchandise in 2013 from 5 percent this year.
"Nobody is going to beat Amazon selling the products Amazon already sells," says Goldberg.


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Calcul des fréquences d'occurrence des caractères, digrammes et trigrammes dans un texte
A program for computing and reporting the frequencies of characters, digrams and trigrams in a text file. For educational purposes.
A library for communicating with a PostgreSQL database, trying to make the Lisp-SQL boundary as unobtrusive as possible.
Weblocks is an advanced web framework designed to make Agile web application development as effective and simple as possible.
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Racing at home won't be as much fun for Tony Kanaan.
The Brazilian arrives at the Sao Paulo 300 with an injured right hand that he knows will bother him. He just doesn't know how much. He said his hand is "still a mystery."
Kanaan doesn't think it will keep him from driving in his 200th consecutive race Sunday, but he isn't sure if he will be able to get through the entire IndyCar event on a demanding street track.
He was hurt in a crash late in the race at Long Beach, Calif., two weeks ago. He broke no bones but he tore ligaments that will hinder some of his movements.
"The only thing I know is that it will hurt," Kanaan said Thursday. "I don't know how much it will hurt and how much of the pain I'll be able to handle. I'll only know if I'll be able to drive after the first practice on Saturday morning. But, being Brazil, I know that I will have to suck it up."
Kanaan is the driver with the most consecutive starts at IndyCar, closing in fast in the 211-race record held by one of his owners at KV Racing Technology, Jimmy Vasser. Scott Dixon of New Zealand with 141 consecutive starts and American Marco Andretti with 117 are the only other active drivers with 100-plus streaks.
The 38-year-old Kanaan has nearly 260 total races in the open-wheel series. He missed four starts in 2000 because of another injury.
Kanaan is 12th in this year's drivers' standings with 59 points, 40 behind leader Helio Castroneves of Penske. Kanaan finished fourth in the season opener in St. Petersburg but was only 13th in Alabama.
On Sunday, he will wear a brace on his injured hand and will use a special steering wheel with rubber molded to his hand. He said doctors will have to try to mobilize his thumb, which is what hurts the most when he grips the wheel.
Kanaan said he didn't do any testing on simulators since the accident because doctors told him to avoid moving his hand as much as possible. He said he followed doctors' orders, especially because he didn't think it was worth knowing ahead of time how much the injury will bother him.
He said there hasn't been any changes made by the team so far because of the injury, but there's a chance they'll make some setup adjustments to the car to try to make the steering wheel lighter and facilitate his driving.
The 2004 IRL champion was headed to a top-five finish when contact with Oriol Servia sent his car into a tire barrier with two laps remaining in Long Beach, leaving him with a 20th-place finish — and an injured hand.
"It was a silly accident but it cost me a lot," Kanaan said. "When the doctors told me that it would take eight months for the injury to fully heal, I actually laughed. I thought they were joking. But there's nothing I can do. It's injured in three places, three ligaments."
He later posted his X-ray on Twitter saying there was no major damage and he would be fine for the race in Brazil, but he arrived in Sao Paulo not as confident.
The difficult 11-turn street track, as well as the bumps over the Anhembi circuit, will likely make things harder for Kanaan over the 75 laps.
He said he's glad the changes to the track this year included lowering some of the curbs, especially at the first curve. That used to create a lot of physical stress for drivers.
"They used to hurt my hands even when I wasn't injured," Kanaan said. "So I'm definitely glad that they made these changes."
Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni


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Roof sworn in as attorney
A special ceremony was held in the Elk County Courthouse Courtroom Wednesday afternoon to swear in attorney Brittany A. Roof to the bar of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.Elk County President Judge Richard A. Masson, district attorney Bradley Kraus, Roof's family members and other members of the bar were on hand to witness Roof's admission.Roof was born and raised in Elk County and currently resides in Allegheny County. She obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Pittsburgh and recently obtained her law degree from the Duquesne University School of Law in Pittsburgh in May of 2011. "She has achieved academic excellence, obtaining awards, honors and accolades that are too numerous to mention," said attorney Shawn McMahon.Roof sat for the bar exam in July of 2011 and received notification by the Pennsylvania Board of Law Examiners that she successfully passed the exam in October of 2011.Prior to Judge Masson administering the oath, he read from a lecture written by 16th U.S. president Abraham Lincoln.


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Antonio Augusto I'm from Brazil and I'll be the whole June in London. After that, I plan to travel throughout Europe. I'm also extremely flexible. It would be great to join this group. This trip sounds wonderful. Please let me know if I can join you. Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks!
5 years ago


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I have been with Secure Horizons for the past 6 years and am completely satisfied. We have a Book of Providers that I have used for Specialty Doctors and have not had any problem... the Dental Policy is as good as my old Dental Policy... Overall I am completely satisfied with Secure Horizons and would recommend them Highly. My husband had Secure Horizons from his employer before he retired and I am glad we can still use all of the usual caregivers as before. Signed, A Happy Patient...
DENVER, COLORADO -- Can Secure Horizons Insurance Be Hazardous to Your Wealth? In the Fall of 2008, I retired and applied for Medicare with Part A and B. The school district where I worked had several plans and companies that could be used along with Medicare for medical needs. I chose Secure Horizons part of United Health Care, and their most expensive policy. I contacted my doctor for a physical exam with normal blood tests. One additional test was a Vitamin D blood test to diagnose possible future osteoporosis as it ran in the family. Later on this Spring, flu-like symptoms required that I go back to the doctor again. She ordered tests for thyroid and gall bladder.
Then, the fun began. I began receiving statements from Secure Horizons insurance denying payment for many of the blood tests. I began dialing the laboratory, the doctor's office, and the Secure Horizons about the bills. The laboratory responded that this was the responsibility of the insurance company. The doctor's office submitted the paperwork twice and each time it came back denied. Secure Horizons played dumb and said it wasn't their responsibility. The doctor's office asked me to keep waiting, but this was hard to do when I was flooded with hundreds of dollars of bills for no reason.
When trying to get help, a customer representative at Secure Horizons named "**," informed me that her supervisor was on a "conference call" when I asked who the CEO was. I wanted to send him a press release. Her manager, she replied, could not get back to me for two hours. Needless to say, I found the CEO's name immediately on the internet. Is there a plot afoot at United Health Care/Secure Horizons to issue blanket denials on claims? (See note below regarding out of network gouging by United Healthcare).
Deciding which insurance company will best meet your needs is difficult because there are so many unknowns. Even customer satisfaction surveys have their limits. However, leaving customers with more out of pocket expense is no the way to do business. Enough said.
Note: "Thanks to the New York Attorney General we now know that insurance companies were in fact, swindling members who sought out-of-network care. Several insurance companies, including United Healthcare, CIGNA and Aetna, have agreed to pay millions of dollars to settle an investigation into how they set the rates for out-of-network care. It turns out the provider rates the insurance companies were claiming to be "usual and customary" were much lower than what providers were actually charging, leaving patients to pay a much higher portion of the bill." Imagine what my problems would have been if I had add a cancer diagnosis. Too scary to imagine.
A few weeks ago, we received a letter from Secure Horizons claiming that my elderly mother owes $528.00 in premiums. The letter did not state what the premiums were for. As I have medical POA, I called the company immediately upon receipt of the letter in an attempt to resolve the matter. I was told by the customer service representative that even though we had cancelled my mother's Dental Gold Plan almost 2 years ago, we are still responsible to pay the $32 monthly premium even though she had not received any dental services.
In other words, they are refusing to release my mother from the plan even though she no longer wishes to continue her dental insurance! Secure Horizons claims they had never received any cancellation request from us, which is untrue. When I asked why they took almost 2 years to bill us for the $528 instead of issuing a cancellation notice, the customer service representative couldn't answer me, but instead responded by screaming. I also explained to the representative that since we didn't utilize their services, we owe them nothing. I further requested that they stop harassing my mother with phone calls and letters as their claims are unfounded.
Any other reputable insurance company would have sent a notice of cancellation long before this point, instead of trying to bill my mother retroactively for services never rendered. Hopefully, "Secure" Horizons will heed my request to stop their harassment and shakedown tactics as they have no basis for their claim. According to some other info I found on the net, Secure Horizons has contacted over 40,000 members using similar strong-arm tactics. Since this matter is still ongoing, I will update periodically with details. In the meantime, seniors beware of this company. If this happens to you, fight them tooth and nail.
Update 7/21/11: Customer service was informed over 3 yrs ago both verbally and in writing of our intent to cancel the rider. A cust. svc. rep. told me the only way you can stop these letter is to make the payments. My written requests have been totally ignored. This is clearly harassment!
DALLAS, TEXAS -- I sit here in a hospital room awaiting the discharge of my 74 y/o father. He had abdominal surgery and was diagnosed with cancer. Mind you he is a spry 74 y/o who is very active and has a strong constitution. I am not certain if we are taking him home or to a rehab facility. He is still in pain and needs assistance but some area director at Secure Horizon who has not met my father seems to think he can go home. I have also run into issues with several doctors who won't accept Secure Horizon because they are difficult. The road blocks this company has to utilizing the coverage are completely UNACCEPTABLE.
The ratio of rehab facilities that accept Secure Horizon is something like 20 to 1. It was difficult to find a place that would accept his insurance and even more difficult to find a decent facility that accepted Secure Horizon. Thankfully this is December and I can change his insurance to Medicare effective the first of January so that we can go to world class physicians for chemo and radiation treatment. I have learned through this process that EVERYONE accepts Medicare but only a small percentage of the health care community take Secure Horizon. BUYER BEWARE.
PENSACOLA, FLORIDA -- I am a member of secure Horizons since last 6 years. I have been trying to collect my out of pocket expenses due to medical emergency when I was traveling out of country. I have faxed all the paper work to Secure Horizons Medicare supplemental plan's claims department (850 439-3202) at least 6 times and to customer service (850 435-2086) at least 4 times but each time I call to verify the status of my claim I am told they have no record.
Did you know that claims department is not allowed to talk to customers, that is what the customer service told me. I am now going to fax them the paperwork everyday until someone responds. I feel that they are purposely not responding so the time runs out and they don't have to pay my claim. Someone has a better idea?? Help. I am on social security disability and this has created a substantial financial burden on me. Thank you.
HOT SPRINGS, ARKANSAS -- I can't even imagine what the admin cost is for Secure Horizons Medicare Direct. Since enrolling in the plan in November, effective date 01-10, I have had a barrage of telephone calls and, literally, at least one to two pieces of mail a day from them. Today (12/10/09) I received a notice that they were going to take my payment out of my bank account within a few days. I already paid my premiums for my current company though December, and the agreement was for Secure Horizons to be deducted direct from my Social Security.
I called Secure Horizons and got a call center. I had to repeat everything 2-3 times. I was told to ignore the letter (unsure in what basis). They said someone would investigate and I would get a response within 30 days. I asked to fax a copy of their letter to them, and they said there "was nowhere to fax it." In other words, I was on my own. I think Secure Horizons is part of the problem, not the solution to rising healthcare costs. I've been to Canada and the U. K. many times and the people seem quite happy with their public healthcare system. I think people would be surprised to know how many Americans have moved to Canada for the healthcare benefits.
This is to the previous person who complained about calling Secure Horizons referral names to doctors and none took the insurance. Secure Horizons DOES mail out a booklet every year with all the doctors names, addresses, and phone number that indeed do take the Secure Horizons Insurance, and it's up to your primary care doctor to send you out to a Specialist doctor to take care of your needs.
Next time you call Secure Horizons, try asking them to send out a current list of doctors for your use. Hope this helps you out. I know it's very, very irritating and frustrating getting the runaround from the Insurance Company. I too am having billing problems with Secure Horizons that seem like NEVER ENDING!
Amazingly horrible, Secure Horizons canceled my 87 year old father's coverage claiming he "moved out of the service area" when in fact he changed LOCAL care givers. For 8 weeks they said they'd "make a determination" but never did. Every time I called I had to start over. I was never able to speak to a supervisor. Week 8 they said they could not discuss his case unless I faxed a Power of Attorney. NOW they want this?
It is really unbelievable what they put us through. How can they do this legally? And, yes, finally we are going to the Calif Insurance Commission and every other advocate group. My advice: AVOID THEM at all costs!
VIRGINIA -- Since my wife and I enrolled with this health insurance company in late December 2008, it took my calling their customer support 5 times and a total of 45 days to receive our medical ID cards and on top of that, the cards have the wrong Primary Care Physician Names and Phone Numbers. The plan we enrolled in "Medicare Complete" with a Rider that is supposed to cover Dental, Vision, and Hearing for and additional $39.00 per month each on top of whatever they collect from Medicare.
Since January 1, 2009 when we have gone to doctors and dentists, these people have done everything to delay paying their share and as of this date (February 25), it has cost us over $800.00 out of pocket even though it should be half or less. We too are stuck for another 10 months. So if you see them advertised on TV as being sponsored by AARP. Do not enroll, RUN away from these people as fast as you can. They are the worst..
I am making a very long and aggravating story very short. My mother in law is currently in a hospital and needs a long term care facility. The problem is, we can't put her into one (even though we are private paying) because NO ONE accepts Secure Horizons by United Healthcare Medicare insurance (the medical staff gets paid through the insurance). We called Secure Horizons to get her disenrolled, because she entitled to do that if entering long term care.
Well, it's been a month, and after daily phone calls to them, she's still on their policy. She is still in the hospital and I will be getting a big fat bill from the hospital soon because she is still there. You can't even keep a record of who you spoke to at Secure Horizons because they don't want to give out their names. Some way to do business huh? I have honestly never heard of such a thing.
I have heard from other people that need medical services (surgery, etc.) that they are in the same boat. Their doctors won't take the insurance so they have to wait until open enrollment to get off this plan to get the necessary medical treatment that they need. For anyone who is in the same boat as we are, I understand your frustration. They take advantage of the elderly.


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Company Info
About our Store
- Free Wi - Fi
- Fresh Roasted Coffee
- Large Tea Selection
- Fresh Local Pastries And Doughnuts from
Rosemont Bakery and Tonys' Doughnuts.
- Live Music
Hand Roasted In Portland Maine
Maine Roasters Coffee has been a part of the Yarmouth
community since its conception in 1995. For many of our patrons,
Maine Roasters' Yarmouth shop is considered a home-away-from-home.
This unique coffee shop boasts a friendly and inviting atmosphere during any season.
Whether cozying up next to our cast-iron stove with a warm winter drink, or soaking up
some rays in our outdoor furniture, the Yarmouth shop exudes an irresistible aura that
attracts community members as well as travelers from afar.
Passing through the heavily traveled portion of U.S. Route 1, our signature "lollipop" sign stands out amongst Yarmouth's business fronts. The sign attracts customers from afar not only due to its immensity, but also for its constantly changing, community-oriented sayings and slogans. Once inside, the 305 U.S. Route 1 shop is a perfect place for business meetings, offering free Wi-Fi Internet access, plenty of transformable seating arrangements, and the best coffee in Maine. Amidst the regular flow of traffic, the store also offers live music every-other Friday and features a constantly evolving coffee and tea education center.
As familiar and unfamiliar faces come and go through the doors of our Yarmouth shop, it is easy to see that more and more people now call it "their neighborhood coffee shop." It is an ideal location to get reacquainted with old friends, share a favorite espresso drink with family and loved ones, or just brush up on coffee knowledge. So stop in, stay, and relax!


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Nathaniel Fujita convicted on murder charges
Nathaniel Fujita convicted on murder charges
Nathaniel Fujita (center) stood with his attorneys as the verdict was read at his murder trial.
Nathaniel Fujita's mother, Beth Mattingly-Fujita, was consoled by her husband, Tomo Fujita, after the verdict.
Prosecutor Lisa McGovern (right) hugged Mary Dunne, mother of Lauren Astley.
Lauren Astley's father, Malcolm Astley, hugged Fujita's parents after the verdict.
Fujita entered the courtroom for the jury's verdict.
Beth Mattingly-Fujita (right) left the courtroom after her son was convicted of murder.


text:
Alcohol based cleaning agent.
A liquid, neutral, mildly foaming alcohol-based cleaning agent for maintenance cleaning work on water and alcohol-resistant floors. The pleasantly scented product is easy to use, and dries quickly.
Effective against: Dirt ; Scuff marks ; Spilled food
Field of use:
• On floor coverings such as PVC, linoleum, stone, laminates, marble and polyurethane
for maintenance cleaning on a 'spot-cleaning' or regular maintenance cleaning program.
• Canteens or Cafeterias
• Office buildings
• Public facilities (e.g. museums, libraries, schools, etc.).
Product benefits:
• Powerful cleaning action on surface soiling, and when used regularly, will delay the need for
'deep-cleaning' hard surface floors.
• Economical to use because it is effective in very low concentrations.
• Environmentally friendly because of the high degree of biodegradability and the pleasant scent.
• Visibly enhances the appearance of floors on which it is used because it leaves a glossy finish.
• Suitable for use in foodstuffs industries (Labor Dr. Boehm, Munich)


text:
Hi Team,Thanks a lot, As my personal experience/feedback is nicely delivered my gift and within a time. What I had is that the flowers are very fresh and fabulous color mixture. Much appreciated! Keep up good work Best Regards Anandan.KUdyan (Bangalore - 2016-07-01)
Hello Team, This order has been delivered successfully.Thanks for all your efforts and cooperation . Looking forward to place more gift orders with your group. . Once again i really appreciate your prompt response. warm regards UdyanJayasri Dunaboyina (Andhra Pradesh - 2018-01-04)
Thank u sooooooo much for ur efficient service...really im sooo happy


text:
I'm visiting my significant other's family for the first time and am worried abo
Packing for a weekend away with your boyfriend can be a challenging task, let alone packing for time away with your boyfriend and his parents-talk about an overwhelming fashion situation! On this trip, you can count on some serious get-to-know-you time and you want to make sure you're appropriately dressed during these cozy bonding moments. Our suggestion is simple: go for an outfit that's classic, fitted, and soft. If you need something a step down from jeans, shop for fitted leggings that look like pants but feel like sweats. We love good old knit ones that have pocket or zipper detailing, both of which makes leggings a little more tailored. Next, pack a slightly oversized, luxe cashmere sweater, ideally a lightweight crew-neck style. (Roll the sleeves to add femininity and ease to this essential.) Shoe-wise, try some soft, step-in moccasin loafers; they'll keep your feet warm and are appropriate inside and outdoors. Finally, add some dainty jewelry to ensure your overall look is polished. We love delicate layered gold chains or stud earrings with character. Now, charm away!
Image of Mandy Moore, courtesy of Wenn.


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Find us on:
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Web site design and web site development by Americaneagle.com
You are about to view website outside of www.cur.org. The website you are about to view is hosted by a third party and they are solely responsible for the content and privacy policies.


text:
Mary Kay® Mineral Foundation Brush
- Perfectly blends product into skin
- Easily applies product
- Provides a lightweight, even coverage
- Comfortable to hold
- Fits nicely in hand
0 in your BagX
$150.00Add All to Bag
Ripe Watermelon
It's a foundation. It's a powder. It's a skin perfecter. That's the beauty of Mary Kay® Mineral Powder Foundation. It allows you to even out your skin tone to get a flawless look and beautiful base for color cosmetics.
Mary Kay® Mineral Powder Foundation provides the coverage of a foundation with the comfort of a silky powder.


text:
With your support, Finnan's Gift will help save and improve lives by providing tangible gifts to The Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. Whether it be a piece of critical equipment, much needed research, advanced training or greater support for patients and families, Finnan's Gift makes a difference while raising awareness of Congenital Heart Disease.
We are incredibly proud of the many gifts made so far and all who've helped make it possible. We hope you will find it within your strong working heart to make a donation or help raise funds, which will improve the odds for all the children whose little hearts still need serious help.
With love,
We are passionate, we are determined to make a difference,
we will work all hours possible... but without you we are nothing!


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Hot 'Lanta
Tammy M. Anderson 8/28/2009 4:04:41 AMHi Ken, this is just fantastic. Excellent colours, composition and dof. Wonderful capture of the light. #1173527
Nikki McDonald 8/28/2009 4:20:04 AMBeautiful tones, Ken -- the sky works wonderfully here. #7894972
Agnes Fegan 8/28/2009 4:32:09 AMLooks like Georgia and Nebraska work well together! #7894992
Claudia Kuhn 8/28/2009 4:35:57 AMBeautiful Ken, love all the twinkling lights. #7894998
Renee Doyle 8/28/2009 4:48:30 AMCool sky and great use of slow shutter Ken!!!! Wonderful comp and clarity in this excellent twilight capture!! #7895014
Courtenay Vanderbilt 8/28/2009 5:25:32 AMHey, that's quite a compliment coming from the 'Twilight Queen'!!! I was laughing as I opened this b/c my mind was saying 'I don't believe that sky' as I was reading your description!! ;-) Fantastic combination, Ken, and wonderful capture! #7895120
Gina Cormier 8/28/2009 5:53:55 AMLove the tones of red in this image Ken!! I love it!!! Great nighttime shot and added effects!!! Fav'd! #7895179
Shawn Jennings 8/28/2009 6:21:02 AMLook at all those cars! Very nice! #7895293
Linda D. Lester 8/28/2009 6:37:07 AMVery nice....especially since it is very hard to shoot from that bridge!!!
Mary Beth Aiello 8/28/2009 6:57:13 AMAwesome work, Ken. #7895512
Melissa G. Meiselman 8/28/2009 9:16:37 AMTerrific low light exposure with a great sense of motion and wonderful composition, Ken!!! #7895962
Debra R. Harder 8/28/2009 12:36:09 PMOutstanding exposure on this brilliant scene, Ken! Love what you did with the sky here too. This is a stand-out!!! Deb #7896381
John Connolly 8/28/2009 1:49:48 PMWOW! What an outstanding capture Ken! Beautiful work, it looks like Nebraska is the place to be! #7896493
A P 8/28/2009 4:25:13 PMAwesome use of long SS on the freeway lights, Ken. Great sky replacement too. Gorgeous colors on this incredible scene!!! #7896903
Kitty R. Rodehorst-Hanna 8/28/2009 7:48:57 PMBeautiful composition, Ken!!! :-) k #7897360
Shelly A. Van Camp 8/28/2009 8:25:22 PMSuper capture, Ken! I love sky!! You need to teach me to do that! #7897402
JO ANN CLEVELAND 8/29/2009 1:42:16 PMNow that is outstanding Ken, that sky is perfect!
jo ann c. #7899097
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 8/29/2009 4:12:42 PMSo creative and a beautiful setting! #7899394
Judy V. Kennamer 8/29/2009 6:49:10 PMReally cool Ken!!! All that red is really eye-catching! #7899643
Lynne Morris 8/29/2009 11:40:57 PMWow this is stunning Ken, fantastic colours and great sense of motion, fabulous work as always. #7899901
Stefania Barbier 8/30/2009 3:25:42 AMmagnificent night capture and light trails! #7900136
Boyd L. Alexander 8/30/2009 7:53:13 PMWOW!!!! This is breathtaking Ken. Love the colors and the scene just POPS!! Well done!! #7902121
Usman M. Bajwa 9/11/2009 11:18:30 AMStunning clarity and exposure, Ken. And that sky is really adding to the colors!
WTG Outstanding Finalist. I'm sure there will be more. #7956969
Stefania Barbier 9/19/2009 10:22:58 PMhuge congrats on your finalist!!! #7957018
Nikki McDonald 9/20/2009 2:00:20 AMThought this would go on -- great color and sparkle, Ken. Congratulations on the finalist badge and good luck in the next round. #7957868
Susan Jane Allen 9/20/2009 3:39:15 AMCongrats, Ken! Great shot! #7958250
Renee Doyle 9/20/2009 4:45:32 AMAwesome dd work Ken!!! Congratulations on this wonderful finalist!! #7958505
Courtenay Vanderbilt 9/20/2009 4:47:42 AMYou ordered up some rain for me so I could spend the morning sending out my congrats! Big congrats on this stunning image of my town, Ken! #7958518
Tammy Scott 9/20/2009 5:57:06 AMCongratulations on an awesome finalist! #7958896
Nancyj E. Hovey 9/20/2009 6:12:50 AMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Linda D. Lester 9/20/2009 6:18:36 AMAnother beauty Ken....Congratulations! #7959104
Linda Blair 9/20/2009 6:27:33 AMCongratulations....beautifully done!!!! #7959211
Patrick Rouzes 9/20/2009 7:28:28 AMCONGRATULATIONS on your amazing finalist, Ken!!! #7959778
Shelly A. Van Camp 9/20/2009 7:48:35 AMCongrats Ken!!!!! #7959962
Lisa J. Boulden 9/20/2009 8:52:22 AMDefinitely HOT!
Carla Metzler 9/20/2009 9:03:47 AMGreat job! Congratulations, Ken! #7960665
Judy V. Kennamer 9/20/2009 9:17:27 AMI knew this was a winner! Congrats on your Finalist Ken! #7960790
Nadya Johnson 9/20/2009 9:24:33 AMCool work, Ken! Congrats another outstanding finalist! #7960862
Debra R. Harder 9/20/2009 9:27:20 AMI knew we'd see this AMAZING image again, Ken! I predict GOLD here. CONGRATULATIONS on your SUPERB finalist!! Deb #7960885
Jeana Clark 9/20/2009 9:51:50 AM
Denny E. Barnes 9/20/2009 1:22:11 PMOutstanding!! Big congratulations Ken, on your excellent and well deserved finalist!!
Mitch Spence 9/20/2009 2:27:00 PMA striking image, Ken. Congratulations. #7962580
Sabrina Ryan 9/20/2009 2:45:54 PMCongratulations on your wonderful Finalist photo, Ken! #7962719
Gail Vitikacs 9/20/2009 3:44:01 PMFabulous finalist Ken!!! Congrats! #7963070
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 9/20/2009 8:30:37 PMWTG Ken, so creative and cool! Congratulations on another great finalist! #7964449
Smita Pawar 9/20/2009 10:53:05 PMCongratulations Ken on both your finalists! #7964638
Kathy Cline 9/21/2009 5:05:38 AM
Jessica Jenney 9/21/2009 7:05:56 AMCongratulations, Ken on your terrific finalist! #7966295
Gary Lange 9/21/2009 9:26:52 AMCongrats Ken. #7966878
Alex T. Mizuno 9/21/2009 3:14:09 PMWow, mesmerizing! Congratulations on your beautiful Finalist Ken!!! #7968121
JO ANN CLEVELAND 9/21/2009 4:40:57 PMI loved this, so glad you got a finalist on it, hope it goes on to the next level!
jo ann c. #7968352
Erica Murphy 9/22/2009 7:39:30 AMBeautiful work Ken! Congratulations! #7970732
Sam Britt 9/22/2009 6:28:03 PMCongrats on this finalist, Ken! #7972576
Melissa Olsen 9/23/2009 6:12:45 AMCongrats Ken on this fabulous capture! #7974018
Boyd L. Alexander 9/23/2009 7:26:42 AMA big congratulations on your finalis Ken, I know we will see this again!! #7974288
Linda D. Lester 9/23/2009 1:46:43 PMAwesome.....congratulations!!!!! #7975727
Sabrina Ryan 9/23/2009 1:51:14 PMCONGRATULATIONS, Ken! WTG! #7975765
Kim Kleinschmidt 9/23/2009 1:59:38 PMCONGRATULATIONS Ken - this is fabulous! #7975837
Lynne Morris 9/23/2009 2:02:28 PMHuge Congratulations on this awesome winner Ken. #7975861
Courtenay Vanderbilt 9/23/2009 2:03:06 PMWhoo Hoo Ken! CONGRATULATIONS on your Win! #7975869
Amy JACKSON 9/23/2009 2:03:32 PMCongratulations, Ken!!!! :) #7975875
Renee Doyle 9/23/2009 2:06:46 PMBig congrats on this wonderful win Ken!!! #7975906
Melissa G. Meiselman 9/23/2009 2:07:40 PMCongratulations, Ken on this awesome win!!! #7975918
Nancyj E. Hovey 9/23/2009 2:13:00 PMC O N G R A T U L A T I O N S
Les Rhoades 9/23/2009 2:26:37 PMCongratulations!! #7976110
Donna La Mattino Pagakis 9/23/2009 2:32:47 PMCongratulations on your win! Awesome Ken!!! #7976172
Eivor Kuchta 9/23/2009 2:39:18 PMCongratulations on your winner, Ken! #7976210
Valentin M. Armianu 9/23/2009 3:37:44 PM
Congratulations! Fantastic winner! #7976464
Claudia Kuhn 9/23/2009 4:08:56 PMCool, congrats on your fine winner, Ken! #7976576
Stefania Barbier 9/23/2009 4:11:02 PMcongratulations on your gorgeous winner, Ken!!!!!!! #7976587
Gina Cormier 9/23/2009 4:14:44 PMCongrats Ken!!!!! WTG!!!!! #7976617
Debra R. Harder 9/23/2009 4:48:03 PMI should be a psychic!! No surprise here!! HUGE CONGRATULATIONS, Ken, on your OUTSTANDING GOLD WINNER!! Deb #7976765
JO ANN CLEVELAND 9/23/2009 4:57:19 PMBig Congratulations on the Gold Ken, very well deserved!
jo ann c. #7976828
Phyllis H. Burchett 9/23/2009 5:03:48 PMAwesome work! Congrats on your GOLD! #7976871
Sam Britt 9/23/2009 5:49:52 PMBig Congrats on this Second Place Winner, Ken! #7977092
Evy Johansen 9/23/2009 7:25:48 PMBig congratulations on your well deserved win, Ken!! #7977548
Kara L. Hendricks 9/23/2009 7:26:55 PMIncredible Ken!!!
Usman M. Bajwa 9/24/2009 3:51:32 AMCongrats. Ken on this beautiful Winner image!
Lisa J. Boulden 9/24/2009 4:09:46 AMYayyyyy!
Jeff Robinson 9/24/2009 5:09:59 AMCongrats Ken on this Fantastic and Very Cool - "Hot 'Lanta" 2nd Place Win! Jeff #7978776
David Phalen 9/24/2009 5:47:34 AMBIG Congrats on a spectacular Winner!! #7978903
Mary Beth Aiello 9/24/2009 6:53:15 AMJust outstanding, Ken. Huge congrats on this wonderful Gold. #7979186
Nadya Johnson 9/24/2009 7:11:25 AMCongrats on your great winner, Ken! #7979269
Denny E. Barnes 9/24/2009 9:23:14 AMCongratulations, Ken on your outstanding and very beautiful Win!! #7979661
Kathy Cline 9/24/2009 3:44:26 PMYEAH FOR KEN!!!!
Gail Vitikacs 9/24/2009 5:57:24 PMThis had WINNER written on it from the get go!!! WAY TO GO! #7981007
Patrick Rouzes 9/24/2009 7:27:18 PMI agree with Gail here!!! CONGRATULATIONS on this amazing WINNER, Ken!!!!!! WTGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!! #7981230
Alex T. Mizuno 9/25/2009 12:44:46 AMCongratulations on your win Ken! No kidding, it's a hot photo!! #7981700
Mike Clime 9/28/2009 1:06:13 PMCongratulations on this awesome winner! #7991243
Dr Silly 10/9/2009 6:45:39 AMAwesome Gold, congrats Ken. :O) #8021977
Rich Helmer 10/14/2009 6:14:43 PMThat is something!!! Really great job!!! #8037787
Atlanta, GA from the 17th St Bridge...with a little help from a Nebraska sky!
Exif: F Number: 7.1, Exposure Bias Value: -0.33, ExposureTime: 2/1 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 160, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 40.00 mm, Model: Canon EOS 30D
Uploaded on 8/28/2009 3:52:53 AM
Camera: Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR Camera
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I have been a Cable One customer (TV only), in the same location, for over 16 years. Last year I switched phone and internet to Cable One also. I was sold a package but was not told that it was for a year only and would increase (hugely; see below) on the anniversary. That salesperson is no longer with the company but, oddly, I am. Cable TV doubled, internet connection went up by $18. Phone and modem stayed the same. I just found out that my phone anniversary is 8-9 months away, and I can't wait to see what kind of unconscionable hike I will face on that then. This year's hike is an astonishing 41.5%.
When first informed of the hike by mail and popups, I complained in another online venue and received a prompt call from Cable One. That individual followed the party line in encouraging me to buy a cheaper package with tons of stuff I will never need. I'd love to see the hike on that one, this time next year. Of course, the individual could give me no idea what that hike would be.
After telling me that continuing my present package would cost me MORE than the letter I was holding in my hand said it would, the person checked with a supervisor and found out that I was right. (Does the image of trying to find a portion of the anatomy with both hands, a flashlight, and a map come to mind?) He forgot to factor in the cost of the modem. Then the bill came, and it was even $2 higher than that.
I just got off the phone with Cable One. They can't explain the discrepancy. And this is after 16+ years of perfect attendance. Where do you find customers like that these days? Why aren't they appreciated -- nay, cherished? I will be shopping around, but the choices in this rural area are limited, and Cable One darn well knows it.
ANNISTON, ALABAMA -- I have just signed a contract with Cable One. I was told that there would be no long distance service available on my phone. What they did not tell me was that you do not need to dial a one or the area code in my state. I have a friend who live locally and I call her; little did I know that her phone service was out of a city, not here in our local dial area. I was given a list of area extensions after I kept asking why I was getting charged for long distance. I had no idea it was long distance because of the way I dialed it; no area code or 1. How am I supposed to know that it was long distance?
When you are signing a contract with them unless you tell them that you want long distance, they will not set up the phone for you (you are forced to input this when prompted or it will not let you finish getting service set up). Yes I told them very specifically I DID NOT NEED LONG DISTANCE. The capability should have been blocked from my phone. This is their underhanded way of punishing you for not taking long distance service. I am sitting here regretting that I ever left AT&T I never got any surprises. Cable One sets you up and then laughs their butts off when they stick you for long distance that you did not even know you were making.
Please do not try to talk to someone who can do anything, they send you back to the local office. Oh yeah, one of their customer service people called me a liar on the phone, not a good way to advertise for their company! I have emailed the company, tried to call the corporate office; I am watching them laugh all the way to the bank! BEWARE when you set up with Cable One and do not want long distance. You still have the ability to do it even though you ask not to have it and you don't have to dial area codes within your state. Hope Cable One gets this message. You have the worst customer service I have ever had!
LONG BEACH, MISSISSIPPI -- Cable One duped me into its "bundle" - its top-tier one at that. For six months they have been billing me for a service that is supposed to consist of phone, high-speed internet and the full suit of cable channels available in a branded package. Since first installing everything, I have received basic cable, and the phone no longer works. Bills have all been paid on-time and in-full.
Recently, Cable One sent an employee out to my home to install a box which was supposed to fix the problem. Instead, I now can navigate my basic cable channels with a remote, but I am still not receiving the package I am being billed for. Did I mention the phone doesn't work anymore? I have placed numerous calls to local office, made two in-person visits to said office and dealt with corporate office both online and via telephone.
Each time I have attempted to bring the matter to the company's attention so that they may fix it, I am met with someone who seems to have no idea what's going on or how to fix it. I have become convinced that this is by design to discourage customers from contacting the company.
ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO -- Imagine the absolute worst customer service experience you've ever had. Now multiply that by a factor of 10 and drag it out over a year. Without exaggeration, I can say that Cable One has truly set the bar in terrible customer service for me, namely in the last year. So much for customer loyalty. For the first 2 years, I was a "month to month" customer, which was fine, but in the third year they set me up on a contract without telling me. (I know people say this all the time, but honestly, I didn't sign anything OR agree to a contract over the phone).
For my loyalty, there were no discounts or price reductions. Internet service interruptions have been more frequent in the last year, for which I received no credits. I was paying for 5 meg internet, only to find out after 7 months that I'd been getting 3 meg the whole time (this was not due to capping; the night-time technician told me they screwed up). I called in several times to request an explanation, a credit, an acknowledgment, a hint of courtesy or empathy in their voice...NOTHING.
I waited on hold for a manager that never got on the line and never bothered to call me back...3 TIMES. Honestly, even though Qwest sucks and DSL is reportedly not as good, that's where I'm going. I'm disgusted with Cable One. They have a monopoly in my area and they clearly all hate their jobs and RESENT having to interact with their customer base. Cable One is notorious for frequent service interruptions (for which they never credit your account), price-gouging (due to their arrogant monopolistic indifference), capping internet speeds (due to overselling bandwidth) and extremely rude customer service reps that respond to everything with a sort of robotic indignation.
Be prepared to double-check your bill too... half the time I had billing errors on my monthly statements. The customer is NEVER right with this company. After endless attempts to be treated like a human being by them, one snotty rep actually had the audacity to tell me that my description of the service they were providing me was a "personal insult to her". Unbelievable. They're so unprofessional that they told me my payment was due within 3 days, then a rep called me and said it was due the next day, then my internet was turned off 5 minutes after that phone call. Lol.
Only a couple days later, when I moved, they disconnected my service a full business day early and my customers (I work at home) were basically left hanging and I had no way to contact them. The only response I got was, "Well it says here today was the disconnect date". Do yourself a huge favor and go with ANYONE else.
I'm a pretty laid-back guy and I'm always willing to give a company the benefit of the doubt, but Cable One is by far THE WORST company I've ever dealt with...to say I'm disappointed is an understatement; every time I think of the way they've treated me, I just shake my head in disbelief. They could offer me a free year and I wouldn't accept it...God's honest truth.
BOISE, IDAHO -- Cable One is overpriced for the service it gives. I had Comcast when I lived in Spokane, WA and paid only about $30.00 to get hooked up. Cable One is charging me $75.00 for the same service. To make matter's worse, if I had a charge card, I would still pay the $75 but I would get my cable at a reduced price for six months at $29.95. But because I will be paying by check, I will have to pay the $75.00 plus the first months payment of $42.95 in advance.


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Photojimsf's Gift Shop
Buy Digital downloads, framed or unframed prints, greeting cards, coffee mugs, and more photo souvenirs.
2014-03-13 Bulge @ Powerhouse Bar
Bearded genderbender Grace Towers hosted an underwear party and wet jockey contest, where patrons drenched more than just their thirsts. Things really started popping during the final round of "blind" judging.Read More


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Discussion in 'General' started by laptop_user, Oct 17, 2011.
Hi developer,
Do you create your own icon? if not where I can get the full set?
See file interface/web/themes/licenses.txt in the ispconfig tar.gz file. Beside that, all Icons availabe in that themes are in the icons folder.
Separate names with a comma.


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text:
|2012-07-30, 17:56
|Link #41
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2009
He's just referring to the writing process. When creating prose, a writer is expected to provide a lot of detail, whereas with screenplays, the production staff fulfill that function (through art/animation as opposed to text).
Urobuchi is saying that the latter may be a better fit for him.
|2012-07-30, 18:17
|Link #42
I'll just say, that it's not much of a tragedy if all the wounds are self-inflicted, ie, "stop punching yourself" doesn't work as much of a tragedy, when the main character can end the bad stuff at any time.
Gen is like most other manga/anime writers, no better or worse. Puts out decent stuff, full of high points and pitfalls, both on an emotional and technical level.
|2012-07-30, 18:50
|Link #43
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
I am not really surprised that Gen Urobuchi is going to be focusing on anime projects for awhile (and from what he said at Otakon it sounds like there are a few in the works). After all Madoka was a huge success, of course he was going to get a lot of offers to develop more series.
Anyways I am very happy I managed to get his autograph at Otakon.
|2012-07-31, 02:54
|Link #44
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
|2012-07-31, 07:37
|Link #45
Curious, why did you leave off the fact that I watched Fate/Zero, too? Or is the light novel series of Fate/Zero somehow better and different, and you're more of a purist that way? Was a good series, other than the plot hole near the beginning. Koto is the perfect man because he just lost his wife and thus doesn't have anything to wish for? Um, he doesn't want to wish his wife back to life?
Oh, also saw Black Lagoon. Another decent series, though sometimes all the convenient bullet missing and dodging got to me. Still a good series.
Oh wait, I can't have an opinion on what I've seen, until I watch, read, and play everything you demand I do. Duly noted!
|2012-07-31, 07:58
|Link #46
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
|2012-07-31, 08:20
|Link #47
Thanks for agreeing with the rest of my points, though.
Edit: I will add that, Koto seems to lack a sense of joy and fulfillment, so it is quite possible he simply married just because, and never felt any real love. So he wouldn't wish her back because it would be like wishing back an old chair that broke that you no longer need. If this is the case it still makes the statement "nothing to wish for since his wife died" a bit odd, when it should have been "nothing to wish for since he lacks a sense of joy and fulfillment." Although my impression is that he became like this *because* his wife died.
|2012-07-31, 08:47
|Link #48
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
Emiya, Einbern and Gilgamesh all found out that something is wrong with Kotomine. It was never about "he became that", it was about "he never found out what he was all along". He was a dark reflect of Shirou. And before you fault Urobuchi for Kotomine and what he was, it was Nasu who decided this for Kotomine.
All Gen ever needed was to write Kotomine's start of darkness and awakening to his true nature, and outline the events that eventually led to it. Why Gen instead of Nasu? Possibly because his previous works at Nitro+ have shown that he is one of those able to talk about the inhumanity of humans (like in Saya no Uta) and the downfall of people in a compelling way.
|2012-07-31, 16:16
|Link #49
It's depressing enough to not use an emoticon for it.
|2012-07-31, 18:26
|Link #50
The point was that I found it odd that Tokiomi said (paraphrasing) "He just lost his wife so he has nothing to wish for." That statement is odd, even taking the above into account. Given that this is episode 1, and thus we don't know the characters well, one would rightly assume that Koto *does* have something to wish for: his wife back.
If we presume that Toki knows Koto well enough, then his statement should have been more along the lines of "He's not one who has any real wants in this world, so he has nothing to wish for."
If we presume that Toki doesn't know Koto well(and later actions bear out this more than the other), then his statement is odd because he might have considered that most people would want to wish their dead wife back. So it's more a critique of Toki, then it is of Koto.
But while we're on the Koto track, it never mentions Koto's wife again, or shows any real flashback of him, so we never really get a sense for how he developed and became how he is. We get plenty of backstory and development for Kiritsugu, which makes the lack of Koto's development all the more jarring; he's simply there as an antagonist for Kiritsugu to fight, and supposedly his "dark half" but this is all things we are just told, instead of shown why that is. Not very good storytelling.
But having said this, I still enjoyed Fate/Zero and thought it was decently good. However, I'm always perplexed at how people can get jumped on merely for having the subtlest critiques about a series or director. It must be a circle jerk love story discussion fest, and if you have one slightly dissenting moment, you are bad. :P
And Gen is still on the hook for the entire series, even if someone else like Natsu made a call. By keeping his name on it, he's agreeing with the development. Unless you have a quote from Gen saying, "I didn't want to do that, but was overruled."
|2012-07-31, 21:23
|Link #51
Bittersweet Distractor
Join Date: Nov 2007
Age: 26
^ you're forgetting the important fact that this is a prequel to the F/S N visual novel (Yes the VN not the anime).
Kotomine's development is not relegated solely to F/Z, it was basically in F/S N and F/Z is more his how his descent to darkness took place.
|2012-08-01, 02:44
|Link #52
Spoiler for Fate/Zero:
Many anime about war often illustrate this problem. UC Gundam is a story of such-- many preventable conflicts that are made worse by those too stubborn to let go of ideology, and those that are too devoted to the manipulative. Many decent and resourceful people were lost simply due to the worse parts of human nature. The same minds that create such advanced technology are also the same ones that use it to senselessly kill each other out of some foolish conflict. Char Aznable is one example of a tragic character that could have avoided much of the trouble, but trauma and the events that ensued, as well as frustrations with progress let to a rather tragic fate.
Last edited by Archon_Wing; 2012-08-01 at 03:08. Reason: quotes
|2012-08-01, 07:39
|Link #53
@Archonwing: And again, my comment isn't so much toward Koto, as it is toward Toki. As I said before, I already kinda get Koto after watching the full series. It was just that I found Toki's comment at the start rather strange. Especially given that the wife or marriage is never mentioned again. I won't go further into this, though, in order to end this thread divergence and let it get back to the normal discussion.
And to be clear, this was only a nitpick, and F/Z had so little wrong with it, that it doesn't trigger my "fatally flawed" line. Unlike a few other series I've seen. :P
Edit: I suppose the best analogy I can draw, is the Darwin Award winners. We don't see their suffering or their deaths as tragic. Instead, at best we just shake our head, and at worst, we laugh. All because they do things that they should have the good sense not to do.
Last edited by Kaijo; 2012-08-01 at 08:14.
|2012-08-01, 14:53
|Link #54
But I will say, the more cynical one becomes, the more comical things become, even if it shouldn't.
|2013-03-10, 03:20
|Link #55
Senior Member
(I'm bumping this thread due to AS' pro-necro policy and due to some observations I've made with Psycho-Pass almost finished).
With only two episodes left to go in Psycho-Pass, I'm struck by the lack of major character death in the show. Kagari is the most important character in the show to die so far. The rest were all "mid-boss" antagonists, random one-shot victims, and one of Akane's friends. To be sure, there's been a lot of death and violence in Psycho-Pass, but I'm honestly surprised that here we are, going into the final two episodes of the show, and none of the five most important characters (Akane, Kougami, Makishima, Tomomi, Gino) have died yet. I'll be shocked if the finale doesn't see at least one or two of them die, but even so, it's pretty amazing they all lasted this long.
So this raises the question - Is Gen's reputation for loving to brutalize and kill off characters deserved?
Certainly he puts them through a lot of trials and turmoils, but I don't get the impression that Gen kills off characters just for sheer shock and awe.
"What about Madoka Magica Episode 3?" somebody asks.
Yes, what about it?
As much as I like Mami Tomoe, the rest of the Madoka Magica narrative arguably does not work if she lives through the Charlotte battle. That's for the following reasons.
1) With Mami there, Sayaka vs. Kyouko changes completely. For one thing, it might not even happen. If it does happen, Mami likely forces Kyouko to retreat. Kyouko's tough, but she wouldn't take both Mami and Sayaka in an one-on-two fight. And that means...
2) The Soul Gem reveal never happens. And that means...
Well, by now, I'm sure you see how keeping Mami alive would force Gen to completely rework his narrative. And remember that for his narrative to work, certain key reveals need to be made to Madoka in time for her to resolve the major conflicts of the narrative (but also while staving off her choosing to become a Puella Magi).
If Sayaka joins Mami, and the two work well as Puella Magi together, what stops Madoka from joining in? Mami's death lends some credibility to Homura's warnings which in turn makes it more believable for Madoka to refrain from becoming a Puella Magi.
So it's clear how Mami's death is very helpful to the the PMMM narrative as a whole. And the falls of Sayaka and Kyouko are also very helpful for setting the stage for Madoka's big decisions.
Deaths in Gen's works aren't like deaths in Another or Blood+. They're purposeful, they serve important roles in the story, they're not solely for shock and awe. And I think that's part of what makes Gen an effective writer. He is willing to kill characters, but only if it serves the bigger picture of the narrative as a whole. He doesn't kill characters just for the sake of killing characters.
What do other people here think?
|2013-03-10, 05:36
|Link #56
Part-Time TTK & Master
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Iwakawa base and Chaldea
Age: 38
Deaths in Urobuchi's stories appears to serve a purpose: either it is to make a point, either it affirms something, either it is underlining something about a character and one aspect of the story, or it is simply the most logical conclusion in one situation.
Death in Urobuchi that makes a point: Mami's death, it is here to prove Homura's point: A Puella Magi's life is miserable and its end will be as miserable. (the miserable death of Mami did not stop her from becoming that model of hero of justice that Sayaka looked up to).
Death that affirms something: Lord Keynneth and Sola-Ui's deaths affirms the ends Kiritsugu is willing to go to win the war.
Death underlining something about a character and one aspect of the story: Rider's final charge underline the character of Iskandar, a bodacious and stubborn king willing to burn his life away and never look back, and more importantly he have never regretted it (which is what have earned him the respect of Gilgamesh).
Death being the most logical conclusion to one situation: Kagari was a witness that could not be let loose.
Unlike what many of his detractors have stated, deaths in Urobuchi's stories are never gratuitous or to show that Urobuchi is EVULZ, they are here because Gen is one of those writers who have accepted that sometime, you need to kill a character because it will serve the greater picture.
(important to note that he used to play Call of Cthulhu, which may have influenced the way he writes story and characters)
Gen is a very story-driven writer, characters being actors of his stories and the small cogs in his narrative. And it may be his weakness, when his characters might not be as memorable to anime fans in this decade where cults of characters are the big thing, and where a vocal portion of anime fans loudly voices their aversion to angst and characters' death (never recovered from the traumatism of Evangelion perhaps?). That he managed to make the five main girls of Madoka Magica as memorable is one of his feats for the series.
|2013-03-10, 05:59
|Link #58
Prefectural Magical Girl
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Paris, France
|2013-03-10, 06:06
|Link #59
Komrades of Kitamura Kou
Join Date: Jul 2004
Age: 33
Really, Madoka and Sayaka would have never seen beyond the silver lining of being a Magical Girl if they didn't see Mami lose face (pun intended) in her last fight. Saber would never have seen the brutality of the Holy Grail War if Kotomine wasn't willing to sink low enough in blackmailing Keyneth and Sola-Aoi then kill them in cold blood. The reader would never have seen the clash of Saya's "humanity" and "brutality" if she didn't do what she did to... propagate her species.
In the end in order to smash the rose tinted glasses some characters wear and break them out of their blissful ignorance bubble, sometimes someone has to die. This is Gen's method of choice.
|2013-03-10, 07:19
|Link #60
Me at work
Yes it always made me smile when people were looking forward to some bloodbath early on in psycho-pass,that's just not how Gen works.
I also perfectly understand why some people wanted to see Kagari's body since if I've learned something from fate zero and Phantom is that with Gen your really shouldn't assume someone's dead unless you see their body.
I've always been curious about Requiem for the Phantom's ending,I don't mind it at all but it caused quite an uproar and from my understanding the very end is anime original,it makes me wonder how much he approves of it.
Spoiler for madoka magica + ending of requiem for the phantom:
|urobuchi gen
|Thread Tools


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