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This week on 8thStreet Latinas, we had Desiree Lopez. All we can say about Desiree is HOLY SHIT she was HOT! This Latina was out by the pool when the episode started, and we didn't think much. Once she got up and turned around, we were like daaaammmnnn, look at that booty! But it only got better somehow because Desiree pulled out a pair of nicest, natural, Latina tits you'd ever seen in your life. She went on to do all kind of booty shaking and twerking by the pool, as she stripped down naked. Her ass was so round and bubbly, that she could grip a water bottle between her butt cheeks. It was AMAZING. We couldn't wait for the action to begin. And then Peter showed up. He licked Desiree's pussy good, and she returned the favor by giving him an awesome blowjob. Then they headed indoors where Peter banged that sweet Latina pussy deep and hard from every angle, as Desiree's big tits bounced up and down from the pounding. When he couldn't take it anymore, he pulled out and covered her in his man juice. Desiree loved that final touch. Don't miss this one!
Levi called us out to meet up with him at the gym. He had this sexy Latina named Mimi he was trying to pull for an episode of 8thStreet Latinas. She had an incredible ass on her, and when Levi flashed us her tits in the parking lot, we knew this girl was down. Back in the car on the ride over to the house, the teasing continued, as Mimi pulled out her huge Latina tits and started playing with them. Levi took down her pants and started to eat her pussy from behind. Mimi liked that. And when Levi started to lick her booty, Mimi perked up and shouted out in surprise.
It got her really hot. She got Levi back by sucking his cock good and getting him rock hard. Then she begged him to give it to her. Levi did just that and banged that sweet Latina pussy all over the living room. Mimi loved the pounding and orgasmed several times, as her huge tits bounced up and down. Levi got the green light to cum on her face, but Mimi had no idea what to expect. Levi unloaded on her so hard, her face was completely covered, and she couldn't even open up her eyes. This is one awesome 8thStreet Latinas video you won't want to miss!
Tyler had gotten a call from the Reality Kings to go pick up a hottie they had waiting for him named Danira Love. All he was told was she was a sexy Latina that he couldn't miss. When Tyler pulled up, he sat waiting bored in the parking lot a few minutes. In his mind, he though Danira was a no show. That was until he just saw an incredible ass coming at him from across the parking lot in some tiny jean shorts. It was Danira, and Tyler was in Latina ass heaven. She did a little spin for us, and were like daaammmmnn!!! What a booty! In the car, Danira was a little freak and pulled out her titties for us to see. They some nice, sweet, Latina titties with some hot tanned nipples. Once they got to the house, Tyler was eager to see what Danira had waiting for him.
She shook that hot ass, and we got a peak at that pussy print. That inspired Tyler, and he went straight for it. After he sucked her pussy good, Danira returned the favor by taking his cock down her throat and giving him a marvelous blow job. Then she bent over and spread those legs to give Tyler a nice entry view. He got in that pussy and pounded it like it was the last time he would ever fuck again. He must've really been inspired by the Latina thickness. Tyler didn't let up on that pussy until the very end when he couldn't take it anymore, pulled out, and busted a huge load of cum on Danira's face.
This week on 8thStreet Latinas, we've got a real treat for you, and her name is Nikki Lima. Tyler had come across this sexy and curvy Latina while he was out partying at the club. They exchanged numbers and had only engaged in small talk up until then. Nikki told Tyler that she was interested in meeting up and hanging out, so he made it a little date, and they decided he'd pick her up at nearby plaza. When we arrived, we could see from across the parking lot who Nikki was. She had on a sheer top that totally revealed those succulent Latina tits, and she had an ass on her that was out of this world. Right there in the parking lot, Nikki was already letting Tyler squeeze her hot tits, so we knew it was on. ... Click Here to Watch Video
This week, we had the hot ass Latina wonder Kimberly Gated on 8thStreet Latinas. Right when the car pulled up to the garage, we could see Kimberly with her hand on Cody's cock. She was a hot little El Salvadorian chick that was dying to get fucked on camera. After introducing herself, she pulled her panties to the side to reveal that spicy Latina pussy. After some head in the car, they headed in doors where Kimberly stripped down, and Cody sucked that pussy and licked her asshole. Kimberly returned the favor by sucking on his cock. She gave him an incredible blow job, but Cody was more than ready to get into that hot taco between her legs.
He banged that tight pussy from various angles and gave that cock to Kimberly deep and hard. Then Kim got on top and rode that dick like only a true Latina freak could. When Cody couldn't take it anymore, he pulled out and busted a huge load of cum all over Kimberly's gorgeous face. She was such a freak that she looked into the camera and said in Spanish how much she loved cum, as she licked it all up. You will not want to miss the 8thStreet Latinas update with Kimberly Gates. She is one wild Latina you won't forget about anytime soon.
The guys were at it again this week on a hunt for a sexy Latina. This time they got really lucky and came across Rebecca Blaze in a nearby apartment parking lot. She was looking super sexy, and she was having trouble moving boxes out of her place, so Levi saw the perfect opportunity to get in on the action. He not only helped her out, but convinced her to become their new roommate. It turned out, her cheating boyfriend had left her with the apartment bills and skipped town. She didn't want to move, but couldn't afford the rent. In this way, the arrangement seemed ideal. But the truth was, Levi wanted to bang Rebecca. Back at the house, they unloaded her boxes, and Rebecca started getting frisky.
She stripped down to her thong, and Levi started slapping her ass and squeezing her booty. Rebecca put on a nice little striptease before she started rubbing her pussy to get it nice and wet. After that she decided to suck on Levi's cock. Rebecca took that dick down her throat like only a Latina vet could. Levi sucked that pussy and licked that booty hole before he went balls deep into that sweet Latina snatch. Rebecca was a freak and rode his dick like a wild bronco. When he couldn't take anymore of that pussy, he pulled out and busted a load of cum all over her face.
Peter and the guys were on the road to scope out hot local Latinas when they came across Jade Jantzen in a parking lot. It was impossible to miss a gorgeous Brazilian babe doing circle aimlessly with a shopping cart. They pulled up to ask her if she was lost, and Jade told them her car was gone. When they got the bottom of it, the guys found out she was late on her payments, so her car got repoed. They offered her some cash in the parking lot to come back with them, and Jade was so frisky, she flashed her tits in the parking lot before they had even left. Back at the house, Jade stripped down and showed off her amazing Latina body. She had sweet tits with dark nipples, a slim waist, nice hip and thighs, an ass that was more delicious than ice cream, and a pussy you wanted to rub all over your face.
Peter wasted no time get right into that nice Latina pussy with his tongue. After he got Jade hot, she returned the favor by giving him an incredible blow job. This girl sucked dick like a champ, and once peter was sprung, he went balls deep into that hot Brazilian pussy. Jade was so damn fine that it was just crazy hot to watch her get fucked. It really didn't matter what the position or anything. If you want to see a perfect 10 Latina getting dicked down then don't miss the Jade Jantzen video. She even took a hot shot of cum all over her pretty face.
This week we have a real treat for you on 8thStreet Latinas. As you know by now, we feature the sexiest Latina ladies the adult film biz has to offer. But this week we had a homegrown talent that was one of the cutest girls we've ever had. Her name was Raven Heart, and it was love at first sight. Not only was she super cute, but she was mad sexy too. Raven had thick flowing hair, soft tan skin, full lips, a slim waist, sexy perky tits, a round luscious ass, and a hot tight pussy. Mirko took one look at her and couldn't wait to get in that pussy. When he caught up to her, she was sitting out on a bench by herself.
Turns out the shop was closed for the day, it was going to be a several more days, and she had no ride home. As soon as they pulled out the cash, Raven's eyes got big, and they invited her back with them with the promise of more cash. Back at the house, Raven stripped down and showed off that amazing body. She sucked Mriko's cock until he was rock hard. Then he banged that sweet, tight, Latina pussy all over the couch. Raven took that dick from all angles and loved it. After she'd gotten hers, it was Mirko's turn. He pulled out, and Raven dropped to her knees to take his load all over her gorgeous face. You won't want to miss this one!
This week, we've got an awesome video for you on 8thstreet Latinas. It features a sexy Latina new-comer by the name of Sofia Rivera, and we can tell you right now, this honey is going to be BIG in the adult biz. Not only does she have a gorgeous face, but she has a body that is downright amazing. And as if that wasn't enough, her sex skills can hang with the best of them. When the crew came up on her, Sofia was by the side of rode trying to get a ride, and surely they stopped. It was in the middle of nowhere, and she had her incredible tits just hanging out of her jacket. Who could resist that? She went on to tell Tarzan and the crew that she'd just broken up with her rockstar boyfriend who was cheating on her, and he'd left her stranded. We were more than happy to lend a hand. When we got back to the house, Sofia got comfortable and started getting frisky with Tarzan. She started by stripping down and showing of those hot tits and big perfect ass. She wanted that dick bad and immediately started sucking Tarzan's cock to get him hard and ready for a stroking. Sofia was so damn fine, Tarzan held nothing back. He went insane on that pussy and pounded it deep and hard from various angles until she was orgasming. Then he finally had his turn and busted his load all over that gorgeous face of Sofia's.
Johnny was super happy to have Eva in town. She was a really cute, petite Latina from Argentina that was so ready for that big American cock. He explained that while he was visiting in Argentina, he noticed Eva from all the way across the bar. That seemed pretty typical to us until he explained why. Johnny hiked up her skirt and pointed out that Eva never wears panties. Sure enough we could see that sexy little, clean-shaved, Latina pussy in full view.
Johnny wasted no time rubbing it and getting Eva hot. Then the couple went inside where she sucked his dick with fervor. She bobbed up and down and gave incredible head. Once Johnny was rock hard, he banged that pussy hard from the back, front and every which way. Eva kept wanting it even harder. At a certain point, he just couldn't keep up anymore. She'd cum several times, and now it was his turn. Johnny pulled and busted a massive load all over that pretty face. It was super HOT!


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The N.C. General Assembly is considering a major overhaul of the tax code.
Heads in chairs is what turns a profit for Tim Gore, owner of The Hair Doctors, a barbershop in Wilmington. He's concerned that a potential expansion of the sales tax base — under consideration by the General Assembly — would cut into his business.
"I ain't for that," he said. "It would kill my business. It's already dead enough.… If you charge taxes, people won't want to get their hair cut but once a month."
The N.C. General Assembly is considering a major overhaul of the tax code.
In an effort to drive down income taxes, House and Senate leaders both have proposals that call for expanding the sales tax base, though the Senate's proposal is much broader in scope. Introduced earlier this month, the Senate's plan could include some 130 services that are currently exempt, including everything from haircuts to legal services.
The two sides would have to work out any differences before it goes to Gov. Pat McCrory for his consideration.
In comparison to the Senate's, The House's proposal would expand the sales tax to cover a smaller number of new items, ranging from automobile repairs to warranty and service contracts. The House plan generally looks to businesses that are already collecting sales tax on some items but not services.
As talks continue, area businesses are paying attention.
Ryan Benton, manager at Black's Tire and Auto Service in Wilmington, said he worries the potential extra expense to consumers from taxing automobile repair labor could cause some people to put off needed vehicle work. Currently, auto parts but not labor are subject to the sales tax.
"Consumers' dollars are already spread so thin," he said. "It's tough for consumers to maintain their cars in a safe manner now. Adding that expense to it makes it even more difficult."
Sen. Bill Rabon, R-Brunswick, co-chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said the Senate may file its tax bill early this week, which will shed more light on the differences between the two chambers' plans, according to The Insider, a Raleigh-based publication on legislative affairs.
The House filed its tax rewrite bill last week. Senate leaders have held hearings and press conferences but not yet revealed full details. Both plans propose using dollars raised from the expanded sales tax base to reduce corporate and personal income taxes.
Gary Bahena, owner of Groove Jet Salon, said he too worries how expanding the sales tax to currently exempted services would affect his bottom line, as well as customers' pocketbooks.
"With any small business whose business is solidly in the discretionary spending category, and especially in these economic times, it will hurts us and our customers, and we certainly do not favor that," said Bahena, in an email. "On some of the smaller services it may not be a big impact. But on the more expensive services, where our margins are slightly higher, it may discourage customers from getting those services, and that will definitely hurt us."
While expanding the number of items taxed, the competing plans also would reduce slightly the 6.75 percent combined state and local sales tax consumers in most counties pay, decrease the corporate income tax rate and convert the current three-tiered personal income tax rates to one flat rate.
House and Senate leaders argue this will create a more competitive environment for business in the state.
But as with any major overhaul, the devil is in the details, said David Heinen, director of public policy and advocacy for the N.C. Center for Nonprofits. There's concern the Senate plan will phase out the sales tax refund for supplies purchased by nonprofits, which amounts to more than $400 million per year spread among the dozens of the state's nonprofit organizations, including hospitals, he said.
Nonprofits also are concerned that many of the services they offer could be subject to a sales tax under the Senate's proposal. The margins are already thin at places that offer day care services to parents on tight budgets, Heinen said, citing an example.
"It would pretty fundamentally change the business model for a lot of nonprofit organizations," he said.
Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry is a nonprofit that uses volunteer labor for urgent home repairs and for accessibility upgrades such as wheelchair ramps and grab bars. Executive Director J.C. Skane said policymakers are continually talking about how nonprofits need to diversify their business models and not rely too heavily on government funds. With the write-off for corporate donors as an incentive, private fundraising is one way her organization attempts to do that.
"If they consider legislation working against us such as eliminating the tax incentive for people to give, that's troubling," she said. "It seems like we're getting mixed messages."
The nonprofit also relies heavily on the sales tax refund for supplies, Skane said.
"Our sales tax refund usually pays for a wheelchair ramp or a roof repair for low-income homeowners, so we'd be very sad to see that go," she said.
The report includes material from The Associated Press.
Metro desk: 343-2389
On Twitter: @StarNewsMolly

subset: commoncrawl


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At Optimos, we're pretty keen on Agile methodologies, whose iterative and incremental nature align with our smaller, smarter, faster, cheaper philosophy and approach to government services and solutions. Particularly in constrained budget environments, and when definitive requirements may be elusive, Agile's component methodologies and practices increase the likelihood of success and return on investment on software-based development, integration and configuration projects.
There are clear benefits to Agile methodologies versus the traditional waterfall model, which does not allow a lot of room for mid-stream course correction.
In an Agile development environment, the emphasis is on regular planned opportunities to review, revise and adapt to changing requirements throughout the project. And because requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration, Agile development may actually help forge a truer partnership between the contractor and the government client - both of whom are vested in the outcome; and work toward it, together, every day.
Agile fosters a sense of ownership of the work product, especially with scrum – where the team works as a unit (as in rugby, from which the term originates).The emphasis is on team-building; the goal is a high-performing team.
Two new roles not found in traditional development methodologies, scrum master and product owner, are critical to achieving this objective. The scrum master encourages the team to proceed collectively and flags impediments to the team's ability to effectively complete a sprint – a short development cycle within a larger software release.
The product owner represents the single point of accountability for the team, tracking business priorities and ensuring quality is built into the final product. Confidence and trust evolve from having subject matter experts, developers, testers, and business users working together toward a common goal – delivering quality solutions that provide real business value.
In addition, Agile methodologies afford the contractor the opportunity to be in the trenches with the government client, who has increased visibility into the work the contractor is doing. For example, the tech team may know the tools but not necessarily the client's business processes; client subject matter experts work with the former to incorporate the latter.
Vetting (and sometimes venting!) at daily scrum meetings provides great insight for both contractor and government client, because scrum team members are asked to answer four questions that provide critical information necessary to keep projects on track and within budget:
This framework of constant communication gives the client confidence in the contractor's efforts, since the client is always aware of the project's status. In addition, because no team member is bound by a specific role, each can contribute knowledge or insights that increase the chances of a project's success.
An Agile approach also can affect the working environment and culture in a positive way.
Smart contractors understand that Agile is a framework, not a prescription, and that while Agile's general concepts are widely applicable, the specific methods employed must accommodate and enhance the client's culture organically over time.
Wholesale change is intimidating, and Agile comes with a whole new vocabulary around processes and roles, as well as a different way of delivering work products. The contractor must synthesize these so that they make sense and are effective in the government organization's context.
Teams take on work to which they can commit – very different from someone at the top telling the team what to do and when to do it. They set reasonable expectations and timeframes in which to meet or exceed the project's goals. As well, Agile forces teams to take greater accountability and enables management to release some control to the team. It becomes a joint effort, rather than a mandate. Eventually, "incremental deliveries" become sprints, and "daily short meetings" become the daily scrum; before you know it, you're Agile without even realizing it.
In a true Agile engagement, the contractor works closely with the client to determine how the client's organization operates today:
Armed with this insight, contractor and client together can leverage Agile components that enrich the client's environment.
Agile's scrum component in particular emphasizes smaller tactical teams who deliver incrementally and frequently, versus one-time "big bang" product deliveries. It's a more intelligent way to approach solution development because it leverages the natural, collaborative way a group of people would approach and solve a problem.
The emphasis on developing high-performing teams results in a more nimble delivery process that embraces change and puts value-added products in the hands of business users sooner.
Lastly, smaller teams that emphasize communication and contribute less overhead provide a more efficient means of producing low-cost, technically exceptional solutions.
Agile is not just a methodology - it's a mindset shift that can drive IT solution success and organizational advancement.
About the Author
Lisa Mascolo is managing director of U.S. Public Service at IBM Global Business Services.
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Actually, I think it could work really well. Often, even when the government requires a fixed price, the scope isn't really fixed, even though they would like to think it's fixed, and we (contractors) need it to be fixed to provide a fixed price. So, if price truly, incontrovertibly is "fixed," then time-boxing and consistently refining what can get done within budget might be a great solution - regardless of whether it's an LPTA (or LPTE!) contracting approach. In practice, how might an Agile approach work in a firm fixed-price framework? First, the contractor delivers defined, time-boxed (sprint) work, with emphasis on delivering the "must haves" as soon as possible. Second, the team plans sprints in accordance with the program's master schedule and provides regular updates to the client. Frequent product reviews help the client determine progress and work quality. Third, the client and technical teams are empowered to suggest and make changes during the product review (the end of the sprint), and the teams can reflect those changes in future sprints. Finally, planning includes estimating the effort required for those changes and/or modifications. Incremental, iterative delivery as prescribed by an Agile, scrum-based approach could reduce cost over-runs, drive speed to value, and identify sooner those programs that aren't working!
Since Agile (Scrum) time-boxes, and does not fix scope, how does this work under a fixed-price LPTA contract?
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LOS ANGELES, July 23 (UPI)–Troubled starlet Amanda Bynes has been hospitalized in California on a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold, Hollyscoop reported Tuesday.
Bynes, 27, allegedly caused a disturbance when she tried to break into a retirement community in her hometown of Thousand Oaks Sunday.
The following night, she was involved in an altercation in the same area, which led to police involvement and her eventual hospitalization.
The celebrity news website said it is unclear exactly what Bynes did Monday, but some sources said she tried to set a fire in someone's yard.
"Deputies investigated the incident and determined that she met the criteria of 5150 W&I [California Welfare & Institutions Code.] She was detained and taken for a mental health evaluation," Capt. Don Aguilar of the Ventura County Sheriff's Office told Hollyscoop.
The report did not say where Bynes is undergoing evaluation and treatment.
The actress is known for her work on "The Amanda Show," as well as in the films "Hairspray" and "What a Girl Wants," but her last major screen credit was a supporting role in 2010's "Easy A."
Her once-bright career has been eclipsed in recent years by her bizarre Twitter rants and media reports of her erratic behavior and brushes with the law.


text: Here's something Boeing and the Department of Homeland Security likely didn't think they'd have to deal with when they began tackling the Safe Border Initiative and the fence between the United States and Mexico: Jaguars. Seriously, there are jaguars that live in the desert area that comprises much of the U.S.-Mexico border, and there's concern they won't be able to move naturally throughout their native habitat if there's a big ol' fence in the way. Look how cool these things are: Suffice it to say, though, that the government needn't worry itself with the same laws that apply to your company when you're doing installations: Last month the Department of Homeland Security waived 30 environmental laws to finish 470 miles of the fence by the end of the year. ... "We are currently in a lawless situation at the border," says Chertoff. "I feel an urgency to get this tactical infrastructure in. And although we're going to be respectful of the environment, we're going to be expeditious." I'm sure Chertoff's definition of "respectful of the environment" is slightly different than that of any number of environmental organizations. Yep: "National security and environmental protection do not have to be at odds with each other," says Defenders of Wildlife spokesman Matt Clark. "If we can drop this arbitrary deadline for constructing the fence and go through the proper procedures, then there are inevitably ways to minimize environmental impact, but as it is now it's throwing all of those laws out the window." Gotta say I'm going with Clark on this one. For one thing, that fence may very well slow down illegal immigration, but I have to say I'm concerned with throwing laws out the window in the name of national security. Is water quality affected? Pollution control? Emissions? Let's not go putting American health in danger in the name of keeping them safe. A little paradoxical, no? Just look what rancher Warner Glenn is willing to sacrifice: "I'm a livestock rancher, but I wouldn't mind donating a few calves to that jaguar, so to speak." By the way, I'd like to have heard a word from big John McCain on this one. It's has backyard, right? Where's he stand on jaguar rights?


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It was another wild weekend of college football with plenty at stake. Rivalry week lived up to expectations and much more. The top 5 held their ground and took care of business, but there were a couple of BCS shakeups. Notre Dame remains the only team undefeated team and may have wrapped up a chance to play for its first national title since 1988.
The wait is finally over. No. 1 Notre Dame stuffed Southern California 22-13 on Saturday night to finish with the regular season a perfect 12-0. The Fighting Irish's solid defense made another critical goal line stand in the final 2:33 of play to keep the Trojans out of the end zone. Theo Riddick ran for 146 yards and a touchdown, Kyle Brindza kicked five goals and Everett Golson passed for 217 yards as Notre Dame finished undefeated for the first time since the 1988 title campaign.
It was a hard-hitting game that featured three lead changes and scoring in bunches, but No. 4 Florida had the final say. The Gators scored 24 fourth-quarter points to close out a 37-26 win over in-state rival No. 10 Florida State. Mike Gillislee and Florida dominated the ground game early behind a downhill rushing attack keeping the Seminoles out of rhythm. Down 13-3 at the half, the 'Noles bounced back scoring 17 unanswered points. However, the Gator defense forced five Florida State turnovers, none more crucial than the sack that led to an E.J. Manuel fumble. The Gators regained the lead 23-20 on Gillislee's 37-yard TD run with 11:01 left in the fourth quarter. Florida finished the regular season 11-1, its best record since 2009.
Steve Spurrier became the winningest coach in South Carolina history with 65 wins as the 12th-ranked Gamecocks defeated No. 11 Clemson on Saturday night. The Gamecocks' victory was the fourth consecutive win in the in-state rivalry, the longest mark in school history. Clemson dropped its first home loss in two years, also a loss to South Carolina in the season finale. Sophomore quarterback Dylan Thompson went 23-for-41 for 310 yards and threw three TD passes, while Jadeveon Clowney's 4.5 sacks gave him the single-season record at South Carolina with 13 on the year. The Gamecocks finished with 10 wins for a second consecutive season, a first in the program's history.
In his final game in Norman, Landry Jones got a little help from his friends against No. 21 Oklahoma State. The 13th-ranked Sooners never led during regulation and had to come back from double-digit deficits in both halves. Backup QB Blake Bell came in on one of the game's biggest plays. On 4th-and-1 at the four-yard line, Bell willed himself into the endzone after dodging several Cowboy defenders in the backfield in the final seconds of regulation to send the game into overtime. Bell was one of several heroes for Oklahoma in a game that kept the Sooners alive for a BCS Bowl bid. Brennan Clay ran in an 18-yard touchdown in overtime to give Oklahoma a 51-48 win. Jones had a record of a night, passing for 500 yards. He now ranks first in Big 12 history and fourth in NCAA history with 15,756 career passing yards.
And now we wait. The race for the BCS National Championship Game is now fairly straight forward heading into championship weekend. No. 1 Notre Dame looks to play for its first title in 24 years, but that is only half of the title equation.
No. 2 Alabama has fate in its own hands after rolling over Auburn 49-0. The Tide scored on its first seven possessions against the Tigers and will get a shot at repeating as BCS National Champions if it can win the SEC Championship Saturday.
No. 3 Georgia held up against Georgia Tech 42-10. The Dawgs have defeated the Yellow Jackets 11 of the last 12 years, and will take on the Crimson Tide in the SEC Championship in what has turned into a semifinal to the National Championship.
Although No. 4 Florida and No. 5 Oregon stated championship cases in their games of the season, the Notre Dame win all but ensures either Alabama or Georgia will play for the BCS title. One way or another, the SEC will get a shot at its seventh consecutive BCS Championship.
Back to All News


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- 04 May 2012
- Working Paper Summaries
No News Is Good News: CSR Strategy and Newspaper Coverage of Negative Firm Events
Overview — This study examines the gatekeeping role of the media in determining which negative corporate events reach a broader audience. Jiao Luo, Stephan Meier, and Felix Oberholzer-Gee test the idea that investments in corporate social responsibility (CSR) create public good will, leading the media to treat companies with a superior CSR track record in a favorable manner. They find the opposite. Newspapers are more likely to report negative news about companies if the companies invested heavily in CSR. For example, oil companies that invest in clean energy face a greater risk of media coverage in the event of an oil spill. An analysis of the tone of media coverage shows that news reports are no more positive for CSR leaders than for the average company. Key concepts include:
- As expectations about a company's performance rise with past investments in CSR, the cost associated with negative corporate events increases.
- News editors favor two types of stories: surprising incidents and events that conform to widely-held beliefs.
- Executives who wish to minimize the risk of media attention to negative events need to be careful not to place their organizations at the very top or the very bottom of CSR rankings. Being in the middle of the pack generates the least amount of coverage.
Author Abstract
One of the benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs, it has been argued, is that they build up a reservoir of public good will, shielding companies in times of trouble. In this paper, we test the view that CSR provides protection from public ire by analyzing the media's response to corporate crises. Our application is spills in the oil industry. We find the media far more likely to report accidents if they occur at a company with a superior CSR record. Rather than acting as an effective form of insurance, our results suggest that a strong CSR record can be a liability. Moreover, the tone of coverage is no less critical for organizations with a greener reputation. At the same time, firms with substantial past environmental problems are also more likely to find their corporate failings broadcast in the news. Companies hoping to minimize the risk of media attention to accidents need to be careful not to place their organizations at the very top or the very bottom of CSR rankings. This result has important implications for thinking about CSR and the privately optimal level of such activities.
Paper Information
- Full Working Paper Text
- Working Paper Publication Date: April 2012
- HBS Working Paper Number: 12-091
- Faculty Unit(s): Strategy


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New York City's wild mayoral primary campaign hurtled to the voting booth Tuesday as New Yorkers begin the process of replacing the man who has led their city for 12 years.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg never offered an endorsement in the race, but the campaign has been defined by his legacy. The Republican mayoral hopefuls are largely promising to maintain his policies, while the Democrats have offered a sharply different approach.
Their front-runner, public advocate Bill de Blasio, is pitching himself as the cleanest break with the current administration. And while just weeks ago his campaign was an afterthought, he now has a legitimate shot of surging right past the 40 percent mark that would avoid a runoff three weeks from now.
In a Quinnipiac University poll released Monday, de Blasio was the choice of 39 percent of likely Democratic voters. If no one reaches 40 percent, the top two finishers advance to an Oct. 1 runoff.
De Blasio's rise was as sudden as it was unexpected. He benefited from placing his interracial family at the heart of his campaign, connecting with voters over the need for NYPD reforms, and by drawing away voters from Anthony Weiner supporters following the former congressman's latest sexting scandal.
If de Blasio's support holds, the other spot in the potential runoff appears to be a matchup between City Council Speaker Christine Quinn and former comptroller Bill Thompson.
Quinn, who is bidding to become the city's first female and first openly gay mayor, led the polls for most of the year but has seen support disappear as her rivals have repeatedly linked her to the bitter debate to let Bloomberg run for a third term in 2009.
The mayor's opponent that year was Thompson, who stunned the political world by nearly upsetting the billionaire incumbent. The race's lone African-American, Thompson has said he is counting on winning the bulk of black and Latino voters to propel him to the runoff.
Election experts estimate that minority voters will make up more than half the Democratic primary electorate. Most polls have Quinn and Thompson within a few points of each other.
Weiner jolted the race in May when he ended his self-imposed political exile that began when he resigned from Congress in 2011 after sending lewd online messages to women who were not his wife. He led the polls for nearly a month only to tumble when it was revealed that he had continued to send the explicit messages in the months after leaving office.
The comptroller, John Liu, is bidding to become the city's first Asian-American mayor but has been dogged by a fundraising scandal. He has been polling in the single digits.
Republicans will look to continue an improbable winning streak. Though outnumbered by Democrats in the city 6-to-1, the GOP has won the last five mayoral elections. (Bloomberg was an independent running on the Republican line four years ago.)
Joe Lhota, the former MTA chairman who received acclaim for steering the transit agency through Superstorm Sandy last fall, has led the polls all campaign. A former deputy mayor to Rudolph Giuliani, Lhota has pledged to maintain the city's record low crime rates.
His primary challenger is John Catsimatidis, a billionaire grocery store magnate who has unleashed a series of blistering attack ads on Lhota, including one that mocks the front runner for dismissing Port Authority police officers as "mall cops." Catsimatidis has spent more than $4 million of his own money on the race, but that's a far cry from the $102 million Bloomberg spent four years ago.
Also Tuesday, ex-Gov. Eliot Spitzer will be trying to make a political comeback in the Democratic primary for city comptroller. Seeking to rebuild a political career devastated by a prostitution scandal, Spitzer is taking on Scott Stringer, Manhattan's borough president.
Polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 9 p.m. Experts do not believe turnout will be high.


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Friends on holiday
Emily Blunt and John Krasinski were spotted with Jimmy Kimmel and his girlfriend Molly at LAX. They were all getting on the same flight. Can we assume then that theyΓÇÖre off on holiday for New YearΓÇÖs?
At one point, accordingly to the photographer, all of them hit up the cash machine. Separately. Jimmy and Molly taking out money independently, itΓÇÖs understandable. But IΓÇÖve always been super inappropriately none of your goddamn business nosy about husband and wife finances. And I imagine thatΓÇÖs even more complicated with actors, given their various fees and the percentages each is required to pay to agents, managers, and publicists, on top of their own regular expenses, and given the high(er) rate of divorce in Hollywood...
How many celebrity husbands and wives have joint accounts?
I definitely think the Taupe Afflecks have a joint account. The Smiths too. Definitely the Travoltas. Beyond that? It has to be a low percentage. Can we talk about this on a liveblog one day? Or does no one else give a sh-t?


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NEW YORK (AP) — A New York City judge says J.P. Morgan Investment Management Inc. owes billionaire Leonid Blavatnik more than $42.5 million in connection to an investment account.
Judge Melvin Schweitzer ruled the company breached its contract in the way it invested the funds it was managing for Blavatnik in 2006, by not adhering to its own guidelines.
The judge rejected Blavatnik's claim of negligence but determined Blavatnik was owed $42.5 million, plus an additional amount in interest.
JP Morgan Chase said it disagreed with the judge's finding on breach of contract, and was considering its options.
Schweitzer handed his decision down on Aug. 21 after a three-week bench trial some months ago. The decision was filed Monday.


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Meet Joanne Pluff
Joanne Pluff '11
Joanne Pluff '11
Associate Director of Admissions
Phone Number: 315-792-3006
Areas of Coverage
New York Counties
Albany, Columbia, Fulton, Greene, Montgomery, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Schoharie, Warren, Washington
Joanne Pluff's Travel Schedule
Advice to Students
Be honest with your parents about your goals! College is meant to prepare you for the rest of your life so the whole family should be on the same page. Visit! Visit! Visit! Be sure to visit all the schools you apply to before making your final decision! You want to be sure you have all of your information before you make your final choice.
Advice to Parents
Applying to college is a big step for the whole family. Make sure you help your child find the college that is the best fit for them. Remember some of your child's goals could be different than yours so be open!
What's the Best Thing About UC?
The best part of UC is the internship opportunities in the area for students. Each student can have an internship if they wish to and all of the professors will help you get an internship. Another great thing about UC is all the people around to help a student succeed. The only person standing in a student's way of success is the student! Don't be afraid to get help.


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Congo Basin Forest Atlases
The Forest Atlas is a dynamic tool that helps decision-makers in the region achieve sustainable management of forest resources through strengthened land use planning and monitoring.
The Congo Basin Forest Atlases are a living forest information system, merging the latest technology in remote sensing and GIS with ground-truthing to monitor and sustainably manage forests. WRI works in the following Congo Basin countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Gabon.
Through a combination of interactive mapping applications, posters, analytical reports, trainings, and outreach, the Atlases provide users with timely, accurate, and synchronized information about land use allocation (forest concessions, protected areas, mining permits etc.) within national forest estates. The goal of this work is to improve the quality and availability of information in the forest sector to support transparent and participatory decision-making across the Congo Basin.
The first Forest Atlas was released in 2005 for Cameroon, and since then Atlases have been developed for all of the countries in the Congo Basin. These Atlases are the product of a partnership between the World Resources Institute and national governments, in collaboration with the private sector, international donor agencies, and civil society groups.
Photo Credit: CIFOR/Flickr.
Central African Republic Resources
Interactive Map
Desktop Mapping Application
GIS Data
Download all spatial data of the Interactive Forest Atlas of Central African Republic (shapefiles and rasters formats in zip archives).
Latest Version (2013)
Previous Version
Complete Atlas
This folder contains a free map viewing application, a poster, a synthesis report, as well as all GIS data and ArcGIS projects for advanced users.
- Version 1 (1.0 GB)
- 2012: French
- 2009: French
- 2008: French
Posters: Forest Land Allocation in Central African Republic
Jennifer Bangoura
+1 (202) 729-7655
WRI partners with the Ministry of Waters, Forests, Hunting and Fishing (MEFCP) to develop the Interactive Forest Atlas of Central African Republic and to build the capacity of forest stakeholders in remote sensing, GIS, and forest information management. This partnership aims to strengthen forest management and land use planning by bringing all major land use categories onto the same platform.
The Interactive Forest Atlas of Central African Republic is updated as new information becomes available, with periodic publications of the data and database made publicly available through Atlas overview reports, posters, and online and offline mapping applications.


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AG calls Alderman Levasseur 'untruthful' over charge that union chief poked him
February 12. 2014 2:55PM
AG's report► Click here to read the AG's report on the incident.
MANCHESTER — The state's top investigator said Wednesday that Manchester Alderman Joe Kelly Levasseur was "untruthful" when he made allegations that the president of the Manchester police patrolman's union poked him during a heated conversation outside City Hall more than a year ago.
New Hampshire Attorney General Joseph Foster also dismissed Levasseur's allegations that Manchester police interfered with an investigation by Hooksett police into allegations of a domestic assault involving a Manchester police officer.
The investigation involved interviews with 15 witnesses but bogged down when Levasseur refused follow-up interviews for four months, according to a statement issued by Foster.
No evidence suggests that Officer Steve Maloney or the Manchester Police Department committed any criminal act alleged by Levasseur, the statement reads.
"On the contrary, all evidence suggested that Levasseur was untruthful in his claims that he was poked or touched by Officer Maloney on January 15, 2013," the statement reads. The Attorney General considered charges against Levasseur that he filed a false report, but decided there was not enough evidence to do so.
The investigation stated after the Jan. 15, 2013, confrontation, when Levasseur claimed Maloney poked him and placed his hands on him. Levasseur went on to make further allegations:
• That Chief David Mara covered up an investigation into a Manchester police officer's actions during Dec. 18, 2012.
• That Mara and Deputy Chief Nick Willard intimidated Levasseur at his restaurant.
• That Manchester police interfered with an assault investigation by the Hooksett Police Department pertaining to a Manchester officer.
The investigation is closed and Levasseur's complaints were determined unfounded.


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August 2, 2012 (WASHINGTON) --Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Kmart Corp. are recalling about 795,000 Kenmore dehumidifiers because of potential fire and burn hazards.
The company, in conjunction with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, said Thursday that the dehumidifiers can overheat, smoke, melt and catch fire.
The company has received 107 incident reports, three for smoke inhalation injuries. The reports include more than $7 million in property damage.
The white plastic dehumidifiers were made between 2003 and 2005 and sold in 35-, 50-, and 70-pint versions.
Owners can receive a Sears gift card for $75, $80, $90 or $100 based on the size and age of the unit. Owners can also request a refund.
Sears says consumers should immediately unplug the dehumidifiers.


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Dear SOS: We were on a cross-country drive and had the pleasure of eating at the Rib City Grill in Rifle, Colo. The real prize was the pecan pie the restaurant served. It is by far the best pecan pie I have ever had! Servers said it was prepared locally. Think there is anyway to talk the restaurant out of the recipe?
Marianne Keathley
Bakersfield, Calif.
Dear Marianne: It doesn't get much better than a great pecan pie, and this is one of the better ones I've had. Rib City Grill was happy to share its recipe with us, which we've adapted below.
Rib City Grill's pecan pie
Total time: 1½ hours, plus cooling time
Servings: 8
Note: Adapted from Rib City Grill. This recipe makes a 10-inch pie; 10-inch pie tins and dishes are available at cooking and baking supply stores, as well as some gourmet markets, and are widely available online.
1/3 cup (2.7 ounces) butter, softened
3/4 cup (5 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) dark corn syrup
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (5 ounces) light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, beaten
2 1/2 cups (10 ounces) chopped pecans
1 (10-inch) prepared unbaked pie shell
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a large mixing bowl using a hand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until fully combined, about 1½ minutes.
3. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the dark and light corn syrup. Beat in the salt and vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is evenly combined.
4. With the mixer running over low speed, slowly pour in the beaten eggs. Beat the ingredients well, making sure the beaten eggs are fully incorporated into the mix.
5. Fold the chopped pecans into the batter using a spatula.
6. Place the prepared pie shell onto a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet. Pour the mixture into the pie shell, and place the baking sheet in the oven.
7. Bake the pie until the custard filling is puffed and set (it should jiggle only very slightly when tapped) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Line the outer crust with foil if it browns too quickly before the custard is set.
8. Cool the pie on a rack for at least 2 hours before slicing and serving.
Each serving: 692 calories; 8 grams protein; 77 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams fiber; 43 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 113 mg cholesterol; 34 grams sugar; 240 mg firstname.lastname@example.com


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The Studio video game grew out of the goal of making a kid friendly "horror" game. The idea is to mix thrills with humor. The overall goal of the game is simple as stated in my steam page. Eat the cookies, and then make your way back to the green light in the studio.
Look how innocent that cat looks, what could go wrong?
Cookies in the game are randomly generated, but I do it in areas. Sometimes the random generator makes it look like cookies will be easy to find, and a few may be. The game increases in difficulty as you eat cookies though, and knowing where cookies may spawn is just part of the gameplay. You need to think strategically as you get cookies, otherwise you may find yourself cornered.
Here are some of the areas to look for cookies, if you're looking to orient yourself in the game. If you want it to be a mystery you figure out, then just go back and try again instead of looking here.
First thing to remember is that you get a sugar rush from eating cookies of course. It's a short lasting run boost that gets shorter the more cookies you eat. It could help you though, or could run you in the wrong direction if you aren't careful!
Seen here is the Mill. A cookie will always generate within the mill. This cookie seen here is part of the Studio spawn cookies that generate in the vicinity of the studio. A hint for cookie location is that they are always associated with a lantern, and the blue glowing podium.
There is some trickery associated with eating cookies within and without the mill. When to eat the cookies and how to make your escape is the thing to think about.
The area we call Stone Henge, has a cookie associated and cats close by who get upset when you take their cookie. The cookie may be close to the stone circle or a little further afield. Again look for a lantern and the podium if you are scanning for the cookie location, but beware of random lanterns around.
As you eat cookies you may notice the cats get more vocal and sometimes more whiney as they get more upset. Don't let it rattle you, they just want revenge!
The cemetery is a section with a cookie associated. There are hidden pathways here too that can keep you safe from the cats. Take care near the cemetery, the cats pop out of no where once their cookie is eaten!
NICKNAMED THE AQUEDUCT (by my brother)
The aqueduct has an upper level that you must find your way up to. The cats always know where all the hidden ways are though, so look behind and ahead. Can you use the blocks to slow cats down on the stairs?
The ruins on the hill hide a cookie. There is a secret place here that is safe from the cats, they can't get in, but can you get out if surrounded? This is one of the most vulnerable places in the game because the cats that get angered from the eaten cookie are many, but you aren't afraid of cats!
Close in the vicinity of the studio is a cookie that may be obvious or hidden. From the Creepy Clown of Middletown on one side to the mill on the other. From the start of the forest to the creek behind. This section is one of the easiest finds, but should you eat it first?
Pumpkin Castle has dizzying heights to fall from if you aren't careful you may fall. Although falling is not penalized in the game, you could be falling to a frenzy of cats below. One of the most difficult places to get through in the game, Pumpkin castle will trap you once the cookie is eaten. You can only escape when you find the lever to open the door again.
There are other things hidden in the game. Pathways built by players long ago that lead to safe haven and give safe passage for awhile. In other levels there are other hidden things around the game that add to game play. Can you find the teleporter?
As the game progresses and you make it through different levels, the cats and evil continue to grow in this game. It gets more difficult. The cats prowl the landscape looking for you before you even eat a cookie. There are clowns, evil clowns and creepy dolls.
My video game, The Studio, which was born out of my Open Studio show of 2017 was released in March. The game begins in my art studio but turns into a horror/adventure once you leave the safe walls of my studio behind. It's meant to be a humorous take on the horror game, Slender Man in particular gives fodder to my game. From there it freewheels into it's own adventure with cats being the antagonists, or possibly the protagonists depending on how you look at things.
One main goal of my game was to show the passage of time. The game ages from one level to the next. I like this idea of a changing and evolving game world, and would enjoy exploring the passage of time more in the future. In my mind games should have more animation too. Environments could be moving in these surrealistic places, why exactly do they have to obey the same laws of time and physics as our world?
Visually, I enjoy using the skills I developed working in visual effects to create and light environments that I feel will be engaging and enjoyable to play through. I replace the trope of the flashlight in my game with being able to create lanterns. I create suspense with even just the meowing of cats approaching unseen as you move towards a potential dead end. I think though one of the things that informed my game was simply casting back to being a kid and playing games like hide and seek in the neighborhood at night where we would use the entire block to hide, or playing capture the flag. It was always dusk when we would be playing and I try to evoke some of that feeling of being in those places, that only you might know about that are hidden away as if made by you with planks of wood in this surreal land.
So these are some of the things I bring to my games. I try to put out updates and improvements on my game while I work on other things in studio.
Last week I made some improvements to game play, I even tested a version of my game that gives falling damage which makes the vertiginous heights have more consequence. I decided to keep things simple for now. I did however add a cookie fueled super run. When you eat a cookie, you get a burst of short lived energy.
Aside from my games I'm busy in other areas of my actual studio. I'm lining up paintings for the Boulder Open Studio 2018 which I was accepted into this past week. So my studio will be open again this year in October, where I will likely have my game open for visitors to play this year as well.
One of the things I learned in my Open Studio was that people were interested in my illustrations and stories. I hadn't planned on showing or talking about them, but the subject kept coming up until my studio was littered with illustrations by the show's end.
I had put my books on a back burner while I prepped for the big art show, and finishing up my video game last season. Now I'm working hard at my books again, and even working to get my interactive book, Monkey Marbles back on the Apple store.
The illustration above is one of the pages I'm working on from A Little Space. The story follows a boy who loses his gravity and his adventure through the solar system. I'm hoping to finish up this book in the months ahead, and may possibly start testing some more game ideas as I get some time.
I've worked hard to make last minute changes to my game in time for tonight's midnight release. I just now released it to steam, having put a lot of time in that seemed to get more intent technically and visually the last month. I had removed whole sections of the game and replaced with new models and textures. I streamlined wherever I could and created controls for players to control resolution.
Of course i'm most proud of this model below. It was made by my son Asher who is 8 years old. He begged me to teach him to model using Maya and wanted to contribute to the game. He decided on Randy's Donuts himself, a perfect addition to my game. He wouldn't let me touch one vertex on this model, this is his work after lessons for the last two weeks.
In the end I don't know if any of the hard work I did will get it noticed on Steam. It's difficult to stand out in a field flooded with video games, the tack I took was to try to create something visually appealing. I'm also on a journey where I'm trying to do more personal work, put it out into the world for what it's worth. It's a journey that is born from the desire to not just continue to be creative in my life, but to live a life where I split my time between studio and just being dad, and sometimes being dad in studio.
Partly this exercise was about creating something from beginning to end, and finishing it, creating skills I can build on if I chose to continue with games. I didn't want this to be complicated with cut-scenes, with voice overs. I wanted to just create something that was fun and do something that I enjoyed doing. I wanted to see if I could get at the essence of making a fun and enjoyable game without having a huge budget (i have no budget unless you count binging on cookies).
I think one of the best parts of developing the game though has been the shared experience I've had with my sons. They have been my collaborators, my game testers. There have been countless sessions projecting the game on the wall in our garage and them screaming with delight at the turn of events in game, then them coming up with an idea to make things work better.
In the end they contributed more by learning how to use Maya to create content themselves. I'm proud of the work we did together, and happy to have time together creating something.
In the end I talk about trying to tap memories for people, and creating memories, but the most I can say at this point is that I created memories with my sons, whether I'll sell more than a few copies I couldn't say.
Clowns are never a laughing matter, whether in a Stephen King book, in congress, or in a video game. The clowns have made it into my video game, The Studio, that I am finishing up this week and releasing to Steam.
I like to pull things into my game from the real world, the idea is to give a player the sense of familiar, but maybe to exorcise some of those demons from my past as well. Keep in mind this is a game that is meant to be safe for kids to play, so I'm keeping the scary clowns at a minimum. This scary clown, as I've mentioned elsewhere, comes from Middletown New Jersey. Standing sentinel to bad dreams for decades now, it still greets people as they drive down highway 35.
Making a video game, or a book or anything takes a lot of work though. From programming to modeling to sculpting creatures, texturing and lighting etc. This is a snapshot of a small part of my library of hundreds of models I've created. Not everything makes it into the game, and sometimes you can develop something, whether it's a story or a game or painting and it doesn't get finished. Some of the models here come from past work I've done and finally finds a home here.
There is some stuff that hasn't made it in the game and might be spotted in my library. I have pieces from games I've played in the past, the clock tower from Myst for instance. Continuing on the idea that there is a collective unconscious in games, then following on that idea is that little bits of memory from those past games might show up. At this point I'm not sure the Myst bits will turn up in my game. If it is done it's meant as homage and isn't really part of game play, it's meant as triggering some of those memories again that players have when in game. I've said before that science has said that places hold memories for us. That's why you can feel the rush of memory when you return to someplace familiar like your home town.
I think the same can happen in games. You could see the clock tower and have that familiar memory of playing Myst on your old PC and being in your bedroom or with friends etc. Places hold memories, and I think that digital places can hold memories because they are experienced by your brain as if they are real.
I'm hoping that people will spend a little bit of time in my game. For the price of a Starbucks coffee, I've tried to create a game that will engage people and hope give them a fun experience, and maybe create some new place memories.
My game The Studio, is now on the Steam store, having passed reviews.
I began to create my video game, The Studio in earnest after the Boulder Open Studio. I created the demo version of my game as a virtual exploration of my art show with gameplay outside the virtual studio, giving a little halloween themed adventure. I didn't create this game as something I wanted to launch on Steam at first, but having made it and had some fun creating it, I wanted to go further and explore some things and put it out there. Ultimately I wanted to do what I had done for the open studio with painting, create something in a contained finite amount of time. I began creating this game in September just before the October show. I finished and began submitting for review at Steam around the end of January.
One of the first things I wanted to explore with the game was to use games as a form of art, the way I use anything else in my studio. It's an opportunity to create art that anyone can get ahold of and play and explore. As a traditional artist, my approach was to see if I could bring a poetry to the images in my game despite the fact that you're playing a horror/adventure game. In doing this I rely on my skills in painting, drawing and illustrating, but also things I've learned in the time I've spent working in many areas of my career from architecture to graphics and visual effects.
Another theme I wanted to explore in game, is time in a video game. The idea here is that as you play the game time is passing. This is just my first stab at the passage of time in a game and I'd like to explore this further. This being my first pass at this idea, I've done it in a simple way.
I have a variation on this idea, to explain how that idea would eventually play out, and how it does play out a little in my game imagine that you are playing a game like Myst. When you first open Myst things look pretty new, but then you forget about the game and a year goes by or a decade. The game knows this, it's a mirror of the real world but maybe even darker (in my idea). When you return over time it has changed, dark forces have taken over in your absence (you shouldn't have left). The game has gotten more challenging because the hero has left and the world you could've played through has now changed to this new one. This will take more resources for me to pull off, and here is the catch, when an Indie artist makes a game like this you really are making a game that you aren't sure will catch on, the idea of making something so odd that people return years later to try again, well that is a big gamble. So essentially I've done this in a contained universe, time passes between game levels and dark forces, doing what dark forces do, have taken over in your absence.
The last thing I wanted to do was to explore gameplay as a form of going into someone's unconscious. I believe games are or can be like waking dreams, they are the unconscious created digitally and then the impossible is often explored.
I wanted to take things and put in another layer in my game that touches on this. Now I've put things from my own unconscious in the game, and I have a few more things I'd like to add. I'm considering reaching out to the game community on Steam and elsewhere, and finding more ideas from the community to hide in my game, more oddities that would make the game a mix of not only my unconscious but sort of a collective unconscious in gameplay form.
I love this idea of having the game surprise people by reflecting the real world in some odd way, seeing something from your own home town that is particularly odd and related to your own town so that your own memories wash over you while you are in a game.
I'll give you two examples that I'm thinking to add to the game in the next week, the Food Circus clown from Middletown and the Quick Stop made famous from the movie Clerks by Kevin Smith which is the "main street" in my home town (it's a tiny town). That would give me two recognizable pieces to add to my collective unconscious collection. Those two things would make a connection between my experience and the game player, letting them also have their own unique experience to these things.
Time is growing short though for me to make ambitious changes, and March 12th release is right around the corner. I'm hoping people will join me in this odd adventure, and hopefully if they do I can continue exploring some of these themes and others in the future.
I worked hard this year putting together new artwork for Boulder Open Studio 2017. Four weeks ago I began working part of my time on a virtual studio, for people who couldn't be here and finished a few days ago. To download this game you can scroll to the bottom of this page for the sign up. Currently this game is only for Windows 64 & 32 systems but I will be publishing it to other formats soon.
My actual studio, as hung for Boulder Open Studio 2017
When I had the virtual studio done I thought it would be fun if I could expand it into a Halloween theme game. This is a simple one level game for anyone (or their children) to explore outside my studio.
My virtual studio, created for Open Studios 2017
I'm making it available for free, as part of my push this year to get my work out into the world, even somewhat simple Halloween diversions like this.
Step outside the studio to play. Kids may enjoy my halloween theme.
I'm hoping lots of people can enjoy my October Halloween game, and hope to make it part of my yearly Open Studio exploration should people enjoy it – if you want to play continue below to download.
Virtual Studio / Halloween Game Download
Prepping some images to print for Boulder Open Studio, these works will be printed on paper among others and sold. I'm selling originals and prints of the same work, some of which may be details to create a print-series that makes for hanging in a space together.
The first two here are 12″x12″ and the last is 15″x20″
I've been hiking the Colorado rockies a lot this summer, getting new reference and ideas. I become more familiar with the peaks from different angles, different times of day and more in tune with what appeals to me as a painter.
My goal is to look for contrast in lighting, diagonals, and foreground interest, but I don't really know if I have anything useful until I go through my photos back in my studio. Often out of thousands of photos I will find only a couple I like.
Sometimes my hikes don't lead to anything useful. I can do a fake hike on google as a visual planner, but it can't tell me whether I'll find what I want, just roughly how long it will take to arrive.
I find that often it's moments when I'm without my art supplies or camera when I see something just perfect, it's probably because I tend to ride my bike at dusk along the foothills.
It's also probably why I over-prepared for one of my hikes this past week, carrying 20lbs of art supplies on my back as I climbed up towards 12,000 feet in rough terrain. I felt every one of those big rocky steps downward on my knees and didn't crack open my drawing pad once as I was trying to locate as many new places in one stretch as I could.
Even though I am still looking for new views of Colorado, I still return to others like different views of Hallet's Peak or Long's Peak which are some of the peaks local to me. Soon I'll head out toward Aspen though, to find new views. In some ways I'm very lucky, I live within an hour of some amazing National Parks. Even Aspen is only a little over 3 hours, when it used to take me six to drive to Sequoia when I lived in Los Angeles for similar hikes.
I've spent a lot of time either in the mountains taking photos of the Rockies for my Colorado Rockies series, or painting in my studio. After weeks of prep and painting I was accepted just this week, into the Boulder Open Studio tour that happens each October here in Boulder County.
This will be a time for artists to open their studies up to the public and collectors, as well as show our work in the library gallery downtown Boulder. It's an honor to be included in the tour.
Lately I paint mostly on wood. I like painting on MDF, which has a coat of paint to start off, but MDF is a bit fragile. If it were to drop just right it could damage part of the board. So I've taken to attaching wood struts on the back of my boards using a two part epoxy that is solid. I've also switched from MDF to thin plywoods.
I like painting on plywood because of two things. The firmness of the board allows me to lean in and draw and later to just work on the painting without the give of canvas. I also like the texture that plywood adds to my painting. Even though I sand, and put three coats of gesso on my boards, each sanded, the plywood texture comes through a little. This allows me to use that texture to get some nice results while painting. The boards have a nice tooth, and I can swipe and dry brush over these raised areas and it just adds to the painting.
I know some people have a prejudice against working on board. The traditional media for ages now has been canvas, but even during the Renaissance they worked on board, and much of that is still around. I think there is some misunderstanding that perhaps to pick the wrong board might mean your art will not be around forever, but here's the thing, is there anything more fragile than canvas? How easily it can be ripped, bumped or destroyed. Over time it absorbs the moisture in the air and warps.
At the basic level art in some way is acknowledgement not just of the endurance of nature, it is an acknowledgement that the Rocky Mountains I love to paint for instance will be gone some day too. Art acknowledges and bears witness, but the flipside is that it acknowledges the fragility and passing of this world.
So in some ways when I'm painting or even up high in the Rockies taking photos and being a witness to the Rockies there is a subtle sad mourning, for the rockies and all things that come to pass. I can sit up there, feet planted in the snow and I take an array of photos that I'll later stitch together in my studio as panoramas with super high resolution. I use those panoramas to pick what I'll work on next. While I'm sitting there, as the witness, I feel at some subtle atomic level I can feel that tiny shift of the Rockies receding as they are. Some day they will be gone, and already in New Mexico they have receded into the Earth again. It is sad, it is beautiful, it is part of this incredible changing world we live on and sometimes all you can do is bear witness to that one moment.
Art is just another thing that will not last forever, there is no best board or canvas I can build, it too shall pass.
I'm going to just go out on a limb and admit it. I have artist dysmorphia. Yes, it's a term I made up a few weeks ago being tongue in cheek with my wife about something that seems to be a real thing if I'm being honest.
My artist dysmorphia is about how I see my art. While i'm up close an in the zone, I'm usually in a pretty good head space with my art. My brush is flowing, or I'm using the palette knife to get the effect I want. I'll spend hours, sometimes the entire day and then occasionally I go across the room and sit on my tiny couch in my studio to look at what I have.
Suddenly the satisfaction I was feeling dries up. At times I'm not even sure what I've painted, it looks distorted suddenly. The depth or texture I was going for seems to collide into an ungodly juxtaposition of noise and I can no longer see the image. I muscle through it after a my disappointment, and start mixing colors and then up close I start to slide back into the zone, lost in the painting.
Some days I can fend off this dysmorphia until the painting is actually done. Sometimes I'm in the middle of the painting and I can't figure out if I've done anything good at all. I sit and wonder at times like this. Do other artists feel this way? Do famous actors watch themselves on screen and the dysmorphia kicks in where they can't stand to see their own face? For a writer, maybe Neil Gaiman himself, they look at their work and wonder, "what the hell did I just put on paper?"
Maybe some of the dysmorphia is about getting into the zone, giving yourself to that flow of energy and opening yourself to the muse, that drives you to create. Many artists talk about that feeling that the work, the writing, or the performance or the art comes through them. Maybe this is part of the dysmorphia?
An alternative explanation is that perhaps the dysmorphia tends from that place of perfectionism, in which nothing is ever good enough. In that position it's an unkind voice that is always criticizing the artist, writer, performer.
Still, I do what artists do, I keep going through the dysmorphia sometimes not sure what I've created at all, creating not because I consider what I do good or great, but creating because the spirit needs to create period.
I've spent a lot more time up in the Rockies painting hoping to get into the Boulder Open Studio this year, trying to finish up a series. Some of these are large, the largest is six feet long, the smallest 3×2 feet.
I've released my game Neverest to Steam Greenlight today as planned. It takes a login (being part of the Steam community) to vote for a game, but you can see my release on this page if you view all releases, or search for Neverest.
https://steamcommunity.com/greenlightFLY London Women s 6052 Women Bobi Wedge Pump Wedge Svart 2c04faa
In the midst of being a home-schooling dad, playing architect to design the barn/studio, as well as designing and building big barn doors myself, I've been finding time here and there to work on my video game and other art work. I fit it in almost anywhere I can, sitting in outside a class my sons are taking, or late night when we are on vacation. I also was gifted a three day weekend in a cabin retreat in the rockies to push on my game by my loving wife Sheryl.
The real trick now is getting past the self doubt that says a lone developer cannot put out a game with the goals I have, that it's just not good enough.
Self doubt is insidious. It says no matter how hard you work at something, it's not good enough yet. Of course there is the part that says an Indie developer can be like an author/artist and create interactive worlds the way an author writes a novel. This is more true in these times when using off the shelf game software like Unreal and Unity allow the artist to create in ways they couldn't without huge support teams previously. To me so much of this is obeying the urge to create and following inspiration when it comes.
Now, as the new year starts, I feel my game is in a good place to submit to Steam Greenlight. So that's my goal this week, to cast my lot and see if I can make some traction with Steam, (aside from my goal of hanging four massive and heavy barn doors), both tasks are daunting in their own ways.
All the parts are ready for my steam upload, it's just a matter of uploading and committing myself to hitting that button. Some images below, but the world of course is much larger than these images can capture, and so many things I just want to keep secret and will not reveal.
It was a year ago that I jumpstarted this game idea having shelved it. I partly lost momentum in game development when I switched to Unreal 4, trying to keep up the momentum now. Some of these ships will appear in game, but not everything I design or even build does.
No, not all these sketches are good, the point is that as an indie developer there really isn't time for me to sit down and just design for months, but rather it's sketch, design, test, model, texture, light, game program, test, repeat.
I have a confession to make, it's time that i told a little bit more of my story, which is really our story and what I'm tinkering with in my art studio this past year. Almost a year ago I dropped everything I was doing in my studio, the paintings, the children's books and focused on one thing, a game I'm making to help my son (and others like him) with his dyslexia.
This is not a super easy subject to talk about, although dyslexia is somewhat common there is still a lot of judgement of both the child who has dyslexia and even the parents. The child is often judged as not being smart at all, unteachable is a word used, and the parents are judged as neglectful.
What people often fail to realize with dyslexia is that we have people who have brains that clearly work differently than others, and dyslexia is just one example of this. This doesn't mean dyslexics are not smart, often they have ways of contributing beyond what others can because of a unique way of thinking.
One example is Jack Horner, the noted Paleontologist who has been the inspiration for the paleontologist in Jurassic Park, he graduated high school he says, with a D–. You may not be able to see that correctly, that is a D-minus-minus. In his words his teacher said that he "Failed, but I never want to see you again."
Alongside the dyslexia is the fact that my wife and I homeschool our sons. We left Los Angeles, now almost ten years past, so that I wouldn't spend countless hours working on film visual effects and have no relationship with my family. Over the years we have learned to juggle and share family life, and work life.
I moved from putting all my time in the entertainment industry and more time with my sons exploring museums and doing art with them. This is when I began to see the way we educate our children in museums differently, and started to come up with creative ideas for educating them visually, and interactively. I began sketching out ideas of how to use my visual effects skills in this way.
Like my son, I'm a very visual thinker and a tinkerer. Right now I like to think of more dynamic ways to get information across to people, especially when a museum display or some other form is failing to make people see it, and as a visual thinker I do think people have a failure of imagination when it comes to visualization what the world, and universe around us looks like. Listen to this veritasium video to get an idea of how the education system can fail to really inform us about just how vast our universe is for instance.
My family started out on a sometimes frustrating journey with my son's dyslexia, which makes his own interaction with the world sometimes difficult, and can make even the smartest kids, feel like failures. It can lead to loving family members or friends being shaming and judgmental. It can lead to parents pushing their kids and asking why they "aren't trying?"
Dyslexia is not related to the intelligence of a person, as we see with many very prominent dyslexics like Jack Horner and Richard Branson. Branson talks about his Dyslexia in the video below, and he like many see it as a positive, not a negative. I want to make it clear, I see my son as gifted, super creative, and his dyslexia as the most obvious unfortunate label that often gifted and creative people receive, making them feel unteachable and like they aren't smart. Labels like this can undermine a person and make them give up. This is because we live in a world that only has one metric for determining intelligence (generic tests that squash creativity).
As an artist, I am well aware that the world has one metric for judging intelligence, and leaves out wide swathes of others whose brain works vastly differently.
Imagine for a second an alternate universe where instead of children being tested in school for math, memorization, and punctuation, they are encouraged to be creative, open, explore and be funny. They get to do art, build things, play music, and play and there is no test because you can't test the best way to bring an individual's gifts out. When you graduate you have to show your gift, a demonstration or sharing without judgement.
Perhaps in an extreme version of this alternate universe if you can't draw, or play an instrument, make an invention out of a pile of stuff, or do an improv play then you fail. In this universe math, punctuation and memorization are not used as the metric to determine your intelligence, there is a celebration of many kinds of intelligence over memorization of facts.700509
Perhaps in some way in education we squash that internal education that may have been passed down over many generations. What if we are going against the very nature of a child and family that specializes in something over generations. The family of musicians, or the family that loves to study nature by scuba-diving. What if for every graduate we suppress another Mozart, another Cousteau. This isn't about saying that we have a "genius" among us, or putting people who think differently on that specialty pedestal, but honoring something deeper in them, a specialty that their brain and spirit are working towards.
My point is that we often test people and give them the feeling that they are less than others based on tests that favor a particular brain type, a particular calling.
Before someone jumps in to suggest the many teaching approaches to "resolve" dyslexia let me say that we have tried several different approaches with professional tutoring that are very involved and take a lot of dedication from all of us, as well as mind/body exercises that are supposed to help balance the brain etc. I'm not saying that all these techniques shouldn't be used, but so far for us, some have resulted in more frustration, and others in tears being shed. That isn't to say that there isn't a lot of great information out there, and a lot of good techniques that have resulted in very good results for children with dyslexia, or that we have stopped trying. I however am very skeptical when I hear that someone thinks they have the cure for dyslexia.
While trying these tutoring programs for my son, I began to tinker in my studio with a video game idea to help kids who struggle. This wouldn't be a game like "reader rabbit" but a game more like Myst, that i hoped would be something a child would just want to play, and that in a way I could hack their brain by just getting their interest.
I dummied up a test of the game, in software I was just learning (Unreal 4) and showed it to my wife and son. I didn't show too much, and although I felt I was on to something, I dropped it and returned to writing, while we tried yet another approach for the dyslexia.
After another round that was frustrating for all, my wife asked me one day, what about that game idea I had. I dusted off the game and dove into it fully putting all my energy into learning the software, and trying to bring my visual effects skills up to speed in this new arena.
I've worked hard on this game, and I test it with both of my sons, who enjoy playing it. There is still much I'm not saying about my approach except to say this, the idea is that I want my son to have an experience that is fun, that is enjoyable.
I am trying to build an entire world in support of his struggle, but also to celebrate him and other dyslexics like him.
I personally see my son. I see him as smart, I see him as gifted, amazingly creative. If I have problems thinking through programming problems sometimes I talk to him about it to get his insight into other ways of thinking. My son is endlessly creating, he is always learning, he is not afraid to try new things, I see his intelligence each day, and I know there is no way this is going to hold him back in life.
I don't see my game as an end all to approaches for dyslexia, i'm hoping it can be used as another tool, hopefully a fun one, to engage a child's brain and creativity rather than pushing them to memorize and work through frustration. I'm not even judging the various approaches to working with dyslexia, but like the variation in personalities and brains, they don't work for everyone and I just want to tinker with this a little.
There is a lot I'm not saying in this opening confession, what else I'm doing in the game, what some of the goals are. I'm hoping to make something that is artistic, and helpful, but it's a long slog, especially when you are creating alone. I work daily with sometimes self imposed goals, like how can i make this beautiful, but also have it playable even on not very good computers? How can I make this enjoyable and keep drawing the child in for the ride?
I still have much work to do, but I realize at this point it might be the time to begin talking about this game, and how a visual thinker is trying to work with something I perceive as a visual thinker problem.
Copyright © 2018 Daev Finn Studio - All Rights Reserved


text: Find An Apartment Near Me Post by Mrs. House Plans | October 4, 2017 | 1 Bedroom, 2 Bedroom, 3 Bedroom, 4 Bedroom, Apartments For Rent, Rental Agencies Near Me, TownHouse For Rent | 7393 Views | No Comments Find An Apartment Near Me – When you're looking for accommodations, it helps to know where to start. You're in luck. Find me apartments near me has the rentals you are considering and Continue Reading →


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10051236, Stripe
Please help our community — upload your photos of 10051236.
This is a stripe, front fender-right hand (light, medium blu) (24a), for Chevrolet automobiles. It fits for Chevrolet Cavalier, and Cadet for the U.S.. It's a genuine General Motors part with an OEM part number 10051236. Please keep in mind that this stripe is discontinued for the U.S. market since October 1, 1993.
This part has a standard 12 months GM warranty on replacement parts.
This stripe 100% fits for General Motors cars. It's made of top quality materials, it has passed not only all manufacturer's tests but also General Motors quality control and has to endure rough road conditions over a long time.
In spite of higher price of genuine parts buying this stripe will be a smart decision because you will be absolutely sure that it will serve you longer and will provide maximum safety and performance for your car.
Part 10051236 has been superseded
- 10051236 is discontinued since October 1, 1993 for the U.S. market.
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11 Things the Veronica Mars Movie Has to Have
Vinne Van Lowe. It has to have Vinnie Van Lowe.
The Veronica Mars movie is happening. It's hard to believe, but it's true — once the movie's Kickstarter reaches $2 million, consider the film in production. (There's every reason to be optimistic: The fund-raiser has already brought in close to $1 million, and it's only been online for a few hours.) [Update: It took less than eleven hours to reach $2 million.] Now that we have something to believe in, it's time to make a wish list. Creator Rob Thomas has already promised to "include as many of your favorite characters as possible," but we're not taking any chances. Here's everything we're dying to see — and some things we're hoping to avoid seeing — in VM: The Movie.
1. Veronica and Logan's Magical Romance
It's fine if they are not together at the beginning of the movie — though don't you prefer a universe where they've been together this whole time? — so long as their true and abiding love triumphs by the end of the film.
2. Weevil, Wallace, and Mac
Veronica had other friends over the years, but these are the only three we care about. Sorry, Meg and Parker! You were kind of the worst!
3. No real mention of Beaver
Let's not get back into the horrible bus-crash plot. It was tough enough while it was going on, and there's no point in rehashing old wounds.
4. Vinnie Van Lowe
"Private eyes, watching you." This is the best scene in the whole show, pretty much.
5. Deputy Leo
He's probably not prominent enough to have a major role in the movie, but here's hoping for a little shout-out, just so we know he's having a happy life.
6. Cursing
So now that our favorite Neptunites are liberated from the confines of the UPN (those were the days!), that means they can curse. And be naked. We'll settle for just the cursing, though.
7. More Rocky Horror References
Or at least some other subtle allusions.
8. Norris and Mandy
If the movie is indeed set at Veronica's high-school reunion, we don't just want to see Duncan and Dick. Norris was the guy with the sword collection who had a crush on Veronica in "Weapons of Class Destruction," and Mandy was the sad dweeb whose dog had been kidnapped in "Hot Dogs." Maybe Norris and Mandy fell in love and they watch Kurosawa films together and take care of strays.
9. Singing
Kristen Bell is a really accomplished singer. She should sing in the movie.
10. A Happy Story for Keith
He endured so much! And he's such a good dad!
11. A Party Down reunion
Party Down was frequently a Veronica Mars reunion; it's time to return the favor.


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Older News » Help with your child's homework in one clickLast updated 11:44 AM on 20 February 2014
The School A to Z app has been created by the NSW Department of Education to help parents and their school-aged children, wherever and whenever they have homework and study questions.
It's available free for Android and Apple mobile devices, and is an essential tool containing:
English A to Z - more than 350 definitions of commonly used English terms from primary and high school. Each word has an easy-to-understand definition based on the current school curriculum, with illustrations and help sheets explaining the rules of grammar.
Maths A to Z - nearly 300 definitions to help you understand what is happening in your child's classroom plus illustrations, help sheets and 'how-to' videos.
Assignments: Does your child have an assignment due soon and doesn't know where to start? Assignment starters for common classroom topics and themes point you in the right direction.
Technology A to Z: Technology is changing at an ever-increasing pace and it's not always easy to keep up with the latest trends and terminology. Technology A to Z explains these terms in language you can understand.
Spelling Bee: Does your child need to practise their spelling? The Spelling Bee game provides hours of spelling fun for children of all ages. There are three levels of difficulty and a leaderboard to track progress and improvement. Children can even load their own weekly spelling lists into the game for practise and revision.
Maths Monkey Times Tables: Most children can use some extra help with their times tables, and the Maths Monkey Times Tables challenge makes it fun.
Find out more and download your free School A to Z app.


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- Luis: "Where's Tony?"
- Evan: "Where's Tony?, Where's Tony? What's wrong with 'Hi Evan, you're looking cut'. 'Hi Evan, like a drink?'. 'Hi Evan, if I wasn't straight I'd ravage you right now'."
- ― Evan Moss and Luis Lopez.
Evan Moss is a character in the Grand Theft Auto series who appears as a minor character in The Lost and Damned and a supporting character in The Ballad of Gay Tony.
An ex-bodybuilder native to Arizona, Evan is the on-again, off-again boyfriend of nightclub owner Anthony "Gay Tony" Prince, and a major reason to why Tony uses drugs. Because of this, he is highly disliked by TBoGT's protagonist, Luis Fernando Lopez.
Evan was an ex-bodybuilder in his native Arizona. He later moved to Liberty City and became a popular male model. He started dating Gay Tony and got him hooked on drugs. Luis warned Tony that Evan was a bad influence on him, though Evan and Tony continued to stick together even after breaking off and getting back together on several occasions. Because of this, Luis always disliked him, thinking him as a selfish, gold-digging leech that only stuck around for Tony's money and brought drugs into Tony's already complicated life.
Events of The Ballad of Gay Tony
Dating Tony
- Evan: "You guys can't just leave me here."
- Luis: "Yeah, good point. *Luis headbutts Evan, breaking his nose* Now fuck off, Evan. You gave him the pills. Be gone before I'm back!"
- Evan: "Fucking hetero!"
- —Luis threatening Evan.
Evan is first seen in the mission Bang Bang, dancing and singing to the Hall & Oates song "Maneater" in Tony's apartment. As Luis walks in looking for Tony, he playfully stands in his way until Luis cuts the record off. Evan taunts Luis as he asks for Tony, instigating a brief argumental confrontation. Evan brushes the insults off and informs him of Tony's location; passed out in his bedroom.
As they leave, Evan asks to come along. Luis responds with a headbutt, breaking Evan's nose. Luis tells him to leave before they get back. As Luis heads out the door, Evan calls him a "fucking hetero."
- Luis: "You really think Evan's dead?"
- Tony: "I'm sure of it! He bleeted, didn't he?"
- ―Luis and Tony discussing Evan's fate.
The next time Evan is seen is in the mission Frosting on the Cake, attending a coke party in Tony's apartment along with Rocco Pelosi, Gracie Ancelotti, and Sharon Morton. He decides to go along with Tony and Luis as they're headed out to buy some diamonds from a smuggler aboard the Platypus. Luis drives a Stretch E with Evan in the back while Tony heads there separately with his driver Costas.
Word got out around town of the deal, and Ray Boccino hired Johnny Klebitz to intercept the deal and steal the diamonds. Johnny and some members of the Broker chapter of The Lost Brotherhood arrived and ambushed the deal, forcing Tony, Luis and Costas to escape in one car and Evan with a couple of unnamed associates of Tony's.
Evan flees with the diamonds while being pursued by Johnny and some other bikers, bleeting online from within the limo. Eventually, Johnny destroys the limo, and Evan attempts to escape on foot, only to be gunned down by Klebitz. His last known words, delivered by Bleeter, were "Cornered by bikerz. Eugh. Eugh. Eugh. 2 young 2 die".
Mission Appearances
- The Lost and Damned
- Diamonds in the Rough (Killed)
- The Ballad of Gay Tony
- Bang Bang
- Frosting on the Cake (Death off-screen)
- Evan's nickname on Bleeter is TanMan89.
- In Diamonds in the Rough, Evan does not have a band-aid on his broken nose, but in the crossover in TBoGT, Frosting on the Cake, his nose is clearly bandaged.
- He has a generic female pedestrian voice which can be heard if the player attacks him, similar to Bernie Crane.


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On September 5, 2012, a federal court jury of seven citizens found that Milwaukee Police Officer James Jekanoski did not use excessive force when he arrested Robert Stokes during the execution of high-risk, no-knock search warrant at a drug house in November, 2007.
The jury issued its verdict after hearing several hours of testimony relating to the circumstances that faced Officer Jekanoski when, as the lead Tactical Enforcement Unit officer into the drug house, he took the plaintiff into custody. After the plaintiff was taken into custody by Officer Jekanoski, police located and seized over a kilogram of marijuana, two unlawfully possessed firearms and rescued nine pit bull dogs kept for dog fighting.
The property was thereafter shut down by the City Attorney's office in a public nuisance action for facilitating drug dealing and dog fighting. Mr. Stokes is currently serving prison sentences due to convictions in federal and state court.
It is heartening to know that juries often see through these kinds of baseless allegations and agree that the police are working to rid the city's neighborhoods of crime, fear and disorder. We thank Officer Jekanoski for being the kind of officer this department is proud of. He was shot in the line of duty in 2009 and continues to serve as a member of the MPD's elite Tactical Enforcement Unit.