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Greater Port Macquarie : Facilities Guide
12 Country Comfort El Paso Motor Inn Ideally located on the banks of the Hastings River, only minutes walk from CBD. 2 function rooms, 61 non-smoking motel rooms, most with queen and single beds, many with balconies and water views. Castaway a-la-carte restaurant with fully licensed bar and large terrace area caters for 120 banquet style and 160 for cocktails. 1 Buller Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Te ephone 02 6583 2955 Fax: 02 6583 7398 Email: email@example.com Website: www.constellationhotels.com.au On the water in the heart of town. The El Paso Motor Inn has 56 units, all with full facilities, 150 seat Licensed Restaurant. Two conference rooms -- 70 seat and 30 seat theatre style. Both fully equipped with white boards, overhead projectors, data projector, TV and Video with full catering. Venues & Accommodation Area (m2) Dimensions (m) Ceiling Height (m) Theatre Class Room Board Room Banquet Cocktails Function Room Palm Room Marlin Room 65 10x6.52.870 27324470 368x4.52.83015172530 29 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Te ephone 02 6583 1944 Fax: 02 6584 1021 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Website: www.elpasomotorinn.com.au Area (m2) Dimensions (m) Ceiling Height (m) Theatre Class Room Board Room Banquet Cocktails Function Room Function Room 1 Function Room 2 Hastings Room ( 1 & 2 com) 94.6 8x11.82.5 60 35 15 50 50 67.26x112.54025154040 161.8 2.510080-85130 14 x 11.5 Located in the heart of Port Macquarie's CBD, Port Pacific Resort is a short stroll to all main shopping, dining and entertainment venues, as well as beautiful riverside promenades and foreshore walking tracks. First class accommodation, consisting of fully self- contained 1, 2 and 3-bedroom apartments, plus recreational facilities including swimming pool, spas, half tennis court, non-powered watercraft, sauna, gym and barbeques. Friendly experienced staff assist you with flexible layouts, accommodation and menus to create a successful and memorable event. The Resort's main conference facility on the top (9th) level offers stunning views over the Hastings River and Pacific Ocean. Visit our dedicated Conference and Events page on our website for more details. Port Pacific Resort 6-14 Clarence Street, Port Macquarie NSW 2444 Te ephone 02 6583 8099 Email: firstname.lastname@example.com Website: www.portpacific.com.au Area (m2) Dimensions (m) Ceiling Height (m) Theatre Class Room Board Room Banquet Cocktails Function Room Hastings View Lounge (Level 9) Adults Poolside Lounge (Level 2) 118.818x6.62.4 100 45 40 70 120 45.5 9.1x5 2.4 30 18 12 NA NA
Holiday Planner 2010
Holiday Planner 07
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I was surprised this week, when I told a friend my sister was coming to visit, that she didn't know I had a sister! I realised though, this is a good thing. I suspect I have mentioned my brother and our run ins before, and I hadn't mentioned my sister because we don't have run ins!
My sister is older than I am by 3 years. She is gorgeous... imagine growing up though, the ugly ducking (or at least the chubbier duckling!) with this goddess older sister. It was tough!! I know she reads this blog, but Shell, if you are reading, you are not allowed to mention this entry to me. I don't handle emotional mushy moments well, but I need to tell everyone how cool my sister is!
When we we were growing up, we shared a room until I was about 16. Oh my god. Sharing a room with my sister was just.. lets face it.. challenging. I remember when I was 14 and she was 17 and she was a social butterfly - aside from parties and the usual stuff, she was also doing debutante rehearsals and was involved in a play that had her rehearsing during the week as well. I actually developed a sleeping problem because I would work myself into a state trying to get to sleep, but knowing that even if I did, she would come home late, turn lights on, wander about the room making noise, doing her thing... oblivious to the fact that I was trying to sleep!!! Mind you, I also recall us both waiting til late at night, then sneaking a shared cigarette and opening the window and spraying perfume to cover the smell. (When Mum reads this we are SO busted!)
Once we got separate rooms (for some reason I had the power to choose which room I wanted, but she made me choose which when they were still at slab stage, because she wanted to bury something in the concrete in hers...) but from then on we got on MUCH better!!!
She was the cool older sister. She was popular, she was trendy, she was beautiful and she had LOADS of friends. This helped me out immensely, and my schoolyard stock rose in value just because I was her sister. No one would mess with me, and risk getting her and her friends offside. Very handy, let me tell you.
What was even better, was that when she got her licence at 18, and I was a lowly 15 or so, she included me. She and I would often get in the car and drive the 30 minutes to the closest McDonalds, get something from the drive through and then sit in the car in the carpark and eat it because we were too lazy to get out of the car and go and sit in. She would go and do things with her older male and female friends, and she would often let me tag along. I think I was at a weird place at the time with my own friends. My closest friend had started a serious relationship with a guy that I hated and who hated me, and I felt a bit lost. You know, to take your nerdy little sister with you and your cool friends and look out for her... at that age... I dont think many would do that. I was pretty lucky, and it meant a lot to me.
Rachelle and I are connected with rubber bands. Sometimes they stretch and we can go a little while without contact, and then we snap back and spend lots of time together. There is no question we adore one another. This is one special woman. She came to visit this week, and brought this enormous bunch of lillies for me. She "gets' the infertility stuff, and she always knows the right things to say to make me feel less alone, and more supported. She and Finn have a relationship that he doesn't have with anyone else in his life. Its hard to put into words... he absolutely ADORES her. He is completely smitten and thinks she is this magical, amazing, wonderful creature that was put on earth just for him to enjoy and love. Good old aunty LoLoshe!
I'd be lost without my sister. I really would! She takes care of me, she looks out for me. Not just as a nerdy teenager, not just as someone finding her way in the world, or having troubles conceiving.. she looks out for me in that way that only someone that is connected to your very soul can.
My sister
I was surprised this week, when I told a friend my sister was coming to visit, that she didn't know I had a sister! I realised though, this is a good thing. I suspect I have mentioned my brother and our run ins before, and I hadn't mentioned my sister because we don't have run ins!
2 comments:
- Leila 14 October 2007 at 2:36 pm
What a beautiful post. It reminds me of the relationship I have with my younger sister. There is nothing like the bond we have with our sister.
- Anonymous 23 October 2007 at 12:46 pm
(i KNEW ABOUT THE LATE NIGHT SMOKING.....WHAT CAN YOU DO? yOU NEVER ACTUALLY USED TO HIDE IT FROM ME, IT MUST HAVE BEEN DAD YOU WERE MORE CONCERNED WITH....AND RIGHTLY SO.)
I think my 'gels' are amazing!!

subset: commoncrawl


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Zauberball Starke 6 - 1 ball each of 2 colours
Needles: 3.75mm, 40cm circular
Pattern: Free in the store with yarn purchase
We just received a small shipment of larger pompoms. These are 13cm (the other pompoms in stock are 10cm)
The supplier is out of black, cream and grey. I'll post when they arrive.
pattern free on Ravelry).
This is a very simple stockinette-in-the-round pattern. Yarn is held double throughout, and colors are alternated to create ombre stripes.
The cowls are knit with three colours of Rowan Kidsilk Haze on 5mm, 60cm circular needles.
Rowan Kidsilk Haze Stripe. You can use two balls of the same colour (my cowl is 361) or two different colours.
The cowl is quick to knit and very, very warm.
The Hedgehog Fibres shipment is getting closer to us.
Item has been presented to Canada Border Services Agency for customs review.Fingers crossed we will see the shipment next week.


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After coming across this fabulous mascarpone cheese recipe, I have been trying every recipe I can find that uses mascarpone. My most recent find is a Blueberry Mascarpone Sherbet. This recipe is fantastic, but could be even stronger on the blueberry flavor. The next time I make this, I will cut the water and use only 1/2 cup (maybe even 1/4 cup) water to bring the blueberries to a boil.
I served my sherbet with these delicious Brown Butter Almond Shortbread Cookies (just swap the pecans for almonds). I would have made the recipe as-is because I love pecans, except I realized I was out of them.
You could very easily make this with raspberries and have a red sherbet for Valentine's Day and use a heart-shaped cookie cutter for your shortbread.


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Saturday, 24 September 2011
A Prayer
Dear God,
If You care,
Please help me.
If You are there
At the end of this prayer,
Give me a sign.
Though I can hardly speak,
And my signal is weak,
Reply if You can.
Even if You disguise your response
In the wind whispering through the birch trees
On the foothills of the mountains of Haute-Savoie,
Or in the murmur of the turquoise streams
Rushing with purpose down their rocky chutes,
Or in the scamperings of woodland mice
Seeking the knife-parings of pilgrims' cheese
Beneath this rough-hewn bench and table
Before this wooden hunting lodge.
Dear God,
If You care,
If You are there,
Please help me,
For now I need You more than ever,
And I am desperate to find meaning
In something more than landscape.
Dear God, You could say,
In a way, all my vain pilgrimages
Have led up to this time, this place:
This wayside cross, these offerings
Of stones and flowers crowding the base,
This niche
Jammed with a tiny statue of Saint James,
This stumbling prayer,
This weak and human message,
This plea, this faint voice
Appealing to You
Over the vast green forestlands
Of this jag-peaked and beautiful country.
15 comments:
- Ruth said...
I've been there, the signal so weak. Yet all the scene so beautiful, from the small to the vast, all that you describe in your Robert way of observation, but still longing for meaning, a sign that Someone, somewhere, has something in mind for all of us. I love the poem.
- 24 September 2011 at 09:29
- The Weaver of Grass said...
Wonderful Robert. This sounds the kind of place where God does seem to be ever-present.
- 24 September 2011 at 10:40
- Bonnie said...
The plaintive plea of all non-believers.
- 24 September 2011 at 12:03
- George said...
No god am I, Robert, but I hear your prayer this morning somewhere in southern Virginia, as I make my way from North Carolina back to Maryland. I don't know what your next step will be, or the ones that will follow, but I am absolutely sure that your beautiful, plaintive prayer will be answered. It may be that your unwavering honesty, your willingness to be deeply humbled by the vastness and majesty of the landscape through which you walk, is a beginning of the answer. I, for one, believe that God — whatever the nature of this ineffable, divine mystery — always speaks to a questing heart. The challenge for me is whether I can wait in patience when I hear nothing, see nothing, and fear the absence of what I seek. I try to remember, however, that there is Presence in absence, and everything will unfold when the moment is ripe. Keep walking, my friend, and know that all is well and all will be well. And thanks for leaving this little poem cairn behind so that other pilgrims can find solace and direction in their own journeys.
- 24 September 2011 at 12:56
- Winter Pilgrim said...
You've captured such a beautiful and universal pilgrim sentiment - and reprinted today? I leave for my great walk from Santiago de Compostela to Jerusalem in just a few days. I'll carry your words with me. Thanks Solitary Walker
- 24 September 2011 at 16:04
- Kiwi Nomad 2008 said...
Oh Robert, this has really hit a mark... and puts somethings into words for me that I have never been able to say. I am planning to walk from Cluny to Le Puy next April- not as hilly I know, but still 'in the vicinity'. I am going to print off your prayer to carry with me in a little pocket of 'inspiration' that I will carry. Margaret
- 24 September 2011 at 20:00
- Goat said...
SW, you sneaky bugger! I remember you saying you were "likely to be out on the trail"! I had a feeling you were up to something with your recent "silence" on the blog -- guess you'll be missing that Dylan show in October after all?
Really happy for you and looking forward to your posts. And sorry you asked for God and I answered...but he does move in mysterious ways!
- 24 September 2011 at 21:43
- Alexandre Fabbri said...
Mais c'est facile. Pourquoi n'avez vous pas dit plus tôt? Je suis né dans ces montagnes et comme vous le dites, le vent transporte.
Alexandre Fabbri
- 25 September 2011 at 08:18
- am said...
Spoken in the language of the heart. Thank you for posting this, Solitary Walker.
- 26 September 2011 at 05:47
Thank you for sharing this Robert. It is very honest and beautiful. Have you come across Therese of Lisieux's comment that Jesus must have been sleeping in the boat when prayer was exceptionally difficult for her.
Buen Camino,
- 26 September 2011 at 13:34
- ksam said...
Robert, this just reminds me of why I love to read your blog. I never know what I'll find here, but it's always worth the visit. Thank you for sharing this...I'll be copying and filing this to be savored again later.
- 26 September 2011 at 21:19
- Val said...
may all your prayers be answered! this is beautiful
- 28 September 2011 at 14:26
- Grace said...
My signal feels weak today. Your poem touched me.
- 29 September 2011 at 21:03
- The Solitary Walker said...
Back today and so moved by these comments ... much to say about my recent pilgrimage trek when I get it together ...
- 1 October 2011 at 20:29
- Dominic Rivron said...
Silence may be the best bet. The longer I live, the more I realize that if God can speak to us he's probably loathe to do so too directly on account of the things he's seen done in his/her name. The risks of misinterpretation would be just too high. Better to leave people to the quiet, and their intuitions perhaps.
- 2 October 2011 at 11:43


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I have been out in the Kalahari for just about two weeks now and am starting to adjust to the heat and antisocial fieldwork hours. I have been very busy with training and have been going out with the other people here who have been showing me how to tempt the Meerkats onto the scales with hard-boiled egg, how to use the handheld computers we use to store ad lib behavioural data and how to enter the data into the database.
Not been taking my camera out quite as much as I would like as each Meerkat group has its own bag with its own set of scales (so the Meerkats don't get the scent of other groups and to limit the spread of tuberculosis) unfortunately these
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The Office for National Statistics produce experimental estimates of the population by ethnic group.
The latest figures are for 2009.
They break the population down by broad age groups and gender by 16 ethnic groups as used in the 2001 census.
The figures are available for each district across Hampshire, as well as the two unitary authorities.
ONS have produced a one page note on the reliability of these estimates that can be found in the PDF link below:
The methodology report that accompanies the figures can be found in the PDF link below:
Reports & Data
Ethnic change Census video
Below is a brief video of slides showing the ethnicity change between 2001 and 2011.
(Does not include audio)Get the Flash Player to see this player.


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The American Red Cross lends a helping hand to those facing some of life's biggest challenges and your help is needed right here at home. The goal of the JOIN THE 1,000 campaign is to ensure the Mid-South is prepared for any emergency. To do this we are recruiting, training, and engaging an additional 1,000 volunteers for the Mid-South Chapter.
Visit http://bit.ly/17bjW6J to complete a volunteer application. To find out more about the program or to schedule an info session at your next business, church, school, or civic group meeting, call 901.672.6351 or email firstname.lastname@example.com.
Volunteers will work with a Volunteer Specialist and receive specialized training to choose their career path within the chapter. Some volunteer paths available are: Disaster Response Volunteers, Preparedness Education Instructors, Shelter Team Volunteers, and an array of other opportunities. Not only is the personalized training free, but incentives for volunteers who meet a minimum volunteer requirement are also available, like CPR/First Aid/AED training along with a host of others.
We know that there is a direct link between how prepared we are as a community and how resilient the community is. Help make the Mid-South prepared for any emergency that may arise by volunteering today and joining the 1,000.


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I had 3 freckly banana's on the counter and figured I'd make them into banana bread soon. My daughter was reading through a cookbook and mentioned blueberry banana bread and that sounded like a fun new twist to the usual recipe!
I decided to just alter the recipe I usually use...I'm still trying to add more whole grains into our diet, so I used part whole wheat flour in this. I also reduced the margarine by 3 T. and added some applesauce. (both to help replace the margarine and because I was about 1/2 C. short on banana's) We really like the results! The blueberries make it more moist and the flavors blend really well. YUMMY! The only thing I had a problem with was that the blueberries settled to the bottom half of the loaf for the most part... but they WERE, giant sized berries. Maybe smaller berries would stay put better. I did a 2 loaf batch and post that amount - easy to cut in half if you only need one loaf.
Blueberry Banana Bread
1 C. sugar
1/2 C. margarine
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 C. milk
3 1/2 C. flour (I used 1 1/2 C. whole wheat flour)
2 C. mashed banana
1/4-1/2 C. applesauce
a couple of handfuls of fresh or frozen blueberries
chopped nuts if desired
Cream margarine and sugar. Add eggs and beat well. Add milk. Mix all dry ingredients in separate bowl. Add to creamed mixture. Add banana's and applesauce. Mix until well blended. Stir in blueberries. Grease 2 loaf pans. Divide batter between pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Test with toothpick too see if center is done. Cool and slice to serve.
Joy's Notes: If you use a smaller loaf pan and the batter is deeper, it MAY need another 5 minutes or so of baking to get done all the way through. I mix this in my KitchenAid. Because it can handle a heavier load, I just peel the banana's and add the whole thing and let the mixer mash it. If you are using a lighter mixer, try mushing the banana up in the peel before you open it. Not TOO hard, just gently and usually that's good enough.


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Monday, April 30, 2012
Friday, April 27, 2012
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
I wanted to switch gears and do some architecture... then I realized how slow I am at doing these. I started out trying to sketch from memory, but it just didn't work. I knew too little about principles of architecture to be able to fill in the blanks. So mid-way through the sketch, I gave up and began drawing directly from the reference.
I'd give a lot to be able to draw like this guy :)
I'd give a lot to be able to draw like this guy :)
Monday, April 23, 2012
Study - review day
Complex poses are still very hard :)
Saturday, April 21, 2012
On the plus side, I'm reasonably happy with the pre-study memorization this time. I screwed up the arms, but the torso and legs look plausible. I'm still super iffy with the muscles on the back, though, and the arms... I always have trouble with the facing of that deltoid.
Posted by Grace Liu at 12:30 PM No comments:
Friday, April 20, 2012
Thursday, April 19, 2012
I was also really confused by how the guy's shoulder muscle kind of melding into his back muscles. Didn't make sense of it until I did the photo study. This is why I need to actually draw, rather than flipping through artbooks and hope to just get better from that.
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
On a side note, I felt slightly creepy because the photo ref model seems so very young. To the guys who love to draw half-naked little girls: I salute your mental fortitude.
Tuesday, April 17, 2012
Monday, April 16, 2012
Reaper Inked
I may still feel uncomfortable with drawing, but I actually really enjoy using solid black in shadows :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Richard the Skeleton Paladin
It takes me a long time to do a drawing, but hopefully it'll get quicker as I become less intimidated.
Edit: One more, for the same friend. It's kind of ridiculous how much easier it is for me to draw a girl than a guy.
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A threatened veto – no matter the bill – is always an invitation to the opposition to strut their views, which will have no live consequences because a veto is, among other things, a prophylactic that prevents the germination of consequences.
Therefore, a pre-announced veto by Rell on bills to legalize the marriage of gays is a most welcomed opportunity for the opposition to ventilate their views and snag a few votes from gays and their supporters. Though the veto makes winning on the issue unlikely rather than impossible– the Democrats do, after all, have a veto proof margin in the legislature -- the supporters of the vetoed measure have everything to win and nothing to loose.
The likelihood of another bill legalizing marriage for gays has re-opened the debate on gay marriage. Talk show host and columnist Colin McEnroe was first out of the gate in support of gay marriage. A Yale graduate and an Illuminati, McEnroe advances a compelling argument that might serve to open a reasonable debate on the issue. McEnroe's remarks are in italics.
Connecticut is poised to consider, again, the idea of same sex marriage. It came up on the show today, and I have been hearing, ever since, this type of argument:
Why for instance can't an adult daughter marry
her mother? If they are consenting adults? If it's a matter of law – change the law. You have no problem doing that with gay marriage proper.
If you redefine marriage there is simply no logical or legal end as to what can eventually be defined as marriage. Then marriage becomes meaningless...
1. First of all, the slippery slope argument is basically an argument made by people who don't want to argue the point itself. It's as if I said: if I let you ban abortions, how do I know you won't ban vasectomies next? And then heart bypasses! And soon, I won't be able to have any surgery at all! Obviously, that's a foolish argument.
It sure is. But then McEnroe is a master at constructing foolish arguments and placing them in the mouths of his debating opponents.
The right way to discuss it is to discuss whether or not we should ban abortions or, perhaps, whether we can come to an accommodation on the topic.
But then, of course, there are different kinds of abortion, some more offensive than others. Here in the United States, the Supreme Court ruled in Roe v Wade that abortion is to be unrestricted up to the third month, when the fetus becomes viable, after which the states may regulate abortion. But China permits the state to regulate births through contraception, abortion and other means. This may be offensive to certain women's groups here in the United States which have successfully argued that the decision to have an abortion should be made by the pregnant woman in consultation with her doctor. The state should bug off. State forced abortions, practiced here in the United States, certainly would make McEnroe and other pro-abortion advocates uncomfortable, and yet, applying the McEnroe rule – ancillary concerns should play no part in the discussion of abortion; we may only discuss whether abortion should be banned – would make it impossible to prohibit the hateful practice. Actually, the "what comes next" people do have a point when they argue that partial birth abortion – it came next after the US Supreme Court decreed that states statutes prohibiting abortion from the moment of conception were unconstitutional – might reasonably be opposed even by people who think some forms of abortion should be allowed. However, none of this would figure in a debate on abortion monitored by McEnroe. He would not allow such incidental concerns to bear on the debate.
1a. Similarly, if we debate gay marriage, let's debate that, and not the blizzard of other things that might happen later. If Incest Makes a Family wants to introduce its own bill later, we'll debate that separately ... on its separate merits. I, personally, will not support the legalization of incest.
The question before the court is not: What is pleasing to McEnroe? Upon what ground can the legalization of incest, and other practices McEnroe might find repulsive, be opposed: That is the more important question.
I do support gay marriage. I can tell the difference between the two. Hooray for me!
1b. Ah, you say, but if you act as though marriage laws are fungible, you've opened the floodgates. Nonsense. There were anti-miscegenation laws in this country until 1967! They were eventually repealed. I assume you think that's a good thing. But it didn't make other marriage laws change.
2.The above is by far the more important argument, but let's not pretend that the two conditions are equivalent.
Imagine that, in your neighborhood, you have on one side of your house Mel and Mike, a gay couple in a long term relationship. On the other side of your house live Marty and Mildred, a father and daughter who also have a long term relationship. Marty has sex with his daughter Mildred.
Guess what? Those two households are not currently equivalent in the eyes of the law or of society. Mel and Mike are tolerated by both. Marty and Mildred are reviled and subject to criminal prosecution.
This is true for the moment, but moments pass into history. The laws having been modified for gays, why should they not be modified for incestuous couples? It is not enough to point out that McEnroe sees a distinction between the two cases, finding one tolerable and the other repugnant. These are private feelings, always subject to change. The fact that some gay bashing McEnroe, in pre-enlightenment days, long ago found homosexuality repulsive did not prevent the advent of new and more acceptable feelings about gays. Why should an enlightened freedom loving society not follow the same course in the case of incest, which need not result in the production of children, since birth preventatives are available? Why shouldn't polygamy be allowed? Considered as a social arrangement, polygamy has decided advantages. For instance, children would be attended by more mothers, and a family that contains 1000 wives would be, purely from an economic perspective, more stable than two party households. The important question is not who prefers what; in a democracy, people should be free, up to a certain point, to be their potty old selves. The important question is: Upon what grounds may society say to individual arrangements, "This shall not stand."
Another way to look at it is this. Imagine yourself at lunch with Dick Cheney and his pregnant daughter Mary. Would you be telling them that Mary's relationship with Heather Poe has no better moral or legal status, to you, than if Dick Cheney left his wife and decided to marry his daughter and make her pregnant?
Explain to me how you would make that case to Dick and Mary. I personally don't think it should be legal for Dick Cheney to have sex with his daughter and make her pregnant.
I do believe Heather and Mary should be allowed to marry, if they want to. I can tell the difference between those two ideas. Hooray for me!
But, getting on the far side of feeling, mere personal preferences, how will McEnroe make incest illegal, and keep it so? Here are some passages on adult incest from Wikipedia:
"Incestuous relations between adults, such as between an adult brother and sister, are illegal in most parts of the industrialized world. These laws are sometimes questioned on the grounds that such relations do not harm other people (provided the couple have no children) and so should not be criminalized. Proposals have been made from time to time to repeal these laws — for example, the proposal by the Australian Model Criminal Code Officer's Committee discussion paper "Sexual Offenses against the Person" released in November 1996. (This particular proposal was later withdrawn by the committee due to a large public outcry. Defenders of the proposal argue that the outcry was mostly based on the mistaken belief that the committee was intending to legalize sexual relations between parents and their minor children.)
"In the wake of the Lawrence v. Texas (539 U.S. 558 2003) decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, striking down laws criminalizing homosexual sodomy as unconstitutional, some have argued that by the same logic laws against consensual adult incest should be unconstitutional. Some civil libertarians argue that all private sexual activity between consenting adults should be legal, and its criminalization is a violation of human rights — thus, they argue that the criminalization of consensual adult incest is a violation of human rights. In Muth v. Frank (412 F.3d 808), the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals interpreted the case applying to homosexual activity, and refused to draw this conclusion from Lawrence, however — a decision that attracted mixed opinions.
In France, incest isn't a crime in itself. Incestuous relations between an adult and a minor are prohibited and punished by law, but not between two minors or two adults."
It would be interesting to know if McEnroe is repulsed by the French (forgive the pun) position. If he is offended to the point of proposing a law forbidding the practice, how would he construct the law in such a way as to preseve it from attacks from a possible future opposition made up of pro-incest groups and their sympathizers? How would McEnroe handle the argument that adults ought to be able to express their first amendment rights under the privacy provisions of the US Constitution, as interpreted by libertarian judges, provided no children are involved and the activity is mutually agreed upon?


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After Santa became a little less for ware we would hang the cards on a piece of yarn that we strung along both sides of the hall way.
Grandma Smedley used to scotch tape hers on the doors that faced the front room. When the doors were full she would tape them along the opening between the kitchen and front room.
When I get enough cards I tack a piece of yarn along a wall somewhere and hang them there.
I am fortunate enough to have a few Christmas cards that were sent to my great-grandparents. One of them was from mom, dad & I in 1964.
I still enjoy sending and receiving Christmas cards. And yes, I save every one!
Leslie Ann


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Free Streaming The Walking Deceased in Top Video FormatNow you can play full The Walking Deceased in best quality with duration 90 Min and was published in 2015-03-20 and MPAA rating is 8.
- Original Title : Walking with the Dead
- Movie title in your country : The Walking Deceased
- Year of movie : 2015
- Genres of movie : Science Fiction, Comedy,
- Status of movie : Released
- Release date of movie : 2015-03-20
- Companies of movie :
- Countries of movie :
- Language of movie :
- Durationof movie : 90 Min
- Average vote of movie : 4.8
- Youtube ID of movie : bPc2ek7JG6s
- Translation of movie : EN,IT,
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Tags: spoof, zombies,


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Barbro is one of the winners of our Summer of Love Contest. Not only is she a winner of our contest, she is also one of our trendsetters! Let's learn more about Barbro.
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
My name is Barbro and I'm a twenty-something year old girl from the northern parts of Norway. I just recently moved to Oslo, which is the capital of Norway - and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm a blogger, a volunteer freelance journalist and hopefully soon to be student.
How did you become interested in fashion?
Actually, that's kind of a hard question. I really don't know, it just kind of happened. I've always tried to look my very best and liked pretty clothes and shoes, but I think it was in 2008 that I realized there was more to clothing than just that pretty dress. I was surfing through the channels on TV, when I was mesmerized by one of the majestic shows Alexander McQueen was in charge of - and it just escalated from there!
What inspired you to start your own blog?
I guess it would be Alexander McQueen, He seems to be the reason I begun this style adventure of mine. I was heartbroken when he passed away, and I still am. I also had an online journal for several years prior to my style blog, but it was in a whole other genre.
What are your dreams and aspirations?
My dreams are kind of whimsical. It seems I can never make up my mind about anything, and I'm kind of ambivalent regarding.. well, everything. I dream of doing something that makes me happy, and right now this is really making me happy. I love the whole idea of sharing my personal style with someone other than my closest family and friends, and I like the fact that my opinion seem to matter in the bigger picture. I've always loved writing, and that's one thing that hasn't changed throughout my life.
How would you describe your style? What's your favorite look at this moment?
I guess I'm a romantic deep down, that's at least what's been the most consistent aspect of my style throughout the years. I think I'm an experimental romantic juggling a rocker chic vibe, with comfortable elements in an elegant and dark palette.
My favorite looks nowadays are pretty pale colors combined with black, black, black.
Where do you get fashion inspirations?
It kind of sounds silly, but since I grew up in the wilderness of northern Norway: nature really inspires me! The colors are genuine, the mountains are roaring high above me and the weather is harsh! I get inspiration from other bloggers and fashion magazines, of course, but mainly I live in my own little bubble.
Where do you shop? What are your favorite brands?
I do most of my shopping online, via Ebay and different online stores. I love treasure hunting in vintage stores! I don't like H&M: they have become too mainstream! If I'm really desperate I'll stop by to buy leggings or clean cut tops, but I haven't been there lately. I don't really have a favorite label or brand: except from high-end ones like Alexander McQueen, of course - Fam Irvoll, Vatle and Undorn.
Barbro also recently got married! We wish Barbro great happiness. To learn more about Barbro, visit her blog: http://barkatt-barbro.blogspot.com/
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Trendsetter: Barbro Andersen
Posted by Mode Republic at 7:43 AM 4 comments:
Labels: barbro andersen, fashion blog, interview, street fashion, street style
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|Posted by supercomputer276 on December 4, 2008 at 1:38 AM
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Some time ago, during an MSN convo between myself, Niv (Shard), and Lonely Yoshi, we had an argument over how realistic it was for Lonely's author character to be able to change anything about his home dimension... while at the same time changing the timeline of that dimension so that the change was always there (trying to trump Niv's characters weaves very tangled webs). To the best of my recollection, his argument was that his character has author powers to change anything about the dimension because it was the author character.
The next fifteen minutes or so had Niv and I arguing the following point against him: while Lonely Yoshi the character is indeed the respresentation of the author Lonely Yoshi in his world, by all accounts, the author character is NOT the author. The humans that make the worlds are the authors. We set everything up, characters and plot, and let it all play out; we do not directly interact with the characters ourselves (that is, we do not say "hello" to our characters on our computer screens and they immediately reply "hello" back). Niv's author character Niv is not Niv the author but Niv the character. It is the closest Niv the author can get to being in her own world, but but it is still not her; she can never completely interact with her own world (unless some freak of nature occured that warped her there, but hey, this is reality).
For those that have a hard time getting the point, here's a more easily understood example (which, almost sadly, I just thought up). Suppose you are playing a Mario video game (for the sake of argument, let's say Super Mario Bros., although it doesn't matter). Are you Mario? No. You are you, and Mario is Mario. You may control Mario's actions; you can make him jump, grab coins, stomp enemies, save the day, or run him off a cliff. You may determine through Mario the fate of the Mushroom Kingdom. But you are not Mario. You are you, and no video game can change that.
Another similar example: in Mario Party 7 and 8, I like to play as Birdo. I determine her (this isn't a gender debate here) actions in the board games, the mini-games, all the contests. But I am not Birdo. I am me. When I accidently run into a spiny shell in Fun Run, it is not me running into the shell; it is Birdo (which is good; that looks like it hurts). Whenever I play any video game, I tempoararily assume the role of someone else, but before and after the game is over, I'm still me.
My point? Don't godmod; eventually you'll godmod yourself into a corner and won't be able to godmod out of it. Trust me on this, it doesn't help.
...boy, this is like the closest I've ever gotten to applied philosophy.
|Posted by supercomputer276 on October 24, 2008 at 3:42 PM
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Short, sweet, and still good for a run. And yes, this is an actual game.
Category: 1 Player Platform
Developer: Treasure
Publisher: SEGA
Release: 1993
Back when my brother and I were little kids and the Sega Genesis was the only console in the house that worked, we sometimes rented games from the local Albertsons when our collection didn't satisfy enough (which was fairly rare given the assortment). One that we kept renting over and over was this obscure little title, McDonald's Treasureland Adventure. Only a few days ago did I get my hands on the ROM to take a trip down memory lane.
In this game, you guide Ronald on a treasure hunt, gaining pieces of the map from the bosses you defeat along the way. The game is a fairly standard platformer. You use the Direction Pad to move Ronald left and right as well as to duck down. All three of the action buttons make Ronald perform different actions: C has him jump (he isn't an exceptional jumper, but he's not horrible), B has him throw a wave of magic (this serves as his primary and, far as I know, only means of offense or defense), and A has him shoot up a small scarf chain that allows him to hold onto hook loops scattered all over the levels and pull himself up them to reach higher areas. Ronald can open fire when jumping, ducking, or hanging from a hook. Ronald's health bar consists of Magic Jewels which he can collect and are vital to defeating the bosses, as they must eat the Jewels before Ronald's magic can damage them. Ronald can also collect other power-ups such as Balloons, which can save him from bottomless pits. During his adventure, Ronald encounters a huge variety of enemies that are often level or even screen specific, as well as an equally large variety of environmental objects to assist him in his treasure hunt. There is also a password feature that allows you to return to play at any of the major checkpoints.
It's easy to tell the game is made for younger players, given the theme, plot, characters, and relative ease of play. The game is also short, consisting of a mere four levels each of which can be split into two sublevels, and easy, although there are some difficult parts. When I was younger, I found the game to be pretty tough; I couldn't understand why jumping on the enemies didn't kill them, and some of the bottomless segments with auto scrolling were killers. Now that I'm older and a much better gamer (compared to back when I first played this game), I cleared the entire thing through in a few hours without a single game over, only suffering multiple deaths on the fourth from last screen in the entire game, and most of the parts I thought were very difficult were really very easy. Playing through again, I found a few details I had completely missed when I was a kid, incluing the fact that the pirate boss's head was a giant toothy grin (I thought he just had a very big mouth prior to the playthrough). Nevertheless, I wasn't all that bored at any time during the playthrough, even though most of my memory of the game guided me through. Many of the enemies are pretty cute, and the game looks good and plays well.
Overall, I thought this trip down memory lane was worth taking. For those that have the game and need a break from your hardcore games, Ronald McDonald and his friends are always there to welcome you.
Concept: 7 / 10
The overall concept of a treasure hunt is fairly common, but I think it is implemented well. Also, I have no clue what some of the items, like the flowers, do.
Graphics: 8 / 10
The graphics aren't the best (Ronald is asymmetrical, after all), but they're not bad.
Sound: 9 / 10
I say it's a shame that some of these pretty catchy tunes aren't on MIDI. None of the music or sounds I found to be bad.
Playability: 7 / 10
I had to dock points here because the control scheme can get confusing, especially if you're just starting. More than once I've thrown a scarf instead of magic by accident. But once you get the hang of it, you can pull things off smoothly.
Entertainment: 8 / 10
Although slightly bland with some pretty tough points, this game is still pretty fun to play though at least once.
Replay Value: Medium low
Although I do enjoy playing through this more than once trying to get everything, I don't like playing it over and over in a short amount of time. Bound to get old after a few years.
Overall Rating: 78%
|Posted by supercomputer276 on October 6, 2008 at 9:18 PM
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For those that follow my visual media (Smack Jeeves webcomics and DeviantART gallery), you might be familiar with Elizabeth. Elizabeth Frankenstein Rabbit was a character I created for SC's story; if you want more details on her, check the Game Over Central Ops for her profile.
I am faced with the concern of finding out what to actually do with her.
Elizabeth was created when I was seventeen (I know that because I read the book her name comes from when in 12th grade) to act as a love interest for SC. She was designed to incorperate a few of my ideas of what makes a girl attractive, including being a few years younger than me. This was during the time when I had left Authortastic due to being frustrated at not having a sufficient degree of control and started the Trailer Park of Authors. I wanted SC to grow a little and give him someone to talk to for the early comics before the others arrived, so I created Elizabeth. My original idea was for SC and Elizabeth to eventally fall in love, possibly get married, and some of the storyline would come from Elizabeth accepting SC as the leader of the Game Over.
Then I rejoined Authortastic and Shard kissed SC one April Fools Day. That's when I decided to go for a relationship between SC and Shard. So much for Elizabeth's original purpose.
As far as media made by me, Elizabeth has pretty much become nothing more than either a straight girl for SC and his associates in the SCemails or a pretty face often being hypnotized by Kaa in my DA drawings. In fact, in the hypnosis meme project I'm working on for DA, Elizabeth is selected as the hypnotic subject. However, I felt that there should be more to this Elizabethan era bunny. Recently I've toyed with the idea of the young man she was courting before she came to the trailer park going there and angerly challenging SC to a duel for her (the appearence of such a young man I've seen as a gray rabbit). I've also tried to put Elizabeth a bit more in Game Over life as the one that knew Sparkz a few years ago as a Pichu who she befriended and helped Sparkz become a Pikachu. However, I refuse to have Elizabeth become an official Game Over operative. I think that would spoil the whole of her charm.
So tell me, what do I do with a cute seventeen-year-old polite Renassance Faire rabbit?
|Posted by supercomputer276 on September 14, 2008 at 2:58 PM
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One time I was having an MSN conversation with an online familiar (one I have had a tense relationship with) and I posed a question, seemingly out of the blue, along the lines of "Is there a difference between a Sonic fancharacter and a Sonic-style character?" He replied affirmatively and pointed me to "Exterminatus Now". EN is an online webcomic (note: very mature themes and language, although very good and sometimes brilliant humor) that features characters drawn in Sonic-style, but they have nearly no relation to the Sonic universe aside from being on the planet Mobius and one recent gag page. On one comic in particular, one of the authors, Virus, rants about this exact subject.
"Contrary to what drama queen online artists would have you believe, you can't copyright a style. Eastwood is a fox drawn in the style of the Sonic characters. He therefore has an innate similarity to Tails who is also a fox. A lot of anime shows share a similar design style, and many characters of the same species - human. Some of the main differences in the character designs are build, size/shape/arrangement of facial features, hair colour/style, eye colour and clothing. Huh. Well lookit that. Those are exactly the things that differentiate Eastwood from Tails. Why is it that human characters in anime can all look the bloody same and nobody notices, but when I give my character conjoined eyes, people call him a ripoff of Sonic?"
-The Virus
This brings to me something that I thought about concerning SC: he's not really much of a fancharacter at all. Just a character.
There's good reason for this conclusion. Back in the original story itself, SC didn't really fit in with the Mario world because he was, well, human. (This is one of the faults Lemmy found with it.) Aside from the Game Over, staffed with Mario characters at the time, he didn't have much connection to the Mario universe. I think this was part of the original purpose. The way I set up the Game Over as a syndicate trying to conquer the multiverse allowed me to have SC be the villian of whatever fanstory I wanted to write. I figured focusing on one villian over several worlds would in general be easier. Sounds ridciulous in hindsight, I know. Maybe it is, but that's how it turned out.
I suppose SC did become a bit of a Mario fancharacter when he changed into Lakitu form. Who am I kidding? He completely became. There was no way I could get around SC not being part of the Mario universe as a Lakitu as he was, well, a Lakitu. Specific Nintendo property. That doesn't mean I regret the choice; SC being Lakitu is vital to his story. It is as a Lakitu that he got Galeforce, which helped ease him into the art of communicating, as well as his first crush outside of an "official" character, EBK's character Jinxy. While a Lakitu, SC also developed several other concepts that became part of the Game Over, such as the plothole portals and CardSoul magic.
With the advent of joining Authortastic 2.0, I decided that the SC the Lakitu sprites wouldn't cut it. I had asked a guy to try and make Sonic-style sprites (the concept of SC then would be to have his tails two different colors, one orange and one purple), but when he didn't respond and I was running out of time, I ended up making the sprites myself (you all know what they look like). This resulted in the design as I refer to as mark I.
Although SC wasn't a Sonic fancharacter (not even close), it was borderline with the first design. I never was good at spriting, and as there were more similarities to Tails in mark I than I could care to admit (heck, Tails not wearing pants was one of the reasons SC mark I didn't wear pants, the others being Sonic and Knuckles). I believe I cleared up most of these concerns with the mark II (current) outfit, which I designed by hand-drawing instead of spriting (and then having Shard sprite them). Anyone can tell you I hand-draw much better than I can sprite, big time. Anyone glancing through my DA gallery can see that. SC's personality also evolved during his fox time. Joining Authortastic took him out of Mt. Majesty or the doomships for a lengthy time for probably the first time since he started the Game Over and gave him his chance to interact with others and evolve from the encounters, resulting in him losing much of the driving hatred that fueled his world-conquering endeavors and generally evolving from villian to anti-hero in most cases. Shard is evidence of this; SC never would've met her had he stayed in his cave.
As such, barring his appearance, that leaves SC almost pretty much seperate from most video game series, excepting Mt. Majesty being located in the Mario world. Already covered that. About a year ago, I started writing a Kingdom Hearts installation for the Game Over series, Kingdom Hearts: Game's End. Pilt is one of the first, actually the first, world that Sora and his party visit, and here they meet up with the Koopa Klan and learn of the Game Over. However, I wanted Mt. Majesty to be a far away world that Sora and the gang could only reach afer a long journey (you don't see End of the World next to Traverse Town, do you?), so I needed some way to seperate the mountain from the planet. The result was that a year prior to the story (since SC was eighteen at the time and he turns sixteen in GOF2, that's plausible since most of his age-seventeen action hasn't been written yet and Authortastic could take place after the seperation), a comet came from the heavens and struck the mountain, resulting in the mountain seperating from Pilt and becoming its own self-sufficient world. The Game Over was self-sufficient when it was part of Pilt (they gathered fruit from the large hedges outside the mountain for food, which came off with the mountain, and have their own power generators in one room), so why not?
Now, barring appearance as before, the only thing to do to pretty much clear all copyrights off SC is to have him dissolve the Game Over and get rid of all characters related to other game series, which is pretty much everyone officially in the Game Over but himself. But hey, you know that's not going to happen. A man needs his castle, even if it is a mountain.
|Posted by supercomputer276 on July 24, 2008 at 10:29 AM
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Category: 1 to 4 Player Music
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 2005
Donkey Konga 2 is one of the three Donkey Konga games (the third was never released outside of Japan) and one of four games (can't really count Barrel Blast since the GameCube version was scrapped) that use the DK Bongos periph... peripher... accessory. What causes me to bring this game up is I recently remembered that one of my favorite tracks, "Headstrong," is on it, so I wanted to try it again.
The Donkey Konga series is Nintendo's attempt at the music matching franchise (not counting DDR Mario, which sadly I haven't been able to try out). Basic play consists of one track along with four types of notes (yellow Left, red Right, pink Both, and blue Clap) move along and you have to use the DK Bongo controller, which came packaged with new copies of the game, in order to play the notes by hitting the two drums and clapping. You didn't really need to clap as anything strong enough to trigger the Clap Sensor in the DK Bongos did the trick, such as tapping on the side of the drums.
The game has its strong points. For once, the coins serve a purpose besides buying stuff in the shops, as they are now required for playing the mini-games. Also, the game comes with a Freestyle Mode, which allows you to play along with the music your own way, which is a plus and also serves as a way to just listen to the music. The game also includes Dixie, who occasionally leaves notes when you clear a song which you can look over later, and serves as a perfect playing computer partner when you're playing solo. The menus are a lot more decorative and intersesting than the previous installment. There is also a few choice songs in the game I particually enjoy, which includes "All Star," "Losing My Religion," "U Don't Have to Call," the classical tracks, and of course "Headstrong."
However the game also has some major setbacks. The DK Bongos have a steep learning curve, and playing with a regular GCN controller is even steeper. Playing this game is definately not like riding a bicycle, or at least riding it well. More then once when using the controller have I drummed when I should have clapped. Any sudden noise in the background can trigger the Clap Sensor at the wrong moment, which can prove disadvantageous. Also, compared to other music games such as Guitar Hero and DDR, Donkey Konga is brutal in terms of difficulty. Even after not playing Guitar Hero for a few months, I could still defeat Lou in the final guitar battle, but after a few months of not playing Donkey Konga 2 and going back to it, I constantly missed note after note. There are only two mini-games, one of which I found rather hard to play, the Share game is fairly ridiculous, the plotline is minimal and virtually non-existant within the game, and the graphics haven't really updated from the original game.
All in all, there's most likely a good reason why fans have made PC versions of DDR and Guitar Hero and yet none has made a PC game to imitate Donkey Konga (or at least none I know of). Donkey Konga 2 is a pretty good game, but unless you're a big DK or music fan, it's probably best if you spent your money elsewhere.
Concept: 7 / 10
The game isn't all that original in concept, as well as fairly difficult to play.
Graphics: 8 / 10
The menus have recieved a greatly needed makeover, but some of the vital graphics, such as the notes and DK and Diddy in game, are nearly identical to the original game's.
Sound: 9 / 10
Personally I think the extra drum kit sounds are annoying and unneeded, although my brother delights in them. As to the song list, I like several of the songs, although I knew of only one or two prior to playing them in-game.
Playability: 5 / 10
The DK Bongo's requirement of using more of your hand than your fingers can throw the average gamer off, and using the controller isn't as easy as it sounds.
Entertainment: 6 / 10
While there are many ways to play with up to four players, it just gets more and more difficult. Some of the Quartet note charts are completely brutal.
Replay Value: Moderately Low
I have absolutely no reason to play the higher difficulty levels, and I doubt I will play it again within a year.
Overall Rating: 70%
|Posted by supercomputer276 on June 20, 2008 at 6:21 PM
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My birthday is July 24th, which means just over a month! Just for fun, I'd thought I'd post my current birthday list.
Video games and related
|Posted by supercomputer276 on May 27, 2008 at 3:45 PM
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Category: 1 to 2 Player Platform
Developer: HAL Labratories
Publisher: Nintendo
Release: 1996
Kirby Super Star (KSS) is the second Kirby game on the Super Nintendo (the first being Kirby's Dream Course) and the system's first Kirby platformer. KSS added much lore to the Kirby series and is arguably the best game in the franchise. An interesting note is that the game is actually nine games in one. Although only four are available from the start, playing through them, which can be pretty straightforward, will unlock the others. Each game has a unique feature that stands it out from the other games. For example, in The Great Cave Offensive, you have to find as many as sixty different treasure chests along with completing all the levels and defeating the bosses.
KSS was also a trend setter. A few elements first introduced in KSS became important parts of future installments in the Kirby franchise, the two main of which are ability hats (hats Kirby wears when he has an ability, allowing you to see with a glance what ability you have) and the use of a health bar instead of several vitiality segments. A few of the unique abilities seen in later installments, such as Ninja, came from this game.
KSS also allows for constant multiplayer through use of the helper system. By pressing A when Kirby has an ability, Kirby could transform that ability into a friendly enemy Helper character that could use the same moves as Kirby had with the ability. When there wasn't a second player present, the computer took control. The AI of a computer-controlled helper was much better compared to the AI in Kirby & the Amazing Mirror (GBA).
The sum of all these has made KSS one of the most popular Kirby games since the series started in 1992. From my view, I'm still not sure exactly why.
I had trouble controlling Kirby at first, although that was probably just because I was using an N64 controller connected to my computer and still trying to figure out a working button arrangement that was as close to an SNES controller as possible. I also thought the sprites were larger then necessary and restricted my view of the level uncomfortably. Also, there is one treasure chest in The Great Cave Offensive that can only be obtained though pure luck, and since it's the most valuable treasure in the game, it can be a real downer. The one-time enemy TAC, who steals your abilities, is fairly annoying and the ability he gives you, Copy, I've never found all that useful either. On that note, while this is the first Kirby game to have an ability do different things depending on what other buttons are pressed when you press the Y Button, I found it a little confusing to work out how each one worked and some, like >>+B for Beam, simply befuddled me.
However, these are fairly minor flaws in an otherwise interesting game. Marx and NOVA of Milky Way Wishes persist in the minds of fans around the globe, including yours truely. Kirby Super Star is one of the greater treasures of the 16-bit era and a definately recommended title.
Concept: 9 / 10
This nine-game package and the various goodies within make for one of the more original SNES titles.
Graphics: 8 / 10
The larger sprites threw me for a while, but they look very good for the system.
Sound: 9 / 10
The SFX are standard for a Kirby game, but the BGM has become the source of remixes both official and not. Revenge of Meta Knight even gets jazzified for Brawl. That says something.
Playability: 9 / 10
After I got my troubles of learning what each button did over, I didn't have very many problems except with the multi-move abilities, and that's probably only a concern I'm facing.
Entertainment: 9 / 10
I found the game to be very enjoyable and really fun to play. Each of the subgames provides a difference experience, especially the unique ability system for Milky Way Wishes, that give each one its charm.
Replay Value: Moderate
Maybe it's just me, but after I finished Milky Way Wishes (which is in a way the last of the nine games), I moved on even though I didn't complete each subgame 100%. I suppose others found more in it then what I did.
Overall Rating: 88%
|Posted by supercomputer276 on May 27, 2008 at 3:31 PM
|comments (0)
This blogspace is going to be my grounds for talking about whatever subject comes to mind, whether it is related to the site or not. While I will allow everyone to comment on my entires, please observe the basic rules such as no spamming, flaming, trolling, or mountain trolling, as well as the general site rules such as no obscene words or material. Thank you, and please leave your opinions.
Generally, there will be two types of posts in this blog: rants and reviews. Rants are small passages free-written by me about a certain subject. Reviews will be my opinions on video games (reviews of other things will be Rants) using a set scoring system. Reviews will have "Review:" at the beginning of the entry's title.
The scoring system for reviews is as follows (and yes, I took it from Lers' Place, I'm a member of the review staff there):
The Scoring System
%100 - 91 - Amazing. These games are nearly perfect in every aspect and is rarely given out. These are games that you cannot miss.
%90 - 81 - Excellent. Just short of gaming perfection. Highly recommended titles.
%80 - 71 - Good. A game with many good things to be had in it.. but may not be the right choice for everyone.
%70 - 61 - Average. Playable but nothing that separates the title from other games. Solid from the beginning to the end.
%60 - 51 - Decent. May get its share of fans but a title that generally will leave players looking for a better gaming experience.
%50 - 41 - Just there. A game that shows a lot of potential but a lot of the game is heavily flawed.
%40 - 31 - Bad. Some parts of the game work but the rest of it either doesn't function like it should or the game is just dull as hell in most areas.
%30 - 21 - Hurtful. Anything that's worth playing in this game is most likely buried beneath aggravating gameplay and poor execution.
%20 - 11 - Unplayable. Nothing to be had in this game. If there is anything to be had, it's most likely small enough to not even bother.
%10 - 0 - Ryan Leaf. A waste of time from the time you own it til you get rid of it. Possibly a Heath Shuler.
And now, what ratings are based from.
Concept: What new things the game brings to the genre and how well the old ideas are presented.
Graphics: How pretty a game looks. Taking flaws into account, like glitches and pop-up.
Sound: Do the sounds and music blow you away or make you want to play with the sound muted?
Playability: How well the controller responds to what you do. The less problems with the control, the more playable the game is.
Entertainment: How fun a game is to play. This is the biggest factor in rating a game.
Replay Value:
High: You'll be playing this title years from now.
Moderately High: Good for a few years, but doesn't last long.
Moderate: Good for a few runs.
Moderately Low: Worth one go and not much else to redeem from it.
Low: You'll probably stop playing this game before you finish it.


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Simple Minds performed at the BBC Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park event yesterday, wowing the early-afternoon crowd with a seven-minute version of their 1985 smash 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'.
After the band's set, Digital Spy and some other journos caught up with frontman Jim Kerr and asked him all about how his band came to soundtrack Judd Nelson's fist-raising on classic John Hughes movie The Breakfast Club.
> Manic Street Preachers bring the sun at Hyde Park UK return - review
"We turned that down about a half-dozen times. We saw the movie and thought, 'Nahh'," Kerr said.
"We were busy working and doing stuff and the record company - the big bad record company - were saying, 'You don't understand, this is going to be the movie of a generation, and he's the Zeitgeist and all that'. We were like, 'Really?'
"It wasn't that even they cajoled us, because we were sticking to our ground. But the fellow who produced the song, Keith Forsey, he came up to Glasgow and said, 'I know you're not going to do it, but can I hang out, because I'm a fan of the band, and maybe we'll work together in the future?'
"We said sure - we were working, he said, 'Let me hang out for a week'. We liked Keith more than we liked his song. You know when you like someone and you're in the pub...
"He was very clever. He said, 'Why don't we do it... if it's good, great, if it's not, it'll get the record company off your back'. So we did in a drafty studio in an afternoon, and thank God we did.
"It was great fun, and then we met John and apart from the whole movies thing, he was such a music fan. Strangely enough he was such an English music fan - Psychedelic Furs and The Cure and Morrissey.
"In fact the other day I was thinking it was really Morrissey that should have done 'Don't You (Forget About Me)'. On his death bed, he would never do it, but that kind of lyric... It wasn't really a Simple Minds thing.
"But musically I think when you hear it coming on the radio, I think we put our Simple Minds heart into it. It'll never be one of ours, but in a way it's a song that belongs to everybody now. It's not bad to have one of them either."


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"Words are like eggs dropped from great heights; you can no more call them back than ignore the mess they leave when they fall." (Jodi Picoult)
Words hold a deep power. We can encourage, teach, comfort, share, and create with words. If we let them, words can also belittle, deflate, hurt, and shame. With this power of words, comes a great responsibility to choose our words cautiously and to use them with respect. I believe this to be especially true of educators. As educators, we have a great influence over children, parents, and each other. We need to be mindfulness of this influence and how the words we speak shape our influence.
When the school year started this year, I was astounded by the amount of posts that were popping up with the theme "what teachers wish that parents knew". I was more astounded by the largely negative tone these posts took. Earlier this month, I was engaged in a discussion on the appropriateness or not of homework in kindergarden and was again confronted by the use of very negative descriptions of parents.
Words matter. Even when written down and you think that certain people won't see them, words still matter. They matter because when said out loud or written on paper they are given life. And that life makes them true to the speaker (writer) and to those who the words were directed at. Even if that person never hears or sees the words. Think about that for a minute. By using derogatory words to talk about a parent or parents as a whole, even if the parents don't hear or read the words, you are making them true in your mind. This is because words are an expression of our thoughts, otherwise they wouldn't be needed.
Everything that it said and written about parents becomes true in our minds. So if you are writing that parents are clueless and lazy, this representation of them becomes true to you. Once it becomes true, it becomes impossible to act as though it is not true. This means you start to teach and behave in ways that are not respectful of parents. And from this the children learn that you don't like them. Because, to a child, they are their parents. Whether you intend to or not, when you use hurtful and demeaning words to talk about parents, you are being hurtful and demeaning to the children.
And then what happens to the positive relationships? They begin to disappear. And without relationships, there cannot be learning. This is the power of words. Words can create or destroy relationships and in turn encourage or dismiss learning.
So let us remember that the child is part of the parent. Let us remember that it is our job to build strong relationships with both the child and the parent. Let us remember to be mindful of the words we use.


text: We calculate that 100 months from 1 August 2008, atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases will begin to exceed a point whereby it is no longer likely we will be able to avert potentially irreversible climate change. 'Likely' in this context refers to the definition of risk used by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) to mean that, at that particular level of greenhouse gas concentration, there is only a 66 - 90 per cent chance of global average surface temperatures stabilising at 2o Celsius above pre-industrial levels.1 Once this concentration is exceeded, it becomes more and more likely that we will overshoot a 2o C level of warming. This is the maximum acceptable level of temperature rise agreed by the European Union and others as necessary to retain reasonable confidence of preventing uncontrollable and ultimately catastrophic warming. We also believe this calculation to be conservative. The reasons why and the assumptions behind our conclusion are detailed below. "


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- Cut the beef into cubes of 1cm. Season with salt, pepper and paprika.
- Heat the oil and butter in a frying pan, and sear the cubes of meat (with should remain rare.)
- Drain,
- Drain, and set aside the beef in a metal bowl.
- Add the tomato concentrate to the veal stock.
- Remove some of the oil from the frying pan, and add the chopped onion.
- Soften for 1 or 2 minutes.
- Deglaze with white wine, and leave to reduce.
- Add the veal stock, and reduce once more.
- Add the drained meat cubes.
- Add the crème fraîche, and reduce for a further 3 minutes.
Croquettes potatoes
Preparation : 1 hour
Refridgerator : 1 hour
Cooking time : 2 minutes per pan
1 kg pototoes (ex. Bintje)
1 whole egg and 3 yolks
1 pinch of ground nutmeg
75 gr butter
100 gr golden breadcrumbs
Plain flour
Salt and pepper
- Peel and wash the potatoes. Cut into small pieces and place in a saucepan of cold water.
- Salt, and cook for 30 minutes on a high heat.
- Drain the potatoes, and press through a mill. Return the mash to a saucepan on a moderate heat, stirring constantly, to evaporate some of the humidity.
- Off the heat, mix in 75 gr of butter and 3 egg yolks to the hot puree, incorporating each one fully before adding the next.
- Season with salt and pepper and the ground nutmeg. Spread the puree into a dish, and leave in the fridge for one hour. This will firm the potato making it easier to handle.
- Flour a board and kneed the potato puree to make it smooth. Take one large spoonful of the mixture and mould it into a cylinder. Do the same with the remainder of the puree.
- Place 100 gr of breadcrumbs onto a plate.
- Beat the whole egg with a pinch of salt.
- Dip each croquette into the beaten egg until completely coated, and then roll in the breadcrumbs.
- Leave to rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a deep fryer to 170°c. Deep fry the croquettes in this hot but not smoking oil for around 2 minutes.
- Drain the croquettes on absorbant paper.
Keep warm in the oven until serving.


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In the past I have been accused of compartmentalizing my life; keeping work, pleasure and social circles separate. I knew I did this, I knew it could be painful for those who were close to me, but I couldn't help it. It kept me sane in my world of multiple personalities and identities. It allowed me to be who I wanted to be in any given situation without the eyes of someone who knew me as an 'other' witnessing my fraud. But some eyes do not see a fraud, they see a person growing in all their glory into something more than what they were before. These are the friends that I hold dear to my heart. As Elizabeth Foley once said "The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart." I cherish them as much as I do not mourn for the ones I have had to leave behind.
My Berlin self is different. Here, I am one. And I am so eager to introduce the old to the new. To show them who I am and to allow them the opportunity to touch each others lives as they have all touched mine.
Plus, it's a great excuse for zu viel Wein!!!
(BarGEfEsT 2008)


text:
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4. MISS TRISH - Lowtide rubber flip flops £20 (Yes, it's true, flipflops can be fashionable! Just ask Miss Trish) http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/320021
5. MARC BY MARC JACOBS - Metallic Stardust Logo iPhone 4 case £15 (If some of you were lucky enough to receive an iPhone from Santa then why not jazz it up with a Marc Jacobs case. Who says you can't be playful with your technology too... I'd outfit co-ordinate!) http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/196195
6. GRACE CODDINGTON - Grace: A Memoir hardcover book by Grace Coddington £20 - (If you're as much of a fashion bunny as I am then you would have got your mits on this book already - however I will let you off if you haven't. Grace is the one and only Vogue fashion editor. Therefore an essential read for the Vogue following) http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/364647
Last but not least (the most steep)...
7.CHARLOTTE OLYMPIA - Big Kiss leather lips clutch £172.50 (I'm sorry I'm sorry I just had to include this lush purse!!! God save me... I know it's such a splurge but how can you not resist those big juicy lips of Charlotte Olympia and at SALE PRICE too!!! Grab them before they go... GOGOGOGO) http://www.net-a-porter.com/product/313788
Many thanks to http://www.net-a-porter.com my online lust list
Alice x


text:
At a public forum April 30 on the pros and cons of hosting a gambling casino in Lake George, local resident Joanne Gavin calls for collaboration to solve economic problems in Lake George, rather than lobbying the state for a casino — without appropriate research. About 240 people attended the forum, held in the Fort William Henry Conference Center.
Whether hosting a gambling casino would boost local prosperity in Warren County or spoil the local quality of life was debated with passion Monday as about 240 area residents spoke their minds at a public forum held at Fort William Henry Conference Center.
The session, sponsored by the Lake George Village Board, started with presentations from Attorney Michael Garry of Albany and Robert Sturges, an attorney who has served as an executive of Nevada Gold Casinos — decades after he was a deputy Attorney General in New Jersey that fought organized crime involved in casino operations.
Sturges talked of substantial positive economic benefits that municipalities reap when they host casinos.
Garry detailed the status of the legislation and court challenges that are likely to accompany New York State's venture into hosting up to nine casinos.
Sturges said that a casino in Warren County would dramatically increase tourism, and that event planners preferred to host business conventions where casinos were located. He continued that casinos routinely employ 2,000 people and generate $300 million annually — as well as generate about 1,800 additional jobs in the community and another $150 million in spin-off economic activity locally.
"A casino would be a huge magnet for visitors, and everyone would benefit," he said.
Sturges predicted that a casino would boost the fortunes of nearby businesses, citing surveys that show casino visitors routinely eat or shop outside the casino complex.
After the presentation, a number of residents objected to the village leaders not offering a balance of professional opinions on the issue, as they were hosting two advocates for casinos, yet no one speaking about the potential negative aspects of hosting gambling.
"We're being sold a bill of goods — there are no anti-casino representatives here," Zach Richards said, looking at the village board.
Resident Bonnie Colomb challenged Sturges' optimism over hosting a casino.
"You are throwing around grandiose figures," she said. "Transforming Lake George from a family-friendly resort to a gambling destination is repugnant."
Criticizing Village Mayor Robert Blais and Town Supervisor Dennis Dickinson for their comments of apparent support for a casino published in the Lake George Mirror, Colomb offered some advice.
"The leaders of this community have to find out different ways to solve the problems of growth and economic success that is so needed — we are a different, quaint village that has a ton of history that could be parlayed into a strong future."
Lake George Steamboat Co. owner Bill Dow offered an opposing view, citing how hosting riverboat gambling in Mississippi gave thousands of people jobs, pulling them out of poverty, while providing vital support for local schools.
He criticized Warren County officials for not yet lobbying the state for a casino.
"Saratoga County leaders are behind hosting a casino 100 percent, but our county fellas have done zero," he said, noting that a casino in Saratoga Springs — considered a likely site — would offer no benefits for Warren County residents. "If we don't speak up for this, it is damn short-sighted of us."
Lake George store owner Patty Kirkpatrick also expressed support for a casino, in part because it would boost property values, which she said had been stagnant for longer than a decade.
"I strongly urge our county supervisors to get on the 'casino train' for the vitality of Lake George," she said.
SUNY Adirondack Business Professor Chandler Atkins also expressed support, noting it was a trend that Lake George residents shouldn't ignore. He observed that local youth were now moving away due to more prosperous career prospects elsewhere.
"We are exporting our students," he said. "But if we support this, our tourism industry could grow amazingly."
John Carr, owner of Adirondack Pub & Brewery, said he recognized the potential economic benefits, but he personally didn't like gambling — and had reservations about Lake George hosting a casino.
Although a casino would likely provide year-round employment, perhaps for 1,000 or so people in town who now live below poverty level, there might be negative offsetting factors, he said. Carr continued that multi-national corporations might be the only entities reaping the substantial benefits that some people predict.
"We have to investigate this," Carr said. "A lot of research needs to be done."
George Thurston, a retired engineer, said he had reviewed independent studies on the issue — and he was wary of gambling's impact, citing a soaring number of bankruptcies in communities that host gambling.
"There's a lot of revenue, but at the expense of poor people who can't afford to spend their money at casinos," he said. "Gambling strips the economy at the lower levels while enriching the wealthy."
Joanne Gavin suggested that village leaders consider other types of major attractions, perhaps developing a ski area on nearby Prospect Mountain.
"Let's not grasp at something that's thrown at us and sold to us, let's work collectively towards solutions to our problems," she said, calling for collaboration instead of the prevailing divisive controversy over hosting gambling


text:
Want to enjoy the best cupcake you've ever had? We have found the place for you! Please meet our newest logo customer, Flower Mound's 8th Wonder Cupcakes located at 2608 Long Prairie (next to Red, Hot and Blue.) Their goal is to make every bite moist, delicious and memorable for both adults and children alike. And we can vouch that they meet that goal!
8th Wonder Cupcakes is owned and operated by a Texas born and Flower Mound raised family. They are a brother/sister team committed to making the best cupcakes you've ever had and to providing you with the best service. They have spent countless hours refining not only the baking process but making certain their recipes provide you with the best tasting cupcakes you have ever had. They use top shelf ingredients and bake their cupcakes fresh every morning.
Some of you can remember the days of complete service when going to a gas station. You know, the times when you'd get your gas pumped, your windshield washed, your tires filled with air, your oil checked and so on. And all of it done by a friendly, sincere employee. Well, that is what 8th Wonder Cupcakes is – a throwback to the days of a great product and complete, sincere and friendly service.
8th Wonder Cupcakes are also committed to charity and to helping others. From assisting in efforts to help local senior citizens, local schools, and local athletic teams to sponsoring children in Haiti, they believe that giving is their obligation and privilege.
8th Wonder likes to consider themselves as Flower Mound's cupcake bakery and they are proud of that distinction. Their cupcakes are made using recipes that come from a long line of family bakers. They use local suppliers for all of their other products from drinks to apparel to jewelry to printing. They feel that it is important to be local in every way they can.
Their goal is to make you feel great when you come to see them and that your visit will be memorable for all of the right reasons. So, go see them! They promise to make your visit fun, enjoyable and delicious.
Here's their website where we encourage you to read through the extensive list of fabulous flavors available. We promise you won't be disappointed!


text:
Excellence in Education Conference honors innovative programsBy Sandy Broughton
Spectrum Volume 19 Issue 10 - October 31, 1996
Gary D. Fenstermacher, professor of educational studies at the University of Michigan, will be the keynote speaker for the thirteenth annual Excellence in Education Conference on November 7 and 8.
Fenstermacher's address will be Thursday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Donaldson Brown Center auditorium. Fenstermacher, a noted scholar who has published extensively in the area of educational policy and schooling in the United States, will speak on "Using Schools to Kill Democracy in America," which will include a discussion of the current school-voucher, charter-school, and privatization movements. The public is invited to attend, free of charge. Presentation of award-winning programs and exhibits will be held from 8 a.m. until noon the following morning, Friday, Nov. 8, in Donaldson Brown. Reservations for the awards luncheon can be made through the Donaldson Brown Center.
Fenstermacher's address at the Excellence in Education Conference marks a return to Virginia Tech, where he was a faculty member in the College of Education from 1977 to 1985, chair of the graduate program in educational foundations from 1977 to 1982, and director of Tech's Northern Virginia Graduate Center from 1982 to 1985.
Fenstermacher left Virginia Tech to become dean of the College of Education at the University of Arizona, a position he held from 1985 to 1991. He remained on the University of Arizona faculty until 1996 when he became a professor of educational studies at the University of Michigan's School of Education last summer.
Fenstermacher is past-president (1992) of the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the largest association of education colleges in the world. Since 1992, Fenstermacher has been senior associate in the University of Washington's Center for Educational Renewal, and senior fellow in the Seattle-based Institute for Educational Inquiry, both organizations dedicated to the realization of the school and university reform initiatives proposed by John I. Goodlad.
Since its inception in 1983, the Excellence in Education Awards Conference has recognized innovative approaches to teaching and learning in Virginia's public schools and community colleges. The Awards Conference, presented annually by the College of Human Resources and Education (CHRE), has become a forum in which public-school educators from throughout the commonwealth gather to present ideas and exchange information with Tech professors.
Selection of award winners is highly competitive. This year, 99 programs competed. Twelve award winners and 15 certificate-of-recognition recipients were chosen. Among the award winners is the Community Design Assistance Center at Virginia Tech which has teamed with William Fleming Magnet School in Roanoke for "Community Design Practicum: Outreach for Community Restoration." The program targets "at-risk" and minority youth in inner cities and rural communities of Southwest Virginia who stand to benefit from exposure to higher education and professional career opportunities through involvement in design-related community service projects. The first project is directed at a segment of the Roanoke Greenway project in Roanoke.
For the second year, the Excellence in Education conference will include the World of Work awards, presented by the Blue Ridge Training and Education Council in recognition of teachers with an exceptional ability to create an educational experience that uses real-world applications.
Entrants are judged on the integration of academic, technical, and career education in preparing students for the workforce and enhancing the education and economic development potential of the Blue Ridge Region of Virginia. Ten Virginia public school educators will receive awards.
For more information, call the CHRE at 1-5056.


text: These should get your New Years Spirits up and frolicking royally. This, and the news in two separate but nearly identical articles this morning, that Obama will avoid conflicts with and listening to the will of Congress, and by extension, the will of the people, in a grandiose, almost Hitlerian style attempt to appear presidential, ruling by executive fiat and edict if necessary, to concentrate on his re election. Got my spirits to the level of the American Gothic painting. Happy New Year! Now, where's that barf bag? As '11 Ends, 11 Charts Of 11 Disturbing 11 Year Trends | ZeroHedge


text:
17 July 2010
When the sign outside the restroom says that it's open from 7 am to dusk, one would expect that at 9 am, it would be unlocked and available for public use.
One would really expect that at 10:30 am, it would be unlocked and available for public use.
One does not expect, when partaking of the big public park with big public restrooms, that they would have to walk a freaking mile and a quarter to get to the closest maybe-they'll-let-me-use-it restroom.
Because really? By then, once would expect to need to pee like the proverbial racehorse, and that would be a VERY UNCOMFORTABLE WALK.
Today, you get a giant FAIL from one of your local residents.
Kinda Pissed Off, but not in a literal sense because THE DAMNED RESTROOMS WERE LOCKED...
7 comments:
- Angel and Kirby said...
That is just wrong! They close ours all winter so the pipes won't freeze, the one or two days we have freezing temps!
- July 16, 2010 8:08 PM
- Derby, Ducky said...
Time to call city hall.
- July 17, 2010 10:31 AM
- Lone Star Purrs said...
Our trails did that...but with the water fountains!! I'd be calling city hall.
~LSP Momma Becca
- July 17, 2010 11:01 PM
- Marti said...
Hope you sent it.
- July 18, 2010 12:11 AM
- Roses said...
Could be the guy who unlocks the doors was sick that day, and the substitute didn't read that far down the list.
I'd plan a walk past that bathroom again when you don't need it, and check the doors. If locked, call City Hall and let them know.
(I know. So NOT a funny comment from me. I wonder if I'm feeling okay.)
- July 23, 2010 5:25 AM
- The Lee County Clowder said...
That's why God gave us parking garages. (most of them go down at least one level, and have a drain somewhere in a corner :-) )
- July 23, 2010 3:31 PM
- Thumper said...
They were open today. Which was a good thing because I REALLLY needed one...
- July 23, 2010 5:36 PM


text:
Everyday on my way to work, I pass by this old nursery in Lacombe. The buildings and greenhouses are in disrepair and the plants that were left there are overgrown. While I would love to "tour" this lovely old place, the six foot chain-link fence and my fear of snakes keep me out.
This abandoned garden center amazes me. Each season, some new plant is blooming. The azaleas bloomed in the spring time. As spring gives way to summer, there's a hibiscus with white petals and magenta centers that blooms the size of a dinner plate. Pink roses fill the fencerow in summer. As the weather cools, the camellias begin blooming. What a beautiful show of colors year round this little run down spot along the highway gives passersby. And I wonder. I wonder about the former owners. Who were the people who lovingly planted these plants? Who now owns this property and why do they let it grow wild like it is?
Then I look at my little garden that I spend countless hours weeding and caring for and think about the master gardener in our lives. I think about how He created this world for His pleasure. I think about how He lovingly cares for us daily.


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Last month, a report out of Russia showed a rare, red-fur albino that was rejected by its mother but saved by a local animal-lover. Draw your own conclusions, but we reckon that BMW modelled its new 1 Series off the lonely creature.
Similarly, the front of the original VW Tiguan has more than a hint of koala about it, despite the name referencing 'tiger' and 'iguana'. The Ferrari 458 Italia is one of the hottest supercars ever built, but its aero-enhancing air intake slats makes it appear as though it bailed Italy and grew a Mexican moustache. All it needs is a sombrero. Creatures from the deep also make an appearance in the HSV GTS and Peugeot 407, we reckon, what with their oddly-shaped grilles mimicking a wide-mouthed fish.
Finally, away from animals, the 2001 VW Polo and current Nissan X-Trail and Skoda Yeti all share headlights that appear dopey-eyed, with more than a hint of Harry Potter's glasses about them.
What are your favourite car design look-a-likes? 'Like' this page on Facebook and tell us your favourite car design look-a-like. The best response will win one of five motorsport DVDs from the Wheels gift shop...


text:
I've read this series before and have enjoyed it thoroughly.
Sabriel: This book is filled with mystery, suspense, action, and adventure. Sabriel is a gifted girl who becomes a talented Abhorsen; someone who uses some form, commonly bells, to control the dead. (It's a wild ride and I love it every time I read it.)
Lirael: I didn't remember this book when I started it for the second time, so reading it from a fresh perspective helped me realize this story focuses on Sabriel and Touchstone's son, Prince Sameth and their daughter Lirael and how they're both trying to learn how to become what they are destined to be. There's a plentiful amount of action and, what I've come to realize are magically controlled zombies. There are so many twists in this captivating tale, I can't wait to see where it will turn next.
Abhorsen: This story leaves off where the second one ends. It focuses on Lirael and Sameth's journey to stop a rogue necromancer and save Sameth's friend Nicholas Sayre, who unknowingly gets caught in the middle of the war between the dead and the Abhorsen. This story is a fitting conclusion to the trilogy. It wraps up, but not to the point the reader won't want to continue with the series. I can't wait for the next book to be released.