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Decatur's Route 6W a success so farPosted:
DECATUR -- A noticeable change in downtown Decatur has been the rerouting of truck traffic.
The truck traffic businesses complained about for years -- that problem's mostly gone, according local business owners.
Back in October the city started enforcing Route 6W. (6W standing for vehicles with over six wheels.)
According to the city ordinance, those trucks (including trailers) must stay off Franklin, Water and Main Streets between Wood and Eldorado Streets downtown.
So keeping those big trucks off downtown streets also keeps them away from some of the local businesses, like Decatur Coin and Jewelry on Main Street.
Owner Bennie Strumpher says the "wall of truck traffic" used to be a nuisance. Large trucks traveling high speeds used to shake the building, Strumpher said.
Strumpher thinks the city is doing a good job at enforcing it. However, he says you still see the occasional truck fly past the windows.
"It's weird," said Strumpher. "It's like wow, that's crazy, so we don't notice it. But when it does happen, it's a big deal."
Trucks making deliveries to downtown businesses are an exception. They have designated parking spaces where they're allowed to make their deliveries outside of rush hour.

subset: commoncrawl


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Two weeks ago, I explored the gap between Barack Obama's rhetoric on pay equity and the reality of how he pays women in his Senate office. While Obama preaches equal pay for equal work, he does not practice it on Capitol Hill.
Well, it turns out that his running mate, Joe Biden, is even worse.
#ad#Based on calculations using Senate pay records posted by LegiStorm.com, a political transparency organization, between October 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008, Obama's 28 male staffers divided among themselves total payroll expenditures of $1,523,120. Thus, Obama's average male employee earned $54,397 on an annualized basis.
Obama's 30 female employees split $1,354,580 among themselves, or $45,152, on average.
Among Obama's top five highest-paid — and likely most senior — employees, one was female. Among his top 20, seven were women.
All told, for every dollar that Obama paid his average male staffer, his female counterpart made just 83 cents.
As for Biden, his 14 male staffers split a total payroll outlay of $1,077,128.40. So, Biden's average male employee earned $76,937.74 per annum.
Biden's 27 female employees divided $1,517,874.47, or $56,217.57, on average.
Among Biden's top five highest-paid aides, one was a woman. Among the top 20, 11 were women.
All told, for every dollar that Biden paid his average male staffer, his female equivalent made only 73 cents.
This number is significant. Not only does Biden discount women by more than a quarter per dollar paid to men, on average. Biden collides into the standard by which his own campaign berates major companies for alleged pay discrimination.
Beneath the website banner "Fighting for Pay Equity," Obama-Biden's women's issues page complains that, "Despite decades of progress, women still make only 77 cents for every dollar a man makes. A recent study estimates it will take another 47 years for women to close the wage gap with men at Fortune 500 corporate offices."
Biden actually pays his average female employees four cents less than the level that triggers outrage on his own campaign's website!
Nevertheless, Obama and Biden have the gall to go after McCain on this topic. The Democrats Monday launched an ad in Ohio in which Lilly Ledbetter, a Supreme Court litigant on pay equity, attacks McCain because he "opposed a law to give women equal pay for equal work. And he dismissed the wage gap, saying women just need education and training."
McCain told the Associated Press last April 23: "I am all in favor of pay equity for women, but this kind of legislation, as is typical of what's being proposed by my friends on the other side of the aisle, opens us up to lawsuits for all kinds of problems…This is government playing a much, much greater role in the business of a private-enterprise system."
Far more important is that McCain actually follows Obama and Biden's gospel on this issue, almost to a fault.
McCain's 17 male staffers split $916,914, thus averaging $53,936. His 25 female employees divided $1,396,958 and averaged $55,878.
#ad#On average, these figures show, women in John McCain's Senate office make $1.04 for every dollar a man makes — a full 31 cents higher than Biden pays. (For detailed figures see this chart. I outline my methodology in my previous piece.)
In short, when it comes to implementing pay equity on Capitol Hill, the Democratic nominees talk a great game. However, in a three-way match-up, McCain earns the gold medal while Obama and Biden score silver and bronze, respectively.
To hear Obama and Biden taunt McCain on this issue is like being at the Beijing Olympics and hearing 200-meter butterfly medalists Cseh Laszlo of Hungary (silver) and Matsuda Takeshi of Japan (bronze) tell America's gold-plated Michael Phelps to go take swimming lessons.
– Deroy Murdock is a New York-based columnist with the Scripps Howard News Service and a media fellow with the Hoover Institution on War, Revolution and Peace at Stanford University.


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CassieDragonheart on Apr 4, 2014 wrote:Though not in the area you mention, I had a similar problem. I deduced that it was because I killed the wrong ("master") monster first, and was then killed by its underling. I returned, killed the "master monster" first somewhat by accident (it was a raven in Grizzleheim, I think) and then also defeated the underling, apparently winning. Yet, when I tried to collect the spoils of the battle, I was not able to do so. I had to fight the battle a third time, deliberately defeating the underling first, followed by the "master" and, lo and behold, I was able to collect the spoils and move on past that particular part of the quest. ... Just something to think about. -- Cassandra Dragonheart (cnat56)
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It was one of the most hope-inspiring, butterfly-inducing, mind-boggling headlines ever: "I'm first in world to be cured of HIV". And the story was just as good. A 25-year-old Scot, Andrew Stimpson, who had been HIV-positive for a year, had recently tested negative despite receiving no treatment other than a cocktail of vitamin supplements.
Fantastic news - not just for Stimpson but for the whole of mankind. Ditch the antiretrovirals! Throw away the red ribbons! Finally, after over two decades of heartache and tragedy, we are on the cusp of nuking a virus which killed 3.1 million people worldwide in 2004 and afflicts an estimated 39.4 million in total, 60,000 in the UK.
If it's true, that is. And that is the thing. In our brave new world of evidence-based medicine, all "miracle cures" - whether for cervical cancer, herpes, Aids or even nits - should be viewed with scepticism.
The Stimpson example is a case in point. As the facts have emerged, the story has lost much of its sense of wonder. Doctors at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, where his tests were carried out, now believe that he probably hasn't recovered from the disease but never had it in the first place, and that his first results were false positives. These are extremely rare because the HIV blood test - which checks for antibodies to the virus - is so sensitive. There are no official figures, but experts estimate that the chance of getting a false positive is one in a million.
"A person's response to the virus depends on a number of factors, including their genetic makeup, their immune system and the amount of virus (viral load) that they are coming into contact with," explains Will Nutland, head of health promotion at the HIV/Aids charity the Terrence Higgins Trust. "Exposure to only a small amount of the virus could possibly lead to the development of antibodies which would show up on a blood test without the person having picked up the disease itself."
But it's not just the facts surrounding the story that are at issue here. It's also the manner in which it has been reported. Presenting tales like Stimpson's as miracle stories which speak for a whole group (in this case, people with HIV) can be dangerous and misleading, says Annabel Kanabus, director of the Aids charity Avert. "The media did the same when reporting research on HIV vaccines. They led people to believe that a cure was just around the corner when, in reality, vaccine development is at least 10 to 15 years off."
And, she points out, even if Stimpson did have something remarkable going on in his body, it would take years to turn it into a viable treatment for others.
But it's not just cures for HIV that prompt such wildly overstated headlines. If every health breakthrough that made headlines was true, we would be rid of all disease by Christmas.
In the quest for viewers and readers, the media all too often seize on seemingly dramatic stories based on half-finished research, studies on animals or individual case histories such as Stimpson's, rather than on the results of large-scale studies in peer- reviewed journals, with more scientific rigour and more reliable results.
Last week, for example, we were told there was a vaccine for high blood pressure in the pipeline. One of my patients suggested he would like to have it alongside his flu jab and was disappointed to discover that the vaccine in question had so far only proved effective in rats.
Of course, miracles do happen and plenty of breakthroughs have lived up to expectations, thanks to which we've seen the back of diseases such as smallpox and the UK's once high death rates from tuberculosis. So while we should not lose hope that a treatment for HIV is on its way, there are no grounds for popping open the champagne just yet.
Reader's problem
A reader asks: My 17-year-old daughter hasn't started her periods yet. Should we be worried?
Simon says: Girls can start menstruating from around the age of 10, and 13 is the average. So a girl who hasn't had a period by the time she's 17 certainly needs a medical check-up.
There are a variety of causes of this problem, some of which are accompanied by a delay in the development of a girl's secondary sexual characteristics, for example, breasts and pubic hair. In this category, the main culprits are hormonal and include abnormalities of the pituitary gland and hypothalamus in the brain and also the thyroid gland. Other causes include a variety of anatomical problems (for example, an absent vagina), anorexia nervosa and, of course, pregnancy.
· To ask Simon a question, email firstname.lastname@example.com. Please note that Simon cannot enter into any correspondence.


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The Law Officer's Pocket Manual - Bloomberg BNA
This handy 4" x 6" spiral-bound manual offers examples showing how rules are...
Pak Chong Mar, a Queens resident, approached fans of "Today" just before filming of the morning show and used broken English to tell anyone who would listen that the Internal Revenue Service was corrupt and that the agency "ruined his life," reports the New York Daily News.
Mar shouted about peppermint tea and tried to get bystanders to read a pile of papers. He tossed the stack into the air, and whipped out a pocket knife with a three or four-inch blade. He yelled "I'm going to cut myself!" twice before hacking at his own wrist.
After someone wrestled the blade away from him, he took out another knife and began hacking at his other wrist. That's when NYPD officers tackled Mar, ending the incident. Watch the takedown here.
John Russell @ 6/6/2013 8:25 PM
IRS and US TREASURY one and the same....? And that is all connected with THE FED which of course tied to US MINT and guess who guards that YUP SS ..wonder if whne they made the SS secret service they knew it was also Hitler's personal police force?
Jim B. @ 6/7/2013 7:10 AM
John Russell,I was going to come up with a somewhat lengthy response to your post but on second thought, I think I'll just condense it to one word.Huh?
Nichole @ 6/10/2013 3:05 AM
John... are you saying that our money is made by, guarded, and taxed by the Third Reich?


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Bet On Brazil are offering enhanced odds of 25/1 (26.0) on Manchester United to win against Arsenal on Saturday. You can lay this off for a guaranteed profit.
£6 expected profit in just 5 easy steps.
- Open betting exchange account (if not completed yet)
- Open bookmaker account
- Place qualifying bet with bookmaker
- Place lay bet with betting exchange
- Convert free bet to profit
Step 1 – Sign up to Betfair (betting exchange)
The first thing you need is a betting exchange account so you can place 'Lay' bets to cover your 'Back' bets. The biggest betting exchange out there is Betfair (owned by the bookmaker PaddyPower), click here to open an account with Betfair. (opens in a new browser tab)
Open Account with Betfair (opens in a new browser tab)
Step 2 – Sign up to Bet on Brazil (bookmaker)
Open account with Bet on Brazil (opens in a new browser tab)
Once your Bet on Brazil account is open deposit £5.
Step 3 – Place qualifying 'Back' bet with Bet on Brazil
Open both Betfair and Bet on Brazil websites in your web browser so you can quickly find the Manchester United v Arsenal match (Saturday 12:30) and place a £1 back bet on Manchester United to win.
Important: The 26.0 enhanced odds will not be visible as Bet On Brazil will pay you any enhanced winnings as a free bet after the match has finished.
Step 4 – Place 'Lay' bet with Betfair
You need to calculate what the enhanced odds would be.
Important: Enhanced Odds Calculation
- Subtract the odds that you placed your bet at from 26
- Multiply that amount by 0.8
- Add the original odds back on
- = new enhanced odds total to use as your back bet odds
Example: So if your original odds are 2.5, then you would enter 21.3 as your back odds because 26 – 2.5 = 23.5 then 23.5 x 0.8 = 18.8 and add the 2.5 back on, giving 21.3. Simples!
Use the Odds Search Calculator or Tricky Bets Calculator to work out your bets.
- Select "Normal" at the top as it is your qualifying bet
- The bookmaker stake is £1
- Enter the Bet on Brazil back odds as worked out above
- Enter the exchange lay odds
- Enter the lay commission (5% for Betfair)
- Click on to calculate
The lay stake and the liability will be shown, remember the "liability" is the amount you need to deposit into the exchange to cover your bet.
Step 5 – Convert free bet to profit
If your bet loses with Bet On Brazil you will make an instant profit of approximately £6.50 (at current odds).
If your bet wins with Bet On Brazil your winnings will be split between cash and free bets. You will have made a loss of around £12 but you will now receive a free bet of around £23.50.
The free bet will be credited to your account within 3 days.
Important: The free bet will need to be used within a further 14 days.
Open both Betfair and BoyleSports websites in your web browser so you can quickly find a good match or use a free tool like Odds Search (free signup) to find a match, this time the higher the odds the more profit you make but the more cash you need in Betfair to cover the bet (you get this back either way), go for above 4.0 if possible.
Use the Odds Search Calculator or Tricky Bets Calculator to work out your bets.
- Select FREE BET SNR (SNR = stake not returned) at the top as it is your free bet
- Enter your free bet stake
- Enter the Bet on Brazil back odds
- Enter the exchange lay odds
- Enter the lay commission (5% for Betfair)
- Click on to calculate
You should expect to make at least £6 profit from this offer.


text: Kyoto Culture Kyocera Museum of Art Special Exhibition Witness a special exhibition of paintings at the Kyocera Museum of Art, in Fushimi, Kyoto. Titled "Promenade Through Kyoto in Watercolors ― Kyoto's Four Seasons in Watercolor Painting," the exhibit will feature approximately 60 watercolor paintings by Takiko Kuroiwa representing Kyoto's famous sights, festivals, and seasonal sceneries. By Ignatius Koh Kyocera Museum of Art May 19th - July 1st 2018 ¥Free


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Morelife London
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Phone number: 91-088-00221252
URL: http://morelifelondon.comPost A Recommendation Bookmark this Business
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3/13/07 - There are a couple of releases happening for the DY boys. Tommy and Jack have again joined up and Released a new album Influence. It is a great tribute to the songs they loved in the 60's and 70's. Also they are Rereleasing Damny Yankees Uprising video on DVD. Check it out!
12/21/04 - I hear the Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding Benifit was a great success. I have a few links for photos and such including some from Tommy himself, on Styxworld and His Personal site Crystal Ball. Tommy also wrote a Note about his expriences. A Friend of mine Judy also sent me this link of photos from the show. If anyone else has photos let me know and I will post them.
12/03/04 - You can find out more info on the Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding Benefit that will feature a reunion OF the Damn Yankees at the KDKB website. If any of you are lucky enough to go (since I can't...grumble grumble) I would love to feature some pictures from this show on my Site. So please send them.
11/12/04 - Off of Styxworld.com: Tommy Shaw reports that all four DY members will be preforming DY tunes at Alice Cooper's Christmas Pudding Benefit on December 18th in Phoenix at the Dodge Theater. This will be the first time this has happen in a LONG time. More info as I find it.
8/18/04 - Cleveland.com has an article about Michael in it's online paper today. Michael is releasing a series of paintings about life on the road. Looks interesting, Go Michael!
7/26/04 - Well I have FINALLY updated the old site. Let me know what you think. Drop me a line at firstname.lastname@example.com. If you find any problems please let me know.
4/8/04 - Jack's new cd is out in the US now and I recieved a promo copy of this to feature on the site. I have done a review of it. This being my first writen review please be kind lol. I have also figured out what versions of the disc have what so be sure to check out the Discography. Be sure to let me know what you guys think... Remember be kind!
3/9/04 - Well the dream tour is out. Seems the powers that be only look at the bottom line. Oh Well. We do have a couple of cool things happening though. First Jack has released his first solo album the self titled Jack Blades, and Tommy helped write one of the songs and sings on the album. Hopefully I will have a review soon. Also a NEW Shaw/Blades CD is coming out hopefully this summer. It will be covers of classic songs such as: Summer Breeze (Seals and Crofts), Sounds of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel), No Matter What (Badfinger), I Am A Rock (S&G) and Lucky Man (ELP). These are of course subject to change at the will of the artist. But I know I can't wait to hear some of these.
1/5/04 - Looks like we might get Our Dream tour. Rumors abound about a Night Ranger/ Ted Nugent/ Styx tour with a DY set during Ted's show. You can find more info at Melodic Rock. Cross your Fingers that this is actually going to happen.
6/30/03 - There is a New DVD out called Rockthology Presents Hard 'n' Heavy #9 that has an interview with Ted and clips of coming of age in it. You might want to check it out.
5/3/03 - On Tuesday, May 6th, Collectables Records will re-release the out of print Damn Yankees "Don't Tread" CD. You can buy it here
2/9/03 - News from Melodic Rock:
Colin Blades has finished work on his debut solo album, set to be released sometime in the first half of 2003 on Connoisseur Records. At www.colinblades.com you can sample 4 tracks from the album - Been Too Long, All I Ever Ask, Say Goodbye Again and Are You With Me or Not. It's likely that All I Ever Ask will be the lead single. Jack Blades has worked with Colin on the record from the start and also his manager. Colin is set to make an impact in 2003, recently invited to play a AAA Radio convention in Hawaii. And if you live in the San Francisco area, check out Colin live this Wednesday night, February 5 at the Red Double Lounge @ 10pm. Stop by and say howdy to Colin from melodicrock.com!
In related news, Jack Blades has just started work on his long overdue solo debut album! Jack promises everyone a rocking album, with Tommy Shaw already confirmed as one guest. Stay tuned for more details.
Ted Nugent has recently commented on Damn Yankees releasing album number 3, hinting that it might still see the light of day. That, says Jack, could still happen, but it won't be the music they recorded for Sony in 2000. It would be a freshly recorded album.
8/8/02 - I have added a new feature to the site, Video of the month. You can get there from the media section. This month is the Silence is broken Video. Hope you enjoy!
7/11/02 - New Ted Nugent CD uses DY songs
Ted Nugent will release the new studio album Craveman on September 24. On it are two songs that seem to be new versions of "Damned If Ya Do" and "ClusterFunk" (renamed "KLSTRPHNKY") from the unreleased 3rd DY album.
3/27/02 - New Damn Yankees Compilation
According to MelodicRock.com, a new Damn Yankees compliation The Essentials - The Damn Yankees Collection is due out on Rhino Records in May or June (originally slated for April). The track listing includes:
10/18/01 - Tommy and Jack with the house band will be opening the show in Dallas So be sure and get there early!!!
10/5/01 - Ok This is the deal with the Benefit concerts. Ted has other commitments and will not be able to be at either show. Michael will be in Atlanta with Lynyrd Skynyrd. Jack will only be in Dallas. According to Tommy, he and Jack will do Something with some other guys....well this is being put together quickly. So we will get Shaw/Blades in Dallas. For more info on the Benefit go to the Volunteers for America website
10/3/01 - With Tommy Shaw organizing the Volunteers for America Benefits in Atlanta and Dallas Oct 20th and 21st, rumors are abounding on the possibility of Damn Yankees getting together for the gig. Both Ted and Jack have been Rumored to be there. John Dillon on KZPS said today that Jack will be there. Although there has been no confirmation on the VFA website. Lynyrd Skynyrd is not going to be at the Dallas show so Michael may not be there. If I find out anything else I will let you know. BTW- welcome to the new site. Hope you like it.
11/15/00 - From the SFK Newsletter.....
Trouble brewing in the Damn Yankees camp as, according to Ted Nugent, the new album will be delayed indefinitely as he is not happy with the end result. Says Ted, "If it's out by September 2001, I'll be surprised. We recorded great, warbling, grunting, soulful rock and roll music then they went in and mixed it. I've never come so close to killing anybody in my life. It couldn't have been mixed more stupid. It was like a bad joke."
9/4/00 - Bad news guys, I have confirmed through two sources that the new album will not be released at this time. The band feels they haven't had the needed amount of time to work on the album properly. With all them them touring with seperate groups I can see that. However, I hear that the songs are good and are going to wait till the guys Do have more time. I think we would all like a great DY album later then a mediocer one now. I will keep you updated as I hear any other news.
8/3/00 - Well it looks like the release of the New Album is going to be pushed back to the end of the year. Evidently it just isn't right and The guys want everything to Kick When we hear it for the first time. They will be getting together at Jack's house sometime this fall to complete the album.
6/28/00 - VCR Alert!! Ted Will be on David Letterman tonight. Maybe he will say something about the yanks. Also Tommy has said that things are going good with the new album. Tommy is working with Jack on his time off.
6/16/00 - Well looks like Jack, Damon, and Tommy have been in the studio this week in NY. They are laying down Tommy's tracks on the new album. Somehow knowing these guys I bet they spent most of the last three days in the studio with their heads together making some Yankin good music and having a blast. I for one can't wait to hear what they have come up with this time.
6/3/00 - Damon Johnson has a New site called DamonJohnson.com He seems to be sending a lot of info about the new DY album over there so check it out. Looks like the album is almost done recording and scheduled for a September release. The photo shoot last week in NY went well and there are pictures up of it in the Lounge area of the Styxworld.com site. Also Tommy left a Note on the notes section about the shoot check it out! It also looks like Tommy may be making some guest appearances on tour as his schedule permits. Now won't that be a show!!!
And here we have the Song list for the album: (not in order)
5/25/00 - Ok This is what I have been able to put together from all the sources. Ted, Jack, Michael and Tommy will All be on the new album. They will be joined by Damon Johnson. The album will also include guest appearances from Kelly Keagy, Kid Rock, and James Hatfield. Looks like recording will begin in June. Most of the songs have already been written. As for the tour Tommy Shaw will be Replaced by Damon. Tommy is doing a world tour With Styx right now with no end in site. But rather then Make DY wait he is behind them on their decision to tour without him.
4/22/00 - More news from Melodic Rock
Original Damn Yankees member Michael Cartellone will remain the band's drummer. Most recently the band had Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy fly in to fill in for Michael, but it is said that Portrait Records boss John Kalodner was so impressed he wanted Keagy in full time. As it turns out Cartellone was already contracted and will make himself available in between Lynyrd Skynyrd commitments. Kelly Keagy is still set to play on a few tracks on the album and also contribute some vocals.
3/23/00 - News from Melodic Rock
The Damn Yankees are back! Portrait Records have finally green lighted the project after a long delay, but with a few changes. Joining Jack Blades and Ted Nugent will be Damon Johnson of Brother Cane on guitar and vocals and none other than Night Ranger drummer Kelly Keagy.
Tommy Shaw had made himself unavailable for the band after taking the dominating role in Styx last year. Tommy remains on great terms with the band and three of the songs written with Jack Blades for the album should still make the final cut. He said he will make time to appear on the record.
Damon is said to be a killer replacement for Shaw and will sing and play guitar in his place, both on the record and on tour. He has already written two tracks with Jack Blades for the album - We Are The Ones and Even Though.
In adding Kelly Keagy the band will have four lead singers and four songwriters, a combination that should produce one classic record. Recording of the album should commence soon, with a release planned for later this year.
3/12/00 - Some happenings on the solo Yanks front.
Ted is touring with Kiss in Their National Goodbye tour. He will be hitting many of the major amplitheatres in the next month. He is also going to be on The List on VH 1. It will be recorded on March 19th. One of the other guests will be None other then Dennis DeYoung! Should be an Interesting show. As of right now There is no air date.
Tommy Is still on the Brave New World Tour with Styx. New dates are being posted all the time. Although the ParadiseTheatre.com site is no more. As soon as they get the new site up and Running I will post the link.
Michael and Jack are both doing occasional Dates with Skynard and Night Ranger respectively.
As for the Damn Yankees, Speculations are still high about Tommy Shaw being replaced since his focus seems to be with Styx right now. But with each of the Yanks involved with other projects I guess we will just have to wait and see.
12/9/99 - Unfortunately things on the Damn Yankees front are up in the air. Many rumors are going around about Tommy Shaw being replaced. Also there is word that DY may be going in the studio again soon. But nothing is for sure on that count either. Last spring the boys signed a deal with Portrait Records. So that hopefully means something will be forth coming from the boys. For now all of them have been touring although seperately. Tommy has been out with Styx on the Brave New World tour. Michael is now the touring drummer for Lynyrd Skynyrd. Ted has started the Rock never Stops Tour, which has himself as the headliner. Night Ranger, with Jack is also on that tour. So even if we can't have them together, they are out there, still making great music. Maybe one day the Damn Yankees will return to rock our faces!


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Film Review: Paradise: LoveUlrich Seidl's look at female sex tourism is compelling up to a point, and then just numbing.
The fetishization of the cougar in popular entertainment gets decisively terminated in Austrian iconoclast Ulrich Seidl's indecorous Paradise: Love. Like Laurent Cantet's 2005 feature Heading South, the film focuses on sex tourism from the novel perspective of the middle-aged female consumer. But, as might be expected from a director whose work has been defined by his fascination with corporeal and behavioral ugliness, the scenario is pushed to extremes both repugnant and repetitive. Superficially provocative but ultimately pointless, this is one punishing vacation.
The second entry from Seidl (Dog Days) to compete in Cannes after 2007's Import Export, the film is the opening part of a trilogy. Originally planned as a single epic feature, the stories follow three women from the same family as they take separate trips. Still to come are Paradise: Faith, about a Catholic missionary, and Paradise: Hope, about a teenager sent to diet camp.
There's much to admire in the formal rigor of Seidl's filmmaking. His background in documentary is evident in the striking use of static shots and stark compositions by his cinematography team of Wolfgang Thaler and Ed Lachman. Like Mike Leigh, Seidl works to a structured improvisation plan, and no doubt there will be praise for the unflinching, vanity-free performance of his lead actress Margarethe Tiesel. Whenever women of a certain age with real bodies get naked and sign up for sexual and emotional humiliation onscreen, the word "brave" inevitably surfaces.
The film kicks off with an attention-grabbing though gratuitously uncomfortable scene with a group of mentally handicapped people riding bumper cars, their faces contorting with each collision into masks of liberating joy, stunned confusion or both. One of their supervisors is Teresa (Tiesel), who packs her uncommunicative lump of a teenage daughter off to a relative and heads to Kenya for some sunshine.
There she meets up with fellow Austrian Inge (Inge Maux). A monster of grotesque salaciousness in a tiger-print one-piece and processed blond dreads, Inge instantly starts rhapsodizing about the tasty treat of black skin. Teresa at first is unnerved by the young beach boys that besiege her, selling souvenirs, trinkets or themselves to the white European women known as "sugar mamas." But after an abortive attempt to hook up with Gabriel (Gabriel Nguma Mwarua), who's too slick and down-to-business for her, she succumbs to the more artful charms of Munga (Peter Kuzungu).
Taking more time over the "courtship," Munga does a passable job of convincing Teresa that he sees beyond the sagging breasts and rippling stomach to the beautiful woman inside her. But it's more because that's what she wants to believe. Soon he starts asking for handouts, claiming he needs cash for his sister's baby, his father's medical bills or his cousin's school, but never for himself. Teresa refuses to read the writing on the wall until it becomes inescapable, triggering her enraged indignation.
Working with his regular script collaborator Veronika Franz, Seidl makes the point fairly early that the line between exploiter and exploited is a blurry one, and that what Teresa is starved for is love, not sex. But he nonetheless locks the character and actress into a cycle of repeat degradation in the blunt film's increasingly thankless second hour, as Teresa keeps giving it one more shot.
Reconciled to the failure of the enterprise, she even tries her hand at good old-fashioned raunch when Inge and a couple more lewd hornbags from the resort come over to celebrate Teresa's birthday with a live gift. Watching these four women in various stages of drunken undress get teabagged by the unfortunate recruit is not pretty.
That would be fine if there were a fresh point to be made, or if there were some deeper insight into the central character. Tiesel deserves credit for declining to soften Teresa's hard edges in a bid for sympathy. But every time there's a glimmer of poignancy in her solitude and disappointment, the director negates it by having her participate in some other form of damning indignity or patronizing insensitivity.
Seidl doesn't appear to like any of his characters much, or show much discernible interest in their inner lives. He made a fascinatingly disturbing portrait of people sublimating their need for intimacy in unwholesome ways in the 1996 doc Animal Love, which may be his most fully realized film. This one is a psychologically empty wallow.
—The Hollywood Reporter


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Thrive DC
1525 Newton Street, NW
Suite G1
United States
About Us
Honored by the 2012-13 Catalogue for Philanthropy as "one of the best small charities in the Greater Washington region," our mission is to prevent and end homelessness by providing vulnerable individuals with a comprehensive range of services to help stabilize their lives. Each day, as part of our Daily Bread/Daily Needs program, we provide a comprehensive range of crisis services: twice daily meals; free showers and laundry; mail, telephone, and email access; personal care and hygiene supplies; health and safety items; transportation and emergency rental assistance; and emergency clothing and blankets. In 2012, Thrive DC served more than 108,000 meals to individuals in need and distributed 134,580 punds of emergency groceries. Through our Links program, men and women participate in enrichment activities, receive one-on-one support and life skills coaching, and connect with comprehensive health and legal services available onsite through Thrive DC community partners. In 2012, over 2,000 unduplicated men and women were provided social services at Thrive DC, including 2,141 referrals and 1,123 hours of case management. In order to search for jobs, prepare for interviews, and strengthen key networks with family and friends, Thrive DC's Computer Workshop enables participants to develop the skills they need to function in today's workplace. Finally, our intensive Real Opportunity employment preparedness program embodies our commitment to ending homelessness by providing men and women with the comprehensive support, rigorous training, and life-skills coaching needed to successfully enter the workforce and become self-sufficient. Our work is made possible by the time and effort of over 1,300 volunteers each year and by the financial support of the community . We also gratefully accept donations of hygiene supplies and in-season clothing for men and women.


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The following Men In Black Box Episode 145 Eng Sub has been released. Kshow123 will always be the first to have the episode so please Bookmark us for update.
Watch other episodes of Men In Black Box Series at Kshow123.
Watch other episodes of Men In Black Box Series at Kshow123.
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text: His profile : Meshach Thread link : [WTB] Warrior Forum Accounts $50 each Below are my Skype conversations I had with him. I sent him a screenshot of the account home page to make sure that I'll send him the valid account as soon as he paid but he refused it and canceled it. However I did a stupid mistake by giving him my login detail as soon as he said he got scammed before and I fell for it. It's ridiculous to me that he said he's logging in to his Paypal account but did NOT send the payment right away and even after 30 minutes of waiting he asked me to chill out & smoke weed. He got my account and he already changed the email and password of my account and ran for it, but I don't mind if I couldn't get my account back eventually. I already let it go. Besides, on his thread he claimed that he just sent all of the payment till the last account but I haven't received mine. The thing is money is not the problem here. I just wanna show that this guy is upsetting me and other people on his thread as well. However I'll leave this to admin. It's all yours to decide. Thanks and sorry for my bad english.


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Our childhood life was full of glass slipper dreams and prince charming, and that doesn't mean we have to change that because Stuart Weitzman has created this dreamy sandal for our dreamy feet. Made of vinyl, they look pretty neat, don't you think? Not to mention the ankle wrap style that's totally hot.
Revive your fairy tale imagination with this US$355 pair!


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"<<and the children of the rich have privilege>>....so, I guess it's ok to pick your nose but not your parents? I guess I am old enough to know many families that are "priviliged" due to the hard work and achievement of one or both parents.....I think it is wrong to hold it against their children"Lok has seen the privileged children blow their time and their parent's money on a daily basis while kids not of privilege hold down jobs and work and study and try to make something of their lives. I think this is a pet peeve with him, though I can't speak for him.Just my own very personal viewpoint. I have seen very, very few I personally know rise from humble beginnings to 'real' wealth..and I don't call 1 million 'real wealth' anymore, when you cannot purchase an upper middle class tract house in a Silicon Valley town like Cupertino for much under one million. Here, in a small town in So. Calif. where I am, the upper middle class tract homes are well over $300K, without any industry and long commutes. And we can't all move to the boondocks somewhere to find cheaper housing...for a number of obvious reasons.Those who have risen to 'real wealth' did it through hard, hard work, big vision, persistence, and definitely some 'blessing' or as some people call it 'luck'. And more often than not, have sacrificed time with their spouses and children to do it, which they have regretted later. Again, not always, but often. Most of the real wealthy I know tend to be very unapproachable..not givers..focused on 'money'. That doesn't appeal as a goal to many people either. Again, my observations only.I truly believe that the gov't is not to be trusted, whether Repub or Demo. It doesn't matter to me because neither of them is out for the interests of the 'average middle/upper middle class guy'. The Demo's are questionably on the side of the downtrodden and the Repubs have proven to be on the side of big business and the wealthy. So, to me it doesn't matter which one is in office insofar as how it will affect my finances. All I can see is that, as average/middle class types, we will have to focus on trying to 'legally outsmart' them every way and every time we can, write off everything possible, use all the same loopholes the rich do, and work our fannies off. Hopefully, that will bring us enough rewards to live a decent life when we can no longer work. Noticed more 'seniors' working? That's when we might call in marketing a 'trend', not a 'fad'.Good 'luck' everybody!!
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👆🏼 The official complete title to the book 👆🏼
This was such an amazing book club book to discuss and read about the history of the 1936 Olympics and the events in the U.S. around that time. Whitney had a fun time coming up with ideas for the night. When we first arrived we were surrounded by patriotic themes and Olympic themes.
We always need time in the beginning to catch up with each other. It's a true gab fest and we could talk for hours.
🚣🏼 • The Boys in the Boat • 🚣🏼
{Minute to Win It Olympic Games}
First you need to divide your group up into teams of 4 and then assign them a country to represent.
There is nothing like a good healthy competition to bring a group closer together. We have some very competitive people in our group and it's fun to see everyone get into it.
There is nothing like a good healthy competition to bring a group closer together. We have some very competitive people in our group and it's fun to see everyone get into it.
The Medals
You can pick up some medals at your local Dollar Store or try these on Amazon.
and everyone went home with their own gold, silver and bronze macarons.
Aren't these beautiful and they tasted so good too.
Game 1
Pull off the tissues out of the box one at a time with one hand behind your back. I am so sad we were too involved in cheering to get a picture of the tissues flying everywhere. It was hilarious.
Game 2
This game you needed to move skittles from one plate to the other by only using a straw.
Game 3
The first one to move the Oreo cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands wins.
Game 4
Final game was to put panty hose over your head with a tennis ball in the bottom of one of the legs. Then you use the tennis ball to swing and hit the bottles of water down. The first to do this all the way to the end wins.
...and the WINNERS are...
🇭🇺 Hungary 🇭🇺
🇺🇸 United States of America 🇺🇸
🇨🇭 Switzerland 🇨🇭
Whitney found some footage on YouTube of some of the propaganda the Nazi's used. She also put together a powerpoint presentation.
"Triumph of the Will"
(6 minute intro)
One thing we also learned about this film is that many college courses use it in discussions as an example of how brilliant it was put together back in the 30's. Unfortunately it was used to promote evil. But still an amazing job by film maker Leni Riefenstahl. She changed the face of documentary film forever. Check out this article on the film.
Here is that powerpoint I was telling you about.
Look at this sweet little surprise that came to say hi at the end of Book Club
Thank you to Kelly for making our annual Book Marks with all of the books we are reading on them. We reference these often throughout the year.
Haha a little book posing for ya
Thank you so much to Whitney B and Whitney L for moderating book club tonight. They did an awesome job. And thanks to Whitney L for hosting.
Thank you to Alix for all the awesome pics and videos.
Check out our Book Review
The Boys in the Boat Book Club Food Ideas too!


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Experienced Realtor®, Del Sunperk, currently provides real estate services to those in and around Long Beach, Greater Los Angeles Area and Orange County, CA. Del has always held client satisfaction as her highest priority and works hard to make the entire home-buying and selling experience as productive and enjoyable as possible. Clients working with Del never fail to appreciate her tenacity, professional integrity and incredible work ethic. Prior to Del's success as a real estate agent, she earned her Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics, helping her to become the strong analytical thinker she is today. Del's extensive knowledge and experience allow her to handle a wide range of clients and situations. Whether her clients are looking for a home for the very first time or they're seasoned investors; Del works tirelessly to accommodate all of their needs and exceed their expectations. Del values all of her clients and strives to build strong, lasting relationships with them. Del knows how much her clients put on the line when they invest in a home, which is why she works closely with them every step of the way—making the otherwise overwhelming process completely stress-free. Del is truly passionate about what she does and loves finding the best homes for her clients and their families. When Del isn't hard at work, she enjoys hiking, jogging and spending time by the beach. But more than anything, Del loves spending time with her incredible daughter. Del also likes to give back to her community when she can, and has volunteered for various charities over the years including the Ronald McDonald House and different women's shelters.
Long Beach, CABelmont Shore - Naples Canals
Coldwell Banker Star Realty
610 Pacific Coast Hwy Suite 100
Seal Beach, CA 90740
United States


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Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Indian Springs Resort & RV Park to Open
AMERICAN FALLS, Idaho (AP) — The Indian Springs Resort and RV Park in southeastern Idaho will open May 15, the new owner says.
Tom Henesh said he's completing a list of repairs on the property that has been vacant for more than three years but once drew visitors with its thermal water that stays at a constant 92 degrees.
In the 1970s, Henesh worked at the hot springs as a lifeguard and aims to restore it "like it was when I left in 1979."
County Commissioner Vicki Meadows remembered the facility's glory days.
"This is the best draw Power County has," she told the Idaho State Journal. "We've got the lake and the marina, and this just fits right in. I also grew up here and learned to swim in this pool."
Full Story...
At RVTipOfTheDay.com we post a daily tip on the RV lifestyle, RV equipment, campgrounds, sights and attractions, safety and just about anything else useful to being an RVer. Want to have the daily tip emailed to you? Look for the subscription form at RVTipOfTheDay.com
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ARCHITECT@WORK Toronto 2018: A 25 per cent rise in footfall
The second Annual ARCHITECT@WORK took place in Toronto, Canada on April 11 and 12, 2018 featuring 500 innovative architectural products. The event was deemed by both exhibitors and attendees as a huge success.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 1111:30am Colour and Light: Promoting Wellness in Architecture Panel Discussion moderated by Martina Kucey, publisher of Mix Magazine Seminar presented by Colour Hive1pm Designing for Canada's Medical Marijuana Industry - Business Opportunity or Commercial Kryptonite? Tyler Gilchrist, Vice President of Design Research & Strategy at figure3 Seminar presented by IDC3pm Talent Management for Architecture, Engineering and Design Firms Rowley Mossop, B.E.S. (Architecture), AOCA, MBA | Principal Seminar presented by TSA5pm How Colour and Lighting affects Accessibility in Building Environments Panel Discussion moderated by Vivian Lo, Vice-President of the CRSC and Director the Right Angle Journal Seminar presented by RAIC, CRSC & The Right Angle JournalTHURSDAY APRIL 1211:30am New Developments in Building Enclosure Design Duncan Rowe, BASc, MEng, P.Eng, LEED® AP BD+C Seminar presented by TSA1pm Green Building in 2018: What You Need to Know Now and What's Next Jeff Ranson, Regional Director - Greater Toronto Area, Canada Green Building Council Seminar presented by IDC3pm Experimental Archetypes and the New Civic Alison Brooks Architects, London, UK Seminar presented by AZURE Panel Discussion moderated by Vivian Lo, Vice-President of the CRSC and Director the Right Angle Journal Seminar presented by CSC, CRSC & The Right Angle Journal
A&Dmeets innovations
Join the conversation #ATWCA
Tweets door @ATW_INTL


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A great studio on the fourth-floor of this building was where I called home during the 90's.
While the curved wall of windows overlooking the balcony was the best amenity of my cool bachelor-pad, the Levin's were great landlords, making for a nice memory of my time in this unique spot.
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Defending Philly History From 3,000 Miles Away
Joshua Bevan knew he had to act after discovering the architectural beauty of Belmont. From his home in San Francisco he mobilized to nominate a neighborhood landmark for historic designation. In this essay Bevan describes his journey between the Bay Area and Philly to protect the McGaw Mansion > more
Design Coalition Aims To Bridge The Old-New Divide
Move over Miami, the Philadelphia Design District is getting ready for some time in the spotlight. The coalition of gallery owners, artisans, and tech startups want to transform Old City into a hive of contemporary design, while preserving the neighborhood's historic character. Joe Brin takes a look inside the idea with co-founder Eugenie Perret > more
Germantown Boys & Girls Club Compromise Brings Peace To Penn Street
Owners of Germantown Boys and Girls Club reach an agreement with preservationists after two years of heated debate. Starr Herr-Cardillo has the news > more
Shakespeare & Co. Brings Old Bank Back To Life
Manhattan-based bookstore and café revives an old banking storefront in Rittenhouse Square. Michael Bixler takes a look > more
Historic Districts Make A Comeback
After nearly a decade of lost opportunities, creative new strategies emerge for protecting Philadelphia's historic neighborhoods > more
Bearing Witness To Destruction On Christian Street
This summer contributor Mickey Herr recorded the slow demolition of Christian Street Baptist Church from the beginning to the end. In this photo essay she shares what it was like to watch a 128-year-old neighborhood landmark being reduced to rubble > more


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|Source: Al Jazeera
Not since News Corp. has there been a media company under scrutiny like Al Jazeera is now.
To gain presence in the United States, the growing network that is bankrolled by the emir of Qatar just purchased Al Gore's cable channel Current TV for $500 million.
Al Jazeera cemented a negative reputation among many U.S. citizens during the height of the war on terror, when it aired videos made by Osama Bin Laden and was strongly denounced by the Bush administration.
Now, as CNN's Howard Kurtz points out, Al Jazeera English, a spinoff channel launched in 2006 has a different image. Hilary Clinton praised it as "real news," and the network has won several awards for its reporting.
Since the announced sale, conservative commentators have declared open season on the network. Bill O'Reilly called the network "anti-American." Fox pundit Dick Morris said Gore sold to a fount of "anti-Israel propaganda." The sale has prompted concern in the Jewish community, including a blog post by Ronn Torossian, CEO of New York-based 5W Public Relations, who wrote: "This won't bode well for Israeli public relations – one wonders if Al Jazeera will accept ads from those representing pro-Israel viewpoints, or even Jewish charities like the JNF or Kars 4 Kids."
And that's not all. Time Warner Cable is refusing to carry the channel and Current TV staffers bashed notoriously green Al Gore for "selling out" to a network bankrolled by oil profits. All is not good on the reputation front for a network hoping to improve upon the paltry 22,000 viewers of Current TV.
So, what's Al Jazeera America (its working title) to do? Start with a strong communications campaign that emphasizes transparency, cultural understanding and reporting excellence. A snappy tagline wouldn't hurt either, but "Fair and Balanced" is already taken.
In his column, CNN's Kurtz pointed out one important truth: Interest in international news among the U.S. public has waned over the years, and that's Al Jazeera's sweet spot. If the network can't get Americans interested in its global product, chances are it will fade to black.
Follow Scott Van Camp: @svancamp01


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From the Blog
The Power Of Positive Oratory
|Hey, I'll be reading from Fade To Blue and signing copies this Wednesday at Books Inc. in San Francisco. Would be great to see anyone and maybe take a few minutes to chat about the benefits of socialized healthcare. No, I mean, chat about Sophie Blue. You'd prefer I actually didn't sign the book, thereby lessening the resale value? No problem as well. And, as always, there will free canapes.
I'll be there!
Can't wait! Should I bring a pen? Or a friend?


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Nadine loves it so much to be screwed, that´s obvious and the sweet teengirl accepts everything, she is hot like a slut already after a little fingerplay. We don´t need to start slowly with her, so from the beginning there are already four dicks for this little hot pussy. This little cute thing needs it so badly that she sucks all four of them at once. Such a luck that this little wild thing has more than one opening, in which one can fuck her with a hard horny dick. Because for this quantity of hard hot rockets and horney men, a willing bitch like her is needed badly.
Waiting is really not possible for this black haired slut and she enjoys the blowjob and horny handjobs. When she gets fucked, she don´t mind if there is one guy more or less. Soon she gets what she was looking for so long. Tons of hot semen and litres of creamy sperm. In sucking and swallowing this dark haired slut is the best and each ejaculation makes the girl hornier and hornier. The best thing is: in this episode two hot girls at once are being screwed and filled. The sweet, blond angel doesn´t spill a single drop.
Nadine Anna & Lisa Sandra Dana Sandra Jessi & Lexie Denise Cindy Olivia & Petra Jonata Martina Tina & Betty Susi Carla Andrea Janette Cindy Agnes Dorie Jasmin


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Don't let Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- Episode Three fool you, even if its long-winded title leaves you gasping for air: This is a far more complex, challenging, and fulfilling role-paying game than the 16-bit retro style and $5 price would have you believe.
It doesn't begin that way, though. As the hand-holding and mindlessness of its introduction wind down, Episode Three distances itself from the first two titles. It lets go of mimes, horny juicers, and even Anne Claire. This throwback sequel distills the humorous melodrama and razor-sharp wit from Rain-Slick's 3D entries, and then fuses it with stellar Super NES-era pixel art, all without losing an atom of the sharp wit, detailed Lovecraft-ian lore, and goofy melodrama that make the series special.
In the process of mimicking the past, Penny Arcade evolves beyond its own history to earn a newer, better RPG identity.
Episode Three owes a lot to the deceptively deep combat system. To start, it looks and plays like any classic Japanese RPG series you used to love, complete with the thoughtless mashing of the "proceed" button to kill everything and move on. Your heroes have more health and strength than they need, and they'll effortlessly wipe out evil octopi and other enemies.
And then things change.
Suddenly, an hour or so in, Penny Arcade starts making you consider the order of your turn-based actions. For the subsequent eight hours, it's an involving, excellent system that's entertaining despite rarely changing.
The command bar in each battle becomes as important as the skills and spells in your arsenal. Interrupting an enemy with a specific move may not hurt them like a flaming apocalypse or a skeleton summon, but it will knock their position back on the bar, delaying when they're allowed to take their turn.
The final boss battle is like a methodical math problem -- a big final exam for everything you've learned in the previous fights. Having learned when to delay and defend, what to attack with, and how to time your heals and interrupts, as well as having found killer gear in treasure chests, you should be well-trained and ready to take him down. It nearly exhausted our patience to ultimately do so, however.
There's a layered strategy to each encounter on the way to that finale. What works against one enemy type likely won't be successful against other guys, who may or may not appear in the same battle. Special conditions also affect how enemies give, receive, or resist damage, too -- Rain-Slick throws these curveballs at you unexpectedly, so be prepared to improvise.
The most important aspect to the combat is the class roles you assign to each character. As their diverse jobs level up, they earn even more abilities you'll want to be mindful of. Should you come out swinging for the extra cold damage bonus, create a garden to buff your command bar speed, or save the magic point so you can transform into a T-Rex next time? (Obviously, you pick the dinosaur thing.)
Yes, Penny Arcade is as silly and self-aware as ever, but it never sacrifices gameplay to make a joke. The humor is an organic component of every aspect of the story and mechanics. Well, it's as natural as turning into a dinosaur to take down a bad guy called Dr. Blood can be, anyway.
That's about as cheap as the humor gets, though.The rest of Penny Arcade's jokes are just as elaborate as the action. They require context and knowledge of the characters and world, but the clashing characteristics of the cast gel well regardless. Reading the webcomic, playing the past two games, and reading writer Jerry Holkins' Rain-Slick short stories goes a long way if you want to fully appreciate the layered comedy coming out of these characters' mouths, too.
Episode Three doesn't rely on one-liners or physical comedy, if only because its presentation doesn't allow for much visual or voiced gags. The gorgeous nostalgic look relies on situational humor and the cast's reactions to drive home its "you had to be there" type jokes.
You should be there.
[Editor's Note for Xbox 360 players: Penny Arcade: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness -- Episode Three is an Xbox Live Indie Game and not an Xbox Live Arcade game. Therefore, look for it in the Indie Games channel on your Dashboard.]
The Verdict
The third episode of Penny Arcade Adventures looks and plays different than its predecessors, and the new direction is one worth rallying behind. The first hour or so is a slow burn, but the smarter combat and more elaborate encounters keep battles entertaining while the witty, long-form comedy keeps the overly dramatic story light and fun. Unless you're allergic to nostalgia, there's no reason not to play Rain-Slick.


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The nor'easter knocked out power to thousands of customers in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
PSE&G workers were called out to multiple locations throughout the afternoon including a residential property on Grove Street in Haddonfield.
A tree brought down wires and landed right in the street.
It was a common sight across South Jersey as ice glazed over tree limbs and power lines.
"A lot of detours. There's a lot of trees down and roadways are not clear so you're kind of in a maze to figure out how to get home once you get out," Mary Pendley of Haddonfield said.
In Westville, New Jersey, a tall pine tree fell onto two cars.
In Cherry Hill, a tree and wires came down on Copper Landing Road and Maple Avenue.
In National Park, New Jersey, a large tree landed on a house on Hessian Avenue.
"It was around 8:30 in the morning. We heard a big gigantic boom. House shook a little bit. We all got up and ran and found the tree on top of the house," resident Betty Dybus said.
Back in Haddonfield, Robb Quattro ventured out with his daughter and her friends, braving the wind gusts to get to Starbucks.
"All the trees are drooping, hanging over. It was just not a pretty morning," Quattro said.
The kids in the area didn't care. The snow was just slick and compact enough they could sled - without a sled.
"You just run and you jump and you land on your belly and you're just sliding down," young Heidi Jacobs said.
The downed wires and tree branches are a concern. Of course, the power companies are telling everyone to stay clear. And don't burden your police, fire, and 911 services if the power does go out; they need to keep those lines open. Call your utility company instead.
The following is a list of outages just after 9 p.m. Tuesday.
Montco 441
Bucks Co. 6
Philadelphia 397
Delco 42
Chester Co. 188
New Castle 16, 773
Kent 5
Camden 4440
Burlington 1528
Gloucester 2379
Mercer Fewer than 5
ATLANTIC Fewer than 5
Related Topics:
weatherpennsylvania newsnew jersey newsdelaware newssnowrain
weatherpennsylvania newsnew jersey newsdelaware newssnowrain


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Nike Presto's "Angry Chicken," cut by my colleague Rick Russell and directed by Traktor, is clearly one of the better commercials of the year - and its editing plays a solid part in achieving that. The spot opens with a traditional extreme wide shot, titled "The angry chicken" in two languages, making the viewer feel he's about to watch a European short film. This formally sets up the tone of the whole spot.
We then quickly explode into action. But unlike normal action editing, they're not trying to enhance the stunts with the use of closeups. All of the stunts are shown in wides and with only one shot, if editing is used it's only to keep the story moving. Choosing to stay in wides shows off the fact that the stunts are real, not filmic cheats and also keeps us in the docu/short film style, counter balanced with fast, sharp editing to keep the pace and excitement up.
Stripping down the use of closeups to the bare essentials of storytelling allows the editor to give a lot of power and weight to the chosen moments when CUs are used. The audience immediately computes the closeup framing as important information. Rick used CUs in the opening to introduce our two heroes, the chicken and the guy, and one at the end of the spot for the product, allowing the Prestos to be the third star of the film. It would have been very easy to have diluted this idea down by cutting to Nike closeups throughout the spot, making the shoes part of the action and not the idea. An easy mistake made by many clients.
The other defining charm of the spot is the use of two languages in the voiceover. This could have been very confusing and complicated, but it is dealt with here with such clarity that it adds much of the flavor and humor. Because the voice was written after the picture was cut, it allowed the copy to be edited sparingly and placed for the best timings. The result would have been very different if the VO had been prewritten; it would have dictated the pace of the edit, as is so often the case. With everybody maintaining simplicity throughout the editing process - no overcutting, avoiding big chase music - the spot rings true to its original concept. Not an easy feat. Congrats to all involved. How I would have enjoyed that high when you all slapped each other on the back.


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Alan P. Biddle wrote: > Nate and others, > > Brand new, out of the box Friday, though UPS said it was scheduled today, > Monday. The PCB has a 2006 revision date on it, but lacking an older one, I > can't do any comparisons. Sounds like my worries are probably unfounded then. Looking forward to seeing mine "soon" since I was told "your order is one of the oldest"... when I called just prior to the ARRL June VHF contest. > Thanks to those who responded to my question. Using a combination of > answers, and software, I was able to determine what I needed to know. It > turns out that it is running about 85% of "full scale," which of course is > an excellent match. Glad she's workin' for you. Sure looked like a good unit, but this 3+ month wait for two units to arrive sure has me thinking I'll never order from TigerTronics ever again... Of course, good products trump all sorts of shipping delays and bad customer service, when many other products simply don't have the features that one does... We shall see if anything ever arrives in the mail... Nate WY0X _______________________________________________ Sent via email@example.com. Opinions expressed are those of the author. Not an AMSAT-NA member? Join now to support the amateur satellite program! Subscription settings: http://amsat.org/mailman/listinfo/amsat-bb
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The Sweet, Hectic Life of a Golf Tour Wife
Why PGA Tour wives call it the 'traveling circus'
I have been hanging out with the girls recently, girls being what the PGA Tour wives mostly call each other. Their numbers have dwindled for this week's season-concluding PGA Tour Championship in Atlanta, with its field winnowed to 30 by the previous three FedEx Cup Playoffs events. But at most full-field tournaments the majority of players have their wives or girlfriends in tow, and usually their kids, too, if the kids are young. More than one Tour wife made the analogy to a traveling circus.
"It's like a large family...


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This is why Richard Branson is so successful.
Backstage in Moscow. Richard Branson is speaking before me. He asks me if I ever fly Virgin; I admit that I never have. He asks me to try it. I say to him: "If Richard Branson asks me, I guess I have to." He then gets on his knees and starts polishing my shoes with his jacket in order to convince me. Can it get any better than this?
Virgin is successful because they have unbelievable customer service. And it comes from the top.
Check out the link for the picture. So funny.
This is why Richard Branson is so successful – Holy Kaw! (as in "Holy Cow!").


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|Enalapril decreases cardiac mass and fetal gene expression without affecting the expression of endothelin-1, transforming growth factor β-1, or cardiotrophin-1 in the healthy normotensive rat.
MedLine Citation:
|PMID: 21423293 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review
|Angiotensin II can induce cardiac hypertrophy by stimulating the release of growth factors. ACE inhibitors reduce angiotensin II levels and cardiac hypertrophy, but their effects on the healthy heart are largely unexplored. We hypothesized that ACE inhibition decreases left ventricular mass in normotensive animals and that this is associated with altered expression of cardiac fetal genes, growth factors, and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Wistar rats (n = 7 per group) were orally administered with enalapril twice daily for a total daily dose of 5 mg·kg-1·d-1 (ENAP5) or 15 mg·kg-1·d-1 (ENAP15) or vehicle. Systolic blood pressure was measured by the tail-cuff method. Left ventricular expression of cardiac myosin heavy chain-α (MYH6) and -β (MYH7), atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), endothelin-1 (ET-1), transforming growth factor β-1 (TGFβ-1), cardiotrophin-1 (CT-1), and renal renin were examined by real-time PCR, and eNOS using Western blot. Blood pressure was decreased only in ENAP15 animals (p < 0.05 vs. Control), whereas left ventricular mass decreased after both doses of enalapril (p < 0.05 vs. Control). MYH7 and ANP were reduced in ENAP15, while no changes in ET-1, TGFβ-1, CT-1, and MYH6 mRNA or eNOS protein were observed. Renal renin dose-dependently increased after enalapril treatment. Enalapril significantly decreased left ventricular mass even after 1 week treatment in the normotensive rat. This was associated with a decreased expression of the fetal genes MYH7 and ANP, but not expression of ET-1, CT-1, or TGFβ-1.
|Katarina Mackovicova; Andrea Gazova; Dana Kucerova; Beata Gajdacova; Jan Klimas; Peter Ochodnicky; Eva Goncalvesova; Jan Kyselovic; Peter Krenek
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Publication Detail:
|Type: Journal Article
Journal Detail:
|Title: Canadian journal of physiology and pharmacology Volume: 89 ISSN: 1205-7541 ISO Abbreviation: Can. J. Physiol. Pharmacol. Publication Date: 2011 Mar
Date Detail:
|Created Date: 2011-03-22 Completed Date: - Revised Date: -
Medline Journal Info:
|Nlm Unique ID: 0372712 Medline TA: Can J Physiol Pharmacol Country: Canada
Other Details:
|Languages: eng Pagination: 197-205 Citation Subset: IM
|Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Comenius University, Odbojárov 10, 832 32 Bratislava, Slovakia.
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ISO 13485 outlines the requirements for a comprehensive quality management system for the design and manufacture of medical devices. When the standard was revised in 2016, greater emphasis was placed on training. While training is an important part of all ISO medical device standards, ISO 13485 training requirements now specify that "the organization shall determine any user training needed to ensure specified performance and safe use of the medical device." This is similar to the European Union's Qualified Person (QP) role.
|Download Free Resources
The ISO 13485 training requirements outlined in the latest version of the standard, ISO 13485:2016, emphasize training to quality processes, establishing competence, and awareness of personnel duties. In a nutshell, a medical device manufacturer is required to evaluate the efficacy of its ISO 13485 training commensurate with risk, i.e., the risk associated with the work employees perform. This closely resembles the requirement for a Qualified Person (QP) contained in the EU Commission Proposal for a new regulation to cover medical devices. A QP is defined as the manufacturer's authorized representation who is responsible for regulatory compliance. This person should work within the organization.
Broadly, QP training covers the regulatory compliance requirements associated with the design, manufacture, release and post-market surveillance activities of medical devices in Europe. Expertise can be demonstrated with a diploma or formal qualification in natural sciences, medicine, engineering or another relevant field of study, plus a minimum of two years of professional experience in regulatory affairs or quality management systems specific to medical devices. In some cases, additional work experience (five years or more, can satisfy the academic requirements. Because ISO 13485 certification is often the first step toward compliance with European regulatory requirements, ISO 13485 training is highly recommended.
ISO 13485 conformance is proven through a rigorous internal and external auditing and certification process. ISO, i.e., the International Organization for Standardization, itself does not provide certification. Conformity assessments (external audits) and certificates are provided by independent third-party certification bodies, known as registrars. Internal audits are conducted by employees of the medical device company, or consultants hired by the company for the purpose of conducting an ISO 13485 audit. Many times these consultants also provide ISO 13485 training so that internal auditors learn how to lead their own audits efficiently and effectively. When hiring a certification/accreditation expert to provide ISO 13485 training, it is important to find a trainer who can provide:
Once auditors receive ISO 13485 training, they will be ready to create an ISO 13485 audit checklist to perform internal audits. Remember, an internal audit can be conducted on a product or service, particular quality process or an entire quality management system. An audit checklist, a list of tasks that must be executed during an ISO audit, helps ensure that nothing fails between the cracks.
ISO 13485 training is available to teach auditors how to create a simple audit checklist, but here are some questions that must addressed:
1) What is the auditor planning on inspecting?
2) Was the inspection provoked or is it a routine procedure?
3) Will the auditor need access to specific documentation during the audit?
4) Is there a planned methodology for the quick retrieval of documentation and proof of all essential audit trails
5) Will the auditor need access to specific personnel members during the audit?
ISO 13485 training that a checklist that meets your company's needs will help ensure an effective quality audit.
MasterControl is a global provider of quality management software solutions for regulated companies. In addition to software, the consulting arm of MasterControl, MasterControl QCC (Quality and Compliance Consulting) offers guidance and training in seven core regulatory, compliance and quality disciplines: regulatory acceptance, supply chain management, validation/qualification, certification/accreditation services, QMS, new product acceptance and quality process training, including ISO 13485 training.
QCC ISO 13485 training is led by QMS experts and lead auditors who are recognized as top leaders in their field. Each consultant/trainer brings a minimum of 20 years of real-world GxP experience to your project. Aside from providing auditor and lead auditor ISO 13485 training, QCC can also help you obtain ISO 13485 certification, which can add tremendous value to your brand.
Please visit our Resource Center for more information relevant to the requirements of ISO 13485 training, as well as industry tips, news, and helpful product information.
To learn more about ISO 13485 training, ISO 13485 Software, or additional MasterControl training and software offerings, you can also call us toll free at 800-825-9117.


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software. Using the latest commercial software, Nasrallah's spy-hunters unit began methodically searching for spies in Hezbollah's midst. To find them, U.S. officials said, Hezbollah examined cellphone data looking for anomalies. The analysis identified cellphones that, for instance, were used rarely or always from specific locations and only for a short period of time. Then it came down to old-fashioned, shoe-leather detective work: Who in that area had information that might be worth selling to the enemy?
The effort took years but eventually Hezbollah, and later the Lebanese government, began making arrests. By one estimate, 100 Israeli assets were apprehended as the news made headlines across the region in 2009. Some of those suspected Israeli spies worked for telecommunications companies and served in the military.
The Times is withholding the former station's chief's name because he remains undercover. He now has a supervisory role at CIA headquarters in operations targeting Hezbollah. The CIA declined to make him available for comment.
Hezbollah is "an extremely complicated enemy," the official added. "It's a determined Fighter group, a power political player, a mighty military and an accomplished intelligence organization — formidable and ruthless. No one underestimates its capabilities."


text:
"We are ... looking to accelerate the FMS (Foreign Military Sales) deliveries with an additional 100 Hellfire missiles ready for delivery this spring," Colonel Steven Warren said on Monday. An additional 10 ScanEagle surveillance drones would also be delivered he said.
Hellfire missiles, originally designed as an anti-tank weapon, can be fired from helicopters or airplanes.
ScanEagle drones are a low-cost three-meter aircraft capable of flying 24 hours.
The deliveries correspond to contracts already signed with Iraq. Some 75 Hellfire missiles were delivered to Baghdad in mid-December, US officials said.
Since then Iraq has seen a resurgence of fighting in the province of Anbar, a key insurgent stronghold following the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.
Fighters from the Al-Qaeda-linked Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) reclaimed control of the city of Fallujah last week, scene of some of the bloodiest fighting of the Iraq war between US troops and insurgents.
Warren said Washington was working closely with Iraqi officials to develop a "holistic strategy to isolate Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups so that the tribes working with the security forces can drive them out of the populated areas."
However, he reiterated previous statements from US Secretary of State John Kerry that no US forces would return to Iraq to assist in military operations.
"We'll not be sending forces to Iraq," he said.
Instead the United States would continue to provide intelligence to assist and advise the Iraqis at a "ministerial level" through around 100 military personnel who continued to be based at the US Embassy in Baghdad, Warren said.
The assistance would not extend to operational advice. "We're not doing tactical work with the Iraqis," he said.
Despite the withdrawal of US forces from Iraq at the end of 2011, the United States remains a key partner for Iraq on security and defense, providing more than $14 billion worth of weapons to Baghdad since 2005.


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Thursday, January 21, 2010
Chocolate Girl Thank You Card
This card covers 2 challenges
The Chocolate challenge over at
365 Cards
and I also used a sketch at
Sketches by Tamara
Both great sources of sketches and inspiration!
And the darling little chocolate girl image is from
Graphics Fairy
7 comments:
- Anita Hovey said...
Such a beautiful, serene card. Thanks for joining us at Sketches! {by Tamara} this week.
- January 21, 2010 at 2:47 PM
- Jessica T said...
I like how you mounted your chocolate girl on the same colour as your base card, very effective :) such a pretty card xx
- January 23, 2010 at 2:42 PM
- maryanne r said...
your cards always look lovely sandra!
- January 23, 2010 at 4:09 PM
- maryanne r said...
your cards always look lovely sandra!
- January 23, 2010 at 4:09 PM
- Pam said...
This is so delicate and lovely! Thanks for joining us at 365 Cards :)
- January 25, 2010 at 3:15 PM
- Tamara Wheeler said...
That turned out fabulous! I love it. Thank you for using one of my sketches! And thank you for playing along with us this week!
- January 26, 2010 at 8:08 PM
- Jane Ettia Jones said...
wow gorgeous card sandra love it
- January 29, 2010 at 8:16 AM
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text: According to Bill Gates, there's nothing wrong with wanting to earn your first million, but when you go beyond that, money is just the "same hamburger". While that may be the case, you'll need a lot more than $1-million to purchase all 7 of these 1000+ hp supercars. Click here to view the first image in this week's funny Facebook status updates gallery. Continue reading for a video of the first hamburger in space.


text:
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Patient at dentist's
F017/2181 Royalty Free
Please login to use the price calculator
Credit: LEWIS HOUGHTON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY
Release details: Model release available. Property release not required.
Keywords: adult, check up, dental nurse, dental surgery, dentist, dentistry, dentists chair, dentists equipment, examination, female, indoors, inside, lying down, medical professional, oral care, oral hygiene, patient, real people, room, three people, woman, working
Licence fees: A licence fee will be charged for any media (low or high resolution) used in your project.


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|Message view
|« Date » · « Thread »
|« Date » · « Thread »
|Aaron Mulder <ammul...@alumni.princeton.edu>
|Re: Geronimo and Incubation
|Sat, 04 Feb 2006 20:02:23 GMT
If you want to involve the community outside the various PMCs, then IMHO it might be helpful for you to list or point to a writeup of the duties of the incubator PMC. I'm not at all clear on what the incubator is supposed to do other than vet code and the somewhat abstract "ensure healthy communities". If the code has been vetted, it seems clear to me that the Geronimo community is healthy and (with and without the addition of the proposed subprojects) growing, so I'm wondering what else the incubator PMC feels responsible for. I'm also wondering why adding code and contributors to an existing healthy project would be a bad thing. About the only thing that seems like a problem to me (other than certain explosive e-mails, which in the main did not seem to be from Geronimo or incubating-project members), is the issue of proposed committers who did not actually contribute to the projects in question (bearing in mind that code is not the only possible type of contribution). Thanks, Aaron On 2/4/06, Leo Simons <email@example.com> wrote: > Hi all, > > I'm afraid I don't have time for a drawn-out discussion about any of this, especially > not a heated one, but a few people asked me to write this down anyway. This message is > directed primarily at the Geronimo PMC. > > I've just reviewed the traffic to pmc@incubator and general@incubator on all the > different subprojects under incubation for geronimo and some of the proposed stuff > and some of the it-might-be-proposed stuff and its all very unclear to me exactly > what is going on. > > This has been the case for a while now. > > Just some of the things that have me scratching my head: > > * A variety of status files seems to not be up-to-date > * A bunch of reminders from the incubator PMC chair for incubation status reports > went unanswered > * it seems a code grant was acked after a release vote was started (finished??) > which indicates the incubation mentors / pmc are not doing their primary job > (oversight) properly > * there's a whole bunch of heated emails about a lot of this stuff where people > rapidly change opinions without a lot of explanation > * some people were proposed as committers to a subproject without them ever > contributing a line of code to that project but that was not clear from the > proposals > > and so on and so forth. I'm not going to bother to compile an extensive list; it should > be obvious to most that some things are going wrong. > > I took a brief look at the dev@geronimo and pmc@geronimo mailing list archives to try > and figure out what is going on, but it seems there is a whole bunch of emails about > all this stuff there that would take me most of the weekend to read. I'm not going to > do that, I have more fun stuff to do with my free time! :-) > > That's fine, eg there's no particular need for me to read all those emails and > understand precisely what is going on. I'm not a part of the geronimo PMC or its > community and I'm not actively helping with any of the gazillion stuff under > incubation under direction of the geronimo PMC. > > But, and this is important, its becoming very hard to be able to perform even my > oversight duties as part of the Incubator PMC. I suspect the same is true for more > than a few incubator PMC members. > > IMHO, the primary responsibility for making my job as incubator PMC member a little > easier lies with the geronimo PMC and the mentors for the geronimo subprojects under > incubation. It saddens me I even have to write this email after spending a whole > lot of my hackathon weekend explaining all this stuff to a bunch of the people I see > most active within Geronimo at the moment, and also discussing it at a stretch with > the former and current geronimo PMC chair over the course of a few months. > > I feel you are more often than not doing your job as PMC properly, you're not > listening to the many gentle pointers I've given over the years to try and help > change that, and all this is making my job as an Incubator PMC member a lot harder, > more involved, and also a lot less fun. I feel its not just the energy that I've > invested that is totally being wasted, it is the energy of a whole bunch of people. > > Now, I realize the above is a bit abstract. So with all that in mind, a little more > concretely, I have some suggestions. These are just my personal suggestions. In terms > of carrots and sticks, there's only a very abstract carrot ("healthy community") and > only a very big stick ("pulling the plug") that's not mine to wield, so I'm not waving > any of them around; the only thing I'm trying to do is help make some sense out of it > all. > > Anyhow, I suggest that (the "you" in the below means the Geronimo PMC as a > collective): > > * you guys work to update all the incubation status files and flesh them out with > much more detail > > * you guys write some meaningful summaries and reports of all the stuff that went > on and is going on with regard to the stuff under incubation under the banner of > the geronimo PMC (and I really don't care about internal disagreements within > geronimo as to what is going on, get consensus on what is going on first please) > and send that info to general@incubator > > * you guys leave about a week or so for the incubator PMC to read that and catch > up on it all and ask questions > > * in the meantime there's no talk about any kind of release of stuff under > incubation or anything like that and you practice some patience (its likely you'll > get a -1 because the situation is currently not clear enough to be able to perform > enough oversight) > > (* you take a whole bunch of traffic off of pmc@geronimo and ot into the open (man. > I remember stating that repeatedly when it was still geronimo-ppmc@incubator. > Sigh).) > > * you don't propose any new stuff for incubation for a while so that everything > gets a chance to settle down and cool down and can proceed at a more healthy pace > > * when you do decide to bring in more stuff you take into consideration this whole > concept of "oversight" more seriously and you make it a whole lot easier for the > incubator PMC to perform its duties > > * you guys in general take a more active part in helping along the incubation process, > participating on the Incubator PMC and the general@incubator mailing list, thinking > about how you can help the incubator instead of the other way around, etc etc. > > That's about all I can think of right now. Well, I can think of more, but this email > is long enough already. Hope it helps... > > > cheers! > > > LSD >
|View raw message


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I'm gonna make a prediction in this entry about where VO is headed…in the future! The thing is, I'm a tad scared to make it. I mean, aren't some movies pretty laughable in how off they were in their predictions about what will happen in the future? Take "Back To The Future Part 2," for example, in the clip that I opened my entry with. According to that movie, our cities will look like THAT in…2015. Three years. If they're right, then DAMN is there going to be a rapid explosion of technology in three years! Or how about "Blade Runner," which supposedly takes place in 2019, and shows a Los Angeles with a smog-covered sky, lots of buildings, and lots of crowds that make it difficult to see where you're going……..actually, that is Los Angeles, never mind. What I'm trying to say is don't laugh at me too much if, years later, my predictions of the future turn out to be wrong. However, I'm gonna use some actual examples to back up my prediction: namely, my prediction that VO will be completely replaced with on-camera and 3D motion-capture acting.
What I'm using as the basis for my prediction is…video games. Yeah, I know, "But Dave, those are video games, not your usual day-to-day VO jobs"…right? Well hey, that's why I said this is a prediction of the future. Currently, only clients like video game and movie companies can afford this top-dollar technology, but every technology gets cheaper in time, and I can definitely see the average client using this technology when it gets cheaper.
Y'see, I'm a bit of a weirdo when it comes to video games in that a game's story has always been the #1 factor for me, and few stories had more effective acting than a game called "Heavy Rain." To give the plot an absurdly quick summary, the protagonist's 10-year-old son is kidnapped by a serial killer who continually taunts the protagonist with clues as to where he's keeping the boy. Needless to say, that's a pretty dark and intense story, but creator David Cage was pretty vocal that he wanted to create a video game experience that was just as emotionally provocative as a movie. To do that, it goes without saying that the acting needed to be top-notch so that players could get emotionally invested. Rather than just doing voice-over, though…Cage went the extra mile.
All of the characters in the game were designed to look completely identical to the voice actors who played them. And they did a pretty good job with it, if I do say so myself. Check out how creepy the similarities are.
Conceptually speaking, that's not quite new. Back in the old days, Disney was filming live-action sequences on film to use as a reference for their animation, and often had the voice actors serve as the physical models for the characters they played. The point behind this, though, is so that no gamer could ever complain, "That voice doesn't sound like it fits"…because the voice belongs to the person they're portraying.
Then, however, comes the voice acting. After designing the characters based on the voice actors who played them, and having them act out their scenes using motion-capture technology, it was time to record the voices. That's a process that, under normal circumstances, means just having the actors come in, record their lines, and having the animators make the facial reactions. With "Heavy Rain," though, they literally put motion capture gear on the actors' faces while they recorded their lines, so that both their vocal delivery and their facial expressions would be captured. So the acting in "Heavy Rain" can't really even be called "voice acting," because it was acting on all three fronts–body, face, AND voice. To date, not even a Pixar movie has done this.
The video below shows the entire process. I'll also end this portion of my audio narration here so you can watch the video.
FAIR WARNING: The scenes in this video from the 0:51 mark to the 1:21 mark, while not inappropriate per say, might be a little too intense for people who are bothered by physical violence, and it's beyond my ability to edit out since I'm embedding this video from another source. So please skip that section if you're bothered by violence.
"Heavy Rain" may be revolutionary now but, honestly…I think that's where all VO is headed. Who's to say that, when the technology gets (MUCH) cheaper, that e-learning client of yours won't be asking if you have face-capture gear to give their e-learning program more of a personal touch? What if a major Los Angeles-based advertising company wants you to film a few sequences in your home green screen studio for use in their new commercial for Dove soap? Absurd, right?
Yeah, absurd. Just like people said home VO studios would only be a thing for the rich…before they turned into a necessity to compete in this business. Or just like people said that you had to go to a major studio to record VO…before people started delivering audio over the internet. Let's be honest, folks…soon, more and more clients are gonna be asking us for HD audio, before moving on to more intense demands as the technology gets cheaper. Granted, I could be totally off, and either way, motion-capture acting isn't gonna become commonplace any time soon…but I firmly believe that's where we're headed. Makes me all the more glad that I trained in areas of acting beyond VO!
*sound of record scratching*
EXTRA, EXTRA, EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT…OR LISTEN ALL ABOUT IT, DEPENDING ON YOUR PREFERENCE AND INTERNET CONNECTION SPEED! This audioblog entry was originally published on June 3rd, but I've got an update as of June 15th that I'd like to share with you all. This entry of mine received a very polarized response, with some very worried about my prediction, and others saying, "Dave, calm the heck down!" Well, this audioblog entry was written with a slight tongue-in-cheek tone, but it lies somewhere between a joke and a prediction. Like I said, motion-capture technology isn't going to become commonplace anytime soon…but one VO talent by the name of Peter Drew was nice enough to point me to an article he wrote–years ago, mind you–on a threat that is even more imminent…a computer program that can actually mimic convincing human speech. I do mean convincing, too, not that fake stuff that you're hearing in this particular clip. Check out the article here!