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|View Poll Results: Umineko no Naku Koro ni (Season 1) - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 311. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2009-12-31, 16:37
|Link #1
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv168
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
Umineko no Naku Koro ni (Season 1) - Overall Series Impressions & Total Series Rating
This thread is to be used for discussing the first season of Umineko no Naku Koro ni... your thoughts about the show, overall impressions, speculation on the possible DVD only bonus episodes, etc., etc
A few subjects you might want to ramble on about:
The poll represents your total series rating. In other words, how you would rate all the episodes combined (1-10)? If you'd rather rate the whole series by technical/artistic merits, you can do so. An example:
Animation Quality: 1-10
Voice Actors: 1-10
Script: 1-10
Adaptation from Game: 1-10
Editing: 1-10
Average = Total Series Rating
Or a combination of the two. Or your general gut feeling.
|2009-12-31, 16:41
|Link #2
Ooh, I personally absolutely loved Umineko to death.
I liked the art and story, and didn't care about what they cut out and all. It was the best of 2009 for me
Animation Quality: 9
Voice Actors: 10
Script: lolwut
Adaptation from Game: idc
Editing: 10
Overall:99/100. I took one away for a reason that is-They did take alot of stuff out, but I don't really care, but I still take one away
|2009-12-31, 17:06
|Link #3
The Great Dine
Join Date: Feb 2009
Wonderful. I already typed out my entire ramblings for this season, so let me post them now.
Spoiler for Best and Worst of the Series:
Animation Quality: 8
Voice Actors: 9
Script: 7
Adaptation from Game: 5
Editing: 6
Although that's how I feel about the series as a whole, my general feelings go up to Average (6). I didn't have high hopes and expectations, but just god.
|2009-12-31, 17:35
|Link #4
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Warwick, RI
Age: 35
Animation Quality: 7 (Overall, I liked the animation, but if the quality had lived upt the design this would have been much higher)
Voice Actors: 9 (Basically excellent!)
Script: 7 (I felt like they cut out some of the best lines and some of the "summarization" dialogue they came up with fell very flat)
Adaptation from Game: 4 (Yeah. No need to explain.)
Editing: 5 (Also obvious.)
Average: 6
|2009-12-31, 17:56
|Link #5
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: United States of America
Age: 27
I give it 7 out of 10 even though I think it was just average because there aren't that many *better* shows, specially VN adaptations to compare to.
The animation was pretty good although it kept degrading through the series.
The Voice Actors were awesome. Specially liked Kinzo, Battler, Kanon, Jessica, Ronove and Beatrice.
As a standalone, its story is appreciable I guess but it hurt the feelings of anyone who has read the novel I bet, and I am no exception.
If it wasn't for the beyond crappy ending, I would have given it a 8. despite those holes in the characters and totally annoying exclusions from the game. The last episode was an epic failure.
BTW, hi everyone, I decided to stop being a silent stalker and make some posts
|2009-12-31, 20:25
|Link #6
Live the life you love
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Trying to access the world of Clannad
Animation Quality: 7 - It was ok overall, but the quality in some episodes had "rushed" written all over it. Alliance did a good job of improving this though.
Voice Actors: 10 - These were the best part of the Anime. The voice actors did a stunningly good job. Especially Ohara (Beatrice) and Ono (Battler).
Script: 6 - Could've been better. While they did keep several good lines, a lot of good/comical ones were taken out. But it was good overall I suppose.
Adaption from the Visual Novels: 4 - Do I really need to explain? They took out a lot of good/comical scenes, and they also took out a semi-important one (in my opinion, anyway. Said scene was the adult discussion in Banquet).
Editing: 4 - same as adaption explanation.
Overall: 6 - Meh, it was average. It went from decent to suckish to great to bad. Not that great, but I've seen worse.
Last edited by Tomoya-kun; 2009-12-31 at 20:26. Reason: Wow, I hit the wrong number. I'm smart.
|2009-12-31, 20:44
|Link #7
Have some salt
Higurashi is probaly my favorite series of all time. I'm quite aware that it was not a good adaptation, and had terrible artwork with questionable direction but it had enough screwiness and lovable enough characters that key moments were emotional ones that would be remembered. A good story can have you rooting for the characters to win! But for the most part, if you said Higurashi was good in spite of Deen and was too good to ruin, I could just go with that.
So along comes Umineko, and Kon Chikai/Deen are at it again. Did they get their shit together this time? Or perhaps at least make it a good standalone show? The result is well... questionable.
The story of Umineko challenges the reader to think on another level. Sometimes we think we know everything and become complacent. Our world view does not change, so once we see something out of the ordinary, our world falls apart and we try to reason it. When we can't find a reason, we often will succumb to the first meaningful explanation that appears. But the easy way out can't be taken; you will have lost! Umineko isn't Higurashi, and it's not right mindset to have.
Umineko initially started out pretty boring. It's understandable that the huge cast would have some flat characters, but most of them just seemed so pointless. I didn't even get to know most of their names into some way halfway through. For the most of the first half of the season, save for the end of the first arc, episodes consisted of Event A,B,C,D as if the script writer were just reading off a list and here they go! The transition from scene to scene is just not very good. Though they eventually get better at it.
And that's just how I felt about most of the characters. There were just plot devices being moved along by the plot. It became the character attachment of a typical crappy horror movie. Sure what happened to them may be pretty nasty, but anyone can make some random character die horribly. I need to be compelled to care about a character before I give a damn about them. However, the anime does a better job in the third and fourth arcs and thus the show became enjoyable to watch.
The best developed character out of the few that mattered (not in terms of boobage mind you) is Beatrice. She starts off as a generic villain, but as the series goes along we get to see many facets of her personality. Yes she is evil, but she's also devious and playful. In the late part of the season, we see that she is more than just a psychotic killer. While her ruse in episode 3 did get a lot of hate from me, it's revealed that not all of it may be fake. By the end of the fourth arc, we come to the realization that she doesn't want to play anymore, and is most likely being coerced. We also learn that nobody is on her side. Bern and Lambda are against her, and the family wins if Beatrice loses. Beatrice can not win and she's one of the most pitable characters in the story.
Our male lead Battler has a little development, but for the most part he remains rather generic aside from the pervertedness. But I must show my respect for anyone that makes vulgar jokes when he sees his aunt being forced to eat his own cousin. That was probaly his defining moment for this season. We now realize that giving up is not acceptable and there is nowhere to run.
He seems to have hit a wall in arc 4. Maybe because it's not concerning him too much, but he seems to lack emotion, though it could be expected due to all the crap that's already happened.
Maria... ugh. She was probably meant to be more sympathetic that she appeared in the anime. Indeed, those ridiclous faces and Deen's obsession with portraying her as a relative of Light Yagami pretty much failed miserably, and wasn't scary at all. Except some points in the 4th arc, when we realize how crappy a mom Rosa really is. The Rosa torture scene is indeed disturbing, but extremely effective in showing how broken Maria really is. Who would have known you could make a character more interesting by developing them?
George, Jessica, Shannon-- They are likable and aren't made of cardboard. But that's all I can say about them.
Eva/Eva-Beatrice is an interesting twist that happened as Eva seems to be torn apart in a fight agianst herself. She also seems to be plagued with guilt in the fourth arc. Eva-Beatrice is even more sadistic than Beato, and is pretty effective as a villain, but she lacks Beato's elegance.
Ange/Stakes-- While some might have found the start of the 4th arc to be boring, I found that to be really good as we finally have something that actually matters. Her interaction with the stakes is probably the high point of the series, and the epic slaughter in the penultimate is one as well.
The mystery. lol wut? Umineko's anime plot is quite the trainwreck as mostly I'm wondering what the hell was the point of most of the stuff. Indeed, the leaving out of details may have hurt it a lot. Most jarring is Eva appearing to just randomly solve the epitaph. Near the end was the worst The final confrontation had virtually no red text which means most of it is pointless. Wtf?? I'm sure it's solvable in the VN, but pretty much impossible from just watching the anime.
The ending was plain abysmal. Despite having one of the best previews ever, it had such a lack of emotion that it might as well have never existing. Especially Ange's death. Given all the time spent building up her character, you'd expect a dramatic exit with an angry Battler rising up to win for real this time. You'd expect something sad and memorable. That's not what you got here though. This alone knocks the anime down an entire point for me, much less the incomprehensible garbage that was the 2nd half of the finale.
Soundtrack was nice, and they actually used the awesome tracks from the VN, unlike Higurashi. Unforunately, as I've heard from VN readers, they weren't well used, and a certain god track was just left out. The OP is wonderful, the ED is funny.
Character designs were pleasant. Bern and Beatrice look great. The animation however... Deen hasn't learned yet.
The voice acting is great and why you should watch the series. Beatrice's VA did a exceptional job. CONGRATULATIONS made me fall out of my chair and rewind.
Overall: 6/10 I felt the show was more entertaining to watch for the 2nd half, and it had enough wtfness to keep me going. So I would say it was time well spent watching it, even though some of it was spent facepalming. The unacceptable ending drags it down a bit, and as with most other shows I give a 6 to could have been great with more effort. I'd like to see more of this, though it will probably be with another studio, which I'm sure others here would love. I do not want to see the When the Cry anime franchise to just end here.
Last edited by Archon_Wing; 2010-01-01 at 21:56. Reason: Gonna try to rename "episode" to arc; getting confusing
|2009-12-31, 21:02
|Link #8
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv168
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
As usual, my AS series review can be sort of longwinded. Please bear with me.
So, as some people might know, I'm in charge of Witch Hunt, the translation group of the VN ever since its creation back in February 2008. With that "intro", you can expect me to be well versed with the original franchise... and perhaps too much.
Indeed, I won't deny that my position wasn't making my anime enjoyment anything easier, but I certainly believe that as a VN reader, my critics so far were done in order to point out the inherent issues that should have been addressed, without putting the said adaptation to any more shame or praise than necessary.
Without much ado:
1) Image Quality:
1.1 Sakuga
The art style was, to be plain, not exactly what I expected.
It isn't about "good" or "bad", but rather how it was difficult to imagine the characters at the start with the first rough sheets (especially Battler, who still look extremely different to his original incarnation in my eyes). That wasn't much a problem as the characters were easily recognizable, but still the "aura" or "vibes" were definitely not the same, or lacked the emotions (or perhaps Ryukishi was really doing too much with the expressions?).
Anyway, aside of this point which was a plain demonstration of my preferences, the Sakuga themselves were really not consistent. To me, the designers were extremely basic in term of handling the designs of the characters, often abusing still shot and far zoom camera pan to decrease substantially the level of detail.
If it was just for this, it would be fine, but for some reasons, those who were in charge of the design were... probably fans of large breasts.
Let's be honest, yes female characters were gifted by Ryukishi in the original game, however, the proportions and chest inflation were beyond a joke. I really couldn't stop face palming at the sight of Natsuhi, Eva and Kyrie's balloons, almost as big as their head, breaking... what, E Cup?
Likewise, the men weren't really spared and it seems the old curse from Higurashi kai happened once again: they became quite strong built, but it seems their head wasn't accounted in the budget. Because of this, it isn't really rare to see Rudolf and Krauss with abnormal body frame, as if they were transformers or megazords in flesh.
The cousins were spared of this, except perhaps Jessica in few instances (yes, I'm talking about Episode 5, and its instant framerate X2 increase for some breast jiggling), and Maria's psychotic faces that were totally overdone (VN readers can confirm they weren't intended to be like that and latest episodes prove Maria is nowhere close to facial distortion).
Just to add the insult to the injury, the consistency is often at stake, without trying to pull a pun: the Stakes often got their hair color or even hair style swapped within bare few seconds within the same episode (especially that scene with the Stakes being obliterated by Ange).
Finally, the real regret I had with the design was the utter lack of emotions: most characters had stiff expressions and didn't really show their anger, sorrow and so forth.
It was even more noticeable in the last episodes, with Ange being basically indifferent to Battler's existence denial, Beato's reaction towards Ange's intrusion or Battler "rage" in the last episode... perhaps this is more like a script issue instead, which will be developed later on.
Aside of the characters, the architecture of the mansion and its scenery were fine, though the colors in general were awfully dull. I know it isn't as close as Hinamizawa, but the lack of proper gradients minimized use of rich colors (Red, Yellow, etc) don't help in that dull impression.
1.2 Animation
Now that makes the whole Sakuga problem even worse, as basically the animation was alienated by (un)intelligent abuse of camera pan. The problem is that it doesn't compliment the efforts they have done, when the only moving thing is the only character speaking, or the camera itself (the legendary "sidewayyyy" abuse in Episode 1 arc).
I will not deny few things were well animated (such like Kanon VS Lucifer in Episode 3 arc), but it is quite saddening that their budget was kind of fixed on breast jiggling and very rare key scenes.
In short
In that regard, I really think Higurashi Kai was superior in both design/image and animation departments.
I would still give a "decent" score for this, as I can see they didn't go as low as cabbage love or whatever kind of mockery.
2) Sound Quality:
2.1 Voice Actors
Probably one of the few strong points of this adaptation: the plethora of Seiyuu.
As a lot of people around, I was quite skeptical about Beato and Battler's seiyuu assignments' back at the start, but in the end, it wasn't that hard to be accustomed.
In fact, there weren't many characters that didn't feel right.
I can only say that Siesta 410 voice is basically atrocious (and unfitting), Rosa just sound too young even after 26 episodes (but excellent outbursts), Kinzo lacks of "class" still (for me, of course... I guess I still have Wakamoto in mind), George... not enough "Tommy" like (Mikiya!! )
Meanwhile, I loved the Stakes voices (minus Asmodeus), Battler, Natsuhi, Krauss, Ronove, Beato and of course Bernkastel (Yukarin :3)
2.2 Opening / Ending
The opening was quite nice, but I think the flow was kind of broken... I guess the momentum break at "nakanai de" was bit overkill to me, but it certainly fits very well the franchise.
The ending was perhaps a better highlight for me, considering how it suits so well Kinzo .
If it wasn't for the crazy parts of Episode 4, I guess the impact would have been much more lessened.
2.3 Inserted Songs
There was unfortunately none. It isn't bad per se, since there were only 1 inserted song by Episode arc in the VN, but I think it wouldn't have been a problem for them to add these. Not really a minus point, it isn't like they are more important than the next point...
...now that is probably the only red mark of the sound department here.
As you know, Umineko is exactly like Higurashi: a VN, but more precisely, a sound novel. Their main strength is the mood enhanced with the SFX but mainly the BGM.
And this is where it doesn't look that good: the person in charge of the composition didn't exploit the excellent OST of the game.
Truth to be told, Umineko has good anime original tracks, which is a far cry from those shamelessly recycled in Higurashi, but most of them didn't feel completely fitting with the scenes they were used in.
But that wasn't that much of a problem, since these weren't used in a bad way.
The problem however is how they misused the original tracks. I guess this opinion is shared, but I really think someone at DEEN HQ had a big obsession over "suspicion", to the point it is used like at least thrice per arc, which is extremely jarring so to speak.
Using the bad track isn't only the sole issue here, but also how some tracks weren't given justice due to the timing... I think the first twilight discovery is enough to realize how it was really badly timed but also too low.
Some key scenes were seriously affected by the lack of such BGM, to the point the mood might be totally different (I think almost everyone can agree regarding dreamenddischarger for the very "battle" in Episode 26, or dir for Ange's death).
This is really the true negative point in this section that does have a certain weight...
In short
If it wasn't for the BGM issue, they could have almost get the max score. However, they still did a decent job, despite there were a lot left to be desired regarding the BGM.
3) Script:
This is probably the biggest issue of this anime. Basically, the whole ordeal of the characters wasn't really smooth in term of pace and content.
3.1 Characters:
The characters were basically a "watered down" version of their VN selves in most case that I often wondered if it was really an adaptation.
I acknowledge that it is by no mean practical or feasible to have every detail or character developments. That's a pure given.
However, aside of possible cuts, my main problem is how some characters are void of emotions or their characteristic TRAITS.
Jessica is the prime example of this: she is not exactly shown as the rash and tsundere girl around.
Episode 1 and Episode 2 were quite the proof of it: she was basically quite "generic" without her characteristic burning passion. Because of this, her "development" in Episode 4 wasn't exactly convincing, even with VN knowledge. It didn't need any character development, but plain traits used. Therefore, the lack of cold shoulder and "rants" over her parents don't give emphasis on the heartwarming effect of the scorpion charm with Natsuhi. Likewise, the struggle with Kanon in Episode 2 arc doesn't seem exactly as problematic, when Jessica just soak what Kanon said and let him leave without protesting (which doesn't help her supposed "you are human!!!" comment).
But as I mention the characters traits (affecting characters like Jessica, Gohda, Kumasawa etc), the problem is the lack of emotions that really put all the empathy almost to 0.
Episode 1 and Episode 2 first twilights were quite a letdown: you have a blunt shock, then almost nothing has happened (especially Ep2, until the kids show up). That trend was kept thorough the series, even in the end. I personally wasn't happy how Battler was kind of "shocked" at most when Ange was bleeding, then ultimately dying. Serious? yes. Enraged? no.
It is really difficult to "care" about characters when they don't exactly feel human, and this is exactly what's happening with Umineko, especially when it comes to corpse's discovery in general.
This is why both points combined leave me a sour aftertaste regarding the characters.
Umineko is nowhere close to be a plain carbon copy of "and then there were none" with an otaku disguise: against the usual and cold detective story mood, Umineko sets so many layers of depth and subtle details with a giant cast of characters.
Thus, it is quite disheartening to see most of them as good as bunch of dolls or "read the script" pole. Even with the Seiyuu best performances, they can't outmatch the letdown if they are told to say a line without much aftermath behind.
3.2 Story progression
A very debated point, that's for sure.
As you know, Umineko really suffered a lot for its jarring pacing. Of course, it was "thanks" to its gigantic size and level of details. However, it has to be said that the scripters and series composer were kind of goofy regarding the pacing and things to be given, and that more than once.
Because of this, a lot of events and details felt quite disjointed, and due to some details missing, it is actually hard to connect the dots regarding some characters' reactions (the lack of Kanon's self admission regarding his love for Jessica + Furniture/human in Episode 2 intro was quite a problem to understand why he turned her down, etc).
And of course, some events don't exactly make much sense without VN knowledge (gapgapgap for instance...)
In short
They certainly were affected by the overall number of episode for this season, yet I think budget and time constraints don't mean scripters can't have any creativity to overcome this kind of issues. Most cuts were needed indeed, but some could have been made in a different way, without losing much in the process.
4) Adaptation from the game
Aside of that huge debate regarding Episode 25, Umineko didn't exactly have its best share of pacing, that certainly cost a lot of details in the process.
And by no mean these details were small. Of course, we can just ignore details like Kanon being a weak boy unable to carry a bag of fertilizer. I mean details like red truth.
I mean... does it make any sense that Beatrice starts to say in Episode 3 that she "already confirmed" the death of the first six, despite it didn't happen in the anime?
Likewise, why Hideyoshi's testimony wasn't in red? How about the whole list of "death"?
Episode 4 was basically the straw: if we suppress the lack of "Beato's counter offensives" the whole issue is that the anime doesn't provide enough information to the watchers.
Was it too much to make Beato say "Kanon is dead" despite Piece Battler didn't find his corpse? Likewise, how about the last riddle, when Battler is about to be killed, but not in red? How a watcher is supposed to know if it is a fact that can be trusted?
This is where lies the most problematic issue regarding the adaptation, all categories alike: the consistencies and clues.
So many red were removed altogether without any proper justification, but it goes worst when Episode 4 is totally screwed up with a mess in the murders.
And this is probably the sole mistake that I think any VN reader has the rightful right to rant like no tomorrow: no matter how they miss character developments, BGM or whatsoever, they ought to give the minimum and CORRECT clues/hints/murders setup due to the plot nature of Umineko.
And again, to add the insult to the injury, they managed to omit important red truth that are part of a plot twist and resolution in Episode 5. Without this red truth, it is 100% impossible (no exaggeration) to adapt Episode 5, unless they edit it to the point it is not an adaptation.
If you add the issue regarding the characters, it is just more salt to the wound. The only saving grace is like what Marion mentioned in her review: Beato was well adapted... which wasn't exactly the case for Battler...
In short
And in that regard, I can hereby say that the scripters failed. Not totally, but they really messed up a lot of things that it is really impossible to buy that Ryukihi supervised them. At the very best, he just guided them for few points and then the scripters had a field trip.
And that point doesn't help much with the aforementioned points.
This adaptation of Umineko no Naku Koro ni wasn't a total disaster, but it wasn't far from it either.
Crippled too much by a very uninspiring direction and poor choices regarding budget and the like, the series was basically a mere digest display of the true story, which is unlikely to be the purpose of an "adaptation".
Even if the series could be considered as a standalone, the glaring mistakes and lack of proper time management don't make it any more "suitable" for non VN readers.
Quite a disappointment for me, there is no need to hide that.
5/10 - below average
This "essay" is of course my only opinion, and I don't pretend to get an appreciation more worthy than anyone else's.
Last edited by Klashikari; 2010-01-02 at 13:34. Reason: font glitch + typo
|2009-12-31, 21:40
|Link #9
do you know ベアトリーチェ様?
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 30
I'm not a fan of writing big, long-winded reviews, and I think Klash has touched on many of the points I have in mind, anyway.
Suffice to say, I feel like between the tasteless "fanservice", complete butchering of the mystery (especially in the final battle where just making the text red would have helped substantially), completely bland action scenes (when I know DEEN can do better based on F/SN... never mind the overall quality of that adaptation), tone problems (see the epilogue of EP2), and animation errors (including the overuse of Mariaface), I couldn't begin to think that the animators had actual respect for the source material, which is truly unfortunate.
As an adaptation of the SN, this doesn't even begin to fly. The mystery is completely ruined.
As a first introduction to the series (with a view to pointing people toward the games), this is only moderately successful. I've seen people claim that it's a Higurashi rehash. Anyone who's actually played the games would know this is far from the truth, but based on the anime itself, I can't blame them.
As a supplement to the SN catering just to the fans, it still disappoints. As mentioned, the action scenes just fall flat, and doesn't begin to represent DEEN's best. Cans of mackerel and the random addition of "gapgapgap" are NOT a satisfying callout to existing series fans. The anime's strong point (had it been something "for the fans") should have been in the action scenes, at least compared to the SN and manga, and this just didn't happen.
I think that the anime aimed at all three of these goals in an indecisive manner, and in short, it quite frankly fails at all of them. And now that it already exists, any hope of a better adaptation is effectively dashed.
In light of that, I can't give this more than 3/10.
|2010-01-01, 19:26
|Link #11
Join Date: Dec 2006
A wonderful mystery anime. I'm almost shocked this was made by the same group as Higurashi... I wonder if they really want the audience to try and solve everything in a logical manner, with girls flying around and turning into spikes and people teleporting around in the most entertaining outfits.
Well, I'm sure they can answer everything with "It was just a delusion."
Heck, it couldn't even turn into horror, with overdone face distortions that only brought laughter.
Either way, I'd give it a 1/10 for being so disappointing as a person looking forward to a mystery, but I'd say 4/10 because it was so entertaining as a comedy. Too bad 11eyes beat it there.
2nd season?
No, I was just laughing over the dragon in the last episode, that's all...
|2010-01-01, 19:41
|Link #12
do you know ベアトリーチェ様?
Join Date: Dec 2003
Age: 30
|2010-01-01, 21:15
|Link #13
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: United States of America
Age: 27
|2010-01-01, 23:53
|Link #14
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Animation: 4
The animation... normally, this would not bother me in a series (Higurashi's sure didn't), but there were so many glaringly obvious problems, like Genji's shirt being transparent in an early episode, or changing hair colors for the Stakes, etc. I've seen worse, but not too many.
Voice Actors: 9
Ah, the high point of this series. The voice actors really did a great job for the most part, and all of them fit the characters to almost exactly how I'd thought of them in the VN, save Beatrice (who I got used to pretty quick). The only reason this isn't a 10 is because they really, really lacked emotion in some of the key scenes in the series. However, this seems to be a directing problem and not a VA problem, because in things like the drama CDs for the same scenes, they're fine.
Overall, a solid cast.
Music: 6
What happened here? The VN series known for having awesome music and we get... either terribly butchered versions of songs from the VN, bad original music (for the most part, there's 1 or 2 decent ones), or ones that just plain don't fit the scenes.
I'm horribly disappointed in the music aspect of this series. It's just plain pathetic, but what IS there and IS matched up well is enough to save it from being abysmal.
Adaptation from Game: 1
What. The. Fuck.
That's all I can really say here. I've not seen an adaption this terrible since the Tsukihime anime. Not explaining crucial parts of the plot, leaving out tons of character development, changing character personalities, cutting short or screwing with the best scenes in the series, and leaving out important red text... it's just beyond terrible. A 1 might even be too high. I and many others have ranted so much about how absolutely horrid this is as an adaption, so I'm not going to go back over it here.
Either way, I'm very, very sorry for anyone that watches this anime and does like it enough to read the VN afterward, because it spoils all the surprises, and doesn't even do ANY of them well.
Overall: 3
My score isn't an average, because I don't think I can fairly judge the story, characters, etc by the anime alone since I know their VN counterparts and they're so different. Instead, I'm rating the overall on just how I feel about the series and how much I enjoyed it. Quite frankly... I didn't. This is the only anime series I've ever said "Thank god it's over" to, and I hope to hell it is for good.
|2010-01-02, 00:34
|Link #15
Join Date: Dec 2009
A word: First, let me clarify I have not read the VN. Aside from some scenes I caught on Youtube, I don't know much about the VN Umineko.
Animation Quality: 8
I really like how the characters were drawn. It really was a beautiful Anime. I know a lot of people have issues with the animation, but I honestly didn't even notice the things I've read in this thread. I liked the coloring, the Golden Butterflies were especially pretty.
Voice Actors: 10!!!!!!
I don't need to say anything. You can just hear the wonderful talent provided by the entire cast. I don't speak Japanese, but none of the voices seemed out of place. Ronove was my favorite. Beatrice would be my second. Virgilia is a third.
Script: 5-10 (varies)
Sometimes the dialogue seemed dull. Especially in the final episode where everything should have been keeping me on the edge of my seat. Even finding out that Kinzo was dead didn't shock me when it should have. :/
Adaptation from Game: ????
No clue.
Editing: 1
The last Arc was BORING, UNEVENTFUL and LAME. Ep 25 was entirely about Ange doing errands. I know they are probably key to solving the mystery... but it was such a yawn fest. In all honesty, I don't remember anything about Arc 4 except George and Jessica own each other, Ange gets the shit kicked out of her and Battler is apparently completely wrong with all his blue.
Average = 7-8
Only worth watching for the music + voice acting... well all the episodes were interesting to me except those associated with Arc 4.
|2010-01-02, 01:15
|Link #16
Wielder of the Bracelet
|2010-01-02, 04:06
|Link #17
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Russia, Moscow
Age: 30
But still. Brought out Ronove's personality? That hysterical laugh instead of 'pu ku ku'?
Dude, even Wakamoto Norio would be a better Ronove than him.
|2010-01-02, 05:29
|Link #18
The Great Dine
Join Date: Feb 2009
|2010-01-02, 08:29
|Link #20
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Warwick, RI
Age: 35
He played Ronove as he extremely restrained and sort of darkly mischievous, exactly as he's supposed to be.
|Thread Tools


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Walter Jon Williams Talks to Space Being from New Mexico Tech, Nov. 13, 2008
By Thomas Guengerich
SOCORRO, N.M., Nov. 13, 2008 – New Mexico science fiction author Walter Jon Williams talked to a being in outer space recently.
From the distance education studio at New Mexico Tech in Socorro, Williams had a 30-minute conversation with an astronaut aboard the International Space Station on Monday, Nov. 10.
Williams, who has written 30 works of fiction and won two Nebula Awards, said the conversation was a thrilling experience. His wife, Kathy Hedges, is an editor and writer at New Mexico Tech and helped facilitate the long-distance conversation.
Col. Michael Fincke, the mission commander, is an avid fan of Williams' novels. In fact, Fincke took a copy of Williams' latest novel, Implied Spaces, into space for a bit of zero-gravity reading.
"Apparently he's read quite a few," Williams said. "I heard from a senior person at NASA that Lt. Fincke was a big fan and that they wanted to set up a surprise conversation." Williams offered to send the astronaut a copy of his next book, This is Not a Game, which will be published next spring.
Williams said he and Fincke discussed books, science, the mission, space travel training and space tourism. Per NASA's request, the conversation was private and Williams had the studio to himself.
"We started off talking about my books," Williams said. "He encouraged me to write more books in my Praxis series. He said he read them when training and that it helped him in dealing with aliens."
Umm … that's a little astronaut joke! (The Praxis series is comprised of three books: The Praxis, The Sundering, and Conventions of War.)
Williams also asked about Fincke's fellow astronaut, space tourist Richard Garriot, who made his fortune in the computer game industry. Williams has also worked in the computer game industry, most recently on the game Spore.
Fincke periodically turned zero-gravity cartwheels while talking, Williams said. He also offered to move his computer and camera to the window to give Williams a view of Earth from above, but the NASA decision-makers quashed that idea.
The conversation was facilitated by Rob Hepler, distance education technology director at New Mexico Tech. Hepler said the connection wasn't much of a challenge for him because he only had to link the Socorro studio to NASA mission command center in Houston. Nevertheless, the conversation was the first time he had linked New Mexico Tech to the International Space Station.
Williams said he was thrilled to be invited to talk to an astronaut.
"I was astounded and delighted," he said. "I was too delighted to have a thought. The little neurons in my brain were going, 'Yippee, Hooray, Weeee'."
"My friends think I talk to space all the time," he said. "This time I really did."

subset: commoncrawl


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Testimonials by outstanding senior students reflecting on their experiences at Hope College will be featured during the Hope College Senior Recognition and Women of Color Celebration on Wednesday, April 10, at 5:30 p.m. in the Maas Center auditorium.
The students scheduled to speak are seniors Iliana Garcia of Los Angeles, Calif.; Angelina Matthews of Amityville, N.Y.; Kristin Stevenson of Owosso; and Kathleen Tolentino of Pingree Grove, Ill. Also included in the evening celebration will be a senior recognition for all graduating students of color.
The event is hosted by the Hope College Office of Multicultural Education and dean for international and multicultural education, and co-sponsored by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan.
Tickets for the dinner event were available through Thursday, April 4. Those interested in available seating should contact the college's Office of Multicultural Education. Open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., the office is located on the first floor of the Martha Miller Center for Global Communication, and can be e-mailed at firstname.lastname@example.com or called at (616) 395-7867.
The Maas Center is located at 264 Columbia Ave., on Columbia at 11th Street. The Martha Miller Center for Global Communication is located at 257 Columbia Ave., at the corner of Columbia Avenue and 10th Street.


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Recipe for cold-brew iced tea
Makes 1 gallon
Although major tea brands now sell larger bags specifically for cold-brewing, a regular tea bag, with powder-fine black leaves, often results in a bitter taste and cloudy liquid. This cold brew technique calls for good quality loose leaves, which you pack into your own bag or pouch. Evy Chen of Tea Cuvee, a cold-brew iced tea company, suggests using green, oolong, or white tea varieties, and purified or filtered water. To begin, the water can be room temperature or cold. The pitcher will be refrigerated to brew the tea.
|teaspoons loose leaf tea
|gallon (16 cups) water
1. In a tall pitcher, sprinkle the tea into the bottom or tuck the tea into a paper or cheesecloth bag or pouch. Pour room temperature or cold water over the leaves and stir to combine. Cover the pitcher with a clean kitchen towel and refrigerate overnight.
2. Remove tea bag or pouch and pour tea through a filter or fine sieve into glasses. Serve plain or sweetened with honey. Adapted from Evy Chen


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Orange County Government Center
None as of February 2011.
It has been nominated for National Trust for Historic Preservation's "America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places" for 2011.
The Orange County Government Center was originally designed as three interconnecting buildings each with its own purpose. The buildings surround an open courtyard that allows light into the interior spaces and also acts as the main entrance to all three buildings. The largest building, located at the north-east portion of the complex,was designed as the adult and supreme court for the County. West of this building, running parallel to Main Street was the juvenile court. The legislative branch of the County Government was housed in the southern most building.
The Orange County Government Center is often considered "a concrete Brutalist classic" (Foster) comprised of three interconnecting concrete buildings with similar massing and forms. Each building is three stories tall consisting of a series of concrete boxes, or blocks, stacked upon one another and cantilevered out by concrete beams, each extruding mass is further defined by its fenestration. The individual boxes vary in size but are uniform in their style and use of floor to ceiling single panes of glass. Portions of the structure appear organic: some blocks are smallest on the first floor and grow with each succeeding story so that it appears that the building is growing like a tree from the ground. Other facades have a heavier orientation caused by blocks and stories that appear to merge and lose form.
The volumes or the building result from Rudolph's interpretation of Mies Van Der Rohe's concept of "implied space" (Schmertz, 83). Highly articulated plans published at the time of construction reveal Rudolph's clear, almost mathematical, approach to space, light and structure. Both exterior and interior forms and materials are designed to play with natural light and shadows; high ceilings and large windows take advantage of the large open space surrounding the structure. Interior spaces are further complimented by the open and deliberate courtyard in the center of the structure.
The Government Center has a total square footage of 250,000sq.ft (not including exterior spaces), more than 80 roofs, and 300 inoperable windows.
Completed 1973 (c)
The town of Goshen is comprised mostly of low-rise structures from the 18th and 19th Centuries. The Orange County Government Center is located along Main Street on a 24 acre parcel. The building is surrounded by an ample parking lot which is further enclosed by an expansive and rolling lawn. The large open space surrounding the building contribute to Rudolph's intended use of light on and in the building.
The Government Center has a concrete frame and exterior complimented by large windows of single pane glass. Rudolph utilized a rough textured concrete technique similar to that which he first used on Yale University's Art & Architecture building.
The project's structural engineer, Lev Zetlin, created a structure comprised of parallel beams five feet wide and two feet deep that are placed 18 feet apart and span 40 to 50 feet.
The building was carefully designed to hide the mechanical functions of the building; the air condition ducts and lighting connections were incorporated into the structure of the building and removed from public view.
In the 1960's the Orange County Government Center represented not just a county but a new approach to governing that county. The Orange County Government was historically run by individual town supervisors but in the 1960's the County aimed to create a more cohesive and unified type of Government and implemented the position of County Executive. The Orange County Government Center was commissioned as a physical representation of the County's new approach to government and community.
Paul Rudolph was considered an innovative and idealist architect in the 1960's and the Orange County Board of Supervisors enlisted his services to represent the forward-thinking approach that they embraced. Rudolph was commissioned to create a new, and avant-garde image for the town of Goshen.
Rudolph credited Ludwig Mies van der Rohe as his inspiration and creative source for the Orange County Government Center, although reviewers, critics and historians often credit Le Corbusier as a point of reference in the development of the Brutalist style. The Government Center is a Brutalist building that defied the glass box aesthetics of corporate modernism current at the time. The building is notable not only for its unique massing and use of textured concrete but also for its deliberate employment of natural light. Light plays on the rough texture of the building, the strong extruding volumes of the block forms, the open courtyards and the interior space through the use of large single pane windows.
From its point of completion in 1971, Rudolph's Orange County Government Center has elicited strong opinions from architects, historians, journalists and County residents. Anecdotal evidence from local newspapers repeatedly admonish the building, often referring to it as "the ugliest building in town," (Bernstein). The current County Executive, Mr. Diana, shares these sentiments and has repeatedly announced since his election in 2002 that if he conducted a county survey "the building would be demolished tomorrow," (Bernstein). Other local residents disagree and are actively fighting for the building's preservation, such as the local chapter of the League of Women Voters. These efforts are also supplemented by more prominent groups such as the Preservation League of New York State, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Paul Rudolph Foundation.
In academic circles the building is often cited as an exemplary structure of Brutalist style. Richard Hull, a local historian of Warwick and a professor of history and civilization at New York University, considers the building unappreciated and a victim of neglect (Johnson). And Columbia University's Director of of the Historic Preservation Program, Andrew Dolkart, considers the building's use of space and light to be "beautiful" and admired Rudolph's design because he "broke away from the doctrinaire modernism of the glass towers," (McKenna).
Although there were complaints from the beginning regarding leaky roofs, from a utilitarian perspective the Orange County Government Center sucessfully served the needs of its constituents for many years. In the late 1990's however the Supreme Court building was considered unfit and was closed permanently. And in more recent years the now well-established County government is seeking a larger space to accommodate a more consolidated administration.
In the 1960's, when the Orange County Government Center was first commissioned, Rudolph was considered one of America's most prominent working architects. The Orange County Government Center is one of Rudolph's few civic buildings and a great example of his sculptural, multi-leveled Brutalist buildings of the 1960's that played with volume, texture and the play of light. A June 1966 article in Architectural Record reviewed six of Rudolph's projects and stated "Paul Rudolph considers this building [the Orange County Government Center] his most important current project in terms of the development of ideas," (Architectural Record.) The Government Center also provided an administrative, judicial and legislative center both geographically and physically for the reorganized Orange County.
Bernstein, Fred A., "The End of 1960's Architecture," The New York Times, October 31, 2004.
Chergotis, Pamela, "Center Renovation is Still an Option," The Chronicle, January 13, 2011.
Foster, Margaret,"NY County Debates Future of Paul Rudolph's Government Center," Preservation Magazine, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Jan 21, 2011.
Johnson, Edie, "Will It Be Demolition or Makeover for County Government Center?" The Photo News, New York, January 6, 2011.
Jordan, John, "Orange County Executive Presses Forward on New Government Center," Construction News Online, October 1, 2010.
McKenna, Chris, "Architects Legacy in Goshen's Orange County Government Center Has Its Defenders," Herald-Record, October 10, 2010.
"Paul Rudolph's Elaborated Spaces: Six New Projects," Architectural Record,USA, Vol. 139, June 1966, p135-150.
Schmertz, Mildred F., "A County Government Center by Paul Rudolph," Architectural Record, Vol. 150, August 1973, p83-92.
Sveivan, Megan, "AD Classics:Orange County Government Center/Paul Rudolph," ArchDaily, November 8, 2010.
Depicted item: Interview of residents outside the building in 2010 discussing if they like the building or not. , source: HVMediaGroup via Youtube


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Baroque Angels Frame Machine embroidery design - 7 sizes
Free Machine Embroidery Designs Machine Embroidery Patterns Online
Welcome to our Internet Machine Embroidery designs Store and Free Machine Embroidery Patterns online.
Here you will find exclusive designs for machine embroidery as well as cross stitching that will allow you to create stunning pieces for your home or unique gifts for any occasion.
Interior embroidery is a new trend in home design. Having just a few embroidered pieces in your house or apartment will allow you to significantly improve the look of your space as well as creatively express your own personal style.
Royal Present Embroidery offers and sells digitized machine embroidery designs
Royal Present Embroidery reserves the right to change the Sewing Machine Embroidery Patterns or remove them altogether from the online embroidery shop without any previous warning. Don't forget to download the files with the designs as soon as you have purchased them. Please, make sure to choose the size and format of the file, compatible with those of your embroidery machine.
For the download to be successful, the settings of your Windows should be right. Also, for older operating systems, your computer needs to have the right software for ZIP files. After you have downloaded the design in a ZIP file, unzip the folder to extract the files.
If you haven't received the design you ordered. Log into your personal account (My account) and download the file from there.
Designs Information
In the archive you buy, there are .jpg files, which are the instruction for each embroidery design. You need to make sure, that this instruction has a 100% scale. This is written in a left upper corner of the instruction. If the design doesn't fit on one A4 sized sheet, the instruction can contain from few sheets. They are usually named (1-1), (1-2) and etc., which are after the name of the actual design. For example, if the name of the design is RPE-1002, then the instruction can consist of several pages with a name: RPE-1002(1-1), RPE-1002(1-2) and etc.
To check the position where you plan to embroider, you can print out the instruction and try in on the textile. In the instruction, you will see the centre of the embroidery and the horizontal and vertical position. You can mark the centre on the textile so its more comfortable to embroider where you want.
IT IS IMPORTANT! We never divide our designs! If your hoops are too small to embroider big designs, you can divide our designs in a program, which is for your machine.
Happy shopping !


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May 30, 2007
Complete 2007 Academic All-MPSF list (.pdf)
Download Free Acrobat Reader
Santa Barbara, Calif. - Six UC Santa Barbara men's volleyball players, including Bryan Berman, Ben Brockman, David Kennedy, Max Klineman, Tyson Norton, and Aaron Richman were named 2007 Academic All-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF). The announcement was made Wednesday by MPSF Executive Director Al Beaird.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must hold a 3.0 or better cumulative grade point average. In addition, they must be at least a sophomore academically, must have completed one full academic year at their institution, and must have competed in 50 percent or more of their school's matches.
Berman, a senior outside hitter from Palmdale, has a 3.04 GPA as a biological sciences major. A junior libero and physics major from San Diego, Brockman has a 3.19 GPA. Kennedy is a senior middle blocker from Palmdale and holds a 3.40 GPA as a Law and Society major. Klineman, a sophomore setter from Manhattan Beach, has yet to declare a major, but owns a 3.12 GPA. A senior libero and communications major from Corona, Norton boasted the highest GPA of any Gaucho at 3.59. Richman is a senior outside hitter majoring in international studies. The Solvang native has a 3.01 GPA.
UCSB tied with Cal State Northridge for the second-most Academic All-MPSF scholar-athletes. Pacific had eight selections to lead the 12 MPSF institutions. Stanford placed five, Pepperdine and UCLA each had three, and BYU, Hawai'i, UC Irvine, and UC San Diego garnered two selections apiece. Long Beach State and USC were not represented.
UCSB finished the 2007 season with an overall record of 20-12 and had a 14-8 mark in the MPSF. The Gauchos qualified for the league tournament and advanced to the semifinals, where they fell against national semifinalist Pepperdine in four games.


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Automotive GPS UnitsMagellan RoadMate 9250T-LMB 7" Touch w/Life Map/BackUp Cam Compatible
Magellan RoadMate 9250T-LMB 7" Touchscreen w/ Lifetime Maps - Back-Up Camera Compatible
DetailsMAGELLAN ROADMATE 9250T-LMB 7" TOUCHSCREEN W/ LIFETIME MAPRaodMate 9250T-LMB
With the RoadMate 9250T-LMB you get it all. The first thing you notice is the extra-large 7" high resolution screen. You also get premium features such as Free Lifetime Map Updates, Free Lifetime Traffic Alerts and integrated Bluetooth technology. The RoadMate 9250T-LMB provides the convenience of Bluetooth pairing to your cell phone to serve as your in-car speakerphone. Integrated Bluetooth wireless technology with a built-in microphone and speaker can make your commute time a productive one. Just pair it with your compatible Bluetooth phone and talk hands-free through the RM9250-LMB while keeping your eyes on the road. You also get compatibility with the award-winning Magellan Wireless Back-up Camera for added safety backing out of your driveway and ease of parallel parking. (camera sold separately).
Magellan's next generation features make navigation easier. With the Landmark Guidance feature, you receive directions using landmarks as your guide, making it a more intuitive way to navigate. You'll hear instructions like "In 200 feet, turn left at the Shell Gas Station". The upgraded Junction View feature provides you with realistic images of freeway signs and arrows to guide you to the correct lane, making driving easier, safer and less stressful. Traffic Camera Alerts, provided by PhantomALERT, help to avoid traffic tickets by providing audible and visual warnings that alert you to fixed red lights and speed cameras along your route. You can even become one of the many reporters on the street by submitting your own discoveries or rating the reliability of the alerts you are shown. PhantomALERT upgrades are available for an extra cost which include alerts for: dangerous curves, blackspots (high accident areas), school zones, and dangerous intersections.
Magellan's Bluetooth SafeTexting has taken advantage of a capability found in many feature phones (sometimes referred to as "flip-phones") which allows texting control over a Bluetooth connection. This allows a Magellan feature known as SafeTexting which gives the driver the ability to respond to an incoming call or text with a pre-written text message informing the caller that the driver will call back when it is safe. The return texts, which are sent in a couple of button presses, may include location and ETA information automatically inserted by the GPS device! Ironically, smartphones generally do not yet allow this feature, though they are slowly adding it one by one. Feature phones account for 60% of the cell phone market. Compatibility in the other 40% will continue to grow as laws, manufacturers and cell phone carriers catch up.
Best Parking is a great feature that makes parking in the city much easier. Best Parking provides parking garage locations with both their hours of operation and the location of their entrance. With a touch, choose a garage that is close to your destination and you are guided directly to the entrance. No more searching for how to get in! The included AAA TourBook gives you detailed information on hotels, restaurants, and attractions so that you have the information you need to make your destination decisions. And what happens if you break down out on the road? On the special "Where am I?" screen you'll have your present location given for the tow truck driver, the AAA phone number, and your pre-entered AAA membership number. You'll have the necessary information when you need it most.
The RoadMate 9250T-LMB provides an intuitive navigation experience to make your daily driving safer and hassle-free. The OneTouch Favorites Menu gives you immediate access to your favorite addresses, preferred places and favored searches. QuickSpell automatically assists to find your target destination. SayWhere technology speaks the street names throughout the preloaded premium maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
Other Features:
- 7 Million of Points of Interest (POI): Search and route to millions of preloaded destinations such as gas stations, restaurants, hotels, attractions and other points of interest.
- Highway Exit POIs: Find gas stations and rest areas along your route while you are navigating.
- Multi-destination Routing: Plan a trip with multiple stops in the order you want, or let your Magellan navigator select the most efficient route.
- Preloaded Premium Maps: Travel the United States, Puerto Rico, and Canada with all the maps you need, pre-loaded on your device.
- Automatic Re-route: If you miss a turn don?t worry, you can quickly get back on track with auto re-route.
- Customizable Route Method: Select shortest distance, fastest time, most use of freeways, or least use of freeways.
- Address Book: Create and store personal points of interest and skip repeated address entry.
- Auto Night View: Adjusts color and contrast for easy night viewing.
- Wrist / Fitness GPS
- Automotive GPS Units
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- Two-Way Radio / GPS
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- Camping & Outdoors
"Great selection, unbeatable prices, fast shipping. I am extremely happy with Tiger GPS and am recommending them to everyone I know."
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"It arrived earlier than I expected. I also like the fact that I got e-mail from them confirming my order and giving me their contact info right away. It seemed personalized which I like."
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"The most informative site I have come across. Prices are amazing too - not sure why you would shop for GPS anywhere else."
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"These guys know their stuff. They answer their phone right away, and the knowledgeable reps helped me pick the right GPS and even saved me some money!"
- Robert, New York
"No other site is willing to ship to a military APO address, and GPS is crucial out here. Great prices - thank you for supporting the troops."
- Edwin, USMC in Iraq


text:
The Wanted Reveal What They Love Most About Britney Spears
Britney Spears once joked that her family is "country" when she was caught driving with one of her sons on her lap. She was commenting on being from the south and doing things a little differently. However, it's the pop diva's Southern charm and her big, ear-to-ear smile that impressed those British and Irish boys from the Wanted the most when they met her. It's better than being forced to turn the other way and face the wall and not make eye contact with the star.
The Wanted, who opened for Brit on her 'Femme Fatale' trek at one point, were taken with the 'Toxic' singer's smile, with Jay McGuiness breaking it down, saying, "Everyone knows Britney, like from the age of being a kid you saw her swinging herself around in a school uniform, and to see that smile in real life was like, really surreal but great. She's got that Southern charm, that Southern Americans have, and it was really cool."
The Wanted weren't the only ones transfixed by Brit's grin and her charm. Makeup artist Billy B posted on his Facebook page about finally getting the opp to work with Spears.
He posted: "This old HILLBILLYB finally got to work with Britney Spears…. She is a very sweet, very professional, kind and beautiful girl. When you point a camera at her, she becomes, before your very eyes, The most Fantastic example of what a STAR is, and why she is BRITNEY SPEARS.It was truly 2 days of pure pleasure…. If only all of MY days at work could be like the last 2 days…. ..IT wouldnt feel like work. It would be what my job can and should be… a productive, rewarding, respectful, creative collaboration."
Wow! Brit knows how to win 'em over, no matter what the age, occupation or circumstance. No wonder she's already a fan favorite as an 'X Factor' judge!
Watch the Britney Spears 'Criminal' Video


text: Due to heavy loads on our hosting service, the vbookie plugin was disabled for this weekend. We are sorry, but it's probably the only way we could make the site available at the moment. We'll notify in this forum, on the minute we'll know of any change, or if another solution will come up. Thanks for the understanding Keebali Team


text:
Aug. 25, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - Sophomore midfielder Eric Avila and freshman forward Bongomin Otii led the way scoring two goals apiece as No. 21 UC Santa Barbara opened the 2006 season with a 5-0 rout of No. 7 Akron in the first game of the University of Virginia Soccer Classic Friday. Junior forward Tino Nuñez also found the net in his first game back after missing the entire 2005 season.
After posting a 0-1-1 record at the start of last season, UCSB came out swinging in 2006, out-shooting Akron 13-6. The 5-0 win was the Gauchos' largest margin of victory since they defeated Northwestern 6-1 September 9th at the 2005 UNLV adidas Classic.
"You always want to open the season with a win," head coach Tim Vom Steeg said. "But when you win 5-0, you're extremely pleased with the way your guys played. We could not ask for a better performance to start the year."
Nuñez got the Gaucho offense rolling early on, scoring his first goal since October 13, 2004. In the ninth minute senior midfielder Bryan Byrne's corner kick cleared the box, setting up UCSB's first goal of the afternoon. The ball came out to sophomore midfielder Chris Pontius, who laid it off to a streaking Nuñez. He then shot from just beyond the 18-yard box, putting the ball past Akron goalkeeper Evan Bush in the upper left hand corner.
UCSB made it 2-0 in the 20th minute when Avila collected a cross from Byrne and dribbled into the box. With his left foot, the reigning Big West Freshman of the Year fired a rocket off the left post and in.
Otii's first goal as a Gaucho in the regular season increased UCSB's advantage to 3-0. Sophomore forward Nick Perera carried the ball into the box in the 32nd minute. After it bounced off of Perera's defender, Otii quickly controlled the loose ball, dribbling in from 18 yards out to beat the keeper one on one for the score to give the Gauchos a commanding lead at halftime.
Santa Barbara picked up right where it left off in the second half, scoring again less than three minutes in. Junior forward Andrew Proctor cleared the box with a sailing cross from the right hand side. On the ensuing play, the ball hit an Akron defender on the arm and the Gauchos were awarded a penalty kick. Avila faked right and put the ball in the upper left hand corner of the net for the 4-0 lead.
UCSB's lead swelled to 5-0 in the 67th minute when Santa Barbara capitalized on another Zip handball. After a flurry of shots in the box, the ball again found the outstretched arm of an Akron defender, prompting another Gaucho penalty kick. Otii was elected to take the shot and sent a ball past the diving keeper hard and low.
"It was great to get Avila, one of our main scorers going early," Vom Steeg said. "Bongomin obviously continued to impress us with his ability to score the ball too. We've got a lot of steam heading into Sunday's game with Virginia."
Senior goalkeeper Kyle Reynish was fantastic in the season opener, recording six saves. A spectacular diving stop in the last two minutes of the game preserved the shutout for the Gauchos.
As usually the case with UCSB's style of soccer, Friday's contest was very physical with a total of 31 fouls called. Nuñez and Byrne were both issued yellow cards for UCSB, while Ryan Hathcock collected one for Akron. The Zips bench was also issued a red card after they were whistled for hands the first time.
After Friday's win UCSB is now 6-1-1 in its last eight openers.
Up next for the Gauchos are the third ranked Cavaliers in the final game of the University of Virginia Soccer Classic. The two teams meet after battling to a 0-0 overtime time during last season's UCSB adidas Classic. Kickoff is slated for 4:30 p.m. (PT).


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Nov. 20, 2006
Terre Haute, Ind. - With their ninth place finish Monday in Terre Haute, Ind., the Gaucho women accomplished a goal set two years ago - to finish in the top 10 at the NCAA Championships.
"To make the top 10, you have to take on the biggest teams in the country. It's a real accomplishment," said Dolan. "This is a power generation. These women can go on and do some great things."
In a journey that began four years ago with the women's first appearance at a National Championship, the Gauchos solidified themselves as one of the elite teams in the NCAA. Several milestones were hit as the ladies became the most accomplished UCSB team in history. Individually, it looks as if senior Lauren Christman(Santa Cruz, CA/Harbor HS) reached All-American status (All-Americans will officially be announced in the coming days), a first for the UCSB squad. Christman placed 32nd overall with a time of 21:22.
Finishing second for the Gauchos was senior Stephanie Rothstein(Phoenix, AZ/Xavier HS) in 21:36 for 47th place, followed by redshirt-junior Megan Lewis(Tracy, CA/Tracy HS) who finished 67th in 21:50. Senior Lindsay Christman(Santa Cruz, CA/Harbor HS) finished in 22:08 for 98th place, while redshirt-junior Bethany Nickless(Fountain Valley, CA/Fountain Valley HS) was 153rd in 22:31. Sophomore Danielle Domenichelli(El Dorado Hills, CA/Oak Ridge HS) was also 187th in 22:52, and senior Hadas Moser(Irvine, CA/University HS) was 201st with a time of 23:05.
On the men's side, it was a sub-par afternoon for the Gauchos. J.D. Krawczyk(Huntington Beach, CA/Marina HS), a late surprise this season, continued his racing success with a 46th place finish. In worse course conditions than in the women's race, his time for the 10,000 meter run was 31:54. The men's experienced a very packed race and Krawczyk, a senior, found himself surrounded sitting around 100th place at the mile despite a fast early pace. With a gutsy effort Krawczyk moved up to 85th at the 5 kilometer mark, and then 65th at the 8 kilometer mark finally passing almost 20 people in the last 2,000 meters to give himself a legitimate shot at All-American status(All-Americans will officially be announced in the coming days)
Senior Mike Chavez(Anahiem, CA/Esperanza HS) finished next for the Gauchos in 127th with a time of 32:41, followed by redshirt-junior Micah Tyhurst(Westchester, CA/Loyola HS) in 33:13 for 166th place. Senior Chris Ashley(San Mateo, CA/Aragon HS) finished in 33:30 and redshirt-junior Tim Aukshubas(Orange, CA/El Modena HS) in 33:56 were 184th and 190th, respectively, to round out the Gaucho scoring. Sophomore Waleed Totari(La Verne, CA/Damien HS) finished in 33:47 for 205th place while senior Art Avitia(Big Bear, CA/Big Bear HS) finished 240th in a time of 34:53.
The men's team title went to fourth-ranked Colorado, who surprised the Wisconsin Badgers. Individually, Josh Rohatinsky of BYU topped the field by crossing the finish line in 30:44. In their second ever appearance at the NCAA Championships the UCSB men placed 27th overall.
UCSB Women's Finishers
Lauren Christman - 32nd, 21:22
Stephanie Rothstein - 47th, 21:36
Megan Lewis - 67th, 21:50
Lindsay Christman - 98th, 22:08
Bethany Nickless - 153rd, 22:31
Danielle Domenichelli - 187th, 22:52
Hadas Moser - 201st, 23:05
UCSB Men's Finishers
J.D. Krawzyck - 46th, 31:54
Mike Chavez - 127th, 32:41
Micah Tyhurst - 166th, 33:13
Chris Ashley - 184th, 33:30
Tim Aukshunas - 190th, 33:56
Waleed Totari - 205th, 33:47
Art Avitia - 240th, 34:53


text: Use mouse scroll wheel over image or pinch-to-zoom on touch devices. You can also click and drag around on image. Park it 0 0 Follow Ryan's Datsun 510 Parked to Datsun 510 by Drew Osumi Vehicle Info: Nissan Keywords Sign up to add your own keywords More from this Garage: More from this Profile: Garage Datsun 510


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Law Library Guidebook—Government Documents
The Supreme Court Law Library of Queens has been a selective New York state depository library since 1911. Since that time we have amassed a collection of thousands of state and New York City documents consisting of Joint Legislative committee reports, bill summaries, assembly and senate committee reports and reports of state executive agencies. The decisions of dozens of state and city agencies are also available.
The library collection is particularly strong in materials from the first half of the twentieth century. Materials are selected to complement and supplement the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and the local courts (NYC) of the NYS Unified Court System.
An index to NYS government documents may be accessed via the LRS - legislative library's document center on-line database, ask a library staff member about this service. Print indexes to New York State government documents are available in Aisles 50 and 51 in the mezzanine. The print indexes include the Dictionary Catalog of Official Publications of the State of New York and the Checklist of Official Publications of the State of New York. All of these indexes provide author, title and subject access. Ask the Government Documents Librarian or the Reference Librarian if you have any problems in locating government document materials.
- Law Library Brochure
- Virtual Tour
- Table of Contents/ Quick Info
- Copiers/ Library Facilities
- Rules & Regulations
- Locating Materials
- Call Number System
- Index to Legal Periodicals
- Government Documents
- Microforms
- Lexis/Westlaw
- CD-ROM Holdings
- Selected Subject Location
- Periodicals Holdings
- Records & Briefs


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Set up my Office 365 email on Outlook 2010 (Windows 7)
You can set up your Office 365 email address in Outlook 2010, but it's a bit tricky to do yourself. We recommend that you use the Outlook Setup Assistant, to automatically set up Office 365 with your version of Outlook.
However, if you want to do it yourself, read on! You need to install a patch, to allow Outlook 2010 to work with Office 365 email.
- Go to the Microsoft© Download Center.
- Click Download.
- Click Save file.
- Open the
.exefile that downloads.
- In the Microsoft Office 365 desktop setup window that appears, log in with your Office 365 email address and password.
- Click Continue, then click I accept.
- When the updates have completed, click Finish.
- Now, you can set up Outlook 2010, with your Office 365 email. On your computer, open the Start Menu.
- Select Control Panel.
- In the top right search box, enter Mail.
- Click Mail (32-bit).
- Click Show Profiles.
- Click Add.
- Enter a name for the profile.
- Select Always use this profile to set the new profile as the default.
- In the drop-down list, select the new profile name.
- Click OK.
- On the Auto Account Setup page, enter the following:
Field Enter Your Name Enter your first and last name. E-mail Address Enter your Office 365 email address. Password Enter the password you created for your email account. Retype Password Enter your password, again.
- Click Next.
- Once Outlook is done configuring your account, click Finish
Note: If you have more than one Outlook profile, select Prompt for a profile to be used. Or select Always use this profile, and choose the new profile you just created.
Next step
- Now that you've set up your email on your desktop, you can also set it up on your mobile device:
More info
- You can also set up your Outlook automatically, with the Outlook Setup Assistant.
- Alternative Microsoft interface: Add an email alias
- If you have access to software downloads with your Office 365 plan, you can download the most recent version of Outlook.
Note: As a courtesy, we provide information about how to use certain third-party products, but we do not endorse or directly support third-party products and we are not responsible for the functions or reliability of such products. Third-party marks and logos are registered trademarks of their respective owners. All rights reserved.


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This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Walgreens for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.
This post is sponsored by Social Spark for Walgreens. All opinions are humble, mine, and written for your pleasure.
If you are a parent, you've been there. A late night emergency room visit with a miserable little one. After several exhausting hours you gather up the tuckered out toddler, purse, diaper bag, paperwork and prescriptions, head to the car and take a deep breath. It's not only late, it's almost early. The medication the doc prescribed needs to be started as soon as possible. Options? Well, if you were me you could drive twenty feet from the hospital door to the Walgreens parking lot. From there, you could hit the 24 hour drive through pharmacy window and after a short wait, put an end to a very long night.
Sounds wonderful, right? Well if you are an Express Scripts member, your nights are going to drag on a whole lot longer. Recently, Walgreens and Express Scripts failed to come to an agreement during contract negotiations. Feel free to read more on the matter by following this link:Walgreens and Express Scripts As a result, Express Scripts has removed Walgreens from their provider network. Bummer. Big bummer. Sure, there are plenty of insurance companies for Walgreens to do business with, and they do.
The big problem for Walgreens is how to continue the best possible care for patients who have trusted a single pharmacy for their needs. They strive to offer valuable services such as their Prescription Savings Club at Walgreens As a person who worked in a pharmacy and saw the frustration of patients when records had to be shuttled to another store, I have seen how hard the transition can be. Sure there are many patients who bounce from pharmacy to pharmacy without a care. But many, especially the elderly, or patients who have to special order medications, don't want to go through the process of a pharmacy "learning" about their needs. Traumatic might be too strong a word, it might not. For some, just seeing a new face behind the counter at a tried and true pharmacy brings a sense of unease. In a pharmacy, happy patients make for a joyful workflow.
Another facet to this fallout is that one of Express Scripts clients is Tricare. Tricare is the main coverage used by the military. Our service men and women deserve the convenience of quick and easy pharmacy service for their families. By cutting pharmacies out of the provider list, Express Scripts has removed personal choice on the part of the patient. Walgreens has expressed sincere dismay at not being able to continue providing services to our military.
If you are wondering what was at the heart of the contract disagreement, I urge you to read the links provided below. From what I have read, Walgreens seems intent on keeping costs competitive, for their bottom line, and low for the benefit of the patient. It would have been illogical for them to submit to the demands that would have been imposed on them.
In conclusion I would ask you to go get your insurance card and give it a glance. If the Express Scripts logo is nowhere to be found on the card, you are in the clear. If it does appear, then, please, read all the the links I have provided and then contact Express Scripts or your local media. Tell them how changing pharmacies will affect your day to day routine and possibly your personal safety. Being proactive is the first step to excellent health care and expanded personal choice.
Follow Walgreens on Twitter and Walgreens on Facebook to get updates on this situation and other pharmacy benefits available to you!


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Planning officers support flats plan
PUBLISHED: 15:30 14 November 2012
Plans to build 14 new flats in Exmouth have been recommended for approval by district planning officers, despite opposition from Exmouth Town Council.
The plan to build the flats at 14 Cyprus Road will be ruled on by East Devon district councillors next week.
Although councillors will have the final say, planning officers say in their report ahead of the meeting that the scheme should be approved.
Developers had gained approval for a care home on the site in 2010, however this scheme fell through after they were unable to find anyone to manage it.
Exmouth Town Council, which also objected to the care home, says the flats plan would be overdevelopment, would overlook neighbouring properties, would be against the avenues design statement, would be excessively high, and would put extra pressure on overstretched sewerage systems.
District councillor Tim Wood has also opposed the plan, saying that part of the reason approval was granted for the care home was because of perceived demand for such a home, which the flats would not meet.
However, district planning officers say that because the flats plan is very similar to the care home plan, it would be very difficult to object to it having previously given the care home the go ahead.
The development management committee which will rule on the application meets at EDDC's Knowle headquarters in Sidmouth, on Tuesday at 2pm.


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This information has been filed in civil division of Marion County District Court.
Ford Motor Credit Company LLC vs. Robert J. Graham, 201 Euclid, Goessel; judgment of $35,788.42 made April 26 in favor of plaintiff.
Lila A. Hoffman vs. Julie Scheideman, 314 S. 1st St., Marion; case dismissed April 23.
Department for Children and Families, et al., vs. Timothy L. Phelps; respondent judged to be father of minor child April 15; financial issued continued to May 6.
Small Claims
Marion County EMS vs. Jeremy C. Brannan, 623 S.E. 2nd, Newton; case dismissed May 1.
Tommy L. Richards vs. Tina Novak, 303 N. Main St., Hillsboro; judgment of $516.20 made May 1 in favor of plaintiff.
Beverly Rosine vs. Todd Drinnen, 611 Elm St., Peabody, et al.; judgment of $1,466.04 made May 1 in favor of plaintiff.


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Rhoads Earns Berth at Nationalsby Brent Harris • February 26, 2011 Share:
Greg Rhoads jumped in celebration after posting a 7-3 victory in the championship bout of the 184-pound weight class at Saturday's NCAA Division III Midwest Wrestling Regional. The victory gives Rhoads an automatic berth at the NCAA National Championship meet.
Rhoads (left) entered the weekend ranked 10th in the nation and was the favorite to win the title. He didn't disappoint, pinning his first opponent in 4:55 before scoring a 5-1 win in the semifinals. His 7-3 victory over two-seed James Neal from Olivet gave the Little Giants their only spot in the nationals field.
Austin O'Neal advanced to the finals of the 197-pound weight class with an 18-15 first round victory over third-seeded Robbie Mies from Washington and Jefferson. A 6-3 victory against second-seeded Sean Jameson from Mount St. Joseph put O'Neal (below right) up against top seed Alex Fleet from Trine. The pair battled for the entire championship match before Fleet came away with a one-point victory in the 4-3 final.
Junior Jake Moore overcame several injury stoppages throughout his final two matches, scoring a dramatic 10-8 win the championship semifinals in the final minute to advance to the title bout against top seed James Myers from Olivet at 165 pounds. Myers clipped Moore in a 3-2 final, preventing Moore (below left) from earning an automatic selection to the championship tournament. Moore will serve as one of three alternates.
Jake Strausbaugh will also be an alternate at 149 pounds. Wrestling in what was easily the toughest weight class in the tournament, Strausbaugh opened with a pin at 6:13 in his first match, but lost a close 4-2 decision to Manchester's Cameryn Brady in the semifinals. Strausbaugh rallied for two wins in the consolation bracket to take one of the alternate spots.
Josh Boyer posted a record of 2-1 at 125 pounds to claim third place overall. He picked up an 18-7 major decision in the finals. Marc Escobedo was third at 133 pounds with a record of 2-1. Garrett Payne was fourth at 141 pounds (2-2 overall), while Graham Youngs also added a fourth place finish with a record of 3-2 at 157 pounds..
Dalton Stanley took fourth place at 174 pounds by finishing 3-2 overall. Patrick Clegg added a fourth place finish at heavyweight with a record of 2-2.
Wabash finished second in the team scoring with 144.5 points, trailing champion Olivet in first place with 155.5 points. Waynesburg was third (112.5), followed closely by Mount St. Joseph (111.5). Trine (95.5), Washington and Jefferson (88), Thiel (67.5), Manchester 53; and Case Western Reserve (38.5) rounded out the scoring.
Rhoads will prepare for the national championship meet, to be held March 11-12 at the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wisconsin.


text: Dixon Golf has just released their new tour performance, eco friendly golf ball, the Dixon Fire Golf Ball. The Fire Balls feature a precision 318 tour dimple pattern, a recyclable cast urethane cover, and a high intensity green core. All of this adds up to the highest performance eco friendly, tour caliber golf ball. All of which makes the Dixon Fire Golf Ball the most expensive golf ball on the market.


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Foothill College provides opportunities for students to enroll in its career
preparation programs at a reasonable cost. The courses required to complete a career
preparation program are scheduled so that students can complete a program and
earn a certificate of achievement in a timely manner, whether they attend classes
full time or part time.
In order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid, federal guidelines require that a student must be enrolled in an educational program that leads to an associate degree, or prepares him or her for gainful employment in a recognized occupation. In accordance with federal guidelines, Foothill College students must declare a goal with a major, prepare for transfer to a four-year college or university, or enroll in a career certificate of achievement program in order to be eligible for Federal Student Aid.
The U.S. Department of Education requires colleges to disclose a variety of information
for any financial aid-eligible program that "prepares students for gainful employment
in a recognized occupation." Click on the name of the program or certificate from
the list below for information about completion rates, cost and length of a program,
related careers and other important information regarding gainful employment.
Financing information and completion rates are provided for programs with more
than 10 completers during the reporting year.
For more gainful employment information, access the following resources:
Click on the name of the certificate from the list below to see information about the cost of Foothill College's career preparation programs and the length of time required to complete these programs.


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Microsoft has revealed that it is leaving DVD playback out from the default version of its upcoming Windows 8 operating system.
The information follows another recent announcement that the Windows Media Center package will no longer come as standard in Windows 8, it will need to be bought just like any separate piece of software. That will then enable DVD playback, though it is also possible to play DVDs using third party and usually free applications such as VLC.
Computer suppliers will almost certainly bundle additional media playing software alongside Windows 8 to do a similar job. Windows 8 will support many of the common digital AV formats, including Dolby Digital Plus audio.
With the increase in digital media consumption using streamed or downloaded files, Microsoft is clearly gearing up for a future without the shiny little discs. Netbooks, tablets and the most streamlined laptops already omit optical drives from the hardware.
On the Building Windows 8 blog, Microsoft says using PCs for TV and DVD viewing are "in sharp decline." Cutting out basic support for optical media playback means it would cost less in royalty payments.
Windows 8 will have optional upgrades, the Pro Pack or Media Center Pack, which will provide DVD playback in Media Center, plus broadcast TV recording and VOB format support. The price for the add-ons is not confirmed but is expected to be "marginal".
Via ZDNet


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Twitter's public offering comes at a time of heightened investor interest in IPO market: 131 IPOs so far in 2013:
NEW YORK (AP) -- Twitter has
redefined the way we communicate, get
news and share tidbits of our lives. It
has even been credited with starting a
revolution or two. The company, based
in San Francisco, announced Thursday
that it intends to sell stock to the public
for the first time. Naturally, it did it via
a tweet.
Here are some quick facts about Twitter
in 140 characters or less, the limit of
Twitter We've confidentially
submitted an S-1 to the SEC for a
planned IPO.
-- #FunFact: In the first hour of
Twitter sending that IPO
announcement tweet, 7,872 people
retweeted the message.
-- According to
APStylebook: "The
verb is to tweet, tweeted. A Twitter
message is known as a tweet."
-- The company was founded 2006 by
Jack Dorsey, Biz Stone and Evan
Williams. Their handles: Jack,
and Ev
-- First tweet by
Jack was "just setting
up my twttr" on March 21, 2006, at 3:50
-- Dorsey went on to create Square, a
system for paying for coffee, goods
through phones.
-- Twitter soared to popularity in 2007
at the South By Southwest Interactive
festival in Austin, Texas. #sxswinteractive #Austin #BBQ
-- Three years, two months and one
day: The time it took from the first
tweet to the billionth tweet. #CoolStat
-- Users on
Twitter: More than 200
million. Facebook has 1.16 billion.
That's nearly six times as many. #QuickMath
-- A billion tweets are sent every two
and a half days. Put another way, that's
three for every man, woman and child
in the U.S. via
-- The public offering comes at a time
of heightened investor interest in the
IPO market -- 131 IPOs have priced so
far this year.
-- Is Twitter trying to avoid
Facebook's May 2012 IPO #fail? Well,
company is keeping details secret for
now. #TwitterIPO
-- The company hasn't said if it makes a
profit or how much revenue it takes in.
#FadOrFuture? Wonder if
WarrenBuffett will buy stock.
-- Most of Twitter's revenue comes from
eMarketer estimates
$582.8 million this year, up from $288.3
million in 2012.
-- Compare: In latest quarter, Facebook
had $1.6 billion in ad revenue. By 2015,
Twitter's annual ad revenue is expected
to hit $1.3 billion.
-- 2013 #Superbowl performance by
Beyonce had 268 million tweets per
minute, more than any other event in
past two years.
-- Not everybody on
Twitter is who
they claim to be. United Airlines CEO
Jeff Smisek has to put up with
-- Sometimes even missing zoo animals
get their own Twitter accounts. And they
can be funny. Just read
-- Trying to find #Religion? More than
500,000 people look no further than
Jesus who describes himself in Twitter
as "Carpenter, Healer, God."
-- But 2.2 million #HarryPotter fans
follow Lord_Voldemort7, The Dark


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RetireNetCare.com featuring retirement communities and retirement homes in planned active developments. Worldwide resource for active retirement senior communities, and assisted living facilities. RetireNetCare.com is the most comprehensive resource of retirement communities throughout the world featuring assisted living facilities, planned retirement communities and various retirement properties worldwide. See also: senior housing, retirement communities, retirement living, elder care network.
North Carolina is a state located on the Atlantic Seaboard in the southeastern region of the United States of America. It was one of the original Thirteen Colonies, originally known as Carolina, and the home of the first English colony in the Americas. It was also the location of the first successful powered heavier-than-air flight by the Wright brothers at Kill Devil Hills near Kitty Hawk in 1903. Today, it is a fast-growing state with an increasingly diverse economy and population. As of 1 July 2006, the population estimate is 8,856,505 - a 10% increase since 1 April 2000.
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Confronted with images of corpses floating in the blackened floodwaters or baking in the sun on abandoned highways, there aren't too many people left who see what happened following Hurricane Katrina as a purely "natural" disaster. The dominant narratives that have emerged, in the four years since the storm, are of a gross human tragedy, compounded by social inequities and government ineptitude—a crisis subsequently exploited in every way possible for political and financial gain.
But there's an even harsher truth, one some New Orleans residents learned in the very first days but which is only beginning to become clear to the rest of us: What took place in this devastated American city was no less than a war, in which victims whose only crimes were poverty and blackness were treated as enemies of the state.
It started immediately after the storm and flood hit, when civilian aid was scarce—but private security forces already had boots on the ground. Some, like Blackwater (which has since redubbed itself Xe), were under federal contract, while a host of others answered to wealthy residents and businessmen who had departed well before Katrina and needed help protecting their property from the suffering masses left behind. According Jeremy Scahill's reporting in The Nation, Blackwater set up an HQ in downtown New Orleans. Armed as they would be in Iraq, with automatic rifles, guns strapped to legs, and pockets overflowing with ammo, Blackwater contractors drove around in SUVs and unmarked cars with no license plates.
To continue reading the rest of this article, click here.


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#15 Tuppence Sketch Bond
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text:
Coming in From the Cold
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m.
This event repeats every day between 2/16/2013 and 2/24/2013.
Please note: This event has already taken place. Please use the Search options on the right to find upcoming events.
Bundle up and come on over to Lefferts Historic House for some great indoor fun. Learn how to play Nine-Man Morris and make your very own playing board to take home.
Free | There is a suggested donation for adults on weekends; children 16 and under free.
Contact Number
(718) 789-2822
Related Links
Arts & Crafts, Education, Games, History, Best for Kids


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If you are going this year, post in here.
We will try to hook up in two ways:
1. Meet for some rallies at some local public courts that I know.
2. Meet on tournament grounds to grab a beer and have a laugh.
Views: 303
Replies are closed for this discussion.
Replies to This Discussion
Hope to see you guys there!!
Save, save, save money for this! No more "broke as a joke, can't see BNP much" days.
My wife and I will be there - 7 in a row. Would be great to meet up.
We also do some drills at the Shadow Mountain resort. http://www.shadowmountainresort.com/site/index.php/tennis/desert-te... in case anyone wants to meet us there. We do the 9-12 drill and then head to the tournament from there. We're not affiliated, but have come to know and enjoy the pros there.
This will be our first time at this tournament! My husband and I both love tennis and play at the 4.0 level in Jax, FL. We'd love to play and meet-up with a tennis group - sounds like fun!
Never been to a professional tennis tournament. That stops here at Indian Wells! Hope to see you there.
Congratulations James! You will not regret this - as a matter of fact, you will get hooked! Hope to see you out there!
Most of the tickets are already sold out!
I just got my tickets for the 8th and 9th.
We will also be out on Sun the10th also, but not at the tournament. I would like to play some tennis on Saturday or Sunday if you guys are getting together. or meet up on Friday at the tournament.
Sounds like a plan for a first week hit!
Just quickly I want to suggest that the BNP is the perfect place to bring your Racquets For Ghana! If you guys could collect some old kid's racquets and bring them to Indian Wells, I can pick them up from you there and mail them to Ghana. This way, we could save a lot on shipping. Read more about it here: http://tennisopolis.com/forum/topics/racquets-for-ghana-project-launch
and here: http://tennisopolis.com/ghana
This is a great cause. It will make you happy to work on this project, trust me. :-)
Wow! Faaaaaantastic day watching the Semi's out in Indian Wells! DelPo pulled it off in a nailbiter 3 setter...high quality tennis at it's best. Cant wait til next year! BNP tournie is the best!!! KB
beer here...
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End of an Era for Top Men's Beach Teams
B.J. Hoeptner Evans
Manager, Communications
Phone: (719) 228-6800
E-Mail: email@example.com
@USA_Volleyball - @USAV Beach – USAV Facebook
HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. (Sept. 23, 2012) – The end of the Jose Cuervo Pro Beach Volleyball Series National Championships in Huntington Beach, Calif., on Sunday marked the end of an era for at least two top U.S. men's beach volleyball teams.
Sean Rosenthal (Redondo Beach, Calif.) is splitting with Jake Gibb (Bountiful, Utah), his partner for the last seven years, to play with 2008 Olympic gold medalist Phil Dalhausser (Ormond Beach, Fla.). Dalhausser will be splitting with Todd Rogers (Santa Barbara, Calif.), who has been his partner for the last seven years.
"We had a good run," Rosenthal said after he and Gibb lost to John Hyden (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) and Sean Scott (Kailua, Hawaii), 21-15, 21-12 in the finals on Sunday at Huntington Beach. "I have so many good memories playing with Jake. They will never be forgotten.
"We will still be friends. We will still play golf."
Gibb agreed that he and Rosenthal will remain friends.
"We had a good run and it's been a blessing to play with (Rosenthal)," Gibb said. "I love the guy.
"This has been the most amazing year of my career for sure."
Rosenthal was disappointed in the loss in Huntington Beach, but felt good about how the team had ended its partnership.
"The tournament was great; the final not so much," Rosenthal said. "But it was a good weekend. It was nice to play down here where we train."
Neither Gibb nor Rogers has announced a new partner. But Gibb confirmed that he will continue to play internationally, which could mean more shifting among U.S. men's beach volleyball teams.
Gibb and Rosenthal had their best season as a team in 2012 as they won two FIVB World Tour grand slam titles along with two silvers and one bronze, accumulating enough points to win the FIVB World Tour Championship. They finished fifth at the Olympic Games in London. They won their only 2012 domestic tournament at the AVP event in Santa Barbara, Calif. Rosenthal has also now surpassed $1 million in earnings.
In their career as a team, Gibb and Rosenthal finished fifth at two Olympic Games (2008 and 2012). They won four FIVB World Tour titles, finished second five times and took three bronze medals. They also won nine summer-season AVP titles and one National Volleyball League title.
Dalhausser announced that he and Rogers were splitting on The NET Live online radio show. He said that he was trying to decide between Rosenthal and Nick Lucena (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) with whom Dalhausser has played in the past and who is now partnered with Matt Fuerbringer (Costa Mesa, Calif.).
"I was kind of tired of (playing on) the left side. I'd like to challenge myself on the right," said Dalhausser, who will get that chance with Rosenthal, but would not have with Lucena.
"(Todd and I) didn't have that great of a year. I think at some point teams reach their peak and there's no place else to go," Dalhausser said.
Dalhausser and Rogers are best known for winning the gold medal at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. The team finished ninth at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Dalhausser and Rogers finish their career together with 23 victories on the FIVB World Tour along with seven silver medals and 10 bronze. In 2010 they won the FIVB World Tour title. They also won 43 AVP titles and one with the National Volleyball League. Both players have surpassed $1 million in career earnings.
About the photo: From left, Jake Gibb and Sean Rosenthal took the silver medal at the 2012 FIVB World Tour event in Beijing while Todd Rogers and Phil Dahausser won the gold. FIVB photo


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Graphic designer Peter Saville has designed a white cardboard, flatpack plinth, for sale in a limited edition of 200, the idea being that in today's age of 'culture for the masses' we're all entitled to choose what merits artistic status.
The exhibition showcases the plinths with 'work' by a selection of Saville's peers and friends including Hans Ulrich Obrist, Thomas Demand, Gavin Turk and Jarvis Cocker, each allowed to place whatever they wish on their plinth. The results vary from the sublime (Douglas Gordon's pile of ash atop a charred plinth) to the inflated (Cerith Wyn Evans' helium balloon).


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Tips From Our Tours: Creating Private Space in Lofts
I lived in a loft for eight years, and one of my favorite things about all that open space was, well… all that open space. But unless you have a floorplan with a cozy corner for your bed, it can be hard to carve out a little privacy when people are over. Here, we take a look at five lofts from our tours that manage just that without putting up any walls.
1 In Daniel's Hollywood home, custom bi-folding doors close off the bedroom without isolating it from the rest of the loft. The glass offers privacy while maintaining a sense of continuity throughout the space — and, the bedroom still benefits from all the natural light through the windows.
2 To separate their bedroom from their closet, Jules and Henry installed dramatic floor-to-ceiling drapery in their downtown Los Angeles loft. What we like about this simple solution is the versatility of it — you could install several curtain tracks or tension wires throughout your home and close off any areas as needed (especially to hide messes!).
3 Form and function reign in Adam and Daniel's DTLA loft. To maintain a little privacy between their sleeping quarters and their living area, the duo strategically used a tall open bookcase as a divider. (IKEA's Expedit modular shelving units are a great budget option for this!)
4 In this downtown loft belonging to Design Star winner Antonio, the illusion of a separate living room is created with low-slung shelves and a raised platform. Even though the space is technically not private, it still offers a sense of seclusion from the rest of the home.
5 Joel and McKenzie created a living wall of sorts in their renovated Rhode Island loft by using potted plants as a natural room divider. You could take this idea a step further by hanging a curtain of trailing succulents or air plants from your ceiling for an attractive yet low-maintenance solution.
• Jinsoo's Artful Artifice and Artifacts Loft
• Lori's Layered Family Loft
• Chris & Hannah's Spectacular Reclaimed Loft
(Images: As linked above)