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| » Massive manhunt for fired LAPD officer
| » EX-LAPD officer suspect in Riverside policeman's killing
| » Former Walnut High basketball star Monica Quan shot dead
| » Fired LAPD officer's lengthy manifesto
LOS ANGELES – Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck Thursday detailed the double homicide and killing of a Riverside police officer allegedly committed by fired LAPD officer Christopher Dorner.
During a 20-minute press conference at LAPD Headquarters Beck said Dorner is believed to have killed Cal State Fullerton assistant basketball coach Monica Quan and her finance in Irvine Sunday, and ambushed two Riverside officers, killing one, this morning.
He is also believed to have fired on LAPD officers in Corona who were on a protection detail of one of the targets named in Dorner's manifesto.
Beck said Dorner is to be considered armed and extremely dangerous.
When asked if a man in a San Diego Hotel fitting Dorner's description was a suspect, Beck said "I have nothing I can release on that now."
Beck expressed his condolences to the families and the victims in the killing rampage.
"The Riverside cops had no chance to fight back."
Asked if he would publicly clear Dorner's name as his manifesto demanded, Beck said without hesitation, "It is not going to happen."
Asked what he would say to Dorner, Beck replied, "I would tell him to turn himself in. This has gone far enough. nobody else needs to die."
People with other tips can call LAPD Robbery Homicide detectives at 213-486-6860 or the 24-hour tip line at 877-LAPD-247 (527-3247).
Those who want to remain anonymous can call Crime Stoppers at 800-222-TIPS (8477) or text the organization by sending "LAPD" followed by a message to CRIMES (274637).


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Fashion design is the art of the application of design and aesthetics to clothing and accessories. Fashion designers help create the billions of dresses, suits, shoes, and other clothing and accessories purchased every year by consumers all over the world. Designers study trends (both domestic and international), sketch designs of clothing and accessories, select colors and fabrics, and oversee the final production of their designs. Some fashion designers specialize primarily in clothing, footwear, or accessory design, but others create designs in all three fashion categories.
Careers & Types of Fashion
Fashion designers work in a number of ways in designing clothing and accessories. Designers attempt to satisfy consumer desire for aesthetically designed clothing; and, because of the time required to bring a garment onto the market, must at times anticipate changing consumer tastes. Some designers in fact have a reputation which enables them to set fashion trends.
Clothing Designers
Clothing designers create and help produce men's, women's, and children's apparel, including casual wear, suits, sportswear, formalwear, outerwear, maternity, and intimate apparel.
Footwear Designers
Footwear designers help create and produce different styles of shoes and boots. Accessory designers help create and produce items such as handbags, belts, scarves, hats, hosiery, and eyewear, which add the finishing touches to an outfit.
Accessory Designers
Accessory designers create decorative items that adorn and supplement one's garment. These items include items such as jewelry, gloves, handbags, hats, belts, scarves, watches, sunglasses, pins, stockings, bow ties, leg warmers, leggings, neckties, suspenders, and tights.
Haute couture
Up until the 50s, high fashion clothing was mainly designed and manufactured on a made-to-measure or haute couture basis. Haute couture means "high-fashion" in French with each garment being created and tailored for a specific client. A couture garment is made to order for an individual customer, and is usually made from high-quality, expensive fabric, sewn with extreme attention to detail and finish, often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.
Ready-to-wear clothes are a cross between haute couture and mass market produced items. Ready-to-wear is not made for individual customers, but great care is taken in the choice and cut of the fabric. Clothes are made in small quantities to guarantee exclusivity and are rather expensive. Ready-to-wear collections are usually presented by fashion houses each season during a period known as Fashion Week. This takes place on a city-wide basis and occurs twice a year.
Mass market
The mass market caters for a wide range of customers, producing ready-to-wear clothes in large quantities and standard sizes. Cheap materials, creatively used, produce affordable fashion. Mass market designers generally adapt the trends set by the famous names in fashion.
Education & Training
Designers must have a strong sense of the esthetic—an eye for color and detail, a sense of balance and proportion, and an appreciation for beauty. Fashion schools instruct students in apparel classics as well as providing guidance as they develop their own innovative styles. Schools will also help prepare students for "The Industry" (ready-to-wear/mass production) aspect of design along with the boutique (limited editions) and the Haute Couture (exclusive custom design) aspects of fashion.

subset: commoncrawl


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Listing Courtesy of GARDNER, REALTORS
Tartan to 37th Street
Tartan, 37th St
Near Esplanade Drive and Power Boulevard, right off of the I-10, is the community of David Drive - not to be confused with the Metairie Street of the same name. Here you are close to the Pontchartrain Center and Seven Oaks Plantation. Treasure Chest Casino sits on the water's edge of Lake Pontchartrain and draws folks from all over the metropolitan area wanting to try their luck at the slots or experience the delicious buffets.
David Drive real estate is primarily single-family one and two story brick, stucco and wooden framed homes. These residences have small front and fenced backyards. The homes for sale in David Drive are close to public, private and parochial schools. There are playgrounds and recreational parks, both in and around the neighborhood.
If you are looking for place to take out or dine in, David Drive is near countless restaurants like David Drive Seafood & Market, which sells boiled seafood, overstuffed po-boys and freshly caught local seafood or Fuji Sushi for some of the best sushi in the New Orleans area.
3 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,156 SqFt
3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,875 SqFt
4 Beds | 3 Baths | 2,533 SqFt
6 Beds | 5 Baths | 3,925 SqFt
4 Beds | 3 Baths | 3,009 SqFt
3 Beds | 2 Baths | 1,529 SqFt
With this calculator you can put in your values and estimate the amount of your loan and get an estimate on the amount of your monthly payments. Click on the 'Calculate' button when you're ready.
With this calculator you can put in your values and estimate the amount of your loan and get an estimate on the amount of your monthly payments. Click on the 'Calculate' button when you're ready.
**Private mortgage insurance is an insurance policy that a residential mortgage lender requires of the borrower if the loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of the home is greater than 80%. Mortgage insurance protects the lender from the risk that the borrower may default on the loan. Federal law requires lenders to notify borrowers when the loan-to-value ratio drops below 80%. Mortgage insurance premiums vary, but generally range from $1,000 to $5,000 a year for an average priced home.
***Assessments are monthly fees such as Home Owners Association(HOA) Fees etc...
Results received from this calculator are designed for comparative purposes only, and accuracy is not guaranteed.
MLS Data Courtesy of Gulf South Real Estate Information Network. Copyright 2019, New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®, Inc. All rights reserved. Information deemed reliable, but not verified or guaranteed. Users are responsible for checking the accuracy, completeness, currency, and status of all information. Neither the New Orleans Metropolitan Association of REALTORS®, Inc. nor the Gulf South Real Estate Information Network, Inc. makes any representation, guarantees, or warranties as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or suitability of the information provided. They specifically disclaim any and all liability for all claims or damages that may result from providing information to be used on the web site, or the information which it contains, including any web sites maintained by third parties, which may be linked to this web site. By using this site, you signify your agreement with and acceptance of these terms and conditions. If you do not accept this policy, you may not use this site in any way. Your continued use of this site, and/or its affiliate' sites, following the posting of changes to these terms will mean you accept those changes, regardless of whether you are provided with additional notice of such changes.


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Local doctors from Coastal West Sussex are urging people to think about where they can get the best possible NHS treatment this Christmas and New Year should they need urgent help.
Health services across the county are currently seeing and treating a significant number of patients and it is expected this is only likely to rise over the next two weeks.
Dr David Whitehead, Clinical Director for NHS Coastal West Sussex CCG, said: "Across the whole country the NHS is currently seeing a significant increase in the number of patients needing help and support. The teams in our hospitals, community services and GP surgeries are doing a fantastic job, but the reality is they are under significant pressure.
"As a result we are asking people to think twice about where you can get the best possible care if you are unwell. We all want to get better quickly when we are poorly, especially at this time of the year, but making sensible choices about which NHS service to use can mean you can make sure emergency services are there for those that need that care the most.
"Many people who visit A&E could be treated more quickly and appropriately by another NHS service, and there is a concern that at the times when GP practices will be closed this Christmas week, more people will go to A&E when they could get more appropriate help elsewhere.
"Please remember that coughs, colds, diarrhoea and vomiting can all be treated at home with a well-stocked medicine cabinet and plenty of rest. You can also get expert NHS help from your local pharmacist, who offers free, quick advice on many health issues, how to look after yourself at home, and medicines to treat common illnesses and injuries.
"If you need more urgent medical advice when your GP practice is closed, call NHS 111 for advice on how you can receive the most appropriate support and treatment. They can help to signpost you to the nearest local NHS service, give you advice, or book an appointment with an out-of-hours doctor."
We also know many people will run out of their routine medication at this time of year, and so people are being urged to checking your repeat prescriptions and speaking to your GP practice or pharmacy if you are about to run out.
Find out more about which NHS services are available over Christmas and New Year, including which pharmacies are open on the bank holidays and weekends – click here
Key information:
NHS 111: If you need medical help but you don't know where to go or how to get help, please call 111 trained NHS advisors (supported by nurses and paramedics) will direct you to the most appropriate NHS service to help you.
It is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and calls are free from landlines and mobile phones.
Pharmacy: Your local pharmacist can help by being able to advise on a number of different ailments such as cough, sore throat, skin rash, diarrhoea and/or vomiting, constipation, headache and eye conditions.
To find your nearest pharmacy, click here
Out of Hours GP service: If you need urgent medical advice or treatment when your GP practice is closed, you can call NHS 111. You will be given advice over the telephone or given an urgent appointment with a nurse or doctor at an out of hours GP practice.
The NHS 111 service might be busier than usual at peak times such as early evening so it might be better to dial 111 at a less busy time if your call isn't urgent.
This service is not for repeat prescriptions, test results or routine appointments.
Minor Injury Units and Urgent Treatment Centres across West Sussex:
• Bognor Regis War Memorial Hospital Minor Injury Unit Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays Shripney Road, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, PO22 9PP Telephone: 01243 865 418
• Horsham Hospital Minor Injury Unit Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, not including bank holidays Hurst Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 2DR Telephone: 01293 600300 ext 7202
• Queen Victoria Hospital Minor Injury Unit Open 8 am to 10pm, seven days a week, including bank holidays Holtye Road, East Grinstead, West Sussex, RH19 3DZ Telephone: 01342 414375
• Crawley Hospital Urgent Treatment Centre All centres are open 24 hours a day, seven days, including bank holidays West Green Drive, Crawley, West Sussex, RH11 7DH Telephone: 01293 600300 ext 4141
Dental help: If you need emergency dental help, calling 111 can also put you in touch with the emergency dental service, which has clinics across West Sussex.
Mental health support: If you – or a loved one – are feeling worried, anxious or depressed, or feel you need help with your mental health, there is help available. Please call the Sussex Mental Healthline on 0300 5000 101 – it's available Monday to Friday from 5pm to 9am, and 24 hours at the weekend and on bank holidays. For telephone support you can also call the Samaritans on 08457 909090.
Please remember that A&E is only for serious, life-threatening injuries and illness that need urgent medical attention, such as stroke, severe chest pain, and heavy bleeding.
Don't miss out on all the latest breaking news where you live.
Here are four ways you can be sure you'll be amongst the first to know what's going on.
1) Make our website your homepage
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4) Register with us by clicking on 'sign in' (top right corner). You can then receive our daily newsletter AND add your point of view to stories that you read here.
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John St.Germain's black and coral '50 Ford Business Coupe was chosen to participate in a very respected show held on the beautiful grounds of the Edsel and Elenor Ford Estate in Grosse Pointe, Michigan (http://www.eyeson.org/).
Bill Jagenow, Steve Jagenow, Jason Wise, and Keven Carter did a lot of work to it while it has been at their shop (Brothers' Custom Automotive in Clawson, Mighigan, 248-760-0700) since the Detroit Autorama. They fitted it with new suspension (lowered springs and shocks front and back, etc), brakes, kingpins, steering components, a new cooling system, carburetors, and the like. The show judge even made sure to tell John the car sat with just the right amount of rake-not too low, not too high, and just the right rear-lower than front poise. He said the subtle changes to the roof line, the choice of side trim, the color scheme, and the careful attention to detail selecting the right components make the car very balanced and pleasing. Those elements made it stand out among the other participants.
The shoebox won the class it was picked to be in, and received the Blue Ribbon for Designers Choice: The Art of Redesign (Custom) class. A true feather in the cap for the shop and the owner.
Here are a few photos of some of the other cars that made the show.


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Is Your Boss Or Your Secretary More Important to Your Office? — Survey of the Day
You may not know it, but April 25 is National Administrative Professionals' Day. To celebrate the office workers formally known as secretaries, Staples surveyed their social media followers on their attitudes toward administrative professionals.
One of the questions asked if an office was more likely to fall apart if the boss suddenly disappeared or if a secretary did the same. Sixty-five percent said their office would be in bigger trouble without the secretary, whereas only 30 percent answered that it would be more of a problem if they lost their boss.
Other findings? Forty-one percent of those who do have secretaries believe their assistants know them better than their spouses, as opposed to the 33 percent who answered their spouses knew more about them.


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Not My Job: Writer Mark Leibovich Gets Quizzed On Louis XIV
Washington, D.C., has long been thought of as a city filled with corrupt, cynical careerists who care only about themselves. Well, New York Times reporter Mark Leibovich has written a book called This Town that basically proves it.
We've invited him to play a game called "You think you've got to suck up ..." Leibovich may be an expert on Washington culture, but what does he know about the court of Versailles under Louis XIV?
And now the game where we ask interesting people about things they're not interested in. It's called Not My Job. Everybody always thought of Washington, D.C., as a city filled with corrupt, cynical careerists who only cared about themselves. Well, New York Times reporter Mark Liebovich wrote a new book, called "This Town" that basically says we were all right. Mark Leibovich, welcome to WAIT WAIT.
MARK LEIBOVICH: Thanks, Peter, good to be here.
SAGAL: It's great to have you.
SAGAL: So my first question is: What weasel talked you out of your initial title for the book, which was, I understand, "Suck-up City"?
LEIBOVICH: That's a great question. I mean...
P.J. O'ROURKE: That's a great title, too.
LEIBOVICH: My wife, basically. I blame her. No, we were talking, and we have young kids. It seemed a little crass and a little in your face. It was definitely close, and "This Town" won by a hair, sort of clean and generic, right?
SAGAL: I understand. Now you'd been in Washington for many years, right, as a reporter for the Post and for the New York Times.
LEIBOVICH: Yes, 16 years.
SAGAL: Sixteen years. And what finally put you to the point where you're like I just have to write this book-length screed about these shallow, horrible people?
LEIBOVICH: I think it was probably a self - or an unconscious attempt to check myself before I became too much part of the club, maybe. But no, I don't know. I mean, I think it was probably sitting at Tim Russert's memorial service in June of 2008 at the Kennedy Center and seeing it degenerate into a cocktail party and people trying to book politicians and suck up to them while ostensibly mourning a giant in the news business.
So I figured Washington had then reached a tipping point of self-celebration and non-self-awareness, and it was time to write a book.
SAGAL: And there are a lot of parties in this book.
LEIBOVICH: There are, except I'm not invited to any of them anymore.
SAGAL: Yeah. Well, one of my favorite incidents in the book, it's during the 2012 campaign. And this woman, who was working on the campaign, said, you know, something embarrassing, and the White House had to distance itself. And so the person from the campaign said oh, I don't know this woman, and you say that just the week before they had been in a conga line at a Georgetown party.
LEIBOVICH: Yeah. Actually, well, one of the principals dispute there was a conga line, so I think I technically kept at dancing, although parenthetically I did include that I vividly remembered witnessing a conga line. But, yeah, I think that in a sense what - Washington has become one big conga line for conjoined interests, and Democrats and Republicans and people in the media and lobbying. And I think one of the myths about Washington is it's hopelessly divided, but in fact it's hopelessly interconnected into one big conga line.
O'ROURKE: And it's like taking a bath in a tub full of live squid.
LEIBOVICH: Yeah, I guess it is.
SAGAL: You can quote him in the paperback edition, there you go. Actually, I wanted to ask you about that because this is a fairly frank book. You say a number of cutting things about a lot of people. And so what has been the effect on your, well, your social connections and your life in Washington?
LEIBOVICH: Oh, I've been out of town all summer. So I'm just now getting back and to experience the full scope of my pariahness.
SAGAL: Really?
LEIBOVICH: No, I mean, look, I have insulted many people by keeping them out of the book.
SAGAL: Really?
O'ROURKE: Exactly. Exactly.
SAGAL: Well, this is my question. You publish the book, and you say right on the back on the book, it says there is no index. If you want to find out if you're in the book, you're going to have to read it.
O'ROURKE: Did you really because that's of course a famous Washington joke. That's called a Washington read. A Washington read. You turn to the index and see if your name's there, and then you turn to the page where your name is.
LEIBOVICH: So, you know, part of Washington read, which is you tell someone well, I didn't read your book, but I praised it on television.
O'ROURKE: Which is better.
MO ROCCA: Can I ask about that cliche of Washington is Hollywood for ugly people? Is that right?
LEIBOVICH: Not really. I mean, it sort of gives Washington too much credit, I think, right.
FAITH SALIE: Mark, do you have a reluctant love for Washington, D.C. as well? I mean, you've devoted a lot of your years to covering it. It gave you a book.
LEIBOVICH: Yeah, I mean, I think I must. I mean, look, I choose to live here. I choose to write about politics. I mean, I've raised my family here. I mean, this is where life has happened, right? I mean, I like my job. My wife likes her job. My kids like their school, they like their friends, we love our neighbors. So here we are. So I guess you'd call that reluctant love, right, or either that or reluctant love-hate or something or maybe a secret wish to get run out of town.
SAGAL: Was there anybody upset at not being in the book?
LEIBOVICH: I think there were people pretending to be relieved. I mean, there was one very well-known talking head. He called me up and pretended to be very, very relieved not to be in the book, but in fact he was very, very aggrieved not to have been in the book.
SAGAL: Do you ever find yourself walking around or talking to these people and going oh my God, I am part of the problem, I'm behaving in a slimy, careerist way?
LEIBOVICH: Yes, sure. I mean, I think - look, I mean again, I'm pretty honest about this in the book, but I think people say, you know, are you part of the problem. I think I'm certainly part of the culture. And so maybe this is a cry for help in the form of...
ROCCA: I have something positive to say because I grew up in the suburbs, the Maryland suburbs of D.C., and D.C. has good museums. It has pretty monuments, and it's one of the only cities where you can always smell cut grass. It's true because there's a lot of open spaces.
SAGAL: I love Mo's idea it's like this venal city filled with corruption that's destroying the country inch by inch. But on the other hand, look at that lawn.
ROCCA: Well, and it used to be a swamp, and now it has very lush and verdant lawns. So...
SALIE: Hey, Mark, what is the craziest, most incommensurate thing you've ever witnessed at an insiders' party? I mean, you know, you walked in on John Boehner being spray-tanned or Nancy Pelosi had a lampshade on her head. I mean, how did Cokie Roberts get her nickname?
O'ROURKE: Yeah.
LEIBOVICH: That's funny, I don't know.
SAGAL: All of us at NPR have to sign a statement saying we'll never reveal that. Actually, I want to ask a different question because I did, I read the book, and I enjoyed it, it's very funny, but it's not very encouraging about the state of our politics or our capital. Is there anybody in Washington, I mean, and I don't mean, like, you know, the gardener who takes care of the building, but in the system...
LEIBOVICH: Who takes care of the verdant grass.
SAGAL: Right. But who you actually admire, who you actually got to know this person, and you're like wow, that is a great person who is not self-dealing, careerist or venal?
LEIBOVICH: Yeah, I mean, I meet them every day. I mean, I think - I mean, look, I...
SAGAL: People like yourself?
LEIBOVICH: I didn't say that. I absolutely didn't say that.
ROCCA: Lincoln was great, and he was in Washington.
SAGAL: Well, Mark Leibovich, we're delighted to have you with us, and we've asked you here to play a game that this time we're calling...
CARL KASELL: You think you've got to suck up.
SAGAL: So you wrote about the permanent culture that thrives in Washington, but things were even stranger in the royal court at Versailles, under King Louis XIV. We're going to ask you three questions about the court of the Sun King. Get two right, and you'll win our prize for one of our listeners. Carl, who is Mark Leibovich playing for?
KASELL: Mark is playing for Carly Riley of Chicago, Illinois.
SAGAL: There you are. Ready to do this?
SAGAL: First question. In the court of Louis XIV, the Sun King, one very important job was coveted by the nobles, and it was what: A, the Royal Herder of Mistresses; B, the Remover of the King's Morning Perspiration; or C, the Monarch's Keeper of Lice.
LEIBOVICH: Oh, man. I'm actually going to say the morning - the person who takes the perspiration away.
SAGAL: You're exactly right.
LEIBOVICH: I know that because we have one of those here.
SAGAL: I'm sorry, say that again, Mark?
LEIBOVICH: We have one of these in Washington.
SAGAL: Oh, you do, somebody who's job it is to mop the brow of important people?
LEIBOVICH: Yes, exactly.
SAGAL: Well, the king getting up out of bed was a big deal. It was called the (unintelligible), and they had all these jobs that these nobles vied to do, and one of them was to sort of wipe off his night sweat. Now if you wanted the attention - this is question two - that was very good. If you wanted the attention of the king, you couldn't just knock on the door. That wasn't done. You had to do what? A, you had to stand outside his window and crow like a rooster; B, you scratched on the door with the fingernail on your left pinkie; or C, you had to hold your breath in front of him until he noticed you struggling and allowed you to breathe.
LEIBOVICH: I'm going to go with the left pinkie scratch.
SAGAL: Really? You're right.
SAGAL: I'm impressed. How did you know that?
LEIBOVICH: I actually, I have to say, I just guessed. I mean, there was a little- I mean, yeah, I mean it just sounded the most plausible.
SAGAL: I mean, I imagine that, you know, I guess like oh, he's such a long-nail is the equivalent of being a brown-noser, you know.
LEIBOVICH: Yeah, he's a long-nailer.
SAGAL: Exactly. All right, let's see if you can go for perfect here. I'm very impressed so far. If you were a courtier, if you were there at court, you didn't just have to bow to the king, of course you did. You also had to bow to what? A, the king's dogs; B, the king's wig, when encountered sans king; or C, the king's chamber pot?
LEIBOVICH: Oh man, I'm going to go with the dog.
SAGAL: You're going to go with the dog. So if the dogs went by, you had to bow to the dog as if it were a representation of the royal personage.
LEIBOVICH: Yeah, didn't Louis XIV, I think he was into dogs, right?
SAGAL: Yes, but in a noble way.
LEIBOVICH: Of course, a noble way.
SAGAL: No, actually, it was the king's chamber pot.
LEIBOVICH: Interesting.
SAGAL: If you happened to be in the corridor when the king's servants were walking down with his chamber pot, you had to bow to its contents. Carl, how did Mark Leibovich do on our quiz?
KASELL: Mark, you had two correct answers, so you win for Carly Riley.
LEIBOVICH: All right.
SAGAL: So, Mark, I have to say if things end up being too hot for you in Washington, you can come to Chicago. Our politics are clean.
O'ROURKE: That's right.
SAGAL: Mark Leibovich's book is "This Town: Two Parties and a Funeral and Plenty of Valet Parking in America's Gilded Capital." It's great, it's funny, it's scary, pick it up. Mark Leibovich, thank you so much for joining us on WAIT WAIT...DON'T TELL ME!
LEIBOVICH: Thank you, Peter.
SAGAL: Great to talk to you. Take care.
Copyright © 2013 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by Verb8tm, Inc., an NPR contractor, and produced using a proprietary transcription process developed with NPR. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR's programming is the audio record.


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LOS ANGELES, April 14, 2004 – Tens of thousands of book lovers of all ages will find a smorgasbord of appealing choices when they gather for the ninth annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, Saturday, April 24, and Sunday, April 25, on the UCLA campus.
Some of the nearly 400 authors who will participate in this year's Festival are Mitch Albom, Julie Andrews, Clive Barker, Michael Benson, T. C. Boyle, Ray Bradbury, Susie Bright, Stephen J. Cannell, Iris Chang, Sandra Cisneros, Mary Higgins Clark, Carol Higgins Clark, Susie Coelho, Rocco DiSpirito, Carol Muske-Dukes, James Ellroy, Carrie Fisher, Dana Gioia, Arianna Huffington, Chalmers Johnson, Larry King, Dean Koontz, Elmore Leonard, Anchee Min, Nuala O'Faolain, Anna Quindlen, Laura Schlessinger, David Shannon, Jane Smiley, Tavis Smiley, Kevin Starr, Anthony Swofford, Nicholas von Hoffman and Alice Walker. In addition, "Tonight Show" host and best-selling author Jay Leno will make his Festival of Books debut on the Target Stage.
Festival hours are 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Sunday.
Admission is free to the public. However, tickets will be required to attend indoor author panel discussions and lectures.
Beginning April 18 at 12 noon, tickets will be available free of charge at all participating Southern California Ticketmaster locations. A limited number of tickets also will be available on-site. On-campus parking is $7.
General event information is available online at www.latimes.com/festivalofbooks or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES ext. 7BOOK. Detailed information on all festival activities will be published in the April 18 edition of the Los Angeles Times.
The Los Angeles Times Festival of Books – one of the nation's premier public literary festivals and the largest of its kind on the West Coast – was created in 1996 by The Times to promote literacy, celebrate the written word, and bring together those who create books with the people who love to read them. It is presented in association with UCLA.
Festival Highlights
|More than 400 authors participating in 95 panels, readings and book signings
|Seven stages showcasing book and poetry readings, cooking demonstrations, children's storytelling and cartoon characters, and music, drama and dance performances
|24th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prize awards ceremony
|More than 280 exhibitors including specialty booksellers and major book publishers
|The "World's Largest Crossword Puzzle" on a 35' x 50' vinyl mat in UCLA's North Athletic Field. Teams of children will use large red foam letters to complete the puzzle, and each participant will receive a prize following completion of the puzzle
A complete list of panels with their date, time and location is available online at the Festival of books Web site and will be published in the special Festival of Books section in the Sunday, April 18th edition of the Los Angeles Times.
Author Sessions
Authors featured in solo sessions include Mitch Albom, A. Scott Berg, T.C. Boyle, Sandra Cisneros, Arianna Huffington, Karen Hughes, Chang-rae Lee, Larry King, Dean Koontz, George Pelecanos, R.L. Stine, John Rechy, Alice Walker and Timothy Zahn. Among the authors who will be featured in "In Conversation with …" sessions are Clive Barker, Ray Bradbury and Ray Harryhausen, Susie Bright, Mary Higgins Clark and Carol Higgins Clark, Carrie Fisher, Carl Hiaasen, Elmore Leonard, Anna Quindlen, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Jane Smiley and Gay Talese.
Panel Sessions
|Biography and History -- "What's That Sound? The Sixties Revisited," "The Wanderers," "Epic Lives," "Behind the Mask," "Stalin: Anatomy of a Tyrant," "The Discoverers," "Does History Have a Moral?"
|Children and Families -- "Children's Authors: Creating Tales for Kids," "Picture This! Illustrating Children's Books," "Getting Real: Readers on the Verge"
|Current interest -- "The U.S. and Iraq One Year Later: Right to Get In? Wrong to Get Out?," "Can America Pursue a Moral Foreign Policy?," "Beyond Barbie: American Women Today," "Queer Street: Is There a Gay Sensibility?," "Law and Disorder: Gangs, the LAPD and the Pursuit of Justice," "The Seduction of War," "Manufacturing Fear: American Culture Today," "The Golden Door: Mexico Now, California Tomorrow," "High Noon: Can America Go it Alone?"
|Ethnic interest -- "Latino Writing: Then & Now ," "From Negro to African American: Is There a Limit to Identity Politics?"
|Fiction -- "Once Upon a Time in America," "Searching for Stories," "Fiction and the Taboo of Race," "Love in All the Wrong Places," "Raising the Dead: Writing Historical Fiction," "Finding Truth in Fiction," "Fiction and the News From Elsewhere," "The Necessity of Fiction," "The Heart of the Matter," "Life Among the Ruins," "Searching for Love"
|Hollywood and Entertainment -- "Moving Pictures and the Birth of Modernism," "Fiction: Writing Hollywood," "The Higher Gossip and the Culture of Celebrity," "William Gibson and Bruce Wagner: A Conversation about 21st Century Hollywood and Beyond"
|International -- "China in the American Imagination," "Going Global: America's Manifest Destiny?," "From Afghanistan to Israel and Iran: Women in the Middle"
|Journalism and publishing -- "Can Independent Publishing Survive?," "From Granta to McSweeney's: Can Independent Magazines Survive?," "Reporting L.A. ," "Finding Writers, Publishing Well"
|Los Angeles and California -- "The Illusive City: Looking for L.A.," "California's Invisible History," "Writing L.A."
|Memoir -- "Against Forgetting," "American Lives"
|Mystery/Thriller/Crime --"Not Your Usual Suspects," "Less than Heavenly: Mysteries and Thrillers in the City of Angels," "Mayhem, Mystery and Murder," "Classic Crime," "Behind the Yellow Tape," "Hardboiled Loners"
|Nonfiction -- "Down and Dirty: Breaking the Bad News," "Creative Nonfiction I: How I Got the Story," "Creative Nonfiction II: How I Got the Story," "Commerce and Aesthetics in the Making of America's Culture"
|Poetry -- "The Magic of Words," "Why Write Poetry?"
|Politics -- "Voices of Exile: Courage to Write," "Critics and Crusaders: The Future of Dissent," "From Watergate to 9/11 & Beyond," "Separate but Equal: Fifty Years After Brown v. Board of Education," "How Did Liberalism Become a Dirty Word?"
|Science -- "Writing Science," "The Wonder of the Cosmos"
Other panels include: "The Art of the Short Story," "Outdoor: The Call of the Wild," "Working Out and Writing it Up," "Fables and Fantasies From Beyond," "Whom Does God Belong to?," "Music: Hearing it on Paper," "Writing Home: Better Living Through Better Design," "Going Places: At Home in the World."
Seven Stages: Discussions, Readings, Family Entertainment
The Barnes & Noble Stage will feature Mitch Albom, Eric Jerome Dickey, William Gibson, Arianna Huffington, Karen Hughes, Dean Koontz, Chang-rae Lee, Brett Lott, George Pelecanos, Nicholas Sparks & Micah Sparks, Neal Stephenson, Alice Walker and Tobias Wolff.
The Cooking Stage will dish up a varied selection that includes Katherine Alford, Leslie Brenner, Rocco DiSpirito, Suzanne Dunaway, Gale Gand, Tanya Holland, Jacqui Malouf, David Rosengarten, Juliette Rossant, Joachim Splichal and Carla Williams.
The ETC. Stage will feature a variety of speakers and performers including Susie Coelho, Kitty Felde, Andy Griffiths, Rayma Harishankar, R.L. Stine, Timothy Zahn, The Chameleons, Japanese Music and Dance with Kishin Daiko, the Korean Classical Music and Dance Company, Write Girl and Will and Company, who will perform " Robin Hood."
Among the authors gracing the Poetry Stage will be Sandra Cisneros, Henri Cole, Dana Gioia, Anthony Hecht, Tung-Hui Hu, Barbara Hurd, Susan McCabe, Harryette Mullen, Carol Muske-Dukes, David St. John and Mark Turpin.
The Reading by 9 Storytelling Stage activities will include performances by the Parachute Express, Jay Jay the Jet Plane, Beethoven's Wig, the Children's Museum of Los Angeles, Adventures in Poetry and Jim Gamble's Puppetry, as well as readings and storytelling by KTLA's Michaela Pereira, Leila Feinstein, Sam Rubin and Eric Spillman; Margaret Chodos-Irvine & Betsy Rosenthal, Lois Ehlert, Betsy Lewin, J.P. Nightingale, Jose Luis Orozco, Marilyn Singer, Jim Weiss and Jane West.
Featured on the Starbucks Stage will be performances by Ben Arthur, Josh Kelley, Jennifer Marks, Abalaye African Dance Ensemble, Danza Azteca Xochipilli, the Melvin Eddy Blues Band, the Susie Hansen's Latin Band, Barney Saltzberg, and the Zydeco Party Band.
The Target Stage, designed for the entire family, will feature Julie Andrews, Angelina Ballerina, Barney, Mike Berenstain, Georgia Byng, Dean Koontz, Jay Leno, Glenn Murray, Laura Numeroff, Todd Parr, Seussentennial, R. L. Stine, Rosemary Wells, and Schoolhouse Rock.
Los Angeles Times Book Prize Awards Ceremony
Michael York, author and internationally renowned star of stage, screen and television, will emcee the 24th annual Los Angeles Times Book Prize awards ceremony, which will be held at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 24, at UCLA's Royce Hall. York is a past participant in the Festival of Books and is the author of "Dispatches from Armageddon: Making the Movie Megiddo: a Devilish Diary" and his 1991 autobiography "Accidentally on Purpose," and co-author with actor/director Adrian Brine of "A Shakespearean Actor Prepares."
The Los Angeles Times Book Prizes, established in 1980, recognize outstanding literary achievements in biography, current interest, history, poetry, science and technology, fiction, first fiction, mystery/thriller, and young adult fiction.
In addition, the Robert Kirsch Award annually recognizes the body of work of an author who resides in and/or whose work focuses on the Western United States. It is named after Robert Kirsch, who served as The Times' book critic for more than 25 years prior to his death in 1980.
Presenting the nine category awards will be Dean Baquet, K.C. Cole, Dana Gioia, Vivian Gornick, Carolyn See, April Smith, Kevin Starr, R.L. Stine and Bruce Wagner. The Kirsch award will be presented by author Jonathan Kirsch, son of the late book critic.
Tickets are $14 per person for a reserved seat. In addition, there will be a first-ever "Interlude Dinner" at 5:30 p.m. in UCLA's Faculty Center for people who want to attend both the Festival and the Book Prizes event.
The cost of the Interlude Dinner, including a prime reserved seat at the Book Prizes awards ceremony, is $48, and for $65, guests get premium all-day parking at Royce Hall as well.
Tickets may be purchased through the UCLA Central Ticket Office at 310-825-2101 or online at www.tickets.ucla.edu. Additional charges apply for online ticket orders. Information about the Book Prize awards ceremony and awards program is available at www.latimes.com/bookprizes or by calling 1-800-LA TIMES, ext. 72366.
Since 1980, the Book Prizes have honored numerous internationally distinguished literary figures including Ray Bradbury, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Allen Ginsberg, Christopher Isherwood, Milan Kundera, Ursula Le Guin, Frank McCourt, David McCullough, Larry McMurtry, Tillie Olsen, Carl Sagan and W.G. Sebald.
Festival of Books Sponsors
Presenting sponsors of the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books are Barnes & Noble, Starbucks and Target. Major sponsors are Ticketmaster and Borders. Contributing sponsors are Los Angeles Opera and Los Angeles Philharmonic.
Media sponsors are KTLA 5, ESPN Radio AM (710), KABC-AM (790), KCRW-FM (89.9), KFWB-AM (980), KIIS-FM (102.7), KKJZ-FM (88.1), KPCC-FM (89.3), Radio Disney AM (1110) and Distinction Magazine.
The Los Angeles Times, a Tribune Publishing company, is the largest metropolitan daily newspaper in the country and the winner of 35 Pulitzer Prizes. The Times publishes five daily regional editions covering the Los Angeles metropolitan area, Orange and Ventura counties, the San Fernando Valley, and an Inland Empire edition covering Riverside and San Bernardino counties, as well as a national edition. Additional information about The Times is available at www.latimes.com/mediacenter.


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GREECE | Tuesday, 7 October 2008 | Views [28873]
A screenshot from our Greek language guide
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Music & Band Websites
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Section 101
is the premier website solution for professionals in the artistic community.
Press Article
June, 2012 - New York, NY – Section 101, a leading destination for artists wishing to take control of their digital world, is pleased to announce we will be taking part in two very special events in June; from June 17-19th, Section101 will be at the New Music Seminar, having partnered with NMS for their annual New York City conference. In addition, Section 101 will be a sponsor of A2IM's Seventh Annual Indie Week, which runs from June 18-22, all around Manhattan. Section 101 is thrilled to be a partner of this year's New Music Seminar, alongside companies such as Pandora, Gibson Guitars, iHeartRadio, Spotify and more. NMS's cornerstone event will take place at Webster Hall in the East Village (125 East 11th Street, New York, NY). CEO Liz Leahy will once again be presenting an 18-minute intensive talk on Monday, June 18 at 4:00pm on how creative artists can harness their power on the web. If you're curious about making sure your best self is represented online, do not miss her talk! While at Webster Hall, you can find Section 101 on the Main Room Upper Balcony, where we will have a booth set up, providing demonstrations of our web platform, answer questions and give tutorials throughout the conference. Additionally, Section 101 is taking some space at the Village Pourhouse, across the street from Webster Hall, at 64 Third Avenue at 11th Street. Come by Monday, June 18 and Tuesday June 19th, where we will have a station set up (and maybe a few drinks on the table!). As a sponsor of Indie week, Section 101 is thrilled to be working with the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), which serves the Independent music community as a unified voice representing a broad coalition of music labels. The 2012 conference kicks off with festivities at Slate New York City (54 West 21st Street), and along with panels and presentations, A2IM will be presenting the American Association of Independent Music Libera Awards. You can see a list of the finalists here: https://bit.ly/KB1KJv [brag alert – Section 101's Kina Grannis, whose site is powered by Section 101 technology, is a finalist for Best Independent Video of the Year]. As we did the year before, Section 101 will be providing one-on-one sessions for attendees who are interested in learning more about online branding, digital revenue and taking control of all the opportunities the online world presents. Additionally, CEO Liz Leahy will be giving a 10-minute presentation for attendees. About Section 101 Section 101 delivers a dynamic web-based platform that presents simple and effective solutions for music and entertainment brands to manage and maximize their online presence. Section 101 enables clients to create beautiful, personalized websites that are easy to use, while providing a powerful suite of integrated tools designed to organize and leverage their fan base across a growing number of online and social channels. Section 101 offers a premier service for clients who prefer Section 101 to supply creative input – from design and development through to the successful launch of their websites, as well as a Do-It-Yourself model, providing all the tools and functionality required for clients to create their own unique website on a budget. Leading music artists and brands like Duran Duran, Kina Grannis, BUSH, Diane Birch, Rachael Yamagata, Kicking Daisies, Corey Taylor (Slipknot), Junip, Early Winters, Hesta Prynn, DJ Eliot Lipp, Radio Woodstock, the Rube Goldberg Estate and many others rely on Section 101 technology to power their digital presence. To learn more about Section 101, and the artists that use our technology, please visit: https://section101.com. Follow Section101 on Twitter at @Section101Tweet
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This Screaming Female Arm Wrestler Will Scare You to Death
Monica Seles is no longer the most notorious female athlete to grunt.
In this video of two women arm wrestling, one of the contestants unleashes screams of fury that you don't normally see outside of someone being chased by Freddy Krueger.
Seriously, look at her – her eyes appear as if they might pop out.
Sadly, the woman should probably work on her technique because she lost the match, which we bet had her screaming in disappointment.


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The Intensive Pharmacokinetics Sub-study of Encore1 (ENCORE1-PK)
|The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01271894
Recruitment Status : Completed
First Posted : January 7, 2011
Last Update Posted : May 13, 2013
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
|Condition or disease
|HIV Infection
|Drug: Efavirenz
|Phase 3
|Study Type :
|Interventional (Clinical Trial)
|Actual Enrollment :
|40 participants
|Intervention Model:
|Parallel Assignment
|Double (Participant, Investigator)
|Primary Purpose:
|Official Title:
|The Intensive Pharmacokinetics Sub-study of Encore1: A Randomised, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Clinical Trial to Compare the Safety and Efficacy of Reduced Dose Efavirenz (EFV) With Standard Dose EFV Plus Two Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (N(t)RTI) in Antiretroviral-naïve HIV-infected Individuals Over 96 Weeks
|Study Start Date :
|September 2011
|Actual Primary Completion Date :
|May 2013
|Actual Study Completion Date :
|May 2013
Experimental: Reduced dose Efavirenz arm
Participants randomized in main study to receive EFV (400 mg once daily; 2 x 200 mg + 1 x placebo once daily) plus tenofovir/emtricitabine (300/200 mg) fixed-dose combination once daily
Drug: Efavirenz
400 mg once daily; given as 2 x 200 mg + 1 x placebo
Active Comparator: Normal Efavirenz dose arm
Patients randomized in the main study to receive EFV (600 mg once daily; 3 x 200 mg once daily) plus tenofovir/emtricitabine (300/200 mg) fixed-dose combination once daily
Drug: Efavirenz
600 mg once daily; given as 3 x 200 mg once
- To compare the pharmacokinetic parameters of EFV determined from blood collected over a 24-hour dosing interval in blinded samples from participants taking either 600 mg or 400 mg once daily in combination with Truvada. [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
- To compare the safety and tolerability of EFV 400 mg versus 600 mg given once daily. [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
- To investigate the correlation between EFV concentration measurements from dried blood spots and concentration measured in matched plasma samples. [ Time Frame: 48 weeks ]
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|16 Years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
All participants enrolled into the main Encore1 study at participating sub-study sites will be eligible to participate.
Participants must meet the following additional inclusion criteria prior to intensive pharmacokinetic assessment. Inclusion Criteria:
- provide written sub-study consent at or before week 0
- taken randomized study drugs for at least 4 weeks but less than 8 weeks
- taken EFV in the evening for at least 7 days
- taken all EFV doses over the 3 preceding days.
To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT01271894
|Hospital J.M. Ramos Mejia
|Buenos Aires, Argentina
|South Africa
|Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation
|Cape Town, South Africa
|Thai Red Cross-AIDS Research Centre, HIV-NAT Research Collaboration
|Bangkok, Thailand
|United Kingdom
|Chelsea and Westminister Hospital
|London, United Kingdom
|Principal Investigator:
|Marta Boffito, Dr.
|Chelsea & Westminster Hospital
|Responsible Party:
|Kirby Institute
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01271894 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|First Posted:
|January 7, 2011 Key Record Dates
|Last Update Posted:
|May 13, 2013
|Last Verified:
|November 2012
Keywords provided by Kirby Institute:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
HIV Infections
Lentivirus Infections
Retroviridae Infections
RNA Virus Infections
Virus Diseases
Sexually Transmitted Diseases, Viral
Sexually Transmitted Diseases
Immunologic Deficiency Syndromes
Immune System Diseases
Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors
Nucleic Acid Synthesis Inhibitors
Enzyme Inhibitors
Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action
Anti-Retroviral Agents
Antiviral Agents
Anti-Infective Agents
Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C9 Inhibitors
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inhibitors
Cytochrome P-450 CYP2C19 Inhibitors
Cytochrome P-450 CYP2B6 Inducers
Cytochrome P-450 Enzyme Inducers
Cytochrome P-450 CYP3A Inducers


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Firebug 1.10b2Friday, June 29th, 2012
Firebug 1.10 beta 2 has been released.
As usual in the beta phase we are mostly focusing on fixing blocking issues and hardworking on getting Firebug 1.10 out of the door.
There are no enhancements in this release. Firebug 1.10b2 fixes 15 issues.
Let us know how this version works for you.
Please post feedback in the newsgroup, thanks.
Jan 'Honza' Odvarko


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A Planetary Nebula (N66) in the Large Magellanic Cloud
The NASA Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has imaged N66, a planetary nebula in the Large Magellanic Cloud (a satellite galaxy of our own Milky Way galaxy). The image was obtained at 10:41 p.m. EDT on June 26, 1991, using the European Space Agency's Faint Object Camera. This HST image is being presented on Thursday, January 16 at the 179th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Atlanta, Georgia. This is the first time a planetary nebula has ever been seen so clearly in a galaxy beyond our own Milky Way. The nebula N66 is located 169,000 light-years away. The FOC image reveals complex structures and details as small as 0.08 light-years across (0.1 arcsecond resolution). None of these structures had ever been seen with ground-based telescopes. Although such an asymmetric structure had been anticipated based upon spectroscopic data taken with ground-based telescopes, the observed patterns are unprecedented. The FOC exposure lasted for just 540 seconds and was made through a filter which isolated the light of doubly ionized oxygen (5007 Angstroms). The image has been sharpened by computer image reconstruction, though all the structures are clearly evident in the raw image. The brightest part of the nebula has an angular diameter of about 2.4 arcseconds, which corresponds to a size of 1.9 light-years. The nebula was ejected by a luminous red giant star, which subsequently contracted to form a blue remnant star. Located at the center of the image, this remnant star ionizes the nebula, causing it to glow at visible and ultraviolet wavelengths. The star is destined to become a white dwarf. Individual lobes of the nebulosity are expanding from the center with velocities of up to one quarter million miles per hour (100 kilometers per second).


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from $0
per person per night
2 x Bunk beds, 1 x single bed, sharing a bathroom.
The Happy Hippo is decorated in a contemporary African Ethnic theme; utilizing the vibrant colours shown through the flag and the S.A. people, and tastefully finished off with an industrial flavor.
Our rooms are all different and are named so one gets to learn about this exciting nation & what it has to offer. We have a rooftop bar called the Globe, as we get to meet people from all around the world! We offer an internet café or wireless & have a curio shop which only supports local crafts & small business. Local is Lekker! (great in Afrikaans).
Want to have an event that will stay in your guests memory for a long time, why not have a rooftop party under the beautiful Durban skies. We have created a unique and comfortable enviroment for anyone to come and enjoy, from birthday parties to product launches our venue can accommodate most of your needs.
We can accommodate up to 400 people for a standing event (such as live music events), or 100+ people seating, but additional tables would need to be hired.
We do not have catering facilities at Happy Hippo but if you are interested in food platters, we can easily organize the order for you. Or you can hire your own catering company for your event.
We have several picnic tables and umbrellas available, the bar area is covered and has a small private mezzanine level. We have secure parking for up to 12 vehicles and can look at additional security for street parking. If you would like to hire decorations or additional seating, we work closely with Cheers Hiring.
We could not have selected a better site for the Happy Hippo. Located right on the beach front and within walking distance of the entrance to uShaka Marine World Park.
Located at 222 Mahatma Gandhi Road (previously Point Road), Durban, the Happy Hippo is about as close to the action as you can get. Situated within walking distance of Durban's best beaches and on the doorstep of the uShaka Marine World, staying at the Happy Hippo means that you have easy access to many of Durban's holiday attractions without the need for transport. When you need to venture further afield or continue your exploration of South Africa, taxi, bus, train and air transport are all easily accessable. The airport shuttle bus from the new King Shaka airport picks up and drops off at our lodge. We are a Baz Bus stop as well.
Please remember that the top things to do in Durban, which are very synonymous, are, trying a bunny chow, or catching a Rickshaw ride or visiting the famous Indian market. Since the 2010 World Cup held in S.A., we now have a cable car ride to the top of the Moses Mabidha Stadium, which brags beautiful views of the city & its beaches! Also, the convenience of getting off a plane at the new King Shaka International airport does door to door drop offs hourly at a fraction of the price of a taxi! Please remember that our efficient & friendly staff are always on call to help!
The Happy Hippo offers a wide range of accommodation options to suit the unique requirements of the modern budget traveller and backpacker tourist visiting South Africa. Looking for a clean and comfortable bed to sleep in? Dorms, Singles, Doubles, Twins, Triples and Doubles with en-suites - the Happy Hippo Backpackers Lodge has it all. Stay for a day, week or month, its up to you.
from $0
per person per night
|Happy Hippo Accommodation – Point
|Space offered
|Backpacker dorm bed
|Room sharing with other parties
1 × Bunk bed
|Check in
|Check out
| Cancellation
PLEASE NOTE: Your booking is not confirmed until you have paid a 50% deposit.


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Arctic Cat Specs
Arctic Cat Specs is free HD wallpaper. This wallpaper was upload at May 25, 2019 upload by admin in .You can download it in your computer by clicking resolution image in Download by size:. Don't forget to rate and comment if you interest with this wallpaper.
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OCERT Honeynet is operated by Threat Analysis Center Team in Oman National CERT
(OCERT) . The members are :
• Yousuf Alsiyabi
• Suliman Al Hinai
We are focusing in low interaction honey pot where we deployed number of low-interaction honeypot technology:
-Dionaea : it was deployed instead of Nepenthes . Dionaea have showed great result in term of collected malware .
-Glastopf : it was deployed as web application honeypot .
-Back-end infrastructure used for logs collection and data analysis
• Working in Geo IP application that reflects the source IP of a recorded attack in Google map display. The application utilizes Google API to project IP address of an attack in the map to illustrate the organ of the attack.
• Searching in botnet monitoring and tracking techniques
We observe increase in the number of malware samples collected Dionaea ,where we able to collect more than 1118 unique malware samples and that show malware becomes most serious security threat. Many systems in Oman could be infected with different types malware .
Within 2010 :the team have successfully experimented and deployed a number of honey pot and started to analyze and classify the finding accordingly .As national CERT , it is very important to identify the infected systems within the country network in order to reduce the number of infected system's and limit's the spread and propagation of malware.
For 2011: We are planning to start analyzing the collected malware through the use of sandbox tools .There are a number of commercial and open source tool sets , that will be evaluated to select the best tool to serve our intended purpose .
In addition, we are planning to deploy a client side honey pot .Moreover, we are going to develop more cooperation with the local ISP and get associated with number of universities that could participate in research field .


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Douglas Skibicki, 41, Bethesda, Maryland, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and bankruptcy fraud, in connection with a mortgage fraud scheme in which he allegedly defrauded lenders, family and others. The indictment was returned on March 31, 2010 and unsealed upon Skibicki's arrest.
According to the nine count indictment, Skibicki was a mortgage originator and/or broker for a company which operated in Laurel, Maryland. The indictment alleges that from April 2006 through August 2009, Skibicki, with the assistance of an appraiser and others, participated in a scheme to defraud lenders, family members and others through a series of real estate transactions.
For example, Skibicki and Family Member 1 owned property at 5870 Deer Ridge Lane, Elkridge, Maryland. On June 2, 2006, Skibicki allegedly submitted a loan application for $350,000 to refinance 5870 Deer Ridge Lane, in the name of Family Member 2. The loan application indicated that title to the property would be held by Skibicki, Family Member 1 and Family Member 2. According to the indictment, Skibicki allegedly added Family Member 2 to the title of the property without consulting or obtaining the approval of either Family Member 1 or 2. To facilitate the loan application, the appraiser working with Skibicki allegedly prepared an appraisal indicating that there was a 2,040 square foot home on the property and included a description of the home and photographs purporting to be of the front and back of the home. In fact, there was no home on the property, which was a vacant lot. The indictment alleges that the loan application submitted by Skibicki on behalf of Family Member 2 also contained several false statements as to Family Member 2's employment, income, and current address.
Further, the indictment alleges that in an attempt to conceal the fact that 5870 Deer Ridge Lane was a vacant lot and instead make it appear that there was a home on that property, and also to make it appear that Family Member 2 was earning rental income from leasing that home, Skibicki caused a fraudulent Single Family Dwelling Lease to be provided to the lender, falsely indicating that 5870 Deer Ridge Lane had been rented for a one-year term beginning on January 1, 2006, for a monthly rent payment of $2,875. A former co-worker and longtime friend of Skibicki was listed on the lease as the real estate agent who had negotiated it, and Family Member 2 was identified on the lease as one of the landlords/owners of 5870 Deer Ridge Lane. According to the indictment, the signatures of the real estate agent and Family Member 2 were forged on this lease and neither individual had any knowledge of, or involvement with, this purported lease. Based on the fraudulent information provided by Skibicki, the lender provided a loan of $350,000 in the name of Family Member 2. The indictment alleges that the signatures of Family Members 1 and 2 were forged on the settlement statement.
The indictment alleges that Skibicki obtained mortgages on five additional properties in the names of family members and others. According to the indictment, in each instance the loan application contained false statements as to the family members and others whose names Skibicki used on the application. In some instances, the family members and others allegedly had agreed to allow Skibicki to use their names, with Skibicki promising that he would make the payments and/or remove their names from the property after some specific amount of time. However, the indictment alleges that the family members and others often had no idea that Skibicki had used their name and personal information to facilitate the transactions. The indictment further alleges that five of the properties went into foreclosure after Skibicki failed to make the promised loan payments. According to the indictment, Skibicki received loans worth $2,829,971 as a result of the scheme.
According to the indictment, after Skibicki had failed to make payments on a mortgage he had obtained in the name of a Family Member 3, the lender instituted foreclosure proceedings and the property was scheduled to be put to auction on August 11, 2009. The indictment alleges that in order to conceal his scheme, Skibicki caused a Chapter 13 bankruptcy petition to be filed on August 11, 2009, in the name of his friend, who was a co-owner of the property, in order to stop the auction of the property.
Skibicki faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross loss or gain of the offense, if greater than $250,000, on each of six counts of mail fraud; a mandatory two years in prison, consecutive to any other sentence, on each of two counts of aggravated identity theft; and a maximum of five years in prison for bankruptcy fraud. Skibicki had his initial appearance today at 2:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court in Baltimore and was released under the supervision of U.S. Pre-trial Services. As a condition of his release Skibicki is prohibited from working in the financial services industry. He is scheduled to be arraigned on April 16, 2010 at 2:00 p.m.
The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Chief William J. McMahon of the Howard County Police Department; Special Agent in Charge Richard A. McFeely; Special Agent in Charge Barbara Golden of the United States Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Ken Taylor, Jr. of the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General – Office of Investigations.
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein recognized Howard County State's Attorney Dario Broccolino and Chief J. Thomas Mangers of the Montgomery County Police Department, and their offices, for their assistance in this investigation and prosecution.
In a related action, Mark Kaufman, Deputy Commissioner of the Maryland Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation's Division of Financial Regulation issued a Summary Order to Cease and Desist against Skibicki today, prohibiting him from engaging in any further credit services business activities and/or foreclosure consultant activities with Maryland residents.
An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.
The Maryland Mortgage Fraud Task Force was established to unify the agencies that regulate and investigate mortgage fraud and promote the early detection, identification, prevention and prosecution of mortgage fraud schemes. This case, as well as other cases brought by members of the Task Force, demonstrates the commitment of law enforcement agencies to protect consumers from fraud and promote the integrity of the credit markets. Information about mortgage fraud prosecutions is available at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/md/Mortgage-Fraud/index.html.
This law enforcement action is part of President Barack Obama's Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force.President Obama established the interagency Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force to wage an aggressive, coordinated and proactive effort to investigate and prosecute financial crimes. The task force includes representatives from a broad range of federal agencies, regulatory authorities, inspectors general, and state and local law enforcement who, working together, bring to bear a powerful array of criminal and civil enforcement resources. The task force is working to improve efforts across the federal executive branch, and with state and local partners, to investigate and prosecute significant financial crimes, ensure just and effective punishment for those who perpetrate financial crimes, combat discrimination in the lending and financial markets, and recover proceeds for victims of financial crimes.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Biran, who is prosecuting the case.


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Click here to open window for listening to OVC
Volleyball matches
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. -- Fans who cannot attend the Ohio Valley Conference Volleyball Tournament at Morehead State this week can still follow the Golden Eagles throughout their bid for a league title. All of Tech's matches in the tournament will be broadcast on the Golden Eagle Sports Network via Free Teamline, with games available on either the Internet or the telephone.
Former Golden Eagle player and coach Mandy (Miller) Thatcher and Sports Information Intern Nick Burns will be courtside in Morehead to call the action. The broadcast will begin with five minutes prior to the opening serve, so matches on Thursday and Friday can be heard beginning at 3:25 p.m. CT. The championship match will air at 3:55 p.m. on Saturday.
Tech opens the tournament Thursday against Jacksonville State. The Golden Eagles, playing in the OVC Tourney for the fourth consecutive year, are bidding for their second tournament title in three years and the league's automatic invitation to the NCAA Tournament.
To listen on the Internet on TTUsports.com, click here or on the
Listen Live icon in the top right corner of the web page. Listeners
will be asked some questions as Teamline compiles demographics of
the audience.
To listen on the telephone, call 1-800-846-4700 and enter Tech's team code (0654). When asked, select the sport of volleyball and the broadcast will automatically be sent to your receiver.
Tennessee Tech is the only one of the six teams in the tournament broadcasting the matches. Fans of Tech's opponents are also invited to listen.


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NM Tech Grad Student To Attend Nobel Laureates Convention, May 27, 2005
by George Zamora
SOCORRO, N.M., May 27, 2005 — New Mexico Tech astrophysics graduate student Mala Mateen recently was invited by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the National Science Foundation (NSF), and Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to join a select delegation of top young researchers who will be attending the 55th Annual Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students on June 26-July 1 in Lindau, Germany.
Mateen, a graduate of Ward Melville High School in East Setauket, N.Y., is the daughter of Rafia S. and Dr. Abdul Mateen. Before graduating from high school, she attended Lahore Grammar School in her hometown of Lahore, Pakistan.
The DOE, NSF, and ORAU selected this year's participants from among a national pool of second-year graduate students whose university research is funded in part by the federal agencies.
Recently, Mateen has conducted a high sensitivity search for CH masers in extra-galactic sources using the NSF-funded Arecibo Observatory's 305-meter radio telescope in Puerto Rico. She also has used the NSF-funded National Radio Astronomy Observatory's Very Large Array (VLA) of radio telescopes, which is located about 36 miles west of Socorro, to make observations of formaldehyde absorption toward the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 520.
"The idea is to use formaldehyde as a high-density tracer to study the dynamics and structure in front of the nuclear starburst region," she says of her research conducted at the VLA.
Mateen's current research advisor is New Mexico Tech astrophysics professor Peter Hofner.
In addition, Mateen is currently analysing molecular line data obtained with the 100-meter Effelsberg Telescope in Bonn, Germany, and, as an undergraduate at Pennsylvania State University, worked on radio astronomy projects at the Raman Research Institute in India and at Columbia University in New York.
Mateen Mata's research is currently supported by NSF grant AST-0454665.
Continuing a tradition established in 1951, Nobel Laureates in chemistry, physics, or physiology and medicine convene each year in Lindau on a rotational basis by discipline to conduct informal talks and meetings with about 400 students and young researchers from around the world. This year's international convention will break from tradition slightly and will adopt a multi-disciplinary approach, focusing equally on physics, chemistry, and medicine/physiology.
As one of about 60 selected U.S. participants, Mateen will attend informal roundtable sessions and small-group discussions led by any one of the Nobel Laureates attending the six-day conference at the picturesque island city of Lindau.
More information about the 55th Annual Lindau Meeting of Nobel Laureates and Students is available at www.orau.gov/lindau2005.


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I have been
stalking checking out quilt swaps for a long time. There are quite a few of them out there. Pin cushion swaps, mug rug swaps, potholder swaps, block swaps, and doll quilt swaps. And probably lots more I don't even know about. But it has never been a right time, right place kind of thing for me.
Recently I hopped onto the Doll Quilt Swap on Flickr and it was just in time, they were starting up Doll Quilt Swap 12! I entered hoping to get a spot and I got in! I am so thrilled to finally be a part of a swap.
I got my partner and have been busy trying to come up with a cool design and fabrics that I think she'll like.
To get the swap going, they also had a little Polka Dot Piggy contest.
This is my entry:
I call it "This Little Piggy Went to Market". It was a fun little mini project to start and finish.
I wish I could tell you join up, but the swap is closed for this round. I can't wait to see all the wonderful mini quilts that come out of it. Keep stalking your favorite swap and you could be next!


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Gallery Brass Lrg 4 1/4
It was common practice to mount glass shades onto a gallery and was a tradition that began with gas lights. They served 2 purposes. They enabled secure mounting of the shade to the bulbholder and, more importantly, they allowed the heat generated by the light bulb to escape and not overheat the electrical parts. They were available in 3 sizes - 2¼in, 3¼in and 4¼in and ours are available in polished brass, antiqued brass and chromium plate.


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Text Size Large SizeMedium SizeSmall Size Color Scheme Black SchemeWhite SchemeGrey SchemePaper Scheme
Breaking Dawn
Breaking dawn summary, in poetry form.
Just something I cobbled together after I realised that I had a load of depressing poetry and only one cheerful one!
1. I ~ Breaking Dawn
Rating 4.3/5 Word Count 258 Review this Chapter
A choice had to be made.
A wild heart, it was tamed.
Two perfect lovers, at last are one.
She chose the moon above her sun.
The wolf's heart broken, beyond repair?
Perhaps, without his lady fair.
The star-crossed lovers, married, wed.
On their honeymoon, they shared a bed.
A shock, a pain, a growing child.
A gift from god to the vampires mild?
He demands she save herself.
She calls his sister, using stealth.
Hurry home, to see Carlisle.
She sees her husband's wishes as most vile!
She and her new sister protect the babe,
Sister determined to keep it safe.
More choices follow, the pack is torn.
For his heart's love the wolf does mourn.
Then comes the terror of birth,
She almost loses her grip on earth.
Her love, he saves her, makes her heart beat.
Then changes her, whilst the wolf does meet:
Renesmee, new-born vampire baby.
In seven years, will be a young lady.
Nonetheless, her parents are mad.
He perhaps more, as the protective dad.
She accept her old flame's love,
Now everyone's all happy and stuff.
But this joy can never last.
The daughter grows, and time does pass.
Another vampire, a lost friend, sees.
Mother and daughter, together, hunting.
The rulers of the vampire world,
3 ancient vampires from days of old,
Arrive to fix the 'problem' they've heard,
From Irina, the female vampire spurned.
Her love didn't care for her the same,
But she still felt lost love's pain.
As such, she sought revenge on they,
Who she felt took her love away.
But all was well, the battle won,
The night is gone, now rises the sun.
Breaking Dawn.
- Author
- Charmingal
- Rating
1 2 3 4 5
- Reviews
- 6
- Words
- 258
- Views
- 1
- Published
- 07 Apr 09
- Updated
- 14 Oct 14
- Status
- Complete


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Trawling the depths of forgotten fiction, films, and beyond, with yer pal, Joe Kenney
Wednesday, May 2, 2012
Stony Man #83: Doom Prophecy
Stony Man #83: Doom Prophecy, by Douglas Wojtowicz
June, 2006 Gold Eagle Books
Able Team and Phoenix Force were canceled as individual series in the early 1990s, but lived on collectively as the Stony Man series, in which both teams would together take on the latest global or domestic threat. As of this writing there are a whopping 119 volumes of this series in print. Could you imagine reading all of them?? You'd probably put a bullet in your brain afterwards -- though, these being Gold Eagle books, by that time you'd be able to identify the bullet as say a 5.56x45mm NATO round with a 62 grain Steel Penetrator lead core full metal jacket.
Yes, friends, we are back in the world of Gold Eagle and its overwhelming love of gun-porn. Vast sections of this publisher's novels have often read like copy from a gun catalog. Gold Eagle is the last man standing in the world of men's adventure publishing, which is a shame, for in many ways their offerings are the worst of the genre. Whereas in my opinion these action series should offer escapism, Gold Eagle instead tries to make everything "realistic," with the end result being that their books are dour, bland, and boring affairs, filled with cipher-like "heroes" who, when they aren't killing people, just sit around and clean their guns.
The biggest surprise is that sometimes a Gold Eagle book offers a bit of promise, something different than the standard "terrorist of the month" gimmick. Doom Prophecy is a case in point. There are rave reviews for this novel over on mackbolan.com; the author, Douglas Wojtowicz, is a fan favorite. And to be sure he does seem to have fun with his novels, pulping them up with oddball villains and crazy threats. He's also relatively new to the Gold Eagle stable, but to date has already turned out 30-some books in various Gold Eagle series. He also has an obvious fondess for the characters and their world, so it's a good sign that there's at least one Gold Eagle writer who is willing to do something different than the norm. But to be sure, the reader must still be prepared for the Gold Eagle trademark of endless action sequences and weapons fetishizing.
The villains here are pretty great, the best part of the novel; they're much in the line of the sort of villains you would encounter in the pulpier 1970s examples of the genre. For one, there's a Vietnamese lady who, as a young girl, watched as her mother was murdered by a US soldier in 'Nam. Years later, attempting to gain vengeance, the girl was raped by the same man, now a high-ranking government official. And now, in the present, she is a self-styled "cyber prophetess" who has named herself Ka55andra, after the mythical oracle-spouting character Cassandra. She heads up a globe-spanning terrorist cell called AJAX, and is now finally bringing her plans of vengeance to fruition, while also sowing hell in general.
Even better are the various henchmen who work for AJAX. First and foremost there's Algul, a dude who not only wears a mask made of human skulls, but also a cape of human skin -- each patch of flesh adorned with a military tattoo, Algul having stitched it together from the hides of US soldiers he has killed. Oh, and he enjoys drinking blood. He also commands a legion of mud-encrusted zombies in all but name, shambling creatures who tear up out of the ground and attack en masse any who stand in their way, eating their flesh. Crazy stuff for sure. There's also a trio of assassins: one a dwarf, the other a tall and thin guy who compares himself to a boa constrictor, and finally a big biker dude whom Wojtowicz actually names "David Lee Haggar." And on top of that there's even a small army of ninjas, lead by a self-proclaimed "American Ninja" named Wilson Sere, who goes around with his gorgeous blonde Argentenian lover Terremota, an explosives expert.
I mean, all of these characters seem to have walked out of, say, Black Samurai #6: The Warlock. But for some strange reason, Wojtowicz does little to exploit the potential of the villains. All told, he only spends a handful of scenes with them, instead focusing the entirety of the tale on the bland and boring members of Phoenix Force and Able Team. I know this is a strange criticism, to blame an author for giving the focus to the stars of the book, but still. When your villains are this interesting -- and when there are so many of them -- I think it would be a bit more entertaining for the reader to actually read about them. Because as it is, the Phoenix Force and Able Team guys just put you right to sleep.
It's been about twenty-five years since I've read a Phoenix Force novel, so it was humorous to see that the same stock epithets are still employed -- Encizo is the "powerful Cuban," Calvin James is the "tall ex-Navy SEAL," Manning is the "big Canadian." Like we're reading the Iliad or something! Changes have occurred since my last encounter with the Force, though; Katz, the elderly Israeli leader of the team (who as I recall was a missing a hand, and, Army of Darkness style, would put various weapons in the empty socket), has apparently bought the farm and the team is now lead by McCarter, a former SAS soldier. A new character has been introduced in Katz's wake: TJ Hawkins, a vague nonentity who appears to be from Texas and is some sort of special forces type.
The guys from Able Team, as always, are a bit more colorful. Carl Lyons, the leader, is still prone to violent outbursts, and I know this is Lyons's "thing," but I wonder when this happened? In the Executioner novels I've read by creator Don Pendleton, Lyons is presented as a level-headed guy. But then, he also has a wife and kid in those early Pendleton books, and given that they're never mentioned in the Gold Eagle books, I'm guessing something must've happened to them, something that created the anger-prone Lyons of the Gold Eagle world. Anyway, throughout Doom Prophecy Wojtowicz keeps alive the Able Team tradition of witty banter amid the team members, showing their longstanding camaraderie, doing a great job of keeping the spirit of the characters alive.
Ka55andra initiates her mission and havoc breaks out across the globe. Able Team tracks down the aforementioned David Lee Haggar in the US and gets in some fights with bikers. Phoenix Force splits up, one half of the team going to Africa to take on Algul's zombie forces, the other half going to Hong Kong to take on Wilson Sere, Terremota, and the ninjas. And from there it's action, action, action.
That is, other than the scenes which take place in Stony Man headquarters, detailing the very 24-esque activities of the Stony Man "cyber team." It's like we're back in CTU and watching Chloe and the gang trace various threats while reporting on them to Jack Bauer in the field; my assumption is that Gold Eagle has added all of this tech warfare nonsense as a gambit to draw in the military fiction crowd. I mean, just look at that stupid damn cover Doom Prophecy is graced with. It might as well just be emblazoned with "Tom Clancy Presents."
But anyway, I do not exaggerate about the action onslaught. Every place Able Team or Phoenix Force goes, they are attacked. Over and over again. There's even a scene where Encizo and James catch a flight from Hong Kong to Tokyo, and even on the damn flight they are attacked by a team of ninjas! Wojtowicz can write a good action scene, and throughout he displays his knowledge of firearms and bladed weaponry. But after a while you want a little breather. And again, given that this is a Gold Eagle novel, the endless action scenes lack the nutzoid spark of a Joseph Rosenberger -- they are all relayed in a sort of real-world format, which I find strange in this post-9/11 world.
And now let's look at the gun-porn, a longstanding hallmark of Gold Eagle. Every time a person pulls out a gun, we get like four sentences describing it, no matter what's going on in the narrative. The characters themselves even discuss the various weapons, info-dumping blocks of detail about their rifles or knives or whatever. Hell, there are even scenes where, during combat, the heroes will taunt their opponents about their poor choices in weaponry -- in particular I'm thinking of a scene where a member of Able Team derides an opponent for using a gun "without a slide-action," or something to that effect.
Again, I realize it's stupid of me to complain about gun-porn in an action novel; it would be like buying a Harlequin Romance and complaining about all of the flowery dialog. But what has always most annoyed me about gun-porn is that it ruins any sort of tension or suspense. Just check out this scene, which occurs as a special forces soldier is attacked and overrun by Algul's zombies -- a tension-filled scene, mind you, which is suddenly ruined as Wojtowicz tells us all about the soldier's nifty gun:
Wild eyes rimmed with red focused on him and his team, and he brought up his Barrett M-486. The Barrett was an M-4 rifle that had been chambered for the new Special Forces 6.8 mm special purpose cartridge as an improvement over the smaller 5.56 mm NATO round. Grabbing the rail-mounted forward grip to stabilize it, he flipped the rifle to full-auto and fired through the gap between the door and frame of the downed aircraft, spitting a stream of SPC rounds.
Start taking notes, 'cause there's gonna be a quiz later:
Encizo backed his pair of Glocks with a 7.65 mm Walther PPK. While he was a fan of Heckler and Koch weapons, the excellent 9 mm USP wasn't as ubiquitous as the Glock, and finding spare magazines around the world would be more difficult. As well, the brand new P-2000 compact didn't share the Glock-26's record or reliability, nor the capability to use the larger USP's magazines.
And here's a third example, because everything comes in threes:
He picked up an M-3 submachine gun. In .45 ACP, the weapon was a standard with the US Army for a period of thirty-five years before being gradually phased out. However, being cheap and easy to build, it showed up in arsenals around the world.
There's stuff like this throughout the book. And again I realize, this sort of thing is not only expected but demanded by the core Gold Eagle readers. Wojtowicz proves himself a master of the craft, but it's just not a craft I'm crazy about. Actually the one thing I learned from Doom Prophecy is that I can't consider myself a "core" Gold Eagle reader. Elaborate gun and weapon detail just wears me down to the point where I start to hate life and just wish Flanders was dead. It's all just so blatant and annoying and, ultimately, pointless. I just kept wanting to shout, each time some dude would whip out a gun and we'd get endless detail about it: Who fucking cares??
But the hell of the thing is -- the core Gold Eagle readers do care. There are really people out there who want to read a few paragraphs explaining some Heckler & Koch submachine gun. And believe it or not, these people (whoever they are), will write angry letters when they see something incorrectly described about the gun. But for me this real-world focus just destroys the escapism, the lurid quotient, the fun of the genre. Rather than the fun pulp of say John Eagle Expeditor, most of these Gold Eagle books are just depressing, and ultimately forgettable.
That is, save for the ones by Wojtowicz. I have a few more of his books and they all look promising -- not to mention that they're all raved about over on mackbolan.com. As I say, he definitely knows what he's doing. He knows his core readers and he knows what they want, and he delivers. And as mentioned he has an obvious fondness for the characters. He also has a definite knack for coming up with memorable villains, as proven here with Doom Prophecy. Personally though I would've preferred more scenes from their perspective, or even more background on them. But I guess you can't blame the guy for making the stars of the book, you know, the stars of the book.
But then, I'm biased. I much prefer the original incarnations of the genre, from the '70s and '80s. And whereas I and other reviewers around the Web enjoy reading and writing about those men's adventure novels from 30 and 40 years ago, I'll bet you good money that no one will be writing about these current Gold Eagle books a few decades from now. They just aren't much fun. And I don't even blame the writers. All of the stock epithets, the gun references, the "real-world" attitude, all of that stuff I'm betting is mandated by the editors.
In a way, it's almost like Gold Eagle is committing willful suicide. Given the lack of marketing for the imprint, the minimal web presence, and the fact that the books are steadily disappearing from the shelves of bookstores and department stores (K-Mart, I've read, is just one such store that has stopped carrying Gold Eagle books), I'm guessing that parent company Worldwide Library is just letting these novels trickle out, doing little to improve or differentiate them, until the day comes when they can finally (and happily) announce that profits have dropped too much to continue publishing, and thus the adventures of "the Stony Man warriors" et al will come to a close.
11 comments:
- Jack Badelaire said...
I may have to pick this particular volume up and give it a read just because of this review. Doug W. is a solid author - I've had a number of conversations with him, and he's one of those guys who actually started his writing career by writing and pubbing to the the web Stony Man / Mack Bolan fan fiction. Gold Eagle liked his work so much, they asked him to come aboard and start writing for them as a stable writer. Wishes can come true!
I agree 100% about the gun porn. I'm a gun guy myself; I read about guns, shoot guns when I can, dig talking guns and watching movies and TV where it is clear the creators know guns. However, there's a difference between knowing your stuff and making that clear, and just porning it out. Movie critic turned author Stephen Hunter is the sort of writer who knows a LOT about guns, and his books always feature a lot of gun talk, but he writes in such a way that it flows organically through the narrative. If the porn appears in a way that kills the tension of the scene, that's just bad writing.
Yet, gun porn has been a hallmark of GE books for years, and will probably continue. GE has finally started pubbing their books as e-books (I've read a number of Rogue Angel titles on my Kindle), and that might very well save their hides. Even if they stopped selling paperbacks or only sold them PoD, they could shift to publishing their books as e-titles and still stay afloat.
- May 2, 2012 at 9:49 AM
- OlmanFeelyus said...
Interesting analysis (and interesting response, Jack) about the gun porn. I totally understand why errors and wrong uses of guns would be annoying to gun nerds and I would expect authors of books like these to know their stuff. But the bare exposition of gun facts just seems weird. Especially when it is something really obvious to even gun amateurs like myself, like the bit about the M-3. Like wouldn't most gun experts find that kind of info pandering and insulting?
I think this genre will continue to survive in the e-book world and may even thrive and maybe that will encourage the publishers to loosen up and take a few more risks. The kind of conservatism we see here is often the case in dying industries. They are so scared of alienating their hardcore fans because that is the core of their business. It's ironic, because it is when you are the most desperate that you should be taking the biggest risks. Don't they read their own books!
- May 2, 2012 at 6:46 PM
- Joe Kenney said...
Guys, thanks for the insightful reviews. Jack, the funny thing about GE's devotion to gun-porn from the beginning is that, as far as I can tell, they were kind of trendsetters in that area. Reading the other men's adventure books from that time and earlier, guns are for the most part just "guns."
It seems to me that GE set out from the start to cater to a certain demographic. Which again is strange given the lack of hardcore gun detail in Pendleton's originals. About the only writer I've encountered who writes enjoyable gun-porn is David Alexander, who as mentioned in my reviews of his Phoenix books can make gun-porn seem like damn poetry.
And I do agree with both of you that e-books might be the savior of men's adventure. I have my problems with the format, the biggest being that pulp should be printed ON pulp. But then, even this Stony Man book is a pale reflection of its forebears, printed on cheap (but unpulpy) paper with a slick Tom Clancy-esque cover.
Olman, great comment by the way on the publishers not even reading their own books -- given that Worldwide Library owns GE, and the current editor of the GE line just transitioned over from sister company Harlequin, I can bet you good money that she is NOT reading their books...it's probably more of an attrition thing, like when I managed email marketing at Blockbuster, just watching as the ship continued to sink.
- May 3, 2012 at 9:29 AM
- francisco said...
is e-book the new paperback? see the case with Leisure books too... are the mass-market paperback format to dissapeared? all the traditional readers of the format will do the transition? the paperback is the best thing ever happened to books and reading but in Spain for example we have the absurd thought that books must be hardbacks and a kind of object for an elite
- May 4, 2012 at 5:48 PM
- Zbu said...
I agree totally about the gun porn. It's distracting and really serves no purpose at all. The fun of these books is how utterly insane they can be, and it's interrupted by pandering to the same audience that will buy them regardless. Or would have, given that they're now on their way out. Very sad. :/
- February 20, 2015 at 2:57 PM
- Felicity Walker said...
I'm not the Gold Eagle target demographic--I don't know enough about guns to be able to write angry letters if they get it wrong. I know next to nothing about guns, but that's why I've enjoyed the enjoy small amounts of gun explanation in the Executioner novels I've read.
- March 8, 2015 at 5:37 PM
- Grant Dean said...
Least they are doing there research on what they write. The fact there is many ghost writers. There is no real continuity . Unless handed down by the Gold Eagle brass. Each author in his own way has to become use to the series. I have read the Mack Bolan books from the 80's n Stony Man from 2013. There is a big difference . If ya don't like "gun porn " go read chick lit.
- February 3, 2016 at 8:40 PM
- Doug said...
I wandered onto this page to explore all the old stuff...
Lord... This review is at once a little embarrassing to me GIVEN all my gun porn... hell, I was working from all the stuff done by William Fieldhouse back in the Phoenix Force days, using THAT as the template. To be honest, when I was much younger, I DID enjoy the gun fetish.
I imagine if I rewrote this one today, I'd take my foot off the gas on it.
I'm so glad you liked my villains, though, and I wish I'd saved them for bigger, better things.
As for the "end of the men's adventure era" when I wrote this I was "I have ONE chance at this series." And going back to it, I'm like "I poured Hershey's chocolate sauce over a perfectly good steak."
So it's fun and exhilarating to see this review here, but at the same time I'm like "oh God, I remember that. WHY did I make that choice?"
Final note: Except for Ka55andra (who was cribbed from Barbara Gordon/Oracle), the bad guys were inspired by the Teen Titans' villains - Algul is Brother Blood, and Haggar and his crew are the HIVE kids/the Fatal Five.
Dude... I'm THRILLED to find this review!
- November 7, 2017 at 7:43 PM
- Jack Badelaire said...
Doug - good to see you here, buddy! Are you still writing these days?
- November 7, 2017 at 8:20 PM
- Joe Kenney said...
Doug, thanks a lot for your comment! Thanks also for a little background on the novel. I have more of your Gold Eagle novels and intend to read them, but as you can tell from the content of the blog, I'm really more into the older stuff. Also that's humorous the villains were based on Teen Titan villains!
- November 13, 2017 at 1:30 PM
- Doug said...
I also missed a lot of the character bits of the heroes. But yeah, working with the villains was fun. It was here I really... no, it was Superbolan:Season of Slaughter where I made bad guys with MUCH more charm than the heroes. And I'm ashamed to admit I have an expy of myself in that one.
As to the gun porn, it was William Fieldhouse who gave me the taste for all of that loving, lurid description. And it stuck to me, at least for the "modern stuff."
Outlanders, I dialed it back down. However, non-Newtonian fabrics, higher dimensions/tesseracts casting shadows as time travel, and long-string proteins forming a powerful telepathic biological computer were a whole 'nudder kettle of science porn. Thankfully, no equations, because, I suck at the math of science.
- November 14, 2017 at 8:20 PM


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Ange Ou Etrange by Givency... This scent is divine...it is classified as a floral, but I only briefly noticed that first level; it is the magic that happens a few seconds after applying that sends your "scenses" reeling! Incredibly feminine, and then ultimate sensuality! It's one of those oh-so-rare fragrances that has made many a man's head turn twice toward me, followed with, "May I ask what you're wearing?". My absolute favorite!
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