text:
UCLA's quarterback clearly has the talent to succeed as an NFL starter. The question is whether or not he can avoid enough mistakes to become a superstar.
28 Dec 2006
by Vinny Gauri and Russell Levine
Though the response to last week's debut podcast was somewhat muted, we're going to give it another try this week, in the hopes that the muted discussion had more to do with the games themselves than the use of the podcast.
Just like last week, you can listen online by clicking the play button below, or download the podcast for later by clicking the MP3 icon beneath the player. And since we may have more podcasts in the future, go ahead and click the "Subscribe Free" link to automatically receive future episodes through iTunes.
Miss the first episode? It will play automatically following this week's podcast, or you can listen now by clicking the "posts" button in the player.
Please use this article as the open thread to discuss all the non-BCS games, even the ones we picked last week. And let us know how you feel about the podcasts -- we're still deciding what to do with the format in the future.
NOTE: If you can't get the podcast to in the embedded player, you can click the MP3 icon below the player to download it. We apologize for any inconvenience!
Subscribe Free for future posts Add this player to my Page
Or, alternately, download the MP3 by clicking on the icon below:
|The Picks
(* - "Fred Edelstein Lock of the Week")
|Vinny Says
|Russell Says
|Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl (Nashville)
Friday, December 29, 1 p.m. ET ESPN
|Brut Sun Bowl (El Paso), Friday, December 29, 2 p.m. ET CBS
|Oregon State
|Oregon State
|AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis), Friday, December 29, 4:30 p.m. ET ESPN
|South Carolina
|South Carolina
|South Carolina
|Insight Bowl (Tempe), Friday, December 29, 7:30 p.m. ET NFL Network
|Texas Tech
|Texas Tech
|Texas Tech
|Champs Sports Bowl (Orlando), Friday, December 29, 8 p.m. ET ESPN
|Meineke Car Care Bowl (Charlotte), Saturday, December 30, 1 p.m. ET ESPN
|Boston College
|Boston College
|Boston College
|Alamo Bowl (San Antonio), Saturday, December 30, 4:30 p.m. ET ESPN
|Chick-fil-A Bowl (Atlanta), Saturday, December 30, 8 p.m. ET ESPN
|Virginia Tech
|Virginia Tech
|MPC Computers Bowl (Boise), Sunday, December 31, 7:30 p.m. ET ESPN
|Outback Bowl (Tampa), Monday, January 1, 11 a.m. ET ESPN
|Penn State
|AT&T Cotton Bowl (Dallas), Monday, January 1, 11:30 a.m. ET FOX
|Capital One Bowl (Orlando), Monday, January 1, 1 p.m. ET ABC
|Toyota Gator Bowl (Jacksonville), Monday, January 1, 1 p.m. ET CBS
|West Virginia
|Georgia Tech
|West Virginia
|West Virginia
|International Bowl (Toronto), Saturday, January 6, 12 p.m. ET ESPN2
|Western Michigan
|Western Michigan
|GMAC Bowl (Mobile), Sunday, January 7, 8 p.m. ET ESPN
|Southern Miss
|Southern Miss
|Southern Miss
|Rose Bowl (Pasadena), Monday, January 2, 5 p.m. ET ABC
|Fiesta Bowl (Glendale), Monday, January 1, 8:30 p.m. ET FOX
|Boise State
|Boise State
|Orange Bowl (Miami), Tuesday, January 2, 8 p.m. ET FOX
|Wake Forest
|Sugar Bowl (New Orleans), Wednesday, January 3, 8 p.m. ET FOX
|Notre Dame
|Season-long Results
("Fred Edelstein Lock of the Week" record in parentheses)
|Last Week
|Season Total
68 comments, Last at 01 Jan 2007, 1:12am by NewsToTom
I'm not a fan of the podcast. I can't easily listen to it at work and, even more, I can't skip around to the stuff that interests me. For example, if I really want a breakdown of the Cincinati-Western Michigan game, I have to listen to all this stuff about Texas and Notre Dame, yadda, yadda, yadda. Get me to the good stuff!
The podcast itself is entertaining, but it's not conducive to posting a message. Also, GIVE ME BACK MY LINKS to YouTube and other off-the-wall sites.
i agree on the podcast -- hard to skip to what you're interested in.
thanks for getting this out just before the deadline for the espn college bowl pool (if just barely)
I like the podcast. If I knew how, I'd do an EPC podcast where I tell everyone to tape/DVR a game, then I'd do an audio commentary podcast of the game so you could watch with the TV muted while listening to me instead of the actual announcers.
So can we talk about last night's UCLA-FSU game? I still can't believe that UCLA return man who knocked the kickoff out of bounds, and I still can't believe the official was standing right there and didn't see it.
MDS, your EPC idea in #5 is fantastic. Even though I rely on a dial-up connection, I would go out of my way to listen to that.
Yeah, that was ridiculous in the UCLA game last night. That pretty much cost the Bruins the game- it gave them terrible field position, which led to FSU making it a 10 point game. I'll give the ref the benefit of the doubt in that the guy's foot was really close to the line, but that was a bad miss. I'm just amazed FSU scored 30 points with their offense- bring back Jeff Bowden!
Watching Bama-OSU, I can see why Joe Kines isn't talked about as head coach. Late in the game, he burns all of his TOs to ice a kicker on a straight-away FG from chip-shot range. Why not use them earlier to have time on the clock? Why not save one to call after the kickoff? Why don't I have a coaching gig if I can think of these things and actual coaches don't?
at least Alabama scored 31 points against a BCS team.
ho hum, end of season lets continue the blind hope for Nick Saban (or Jack Del Rio or Jon Gruden or Jim Grobe...or whoever).
Alabama has talent...I think even with Georgia replacing Florida on the schedule and adding Florida State, Alabama wins 9 games next season.
Why is Dennis Franchione wearing a flower lei on the sidelines ... in San Diego?
Watching Rutgers on NFL Network ... I like how they've got a draft guy -- Mike Mayock -- in the booth giving lots of NFL insights on the players.
Sterling Sharpe is the other color guy, doing an OK job so far.
Boy, A&M's defense is doing a great job of atoning for the thumping they took the last time they went to a bowl. Or not. Cal is 14 minutes away from restoring some pride to the Pac-10.
#9 Something to do with his Samoan players I think....
...the rule that you can only compare white receivers to other white wide receivers.
Hah. That's hilarious.
BTW, BC doesn't play in the Big East anymore, but I'll assume you just misspoke on that.
*Rutgers homer alert*
Miami pursued Greg Schiano, and only went with Shannon because Schiano wasn't interested.
This is the first time I listened to the podcast, and it's not too bad. I'm not crazy about the format (that is, the whole audio thing), especially since it sounds like something I'd flick past if I heard it on the radio. But I enjoyed it on the whole, and I'd probably keep listening to further ones. It's good to listen to while I'm working.
While I can't say much about the game because I didn't see it (although it was actually on TV over here, surprisingly), how 'bout those Scarlet Knights? I wish we'd been playing Wake Forest instead, but it's still awesome. I can live with 11-3, and I hope we can improve that next year. Go RU!
Very impressive effort by Rutgers last night, taking care of business in a game many people thought they wouldn't be fired up for. Complete defensive domination against a quarterback that absolutely lit up the Texas defense in November.
Russell -- I'm eager to know if you are going to follow your own rules, stated in the first podcast, that you have to be very careful in picking a team in a Bowl game that really doesn't want to be there. Regardless of what Lloyd Carr says, I'm pretty sure Michigan doesn't want to be in the Rose Bowl. Are you going to follow your pick 'em rules, or your homerism????
I completely disagree on Michigan's motivation for being in the Rose. It's not exactly the Weedeater Bowl. They've had plenty of time to get over their disappointment and they have plenty to play for. If they win, they not only prove a point (if OSU beats Florida, that is), but the winner of the Rose has an excellent chance to be ranked #1 in the preseason next year.
Sorry about the technical difficulties with the podcast, please download it to listen.
Well seeing that Michigan has not won a bowl game since when? Was it really beating Florida in the Citrus/"Capital One" Bowl...I am betting Carr knows how important winning the Rose Bowl is for Michigan despite knowing if they feel they should be there or not....
Huge momentum swing in Clemson/Kentucky. Adams sacks the QB, who fumbles late, it's returned by Clemson deep into Kentucky territory. The review correctly overturns the fumble, but it's still 3rd and 17. No worries, Clemson jumps offside, so the Kentucky QB just holds it extra-long before hitting a TE for about 20 and the first down. Now Kentucky has it first and goal inside the 2. Way to completely fall apart after the replay, Clemson.
Clemson has already missed two field goals in the first quarter. Tommy Bowden is probably done with place kicks for the day.
How $&#!ing hard can it be to kick an extra point? Random students pulled out of the stands could miss them just as easily, and you wouldn't have to give them a scholarship.
What a horrible, horrible throw by Clemson's QB. Great play on the interception, but he never should've had the chance. The corner was totally selling out to inside coverage, protecting the slant and such, and there was a third of the field wide open to the outside. Just throw it towards the sideline and there's absolutely no way it's intercepted, the only one who can get it would be the receiver. Instead he forces it into the middle, where the receiver needs to go through the DB to even have a shot.
No worries, Kentucky is allergic to the football today, and fumbles it right back on yet another play where the guy just should've gone down. Maybe they'll get lucky and get it overturned on replay.
I don't know if MDS is watching, but if not, here's one for your next anti-replay rant. Basically, the Kentucky fumble probably would have been overturned, but they couldn't get a headset that communicated with the replay booth. So they just upheld the original play. Welcome to replay, Marx Brothers style.
Poetic justice being what it is, and mediocre big-conference teams being what they are, Clemson of course fumbles it right back.
This game is downright bizarre. Replay should be killed just because of the ridiculous delays it causes.
Where are CJ Spiller and James Davis in this game? I figured Clemson would be running wild against and awful UK run D.
OK, did I just see that? Kentucky's "Boys II Men" rip-off video? Wow.
I'm trying to pretend that didn't happen. Thanks for reminding me.
I am not saying that a football game is more important than honoring the life and legacy of a United States President. But then I am not an Oregon State or Missouri fan. They can't be happy about this.
I can't get over how deliberate Woodson looks with his delivery, but then his receivers are SO open, there's no reason for him to rush anything.
Re: 27
There are probably 6 or 7 other stations covering the funeral, but CBS is the only one that has rights to air the game. I wonder if the Missouri/Oregon affiliates chose to show the game instead.
I'm glad I didn't bet money on the Music City Bowl, because I figured Clemson would actually show up and take care of business. I'd have been wrong and considerably poorer.
Who's doing this Music City Bowl? The play-by-play guy sounds like Lon McEachern from the World Series of Poker broadcasts. I'm waiting for Norman Chad to pipe in with something about his ex-wives.
Clemson is just generating no pass rush, which is totally hanging its secondary out to dry. Woodson had over 5 seconds before making the easy toss for the TD there. Gaines Adams took a very circuitous route on a stunt and got to Woodson too late.
If I'm reading lips correctly, after Proctor couldn't pull the trigger and throw the ball on Clemson's failed 2 point conversion attempt, Tommy Bowden just said (with arms folded): "You've gotta be s%*##ing me."
The ACC was really, really bad this year. SC absolutely dominated Clemson earlier this year except for three fluke plays that gave Clemson 21 points. It's not really surprising that Kentucky is beating Clemson--Kentucky has a pretty strong offense, and SC exposed Clemson's defense in their last game.
Hopefully this bodes well for other SEC teams. You can never tell whether a bowl result is valuable to predicting other games because one team not showing up can really skew things.
Mizzou just pulled what I believe was a TE option pass for a TD to take the lead over Oregon State in the Sun. I guess the funeral coverage is over.
The Mizzou TE is a viable NFL prospect, right? He just made a really nice grab over a DB on what I think is a game-icing TD. I guess since he's a sophomore, he won't be coming out until after next season.
How do they "award" the Oregon St RB the 2-pt conversion? How on earth did his knee not hit the ground prior to the ball supposedly crossing the goalline? (And just to be clear, no, I don't think the play should have been overturned...clearly not enough evidence), but how do they award him the 2-pts in the first place? That's a very suspect call.
What a game...
Oh snap! ... and now Bob Barker is on CBS... great.
What in the wide, wide world of sports is going on at the Liberty Bowl? Crazy first half.
Horrible defense and an ex quarterback now playing safety taking bad angles on tackles.
Not every day you see a team punting on 4th and goal from the 50. That takes effort.
How about Spurrier going for it on 4th and 1 from his own 35, up eight with 4 minutes or so left .... and not making it.
Going for it was definitely the right call. It's pretty much what this site is about, going for the right call over conventional wisdom.
I didn't like the playcall though. I would rather go with a sneak or a run up the gut with Mike Davis over Corey Boyd. Davis picked up the earlier 4th down when he was initially hit behind the line to gain.
Disclaimer-Mizzou fan.
Question for the college rules experts.
On the touchdown with :22 left, the receiver lost the ball when he came down and hit the ground in the end zone, and thus did not maintain possession through the play. I have seen similar plays ruled no catch in the NFL on many occasions. To me, that was clearly not a catch. Is the college rule different?
Re: JKL
College rule is you need to have possession and 1 foot down. The rule of "maintaining possession while going to the ground making a catch" is one the NFL added in 2 years ago. I think it was the correct call in college.
Mizzou was definately screwed on that 2 point conversion call. I hate how the officials seem to give the benefit of the doubt to the ballcarrier in those situations. Regardless, I'm not sure how he was able to get in as it looked like he was falling to 1/2 yard short when he entered the pile.
You know how I know ESPN is lame? Holtz and May didn't even mention it was a controversial ruling on the field... they just gushed about Mike Riley and how all the recruits will want to play for him... off your knees boys!
Ralph Friedgen is a large, large man. He looks like he ate Charlie Weiss.
Re #46
Mark Mangino of Kansas would eat Ralph Friedgen for lunch.
YARRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!! I don't know what the heck happened, but sometime between when Minnesota went up 38-7 early in the second half and when I flipped back to NFLn when Purdue-Maryland was over, Texas Tech scored a bazillion points and just won the game in overtime, 44-41. Golden Gophers, walk the plank!
I was really impressed with the NFL Network production of both its bowl games.
Mike Mayock was great as a second analyst in the Texas Bowl, watching the game as a talent evaluator does and constantly pulling out little points of emphasis that might have otherwise escaped the viewer.
Then in the Insight, I was reminded of how much I always like Dick Vermeil when he was doing color for ABC during his first retirement from coaching.
Tried my best to stay awake for the Minny-TTU game because of what happened.
Unless the opponent is very good, a 38-7 lead is not safe against Texas Tech's offense. Minnesota is not one of those very good opponents.
Of course, I went to sleep anyway (forgot to prepare the coffee), at about the time the Red Raiders started to roll.
#29: Just for reference, they cut away to the funeral while we were watching in Portland, OR, so we didn't get to see the end of the first half. What sucked is all the digital subchannels you get if you have an HDTV feed were also showing the funeral as well, and you think they could have used one of those for the game. That said, very nice win by OSU at the end, despite the fact we were dominated all day long.
The kicker for BC missed an XP, so add that to the tally. If I ever have kids, I'm teaching them how to kick field goals. I'll start them at a young age.
I wonder how much the long layoff is affecting special teams kicking early in games. South Carolina's kicker, Ryan Succop, missed both a chip shot FG and an XP. His only other missed XP was blocked and he had never missed a field goal that short until yesterday.
Of course Clemson's kicking game has been horrible, so yesterday was nothing out of the ordinary for Clemson's kicker, Jad Dean.
What the hell is Navy thinking, running pitch option plays while trying to run out the clock?
I know it's their bread and butter, but there's 1:30 left, and you need a first down to win the game.
The pitch is bobbled, fumbled, BC recovers, and sets up for a game-winning field goal. It's good, BC wins a game they should never have won.
Re #53
Agreed in full. QB keeper all the way, it doesn't matter if it's a 10 yard loss.
If I were on a jury on a murder trial, and the accused's sole defense was that he saw the "Are you proud?" Rose Bowl thing too many times, and then ESPN put the countdown clock on during the Alamo Bowl, and he just snapped, I'd vote for acquittal.
Anyone notice the Iowa players doing the upside-down "hook 'em" signal with their hands after a big play? Houston Nutt had to issue a formal apology to Mack Brown and Texas after doing that a few years ago. It always cracked me up how sensitive Texas folks are to that gesture. (Maybe I've been de-sensitized to that stuff after years of listening to idiots refer to my college town as a "whore" or reciting mind-numbingly dumb alternate lyrics to the Michigan fight song.)
Chris Spielman is basically calling Limas Sweed soft for lying on the ground in pain after catching a touchdown. He was a much better analyst before he started taking notes from Tony Siragusa.
I used to live in Austin. Since it's so deep inside Texas the people there are not used to having to deal with fans of other teams, besides A&M of course. I think it's just the Texas attitude in general to not know/care about outsiders, so it's really upsetting to most of them when something like the upside down hook'em happens.
Another example is how they're still upset at KU's Mangino for calling them out after an official blatantly robbed Kansas of a win over Texas a few years ago. I think they demanded an apology for that one as well.
Did Spielman suffer some kind of head injuy? He sounds like a complete moron -- bad analysis, funny voices. Are funny voices ever funny?
Wow, that was a dumb playcall.
But at least Ferentz passed the clock management test and didn't call a timeout right after the punt.
Another replay failure as Texas might have stepped out of bounds but the replay official never looks at the play.
Still...great and hard fought game.
I think football, both pro and college, is much better off with replay than without it, but the detractors can point to plays like that one and there's really nothing I can say to rebut them. That play absolutely should have been reviewed.
Kudos to Iowa for putting up a much better showing than I expected. The Men of Ferentz actually showed a pulse, something I hadn't seen much of this year.
Is it wrong that I want Sean Glennon to be eaten by a bear?
Virginia Tech, arguably the best team in the ACC, lost to the sixth best team in the SEC.
Navy went brain lock to lose that one. QB picks up first down and runs OB with under 3 minutes left. That gave BC an extra 25 seconds. Then, they have to run the damn ball up the middle and punt there at the end. BC would have had the ball inside their own 20 with 30 seconds to go and no timeouts.
Poor clock mgmt loses games.
Does ESPN really need a 48-hour countdown clock for the Rose Bowl? I'm looking forward to the game as well, but come on...
Clock management:
Va. Tech might have set some sort of record at the end of their game last night. They took over with 1:25 to play and got only 3 plays off before time expired. There were 5 seconds left and it looked like they didn't even try to get lined up to run a 4th down play; they just let the clock restart and the game end.
#61 and replay:
That's the fault of college's lousy system, not replay per se. If they stopped telling the lie that "every play is being reviewed" and went with a challenge system like the NFL uses, meaningful plays in need of review would get reviewed.
Apologies for above. It was 4 plays and it was a turnover on downs at the 5 second mark. Still a lousy showing, clock management-wise. They snapped first down at 1:08 (according to ESPN) after change of possession was at 1:25. Uh, guys, the clock starts now on possession. Maybe you could have had first down ready to go?
Miami with a nice pick to seal the win against Nevada, 21-20. Best moment: Cane QB Kirby Freeman, to his father in the stands: "Dad, I'm freezing." Worst moment: replay failing to reverse call on field of incompletion on Nevada pass caught by WR between his legs. Nice, perhaps telling moment: MPC Bowl person noting turf as one of game's hallmarks.


text:
You can meet women with dry skin very often because this type of skin is the most frequent. How to take care about a dry face skin? What are DIY remedies for dry skin? Read the article to learn more.
When skin is young, it is elastic, thin, of light pink color, a velvety, and matte, there are almost no wrinkles, no visible pores. Those who suffer because of pimples just dream about such skin.
Types of skin
Here are the main criteria of dry skin:
- the skin is slightly transparent and frosted;
- no shade of gray;
- almost no acne;
- quickly and easily covers with red spots.
While touching this type of skin, you can feel dry and taut, due to insufficient activity of the sebaceous glands and moisture. Especially there is always dry skin in the cheeks and temples. It does not tolerate washing with soap and water, reacting peeling, irritation, and redness. Dryness is enhanced under the influence of following external factors:
- high or low sun temperatures,
- seawater,
- improper care, in which it becomes drier, scaly and not very flexible.
Skin changes
Therefore, with age, skin becomes flabby, prone to wrinkles, especially around the eyes (crow's feet).
You can preserve the beauty and health of the dry skin if you care properly about it. It is necessary to begin by identifying the actual causes of dryness of the skin. Often this is caused by a dysfunction of the sebaceous glands. A small amount of skin fat deprives your skin of protective lipid tape composed of fat, sweat, and moisturizing agents. The tape saves the skin from aggressive environmental influences and provides the elasticity of the epidermis.
READ ALSO: How to make DIY face mask?
Dry skin care
Dry and sensitive skin requires special attention and careful maintenance. Being and owner of this skin type, you should ensure proper nutrition and hydration for your skin.
Second, after cleansing, apply a light moisturizer on the areas of the face that are particularly prone to dryness (T-zone, hands).
Third, after taking a bath, you can't go out within an hour — it's unhealthy for dry skin (especially dangerous to do it in windy weather and winter). To ensure proper nutrition and hydration of the epidermis, we suggest you seeing the following DIY recipes of masks and other cosmetics for dry skin, which you can easily prepare at home.
The recipes of homemade masks for dry skin.
This mask will help to improve blood circulation and nutrition of dry skin. You need:
- One teaspoon of mustard powder,
- One tablespoon of olive oil
- One teaspoon of water.
Mix these ingredients and gently apply the mask for 5 minutes, then wash with cool water and use a moisturizer. To improve the complexion and enhance skin elasticity, a yellow mustard card can be simply put on the face for a few minutes, do not forget to moisturize the face with cream after that.
Skin nourishing
In order to ensure proper nourishment and hydration for dry skin, which is also susceptible to peeling, you can prepare this mask. You need:
- Two egg yolks,
- One teaspoon of honey
- Two tablespoons of olive oil.
All the ingredients must be mixed until a homogeneous mass and held a little in a water bath. Then liberally apply the mask for half an hour, covering the face of a new layer every 5-7 minutes. After the procedure, wipe the face with a sponge soaked in herbal decoction, and wash with water at room temperature.
Cottage cheese masks
The mask also deeply nourishes a dry skin.
- One tablespoon of curd
- One teaspoon of slightly warmed honey.
This mask is easier applied; it should be diluted with a small amount of milk. Use it on cleansed skin for a quarter-hour, then simply rinse with cool water.
Also, you can add one tablespoon of carrot juice, milk and any natural vegetable oil (but olive oil is still preferable). After applying this mask, you should do some procedure, wipe the face with ice of herbal decoction or green tea.
To eliminate the peeling skin, you can mix cottage cheese with sour cream and add to them still a little warm, lightly salted, vegetable oil. Apply this mixture on the problem areas of the skin for a quarter of an hour, and then wash with cold water.
Homemade oil and herbs masks
For a very dry, skin which loses its tone, a curd-oil mask is suitable. For its preparation, you need to mix one tablespoon of curd and one teaspoon oil from flax seed, add 0.5 teaspoons of cod liver oil and one tablespoon of strong brewed black tea. Also, add one teaspoon of parsley juice and powdered lemon peel, orange or lemon. This mask is applied to a cleansed skin for 30 minutes. In addition to its nutritional properties, the mask has a cosmetic effect.
To soften the skin, prevent peeling and significantly improve the complexion will help infusion of chamomile. To prepare it, you need one tablespoon of dried plant to dissolve 100 ml (half a Cup) of hot boiled water and half an hour to drain. Then two tablespoons of this infusion add one tablespoon of dairy oatmeal while it's still not cold yet. All of this should be applied to the skin in a thick layer for 20 minutes and then wash with water at room temperature.
A homemade mask for dry skin nourishes and eliminates unwanted pigmentation. It evens out a skin tone. It is a mask from a homemade sour cream mixed with the freshly squeezed juice of parsley. Leave this mask on your face for half an hour and then rinse with water at room temperature. A mask with fat cottage cheese, cream, and warm milk have the same effect. It not only moisturizes and nourishes the skin, promotes its cleansing, removing dead skin cells. It should be applied neat, but intense in a circular motion on a quarter of an hour, and rinse with cool water.
You can also wipe the peeling skin, with a warm olive oil. And half an hour after the procedure, you need to remove the excess oil with a paper towel.
Moisturizes the skin a mask of cooked flax seeds. Just pour 1 tablespoon of flax seed 200 ml ( glass) of hot water and simmer until they thicken (it should not be very thick). Then cool a little pulp and apply it on cleansed skin for a quarter of an hour. After the mask, the skin becomes smooth and soft.
Not only to fully hydrate, but also to remove dead skin cells will help mask of crushed oat flakes, any natural vegetable oil, and infusion of lime flowers. Much to strengthen the positive effects of such a mask is possible if you add a few drops of oil vitamin A and E, which perfectly moisturize the skin and longer retain its youth. This mask is applied with light massage movements on a quarter of an hour.
Egg yolk moisturizes the skin and nourishes it with all necessary nutrients; it is an indispensable ingredient in the preparation of masks for dry skin. For example, you can mix egg yolk with one tablespoon of natural vegetable oil (preferably olive), you can also add a few drops of castor oil and one teaspoon of oat flour. Apply the mixture, massaging the skin for a quarter-hour, then simply rinse with water at room temperature. Especially recommended to use this mask with skin peeling.
Not less moisturizes dry skin a mask with an herbal infusion. To prepare it, you need to take in equal amounts (1 teaspoon) chamomile flowers, hops, yarrow, dried leaves of strawberry and St. John's wort and steam the herbal mixture with 200 ml (a glass of) hot boiled water, for half an hour strain the infusion. Then two tablespoons of this infusion should be mixed with 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed apple juice, 1 teaspoon of honey and one egg yolk. The mask is applied to cleansed skin for quarter-hour.
To enhance the properties of natural nourishing creams should be mixed in equal proportions with homemade mayonnaise and strong brewed black tea. This mask can be applied to the face and chest area. Five minutes after application need to apply another coat, and another quarter of an hour, blot the excess with a paper towel and wash with warm water with milk, mixed in a 1:1 ratio.
To moisturize dry skin, and even counteract the first signs of aging may mask of 1 tablespoon of whipped cream, 20 drops of propolis and one tablespoon juice of fresh cucumber. The mask is applied to a quarter of an hour; you need to remove it using a cotton cloth dampened with warm purified water, and then refresh the skin using the cucumber tonic.
- READ ALSO: Is makeup bad for your skin?

subset: commoncrawl


text: Jeremy, We use cp1252 (Microsoft's extension of iso8859-1, aka Latin 1) or utf8 as the encoding for the modules. The <92> indicates that it is cp1252. When the Encoding= is missing from the conf, then the file should be understood Encoding=Latin1. Try changing to a font that includes Microsoft's extensions to Latin 1. You can get the MS fonts by following the instructions here: http://corefonts.sourceforge.net Hope this helps, DM Jeremy Erickson wrote: > Hi, > I noticed that some of the keys in the AmTract lexicon module (such > as "Abraham's Bosom") have apostrophes that don't work properly in the > frontends. In BibleTime (or at least the development code), the apostrophes > show up as boxes, and the contents are not fetched. GnomeSword actually > crashes when attempting to access those entries. I opened the raw > amtract.dat file in Vim and did "set encoding=latin1", which showed the > apostrophe as a "~R" (this being an indicator that it was some sort of > nonprinting character.) Upon "set encoding=utf8", it shows up as "<92>", > which is another indication of a nonprinting or unavailable character. Thus, > it seems the encoding is neither UTF8 nor Latin1. The amtract.conf file has > no "Encoding=" line. > Is this a bug in the module? > > -Jeremy Erickson > > _______________________________________________ > sword-devel mailing list: sword-devel at crosswire.org > http://www.crosswire.org/mailman/listinfo/sword-devel > Instructions to unsubscribe/change your settings at above page > >


text:
ND class to take overseas excursion
Liz O'Donnell | Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Occasionally, a course at Notre Dame will involve a field trip. Sometimes, it's to a local destination. But in a few cases, students find themselves thousands of miles from campus with their professor and classmates.
During fall break, a University art class will be traveling to London and Ditchling, England to enhance their knowledge of the art of Eric Gill and the Guild of Saint Joseph and Saint Dominic.
Professor John Sherman will take the three students in his class to multiple sites in England in hopes of bringing to life their wisdom on the life and works of Eric Gill and the Guild.
In a proposal to Learning Beyond the Classroom, a source of funding available at the University, Sherman stated that the class's purpose for the trip is to "produce a monograph on a topic they will determine together based on the life and work of members of the Guild of Saints Joseph and Dominic."
To accomplish this task, students will also be using The Eric Gill Collection held in the Special Collections in the Hesburgh Libraries.
"The reason for the trip is to make connections in England with items in the collection [we have] here, to bring it to life," he said.
The Guild of Saints Joseph and Dominic were a group of Catholic artists who worked, lived, and socialized together.
"Members of the guild did stone carvings, wood engravings, and weaving and were also involved in politics and religion," Sherman said.
In addition to the class's visit to London, they will also visit Ditchling, which is a small village fifty miles south of London.
The Ditchling Museum, located in the village, has an extensive collection of Eric Gill work as well as pieces from other members of the Guild. Gill resided in the village for a part of his career.
Sherman said by taking students abroad he is able to enrich students' knowledge better than by only restricting their learning to a classroom.
"This is a way for me to share with students area of research that a lot of times doesn't happen easily in a regular class," he said.
Last Spring, Sherman took a different group of students to the country to study the same topic, labeling their journey as a "research adventure."
Graphic design major, Micahlyn Allen, who will be going to London this fall, was also on the trip that took place last spring.
"We were able to use the printing press, while there," she said. "Having first hand experience really connects you to everything you're learning about and meeting people that you read about was just a really neat experience."
She said the prior trip centered around the village of Ditchling, whereas this trip will primarily focus on research in London.
In addition to visiting sites and museums, the class will also speak with a relative of Eric Gill's apprentice, Allen said.
Senior political science major Juliana Hoffelder said she chose to participate in the class because it was a great opportunity.
"It will be exciting to be in the same place as the person that we're studying," she said. "Especially because it's design class, we are image-oriented people and it will be good to see things in person."
Although Sherman believes it will be financially difficult to make another trip, he said the trip will be a chance for the students to learn about a different lifestyle.
"We live in day in age where we compartmentalize different aspects of our lives, where we have work, family and religion," he said.
Sherman said he believes the Guild shows that communities similar to Notre Dame can exist in places outside the boundaries of this campus.
"Can the way we exist here in campus exist somewhere else?" he said. "It can, because that's how they worked."


text:
Discussion in 'PC Gaming' started by Sazar, Oct 4, 2007.
And so it begins...
Re: Half Life 2: Episode 2 preload
*sigh* I still need to order this.... being unemployed sucks.
Re: Half Life 2: Episode 2 preload
Oh hell yes!
Oct. 10th
Re: Half Life 2: Episode 2 preload
Great! Nice. Good thing my Portal came free with my graphics card Oct 10th... not that far... oh wait... crap... its in line with a Wii title release. Darn! I guess I gotta split my time with the 2.
Re: Half Life 2: Episode 2 preload
So yah, finished.
They say it's longer than Episode 1 but doesn't feel like it
I guess it's coz I was so uber on the last level and just dominated lol.
Much of the same of what we are used to. Graphics are improved, shadows are improved, textures are a mixed badge. Some sections look great, some look low quality but usually you are being chased around and running and/or driving so much, it doesn't matter.
The game-play requires more strategy this time around because you're not simply shooting mindless zombies, zombines or soldiers. The new mini-striders are a handful if you're the run and gun type.
Overall though, it definitely answered a few questions and furthered a few more. The ending was a real cliffhanger.
If you haven't played it yet, get it, play it, enjoy it
I am going to start again, with commentary mode on this time, during the weekend.
4/5 OSNN Stars.
The Orange Box package btw, 5/5 OSNN stars. Portal is a BLAST and there is no better FPS MP out there than Team Fortress 2.
my brother seems to be loving it, and some of the quotes are hilarious, especially the banter involving the AR3 and "radio operator"
I agree, the quotes on these games are priceless.
Argh. I want to get the orange pack but it's a waste of money since I already have HL2 and EP1. But I want Portals, Team Fortress, and EP2.
Team Fortress 2 itself is worth the entire price
And you can GIVE away the HL2 and Ep1 keys to people who haven't played it. It's free for them.
D/L as I post this little sentence. Ahhhh, to play this weekend.
Man, the huge second wave of Striders at the ummmm... for all that have played it, you know at what point I izz talkin about. What a pain in the ass with all those Hunters running around all around them. Gezzz. :s
2 Thumbs way up for this Episode.
You should look for someone to buy both of em off of you. If you have either one or both, you get to gift them to someone.
I bougth the Orange Box for TF2 and or Portals. But Portals takes the cake. (Hahahaha ). Have not played HL2: Ep 2 yet.
That's why you have the car dude. Drive over the bastids, have an extra kaplooey device in the back of the car for AFTER you run em over and you're done.
Yeah, I know. But them Hunters stick to the Striders like glue. Always slamming into the Strider's legs. It's fun running them over, though you have to hit them pretty much dead on for a clean kill.
I found I had plenty of time to run them over and then take out the striders - they also seemed to go down faster than previously in the game.
Yes the Striders went down with just one device each... the running over hunters was the best way to kill them that and the magnum ...
I smell the easy button.
Some screen caps
Episode 2? Blah, I came only for the ass.
No mister Freeman, I expect you to DIE !!!
Christmas tree oh christmas tree...
Dog, meet Strider. Strider, me... oh, strider's lost his head
Btw, all gaming done at 1920x1200 with 4x/8x filtering and all effects on maximum.
I just bought the orange box, anyone want a free copy of half-life 2? (not episode one)
Edit: No takers, went elsewhere.


text:
Hi! My name is Coldfire12553, and this is my pet page! However, it is primarily used by my owner vanessa1357924680 to organize all of her writing stuff. This includes Neopian Times stories, Storytelling Contest wins, Poems, and even her Neo-Adventure. You can use the links on the left to browse each category to see what she's written. There's also a link at the bottom that has screenshots of times that her story has been featured on the News or the front of the Neopian Times!
A secret meeting of faeries is being held in the Hidden Tower to discuss an the ancient Crystal Eye Prophecy, a prophecy of an orb that will grant the wielder immense power. All faeries must be present to discuss it, yet Jhudora was uninvited out of fear. But without her help, will the faeries be able to decipher the prophecy and save Neopia from chaos?
Tidbit: This was vanessa1357924680's first story in the NT! She first decided to write a story in the Neopian Times after a friend told her that he had tried to get in, but hadn't succeeded. Not discouraged, she began to write The Crystal Eye Prophecy soon afterwards!
In this sequel to The Crystal Eye Prophecy, Fyora is having lunch with her good friend Kauvara when the Starry Kau suddenly recites a prophecy involving a "green-eyed fiend." Appalled, Fyora recruits Jhudora and Illusen to help figure everything out before it's too late.
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 first decided to write a sequel to The Crystal Eye Prophecy soon after it was published, but the storyline didn't work itself out until much later where the idea was completely changed. Her main reason to write a sequel was because because she was never fully satsified with the original's ending. (She does wish however that she had come up with a more creative title.) With its completion, vanessa had 10 things published in the NT. Also, the custom picture was on the News Page that week, and a long snippet of the story was on the front page of the Neopian Times
In Roomies, Jhudora's lair is destroyed by a fire. She is then forced to live back at her old high school, the Faerie Academy, with Jesc, a happy-go-lucky air faerie. The only thing the two of them seem to agree on is their shared disliked of the Proper Uses of Magical Abilities teacher, Mrs. Pierce.
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 says that she thinks the air faerie, Jesc, is a bit like herself. Also, this series was one of her favorites--but it wasn't at first. She didn't know how the public would received it since it was much lighter than The Crystal Eye Prophecy. She also really liked the picture that was paired with it.
In this story, we welcome back some of the characters from the original Roomies as they travel to Mystery Island and try to stop Mrs. Pierce from taking revenge on Jhudora.
Tidbit: In the original planning stages in vanessa1357924680's mind, Jesc and Jhudora were at sometime going to visit Marisol, Jesc's older sister. However, that idea was later scrapped. Vanessa also won the Quote of the Week when Part 2 was released! Finally, the picture was vanessa's first ever custom pic drawn by the Neopian Times staff!
Nominated for Favorite Comedic Series in the 2008 NT Awards
In Roomies 3, everyone's favorite air faerie/dark faerie duo has returned after intercepting a blackmail letter written by Vermillion Pierce directed towards an unknown student at the Faerie Academy! However, one thing happens after another, and before they know it, Jesc and Jhudora are in over their heads, caught in another one of Mrs. Pierce's vicious schemes.
Tidbit: Scotchmel the white Weewoo was named after a combination of the words "butterSCOTCH" and "caraMEL" (yes, vanessa was hungry that day...). She really wanted a completely random name for him, and that was what she came up with. And since Part Five ran through the wonderful 350th issue of the Neopian Times, vanessa also got the coveted NT Writer avatar and a cute Neopian Times White Weewoo Plushie!
A quick look at this awesome custom pic reveals that Jesc and Jhudora are back for a final Roomies! In this series, Jesc is celebrating her seventeenth birthday when Mrs. Pierce swoops in with a plan that endangers the entire Faerie Academy! Their only hope to avoid a full-scale war rests on a risky potion that delves into Jhudora's mind for answers, but even that may not be enough to stop the evil fire faerie!
Tidbit: With this last Roomies, vanessa had to scramble to make sure all of the pieces in the entire Roomies quartet were tied together. Also, although it is never specifically mentioned in the story, Jesc's birthday is May 4. And since Part Two ran through the Fyora Day issue, Part Three ran through the Petpet Appreciation Issue, and Part Eight ran through the 400th issue of the NT, she got Hidden Tower Secrets, A Snowbunny Tail, and a Postal Weewoo Action Figure! Thanks Droplet!
Nominated for Favorite Non-Comedic Series in the 2008 NT Awards
Roselia was nominated for Favorite Protagonist in the 2008 NT Awards
In this series, a young Usul by the name of Roselia is visiting her brother on a merchant vessel when she discovers during a game of Cheat! that she can see a magical aura flare up around someone when they're lying. As if this discovery isn't startling enough, it doesn't take long before the ship is attacked by pirates and Roselia and her brother are separated!
Tidbit: One of the bands of pirates mentioned in this series, known as the infamous Crimson Storms, were inspired by this background found on the neopets site. And since Part Three ran through Halloween, vanessa also got a Pirate Paint Brush! Thanks Droplet!
Chai is the lead singer in an up-and-coming band, but a fear of heights puts a damper on his life. It's only by writing letters that he's able to cope with his fear, and sometimes even that isn't enough.
Tidbit: Vanessa worked on this story simultaneously with Roomies 4. After writing about Jesc and Jhudora, she felt she needed a deeper piece and this story was born! One of the original band members was going to be a Korbat until it interfered with the plotline. And since it ran through both the Mutant Day Issue and the Chocolate Festival, vanessa got a Mutant Petpet Paint Brush and a Faerie Chocodrop! Thanks Droplet!
Rina is just an average neopet who lives in Middleway until she is swept up in an evil plot designed to make her a princess against her will as the puppet to the throne of Brightvale! And it's all because of a single Eyrie Cab accident that had happened many years earlier.
Tidbit: The idea for Princess Bones began with a single comment a friend made to Vanessa more than a year before she started writing the series--and it took her almost a year to write the entire story! Also, Rina was originally blue until Vanessa saw the Zafara Pricess (TCG) and decided to make her character match. The Neopian Times included a longer snippet of her story on the first page too! And the story also ran past the Fyora Day Issue, the Petpet Appreciation Issue, and the 450th Issue, garnering her some neat prizes!
From a young age, Isabelle has felt like an outsider, and she thinks she knows why: she was only born with a single wing, leaving her unable to fly. However, when her friend Ziya, a Seer, has a vision of faeries surrounding a young faerie child in a clearing, they are both sucked up in a heinous plot employing the use of a dark spell called a Seed.
Tidbit: Vanessa really wanted to write a story with a character with some sort of physical deformity and this was her chance. It also was the fastest series to write, taking only a little bit over a month! The custom image was on the News Page and since it ran through the Chocolate Ball, she got a nice little prize for it! Thanks Droplet!
Celia has never been an extraordinarily talented neopet, like her painter mother and her dancer sister. Instead, she's just a plain Jane Acara who likes to collect ancient Qasalan items. But one day, after finding an old perfume bottle at the bazaar, everything changes...
Tidbit: Vanessa really enjoyed writing about Celia and Milo as friends and tried to make them as real as possible. The awesome image was also on the News Page and since it ran through Jhudora Day and Valentine's Day, vanessa won Angry Candy and a Pink Paint Brush! ^_^
Jesc and Jhudora are back! When Jesc decides to drop by Jhudora's lair to go the the Faerie Festival, everything seems fine... that is until a flare of purple light lights up the room and they are suddenly turned to stone! But despite not being able to move themselves, they can still hear each other... and eventually find themselves in another sticky situation.
Tidbit: Vanessa had ideas for a short story with Jesc, Jhudora, and the Faeries Ruin back when the plot first started... but as she started writing, she realized she would not be able to fit in a decent plot in 4,000 words. So she decided to write this series. The amazing custom picture was on the news, and since the series ran through Fyora Day and Petpet Appreciation Day, she got a Fyora's Castle Stamp and a Mystery Island Petpet Paint Brush.
When Amelia is mistaken for the princess, she is taken into the heart of the Thieves Guild by two young thieves and held at ransom! But little does she know how bleak the situation is...
Tidbit: Vanessa wrote this for a month-long collab about thieves thought up by the NTWF! She also was extremely happy when she saw the amazing custom picture!
Holly Milburry is a famous Neopian writer, but her lack of inspiration is driving her insane! So against her better judgement, she decides to take a dark faerie up on her offer... and finds herself in the middle of a "brainstorm" that she'll never forget!
Tidbit: This was originally a short story, but eventually expanded into a series with four parts! Also, it ran through the Valentine's Day Issue, earning vanessa a Beautiful Columns Foreground!
Darren Rickshaw, a young scientist, is in for a surprise when a seventeen-year-old boy named Parlan asks to be his apprentice. But things get a lot more complicated when he finds out that Parlan is a sorcerer-in-training...who has someone traveled through time! Together, they have to try to return Parlan to his time, all without upsetting the delicate balance of time and space!
Tidbit: This story was originally conceived 2.5 years ago! Vanessa rediscovered the first chapter on her computer, and then frantically mapped out a plot. She is very happy for incorporating a lot of foreshadowing through out the series, and it is her longest series to date with 12 parts!
Leah, a light faerie, takes a job at Bottled Faeries Inc., hoping that the position will give her the chance to travel the world while getting paid. Of course, things don't go as expected and soon Leah and her companion Bartamus end up in a whole lot of trouble...
Tidbit: Vanessa came up with the idea for a place known as "Bottled Faeries Inc." around the time she first started writing for the NT (almost ten years ago!) The story idea never came to fruition back then, but she finally whipped it together years later for the Conspiracies and Mysteries NT Collab!
This short story was about a rather fun time Vanessa, Snow, and I took at the NC Mall. We didn't have any neocash, but who knew you could have so much fun with a screenshot camera?
Tidbit: This short story was actually based off a half-truth. When the NC Mall first opened, vanessa had no desire to buy neocash, but the items were so pretty that she ended up dressing me and Snow up and taking screenshots!
When Adroma, a vain Royal Peophin who lives in Neovia, finds a beautiful hair comb on the ground, she takes it for herself, despite the warning she receives from its true owner, a mysterious red Wocky. But by not listening to the Wocky's advice, Androma finds herself in a situation that is nothing less than misfortunate.
Tidbit: When vanessa first wrote this story, she was unsure what name to give the main character. After using an online name-generator, she came up with "Andromeda," a beautiful girl from Greek mythology, and then shortened it to Androma. Also, the name of this short story was inspired by the Neopets TCG Card, Misfortune, which can be viewed here. And just like in the New Prophecy, a longer blurb of the story was posted on the front page! Thanks TNT!
When young Trey realizes that his favorite poet, Clyde Silverman, lives only a street over, he goes to visit him... but a shocking discovery makes him realize there's more to the holiday season than meets the eye.
Tidbit: Vanessa went through two other ideas for a short story for the Christmas Issue until she finally produced "The Author's Gift." She made Clyde Silverman a blue Lutari since she had wanted to write about one for ages, and the NT artists delivered with an absolutely perfect image. In fact, the image even made it onto the New Features page! She also won a Plushie Paint Brush with this entry!
Everyone loves Jhudora Day... except Jhudora herself. All she wants to do is spend time alone in her cloud, but that's nearly impossible. It's only with a surprise visit from Jesc that Jhudora is able to find a way to truly enjoy her birthday.
Tidbit: Vanessa wrote this story to celebrate one of her favorite neo holidays: Jhudora Day! And with it, she finally got her 50th Neopian Times trophy! Yes! Also, since it was a special day, she received the book All About Dark Faeries.
Jim, the Head of the Neohome Planning Committee, has had it with Mr. Leemer, the neopet trying to take over his company with Neohomes 2.0. But when he decides to resort to a little bit of magic to get him back, things go wrong and he suddenly sports a mustache! Jhudora is the only one he can turn to for help, but the infamous dark faerie wants in on the revenge scheme first...
Tidbit: Vanessa was extremely happy to write a story focusing around Jim, the yellow Aisha from the Roomies quartet. Also, she collabed with other NTWF writers and wrote a story revolving around mustaches! And a larger chunk of the story was even posted on the front cover of the NT.
Crescent's owner, Elliot, is a scary Halloween Kacheek... yet Crescent is a mere Clompkin. A joke. Worried that Elliot will go off to find a better petpet, Crescent realizes the only thing left to do is scare Elliot and make him see that he really is the best petpet for him.
Tidbit: Vanessa started writing this for Halloween the year earlier, but ran out of ideas before finishing. Thankfully she revived it for the next Halloween! Also, she won a Halloween Paint Brush with it!
William has never really understood people, but he loves clocks and the way they always are steady and consistent. But when the clock shop in town shuts down, William will have to face the chaotic world he feels so out of place in.
Tidbit: Vanessa was inspired to write this story from the clock tower at her school! She also wanted to write something a little deeper and this was the product!
Lucy Higgins always gets everything she wants on Christmas... so why is it called the Day of Giving? This Christmas, Lucy decides to do something she's never done before: give a gift to Marvin, her butler and her best friend. But what will her parents do when Marvin's Christmas wish conflicts with their own interests?
Tidbit: Vanessa really enjoyed writing the descriptions for this story! Her roomate actually inspired her with her Christmas spirit. Also, Droplet gave her a Plushie Paint Brush for it and the custom image was displayed on the News Page!
After her failure to take over Faerieland, Xandra's statue is placed in Queen Fyora's personal gardens... right next to the statue of the Darkest Faerie herself! And despite the fact that they're both petrified, they can hear each other's thoughts. See what happens when two of Neopia's most infamous villains have a little chat.
Tidbit: Because vanessa wrote most of this before the epilogue to the Faeries' Ruin was released, she had to edit the piece slightly so as not to contradict the end of the plot. Also, a larger excerpt of her story was on the front page of the Neopian Times!
Brandon is living a normal life--until his best friend turns out to have superpowers! But being a superhero's best friend isn't all peaches and cream.
Tidbit: Vanessa doodled her very own Circle of Superhero Friendship on a piece of paper and then re-created it on the computer for this story. Also, she loved the custom image!
It's been one week since Melinda was recruited by Kero, a blue Scorchio on a quest to save Neopia, to be on his expedition as a healer. But now that they are going to add a new person to their duo, everything will change, and Melinda can't help but look back on the one week she's had with him.
Tidbit: First of all, Vanessa got an awesome custom image for his piece! Also, this was written for the NTWF April Fool's Day prank where writers pretended Neoquest III had been released. Since Vanessa had never played Neoquest before, she found it a little challenging to write the piece, but quickly fell in love with the characters.
Annette has always viewed storytelling as a pastime, but when he father got gravely ill, it becomes a way to make ends meet as she tells stories to some of Neovia's wealthiest. But then a Blue Chomby comes to one of her storytellings claiming to be a Time Traveler, and he has a theory about her that may change how she views herself, and her stories, forever...
Tidbit: Vanessa got the idea to write a short story about the Storyteller back in the summer of 2009, over three years ago, but didn't write it until summer of 2012! Also, most of it was written on a bus ride to Washionton DC!
Psychologist Harry Seff is used to working with people who are slightly mad--but never has he had a patient as crazed as Gregory Varnum! In the newly remodeled Meepit Oaks Sanatorium, Gregory is wreaking havoc, shrieking and yelling, and writing the number 600 over and over again on the walls in red paint... Can Harry find a cure?
Tidbit: This was written for issue 600! Vanessa was taking a psychology class the semester she wrote this, and thought it'd be interesting to use what she had learned in a story. She also won a Book of Ideas AND her "thank you" note to TNT was put in the editorial!
When Lucinda Barlé, Fashion Manager to the Stars, arrives at Jhudora's lair and suggests a business deal creating a fashion line together, Jhudora figures that the additional money would be nice. But as things fall apart around her, she has to get crafty to get out of her one-year contract...
Tidbit: Vanessa's inspiration for this short story was the NC Mall Jhudora's Fashion Line Capsule. She had a lot of fun writing the character of Lucinda, and was super excited when she saw that she was the quote of the week! There also was a longer snippet of the story on the front page of the NT, AND since it was the Faerie Festival-themed issue, she received an awesome Air Faerie Snowglobe!
This is the story of a green Ogrin with a dream to visit the moon as told by the yellow Xweetok who fell in love with him.
Tidbit: This was an extremely important story for vanessa first and foremost because it was her 100th story to be published in The Neopian Times! She was inspired by New Year's Eve and the movie "It's a Wonderful Life," which she had seen for the first time right around Christmas! She worried about its acceptance because there is a lot of implied romance, but it was held over and accepted on the same day! They also published a larger snippet of the story on the front page of the NT! Overall, she was very proud of this piece.
Jeran, the famous Neopian Hero who saved Meridell from a great war, may have found his match: in a small child! When Kayla asks if he can babysit his niece for an hour, Jeran thinks nothing of it... until strange things start happening.
Tidbit: This story was written for the Heroes Issue, a collaborative effort by the writers of Neopia. Vanessa had missed out on the Villains Collab a few weeks earlier, and was excited to take part with this collab. Originally, she considered writing about Nabile, but decided to do a piece of Jeran instead. She also received an awesome custom image! It was slightly different compared to some of the details specified in the story (such as Alesandra's and Jeran's clothes), but she loves it all the same.
When Rosie the Negg-obsessed Grarrl wins a new position at the Neopian Pound after an April Fools joke, Rose, the pink Uni, is forced to show her around. But it immediately becomes clear that Rosie is not the easiest Grarrl to get along with...
Tidbit: This story was inspired by TNT's 2014 April Fools joke. Vanessa started writing the piece, but could not get a good idea of how to write. She forgot about it for a while, then re-discovered it on her computer and decided to finish the story. TNT also made her a custom image which was posted on the New Features page!
After turning a Brightvale University professor into a topiary, Jhudora is forced to act as his substitute teacher until the spell wears off. However, Jhudora decides that teaching Brightvalian History is just not her style...
Tidbit: This story was written for the Brightvale University collab! Vanessa originally intended to write a series for the issue, but as the series grew larger and the issue approached, she wrote this short story instead. It took her about a day! She also received a Royal Blue Cape as a prize. Thanks Droplet!
00Hog has retired from his life as a secret agent to a life of card games. But when Agent 700 shows up at the Cheat! hall needing his help, 00Hog comes out of retirement to help save the day!
Tidbit: Vanessa wrote this as a last minute entry for Issue 700. As she was brainstorming ideas on the subway, she realized that 700 backwards was 007, which made her think of writing a secret agent story involving 00Hog.
Poor Fred hasn't been able to dream in years... and he finds out it's due to a malevolent creature known as a Dream Stealer sneaking into his room at night. Now Fred is determined to dream again, despite what it may cost him...
Tidbit: This story was written for the Dreams and Nightmares collab issue. Vanessa had been reading a lot of Neil Gaimen at the time and thought that it might be fun to write a darker tale, and this was the result!
Dr. E. Vilian's new book is sweeping the globe, and now the Neopian Times is presenting three excerpts for Neopians to sample. But not just any three excerpts: excerpts chosen by Neopia's favorite dark faerie, Jhudora!
Tidbit: This was vanessa's first ever article, and it was inspired by a quick reference she had made in an earlier series, The New Prophecy. Also, since it was the Jhudora Day Issue, she received a pair of Dark Faerie Wings.
Have you played Neopia's newest game Clearing the Storm? If you haven't, you really should check it out! There're puzzles, adventure, and hours of fun!
Tidbit: This was written as part of the 2011 NTWF April Fools Prank where writers claimed that Lutari Island was suddenly open. Vanessa was originally going to write a normal article about Lutari Island, when she suddenly had an idea about making a fake game article. She had a lot of fun writing it and she hoped others enjoyed reading it. Also, it was featured on the front of the Neopian Times!
Recently vanessa has discovered a love of making a Jhudora-themed neohome on her side account! And with these tips, you can make an awesome themed neohome as well!
Tidbit: This was written during finals week when vanessa realized how her obsession with Neohomes 2.0 could be turned into an article! It also appeared on the front of the Neopian Times, and the image is actually the picture from the neohome she referenced throughout--despite the fact that it was on a side account! TNT clearly knows all. Finally, vanessa originally had item images in the article as well, but they were taken out--most likely because there were too many!
Freezing, Enlargement, and Speeding, oh my!
Tidbit: This is a comic! *gasp!* Vanessa always wanted to have one comic in the NT, but she can't draw and she never had any good ideas. But while playing in the AC with the new power ups, she had an idea. She collabed with sarnfox, who did the illustrations, and they submitted it in July... but it wasn't accepted until the end of August! And because it was put in the Mutant Day Issue, vanessa got the cool book It Came From the Mine.
The Storytelling Contest is a contest where writers can continue a pre-existing story started by someone else. It runs each week and usually consists of about 10 parts, each one written by a different user!
Best friends Ariana and Claire are transported to an eerie world after using an automated Fortune Telling machine. While there, they must work together with the mysterious Madame Fandango to find a way to escape before the things that created the strange dimension find them and make them stay there forever. Click here for the story written not only by vanessa1357924680, but by other Neopian authors as well.
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 finally got her first piece in the Story Telling Contest after two other attempts. (I guess the third time's a charm!) She found out when she was at her cousin's house and was absolutely ecstatic!
Tidbit: At first, vanessa1357924680 wasn't notified of winning and didn't receive her prize for this story. However, it also happened to be the same day as the layout change and the problem was quickly corrected! And, seeing as it made it in just a few days before her birthday, she thought of it as a nice early birthday present. It also happens to be one of vanessa's favorite storytelling tales!
Tidbit: This was vanessa1357924680's longest contribution to the Story Telling Contest so far and believes that it was the hardest for her to write as she tried to come up with a way to end the story and tie up all of the loose ends.
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 wrote this piece one night, sent it in, checked the New Features page... and when she had come back it had already been accepted! Not to mention she was thrilled that she got to write about one of her all-time favorite faeries: the one and only Jhudora!
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 honestly found the story quite confusing with its eight main characters and before writing had to make a list of the characters, their species, and which "group" (either Pirates, Shenkuu Warriors, Thieves, or Faeries) they were in.
Tidbit: Vanessa1357924680 honestly didn't like her entry piece that much and thought it could have been much better, but seeing as it was the first entry to the week's story, she realizes that her role was mainly to set the stage for the others writers, and that was fine with her.
Tidbit: This story immediately caught Vanessa1357924680's attention as it takes place in one of her favorite Neopian worlds: the Lost Desert, and she attempted to write a piece earlier in the week. Despite it not making it, however, she tried again and got this piece in on the second try!
Tidbit: After attempting and failing to get into the Storytelling Contest for almost an entire year, vanessa found this story, read the entire thing in one shot, and decided to come up with an ending piece. And besides being about chocolate, one of her favorite foods, this week's number and the number of the last week she was in are "348" and "384." Coincidence? She thinks not! ;)
Tidbit: Vanessa was instantly drawn since she had just written "Misfortune's Comb." So one late night she stayed up to write this piece, and then she found out the next day that it was accepted! And to make things even better, that same day she was told that her 10-part series, Pirates, the Sight, and the Sea was being held over for the Neopian Times!
Tidbit: When vanessa read this and realized that it incorporated the three Dark Faerie Sisters, she was immediately inspired--especially because she was currently playing one of the three witches in a production of Macbeth. Also, with this win, she finally reached her goal of 10 Storytelling Trophies!
Tidbit: Vanessa tried multiple times to get into this story. In the end, she sent in a piece at the last minute, and it was up only a few minutes later! The piece that got in was a mixture of a few that she had written as attempts. Also, with this win, she won an additional prize: The Storyteller!
Tidbit: Vanessa channeled a bit of her old writing in this piece, including a coin with an image on it from a book she had written as a child, and a conglomerate mass of neopets from a failed Neopian Times series.
Tidbit: After a very long hiatus from storytelling (more than a year!), vanessa decided to give it a go on a day when she didn't have much homework. She had a lot of fun writing about Jesper and she was awarded with a win! Also, the last time she was in the Storytelling Contest was Week 418, and this time it was Week 481. Funny how those things work out!
Tidbit: Vanessa loves writing about pirates and enjoyed writing this piece a lot, creating the Smiling Pirates and their eccentric captain. She was actually a little paranoid after submitting and kept checking the storytelling page to see if she had won!
Tidbit: Vanessa saw the opening entry and loved it... as did a lot of other Neopian writers! She tried for the second slot but didn't get in. Undeterred, she tried again and was greeted with a congrats letter! Her favorite part about her entry? It was definitely putting the infamous Kanrik in a maid's uniform. ^_^
Tidbit: Since this was story number 500, vanessa knew she had to try for it! On her third attempt, she decided to think outside the box and turned one of the characters into a Mootix. And it made it!
Tidbit: Vanessa entered a total of five times for this story. She really loved the way it was written, and despite the confusion since it was not linear, she enjoyed each piece she wrote. She finally got in on the last piece... as did a few other Neopians! But she didn't mind sharing the final spot.
Tidbit: This story caught Vanessa's attention. Once she read that the Queen had been cursed, she immediately knew that she wanted to turn Fyora into something... so she chose a pepper mill! She submitted it, left the house to help a friend, and when she returned, she had won!
Tidbit: The previous entry mentioned going somewhere in Altador to learn about magic. Vanessa initially thought of Finneus, but decided that was too obvious... so she decided to introduce the infamous Yurble Janitor to the story! She really enjoyed giving her own personal spin on his character.
Tidbit: Vanessa loved that this story had Dr. Sloth and the Neopian Times in it... and when she saw it was written in 2nd person POV, she knew she wanted to write a Choose Your Own Adventure Type Story. Little did she know it would be accepted!
Tidbit: After reading a book in which one of the characters was preyed on by an evil "Muse," Vanessa was inspired to write a piece and create the evil Ocean Muse. She enjoyed making her as creepy as possible.
Tidbit: Vanessa wrote this entire entry on Notepad instead of Microsoft Word because the laptop she was writing on didn't have it installed! It's also her very first "first part" entry!
Tidbit: Vanessa hadn't won a storytelling contest in a while, but she saw the entry on a day where she didn't have much work. It was later in the evening, and she was surprised an entry hadn't been picked yet, so she wrote something quick and submitted it. She also submitted a second draft, but the judge chose the first one and gave her a Water Paint Brush as a prize!
Tidbit: Vanessa had finally graduated from college and was home for the summer, hoping to get some writing done. She read the whole entry in one sitting, and decided to write her own part, which she was quite proud of. Surprisingly, the last entry vanessa got in was also about a Plumpy, and she won a Pink Petpet Paint Brush for her efforts!
The Poetry Contest is a contest where writers can send in any Neopets-related poem! Listed here are the first stanza of the poems vanessa had accepted, but you can click links to read the rest!
The Faerie Festival had finally come
A day of food and of fun and of play
Most faeries were happy it was finally here
But not all quite felt that way...
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: A few days before it won, vanessa1357924680 checked the calendar and, realizing one of her favorite Neopian holidays was around the corner (the Faerie Festival), decided to try writing a poem just for the occasion. And of course she couldn't help but add in her favorite faerie, Jhudora, and her arch-rival, Illusen, just for the fun of it!
Come one, come all! a Ruki cries,
Into my wondrous store!
With fashionable finds free for all,
How could you ask for more?...
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: For Ruki Day, Vanessa checked Jellyneo for a good Ruki character to write about... and discovered the Donation Shoppe Ruki!
I was strolling through the Catacombs
When I came across a Draik.
He held a paper out to me:
A quiz for me to take...
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: This poem was originally written for Slorg Day! It was inspired by the "What Petpet are You?" quiz, where the most common answer is a Pink Slorg!
A colourful sign on the Concert Hall reads:
On the 18th's a show you should all come to see
Come buy your ticket, this show will be grand
It's MYNCI performing, the world famous band...
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: This poem was accepted far after it was written. In fact, vanessa discovered the actual paper copy after losing it for a few months only a few days before it made it into the gallery!
I am the queen of quests,
As you Neopets exclaim,
But recently there is one prize
You cretins all disdain...
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: Vanessa whipped this one up quickly for Jhudora Day, her favorite Neopian holiday! She found it especially fun to write from Jhudora's point of view.
Watch over your shoulder,
Keep your Neopoints n' view,
For you never know what'll happen
When the Tax Beast comes for you....
Click here for the rest!
Tidbit: This poem was written for Yurble Day! Vanessa had wanted to write a new poem for a while and just finally did, using the Tax Beast as her inspiration! And the poem was even mentioned on the News (which you can see by visiting the Screenie Tab to the left)!
In this adventure, you are a new fire faerie, ready for your first day at the infamous Faerie Academy, a school designed to help train young faeries in the magical arts. Click here to attend classes, make new friends, and even discover the hidden treasures and secrets buried deep within the walls of the school!
Tidbit: The Faerie Academy was vanessa1357924680's way to revisit the school where Jesc (the air faerie from the Roomies quartet) lived and studied with more detail. Also, vanessa was starting to give up hope on winning since it took up a good chunk of the year (at least five months) waiting for the fateful congratulations neomail, but it finally arrived on the same day she won the storytelling contest in Week 334. Besides that, with the publicity, for a good period of time, her adventure became number one on the top rated list!
Aaaaand... This neoadventure also has two possible storylines to follow, depending on whether you decide to stay in the library or head to lunch! If you want, you can try out both!
Well, these aren't funny, but they are screenshots of my stories that I thought were awesome. For example, these images show when a custom picture was made for my story and put on the news page, or when a longer snippet of my story was put on the front of the Neopian Times. Either way, a collection of these images are reproduced below. Enjoy!


text:
Expectations were high for guitarist Johnny Winter when he signed with Columbia Records in 1969. The buzz created around the albino bluesman by a 1968 Rolling Stone magazine article on the Texas music scene led to a label bidding war and an unprecedented $600,000 advance from Columbia, which hoped that they were scoring the next Jimi Hendrix. Although the rail-thin and whiter-than-white guitarist wasn't in the same league as the innovative and experimental force of nature that was Jimi, he arguably had just as strong of a blues pedigree. Over the course of a career that has now spanned six tumultuous decades and roughly three-dozen live and studio albums, Winter has proven himself time and time again as a true torch-bearer for the blues.

A skilled fretburner and dynamic vocalist that has always seemed more at home on a stage performing for several thousand friends than working in the studio, Winter's lengthy career has certainly seen its share of ups and downs. Still, as the guitarist celebrated his 70th birthday in early 2014, Legacy Recordings released True To The Blues, a four-CD box set that (mostly) documents Winter's entire storied career. The box's track list is understandably heavy on the material recorded for Sony label subsidiaries like Columbia and Blue Sky, but it touches (albeit briefly) on the guitarist's acclaimed work for Alligator Records in the 1980s and Point Blank in the 1990s, all of it combining to cement Winter's status as a true American musical legend.

Johnny Winter's True To The Blues

True To The Blues opens with a pair of songs from the underrated early Winter LP The Progressive Blues Experiment. Leading a trio that included future Double Trouble bandmember Tommy Shannon on bass and drummer "Uncle" John Turner, the guitarist dirties up a couple of originals with some Delta mud. "Bad Luck and Trouble" sizzles with some slippery National steel guitar licks in an acoustic-blues framework while "Mean Town Blues" is a rockin', boogie-based stomper with plenty of wiry fretwork and a Mississippi blues vibe. Recorded in 1968 and released before his Columbia Records debut, The Progressive Blues Experiment remains an untapped vein of down 'n' dirty blues as only JW could deliver.

A live track from the Fillmore East circa 1968 follows guitarist Michael Bloomfield's breathless introduction, Winter taking on John Lee Hooker's "It's My Own Fault" with serious intensity. Backed by Bloomfield and keyboardist Al Kooper, Winter burns the join to the ground. Getting to the guitarist's proper debut, True To The Blues picks four numbers from the self-titled 1969 album, best-known of them being "Mean Mistreater," the guitarist tearing it up with an all-star crew that included blues legend Willie Dixon slapping his acoustic bass and blasts of Walter "Shakey" Horton's electrifying harp play. It's as bluesy as the blues can get, although Winter's take on B.B. King's "Be Careful With A Fool" comes damn close, the Texan growling up a storm and delivering flurries of melodious notes from his six-string.

Woodstock Festival 1969

The first disc offers only one song from Winter's historic Woodstock performance in August 1969, but it's a good one – "Leland Mississippi Blues" – a song that Winter continues to crank out as part of his set list today. With a monster recurring riff swirling around the audience's head, Winter spanks the plank as Turner bangs the cans and Shannon provides a bass-heavy bottom line. Brother Edgar Winter makes his first appearance here with keyboards that barely register, but overall it's a loud, chaotic, satisfying performance.

Winter's sophomore effort, Second Winter is represented by four engaging tunes, my personal fave being the guitarist's inspired reading of Bob Dylan's "Highway 61 Revisited," his fiery slide-guitar dancing a frenzy atop the Biblically-tinged lyrics. Winter's original "Hustled Down In Texas" is a fine, often-overlooked entry in the guitarist's canon, a virtual locomotive of a song with screaming fretwork, driving rhythms, and mile-a-minute vocals that tell of a sordid tale. A couple of live bonus tracks from the 2004 "Legacy Edition" of Second Winter close out the first disc here, the onstage cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode" just the first of many performances of that particular song, Winter taking Berry's spry original version and ramping it up to freeway speeds, his guitar squealing and snorting like a mad bull.

Atlanta Pop Festival

By 1970, after spending a year in the intense heat of the national spotlight, Winter formed a new band with members of the former teen pop band the McCoys, lead by singer and guitarist Rick Derringer, and calling the new outfit Johnny Winter And. It's here that True To The Blues gets very interesting, disc two leading off with three performances from the Atlanta Pop Festival circa 1970, two of them never released, one released only on an obscure LP and never before on CD. These long-lost gems are worth the wait, "Eyesight To The Blind" provided an explosive performance with Winter's guitar soaring above the band, Derringer providing a steady melodic foundation, and the rhythm section stomping and stammering like nobody's business.

Winter's own "Prodigal Son" is equally impressive, a mid-tempo blues-rock bonfire with flame-thrower fretwork and a laid-back Texas blues ambiance. "Mean Mistreater," from Winter's debut album, is given room to stretch out under the blazing Georgia sun, the song's deliberate pacing and scattershot rhythms punctuated by Winter's howling vocals and stunning guitarplay. One can only hope that this Atlanta Pop Festival set sees proper release as a stand-alone album sometime in the near future. The material from 1970's Johnny Winter And studio LP sounds quite staid by comparison, but it's not without merit, if only for the first of many versions of Derringer's signature tune "Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo." The song's now-familiar riff was fresh and funky back in '70, and Winter's Howlin' Wolf-styled guttural vocals play nicely off the song's infectious melody.

Johnny Winter And Live

Better yet are the tracks culled from Johnny Winter And Live, released later in 1970 to take advantage of Winter's meteoric rise in popularity. The newfound band had a dearth of material but found new tunes to explore nonetheless, the most fetching of these being a bang-up cover of the Rolling Stones' "Jumpin' Jack Flash." Peppered with red-hot git licks, Winter and crew otherwise play the song fairly straight, with new drummer Bobby Caldwell's bombastic percussion pumping up the jam. Another familiar Winter cover, of Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl," comes from the Live At The Fillmore East 10/3/70 album, which sadly remained unreleased until 2010. Johnny Winter And tackle the song with reckless aplomb, the guitarist's stinging licks matched in spirit by the band's ferocious rhythm attack.

Disc three opens with my favorite period of Winter's lengthy career, the mid-1970s roots 'n' blues albums Still Alive and Well (1973), Saints & Sinners and John Dawson Winter III (both 1974). The first two were produced by Derringer, who had jumped ship to brother Edgar's band by this time, and all three display Winter's talents in a wider light, the guitarist incorporating more rock, soul, and country twang into his native Texas blues sound. The Derringer-penned "Still Alive and Well" remains one of Winter's best ever performances, a tumultuous tornado of blistering guitar, defiant vocals, and pummeling drumbeats courtesy of another new band member, Richard Hughes. A cover of Big Bill Broonzy's "Rock Me Baby" is equally energetic, Winter's stunning slidework simply mesmerizing in its fury, while the original "Rock & Roll" crossing over onto ZZ Top's turf with a boogie-based rhythm and funky guitar licks.

Saints & Sinners

If Still Alive and Well was Winter's "comeback" album after battling heroin addiction, Saints & Sinners built upon the previous album's "twang 'n' bang" aesthetic with a glossier studio sheen in an attempt to pump up the guitarist's radio airplay. Fronting a re-jiggered band line-up that included bassist Hobbs and drummer Hughes, along with new second guitarist Dan Hartman (from Edgar's band) and brother Edgar on keys and sax, "Hurtin' So Bad" showcases Winter's R&B chops, the performance replete with wailing horns (included Randy Brecker's trumpet). Winter's elegant fretwork here reminds of B.B. King, but he's back to his old self by "Bad Luck Situation," his six-string assaulting the heavens with a lively blues-rocker that suffers from a poor production mix.

While Saints & Sinners would almost enter the Top 40, John Dawson Winter III struggled to hit #78 on the charts, a damn shame considering the quality of tunes like "Self Destructive Blues," a bubbling, boiling cauldron of supersonic guitars and crashing rhythms that blew away the sleek production gel lathered on Saints & Sinners. "Rock & Roll People" was written specifically for Winter by longtime fan John Lennon, the song a fine mimicry of Texas blues with a strange but delightful British feel that Winter tames into submission with some sweet guitarwork and strident vocals. True To The Blues offers only one song from the frequently-overlooked Together album, recorded live with Edgar in 1975. With Derringer back in the fold and joining all of the other usual suspects in the band, "Harlem Shuffle" provides a soulful lil' slice of heaven, the song brimming over with engaging rhythms, tasteful guitarplay, and timely blasts of sax.

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The Alligator Records Years

Although Winter's commercial fortunes waned in the late 1970s as changing musical trends marginalized his blues-based rock 'n' roll sound, the guitarist was undeterred in his efforts. Aside from producing a handful of career-topping albums for blues legend Muddy Waters, the guitarist found time to record 1977's Nothin' But The Blues album with an all-star assemblage of talents from Waters' band that included harp player James Cotton, guitarist Bob Margolin, pianist Pinetop Perkins, and drummer Willie "Big Eyes" Smith. One of Winter's best efforts, there's nary a bad song on the album highlighted by Waters taking the microphone for his own "Walkin' Thru The Park." Delivered in an old-school Chicago blues style, the song's mid-tempo arrangement barely contains the energy pouring out from the studio, Cotton's wailing harp matching Winter's lively fretwork note for note, Winter's gruff vocals juxtaposed against Waters' relatively silkier tones.

Although Winter continued to pursue his purist blues muse with albums like 1978's White, Hot & Blue (what an awful title!) and 1980's Raisin' Cain, his days with Sony were clearly coming to a close. Neither album displays much in the way of energy or inspiration, the guitarist going through the motions with mostly rote performances of cover tunes and poorly-written contributions from the band. The six songs offered from the two albums here at the beginning of disc four are nothing to write home about. After a four-year studio hiatus, Winter signed with the esteemed blues label Alligator Records, coming full circle back to the blues of his youth and finding new inspiration for his restless guitar. His debut for the label, 1984's Guitar Slinger, is represented by a lone entry, but "Don't Take Advantage Of Me" displays more engaged vocals, brighter guitar, and a more authentic, bluesier tone than Winter had shown in years.

Third Degree & Beyond

Serious Business (1985) was Winter's second LP for Alligator, and while "Master Mechanic" is nowhere near the strongest song from that set, it's a red-hot poker nonetheless. Winter's fluid guitar licks scream across the grooves, a rudimentary shuffling percussion supporting the singer's leering vocal performance. Third Degree (1986) was Winter's final album for Alligator, and arguably his best, this cover of J.B. Lenoir's "Mojo Boogie" firing up the grill for a good, old-fashioned Texas-styled string-pull. Winter's greasy slide-work is perfectly suited for this sort of jam, the band delivering a relentless groove beneath Winter's half-spoken, half-sung but entirely soulful vox.

From here, True To The Blues runs through the next quarter-century of Winter's career in a mere six songs, an egregious oversight in my mind...I would have cut the six less-than-stellar songs from the beginning of this fourth disc down to three or four and back-loaded tracks from Winter's MCA and Point Blank albums like the Terry Manning-produced The Winter of '88 or 2004's I'm A Bluesman. Still, we get the roaring "Illustrated Man" from 1991's Let Me In, a fine late-career moment that fairly leaps off the turntable, and the funky, syncopated "Hard Way," from 1992's Hey, Where's Your Brother? The set concludes with a pair of songs from 2010's Roots, Winter's version of Robert Johnson's classic "Dust My Broom" spiced up with Derek Trucks' fiery licks matching Winter's lively slidework with no little glee.

The Reverend's Bottom Line

It's always difficult to critically judge a career-spanning box set such as Johnny Winter's True To The Blues. The hardcore faithful already owns much – if not all – of the music on the collection's four discs and, save for the previously unreleased Atlanta Pop Festival material, there's little among the set's 50+ tracks that provides fresh insight into the artist's work. True To The Blues nevertheless offers up a fine selection of performances that may interest any newcomer or casual fan to further explore a catalog of uniform consistency and entertainment value that spans some six decades.

Honestly, Winter's legacy was writ permanently in stone years ago, and True To The Blues only codifies what many of us already knew – JW is one bad mammer-jammer of a blues-rock guitarist. Although he's not the most innovative of instrumentalists, he has his moments, and while Winter's songwriting often results in uninspired lyrics, the passion and fire he brings to his performances is unparalleled by talented contemporaries like Stevie Ray Vaughan and Warren Haynes. Winter's influence has reverberated across the blues and blues-rock world like a tsunami over the decades, though, and True To The Blues does an admirable job of trying to catch some of that Texas lightning in a bottle. (Legacy Recordings, released February 25, 2014)

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text:
Your experience at a big Christian event like the Urbana Student Missions Conference, and the energy for GIGs you found there will go a long way in drawing friends to your own GIG back on campus. As a Jesus follower, your enthusiasm will be winsome. If you're not excited about what happened in your GIG at Urbana, why should anyone else be interested in participating in another one?
Here are 5 tips for making an inviting invitation while you're riding high on your GIG-training experience:
To show us what the Father is like, Jesus told the story of the shepherd who left 99 sheep to find the one that was lost. Ask God to help you join his search-and-rescue effort. Who is the lost sheep he wants you to go after? Is it a hurting friend on your dorm floor? Who do you know that the Father seems to be drawing to himself?
Ask yourself, "Is there someone who has indicated they'd like to get to know me better? Am I in a relationship with a friend who is ready to go to a deeper level in our friendship? Someone who trusts me and might be interested in hearing what I'm learning about God?"
Ask a friend or two to meet you for lunch or coffee. Tell them you want to hear about their winter break and tell them about yours.
When it's your turn—after you've asked questions and listened attentively to them—describe your Urbana experience. Try something like: "I had an amazing experience attending a conference about global concerns and how God wants us to respond to the needs of the world. We discussed human trafficking, poverty, and international business ethics. And we did this cool thing called a GIG—a Group Investigating God. Every morning, we got together with students on our hotel floor for coffee, and we looked at what Jesus is like and what his concerns are. It was pretty cool. I've never done anything like it. We investigated God together."
Explain how you met for four mornings and that you would like to repeat the experience you had with a few of your friends. You can say something like, "Everybody shares his or her own perspective, and it's really eye-opening. You learn what people are thinking about God and life, and you learn what Jesus thought about God. Would you be interested?"
If your friend shows interest, ride his enthusiasm and don't let much time come between your invitation and your first GIG. If possible, meet within 24 hours of your invite, so life doesn't get in the way before you can meet again. Capture the interest your friend has shown and honor his support of you by hosting your GIG ASAP!
If you've been to a high-powered event like Urbana or even a chapter evangelism training recently, will you give these tips a try? If you do, share your progress and prayer requests in a comment below.


text:
About Woodbridge Pre-Settlement Funding:
Woodbridge Pre Settlement Funding is a sister company of Woodbridge Structured Funding, with offices based in Florida and California.
Headquarters & Office of
Richard Salvato
Executive Vice President
123 NW 13th St., Suite 310
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Phone: 800-943-0858
Phone: 561-447-0401
Fax: 800-272-3881
California Branch Office
14225 Ventura Blvd. Ste. 100
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
Phone: 866-865-7044
Fax: 866-452-4499
Woodbridge Pre-Settlement Funding, LLC is a sister company of Woodbridge Structured Funding, LLC, a pioneer in the cash now financial services industry. Since 1993, our predecessor companies and founders have been providing lump sum cash payments for future structured settlement, annuity and lottery winnings with over 1 billion dollars of purchased future payments.
Now with our Pre-Settlement company, our experienced financial professionals provide advance cash settlements for individuals expecting a settlement from a personal injury lawsuit.
When you choose Woodbridge Pre-Settlement Funding, you'll realize the advantages of getting your advance cash settlement from a highly professional and experienced company.
Advance Cash Settlement: The Woodbridge Advantage
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A founder of the cash flow industry with a proven track record of success, Woodbridge has been at the forefront of new and innovative ideas for nearly 20 years and has helped thousands of customers receive lump sum cash payments, from structured settlements and lottery prize annuities to pre-settlement lawsuit funding.
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Since the financial experts at Woodbridge Pre Settlement Funding constantly strive to understand the market dynamics, we will always do our very best to understand your current needs and concerns when determining the highest possible advance cash settlement we can offer. If you receive an unsatisfactory offer from a competitor, we will make every effort to provide you with the amount you need…. Just fax or email the offer to us and we will let you know if we can offer more.
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Woodbridge Pre Settlement Funding
Call: 1-800-943-0858


text:
Things are getting heated and segregationy in the upcoming installment of the Deus Ex series.
In a world where "mechanical augmentations" are fundamentally altering the capabilities of certain humans, some people aren't super comfortable. It's not just amputees or people with birth defects that are replacing limbs and organs in Deus Ex: Mankind Divided: it's anybody who feels like it'd be cool to have a bionic arm or sunglasses built into their face.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution, the game that rebooted the Deus Ex series in 2011, got into some of this territory. That game had a lot to do with a drug that helped people's bodies keep from rejecting their augmentations (and the implants necessary to make them controllable by the brain), and there not being enough of it. And it ended with a worldwide disaster in which augmented people were hacked, went crazy, and started murdering people.
So lots of people in the world are not super stoked about the whole mechanical augmentation idea, as the trailer above shows. Deus Ex is also about shooting stuff, conspiracies and the Illuminati, so like, perhaps take these political rumblings (and the still tone-deaf and unfortunate name "Mechanical Apartheid") with a grain of salt. Still, it's going to be a messed up world to run around in when players start breaking up conspiracies when Deus Ex: Mankind Divided drops on Aug. 23.


text:
The third annual Capital Region Canstruction, a design competition benefiting local food pantries, runs through Thursday on the fourth floor of the New York State Museum.
This year, participants were challenged to collect 50,000 cans and $50,000, in addition to designing and building giant-sized sculptures made entirely out of canned goods.
"This magnificent event not only helps The Food Pantries infuse its member pantries with much needed food, (but) it heightens the awareness of the need in our community," said Natasha Pernicka, Executive Director of The Food Pantries for the Capital District. "The local numbers are devastating – our pantries in Albany, Rensselaer and Saratoga counties provided food for over 2.5 million meals in 2012, 200,000 more than 2011. This event is one huge step forward for us to help alleviate hunger in our local community."
The theme for this year's event, supported by The American Institute of Architects' Eastern New York Chapter, is "Can You Imagine." Teams comprised of local architecture, engineering and construction firms – as well as design students – include CHA, CSArch, Creighton Manning, EYP, Mosaic, Price Chopper, Ryan Biggs, RPI and Sano Rubin.
All cans used in the displays were purchased from Price Chopper, an event sponsor, and will be donated to The Food Pantries for the Capital District.
Visitors are encouraged to participate in Canstruction by bringing canned goods to the museum, which can be used as ballots to help determine the winner of the Community Choice award. Other awards, including Best Use of Labels and Structural Ingenuity, will be chosen by a panel of local judges. A new award this year, Most Money Raised, will also be presented.
For information, call 474-5877 or click here.


text: On Thu, Jun 21, 2007 at 09:10:58PM +0100, Lior Kaplan wrote: > I'd like to do a mass-bug reporting about packages not being binNMU safe. > > That's 1419 source packages that produce 2527 binary packages [1]. Please see the followup discussion to the mail you originally cited, http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2007/04/msg00646.html in particular, for a more accurate way to detemine which packages are potential troublemakers. The number turns out to be much lower. Regards, Daniel.