text:
ST. PETERSBURG — Right from the beginning, John & Jen gets its principal point across, as 6-year-old Jen sings Welcome to the World to her newborn brother, John.
"The people you love the most are also the ones who make you cry," she croons, leaning into his crib. "I'm not sure why."
The bond between siblings is at the heart of John & Jen, now playing at Freefall Theatre, and through that prism, this intimate, two-actor musical by Andrew Lippa (music, book) and Tom Greenwald (lyrics, book) is an emotionally riveting portrait of American family life during a time of wrenching change.
Katie Zaffrann plays Jen, while Chris Crawford plays two characters named John: Jen's brother in Act 1 and her son in Act 2. Though both of these excellent actors are equally engaged in the story, Zaffrann's Jen is more completely developed. She goes from self-possessed big sister to '60s flower child to single mother in her 40s, while Crawford's two Johns remain forever young.
During childhood, Jen tries to protect John from their abusive father, but when she goes away to college, her kid brother feels abandoned. To please his father, he eventually enlists in the Navy and is killed in Vietnam.
The first part of the musical has some peppy numbers, such as John's hilarious razzing at his sister's high school basketball game in Dear God, but the dramatic arc is inexorably downbeat. In their final scene together, when Jen announces to John (now "one of those John Wayne army men") that she is moving to Canada so her boyfriend can dodge the draft, the bitterness between them is devastating. "You're not my family anymore," John sings in Run and Hide.
Zaffrann gives a rich, multifaceted performance, ranging from cowbell-clanging baseball mom cheering for her embarrassed son at a Little League game to sad-eyed sister on a visit to her brother's grave and marking in Just Like You the passage of time: "You're completely in the shade now. It's amazing the way this tree grew."
Crawford's portrayal of brother and son is exuberantly physical (Bye Room on going off to camp is a hoot), laced with boyish resentment and dependence on his big sister, then his mother.
Eric Davis directed (he was also responsible for costume design) with a sure hand for the actors, drawing superb work from them, and impeccable taste in his staging, which is done runway style, with the long, relatively narrow performance space flanked by banks of seats facing each other. At both ends are stacks of TV screens on which relevant images play, such as family snapshots, footage from the Vietnam War and photos from the Summer of Love.
The scenic design (by Jerid Fox) and props (Allison Davis and Chloe Davis) are smartly detailed — including John's Louisville Slugger, period newspaper front pages embedded into the stage floor and a Star Wars pillow case — to create a sense of full immersion in the family's experience. Music director Chris Brent Davis leads an offstage band of piano, cello and percussion in the inventive orchestrations by Jason Robert Brown.
It goes without saying that John & Jen speaks to sisters and brothers, mothers and sons. For baby boomers it will hit close to home, and for anyone who loves musical theater somewhat off the beaten track, it is a journey well worth taking.
John Fleming can be reached at email@example.com or (727) 893-8716.


text:
SAO/NASA ADS -> Help -> ADS User Preferences
|SAO/NASA ADS Help Pages
|Prev | Next
The ADS preference setting system allows us to store user-selected preferences on our servers and then look them up automatically when you come back to visit our site. This allows you to conveniently customize settings that are appropriate for your personal interests and computer setup. For instance, you can select how full-text articles should be formatted and sent back to you, or what journals you want to monitor for their latest table of contents.
4.1 - Changing Your Preferences
You can review or change your preference settings, by going to the ADS preference settings page. There are two forms for preference settings. The first form sets preferences for the abstract service, the second form sets preferences for the article service. Some of the settings may be in both forms as they pertain to both services. You can set them differently for the different services if you wish.
You can change the preferences by simply modifying the settings displayed in the forms, and then click on Save Settings. In order for the new settings to take effect, please remember to Reload any pages that make use of the these settings once the preferences have been modified.
|Top | Next

subset: commoncrawl


text:
|"I know this makes me look like a traitor, but I'm only fighting alongside the Yu Dao Resistance so long as they agree to keep both Earth Kingdom and Fire Nation intruders out, because Yu Dao is neither!"
"You mean because Yu Dao is both!"
|— Sneers and Kori defending their cause of preserving Yu Dao as a unique world.
The Promise Part Three is the third installment in The Promise trilogy, a graphic novel continuation of the Avatar: The Last Airbender storyline. It was originally released by Dark Horse Comics in collaboration with Nickelodeon on September 26, 2012, in the United States, and on October 9, 2012, in Canada. It was later released with its counterparts in Avatar: The Last Airbender—The Promise Library Edition HC on February 20, 2013.
The Harmony Restoration Movement has taken a turn for the worst as Earth King Kuei and Fire Lord Zuko lead their armies into battle in order to achieve their opposite intentions for the Yu Dao colony: Kuei wants the colonials to leave for the Fire Nation, and Zuko plans to keep his people where they believe they belong. As the two nations enter conflict once more, Aang and Katara attempt to negotiate peace within the city's walls while Sokka and Toph meet with an old friend at the Metalbending Academy. If war is to be averted, Team Avatar must find a way to resolve the Yu Dao crisis. Aang may be able to do so with his only option: keeping his promise to Fire Lord Zuko.
Avatar Aang and Fire Lord Zuko stand on a cliff in the midst of a driving rainstorm with the specters of Roku and Ozai standing behind them. Below, on the mud-soaked battlefield, Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom troops clash as lightning rends the sky. Zuko shares his doubts about the course of action he has chosen with Aang, saying that while he wants to protect his people, he feels that all he can hear is Ozai's voice, which he blames on Aang's decision to not kill the former Fire Lord. While Ozai's ghost tries to convince Zuko that only the Fire Lord can decide what is right, Roku tells Aang that Zuko has become too unstable, and that he must keep the promise he made to him when the firebender had more clarity of mind. Zuko, overcome with despair, again asks Aang to kill him, who finally agrees and goes into the Avatar State. As he does so, Zuko has a vision of his mother shedding some tears and tells her not to cry. Just as Aang is about to finish him off, both of them awaken from their shared dream. Aang, on Appa hoping for peace, and Zuko, on a ship prepared to fight, both head toward Yu Dao.
The next day, Aang and Katara reach Yu Dao, where the Avatar tries to warn the local civilians to evacuate the city. However, they are immediately attacked by earthbenders, firebenders, and someone throwing axes. Aang chases the axe-thrower into what turns out to be an ax factory and, after knocking him down, he discovers that it is Sneers. Several other resistance fighters break into the room, led by the colonial earthbender Kori Morishita, and try to convince Aang to join them in defending the city against the mob of protesters. Everyone cites their reasons for joining the Yu Dao Resistance, revealing that they all have friends and family of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom descent, and even Sneers having Kori Morishita, who is of mixed ancestry, as his girlfriend. However, when Aang tells them that the Earth Kingdom is sending an army to the city, they are somewhat less confident in their cause.
At that moment, the Yu Dao branch of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club, led by Xing Ying, enters the factory. Although initially pleased to see them and their costumes, Aang is horrified when he finds out that its members have been tattooing themselves with the traditional and sacred Air Nomad arrows. Feeling that his culture has been immensely disrespected, Aang storms out of the building and hardens his view that the four nations must remain separate to maintain balance — and thus, that all the Fire Nation citizens must be expelled from the city. He leaves for the city gate to wait for General How, who is leading the Earth Kingdom Army to attack Yu Dao.
Zuko meditates on his ship and has a conversation with a portrait of Uncle Iroh. While he feels that his intentions are good and justified in that he is protecting not only people but their relationships with one another, he is worried that his actions are exactly what his father would do if he returned to power, and more specifically questions if his call to battle is justified or not. He wonders if it matters that his reasons are different if from the outside it looks the same. He touches the scroll painting, saying how he wishes Iroh were with him, and how much he misses him. A soldier enters to announce that the ship has arrived at the Earth Kingdom, and Zuko puts on his helmet and leaves the room.
Katara leaves the fan club to search for Aang, and finds him meditating on the roof of the city's front gate. Aang tells Katara that he has figured out why the four nations have to remain separate; the power imbalance means that the stronger nation will always hurt the weaker one, whether by conquest, like the Fire Nation to the Earth Kingdom, or by simply making the culture a joke, like the Air Nomad Fan Club. Katara reminds Aang that Guru Pathik and Huu told him that separation is an illusion, and that the four nations are really all the same, but Aang responds that he does not want them to be the same. He explains that he loves the culture of his people, as everything about it makes the Air Nomads different from everyone else, and as the last Air Nomad, he has to preserve it. He has to restore the separation of the nations to prevent their corruption, even if it means going against his Air Nomad principles and killing Zuko.
Meanwhile, at the Beifong Metalbending Academy, Sokka waits with Toph for Aang and Katara to pick him up. However, Suki arrives first, in a Fire Nation war balloon. She explains that she knew where to find them because Master Kunyo had lodged an official complaint about a "dirt girl" and a "snow savage" taking over his school. She says that she needs them both, and they go with her, leaving Toph's students behind. As they reach Yu Dao, Suki shows Toph and Sokka the two armies marching toward the city, revealing to them the reason they have gathered.
Back in Yu Dao, Katara attempts to tell Aang why she has changed her mind about the Harmony Restoration Movement, only to be interrupted by Smellerbee and her protesters. Despite Aang's efforts, Smellerbee initiates a mob to attack Yu Dao with a stone battering ram. When Aang stops her, she reveals that the battering ram was merely distraction in order to prevent Aang from noticing the drill breaking through their walls, subsequently plunging the city into war.
Meanwhile, Sokka has Toph sneak the three of them below into one of the Fire Nation's tundra tanks, and as they attempt to slow down the fleet, Sokka has Toph metalbend the screws on all of the Fire Lord's tanks while the army drives toward Yu Dao.
By this time, Smellerbee and Longshot have confronted Sneers, and after Smellerbee discovers Sneers' relationship with Kori, it almost appears that the Freedom Fighters are going to change their minds about the attacks; however, a protester interrupts the conversation by wreaking havoc on the town, causing Aang's efforts of peaceful resolution to be utterly washed away. Aang attempts to separate the fighting, claiming to be on the side of Smellerbee and Longshot, who want to drive out the Fire Nation, though before anything else can happen, Earth King Kuei's army arrives.
Soon after the Fire Nation Army arrives, led by Zuko, General How implores Aang to kill the Fire Lord, as it would leave the Fire Nation Army devoid of leadership and utterly disabled. After Aang argues with the general, Sokka's plan is put into motion, and Toph dismantles all of their tanks, leaving the warriors on foot to charge into war. Enraged by the upcoming violence, Aang drives himself into the Avatar State, yelling at Zuko. However, Katara snaps him out of it and gets him safely away from the chaos. Here, Katara tells Aang her true feelings regarding the Harmony Restoration Movement, explaining that when she saw Kori and her multicultural family, she also saw her and Aang's own futures as an Air Nomad and Water Tribe family. She implores Aang to clear his head somewhere quiet and figure out what to do, even if that means that they cannot be together. They share a kiss, and Aang flies off.
Aang confines himself far away from the battle and instantly contacts Avatar Roku, who confesses his relationship as great-grandfather to Zuko, and insists that Aang fulfill his promise to Zuko for the benefit of the world.
Meanwhile, the battle rages on as Aang's Yu Dao fan club and the rest of Team Avatar attempts to calm down the troops. Suki and Toph fight off a team of firebending soldiers when Toph's metalbending students arrive to save them in the nick of time. All the while, Katara uses waterbending to propel herself up to Earth King Kuei's war balloon, convincing him to enter Yu Dao so he can see the lives he is trying to change with this battle.
As the fighting intensifies, a bright beam of light erupts in the distance. Avatar Aang flies into the city and separates the earth, stopping the feud and causing Fire Lord Zuko to plummet to his doom; however, Aang grabs his hand and saves him from what would have been a fatal fall. Aang subsequently shows Kuei that the King is fighting not only the Fire Nation, but also the Earth Kingdom itself, the Water Tribe, and the Air Nomads. Aang explains that there is a whole new world to understand and that this world did not need to be separated. Kuei realizes that Aang is right, and Zuko too realizes his fight was not the work of his father's hatred, but the right choice all along, causing the Fire Lord to collapse and the fighting to end.
Four days later, Aang confronts Roku's spirit, explaining that he spared Zuko's life against Roku's will because he cares about him and the people to whom he is close. Roku insists that Aang has put the world in danger by being indecisive, causing Aang to tell him that there is nothing more he can teach him now since the world has changed so much. He subsequently breaks off his Fire Nation amulet and burns it in his grasp, cutting Roku off as his spiritual mentor, causing him to shed tears as he has now lost a very good friend. Just after, Iroh alerts Aang that Zuko is awake. The two begin to talk and Zuko says that he was wrong to ask Aang to make that promise with him. He says to Aang that in making the promise he had forced Aang to be the person to decide what right and wrong was for Zuko. However, he says that with this whole experience he has discovered that he has to make decisions for himself now, and he is sorry he ever put the pressure on Aang to do so. He also explains to Aang that he thinks it might help him be better at peace if he connects with his mother's side of the family. He says that he wants to attempt yet again to search for her, and Aang encourages him to do so.
Later, Aang holds a meeting with members of both the Yu Dao and Ba Sing Se chapters of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club. He explains that he wants them to continue the culture of his people and dubs them the first Air Acolytes, as Katara admires from afar.
Zuko visits a mental institution and asks the only remaining person he can think of who is able to coax the whereabouts of his mother out of the imprisoned Ozai. A mentally unstable Azula is wheeled in before the young Fire Lord, guarded by two matronly caregivers and bound in a full-length straitjacket. It is apparent that her year's convalescence at the asylum has done nothing to cure Azula of her mental illness. The Fire Nation Princess appears paler and thinner than before with her long black hair in wild disarray and dark circles under both eyes that still glisten with madness. Upon hearing her brother's request, Azula marvels at the task before her, stating that there has not been one day gone by that she has not wondered what had become of their dear mother, Ursa. Ursa's hallucinated reflection suddenly appears in a corridor mirror beside her, assuring Azula of her unconditional motherly love for her.
Upon release on September 26, The Promise Part Three reached the top of The New York Times' paperback graphic novel bestseller list.[1] It held this position for a second consecutive week[2] and ended its run on the "top ten" list at number five, five weeks after its initial publication.[3]
Reception to The Promise Part Three has been a step above that of previous installments in the trilogy, but the critical response can be described as nothing better than mixed.
Similar to how The Promise Part Two had its earliest preview from Bamfas over a month before the volume's release,[4] Part 3 received the same luxury. The website once again praised the series as well as singled out Part 3's "high quality art and writing", capping off the review with an overall four-out-of-five-stars.[5]
Speak Geeky to Me shared the belief that Part 3 "is everything you would expect in a great continuance of [Avatar: The Last Airbender]," lauding the finale's "art, story, and writing", all of which were of "incredibly high quality". The review panned the abandonment of certain plot threads that seemed like "integral part[s] of the story early on in The Promise," but ends on a high note: "Avatar: The Last Airbender – The Promise Part Three is a near perfect comic and more than deserves a near perfect 9 out of 10."[6]
Bookyurt took the role of devil's advocate just as it did in its review of The Promise Part Two; although it preferred part 3's storyline over the previous installment's and confirmed its attachment to the series' "characters, humor, and art", Bookyurt severely criticized the novel's lack of believability and underdevelopment of the central plot. It concluded its written critique with unsatisfied frustration: "[...] I am starting to wonder how much longer my fangirl nostagia [sic] can overpower my story discontent." Curiously, Bookyurt awarded The Promise Part Three with an "A- / B+" despite its bitter disappointment in the book as well as the series in general.[7]
Production notes
- Main article: Transcript:The Promise Part Three
Series continuity
- On page 20, Katara says, "You once told me that separation was an illusion. Guru Pathik taught you that. The four nations are really one and the same," referring to "The Guru", when Guru Pathik taught Aang about chakras.
- On pages 21 and 23, the metal winged boar creation used by Toph and Sokka to try and motivate the former's students to metalbend in The Promise Part Two has been put on display on the right side of the metalbending academy's entrance.
- On page 28, Aang breaks a rock with his head, stating, "Sifu Toph would've been proud." This is an allusion to "Bitter Work", in which Toph also broke a rock with her head to demonstrate facing a rock "head on".
- When Sokka doubts his ability to stop an entire army on page 30, Toph states that she, Sokka, and Suki stopped an entire air fleet, referring "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" when they successfully stopped Ozai's fleet of airships.
- On page 31, Suki says, "It's so dark down here. I can hardly see anything!" Sokka promptly shushes her and says that Toph is sensitive to such exclamations, referring to "The Drill", wherein Sokka went into a hole Toph earthbent and remarked, "It's so dark down here, I can't see a thing!" Toph responded sarcastically, "Oh no! What a nightmare!"
- Aang discovers that Zuko is Roku's great-grandson, a fact that Iroh revealed to his nephew in "The Avatar and the Fire Lord".
- After Toph metalbends all the screws and bolts loose from the Fire Nation tanks' wheels, she earthbends the ground under the tanks so all the screws and bolts fall out. This is similar to the "final blow" theory Team Avatar came up with in "The Drill", which they had used to take down the Fire Nation drill attacking Ba Sing Se.
- On page 51, the members of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club tell the combatants to "Let your grievances depart from you, like leaves in the wind!", similar to the philosophy that Tenzin would later try to teach Avatar Korra in "A Leaf in the Wind" when he told her to "be like the leaf".
- On page 56, Earth King Kuei says, "Up until a year ago, I'd never even visited my own city's outer ring", which refers to when Aang brought him there in "The Earth King".
- Aang forms the Air Acolytes from the members of The Official Avatar Aang Fan Club, who ensure the survival of Air Nomad culture and eventually play a role in Avatar Korra's life.
- On page three, when Zuko wakes up from his dream, the scar he received from Azula in the Comet-Enhanced Agni Kai in "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang" does not appear. This is corrected in the collected Library Edition.
- On page seven, the higher flame of Ursa's headpiece is on her right. However, in the mirrored image on page 76, the higher flame of her headpiece would be on her left. In the preview poster of The Search Part One, her headpiece is again on her left.
- Sneers is normally drawn with an extra line on his upper lip, but on page 14, his upper lip is just one line.
- On page 18, when the soldier hands Zuko his helmet, the helmet clearly has a frame, but also a line of decorative flames above where the eyes should be. However, on all other pages, the helmet is shown with just the frame.
- Katara's water skin disappears on the lower left panel on page 14, the upper right panel on page 20, the second to last panel on page 36, the bottom panel on page 46, and the first two panels on page 64.
- On page 21, the red part and the gray part of the chest of the metal flying boar is in an upside down V line. On page 23, however, the red part becomes a curved semi-circle.
- On page 28, part of Katara's hair is colored green when she erects an ice barrier to deflect incoming debris.
- On page 34, Longshot's arrows disappear when they should be visible on the third panel.
- On page 41, the Earth Kingdom Army is shown to have only three flags. However, on all previous pages, the army is shown to have at least five flags.
- On page 45, the circle that is normally seen on the front of Zuko's cape disappears.
- On page 51, "Earth Kingdom" is spelled "Earth Kingdem".
- On page 73 in the first panel, there are curtains tied back to the left of Iroh. However, on all other panels, no curtain like that is seen.
- On page 74 in the second panel, the guards behind Zuko seem to be directly behind his chair. However, in the next panel, the guards are several feet apart.
- Gene Yang stated prior to the novel's publication that Azula's fate was going to be addressed in the third installment. He has also stated in an interview with Comics Alliance that the comics were going to conclude showing a gradual transition between the two animated series.[8] Only one of these was fulfilled; the second was when the United Republic of Nations was gradually formed and thought of in Yu Dao.
- Iroh's new tea is made of balls of tapioca cooked until they are soft and tender, similar to "boba", or pearls. It is a common ingredient in Asian desserts and drinks, and bears resemblance to real life bubble tea, also known as pearl milk tea.
- General How's army is barefoot. As Toph has demonstrated, earthbending is like seeing with the feet.
- Aang teaching the Air Acolytes from underneath a tree is reminiscent Gautama Buddha attaining enlightenment underneath the Bodhi tree.
- On the cover of the comic as well as in his dream, when Aang goes into the Avatar State, the air sphere and rings of water, earth, and fire look just like that of when he fought Ozai in "Sozin's Comet, Part 4: Avatar Aang".
- The members of the Official Avatar Aang Fan Club do not have arrows on their hands like the real Air Nomads did.
- A running gag in the comic is that people are surprised to see that Sneers and Kori are in a relationship. All of his male friends congratulate him with the same thumbs up gesture.
- The element symbols on the pendants of Aang's spiritual necklace are in the order of the Avatar Cycle going clockwise: air, water, earth, and fire.
Library Edition reveals
The Promise Library Edition compiles all three parts of The Promise trilogy as well as interjects trivia- and production-based notes in the sidebar of many pages. These notes were written by Gene Yang and the Gurihiru team. The following are notable points from the Library Edition that pertain to The Promise Part Three's early production phase and trivialities as attested by the aforementioned crew members.
- Gene Yang (author-perspective, storytelling trivia):
- The first page of Part 3 puts four panels beside one another to focus on how "all four elements are in chaos." (p. 155)
- The shared dream-vision of Aang and Zuko recalls the important plot usage of visions featured in "The Swamp" and Zuko's dream-vision in "The Earth King" (p. 158).
- Since Sneers did not travel outside the ideological world of the Freedom Fighters in the original series, he did not develop like his counterparts. People like Smellerbee and Longshot began to understand a more "nuanced" world than their ideologies had allowed them to consider, but Sneers, having appeared in only one episode, did not undergo this metamorphosis. "Sneers's relationship with Kori is what happens when ideology comes up against flesh-and-blood human beings," Yang concludes. "Often, the ideology has to give way."
- The subplot about Aang taking offense by the fan club's tattoos was developed while the STARS racial controversy erupted in concern to insensitive Halloween costumes (p. 166).
- A kylin is a mythic animal of Chinese legend often portrayed in statue form in front of houses and buildings, providing "mystic protection" to all who live under the buildings' roofs. By placing the metallic flying boar in front of her academy, Toph has erected a kylin of her own (p. 171).
- The Earth Kingdom citizens who made the motorized drill was influenced by the larger drill used to penetrate the walls of Ba Sing Se (p. 179).
- Yang asked Gurihiru to illustrate pages 40 and 41 (190 and 191 in The Promise Library Edition) based on "Japanese battle prints from the 1800s."
- "Like imperial [sic] Japan's army," Yang comments, "the Fire Nation army relies heavily on Western-style technology," pointing to the Japanese influence on Fire Nation culture. This military decision makes the army's artillery vulnerable to metalbenders. (p. 194)
- Yang had great expectations for Gurihiru's artistry on the kiss panel of page 48 (p. 198 of The Promise Library Edition), writing in the script, "This is an important one. It has to be sweet and heartfelt and sad." He was extremely pleased with their work (p. 198).
- The Dark One was becoming an uncomfortably similar character to Mai by Part 2's end. To remedy this, Yang has The Dark One take a position that "is all his own" while keeping with his goth nature: "bad poetry." (p. 204)
- Gurihiru (stylistic and artistic trivia):
- Gurihiru was pleased to work on The Promise Part Three because it gave them their first opportunity to draw rain in a comic (p. 155).
- The team noticed its mistake in not drawing the scar on Zuko's chest from his duel with Azula, so they corrected it here (p. 158).
- A handheld drill was originally going to be used to break down the Yu Dao wall, but Gurihiru realized that a weapon of such stature would not be adequate to threaten the wall and drew a vehicle drill instead (p. 179).
- The reason that the insides of tundra tanks look different in Part 3 from their appearances in the series is because Gurihiru was not given reference material for that part of the design, so they had to create the new design themselves (p. 183).
- The overhead shot of the battlefield on pages 40 and 41 (190 and 191 of The Promise Library Edition) were drawn last. A Japanese storybook from the 1800s (Yang 191) was used for reference (p. 191).
- Gurihiru considered drawing adult Aang with a beard on page 47 (197 in The Promise Library Edition), but since it was Katara's imagination, they realized that Katara would not know or think of his exact future facial features at that moment (p. 197).
- The servants who had accompanied Kuei on his airship are not there when Katara joins him. Gurihiru quips, "... Maybe they got off somewhere?" (p. 206)
- On page 70 (220 in The Promise Library Edition), Zuko is drawn with "a softer and slightly younger expression" in order to convey his relief at being away from the conflict (p. 220).
- It was purposeful that Gurihiru portrayed Azula's appearance divergently from her looks in the series (p. 226).


text:
Read the original story from Sustainable Business Oregon here.
Zipcar Inc. officials said Tuesday they're adding 2013 Honda Fit EV battery electric vehicles to the company's Portland fleet.
The Zipcar (NASDAQ: ZIP) vehicles will be available through Portland State University's fleet. ECOtality Inc. (NASDAQ: ECTY) is supplying the cars' charging stations.
"The new EVs add to the selection of smart and sustainable vehicle options Zipcar currently offers, and will help our members further reduce their environmental impact by driving on electricity only," said Jeremy Nelson, Zipcar's Portland general manager.
The cars are available to all Zipcar members at rates starting at $10.25 an hour. PSU's "Electric Avenue" charging stations played a role in Zipcar's decision to choose the campus as an EV outlet.
"Having electric vehicles available at PSU through Zipcar fits perfectly with our sustainability mission," said Portland State University President Wim Wiewel, in a release. "It's a clean transportation option that I think our students, faculty and staff are really going to appreciate."
Zipcar earlier this month also unveiled a car-sharing program at Pacific University that includes EVs. The company was sold to Avis in January.
Honda's 2013 Fit EV provides a 118 mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating, according to Environmental Protection Agency standards. A 240-volt circuit will recharge Honda Fit EV batteries in fewer than three hours from a low charge indicator point, according to the company.


text:
Randy Travis charged with DWI in Texas
(CBS/AP) Updated 2:56 p.m. ET
Randy Travis was charged with driving while intoxicated and threatening law officers after the country singer crashed his car and was found naked and combative at the scene, Texas officials said Wednesday.
It was the second arrest this year for Travis, who was cited in February for public intoxication.
Pictures: Randy Travis
Pictures: Celebrity arrests
Pictures: Celebrity mug shots
A photo released by the Grayson County Sheriff's Office shows a battered-looking Travis in a T-shirt, with a black eye and dried blood on his face. He later walked out of jail on $21,500 bond wearing scrubs, a University of Texas ball cap and no shoes.
The sheriff's office received an emergency call just before midnight Tuesday about a man seen lying in a road west of Tioga, where the singer lives.
A car registered to Travis, 53, drove off the road, said Tom Vinger, spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety. The vehicle had struck several barricades in a construction zone, according to the DPS.
Vinger said Travis made threats against Texas Highway Patrol troopers and was not wearing clothes at the time of his arrest. He refused sobriety tests, Vinger said, so a blood specimen was taken.
Sheriff's Sgt. Rickey Wheeler said Travis faces charges of retaliation or obstruction in addition to driving under the influence.
"Travis had a strong odor of alcoholic beverage on his breath and several signs of intoxication," according to a statement from the sheriff's office. "While Travis was being transported, Travis made threats to shoot and kill the troopers working the case."
A representative for Travis said there would be no immediate comment on the arrest.
In February, Travis was charged with public intoxication after being spotted in a vehicle parked in front of a church near his home.
He also has been involved in messy court proceedings with his ex-wife. Travis was divorced from Elizabeth Travis in 2010 after 19 years of marriage.
Earlier this year, Elizabeth Travis, who had been his manager for more than three decades, filed a lawsuit claiming that Randy Travis made it impossible for her to do her job and terminated her management contract without proper notice. She said her ex-husband sent several men, including an armed guard, to clean out her offices.
Randy Travis countersued in May, accusing his ex-wife of divulging confidential information about him in order to damage his reputation and career. The court documents don't say what information Elizabeth Travis is alleged to have betrayed.


text:
Scientists Discover 'Itch' Molecule
(NEW YORK) -- Scientists have discovered the molecule responsible for causing itchiness, but they can't scratch the problem off their lists just yet.
Researchers at the National Institutes of Health identified the itch molecule in mice and found that by using drugs to block the molecule, the mice didn't scratch when presented with itchy stimuli -- a skin irritant and a malaria drug known to cause itchiness.
"It's such a common problem and can be really devastating for quite a number of patients," said Dr. Jennifer Stein, a dermatology professor at NYU Langone Medical Center. "There are so many different choices of pain medicine for people, but we really have very limited treatments for itch."
Although most people only associate itch with bug bites and allergies, it can also be caused by other health problems such as thyroid disease and rare cases of lymphoma, Stein said.
Although antihistamine drugs are often used to stop itch, they don't work for all itches. And once a patient starts scratching, the itch often gets worse and turns into a cyclical problem.
The molecule is called natriuretic polypeptide b -- or Nppb – and it works by "plugging" into a nerve cell in the spinal cord to send a message to the rest of the central nervous system that's later experienced in the brain as an itch. The research paper was published in the journal Science on Friday.
"When we exposed the Nppb-deficient mice to several itch-inducing substances, it was amazing to watch." said Santosh Mishra, lead author on the study. "Nothing happened. The mice wouldn't scratch."
Although this isn't the first itch research to be published, it seems to indicate a start switch to the complex series of events involved in creating the itch sensation.
Scientists had previously found another neurotransmitter responsible for itch called GRP. Mishra and her colleagues learned that still applies, but GRP enters the process after Nppb, according to an NIH press release.
Only more research will show whether Nppb has the same function in humans, said Xinzhong Dong, an itch expert and professor of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
"Basically, they laid out a good foundation," Dong said. "Any medical research is still a long way to go to really come up with a workable drug to block this peptide and mitigate itch transmission."
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


text:
British actor Matthew Goode makes us swoon with his proper fancy swagger and sly good looks, and we're just wondering why he isn't in more movies. What is wrong with you Hollywood people? Get with the Goode program already.
Maybe if you were paying more attention to Matthew Goode's amazing sexiness and his immense talent, we'd get to see him in more movies. Channing Tatum who? (Kidding! Don't ever leave us, C-Tates.)
You may recognize Matthew Goode from his work in this year's dark coming of age film 'Stoker,' in which he co-starred with Mia Wasikowska (her name is so fun to say out loud — try it) and Nicole Kidman. Or you might remember him as the evil Ozymandias in 'Watchmen.' He also starred in the romantic comedy 'Leap Year,' a movie best forgotten.
None of those ring a bell? How about Tom Ford's (yes, the fashion designer) directorial debut, 'A Single Man.' In that film, Goode got all cozy with Mr. Darcy himself, Colin Firth. Talk about swoon-times. And if you're a BBC-watcher, Goode starred in the critically-acclaimed series 'Dancing on the Edge' for the overseas network.
If you haven't seen him in any of those things, we recommend you start doing your homework and start getting into Matthew Goode because — well, we'll let these photos speak for us.
Авторский пост


text:
The classic fit of the Prestige gets a girly upgrade. The Nike Prestige 3 Skinny High is your classic court-inspired pair featuring a smooth leather upper on top of an encapsulated Air® heel unit and solid rubber outsole; however, this style is made exclusively for the fit and shape of a women's foot. Wt. 12.1 oz.
Other Products


text:
Or Login using BecomeGorgeous
Please fill the form below and follow the further instructions.
You are about to receive a email from us please make sure to check your spam or junk folder and add our email [email protected] to your contact list.
Thank you!
The 2012 People's Choice Awards show was drizzled with glamor as celebrities turned to the most renowned fashion designers to shine on the red carpet. The 38th annual fan-favorite red carpet event, the People's Choice Awards which took place at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California on Wednesday, January 11, 2012 attracted a vast audience and some of the most en-vogue celebrities of the moment, so check out the best dressed celebrities at the super poular red carpet event and draw inspiration for your next all glam look. Celebrities tu... Read More


text:
Where would you like to see Tesla set up Super Chargers?
Where would you like to see Tesla set up Super Chargers?
New Jersey Turnpike
Garden State Parkway, NJ
I-287, Nyack, NY
I-684, Katonah, NY
I-84, Danbury, CT
I-84, Hartford, CT
I-90, Auburn, MA
I-90, Newton, MA
I-495, Amesbury, MA
I-95, Portsmouth, NH
I-95, Portland Intl Jetport, ME
I-295, Falmouth, ME
I-95, Gardiner, ME
I-95, Bangor, ME
I-95, Houlton, ME
CDA-2, Fredericton, New Brunswick
Baddeck, Nova Scotia
That would take care of all the East Coast Snowbirds returning north to Maine and Cape Breton for the summer!
I think finishing the 70 route from Denver to St Louis should be a priority. It doesn't look like it would take too many SCs and it would save a lot of miles if going cross country.
Follow the link directly to TESLA from insideevs.com
On Highway 5... either at Patterson, Newman, or Los Banos.
If you are coming from LA and going to east bay you need another SC at either of these locations.
I'd like to be able to take a more direct route from Dayton, OH, to Richmond, VA. I think a station in Charleston, WV would get me there. There are none anywhere close and it has the advantage of being the intersection of Interstates 64, 77, and 79.
I travel from Youngstown, Ohio to NY City a lot. I know there are a couple of Superchargers planned for rt 80. I would love to see those soon. I would also think one in Youngstown would be great. There are a few major interstates that go right though Youngstown. Interstate 80, 76, and 680 to name a few. Youngstown is rt in the middle of Cleveland, Oh. And Pittsurgh, PA. It will be a great stop in the future for a trip on RT. 80 heading to NYC.


text:
Online Community
AnneArundelCounty.com welcomes apelectrical15, the newest member to our growing online community!
Haven't joined AnneArundelCounty.com yet?
Get Involved
Add Your BusinessSubmit Content
events, articles, etc...
Latest Activity
Business Listings: Video Production / Duplication
Looking for a Video Production / Duplication in Annapolis, MD ? Here, you will find a comprehensive list of Annapolis, MD Video Production / Duplication . Video Production / Duplication in Annapolis, MD are encouraged to take advantage of our business listing options. If you know a Video Production / Duplication in Annapolis, MD, please share this page with them.
Did you know?
Your Listing For Video Production / Duplication Could Be Here?
(Spots Available First Come)
Click for Details
The Internet Can Be Fun!
137 S. Courtenay Pkwy #2306
Merritt Island, FL, 32952View Map - Get Directions
CraigShipp.com 4k Business Video Production
Affordable 4k UHD Business Story Videos
Serving The Entire Region
Free Listings:
Kent Courtney - Area Guides Network
Multi-Media Solutions for World-Wide Brand Recognition
137 South Courtenay Parkway
Merritt Island, FL, 32952View Map - Get Directions
Take One Digital Media
1415 Forest Drive
Annapolis, MD, 21403
View Map - Get Directions
Submit a FREE business listing to this category
If you appreciate the content published here please "Like" us below:


text:
New Products
Architronics: The Art & Science of Integrated Home Entertainment, Automation & Control (Smart Home) for Two Decades.
Architronics developed vast experience & expertise and is considered an industry leader in the greater Toronto area (GTA).
Architronics design, deploy/execute and service home theaters, lighting control, whole house music, automated shades, intelligent home network, etc.
Architronics Inc. | 25 Scarsdale Road, Toronto, ON, M3B 2R2, Canada


text:
Hello fellow free thinkers! Just wanted to introduce myself. I'm a new de-convert and just trying to find like-minded individuals to have intelligent conversations with.
Views: 357
Welcome, I like to think we are all just returning to our original, rational state of being in that we are all born atheist and only infected with pretend-a-nisim in our later life
Don't worry guys, me and Rob gave her a pretty accurate first impression of this community already.
oh...yup....yes you sure did. Thanks guys!
welcome Kara.


text:
The Music
AlbumsSee All
Music VideosSee All
Singles & EPsSee All
Live AlbumsSee All
CompilationsSee All
Appears OnSee All
About The Music
Brit-pop got a new face in the new millennium, thanks to the burgeoning popularity of new bands like Coldplay and Doves. The Music was a part of that young crowd, taking over the U.K. indie charts by storm during the summer of 2002. Comprised of schoolhood chums Stuart Coleman, Adam Nutter, Robert Harvey, and Phil Jordan, the Music first emerged from the suburbs of Leeds in 1999. They were just teenagers at the time, and the band practiced between studies and dinner time for the following two years. By early 2001, Radio 1 celebrity DJ Steve Lamacq had hailed the Music as the "best unsigned band in Britain," thanks to the raw rock power of their demo "Take the Long Road and Walk It." Fierce Panda Records secured the album's distribution rights and released a limited edition of 1,000 copies in May 2001.
England's Hut Recordings won a bidding war with the Music and released the band's debut EP, You Might as Well Try to Fuck Me, that same spring. Accolades continued to pour in, with NME touting the Music as "potentially the most important group since Oasis." The People EP appeared in spring 2002, and with the English press still abuzz, America attempted to capitalize on the group as well. Capitol Records snatched the Music up in mid-2002 and released their self-titled debut, Music, in February 2003. The album had appeared several months earlier in the U.K., where it rose to number four on the U.K. albums charts. The Music hit the road with Coldplay for a two-month run in the States and released their sophomore effort, Welcome to the North, during the fall of 2004. The album also fared well in the band's native U.K., but the Music took an extended break from the spotlight while frontman Robert Harvey sought help for his addiction to alcohol. Strength in Numbers, the band's third full-length effort, marked their return in June 2008. ~ MacKenzie Wilson
- Kippax, Leeds, England
- Rock
- 1999
Similar ArtistsSee All


text:
You will receive a notification to the e-mail address given at registration, as soon as your account has been activated for the mGuard Secure Cloud.
The mGuard Secure Cloud service team will usually get back to you within 1 business day. Meanwhile, please restrain from duplicate registrations. If in doubt and without response for 2+ business days, please use the contact form of the mGuard Secure Cloud for status inquiries.
Thank you for your request. We will contact you as soon as possible
Phoenix's mGuard Secure Cloud offers operators and machine builders a highly secure, web-based method for instant remote services to any machine and production plant within a client's network. The mGuard Secure Cloud is a professionally hosted, turnkey remote-services ecosystem for both the machine builder and the plant operator. Using a standard web browser, service personnel can connect to the Secure Cloud website and, after successfully authenticating, access all relevant client information: locations, operators, service targets (machines), users, as well as their access rights. A quick overview is also made available of all machines currently online and ready for instant remote service.
Implementing and operating an industry-standard remote services solution can be a complex task. Our cloud-based service remedies this situation, with a turnkey system for industrial remote services for utility operators, machine builders and plant technicians. Setup takes place in a few easy steps with hard- and software configuration provided.
The mGuard VPN technology uses the IPsec security protocol with strong encryption. This guarantees the confidentiality, authenticity and integrity of all information and data transmitted between the service staff and the machines.
The mGuard Secure Cloud forms a powerful and scalable VPN infrastructure in the cloud, securely interconnecting service staff with machines and plants via the Internet. Operated in a state-of-the-art data center with 24x7x365 monitoring, this ensures maximum reliability and availability to support your machines, facilities and customers.
Companies from the following countries can use the mGuard Secure Cloud:
Of course, your service targets (machines) and service technicians can access the mGuard Secure Cloud services worldwide.
For service workstations, the mGuard Secure Cloud is also available for use with certified VPN software clients: the mGuard Secure VPN Client and the Shrew Soft VPN Client. The mGuard Secure VPN Client is a major component of the mGuard Ecosystem and ideal for road warriors, service staff and teleworker in mobile and stationary use cases. But also any mGuard VPN devices can be used: from USB-powered portable mGuards, devices for the desktop together with PCI-compliant versions.
For the secure connection of machines to the mGuard Secure Cloud any mGuard VPN devices can be used. The comprehensive mGuard portfolio allows tremendous flexibility in application scenarios while maintaining high protection. The range varies from industrial-hardened versions with wired and wireless interfaces as well as hazardous location approvals, mGuards for 19" racks together with PCI-compliant and virtualized versions.


text:
Photo Challenge: Water Works
The Glimpse by Tak Iwasaki
Photography with a Splash
Today officially marks day #3 of the London Olympics! Don't forget to cheer on the 2012 U.S. Olympic Swim Team (or YOUR country's water Olympiads)! There will be nearly 20 U.S. swimmers taking to the pool in London this 2012 for some of the most anticipated water competition ever!
For this week's photo challenge theme we're seeking out your WATER photos! -- Cool pool games, water skiing, or lap swimming - there is no better way to cool down and have fun while temperatures soar this summer than in the water!
Closed August 20, 2012
RSS for photos in Photo Challenge: Water Works


text:
Double Face
Fund: Gemini Israel Funds
Posted by chompyZ on 2007-03-24
We came to meet with Gemini's partner and Analyst. Instead, came the Analyst with 2 other people who turned out to be in-residence entrepreneurs who got initial funding from Gemini for an idea in our line of industry and target market. We were obviously very uncomfortable with this, and their "logic" was that we might "do something together in the future"...PRIVATE: Members Only (394 Characters)