text:
In Defense of Silent Protagonists
Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 NEXT
I feel the same.
After watching Freemans Mind, guess what kind of person Gordon Freeman is for me now. When I played Black Mesa, I thought with a Ross Scott voice. :)
Please don't make me share it with a voice actor AND your hack writers stupid dialogue!
Great article as usual, Shamus!
Maybe also because the auteurs from the old classic games where largely introverts in/recently from their parents basements? :P
Now it's all focus group RUINED blandness (Jimquisition)
Although you may have no interested in the following proposal, some Half-Life fans have suspected that players only see through Gordon Freeman's eyes when he is in a more wild, Fight-or-Flight state, those of which are triggered by extreme amounts of stress. The idea supports several very important oddities, such as Freeman's lack of speech during gameplay, his physical fitness in comparison to his job, and even the appearances of the G-Man (the more calm and collected side of Gordon). Of course, the theory doesn't support the opening minutes of the original Half-Life, but it can cover pretty much everything else.
I'm disappointed, Shamus. I clicked this article to see whether you had anything new to say that might shake my opinion, or whether you would bring out the same tired defenses I'd seen a thousand times before. Turns out it was the latter.
Arguments like this one rest on the assumption that, should characters like Gordon be voiced, they will invariably be written badly, with annoying or stupid personalities. I see people point to Other M Samus or CD-i Link and say, "See? If you give characters a voice, THIS HAPPENS!" This, to me, looks like settling for mediocrity instead of atrociousness, when we should be pushing writers to do better than that. Bland is better than bad, as you say, but good is better than both.
Then there's the "canvas onto which I can project my own thoughts." I've heard that so many times it now makes me throw up in my mouth a bit. It might work in games that have no character-driven elements whatsoever, such as old-school shooters like Doom, but for games that give us a rich cast of characters to interact with, it's like assembling an exhibit of exquisite paintings for the Louvre and then placing a blank canvas at the center, telling viewers to "project your own painting." Half-Life 2 tries to sell us on this relationship between Gordon and Alyx, but since Gordon can't speak, all Alyx can do is talk to herself and assume Gordon is nodding along. And that's how everyone acts in Half-Life 2, because really, nodding along is all Gordon can do. The result is that that's who Gordon is--a spineless asshole who just goes along with what other people say, having no input, no agency, and nothing to contribute but another gun and a HEV suit.
But there's a bigger thing. You see, I don't play games in order to "project my personality" onto anything. I'm a pasty white guy who spends too much time in front of a computer screen and types up long retorts to Internet articles, why on Earth would I want to take that with me into a game? No, I play games to forget who I am in real life for a while, and step into the life of someone else. Video games are at their best not when the protagonist is acting as I would act in real life, but when I've forgotten how I would act in real life and become invested in this person who is not me. Sometimes I find, in the midst of a game, that my inner voice has taken on the voice and speech patterns of the character I'm playing as, and that's how I know the game has really grabbed me.
What I take away from this article is that silent protagonists are a decent crutch for writers who aren't capable of delivering rich, well-characterized protagonists. I suppose that's true, but I'd much rather play the games made by the people who are capable.
Sometimes I feel like we are sharing the same head Shamus, because you always seem to share the same opinions on these things as I do. It's actually kind of creepy, as I think I have only ever disagreed with one of your articles.
I think it's why I found it a lot easier to get into Dragon Age: Origins than all of the other Bioware games released recently. In Origins my character doesn't say things that go against my own thoughts, they may not be able to say anything you can think of, but there is normally enough choice to make most people happy. Whereas in other games you don't even get the choice half the time as they use the voiced protagonist to say things without prompting, and in my case at least, it almost always seems to go against how I imagine my character to be.
It would be better to say that a silent protagonist doesn't make a bad game.
Game: good in it's day. Character: neither good or bad, just blank.
Smells like Far Cry 3 in here. Jason Brody also felt like some weird disembodied voice that was hitching a ride with me.
There's a sliding scale of silent vs. characterized, and far too many developers are haphazard and thoughtless about which tropes they use for different points on the scale. If you're going to have minimal characterization, then you need to give your hero fairly broad, easy-to-fit-into motivations. If you're going to have the character act in ways that run contrary to how the player is going to react to a situation, then you need to pull out to third person a lot and actually define the character as a separate entity who has motivations that make sense.
You know who are really the people who complain about silent protagonists? It's not the ones who want video games to have better stories or characters, it's the ones who think good game stories/characters must be identical in form to those of films or books, despite the huge disparities between the mediums being used and, therefore, their methods of delivering a narrative. (Plus they seem determined to overlook games like BioShock wherein the silence of the protagonist is itself an essential component of the story.) Not that silent protagonists are always a good fit and can't be executed or implemented poorly (Dead Space comes to mind), but just like the closing paragraph says, they're a tool as legitimate as any other, and one that video game storytelling would be worse off without.
Counter: RPGs. Specifically, RPGS with a blank slate protagonist. Give him a voice and he isn't a blank slate anymore. Suddendly, the charater has any emotion the voice actor chooses to convey in any given scene. Elder Scrolls games, New Vegas, Dragon Age: Origins, and SMT games would be ruined for me.
That's something that other mediums do far, far better than videogames. That's the kind of experience that a good first-person perspective novel excels at. Video games aren't suited to detailed character studies, and usually come off as half-baked in comparison.
Video games have an unparalleled ability to tell a story by giving the player a world to interact with. Myst told a more compelling tale just through environmental design than most "cinematic" games have even come close to. Hell, Doom 3 was a stronger narrative experience when I was wandering around in the dark listening to audio logs than any game I've played that tried to build up a strong main character.
There's an interesting conflation going on in this thread, in that a fair few people seem to be using 'silent protagonist' to include the player characters from various dialogue heavy rpgs. This is missing the point, as characters like The Warden and the Courier do in fact have lines of dialogue - and frequently participate in involved conversations - it's just that these lines aren't read by an actor. They aren't 'silent', they're 'unvoiced'.
In regards to the article, while I do agree there is some room for silent protagonists (because some players do prefer having an avatar to inhabit rather than a character to control), I must point out that the final paragraph is a pretty weak argument. By the same logic, you might as well argue that games shouldn't have stories because most game writers aren't very good at them.
I'd like to quote something from the Fallout 2 manual which I think is on topic.
"Your character will never use combat taunts. We fully expect you to scream those out loud, and scare your neighbors."
I can totally agree with you there, Freeman isn't really the point. He may be an important player in the events at hand, but the story definitely belongs to the setting and the NPC's.
Although, I personally wouldn't put Gordon Freeman on par with Odysseus. I always thought that the point of the Odyssey was that all these fantastic and deadly trials and tribulations are due to one man's refusal to see his own flaws. Odysseus' flawed character, I felt, was the ignition and the fuel for the whole story, whereas Freeman is more like a vessel for the player to witness the story unfolding around them.
Then again, you may be right; it's been a fair while since I've read the Odyssey. It's sitting on my shelf, and I'd like to get around to it again sometime. Although, one thing I clearly remember: of my class of nearly 30 students, I was the only one who liked Odysseus. Yes, he was a self-righteous douchebag, but he was a smart self-righteous douchebag. For some reason, I always saw him as an early example of the type of characterization that would later be prevalent in 80's action heroes, something which I came to appreciate.
Eh I disagree, but that's okay.
What's not okay is just throwing the entire reasoning under "The extroverts want it!"
I'm an introvert and I do not like silent protagonists, so that's generalizing.
Not gonna lie. I kinda resent when people talk about silent protagonists, and every time the go-to-guy is Gordon Freeman; never with even a faint mention of the mega-popular game that started the silent protagonist trope: Chrono Trigger. Maybe I'm just old, but that's my go-to when I think of a silent protagonist.
You're right, and he's especially interesting amongst epic heroes in that he does actually have some semblance of character development, but even then it's rather minor in my opinion - an excuse to have the adventure much more than anything else. The funniest thing to me about that book is how many of them seem to have PTSD from the Trojan War, yet the story itself has no interest in the psychology of its characters beyond a couple of very basic character arcs.
I agree. I'd much rather play as a silent protagonist that I can project onto than a fully voiced protagonist with a predefined character. Esp. if said predefined character is that of a dipshit I can't identify with.
Meh. Hard to argue. There are a lot of games that came before chrono trigger where the protagonist didn't speak but various characters spoke to them. Then there are games which had no characterization at all like the original Doom or Wolfenstein 3d.
You could just as easily claim early interactive fiction titles were the pioneers (see: zork, et al) of the uncharacterized protagonist who interacted with a gameworld.
But chrono trigger rocked. :)
Or you could just do what Valve did and create scenarios where the protagonist is never actually expected to say anything. The dialogue bits in Half Life 2 never came across as awkward or unusual to me because they were always framed in such a manner that Freeman never needed to respond to anyone. Does it honestly break your suspense that much if your character doesn't blabber off every time someone talks to him? To me Freeman's silence was just something of a running joke that the series fully acknowledged but deliberately avoided correcting, and I'm glad they didn't.
There are simply some levels of realism that are unnecessary if you have even the tiniest suspension of disbelief, and trying to "fix" these can ruin gameplay. Another one from the Half Life series is ladders. When climbing ladders your hands never touch the bars (usually because they're gripping a gun) and you can even turn around and face the opposite direction. Is this realistic? No. But I've played games where they added ladder climbing animations for the characters and all they do is create a pointless, time consuming segment where you jarringly lose control over the character, and sometimes even glitch up or have bugs.
I'd generally prefer a game that's a little unrealistic if it makes it more enjoyable. And it's never fun when you have to
The legend of Zelda games have typically solved the problem of a silent protagonist by giving Link a companion who can speak for him, with mixed results. Midna was likeable, but Navi and Fi were notoriously annoying and unhelpful.
Perhaps it's an issue people will have to agree to disagree on, but at least we can all agree that it's better for a protagonist to remain silent than to end up like Samus.
Neither situation is perfect. While I hate characters with stupid lines or whatever, I can't inherently say that a silent protagonist would be better by default. Most of the time, from what I have seen, silent protagonists don't really add anything to the experience, because the game is still ascribing a personality to him, and therefore to have him spoken to throughout the games but never responding just leaves it feeling like a giant hole in the game.
Freeman is one of the better silent protagonists, overall, but I still never felt like he was a blank slate for me to ascribe my personal motivations to. Clearly, these other characters were not speaking or referring to him as some sort of lone-ranger guy. In my opinion, they clearly spoke to him in ways that ascribed him a character without him ever uttering a word. Even if they never specify a reason as to why you go and save that guy, the way in which they ask you to save that guy can say infinitely more. As they say, only a very small portion of communication is in the words, so much more is said in body language and expression and tone of voice. And when I hear the NPCs in Half-Life ask Freeman to do something, it was always done with an air of expecting him to be the noble hero who'll do this, if for nothing else, to save the world.
Until the day comes we have full virtual reality games that we can literally close our eyes and wake up inside the game and be able to interact believable with the inhabitants, I don't think silent protagonist is a "perfect solution". Obviously, I don't want a bad character, but I'd rather a good character with good dialogue than a silent character who is spoken "at" for the whole game without ever responding.
P.S. What troubles me is the binary nature in which a lot of people seem to have this discussion, as if the ONLY other option besides silent protagonist is incessant blabbermouth. It doesn't have to be one extreme or the other.
Of course, this is nothing new. Boba Fett was already teh best chaerecter EVAR before people even knew his name because they thought he looked cool and filled in all the blanks themselves.
We loves ourselves a blank slate to imprint on, so it's no surprise we take it one step further in our interactive media. Hell, I loke to play an idealised version of myself sometimes, too.
Still, it's utterly annoying to hear Freeman described as a "good character" when he has almost no character except what we ourselves add. That's like saying a blank canvas is a brilliant piece of art because of what we might paint on it.
Granted, but in a lot of those cases it was basically you walk up to the character, hit the interact button, they belch-out their dialogue and you move-on. There wasn't much thought given to the fact that your character didn't speak back because that's just how things were back then. Stories weren't give a whole lot of drama with long-winded discussions. Chrono Trigger stuck out, though, because it was released during an era where every character got to have some input. Yet here we had Crono, a character who's only lines of dialogue were some "Yes/No" prompts that you as the player decided. We can assume he spoke, after-all, the characters responded based on what he said, but he never actually opened his mouth and said them. Presumably, his dialogue was basically what you were thinking as you selected whichever option, then the conversation continued-on with you personally having been a part of it. Basically, he was the exact kind of character that Shamus just wrote and essay about before the character he chose to focus on was even a glimmer in Gaben's eye.
Remember Samus Aran?
Sometimes it's better when a silent protagonist stays silent.
Both can work. As Jim reminded us, there is no perfect pasta sauce, just perfect pasta sauces.
I love Half Life and I really feel a connection with the characters when I'm playing. In Bioshock Infinite, I really liked Booker and Elizabeth's interaction. I didn't care much for the voiced protagonist in Far Cry 3 however. It's a mixed bag and there's good and bad both ways.
I will, however, agree that it would be cool to see it handled differently in some games. Maybe something happens at the beginning of the game that takes away your ability to talk. It could lead to comical mishaps where people don't understand your gestures and they misinterpret them and things get messed up and you have to fix it. Maybe that's a dumb idea but thinking outside of the talk or not talk dichotomy could lead to some interesting game choice designs.
Rex Power Colt, by contrast, felt like an AWESOME disembodied voice hitching a ride with me.
I love me a good novel, but video games can do it too, and they can do it in ways that other media can't. Have you ever played the Silent Hill series? They have compelling, untold stories told through the environments and the world alongside rich, detailed protagonists, delivered in an atmospheric experience that wouldn't work in a non-interactive medium. Nothing is sacrificed. Spec Ops: The Line told a story in a way that no novel or movie could have, and Martin Walker was a thousand times more interesting than any Doom marine.
It seems to me like silent protagonists have a few places where they work best. Games that are clearly not about telling a story (Doom) or games that let you build your character in the engine (The Elder Scrolls). But games that are trying to tell a definite story, with a rich cast of side characters, only hurt themselves by centering it all on a blank nobody.
It also seems to me like a lot of people in this thread who speak out against speaking protagonists do so because they're imagining a poorly-written dipshit who says stupid things and does things that don't make sense. Of course, anything sucks if it's done poorly. But a well-written character can do the opposite; they can draw you in, they can make you more immersed in the world, and they can give you something else to talk about when the game is over. Those well-written characters are the ones worth treasuring.
Eh ...nnnnnnooooo.
Sorry a silent protagonist is just lazy.
"What do you think about this"
I mean honestly its boring as hell to me.
But a silent protagonist is just very boring to me.
Not a real character to me.
This is the main reason i loved dragon age and hated dragon age 2 ...... this is also the reason dont enjoy mass effect that much.... shepard is a douche..... i kind of like femshep but still its kind of meh....
while I agree, I also would note that it definitely goes both ways
I'm okay with Halo or Metro where the character doesn't talk during controlled gameplay at least. guess being a mute works in CoD cuz you can't not do what they tell you to anyway :p
I don't think there is anything particularly wrong with voiced over FP characters. It makes for a lot more natural dialogue. I thought the interaction between Booker and Elisabeth was really good. Perhaps that's the exception, maybe you disagree and think it was horrible.
I am glad to see this article. I believe that a silent protagonist, for me at least, increases the immersion of the game by allowing me to project myself as the game character rather than being a fly on the head of some guy doing stuff and I just get to steer the gun. It is an art all its own to have a game story and have a silent protagonist to make the player feel like part of the game rather than just controlling the game.
Why is Gordon Freeman one of the best game characters? Its because I am Gordon Freeman.
See, I hate it when RPGs do that. Dragon Age Origins and Knights of the Old Republic were significantly worsened in my eyes because of the silent protagonists. When my character spends every conversation standing stock still with all the expressive power of a fence post while the NPCs chatter away like actual people, it ruins the illusion. It doesn't feel like a conversation between two or more people because one of those people isn't participating, it just feels like me picking from a list of if-then/query-response options.
It works a bit better in the TES and new Fallout games because those are first person, so I can't actually see my fence post of a character trying to take part in non-conversations. Not that it matters, since the the dialogue in those games was complete garbage anyway.
Doom and Wolfenstein came out well before Chrono Trigger. And, they too were "mega-popular". They're often included in the discussion of silent protagonists.
Even before Doom we had characters like Mario, Link, and a slew of others that almost never uttered even a single syllable.
That's bullshit and you know it.
Crafting a compelling narrative; one filled with interesting characters, immersive environments, and good pacing; around a silent protagonist is far more challenging than writing a standard narrative around a voiced protagonist.
To suggest otherwise is ludicrous.
Granted, not all writers accomplish that feat. Many a title in the video game industry is testament to that. But to dismiss silent protagonists as a valid plot device simply because there are some bad examples is nonsense. Not unless you're willing to apply the same logic to voiced protagonists.
It depends on the game, sometimes it works (Portal, Half Life) the worst kind of silent protagonist is the one who is a mute only during the gameplay. Resistance 3 and Bad Company 2 did that, the playable character is interesting and talkative into cutscenes, but when the gameplay part starts he shuts up and just takes orders. That makes the story feel very divided from the game.
Isaac Asimov is the perfect rebuttal. All his characters exist only for the purpose of exposition and the occasional flat conversation. His books are still amazing.
|Pages PREV 1 2 3 4 NEXT


text:
On the London Underground there are posters like the one above, featuring the God of Thunder against the city skyline and promising "An Avenger is coming to town." There's definite excitement to see the city blown up so often this year go a few rounds with Thor's hammer, and it was a blast and a privilege to see Thor: The Dark World in London last week, just before conducting interviews with the entire cast and crew.
Because Disney paid my way to London I won't be reviewing the film-- we've gotta draw a line somewhere-- but now that the embargo has lifted, I wanted to share a few highlights that are worth looking forward to, beyond what's been featured in the many clips and trailers we've seen so far. You may think you've seen it all already, but Game of Thrones veteran Alan Taylor is bringing a lot to the table. Check back in a few days for our formal review, but in the meantime, here are some spoiler-free bullet points to keep an eye out for.
1. Asgard has gotten a major expansion. The filmmakers have promised all along that we'd get to see much more of Asgard and its Nine Realms, and while the inter-planetary hopping and battle scenes are fun, it's the details in Thor's hometown of Asgard that make a huge difference. From a brief scene inside a raucous, medieval-style pub to a moving scene that highlights the massive waterfall in the city center, Asgard feels like much more of a real place (the increased budget for the sequel couldn't have hurt).
2. Chris Hemsworth's hair extensions have too. No, this won't be the biggest thing you'll look for in The Dark World, but director Taylor has said that fixing Thor's hair was a major priority, and he's definitely got better-looking flowing locks this time. It's the details that count!
3. Thor and Loki are better together than ever. If that scene of Thor and Loki briefly fighting on the cliff in The Avengers had you wishing for more brother-on-brother drama, Thor: The Dark World has what you're looking for. Everyone at Marvel seems to understand what an asset Tom Hiddleston is as Loki, even shooting extra scenes to feature him, and the many scenes of the brothers arguing, scheming and going through some heavy-duty emotions are worth the effort. It's not just that Hiddleston is a scene-stealer-- Hemsworth makes him better in their scenes too, especially with no other Avengers to get in the way.
4. The movie is funnier than you might think. Sure, it's called "The Dark World" but Marvel clearly remembers how the unexpected laughs in the original Thor helped the film, and they include lots of them here. Inevitably, Loki gets most of the good lines. But he's also got some competition…

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I will wait to see some better pics but these don't look to bad. I'm not thrilled with the action feature stuff, but hopefully they work out better than the AOTC/Saga versions. I do like the Emperor. The cardbacks to me are better than the previous versions for Ep1 and 2 in my opinion. At least they did something to distinguish ROTS as a movie on it's own. But I can see why many of you don't like it either! So far we know the following are coming out at somepoint: EmperorR2-D2Obi-Wan KenobiAnakinAnakin (probably Vader case pack-in) ClonetrooperClonetrooper (probably Vader case pack-in)Super Battle DroidTion MeddonWookie WarriorChewbaccaR4 DroidGeneral Grievous GG's Body GuardYodaMace WinduDarth VaderBail Organa (prototype)Chancellor Palpatine (prototype)Count Dooku (prototype)Yoda on Dragonfly (Deluxe)Anakin (snapon armor Deluxe) Some other Deluxe's but can't remember them. Big lineup so far!
Posted by: jokabofe Posted on: November 18, 2004, 11:26 AM Insert Quote Droid Attack???
Judging by the action feature instruction on the back of the cards, they all actually look to be fairly well executed, at least in comparison to the Saga action debacle. The figures all look nice and neutral, despite the feature. I've gone from dreading the action features to merely dealing with them this time. They don't look too bad.
Page created in 0.06 seconds with 17 queries.


text:
Neal L. Wolf, founder, Neal Wolf & Associates
Neal L. Wolf has founded Neal Wolf & Associates, a law firm specializing in corporate reorganization, bankruptcy and insolvency. The firm has offices in Chicago and San Francisco. Wolf has been a partner at Dewey & LeBoeuf, Winston & Strawn and Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe. Most recently, he was a partner at Butler Rubin Saltarelli & Boyd. He has worked on complex bankruptcies including Bally Total Fitness, Federated Department Stores (now Macys), Halo Industries and Hartmarx Corp.
Copyright © 2018, The Morning Call


text:
There's really only one way to get the Hollywood A+ list.
Send in a New York media heavyweight. Book the Bel-Air Hotel. Spare no expense. Make sure you have an equal amount of moguls and movie stars. And even invite Lassie.
That's exactly what New Yorker editor Tina Brown did, to the point where she seemed starstruck by her own guest list — an assemblage that included Warren Beatty and Annette Bening, Shirley MacLaine, Oliver Stone and Barry Levinson all chicly gathered at the Bel-Air to celebrate The New Yorker's movie issue.
"I'm too blown away by this evening to talk," the ebullient Brown admitted.
Her spirit was catching, and the evening turned into something of a hug fest. Emma Thompson embraced nearly every director she bumped into. Then there was Robin Williams, who during his dinner speech hugged deposed Tri-Star head Mike Medavoy and said, "It's okay, everything's gonna be all right."
Carrie Fisher and Brooke Shields hugged the La Cuisine-made dessert table, and Glenn Close, in her "Jagged Edge" jacket and Barneys tank dress, hung on to her latest young escort, Steve Beers.
At Tina's table: Steven Spielberg, Thompson — dressed in "very packable" Miyake — Ralph Fiennes, Donna Karan-clad Barbra Streisand, producer John Calley, Mike Ovitz and Ali MacGraw in Calvin Klein, who, like everybody, was betting on next week's Oscars.
"'The Piano' to win!" said Michael Eisner. "Spielberg is my man," cheered Whoopi Goldberg. As though not wishing to upset a tentful of "Schindler" worshippers, Anjelica Huston whispered, "'In The Name of The Father"' and added, "I always go for the Irish."


text:
Look of the Week
Jan 21, 2013, 12:51 EST
LONDON, January 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --
- Top 10 Boots-
Practical, chic, stylish and comfortable - give us one good reason not to love boots! Boots are perfect for the unpredictable Irish weather and can easily translate from a winter to spring wardrobe. From UGGs to platforms, knee-high numbers to ankle cuties, a good pair of boots is a must-have for all fashionistas.
Here is our pick of the top 10 boots for your wardrobe, all available at the click of a mouse from http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie:
1. South Dee Leather Ankle Boots, €79 - country and western is given a rocker edge with stud detailing.
2. South Dillard Leather Knee High Flat Boots, €104 - perfect on those cold, wet mornings, these boots will keep your toes warm, dry and stylish all day long!
3. Dr Martens Core Castel 8 Eyelet Floral Boots, €119 -these 90s- grunge classic Dr Martens are given a spring update with floral prints.
4. Bertie Polencia Low Chelsea Boots, €119 - perfect for wearing with your favourite pair of floral or coloured skinny jeans.
5. Love Label DelanoStudded Lace Up Work Boots, €57 - edgy and cool, these statement boots are great worn with leggings and a leather biker jacket for a shopping trip.
6. Love Label Dempster Suede Flat Boots, €64 - these cute and stylish boots are perfect for teaming with pretty tea dress for a casual, feminine look.
7. Love Label Denberg Heel Platform Biker Boots, €64 - for a killer heeled boot, look no further! These biker boots look great worn with black skinny jeans or leather-look leggings on a night out.
8. Love Label Streisand Platform Ankle Boots €57 - available in leopard print, burgundy or Aztec print, these boots will instantly give any outfit some added sass-appeal
9. South Azzara Casual Leather Ankle Boots, €89 - with their slouch style, this leather boots epitomise laidback casual chic.
10. Bertie Aztec Western Boots, €143 - the 'western' trend is here to stay for the foreseeable fashion future and these boots will be great when the festival season comes around!
Put your best 'boot' forward this season - go online to http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie today!
About Littlewoods Ireland http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie
Littlewoods Ireland is one of Ireland's largest shop at home retailers, offering convenient online and catalogue shopping. Formerly Family Album and Kays, the company rebranded to become Littlewoods Ireland in June 2007. Littlewoods Ireland is owned by Littlewoods Shop Direct Group, the UK's largest Home Shopping Business.
Littlewoods Ireland offers a wide range of well known high-street fashion brands, such as Miss Sixty, Firetrap, French Connection, Oasis and many more. Exclusive to Littlewoods Ireland, is uber trendy own brand, Love Label. In addition to its comprehensive women's, men's and children's clothing range, Littlewoods Ireland also offers a wide variety of homeware, appliances, electronics, jewellery and toys, providing the complete department store shopping experience.
For more information about Littlewoods Ireland, to order a catalogue or to shop online, visit http://www.littlewoodsireland.ie
SOURCE Littlewoods Ireland


text:
Passenger Information
Welcome to Bangor's hometown airport.
When flying from the Bangor region, there's simply no better choice than the Bangor International Airport. With a broad range of convenient services, great connections to major cities, easy in and out, and lower costs for services such as parking, Bangor International Airport (BGR) brings extra value to every trip. And for area residents, once you return home you're home there's no long, costly drive from a distant airport.
Convenient. Easy. Friendly. Bangor International Airport.


text:
Manchester police charge two men with prowling
September 26. 2013 2:37PM
MANCHESTER - Police arrested two Manchester men and accused them of staking out houses in a south-end neighborhood. Both were charged with prowling.A driver called police and reported there were two men walking through yards of several homes on Huse Road around 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, saying the men were wearing the hoods of their sweatshirts up.Officers responding to the call questioned the men, who were arrested after not being able to provide a legitimate reason for walking through the yards.Nicholas Watson, 22, and Jeremiah Cole, 22, were found walking along the back of a South Mammoth Road home and arrested. Police said Cole was carrying an empty backpack and a folding knife.


text:
Follow RFF News on your cell phone. Text follow rff to 40404 you will receive txt messages with RFF News
0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.
Just go sass there is not a thing going on
I'm coming sass--just give me about 10 minutes okay??
Page created in 3.757 seconds with 33 queries.


text:
Test pipes = no cats at all.
If you're turbo charged, power is there to be made with test pipes, otherwise it's a waste of time.
i agree with randy best mod i have done and to keep the cel off use 2 spark plug non-foulers and screw them together and drill out the top one with a 1/2 bit then screw in to the second 02 sensors bung then screw in 02 sensor and no more cel from not having a cat it work on my 01 and it has been 6+ months without a cel from the test pipe
thats what happens when i have been up 26+ hours, my mind wants to say one thing that makes sense but my fingers don't follow
JR, FWIW, I have custom 3" testpipe and it has never caused a CEL. Maybe there are other factors at play.
JR - I am running the ER 3"-->2.5" Testpipe that eventually leads to a 3" HFC (relocated down stream) that goes back my Milltek exhaust. the 3" from ER mounts up perfect. This wasn't the cheapest way to go, but it works well. Oh and i get no CEL's.
Yeah, I caught that above. What I can't get a straight answer on to simply put it: is the outlet on the K03 2.5" or 3". I was under the impression that the K04 was 3" but I'm running the K03 and tired of coming up with nothing on internet searches.
Why not call Randy or Todd and have them give you a measurement from one of the k03's they've got laying around?
They never answer the phone so I don't bother :P


text: Big City, Big Mountains & Big Opportunities Colorado history and mountains offer a unique and grand culture. Enjoy the following facts about Denver and the stunning state of Colorado: Colorado has 26 ski areas and resorts to enjoy activities year-round. Denver has the second highest number of college graduates per capita in the U.S. (after Washington, D.C.). The mountainous area of Colorado is six times the size of Switzerland. Denver is one of the fastest growing metropolitan regions in the United States. Colorado ranks No. 2 (second only to Hawaii – not bad company!) looking at overall well-being, based on physical health, outlook on life, job satisfaction and other factors of quality of life, according to the annual Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index. At 5,280 feet above sea level, golf balls fly 10 percent farther in the Mile High City. Denver has the nation's most highly educated downtown workforce. Denver has over 300 days of sunshine a year – more than San Diego or Miami Beach. The Denver metro area receives only 15 inches of precipitation a year, about the same as Los Angeles. Mid-winter temperatures of 60 degrees are common. Denver has seven major professional sports franchises. The Colorado Trail – a 500-mile hiking trail – crosses eight mountain ranges, seven national forests, six wilderness areas and five river systems. The Denver Center for the Performing Arts hosts over 10 Broadway productions each season. Colorado is the only state in history to turn down the Olympics. In 1976 the Winter Olympics were planned to be held in Denver, but 62 percent of all state voters chose at almost the last minute not to host the Olympics because of the cost, pollution and population boom it would have on the state of Colorado and the city of Denver. The United States Air Force Academy is located in Colorado Springs. The world's largest flat-top mountain is in Grand Mesa. In Fruita, the town folk celebrate "Mike the Headless Chicken Day". Seems that a farmer named L.A. Olsen cut off Mike's head on Sept. 10, 1945 in anticipation of a chicken dinner - and Mike lived for another four years without a head. The LoDo region of Denver stands for Lower Downtown. Denver lays claim to the invention of the cheeseburger. The trademark for the name cheeseburger was awarded in 1935 to Louis Ballast. The highest paved road in North America is the road to Mt. Evans off of I-70 from Idaho Springs. The road climbs up to 14,258 ft. above sea level. Colorado means "colored red" and is known as the "Centennial State." Colorado contains 75 percent of the land area of the United States with an altitude over 10,000 feet. Colfax Avenue in Denver is the longest continuous street in America. The 13th step of the state capitol building in Denver is exactly one mile above sea level. The Dwight Eisenhower Memorial Tunnel between Clear Creek and Summit counties is the highest auto tunnel in the world. Bored at an elevation of 11,000 feet and passing under the Continental Divide, it is 8,960 feet long and the average daily traffic exceeds 26,000 vehicles. Leadville is the highest incorporated city in the United States at 10,430 feet elevation. Because there was lots of "silver" named towns at the time, the founding fathers suggested Leadville. Katherine Lee Bates wrote "America the Beautiful" after being inspired by the view from Pikes Peak. Pueblo is the only city in America with four living recipients of the Medal of Honor. Every year Denver host the worlds largest rodeo, the National Western Stock Show. Denver has the largest city park system in the nation with 205 parks in city limits and 20,000 acres of parks in the nearby mountains. The tallest sand dune in America is in Great Sand Dunes National Monument outside of Alamosa. This bizarre 46,000-acre landscape of 700-foot sand peaks was the creation of ocean waters and wind more than one million years ago.


text:
The amount of federal money available for recreation has a big impact on the quality of the recreation experiences for Americans.
This money pays for:
- Trail maintenance
- Recreation facilities
- Other recreation-related costs on lands run by agencies, such as the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management
The Wilderness Society works for adequate funding for recreation programs because recreation programs:
- Connect people to the outdoors
- Provide a higher quality of life
- Stimulate the active outdoor recreation economy.
Funding for federal land management agencies has been relatively flat through 2012 and big funding cuts are expected in the future.
Forest Recreation Funding
More than 50,000 people recreate on national forest trails every year. Funding these trails is critical for upkeep and to keep our outdoor recreation economy booming.
Funding for Recreation on BLM Lands
Americans love the western lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and they would recreate more on BLM lands if only there were more trails. We're working to expand the system so more people can enjoy the wonders of our unique western wildlands.
Read more about our work on the recreation budgets of the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Wilderness is a precious resource with many human, natural and economic benefits that we need to protect.
Learn more about issues affecting the places we work to protect with our Notes from the Field.
Hear artists, activists and adventurers share what the ownership and legacy of these American wildlands means to them.


text:
If you have forgotten your username or password, you can request to have your username emailed to you and to reset your password. When you fill in your registered email address, you will be sent instructions on how to reset your password.
This is the forum where all aspects of the split of vintage console scores into Original NTSC, PAL and SECAM versus emulation variations will be discussed


text:
What You'll Get
Appalachian Dracula was famously quoted as saying, "I never drink … moonshine." Teach the original Dracula a thing or two with this Groupon.
$25 for $75 Worth of Wine
The online boutique's selection allows for holiday gifts in bottle form, including a 2009 Luisi pinot grigio ($24.99), 2010 James & Bell zinfandel ($14.99), and various wine assortments ($119.88+) such as California Whites and Mystery Reds, all of which are mailed directly to your door for a $0.01 shipping fee if you order a full case.
The Fine Print
Promotional value expires May 22, 2013. Amount paid never expires. Limit 1 per person, may buy 1 additional as a gift. Limit 1 per visit. Valid online only. Ships only to select states. Not valid for club memberships. Not valid for shipping or tax. Merchant is solely responsible to purchasers for the care and quality of the advertised goods and services.
About Wine Insiders
Wine Insiders was founded over 36 years ago to seek out the best and most affordable wines from around the globe. Its panel of wine-tasting experts approves only 5 out of every 100 bottles sampled, ensuring that only the most delicious wines are recommended to customers. The team even offers a satisfaction guarantee: if customers aren't 100% delighted by the vinos they've selected, Wine Insiders will refund the full cost of the order, no questions asked—not even "So, you doing anything fun this weekend?" Despite its staff's legendary pickiness, Wine Insiders stocks a variety of red and white wines, including pinot noirs, pinot grigios, rieslings, and cabernet sauvignons, each joined by an informative description.


text:
Important Information for 2001-2002 Chicago-Kent Scholarship Recipients
If you have been awarded a Chicago-Kent scholarship for the 2001-2002 academic year, please refer to the Scholarship Policies from the current Student Handbook for important information concerning your award. Please direct any questions about your scholarship to the Office of Admissions, Suite 230.
External Scholarships
Throughout the year, the Office of Admissions receives notices of scholarships that are offered through external organizations. Information about the scholarship awards that are currently available is listed below. Award notices are listed by the date on which they were posted. For a complete list of the scholarships that were posted in the Record last year, click here.
You may also find
information on other outside scholarship awards on the Internet. Both
FastWeb and SuperCollege offer free searchable databases with more than
400,000 scholarship awards for which you may apply. You can visit
FastWeb at http://www.fastweb.com
and SuperCollege at http://www.supercollege.com.
|Main Record Index
|Top of Page


text:
I've heard it happen a number of times. When people first learn of the Meatloaf Bakery in Lincoln Park, they ask, "There's a meatloaf bakery?" It is as if the idea that the quintessential comfort food could actually be the basis of a whole shop is ludicrous, too much to ask for.
Yet there it is, at 2464 N. Clark St., where owner Cynthia Kallile has been dishing up several versions of the hearty dish since 2008. And now, she's sharing her creations with a wider audience through "The Meatloaf Bakery Cookbook: Comfort Food With a Twist" (Adams Media, $19.95). It's a handsome volume, with photos of every dish (so rare these days and so frustrating when you want to know just how a dish is supposed to come out), plus behind-the-scenes shots of the shop and its food truck, the Meatloaf-a-Go-Go.
In an opening that's helpful to the novice, Kallile explains the structure of a basic loaf — the meat (she touts a classic blend of beef, veal and pork, but also includes lamb, poultry and salmon or tuna), filler (breadcrumbs, though she is partial to crushed butter cracker), binders (eggs and dairy) and flavorings (spices, vegetables). It's a primer that encourages a build-your-own point of view. She then describes one of the most important aspects of meatloaf construction, mixing, emphasizing to use your hands but don't over mix.
The 66 recipes are divided among meatloaves (more than 30), sides and sauces. Though some border on too cute (loafer pops, essentially meatballs on a stick, like a savory cake-pop, and loafies, essentially meatballs, sans stick), most are convincing arguments for straying from your house favorite — from her mom's recipe to loaves based on Thai, Cajun, pizza, Reuben-sandwich or barbecue flavors.
Just as Kallile takes her meatloaves beyond your mom's, she also goes further with the classic side, mashed potatoes. For Kallile, the potatoes go on top to dress up what she calls a sometimes not so pretty dish. And they go on top of nearly every loaf (and those without have a special glaze or salsa or other accompaniment), and not just a basic mashed, but varieties matched to the loaf beneath: caraway-horseradish smashers for the Reuben loaf, garlic spuds over the Cajun. For pans, she goes beyond the loaf, putting some recipes in muffin tins, pie plates, layer cake pans, sheet cake pans and pot pie pans.
The recipes can be long on ingredients, yet don't let that put you off as most either require quick prep (chop some onion, carrots, parsley) or represent small amounts of multiple herbs or condiments you have in the cupboard. And if you don't, you could leave them out or make substitutions. When making the sassy turkey sausage meatloaf cupcakes (a ground turkey and turkey sausage combo) as a spur-of-the-moment project, I was forced to leave out the carrots and red bell pepper. The mini-loaves came out fantastic.
That result speaks to the malleable nature of Kallile's subject and of her recipes. Is it too much to make the meatloaf and the potato-topper and the sauce? No problem. Just make the loaf. Try a few varieties, and pretty soon your kitchen will be the meatloaf bakery.


text:
B.J. GarbeSeattle Mariners
Outfielder | Ht: | Wt:
|Mariners | Garbe Outrighted to Minors
Thu, 14 Oct 2004 17:00:56 -0700
John Hickey, of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, reports the Seattle Mariners outrighted OF B.J. Garbe to Triple-A Tacoma Wednesday, Oct. 13.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|Mariners | More on Garbe
Tue, 31 Aug 2004 19:18:18 -0700
Updating a previous item, the Associated Press reports that newly acquired Seattle Mariners OF B.J. Garbe hit .201 with three home runs and 35 RBI this year with Double-A New Britain of the Minnesota Twins' organization. Garbe, who was the Twins' first-round pick in 1999, was acquired in a deal that sent C Pat Borders to the Twins, and was subsequently assigned to Double-A San Antonio.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|Mariners | Garbe Acquired
Tue, 31 Aug 2004 14:06:58 -0700
The Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports the Seattle Mariners acquired OF B.J. Garbe from the Minnesota Twins for C Pat Borders.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:
|Twins | Garbe Sent to Double-A
Wed, 17 Mar 2004 09:47:37 -0800
Twins.MLB.com's Mark Sheldon reports the Minnesota Twins optioned OF B.J. Garbe to Double-A New Britain.
|Comment (0)
|| Share:


text:
Central Kentucky Transmission Company
Original Volume No. 1
Contents / Previous / Next / Main Tariff Index
Effective Date: 02/26/2009, Docket: RP09-285-001, Status: Effective
Second Revised Sheet No. 134 Second Revised Sheet No. 134
Superseding: First Revised Sheet No. 134
(10) whether the Releasor has a prepackaged arrangement to
assign the service to a specified Replacement Shipper; and, if so, the
identity, address, and telephone number of the designated Replacement
Shipper and the price the prospective Replacement Shipper has agreed to
pay under any such prepackaged arrangement;
(11) objective criteria for evaluating responsive bids by
potential Replacement Shippers and for breaking ties among highest
bidders, to the extent that Releasor's criteria are at variance with
the criteria established by Transporter in this Section;
(12) the name, and Internet e-mail address or EDI/EDM
Electronic Notice Delivery Mechanism of Releasor's designated contact
(13) the rate basis on which bids for the released capacity
are to be submitted, either reservation or one-part volumetric;
(14) whether bids for the released capacity are to be
submitted on a fixed dollars and cents amount or on a percentage basis;
(15) whether the release is subject to an indemnification
provision pursuant to which the initial Replacement Shipper indemnifies
Releasor against any claims by successive Replacement Shippers relating
to refunds (where Releasor has provided correctly calculated refunds to
the initial Replacement Shipper), and all terms of any such
indemnification provision.
(16) whether the release is to an asset manager, as defined in
Section 284.8 of the Commission's regulations.
(17) whether the release is to a marketer participating in a
State-regulated retail access program as defined in Section 284.8 of
The Commission's regulations.


text:
About RIchZ
Copyright is supposed to be a mechanism to encourage creation of new works. How is [any number] of years past death going to encourage a dead author or artist to create more works?
How about "Life or 20 years, whichever comes first", with /maybe/ an optional second 20 years?
The outrage is somewhat misplaced, as people seem to be mixing and matching different parts of the Pres. Memo.
The DNI and Chairman JCoS _are_ still mandatory members of the full National Security Council, with "shall attend" status. This is the full NSC where Bannon is one of five members who are not mandatory attendees, but have an open invitation.
The Principal's Committee, an interagency coordination committee (PC) is the one where the DNI and CJCoS are not required to attend _all_ meetings, but are still "shall attend" for anything in their bailiwick. Note that this is the exact same thing GW Bush did in _his_ realignment of the NSC (he did not, however, add anybody like Bannon to the PC).
It helps to read the actual document in question, instead of news and blog article ledes. To read this one, see
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/01/28/presidential-memorandum-organization-national -security-council-and
Can't they just ask the NSA for a data dump?
The petition is sort of a joke, but it is also an indignant reaction to his advocated overthrow of a part of the Constitution. As such, he should be treated like any other terrorist trying to overthrow the government.
Now, the real question is, to where do we deport all our Congresscritters who have violated their oath of office to obey and defend the Constitution? And which country would want to take them?
And all the pro-gun people I know who signed the petition did so to shine light on the stupidity of the DC law in the first place.
We all agree David Gregory should NOT be prosecuted, and the law should be struck down as a violation of the Secondment Amendment just like every other DC anti-gun law, but we also think he and his management need to be publicly raked over the coals for violating one of the gun-control laws they advocate in the name of more gun control. Signing the petition is our way of doing that.
Right off the top of my head, I see two problems.
One is the Fair Use problem of a mom posting a YouTube video of her baby dancing to some random backgroung music; auto-matching would find it as a violation, since nobody (except the RIAA) expects mom to check a database and pay a license fee - she may not even know what the background song was.
The other is Orphaned Works. You can find the music, or recordings of it, but if nobody claims it, it's not in the monster database - even if somebody added it, with a "blank" owner name, to whom would royalties be paid and who would set the royalty/license amount?
I don't know...I'm pretty sure some of them are actually evil. Look at Lamar Smith - he can't really be blind to all the opposition, so the alternative is that he's evil. He _just doesn't care_ what his constituents think. If they vote him out of office, he's pretty confidant his MPAA/RIAA/whoever paymasters will reward him with a lucrative job somewhere in their organizations - probably in a lobbying arm. And then he won't have to put up with all the sniping from us any more. Win-win for him.
Call it the "non-Apple Store" - there's absolutely no chance of consumer confusion, the "Apple" name is used fairly to accurately describe what it is, and it should really piss off the wankers at Apple.
Yeah, they get summers off _without pay_. And, on 9 months of pay for the year, they're expected to pay for summer school to gain education credits and to keep current in their chosen subjects.
Many of them are paid too little to support their families and still pay for summer school, so they end up not getting their skills upgraded, which means they don't qualify for pay raises, and they have to take summer jobs to support their families for the three "vacation" months.
Too many people think they get a 3-month paid vacation, but it doesn't work like that.
I don't know where your Best Buy is, but in the St. Louis, MO area, most DVD's full price is $19.99, and Best Buy sells them for $15.99 or $16.99 Tue-Sat the week of release. They're cheaper at that sale price than anybody locally except Wal-Mart, and you usually can't find the new releases at Wal-Mart, anyway.
"But if you realize that you're now taking away the ability to serve all of your customers for nearly a month at the point when their demand is likely to be the highest... well, that doesn't seem very customer friendly at all."
Doesn't seem like much of a business model, either. ...taking away the ability to collect revenue from your customers for nearly a month at the point when their demand is likely to be the highest...
Maybe they could be required to have a pedestrian carrying a lantern precede them.
Historical precedent, after all.
> Her death resulted from a tragic set of circumstances, but CNN has to blame something, apparently, to keep people's interest, so why not the text messages?
There was no tragic set of circumstances. She was stupid enough to walk on the railroad tracks, even though she was deaf and obviously couldn't hear a train coming. The only thing to blame was _her_ - and it's not particularly tragic (except to her family), just "evolution in action". Train 1, Idiot 0.


text:
Transportation Information
Eppley Airfield (OMA) is a medium hub primary airport located three miles (5 km) northeast of the central business district of Omaha. It is the largest airport in the state of Nebraska. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines, US Airways, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Midwest Airlines, American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, ExpressJet Airlines, and Mesa Airlines serve the airport with direct and connecting service.
Hotel Shuttle
A complimentary shuttle is available to those staying at the Doubletree Hotel and Executive Conference Center. Upon arrival call the hotel directly at 402-346-7600 and wait outside Door #4 for pick-up. The Doubletree shuttle runs each day from 5:00 a.m. to midnight.
Other Transportation
All other ground transportation options are located at the transportation center inside of Door #3 on the lower level of the terminal building.
Room & Ride Share
If you are interested in sharing a room or a ride to the conference checkout the room & ride share form.
Find out more and become a part of SM2011 on: Facebook| Twitter
Some photos courtesy of VisitOmaha.com


text:
'Drugs worked for me', says ex-player
Amid all the hysteria about drugs in sport, a former rugby league player turned personal trainer, Grant Hyde, says it's really not that bad.
IN 2005, I ended a 31-year rugby league career that consisted of more than 750 individual games from mini-league to NRL first grade.
The toll on my body was harsh, with arthroscopies on both knees and a reconstruction, a broken collarbone, dislocated wrist, rhinoplasty on my nose and numerous collision injuries.
With professional rehabilitation, my injuries healed well. Then, at 35, I dislocated the AC joint in my shoulder. As I was no longer a young man, I saw this as the siren song to hang up my boots and retire.
As a personal trainer, I prided myself on my physical appearance and the healthy lifestyle I lived. So it was a surprise to me that my shoulder began to freeze up after regular training sessions.
I was 41, fit and strong. I thought it was just a one-off, but the pain increased to a level where I lost all strength in the arm and shoulder.
On holiday in Thailand, relief came in an unexpected form. I was prepared to try anything at this stage, I was desperate to train again, to sleep pain-free, to be my old self.
Physiotherapy, acupuncture and massage had not worked, but four small injections of somatropin or human growth hormone (HGH), as it is better known, might do the trick.
I bought some from a Thai doctor - it cost me a fraction of the $1000 price quoted through body-builders in Sydney gyms.
Over two weeks, on four days, I was injected with five IU (international units) of HGH into my stomach fat, using an insulin needle. I'm led to believe the massive body-builders and powerlifters use 20 IU every day for months at a time.
It worked. Within five days, the pain had eased and I was able to start some light high-repetition resistance workouts. By the end of the two weeks, my shoulder was feeling better than before the injury almost seven years ago. I did not get ''roid rage'', my genitalia did not shrink, and I did not become addicted. The drug simply quickened the healing process and alleviated my chronic pain and frustration.
So why are those crippled with pain denied such a natural substance, but given painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs that burn out stomachs and block bowels?
Is this a witch-hunt? I do not know but I do know it worked for me.


text:
|The original image
Photo restoration provides plenty of challenges, and some of them keep coming up time and time again. One such problem is the perpetual warfare between bringing an image back to life in terms of its dynamic range and "pop" on the one hand, and turning charmingly smooth skin texture into a case of serious blackheads on the other.
Here's what's going on… In many really old pictures, especially those from before 1920, the whites have dulled down, and so have the blacks, so you're left with a murky picture characterized by a "camel hump" histogram – one big bump in the middle, and flat lines on either side. When you adjust levels to intensify both the blacks and the whites, you increase the contrast of the image. Great, that's what we want! But not so great – the more contrast in the faces, the worse the acne that results.
The same photo before and after level adjustments. The photo is shown at actual pixel size (otherwise known as a 100% crop). Notice both the differences in this histogram and the skin texture.
This is a challenge you'll face time and again. But what do you do about it? There is no one right way – every photo is different. But there are a series of techniques you can try.
When doing restorations, always work in layers. Duplicate your background layer, then make the original layer invisible. This protects you from disaster. Better still, duplicate the original image, then work on the copy after saving the original. Or do both, as you cannot be too careful about this.
When you create a new layer, always opt to create a layer mask with it. This way, you can easily erase your corrections in one or more part of the image, leaving them alone in other parts. You can un-erase them if needed, without messing up your work on the next layer down. Also, before you do something you know may not work out, make a snapshot in the history panel, so you can revert to where you are.
So, the list of things to try in order to smooth out skin texture once you've adjusted the exposure is:
- Select the faces and try adjusting the levels a bit, making the faces slightly flatter (less contrast).
- Isolate the faces and use "Command J" to put them in a new layer. Switch to "pin lighting" blending mode, and play with the opacity of the layer. Alternatively, use the brush tool with an opacity setting of about 15 to erase the layer a bit at a time. Do this work at actual pixel size, then switch down to print size from time to time so you don't over do it.
- Use the "auto tone" function under the Image menu. Play with the results, either using the Fade function or by erasing a bit at a time. You can even try switching the blending mode of your "autotoned" layer to Soft Light or Pin Light and see what happens.
- Use the Noise Control filters. Select the faces and put them on a new layer. Apply the "scratch and dust" filter at a setting of 1 or 2, then use the mask tool to remove the effect from eyes and mouths. Alternatively, use the Remove Noise filter and experiment with the settings. Ditto about erasing the effect from eyes and mouths.
- If you're using CS6, which has a new Contrast algorithm, you can try using the contrast slider, moving it SLIGHTLY to the left (less contrasty) side. NOTE: DO NOT USE THIS APPROACH IN EARLIER VERSIONS, BECAUSE THE CONTRAST ADJUSTMENT IN THOSE VERSIONS CAN BE DESTRUCTIVE.
The "before" (right) and "after" (left) images
There are half a dozen other techniques of varying complexity, but one or more of these will work most of the time; it all depends on how messed up the original was, and on how much enlargement you plan – the bigger the final print, the more skin texture matters.
Remember, what you are after is a smooth skin texture without loss of detail. It really helps to vary between actual pixel (or at least very large) views and more distant ones; if you don't do that, you'll get lost in the details and lose track of your overall goal.
Finally, stop often and have a cup of coffee or admire the lawn or start a load of laundry, then return to the project. You'll be amazed how much more clearly you see your work after a short break. About 30 minutes is all I can take without going buggy, but your mileage will vary!
|The final restored image (colorized)
Contributor Bio:
Eric K. Hatch focuses on travel and fine art photography, and is an expert in digital photo restoration. Panoramas are currently one of his favorite photographic forms. He has won numerous regional awards and a number of competitions. His work has appeared in several AAA magazines, Oxygen Magazine, Bicycling, Alaska Milepost (annual) and Wooden Boat, to name a few. He has served on the board of the Southwest Ohio Professional Photographers Association, an affiliate of the Professional Photographers of America.
Eric has also written over 70 articles, essays, speeches, features, and professional articles in the last 30 years. His work has won two national awards: a Gold Quill from the International Association of Business Communicators, and Communicator of the Year from the Aviation/Space Writers Association.
In his youth, Eric studied under Guido Organschi, and later under Skip Schiel. He is the author of Explorations in Photography, Adventures and Advice for Advanced Amateur Photographers, which was recently released.
Explorations in Photography is an entertaining and informative how-to for advanced amateur photographers. The book covers artistic issues, explains some fundamental technical issues, and provides many hints from buying equipment to editing your photos. It also covers taking people pictures outdoors, handling nasty lighting situations, and includes a bonus chapter discussing photo restoration. Find it on Amazon here.
General Portfolio- http://ekhphoto.smugmug.com
Blog- http://hatchphotoartistry.blogspot.com
Photo restoration- http://www.hatchphotofix.com


text:
Leeds manager Neil Warnock has said he has no complaints after his team lost 5-1 at home to Chelsea in their Capital One Cup quarter-final.
The Yorkshire club had taken the lead through Luciano Becchio, but The Blues scored all five goals in the second half to propel themselves into a semi-final tie against Swansea.
Juan Mata equalised for the Londoners just two minutes into the second period, and Warnock believes that was a turning-point in the game.
"To concede as early as that in the second half against world-class players you're going to be in trouble," Warnock told Sky Sports after the game.
"It was such a relief for them to get back into the game. Then they took over and were too good for us."
The former QPR and Crystal Palace manager went on to admit that goalkeeper Jamie Ashdown was to blame for Mata's goal as it slipped through his hands and into the net.
"When you're a goalie you make a mistake and it counts," he added. "When you're anywhere else on the pitch you get away with it.
"I don't think the scoreline reflects the game but I've got no complaints. I thought it was a great cup tie for an hour."


text:
The MySQL server maintains a host cache in memory that
contains information about clients: IP address, host name, and
error information. The
Performance Schema table exposes the contents of the host
cache so that it can be examined using
SELECT statements. This may
help you diagnose the causes of connection problems. See
Section 184.108.40.206, "The host_cache Table".
The server uses the host cache for several purposes:
By caching the results of IP-to-host name lookups, the server avoids doing a DNS lookup for each client connection. Instead, for a given host, it needs to perform a lookup only for the first connection from that host.
The cache contains information about errors that occur during the connection process. Some errors are considered "blocking." If too many of these occur successively from a given host without a successful connection, the server blocks further connections from that host. The
max_connect_errorssystem variable determines the number of permitted errors before blocking occurs. See Section B.5.2.5, "Host 'host_name' is blocked".
The server uses the host cache for nonlocal TCP connections.
It does not use the cache for TCP connections established
using a loopback interface address (for example,
127.0.0.1 or
::1), or
for connections established using a Unix socket file, named
pipe, or shared memory.
For each new client connection, the server uses the client IP address to check whether the client host name is in the host cache. If not, the server attempts to resolve the host name. First, it resolves the IP address to a host name and resolves that host name back to an IP address. Then it compares the result to the original IP address to ensure that they are the same. The server stores information about the result of this operation in the host cache. If the cache is full, the least recently used entry is discarded.
The server handles entries in the host cache like this:
When the first TCP client connection reaches the server from a given IP address, a new cache entry is created to record the client IP, host name, and client lookup validation flag. Initially, the host name is set to
NULLand the flag is false. This entry is also used for subsequent client connections from the same originating IP.
If the validation flag for the client IP entry is false, the server attempts an IP-to-host name DNS resolution. If that is successful, the host name is updated with the resolved host name and the validation flag is set to true. If resolution is unsuccessful, the action taken depends on whether the error is permanent or transient. For permanent failures, the host name remains
NULLand the validation flag is set to true. For transient failures, the host name and validation flag remain unchanged. (In this case, another DNS resolution attempt occurs the next time a client connects from this IP.)
If an error occurs while processing an incoming client connection from a given IP address, the server updates the corresponding error counters in the entry for that IP. For a description of the errors recorded, see Section 22.214.171.124, "The host_cache Table".
The server performs host name resolution using the
gethostbyaddr() and
gethostbyname() system calls.
To unblock blocked hosts, flush the host cache by issuing a
FLUSH HOSTS statement or
executing a mysqladmin flush-hosts command.
It is possible for a blocked host to become unblocked even
FLUSH HOSTS if activity
from other hosts has occurred since the last connection
attempt from the blocked host. This can occur because the
server discards the least recently used cache entry to make
room for a new entry if the cache is full when a connection
arrives from a client IP not in the cache. If the discarded
entry is for a blocked host, that host becomes unblocked.
The host cache is enabled by default. To disable it, set the
host_cache_size system
variable to 0, either at server startup or at runtime.
To disable DNS host name lookups, start the server with the
--skip-name-resolve option. In
this case, the server uses only IP addresses and not host
names to match connecting hosts to rows in the MySQL grant
tables. Only accounts specified in those tables using IP
addresses can be used. (A client may not be able to connect if
no account exists that specifies the client IP address.)
If you have a very slow DNS and many hosts, you might be able
to improve performance either by disabling DNS lookups with
--skip-name-resolve or by
increasing the value of
host_cache_size to make the
host cache larger.
To disallow TCP/IP connections entirely, start the server with
--skip-networking option.
Some connection errors are not associated with TCP
connections, occur very early in the connection process (even
before an IP address is known), or are not specific to any
particular IP address (such as out-of-memory conditions). For
information about these errors, check the
status variables (see
Section 5.1.9, "Server Status Variables").


text:
January 2013: PRIVATE DECEPTIONS, a print anthology of Private Property and Deliberate Deceptions is now available.
SOLD! Leah has just signed a three book contract with Carina Press for a brand new contemporary western trilogy coming out later this year.
December 2012:HIDDEN HEAT has been nominated as Best Romantic Suspense of 2012 by the reviewers at The Romance Studio in their annual Cupid and Psyche Awards (CAPA). Leah has also been nominated as "Favorite Author"! For the first time ever, readers are invited to vote for their favorite book and author.
May 2012:
Hidden Heat is now available from your favorite digital book providers. The reviewer at Night Owl Romance gave it a Top Pick designation and said "…fabulous complex characters…almost impossible to believe that this isn't real", while the reviewers at The Romance Studio said "a story that is complete with lots of push and pull, sexual desire, and heat…a wild ride readers will relish."
Between May 1 and May 31st, help beat diabetes by bidding on one of over 2000 items at Brenda Novak's Online Auction for Diabetes Research. I've donated a first chapter critique and am also part of the Carina Press Authors' items.
Read what else has happened on my May newsletter…
April 2012: SOLD! Carina Press has contracted my erotic contemporary novella, The Art of Love, to be part of their 2012 Erotic Holiday Anthology. I'll have more details as we get closer to its release date in December.
March 2012: The Romance Reviews site nominated Tangled Past as the Best Book of 2011 in their "Erotic Menage a Trois and More" category.
January 2012: Perfect Proposal is now available!
You met Sam Watson in PRIVATE PROPERTY when he turned the tables on his friend Mark. You watched him fall in love with Rosie in PERSONAL PROTECTION. But you don't have to have read either story to fall in love with him all over again in PERFECT PROPOSAL.
Sometimes the best laid plans go every which way but the one you want…
Sam Watson wants to propose to the love of his life, Rosie Ramos, but all his previous attempts have been thwarted. Every. Single. Time. This time he's determined that nothing, and no one, will get in his way. No interruptions. No exceptions. Not from work, not by family busybodies, not even if the roses crucial to his plans are lost. Nothing will stop him.
If only someone had let Rosie in on his plans…
Warning: Contains misguided intentions, a hunky hero with more than just a ring burning a hole in his pocket, and a spitfire girlfriend who counters with her own proposal. The romance may be sweet but the sex is explicitly hot, hot, hot.
Buy it at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Diesel Books, or in your choice of format through Smashwords.
December 23, 2011: The reviewers at The Romance Studio have nominated Deliberate Deceptions as "Best Contemporary Romance of 2011" in their annual Cupid and Psyche Awards (CAPA). Read more here.
November 2011: Yes, I've revamped my website again — and I've added a few goodies like my F.A.Q. page, and a page displaying a brand new set of trading cards you can collect. Since many people surf the web on their smart phone or tablet these days and are limited by bandwidth/data download restrictions, I've added a mobile feature as well.
October 2011: Hidden Heat, the next book in the Hauberk Protection series, has a cover! The fourth book in the Hauberk series will be available at your local ebook provider Spring 2012.
…a stand-out in the contemporary erotic genre ~Joyfully Reviewed
August 2011: Did you know you can now request an "autograph" for any of my books on your Kindle? There's a new system called Kindlegraph that already has over 800 authors signed up. Go over to the Kindlegraph page and sign in with your Twitter ID (that's the only way to sign in at the moment) and choose which book(s) you'd like signed. Kindlegraph will then notify me and I'll sign a personalized note to you with an electronic signature. The image of the cover and my note will then be forwarded to your Kindle email address. (I'd recommend you use your free.kindle.com email address to save any possible charges Kindle may decide to add to upload the file.)
June 2011: Tangled Past is now available from Carina Press. The reviewers at Night Owl Reviews declared it a Top Pick, and it's a "recommended read" at the All Romance eBooks Cafe. Read more…
…a stand-out in the contemporary erotic genre ~Joyfully Reviewed
April 2011: SOLD! My editor at Samhain Publishing has just acquired book 4 in the Hauberk Protection series. Hidden Heat will be released Spring 2012.
November 2010 SOLD! If you've read Texas Tangle, you may remember Grandma Barnett mentioning her grandparents' had an unusual marriage. Their story, Tangled Past, an erotic historical romance with a M/M/F menage will be released by Carina Press in 2011.
SOLD! I'm also thrilled to announce that Book #3 of the Hauberk series has been acquired by Samhain Publishing. Deliberate Deceptions follows Chad as he reunites with his ex-wife Lauren and will be released in May 2011.
March 2010: Personal Protection releases in print format and is now shipping from bookstores such as Barnes and Noble, Borders, along with Amazon (.com, .ca and .co.uk) and The Book Depository. Links are provided on my blog and on the Books page of my website.
February 2010: SOLD! My latest story, Texas Tangle, a contemporary erotic romance will be released by Carina Press, Harlequin's new e-publishing division. Texas Tangle's release is scheduled for summer 2010. Look for more details and excerpts as they become available.
January 2010: Private Property has been nominated for a CAPA (Cupid and Psyche Award, by The Romance Studio) in the Best Erotic Romance category. The reviewers at TRS also nominated me in their Favorite Erotic Romance Author category. AND Congratulations also go to cover artist Natalie Winters since she was nominated for an "Ari" or the Ariadne Overton Award for Best Cover Art for Private Property's cover. Winners will be announced on Valentine's Day.
December 2009: It's the month for gift-giving, and I'm giving away a lot this month. I'm in three contests where the prize is a Kindle or a Sony Reader. The Raven Rockin' Around the Raven Xmas Tree contest (for a Sony Reader, a $50 prepaid Visa card, or a $25 Amazon gift certificate), the Samhellion authors are having a scavenger hunt (there'll be a different e-reader given away each week – alternating between international Kindles and Sony Readers) starting December 4th, and my Samhain editor is hosting a contest featuring her authors with a Kindle up for grabs. Don't forget to check out my blog regularly, both for my guest bloggers and other contests I'm holding – such as the 2010 Toronto Firefighter calendar contest, and a chance to win my good friend Red Garnier's The Satin Sash from NAL Heat.
October 2009: Along with over 20 other authors, I'm participating in the Raven Scavenger Hunt. For a chance to win a copy of my Personal Protection, or one of 20 other books, visit my blog and click on the link in the sidebar, or at the bottom of the page, for full instructions.
This month's Protect Yourself guest blogger is EMT Joe Collins who offers some suggestions on how to stay safe if you're in a car accident.
September 2009: Protect Yourself – advice for keeping yourself safe in real life. September's guest blogger is LA police officer Kathy Bennett with some important information for parents of teenaged girls.
June 2009: It's my birthday and I'm having a party – but this time the guests get the presents. From June 26th to the end of July, I've invited over 30 authors to help me celebrate. Multipublished authors such as Jaci Burton, Candace Havens, Ann Aguirre, Beth Kery, Beth Williamson, Lorelei James, Maya Banks, Shelli Stevens, Kate Pearce, Vivi Anna … there's too many wonderfully talented authors to list here. Many of them will be holding contests giving away copies of their books. Check in on my blog every day to see who's dropped by and leave a comment to enter. Good luck!
May 12, 2009: Personal Protection is now available from Samhain Publishing.
April 2009: Download a copy of my sweet short story, Cherry Cottage, for free. They're in the most romantic place on the planet. He's about to take a leap of faith, but will taking the plunge leave him on the rocks?
March 2009: Personal Protection will be released May 12, 2009.
January 27, 2009: Private Property is out. Click here to purchase your copy. See my free read, First Night here.
December 4, 2008: SOLD! I'm thrilled to announce Personal Protection, a sequel to Private Property, has been acquired by Angela James of Samhain Publishing. Personal Protection will be released in May 2009 and will be part of a new series. The Hauberk Protection series will follow Sam from Private Property as well as introduce Sam's Hauberk employees–bodyguards who protect not only their Principals, but also their hearts.
On December 30th, don't forget to download my free New Year's Eve story, First Night. This short story introduces you to Jodi and Mark, the hero and heroine of Private Property, as Jodi decides to usher in the New Year with 'a bang' instead of a fizzle. And gets a whole lot more than she bargained for.
October 2008: Private Property to be released at Samhain Publishing on January 27, 2009
Check out my blog for my latest news.


text:
You will have little doubt as to what to do with these versatile and brightly colored ceramic beads and mixtures! Peruvian ceramic beads lend a fun hand-crafted look to your beaded creations, and go great with wood beads. You can create a jungle full of brightly colored insects and animals. Or, you can create a more masculine piece with animals such as the majestic buffalo or wolf. If animal beads aren't for you, check out the more sophisticated selection of high fired and raku ceramic beads, pendants, and vessels! These pendants look great strung on a simple leather cord.
2 PC $3.29 ($1.65 per PC)
4 PC $5.50 ($1.38 per PC)
10 PC $11.25 ($1.12 per PC)
20 PC $20.50 ($1.02 per PC)


text:
STOCKTON - At a time when the Thunder is trying to tighten up and make up for defensive losses, it gets a major lift for its offense.
STOCKTON - At a time when the Thunder is trying to tighten up and make up for defensive losses, it gets a major lift for its offense.
Forward Toni Rajala, the team's leading scorer, was reassigned to Stockton from Oklahoma City on Monday and should be in uniform when it hosts the Las Vegas Wranglers at 7 p.m. today and Wednesday at Stockton Arena. The team also announced that top-line defenseman Nathan Deck has been sent to Oklahoma City.
The Thunder (11-5-2) is trying to break a four-game winless streak, and the return of Rajala can only help. The 21-year-old from Tampere, Finland, led Stockton with 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) in 14 games before being promoted on Nov. 20 after the Barons suffered a series of injuries. He had two points in five games with the AHL team before being returned to Stockton.
"It's a great thing for us," Thunder coach Matt Thomas said. "He was an elite player in this league before he was called up, and he gives you an immediate lift up front. Let's hope he picks up exactly where he left off."
The addition of Rajala caused Thomas to change his lines again. He said Rajala will join center Eric Hunter and forward Yannick Riendeau, and Gabriel Levesque moves over to play with Phil Mangan and Jesse Fratkin. The line of Justin Maylan, Harrison Reed and Garet Hunt is expected to remain intact.
While Stockton's offense has been able to remain pretty productive through changes, defensively the Thunder has hit a lull. Stockton gave up an average of 2.4 goals in the first 10 games and 4.4 in the past nine.
"We're not playing very well, it's very simple," Thomas said. "We're just not executing our game plan, We're inconsistent right now, and as a result we're putting a lot of pressure on our goaltenders (Tyler Bunz and Cody Reichard)."
The Wranglers (7-7-3) are making their first visit to Stockton Arena this season. They won 3-2 in overtime in the only matchup between the teams on Oct. 19 in Las Vegas.
Contact reporter Scott Linesburgh at (209) 546-8281 or email@example.com.


text:
(2:27) - This video will give you more details about the Iroquois Group. It will also explain how an independent insurance agent can grow due to our marketing expertise and profit sharing.
Select Your State:
December 8, 2017 Posted by cmassaro
The Iroquois Group® recently announced changes to its regional structure to better align Iroquois regions with those of their carrier-partners and to provide greater resources and financial opportunities for its members.
Member agencies in the state of New York will be integrated into Iroquois of New England; Ohio and Kentucky will be integrated into Iroquois Mid-Atlantic; and Tennessee will join Iroquois South. Ted Branch will continue as Managing Partner of New York and Ohio but will work in concert with Matt Ward who manages New England and Mid-Atlantic. Mike Petty and Johnny Cox will continue as Managing Partners of Tennessee but will now work with David Ward, who manages Iroquois South.
"This re-alignment will allow us to bring new programs, strategies, and resources to our members in New York, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee," said Iroquois CEO Laurie Branch "and it will better position Iroquois for profitable growth with our core carrier-partners."
Agencies of all sizes and shapes join The Iroquois Group to increase revenue, profits and agency value.


text:
Super Talent SmartClip Review
People enjoy listening to their music as well as carrying it around with them in a small great looking package. Not only does it need to be small and easy to carry, but it also needs to be able to hold a lot of data due to the large size of today's top songs. Super Talent was again thinking of what the customers wanted when they designed the SmartClip MP3 player. This player is small, compact, portable, looks great, and can hold a lot of songs in the 1GB of built-in flash memory.
Super Talent Technology is a corporation which has its main headquarters in California and manufactures many different types of memory products, some of which include DDR and DDR2 memory modules, flash drives, and MP3 players. Super Talent Corporation holds over 100 patents on manufacturing processes, as well as module designs.
Closer Look:
The Super Talent SmartClip MP3 player came in a nice white box that proudly displays the Super Talent logo. The package also has a cutout that shows the MP3 player in a protective, clear plastic "window".
On the bottom of the package, there is a list of the main features that Super Talent feels are the most important for the customers to know.
There is also a secondary package that houses the MP3 player as well as all the accessories that come packaged with the player.
The accessories that are included are headphones, a USB cable, and the quick guide informational sheet. The USB cable, as well as the headphones, come in their own separate plastic packaging.
The quick guide informational sheet displays a few things about the product, including what each button is, as well as where all of the jacks (USB and earphone) are located. On the reverse side of the sheet, it goes into details of how to operate the player, as well as how to download music to the player and how to change the battery. The final section lists the specifications of the player.


text:
Wondering how to skin a deer or other game animal? The Air Skinner is the ultimate answer to the time and effort typically involved with skinning an animal. A unique product designed to be simple, strong, and durable, the Air Skinner kit boasts proven success on animals both large and small, even frozen and unfrozen.
The Air Skinner can skin an adult deer in just 10-15 minutes – it's also the ultimate addition to your taxidermy supplies, making deer, bird and fish taxidermy a breeze!
These kits have been used on moose, caribou, elk, whitetail deer, mule deer, fox, coyote, game birds, fish and even some reptiles. It seems too good to be true, but these kits have been field tested and hunter approved by the North American Hunting Club.
Don't wait until you've killed a deer. These Air Skinners are on sale until Dec. 31, 2009. Click here to get an Air Skinner kit today.


text:
Moderate fog in Delhi, similar Monday expected
New Delhi, Jan 5 (IANS) The national capital experienced moderate fog in the morning but a clear sky later Sunday as the maximum temperature settled one notch below average at 19.3 degrees Celsius. Similar weather is expected Monday, the Met office said.
Monday will start with shallow fog but the sky will be mainly clear later in the day, said an official of the India Meteorological Department.
The maximum and the minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 16 and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Sunday morning was moderate with the minimum temperature settling a notch above the season's average at 7.8 degrees Celsius.
The humidity was 75 percent.
A light fog enveloped the city in the morning but flights remained unaffected.
Around 40 trains coming towards Delhi were running late while 10 trains were rescheduled due to fog in parts of north India, an official of the Northern Railway said.
Saturday's maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 18.5 degrees Celsius (two notches below season's average) and 6.4 degrees Celsius (a notch below the season's average), respectively.


text:
Trial delayed for man accused of killing mother
Trial delayed for man accused of killing mother
EARLY, Iowa —
A trial has been delayed for a 21-year-old northwest Iowa man who's accused of killing his mother and kidnapping another woman.
The Sioux City Journal says Kirk Levin's trial is now scheduled to begin on June 3. It had been scheduled to begin April 10.
Levin's attorney asked for the delay so he could complete depositions and file pretrial motions.
Levin is charged with first-degree murder and third-degree kidnapping.
Prosecutors say Levin repeatedly stabbed his mother, Marilyn Schmitt, at her farmhouse in Early on Jan. 3.
They say he then kidnapped a 21-year-old woman who he tied up and put in the trunk of a car. The woman escaped after Levin drove into a ditch.
Levin had been released from prison days earlier after serving time for burglary.


text:
March 31, 20127:00 pm
Works by Messiaen, Stravinsky.
6:30pm: preconcert talk video about the works on the program, by pianist and speaker Peter Hill.
A day of celebrations! The SMCQ marks the 30-year career of Louise Bessette, contemporary music doyenne, by giving her free rein over a one-of-a-kind triple concert. The pianist will open the event with ARTefact to perform several premieres, as well as Sokolović's City Songs, before tackling some red hot pieces in the second half (Scelsi and Boudreau). She will close the day with pianist Peter Hill, renown for his performances of Messiaen.
Production SMCQ
Pianist Louise Bessette has carved out a distinctive place for her herself in the performance of some of the most important works of our time. Recognized for her eclectic repertoire and virtuosic performances, she has been singled out for a number of awards.


text:
#RSL Tweets of the Day (@RealSaltLake)
Despite going head-to-head with Saturday's #HolyWar in Provo, #RioT #RSL v SJE nearly sold-out - only Maverik, South End & scattered singles
If Friday's game between #Sounders and #RSL is any indication, the West's playoffs should be fantastic. My reaction: http://onemoresoccerblog.blogspot.com/2013/09/mls-weekend-spotlight-seattle-sounders.html?m=1 …
#RSL FW @Olmesgarcia13 ranked 19th in @MLS #24Under24 … http://www.mlssoccer.com/24under24/news/article/2013/09/17/19-olmes-garcia-real-salt-lake …
ICYMI- Interesting questions raised about the #RSL defense in the lastest Crunching the Numbers http://ccb1212.blogspot.com/2013/09/crunching-numbers-seattle.html … #RSLStats
Latest @RealSaltLake piece on @SoccerNewsday - #RSL Caught in Seattle's Rising Tide http://www.soccernewsday.com/usa/a/1178/rsl-caught-in-seattle-s-rising-tide … #MLS
ESPN 700: Nat Borchers on "The Bill and Hans Show"
MLS Reserves: Off the Bench Episode 100: "The Next Step of MLS" roundtable with Garth Lagerwey, Brian Straus and Kyle Martino
ExtraTime Radio: DeAndre Yedlin on Seattle Sounders' rise and World Cup chances
Real Salt Lake News & Notes
RealSaltLake.com: By the Numbers: RSL 0-2 Seattle Sounders FC
RealSaltLake.com: Real Salt Lake to host Meet the Team night on Wednesday
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: #19 Olmes Garcia, Real Salt Lake
Soccer Newsday: RSL caught in Seattle's rising tide
For the Fans, By the Fans
RSL Soapbox: Chalking it up: RSL falls short in final third in 2-0 loss to Seattle
From the Upper Deck: Crunching the Numbers - Seattle
From the Upper Deck: A Look at the Back Line – Analyzing the Defense
Real Nation: Picking up the Pieces
MLS, Other News & Notes
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: #20 Deshorn Brown, Colorado Rapids
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: #18 Bill Hamid, DC United
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: #17 Gershon Koffie, Vancouver Whitecaps
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: #16 Andrew Jean-Baptiste, Portland Timbers
MLSsoccer.com: MLS Power Rankings, Week 29: Seattle Sounders' winning streak fuels rise to the top
MLSsoccer.com: Adam Moffat "shocked" but delighted by sudden move to Seattle Sounders: "I'm coming to a great place"
MLSsoccer.com: Come together right now: LA Galaxy facing season's toughest stretch – and titles are on the line
MLSsoccer.com: 24 Under 24: Counting down the greatest seasons for young players in MLS history
MLSsoccer.com: Seattle Sounders' Obafemi Martins voted Week 29 MLS Player of the Week
ESPN FC: MLS Power Rankings: Week 29
ProSoccerTalk: Weekly MLS rankings
ProSoccerTalk: How much should Jay DeMerit play for Vancouver?
ProSoccerTalk: Assessing the Adam Moffat, Servando Carrasco trade between Houston and Seattle
ProSoccerTalk: MLS Player of the Week: Obafemi Martins
One More Soccer Blog: MLS Weekend Spotlights: Seattle Sounders vs. Real Salt Lake


text:
Carbon Neutral
Free Shipping
Meet Ashley. Ashley is a 4 year old beagle who came to our family from a
beagle rescue organization. When she came to us she was dangerously underweight
weighing 16 pounds, and was afraid of her shadow and any and all other things
that go bump in the night. But Ashley also had eyes that could speak to you and
a face that could melt the coldest heart. So she became an immediate full-fledged
member of the family.
Beagles, by nature, tend to be driven by their nose and are known to have
voracious appetites. Add to that the fact that Ashley lived her formative years
fighting for every scrap of food she could get. For Ashley, when food became available,
she (and admittedly, her new family) had a hard time controlling her appetite.In less than a year Ashley ballooned to 42 pounds.
Ashley 'before'
Three months ago, I joined Only Natural Pet Store . We knew Ashley was
overweight – having unsuccessfully tried prescription meds to control her hunger
– but when I brought her to the office, she really stood out from all the
svelte, athletic "Boulderite" dogs that hang out in our Boulder, Colorado facility. Marty
Grosjean, president of ONPS and pet lover extraordinaire, offered a challenge -
feed Ashley our Only Natural Pet EasyRaw (strictly according to directions for
her weight), reduce the morning, afternoon and evening treats, increase her
exercise and see if her weight didn't fall back into line.
Ashley 'mid-program'
Almost immediately we noticed Ashley was friskier. Soon, we also noticed her
waistline was actually beginning to appear! Ashley has shed 6 pounds, has more energy than ever and seems to be all
around happier and healthier. Our goal is to have Ash down to 32 pounds by
spring. More photos and our progress will be shared in upcoming articles.
Ashley 6 lbs lighter
Return to the Holistic Healthcare Library search results
Start a new Holistic Healthcare Library search
Subscribe to our email newsletter and have great articles like this delivered to your
inbox every month...
The articles and information in the Holistic Healthcare Library are presented for
informational purposes only and are not intended as an endorsement of any product.
The information is not intended to be a substitute for visits to your local veterinarian.
Instead, the content offers the reader information and opinions written by our staff,
guest authors, and/or veterinarians concerning animal health issues and animal care
Only Natural Pet LLC - All Rights Reserved
We always offer you the lowest of the sale price, the price with a coupon code discount, or the Auto Delivery price. You can tell which one applies because it will say "Sale Savings:" if the item is on sale and that is the lowest price, "Coupon Savings:" if you have applied a coupon code discount and that is the lowest price, or "Auto Delivery Savings:" if you selected Auto Delivery and that is the lowest price.


text:
Golfer's honor follows Union Leader mulliganBY JIM FENNELL
New Hampshire Union Leader
November 26. 2012 8:29PM
Morgan Andrews had such a memorable month of October that we inadvertently broke the rules for her.
The Milford High senior was the original choice as the October Athlete of the Month as voted by the New Hampshire Union Leader Board of Judges after enjoying success for the Spartans in both soccer and football.
But, as they say in football, after further review ...
Andrews was not eligible for the award because she already had been named Athlete of the Month for her soccer achievements back in May.
The long-standing provision that limits athletes to winning the monthly award once in a calendar year is based on the principle of highlighting as many athletes from New Hampshire as we can and avoiding having the award dominated by a small group.
The end result is that we are able to shine the spotlight on more extraordinary athletes from our state accomplishing extraordinary feats. In addition, the Board of Judges gets a full ballot of 12 athletes to consider for our male and female Red Rolfe Athlete of the Year awards.
Chelso Barrett, along with Morgan Andrews, is now eligible to be so honored.
We promise to make sure of that.


text: I,d just like to post a little review to my experience of switching from Apache to LiteSpeed on my VPS. VPS Spec: 2GB RAM Hosted on an X3440, 8GB Node With RAID-10. I have been an LiteSpeed user for around 15 day's now and all i can do is praise it. Before i made the switch from Apache i was debating cost vs performance and after using it for a while i can clearly see that the cost vs performance ratio is a worth while investment. On Apache i was using around 700MB Ram now using LiteSpeed am only using around 450MB Ram. I wanted to bring the VPS Ram level to the 512MB mark to lower my footprint on the node and its blown away all of my expectations so fair by coming down to 450MB. The VPS feels alot more responsive and snappy which is fantastic. Installation was seemless and flawless (Installed by an experienced LiteSpeed admin). The Admin Console within WHM is a very nice feature I havent been able to test any of the DDos capabilitys yet as i havent had an attack, But from what other people say am sure it will exceed my expectations in that department. The license price vs ram saving's is fantastic. Thanks for reading.


text:
Lucinda Williams' musical style conjures up some compelling descriptions: raw, melodic, authentic, pleasing. These all apply and more to the singer-songwriter's high energy concert performances and capability of offering a guided tour of life's dark clouds and honing in on the silver lining with elegance.
Her greatest successes started with the release of a song later recorded by Mary Chapin Carpenter, "Passionate Kisses", which garnered Williams her first Grammy Award for Best Country Song.
The long-awaited release, Car Wheels on a Gravel Road, went gold and earned Williams an additional Grammy for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Emmylou Harris said of Williams, "She is an example of the best of what country at least says it is, but, for some reason, she's completely out of the loop and I feel strongly that that's country music's loss."
New Castle County
We make every effort to ensure the accuracy of this information. However, you should always call ahead to confirm dates, times, location, and other information.