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A little over a year ago, a zombie-filled hack and slash title hit the 360 under the name Monster Madness: Battle for Suburbia. Monster Madness gave gamers a chance to guide a group of four weapon-totting teens through an infested suburban locale. Unfortunately, the game was given a less-than-enthusiastic greeting and didn't make much of an impact on Microsoft's console. Now, Monster Madness is stumbling back to consoles again in the form of Monster Madness: Grave Danger, a port of the 360 version with several new modes and mini-games to give it an edge over its predecessor. And while Grave Danger is certainly an improvement over Battle for Suburbia, I think it's safe to say that this is still a severely lacking zombie experience.
Grave Danger offers a familiar top-down, hack and slash mechanic where you choose one character out of the four and fight your way through hordes of the undead (and other assorted baddies). Up to three other friends can hop in at any time to join in on the action, which definitely adds to the arcade-like feeling. Grave Danger is a silly game that references a lot of other popular games and films throughout its paper-thin story, but its overall sense of humor is commendable.
The premise of Grave Danger is very straight-forward: four high school teenagers end up at uber-geek Zack's house one night for differing reasons, but they soon find that their neighborhood has been completly overrun by the shambling hordes of the undead. What starts as a desperate trek to the police station turns into a frenzied investigation as to why Suburbia has become a breeding ground for zombies and the like. That's really all there is to it and you're promptly thrust into the action to repel the moaning masses.
The most notable difference between Grave Danger and Battle for Suburbia is the control scheme. Originally, you moved your character with the left stick and rotated around with the right stick, pulling the right trigger to execute attacks. In Grave Danger, you still use the left stick to move, but the right stick can now be used to fire your long-range weapon immediatly, similar to the popular dual thumbstick shooters that have swept across the downloadable scene. And instead of having to equip your melee weapon and then pull the right trigger to use it, Grave Danger maps both actions to the Circle button, meaning you can easily alternate between long-range and short-range strategies without much of a hassle.
This is a definite improvement and Grave Danger does a number of other things well, also. Although the character designs aren't entirely original, the comic-book artistic design scheme is great and keeps in line with the light-hearted nature of the game. Certain story segments of Grave Danger are told with actual comic-book scenes and -- despite the poor voice acting -- I enjoyed these very much. In fact, it would have been much better for the overall package had more of these scenes been included to provide context for the extremely random things you end up doing.
More nice additions to Grave Danger are the many Challenges that you can undertake. These mini-games let you unlock new costumes for the four characters and offer an ample diversion from the main Adventure mode. Although a good number of them just entail "killing these enemies as fast as you can," there's at least something to do besides partake in Grave Danger's story.
And now with the PS3 version of Grave Danger, four players can work through the story online, which was previously unavailable in Battle for Suburbia. Of course, all the competitive Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes return as well, but I imagine the real meat of the experience will come from the Adventure, as the other modes feel like they aren't suited to the game's mechanical structure. There was plenty of lag to be found in our online cooperative sessions, but we didn't have any problems maintaining the connection which is definitely appreciated.
The last major improvement made in Grave Danger comes in the form of character upgrades, which join the Weapon and Item shops at Larry's trailer. You can now spend Monster Tokens to upgrade your characters statistics so you can be stronger, faster and reload more efficiently. Having the ability to upgrade each character certainly encourages the player to collect more Monster Tokens, which are also gathered more readily in the PS3 version.
Having said all this, it may sound like Grave Danger is the clear victor over Battle for Suburbia and a greatly improved game. While it is improved and should obviously be considered over the 360 version, Grave Danger is lacking. Despite the improvements, the game itself is still riddled with problems and feels cheap.
First, Grave Danger looks like a PS2 game on steroids and runs poorly, with noticeably screen-tearing, framerate jitters and an overall spastic quality that can make playing it a pain on the eyes. The pacing is also questionable, with oddly-directed cutscenes (in-game affairs, not the aforementioned comic-book style numbers) breaking up the action in an uncomfortable way. Perhaps most regretful are the driving segments which control horrendously. Your vehicles will get caught on everything and feel overly sluggish -- especially for small buggies.
And, Monster Madness: Grave Danger just isn't satisfying.
No matter how many improvements I can list off, I still didn't have a particularly good time playing. Combat felt bland and the whole Adventure mode was just pointless to me. And I really must stress that this game doesn't look good, which sometimes took away the satisfaction that I should be getting from bashing a zombie's head in with a plunger.
The Verdict
If you're completely set on snagging a copy of Monster Madness, Grave Danger is the way to go and having it sell for around 40 dollars is reasonable. But once you get your hands on the game, you'll find that it feels cheap and doesn't provide you with satisfying combat, which is what hack and slash titles are all about. If you're looking for zombie entertainment, I'd probably look elsewhere.


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This store has been set up to meet the Attareen designers perfumes applications specialists and traders Aromatherapy and we design the enclosure for perfumes and incense occasions weddings The graduation ceremonies and engagement and special gifts And development of young men and women and train them on stage industry, incense, soaps and soap formulations training courses From the friendly direct inquire about all of specialized perfume, incense, and open Allohnat own industry perfumes and incense projects
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About the Senior Center
The Erie County Senior Center is a multi-faceted service and activity center providing opportunities for the senior citizens of Erie County. Educational and recreational programs are provided for active individuals, as well as essential services to home bound seniors.
Meeting rooms and the dining hall are available for rentals.
Each month the Senior Center produces a newsletter with valuable information. This newsletter is in Adobe PDF format.
Click here to access this months: April 2019


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Start Weight: 11 stone 4 1/2 pounds
Current Weight: 10 stone 12 pounds
Loss, Gain or Stay the Same: 1 pound loss
Total Loss: 6 1/2 pounds
I've lost the pound I've gained last week, and I can't complain about that really. Despite having the possibility of the perfect week for weight loss, aka having the weekend at home and not really having any plans, I just couldn't get my head in the game this week. Despite eating good meals I found myself desperate to snack, especially at the weekend, and I defiantly ate more then I should, so I'm happy with my one pound loss.
I would love to loose at least the 1/2 pound this week that would take me to half a stone, however I am away this weekend that the Lincoln blog meet ( so excited!) which means 2 days of eating out as I am crashing at a friends house. I am hoping I can make up for it during the week.
Anyone got any advice for me this week?


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What goes on when you login to a Single Sign On controlled web site? From the user's point of view, not much: you may have to select your institution from a long list of possible site, but once you have found the right one you just type in the required username and password and you are in.
From the system point of view there is a lot of going on behind the scenes activity. The whole login process has to be tweaked so that the information received about a logged in user matches what the website, better the Service Provider (SP), expects.
When a user succeeds in logging in a package of information is generated and shared with the SP in SAML format. SAML is an XML format. Generally only the minimum amout of information required to access a site is released, in ways designed to prevent tracking of users and avoiding spam emails.
The SAML released can be viewed in the Firefox Add-On SAML Tracer. But SAML is meant to be machine rather than human-readable. If there is a problem with access to the site it may well be because of an issue with the attributes released not matching those expected by the Service Provider.
There is a quick way of viewing the attributes released bu building a URL that looks like https://login.library.dmu.ac.uk/oala/sso-debug?entityID=<entityID-of-SP>. For example:
You will need to login with your own DMU Single Sign On details. The resulting Single Sign On Debug pages tell you where the information is being sent; the names of the SAML Attributes being released and the values associated with these attributes.
If there is an issue with logging in to a Service Provider's resources, it might be worth checking the attributes released to ensure that the ones expected are in fact present.


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Farther, Colder, Rougher
adventures in marathon swimming
Archive of posts tagged 'Santa Cruz Island'
2012 Jul 19:
Whirlpool Drill
- Making water vortices off Santa Cruz Island.
2012 Sep 21:
Santa Cruz Island swim (the making of...)
2012 Sep 27:
Report: Santa Barbara Channel, Santa Cruz Island to Oxnard
- A 19.1 mile solo marathon swim from San Pedro Point, Santa Cruz Island to Hollywood Beach, Oxnard. Subject of the documentary film DRIVEN, and a new course record.
2012 Nov 12:
Who is Ashby Harper?
- The remarkable life of hall-of-fame marathon swimmer Ashby Harper, among the first to swim the Santa Barbara Channel.


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i didn't buy all of this in one go, I've been shopping all throughout the summer... you could say i went a little overboard!
(Left to Right)
Shirt: Urban Outfitters $20 Shorts: Cotton On $29.95, Shirt: Forever 21 $8.80, Shirt: Target $12.95 Shorts: Urban Outfitters $37.80
Shirt: Cotton On $9.99, Shirt: Cotton On $14.95, Shirt: Urban Outfitters $19.99
Jumper: Cotton On $19.95, Shorts: Target $19.99, Shorts: Urban Outfitters $19.99
Skirt: Target $20.00
You can find the rest of what i got and how i style it on my youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pe6_Fi4LiIk
Thank you guys for reading and make sure to go subscribe to my youtube channel!
Keep it Beautiful


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By Matt Citak
Ladies and gentlemen, the wait is finally over. The moment we have all been waiting for is here. The 2017 NFL season kicks off tonight with the Kansas City Chiefs traveling to Foxborough to take on the reigning Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots. It is time to see if all of your research and homework has paid off, as tonight's matchup also represents the beginning of the fantasy football season.
Each week throughout the fantasy football season, I will be noting a few players at each position with favorable an unfavorable matchups that should help make your fantasy football decisions a bit easier. Don't expect to see guys like David Johnson and Antonio Brown in this piece, as they should be starting every week regardless of who they are playing.
Good luck this year, and happy fantasy football season to us all!
QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers
Newton followed up his 2015 MVP campaign with a complete dud of a season last year. The 28-year-old threw for only 3,509 yards, 19 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and had a career-low 52.9 completion percentage on his way to a 75.8 Passer Rating. Although he is coming off shoulder surgery, Newton will be as motivated as ever to put last year in the rear view mirror, and what better way to do that then with a Week 1 matchup against the 49ers defense. San Francisco was the third-worst defense against opposing quarterbacks in 2016 and did nothing in the offseason to improve their secondary. In fact, Pro Football Focus ranked the 49ers as having the eighth-worst secondary heading into the season. With Newton likely transitioning away from his former-mobile ways to a more pass-first approach, look for him to make a strong statement in the season opener.
QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cleveland Browns
I am a firm believer that the Browns will be a much-improved team in 2017. However, their improvements will not start in Week 1. After already looking set to have one of the weaker defenses in the NFL, the unit has taken several hits over the last week. First the team decided to cut veteran corner Joe Haden, who has been one of the group's top defenders since joining the team in 2010. Yesterday, Cleveland lost no. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett for several weeks with a high ankle sprain. Today, the Browns cut safety Calvin Pryor after the veteran got into a fight with a teammate. With the recent reinstatement of Martavis Bryant, along with the arrival of Le'Veon Bell, the Browns were already going to struggle to cover all of Roethlisberger's weapons in the passing game. Now it is looking like it will be impossible. Although the game is in Cleveland, Big Ben should go off in his 2017 debut.
QB: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals vs. Detroit Lions
Despite turning 37 towards the end of the season, Palmer threw for 4,233 yards and 26 touchdowns last season. The veteran quarterback finished the fantasy football season strong, scoring at least 21 fantasy points in four of his final six games. To open up the 2017 campaign, Palmer will face off against the Detroit Lions and their pass defense that surrendered 33 passing touchdowns last season, the second-most in the NFL. As if that wasn't enough, the Lions defense also allowed opposing quarterbacks to have a completion percentage of 72.7 percent against them, the worst in the league and 5.5 percentage points higher than the second-worst. With John Brown good for Sunday, Palmer should have all of his weapons healthy and ready to go against Detroit. If you are looking for a replacement for Andrew Luck or Jameis Winston this week, you could do a lot worse than Palmer.
RB: Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings vs. New Orleans Saints
While Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey have received the most attention out of all the rookie running backs, don't be surprised if Cook ends up having the strongest season. Offseason ankle surgery kept Latavius Murray out for most of preseason, which gave the rookie out of Florida State a chance to run away with the starting running back job. He did just that. Cook carried the ball 17 times for 70 yards while adding six receptions for 35 yards, and looks the part of a three-down back for Minnesota. The Vikings coaching staff raved about Cook all throughout the summer, not only about his skills as a runner but also his ability to catch and block. Going up against New Orleans and their defense that allowed the most fantasy points per rush attempt last season, Cook is in great shape to start his NFL career with a bang.
RB: Bilal Powell, New York Jets vs. Buffalo Bills
There is no denying the fact that the Jets are going to be really bad this season. How bad? Well this week, the Jets were listed as 1,000-1 to win the Super Bowl at Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, preseason odds that are longer than any ever seen before. A big reason for that is the lack of talent New York has at quarterback. Josh McCown was really bad in the five games he appeared in for Cleveland last season, yet he is still by-far the Jets' best option at QB. Enter Powell, who seems to be the only promising piece of the Jets offense this season. Last year the veteran back turned 131 carries into 722 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and added 58 receptions for 388 yards. With Matt Forte on the wrong side of 30, it shouldn't be long until the Jets turn to Powell as their featured back. That transition could occur as soon as Sunday when the Jets travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills and their horrid rush defense. Buffalo finished in the bottom four in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns allowed, and did not do much in the offseason to remedy that. As long as they don't go down by 30 in the first half, Powell could have a big start to his 2017 season on Sunday.
RB: Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers
If it seems like there has been a lot of talk about the rookie running backs leading up to the season, that's because there has been. This year's class of rookie running backs looks like it could produce several big playmakers, and McCaffrey is leading the way. Similar to Cook, the rookie out of Stanford looked great in the preseason. He took 17 carries for 87 yards and a touchdown and added three receptions for 51 yards in limited action. Everyone on the Panthers, from Newton, to Jonathan Stewart, to Ron Rivera, has not been able to stop praising McCaffrey and his play throughout the summer. Carolina even created a selection of plays designed solely for their rookie running back. As noted above with Newton, the 49ers defense is not good. Well, their rush defense is even worse than their pass defense. Last season, San Francisco gave up a league-high 165.9 rushing yards per game, which was over 23 yards more than the next closest team. McCaffrey could not ask for a more appetizing opening matchup.
WR: Kelvin Benjamin, Carolina Panthers vs. San Francisco 49ers
If you couldn't tell by now, I'm going all-in on the Panthers this week. Benjamin had everyone in the fantasy football world worried a few months ago when he showed up to the Panthers' team workouts looking more like an offensive lineman than a wide receiver. However he spent the summer shedding the extra weight, and looks to be back around 240-pounds. This is great news for anyone that picked Benjamin on their team. The fourth-year receiver showed off his athleticism during the preseason, catching eight passes for 107 yards and two touchdowns in three preseason games. I don't need to repeat how defensively-challenged the 49ers look this season. However I will note that it was Carolina's Week 2 matchup against San Francisco last season that saw Benjamin have his best game of 2016, catching nine passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns. He may not repeat those exact numbers, but Benjamin will certainly take advantage of San Francisco's weak secondary on Sunday.
WR: Sammy Watkins, Los Angeles Rams vs. Indianapolis Colts
Normally I would stay away from a wide receiver making his debut on a new team less than a month removed from being traded to said team. But the Colts' poor secondary, combined with the absence of top corner Vontae Davis, has Watkins looking like a great fantasy option this week. While the start of his career can only be described as disappointing, injuries have been the biggest reason for Watkins' performance in his first three seasons. Well, the former Clemson wide receiver is starting the 2017 season as healthy as ever, and while it may not last that long, I'd take advantage of it while you still can. Watkins is also entering a contract-year, as the Bills declined to pick up his fifth-year option before trading him to the Rams. Watkins and quarterback Jared Goff seem primed to start the season off on a good note Sunday in Los Angeles.
WR: Brandon Marshall, New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys
For the first time since the 6-foot-5 Plaxico Burress suited up for New York almost a decade ago, Giants quarterback Eli Manning will have a tall, talented receiver to target in the red zone. The 6-foot-4 Marshall is coming off his worst season since his rookie year, but a lot of the blame for that must be directed towards the Jets' quarterback situation. Now the veteran receiver has the most talented quarterback he has ever played with throwing him the ball, and should benefit greatly from lining up opposite Odell Beckham. Marshall opens up his Giants career against a weak Dallas secondary that surrendered 273.5 receiving yards per game last season. Whether or not Beckham plays, Manning will surely target Marshall once New York gets inside the red zone. Marshall seems poised to have a big bounce back season this year, and it starts this week on Sunday Night Football.
TE: Delanie Walker, Tennessee Titans vs. Oakland Raiders
Walker is coming off one of the strongest seasons of his career in which he caught a career-high seven touchdowns. The veteran tight end will have to compete with the newly-acquired Eric Decker, Corey Davis, and Taywan Taylor, along with Rishard Matthews, for targets this season. However Walker has already established a strong rapport with Marcus Mariota over the last two seasons, and his touchdown total could increase even more this season if Mariota takes the next step in his development that many think he will take. Tennessee's influx of weapons in the passing game should also help open up the field for Walker. Oakland surrendered the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2016, and with Decker, Davis, and Matthews out there running routes every play, the Raiders might occasionally lose sight of Walker. He's a top tight end entering his Week 1 matchup.
QB: Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions vs. Arizona Cardinals
Stafford threw for over 4,250 yards for the sixth consecutive season last year, but saw his touchdown total drop from 32 in 2015 to 24 in 2016. While I believe that number will increase this season, Detroit's Week 1 matchup against the Cardinals is one to avoid. Patrick Peterson remains one of the most talented corners in the NFL. He is joined in the Arizona secondary by guys such as the versatile Tyrann Mathieu, the newly-signed Antoine Bethea, and first-round pick Budda Baker. In Stafford's last matchup against the Cardinals back in 2015, he threw for only 188 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. His 5.88 yards per pass attempt was one of the lowest of his season, while the three interceptions was the highest. If you have another solid quarterback with a decent matchup, I would strongly consider starting him over Stafford this week.
QB: Phillip Rivers, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
This is another case of a quarterback who could easily have a strong 2017 season, but beginning after Week 1. Rivers has the unfortunate luck of facing off against the Denver Broncos and their top pass-defense at Sports Authority Field at Mile High on Monday night. The Broncos are coming off a season in which they surrendered a league-low 186 passing yards per game, 16 yards less than the next-best pass defense. Even with several contributors from last season's defense missing, Denver will once again have one of the league's best defensive units this year. Rivers' track record against the Broncos could not be much worse, as he has only one game with more than 20 fantasy points in his last 12 meetings. This is a matchup that you really want to avoid in Week 1.
QB: Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants
Prescott put together an incredibly impressive rookie season, both as an NFL quarterback and as a fantasy football quarterback. His 23-4 touchdown-interception ratio was amazing, and his 282 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns boosted his fantasy numbers even more. In fact, he scored at least 20 fantasy points in nine of the 15 full games he played in. But two of those games in which he didn't came against the Giants, where he combined for just 18 points. New York's defense is legit, as they allowed the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks in 2016. Returning most of the starters from last year's group, there is no reason to think the Giants' defense won't repeat as one of the best this year. Prescott is better off on your bench for the season opener.
RB: Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers vs. Carolina Panthers
Hyde is unlucky to have to go up against Carolina and their stout front seven in Week 1. The Panthers' defense includes defensive studs like Luke Kuechly and Kawann Short, in addition to players like Mario Addison and Charles Johnson. Hyde should have his hands full, as Carolina is coming off a 2016 season in which they gave up just 92.9 rushing yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry. The one thing going for the 49ers running back is the glaring lack of depth at the position behind him on San Francisco's roster. If he can stay healthy, which has proven to be very difficult for the 26-year-old through his first three NFL seasons, then Hyde could be in for a big 2017 campaign. However if his last matchup against the Panthers (14 carries for 34 yards and a fumble) is any indication, Hyde could be in for a rough day on Sunday.
RB: Ty Montgomery, Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Seattle enters the 2017 season with the second-strongest front seven in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Between Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright, Michael Bennett, Frank Clark, Cliff Avril, Malik McDowell, and the newly-acquired Sheldon Richardson, the Seahawks not only have the talent up front, but they also have the depth to be a truly special defense this season. That is why I would avoid the Green Bay running back in this Week 1 matchup. Unlike last year where Montgomery seemingly came out of nowhere to become the Packers' starting running back, the Seahawks have had an entire offseason to prepare for him. Any running back in an offense led by Aaron Rodgers has a decent chance of scoring a touchdown in any given week, but I would not take that chance this week, even with the game taking place in Green Bay.
RB: Joe Mixon, Cincinnati Bengals vs. Baltimore Ravens
Unlike the other running backs that landed in this category, Mixon's placement here has just as much to do with his role on the Bengals as the talent of the Ravens and their rush defense. Baltimore allowed only 89.4 rushing yards per game and an even scarier 3.7 yards per carry. While they are unlikely to repeat such great numbers against the run, it is clear that the Ravens have guys up front capable of shutting down an opposing team's run game. You must not forget that Mixon is also potentially the only top rookie running back that still has to compete with two veterans for carries. Despite injuring his ankle during the preseason, Jeremy Hill is still expected to start Week 1. Giovani Bernard is also expected to see a decent amount of playing time, leaving it up in the air just how much Mixon will see the field in his debut. While he should eventually take over as Cincinnati's no. 1 back, that is highly unlikely to happen on Sunday.
WR: T.Y. Hilton, Indianapolis Colts vs. Los Angeles Rams
Hilton is one of the league's most talented wide receivers. There is no doubt about it. But with Andrew Luck out, Hilton's productivity drops significantly. In 10 games without Luck at quarterback over the last two years, Hilton's per-game production drops by more than 30.5 percent. He has only 41 catches for 630 yards and two touchdowns in those 10 games, and with Scott Tolzien under center, it's hard to see that trend reversing. In his one game with Tolzien last year, Hilton managed just three catches for 54 yards on five targets. Those are disappointing numbers for any receiver, let alone a team's no. 1 option. Once Luck returns (whenever that may be), Hilton will immediately return to his status as a must-start every week. But until then, and especially against the Rams and their surprisingly-stingy pass defense, I'm keeping Hilton on my bench.
WR: Allen Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans
Robinson has the talent to be a very successful wide receiver in the NFL. Unfortunately for him, he has Blake Bortles throwing him the ball. Bortles was one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL last season, and if Robinson wants to have any chance of even coming close to his stellar 2015 campaign, he will need to see an improvement from his quarterback. That probably will not happen in Week 1, as the Jaguars have the displeasure of going up against Houston's elite defense. The Texans allowed just 214.0 receiving yards per game last season, trailing only Denver's 200.0. With the return of a healthy J.J. Watt, Bortles will be pressured throughout the entire game, which will likely lead to turnovers. Robinson has the potential to be very good this season, but I would like to see him re-establish some sort of connection with Bortles before I'm putting him in my lineup.
WR: Tyrell Williams, Los Angeles Chargers vs. Denver Broncos
I'm actually high on Williams this year, as I believe the return of a healthy Keenan Allen should help take some of the attention away from the third-year wide receiver. Throughout the year, Allen should garner the attention of opposing defenses' no. 1 corner, leaving Williams to battle it out with teams' second corner. While that is great for his season outlook, that won't help him much Week 1 against the Broncos. Denver's defense contains two of the top three cover corners from last season in Chris Harris Jr. and Aqib Talib. It doesn't matter which one covers Williams and which one covers Allen, as both receivers are likely to struggle in the season opener. Add in the fact that Williams had a combined four catches for 32 yards and no touchdowns in two games against Denver last season, and I'm staying as far away as possible from this one.
TE: Martellus Bennett, Green Bay Packers vs. Seattle Seahawks
Bennett looks set for a disappointing start to his tenure with the Packers as he faces off against his brother in Week 1. Seattle was one of the best against tight ends last season, holding opposing tight ends to under nine fantasy points in 10 games. The Legion of Boom is still very much intact, with Kam Chancellor, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman, and Jeremy Lane making up one of the most talented secondaries in the NFL. While Rodgers is no doubt one of the best quarterbacks in the league, he is not known for leaning on his tight ends too much. The presence of Bennett will likely help open up the field a bit for Green Bay's receivers, but that does no good for Bennett's fantasy outlook this week. I'm not sure if Bennett will finish as a top 10 tight end for the season, but I am confident he will fail to rank that high in Week 1.
Matt Citak is a producer for CBS Local Sports and a proud Vanderbilt alum. Follow him on Twitter or send comments to email@example.com.


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Halloween cake of your favourite ghoul Draculaura. See how to make this Monster High Draculaura doll cake for Halloween or great for your kids birthday party. A cake decorating tutorial by Pink Cake Princess.
Link to my Pink Cake Princess channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/mackandnorm
Love cupcakes, cakes & other sweets! Then SUBSCRIBE for FREE cupcake decorating & cake decorating how to tutorials.
If you dont have a dolly varden cake tin you can use an oven proof bowl to bake in or stack 3 cakes on top of each other & carve the top to look domed. See how to carve, shape, fill & crumbcoat the cake in my Barbie doll cake tutorial here:
My Monster High Frankie Stein doll cake tutorial:
My Batman cake tutorial to see how to make the bats:
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe:
Cupcake decorating tools I use often & some tips on working with fondant icing:
How to make a Monster High Draculaura Doll Cake for Halloween.
Tools & materials I used are listed below:
Monster High Draculaura Doll
Cling wrap to cover the dolls legs
1 round cake (about 6 to 7 inches wide) & 1 cake baked in a dolly varden tin (sliced in 2 and centre cut out with a small circle cutter)
(Or 3 round cakes about 6 to 7 inches wide with the top cake carved to look like a dome)
Swiss Meringue Butter cream to ice with
Off set spatula to ice with
Serrated knife to carve with (like a bread knife)
Thin cake board (about 7 inches wide)
Cake stand or Covered cake board (Click here for tutorial:http://youtu.be/dT0ifQudW6I)
Clear plastic mat table cloth
Non stick small rolling pin
Large rolling pin
Corn flour bag for dusting (handkerchief with corn flour in it tied up with a rubber band)
Circle cutters (10cm, 4cm & 5cm)
Textured placemat (or something to emboss fondant with like textured rolling pins, embossing mats, stamps, lace molds etc)
Cling wrap
Wire & wire cutter
Cardboard cut out template of a little bat
Palate knife and / or pointy craft knife
Water in small container and small brush (or edible glue with brush)
Wooden skewer (to frill fondant with)
Petal pad (spongy surface to frill fondant on)
Pink fondant icing
Black fondant icing (with a little white mixed through so that it's not too sticky)
Thanks for watching how to make a Monster High Draculaura Doll Cake. A cake decorating how to by Pink Cake Princess - Andrea ; )
Music Courtesy of Audio Network -
Smiley Banana 2
Heart Of A Champion 2
Information on Fondant:
I am using a type of icing called fondant icing which is a type of sugar dough (used on wedding cakes). You can get it from your local supermarket or specialty cake decorating supplier. You can even make it. I usually buy it in white & colour it by using food dyes & mixing it through. Link here for how to colour white fondant with food dyes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3llmKZ0TuyE
For darker colours like black, bright red & bright green I buy it pre coloured as it's harder to mix the darker colours. These colours in fondant are more sticky due to the dye content so I usually mix a little white fondant through it to make it easier to work with. It can be sticky to work with & changes depending on the weather in your area - it absorbs moisture from the air so can be sticky to work with but it normally dries when exposed to air so you need to wrap excess fondant up in cling wrap and then a zip lock bag.
It may be hard when you take it out of its packaging so you would need to knead it to make it more workable as it warms up and becomes softer and sticker in your hands. To stop the stickiness of fondant you can dust your surfaces with corn flour. It comes in many brands - I use Pettinice RTR Icing by Bakels (brand) but there are many other brands like Satin Ice, Queens and Orchards.
Tylose powder can be used to mix through your fondant so that your figurines set harder & quicker than just fondant alone. You can leave it out but you risk your figurines sagging and not fully drying in time. You can get it online or from your specialty cake decorating supply shops. You can use it to make an edible glue as well. Link here for the edible glue - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3HD3V0d2M


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New Rock Band Logo Badge for its first EP artwork (only British designer wanted)
Budget £20-250 GBP
British graphic designer wanted for a new British rock band that requires a new logo badge to be created digitally for its first EP artwork and website. It's based on a classic round uniform badge and you could potentially paste the image of a similar badge into your software then just change the colours and wording and make a few changes to the animated design. Sketches have been drawn to show the new design clearly to the designer and will be emailed to the designer once we've both decided to partner with each other.
It will feature the band's name logo within the centre of the badge instead of the wording seen on the uniform badge. The band's name logo will appear in the centre.
An animated human's arm holding a simple item will appear within the circular badge area next to the band's name logo.
Budget of £50, please state what your minimum and maximum total price will be for delivering the completed design in the necessary high definition formats for printing uses.
If we work effectively together on the badge, you could do more artwork for the band and we'll have a bigger budget then once the band is earning money.
I would like to be able to discuss progress on the phone occasionally with the designer during the design process so would like a phone number once we agree to work together. Discussing all design decisions (and the artist designer's advice) by email isn't ideal, so when we need to make decisions, or when you need my input, I prefer to talk rather than sending emails backwards and forwards, unless it's just a simple question or two that you want to ask me. Thank you for your interest and to confirm, I'm ONLY looking for a British designer based in Britain so please don't contact me if you aren't in Britain.
20 freelancers are bidding on average £74 for this job
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WATERFRONT reserve cottage: Self-contained, 4 bedroom, air-conditioned,. Sleeps 8. PETS welcome at owners discretion.
LINEN can be supplied if requested, for an extra charge of $10 per person.
Free WiFi. Don't forget to bring your subscriptions for Netflix/Stan etc!
A large level grassy garden leads down to the lakes edge, where it is ideal swimming for children, splendid fishing, sailing, boating, kayaking, canoeing, prawning and windsurfing.
The cottage has the added advantage that there are no other residents - you have the whole property to yourselves. You have PRIVACY.
The rear veranda faces west, overlooking the lake - an ideal spot to watch the spectacular SUNSETS.
What a great outlook to enjoy a BBQ!
The cottage has a master bedroom with a queen.
It also has second bedroom with two singles.
The downstairs the 3rd bedroom is an ideal second living area with a queen bed + a single + a lounge, TV&DVD.
The 4th bedroom has a single bed and a lounge. These bedrooms have access to the en-suite which is in the laundry and are not air-conditioned. They usually always have a very temperate temperature as they capture the breezes from every direction.
It is freshly painted and has a new kitchen - dishwasher, upright stove/oven, fridge, microwave.
It has a new second bathroom/laundry downstairs - vanity,shower and toilet. The bathroom upstairs has a shower, vanity and toilet.
There is also the good Aussie outhouse toilet in the back garden - 3 toilets in total! And an outside shower.
The cottage is close to many other amenities - restaurants, Country Club, golf courses, tennis courts, boat hire, bike hire, boat ramps, national and marine parks, fishing & diving charters, whale and dolphin cruises, wineries, air and naval museums and Shoalhaven ZOO.
Your stay includes a 20 percent off DISCOUNT VOUCHER on whale/dolphin cruises.
MINIMUM 2 night stay.
LINEN is supplied for an extra charge of $10 per person. If you would like your beds made up please request this on booking. Otherwise, you need to bring your sheets, pillowslips and towels.
30 minutes south of Nowra on the shores of the clear sandy waters of the pristine, salt water lake, of St Georges Basin and only 7 minutes to the spectacular JERVIS BAY Marine Park. Close to the village of Huskisson and the famous Hyams Beach.
Local Attractions
SWIMMING, KAYAKING, BOATING, FISHING, PRAWNING, SAILING, SURFING, KAYAKING, KITE SURFING, CYCLE WAYS, WINDSURFING, SNORKELING, SCUBA DIVING, WHALE/DOLPHIN/SEAL & BIRD WATCHING, NATIONAL PARKS, BOTANICAL GARDEN, GOLF, TENNIS, COUNTRY CLUB, AWARD WINNING RESTAURANTS AND WINERIES, AIR MUSEUM at Nowra Hill, MARITIME MUSEUM at Huskisson, ABORIGINAL ARTIFACTS SHOP, GALLERIES, Shoalhaven ZOO in north Nowra and the pristine Jervis Bay Marine Park with it's beautiful beaches, walking/cycling tracks and picnic areas .


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New trailer hails the return of the Vikings
The video introduces the new era that visitors will experience within the newly re-imagined attraction. Following the fall of Eric Bloodaxe in 954AD, the capital of Viking Britain experienced a resurgence in popularity, with new buildings erected using planks rather than wattle and daub, and traders from around the world coming to Jorvik, an important centre of commerce and trade.
"2017 is set to be the Year of the Viking in York, with a newly invigorated JORVIK Viking Festival during February half term and the re-opening of the world-famous attraction in time for Easter – our trailer gives a sense of the epic stories we will tell about this remarkable period of history," comments director of attractions for York Archaeological Trust, Sarah Maltby. "We receive calls and questions every day from people wanting to know when JORVIK will re-open, and so now, we're building a sense of anticipation for the return of the Vikings in April."
The video opens with a review of what the team have been doing throughout the year whilst JORVIK has been closed.


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Online Shopping for Engis Mold & Die Polishing Products in the U.S.
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Last August several hundred protestors gathered outside the Shanghai sales office of China Greentown Holdings, a real estate developer, holding banners with slogans such as "300,000 yuan worth of assets evaporate within five days — years of work in vain!" That loss – around $48,000 – was the difference between what the protestor had paid for a home, and the current price at which Greentown was now marketing models in the same complex. The protest wasn't unique. A few weeks earlier, homeowners at the Champs Élysées housing development in Hangzhou gathered to protest a similar developer price cut, holding banners with message such as "Return my blood and sweat money" while police formed barricades. Around the same time in Jinan, a city 500 miles north of Shanghai, a similar protest turned violent after yet another market-desperate developer discounted homes by 25 percent. And those were just the most recent permutations of a phenomenon – homeowners protesting their devalued homes – that goes back to 2011, at least. Continue reading
Category Archives: Et Cetera
So long, Shanghai, I've entered the Relocation Department.
As of today, I have relocated to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It's a new home (for me, at least), and a new adventure. But I'd be lying to say that I won't miss Shanghai, my home of 12 years. In fact, let me just come out and write it: I'll miss Shanghai, my home of 12 years. It's been a privilege to live here, and I've tried to enjoy everything that this fantastic city has to offer. That noted, you can't truly be in Shanghai unless you know how much of Shanghai you're missing. With utmost humility, I must admit that I missed a whole lot … and thus, I'll need to visit.
Why the relocation? The reasons are many. As a writer, I'm ready to see and write about the world from a different geographic perch. Malaysia has much to recommend it, including – and critically – deep personal ties.
For readers of my work, I can still be found at Bloomberg View, and I'll continue writing about Asia on a regular basis. At the same time, I'll be branching out into some different topics that interest me, including science, space, and sports (readers of my View columns have already seen hints of the shift). For my longtime scrap/junk/waste readers, no fears: I'll continue on the beat. In fact, I've booked some features with Scrap and Recycling International for later this year.
As for Shanghai Scrap – I'm just not sure. But this, I know: it won't suddenly become Kuala Lumpur Scrap.
Finally, I'm in the early stages of a new book project. Not ready to say much about it yet except that it'll be very, very trashy.
Oh, unsolicited advice for expats new and old: skip the Bali and Thai vacations, and spend some time on holiday in China, especially out west.
So that's that. Thanks again, Shanghai. It's been a pleasure, and I hope to see you soon.
Junkyard Planet, in translation. Vice. Reviews.
It's been more than two months since my last update, but that's not to suggest that nothing is happening on Junkyard Planet. Where to start?
Over the last couple of years, some of the best and most interesting journalism related to the global scrap industry has come out of Vice, and thus I was really pleased to sit down with them in November for an interview regarding Junkyard Planet. That interview turned into an opportunity to work with them on a segment on scrap metal theft, and the globalization of the metal trade for HBO. So, in January, on very short notice, I flew out to North Carolina and met up with a Vice crew for a shoot with my friend Johnson Zeng, scrap trader extraordinaire (readers of Junkyard Planet will know him well). It's hosted by David Choe – and I'm in it, too, in the second half. HBO subscribers can see the segment on demand, here. A teaser for the full episode (which first aired on March 28) is here:
Next up – and belatedly – the traditional Chinese language translation of Junkyard Planet was released in Taiwan by China Times Publishing on February 24. Continue reading
It really is a Junkyard Planet, Everywhere Edition.
It's been nearly a month since my last update from the Junkyard Planet world tour (of sorts). Since then, we've been in the UK, Malaysia, Singapore … and now we're back in Shanghai. To my ever-persistent surprise, Junkyard Planet continues to have legs – and get press. My hope, from the moment I wrote a proposal for the book, is that it would have mass market appeal. But it's one thing to hope, and another altogether to learn that the book is available at WalMart. That's a big step, and one that I certainly didn't see coming.
At the same time, I continue to be gratified by the large number of independent booksellers, worldwide, who've chosen to offer Junkyard Planet to their customers. They've been key to its success, and I've enjoyed the appearances I've made – and will continue to make – at indie bookstores worldwide. Below, a photo of me and Kenny Leck, the owner of the amazing Books Actually in Singapore. What a fantastic place – not just a bookstore, but also a junk/antique shop filled with stuff that Kenny has personally scrounged up on his rounds in Singapore. Later this year, I'm going to head out grubbing with Kenny, and do an event at his shop as well. Can't wait. In the meantime, if you get to Singapore, RUN – don't walk – to Books Actually. It's awesome.
We've had terrific press in Singapore, including a feature profile in the Straits Times, the island's biggest paper, that can be found here (the original is paywalled), and another piece in the Business Times. And there was some television: I appeared on Channel NewsAsia's AM Live! show (sort of Good Morning America, for Singapore). Across the causeway in Malaysia, I was profiled by Kenny Mah for the Malay Mail and was the lucky beneficiary of a full-page books feature in The Star, Malaysia's biggest English-language newspaper, by Natalie Heng. Continue reading
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Hunks of Scrap Day 2
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I'm posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. This week, at the strong suggestion of my wife, I'm running a series we're calling Hunks of Scrap (for more info, see Monday's Scene). As always, click to enlarge:
This strapping gentlemen was photographed two days before Carnival 2011 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He and the less strapping gentleman behind him were photographed atop a five meter high pile of pots and pans collected – on an ongoing basis – from local households for recycling. I've never received a very good explanation as to why pots and pans in Brazil are recycled at such a high rate – but I digress. Today's Hunk of Scrap, like yesterday's from Vietnam, developed his fine physique by working in scrap yards, where repetitive lifting of moderate weights has produced spectacular results (disregarding the modest but noticeable belly, surely the result of the rich local cuisine). On the day that I joined him atop this pile of pots and pans, his job was less strenuous: he and his colleague were separating lightweight steel pots from aluminum ones, so that they might be sent to the correct furnaces. Eventually, I was told, the men would work their way down Mt. Pots and Pans. It was, as I recall quite distinctly, quite hot atop the pots and pans (thus, he wears no shirt), as they were located in a sun-baked warehouse lacking in a/c.
Anyway, as noted in yesterday's inaugural edition of Hunks of Scrap, this week only I'm accepting reader-submitted images for the series – to be judged by my wife – at ShanghaiScrap at gmail com. Alas, I haven't received any yet …
Previous 'Scenes from a Junkyard Planet' can be found here.
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Hunks of Scrap, Day 1
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I'm posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today's image was suggested by wife who expressed concern that last week's images – especially Friday's – verged on the dull. As a result, I have no choice but to juice up this ongoing blog series with a week-long set of photos that I'm going to call the "Hunks of Scrap." As always, click to enlarge.
This ripped gentleman – he goes by the single name "Chinh" – was photographed at his Saigon-area scrap yard in 2007. How, you may be wondering, does one acquire such a physique working at a scrap yard? Well, if you spend your days picking up heavy steel rods, you're bound to develop some tone, eventually. And that's what Chinh and his employees spend their days doing: picking up heavy steel reinforcing bars (like those in the background), heating them in furnaces, and then running that heated steel through machines that roll it into new bars (a process seen in part in the August 16 Scene from a Junkyard Planet). But why, it's fair to ask, is Chinh wandering around his scrap yard shirtless? Two reasons, so far as I could tell: a) furnaces raise the temperatures at Chinh's plant to shirtless temperatures (unless you're working with those furnaces); and b) wouldn't you?
A note to readers: Scenes from Junkyard Planet is proudly sourced from my archive of thousands of scrap recycling photos taken around the world over the last decade. But this week – and this week only – I'm open to publishing images submitted by readers who work in the recycling industry. Just please make sure that you own the images, and you aren't posed doing anything you wouldn't want your employer or local safety inspector to see. Be warned: my wife makes the final call on what makes it to the site. Send submissions to ShanghaiScrap at gmail com.
Previous 'Scenes from a Junkyard Planet' can be found here.
Stop the Baseless Panicking Over E-Waste
What happens to your old phones, computers, televisions and other devices when you drop them into the recycling bin? For more than a decade, the standard answer to that question has been some variation of: they're "dumped" in China. The examples are rife: from a Peabody-award winning story by Sixty Minutes, to beautifully laid-out, two-page op-eds in the New York Times. Yet, as a steady flow of new studies are showing, the assumption that US e-waste is being dumped in developing countries is turning out to be a baseless myth. In fact, rather than dumping US e-waste in developing countries, US electronics repair and recycling companies are actually doing the difficult work of disposing of more than 80% US electronics – right at home.
This is the topic of my new op-ed running at Bloomberg View: Stop the Baseless Panicking Over US E-Waste.
More important, yet, we're learning that most of the so-called e-waste that's shipped to developing countries actually goes for repair, refurbishment and re-use – a far more environmentally pleasing result than recycling. Above, a Malaysian refurbishment facility that I documented for Scrap Magazine in 2011.


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Victory Christian School utilizes the Accelerated Christian Education (A.C.E.) curriculum in the first through twelfth grades as its core curriculum. The A.C.E. program is individualized. It is designed to allow each student to work on his/her own level of achievement, which may vary from subject to subject.
Accelerated Christian Education is a tried-and-true approach to academics since its development in 1970. The A.C.E. program is used in over 6,000 schools in 145 countries. Victory Christian School stands by this curriculum not only because of its overall reputation, but because it has proven effective specifically in our school since its opening in 1984.
The core disciplines of Math, English, Social Studies, Science and Word Building provide students with a solid academic foundation that is part of the complete educational package. The core curriculum provides the student with academics, skill building, reading practice and knowledge of God, His Word, and His character and wisdom.
The ABeka curriculum is used in kindergarten. The program provides an excellent foundation in Phonics, Reading, Handwriting, Numbers, Skills Development, Language Development and Bible.
Supplemental Curriculum
Although A.C.E. is our core curriculum for grades 1-12, other teaching methods and curricula such as Alpha Omega and ABeka are utilized for supplemental courses. Bible is taught in a traditional classroom setting, Spanish is taught using virtual classroom methods and other subjects are computer-based. Students have access to internet and books for research. DVD helps and tutoring are also available. All methods working together make the program of VCS unique and designed to meet our needs.


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Crafted in a San Diego studio, Sweet1985 used acrylic paint to paint the cigarette onto this tongue-in-cheek ring plate. Due to the handmade nature of each piece, no two will be 100 percent alike.
Made in the United States.
Details: Fuck Ring is not included. Approximately sized 3 inches x 3.5 inches.
AHAlife is committed to help you live a conscious and inspired life.
Many of the items you discover here are exclusive to AHAlife, which is what makes our community of designers and artisans so special.
If you find one of our products anywhere else for less than it's being sold on our site, we will match it.
Our dedicated Support Team is here to help. Reach out any time at:


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This spring, personal style gets, well... personal. From shoes to bags to jewelry and everything in between, it's now possible to stamp, embroider, emboss, and stitch your initials, name, or anything you like, really, onto just about any garment or accessory of your choice. Here are four of my favorite monogrammable accessories in stores this spring.
Jack Rogers Monogrammed Sandals, $158 at jackrogersusa.com: If you're not yet familiar with Jack Rogers' ubiquitous Navajo sandals, well, pay better attention to women's feet this summer—because the brand's preppy, colorful, comfortable, cute footwear is seriously everywhere.
If you love yourself some Jack Rogers, but want to set yourself apart from the crowd (just a little bit), consider the company's monogrammed sandals—personalized leather flip-flops that feature Jack Rogers' signature hand-done whipstitching. Starring your initials in a diamond monogram, these sandals will be 100% your own.
Rail and Wharf 12-Hour Tote, $78 with monogram or embossing at jcrew.com: Even though their Rail and Wharf totes are technically classified as men's accessories, as soon as I spotted them on the back cover of the latest J. Crew catalog, I knew I had to have one. Narrower than that other classic monogrammable boat tote (from LL Bean), this Rail and Wharf version feels modern, sleek, and smart enough to take to work.
Longchamp personalized Le Pliage tote, $145 at saks.com: Speaking of preppy totes that are sleek enough to carry to work—say hello to this classic—Longchamp's Le Pliage nylon bag that'll withstand everything from a schlep to the office to a day at the beach to the overhead cabin on a Trans-Atlantic flight.
Lana Signet Ring, $98 at sarahchloe.com: It's been my lifelong ambition to look like a wiseguy—a la the cast of The Sopranos—so, naturally, I had to have a gold pinky signet ring. I'm only half-kidding. Actually, the monogrammed pinky signet ring has long been an affectation embraced by, well, ballers—from Diddy to Dr. Evil to the British royal family, including Prince Charles, Prince William, and the Lady Diana (shown here, wearing extra-swagger—two pinky rings, a Cartier trinity ring and a gold signet ring—in 1983):
In my quest to look as baller as possible, I shopped around a lot, looking for a classic gold signet ring that (1) came in women's sizes and (2) wasn't over-embellished—I wanted something simple. Sarah Chloe's Lana signet ring fulfills both these criteria, as well as not costing an arm and a leg—good if you're not sure you want to commit to being a lifelong pinky-ring wearer and are just interested in trying the look on for fun.
The verdict? I wore my Sarah Chloe ring for a few months, love the look and feel of a signet ring and am not on the market for something a bit more permanent (read: expensive). Any recommendations? Send 'em my way!
I'm so into monogramming these days—is it a sign of crazed narcissism? Maybe. Are you into monogrammed accessories? Tell us what your fave pieces are!
· Summer beach essential: design your own board shorts at Hurley online
· Video: Lauren Conrad on how to get girl-next-door sexy


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Learn about planting allergy free landscaping trees.
Many commonly planted landscape trees are male trees that produce large amounts of pollen, but no fruit or seeds. While these "litterfree" male trees seemed more desirable than female trees, Thomas Ogren argues in his new book Allergy-free Gardening (see MOTHER's Bookshelf, Page 104) that planting so many pollen-producing trees around our homes has dramatically increased our exposure to irritating tree pollen. Ogren suggests planting allergy free landscaping trees. Here is Ogren's Top 10 list of pollen-free landscape trees.
1. Female juniper trees
Also called Red Cedar; example: "Pendula Virdis"
2. Female (fruit-bearing) Chinese Pistache trees
3. Female Ash trees
Example: "Summit" ash
4. Female Red Maple trees
Example: "Autumn Glory"
5. Nonflowering olive cultivars
Example: "Swan Hill" olive
6. Female mulberry trees
Example: Weeping mulberry
7. Fruit-bearing, female Hollies
Example: "Sparkler" English holly
8. Female poplars
Example: "Theves" poplar
9. Female deodar cedar trees
10. Female Silver Maple trees
Example: "Northline" silver maple


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|Tusk One Sheet
|The Mission
For years, a multitude of friends have asked me to start a Podcast. For one reason or another, things just never worked out. Sometimes people would get lazy (mostly me), sometimes things were on too grand of a scale, but mostly, there was just never a fully-formed concept. Well after months of badgering I finally convinced Mitch to move out to Los Angeles and I used the concept of the podcast to lure him. Is it the reason he came? Not at all, but I knew it would sweeten the pot. However, now that he is out here, I'm stuck in the unfortunate predicament of actually having to follow through with this promise. Even worse, I have to listen to myself talk on recordings.
So here we are, having just recorded/edited the first episode. The root of the concept we've came up with is deconstructing movies we feel have been too built up over the years (not movies we hate, just ones we feel are overrated). But you can't do a podcast based only on beating up on something, that's just cruel. So in the place of the movie we deconstruct, we offer up a little known gem that we feel is overlooked and deserves a bit of the attention. Also we're treading into the hotly debated notion of Torrents and the positive benefit that they also serve beyond simply taking money away from artists.
|Episode 1
The Soapbox Office


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Winston will takes your fitness goals seriously. Winston understand that losing weight and gaining muscle can be challenging, and his goal is to help you overcome hurdles and reach your goals. Winston analyzes your body type, BMI, and metabolism, to create your individualized health and fitness plan.
With years of success and experience, Winston is capable of analyzing your body and creating a fitness plan that will help you reach your goals. Most plans include healthy eating and exercise, to ensure the best results for our patients. Winston will work with you to keep you on track and motivated to reach your goals.
Winston understands that adapting new fitness habits is difficult and often times fails. HIs goal is to change your view on fitness, so that it becomes apart of who you are and your lifestyle. Winston strongly believe that if you practice healthy habits, you will be able to obtain a healthy lifestyle.
Sign up for weight loss and healthy eating tips.


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Jan 9, 2016 | By Andre
Just about anyone that has worked with the FDM style of desktop 3D printers on the market today will likely agree that the transfer process from file to printer can be a bit cumbersome at times. Whether you're walking back and forth between machines with an SD card like you would with a 3 1/2" floppy disk or forced to dedicate an entire computer to your 3D printer at all times, a more convenient solution might soon become the new normal.
Matterhackers, a 3D Printer / Filament distributer based out of Orange County, California seems to be on the right track with their just announced MatterControl Touch T10. The Touch T10 is a 10-inch touchscreen tablet that acts as a dedicated 3D printer control console.
Connecting via USB to any compatible gcode using 3D Printer, the tablet runs the open-source MatterControl print software. It's the combination of this full-featured software and convenient touch-screen interface that allows the device to shine. Complete with a wide range of preloaded 3D printer configurations, integrated slicing, remote print monitoring, automatic print leveling, sms/email print notifications and the option of an onboard camera, it doesn't hold back.
While a USB cable and a dedicated wall-outlet is still required for 3D printing, the wifi capabilities of the MatterControl Touch ensures that you can download, prepare and preview any and all of your files in one convenient place.
Additionally, the list of compatible printers is fairly extensive (basically any printer that runs G-code). This unfortunately means popular 3D printers like the FlashForge Creator Pro or anything by Makerbot don't make the cut for the time being. But don't fret, x3g file-format compatibility is being worked on by the MatterHackers team.
With a price-tag of $299 (complete with a 30 day-money back guarantee) the MatterControl Touch may just be a worthy investment if you're finding yourself strutting back-and-forth with a SD card or inconvenienced by the need to commit a PC to your 3D printer.
All said, it is likely a niche market item and will likely only scream "Buy Me!" to a select few print enthusiasts out there. While slightly inconvenient, swapping SD cards and finding an old computer to commit to printing has never been a huge challenge to me or anyone in my maker community. I sort of see this being a great tool for first-time 3D printer owners that may be unaware of the additional and necessary hardware requirements that are typically needed to run a 3D printer.
Hardware Specs Below:
GPU: Quad Core 4x1.4GHz
Internal Storage: 8GB
External Storage: SD Card
Camera Included
Voice Capable
Standalone Control
Web Monitoring
Web Control: Coming soon
Controller Does Not Contain Battery - Must Remain Plugged In
Posted in 3D Printer Accessories
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John Dee wrote at 1/10/2016 2:49:31 PM:
Has the computers sleep function been disabled? You can buy a small tablet with windows 10 and Android for £80 Why not just put Matter control on one of those?
3D cinic wrote at 1/10/2016 6:00:55 AM:
NOTHING NEW!! OctoPrint, AstroPrint, Peer2Print etc... on a 5$ raspberry pi zero. Connect with the screen you already have, pc, laptop, tablet, phone, watch...


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A 23-year-old New Jersey woman was found dead in Union Square Park yesterday, police said.
A Parks Department worker found Kayla Mitchell lying unconscious in a grassy part of the square at 7:30 a.m., sources said.
There is no criminality suspected, and cops are investigating whether she died of a drug overdose.
Mitchell had been a fixture in the local homeless community for about three years. She was known for her contagious smile and 8-month-old dog, Buster, Union Square denizens said.
"She was terrific," said a distraught homeless friend, David Welsh, 30. "She had a gorgeous laugh."
Another homeless man, Jay Kidd, 19, said he's talking to police about keeping Buster — who had to be dragged away from his owner's body.
Mitchell is from Newark but grew up in Hull, Mass., where she sang soprano in the Hull HS concert chorus, according to her Facebook page.


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In the middle of year 1918 Sayid Maxamed moved the Darwiish headquarters from Taleex to Sanaag. It was felt necessary that the Daraawiish should have bases close to the Maakhir Coast in order to facilitate their access to the sea for trade and re-armament purposes. As well, the Darwiishes were under immense pressure with constant raiding, ambushes and looting from the Gadhcas Majeerteen, ruled by Boqor Cismaan, their king based in Boosaaso. Boqor Cismaan was heavily armed by the Italians and was under instructions from them to make life difficult for the Daraawiish in Nugaal region. Sayid Maxamed gathered his senior Qusuusi counselors and many alternatives were broached. Some advised a move towards the Riverine areas of the south and join the Darwiish forces already based there Hiiraan and Qalqallooc. Others counselled a retreat to Illig and Eyl on the Indian ocean, formerly the Darwiish headquarters. But the Sayid plumbed for Sanaag citing the above-mentioned reasons and it would turn out to be a fateful decision.
The Daraawiish already had 4 forts in the region(Jiidali, Surad, Badhan and Gal-baribuur) and the initial plan was to use Jiidali as the Darwiish headquarters. Jiidali was a well-built fort that served the Daraawiish very well over the years. The Darwiishmen used to sing:
Haddaan jiq ka siiyo Jiidaliyeey
Xaggee kufri joogsan doonaa eey
Libaax laba jeeni dhiig ku lehoo
Badweyn ka jibaaday baan ahay!
Now that I have built Jiidali fort
The Infidels will never have rest
Like a lion, red in tooth and claw
From Badweyn, we roar like thunder
Be that as it may, it was decided that Jiidali lay exposed in in the plains and a new fort was commissioned to be built in Midhishi, next to streams nestled inside two mountains. The Daraawiish came to Sanaag with vast ambitions after the movement hit the doldrums ever since the destruction of the Shimbibiris fort. The destruction of that fort, despite the heroic resistance of its defenders, was a great blow to the morale of the Daraawiish. Colonel(Later General Lord) Ismay who was part of the British force that destroyed the fort was mightily impressed with the quality of the Daraawiish fighters who defended the fort. In his memoirs published in 1960, he wrote, "All our efforts to dig out the defenders were in vain. I was sorry they had fought well." Sanaag was intended to renew the movement and great initiatives were proposed to bring that about. The Darwiish fort at Galbaribuur was intended to be the link to Arabia and preparations were made to cut large amount of timber to construct dhows to carry Darwiish trade from Maydh and Xiis.
However there were were also many conspiracies afoot and there were fissures within the movement. There was barely concealed hatred and loathing between the leading members of the Darwiish leadership on each side of the Sayid's lineage(Maternal and Paternal). It is narrated that Oogle Seed Magan proposed the following three points to the Sayid. He later used to boast that his proposal was a deliberate plan to undermine the Darwiish movement and lead to its destruction:
1. Cutting off all contacts and travel between Berbera and all Darwiish bases.
2. The discontinuation of all farming that was carried out by Daraawiish.
3. Raising doubts about the loyalty of Caamir Sheekh Xasan (Cagoole), the Sayid's uncle. Oogle Seed argued that Caamir had designs on Darwiish leadership at the expense of the Sayid.
His advise was followed and all Darwiish contacts with the English-held areas ceased. Caamir Cagoole was marginalized and his wise and fearless counsel was lost to the Daraawiish. Both had a large impact on the outcome of the final Darwiish-English confrontation because the lack of Darwiish intelligence on British intentions and war plans exacerbated the psychological damage inflicted by the appearance of the British Air Force over Darwiish areas.
21 January, 1920 saw the attack on Galbaribuur and Midishi fort by the British from the air and the ground. Douglas Jardine writing in his book was full of admiration for the defenders of Galbaribuur describing them as the "bravest of the brave" and the English did not capture the fort until the last defender expired in service to his country and faith. Midhishi was under constant bombardment for 3 days and it is said that 30 people died there including the discredited Caamir Cagoole, the Sayid's uncle and Mujaahid Afqarshe(Aadan Naalleeye).
The appearance of the British airplanes created chaos and confusion far exceeding the actual military damage effected by the bombs they were dropping. Darwiish leadership came to the conclusion to withdraw eastwards back to the Taleex fort which was by far the biggest of all Darwiish strongholds. Many of the leading Dhulbahante personalities counselled that they should separate from the movement and in order to save the tribe, under pressure from British reprisals, and its livestock that they should head for the deep Hawd. Thousands of Dhulbahante perished in the aftermath of the British operations with thousands more children who were orphaned dying of neglect or being kidnapped by the enemy.
A Group of Dhulbahante leaders headed by Ismaaciil Mire and which included Xirsi Jeedlade, Xirsi Cartan Boos, Ducaale Ileeye left Midhishi on the 24th of January headed towards the Hawd. Unfortunately they ran into a British force led by Colonel Ismay who detained them. When the British recognized that they had captured the Legendary Darwiish Mujaahid Ismaaciil Mirel he was immediately transferred in custody to Berbera suffering great ill-treatment for such a distinguished prisoner.
He was brough before a British magistrate to state his case but he kept looking at the floor silently even when spoken to. The Isaaq interpreters told the Darwiish to look up and regard the British magistrate fully in the face. Darwiish Ismaaciil said:
"The face that beheld The Sayid shall not look upon an infidel"
The Isaaq interpreters were greatly panicked by this show of defiance and, trembling with fear, told him to speak up and address the magistrate as SAHIB, a degrading, deferential form of address used by the Somalis who worked with the colonialists, to address the British.
The Somalis have a saying "haddaad dhimanayso dhareerka waa layska duwaa" and the English believe "in defeat, defiance". So the Englishman was aware of Darwiish Ismaaciil's intent when the Darwiish said:
"The Tongue that uttered Sayidii will not say Sahib"
When they asked him to clarify whether other prisoners were affiliated with the dervishes or not Darwiish Ismaaciil replied:
"Daraawiish ninkii soo ambaday eed ka geli maayo"
"A stray Darwiish will not be denounced by me"
Although he was sentenced to death in abstentia in 1915 for his role in the raid on Berbera, Darwiish Ismaaciil was released after 18 months when the Darwiish movement was conclusively destroyed. The British had no intention of martyring him.
Upon his release Ismaaciil Mire retired to the Dhulbahante country where he dispensed his wisdom and the history of the Darwiish struggle. He recalled in one poignant poem, addressed to his friend and relative Jaamac Cali Nuur, the bitterness that accompanied his arrest at Badweyn, bereft of the Dhulbahante who sought refuge in the Deep Hawd from the vengeful British::
Diyaarado qablami maalintii lay dul marinaayay
Darmaan xoodan maantaan Badweyn duhurka soo taagay
Habraha duubmay iyo maalintuu doqonku ii baanay
Dadkii Cayn fadhiyay maalintaan dooc ka garan waayay
Kun dirays gashani maalintay damacday dhiigayga
When flying airplanes were roaring over my head
Reaching Badweyn on the back of an emaciated colt
When old women and fools were exultant at my plight
When the people of Cayn were unrecognizable to me
A thousand in battle dress were craving my blood
A few short years after the defeat of the Daraawiish, Ismaaciil Mire was travelling with his confidant and great friend Xaaji Maxamed Cawl when they came upon a solitary settlement. An old lady recognized Ismaaciil and lamented that all her children were killed by Ismaaciil and his daraawiish and all her livestock looted by them. Mindful and aware of the destruction that was wrought upon the land by the holy anti-colonial struggle, and unwilling to shoulder the entire blame for the horrors that took place, a pained Ismaacil Mire composed the following poem that night:
Gumburo iyo cagaarweyne iyo geedkii Daratoole,
Goobtii Jidbaaliyo Xargaga guuldarradii joogtay,
Gembigii ka dhacay Ruuga iyo gudurigii haagay,
Gabooddeeda Beerdhiga wixii la isku gooraamay,
Maydkii gabraday seerigay Good ku tumanaysay,
Gawarkaad maraysaba laftaad galayaxaa mooddo,
Ogaadeenka gaanka ah wixii geydho laga qaaday,
Iiddoor cayuun godan wixii gelin la waydaarshay,
Shirshooraha gudbani cayr wuxuu gorof la meeraystay,
Garcas iyo Majeerteen wixii guuyo laga dhaarshay,
Gob ninkii ahaan jirey wuxuu gibil madoobaadey,
Giddigiis naflaa'iga wixii gobolba meel aaday
Gumburo and Cagaarweyne and the Daratoole tree
At the battle of Jidbaale and the disaster that was Xargaga
The horrors of Ruuga and the satiated vultures
Beerdhiga, were blame and denunciations were rife
The corpses that littered the fields hitherto grazed by camels
Everywhere bones protruding from decaying bodies
The proud Ogaadeen who lost all their livestock
The Iidoor, numberless camels lost in half a day
The whole of Shirshoore reduced to poverty
Gadhcas and Majeerteen, forbidden to own camels
The face of every nobleman, darkened by impotent rage
All creatures scattered to the four winds by conflict
He begs the old lady, for the sake of her eternal soul, not to put this heavy and intolerable burden on his shoulders alone.
In the early thirties, the British commissioned a group to gather intelligence on the surviving Darwiish generals. They found and compiled reports on the activities of many Darwiish elders such as Ismaaciil Mire, Seeraar Shawe, Xirsi Cartan Boos (all Dhulbahante), Aw Yuusuf Dheere (Ogaadeen, Bah Geri) and Nuur Xaashi (Warsangeli). All of them were leading peaceful lives as village or town elders and British took no further interest in their activities.
But circumstances forced Ismaaciil Mire prominently back into the picture when 3 years later his old friend and beloved cousin Jaamac Cali Nuur was cold-bloodedly murdered at Xargaga by a force of British Illaaloes. Ismaaciil Mire mounted a campaign that eventually ended with the killing of Jaamac Cali Nuur's assassin and that also saw Ismaaciil Mire taken once more to the Mandheera jail; for incitement to violence.
We will take up that story in our next installment of the Ismaaciil Mire history.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
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Content Standards
Content standards are new to Adult Basic Education in Minnesota, and you are in the right place to learn more! In MN ABE, we recognize the many skills our students need to transition to whatever is next for them – be it post-secondary studies, career training programs, job advancement, or deeper community involvement.
As seen in the visual above, the business of Adult Basic Education is helping students attain basic skills, professional/soft skills, and digital literacy skills in order to transition into whatever is next for them. This is the "what" of instruction in ABE. All of these skills are taught against a backdrop (here in blue) of content, the subject matter being taught. This backdrop might be life skills, if teachers are working with new arrivals to the US for example, or it may be occupational in nature, or focused on science or social studies if preparing students for GED or a secondary diploma. Content might also include civics, citizenship, or family literacy, depending on the program and context.
Content Standards in Minnesota ABE
Below you can view a short introductory video on content standards! This 8-minute video briefly summarizes the role of standards in education and outlines MN ABE's content standards specifically.
Content Standards Documents in Minnesota ABE
Three main documents guide the content of MN ABE classrooms, each focusing on an essential area of knowledge and skills our adult students need.
CCRS Implementation Team, FY16
- College and Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education (CCRS) – English Language Arts/Literacy, Math, and Foundational Reading Skills.
- Transitions Integration Framework (TIF) – Key transitions skills in the areas of effective communication, developing a future pathway, navigating systems, learning strategies, and more. This document is a main component of the Academic, Career, and Employability Skills (ACES) initiative.
- For a summarized version of this in-depth document, see the TIF at a Glance.
- Northstar Digital Literacy Standards – Basic digital literacy skills needed to perform tasks on computers and online.
How can I learn more?
|For a list of all the available resources related to MN ABE content standards, check out the Content Standards Resources document under RELATED RESOURCES in the box on the right.
|Get an introduction to the CCRS and 10-16 CEUs by taking a FREE online course, CCRS Foundations: An Introduction to the College & Career Readiness Standards for Adult Education!
To access the course, take these simple steps:
1) Go to schoology.com and Sign Up as an Instructor.
2) On the top blue bar, choose Courses, and then click My Courses on the right.
3) Click Join a Course and then enter the course access code FDF9M-R6WTR.
Please note: This course is open to anyone in any location, however CEUs (continuing education units) and facilitator feedback are only available to Minnesota ABE practitioners.
Find out more >>
In addition, please check out the following:
- Content Standards Resource Library
- General information about the ACES initiative
- ACES Resource Library
- General information about Northstar Digital Literacy


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In a previous post, I said, only kind of joking, that we were a wicked people and deserved to be judged. Then I read this Pete Wehner column calling out James Dobson over his post-Newtown comments. Dobson had said that Newtown is an example of God judging America for abortion, gay marriage, and disbelief. Wehner, a conservative Evangelical, was ticked off at this, and explains briefly why this is theologically ignorant. And then:
Why is it that tragedies often bring out such callous statements – including from the very people you would hope would show some measure of grace, discernment, and perspective? And why are some of the most offensive statements made by some of the nation's most visible (conservative) Christians? I am at something of a loss to explain it.
Since in the past I've criticized other Christian leaders for making similar statements, I wanted to explain why I, an evangelical Christian and social conservative, find them to be disquieting. It's because they discredit a faith I cherish – and what these people say is not the expression of the faith I hold. For them politics, not faith, is their interpretive lens. Christianity becomes a blunt instrument in an ideological struggle. The result is that people of faith explain a brutal massacre by connecting imaginary dots. And the fact that doing so damages the Christian faith seems to bother them not at all.
Amen. I have a friend whose previous pastor, at his non-denominational megachurch, told him that his (my friend's) son's chronic medical condition is something God allows because of his (my friend's) sin. Is that sick, or what? It grieves me to think about the pain in my friend's heart, having been told by his pastor that he is responsible for his little boy's suffering. It's a lie, of course, and my friend now sees it's a lie (this is part of the reason he's no longer at that church). But what kind of Christian pastor tells a man trying to raise a disabled child that God is taking out his wrath against him on his child?
Theologically, however, we have examples from the Old Testament of God pouring out his judgment on Israel, and on others (e.g., Sodom and Gomorrah). So Christians cannot say it never happens, it seems to me. But it seems equally clear that Christians must not say that it has happened in a particular contemporary instance. How would we know? How could an attempt to find someone and something to blame for a calamity a) be accurate, and b) help those damaged by it cope with their suffering, and be drawn to God through it?
+1 Pete Wehner, is what I'm saying.


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Friend's Email:
Subject: I have found a DVD that I think you would enjoy
|Farscape Season 1 Vol 2 - Exodus from Genesis / Throne for a Loss
Actors: Ben Browder, Claudia Black, Anthony Simcoe, Lani John Tupu, Jonathan Hardy
Directors: Geoff Bennett, Ian Watson, Tony Tilse
Genres: Action & Adventure, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Television
NR 2001 0hr 50min
The second volume of episodes from the cult cable science fiction series Farscape finds the motley crew of fugitives still learning to live together, with often fractious results. A swarm of interstellar insects infiltra... more »
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"Exodus"--3 stars; "Throne"--4 stars
David Bonesteel | Fresno, CA United States | 11/20/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
""Farscape" has developed into one of the best shows on television. Enjoyment of these early episodes is enhanced by the addition of deleted material and lively commentary. "Escape from Exodus" is an enjoyable story, but far from "Farscape" at its best. The tale of an infestation by space parasites is enlivened by entertaining character interaction, always one of this show's strengths. "Throne for a Loss," on the other hand, is terrific. Rygel, as despicably hilarious as ever, is kidnapped by the Tavleks, a race of warriors who rely on an addictive drug, administered through "power gauntlets," to heighten their power and aggression. To save Rygel, Aeryn, Crichton, and D'Argo all take their turns with the weapon, and the way in which it affects each of them provides interesting and amusing insights into their characters. The way in which Crichton resolves the conflict is perfect."
Thrown for a loop!
ScaperGal | Dallas, TX USA | 03/12/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As a Farscape 'fledgling' (always seem to get into shows in the second season) I'm enthralled with this series.Exodus from Genesis explores the developing relationships between the ship's crew during a crisis on Moya. It painfully lets us experience how totally inept poor Crichton feels by being thrust into the alien universe in which he finds himself. Beatuiful acting on the part of Claudia and Virginia in many scenes, interspersed with some amusing segments in spite of the seriousness of the situations they encounter.Throne for a Loss depicts Rigel at his best and worst. Gives a keen insight into his more sinister traits. I had no difficulty understanding why the crew were (a little) tempted to leave him planetside after his abduction.The extras on the DVD were wonderful and the commentaries thoroughly enjoyable."
Terrific Treat for SF Fans!
John Kahane | Ottawa, Ontario Canada | 02/23/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"One of the strengths of good sf on television is that it takes the characters and basic elements of its "universe" and adds to and develops them. FARSCAPE is no exception to this rule, and does it quite wonderfully in this pair of episodes."Exodus From Genesis" is about a bug infestation on Moya, and the surprising truth of what is behind it. With a commentary track version of the episode by Brian Henson and Virginia Hey, the episode has some very good character interaction, and the extra footage on the disc presents some rather intriguing material for fans of Zhaan. Solid episode, good story, with some neat visual effects."Throne for a Loss" is an episode that deals with an attempt on Moya's crew to trade with beings called Tavleks that takes an unexpected turn when Rygel is kidnapped for ransom. Excellent sense of humour in this episode with some great lines from various cast members, and the extra footage here makes the episode worthwhile. However, when one adds the commentary track with Ben Browder and Claudia Black, one has an episode version that offers all kinds of insights into the episode and how it was made (among other subjects discussed by the two actors).Overall, a marvellous DVD and well worth adding to any collection of sf discs - but even better that it's a FARSCAPE one!"
Crichton tries to fit in with his Farscape crew mates
Lawrance M. Bernabo | The Zenith City, Duluth, Minnesota | 01/10/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I started watching the first season of "Farscape" on DVD without ever having seen the show on television (I knew it was the show with the blue skinned woman and that was about it). My assumption is that nobody is going to come to Volume 2 of Season 1 without having watched Volume 1. Consequently, I get to engage more in commentary than description for this review."Exodus from Genesis" is a story designed to have Crichton (Ben Browder) earn the respect of his crewmates. Moya is invaded by aliens who are able to assume the form of the crew. If that is not enough fun a squad of Peacekeepers boards the ship as well. Like the previous episode, "I, E.T.," this is another instance where "Farscape" is getting ahead of itself. Episode 3 is too soon to be doing a story where the actors play reproductions or possessed versions of their characters. We still have so much to learn about these characters, which means details like the problems Aeryn (Claudia Black) has with high temperatures is of more interest than how many copies of Crichton can show up in one room. "Throne for a Loss" find Rygel kidnapped and held for ransom. Crichton, Aeryn, and D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe) go off to rescue the floating puppet. Their efforts are compromised by the acquisition of a gauntlet, the weapon used by the bad guys. Unfortunately, the gauntlet tends to make its user a bit psychotic, as each of the trio of rescuers discovers. However, Crichton wants to rely on good old human honesty to save the day rather than alien technology. The most interesting part of this episode is back on Moya, when Zhaan (Virginia Hey) is trying to help their prisoner deal with the loss of his gauntlet and the addictive chemicals it provides its user. Of course Zhaan is the most fascinating character on the show and every new revelation about her becomes another piece of the puzzle. One thing that is already clear to me by this second disc from the first season is that "Farscape" is extremely fan friendly when it comes to putting the episodes out on DVD. First, the episodes contain previously unbroadcast footage, which means all the stuff they cut to show "Farscape" on American television (apparently we have 3-4 minutes more commercials than the rest of the civilized world). Second, all of the episodes feature commentary by a pair of cast and crewmembers: Brian Henson and Virginia Hey on Episode 3 and Ben Browder and Claudia Black on Episode 4. I assume future DVDs will continue to mix and match these people in various combinations. Having two people engage in a conversation works well and all the participants tend to talk about not just the particular episode but also their characters and the series overall."