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Monday, August 31, 2009
The Mouse Of Ideas?!
Everyone is atwitter with the news, especially on Twitter, that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment.
I think this is a good thing for Disney, Marvel, and for comics in general. It hasn't exactly hurt DC to be owned by Time/Warner. In fact, having coporate powerhouses heavily invested in the success of both Big 2 comic companies should provide a stabilizing force to a shaky comics industry and an even bigger push toward new audiences and new media. It's not like Marvel wasn't already run with "the bottom line" in mind and with the marketing and licensing suits having as much say as the creatives, right? And now, in addition to that big mouse-eared safety net, Marvel may get to exploit (in the good way) relationships with other Disney properties, like Pixar (The Incredibles already out fantastic the Fantastic Four!), Jim Henson Studios (Is Gonzo a mutant? Does Animal have a healing factor?), and ABC (Oceanic Flight 815 now departing for the Savage Land!).
I've been having fun contributing some amusing thoughts on this deal on Twitter all day. (Feel free to join in on the fun in the comments section):
>>Foggy Nelson replaced with talking/singing squirrel
>>Ultimate Jonas Brothers!
>>RT @BrianLynch: First Disney/Marvel collab. Hannah Montana refuses to reveal secret identity, goes to war w/ Iron Man.
>>Namor battles Ursula the Sea Witch for dominion over the seven seas
>>High School Musical 4: Die Mutie Scum!
>>The Shaggy D.A. to be reimagined starring Wolfsbane
>>New hero to fight crime with Flubber-based powers
>>Mary Poppins to nanny for the Richards fam
>>Mickey Mouse Club to introduce new Black+White King+Queen hierarchy
>>Scrooge McDuck becomes the new financier of the Avengers, adds Darkwing Duck and Gizmoduck to the roster
>>Maleficent look to become the new Black Queen of the Hellfire Club
>>Puck named 8th dwarf
>>Marvel Divas to add Ariel the Mermaid, Princess Jasmine, and Mulan to the line-up
>>Coming soon: The Sorcerer Supreme's Apprentice
>>RT @joshuwain: "Finding Namor"
>>RT @BRIANMBENDIS bravo to @BrianReed for: "Face it Tigger, you just hit the jackpot!" now everyone can stop
>>RT @BRIANMBENDISno, i did not kill the wasp to make way for tinkerbell. but she would be a kick ass avenger
>>Sorry, Donald, but Howard the Duck is totally going to nail Daisy
If you're not already following me @D18Matt, this is the sort of comedy gold you've been missing. :)
The PEATed Man: Last Call For Casting Contest
The only best-selling fantasy author to ever DM a Dungeons & Dragons campaign for me, Peter V. Brett, is winding down the contest I started up for him when I guest-blogged on his site a few weeks back. There's still time to enter, so go do that.
Here's the link to the original post.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
My Weekly Dose: The Multiple Men Win The Week
And it's a shame, because two of those meh titles should have been winners. But instead, Green Lantern #45, a Blackest Night tie-in (obviously) felt like an unnecessary time filler--we did Sinestro to death in the Sinestro War, and the Star Saphires...whatever; they're turning out to be the least interesting of the new Lantern colors. Another DC title I was counting on this week was Detective Comics #856, continuing the beautifully drawn and skillfully written adventures of Batwoman--I was bored; the book looked good, but the art wasn't nearly as tight as the last two issues, and storywise, things are getting into a weird limbo between obscure and stupid DC mythology that I haven't quite decided how I feel about. I can forgive Detective the small flux in quality, since I had it on such a high pedestal from the previous issues. GL, however, has no excuse falling off like this during a GL-centric mega event. I will, at least, give credit to artist Doug Mahnke, who did his usual reliable best to make a weak story look better than it was. Mahnke is currently one of my favorite DC artists.
I was also indifferent to the goings on in Dark Avengers #8, continuing the weak Utopia crossover with the Uncanny X-Men, and Flash: Rebirth #4, continuing Geoff John's (also behind this week's GL) convolution of the Flash mythos. Rebirth at least looked pretty, thanks to Ethan Van Sciver's art, but the big, romanticized story of the return of Barry Allen and the unnecessarily complicated nature of the Speed Force--a bit of deus ex machina nonsenses that gives Barry and the other DC speedsters their power--only serves to remind me how little I care for the Flash's supporting cast and backstory. I love the idea of the Flash, his look and his various cartoon incarnations, but as soon as the comics dig deeper, I start scanning another shelf in the shop.
I didn't even like Batman and Robin #3 all that much. It wasn't necessarily bad, but it didn't have the same energy as the first two issues from Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. Plus, as the creator of Lou Spork in Division 18, I'm just a little bit irked that this title features it's own headcase in a pig mask, Professor Pyg.
It wasn't all about searching for silver linings for me, though. For one, I picked up the latest issue of Wolverine: First Class (#18, for those keeping track), because it looked like an enjoyable, self-contained story featuring one of my favorite mutants, who happens to make even more appearances in a single comic than overexposed Wolverine can make in an entire month--Jamie Madrox, the Multiple Man.
Madrox is another one of those characters I like in theory--the kind I used "be" during make-believe as a kid and who I'd play relentlessly if I'd had an action figure, but never really follow in print. I enjoy an appearance here and there, but the bigger picture of the comics he appears in are what decide whether I'm going to stick with it. I happen to follow Hawkeye because I generally enjoy the comics he's a supporting player in. I don't follow the Flash for the reasons I noted earlier. And I don't keep up with Madrox because I didn't like the majority of the supporting cast and storylines Peter David pulled together for the ongoing (and rumored to be ending soon) X-Factor. David's Madrox is brilliant though--the refined backstory, the character's personality, and even the language philosophy now used to talk about Jamie's power (any physical impact causes Madrox to multiply into a "dupe" of himself, sometimes identical in every way, but more often now comprising some specific aspect of Jaimie's collective personality). In X-Factor. David has established that Madrox has sent dupes all around the world to seek knowledge and experience, so when they return to him and he absorbs them, he absorbs everything they've seen, felt, and learned. It's a great premise for a strong character. The only weakness is that that premise is surrounded by a cast that includes some of my all-time least favorite bit players--Wolfsbane, Strong Guy, Rictor. But lucky me, Peter David wrote this issue of First Class, which is an "early years" series about Wolverine and Kitty Pryde during her first year or so with the X-Men, and this issue covers all that neat stuff about Madrox that I just mentioned, in a tight 22 new-reader-friendly pages. And while I don't know that the entire series is marketed specifically to younger readers, it does have an accessible, old-school, all-ages vibe.
But Madrox was not my favorite Multiple Man of the week. That honor goes to Reed Richards, Mr. Fantastic of the Fantastic Four, and the focus of a new series creative team's debut arc, following Mark Millar and Brian Hitch's Doom-tastic year on the book. And with Fantastic Four #570, new writer Jonathan Hickman tries to out-crazy Grant Morrison, while artist Dale Eaglesham reminds me why I prefer his style of realistic comic book illustration to the heavily photo referenced movie-on-paper style Brian Hitch uses. Ben Grimm, for one thing, looks a billion times better by Eaglesham's hand, and all of the action in Dale's panels is dense without being murky with unnecessary detail or disorienting because of strange dramatic angles--both improvements from Hitch.
My only gripe with the art is that, while he looks quite fit and heroic in his new manly personage, Reed Richards by Dale Eaglesham doesn't look all that much like any Reed Richards I've seen. I mean, it's obviously read...but how'd he get so jacked putting all that time in the lab?
But I'll get used to diesel-Reed. Figure it's within his powerset to change the shape of his rubberized body, so why wouldn't he add a little muscle to that nerdy frame? It's probably an anniversary present for his wife, Sue Storm.
Plotwise, I loved this comic. I loved how it focused on the Richards family dynamic without getting bogged down with crazy, quirky, cool technology floating around their home. You get a very clear picture of Reed as husband and father, something that wasn't quite there since those damn dirty skrulls and the Marvel U's Civil War consumed his life. And, calling back to a concept introduced by Brian Bendis in Civil War and the tie-in series The Illuminati, we revisit Reed's 100 ideas to fix the world--sound in theory and also pretty cool as a visual via Reed's "Room of 100 Ideas." It makes sense that this story is called "Solve Everything," but based on this spoiler of a page, I'm surprised Hickman's first arc isn't called "Crisis on Multiple Reeds."
Millar and Hitch opened their run with an old colleague of Reed's creating a fully inhabitable replica of Earth in a pocket dimension. Hickman has managed to do the unthinkable in going bigger. And that's without counting the return of the Infinity Gauntlet (x3)! (What, what, what?!?!)
Friday, August 28, 2009
A Post About Post-Season LOST Posters Posty Post Post
When the show picks up again, I suspect I'll write a bit about its content, my theories, and my reaction to all the resolutions we've been building toward over the past few years. But for now, I'm joining the legion of Losties, including my Lost conspiracy guru Doc Jensen, in giving my brain some downtime with regard to the numbers, Smokey, Jacob, et al.
But there is some post-season 5/pre-season 6 activity going on that I find pretty cool and other Losties should enjoy--DamonCarltonAndAPolarBear.com is showcasing a 16-poster series, each poster by a different artist in a different style and based on some character or aspect of the show, slow-rolling out over the coming 'tween-season weeks. The second poster in the series (below) just came out and is groovy like a chainsaw hand.
I can't say the site itself is particularly clear about the poster series schedule or the participants in the series or even all that easy to navigate, but I do like the two posters revealed (and available as prints for purchase) so far. Also, the whole thing involves comedian Paul Scheer from Human Giant and various Vh1 talking head shows...and he's funny.
All in all, this is not exactly at the same level of intrigue as previous Lost off-season ARGs, but I've got some time that can do with a little killing...
Thursday, August 27, 2009
The Claws Clause
But Wolverine is cool. Overexposed, yes, but that's one of his mutant powers.
He's got one of the best power sets, personalities, and (in broad strokes) backstories in superhero comics. There's a reason he's on every other cover of Wizard Magazine, why his name gets top billing on the latest X-Men cartoon, and why he stars in at least four monthly comics that I can think of. I guess it's also why he got his very own shitty feature-length movie.
That lovable dandy of a showman Hugh Jackman has taken such a liking to Old Man Logan that he's already hard at work producing the (hopefully less shitty) sequel. And who wouldn't take a shine to a hairy Canadian crank if it meant they got to wear those shiny, sharp shnikity-shnarling claws?
Now guess what the grand prize is in the latest UGO.com The Rush sweepstakes?
Shall I call you Weapon X, Logan?
DISCLAIMER: Adamantium bone grafts and memory implants not included. Contest void in Genosha.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Jeff And Celeste Do Pop Culture
Jeff also partners up with his lady-writer friend Celeste Green on a separate website, aptly titled "Jeff And Celeste!" which they describe on their Facebook page as containing "works of undeniably spectacular art and fairly competent writing." Honest and accurate, and all of it is a lot of fun.
I don't know either of them, but I like what they do.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Super Powers Anniversary: Crisis On Infinite Blogs!
The Comic Blog Elite has turned me on to a lot of fun goings-on in the comic blogging community, the latest being a blog ring celebrating the 25th anniversary of one of my favorite toy lines of all time--Kenner's SUPER POWERS collection. (Just one of the many reasons 1984 was the best year ever!)
Fourteen sites have joined forces to celebrate the toys, each focusing on one of the characters in the collection. Start with my man from the CBE, Shag, and his blog Once Upon A Geek (where he focuses on the enigmatic sorcerer, Doctor Fate) and follow his links through to the other participating sites.
I really appreciate the attention to detail that has gone into this mini-event and the writers' reverence for the series of decades old action figures. For even more, check out the Super Powers Archive, and if that isn't enough, check out this view of the complete series, including the never-released 4th wave.
It all brings me back to my own Super Powers playtime, especially that one Christmas when Grampa Irving showed up with the Super Powers Batmobile (you know, the one with the claw and battering ram). I loved that damn toy...played with it until the wheels broke off.
Here's the full list of "official" participants in the event:
* Aquaman Shrine dives with the King of the Seas
* Bat-Blog covers Batman and his villains
* Once Upon A Geek covers Dr. Fate and the unproduced Blue Devil figures
* Firestorm Fan follows the Nuclear Man
* Fortress of Baileytude - Superman, natch
* Speed Force runs along with the Flash
* Crimson Lightning is going all-out with a Flash extravaganza
* Being Carter Hall handles Hawkman
* Dispatches From The Arrow Cave aims at Green Arrow
* Love Dat Joker brings in the laughs with the Clown Prince of Crime
* Justice League Detroit follows a set of knock-off figures from the era
* The Idol-Head of Diabolu has only begun to cover Martian Manhunter
* ...nurgh... reviews the entire series of mini-comics
* Doom Patrol Blog takes a spin with Red Tornado
Is A Fanboy Really A Fanboy If He Can't Eat Junk Food, Salt, Or Dairy?
I begin the next (and hopefully final) phase of my cancer treatment this week...or prepping for it, at least. During the second week of September, I'll be getting a radiation pill that will supposedly work it's way through my body and nuke any remaining cancer cells left over after the thyroidectomy. A week or so after that, I'll get a full-body CAT scan to determine whether the pill did the trick. And for all that to happen, I have to cut out my meds and go on a special diet.
For the radiation to work best, I need to cut out any thyroid hormone in my system, leaving only the thyroid hormone that is mixed in with the cancer cells that may or may not be floating around inside. To do that, I have to stop taking my thyroid meds for the next two weeks and stay off of them until the full-body scan. My doc thinks maybe my thyroid dose has been a little high up to this point, so I've actually lost a few pounds, but I suspect cutting out the thyroid meds entirely will lead me toward a more rounded hobby-appropriate shape. (In other words, I'll probably get fat this month.)
But then again, the other step in prepping for September is to cut out all iodine from my diet, which will help both the radiation better target the cancer and the docs get a more accurate reading from the scan. It will also force me to eat a million times healthier, simply by process of elimination. Iodine, if you didn't know already, is in pretty much everything. Everything good anyway. So, no dairy, no iodized salts, no restaurant food, nothing with preservatives, no condiments, no chocolate, and only specially prepared bread and pasta made with no sodium. I can't substitute soy milk for regular milk either. I can't even have red food coloring.
It's fruit and vegetable city for me--and that may be just what it takes to kill me!
If you're looking for me over the next few weeks, I'll be the sluggish chubster chewing on carrot sticks in the corner of the comic shop.
Monday, August 24, 2009
WHAT'S Waldo? (And Who Is Nate Simpson?)
He's only a few posts in, so there's no telling how far he will actually take this thing, but the work he's put up for the project so far is gorgeous, and there's even more good stuff on his portfolio site.
For all it's potential reach and scope, the Internet can be a vacuum for bloggers who don't catch on with the right audience in the right way, and it's definitely not easy working in a vacuum. I want to help Nate's site catch on. I want to see what this guy can do with Project Waldo and beyond. So check out Project Waldo and give Nate Simpson the encouragement he needs to keep it going.
Click on these images for a better view, and then click over to Nate's blog to see more.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
My Weekly Dose: Brubaker Leaves Me Wanting More Daredevil, While Kirkman Writes The Best Peter & MJ In Invincible
Invincible, which is put out by Image Comics, is an impressive success story for writer/creator Robert Kirkman. Along with Kirkman's The Walking Dead--also an Image title--Invincible managed to catch on with mainstream readers despite newcomer talent, original characters, and neither Marvel nor DC's ad dollars or industry pull promoting it. Kirkman's writing in the book is enthusiastic and the story just grows and grows and build and builds, hitting every cornerstone of the superhero genre with a cast that is well balanced between Kirkman's clever inventions and familiar homages to classic characters and concepts from Marvel and DC. Kirkman has done so well for himself on these two titles that he's declared an informal, non-violent war on mainstream creators working for the man at the Big Two publishers--insisting that all work-for-hire creators would be better served leaving the giants and following his lead in making creator-owned comics. (Personally, I think there is a place for both creator- and corporate-owned books, so there.)
From the first issue (this week we got #65), I said that Kirkman writes like a wish-fulfilling fanboy. I even used that as a criticism of the book for a while, before the first big twist of the series pulled me in and made me realize that Kirkman was more than just a fanboy hack. He was a fanboy writing the superhero comic he knew the rest of us fanboys wanted and maybe even needed. Invincible went from little-hero book-that could to sprawling epic. The character Invincible is a blend of the quirk and angst of Spider-Man and the power fantasy that is Superman, and the supporting cast covers every other possibility in between and beyond. And the art, by Ryan Ottley, has a satisfying mix of mayhem and emotion--the perfect blend of emoting and exploding faces. And Kirkman and Ottley have even managed to capture something that has been missing from comics for a while, and was taking in a frustrating way--a spot-on in all the ways that count recreation of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson relationship from Spider-Man, through young super-powered lovebirds Invincible and Atom Eve.
Speaking of Peter and MJ, Amazing Spider-Man #603 continues to creep toward their inevitable reunion, but the current storyline with the Chameleon stealing Peter's identity hinges on one huge flaw in logic that really tainted this issue. In order to steal an identity, the Chameleon does exhaustive research into that person's life, and gives away that his research into Parker's involved reading through journals and diaries. I work one job and don't fight crime at night, and I have a hell of a time trying to squeeze in writing this blog or anything else...but I'm supposed to believe that, on top of his various day jobs, solo crime fighting, teaming up with the fugitive New Avengers, and juggling relationships with multiple women, Peter Parker has time to keep a diary? And more than that, I'm supposed to believe that the Chameleon couldn't pick up from that or any other research that the guy is Spider-Man?! Disbelief suspended, but still.
Also, because some villainous traps are too effective for a writer's own good, Spidey is now apparently immune to acid. I'll wait to see the explanation on that leap in #604. Hopefully, it's good enough to keep me interested in #605.
And finally, something I did come back for was Daredevil #500, the final issue by writer Ed Brubaker, who I've mentioned is insanely brilliant on Captain America, but has been just okay on DD. I actually stopped following DD after his first two story arcs, because they were just not all that engaging to me. But Marvel turned his departure from the series into a bit of an event, and the issue is fantastic. Brubaker wraps up a multi-part storyline that could lead to "a bold new direction" for Matt Murdock in future issues, and supplemental items in the book include a pin-up gallery, a reprint of Frank Miller's Daredevil #191 (in which DD plays Russian Roulette with a banged up Bullseye), and a tight little stand-alone story written by Ann Nocenti and illustrated by David Aja. I love the way Aja's art looks--his characters cartoony but alive on the page.
I won't discuss the Rick Remender Punisher I bought on a whim, because, frankly (pun!) it wasn't very good. But that's all for the week. Sorry, DC...I'll get you next time.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Just Joshing
I met Josh Adams during 24-Hour Comic Day a few years back at Jim Hanley's Universe. There were about 10 of us masochists slogging through our attempt to conceptualize, write, and illustrate a full-length (24-page) comic in 24 hours. Josh wore sunglasses the entire time and did a heavily inked piece about a boxer. My right-hand man on Division 18, Jeremy Donelson, drew a funny piece about a gang of crooks who go by the name of S.C.U.M. I did a weird existential comic about a comic, with me as the lead character drawing it, deviating through different genres and ideas that I, in the story, scrap after 3 or 4 pages before starting over. I think mine was the best, but Hanley's never collected them into an anthology like they promised, so I haven't seen the works side by side since. (I think Jeremy may have our pages, though...may be good for a future post, if I can get a hold of them.)
Anyway, it was a fun night, and I regret not getting a chance to do it again since. And I can't help but be amused by my memories of the one kid who spent about 10 of those 24 hours ranting and raving about his love for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, or Vito Delsante--the shop manager and an accomplished comic creator himself--blasting Appetite for Destruction over and over until our sweaty crew of hunchbacked artists had no choice but to sing along, or how, at about midnight, Neal Adams walked into the shop with enough buckets of KFC to feed our tiny geek army twice over, and I thought he was just some random guy...a friend of the store coming in to take care of the comic kids. I didn't recognize him as Holy Shit Neal Adams!, let alone have any clue that he was the punk in the aviator's dad.
But Josh and I are pals now. We bounce ideas off each other over IM throughout the day almost every day. Since I have no money to fund his efforts and he's a professional, the projects we've been cooking always get back-burnered for paying gigs, but that just means we have more time to pace ourselves, learn new things, and refine them. I've learned more about comics from this damn kid than I ever did working on D18 or collaborating with the DCC crew.
The point of all this is that Josh has a new column at Bleeding Cool, in which he plans to share some of his big ideas, insider anecdotes, and crazy ambition. I'm hoping he'll write a column about our (rejected) pitch to reboot The Challengers of the Unknown, which even I knew we had some serious balls to think DC would ever consider.
So...go read his piece and find out What Josh Would Do.
On The QT
I'm a devoted Tarantino fan. I've seen all of his films, most of the movies that have cribbed his style since his debut, and even a bunch of the obscure forgotten B-movies and foreign flicks he's championed through the years. He's one of the central figures in my movieverse, influencing my preferences and my own attempts at writing.
I think what he does on film is cool. I think the people he puts in his movies are cool. I think what he thinks is cool is cool.
He's not cool, by the way. Quentin Tarantino is a big weirdo and a total dork. But he knows cool.
And at the end of the day, the reason I am such a fan is because I think he knows me. My first exposure to Tarantino was True Romance, which I saw in the theater with my mother and brother.
The story of Clarence and Alabama had all the quirky, dangerous, romantic appeal of star-crossed lovers like Sid and Nancy and Bonnie and Clyde, plus Clarence worked in a comic shop and liked kung fu movies! And Tarantino was working in a video store when he wrote the thing. He was living my real life while writing about my fantasy life. How could I not love this guy from the start?
And I can forgive the occasional over-indulgences, like the droning monologues about pot and car chases in Jackie Brown and Death Proof, respectively. Those happen to be his weakest films because of those and other indulgences that killed the pacing and mood for me...but there's still some greatness in both.
As for his other flicks--I love them all and can watch them repeatedly. I even have some personal sentiment toward them. I saw Natural Born Killers at a sneak preview while on a cross-country road trip (not a killing spree, though) with my brother. Reservoir Dogs was one of a handful of movies me and my video store co-workers would quote during every shift, taunting each other in our best Michael Madsen voice or imitating a gut-shot Tim Roth from the back office while customers wondered what the hell was going on. Pulp Fiction was the movie I watch on video with my wife-to-be the first time I stayed over her place. The bridal party at my wedding came out to the Crazy 88's theme (from Kill Bill) at the reception.
And now, if my fancy new throat scar heals the right (wrong?) way, I'll have the perfect Halloween costume as Aldo Raine!
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Sam Rocked Well in MOON
MOON is a small sci-fi psychological thriller one-man-show about existentialism and the value of life and love and human contact, even if that life and love may be a lie and the human contact is with something not quite human. It was quiet and simple and lazily paced, almost the antithesis to what we get in the big, noisy District 9. In fact, next to Moon, D9 may as well be Transformers 2, for all the screaming and exploding and chaos.
I really liked this film, and Sam Rockwell should be nominated for both lead and supporting actor awards for his performance.
Unfortunately, I'm stumped as to how I can review this movie any further without giving the whole thing away, and it is one of the small, limited-release movies that would actually suffer by losing even a handful of ticket sales or rentals over a spoiled plot. So I leave you instead with a video of another favorite Sam Rockwell performance of mine, and one far more fitting for this particular blog. First watch this movie, and then go see Moon:
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Throwing Myself In Front Of The DISTRICT 9 Band Wagon
Yep, I'm about to pick apart a movie because it is too fresh and too inventive.
I already feel like a jerk for it, but the closest thing to nostalgia I have for the story of aliens forced to live among us is that I remember liking Alien Nation better.
I'm not about to pan this movie by any means. I agree with the reviews and opinions I've seen from friends and critics and critical friends, all saying this movie will go down as an instant sci-fi classic. It does what other classics--Blade Runner, Mad Max, The Matrix--did in raising bars and setting precedents for what science fiction can and should look like on film. District 9 doesn't feel like other alien-invasion movies, and the lack of any cliched hero or cookie-cutter storyline helps immerse the viewer into the District 9 world, rather than take us on a predictable popcorn escape. It's all very organic and interesting, and even elevates the fake documentary/shaky-cam style that Hollywood has been trying to perfect since the Blair Witch. So, stylistically, it's a big win.
Director Neil Blomkamp has been refining this particular type of grainy, kinetic, tech-heavy CGI action for a short while now, and he has clearly mastered it. The special effects in District 9 are especially amazing when it comes to technology--the giant alien mothership hovering in the haze over Johannesburg, the powerful alien weaponry, even the way those weapons interact with their targets--turning inorganic material into dust and popping humans like blood-filled balloons.
As for the aliens--the prawns--interacting with the human actors and environments, it was all convincing enough, but the prawns themselves still looked very much like CGI cartoons. Like the monkeys in Jumanji, the bugs in Starship Troopers, and the army of Agent Smiths in The Matrix 2, the prawns never looked quite real enough for me to be believe. I was never pulled out of the movie by these CGI visitors, but I was never sold on them being real, either. Some shots in particular, like the close-ups of "Christopher's" young child playing in front of their shack or hiding in the shadows, looked superimposed onto a real-world backdrop. So even though the film is inventively stylish and clever with the effects, it is hardly visual perfection.
Moving on to characters, we get the greedy businessman villain, the brutish soldier villain, and the sobbing wife at home...but we spend so little time with the supporting cast that you can almost forget how generic they are. As for the one character we do spend time with--I loved how the movie's protagonist Wilkus (played by Sharlto Copley) was no Arnold Schwarzenegger or Bruce Willis action hero, but more like Steven Carell in The Office--all sweaty, nervous, twitchy energy. He was charmingly inept at the start of the film, which helped even more than the visuals to dissuade any preconceptions that this film would be business-as-usual sci-fi. And he did some truly disreputable things early in the story that surprised me. How could such a buffoon also be a sadistic speciesist jerk? And, more importantly, could I get behind this guy as the "hero" of the piece?
I liked having to answer these questions for myself as a viewer, though I'm not sure my answers were in the movie's favor. Wilkus' characterization was certainly a positive toward throwing out expectations, but I found myself wishing for a more relatable (or even likable) protagonist as the plot unfolded. Wilkus does change for the better over the course of the story...sort of. Mostly, those changes are physical (that was a spoiler, by the way). But when his views change--philosophically and politically--those changes are clearly forced by necessity--what else is the poor schmuck going to do? His one resoundingly heroic act, which I won't spoil, comes only minutes after he reminds us that he is still pretty much a selfish, prawn-prejudiced tool. It's only when his ass is back on the line and his alternative is to lay down and die, that he acts selflessly. Still sweaty and twitchy, but selfless, nonetheless.
My final nit to pick is the overall premise of the film--the prawns arrived on our planet in a seemingly broken down mothership and have been forced into a South African slum, where they've been for 20 years. They arrived with a stockpile of weapons and no explanation as to how or why they came to Earth--even after decades and enough communication that humans and prawns can speak to one another in their respective languages. It's a neat idea if you dismiss the violent and untrusting nature of humans toward humans--let alone how we might act toward another species altogether. The fact that the aliens arrived fully armed would be enough justification for the governments of the world to agree to, at the very least, shoot down the giant mothership at some point in those 20 years. And the bit involving Wilkus, the crazy effects of human exposure to alien fuel (the driving plot point), is the kind of thing that only makes sense for the purposes of making a movie. I can't figure out any reason why the aliens would have a substance that has the kind of effect that this stuff does on Wilkus. So, while the movie looks cool and is brimming with originality, the premise and the plot ring false to me. It's hard for me to get too excited by a movie when those are the problem areas.
So, I liked District 9. I didn't like it nearly as much as most people seem to have, but I appreciate that it is going to elevate sci-fi for the non-geek crowds and it is going to help elevate the quality of the sci-fi action movies that follow. Still, I doubt I would watch a TV series based on it, like I did for Alien Nation.
I loved that show.
Son of a B...at
If you want to know how and why he "died," check out Batman: R.I.P. and Final Crisis, two big events that wrapped up earlier this year, both written by Grant Morrison. You can also look at what has been going on in Gotham City and under the bat mask in the ongoing Batman and Robin (also written by Morrison, and with Frank Quitely on art--one of my favorite creative pairings). But to make it simple for you--the original Robin and former Nightwing, Dick Grayson, is now Batman; the last Robin under Bruce Wayne, Tim Drake, has moved on to his own solo vigilante persona, Red Robin; and Bruce Wayne's long-lost out-of-the-blue secret bastard son by the daughter of one of his arch foes is the new Robin.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Slow, Shambling, Flesh-Craving News Day?
Fox and CNN have nothing on the UK when it comes to filling the 24-hour cycle on a slow news day. Enjoy some "serious" discourse on the similarities between swine flu and a speculative real-world zombie outbreak.
I guess it doesn't hurt to be prepared.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Reason To Watch Smallville...Activate!
I was thinking of including one of the old SF episodes here, but I think the Adult Swim treatment captures the...er..wonder of the twins just as well, if not better:
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Heroes And Monsters
In addition to my regular haul of comics, I did my small part to support a good cause this week, by picking up an anthology book put out by The Hero Initiative charity.
If you were at the shop and missed Hero Comics, you can look for one of two covers next time you go back. (Grendel's cool, but I picked the one with the boobies. Sorry, mom.)
A book like this doesn't need to be reviewed. Like any anthology, the content in Hero Comics is hit or miss. Kaare Andrews' sci-fi retelling of Sleeping Beauty ("Dream Princess") is probably the best story in the book, though I was also quite entertained by Lowell Francis and Gene Ha's "Samson." And an Arthur Adams pin-up gallery is always a welcome addition to any book.
(That's pin-ups drawn by Art Adams, not of him. I don't think I'd buy that.)
But the one offering in the book that really sold the message and mission of Hero Initiative to me was "Monster," a single page thank you from artist Josh Medors (with Tom Smith). I've never met Josh, but he is part of the circle of comics folk at Silent Devil who helped get me making comics instead of just reading them. I learned about his battle with (a much more serious and aggressive) cancer through my old Division 18 publisher, with whom he was working on a cool looking new horror book called Willow Creek, that looked like it might do for werewolves in comics what 30 Days of Night had done for vampires and The Walking Dead had done for zombies. But Josh's cancer--his monster, as he calls it in Hero Comics--sidetracked that next big thing.
But Hero Initiative was there from the start trying to raise money on his behalf, trying to keep him working when able to work, and just checking in on him to see that he was being cared for properly when he couldn't work.
Now, I don't make a living at comics. I probably have a long way to go before I can even pretend to be eligible for any of the help this group offers comic professionals in need. But I also have a steady income and decent medical coverage through my day job, and my medical condition is in check, so that's fine. But the biggest fear I've had since this thing started with me is that I might lose my job, and with it my medical coverage, and be left scrambling to support my family while also struggling to get access to the medications I need to take for the rest of my life. There's not a lot of room in that equation for me to buy in to the next Dremo's Taphouse anthology or pay for the setup fees to self publish new D18. So it comforts me to know that an organization like Hero Initiative is around to provide a safety net for people worse off than I am, and that if things do ever take a wrong turn for me, I may still be able to do what I love.
If you want to learn more about Hero Initiative, make a donation, or find out about other ways to contribute, click on through.
Friday, August 14, 2009
Everyone Can Take A Breath
(The other 3 people reading this blog are okay with the comic talk, so hopefully they'll forgive the digression.)
As I've said before, my docs claim that the form of thyroid cancer I have is the bee's knees of all cancers. If you have to have any, that's the one you want. It is very treatable and tends to do little harm elsewhere in the body. So, point me. Yay.
But if you tilt that glass and empty it out halfway, you learn that in the off chance this cancer does spread, which is rare, it generally spreads to the lungs or bones. Lung cancer and bone cancer are no friends of mine. I'll keep my giant neck scar and gravelly voice, if you keep your slow drowning death or amputated limbs, thank you very much.
So you can imagine I was a little thrown off and nervous when my shiny, happy healthcare professionals suggested I get a CAT scan of my lungs, seemingly out of the blue. We had already mapped out my next steps for treatment--a radiation pill that will work it's way through me over a few days and a full-body scan after that to see if it managed to kill any lingering remnants of cancer in my neck or anyplace else it may have been. But this sudden call for a chest scan...WTF? What changed? What weren't they telling me?
To add to my worry, I have a bit of a chest cold or allergy thing going on this week that, coupled with the paranoia brought on by the pending chest scan, had me convinced my lungs were filled with tiny tumors and I was already doomed. After all, it was me--not any doctor--who found the swollen gland on my throat that kicked this mess off in the first place. Why should I expect them to be anything but surprised by the discovery that the cancer was bigger than just a thyroid thing.
But now we can all take a breath, because I had the scan and, according to the preliminary review, there's nothing to worry about with my lungs. The results were what I like to call a "positive negative"--negative for cancer, which is a positive. This isn't to say I'm cancer free or that the radiation isn't still necessary or even that, after the radiation, I will be 100% in the clear. It just means my condition hasn't escalated into something more than we already knew about.
We're back to the cuddly kitten of cancers, already chopped out of me, and a dose of nuclear medicine to napalm whatever's left.
And with that little bit of good news, here's a video that put's to rest who the superior archer is in comics...
...via pro wrestling, not archery.
My Weekly Dose: Hawkeye Always Hits The Mark And Zombie Seals Will Eat Your Face!
And I don't mean gut-wrenching because it was sad...
I cannot wait to see what Frank Darabont does with this comic on AMC! Oh, you didn't hear?
Meanwhile, in other zombie comic news...
The newest Black Lantern--Aquaman--leads a gruesome assault against his Atlantean brethren in Blackest Night #2. I don't know what I like more--the sound effect calling back to the old cornball Super Friends cartoon or the undead sea lion biting that one dude's face off. Zombie Aquaman FTW!
But it wasn't all about reanimated corpses for me this week...
After Jeph Loeb took his dump all over the Ultimates and then steamrolled the rest of the Ultimate Universe in Ultimatum, I figured I was done with the alternate Marvel setting. But I had to at least take a peak at what they had planned with the Ultimates and Spider-Man relaunches that came out this week.
The relaunch was hit and miss for me. Now that I'm enjoying regular old Spidey in Amazing again, I'm not all that interested in keeping up with floppy-hair emo Peter Parker in Ultimate Spider-Man. The new #1 fell flat for me. The writing was more of the same, but that seems somewhat lacking when Peter Parker's world was allegedly turned upside down "6 months ago" when the Ultimatum Wave destroyed New York City and killed thousands. But the book opens with the kid working in a burger joint and acting like a regular old angsty teen with a superhero side-gig. Not what I expected, and not what I wanted. Also, the way Spider-Man is drawn in the book, he looks like a Super-Hero Squad version of himself. Why is his head so damn round?!
But on the other hand, while Spidey lost a reader, Ultimate Avengers #1 saw a return to form for what had been my (and everyone's, frankly) favorite super group in the Ultimate Universe. It also saw a return to the Ultimate line by one of it's architects and one of my favorite Marvel writers--Mark Millar.
From the first page, and through the mouth of Nick Fury, Millar takes a jab at the mess the Ultimates became without him, and then proceeds to turn all the dials back to awesome with great pacing, clear storytelling, and a tight sequence of helicopter-based kick-ass featuring Captain America and Hawkeye. The fact that they are just pounding on the Ultimate version of A.I.M. goons harkens to old school Marvel fun, but like with the best of Millar's work, and with thanks to some great artwork by Carlos Pacheco, the hits hit harder and the stakes feel higher. With the exception of the unpleasant Loeb-helmed third volume, this latest and the first two volumes (all written by Millar) of Ultimates comics look and feel like movies on paper. Brian Hitch is a good match for Millar, and served him well in the previous Ultimates books and Millar's recent run on Fantastic Four, but I prefer Pacheco's style. The book is no longer about trying to identify the photo references like it always is with Hitch. It's about comic book superheroes in action.
One of my long-time favorite characters--in theory--really shines here. I say in theory, because I don't remember him ever having a good storyline or shining moment in the books I read as a good. I just liked him because he looked cool to me and he was an archer (I'm a sagitarius). Hawkeye has been something of a punching bag, or worse, a punchline, for decades. From the purple costume with the pointy mask, to his lack of any actual super powers, to his piss poor attitude due to an inferiority complex brought about by his always being a notch below Captain America in every way--Haweye was kind of a bitch. But in the regular Marvel Universe, Brian Bendis killed the man behind the mask, Clint Barton, in a literary mercy killing specifically designed to trigger an impressive rebirth for the character. Clint Barton would later come back from the dead, as comic characters often do, emotionally changed from the experience and with a new superhero persona, Ronin. "Hawkeye" would be co-opted by not one, but two individuals: one of the members of the Young Avengers, as a tribute to Clint, and by the villain Bullseye, wearing the old purple and pointy as a member of Norman Osbourne's Dark Avengers. There's a ton of new and renewed interest in Clint Barton and Hawkeye because of all this, in Marvel-proper.
But Ultimate Hawkeye...he was bad ass from the start. And his current costume and attitude remind me more of one of my favorite Image Comics characters growing up, Grifter, with a touch of Bullseye's crazy. He's still Clint Barton, and there's still that arrogant bravado that has always been part of the expert marksman hero. But he's got a much darker edge to him now, a cool look, and--this week anyway--a cool moment.
The Rest: Uncanny X-Men #514 continued the lousy "Utopia" storyline, but Terry Dodson's art at least looked nice. I'm just not that into the mutants anymore. In fact, I was only reading this book because I wanted to see what Fraction could do with them. I've seen it, and I'm over it. Incredible Hercules #132 was fun, but the reason I don't get this book regularly is that it just doesn't seem relevant to anything. It is a throwaway title...fun at times, but easy to cut when I want to save a buck. I mentioned that I'm still digging Amazing Spider-Man for the third week in a row, and this time it features the return of another old school villain, the Chameleon. It was decent, not amazing, but I am still genuinely interested in what happens next to poor Peter Parker, both in love and law-enforcement. Blackest Night: Batman #1 will probably give us some vague hint about the real fate of Bruce Wayne back in R.I.P. and Final Crisis (psst--he's not really dead), but that will be after a few hours of Bat-Dick (Grayson) and Damian the Boy Wonder teaming up with Dead Man to fight a bunch of reanimated C-list bad guys. I'll save my cash Grant Morrison's superior take on the characters and read the spoilers next time. Finally, I haven't read Fables: The Dark Ages yet, but I have yet to be disappointed by that series and can recommend it blindly.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Cold Slither Reunites With Power Ballad, All-Star Line-Up!
They've certainly improved with age...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Domo Arigato, Mr Robo Comico
But that sad tale leads to some pretty cool news for someone else. One of the bright spots during the mostly failed promotion of D18 was the enthusiastic support we got from one reviewer, Dave Baxter, at a site called Broken Frontier. (Sadly, those reviews have since been lost after a recent BF redesign.) We joked that he was our #1 (and only) fan--which was probably not far from the truth--and would include links to his hyperbolic praise for our comic every chance we got.
Well, Dave has moved on to bigger and better things. And not even just something moderately better, like writing his own comics or starting his own personal review site. No, Dave (with his partner Hermes Pique) is in the process of revolutionizing the whole damn comic industry with his made-for-mobile comics company, Robot Comics!
Robot Comics isn't the only company taking part in revolutionizing comics, but it is nice to see that it is at the forefront of the paradigm shift, as evidenced by their inclusion in a story about "The Future of Pulp" on CNN.com today.
I'm not yet convinced that I would ever be comfortable or interested in reading my weekly pull of comics on a computer screen, Kindle, or some other handheld device, but there is a whole new generation of potential comic readers who live and die by the tiny gadgets they carry around, and have a psychic aversion to paper--so this sort of initiative is what is going to keep the industry alive. Plus, consider my sorry song about indie comic struggles, where it was more cost effective to give our hard work away for free because printing costs are so high. If we had something like Robot Comics back on 2006-07, it would have saved us a lot of headache and heartbreak and given you a lot more D18. Robot Comics may very well become the next home for D18, if we can hunker down and adapt our made-for-print pages into something compatible with new technologies.
So, congratulations to Dave, our #1 fan and one of the new heroes of comics! Hopefully, he'll get to see more of the book he loved, in a whole new context.
UK Artists Compete At Corruption
I don't know if I even have any UK readers, but this is the World Wide Web. I recieved a PR e-mail about this comic competition and love the artwork on the e-flyer, so...
Click the pic to enbiggen.
Also, since it is not exactly easy to read, here are the contest details (for UK residents only, you wankers!):
Entrants to the competition will be in with the chance to create a unique comic style story in collaboration with acclaimed musician and writer Dev Hynes aka Lightspeed Champion. After the first round of judging at the end of September, shortlisted entrants will be given Lightspeed Champion's comic script as inspiration and asked to create a visual adaptation of the story. The winning commission will be published in a comic alongside new work exploring the issue of Corruption by some of comic's greatest talents. The work will also be showcased as part of a new exhibition, Ctrl.Alt.Shift Unmasks Corruption, later this year at Lazarides Gallery, Soho.
To enter the competition, please send examples of your visual work (for example sketches, comic strips, animations etc...) along with your contact details, to email@example.com by Friday 25th September.
Five shortlisted artists will then be given a comic brief to respond to and a winner chosen by a panel of judges including: Marjane Satrapi (Writer and Director of Academy Award Nominated Animated Film Persepolis) Paul Gravett (Comica founder), V V Brown and David Allain (Musician and Comic Book Writer/Artist duo), Lightspeed Champion and Ctrl.Alt.Shift. The competition is restricted to UK Residents only.
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Knowing Is Half The Battle
It always surprises me when I talk with my real, non-Internet-based, flesh-and-blood friends and family--about comics, TV, movies, and all the other pop culture nonsense that I enjoy so much--that they don't know all of the far-out minutia, behind-the-scenes news, and secret spoilers that I do.
Sure, the Internet people are all plugged into the same sources, all day and night, and usually tripping over themselves (ourselves, really) to outscoop the rest by posting links and opinions on Facebook, Twitter, or wherever else one does that sort of thing. But Average Jane and Average Joe, with their healthy social lives and Vitamin D counts, who have put the childish things behind them, except for the occasional Saturday night at the movies...they haven't got a clue, and it blows my mind.
I don't expect everyone to know everything, because I sure don't. But this is the fun stuff here! I just feel bad that, with all the technology and geeks like me linking to the stuff left and right, that there's still anyone out there who's out of touch with my good time. Seriously--there are people who don't even realize companies still print comics, let alone have any clue what is going on inside of them. They don't have obsessively thought out opinions on the casting of Thor and Captain America, the destinies of The Losties, or the release schedule for Harry Potter movies. They hear old rumors and swear by them, or get the facts so mixed up that they become false ("Hey Matt, are you excited about that Justice League movie they're filming now?" [They're not.]). They download fan-made trailers from YouTube and think they're the real deal ("I can't wait for that Thundercats movie, Matt!" [That's fake.]). It's like dealing with a foreigner or an alien species.
This stuff is just in my head at this point, and I can't wrap that junk-loaded mind of mine around the idea that it isn't in theirs.
But it isn't fair of me to judge. When I'm not at home convalescing, I spend a solid 40-50 hours a week sitting in front of a computer at work. That is a lot of time to surf the handful of sites where I go to feed my brain. But I want to do some good in the world and help these less-fortunate souls. I want to bring them into the loop. If not for them, then for me--because when they don't know, they don't care, and if they don't care, I am forced to talk about real stuff, like religion or politics, instead, and that is just no fun at all.
What better way to help these poor fools gain the knowledge they need than by sharing with them my own sources for geeky information? These are the sites I go to at least once a day, usually way more often than that, to find out what's the what:
TWITTER -- Forget about all the "everybody's doing it" peer pressure or the fact that reading people droning on about every mundane activity is only a notch below jamming a stick in your eye. The bottom line with Twitter is that, if you follow the right people (ie, celebrities you like, bloggers you trust) and pay attention to the always updating list of "Trending Topics," you will start each day with an overload of information about what is going on in the world around you.
BUZZFEED -- If you like your popular trends with a little lag time and after vetting by a collective of hipsters, you'll like Buzzfeed. The site basically just posts videos, images, and topics that happen to be making the rounds on the web each day. So instead of waiting for your mom to forward you that viral video next month, you can see it here, while it is still a conversation piece. Aggregating celebrity shenanigans, viral videos, and memes is their specialty.
AIN'T IT COOL NEWS -- A team of film insiders share scoops on upcoming releases, early reviews, casting news, and spoiler reports for a legion of snarky, foul-mouthed haters in the comments section who crap all over every bit of information they get. The content and opinions on the site give a pretty accurate picture of what matters to geeks like me when it comes to TV and movies, and the constant bilious back and forth between the AICN writers and readers is.
EW POPWATCH BLOG -- When it comes to content and tone, Entertainment Weekly's pop culture blog is sort of the office water cooler equivalent to AICN's nerd dungeon. If you like a more polite and polished source for entertainment buzz, you'll probably be willing to forgive the fact that PopWatch does more picking up on other sites' scoops than providing it's own gets. But when it comes to the Internet, the difference between a scoop and a link usually comes down to hours or minutes, not days. PopWatch is also the home of my favorite source for all-things Lost, Jeff Jensen, who digs deep to analyze, theorize, and jazzercise his way through every episode of my favorite TV show.
BLEEDING COOL/COMIC BOOK RESOURCES -- Rich Johnston used to write a weekly news and gossip column about the comic industry, "Lying in the Gutters," for a bigger comics site called Comic Book Resources. He's since left CBR to start his own site, which is essentially Lying in the Gutters 24/7. I like CBR, but aside from reading their extensive comic convention coverage a few times each year, I'd only visit the site once a week for Rich's column. So far, Bleeding Cool has managed to capture all the big industry stories while doing away with the overload of Marvel, DC, and Image press releases that CBR presents as "news." Read them both, however, and you'll know everything you need to know about comics (and in BC's case, whether the comic industry wants you to know it or not).
MTV SPLASH PAGE -- While other sites cover my interest in the printed side of the comic industry, I like to visit MTV's newish site dedicated to comic book movies. The MTV name and notoriety leads to more cooperation from the filmmakers in terms of offering interviews, and those interviews are where all the other buzz sites tend to pull their "scoops" about casting, plot spoilers, etc. Splash Page is a good source for actual news, even if the topic is a little limiting.
WRESTLEVIEW -- With as many as 10 hours of original, repeat-free, weekly programming on US television, and a huge following worldwide, there's no denying that professional wrestling is a major part of pop culture. And, since, next to superheroes and G.I. Joes, the Superstars of Wrestling were my drug of choice as a kid, it is firmly embedded in my nostalgia-fueled heart and mind today. It's crude and corny and the antithesis to sophisticated, but the kid in me still likes to check in on what's going on with the muscleheads we've been watching for decades. But the adult in me is way more interested in what is going on with them behind the scenes. I don't know or care who the current champions are, because, even though the athleticism and acrobatics are cool to watch, that aspect of wrestling is fake and predictable. It's almost like checking in on old friends on Facebook...and the stuff you can find out goes beyond faces and heels. What do they look like now? Who died? Who got fired? Who got suspended for drugs? Who's trash-talking who in interviews? This is where you go to find out.
These are not the only websites I visit, and they're not necessarily the proven authorities in their respective areas. But whatever pop culture buzz, meme, announcement, or scandal is bouncing around the web on any given day either starts or ends somewhere within these pages. Maybe not all of these sites will suit you like they suit me, but there are plenty of alternate sources for the same information online. Seek it out and you will find it. Now you know.
But keep up that healthy social life. I may win in useless knowledge, but you've probably got me beat in exposure to daylight and physical fitness. Of course, if you're an overweight shut-in, you've got no excuse. Study up!


text:
Clinton Postal Codes
Clinton city is located in Ontario, Canada
You can search for the Clinton ON postal codes by its streets and block numbers
Clinton Area Code is 226/519 and Time Zone is Eastern (GMT -05:00).
Clinton is also known as Holmesville
Clinton Postal Code - Ontario
Clinton Postal Code is a six-character string that forms part of a postal address in Canada. Like British and Dutch postcodes, Clinton - ON postal codes are alphanumeric.
The first three characters (alpha-numeric-alpha) of the postal code which represent a geographic area in Clinton.
The last three characters denote a Clinton local delivery unit (LDU). An LDU denotes a specific single Clinton address or range of addresses, which can correspond to an entire small town, a significant part of a medium-sized town, a single side of a city block in larger cities, a single large building or a portion of a very large one, a single (large) institution in Clinton, Ontario, such as a university or a hospital, or a business that receives large volumes of mail on a regular basis
If you want to send a mail to Clinton City, you should use the corresponding Postal Code.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
11 kms from Airport, 5 km from Railway Station, 4 kms. from Bus Stand. The Narain Niwas Palace Hotel is an excellent heritage hotel in Jaipur
All 31 rooms are well equipped. They are A.C.& Air-Cooled rooms with telephone and attached bath, running hot & cold water, car on rental, safe deposit, laundry, doctor on call, swimming pool surrounded by big shady trees, car-parking. Room Service,Telephone, Fax, Money Changer, Travel Desk Service avaiable.
Dining : You may enjoy Indian, Continental, Chinese cuisines at the Palace Hotel. Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner all available
Recreation and Health : T.V., Swimming Pool, Bill and Table, T.T. Table available


text:
Southern Green Beans with Shallots & Bacon
This recipe is so easy to make, especially if you have a Vitamix. love mine and have had it for over 5 years. It does an excellent job of chopping the dates and chia seeds so they are no longer visible in this recipe (nobody wants […]
Ditch the sugar filled (and sugar free) drinks. Aim to drink half your body weight in ounces of water daily.
Aim for one with at least 7 different strains of bacteria. Find one with over 5 billion CFUs. Choose one that is dairy free, gluten free, and chemical free. Preferably one with lactobacillus acidophulus & bifidobacterium strains. I currently take Garden of Life Mood+ probiotic.
The US Government allows the label to read trans fat free as long as it's under .50 grams. That means it still has trans fats in it! Read the ingredients and look for words like "partially hydrogenated oil or vegetable shortening" and avoid any foods with these in them.
Why?… Sugar is addictive. Sugar messes with your glucose levels. Sugar increases your risk of heart disease. Sugar affects your mental health. Sugar affects your energy levels. Sugar speeds the aging process. Sugar affects your immune system. Sugar feeds disease. Shall I keep going?
Meats and dairy contain saturated fats. Sorry, folks, that means limited amounts of cheese! I aim to be dairy free morning and afternoon and eat small amounts of dairy at dinner. Limiting saturated fats will help you maintain your overall healthy weight. I do not eat meat at every meal.
An adult should aim for 3-5 fresh or frozen servings a day. A child's serving will depend on their age, but aim for 2-4 servings a day. Also, variety matters, so try a wide range of fruits!
It is antioxidant-rich. It may reduce your risk of heart disease. It can protect your skin from the sun. It can help your lose or maintain your weight. The catechins in green teach can actually help kill mouth bacteria. It can help your mental health. It can help your digestive system. I drink Ito En Matcha Blend.
Aim to walk at least 70 minutes a week to start. Or find a class to try. Join a gym. Mow your lawn. Get creative and get your heart rate up into the cardio zone.
As soon as your leave your kitchen you are trusting someone else with your overall health. Restaurant food is usually packed full of fat, sugar, and empty calories. Of course I'm not speaking of ALL restaurants. There are more and more popping up that are whole food based. With that said, eating out is very costly. You rarely have leftovers for the next day which you would if you prepared your food at home. Avoid fast food as much as possible. Trust me it can be done, I am a recovered McDonald's junkie and haven't been in over 5 years!
Aim for 7-9 hours a night. Have your room very dark. Get room darkening shades. Get an air purifier to clean the air and make white noise. We love ours! Or, if that's not in your budget now, get a small white noise maker. Turn the temp down at night. Avoid caffeine after 3pm. Don't eat within 2 hours of bedtime as this stimulates your digestive system and can keep you up. Don't drink alcohol right before bed (I know, sometimes I don't listen to this advice either! and I pay for it.).


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Twitter Link Facebook link
Research by the Methodist Church in Britain has found that at least 89 of their local churches hold regular worship in languages other than English and Welsh.
The Methodist Church is investing £7 million over ten years in a major new initiative designed to reach out to young adults who have no contact with the church, following research that shows elements of recovery.
The Archbishop of Canterbury has led an Advent day of prayer and pilgrimage involving drumbeats and electronic presentations beamed onto large screens around Coventry Cathedral.
Britain's Methodists, who have suffered a decline in membership in recent years, along with other historic UK Christian denominations, will invest more in pioneer congregations under the 'Fresh Expressions' programme, the October Methodist council agreed.
Church of England and Methodist congregations are increasingly involved in promoting 'fresh expressions' of church life which seek to connect with those disconnected from traditional ecclesiastical forms. A new DVD tells their story.
Jonny Baker talks to Ian Mobsby about his new book on fresh expressions of church and 'post-Christendom Anglicanism'
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text:
49 of 58
Brown Butterscotch Pie
Browned butter and dark brown sugar flavor the custard in this butterscotch pie.
Browning butter (as opposed to just melting it) is one of those simple adjustments that make the ordinary extraordinary. We changed the classic butterscotch pie by letting the butter and sugar cook longer to give the whole pie a toasty, nutty flavor that balances the sweetness of the caramel.... Read More
View Recipe


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Chacha Group is a renowned name since 1955, in Mount Abu and beyond. In an environment of excellence, surrounded by lush green landscaped gardens spread in over 2 acres of land, with personal attention and the most modern facilities, Chacha Inn "The Garden Retreat" which stepped into the Hospitality Industry in 1992 is a combination of luxury, natural beauty and age-old wilderness, woven together to produce an environment of peace and magically memorable moments.
Why ChaCha Inn
– ChaCha group a renowned name since 1955 and serving in Hospitality Industry since 1992.
– Spread in over 2 acres amidst tranquil surroundings, elegant interiors and beautifully landscaped gardens with natural waterfalls and lotus ponds to create a soothing and intimate ambiance.
-The Barmer (langa) singers, Magic and Puppet show arranged in gardens every evening, complementary by ChaCha Inn, bound to make your stay the most memorable part of your holiday.
Hotel like a tourist spot in itself
Hotel is not just enough title to describe this piece of land in mount abu developed to provide a natural living environment to the guests coming to mount abu, hill family, brass and mud statues, magic and puppet show, open garden restaurant near waterfall with crispy music environment from the langa
singers of barmer (rajasthan), morning walk, play with birds and squirrels visiting hotel every morning.
Rooms Gallery (click here for more)
For current tariff and booking click here
Salient Features
– 24 Hour Security
– Air-conditioning in all Rooms
– Guidance for Mt. Abu Tourism
– Children Play Ground with Slides
– 32″ Flat LCD with Cable Connection
– Tea and Coffee makers (for Cottages)
Doctor on call –
Daily newspaper –
Daily Housekeeping –
24 Hour Room Service –
Bedside Tables with Lamps –
Attached Bath with running hot water –
Bath amenities with personal care kit –
Gardens at Hotel Chacha Inn
The lush green wide gardens at ChaCha Inn gives as ambiance of natural luxury, feels like staying in heaven of nature, fresh breathe, early morning with fresh air gives us energetic start to experience the "abode of Gods", Mount Abu.
Garden are available for wedding, events, school functions and competitions.
ChaCha Inn Hotel Summary
– Category: Garden Retreat.
– Room Type: AC.
– Entertainment: Live Langa Singers, Puppet Show, Magic Show, Garden, Games.
– Total Rooms: 32
Super Deluxe Rooms: 5; Garden View Rooms: 7; Cottages: 10; Family Suite: 3, Deluxe Rooms: 2, Four Bedded: 3.
– Rooms Arrangement:
Ground Floor: 4, First Floor (in 2 wings): 7; Second Floor (in 2 wings): 6.
Basic Facilities
– WiFi: In every corner
– Room Service: On your every call
– Laundry: Regular and Express Service
– Parking: Wide area with 24 x 7 security
– Garden Restaurant: Machan Restaurant
– In House Restaurant: Dawat Restaurant
– In House Bar: Omar Khayyam serving imported drinks
Lot more over hotel
Plan your theme destination wedding, organize events, beautiful dinning arrangements in hut, in open garden near water fall, in house restaurant 'dawat', on hill over 'machan' water fall, yummy cakes and pastries with 'ChaCha Bakery', exclusive bottles in 'Omar Khayyam Bar' found in Mount Abu
Other Services and Business
ChaCha Cafe: Coffee and exotic food is just a roller coaster ride of your stay in Abu, well-famed and scrumptious.
ChaCha Inn Museum: 'The Museum – Like Shop', if seeing the ethnic Rajasthan and filling your bags with few famous handicrafts loaded things, this 60 years old Emporium in Mount Abu, is the perfect option.
ChaCha Villa: heading to mount abu, your way stops you by Chacha Villa, the most impeccable location for a picture perfect holiday with a discotheque equipped with Yamaha DJ Equipment, Gazebo, Jacuzzi, Swimming pool and King Size Bedrooms at par with hospitality standards.
The Garden Retreat Gallery
Exclusive Amenities
– Welcome Drinks
– Yoga Mats
– Hair Dryer (on demand)
– Mini Refrigerator and My Bar
– Wellness Center (Indoor – Out Door Games)
– To and Fro Shuttle Service for In house Guests. (Between Hotel and Town)
Locate on Map
Contact Details
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.cachainnhotel.com
Contact Person: Mr. Alok Chaturvedi (Reservation Manager)
Address: Main Road, Mount Abu-307 501. Rajasthan (India)
Contact No: +91 94143 56462, 02974 235374
Quick Enquiry with #AT discounts
Staying in mount abu could be no better if it isn't ChaCha inn, and the natural experience is just better than anything around. And undoubtedly your holiday can never be boring, so sew your mnemonic album at Chacha Inn


text:
KIDOZ is the world's fastest-growing content discovery platform for kids,
reaching over 12 million kids worldwide, and adding millions each month.
We help kids find their next-favorite apps, games or videos and provide them with a better,
safer and richer online experience.
Our kid-safe KIDOZ Mode Solution is pre-installed by leading device manufacturers & mobile carriers
(Acer, T-Mobile, Hisense and many more) to better accommodate family needs and create a full entertainment OS for kids.
5 months after we soft-launched our COPPA Compliant SDK for kids applications, our network grew to 12,000,000 kids,
and is becoming a key engagement & monetization tool for kids apps.
The company has raised 3.5 Million dollars to date from leading angel investors in Israel
(Dov Moran, Arieh Mergi) and Lool Ventures, CiG Capital and Millhouse Capital (Roman Abramovich).


text:
..that was the highlight of my day.
i thought i was going to the movies today. ):
but no, we're going tmr. /pout-sob-sniffle.
i have to DISAGREE. i haaaateee robert patterson (or however you spell it) i think he makes a HORRIBLE EDWARD. i watch the twilight saga because i LAUGH AT IT. i'm the annoying one in the theatre who giggles the WHOLE MOVIE. go google: GASPARD ULLIEL. fall in love. he should have been edward !
and OH NO. THE SHOE PANTS ARE NOT NOT NOT. disgusting! and like, HOW would i go pee in that ??? or take off my shoe, cos i need to ... itch the sole of my feet ...
and ... i like jesse mccartney : DDD
aaand. the ONLY thing i can agree on is the bag dress. it is kinda gross.
^acted (is my verif word)
Nope, my word doesn't beat peeniz. It is ballize.
I have to agree with your Johnny Depp comment. :D
And those shoes. I sort of like them. I'd never wear them myself, because they look like a pain to get into but otherwise I'd say yes, they're a hot.
Haha, omg, I love that 'vintage' *cough old lady's cough* dress. Haha. Why would they even try and sell that?
Love your tee..LOVE Johnny depp!ReplyDelete
Ew, R-Patz. *shudder* Taylor Lautner any day!
But, OOH - Mr. Depp wins hands down!
That is the most hideous vintage dress I've ever seen in my life! YUCKYUCK. Looks like (s?)he ripped the drapes off her windows on laundry day for something to wear.
Oh, shoe pants...how I loathe thee. XD
-Kiki xo
ps. My word was "dewer", which is ALMOST as great ("do her"). Tee hee. ^^
Yes, Ellen Page = amazing. Have you seen Whip It? I've heard it's good, but haven't checked it out yet. :( Good thing it comes out on DVD in a coupla days.
MJ was so cute... I wish he was still alive. :(
-Kiki xo
haha your tee is rad and omg, the shoe pants are so gross! hahaReplyDelete
my word was "cation"? erm... it must know I'm a nerd...
anyway, NO TO SHOE PANTS.
I've recently started a blog and would love it if you stopped by/exchanged links with me. :) thanks in advance!
nice blog.
i must say NO to shoe-pants.
I just linked ya. Thanks a lot!!!! <3
ps... I got "hallyess" today... like HELLYES! :D
hiaa thank you for commentig back:)
how are you?
the shoe pants are a definite NO!!!!!
I have a feeling that the red dress could work on someone more well proportioned and much younger... but I agree, just because something's old it doesn't mean it is cool.
And Johnny Depp is just gorgeous ♥
haha absolutely love your tips for us online shopping addicts! Visit our shop and let us know what you think of it, we must warn you though it may be a little tempting! www.saboskirt.com
Much love from the .sabo skirt. girls
BLOG: www.saboskirt.blogspot.com
SHOP NOW: www.saboskirt.com


text:
Ants and their bad day
To make the slitlamp exam a thing you "get" let me pose a question to you: Have you ever used the sun and a magnifying glass in nefarious ways? Have you ever burned leaves of "popped" ants. Once when I was at the Wills Eye Course Dr. David Guyton brought this up during the optics review. He asked the large group of us if we knew why ants made that popping noise when you used the sun and a magnifying glass to heat them up. I think we all laughed that quiet nostalgic laugh.
Well, he told us the answer. He said that the heat makes their insides boil and eventually their exoskeleton ruptures with a pop! Somehow the audience found this satisfying, but maybe the ants don't. I am not an ant, but I guess that is one of the ways an ant can have a bad day.
Now how do you do this?
Well, it is not difficult. Look at YouTube and you will see kids posting and narrating this stuff. 1 So if you want the ant to pop or the leaf to burn you must make the focal point as small as possible. If you are too close or too far away the ant gets warm, but he does not pop.
A more normal use of that magnifying glass
Usually a magnifying glass magnifies. You would probably learn more by looking at the ant with that instrument rather than making him poof.
A slit lamp is very much like this magnifying glass with one major exception. You cannot set your patients on fire with the light though they may feel it is bright enough to pop their eye.
The point though is to put the focal point of the slit lamp on the various parts of the eye to make clinical observations. Look at the two dimensional view below and relate it to the three dimensional image above.
This two dimensional view is how magnifying glasses work AND it is how the slit lamp works. There is only a single point where the slit lamp provides sharp focus. That does not mean you will not see other structures, you will. Those other structures though will be blurry to some extent. The closer those other structures are to the focal length the more distinct they will be. This is important to understand because by that you will know which direction to move the slit lamp in order to visualize other structures. Look, now, at the figure below and click through it. Notice the manner in which the sharp focus "descends" into the eye.
Slitlamp exam schematic
Focus in front of eye
(all eye structures should be blurry with this focus)
Focus on cornea
(Could focus on anterior, middle or posterior cornea as well)
Focus in anterior chamber
(Could focus at various anterior chamber depths, e.g. to see cell/flare)
Focus on superior iris
(Could focus on temporal, nasal, inferior iris as well)
Focus in lens
(could focus at different layers in the lens)
Focus in anterior vitreous
(Structures anterior to vitreous focus will be blurry)
As the slit lamp moves closer to the eye the structure in focus will simultaneously be deeper. Using the slit lamp alone you will routinely be able to see structures as internal as the anterior vitreous. In most cases you will need to use a condensing lens, e.g. the 90D lens to see deeper structures, but that is for another lesson.
Now practice this with these questions…
If the iris is clear the cornea will be .
If the iris is clear the lens will be , but than the cornea.
a. blurry, b. clearer
To make the cornea clear I need to the slit lamp from the eye.
a. Pull, b. away
To make the lens clear I need to the slit lamp the eye.
a. push, b. toward
When the lens is clear the iris will be but than the cornea.
a. blurry, b. clearer / less blurry
If all the structures of the eye are blurry then I need to either the slit lamp the eye or the slit lamp from the eye.
a. push, b. toward, c. pull, d. away (a. & b. could be second and c. & d. first)


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The Lake Geneva Clue Room is one of my favorite things in Lake Geneva! It was challenging and very fun. You have an hour to find the clues and solve the crime. I begged my mom to let me go to the next room so I'm hoping we'll be back again soon. I would deffinetely recomend this for all kids and grown ups, too!
Monday, June 27, 2016


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Facts are still facts even if they are ignored…..The Big Book says there is ONE who has all power that One is God may you find Him know….Let us ponder what ONE God they understood shall we…
Big Book Page 9…But he did no ranting. In a matter of fact way he told how two men had appeared in court, persuading the judge to suspend his commitment. They had told of a simple religious idea and a practical program of action. That was two months ago and the result was self-evident. It worked!
Big Book Page 11To Christ I conceded the certainty of a great man, not too closely followed by those who claimed Him….
Page 11 Big Book…hat floored me. It began to look as though religious people were right after all. Here was something at work in a human heart which had done the impossible. My ideas about miracles were drastically revised right then.
Big Book page 12…The real significance of my experience in the Cathedral burst upon me. For a brief moment, I had needed and wanted God. There had been a humble willingness to have Him with me – and He came. Big
Book Page 13…My friend promised when these things were done I would enter upon a new relationship with my Creator; that I would have the elements of a way of living which answered all my problems. Big Book Page 14…Simple, but not easy; a price had to be paid. It meant destruction of self-centeredness. I must turn in all things to the Father of Light who presides over us all.
Bible James 1:17
New King James Version (NKJV)
17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
Big Book Page My friend had emphasized the absolute necessity of demonstrating these principles in all my affairs. Particularly was it imperative to work with others as he had worked with me. Faith without works was dead, he said. And how appallingly true for the alcoholic!
Bible James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Big Book Page 17…The tremendous fact for every one of us is that we have discovered a common solution. We have a way out on which we can absolutely agree, and upon which we can join in brotherly and harmonious action. This is the great news this book carries to those who suffer from alcoholism.
Alcoholics Anonymous Pamphlet P53 Page 13 But we were convinced that the answer to our problems was in the Good Book. To some of us older ones, the parts that we found absolutely essential were the Sermon on the Mount, the thirteenth chapter of First Corinthians, and the Book of James.
Alcoholics Anonymous Pamphlet P53 Page 30 Finally, there was some kind of hearing on it among the self-appointed elders. I remember how perfectly Bob put it to them. He reminded us that most of us were practicing Christians. Then he asked, "What would the Master have thought? Would He have kept this man away?" He had them cold! The man came in, was a prodigious worker, and was one of our most respected people.
Big Book Page 19….Of necessity there will have to be discussion of matters medical, psychiatric, social, and religious.
Big Book Page 24 & 25..These stark and ugly facts have been confirmed by legions of alcoholics throughout history. But for the grace of God, there would have been thousands more convincing demonstrations.
Big Book Page 25…The great fact is just this, and nothing less: That we have had deep and effective spiritual experiences which have revolutionized our whole attitude toward life, toward our fellows and toward God's universe. The central fact of our lives today is the absolute certainty that our Creator has entered into our hearts and lives in a way which is indeed miraculous. He has commenced to accomplish those things for us which we could never do by ourselves. If you are as seriously alcoholic as we were, we believe there is no middle-of-the-road solution.
Big Book page 27 & 28…Upon hearing this, our friend was somewhat relieved, for he reflected that, after all, he was a good church member. This hope, however, was destroyed by the doctor's telling him that while his religious convictions were very good, in his case they did not spell the necessary vital spiritual experience.Here was the terrible dilemma in which our friend found himself when he had the extraordinary experience, which as we have already told you, made him a free man. We, in our turn, sought the same escape with all the desperation of drowning men. What seemed at first a flimsy reed, has proved to be the loving and powerful hand of God.
Big Book Page 44…To one who feels he is an atheist or agnostic such an experience seems impossible, but to continue as he is means disaster, especially if he is an alcoholic of the hopeless variety. To be doomed to an alcoholic death or to live on a spiritual basis are not always easy alternatives to face.
We know how he feels. We have shared his honest doubt and prejudice. Some of us have been violently anti-religious. To others, the word "God" brought up a particular idea of Him with which someone had tried to impress them during childhood. Perhaps we rejected this particular conception because it seemed inadequate. With that rejection we imagined we had abandoned the God idea entirely.
Big Book page 47 and 48….That was great news to us, for we had assumed we could not make use of spiritual principles unless we accepted many things on faith which seemed difficult to believe. When people presented us with spiritual approaches, how frequently did we all say, "I wish I had what that man has. I'm sure it would work if I could only believe as he believes. But I cannot accept as surely true the many articles of faith which are so plain to him." So it was comforting to learn that we could commence at a simpler level. Besides a seeming inability to accept much on faith we often found ourselves handicapped by obstinacy, sensitiveness, and unreasoning prejudice. Many of us have been so touchy that even casual reference to spiritual things made us bristle with antagonism. This sort of thinking had to be abandoned. Though some of us resisted, we found no great difficulty in casting aside such feelings. Faced with alcoholic destruction, we soon became as open minded on spiritual matters as we had tried to be on other questions.
Big Book Page 50…Instead of regarding ourselves as intelligent agents, spearheads of God's ever advancing Creation, we agnostics and atheists chose to believe that our human intelligence was the last word, the alpha and the omega, the beginning and end of all. Rather vain of us, wasn't it?
We, who have traveled this dubious path, beg you to lay aside prejudice, even against organized religion. We have learned that whatever the human frailties of various faiths may be, those faiths have given purpose and direction to millions. People of faith have a logical idea of what life is all about. Actually, we used to have no reasonable conception whatever. We used to amuse ourselves by cynically dissecting spiritual beliefs and practices when we might have observed that many spiritually-minded persons of all races, colors, and creeds were demonstrating a degree of stability, happiness and usefulness which we should have sought ourselves.
When we saw others solve their problems by a simple reliance upon the Spirit of the Universe, we had to stop doubting the power of God. Our ideas did not work. But the God idea did.
Page 53 Big Book…When we became alcoholics, crushed by a self-imposed crisis we could not postpone or evade, we had to fearlessly face the proposition that either God is everything or else He is nothing. God either is, or He isn't. What was our choice to be?
Big Book page 55 Yet we had been seeing another kind of flight, a spiritual liberation from this world, people who rose above their problems. They said God made these things possible, and we only smiled. We had seen spiritual release, but liked to tell ourselves it wasn't true.
Actually we were fooling ourselves, for deep down in every man, woman, and child, is the fundamental idea of God. It may be obscured by calamity, by pomp, by worship of other things, but in some form or other it is there.
We finally saw that faith in some kind of God was a part of our make-up, just as much as the feeling we have for a friend. Sometimes we had to search fearlessly, but He was there. He was as much a fact as we were. We found the Great Reality deep down within us. In the last analysis it is only there that He may be found. It was so with us.
We can only clear the ground a bit. If our testimony helps sweep away prejudice, enables you to think honestly, encourages you to search diligently within yourself, then, if you wish, you can join us on the Broad Highway. With this attitude you cannot fail. The consciousness of your belief is sure to come to you.
In this book you will read the experience of a man who thought he was an atheist. His story is so interesting that some of it should be told now. His change of heart was dramatic, convincing, and moving.
Big Book page 56….Our friend was a minister's son. He attended church school, where he became rebellious at what he thought an overdose of religious education. For years thereafter he was dogged by trouble and frustration. Business failure, insanity, fatal illness, suicide – these calamities in his immediate family embittered and depressed him. Post-war disillusionment, ever more serious alcoholism, impending mental and physical collapse, brought him to the point of self-destruction.
One night, when confined in a hospital, he was approached by an alcoholic who had known a spiritual experience. Our friend's gorge rose as he bitterly cried out: "If there is a God, He certainly hasn't done anything for me!" But later, alone in his room, he asked himself this question: "Is it possible that all the religious people I have known are wrong?" While pondering the answer he felt as though he lived in hell. Then, like a thunderbolt, a great thought came. It crowded out all else:
"Who are you to say there is no God?"
This man recounts that he tumbled out of bed to his knees. In a few seconds he was overwhelmed by a conviction of the Presence of God. It poured over and through him with the certainty and majesty of a great tide at flood. The barriers he had built through the years were swept away. He stood in the Presence of Infinite Power and Love. He had stepped from bridge to shore. For the first time, he lived in conscious companionship with his Creator.
Thus was our friend's cornerstone fixed in place. No later vicissitude has shaken it. His alcoholic problem was taken away. That very night, years ago, it disappeared.
Page 63 Big Book……..We were reborn.
I could go on and on…..
We can take a few phrases and quotes and play symantics. Looking at that facts, history and if we the reader is truly seeking, studying and following the directions in the Big Book,,,,,you will get saved by the Lord and be free from alcohol…yes…but also be totally free for eternity…I can dig it!
Doug Nunes
Director of Recovery Ministries
Calvary Church of Los Gatos


text:
Green Acton co-sponsored a talk "The Power of Preservation as a Green Strategy," with Boston architect Jean Caroon.
Buildings account for nearly 40% of all U.S. energy use and carbon emissions. With one of the country's leading preservation architects as your guide, the lecture explored the power of adaptive reuse to reduce those numbers and move us toward sustainability. Sustainable Preservation make a compelling argument that preservation and sustainability don't just protect the environment, but deliver a full range of societal benefits, from job creation to stronger social connection.
Jean leads Goody Clancy's preservation practice, focusing on the opportunities inherent in the stewardship and creative reuse of existing buildings to create a healthy resilient world. She leads a team dedicated to helping clients and the public connect historic legacies to current realities and future possibilities. Her approach combines a mastery of history and building technology with a commitment to transforming places – redefining their relevance, utility, and flexibility while sustaining and enhancing essential beauty and value. Jean has been responsible for the restoration or adaptive reuse of a dozen National Historic Landmark buildings. Her book "Sustainable Preservation: Greening Existing Buildings" was published by Wiley in 2010. She is a frequent speaker, teacher and advocate for creative building reuse and preservation.
The talk was sponsored by the Acton Historic District Commission, Acton Historical Commission, The Town of Acton Department, Department of Municipal Properties and Green Acton. The lecture was free and open to the public.


text:
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text:
The battle against weight is a hard fight. Once you wake up and see around and recognize you have weight issues, natural solutions are already far away. The battle against weight usually starts slow. Once you decide you want to lose weight, the first thing that comes to your mind is "Fine, I'll do it. But how will I Do it? What do I have to do?"
For me, trying to find an answer to that question lead me to a road of confusion and frustration. A simple web search started diminishing my morale. It seemed like every single website was telling me to do something completely different, something opposite to the prior site. This left me empty handed. With no clear path to follow, there was nothing else for me to do than keep going with my usual habits and keep sinking into the problem. Then one day I stumbled upon an old friend of mine. She was looking slim and healthy. When I asked what her secret was, she just said one word: Nutrisystem.
After a quick look at their website, I was decided. The plans offered by Nutrisystem are very attractive. This company offers a complete nutritional plan that aims to reduce the caloric intake, and to stop eating food with little nutritional value. The program consist in scheduling a full month where you will eat healthy, low fat products provided by Nutrisystem and delivered to your door. By follow the program, you will eat four to five times a day, so you will not be hungry. There are lots of different options on the menu, so you will not worry about variety. It's also very easy to follow. Most of the meals are ready to eat and you only need to hear them.
Nutrisystem Coupons That Work
To make the Nutrisystem program even better, the coupon system is a charm. They offered awesome coupons. For example, the 40% off every meal includes seven free turbo shakes, seven nutricrush bars, and free shipping. With this you can keep your meals well under $10 a day. There are also$50 and $100 off offers when you sign-up for any plan. All you have to do is to join the mailing list. There are also great offers in coupon sites, like Groupon or Debra Moorhead personal blog promote the 40% off Nutrisystem coupons. And the best thing is, the food tastes good. In my case, it was kinda awkward to get used to at the beginning because of the cravings. I felt like I needed my dose of junk food, but I was determined. I didn't succumb to temptation and I followed the Nutrisystem by the book. At the second week, the cravings were gone. It's not hard to cope with a diet when you are eating food that tastes great.
By the third week, I was feeling excellent. So good in fact, that I decided to reunite with a very old friend of mine: the bicycle. For some reason, I was feeling full of energy and the bicycle was a great exercise option. I started riding during the weekends. Then, by the end of the fourth week, I had a look at my weight. I had lost 9 pounds. I couldn't believe it. I was getting close to my goal, and I could feel it. I started to feel better, healthier somehow. I decided that I would not stop. I needed to keep going.
A few months lather, I reached a healthy weight. I started riding the bicycle to my job and back. I felt born again.
It's worthy to mention that everyone is different. Everyone has a body that works in an unique way. What works for some is not as good for others. That being said, it's also worthy to understand that, even though we function in relatively different ways, the principles are the same. We live in modern societies where there's more food available that what our bodies really need, and a huge percentage of that food is not okay for our organisms. What Nutrisystem proposes is to come back to a balance, an equilibrium between what we eat and the activity we do in our daily lives. A balance in what we do, and what we need. Our ancestors didn't need burgers or french fries to carry on living, so our bodies are not used to such intake of fat and calories. Nutrisystem offers a way to distance ourselves from what we don't need, and get what our bodies do need. And the best thing is, you don't need to go through tough diets or stop eating to achieve your goals. You can take the tasty road.
See also:
How Nutrisystem Works


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For the holiday season, Hanes tapped my team to construct a marketing campaign that would both drive awareness and help a worthy cause. Since the most requested item in homeless shelters across America is clean, dry socks, we created the Hanes' Sock Drive, a Facebook application that allowed users to send virtual socks to friends and family and have their gift matched with a real pair donated to a homeless shelter by Hanes.
The campaign was an enormous success, meeting the 100,000 goal within a matter of days and delighting the client so much that they asked for a repeat in 2010. It also won a 2010 OMMA Award for best use of app as advertising in the social media category.
social media, award winner


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He called last night, drunk as usual. He said many nasty things. He blamed me for everything that is going wrong in his life. Blamed me for his drinking. Blamed me for the break-up he had with his last girlfriend. As if I even knew he was dating. Blamed me for making him want me but not have me. Drunk, he said nothing that made sense. Called me all sorts of names and pushed in "Honey" and "Sweetheart". Shamelessly, he paused and said "I Love you". Then he coughed from the drinks he had taken in the chilly night. I hope you choke and die, I almost say.
He says that we should talk things out; we should make up and be a couple again. He is my past, I tell him, and he had the chance to, but betrayed me, broke my heart and went for another girl. We dated for two years; it took me a whole year to get over him. When I finally move on and heal, he dares call me. How dare him, HOW DARE HIM!
I am feeling depressed. I had just come from a prayer group that had turned to one-hour blame game, arguments. I am feeling crushed, the weight of the world in upon my shoulder, and then he dares call.
I take my phone and dial the first number that comes to my head, no answer. I try again, no answer. Where is my best friend? Now I feel so devastated, desperate to talk to someone. My friend texts, but by now, the devastation has turned to anger. Anger towards myself, for not being able to compose myself. Angry at myself for not being able to express myself. Angry at my ex for breaking my heart and ruining my night. Angry at my best friend for not picking my call.
I switch off my phone, switch off all my lines. I don't want to talk to anyone anymore. Its 1 am. I slip under my covers and try to get some sleep. I wake up in the morning. Its 6.45am, am supposed to leave the house by 7. I take a quick cold shower; I dress up hastily, at 7.10 I leave the house. I get to the eating hall, confusion. People complaining endlessly. The cooks are on strike, there is no breakfast. Damn! I am already late for work.
I go away without breakfast. Who needs food anyway? As I walk to the bus station, it hits me. I did not talk to God.
As I walk, I say a silent prayer, a prayer so silent that I can barely hear it myself. Will God hear my silent prayer?


text:
Echo Park
For the Record Journal
I made this journal using the paper collection pack from Echo Park for my sister, Sandy. She's a good-hearted gal. I thought she could use it at her volunteer counseling sessions. So I made it to put in her birthday package. I hope she finds it useful and that it reminds her that her sister loves her.
A pocket on the left side to slip notes into and a little clipboard attachment in case she needs one. I attached a long envelope for things she needs to tuck away and a legal pad
attached to a piece of chipboard so the pages can be lifted from the top...
And a calendar for added convenience...
and some blank papers for doodling. You can look like you're writing really important notes when you're doodling, you know? Oh, that's probably just me. Never mind.
Hope she likes it.