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Online archives for the Undergraduate Bulletin, beginning fall 1997 and forward, are available here.
Undergraduate Bulletins (dating from 1922) are housed at the Undergraduate Library; University of North Carolina catalogues prior to 1922 are available in the North Carolina Collection, Wilson Library.
For all offical transcripts you will need to contact the Office of the University Registrar.
Included below are various documents and reports related to the pre-2006 undergraduate Perspectives Curriculum.
Administrative Boards of the General College and College of Arts and Sciences: Agendas and Minutes
Other documents available upon request.


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Tags: opengl es 2.0, delta engine
Delta Engine
Dank der Einladung von Microsoft zum Bizspark-Camp in Berlin, wurden wir auch von n-tv interviewt und durften unsere Delta Engine vorstellen.
Danke für die Chance - ist schön geworden! Hier gehts zum Video:
Game Development
Our Delta Engine supports Collada files for 3D Models since we have worked with Collada for many projects (since 2005). However the support for Collada .DAE files in 3DS Max 2011 or Maya just gets worse every year. No one is actively working on a plugin anymore. ColladaMax is dead, Feeling Software is not working on Collada anymore, OpenCollada (open source collada support) has done nothing for a year now, Sony does not like Collada anymore, Autodesk wants everyone to use FBX and never really supported collada well, etc.
So should we give up on Collada? Well, yes, the artists will no longer use Collada (we still support it for our engine and content importers) and instead export everything in FBX, which works fine out of the box in 3DS Max or Maya (or XSI or Blender, etc.). Now we got a bunch of FBX files (and some older collada files we still want to support) and we are way too lazy to write a new importer right now (we want to work on our 3D SoulCraft TechDemo now). There is the FbxConverter tool you can download from Autodesks website (for free, you just need to register). With this tool you can freely convert from FBX to Collada or one of many other formats (many different FBX formats, 3DS, OBJ, or DXF). The resulting collada .DAE file is MUCH better than one exported directly from 3DS Max or Maya (at least if the artist does not have the latest FBX exporter installed). It seems to be in a more standard format, it exports all animations, bones, skin, camera, spline, etc. information out where the standard Autodesk Collada exporter leaves this all out and makes the format useless. Sadly ColladaMax, OpenCollada, etc. all do not provide a plugin for 3DS Max 2011 or 2010 because no one is working on that, older versions like 3DS Max 2009 work fine, but we had our problems with those plugins as well. Note: Feeling Software still supports FCollada, but it is not longer a free plugin, you need to get a commercial license, but we had too many problems with FCollada in the past to go that route again (some stuff works great, other stuff not so much, at least for us).
I will report back how our implementation goes with all this format mess :)
Update 2010-11-18: While Collada (including converted fbx files and yes, I tried many different converters and exporters) still works great for simple static meshes and animated meshes, it just causes too many problems with many of our more advanced content. While we might continue to support Collada in the future (I am not so sure right now), we will switch completely to importing FBX files directly now. This gives us much more flexibility, but it of course also adds lots more work to support FBX completly (e.g. there is no easy managed library to load FBX files, you gotta use the native FBX SDK). But everyone else uses FBX too (Unreal, Unity, most modeling tools, etc.), so I guess we have to jump on that bandwagon too. Another good thing is our artists already use FBX and they don't care how stuff is converted, it just should work. Another important aspect is that we want the ability to convert game content and levels back into FBX files (we used collada for that before), this way a nice interaction can happen between modeling tools like 3DS Max or Maya and the engine editors (but we are not there yet obviously) :)
For me the following put the nail into the coffin for getting away from the FBX to collada converted way. We had additional problems like missing material info and no tangent data that could be reconstructed from the original FBX file, but it turned out to be too much work and there are plenty of other subtle problems with the conversion (it looks fine at first, only after working with it a while you see more and more stuff not working the way you want):
From the FBXConverter Documentation by Autodesk:
What's not supported by COLLADA The following is a list of elements that DAE (COLLADA) do not support on export or import. ■ Triangles, polylist, and polygons. The FBX Converter exports polygons without holes, and imports them without holes and triangles. ■ Bake & single matrices ■ Variable sampling rates. ■ Absolute Paths (when invalid) ■ Instances ■ Skew ■ Non-standard Materials and maps for different parameters ■ Orthographic cameras ■ Normals (for skin and shape) ■ Light parameters ■ Vertex animation ■ Material parameters animations ■ Effects specialized profiles ■ COLLADA physics NOTE Export or import to DAE (COLLADA) can destroy or produce unpredictable results for some elements.
We also tried putting some FBX files into the XNA Content pipeline to see what comes out at the other side, but there were way too many restrictions for us to work with the XNA Content pipeline. I am happy to see that XNA's FBX support is getting so much better (I used it last in 2006 and it totally sucked), but the following things were just too annoying:
■ All pathes must fit, including textures, shaders, and whatever else is in the fbx file. File formats also have to match, artists love to use .psd files, but that is nothing I want to support (there is a .png file with the same name right there, but the content processor does not see it). All of our FBX models we tested used absolute paths that were just not available on the content server (or my machine for testing). While FBX ASCII files can easily be edited, this is still a show stopper for us. While a small XNA team might be ok with this restriction (you can just use relative paths in 3DSMax when exporting and make sure all images, shaders, etc. are in place), I don't think this is the right way for us.
■ Many files caused other compiling issues, for example most of our animated meshes use not just a standard skeleton and bones, but some other system (e.g. CAT). Again, this can be sometimes fixed before exporting, but it just does not work automatically, it is always a custom process with lots of fiddling around. The following error was just too annoying to me to try this out any more (especially because you find not much useful information in the internet about problems like this): Skeleton not found. Meshes that contain a Weights vertex channel cannot be processed without access to the skeleton data.
■ Finally the process always takes way too long, we spend already most of the content server time inside the XNA content pipeline (to convert stuff to WP7), hopefully loading FBX directly instead of converting them to collada or going through the XNA content pipeline is way faster ;)
■ Even with all these problems the XNA Model Processor has some cool tricks up its sleeve. For example when you get far enough with the importing process an .xml file will be generated in the Content/obj/x86/Debug directory, which contains a lot of extra information the xnb generated file might not have. It can be useful to look at those .xml files and maybe even extract useful information out of those. For us it worked not so well with some easy to get information like tangents (they are just missing), but it contained all the CAT bone information on the other hand. Still good to know ^^
So we are back by converting FBX into our own format ourselves (not sure if I will write a native tool with the FBX SDK or just PInvoke from C# yet ^^). For anyone interested, there are some cool projects out there using the FBX SDK, for example this FBXViewer is a nice one, it worked out of the box with everything I had thrown at it (as opposed to converting collada mess or trying the XNA content pipeline).
Delta Engine | Game Development | Programming | Reviews
Conferences | Fun
Since I am presenting our Delta Engine here at the Tech-Ed Europe all day with our current free example game ZombieHockey, I thought why not blog about what I am showing here (excluding the iPhone which I needed to take the picture below ^^). We just were released on the WP7 Marketplace, you can download the Windows PC version and the iPod/iPhone/iPod version is coming this or next week. Please note that the game itself (ZombieHockey) was written only once and has zero knowledge of the platforms it is supposed to run on. It is fully written in C# in Windows (only using VS2010) and utilizes our Delta Engine, which handles all the abstraction, content conversion, building and all features required for 2D and 3D games. It also runs at the maximum framerate on all platforms (using their native maximum resolution) and often only needs a fraction of the CPU and GPU power (iPad: 60fps, 80-90% utilization, iPhone: 60fps, 40% utilization, WP7: 30fps (limited by XNA), 25% utilization, Windows 7: 4000-5000 fps (with my home PC, on my netbook I have maybe 500fps still), Android: 60fps, depends on the device GPU however). The Android version works, but since we are based on MonoDroid there, we cannot go live yet (MonoDroid is still in preview, but works great for us so far), but it will be available as soon as MonoDroid goes into beta and go-live is allowed :)
Conferences | Delta Engine | Fun | Game Development | Programming | Reviews
After a long and painful approval process (lets just say the process gets better every day, and the process is still 10 times faster than Apples ^^) we are finally in the WP7 Marketplace. You can find ZombieHockey if you go in the new category, or just search for it :) Please remember that this is just a demonstration game for the current state of our ZombieParty (the full version of ZombieHockey) is an iPad Party/Family game, we just brought it to all the other platforms (Windows, iPhone, iPod, iPad, Window Phone 7, Android, etc.) to show off our engine capabilities. You can of course also just download and play ZombieHockey for free on your Windows PC (iPhone, iPad and Android are also coming soon, they just have to be approved). We have more exciting things in the works, by January we will have a nice 3D tech-demo working showing our SoulCraft game. Stay tuned!
Delta Engine | Game Development | Reviews
With all the games and tools that we are developing with our Delta Engine, documentation is also very important and should not be neglected. Without it you can end up having quite ugly code that is hard to use and no one understands it after a while anymore.
Since we want to go open source with the Delta Engine next year (which isn't so far in the future), it is a very good idea to have a wiki for it. The question for us was which one of the hundreds we should take. In order to facilitate the decision a little bit, there are comparison sites such as WikiMatrix, where you can compare nearly all features of the wiki's without you have to install and test them all yourself.
After we had discussed what expectations that we have for our new online wiki, only 14 wikis were left. We looked into them more closely and our decision fell towards the ScrewTurn Wiki, because from the installation, the features, and the handling were what we were looking for. Also the wiki is open source and written in ASP.NET with lots of plugins. Even if there is a feature written we can write it ourselves.
Since the last week, we have started to transfer our existing documentation to the new Delta Engine Wiki and still improve it here and there. Currently it is still in internal state, but we will move most pages from the internal wiki to the public part once we public features and the engine itself. In the wiki you can find our whole API reference, additional informations of all the supported platforms, How-To's, samples and everything else helpful for the development with the Delta Engine. Currently if you have questions or feedback, use the Forums, registering on the wiki starts only in 2011 (optional btw, we want to allow everyone to view and edit pages as long as we can maintain it).
Tags: delta engine, wiki
Delta Engine | Game Development | Programming | Wiki
Am Freitag durfte ich beim Echtzeit Klub Berlin über die Vor- und Nachteile verschiedener Technologien zur Entwicklung von Apps reden. Überraschenderweise halte ich für Spiele den Einsatz von Multiplattform-Technologien wie die Delta Engine für die beste Wahl :)
Hier ein paar Eindrücke vom Event:
Conferences | Game Development | iPhone
ZombieHockey is a free version of our Zombie Party iPad-Game.This is the first game using our Delta Engine.
You can download it now on:http://MobileBits.de/ZombieHockey/ZombieHockeySetup.exeNote: You need a OpenGL 2.0 shader capable graphic card. .NET 4.0 is also required, but will be installed by the Setup if missing. We also finished the versions for iPad, iPhone, iPod, Windows Phone 7 and more, which will be coming out shortly (when they are approved in the respective AppStores).
Some screenshots from the Windows Phone 7 - Version:
Game Development | iPhone | Reviews
Delta Engine Website
Delta Engine Wiki
Delta Engine Help
Delta Engine Forum
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subset: commoncrawl


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Larry King plays fortune teller for Craig and things get weird.
Meeting Johnny Carson
Regis tells Craig an embarrassing story about meeting the late night legend, Johnny Carson.
Meeting Santa
Craig tells The Talk's Aisha Tyler a true story about meeting Santa.
Acting Skills Test
How good of an actor is Elijah Wood? Craig tests him out.


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Biography All Music GuideWikipedia
All Music Guide:
Fusing jazz, pop, dance grooves, and sexually explicit lyrics, Vanessa Daou may be one of the most daring new artists of the 20th century. Her first two solo singles -- "Give Myself to You" and "Are You Satisfied?" -- reached the Top Ten on the dance charts compiled by Billboard. Initially released on her own label, Lotus Records, Vanessa's debut solo album, Zipless, which featured groove-induced interpretations of Erica Jong's poetry, was reissued by MCA/Universal in the summer of 1995.
A native of Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanessa moved to Massachusetts in 1984 to attend boarding school. She continued to study visual art and art history at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, NY, and Barnard College in New York City. Together with her musical partner and husband, Peter Daou, on piano, the pair recorded as Vandal and attempted to break into New York's underground dance music scene. Vanessa and Peter then formed a five-piece band named the Daou; signed by Columbia/Sony, the Daou released their debut duo album, Head Music, in 1992. The album was extremely successful, with the first single, "Surrender Yourself," reaching the top of Billboard's club chart. When the label offered to pick up an option for a second album, the Daou elected to sign with the new Tribal label. After the group released two chart-topping singles, Vanessa Daou was signed by Elektra chairman Bob Krasnow for his fledgling company, Krasnow Entertainment.
Vanessa took the solo route (Peter stayed on as co-writer, producer, and arranger) on 1994's Zipless, a jazzy collaboration with feminist writer and poet Erica Jong, followed by the sophisticated and groove-oriented Slow to Burn in 1996. Vanessa managed to negotiate out of her contract with MCA after the label endured a huge merger with Viacom and Seagrams, opting to record albums independently rather than be put through the major-label assembly line again, resulting in 1998's Plutonium Glow and 1999's Dear John Coltrane. The mature and confident Make You Love arrived in 2000, followed by a flurry of activity that included extensive touring, musical collaborations, writing, and visual arts projects. Vanessa Daou released her sixth solo album, Joe Sent Me, in 2008.
Vanessa Daou (born October 4, 1967) is an American singer, songwriter, poet, visual artist and dancer. Most notably a musician, her work is known among electronica, nu jazz and trip hop circles for her trademark spoken word and aspirated singing style as well as its erotic and literary subtexts.
Formative years[edit]
Daou was born and spent her early childhood in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, relocating in 1984 to attend boarding school in Massachusetts. As a young adult, she attended Vassar College for two years and spent several years in New York City's Hell's Kitchen area before earning a scholarship to study dance at Columbia University. There, she would train with choreographer Eric Hawkins and explore visual art with Barry Moser and poetry with Kenneth Koch, whom she cites as having sparked her interest in spoken word. Daou ultimately graduated cum laude with a visual arts and art history degree from Barnard College/Columbia and frequently appeared in her senior year at Postcrypt Coffeehouse, the university's on-campus poetry lounge.
Early recordings[edit]
While still a student, Daou began her career recording for NuGroove Records, one of New York's seminal underground electronica labels. Demos that Daou had recorded caught the attention of two NuGroove DJs, and they invited her to provide guest vocals on a developing track. The experiment led to the label's top-selling single "It Could Not Happen," which later was released on Network Records in the United Kingdom. The Daous also performed as "Vandal" at Los Angeles' Stranger Than Fiction rave at the Shrine Auditorium in 1990.
Head Music[edit]
Daou's underground success brought her to the attention of Columbia Records, which signed her to a seven-album record deal. Vanessa, along with a five-piece band released Head Music as The Daou in 1992. An airy fusion of rock, jazz and funk, Head Music enjoyed moderate success and received praiseworthy reviews in the New York Times Sunday Arts & Leisure section and CREAM and Billboard magazines. The album's first single "Surrender Yourself" was remixed by Danny Tenaglia and reached #1 on Billboard's Dance Chart. Creative disagreements with Columbia would see Vanessa negotiate out of her contract and subsequently release Head Music's next two singles for the independent Tribal Records.
MCA years[edit]
In 1994 Daou, now billed as a solo act, recorded Zipless, a sexually charged collection of pieces inspired by the work of the poet/novelist Erica Jong. A slight stylistic evolution from Head Music, Zipless employed a somewhat more synthesized sound and introduced Daou's foray into recorded spoken word. The Daous released Zipless on their own label, Lotus Records. The album quickly established a cult following and attracted the attention of Bob Krasnow, the music A&R executive whose artist signings include Anita Baker, Björk, Natalie Merchant and Metallica. Krasnow signed Vanessa to his fledgling MCA Records subsidiary Krasnow Entertainment and re-released Zipless in 1995.
Zipless garnered favorable international press, with features and reviews in TIME, Billboard Spotlight Review, Bikini, Vibe, Wire, Mix Mag, URB, the Toronto Star and Le Monde magazines, among other publications. The first single, "Near the Black Forest," was featured in heavy rotation on VH1 and, along with follow-up single "Sunday Afternoons," enjoyed moderate radio rotation. Daou toured nationally with New York rapper Guru and his hip hop-jazz fusion project Jazzmatazz, playing at venues such as L.A.'s House of Blues and Bimbo's 365 Club in San Francisco.
Slow To Burn[edit]
In 1995 MCA underwent significant management changes, at which time the company faltered on the momentum that had been building for several months around Zipless. Vanessa recorded a sophomore solo album, Slow To Burn, and released it in the Fall of that year. With each song a vignette inspired by the biographies of such celebrated female artisans as Billie Holiday, Gertrude Stein and Frida Kahlo, Slow To Burn enjoyed moderate to heavy smooth jazz format radio play with its first single "Two to Tango." It was featured in reviews in VIBE, URB, Billboard, Curve, and Cover magazines. Two to Tango was remixed by Danny Tenaglia and reached the top of Billboard's Dance Chart, remaining at #1 for three weeks. It was featured in the Matthew Perry film Fools Rush In. Two other songs from the album,"If I Could (What I Would Do For You)" and "How Do You Feel?," were featured in the films An American Werewolf in Paris and Idle Hands, respectively.
In the winter of 1996 Seagram took over MCA and Doug Morris, a reputed adversary of Bob Krasnow, became president of the record label. Krasnow soon retired and folded his namesake label. Daou chose to leave as well, and negotiated out of her contract with MCA.^ Krasnow cuts loose from U Music - Entertainment News, VPage, Media - Variety
ContentsA return to the indie world1.1 Plutonium Glow1.2 Dear John Coltrane1.3 Make You Love
A return to the indie world[edit]
Plutonium Glow[edit]
Over the next couple years Daou again chose to release her records independently. With some support from Benny Medina/Handprint Entertainment, she released 1997's dancy, cosmic exploration-themed Plutonium Glow, on her own DaouMusic label. The project was one of the earliest albums by a former major-label artist to be marketed and sold on the internet. The online release was followed by a 1998 UK re-release by independent international distributor Oxygen Music Works. This latter version featured an alternate song sequencing and a new track, "Alive," in place of "Visions of You."
Artwork from the Plutonium Glow era was showcased in an exhibit called "Plutonium Show" at Untitled (SPACE) Gallery in New Haven, Conn. A piece from the show entitled "Music Box" subsequently went on for display at a National Arts Club student exhibition, securing the Jeffrey Seyfert Memorial Prize.
Dear John Coltrane[edit]
In 1999, Daou released Dear John Coltrane on the Oxygen imprint. Somewhat more heady and nostalgic in the vein of Slow to Burn than danceable like Plutonium Glow, the homage to the legendary jazz saxophonist met with warm reception by fans, but sparse marketing, press, club and radio support.
Make You Love[edit]
Daou's next album Make You Love, inspired by the travails of a girlfriend living in Paris, was co-released in 2000 on Daou's own label imprint and EMI in France. Generally positive reviews for Make You Love were featured in Le Monde, Elle, Magic, and Billbard Spotlight Review, and many critics received the album as Daou's most pop-oriented. The album's song "Julliette" was used in a scene for U.S. television series Dawson's Creek; the single "A Little Bit of Pain" was used in Lifetime TV movie Sex, Lies and Obsession; and in the fall of 2000 Daou promoted the project as guest on a seven-week concert tour of France by pop vocalist Etienne Daho. The song "Make Believe" from Plutonium Glow was re-recorded as a duet with Daho for his Corps et armes album.^ Artspace
ContentsHiatus and return1.1 Joe Sent Me1.2 Love Among the Shadowed Things1.3 Sweet Light Crude
Hiatus and return[edit]
On the heels of Make You Love, Daou would take a seven-year hiatus from releasing new material. Her catalog was tapped for various music compilations and for the soundtrack to 2005 French film Lila Says, but Daou would devote this time largely to visual arts, writing and academic pursuits.
Joe Sent Me[edit]
In 2007, Daou announced on her official website that some of her work during this time was being compiled for an upcoming multimedia project, introduced under the working title Then, at Midnight. The project, ostensibly a new music album with related graphical content, ultimately would undergo a name change to Joe Sent Me, a nod to the popular U.S. Prohibition-era password to enter red-light district clubs.
Several pivotal moments during Daou's hiatus would shape her new output—the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attack on New York, where she remains a resident; and inspiring travel experiences among them.
Daou says of the project:
The Idea behind Joe Sent Me was inspired by a recent walk in New York City's Times Square, and my memory of a trip I made to Barcelona in 2006. What I remember most about the city was its uniquely dynamic and vibrant clash of the myriad sounds of the Spanish language, the co-mingling of its cultures and countries....I've created Joe Sent Me to reflect the way my mind reconstructs my memory of Barcelona.... the aim is to break down each poem into its component parts: word/page, sound/mouth, structure/form, rhythm/repetition, reader/interpreter, eye/viewer, meaning/intonation, imagination/interpretation.
On May 19, 2008, audio clips, lyrics and interactive graphic content heralding Joe Sent Me premiered on the website for the Barcelona Poetry Symposium. The material thereafter became available on Daou's own site, and the album itself was released in November 2008 via Daou's online marketplace, daourecords.com. In May 2009, a program of original dances based on the music of Joe Sent Me debuted at Mercer County Community College's Kelsey Theatre, performed by the school's Mercer Dance Ensemble.
Love Among the Shadowed Things[edit]
On Jan. 31, 2010, a collection of four tone poems from Daou, collectively titled Love Among the Shadowed Things, debuted on the seasonal Weird Tales for Winter segment of Jonny Mugwump & The Exotic Pylon, an experimental radio series broadcasting on London's community radio/Radio Art-format Resonance 104.4 FM.
Composed around the themes "Dream," "Snow," "Shadow" and "Night," the poems that comprise Love Among the Shadowed Things are stream-of-consciousness collages of spoken word, sparse free jazz accompaniment and thickly layered sound effects. Daou describes this aural meditation on a particular December night as a juxtapositioning of things "secular and temporal ... familiar ... mystifying ... universal and eternal."
Sweet Light Crude[edit]
In Summer 2012, Daou announced the online streaming debut of song "Revolution." The track would be included as a feature remix on Noozik - Volume 1, a collaborative music release between New York fashion house Nookah and digital indie music label Synth Records. The original version of "Revolution" would appear on Sweet Light Crude, the 2013 album.^ http://www.vanessadaou.com/joesentme/about_codes_barcelonapoesia2008.html^ http://www.elixirproductions.org/blog/?p=99^ http://www.vanessadaou.com/exoticpylon/Notes.html


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If you're getting married or know someone who's soon to be hitched, the Bridal Walk from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday will showcase the wide variety of wedding products available at boutique shops on Silver Spring Drive.
Favor bags will be presented to the first 50 brides in attendance; registration for the event will commence at 5 p.m. near the clock on East Silver Spring Drive.
Discover all you need for your big day: specialty invitations and stationery, impressive jewelry and essential accessories, exquisite photography, delectable award-winning cakes, bridal foundations and lingerie, luggage for your honeymoon, wedding registries, gifts for your entire wedding party, delicious food and amazing embellishments, and full bridal salon and spa services.
The event features in-store consultations, complimentary tastings, trunk shows, demonstrations, gift bags, and a showing of Miss Ruby dresses in select store windows. Cream City Rickshaw will also be at the event.
Susan Fredman at Home (and Design Group) will host specialty bridal vendors and will have information about their bridal registry services. In fact, brides setting their registry at the event receive a $250 gift certificate.
Nearly 20 stores are participating this year including Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, New Options Salon and Boutique, Boutique Photographer and Elements Therapeutic Massage.
Here's what each shop will be offering for Silver Spring's big day:
- Boutique Photographer - View the beautiful work by Linda Gumieny and meet her in person at Stone Creek Coffee.
- Breadsmith - Enjoy appetizers and sweets for entertaining ideas.
- Dan Fitzgerald Pharmacy - Enter to win a special "bridal survival basket."
- Elements Therapeutic Massage - Free chair massage; Bridal Gift Card sale - save $20 on each gift card when you purchase 4 or more – great for attendant gifts! Enter to win a massage for two gift basket valued at $200; Free sampling of Pau Hana Sea Salt Caramels and Toffee in many different varieties
- Eleta Salon - Stop in during the Bridal Walk to book an appointment and receive 20% off a future service.
- Fitness Together - Ask about our bridal boot camp special!
- Indulge Salon - Come in for special product discounts and a great special surprise when you book your wedding day hair and makeup during the Bridal Walk.
- Minoan Intimate Apparel - Enjoy refreshments and shop our exquisite lingerie.
- New Options Salon and Boutique - Stop in for a make-up consultation with our talented staff.
- Patricia Shoppe - Shop our unique selection of designers for apparel, jewelry and accessories.
- Placesetters - See our wide selection of gifts & learn scarf tying techniques.
- RedCap Luggage & Gifts - Honeymoon packing demonstrations, a gift basket drawing, and refreshments.
- ReFresh Aesthetic Center - One year anniversary celebration!! 4-7 p.m. Enjoy appetizers by Shully's Catering, signature sweets from Choco Bella, festive ReFresh cocktails, complimentary skin care samples, raffle prizes that you don't want to miss, the best product & service offers of the year, and the opportunity to meet our amazing staff.
- Regina's Bay Bakery, route: {:controller=>"listings", :action=>"show", :id=>"reginas-bay-bakery-2"} --> - Stop in and learn about award-winning cakes! Sample high quality cakes made from the finest ingredients. - Stop in to view our very special selection of wedding jewelry.


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Port Credit man charged in Shoppers Drug Mart attempted robbery
Posted by news | Filed under All News Stories, Crime, Toronto
Toronto police have arrested 33 year old Michael Ross of Port Credit. It is alleged that Ross attempted to rob a Shoppers Drug Mart on Dundas Street West on Monday, April 9th at about 5:40am. Police say he asked the pharmacist for Fentanyl patches and when he was asked for a prescription he allegedly brandished a box-cutter knife. He left when there was a delay in meeting his demands. After suspect details were released, police located Ross upon direct tips from the public. He has been charged with robbery and weapons dangerous.


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On November 30, councillors Joe Mihevc and Mary-Margaret McMahon took on the considerable challenge of trying to overturn nearly three decades of city hall opposition to backyard hens. They didn't quite succeed. (Their motion to study the issue was referred to the municipal licensing and standards committee for consideration in February.) With his trademark zeal for kindergarten humour, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti opined, "Now we're going to have thousands of chickens crossing the road and we're going to have neighbours fighting against neighbours because they don't want to hit the chickens." But what Mammoliti and his ilk don't understand is that urban hen keeping didn't really go away when it was outlawed in 1983. It just went underground—into garages, sheds and secluded corners of backyards. The hopes of these renegade urban hen keepers are now running high, riding Toronto's ever-growing wave of locavorism. Here, nine of those rebels, who break the law every day, talk about that other love that dare not speak its name: that between man and hen.
The latest buzz on restaurants, chefs, bars, food shops and food events. Sign up for the Dish newsletter for weekly updates. Send tips to firstname.lastname@example.com
Nine members of Toronto's backyard-chicken underground on the special bond between man and bird
by Signe LangfordDecember 12, 2011 at 2:04 pm
- sugarsugar
love the photo of ziggy and helen!
- UrbanFarmer
I LOVE and fully support this movement! Done right, there should be no complaints from neighbors. I find those who do complain are usually chronic complainers!
- shake n bake
"Done right there should be no complaints" is like saying if the criminal code is well implemented, there should be no crimes committed. Chickens will escape, they will fly the coop, they will end up in the yards of people who didn't ask that this bylaw be repealed. Citizens of residential areas where neighbours live in very close proximity should not be farmers.
- @annieclare
So happy to see this article! As with any pet, it's the owners who make them great and these people are all wonderful examples.
If any of the west-enders need to unload some extra eggs, my backyard-less self would love to help ;)
- UrbanFarmer
Chickens like to stay close to home, and if one should happen to stray, what's the big deal? Better than neighbourhood dogs and cats who like to water my flowers. It comes down to responsible pet ownership whether it be chicken, cats or dogs. Have you ever tried a fresh egg?
- Jayson
Beautiful photo-montage …
Chickens in the city? Absolutely, positively yes. What a great way for people to reconnect with real food. What a powerful way to teach our children about healthy food. There is so much hunger and poverty here in the city and I support anyone who is producing food here. We have a real crisis here … when it is illegal for people to feed themselves! Clearly shake n'bake knows nothing about animals, his comment is ridiculous, maybe s/he should visit a chicken coop at an organic farm and educate her/himself.
- brayden
question.. what happens to the chickens in the cold canadian winter??? I assume everyone doesnt have their chickens in a well insulated shed? or is that 100% necessary if you have chickens in toronto?
In theory, I love the idea of back yard chickens but what about the smell, even once. I can't trust my neighbours to control their kids. Why would I trust them to diligently maintain the chickens?
And, what about the extra garbage produced?
Further, would live chickens and eggs increase the city's raccoon population even more?
I suspect this is a sentimental issue that sounds great on paper but is truly not feasible in a city of our size. After all, there is a reason back yard chickens were made illegal before.
- shake n bake
@ Jayson my comments are from experience living a few doors down from underground chickens which I didn't have to visit, they visited me. Then I had to go door-to-door asking whose chicken was crapping in my yard which even the owner denied because it is illegal….good thing my tenants kids were not outside to get in contact with the chickens#!* or witness their dog attack it.
- Tim Fisher
If you think that you can raise livestock, then you probably should. If everyone who could have chickens did so, then there would be no need to have tens of thousands of chickens cooped up on factory farms. Imagine living your life in a 6 foot cube cell with no daylight or fresh air ever (until they cram you in a cage and send you off to the soup factory).
Go Toronto Nine!
Interesting debate. On one hand, the benefits of allowing urbanites to raise chickens are obvious – health, education, ethical/moral (each articulated well by people above). On the other hand, while shake n bake's criminal code analogy is not logically sound, her/his personal experience with irresponsible backyard-chicken-farmers should be given substantial weight. Benefit vs cost. One must wonder if the law is really addressing the costs though. There is probably a bias that the people that would like to engage in the activity but don't because it is illegal would be, on average, more responsible farmers. And for people that ignore the law and mismanage their livestock, the "underground-ness" of the whole thing makes it more complicated to pursue legitimate complaints. Perhaps a middle ground? An urban farmer registration scheme would be great but too costly. Maybe just legalization with requirements about the chicken enclosure and stiff penalties. An argument that some people will just ignore these requirements can be countered with the argument that those are the people (a subset of the people) that are ignoring the blanket prohibition now. I say subset because I suspect that a large group of people ignoring the current prohibition (such as the ones featured in this article) value this activity, its legitimacy, and its promotion enough to adjust to any requirements that would come with legalization. Also, I just realized how much these arguments mirror a pro legalization of marijuana rant, but I think (hope) that this can be differentiated by the qualitative and quantitative benefits of urban farming.
- WalterPO
What about us apartment/condo dwellers? Do we get to turn our balconies into chicken coops and our lobbies into farmer's markets. let's start with chickens then we can move on too other delectable fowl and once we have established the beauracracy to monitor this we can deal with different religion's use of animals as part of their doctrine…sheep/goats on the front lawn. Stoop and Scoop will be the cry of the opposition. But to his credit I would suggest that we have a 2-3 year test project and set this up in Mihevic's Forest Hill neighborhoods.
- jackie ramsay
The chicken thing just has to happen!! I'm into freeing chickens from abuse in mass chicken egg slavery!!!
- signe
I've met lots of folks with backyard hens, and the slippery slope argument just doesn't hold water. "Oh," the Henny Penny's say, "fist it will be hens, then goats, then escaped cows grazing on my petunias!" Oh the horror! But that's just not going to happen. Hens are not a gateway animal. No more than everyone who has a cat or dog graduates to owning hens. Hen keepers are a group of dedicated, hen fanciers. Equally silly is Mammoliti's argument about 1000′s of escaped hens all over the roads. Listen, I've seen my fair share of squashed kitty cats on the roads, should cats be outlawed? Do cat vs car accidents cause civil strife, pitting neighbour against neighbour – in truth, it does…sometimes…but it doesn't mean cats should be outlawed, it means cat owners should take better care of their animals. Just like hen keepers will have to take good care of theirs. Bottom line: most of the hen keepers I've met really love their birds, like anyone else loves their pets. No one wants to set up a huge operation in the backyard. They just want what most everyone else in the world has: the right to keep a couple of hens for pest control, healthy eggs, natural fertilizer and amusement. It works just fine in London, UK. Why not here?
- Cherie
Chickens make awesome pets and it is important to be able to gather eggs that are clean and free of cruelty…Just review 20/20′s undercover video on how some egg production plants operate. I say no more……
- Paul
Keeping a small number of chickens in your backyard seems to work in many cities/cultures around the world. My mum and dad grew up with them and have always had great stories to tell about them being kept. If the owners are willing to take on the appropriate measures and upkeep for their care–why not? The benefits far out weigh any negatives. I don't see why it has to be such a big issue for Toronto.
- Michael W
I am inspired! But, do the hens not suffer if left out in an unheated coop in the middle of winter?
- La
Our neighbors have had chickens for 8 years. Sometimes the smell from the coop is so horrible we can't even sit in our backyard. On top of that the coops attract rats, lots of them because the feed is scattered everywhere. Horrible and shouldn't be allowed in the city, there isn't enough space between houses to allow this.
P.S. Just because someone has a coop in there backyard doesn't mean the animal will not be subject to cruelty.
- ralphy
Great idea, but not so easy in practice when uptake is significant and widespread. People underestimate the amount of work backyard chickens result in. Chickens need to be tended to daily. Coops that are not sufficiently and frequently cleaned pose odour, noise and health risks. Wet chicken poop stinks to high-heaven. Noisy chickens = happy chickens. Their coops need to be heated in the winter, or they need to be stored off-farm. If you don't move your chicken run frequently (e.g. weekly), a number of disease-bearing parasites can build up and result in unhealthy chickens after a few years; this is of particular concern for space-pressed urban chicken-keeping. You think we have a raccoon problem now? Just wait til we have backyard chickens – not only for the chickens themselve,s but also for the excess feed foudn in the coops and their poop.
- UrbanFarmer
Ralphy, do you own chickens? To make comments such as yours gives responsible hen owners a bad rap. Our chickens are happy, NOT noisy. Certainly a lot quieter than a really happy barking dog! Coops DO NOT need to be heated in the winter. Just like in a barn that is not heated on a farm. As long as there is shelter from wind/rain and snow, it's fine. There are also breeds that are more adaptable to our climate and do great in the winter. Diseases are caused by chickens, they are caused by lack of care by responsible pet owners, just as any pet kept in the city. Raccoons will always be part of our urban landscape, no more will come as a result of having hens. I'd worry more about latching your green bins.
- UrbanFarmer
I meant to say in the above comment, that diseases are NOT caused by chickens. And to I'd like to also add that it only takes 10 minutes a day to care for your hens.
- ralphy
Responsible is the key, Urban Farmer. Everyone thinks they're responsible, according to their own concept of responsible. Ten minutes a day is the perfect example of the challenge – it sounds like nothing – but effective and mindful chicken husbandry is not only time consuming over the long-term but also costly. Daily maintenance means daily too, something people often don't consider – that means no breaks, no vacations, no bike trips to Laos, lest you entrust their care to a neighbour, and then the question becomes, in an urban context, who is repsonsible? Re: winter, chickens over-wintered in a barn are generally kept in a heated barn, or in a barn with a number of other birds or animals that help to indirectly heat the barn. Allowing your chickens to overwinter without any additional source of heat surely won't kill them, but it isn't particularly humane. Plus, your egg production will plummet, which most people don't anticipate, even with hardy feather like Rhode Isle Reds or Barred-rocks. Diseases are definitely a problem with chickens, like coccidiosis, scaly leg, and pisttacrosis and most urbanites are not equipped to handle that. These tend to crop up in flock after 4-5 years, even in well-maintained rural environments. It is so important to rotate the runs or re-sod every few years and there just isn't the space to do that effectively in the city, which means your maintenance has to be top notch, without fail. Raccoons are definitely a concern with chickens as are other vermin for the little goodies in their poop. Yes, Urban Farmer I do own chickens. Two of them, in fact, are refugees from failed urban chicken experiments. They're back at the farm. I'm glad you take your husbandry seirously and have had success with your flock, but are most people equipped to take care of them both properly and in a manner that will not result in adverse impact to others in an urban environment? Not one bit. Chickens aren't some cute egg-laying thing you keep in the back and throw some seed out to every day, particularly in the urban context. The vast vast majority will have no idea what they're getting into.
- kevin
You are correct, having chickens is a responsibility, that is precisely why NOT everyone will do it. This is not a huge issue, quite simple really.
Ralphy, have you not heard of Diatomaceous Earth? it is a terrific natural way to keep disease and pest away from all animals. Racoons are also no problem with a little bit of protective fencing and extra care when it gets dark. We have had chickens for two years, our coop is protected in the winter by using a 6 mil 8′ x 12′ plastic frame around it and a 150 watt halogen bulb in the morning and after dark. The three birds stay warm at night in an insulated inner room and they do generate a lot of heat to keep themselves warm.
They are happy!
The chickens in the city program is being set up with support from local vets and farmers willing to help with bird care and lodging for people not prepared for winter care. There is also a huge community of support in Toronto from other chicken owners.
- signe
Bottom line: having a hen, a dog, a cat, a child…all require care, intelligence and responsibility. In any of those scenarios, there are great owners/parents, good owners/parents, OK owners/parents, bad owners/parents and downright horrible owners/parents. But we, as a society are willing to take that chance so that the majority, who are great/good/OK owners/parents get to do something that feels good and is natural. And as a society we have instituted agencies to help and protect. But, as I said before, the average city slicker will not be rushing out to get hens. It takes a certain kind of person to make that commitment and they know who they are. Sure, there's bound to be the odd complaint or issue, just as there are right now with people and their dogs/cats/kids!
- Hen Group in Toronto
Ralphy – Thank you for sharing your farm experience in raising chickens. When it comes to farming, nothing beats experience. There seems to be a gap between what you have experienced on your farm and the actual urban chicken reality from our experience in Toronto. I invite you to look to the U.K. backyard chicken experience, where backyard hens are commonplace, and there are many years of experience to draw on. Many people there (and here) use the Eglu coop. Very well designed – predator proof, feed stays dry, water stays clean, insulated, moveable, minimal maintenance, and pretty cute. You are right in that one cannot go away without making sure the chickens are looked after. How is that any different than dog owners going away? It is simply responsible pet ownership. Diseases – According to the Government of Alberta, on the issue of coccidiosis, "the intensive rearing of domestic chickens may provide these conditions." http://www.agriculture.alberta.ca/. So you could see that you are transferring your farm experience to an urban environment, where chickens are not raised intensively. Quite the opposite. Speaking of disease and intensive farming, check out the book by Dr. Michael Greger, called Bird Flu. Backyard chickens are the solution, not the problem. Large scale intensive farming is the problem. It is an interesting read that you might enjoy. Also consider toxoplasmosis. If a pregnant woman becomes inflected, it could spread to her unborn baby, causing blindness or mental disability later in life. According to the CDC, "Cats play an important role in the spread of toxoplasmosis." Many pregnant women discard their cats for fear of infecting their baby. Phone Toronto Animal Control for more information. Should there be a bylaw against cats in Toronto? The problem is that we are not used to chickens in the city, but we are used to cats and dogs in the city. It requires a paradigm shift for many people. For others, it's as natural as the trend away from growing grass to growing food edibles.
- ralphy
My family runs an organic farm – we run small flock of 5-15 hens (depending on the year, we only supply one client so often flock is small) so I know these diseases can crop up in flock of any size, but it generally takes a few years. Of course, it won't happen to everyone, and proper maintenance helps, but when you've had to apply the balm to their legs from the scaly leg mites it really leaves an effect. Also, the egloo isn't fully racoon secure – I've wintnessed that first hand, they can tip it over, particularly the run apparatus. Wooden coops aren't bad but the latch and chicken wire need to be top-notch, and it doesn't have the benefit of the enclosed run. People keep bringing up the examples of cats and dogs and the maintenance they need, and their effects on others that don't own them, proving the point to a T. How many unwanted dogs do we have? How many feral cats? How many alleys, and backyards and driveways that stink like cat urine? "Responsible" , "well maintained", etc. are all fine and dandy until someone else can't use their backyard from the smell, or a racoon , or chickens are ill from poor maintenance. And who is going to enforce all this in an age where we're seeing calls to cut libraries, transit and food programs. These sort sof things have implications beyond the immediate backyard of a hen keeper, a 'responsible' one or not.
- Stephen
People often say "what about the smell?"
My immediate response to that is an emphatic "What smell?"
When chickens a given a routine change of bedding which is often aromatic wood shavings there tends to be little or no smell.
Then sticky,goo at the bottom of your blue box or green bin has more smell quite frankly.
@WalterPO…there are already backyard chickens in Forest Hill, in fact it was a woman who goes by the name Toronto chicken who lives in Forest Hill that inspired us to raise egg laying hens.
@brayden…we have kept chickens over three winters and they are quite adjusted to winter where we live which is well north of Toronto, you should think about other animals that are not native to North America that are kept here, go check out the zoo.
@shake n bake..awww you had to get some exercise chasing a chicken waaaa…and it was crapping on your lawn?,free fertilizer guy, don't look a gift horse in the mouth.Everything you said would apply to a cat as well.
@ralphy…You seem so certain that great numbers of people are going to have the full suite of "problems' visit the backyard flock. Racoons might pose a challenge where they exist which is not everywhere in Toronto. Chickens can definitely be overwintered. Your fear of rats is an old out of date and rather unfounded one. We run an organic farm also and have none of the fears you do. If you will pardon me for saying but you sound like…chicken little! Chickens don't have to be noisy to be happy but you certainly seem to.Two very big thumbs down to you.
On the other set of hands…two very big thumbs up tp Signe, Paul, Kevin, Urban Farmer, Hen Group and others who either know what they are talking about first hand or have and open mind about the subject.
By the way….if backyard chicks are such a problem…where are the endless stories of people having a bad experience? seems to me chickens are not even at par with dogs,cats and kids.
- Paul Hughes
CLUCK was started 2 years ago to promote the responsible raising of hens in an urban environment. Local Food Systems include Household Food Security, a basic human right according to Article 25 of the United Nations Human Rights Declaration. The Canadian Right to Food Trial begins on 05March2012 in Calgary, which is a Charter Challenge application of s.1, s.2 & s.7 of the Canadian Charter of Rights & Freedoms. I have also raised 6 hens in Calgary for 2 years with no issues, other than the bylaw ticket, which was a result of turning myself in to bylaw in order to receive the summons. Our proposal has been 6 hens, no roosters. Responsible pet ownership standards apply. There are 25 CLUCK chapters across Canada. You can review CLUCK material here… http://www.facebook.com/groups/CLUCKCANADA/
- Mouna
This photo is so cute!!Good Luck,and I hope all the best!!=)
Also,Please help us keep our babies(hens: Stella,Bella And Fella)by joining the group: "Legalize backyard hens in Windsor,Ontario." on facebook.Thank you in advance,it is greatly appreciated.
- Cherie
As a property owner and a owner of chickens I think they should be allowed..My property is well kept, there is no odour what so ever, the birds make great pets and give fresh eggs in a humane environment. They have been tested for disease because to find a vet for them has been a challenge so their vet is in Michigan. Pet do not realize in many cases they are just like "other" pets, if I do not cuddle my rooster for a couple of hours he wimpers. In England since Queen Victoria backyard chickens have been kept…
- Chris Schafer
The Canadian Constitution Foundation (www.theCCF.ca) will defend Ontario backyard chicken owners. To read the press release: http://eepurl.com/i6eUj. The Canadian Constitution Foundation ("Freedom's Defence Team") is a registered charity, independent and non-partisan, whose mission is to defend the constitutional freedoms of Canadians through education, communication and litigation.


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A Nifty Device That Erases Your Internet Ads (and job) Magically
Not sure if this is scary considering the business we're in or an honest wake-up call for how pathetic and overwhelming online advertising has become, but there's a Kickstarter fundraiser campaign going on that you should be paying attention to. They've raised $76,497 on their way to a $150k goal — and there are still 25 days left to reach it.
Simply put, AdTrap is a small, zero configuration device that removes ads from your internet connection before they reach any of your home devices. Video, music streams and mobile apps and websites, all ad free. One of the great things about AdTrap is that it's browser independent and works with any of your connected WiFi devices. Just plug it in, sit back and enjoy an ad free internet experience.
We'd like to see it load our blog and not explode from erasing everything. Muah-ha-ha-ha.
AdTrap Kickstarter Video


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Washington Redskins
Jerome Murphy - #45 - CB
|6' 0"/ 200 lbs.
|Elizabeth, NJ
|South Florida
|Years played
|2010, 3rd round, 1st pick by Rams
Vikings-Redskins prediction
PFW senior editor Eric Edholm says to expect a solid effort by the beleaguered Vikings Sunday against the Redskins.
Redskins waive veteran WR Galloway
The Redskins waived veteran WR Joey Galloway on Saturday and signed WR Terrence Austin from their practice squad.
Vikings fantasy focus
Here's a look at the Vikings' fantasy prospects as they head to D.C. to face the 5-5 Redskins in Week 12.
Vikings-Redskins matchup of the day: Friday
Check out this key matchup in Sunday's game between the Vikings and Redskins at FedEx Field in Week 12.
Vikings-Redskins matchup of the day: Thursday
Check out this key matchup in Sunday's game between the Vikings and Redskins at FedEx Field in Week 12.
Portis' Redskins career might be over
The Redskins placed RB Clinton Portis on injured reserve, and it's very possible that he might not play for the team again.
Frazier will have his chance
Each week we focus on a Vikings player or coach who is most under the microscope. This week it is interim head coach Leslie Frazier.
Vikings-Redskins matchup of the day: Wednesday
Check out this key matchup in Sunday's game between the Vikings and Redskins at FedEx Field in Week 12.
Reports: Redskins RB Portis to be placed I.R.
The Redskins will place RB Clinton Portis on injured reserve, according to multiple media reports.
Redskins add S Harris
The Redskins signed S Macho Harris on Tuesday to add some depth to their secondary.
Vikings-Redskins matchup of the day: Tuesday
Check out this key matchup in Sunday's game between the Vikings and Redskins at FedEx Field in Week 12.
2011 NFC East free-agent preview
Here is our exclusive team-by-team list of NFC East players who are likely to become free agents in March, such as Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw.
Injury-depleted Redskins promote RB Davis
Injuries to RBs Clinton Portis and Ryan Torain, as well as a number of other players, have caused the Redskins to shake up their roster.
Report: Portis could be done for the year
Redskins RB Clinton Portis returned to the field Sunday for the first time since injuring his groin in Week Four, but he aggravated the injury early in the game and could miss the rest of the season.
Redskins beat Titans on Gano's game-winner
Graham Gano kicked a 48-yard field goal with 8:17 left in overtime and the Redskins beat the Titans 19-16 on Sunday after knocking Vince Young out of the game with an injured thumb on his throwing hand.
The Detroit Lions bolstered their depleted secondary Wednesday, claiming cornerback Jerome Murphy off waivers from the New Orleans Saints.||||||| The two-year veteran played the first two games of the season for New Orleans before being waived Monday. He had an interception and 25 tackles in 14 games with St. Louis in 2010. The Lions, who were already missing safety Louis Delmas, and cornerbacks Chris Houston and Bill Bentley before Sunday's loss at San Francisco, lost cornerback Drayton Florence indefinitely after he suffered a broken arm during the game.
New Orleans has claimed Murphy off of waivers from the St. Louis Rams.||||||| Murphy, whose acquisition was announced Sunday, was selected by the Rams out of South Florida in the third round of the 2010 draft. He played in 14 games as a rookie before missing all of 2011 with a broken ankle.
Murphy has landed on injured reserve with an ankle injury.||||||| Murphy was a first-round pick in 2010 by the Rams.


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Goong 12Posted: September 12, 2011 Filed under: Goong 6 Comments
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2011 – 26+ volumes
this is an omnibus containing vols. 15-16
Now that I'm caught up, I'm pretty thrilled that these volumes come out as omnibuses now. The story moves so slowly that… well, almost nothing happens in this volume. But it takes its time doing what it does. It's slow about it. Deliberate. Agonizing. I loved every page.
I can't say too much about this volume that isn't a massive spoiler, unfortunately. But again, this series is some truly addictive, soapy romance. Exactly the type of thing I love reading.
It's very by-the-book in terms of drama. They love each other! But they can't be together! Promises all around! Another man gets involved! Tears! Secrets! You know the drill.
Still, I can't help but love every page. I never thought I would come around on Prince Shin, who was a terrible person for the first ten volumes. He's still got quite a ways to go to make up for all that, and there's still at least one awful scene between him and Chae-Kyung in this volume. But now that the two are happy together, it's a lot more fun to read. You don't have to feel bad for Chae-Kyung for loving Shin, and that makes all the difference.
For any lover of dramatic romance, this series is perfect. I promise. Just ignore Shin for awhile, it gets better later.
This was a review copy provided by Yen Press.
Goong 11Posted: June 8, 2011 Filed under: Goong 1 Comment
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2011 – 26+ volumes
this is an omnibus containing vols 13-14
Okay, I won't lie. These ceased to be reviews around volume 9 and started turning into pure fangirl ramblings. I love this series a lot, and other than saying that it tends to move at glacial speed and reuse the same issues over and over again, but that the romance is ridiculously addictive… there's nothing critical here. I'm just going to squeal for the next several paragraphs. Because this volume was the absolute best yet.
There were several bombshells here. The first one drops early on, and comes from no less than the King of Korea (the story points out here that the Korea in their reality is unified, which I don't think I realized before). He tells the truth of why he wants to depose Shin and make Yul Crown Prince, and it apparently has something to do with the dying wish of the former king. The current King selfishly overrode this for the benefit of his own son. I'm not quite sure if the issue is the King's selfishness, or the fact that the dying wish of a former King can't be denied, or that if the former King wished it so while he was still alive, that makes it an order to follow… I don't know. There's some big cry thing here, and both the Queen and Yul hear about it. Yul decides to use it as blackmail to set Chae-Kyung free.
But, truth is, she's doing just fine now that Shin has mostly stopped being an awful human being. After what appears to be a disastrous address at parliament, Shin decides he would rather run away than face his father again. Chae-Kyung comes with him, and the next volume and some is basically just a romantic getaway for the two of them. It's great. Shin finally clears the air between the two of them, and they are free to be a loving, care-free couple free of the constraints of being prince and princess. It's a wonderful piece of story, other than the fact Ms. Park teases with possible sex scenes so often that it's not even funny anymore.
The story is blown to pieces when Yul lets it slip that Shin may have known abut Chae-Kyung's grandfather dying and not told her. This is in revenge for something else that blew the story apart, the fact that he confessed his undying love for her once again, and right in front of his fiancee. She turned him down flat and said plainly she didn't want to associate with him anymore if he was going to continue to act that way.
At the end, the Queen decides that the story hasn't been interesting enough lately and forces Chae-Kyung to divorce Prince Shin. This point was driven home earlier, when the Queen discussed the necessity of this with Chae-Kyung's mother, but not before Chae-Kyung said a long piece about how much she loved Shin, the Queen, and had turned around on palace life.
Seriously. The drama in this series is ridiculous. And it's annoying how people always happen to be standing in just the right place to overhear something important. Always the same things, too. That Prince Shin might not be crown prince anymore. Yul hitting on Chae-Kyung. Hyo-Rin and Shin in a compromising position. Bah.
It continues to bring the funny, though. The Shin/Chae-Kyung vacation presents many opportunities for Shin to be humiliated by the author, and there's nothing better than seeing that boy humbled. Also, I loved seeing him open up to Chae-Kyung. That was pretty much all he did throughout the volume, and after mistreating her for so long, it felt great.
I hate myself a little for praising such a nasty character, but really. He's better now.
Goong 10Posted: June 6, 2011 Filed under: Goong Leave a comment
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2010 – 26+ volumes
this is an omnibus containing vols 11-12
So much back and forth! Shin feels like puking after Chae-Kyung "betrays" him and is cold towards her for an entire volume. Then, Chae-Kyung is the brave one who sets their feud aside in lieu of health concerns, and they are back together, with Chae-Kyung back in Shin's good graces. It could be argued that Shin was betrayed by Chae-Kyung's talk of divorce, that he finally learned to love her and his affection was kinda scorned, but still. He was a jerk again, and for an entire volume.
Still lots of drama. Surprise! Shin's mother is close to giving birth, and Chae-Kyung's grandfather is on her deathbed. These things can go nowhere good. I did like the way the former event will turn out, but a huge storm is approaching over the latter. I'm a little horrified, actually, because I just want Shin and Chae-Kyung to stop second-guessing one another, and this is going to be the worst for that.
There's also still Hyo-Rin and Yul to consider. Both still rankle their intended's opposite, and while this volume does have unpleasant jealous outbursts from both Shin and Chae-Kyung, both are becoming better and better at containing their rage and blowing off jealousy as the silliness it is. In Chae-Kyung's case, it really does seem as if she has no intention of encouraging Yul. In Shin's case, he… well, he did love Hyo-Rin, and he does things he shouldn't, but it still doesn't seem likely that he will cheat on Chae-Kyung. So there's that, but it's infuriating that these issues are still coming up. Hyo-Rin and Yul are positively relentless.
Elsewhere, Shin decides to take being king very seriously, and perhaps that means letting Chae-Kyung go. His father sees this, and the two have a discussion for the first time… well, since the manga started. Perhaps the seriousness is what his father wanted all along.
Also, there's a really great scene on the Queen Mother's birthday where it's revealed that she enjoys traditional Korean wrestling more than any other traditional event. This goes along with Ms. Park humiliating her characters spectacularly, except in the case of the Queen Mother, she has no shame about her preferences. In that vein, she also asks Shin and Yul to wrestle. It's great, save for the fact that Yul seriously needs to shut up about Shin's wife.
Anyway, that was not a review of any note. I am enjoying this series immensely once again, and it makes me very happy to read two volumes at a time. But this is because I am a huge girl about comics, and can't resist romance and drama when it's so well-done. Goong is certainly queen in that department. I am disappointed that it is still going over the same issues again and again and AGAIN… but on the other hand, this keeps the cast of characters small, and every volume gives us a little more insight. Shin and Chae-Kyung can be an annoying study sometimes, but the side characters are developed very well, and I do like seeing the roles they play a little more in each volume. And… yes, annoying as they are, I love seeing Shin and Chae-Kyung together, too. Sigh.
Goong 9Posted: June 6, 2011 Filed under: Goong 1 Comment
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2010 – 26+ volumes
this is an omnibus containing vols 9-10
Okay, so maybe you just have to read this series in big chunks to appreciate it. The romance moves so slowly, and Chae-Kyung is so unhappy, it can be agonizing to read in one-volume pieces spread out over months. But when you read several volumes back-to-back, you can appreciate that things are just moving slowly, and that Chae-Kyung does still have some power to make her own decisions.
The big issue right now, of course, is Chae-Kyung's divorce, and how to go about it. She thinks the easiest way is to announce that she wants it on a national interview. But Shin has been softening, almost learning how to act human, and her genuine love for him makes it difficult to wish for this. She's still unhappy, of course, and Shin's still a jerk much of the time. But you can see the cracks in his robot jerk mask when you read a big chunk of the story. He is a jerk, don't get me wrong, and he really should be treating Chae-Kyung better. But he doesn't know how, since he's been kept at arm's length his whole life, and he's learning slowly. He is getting better.
There are lots of nice domestic scenes in this volume, the type of thing that Chae-Kyung has wanted all along. Shin allows her to impulsively jump out of a motorcade to go to her favorite donut shop. They eat bowls of ramen together, late at night, at her parent's house. And in one really amazingly adorable scene, Chae-Kyung takes Shin out on a date. They're not dressed up, so nobody recognizes them, and Shin sees what it's like to be a regular person. It's a shame there's still so much drama going on, and that neither of them are happy, because it's stuff like this that make me really appreciate the whole gimmick of "Chae-Kyung doesn't know how to live at the palace since she's a regular girl, but Shin doesn't know how to live outside the palace" thing.
And… there's plenty of drama, still. The arson attempt is blamed on Shin, still, and the media gets ahold of it. Shin and Chae-Kyung finally move to their own palace, but the public sees this as an attempt to flee, or that they were expelled from the main palace out of shame. Hyo-Rin threatens to reveal that Shin proposed to her, and that his marriage to Chae-Kyung is a sham. Shin discovers love letters between the King and Yul's mother. Yul is still trying to make passes at Chae-Kyung (which Shin, to his credit, is getting better at not throwing a fit over), but he's now got a greedy fiancee of his own who's bent on becoming queen… conveniently fitting his mother's plans for him. And Chae-Kyung's grandfather is dying. I don't know what else could happen. Doesn't that cover all the bases?
Oh wait, that's right, maybe Shin will get deposed? There's always a risk of that. Maybe Shin or Chae-Kyung will get hit by a car. That's about the only other thing that would put it over the edge.
The drama is getting pretty ridiculous, but it's balanced now by the more interesting and steadily developing relationship between Shin and Chae-Kyung. I do genuinely enjoy that part of it.
And again, not enough can be said about So Hee Park's sense of humor. She loves humiliating her characters. This series desperately needs a little levity, and some of these characters really do deserve humiliation. It is usually Chae-Kyung who experiences nosebleeds at the worse possible times, but sometimes Shin gets his too, and he so sorely deserves it (my favorite scene in this volume is where he goes on at length about his dream "ordinary" life, and Chae-Kyung observes that the only thing he knows about normal life is what he sees on TV).
And then there's Eunuch Kong. I don't even know anymore. He's funny, but sometimes… he develops what I'm just going to call Patty and Selma syndrome. I'll note that I love it desperately, and leave it at that.
I've got two more volumes of this to read… really, four volumes, since now they're published in omnibuses. I love this treatment for the series, because it really does read better in big chunks. But I'm back on board. This is some ridiculously addictive romantic drama.
Goong 8Posted: June 5, 2011 Filed under: Goong 1 Comment
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2010 – 24+ volumes
Sigh. I fell in love with the premise and drama in this series, but I'm becoming uncomfortable with the way the plot seems to be running in circles, and that none of the characters can catch a break from one another, least of all Chae-Kyung.
With the Queen's pregnancy, she is taken off active palace duty, and her usual responsibilities are delegated to Chae-Kyung, who is still too ill and not well-prepared to take over as Queen. As expected, the court ladies bully her, Yul's mother plots behind the scenes to gain the Queen's powers, and there are about a thousand misunderstandings between Chae-Kyung and Shin.
Aside from the fact that nobody treats Chae-Kyung well, not even her mom (she's not allowed to at this point), it's the misunderstandings that make me most angry. Shin blows up at Chae-Kyung when, while waiting for him in his study, she picks up the phone after Hyo-Rin leaves an insulting phone message and tells her to stop badmouthing her little brother. Shin walks in at the end of this exchange, then yells at Chae-Kyung to stay out of her business. When Chae-Kyung explains to Shin that she doesn't think he set the fire in Yul's mom's place, Shin gets mad that her trust comes from Yul's version of events and not his own.
And yet, it's pretty clear that Shin is finally falling in love with Chae-Kyung. There's a scene in this volume where the couple kiss, and both come away from it pretty… aroused. He needs to take a breath and step away from the conversation before he says something horrible and demeaning. He needs to treat Chae-Kyung better, and he needs to stop being such a jerk.
Yul continues to move in on Chae-Kyung, too. He knows exactly how, and gives her all the attention that Shin should be. And Shin gets mad. Instead of doing the things that Yul is doing (checking on Chae-Kyung's health, bringing her snacks, being genuinely nice), he gets mad at Chae-Kyung for cheating on him. Bah.
There's also this whole business with Chae-Kyung wanting a divorce after a few years. She won't be able to divorce Shin if he remains crown prince, especially now that his mother is having a baby. If she does, it will bring shame and ridicule on herself and her family, something she won't be able to escape the rest of her life. Her solutions are constantly shot down. This is dangerous stuff she's contemplating here, and Yul is feeding her a lot worse solutions to her problem. On the other hand, she's so miserable that she deserves a way out.
Parts of it are still funny, though. So Hee Park's sense of humor is bizarre, and she finds just the right times to slide jokes into the story. My favorite scene in this volume is where Eunuch Kong and Lady Han are helping Chae-Kyung come up with clever put-downs for the sharp-tongued ladies of court, then suddenly bail on her when they begin to fool around with each other instead. It's the absurd and mildly disturbing sense of humor that is keeping the series readable among all the drama.
I've got the next several volumes available (they're 2-volume omnibuses from volume 9 on, which is amazingly nice), and I'm hoping that reading a huge chunk of the story all at once will make me see that the narrative is moving forward, and that it's not all about the misery of Chae-Kyung. Maybe… maybe Shin will get nicer, and things will turn more romantic, too. I would fall in love with it again it if that happened.
Goong 7Posted: November 3, 2010 Filed under: Goong 3 Comments
Park SoHee – Yen Press – 2009 – 22+ volumes
I took a break from this series for a little bit, but I have to pick it up again, because I do love its ridiculous melodrama to pieces.
I really like that feelings are developing on both sides of the Shin/Chae-Kyung relationship, and that both of them are too shy to admit it. Chae-Kyung has good reason, since she's been on the receiving end of a fair amount of emotional abuse, but it's the moments with Shin, where he's trying to figure out how to properly express the way he feels for Chae-Kyung. Usually he fails, and winds up being a huge jerk, but there's some sentimental moments mixed in there, along with those awkward and intense shoujo moments that always keep me coming back to series like this. Unusually for a girls' comic (at least the ones I read), both characters openly admit in their heads to the sex appeal of the other, and often think about having sex. That doesn't happen for a variety of reasons, but it's interesting that the dynamic is there.
But the annoying thing about Goong is that it's one of those series where, if Chae-Kyung and Shin just sat down and had an honest conversation about anything, anything at all, pick one thing, there would be no series and they would probably be in love with one another. I want to slap them both, and make them sit down and listen to one another. Literally, this manga is a series of misunderstandings that either the victim doesn't feel like explaining (because they are insulted that assumptions were made), or the victim isn't given a chance to explain. It is FRUSTRATING.
Plus, there's the continued romantic pressure on both sides of the couple. Chae-Kyung has to deal with Yul, who is manipulative and dangerous. He's better to Chae-Kyung than Shin, but I always worry about ulterior motives. He also clearly hates Shin and wants to be the crown prince, and it's hard to trust his "pure" feelings for Chae-Kyung. You get the impression he only wants Chae-Kyung because she "belongs" to Shin.
Hyo-Rin is different. You do have to feel bad for her, since public opinion is against her and she is famously hated. And she may genuinely love Shin. Their relationship is hard to pin down. It's difficult to feel sympathy for her, too, since she knows she could avoid public scrutiny and drama by simply staying away from Shin. There's no reason in the world that she can't just stand up to it if she doesn't care and really wants to be friends with Shin, and that seems to be what she's doing. She's not written very sympathetically, however, since we are constantly shown students that gossip behind her back and her constant sneaking around Chae-Kyung.
More misunderstandings in this volume, including one where Shin finally slugs Yul. That could go either way, they both deserve it, but Shin is the crown prince, after all. There's also more drama with Yul and Hyo-Rin (of course), in two separate incidents that are misinterpreted on both sides. There's some fanservice-y crossdressing, and a cute scene where Chae-Kyung publicly admits to at least some affinity for Shin. And… of course, the house-burning is blamed on Shin. There is rather damning evidence that will be ridiculously explained away. Of course he didn't do it, and I'm a little sad I'm going to have to sit through this piece of drama, but I'm sure it will result in lots of angst and hand-wringing. And if I don't want that in Goong, why am I even reading? I love the stuff.
Goong 6Posted: November 19, 2009 Filed under: Goong 1 Comment
So Hee Park – Yen Press – 2009 – 21+ volumes
This is such a good series, but the volumes are alternately fascinating and insanely frustrating because the characters are just so horrible to each other. Chae-Kyung and Shin continue to fight like cats and dogs whenever they are together. The promising situation set up at the end of last volume (that the awkwardness between the two would be solved if they spent a night together) plays out for quite a long time at the beginning here, but it alternates wildly between passionate moments between the two and the two yelling at each other.
I always feel terribly for Chae-Kyung. She can't do anything right, but she sees more good in the royalty than they see in themselves, it seems. In Shin's case, she puts up with him because she knows he's lacking social skills and just doesn't communicate well (which doesn't really give him the right to be an asshole, but at least he always seems to regret it afterwards). She also starts turning against Yul here after seeing what he's after, though she still bends and gives in to his niceness in the face of Shin's cruelty. Then Shin lashes out against her being nicer to Yul than him, and… it's all a vicious cycle.
I sincerely hope things get better for Chae-Kyung. I want to see her make up with Shin, I want to see Shin finally break down and tell her his feelings (though he keeps dancing around it, but she just doesn't seem to believe him and I don't blame her), and I want to see Yul and his mother… well, I want something terrible and humbling to happen to them. Whatever. I'm sure it'll only be more drama from here on out, and I have to say… as much as I want to nice stuff to happen, I come here for the drama, don't I? It's absolutely irresistible. I am completely addicted to this series.
Goong 5Posted: May 19, 2009 Filed under: Goong 1 Comment
Wow. Things happen very, very fast in this volume. Yul's Mother pretty much starts in right away knocking Chae-Kyung down a couple more pegs, and there are plenty of plans in place to get Shin in trouble in England. Seeing him squirm is quite fascinating, mostly because his thoughts are generally kept secret. He gets the gist of what's going on pretty quickly, but there's no real way for him to stop what's happening, and you're left wondering at just how angry/frustrated he really is over the whole situation. It's a good effect.
Chae-Kyung really isn't taking the bullying very well. She keeps getting sicker and sicker, and with Shin away and not answering her calls or e-mail, well… that leaves Yul. I've actually come to dislike Yul, because while he is the only person who treats Chae-Kyung like a human being, he seems to have no problems scheming and doing things behind people's backs. But his feelings for Chae-Kyung are at least genuine, which makes me enjoy the scenes between them a little more. At least, when Shin's not around, because I still don't think it's out of the question that he's sometimes nice to Chae-Kyung to get a rise out of Shin.
There are a couple really amazing scenes that just sort of happen. It's neat that the storyline sometimes breaks to do this, because its an interesting way to inform the reader without having to explicitly tell about certain situations. The first one was when Chae-Kyung, in full ceremonial dress, helped a small boy grab a snagged balloon out of a tree and put a finger to her lips to let him know not to tell. Other than her wistfulness about the boy being outside the palace wall, it wasn't particularly deep or meaningful (or, at least, I don't think it was), but it was a nice scene all the same. The other scene happens when Chae-Kyung's parents see her on TV and comment on how she looks ill, but has been gaining more and more confidence in her public appearances and seems to be getting further and further away from her family. There's a couple of sad nuances buried in this scene, but again, I liked the additional and random perspective from Chae-Kyung's parents that we wouldn't have otherwise seen, since the main story would never really had occasion to visit their home.
The relationship between Chae-Kyumg and Shin continues to be the biggest draw for me, though. On one hand, it's almost infuriating to see the two of them together, because at this point it's clear that Shin also has feelings for Chae-Kyung, and yet the two of them can't help but say stupid things that hurt the other's feelings. Chae-Kyung seems the most guilty of this, but after the way Shin treated her all this time, I can't blame her for her caution. The interaction between the two is almost painful to read though, because there's something extremely awkward and hostile in the air whenever the two of them are together, regardless of intentions. Of course, the two also have to deal with people constantly interrupting them and otherwise making their lives miserable, so it's not all on them that they can't get along.
Uhhh… did SoHee Park just pair Prince William and Eunuch Kong? Is that okay, to slash the Prince of England like that? It's both terrifying and very amusing.
The volume also leaves off with one of the worst cliffhangers I've ever seen. I'm willing to expect anything from this series since horrible things seem to happen to the characters on a regular basis… but something tells me volume 6 won't really go there. I'm sure there will still be top notch drama, though, and I really have to say that there's no painfully awkward couple quite like Chae-Kyung and Shin, the Prince and Princess of Korea. I'm very, very, VERY much looking forward to how things will play out next time.
This was a review copy provided by Yen Press.
Goong 4Posted: April 24, 2009 Filed under: Goong 16 Comments
Man, I can't tell if I should really love Shin or really hate Shin. Again, he's quite straightforward with his feelings. It seems he really is fond of Chae-Kyung at this point. But then he just has to go and ruin the moment by being a jerk all the time. Even he seems to be confused as to why this is, but in this volume a lot of his lashing out seems to be in response to jealousy aimed at Yul.
To be honest, I like Yul less and less in each volume, too. He's the only one who's nice to Chae-Kyung, but now it seems like he's only doing it to get under Shin's skin. It seemed like he genuinely liked Chae-Kyung at first, but I'm not sure if that's still in play or not. I guess I'm just having trouble seeing past his insane vendetta against Shin.
Watching those three together is like watching a train wreck slowly. At one point, something happens to Shin, and he has to go stew in his room. Chae-Kyung sits and worries about him, but as she goes over to check on him, Yul intercepts her, convinces her not to, then gives her a puppy. When Shin comes out to see why Chae-Kyung hasn't come by, he sees her and Yul playing in the yard with a puppy, and you just know he's going to unload on her later. It's this insane sense of foreboding the series has going for it that makes it so addictive.
Most series are addictive because they've got a lot of drama, and there will be different, increasingly serious problems that keep popping up. This series has had the same problems since the beginning. I like to think is a sign of better writing, since you don't really need to add additional problems to the mix to keep it interesting. I like watching these problems fester. I only wish Chae-Kyung was treated better. Even Yul's mother has taken to just verbally and emotionally abusing her as hard as she can. I hope this will result in Chae-Kyung just snapping one day and just lashing out at everyone who's horrible to her.
There are some scenes at school in this volume. One thing that makes this a little more unusual than most other romance series is that the main couple is already married. It's a little weird to hear them talking of their husband and wife to their friends at school.
The humor has settled down into a really good place, too. I enjoy the author's asides a lot. At the end of the last volume, she was complaining about how her two friends had gotten her addicted to boys' love comics when she previously had no interest. There's a really blatant joke scene where, instead of punching a kid, Shin starts to hit on him, and the scene is drawn with exaggerated sparkles. My mental comment at this was "Damn you, Beauty Park!," and I was amused to see she had beaten me to the punch by drawing a tiny panel of herself shuddering right in the corner of the panel. I laughed so hard at that joke.
This was a lot more than I really wanted to say, but it's hard not to ramble about this series. There's a lot to like, and it's horribly addictive in a way that only the best girls' comics can be.
This was a review copy provided by Yen Press.
Goong 3Posted: April 23, 2009 Filed under: Goong 3 Comments
So Prince Shin is a real jerk. It seemed like he was getting nicer, and he was even beginning to confide in Chae-Kyung a little bit. But he goes back to mistreating her in pretty short order. His behavior at Prince Yul's party was nothing short of appalling.
To be honest though, Prince Yul's behavior leaves something to be desired in this volume, too. I still have no idea what the ulterior motives were for inviting Shin's old girlfriend to his party. There's a scene where Shin spells out exactly why his old girlfriend attending the party was awkward. It seems to make everyone else mad, but I thought it was a pretty awesome thing for him to do. I mean, how often are these awkward shoujo situations actually addressed like that? Almost never. Nobody else at the party appreciated it (I thought he did it to diffuse the situation a little, which wasn't the case), but I sure did.
Actually, I really, really like Shin's method of dealing with things. It's his reactions that make him a jerk. For instance, he's pretty straightforward with everything about Chae-Kyung. Chae-Kyung isn't nearly as direct with him because she's shy and he's pretty agressive and teases her mercilessly. One of the main points of contention is that Shin actually hears Chae-Kyung when she asks if he still likes his girlfriend. Shin is prepared to give her a straight answer after thinking about it for awhile, but Chae-Kyung doesn't actually want to know. She reacts poorly when he tries to tell her, and… well, he acts even more poorly (and kind of scary) to her. I don't think I'll ever trust him, but I definitely like his straightforward nature.
The cliffhanger from last volume isn't resolved as… jucily as I thought it would be, but it did help shed some additional light on Shin and his direct nature.
And… for additional intrigue, Yul makes no secret of the fact he is sort of attracted to Chae-Kyung, and Shin makes no secret that this infuriates him. Also, Yul's mother is trying to score some points in the palace. I'm not entirely sure what's going on (only because my only monarchy knowledge comes from England, and the Korean system is a bit different), but ultimately she wants Yul to rank above Shin as the Crown Prince. Hmm.
If you couldn't tell, I am 100% hooked on this series. As I said before, it's really amazing how it puts the typical shoujo royalty story in a modern perspective, and how well it shows Chae-Kyung's suffering, even after she's drawn into her storybook marriage. The drama is all good, and the characters, both good and bad, are really shaping up wonderfully. I can't read these volumes fast enough.
This was a review copy provided by Yen Press.