text:
What the AT&T Merger Means
Are You Worried About the AT&T and T-Mobile Merger?
by Emily Co
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I have to admit that I wasn't too thrilled to hear the news of the AT&T and T-Mobile merger. I've been a steadfast T-Mobile customer for eight years and actively avoid AT&T plans because of my not-so-positive experiences with its customer service. It seems that it's too early to predict what this corporate move means for customers, but a ton of questions run through my mind — would T-Mobile's low-cost plans be dropped? Would the merger improve or worsen the quality of customer service?
These are just some of the issues that I'm thinking about, and I'm wondering if you share the same worries. Are you concerned about the AT&T and T-Mobile merger?
Source: Getty
3 years
I've had AT&T for 6 years now and I don't understand when people say they have had horrible problems with them. I have never had a bad experience with their tech or customer service. In fact, once when a tower was out and I called AT&T, they called my phone after a few hours just to make sure I was back up and working. I'm not worried about the merger at all.
3 years
I hate, hate, hate bad customer service and have been happy with T-Mobile's service for over 10 yrs. I switched to Verizon once and had terrible service so I went back to T-Mobile. Now I'm afraid...
I had my mortgage with WaMu and when Chase took over their customer service when straight into the crapper. My blood starts boiling everytime I have to contact Chase because the reps I've dealt with are completely and totally incompentent.
3 years
I hate, hate, hate bad customer service and have been happy with T-Mobile's service for over 10 yrs. I switched to Verizon once and had terrible service so I went back to T-Mobile. Now I'm afraid...I had my mortgage with WaMu and when Chase took over their customer service when straight into the crapper. My blood starts boiling everytime I have to contact Chase because the reps I've dealt with are completely and totally incompentent.
3 years
I'm hoping for a better scenario. Maybe the service on AT&T will improve. It would be awesome for there to be a real 4G iPhone and not have it stand for fourth generation.
3 years
I had Cingular and never had a problem until AT&T took over, they overcharged me and then when my contract ended continued to charge me even though I stated I did not want to renew. I recently switched to T mobile because their plans were so cheap but now I fear AT&T will jack up the price. Virgin Mobile here I come.
3 years
I've been a satisfied AT&T/Cingular/AT&T again customer since unhappily leaving Verizon in 2002. I've always found the plans reasonable, the service reliable and the customer care more than satisfactory. Perhaps I've just been lucky, or maybe I don't know what T-Mobile customers will be missing.
3 years
What are you trying to tell me yygg do you want me to give you a pearl necklace or something.
3 years
I wonder if we will see carly from tmobile getting assimilated by the borg AT&T that would be so hot.
3 years
Love tmobile customer service and pricing, hate AT&T customer service and pricing, verizon too expensive, and I owe sprint a lot of money, so I guess I will just be with out a cell phone for a while, land line here I come.
3 years
I have been with T-Mobile for years and am very upset about this merger. I purposely avoided AT&T for a reason. I chose T-Mobile for the amount of minutes I get for my money and no other company comes close to meeting my requirements. I wonder what this means for my mobile phone future. I hate it!!!
3 years
I left AT&T quite a while back thanks to their horrible service (customer and tech both) to move to T-Mobile, and have never regretted it. Until this week. Now I guess I need to look at Verizon.
3 years
I just think AT&T (At This Time) is getting to big for their britches.
The larger one gets, lower quality typically follows.
3 years
I just think AT&T (At This Time) is getting to big for their britches.The larger one gets, lower quality typically follows.
3 years
Just signed new contract for two yrs. Love T-Mobiles customer service. Despised AT&T when we had land line, and cell service a long time ago. Been with T-mobile a long time now. Not even sure if my new phone will work after transition now. Just got a Blackberry Bold 9780.
3 years
This merger will lead to monopoly in GSM. AT&T will have the final say over consumers in terms of pricing and no competition for them. This is ridiculous.
3 years
I have been with T-Mobile for many years. Whenever I have tried another carrier I have always been disappointed and end up coming back to TM. Not even the iPhone managed to make me stray and so I am really scared to see how this merger is going to affect the quality of service I have come to expect with TM.
Link Love
- 9 mood-boosting activities — All You
- 4 ways you're killing your confidence — DailyWorth
- How removing an authorized user affects their credit score — Lifehacker
- Lessons I learned about running an ethical business in Bali — HuffPost Business
- 5 crucial things you should know about bonds — Wise Bread
- Major money mistakes — by generation — LearnVest
- People are using Tinder to find workers for odd jobs — The Billfold
- Here's what you need to know about negotiating your first salary — Real Simple
- Financial perks of being a first-time homebuyer — Trulia
- A guide to your rights and consumer protections — Credit Sesame


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Michigan State Police - Page 6
MSP Says to Prepare for Holiday Travel Season by Placing Emergency Preparedness Kits in Cars
MSP Flint Post Reports 'Stuff a Blue Goose' Campaign a Huge Sucess
The Michigan State Police Flint Post has reported the first annual 'Stuff a Blue Goose' campaign held in Burton on December 14th was a huge success. Troopers from the Flint Post, along with Burton Firefighters, the staff from Toys for Tots, and Elga Credit Union braved the snowy weather and icy conditions to stand outside for over six hours collecting new unwrapped toys and cash donations
MSP Launch 'Stuff the Blue Goose' Campaign to Help 'Toys for Tots'
The Michigan State Police have announced they will be gathering toys for the less fortunate with their 'Stuff the Blue Goose' campaign this weekend.
The MSP has partnered with 'Toys for Tots' and will have a patrol car - known as the Blue Goose - available on Saturday for shoppers to place a new, unwrapped toy, non-perishable food item or new clothing item into the State Police patrol car and thus "stuff a blue goose
MSP Reports Decrease in Traffic Fatalities During 2013 Thanksgiving Holiday Weekend
Meet with Local Law Enforcement at Upcoming Community Meetings
Special Holiday Patrols to Promote Traffic Safety
MSP Offers Tips for Safe Winter Driving
Flint Toddler's Death Ruled a Homicide
A toddler's death in Flint has been ruled a homicide by authorities. According to WNEM, an autopsy performed on Saturday revealed that the two-year-old died of internal injuries.
Police were called to a Flint home on Friday afternoon on a report that a child wasn't breathing.

subset: commoncrawl


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Oklahoma Sooners
Print without images
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Roundtable: No. 1 offensive concern
By SoonerNation staff
Every Thursday, the SoonerNation staff will answer a roundtable question about OU football. Leave a comment or talk about it in our
"There's Only One" forum
Today's question: What is OU's biggest offensive concern going into the offseason?
Is Blake Bell ready to go from being the "Belldozer" to a full-service quarterback?
• The singular biggest concern of the offense is quarterback. In who will the quarterback be? And how well will he perform? Even with all the questions on defense, quarterback play will be the biggest determinant in what OU's record is in 2013.
Blake Bell
has a lot of experience for a backup, thanks to the Belldozer package, but he is yet to prove he can throw the ball out of a base package, and
Trevor Knight
Kendal Thompson
have no game experience. Whoever wins the job will be operating behind a veteran offensive line with several playmakers at running back and receiver. So the offense has a chance to put up points again in 2013. But much of that will hinge on the QB.
- Jake Trotter
• The No. 1 concern is the ability to run the football whenever the Sooners decide to run it. Has OU had success running the football? Absolutely. Are the Sooners striving to be a balanced offense? For the most part. Can OU run the ball whenever they want to? No, not really. The Sooners averaged 4.83 yards per carry this season but finished five different games, including all three losses, with a per-carry average of less than four yards. It's possible to have an explosive offense and still have offensive packages that allow you to run the clock and run the football when necessary. And, with
Landry Jones
moving on to the NFL and the offense in transition anyway, there's no better time to begin making that one of the foundational traits of OU's offense.
- Brandon Chatmon
• Much of the focus for 2013 is going to be on the quarterback, but who is the QB going to throw the ball to? The wide receiver situation isn't as nearly as dire heading into 2013 as it was 2012, but it's also not secure with
Justin Brown
Kenny Stills
departing. There's no security blanket for the QB right now. Is
Jalen Saunders
a No. 1 guy? Is
Sterling Shepard
ready to take that throne? What about Class of 2012 studs
Durron Neal
Derrick Woods
? How will they factor in? Will
Trey Metoyer
re-emerge? A young quarterback can be helped out with a veteran receiving group. But OU's 2013 quarterback won't have that luxury. They're all going to grow (and make mistakes) together. Patience will be vital.
- Bob Przybylo


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Well, you made it. You survived to the end of 2010. Let's celebrate our collective fortunes together by analyzing the Joystiq Top 10! What's that, you say? Not enough? How about an impromptu iPhone buyers guide? Perhaps a free Spoiled Rotten on Castlevania: Lords of Shadow? (Sorry about Chris' robot voice, by the way.)
No? Well, forgive us. It's the end of 2010, and we have nothing left to give. Also, thanks to Conor O'Byrne for his humble photoshop.
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Joystiq Podcast in iTunes
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[RSS] Add the Joystiq Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator
[MP3] Download the MP3 directly
Hosts: Justin McElroy (@justinmcelroy), Ludwig Kietzmann (@ludwigk) and Chris Grant (@chrisgrant)
Music: "Bassoforte" by Diego Stocco
For fans: Joystiq Podcast Facebook group
New to the show?: Listen to Episode Zero
The Do It Line!: 1-(877)-JOYSTIQ
See all of this week's links after the break.
Chris: Red Dead Redemption, Infinity Blade, and Rage (iOS)
Justin: World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
Ludwig: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, every iPhone game ever made
Joystiq Top Ten of 2010
Featured Stories
Off the Grid: The Witcher Adventure Game and Star Wars Imperial Assault
Posted on Feb 3rd 2015 2:15PM


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We stayed at an adjacent complex not connected to the hotel but my family (2 kids - 8 and 10) visited the gelaterio and bar most days during our two week stay. The Sardinian hospitality we encountered was, generally, brusque but Lu Pitrali was a stand out exception. The welcome and service is outstanding and you are made to feel... More
- Reservation Options:
- TripAdvisor is proud to partner with Booking.com, Priceline and Odigeo so you can book your Hotel Lu Pitrali reservations with confidence. We help millions of travelers each month to find the perfect hotel for both vacation and business trips, always with the best discounts and special offers.
- Also Known As:
- Hotel Lu Pitrali San Teodoro, Sardinia


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As I come to West Maui for another year to cover tournament host Chaminade and deliver another edition of PacWest Magazine, I find myself searching for the next local boy in the stands that may get the chance like me to be on the other side of the rope in a decade or so.
Read Whole Story
In Noobz, Mewes plays the manager of a video game store who's training for a potentially life-changing Gears of War tournament with his fellow gamers.
Evidence of basic board games has been found in royal tombs that date as far back as 2500 BCE, so it is clear that as soon as there was some level of leisure time, people were looking for ways to amuse themselves.
New York City's SPiN Galactic is a multidimensional social club offering up cocktails, good food, unique entertainment and ping-pong. Take note, the...
Last week, a few HuffPost readers landed the opportunity to report for our New York desk. Now it's your turn! Vampire Weekend in Concert Predecesso...
Get top stories and blog posts emailed to me each day..


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Alarm Clock Dawn
Hardcover, 354 Pages
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ALARM CLOCK DAWN, author Eric Vance Walton's debut novel, is the chilling story of a world only decades ahead of our own. Adam Harkin is an employee of XenTek, the most powerful corporation the world has ever known. Adam begins to question the purpose of his existence in a world where people are no longer citizens; they are merely consumers. Every aspect of a person's role in society is to be determined by one number—their credit score.
The planet is protesting corporate greed and insatiable consumerism through crippling super storms that erupt without warning.
In a race against time, thousands of people are waking up from this nightmare, burning their Consumer Identification Cards and doing the only thing they can to strike back—dropping out of this toxic society. One by one they join the camps outside the cities. The fate of humanity itself is at stake and the clock is ticking. One question haunts their fragile optimism: Is it already too late?
Person Reviewed This Product
Sep 8, 2014This was a great read and I'm happy there will be a sequel. It really made me think about our future and the world we live in. I almost fell out of my chair with excitement when I reached a great twist near the end of the story. I could picture this book as a great movie and I would recommend that all my friends and family read this book.
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Product Details
- 9781300838562
- Copyright
- Eric Vance Walton (Standard Copyright License)
- Edition
- Second Edition
- Publisher
- Eric Vance Walton
- Published
- July 5, 2013
- Language
- English
- Pages
- 354
- Binding
- Hardcover (dust-jacket)
- Interior Ink
- Black & white
- Weight
- 1.21 lbs.
- Dimensions (inches)
- 6 wide x 9 tall
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@croydon - Trees don't always have to be considered a cash resource. I have friends who have tried to let some of their land go back to nature and they wouldn't ever remove one of the trees, even if it does have to be cut down. The dead wood is part of the ecosystem and provides habitat and food for a variety of creatures and fungus and plants.
Sometimes they do have to cut down a tree if it's getting dangerous for some reason, but it's just treated as a part of the system rather than something to remove.


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5 Outstanding!dracola | 03/01/2009 | See all dracola's reviews (19)Satoshi Kon really does have the Midas touch, after watching Paranoia agent i decided to check Kon's other offerings and was not dissapointed,full of imagination and depth and in my opnion he is really up there miyazki.The story centres around a machine that allows dreams to be recorded and entered by the elusive Paprika.Like Kon's other films this explores the fragile link between reality and the perception of reality, a smart film that never dumbs down despite its medium.The animation looks amazing with Kon's trademark clarity and detail and really does blu-ray justice. Do yourself favour and see this film if not already a Kon convert you may have a new favorite Anime director.
4 Surreally GoodJammyOnToast | 02/01/2008 | See all JammyOnToast's reviews (3)I've got this film on DVD and it is an amazing piece of imaginary storytelling. Captures the bizarreness of dreams (that i'm sure we've all had at some point) and infuses it with reality. The animation is breathtaking as you'd expect from the guy who brought us perfect blue and as such you can expect a story that keeps twisting daring you to keep up.Well worth a watch and warrants a purchase if you're into your manga or animation.I doubt there's much difference between the dvd and blu ray versions but with the blu ray version being good value for money on play, I'd have to recommend the blu ray hands down.
5 Weird and WonderfulOldCustomer | 12/11/2008 | See all OldCustomer's reviews (4)Weird and WonderfulHaving already a moderate number of anime titles on DVD, I approached Paprika with an open mind. I did not know anything about the film before purchasing it.Wow. Even now, while I write this, I still smile.Yes, it is slightly complicated, dark and disturbing in places, which some viewers may not appricaite or understand. That said the sound track is fantastic and the image is vibrant.One for the child in every adult.
5 What'ya waiting for?jaffajelly | 27/05/2008 | See all jaffajelly's reviews (33)Go on, Buy it! its a wonderful film, you'll definitely want to watch it more than once ( due to slight confusion perhaps? lol )
5 Strange but compellingRuukoSama | 12/04/2008 | See all RuukoSama's reviews (3)I got this film on blu-ray and trust me it wasnt a mistake the picture is a great cinema tester, the fine details in the image give a good sense of clarity and depth of picture.Now the story is crazy this is art house anime at its best it will play with your mind right untill the end but you wont be disapointed as the twists and turns in the story keep you hooked, to sum up this is a visual masterpiece and a film which certainly deserves a watch, just make sure you pay it your full attention!


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Tom gets up close and personal with hammer-wielding Shawn, Angella's girlfriend's temper almost blows the deal, and Jimmy's wife calms him down long enough to play.
Aired: 04/18/2012 Available until: 03/23/2015
Johnnie hopes to do better on "Repo Games" than she did at the dentist, Pamela gets vulgar and violent with Tom, and Merarie bares it all to save her car.
Aired: 04/4/2012 Available until: 03/2/2015
Brian and Valerie give some of the craziest answers ever, Orlando makes a dating video, and La Shana's husband recognizes Josh and can't wait to play "Repo Games."
Aired: 03/28/2012 Available until: 03/16/2015
Tom pulls a bait and switch and gets an automatic weapon pointed in his face, Eileen and Ashley try to strip for their car, and Josh tries to repo a bus driver's car.
Aired: 03/28/2012 Available until: 03/9/2015


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REDPATH George married Isabella VEITCH 1854
Information & Research Journal.
George REDPATH and Isabella VEITCH were married in Victoria in 1854.
Possible death for George is 1881 in Sandhurst, Victoria, aged 56 years. Parents recorded as Johnston REDPATH and Susannah unknown.
Possible death for Isabella is 1913 in Bendigo, Victoria, aged 81 years. Parents recorded as unknown. Isabella was recorded as Isabella Veitch REDPATH and I'm sure this will be her.
Eleven children located Victorian records for George and Isabella.
Elizabeth Brown REDPATH.
Born: 1855 Windsor, Victoria.
Died: 1856 not recorded, Victoria, aged 9 months.
Edward Steel REDPATH.
Born: 1856 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1903 Bendigo, Victoria, aged 47 years.
Married: Elizabeth Ann WHITE.
year: 1883.
Place: Victoria.
See Post: Edward REDPATH married Elizabeth WHITE 1883.
Unnamed Female REDPATH.
Born: 1858 Long Gully, Victoria.
Died: -
Thomas Veith REDPATH.
Born: 1860 Long Gully, Victoria.
Died: Melbourne East, Victoria, aged 69 years.
Married: Louisa PAYNE.
Year: 1885.
Place: Victoria.
See Post: Thomas REDPATH married Luoisa PAYNE 1885.
Isabella Grace REDPATH.
Born: 1862 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1923 Preston, Victoria, aged 62 years.
Married: Edward John THOMAS.
Year: 1881.
Place: Victoria.
See Post: Edward THOMAS married Isabella REDPATH 1881.
George Johnston REDPATH.
Born: 1864 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1943 Hillstin, New South Wales.
Married: Jane ROWCLIFF.
Year: 1889.
Place: Victoria.
See Post: George REDPATH married Jane ROWCLIFF 1889.
Elizabeth Brown REDPATH.
Born: 1866 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1945 Murrumbeena, Victoria, aged 79 years.
Married: Alexander HAMPTON.
Year: 1894.
Place: Victoria.
See Post: Alexander HAMPTON married Elizabeth REDPATH 1894.
Alexander Veitch REDPATH.
Born: 1868 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1938 Fitzroy, Victoria, aged 69 years.
Euphemia Ann REDPATH.
Born: 1870 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1897 Hawthorn, Victoria, aged 27 years.
Married: George Homan THOMAS.
Year: 1896.
Place: Victoria.
William Young REDPATH.
Born: 1871 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: 1912 Armadale, Victoria, aged 43 years.
Robert Mcadam REDPATH.
Born: 1875 Sandhurst, Victoria.
Died: -
Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria.
Corrections and further details to help complete this family record would be appreciated. Thank you.
on 2011-09-02 00:40:00
TONKIN lives in Victoria, Australia.
Please note.
Journals are intended to assist new researchers locate family lines in Australia and should only be used as a guide for follow up research and record searches as intended.
Due to spelling and informant errors appearing in the records, typo errors and my misreading of the records mistakes must be expected. Errors will be corrected when detected.


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Would you like to be included in the first-ever indoor car show at the Goodguys Orange County Get-Together? New to this year's event, scheduled for the weekend of May 15 & 16 at the O.C. Fair & Event Center is a spectacular indoor show inside the 20,000 square foot Building #12.
We're looking for some beautiful rods, customs, muscle cars and classics for the indoor show! All indoor entries will receive an Award of Excellence, dash plaque and custom window cards for their participation! All indoor entries will also be eligible for all other event awards. Set up day will be Friday, May 14th from NOON to 5pm. The vehicles will remain inoors throughout the weekend once set up and will be moved out starting at 4pm, Sunday the 16th.
To reserve your indoor spot in Costa Mesa, please send an entry from and some photos of your car to:
Harry Daviess
C/O Goodguys
P.O. Box 9132
Pleasanton, CA 94566


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Feeding ecology of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
- P. T. Plotkin,
- M. K. Wicksten,
- A. F. Amos
- … show all 3 hide
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Digestive tract contents collected from carcasses of 82 loggerhead sea turles (Caretta caretta) found on the south Texas coast from 1986 through 1988 were examined. Benthic invertebrates were the predominant prey. Sea pens (Virgularia presbytes), crabs, and mollusks accounted for 94% of the dry weight of the digestive tract samples. Temporal changes in the percent occurrence and percent dry weight of sea pens, crabs, and mollusks in the digestive tract samples were significant. Loggerheads fed primarily on sea pens during spring, then primarily on crabs during summer and fall. The increase of crabs in the loggerhead diet paralleled the annual increase in the abundance of crabs in the Gulf of Mexico. Sea pens were located nearshore at depths of 6 to 12 m and had a disjunct distribution.
- Bjorndal, K. A. (1985). Nutritional ecology of sea turtles. Copeia 1985: 736–751
- Dodd, C. K., Jr. (1988). Synopsis of the biological data on the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta (Linaeus, 1758). U.S. Fish Wild. Serv., biol. Rep. 88: 1–110
- Fotheringham, N. (1980). Beachcomber's guide to Gulf coast marine life. Gulf Publishing Co., Houston, Texas
- Fritts, T. H., Irvine, A. B., Jennings, R. D., Collum, L. A., Hoffman, W., McGehee, M. A. (1983). Turtles, birds, and mammals in the northern Gulf of Mexico and nearby waters. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Serivce, Division of Biological Services, Washington, D.C. (Ref. FWS/OBS82/65)
- Hildebrand, H. H. (1983). Random notes on sea turtles in the western Gulf of Mexico. In: Owens, D. W. et al. (eds.) Western Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Workshop Proceedings. Sea Grant, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, p. 34–41 (Ref. TAMU-SG-86-402)
- Lohoefener, R., Hoggard, W., Mullin, K., Roden, C., Rogers, C. (1990). Association of sea turtles with petroleum platforms in the north-central Gulf of Mexico. OCS Study/MMS 90-0025. U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Regional Office, New Orleans, La
- Meylan, A. B. (1984). The feeding ecology of the hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata): spongivory as a feeding niche in the coral reef community. Ph. D. dissertation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- Meyland, A. B. (1988). Spongivory in hawksbill turtles: a diet of glass. Science, N.Y. 239: 393–395
- Mortimer, J. A. (1981). The feeding ecology of the West Caribbean green turtle (Chelonia mydas) in Nicaragua. Biotropica 13: 49–58
- Mortimer, J. A. (1982). Feeding ecology of sea turtles. In: Bjorndal, K. A. (ed.) Biology and conservation of sea turtles. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
- Plotkin, P. T. (1989). Feeding ecology of the loggerhead sea turtle in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. M.S. thesis. Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas
- Plotkin, P. T., Amos, A. F. (1990). Effect of anthropogenic debris on sea turtles in the northwestern Gulf of Mexico. NOAA natn. mar. Fish. Serv. tech. Memo U.S. Dep. Comm. NMFS-SWFSC 154: 736–743 [Proc. 2nd int. Conf. mar. Debris, 2–7 April 1989, Honolulu, Hawaii. Shomura, R. S., Godfrey, M. L. (eds.)]
- Rabalais, S. C. (1983). Sea turtle stranding and salvage research. In: Owens, D. W. et al. (eds.) Western Gulf of Mexico sea turtle workshop proceedings. Sea Grant, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, p. 42–43 (Ref. TAMU-SG86-402)
- Rabalais, S. C., Rabalais, N. N. (1980). The occurrence of sea turtles on the south Texas coast. Contr. mar. Sci. Univ. Tex. 23: 123–129
- Rosman, I., Boland, G. S., Martin, L. R., Chandler, C. R. (1987). Underwater sightings of sea turtles in the northern Gulf of Mexico. OCS Study/MMS87/0107. U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCE Regional Office, New Orleans, La
- Shaver, D. J. (1991). Feeding ecology of wild and head-started Kemp's ridley sea turtles in south Texas waters. J. Herpetol. 25: 327–334
- Stanley, K. M., Stabenau, E. K., Landry, A. M. (1988). Debris ingestion by sea turtles along the Texas coast. In: Schroeder, B. A. (ed.) Proceedings of the eighth annual workshop on sea turtle conservation and biology. NOAA natn. mar. Fish. Serv. tech. Memo U.S. Dep. Commerce NMFS-SEFC-214: 119–121
- Williams, A. B. (1984). Shrimps, lobsters, and crabs of the Atlantic coast of the eastern United States, Maine to Florida. Smithsonian Institution Press, Washington, D.C.
- Wolke, R. E., George, A. (1981). Sea turtle necropsy manual. NOAA natn. mar. Fish. Serv. tech. Memo U.S. Dep. Commerce NMFS-SEFC 24: 1–24
- Title
- Feeding ecology of the loggerhead sea turtle Caretta caretta in the Northwestern Gulf of Mexico
- Journal
Marine Biology
Volume 115, Issue 1 , pp 1-5
- Cover Date
- 1993-01-01
- Print ISSN
- 0025-3162
- Online ISSN
- 1432-1793
- Publisher
- Springer-Verlag
- Additional Links
- Topics
- Industry Sectors
- Authors
- P. T. Plotkin (1)
- M. K. Wicksten (2)
- A. F. Amos (1)
- Author Affiliations
- 1. Marine Science Institute, The University of Texas at Austin, 78373, Port Aransas, Texas, USA
- 2. Department of Biology, Texas A&M University, 77843-3258, College Station, Texas, USA


text:
A Slow Return From the Ashes
In the back of his Sunset Boulevard grocery, Jin Hyuk Chang says he still has not come to grips with the economic and racial problems he encountered during the civil disturbances of 1992.
Having just purchased a grocery store in the South Central section of Los Angeles, Mr. Chang watched the store burn to the ground along with 2,000 other Korean-American businesses there. He has since moved several miles away to a neighborhood where he feels more comfortable.
And in the aftermath of the fire that destroyed his first business, Chang had to take out a second loan to open his new grocery.
"I am now carrying two loans, and the payments are very, very difficult to make," he says, standing in a back room full of boxes.
"The sad part is that I was one of the lucky ones," he adds. "Most of my friends were unable to reopen their businesses and have gone back to Korea or left the state."
Many of the area's grocery and liquor stores were owned by Korean-Americans. When the community outcry over the presence of so many liquor stores grew, these owners were hurt. After the riots, a local coalition sought stricter enforcement of existing laws that could keep liquor store owners from rebuilding.
"Residents simply felt that these stores did nothing positive for the community, while attracting drug dealers and homeless people," says Karen Bass, director of the Community Coalition, a nonprofit violence-prevention group.
Working through the permitting process, activists pressed for additional restrictions governing lighting, signage, restricted selling hours, and on-site security. With so many stores existing on tight economic margins, the costs of such changes have meant nearly 200 stores have not been able to reopen.
This fact has exacerbated race relations between African-Americans and Korean-Americans despite five years of formal attempts by community leaders to heighten cultural awareness and understanding between the two groups.


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Watching Cable TV in Hyde
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Good to keep this thread going. I'm still in Asia right now so I'm only on occasionally.
The reason I put out my initial post as just a simple outline/guideline is because my belief as a serious competitive gamer comes from a very solid understanding of basic mechanics of a game. The cool part about that is that I apply this to many things in life, not just in games.
---After just proof reading this, I realize this is a kind of corny way of trying to explain ELO. But I had fun writing it, so feel free to just stop reading here if you don't like "wasting your time" ---
Let me take a physics course as an example. Lets just assume there is an ELO in a university physics course, just for fun. Your ranked matches would then come from your homework assignments which would most likely be worth about a plus or minus 15 points per assignment, and test scores which might be able to affect your score by about 50 points per exam.
50% on homework = 0 rating change.
0% on homework = -15 rating change.
100% on homework = +15 rating change.
50% on exam = 0 rating change.
0% on exam = -50 rating change
100% on exam = +50 rating change
To get the highest score in your class, you need to work hard in order to learn the material - all the material, how it correlates, and how to apply it to build on your knowledge of mechanics. To learn all of these things, you must master the basics. How will you learn the more advanced levels of play and dive into more material without the complete knowledge of basics?
Players in the intermediate range (around 1475 - 1825) are like those people in physics class ( and I'm talking as an estimate, my disclaimer is that there are always exceptions) who get away with 70%'s on all their exams, the occasional 100% on homework and maybe they just forgot to turn in a few assignments (and therefore a 0%). If they work hard to get 100% consistently and prove their know the material, there are better chances that they will get 100%'s on future exams because the knowledge builds on top of the past exams, and therefore their personal rating will go up.
However, I know this is a team effort. You need to rely on your teamates to also get high scores in order for the team to do well. But this post strictly toward how to help understand why the basics are important and how it may correlate into a better rating. If you yourself as a player start improving with these ideas, there is a better chance that your team will win, because YOU have improved.
I know this was really corny, and probably a boring read. But knowledge in this game, whether it is helping yourself or somebody else, raises the bar in a competitive game over time. If you look at it from a personal point of view, it is simple to see - you play a carry, you get lucky, you catch the other team in a bad spot, you team wins and get a better rating. If you are able to look at it from the big picture, You win - players ask you how you did this and that, you tell them. They then tell their friends. Their friends might be nice enough to share with others as well. And from that, you have singlehandedly raised the bar in competitive play - adding a not so well known factor into the pool. This is how ideas are shared, knowledge is absorbed AND BUILT UPON, and great/talented players are formed.
Keep this in mind for all your future gaming endeavors - you will be surprised what you can come up with using an approach like this. Suddenly it won't be as much "looking up what the pro's do and doing it", more like "watching what the pro's do and figure out possible ways to creatively express it yourself when you are able to improve upon it".
I would like everyone to continue this thread, no matter what their viewpoint. The collective of all of our opinions are what make this thread more and more useful to our gaming community.
It is oversimplified, because i never believed that someone needed to know the full meaning of ELO in order to improve their gameplay in that way. We do not need to dump a ton of statistics on top of the community to give them reason to believe that they have no hope - it is all player percieved. If anyone would really like to know how ELO works, feel free to look it up on Wikipedia! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elo_rating_system
I really like this thread, onisake and DarkPsx make some really good points. But aren't you guys over extending the ELO part of the game? it is after all a game first with competitve portion for those who want to take it further. Although you guys both make really good points, you should'nt argue about a game that's played for fun.
I just read this entire argument between matchmaking and this is what I have concluded: Darkpsx has actually contributed something decent for the community to follow as a guideline for all players, while Onisake is seemlessly trolling Darkpsx and trying to overcomplicated the entire system. In all honesty, I have thought of this as a decent argument until Onisake has tried to argue against ELO. Yes Onisake, this is a modified ELO system. Not many institutions still implement ELO straight up, because there is a K factor for certain rankings as well as a type of soloment rank fluctuation, as well as the fact that logical distribution was implemented in place as a more reliable source of ranking. If you really understood the true meaning behind ELO, you would know it is more of a formality in respect to Arpad Elo, the person who formed the caluclations for such a rating. Most multiplayer games today use a modified version of the ELO system, which we commonly just refer to as the ELO system itself because it follows the basics of ELO.
For everyone in the community that is still hazed because of the argument that is going on in this thread, you only need to know a few things to clarify this big maze of information:
1. In the first post, Darkpsx gives the community a general guideline for players to follow in order to improve their knowledge of the game and therefore extend on a player's level of skill in a game. He is making a claim that good sportsmanship, a very wide knowledge of game mechanics, and the urgency to seek help from other peers is a key to improving your competitive gaming experience. This is completely logical, and the reason is because most players are content in the level they play and have little room for growth, mentally, without that extra kick that something needs to be changed.
As a counterargument, Onisake goes ahead and adds the fact that it's not just this little information that cuts it for competitive play - which is completely true - but goes on and tries to prove that certain carries are so groundbreaking that no matter what you have done to learn and improve your gameplay, it has little to no effect on the outcome of the game. To an extent, this can always be argued - in fact, there are many things in competitive play that can be argued, because to scale with player skill, a random variable can always be pushed to its max potential (figuratively) and the game is thrown off as "carried".
2. Darkpsx then tries to explain that the guide is not meant to account for sharp changes in random variables, and that his belief of improving your rating is simply to improve and foster a more efficient and meaningful playstyle. This is a logical approach to the post - the players who are highly rated are generally BETTER PLAYERS in general. Whether they are creative in their use of game mechanics or simply have a better team effort due to a better understanding of the game, they are higher rated than just a player who didn't know any better and never knew that a double cs lead means that they could be in trouble.
The counterargument by Onisake was that this was incomplete (which Darkpsx understood), and that the random variable pushed to its max potential is too much of a reliant factor in how rating fluctuates. This, on top of a random 4 members who either do their best to support the carry or be clueless and go on their own, are not so big of a factor as long as there are a few reckoning forces on the team that truly understand their game. This argument is also correct - but is less of a consistent argument. This is simply because the random variable (carry) on one team will not always be the dominant force in a game, whereas this random variable was pushed to its max potential, the other team may have a BAD carry but 4 EXCELLENT supports who are able to push the carry down. Therefore, we rely on 1 random carry and 4 players who can't seemingly figure out how to stop this carry in order to counter its effects.
In this case, we must keep our eye on consistency.
3. The last manner was Dark's attempt to simplify ELO and how it is roughly calculated and its purpose behind the way it acts, from the beginning of when you are first rated, to the end (rating change is then minimal plus your matchmaking can further reduce or increase your loss and gain per match). Honestly, the way it was analogized, this was a great example. It was put in terms that many players in the community can understand. This is where I feel Onisake has lost it completely, and its either trying way too hard to find an argument or is just trying to prove his knowledge in order to discredit this explanation of ELO. Fortunately for most of the community, you are hearing from me, a statitistic graduate that this is indeed a modified ELO system, and that it was explained rather well. Don't try to think about the system more than it is - the original intent of the post was simply to inform players that perfecting the basics can increase your chances of winning based on the bigger picture - the fact that a player is then increasing his skill potential, he has just promoted his potential to win in the bracket that he is in, where players may share similar skill.
© 2014 Riot Games, Inc. All rights reserved. Riot Games, League of Legends and PvP.net are trademarks, services marks, or registered trademarks of Riot Games, Inc.


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Real Life
A Danny Phantom FanFiction by Cordria
(chapter 3)
In Which Things Arent Always as They Seem.
Authors comments in bold
MAJOR problems as I was doing this chapter. But well talk about it as we go. So, Dannys met his first other ghost (an octopus), and has turned down the opportunity to play the hero. Seriously
I dont blame him a bit. If someone threw me into the spirit world, made me go through a day where I was seriously thinking I was insane, give me something as spooky as ghost power, and then told me to go save somebody
Id say no too.
Tucker, we have to do something, Sam said, her gaze locked on the girls that were crowding around the one who had collapsed.
Do what? We cant see this flying octopus thing. He glanced from her to the girls and then back.
Yet, my friends
yet. We need to fix this cant see the ghosts dilemma in future chapters.
Sam was biting her lip, apparently thinking hard. But we need to do something. We know whats wrong.
How do you fight something you cant hear, cant see, cant touch, and you dont know is really there? Tucker crossed his arms and mentally dug in his heels. He wasnt going to go fight a ghost! That was for people that were brave and athletic and a more than a little insane. He wasnt any of those three.
Yeah, dont blame Tucker either. Remember, he thinks that Danny is probably a ghost, but hes in no way convinced that there really are ghosts.
Its got to be there. Danny said it was.
Tucker leaned closer to her. You sure? Just between us, I dont think Dannys really been himself today. He could be seeing things.
Sam glared at him for a moment before setting off down the path. Maybe we can distract it. How do you distract a ghost?
Hesitating, he called after her, Why would you want to? but his feet were already moving. Stupid invisible ghost ectoplasm octopus thing, he groused. Stupid ectoplasmic octopus. Ecto-octopus. Ectopus. He kicked a stone off into the park, not caring where it landed, not watching it stop in midair like it had just been caught by an invisible hand. Stupid ectopus.
Why would you want to indeed. So totally me. And watch the rock. Guess who didnt storm away as frustrated as we thought he did?
Tucker was just a few steps behind Sam when they reached the place where the girls were huddled. Instead of what he had expected the girls comforting their fallen comrade they seemed to be ignoring her. All the girls were curled up on the ground, crying softly, wrapped up in their own miseries. Although the prone girl was obviously still alive, her friends were acting like she had just died.
Glancing around apprehensively, Tucker studied the area. It was a clear, sunny autumn day with no sign of any sort of ghosts or aliens or anything out of the ordinary. But despite the warmth and cheerfulness of the day, an odd sensation was sinking into his chest. His heart was murmuring that something extremely awful had just happened. Rubbing his arm with one of his hands, he tried to shake off the feeling of panic and despair.
Go away! Sam shouted suddenly, making Tucker jump. One of the girls, teary grey streaks of mascara trailing down her cheeks, looked up at her in confusion. Tucker sent her a small smile but Sam paid no attention to her. Ghost! Leave us alone! When nothing happened, Sam glanced over at him.
It feels like a funeral, Tucker whispered. For some reason, it felt sacrilegious to speak loudly.
I despise quiet funerals. When I die, you are all invited provided you bring cake, sugar, and loud music. I want my funeral to be a celebration, not some silly crying mourning thing.
The ghost is doing it, Sam said sourly. How do we get rid of it?
We dont, he muttered darkly, stuffing his hands into his pockets and trying to shake off the depressing atmosphere. Its a ghost.
Sam trailed off, looking around, maybe its attached to something like an anchor. Maybe if we destroy its anchor itll leave. Or maybe its being drawn here by something. Or maybe it was sent here for some reason.
Poor Sam, trying so hard to do something RIGHT, when theres really not a thing she can do
Or maybe its just here because its here, Tucker added. Face it, we know nothing about ghosts. We dont even know where to start.
We could exorcize it.
Tucker snorted, crossing his arms and glancing around uncomfortably. Isnt that demons and devils?
I dunno
is it?
Sam stared at him for a moment. Cant it work for ghosts too?
Tucker shrugged. Come on, Sam. Theres never been a ghost attack in Amity Park. Nobodys ever been hurt. He sighed, wanting desperately to get out of here. A strange, dead feeling was curling around his heart. We cant do anything. Lets just go, okay?
For a moment, Sam was silent. Its got to be here for a reason, Tucker. Theres a reason for everything. So, what makes this place different from everywhere else? She continued to gaze at him, anxiety appearing in her violet eyes. Tucker
please. We need to do something.
Tucker studied his feet for a moment while his head warred over his loyalty to Sam and his desire to run. When he finally spoke, he didnt look up at her. The only thing I can think of is this weird feeling.
Its like my grandmother just died, Sam whispered.
Tucker nodded. Yeah. Both of them looked up into the bright, cloudless sky. But how does that help us?
Bored. Lets get some action!!!
They were still staring up there when they saw something. It sparkled, wavered, flickered just at the edges of their vision. A flash of green, a swish of something long and pliable. What was that? Tucker gasped, ducking instinctively.
The ghost, Sam hissed. A wave of cold, salty air washed over them as a car-sized octopus shimmered into view for a heartbeat. The thing hissed and cracked its beak, the sound like a rolling thunderclap that drove a spike straight into their souls. Freezing, liquid ectoplasm dripped off the creature like water. Then it was gone, but the smell and the feel were still there. The unseen monster was lurking just over their heads, tentacles ready to wrap around unprotected throats. The girls screamed and cowered, covering their heads with their hands.
Geez, I can creep myself out sometimes. A giant, invisible thing hanging over your head with big tentacles that can
the following action scene was the very first thing I wrote for this story.
Run, Tucker breathed, unable to take his eyes off the place where the ghost had been. His breath caught in his throat. Run! he managed to croak, twisting around on his foot and trying to move. Tripping, he sprawled onto the ground next to the girl who had fainted earlier. He rolled over in time to see most of the girls stumble to their feet and scatter. Sam was in a half-crouch, her eyes still scanning the skies, refusing to move.
It was back, just a suddenly as it had vanished. A wave of fear, palpable and loud as a drum, smashed into them, pulsing like the heartbeat of the dead. A large tentacle, covered in suckers, whipped through the air and snatched Sam off of her feet. It wrapped around her middle, the sharp edges of the suckers digging into her skin as it lifted her into the air. Another flew through the air and latched onto Tuckers ankle, dragging him through the grass. His glasses flew off of his face, throwing everything into an unfocused blur.
DANNY! Tucker screamed just before his face was slammed into the ground. Stars burst in his eyes and tangy blood filled his mouth as he was jerked up into the air by his foot. He could hear Sam yelling in pain as the suckers dug deeper into her skin and the parrot-like beak of the octopus snapped down close to her head.
A shriek suddenly filled the air. It was impossibly loud; shattering glass windows and blazing through the heads of everybody present. Agony, terror, and rage whipped around them in a miniature tornado that threw bits of grass and rocks into the air. The tentacles that had been so tightly wound around the two teenagers slackened and they both crashed to the ground.
Tucker watched Sam stagger to her feet, carefully holding her bruised and bleeding stomach. Crouched on the ground just a few feet away was the faint and distant form of Danny. He was watching the octopus with a furious gleam in his supernatural eyes and a barely-audible growl in his throat. Suddenly he threw himself off the ground, the wind from his passing tainted with his fury. He slammed into the octopus with a silent roar, tossing it away from them.
Threw out some description here because I thought it was a little unnecessary. There was a spectral wind blowing that billowed out the ends of his ragged jacket and was blowing his singed hair around. Stuff like that.
Now remember, Dannys all full of wild instincts right now, so hes acting like an animal protecting what he considers to be his.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood, Tucker watched the octopus race away from the angry teenager. Danny didnt follow; he just watched it flee. Slowly the pain and the fear leaked out of the atmosphere, leaving Tucker with a dead and emotionless feeling in his chest. Heart pounding, he stared at the livid ghost his best friend who was practically radiating fury. Danny twisted around when the octopus finally vanished from view, rage billowing off of him and swirling around Sam and Tucker.
What do you think you were doing? he asked, a snarl in his echoing voice. Tucker involuntarily backed away from him, his eyes widening and his heart beating loudly in his ears as an unnatural terror filled him. Dannys eyes were a blazing, furious green, full of deadly threats and hollow emotions. Leaves flew off the ground and the grass danced in the supernatural wind that had reappeared. All around them, the world seemed to drain of colors the sky becoming a dull grey and the ground leaching to a lifeless brown. That thing could have killed you!
Dannys the perfect predator.
He stormed up to Sam, glaring at her. Sam, unable to control herself under his psychic onslaught, whimpered and backed away from him as he approached.
Danny froze, pain springing into his eyes.
All around them, rocks and leaves tumbled back to the ground as the rest of the power drained out of the air. The silence was intense not a bird dared to sing nor a fly dared to buzz. Anger vanished. The sky slipped back to its impossible blue. The grass around Dannys feet, however, stayed an unmoving brown, the fragile grass dead and lifeless. Danny swallowed hard. Im scaring you, again, arent I?
Slowly, Sam nodded her head. Danny glanced over at Tucker, who nodded as well. Danny, she said quietly.
He looked down at his feet, clenching his fists.
Danny, look at me. She reached over and touched his chin to force him to look up. Tucker had expected her hand to go straight through him, but her fingers brushed against his cold, dead skin. Look at me.
Why? Ghosts in my world are all stuck in intangible mode. Oh, I suppose its because hes been tossing around so much energy that hes thrust his ghost form onto the human plane enough that hes some sort of solid. But hes not SOLID like you and I. Hes solid like a thick cloud or something. With any pressure at all, you could still go through him.
Hollow eyes gazed into hers.
Thank you, she said firmly. Thank you for saving my life.
Danny blinked, startled, pulling away from her. Intense, impossibly bright light suddenly flared around him, making the two teenagers close their eyes and turn away. When the light faded, Tucker was left blinking the spots out of his eyes while Danny stared down at his human hands. He was back to normal.
Im sorry, he whispered to them, an odd tone in his voice. Im not trying to scare you.
ikkle Sammy-kins saved Danny-kins. XD For the first time.
Sam caught his blue eyes, a smile flickering across her face for a moment. Tucker watched them for a second as he tried to process everything that had happened in the past few seconds. He slid to his feet as he finally understood what that odd twist to Dannys voice meant: fear.
In the distance, sirens wailed as emergency crews raced towards the park.
This is my problem part. It puts just a little too much humor into the situation. I did a lot of cutting and rewriting
but Im still not entirely happy with the result.
Tucker grabbed the two trays of food from the counter of the Nasty Burger formerly the Tasty Burger until someone had stolen the T and replaced it with an N a few years ago as a practical joke and turned to head back towards his friends. A plan was brewing in his head; it had been ever since they had snuck out of the park. The perfect plan.
I think the Tasty-Nasty thing really is canon. If not, I dunno where I heard it.
But he hesitated when his eyes flickered over the hunched form his of best friend. There was no doubt he was a little nervous around Danny. Whenever those dead eyes glanced into his he had to struggle to keep from turning away. This was Danny
but yet at the same time it wasnt. He knew Danny better than anybody else on Earth, except for probably Sam, and there was no doubt in his mind that Danny was just as terrified of what was going on as he was.
Im always confused as to what is canon in the idea of how long Sam and Tucker have known each other. The show seems to indicate that they dont know certain (important) things about each other (like fears of doctors or being ultra-vegie-something)
so they havent known each other for very long
but I think thats got more to do with the director needing to disseminate information more than anything else. I go for Danny and Tucker have been friends since time immortal (little kids), and joined up with Sam sometime in elementary school. This has absolutely NO bearing on this story whatsoever, but thanks for reading it.
There was also the question of what the other boy was keeping from them. Danny had never been good at keeping secrets, but he was obviously refusing to talk about something. Tucker had the vague thought that it had to do with something neither him nor Sam could see, but he couldnt bring himself to push Danny into talking about it. Sam would, at some point, and Tucker was content to wait until she did.
The idea that had germinated about twenty minutes ago churned through Tuckers mind as he headed back toward his friends. He hadnt seen Danny so depressed and quiet since his sister had gotten appendicitis. They needed to get Danny to smile; laughter was a general cure-all for all kinds of wounds. He just wasnt entirely sure his plan was that good of an idea.
Boy, does this blow up in Tuckers face. I thought about not having this in at all it adds a really weird element of humor to the story but it flows really nicely into the next chapter element about Tucker. So I kept it.
Dropping into his normal booth, he pushed one of the trays he had been carrying towards his two companions. It was the normal order: a salad for Sam; a mega order of cheese fries for Danny; and a mighty meaty meal (with extra meat) for him.
Danny let out a little dejected sigh as Sam grabbed her salad and pushed the tray of fries towards him. He propped his chin up on one hand as he reached out with the other to grab a cheese fry. To Tuckers amazement, about half way to Dannys mouth it dropped out of his fingers and onto the floor.
I cant have Danny eating yet. Oh no, no, no. I have something big planned for him when he finally gets to eat something. XD Well, theres breakfast which I skip over but suppers going to be fun. And cruel and unusual.
After giving his fingers a sharp shake, Danny picked up another fry. This time he held his fingers over the plate for a moment to see what would happen. After just a second of the hot potato wedge resting in his fingers, the tips of his fingers drained of color and the fry dropped back onto the plate without Danny opening his fingers. Huh, Danny said. Then he shot a quick glance up at them before returning his eyes to the table.
Youre still looking at us like were going to disappear on you, Sam mentioned as she attempted to spear a small radish with her plastic fork.
Tucker watched, completely fascinated, as Danny shrugged off the statement and grabbed another cheese fry. For a third time, the fry slipped through his fingers. This time Tucker grabbed Dannys hand and studied it before Danny could give it a shake and return it to normal. The tips of his fingers were colorless and transparent. When Tucker tried to touch Dannys fingers, his fingers passed straight through. Intangible, Tucker mumbled, interesting. Howd you do that?
Remember, Tuckers still thinking this whole thing is cool
Reality hasnt sunk in yet even after the ghost fight. Dannys new and unimproved short temper fuse has, so far, only been directed at scary things.
I wish itd stop, Danny grumbled, not looking up. Im enough of a freak already, I dont need this. He shot them another one of those quick looks.
Grabbing his triple cheese burger and taking a bite, Tucker sent him a ketchup-stained smile. You know were not going to disappear on you
were your friends, Danny. Were not going anywhere, he swallowed his bite before adding, unless you get a bit scarier, in which case Ill be in Albuquerque. Stifling a yelp when Sams heavy boots connected with his leg, he hastily continued. Ill still be your friend, of course, just from Albuquerque.
My friend told me this once right before I dyed my hair. I have really light, almost white hair and I wanted to die it a coppery-blonde so I actually had some color and not look all washed out. She told me shed move to Albuquerque if I did. Shes said the same thing about me straightening my hair too. Apparently people like curls. I think theyre annoying especially when its humid.
Its okay, Sam smiled. We know you cant help it and that youre trying. We understand.
Danny let an impossibly small grin flicker across his face for a moment, washing the deadness out of his eyes. I dont deserve you guys.
No, you dont, Sam said wickedly. But youre stuck with us.
You okay? Danny asked for the hundredth time since the octopus attack.
Sam rolled her eyes. Were fine. A little bruised and battered, but well get over it. Under the baggy T-shirt she had purchased on the way to the Nasty Burger, her stomach was turning an interesting collage of greens, blues, and purples, interspaced with perfectly round, sucker-shaped marks. The shirt although not her normal style kept the questions about what had happened to her to a minimum. Tucker, despite his normally unlucky aura, had fared better and only had a split lip.
I hate how I just stuck that in there
Danny didnt look convinced. It didnt look good, Sam. You sure you dont want to see a doctor? We really should have waited around for the ambulance.
And have my parents doting on me for the rest of the week? No thanks. Its just a bruise. Sam finally snagged the radish and popped it into her mouth. But you do have to wonder what happened in the park.
What do you mean? Danny asked softly.
Sam speared a small bit of cucumber. I mean, theres never been a ghost attack in Amity Park. Although weve held the title of the most haunted town in the United States for over two decades, theres never been a confirmed ghost attack. Its all just been strange occurrences and random things. This one, however, is going to be all over the news.
No its not
Remember, Jack and Maddie dont KNOW ghosts exist until the lunch-lady incident.
So why now? Sam asked. Why did this ghost attack today when theres never been an attack before? I think its got something to do with your accident yesterday.
Tucker nodded slowly as he thought about what she had said. She was really just repeating what hed said earlier in the park, but it was still true. Amity Park, North Americas most haunted destination, had never been able to dredge up any unshakable proof of ghosts. Up until yesterday, Area 61 had more tangible proof of aliens than their town had of anything even vaguely supernatural. All they had was a litany of impossible deaths, mysterious disappearances, and strange happenings. Until today. The fact that the three of them had apparently opened a window into the afterlife probably had something to do with what happened today.
Danny scowled as the cheese fry slipped through his fingers again. So youre going to blame it on me, then?
She shook her head. No theres no way its your fault. Im just saying its got to be connected somehow. Maybe turning on that ghost-window thing made the octopus more powerful or something.
Oh, so close. Give the girl a cookie. But theres a reason. PLOT POINT! Now, the question is why?
Danny sighed. Maybe theyve always been here and now theyre just more powerful.
Sam shot him a look. They? Theres more than just that octopus thing?
Too bad Dannys been hiding them from you.
When Danny paled and began stuttering out what he meant by that, Tucker decided to come to his rescue. It was time to start his plan to attempt to get Danny to really smile at least once that day. Ive been thinking, Tucker interrupted Dannys mumblings after swallowing the latest bite of burger and washing it down with cola, and Ive got something I need to say.
Danny looked up for a second before returning his gaze to the tabletop.
Ive been waiting to say this for a very long time, you know. Tucker grinned. It fits just perfect.
Danny glanced over at Sam before asking, What?
Sorry about this
With great power comes great responsibility, Tucker intoned dramatically, fixing his eyes on Danny.
Silence fell over the table. Finally Danny spluttered, Do I look like Spiderman?
Thats Spiderman
No, he smiled, but you do have a secret identity thing going. You could be a superhero.
Not in this lifetime. Or this story. In real life, theres no such thing as a superhero. A hero
Those are just comic books, Tucker. Theres no such thing.
Maybe, he shrugged, but you saved us from that ectopus thing that makes you a little bit heroic anyway. And it was a good attempt to get you to smile once. Tucker raised one eyebrow and laughed at the startled look on Dannys face. Yeah, smile Danny. Now. Somewhat-heroes with secret identities need a name. I was thinking Ghost-Boy or Halfa. Get it? Half-ghost, half-human
halfa? Tucker grabbed a napkin from the holder and scribbled the names on it.
How about Inviso-Bill? Sam snickered, joining in the inane conversation after glancing at the half-smile on Dannys face.
I spent HOURS trying to come up with everything Dannyd been called in the show to make puns
I ran out rather quickly.
Tucker shuddered, grabbing a few of his own fries to gesture with. Thats horrible.
Im not superhero I dont need a new name, Danny muttered. When his cheese fry dropped out of his intangible fingertips for the seventh time, a small growl slid out of his throat and thrummed in the low rumbled of the Nasty Burger. He glared at the tray.
Tucker glanced at him out of the corner of his eyes before deciding to ignore his best friend for now. Hed never heard Danny make such a
feral sound before. It made all the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end and his instincts scream to run away. He forced himself to stay in his seat, but he couldnt quite stop himself from glancing at Danny every few heartbeats.
Hes slipping
run for the hills!
Its better than Ghost-Boy, she snapped back at Tucker, apparently not being able to hear the sound Danny was making. That sounds like a cheap rip-off of Beast-Boy from those Teen Titans comics. At least mine is original.
You and your original, Tucker continued, unconsciously checking on Danny again. The teenagers eyes seemed to be glowing with some sort of greenish fire in his irises. Tuckers feet shifted slightly under his chair as he fought to not get up and run. He focused on Sam and continued the conversation, determinedly ignoring Danny. How about the Amity Spook?
That sounds like a newspaper. How about
This originally went on longer. Chopped cause it was nonsense beyond this.
Tucker shivered as the temperature around their table suddenly dropped a few degrees. Sam trailed off, finally noticing that something was going on. Glaring down at the cheese fries, Danny seemed to be glowering at the food, completely paying no attention to the two of them. Dan
Tucker started, but cut off as energy swirled into existence around their table.
Dannys arms were trembling as they grasped the edge of the table. Emerald flickers of light fizzled around his hands. Gasping and jumping to his feet, Tucker stumbled back away from the table. Every hair on the top of his head was standing up like hed just been shocked and his breath was pluming in the air. With an almost audible crackle of energy, the paranormal glow around Dannys hands jumped to the mound of fries, burning them into twisted twigs.
Ouch. Mental note: dont get my main character frustrated. He might blow up my computer.
Tucker glanced up at Sam, who was standing a few feet away from the table and was extremely pale. Danny
he said quietly.
What? Danny snapped. He looked up and met Tuckers eyes.
Dead, haunted, and impossibly hollow. Tucker took a step backwards before he could stop himself. His intestines seemed like they were twisting up in knots as this creature stared at them. He had to swallow heavily before he could continue, working hard to convince himself that Danny wasnt going to hurt him. Danny, calm down.
Hes sooo slipped into his ghost instincts. Hes barely thinking rationally.
Calm? he hissed. Tiny, emerald fires seemed to light up in his eyes. Calm? I cant even pick up fries, Tucker.
Well figure it out, Tucker reasoned. Your parents can help. They know a lot about ghosts.
Dannys eyes narrowed and pain seemed to ignite in them. Theres no such thing as ghosts. The mutilated tower of burned fries sizzled and collapsed.
Stupid, bloody, broken record
Why are you so dead-set on believe ghosts dont exist? Sam asked softly. She gave herself a small shake and walked back up to the table, resting her hands on the back of her empty seat. Tucker felt himself relax slightly when Dannys eyes turned away from his.
Because they dont, thats why. Danny grabbed his tray and stood up, heading for the trash bin.
Sam shook her head. Because ghosts are dead, she corrected.
Danny stiffened, but didnt turn around to look back at them.
Because if youre a ghost that means that you are dead, she finished mercilessly.
point Goth girl. Rebuttal for the ghost?
Storming over to the garbage can, he dumped in the remains of the snack and didnt answer. When the tray suddenly clattered to the ground, Tucker noticed that Dannys whole body seemed to be shaking with repressed emotions. His best friends hands clenched tightly as he glared down at the floor. Tucker wanted to do something, but his feet refused to move. They had been cemented solidly to the floor.
Danny, Sam said, following him over and touching his shoulder. Its okay
Danny twisted around, his empty sapphire eyes fixing on her. The doors to the Nasty Burger banged open and an impossibly cold breeze flooded through the restaurant. Frozen whispers of frustration and confused rage slithered around the trio of friends as Danny just stood there, staring into Sams eyes. His normally expressive eyes were completely devoid of the emotions that were flaring and churning inside of him.
Tucker licked his lips and struggled to keep from looking away. There was something incredibly dangerous about Danny right now. He seemed to be exuding an aura of power; a predator amongst his helpless prey. Every pore of Tuckers body was shrieking that he needed to move.
Dannys completely ghost. Dont go near him. And poor Tucker has just figured out that Danny being whatever he is will NOT be all fun and games. Dannys rage, when channeled towards him, is scary enough to give him a serious wake-up call.
The various patrons of the Nasty Burger had fallen silent and were looking around the place as they began to sense the foreboding presence of this spectral human. They slid closer together, eyes wide. Overhead, several of the fluorescent lights fizzed and flickered out.
Its okay, Sam whispered.
Its not okay, Danny said with a choked voice in the intense silence. Dont you get it? Its not okay. For a brief moment, terror and pain sparkled in his eyes, then he simply vanished.
Sam and Tucker glanced at each other in dismay as the fear and anger evaporated and the temperature of the Nasty Burger drifted back to normal. People went back to their conversations and meals, quickly forgetting about the odd feeling that had swept through them.
Oh, how people just IGNORE things. Now, enter the evil
Only one other person seemed to be quietly taking note of what had happened. Drumming carefully manicured nails against the dirty table, a well-dressed business man finished off his bottle of water and headed out the door to his car.
Yall can guess as to who it is, right? Okay, so my theory is that V-man didnt seem at ALL surprised to see another hybrid in whatever episode that was. So, I figure he KNOWS that another one exists, he just doesnt know who it is until Wisconsin.
Danny slumped into the seat at the movie theater, staring blankly at the screen. It was one of those old black and white movies the theater played now and then the ones where it cost a whole fifty cents for a ticket. He had snuck in through the side wall about half-way through the showing, so he didnt feel too bad. He figured the theater was only out a quarter and he wasnt watching it anyways.
My theater growing up used to do this. Mondays and Thursdays theyd play old kids movies, and the other days they would play adult movies. I used to go watch rather than sit at home and be bored.
It was the darkness and the solitude that he had been seeking when he had decided to come here. On a school night, the last showing of the old movie matinee was the only place guaranteed to be free from his peers. He wasnt dead, he couldnt be dead
Tears prickled at his eyes. No, there was no way he was a ghost. There was no way he was dead. He felt the inside of his wrist, feeling the warm and steady vibration of his pulse. Ghosts didnt have heartbeats, they werent warm.
And there was no way a ghost would feel this absolutely horrible. Damn Sam and Tucker for making him feel this way. Screw them for bringing this up. He didnt want to think about it, not now and not ever. He just wanted things to be normal.
For a quiet eternity, he listened to the sounds of the movie, trying not to think, but his rebellious brain refused to shut up. It wanted an explanation for everything that had happened these past twenty-four hours, and it kept settling on that one. The only one Danny didnt want to be true.
His appearance, sometimes anyways
the things he could do
what he was feeling
He bit his lip and folded his arms tighter to his chest. It was scary beyond belief, and he didnt dare tell anyone about it. Sam and Tucker were his only friends and they would abandon him if he told them half of what was going on in his mind. He couldnt tell them of the smells and the sounds, the cackles and the whispers, the glimpses of movement or the things in the shadows. He could never tell them how hard it was, sometimes, seeing waves of something flooding off of them like those ripples of heat over the tar on hot days. He would never tell them how drawn he was to those strange ripples that smelled of butterscotch, strawberry pie, and warm summer nights. Oh, how he wanted to feel them
Its going to get even worse because poor Danny NEEDS to feel them. Thats how he supplies his ghost side with energy. If he tries to cut himself off from feeding on the humans around him, hed starve.
Oh, an interesting and plot-worthy note, Danny KNOWS the critters feed on humans via those ripples. He knows that he can smell/feel them. What he hasnt figured out yet is that he too FEEDS off of his friends
That will be a fun revelation.
A tear slid down his cheek and he wiped it away angrily. A small shadow appeared on the screen, moving vaguely back and forth for a few moments. Although it was definitely not part of the movie, none of the other audience members gave any sign that they could see it. Danny stared at it for a moment, a cold chill slipping down his spine.
Go away, he whispered at it, his breath misting faintly in the air. The shadow paused in its restless movements and seemed to study him.
No stupid blue mist in my story. I tell you, in canon that REALLY IS just water vapor! The blue mist stuff drives me bonkers.
It made a soft noise, a combination of a snakes hiss and a tigers snarl. Leaving the small gaggle of elderly women watching the show, it stalked down the aisle, its dark and indistinct form fading in and out of view. It stopped a few feet from him, twin red eyes sparkling darkly in its shadowed face, studying him.
Go away, he whispered again, but the shadow didnt move.
Make me, it hissed, its voice almost unintelligible above the animal-like growls and an impossibly haunting echo. The words collided around in his head, repeating themselves over and over.
Please, Danny whispered, his own voice taking on the rough echoing sound no human could ever be able to make. He couldnt take his eyes off if it. He wanted it gone, he wanted it to go away. Cold fingers of dread were digging themselves into his heart as the creature stood there, staring at him. Just go away. The thing the ghost, he admitted to himself was fizzing against his nerves, making his fingers jump and his leg twitch.
What be thee? The thing drifted closer, no longer touching the ground, ragged edges of its shadowy form brushing against Danny as it hovered just before him. It sniffed loudly, frozen, rancid air rolling off of it. It took a loud, rattling breath. Be thee dead, child?
Danny pressed back against the thin cushion of the theaters chair, fighting to keep from making noise. Go away, he whispered again. He couldnt think of anything else to say.
Dannys scared of a little powerless ghosty. But seriously, he wasnt afraid of the ectopus-thing, whys he afraid of this one? Good question.
When hes a ghost, hes got a whole other set of instincts that come into play. They are still there when hes human, he can just push them aside a lot easier. When hes a ghost, hes extremely territorial and protective of things that are his and he reacts on that through fighting and power. When hes human, hes still going to be territorial and protective (keep reading
) but he is suppressing his ghostly fight reflex. So his natural human fear comes into play. It also shows just how scary the ghosts in my world are.
It was either that, or I wrote this not really knowing where the story was going or how odd it was going to be once I pointed it out, and then forgot to go back and change it thus having to make up an excuse as to why it doesnt REALLY make sense
Its one or the other.
Nay, it hiss-snarled, an evil chuckle now in its voice. Be thee scared? That last word sliced into him like a dagger, his body shuddering at the freezing feeling. Pray, child, answer me, the red eyes fixed into him and forced a small whimper out of his throat, what be thee?
A new feeling swirled in the deepest center of his body. It curled and stretched, growling at the ghosts power, snarling coldly in rage. Danny felt his eyes narrow, the vague burning sensation sweep through them. The shadowy ghost suddenly jumped into sharp focus it was little more than a hollow skull with red lights and a gruesome sneer. With a startled, echoing cry that couldnt be heard by mortal ears, Danny threw his hand out towards the ghost. The feeling from deep inside clawed into way up his chest, digging painfully as it cascaded into his outstretched arm and down to his fingers.
See? Ghost instincts coming into play when the invading ghost triggers them. XD Excuse is justified.
It leapt from his hand towards the ghost in a shower of green light. The ghost screamed in agony as the light slammed against it. Boney hands came up to shield its face as the scream turned into a deadly shriek. The creature, the ghost, the demon, whatever it was, fled through the wall, its poisonous wail echoing through the building.
Danny, shivering violently and staring at the hand that was still held up in the air, gave a low moan and sank back into his chair, eyes wild as they darted around the room. Nothing moved throughout the room. The other audience members didnt seem to have noticed the drama unfolding behind them.
For the next half-hour, he just sat there, unable to move, curled up around himself and trying to control his shaking. It wasnt until he watched the movie begin to wind down that he was able to put together a coherent sentence.
That was a ghost, he murmured to himself. That was a ghost.
On the screen, the woman Christine was sobbing over the death of one of the characters. That was a ghost, he mumbled, and
so am
Excuse the fact that I havent seen the movie. Ever. Hope she really does sob over whats-his-name.
The camera panned in on the dead man; a man that had struggled for so long to fight the confines of good or evil; a man whose true being lay hidden behind a mask and a terrible accident.
I am a ghost, Danny said with a little more conviction, but not quite able to hide the tremor in his voice. But not really. He held up his hand and studied the human skin, feeling his heart beat in his chest, reveling in the stale air that whispered in his lungs. Im human too. He let his hand drop into his lap as the credits began to roll.
What be thee? he rasped in a poor imitation of the shadowy creature. In the front of the theater, the patrons rose and made their way to the aisles and out the doors in the back. I dont know, he mussed to himself.
Falling in step with an older lady that was leaning heavily on her cane, Danny bit his tongue for a moment, thinking. There was a ghost in there, he informed her as he held open the door so she could pass. He wasnt sure why he said it, but it was too late to take back now.
The lady smiled at him. Dear, that wasnt a ghost.
Danny blinked. It wasnt? He was startled. Had she seen the shadowy thing as well?
She moved off down the hallway and Danny had to step quickly to catch up to her. She chuckled. It wasnt called the Ghost of the Opera, my dear. That was a Phantom.
Originally this took a turn right here. Danny then (obviously) figures out his super-hero handle. But I figure this is too quick. Its still day one (believe it or not), and I got a lot of angst planned for this guy before he can be too happy.
Danny smiled at her, nodding as he caught on. She hadnt seen anything but the movie.
He fell behind the other audience members, his eyes trained on the ground. The last thing he wanted to see was those dead, little creatures hovering around people as they walked. It was inanely creepy to know how many ghosts existed around them at every moment, yet nobody seemed to be able to see them but him.
As a yawn slipped out of him and he started for home, a thought flittered through his mind. At least they arent that dangerous.
*snort* Yeah, right. Knock on wood, ghost-boy.
--In real life, things arent always as they seem.
(end chapter 3)