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|Episode Details
|1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
|Character Design
|Series Story
|Episode Story
|Watch 4
|Devil Doll
Score: 63% = Watch; lots of adolescence symbolism but just too weird (fancy manga-style animation), confusing (requires Wikipedia to understand several characters' origin and motivation), lacking any likable or developing character; I prefer both Narutaru ~Mukuro naru hoshi Tama taru ko~ and Alien Nine to this one.
Last updated Friday, August 28 2009. Created Friday, August 28 2009.
|Buy 4
I watched this one a while back, over a year ago, but still remember it. It's a really good watch.. rather a buy. I'm not into music in anime but this one was pretty good. My usual scores for music is from 5-7 but this one rates about an 8. The animation was smooth and fluid... one of the things I really look at when choosing a series/oav to take my time on. What's even better was how it flopped from the normal animation to a southpark-ish paper cutout style, to a manga art.
It's definately an aquired taste. On the onset, you might get lost... rather, you "will" get lost and quite confused at what is going on, reality or imagination. The story unfolds quickly, almost insanely and if you don't pay attention, you'll end up giving up on this one after the first episode.. if you make it to the end. To be honest, I had to watch it twice to pick up on some of the things I didn't catch the first time.
The cool thing about this anime, what i loved about it was how the story takes you around a huge mad and insane round-about way of a simple.... coming-of-age tale. I loved it!
Last updated Saturday, June 07 2008. Created Saturday, June 07 2008.
|Watch 4
Well, we all knew it had to happen but finally Gainax have let their ambition get the best of them. Sure, having the animation style jump from Matrix to manga was interesting for about the first ten minutes, but where is the story to back this up?
To be fair, even Gainax's best anime (Gunbuster, Evangelion and Karekano) were twisted and experimental. But what these series also had were interesting plots and, more importantly, great characters. Here, Gainax pushes the stylistic elements of KareKano to the extreme; the animation skips back and forth from normal, to 3D, to deformed, to manga line drawings. What Gainax don't seem to realise is that KareKano and Evangelion suceeded despite- not because of- these artistic jumps. In FLCL, these stylistic elements dominate the series to such an extent that everything else gets pushed aside.
There's not even a trace of coherency in the storyline here; you could search for some deep "symbolism" and try to make sense of it all, but it looks suspiciously like the creators just inserted a bunch of random stuff they thought sounded fun (Mecha coming from a guys head? Hey great!...a guy with crazy eyebrows, why not?....) And the characters just chew up screen time by being 'uselessly energetic' and shouting a lot. And what is this series really supposed to be? Mecha action? Warped romantic comedy? Intense drama? We're left to wonder if even Gainax knew what the hell they were making.
Some fans will argue that this lazy self-indulgence is part of the deal with Gainax. But it can also be seen as arrogant. You get the feeling that Gainax knew their status in the anime world, and could slap together some incoherent nonsense and pass it off as 'artistic'. Reading the gushingly enthusiastic reviews below, I wonder if the joke's on us the audience.
Last updated Tuesday, July 29 2008. Created Tuesday, May 20 2008.
|Buy 4
The Pros: FLCL is an anime that incorporates plenty of insane comedic elements into a story of coming-of-age for a young boy approaching adolescence. The presence of Haruko and the robots in the storyline also create a twisted plot that will have viewers wondering if Haruko's actions with Naota make her one to be trusted. The series uses a mix of cultural references, sexual innuendo, slapstick comedy, and pure insanity to elaborate on the themes of coming-of-age that FLCL expresses, both mentally and sexually, which leave plenty of interpretations to be witnessed by those who watch it. In terms of animation, FLCL made use of a number of animation styles to elaborate on its themes of coming-of-age, which include manga sequences, bullet-time computer effects a la The Matrix, and even South Park style animation. Normal animated sequences looked smooth and flow fast to go along with the manic pace of the series. Such animation styles are to be expected from Gainax as their works always stand out from conventional anime.
The Cons: FLCL is not a series for those who prefer their anime to be slow paced and have simple plots. The events of the series go by quickly and it can take several watches before one can take in the complex amount of symbolism on coming-of-age the series portrays.
Facts on the Series:
-Animation director Hideaki Anno did voice work for the meowing of Naota's pet cat, Miyu Miyu.
-A manga version of the series was made compressing the events of the series into two volumes and is licensed in America by Tokyopop.
-The series proved to be a massive hit with audiences of Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block in its first airing in Summer 2003. This led the block to re-airing the series frequently in later years.
Last updated Saturday, January 05 2008. Created Saturday, January 05 2008.
|Unevaluated 4
I don't like to give a half-assed opinion on anime, but I wasn't able to give my complete attention to this title. It took just two episodes for me to get turned off. I know I should watch the entire thing, but it's just unbearable. I'm a person who likes their anime in a certain way. For those who enjoy a non-linear type of series, then this is it. For those (like myself) who like their anime straight to the point, this may not be the series for you. It starts off quite normally but then just loses all sense once the story rolls along. I guess I expected a lot after reading so many positive reviews. All I got to say is that you'll have to watch it for yourself. I'm gonna try to watch it all, but chances are that might not happen.
Last updated Tuesday, August 09 2005. Created Tuesday, August 09 2005.
|Buy 4
|Violet D
What can I say about FLCl it is bizarre and yet holds your attention. It is not for the young however. The story line holds your attention and the young boy telling the story adds a new twist. As he goes through these different transformations it grips your imagination and puts you in a diiferent dimension in your mind.
Last updated Monday, June 06 2005. Created Monday, June 06 2005.
|Buy 4
Being the long time anime fan that I am, I love it when I watch something that stops me dead in my tracks when I watch it. FLCL was one of those animes. The first time I watched it, I was like a lot of people and just kind said to myself, "What in the world was that?!?! After viewing now several times, I still see things that I missed before.
It is a coming of age story unlike you have ever seen before or will see again I am willing to wager. Much has been written on the web and in the media about this, but you have to judge it for yourself. The animation and music (provided mostly by the indie Japanese band The Pillows) are a cut above the rest. I don't think I have enjoyed a soundtrack as much since Cowboy Bebop or Macross Plus.
Gainax, the makers of such animes as Kane Kano, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Wings of Honneamise, and Mahoromatic, shows again why in my opinion why they are the best studio out there in anime. They never seem willing not to push the envelope in what can be done with anime.
One note I would make, this is not really for the younger viewers out there. There is a good seal of sexual overtones through much of the series given the subject matter.
Last updated Wednesday, February 02 2005. Created Wednesday, February 02 2005.
|Buy 4
The first time I watched this series, I think my first reaction was to fall on the ground twitching in confusion. Let's just say, if you intend to understand what's going on, you're not allowed to blink. Other than the confusion factor, FLCL is a hilarious series that is great for any anime fan. It's not the most fascinating story ever, being only six episodes long, but it certainly does leave you breathless.
Last updated Tuesday, February 01 2005. Created Tuesday, February 01 2005.
|Buy 4
Oh my god....
A very strange series that often leaves the question, "What The hell just happened?"
good review by Buzze and anonymous
It's a great show, full of laughs and action and not much sense.
All in all I think I would reccomend this series to any who has never been a fan of conventional anime.
Last updated Friday, January 28 2005. Created Friday, January 28 2005.
|Buy 4
|Mr Fuji
I heard of this before I saw it. When I first saw it I was blown away! The intensity and hectic nature of the animation hides the struggle of a boy with puberty and the problem of all young kids: bordom. A magnificent Anime made for Anime fans and oursiders alike. The shear intensity of the work can convert any anime hater.
Last updated Tuesday, December 14 2004. Created Tuesday, December 14 2004.
|Buy 4
Crazy. Absolutely crazy.
Here we go: a 12 year old being lusted after by his brother's 17 year old ex?-girlfriend gets hit in the head with a guitar swung by an alien woman on a vespa and proptly starts to spout robots out of his head, which said vespa-woman also hits in the head with said guitar. Combine with 1 perverted dad, 1 robot-saviour/inter-galazy theif, 1 pyro-maniac girl, and 6 episodes of unexplained, and nigh-unexplainable plot and characters, and you have a winning crazy anime.
Watch this many times, or don't watch it at all.
Last updated Thursday, July 29 2004. Created Thursday, July 29 2004.
|Buy 4
|Anonymous #1495
ok i have to point out..yes u need to understand sum anime to get this and dont expect to understand anythign at all until the end..when i watched the first episode of this show i was like..ok im gonna understand this once it ends...*eps 1 end* and im still just like..WUT THE HELL DID I JUST SEE!? then eps 2-3 comes and i still got NOTHING...then 4-6 makes MORE SENSE but i watched this like 5 times and i still miss stuff..this anime is really good tho. animation is awsome, characters r well developed and story is really good...once u find it..ppl complain that theres no story but thats untrue..u have to watch it all to find it tho haahah i loved this anime and the music was awsome..pillows are really great in this show..i heard it in english..terrible lol..i watched the japanese director commentaries and i could hella tell that he was lying when he said the english dubbing did a good job..think of the story sorta like..hmm confusing...like the instrumentality of eva and multiply the complexity by at least a million..then ull have like one element of FLCL's story figured. but dont let that stop u..this anime is awsome. and near perfect..too bad onli 6 eps tho
Last updated Friday, July 16 2004. Created Friday, July 16 2004.
|Buy 4
No matter how many times i have seen FLCL i still learn something new everytime i see it. Its a very fast paced and great anime
Last updated Tuesday, June 22 2004. Created Tuesday, June 22 2004.
|Watch 4
When I firsted watch this, it didnt register in my brain at all. It was like just watching the clouds all day. I've now seen it 3 full times, and its starting to make sense. As long as story is not your cup of tea, take a look, but don't try to understand it. It gives you a really bad heaache if you do
Last updated Monday, June 14 2004. Created Monday, June 14 2004.
|Buy 4
Okay. (Deep breath)^_^ Here we go. I'll just start by saying that it took me two tries to get it. The first time I watched it I laughed at the off-the wall humor and shots at various anime cliches. The second time I watched it, it was like a light switch had been thrown and I realized that there was a story--a serious, actually pretty sad story--underneath. A lot of people have given a lot of opinions about this story, so I'll give mine.
I think what's going on is not really all that complex of a storyline, to tell you the truth--it just takes a while to pick up on it through the constant, rapidly-fired dialogue. I think what's going on in FLCL is that evrything has been flipped. It's a coming-of-age story, except that the ideas in Naota's head--the chaotic jumble of thoughts and wishes and desires and emotions that are normal to adolescence--are on the outside instead of the inside. They are things rather than ideas--they come out of his head-- and affect the people around him--in the most literal possible way. Who knows, this whole story might not be intended to be taken literally--maybe it's all symbolism for what's going on in Naota's life. Then again, maybe I'm thinking too hard. ^_^
I liked the music in this. I don't normally like this type, but it was a very good fit to the show. It backed up the surreal animation very well--I actually got a little freaked out in a couple of places when the music and animation was creepy and tense enough. I see that as a good thing.
The bad thing is, so much of the humor and so many of the connections between ideas in this show have to do with Japanese wordplay. The dubbers did a very good job, I thought, of making most of them make sense anyway, but it would still be nice to get the full irony that comes with the original language.
Again, I liked this anime. I'd reccomend it to two groups of people: people who want to take the challenge pick out wordplay and symbolism and feel the satisfaction af finding a method to the madness and people who want to just kind of kick back and enjoy the ride. And it is a wierd ride, believe me. (Lol. Does anyone else feel like they're on Reading Rainbow when they do this? "Don't take my word for it..." ^_^)
Last updated Saturday, June 12 2004. Created Saturday, June 12 2004.
|Buy 4
this is an amazing anime. it's from gainax so what do you expect. theres just something great about being hit in the head with a bass by a chick who drives a flying vespa, your brothers old girlfriend who has the hots for you because you remind her of your brother, a father thats a gossipy journalist, a robot that sprung from your head, and the fate of the world in your hands at some point.
Last updated Friday, April 23 2004. Created Friday, April 23 2004.
|Buy 4
This is the "Lost Highway" of anime, but its less secretive.
Quite frankly for me this is what an OAV should be, eventhough it really doesnt make sense in the way most people want it to, the quirky high action subversive and ironic plot to this story mold together to create what is perhaps a new standard to all anime. Things suche as Eri wearing the USSR/CCCP shirt as the mayors daughter, and all of the animation changes are so well done that they are ignored. the mostimportnt note however is dont watchit when tired, only two things can come out of it, wide awke confusion, or an odd want to know what that band that palyed in the backround.
Last updated Tuesday, April 13 2004. Created Saturday, April 03 2004.
|Buy 4
|Anonymous #1298
Last updated Saturday, March 27 2004. Created Saturday, March 27 2004.
|Buy 4
When I first saw this anime, I was thinking "Whaaaa....." My brain was actually thinking on what the hell they were doing. This anime has action, girls and alot of weirdness, I was a huge beginner in anime, and this is my first weird anime> You're in for a rough ride if you are a beginner too. Please appreciate this wonderful classic, errr, i mean, WEIRDNESS.
Last updated Sunday, January 11 2004. Created Sunday, January 11 2004.
|Buy 4
FLCL must be watched more than once.
I really hated the show after the first 3 episodes on fansub but hung on. After watching it all, I still didn't get what the fuss was about thinking it was waaaaay overated.
When I found out it was gonna air on Cartoon Network, I quickly bought the last dvd volume with box cuz I knew people were gonna go nuts for it since it seems to be a fan favorite.
I'M GLAD I DID! I changed my mind about everything and its amazing! Alot of thought was put into the show even though it seems like complete nonsense all the time.
Its worth checking out. You may not understand anything at first, or may not at all. Just give it time to work it in your system^_^
Last updated Wednesday, November 19 2003. Created Wednesday, November 19 2003.
|Buy 4
well I decided to watch some episodes because someone on a hentai forum mentioned it as "fooly cooley". and my impression is definately a good one, for one thing it is made by Gainax. plenty of eye candy via computer generated cg and some pretty nice animation. only problem was trying to absorb the anime in full the first time i watched it, too much for a hentai fan to try and absorb in one watch.
buy the domestic dvds, the companies deserve every penny =)
Last updated Saturday, November 01 2003. Created Wednesday, October 29 2003.
|Buy 4
|Anonymous #1046
I'm not a huge anime fan. I like things like Akira, Jin Roh, Cowboy Bebop, etc...I never got into Ranma 7/8 or whatever the hell it is called. Anyhoo,
Furi Kuri I like.
After watching the 1st episode, I sat there and was like "WTF, over?" It didn't make any sense. In fact, nothing in it really makes sense until the final episode. And then you sit back and go "Oh...ok".
I've seen both the English Dub and the japanese version. The Dub is awesome. It doesn't detract from the story like most dubs. In fact, I like the dub version better, if for the only reason I love the voice of Haruko. Very playful and full of mischief. The character of Haruko is a highlight for the series. The scene in episode four where she gets the massage...sorry getting distracted.
The other characters shine as well. The father is fun to watch and the final scene where he discusses why they can't do the manga format is hilarious.
Overall, this is great stuff. My only wish? That there are more than six epeisodes.
Last updated Wednesday, October 29 2003. Created Wednesday, October 29 2003.
|Buy 4
Nothing out of the amazing ever happens, it's just the same old same old.
There's nothing amazing, just the norm ...
Enter Naota, a young boy having trouble finding his way through life since his brother left to the US to play baseball. He lives his boring life in a boring city that seems like a prison, guarded by the insanely large factory, where medical machines are made by Medical Mechanica.
And then he gets hit by the Vespa-woman called Haruhara Haruko, who then wallops him over the head with a guitar. After this, nothing will be the same anymore.
People who claim to understand what's going on after seeing all episodes just once: they lie.
People who claim the same after seeing all episodes 10 times: they lie too!
People who try to compare this with Excel Saga because both don't make sense are definitely wrong. They both make sense, but you have to work for it!
Lots of things are not explained in this story: who are Medical Mechanica? Who are the pirates? Who is Atomsk? What is commander Amarao's organisation? And above all: what's with the eyebrows?
FLCL combines an intriguing story with an amazing animation and an excellent music score. Some people might consider the art below average, but in my opinion: less is more. I like it a lot.
The story doesn't reveil much of what is going on, few things are thoroughly explained. It's a bit like Star Wars, where the first movie actually is the fourth, and the first three aren't made yet (and yes, I know this comparison is out of date!) which leaves a lot for your own interpretation.
The animation is great. It combines normal anime with animated manga, matrix- and southparkparody, and some fighting scenes are the best I've ever seen. (The fight in the barbershop and the paintball-game for example.)
Downside to this whole thing is the fact that you have to see it a few times before you even start to get an idea of what's going on. At first, the animation and music demand most of your attention. This means that some people might become disappointed before finishing the serie. Oh, and the serie is way too short!
Best character: Naota's father
Best moment: Naota's father talking about hamsters.
update: if you like some answers: read the manga.
There's one catch: the overall story just becomes more confusing after two volumes. Can't wait to get the rest!
Last updated Friday, September 24 2004. Created Friday, October 24 2003.
|Buy 4
FuriKuri is sooo cool it is confusing.watch it,like it,buy it is what u will probably do.it gets confusing but continue to watch and u will figure it out.buy it.if u r out of $$(like me) then watch it over and over till u get more $$.WATCH IT U WILL LIKE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!did i mention to WATCH IT AND BUY IT!!!!!!!!!
Last updated Saturday, September 13 2003. Created Saturday, September 13 2003.
|Rent 4
On one hand, it is very cool. On the other, it's way over hyped.
Excellent music, great animation, very fast paced, it doesn't get boring or hit any lulls. I enjoyed it. Discussions involving sporks and South Park references, what's not to like? There's just tons of fantastic detail that went into this one.
However, I wouldn't describe it as brilliant as I've seen so many do. I think because it's so manic and nonsensical that people try to impose some great message or order that isn't really there, just so they can squeeze FLCL into a FLCL shaped box.
If you're just looking for some entertainment--and don't mind if it doesn't make a lot of sense--FLCL is a good pick. However, lots of people don't like it or aren't nearly as impressed as everyone says they should be. Check it out, you might like it--then again you might not.
Last updated Thursday, September 11 2003. Created Thursday, September 11 2003.
|Buy 4
|Anonymous #938
i have to admit, this was the first anime show/movie i have ever seen. i think it is a good one to watch if youre not so experience because it doesnt get annoying or boring.
the robots coming out of the head, the little details about the drinks and the curry and the fighting scenes with the bass were rad. i would never have thought of it. and even if it was sort of confusing, the music is still great.
oh yes, now im hooked on anime.
Last updated Tuesday, August 26 2003. Created Tuesday, August 26 2003.
|Buy 4
FLCL will not hold your hand and lead you gently through its twists and turns. Point blank: FLCL is probably the weirdest anime ever produced. Yes, even weirder than Excel Saga! But the weirdest part is: this series actually works!
The art is basic GAINAX design, but the animation is where FLCL really shines. This series used all sorts of video and digital wizardry; no expense was spared, and it shows! Character movements are fluid, colors are sharp and vivid, and it's almost like watching HDTV. You won't believe how beautiful FLCL looks!
FLCL's music is brought to you by a previously-little-known group called The Pillows. Their brand of energetic J-rock with a peppy, upbeat tone is not to be missed! Songs like "Little Busters" and "Ride On Shooting Star" hit a poignant, but pleasant, note and fit perfectly in the production! This series possibly represents the best marriage of appropriate music and anime ... ever!
I gave lower scores to the "story" ratings mostly to acknowledge that most people will not get FLCL on the first try. In fact, anyone who tells you that they understood this series on the first viewing is a liar! To wit, it should be noted that exposition does exist in FLCL ... it's just sprinkled throughout. If you want to know what I mean, look at the fourth episode (it explains what is going on with Naota's head) and PAY ATTENTION. The details are there, but they are parsed out bit by bit. Some very important story notes are hidden in all the overt wackiness!
Kudos go to Synch Point for creating a dub that heralds the Japanese voice acting, yet stands on its own as a near masterpiece! With all the characters shouting over each other and all the Japanese references, coupled with the overall quick pace of the show ... FLCL is probably the most difficult anime to try to dub, yet Synch Point pulled it off with nary a hitch! The dub, which is airing for a short time on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim, is not to be missed!
Overall, FLCL is not perfect. But, what is? This is probably GAINAX's finest work. At six all-too-short episodes, there's no reason why any anime fan (though fans who have experienced many titles may catch more of the in-jokes) should not experience FLCL! Strap in and hold on ... it's a weird ride!
Last updated Thursday, August 21 2003. Created Thursday, August 21 2003.
|Watch 4
At the beggining, it's kinda confusing cause you don't know what the characters are talkin about. As you keep watching, you'll understand the whole story. I really liked how the whole thing is played out. The thing about it is that it's short, 1-6 episodes came out.
Last updated Monday, August 18 2003. Created Monday, August 18 2003.
|Buy 4
|Aaron Agassi
The first episode establishes background and setting, the environs of the town, a landscape dominated by the Medical Machina plant resembling nothing so much as a giant smoke belching steam iron on a flat featureless expanse, and the inciting events, the arrival of the electric guitar wielding alien girl on her motor scooter mysteriously drawn into town by the strange growths appearing on the head of the protagonist. And the final episode wraps things up and explains everything. Not to say that anything makes all that much sense, however, it is explained!
The show basically follows the familiar sexists sex fantasy of anime aimed at young girls, of a hapless male contended for by multiple crazy and conniving aggressive females. -An ego fantasy for men, a power fantasy for unformed young girls, by which they are to be drawn into socialization and indoctrination. Except that, 'FLCL', produced, after all, by Gainax studios, "anime by nerds for nerds", and being by far more literate than the likes of 'Tenchi Muyo', subverts this mold, presenting romantic interests, not little women but misfits, not as they might appear, simply demanding, crazy and conniving, but difficult to understand, following complicated motivation. Likewise, the youthful protagonist, is not merely clueless, but deep and withdrawn, struggling.
Along with the chronically lying brazen and fearless alien girl, the protagonist struggles to come to terms with the winsome troubled lonely pheromone reeking apparently homeless chain-smoking probable arsonist schoolgirl girlfriend of the protagonist's elder brother gone to America to play baseball, and also cope with the protagonist's schoolmates and eccentric family. And as well as difficult courtship, sexual tension, heck, borderline child molestation! of the moody twelve year old protagonist, there are complications, lies, ulterior agendas, romantic triangles, jealousy and rejection.
Aside from complicating side plots and subplots, the formula of each episode remains fairly consistent. As soon as the emotional climax of our precocious protagonists girl troubles and issues pressed thereby arrives, the central problems are similarly resolved, and in a flash, as yet another giant robot springs forth from the brow of the protagonist, only to be kabonged by the electric guitar wielding alien girl on the motor scooter!
All in all, a pretty efficient system, as human interaction goes.
Depth of characterization, growth, surrealism, dazzling action, high production values and beautiful art design, often risqué and always loony comic relief, plus memorable background music from the hither to somewhat obscure Japanese Garage Band, The Pillows, have engendered a consensus of enthusiastic acclaim for the challenging, incomprehensible and difficult to follow but always very cool FLCL miniseries, all six half hour episodes, now running in the USA on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim late night programming block.
Last updated Saturday, August 16 2003. Created Saturday, August 16 2003.
|Buy 4
FLCL is an unbelievably awesome series, in fact, I believe it to be the pinnacle of Gainax's works. The director of this series was told by Anno to just do everything because the director was really unsure of what to do. That's probably why he tossed everything from romance/comedy, action, mecha, and whole bunch of other stuff. Now I know what you're thinking "It doesn't make any sense." Well, if you were to really get the series, you need to be familiar with Japanese culture in terms of growing up.
See the thing about FLCL is that it's a story about staying a child. The town it takes place in represents childhood and the reason you can't see beyond the town (notice it's always a skyline that seems to be just an endless sky) is because it's an analogy of how kids don't fully see the world around them like adults. Also some of the confusing stuff comes from the drinks and the curry. If you notice at first, Naoto doesn't enjoy sour drinks, and in Japanese culture, only kids drink sweet drinks while the adults drink the sour stuff. Or the curry which you notice in episode 4, where it is spicy. Well only adults eat spicy curry in Japan because kids can't take it. And you notice that eyebrows doesn't like the spicy stuff, and yes, it's because he's just a huge kid. And you notice he has to stick eyebrows on to him because he's just a big kid trying to look like an adult.
Also, there's the numerous phallic symbolisms in the story which is to show puberty. Mamimi is basically a child who's grown up but doesn't want to (she wants to stay a child just like everyone else in the town). The reason she grew up is because she did something ecchi with Naoto's brother so she was forced to grow up but since she didn't want to, she was stuck in limbo. This is just for those who see it and are confused. There's no real plot unless you considered sheer randomness to show childhood and growing up in tandem a plot.
The animation, my goodness, how do I even start? The animation was so fluid and superb it was unbelievable. They really used a lot of cell counts for each movement which is what rawked. The music was also pretty kickass. The ending is just an awesome jrock that is just cool. All in all it was a kickass series that tells us not to grow up so fast, which is why it probably wasn't popular in Japan because in Japanese culture, growing up as fast as you can is kinda the idea they put into kid's minds.
Last updated Saturday, August 16 2003. Created Saturday, August 16 2003.
|Buy 4
This is a series which takes some getting used to. After watching the first episode, I knew I would need to watch it again before part two if I was to have any idea what was going on. I did, but still couldn't say exactly what was happening. What was real and what was imaginary? Did a robot really pop out of that kid's forehead, or was that some sort of artsy-fartsy "in" joke? My father once told me that things are funny when they are not what you expected, but you realise that they still make some sense. There were certainly plenty of unexpected things happening during FLCL, but whether they made any sense was initially hard to say. The first few episodes had me in a fluster--keeping track of the plots of series which comply to the rules of logic and physics is hard enough. I know nothing about the significance of sweet-versus-sour soft drinks, or eyebrows, not to mention robots popping out of people's foreheads, so I didn't "get" a lot of the jokes. The last three episodes made more sense to me; I was afraid there would be no semi-rational conclusion to the story (and maybe not even an ongoing story at all), but there was--sort of. There must be something I like about this show, because Cartoon Network is replaying it for the fifth time, and I've rewatched it each time. Maybe I do it because each time I notice something which slipped by me before, and this new tidbit is both amusing and makes the series as a whole make more sense. I think I'm finally starting to appreciate what a gem this show really is (the dubbing is one of the best things about it--it's hard to believe that FLCL was originally made in another language). The first time around I felt it was a good thing that the series consisted of only six episodes, or else I feared my brain might melt. Now I think I could (and gladly would) handle some more of the same. I'm still trying to figure out who or what "Atamisk" is, though.
P.S., Eric Gaede at THEManime says "Furi Kuri" is Japanese slang for "ass fondling", or something like that.
My favorite line: "I said to get the one with the Anna Nicole centerfold! Can't you get anything right?!"
8/03 #50
Last updated Wednesday, February 13 2008. Created Sunday, August 10 2003.
|Buy 4
|Gai Daikoji
This series does truly symbolize the phrase, WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED!?!?!
I think this anime is just great all around in its parodies of everything from south park to the matrix all in awesome style.
This is defenitley an anime for all the post modernists out there because it does play around with different ways of looking at things, and when roboy is flying through the sky in his red suit, i just cant help but think about the painting red center.
But i think the words of that classic anime Urusei Yatsura sum it up:
Weird weird weird, space is super weird.
Lets put weird and weird together and make things even weirder.
When things get weirder they get fun!
Last updated Wednesday, August 06 2003. Created Wednesday, August 06 2003.
|Rent 4
FLCL is...well different. You have a 12-year old boy named Naota (mostly refered to as Ta-kun) who's brother is in America. He lives with his father and grandfather at the small bread store they run. His brother's odd 17-year old girlfriend Mamimi has latched onto Naota for sexual and emotional gratification. Then Haruko-san comes on the scene and bops him on the head with her guitar. After that, things get really weird with robots and other strange things coming out of his head.
Personally, this isn't my kind of anime. I will admit to laughing a few times though including a couple of belly laughs. There is a lot of symbolism in this title, a lot more than your average anime. I watched it twice in English and once in Japanese and while I was able to actually understand what was going on the 2nd time through, it still isn't my kind of anime. I will say this, the English dub may be the best one ever done. Great care has been given to the casting of the series and the English VA's are matched well with their Japanese seiyuu counterparts. And they even included many of the honorifics in they English script (except -sama and a few -kun references). That's always a plus with me and it proves that an English dub can be very faithful (little domestication) to the original Japanese and be a HUGE success with American audiences (ie: casual anime fans). It is a shame that such a small company does such a fine job while so many of the big distributors can't be bothered. Kudos to Synch-Point!
The art is fine, but I didn't see anything over specail special about. Same thing for the animation. While there are no complaints, I saw a lot of cost-saving stuff done here to (distance shots, stills with flowing hair, pan-stills, etc.). The character designs are different. There are elements to let you know you are watching an anime title, but at times, the characters just looked ugly to me. I'm sure this was done on purpose though, considering the nature of FLCL. ;-P
Bottom line: it is odd, different, weird, bizarre, etc. Gainax fans will love this title as will those looking for stuff "out of the mainstream". Given the great care given to the R1 release, if you like this title, PLEASE buy it and send a message that you appreciate the fine work Synch-point did and that you'd like more distrobution companies follow their lead.
Last updated Saturday, November 08 2003. Created Tuesday, August 05 2003.
|Buy 4
Furi Kuri looks at first a lot like Excel Saga. However Excel Saga doesn't make any sense really...
I just checked the FLCL : The Movie o_-a which is Episode 1-6 junctioned together. A bit dissapointed since I thought it was the sequel. I WISH FOR A SEQUEL!
One thing is for sure. You gotta be kinda open minded to like this anime. I'm pretty sure that a lot of mine friends wouldn't like it. Anyways, I would totally recommend anyone to check this out. It's weird, funny with lots-o-action! Do not forget to re-view FLCL if you wanna fully understand everything...which is hard but as good as it is, you won't probably get bored.
I gotta say...this is the anime with the best soundtrack. I love the background music. I love 'em a lot! "The Pillows" are simply incredible!
In a few words, I loved every aspect of the movie/episodes. Easily on my Top 5 Favorite Anime Movie.
Last updated Tuesday, July 22 2003. Created Tuesday, July 22 2003.
|Buy 4
|Tomasu Itchimoto
I realy dont to what to say its hard to explain this series without making it sound a little stupid but it one of the best animes I have seen in a while.
It might take a while to understand whats going on but by the 4th or 5th episode you have a good idea whats going on. Defenetly worth the buy. Warning though some of the pplz at my school that have seen it have been doing strange things like buying exspencive gitairs they cant play and coming to skool with fake eyebrows on i'm not kidding.
Last updated Friday, December 20 2002. Created Friday, December 20 2002.
|Buy 4
This is a fine example of weird as hell anime that excels. Furi Kuri isn't the kind of anime that comes along everyday, it's a one of a kind deep, weird, and funny concoction. The animation is outstanding, as well as those great Gainax character designs. The music is fantastic. Ride on shooting star is one of my favorite songs, and on the import dvd, the ride on shooting star music video was an extra. The Pillows really do a great job for the music. Naota and Haruko were both very intriging characters, with Naota being interesting to see how he reacts to what's happening around him and Haruko being absolutely hilarious and very mysterious, I LOVE Haruko's voice! All the bass guitar stuff was very interesting and I'm still wondering what was with that bracelet thing Haruko was wearing. Naota's dad was funny too, watch for him dressing up as a Nazi to fight against Naota in combat and talk about the manga Initial D, saying that it's a manga everyone loves. The guy with the 'eyebrows' was pretty strange but interesting and Mamimi was, um, odd. I still don't get the stuff about Naota's brother but the ending was really good! A highly reccomended anime for people who've seen a lot of Gainax stuff.
Last updated Wednesday, October 16 2002. Created Wednesday, October 16 2002.
|Buy 4
Shinseiki Evangelion was my favourite anime for a very long period. But I've changed my mind when I watched Furi-Kuri.
Weird. Unusual. No, these words don't make this anime justice. I got it! It's just "brain-squishing" anime. Do you want to be happy for a while? Do you want to enjoy being weird? Do you want to answer all the questions with just the stupid smile? Watch Furi-Kuri.
One more reason of liking it. Furi-Kuri is really made for hardcore otaku:
1. No famous seiyuu were involved in the production. The voices of teenage anime heroes were made by teenage actors.
2. Various animation styles were used:
excepting regular, there were 3D animation, SD, animated manga and so on.
3. Furi-Kuri was released in DVD and VHS. It was the first case in the history of anime, when the original DVD came with english subtitles! Does Gainax threat international otaku? It's hard to imagine but it's possible.
4. There's an awesome otaku character - Naota's father, Kamon Nandaba.
There also some just cool looking things:
1. Time slowing technique in the best traditions of "The Matrix" and John Woo movies. It's when flying man stops in the air and camera goes several circles around him.
2. Very fine blows and earthquakes!
3. Battles where the bass-guitars are used as the weapons!
4. Agent Amarao and his... eyebrows...
But I have a word of caution: if you're not very experienced on anime, you should better avoid Furi-Kuri. You may only hurt yourself, mentally and physically. Gainax entered the new millenium with this anime so it's made in a brand new thinking way.
Last updated Sunday, August 11 2002. Created Sunday, August 11 2002.
|Buy 4
Furi Kuri is excellent. Incredible animation combined with humor, hyperkinetic action, and an engaging, strange story set to the music of the Pillows. I've heard it described as Lain crossed with DiGi Charat with some Evangelion thrown in. This is not really accurate, but it's close enough to give you a vague idea of the tone of Furi Kuri.
The first two episodes really blew me away with their unbelievable computer enhanced animation. While in later episodes it goes downhill a bit, at one point sinking to the level of a South Park parody (groan), FLCL still stands as some of the best animation to date. Certainly, with its multiple styles, it is some of the most unique. Matrix bullet-time, animated manga, super deformed...FLCL continually explores visual style, that while not always successful, is consistantly interesting. The character designs are by Eva's own Sadamoto Yoshiyuki and are they work very well for this series. Interesting mecha designs, too, though not spectacular.
The music is done completly by the Pillows, a Japanese band with an alternative sound. The song hooks are insanely catchy and one finds himself humming the tunes for days. The Japanese voice cast turns in an excellent performance, keeping pace with the insane story and managing to be manic without becoming shrill and irritating.
The manic pacing and bizarre story may turn off some veiwers initially, but I urge them to stick it out, as I found the series to be a rewarding experience. It might be best to get some Gainax under your belt first like Wings of Honneamise and Evangelion. However, those used to Gainax's trademarked wierdness should have no problem with FLCL.
NOTE: FLCL has finally been released by Synch Point.
Last updated Wednesday, October 09 2002. Created Thursday, November 01 2001.
|Buy 4
|Mark Clifton
When you first watch this anime, you'll ask yourself this question "What The Hell?" Indeed, it took me two or three times before I understood what the hell was going on. Once I did, however, I began to throughly enjoy this OVA Series of a boy who keeps growing monsters from his head and the girl from space with scotter and a guitar to bash his head in.
Some of its best parts is when it turns suddenly into a moving Manga, another part is when it parodies South Park. And of course, who could forget the Lupin parody either (with lots and lots of guns... everywhere). This series is brought to you by Gainax, proud makers of the Eva Series! Also, thanks from a former Translater from AnimEigo, Michael House, Volumes 2-6 are also all subtitled in English... something usually never seen on a Domestic Japanese DVD.
This series is a must have! Even if you don't like it, you can always show it to friends and say "This is Anime!" Hey, it's better than just showing DBZ.
Last updated Thursday, May 10 2001. Created Thursday, May 10 2001.
Other Sites
|Furi Kuri
|Excellent site with tons of info on FLCL including licensing news
|Furi Kuri
|Synch-Point's FLCL Site
|The guys that brought us this title have their own FLCL site.
|FLCL World
|Your ultimate FLCL anime and manga resource. Wallpapers, images, clips, episode guides, music, bios, and much more!


text:
The X Factor Jukebox is ready and waiting to leap into action this Saturday, with you, the public, deciding on a song for each act to perform via Twitter.
For the first time this series, the Final 5 will be singing not one, but TWO tracks, with the second song chosen for them by their mentor.
With Simon losing his final Over on Sunday, find out what Cheryl, Nick and Rita picked for their contestants below...
The Little Black dress is a classic style staple – click here to shop the look with Very.co.uk now…
This year, The X Factor has teamed up with Very.co.uk to bring you the latest looks and trend-led edits selected by X Factor's head stylist, Gemma Sheppard: www.very.co.uk/x-factor
Everybody needs an LBD in their wardrobe – click here to shop the look now…
Each week, Very.co.uk will be shining the Fashion Spotlight on key pieces for the season, and don't forget, you can also steal your favourite contestant's style straight from the stage here: www.very.co.uk/x-factor
A Little Black Dress is the perfect choice for those last minute parties! Click here to shop the look with Very.co.uk now…
If you're loving a particular act's style, or just want to give your wardrobe The X Factor, head over towww.very.co.uk/x-factor to find the hottest looks and latests trend this winter.
Sponsored by
We hope you're hungry – It's this week's Pizza Party! We've got Ché Chesterman taking on the mighty Box Clever challenge, the lovely 4th Impact girls describing life in the UK and a quick-fire quiz featuring all the remaining contestants.
All that, plus incredible Domino's Pizza UK deals! Download the app, hit 5th Judge and prepare to feast! http://bit.ly/dominospizzaparty
Talk Becky Talk hits The X Factor Live Shows, and thanks to Very.co.uk, gets an access all areas sneak peek at what goes on at the studio.
Watch as Becky goes behind-the-scenes at Sunday's Results Show, with the YouTuber even managing to play Nathan Sykes piano AND catch up with our very own Ché Chesterman.
Louisa Johnson has revealed that she is "so grateful" to have made The X Factor quarter finals, stating that despite getting praise each week, she STILL wants to get better!
We caught up with the Essex girl to find out more of what we can expect from her in the competition and here's what we found out…
Happy Birthday Rita!
To celebrate our feisty Judge's 25th birthday, here's 10 reasons why we're totally in love with the singer…

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Café Murano – If your budget won't stretch to Murano, check out Angela Hartnett's relaxed and affordable alternative on St James's Street. The menu has a Northern Italian focus so expect monkfish tail with brown shrimps and golden raisins, gnocchi with ceps, and a daily changing selection of ice-creams.
Earlham Street Clubhouse – Thin-crust pizza by the slice, Soul Shakers cocktails, and an East Coast beach club vibe; what's not to love about this Earlham Street newcomer?
Sticks 'n' Sushi – Having won over Wimbledon with their expertly prepared sushi and Japanese snacks on sticks, the Danish restaurant group have opened a new site in Covent Garden. There's a huge range of sushi and sashimi to choose from, as well as skewers, tempura shrimp bites and duck wraps.
The Jones Family Project – Now open on Great Eastern Street, the team behind this all-day bar-restaurant promise carefully sourced ingredients and a small but perfectly formed wine list. They're open for breakfast right through to dinner with a menu that includes house-cured brandy salmon, venison haunch with red wine and pomegranate sauce, and steaks cooked on their Josper grill.
Churchill's Port House – London's first pop-up port bar has set up home in Soho to serve a variety of ports, wines and tapas dishes until late February. They're open Thursday to Saturday with a no-nonsense list of eight ports and five wines. You can snack on cheese and charcuterie boards or put together a feast of things like chilli and garlic prawns, pork terrine, and foie gras served with figs and port jelly.
Foxlow – Good luck getting a table at this new St John Street restaurant from the Hawksmoor boys. If you do manage to squeeze in, you can look forward to charcoal grilled Iberico pork pluma, Brixham crab with devilled mayo, and slow-smoked bacon ribs and beef shortrib.
Rita's Bar & Dining – After the success of their residency at Birthdays in Dalston, Rita's Bar & Dining will reopen in a new permanent home in Hackney on the 19th. Menu details are yet to be released but we've heard that former Salt Yard head chef Andrew Clarke has joined their kitchen team.
House of Ho – Celeb chef Bobby Chinn launches his first UK restaurant in Soho this month. Details are being kept under wraps but Viet food fans can expect dishes like lemongrass chicken wings, five spiced quail, sake steamed clams, and smoked aubergine with scallion vinaigrette.
Boopshi's – If you need a break from small plates and 'dude food', head for this schnitzel and spritz bar opening near Goodge Street on the 25th. Brothers Ed and Ben Robson will be serving schnitzels made with British rose veal, free-range chicken and rare breed pork, along with Prosecco on tap, an exclusive Camden Town Brewery beer, and some signature spritzes.
On The Bab – At the end of the month, the team behind Koba and Nizuni will open a new Korean joint on Old Street. On The Bab will serve flavoured soju (Korean rice liquor) and cocktails, along with 'anju' dishes which are the Korean equivalent of bar snacks (as far as we can tell). Drop in for kimchi arancini, yangyum chicken, spring onion pancakes, and spicy seafood stew.


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The Origin of the "Zips" Nickname
University of Akron 'ZIPS' is one of the more unique nicknames
in college sports today. With the Zips' more recent athletic
success, it is not uncommon for a U of A sports fan to get an
inquisitive look usually followed by the question, "Excuse me, but what
exactly is a 'Zip'?".
original nickname was the 'Zippers' named after a rubber shoe popular
in the early 1900's made by the BF Goodrich Company. With Akron
being the rubber capital of the world, it seemed fitting to use
a nickname with a local flair. The name was determined by a campus-wide
contest conducted by the college newspaper. Some of the names submitted
by the students and alumni included the Golden Blue Devils, Tip
Toppers, Rubbernecks, Hillbilies, Kangaroos, and Cheveliers. The
winner was Margaret Hamlin who received a prize of $10.
the zipper replaced the button-fly in a common pair of pants, it
became apparent that the University should reconsider the nickname.
In 1950, athletic director Kenneth 'Red' Cochrane officially shortened
the nickname to the 'Zips'.
OK, so what about Zippy?
"Zippy" the kangaroo
was officially declared The University of Akron's mascot on May
1, 1953. Chair of a committee to suggest a mascot, All-American
Zip diver Bob Savoy recommended the kangaroo and it was approved
by the student council.
At first much resentment and apathy
surrounded the decision, which was made without the benefit of
a campus wide vote. Defenders of the kangaroo countered with, "it
is an animal that is fast, agile and powerful with undying determination
- all the necessary qualities of an athlete."
Pete Demming appeared as the first
"Zippy" kangaroo at the inaugural Acme-Zip football game
in 1954.
Now fully accepted and an integral part of UA's athletics program, "Zippy" is revered by alumni and loved by children.
Listen to the University of Akron Fight Song
University of Akron Fight Song Lyrics
portions from www.gozips.com
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November 27, 2015
Ala. Senate approves education budget like House
MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - The Alabama Senate has approved an education budget that closely resembles the one that was approved by the House last week.
The Senate voted unanimously Thursday for the $5.5 billion budget. The budget now goes back to the House for review of changes made by the Senate.
Senate budget committee Chairman Hank Sanders called the bill "a miracle budget." He said the legislative session began in January with big cutbacks expected. But the proposed budget will fund all state-paid teacher units and maintain the Alabama Reading Initiative and similar programs.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Click Here to access the online Public Inspection File
Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or email@example.com.


text:
Park City, Utah 84060
Park City, Utah - 84060
Why Choose Sprague?
With over 85 years of experience in the pest control industry, Sprague offers the people of Park City, UT, and surrounding areas unmatched, and unquestionably superior, pest control and pest prevention services. We are devoted to removing any pests that have been infesting your homes or businesses. We have families of our own, and we understand and see the need to have peace and comfort in your homes. We also understand the need for commercial facilities to be free of pests and protect their brand. Call Sprague today to find out how we can provide the peace of mind that comes with knowing you are pest free.
Spider Control In Park City UT
Is your home being infested with spiders? These pests, though not as damaging as cockroaches or other insects, can be very frightening and make you and your family feel insecure. Sprague offers extremely effective spider control for homes in Park City. Some of our spider control methods include:
Sticky traps and pheromone traps
Prevention Applications
Tri-Annual Spider Treatment Plan
If you are having a problem with spider or insects in your Park City home or business, contact Sprague Pest Solutions today.
Park City Fumigations And Alternatives
At Sprague, we are your local fumigation experts. Fumigations are ideal for pest infestations in grains, seed, and processed foods. In our ongoing efforts to be environmentally friendly, we now also offer green fumigation alternatives. Some of these alternative fumigation methods include:
Heat treatments
Mass Trapping
C02 & Phosphine
For more information on fumigation or environmentally friendly fumigation alternatives available in Park City, Utah, contact Sprague today.
Park City UT Rat Control
Rats can be a very troublesome and difficult pest to deal with. They will infest your home or business and contaminate any food products they come into contact with. Rats are well known for spreading many different diseases, and also pose serious fire hazards when they chew on electrical wires. Our effective rat treatment plan will begin with a thorough inspection of your facility, and from there we will customize a treatment plan specifically for your situation. Contact Sprague today for a free quote on rat control.
Green Pest Control In Utah
At Sprague, we are not only devoted and pledged to exterminating and removing any unwanted pests, but we also are committed to protecting the environment and doing all that we can to make the world a safer and healthier place to live. We do this by substituting harmful exterminating solutions with more environmentally friendly alternatives. For example, instead of using gases or harmful chemicals to remove certain insects, such as bed bugs, we offer a more effective and eco-friendly heat treatment. The insects are killed simply by raising the heat of the room past their tolerance level. For more information about the green pest control options available in Park City, contact Sprague today.


text:
A place committed to Detroit and committed to creating was just ripped off.
The Red Bull House of Art at Detroit's Eastern Market was robbed on Mother's Day weekend. But the robber didn't have an eye for priceless pieces. He cleared out the gallery's supplies but was caught in the act by surveillance cameras.
Table saws, drills, even speakers were spotted on a trolly. When the alarms sounded and police arrived, employees told say officers couldn't find evidence of a break-in. No windows were broken and there was no sign of forced entry. That's because the man knew there was another way into the House of Art -- through the door in the attached apartments.
"That is scary to think about," said Erika Brockberg. "Especially because he figured out the way to get in through my building but that's just scary."
Brockberg lives in the building attached to the Red Bull House of Art. She's stunned the Eastern Market hot spot was a target and that her building was the key to his crime.
"I think this type of thing does a lot of sway people from coming to the area," said Brockberg. "It scares people, makes them nervous and rightfully so but when this place came in it did a lot for the area, it's a pretty cool place."
Employees told Local 4 the man caught on surveillance video is no stranger to Eastern Market. He has been seen at the art center talking with artists, employees and showed interest in the gallery. Others also say he's been spotted working just up with road with a palette company.
The gallery was able to replace all of the stolen items within a matter of days. Management told Local 4 a police report has been filed and they are working with police to find the man who stole their items.
If you recognize the man in the photo you're asked to call Detroit police.
Full statement released by Red House House of Art:
Red Bull House of Art was broken into on Mother's Day weekend. However, this in no way deters us of our mission to continue to give Detroit artists and their work the creative and expressive freedom they deserve. Red Bull House of Art will continue to move forward, celebrating our second annual Synesthesia event on Thursday, and we will be open for normal gallery hours on Saturday.


text:
Holy cow, I wrote a book!
It's that time again: Sending some link love to my colleagues.
The phrase URL encoding appears to mean different
things to different people.
Tim Berners-Lee says
that URLs are encoded by using %xx to
encode "dangerous" characters, or to suppress
the special meaning that would normally be assigned
to characters such as / or ?.
For example, the URL
is a request to the server server
with the path /why?/ and with
the query string q=bother.
Notice that by escaping the question mark,
we prevent it from being interpreted as the
start of the query portion of the URL.
Now, it so happens that when a form is submitted
via GET, then the contents of the form
are encoded (by default)
into the query according to a set of rules
laid out in
the HTML 4.01 specification:
The query string takes the basic form of
If a variable name or a value contains
a "dangerous" character or a special character
like = or &,
then it must be %-escaped.
For example,
co=AT%26T says that the variable co
has the value AT&T.
Encoding the ampersand prevents it from being interpreted
as a separator.
And here is the special additional rule that confuses
a lot of people:
When submitting a form via GET,
the form data is encoded into the query portion of a URL,
and under the default encoding,
the character U+0020 (space) is encoded as U+002B (plus sign).
This special use of the plus sign applies only to the query portion
of the URL.
Sometimes people get confused and think that
it applies to URLs in general.
The base URL and fragment (colored in blue) use the %20
sequence to encode the embedded space, whereas the query
(colored in green) uses the plus sign.
You'd think that would be the end of the story,
but in fact it's just the beginning,
because now we get to throw in all sorts of
nonstandard URL encoders.
The PHP function urlencode
treats the entire string as if it were a value (or variable name)
in a query string, encoding spaces as a plus sign and being careful
to escape all other punctuation.
Not to be confused with rawurlencode which encodes
everything (even characters like /).
JScript comes with a whole bucketload of functions for URL encoding.
There's escape(), which encodes almost everything
but leaves the slash and—bafflingly—the plus sign
And then there's the
encodeURI() function which leaves a few more
characters unencoded (including the colon (U+003A),
and question mark (U+003F)).
But wait, there's also encodeURIComponent()
which goes to the effort of encoding slashes too.
It's a total mess,
this site tries to make some sense out of the whole thing.
There are probably a dozen other functions which purport to perform
some form of URL encoding.
You have to read the documentation on each one carefully to see
whether it does the type of encoding you want.
But wait, you're not done yet.
There are URL encodings which are built on top of
the basic URL encoding.
punycode encoding
is used to encode Unicode characters in domain names,
which have an even more limited character set than URLs.
When auto-generating a URL from a string, different Web sites
use different algorithms.
This isn't really an encoding in the URL encoding sense;
it's just a convention for generating names for Web pages.
The result of these conversion algorithms still need to be
URL encoded.
For example, Wikipedia's URL auto-generation algorithm
changes spaces to underscores.
It leaves most punctuation marks unchanged, which means
that once you've gone through Wikipedia's auto-generation
you still have to go back and escape all the characters
which require escaping according to RFC3986.
As another example,
it is popular with many blog software packages
to change spaces to
hyphens when auto-generating a URL from the title of
a blog post.
The handling of special characters varies.
Some packages simply omit them; others try to encode them,
resulting in a double-encoded string if the encoding
uses characters for which RFC3986 requires encodings!
So if somebody asks a question about URL encoding,
before you answer,
make sure you understand what sense of the phrase
"URL encoding" is being used.
Some time ago,
MSN Careers listed Boil the ocean as a workplace phrase
you should learn.
Thankfully, the phrase
(meaning "to attempt something impossibly ambitious")
is not currently in wide use in Microspeak.
However, a friend of mine who works in another industry tells me
that it is not only very much alive in his line of work,
it became corrupted as it was imported.
My friend's industry involves companies from around the world,
and although the working language for meetings is English,
most of the participants are not native speakers of the language.
He suspects that the phrase boil the ocean was introduced
into the collective consciousness without a formal definition,
and the company representatives at the meeting missed out on the
impossible part of the definition,
interpreting it instead as merely meaning
to attempt something ambitious.
As a result, at their meetings, you will hear people say
things like
"Let's try not to boil more than one ocean."
I use
Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Wikipedia entry
as a yardstick for other Wikipedia entries.
At the time I'm writing this blog entry,
her Wikipedia article is 1600 words long.
So 1600 words is how many words Wikipedia assigns to
the 20th most powerful woman (and the most powerful female lawyer)
in the world.
By comparison, Wikipedia has collectively decided that
2007 Philadelphia Eagles season
merits 5500 words.
The exploits of a lackluster last-place American football team
therefore clocks in at 3.4 Ginsburgs.
In a sense,
Wikipedia says that a last-place football team's exploits
is over three times more significant
than the most powerful woman lawyer in the world.
The fictional character
John Locke from the television program Lost
comes in at 4900 words, or just above 3 Ginsburgs.
Apparently Wikipedia thinks that it's notable that Locke
likes Gold Toe socks.
The plot summary for the movie Little Man
is approximately 1.5 Ginsburgs.
That's just the plot summary, not the entire entry.
We know more about the plot to a mediocre film than we know
about a Supreme Court Justice.
It's not just
popular culture
that has taken the lead on Wikipedia.
It's specifically post-2000 popular culture.
The television program The Brady Bunch,
which has been influencing United States popular culture for decades,
merits a simple
list of episodes,
whereas the short-lived and totally forgotten show
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip spends
1300 words just on the subject of
references from the show to other Sorkin shows.
Even the Internet video
The Bus Uncle weighs in at 1.8 Ginsburgs.
Slate's Timothy Noah,
who is certainly more notable than I am,
takes issue with Wikipedia's notability guidelines
after being
evicted from Wikipedia
and subsequently
Reuters noted that
the Wikipedia page is the new status symbol.
For some reason I have a Wikipedia entry, despite not being
"the subject of multiple, non-trivial published works
from sources that are reliable and independent
of the subject and of each other."
As far as I'm aware, nobody has written even one book about me,
much less multiple.
nick_journals demonstrates
some confusion
about names in source code
and their relationship to runtime behavior.
A topic I am particularly interested in is the naming of controls,
how it works...
Every control gets a name from a developer...via the IDE (e.g btnOK)
When using this function: GetWindowLong(handle,GWL_ID)
it doesn't return the name itself but mostly a number or nothing.
What is GWL_ID, the documentation isn't very clear on this.
How does this whole system work,
what are these numbers and where are the 'real' names?
A topic I am particularly interested in is the naming of controls,
how it works...
Every control gets a name from a developer...via the IDE (e.g btnOK)
When using this function: GetWindowLong(handle,GWL_ID)
it doesn't return the name itself but mostly a number or nothing.
What is GWL_ID, the documentation isn't very clear on this.
How does this whole system work,
what are these numbers and where are the 'real' names?
I'm going to answer the questions most technical first.
That way you can stop reading when you understand the topic.
The GWL_ID window long (or, more precisely,
the GWLP_ID window pointer-sized long)
returns the value you passed to the CreateWindowEx
function as the child window identifier
(overloaded as
the hMenu parameter).
The call to CreateWindowEx might have happened
explicitly in your code,
or it may have been the result of a call to CreateWindowEx
made on your behalf by another component,
such as the dialog manager,
which takes the control identifier from the dialog template.
(Note that only child windows have child window identifiers.
Top-level windows don't have child window identifiers.)
And if you passed zero as the child window identifier,
then when you ask for the GWLP_ID,
you'll get zero back.
The name that appears in your source code is just a name you
decided to use to talk about the control.
It's just a convenience for yourself, so instead of saying
"Control number 103" all over the place, you can say
"Control number IDC_ADD".
And sometimes even that is too much typing, so you shorten
it to "control btnAdd."
The window manager doesn't know what cute shortcut names
you've created for your child windows;
the window manager still calls it control number 103.
By analogy, the phone company doesn't know which numbers
you've programmed into your speed dial.
That's just something you set up in your phone to make
dialing more convenient.
In other words, the "real name" is really just a fake name
you created to make things easier to talk about.
The actual "real name" is the child window identifier.
When you look in the telephone book for Bob,
you'll see Bob's phone number, not his speed-dial number
on your phone.
This is the same thing that happens to your variables
after the code has been compiled.
At runtime, your variable names don't exist any more.
They were just convenient mnemonic
names you gave to computational values.
The compiler uses those convenient names to determine
what you're talking about when you assign a variable
or a fetch a variable's value,
but once that's done, it has no need for the name
any more.
In other words, the name in your source code is just
something you did to make things easier to write.
The compiler's job is to change your
line x = y; into
mov eax, [ebp-05ch]; mov [00437180h], eax,
at which point the names x and y
are no longer needed and are discarded.
(Actually, it's saved off in a separate file for the debugger
to use, so that when you ask the debugger to show the value
of the variable x,
it knows to look in 00437180h,
but that happens outside of the execution environment.)
x = y;
mov eax, [ebp-05ch]; mov [00437180h], eax
It's like asking,
"What happens to the phrase 1 cup sugar
when I eat my cookies?"
The phrase 1 cup sugar was part of the instructions for
making the cookies.
Once you finish following the recipe, the instructions aren't needed
any more.
Or at least not for the process of enjoying cookies.
(You might still want to hang onto them to debug your recipe!)
We saw last time that
the WaitForInputIdle function waits only once
for a process to go input idle.
Even if the process later stops processing messages,
WaitForInputIdle will return immediately and say,
"Yeah, he's idle."
The way a process is determined to be input idle is that it is
waiting for user input when there is none.
This translates into the process sitting in a function like
GetMessage or WaitMessage
when there are no messages.
But what if a process has more than one thread?
And what if one of the threads is waiting for input,
while the other is busy and unresponsive?
The WaitForInputIdle function will treat
the process as having gone input idle, even if the
ready thread is just displaying your splash screen
and the busy thread is the one preparing the main window.
The WaitForInputIdle function doesn't know
that the main window is more important than the splash screen;
as far as the window manager is concerned, you've got two threads,
each with a window.
What this means for your application is that you need to
know that, if you create multiple threads, then the moment
any of them goes input idle, the entire process is treated
as input idle, and you need to be ready for people who were
waiting for you via WaitForInputIdle to start
trying to talk to your application.
As I noted last time,
the WaitForInputIdle function is really just
a stopgap to help with the transition from 16-bit Windows
to 32-bit Windows.
Whereas 16-bit programs could just charge ahead knowing that
the program it launched is ready (because if it weren't ready,
then it would still have control of the CPU),
32-bit programs need to wait for this faked-up version of
And since it was created merely to aid in porting 16-bit programs,
the WaitForInputIdle function didn't really
worry about multiple threads.
After all, 16-bit Windows didn't support multiple threads
per process, so all 16-bit programs were necessarily single-threaded.
If you're porting one of these programs,
your initial 32-bit version is also going to be single-threaded.
(At least I hope you're not going to try to add multiple threads
right off the bat.
The first step in porting is just to get the program to run without
adding any new features!)
In fact, back in the old days, the WaitForInputIdle
function tried a bit too hard
to emulate the Yield behavior from
16-bit Windows.
When the target application received a message,
it was taken out of the input idle state,
and went back into the state when it once again reached
a state where it was waiting for input.
In other words,
the one-line summary of the WaitForInputIdle
function was actually correct at the time it was written.
The old mechanism for WaitForInputIdle,
taking the process in and out of the input idle state,
mirrored the 16-bit behavior of Windows,
but only if you had a single-threaded application.
If you had multiple threads, then the input-idle state starts
getting all wonky as each thread updates the global idle state:
There is only one state that gets updated by each thread as they
go idle or busy.
All you really know is that if all threads are busy,
then the input idle state will be busy and that
if all threads are idle, then the input idle state will be idle.
But if one thread is idle and the other is busy,
then the process idle state is unpredictable; it depends on what
the most recent transition was.
For example, notice that at step 2, we have one idle thread
(thread 1) and one busy thread (thread 2), and the
process is marked idle.
On the other hand, at step 4, we also have one idle thread
(thread 2) and one busy thread (thread 1), but this time,
the process is marked busy.
Of course, since this behavior was intended to mimic the 16-bit
programming model, the fact that it got all confused when applications
created multiple threads was "out of scope".
Creating multiple threads meant that you have gone past the simple
"Just trying to get it to work" stage and have moved on to adding
Win32-specific enhancements.
You were creating a situation that the WaitForInputIdle
function was not designed to handle.
My guess is that the unpredictable nature of the original design
led the window manager folks to take a deep breath and go back
to the spirit of the WaitForInputIdle function:
To tell when a program has finished its initialization.
So now it decides that when you've finished initialization,
you've finished initialization.
It's a one-way door.
The WaitForInputIdle function waits
for a process to finish its initialization,
which is determined when it reaches
a state where it is just sitting around waiting for messages.
The documentation for WaitForInputIdle doesn't even
get around to the initialization part until the Remarks
If all you read is the one-sentence summary,
Waits until the specified process
is waiting for user input with no input pending,
or until the time-out interval has elapsed,
it would not be unreasonable for you to conclude
that a process goes into and out of the input idle state
each time it processes a message.
But no, it's a one-time transition.
If you call WaitForInputIdle on a process
which had previously gone input idle, but is now
busy and not processing pending input messages,
the function will still return immediately,
because WaitForInputIdle only checks whether
the process has gone input idle at all
and not whether it is input idle right now.
As the Remarks section notes, the purpose of the
WaitForInputIdle function is for a process
to determine whether another process (which is recently
launched) has reached a state where it is okay to send
that process messages.
This is important to know when the form of communication
between two processes is a message-based mechanism,
and the two processes otherwise have no real way of
knowing what the other is doing.
(If the two processes had been written by the same author,
then you could come up with some more expressive interface
for the two to communicate through,
one which avoids the need for one process to guess when
the other one is ready.)
The specific scenario that WaitForInputIdle
was created to address is
Back in the old 16-bit days, you didn't need a
WaitForInputIdle function, because
scheduling was co-operative.
You know that the other process was sitting idle,
because if it were busy, your code wouldn't be running
in the first place.
It's like waiting for the
talking stick
to be handed to you so that you can ask the question,
"Are you ready to give up the talking stick?"
The WaitForInputIdle function assisted
in the porting of these 16-bit applications by
allowing a process to wait and simulate the
"Wait for the other person to stop talking" operation
which had previously been implicit in a co-operative system.
What would it mean for WaitForInputIdle to wait
on a program that has already completed its initialization,
when the program has multiple threads?
Suppose one thread is sitting around waiting for messages,
but another is busy and still has unprocessed input messages.
Would a call to this WaitForInputIdleAgain function
wait, or should it return immediately?
According to the description, it would return immediately,
because there is a thread in the process
which is "waiting for user input with no input pending."
So even if WaitForInputIdle worked like this
imaginary WaitForInputIdleAgain function,
it still wouldn't help you,
because it wouldn't actually wait in cases where you
probably wanted it to.
Actually, the above analysis applies to WaitForInputIdle
as well;
we'll pick up this discussion next time.
As we all know, users don't read error messages.
And, sad to say, this behavior extends to the group of people
you would think pay the most attention to error messages,
namely, programmers, who are the people who cause your computer to
display the error messages!
Today's example comes from an internal
programmer's tool which I will call
Program Q.
I'm trying to back out an update I made to record 19 of our table
(which was entered as transaction 512),
but I can't get it to work:
C:\> q backout 512
Transaction opened for record 19 - must reconcile backout
C:\> q commit all
Transaction 520 created for 1 record
Committing transaction 520
Record 19 - must reconcile backout
Unreconciled changes pending - use 'q reconcile' to resolve
Commit failed -- fix problems above and then use 'q commit 520'
What is the problem here, and how do I fix it?
I'm trying to back out an update I made to record 19 of our table
(which was entered as transaction 512),
but I can't get it to work:
C:\> q backout 512
Transaction opened for record 19 - must reconcile backout
C:\> q commit all
Transaction 520 created for 1 record
Committing transaction 520
Record 19 - must reconcile backout
Unreconciled changes pending - use 'q reconcile' to resolve
Commit failed -- fix problems above and then use 'q commit 520'
What is the problem here, and how do I fix it?
The transaction couldn't be backed out because somebody else
made a change to record 19 since your original erroneous update,
and the system wants you to reconcile this conflict.
But that's beside the point.
The point is that the user here merely saw that there was an error
and didn't actually read any of the error messages.
There were four error messages, and every single one told him
what he needed to do!
You may have noticed that it takes longer to reject an invalid
password than to accept a valid one.
There are a few reasons for this.
First of all, it simply takes longer to confirm that a password is invalid.
Your local computer retains
a password cache.
This password cache improves performance of local authentication
operations, such as
unlocking a workstation.
If you unlock the workstation with the same password you used to
log on,
then the password is assumed to be good.
This allows the workstation to unlock quickly.
Without the password cache,
unlocking the workstation would require going back to the domain
controller to validate the password,
which for slow network connections, can take a very long time.
In fact, you might not have any network connection at all
(an extreme case of slow),
say because you've taken your laptop on the road and are
not connected to the corporate network any more.
In that case,
without the password cache, it would be impossible for you to
unlock your workstation at all!
Note that you can
disable these password caches
if they offend you.
The algorithm for testing if a password is valid goes like this:
If you pass a valid password, then the validation succeeds
at step 1.
Notice that step 1 can be performed entirely on the local
It doesn't need to contact any other computers to get an answer.
On the other hand, if you pass an invalid password, then we go on
to step 2, which attempts to contact the domain controller
to validate the password.
Obviously you have to do this for passwords not in the cache,
because you have no information about those passwords.
But why do you also have to do this for passwords that are in the
cache and don't match?
Why don't you just say invalid without contacting the
domain controller?
Because your cache itself may be invalid.
If the user recently changed the password on another machine,
then the password in your machine's cache is not valid.
If the user tries to use the new password, your computer's
cache says, "Nope, that's not the right password."
If you returned invalid immediately instead of contacting
the domain controller,
then users whose passwords have changed would not be able to
use that password to access any computer which had cached
the old password!
They would have to sit around and wait for the old password
to fall out of the cache, so that the computer would continue
to step 2 and get the new password from the domain controller.
You can imagine the bizarro technical support calls that would have
"Yes, I know you changed your password, but you have to keep using
your old password until the system starts rejecting it, and then
you switch to the new password.
And the rejection time will vary from computer to computer,
depending on how many other people use the computer also.
Oh, and if you're the only person who uses the computer,
then it will never accept your new password.
But once you log onto the computer with the old password,
you might need to give your new password when connecting from
that machine to other machines, because those other machines
might have received your new password."
Okay, so one reason why invalid passwords take longer to reject
is that the computer has to try more things before finally
deciding to reject it.
Another reason why invalid passwords take longer to reject
is to reduce the effectiveness of dictionary attacks.
If invalid passwords were rejected just as quickly as valid
passwords were accepted, then a bad guy could just
churn through a dictionary trying out invalid passwords at
high speed.
Adding a delay of a few seconds before rejecting
invalid passwords introduces a minor inconvenience to users
who mistyped their passwords, but makes a huge dent in stopping
dictionary attacks.
For example (and these numbers are completely made up),
suppose you have a 75,000 word password dictionary, and
passwords are accepted or rejected in 100ms.
It would take a little over three hours
to attempt every password in the dictionary.
Introducing even
a simple 5-second delay into the rejection of invalid passwords
increases the time to perform a dictionary search to over four days.
The invalid password rejection time in some places can get
quite high, especially if the delay escalates each time you get the
password wrong.
For example, after you type the third (fourth?)
incorrect password to the Windows logon screen,
it displays the incorrect password error for
something like 30 seconds before letting you try again.
Languages borrow from each other all the time.
English has historically been a happy perpetrator of word-theft,
but in recent decades, it has been serving as the source for a lot
of theft, too.
What I find particularly interesting, though, is when a word is
borrowed and given a meaning in its new language different from
its meaning in the source language.
Japanese is famous for this,
For example, they take the English phrase white shirt
and import it as waishatsu,
which means not white shirt but dress shirt.
In Swedish, the phenomenon of importing English into Swedish
is known as svengelska, a blend of
svenska and
The Swedes use the faux-English term
to mean dedication to customer service.
I find this interesting because they just took some English words
and combined them in a way not used in English at all.
And as you can see from the citation, it seems that there are some
who are under the mistaken impression that we use the word in English, too.
One thing that disturbs me is when a word is imported into a language
even though there is already a perfectly good word for the concept.
Many years ago, my aunt (who at the time was a Japanese teacher)
went to Japan and sat down in a restaurant.
She looked over the menu looking for the beverages and couldn't find it.
She asked the waiter where the beverage section was, and the waiter
directed her to the section titled dorinku.
The Japanese have imported the word dorinku
from the English word drink,
displacing the traditional Japanese word (which I believe is
nomimono, but I could be wrong).
My aunt was looking for the traditional Japanese word and couldn't find it.
The award, however, for using faux English terms,
goes to the Germans and
Denglisch, the term for the blending of
Deutsch and
Unsatisfied with the perfectly good German word Rucksack,
which means backpack,
some marketing geniuses decided to
adopted the English word body bag instead.
This is wrong on so many levels.
First of all, it's the phenomenon of replacing a perfectly good native
word with a loanword.
Second, the English language
imported the word rucksack from German.
We borrowed the word from you.
Feel free to borrow it back; it was yours originally!
And third, the import is disturbingly incorrect.
In English, a body bag is a bag for carrying corpses,
what in German would be called a Leichensack.
This is a rather long and tedious set-up for my recent discovery.
Apparently in Switzerland, the term for a light truck—not
a semi-trailer but something that a family might own—is
a Pickup,
even though in English, the term pick-up is used only
for a particular type of small truck.
Mind you, the English language is hardly innocent in the matter
of importing a word while changing its meaning.
For example, the prefix über-
(or simply uber-)
used in English
to mean ultimate or super.
As a random example, I produce
this citation for the word ubermom.
Of course, this prefix is nonsensical to native speakers of German,
since über merely means over or on top of.
The German word Übermensch,
was originally translated into English as superman,
leading to the widespread misconception that
Über must mean super.


text:
First Day Back at My Favorite Surf Break
We returned to Seal Beach today for another week of surf lessons with M & M Surf School. It was warm, sunny and the waves were awesome and glassy. I was riding a G & G 10 foot hard top, and Emily had a 9 foot High Performance Harbour hard top. We both caught more rights and lefts than we could count.
Last time I was here I was having more fun with the rights, but today I was loving the lefts. I even did a right to left S turn. So fun!
Once again this was one of my best sessions ever. Mike, and Michael were a blast as usual, and I can't wait 'til tomorrow.
#129 / #35 for 2011 8:00 am


text:
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text:
In the summer of 1980, I took a 22 day trip from Stuttgart, Germany, to Munich, Salzburg, Austria, then to Split, Yugoslavia, ferry to Pescaro, Italy, rode north to Florence, then to Venice. From Venice, I rode west for awhile and then up through Switzerland for a couple of days, then back to Stuttgart. I was riding my 1975 Honda Gold Wing, which was outfitted with Vetter Fairing and Bates bags, all painted with the stock Honda red color. I also had a combination AM/FM radio with CB Radio. CB radios were illegal in Yugoslavia so I removed the antenna so it would not get me thrown into a dungeon. The most memorable moment was when I arrived at the Yugoslavian border from Austria. There was a rise in elevation up to the border crossing and on this particular day, there were low hanging clouds with a spooky mist hanging in the air. When I arrived at the border gate, a very pudgy Yugoslavian border guard came over to me with a most unfriendly look on his face, and a most noticeable red star on the front of his cap. I thought, …Oh crap, the commies are going to kill me and confiscate my bike!! He was fascinated with the bike and especially the fact that it had a radio. He abruptly reached over and turned on the radio without asking, and tuned in radio Zagreb. Then, he called out his compatriots to see this motorcycle spectacle. I thought for sure then that I was going to mysteriously disappear from this earth!! Finally, I got released with my passport stamped and on my way down the coastal road to Split. I enjoyed this leisurely ride since it had low speed limits and it was very scenic with little traffic. Towards the end of this first day down the Yugo coast, I had to stop and seek a place to stay for the night. I was also thirsty for a cold beer, so I stopped on the outskirts of a small fishing village and went into what looked like a bar. Luckily it was cool inside and had an atmosphere of something you would see in a movie, especially with the language sounding very Russian. A very healthy corn fed waitress came over and took my order for a beer. While I was enjoying the beer and trying to speak with her about a place to stay, a large strapping guy came over from the bar and started speaking to me in English. His name, ironically, was Boris. Boris began to tell me about his life as a stowaway to the USA on several occasions, being caught and sent back to Yugoslavia every time. He asked me if I wanted to go fishing with them in the morning and I politely declined due to my schedule and a slight fear of being dropped to the bottom with a cinderblock on my ankle. My 22 day trip took me on down to Split, stopping a few nights along the way, then overnight on a ferry to Italy. On this overnight trip, I met an elderly gentleman that had loaded the only other bike onto the ferry. I sat up most of the night drinking beer with him and listening to his "around the world" venture on his Beemer R69S. This guy was truly a worldly motorcycle adventurer. Upon departing the ferry the next morning, I quickly learned that the Italians like to put the road's center stripe down the middle of the car for navigation, causing me to do a lot of defensive driving. On to Florence, then north to Venice. While on this part of the trip, I decided to take a very small country back road and kept noticing some signs along the way. At first, I didn't realize what the signs were saying but then it dawned on me that they were warning of "banditos" along the route. Oh, crap, better speed up and not stop for anything. After visiting Venice for a few days, I rode westward further in Italy, then north into Switzerland. Best secret wine ever and they don't export it!! Bought some cheese on my last night at a Swiss cheese factory, which left a nice aroma in my saddlebag for quite some time. This ride was my most memorable one ever in over 50 years of riding motorcycles. The people everywhere were friendly and most interested in talking to an American. I heard the story of Tito and the Russian influence, Boris's adventures, a tour guide admitted communist, and many other stories of interest. I took other trips in Europe (one of 21 days in opposite direction), but this one was the most interesting and the most fun of all my trips. Washing clothes was a problem so it was on this trip that I invented the EUT – "Emergency Underwear Technique", which is flipping them inside out and wearing them for a couple of extra days. The Gold Wing drew a crowd in every town I stopped in or rode through. I really wish I had taken that fishing trip with Boris and his pals.
Written By John Glidewell


text:
- Global Voices - https://globalvoices.org -
Discussing Aid System with a Light Touch
Written by Ndesanjo Macha On 14 March 2014 @ 11:19 am | No Comments
In Development, Disaster, English, Humanitarian Response, Humor, Quick Reads, WORLD
This blog [1] takes a satirical view of aid system in the world:
Stuff Expat Aid Workers Like is an ongoing series of sometimes satirical, sometimes ironic, usually humorous (but sometimes dead serious), always honest vignettes of the humanitarian aid industry from the inside. Sometimes we want to complain about one of the many ills of the Aid System. Other times we celebrate that same system. Sometimes we expose odd behaviors we recognize in ourselves. Sometimes we call out things we see other Expat Aid Workers doing that we find humorous or offensive. Sometimes we attempt to impress you with our erudition as we explicate the subtle nuances of ethics and morality where cultures and world views collide. Sometimes we will be harsh (it's a harsh world out there). Sometimes we try to set the record straight. Sometimes all we want is to one-up you with a story of how we've suffered in the field.
We are aid workers. We are expats. This is the stuff we like.
Article printed from Global Voices: https://globalvoices.org
URL to article: https://globalvoices.org/2014/03/14/discussing-aid-system-with-a-light-touch/
URLs in this post:
[1] This blog: http://stuffexpataidworkerslike.com/about/
Click here to print.
This site is licensed as Creative Commons Attribution 3.0. Please read our attribution policy: http://globalvoicesonline.org/about/global-voices-attribution-policy


text:
Down 289 this week
Dirty Harry (1971)
R | | Action, Crime, Thriller | 23 December 1971 (USA)
Ratings: 7.8/10 from 108,916 users
Reviews: 290 user | 146 critic
When a mad man calling himself 'the Scorpio Killer' menaces the city, tough as nails San Francisco Police Inspector Harry Callahan is assigned to track down and ferret out the crazed psychopath.
Director:Don Siegel
Writers:Harry Julian Fink (screenplay), Rita M. Fink (screenplay) (as R.M. Fink) , 5 more credits »
|Watch Trailer 0Share...


text:
Rescuing Christmas: VanSickle saves presents, retrieves woman
VanSickle saves presents, retrieves woman from submerged vehicle
8:13 PM, Dec. 24, 2012
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Rescuing Christmas: VanSickle saves presents, retrieves woman
Lucas VanSickle saved the girl and Christmas, too. He was on his way to work when he spotted an SUV floating in the middle of a storm-water pond off Interstate 10 at Thomasville Road.
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