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Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 01:59 AM #1
A review of Dragon Warriors in many parts...
Dragon Warriors a review in many parts
Well, Ive never written a review before, and I wanted to try my hand at it, but Id also like to try something a little different from the standard review, I want to present a dynamic review in parts. Basically over the span of a couple of days I want to try my hand at reviewing the Dragon Warriors rulebook but instead of presenting it as one gigantic lump for people to read, I want to go section by section and allow people to ask questions, give their own opinions, correct any mistakes I might make, etc. in hopes that this will not only make it a better review (and keep me on track to complete it), but also help me to refine my review writing skills. Ok, with that said here we go.
Dragon Warriors: $39.95
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Mongoose Publishing (November 20, 2008), under their Flaming Cobra imprint with Magnum Opus.
Author(s): Dave Morris & Oliver Johnson
First Impressions:
Dragon Warriors is a hardback book, whose cover is done in color and depicts 4 adventurers (presumably a knight, barbarian, sorcerer and mystic) on guard as they descend cracked stone stairs into the unknown depths of some crumbling ruin. The art is old school in flavor but very evocative of a more dark and subdued adventurers than the wahoo style of more modern games...these adventurers look like they really don't want to be doing this and actually fear what lurks in the darkness before them.
The book itself is black & white inside with a nice font size (larger than 3e but not as large as 4e) and minimal whitespace (mainly margins about 1/2 inch). The book uses a two column format for the text and even has splash pages of comic-book like adventuring scenes that help to explain rules in the context of playing the game. The artwork within is all black and white and done by a handful of different artist...at first glance I will say that these artist do a pretty good job of making the art feel integrated, and very much all pieces from the same world. This is something I'm glad to see and enjoyed very much when looking through the book as it gave a strong impression of the feel that the game was going for and didn't create any jarring disconnects. There is also a black & white map of "The Lands of Legend" on pages 4 & 5 that has a very old school...like the maps you would find in old fantasy novels and solo gamebooks...look to it, all in all a very nice package.
The Introduction starts on page 11 and is written by Dave Morris. Here one of the authors begins with musings of what the "essence" of Dragon Warriors is. He talks of the rules, the world, and other things but ultimately decides the thing that most defines Dragon Warriors is the "flavor" of the game.
Where D&D is a Disneyland of fantasy where there is an elf in every tavern, and a multitude of monsters everywhere, the author contends that Dragon Warriors is based on a different premise, a fantasy game designed around a European folktale sensibility. Where the faerie are dangerous capricious creatures...and not likely to be sitting in a bar next to you.
He also discusses the feel of magic in the world, it is present but not common or an everyday occurrence. It is more likely in "The Lands of Legend" that what a villager might claim is magic is actually the result of their own superstitious beliefs rather than true magic. The author goes on to make a comparison where D&D, WoW, etc. would be of the George Lucas or Chris Columbus branch of rpg's Dragon Warriors would be a movie by Guillermo del Toro or Tim Burton.
He goes on to talk about the history of Dragon Warriors, from their thoughts on infiltrating bookstores in the way DW was originally published (paperback format) to some things he regretted (like not making the system based entirely on D6's, and thus more accessible). He also talks of the various other Dragon Warrior books and spin offs that exist beyond what was published in the corebook (The Chronicles of the Magi, Bloodsword gamebooks, etc.).
Dave Morris then turns again to the mood of DW in more detail pointing out that it is a world that can be both grim and horrific but also whimsical...also that most of this happens on a personal level as opposed to the save the world level. Finally he talks more of what has been loss (as far as written works) since the game was first published, and brings the introduction to a close by thanking those he feels gratitude to for the new version of the book.
Whew...Well that's it for tonight, any comments suggestions, questions, etc. would be appreciated and I'll try and answer them ASAP.
And tune in next time (tomorrow??) when I try and tackle Chapter 1: Fantasy Roleplay and Chapter 2: Creating a CharacterNobody built like me, I designed myself ...as an
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Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 02:45 AM #2
Magsman (Lvl 14)
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A good start. I have ordered the book myself but I am waiting for it to ship as they have sold out!
I also have the original paperbacks and was wondering how much this differs from those...do you have them? Anyway keep it up and good luck
Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 06:24 AM #3
Minor Trickster (Lvl 4)
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Yikes. I already want this book even more. Looking forward to the future installments of your review.
Anything I type is only my opinion unless explicitly stated otherwise, which should go without saying. Please assume that I've left out a smiley after every sentence. Thank you.
Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 08:02 AM #4
Nobody built like me, I designed myself ...as an
Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 02:20 PM #5
Myrmidon (Lvl 10)
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This is great stuff.
I have all the old paperbacks, but the hardcover all-in-one hasn't arrived in this country - that I'm aware of - so I'm interested in reading about what they've done with it.
Sounds pretty cool, so far. Looking forward to reading more.
Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 10:43 PM #6
Acolyte (Lvl 2)
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Iron Heroes * Author of Iron Heroes and d20 Stuff * Iron Heroes Errata and FAQ
Discuss 2nd edition Iron Heroes here
Saturday, 13th December, 2008, 10:59 PM #7
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I have the PDFs of the original and found it a very good game for its time. It'll be interesting to see what they've done with the new edition of it.
Sunday, 14th August, 2011, 10:24 PM #8
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[Thread Necromancy] As this game has recently been mentioned in another thread, I was wondering why Imaro never got past the first 'instalment'? [/Thread Necromancy] (But I did check out a few over at RPGNet.)
Scrag 'em all and let the gods sort 'em out!
Monday, 15th August, 2011, 02:08 PM #9
Nobody built like me, I designed myself ...as an


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subset: commoncrawl


text:
Why aren't there more female free software developers out there. In my attempt to find out, I decided to write a program and see what barriers got in my way.
Most free software developers are men. Women are vastly under-represented in the world of free software. Being a woman, I wanted to know why, so I tried to do it myself. The first barrier was my inability to program in any modern computer language, so my first step was to learn a new one.
First I had to pick a language to program in.
That was easy. Why python? Because I hear that it is powerful and easy to learn, and because my husband knows it, so if I get stuck, I can ask him to proofread my code.
Next, I need a program to write.
I want to make the most feminine program I can. Why? Because the assumption is that if more women program, the kinds of programs written will be different than if only men write programs. So I want to make the kind of program that only a woman would feel the need to make. The program I chose to write was called Period tracker, PT for short.
A woman would record on the calendar the first day of her current menstrual period, and the tracker would compute the number of days since the last menstrual period. It could also predict when her periods would occur, and what dates she would be most likely to ovulate. Useful. Feminine. Embarrassing. Great!
The first thing to do, is to see if anyone else has written such a program, so I go to SourceForge the great pool of free software programs and do a search.
Searching for menstruation finds three programs: Bloody Mary (a cross-platform menstruation calendar for use on mobile phones), Mens (a similar program also in Java) and KMenCal (a menstruation calendar for KDE). So much for having an original thought in the free software world.
The most complete one is Bloody Mary, written by five software engineering students from Berlin. Of the five developers listed, only one has gone on to join any other SourceForge projects.
My instinct is to use the existing software, but that's not how a typical free software developer thinks. A developer is confident and stubborn. So what if others have made similar software, that's not the way I want it done. I'll make period tracker anyway and write it in Python.
Now all I have to do is learn Python.
Oh boy!
To be continued...
Software Evolution
Why do you feel the need to write a program from scratch (aside from the fact that it may be harder to dive into existing projects, depending on code quality) ? Are those existing menstruation trackers really that bad? You can get by as a dev/programmer just fine by doing complementary work instead of replacement work, by fixing bugs or implementing features in existing free software. And no, it didn't ever make me feel like a second-class citizen to do so ;-)
I find that one of the most compelling reasons to start over is often the desire to work in a familiar, more convenient, or otherwise easier programming language.
There are a lot of applications in PHP that I like, but generally won't use (as a basis for a new project) because I don't want to program in PHP. Not that I couldn't learn it (I suppose), but that I don't really want to spend the time on it and what I know of it doesn't inspire a lot of confidence. I'd rather start with something written in Python, even if that means more work. It might wind up being easier for me, even if it is objectively harder.
I am a guy and pt would not do me any good, but your effort might
inpire some young girls to go in open source software development.
"If she can do it so can I."
I think it's great, Rosalyn.
I am thinking about writing math tutorials for young kids myself.
But it has to have some fun to keep their interest.
I'm having one of those how-did-people-manage-before-this-sort-of-software-came-along moments...
Lawrence D'Oliveiro
I'm having one of those
I'm having one of those how-did-people-manage-before-this-sort-of-software-came-along moments...
Lawrence D'Oliveiro
They use paper calendars. Just so you know.
The weird thing about programs is that they often are made to do something that people already do some other way now. I always wonder if it's best to use the new program, or do it the old way.
Whether new or old is best
>The weird thing about programs is that they often are made to do something that people already do
>some other way now. I always wonder if it's best to use the new program, or do it the old way.
The description I've heard as the rationale (or excuse, if you like) for most free software projects is "scratching an itch". That means you have some personal need that no existing package quite satisfies, so you decide to write something to fill your own need.
For instance, a while back I was looking for a convenient way of downloading software updates from a bunch of mirror sites, with automatic selection of the fastest mirrors, possibly even parallel downloading from multiple sites. I couldn't quite find anything out there that fitted the bill, so I started developing a script to try to solve the problem. Which was also an excuse to get more familiar with Python.
Of course, I never quite got it to the point where I thought it fit for anyone else to use, because other, more immediate revenue-generating activities kept getting in the way...
Lawrence D'Oliveiro
Women Programmers
Does anyone now the percentage of female programmers in general? I am too lazy to do a search, but I would suspect that women make up a very small percentage of the the software development industry as a whole, let alone the free software industry.
Rosalyn, I look forward to your next article. I have never really thought about this topic before, but it would suprise me if you were to run into very many obstacles that men would not. The actual act of writing code tends to be a something a person does alone. If you run into difficulty, I would suspect it may be in the area of pre-coding project planning, marketing, product distribution, etc as opposed to the the actual coding. I guess what I am trying to say is that I don't see any barriers that would stop you from actually writing a program. Rather, a few obstacles could stand in your way during the phases of the project that require you to interact with other people.
Best of Luck!
Women in software
Don't shoot me if my memory is inaccurate, but I recall a figure of 16% for the software industry as a whole and 2% for free software developers. Rosalyn has raised a number of questions about how this data was collected, whether it's really accurate, how the categories are defined, etc. But they are ballpark figures.
I believe the "industry as a whole" figures include a lot of marketing and management positions. In my experience, these are more open to women, not less.
Personal experience on programming support channels suggests to me that the primary obstacle is social: women must participate in a male-dominated, pissing contest oriented, forums -- full of arrogant 40-yr-old emotionally retarded geek adolescent males (yes, I know 'stereotype!', but too often accurate). Mind you, there do exist arrogant 40-yr-old emotionally retarded geek adolescent females in the world -- or at least females with iron-clad asbestos armor and steely determination to resist the war games (I figure that's where the 2% comes from), but most women are socialized differently, and don't really appreciate this kind of environment (the point is not whether they can "take it", but whether they feel like they should bother).
So basically, for most women, the only (or most important) source for technical help is socially repulsive. So what's she going to do?
She could just go it alone, relying solely on books and website sources. Difficult because there's always some show-stopper that the static sources don't cover.
She can just put up with the flames, the low S/N ratio, and the nuisance factor of existing forums. Difficult for reasons above.
She can band together with other women in women-exclusive or women-friendly forums. Difficult because the existing 2% of the free software community that is female is not that large a pool of experts and because most of them have opted for the shields-up or one-of-the-guys strategies. Also, there's always going to be some guys who whine about it.
I fear Rosalyn's personal solution may be more like "bug her husband to answer the questions or research them", but that's obviously not a general purpose strategy. ;-)
Now you can argue that women being treated the same as men is all that society is obligated to, and you might be right. But frankly, women aren't men, and same treatment is not necessarily the most fair or encouraging treatment. The right incubation environment for women to learn and develop their skills is not going to be the same as the one that works for men.
The question I have though is this: is all that male geek posturing actually conducive to developing code? If it is a necessary part of programming, then the argument that women should just put up with it and quit whining makes sense. But I don't buy that. ISTM that a more supportive and civil environment would actually improve the efficiency of such forums (for all) not "spoil" them.
I find it a bit repulsive myself that so many people appear to think that programming is somehow an "unfeminine" activity. I just can't really see that. ISTM it's (potentially) every bit as feminine as writing, art, or any other creative activity (all of which fields have plenty of prolific women working in them), and I can't imagine any fundamental reason why women shouldn't excel at software too. In fact, the ethos of free software seems ideally suited to traditional female (highly cooperative) temperment. I suspect that after a bit of pioneering, that we will see some kind of breakout as more girls learn the technology.
One thing that could really fuel that is if more of the existing 2% made themselves a lot more visible as role models. Women don't often feel the need for that kind of notoriety (how many women even want Stallman' or Torvalds' level of fame?), but they often will stand up if they are convinced there's a good reason for it.
I also think though that women need different kinds of motivation. It's probably more compelling to talk about "finding a voice", "expressing yourself", "empowering yourself", etc, as opposed to emphasizing traditional "fame and wealth" (Raymond, Torvalds, IBM, Novell, etc) or even "championing a cause" (Stallman, GNU/FSF, CC, etc). Women are generally more responsive to self-actualization goals than self-aggrandizement goals.
Loads of generalizations in this comment, of course, but we're talking about populations, not individuals, so I say generalizations are fair game.
Ground-breaking stuff
It seems clear from your words that you really are going in from absolute scratch, which (as "congrats" said) should be very inspiring for wannabees.
Well doing, please keep it happening! (-:
Cheers; Leon
Be prepared to write the program 3 times, at least
Once to get something written.
The second time to have something that the user can't break
and is more or less usable in the real world.
And the third time to to do it right once you see how
you've done it wrong.
So cool!
Hey this is great! I'll be sure to follow along on your development saga!
It was a little interesting to see how you stereotype free software programmers, though: Step one, look for other software that does this. Step two, decide you are smart enough to do it better and therefore go out and start coding. Some free software programmers might have these motivations but not all.
Some programmers would start designing or coding before finding the alternatives and by then they'd feel an attachment to their code and ideas and understand how they worked more intimately than having to learn how to use the existing projects' code bases. Others would have found the existing programs to be lacking in some feature and feel they had to rewrite it from scratch because the program 1) was written in a language they were unfamiliar with or didn't like (Bloody Mary and Mens are in java, KMenCal in C++) 2) was written for a desktop environment that they don't agree with (None of the available programs are GNOME apps) or 3) they really just wanted to play with a new language/technology/programming style and think this project will give them an excuse to do so.
Sometimes ego makes programmers think they should start from scratch but in each of the above cases it's actually an understanding of the programmer's limitations that leads them to create a new piece of software.
It takes time to learn
Altough you do not seem to like Python, I still consider that it is an excellent choice. This language is very expressive and powerful and it is an excellent tool id you want to bring together existing applications. Altough there is a learning curve, it will clearly not be as difficult to master it than mastering Java (with all its environnment) or Ada. Another alternative would have been Scheme (and there is an excellent open source implementation called "PLT Scheme") but the environnment of PLT does not seem as rich as the one of Python, although it is well developped.
Now, you are facing a bigger problem if you never learned programming before. Computer programming languages must be made unambiguous so that a brainless machine is able to understand them. This means that their syntax and semantics are extremely simplified when they are compared with natural languages. This also means that they can be perceived as very bizzare from the point of view of someone who did never program previously.
Writing programs is not like writing any text. It related with telling to (once again) a completeley brainless machine how to do a given and precise task. This does also mean that programs are written in a very precise way, I mean that one must telle absolutely everything to our machines. This too may look very bizzare for someone who did never program.
Someone else suggested you to work with a book called "Structure and interpretation of computer programs" if you did never program before. This is not an easy texbook, but it is clearly outstanding and extremely well made. You'll learn a huge amount of things (about the best ways to program a computer) if you did not learn programming before. Well, it may be a very interesting book even for experienced programmers!
The last point is that you do not really seem convinced that the topic you chose is the right one. At least, I do not feel that you are totally determined to go until the end of your project. This is understandable if you are not deeply convinced that you need to do it and if you are not convinced that you need the program that you'll create. That's why it may make sense either to look for a more "academic" exercices for which you'll find guidance and support or to find a topic for which you are really convinced that achieving your project will be useful for you and maybe for others.
Best regards
Marie-Noëlle Baechler
Belmont-sur-lausanne / Suisse
learning to program
Thanks for the comments.
I have programmed before in Apple Basic.
That should tell you how long ago it was.
I'd like more formal training though.
At least I think that I would.


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Our planet is amazingly rich and abundant with life. We share its land, water, and sky with a magnificent diversity of wildlife. We have a responsibility to conserve species and their habitats, so that we leave our children and grandchildren a world that is even richer and more abundant.
At the Smithsonian's National Zoological Park, we seek to inspire, train, and empower successive generations to care for the world's biological diversity. Our tools are our exhibits, science, outreach, and education programs. Ultimately, everything we do must be oriented toward protecting wildlife and other forms of biological diversity so that we, and future societies, continue to enjoy the incalculable benefits of our natural world.
Today, thousands of species—some of them in the care of the National Zoo—are facing extinction, and many fragile ecosystems critical to the well-being of societies around the world are under great strain from human activities. As the challenges of safeguarding the Earth's living heritage grow, so does the National Zoo's determination to play a leading role in shaping a brighter future for both people and wildlife.
To see our strategic plan, click here.


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By guest blogger Serena Piper
Journalism major at the University of Oregon. Editor-in-Chief of Her Campus Oregon. Magazine, freelance blogger, future world traveler. In her spare time, she likes to read as many books as she can, go for long drives, and peruse news websites. Hopes to one day write for National Geographic.
Why is it that December is when all of the black and white movies come on TV (It's a Wonderful Life Anyone)? Maybe it's to remind us that even though the year brought us newer and more technology-advanced movies, nothing comes close to the classics.
If you are like me over winter break, you'll occasionally be looking for something to do during those rainy (and hopefully snowy?) days we would normally have class. In the spirit of the holidays, let's revisit some of the best black and whites of all time!
First on the list is a classic chick flick. Guys, you will get major brownie points for renting this for a Friday night movie night. The movie is Casablanca (1942) and it's set during World War II. Women love it for the romantic love triangle and men love it for the war action. And it features two of the best actors of that time, Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman.
If you're an Alfred Hitchcock fan (think The Birds), go for 1960's thriller Psycho. Stolen money, horror, a case of the crazies, and suspense are what makes this movie a classic. And did you know that the blood in the infamous shower scene is really chocolate sauce?
Love a good mystery? The passengers on a European train are forced to stop at a remote hotel when bad weather ensues. Socialite Iris Henderson meets the old governess Miss Froy, but shortly afterwards, Miss Froy disappears. What happened to her? Rent The Lady Vanishes (1938), also directed by Hitchcock, to find out!
Anthony Hopkins is, himself, a classic. So why not rent one of his movies? If you're in the mood for something completely different, rent The Elephant Man (1980). How can you turn it away after reading IMDB's summary? "A Victorian surgeon rescues a heavily disfigured man who is mistreated while scraping a living as a side-show freak. Behind his
monstrous facade, there is revealed a person of intelligence and sensitivity." Sounds like a winner to me!
To end on a happy note, it seems like it would be a crime to not have Some Like It Hot (1959) on this black-and-white classics list. You can't go wrong with a cast comprised of Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon, especially when two of them are disguised as females in a band to escape the mob. Bottom line – it's hilarious, a total feel good movie, and there's no good reason for you NOT to see it!
What are your favorite black-and-white movies? Do you have a certain one you like to watch over the holidays? Let us know!


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Sweet Jesus!!! what would i be able to do without QCAD!!! I am a mechanical engineer and i have being working in design for over 8 years now and i must say it is a very big deal to be able to use CAD in doing your work, for all those people still using pencil and papers in making their engineering drawings i would say wake up!!! So, cheer QCAD for making my life a lot more easier and my work a lot more interesting!!!
[Edit: Topic moved and welcome Parocce]


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MEMPHIS, Tenn. – March 14, 2013 – The 4th Annual Ducks Unlimited Pigs in Flight BBQ Competition is coming to Memphis on March 14-16, hosted by Toyota, West Memphis Fence, Midtown Electric, Drake Waterfowl, Adams Grease Service, Budweiser and Discover. This year's event will be hosted at a new location, Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium.
"We're excited about putting on this event for the fourth straight year," said Event Chairman Tal Goldsby. "It's a testament to the quality of the competition itself and the supporters who help make it happen."
As in prior years, barbecue teams will compete to take home $10,000 in prize money during this unique event, which raises money for DU's wetlands and waterfowl conservation mission.
"Last year's event was a great success, but like any DU event, the Pigs in Flight volunteer committee is always looking to raise the bar," said Will Johnson, DU manager of grassroots promotions and Pigs in Flight committee member. "For the past several years, Pigs in Flight has strived to be the standard by which all barbecue events are judged—we certainly feel it's one of the best in the Mid-South."
For more information about Pigs in Flight, please visit http://bbq.ducks.org or contact Tal Goldsby at (901) 569-3089.
Ducks Unlimited is the world's largest non-profit organization dedicated to conserving North America's continually disappearing waterfowl habitats. Established in 1937, DU has conserved more than 13 million acres thanks to contributions from more than a million supporters across the continent. Guided by science and dedicated to program efficiency, DU works toward the vision of wetlands sufficient to fill the skies with waterfowl today, tomorrow and forever. For more information on our work, visit www.ducks.org. Connect with us on our Facebook page at facebook.com/DucksUnlimited, follow our tweets at twitter.com/DucksUnlimited and watch DU videos at youtube.com/DucksUnlimitedInc.
Emily Robinson
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President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Migratory Bird Hunting and Conservation Stamp Act into law.
First duck stamp, designed by Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist, Jay N. "Ding" Darling, issued.
Prairie drought peaks.


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SAN LEANDRO -- A police task force is in the works to combat recent violence by packs of teens that officials describe as "wildings," apparently centered around BART transit lines in Alameda County.
The move comes after attacks in San Leandro, where large groups of teens allegedly attacked and robbed people in recent days at Bayfair Center and near a BART station.
San Leandro police, the Alameda County Sheriff's Office and BART police will meet Friday to coordinate a response in the event there's more violence this weekend, said San Leandro police Lt. Robert McManus, who will lead a task force grappling with nearly 20 similar robberies. Law enforcement agencies involved will include Berkeley, Oakland, Newark, Hayward and Union City.
The robberies and attacks can be described as "wildings," McManus said.
"It may not all be the same group but it is the same type of activity, where it's unruly groups of teens that are primarily traveling by BART train and coming out to intimidate and commit crimes of opportunity and are attacking the victims in packs," McManus said. "A task force is being created. We've reached out to all law enforcement agencies that have a BART line."
About 5 p.m. on May 31, San Leandro officers responded to Bayfair Center for a report of 80-100 rowdy teens in the food court, challenging and intimidating mall patrons.
No crime was committed there, McManus said, but the group was asked to leave the property by security and police.
The mall, he said, has a policy that prohibits groups greater than five from hanging out unless they are accompanied by a parent.
The teens left the property, went to the Bayfair BART station and for the next five hours, San Leandro and BART police attempted to disperse the crowd, McManus said.
During that period, one of the teens who had a handgun accidentally shot himself, McManus said. The teen shot himself in the foot while crossing a pedestrian bridge near the station just after 8 p.m., said BART Lt. Michael Hayes. He was taken to a nearby hospital, treated and released and then arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and possession of a firearm while on probation.
As BART police were busy with that shooting, a group of the teens returned to Bayfair mall and chased down and attacked two other teens not related o their group, McManus said.
Both victims tried to run away, but members of the group chased one of them across the parking lot and across Fairmont Drive before catching, beating and kicking him, and removing his Nike shoes and iPhone, police said. The second victim was able to escape and contacted police.
Then on Monday, two teenagers were arrested on suspicion of attacking and robbing a couple in their car near the 2000 block of East 14th Street about 4:40 p.m. Police say a man, woman and 2-year-old child were in a car driving into a parking lot when a large group of teens blocked the entrance and told people in the car to go around.
The adults got out of the car to confront the youths, and one of the teens responded by throwing a metal chair that nearly hit the woman, police said. During the confrontation, another teen ransacked the passenger compartment, and another teen got into the driver's seat, put the car into gear and began driving out of the parking lot with the baby in tow, police said. That teen stopped the car just before police showed up, police said.
In the aftermath, the victims discovered a computer tablet and iPhone were stolen from the car, police said. The two teens arrested over that incident were expected to be charged with assault with a deadly weapon, carjacking, kidnapping and child endangerment. It was not yet known if they would be tried as adults.
The arrests occurred about 40 minutes after police said three older teenagers swiped a shopping bag with Nike shoes from two middle-school students walking in the 2100 block of East 14th Street. One of the teens grabbed the boy carrying the bag and tried to rip away the bag, and when the student fought back, another of the teens pulled out a black handgun and pistol-whipped him into unconsciousness, Lt. Rick DeCosta said. He received stitches at a hospital but was otherwise OK, DeCosta said.
The other middle-school student ran away, but at least one of the teens caught up to him, punched him, threw him to the ground, then forcibly removed the Nike's from his feet. That boy also had his iPhone stolen, DeCosta said.
The concept of "wilding," McManus said, began in the late '80s on the East Coast.
"It popped up in New York in 1989 -- that's where this kind of mob mentality started. It's been seen since in Florida, Philadelphia, L.A. and in Chicago last year," McManus said. "We plan to meet tomorrow or Friday to discuss the matter. The reason for it is that all of our cities are being affect by the same type of criminal behavior and it's becoming a regional issue. We know that by working together we can likely come up with solutions to hopefully solve the problem before anyone else is victimized by this type of behavior."
Anyone with information is urged to call the San Leandro Police Department at 510-577-3230. Anonymous tips can be left at 510-577-3278.
Contact Natalie Neysa Alund at 510-293-2469. Follow her at Twitter.com/nataliealund.


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medicineman wrote:
I was a 17-year-old junior well on my way to dropping out of high school but I was in class, American Government class, strangely, in fact, that morning. We turned on the TV, if I remember correctly, shortly before or maybe it was shortly after the second plane I had hit. I don't really remember. I remember that it did not take them very long to start showing pictures of Bin Laden's face next to the burning towers. I remember putting my head down on my desk but I don't remember what I was feeling. I remember thinking that I was seeing people dying live on TV and that thought was disquieting.
Most strikingly, there was a student teacher in the class who had just moved to Iowa City from New York City. Her last job had been in the World Trade Center just some weeks before. I remember her beginning to cry on the opposite side of the classroom and I remember that some people were giggling at her. Just high school kid shit. Mean, mean as hell, but not really understanding. I think it turned out later that she knew something like 40 people that had died, like everyone she used to work with. She quit the school and I don't know what happened to her. It didn't hit me until years later what an intense and kind of bizarre experience that was. I was just one degree of separation away from what was happening. In her life the tragedy was immediate as to everyone else in the room it was not. It didn't click until much later.
When I think about how it psychologically affected me I don't really know how to do the math. I was discovering drugs and falling deeply for hip-hop and becoming exposed to a lot of new people and ideas of a lot of stripes at that point in my life. I had never really thought that much about things like the government and war, except in the context of the medieval history I had devoured as a child, but my concept of that kind of war was fantastic and legendary and didn't have much to do with the politics of it. I felt a vague and general 'patriotic' sensation but I didn't feel any real threat to myself, and the pure adolescent contrarianism I was embodying at the point in my life as I lashed out against what I was beginning to perceive as oppressive institutions...schools, corporations, the government...with of course a pathetically incomplete understanding of what I was even upset about or rallying against. Very Rage Against the Machine. So I hopped on board with the conspiracy movement right away. The fuck Bush movement, I took those cues from my family. Any actual frustration or rage I felt about the events I channeled toward the administration and the powers that be in the situation - they seemed so much more tangible and threatening than Al-Qaeda, regardless of who was ultimately responsible for the attack itself. I felt and still feel the Patriot Act was and is a larger attack on the American people and our freedom than 9/11 was...to see it pushed through on sentiment, to see the world becoming what I think many of us saw as just cartoonishly Orwellian around me...well, I became the frothing at the mouth hard left pot smoking rap spittin young gutterpunk that would eventually become me, in short. Makeshift Patriot made me aware of SFR and that obviously changed my life. And I really didn't want war. I saw the whole thing happening, I saw those of the people I knew who were all too willing and ready to suit up before the invasion was even really in motion. The anti-war movement, back in the days of its birth, back when we thought we might stop them, for all the good it did us, probably was a much more formative time in my life than I've ever really stopped to think about now. I've consumed and spat forth a lot of ignorance and a lot of inexcusable behavior because of 9/11 - on the first anniversary my friends and I took ecstasy and stole a large number of the American flags people had put out on their porches. We burned a big pile of them in the cemetary - kept the most mutilated for display for a long time...what did that mean? Why? I still don't know. Steve Jordan lost his virginity that night to the girl I wanted to lose mine to that night. I remember them making out in the back of my car. Does that matter? I dunno, I remember though. I think that maybe on the whole the events that would follow 9/11 gave me a nudge towards becoming a more aware and conscious person, even if the avenue I took to that conclusion was path of senseless juvenile rebellion and anger, so if that's the case, for that blessing I'm grateful.


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GLENWOOD SPRINGS - The $500,000 severance payment to former Colorado Mountain College President Stan Jensen was approximately three times what he normally would have been entitled to, according to a review of Jensen's employment contracts from 2008 through 2012.Attorney Tim Whitsitt, who was hired in December by the CMC board of directors specifically for employment issues, confirmed on Monday that Jensen would have been entitled to slightly more than $149,000 in a salary payout on the day he resigned plus coverage of medical insurance premiums for nine months, under the terms of his normal contract."It was nine months of pay and nine months of medical insurance premiums," said Whitsitt on Monday, adding that he was not sure of the value of Jensen's monthly health insurance benefits.Jensen was earning $198,800 per year when he resigned, along with a package of perks and benefits worth more than $72,000 a year.Jensen had been president of the six-county college district since March 2008. He resigned on Dec. 27 during a telephone conference call with the college's board of trustees, following weeks of negotiations.As part of a mostly secret separation agreement, Jensen received severance pay of $500,000, which is more than two-and-a-half times the amount he was earning annually during his last year on the job.He was also paid half his annual salary, $99,400, for his six months of work in the 2012-2013 fiscal year, which runs from July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013, Whitsitt said.College officials, citing a confidentiality clause in the separation agreement, have said very little about Jensen's resignation.
A review of Jensen's 2008 contract and annual contract amendments from 2009 through 2012 by the Glenwood Springs Post Independent revealed a growing package of benefits.CMC's general counsel law firm, Beattie, Chadwick & Houpt of Glenwood Springs, released the contracts and amendments in response to a open records request filed by the Post Independent under the state's Sunshine Law.The latest contract amendment, dated July 1, 2012, extended Jensen's contract through June 30, 2014.


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"The photobook" is a photographic exhibition dedicated to the lead singer of the Rolling Stones. For the first time in Italy, the retrospective dedicated to the image of the man who was not only one of the defining figures of rock, but who has become an icon of style and costume.
Frankie Morello was a partner of the exhibition and was responsible for a publishing project with Rolling Stone Italia.
A changing face, a chameleon-like personality, a cheeky gaze, a dynamic body and sensual lips: this the rock icon who has been a protagonist of the past 40 years of music more than any other, firing the imagination of generations of young fans.
"Mick Jagger – The Photobook" presented a series of 70 portraits taken by leading photographers who have been meeting him since the start of his career, photographing and documenting his unusual face and ability to be an always-new character, always going against the stream.
"Mick Jagger is universal. His unusual face has made him an archetype of the rock star". So says François Hébel, director of the Rencontres d'Arles festival, describing the essence of this exhibition. "This collection of images is first and foremost a photographic project. It is not just the career of Mick Jagger to be displayed but the history of 50 years of photographic portraiture, in which the physical nature and fame of a face are a challenge encouraging the photographs to show him by going beyond simple documentation. Through the shots of the most important photographers, one can see the birth of that bond, now unbreakable, that combines sitter and image".
From the first shots of the 1960s by Goodwin, Mankowitz and Périer, and through the experiments of Cecil Beaton down to the recent portraits by Annie Leibovitz, Karl Lagerfeld, Anton Corbijn, Mark Seliger and Bryan Adams, one can follow the metamorphosis of one who has contributed to create the aesthetic of rock and more.


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Big splashy box art is all fine and good, but the spine of the game case is what gets the most exposure. In today's Speak Up on Kotaku commenter Mindsale ponders spine art perfection.
Y'know what doesn't get enough attention? Spine art.
Most games just use a high-contrast "white text against a black background," which is such a lazy, missed opportunity to display what you will mostly see if you alphabetize or categorize your library. Bioshock, Dark Souls, Dead Space 2, Portal 2 - all dropped the ball. This is your chance to shine, game! I see the spine far more than I see the box art.
Looking at my PS3 library right now, I can tell you that the prettiest spines are without a doubt Demon's Souls, Arkham City, Valkyria Chronicles, God of War III, Ico / Shadow of the Colossus Collection (with its seafoam spine), and prettiest of all is newcomer Uncharted 3. It looks especially nice alphabetically next to Valkyria Chronicles - its pink / purple sky next to Chronicles' baby blue. It's very pleasing.
Which game spines tickle your fancy?


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Stretching for 30 miles along the southwestern shore of the island of Viti Levu, the Coral Coast beckons Fiji vacationers with pristine beaches and coral reefs.
Elegant island resort on Natadola Beach
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Aurisonics Forte In-ear Headphones (Garnet Red)
"Aurisonics Forte – initial impressions I picked up the Aurisonics Fortes recently on eBay to try out the Bravo series "sound" – I currently own the ASG 2.5, and have previously owned and sold or traded the Rockets, Eva and ASG 1Plus (which were my first foray into proper mid-tier IEMs). I find their IEMS generally sit quite well with my musical preferences due to their tuning for their main..." --Jackpot77
Comply Custom Wraps
"Comply foam tip should need no introduction at this point, as it has become a norm for many brand name IEM to include a pair of them. But what we are talking here is something new – or should I say something old that has been put to new use - Comply has been selling a special foam wraps called the 'Soft Wraps' for custom hearing aid for a while now. The idea is that, by sticking a piece of soft..." --ClieOS
Aurisonics EVA Low-Profile In-Ear Headphones (Polished Blue)
" Aurisonics Eva (Bravo series) – initial impressions Picked a pair of these up in the recent Hifiheadphones sale of "old" Aurisonics stock to try out some more of the famous Aurisonics midrange after enjoying the ASG series IEMs I have heard. I picked these up at the same time as the Aurisonics Rockets, and have been splitting my time over the last few weeks equally between them. Any..." --Jackpot77
Aurisonics Harmony
"Intro: The Aurisonics Harmony is the top of the line earphone of the Aurisonics Bravo line, with models focused on bringing great sound at great value. The Harmony features 2 BAs and a single dynamic configuration, and is said to be their most balanced model. This item is bought by myself with no relation to Aurisonics. I paid AUD$800 and they retail for MSRP USD$499. ..." --Antihippy
Aurisonics ASG-2.5 Generic Fit Digital-Hybrid In-Ear Monitors in Polished Red
"Aurisonics ASG 2.5 – initial impressions I have recently picked a pair of the Aurisonics ASG-2.5 in one of the many closeout sales that are going on due to their acquisition/merger with Fender, and these are my initial impressions after burn-in and a solid week of listening. I'm still pretty new to this whole review/impressions thing, so please take it all with a pinch of salt –..." --Jackpot77
Aurisonics ASG-2
" Introduction The ASG-2 is Aurisonics' second (official) foray into the world of iems. The guys over at Aurisonics cater primarily to the music professional crowd, and their products are generally tuned for stage use. Their original ASG-1 was a perfect example of this, with its ability to present vocals in a way that made it seem as if the notes were rolling off your own..." --eke2k6
Aurisonics AS-1b
" Synopsis: The Aurisonics AS-1b is a very nice custom-fit monitor with a sound tuned for the needs of professional musicians performing on stage. It gives the listener a mid-centric sound that emphasizes the vocal range so a singer stands out in the mix. The large 15mm dynamic driver has an excellent, rich bass and on top there is a non-fatiguing, flat treble. The AS-1b offers musicians and..." --Kunlun
Aurisonics ASG-1 Rev 1.3
" I quite literally took a shot with these after the NY Meet. It was between these and the UE900s and I'm rather content with the decision, from the cable to the build, to the fit. Everything works. These are clearly stage monitors tuned so you can ear voices clearly and exact positioning of instruments. Because of this they have a great and slightly forward midrange. However for what they do..." --kyuuketsuki
Aurisonics AS-2
" Synopsis: The Aurisonics AS-2 is a high-end custom-fit in-ear stage monitor with a lively, rich sound. It has a unique, crossover-free design that allows its 15mm dynamic driver and two special balanced armatures to work together seamlessly. With an adjustable bass port system, the AS-2 provides a real bass energy in just the amount you want. Combined with a lush midrange and an accurate,..." --Kunlun
Comply Ts-400
Delivering amazing comfort through its spherical shape, Comply™ Premium Tips Ts-Series are engineered with super soft memory foam that gently seals the ear canal, providing a superior audio experience and a customized stay-in-ear-fit… so you hear music the way it was meant to be heard.


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The long-awaited fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel, which became a welcome addition to our transportation network Saturday, deserves to be recognized for the grand accomplishment that it is.
Burrowing 3,400 feet through the base of a mountain and hauling away 6.4 million cubic feet of rock and soil is an impressive task in any era, but with the environmental and safety restrictions of the 21st century it was like running a marathon with leg irons on.
A $3.5 million sound wall on the Oakland side was required for noise abatement. The site had to be regularly sprayed to curtail construction dust. Endangered species could not be harmed, uprooted trees had to be replaced and seismic considerations were ever-present. Geologic samples were tested for hydrocarbons, readings were required for gas leaks, and no hauling was permitted between 9 p.m. and 7 a.m.
To complete the project without a serious casualty is nothing short of remarkable. To complete it on time and on budget is mind-numbing. Remember, this is Caltrans we're talking about -- the same agency that delivered the Bay Bridge 10 years late and $5 billion over budget.
The reason for the contrasting outcomes can be traced to the input of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority and the Alameda County Transportation Commission, which were deeply involved in project oversight.
"People think of it as a Caltrans project, but it was really a partnership," said Randy Iwasaki, executive director of the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. "Caltrans had the minority share of money in the project. The way the agreement read, we were on the hook for the last dollar. If that project ran over, my taxpayers would have paid for it."
Some $124 million of the $417 million price tag came from Contra Costa's Measure J sales tax measure; $180 million from federal stimulus funds; and $50 million from bridge tolls. The state had the least skin in the game.
"The reason you get sales tax measures passed is you make commitments to voters that you're expected to deliver," Iwasaki said. "If I ever want to get another tax measure passed, I have to deliver on commitments. We watched this project like a hawk."
There was plenty to watch during the 39-month operation. The biggest worry was the unknown. Rock and soil conditions differ on opposite ends of the dig -- denser on the east and looser on the west -- with unpredictable variations in between.
"As an engineer," Iwasaki said, "you're always worried about whether the ground will react the way it's supposed to. You bore shafts and take soil samples, but they're still just estimates of what you'll run into."
Because of the potential for methane gas, special precautions had to be taken, which meant no internal combustion engines. Boring equipment was electric, as were the muck trucks that removed debris. Special flashlights were needed.
One of the most memorable days came when the two excavating teams -- one starting in the east, the other in the west -- finally met in the middle. With precision lasers pointing the way, they were almost perfectly aligned.
"If I remember correctly," Iwasaki said, "they were about 3 millimeters off."
Not that Highway 24 drivers will care, as they zip from Orinda to Oakland. Hey, it's just another tunnel. What's the big deal?
Contact Tom Barnidge at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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2016 Webelos Adventure Camp Dates:
Mecklenburg County Council provides an accredited, organized, overnight theme-related outdoor camping program for Webelos Scouts, Scout leaders and parents.
For questions, please contact: Camp Director John Ross at email@example.com.
Have some time this summer?
*YES* We Still Have Openings
Why not come and volunteer to be a member of our camp staff?
Positions are available for Adults and Youth (14 and over) for multiple areas.
We have roles for all experience levels and time commitments.
Please follow this link and fill out an application and let us know what you're interested in.
Click here >>>>> <<<<< Click here
For all Youth Staff that submitted applications for this summer (all sessions). Please contact Camp Commissioner Mrs. Fox for questions or to submit an application if you have not already done so.
Stay Up To Date With Important Announcements on the Camp Message Board <<Here>>
Council Campership Form << Here >> Note: Council Deadline is April 30th


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Editor's note: This is the fourth year of the Rotary Club of Summit County/Summit Daily News short story contest for local high school students. This year's winners read their stories at the Rotary's Jan. 8 meeting and were awarded certificates and cash prizes for their achievement in creating an original work of short fiction. Today we feature the second-place winner, Julie Bentley, a ninth-grader at Summit High School.
Ryuu walked slowly, hands tucked in pockets, shoulders hunched against the cold. As he turned the corner he glanced around as usual, ever aware of his surroundings. He was a tall boy of seventeen with a slim, strong build, and black hair sticking out in random directions from where it was squished beneath his headphones. He had large, dark eyes, a small nose, and a mouth that turned up at the ends in what appeared to be a slight smirk, even when he felt far from it. Despite his music blaring, he never stopped looking, keeping track of every meaningless occurrence around him, he paused and watched as a small girl spun, looking for her mother, but she was not long lost as her mother scooped her up. He pulled up his collar and moved on to his destination, a little apartment on the fifth floor above an office building.
Within his home he shrugged off his jacket and started brewing his usual jasmine tea, before sitting down at his desk, removing his headphones, and setting his head down with a thump. He had something in his head, a thought he could not put away. They were calling him in. After two years. No action, no training ... nothing but odd jobs, high school, and tea drinking, and they were calling him in. If they felt sorry for him that was one thing, the Shinu was pretty much the only life he'd had. He scrolled through other possibilities; a crisis could always be the cause, one that required all hands on deck, even rusty hands. Of course, Akira, Tataku, or Keiko could have died, quit, or gotten seriously injured, but he found a world threatening crisis more likely. Whatever way he viewed it the prospects weren't clear, and probably weren't good.
Ten years ago, Ryuu had been recruited and trained to be a member of the Shinu by the current leader, Shitsukoi. Back then, he'd had nothing but some impressive fighting abilities and strong instincts, not even memories, which is why his age was really an estimation. He had been brought to the Third Hemisphere, a world separate from the one containing Tokyo, and trained and lived in the Shinu's headquarters hidden in the southern forests of Alcumsis. He had left for good reasons, but now they wanted him back, for what?
Ryuu dragged his head upward to stare at a red mark on his forehead, clearly portrayed in the mirror in front of his desk; a sigh of frustration escaped his lips as he finally reached a conclusion. He slid out the familiar small crystal panel from beneath his desk and, after staring at it for a few seconds, began a combination of seemingly random taps while it began to glow as if vibrant green ferns were unfurling within its thin volume. Eyes widening, Ryuu remembered another part of the old routine, always block light from reaching the window. He slammed the panel back into his desk and ran for the window to rip the shutter closed as the crystal's ambience faded from the room. He slumped and glared inwardly at himself, wondering who or what had spotted the otherworldly glow emanating from a fifth floor window. Quickly tapping in the combination and holding his palm to the panel, a familiarly unpleasant sensation took hold, that of having every pore in your body seem as if it just drank freshly opened soda and burped with a painful jolt going up the nose.
He breathed, thinking, "Here we go, in five, four, three, two, on-;" with that, blinding green and a sudden jolt rocked him as if he were being moved in all directions at once. His head spun until the sudden stop that sent him flying backwards, barely managing to catch himself like he used to. The light faded, leaving him in a small forest glen, dappled with sunlight, bent over backwards ... yep, just as it used to be, except ... a rank smell hung in the air. Ryuu dropped to the ground with a thump and hopped to his feet. This wasn't the same at all; the only part of the forest around him that was preserved was the glen, probably the power of the portal. The rest however, had been reduced to giant pointed sticks of charcoal sticking out of the ground with grey ash everywhere in a thick layer, stirred into small wisps in the breeze. A distant roar reached his ears. Climbing a burned tree, Ryuu could see fires still raging in the distance.
"What happened here?" he muttered.
"Ryuu! You came!"
A thin wiry girl with medium length black hair and twin swords strapped to her back came bounding into the glen.
"Keiko? What is all this?"
She gestured for him to move away from the glen until they were crouching in the ashes of the forest, then she spoke in a deep, steady voice, deep for a girl anyhow.
"It's a lot to explain. What you need to know is that we are extremely vulnerable, the whole team is. The headquarters just went up in flames and Shitsukoi, Akira, Tataku, and a new recruit Usagi are patrolling the forest for anything ready to take advantage of us. Look, our best guess for the cause of all this is outlandish, but it's all we got. Before all this Akira had been researching something, essentially he thinks the forest stone was never returned to the capitol vault, that Jigoku managed to leave with it, and something happened between the two hours it took to force transport him out of here, and the time he died. It may seem random, but to make this quick, I need you to drink something. Hopefully, it will bring your old memories back as if they just happened."
She removed from her belt a small vial of vibrant green liquid. Ryuu took it, looking between it, and Keiko.
"Okay ... just in case, what memory should I focus on?"
"Wherever you hid the stone."
Ryuu cocked his head questioningly, then uncorked the vial and drank. His head began to swim when it suddenly felt like memories from long ago, memories that had been put away intentionally, were resurfacing with force. He was transported to another time, to a fuzzy memory of a tall dark figure placing a green swirling stone is his young hands then turning and vanishing. Another memory of ... of his mother driving in front of him, then a crash, flames, and blood running down her face while the stone pulsed with dark energy in his hands. Next he was wandering, beating figures much larger than him in fistfights, releasing his hatred on the world. Then there stood Shitsukoi, he saw himself being brought into the Shinu. But the thing was still in his pocket, the thing that killed mom. He ran and ran with it in his hands. There was a small waterfall with a niche behind it. A small hand pulled away rubble to finally put away the stone, finally hide it forever. It couldn't hurt anyone anymore ... forget ... forget it all ... it never happened ... -Ryuu lurched forward as the painful sequence ended. He realized he was gasping and cold sweat was running down his face. He squinted up at Keiko who hovered over him anxiously.
"Aaah, I think it worked ..."
"Are you all right? Do you know where it is?"
"Yeah and yes, I think so. But why does it matter?"
"I'll tell you on the way, we've got to start moving."
"Alright ... give me a sec ..."
Ryuu began jogging in the rough direction of the hiding place, based on which direction he'd run from the headquarters all those years ago, head still spinning from all that was happening, and his beautiful forest reduced to ash and charcoal.
"Ok, so it applies because the forest stone had a secret. It brings disaster on anyone or anything that possesses it; that's why it was kept in the capitol vault all those years. Akira believes that for whatever reason, Jigoku used his ties with the time travelers to go back and give you the stone just before he died. All you had was your mother, and she died in a car crash six months later, wiping your memory. The stone takes time to wreak its havoc, depending on how much havoc it's wreaking, depending on the "size" of its possessor. In this case, it took five years to destroy the forest it was buried in. It drains energy from its surroundings then expels it in a sudden lurch of disaster; in this case it was fire. The vault was enchanted and created to withstand the stone. If we can get it back there, we can keep this from getting any worse."
"It can get worse?"
They arrived suddenly at the miniature waterfall, now choked up with ash and fallen trees. A loud crashing sound came from behind them. They turned, Keiko unsheathing her weapons.
"Did I mention that it could call minions?"
"That, you did not," growled Ryuu.
Three trolls stood before them at seven feet tall each. Creatures known for sheer evil, ripping travelers apart limb by limb and dining on everything from grizzly bears to the nymphs. These were not lovely fellows by any means, not with short, stubby, trunk-like legs, stained, chipped ivory tusks, and fish scale-like skin that seemed too tight in some places and far too loose in others. Ryuu automatically reached towards his belt and cursed as he remembered he had left his favored weapons, twin daggers, hanging over his mantle at home. A sudden whoop drew his attention as a small, pale girl dropped down by his side, short orange hair interlaced with twigs and debris.
"Gotcha covered," she chimed, throwing him almost identical copies of the daggers.
"Sweetness. Usagi I presume?"
"Yep, look out."
They all rolled away as the front troll swung his club at the ground where they'd been, making a plume of ash come up in his face. They grinned at each other, this was the kind of thing they were trained for.
"Let's finish this quickly," Keiko asserted.
Ryuu headed for the last troll. As soon as it swung at him he ducked and spun, getting close enough to smell the troll's rancid breath and jab its hooded eyes. He swung himself to stand on its head and deal a final blow as it fell, jumping away as a cloud of ash enveloped everything. As the ash settled, he saw the other two trolls get downed. Keiko dodged the first swing as he had, then dug her hook swords into its shoulder to swing atop and deal a final blow, meanwhile Usagi was simply standing next to hers, having already leaned it against a tree to avoid the ash cloud. Ryuu couldn't really tell what had killed it, but she turned her back on it confidently. Breathing hard, Ryuu headed for the stones hiding place. Digging through the mud of ash and water that dribbled down, he reached the rubble, then the rocks, then, pulsing just like it did all those years ago, there was the stone. He removed it gently, handing it to Keiko.
"Well at least now we've stopped it. It's in my possession and will be until it gets handed off to the griffins waiting at Eagle's Nest. From there it can be flown to the capitol and moved to the vault."
"That's it?" Ryuu voiced.
"Yep," chimed Usagi. "The impossible part was making sure you came and getting the potion to work, but I guess you can go back to Tokyo now."
Ryuu paused.
"Nah, I've missed this place too much, and I have to see the rest of the crew don't I?"
Keiko grinned. "I would think so Ryuu, they'll want to see their sempai."
"I still wonder though, why did he give the stone to me?"
"Maybe he didn't really know, either way, perhaps time will tell."
Julie Bentley is a freshman at Summit High School.


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YouTube Gaming update packs in landscape mode, new chat layout, and other improvements
A few features are getting polished, such as subscribing to new channels and changing which part of the world you want to see videos from.
A few features are getting polished, such as subscribing to new channels and changing which part of the world you want to see videos from.
Resurrecting a series as legendary as Homeworld? After twelve years? That's an unenviable task—but Blackbird Interactive pulled it off with Deserts of Kharak.
'An unlocked frame rate in Need for Speed is a massive priority for you,' says developer. 'Duh,' says community.
Alienware built its reputation over the years on building high performance gaming PCs.
Alienware continues its push into the mobile PC market the introduction of its Alienware 13 notebook.
The original Company of Heroes received a pair of expansion packs, so it was only a matter of time before the sequel got one as well. This time, however, the multiplayer experience and not the single player campaign has been extended.
It's been nearly a decade since the last Unreal Tournament. A decade.
After many months of speculation and hype, Respawn Entertainment's highly anticipated Titanfall is finally out. The multiplayer based shooter has a lot of expectations to live up to, as it is created by a team that contributed to the success of the Call of Duty series.
There are countless games dedicated to playing the sport of football (soccer, not handegg). However, they are mostly designed to let you live out the fantasy of being a player on the field. Sega's Football Manager, on the other hand, allows you to live out the fantasy of controlling a team from the sideline, and it's been doing that for almost a decade. Here's what we think of the latest version.
Sega recently released Total War: Rome II, the sequel to its 2004 real-time strategy game. Massive battles have been a trait of past Total War games, and Rome II tries to make use of today's modern PC technology to recreate epic clashes between Romans and their adversaries.
Gigabyte has attempted to set itself apart from the competition by making its video cards energy efficient and well cooled.
While the game features a narrative that focuses on a Russian soldier reliving key moments from the Eastern front of World War II, Company of Heroes 2 consists of squad-based gameplay that encourages the user to be highly strategic.
The film and music industry has a long tradition of digging up and preserving their intellectual property so that it can continually be enjoyed by audiences both in the present and future.
Alienware unveiled its three new gaming notebook at the fourth generation Intel Core launch that recently took place in Sydney, as well as the Alienware X51 desktop.
EA's SimCity has sold more than 1.1 million units sold in its first two weeks of availability. Digital sales significantly contributed to this performance, with approximately 54 per cent of sales being of the digital versions of the game, either from EA's own Origin service or others.
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First impression on unpacking the Q702 test unit was the solid feel and clean, minimalist styling.
For work use, Microsoft Word and Excel programs pre-installed on the device are adequate for preparing short documents.
The Fujitsu LifeBook UH574 allowed for great mobility without being obnoxiously heavy or clunky. Its twelve hours of battery life did not disappoint.
The screen was particularly good. It is bright and visible from most angles, however heat is an issue, particularly around the Windows button on the front, and on the back where the battery housing is located.
My first impression after unboxing the Q702 is that it is a nice looking unit. Styling is somewhat minimalist but very effective. The tablet part, once detached, has a nice weight, and no buttons or switches are located in awkward or intrusive positions.


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Sustainability: Green Resident
The UCM Office of Sustainability's green room certification is a way for students to be recognized for living a sustainable lifestyle on campus and to empower them to make continued changes. Students can receive individual certification at three separate levels. Students who complete any part of the certification process will receive a sign to display on their room door. The green room certification process will begin in February for residence hall students. Participation will make student eligible to win prizes from the Office of Sustainability.
The Levels
Level 1: Sustainable Awareness:
Complete the sustainable practice inventory
and commit to making one sustainable change
by filling out the Level One Completion Form
Level 2: Sustainable Learning
Attend an event sponsored by the Office of Sustainability (OOS)
then fill out the Level Two Completion Form
Level 3: Sustainable Action
Volunteer with the OOS
then fill out the Level Three Completion Form
The Prize:
After each level, participants will receive a prize. Also, the floor with the most average points per person by the end of April, will receive an Ice Cream Sundae Bar.
For more information on Green Resident Contact:
Connor Farron at email@example.com


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Related Stories
- Feb 25:
- The Onion apologizes for offensive actress tweet
- Feb 24:
- Oscars 2013: Five biggest surprises at the Academy Awards
- Oscars 2013: 'Argo' sweeps to victory on Oscar night
- Oscars 2013: Seth MacFarlane's taped bits and crude humor fall flat
- Oscars 2013: The five best speeches at the Academy Awards
- Oscars 2013: Seth MacFarlane's raciest lines
- Oscars 2013: Seth MacFarlane's raciest lines
- Oscars 2013: Full list of winners
- 2013 Academy Awards: 'Argo' takes best picture at the Oscars
- Oscars 2013: Seth MacFarlane -- worst Oscar host ever?
- List of 85th annual Academy Award winners
- Oscars 2013: The red carpet's best looks -- Jessica Chastain, Jennifer Lawrence, Channing Tatum and more
- Oscars 2013: Live coverage from the 85th annual Academy Awards
- Oscars 2013: Red-carpet fashion failures include Anne Hathaway, Jane Fonda and more
- Oscars 2013: Critics from across the country make picks in major categories
If host Seth MacFarlane and the Oscars were a little unusual on Sunday, as many critics have claimed, they were also a bigger draw than last year.
Early Nielsen ratings show the Oscar telecast earned a 26.6 rating and a 41 percent share of the TV audience, marking a 4 percent increase over last year's Bill Crystal-hosted affair.
The Nielsen numbers also showed the 85th Academy Awards did well in the key 18-49 demographic, where it drew a 12.1 rating, up 19 percent from last year.
The 2012 Oscars were largely steady from the previous year.


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Emtek 2221MB Medium Bronze 4" Height Solid Brass Edge Pull for Sliding Doors
Huge Savings on All EMTEK
Use Coupon Code: EMTEK at checkout and save
Offer Ends 8/26/2016
Technical Specs
|Specification Sheet
|Brass Modern, Classic Brass, Sandcast Bronze, Wrought Steel
|Sliding Door Pull
All Emtek items are made to order.
4" Height Solid Brass Edge Pull for Sliding Doors from the Door Accessories Collection
Emtek's door pulls and plates for non-latching doors are as exquisitely and finely crafted as its operating locks, and are made of the same beautiful and rugged materials.
For a quality, beautiful look, Emtek's Door Accessories cannot be beat. Like all Emtek products, the craftsmanship and materials that go into their household hardware is top quality. Emtek's brass hardware coordinates perfectly with other household hardware finishes.
- Solid Brass
- Height: 4"
- Width: 3/4"
- Screws included
Emtek is dedicated to bringing interesting, well made hardware back into American homes. Emtek's mission is to satisfy the higher expectations of today's homeowners with regard to door locks. They strive to provide a broad and interesting range of products that consumers can use as elements of decor, and not just as a way to latch a door.
Additional Emtek Links
Our SKU: 2221
This product is listed under the following manufacturer number(s):
- Deep Burgundy
- Flat Black
- French Antique
- Medium Bronze
- Non-Lacquered Brass
- Oil Rubbed bronze
- Pewter
- Polished Brass
- Polished Chrome
- Rust
- Satin Nickel
- Satin Steel
- Silver Patina
- Tumbled White Bronze
*Denotes a finish or option that has been discontinued
2 Questions from the Community
Yes the 2221 can be used on any type of door that you can use screw on.
Can I use the emtek 2221 on a solid core door?
A. Yes the 2221 can be used on any type of door that you can use screw on.
Emtek's Flush pulls are models 2201, and 2211.
Does this have a matching or comparable flush pull that could be used on a pocket door?
A. Emtek's Flush pulls are models 2201, and 2211.
Product Reviews
Emtek Sliding Door Pull Collection
Warranty Info
Emtek Limited Warranty
Emtek Products, Inc. (the "Company") warrants to the original purchaser that, except for products with Rust, Deep Burgundy, Medium Bronze, Flat Black Patina and Silver Patina finishes, the products manufactured by it (the "Products") are free of defects in material and workmanship, provided:
- the Company has been notified within five years of purchase date and has been given the opportunity of inspection by return of any alleged defective Products to the Company, free and clear of all liens and encumbrances, transportation prepaid, accompanied by a statement of defects and proof of purchase; and
- the Product has not been modified, abused, misused or improperly installed, maintained and/or repaired during such period; and there is no warranty on Rust, Deep Burgundy, Medium Bronze, Flat Black Patina and Silver Patina finishes.
The Company shall, at its option, either repair or replace, free of charge, any Products or part thereof found upon the Company's inspection, to be so defective, or at the Company's sole discretion refund the purchase price, less a reasonable allowance for depreciation, in exchange for the Product.
The Company makes no other warranty, and all implied warranties including any warranty of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose are limited to the duration of the expressed warranty period as set forth above. The Company's maximum liability hereunder is limited to the purchase price of the product. In no event shall the Company be liable for any consequential, indirect, incidental or special damages of any nature arising from the sale or use of the product, whether in contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise.
- Some states do not allow limitations on incidental consequential damages or how long an implied warranty lasts so that the above limitations may not fully apply.
- This warranty gives specific legal rights and a buyer may also have other rights which may vary from state to state.
- For warranty service please contact Build.com customer service at (800) 375-3403.


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Get to know CAA Football
Facts and figures on Stony Brook Football's new home in 2013.
Stony Brook to join CAA Football in 2013
A new era of Stony Brook Football in the premier FCS conference to begin in 2013.
2012: Saw action at quarterback vs. Pace (9/8) ... Seawolves primary holder on PATs and FGs.
2011: Redshirted.
Before Stony Brook: A two-way player at Nassau Community College for coach Jermaine Miles ... saw action in seven games at quarterback ... threw for 172 yards and two touchdowns passes against Dean College and one TD against Globe Tech.
High School: A 2009 graduate of Sachem North High School ... a two-time All-Long Island selection ... holds school records for career-passing yards (2,146), season-passing yards (1,105), career completions (264), touchdowns in a season (11) and career (18).


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Posts Tagged 'AUGIWorld'
AUGIWorld August 2011 Issue is Available!
AUGIWorld August 2011 Issue Released!
• Collaboration is more than just a tidy word to describe diverse users working together toward a common goal. Collaboration is a mindset and a culture which, fortunately for Autodesk product users, is aided significantly by the products they use every day.
• In "Keys to Collaboration Success," author Brian Benton offers some practical tips for collaborating on AutoCAD projects.
• Melinda Heavrin's article "Collaboration with Autodesk Design Review" elaborates on how drawing markups can become an easy, streamlined operation.
• And Andra Marquardt demonstrates how AutoCAD Map handles the critical process of file import and export in "Speaking the Same Language."
Here are the direct links to the issue!Low Resolution PDF (6.9mb) / High Resolution PDF (30.0mb) / Read it Online
Also in the August 2011 issue of AUGIWorld:
• The Autodesk Exchange Apps Store: In June, Autodesk launched a marketplace where you can find great apps—plug-ins, block libraries, e-books, training videos, and more. Free apps, trials, products for purchase—as close as a tab in AutoCAD 2012. Stephen Preston shows you around the store.
• Collaboration in a Multi-Disciplinary/Multi-Firm Environment: Bryan Tanner shows you how to share drawing files efficiently with those inside – and outside – your environment by using great tools inside AutoCAD Civil 3D.
• Collaborating with Autodesk Inventor Publisher: In our technology-driven world, the ability to share designs and communicate effectively has never been so important. John Evans illustrates how Inventor Publisher is up to the task.
• Electrical and Mechanical Coordination: Revit MEP works admirably as a method for bringing mechanical and electrical engineers together. Todd Shackelford shows you how it's done.
• Revit Collaboration: Then and Now: Troy Gates looks back on how collaboration workflow once worked in Autodesk Revit, and how it is done today. An emerging technology is also making inroads.
• Collaboration with Revit Structure—Work Sharing: Phil Russo takes you step by step through collaboration in Revit Structure. Lots of tips and tricks here.
• Collaboration and Data Management for AEC Projects: What's Autodesk's vision for collaborating with the Revit platform? It's 360. Revit Design Product Line Manager Anthony Hauck elaborates.
• Collaboration & Interoperability: Seth Borne describes a plethora of third-party modeling solutions and techniques for integrating assets into 3ds Max.
• Value-Driven Project Delivery: Understanding the needs and requirements of clients is critical to delivering successful projects. Here are six keys to success, from Andrew Abernathy.
• 15 Questions with Shawn Hendricks: This month's Autodesk Insiders column provides a look into the world of Shawn Hendricks, Senior Technical Marketing & Video Production Manager, Media & Entertainment Marketing.
• Inside Track: Recent developments in Autodesk and related software.
• Heads Up! Updates, service packs, and more…from the pages at Autodesk.com.


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Idaho Rules of Civil Procedure Rule 4(a). Process - Summons - Issuance - Time Limits.
(1) Summons. At the request of the plaintiff, the clerk of the district court shall forthwith issue a summons and deliver it for service as provided by Rule 4(c). Upon request of the plaintiff separate or additional summons shall issue against any defendant.
(2) Time Limit for Service. If a service of the summons and complaint is not made upon a defendant within six (6) months after the filing of the complaint and the party on whose behalf such service was required cannot show good cause why such service was not made within that period, the action shall be dismissed as to that defendant without prejudice upon the court's own initiative with 14 days notice to such party or upon motion.
[Amended June 15, 1987, effective November 1, 1987; amended February 10, 1993, effective July 1, 1993; amended April 19, 1995, effective July 1, 1995.]
Chief Justice Jim Jones
Justice Daniel T. Eismann
Justice Roger S. Burdick
Justice Warren E. Jones
Justice Joel D. Horton
Chief Judge John M. Melanson
Judge Sergio A. Gutierrez
Judge David W. Gratton
Judge Molly J. Huskey
Promoting Openness In The Courts
Do you have suggestions about how we can better serve you?


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Listening to local voices on poverty
When the Obama administration announced it will waive the work requirement in welfare reform, it wasn't just a bad idea that will roll back one of the most celebrated reforms of the last 25 years.
The move over the summer to allow waivers of the work requirement — the work in "workfare" — also showed disregard for the leaders of some of the nation's poorest communities. These leaders had cried out against the corrosive effects of the old welfare system on neighborhoods, families and the spirit of individual responsibility.
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More stories from Commentary
- Why shouldn't seniors pay for health care?
- Medicaid and the conventions
- Early release program needs major reform
- What the memorials mean
- Mayor: I chose the best candidate
- Scientists err, but numbers do not lie
- Choice lacking for disabled young people
- Arab Spring's bitter fruit
- Listening to local voices on poverty
- Who built that mess?


text: This is one of the easiest Kerala Fish Curries I make since it doesn't involve any roasting or grinding or shredding coconut. Kudampulli (Fish Tamarind/Gambooge) is mostly used as the souring agent in Kottayam Style Fish Curries. My mom and mother-in-law always make Fish Curry with Kudampulli except for the occasional Fish Molee.


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NEW ORLEANS -- With 4.6 seconds left, Warriors guard Jarrett Jack checked out of the game, having made multiple clutch plays to help his team secure a 116-112 win Saturday night. He was mobbed by his teammates.
"They didn't want you, Jack!" injured center Andrew Bogut screamed. "Way to show them what they're missing."
As he's done all season, Jack came up big in a game Golden State needed to have. He lit up the New Orleans Hornets -- who traded him to the Warriors in July for basically nothing -- for 25 points and a career-high-tying 12 assists off the bench.
It's the first time in his NBA career that he's had at least 20 points and 10 assists in consecutive games. He had 20 points and 10 assists in Friday's loss at San Antonio.
"He was special," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "He was awfully good. He had a couple tough outings prior to this, but he's a pro, and we believe in him."
Even though starting point guard Stephen Curry returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained right ankle, Jack's production was especially vital. That's because Warriors forward David Lee sat out with a sprained left ankle he sustained at San Antonio.
The Warriors simply couldn't afford to drop their fourth straight game. Not with the Los Angeles Clippers (Monday) and Oklahoma City (Wednesday) looming.
The Hornets represented the Warriors' first opponent with a losing record all month. But these Hornets aren't the sorry team their record might indicate. They entered Saturday having won six of their last seven games.
"They're healthy," Carl Landry said after totaling 11 points and 11 rebounds starting in place of Lee. "They're playing well. They're clicking. They're rolling. They're a very good basketball team right now."
Golden State entered the fourth quarter down 89-85. It was obvious they needed to put points on the board. That they did, albeit in an unusual fashion.
The Warriors got 13 points in the fourth quarter from Curry and 11 from Jack. But they did most of their damage from the foul line, knocking down 15 combined.
Golden State totaled 31 points in the quarter, 17 coming from the foul line -- offsetting 6-of-17 shooting.
"We gave up 117 points to a team that is undermanned," Hornets coach Monty Williams said. "You don't deserve to win."
Inside a minute left, the Warriors trailed 110-108. Jack intercepted a pass from the Hornets' Eric Gordon and turned it into a fastbreak, which led to his game-tying free throws.
The Warriors then got a stop after Gordon bricked a 20-footer and had the ball with 34.7 seconds. Out of timeouts and going for the quick shot, Jack drilled a runner in the lane, putting the Warriors up 112-110 with 31.8 left.
Golden State got the ball back after a Hornets turnover. Jack split a pair of free throws, giving New Orleans life. With 22 seconds left, a 3-pointer would have tied it. Greivis Vasquez got a good look, but it rimmed out.
It was Jack who secured the rebound and the much-needed victory.
"He is just such a gritty, gritty player," said Warriors swingman Richard Jefferson, who had 11 points and four rebounds off the bench. "He is not the most athletic player. He is not the quickest player. He just has so much grit and so much heart. He is yelling at the bigs. He is yelling at the smalls. He is such an intelligent player. He just wants to win."
Jackson said the Warriors would be cautious. Myers acknowledged being a bit nervous. In the end, Curry convinced them he was fine.
"He's a smart guy," Myers had said before Wednesday's game against Miami. "We can trust him."
Curry played 38 minutes, 29 seconds and didn't seem to have any problems with his right ankle. He said he has a little soreness, but it's not in his ligaments so he can play through it.
Saturday, he played a lot off the ball, which requires plenty of running and cutting in traffic.
"I still have a little ways to get better fully," Curry said. "But I can't do myself any damage I don't think. It's a different feeling than I've had before after I sprained it. So it's not like I'm going to go out there and make it be a nagging thing. I can still heal while I'm playing. Doctors all agree on that, and the training staff."
Monday's game
Los Angeles Clippers (31-9) at Warriors (24-15), 1 p.m. CSNBA


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New York University operates under the thinking that as an institution, it draws greater vigor from greater diversity. This incorporates the University's academic mission to encourage the development of diverse programs of study and encourage dialogue between departments and schools. A diverse student body is one of the privileges that is afforded to the NYU community. Students have a unique opportunity to truly engage with and learn from others who may be different in myriad ways, including gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic class, race, or ethnicity, or disability status.
The University offers a variety of services supporting the diverse groups that comprise the NYU community. Diversity education and training, multicultural programs and cultural and social justice programs are resources that are provided by the Center for Multicultural Education and Programs. Students who identify as LGBTQI thrive in a campus environment that is inclusive and supportive of student diversity in the areas of sexual orientation and gender identity/expression, and can turn to the NYU Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Student Center for support, programming and community.


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Jurassic 5 is back in business.
The acclaimed Los Angeles hip-hop act, which originally parted ways in 2007, reunited last year to the delight of its many fans. The celebration has now spilled over to 2014, with a lengthy U.S. tour that includes a stop Friday at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley.
"It feels like old times," Jurassic 5's Akil says of the reunion. "We are just doing what we have always done. We just are in a little older bodies. Other than that, it's still the same."
The J5 show kicks off a huge season of hip-hop in the Bay Area, which will include performances by such titans as Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Jay Z (with Beyoncé).
And what a way to get the party started.
Back in the mid 1990s and early 2000s, the SoCal crew was one of alternative hip-hop's top troupes -- wowing fans and critics alike with its socially conscious lyrics and old-school grooves -- and seemed well on its way to establishing itself as a major mainstream act.
The group's first two major label releases, 2000's "Quality Control" and 2002's "Power in Numbers" (both on the Interscope Records label) were startlingly good. In particular, "Quality Control" ranks as a stone cold classic.
Yet, things began to go south with the departure of the amazingly talented DJ Cut Chemist, who decided to chase a solo career after the release of "Power in Numbers." The group soldiered on, but the creative spark had dimmed somewhat.
In 2006, Jurassic 5 released "Feedback" -- a work that fell well short of the greatness of its earlier outings -- and called it quits one year later. Although the breakup was attributed by many to internal dissension, Akil says that's not the case.
"It wasn't even creative differences," he says during a recent phone interview from Los Angeles. "Things sometimes just grow apart. It didn't have anything to do with creative differences or money."
"I feel like the Creator has a time (schedule)," he adds, "and I play on the Creator's time. It was that time for us to be apart and the Creator brought us back together. It was just definitely in the Creator's plan for it to happen. And we accept. So, from there, we're here."
But how did we get here? The credit goes, in large part, to Coachella.
The six original J5 members -- rappers Akil, Chali 2na, Zaakir and Marc 7even and DJs Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist -- certainly had their chances to reunite over the years. Yet, they all couldn't turn down the opportunity to perform in a prime slot at last year's mammoth Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Southern California. The group went on to tour England, Portugal, Spain, Japan and the United States, including a stop at the Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas, in November.
But Coachella was a high-pressure re-entry to the game. Jurassic 5 had to dust off years of cobwebs and try to conjure up the old magic in front of thousands of music lovers -- many of whom probably weren't all that familiar with the band -- at one of the world's top festivals.
Fortunately, Jurassic 5 -- a band well known for its sterling stage shows during its original heyday -- earned top scores at Coachella as well as the reunion shows that followed. On a local note, Jurassic 5 delivered one of the top sets of last year's Outside Lands festival in San Francisco.
The Bay Area has long been one of the band's top markets, and that's no coincidence, says Akil.
"The Bay Area was really instrumental in supporting real hip-hop," he says. "We knew that when we went up there we really had to be on point with what we were doing. ... I think the first time we went was 1997, or something like that. Ever since then, I've loved the Bay Area."
The reunited J5 has found success at basically every stop on its comeback tour. Akil says he's not surprised that longtime listeners are snatching up tickets, but rather by all the younger fans showing up for gigs.
"There are fans now who are at these shows who are like 21, 22 years old," he says. "I keep thinking that seven or eight years ago, they were like 13 or 14 and weren't even able to go to the clubs or be part of the scene."
Another positive is that the group has recorded its first reunion track, "The Way We Do It," which manages to sound both fresh and familiar.
"Our style is already old school," Akil adds. "There's no way that (a song) can be dated with us, because we didn't come out with a new sound anyway. We are not confined to have to run the race with everyone out here and make something to compete with what's going on."
Follow Jim Harrington at http://twitter.com/jimthecritic and www.facebook.com/jim.bayareanews.
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Greek Theatre, Berkeley
Tickets: $42.50,
Also on the bill: Quannum Projects (featuring Blackalicious, DJ Shadow, Lyrics Born and Lateef the Truthspeaker), Dilated Peoples