text:
|Welcome to the MANGA Forum.
|You will have to register before you can post: log in or sign up at the top of the page to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
hey everyone my name is michael r smith and i am a writer. I am looking for peoples opions on my work so i though i would drop some of them here but i am only going to do it chapter by chapter hoping that each one will keep people wanting more. my newest one is not finished. It's called 'Clouds and Midnight' and its about werewolves. so i hope you like and become fans of it. and another thing its has not been edited yet because its not finished. here is chapter one
Clouds of Midnight
written by M.R.SMITH 2008 DEAD-ENDS STUDIO
- Chapter One -
A dense fog covers cobblestone streets and wraps around brick and stone buildings. The lonely street lamps give the only sign of life during this midnight hour. The bright starry night is covered by a thin layer of clouds. The area at the center of town feels dead and deserted. Not even the homeless cats and dogs are salvaging food.
A dark shadow appears inside an alleyway in between two brick buildings. It is tall and thin. The fog moves aside revealing a human male dressed in a pin striped suit. He is tall and skinny and well groomed. He has his hands in his pants pockets as he looks around. He jerks his head upwards focusing on something. His nose wiggles as a strange scent moves across the fog.
The man quickly rips off his clothes as thick patches of hair grows out from his skin. His body bubbles outwards as it grows bigger. He rips the final piece of clothes from his body as he turns into a large werewolf like creature. A growl echoes around the town as the werewolf like creature stands on all of his four legs. The creature looks upwards and then jumps against the wall of the alleyway. Its sharp and pointed claws dig into the brick wall as it prepares to jump again. The creature jumps from building to building putting holes into the bricks as he jumps higher up the buildings.The werewolf like creature climbs onto the roof and then runs across it. He jumps high into the air and lands onto a taller building.
The clouds in the sky moves aside exposing a full moon and only a couple of stars. Across the town the dense fog seems to copy the clouds and move aside exposing the cobblestone roads and pathways. The moon shines brightly over the town giving color to the dark night.
The werewolf like creature stands on its back legs and rises into the air. His brownish red fur flows in rows as a gust of air blows across the top of the roof. A growl echoes across the town again as he opens his jaws. Bright white teeth become exposed as drool drips down his chin. A gut wrenching howl bursts out from the mouth of the creature ..........
A hand turns the next page of a 100 page note book. There is no more writing on the following pages. The hand flips through the note book and finds no more pages with writing on it. The hand closes the note book and places it on a desk next to a laptop computer.
So what happens next? said a womans voice.
A dark haired woman who was reading from the pages looks over at the other person in the room, a teenage male. The teenage male shrugs his shoulders.
You gave me the idea yesterday so thats all I got. said the teenage male.
The dark haired woman sitting at the desk where the note book is turns back around and grabs the notebook. She gives it to the teenage male who wrote it.
Where are the notes I told you to write down. said the dark haired woman.
The teenage male takes out another note book from his blue backpack that is resting on the bed next to him. He opens it up and shows her the notes.
Right here. Everything you told me yesterday about your ideas on werewolves. said the teenage male.
The dark haired woman stands up and sees the pages. She smiles and then taps him on the shoulder.
Good. I dont want anyone else to see those notes, read those notes or get their hands on them. I want this to be between us until the story is done. said the dark haired woman.
Of course. said the teenage male.
The dark haired woman goes up to the bedroom door and looks at the fish tank next to it. The bright neon blue light makes the gold fish look like they are radioactive. She opens the fish food jar and sprinkles a little bit of the flakes into the tank. She smiles at the fish and then leaves the room. The door slams shut echoeing around the bedroom. The teenage male watches the woman leave and then gets off his bed. He walks up to the desk and opens the note book to the last page he wrote on. He takes out a pen from a metal can at the corner of the desk. The teenage male looks at the page and then taps the pen against the desk thinking. The tapping nose echoes around the room. The teenage male leans back on the chair and then places the pen on the desk. He spins his chair around looking at the movie posters on the walls, the comic books on the bookshelves, his tv/dvd player, the fish tank, and then at his bed with the Star Wars bed sheets. He notices his alarm clock. It has the numbers 2:02 am in bright green colors.
I am so screwed. said the teenage male.
The teenage male places his hands on his face unsure what to do next.
for all of you who are reading my stories i will add each new chapter to this section so you can easliy read them all at once. so look here for upcoming chapters. thanks.
"Life is but a passing dream, but death is eternal"
Your story is amazing and i can't wait for the rest. you truely have a talent very good. love the werewolf theme.*VAMPPY*
This is really good...actually "good" doesn;t describe how well this is written...Keep up the excellent work my friend. Dewa Mata,Niji-Hana Otaku Sovereign"Innoscence Activate!"
Clouds of Midnight
written by M.R.SMITH 2008
chapter 2
Mr. Phelps? said an adult males voice, Mr. Powel Phelps?
A teenage male slides his hands down his face and then looks across the class room. He sees the other students looking at him waiting for an answer. The teenage male looks at the teacher and sees a math problem written on the board behind him.
Yes Mr. Bernstein. said Powel Phelps.
What is the answer to the equation on the board. said the teacher.
Powel looks at the math book and his math notes. He pushes the notebook aside looking for the equation he wrote down. He comes across the open notebook with the werewolf story in it. He looks up at the classroom of students and closes the notebook. He places the 100 page notebook into his blue backpack. He then finds the equation written on a seperate piece of paper and not in his math notebook.
28 over N equals 42 over R. said Powel Phelps.
The math teacher looks at his math book, straighten his rimless glasses and then stares at Powel.
Correct Mr. Phelps. said Mr. Bernstein.
The school bell rings ending the school day. The math teacher looks up at the clock and then looks down at his watch. He closes the math book and places it on the teacher desk behind him.
Remember class homework for tonight is on page 94, problems 2,4,6,8 and on pages 101 through 104, problems 9 through 13. The answers for problems 2,4,6,8 are at the back of the book to help, and to only help. See you all tomorrow. said Mr. Bernstein.
All the students quickly write down the homework asignment and then pack their stuff into their book bags or backpacks. Many rush out the two doors without giving the math teacher their homework. Powel slowly packs his things away not acting like he is in a rush to leave. He smushes the math note book and math book together into his blue backpack. He stands up ready to leave when he notices a pair of perfectly polished black shoes standing by the school desk. He looks up and the math teacher is standing by him. Powel stands up and places his backpack around his shoulder. He hands the math teacher two pieces of paper.
Heres yesterdays homework. said Powel.
Thanks Mr. Phelps. said Mr. Bernstein.
He takes the homework and looks at the teenage male.
Are you ok Mr. Phelps? You look like you have not got any sleep in the past three days. said Mr. Bernstein.
Powel looks up at the math teacher and notices how he has the type of light sky blue eyes like dogs have and realizes that he has had the same math teacher for two years and every year he also seems to focus on him more than any other student.
Im good. Just have had a lot of homework lately. said Powel.
And your particapation with the Sci-Fi Club too, right? said Bernstein.
Ah yes. We have a lot to do so I must go now. Bye. said Powel.
Goodbye Mr. Phelps. said the math teacher.
He waves goodbye to Powel and watches him leave. The math teacher smiles exposing perfectly white teeth and larger than normal canines. He hears the sound of other students come into the room and walks back to the teachers desk.
Outside in the hallway Powel merges with the other students creating a type of traffic jam. Each one is either going to their next class or to their lockers. He squeezes through the crowd of teenagers towards the stairs. He skips steps as he hurries down them to the first floor. Powel merges with a different crowd of teenagers creating another type of traffic jam. At the middle of the hallway there is a row of two dozen lockers. Powel walks around the other teenagers to get to them. He steps up to the nineth locker and quickly turns the combination lock to the proper three numbers. The locker door swings open and slams against the next locker. Powel looks around afraid someone saw that. No one did so he moves the locker door away from the other locker. He exchanges the math book and math notebook for a group of Sci-Fi magazines. When he closes the locker door he jumps backwards at the sight of a teenage female standing on the other side of it. She has her long hair tied up into two pony tails, she has braces on her teeth, she is wearing a Star Trek t-shirt and baggy cargo pants.
Hey Samantha you startled me. said Powel.
Sorry Powel. said Samantha.
So you got the report ready for the meeting. said the voice of another teenage male.
Powel turns around to see another teenage male standing behind him. He has curly black hair and he is wearing a bright blue long sleeved t-shirt with the Superman S logo on it and camoflauge shorts.
Yeah Chad its in here. said Powel.
He taps his backpack and smiles.
Good, lets get going then. said Chad.
Powel locks the lock and then walks with them down the hallway. Most of the other students have gone into their classrooms or have left the school.
Chad, Samantha and Powel exit the school through the back door and cross the back court yard. They follow the sidewalk towards a large square building. Over the main entrance are the words Highland Hall. They open the double glass doors and walk up a flight of stairs.
Inside is a large auditorium. White lines are painted across the wooden floor for the basket ball games played within the room. A large stage and side rooms are at the back of the auditorium. Two flights of stairs are on each side of the room leading up to the storage rooms above the stage. Displayed across the room are tables set with different clubs. There is anywhere from two people to five people at each table. They are setting up signs, banners, and displays representing what each club is about.
Chad, Samantha and Powel walk up to a table at the back of the auditorium by the stage where three other teenagers are waiting. They have set up a back board behind the table with planets and stars painted on it. One of the teenagers open up a large duffle bag and remove a model of the Starship Enterprise from the series Star Trek. The other two teenagers help him string it up on front of the back board. Chad, Samantha and Powel walk up to the table. Chad and Samantha places their school items on the floor and string up a model of a X-Wing and a TIE Fighter from the series Star Wars. Powel places his book bag on the table and casually looks around the auditorium.
He notices how the Chess Club, the Key Club, the Save the Dolphins Club have set their area up already. The Monty Python Club, the Greek Club and the Sixties Club are still setting up their areas. The other clubs are either not present or waiting for the rest of their members. He slowly turns to help the rest of the members in his Sci-Fi Club when he sees a woman out of the corner of his eye. He looks up towards the second floor to see if he saw what he thought he saw. He sees nobody anywhere on the upper floors. Powel looks around the auditorium again looking everywhere hoping he did not see the person he thought he saw.
Samantha turns around to grab a poster from under the table and sees Powel looking around with a worried look on his face. Her happy face turns to a worried look too. She looks around at the areas where Powel is looking. She wonders what he is looking at. Samantha walks up to him and taps him on the shoulder.
Whats wrong? I have never seen you look so worried before. said Samantha.
Powel turns around and looks her in the eyes. He sees her happy expression washed away for a worried look caused by him. He tries to change his expression but he can not. Samantha sees his eyes widen with a frighten expression but his face has a worried look. Powel turns away but she continues to look at him worrying about him.
Im fine. said Powel.
He places his hands on the table looking down at it. Samantha rubs his back trying to comfort him. Chad finishes hanging up a toy Zenomorph from the movie Alien and glances over to see Samantha rubbing Powels back. He hits the arm of a teenage male member standing next to him siganling for him to look at the table. The teenage male member looks over and grins.
Get a room you two. said the teenage male member.
Samantha and Powel look up. They see Chad and the other three Sci-Fi Club members staring at them.
Hes tired Caleb, give him a break. said Samantha.
He will get a break when we all do. The Convention starts in an hour and we are not half way done setting up. We still have Herbert and his brother coming with his Sci-Fi junk, said Caleb, has anyone found out what he is bringing?
Caleb looks around at everyone. Each club member says no. He looks over at Powel and he shakes his head no. Caleb throws his arms in the air frustrated.
Of course you wouldnt know you have not been to a meeting all month. I dont even know how you were able to remember to write out the information about the club. You do have it right? said Caleb.
Yes, he has it. said Samantha.
They all look at Powel surprised. A teenage female member staples pictures of the Moble Suits from the Gundam Wing series onto the side of the backboard.
I know why he has not showed up lately and why he is tired all the time. said the teenage female member.
They all look at her as if she just won the lottery including Powel. She looks at them smiling.
Well dont leave us in suspense. Why has diggle britches here have been missing out on our club. said Caleb.
Powel becomes pissed off and tuns around leaning on the table. Samantha shakes her head signaling for him to ignore Caleb.
That was rude of you Caleb. said Chad.
Yeah whatever, said Caleb, well Missy tell us why.
Its because he has been seeing this college girl with dark hair. said Missy.
Powel whips around and looks at her. She continues to staple up pictures on the edeg of the back board. Chad notices the teenage males expression and sees that what she said must be the truth.
Turd here is seeing a college girl, my ass. said Caleb.
Yupe, and she has been watching us from the balconey this whole time. said Missy.
She points up to the balconey. Powel walks around the backboard and looks up at it. Caleb and Chad races around the back board and stand by Powel. They all look up at the balconey and sees no one there. Chad places his hands on his waist angry.
Bullshit like I thought. I bet he has been seeing you this whole time. You have missed some of our meetings too. said Caleb.
He looks at the others to confirm what he said. Only one person agrees with him, the last teenage male member of the club. Samantha and Chad shakes their heads disaproving in what Caleb said. Caleb looks at Powel and then at Missy.
You had me there for a moment. I actually believed you that this idiot had a life. said Caleb.
He laughs as he walks back around the backboard. Samantha and Chad stays with Powel knowing that something is wrong. Powel shrugs his shoulders and walks back to the table. He opens his back pack and takes out a group of papers. There is small pictures of movies and books printed on some of the pages. Powel places the print outs on the table and then walks over to the stage. He opens a folding chair and seats on it. Samantha sees him walk away and then follows him. She watches him take out a one hundred page notebook and sees him write in it. She smiles knowing what he is doing.
Is that a new story? said Samantha.
Powel closes the book and places it back into his backpack.
No. said Powel.
He sits up a little and they become quiet. Samantha waits for him to say anything but he does not. She looks at him and he looks back. Her eyebrows go up signaling for him to say something. He raises his arms signaling what? She knows she will not get an answer out of him so she goes back and helps the other members of the Sci-Fi Club set up their area. Powel watches Samantha walk away and then grabs the notebook out from his backpack again and begins writing.
He becomes stuck and taps the pen on the notebook. His eyebrows rise with an idea. He looks around and then slowly reaches into his backpack and takes out a thin notebook. He flips through it and reads the information written on the pages. After two pages he closes it up and places it back into his backpack. Powel smiles as he writes more.
Samantha peaks her head around the backboard and looks at Powel. She sees him writing in the same notebook that he put away. She grins wondering why he did that. Missy looks over at her and sees her confused expression. She staples the last picture on the back board and then peers around it. She sees Powel writing in nthe notebook.
Oh, hes writing in it again. said Missy.
What? said Samantha, You knew he has been writing?
I have noticed him writing in that same notebook all month, actually he has been writing in it since he came back from that trip he took. said Missy.
He has? said Samantha.
Yupe and its really good. said Missy.
Missy grabs more pictures from underneath the table. This time the pictures are of the Autobots and Decepticons from the Transformers cartoon series. She walks to the other end of the back board and begins to staple the pictures on the edge of it. Samantha looks at the notebook that Powel is writing in and then notices that Missy is not by her. She looks around and sees her at the other end of the back board. Samantha quickly walks over to her.
He has not let me see it yet how did you know? said Samantha.
This morning. He fell alseep in English Lictature and I glanced at it. said Missy.
Whats it about? said Samantha.
Werewolves. An interesting new twist on the concept too. said Missy.
Samantha steps away from the backboard to get a better look at Powel. She watches him concentrating on writing that he looks like he completely blocked out everything around him. Chad walks up beside her holding a mini statue of a T-101 robot from the Terminator movie.
Come on Samantha, let him be for now. You can grill him later. We still have two more tables to set up before Herbert comes with his stuff. said Chad.
Yeah youre right. said Samantha.
Chad smiles and then she does. He walks back around to the other side of the back board. Samantha looks at Powel one more time and then sees their last male member struggling to unfold a folding table. She walks up to him and catches the table before it slams across the floor.
I got it George. said Samantha.
She helps him place it on its side and then unhooks the legs. Then they open the legs and click them into place. She nods her head and they flip the table onto its legs and carry it next to the Sci-Fi Clubs main table.
Thanks Samantha, but we still have two more tables to set up. said George.
No problem George. said Samantha.
They head back towards the area where all the folding tables are laying. They each grab one more and bring to their area.
High above them on the second floor by the entrance of the auditorium a woman with dark hair watches them. She mostly concentrates on Powel and how he is emersed in his writing.
Ok everybody our table is this way. said a males voice.
The dark haired woman looks down and sees the math teacher escorting four teenagers towards a table. A sign that has the words Math Club is taped on front of it. She ducks down trying to hide. At the Math Club table the math teacher places a stack of math books on the table as the students that followed him set up a back board with numbers and letters that make up complex equations. The math teacher looks around at the other clubs notcing how many of them are set up already. He causually look around and then stops at the second floor above the main entrance. He looks away and then back up at it. He thinks did he just see someone up their looking down at him. He shakes his head no and helps the Math Club Members.
clouds of midnight chapter 3
.......... A gut wrenching howl bursts out from the mouth of the creature as a silver tipped arrow pierces his arm. Drool falls out of the werewolf like creatures mouth and drips down the side of the brick building. The moon reflects across the surface of the creatures eyes as he looks up into the sky. The moon hides behind the dark shadow of a robed figure holding a long stringed bow. The robed figure walks to the edge of the building and pulls back the string again. The werewolf like creature yells as he rips the arrow out of its arm just as the next arrow whizzes past his leg slices his skin spilling blood onto the roof. The werewolf like creature holds his leg stopping the blood. When he looks back up into the sky the robed figure has disappeared.
Clouds and mist slowly comes back to visit the area again. The bright moon quickly vanishes turning off any light the area once had. Darkness wraps around the buildings as the street lamps become covered with fog.
The sound of dogs wimpering alerts the creature towards the back of the building he is on. He slowly walks on all four paws towards the edge of the building. The tapping sound of his pointed nails is barely heard. The werewolf like creatures nose wrinkles as he begins to smell the air. A foul smell of sweat and blood makes his nose twitch. He opens his mouth growling as he recognizes the disgusting scent. The creature jumps off the roof and lands on a small building and continues to run across it.
Purpose forms within his eyes as he jumps off the roof entering a patch of dense fog. Gravity grabs a hold of the creature as he falls through a black carriage landing on the laps of a man and a woman. The werewolf like creature rips open the door and jumps out of the carriage. The couple inside become pushed back against the wall of the carriage as the two horses that pull it become frightened and speed off. The creatures nails create clicking sounds as he runs across the cobblestone road disappearing into the fog.
The clouds depart once again as the moon comes out of hiding. Its bright shiney surface illuminates the area again. The dense fog and the great darkness spread apart hiding from the light. The sound of the horses snorting and the wooden wheels hitting the cobblestone road loses its echo. The area becomes eeriely quiet.
Out from a still darken alley way the sound of hard souled boots is heard. The robed figure walks onto the road carrying the bow with one hand. The moon moves a little shining above the robed figure showing a trail of blood leading into an alleyway. The robed figure bends down and feels the blood. A high pitched scream from a woman echoes from within the alleyway. The robed figure runs down the alleyway ..........
As the word alleyway is finished the ink within a black pen runs out. A hand shakes the pen trying to squeeze out more black ink but none comes out. The hand drops the pen on an open 100 page notebook. It rolls off the half filled page and falls onto a patch of grass. The hand closes the notebook and then picks up the pen.
Powel leans back against a wide tree looking out across a small park. He holds the notebook with both hands as he breaths in and out frustrated from the pen running out of ink. He opens his blue backpack with one hand and places the notebook in it with his other hand. As he zips his backpack a shadow slithers across the grass next to him. Powel sees it and whips his head around to find out who it belongs to.
A dark haired woman stands by him with her hands in her pants pocket. Powel lowers his head and rolls his eyes.
I saw that. Dont roll your eyes at me. said the dark haired woman.
Ive been real busy so I have only wrote a couple more pages. said Powel.
He unzips his backpack and begins to remove the notebook but the dark haired woman places a hand on his shoulder stopping him.
I will read it later. said the dark haired woman.
Powel places the notebook back and zips his back pack back up. He lifts the backpack up as he stands up. The dark haired woman watches him brush off dirt and leaves from his legs and butt. She smiles as she notices how much of a cute round ass he has. He looks up at her and sees her smiling.
What? said Powel.
Oh nothing. said the dark haired woman.
She reaches into her thin leather jacket and removes an object wrapped in old brown leather. The dark haired woman hands it to Powel. He looks at it and then grabs it. The brown leather feels worn and old to him. Old, like a hundred years old and not decades old. He looks up at her wondering what it is.
It is something that will help you out with the story. Make sure no one sees it and dont tell anyone about it. And no looking it up on the internet. I know how you teenagers are with the whole internet thing. said the dark haired woman.
Ok, sure. said Powel.
He reopens his back pack again and places the object at the bottom of it. He zips it close and when he looks up to say something to the dark haired woman he finds her gone. He looks around the area and then the whole park trying to figure out where she went to. He throws the backpack over his shoulder and then looks up into the tree. He sees a squirrel climbing across a branch and two birds basking in the sunlight that has squeezed through the leaf covered branches. The sound of a twig breaking alerts him to the other side of the tree. He takes two steps and becomes freaked out by the sight of Samantha standing by the tree. He steps back trying to calm himself down. She reaches out with her hands towards him.
Im sorry. I didnt mean to frighten you. said Samantha.
Its ok Sam, said Powel, so did Herbert finally show up last night?
At six oclock, man, Caleb was so pissed. said Samantha.
What did he bring? said Powel.
A bunch of wax statues of aliens from balck and white sci-fi movies. He did not like it how the wax statues are black and white too. said Samantha.
Cant wait to see them. said Powel.
Powel walks away from the tree and begins to circle the small park. Samantha follows. They become quiet as they walk around.
Not many other people are within the park during this cool but sunny fall day. The sound of bird flocking south and dogs barking circles around them. Every once in a while a light burst of air pushes leaves across the ground.
Samantha places her hands within the front pockets of her gray hoodie sweatshirt. She looks over at Powel wondering how he could still be warm in just a t-shirt. She notices that his black sweater is tied around his waist. He looks ahead of him watching the area around him like a predator looking out for a prey. His eyes dart back and forth looking at everything that moves or makes noise. Samantha notices his expression and becomes confused. She has never seen him like that before.
Is everything ok? said Samantha, You look distracted.
Im good. Just have a lot on my mind. said Powel.
Care to talk about it? said Samantha.
Powel stops and looks at her. He looks directly into her eyes and she sees a tired and sad expression within his eyes. He opens his mouth about to say something but Powel sees something behind her. Samantha turns around and sees a mini van pull up to the park. Chad and Missy climbs out from the side door. They wave to an adult female sitting in the drivers seat and then walk across the small park. They wave to Powel and Samantha, they wave back. Samantha sees how Powels expression that signals he was about to speak disappears and he forms a blank expression.
Hey guys. said Chad.
He looks around the park looking at everyone.
I guess we are not as late as I thought we were, said Chad, where are the others?
Caleb, Herbert and George are going back to the school to finish setting up the dispalys. said Samantha.
So what are we going to do then? said Missy.
If Caleb is not here, then we have the weekend off. Yes! said Chad.
He smiles and then raises his hand for a high five. Powel accepts Chads request for a high five and hits his hand.
Im outta here folks. said Chad.
He walks away and then waves bye. Missy and Samantha waves bye. Powel crosses his arms around his chest shivering from the cool air. Missy turns around and looks at Powel and Samantha. They look at her and then at each other. Silence falls over them as an ackward feeling comes over them. Missys eyes widen as she thinks that maybe she is the reason why everyone is feeling ackward. She claps her hands together and slowly steps back.
Well Im going to go too, Ill see you two later then. said Missy.
She does a quick wave and then walks away. Samantha and Powel wave good bye and then heads towards a park bench. Samantha sits down as Powel unwraps his sweater from around his waist. He places his backpack on the edge of the benck away from Samantha and then puts on the sweater. She notices that the sweater looks brand new and is not his normal riped and stained black sweat shirt hoodie.
Nice sweater. Looks new. said Samantha.
Yeah, I got it .... on my .... trip. said Powel.
Samantha notices the sad look in his eyes again when he mentioned his trip. She watches him pull the back pack closer to him as if he was protecting it.
So Missy tells me you have started up a new story, said Samantha, she said its about werewolves.
Powel looks over at her like she just spouted out a demonic chant. She smiles hoping to calm him down.
Its nice to hear you are writing again. I would like to read it, if its ok. said Samantha.
How does she know about it? said Powel.
Samanthas smile disappears as she becomes alittle embarrassed. She looks away from him knowing she should have never mentioned it.
Missy has been noticing that you have been writing a lot and when you fell a sleep yesterday morning in class, she read it. said Samantha.
Powels angry expression changes to regret. He looks away from Samantha knowing he should have never became angry. Samantha watches him open his backpack and remove the 100 page notebook. He holds it with both of his hands and then looks around the small park. He does not just look at the area but the road, the stores, the houses and the cars around the park. He even looks up into the trees. Samantha notices that he seems agitated and then calms down.
If you really want to read this then you must promise me more then any promise you have done before that you will not tell anyone about it. said Powel.
Of course. said Samantha.
You promise. said Powel.
She raises her left hand and extends her pinky.
Remeber when we were kids and we did the pinky swear. Well I am doing it now. I swear I will not say a thing about it to no one. said Samantha.
Powel looks at her hand and then at her eyes. He sees a trust in her that he has not seen before. He raises his right hand and extends his pinky but does not touch hers with it. He hesitates thinking about something. Powel looks around one more time and then hooks his pinky around hers. She smiles happy that he accepted her trust. Powel gives her the notebook and opens it to the pages where he has been writing.
Thank you. said Samantha.
Powel leans forwards a little still a little nervous showing Samantha the story. He looks around the small park as she reads it. Samantha turns the page and her eyes widen at the interesting stuff that she is reading. Powel sees her expression and releases a small smile knowing he has written another great story.
Samantha finishes the story and closes the notebook. She looks at it for a moment and then hands it back to him. Powel looks at her blank expression and wonders why she is not smiling.
So? said Powel.
It was different. Not your usual type of story. said Samantha.
Powel frowns thinking that she did not like. He puts the notobook back into his backpack and when he turns around he sees her smiling.
It was great. I loved the twists and new ideas about the history of werewolves. said Samantha.
Its just that you looked like you hated it. said Powel.
Im just getting back at you for not talking to me all month. Besides last night at the convention, this has been the longest we have spent together. I wanted you to feel guilty about it. said Samantha.
Powel looks down a little sadden. Samantha reaches over, grabds his chin and raises his head so he is looking at her. She extends her lips pretending to kiss him, she raises her eyebrows up and down, she crosses her eyes and then sticks out her tongue at him. Powel smiles and then laughs.
There you go. Now cheer up, we have the weekend free since Caleb and Herbert is setting up the dispalys by themselves. said Samantha.
She grabs his hand and pulls him to stand up. He grabs his packback and they walk away holding each others hands.
Are you going to publish it? said Samantha.
Thats my intention. said Powel.
They stroll across the park in silence again. Samantha looks around and then at him.
So what do you want to do? said Samantha.
I dont know? said Powel.
Lets see what the others are doing. said Samantha.
Ok. said Powel.
Behind them, at the very edge of the small park the dark haired woman bends over and drinks from a water fountain. She wips her wet lips across the sleeve of her leather jacket and then watches Powel walk away with Samantha. The dark haired woman sees them holding hands and smirks.
Great. Another person I have to silence. said the dark haired woman.
The dark haired woman looks up into the sky after hearing the squaking noise made from a group of geese flying over the area. She watches them fly southward. The group of geese are not flying in any type of formation but are flying as a group across a graying blue sky.
- Chapter Four -
A graying blue sky gives host to a group of black birds. They are not in any type of formation but are flying as a group. They circle above a small coastel town. Screams from children and adults echoe across the streets as the birds swoop down and attack them.
Two small bars appear as the image freezes. The pause has been activated stopping the movie. The reflection of a male teenager is almost seen across the tv screen. His reflection moves up and down looking at the screen. He reaches towards the screen but stops. The movie plays again and then freezes. The reflection of the teenager appear on the screen again. This time his full face and features can be seen. He reaches towards the tv screen and then wipes his hand across it. A small smear disappears from the center of the screen.
I told you it was dirt and nothing to do about the condition of the movie. said Chad.
He sits back down on the floor on front of a long white couch. Samantha, Missy, Powel and George are sitting on the couch. Caleb is sitting on a large cushioned chair next to the couch. A tall and skinny african amercian is standing behind him drinking a can of soda watching the movie.
Ok, you proved me wrong. I dont know why we couldnt have just rented the dvd version of this instead of watching it on video, said Caleb.
There is nothing like the experience of watching a movie on video Caleb, said Herbert.
Herbert takes another sip from the can of soda and looks down at Caleb. Caleb twist his head looking up at Herbert.
It has nothing to do with that you could not afford to get the Alfred Hitchcock collection on dvd. said Caleb.
But it was your idea to have a Alfred Hitchcock marathon, said Missy.
Caleb looks over at Missy and sees her sticking her tongue out at him. His eyebrows rise shocked to see her doing that. He becomes quiet. Missy smiles and crosses her arms around her chest proud of winning the agruement. Chad pushes play on the remote. The Alfred Hitchcock movie The Birds plays again. They all continue to eat from their bowls of popcorn as they watch the dozens of black birds attack everyone.
A burst of lightning and a roar of thunder turns everyones heads towards the large bay windows at the back of the living room. The sound of heavy rain drops hittting the tin roof of the house becomes louder as the rain becomes heavier.
Herbert walks up to the windows and looks out at the storm. He turns around and they look up at him surprised at the suddenness of the storm.
I hope the power doesnt go out. said Herbert.
At that second as if on purpose the power goes out but then comes back on. They all look around wondering if one of them did it. Another roar of thunder and several bursts of lighting draws their attention back outside. Chad turns the tv back on and restarts the movie. Missy, Chad, Caleb and Herbert go back watching the movie. Powel sits motionless as more thunder erupts and more lightning flashes outside. Each time it happens he looks at the direction of the windows without moving his head. Samantha grabs popcorn from the metal bowl they are sharing and notices that his hands are holding the bowl tightly. She glances over at him and sees that he seems more still then the rest of them. More lightning bursts from the dark cloudy sky and another boom of thunder is heard. Samantha watches Powels eyes widen with each flash and boom.
Herbert sits down on the other white cushioned chair and continues to watch the movie. Missy pings popcorn at Chads head and looks the other direction when he turns around to find out who it is. He looks at all four of them sitting on the couch. Missy points to George blaming it on him. Chad shrugs his shoulders and than turns back around watching the movie.
The storm clouds darken as the rain becomes heavy and violent. The rains drops comes down as the size of peas hitting against the windows. The sky blackens and almost nothing can be seen outside the windows. The trees and the neghboring houses all seem to disappear into the darkness of the storm. A quick burst of lightning and several roars of thunder consume the area.
The electricity goes out again and everything becomes pitch black and stays black. Lightning flashes outside and illuminates inside of the house for a few seconds. Everyone looks at each other wondering what to do then the lightning stops and no one can see anything. A clanking noise suddenly comes through the darkness and then a light appears at the front of the house. A clicking sound starts up and then a small flame appears.
Boo. said Caleb.
A small lighter lights up Calebs face. He lets out an eerie laugh when two flashlights turn on shining on the couch. Everyone looks over and sees Herbert holding two flashlights. Chad and Caleb walk over to the couch as Herbert hands Missy one of the flashlights. Caleb laughs more but this time it is more of a funny laugh. Samantha looks up at Caleb and then where he is looking at. She sees that Powel is missing. They all stand up looking around for him. Missy shines her flashlight around and sees the metal bowl he was holding is on the floor. Popcorn is spilled across the carpet.
That wuss, he left. said Caleb.
Missy and Herbert shine the flashlights towards the front of the house. They can see that the front door is open and rian is pouring in soaking the carpet.
Ill look for him. said Missy.
Missy jumps over the couch and falls to the floor. Chad climbs over the couch and helps her to stand up. Caleb laughs loud and long. Samantha hits him on the arm hard.
That was not funny. said Samantha.
Ouch. said Caleb.
Samantha looks over the couch and sees that Missy is ok. Herbert walks to the back of the couch shining his flashlight on them.
I would think its a bad idea for you to go out in this. said Herbert.
Missy shines the flashlight on Herbert to get his flashlight out of her face. Chad lowers her flashlight.
Ill go with you ok. said Chad.
Alright. said Missy.
What? You two are crazy. said Caleb.
They all look at Caleb and then ignore him. George stays on the couch with Samantha as Herbert shines the flashlight above them. Caleb sits back down on the chair holding the lighter in the air. Missy and Chad grabs their jackets off from the kitchen table and head out the front door.
Lightning spreads itself across the dark sky like boney fingers. The enormous erupttion of thunder keeps it company. The pebble size rain drops bombards the area creating mud puddles and knocking small branches off from trees.
Powel slowly trots through a small area of woods with no destination in mind. The hood on his sweater is barely keeping his face dry as the rest of his clothes become soaked by the rain. Powel trips over a fallen branch and lands up against a tree. More thunder smashes across the area. He covers his ears hurting from the loud noise.
A wet hand reaches out and grabs Powel by the arm. He jerks away afraid of who it might be but another hand grabs him. Powel can barely see through the thick rain who it.
WHATS HAPPENING TO ME. shouted Powel.
I TOLD YOU A MONTH AGO. shouted the dark haired woman.
Several more bursts of lightning streaks across the sky as more deafening thunder follows. Powel covers his ears again.
MAKE IT STOP. shouted Powel.
THAT WAS NOT THUNDER. shouted the dark haired woman.
She looks up and moves Powel away from the tree in time as a thick branch falls to the ground. She slips on mud and grabs Powel to catch her fall but he slips too and they fall down a small embankment. As they roll down the embankment they become covered in mud.
A few seconds pass as mud and rain gather around them. Powel pushes his hands into the mud as he lifts himself of the dark haired woman. As he stands up the dark haired woman peels herself out from the muddy ground. She does not worry about brushing the mud off herself before she grabs Powel and pulls him deeper into the woods.
The sound of something else moving through the mud soaked ground can barely be heard behind them.
Samantha uses Calebs lighter to finish lighting a row of five candles. George and Herbert takes the candles and places them around the living room making sure that every area is well lit. Caleb stands by the open front door trying to see if he can find the others. The thick rain slides down the orange poncho he is wearing.
Anything yet? said Herbert.
No, said Caleb, I lost sight of both of them, wait a second there is a car coming up the drive way.
George, Herbert and Samantha quickly walk over to the front door to see who it is. Rain pours through the doorway. Caleb shines the flashlight outside to see what type of vehicle it is.
Its a Jeep Wrangler. It must be your mom Caleb. said Herbert.
No it cant be. She would never be that crazy enough to leave Uncle Bens place. said Caleb.
The vehicle stops by the front door and they see that it is a Jeep. A woman jumps out of the drivers side and hurries into the house. Everyone moves aside letting the woman in. She unzips her rain coat and throws it on the living room floor. Caleb lowers his head realizing it is his mom.
Caleb dear what are you doing. Shut that door. said Calebs mom.
Yes Mom. said Caleb.
He walks over to the door but is stopped by Samantha.
Now wait a minute. Chad and Missy are still out there. said Samantha.
Why would they be out in this god awful mess. said Calebs mom.
Thats a question I was going to ask you Mom, said Caleb, why didnt you stay with Uncle Ben?
Because Uncle Ben was not home. I went to the bowling alley and the storm hit when I was driving home. said Calebs mom.
You went bowling? said Caleb.
Calebs mom shakes her head yes smiling. He shakes his head back and forth not believing what he just heard.
Hey! shouted Chad.
Caleb falls onto the floor as Chad jumps into the house. He is fully drenched as he steps into the living room. Caleb quickly stands up and looks out the front door. He does not see anyone else.
Wheres Missy? said Caleb.
I lost her in the woods then I became lost because she had the flashlight. Then I saw a car driving by and I figured I was close to the road. I noticed it was your moms Jeep. So I followed it here. said Chad.
Herbert wraps a blanket around Chad as Samantha hands him a warm cup of cocoa. He stays at the edge of the living room dripping on the carpet as he drinks the cocoa.
So what are we going to do? Do we go after her or wait it out? said George.
Caleb answers him by closing the front door. He takes off the poncho and places it on the floor by the front door.
The front door whips open as a mud covered female walks into the house. Caleb falls to the floor again freaked out by the sudden intrusion. The female shakes her body like a wet dog flinging mud everywhere. Caleb raises an arm trying to block it but he gets the most of it.
Aww yuck. said Caleb.
Sorry. said Missy.
They all become happy to hear Missys voice underneath the layer of mud and water filled clothes. Chad takes the blanket he is covered with and wraps it around Missy. Samantha and Herbert run into the kitchen and grabs all the towels they can. They give it to Missy to wipe herself off. Caleb stands up and looks at them. He waves his hands in the air signaling that he has mud on himslef too and he would like a towel.
Does my Caley Waley need a towel? said Calebs mom.
They all stop helping Missy and turn around to see Calebs mom wiping the mud of from Caleb and him trying to stop him. They all smile and laugh at how he is being treated.
Mom, stop, I can do myself. said Caleb.
Calebs mom steps away from him as he quickly rubs the mud off of himself. She watches him and smiles too.
Now thats all settled Im going up stairs and Im going to grab some of my old clothes for your friend and you should go with me so you can grab some of your cloths for your other friend. said Calebs mom.
No! I am not giving him any of my clothes. said Caleb.
Calebs mom places her hands on her waist and looks at him. He looks at her and then at the others. He rolls his eyes and then marches up stairs. They can hear him stomping up the stairs as Calebs mom follows him. They all laugh a little and then focus back on Missy and Chad.
So what happened? said Herbert.
Missy eyes dart back and forth looking at them.
Um well, I tripped down a hill and landed in the stream. I lost the flashlight and had to climb back up without knowing what direction I was going. I heard something that sounded like people talking and followed it. Then I found the road and came back here. said Missy.
If we ever do something this stupid again we are sticking closer together. said Chad.
Like I will ever go out into the woods during a major rain storm with you again. said Missy.
The laugh again. Samantha looks at them glad they are having a good time in the midst of all the bad. She walks up to the front door and looks out the small window at the center of it. She watches the lighting spread out across the sky again as more thunder erputs around them. Her smile and happy expression disappears as she thinks about Powel wondering what happen to him.


text:
In praise of OpenOffice Base and good documentation
After downloading the whole suite of tools from OpenOffice.org, I have been exploring ways of using as many of them to teach an introductory statistics course. Since this is a class in a business school, I have some rather tough customers, who use the proprietary alternatives and are content doing so. In such a context, even one flaky in OO is enough to warrant a protest, or worse, a boycott.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Car care calculator
POSTED: 02:15 PM MDT Jul 13, 2011 UPDATED: 10:28 AM MDT Oct 26, 2011
Calculate how much it costs to fix your car.
The views expressed are not those of this company or its affiliated companies. Please note by clicking on "Post" you acknowledge that you have read the Terms Of Service and the comment you are posting is in compliance with such terms.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
Christopher Albanese Antiquario
Antiquario owner Chris Albanese has broad and diverse knowledge of early antiques up to and through vintage mid-20th-century furniture, accessories, and decorations. His forte is all things Italian, with a specialty in the 17th and18th centuries. Collectors, designers, and antique dealers shop Antiquario for his rare and quirky finds. New inventory arrives daily.


text:
From the Genome to Drugs
Generating Diverse Drug-Like Compound Libraries
We use solution-phase chemistry to generate diverse libraries of optically pure compounds that are targeted against the same pharmaceutically relevant gene families that we addressed in our Genome5000™ program. These libraries are built using highly robust and scalable organic reactions that allow us to generate compound collections of great diversity and to specially tailor the compound collections to address various therapeutic target families. We design these libraries by analyzing the chemical structures of drugs that have been proven safe and effective against human disease and using that knowledge in the design of scaffolds and chemical building blocks for the generation of large numbers of new drug-like compounds. We have augmented our internally generated libraries with selected compounds from qualified vendors from around the world. When we identify a hit against one of our in vivo-validated targets, we can rapidly reassemble these building blocks to create hundreds or thousands of variations around the structure of the initial compounds, enabling us to accelerate our medicinal chemistry efforts.
Selecting the Best Clinical Candidates
Our medicinal chemists optimize lead compounds in order to select clinical candidates that are potent and selective for the target of interest with the desired absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion (ADME) and physicochemical characteristics of a drug. We have the capability to pharmacologically profile our compounds using the same battery of in vivo assays that we use to characterize our drug discovery targets. Throughout this process, the knockout mouse serves as an important guide in determining the on-target activity of our lead molecules. This provides us with valuable, detailed information relevant to the selection of the highest quality compounds for preclinical and clinical development.
State-of-the-art Facilities
Our medicinal chemistry operations are located in Princeton, New Jersey. Our lead optimization chemistry groups are organized around specific discovery targets and work closely with their pharmaceutical biology counterparts in our facilities in The Woodlands, Texas.


text:
Just one day before the Academy Awards, 50/50 star Anna Kendrick managed to fit in a little relaxation time after walking the red carpet at the Independent Spirit Awards in Santa Monica, Calif., on Saturday. She and an unidentifiable male "made a beeline" backstage where she sipped on a cocktail made of Jameson Irish Whiskey, a three-year sponsor of the awards. An onlooker tells PEOPLE that the actress "was very friendly to others in the lounge and seemed to be a in a great mood as she enjoyed her beverage." – Dahvi Shira
Anna Kendrick's Cocktail of Choice? Whiskey!
Frazer Harrison/Getty


text:
Top Definition
A quick walk with somewhat of a spring to it, as in if they were ready to sprint at any second. Normally people who walk like this are awesome.
Jimmy: Johnson, that man is walking the Mayhugh Walk over there and embarrassing us all!
dodane przez unclesilky maj 24, 2007
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?


text:
Certificate programs in Medical Coding, Transcription, Pharmacy, and other popular fields.
Offers eBusiness, Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, and others to increase your success in the business world.
Hands-on courses give the experience you need in the ever-expanding world of technology.
Courses include valuable training in project management, IT management, lean mastery, Six Sigma, and other essential management skills.
Develop techniques in graphic design, web design, event management and design, and residential interior design.
Train for a career in the hospitality and service industries, on your own schedule.
Learn the skills you need to gain employment as an operator in the heavy industry job market.
here for more information on financial assistance.
Please note: Once the program curriculum is accessed online or
through submission of a material shipment confirmation, refunds cannot be issued.
5 William L. Jones DriveBox 5073Cookeville, TN 38505


text:
1. How do you solve a problem like Thursday Night Football?
CBS won the bidding war against NBC, ABC and ESPN to broadcast the NFL's Thursday schedule and will begin airing the games September 11 for seven weeks, delaying the launch of the Eye's Thursday lineup. For CEO Les Moonves and CBS Entertainment chairman Nina Tassler, the no-brainer course of action would be to shift monster hit The Big Bang Theory to Mondays during that period to help launch new comedy How I Met Your Dad, then send it back to Thursdays after the Chargers face the Broncos in the final matchup on October 23.
Read More >
Other Links From TVGuide.com
Location, ST | website.com


text:
Boos & Applause
October 26, 2013
Editor's note: During the course of a week, issues are covered that might not lend themselves to full editorial comment, but they are worthy of The Inter-Mountain weighing in — pro, con or neutral....
Building roads to big cities do NOT stop poverty; they CAUSE it. Have you even LOOKED at a big city lately? Triple amounts of crime. That's what you call improvement? What is typical democrat. Only sees the $$$$ signs in it; doesn't care about destroying smalltown rural communities of PEOPLE!
0 Agrees | 0 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Well, Purenonsense the lack of accessibility has nothing to do with WV culture as we know it. Coal is a finite resource which greatly benefits those who live outside the State. Tourism will benefit greatly from the completion of Corridor H by way of increased income from tourists. Tourism will help preserve the cultural benefits that we now enjoy. Aside from losing your privacy what other benefits do you stand to lose by developing accessibility to the State?
0 Agrees | 2 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
it's not the 1940's build it WV needs to get it together or be left behind. it's simple. We need the jobs and the revenue.
1 Agrees | 2 Disagrees | Report Abuse »
Showing 3 of 3 comments
Post a Comment
You must first login before you can comment.


text:
Center Rock would have been an interesting manufacturer even if the company hadn't been involved in the rescue of the Chilean miners last year. The company's different lathes have different levels of multitasking capability, with the level of multitasking increasing as part sizes go down. One conclusion is this: Just because a machine can run a part in one setup, that doesn't mean it should. Read about multitasking at Center Rock here. And watch the episode of The Edge Factor describing the rescue in Chile, and the vital role this Pennsylvania company played in getting the 33 men out alive.
Comments are reviewed by moderators before they appear to ensure they meet Modern Machine Shop's submission guidelines.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
Stratasys Ltd. has signed an agreement to merge MakerBot, a maker of desktop 3D printers, with a Stratasys subsidiary in a stock-for-stock transaction. Upon completion of the transaction, which is expected in the third quarter of this year, MakerBot will operate as a separate subsidiary, maintaining its own identity, products and go-to-market strategy. Bre Pettis, CEO and co-founder, will continue to lead the company.
Since it was founded in 2009, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based MakerBot has sold more than 22,000 3D printers, including 11,000 of its Replicator 2 desktop printer within the last year. MakerBot reports that during the first quarter of 2013, it generated $11.5 million in total revenue, compared with $15.7 million for all of 2012.
The proposed merger has an initial value of $403 million based on Stratasys' closing stock price of $84.60 as of June 19. MakerBot stakeholders also qualify for performance-based earn-outs with a value of as much as $201 million.


text:
Top Definition
A select group of women from Brooklyn NY that frequents Bay Ridge bars, making everyone around them uncomfortable with their tattoos, their dancing and their antics. WARNING: They are more than likley Intoxicated. Insiders Tell us that they are good for business, but bad for people!
Oh no the Clam Bar is here again!
por jam out with your clam out 19 de Agosto de 2006
Trending Now
Can you define these popular missing words?


text:
Scott and Gina Gottlich made the surprise announcement in late February that they were closing Bijoux, one of Dallas' most formal and elegant restaurants, and reopening it as a bistro. They'd give their jewel box of a dining room a "modern makeover," they said — including retiring its "famously fancy" chandelier.
So I was surprised, when I called some weeks after it reopened, that the reservationist responded to my request for a table with a hushed and careful, "Certainly, Madame."
And I was baffled when I walked in. Had anything changed? The famously fancy crystal was still there. So were the cushy chairs. The muted carpet was the same. I'd imagined maybe they'd have rearranged the tables, setting them closer together for a more convivial, bistrolike feel, maybe losing the expensive linens, opening up the bar so you might actually think of sitting there and having a drink.
But no — the dining room still feels buttoned-up. The older, well-heeled crowd is still well-dressed and well-behaved; their tables, set far apart as they always were, afford them a sense of space and privacy. The service is absolutely formal. You might even be treated to an amuse-bouche.
In a 2010 review, I described the restaurant as "elegant, but a bit joyless." It still feels joyless to me. The somber carpet, the padded chairs, the muted tones — it feels like it needs a makeover. White paper covering the tables is the sole nod to bistro style.
At least you can eat very well at Bijoux, where chef Scott has replaced his three-, five- and nine-course fixed-priced menus with a lower-priced, entirely a-la-carte menu.
You might start with a pair of tender agnolotti filled with purée of English peas enriched with goat cheese and mascarpone. Gottlich sets them prettily on paisley shapes of carrot purée and drizzles them with beurre noisette. It's a lovely starter. Or go for plump escargots in a terrific Pernod-parsley sauce — perfect to pair with Ricard, offered on the short list of aperitifs. The snails crown a small tangle of tagliolini pasta.
Order a bowl of corn chowder, and it's not the rustic version you might expect at a bistro. Smooth and velvety, with a refined, almost floral flavor punctuated by scallions and bits of bacon, it's poured tableside over its garnishes — quite the formal presentation. Warm asparagus spears and roasted mushrooms bathed in béarnaise sauce and topped with a poached egg are deliciously rich and luscious; never mind that the menu calls it a salad.
One evening I ordered a special appetizer the chef called "Uncle Glenn's chopped liver." Was my mom in Bijoux's kitchen? It tasted exactly like hers, on the coarse side, well-seasoned, with bits of chopped egg, excellent. Gottlich presented it on croutons, each with a different garnish: a tiny hard-boiled quail egg; fried shallots; pickled carrot; and frisée.
But I'm perplexed by the "tasting of oysters." Never mind that its "tasting of progressive mignonettes" sets up an expectation of something more interesting than what you get; the oceanic flavor of the oysters gets lost behind something bitter in the mignonette sauces. These North Atlantic beauties would have been much better with just a squeeze of lemon.
Main courses are offered either as "petites assiettes" or "grandes assiettes" — small or large plates. In early spring, a thick fillet of lemon sole with a pouf of truffle foam came with a refined, buttery potato purée and roasted asparagus. More recently I've enjoyed seared scallops with English pea sauce and tomato fondue, and a smattering of hedgehog mushrooms, ramps and peas.
While many of Gottlich's dishes are as formal as they've always been at Bijoux, others are simple, easygoing — even homey, like pappardelle noodles tossed in a lamb ragout with roasted mushrooms and fava beans. Or wine-braised veal cheeks, tender yet supple, set atop a creamy polenta and bathed in a silken demi-glace. Gottlich's sauces are some of the finest in town.
Missteps marred a few dishes — overcooked pork tenderloin, sodden Lyonnaise potatoes. A panzanella salad featuring hard pan-fried croutons was much too austere; flourless chocolate cake was too runny on more than one occasion.
In fact, it's hard to get excited about dessert at Bijoux. Other than a lovely strawberry shortcake, seasonal fruits aren't exactly celebrated the way seasonal produce is on the savory side. And cheese doesn't fare much better. Given that Gina Gottlich's concise, well-chosen and accessibly priced wine list includes a couple of Lone Star State wines (McPherson Viognier and McPherson Sangiovese), it's surprising that none of the three cheeses on offer are from Texas, a state that certainly produces selections at least as interesting as the Bleu d'Auvergne, Nancy's Hudson Valley Camembert and Humboldt Fog on Bijoux's menu.
I wish the bread were better than the squishy rosemary loaf that Gottlich gets par-baked from La Brea Bakery. Why not offer instead the excellent, crusty baguettes from Empire Bakery, just a few doors away?
Pleasing as so many of Gottlich's dishes are, the only ones that really wowed me were on the $95 six-course chef's tasting menu. To experience it, you're ushered solemnly into the Chef's Room, a small, rather gloomy dining room off to the side. When the double doors close you in there, it feels like you're consigned to the penalty box. Perhaps it feels more jolly if more than two tables are occupied.
Focus on the gorgeous plates before you, forget about your surroundings, and there's plenty to enjoy, especially if you spring an extra $50 per person for Gina's excellent wine pairings. A fabulous langostino ceviche was almost like a deconstructed bouillabaisse in salad form, with the essence of Marseille's famous fisherman's soup distilled into a clear gel with astonishing flavor; a silky piquillo pepper rouille and lime oil added just the right accents. Rosy red, beautifully cooked squab breast with a slab of seared foie gras was set off brilliantly by a kimchi sauce — what an original idea.
An $85 vegetarian tasting menu, also six courses, was somewhat less successful, relying too heavily, I felt, on pasta and grains, including a very salty quinoa dish and another that starred tough gnocchi. An English pea sphere was filled with a purée that was too thick to achieve the desired effect, rendering it more clunky than delightful.
Rating this restaurant is no easy task. No, the restaurant doesn't work as a bistro. But Gottlich's cooking is some of the best in Dallas, and now diners can enjoy it at a more friendly price.
That's certainly something to celebrate.
Bijoux (4-stars)
Price: $$$-$$$$ (soups and salads $5 to $10, appetizers $12 to $19, small plates and sandwiches $11 to $17, large plates $18 to $29, cheese $7 each or $19 for three, desserts $9; chef's tasting menu $95 per person, chef's vegetarian tasting menu $85 per person, wine pairings $50 per person)
Service: Far more formal than you'd expect in a bistro
Ambience: More elegant restaurant than informal bistro, it's a bit joyless. Despite a recent makeover, it feels like it needs a makeover. Unlike many bistros, it is quiet enough for easy conversation.
Location: 5450 W. Lovers Lane at Inwood Road, Dallas; 214-350-6100; bijouxrestaurant.com
Hours: Lunch daily 11:30 a.m. to
2:30 p.m., dinner nightly 5:30 to
10 p.m. The chef's room is open Thursday through Saturday only.
Credit cards: AE, D, MC, V
Wheelchair accessible: Yes
Smoking area: On the small patio
Alcohol: Full bar. Gina Gottlich's concise, accessibly priced wine list offers well-chosen choices from around the world, including Texas. All are available by the bottle or glass. There's also a captain's list available by request.


text:
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Trellis Dining Room
6 comments:
Such a beautiful space & so fun to see pics of your work in progress!ReplyDelete
Gorgeous! Those are my favorite podcasts too! I'm so behind right now.ReplyDelete
thank you guys!ReplyDelete
ashley - download the app! i kept downloading individual eps off of itunes - this way is muuuch easier.
I absolutely love your stencil work, especially with the soft shimmery paints they look awesome great job.ReplyDelete
I am ALWAYS nice to my tradies, offering them drinks, cookies, lunch, anything to make them feel appreciated so they do a good job. It works every time - they're happy I'm happy!
- AnonymousFebruary 5, 2013 at 6:05 PM
You were absolutely wonderful to work with and we are so enjoying our dining room.
It was both a treat and a pleasure to have you in our home. Come again, with or without your paint brush. You are welcome any time!


text:
Do you speak my language? Education versus open source processes and principles | Opensource.com
Do you speak my language? Education versus open source processes and principles
I've been traveling between universities and academic conferences and open source gatherings and hackfests for quite some time now. A year ago, I started compiling a list of points of parity and points of difference between the two cultures.
Parity, though interesting, doesn't provide quite the contrast that difference might. So for today, we'll ignore the similar and talk about the things that don't look the same.
Here's what I've got so far for points of difference:
|EDU: There is a plan, and it will be followed. Find out what it is and adhere strictly to it.
|OS: There may not be a plan, and if there is, you'll probably have to deviate from it. Step up and step in.
|If you miss the plan
|EDU: Whoops. Too bad. While you wait for the next opportunity, use that time to get better prepared.
|OS: Hop in anyway--you'll change the plan to accommodate your additions.
|Seeking external approval
|EDU: It takes one 'no' to lose it all. Avoid hearing 'no' at all costs... even if that means you don't tell people what you're doing.
|OS: It takes one 'yes' to win it all. Keep asking until you get a 'yes' - it doesn't matter how many 'no' answers you get along the way.
|How newcomers learn
|EDU: Create learning experiences that can be used by as many people as possible. You'll build your next plan off your last successful one—as will others, just starting out.
|OS: Every learning experience is a one-off. Successful newbies seek and nurture improvisational apprenticeships.
|Dealing with uncertainty
|EDU: Minimize uncertainty. How else are you going to manage everybody following the same plan?
|OS: Be productively lost. Uncertainty spurs innovation by allowing individuals to take advantage of rapidly shifting opportunities.
|Analogies for personal development
|EDU: Climb the ladder to success. The process is a set series of reasonably efficient, stable, tested stages to a known destination.
|OS: It's more like parkour. Or free climbing. A grappling hook you can throw around to scale vertical surfaces in whatever environment you're thrown into might be a good idea.
|Proving yourself
|EDU: Once you pass the judgment of a gatekeeping body, you can use your credentials as a pass-card to access many things without further review.
|OS: You will continually defend your skills to everyone you come across. Be prepared to show off your actual work, warts and all. And the approval of one body may not count for another, so resting on your laurels (no matter how sweet) is ill-advised.
This list has helped me unblock multiple conversations between people in academia (students and faculty alike) and those in open source environments. Each group sometimes needs help articulating fundamental assumptions to the other.
I know this list is incomplete and likely contains inaccuracies. I would love feedback on it: What do you think of the table? What would you add? If you're not in education or open source, how would your discipline (law, business, medicine, film-making, food production, or any other) compare on these issues?
3 Comments
I will have to mildly disagree with you, however my community might not be anything like the rest of the FLOSS communities out there.
I do think that many organizations and people want to manage open source. And sometimes that kills FLOSS in a sense, but then again, I also think that OSS is disruptive in general and differences are always there and cant be adapted to work together.
One conversation with a school teacher went like...
Students can contribute to FLOSS..
he was like:
that's, great but how can we grade that?
We are pushing to run Internship now and is a bit hard because we need to sign contracts with the schools so we are eligible to work them out.
I think that there's a little too much OS bias here. You sure make OS sound cool. Parkour and grappling hooks?
I certainly share your belief that the world of Ed can learn a lot from the world of Free Software (and I wish they talked more), but bashing educators (no matter how popular right now) isn't really going to help close that gap.
You haven't observed anything that world of universities (or teachers) doe better? How about attracting women? Providing a social, historical, and critical perspective on technology (as opposed to rampant boosterism)?
regarding my little experience trough my applicated art and design schools years, we were taught more in an opensource way than the other (that may explain why I love opensource, among other influences)


text:
Loyalsock Township supervisors approved contacts for road materials at their meeting Tuesday night.
"The good news is we beat the 2012 price on every item," township Manager Bill Burdett said.
The supervisors awarded a $708,328 contract to Glenn O. Hawbaker Inc. for resurfacing projects in 2013.
"We have another aggressive paving project coming up this year," Burdett said. "Last year we spent $749,000, and the quantities are different, but the unit price is less."
The supervisors also awarded a $111,995 contract to Hammaker's for chipseal materials and $117,382 to Interstate Road for line painting.
The board amended a resolution made at its last meeting to contribute to a school resource officer position in Loyalsock Township schools supplied by the state police.
Instead of paying for the position through the next half-year, the township will fund its portion of the resource officer position through the 2013-14 school year.
"We'll evaluate this after a year to see if we want to continue funding it," Burdett said. "It was about $32,000 to fund it this last year."
At their next meeting, on March 12, supervisors will vote on a resolution to turn over the township's sewer system to the Williamsport Sanitary Authority.
The resolution will not fully commit the township to combining its sewer system with the city authority, but it will state they have "every intention to move ahead with it," solicitor Charles Greevy said.


text:
Sarah Perony was 17 years old in 1934 when she applied for work at the new garment factory setting up shop in Altoona. Puritan Knitting, a Philadelphia company, was moving into the former Schwarzenbach-Huber silk mills at Eighth Avenue and 25th Street.
"My mother was a widow with three children," Perony, now 96, recalls. "I was the second oldest, and we needed money."
For Altoona, Puritan Knitting was the beginning of the garment industry, which marked both its heyday and decline in the 20th century. A reminder of its existence, the large vacant warehouse building close to Union Avenue and the former Bon Secours Hospital is up for sale or rent.
Article Photos
Mirror photo by Kay?Stephens
Joan LaToche (left) and Irene Szynal, both of Gallitzin, look over the photos, booklets and framed documents associated with local garmet factories. The display can be found at the Gallitzin Tunnels Park and Museum.
"Yes, that's where I worked," Perony said. "When I first went there, they sent me to this lady at her house, so I could learn how to do pockets. Then I went to sweaters. When the war started, we were making Army jackets and shirts."
Many towns had
clothing factories
Fact Box
Five things made locally
Sweaters, men's sportswear and other garments at Puritan Knitting, 25th Street and Eighth Avenue
Shoes at Altoona Shoe Co., 201 Cayuga Ave.
Dress and clothing patterns at Butterick, Beale Avenue and 29th Street
Frozen chicken pot pies at Frozen Farm Products, a Sky Brothers subsidiary, 1735 Margaret Ave.
Brownie's potato chips at Brown Brothers Co., Walnut Avenue and 27th Street
Industrial and home lighting fixtures at Lumax Industries, 301 Chestnut Ave.
Mallo Cups at Boyer Candy, 821 17th St.
Auto glass at Pittsburgh Glass Works, Tipton
Slinky toys at Poof-Slinky, Hollidaysburg
Boots at Cove Shoe Co., Martinsburg
Altoona isn't the only community with a building that once housed an active work force of mostly women who made their sewing machines hum.
In Gallitzin, S. Liebovitz & Sons Inc. started a shirt factory in August 1921 on the third floor of the Victoria Theatre. That building has since deteriorated and is slated to be torn down, borough Secretary Irene Szynal said.
The company's successors, Publix Shirt Corp. and Eaglewear, were located in a large building on Donough Street. Eaglewear employed about 200 people at one time during its 10-year ownership that ended in 1991, when that factory closed.
The building now houses R&M Apparel and employs about 25, depending on work orders.
"We rent about half the building," plant manager Shelly Garman said. "We customize our own line of sportswear. We also do embroidery and screenprinting."
Garman said she loves to sew and work with garments, but business can be tough.
"In this industry right now, we're not competing with anyone local," Garman said. "We're competing with the imports."
Patton was home to the Van Heusen Shirt Factory building on the 200 block of Beech Avenue. After the factory closed, the DeGol Organization bought the building in 1996.
Mike Gelormino, 79, of Patton, worked at the factory as an industrial sewing machine mechanic.
"I worked there from 1951 to 1957, then I got drafted and went into the service for a couple of years," Gelormino said. "Then when I got out, I went to work for a dress manufacturer in Ebensburg that made exclusive dresses."
In those days, Gelormino said, there were factories in almost every town, and it seemed someone was always hiring. As operating costs began to increase and garment factory jobs moved to other countries, Gelormino said he was faced with having to find another job in the 1990s.
"One by one, those factories couldn't hang on, and they shut them down," he said. "I was about 60 years old so I went on to get a CDL [commercial driver's license] and then went into driving truck."
Inside Altoona's Puritan factory
Perony, who feared that Puritan wouldn't hire her at age 17, told them she was 18 and had experience.
"I had been working for three or four months with the WPA [Works Progress Administration]," she said. "We were making dresses for poor people, and that's how I learned the sewing machine."
Perony said Puritan was a good company to work for, and they had plenty of work.
The company expanded its basic sweater line in 1938 by adding woven sportswear for men.
During World War II, Puritan produced 2.5 million Army fatigue jackets and more than 1 million high-neck G.I. sweaters, earning the Army-Navy Production Award (the "E" Award) for excellence in production of war equipment.
Perony, who said she was a supervisor by then, said she recalls being proud of the award.
"We all pitched in to make jackets for the boys," she said.
But the war years were an emotional time, too.
"A lot of the women had husbands and sons in the service," Perony said. "And we had music playing all the time, which the company allowed. But when these sad songs came on, like [Bing Crosby's 'I'll Be Home for Christmas"], I had women asking if they could turn the music off. It was tough."
Puritan continued to enjoy success in Altoona after the war years.
In 1955, it became the first U.S. manufacturer to purchase full-fashioned knitting equipment, which allowed a garment to be knit-to-size as opposed to being cut and sewn.
Puritan's work force grew to more than 1,000 employees, making it Altoona's second largest employer, according to company history compiled in 2007 when Puritan was inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame.
Irene Szynal of Gallitzin said she got an office job with Puritan in 1959, immediately after graduating from high school.
"We would carpool from here, about three or four of us," she said. "And we carpooled not to save gas or money, but because we didn't have cars."
Szynal said she worked for Puritan until 1963, when she left because she married and started a family.
"It was a good job," she said. "I had fantastic bosses."
Same industry, but
in Gallitzin
In 1971, Szynal said she wanted a job to help make ends meet while her husband, a miner, was on strike. She applied at the Publix Shirt Corp. in Gallitzin and intended to stay about six months. She ended up working there for 18 months before getting a a job with Gallitzin Borough.
"I was a collar closer," she said, explaining that she would attach a label to the inside of the shirt collar, then sew the collar shut.
"Some people did sleeves, some people did the pressing, and there were pocket people, too," she said.
Joan LaToche, also of Gallitzin, said she worked for Publix in 1965 while she was a senior at Gallitzin High School. The company had a lot of work then, and she went in after the school day ended.
"I did pressing, which was hard work," LaToche said. "It was a lot of standing."
Joan Kowalski, 79, of Gallitzin, said she started working in 1955 for Publix.
"When I first started there, we made dresses and culottes," Kowalski said, referring to calf-length or knee-length trousers designed to resemble a skirt.
LaToche and Szynal, who are active with the Gallitzin Tourist Council, take care of a collection of photographs, booklets, framed documents and other shirt factory memorabilia on display at the Gallitzin Tunnels Park and Museum on Convent Street.
In the collection is a booklet that details the introduction of a newspaper that shirt factory personnel started publishing in 1937 and sold to employees at 2 cents per copy. Its motto was: "As ye sew, so shall ye rip."
"It was primarily to serve the factory, but soon became the town newspaper," the booklet states.
The museum collection also includes the charter granted on Nov. 24, 1933, to the Gallitzin chapter of the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America. There are also large ledger books from the 1940s, showing the names of employees and the union dues they paid.
"We were always a union shop," Kowalski said, even after Eaglewear bought the company in 1981 from Publix. That move saved the plant from closing then but forced all the employees to reapply for their jobs. Some were hired, and some weren't, Kowalski said.
Under the new owners, production increased and the work force grew to more than 200 employees, according to a 50-page yearbook that Kowalski and co-workers produced to detail the last decade of the shirt factory industry in Gallitzin, from 1981 to 1991.
But the threats to the industry didn't go away and in 1984, the Gallitzin workers rented a bus and traveled to Harrisburg for a rally protesting the increase in imports that were taking jobs from the clothing and textile industry.
"We sang songs, listened to speeches and cheered when boxes of imports were thrown in the [Susquehanna] river," the yearbook states. "Of course, they were taken out after the crowd left, but [it was] good symbolism."
Kowalski's poetry is on display at the museum, too. In "Shirt Factory Girls," which she wrote in her earlier years as a factory worker, she advises readers not to downgrade the job that left employees covered in dust, lint and grime.
"...there's hardly a family around here, for miles, hasn't needed that factory sometime," her poem reads.
Quality products
Those who worked in the local garment factories remember making quality goods.
The items made at the Puritan factory in Altoona carried the Puritan name and were sold in department stores and men's clothing stores throughout the country. The garments were sold locally through Gable's, Bon-Ton and The Young Men's Shop, according to company history.
After Warner Brothers Co. bought the Thane and Puritan companies in 1964 and formed Warnaco Corp., the Altoona workers produced special clothing lines for celebrities including Andy Williams, Gary Player and Johnny Carson.
In the late 1970s, when Larry Bloom of Altoona was in charge of the men's sportswear division at Warnaco, the company introduced and created men's sweaters for the world-famous Christian Dior brand.
Warnaco still employs people at its distribution facilities in Duncansville and at the former Butterick plant in Altoona. According to ABCD Corp. in 2011, Warnaco had 260 employees locally.
The Gallitzin factory manufactured shirts under several quality labels including Gant, Pierre Cardin, Evan Picone, Ruff Hewn, Outer Banks, Saks Eagle and Izod.
"We made shirts, under Publix, for Macy's," Kowalski said. "But they all went through the same inspection process for quality. I know, because I was on quality control for a while."
Shirts made in the Van Heusen factory in Patton carried that name, another label associated with quality.
Remembering past days
Kowalski said Gallitzin remains a great place to live, even though it doesn't have the factory jobs it once had.
"The nicest people in the world worked in the factory," she said. "Some left, and some still live here."
She said she thinks what has happened to the garment industry is sad. Crystal Brands Inc., which acquired Eaglewear, was intent on closing the Gallitzin factory after acquiring it, she said.
"They wanted to put our work overseas, and they
didn't want us as competition," Kowalski said.
Gelormino said that when he was an industrial sewing machine mechanic, he could have gone anywhere for a job but had no reason to leave Patton because he could always find work.
"Back then, the world was better and the country was better," Gelormino said. "I'm not too happy about or too sure of what's in store for this generation."


text:
Serta Richton Firm Queen Mattress
1 year parts and labor
Every Serta Perfect Sleeper Essentials mattress is designed with a unique set of features to provide the 5 benefits: pressure relieving comfort , proper back support, balanced sleeping temperature , undisturbed sleep, and preventing roll-off or sag. Pressure Balancing Design Layers of foams and fluffy fibers combine with the support of an advanced innerspring to provide enhanced pressure relieving comfort, which can help reduce tossing and turning. Cool Twist™ Gel Memory Foam This exclusive liquid gel-enhanced memory foam is designed to help move heat away from your body, helping to promote a balanced sleeping temperature. Pillo-Fill® This breathable material is designed to enhance both airflow and moisture wicking at the sleep surface, helping to promote a balanced sleeping temperature. 520 Continuous Support® Innerspring Combines Serta's continuous coil design with a Head-to-Toe coil construction for the durability and stability needed to promote proper back support and absorb motion to promote undisturbed sleep. Comfort Last® Construction with Reinforced Edge® This construction helps prevent roll-off or sag regardless of body type, size or sleeping position. Plus, our Reinforced Edge® system uses a durable steel border rod to strengthen the mattress edges.
Specifications & Dimensions
Product Documentation
More Like This
View Product
View Product


text:
Hand Center
As part of Eastern Virginia Medical School, the EVMS Hand Center has access to a comprehensive team of specialists and researchers only available in an academic medical center. Our academic foundation combined with our mission to deliver patient-centered quality healthcare, drives our practice to provide an unmatched level of care.
The doctors of the EVMS Hand Center evaluate and provide specialized services to patients who may be disabled as a result of various hand and wrist problems such as chronic or acute hand injuries, autoimmune diseases, nerve problems and birth defects. We offer the full spectrum of non-surgical and surgical specialty services:
- Worker's Compensation care that provides return-to-work as early as possible
- Sports injuries
- Overuse syndromes
- Nerve compression syndromes including carpal and cubital tunnel
- Tendon problems such as tendonitis and trigger finger
- Hand and wrist arthritis
- Hand and wrist injuries
- Congenital disorders
- Tumors such as cysts and cancers
- Dupuytren's Disease
- Burns
- Pain disorders
- Patient education
EVMS Hand Center Specializes in all Hand and Wrist Related Conditions
Monday Medical Rounds: EVMS Hand Center from Eastern Virginia Medical School on Vimeo.


text:
Time is money$. Spend your time on your business and let me take care of compliance with Federal and State tax reporting. My services include monthly and quarterly financial reports, payroll services and reports, tax preparation, franchise tax reports and QuickBooks set up and training. You can save money and reduce your costs by not paying for fancy offices, high salaries or high hourly rates. If you are already using QuickBooks, you will save as well by not paying for double entry.
CONTACT ME AT firstname.lastname@example.com or call (512) 346-6892 and keep your hard earned business dollars in your pocket.
Over thirty years of experience at your service.
7719 Wood Hollow Dr. Ste 101
Austin, TX 78731


text:
What is CAB?
The Campus Activities Board (CAB) is a student organization that has programmed events for Washburn students to enjoy since 1952. Cab provides well-rounded social, educational, cultural, and recreational activities for all students, faculty, administration, alumni of Washburn university, and the Topeka community. CAB has positions for Talks & Topics (diverse and educational speakers), Live Music (musical entertainment), Varieties & Entertainment (light-hearted shows: comedy, movies, bowling, etc.), Marketing & Technology (event promotion for all events), and Recruitment & Management (oversee and train CAB Crew; Office Management).
What are the benefits of being a CAB Member?
First and foremost CAB members have a lot of fun! From potentially meeting celebrities to interacting with new people and making new friends, CAB is focused on adding to the college experience of all Washburn students. Involvement also provides the opportunity to develop a number of professional, leadership and life skills. From creating promotional material to pitching a programming idea and executing it through to the end, all these skills can be applied outside of CAB in the community, work place or your daily life.


text:
6 Groundbreaking Ways Video Games Are Screwing Players
Virtual items are big business. Some people laugh at the idea of spending money for a bunch of numbers with no intrinsic value, which is weird, because money is a bunch of numbers with no intrinsic value. It's just that in the real world we need a medium to convert doing data entry into eating ramen, and in the virtual world we need to kill lich kings with flaming swords to forget about the first half of this sentence.
This guy got more hours out of more people than every other supervisor in existence.
You can't claim that physical existence confers real value in a world with The Big Bang Theory bobbleheads. The resulting virtual item sales are pure profit for the video game developers. When your manufacturing process is copy-paste, it's even easier than printing money, because the latter involves spending on raw materials like paper. The problem is in how hard developers chase this money. It's the easiest way to make money while ruining something enjoyable since King Midas tried eating chocolate coins. And some developers have found amazing ways to screw over their players.
#6. Dark Orbit -- Every Auction Bid Is Deducted
Dark Orbit is a 2D space combat game where you click on enemies, and that's the only gameplay element there is. Your only tactical consideration is whether you want to explode your enemies or not, and if you don't, you stop playing. Bowling has more tactical depth. Hell, bowling video games have more tactical depth, because at least they have options other than "click on pin to knock it down."
Bigpoint Games
It's exactly as exciting as this looks, as long as you remember that this is a frozen image that will never move.
Like all "free-to-play" games, you can swap real money for pretend money, which makes building a Trojan horse parking space look like a good investment. You really, really don't "need" this money to buy more equipment to blow up bigger enemies -- we've already seen how they directly sold the ability to win for $1,300 -- and until recently the game's auction system was the ultimate scam. Say you bid 2 million credits on a sweet Vengeance starship. You don't get it. You bid 5 million and get the high bid, but then someone outbids you. You can't see how much they bid so you try 10 million, but that's not enough, so you give up and just lost 17 million credits.
Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
A better investment, and actually less expensive. Really.
Every bid in the auction house was immediately removed from your credit balance, even if you didn't get the item. Even if you didn't get the high bid. The system made it possible to spend 100 million credits on nothing, or on an auction where you're the only bidder. You're alone in the dark throwing your time and money into an infinite void in the hope of beating other people you'll never know, making the shop a terribly accurate metaphor for the rest of the game.
Brand X Pictures/Brand X Pictures/Getty
Another accurate metaphor.
This system was recently removed, triggering a backlash from the players (which is proof that online gamers will complain about any change). If a video game developer removed tumors from players, they'd whine about nerfing their loss in weight and access to radiation powers.
#5. RuneScape -- Roulette Beats Playing
RuneScape is the world's largest free-to-play MMORPG, where "free to play" means "choosing between spending $5 or five hours on simulated chores." RuneScape is a better psychological control system than the Matrix and has worse physical effects on the users. Last year they introduced a new level of mind control in the Squeal of Fortune.
Jagex Games Studio
When you can use a name that terrible without being slapped, you have established total dominance over your subjects.
If your game can be improved by roulette, your game sucks. Roulette is less excitement than setting money on fire, and you get less value for your money because warmth is useful. It's how people say "I want to spend money without being involved in the outcome." All roulette should be Russian so we improve the species faster.
Barry Austin/Photodisc/Getty Images
"I would rather directly hand money to someone richer than myself than gain any experience from it."
Players get a free spin every day, but spins can't be saved -- the player has to log in daily. It's a more obvious behavior control mechanism than fitting someone with a bit and harness, and it's less fun for everyone involved. They get more spins for becoming a paid player, more again with a gold membership package, and more again for taking part in chosen game activities each week. When you have to bribe players into trying new game modes with gambling, they're not game modes, they're errands. The wheel is more levels of insane mind control than obeying the voice of a talking rat with electrodes in its skull.
Comstock/Comstock/Getty Images
"At least I'm not paying a subscription to be here."
Monsters in the real game drop spin tickets when defeated. So even if you're actually playing, slaughtering revenant orcs with a Promethium maul, they'll drop gambling tickets to remind you that even the developers think a slot machine is more fun. Players can directly buy tickets for the squeal, actively gambling real money on maybe getting pretend items for a game they'd apparently rather spend money on than play. It not only works, it works so well that Jagex had to institute limits on how many tickets anyone could buy during the week. Obviously they don't want anyone going crazy with it, which is why players are limited to a sensible $500 a week on goblin raffles.
#4. Star Trek Online -- Lock Box Keys
The lock box is a master-crafted psychological landmine. The game rewards you with a mysterious locked box, but you need to buy a key to get what's inside ... which means you're really buying the item, with a side order of "duh" and the added advantage of not knowing what you're paying for. It's the Jedi mind trick in icon form, a little graphic saying "You have already bought this incredible item. Now go to the shop and pay for it." The most recent offender was Star Trek Online.
Cryptic Studios
We all remember how the Federation was founded on greed and capitalism, right?
Most key buyers unlock one copy of an item they already have seven times, learn their lesson, and get on with the game. Lock boxes are the scratch cards of virtual warfare. Most players hate lock boxes, but hating is free, while the few people who like them spend lots of money, so screw everyone else while the system caters to the rich. And welcome to capitalism! A Starfleet officer asking for your credit card information is how you ruin immersion and a bold future utopia simultaneously.
Cryptic Studios
"Captain, shields are down, main power is offline, and our credit limit has been reached!"
They're unregulated gambling, simulated slot machines that aren't required to tell you the odds or ever pay out. Worse, the appeal of the lock box is a small chance of getting a rare and powerful item without earning it. Which means the best case scenario of this money sink is breaking the game.


text:
I don't think Illitch would have a problem losing out on that 1-year payment to Quincey if it meant keeping about 40 less goals from getting behind Howard.
This is just fooling around anyway.
But hey, LGW Police to the rescue everyone. You got me Carman, you got me. Good job!!!!!
Wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but Holland is going to the grave with Quincey I feel. No way he just cut's ties with the 1st round investment, in my eyes at least.
In all seriousness I wouldn't mind a pretty decent sized trade to change the roster a bit.


text:
United States & Canada Customers: Call 1-800-813-6897
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
International Customers: Call 1-512-837-4810
Available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. English language only.
If you are seeking healing or to ease the discomfort associated with arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, backaches, migraines, PMS, fibromyalgia, endometriosis or a sports injury, you cannot go wrong with the DFX Sports & Fitness Magnalinx Magnetic Bracelet. The Magnalinx Magnetic Bracelet contains the highest gauss rating on the market. A gauss rating is a measure of strength (power) of the magnets. With an aggregate of over 360,000 gauss rating in this bracelet, it averages over 100-times more powerful than the closest competitor. The Magnalinx Magnetic Bracelet is comprised of 60 individual magnets. It can be adjusted to fit any size wrist up to 9 1/2" by just removing individual magnets. The individual magnets are 10mm (.4 inches) in height and have a power rating 6,000 gauss each.
Additional features:
Online Shipping Information
Golfsmith.com offers simple, flat-rate shipping to destinations in the continguous U.S. via FedEx.
Our policy is to strive for the best possible combination of price and service for your shipment.
In order to better serve our guests, we will occassionally offer discounted shipping promotions. Any shipping discounts will be applied in your shopping cart.
"Overnight" shipments will arrive the next business day (excluding weekends and holidays) after departing Golfsmith. "2-Day Air" shipments arrive in two business days after departing Golfsmith. On-time delivery for both methods is guaranteed by our preferred carriers. Shipping delays may occur during busy Holidays or in the spring -- we will do our best to accommodate last minute and expedited orders placed during these times.
Most orders are shipped within 48 hours of online placement. Orders must be placed by 1pm (CST) Monday-Friday in order to be eligible for that day's "Overnight" or "2-Day Air" shipments. Orders for residential delivery placed on Sunday or Monday will not be shipped until Tuesday and orders for business delivery placed on weekends will not ship until Monday, so please take this into consideration when specifying expedited shipping requests.
Online Shipping Information
Additional Shipping Information
Sales Tax details
International & Canadian Orders
Tour Trek
68 Inch Tour Deluxe Umbrella - SPF 50+
Men's Stainless/Gold Link Bracelet


text:
It's a very rare occurrence, but things flying through space have been known to slam into our planet. Take a look at some of the major events scientist believe took place.
Collision Course: Earth Impacts Throughout HistoryUPDATED 9:49 PM PST Feb 14, 2013
Slideshow Central
CommentsThe views expressed are not those of this site, this station or its affiliated companies. By posting your comments you agree to accept our terms of use.blog comments powered by Disqus


text:
At a heavy Class 2A regional tournament, the Bobcats� heavyweight earned a spot at the state tournament.
The Ignacio High School wrestling team had five regional tournament placers in Grand Junction, punctuated by heavyweight Josh Gallegos� fourth-place finish that will take him to the CHSAA Class 2A Wrestling State Championships next weekend at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
�He earned his right to go,� IHS head coach Bob Overturf said.
Keith Joosten took fifth at 113.
Taylor Smith took fifth at 120.
Kyle Bailey took sixth at 126.
Javen Webb took sixth at 195.
�I�m telling you what, that region is tough,� Overturf said. �And my boys wrestled tough. They wrestled tough. That�s all I can say.�