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Between the Iron Men and X-Men and Thors and Supermen, comic book movies continue to dominate our schedules. But if you don't know an Asterix from a Tintin or a Green Lantern from a Green Hornet, where do you start with superheroes or graphic novels? We've compiled a list, in no particular order, of the most essential for the comic newbie, from superhero epics to perfectly-crafted indies, from political allegories to knockabout comedies. For your convenience, we've also tried to choose books that are actually available, usually in trade paperback form. Some of these are extremely well-known, some have been made into films, some are still under the radar – but they're all worth seeking out...
By: Art Spiegelman
This is a perennial fixture on Best Comics Ever Written lists, a book that can win over even those who think that any story told with drawings must be for kids. Art Spiegelman tells the story of his Holocaust-survivor father over two breathtakingly powerful volumes, alternating between the story of his life during World War II and his later years in the US. The book's conceit has the Jews drawn as mice, the Nazis as cats, Americans as Beagles and so on – but it's the human stories that come unflinchingly through that give this work its power, both in the tragedies and trauma of mankind's darkest hour and in the smaller tribulations of a survivor's later life. A Pullitzer Prize winner, this deserves a place on the shelf of anyone with literary pretensions.
Rising Stars
By: J. Michael Straczynski, Fiona Avery
Straczynski, who wrote Babylon 5 and more recently Clint Eastwood's Changeling, is better known in some circles for his comics work, thanks to great arc stories like this. A sort of X-Men meets The Midwich Cuckoos, this chronicles the lives of 113 "Specials", children who were in utero during a meteor strike on a small US town who grow up with special powers. Their triumphs and tragedies form the thread of an exceptionally tightly-plotted and complete story as they grow to adulthood, deal – or fail to deal – with their powers, fall apart and fight for their place in the world. The wham-bam ending and enigmatic hero in poet John Simon provide all the emotional closure that's inevitably missing from continuing superhero comics, making it the perfect option for those who refuse to get involved in long-running stories.
By: Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean etc.
The Sandman
Don't worry: this is nothing to do with Spider-Man 3 or Thomas Haden-Church. This Sandman is the reason that Neil Gaiman became a geek god, with a hugely ambitious and ground-breaking graphic story that's worth getting lost in. To get the lot, you'll have to pick up nine trade paperbacks or four massive Absolute collections, but there you get the complete story of Dream of the Endless, aka the Sandman, Morpheus, Oneiros, Lord of the Dreaming and any number of other monikers. The series starts with Dream being captured and held by a human magician for 70 years, escaping in the modern day and beginning the long process of reclaiming his kingdom and regaining his powers – only to start to question his eternal place as the personification of Dream as he does so. Sprawling and epic, taking in myths and legends from all over the world, this is intelligent, endlessly twisting and complex, and satisfyingly multi-layered.
By: Joe Sacco
This is not a book about superheroes. Heck, it's not a book about heroes of any sort. Instead, it's the story of author and cartoonist Joe Sacco on a visit to Palestine during the Intifada of 1991 and 1992, and a compelling portrait of the daily lives and struggles of the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It may not tell the whole story of the Middle East situation, but it tells an often unreported side in a manner that's as compelling and exact as any good documentary, and which is all the more impressive for coming in a form usually associated with comedy or costumed crusaders. Sacco's withering assessment of his own priorities when faced with so much human misery makes him a perversely sympathetic narrator of a tale that's studded with horrors and heroics.
By: Marjane Satrapi
Like Maus, this is a biography in graphic form, but this time from a woman who grew up during the Iranian revolution and Iran-Iraq War. Like Maus, this mixes moments of humour with horror, self-deprecation with political commentary and wraps the whole in a universal story about growing up. But unlike Maus, this one has actual human beings as characters and a generally bouncy tone, with Marjane remaining a largely hopeful narrator however dark things seem. If you have any sense you've already seen the animated film that this book inspired (also made by Satrapi herself) but it's worth reading the original comic for a longer and fuller version of the story in the same distinctive black-and-whites.
The Last Man
By: Brian K. Vaughan, Pia Guerra
At the beginning of this series, every last man and male animal on Earth drops dead, more or less simultaneously. Except, that is, for a guy called Yorrick and his pet monkey. Why have they been spared? What do they do now? And how are they going to survive in a world where half the population's gone and half the remaining half have gone a little nuts? The story that results is massive in scope but also intensely personal, taking in gender politics and geophysical realities but, in the end, coming down to a small group gathered around a boy and a monkey, with one of the most moving finales we've ever read.
Scott Pilgrim
By: Bryan Lee O'Malley
Mixing a 90s slacker vibe with classic video game fights and gags, Scott Pilgrim stars one of the dimmest heroes of recent years, a wonderfully clueless and perpetually confused bass player who has to battle the seven evil exes of the woman he loves to win her hand. Why? We're not sure, but it all made sense at the time. Filled with sight gags, surreal touches and geeky references, the six books in the series are warm and witty and hugely likeable, filled with characters that will immediately feel like your best friends. Assuming your best friends aren't upwardly mobile yuppie types, who are singularly absent from these pages. Or, even worse, vegans, with their terrifying mind powers (just read the comics and that joke'll make sense).
The Walking Dead
By: Robert Kirkman, Tony Moore, Charlie Adlard
Probably the biggest graphic series in the world right now, this is the story of a family trying to survive a zombie holocaust – so, y'know, cheery stuff. But what's impressive about Kirkman's series is how the plot progresses beyond the usual holed-up-and-surrounded standards of the genre, and how the characters develop as we move forward. Also, how swiftly the story can go from triumph to heartbreak, and how quickly a temporary sense of security can evaporate amid the constant pressure of the zombie menace. The dialogue is, at times, a little on the nose, but the pacing and story are never less than excellent. Start reading now and there's still time to establish yourself as an expert on the story before all your friends become addicted to the TV adaptation.
The Dark Knight Returns
By: Frank Miller, Klaus Janson, Lynn Varley
Along with Watchmen and arguably Sandman, The Dark Knight Returns was the kick up the backside that comics needed in the 1980s, reinvigorating the superhero and changing the focus of the business from teenagers to, well, everyone. Bleak in tone but implacable in resolve, Miller's work stripped all traces of campiness from the Caped Crusader and returned him to the nitty-gritty of stamping out crime. But years past his prime, mourning the loss of Robin and with crime in Gotham worse than ever, can he still prevail? Well, yes, of course he can; he's Batman. But it won't be as easy as pulling Bat-shark repellent out of his belt anymore – especially with the Man of Steel himself lined up to stop the vigilante.
By: Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
A small-town preacher becomes possessed by the offspring of a demon and an angel, and sets off in search of the absentee Almighty to take issue with His management of the world. Garth Ennis' bloody, twisted and sickly funny religio-Western epic is full of brutality, mutilation and the drunken ramblings of a mad Irish vampire, but it's also – deep down – a love story that says all of creation can go hang as long as love has its chance. Huh. Despite the castrations and perversions and maulings, despite the Saint of Killers' glowering menace, Ennis might just be a big softie after all.
By: Alan Moore, Dave Gibbons
Probably the most famous single graphic novel ever written – and definitely the most famous not to feature a man dressed as a bat – Alan Moore's dystopian vision still deserves its place in the top ranks. A gang of costumed but (with one exception) not superpowered vigilantes investigate the death of an old comrade and discover a strange and far-reaching plot. Overturning the usual tropes of the genre, this makes a hero of a psychopath and a villain of a do-gooder, leaves the only true superhero powerless and comes to a genuinely shocking conclusion. If you only ever read one graphic novel, this is almost certainly the one you'll read.
By: Frank Miller, Dave Mazzuchelli
Having tackled Batman's later years, Miller retraced his steps to the very beginning, charting the course of the Dark Knight's earliest steps in his crime-fighting career – presented here in parallel to the rise of honest policeman Jim Gordon. The suggestion here is that the Gregory Peck-looking, playboy billionaire and the married-but-straying copper are more of a double-act than we sometimes realise; neither of them able to change Gotham alone but capable of great things together. If some of this seems familiar, that might be because it was an influence on Batman Begins – and like that film, this is dark, broody and quietly rather brilliant. See also: Alan Moore's The Killing Joke, Grant Morrison's Arkham Asylum and Jeph Loeb's The Long Halloween for other stand-out Bat-stories.
100 Bulletts
By: Brian Azzarello, Eduardo Risso
Here's a neat little moral dilemma: what if someone gave you a gun, 100 bullets, evidence that everything bad in your life could be laid at a particular person's feet and the promise that law-enforcement wouldn't stop you if you took any action as a result? That's the dilemma that's played out again and again – with wildly differing results – in Azzarello's 100-issue story. Sure, the insanely complex backstory to the whole noir affair requires a heck of a suspension of disbelief, but the elegance of the concept is still impressive, and Azzarello and Risso's execution (no pun intended) over the series' run well worth reading.
Superman: Red Son
By: Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett
Occasionally major comic-book characters are treated to little "What if?" stories, and this one – imagining a Superman who crash-lands in Soviet Russian rather than Kansas and becomes a hero of the revolution – has a brilliant central premise, even if it does lose steam slightly in the second half. As with Marvel's 1602, there are sneaky delights in spotting alt-world parallels to the characters we're already familiar with, but Millar's greatest achievement here lies in trying to imagine how a fundamentally decent man would cope with the absolute power that becomes his as a dictator ruling half the world.
By: Bill Willingham et al
Fairy tale characters find themselves in exile in New York following the conquest of their country by dark forces – so far, so generic fantasy novel. What sets Fables apart is the fact that these are not the virginal princesses, gallant princes and cutesy cuddly animals of your bedtime stories, but bitches, bastards and creeps who have let the big, bad city go to their heads. Romping through taboos rather than fields of daisies and establishing a few nice crimes and puzzles along the way, this is every bit as compelling and gritty as its superhero competitors. And it's not every day that you use the word "gritty" about a story starring – among others – Snow White.
X-Men: Days of Futures Past
By: Chris Claremont, John Byrne
The Phoenix Saga is better known; the God Loves, Man Kills storyline was the one strip-mined for the movies, but it was Days of Future Past – which immediately followed the Phoenix saga – that cemented the X-Men's superstar status in the comics world. Here, an older version of Kitty Pryde suddenly appears and reveals that the future for mutants is pretty bleak: they'll soon be dead or stuck in concentration camps under the watchful eyes of giant robot sentinels. They have to change the past to save the future, but the result is an X-Men tale that's unusually complex and darker-tinged than normal. And also shows us how Wolverine would look with grey hair, so that's a bonus.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
By: Alan Moore, Kevin O'Neill
Comics legend Alan Moore may not like Hollywood tinkering with his work, but he's freely adopted a posse of 19th century literary characters for this Victorian romp. Led by Mina Harker (of Dracula fame) and Allan Quartermain (of King Solomon's Mines, among others), the mismatched and feuding band have to fend off evil geniuses, invading Martians and Jack the Ripper. The first volume remains the best, for our money, but there's endless enjoyment to be had testing your literary knowledge and trying to spot the references to Victorian characters, or ancestors of modern fictional people. Apparently even crowd-members are intended to represent the forefathers of modern Eastenders castmembers, so keep your magnifying glass handy. Oh, and don't worry: it shares almost no creative DNA with the film of the same name.
By: Joss Whedon, John Cassaday
The 24 issues of Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men run built on the success of Grant Morrison's New X-Men (it's good! We don't care what you heard!) but run it through a recognisably Whedon-esque filter. If that occasionally makes it sound as though Professor Xavier's School for the Gifted has been running an exchange programme with Sunnydale High, well, we're OK with that. And you can't complain that the story is less than epic. Involving ancient prophecies, alien planets, Earth-threatening weapons, conspiracies, betrayals and gut-wrenching sacrifice, these four volumes (Gifted, Dangerous, Torn and Unstoppable) really are rather astonishing stuff (sorry).
By: Mike Mignola, John Byrne
Hellboy's origin story contains, in a nutshell, everything that's great about Mike Mignola's loveable demon. It's funny, it's got violence, it's filled with weird monsters and heroes who are almost as weird, and while it has hints of darkness and complexity it's also, y'know, fun - a quality sometimes underestimated in modern comics. With frog monsters and séances and bright red demons and mad Russian monks, this has something for everyone. OK, something for everyone who's into frog monsters and séances and bright red demons and mad Russian monks.
By: Jason Aaron, R.A. Guera
It's nice, every now and again, to read a comic that doesn't depend on superpowers or magic for its kicks, and this noir-ish detective story set on a Native American reservation fits the bill nicely. Dashiell (as in Hammett, crime fiction fans) Bad Horse returns to the rez after 15 years outside, with a bad attitude and some badass fighting skills. Unbeknownst to his old friends and contacts, however, he's actually undercover for the FBI, investigating the murder of two agents on tribal land years before. Great characters, a bit of social commentary on the living conditions on the reservations and a whole heap of criminal shenanigans make this one stand out from the herd.
By: Warren Ellis, John Cassaday
There are only 27 issues of this rather meta-superhero comic, so it shouldn't be too hard to get your head around. Warren Ellis had previously worked on Wildstorm Comics' Stormwatch and The Authority (both worth a look), and this – to some extent – spins off from that, following super-powered "archaeologists of the impossible" as they investigate the world's secret history, from Godzilla's grave to a (sort of, for copyright reasons) evil Fantastic Four. If you're already a bit of a geek, you can have fun reference-spotting; if not, just enjoy Ellis' clever plotting and Cassaday's gorgeous visuals.
By: Brian Michael Bendis, Michael Avon Oeming
"Quis custodiet ipsos custodes", eh? While the question of who watches the watchmen might usually be applied to, well, Watchmen, it's also a perfect fit for this series about the job of policing superheroes. It focuses on Christian Walker and Deena Pilgrim, two non-powered cops trying to solve cases involving "powers", as super-beings are called (no great leap there). This one plays with the clichés of the superhero genre, by showing it all through cops' eyes, but it's also notable for its high body count (relatively few characters stay constant) and strong stories. Start with Volume 1 of the Definitive Collection and go from there.
By: Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker
Before there was Walking Dead, there was... (dramatic pause) Invincible, wherein writer Robert Kirkman gave the superhero genre a twist. Our teenage hero is the son of the world's greatest superhero, Omni-Man, sent from another planet to save us all. Only, it emerges that daddy is the fore-runner for an alien invasion rather than a kind Kryptonian with a killer kiss-curl, and soon Invincible will have to face off against his own pater familias and his native planet. So that's a bummer for him. The whole result starts off feeling like a Silver Age comic (sort of mid-50s to 1970), all bouncy and Boy's Own, but has some very modern and rather dark twists – start with the first book in the Ultimate Collection for the full effect.
The Punisher
By: Garth Ennis, Steve Dillon
Punisher was dead on his feet when the team behind Preacher were brought in to reinvigorate the character – and they turned him into a force to be reckoned with. Ennis and Dillon ignored all the backstory and hangers on and weird suggestions of supernatural powers, and took Frank Castle back to the streets in a striped-down crime fighting story. The result, published as part of Marvel's more adult "Max" line, is certainly violent, but it's also funnier than your usual, and reminds us that Frank Castle may be a bastard, but he's a likeable bastard in some ways too. A great example of a title completely reinvigorated by a single writer. Try Punisher Max: Volume 1 as a decent place to start.
Tin Tin
By: Hergé
Choose your choice from the books available: King Ottokar's Sceptre, The Secret of the Unicorn, The Blue Lotus, Destination Moon – they're almost all winners, and it doesn't matter which order you read them in, aside from a couple of two-shots (Destination Moon obviously precedes Explorers on the Moon, for instance). Hergé's boy reporter has deservedly endured for decades with the help of maybe the funniest supporting cast anywhere in literature – from Captain Haddock to opera singer Bianca Castafiore – and some genuinely brain-bending mysteries. Hergé's clean lines and elegant design don't hurt either, and while some of it is well racist (see Tintin in the Congo – or, for preference, don't) the majority of his adventures are pure, fried gold. There's a reason that the Continentals are nuts for all these bandes desinées, and Tintin's a big part of what they love.
Asterix Et Oberlix
By: René Goscinny, Albert Uderzo
Like puns? How about wordplay? If you do, this is the series for you. Originally written in French, the truly spectacular work of the translation team Derek Hockridge and Anthea Bell mean it's arguably funnier in English, with almost every character name offering a laugh (fishmonger Unhygienix, anyone? How about bard Cacofonix?) To the extent that there's an overarching plot, it's the story of a single Gaulish village who hold out against the Roman invaders in around 50BC with the help of a magic potion that makes them invincible – but like Tintin, its heroes globetrot around the ancient world to meet ancient national stereotypes and, as with Tintin, you can essentially chose any of the 34 books in the series and be assured a good read.
Black Holes
By: Charles Burns
Some comics – Superman, Wonder Woman – are about beautiful people. Others – Swamp Thing, this 70s-set effort – are rather more willing to embrace characters who aren't quite so stupendously good-looking and unusual abilities that are less than photogenic. So here we have a group of teenagers who contract a mysterious sexually transmitted disease that causes strange mutations, some of them highly visible and grotesque, others less obvious. Whether you see the result as a horror (there is, after all, a series of murders going on as well) or a metaphor for growing up hardly matters – this will get under your skin and stay there. It's a shame that the planned David Fincher-directed, Neil Gaiman-scripted film fell through, but perhaps even they couldn't have nailed the strange, dark tone of this effort.
Ghost World
By: Daniel Clowes
So we've talked about superhero comics, crime, noir, fantasy, satire and the rest, but there is a whole world of comics out there that deal with normal people leading normal lives. From Robert Crumb to Harvey Pekar to this blinding effort from Daniel Clowes, comics can deal with average people just as well as they can with people who can stick to walls upside-down. Ghost World tells the story of two girls who have just graduated from high school and are trying to figure out their next move: Enid, sarky and sometimes brooding, and Rebecca, her gentler foil. The humour's often biting and even cynical, but Clowes has a warmth towards the characters that's always there underneath.
Locke & Key
By: Joe Hill, Gabriel Rodriguez
The fact that Joe Hill chose to write a rather scary comic should surprise no-one, given that his old man is Stephen King. But this series proves that he's got plenty of game in his own right, taking the usual creepy old house trope and shaking it up till it screams a terrifying scream. We follow three children and their mother, who move into Keyhouse in the town of Lovecraft (uh-oh!) after the family's father is cruelly murdered by Sam Lesser. But the house has some strange properties, and with Lesser escaped from prison and headed straight for it, the Locke family have their work cut out. The series isn't finished yet, but the Prologue and Act-and-a-Bit (of a planned three) so far published are extremely promising. Start with Welcome To Lovecraft, then Head Games, and go from there.
Tank Girl
By: Alan Martin, Jamie Hewlett et al
Does that art look familiar? That's probably because artist Jamie Hewlett's since gone on to create Gorillaz with Damon Albarn and company. But spare a thought for his original heroine, a punk chick who lives in a tank, has a boyfriend called Booga who's a mutant kangaroo (this is a post-apocalyptic Australia, y'see) and gets herself in fairly hot water on a regular basis. The series is a long-running one, but you could do worse than to get yourself a copy of the numbered anthologies and start reading (note, however, that The Cream of Tank Girl is more about the process and less a collection of strips). Anarchic, extremely funny and frequently chaotic, this is the punk movement in comic form, like Mad Max but with more illicit substances and more mutant kangaroos.


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Thrivent Financial for Lutherans donated $1,000 to the Grant County Sheriff's Office and Williamstown Police Shop With A Cop program. Calvin Herr, left and Paul Gustafson, right, gave the check to Williamstown Police Chief Al Rich and Grant County Sheriff Chuck Dills.Thrivent works through six churches in the area, including Immanuel Lutheran in Dry Ridge. This money was a matching fundraiser to a golf scramble held earlier in the fall.
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Army Commendation Medal Citation
6 November 1974 — Republic of Korea
To: Specialist Six John A. CHRISTEL
For: "Meritorious achievement on 27 September 1974, while serving as a Special Agent with the Red Cloud Resident Agency, Korea Field Office, United States Army Criminal Investigation Command. Specialist CHRISTEL displayed the utmost professional competence during the investigation of an attempted murder at Kosan-Ri, Republic of Korea. His unrelenting efforts contributed to the successful completion of the case. Specialist CHRISTEL's devotion to duty is in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Army and reflects great credit upon himself, the United States Army Criminal Investigation Command, and the military service."
Dated: 6 November 1974
Albert R. Escola
Major General, United States Army


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A man has died after his car crashed into a tree in Croydon on Saturday night.
Investigators believe the 25-year-old's grey Mazda hatchback was heading north on Mount View Parade, near the intersection with Powell Street, when the crash occurred just before 10pm.
The man, from Croydon, was the sole occupant of the car and died at the scene.
His death takes the state's road toll to 262.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner, and have urged anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.crimestoppers.com.au.
Meanwhile, police have charged a man following a hit-and-run incident in Dandenong on Friday that left a motorcyclist with life-threatening injuries.
The motorcyclist, a 33-year-old Springvale man, was rushed to the Alfred Hospital on Friday night with serious injuries, following the collision at the intersection of the South Gippsland Highway and Princes Highway.
He remained in a critical but stable condition this morning, a hospital spokeswoman said.
A 22-year-old from Pakenham was arrested about 1am on Sunday, and has been charged with negligently causing serious injury, failing to stop and failing to render assistance.
He was bailed to appear before the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on Tuesday.


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It was another hot weekend in Souther California! I know it's been hot all over the country and that makes it hard to actually want to go outside. But, I had a 3-year-old's Hello Kitty birthday party to go to. You can't miss those!
I grabbed this Fashion to Figure dress I've had in my closet for a few weeks and it was perfect weather to wear it. Besides, this is one of the colors I've been loving this summer.
The dress is no longer available on the web site, but I can tell you it's a beautiful turquoise rayon summer dress with an embroidered ruffle on top. The straps are adjustable and there's an elastic band under the chest, to give it shape.
I was a little worried that it would be too short, but it actually hit at the right spot for me. I wore my tan Aldo wedges (that are hard to button) and headed out the door.
Everything was cool until there was a gust of wind that flew right up the skirt. It seems like the dress wanted me to flash people or something! LOL
I'm so jealous of you east coast ladies that have a Fashion to Figure in your city. No fair. They need to come to Los Angeles!
Disclosure: This dress was gifted by Fashion to Figure. The above is my true and honest opinion.


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Would you like to save as your currency permanently or for this visit only?
Salzburger Dom
Museum of Modern Art
The Hotel had rustic charm and the owners were very helpful and friendly. It is located within walking distance from central Salzburg.
Great, charming family run B&B with a cute garden and restaurant. Close to city center (10 minutes walk), easy bus routes and the nicest owners!
I enjoyed the family atmosphere and I like the typical Austrian style of the place. I like the antique furniture and the friendly nature of the family that runs the hotel.
The comfortable home atmosphere of a truly traditional and charactaristical Austrian Haus. Including the traditional food and friendly staff.
A very nice family hotel: great atmosphere, very nice staff, charming interior. Even if you don't like buffet breakfast, I recommend restaurant for dinner: they burn fireplace, very warm atmostpere and fair kitchen. Definitely this place is not for those who enjoy of Mariott and Radisson, but if you like small hystorical hotels - you'll like it. Internet works excellent everywhere - for us it was important. The kids liked it a lot. This was not our dislike, but there's buffet breakfast.


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A Wharfedale ward councillor and former passenger transport head has announced he will not stand for re-election next month.
Former Tory Chris Greaves, who is currently an independent councillor, says he has become disillusioned with the present Government's attitude to planning – and welcomed the decision of Menston campaigner Steve Ellams to stand as an independent candidate in next month's Bradford Council elections.
Coun Greaves says he is retiring from his Wharfedale seat on Bradford Council when his term of office comes to an end in May.
He was first elected to Bradford Council in 1998, and was a key figure with West Yorkshire passenger transport body, Metro, for a number of years, serving first as district spokesman and later as chairman.
He said: "It is no secret that I have become increasingly disillusioned with the present Government's attitude to planning, which appears to be a policy of laissez faire, allowing developers to stick up bland, indeed verging on ugly, "playschool" houses wherever they want, with particular emphasis on green fields and flood risk areas. Even more worrying is the mix of tacit and explicit approval of these policies by the Conservative leadership in Bradford."
Coun Greaves quit the Conservatives in 2011 in a row over a "forged" letter sent from Bradford Council to Metro.
He came under fire the following year after it emerged he had sold his Menston home and was spending part of his time living in Spain.
Coun Greaves is also a former chairman of Bradford Council's Keighley Area Planning Committee. He chaired meetings on high-profile planning applications, including the new Tesco store plan, and the plans to develop the Wheatley Hotel in Ben Rhydding as houses.
Speaking to the Gazette from Spain, Coun Greaves said the Wheatley Hotel debate was the most memorable.
Coun Greaves says he is still currently dividing his time between Yorkshire, London and the property where he plans to retire in Spain, but had missed only one full Council meeting in the past three years.


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Today at their AGM PPR came out and did two things that I don't think any other luxury brand has done so far: publicly put its money where its mouth is, officially committing to a group of specific environmental goals for the Group to reach by 2016 and announcing them for all to see (and measure, and wave critically in the air in the company fails to fulfill them), and financially committing to a carbon off-shoot company by buying a 5% stake in Wildlife Works Carbon and getting a seat on the management committee. It all sounds great, but what does it really mean?
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© The Financial Times Ltd 2016 FT and 'Financial Times' are trademarks of The Financial Times Ltd.


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Simple dinner tonight, as we're trying to make up for all the spending we did in San Antonio last week... We are going to attempt to get through the week by all the things we have in the cabinets, freezer and fridge.
I managed to pick up a couple new-to-me rubs at the airport while I was in Texas. I think I remember a few of you Texans on the forum using these rubs......I know tex_toby for sure, and I want to say I've seen Garfield and Bob_BQN use these from time to time, but I could be wrong. Either way, I recognized them when I saw them in the gift shop. Got some Sucklebuster's Hoochie Mama and Hog Waller.
I had these pork chops brining overnight... I put a palm full of cherry chips in the coals for a little smoke. We also had some leftover pineapple slices from the fruit tray that my parents' brought over for Saturday's Easter Party at my house....so my wife and I dusted some of the pineapple slices down with brown sugar, skewered them up and threw those on the grill tonight as well, before they went bad.
We had some Saffron Rice in the Pantry and some frozen Broccoli in the freezer, so we utilized those tonight as well. I pulled the chops off at an internal temp of 140 deg f, but they were semi-small, so only a very little bit of pink was left after the rest. I may shoot for 135 deg for chops this size next time, and then maybe the rest period won't put them over the mark so much. The brine kept them from drying out though.
The Sucklebuster's Hoochie Mama wasn't my favorite, but it was still good....definitely a go-to for weeknights though. The grilled pineapple also turned out great. Now, I must go in the kitchen, look in the freezer, and be creative for tomorrow night's dinner. No more money-spendin' this week.


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At 5,000-foot elevation, Reno offered joggers a challenge -- and freezing morning temps
Slots were everywhere at the monstrous Silver Legacy resort, the meeting site.
Delegates who paid as much as $250 registered and collected their credentials and swag.
Supporters of USATF president candidate Stephanie Hightower staffed her own info desk.
Placards were placed all over the resort in advance of the Friday election.
Hightower's campaign spending must have reached into the several thousands.
After waiting in line, USATF delegates could avail themselves of some laptops.
Computer users got help at the Internet Cafe at the Silver Legacy resort.
Wireless access to the Internet was available to anyone, though.
Publications including the California Track and Running magazine (bottom left) were available.
Masters hurdler Jeff Davison, a shuttle-hurdles proponent, waits for Thursday's masters track meeting.
Sandy Pashkin of Oregon and Graeme Shirley of San Diego chat before masters track session.
Jeff Brower of Texas ran unopposed for secretary of the Masters Track and Field Committee.
Gary Snyder won re-election as masters track national chairman, unopposed for a 4-year term.
Lester Mount of Texas, ending his tenure as Masters T&F secretary, read off the names of association delegates.
Becky Sisley of Eugene, Ore., led the active-athletes delegate process.
Becky took 21 active athletes outside the room to register them as delegates. All got voting privileges.
Phil Byrne, chair of the nominating commitee, explained that all masters officer candidates were running unopposed.
Janet Smith of Oklahoma was re-elected as masters track vice chair.
Carroll DeWeese of Michigan was unopposed as treasurer, succeeding Joy MacDonald.
Marilyn Mitchell of New York asked her usual share of technical questions.
Former masters national chair George Mathews of Idaho endorsed Stephanie Hightower.
Mathews introduced Hightower to an audience of 70.
Hightower pledged USATF would help make masters track "less invisible."
Hightower, 50, confessed that she doesn't compete in masters track because "I'm lazy."
Date: 08/04/2010
Views: 721


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Homebrewing beer. In each episode award winning brewer and beer writer Jamil Zainasheff discusses brewing a specific style of beer. Included are award winning recipes, tips for home brewing, tasting notes, and live question and answer with the listeners.
December 7th, 2009
Episode 98 of 263 episodes
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Welcome to the Brain Training Podcast, the daily audio workout for your head. In this podcast we have two games for you, each with three rounds which get progressively harder. To enjoy the full experience, relax, and avoid distractions whilst you listen.


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The Freshest Liveset 4.0 Feat Kutcorners & Marvel
Kutcorners and Marvel (The Freshest) continue their live mix series with a fourth installment. I had to ask them to make that Party Radio mix for Booooooom after seeing their first three videos (here, here, and here).
Watch "The Freshest Liveset 4.0" below!


text: Wounded in Europe May 28, 1918. Recipient of Purple Heart and other commendations. Eldest son of Phillip and Alma Alfreda Anderson Samuelson, both born in Sweden (immigrated to United States 1880 and 1885 respectively). Except for military service, lived his entire life in California. He engaged in farming (general & dairy) and carpentry, just as his father had. At death he was cremated and ashes were give to family member.


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Inside the Closet: Janie Bryant
The Upbeat Intellectual:
Hexa by Kuho
Seoul-based Kuho Jung embraces high drama in his presentations, but he veers utilitarian in his clothes, paying close attention to shape and smart, somewhat arch effects, such as streamer-festooned hems and badge motifs.
The Prim Provocateur: Prabal Gurung
Gurung rolled out one of the season's most artful collections, presenting his signature uptown sensibility with an unexpected counterpoint—sex, as in see-through fabrics, fetishistic latex, and erogenous floral prints.
Street Chic: SXSW


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The Police Department is dedicated to maintaining open lines of communication with our community. As such, we welcome your comments, viewpoints, suggestions and words of praise or encouragement.
Police employees are responsible for treating people with dignity and respect. If you feel that your experience does not measure up to this value or if you would like to commend a Police employee, the Police Department wants to know. If you suspect police misconduct, you can report it in one of several ways:
Although complaints may be submitted anonymously, we strongly encourage you to provide us with contact information. This will assist the department in effectively resolving your issue and to share the outcome of any investigation with you.
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A daily enewsletter summary of breaking news from the pharma, biotech and medical device fields.
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text:
Are the Rangers Winning Because Brad Richards Is Dating Olivia Munn?
Has Olivia Munn become the Rangers' good luck charm due to her brand-new relationship with Rangers player Brad Richards?
-Lucia Peters
Probably not, but hey, at least everyone seems to be having a run of good luck! After a rough week involving Brett Ratner saying stupid things, Olivia Munn's good name has been restored—AND she's found a good dude who probably won't lie about her: Hockey player Brad Richards, who slings pucks for the New York Rangers.
The relationship is still in its early days; according to a source found by Us Weekly, "It's pretty new…. [Olivia's] excited. We'll see how it goes." Just Jared Brad put a more solid time frame on it, stating that Brad and Olivia have been dating for about two weeks. Just Jared also went on to say that the Rangers are considering Olivia their good luck charm: they've been on a 6-0 winning streak ever since the two love birds got together.
Read Rubbing Shoulders with Jon Hamm and Robert Pattinson
Brad and Olivia were even spotted out together having a nice, intimate dinner for two at Spasso in New York's West Village last Thursday. An excellent choice of restaurant, if we may be so bold to say—if you're in the area, check it out, because it's an incredibly tasty place. Bonus points if you spot Brad and Olivia there again!
In the meantime, it's good to see that Olivia isn't letting the rumor mill keep her down. Best of luck to the happy couple!
Lucia Peters is BettyConfidential's associate editor.


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WORKERS on Accrington market were confronted by a knife wielding man.
Blackburn magistrates heard Giuliano David Mazzolin said he would 'take' both the men and then thrust the 12-inch knife towards them.
And one of the victims said: "I now realise I have been threatened by a complete stranger with a large knife," he told police.
"At the time I didn't realise the seriousness of the situation but now I feel lucky to be alive."
Mazzolin, 55, of Slaidburn Drive, Accrington, pleaded guilty to possessing a knife in a public place and using threatening behaviour. He was committed on bail to Burnley Crown Court to be sentenced.
Gareth Price, defending, said for a couple of weeks Mazzolin had been struggling with no benefits and no support.
"He did not know which way to turn," said Mr Price. "He did brandish the knife but he was five or six metres away from the market workers.
"Without any intervention he put the knife away and walked off."
Mr Price said Mazzolin had written a letter of apology to the men.


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You might like the Digital Media major if you
✓ are energetic with a creative edge
✓ Interested in a dynamic field
What can you do with a major in Digital Media?
The Digital Media major is excellent preparation for careers in radio, television, emerging media, cable communication, corporate communication, writing, reporting, production, broadcast journalism, performance, promotion, research, screenwriting and directing.
Learn more about what you can do with a major in digital media.
Visit the department that offers the digital media major.


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Movie NightLogic Grid puzzles come with a handy interactive grid that will help you solve the puzzle based on the given clues.
Finally! A night out without the kids! Five couples went to the movie theater, and each couple watched a movie of a different genre, shared a snack, and then returned home at a different time. Can you figure out who is husband and wife, the snack they shared, the genre they saw, and what time they came home?
Wives: Theresa, Rochelle, Nikki, Anne, and Chanice
Husbands: Danny, Sam, Max, Kevin and Rick
Snack: Popcorn, Hotdog, Pizza, Nachos, and M&Ms
Movie Genre: Comedy, Action, Horror, Sci-Fi, and Romance
Time: 8:00, 8:30, 9:00, 10:00, and 11:30
1) The couple that saw the action movie shared nachos.
2) It was almost midnight by the time Anne and Sam came home.
3) Rochelle hates sci-fi, but saw it with her husband anyways.
4) The couple that shared popcorn didn't see a horror movie or an action movie.
5) Theresa arrived at home an hour after Max and his wife.
6) The movie was so funny, Nikki almost choked on her hotdog, she was laughing so hard.
7) Danny chose not to see an action movie or sci-fi.
8) The five women were: Chanice, the one who shared a bag of M&Ms with her husband, the lady who saw the comedy, the woman that came home at 8:00 and Kevin's wife.
9) The horror movie didn't start until 8:30.
10) Max and his wife came home the earliest.
11) Theresa thought her movie went a little overboard with the explosions and gunfights.
12) Chanice, who saw the horror movie, came out of the theater petrified and her husband, who wasn't Danny, had to calm her down.
HintTheresa saw the action movie.
AnswerTheresa and Kevin - Nachos - Action - 9:00
Rochelle and Max - Popcorn - Sci-Fi -8:00
Nikki and Danny - Hotdog - Comedy - 8:30
Anne and Sam - M&Ms - Romance - 11:30
Chanice and Rick- Pizza - Horror -10:00
What Next?
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It's rare that I have any considerable daylight's worth of disagreement with the political analysis of frequent YNN-Partner-In-Crime Harvey Kronberg, but something he said near the end of his most recent analysis on YNN caught my eye:
With all of this, there is still the opportunity for an October surprise. The classic was the indictment of Reagan Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger for his role in the Iran Contra Affair just four days before Bill Clinton narrowly defeated the first President Bush in 1992.
First off, Clinton did not "narrowly" defeat Bush in 1992. In the only measure that counts – electoral votes – Clinton demolished Bush by earning almost 69% of them.
"AHA!," I can almost hear Kronberg, and you, screeching. "But what about the popular vote??!"
Friends, I know we've all been brainwashed by countless national polling every single day which provides a daily – almost hourly – reminder of where things stand in the Presidential election. And for the sake of this civics lesson I'll even set aside the fact that Clinton bested Bush by almost 6 million popular votes nationally (which, also, ain't that narrow). But here's the bottom line: measuring national popular votes for a Presidential candidate is about as useful a measure to the outcome of a Presidential campaign as counting dead squirrels killed in the Presidential race as a useful measure of outcome of a Presidential race. It just doesn't count at all.
The candidate who gets 270 electoral votes or more is the candidate who wins a Presidential election, period. Therefore, the campaign with their focus on how best to win those electoral votes is the smart campaign. And the pundits who forget that fact are too lost in the national polling forest to see the electoral vote trees.
Don't get me wrong – national polls are useful, and I'm glad I get to obsess on them every day, because I'm a dork that way. There's no better measure of which candidate has the national momentum. But national polls only serve to estimate a national popular vote – and that is just simply not how we elect Presidents.
There are arguments which could be made that it shouldn't be the process. But nobody can make a fact-based argument that it isn't the process. And since that's the process, arguing that Clinton only narrowly defeated Bush just isn't accurate.


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An executive order saying hospitals that receive federal funding must allow same-sex visitation went into effect on Tuesday.
Federal funding includes Medicare and Medicaid payments.
President Barack Obama issued the order last year after hearing about a case in which a woman wasn't allowed to see her partner before she died.
"We applaud the Obama administration's steps to address the discrimination affecting LGBT patients and their families," Lambda Legal Executive Director Kevin Cathcart said in a statement. "Now, in hospitals across the nation, LGBT people and their families will have more protections so they can be by their loved one's side when they are sick and need them most."
The city of Dallas has an ordinance prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in housing, employment and public accommodations. Partners in Dallas should have access based on public accommodations, and no complaints against a Dallas hospital has been filed since the ordinance went into effect.
Hospitals in other cities that prevented partners from visiting loved ones used the excuse that only immediate family members could visit.
I contacted several area hospitals for comment and heard back from Parkland.
"Parkland will continue to offer an open visitation policy to all patients and their family members. Research has shown that patient care is greatly enhanced by the more time a family spends with the patient," said Miriam Sibley, Parkland's senior vice president and chief nursing officer.
I thought this was interesting wording. While that same wording has been used elsewhere to exclude people, at Parkland it's meant to express acceptance of same-sex partners as family that is — and has been — welcome.
The full Lambda Legal press release is after the jump.


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JULIA GILLARD has recognised that Australia faces significant cyber-security threats, just as President Barack Obama has in the United States. Their policy responses must be evidence-based, cognisant of privacy and proportionate to the risk.
Obama is about to outline executive orders to tighten protections for key US assets and bolster pre-emptive strikes against suspected cyber-criminals. US members of Congress will also reintroduce a bill to entice companies and the administration to share cyber-threat information. Europe plans to direct banks, stock exchanges, hospitals and transport companies to use stronger network security standards.
The high-profile recent cases of hacking into newspapers and the US Federal Reserve give just a taste of the larger problem of cyber threats by state and non-state players. The Gillard government is correct to take the threats seriously. There is an urgency to stay ahead of criminals but there is still a need to protect citizens from unwarranted, excessive surveillance.
In her National Security Strategy announcement last month Gillard said more than 400 cyber incidents against government systems in 2011-12 required a significant response by the government's Cyber Security Operations Centre. In 2012, 5.4 million Australians fell victim to cyber crime.
Gillard has signalled a new Australian cyber security centre by year's end, combining cyber security capabilities across the Attorney-General's Department, Defence, ASIO, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Crime Commission in one place.
Those agencies are among those pushing for greater access to data on mobile phone and internet usage. A federal parliamentary committee has been reviewing the plans to toughen national security legislation "to ensure that vital investigative tools are not lost as telecommunications providers change their business practices and begin to delete data more regularly".
Officially, the then attorney-general Nicola Roxon and agencies were "seeking the views" of people about forcing telecommunications businesses to keep data about internet and phone use for two years. In Britain it's one year and the government pays for storage.
A discussion paper from Roxon's department gave about 2¼ lines in a dot point on page 13 to explain what data would be kept. As Malcolm Turnbull notes, ''no explanation of how metadata will be distinguished from data [the two are often commingled, as in the 'subject' line of emails], why both would not be readily available once a message has been handed over and decrypted'' and how detail could be kept without contents being exposed.
Despite more detail from Roxon and departmental officials, Labor Left committee man John Faulkner and colleagues across the spectrum were stuck on the data issue even at their last hearing in November.
While the British Home Office reckons 25 per cent of communications data that could help investigations is destroyed before it can be used, no firm evidence has been offered on what Australian agencies need.
The discussion paper also ignored a Senate inquiry that found "a very real possibility" data retention was unnecessary and disproportionate. It had "very serious privacy implications".
The shadow attorney-general, George Brandis, was right in November. "There is no way in a million years,'' he said, that the public would accept two-year data retention "unless they were absolutely guaranteed that their internet browsing history or use would not be the subject of the mandatory detention regime".
The man credited with inventing the World Wide Web, Tim Berners-Lee, warned last month that criminals could evade government efforts at data retention and the proposal would only snare people who had taken out too many library books.
Roxon's job is now filled by the privacy-aware Mark Dreyfus, who has hinted that data retention may still be on the agenda. The committee's report was expected in December but is yet to appear. The government should delay reform until a full inquiry can be conducted. As the White House said last year, "cyber-security and privacy are not mutually exclusive". They do, however, require caution.


text: Akshay kumar stays fit without going to gym regularly. But how does he manages to stay so fit and in shape without regular gym? The answer lies in this post. Find out how he manages to stay healthy and fit even at the age of 48. A number of actors have turn up to Akshay for his fitness tips. He is an inspiration to many people. His fitness regime dates to the time when he…Read More


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Best of 2012 - A Year in the Life of BroadwayWorld - 2012 Flip Book!
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It's been quite the 2012 - and we've got it all for you, click here to get started!!


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SMWC Hosts Ghostly Tours and Haunted House
October 19th, 2010 | SMWC
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College students are scaring up some cash with the Halloween Haunted Conservatory. Sponsored by the Music Therapy Club, the event will be held Friday, October 29, 2010 from 6 p.m. – 10 p.m. at the Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College Conservatory of Music.
The Haunted Conservatory will include two floors for visitors to decide on their experience. The first floor children eight and under will not have a fright but will enjoy a trick-or-treat party. The second floor promises many creepy, chills and thrills for those over the age of nine.
As guests enter the main doors of the Conservatory, tour guides will greet them. Haunted tours of the second floor will occur while new groups in Cecilian Auditorium view a unique documentary about the history of the conservatory building.
The fundraiser will provide a financial boost for the Conservatory the effort to help make improvements to the 97-year-old campus landmark. "We want to sponsor an event for students to give back to the College while they are still students," explained Nicole Wieg president of the Music Therapy Club.
The Haunted Conservatory is free and open to the public. Admission is a suggested $3 or a free-will donation.


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From the Rangers:
March 30, 2010 – New York Rangers 4, New York Islanders 3 (Game #76, Road #37)
• The Blueshirts defeated the New York Islanders, 4-3, tonight at Nassau Coliseum, to close out their season series against the Islanders with a 3-2-1 record.
• New York improved to 34-32-10 (78 pts.) overall, including an 18-15-4 (40 pts.) mark in 37 road games this season. The Blueshirts are now 2-0-1 on their current, season-high six-game road trip.
• Marian Gaborik notched his 40th goal of the season at 17:15 of the second period, marking the 21st time in franchise history a Rangers player tallied 40 goals in a season (including Mike Gartner's 1989-90 season). Gaborik is the 18th different Blueshirt player in team history to reach the 40-goal plateau, and the first since Jaromir Jagr set the single-season franchise record with 54 goals in 2005-06. He has now registered seven points (four goals and three assists) in the last six games, including four points (three goals and one assist) in the last two games vs. the Islanders.
• After trailing 2-0 following the first period, Rangers Alternate Captain Vinny Prospal notched the Rangers first goal of the game at 1:14 of the second period, and later tallied the primary assist on Marc Staal's game-winning goal in the third period. He finished the contest with a plus-three rating in 20:28 of icetime. Prospal has now registered six points (four goals and two assists) in the last six road games.
• Olli Jokinen tallied an unassisted goal at 12:57 of the second period to tie the score at two goals apiece, and added an assist on Prospal's goal earlier in the frame to register his 11th multi-point performance of the season. Jokinen also posted a plus-three rating and captured First Star honors, and has now recorded three points (one goal and two assists) in the last two games.
• Defenseman Marc Staal notched the game-winning goal at 5:05 of the third period and logged 25:18 of icetime. Staal has registered five of his six goals away from MSG this season, tying for fifth on the team in road goals.
• Henrik Lundqvist made 25 saves in net to improve to 31-26-9 overall, including a 16-10-3 mark on the road this season. He has now posted a record of 3-0-1 in the last four games, registering a 2.20 goals against average with a .928 save percentage and one shutout over the span.
• P.A. Parenteau registered an assist on Staal's game-winning goal, and finished the contest with a plus-three rating in 17:50 of icetime. Parenteau has now recorded a point in each of the last two games (one goal and one assist) since being recalled from Hartford (AHL) on Friday.
• Rookie defenseman Michael Del Zotto registered the primary assist on Prospal's second period goal, and has now recorded six points (two goals and four assists) in the last five games.
• Aaron Voros and Chris Drury each recorded an assist on Gaborik's 40th goal of the season at 17:15 of the second period. Voros has now skated in each of the last two games, having registered a game-high six hits on Saturday at Toronto, after not appearing in each of the previous 12 contests and 15 of the last 17 games prior to Saturday. Drury has now registered six assists and seven points in the last nine games.
• The Blueshirts do not have practice scheduled for tomorrow, Mar. 31.
• The Rangers return to action on Friday, Apr. 2, when they will face-off against the Tampa Bay Lightning at the St. Pete Times Forum (7:30 p.m.), in the first game of a back-to-back set. The game will be televised live on MSG Network and can be heard on 1050 ESPN Radio.


text:
Wednesday October 29, 2008 3:30 pm
Find your 2008 Black Friday deals
Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: HDTV, Home Entertainment, Hot Deals, Internet
We found a great little site dedicated to Black Friday. There over fifty lists from companies that include Circuit City, CompUSA, Office Depot and Radio Shack, with more to come. Looking at Sears' list, we found such items as a Samsung Blu-ray Disc Player for $199.99, Sharp's LC26SB24U 26" 720p LCD HDTV for $399.99, and the Sony 5-Disc DVD/CD Home Theater System with 1080p Upconversion at $249.99, marked down $50.00. Even if we can't always shop online, it is certainly a plus to be able to check out what is out there ahead of time.
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Chicago Buffets and Culinary Events
Share and find information on restaurants and culinary events
Fischman Liquors and Tavern Presents Tap This! Cider Night with food trucks on June 14th:
GiaVia Sweets
Duck N Roll
Beyond Borders
More food truck events at: http://www.chicagobuffets.com/events.shtml
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CTC Production of Dr. Seuss' THE CAT IN THE HAT Continues at Manitoba Theatre for Young People, 12/7-21
Continuing in the tradition of creating original work by Dr. Seuss, CTC presented the U.S. premiere of The National Theatre of Great Britain's adaptation of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat in what the Star Tribune in Minneapolis called a "festive feeding of children's imaginations." CTC has accepted an invitation to bring their acclaimed production of Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat to the Manitoba Theatre for Young People in Winnipeg (Canada) December 7-21, 2012 immediately following its run here in the Twin Cities.
CTC Managing Director Tim Jennings is excited about reviving CTC's work in other markets and sending a production abroad. Jennings explains, "As a Canadian myself, I am excited to be taking a show to my country of origin and to work with long time colleagues at MTYP on this project! Canadian theatre is very strong and often highly supported by the government, so very few U.S. regional theatres have been able to be part of Canadian seasons for strictly financial reasons. Frankly, U.S. Theatres have a hard time competing in the international market due to a lack of governmental investment and subsidy that is common to other countries. Arts and cultural touring is often part of the outreach governments do in order to promote themselves abroad. With The Cat in the Hat, the show was a clear fit in the season, a very well-known title and an artistic priority for MTYP."
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat was successfully introduced to Twin Cities audiences on CTC's Cargill Stage with an extended run beginning September 25. Performances were added and attendance and financial goals were significantly surpassed. The CTC production will generate additional income for itself as well as for the MTYP and launch a renewed interest in CTC's larger touring and residency work. This will be CTC's first tour to Canada after having toured across the globe, including Tokyo, Shanghai, Moscow, and Broadway. The show is selling very well in Manitoba and will also help ensure a strong financial win for MTYP, Canada's second largest theatre for young people.
CTC is already enjoying another very successful season with record-breaking ticket sales and innovative outreach initiatives. Children's Theatre Company's vision includes access to quality programming for all families with children ages two through eighteen and is the major producer of this work in the English world. The tour to Winnipeg is part of that vision. Jennings concludes, "We are seeing an ever increasing number of invitations from around the country and the world. The economy is driving a need for exploration of new kinds of producing partnerships. After several successful seasons in a tough market, our 'stock' is seen as 'on the rise' and many of our projects under development have huge potential in the national market, so we are an obvious partner."
Jim Lichtscheidl, who is a familiar face to most Twin Cities theatregoers, will be taking over the role of the Cat in the Hat. Lichtscheidl was named "the Twin Cities best comic actor" by Minnesota Monthly and CTC Artistic Director Peter Brosius claims, "It is a coup to have this incredible actor in the role."
For more information, visit childrenstheatre.org or mtyp.ca. Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat completed its run in Minneapolis on Dec 2nd and runs in Manitoba from Dec. 7-21.
Children's Theatre Company (CTC) is the only theatre for young people to win the coveted Tony® Award for Outstanding Regional Theater (2003). Founded in 1965, CTC serves more than 300,000 people annually and is one of the 20 largest producing theater companies in the nation. The company is noted for defining worldwide standards for youth theatre with an innovative mix of classic tales, celebrated international productions and challenging new work.
Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat
Based on the book by Dr. Seuss
Originally produced by The National Theatre of Great Britain
Adapted & originally directed by Katie Mitchell
Directed by Jason Ballweber
CTC Creative Team & Production Staff
Props Design Adaptor: Samantha Jones
Costumer: Deborah L. Shippee
Lighting Designer: Rebecca Fuller Jensen
Sound Designer: Sean Healey
National Theatre Creative Team
Director: Katie Mitchell
Designer: Vicki Mortimer
Lighting Designer: Jon Clark
Music: Paul Clark
Sound Designer: Gareth Fry
Movement Director: Joseph Alford
Producer: Pádraig Cusak
Cat in the Hat………………………………………..……………………….……Jim Lichtscheidl (AEA)
Girl……………………………………………………………………………………..….Elaine Patterson
Boy…………………………………………………………………………….Douglas Neithercott (AEA)
Fish…………………………...…………………………………………………...Jason Ballweber (AEA)
Thing 1…………………………………………………………………………….…….Gabby Zonneveld
Thing 2…………...…………………………………………………...……………………..Noah Crandell
Cat in the Hat, Boy…..…………………………………………………………………………..Ryan Lear
Girl…………………………………………………………………………………………….ELise Langer
Thing 1 & 2, Fish………….....…………………………………………..……………………Kenzi Allen
Recorded Musicians:
Victor Zupanc, Keyboard (TCMU)
Carolyn Boulay, Violin (TCMU)
Wade Clark, Trombone (TCMU)
Steve Kimball, Percussion (TCMU)


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Most of you RVer's will probably agree with the "vehicle access" part of this camping spoof video and most all of you campers will probably think that this is a funny camping blooper video. Originally made as an advertisement of sorts for Kotulas, this camping redneck video is a fun way to talk about camping and the camping supplies from their store. Enjoy this comical view of camping and the great outdoors.
If you are looking for a camping getaway of your own, check out this RV Vacation site for some great ideas!


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I recently recoded this program from scratch. It is just a demo showing the A* algorithm. Users can choose from three types of agent movement (rook, queen, and knight), and can set there start point, end point, and any intervening barriers. Animation can be toggled on and off. To get a realistic estimate of the solve time animation must be off.
One of the main things I did in this recode was completely separate the astar algorithm from the GUI code. This should theoretically allow me to integrate it as is, in other programs.
The code can be downloaded as a zip.
Or you can browse the git repo online.
Any comments or advice on how to improve the algorithm would be appreciated,


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[CEBIT 2011] Fujitsu and SUPA show off wireless powered and cord-free monitor
Good lord finally someone did it! Yeah I am not ashamed to admit that I hate cables and I am sure that I am not the only one in this situation and looking forward to get a real wireless monitor! But just wait a second; what about a ful[...]
Via Fujitsu


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The Archetypal World of Anima and Animus
Publisher: Shambhala
For your most intimate and significant relationship with the opposite sex, look within yourself—to anima and animus, the archetypal symbols that define and celebrate the presence of the Feminine in men and the Masculine in women. These compelling figures express inner realities of psyche and spirit with which we all must grapple in putting together the pieces of our individual identities—whether we are married or single, sexually active or celibate, heterosexual or homosexual. They ultimately provide a bridge between the ego and the deepest Self, opening the way to profound self-knowledge and spiritual transformation. The authors use their broad backgrounds in psychology, theology, philosophy, and the arts to follow the archetypes from clinical practice into a fascinating range of cultural manifestations, particularly in the world's great literature—from Dante to Pasternak—making this book the most wide-ranging study to date of these central concepts in Jungian psychology.


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On December 8 at 7:29 p.m., Baltimore County Police and Fire personnel responded to the 7-Eleven convenience store located at 8621 Pleasant Plains Road in Loch Raven for a report of a shooting. Upon arriving at the scene, officers discovered an adult male employee suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to an area hospital for treatment.
The initial investigation into this incident has indicated that the employee was in the store when he was shot by an unknown male suspect after the suspect demanded money. The suspect was wearing gloves and a mask; no additional description is available. He fled the area in an unknown direction.
The Baltimore County Police Robbery Unit is actively investigating this incident.
Reward Offered
The Baltimore County Police Department is asking anyone with information about this crime to contact detectives at 410-307-2020.
Tips can be submitted to Metro Crime Stoppers at 1-866-7-LOCKUP (1-866-756-2587). To text a message to Metro Crime Stoppers, send to "CRIMES" (274637), then enter the message starting with "MCS," or email a tip to www.metrocrimestoppers.org. Those contacting Metro Crime Stoppers can remain anonymous and might be eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.


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That apple tree. Oh my goodness. Something told me it wouldn't turn out well.
This happened years ago. Mama was alive then, so it's been seven or eight years. I hadn't thought about it in almost that many years, but when it came to mind the other day, I took to studying on it and how the circumstances and opportunities of life's journey can be so fascinating.
Yes, I know that I am, occasionally, prone to embellishment. But trust me when I say this is the law and the gospel: I have a longtime friend who only calls me when someone dies. Most times I know the person, but sometimes I don't have a clue the person ever existed.
A friend of mine, long embroiled in upsets, distractions, problems and tribulations, called one day to announce happily she was learning to "let things roll right off my back."
It's a funny thing. That's what Mama used to say when something baffled her.
When Miss Ondia Mae died at 75, those of us who knew her marveled that she had managed to make it to the end of her life without winding up in the poorhouse.
You know how attics are. They're filled with junk, Christmas stuff and memories you can't toss away.
When I think back on the days of my youth, that time when I had the privilege of traveling on the NASCAR circuit, it would be hard to pick a lesson learned more important than another.
Lately, I've been thinking about the treasure trove that can be found in life's challenging times - the wisdom, the victories, the emotional muscle built and, of course, the stories.
Dear readers,
When business called Tink back to Los Angeles, he decided to take the opportunity to have his annual checkup. When it ended, he called home.
As an unusually mild, rainy summer was melting away, or rather frosting its way, into autumn, I took to noticing signs that mountain people have always used to judge the forthcoming severity of winter.
I remember more clearly than any other holiday the many Easters of my life.
A while back, a messy problem loomed ahead.
It has become somewhat of an art for me, that of studying Southern culture and deciphering what makes us different from others as well as downright peculiar among ourselves.
Page 5 of 16
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Below, you will find stories of my adventures. Mostly these will be learning experiences. or just oddd humor by little old me
I'm often asked, "Where is Noobsville?" Well, it's everywhere.
You're in a party and the tank is afraid to provoke because the last monster killed him.
Welcome to Noobsville. Or, you're sitting in town and a guy asks you were the
AH is located. You throw out a <pos> because you're sitting across from it and they say,
"Where is that? I'm by a galka NPC in lower. Am I close to it?" Welcome to Noobsville.
These are my random stories to make you think and some make you smile others make you say OMG!
Map what is a map
It is often said there are newbies and noobs, well you tell me about this one.
I'll let you decide. While sitting in Jueno looking for a party I see this shout.
"Where do I buy a map to Jueno." This shout follows. "In Windy you noob."
I figure he had to be from Sandy or Bastok. So I decide to help him. I send him a tell.
"You go to Port Windy and the map seller is on the docks." His reply is this.
"How do I get to windy?" I ask him his level. He says he is a level 19 WHM. I ask,
"How did you get to Jueno?" "I followed someone." Ok, let's see.
I explain to him the land route. (Port Jueno)---> (Sauromanogue Champagne)--->
(Meriphataud Mountains)---> (Tahrongi Canyon) ---> (East Sarutabaruta) ---> Windurst
. He said "Man that's a long way off." I said, "Yep" he said "is there a faster way?"
I said, "Yes, if you had the Teleport-Mea Crystal. But since you don't know were windy is
I don't think you have it." "I have that." He said. "You have the Mea crystal a
nd don't know were windy is?"
He said no. I said "What? Did you do buy your account?" He said,
"No, I'm just new." I said, "Ok here is what you do now.
Shout this: /sh (Teleport-Mea) (Can I have it?) (You can have this.) 500 gil.
" He shouts this: "Tele 500 gil plz." Now you tell me noob or newbie?
AF were? NM cool! OMG!!
I was leveling in Boyhada Tree with my party and was hoping to find my
AF Coffer and key. I let them know what I was looking for. They were
all cool with it. Three or four fights into the party and we get a key. They
all pass on it. I get the key, yeah. Well about 30 of 45 mins later, the coffer
spawns by the crawler tree. Close to my camp. Our puller spots it. They
cast sneak on me. BAM!! I'm off to get it. Our PLD says watch out for Aquarius.
I'm too busy trying to open the box to pay any mind to what they're saying
. I open the box and get my AF armor key item. They all cheer I cheer.
They tell me to pull a crab. I see one. I use my macro and I'm to far away
from it but all they see is my macro. Well at the same time I draw aggro from
another crab. I'm like well cool got one anyway. I don't look at its name.
I just turn and bring it home. The PLD uses his provoke macro and it's a
FREAKIN NM Aquarius. He dies real fast.
We escape and try to explain to him what happened. He did not care he was
mega mad. I told him we would get the lost XP back He still didn't care. He
was getting madder by them min. I offered him everything I had on me to calm
down. Nothing worked (I don't like not having someone like me) I have never
seen a PLD get so mad because they died. All he kept saying is " when I get
a raise I'm out of here". We begged him to stay. He refused and as soon as
we got him a raise 2 he left the party.
The guy still won't talk to me. He has stated he will never party with me
again. Even when you make a mistake and try to make up for it some people
don't let stuff go. I'm still sorry I got him killed. But it was a mistake
and everyone dies and everyone messes up.
Stick and move
I just got my PLD job and was waiting on a friend to come party with
me in the canyon. When I saw the funniest thing I have ever witnesses
a newbie MNK dodging back and forth in front of a mandi in East Suda.
I stopped and watch him for 3 or 4 fights. He did it every fight. So I
finally stop laughing and asked him what are you doing? He says
"killing monsters". I say "no why are you moving around like that while
fighting?" He says "So the monster will miss me".
I tell him it doesn't work that way. He says, "yes it does watch".
And shows me how to dodge a monsters attacks by running in circles
around monsters. I like to have fell out into the floor. I had to stop him
. and make him stand still and try it again. Of course there is no differenc
e in hits and misses so I wave /goodbye and as I top the hill. I see him
circle jerking a monster again. Welcome to Noobsville.
Mages Suck
I was playing as my DRG I was level 61 and got a party invite. We get to
Labyrinth of Onzozo to kill kitties. So we kill 1 yes 1 and the party disbands.
Stuff happens so no big deal. I decide I'm not leaving till I level I was 2k to 62.
So I decide to solo the monsters at the entrance of the zone to get my level
. I was getting 12-28 experience points each so needless to say I was there
for about 7 hours. I didn't have WHM subbed because I wasn't planning
on soloing. I had a lot of downtime. Well about this time bunch of people
show up trying to camp a NM. Not minding the added people I went about my soloing.
Well I get to 200-xp tnl and I see a gob I jump him and start to break it off in him good.
Another gob pops right beside him and aggro' s. I kill the first one then the 2nd one poisons me
. I'm neck and neck with him in hp I shout for help 3 people are with 30 feet of me
1 WHM 1 RDM 1 BLM and a PLD was across the room and a BST is running in
and out of the room. None of them helped me they watched me die and walked away
. They didn't even try to raise me. I sat dead on the ground till my time popped a
nd I automatically home pointed to Jueno.
So I am now 3k tnl.(I spent almost 7 hours trying to get my level by my self
only to lose everything I worked for plus some). I do not know the peoples
names but I know they spoke English because one sent me a tell early in my s
oloing asking me if I was after the NM. And I saw the others speaking to each
other every now and then. Many times in your gaming experience you will come
across people like that. They rather have you dead then in their way.
Taking 1 monster every 5-8 minutes.
Cool a drop, No lot …. ><
Another thing I want to talk about this. If you are asking for help to do
anything if it's a advanced job or a cap quest. If the help kills a monster
and it has a good drop DON'T lot on it you wouldn't have gotten the drop
on your own and it's a bonus to the help for helping you. Many time have
I helped a person and during the process I have kill mons for awesome drops
and the newbie I was helping lots on it. WTF! You ask for help to getting something done be an adult.
They are helping you they stopped what they were doing to help you.
Don't take something they want just because you might need it 20 levels
from now. Or that you can cash it in for some gil later. Now that was said
if a drop happens in the process send a TELL to the high level and ask
him if you can have it
He may give it to you or sale it to you at a low rate.
Researching quests
I have spent my many hours watching shouts in Jueno as I wait for parties.
You learn a lot about people there and how some people have no idea about
anything. Yes the learning curve in this game sux. But doing a little net research
on what to do there are many web sites out there that can help you
www.killvoid.com and http://ffxi.allakhazam.com/ are my favorites and www.ffxiplayers.com
for a place to post a real life (RL) picture of yourself
AF is like crack from the moment you see it you want it. It has you in a grip
that wont let you go. And it just so happens to be the biggest hardest pain
in the rump known to man. If it ant a retarded NM you got to kill it's a freaking
key and coffer you have to locate the keys aren't hard to get in most locations.
It's the help that kills you for one thing no ones AF is in the same spot or even
in the same order so 99% of the time it's a shouting game in Jueno. This has its
good points after you have gotten all your AF you can help others get there's or make a little gil mercing.
But if you haven't it's a mind killer and your blood boils when you hear the
stories about how so and so got it in 30 sec. just remember to have all the leg
work done before you shout for help. So as soon as your help arrives it's a in
and out thing. And never ask for more than one item at once and DON'T get a
group of i.e. RDM together for your AF hat and expect someone to help all of
you get it for everyone. I love to help but don't try to trick me or anyone else int
o killing the same NM 9 freaking times ><.
And nothing will make you mad like messing up and missing a step in the legwork
and wasting a key. I did it and a friend of mine did as well the difference he had to
bribe for help and it cost him 100k for a key. He didn't know he needed to talk to
1 person before he opened the coffer and instead of getting his AF and got 1100
gil. Me I did the same thing I miss a guy and got a map instead of my AF
In both instance it makes you mad. There is nothing you can do about it just log
out and try you compose yourself. Start that part over. Relax you will get it in time
I haven't meet a person yet who hasn't gotten it all by 61. My entire AF quests
from start to finish I lost 10k experience points and spent 200k. On items, spells
and bribes. It doesn't matter I have it and no one can take it from me. It's proof
to others and me. I am DRG. "Once I was the student now I am the Master".
Know your party
I joined a party last night as a level 26 WHM. To party with a dear friend of
mine. I was invited to that party only to be kicked 8 fights later. Because the
rest of the party was 24. If you have read my level range chart you will know
were to go and when. So their xp was sucking. So I got the boot. Which I can
understand no problem. The party leader knew my level when I joined. If he
had of had a brain cell one. He would have known that was going to happen.
I showed my true high-level self after the boot. Instead of getting mad and
shouting or sending massive tells about how I was going to kill him. The noob.
I instead changed into my DRG job. I decided to bodyguard my friend and her party.
I know how to play this game and love the good with the bad.
When it gets bad I take it out on the mons not the people.
Poor but happy and wise
You never know whom your playing with or what there highest job is. Rank
means nothing. My wife was level 55 and was only rank 2 she has every job
and plays them all very well.
Many times have I been in a party and a person argues with me about something.
With a level 30 WAR being their highest job. When that happens. I just let them
believe what they want unless it's going to get me or my party killed. 90% of the
stuff I have written about I learned the hard way. I had no high level friend to PL me.
Or a load of gil I bought off the net to buy me the high dollar gear.
And I laugh when I see a person wearing 2 mil in gear.
I have 2 mules full of armor and weapons and all that added together comes no
were close to 1 mil. Gear is a good thing to have. But it won't stop you from getting a party.
I have partied with naked WHM before. PLD wearing tunics. SMN/RDM. You name it
I have seen it. Newbie pop up all over this game.
Were can I buy AF?
Well I finally got all avatars so I decided to spend the remainder of the
weekend as my DRG to help peeps before taking a week off and level SMN.
I run to Selbina to finish a quest and I decide to stand outside the gates and kill trains
. I hate trains. While I was standing there a mithra walks up to me and start
s scooping me out. AF tends to do that in Noobsville. (I've read tells saying
"cool armor" about a million times hehehe. I still say thx to every one of them)
He or she sends me the "cool armor" tell. I respond with the "thx" tell. Then it
happened. " Cool how much does that armor cost?" My mouth drops to the
floor. Then I remember I was new once so I reply. "It's free you quest for it."
Nothing for about 45 sec he is still walking around and around me. "Cool
were do I get the quests for it?" I check him he is a level 12 WHM with no sub
. I ask him "is this your highest job?" He replied "yep. You speak good English
for a Japanese player" I liked to have passed out. "Dude I'm from Alabama and
AF is a long ways off no need to worry about the quests" "O can I have
1k gil I'm broke I need spells"
At that moment I realized why we couldn't kill people just for kicks.
If we could he would be mounted in my mog.
The J/P and The GM
Ok check this out Saturday i fell asleep while playing cause i was just sitting in town. I woke up and a RDM named Arm) she parties with us a lot. She just got beat down by Maat. And need help getting another test. i told her sure ill help.(lets me get more ws off to help get my weapons skill quest done) well a drop spot is at the top of delfts tower. We take off me , her, Sni, and Ele. As a skill up test party. We get to the 10th floor and someone shouts nm on 11th floor unclaimed so we booked to the spot only to see a BST and RDM fighting it . We were on the staircase half way up and the giant was at the top. The BST would run to the bottom and claim a bat then sick it on the giant he would kill the bat run past us to the bottom were BST had another bat for him. The BST started releasing his bats half way up the steps close to our party.
So i started killing them for fun after 2 or 3 I got tired of killing them. Well about this time the BST lost hate the giant did a aoe attack. And it hit Ele and carbuncle auto attacked the giant. Boom we got clam on it. I was like o s**t. I jump it's a** cause I'm Da S**t lol (had to thro that in for fun). And we start killing it the BST start spamming in jp. Our RDM tells them agro and then the BST charms a bat and releases it behind Sni it starts hitting her and there RDM cast bind on it and I cant hit it. After the bind goes away it hits the closest thing to it and that just happens to be Sni.
Well after about 5 or 6 hits from the bat Sni is almost dead. Then he casts bind but it resists it and goes after the RDM. We kill the giant got 200 gil and a pair of socks. They come running calling us liars, cheats, thief and bad people. We tell them we didn't come here for the NM we came for the test. They wouldn't lesions. And then the BST gets a bat Argos a giant. Brings it right to us and the say and I quote " (You can have this) (Death) and they warp out. Well it takes more that a Sissy giant to kill this galka ^^ we kill it and I tell Sni to send him a tell saying this " (thank You) (Experience Points)^^" thinking it was over.
I say lets kill some pots but the BST was sending tells to our RDM and the RDM was sending tells to Sni cussing us and calling us names. Arm tried to calm them down but they wouldn't have it they get her so mad she called a GM. we offered to give them the socks and the gil we got. Not good enough. And then I learned something I didn't know. A GM can monitor any chat from says to tells. And he read all that was said by all of us. Scary huh?
He told her we did nothing wrong and if they continued to bother us to let him know. About the same time he cussed her again. GM spotted the tell and said this to her "I will MPK them." she asked the GM what MPK meant. New note about GM powers they can take control of any monster and change its stats and abilities to Monster Player Kill anyone. OMFG dude. Now that scares the #2 out of me now. Can you imagine walking around in east Suda and be lvl 70 and a gob walk up and hit you once and kill you? Note to self. Don't make GM'S mad
The Return to the Moldivite Earring spot
long ago i want ther not knowing what was in that spot but since then i have learned the wounderful nm that pos there and what he drops. so i descided i wanted one for my RDM which was lvl 50 at the time. so i switch to my lvl 75 DRG and log my wife on (snipps i love you hun) and i put her on auto follow. me going there to just get TOD well when i pop in and make it to the location there is already a nice group of people waiting there .
so i move my wifes char over to the eastern side of the room and i stand close to the way back out of the zone. and just start to watch the others in the room and eat a sandwish. when i notice who all is in the room. in one party there is a WHM 2 a RDM a BLM and a PLD. in the next party is 2 RDM a THF and a RNG. and a random lone BLM standing all by himself not in a part. i start thinking this is going to be a nice claim fest. so i move were im standing on the shell close to the 4 stone that stick out of the ground in the middle of the room.
well it seems that one party got tired of all the gobs and birds in the room so they started whacking them off one at a time. well this caused the other party to get nurous and they started pacing the area. now the THF and RNG in the second party were under the argo range so they were being sneaked and invised by there mages. the lone BLM was standig right in the middle of the 4 stones. it seem the more mobs the first party killed the more scared the second became of them claiming the monster.
well about this time they notice me standing off to myself and i get about 20 checks. and the THF and RNG are being sneaked and invised beside me . and they turn and start walking back twords the middle of the room . i pick up my Subway Steak and cheese sandwish and i take a massive bite out of it . and the danm nm pops less than a sword lengh from me. i drop my sandwish.(witch my dog thanked me so much for dropping)
it was as if time stopped cause my controler was on the coffee table and i reached over grabed it and hit my jump macro. i sub SAM so no voke. Bamn.Bamn i hit it. i have claim. i almost choke on the chunk of sandwish i still havnet chewed cause i was freaking out about it popping in my face. i hit it once with my lance and its almost dead i hit it again and it dies.
it drops eveything it could drop. then the /slap macros hit me super spammed wise. so i do a /sigh then /cry and i get the tells "Did it drop?" i replay no. and they all start warping out .
now for the funniest part of the hole story the party that was killing all the mobs never even saw it pop. never even saw me hit it and never saw it die. morel of the storie is if you coem for a nm at least watch for it cause a DRG wit hno Provoke beat out 2 other parties for a NM i want even going to kill i just wanted to watch the show and get its TOD.