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Looking for volunteer forum moderators
UPDATE - wow, since I posted this, we have had a LOT of volunteers. Thank you so much to everyone who's offered to help! Given the strong response we've had already, I think we have enough volunteers for now. If you've already sent me a message, I will respond to you as soon as I can. And if you were dying to be a forum mod but haven't sent me a message yet, don't worry - our hope is to rotate forum mods in an out over time to keep the perspectives fresh, so there will be plenty of opportunities to participate in the future. Thanks everyone!
Since the New Year, MFP has had an absolutely HUGE influx of new members. It's been amazing to see how the site that we started on a whim over 5 years ago has somehow grown into such an active and thriving community. We've had a lot of fun getting to know some of the new folks, and we hope you've all enjoyed your time here so far. Welcome everyone!
There has been one downside, though, to all of the new people and activity on the site. Some of you may have noticed that we haven't been posting as often in the forums, that our Twitter and Facebook posts have slowed down, and that it's taking us longer and longer to respond to messages. It's not for a lack of desire or effort - it's because Al and I are completely swamped! We've been hard at work trying to make sure the site can handle all of the new traffic, as well as maintaining our (soon to be 3!) mobile apps. The additional work, combined with the MUCH higher volume of customer service requests, etc. has frankly left us scrambling a bit. The good news is that we've been hard at work trying to find some help, so hopefully you'll see some improvements shortly.
Along those lines, one of the activities that's been taking a lot of time lately is moderating the forums. To date, Al and I have been the only ones monitoring the forums at all, and with all of the new activity on the site, forum moderation alone has practically become a full-time job.
So we'd like to ask for your help. We're looking for volunteers to become Forum Moderators who could help us with the following activities:
- Help welcome new members to the site and make sure any questions they have get answered
- Help us answer technical support and other site/app questions
- Alert us to any technical issues so we can make sure they get addressed promptly
- Help collect feedback and suggestions for the site so that nothing gets lost in the cracks
- And finally, help us moderate any disputes on the site and make sure the forum rules are enforced fairly and consistently
- A long-time user of the site who's been fairly active during that time
- Great interpersonal skills and a strong writer
- A very thick skin and ability to stay calm, diplomatic, and fair under any circumstance
- The mods should represent a broad-section of the site and come from different groups, different countries, etc. For example, we'd like at least 1-2 mods from the UK
- Ideally (but not required), someone with previous forum moderation experience
20 comments:
It's a nice idea, but it can cause it's own set of problems. Use caution
I think Moderators are most definitely needed Mike and I'm so glad you're working on this issue. I would highly suggest checking with Banks to see if he's still interested. He was at one point. :o) Another suggestion is "AreWeThereYet", she seems fair and has been around forever. What about some type of suggestion/vote taken? Best of luck on this endeavor. Becca
Although I have no experience as a Moderator, I have participated in other message boards, and the Mods are invaluable for "keeping the peace". One site I was on had quite the vicious attack by "trolls", but the Mods brought the hammer down so fast, kicked out the trolls, cleaned up the offensive posts, and had the site back up and running in no time.
I'd love to volunteer - if you decide you want to mix it up and include a "less-experienced" user, count me in! Otherwise, maybe after I've reached my goal weight later this year, I can jump on in!
Thank you, Mike and Al, for this site, and the service you provide! Your time and efforts are greatly appreciated!
I think having some new mods and making things concise, information easy to find on the forums is a great start.
Im worried because while some of the long time users are fair and really try to be helpfull others are downright rude.
Will we have a outlit if we have an issue with a mod
I have been meaning to comment on this almost daily.
There is some really rude and ignorant comments being made on here and it is so bad that I often do not post comments for fear someone is going to bash me. So, thank you - I can imagine how hard it must be to keep up - this is an awesome site!
I can personally attest to at least 40 of the new members from this past year have been because of our recommendations for you! You have done a great job. I look forward to your continued success with this site and rest assured that Seacoast New Hampshire will continue to grow for you!


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Conference navigates Chinese food ingredients sector
remains a confusing place. An IFT seminar provided the opportunity
for businesses to navigate this key market.
The Chinese food ingredients sector has seen a ten-fold increase in business in the past decade. All the top flavour and ingredient firms are now operating in China, which has made the sector highly competitive.
"This is driving the whole food industry," said Danisco China's Yongjung Li.
"For example, the functional food industry in China is now turning over $200 million a year."
This underlines the increasing globalisation of the food industry. There is growing pressure to take products into the global market. But difficulties, of course, still remain.
Claire Kruger from Environ International pointed out at another IFT seminar that although there are similarities between countries and blocs, regulatory differences persist.
"In the global market place, there are four universal points to think about when introducing a new ingredient - safety, benefit, legality and economic viability. The processes might be different between countries, but the goals are the same.
"Therefore, you need to think about these different processes."
Nowhere more so, perhaps, than China. The country is spurring growth in the Asia Pacific region, which is slated to achieve economic growth of around 7.3 per cent, year on year, until 2008.
This compares to western Europe and the US with 3.7 and 3.3 per cent growth respectively. And the country, with its 1.3 billion population, is slowly shifting towards processed foods, throwing up untold opportunities for western food firms faced with saturated sales in home markets.
Food regulations in China started in the 1950s. In the last few years however, there has been a great deal of change, largely due to this process of globalisation.
"The industry is much safer than yesterday," said Li. "Standards are going up. But the bureaucracy in China is complex."
Things are beginning to change. The Chinese general food law GB2760 is being completely overhauled, with the proposed introduction of a new law.
Li says that things are already improving - if an ingredient has EU or FDA approval, the approval process in China can be fast.
The problem however remains enforcement, and functional food remains a complicated issue. Last year for example there were a number of arrests over false claims made on various products.
The procedure now is that you need to prove any claim made on a functional food. In addition, this data must come from a certified institute.
"In addition, global trends differ, and you need to bear in mind the different emphasis paced on concerns such as weight or gastro health," said Kruger.
For example, GM is not a big issue in China. Li suggests that it may become a major issue, but with such a huge population that remains relatively uneducated, this is unlikely.
"In Asia, there is a specific emphasis on intestinal problems," he said. "This is a key market. The function focus varies for each country, so before introducing a new ingredient, you need to assess the market potential - is this suitable for China?"
China's per capita GDP is approximately $1,100 USD, and the economy, currently the sixth in the world, has been growing at a staggering 9 per cent annually.
In 2003 the value of all exports came in at $436.1 billion and the value of imports hit $397.4 billion. Major agricultural products include rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts, tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed, pork, and fish.

subset: commoncrawl


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Softball: Irish cap a busy stretch with a win over Kennedy
The spring weather put the Rosemount softball team in a tough position.
The Irish wanted to play a normal schedule, but several postponed and rescheduled games adjusted the original schedule. It left Rosemount trying to squeeze many of those games back into a packed schedule.
With five games in five days last week, the circumstances weren't ideal. The Irish were eager to get more game action, but it didn't leave a lot of adjustment time.
"I think that we, coaches and players, were excited to finally play games," Rosemount coach Tiffany Rose said. "Playing five games in a row is tough because there is usually a couple of things that you want to address before the next game. It's fine to talk about it after the game, but there is no time to actually work on the skill with back-to-back games."
The Irish played five straight days and six games over eight days, culminating with a 5-2 win against Bloomington Kennedy on Monday. The win snapped a four-game losing streak from last week.
Rosemount lost 9-5 at Eagan, 2-1 at home against Eastview, 1-0 at No. 1 ranked Burnsville and 5-1 at home against No. 5 ranked Bloomington Jefferson last week.
The win on Monday was an important reprieve for the busy Irish (3-9, 3-8 South Suburban).
"Our win (Monday) was much needed," Rose said. "The girls played very well last week. They competed in every game and that's really all you can ask for as a coach. However, I want them to win games because of how hard they are working and it gives them some confidence going into the next game."
It wasn't easy on Monday, either.
Bloomington Kennedy scored once in the first, but Rosemount recovered.
The Irish scored four runs in the sixth. Laura Bodurtha and Paige Cero reached base with hits and scored on a single from Melissa Seldon. Hannah Esselman added a two-run single.
Cero finished 3 for 4 with two runs scored. Ali Fromme and Rachel Hoeppner each had two hits.
Hoeppner finished with a strong game pitching-wise, throwing a three-hitter with six strikeouts.
Hoeppner shared the pitching duties with Seldon last week because of the busy schedule.
Hoeppner pitched 19 innings in the last four games of last week, while Seldon chipped in with six innings.
"Seldon throwing had to happen this week," Rose said. "Five days of games would have been tough for Rachel to pitch by herself. Once Seldon shook the nerves off in the Eagan game, she came back and threw three perfect innings against Eastview. She doesn't have a lot of game experience on the mound and quickly learned that if you don't hit your spots at this level, hitters will take advantage.
"Seldon is hard on herself, and I already see her making adjustments in her approach so that she can become better."
The offense improved last week as well, although the positive steps did not result in wins.
Rosemount led 5-0 against Eagan, but lost 9-5. The Wildcats tied the game in the fifth, and scored four times in the sixth.
Hoeppner had two hits, including a home run. Bodurtha had a hit, a run and two RBIs.
"Losing the Eagan game was difficult because things seemed to be going our way," Rose said. "Eagan has big bats and we talked with the girls before that game that we would have to outscore them, because they are going to get hits. We only had one error that game. Eagan made the adjustments at the plate and just outhit us in the last innings.
Bodurtha and Seldon each had two hits against Eastview. Rosemount had scoring chances in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings, but couldn't push a run across.
Burnsville featured perhaps the state's top pitcher in Kelsey Anderson and the Irish couldn't answer the lone run scored by the Blaze. Hoeppner allowed just five hits in her pitching appearance.
"We still aren't getting the hits we need with runners in scoring position," Rose said.


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Separate names with a comma.
Wanting to join the rest of our members? Feel free to sign up today.
Discussion in 'Nintendo Wii Chat' started by Wiil, Jan 30, 2007.
Ive got 100 miis in my plaza now, who else has and can you get anymore cos i want loads!
wow im only 23 miis away from the 100 mark
have you guys seen the 1,000 mii parade. It's pretty awesome
every time i watch that video i think i see a Mii i created.
ive sin the 56 1 lol
weres da video i cant find it anywere
[MEDIA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjWm0NOCmlw[/MEDIA]For those who haven't seen it
o god!
Meh... it'd be better if u could make a fat little one run past at the very end, much slower than everyone else, hehehehhe.
that looks awesome!
hello bud how do you get mii into your plaza cuz i realy wan some in ther could you help plz thanks
add tons of friends. lots of friends = lots of miis.
lol this is funny, there's like 5 Luigi's and Mario's and about 10 Hitlers!
my friend sent me some hitlers 2
I've got a Saddam a Hitler a Cheny and we created a Brian Peppers and Rocky Dennis. The Brian Peppers one is spot on. any one know who he is?
That is absolutely nuts...
doesnt look edited either
thats crazy:ee5k:. i bet some people are trying to beat that like right now. i dont know much about the miis and the parades and such and i dont plan on working on the parades for awhile. that'd be cool to do though.
you can have as many as you want in mii parade?
How do you ad friends cuz i cant find away to ad friends thanx.
The video seems 5 hours long.


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Police are investigating an early-morning shooting in Woodbridge in the area of Morris Road and are looking for Patrick Young, age 20, who is suspected.
Police said the incident happened at 1:26 a.m. near the Litchfield Turnpike.
A man and three women were in a car driving down Morris Road when the two female passengers started to argue.
Police said a woman was driving, pulled the car over near the woods, and the man, identified as Young, ordered the two passengers out of the car at gunpoint.
Young, 20, then shot one of the women and he and the driver fled, according to police.
The victim, in her 20s, was shot in the hand and upper torso. The other woman who was with her ran to Route 69, flagged down a passing vehicle and the victim was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital, where she is in stable condition, police said.
The two women flagged down a passing car and were able to get help, police said.
Young previously lived in Hartford and has ties to the New Haven area, according to police.
He is 5-feet-7, weighs 150 lbs and has tattoos on his neck.
Police said he was in a dark blue four-door car, possibly a Honda.
Anyone with information on Young's location should call the Woodbridge Police Department at 203-387-2512.
He is considered armed and dangerous and the public should not approach him.


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In the last 20 years, the way that IT has designed systems to solve business problems has changed considerably, moving away from monolithic mainframes acting as a single version of the truth to all your business data, to a multitude of systems that have overlapping, and hopefully consistent, versions of the truth.
In the last 20 years, the way that customer support teams operate has changed considerably, with more requests, from more channels, for more products, supported on more systems with quicker turnaround.
In this evolved and evolving customer, operational and technology landscape, many businesses are facing the challenge of transitioning from a world where they have had control of which business processes are available through each channel, to a world where customers want the flexibility to choose all business processes through all channels. Business sponsors now face the challenge of being able to satisfy customer demands, while reconciling the business desire to optimise the investment required to deliver and minimise the ongoing operational expense.
To achieve higher adoption rates for the customer self-service proposition, the marketing department needs all business processes available on the Web in order to be able to consistently signpost the channel in the product marketing material. The challenge this creates for IT is how to make business processes available for all products in both a timely and cost-effective manner, given the difficulties of integration with legacy business systems. IT also needs to try to balance perfect data capture for all product variations with the ease of use for the customer.
From a cost/benefit perspective, these competing demands lead to a heavily front-loaded IT delivery timescale and cost against the back-loaded potential benefit of reduced operational costs through high take-up of customer self-service. With the all-encompassing constraint of in-year return on investment, a business leader needs either to make a strategic leap of faith, or find a way to better align the delivery costs with business benefit. Business process management solutions such as AWD10 have also evolved, providing a way to better align the delivery costs associated with customer self-service with the customer experience and operational benefits derived from the increased take-up of customer self-service.
Perfect data capture (or forcing your customers to think like your legacy systems)
Like great architecture, an IT system is a child of its time. And while it is possible to change a building's facade, the structures used to form its backbone will remain fundamentally aligned with the period in which it was developed. In IT, these structures have historically focused on the constraints imposed by the availability (or economic limitation) of memory, storage, processing power, or network connectivity. While mainframe-based systems have many good qualities, 'ease of use' is rarely the phrase that falls off anybody's lips.
The organisational coping mechanism for complex user and systems interactions has been to train the customer services team on how to use the administration systems. This has led to days of training to understand the nuances of a particular system, and then more training to cope with the 5% of the policies or accounts administered by the other legacy systems in the business. The variation in implementing business rules over time creates the greatest challenge of achieving perfect data capture. The biggest variation takes place when product definitions or administration platforms go through a more radical step-change or replacement, rather than through evolutionary progression.
Complex integration and human workflow (or you don't have to use different technology to fulfil the customer's request)
The multiple legacy policy or account administration systems an organisation has are commonly aligned with products sold for a specific period. Once sold in the retail banking, life, pensions, and wealth management arena, the products can have a life cycle that is upwards of 20 years. Migrating all of the policies or accounts from a 15-year-old system for a product no longer sold is unlikely to make economic sense. The IT systems of 15 years ago were only just beginning to become open for integration, therefore businesses are also faced with updating information on systems that are difficult to integrate through any mechanism but screen scrape.
This creates a challenge in that a system that can easily have between 10% and 30% of your book of business has the most complex user interface and a data structure that is not easy to use through modern Web services. AWD can help change the approach by not forcing businesses to integrate everything at one time, and as a result, change the cost/benefit equation to achieve self-service on the Web without having the incumbent costs associated with perfect data capture and complete integration.
AWD, platform to align customer self-service delivery costs with business benefit
Being able to separate the challenge of achieving a perfect customer-based data capture from the integration costs of automated updates to all your existing systems affords businesses the opportunity to change cost/benefit on cross-over points.
As you explore the process challenges related to customer self-service, it is important to remember that AWD has been re-architected and now manages the new process problems along with the old ones you already know that it can manage.
For more information click here
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DST Global Solutions
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Legal Question in Wills and Trusts in West Virginia
executors and trustess
I am trying to understand my Grandmother's will. Can you explain the difference, if any between the executor and the trustee?
2 Answers from Attorneys
Re: executors and trustess
I may need more details to provide a meaningful answer, but the Executor is named in the will and is directed to administer and settle the estate. On the other hand, the Trustee is the person charged with managing a Trust that may be either created by the will or was established earlier. Yes, it is possible for them to be the same person.
Re: executors and trustess
I assume that the will provides for a trust and names different persons as trustee and as executor. The same person could be both. First, the executor is charged with administration of the estate-marshall the assets, pay the expense, make the distribution, etc. The distribution may go to the trustee, who holds legal title to assets, for the benefit of the named beneficiaries and administers the trust assets in the manner and for the term and for the purposes specified in the trust. The executor's duties end with the administration of the estate and thre trustee's duties usually begin with distribution from the estate or other funding of the trust and his or her duties end with closing of the trust. Of course this is a general answer and cannot address any specific will or trust. Your lawyer will look over the instruments and set out the process for each in detail. It would be best to have a copy of the appraisement and some idea as to the amount of debt in the estate to get a clear picture.


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Bengaluru: Chikkaballapur MP and former Union minister of law Veerappa Moily paid a visit to the home of Nadoja Dr D Javaregowda on Sunday to enquire after his health. The latter has been indisposed over the past days.
Speaking to mediapersons after the visit who posed questions on the Yettinahole project, he said that the people of Tumkur, Bengaluru rural, Chikkaballapur, Kolar and Chitradurga districts had been facing dire shortage of water. It was only intended to utilize the excess water flowing into the sea from river Netravati during the monsoon months.
The water which would otherwise go in waste would be collected in pits for the benefit of the needy and it was certainly not a plan to divert Netravati, he asserted.


text:
- Score:
- rated 3.29 / 5 stars
- Views:
- 3,532 Views
- Share Links:
- Genre:
- Music Video
- naruto
- anime
- dragonball
- foreign
Credits & Info
- Uploaded
- Sep 2, 2010 | 8:39 AM EDT
If you liked this, check these out!
Author Comments
Rated 5 / 5 stars
Not bad Not bad at all in fact this got me inspired to make my own opening for my newest project a compleatly hand-drawn anime featuring my character of my own creation!
Rated 5 / 5 stars
you did a good job
me and my friend liked this
Thank you! ^-^
Rated 2 / 5 stars
Mr Roboto
Leave anime to the japanese, try broading your ability. Anime in terms of cartooning is very low on the rung anyhow. As far as this goes, the characters where pretty generic which isn't any help. If your going to say the characters are original, at least be honest about it. their wasn't much animation in it and what there was, seemed pretty static try adding more movement and action. And practice figure drawing, and drawing people, it will help you animation skillz.
I appreciate the insight, but when u say that about anime it just goes to show u dont know much about it. Cartooning or animation in anime vary depending on studio. Some are great, and others are just average. Why anime should be strictly by japanese is beyond me, it's an art form, therefore is able to be adapted by anyone. And I thought I was honest, they are all original. And there are a lot of other aspects of the characters that werent shown here. Now, ill be honest, I wasnt aiming to be 100% generic and original. I just want them to entertain. And yes, I tend to get lazy with animation, of which I will try and improve in the future. I can draw people and figures fine, it's just when I draw them with a mouse that I have problems. Thank you for being honest though.
Rated 4 / 5 stars
a little bit of practice
is like a visual cover of irugashi!, just improve your animaion skills and done
HIGURASHI FTW! lol Ya I know, I get lazy a lot. Ill try not to in the future.
Rated 5 / 5 stars
looks promising
it looks very good and the intro seemed very anime-ish
Sweet! Thats what I was goin for! Thanks!


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One of my mentors has a phrase he likes to say about the importance of people development — Productive People Produce Profits Period! He understands that great organizations are made up of great people. I believe leaders' ability to develop people around them is a critical skill and increasingly important in today's knowledge economy.
When I first started studying leadership, I was influenced by bestselling author John Maxwell, who said, "Leadership is influence. Leaders who mentor potential leaders multiply their effectiveness." I was struck by the importance of developing yourself and taking the time to invest in the lives of others. As I have studied great leaders, they share a quality of lifting others up to be their best. They realize that business is a team sport and not a solo endeavor.
Joey Havens, executive partner of HORNE LLP, is one of those leaders who strongly believe in the value of developing other leaders. Havens is a native of Batesville and graduated from football powerhouse South Panola High School, but he is quick to point out he was a baseball player. He earned a business degree from Ole Miss and received his CPA license in 1983. Out of college, he worked for two different CPA firms before joining HORNE in 1984 and has remained there ever since. Havens' drive and determined spirit helped him achieve promotion into the partnership at the age of 30. Havens shared, "Making partner at what some then considered a young age provided me the opportunity to network, collaborate and interact with more leaders in our firm. I was able to learn from them in direct and indirect way. It was at this point, I believe, that my personal growth really accelerated."
With his growth, the firm continued to expand his roles and responsibilities, and he took on leadership responsibility as the partner in charge of health care services which became his primary focus area for a number of years. He later assumed the reins of HORNE's disaster recovery practice and managed that team until 2012.
Havens emphasized that, "One of the reasons I love HORNE so much is that it has always been an entrepreneurial firm that focused on people and growth. That is why I have spent 29 years of my career focused on leadership development with HORNE." One of his first real leadership experiences began as a manager with the firm working in tax and audit services in North Mississippi. He said, "In many ways, it was that school of hard knocks mentality. Learn from your mistakes until you figured it out." Havens is a passionate lifelong learner, so he began to read personal development and leadership books at an early age. This passion for knowledge assisted him in his own personal growth, and he in turn has developed a passion for sharing his own knowledge with others. In fact, he collaborated with Dr. Joe Paul to write the book Creating Value, Your 90 Day Plan to Right Tracking Your Career.
Early in his career, Havens says he learned that leadership is not about a title or position.He stated, "In fact, in my opinion, some of the best leaders in organizations today lead effectively without a specific title. A title certainly doesn't make me or anyone else a leader." He advises young leaders not to wait for a title, position or promotion to lead. He said, "Everyone can lead and do extraordinary things for their team."
Havens' core leadership philosophy is rooted in servant leadership. He said, "It is my primary responsibility to serve my God, my family, my team and my clients first. It is not about me, it is about the people I have the privilege of serving." He continued, "My purpose in life is to help others see and achieve their full potential." Havens believes that leadership requires a sense of vision with a common purpose that empowers people to do extraordinary things. He emphasized, "Everybody within a team must lead for a team to be great. It's never about one individual. I believe that exhibiting a positive attitude and having the uncommon discipline to create a laser focus on your purpose are critical character traits for effective leadership."
With 37 partners and more than 485 team members in 12 offices, HORNE has become a major player in the accounting industry since its inception in 1962. As Havens leads in his newest role as executive partner of the firm, his colleagues and clients will be well served by his leadership skills and humble philosophy of leadership.
» Martin Willoughby is a business consultant and regular contributing columnist for the Mississippi Business Journal. He serves as Chief Operating Officer of Butler Snow Advisory Services, LLC and can be reached at martin.willoughby@ butlersnow.com.


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The arrival of the fourth and final volume of the premiere season of "The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes" is a bittersweet moment for this lifelong Marvel fan. While the series lives up to and exceeds the expectations built by the preceding 19 episodes, a continually delayed premiere date for the second season and unconfirmed rumors that some influential figures at Marvel want to push the show away from the larger story arc format that made season one the smash hit it is, season one stands potentially as great "what could have been" moment in animation.
Rumors and gloom and doom aside, the last seven episodes of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" give viewers what was so carefully teased: the revenge of Loki, Thor's wicked brother. Before we get to that, the show runners offer up not just one, but two great multi-episode storylines, which follow on the heels of a Thor centric, (generally) self-contained episode and the long awaited return of the Black Widow to set the record straight, patch up hurt feelings and expose a threat from Captain America's past that forces our hero into a position that once again, sets future events into motion. Fans of the live-action "Thor" and "Captain America" films will particularly enjoy these opening two entries, as key items from both films: the Casket of Ancient Winters and the Cosmic Cube are integral plot points respectively.
A shakeup in the Avengers roll is teased in the two-part Ultron saga, with Ant-Man desiring to walk away from the team, but when his supposedly peacekeeping robot Ultron threatens the world, Dr. Pym is tasked with making the personal sacrifice that has faced every core member of the Avengers at some point in their lives: to borrow from the great Spock, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few, or the one." Veteran Marvel fans will have a wide grin at seeing Ultron come alive on-screen and the animated format of the show lets all sorts of physical impossibilities become reality.
Saving the best for last, Loki reveals himself as the master manipulator of reputation, in the series' final three episodes. The highest complement I could pay this series is to say if another hour of buildup could have been attached to the beginning of this final 60-minute arc, I'd have paid to see this in a movie theater. The climatic threat sends our team across worlds, encountering allies of all shapes and sizes including Thor's mighty Warriors Three. While Loki is not as nuanced as his live-action counterpart, his genocidal plan is far more terrifying and evil.
Not only does the first season of "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" end on a heroic, dramatic, and action filled final note, the final stinger gives yet another hint at possible story arcs for season two. The writing team on the series continues to do the impossible by keeping the dialogue and plotting accessible to a wide range of ages; "Earth's Mightiest Heroes" may air on a kid's network, but that doesn't mean it's a kid's show. It's for all comic fans, young and old, casual and devoted. It's my sincere hope that season two continues in the same vein as season one, there is so much of the Marvel Universe out there to explore and numerous paths to take that were set-up over this 26-episode genesis. The only thing confirmed thus far is the long awaited debut of Dr. Doom, and if he's as written half as well as Loki and Kang were in the second half of this series, season two already has a head start on delivering a better final product.
The Video
The 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer would be reference quality if it weren't for two glaring technical hiccups. A very primary colored series, compression artifacts are occasionally noticeable, resulting in a less than smooth image. Additionally, aliasing is a minor but noticeable issue, and in animation where smooth lines can be key, this is a bit frustrating. That aside, the transfer is strikingly clear and vibrant, with strong clarity.
The Dolby Digital English 5.1 audio track is solid, with strong sound design and appropriate usage of the surrounds. Dialogue is well mixed and clear, while action sequences never feel overpowered or underplayed. English subtitles for the hearing impaired are included.
As with volume three, the lone extra is "Avengers Unmasked: Hail Hydra," a glorified trivia track for the episode. The catch is the episode is confined to a small box around changing relevant artwork, with little trivia bubbles popping up covering on-screen action in more detail. The older Marvel fan won't find a lot of use out of such common knowledge, but younger viewers who haven't had the ability to explore decades of storytelling on the printed page will find it of value.
Of all four volumes, this final release is the strongest in terms of quality, although only by a fraction. It's a release solely for those who have at least volume three (and if you like that, you better have the first two). Now let's just keep our fingers crossed that season two debuts sometime soon and the format is left untouched. Highly Recommended.


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Speaking to the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, TSA chief John Pistole said screeners have been told to make repeated attempts to screen young children instead of resorting to a pat-down.
In the past, security administrators resorted to pat-downs almost immediately, but under the new guidelines security officers will be obliged to make a number of efforts before ultimately resorting to the intrusive procedure.
TSA spokesman Nicholas Kimball now says, "As part of our ongoing effort to get smarter about security, Administrator Pistole has made a policy decision to give security officers more options for resolving screening anomalies with young children."
During the announcement, Pistole attempted to justify the necessity for the procedures overall. AOL Travel writes:
Pistole cited foreign terrorism as one reason the agency is working on a new method, saying that terrorists outside the U.S. have used children as young as 10 as suicide bombers in the past.
Despite TSA's assertions, however, most believe that children should be exempt from the searches, since the chances that children pose a threat to national security are slim.
Those opposed to the pat-downs found even stronger reasons to protest the procedures in April when video of a 6-year old girl getting a pat-down in New Orleans' airport went viral, and then again when another video surfaced of an 8-year old boy who was subject to similar treatment in Portland.
The Blaze explains, "In the case of the 6-year-old, the parents requested the girl be re-scanned, but that request was denied. Under the new guidelines, however, the girl could now be scanned again.
"The last straw for opponents to the TSA procedures seemed to come when the picture of a baby undergoing the pat-down went viral. During the hearing wherein Pistole made the announcement, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul bemoaned what he called "invasive" pat-downs and regulations, and articulated his disappointment in the system. He asserted that the TSA went "overboard."
Not everyone is pleased with the policy changes. Billie Vincent, former Federal Aviation Administration security director, has criticized the changes, but admitted that he too is disturbed by the use of pat-downs on children.
"The TSA is walking a tightrope, trying to quiet the public damage," said Vincent, who is now a security consultant in Chantilly, Virginia. According to USA Today:
Vincent says intrusive pat-downs would rarely be needed if Congress would stop considering profiling "a dirty word" and allow the TSA to profile everyone — including young children's parents — before a flight. Pat-downs would be needed only for young children whose parents raise a red flag during the profiling process, he says.
The TSA says it expects to test an identity-based screening option for some passengers later this year. Under the program, travelers would voluntarily provide background information about themselves and possibly qualify for expedited screening.
Regardless of the TSA's efforts to minimize the invasiveness of the procedures, opposition to the airport screenings continues to gain momentum. Last November, an ABC News and Washington Post poll found that 64 percent of Americans supported the use of body-scanning machines, while just 32 percent were opposed. That same poll revealed that 50 percent of Americans were opposed to the enhanced pat-downs, while 48 percent believed that they were justified to prevent terrorism.
As there has been growing indications of abuse at the hands of TSA screeners, however, opposition to the screening procedures has seemingly grown.
On Monday, for example, Texas Governor Rick Perry revived a bill that would criminalize the pat-downs by airport screeners. The bill criminalizes the touching of the "anus, sexual organ, buttocks, or breast of another person" during a screening. That bill has passed in the Texas House, but remains stalled in the Senate after John Murphy, US attorney for the Western district of Texas, warned that the bill would interfere with the government's ability to ensure safe travel.
Republican presidential contender Ron Paul, a Texas Congressman, has been adamantly opposed to the TSA procedures virtually from the start, having introduced the "American Traveler Dignity Act" in order to "protect Americans from physical and emotional abuse."
Paul, along with constitutionalists across the country, contends that the procedures are a violation of Fourth Amendment rights.
More Americans are articulating their opposition to the procedures. Though the TSA has attempted to address the various issues that have risen as a result of the intrusive procedures, it has become increasingly clear that the American people will not be satisfied until the Transportation Security Administration is stripped of its ability to violate constitutional liberties.


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Travelers have loads of online options when they're buying plane tickets, booking cruises or just researching vacation destinations.
But, travel agents say websites can't match the expertise, experience and personal touch they can provide, especially when things go awry.
As one Jackson travel agency says on its own website, "The Internet is for looking. McGehee Cruise & Vacation is for booking!"
All you have to do is ask people who were stranded during the recent snowstorms," said Glenn McGehee, the agency's owner. "How many hours did it take to get through to an airline or Internet site when they needed help?"
McGehee said during one winter storm his agency got a frantic call from a company whose boss got stranded on his return trip. The caller said, "I don't care what it costs, just get him home.'" McGehee's agency found a connecting flight for the stranded boss and saved the day.
"The Internet can't think like a travel agent thinks," McGehee said. The result? "We actually picked up an account," he said.
McGehee said he is a fan of the Internet and shops online, but said it does have its limitations.
"The Internet is not that smart when it comes to solving problems," he said.
Jeff Lambert, an agent at Global Travel Services in Tupelo, said the local connection is important to customers.
"Some people still like to come in and sit down at our desks. If there is a problem they feel more comfortable knowing they will be talking to the same person every time," he said.
Calling an 800 number can be frustrating for travelers, especially when something goes wrong.
"You can't get them on the phone or by email and you get someone different every time. It's like going in a circle," Lambert said.
And the prices are the same either way, Lambert said, "except you're not having to sit and wait." As a result, he said, "We have lots of repeat customers and word-of-mouth business."
Lambert said some customers do their research online and then come to his agency and say, 'This is what we found. What do you think?' When it gets down to it, they still come in."
Lambert and McGehee said business so far this year is good.
"It looks like this is going to be a great year," McGehee said. "What it tells us is people who have some money want to get out of town and go do something fun for a change. There is a segment of people who are going to travel no matter what."
Lambert said his customers tend to favor the same destinations every year.
"Lots of Disney, lots of Carnival Cruises (from New Orleans). We sell a lot of that. Then for flying, it's Jamaica, Hawaii, Cancun and the Mayan Riviera."
McGehee said his travelers are going all over the world, to Europe and Hawaii. Alaska cruises also are big, he said.
His business is roughly half cruises and half vacation packages. Travelers pay no fees for major cruises and vacation packages but for custom type trips with complex arrangements, there are fees, he said.
Corporate travel, which had fallen off with budget belt tightening, is picking up, but businesses are still looking to save money, McGehee said.
"We're finding companies are using their membership rewards points for international travel and we can help them with big savings."


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Nelson Bassist Bee Spears Dies
Willie Nelson's bassist Bee Spears plays his final note
By Margaret Moser,
11:02AM, Mon. Dec. 12, 2011
"We are deeply saddened by the death of Family member Dan "Bee" Spears, long time friend and bassist for Willie Nelson and Family," Nelson's website posted. Spears, who died on Friday, Dec. 9 outside Nashville, had played with Willie Nelson since 1968.
Spears' bass was an essential element with the Family. Never showy or ponderous, Bee Spears held down the bottom line of Willie Nelson's music with Texas muscle and Lone Star sinew.
"We are still in shock and gathering details as the day continues," the website said over the weekend. "He apparently died of accidental exposure at his property."
Donations or memorials in Spears' name may be made to NARAS MusiCares, 1904 Wedgewood, Nashville, TN., 37212.
Here's Spears in his younger days, singing "Okie from Muskogee"
Tim Stegall, March 28, 2014
Raoul Hernandez, Dec. 30, 2016
Tim Stegall, Oct. 10, 2016
March 3, 2017
July 29, 2016
Bee Spears, Willie Nelson, Dan "Bee" Spears


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Written on: 04/05/2012
I love the salad and the fact that I can help myself to the salad bar more than once! The only thing which wasn't as good as we had hoped was that the steak ordered wasn't cooked as required. We asked for 'medium' and it was 'well done'. Apart from that we all enjoyed our meals and the desserts were scrumptious!!
Thank you for the service too which was brilliant!..
As rated by our community of reviewers
" Not real smart! " Read More
" Great people and food " Read More
" Overpriced small portions " Read More
" What a terrible experience! " Read More
" Nice upgrade but same old problems " Read More


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Fourteen people were injured Tuesday afternoon after two sightseeing buses crashed into each other in New York's Times Square.
Now: #FDNY at scene of bus accident in #TimesSquare. 11 injuries. No life-threatening injuries at this time. pic.twitter.com/sKAuEiU3C9
— FDNY (@FDNY) August 5, 2014
The accident happened at about 3:35 p.m. at 47th Street and Seventh Avenue. The double-decker buses were empty with the exception of the drivers and one tour guide, CBS New York reports, and all three are among the injured. The buses hit a lamp post and traffic signal and then slammed into a granite bench.
"We believe that the traffic light did most of the injuries to the people standing in the area, and some of the flying debris from the light and from the buses," FDNY Deputy Chief Roger Sakowich said.
Three of the injured are in serious but stable condition, and eight have minor injuries. One of those hurt was a baby in a stroller, 1010 WINS reports. Witness Ace Guzman watched the scene unfold from the street corner, and heard what he described as a deafening "boom." "It was a real loud noise — real loud — and then you could hear everybody screaming and crying and of course...grabbing their kids," he said. "It was really nuts." Catherine Garcia
Rep. Joe Barton caught on tape threatening ex-lover with the police to protect his secret sex life
In 2015, after a sexually explicit, mainly online relationship with a woman ended, Rep. Joe Barton (R-Tex.) threatened to report the woman to the Capital police, according to a recording obtained by The Washington Post. Barton had reportedly sent the woman sexually explicit photos, videos, and messages over the course of their relationship, which began on Facebook in 2011.
The woman, who spoke to the Post on the condition of anonymity, recorded the 2015 conversation in which Barton confronted her about communications she had with other women connected to Barton. "I am ready if I have to, I don't want to, but I should take all this crap to the Capitol Hill Police and have them launch an investigation," he said, according to the recording.
On Wednesday, Barton apologized to his constituents after naked photos of him circulated on social media. In a statement, Barton, who is the longest-serving member of Congress from Texas, said he had sexual relationships "with other mature adult women" while separated from his second wife, before their divorce in 2015. "I am sorry I did not use better judgment during those days," he said. But Barton, who has reportedly hired a crisis communications firm, also said that he had suffered a potential crime over the released lewd photos. In Texas, it is a misdemeanor to intentionally publicize images or videos of someone's genitals or sexual activity without consent. Barton said the Capitol Police may be launching an investigation. Lauren Hansen
In their quest to cut taxes while not running up huge deficits, Senate Republicans have had to find creative ways to save money in their forthcoming tax reform bill. Although some estimates say that the Republican tax bill would add $1.8 trillion to the federal debt over 10 years, you can rest assured that the Republican Party is committed to cutting irresponsible spending: In an effort to save money, the new plan will prevent your employer from being able to write off lunches purchased for workers or workplace entertainment, HuffPost reported Wednesday.
The move would save $23 billion over 10 years, HuffPost reported — or just 1.3 percent of the total expected deficit increase. Under the current tax code, employers who give the majority of their workers free lunches can deduct 50 percent of the cost. The House version of the bill does not touch free workplace lunch, but it would eliminate tax breaks for employer-paid day care assistance programs, as well as employee-sponsored moving expenses and achievement awards, all for the sake of saving $12 billion.
But the Senate tax bill isn't all bad news! The exemption for the estate tax will be doubled, so if you happen to inherit less than $10 million from a dead relative, you won't have to pay any taxes on the money — which should definitely help you pay for lunch if your employer won't give it to you. Kelly O'Meara Morales
The Roy Moore campaign lashed out at The Washington Post on Wednesday, dubbing the paper "a worthless piece of crap" after it pressed the campaign to provide documentation it claimed to have that discredited one of the several women who have come forth to accuse the Alabama Senate candidate of sexual misconduct.
A spokesperson for the Moore campaign told supporters Tuesday that it was in possession of documents which supposedly showed that Leigh Corfman — who accused Moore of sexually assaulting her when she was 14 years old — lied about her address in the Post's story about Moore's sexual misconduct. The Post followed up with the campaign Tuesday, asking for proof of the documents, but while the campaign initially said it would comply, strategist Brett Doster struck a very different tune in an email Wednesday: "There is no need for anyone at The Washington Post to ever reach out to the Roy Moore campaign again because we will not respond to anyone from the Post now or in the future," Doster wrote. "Happy Thanksgiving."
For good measure, Doster added: "The Washington Post is a worthless piece of crap that has gone out of its way to railroad Roy Moore." Post reporter Michael Scherer said that a longtime Moore aide presented the paper with evidence that "did not contradict what Corman has told the Post."
The campaign has vehemently denied allegations of the candidate's sexual misconduct and has tried to call into question proof given by his accusers. On Tuesday, President Trump told White House reporters that Moore had "totally denied" the allegations of sexual misconduct, which he added took place over 40 years ago, "so, you know." Kelly O'Meara Morales
When the Federal Communications Commission announced its plan to dismantle net neutrality laws back in January, comments started pouring in to the FCC website — a record-breaking 22 million of them.
In 2015, a public commenting period led to Obama-era guidelines protecting net neutrality. But bots intent on dismantling net neutrality took over this round, Vanity Fair reported, borrowing real Americans' addresses to leave hundreds of thousands of comments under fake identities advocating against the rules. And with FCC chairman Ajit Pai's Monday confirmation that net neutrality rules are coming down, it looks like they're getting their wish.
In an open letter to Pai, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman revealed that he's been investigating these questionable comments for months. But the FCC hasn't cooperated:
Over the last 6 mos, my office has investigated a massive scheme to corrupt the @FCC's comment process on #NetNeutrality by impersonating 100,000s of real Americans.
The FCC has been unwilling to provide information that is critical to the investigation: https://t.co/xxFjSg6Pxf
— Eric Schneiderman (@AGSchneiderman) November 22, 2017
Schneiderman said the situation likely violated state laws, as it used New Yorkers' identities to leave fake comments. Yet despite multiple requests, the FCC has refused to aid Schneiderman's investigation — meaning "the door is open for (this) to happen again and again," he wrote. Kathryn Krawczyk
The Trump Organization is walking away from its struggling hotel in Manhattan's SoHo neighborhood, The New York Times reports. It is the second hotel the organization has removed its name from this year, after a similar situation developed in Toronto.
The SoHo building, which also has condominiums, closed its main restaurant earlier this year due to a decline in business "since the election," in the words of one of its lawyers. The owner of the building, the CIM Group, reportedly reached a deal to buy out the Trump Organization from the property; the Trump company manages daily operations at the building. "The Board and CIM have been first class in every regard," said the CEO of Trump Hotels, Eric Danziger, in a statement. "We have truly enjoyed our relationship and look forward to exploring new opportunities in the future."
On Monday, The Telegraph reported that the average price for a weekend at a Trump hotel dropped by 36 percent in the last year. Jeva Lange
Ahh, Thanksgiving. That special time of year when you set out your most over-the-top centerpiece, strap on your eating pants, and gather around the table to talk tax policy with relatives you only see once a year.
That's what Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) imagines happens, anyway. On Monday, Schumer tweeted a chart made by the nonpartisan Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, instructing his followers to bring it to "Thanksgiving dinner" to whip out when "that family member who always talks politics tells you the Republican tax bill helps the middle class," the Washington Examiner reports.
Bring this chart to Thanksgiving dinner. It'll come in handy when that family member who always talks politics tells you the Republican tax bill helps the middle class. pic.twitter.com/2EpZ5PxcDY
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 19, 2017
But Schumer wasn't done delivering graphics for you to surprise your unsuspecting relative with at some point between the turkey carving and the pumpkin pie:
Oh, don't forget to show your Uncle this as well! pic.twitter.com/YHRGTvvwAo
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) November 19, 2017
Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Chuck! Jeva Lange
Rep. John Conyers' legacy was upended Monday when a BuzzFeed News report detailed sexual harassment allegations made against the Michigan Democrat. Now, the editorial board of the Detroit Free Press, his slightly left-leaning hometown paper, is calling for him to step down.
The longtime congressman is known as a civil rights icon and a co-founder of the Congressional Black Caucus, facts the Free Press acknowledged in its scathing editorial published Tuesday. But he's also been accused of making sexual advances toward an employee — and having her fired when she refused.
That's enough to spark an inquiry into Conyers, the Free Press said. But his misconduct runs deeper: If the victim dropped her formal complaint against Conyers, his office said it would "re-hire" her and pay her as a temporary employee. The woman eventually agreed to those terms, receiving more than $27,000 over the course of three months. It's similar to a time Conyers kept paying his former chief of staff even after she was fired — payments the Free Press said look like "hush money."
While the editorial board did suggest reforming the Congressional Office of Compliance so these payoffs don't keep happening, that is "not the point with Conyers." "It's a betrayal that breaches the most fundamental trust that exists between a public servant and the people that person represents," the Free Press wrote.
And that's why, even after a "stellar" 53 years in office, the paper is calling on Conyers to step down. You can read the Detroit Free Press' full editorial here. Kathryn Krawczyk