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This was brushed over in the match thread, but since then Strauss has come out and defended his decision to deny Smith a runner, saying, "you don't get a runner for cramps, full stop." ("You shouldn't get a runner for cramps, full stop" - Strauss | Cricket News | ICC Champions Trophy, 2009 | Cricinfo.com)
Smith claims that plenty of batsmen have had runners when suffering from cramps in the past and that inconsistency is the main problem here. Some of also pointed that Owais Shah was off the field at the time, although as I understand it the runner and substitute fielder rulings are different from each other.
Any thoughts?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Groveton Bridge #32May 23. 2013 3:13PM
East of Route 3
Northumberland, NH
The bridge was built by Captain Charles Richardson and his son. When U.S. Route 3 was reconstructed in 1939, the Groveton covered bridge was bypassed. A water supply line is suspended beneath the bridge.
Year of Construction: - 1852
Original Cost: - Unknown
East of U.S. Route 3 in the village of Groveton over the Ammonoosuc River.
Paddleford truss with added arches. The bridge is 126'0" long with a clear span of 108'3". It has an overall width of 21'0" with a roadway width of 15'0", and a maximum vertical clearance of 13'0". The bridge is restricted to foot traffic only.


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Unique Family Holiday Cards
I can't believe it, but I've already received four holiday cards in the mail. It's making me a tad nervous, seeing as how I haven't even thought about ordering yet. In my frenzy, though, I've come across some unusual ideas for family holiday cards this season and I've gathered a few of the best here.
Most of the cards I receive are the traditional photo card with generic holiday greeting. But every once in a while I get a card that wows me. Check out these ideas and see if they inspire you to send something more unusual this year.
1. Ornament Portrait Card at Dirty Diaper Laundry: Kim shows you how to take this cute photo and then how to add some details to the printed card with a sewing machine.
2. Year In Review Card from Mixbook: If you want to avoid writing the dreaded holiday letter, this card gets your info across in an aesthetically pleasing way.
3. Holiday Cookie Boxes from Not Your Momma's Cookie: Ok, certainly you aren't going to send one of these to everyone on your mailing list, unless you are some kind of Martha Stewart on Ritalin. But for close friends and family, these cookie "cards" are thoughtful and stunning.
4. Peanuts Inspired Holiday Card from Etsy shop Picture Yourself: Charlie Brown laments, "Isn't there anyone who knows what Christmas is about?" Show your friends you do by turning your family into the Peanuts gang. That's what he meant, right?
5. Mad Libs Inspired Card from Etsy shop Blush Notes: Who doesn't love Mad Libs? Fill these in yourself, or leave it to your addressee to have the fun.
What kind of holiday card will you send this season?
• Top 10 Traditional Holiday Cards
• Tis the Season: Create Holiday Cards on Your Tablet
• Top 10: Holiday Letterpress Card Companies


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Personal Trainers in Vienna, VA
Tysons Corner Super Sport - View club info
1500 Cornerside Blvd.
Vienna, VA 22182
Browse the profiles below to learn more about our Personal Trainers in Vienna, VA. Once you've found your trainer, you can purchase personal training sessions online. We'll do our best to match you up with the personal trainer that you choose but availability may vary.*
Not ready to choose a trainer? Purchase a Personal Training package and choose a trainer in club.


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Dive teams were searching the depths of Lake Powell Friday for two women missing after a fatal boat crash.
The driver of a motorboat may have been distracted by children onboard when the boat was moving toward a houseboat about 8:15 a.m. Thursday near the Dangling Rope Marina, Kane County Sheriff's Sgt. Alan Alldredge wrote in a press release.
The motorboat driver veered at the last minute but still struck the front corner of the houseboat, Alldredge wrote. The motorboat overturned with 13 people on board, including seven adults and six children, who were on a family trip from the Salt Lake City area.
A 57-year-old woman on the motor boat died, and two other women, 22 and 29, were missing in the water.
Other individuals on the motorboat suffered minor injuries.
The male driver and an 11-year-old-girl were flown to a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz., where they were expected to survive. Another person was transported by boat and then by ambulance to the Page, Ariz. hospital.
All of the children were wearing life jackets. No one on the houseboat was injured.
The sheriff's office was withholding the victims' names pending family notification. Most of the people on the motorboat were members of the same family, Alldredge wrote.
The National Park Service, Utah State Parks and Kane County Sheriff's Office were working to find the missing victims and to investigate the accident. A National Park Service dive team planned to continue searching the crash scene Friday morning with remote camera and sonar equipment.
The water is about 400 feet deep at the crash site, Alldredge wrote.
Twitter: @erinalberty


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Why work for Stokke?
Stokke® is focused on long term growth and building its brand. Based in Norway with offices in Europe, US and Asia, we can also offer a truly international work experience.
You will be a part of a company that create smart and sustainable premium products, that through bonding between child and parent stimulate the child's development. Stokke offers you a great career opportunity within the organization.
Come work with passionate, smart and focused colleagues across the world. Stokke is an advocate for ethical trade practices and ensures that our business connections take part in a joint responsibility. If you want to commit to create high quality products, designed for children and generations to come, we want you uo be a part of our team!
Our culture and work environment
At Stokke you will work with people who are:
Genuine / Passionate / Smart / Focused
Our employees are key to maintaining and nourishing a sustainable market differentiation, and we are all instrumental in supporting the strategic objectives of the company. We strive to be an open and transparent environment where all employees, regardless of level and title, can participate in continuous improvements.
Our employees are dedicated to creating innovative and functional solutions for children. We always ensure that our actions and accomplishments, regardless of discipline, are in the best interest for the child, and we never compromise on safety. The organization consistently focuses on optimizing the brand value for all parties; for our customers, suppliers and retailers - and also for our employees.
Who are we?
Marketing & Innovation
The brand department is the owner of our brand platform and strategic brand communication. They develop consumer communication across all channels.
Category management is split in two areas; @Move and @ Home. They are responsible for our category strategies and Stokke's overall portfolio management.
Digital is responsible for all digital channels to our end consumers – Stokke.com, social media and CRM. They are responsible for our ecommerce business.
The Innovation & Design department is responsible for all innovations – new concepts and on our existing portfolio. They are the owner of our overall design values.
Product Development and Operations
Commercial, Sales & Support
With the support of 6 country/regional Sales Service and Marketing offices, we believe in local presence and hands-on focus of the local sales teams. We have more than 4,000 points of sales in over 80 countries.
We are primarily operating direct-to-retail distribution, where we aim at creating true Stokke brand experience. Our focus is on quality rather than quantity.
Supply Chain & Quality
Purchasing team monitors the purchasing processes in the company. The team is working both strategic and operational focusing on the negotiating process, indirect purchasing and cross functional cost/quality improvement projects.
Operations wood team is responsible for sourcing, operations and manufacturing of the wooden products. The team is focusing on an efficient and flexible manufacturing set-up to optimize purchase prices, product quality and ensure production capacity needed.
The QA/QC and Regulatory Affairs team follows up that our products are in compliance with Stokke standard of quality and safety, and with regulatory requirements in key markets. They are also in charge of Stokke's CSR program and the Product Safety Risk Management processes. A Quality Management System (QMS) is implemented to ensure quality of processes and products.
Finance & ICT
The ICT department is responsible for offering a stable, secure, efficient and available portfolio of systems, equipment and communication solutions to support the organizations business processes. Stokke ICT provides a centralized ICT infrastructure globally, and a 24/7 operations and support function.
The Finance, Accounting and Credit Control departments are responsible for the payroll and accounting function, and for preparing the financial reporting for the company which is in compliance with Norwegian and International accounting principles. Furthermore, the Finance departments are responsible for reducing the financial exposure in the company, preparing management and BoD reporting, budgeting and forecasting as well as support of decision makers with financial information and analysis.
Legal & HR
Human Resources (HR) is responsible for developing and implementing activities and routines that shall support the overall achievement of the company's strategy. HR is further responsible for a range of activities within different areas such as recruiting and onboarding, performance management and people development, policies and guidelines. The HR strategy aligns with the overall Stokke strategy, and defines the key priorities and HR activities delivered to the organization.
Meet some of our employees
Alf Vegard Fjelland
Design Engineer
Oslo, Norway
What is your area of responsibility?
Product management, design and engineering of new products.
What do you enjoy about working at Stokke?
I enjoy the company of good colleagues and being able to develop products which can be seen all over the globe.
Why do people join Stokke?
To take part in our brand and the company's willingness to innovate.
How has being employed in a global company, like Stokke, changed the way you work or think?
It has enabled me to visit and collaborate with different cultures. Having two children of my own, I don't switch of my creativity regarding new and innovative products when leaving the office. My home is like a constant field study!
What is the most creative part of your job?
The merging of form and function.
Emily Wilson
Area Sales Manager
California, USA
What is your area of responsibility?
Area Sales Manager for the US and Canadian market. I work out of my home, which is located in Southern California.
My current focus is on developing the premium department store channel for Stokke in the US market.
Why did you choose to work for Stokke?
I was immediately drawn to the design of the products and the unique concepts. I knew I had come across a really special opportunity. In the sales world, having a special and truly unique product to sell, is like finding gold. Every employee on our team carries more than their own weight, and really has the opportunity to make a real difference in our business. I also came to Stokke because I love having co-workers from all over the world and getting to be part of a truly international company culture.
What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
As a mother, I am a whole-hearted advocate of Stokke products both on and off the clock, which is the most fulfilling part of my job. I am extremely passionate about how Stokke products have helped enhance the amount of bonding time that I have had with my own daughter over the past 3 years. Therefore, I am passionate about wanting other parents in the US to be able to experience the joys of using our products with their own children and it is easy to stay focused on selling when helping other parents and children is at stake. While I work hard and travel a lot, I have the flexibility and support system at Stokke that is needed to be able to maintain a healthy work-life balance.
Who are we looking for?
Depending on the position, different qualities and qualifications will be emphasized. In general, Stokke is looking for candidates that:
- Take responsibility
- Can identify themselves with our brand values:Genuine, Passionate, Smart and Focused
- Enjoys working in an international workplace that is rapidly changing
- Hold a degree in higher education


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Scottish DNA Unexpectedly Diverse
Geography might explain the treasure trove of genetic diversity among Scots.
Apr 18, 2012
Bob Grant
Scotland contains an unexpected amount of human genetic diversity, according to a new study of the country's inhabitants. The project, called "Scotland's DNA," found 150 different genetic lines of female ancestry from Europe, Asia, and Africa and 100 different groups of male ancestry from Europe and beyond. For example, more than one percent of Scottish men are direct descendants of the Saharan Berber and Tuareg tribes, which belong to a lineage that researchers have determined to be about 5,600 years old.
Edinburgh University geneticist Jim Wilson and St Andrews University historian Alistair Moffat probed the DNA of nearly 1,000 Scots to uncover the surprising results, a possible explanation for which could be the country's location. "Perhaps geography, Scotland's place at the farthest northwestern end of the European peninsula, is the reason for great diversity," the pair said in a statement quoted by BBC News. "For many thousands of years, migrants could move no further west. Scotland was the end of many journeys."
Scotland's DNA project will soon morph into Britain's DNA, an effort that will sample DNA from English, Welsh, and Irish inhabitants of the British Isles.


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God's Word Translation
The Evangelical Dictionary…House, H. Wayne(Hardcover)
1 matches found
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text:
Please arrive 5 to 10 min before class starts for an introduction to the meditation we teach and practice at our Center
We teach and practice a type of meditation known as Mahasati meditation. Mahasati in Pali means "great awareness." It is a form of Vipassana or Insight meditation which originates in Southeast Asia.
Mahasati meditation cultivates self-awareness initially through attention to the movement of the body and, at intermediate and more advanced levels, to the movement of the mind. This ultimately leads to a direct and profound understanding of the origins of suffering in human experience and points the way toward ultimate liberation.
While Mahasati meditation has its roots in Buddhism, it is not necessary to accept any type of religious doctrine in order to practice. It is also possible to practice it conjointly with other forms of religious practice.
Donations are appreciated.


text:
Textpattern CMS support forum
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- Topics: Active | Unanswered
Pages: 1
#1 2012-08-06 07:16:50
- phiw13
- Plugin Author
- From: Japan
- Registered: 2004-02-27
- Posts: 1,505
- Website
[solved] Clean URL's on OS X Lion ?
I had a bad HD crash and needed to set up my whole environment again (::sigh::).
When setting up a new Textpattern install, the Diagnostics pane helpfully (::bleh) tells me that the clean url test fail. And yes, testing with the default site, any clean url format fails (404).
From the previous HD /environment, this was working fine however. I've gone through all my config files (httpd.conf, httpd-vhosts.conf, php.ini, hosts, etc) and compared to the old files rescued from Time Machine. I've absolutely no idea what is going wrong. All paths in TXP's config.php file are correct, I use the default .htaccess file.
TXP svn build, r4046
Default Apache and PHP as shipped by OS X Lion.
Suggestions ?
Last edited by phiw13 (2012-08-06 11:57:01)
#2 2012-08-06 09:08:53
- philwareham
- Core designer
- From: Farnham, Surrey, UK
- Registered: 2009-06-11
- Posts: 3,050
- Website
Re: [solved] Clean URL's on OS X Lion ?
Not really a direct solution, but I use MAMP on Mountain Lion and that works great. Since it installs it's own versions of Apache, PHP etc I find I can control the environment a bit better than be relying on the OSX defaults.
#3 2012-08-06 12:03:57
- phiw13
- Plugin Author
- From: Japan
- Registered: 2004-02-27
- Posts: 1,505
- Website
Re: [solved] Clean URL's on OS X Lion ?
I found a small error for the affected domain in my httpd-vhost.conf that caused the urls not to resolve. Once corrected, everything works ok. I suspect I spent too many hours in front of a monitor over the past 2 days.
philwareham wrote
… Mountain Lion …
::sigh:: no Mountain Lion on this MacPro. It is too old :-( (come on, 2006 isn't that long ago). I'll sure upgrade the other machines once the .1 release is out.
Pages: 1


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A Subsidiary of MOUNT CARMEL Inc.
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DVD titles and list of lessons by volume..
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Vancouver Whitecaps FC rookie Darren Mattocks is fast. Really fast.
That speed helped the Jamaican attacker score 39 goals in 47 matches at the NCAA level with the University of Akron, and now it's causing his Vancouver teammates to compare him with some of the fastest men in – and out – of the soccer world.
"I call him Usain Bolt, because he's so fast," a laughing Eric Hassli told MLSsoccer.com during a recent phone interview, comparing Mattocks to the famous sprinter who also hails from Jamaica. "He has a great chance now. He's young and has to learn that he has great quality – he's fast and scores goals. For a young player, he's very talented."
That ability and breakaway speed made it a no-brainer for Vancouver to select Mattocks with the second overall pick of this year's MLS SuperDraft after the Montreal Impact overlooked him in favour of Andrew Wenger.
Mattocks has shown during this preseason that he's more than just a runner, and has a powerful shot with both feet. As it turned out, he saved his most emphatic demonstration of those qualities for the team that passed on him, scoring a fizzing left-footed shot in Vancouver's 3-0 victory over the Impact last weekend.
Mattocks' ability to accelerate, matched with his composure in front of goal, is drawing comparisons to some of the finest players to grace MLS.
"He reminds me a lot of Jeff Cunningham," Atiba Harris said, name-dropping the MLS all-time leading goalscorer. "He could do a lot of great things in this league, even this season. When we go to stadiums with bigger fields, I think he's going to cause a lot of trouble.
"In this league, guys with pace can really cause problems for defences."
That ability to stretch the defence has often been cited by head coach Martin Rennie during interviews when asked to describe what will set Mattocks apart from the other strikers in the squad. With such a deep attacking group, having that distinct attribute should mean the 21-year-old will get his chances to play, particularly as a substitute running at defenders with tired legs.
"He has great qualities," playmaker Davide Chiumiento said. "He's really, really fast. If he improves and learns how to move, he can score a lot of goals in this league and be really dangerous. If he gets good balls from behind, he can be a surprise."
Martin MacMahon covers Vancouver Whitecaps FC for MLSsoccer.com.


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Subject: Prompt Corrective Action - Capital Restoration Plans Guidelines
Date: June 29, 1994
To: Chief Executive Officers of all National Banks, Department and Division Heads, and all examining personnel
Description: Guidelines
This issuance supplements guidance provided in BC-268 on how the OCC implements its prompt corrective action ("PCA") authority relating to capital restoration plans under 12 U.S.C. 1831o(e)(2)(C). The OCC uses these guidelines to determine whether a controlling company's performance guarantee is acceptable under PCA.
Under section 38(e)(2)(C)(ii) of the Federal Deposit Insurance Act (12 U.S.C. 1831o(e)(2)(C)(ii)) federal banking regulators may not accept a capital restoration plan ("CRP") submitted by an undercapitalized bank unless each company that controls the bank has:
Each company providing the guarantee is jointly and severally liable for fulfillment of the guarantee, up to the statutory limit of liability. Failure of any company controlling an undercapitalized bank to provide the required guarantee will cause that bank to become subject to restrictions applying to significantly undercapitalized banks. Such failure also establishes grounds for the appointment of a receiver or conservator under 12 U.S.C. 191 and 203.
Section 1831o and the OCC's regulation at 12 CFR 6.5(i) limit the aggregate liability of all companies controlling an institution to the lesser of:
The guarantee and limit of liability for performance of a capital restoration plan expires after the OCC notifies the national bank in writing that it has remained adequately capitalized for four consecutive calendar quarters (See 12 CFR 6.5(i)(1)(ii)). This will permit the OCC and the bank to verify that the guarantee has expired.
The OCC's regulation at 12 CFR 6.5(i)(1)(ii) provides that the expiration of a guarantee given by a company or fulfillment of a guarantee given by a company in connection with one CRP does not relieve the company from the obligation to guarantee another CRP that may be required at a future date for the same bank if it again becomes undercapitalized. Fulfillment of one guarantee up to the statutory limit would not reduce the amount of any guarantee of a future CRP for the same bank.
In addition, a new or revised guarantee is required if the bank is required to submit a new or revised CRP pursuant to 12 CFR 6.5(a)(2). Section 6.5(a)(2) provides that a bank that has submitted and is operating under an approved CRP must submit an additional CRP when it falls into a lower capital category if the OCC notifies that bank that it must submit a new or revised CRP.
Each company controlling a given bank is jointly and severally liable for the guarantee. The OCC may direct the bank to seek payment of the full amount of the guarantee from any and all the companies issuing the guarantee.
Failure by the company to perform fully its guarantee will constitute a material failure to implement the Bank's capital restoration plan and will subject the bank to the provisions of 12 U.S.C. 1831o(f)(1)(B)(ii) applicable to banks that have failed to implement a capital restoration plan. In addition, the bank may be subject to enforcement actions pursuant to 12 U.S.C. 1818, including civil money penalties, for failure to comply with an OCC regulation.
The OCC will not approve any CRP unless each company controlling the bank submits a written guarantee of the plan. The purpose of the guarantee is for the holding company to provide a financial commitment and appropriate assurances of performance to the OCC that the company's subsidiary bank will comply with the bank's CRP.
The guarantee should, at a minimum, provide the holding company's financial commitment guaranteeing the bank's compliance with the CRP. In addition, the guarantee may include assurances that the company will (1) take actions required by the CRP, (2) ensure that competent management will be selected, (3) restrict transactions between the bank and the company, and (4) discontinue certain risky or inappropriate bank or affiliate activities.
Depending on the company involved, the guarantee may also include "appropriate assurances of performance" such as a promissory note, a pledge of holding company assets, appropriate assurances from bank holding company counsel, a holding company board of directors resolution or other supervisory actions deemed necessary in order to ensure performance.
Attached is a sample guarantee companies may use when guaranteeing capital restoration plans to assure performance. The sample guarantee:
The guarantee is patterned after a standard commercial guarantee. It requires the controlling company to perform on its guarantee when the bank notifies the company that the bank has failed to comply with its CRP. If the bank declines or delays in enforcing the guarantee, the OCC may take action directing the bank to enforce the guarantee or take any other action under PCA or 12 U.S.C. 1818 as may be appropriate. In the event the bank is placed in receivership, the FDIC as receiver would be entitled to the proceeds of any contribution by the company.
Section 1831o(e)(2)(C)(ii)(II) states that the holding company must provide "appropriate assurances of performance" to satisfy the guarantee requirement. These assurances will vary on a case-by-case basis depending on the bank's condition and willingness to implement changes, the strength of the holding company, and other relevant factors.
In the case of a cooperative, strong holding company controlling an undercapitalized bank, the OCC will generally not accept a bank's CRP unless it includes a written guarantee from the company along with a copy of its audited financial statements.
In other cases, a pledge of certain non-banking assets may be required. For example, a financially weak holding company that controls an undercapitalized bank will generally be required to pledge assets to secure its guarantee. Similarly, a holding company that controls a significantly or critically undercapitalized bank will generally be expected to include a contractual pledge of assets regardless of financial strength. A security agreement and a UCC-1 financing statement may also be expected when collateral is pledged to secure the holding company's guarantee before the OCC accepts the bank's CRP.
In addition, if the pledged assets are not of a type that a national bank can legally hold, the pledge agreement should provide that the assets will be liquidated within six months of being contributed to the bank.
The need for a pledge also depends on the organizational structure of the holding company. In a multi-tiered holding company, each company is jointly and severally liable for implementation of the bank's capital restoration plans. So, for the bank's CRP to be acceptable, each company must guarantee the CRP and provide adequate assurances of performance. Intermediate shell holding companies may, however, rely on the financial resources of the parent company or of a third party as adequate assurance of performance on the guarantee.
In the case of a shell holding company or a company that has limited resources, a guarantee will be required for the bank's CRP to be acceptable. Given the company's lack of resources, however, a pledge of assets will not generally be required. Instead, the OCC will evaluate the CRP on the same basis that it evaluates plans submitted by banks owned by individuals. If the OCC would approve a CRP submitted by a bank owned by an individual, it will approve a similar CRP submitted by a bank owned by a shell holding company.
The OCC may also request that the bank and the company obtain a legal opinion from the bank holding company's counsel that the guarantee and any pledge of assets securing such guarantee, if applicable, constitutes a legally binding commitment against the holding company that is given in the ordinary course of business for adequate consideration.
In evaluating a holding company guarantee, the OCC may consult with the appropriate Federal Reserve Bank on the condition of the holding company and its ability to fulfill its guarantee. The OCC may also consult with the FDIC on the terms of the guarantee to ensure that the FDIC's interest as receiver would be protected if the bank is later placed in receivership.
The adequacy of any guarantee and assurances of performance by a controlling company will be determined on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate OCC supervisory office.
Responsible Office
For further information, contact Special Supervision at (202) 649-6370.
Stephen R. Steinbrink
Related Links


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will it have aids
Apr 2, 2007
hi my name is david, when i have a cut on my penis will my own sexual fluid cause aids through cuts on my penis..?
Response from Dr. Frascino
Hello David,
You are wondering if your own spunk could give you HIV/AIDS??? Oh my . . . . David, I hope you're a youngster just learning about the wonderful world of sex. Obviously, you're not learning about it in school. Are you home schooled per chance? If not, I can only assume Dubya's "abstinence only sex-education" policy has struck again, leaving our students confused and potentially at risk by withholding age-appropriate sex education, including information about STDs/HIV/AIDS and prevention methods, including condoms. David, you are not alone. See below.
Dr. Bob
Is it possible (CAN YOU GIVE YOURSELF HIV/AIDS?) Jan 3, 2007
I was curious about something, and that's is it possible in any capacity for a man to give hiv or aids to oneself. Like say some of your own cum just a little bit touched a cut that was mostly healed or looks dark red. Basicaly. Can you give yourself HIV?
Response from Dr. Frascino
Another QTND (question that never dies) and ATNC (answer that never changes).
See below.
Dr. Bob
very Urgent Question May 22, 2006
I recently masterbated, once i had finished i realised that some sperm had gone onto a scab on my hand, is there any chance of an STI/STD/HIV or anything, this answer really matters to me as i am only a teenager and afraid of the consequences of any STI/STD. Please answer doc, thanks you.
Response from Dr. Frascino
No, there is absolutely no chance you can contract a sexually transmitted illness from yourself! STDs involve germs (viruses and bacteria) that spread from an infected person to another person via sexual activity. Masturbation, choking the chicken, spanking the monkey or whatever you want to call it involves only you and your hand. Some folks may refer to their hand as Mrs. Palm and her five daughters, but really we are only talking about one person here. And that's you, right?!? A person cannot give himself a disease he doesn't already have. Just as you can't give yourself a million dollars (because I assume you don't have a million dollars, right?). You can't give yourself HIV, because you don't have that either. The bottom line is that your jizz is perfectly safe, so no worries unless you spunk up your parents' furniture (or Monica Lewinsky's blue dress). And even those kinds of stains, although they can lead to problems, they can not lead to STDs, OK?
To those reading the forum, here we have another fine example of how sex education is shamefully lacking in our schools. Teenagers should not be worrying about contracting HIV form burping the nephew and getting a bit of baby batter on their hands!!! Demand age-appropriate, science-based sex-education curricula in the public schools. Refuse to allow Republican rightwing fanatics, who insist on abstinence-only programs, to confuse and potentially harm our youth. Multiple scientific studies have now clearly shown that abstinence-only sex-education programs not only don't work, but they can actually cause harm by not teaching our kids what they need to know to stay safe and healthy.
Dr. Bob
self-masturbated with wound on hand Aug 12, 2006
i'm 21 years old, and last night i masturbated myself, and i happened to have an open wound on my left hand. my right fingers touched a wet spot on a towel i was using. i was about to wash my hands, i noticed my right hand was touching that wound.
am i putting myself at HIV risk if my own semen came in contact with my open wound?
Response from Dr. Frascino
You are 21 and you are still concerned about contracting HIV from yourself via masturbation and contact with your own spunk??? Let me guess. You were home-schooled and come form a devoutly religious family, right? Hmmmm. Another one!!!!
Now let's think this through logically, OK? Do you really think it's possible to create HIV a virus out of thin air just by spanking the monkey??? HIV is as germ. It can be transmitted from one infected person to an uninfected person by unprotected sex. You cannot give yourself HIV anymore than you can give yourself measles, mumps, syphilis or tuberculosis, OK?
I suggest you spend some time reviewing the wealth of information on this site related to how HIV is, and is not, transmitted.
I also want to remind all readers of this forum that this is yet another example of why we need age-appropriate sex education programs in our schools!
Dr. Bob
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text:
L. Branson (Levi), b. 1832
Branson & Farrar's North Carolina Business Directory for 1866-'67, Containing Facts, Figures, Names and Locations.
Raleigh: Branson & Farrar, 1866.
Title Page Verso
Return to Menu Page for Branson & Farrar's North Carolina Business Directory...\ by L. Branson
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November 1, 2012
Shortly after HIV enters the body it infects cells of the immune system. As these infected cells are carried by the blood stream, HIV is spread throughout the body, including to the brain and spinal cord -- the Central Nervous System (CNS). HIV does not infect brain cells, but it does infect cells of the immune system that travel to or are permanent residents of the brain. These HIV-infected cells release proteins and chemical signals that cause inflammation and impair the functioning of brain cells. If left untreated, HIV infection can eventually result in serious neurological issues -- causing the brain to shrink, affecting clear thinking, bringing about difficulty controlling muscles and movement, degrading memory and key reflexes, and inciting changes to personality.
In high-income countries such as Canada, Australia and the United States and in regions such as Western Europe where potent combinations of anti-HIV therapy (commonly called ART or HAART) are widely available, severe HIV-related neurocognitive problems are no longer common compared to in the pre-HAART era. However, some research teams have reported that very mild neurocognitive impairment, detectable only with sophisticated and complex testing, appears to be relatively common among some ART users in the current era. The reasons for this are not clear but might be related to the following:
At present, ART generally refers to at least the following combinations of drug classes:
When starting therapy for the first time, one of these combinations is usually prescribed. Among treatment-experienced patients, sometimes more complex regimens are used.
Standard ART is expensive. Some doctors and their patients are also concerned about potential side effects from ART and would like to use fewer therapies. To try to find simpler regimens of anti-HIV drugs, researchers, mainly in Western Europe, have been conducting clinical trials of simplified therapy -- particularly based on a protease inhibitor boosted with a small dose of ritonavir (Norvir). This is generally called protease inhibitor monotherapy (PI monotherapy).
The drugs most commonly used for PI monotherapy are as follows:
In general, most clinical trials of PI monotherapy have found that such combinations are not as effective as standard triple therapy, the cornerstone of ART. However, in such trials when virologic failure occurred among participants given PI monotherapy, adding two nukes to their regimen was able to return HIV viral load to less than 50 copies/ml in 93% of cases.
Based on published clinical trials so far, researchers estimate that the risk of PI monotherapy failing after one year is about 10%. However, it is important to bear in mind that most trials of PI monotherapy have had relatively small numbers of participants and did not last for more than one or two years. As a result, the overall long-term safety and effectiveness of PI monotherapy is not known.
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Eptesicus fuscus
|Scope: Global
Language: English
|Scientific Name:
|Eptesicus fuscus (Beauvois, 1796)
Common Name(s):
|Taxonomic Notes:
|Subgenus Eptesicus. Caribbean forms reviewed by Timm and Genoways (2003).
|Red List Category & Criteria:
|Least Concern ver 3.1
|Year Published:
|Date Assessed:
|Miller, B., Reid, F., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., Cuarón, A.D. & de Grammont, P.C.
|Solari, S.
This species is listed as Least Concern in because of its wide distribution, presumed large population, occurrence in a number of protected areas, tolerance to some degree of habitat modification, and because it is unlikely to be declining at nearly the rate required to qualify for listing in a threatened category.
|Previously published Red List assessments:
|Range Description:
|The Big Brown bat is found from southern Canada to Colombia and Venezuela; Greater Antilles; Bahamas; Hispaniola, Dominica and Barbados (Lesser Antilles), also in Alaska (Simmons 2005). A record from northern Brazil is dubious (Davis and Gardner 2008).
|Countries occurrence:
Native:Barbados; Belize; Canada; Colombia; Comoros; Costa Rica; Cuba; Dominica; Dominican Republic; Guatemala; Haiti; Honduras; Jamaica; Mexico; Nicaragua; Panama; Puerto Rico; United States; Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
|Additional data:
|Range Map:
|Click here to open the map viewer and explore range.
|It is reasonable to speculate that populations of the big brown bat have increased with an increasing number of human habitations (Baker 1983). Big brown bats can survive up to 19 years in the wild and males tend to live longer than females. Most big brown bats die in their first winter. If they do not store enough fat to make it through their entire hibernation period then they die in their winter roost. Female big brown bats form maternity colonies to rear young. The size of these colonies can vary from 5 to 700 animals. Males of the species roost alone or in small groups during this time. Both sexes will roost together again in the late summer (Nowak 1999).
|Current Population Trend:
|Additional data:
|Habitat and Ecology:
|The big brown bat inhabits cities, towns, and rural areas, but is least commonly found in heavily forested regions (Kurta 1995). Some bats require stable, highly insulated environments in order to hibernate. Eptesicus fuscus has a more tolerant constitution so it can winter in less substantial structures. Besides human dwellings, it has been found to take up residence in barns, silos, and churches. Also, this bat has been found roosting in storm sewers, expansion joint spaces in concrete athletic stadiums, and copper mines (Baker 1983). In pre-settlement times it is presumed the big brown bat roosted in tree hollows, natural caves, or openings in rock ledges. Occasionally groups of these bats are still found living in tree cavities (Baker 1983). Recently, some were found hibernating in caves in Minnesota (Knowles 1992).
The big brown bat hibernates in various structures, either man-made or natural environments. They prefer cool temperatures and can tolerate conditions many other bats cannot. They may become active during their winter hibernacula and can move to an optimum habitat. One banded bat was recorded to have moved to a different cave 400 yards away, during the same winter (Goehring 1972).
Eptesicus fuscus is an insectivorous bat. It preys primarily on beetles using its robust skull and powerful jaws to chew through the beetles' hard chitinous exoskeleton. It also eats other flying insects including moths, flies, wasps, flying ants, lacewing flies, and dragonflies (Baker 1983). One study indicated that juvenile E. fuscus ate a greater range of softer food items in their diets, compared to adults. The same study also indicated that bats having survived their first winter (yearlings), did not differ significantly in diet from the adults (Hamilton and Barclay 1998).
|Major Threat(s):
|Big Brown Bats are fairly common and are not of any special conservation concern.
|Conservation Actions:
|It is found in a number of protected areas through its geographic distribution.
|Miller, B., Reid, F., Arroyo-Cabrales, J., Cuarón, A.D. & de Grammont, P.C. 2016. Eptesicus fuscus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2016: e.T7928A22118197. . Downloaded on 24 September 2018.
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So, this month we're getting To, Rideback and Blu-rays of Stand Alone Complex compilations and movie and Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door - Gundam Unicorn on DVD, the Go Nagai super robots of Mazinkaiser SKL, a new set of "real robot" great Ryousuke Takahashi's mostly not great mech vs bugs series Blue Gender . I think I'm forgetting something too...
best month for sci-fi anime in years?
Anime Spotlight: Rideback
DVD/Blu-ray Complete Series
Released by FUNimation
Rideback works some classic formulas in a fresh fashion. There are good, interesting reasons why it can do classic formula well, and good, interesting reasons why it can do fresh well. Unfortunately, it ultimately fails to stick the landing. Even granting it some points for its membership in the underrepresented sci-fi genre, and underrepresented in North America sports genre, peaking three quarters the way through, it lacks the ultimate idea or statement that would elevate it from solid, kindof remarkable to really memorable.
The rideback of the title is a sort of highly mobile two wheeled robot/motorcycle that have attracted both sub/counter culture and military interest.
Rin Ogata was born September 11, 2001. I don't think that the anime ever makes this point, but that it is both inessential and fitting is appropriate to what the anime does. The child of a renowned ballerina, groomed and possessing the potential to be the successor to her mother's place in the spotlight, she knew of, but was isolated from the changes and troubles of the wider world. In the background, an authoritarian regime is consolidating global power, and the world is changing as a consequence, Rin's insulated from it. She's then struck by personal hardship. In 2014, her mother dies in an earthquake. In 2016, she earns a key role, but in 2017 breaks her leg. The point is made that she may or possibly may not to be able to return to the previous heights she had achieve, but she could return to the stage. Yet, she doesn't. Her father leaves the family to stage an American production, something the anime doesn't make explicit, instead just finding Rin and her adolescent brother in the care of their paternal grandmother. In 2020, as the anime opens, Rin enters the Musashina University for the Arts.
There's a highly underrated anime called Air Master, with superlative fight animation from Dragon Ball's Daisuke Nishio. It follows Maki Aikawa the 16 year old who was coached by her mother into prominence as a gymnast when she was young, but has been living alone and unmotivated since the death of her mother. The anime finds her, now over 6 feet tall, as she breaks out of a depressed haze when she discovers the stimulus of street fighting.
This story works a bit like that. Rin stumbles onto a rideback, specifically the strange Fuego model, and on it, discovers she can "dance" again. She's soon spending her time with the school's rideback club. Interest/amusingly, it is an arts school, so I think there's reference to the tech dweeb tuning the ridebacks and driving club enthusiasm being a literature major.
In sports anime/manga fashion Rin is soon butting heads with the club's aggressive veteran rider, and entering racing competitions. Except, circumstances, secrets and incautiously allowing herself to be surveyed puts Rin in the sights of the military regime's ambitions.
Manga creator Tetsuro Kasahara evidently likes cute girls and mecha... conventional enough, but he takes them into unconventional, rarely moe territory. He started off with Edison Fantasy Science, about a girl questing a post-apocalyptic landscape with blue-print producing machine "Edison Stein," from seinen, occasionally loli-ish, occasionally pretty screwed up anthology Comic Birz (Benkyo Tamaoki's Tokyo Red Hood being a classic example of both qualities). He recently did mecha series Tandem Lover for yuri (female homosexual romance) anthology Tsubomi. And, he's now doing another seinen mecha racing series, XADrunner.
Kasahara's Rideback is a cute girl mecha racing manga from Ikki. Viz is web serializing a selection from the anthology in English on their Sigikki site, and a glance will tell you that Ikki is not the home of works that evoke "oh, that's manga" responses. Instead, its manga are unconventional and radically distinct, even from each other.
The 70's played a big part in shaping modern anime and manga, whether it was Go Nagai's mecha and transforming magical girls or influential sports series like Aim for the Ace! A decade later, the 70's social climate, and its radical politics and protest movements would start filtering into anime with works with Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira and Mamoru Oshii's Patlabor.
Utilizing a 2000's perspective, as much as Rideback looks back to and updates the sports tropes of the 70's, it looks back to and updates the protest influences of the 80's. This constitutes a weird, often violent, mix of escape and reality, reflected in the way the ridebacks are both an instrument of libration and a tool of law enforcement and military forces drunk with authority and the extra empowerment of technology.
I suspect that Kasahara does enjoy drawing youngish characters, but the approach is a ways more considered than just taste or anime/manga tradition. After all, Ikki is an anthology that does in fact feature manga with adult characters.
The characters have a Mohiro Kitoh (Shadow Star/Narutaru, Bokurano: Ours) litheness to them, that makes them look discernibly young in a way that underscores their vulnerability, but, they are by no means kids. That the people involved are youthfully temperamental, naive, energetic, and also susceptible to being badly handled by the system factors into the series.
And, again, the ridebacks offer a nice juxtaposition. While they are by no means giant robots, Kasahara has a head for detailed mecha designs, and, unprotected by any enclosure, characters are pretty high of the ground on fast moving machines. As such, it's the rare anime/manga case that does convey the exhilarating danger of operating a powerful machine.
Rideback is directed by Atsushi Takahashi, who steps up from storyboard work, as well as an assistant director post on Spirited Away. He doesn't manage a dazzling series. It is notably TV scales especially given that Takahashi and Madhouse's involvement invites comparison to their bike racing theatrical anime Nasu: Summer in Andalusia. He does succeed in establishing a specific look and spirit. He gets the height, weight and speed of the rideback, such that it really seems like watching someone on top of a machine with some horsepower. When Rin takes to one naturally, there is something special about it. The anime keys into the mania and mania is important. It's what keeps the story of a ballerina turned mecha racer from becoming laughable. It's what validates and drives a character like Rin, functioning as a more exciting, dangerous motivation than. "I'll be the best." And, as Rin's mech dances on screen to Mussorgsky, as much as there's physical danger of tipping and spilling off the machine, there's a secondary danger of losing balance and control to that mania.
What really grabs attention in the credits is that the series is written by Hideo Takayashiki, who worked on the classic boxing anime Ashita no Joe, the adaptation of Rumiko Takahashi's boxing series One Pound Gospel and her apartment complex relationship epic Maison Ikkoku, the 80's anime adaptation of Osamu Tezuka's Phoenix, the 1980 Astro Boy revival and 80's new Tetsujin 28 too. More recently, he was on the Madhouse X-men anime and the cult gambling series Kaiji.
Knowing this history explains a lot, because it's clear that Rideback was put together by someone who knows how to write. It doesn't have trouble condensing a 10 volume manga into a 12 episode TV series. It doesn't resort to Hail Mary passes trying to get the anime to work, and instead manages an impressively competent, and especially, confident adaptation. In terms of going off the original page, think Game of Thrones' willingness to invent new scenes and conversation of spell out what was implied in the original so as to better serve the new medium's audience.
A character whose role plays out in something like 100 pages of the manga has her presence expanded to cover course of the anime, and she serves her purpose well. An antagonist is propped up to offer an opposing force to press the other side of the anime. Anime is so often stain by tentatively written or out of places characters invented for the medium that it's remarkable to finds ones who are more less invented fit in so well.
Learning that these are invented or significantly altered cast members is unlikely to come as a shocking surprise to a series viewer, and yet, Takayashiki smartly and aggressively reworks the elements well enough that natural cohesion is fully re-established. You wouldn't necessarily spot the repaint if you didn't know it was there.
As effectively as Takahashi and Takayashiki establish Rin, the spirit of sitting on a rideback, and her network of relations, the anime doesn't stick the landing. It feels like it runs out of things to say three quarters the way through.
Given it's effecting demonstration of power run amuck, you wouldn't call the anime conservative. However, it doesn't go out on a limb to the extent that the manga does. For the sake of maintaining tone, it's not too objectionable for gonzo parody bits, whether they're bizarre overt Akira references (the anime make that more subtle) or Gilliam-esque characters, to be excised. It skips an odyssey into military authority, and that has the excuse that it wasn't going to fit into a 12 episode series.
A more debate side of the series' confident approach to rewriting is that it swaps some of the most politically charged situation. Rin gets an early rideback high jumping into a violent situation to save her long time friend. In the manga, this occurs in a student protest turns into a staggering police riot. In the anime, she's aving her friend from a hostage situation in which the confidant just happens to be in harm's way when terrorist take action.
Takayashiki knows how to construct credible characters and arc their stories over an anime series. There's little sense that he's Mamoru Oshii and Kenji Kamiyama in his interest/willingness to throw some political accelerant in the fine tuned engine of his story.
There's a push for the regime to cede power, and it's not a black and white good rebels versus evil empire, but there's few clues to what might be next. There's a sort of "plague on both their houses" in the almost psychopathic lack of restraint in the military and terrorist leaders, but that's the leaders and not supposed to inform the whole political landscape. The protesters, who aren't the same as the terrorist, don't seem left wing or right wing. Especially given the notes of Akira, nationalism is curiously absent. There are vague clues that corporate powers might assert themselves in the next world order. "Vague" being the operative term.
I half want to defend this because I am genuinely half convinced that the lack of an idea is an and of itself an idea. This isn't Akira where rage inducing systematic failure is all around. It's the nails that are sticking out that are being pounded down. For the most part, characters like Rin are confused and disquieted rather than angry. In that, the key metaphor of the anime might be a sequence in which a protest flag is picked up and carried almost accidentally.
It's enough to make me second guess my impression that now might actually be a reasonable time for an Akira remake.
That justification may enhance the ideological robustness of the series, and even if I could be 100% convinced, I still don't think that Rideback is going to be remember a few years down the line. In manga discussions, I push the idea of "bookshelf manga" as the sort of titles that you'll want to own a decade down the line. The literature versus the pop entertainment. Death Note is thrilling manga, but its half life has past. This is a Death Note series. Rideback is solid anime, but it's not a Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex or Patlabor equivalent.
Anime Spotlight: To
Blu-ray+DVD Combo Pack.
Released by FUNimation
Wanting to like and be able to strongly recommend To isn't helping matters here.
The CG direct to video work adapts two stories from Yukinobu Hoshino's conflation of 1001 Nights and 2001: A Space Odyssey, 2001 Nights, covered in a previous column. In the original manga, explicit references to HAL and Scheherazade filter into generally hard sci-fi parables , along with nods to the likes of Paradise Lost, Asimov, and The Flying Dutchman.
Given that To is sci-fi for sci-fi fans and that anime doesn't do too much sci-fi these days in which the sci-fi isn't simply a conceit for more generic action... Given that it's CG... I had hoped that To could break out of some anime ruts and be broadly interesting. Unfortunately, what this really meant is that To found its own troubles.
Those troubles start with ungainly CG animation. It's hard to get over the visuals , and with the slow way that the productions likes looking over the models floating on screen, you're drawing obvious conclusions to where To's stories are going rather than letting them play out. I have a high regard for the source material, and the OVAs are faithful to it, but that original was very Cold War informed. The anime doesn't seem to have rethought the ideas, and lacking the grandeur and scale that have made the manga more timeless, it can't compensate for the call back to an earlier situation.
The Hoshino manga is comprised of 19 chapter lengthened "Nights." Each could be read in isolation as its own short story, with its own developed narrative, addressed concept and theme. However, there is also continuity between the Nights. This is sometimes direct. Something launched into the reaches of space in one will appear or be referenced in another, or a technology developed in one will enable and be named in another. Beyond those links, together the Nights plot a path into the stars as the stories chronicle humanity's Space Age. The political landscape is shaped to enable it. The species contends with the limitations of its technology, and as it begins employing exotic work arounds, new forms of propulsion are discovered. As humanity goes further into space, new forms of life are encountered. In this, 2001 Night's stories capture the birth, the development and maturation of an age of space exploration and colonization. What underscores it all is that the series ultimately also covers the fate of that stage of human evolution.
At the same time, 2001 Nights tries to deduce what might happen to humans if they departed from their home planet, By in large, what it finds is that as humanity takes leaps in terms of its ability to travel the stars, the species is still subject to its humanity.
In the future... parents will not be there for their children. In the future, younger generations will attempt to abandon the ways of older ones. Nations will feud. Species will go extinct due to humanity's foolishness. Technology will have unintended consequences. Neither the good times nor the bad times will truly be capitalized upon.
To adapts two of these stories, Night 12 (Symbiotic Planet) about representatives of feuding nations colonizing an alien world and Night 14 (Elliptical Orbit) about the relationship between the late middle age commander of an orbiting station and the young woman captaining a mining ship whose long travels have included numerous periods of cryogenic freezing. While the cumulative picture is lost in this spot adaptation and apart from the broadest of themes, these two stories have little drawing them together, these are two of the particularly memorable entries from 2001 Nights and as stories, are capable of standing alone.
In terms of animation, To is from the go to guy for this sort of CG material: Fumihiko Sori, who's anime work included the 2004 Appleseed and Vexille, and who applied his head for CG effects to live action directing efforts on Zatoichi spin-off Ichi and must seek out Taiyo Matsumoto sports manga adaptation Ping Pong.
There is a 1987 2D animated 2001 Nights adaptation, but if this sort of space and technology driven sci-fi work were to be adapted now, it would only be via someone like Sori. Anime industry skill in mecha animation in general has hollowed as talent has moved into video games, but attrition has really scrapped 2D mecha animation. For example. Mamoru Oshii commented that he had to produce Sky Crawlers jet dog fights in 3D for lack of skilled mechanical 2D animators.
While Sori's 3D, solid effects suggests concrete reality, they're actually more effective when reflecting the subjective than they are when they're meant to be objective. He's at his best in Ping Pong, when he's distorting time and perspective to get into the heads of the movie's particular characters in the moments of intense competition. Even something like the overused bullet time of Appleseed works well in Sori's approach. Or, at least it works when better than what's on screen is supposed to be taken as unfiltered reality.
When it's straight, it invites scrutiny and it is far from flatter by the light. That diminished ability to stylize or hide the flaws is especially true of To, which not only has plenty of slow pans over its sci-fi machinery, but also an abundance of conversation scenes allowing a study of the character models and animation. I suspect that mileage may vary on the former part, depending on a taste for studying mecha design, but you're also reminded that you're looking at a modeled form when it comes to the characters and marionette like floating (even when there's some sort of gravity) and jerky character movements are likely to be broadly annoying.
In terms of sci-fi, you have it playing both as a conceit or metaphor and as something to worth exploring in and of itself. In this way, the sci-fi concepts trace through the social ideas being addressed. To the seeks to balance this and, in practice one aspect isn't necessarily more intelligently handled than the other.
The sci-fi as metaphor bits do have some notes that resonate in ways that require a heart of stone not to feel a twinge at. Yet, few are so new or unexplored that they are going to be strikingly profound.
Symbiotic Planet is built around Russian/Western tensions, and if you're a child of the Cold War era, it's impossible to miss them. The way its super power states relate fails to reflect how most adults now think of geopolitics. Elliptical Orbit is rebuild around a more basic, fundamental human dynamic. At the same time, it has a reference to the "African War," and a refugee of that conflict speaking about "my continent." As a product of 2009, that seems like a symptom of being disinteresting in thinking things through and not minding the details in a way that makes sci-fi work.
2001 is a brilliant manga from a still active manga author, but that doesn't mean that a 2009 anime shouldn't rethink the 1984 work. Especially when compared to Rideback, To apparently just sits on what's on the page.
To is uninsteresting reather than unwatchable. Problem is, it's not a near miss. The sci-fi feels more rote than a serious attempt at offering intelligent supposition, where as Sori's animated models are more likely to shoo away than capture the imagination.
Manga Spotlight: Twin Spica
Volumes 4-8
by Kou Yaginuma
Released by Vertical
Twin Spica has started striking me a bit like Azumanga Daioh, a popular comedy manga that sought to capture the spirit of high school's in between class moments, only more serious and ambitious.
The newer volumes of Twin Spica haven't shaken my earlier assessment. It follows the efforts of a minimalisticly rendered, cherubically illustrated thirteen year old girl as she endeavors to become an astronaut. Up until its conclusion in 2009, the manga was serialized in Japan in Comic Flapper, a seinen anthology for males in their upper teens (or older). It's a little girl working to realize her dreams of going into space. You might be in high school, or college or on the job, working toward something of dubious significance, but here's a girl giving it her all to rocket out of Earth's atmosphere.
I still think that that is how Twin Spica appeals to its reader. However, I no longer think that it's also the engine for how the manga progresses. It's not that the manga is without machinery stamping out its chapters. It's that that machinery is defined by its exhaustibility, and in that the manga is driven by rarer, more ambitious and more impressive mechanisms.
For a contrast, look at Blade of the Immortal. The premise is Manji, after being granted a sort of punishing immortality, promises to kill a thousand evil men to atone for the hundred good men he killed, and, in order to do this, he commits to assisting Rin taking revenge on the renegade swords school that brutally killed her parents. There's a definite end, but "I'll be the pirate king" is a defined end too. In the middle, there's always room for one more adversary or encounter, such that the manga can run as long or as short as is dictated by some sort of consensus between the artist, the editor and the audience's attention. Here, Blade of the Immortal's Hiraoki Samura was talking about wrapping up Blade of the Immortal a decade ago.
While Twin Spica may have looked like it initially, it isn't a serial of dream threatening obstacles. There are still tests and tasks but those serve as opportunities to get to what the manga is really driving at.
The course here is set by XYZ axes. One axis is that dream to go into space. If there's a limit there, it's unknown and that big hope for something grand, maybe impossible is the hook for the manga.
The others are more close, and deep and interesting for those bindings.
First, there's the bond between Asumi Kamogawa and her confidants. The manner in which this is both knotted and untangled on the page is impressively planned. Asumi is thrown together with these people during her entrance to an astronaut training academy in the course of one of those early make-it or break-it challenges. That these folks are going to bond is anything but surprising, and yet, it's not simply oh, Marika is going to defrost a bit and Shu is going to drop his superior grin and join the crowd. "Wow, Asumi can do X! She saved my bacon! Why don't we be friends now?!"
Rather than Asumi simply proving herself to these people, what Twin Spica does is chart the hopes and histories of these other, fully realized characters, and, at the same time, develops the way that these people complement each other. This is impressively planned and meted out, as if Kou Yaginuma started with a real survey of the character landscape and then mapped that onto the long term plans for the manga such that the territory was revealed with credible, effecting timing. I suspect that unlike a Blade of the Immortal, Yaginuma couldn't work an Twin Spica over a dynamic span. Maybe it could be shut down early if needed, but it read too planned to be open ended. With a broad view that earns Twin Spica the adjective "novelistic" for more reason that just posessing a long story, secrets are kept or revealed, connections are made when it's true to the characters.
The other defining parameter of the manga is nostalgia. I always credited nostalgia's importance in Twin Spica. I was thinking of the reader's nostalgia for their big, probably unrealistic dreams, unbound by a day to day grind. However, nostalgia is also a key element within Twin Spica itself. There's references to the dreams that its adult characters have. And, Asumi and her peers anticipate their own nostalgia. Part of the reaction to the closure of a beloved planetarium is considering how its loss will feel from a distance, after the area has moved on and been redeveloped. Like in Azumanga Daioh, Asumi's experience at school is underscored by the fact that that the stage of life and its accompanying relationship with her peers is finite. There's a known, demarcation line, after which everything changes. There's no reason a young audience couldn't or shouldn't read and appreciate Twin Spica. However, I suspect that the manga is written more for people who remember their dreams and, if they are aren't feeling a bit of nostalgia, are precariously close to that position. Loss, connection, and limits are as responsible for the manga's power as its big dreams.
Manga Spotlight: 7 Billion Needles
Volumes 3 - 4
By Nobuaki Tadano
Released by Vertical
I suspect had 7 Billion Needles not been promoted as an adaptation of a Hal Clement golden age sci-fi ( it's been nominated for the Best Adaptation Eisner Award), I may have still suspected that it was in fact an adaptation. Early on, the work to alloy the alien symbiosis/man hunt concept of the original with the teen trouble tradition of manga, and the sci-fi spectacle of other visual media (anime and movies mostly) is evident. However, the manga eventually succeeded in this effort and began feeling like its own story.
7 Billion Needles goes into its second half with its plot and its subject's problems looking near solved and winds up veering into territory that is at once very familiar and very strange. Think of a lot of fairy tale-ish stories. In the first half the heroine encounters a through the looking glass world. That's comparable to 7 Billion Needles' sci-fi as metaphor stance. A self-isolated girl joins with a symbiotic alien and as she experiences life from that new joined , to overload the word, alien, perspective, she is prompted to engage the world in order to ferret out a second, far more dangerous extra-terrestrial. Some genuinely unexpected turns then set up the second half to the fairy tale. Having seen her world recast, in frantic rewind, the heroine rushes to retrace her process, fixing the troubles that she spotted on the way in.
Early on, 7 Billion Needles was reminiscent of other media, and as it cast thought elsewhere, it did the manga few favors. Fortunately, the coherences, and is instead, the manga becomes, sometimes reminiscent of other stories. That's less of an issue. In a bit of traditionalism complements the manga's objectives, and steadies a statement punctuated by some truly disconcerting sci-fi spectacles. Properly scaled, displaced dinosaurs are nice enough and Nobuaki Tadano proves to have a head and pen for them, but a spider/moth hybrid or a kill-it-with-fire worst mutated duck you've ever seen really puts an exclamation mark on 7 Billion Needles' more desperate moments. With a central metaphor that works, covered there and back again over a quick four volumes, 7 Billion Needles ultimately proves be a potent personal odyssey.
Manga Spotlight: Gantz
Volume 16
by Hiroya Oku
Released by Dark Horse
Ironically, the back of the book synosis opens with the statement "it's hard to tell who the heroes and villains are in Gantz these days." It's a valid comment in that for the first time, Gantz's iconic black skin-tight suit glad participants are fighting each other in earnest. It's not so much off the mark as tangential to it, in that the relative moral merit of those two faction couldn't be more apparent.
Gantz's shift from its "Red Phase" to its "Blue Phase" has meant a swap in the color used in the background of its covers, a bit of turn in a direction of the story, and a big swing in the nature of the sci-fi action series. Before peer pressured into stepping in front of an express train to save a homeless man resulted in his death, teen malcontent Kei Kurono wasn't exactly a shining example of humanity's best angels. Being resurrected, given sci-fi weaponry and told to exterminate pods on aliens on the streets of Tokyo didn't instantly improve him either. However, compared to the field, his overinflated and unjustified self regard wasn't too bad. A whole lot of brutal business rains down on the just and the unjust a alike, where humanity is populated largely by the latter. Gantz defined its first dozen or so volumes with this abrasive approach, paring harsh, body rendering violence with harsh characterizations. In light of the "Blue Phase," it was a curious decision to do that first. The gruesomeness of Gantz' violence could have been a turn off or appealing given the tastes of the manga reader. And, its misanthropy could have been intriguing, I was certainly interested to see the manga go down a sort of anti-wish fulfillment route, but it also could have similarly been audience alienating.
That there are villains and intensely unlikable people in this Blue Phase is nothing new to Gantz. A characters whose entre into the sci-fi action was going on a mass-murder shooting spree finds himself a pack of underlings in a gang of rapists. That Gantz has heroes and heroism not entirely new to the Red Phase. That they're not the rare exception is the radical new norm from the Blue Phase. Kei Kurono is valiantly, self-sacrificingly fighting to protect his girlfriend, and recognizing the merit in this and in his leadership, a group of other Gantz participants similarly risk their lives. There's a bullied teen who develops psychic powers, including the ability to kill the world's wrong doers... due to moral compunction, it's not something he's entirely morally at peace with. There's a martial artist after the fashion of video game characters like Street Fighter's Ryu. There's a late middle age man who despite being totally unexceptional, is exceptionally able to mentally handle this Gantz business. They throw their lot in with Kei, in part because some believe that he represents the best chance to surive, but beyond an exercise in game theory, because they're the good guys. Much of volume 16 is spent developing. It seems like, not because like prior Gantz exercises it's going to turn around and shockingly kill them off, but because we're supposed to invest some support. Earlier character chapters served a purpose like the slack that set up the punch of the oncoming devastation - Hwang Jang Lee waving his hands before whacking Jackie Chan with a shadowless punch. Maybe it's setting the reader up for an even harder kidney shot, but it seems to be planting its feet for something more concerted. There's some exciting potential in the notion of Gantz having a core of heroes for who can consistently put on a good fight and not just get slaughters.
Guest Anime Spotlight: Trigun: Badlands Rumbles
Review By Johnno
Screening in American theaters this Summer
To be released on DVD/Blu-ray by FUNimation September 27th
I took the opportunity to attend a 1-day 1-time only screening for Trigun here in select theaters across Canada. While Funimation was kind enough to make this happen, I fear that having it during a Wednesday in the middle of the week isn't that helpful for allowing a good number of fans to attend such viewings, despite that they might be the best accommodating timetable for theaters who don't care enough to screen anime films. Especially ones that aren't widely advertised or released by Disney, and especially aren't dubbed. There were only around 10 or so people when I attended. I'm sure more wished they could go, I know I personally wanted to watch Evangelion 2.0 when it released for a similar 1-day 1-time only screening last year, but I couldn't due to working late... I still appreciate that Funimation at least did this much and I will try my best to support future showings of other films I'm interested in.
This review is based on the Japanese language English subtitled version. I personally prefer the dubbed version of the Trigun series and I can't wait to see what how the dub for the film turns out. There were quite a few older people than younger folk in the audience I watched it with. I suspect it is because the Trigun series is probably better known amongst anime fandom during the 90s, so this particular film has been a long time coming… The theater screened the movie from a Blu-ray disc as it seems is typical for screenings of this sort. But the picture looked great blown up which is a testament to the quality of Blu-ray discs and it'll certainly be the format I'll pick this up on when it inevitably releases. Shilling for Blu-ray aside, the animation quality of the Trigun film isn't anything amazing or fluid compared to other theatrical feature films, even anime ones; but it is much much better than that of the original made-for-TV series, as is to be expected for a film! So on that front Madhouse did a good job updating Trigun's animation while still retaining much of the trademark wacky style that made the series so well loved. All the Trigun-style design work from the locales to the characters to the weapons to the use of Double Dollars as currency is all faithfully maintained here, but now with higher production values. But as I mentioned, it's not as big a quality shift from the original series, or at least it doesn't feel that way as compared to… say… the quality of the Rebuild of Evangelion films versus its original series… But this is in no way an issue. The film looks great, the animation is better while literally evoking the same style and feel of the series almost as if it were made around the same time. Fans of Trigun will instantly feel at home and love everything about it from a production point of view.
But some expectations should also be set… The film's story takes place in between the series, which is a sensible decision, given it's the first Trigun film and one would want to take the opportunity to use all of its famous characters as it reasonably can. So we of course have Vash the Stampede who's the same over-friendly, over-dramatic, womanizing, crybaby, hilariously skilled gunman we know and love. Meryl & Milly also return, as does Nicolas D. Wolfwood. Also that cheeky black cat... Given the timeframe of the film, Vash is still on the search for Knives and as of yet has not gone through the events that the Gung-Ho Guns put him through which escalates towards his final confrontation with Knives that the TV series covers. So the film's plot does not reach anywhere near the same crescendo of emotion and turmoil that the latter half of the series covers. In fact the film ought to be best approached as a standalone episode of the series prior to the events that really bring Trigun's story, and Vash the Stampede's past and raison d'être, to the forefront. There is no mention of Rem or Knives or anything about why Vash is a wanted man. Newcomers whose first introduction to Trigun might be this film will be left out of the loop on a lot of details that only fans who know the series will appreciate. However, the film on its own is still enjoyable and could very well make newcomers interested in checking out the classic series, or the manga for that matter. I'd personally recommend that the film is best enjoyed by those who've at least watched the first half of the series past Wolfwood's introduction in order to best enjoy the film, which is ideally not really some epic standalone story, but rather more like a good lengthened episode from the series.
That out of the way, the story of Trigun Badlands Rumble involves Vash chasing after a criminal he let escape 20 years in the ago known as 'Gasback' who is a master thief obsessed with pulling off the perfect robbery. On the journey he encounters 'Amelia' a beautiful femme fatale who is also chasing after Gasback along with hundreds of other bounty hunters. They arrive in the town of Macca City that Gasback is rumored to be targeting as a personal vendetta against the mayor who was once a criminal who betrayed him during a heist. Amelia has a more personal score to settle with Gasback and is annoyingly followed by Vash who has set his sights on wooing her. Meryl and Milly also show up in town on an immediate assignment that takes them off their duties of following Vash to immediately address the situation of the town's safety considering that one of the town's iconic and gaudy monuments is insured for a ridiculously high amount and their insurance company is worried about have to pay the sum if tension in the city escalates.
Everything you love about Trigun is here, from the humor, to the plants, to the sand steamers, to the gun fights, to a cast of colorful villains and low-lives. The story also once again thematically challenges Vash's stubborn idealism for protecting lives at all costs and not allowing significant harm to occur to anyone around him, including the antagonists. Because Vash allowed Gasback to live, many others have suffered as a result of his refusal to halt a known and dangerous criminal permanently when he had the chance. Now Vash has the responsibility to set things right, but how will he handle it and face the consequences of his actions?
Badlands Rumble is well written and filled with Trigun nostalgia from beginning to end. If you're a fan of Trigun, the film is not to be missed! If you haven't ever seen Trigun, the film could be a great preview of what the TV series contains, though it's better appreciated with the series in hindsight. One wonders if this could open the door to more Trigun films, but how much more can they develop Vash if they stick to more stories within the series? One hopes for the possibility that a new film could be made following the end of the series… I'm definitely open to it! We missed you Vash ol' buddy! Here's hoping we'll see you again!
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|View Poll Results: Umineko no Naku Koro ni - Episode 26 Rating
|Perfect 10
|9 out of 10 : Excellent
|8 out of 10 : Very Good
|7 out of 10 : Good
|6 out of 10 : Average
|5 out of 10 : Below Average
|4 out of 10 : Poor
|3 out of 10 : Bad
|2 out of 10 : Very Bad
|1 out of 10 : Painful
|Voters: 223. You may not vote on this poll
|Thread Tools
|2009-12-23, 16:58
|Link #101
Unchangingly Hopeless
Join Date: Jan 2007
I liked the episode. I didn't have high expectations, anyway.
Spoiler for Details:
It was fun while it lasted. I see no reason for Chiru not to get animated if it's financially viable. It's always a way to attract more people.
|2009-12-23, 17:32
|Link #103
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Where you're not.
Overall, this episode has been more of a "fuck yeah" for me.
|2009-12-23, 17:33
|Link #104
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Where you're not.
|2009-12-23, 17:36
|Link #105
Join Date: Aug 2009
|2009-12-23, 17:39
|Link #106
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Buffer overflow
Plus, all of the lines I mentioned either weren't said at all or didn't have the red truth sound. The sound didn't play for any of them.
|2009-12-23, 18:14
|Link #108
Junior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
They're the same fucking scenes... If they aren't memorable that's not DEEN's fault.
I don't understand what people's issue with the show is... It's a perfectly fine adaption, not perfect but no adaption is. A lot of you act as if another company could do better but really it'd be the same. You'd all be bitching about something as if it was the end of the world. I saw complaints that the anime would suck far before it actually aired. Complaints that the voices were unfitting, that the designs were horrible and did not do the game justice, and more. Most of you would never have been happy with this adaption, not because of DEEN, but because you're typical fans. But you know what? You really made out just fine. You act as if this anime was as godawful as the Transformers movies, an adaption that barely even concentrated on the characters and stories, or as rushed of an adaption as Chaos;Head anime. Sorry to tell you but DEEN did a good job with this show.
The Japanese seemed to like it. I've read posts like "they're just to shy to admit they hate it.", but these are people who have sent death threats to creators and directors for making choices they disagree with. They recently attacked a Mangaka's blog for such a thing actually. Poor sales aren't because of hate, it's because they just download shows or watch some other way due to high prices with low episode counts. The Umineko DVDs are about 50-60 dollars for two episodes...
Below is a picture of Amazon Japan's reviews for the series as proof that it's being recieved pretty well. Most comments on 2chan are pretty positive too.
Spoiler for picture:
Yes the second one was Google translated, but Google translate doesn't butcher meanings so much that the post could mean anything else. There are plenty of other post just like it as well.
Most of you need to sit back and watch the show without comparing it to the visual novel and maybe you'll realize that DEEN did a pretty good job. Things like "There is no Umineko anime" are just stupid when you made out with a pretty good show in the end. You're ruining it for the poor anime only people that want to enjoy this series but can't because everytime they do someone has to constantly tell them that the show is bad and that they should just read the VN and ditch it.
And yes I have read the visual novel.
|2009-12-23, 18:19
|Link #109
Homo Ludens
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Canada
Age: 28
It's not the adaptation itself that's necessarily bad; it's that DEEN makes the strangest directorial and musical choices; furthermore, they're prone to incredible animation and logistical errors.
Another, more competent studio, although they would probably have made similar cuts, would have created a much more polished product. (For example, actually having red text where it's supposed to be.)
Also, regardless of general opinion towards the show... sales have regardless been very low, and it's sales that dictate everything.
|2009-12-23, 18:22
|Link #110
Join Date: Dec 2009
Sales might actually pick up once the series ends, who knows?
DEEN has dropped the ball several times - it's what they do. They've even fucked up royally at points. Since it looks like there was no hug, not even as much as a "My golden witch" added in at the end, i'd hate to say they ended with another fuckup. Someone there really hates that pairing.
Seriously, I'm thinking that Chiaki Kon is a bigger brocon fan than Senka by this point.
|2009-12-23, 18:32
|Link #112
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2009
I found this episode quite exciting really.
Although, the Blue Stakes weren't exactly as I imagined; I thought it woul dbe wedges of Blue. Or at least the Blue Truth would transform into swords and fling to Beato.
However, I don't see any Red Truth (was it Budget problems?)
And Beato's emotions from the pain was horrible for me. I wish there was more love. Love love love!
|2009-12-23, 18:35
|Link #113
Plus her face scared me..
|2009-12-23, 18:43
|Link #115
Witch of Ambition
I'm really glad Umineko was animated because it's allowed me to get people into the series since anime is more accessible than the VN.
Complaining over little things like they didn't use a specific song is just silly imo. I LOVE the Umineko BGM but I'm more focused on the actual story and characters than the BGM when I'm watching it.
|2009-12-23, 18:59
|Link #116
Junior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Rage moar people, it's funny
Anyway, this episode was quite good.. Sure, the bgms lacked some impact and they removed the scene with battle finding everyone's corpses, but I know a lot of people who didn't read the VN and were satisfed with the episode/the anime in general, so this is what matters, isn't?..
|2009-12-23, 19:03
|Link #117
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
All DEEN had to do to have me overlook anything about this episode was to add dreamenddischarger, but I couldn't get even that.
I'll give the episode a 5, but just because that part of the story was already good. I've got to admit, I'm being extremely generous.
|2009-12-23, 19:04
|Link #118
Join Date: Feb 2009
To be honest, I think the anime was always doomed from the beginning. Since people were able to read the vs novel quite close to the time as the anime came out, or reading it along side the anime's airing, of course it wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations as people had just read "a completely awesome and memorable sound novel with very good build up of it's scenes" and they wanted an anime that was "completely awesome and memorable that did everything perfect, included everything that made the SN so great and memorable" but since the sound novel was SO long that they couldn't possible fit it all into a 26 ep season. Not too mention and the many MANY small things that may or may not have significance to the over all story of umineko, but make it awesome, it's not like they would be able to include everything.
The sound novel was created with no restrictions attached. They could make it how ever long they wanted, come up with what ever they wanted, and pretty much just do anything and it would be original to their story. But in creating an anime, they have so many restrictions, like time, being able to end and start an episode with perfect timing, trying to decide the best places in the story where to stop it for another week. And this is where everyone's opinions would clash with eachother on what would be the best choice.
And then the fan made ending. This also doomed the anime's ending, as it was free of... yet again, restrictions. They didn't have to worry about consistency as it was the only thing they animated. They also could have mad it as long as they wanted, as it was obviously not created for tv airing. They could also include any music they wanted as it was not anything official.
I think the sound novel players are too hard on the anime and kind of ruin it for people who do enjoy it. They should just take it for what it is. The anime isn't horrible and you can't say other wise because that is your opinion, but as long as there are people that are liking it, it doesn't make it truly *horrible*
|2009-12-23, 19:04
|Link #119
阿賀野型3番艦、矢矧 Lv165
Graphic Designer
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Belgium, Brussels
Age: 32
I really doubt you can claim that Ange's scene wasn't memorable, though I doubt the impact is the same, if you consider the music the timing and so forth.
Let's take another example: will you say it is the same scene when Battler was being denied by Beato, while everyone (ange included) didn't even budge (aside of lambda)? There is a difference between "similar" and "the same".
Are you going to tell me that "kanon being MIA" being omitted is a fine adaptation?
Again the real problem is how the direction has a lot to be desired. Suffice to say, if that is enough for you, good grief. But I assure you that the glaring mistakes and missing content hurt the franchise a lot. (Like chrono said, Episode 5 is nearly impossible to adapt because of a lot of mistakes).
I won't claim that some aren't overdoing it. However, I really wonder what is this all "righteous" stance about. So far, I see complaints, but no "you say shit, it is shit, don't dare claiming it is fine adaption" and so forth. But weirdly enough, I see the opposite, borderline "cut it off with the rant, it is fine", which is not all respectful to say the least.
Finally, I see lots of disappointments, without it being the end of the world. There is some dramatization, but these kind of righteous comment is nothing better, alienating criticism into drama while they aren't. Do not put words in people mouth.
The DVD selling is irrelevant, but it is unlikely you have a positive reception, should you at least check most of the japanese board (some reactions are actually worse than what you can find here).
As you can expect, there are a lot of shades of grey in the reception over there, so the whole "they did like the adaptation" looks like a totally random claim to me.
Considering the market over there, you don't buy that kind of dvd without watching the broadcast first and being pleased with it. So it doesn't take much thought process to conclude that most if not all people who purchased the DVD are happy with it. That doesn't represent a general point of view within the japanese fanbase, at all.
The rating reflect indeed the satisfaction of those who bought the DVD, but that doesn't mean everyone did. This is an abusive interpretation of evidence if you ask me.
Again, some people have too high expectations, but the general idea is that: when you have an adaptation, it has to be compared with the source material, period.
Do you honestly think the adaptation was primarly done for non VN reader? That is totally nonsense, considering how many fanservice detail were put that are totally obscure to the non vn watcher (virgilia's "gapgapgap" is the prime example of this).
Again, the purpose of an adaptation is to allow the watchers to discover a franchise with another format. By this, why would they have to go back to the source material if they aren't pleased?
Do they suddenly lose their right to criticize something they didn't like? So suddenly, if you didn't read the VN beforehand, it becomes rightful to criticize? I seriously wonder what is this kind of reasoning here.
So long it isn't a plain and silly bash (which still happens mind you), anyone has as much right to praise or rant about a series, regardless if they know about it or not.
And if you are so concerned about people who can't "enjoy" a series because they see so many people saying it "is shit", I think it is that within these persons' responsibility to figure if what they are told is true or not. I hope I'm not offending anyone, but since everyone is entitled to their opinion, they "should" at least consider their opinion more than others'.
Last edited by Klashikari; 2009-12-23 at 19:27.
|2009-12-23, 19:27
|Link #120
Wielder of the Bracelet
Ahaha you can't be serious, if a scene lacks any emotion then yes it IS DEENs fault, no one has to hate the anime but don't go and try and defend everything people say is wrong with it. DEEN basterdised the ending by not having ANY emotion, failing to actually make the text actually red/blue and by cutting out emotional elements like Battler hugging Beatrice. Don't try and place crap on the sound novel as a way to defend a terrible anime
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The annual Dogs Trust Honours Awards were held at Home House on 23rd July 2013.
Showcasing a wealth of heartwarming stories and celebrating a selection of the bravest dogs in the country, the awards highlight what a difference a dog can make to its' owner's life.
Celebrity host Adrian Chiles presented awards to the seven lucky winners, which range from outstanding pet dogs to the amazing humans doing their part.
From hundreds of nominations, the final seven were whittled down by the judging panel, which included Hugh Bonneville and Deborah Meaden, and their votes saw the following hailed as the winners of the Dogs Trust Honours 2013:
Hero Pet - Scampi
The 14-month-old Jack Russell saved his owner, Rosie, from an attempted sexual attack just three days after he was adopted from Dogs Trust Newbury.
Daily Mirror Hero Pet – Gypsie, voted for by readers
Staffie, Gypsie, alerted his owner Nicky to a fire in their home, avoiding any potential danger to either her or her daughter.
Hero Service Dog – Atrayu
Atrayu, a Newfoundland, is a constant companion for seven year-old Tolemey who suffers from Leukaemia. Through the support of his canine best friend he recently achieved his 25metre swimming badge.
Daily Mirror Hero Service – Alice, voted for by readers
Alice works as a Canine Partners assistance dog for ex-serviceman Melvin O'Dowd who is wheelchair bound following a bomb blast.
Dogged Devotion – Daisy
After Tracey's seven year-old son Jack recently lost his battle with brain cancer, Daisy joined the Marshall family and has helped Tracey with her grief.
Dog's Best Friend – Karen Lawe
Karen is the co-founder of The Deaf Dog Network, an organisation that supports the owners of deaf dogs and the dogs themselves. Karen dedicates herself to educating potential owners, breeders and rescue centres about how to work with and train deaf dogs.
Pawfect Company – Rambla Nursing Home
Rambla Nursing Home has an open-door dog policy. Sue Stone, a resident's daughter, nominated the home as they allow the Stone family dog, Spider, to regularly visit her mother so he can offer companionship, happiness and a familiar face to Mrs Smith.


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The new Rivals top 100 has a distinct San Andreas League flavor, as Arroyo Valley offensive tackle Michael Philipp is rated No. 75 and Cajon defensive back Marlon Pollard clocks in at No. 84.
Philipp was at the USC Nike Camp in Los Angeles this weekend (which you can read about more on the Prepdog's blog) and has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, UCLA and Washington, as well as Colorado. Pollard, a transfer from Valencia, is verbally committed to UCLA.