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Animated Clerk: Kevin Smith Influences the Masses
by Brandon Judell
America can never thank Red Bank, New Jersey, enough. Besides giving us Count Basie and Natalie (Gilligan's Island) Schaefer, this little city with lots of moxie has of late bestowed upon us a modern film icon, Kevin Smith.
Selling his comic book collection, Smith, who will turn thirty August 2nd, was able to fund the hit "Clerks" (1994) which he not only produced, wrote, edited and directed, but also starred in. Mick Martin and Marsha Porter described the cult favorite in their annual Video Movie Guide as a "trash-mouthed, smart-alecky, often hilarious deadpan comedy about attitude in the minimum-wage trenches." Who's to argue? What followed in quick succession were "Mallrats" (1995), "Chasing Amy" (1997) and "Dogma" (1999), making Smith into a sort of blue-collar Woody Allen (or an intellectual Todd Phillips) to his fans.
Now, this summer, on six Wednesdays in a row at 9:30pm EST, comes "Clerks," the TV series. Yes, ABC has decided to broadcast an animated version of "Clerks." Well, supposedly they'd rather not broadcast it. After the six episodes get shown, "That's all there will ever be," says Smith. "It's all done." And his relationship with ABC finished. "To say the least," he now responds.
At a press conference for the series during happier days, Mr. Smith shared: "I guess to understand, like, why we went with this choice of animation or animation at all, you have to understand the history of the project. ABC at first approached us and asked us if we wanted to do a game show, and they pitched us this crazy stupid notion of Regis hosting a game show. And we were, like, that will never fly. So we pitched our version, which was Kathie Lee hosting a game show. Something to the effect of 'Guess how many sweat shops she's operating now.' And they wouldn't go for that."
"So we said, 'Well, can we do a cartoon?' And they said, 'Yeah.' So we came up with this."
To get a little bit more dirt on the project, indieWIRE sat down with Mr. Smith last week and ended up discussing liberalism, homophobia, and film as an influential force.
indieWIRE: Now you've changed a lot mentally since you did the film "Clerks." Suddenly you're being this great liberal, erudite force in the industry.
Kevin Smith: I try, but you know to be quite honest, it's so easy to be liberal. All you have to do is fight the establishment. You thumb your nose at the establishment and you're instantly a liberal. I sometimes think that the liberal sense of humor is the easiest one to have. Anyone can do it so long as you rail against the establishment or even kind of position yourself with the underdog. And it's easy to position yourself with the underdog for me because I am the underdog. Lord knows I'm not a child of privilege and I wasn't born into the business. I had to kind of struggle to get in there, and I'm still making . . .
I mean I definitely got something of a reputation, and my films have been seen by people but they're still smaller films. Marginal films. So it's easy to kind of position yourself with other marginal groups and kind of get their backing. It's just easy and fun and right at the end of the day.
iW: But you're one of the few directors around whose films people will go to just because your name is attached to it. It's your product.
Smith: A small audience but, yeah, some of the cats will go out just because it's me. Maybe it's three of them, but I'll take all three. I'll take that eighteen dollars. But the thing is what I've found is fun to do with that audience, the built-in audience -- predominantly young white men, right, from the burbs all across the country -- it's nice to throw them a curve ball to kind of maybe enlighten them just a bit. Broaden their horizons, for example. I've gotten at least three, four, may five people posting on our web site in the last month alone, asking, "Hey, why did you make Jay gay all of a sudden?" Because in "Dogma," Rufus, the Chris Rock character, supposedly sees things, knows a lot of things. Because he's been dead, he gets to watch the living. And Jay is like "Tell me something about me." And Rufus goes, "You masturbate more than anybody on the planet." Jay goes, "Oh, everybody knows that. Tell me something nobody knows." Rufus goes, "When you do it, you think about guys." There were some people who are fans of ours, young white guys, who identify with that character, who were just like "Well, what the hell does that mean? Why is he all of a sudden gay? And what does that say about me?"
Which is something we heard on "Chasing Amy". Like the Banky character that Jason Lee played. I remember we had a test screening of "Chasing Amy," and there was a cat in the audience in the focus group afterwards who said, "Hey, I watched all Kevin Smith movies and like I loved 'Mallrats,' and I identify with Banky' the Jason Lee character 'cause I am that guy. I read comics, I go to the mall and I wouldn't fuck Shannen Doherty either. "Which I thought was a real funny line. The guy identified with Jason Lee's character in this movie but all of a sudden at the end he turns out to be gay. "What does that say about me?" And we're sitting in the back like "Well, it says you're fucking gay. What do you mean, what does it say about you?"
But it's great to throw them a curve ball once in awhile because you don't want to become the filmmaker that people know exactly what to expect from. You don't want to keep saying the same thing over and over. It's nice if you have people who are tuning in, who are going to be listening to what you have to say. To broaden their horizons a bit, man. Well, say, look with a character like Jay, whom you consider to be a real guy's guy and say this dude thinks about guys when he jerks off, obviously it's okay, isn't it? Doesn't it make it okay for you as well? Some people become a little more tolerant. You know you're in a position to do some good while you're entertaining.
iW: So you think film does have an influential force?
Smith: To some degree. Absolutely. It's not nearly as influential as the government would have you believe. It didn't influence Columbine as far as I'm concerned. But sometimes you can kind of impart a decent message depending on whom you're taking to. Like the predominant audience for our movie are people like you know fourteen to twenty-five. They fall into that age group. Those are impressionable minds. And if you can impart something to them that's positive or impart something to them that maybe they wouldn't think about normally or something that they're on the fence about. . . If you can convince one of them to be less of an asshole about something that is foreign to them, whether it be the gay community or the black community or just something that they're not a part of


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I have a question concerning the varieties and the color of shimano mineral oils for disc brakes. The oil that i was supplied with has a red/pink color shade. The oil that my LBS bled my brakes with (using the original shimano bleeding kit) was beige rather than pink. However they both smell the same silli baby oil smell. Any ideas?


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Equally happy working on a figure or portrait head in clay,
as welding recycled steel naturally patinated objects that have had a previous life, to create something new.
Qualified in Architecture at Manchester University, studied Sculpture at Kensington & Chelsea, and metal sculpture at Morley College and South Thames College. PGCE teaching part time at Heatherley's School of Fine Art Chelsea,The Art Academy Borough High Street, London, and Richmond Adult Education College (RACC Twickenham)
Works in clay, welded steel, terracotta and carved stone .
Early retirement from architecture has enabled more time to be devoted to a lifelong and increasing passion for sculpture and life drawing
Finds portrait heads fascinating,
and commissions even more so.
Membership Royal British Society of Sculptors
Chelsea Art Society
Surrey Sculpture Society
Art Workers Guild
Exhibited Royal Academy Summer Exhibition
The Society of Portrait Sculptors, Cork Street
Borde Hill Sculptural Art in the Garden
V&A (Inspired by exhibition)
Chelsea Art Society (council member)
Park Walk Sculpture Studios, Chelsea
Orleans House Gallery, Twickenham
Art on the Hill, Royal Hospital Putney
Putney Open Studios
RHS Wisley
Collections Work in private collections in
UK, Sweden , New York, and Australia


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mark frank etc. mercedes progress "astronomical"???? didnt they get a pole last year, and even won a race? how is coming fifth in the first race of a new season "astronomical"?? in race trim, they are still a second off the leaders


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We're in that momentary lull, just after the Oscars, and right before the spring and summer blockbuster season arrives, and some new posters are here to prime you with thrills, superheroes, scares and more. So strap in and prepare thy eyeballs.
First up, Empire has dropped yet another poster for "Iron Man 3," this time featuring our hero not beaten up or damaged, but instead looking ready to rumble. His house is falling into the ocean behind him, but bro has seven Iron Mans or Iron Men backing him up. Has Tony Stark built up an army of mecha-suit heroes? Is this just a case of Photoshop cut and paste gone awry? Where did smarmy, self-satisfied Tony Stark go? All will be revealed on May 3rd.


text: Grayson Help support the Illinois Innocence Project At IIP annual awards with IIP's John Hanlon. UI College of Law with attorney/professor Steve Beckett, IIP's Erica Nichols Cook, John Grayon, IIP's Larry Golden, law school student Steve Schott, and IIP's John Hanlon. Release. Release with IIP's Larry Golden and IIP's John Hanlon. Release with John Grayson and his uncle Larry Clark. Release with IIP's Erica Nichols Cook, John Grayson, and Grayson's uncle, Larry Clark. Release with IIP's Erica Nichols Cook, John Grayon, and John Hanlon. Release lunch with student, IIP Staff Attoryney Erica Nichols Cook, Attorney Steve Beckett, IIP Founding Director Larry Golden, Grayson's uncle Larry Clark, John Grayson, and IIP Executive & Legal Director John Hanlon. John Grayson on day of release. On release with law school student Steve Schott, IIP IIP student worker Erin Wilson, attorney Fred Morelli, John Grayson, uncle Larry Clark, IIP' Executive & Legal Director John Hanlon, IIP Staff Attorney Erica Nichols Cook, IIP Case Coordinator Rhonda Keech, IIP student worker Ken Cloyd, and IIP part-time staff attorney Gwen Jordan. John Grayson, day of release, with IIP's John Hanlon and IIP volunteer Sheila Stocks Smith. John Grayson visiting law school. John Grayson's IDOC photo. John Grayson – current.


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If you see people are arriving at your "widget lock washers" page with a search term like "widget painting", figure out why that is. Too many not-on-target SE arrivals probably implies you need to split some content off and give it its own page (with lots of internal links to it, of course). Remember: people finding what they were looking for explains much of Wikipedia's ranking success.
In case you missed it, I'll reiterate an important sub-point here. Your URL is the one thing on the Google SERP that you have 100% control over. Stop focusing on keyword stuffing your URLs and focus instead on using a URL that accurately conveys to the searcher what they'll get if they click on that link.
In fact, if Wikipedia is overlapping into your Long Tail content, then why not jump on their back to higher rankings? Look at their page devoted to "widget wuffling". Make your own page devoted to defining that content. But make yours better/different. Supply something they don't. OK, now you've got a ready-made link campaign that will work a whole lot better than begging for cross-links. Use search tools to find all the pages hot-linking to Wikipedia's "widget wuffling" page. Track down those author email addresses and make your pitch. "I noticed your 'widget wuffling' link to Wikipedia and just wanted to point out that it says wuffling was first used in 1857. However, it was actually first used in 1856, as I've documented on my page at [...]".
If you're staying awake, you've just realized that tracking down links to Wikipedia pages can be a real useful research tool for AdSensers in the content business.
Wikipedia dominates rankings for a lot of different reasons, but a lot of those reasons are things you can do as well or better than Wikipedia. And you're not handicapped by a lack of consistent style, a prohibition against commercial or controversial slants, or a horde of random visitors who keep patching your content when you're not looking! Don't hate Wikipedia -- learn from the free lessons they provide.
Printing this one for weekend re-reading.
Anyone know how the internal Wikipedia links are generated? Automatic suggestion, manual searching?
Just looked at the science portal page and noticed:
- inline links to external sites
- inline links to the Widget page (filename:widget, anchortext:widget)
- inline links to the Widget page (filename:widget, anchortext:widget-related term)
Who/ what determines the related term in the anchortext?
I would like to imagine a crawler that goes through my site, classifies my content and provides related terms (thesaurus) suggestions.
As one who thinks associatively by nature, and knows the thousands of pages of my sites almost too well, I do apply these links where I think they are appropriate, but not all sites are encyclopedias. Articles, for example, can become annoying to read with too many hyperlinks, from my personal experience, unless the hyperlink addresses -- as you say -- more detail for that particular reference. I think it is a common-sense to seek a balance, and I often hyperlink OUT of my site for information my site does not have. I don't worry about stickiness at all, as the reputation of my sites are based on helping the user find the best information available no matter where it may lie (including Wikipedia). I always liked the Google model of leading users elsewhere and thereby enhancing their reputation as a point of departure.
Having said that, I am not sure that I want the user who has found a particular page via a long-tail search to be distracted from the narrative of an article though excessive hyperlinks to related articles. But, as you point out, this is all a judgment call and really requires experimentation and creative thought in addition to analysis of users' activity on your site. Very good point of emphasis you have made.
I really appreciate the distinction that you made between "sticky" sites and those that are found via search, as an examination from that angle does change the way you think about the quantity of internal links you wish to use, though since this is an Adsense forum, the next question becomes whether users are more likely to click on ads if they find everything they want on your site moving from page to page! The Wikipedia experience would certainly not lead me to click on an ad unless I hit a "dead end" or "stub page" perhaps.
To me, it comes again to that paradox of advertising. If your content is too rich in links, no one will click on your ads of any kind. If it is not, they may well click, but you are not doing your job.
Thanks again for your thoughtful and rich remarks ronburk. This is the kind of thread that is enjoyable and educational to read, without requiring participants or the audience to be overly technical and using arcane references which tend to alienate those who do not live in the world of jargon.
To me, it comes again to that paradox of advertising. If your content is too rich in links, no one will click on your ads of any kind. If it is not, they may well click, but you are not doing your job.
I have the same conflict.
I have one small site that provides �widget� information. I provide a link to the manufactures, and approximately 30% of visitors go straight to the manufacture.
When I first set the site up, it immediately began receiving traffic and I was very happy. However, no one was clicking any of the ads. I was disappointed and stopped developing the site. The site is still getting traffic but very little income.
I am thinking about removing the manufacture�s link and see if that works. I am somewhat reluctant to do that because it just does not feel �right.�
This is a project that I am interested in but I cannot spare the time to work for free right now.
Maybe a little less information will save the site.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
Articles, for example, can become annoying to read with too many hyperlinks
Maybe, but I don't think many of us have to worry that we'll be tempted to link from every other word a la Wikipedia. Why? Because most of us don't have millions of pages on every conceivable topic.
Also, not every link to an internal page has to be an embedded link in body text. A 5-page article on chocolate, for example, might consist of:
1. Introduction
2. Origins of chocolate
3. How chocolate is made
4. Types of chocolate
5. Related resources
Each page could have a link to the next page ("Origins of chocolate," "Types of chocolate," etc.) at the bottom, along with an internal navigation table that shows all five pages. With this kind of structure, there wouldn't be a need to as many embedded links in the body text as there might be in a Wikipedia articles. The embedded links would be for links to pages outside the article, such as a page about chocolate desserts, a page about chocolate in Mexican cooking, a page about chocolate drinks, etc.
I use this approach on my own site (which isn't about chocolate, by the way), and I like to think that it offers the best of both worlds: structured navigation for multi-page articles, directories, etc. plus the use of embedded Wikipedia-style links as citations where appropriate.
Internal navigation methods are many and varied, and should be used where appropriate or most successful, including breaking up one's content, as you have cited. That is just one of many, many scenarios depending upon your site structure or sub-structures.
I absolutely hate the way many many major and minor newspapers, for example, break up article pages such that I have to click next, next, next in order that they receive more pageviews and display more ads... That is just a very cheap and off-putting gimmick, IMO. That, and the AJAX-based hyperlinking of every word such that my mouse provokes endless undesired popups as I move about. Gimmicks that you would not expect of some major newspapers, no matter their financial situation.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
I absolutely hate the way many many major and minor newspapers, for example, break up article pages such that I have to click next, next, next in order that they receive more pageviews and display more ads... That is just a very cheap and off-putting gimmick, IMO.
I hate to wander off-topic, but a number of years ago, WIRED reported on a usability study at a university (Stanford, maybe? ) where Web users were shown two versions of an article: one that required a lot of scrolling to read, and another longer version that was broken into multiple pages. A majority of the users preferred the multi-page version, and get this: The users thought the multi-page article was shorter than the scrolling article, even though it was in fact longer. (As ROLLING STONE used to say in its trade ads, "Perception is reality.")
Oh, and Wikipedia pages do tend to be long scrolling pages and they are rather successful...which I think was where the wise poster initially started the topic.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
Do you have that link?
No, I don't. It's been a few years.
But this does have to do with hard copy thinking being applied to the Web. I find that having to click page 1,2,3,4,5,6 to be idiotic if there is no option to see the whole article at one fell swoop.
It can make a lot of sense if the article breaks down logically by subtopic or if you want to include photos of reasonable size without breaking the flow of the article. Also, many newspaper sites (and other sites) offer a "printer-friendly" option that places the entire article on one page for those who'd rather scroll than click.
This is getting a bit off-topic, since most newspaper articles do not break their articles into topics and subtopics (which would be nice) insofar are they are generally created for the print world, but the original poster's far larger point relates to internal linking within one's site and he has brought out some very important perspectives regarding the many possibilities in terms of internal linking.
The question is how these lessons can be applied to Adsense publishers, and there are clearly many more possibilities than there are publishers. He is absolutely right on one of his central points in that it boils down to being creative with your content and intra-site navigation, whether you are selling widgets or information, and Wikipedia's information-intensive model and structure clearly provides a proven template for creating or enhancing content when it is customized to one's particular sector and audience. I thank him for adding a useful and helpful perspective.
Oh, and Wikipedia pages do tend to be long scrolling pages and they are rather successful...
@ pavlovapete
The good thing about wiki software is the ease at which you can link, for example:
If you were to link to the "Widgets" page all you do is [[Widgets]] now you can also easily link to that page with different anchor text like so [[Widgets�widget repairs]] or [[Widgets�buy your widget now]] if a word appears as a link but red, it means there's no page for that word yet, the red link tells you it's a wanted page.
After you create a new page, you can search your wiki for other pages that contain that word and just put square brackets around it : [[word]]
For external links it's the same method
[http://www.example.com Buy widgets direct]
Again, "buy widgets direct" is the anchor text, wich you can setup differently on any link.
Don't forget the pipe character gets broken on WW
On another of my sites I have a customer feedback/letters page (this is a good nugget) all feedback letters are added to a DB and when called out to their own page I have a find and replace function, to change specific words to links, you decide where those links go, example:
"I really love my new widget, it has made widgeting so much more fun"
The word widgeting can now become a link to my widget page/site.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
They are just successful in Google search but they DO NOT SELL ADEVERTISING. If they were a commercial site, they would to change some things, probably a lot of things.
Damn right they would.
This has a simple proof: there's not commercial sites like Wikipedia; maybe About.com is in the same range but you can see the difference.
About.com is an example of the opposite extreme: commercialization to the point where the content becomes filler. I think that, for an information or oontent site, there's a happy medium or "sweet spot." And while there are things to be learned from Wikipedia, we can't simply emulate it unless we're not-for-profit entitities with foundations to support us.
It's NOT just about readership."
Yes, this forum is about commercial viability (which sometimes takes the form of producing lousy content, I suppose, as the frustrated user will then click on ads), but the points he brought up
specifically about creative intra-site navigation
make for a better user experience which often translates into income and growth in reputation which brings in more traffic via the power of high-ranking external links, in my ten years of experience doing this for a living for both Adsense and traditional advertising revenue. Content remains King, and therefore Wikepedia offers a lot of pointers for even commercial sites.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
Content remains King, and therefore Wikepedia offers a lot of pointers for even commercial sites.
Sure, just as long as you remember that Wikipedia may have reasons for doing things that have less to do with the reader experience than with the editorial process. Long scrolling pages are one example; stubs (which few readers are likely to appreciate) are another.
IMHO, the biggest lesson to be learned from Wikipedia is simply that content does matter, and making that content easy to read (and to easy to find via links) will pay off for the publisher.
[edited by: signor_john at 3:58 pm (utc) on Feb. 13, 2009]
see your site the way fast-moving, nav-blind, informavores who come to your site see it.
Most top navigation elements are in the "banner zone" anyway. ;)
ronburk, how do you assist the visitor with getting back and forth between the internal linking mechanisms?
I've been making ample use of a "Back to Previous" link at the bottom of each section of content. I work with "blocks" of semantic content so I can easily insert those Back to Previous links after the last line of that block. It makes for a very user friendly navigational experience and keeps them focused on the subject at hand. I also have ample inline links to specific sections using Fragment IDs. All blocks of content are given ID's so they can be linked to directly. None of this scrolling about looking for information, we're going to put you right there at the heading for that block of content.
All those eye tracking studies sure do reveal quite a bit about the value of that top navigation. It's a dead zone for many. That's why I think an OmniBox filling that dead zone is the way to go. Do something different, break the mold. If visitors see something up there they are not used to seeing, it may just be the trick to add some value up there. A really big dynamically sized OminBox. Onsite search is an invaluable tool!
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
That's why I think an OmniBox filling that dead zone is the way to go. Do something different, break the mold. If visitors see something up there they are not used to seeing, it may just be the trick to add some value up there. A really big dynamically sized OminBox. Onsite search is an invaluable tool!
Yes, when readers are willing to use it. On my site, very few of them do, even though they can't miss the search box. (I witnessed the same phenomenon when I ran sites for 4-1/2 years at About.com: Most visitors may have arrived on About.com from search engines, but once they got there, they nearly always relied on navigation menus, not on search.)
I think ronburk's emphasis on links within the page makes a lot of sense--not just because that approach has worked for Wikipedia, but also because clicking on a link is intuitive and doesn't require much effort by readers (especially by readers who lack the techie or librarian gene and are locked into the mindset that says "Search is for getting to a site, and links are for getting around the site after you get there").
NEVER double link with different anchor text, it just confuses GHmmm. It would be hard to do that at times. What is in the navigation might not be the natural phrase that would be in the text.
rel="nofollow" all but one reference and it is usually one of the inline versionsAhh, a solution.
I don't like it when Wikipedia links so many words on a page. It makes sense to link words or phrases that will truly give more information. I do think it improves usability as well as helping with Google.
I'm not too concerned about losing potential clickers to other pages on my site. The more of my site people see the more likely they will bookmark or link from their site. If it nudges the page up a bit in Google all the better. The long range value is far more than what a click on an ad would be.
Not me! It p#$ses me off to no end when I want to print the entire article to give to someone and I have to click to and hit print on every page and most of them are just long enough so that they print one page and two lines on the next page. So you wind up with 6 pages which look a mess instead of 2-1/2 neat dense pages if it were all on one webpage!
Also P's me off is all the inline links on wiki which were obviously set up by a moron who either did not read the context of the word on the current page or who never clicked on their own link to realize the other page had no content or totally unrelated content. It's gotten to the point that I just stopped clicking on these altogether. It would be a lot more useful if the links were far fewer between and actually useful to the point of adding value.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
It p#$ses me off to no end when I want to print the entire article to give to someone and I have to click to and hit print on every page and most of them are just long enough so that they print one page and two lines on the next page. So you wind up with 6 pages which look a mess instead of 2-1/2 neat dense pages if it were all on one webpage!
The Web isn't a print medium, so optimizing pages for printing is likely to be a low priority for most Web publishers. Still, when a printer-friendly version is available, you can eat your cake in pieces of manageable size and take an uncut cake home to share with your friends.
Over the past days I have implemented some ideas ... have seen remarkable results
I also have ample inline links to specific sections using Fragment IDs.
That's why I think an OmniBox filling that dead zone is the way to go.
Thanks for the wiki internal linking info wheelie34
Would you care to elaborate a bit?
Three times the thousands of daily page views for this subset of pages (based on drilldown statistics) and approximately twice the CTR on pages which were already fairly complete with links, but in this case the links have been more strategically linked to yet more related content on the site. Basically, the richer the intra-site linking, the better results I have seen thus far -- but again, time will tell.
But the experimentation goes on, and the original post has provided plenty of ideas (many of which I was aware of, but had not implemented to the extent elaborated).
Three times ... daily page views ... twice the CTR
links have been more strategically linked to yet more related content
So you had a number of related links already? And you have not only increased the number of related links but have also changed the format/ placement of said links (is this the strategic bit)?
I wonder how far one could do this and increase page views - obviously not to the point of alienating users where every second word is a "related link". How to find this sweet spot?
Hmmm - excellent food for thought.
So you had a number of related links already? And you have not only increased the number of related links but have also changed the format/ placement of said links (is this the strategic bit)?
Yes, both placement and quantity and, as always, looking for the "sweet spot" which likely differs for every page, and will differ on every site. But without experimentation, pages get stale anyway (even for those who have created them), and experiments in internal linking serve many different purposes--though the user experience should remain to the fore, and I would in no way advocate going to the extent of Wikipedia in terms of internal linking for most sites. But getting people to see the richness of your site other than via standard navigation is, to me, a fascinating way to look at some of the common drill-down and Web 2.0 metaphors or templates in a new way in order to try to get inside the visitor's mind at a deeper level.
This might help answer the question as to why some pages which are rich in links do well in terms of conversions, while others do not. The usual paradox, IMO, is that a page is a failure if the user needs to click an ad, but then there are a few pages very rich in well-researched and good content where ads are still clicked. That is fascinating to me.
joined:July 3, 2008
votes: 0
The usual paradox, IMO, is that a page is a failure if the user needs to click an ad, but then there are a few pages very rich in well-researched and good content where ads are still clicked. That is fascinating to me.
I've never understood the notion that "a page is a failure if the user needs to click on an ad." That might be true of an e-commerce site, but for an information site, it makes so sense at all. If I review a camera (to use the classic Google "smart pricing" example) and readers click on a dealer's AdSense ad because my review has convinced them to buy that camera, how can that be described as a failure? It's a win for the reader, a win for the advertiser, and a win for me.
If I review a camera
Sure, but you have not provided the links needed to buy the camera, then you are simply providing a tease. In my view--in the world of free-flowing information--that is simply a sell-out. An information site should be honest enough to provide the necessary information if it has it when providing a review. If the site does not, then it is just a made for advertising site. If I review a site or product, I always make recommendations in terms of where to buy the product or alternative products. Always.
But I know that many "offer" made for advertising sites and "reviews" these days in thin disguise, which only brings down everyone's income for the benefit of those who provide the teasers, since there are so many such "reviews" which are SPAM-like in nature.
But this is really, really off-topic relative to the thread, which is the application of Wikipedia ideas in the development of intra-site navigation and other related ideas useful for commercial websites. I have found these ideas extremely useful thus far in reality, as opposed to those who oppose them for the sake of opposing them...


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For all the talk about someone else stepping in and making sure college basketball players stay in school, it appears NBA general managers and scouts sent the loudest message Thursday night during the league's annual draft.
Of the 42 players who declared early for the draft and stayed, 16 (or 38 percent) went undrafted, and presumably will continue their careers in the developmental league or overseas.
Could be worse. It's been said that Faulconbridge, Australia has the most ''equitable climate in the world'' year-round. Welcome to the land down under.
Article Photos
Louisville's Terrence Jennings gambled on leaving early for the draft - and it backfired.
Anyway, what to make of that rather staggering number?
By my count, that means those 42 early entrants, combined with countless seniors and a host of foreign players (three of which were drafted in the top seven), were vying for 60 spots. Of those 60, only half were guaranteed any money, as the NBA doesn't guarantee contracts for second-rounders.
That's a lot of guys for a relative few spots. How does that saying go? If you know there's a fool in the room but you can't find him, it may well be you.
To be sure, though, it's not all laughable behavior. Some of these players graduated early, likely had no desire for graduate classes, and decided to give the NBA a shot before getting on with life's work. Others were probably on the other end of that spectrum - bad grades, little chance of making them good enough to qualify. Of course, some just played the one year because of the league's requirement that they wait a year to enter the draft. Some just think a whole lot of themselves. And, finally, some just plain acted on bad advice.
Each underclassmen who makes himself eligible for the draft has the opportunity to showcase himself in front of scouts and get a gauge of where - or if - they'll be drafted. They then have the chance to remove their names from consideration prior to the draft. Those who do often get an idea of what they need to work on to make sure they're not biting their nails for the next draft.
But there sure were some puzzlers among this group, including Roscoe Davis. You may remember the name. He was slated to arrive at West Virginia University along with Truck Bryant, Devin Ebanks and Kevin Jones
Davis was academically ineligible and bounced around before winding up at Midland (Texas) Junior College last season (junior college transfer Demetrius Proby eventually took his spot at WVU).
One NBA Draft blogger, who seemed to have some credibility, looked at some of the questionable early entrants and offered reasonable explanations on their decisions. His stance on Davis - ''not wasting my time.''
There were two actual Big East players who entered early and weren't drafted in Notre Dame's Carleton Scott and Louisville's Terrence Jennings, both juniors.
Scott's statistics were pedestrian - he was the third-leading scorer for the Irish - but he finished his degree prior to his senior season after sitting out his first year in South Bend, and thus, had a year of eligibility remaining. Jennings never averaged 25 minutes or 10 points a game for the Cardinals, but declared himself ''ready for the next level'' and hired an agent on May 3.
It must have been a long night.
Jennings can go back to Louisville and take all the classes he needs. But as far as him ever playing a meaningful game inside the KFC Yum! Center. Well, yuck.
If you declare for the draft and hire an agent, you sacrifice your college eligibility and, presumably, a big chunk of your adoration if you go undrafted. (And let's face it, aside from maybe a new car, what else do big-time college athletes have?)
All of this has to make you feel good about WVU's Jones, who, for a time declared for the draft but did not hire an agent. He later announced he was returning to Morgantown for his senior season. Clearly, when he looked at the numbers he was up against, he said to himself, 'I'm not the fool.' And he left the room.
Jim Elliott can be reached via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com


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What's Going On?: Personal Essays
by Nathan McCall
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Amazon.com Amazon.com Review (ISBN 0375701508, Paperback)Former Washington Post reporter Nathan McCall won critical acclaim for his autobiographical Makes Me Wanna Holler, the story of his troubled youth, his criminal career as a young man, his three-year prison sentence for armed robbery, and his struggles to put his life together after his release. In this collection of essays, McCall addresses social issues and problems, filtering his comments through the lens of his own experience. Thus his commentary in "Gangstas, Guns, and Shoot 'Em Ups," recalls his youthful infatuation with The Godfather, and criticizes the dead-end fantasies of gangster rap. In "Men: We Just Don't Get It," he recalls the times he sexually assaulted women and looks at his own daughter with love and fear. He hopes she'll find someone who loves her, but is afraid she'll meet men who don't treat women with love and respect.
(retrieved from Amazon Thu, 12 Mar 2015 18:21:34 -0400)
Includes essays on basketball, men, gansta rap, the American dream, George Washington, middle class African Americans in Prince Georges County, Maryland, race relations in Alexandria, Virginia, Muhammad Ali, and redemption.
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Case Study: Content marketing less ordinary
Within just four weeks of publication this guide… Earned dozens of write-ups (and inbound links) in the mainstream travel media and blogs. Drove a 31% increase in visits. Increased email subscriptions by 33% Put thousands of new users into audience lists for retargeting ads & lead generation. Assisted 28% of all new conversions. Background Inspired Escapes is a startup adventure travel company doing innovative… continue reading


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Need Statistics for Your Website?
By Shane Jester, Central Web Support
If you have a Website that is hosted by Central Web Support at UNT, you can get a detailed statistical report of Web use for that site. The report will contain a general summary of statistical information including the following:
Additionally, you will receive more detailed statistical information including weekly usage breakdown, a list of files requested with the number of requests for each file, and a list of sites that referred your site (i.e. linked to your site).
Currently we produce statistics twice a month. The statistical information periods are the 1st - 15th and 16th - end of month. The statistics are sent via E-mail within a few days of the end of a statistical period. If you would like to receive these statistics please contact email@example.com and include the URL of your Website in addition to the E-mail address where you would like the statistics mailed.


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Things to see and do - Denver
Leaving for USA
16th Street Mall :
Nearby tourist sites
Nearby hotels
Renaissance Denver Downtown City Center Hotel, A Marriott Luxury & Lifestyle Hotel from165 $Book
Denver Marriott City Center from159 $Book
The Ritz-Carlton, Denver from289 $Book
Things to do nearby
Front Range Snowshoeing Adventure from Denver
- 90 €
- Book
Guided Mountain-Biking Tour of Colorado's Front Range
- 90 €
- Book
Denver Departure Transfer: From Downtown Hotels
- 19 €
- Book
16th Street Mall
16th Street Mall : Michelin's recommendations
Extending southeast from the bus terminal to Civic Center Plaza, the tree-lined Mall was created in 1982. The route is flanked by office towers, street-level cafes and shops, and 11 fountains. Horse-drawn carriages and free shuttle buses are the only vehicles permitted. Highlights include the 1910 D & F Tower (at Arapahoe St.), a 325ft replica of the campanile of St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, Italy; and the 1891 Kittredge Building (at Glenarm Pl.), a handsome Romanesque Revival structure housing restaurants and offices. The Historic Paramount Theatre, built in 1929, has one of two operating dual-console pipe organs in the US (the other is at New York's Radio City Music Hall). The $100 million Denver Pavilions is Denver's newest shopping-dining-entertainment complex.
Useful Information
- Address : 511 16th St USA - Denver, CO 8020280202Denver


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What is the name of the group of background dancers in your song video? Thanks! You're the greatest!
the BEAT FREAKS!
OK, so, I am sure you hear this more often than not but here goes. What is your relationship status? Are you seeing anyone?
Other than my husband, no i'm not seeing anyone. ;-) haha I'm married You can see a video about it on my "Videos" page
I met you in Boston (the kid from Lexington) and we were talking during our meet and greet, and I wanted to know if you can do a show in our school considering you are going to be in town. Please let me know: firstname.lastname@example.com
that would be fun. You can have your school contact my agents on the "Contact" page.
No question about it u r a star ! Just saw u live in the front row here in Boston....thx for the Cd......I predict u will be a giant star All the best to u
Thanks dad! (wink wink) I remember you. I gave you the CD and called you my dad, right?! haha good times. I appreciate your support. :-)
My Question
My answer
I think by far you are the funniest comedian! You are such a great role model! I am also half Hispanic & half Indian Which I think is very awesome! You are just a good hearted person!! Have a good day! Thanks! (not really a question, but just wanted to tell you how awesome you are!)
awe, thank you so much! I appreciate your love and support. be blessed!
You should probably come to Idaho...ha ha. I guess that is more of a request than a question but it would basically make my life.
Well i'll try. :-) thanks for the love!
Who was the comedian that opened up for you in Boston Boo Boo? :) Thanks! Stefania
Sheng Wang www.Shengwangtime.com
How did you come up with bon qui qui
Bon Qui Qui is a mix of a lot of people that I have met through out my life. More specifically a girl in a Burger King drive through in Memphis Tennessee and my brother Kennie. Ghetto-Fabulous.
I love your comedy who makes it up.
thank you! Life makes it up and then i just say it.
I thought you were great in Our Family Wedding! Do you have anything else in the works in terms of acting? Also, I would love for you to come back to Jacksonville, FL. Just thought I would throw that out there:)
Thank you, that movie was fun to make! I hope to have more film and tv stuff to show you guys soon!
Do you believe in 12-21-12. The world ending??
ha ha no.
Hey Anjelah! I'm a huge fan! I think you are absolutely the funniest comedian there is! I was wondering when your new 1 hour special is coming out? Seeing you in Portland was one of the funniest nights I've had in a while and I can't wait to see your special! Thank you:)
Thank you for the support! Hopefully by the end of this year! i'll keep everyone posted.
You travel so much! Do you ever get sick of being on the road or is it an adventure everytime? Is it hard to maintain relationships (husband, family, friends) because of that?
Good question. It's a bit of both. Hard to leave the comfort of your own home every weekend but so rewarding when you get to meet great people across the country and explore their city. It's definitely difficult to maintain a good balance in all of my relationships but it can be done! God gives me grace and wisdom. Also, I understand the importance of investing in the lives of people you care for and love.
Are you going to be putting more funny videos like nail salon, or a another music video like, imma cut you on youtube?
I'm sure there will be more vids in the future. I just don't have anything specific in mind right now. what kind of video would you like to see?


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Republished with permission from PleaseCutTheCrap.Typepad.com.
One of the keys to our overall strategy of turning the United States into a progressive nation has to do with our understanding that we are being dominated by a group that represents a significant minority of the American population. The far right in this country represents about 25% of its inhabitants, at most. Yet, for 32 years — an entire generation — they've been running the government, and we've been increasingly locked out of the government altogether. We even have the most progressive president in the modern era and the single best pure politician in the last 50 years lashing out at "the professional left."
And before you professional lefties start laughing at me, consider this; Barack Obama got a black man elected president of the United States, and you think the surest way to a progressive majority is by replacing "Blue Dogs" with teabaggers. We've been in the wilderness for 40 years; how much longer do we shoot ourselves in the foot before we figure out to aim the gun elsewhere?
If we're so great at politics, how is it that a distinct minority of the population can come to dominate the policymaking apparatus in a democratic republic for an entire generation?
The answer is, we help them. We actually do more to damage our own prospects than they do. They don't win, we lose.
Once again, let me explain how we help them.
1. We Help Them Depress Turnout
I know many of you think the top strategy for any democratic minority should be to align themselves with another group to give themselves a majority. But there are actually two ways to turn your minority into a majority. That is one of them. But the other is to reduce turnout to such a degree that their merry band of rabid followers seems like it's far bigger than it is.
Since the early 1970s, the Republican Party has been anti-everything. Do you really think they're still winning converts with their riffs on God, guns and gays after 40 years? Do you really think that many people are concerned about tax rates being too high? Of course they aren't.
Unfortunately, we help them depress turnout. In other words, we help ourselves lose.
I can't tell you how many liberals have duped themselves into believing that "negative campaigning works." So many self-described "smart people" will sit there and swear that negative campaigning leads the right-wing to a win every time. Okay, if it works so well, please explain why turnout numbers are so historically low? People are NOT motivated by negative campaigns, they're DE-motivated by them. Negative campaigning works for them and against us.
Most voters don't decide who to vote for, as much as they decide whether or not to vote. They don't sit there with a Ben Franklin list for each candidate and decide the pros and cons of each; they go with their gut, and their gut is greatly influenced by the overall meme. They hate the right-wing's negativity, but the lack of an alternative message makes the negativity dominant, and they're motivated to stay home.
The reason Democrats lost so badly in 2010 was because the message coming from both sides was "Democrats are wimps!" and "Democrats suck!" Now, if swing voters hate the right's message, but there is no alternative to "Democrats suck!" out there, where is their motivation to run to their local precinct on a cold November morning and support Democrats? You know the far right will show up in droves to support their favorite cranks, because they love negativity and they love pissing off liberals.
Which leads us our other problem…
Our Messaging is Scattered and Too Often Mirrors and Amplifies the Right's Rhetoric
Liberals really suck at messaging. In fact, the end result of our messaging machine is that we send no message at all.
Part of the problem is that the loudest contingent of liberals thinks our message has to counter the right's message, when all it has to be is different, meaning positive. People need an alternative to the right's message; something that will give them a reason to bother to vote.
When we counter everything the right puts out there, it causes several problems. The most obvious problem is that it amplifies the right's message. The right's propaganda machine counts on us to restate their message before we snipe, "That's a lie" and then give a long, drawn-out response that no one will actually even hear. Think about it; when someone's ranting, how long before you shut them out and turn your thoughts elsewhere?
Another problem is, it makes us look as if we're fighting with them, which is exactly what the GOP leadership is hoping for, because in-fighting and negativity depresses turnout. The real reason President Obama pushes so hard to seem bipartisan isn't because he's stupid, and thinks he can reach Republicans. It's because he knows most voters want compromise and harmony. They want us all to work together. He did his job in 2010; why didn't we do ours?
Most of the messages we send seem to gleefully help the right depress turnout. Sit back and consider the rhetoric coming from the left regarding voter ID laws. If you read/listen to the "professional left" on this issue, the meme is downright apocalyptic.You'd think the entire democratic system was crashing down around us, when in fact the solution to all of this lies in the democratic system. Yes, they're bad laws, but what the hell did you think two years of screaming "Democrats suck!" would lead to? Republicans are in charge; you can expect Republican-style bad laws! Why do so many liberals seem shocked when we help Republicans win, and they do exactly what they said they would do? The key has to be to stop allowing them to be in charge in the first place.
In reality, most voter ID laws won't really affect that many voters, and if we could manage to win enough elections, we wouldn't have to worry about the courts, either. Crying and screaming and demanding change from the very politicians who passed them in the first place probably won't work. In the meantime, instead of fretting over these laws and feeding the negative right-wing meme, why don't we take a positive approach to the issue that makes people feel hopeful that things will change? Why do we always have to push gloom and doom on everything?
In this case, we should advocate for running as many of these people to Motor Vehicles or wherever, to get an ID card, and collecting money to pay for those who can't afford the fee. You know, solving the problem, rather than wallowing in it. Instead of keeping the negativity meme and the fighting going, why don't we turn it around to our benefit? Instead of screaming and implying that the votes of many won't count, take on the hero role, and let everyone know we will do everything we can to make sure their vote counts. THAT is how you turn the bad guys into bad guys, not pointing and screaming "bad guy bad guy!" You take video of yourself driving people to the DMV and making sure they get an ID card and throw it up on YouTube, and you let the viewers look at that and ask themselves, "Why should anyone have to do that?" Even if they don't think that, you project the images of the "good guys."
We need to be the "good guys," not just point out the "bad guys." Liberals are supposed to be Dudley Do-Right and ride in on the white steed and save the day. Instead, we stand beside the railroad tracks, watch Snidely Whiplash tie Nell to them and wait for someone else to come to her rescue. Of course, then we scream at everyone else for not saving Nell before the train got there.
Most voters are not motivated to vote based on anger. And why would you expect them to? They don't sit there buried in the news all day like many of you do, and they don't fret over every single issue the way some liberals do. When I look at my email inbox and my Twitter feed sometimes, the number of issues I'm supposed to be "outraged" about is mesmerizing.
Someone recently asked me to support some cause having to do with keeping all of those facing foreclosure in their homes. Really? It's that simple? We just forgive their entire debt and burn the mortgage? Imagine I'm the head of a family that is living on $3000 per month. A few years back, I was sold a home by a fraudulent mortgage broker who promised me the moon. Even after adjusting the value of my home, my payments are still $1500 a month; is it really worth keeping me in my home, or should I just be allowed to walk away? Whether I walk away or you reduce my payments somehow, where does that money come from?
This is where we screw up BIG TIME. We focus on individual issues, which is already silly, since "the economy" means different things to different people. But we also tend to "simplify issues" because we think people are too dumb to understand the "complexity." It hurts us in several ways; sometimes a complex issue can't be simplified. For example, there IS no "one size fits all" solution to the mortgage mess. It took nine years to build, and it won't be fixed with one magical solution. That money you're talking about "forgiving" is actually OUR money and the swing voters' money. We put that money into the banks as deposits. When we "forgive" these debts, the money has to come from somewhere. Are you willing to get a letter from the bank telling you they had to confiscate 30% of your bank account to cover those mortgages? I didn't think so.
Swing voters understand most issues more than many liberals think, but it's more in the abstract. They don't care about individual issues, because they don't have the time to delve into them, and they want to elect someone who will take the time they can't to understand what the issues are and act on them in a competent way. Competence is far more important to most voters than a politician's stance on any single issue.
We Spend too Much Time on Problems, Not Enough on Solutions.
Like I said, the solution to Voter ID laws is to get as many people registered and compliant with the law as possible, and get everyone to vote en masse for people who will strike them down. Likewise, nothing is going to happen to Citizens United until we replace the Supreme Court Justices who voted for it. But until then, we need to replace the Republican majority in Congress with a supermajority of Democrats. And if we have to elect a smattering of Blue Dogs to reach the numbers, we should welcome them with open arms. You can be as pissed off as you want, but nothing will change as long as the wrong people have a majority and are making policy.
Too much of the liberal meme is based on outrage, and frankly, most voters are on outrage overload, and they're tired of being told they should be outraged about every single thing. And make no mistake; to the average voter, liberal outrage sounds the same as right-wing outrage.
Most voters want to look at the future and see hope. The real reason voter turnout is depressed over the last 40 years, and the reason we can't seem to string together two elections in a row, is because we're too obsessed with seeing the worst aspects of politics, and we think we're doing the Lord's work by pointing out every single problem to everyone we come in contact with. The one problem with social media is, you can't see us rolling our eyes every time a new petition comes along, or when I'm told with as much earnestness as possible that I'm supposed to be really pissed off at something a politician has done.
Make no mistake, folks. Most voters understand the problems we face. Just because you study certain things and memorize data fed to you by a liberal blogger doesn't mean you know more about an issue than the average person who has to live it. It never ceases to amuse me how many middle-to-upper-middle class white liberals actually seem to think they know more about being a poor minority than poor minorities do. That sort of arrogance works against us, and helps the right in their quest to make us look bad.
The funny thing is, our side always asks the question, "Why do (they) always vote against their own interests?" Well, if we're smart enough to know when "they" are doing that, why don't we seem to notice that our approach to politics has been working against everyone's best interests for a generation? Why don't we seem to notice that we've been losing elections more than we're winning them while we employ these strategies?
We Cede the Politics to Them, Even as We Pump Up Their Status in the Body Politic.
We used to laugh at and deride the right-wing. I don't understand why we still don't. Their politics are laughable, and they don't really appeal to anyone with a brain.
The far right used to be toothless, because they held distinct minorities of both parties, which served to marginalize them for a long time. During the Eisenhower era, there was the "Taft Wing" of the GOP who were social conservatives, but not full on loons. The loons were the "Dixiecrats." After the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts passed, Republicans recruited the Dixiecrats, to make the party bigger. In the short-term, it worked, but mostly it was with our help. Unfortunately, we continue to help.
And part of the reason is, a large portion of the left is so intimidated by the right-wing, they've been able to hang onto power in part by exaggerating their own influence in our democracy.
First, we have a terrible habit of personalizing every issue. Many liberals think they gain points in the electorate by glomming onto a bogeyman, and slapping him or her. This helps the right-wing immensely in many ways. As I pointed out above, it helps them depress turnout. But it also amplifies their power way beyond reality. John Boehner represents one district, as does Paul Ryan. Mitch McConnell represents one state. The problem is, we concentrate on individual personalities, and often succeed in toppling many of them, but they keep being replaced by even more strident right-wingers. In replacing Dick Armey and Tom DeLay with Paul Ryan an Eric Cantor, what did we gain, exactly? And yet, that's what we keep doing.
If we pushed a positive message as an alternative to right-wing drivel, and stopped repeating their crap to "counter" it, we would find that most of their swill would become completely discredited, and they'd have a hard time winning anything.
We could have won the reproductive rights argument years ago, if we hadn't ceded the politics to them. The issue has never been about abortion. It's about choice, and the far right wants to give a woman's right to choose how or whether she decides to reproduce.
But we gave them the "abortion" argument, and let them frame it as a debate about "baby vs fetus," when reproduction begins, and other completely irrelevant arguments. I can't tell you how many times I've cringed as I've heard liberals try to argue that a fetus is "a clump f cells" or something else equally cringe-worthy. And why do they get to be "pro-life?" Because we decided to "counter" their irrelevant arguments, that's why.
Finally, let's talk about the "mainstream media," shall we? One more time, there IS no such thing anymore, if there ever really was.
The influence of Fox News does NOT come from its audience, it comes from us. Every time we repeat something from Fox and call it outrageous, we're doing exactly what Roger Ailes wants. And when we talk about Fox as if it's this huge propaganda organization with huge tentacles everywhere, and that millions of people make their voting decisions based on what Fox hosts say, I guarantee you, Ailes is cackling at us. It's the same with Limbaugh (although you should still support #stoprush for other reasons), and Hannity, and Beck and all of the others.
The top-rated show on Fox is O'Reilly's, and he barely pulls in 3 million viewers most nights. Prime time shows average 1-2 million, and most of the day, their audience is less than a million, and often around a half million or less. That's roughly the same size audience as listen to Limbaugh and Hannity on the radio. Fox's top rated show is dwarfed by each of the nightly network news programs, dwarfed by two of the three morning news shows in their first hour, where they actually report news, and even the third place morning news show rates higher than just about anything else on Fox. Limbaugh's and Hannity's ratings on the radio are actually lower than the news programs on NPR.
There's no way 3 million people could possibly have that much influence over the body politic. And if they did, there are easily 20-30 million hardcore liberals out there. If we were doing what we should be doing, we'd have blunted their overall effect very easily. But too many of us are intimidated, and we're too — dare I say it? — lazy to actually do the hard work necessary to create a progressive/liberal majority.
But there is no mainstream media any longer, anyway. As I explained in a previous post, most of us had access to 3-4 news sources at most 30-40 years ago, and we are inundated with news sources now. If there's a problem, it's that people have too much information at their disposal to bother to read any of it. That's why the overall meme is so incredibly important, and why we should be more careful in how we promote it.


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Half-serious, half-silly, a scroll of cosmetic and related products for the undead amongst you. Use and abuse at your own risk.
What can be more maddening than the eternal sobbing of a child whom no one can comfort?
The spirit which dies with a murderous rage upon it's conscience cannot rest, and re-inhabits the corpse it once dwelt in, stalking the earth in search of one thing: revenge.
Forget the rickety, fragile skeletons. Remove all thoughts of the limping, weak zombies. Shrug off thoughts of blood-dependant vampires. Whereas the former are reflections of necromatic magic, the Mogrolyth is a creation derived from the pure essence of unholy power - namely pain.
Many of the Undead face this terrible fate for mistakes of their own. Dark sins, or conscience heavy for the criminal deeds they have commited, they cannot pass on and linger in this world. But some do not deserve this curse…
Undead are, simply put, among the most horrific things one can think of. Can you imagine anything more frightening than a being which is dead and yet still walks? Can you imagine the horror of being faced by the hollow shell of being, a hollow shell which must feed?
The call to Him is unnerving. The power He gives is unmatched. He is the reason why I turned my back on my God and now worship Him. I will live eternal for the trade of my Soul to a God. I can live with that.
-Rakeos -Follower of Sethalis, fallen Priest of Aduivo
A curiously designed ring - but not uncommon. Similar in design to most traditional 'magi-rings', which often hold enchantments on them. But unlike those rings, this one may take quite a hold on you…
Getting the favour of a Necromancer, and asking for a magical cloak? Sure, why not.
An elder lich recently returned from a journey across the worlds who seeks an artifact of ancient times.
The more you dominate your life to a god or goddess, the more you gain magical powers from him or her, but the big stuff does not come easily. Most worshippers have only the weakest of spells.


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The manual CDN 3083-B100 is intended for use in the power and telecom industries.
"This CDN can easily carry out applications that require higher AC and DC voltages as well as high in-rush or pulse-shaped peak currents like those found in renewable energy," said the firm.
"It takes into consideration the requirements of the latest IEC 61000-4-4 edition 3 standard, including the various test setups, the need for minimum distance between coupling devices and EUTs, and the need to mount coupling decoupling sections directly to the reference ground plane."
Foreseen applications include smart grid, inverters, solar, energy monitoring as well as applications for electric vehicles and charging stations.
It can couple up to 8.8kV (5/50ns – 50Ω) EFT pulses simultaneously into the supply lines of the equipment under test (EUT), and can be used with an EUT supply up to 690Vac, either line-to-line or line-to-protective earth, or up to 1,000Vdc line-to-line or line-to-protective earth.
"The CDN is compatible with all brands of burst generators and is extremely portable so it is convenient for field testing and allows for more set-up options in standard compliance applications because it is external to the generator," claimed Teseq. The unit weighs 5kg and is 410x190x170mm high.
Over 100A can be used for short durations, with built-in temperature monitoring preventing internal damage and overload.
Screw terminals rated for 200A, and the SHV burst input connector has a maximum burst voltage of 8.8kV, and earth terminal grounding.
There is also a 200A version, the CDN 3083-B200.


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What's News: Business & Finance
The New York Fed and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency are increasing the number of examiners who are "embedded" at the banks and securities firms they regulate, part of a push to prevent another financial crisis.
Fifty-one banks in Florida have failed since the start of 2007. Now some of the surviving institutions are starting to make loans again.
PNC Financial agreed to buy Royal Bank of Canada's U.S. retail unit for $3.45 billion, gaining control of 426 branches in the Southeast.
European finance ministers moved toward approving a fresh installment of Greece's bailout loan but remained divided over details of extending a new aid package.
The euro has remained resilient since Greece first teetered on the brink, but analysts caution that a number of scenarios could still leave it vulnerable to collapse.
A weak start to the spring housing season is raising the prospect that the U.S. government will dominate the mortgage market for a long time.
The natural-gas industry, bowing to pressure, has begun to support laws requiring disclosure of more information about the chemicals it uses in hydraulic fracturing.
Ford is spending $1 billion in its effort to develop a new generation of vehicles for its struggling Lincoln brand, dealers briefed by the company say.
GM is taking a gamble in pricing its smallest car, the subcompact Chevrolet Sonic, at a level comparable to well-established imports.
The Paris Air Show is shaping up to spotlight Airbus, which is expected to sell hundreds of planes.
Walt Disney says that "Cars 2" is on track to sell more tie-in merchandise than any single previous film.


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Quincy College Law Day
Location: Presidents Place, Lower Level Conference Room
From: May 1, 2012 at 9:30am to: 1:30pm
Details: Dr. Henry Lee is perhaps the most well-known contemporary forensic scientist. Lee has assisted in the investigations of more than 6,000 criminal cases, including such famous cases as the headline-grabbing murder of six-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey; the war crimes in Croatia and Bosnia; the review of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy; the suicide of Vince Foster, President Bill Clinton's former White House attorney; and the murder of expecting mother Laci Peterson. Lee was also asked by Robert Shapiro, one of O.J. Simpson's defense attorneys, to review the physical evidence relating to Simpson's murder trial. Lee currently serves as chief emeritus of the Connecticut State Police, and as a faculty member at the University of New Haven, where he established the Henry C. Lee College of Criminal Justice & Forensic Sciences, and the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science.
Law Day Panelists Include: Innocence Project Exoneree Dennis Maher, Attorney Peter Bellotti, Forensics Professor Nancy Coletta, Norfolk County District Attorney Michael Morrissey, and Dr. Henry Lee.
QC Law Day Program
Upcoming Occurrences:
- No upcoming occurrences in the timeframe specified for this event.
Past Occurrences:
- No prior occurrences in the timeframe specified for this event.


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All right, this week I'm doing a mini round up.
- Application for the Inaugural Yakezie Scholarship is now opening up to Highschoolers and below who believe in education and wish to use the scholarship for educational purposes such as books, supplies, projects, tuition, field trips, equipment and other school related expenses. Drop by to see the what the student needs to do to win $500.
- Get Rich Slowly had a huge post on Make More Money: How to Supercharge Your Income. I really liked this and bookmarked it for further reading. It's a big post with many links, great for reference.
- Squirrelers and friends are giving away $300 worth of gift cards, cash, and books – Squirrelers Thanksgiving Giveaway Contest. Who doesn't love free money?
- Kevin at Thousandaire wrote about how he took a Pay Cut for Happiness. Thousandaire is consistently one of the most entertaining PF blog out there. We will have a guest post Monday on this same subject so don't miss it!
- Breaking News! Our facebook page finally has 25 fans! Yeah! Thank you everyone. Here is our new short link www.facebook.com/RetireBy40 Beautiful ain't it? Short and sweet.
On to Google Analytic. I signed up for Google Analytic at the beginning of November. It's a Google sub site that keeps track of the blog's statistics.
Here is the Visitor's Overview. It shows visits, unique visitors, pageviews and more. The Bounce Rate is the percentage of visitor who only view one page. Our site is still pretty new so we are in the audience building phase. I think 265 unique visitors in 11 days is not bad for a one month old site.
This is my favorite view, the Map Overlay. This shows me where my readers are. Hello Canadians! Most of my readers are from the US, but I do get some stragglers from the UK and other English speaking countries.
I'm pretty sure most of these visits are from my Aunt in Australia.
In the US, most of my readers are from California. 24 visits from San Francisco, pretty surprising. I though the wider Bay Area would have a bigger count than SF.
I can also see where the traffic came from; most of our readers click through from referring sites. The top two are Get Rich Slowly and Early Retirement Extreme. Get Rich Slowly is one of the most popular PF sites and a fraction of readers followed retirebyforty's name over. Early Retirement Extreme is the site that focus on early retirement so most readers are probably curious about retireby40 as well. A BIG Thank you to these two and many Yakezie sites that send traffic my way.
Almost 10% of traffic comes from search engine, I think that's a pretty good start. As I write more article, there should be more search engine traffic.
All in all, a very cool site for blog owners. There are also tools to track Ad words, content popularity, and more. I haven't explore those much yet because I'm not planning to monetize at this time. These tools are quite fascinating and I'm having tons of fun checking Google Analytic every morning. I also have a sneaking suspicion that Google Analytic improve SEO at Google somehow. 🙂
Have a great weekend!


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Parks & Recreation
Meetings and Workshops
Current Activities
Thomas J. Evans Foundation Park
Municipal Park
William V. Karr Park
Freedom Park
Citizens Park
Liberty Park
Volunteer Opportunities
The Municipal Pool
Shelter Rentals
Thomas J. Evans Foundation Park
The Thomas J. Evans Foundation Park, the City's largest park, is an active park that can be accessed from McIntosh Road, John Reese Parkway, and Bent Tree Lane. Foundation Park encompasses nearly 78 acres, 22 of which is wooded.
Address for Foundation Park is 10255 MacIntosh Road SW Pataskala Ohio 43062.
The amenities in this park include 3 softball diamonds, 6 soccer fields, 2 basketball courts, 2 playgrounds, 2 sand volleyball courts, 2 concession stands that are open during sport seasons, and the Conaway shelter house located in the wooded area.
In its preliminary stage, Foundation Park is also now boasting a 1.4 mulch topped walking trail that encompasses the entire park and wooded area. Hopes are to finalize the location and work toward more permanent topping (asphalt or gravel) in the future.
Foundation Park is the site of the annual Pataskala Antique Power Show. The Antique Power Show features gas engines, tractors, industrial equipment, as well as cars and trucks. Events included a tractor pull, tractor backing contest, kiddie tractor pull, and various equipment demonstrations.
Below are pictures showing the various types of events that are hosted in Foundation Park.
City Government
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U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - Senegal
|United States Department of State
|Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons
|Publication Date
|3 June 2005
|Cite as
|United States Department of State, U.S. Department of State 2005 Trafficking in Persons Report - Senegal, 3 June 2005, available at: http://www.refworld.org/docid/4680d862c.html [accessed 29 May 2016]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
Senegal (Tier 2)
Senegal is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and sexual exploitation. Senegalese boys are occasionally trafficked from rural villages to urban centers for exploitative begging at some Koranic schools; young boys are trafficked to Senegal from The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Guinea for the same purpose. Young girls are trafficked from rural villages to urban centers for forced domestic servitude. Young girls from both rural and urban areas are also involved in organized prostitution involving pimps, which is a form of trafficking. Senegal may be a transit point for women from surrounding African countries trafficked to Europe for the purpose of sexual exploitation.
The Government of Senegal does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. In 2004, the government demonstrated far greater political will and concrete efforts to combat trafficking. To sustain its anti-trafficking progress, the government should adopt the draft anti-trafficking bill and take steps to further sensitize the Senegalese population to what constitutes trafficking and how to avoid victimization.
The government's anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts dramatically improved during the reporting period. Although there is no law that specifically criminalizes human trafficking, which makes it difficult for police to conduct investigations or make arrests, the president's cabinet approved a comprehensive draft anti-trafficking bill in March 2005 that awaits passage by the National Assembly. During the year, the government arrested and punished a small number of trafficking victims under a law against prostitution by children under the age of 21; 72 children exploited in prostitution were arrested in 2004, 68 of whom were Senegalese and some of whom had pimps and were therefore trafficking victims. Also convicted were 54 pimps who were given prison sentences of up to ten years. Two Koranic teachers were arrested during the year for abusing children they were exploiting as beggars. One was sentenced to one month in prison and a fine; the other remains in detention. In 2004, Senegal signed a bilateral accord with Mali to fight child trafficking and began negotiating with other neighboring countries to sign similar accords. The Interior Ministry established a Special Commissariat to fight sex tourism and child prostitution in Dakar and Mbour. The Commissariat's new chief was named and the unit began work in March 2005.
The government provided a full range of protective services to victims during the period. In 2003, the government established, and continues to finance, the Ginddi Center for at-risk children. The Center provides services to victims, including medical treatment, family mediation and reconciliation, education, shelter, and meals. The Center received 1,832 children between May 2003 and December 2004, including 107 students fleeing abusive Koranic teachers. Pursuant to the government's bilateral agreement with Mali, the Ginddi Center housed trafficked Malian children awaiting repatriation; 50 were repatriated during the period at government expense. The Center's services also include a 24-hour toll-free child protection hotline; the hotline received 35,672 calls during the period.
The government's efforts to prevent trafficking greatly improved during the last year. The President devoted a significant portion of his 2005 Independence Day address to trafficking and, in 2004, the Family Minister became the first government official to publicly call for tough measures against child traffickers. The Family Ministry held workshops and roundtables to fight child prostitution, begging and domestic work. In Mbour, for example, the government, with UNICEF and NGO assistance, held seminars to prevent young girls from entering prostitution. In 2004, this program sensitized 8,140 participants, 5,440 of them children, to the dangers of child involvement in prostitution. In a separate program, the Ministry collaborated with local religious leaders to improve conditions in 48 Koranic schools. The signing of the Senegal-Mali anti-trafficking accord received detailed press coverage and media reports of Koranic teachers arrested for abusing their students frequently appeared.


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PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The upper section of Larch Mountain Road beyond milepost 10 in rural Multnomah County will be closed Thursday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.so a sink hole that formed during the winter can be repaired.
County officials say the closure will apply to both motor vehicles and bicycles.
Larch Mountain Road is the highest road in Multnomah County's jurisdiction. It reaches an altitude of 4055 feet. Each winter, the county closes public access to recreation areas off upper Larch Mountain Road by installing a snow gate at milepost 10.


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Streetwear Color Rich Ultra Moist Lipstick Swatches
Posted by Ankita Srivastava | Posted in Budget Makeup, Lips, Streetwear, Swatch Gallery | Posted on 10-10-2014
Tags: 2014 new lipstick swatches, affordable lipstick india, beauty blog, indian beauty blog, indian makeup, indian makeup blog, lipstick, lipstick swatch, lipstick swatches, lipstick swatches streetwear, lipsticks, makeup, makeup products, streetwear, streetwear 2014 lipsticks, Streetwear Color Rich Lipstick, Streetwear Color Rich Lipstick swatches, Streetwear Color Rich Ultra Moist Lipstick, Streetwear Color Rich Ultra Moist Lipstick Swatches, streetwear lipstick pink passion, streetwear lipsticks, streetwear lipsticks swatches, streetwear new lipsticks 2014, streetwear new lipsticks 2014 swatches
Hey everyone!
Streetwear recently launched the Color Rich Ultra Moist lipsticks which are priced very affordably at Rs 180! I couldn't resist picking up a couple of shades from the range. Check out swatches of 8 shades below - Pink Pirouette, Riveting Rouge, Rhythmic Bronze, Spell Bound, Crisp Caramel, Runway Russet, Pink Passion and Berrylicious. Individual reviews + FOTDs coming soon!


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Blogs Home
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Identity and access management solutions can mitigate insider threats Community Blog
Melissa Stevens email@example.com Tags: security threat-protection insider-threat identity-access-managemen... iam ibm-security 4,616 Visits
This post is courtesy of Ronnie Shelley, IAM Segment Manager for IBM Security. Here's a quick survey for you. What threat do you consider the greatest security risk to your organization's data? Botnets? Malware? Would you believe your own employees?...
from Blog: IBM Software Community
Trip Report: 'Round the World for Security, with Stops in China and India Community Blog
Chris Bauserman firstname.lastname@example.com Tags: security-management network-security insider-threat identity-management india ips compliance-management access-management security compliance managed-security-services data-privacy china iss tivoli 1,536 Visits
A small team from Tivoli development, product management, and sales enablement descended upon China and India recently to meet with customers, business partners, and the local IBM security teams. Aside from some seriously good food and some serious jetlag,...
IBM Security Jam Webcast on Mitigating Insider Threats Community Blog
Kelly Schupp firstname.lastname@example.com Tags: ism-jams compliance-management security tivoli insider-threat compliance identity ibm management iss 1,365 Visits
On October 13th, speakers Jeff Crume, IBM Distinguished Engineer and IT Security Architect, IBM World Wide Tivoli Tiger Team and Jim Goddard, Business Development Executive, IBM Internet Security Systems addressed issues around Mitigating insider threats...
"It's the eye of the tiger, it's the thrill of the fight" EMA sees a promising future for the IBM Security Tiger Team Community Blog
Lauren Mullins email@example.com Tags: data-security cloud cloud-security security virtualization pulse single compliance-management risk-management sign-on application-security compliance encryption key-management risk insider-threat management identity-management 1,853 Visits
IBM is rising up to the challenge to meet customer needs of purchasing integrated security solutions with its recently announced IBM Security Tiger Team. Last year IBM announced its security framework in order to unify its security message to the market. Now,...
Re: What is Security Compliance Fatigue? How does today's organization address it? Community Blog
Tiffany Winman firstname.lastname@example.com Tags: compliance-management risk-management security compliance insider-threat 1,379 Visits
In response to: What is Security Compliance Fatigue? How does today's organization address it? Congratulations on the new IBM Tivoli Security Software blog! Looking forward to the many great entries yet to come.
from Blog: Tivoli Software blog
What is Security Compliance Fatigue? How does today's organization address it? Community Blog
Kelly Schupp email@example.com Tags: compliance insider-threat risk-management compliance-management security 1 Comment 2,245 Visits
Today I spoke with Marne Gordon, IBM Security's Expert on Governance Risk and Compliance Issues. The topic of our discussion was the concept of Compliance Fatigue. This conversation is captured as a podcast at http://ow.ly/psZD , but is documented below. Some...