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Best Shots Comic Reviews: BATMAN ETERNAL #9, CYCLOPS #2, More
Batman: Eternal #9
Written by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, John Layman, Ray Fawkes and Tim Seeley
Art by Guillem March and Tomeu Moray
Lettering by Steve Wants
Published by DC Comics
Review by David Pepose
'Rama Rating: 8 out of 10
Want to get away from it all? The crime lords and police intrigue of Gotham getting you down? John Layman and company know just what you need - a change of scenery. But when it comes to Batman: Eternal, no trip is a holiday, as the Dark Knight teams up with the Batman of Japan for some frenetic fisticuffs on the mean streets of Hong Kong.
What's great about this particular issue is that, for the most part, Layman isn't beholden to greater story going on in Gotham - and that's as freeing for readers as it seems to be for the writer. The change of setting allows Batman to cut loose against some unfamiliar foes, as Layman opens this issue with an energetic fight scene featuring Batman and Batman Japan facing off against the mask-wearing ninjas known as the Ghost Dragons. While obviously Batman isn't going to meet his maker against these faceless foes (or their opportunistic boss who took over the Hong Kong syndicates after Carmine Falcone mysteriously left), sometimes it's just enough to see Batman operating unfettered in his natural element: combat.
With the main event being breezy and fun, thanks in part to the chemistry Layman brings between Batman and his Japanese counterpart, the subplots featuring the rest of Gotham's denizens flows a bit more smoothly. The tete-a-tete between Carmine Falcone and his pawn, the newly installed Commissioner Forbes, is quickly subsumed by Batman's Hong Kong action antics, and Catwoman cuts a mean streak throughout Gotham's underworld, as Falcone looks to collect on their long-standing rivalry since Batman: Year One. All in all, knowing that Batman is just in a new world for a little while gives everyone a little bit more energy - it's nice to change things up every once in a while.
Then again, it wouldn't be considered a vacation without gorgeous sights, and let me tell you - Guillem March's artwork is a gorgeous sight. I like to think of him as DC's answer to Tradd Moore - he's over-the-top and distended with his anatomies and expressions, but he keeps it a bit more restrained than Moore, responding to his graffiti-esque lines with a more feathered, painterly style of inks. His art feels like spiritual kin to something the Kuberts might draw, with his Batman in particular looking fierce and kinetic, especially on a splash page when he's mopping the floor with a bunch of ninjas. Colorist Tomeu Moray may lean a little too heavily on one color palette, but it does bring up the fiery, otherworldly, almost demonic nature of the Hong Kong underground.
With the all-consuming grind of a weekly story, it can take a lot not just out of the exhausted creative teams producing it, but for the overworked and overstimulated readers struggling to consume it all and make it all make sense. Sometimes a vacation is all you need to recharge your batteries and start fresh. Maybe Batman: Eternal #9 was the getaway this series needed all along.
Cyclops #2
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Russell Dauterman and Chris Sotomayor
Lettering by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Pierce Lydon
'Rama Rating: 9 out of 10
Marvel's father-son road trip through space continues in Cyclops #2. Greg Rucka and Russell Dauterman are an unstoppable comic book team as they further explore the themes laid out in the debut issue. Cyclops is a supremely multifaceted character, despite being slapped with the "Boy Scout" label for much of his history. Even his recent mutant terrorist/freedom fighter turn has him at odds with a fanbase that still prefers sycophant killers like Wolverine and Deadpool. Corsair's morally ambiguous ways represent an opportunity for Rucka and Dauterman to examine how much of the older Scott's personality is a result of conditioning and how much is intrinsic to his nature. Teenagers are impressionable, but can you teach one to be cool?
Ruck start the book out with Scott ruminating on his most recent lessons at Xavier's school. The Shakespeare quote might seem a little heavy-handed, but it fits the tone of the book. All of your feelings are so much bigger when you're a teenager. Your notions are larger than life. Your thoughts aren't necessarily grounded in reality. Fortunately, when you're a teenaged superhero, those feelings almost feel justified amidst everything that surrounds you. A big test on Monday is nothing compared to saving the planet from extinction at the hands of an invading alien race. It's all about context. Using Hamlet as a framing device, Rucka allows us to understand why this road trip is so important to young Scott. He's seen what he becomes. He's learned all that he can about his life in the time that he finds himself in. But he knows that there's more to life than what he's been shown.
Unfortunately for him, that also holds true about his father. Corsair is keeping secrets, and Scott is only just starting to understand the kind of reputation that his father has around the galaxy. Scott's dedication to his father is tested for the first time and he answers the call unflinchingly. But how many times is he going to let Corsair off the hook with a quip and a smile?
I didn't think that Dauterman could get better than the last issue, but his latest step up makes his last effort look pedestrian by comparison. Everything that worked so well before is back in spades. By taking the adventure to a new world, Dauterman gets the opportunity to design a bevy of different aliens from across the galaxy, including a few that will be familiar to almost any Marvel zombie. I think that what really stands out in Dauterman's work is his adept understanding of body language. Young Scott has an almost nervous way about him until he needs to be strong and resilient. Corsair's flippant attitude shines through even when he's trying to cover up the very real problems that he has. Many artists can rely on a few stock poses to get their point across but Dauterman is taking very real reactions into account and infusing his characters with personality beyond the words they speak. That speaks volumes about his talent, and it's an excellent sign as the action builds throughout this series moving forward.
For anyone turned off by young Scott's pangs of angst in Issue #1, I offer up this issue as proof that Cyclops isn't navel-gazing, woe-is-me-isms. Scott and his father's relationship is still in its early stages, but it will be tested - and Scott will have to decide the kind of person that he wants to become. He's seen what following Xavier's path gets him, but he's also starting to understand who his father really is. These ideas are at odds with each other, and I don't think that Scott is discerning enough just yet to recognize the best parts of either ideology to let those inform his actions. There's even still a chance that he decides against both and forges a new path for himself. Cyclops is doing what any great superhero comic should: make its readers reflect on themselves and their own humanity while still being incredibly entertaining.
Original Sin #3
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Mike Deodato and Frank Martin
Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos
Published by Marvel Commics
Review by Brendan McGuirk
'Rama Rating: 8 out of 10
The original sin of most line-wide, crossover event books is that they go too broad, caught up in the minutia and machinations of the assembled players united on the series' gameboard instead of the core concept. The attempt to serve all masters can leave the comics' core responsibilities, telling stories worth telling to engaged audiences, neglected.
In truth, that was what I expected of Original Sin. Pitched as a murder whodunnit whose victim was Uatu the Watcher, who was a Marvel mainstay to be sure, but a character actor whose role has always been a supporting one, serving as a leading indicator of a story's consequential "bigness," seemed like a cosmic contrivance. Maybe Mark Waid, Jim Cheung and Paco Medina's #0 issue was a start, but few of even the loyalest of Marvel readers had ever had cause to identify with The Watcher, or empathize with him. So, besides getting a bunch of "name" characters to stand around a murder scene, what would possibly be interesting about this character's death? It reeked of forced opportunism.
As Original Sin's gameboard has gotten bigger and filled out, though, some interesting patterns have begun to take shape. Maybe Marvel readers had no consequential relationship with Uatu himself, but they do understand and appreciate his role as it pertains to the broader scope of the Marvel Universe. By showing up to indicate that any given grand Marvel engagement "mattered," that this conflict was one that counted, he came to represent of a sort of Marvel Superhero Exceptionalism. The Marvel Universe was big, as big as you could imagine, but Marvel's Earth was undoubtedly the center of it, and Marvel's Earth heroes were why. And the presence of Uatu the Watcher was proof. The eye of the universe was on us. Well, "us."
I maintain that the answer to who killed The Watcher remains Original Sin's least compelling component. What has me hooked are the ways the characters have been aligned, and what that might mean for what this story proves to truly be "about." The A-list Avengers, the movie stars, are present, but only as set dressing. This time, it's their presence that's lending authority to a story, not some robe-wearing bald dude what lives on the Moon. The street level heroes, who we could probably get away with calling Marvel Knights without causing much confusion, are also onstage, advancing the plot like a three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust running back. And since the story is a mystery, it only follows that top-secret secret-man Nick Fury factors in prominently, nipping at the corners of the not-quite-ready-to-emerge truth.
What caught my attention, though, and what has be reassessing my initial judgment of the series, is the participation of Marvel's mind-bending, trippy cosmic characters, and specifically how this series seems to be integrating all Marvel's familiar and grounded characters with their weirdly existential ones. Mixing in equal parts Captain America, Moon Knight, Dr. Srange, Oubliette the Exterminatrix, The Mindless Ones and a dude named The Orb who has an eyeball for a head is how Jason Aaron, Mike Deodato and Frank Martin concocting something with the potential to be an as-yet untasted flavor of Marvel Universe story. Using these specific ingredients seems to suggest that the story they're telling is about the Marvel Universe itself, conceptually, which is a much richer fertilizer than "Hey wouldn't it be cool if...?"
(Respect and shouts-outs to What If?, of course, and RIP its cueball-headed host).
Of course, this story has taken great pains to ground itself as a crime story, albeit on a fantastical scale, and selling its gravitas is the responsibility of artist Mike Deodato and colorist Frank Martin. Deodato has evolved his moodiness as a storyteller considerably over the years, his work on Thunderbolts, then Dark Avengers seeming to mark a distinct shift in his visual tone. His layouts exhibit ambition, and can be ornate without distracting. There's a tension to the rhythm of his pacing that lulls just well enough to really hammer home the reveals. Few artists could balance the grounded characters as well as the cosmic ones in a way that maintained the story's mood as effectively as Deodato does here.
Frank Martin also voices a loud say in the book's mood and tone, and his colors really reinforce its pulsating paranoia. He's clearly comfortable in the crime noir of the story, but coyly commands the cosmic stuff, too, with bright neons fighting to bleed through until they finally peek through the corners. For the most part, it's all dark, which is what the story demands, and which forces the reader to look to the page deeper to decipher, but at times the muddiness distracts, like a darkly lit 3D movie. Most importantly for color and line artist alike, though, is that there's a definite coherence to it all. Given the nature of the story, this is both their toughest and most vital duty.
The Orb has let loose Uatu's eye and all Marvel's secrets have come to the fore. Through piecework, random characters begin to assemble evidence and a case. More familiar characters die, and plots thicken. And the story's broader shape seems to only get looser and weirder. And for me, the stakes of this story only raise the weirder it gets. I'm less curious about what happens than what it all might mean. I'm hopeful that this story isn't about Marvel characters, but about Marvel Comics. But for now, though, it's still a mystery.
Not every movie has designs to be a box-office shattering blockbuster. Blockbusters are forced to make concessions in order to play to the cheap seats. This is why, sometimes, the most satisfying stories are the ones that accept their cult status at the outset, and go on to celebrate it. Celebrating the weirdness of their own specificity allows audiences to participate in it while also embracing their own. Sometimes, not being for everyone is the point.
Action Comics #32
Written by Greg Pak
Art by Scott Kolins and Wil Quintana
Lettering by Carlos M. Mangual
Published by DC Comics
Review by David Pepose
'Rama Rating: 8 out of 10
He might have killed Superman once upon a time, but I'll just say it now - Doomsday is the gift that keeps on giving. How do you find tension in the adventures of an infallible, invincible, impenetrable demigod? You have him fight not just his friends, but for his very soul. Greg Pak not only pulls out all the stops with Superman's supporting characters, but gives the Man of Steel a struggle worth his mettle, in this week's superb issue of Action Comics.
One of the great things about "Doomed" is that it ultimately follows through on a lot of threads that have been laced throughout the DC Universe since its relaunch in 2011. The first is that metahumans can't be trusted - we saw it in the very first issue of Justice League, and Grant Morrison only further proved Superman's recklessness in Action Comics. In addition, the very idea of idealized heroism as a whole has been overturned since Forever Evil, with the villainous Lex Luthor saving the day (and winning over more than a few readers as a flawed antihero). So Superman infected with spores to make him the next Doomsday? It's a great setup, one that really speaks to the nature of DC today, warts and all.
But in this issue, Pak also does great work with juggling an increasingly large supporting cast. Steel steals the show this issue, as Doomsday forced him to get a slight power upgrade - namely, casting himself in liquid metal to protect himself from the corrosive effect of the creature's spores. But seeing John try to talk down Superman - and eventually get his tin plate handed to him - is great drama before some serious action. (Perhaps not a surprise, coming from the guy who wrote World War Hulk.) But Pak also effectively uses a ton of other characters in the Superman lore, including Wonder Woman and Lana Lang sharing a great moment about how much they trust Clark Kent, Lex Luthor gets the right amount of toolishness in to push our hero further beyond the brink, and Superman himself gets a particularly heroic moment when squaring off against Metal-Zero.
Scott Kolins and Wil Quintana acquit themselves very well with the artwork here, portraying not just the horror in Superman's eyes as he struggles to contain his destructive capabilities (not to mention the pain on Steel's face when he fails), but also at portraying the sheer speed and strength of this character when he cuts loose. Kolins really brings the focus on the characters themselves, rather than falling towards the tricks of traditional "widescreen" storytelling and focusing on the destruction, and I think that helps endear us to Superman and company far more than things just blowing up. Wil Quintana's color work is particularly energetic, especially his use of white when Superman and Steel meet in the desert.
Superman may be "Doomed," but Action Comics hasn't seen this much life in it, well, since arguably its flawed, sporadic relaunch. Greg Pak and company have given Superman some real stakes, and because our hero is for once in a position where he can't just save the day by himself, his plucky supporting cast is forced to step up to the plate and help out. Even Superman skeptics should be giving this series another look, because Action Comics is back and better than ever.
Moon Knight #4
Written by Warren Ellis
Art by Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire
Lettering by Chris Eliopoulos
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Justin Partridge, III
'Rama Rating: 10 out of 10
Marc Spector: clean freak, kicker of heads, and now officially Marvel's coolest masked vigilante.
Cool is a very precarious thing when it comes to comic book heroes. Sometimes a character comes along that strikes a perfect balance between witty, enigmatic, and just flat out fun to watch like a Fantomex or Kamala Kahn. Other times you are stuck with huge misfires that just seem like they are trying way too hard. I'm looking right at you, Gambit. Marc Spector, however, is eight shades of cool. He has a fancy car. He kicks in doors at a drop of a hat. He is also completely insane and therefore capable of entering the consciousness of a dead man in order to fight his violent dreams. Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellarie aim to open your minds as well as the scope of Marc Spector's reality in order to deliver one of the coolest single issue adventures in recent memory.
Moon Knight #4 finds our favorite lunar Avenger taking the case of a sleep researcher whose patents are slowly being driven insane by a shared dream experience. Marc Spector is the man for the job as "dreamers are just those that travel by night." That is his specialty. Warren Ellis once again starts this issue as if this is just another day for Spector and his investigations. Spector meets the doctor outside of a hilariously Nordic-themed fast food joint and patiently listens to the man's story as they cruise along in his self-driving limo.
Ellis has always been a writer that gleefully treats insane exploits as if they were regular everyday jobs. Look no further than his high=concept Global Frequency which Moon Knight's tone and story borrows more than a few cues from. This is just what Marc Spector does - to us, it's dangerous and completely bananas; to Moon Knight, this is a Tuesday. You can't help but be completely entranced by a character like that, and Ellis uses that to his advantage throughout. Spector is haughty, quick to righteous violence, and sees the world in a way that most people would cower away from. He's also a character that feels completely at home in the center of a Ditko-esque adventure into the mind of a dreaming man. Many writers have attempted to launch a series starring Moon Knight before now but it seems that Warren Ellis is the first writer to truly unlock the hidden potential of a Moon Knight ongoing title. Ellis has made Marc Spector a star and we have a front row seat every issue.
While Warren Ellis provides the insane procedural on the scripting front, he seems more than happy to allow Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellarie to make like Dolph Ziggler and steal the whole show and steal it they do. While the script is solid on a lot of levels, the artwork on Moon Knight #4 punctuates an already impressive streak of issues with #1-3. This was already a great looking book but #4 is a downright beautiful one. Shalvey and Bellarie give us the sketchy noir look that we've become used to in the first half of the issue, with Marc and the researcher discussing his case and Marc's investigation. But it is with the back half of the issue which finds Moon Knight envoking Khonshu and entering a dream state that Shalvey and Bellarie truly impress. Shalvey gives these panels an intensely vibrant feel as mushrooms sprout from the floors around Moon Knight and he falls into unreality, tearing his suit off, revealing his field armor and cape underneath.
I mentioned Steve Ditko above, and it's here that the comparison is hammered home. Moon Knight falls into an issue of Ditko's Doctor Strange as seen through the eyes of Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellarie. The panels themselves are lined with jagged, fractured panel boxes and upon closer looks of certain layouts, the images seem to line up to look like skulls and other ominous things. Shalvey also gets an extra pat on the back for using Moon Knight's cape in a visually interesting way every issue it's featured. Here Spector guides the reader's eye in an evocative way as he floats down the surface of the dream scape, his cape cutting through the panels like a fine knife. Jordie Bellarie completely cuts loose as well with these scenes, coloring Spector's costume as a stark white and deep black amid the gangrenous greens and purples of the dream around him. Bellarie colors the man's sick and dying mind as if it is gasping for its last breath amid the decay. If you aren't excited every time you see Jordie Bellarie's name on a book, you clearly haven't seen enough of her work.
Moon Knight #4 is cool. Honestly, it's cooler than cool. It's ice cold. After three issues that always felt fun, looked great, yet ultimately felt unsubstantial, Moon Knight #4 rockets the title to the top in regards to Marvel's current character driven output. That isn't to say that the previous issues were horrible by any means - quite the opposite. This is just Marc's first case that felt as big as it should be. Moon Knight #4 feels like the first issue that fully commits to its own premise. #1-3 were good but a bit forgettable. Moon Knight #4 is a big, bold statement of a case. Ellis, Shalvey and Bellarie have tapped into something wonderfully weird and compelling with Moon Knight, delivering an incredible and retro-feeling issue into what could be one of the character's defining runs. Moon Knight #4 reads like something we've never read before but feels like books we have loved for ages. If comics could be considered gateway media, this may be the issue that people choose to hand to the uninitiated as an pure example as to what to expect. Just don't bring food into Spector's car.
Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by David Marquez and Justin Ponsor
Lettering by Cory Petit
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by Justin Partridge, III
'Rama Rating: 7 out of 10
The words "Clone Saga" have a tendency to send waves of frustration through even the most diehard of Spider-Man fans. Since its completion in 1996, fans have often derided the sprawling story for being too complicated even for the dense world of comic book storytelling, while most writers have mostly regarded it with playful indifference, either poking fun at its insanity or ignoring it completely. In the first volume of Ultimate Spider-Man Brian Michael Bendis took a swing at adapting the infamous storyline for the Ultimate line with largely successful results. Now it seems that it's Miles Morales' turn through the genetic looking glass as he faces down a Peter Parker who seems very much alive and eager to resume his life as Spidey, not to mention a set of Spider-Man lookalikes who have been terrorizing local ship yards. While Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2 holds its cards very much to its chest, this second issue still aims to bring readers, both old and new, into Miles' world with what seems like a new take on an extremely divisive story.
Issue #2 finds Miles staring into the face of his name-sake once again but with much, much different results from the last time Miles and Peter came face to face. While Spider-Men was a high energy jaunt starring two guys who genuinely want to help people and each other, Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2 plays this encounter almost as a stand off between the two heroes. Bendis, as per usual, nails the voice of both characters with Peter trying to soothe Miles with a cold, short indifference while Miles just can't help himself and has a bit of cow seeing the man he and the world just finished grieving standing before him demanding his web-shooters back.
Bendis smartly makes the Miles-Peter encounter the meat of the issue, while other characters (Norman Osborn and the criminal Spider-Men) operate in the periphery and while the scene itself doesn't really offer much new information or action, its still a pretty compelling way to throw an audience into Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man. This isn't the first time that Bendis has clashed the new with the old, but this seems like the perfect way to shake up Miles' world coming off of his first big world-altering superhero incursion. Miles' life is already incredibly complicated but now all bets are off. Readers could argue that this second issue is just another example of Bendis setting the table for what is to come later on in the series and while I can see the point, it's also a bit early to call him out for being withholding. Bendis has always been a writer that aims for the long game when it comes to his stories and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2 seems to be another example of just that. While #2 isn't the most expository or action-packed issue, it still does its job in regards to character and story function as an opening issue.
Ultimate Spider-Man has always had a fantastic stable of artists at its disposal, but David Marquez and colorst Justin Ponsor have always made the most of even largely quiet issues, much like Sara Pichelli toward the beginning of Miles' story. Marquez's facial expressions are always a high point of his work, and this second issue give him plenty of opportunities to fully display this knack for rendering emotion. Miles runs the gamut from confused to indignant to intensely nervous through the course of this issue, and Marquez lets each emotional shift feel real and natural. David Marquez draws Miles and the rest of the principal cast as real as humanly possible, and in Issue #2 it really shows. While this issue may be missing wall-to-wall action, Marquez makes sure that the interpersonal exchanges between all the characters contain as much emotional fireworks. The scene between Miles and Peter feel heavy with tension and confusion as Miles struggles to understand just what is going on. Marquez makes us feel that confusion as it spreads across Miles' face and body language. It is a remarkable thing when an art team almost convinces you that these are living breathing people and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man #2 comes very close to achieving this feat.
The Ultimate Universe, at its very core, as always been about subverting our expectations and giving us brand new versions of the characters and stories that we loved in the 616 universe. Ultimate Spider-Man flirted with the notion of doing a full out adaptation of the Clone Saga in its early volumes and now it seems that Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man is going to do more than just flirt with this story. Miles Morales are been baptized by fire recently and came out the other side a full fledged superhero. It's only natural that now he has to deal with proper superhero hijinks, just like Peter Parker did before him. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that he doesn't end up wearing a weird off-the-shoulder sweater with the spider on it before this is all over.
Princess Ugg #1
Written by Ted Naifeh
Art by Ted Naifeh and Warren Wucinich
Lettering by Warren Wucinich
Published by Oni Press
Review by Aaron Duran
'Rama Rating: 9 out of 10
As a genre, the "princess in a strange land" has had a very long and slow path to evolve. One could rightly argue that Disneys iron grip on all thing princess kept the trope fairly solidly locked - locked in a pattern that, regardless of their trials and tribulations, ends with them finding a Prince Charming and living happily ever after. Sure, there have been one or two breaks from the norm, but even then, that break is made the end all be all of the character. While it can be fun, that massive shift too often comes at the price of real emotional depth and originality. Looking at the cover of Princess Ugg #1 it would be very easy to assume that's exactly what creator Ted Naifeh is going for. A book that will probably be well-crafted, but not a real break from the genre. It doesn't take long after the first couple of pages to learn that that assumption couldn't be further from the truth.
Almost immediately, as the young Princess Ülga stands before her powerful and imposing mother, we learn this is not a standard fairy tale. Too often the princess must face the horrors of the world because a parental figure forces the issue, by words or actions. Such is not the case in Princess Ugg #1. Instead, we see a mother that only wishes for her daughter to be strong, proud, and wise. But, to do so as she sees fit. And while Naifeh writes this mother as someone that spurs her daughter along, it is never with a forceful hand. The choice made by Ülga in this opening issue are hers and hers alone. Indeed, a rather poignant moment in the book between Ülga and Odin reveals a certain level of painful understanding as Ülga leaves her people. She does so not out of shame or fear, but instead from a genuine curiosity that is only found in the young and fierce. It's a great emotional scene in a book that finds most of its pleasure in great one-liners and fantastic action.
Boy, is there ever action. This is some of Naifeh's best work to date. The nature of the comic all but demands linework packed with constant movement. On that, Princess Ugg delivers wonderfully. There is a cinematic quality to Naifeh's art, with each character perfectly placed within the action. No one just stands around in this book, or at least we don't see them in that moment. It's a smart artistic call that compels the reader to keep their eye moving with the panels. While many comics use dialog to drive the story, Princess Ugg fully embraces visual storytelling. And so, it is character composition that directs the readers eye to what's coming next. Still, for all the great movement Naifeh brings to the comic, the level of detail found within the setting and background is stunning. Be it the harsh snow-covered mountains or the idyllic lowlands setting, this looks and feels like a real place. No character, no matter how small, if given the short end of the pencil.
Warren Wucinich pulls double duty as colorist and letterer. On colors, his palette choices are a great fit with Naifeh's pencils. The shading and colors have a watercolor style to them that make the entire book take on an ethereal tone that plays well to the story. I also like that Wucinich avoided any heavy and dominant primary colors. There is an organic quality to every person and location within the comic. This color choice provides a subtle hint to the reader that this is indeed a very old land. And even characters as young as Princess Ülga reflect a setting that has seen the passing of many generations. This slightly muted style also allows for subtle, but no less effective, contradiction between Ülga and the pampered people of the lowlands. One doesn't even need to read her dialog or watch her actions to understand she is a true stranger to these lands. Although I do wish Wucinich had a little tighter hold on lettering. The dialogue already takes a little time to get used to. As such, Wucinich's lettering design is a slight distraction.
That minor quibble aside, this is a book that so very clearly stands up to the hype. Ted Naifeh is off to a wonderful start with this title. Within a few pages we learn so much about Ülga. Yet behind those eyes we see there is still so much more to experience with this wee berserker. While it's hard to tell if Princess Ugg #1 will truly subvert the "princess in a strange land" trope, it's clear that the adventure will be a joy for both character and reader. Hail and well met, indeed.
Amazing X-Men #8
Written by Craig Kyle and Chris Yost
Art by Ed McGuinness, Mark Farmer, and Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettering by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics
Review by George Marston
'Rama Rating: 4 out of 10
After a somewhat rocky but well received opening arc that saw the return of fan-favorite character Nightcrawler, Amazing X-Men is in for round two. Firing off the opening volley of a new story, with new writers, Amazing X-Men #8 doesn't exactly bode well for the book's new direction. With X-veterans Craig Kyle and Chris Yost at the helm, and artist Ed McGuinness sticking around, the recipe seems right, but with poor pacing, a lack of characterization, and jumpy, visually uninteresting storytelling, this new chapter of Amazing X-Men is off to a poor start.
Right off the bat, Ed McGuinness's art is noticeably less clean and engaging than in previous issues. It seems that McGuinness's usual inker, Dexter Vines, is a fairly large component of what makes his art really work. Inker Mark Farmer brings too much of the type of finish he puts on his usual collaborator Mark Bagley's work, leaving McGuinness's line art looking scratchy and thin instead of fluid and lush, as it appears under Vines's pen. It's simply a matter of two styles that clash, rather than complement. It's such a poor pairing that even Rachelle Rosenberg's usually exemplary colors look splashy and unfinished without Vines's attention to detail and sense of black and white to balance them out.
McGuinness's storytelling isn't his best here, either, though it's likely that a large part of the blame for that falls on the shoulders of Kyle and Yost, who jump from beat to beat and character to character at the expense of any sense of rhythm, and without a chance for any of the players to develop a true voice. Moments like the return of Colossus, eager to see his old friend returned from the dead, are hamstrung by handwaiving Colossus's complicated status quo. Further, with Wolverine as the book's POV character - a natural choice given the book's admittedly clever threat - the opportunity for real emotion and engagement in Nightcrawler and Colossus's reunion feels passed up for yet another 22 pages about the most ubiquitous character in the X-line.
All the same, the issue's final act does come together far better than the previous pages, with Wolverine tracing an old friend's steps to track down the truth of a mystery threat. As Logan teams up with one of his erstwhile Alpha Flight companions, McGuinness employs the most successful of his visual tricks, overlaying Wolverine and his quarry as they follow the same path. Still, even the intrigue of these final moments isn't enough to overcome everything leading up to them. There's simply too much going on, too many threads, and not enough of an actual hook.
Amazing X-Men has a real opportunity to offer a glimpse at the numerous popular X-characters that don't quite fit with the franchise's main storyline right now. Unfortunately, this issue breezes straight past moments that should have been worth the price of admission alone - like Kurt and Piotr's reunion - in favor of more screentime for the only X-Man that matters, Wolverine. Compounded with art that would be sub-par from anyone, let alone a powerhouse like Ed McGuinness, and a script that jumps too many times without sticking a landing, and Amazing X-Men #8 totals out to a disappointing issue from a title and creators that have traditionally been much more successful.


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By Chuck Luce
Once, I got a ride on the shoulders of a very tall young man named Lew Alcindor. It was in 1963 at a summer basketball camp in upstate New York, and Lew, who later was better known as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, was my 16-year-old counselor. I was 12 and as gangly as he was but about 2 feet shorter. Carrying me from our bunkhouse to morning drills, the two of us must have looked like a couple of herons tangled up after a mid-air collision.
Lew was at the camp because its director, the revered Jack Donahue, was his coach at Power Memorial Academy in New York City. Even then everyone knew Lew would be a great star. His body control and grace seemed impossible for a guy with such gantry-like arms, and his unblockable ambidextrous "sky hook" shot, which by 1989 would help make him the all-time leading NBA scorer, was already well developed.
What he said and how he moved mattered to me, as did anything that had to do with basketball back then and for many years afterward. I've spent so much time playing the game that its subtleties of movement and touch are embedded in my bones and muscles, and its intellectual nuances etched into the electrical pathways of my brain. Put me near a gym floor and the synapses reconnect involuntarily.
With one jump I can tell you if the front rim of a basketball goal is the correct 10 feet above the floor or too high or too low. I can tell after a couple of bounces if a basketball is under- or over-inflated. Most of the time I know if a shot I take will go through the hoop the instant the ball departs my fingertips. Within a few minutes of watching a playground game I can pick out the schooled ballplayers from the hacks—who can't dribble to his left, who's lazy on defense, who moves well without the ball.
Every serious injury I've ever had I got on a basketball court: A broken arm at age 5, when somehow while dribbling I managed to get my left arm between my legs and trip myself—an early example of my very un-Kareem-like body control. I broke my arm again in a game in the ninth grade. That time I didn't even realize it was busted until the referee tossed me the ball for a foul shot, and, when I tried to catch it, my forearm bent at a rather unusual angle. My nose has been broken so many times that my face looks like a Picasso painting come to life. I've got knees that are a pocked moonscape of floor-burn scars and a snapped anterior cruciate ligament acquired during an allegedly friendly lunchtime game with faculty at Connecticut College, where I used to work.
All these things I know and have experienced not completely by choice. I am, you see, the son of a basketball coach.
My dad began coaching right after he graduated from college in 1952. He had immediate and, to hear him tell it, undeserved success. (His lifetime record of 298-139 would refute that, but my old man isn't much into boasting.) By the time he was 24, his team at Dobbs Ferry High School in New York state had won two consecutive Westchester County championships. He then moved on to coach at Greenwich High in Connecticut, Boston University, and finally Division III Connecticut College, a school very much like Puget Sound.
As kids, my three brothers and I had no inkling—all we cared about was whether he'd come out to the driveway and play "Horse" with us—but my dad was well regarded in the Eastern coaching fraternity. Sometimes after supper the phone would ring and we'd push and tackle each other, racing to pick it up.
A voice would say, "Is Charlie there? This is Bob Cousy."
Or, "Hey there, Little Man. Your dad home? Dee Rowe here."
They'd be calling to talk over scouting reports, usually.
"It's for you, Pop!" we'd holler, without covering the mouthpiece.
Dad often took my brothers and me with him as he did his work; it was the only way my mom ever got a break from us little coyotes. What a treat it was, dribbling balls up and down the long length of the echoey high school halls during Saturday practices. Or riding the bus with the team to away games. Standing under the basket during pre-game warm-ups, retrieving balls and feeding the players with as much snap in our passes as our frail little arms could manage. Watching and listening at halftime as the old man drew Xs and Os on a blackboard. Delighting in locker room towel-snapping after wins; trying with all our might not to disturb the silence after losses.
To me the players were Zeuses and Apollos in numbered jerseys and white Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars, possessed of the capacity for great good and terrible retribution just like those gods in the Greek myths, both admirable and terrible on a superhuman scale.
Now, more than 40 years later, ballplayers don't seem quite so unapproachable to me, but going to a basketball game does still feel like participating in a kind of faith ritual. Sounds trite, I know. But I'm not talking about old clichéd gym-as-cathedral metaphors. I'm thinking of something more like what the transcendentalists called "intuition," when you know you're in the presence of something holy because you sense it, even if you can't describe it.
So it's that old excitement and easy familiarity I am feeling as I walk into Puget Sound's Memorial Fieldhouse on the evening of March 7 for the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament.
The opponent tonight: Whitworth College. Again. It's the fourth time this season UPS has played Whitworth.
The Loggers won the two regular-season meetings, if not handily then at least with a degree of authority. Such was not the case one week ago exactly when the two teams met in the finals of the Northwest Conference tournament here in Tacoma. The Logger men came to that game ranked third nationally in Division III, with a 24-2 record (the two losses to Division II teams) and 16-0 in the conference. No basketball team in the history of the nine-school NWC had ever finished the season undefeated. Internet bloggers had been saying for weeks that UPS would inevitably have a bad game, and that night turned out to be it. After an ugly dogfight of an overtime period, Whitworth went home the victor. It was an exhausting game to watch, never mind what it must have been like to play. Because of this win, the Pirates got a spot in the NCAA playoffs, as did Puget Sound by virtue of its record and ranking, which set things up for a déjà-vu-all-over-again moment. Same time. Same place. Same cast of characters, one week later.
By now there was nothing these two teams didn't know about one another. How the offense cycled and reset. What spots players liked to shoot from. What the in-bounds plays were. And about a million other things that meant the team that made the fewest mistakes and had the superior will would win.
Coach Justin Lunt, 29, in his third season at Puget Sound, was Eric Bridgeland's assistant before Bridgeland departed Tacoma for Division I Pepperdine University. It's Justin's first head coaching job. By all accounts, he is a thinking man's coach—a PLU grad, for which we forgive him, and an inveterate note-taker and bookworm. His players say he sends daily e-mails with quoted material and assigned readings. One recent example: Patrick Lencioni's third novel in a trilogy about corporate behavior, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable, which he assigned his players to report on in a five-page essay. In that book, the dysfunctions described are "absence of trust," "fear of conflict," "lack of commitment," "avoidance of accountability," and "inattention to results."
Good items to keep in mind for teams, both business and basketball.
Lunt's studies clearly have also included the philosophies of a number of iconic college coaches. In the style of play he teaches I see the dribble-and-drive "motion" offense that was refined by Vance Walberg at Pepperdine and lately used to good effect by John Calipari at Memphis. It's an up-tempo offense that puts all five players on the attack all the time. The Loggers continually attack on defense, too, discombobulating and exhausting opponents with a full-court press that begins seemingly the minute the other team gets off the bus, trapping and double-teaming in the corners of the court, and always pressuring the man with the ball and anticipating passes for a steal. I once read a blog that described this kind of game as sprinting around nonstop for 40 minutes in a big cage full of angry badgers in front of a baseball pitching machine. It's nerve-wracking to watch for a basketball traditionalist like me, since all the running and double-teaming often permit an easy layup for the opposing team. But it also induces a lot of turnovers (the Logger men force more than 20 a game, on average) and harassed, rushed shots.
This fourth Whitworth game begins where the third one left off in an elbow-throwing, diving on the floor, harshly physical contest—bodies flying everywhere. Both teams are playing a withering man-to-man defense, and setting screens and swinging the ball fast back and forth across the court on offense. It's basketball reduced to its elements. My dad would have loved it.
A Whitworth play in which their 6-foot-8-inch center comes up to the top of the key to set a pick for one of the two Pirate shooting guards confounded the Loggers in the league championship game, but tonight it's not giving them much trouble. (Coach Lunt later told me that the team made a few adjustments in practice during the previous week, but the main thing they focused on was attitude—their desire to win.) The game is not a blowout by any stretch, but the guys are making important plays when they need to, and, praise gravity and the prevailing winds, they're sinking their foul shots.
Partway through the second half, Puget Sound's 6-foot-6-inch Jason Foster '09, a remarkably good ball handler for such a big man, drives to the hoop aiming for a towering dunk with such speed and power that I swear I can feel the concussive shockwave of his effort even up in the balcony where I'm sitting. He misses, but the crowd goes crazy as he is whistled to the foul line.
And this is where the collective influence of the Logger Club and a couple of hundred hooting students all wearing the same hatchet-emblazoned white T-shirts comes in. The Puget Sound fieldhouse is a classic 1950s basketball snake pit. The term "home-court advantage" was invented for places like this, where the bleachers are right down on the floor, just inches from the sidelines, and grandstand fans look onto a sunken court similar to storied arenas like the old Roberts Center at Boston College or Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas or The Palestra at Penn. In Memorial Fieldhouse a fired-up crowd can help a team reach down into its socks and find a capsule of effort. It can demoralize opponents. It can inspire belief.
Foster gets two free throws and drains them both. You could tell, just then, with the fans jumping up and down and the UPS players setting up for the umpteenth time that night their wearying intimidating press, that Whitworth lost its will. Over the next few possessions the Loggers take control, and the game ends in a 84-72 win. Puget Sound is off to Wheaton, Ill., and the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.
There's a reason why Division III sports have been called the sweatiest of the liberal arts. The game of basketball is as much intellectual as it is physical. For the coaches, preparing for an opponent can involve hours and hours of studying films and statistics. Players put in additional long hours of strategy sessions and practice on the court.
Puget Sound's opponent in the third round of the tournament is the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn. The "Tommies" are the top-ranked Division III team in the country, and undefeated.
Playing in a big tournament is a little different from playing a regular-season game. It shouldn't be different—it's still a contest between two opponents, with the same rules—but there's something about facing a team you know is really good in an unfamiliar place in front of a lot of people that pumps up the intimidation factor.
When I was a junior at Natick High School in Massachusetts, our team made it to the semifinals of the state championship and a game that was played in the Boston Garden. This was the old 1928 Garden, before they tore it down and built the anonymous concrete cellar that is now the TD Banknorth Garden. Talk about shrines; here was the house of John Havlicek, Bill Russell, Sam Jones. I remember distinctly how freaked out I was that the famous parquet floor was laid directly on top of the ice that the Boston Bruins would be skating on later that night. And how utterly huge it seemed.
In our pre-game meeting the coach told us not to think too much and to come up with ways to keep each other loose. One guy, the class valedictorian who later became a history professor, tried to accomplish this during the game with admonitions directed at the officials: "Oooh! Ref!! I doubt the validity of that call!" he'd scream. Or, "Ref! Ref!! That was a specious call!"
It was pretty funny, but apparently not the kind of looseness we required. We got creamed.
On Friday, March 13, a couple of days after a full moon, I'm at work, taking advantage of the university's fast data connection to watch the Loggers/Tommies game streamed live on the Internet. The feed is a little choppy and staticky, like a broadcast from space, but it's better than the radio.
Alas, from the start this game looks like the Whitworth loss. Antwan Williams '09 has in his kit of many skills an astonishing floating layup. Most nights he can guide the ball to the hoop like it's a soap bubble. Tonight it's not dropping. The team is getting too few rebounds and second shots. The guys run their hearts out to the last second, but, after an encouraging stretch late in the first half when they tie the score, they fall further and further behind in the second half. The game concludes as an 86-69 loss.
The season is over. Few Division III players go on to professional post-school athletic careers. So what did basketball teach the members of this team that can be applied to everyday life? Why did they spend so many thousands of hours practicing what is only a game? Were the injuries and the gut-tearing physical exertion and the time missed with family and friends worth it?
What does anyone who spends so much time playing a college sport learn? Persistence and stamina. Perspective in the face of challenge. Humility in victory. Grace in loss. Teamwork. Sacrifice. Selflessness.
Above all, selflessness.
In his practices, my father used to run a drill where no dribbling was allowed, just passing to advance toward the basket. The assist is the most perfect play in basketball, he used to say, and cooperation beats individual ability every time. That's certainly been a defining characteristic of the '08–'09 Puget Sound men's basketball squad. In addition to a record-breaking winning streak (19 games without a loss), the team set one other school record: most career assists, Antwan Williams. Jason Foster told me it's the most unselfish team he's ever played on. Cooperation is so ingrained with these guys that they don't even think about it. "It's who we are and what we do," Jason said.
Coach Lunt described the team as a cult of trust.
My dad is 80 now. He lives in a retirement community in Pennsylvania in the same town as my youngest brother. It is his habit on Sunday mornings to call me up and find out what's going on out here on the other side of the country. Last week he said he'd had dinner with a couple of his old players from Boston U. "Those kids [he still calls them kids, even though they're near 60 now], those kids still keep in close touch with one another," he said. "After all this time."
From what I've seen, I expect the UPS guys will, too.
When my dad retired from Connecticut College the school named its fieldhouse after him. An amazing honor. As the building neared completion, college administrators asked him to provide a short text for a brass plaque near the entrance. Shy about his own words, although he was often good at picking just the right ones at the right moment, he chose a quote from a speech Franklin Delano Roosevelt made in a Fireside Chat during the darkest days of the Great Depression:
"People acting together as a group can accomplish things which no individual alone could ever hope to bring about."
And that, I think, after everything, is what playing the game of basketball teaches.

subset: commoncrawl


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Join us at our cutting-edge micro-farm for some stimulating conversation and an interactive 1-hour tour led by Alegría Farm's founder, urban farming pioneer and soil expert, Erik Cutter. See, smell, touch and sample Alegría Farm's all-natural superfoods: greens, nutrient-dense vegetables and medicinal herbs at our new 1/2-acre regenerative farm.Gain valuable tips on growing your own organic produce and create your "Green Farmacy," creating edible vertical gardens, making your own living soil, vermicomposting and more. Erik will discuss his vision to help others create their own zero-waste micro-farms and how urban farming can promote local jobs, healthier humans and communities. His simple hydro-organic and soil techniques and efficient planting methods produce more high-quality, fresh food naturally, with much fewer resources.
Please reserve your space asap and meet me at The Nursery, 7000 Marine Way, Irvine CA 92618. This workshop begins promptly at 11:00am, so come early and stay as long as you like.


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At ISL, we are always seeking to expand our team of specialists so if you think your skills would be useful to us, please email your CV to email@example.com.
The vacancies we currently have available are:
– ISL Slovak Language Specialist
ISL are seeking a small number of Language Specialists to help facilitate the delivery of our Vocational Interpreting Qualifications. This exciting role play bring you extra work opportunities, enhance your current skills and fit nicely around your pre-existing commitments. The role will involve:
- Carrying out assessments
- Working closely with ISL assessors
- Observing and recording competent practise
- Providing prompt, accurate and constructive feedback
– The Language Shop – Assessor
The Language Shop are seeking suitably experienced and qualified linguists. A key part of the role involves carrying out assessments of linguists' provided by other suppliers working across the justice sector. This includes courts, the police, probation services and prisons If you meet one or more of the following criteria, they would really like to hear from you:
- Experience in assessing language professionals.
- An assessor qualification.
- An Interpreting qualification at Level 3 or higher
- Significant experience providing language services to the justice sector.
- Other relevant qualifications or experience.
If you are interested in any of the above roles and want to either apply or find out more information, please email firstname.lastname@example.com with your CV.


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Services Tips for The Average Joe
Why Mould Inspection And Testing Is Essential Occurrence of moulds is common in most buildings irrespective of the purpose for which the building is used. Research indicates that moulds carry an health risk and measures are required in place to ensure any invasion is detected in time and measures to curb its prevalence created in time. For a lasting solution to the moulds menace, homeowners need to seek for professional services to ascertain its prevalence and create amicable solutions. The methods used in mould inspection vary with the service provider. It entails determination of the moulds prevalence, causes and the possible ways to get rid of the problem. The service provider offers solutions that include the removal of the existing moulds as well as identification of an ideal solution to rid of future development of the moulds. Biological health service mould testing is a common application used in modern times. The application helps ascertain the possible risk posed by the moulds and the extent of its prevalence and possible causes. From the finding when the process is identified, the service provider gives the residents a detailed insight on the measures required in place to reduce the risk.
Figuring Out Experts
Moulds pose a health risk. The risk is even bigger to the person endowed to remove the moulds. After a thorough inspection, the service provider recommends on the best removal methods. This includes the type of application that will completely remove the existing moulds. For safety of the removal technicians, a safe gear is provided with instruction on how to handle the solutions in use.
Inspections: 10 Mistakes that Most People Make
A common cause for moulds development is dampness within the building. Getting rid of the damp conditions is one of the basic steps to reduce the prevalence of moulds development. Through intensive inspection practices, the service teams identify the underlying causes and advise on possible measures to rid of the problem. There are numerous companies that offer mould removal services. The quality and extent of the work the companies can handle vary accordingly and this means the client must seek for a reliable service provider. Key factors that define an reliable service provider is having appropriate tools and experience to offer fulfilling services. The risk of moulds invasion is prevalent in all buildings. Regular inspection of the moulds is therefore a necessity for every type of premise. By having hard to reach areas in every building, the process needs to be undertaken by a reliable person with adequate capacity. Regular inspections need to follow an outlined schedule created by the service provider to the convenience of the client. In this regard, the home owner and the residents get an assurance of safety from any risks posed by the development of the moulds.


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Pow Wow Hawaii mural sparks year-long series "Paradise Lost"
During POW! WOW! Hawaii 2014, the Kamea Hadar and Defer collaborated on a mural that marked the start of a year-long series of collaborative walls, gallery shows, and other creative projects between the two artists called "Paradise Lost". Their new 1AM Gallery show by the same name opens this Thursday, 6:30-9:30pm, and is part of the second installment of this series along with two large-scale murals here in San Francisco. Stay tuned for updates about their upcoming murals. For now, here are some shots of Kamea and Defer working on the mural that started it all, located at Fresh Cafe in Honolulu. "Paradise Lost" opens THIS Thursday, August 7th, 6:30 – 9:30PM. Contact firstname.lastname@example.com for a preview catalog.


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OK, I'll admit that the title is intentionally provocative. It may well be that, for you, going for a few weeks without Facebook could be a good thing. It's certainly becoming a popular thing for Lenten-observant Christians to do these days. But, if it isn't already too late (today being Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent), I'd like to offer a reason to reconsider.
I've already been posting links to Bruce Reyes-Chow's excellent reflection on the matter (this is an archived version) when I've been in conversations elsewhere, and I certainly think he gets to some of the issues rather well. But I heard a story yesterday that, while I'm going to go without names and places here, I think makes the point in another way.
In my duties at Fuller, I have a lot of interaction with professors, some of whom I've now known for many years. One of these professors attends a church that my wife and I used to attend when we first got married. He shared a story yesterday of a high school student in that church's community who was recently shot and killed in what sounds like gang-related violence. Although the student was not a part of a family that attended that church, one of the church's members had a connection to the student, and so the church was invited to do the funeral service. Although the church is predominately one particular ethnicity, and the student's community was another, the church saw this as an opportunity to build relationships with those who had been affected by the student's death. The resulting funeral service included, as is not uncommon in Christian surroundings, an invitation to learn more about Christ (side note: these things must be done very gently, recognizing that people at funerals are in a very vulnerable state. I trust the professor when he tells me that this invitation was very appropriate). Apparently some 80 students filled out cards and gave their Facebook addresses.
That's the part that surprised me. The contact information of choice for these young people was Facebook. The professor didn't mention home addresses, telephone numbers, or e-mail. Just Facebook addresses. Here are people asking to start conversations with people who call themselves Christians, and they're asking to do so on Facebook. If members of the church that held the funeral had decided to stop using Facebook for Lent, who would be left to engage these people in the conversations they're asking to have?
I often hear people talk about how Facebook (and other Internet venues) don't foster "real" relationships. One person I read yesterday specifically advocated for giving up Facebook for Lent and using that time to engage someone in a "real" face-to-face conversation. The idea that Facebook relationships are somehow less "real" is something I very much want to push against. I certainly don't mean to say that one should use Facebook to the exclusion of face-to-face relationships. That way lies madness. There is no substitute for such "non-virtual" contact. But nonetheless, Facebook communication is real communication. There are live human beings on the other ends of those computer terminals reading what we have to say. While face-to-face communication may well be better for certain needs, Facebook is better for others. Many of the friends I have on Facebook are dear friends that I simply wouldn't currently be in contact with at all without it. Others are people that I am able to learn more about because we can grab those snippets of time on Facebook when a more personal contact simply isn't available to us (say, when both of us are at work, not currently engaged in a task for our jobs, but able to take a couple of minutes to say "hi" before the next task comes in). There is real communication that takes place here that wouldn't happen at any other time, and giving that communication up may not actually do anything that helps draw us closer to each other nor to God. And if something being given up for Lent doesn't draw us closer, then it's missing the point of why people give things up for Lent in the first place.
So, by all means, you should make your own decision about how you should observe Lent. If something's keeping you from a closer relationship with God or with other people, then by all means consider giving it up, at least for a few weeks. But don't just do it because other people have been doing it. Consider what you're giving up, and why.
An archive of posts from 2005-2015. For more recent posts, go to Blackrock's Toybox.
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Why You Shouldn't Give Up Facebook for Lent
3 comments:
Sharing on Facebook ;)ReplyDelete
Hi Mark,ReplyDelete
I very much enjoyed and benefitted from this article and have shared it with some select friends and family. Also, I agree with your statement about contact you wouldn't have otherwise... like me finding you (and a couple hundred other Montreat alums). Finally, how fascinating the fact that youngsters are using Facebook as a primary means of communication. At a church here in Orlando, the interns from last suer actually giggled at a request to provide an email address. When asked they said, "Who emails anymore? Just DM me." They communicated solely thru Twitter.
Kind Regards,
Thanks for the kind words, Cameron.ReplyDelete


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Spring 2015 is almost upon us! English 333: Comics and Graphic Novels begins again next Wednesday, Jan. 21. I'm busily prepping the class's schedule and Moodle site, and eagerly anticipating our first meeting. In the meantime, I've updated the informational page on 333 to reflect what will be happening this semester, and have included links to sub-pages that explain, in detail, the textbooks and requirements for the class. If you read carefully, you'll find out something about the history of the course, its aims and rationale, and its place in the world of comics studies, as well as something about my (Prof. Hatfield's) background. Note that there's even a PDF of the syllabus that you can print out and read ahead of time!
Students, I'm looking forward to meeting you and to our shared work together this term. Shazam!
English 333, remodeled
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May 2015
Prof. Charles Hatfield of CSU Northridge, author of Hand of Fire (2011) and Alternative Comics (2005) and co-editor of The Superhero Reader (2013)


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Alternanthera is a genus of approximately 80 herbaceous plant species in Amaranthaceae, the amaranth family. It is a widespread genus with a cosmopolitan distribution.
Several species are aquatic plant in habit, but most are spreading stoloniferous plants, sometimes used as ground cover. The leaves are simple and verticillate. The small white or yellow flowers are arranged in chafflike bracts, growing in the leaf buds.
Alligator weed (Alternanthera philoxeroides), a native of South America, forms dense, sprawling mats, reaching 15 m across. It is considered a noxious weed, choking ponds, lakes, streams, canals, and irrigation ditches. It is being suppressed through biological control with the alligator weed flea beetle (Agasicles hygrophila), the alligator weed thrips (Amynothrips andersoni), and the alligator weed stem borer (Vogtia malloi). Mechanical and chemical controls fail.
There are only a few aquatic plants in the genus Alternanthera suitable for aquarium use. They are considered difficult to grow and maintain, because they are sensitive to certain parameters of light, water, and fertilizers. The species often found in aquarium settings include A. bettzichiana, A. reineckii, A. reineckii var. lilacina, A. reineckii var. roseafolia, A. reineckii var. rubra, and A. sessilis, which is semi-aquatic


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Hey, welcome to the GRIP forum.
If you're new to the forum, thanks for joining us here!
Unfortunately, your first post will not be visible to others until moderators have approved it. They check the forum very often, so it won't take long.
After your first post is approved, your account is automatically upgraded so that you can post freely without needing moderator approval.
May I suggest our meet & greet thread?
We have our rules of course.
It can be summerized as "don't be a prick".
Posting in an old thread (called "necro") is okay if it's on-topic and contributes to the topic, but imagine how others will feel about it.
If you found the solution to a year-old bug, feel free to post it in the relevant thread.
Only posting "I agree" in a year-old suggestion thread is frowned upon.
The subforum names are fairly self-explanatory. GRIP Early Access Feedback should contain threads about the current Early Access state of the game; bug reports, feedback on the latest update etc.
Vehicles, Tracks, Weapons etc. is for suggestions and such that are more about what you'd like to see in the final release of GRIP.
Browsing these and using the search function at the top of the forum should help you find threads relevant to what you want to discuss about GRIP.
GRIP has a vocal community of old Rollcage players. Don't be discouraged from discussion; everyone's opinion is equal and worth a lot to us, even if you suggest we implement aerial control like Rocket League.
Try to keep in mind that Caged Element is a very small team though, so even if you come up with an awesome idea, we might not have the manpower or time to focus on it.
Interesting links:
The GRIP homepage! Read about the game's backstory, the dev team, planets, pickups etc.
The GRIP discord channel. You can find other GRIP players to play multiplayer with here.
GRIP update announcements and changelogs.
Developer polls. The developers will post polls here when they need feedback on a specific subject.
Q: Does the game have a tutorial?
A: A written one can be found by clicking this text and we have a short work in progress 'Primer' in the game that'll teach players the basics.
Q: My controller doesn't work with GRIP.
A: Only Xinput controllers are supported for now. You can use software like x360ce (or DS4Windows for Playstation 4 controllers) to make your controller work with GRIP.
Q: Will GRIP support steering wheels?
A: Yes, eventually. In this early stage of development we don't have the resources yet to implement this.
Q: Will GRIP support VR?
A: We're not sure. Let us know if you want it
Q: I'd like to have my music featured in GRIP!
A: We appreciate contributions, but we already have a very full roster of musicians. You can email firstname.lastname@example.com directly, but keep in mind your music may not be a good fit for the game, or not up to the quality we're looking for.
Q: The game doesn't launch!
A: Here's a list of what fixed this issue for other users.
Q: Will the game have a Linux/Mac/BSD/MS-Dos version?
A: This depends on the potential market. If a lot of users voice the support, it can be an option for the game once it exits Early Access.
Q: Will the game have console versions?
A: A console version is planned. We'll hopefully have more information on this soon.
Got any further questions? Feel free to send us nudes a PM.
(New users that don't have an approved post (or guests) will need to send us an email instead, as they can't PM yet.)


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Customer applications
Access our web portal to order and Track and Trace your shipments and access customised dashboards.
Access our web portal to order and Track and Trace your ocean-air-rail shipments.
Access your Courier account via our web portal to quote, book and Track and trace all your courier shipments
Access our dedicated web portal to order a vehicle delivery, Track and Trace your flows and monitor your stock inventory.
17 - 19
April 2019
Our experts will be present at the Automotive Logistics Summit in Shanghai (China) on April 17th to 19th and will be pleased to meet you at GEFCO's booth!
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text: Awards will be given based on the content and creativity of the submissions. The chief criteria is that such ICT for Development initiatives have been applied in the HKH region, have a clear focus on mountain development or mountain environment, and have made an impact on the ground. All forms of ICT (mobile, radio, Internet, digital content, blogs, robotics, multimedia, etc.) are eligible for submission.


text: We're sorry, Sterling Silver Watching Pug Earrings is no longer available Why not try one of these instead? Friendship Knot Silver Earrings by Wue £15$28.28€17.23$19 free UK delivery Silver Friendship Knot Earrings by Sophie Jones Jewellery £16.50$31.10€18.96$20.90 Sterling Silver Star Climber Personalised ... by Bloom Boutique £14$26.39€16.08$17.73 free UK delivery Sterling Silver Star Hoop Earrings by Bloom Boutique £15$28.28€17.23$19 free UK delivery I'm in! Sterling Silver Watching Pug Earrings by Happy Pug £18$33.93€20.68$22.80 4 customer reviews(4) This item is no longer available Favourite Favourite Ask Seller View your favourites we're sorry we're sorry, This item is no longer available buy a gift card PRODUCT DETAILS made in britain Adorable pug stud earrings, handmade from Sterling Silver This design is called watching so this little pug can keep a loving watchful eye on you all day long. The design has been etched on sterling silver and then oxidised to turn the detail black. The earrings have then been polished to create a shiny surface. All items come gift wrapped in a blue box with matching pug ribbon so make a wonderful gift for a pug or dog lover. made from: Sterling Silver dimensions: 8mm tall product code: 182839 see more see less CUSTOMER REVIEWS 4 customer reviews read about our product rating system trusted independent customer feedback forum DELIVERY This product is dispatched to you by Happy Pug. RETURNS You have 28 days, from receipt of cancellable goods, to notify the seller if you wish to cancel your order or exchange an item. Please note: goods that are personalised, bespoke or made-to-order to your specific requirements, perishable products and personal items sold with a hygiene seal (cosmetics, underwear) in instances where the seal is broken are non-refundable, unless faulty. Read more about our returns policy.Should you choose to return or exchange your order you will need to deliver the item(s) to the UK, where this seller is based.


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The plastic surgeons have told Lauren Mann there's not much they can do - she'll pretty much have to live with the scars streaking her face, arms and legs. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the 23-year-old Columbus woman can return to court to accuse an apartment-complex owner of negligence and seek damages for her injuries.
The plastic surgeons have told Lauren Mann there�s not much they can do � she�ll pretty much have to live with the scars streaking her face, arms and legs.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled yesterday that the 23-year-old Columbus woman can return to court to accuse an apartment-complex owner of negligence and seek damages for her injuries.
In a 7-0 decision, the justices found that in addition to the duty owed their tenants, landlords also have a legal obligation to tenants� guests to keep common areas �safe and sanitary� and in good repair.
Mann, then 16 years old, says she stumbled on dark, interior hallway stairs while visiting friends at the Northgate Apartments on Old Henderson Road in 2007. She fell through a plate-glass panel next to the exit.
All four lighting fixtures had burned-out bulbs.
�She basically filleted herself,� said her attorney, Michael Irwin of Westerville.
A Franklin County judge threw out Mann�s original lawsuit, ruling in part that Northgate Investors of Columbus, the apartment-complex owner, owed only an �ordinary duty of care� to Mann since she was not a tenant.
However, when the Franklin County Court of Appeals reversed the trial-court judge and, in a separate case, another appellate court also disagreed about whether tenants� guests deserved greater protection, the justices agreed to sort out the law.
In clarifying the state�s landlord-tenant laws, the justices ruled that Ohio law referring to keeping �leased premises� in safe condition also applies to common areas, not solely to tenants� apartments.
The justices also unanimously agreed that if negligence is shown, it cannot be blunted by the � open and obvious danger� doctrine that claims people have a duty to discover hazards and protect themselves from them.
Mann now gets to return to court in an attempt to win damages if she can prove Northgate Investors was negligent in failing to light the interior hallway at night and caused her injuries.
�This ruling is going to make landlords more responsible and hopefully put some bite in the law -- repair your property and don�t create dangerous situations,� Irwin said.
Kevin Foley, a Columbus lawyer who represents Northgate Investors, said the high court�s opinion was a technical clarification rather than a major precedent. �Plaintiffs still are required to show negligence caused their injuries,� he said.
The apartment complex owners deny they were negligent and will fight the case in which Mann seeks more than $500,000 in damages.


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New 2019 Chevrolet Colorado Crew Cab Short Box 2-Wheel Drive LT
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newCarTestDrive.com's review says "Every Colorado feels well-assembled, using good materials. Whatever the trim level, body configuration Great Gas Mileage: 25 MPG Hwy.
Plus TT&L and fees. Price contains all applicable dealer incentives and non-limited factory rebates. You may qualify for additional rebates; see dealer for details.


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Your RYDA Experience
Are you a new driver? Maybe you're their passenger? Either way, the RYDA program is for you. RYDA will give you critical information and tools to stay safe on the roads. It's also fun day out of the school classroom where you'll collaborate with friends, work on personal strategies, see a real demonstration of emergency braking and get tips from road safety experts. Check out this video to see a RYDA day from a student's perspective.


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AIA East Bay is a full-service distributor of AIA Contract Documents, the most widely used standard form contracts in the building industry. The first AIA contract documents were published in 1888. Today, there are more than 80 contracts and administrative forms available from the AIA. The AIA Contract Documents have been finely tuned during their 115-year history to reflect the latest changes in law and the construction industry. As a result, the comprehensive contracts and forms have been tested by the courts and are widely considered the industry standard.
Anyone may purchase and use the AIA Contract Documents. AIA Members receive a 25% discount and do not pay handling fees.
To order AIA Contract Documents, see the Price List and call us at 510/464-3600 between 8:30am and 6pm, Monday through Friday.
We generally ship documents the day we receive your order, and we accept Mastercard, VISA, American Express and Discover. AIA members do not need to pre-pay–we will include an invoice with your order.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you email/fax me a contract? No. Contract Documents cannot be emailed or faxed, due to copyright law. However, we are happy to mail them to you the day we receive your order if the order is received by 4:30pm. Additionally, you can pick them up in our office at 1405 Clay Street, Oakland. Contract Document Software is available as an online download. You can learn more about the electronic AIA Contract Documents by clicking here.
I don't need many contracts, but I want them electronically. Is there a small package? Yes! In 2006 AIA East Bay brought a Resolution to the AIA Convention to ask National to look at the needs of small firms and sole proprietors. The result is the Docs100 Meter license. This license gives the user access to the full line of contracts and functionality. AIA Architect and Associate members can download 100 Document Units to be used in 12 months; pricing is not currently shown on the external marketing pages of the AIA National website, but is an option when one registers to make a purchase.
I'm not sure which contract I need. For descriptions of the AIA Contract Documents, see the AIA Document Synopses.
Can you ship overnight? Yes. AIA East Bay saves you money on overnight shipping; we use OnTrak (formerly California Overnight). You pay only the OnTrak charge of $15-17 (depending on package weight). AIA East Bay does not charge additional overnight handling fees. You may provide your own OnTrak or Federal Express shipper number.
Do I have to order five copies of one contract? No. AIA East Bay is happy to sell you only the number of contracts you need, even if only a single contract.
Can I come down and read a few contracts to figure out what I need? Absolutely. We're at 1405 Clay Street (the NW corner of 14th and Clay Streets) in downtown Oakland. Take the 12th Street/City Center BART Station.
To download AIA Contract Documents, see AIA Contract Documents Online.
"AIA Contract Documents® and the content therein are copyrighted works owned by the American Institute of Architects. AIA Contract Documents are protected by U.S. Copyright Law and International Treaties. Unauthorized reproduction, display or 12 distribution of an AIA Contract Document, or any portion of it, may result in severe civil and criminal penalties, and will be prosecuted to the maximum extent possible under the law. AIA Contract Documents are licensed for one time use only and may not be reproduced prior to its completion."
"'AIA', 'The American Institute of Architects' and the AIA emblem are registered trademarks owned by the American Institute of Architects."


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It's a hectic time of year filled with food, booze, family and friends. But how about the amount of stress! Make sure your guests feel at home during the holidays with these simple steps.
1. Greet!
Greet all your guests as they enter. This is the first step in making sure no one feels like they just walked in or have to say an awkward hello. Graciously accept any hostess gifts, smile and be welcoming. Point them to a refreshment table, to a seating area – guiding them to their first destination at your party will go a long way in making them get into the party mood and will keep them from cluttering your front hallway.
2. Slippers
Have you recently renovated your home and splurged on to-die-for oak hardwood flooring installed in a unique pattern? Or perhaps your female guests have a love of high heel shoes that are next to impossible to walk in. Maybe, baby, it's cold outside and you don't want your guests trekking in all that snow, slush and salt. Invest in some comfortable slippers and leave them at the front door for your guests to use as they wish. I don't know anyone who doesn't feel at home in a nice pair of cozy slippers.
3. Refreshments
Be prepared for your party! Wake up early to make your food or if guests are bringing certain refreshments, at least have a nibble platter of cheese and grapes and a few bottles of wine open and ready to go. Many people feel more at ease in a social setting when they have something in their hands and who doesn't love a nice glass of red wine? Set up an appetizer station in the living room where guests will gather so they don't go in the kitchen where the atmosphere may be a bit too 'behind-the-scenes' for them.
4. Scents
Science has shown that some smells trigger certain memories, so why not light up some beautiful Christmas inspired scented candles and add to the ambiance with the flicker of the light as well? Gingerbread, vanilla and rosemary are all crowd pleasers and are sure to trigger warm and happy thoughts.
5. Music
To kill the awkward silence and get guests into the festive spirit, play music appropriate for the party. Christmas carols or classical music low enough so that guests can carry on a conversation but loud enough to be audible. Create a playlist before hand or download some online so that you don't have to be stuck playing DJ all night.
6. Prepare A Guest Room
The elephant in the room can be moved to your guest room; don't let your guests drink and drive! Either call them a cab or have a guest room prepared. Fresh linens and a small overnight kit – travel sized toiletries such as a toothbrush, toothpaste, face wash, body wash and towels placed on the bed and spare clean pajamas. Don't forget to stock a couple water bottles and a few snacks so your guests don't feel awkward having to rummage through your kitchen in the middle of the night. Think of it as a 'welcome basket' similar to one you would get at a B & B.


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Learning Management Systems (LMS) are the ultimate online learning tools. We're living in an unprecedented age where anyone with access to the internet has free access to knowledge and information like never before. Online learning tools like Mindflash help organize and systematize that information for easy learning.
What is a Learning Management System?
An LMS is an online learning tool that allows creators to develop courses for other people to take. The courses are often multimedia, incorporating PDFs, videos, PowerPoint slides, and even quizzes. An LMS is not just a collection of various elements that make up the content of a course; it's an interface that guides the student through the materials in a logical and seamless way.
As online learning tools, LMS's are regularly used by universities to teach courses to students, companies to train employees or customers, and hobbyists or people who simply love learning new things, among others.
Online learning platforms like Mindflash have several advantages over traditional in-person classroom learning: it typically costs less per student, because many, many students can take one online course; it's more convenient, because students can access it at any time instead of showing up in class in person; and it's often more effective, because it allows students to go at their own pace instead of being forced to learn along with the fastest or slowest students in the class.
Mindflash Lets Employers Create Courses Easily and Intuitively
Mindflash is the ultimate online learning tool for employee training. It was created to help businesses train their employees effectively and efficiently.
When you sign up with Mindflash, you can immediately begin creating courses, no IT or computer pro required. Base courses off of existing materials you've already created or start from scratch for something custom. Create as many courses as you need to address all of your employee training needs, teaching such things as:
And more.
By onboarding new hires quickly, keeping existing employees current on health and safety regulations and advances in the industry, and supporting employee professional development, Mindflash helps companies save money in the long run by reducing costs associated with turnover and onboarding.
Plus, get the reports you need to keep track of progress by course, by individual, or by group. You can easily see who's exceling and who needs a little extra help.
Mindflash Is Convenient and Easy to Use for Employees
Taking courses on Mindflash is as easy as creating them. Because it's a cloud-based online learning tool, Mindflash lets employees access courses in the cloud on any device – computer, tablet, or phone – with an internet connection. It's learning that fits in with the digital age.
For extra accountability, and to ensure employees are comprehending what they're learning, you can incorporate quizzes into courses and set a required passing score. Those who don't pass take the course again. Those who do finish or move on to the next course in the series. The learning doesn't have to stop.
Try the Ultimate Online Learning Tool For Employee Training FREE
Give Mindflash a trial run for 14 days free – no credit card required. See how powerful and easy to use it is firsthand and how it could help your business. Start your trial today.
See why so many industry leaders choose Mindflash.


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How bizarre it is when liberals, leftists and other maniacs suggest that nations where abortion is a "right" are more "democratic" than others. Standing in the shadow of Planned Parenthood, which is the equivalent of a baby slaughterhouse, these creatures bawl that policies backed by the baby slaughterhouse are utterly essential to democratic government and that opposition to those policies is something akin to being undemocratic or fascist.
In the United Sates alone abortion on demand did not come from the ballot box with people physically voting for representatives (on the state or federal level) who would legalize the operation of baby slaughterhouses. No, instead it was unelected Supreme Court "justices" undemocratically imposing abortion "rights" on the masses through the dreadful Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 backed up by the fire power of the police and the federal government. Of course, even the most determined lawmaker who has attempted to impose the most benign restrictions on the baby slaughterhouses, appointed unelected judges have gleefully struck down those limitations and thwarted the alleged "will of the people."
Needless to say, while sentient people oppose the death of any blameless infants, European Americans who so far are destined for minority status in the next few decades can benefit the most without this horrible practice (Podcasts: How to have more white babies). Then again, it has been by slow imperceptible degrees that people have been financially manipulated and systemically induced to embrace the stainless steel sink over the cradle.
This is called "freedom."
In China, abortion was imposed by the end of a rifle and threats of prison by unelected bureaucrats as it was in the Soviet Union—again, pulling an end run around the will of the people. In other words, tragic regularity is the hallmark of abortion on demand enforced by antidemocratic ways.
Baby slaughterhouses are not the epitome of freedom, but they are the embodiment of fascism.