text:
The good news: The new law cancels income tax increases that would have resulted in added misery. It also makes several provisions permanent, which will result in less uncertainty.
The bad news: Higher-income folks will face higher tax rates, starting this year. And there are a couple other new taxes kicking in this year (not part of the new law), which may take you by surprise.
This article summarizes some of the most important changes.
Employee Benefit Provisions
• Favorable rules for employer-paid adoption expenses made permanent: The Bush tax cut legislation increased the cap on tax-free employer adoption assistance payments and raised the income phase-out ranges to allow more employees to benefit. However, tax-free treatment for adoption assistance payments was scheduled to expire at the end of 2012. The new law makes the Bush tax cut provisions permanent for 2013 and beyond.
• Employer educational assistance plans made permanent. Section 127 of the Internal Revenue Code allows employers to set up plans that provide up to $5,250 in annual federal-income-tax-free educational assistance to each eligible employee. Both undergraduate and graduate school costs can be covered by the plan, and the education need not be job-related. The employer can deduct the cost as an employee benefit expense. This taxpayer-friendly deal was scheduled to expire at the end of 2012, but the Act makes it permanent for 2013 and beyond.
• Qualified retirement plan balances can be transferred into plan designated Roth accounts: Some qualified retirement plans [typically 401(k) plans] allow participants to make salary-reduction contributions to designated Roth accounts. These accounts are similar to Roth IRAs, but they are operated by the retirement plan.
Previous legislation also allowed a plan participant to roll over amounts that are eligible for distribution from the "regular" part of the plan into his or her designated Roth account. The Act extends the concept by allowing participants to transfer amounts into designated Roth accounts without the requirement that such amounts be eligible for distribution. This favorable change is available for transfers after December 31, 2012.
Key Point: For the plan participant, the federal income tax impact of transferring an amount into a designated Roth account is the same as receiving the amount as a plan distribution and then rolling it over into a Roth IRA, thereby effecting a Roth conversion with respect to the transferred amount. In other words, the taxable portion of the transferred amount must be included in the participant's gross income—just like with a garden-variety Roth conversion transaction.
• Alternative minimum tax patch: It had become an annual ritual for Congress to "patch" the AMT rules to prevent millions more households from getting hit with this add-on tax. The patch consisted of allowing larger inflation-indexed AMT exemption amounts and allowing various personal tax credits to offset the AMT. Thankfully, the new law makes the patch permanent, starting with 2012. As a result, about 30 million households a year will be kept out of the AMT zone.
The new law increases AMT exemption amounts for 2012 to $50,600 for single taxpayers; $78,750 for married joint filers; and $39,375 for married taxpayers filing separately. (For 2013, these amounts are projected to be $51,900, $80,750 and $40,375, respectively.)
•Larger child tax credit: The $1,000 maximum credit for each eligible under-age-17 child was made permanent. Without the new law, the maximum credit would have dropped to only $500 for 2013 and beyond. In addition, provisions that allow the child credit to be refundable for more households were extended through 2017.
The payroll tax holiday is over
For 2011 and 2012, the Social Security tax withholding rate on an employee's salary was temporarily reduced from the normal 6.2 to 4.2 percent. If you're self-employed, the Social Security tax component of the self-employment tax was reduced from the normal 12.4 to 10.4 percent. Last year, this payroll tax holiday could have saved one person up to $2,202 (up to $4,404 for a married couple with two incomes). Unfortunately for working folks, the new law does not extend the payroll tax cut through 2013.
Key Point: For this year, the Social Security tax can hit up to $113,700 of salary at a 6.2 percent rate and up to $113,700 of self-employment income at a 12.4 percent rate.
• Qualified small business corporation stock: The Act retroactively restores the temporary 100 percent gain exclusion (within limits) for sales of qualified small business corporation (QSBC) stock issued in 2012 and extends the deal to cover eligible shares issued in 2013.
Note: QSBC shares must be held for more than five years to be eligible for the gain exclusion privilege.
• S corporation built-in gains: When a C corporation converts to S corporation status, the corporate-level built-in gains tax generally applies when built-in gain assets (including receivables and inventories) are turned into cash or sold within the recognition period. The recognition period is normally the 10-year period that begins on the conversion date.
Previous legislation established an exception for built-in gains recognized in S corporation tax years beginning in 2011 if the fifth year of the recognition period had gone by before the beginning of the tax year beginning in 2011. Gains that fall under this exception were not hit with the built-in gains tax.
The American Taxpayer Relief Act retroactively restores the five-year exception for tax years beginning in 2012 and extends it for tax years beginning in 2013. In other words, for gains recognized in those years, the built-in gains tax won't apply if the fifth year of the recognition period has gone by before the start of the year. The Act also clarifies the treatment of installment sale gains for purposes of qualifying for the five-year exception.
• Favorable rule for S corporation donations of appreciated assets. The Act retroactively restores for tax years beginning in 2012 and extends through tax years beginning in 2013 the favorable shareholder basis rule for stock in S corporations that make charitable donations of appreciated assets. For such donations, each shareholder's tax basis in the S corporation's stock is only reduced by the shareholder's pro-rata percentage of the company's tax basis in the donated assets.
Without the extended provision, a shareholder's basis reduction would equal the passed-through write-off for the donation (a larger amount than the shareholder's pro-rata percentage of the company's tax basis in the donated asset). The extended provision is taxpayer-friendly because it leaves shareholders with higher tax basis in their S corporation shares, which is almost always beneficial to shareholders.
• Corporate election to claim credits in lieu of bonus depreciation: Previous legislation allowed corporations that are otherwise eligible to claim bonus depreciation to elect to forego bonus depreciation and instead "free up" otherwise unusable minimum tax credit carryovers. Credit carryovers freed up by this election are refundable (meaning they can be collected even if they exceed the electing corporation's tax liability).
The Act allows the election with respect to bonus depreciation on qualified assets that are placed in service by December 31, 2013, or by December 31, 2014, for certain assets that have longer production periods including transportation equipment and aircraft. Therefore, additional freed-up credits can be claimed in lieu of bonus depreciation deductions that would have otherwise been allowed by the law. Special rules apply to taxpayers that have previously taken advantage of this election.
Keep in mind that making the election does not result in any lost depreciation deductions. It just postpones depreciation deductions for affected assets.
• Biodiesel and Renewable Diesel Fuel Credits: The new law retroactively restores the income tax and excise tax credits for biodiesel and renewable diesel fuels for 2012 and extends it to cover qualifying fuels produced, sold, or used through 2013.
• Alternative Fuel Credits: The Act retroactively restores the alternative fuel and alternative fuel mixture excise tax credits for 2012 and extends them to cover qualifying fuels sold or used through 2013.
EDITORS NOTE: Selwyn Gerber is a principal in Gerber & Company, a CPA firm in Century City, California. He can be reached at 310- 432-4382, or firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
An assistant principal who resigned just weeks into the job has written a harshly worded letter questioning new Southbridge Middle/High School Principal Tammy M. Perreault's "competency and moral compass."
Sharon Goulet asserted that Ms. Perreault has developed a "self-centered need for immediate obedience."
Her exit letter, which was obtained by the Telegram & Gazette, also said Ms. Perreault had "developed a reactive, narcissistic, and a pathological egoistic self-interest that drives unprofessional decisions that overall hurts morale, the well-being and progress of the entire learning community at SMHS."
Ms. Perreault was appointed principal of the new school on Torrey Road in August. She was promoted from district director of mathematics by Superintendent Eric D. Ely.
When Mr. Ely appointed her, she held only a principal license for Grades 5 to 8. But she had met all of the requirements to lead Grades 9 to 12, and a week later she had submitted the necessary paperwork to the state to become a high school principal.
The school has students in Grades 6 through 12.
The School Committee referred the matter to Mr. Ely, Chairman Patricia D. Woodruff said.
Reading a statement, Ms. Woodruff said Mr. Ely had retained an outside lawyer to make an inquiry into the allegations.
"We are confident that by referring the matter to an independent investigator, we will obtain an unbiased opinion about the allegation," she said. "The School Committee emphasizes that these are allegations only, and that it has no evidence to support them at this time. The administrator continues to perform the duties of the position, and we ask everyone to reserve judgment until further information is obtained in this matter."
Mr. Ely said the letter was being taken seriously.
Ms. Goulet, who left the assistant principal job for a special education supervisor's position in Ludlow, did not return a phone message yesterday.
Ms. Perreault said the letter was the first she'd heard about Ms. Goulet's concerns.
"We all worked so closely together and we're such a strong team, that this came as a complete shock to me," Ms. Perreault said in an interview. "I wish she had brought some of these concerns to me because we could have addressed them. But as I've always told all the staff, all the time, I support her. She was an incredibly valuable tool for SMHS, and I wish her well."
Ms. Goulet wrote that Ms. Perreault's lack of leadership training is evident.
"It is my belief that she did not complete a principal internship with either of the previous administrators at the middle or high school," the departed assistant wrote. "I question the fraudulent licensure and the integrity of the supervising practitioner who signed off on her license."
Ms. Perreault called the allegation slanderous.
"I have worked very, very hard under a highly qualified and admired principal in a previous district to get the training that I have." Before taking the Southbridge mathematics job earlier this year, Ms. Perreault had been a math teacher in a Chicopee middle school.
Ms. Perreault said she accrued more training hours than what the state requires.
Ms. Goulet also wrote that Ms. Perreault "has unprofessionally and without evidence questioned the integrity and competency of all three of her assistant principals on many occasions both publicly and privately."
Ms. Goulet said she witnessed Ms. Perreault "publicly humiliate teachers, secretaries, custodians, the school resource officer, school and district administrators in a threatening and hostile voice tone."
An email message seeking to confirm or deny the allegations was not returned by the head of the teachers' union.
In the letter, Ms. Goulet asserted she was not offered an exit interview.
"I met with her personally about two weeks before she left for over a half-hour," Mr. Ely said. "She never mentioned one negative thing about being an employee of our district or about the middle-high school or Ms. Perreault."
Amid the growing pains of a new building with a staff that had never worked together, the year is off to a good start, Mr. Ely said.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Change of heart? Gay wedding ads allowed
Elizabeth Clopton and Mary Bouldin's excitement about their upcoming wedding was dampened when the Daily Progress refused to print an announcement of their engagement because theirs is not a legally recognized union.
Progress publisher Lawrence McConnell, who was not available for comment for last week's story, "No Progress: Gay wedding picks nixed," called June 7 to say the paper will, in fact, accept display ads for unions that are other than legal marriages– they just won't appear with the brides in Sunday's Lifestyles section.
"The Daily Progress publishes 'Family Album' to announce marriages that are legally recognized," says McConnell. "If couples or groups want to advertise unions other than legal marriages, they can buy advertising space in other sections of the paper." Those ads, like all others, are subject to review, adds the publisher.
And he says Clopton was told she could buy a display ad when an advertising manager called her back after her initial inquiry.
Clopton disputes that. "I was flat out told 'no'," she says, when she called the Progress about publishing a notice of her engagement. "I asked, what if we bought a display ad? He said, 'We won't print it under any circumstances until such marriages are legal in Virginia.'"
Bouldin and Clopton are unsure if they'll take advantage of the Progress' current willingness to take their ad dollars.
"I'm really glad to hear they've changed their mind, but I would think we're not interested," says Bouldin.
"Our wedding is not until next April, so maybe we will," says Clopton, who adds, "It sounds to me like they're backpedaling."
The Daily Progress says it will sell Mary Bouldin and Elizabeth Clopton an ad to announce their engagement, but it won't appear with the happy heterosexual couples.


text:
SPRINGFIELD — Despite its budget woes, the state of Illinois continues to operate a fleet of executive aircraft that ferries legislators, Supreme Court justices and statewide elected officials between Springfield and Chicago.
The cost of operating the planes far exceeds alternative forms of travel such as Amtrak and driving.
"This is something the state of Illinois just can't afford to do anymore," said Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth. "Back in 2010, the state spent $5.4 million operating its air fleet. This year, they are spending $7.3 million. That's a 35 percent increase in just four years.
"With all of the financial problems our state is having, we just shouldn't be spending money like this anymore."
Mitchell noted that the governor of New Mexico recently ordered the sale of that state's airplane as a cost-cutting move.
Illinois operates four executive King Air planes, mainly between Chicago and Springfield. It's a practice the state has been engaging in for decades.
But it's an expensive proposition.
It costs $21 for a state employee to take the train between Chicago and Springfield or about $65 for them to drive, based on the mileage reimbursement rate for state lawmakers.
But it costs taxpayers $4,060 when lawmakers or others choose to fly a six-seat executive airplane between the two cities.
While the planes are widely viewed as a perquisite for legislative leaders and statewide elected officials, the reality is they are also used extensively by rank-and-file lawmakers and a bevy of state bureaucrats.
Illinois News Network obtained all the state airplane's flight logs for 2013 and reviewed them to determine how frequently various elected officials are using the aircraft.
Gov. Pat Quinn used the plane the most, booking 21,134 miles.
"I think the governor is the only person who should be allowed to use the state plane," Mitchell said. "Illinois is a big state, and if the governor needs to fly from Chicago to Cairo at a moment's notice, that just makes sense. But as for the rest of these people, they ought to be able to drive."
Mitchell has introduced legislation to eliminate the state air fleet. But the measure has languished in committee for more than a year.
Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, also questions the value of a state airplane ferrying lawmakers to and from Springfield.
"I drive because I like to have a car when I'm here in Springfield," he said. "Not only that, you don't really save much time flying once you factor in traveling to the airport. I get a lot business done on the drive to Springfield. I can make phone calls, which I can't do on the airplane. And I even get to listen to some good books on tape."
Interestingly enough, Illinois Supreme Court spokesman Joe Tybor used the opposite justification for members of the high court using the planes.
"They can work while they are on the plane, but can't when they are driving," he said. "Also, their time is valuable, and this is the fastest way for justices living in Chicago to get to Springfield."
In 2013, Supreme Court justices booked 14,846 miles on the state plane.
The Illinois Constitution requires all of the state's constitutional officers to maintain a residence in the Springfield area. Yet, no statewide elected official has made Springfield his or her primary residence.
This results in frequent flights to the state capital.
In fact, in 2013 the state's six elected constitutional officers flew 34,410 miles.
Illinois' population center is far removed from its capital city. Springfield is 200 miles from Cook County, which has 40 percent of the state's population.
But this is not a unique situation.
For example Clark County, Nev., has 73 percent of that state's population but is 424 miles from the state capital of Carson City.
"All of our statewide office holders, except the attorney general, live within easy driving distance of the state capital," said Cy Ryan, a statehouse reporter for the Las Vegas Sun who has been covering Nevada politics since the 1960s.
Ryan added that while the Nevada Department of Transportation officials and the governor use a state plane between Carson City and Las Vegas, all other state officials must come up with an alternative form of transportation.
"If they want to travel to Las Vegas, they either take Southwest Airlines out of Reno, or just drive," he said.
Rank-and-file state lawmakers, as well as legislative leaders, routinely use Illinois state aircraft for their commute to Springfield.
In fact, in 2013, lawmakers flew 113,196 miles on state aircraft.
"To the extent that rank-and-file lawmakers are taking advantage of these perks, they need to be very wary in how they comport themselves and what messages their actions send to the public," said Mike Lawrence, former senior policy adviser to Gov. Jim Edgar and past director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.


text:
Was Plo's an exclusive? I forget now.
This is In Stock and available to order now from Hasbro Toy Shop! I ordered one immediately, came to $34.71 with tax, shipping, etc. Wish I had a valid promo code but oh well. I'm paying $10 over MSRP, but I just don't feel like waiting til late spring on this thing. Considering I bought the Droid Gunship and Tri-Fighter back in December and they have yet to show up at retail, I think it's a good call. Even better if the thing actually shows up in pristine shape - I won't even have to exchange it.
How deep are your pockets?
Page created in 0.058 seconds with 19 queries.


text:
A diode would be better. Silicon diodes drop the voltage by about 0.7V when it passes through them. Two of them in series would drop it by 1.4V, etc.
Wow, I am really impressed on all the input I got. This goes a long way to helping me learn. Thanks everyone.
The problem with that is you seem to be (or wanting to) learning basic electronics by memorizing a series of 'rules', rather then studying basic electronics DC Lefty
A book to last a lifetime is this:-http://www.amazon.co.uk/Art-Electronics-Paul-Horowitz/dp/0521370957
Quote from: fungus on Feb 02, 2013, 12:32 pmA diode would be better. Silicon diodes drop the voltage by about 0.7V when it passes through them. Two of them in series would drop it by 1.4V, etc.Would I just put it inline with the Pos. side of the power?
Witch in reality puts out 6.24vdc and makes my scanner blink crazy.
AVRs can work comfortably at 6.24v.
Maximum Operating Voltage ............................................ 6.0V
Stresses beyond those listed under "Absolute Maximum Ratings" may cause permanent dam- age to the device. This is a stress rating only and functional operation of the device at these or other conditions beyond those indicated in the operational sections of this specification is not implied. Exposure to absolute maximum rating conditions for extended periods may affect device reliability.
AVRs can work comfortably at 6.24v. If you are really concerned about it, you can put a diode or an led in serial + a resistor to pull down the voltage.
I'm counting at least 4 moderators now that think dhenry be banned for this crap.


text:
White Paper Co. necesitaba un nuevo diseño de otro y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 63 diseños de 29 diseñadores freelance.
White Paper Co.
White Paper Co. is a national supplier of paper products, office supplies, printing services and promotional products with 6 locations across Canada. Since we started in 1990 we've been recognized by the Polar Bear in our logo. We now want to bring that bear to life with a fun cartoon character.
We sell to medium and large sized businesses. We have a wide client base but our largest customers are law firms, financial services, and insurance companies. Our main contact in a company is usually the office manager and our contact is usually a women aged 25 to 50.
Being in an industry which isn't considered exciting for some, we want to be different and let our fun personality show. To do this we want to create a fun polar bear cartoon character which will be placed throughout our new website. View our work-in-progress website at http://www.atomweb.ca/whitepaper/ or view our current one at http://www.whitepaper.com. Since we want the polar bear to be posted throughout our site, we would like to have a few versions of the polar bear including incorporating the following items with the polar bear:
1. Paper
2. Office supplies
3. Printed material
4. Promotional apparel (ex: shirt or cap with our logo on it)
5. Eco-friendly or green
Action examples include a polar bear holding, using, beside, posing with these items. We are interested in seeing creativity. The above actions are suggestions but don't limit yourself to them.
We don't expect designers to create all of the above without feedback first. Please first just create a fun polar bear character and submit it. Then wait for feedback before putting it into a setting. The final designer will have submitted at least six versions of the polar bear (5 in the above listed settings and 1 not in a setting).


text:
Here's a press release we got the other day — it may be of interest to Minnesota residents and others who are looking for ways to celebrate National Bike Month:
'Bike Mom' Project to Encourage Women, Kids to get on Bikes in Minnesota
Eight-week initiative includes a content series, events, and a major bike gear giveaway
ST. PAUL, Minn. (May 13, 2014) – Pedal Minnesota, in partnership with Minneapolis-based Monopoint Media, have launched a project to encourage women, moms, and kids to ride bikes. It launched on Mother's Day, May 11. Focused on a Minnesota audience, the "Bike Mom" project runs for eight weeks. It includes a series of articles published on PedalMN.com, social media contests, event appearances, and a major grand prize gear giveaway. The project has a goal to inform and motivate women and moms to bike in Minnesota. In addition to serving as an information resource, the project will feature 5 to 7 "ambassadors.†The ambassador moms will document their experience biking with kids on social media and on the PedalMN blog. A major component of the project is a promotion called "The Mother Of All Bike Gear Giveaways." More than 10 companies have donated gear, including bike seats, kid trailers, scoot bikes, apparel, helmets, and a mom-oriented bike model for the winners.
Minnesota is widely recognized as a top place to ride a bike. Bike trails, on-road bike lanes, and other infrastructure abounds in the Twin Cities as well as out-state.
All "Bike Mom" content and the giveaway contests will be hosted on the Pedal Minnesota site. Go to www.pedalmn.com for more information on the initiative.
Pedal Minnesota is an unprecedented collaboration of state agencies and private organizations to encourage more people to get on bikes more often, in Minnesota. The partnership includes Explore Minnesota, the Minnesota departments of Health, Transportation and Natural Resources, the Bicycle Alliance of Minnesota, the Parks and Trails Council of Minnesota, and the National Park Service. Pedal Minnesota encourages all types of biking, from leisure to commuting. PedalMN.com serves as a go-to resource for information on bicycling, including mapping tools, lists of biking events, personal tips and trip ideas from bicyclists across the state.
Monopoint Media LLC, founded in 2006, is a creative agency focused on outdoor, sports, and active lifestyle brands. The company (MonopointMedia.com) is based in Minneapolis and works with brands to build video, stories, micro-sites, social-media projects, and custom events. Monopoint Media owns and operates GearJunkie.com, a widely-read blog covering gear, the outdoors, and active lifestyle topics.


text:
Here are a few more Chanukah printables I made- I got all these ideas from the Curriculum of the Arts, a fabulous Jewish preschool curriculum geared toward both preschools, Hebrew schools and home schoolers. Click here to buy a copy!
I hope these printables are helpful and fun for your little ones!
Menorah Sequencing- cut out each card and put them in order of the candles, starting from 1-8
OIL handwriting worksheets - another fun idea is to use sidewalk chalk and write the word "oil" really large on the driveway and have the kids balance along each letter
Now I am sure there are many of you out there with a little one (under the age of 2) climbing all over you or the other kids while they are trying to get their work done:) Yes, I have one of those and have come up with a few things to keep him busy and feeling like one of the big kids while they do their activities.
Here are a few favorite toys that keep him stimulated and that buy me a few minutes, as well as books that he absolutely loves to read with me or any of the other kids:
Books: any books with large clear pictures of things that they are familiar with in their little world. Also, touch and feel books are a big hit, or lift the flaps
Toys: You don't even need fancy toys- stacking plastic cups, putting money into the pushkah, putting pompoms into a container, there are so many little activities to do, check out these resources: Tasks Galore and Tot Trays
We did a project today on Yosefs coat- will post the photos when I get a chance. We also did some dreidle sorting which my 3 year old loved. Oh, and check out this link to a post I posted this time last year on what we were doing, as well as this list of fun and creative ideas to do for Chanukah.
Looking forward to hearing who the winners are for the Homeschool blog awards!
Have a fabulous week,


text:
Fakultät für Mathematik, Technische Universität Chemnitz, D-09107 Chemnitz, Germany
Abstract: The concept of cutting vectors is introduced to study the combinatorial structure of vector configurations in the plane. We give a full characterization of those $n$-tuples of integers which are realizable as cutting vector. Furthermore, "simple" mappings are defined that transform cutting vectors into each other. Thus it becomes possible to consider all combinatorial types of vector systems.
Full text of the article:


text:
Jameer Nelson seems all but certain to sit out tonight's game against the Brooklyn Nets after he didn't participate in the Orlando Magic's shootaround today at Amway Center.
Nelson has missed three consecutive games because of hamstring and groin strains.
The Magic will face the Nets again on Sunday at Barclays Center, but it's unclear whether Nelson will be available for that matchup.
"I'm making a lot of progress," Nelson said. "I feel a lot better, and I just know with hamstrings and groins and anything of that nature that it's a little trickier than ankle sprains."
E'Twaun Moore has started at point guard during Nelson's absence.
Josh Robbins covers the Orlando Magic and the NBA for the Orlando Sentinel. You can reach him via e-mail at firstname.lastname@example.com and connect with him on Facebook at facebook.com/JoshuaBRobbins. Follow him on Twitter at @JoshuaBRobbins.


text:
So we're a little over two weeks in on Indiegogo and we've lost some momentum as far as contributions but we're still doing good. I feel very loved and supported. I want to keep reaching out to more and more people, just like yarn bombing does. Next week or so will be day 27 / 83 days left which is our first quarter marker. I would like to have at least 25% of our goal at that point, $3750.
One of Indiegogo's strongest selling features is that it focuses on utilizing social media and online communications to help projects reach the right people.
Here are some things you can do to help:
Ask to feature it -
Like us on Facebook - Make sure to like us on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/
Follow this blog - please "follow it" because it helps my online visibility and feel free to bookmark it in your browser. Because Yarn Graffiti is based in the blog world, I'm keeping a production blog to log my journey as a filmmaker diving into the yarn bombing world.
Join the newsletter - subscribed to my Production Newsletter at http://www.gonzography.com/
Tweet - On our indiegogo campaign there's a "tweet" button which makes this really easy for you. I'm @gonzography and John is @Jumpupfilms. You can look at our tweets for creative ideas for ways to mention the project. You can also follow us if you want.
Talk about it - Yes it's just that easy. Talk to your friends about it this amazing documentary. Yarn graffiti is amazing because it brings the urban graffiti world and the warm craft world together - it bridges generations, genders and generally just brings people together.
GIVE - this is an obvious one. We obviously need your contributions, small or large. I didn't put this first on the list because I know some of you can't right now or already have or whatever.


text:
We're in a bit of a rut right now when it comes to exciting hardware innovations in smartphones. When the iPhone hit the scene in 2007, it was the touchscreen that saw it revolutionize the cellular landscape. Now, the next disruptive feature appears to be just around the corner, as flexible displays are getting mass produced in a big way.
Here's the heart of it, reported by The Korea Times' Kim Yoo-chul:
Samsung recently dedicated a number of lines at its factory in Tangjeong, South Chungcheong Province, for the production of flexible OLED displays. The line will pump out 960,000 OLED sheets by the end of the year.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
That little tidbit certainly teases the imagination, especially when you consider that Samsung happens to be one of Apple's largest suppliers for displays and even certain chips, and that Samsung has been investing heavily in flexible display tech. Nearly a million screens is a whole hell of a lot, and a number that large has some people thinking they'll end up in a 2013 iPhone.
Sure, that's entirely possible, especially if the screens are the best option on the table. But a flexible display in an iPhone does not a flexible iPhone make. While this is a strong indication that Samsung feels like its bendy OLED tech is ready for primetime, a smartphone is more than just a display and would need a flexible body and internals to match (and in a way that met Apple's high-performance demands). That, and why would Samsung simply give up what could be a defining innovation in technology when it could launch it first in a phone of its own? Samsung has the chops.
Only time will tell where all those flexible displays end up. Some may just be replacing LCDs and other screens in current gadgets. Again from the same report by Korea Times, talking to Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Kwon Oh-hyun:
We will be mass producing flexible OLED displays from the latter half of this year as the demand from our clients is significant," said Kwon, who calls the shots in Samsung's parts business.
"OLEDs will replace LCDs as the main mobile displays from around 2015 as the screens are thinner and brighter. Samsung has massively invested in OLED-related technologies and will continue to do so."
A Samsung spokesman declined to talk in detail about the plans for flexible OLED screens and how Apple fits into the picture.
The flexibility of Samsung's OLED display may spark the imagination, but it sounds like the screen tech is just a superior product compared with traditional LCDs. That makes sense. They'd be more durable by virtue of having some give to them, and "thinner and brighter" never hurts. So, iPhones in 2013 with flexible displays? Entirely possible. With flexible everything else? Well, we're thinking not as likely.
Even if we don't see flexible phones being sold in stores next year en masse, you can bet your boots that Samsung and others will do something with this tech, maybe even putting it into something wearable.


text:
Lots of fabulous giveaways going on right now. Here are some of my favorites! You can add your giveaway to the bottom linky. This linky is posted on blogs so LOTS of exposure for your giveaway. Have fun and lets win something!
Propel Gift Kits (1o Winners!)
$25 Amazon Gift Card
Bare Minerals Skin Care Contest
$75 P&G Surprise pack
$30 Organic Dress
Contest FREE 8×10 Canvas Print
$100 in Jewelry Contest
Win a Year's Supply of Propel Zero
$50 Gift Certificate to The Vintage Pearl
Propel Gift Kit *10 Winners*
$25 Gift Certificate to Tiny Prints
My Thirty One Large Tote
Propel Zero Ten Winners
Britax Frontier 85
DealPop $15 credits
Tiny Tush Cloth Diaper
Pillow Pet Games
Shabby Apple Dress 4/5
Propel Zero 10 winners
Hoodwinked DVD & $150 Crate and Barrel GC
Little Tikes garden cart/wheel barrow
itti bitti diapers package
Safety 1st Infant OnBoard35 seat w matching Clic it stroller 4/8
Clorox Toiletwand package
Snoopy Sno Cone Maker 3 winners
Debbie and Friends Kid Music DVD
Hatley Children's Sleepwear
Hershey's Easter Candies
Douglas Cuddle Toys
Barbar Hair products
HD FLIP VIDEO Ends 4/9
Safety 1st Complete Air 65 Convertible Car seat
$50 Apothica.com Gift Card
$10 Amazon gift card
Safety 1st On Board Infant CarSeat
PureArye Odor Eliminator
Sesame Street Natural Baby Line 5 winners low entries
Glisten Hair Charms
// ]]>


text:
It's been almost a year since Kristen and I first set foot in Sydney, and what better way to round out 2011 in Australia than with a hometown reunion. The latest addition to our visitor log was Adam Cohen, a childhood friend of mine, who planned to spend a couple weeks with us over Thanksgiving. This happened to coincide with another childhood friend finishing a study abroad program in Melbourne, where his family met him to begin a trip through Australia before heading home. Due to a little luck in timing and scheduling, we all were able to meet in Sydney and get together on the other side of the world.
Adam and the Bergmans then flew to Cairns for some diving before the Bergmans returned to the U.S.A. and Adam came back to Sydney, at which point he and I boarded a plane and began our trip to New Zealand.
After doing a bit of research and reviewing options for a good road trip, we decided on a loop through the South Island, beginning and ending in Christchurch. Our original intention was to rent a campervan for the long weekend and stay out in the countryside, but the logistics didn't work out for our itinerary, so we just planned to rent a car and make a few stops on the way.
After a late arrival, we left the guest house and drove off into the New Zealand countryside. Departing from Christchurch, our route took us through a variety of different Regions before we reached Queenstown that evening. In addition to the fields and rivers of coastal New Zealand, we drove the winding mountain roads past spectacular lakes (Tekapo and Pukaki) before reaching the Hotel Mercure in the Fernhill region of Queenstown. We checked into the hotel then got some dinner at that most popular of Queenstown burger joints, Fergburger.
No trip to Queenstown would be complete without a little thrillseeking and an adrenaline rush, so after a visit to The Station, Queenstown's hub of everything extreme, we decided on hang gliding and drove up to the base of the Remarkables to jump off a mountain with only a guide and a wing. After catching a few thermals, taking in some stunning views, and getting a chance to pilot the glider (under careful supervision), we reached solid ground and continued on our journey through the Southern Alps.
Though the coastal plains of the island are nice, the real attraction is the mountains, and the next two days would not leave us disappointed. Our journey out of Queenstown towards the west coast took us past a pair of stunning lakes: Lake Hawea and Lake Wanaka. We then continued to drive through the first of a handful of national parks, stopping occasionally to check out waterfalls and other roadside attractions, before emerging from the Haast Pass and reaching the town of Haast on the coast. From here the road took us over and around the foothills on the coast before we reached the next of the South Island's attractions.
Descending from the mountains through temperate rainforests, the Fox and Franz Josef Glaciers are among the most unique and accessible glaciers in the world. Visitors can drive to within a couple kilometers before completing the last part of the journey on foot, coming as close as 100 meters to the face of each glacier. While it's possible to take guided tours onto the glaciers themselves, we contented ourselves with viewing them from the public hiking path before spending the night in the town of Franz Josef.
The final leg of our road trip took us back into the heart of the island, through yet another national park and an area known as Arthur's Pass. Cutting across the middle of the South Island, the route is one of the few connections between the east and west coasts. As you might expect, building roads through the mountains can be challenging, but the Kiwis constructed an impressive set of viaducts to connect both sides of the island.
We stopped again for a hike to a nearby waterfall before continuing back to Christchurch, where we stayed before our early morning flight the next day. We unfortunately were unable to explore much of the city, as the CBD is still closed off as a result of the recent earthquake. After an early wake-up call and a flight across the Tasman Sea, we returned to Sydney and began packing again, this time for the return trip to America for the Christmas holiday.
There are lots more pictures from the trip, check them out on Flickr!


text:
It's fine.
Hello. is it the sentence "John and I finally sealed the deal-we became a couple." correct? as in, does the idiom "seal the deal" apply correctly here?
It's fine.
This informal idiom "seal the deal" reflects the traditional notion of contracts written on paper during a time when a 'seal' or wax imprint sealed a document or letter, and showed an initial in the wax of the sender. So, your sentence in context is correct; however, the use of the hyphen is incorrect and should be replaced by a semi-colon to separate the two independent clauses.
@kaizencoming: I know perfectly well what the idiom means, thanks so much. I was merely wondering if it could be applied to express that two people have become a couple.
there is no need to explain to me about wax and stuff like that.
the reason why I posted this question is because seal the deal means... well, I suppose I am not allowed to write it here. so having that meaning in mind, I got wondering whether I could say the sentence I said and still make sense... still sound like it1s English and not forced English, so to speak.


text:
Paul.a.thomas1110 necesitaba un nuevo diseño de camiseta y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 205 diseños de 36 diseñadores freelance.
Grapevine Farms
Paul A. Thomas is the founder of Grapevine Farms. After 12 years of planning, saving and learning, Paul is opening a certified organic fruit and vegetable farm in Abilene, Texas. The farm is a very laid back and relaxed environment with a display garden full of fruits, vegetables and herbs of all types. Large green lawns in a park like setting, surrounded by trees. The public can visit the farm and log on using our free WIFI system, sit in the garden, shop at our Organic Products store, buy wines, meats, cheeses, vegetables and herbs. We have wine tastings once per week for Texas wines. The facility may be leased for weddings, family gatherings and meetings. Produce is sold directly from the farm and at a local farmers market during the week. We grow produce year round.
Anyone who cares about what they eat, how its grown and likes fresh food. Children ages 5 to adults age 90. I would like some designs that would appeal to children as well as adults.
4 Color logo for the back or front of a normal sized t-shirt. Shirt sizes will range from US Medium to US 4xlt. Your design will be printed on all color T-shirts including dark and light and sold to the public. You may email with questions. Looking for animated designs and real photo designs as well, using vegetables, fruits and the farm name, Grapevine Farms, as well as the location, Abilene, Texas. Complex as well as simple are wanted. Catchy phrases are wanted. Funny and Punn type slogans are welcome and wanted. I have attached word documents that contain our Logo and some promo materials we are using now. Feel free to use this logo as well as use your own style with the words.


text:
Teen Mom's Farrah Abraham shows off her brand new boob job, One Direction's Zayn Malik reveals dramatic weight loss, and Selena Gomez becomes a big sister: See Us Weekly's top 5 stories from Friday, June 14 in the roundup!
1. Farrah Abraham Boob Job: Teen Mom Star Gets New D-Cup Implants
Farrah Abraham has gone under the knife for the fourth time in three years. The Teen Mom star turned sex tape vixen got a breast augmentation on Monday, June 3. She upgraded her saline implants a full cup size, going from a C to a D. Under the care of Dr. David Finkle in Omaha, Neb., the entire procedure cost $7,145.
2. One Direction's Zayn Malik Reveals Dramatic Weight Loss: Picture
It seems the pressure of being an international pop star is taking a toll on One Direction singer Zayn Malik. The 20-year-old Brit appears to have recently dropped a significant amount of weight from his already-slim frame, and an insider tells Us Weekly it's likely due to the stress of his busy schedule.
3. Selena Gomez Becomes a Sister, Mom Mandy Teefey Gives Birth to Baby Girl
Big sister Selena! Selena Gomez's mom, Mandy Teefey, has given birth to a baby girl, Us Weekly can confirm. Teefey, 37, welcomed the baby with Selena's stepdad, Brian Teefey. While Gomez, 20, hasn't announced the news just yet, she was seen leaving Northridge Hospital in Los Angeles, wearing sweats and UGGs on Thursday, June 13.
4. Kim Kardashian Pregnancy Scare: Star Thinks She Has Appendicitis
In the June 16 episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, first-time mom-to-be Kim Kardashian suffers from severe stomach pains. Worried about her unborn child, the pregnant reality star decides to visit her doctor. Unfortunately, she receives some startling news.
5. Million Dollar Listing Broker Caught Photoshopping an Apartment, Investigation Launched
Broker under fire! Luis Ortiz, a real estate mogul who stars in Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York, is being investigated by the New York State Department after he had his brother Photoshop a $7 million apartment during a recent episode.
For access to all our exclusive celebrity videos and interviews – Subscribe on YouTube!


text:
Japan's Pictures Dept has closed an early deal at Cannes, selling Satoshi Miki's It's Me, It's Me to Taiwan's Sky Digi Entertainment.
Starring Japanese heartthrob Kazuya Kamenashi, the film won the audience award at the Udine Far East Film Festival last month. Pictures Dept received more than 1,000 comments from Taiwan after asking Kamenashi's fans where the film should be distributed.
Ryo Kase and Eri Fuse also star in the film which is scheduled for release in Japan on May 25.


text:
22 March 2008 15:30
Print I Think You're Fatby springnet
Radical Honesty. The movement was founded by a sixty-six-year-old Virginia-based psychotherapist named Brad Blanton. He says everybody would be happier if we just stopped lying. Tell the truth, all the time. This would be radical enough -- a world without
1 (1 marks)


text:
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Private charity vs. government support
James Andreoni and Abigail Payne point out that there is more to the story than simple crowding out. Suppose that a government provides some resources to an organization, say $100. Then people will contribute $56 less. But not all this crowding out is coming from people feeling they are not needed any more. $38 of this $56 reduction are due to lower fund raising effort. This makes it particularly important that any money the government gives should have a matching requirement from private funds to maintain the fund raising effort.
6 comments:
- T-Bone said...
I read that many charities have a surprisingly low level of efficiency in terms of how much of your donation actually goes to the cause. I remember reading some spend nearly all the donated money on solicitations, leaving 10 or 20% for the cause. Though most are better than that... I saw a charity ratings site that rates charities that spend more than 60% of funds on the cause as "satisfactory" with a C grade. And charities spending more than 75% on the cause were "highly efficient" with an A grade.
I bet a lot of them mostly use volunteers too, and still have such relatively low efficiencies.
Or how about this tidbit about charity events:
"According to a 2007 survey of charitable events by New Jersey watchdog group Charity Navigator, the average fund-raiser in 2005 lost 33¢ for every dollar raised."
The average fundraiser spend 1.33 to get $1!? Again, probably with volunteers working for free...
Anyway, my point to all this was that maybe after charities get funds from government, maybe they are reducing their less efficient fundraising efforts. Maybe they send solicitations to only previous donors. Or maybe the cause only requires a certain level of funding. Perhaps the food kitchen is stocked, the orphanage running smoothly, and the free clinic sufficiently supplied and staffed.
- February 16, 2009 at 11:59 AM
I have a question...i have heard that Charities like the United way are about 80%...80cents of a donation gets to the end user.....but government is about 15-20 %...does anyone have a verifiation of the 20% number?
Curious George
- March 11, 2009 at 8:05 PM
- Economic Logician said...
I strongly doubt these figures about governement administrative costs. Keeping in mind that governements typically pick up programs that are more difficult to administer, efficiency is still remarkably high. For example, this report about the US Food Stamp Program concludes that administration accounts for about 28% of total costs. A lot of these costs have to do with eligibility verification.
- March 12, 2009 at 5:33 AM
Thanks...I hope you are correct...but logic says the collection costs(IRS), regulation, distribution and oversight, of tax dollars has to be much higher than pure charities...United Way locally claims 15%, Susan B Komen and Arnies Army are proported to be about 45%...This because of high promotion and advertising cost...all of this with a lot of volunteer labor volunteer labor....any thought how a layman could calculate it from public data?
"Trying to determine the best policy"
- March 12, 2009 at 7:01 PM
According to the Cato institute, 30% of each tax payer dollar makes it to the poor. The question I've always asked myself when deciding which side to take in an issue about government vs. private sector is "how efficient and how capable at this do I think the government can realistically ever really be?" I'd have to say that in this case, I just don't see the government realistically, without having tons of layoffs (which would certainly be unpopular right now), being able to increase this direct aid (i.e. decrease the beaurocracy), nor do I see our current president desiring such a decrease, so I'm going to have to go with a favoring of the private sector on this one. That is not to say I don't think there should be any government aid, just that the private sector is more efficient (in general, although, there are of course, exceptions)and therefore should take the lead.
- March 24, 2009 at 9:19 AM
- Chris Shaeffer said...
The pure fiscal concerns of this issue are only a small factor in deciding which program is best. The other factor is our ideology of personal choice.
So let's say the government version is 100% efficient, and the private charities are only 50% efficient, at distributing their funds to the "needy". Is the government solution the best one? I say no. In the end the private system still allows participation by choice rather than the mandate of taxes.
Typically the next argument I encounter is something revolving around the idea that the charity may not get the funds it requires while the government has a lesser issue with this. First, neither system is going to save everyone. There will always be casualties. Second, if the charity cannot raise the funds it requires, then the people have spoken. Forcing a moral decision to be charitable on your neighbor via legislation for fear that they may not share your generosity is an abomination.
I cover this in some detail here:
Check the "cool links" tab to the right of the article for charities I support :)
- November 14, 2009 at 9:18 AM


text:
About the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII)
The NBII Program is managed by the U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Informatics Office.
If you have a question about the management of the NBII, or if you wish to obtain more information about our Program and partnerships, please contact our Program Manager: NBII Program Manager USGS Biological Informatics Office 302 National Center Reston, VA 20192 703.648.4216 email: firstname.lastname@example.com
If you are experiencing a problem with our Web site, or if you wish to submit a question about our scientific content, please contact our Webmaster.
NBII: Get the Facts
An NBII fact sheet
The NBII Publications Library provides access to all available fact sheets, white papers, brochures, presentations, and other official publications of the NBII Program. Also available from the Publications Library is our quarterly Access Newsletter , now in its its ninth year of publication.
The NBII Publications Library...your window into the world of NBII and biological informatics.


text:
Approved by leading classification societies
Connecting rigid shafts with OK couplings is a timesaving solution that has been used on land and at sea for more than fifty years. The couplings are well known all over the world for their high quality, creative design and operational safety.
In the production line each step is carefully controlled and the finished couplings are subjected to a rigid final inspection regarding sizes and steel quality before delivery. The couplings are also approved by all major classification societies, for example Det Norske Veritas.


text:
We're so excited to announce a unique partnership with Etsy today to help artisans around the world get the capital they need to grow their businesses and succeed!
For those who aren't familiar, Etsy is the online marketplace where people can connect to buy and sell handmade and other creative goods. With 900,000 shops and 60 million unique visitors a month, Etsy is reimagining commerce in ways that build a more fulfilling, sustainable world. This, of course, is directly in line with Kiva's mission to expand opportunity to people building sustainable businesses. It was only a matter of time before we found a way to work together!
Starting today, sellers on Etsy can access zero-interest loans up to $5,000 on Kiva Zip, our pilot project helping Kiva reach new types of borrowers in the U.S. and Kenya. Lenders can visit www.kiva.org/etsy to browse entrepreneurs' profiles and stories and make a loan as small as $25 to make a difference in their lives. Every dollar helps crowdfund an entrepreneur's microloan, which in turn helps them support their local economies, communities and job creation.
Unlike on other crowdfunding platforms, borrowers repay their loans on Kiva and Kiva Zip. When they do, lenders get that money back to keep or use again to support even more borrowers.
"We've long felt that Etsy and Kiva are different means to the same end: empowerment through entrepreneurship," says Katie Hunt-Morr, Senior Manager Values & Impact at Etsy. "With this partnership, we're excited to give Etsy sellers access to sustainable opportunities to grow their businesses and support fellow artisans."
Kiva and Etsy will collaborate in a few other ways as well. Etsy sellers are encouraged to lend on the Kiva platform and become trustees on Kiva Zip for other artisans like themselves. Already, the Etsy Little Rock Team is doing its part to vouch for other entrepreneurs to receive 0% interest capital through Kiva.
Trustees are individuals or organizations who vouch for entrepreneurs they know and trust in their community. Once endorsed, entrepreneurs can post their loan request on Zip and begin crowdfunding their loan with the help of Kiva's growing global community of 950,000 lenders. When an entrepreneur repays, they too, can become a Trustee on Kiva Zip and "pay it forward" by endorsing other small businesses in their networks.
"Working with Etsy gives Kiva a great opportunity to reach new types of artisans and entrepreneurs who could really benefit from access to capital," says Kiva Zip Director Jonny Price. "Not only will it help these people grow their independent businesses, it also supports shorter, smarter supply chains, and helps keep cultural traditions alive that may have been passed down through generations."
Etsy entrepreneurs join a vibrant community of thousands of artisan Kiva borrowers in over 65 countries around the world. So far, Kiva has helped more than a million borrowers around the world tap into capital crowdfunded by a global community of lenders.
Have questions about Kiva and Etsy's partnership? Send them our way at email@example.com.
About the author
Camille Ricketts
Camille brings her passion for storytelling to Kiva, where she helps create and curate online content. A longtime journalist, she started her career reporting on arts and culture for the Wall Street Journal in London and New York. In 2008, she joined San Francisco-based blog VentureBeat, writing about green technology, policy and finance. Most recently, she worked in public relations for electric vehicle maker Tesla Motors. Outside of work, Camille volunteers as a web designer for maternal health nonprofit Saving Mothers. She holds a B.A. in women's history from Stanford University, where she also served as editor in chief of The Stanford Daily.


text:
Latest Activity: Played Split Or Steal (Apr 18, 2020 4:15pm)
Points needed for next level: 1220 Level
Here to play some games!
Sorry, but I can no longer help with administrative related matters! Please contact firstname.lastname@example.com for assistance.
Chicken Rave Platformer
A joke game inspired by the internet sensation ...
Phantom's Quest
The exciting new release of Part One to the 'Ph...
Virus Attacker: Take Over the Body
Welcome to the human body. It is your job to ki...
Activity Feed
Mobile Badges
My Games


text:
Times are tough, and videogames are expensive, but determined hunters can still bag a bargain in Tokyo's busy electronics district.
When I was in Japan last September for the Tokyo Game Show, I dove through the city's used-game bargain bins and assembled a ragtag assortment of 10 games that cost less than 100 yen each. While many were crap, I ended up with a couple of solid finds, like Galaga '88 and the baffling Götzendiener.
Other gamers were intrigued by the idea and took up the challenge themselves, seeing what they could find for the equivalent of $1 a game.
On a recent trip back to Tokyo, I caught the cheap-game fever again, exploring more boxes full of 100-yen castoffs in stores like Mandarake and Trader. There were so many deals that I just kept going, ending up with 25 games total.
Here are the titles I dug up for less than a dollar a game during my annual pilgrimage to Akihabara. Some were legitimately good, but I probably should have spent my money on five Mega Macs.
Castle Excellent, Daiva and Hissatsu! Dojo Yaburi
First up: Three duds for the 8-bit Nintendo Famicom, released in 1983 (and known as the NES in these parts). "Hey," said a friend as I was picking up Castle Excellent, "you could always do the old game-journalist thing and say, 'Castle Excellent isn't so excellent after all.'"
Which it is not. It's a platform game where you explore a castle, killing enemies and opening doors and such, but mostly you die while listening to music that makes you want to set your eardrums on fire. You might know it as Castlequest.
Daiva is a downgraded version of a PC shooter that actually looks pretty OK. This version, meanwhile, sucks. There is an interesting feature that lets you select areas on each level's map where you want to deploy power-up items and air strikes, letting you place them for maximum effectiveness. But that's the only thing that struck me as interesting.
And then there's Hissatsu! Dojo Yaburi ("Sure Kill! Dojo Challenge"). A dojo yaburi is when somebody shows up at a karate dojo and challenges everybody in the place to a series of fights. Somebody should have done that with this game's developer.
Dough Boy and Debias
Many of the earliest games for the Famicom resemble the sort of thing you'd play on the Atari 5200. Dough Boy certainly falls into that category. 1up called it one of the five worst Famicom games ever. You're supposed to be infiltrating an enemy base. Or something. Apparently you can finish the game in three minutes, if you are so inclined.
Debias is better, but not by much. I started out in a forest and saw a crazy old dude in an evil green cloak — so I killed him. Then the king of the town refused to help me, because I was killing his civilians. Whoops! I focused my energies on the monsters thereafter, but couldn't be bothered to save their stupid kingdom after about half-an-hour of trying to jump over some bats in a poorly designed cave. Guess they'll all just have to live with it.
Asmik-Kun World and March of the 66 Alligators
The mascot of the game company Asmik is a little pink dragon named Asmik. I'm pretty sure I remember the company having a U.S. contest in which fans could write in to rename the character. Anyway, his first game — released here as Boomer's Adventure in Asmik World — sucked. I played this for quite a while and I forget what I even did. Wikipedia says I was digging holes and luring enemies into them. I guess that happened.
I had a lot more fun with the next game, an excellent pinball title released stateside as Revenge of the Gator. Created by HAL Laboratory — probably under the direction of current Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, although I can't find any credits anywhere — it's a classic of the genre, an addictive pinball game crawling with alligators. It's pretty sweet, and also hot, especially for 100 yen.
Times of Lore and Aigina's Prediction
In the ancient times of lore, before people had fully developed all their various modern-day body parts, they kind of shuffled around funnily. And fought skeletons. That's the history lesson I got from the Famicom version of classic Origin Systems role-playing game Times of Lore.
I don't know what I was supposed to get out of Aigina's Prediction, unless the prediction was that I was about to play a bad game. So I'm in this dungeon, right? And there are these monsters. To kill them, I had to hit blocks with my head, creating weapons that shot projectiles when I touched them. This turns out to be too clever by half. Even Castle Excellent got a U.S. release: This one was just beyond the pale.
This Super Famicom game was the only 100-yen title I found that came complete with its box and manual. Usually, it's the lack of packaging that makes these things cheap. In this case, I don't know why it was so inexpensive. Maybe the store manager was freaked out by the camel and wanted it out of his shop.
Kenji Kaido, producer of Ico, worked on Cameltry. You've probably played some variant of it — you rotate a maze, guiding a ball through it. Taito released an updated version called Labyrinth on the Nintendo DS, and this version made it to the United States as On the Ball. It's pretty fun, and is thus the second game in this list to be worth the 100 yen.
It's easy to spend a lot of time staring at the box art. Look at the expression on the camel's face! The way he studies the ball! The ball's bizarre trajectory! What the hell is the deal? I couldn't figure it out until today, when I realized something while staring at the box again. Prepare to have your mind blown.
It's the Taito logo.
Field Combat and Willow
Field Combat didn't work.
Willow did work, although I kind of wish it didn't. We saw the movie Willow in the theater when I was a kid. I haven't seen it since then. Is it still good? The game's not. Isn't Capcom a videogame maker of some renown? How did they mess this one up? I will say this: The graphics, drawn in a style that looks like a colored pencil sketch, are impressive. Less so the rest of the game, an overhead-action RPG in the Secret of Mana style but with flaky combat mechanics and endless rooms full of nothing.
A Bunch of PC Engine CD-ROM Games
Some people have weird collecting habits. For example, apparently some folks take all the instruction manuals out of their games and, I don't know, burn them? These games for the PC Engine CD-ROM system (known as TurboGrafx in the United States) were all in their original jewel cases, but with no manuals. As such, they didn't even fetch 100 yen each — more like 50 yen.
Splash Lake is a clever puzzle game — you're a bird-type thing, a pelican or something, on a series of small platforms out on the ocean. Or lake. Whatever. You have to peck at the platforms to get them to collapse, drowning your enemies, while trying not to kill yourself. The game's menu features a color-bar test-pattern option, in case you … need to check your TV's color levels. Helpful! And worth two quarters.
Wonder Boy III: Monster Lair, which like most of its brethren is available on Virtual Console, is quite different from the games that came before and after. It's neither a straightforward platform game nor a nonlinear adventure. It's actually more of a shooter. Each level is split into two parts. There's an auto-scrolling platform section in which you run and jump and take out snails and cobras with a variety of projectile weapons. This is followed by an actual Gradius-style side-scrolling shooter section. Worth 50 cents!
Brandish is a top-down, dungeon-crawling RPG by Falcom with a bizarre graphic twist; Each time you rotate the direction that your character is facing, the entire game world snaps 90 degrees so you are always facing the top of the screen. Disorienting! And I couldn't figure out how to actually fight anything. Didn't give me my 50 cents' worth.
Auleria is just as janky, but from the side instead of the top. It's one of those RPGs with the Ys III vibe; killing things while walking to the right. Well, mostly they kill you. I spent some time (after the ridiculously long opening sequence) leveling up a little, and things got considerably more manageable, but not so much that I wanted to keep going. Pass.
Exile II is another in the side-scrolling RPG subgenre. I sure am glad I stopped to read the text, because this is fantastic: You play as a prince of a country in the old Islamic caliphate, and you heal yourself in battle by using drugs. (The store's first shop sells cocaine, hashish, etc.) Cocaine gives you 10 HP. I love it. The Wikipedia entry lists a lot of the other story elements (you fight Christians!) that were scrubbed clean from the U.S. series. Worth 50 yen just for that.
The Lord of King and Rollerball
Speaking of Christians: If Jesus is King of Kings, and also Lord of Lords, then who is the Lord of King? Apparently it's Fabio. The art and title sold me on the game, but unbeknownst to me I'd already played it before: The Lord of King is Astyanax, that wonderfully crappy side-scrolling platform game from Jaleco. This is the touching tale of a high school student who has to go fight monsters and ends up hooking up with a fairy.
Apparently the box art, which looks absolutely nothing like the gawky main character in the actual game, was based on the arcade version. Worth 100 yen, kind of. Not really.
Definitely worth it: Rollerball, which by pure coincidence is the second HAL Labs-developed video pinball game in this pile. Not as playable as Revenge of the Gator, but still fun.
3 Awful Super Famicom RPGs
I really figured I could roll the dice on these games and maybe find one winner among all of them. But Down the World is barely a videogame. Wikipedia is underselling it when it says the game's first 15 minutes are noninteractive. It was more like 20 or 25, and even after that it's barely even something you play versus just watch.
Farland Story is pretty much a Fire Emblem rip-off but worse, and Ruin Arm is an action RPG that I just had to turn off after fighting a couple enemies. If you spot any of these games at your local Japanese game store, run away.
What the Heck Are These?
"Do you know what these are?" I asked the clerk as I pulled these out of the junk bin at the front of the store.
"No," he said, which is Japanese for, "Yes, but I can't tell you."
So I bought them. Wouldn't you have? Two matte-black Famicom game cartridges with switches on the front, stickers covering up holes in the carts and faded, handwritten labels that look a couple decades old?
A little research later, we'd figured out what I'd acquired for 100 yen each: Rewriteable cartridges, used with pirate devices like the Famicopier. There's an explanation of these things over at GameSniped. The switches flip between two different video modes, and the stickers cover up the EEPROM chips so they won't be accidentally erased.
Whoever owned these things used them to copy two common Famicom games — Obake no Q-Taro and Ninja Hattori-kun. For sheer novelty value alone, worth the $2.
See Also:
- Photo Gallery: Exploring Akihabara, Tokyo's Nerd Mecca
- Photo Gallery: Broke in Tokyo — Excavating 10 Weird Games for $10
- Classic Game|Death: The $10 Pile of Tokyo Shame


text:
The Jewish organization B'nai Brith Canada is demanding an apology from a Quebec talk show host who sympathized on the air with anti-Semitic statements.
A woman, who called herself Maria, phoned into Jacques Fabi's late night radio talk show on 98.5 FM last week.
She started by criticizing Israel for last week's bombings. Then she began to attack Jewish people and even lauded the Holocaust.
Fabi did not interrupt the woman, but continued the conversation and sympathized with her statements.
"I'd never dare say such a thing," he said, adding, "though you probably have the right."
Fabi said that there are consequences for people who speak negatively about Jewish people, especially in Montreal where there is such a significant Jewish population.
Then he went on to sympathize with the caller.
"If you asked me if the Jewish population can sometimes be annoying, I would say yes," he said.
In total, the conversation lasted for more than four minutes.
Steven Slimovitch, a lawyer for B'nai Brith Canada, said his inbox was flooded with emails from Jewish Quebecers following the broadcast.
"She basically says that Hitler should have finished what he started," Slimovitch said.
He said that his organization sent a formal letter to the radio station complaining about the comments. B'nai Brith also sent complaints to the CRTC and the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council.
Slimovitch said the general director for the radio station, Réal Germain, replied to the complaint and said that measures would be taken to deal with the situation.
David Crête, spokesman for 98.5 FM, said that sanctions have been taken against Fabi. "The comments that were aired earlier this week are unacceptable … Hosts and journalists are subject to ethical rules. If they are not met, penalties are applied," he stated.Slimovitch is asking for Fabi to apologize on air formally.
"There's no place for comments like that on a radio station. These are unacceptable comments and they beg a formal apology on the air,' he said.
B'nai Brith has asked CBC not to post the full interview, because it would further publicize anti-semitic comments.
ref: http://www.cbc.ca


text:
Regardless of where music is being played, there's usually a good amount of people prepared to suggest which song should be played next. This can be a fun communal process where everyone gets to learn a little bit about the other music tastes in the room and possibly get introduced to great new artists, but in my experience that's a pretty rare happening unfortunately. That's not to say that everybody has bad tastes in music, because most people I end up hanging out with have awesome music tastes, but whenever somebody takes over the next track it's usually because a song's been stuck in there head and they need the relief of it being played. I've been there too, this weekend I played STRFKR's "Pop Song" at a friend's house, not because it fit in with the set list or mood of the party but just because I wanted to change the music to a sound that I thought was more fitting for the environment.
I stand by the fact that it was a good song choice for people hanging out to listen to, but the fact of the matter is that it's not a fair mentality to carry to attempt to change the sound of the room to whatever you want to hear. For one it's a selfish act since not everybody there is going to like what you will, and it leads to the problem of everybody trying to get priority on the next track choice so that they can change the sound of the room yet again. What this leads to is a playlist full of awkwardly arranged songs that don't really go together but were selected for individualized purposes, or a sound that's disjointed and therefore not pleasant.
This is actually not that big of a problem at parties because the music should be primarily in the background anyway and no one really ends up minding to much if the music isn't fantastic (though I love gatherings where it is), but the problem actually can carry over into radio shows too. Sometimes we'll get awesome requests of what to play, for example: I was playing a ton of 90's rock on my show one day and as I was playing an early Modest Mouse track I got a request to play Built To Spill. Two artists that have very comparable sounds and can segue into each other pretty damn easily, and a song request to help me because I'm still not nearly as familiar with Built to Spill as I should be (which sucks because I know that I am going to love them some day). If there's a request which lets me know a track that fits into my set really well, especially for an artist which I don't play to often, then that is extremely appreciated and one of my favorite parts about making radio shows. That's not usually the case though, as most song requests I've seen are closer to the previous mindset where somebody just had a song stuck in their head and wanted that song to get played on the radio. It doesn't matter what was playing, and that mindset drives me nuts as someone who always pre-plans what I'm going to play on the radio.
If I still do decide to play the song then it becomes a challenge of how to actually work my way back to what I was doing before, usually solved by an awkwardly placed PSA (thanks FCC) and a quick re-introduction to what was going on before. I think most people actually feel the same way about this, but the mindset is a bit funny because there's a mentality out there that DJs love receiving song requests. That's not really true though, I only like them if they fit.