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Page 46, Dragon Magazine #304
Prestige Races Changing Your Character for the Better
Designated D20 Open Game Content under Open Game License Version 1.0A
The Dungeons & Dragons rules create a world where heroes can experience rapid advances in their skills and power. Surviving adventure and risk-taking are real learning experiences that cause physical and mental change. In this kind of world, creatures might even alter their forms by gaining experience. The Oathbound campaign setting, produced by Bastion Press, presented the concept of "prestige races," allowing characters to do just that. By expending XP, any creature can alter its form and gain new abilities.
A prestige race can manifest itself in many thousands of different ways. Any change to the body or mind can be the result of a prestige race alteration, whether it is subtle, such as an increased Intelligence score, or quite obvious, such as the growth of a pair of wings. Most changes are not piecemeal but the result of focusing on a particular prestige race focus. A human cannot simply turn himself into an elemental, but he might slowly progress in that direction over a series of smaller changes. These pathways are known as foci, and are the chief method of categorizing prestige races.
Gaining a Prestige Race AlterationEdit
To gain a prestige race alteration, a creature must first take the Sculpt Self feat. When a creature with the Sculpt Self feat wants to purchase a prestige race alteration, it immediately expends the XP. It must then meditate for the time necessary to channel the XP into altering its form. A creature need not do so immediately, and the process can be delayed as long as the creature wishes. If the creature purchased multiple prestige race alterations, it must meditate for each separately.
Sculpt Self {{#set:Type=General}} Summary::You have the ability to modify the essence of your being. {{#set:Prerequisite=None}}Benefit: You may spend XP to gain prestige race alterations. You cannot spend the XP for a prestige race alteration if that expenditure would reduce your level.
A creature must meditate for one day per 1,000 XP of the cost of the prestige race alteration, and the creature is presumed to spend about 8 hours meditating each day. You cannot rush the process by meditating more than 8 hours each day. Small interruptions or light activity do not disrupt this process so long as the creature spends about 8 hours a day meditating, but fighting, casting spells, using magic items, or other mentally or physically intensive activities ruin the day's meditation. Unlike a spellcaster creating a magic item, interruptions merely ruin the day's work, not the whole process. Thus, a creature can take as long as it wishes to gain the prestige race alteration.
Once gained, the prestige race alteration cannot be taken away. Loss of levels due to energy drain and other effects never take away a prestige race alteration, and they cannot be dispelled. Most of the effects of a prestige race alteration are considered extraordinary abilities, but any spellcasting ability granted by the prestige race alteration should be considered supernatural. You cannot take the same prestige race alteration more than once.
Stacking Prestige Race BenefitsEdit
The benefits provided by prestige race alterations follow the normal stacking rules for bonus types described in the DUNGEON MASTER'S Guide. For instance, if a creature has a +4 natural armor bonus from a prestige race alteration and an amulet of natural armor +3, it gains only the prestige race alteration's natural armor bonus to AC. If it had an amulet of natural armor +5, it would instead gain the benefit from the amulet and not the prestige race alteration.
Prestige Race FociEdit
Prestige race alterations can be grouped into different foci. A prestige race focus represents a particular path of prestige race alterations. This path is much like a feat tree, but characters do not need to take feats to gain prestige race alterations; they need only spend the proper amount of XP and time.
Mineral FocusEdit
Those who focus on the mineral path hold an affinity with the earth and its deepest foundations. The very bones of the world call out to the and hold mysteries that appeal to their innermost selves. Progressing along this path, characters slowly experience changes to their bodies, allowing them to gain powers, abilities, and traits related to the deepest parts of the earth.
Grounded Creature [Mineral] Grounded creatures have connected with the deep-seated, underlying energies of the earth. As a result, the creature's skin darkens to the color of rich soil and becomes slightly gritty; their legs harden into thick pillars, and their feet begin to resemble wide, flat stones. A grounded creature becomes solidly linked with the ground beneath its feat.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +1 natural armor bonus and a +4 competence bonus to resist trip, bull rush, and overrun attacks.
- Special: This prestige race alteration is unavailable to creatures with wind or wave prestige race alterations.
- Cost: 928 XP.
Earthen Creature [Mineral] Earthen creatures have begun to understand how to harness the profuse powers of the earth. Earthen creatures develop a thick skin composed of pebbles, small stones, and a soil-like substance. Their bones gain the density of stone, and their blood thickens to mud. Lastly, their eyes become cold and smooth like well-worn rocks.
- Prerequisites: Grounded Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +2 natural armor bonus, and it can cast soften earth and stone once per day as a 3rd-level druid.
- Cost: 3,264 XP.
Steeled Creature [Mineral] Steeled creatures hear the whispered secrets of stones and minerals and know how to unravel them. The skin of a steeled creature has hardened into sombrous steel, beneath which pulse muscles of magma. Their eyes smolder and smoke like the core of the earth.
- Prerequisites: Earthen Creature, Grounded Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +3 natural armor bonus and a burrow speed of 10 feet.
- Cost: 6,400 XP.
Adamantine Creature [Mineral] Adamantine creatures have mastered the songs of the stones and ground. They have gained the ability to transform their minds into unassailable fortresses of steel and their flesh into an impervious sheet of adamantine. Adamantine creatures are welcomed by the stone as brothers and walk within it unhindered.
- Prerequisites: Earthen Creature, Grounded Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +4 natural armor bonus and a +4 resistance bonus to all saves against mind-influencing effects and polymorphing. The creature also gains the ability to cast meld into stone once per day as a 7th-level druid.
- Cost: 8,280 XP.
Flame FocusEdit
Those who feel the intense heat and rushing draw of fire deep within their souls, and those who are awestruck by its simple mystery and terrible majesty choose to focus on the path of flame. The blazing inferno is a siren's song to their ears. Blazing a trail along this path, they quickly gain abilities and characteristics related to fire and its properties.
Kindled Creature [Flame] Kindled creatures have felt the stirrings of the flame deep within their souls for as long as they can remember. Within the furnaces of their hearts, a tiny fire has sprung into existence and sears outward, eternally unquenchable Kindled creatures' dispositions become strained; their tempers shorten as the spark within them grows. Typically, the creature's skin takes on a reddish-orange hue, and their hair and eyes begin to roll with an inner flame.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains low-light vision and fire resistance 5
- Special: This prestige race alteration is unavailable to creatures with wave prestige race alterations.
- Cost: 1,600 XP.
Ember Creature [Flame] Ember creatures have discovered now to fan the flame within them; they have learned how to draw upon its inherent power in order to react with speed and precision. An ember creature's skin becomes opaque, dark, and cracked, with the vague hints of a smoldering fire lying deep beneath its surface. All of the hair on an ember creature's body falls away or vanishes in a puff of acrid smoke, and its eyes darken, leaving only two tiny pinpricks of gleaming light.
- Prerequisites: Kindled Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains fire resistance 10 and the ability to cast produce flame at will as a 3rd-level sorcerer.
- Cost: 7,520 XP.
Fiery Creature [Flame] Fiery creatures speak with a voice of their inner flame and act through its authority. There is little that evokes fear in them, for they are the masters of their own destinies and giants among mere mortals. Fiery creatures sprout flame and blaze where they once sported hair and whiskers, and their every-glowing skin ripples with the heat of a hundred torches.
- Prerequisites: Ember Creature, Kindled Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +1 inherent bonus to Charisma and the ability to cast wall of fire once per day as a 7th-level sorcerer.
- Cost: 7,516 XP.
Inferno Creature [Flame] Inferno creatures are the lords of the flame and cower before none. The roar of fires is their voice, crackling conflagration is their laughter, and the all-consuming blaze is their wroth. An inferno creature's dark skin sizzles and pops with heat and is constantly licked with flickering flame.
- Prerequisites: Ember Creature, Fiery Creature, Kindled Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains the ability to cast fire shield once per day as a 7th-level sorcerer.
- Cost: 4,480 XP.
Wave FocusEdit
Those who elect to follow the way of the wave tend to be placid and slow to anger. They feel the love and pull of the oceans, and from this they draw their unfathomable strengths and patience. As they steadfastly make headway along their chosen focus, these characters slowly experience changes and alterations to their minds, bodies, and spirits that only intensify their longing and love for the sea.
Sodden Creature [Wave] Sodden creatures realize how truly vast and limitless the powers of the sea can be, and they have managed to bind a portion of that realization to their forms. A sodden creature's skin becomes coated with a slick, transparent film of water that can never be removed or sloughed off. The sodden creature's hair, fur, or plumage turns wet and slimy, remaining so despite all attempts to make it clean or dry. The creature's toes and fingers become webbed and elongated. Further, its eyes become paler and more luminous, like twin full moons reflected upon the surface of a calm bay.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +4 competence bonus to all Escape Artist and Swim checks. In addition, any opponent attempting to grapple the sodden creature or use grapple actions, such as attempting to pin or damage a grappled sodden creature, suffers a -4 circumstance penalty to its grapple checks.
- Special: This prestige race alteration is unavailable to creatures with flame or mineral prestige race alterations.
- Cost: 384 XP.
Watery Creature [Wave] Watery creatures have become one with the waves, and their hearts pound with the rhythmic sound of the sea. Their bodies seem to contain rushing rivers held back only by thin skins of vellum. It is said that the color of watery creatures' eyes always reflect their mood, much like the color of the waves might hint at a coming storm.
- Prerequisites: Sculpt Self feat, Sodden Creature.
- Benefit: A watery creature can breathe water at will like an aquatic creature.
- Cost: 4,000 XP.
Saturated Creature [Wave] Saturated creatures discover how to tap into the immense power that lies beneath the waves in such a way as to actually alter their physical makeup. As a result, the bodies of these creatures undergo a transformation whereby the internal organs become little more than water. While the organs continue to perform their assigned tasks, the potential damage that can be delivered to them by most weapons is essentially nullified. The only outwardly noticeable sign of this change is that the creatures now bleed clear, pure water.
- Prerequisites: Sculpt Self feat, Sodden Creature, Watery Creature.
- Benefit: The creature is no longer subject to critical hits or sneak attacks.
- Cost: 10,000 XP.
Wind FocusEdit
The rushing wind awakens something within those who choose to focus on this path. It rouses their potential, driving them onward like a ship with a full sail. As long as they are able to draw breath into their bodies, they feel there is nothing that they cannot do, nothing that cannot be accomplished. The air about them provides inspiration, steels determination, and gives hope. As they speed along their chosen path, these characters become more and more like the quickening wind.
Stirred Creature [Wind] Stirred creatures hear the clarion call of the wind early in their lives. The mere hint of a gust on their faces and in their hair brings them alive and exhorts them onward toward their goals. Stirred creatures can employ the wind to defend themselves against opponents for brief moments before the capricious wind swiftly flows from them. A stirred creature's hair always seems to be tossed and stirred by a slight breeze, even when no breeze is present. Their voices change, becoming airy and hollow sounding, but they seem to carry farther than normal.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains the ability to cast wind wall once per day as a 7th-level sorcerer.
- Special: This prestige race alteration is unavailable to creatures with mineral prestige race alterations
- Cost: 4,032 XP.
Zephyr Creature [Wind] Zephyr creatures have learned to flow with the wind and make its force their own. Zephyr creatures' bodies become more pliable and sinuous, and their skin and hair tones pale considerably as they strive to become one with the air. Further, their eyes turn a soft, airy color, usually light blue, white, or pale yellow.
- Prerequisites: Sculpt Self feat, Stirred Creature.
- Benefit: The creature gains electricity resistance 5 and the ability to cast whispering wind three times per day as a 3rd-level sorcerer.
- Cost: 3,391 XP.
Gale Creature [Wind] Gale creatures channel wind at will, working with it as a potter works clay. However, they can rarely maintain their grip upon it for long. Gale creatures know still that the wind is a fickle and passing thing and that their ability is a privilege given to them by the wind rather than a right to impose upon it. These creatures become impossibly thin, often appearing sickly or even at death's door. Their bones lighten and become supple, allowing them to walk upon the winds.
- Prerequisites: Sculpt Self feat, Stirred Creature, Zephyr Creature.
- Benefit: The creature gains the ability to cast wind walk once per day as an 11th-level cleric.
- Cost: 9,504 XP.
Tempest Creature [Wind] Tempest creatures are one with the wind and the air—it is not only their home but also their closest companion and most trusted friend. Because tempest creatures have unlocked the secrets of the wind and co-exist with it at all times, the wind becomes their protector. Invisible swirls of rushing wind surround these creatures at all times. Further, the smells of wind-borne rain and the sharp tang of lightning always surround tempest creatures.
- Prerequisites: Gale Creature, Sculpt Self feat, Stirred Creature, Zephyr Creature.
- Benefit: The creature gains the ability to cast improved invisibility three times per day as a 7th-level sorcerer.
- Cost: 9,071 XP.
Gear FocusEdit
Those that elect to traverse this path hear the call of the future, as spoken by the most potent force other than magic: technology. Gears, pulleys, pistons, and levers are the instruments for a cacophonous symphony of change. Those that dance to this strange new tune progress along the path of the gear and gain characteristics and capabilities related to mechanisms and technology.
Gadget Creature [Gear] Gadget creatures see the opportunities that technology brings and have taken the first step of meeting it headlong. Turning their hopes, aspirations, and investigations inward, gadget creatures soon find ways to augment their physical and mental abilities. Generally, these augmentations focus on a single area of their bodies and supplement that area with unusual and fascinating arrays of gadgets and mechanisms. Depending on the nature and design of the enhancement, the general appearance of gadget creatures varies dramatically from one creature to another.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: One of the creature's ability scores gains a +1 inherent bonus. Once the ability is chosen, it cannot be changed. In addition, a gadget creature gains a +4 competence bonus to Knowledge (architecture and engineering) skill checks and may use the skill untrained.
- Cost: 5,628 XP.
Clockwork Creature [Gear] Clockwork creatures replace the weaker parts of their physical form, allowing themselves to slowly transform entire parts of their bodies into clockwork substitutes. Typically, limbs or even sections of clockwork creatures' bodies are replaced with mechanical twins, thereby strengthening their frames and increasing their abilities. Depending on the nature and design of their creations, the general appearance of a clockwork creature varies dramatically from one creature to another.
- Prerequisites: Gadget Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: Another of the creature's ability scores gains a +1 inherent bonus. This must be a different ability than that chosen for Gadget Creature. Once the ability is chosen, it cannot be changed. In addition, the gadget creature also gains a +2 natural armor bonus.
- Cost: 8,700 XP.
Contraption Creature [Gear] Contraption creatures have gained enough knowledge of technology, clockwork mechanisms, and the rudimentary properties of the physical world to move their exploits to a new level. Contraption creatures now possess not only the knowledge to augment physical properties and mannerisms of the body, but also of how to drastically boost those properties. Contraption creatures are usually encased within several layers of interlocked and inter-working devices, to the point that they seem more metal than flesh. Depending on the nature and design of their augmentations, the general appearance of a contraption creature varies dramatically from one to another.
- Prerequisites: Clockwork Creature, Gadget Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +4 resistance bonus to all Fortitude saves. In addition, the extra damage from critical hits and sneak attacks has a 25% chance to be negated, causing the attack to deal only normal damage. This does not stack or double with the fortification armor quality, but it does provide an additional negation chance should a contraption creature wear such armor.
- Cost: 2,531 XP.
Soul FocusEdit
Those creatures that choose the focus of the soul draw the bulk of their power from the enigmatic center of their beings—their souls. Many months and years are often initially spent purifying themselves and then searching for the most central and core aspect of their being. Once they begin along this path, these creatures quickly ascend through its ranks and become both placidly serene and frighteningly formidable.
Blessed Creature [Soul] Blessed creatures have found the light within their souls and have begun to foster its growth. Slowly, they begin to realize that despite their many years of self-realization and spiritual growth, their eyes are only now truly opening. Blessed creatures can then begin to apply this thought-expanding knowledge to their lives with immediate and stunning results.
- Prerequisite: Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +1 inherent bonus to Charisma and a +4 insight bonus to Sense Motive, Spot, and Listen checks.
- Cost: 5,884 XP.
Sacred Creature [Soul] These creatures realize that they have the potential to change the world and set out to do so, relying on their ever-strengthening soul for guidance and support. A sacred creature's skin takes on a warmer tone (often rosy, golden, or silvery). Their eyes melt into twin pools of tranquil light, and their hair becomes fuller, more glossy, and vibrant.
- Prerequisites: Blessed Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creature gains a +1 inherent bonus to Strength and a +4 resistance bonus to all Will saving throws.
- Cost: 7,631 XP.
Hallowed Creature [Soul] Hallowed creatures understand that the path to their ultimate destiny takes them not only through the calm but also through the storm. The countenances of hallowed creatures change, taking on more ethereal and timeless qualities, as if the weights and signs of the years simply vanish. Further, their voices boom with the resonating strength of righteousness.
- Prerequisites: Blessed Creature, Sacred Creature, Sculpt Self feat.
- Benefit: The creatures gains a +1 inherent bonus to Wisdom and can cast searing light three times per day as a 5th-level cleric.
- Cost: 11,980 XP.
Prestige Races and CREdit
Giving monsters or NPCs prestige race alterations is not the same as giving them XP and levels of classes. Instead, think of a monster or NPC with a prestige race as you would a monster or NPC with a magic item. If you multiply the XP cost of a prestige race alteration by 5, you get the cost of a magic item with no space limitation and those qualities.
If you subtract this cost from the money you devote to the NPC's gear, you shouldn't have to worry about how it will negatively affect the NPC's CR or the difficulty of the encounter any more than normal when giving an NPC a magic item. If the prestige race alteration is in addition to an NPC's gear or a monster's usable treasure, you have to consider how that affects the encounter as carefully as if you were giving the creature extra magic items. Note that if the creature has plenty of item slots open, you might want to consider halving the gold piece value of the prestige race alterations: A creature with many item slots open would not expend the resources to buy an item with no space limitation.
Creating Your Own Prestige Race AlterationsEdit
The possible effects of prestige race abilities are nearly limitless, but the XP cost can make certain alterations unlikely to be used. This article presents prestige race alterations worth up to 11,980 XP. This approaches the upper limit of what many players will be willing to pay for the benefits, and it limits the prestige race alteration to characters of 12th level or higher. When designing your own prestige race alterations, cheap benefits like skill bonuses are the most likely to be chosen and used by players.
Determining the XP cost of a prestige race alteration is simple in concept, but the math can become complicated. First, determine the cost of each of the granted abilities as through they were all qualities of separate magic items that have no space limitation. You might want to add an ad-hoc price increase due to the fact that the "items" can never be stolen or destroyed, but consider that they can also never be given to another party member who might need them or be sold to buy a better item, and that a feat is required to gain the benefits. Total all those prices. Once you have determined the total price in gold pieces, divide that cost by 5 to learn the XP cost. Note that if the prestige race alterations build upon one another, as in the case of the mineral focus's increasing natural armor benefit, you'll need to subtract the cost of the previous benefit from the cost of the new benefit before adding that to your calculations for the total gold piece cost of the prestige race alteration's qualities.
For Your CharacterEdit
Prestige race alterations can be a great way to create unique characters, buy you might want to gain a prestige race alteration for more than the roleplaying opportunities.
Little Money: Your character's party might need to save money for resurrections, or maybe you've already spent your share of the treasure but you still want more. A poor character can always find a way to pay for prestige race alterations.
Not Enough Time: Creating a magic item with the same qualities as a prestige race alteration takes more than twice as much time, and interruptions ruin your work, causing you to lose all the XP and gold devoted to creating the magic item. Prestige race alterations take less time and can be completed at your leisure.
Too Many Items: You might have all your item slots filled with other magic items. Rather than expending a great deal of money on items that have no space limitation, a high-level character can spend a relatively small amount of XP and gain the same qualities.
Easier than Paying: If you can't find a magic item crafter willing to make an item for pay, you can gain the qualities of a magic item without the need for a spellcasting creator.
Can't Be Stolen: Your prestige race alteration cannot be taken away. Even if stripped of all your items, you might still be able to accomplish amazing feats using your prestige race powers.
For Your CampaignEdit
There are many ways for you to incorporate the idea of prestige races in your game, and you can alter the concept in a number of ways to help you make it easier to import.
It Doesn't Require a Feat: Taking away the feat prerequisite for gaining a prestige race alteration is an easy way to make the idea more appealing to reluctant players.
It Requires Gold: If you multiply the prestige race alteration's XP cost by 5, you can charge that cost as gold a PC must invest to get the properties of the prestige race.
It Requires a Special Component: Once you know how much gold the alteration should cost, you might make such an alteration require a special component of equal value.
It Requires a Special Location: Gaining a prestige race alteration might require that a character meditate at a particular location. This makes such locations a valuable resource to be guarded.
It Requires a Special Object: Perhaps only creatures in possession of a particular magic item can gain prestige race alterations.
It Requires a Special Deed: Gaining a prestige race alteration might be the reward for succeeding in a quest to defeat a particular monster. Instead of gaining treasure or experience, the PCs gain the ability to take a prestige race alteration of a particular price.
Treat Them All like Magic Items: Perhaps when a creature dies, the prestige race alterations it made to itself are expelled in a physical form. These can then be taken by the players and applied to themselves. In this instance, prestige race alterations become a lot like standard magic items.
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There is no question that home affordability in cities like Vancouver and Toronto has become unattainable for most of us. There is a significant supply problem which has not been adequately discussed and resolved.
With the news that foreign investors will now be taxed an additional 15% of the purchase price on residential properties in Vancouver, it looks as though a Canadian "Wall" is being built against free trade and immigration, as even the Ontario Finance Minister is suggesting that he is looking very closely at what his British Columbia counterpart has done. This is in addition to the additional taxes of current land transfer tax of 1% to 3% of the purchase price and the yet-to-be-disclosed new tax that will be applied to owners of properties that are left vacant. What about our Canadian snowbirds who go south for 182 days per year? Should they now pay a vacancy tax on their homes?
Should we be concerned about what next our governments plan to tax? Perhaps a new tax on people whose surnames start with A, L or Z, or are under 5 feet 8 but taller than 6 feet 2? What happened to the free-market, laissez-faire capitalism?
This is clearly a confiscation of homeowner value shrouded in a costume of public policy. Is this really what we want our governments to do? Is this really going to address the issues of short supply of housing stock and fixed inventories of existing housing – or, more importantly, the crisis of unaffordable housing for younger generations?
Have policymakers really thought out the risks and concerns to current homeowners whose property values are clearly at stake by these restrictions on foreign investment? Remember that this tax is not for any specific service being provided, but is boldly and clearly stated as a penalty to stop foreign investment in residential real estate. Sure, countries like Australia, New Zealand, Britain, Singapore, Switzerland and Hong Kong currently have rules and taxes that restrict foreign investment. Do you not think that foreign investors can still navigate around any barriers to entry if they feel values are less than global prices in other comparable markets?
They can, after all, incorporate companies to purchase and own residential real estate and write off the new 15% taxes as a legitimate business expense. A new residential REIT could come to the market and buy up all of the residential properties in Vancouver legitimately and chose to hold them and/or rent them as they so saw fit based on their investment criteria. For every government action, there is clearly a natural and diverse counter-action.
Will this policy measure take foreign investors completely out of the market? Who really knows whether prices will still globally be considered low in our Canadian cities; they may still be. But we need to be honest and open about the consequences that might result, which could be worse than the actual cost of the new taxes. Will this affect the real estate market psychology? Will this lessen the real estate transaction volume? Will this impact the current real estate values and pricing? Will this reduce the real value of people's homes? If so will this reduce the real estate market assessment values and ultimately lower tax revenues? Is this what we all want?
There have not been real innovative ideas to increase the housing stock and supply. How about allowing all of the abutting restricted green belt lands to our larger densely populated city centres to be developed in a green, off the grid and environmentally friendly way to increase the affordable housing inventories?
How about an open and proper discussion on mortgage interest deductibility for working Canadian citizens? This public policy does work in the US. Sure, there are capital gains taxes, but it still allows those taking 75% mortgages on their home purchase to deduct the interest cost of their mortgage and their realty taxes. This in turn allows them even more affordability to get into the market and become part of a neighbourhood and community in which to raise their families. Ultimately this is what we all want to be part of.
Maybe it is good to strongly deflate the values of residential properties in major Canadian cities. But Canadians, and especially Canadian homeowners, need to be involved in what clearly is a complex moral, philosophical and political discussion.
Stephen Moranis, B.Comm., MBA, FRI, CMR has been active in the North American Real Estate Industry for more than 40 years. He is a former President of the Toronto Real Estate Board and a former Director of the Canadian Real Estate Association.
Do you have a real estate question or topic that you would like to know more about? Email Stephen at firstname.lastname@example.com or text him at 416.818.3110


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Sunstone Vineyard Merlot Santa Barbara County 1996
Region: USA » California » Santa Barbara
Winery: Sunstone Vineyards & Winery
Color: Red
Varietal: Merlot
Sunstone Vineyards & Winery:
When Fred and Linda Rice and their three children moved in 1989 from Santa Barbara to a peaceful 55-acre Santa Ynez ranch to grow wine grapes, little did they know that they would end up happily presiding over one of the largest organic vineyard estates in Santa Barbara County. Today, Sunstone Vineyards and Winery devotes its entire 55 acre estate to organic grape growing. The Rices' sun-dapple... Read more
When Fred and Linda Rice and their three children moved in 1989 from Santa Barbara to a peaceful 55-acre Santa Ynez ranch to grow wine grapes, little did they know that they would end up happily presiding over one of the largest organic vineyard estates in Santa Barbara County. Today, Sunstone Vineyards and Winery devotes its entire 55 acre estate to organic grape growing. The Rices' sun-dappled acreage, planted to Rhone and Bordeaux varietals, meets all California Certified Organic Farmer (C.C.O.F.) standards. The Rice family, along with consulting winemaker Daniel Gehrs, have become adept at growing organic fruit and producing high-quality estate wines. Before coming to Sunstone, Gehrs created a Syrah for Zaca Mesa Winery that was heralded by Wine Spectator as one of the top ten wines in the world. Fred and Linda, along with son Bion, who is now President of the winery, and daughters Ashley and Brittany, originally chose the terraced site overlooking the Santa Ynez River for its ideal south-sloping exposure, its sandy, rocky soil, and a microclimate that features early morning fog, warm, breezy afternoons, and cool evenings. It proved to be a fortuitous choice, as they soon discovered that it was a perfect spot for the growing of top-notch organic grapes and enjoying a country lifestyle. "Our goal was to create a place where wine and food could be enjoyed in a picturesque atmosphere," says Linda Rice. "Camaraderie and a sense of sharing is so much a part of this lifestyle. All of our interests, from environmental preservation and organic growing, to the celebration of food, family, and friends have come together here at Sunstone. We have found our home." The site of the winery was originally a horse barn, which was seriously damaged when an oak tree fell on it after heavy rains and winds. Thanks to that storm, Sunstone now has one of the most attractive wineries and tasting rooms in the Santa Ynez Valley. Aromas of French lavender and rosemary greet visitors as they approach the winery's inviting courtyard and tasting room. The architecture recalls wineries in the Provencal countryside, and the relaxed ambiance in the tasting room includes a kitchen complete with wood-burning oven. Over 5,000 square feet of stone barrel-aging caves are built into the hillside. Winemaker dinners and other special events are held in the tasting room, caves, and courtyard year-round. Bion Rice recommends experiencing Sunstone wines at the winery. "Tasting our wines is tasting the terroir of this special place," he says. "As you walk in, you are surrounded by the soils and the vines that create our wines. You can feel the temperate winds that sweep between the rows, creating the perfect climate for Bordeaux and Rhone varietal grapes. Our goal is to capture the true essence of this vineyard in your glass." Sunstone is renowned for its Rhone varietals, including Viognier, which received a Gold Medal at the San Francisco Wine Competition, and their unique Syrah that rated 90 Points at the Wine Enthusiast's Beverage Testing Institute. Highly acclaimed "Eros", a Meritage blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon, has earned Best of Class at the Los Angeles County Fair, and also received 90 Points in Wine Enthusiast. Sunstone has also been honored by the Santa Barbara Independent reader poll as "Santa Barbara's Favorite Red Wine" for the last three years in a row. Read less
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Griffin Thomas set a school-record for field goals made and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks were able to grind out a 24-21 double-overtime win over North Alabama on Saturday night.
JACKSONVILLE — Griffin Thomas set a school-record for field goals made and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks were able to grind out a 24-21 double-overtime win over North Alabama on Saturday night.
Thomas kicked five field goals, and the Gamecocks (3-0) had to rely on his leg twice in overtime to beat the Division II Lions (1-1).
Tied at 18 at the end of regulation and trailing 21-18 after UNA's first overtime possession, Thomas calmly booted a 26-yard field goal to bring JSU even and force a second extra session.
JSU started the second overtime with the ball and stalled at the 3-yard line. Thomas made the 20-yarder, giving UNA a chance to pull off an upset with a touchdown.
But the Gamecocks' defense bowed up, stopping the Lions on third-and-long and forcing Michael Schuster to attempt a 37-yarder to extend the game. The kick sailed wide right, setting off a celebration at Burgess-Snow Field.
After capturing national attention last week, JSU never got on track against the Lions. The Gamecocks set a school record in Week 2 with 523 rushing yards in a win over Jacksonville. Against UNA, JSU had 105 rushing yards at the end of regulation and finished with 152. For the game, UNA outgained JSU 427-311.
Jacksonville State allowed UNA to hang around just long enough to tie it at the end of regulation. Leading 18-11 after Thomas' third field goal of the game with 3:02 remaining, UNA marched 70 yards in 11 plays for the tying touchdown. Luke Wingo found Lee Mayhall for a 5-yard score with just :13 remaining, and Schuster's extra point sent the game into overtime.
Jacksonville State led 13-2 at halftime and sputtered on offense throughout the final two quarters. The Gamecocks had just 67 yards of offense in the second half and watched their lead slowly disappear.
Schuster made a 49-yard field goal in the third, and UNA pulled within 13-11 with 11:04 remaining in the game. Wingo barreled in from the 1-yard line on a quarterback keeper for the score. The Lions went for the 2-point conversion, but Wingo's pass was off the mark to keep the deficit at two points.
JSU added a safety with 8:25 to play when a bad UNA snap went out of the end zone to give the Gamecocks a 15-11 advantage and set up the frantic finish. The game marked the renewal of an old Gulf South Conference rivalry, when JSU and UNA dominated the NCAA Division II landscape from 1989 through 1995. The Gamecocks reached the national championship game in 1989, 1991 and 1992, winning the title in '92. JSU moved up to Division I the next season, and UNA went on to win the next three national titles.
The teams haven't met since 2003, and even with all the excitement over renewing this rivalry, it proved to be an ugly game from the beginning.
The first half was marred by penalties, as the teams combined were flagged 17 times for 164 yards. Neither team could get in a rhythm, especially Jacksonville State.
By game's end, the Gamecocks had been flagged 17 times for 159 yards. The Lions were penalized 13 times for 81 yards.
JSU's lone touchdown of the contest came on Troymaine Pope's halfback pass to Markis Merrill for 53 yards.
Thomas made a career-long 50-yard field goal early in the second quarter and added a 42-yarder with 2:38 to play until half. In between the field goals, UNA's Shaquille Smith sacked JSU quarterback Eli Jenkins in the end zone for a safety.
Jenkins led the JSU offense with 78 yards rushing and he added 58 yards passing on 13 of 18 completions. Pope ended the game with 65 yards rushing.
For UNA, Chris Coffey had a game-high 99 yards rushing. Wingo finished the night 19 of 39 for 232 yards.


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Richard Dunne's nightmare time with injuries continued after the Aston Villa defender suffered another setback to his groin problem.
Dunne has had three operations this season to try and cure the complaint and had finally returned to training, but Villa boss Paul Lambert confirmed the 33-year-old, who is out of contract in the summer, has sustained another blow to his hopes of a first-team comeback.
Lambert said: "It looks like Richard has got a setback. We will have to wait and see if that settles down again in the next few days. He has been training but came in one morning this week and felt something."
Lambert had been hoping the experienced Dunne could play some part in Villa's relegation scrap despite having made only a handful of appearances in the last 12 months.
He suffered a shoulder injury which forced him to miss the final third of last season - except the final two games - and then sustained the groin injury when on Euro 2012 duty for the Republic of Ireland.
Lambert also revealed midfielder Fabian Delph is sidelined with an ankle injury.
He said: "It's the same ankle he hurt against West Brom and Millwall but hopefully he might train at the end of the week."
Source: PA


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A Vietnamese-American Wedding at Grand 1858 Space at Minnesota Event Centers in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Sally Hopper (34 and a college professor) and Danny Ngo (32 and an HR analyst) met online when Sally was intrigued by Danny's profile photos. "I thought Danny was cute enough on his own, but the fact that he included a picture of frolicking corgis with his photos made me think he could be amazing," Sally says. They exchanged messages for a month before meeting in person at the Herkimer in Uptown Minneapolis. "I scheduled our first date after my Minnesota Roller Girls practice, so I had an excuse in case my face got too hot from nervousness," she says. Their meet-up was a smashing success, leading to dating, a proposal, a two-year engagement and a wedding at Grand 1858 Space at Minneapolis Event Centers in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They picked the space—with its rustic wooden beams and brick walls—for its raw beauty, its location on St. Anthony Main near the Mississippi River and its versatility (including the venue's willingness to work with an outside caterer). Sally, the ultimate planner, took charge of the wedding details, joking that their theme was "romantic and thrifty." She created the artwork for the invitation suite, personalized her wedding heels with comics, altered her Goodwill gown, and crafted a custom card box. Her biggest achievement, though, was folding 2,300 paper cranes—over the course of two years—for the ceremony backdrop "to be surrounded in color for the ceremony," Sally says, adding that one of Danny's happiest childhood memories was folding paper cranes with his mom. The couple had a separate ceremony at Danny's parents' home in honor of his Vietnamese heritage earlier in the day, then celebrated at the venue later, complete with a traditional 10-course Vietnamese course, an abundance of colorful paper cranes, a live Vietnamese band, a DJ, a string quartet, New York-style cheesecake and cookies depicting the couple holding their beloved corgi (Bumi) as favors. They even planned an "almost happened" willow tree unity ceremony, collecting soil (in jars) from important places in their lives so they could add it to a willow tree seedling. Unfortunately, Danny forgot to bring the jars to the altar, so they skipped it. Sally and Danny effectively blended two cultures and wedding traditions while keeping their celebration lighthearted. "We drew a lot of inspiration from Wes Anderson's 'The Royal Tenenbaums,' one of our favorite movies," Sally says. Not a lot of pomp and circumstance but plenty of personalization, whimsy and quirky and wonderful details. —Chrissy Sorenson
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Hey, did you like NES Remix? Well, NES Remix 2 is coming. And on today of all days, Nintendo announced that it includes the entire original Super Mario Bros. (not just a short challenge), only...with Luigi as the star. Complete with his higher jump. And it plays "backwards", scrolling from right to left.
It's out on April 25.


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Amnesty International's Robert Knox: Mexico's Invisible Women
Rupert Knox - CNN
go to original
February 8, 2013
According to the last poll of the National Institute of Statistic, 43% of Mexicans women have been victims of domestic violence. (teleSUR)
Less than a week ago, six Spanish tourists were allegedly raped in the holiday resort city of Acapulco in southern Mexico. The attack quickly made international headlines, and although local authorities initially appeared keen to downplay the story, spiraling public outrage and pressure from the Spanish authorities prompted a vow for a full investigation.
Sadly, those of us who follow events in this part the world were far from surprised by news of this truly dreadful crime – after all, thousands of women and girls in Mexico suffer sexual violence every year. Indeed, according to information Amnesty International presented to the U.N. Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 2012, more than 14,000 women are victims of rape each year. The figure, based on data collected in 2009, also shows there were only 2,795 convictions that year. National studies, meanwhile, indicate that just a fifth of women report rape due to distrust in the justice system and fear, meaning the actual scale of sexual violence is likely to be far greater.
If asked about this issue, Mexican authorities would probably point to the several important steps they have taken to protect women from violence – including the passing, at federal and state level, of a law on "women's access to a life free from violence."
However, despite some positive advances, gender-based violence continues to be widespread, and federal and state authorities have systematically failed to ensure the effective implementation of many aspects of the new legislation, which has allowed impunity to persist.
Inés Fernández Ortega and Valentina Rosendo Cantú, two indigenous women from the state of Guerrero know firsthand the injustices of the legal system.
They both claim they were raped by members of the armed forces in 2002. After years of stonewalling in which the case got lost in the military justice system, they won the right for their case to be moved to civilian jurisdiction, increasing their chances of a resolution despite the fact that even the civilian justice system frequently fails to hold perpetrators to account.
In the north of Mexico, meanwhile, hundreds of women have been murdered or simply disappeared since the early 1990s. With this in mind, last January, relatives of women murdered and disappeared in Ciudad Juarez, a town near the U.S. border, marched to demand the authorities properly investigate the crimes and bring those responsible to justice.
Women's organizations in other states such as Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca and Mexico State have highlighted similar patterns of gender-based violence that the authorities have consistently failed to combat effectively.
Justice is crucial when it comes to tackling and ending violence against women. When those who rape women are not punished, a message is sent that such abuses are acceptable – effectively leaving the door open to others to commit similar crimes.
The high rates of general criminal violence affecting Mexico must not be used as an excuse to ignore or downplay what is happening to women across Mexico. Authorities at the federal and state level have simply failed to set up and implement measures to prevent and tackle these crimes.
It is time for the government to heed the demands of women's rights organizations and others working in the field to move from talking about preventing violence against women and start acting. Concrete, effective measures are needed to improve investigations and to increase prosecutions and convictions.
The Mexican government owes women an unrelenting effort to stop the violence and support for the survivors of sexual abuse.
Robert Knox is a researcher on Mexico at Amnesty International.
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Mario Kart DS
Nintendo drops price of DS Lite to $99.99 in the US while Mario goes red
Nintendo has dropped the suggested retail price of DS Lite to $99.99 and it has also announced that Mario games will be re-boxed for that customers can easily identify them.
Mario Kart DS headlines
Limited edition Mario anniversary Wii, DSi XL coming to US
Nintendo of America's announced it's bringing over the special 25th anniversary of Mario SKUs for Wii and DSi XL to the US.
Wii Sports Resort, Layton top Nintendo games of 2009 in UK
ELSPA's announced that Wii Sports Resort and Professor Layton and the Curious Village were the top-selling Wii and DS games, respectively, last year in the UK.
7 DS games have passed 10 million mark, says Nintendo
Seven DS games have sold more than 10 million units, Nintendo said yesterday, with 83 titles now having sold more than 1 million copies.The seven to break the 10 million mark are Nintendogs, New Super Mario Bros. Brain Age, Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, Mario Kart DS, Brain Age 2, and Animal Crossing: Wild World.Nintendo confirmed last night […]


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Posted on 31st October 2013 by Media Relations
Taronga's new Tasmanian Devil joey got its first health check this week.The Zoo's veterinarian , Tim Portas, gave the joey a clean bill of health as keepers completed their first hands-on check of the youngster. The check also confirmed the joey is a male. It was the first born at Taronga this year and had been snuggled close to its mother, Keggie, since its birth in early May.With Tasmanian Devils under threat from extinction due to a contagious cancer that causes fatal facial tumours, the healthy joey is encouraging both for the species and for the network of 36 mainland and international zoos and wildlife parks managing the insurance population of disease-free devils under the Tasmanian Government's recovery plan.Taronga and Taronga Western Plains Zoos are both part of the breeding program. This joey's birth brings the total of Tasmanian Devils born at Taronga Zoo to 20, since the breeding program began in 2007. Taronga Western Plains Zoo has bred 18.Tasmanian Devil Keeper, Tony Britt-Lewis, said the birth of the healthy joey was particularly pleasing as Keggie and father, Nugget, were new to the zoo and this is the first time they had bred."Keggie is proving to be a terrific first time mum. We've been observing very positive nurturing behaviours and are delighted with the progress and growth of the joey.""We expect the joey will stay with its mother until December or January, before it is weaned and becomes independent."


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BEVERLY, MA -- The Sterling Center YMCA in Beverly, MA, is hoping to go green with the help of U.S. Department of Energy federal stimulus funding. The Y is one of 31 organizations in Massachusetts that applied for $100 million in federal funding through the state's Department of Energy Resources.
The Y hopes to use the federal money to invest in a cogeneration (combined heat and power) system, Chris Lovasco, the Y's chief operations officer, told The Salem News. The YMCA applied for a $300,000 grant to cover the cost of the cogeneration system.
Cogeneration systems use natural gas to produce energy and heat water. Excess heat generated by the system can be stored as hot water and used as electricity.
"We saw this as a great opportunity to go after … because between the pool, open spaces like the gym and the size of the facility itself, it takes some work to keep the Sterling Center warm during the winter," Lovasco told the newspaper.
Some $32.3 million was requested for 28 organizations that sought funding to invest in cogeneration, including the University of Massachusetts and the Hyannis Youth and Community Center.
The project is part of Gov. Deval Patrick's Massachusetts Recovery Plan. According to a release from the governor's office: "Under terms of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), projects eligible for funding under The Clean Energy & Industrial Efficiency Program must be 'shovel ready' within 120 days of receiving federal funding and include job creation and/or retention and energy benefits. Federal funding will pay 50 percent of the total cost of projects that are approved for funding by the DOE."
In addition, combined heat and power systems are supported by a Massachusetts Alternative Energy Portfolio Standard (APS) that took effect in January. It requires utilities and other suppliers of electricity to buy power from APS-approved sources at a rate of 0.75 percent of sales in 2009, which increases to 5 percent by 2010.
"We are hopeful that the Department of Energy will look favorably on these projects, which promise to lower the bottom line for Bay State companies and cities and towns through investment in innovative energy technology and expanded energy efficiency," Patrick said in a statement.


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Kindness and Health
Kindness can bring a sense of richness and fulfilment to our lives, and as a bonus, promote good health and longevity. Paul Pearsall, a Ph.D. in psychology living in Hawaii, writes in his book The Pleasure Prescription (Hunter House, 1996) "Modern research shows one of the most pleasurable of all human acts is also one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself and for others. Gentle, caring selflessness results in significant health benefits."
In the book Meaning & Medicine, (Bantam Books, 1991) author Dr Larry Dossey tells us, "Altruism behaves like a miracle drug, and a strange one at that. It has beneficial effects on the person doing the helping - the helper's high; it benefits the person to whom the help is directed; and it can stimulate healthy responses in persons at a distance who may view it only obliquely."
There have been a number of studies undertaken which demonstrate the positive effects of kindness on health (both psychological and physiological). Further studies are under way, and several books have been published on the beneficial effects of kindness. Studies undertaken since 1988 are described in detail in The Healing Power of Doing Good (Fawcett Columbine, 1991) written by Allan Luks and Peggy Payne. Luks often noticed feelings of pleasure and well being while involved in helping others. Initially thinking it was something he alone experienced, he began to hear from others about the pleasurable feelings associated with helping. This prompted him to investigate further into "this intriguing phenomenon that seemed to have almost magical effects".
The benefits mentioned in his book are as follows:
* A more optimistic and happier outlook on life
* A heightened sense of well being
* A sense of exhilaration and euphoria
* An increase in energy
* A feeling of being healthy
* Decreased feelings of loneliness, depression and helplessness
* A sense of connectedness with others
* A greater sense of calmness and relaxation
* Increased longevity
* Better weight control
* An improvement in insomnia
* A stronger immune system
* A reduction in pain
* Increased body warmth
* A healthier cardiovascular system (reduction of high blood pressure, improved circulation, reduced coronary disease)
* A reduction of excessive stomach acid
* A decrease of oxygen requirement
* Relief from arthritis and asthma
* Speedier recovery from surgery
* Reduced cancer activity
The above list would put a snake oil salesman to shame, yet the effects have been proven many times over. Pearsall was not exaggerating when he referred to the effects of kindness as having "immense immune and healing benefits".
One of the participants in Luks' survey stated the following: "Some months ago I was so stressed out that I could barely get four hours sleep at night, and I had all sorts of aches and pains. I had even tried antidepressant and antianxiety drugs, but to no avail. I then found out first hand that it is love that truly heals. When I do nice things for others, I definitely feel a physical response. For me it is mostly a relaxation of muscles that I hadn't even realised had been tensed. I can now sleep well at night, and most of my aches and pains have disappeared."
People who are aware of the beneficial effects of kindness use it to keep their health conditions under control. Kindness is being utilised to keep high blood pressure in check, to banish headaches, relieve back pain, and subdue the pain of lupus and arthritis, while others use it to cure a case of the blues. Why would helping others have such beneficial effects? Partly because helping takes our mind off our problems (i.e. reduces stress) and gets us thinking about someone else.
Dr Herbert Benson, a Harvard cardiologist who has been involved in scientific research for over 30 years (he is also an author, his most well known book being The Relaxation Response), tells us that when we help others it allows us to 'forget one's self'. Another reason is that when we carry out an act of kindness, our body rewards us by creating a 'feel good' sensation, which boosts self esteem and well being. This experience has been termed the helper's high. The response is triggered when the body manufactures chemicals called endorphins. These endorphins are naturally occurring morphine-like substances that create a feeling of bliss within us. In addition to creating a feel good experience, they also help to reduce the intensity of any pain messages being sent to the brain.
We must assume that one of our basic purposes on planet Earth is to be kind. Why else would our body reward us every time we help someone? As Pearsall tells us, "In concrete terms, there seems to be a biological reward for doing the right thing".
It is not necessary to carry out major acts of kindness to gain the health benefit. In fact it has been found that brief, small, regular acts of kindness lead to the highest levels of well being. It has also been found that such small, pleasurable experiences can more than offset any negative health effects brought about by life's stressful events, regardless of their magnitude. This will be good news to those of us who worry about the ramifications of the day to day negative conflicts in our lives. If we happily punctuate our day with small acts of kindness, our health will be in good shape!
Paul Pearsall's warning about the lack of joy in our lives was mentioned earlier. What is the cause of this lack of joy? According to Pearsall it is the inability to control our destiny and the feeling of vulnerability that this brings, as well as an inability to realise that our physical ills and social ills are related. What is the answer? To reconnect with ourselves, the earth, and those around us.
When you choose to become a kinder person, you are not only improving the well being and health of yourself and those you come into contact with. Your kindness has a ripple effect. It has the magical ability of causing even those who have witnessed the act to spontaneously feel good. When you make the decision to be a kinder person, you are effectively bringing about positive social change.
As previously indicated, the act of giving, or being of service, showing kindness, altruism, or any of the other names by which it is known, has the ability to achieve powerful health benefits. The beneficial effects from kind acts come from the bonding to a fellow human being, no matter how fleeting that contact may be. However, care needs to be taken not to expect some form of outcome from the kind act, otherwise the benefits to the given will be diminished or lost completely. If an outcome is not expected, there will be no disappointment. For instance, if I were to let a car in from a side street, expecting the driver to acknowledge my kind act, and it didn't happen, it could conceivably provoke rage if I were that way inclined. If I am not expecting a positive reaction, and I get one, then that's a bonus. When I expect others to play by my rules, I'm setting myself up for disappointment.
Kindness is not only something that has positive benefits for ourselves, it is something that has a positive effect on the community. Allan Luks states, "The new knowledge about [the beneficial effects of] helping others holds the power to affect not only the health of the individual, but the health of our entire, tension-ridden society".
©June 1999.
Join the Kindness Revolution!


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Tunnel vision brings Liriano to Wild Card nod
Bucs bank on lefty's ability to keep approach simple with NLDS trip at stake
PITTSBURGH -- Some younger Pittsburgh Pirates have likened the present of a playoff game to Christmas.
Francisco Liriano, the left-hander assigned with knocking down the door to the rest of the postseason, hopes not. The last time he banged on a door at Christmas-time, in a playful attempt to startle his kids, he cracked a bone in his right arm.
Liriano's road back from that December accident to an October start -- he will get the ball on Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game -- has been paved with the blood and sweat of rehabilitation, but few tears.
"I always feel good with Frankie on the mound," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, who manipulated his rotation two weeks ago to set Liriano up for this start.
The Bucs' first postseason game in 21 years will be a glaring, and deserved, showcase for the compelling comeback of the 29-year-old Dominican, who will face Johnny Cueto in the first Dominican Duel in a win-all postseason game, and only the third playoff game in history featuring two starters from that country.
Delayed by that broken right humerus, Liriano did not make his first start until May 11, in the Pirates' 36th game. By game No. 80, he'd exceeded his six wins of last season. By game No. 90, he was tied for the team lead in wins. By the end, he had 16 of them -- six more than any of the other starters.
But none of that is what made him the obvious choice for this assignment. On a team around which the big question is how the newbies will react to postseason pressure, Liriano is built for the postseason.
He lives in his own world, oblivious to all the noise and sideshows of a high-profile sports life. Some may even call him an airhead, for the detached way he goes about it.
Getting ready for a start after the Pirates' 81st win, Liriano was asked about going for No. 82, a number magical only in Pittsburgh, because it would end 20 consecutive years of losing.
Liriano had no idea what that was about, admitting, "I didn't know about that. I'd never heard of it."
A couple of weeks later, Liriano was taken aback when the PNC Park crowd gave him a huge ovation after he'd notched the 1,000th strikeout of his career.
"I didn't know; I don't pay attention to that stuff," he admitted.
On more than one occasion, following his starts, Liriano couldn't be found by media wishing to interview him. Asked about it the next day, he would say with total sincerity and apologetically, "Oh, I forgot."
Such tunnel vision plays well when Liriano is on the mound. It's just him and the catcher's glove. His good games or the occasional bad one all come down to one thing: "Hitting my spots," which of course means the catcher's target.
Liriano has often missed his spots in four starts against the Reds, three of them losses, a big chunk of his season total of eight defeats. Likewise, the Reds have claimed four -- two by Todd Frazier -- of the nine home runs he has given up.
And none of that wil bother Liriano when he takes the mound on Tuesday night, because his comeback season has been built on magnificent resilience, whether from team plight -- it won't apply now, but he is 8-2 with an ERA of 1.25 following Pirates losses -- or his own poor efforts. Six times, Liriano has been off enough to allow four or more runs, and in the starts following those, he posted a combined ERA of 1.07.
Oh -- Liriano will be coming off his seventh such sour start, although one swing by Darnell McDonald accounted for three of the four runs he gave up to the Chicago Cubs on Wednesday.
Acquiring this bounce-back ability is one ingredient of the breakout success of a pitcher who in the past would let bad outings eat at him.
"I would lose sleep over them," Liriano admitted. "But I know you can't do anything about yesterday. So I just go back to work and get ready for the next one."
Another ingredient is a way of pitching NL teams are not accustomed to: Backwards, meaning he gets ahead of the count with breaking stuff, then comes with the fastball hammer.
Then, there's the ingredient for which there is no substitute: Lessons only adversity can teach.
"It can come with just experience and maturity," Hurdle said. "At some point, if the old way isn't working, you move on to try something different. He found some solutions and can hang tough, regardless of what the results are, and fight through."
For example, next time he wants to startle Kevin and Francis, his kids, Liriano will probably settle for going, "Boo!"


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News-Journal all-area first team defensive back/linebacker Kailik Williams said Tuesday morning he has left Seabreeze High School and will enroll at Atlantic High School.
DAYTONA BEACH — For the second time in 10 days, it appears the Seabreeze football program is losing a major college prospect.
Junior linebacker/defensive back Kailik Williams, who has an offer from Boston College, said Tuesday he has left Seabreeze. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Williams said he plans to enroll at Atlantic on Wednesday.
Williams said he wants to play at a school closer to home. "It was just too far," he said of traveling to Seabreeze. "I live in Daytona Beach, down the street from Mainland."
Williams, who had 117 tackles — 12.5 for loss — a sack and an interception, said he moved from Ormond Beach to Daytona Beach in November. He said he wanted to enroll at Mainland but could not because he is zoned for Atlantic. Williams said he also looked into applying for an academy at Mainland, but the Volusia County School District's academies are three-year programs, which makes upperclassmen ineligible, said district spokesperson Nancy Wait.
Williams said he had not spoken to anyone at Atlantic regarding his transfer, and Tuesday morning Atlantic coach Tim Smith said he had not heard anything about Williams enrolling at the school.
Seabreeze coach Marc Beach, who was headed to Austin, Texas, to help coach the Under-19 U.S. National Team in the International Bowl (Feb. 5), said he was aware of Williams' decision. Beach said he did not speak with Williams about the move, however, and declined to comment further.
Williams' announcement came just 10 days after former Seabreeze tailback Trevaughn Rodriguez, who has offers from Temple, Wake Forest, Boston College and Memphis, transferred to Mainland.
"I just have to do what I normally do (when I get to Atlantic)," Williams said. "Just work hard, get my school work and play hard on the football field."


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Hansen bought this old building in 2005 and sold it in 2007, after completion of the total conversion of the building.
Hansen Millennium™ fulfills all requirements of minimal profile thickness, design, function and performance, and therefore suited this old building perfectly.
These strengths have been used to good effect in the conversion of an old Water Treatment works built in 1943 to service the water needs of Lyme Hall. Not used since 1998, the building was bought and developed into a prestigious residential property.
The original property had no windows, so the Hansen Millennium™ window system was used to bring stylish light into the interior. This versatile product was also used for roof lighting. All HansenMillenium products was produced by HansenPolska.
Additionally other products from HansenGlass were used for interior screens, balustrades and the glass staircase.


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The state's Health Department found in an analysis it prepared early last year that the much-debated drilling technology known as hydrofracking could be conducted safely in New York, according to a copy obtained by The New York Times from an expert who did not believe it should be kept secret.
The analysis and other health assessments have been closely guarded by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomoand his administration as the governor weighs whether to approve fracking. Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, has long delayed making a decision, unnerved in part by strident opposition on his party's left. A plan to allow a limited amount of fracking in the state's Southern Tier along the Pennsylvania border is still seen as the most likely outcome, should the drilling process receive final approval.


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A very handy and functional device for people who appreciate convenience, freedom and mobility.
The INSIGNIA 1410 WIN netbook is characterized by a unique appearance. Despite its large size it is handy and thin as a coin, thickness 13 mm.
The device is equipped with a convenient keyboard and a 14.1" screen. Excellent efficiency thanks to the INTEL® ATOM™ Z3735F processor. The miniHDMI port enables the connection of a TV-set or a projector and provides even better multimedia experience. It is ultra-thin, ultra-light and perfect for any circumstances: at home, at work, at school or when travelling.
The 14.1" widescreen makes the device extremely comfortable in use. It will be an ideal solution for browsing the Internet, reading e-books and pdf files, watching movies or playing games with the very good representation of saturated colors.
The heart of the device is a quad-core processor Intel Atom, speed 1.33 GHz to 1.83 GHz with the TurboBust technology (with 2GB DDR3 of RAM memory) which ensures high efficiency for mobile devices. A strong battery, capacity 10,000 mAh will guarantee long hours of continuous work without the need of charging. These parameters will satisfy both users at home and businessmen.
The netbook is equipped with Windows 10. The most popular office suite, Microsoft Office, and the Skype communicator will guarantee the convenience of use both at work, at school and at home. Users will certainly appreciate the attractive graphic design and the return to the menu hidden under the "Start" button. The Edge browser is a novelty.
Several seconds is enough for the device to be ready for work.


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For the past week PC gamers have been enjoying the enhanced edition of Baldur's Gate, a fourteen-year-old BioWare role-playing game that many consider to be the greatest Dungeons & Dragons video game ever made. Now it's iPad owners' turn to rediscover the magic.
If you're unclear on what Baldur's Gate is, you should read Jason's excellent explainer. If you want a more traditional review, you can read the one I wrote 13 years ago, my first professional PC game review.
But if you'd rather just have a damn good time playing an old-school RPG, you go here and spend $9.99. If enough people buy it, maybe we'll get an enhanced iPad version of Planescape, the game I consider to be the best Dungeons & Dragons video game ever made.


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Feb. 17, 2013
THE FLATS – Visiting Akron brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning, but No. 21 Georgia Tech held off the Zips, 5-3, to sweep the season-opening series at Russ Chandler Stadium. Kyle Wren and Brandon Thomas each had three hits to pace the Jackets.
Wren was 3-for-5, tripled and scored, while Thomas was 3-for-4, doubled and scored for Tech (3-0), which pounded out 11 hits as a team and swept on opening weekend for the first time since 2010.
Sophomore starter Cole Pitts was efficient in six innings of work, and picked up the win by fanning seven, walking one and allowing just three hits and two runs. In three games this weekend, Tech pitchers struck out 35 batters, walked six, and of the 18 hits allowed, only three went for extra bases.
"I thought Cole was a little inconsistent with his fastball early on, but had pretty good command of his fastball and his breaking stuff," said head coach Danny Hall. "All told, he was in command most of the day, made pitches when he had to, and we'll take seven strikeouts and one walk any day of the week."
Akron (0-3) took its first lead of the series in the second inning when Joey Havrilak opened the scoring with a solo home run to right off Pitts. The sophomore righty settled in after the homer, retiring 11 of the next 12 Zips to allow the Jackets to take the lead.
Wren helped the hosts pull even in the third as he tripled to left and scored thanks to a sacrifice fly from Sam Dove. That triple for Wren was the 14th of his career, tying him with Yellow Jacket great Nomar Garciaparra for fourth on Tech's all-time list.
Freshman Matt Gonzalez, who finished his debut weekend 5-for-9 with four RBI, ripped a two-out single through the left side that gave the Jackets the lead at 2-1 in the fourth. Gonzalez drove in another run later the next inning with a sac fly, after an RBI single from Zane Evans and a run-scoring double from A.J. Murray made it 4-1.
Akron, though, hung around on getaway day, shaving the deficit to 5-2 in the sixth on Devan Ahart's sacrifice fly. Then in ninth, Grant Alvarez reached on a leadoff infield single and scored when Brady Stewart doubled with two outs. Gerrad Rohan stepped in as the tying run, but went down looking on a 3-2 pitch to end it.
Freshman lefty Jonathan King made his second appearance of the weekend, tossing a pair of scoreless, one-hit innings in relief of Pitts. Evans dodged trouble in the ninth to nail down his eighth career save.
JT Brubaker was tagged the loss for Akron, allowing eight hits and five runs in 4 1/3 innings.
Tech is back in action Tuesday versus cross-town rival Georgia State at Russ Chandler Stadium. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.


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TVdeo – 免費線上看TV網路電視機 : 台綜 黃金B段班
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Damain necesitaba un nuevo diseño de logotipo y lanzó un concurso de diseño en 99designs.
Un ganador ha sido elegido entre 216 diseños de 56 diseñadores freelance.
We are a collection of professional directors, producers, motion designers and editors with a steady client base. The timing is right for us to get together and grow into a company with a name, logo and website. We choose the name Montagehouse from the French word montage, which the French use in film credits for editing. We believe it's more positive and less destructive sounding then editing and we are also a montage of creative minds coming together under one roof. Please don't use any French references in the logo. ☺
We are currently working mostly with media, PR, and advertising agencies and creatives. We want the logo to be attractive and attention grabbing to department heads in those industries located in NYC. We would also like to expand our clientele to other industries and make programming for movies, TV and commercials so please keep that in mind as well.
You could have Montagehouse to be spelled out in one word but not necessary.
Feel free to use initials MH as a focal point.
We think the logo should be clean, clear, modern, professional with an edge.
Make us look like an established, creative NYC boutique video production house that understands design, aesthetics, trends and advertising.
We would like to have something in the logo that makes us look a little more high tech, so it reflects that we work with HD, blu ray, using top notch equipment. Maybe a metallic or glossy reflection. It's hard to know until we see it.
We are working on a tag line and would like to have that incorporated with the logo. For now, you can use – Montagehouse "Productions". If you have an idea of a great tag line you can use that.
Please keep in mind that we're not sure if we are going to have a lighter or darker background on the website so it should be easily readable on both, we might flash animate it as well.
Please don't use filmstrips, film reels, film projectors or scissors, roofs or houses unless you have a really fresh, thinking out of the box idea.
If you are using an object or shape, try to use one that hasn't been used so much but still has a strong link to the work we do and at the same time distinguishes us from "art" montage to "video or film" montage. It would be great if that could be done in an innovative way.
Other than that go wild, go with your guts and have fun with it!!!
We will probably launch a website contest after this so if you, the winner knows web design as well, you might have one up on that too.
Many thanks!!
Descubre cómo funciona un concurso de diseño u obtén más información sobre nuestros servicios de diseño de logo.


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Bethenny Frankel Poses in 4-Year-Old Daughter's Pajamasby Michelle McGahan | PopCrush
Bethenny Frankel isn't one to shy away from drama, so it may come as no surprise that her latest Instagram snap is raising some eyebrows.
The reality star and founder of Skinnygirl Cocktails, 43, recently shared a photo of herself rocking her 4-year-old daughter Bryn's Hello Kitty pajamas — and was immediately met with criticism.
"This is my daughter's nightgown and PJ shorts," she captioned the pic, which shows her wearing the Hello Kitty-themed top, shorts, and slippers. "Think we're ready to start sharing clothes yet?"
Almost immediately, people began criticizing Frankel for the pic, claiming that it promotes a negative body image, could potentially trigger eating disorders, and sets a bad example for her daughter. Others defended the photo, saying it was just a joke and not to knock the star for being naturally thin.
Regardless of which side you may take, there is no doubt that this is one seriously controversial photo.
PopCrushers, what do you think of Bethenny Frankel posing in her daughter's pajamas?
Whoops! See These Celebs' Embarrassing Wardrobe Malfunctions


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For the better part of the day, PlayStation 3 owners have been unable to take their consoles online via Sony's PlayStation Network, a seemingly unplanned network outage that the company says it's "working hard on restoring."
PlayStation Network service appears to have been interrupted early on Wednesday morning, with functionality still not restored. The company said via its official PlayStation Twitter account, "We're aware that some of you are having issues trying to log into PSN. We're working to resolve the issue, and we'll update you here."
The company's European arm has offered more frequent, but still vague, updates on the downtime. "PlayStation Network engineers are working hard on restoring the service," Sony said through its PlayStation EU blog. "However, we have no news on when it will be back online."
An alert posted to the PlayStation Community site reads, "The PlayStation Network is down temporarily. This is unscheduled maintenance and we are unsure how long it will be down. Don't worry, SONY is aware of this and the engineers are all over it."
Kotaku contacted Sony Computer Entertainment America reps for comment and clarification on the unscheduled downtime, but has not heard back yet.
PlayStation Network services was severely interrupted in mid-April, after an "external intrusion" compromised the network's security and exposed users' personal information. That extended downtime lasted until May 14, when Sony restored some of PSN's services. Hopefully, today's situation is far less severe and will be remedied soon.
Update: The people at PlayStation Europe tweeted at 12pm Pacific: "Current indications are that we'll be restoring PlayStation Network services in approx. two hours. We appreciate your patience."
Update 2: Players having issues logging into PlayStation Network should be good to go. Sony says service has been restored.
You can contact Michael McWhertor, the author of this post, at firstname.lastname@example.com. You can also find him on Twitter, Facebook, and lurking around our #tips page.


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|Index VR
|To move the panorama, wait until the entire file has downloaded (about one minute). Click on the photo and drag the mouse to the left or to the right.
The images and QuickTime VR file are produced by PlanetMountain.com and are protected by Copyright.
They may not be inserted in other internet sites or used in any other way, unless permission has been granted by PlanetMountain.com.
|Everest Base Camp, Tibet
This 360° panorama was taken in spring 2000 at Everest Base Camp in Tibet.
All expeditions spend time acclimatising on this wide open space at 5150m before moving on to Advanced Base Camp.
The walled bunker is home to Chinese officials and liason officers who monitor and co-ordinate all activities on the mountain.
Everest's impressive North Face rises above the plain at the end of the Rongbuk glacier.


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Life on Earth is astounding in its diversity. Despite centuries of discovery, however, the vast majority of the planet's biodiversity remains unknown. Only a few years ago, scientists shared the view that Earth's biodiversity was so vast that it might be beyond cataloging, much less understanding. That's no longer the case.
To characterize the lesser-known aspects of the diversity of life on Earth, the National Science Foundation has awarded 14 grants totaling $26.4 million in the third year of its Dimensions of Biodiversity program.
NSF's Directorates for Biological Sciences and Geosciences, and Office of International Science and Engineering support the program. Dimensions of Biodiversity is part of NSF's Science, Engineering and Education for Sustainability investment.
The Dimensions program has also formed a partnership with NASA, which co-funds projects that use its remote-sensing platforms. The global importance of biodiversity is reflected in further partnerships with funding agencies in China and Brazil, which support Dimensions collaborators in those countries.
"By establishing networks of interdisciplinary, globally-engaged scientists, the Dimensions of Biodiversity program will have a lasting effect on biodiversity science," says John Wingfield, NSF assistant director for Biological Sciences. "The program has the potential to transform the way we conduct biological research."
This year's awardees will study subjects as diverse as the biota of the Amazon and its environment, how nutrient input drives biodiversity in China's extremely oxygen-deprived–or eutrophic–Lake Taihu, the components of tree biodiversity, and the lineage of species in Hawaii.
"The innovative and interdisciplinary teams of the Dimensions of Biodiversity program may accomplish in 10 years what, with a piecemeal approach, would have taken 50 years–a half-century we can no longer afford to wait," says Joann Roskoski, NSF deputy assistant director for Biological Sciences.
Advances in the ability to collect, analyze and integrate biological data have provided researchers with new tools to expand knowledge of Earth's biodiversity and to revolutionize our understanding of the living world.
The pace of discovery, however, is increasingly offset by the rapid and permanent loss of diversity. Reasons for biodiversity loss include climate change, over-exploitation of natural resources, "planetary re-engineering"–such as land-use change, water diversions, coastal development, fertilizer use–and the intentional or unintentional movements of species such that they become invasive.
With biodiversity loss, humanity is losing links in the web of life that provide ecosystem services, forfeiting opportunities to understand the history and future of the living world and giving up opportunities for future beneficial discoveries in food, fiber, fuel, pharmaceuticals and bio-inspired innovation.
Biodiversity research has often focused on a single dimension. For example, investigators have concentrated on the taxonomic diversity or phylogenetic history of a clade (an ancestor and all its descendants), the genetic diversity of a population or a species, or the functional role of a taxon (a group of one or more populations of organisms) in an ecosystem.
Although this research has yielded important advances, huge gaps exist in our understanding of biodiversity. We know little about how these various dimensions, individually and in concert, contribute to environmental health, ecosystem stability, productivity and resilience, and biological adaptation to rapid environmental change.
Dimensions of Biodiversity takes a broad view of biodiversity that ranges from genes through species to ecosystems. Its long-term goal is to develop an integrated understanding of the key dimensions of biodiversity in our ever-changing world.
By 2020, NSF's Dimensions of Biodiversity program is expected to have transformed our understanding of the scope and role of life on Earth.
NSF's Dimensions of Biodiversity 2012 awardees, their institutions, and projects are:
Tia-Lynn Ashman, University of Pittsburgh: Dimensions US-China: Collaborative Research: An integrated understanding of how polyploidy generates biodiversity
Brent Christner, Louisiana State University. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Research on Airborne Ice Nucleating Species (RAINS)
Astrid Ferrer Correa, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.Dimensions: Community assembly and decomposer function of aquatic fungi along a salinity gradient
Joel Cracraft, American Museum of Natural History. Dimensions US-BIOTA-Sao Paulo: Assembly and evolution of the Amazonian biota and its environment: an integrated approach
Michael Dawson, University of California Merced. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Do Parallel Patterns Arise from Parallel Processes?
Angela Douglas, Cornell University. Dimensions: Animal-microbial interactions as an engine of phyletic and functional diversity: insights from interactions between drosophilids and their resident microbiota
Rosemary Gillespie, University of California Berkeley.Dimensions: Collaborative Research: A community level approach to understanding speciation in Hawaiian lineages
Bruce Hungate, Northern Arizona University. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: The taxonomic, genomic, and functional diversity of soil carbon dynamics
Anthony Ives, University of Wisconsin Madison. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: The role of taxonomic, functional, genetic, and landscape diversity in food web responses to a changing environment
Konstantinos Konstantinidis, Georgia Tech University.Dimensions: The role of biodiversity for microbial adaptation to anthropogenic perturbations
Thomas Martin, University of Montana. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Historical and contemporary influences on elevational distributions and biodiversity tested in tropical Asia
Hans Paerl, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Anthropogenic nutrient input drives genetic, functional and taxonomic biodiversity in hypereutrophic Lake Taihu, China
Nathan Swenson, Michigan State University. Dimensions US-China: Disentangling the Components of Tree Biodiversity: Integrating Phylogenies, Functional Traits and Transcriptomes
Jonathan Zehr, University of California Santa Cruz. Dimensions: Collaborative Research: Oligotrophic phytoplankton community response to changes in N substrates and the resulting impact on genetic, taxonomic and functional diversity


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Portland, Oregon: Gladstone Street Pizza
Gladstone Street Pizza
3813 SE Gladstone Street, Portland OR 97202 (map); 503-775-1537; gladstonepizza.com
Oven Type: Bakers Pride
Price: $11-plus for 12-inch, $17-plus for 16-inch
I was surprised to see the oft-buzzed-about Gladstone Street Pizza left off of Portland Monthly's March 2011 Portland pizza round-up. What once was a coffee shop dabbling in pizza has recently become a full-time pizzeria, and the sharpened focus has allowed the pizza quality to improve, steadily approaching Portland's top tier.
Gladstone Street Pizza's Margherita ($19) is both a delicate and savory affair. The crust is airy and thin, with a balanced ratio of crisp to chew. Pleasant development allowed for a structurally sound yet light end crust.
The uncooked sauce delivers a bold level of acidity accented by fresh garlic, oregano, and a touch of salt. Canned California tomatoes are exclusively used at Gladstone Pizza, complete with a mild disdain for the hype surrounding San Marzanos. Mozzarella plays second-fiddle to the sharp pecorino romano used to finish the pie. Fresh basil chiffonade is added just prior to presentation, layering the pizza with an additional dimension of garden brightness.
The 1/2 sweet onion and 1/2 sausage and pepper pie ($25) was a bit cheesier than the Margherita and offered a heartier, less dainty experience. The distinct aroma of baked thinly sliced sweet onion dominated the entire pie, and its deep, rich flavor stood at the forefront of the slices on that half.
The sausage half was another beast entirely. The locally-produced pork product from Otto's was in loosely ground form versus the more common rabbit pellets or frisbee discs. This made the slices remarkably light, but unfortunately downplayed any spice or fat flavors present in the meat. The pickled peppers from Mama Lil's really dominated here, making the pie more about acidic tang than the desired porcine richness. After taking a step back and reevaluating, letting my expectations dictate perception of quality wasn't quite fair; this was still a great pie, just with a pickled twist.
The pizzamaking process at the Gladstone is a scientific wonder, with several timers going off to signal the next step of the intricate process. Care was evident every step along the way, from the hand toss to a post-service tableside survey from the chef, John Mitchell. While we waited for our pizza, the staff offered up samples of in-house pickling projects.
Despite the bare-bones feel of Gladstone Street Pizza, it's a spot that will satisfy the pizza nerd soul. Thinking back on the meal, I realize how inconsequential 'best of' lists can be.
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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These Pirates are far more apt to say "Ahem" than "Yargh!"
Tag Archives: David Tennant
Fright Night
When I first heard that "Fright Night" was getting remade, I thought to myself "Now there's the type of movie they should remake." I mean, I remember the name – GREAT title, right – but the movie not so much. So it had that "Pre-existing market awareness" that Hollywood is seeking so freaking desperately these days, yet it's not messing with any cherished memories. I'm sure the movie has some folks who cling to it more than I did, but no one could really argue it was any kind of classic or anything. So yeah, there you go Hollywood, that's a good one. Go to town.
The problem is that this movie pretty much perfectly exemplifies why Hollywood should stop remaking movies.


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For information about calling C libraries from Common Lisp code, see FFI.
To compile C code to Common Lisp, look at Vacietis.
All pages in the C topic:
- c-amplify - c-amplify is an s-exp syntax for writing C code
- CLiCC - CLiCC is a Common Lisp to C Compiler, last released 1995
- cparse - cparse is a C header file parser for building FFIs
- Gelisp - Gelisp is an opensource, efficient, high-level API wrapping the Generic Constraints Development Environment (GECODE) for Common Lisp
- SC Language - Tasuku Hiraishi's SC is an s-exp syntax (Scheme-like) for writing C code, implemented in Common Lisp
- ThinLisp - ThinLisp is a Common Lisp implementation that translates a subset of Common Lisp to very efficient C code
- Vacietis - Vacietis is a C compiler for Common Lisp systems
- Zeta-C - The ZetaLisp C compiler, now in public domain


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A law firm announced a nationwide class-action lawsuit claiming that Apple colluded with five of the nation's top publisher to illegally fix prices on electronic books.
Hagens Berman, a consumer rights class-action law firm, announced it filed the complaint in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California which alleges that Apple, HarperCollins, Hatchette, Penguin, Simon & Schuster and MacMillan teamed up to force Amazon to raise its $9.99 e-book pricing to a more expensive "agency model," according to the release. Apple's interest was in keeping profit margins high and neutralizing Amazon's Kindle, attorney Steve Berman added.
"Fortunately for the publishers, they had a co-conspirator as terrified as they were over Amazon's popularity and pricing structure, and that was Apple," Berman, a founding partner of Hagen Berman said.
U.S. & World
News from around the country and around the globe
The complaint alleges that if Amazon didn't sell at approved prices -- around $12.99 to $14.99 -- the major publishers would deny Amazon access to the title. This led to some e-books selling at higher prices than paperbacks. Berman pointed out that The Kite Runner costs $12.99 as an e-book and only $8.82 as a paperback.
The lawsuit seeks damages for e-book purchases, an injunction against pricing e-books with the agency model and forfeiture of profits received by the defendants -- which could total tens of millions of dollars.
Both Publishers Weekly and the Seattle Times received no comment from either the five publishers or Apple. An Apple spokeswoman said the company would not comment on pending litigation.
We all know that Apple loves profits (especially 30 percent on anything sold in iTunes) but the question is if it's willing to get into bed with other companies to ensure those profits? Publishers would raise e-book prices to make e-retailers less attractive than brick-and-mortar bookstores -- a losing battle, but nonetheless an understandable one. But Apple's interest would be almost entirely profit-driven -- strangling Amazon's Kindle and keeping profit margins high. Strange, because at $9.99, e-books would likely be sold faster and accumulate profits just as, if not more, quickly.
So, if the allegations about Apple are true, it was all about killing the Kindle?


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Forumwarz is the first "Massively Single-Player" online RPG completely built around Internet culture.
You are currently looking at Flamebate, our community forums. Players can discuss the game here, strategize, and role play as their characters.
You need to be logged in to post and to see the uncensored versions of these forums.
Viewing a Post
He sent me a lolduck. :[
|Posted On: 10/21/2008 9:27AM
|View Veer's Profile | #


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Browse Topics Partnership
- Details
- Last Updated: September 04 2014
- Published: September 03 2014
The Browse Topics Web site (formerly http://browsetopics.gov) has been discontinued concluding a successful 12 year partnership between the U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO) and Oklahoma State University (OSU). Browse Topics was an indispensable search aid for Federal Government information. However, as technology progresses and an increasing number of resources became available online, OSU and GPO mutually came to the decision that the resource guide has served its purpose. Also, absent significant change, Browse Topics cannot compete with newer electronic indexing and LibGuides created by depository librarians.
GPO thanks OSU for their strong partnership and Federal depository librarians across the country who contributed to Browse Topics. GPO also extends special thanks to OSU's Suzanne Reinman and Barbara Miller, who served as Browse Topics' editors.