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|2009-04-01, 07:42
|Link #1
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Hell
Age: 33
Muslims in anime?
As I began to watch Gundam 00, I was warned that that show may have misconcepted Islam, as much as any Western shows. Now I watched it and so far I never see such thing. Yeah I know Marina Ismail is the first anime character that was confirmed as a Muslim, even she doesn't look like much, I mean she did wear very sexy oufits in Muslim standard. I also found some hentai Gundam 00 doujins and I don't like what I saw, She(Marina) was no exception to get such "treatment".
Don't get me wrong, I'm not a Muslim but I lived in a Muslim community. I afraid someday the Japanese government will declare that no Muslim characters in hentai doujins for not to piss the Muslims off, especially those that lived in Japan.
|2009-04-01, 07:53
|Link #2
Senior Member
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Suburban DC
For the most part, take any representation of non-japanese characters in anime with a grain of salt, no make that a handful of salt cause they generally make no friggin sense.
Hell techincally their representation of japanese characters make little sense when you think about it, blue hair and orange eyes heh.
|2009-04-01, 11:49
|Link #3
Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
The cultural and religious characteristics of many elements in anime are always way off from reality, not just Muslim.
I don't say that it's right, or wrong, but if it happens to others, why not Muslim? In the end, if we make an exception to just Muslim, it's just radical. Though it's true that for a religion with lots of extremist like Islam, things tend to be worse.
|2009-04-01, 13:00
|Link #4
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
No religion or belief system has any special card to avoid being erroneously characterized or presented cluelessly in an anime.
The Japanese simply love to take elements from other cultures and splash them about in their entertainment. That's how we get sexy nuns, Santa on a crucifix, that opening credits moment in Kemeko DX, incredibly wierd re-interpretations of Shinto or Buddhist elements, etc.
I don't see any reason any religion (or non-religion) should be exempt. The civil response is "Zoinks, that was silly...".
|2009-04-01, 13:56
|Link #5
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: PMB Headquarters
I don't think it is a good idea to depict Muslims in doujinshi, even though some Muslims might not mind but most people would not be happy about it. Thus, even without the Japanese government legally banning it, I am sure that the artists of the Doujin Circle won't bother doing something that ends up causing tension in regards to bilateral ties of friendly nations.
If you watch Gundam 00, you would realize that it takes the perspective of the Middle East. Princess Marina Ismail is the anti-war heroine who seeks peace and prosperity for her people, while that the protagonist Setsuna F. Seiei of the Celestial Beings protect her. Thus, it shouldn't have any misconcepted theories in regards to the religion of Islam in any way. Or the least to say, up to the last episode I watched, none of that were present or even slightly mentioned. Perhaps, you can even say that Gundam 00 boosts the morale of the Middle East!
|2009-04-01, 16:55
|Link #7
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2007
I can't think of the last time I've seen a Japanese girl with blonde hair and blue eyes but that's not the point of anime and Islam is a religion not a race.
I think it would be interesting and a huge step forward if some anime series did depict non-Japanese(and Japanese) more a believable light
|2009-04-01, 17:02
|Link #8
Aria Company
Join Date: Nov 2003
|2009-04-01, 17:43
|Link #9
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Vereinigte Staaten
Age: 26
Once that part of the world stabilizes we'll see less of a problem in that regard.
|2009-04-01, 17:56
|Link #11
The Comet has Come
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Republic of California
Age: 41
The older Transformers had various versions of Middle Eastern and probably North African nations (fictional or otherwise) during the mid-1980s. Most were stereotype usage from an American point of view at the time, though not all accounts were bad aside from when they decided to make a at the time Libya parody nation.
|2009-04-01, 17:57
|Link #12
Senior Member
IT Support
i'd say that the people who would be most offended by the doujinshi would be those among us who regularly and faithfully practice Islam... also if the character in question were to be clearly depicted as a Muslim in the doujinshi than that would probably offend many other Muslims too
|2009-04-01, 18:01
|Link #13
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: forever lost inside a logic error
I know what you mean Tubz but you need face the fact that no christian buddhist induist (insert whatever religion here) authority (and i mean a religious authority in the case of muslims it could be an ayatollah) has ever claimed (in the last century at least) that someone from another country should be put to death for being disrespectful to their belief.
Sadly it cannot be said the same for certain muslims. I know that they are not really representative of the whole muslim population, but being the target of death threat from someone who has many followers is a scary thing.
|2009-04-01, 18:01
|Link #14
Le fou, c'est moi
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Las Vegas, NV, USA
Age: 29
You know when people treat you respectfully and politely and very carefully and they're all extremely nice and stuff...and you fucking hate their guts?
And you want to punch them, kick them, hurt them, do something to relieve you of your frustrations that they're treating you like a walking timebomb you never were?
Now put on that turban thing and enjoy.
Ba-da ching.
|2009-04-01, 19:04
|Link #15
Obey the Darkly Cute ...
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: On the whole, I'd rather be in Kyoto ...
Age: 61
There is no inherent right not to be "offended" by someone else's opinion and depiction on any topic. There *is* a right not be threatened or harmed for stating one's views.
Don't like something? Make fun of it or roll your eyes. Explain why it is incorrect. Committing violence because someone "disrespected you" is an infantile response guaranteed to get you less respect.
There are wingnuts in almost every religion who go batshit over "disrespect" ... its up to the rest of a religion's adherents to make it clear such wingnuts do not speak for them.
|2009-04-01, 19:09
|Link #16
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: In the Mix
Age: 36
Getting a bit off topic...
To be honest I do get why some Muslims hold grudge against the west. Doesn't really take a rocket scientist when you open a history book to see where it's coming from. You could start with the crusades and if you can't be bothered to go through all of the rest, just skip to the middle eastern history post WW2.
I'd be pissed.
I don't especially favor any governmental action to give Muslims some special treatment. Can't see how being singled out would serve any real purpose. The most vocal factions represent a very small portion of all Muslim population. Doesn't really take all that much effort to find similar fundamentalism among Christians really. Especially nowadays since 9/11 gave them a "moral right" to hate all Muslims enough to want to kill them. Bush didn't really make things any easier while he was in charge.
What needs to be remembered is that no military entity can survive without an enemy. West especially USA has been it for Muslim extremists and now Muslim world is unfortunately very close to being it to USA and the rest of the western countries. And frankly all of us in the west have been quite easy to hate for quite some while.
Once the bridges between moderate majorities in both sides have been rebuilt the extremists (on both sides) will eventually lose their followers and maybe even disappear.
|2009-04-01, 19:10
|Link #17
The King of the Insane
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Right next door to you..
|2009-04-01, 19:15
|Link #19
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Hekiyou Gakuen Student Council
Age: 29
Its a sin and taboo that Muslim never cross it *even some Muslim today ignore religion teaching...*
Anyway Islam is a religion that have most taboo... Jews is second...
I didnt want to see in anime/manga/doujinshi jews and muslim eat pork or doing something extreme that make muslim and jews community mad...
I relief anime culture in my country still underground and not known widely...
Mostly my country populated by Muslim, Muslim community cant tolerate even just naked picture... *yeah that why no such gravure magaine in my country*
Oh well anyway for me it better you all respect all people religion and thought...
Mostly people on war because their didint understand each other... *he he like Naruto lol*
Anyway i am Muslim ^^
|2009-04-01, 19:16
|Link #20
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Seattle
Age: 38
|Thread Tools


text:
La Clusaz Ski Resort Guide
Slope Stats
- Acres of ski:988
- Pistes:84
- Snowmaking:Yes
- Halfpipes:0
- Terrain Parks:5
- X-Country:70 km
- beginner58%
- intermediate34%
- advanced8%
La Clusaz is a very French resort (part of the Les Aravis ski area) removed from the hustle and bustle of other resorts in the Alps. Five mountain slopes at La Clusaz offer 125 km of piste that descend from open glades into tree lined pistes. Beginners will revel in the variety, with 58% of the pistes at La Clusaz dedicated to them. More advanced skiers would be recommended to explore the off-piste opportunities along the many Cols of the Aravis range. Off the slopes, La Clusaz offers rustic charm in an unspoiled French mountain town. A good selection of restaurants cater for the weekend skiers, from nearby Annecy, and prices reflect this. Many bars and two clubs provide the nightlife.
- Nearest Airport:Geneva
- Nearest Train Station:Annecy
- Tourist Office Phone:+33450326500
- Tourist Office Website:www.laclusaz.com
- Slopeside accommodation:yes
- 60
- 14
Announcements & News from the La Clusaz ski resort manager
Join our ski resort manager programme
This winter, the resort has developed several WiFi spots to enjoy easy access to the wireless and high-speed Internet, in the village but also by the slopes : from the icerink to the Bossonnet area, via the Church Square or the Aqua Centre. The departure and arrival areas of Balme gondola lift will also be covered.
24-31 December 2015: Santa's Festival (Les Pestacles du Père Noël)
Les Pestacles du Père Noël is a 7 day celebration of the magic of Christmas.
Magicians, puppeteers, story-tellers, jugglers, singers, musicians, artists and dancers all come together in the centre of the village for what has become a star attraction in La Clusaz. Young and old come year after year to revel in the timeless magic of the festive season.
Free of charge
18-24 January 2016: LA CLUSAZ RADIKAL MOUNTAIN
For more than 30 years, La Clusaz has been the mecca of freestyle and freeride ski. The resort thus decided to organize an exceptional event this winter: LCZ Radikal Mountain. During 7 days, it will be the epicenter of international freeride skiing with several competitions programmed both for juniors and the elite of the Freeride World Qualifiers.
More info here: www.laclusaz-radikal.com
1-3 February 2016: LES SOMMETS DU DIGITAL
La Clusaz will host the best experts of digital technologies, innovation and e-commerce! Les Sommets du Digital, organized by Kawa Editions, is 30 speakers and 250 participants who will live a new experience about our connected world and about the best of what is done today and will be done tomorrow. A new concept mixing interactive conferences masterclass, one to one, activities and networking entertainments.
9 February 2016: CARNIVAL
The mythical Carnival of La Clusaz will make you experience a Rio-like atmosphere, with the participation of all the resort's corporations. Music, magic and crazy evening included! – Free of charge
20 February 2016: FULL MOON PARTY
The famous Full Moon Party is returning to La Clusaz again for the 13th time!
Night becomes day for a memorable evenings' skiing to the light of the silvery moon! Various slopes are open for the occasion where you can enjoy an exceptional and festive skiing experience under the stars and party in the numerous mountain restaurants and bars of the resort.
** The event is dependent on weather conditions
20 and 21 February 2016: THE 6 RESORTS
The TOURNOI DES 6 STATIONS (The 6 Resorts) takes place during the week off of The 6 Nations.
It is the first rugby sevens tournament to be played on groomed snow: 3 sixteen-minute matches organised everyday after the slopes close, around 6PM on the snowfront of each resort. La Clusaz will organise the final on Feb, 21st. In the wings of the tournament, the teams have challenges to take up on skis every afternoon: slaloms where poles are replaced with an oval ball that challengers must touch down once the finish line crossed.
During the day, holiday-makers may experience introductions to snow-rugby and meet the professional rugbymen participating in the event.
14-19 March 2016: SFR FREESTYLE TOUR 2016
The SFR TOUR is a freestyle skiing competition in several stages. This year La Clusaz will be home of the finals again, so the best riders will do the show!
Program and info here : http://en.laclusaz.com/winter/sfr-freestyle-tour-2016.html#media
30 March-3 April 2016: RADIO MEUH CIRCUS FESTIVAL
Good MOO-SIC! Driven by the success of the first three events, the Radiomeuh.com team in association with the La Clusaz resort are returning with their Circus Festival to start the spring skiing period in music in the Alps.
Are you ready for more?
The playground has been extended since last year to include not only 3 nights of concerts under the circus tent, but stages and DJ sets are organised on the slopes throughout the week, continuing with après-ski and soirées in the village, for a total of 5 days.
Radio Meuh's notoriety has spread far past the borders of "Reblochonland" since its creation in 2007. Now with 5 million annual listeners, the radio can now claim to be a landmark among webradios. The radio plays an eclectic mix of different musical genres and is constantly on the look-out for new and creative musical talent.
24 April 2016: DEFI FOLY
For the last 26 years the crazy "Défi Foly" sees sportsmen and women competing on skis, mono skis, snow boards, or anything that slides(!). Nothing different about that, you may think, but the event does not take place on snow. The aim is to slide the longest distance over the Confins Lake! Since 1986, 150 slightly crazy competitors compete each year in front of 1000s of spectators who come to watch this spectacular and exhilarating show.
The star attraction of this day of fun and frolics has to be the OGNI event, otherwise known as Unidentified Floating Objects (UFOs!), floating inventions right out of the imagination of those crazy enough to participate. These elaborate inventions provide a hilarious end to the event, as the spectators witness their sometimes catastrophic descent into the icy waters of the Confins Lake in the exceptional surroundings of the Confins, overlooked by the magnificent combes of the Aravis.
Latest Snow Reportview full snow report
- Issued:10 Dec
- Last Snowfall:10 December 2018
- Snow Depth (upper):–
- Snow Depth (lower):–
- Piste:-
- Off-piste:-
Today's Weather (1742 m)view full snow forecast
1150 m
1150 m
900 m
Resorts close to La Clusaz include:
- Le Grand Bornand 4km
- Manigod 6km
- La Giettaz 7km
- Flumet 11km
- Cordon 14km
La Clusaz Location Maps
(Also see our detailed Weather Map around La Clusaz, which will give you visual overview of current and future snow conditions)
Visitor Reviews of La Clusaz
Simon from Loughborough from United Kingdom writes:
I visited La Clusaz for the 1st time last week with 10 mates. The group was varied with people on their 1st ski trip to off-piste experts. All of us had a tremendous time both on the slopes and around the town. There was lots of snow, the people are friendly, and there are plenty of bars and restaurants. Plus, compared to other resorts in the Alps, the overall cost is relatively inexpensive. There are 130 kms of runs and a large variety of slope for all abilities. It's also really pretty, both in the mountains and around the town. Definitely worth a visit!
City Forecasts
Closest to La Clusaz
Surf Breaks
Closest to La Clusaz
- Acque-Calde (Savona), Italy241km
- Varazze, Italy241km
- Cogoleto, Italy243km
- Finale Ligure, Italy245km
- Voltri, Italy245km

subset: commoncrawl


text:
POTSDAM — Out of the mouths of babes often come gems. Clarkson University entrepreneurs start out early — very early.
As part of Professor Marc S. Compeau's Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation, Clarkson freshmen have to devise and pitch business ideas. If those ideas are good enough, their development continues.
This year, the Clarkson Business School provided $2,000 microloans to nine budding student businesses.
"We have an account that has been built up by generous donors," Mr. Compeau said. "We then invite to campus in November alumni that have some investment background. Some of them are bankers, managers; they sit on a panel and each company has 20 minutes to pitch their concepts. These investors grill them."
Mr. Compeau said the school typically supports five to 10 student proposals.
The first step in brainstorming a business is identifying a problem people have, Mr. Compeau said. The business's concept then would address that need.
Students then study their idea to make sure it is unique and feasible.
Campus Cuts, which opened Feb. 1, provides on-campus hair styling for Clarkson students.
Many college students arrive on campus with little or no access to transportation and scant knowledge of local businesses, said Potsdam native Mallory S. Fisher, general manager.
"One of the guys in our group had a problem because he didn't know where to go to get his haircuts," she said. "Basically, we did some surveys and 86 percent of the campus said they would take advantage of the opportunity to get their hair done on campus."
The next step was to make a physical space for the salon and to find some business partners in the community.
"Since November, we have been working to lay down flooring, bring in plumbing, getting up our whole structure," Ms. Fisher said. "Within that time we also talked to some local stylists and we were kind of giving them a business model and pitching our ideas."
The salon is staffed by Potsdam-area stylists during their off hours, Ms. Fisher said.
"It is kind of cool, because we're having a new partnership with the local business community. We're working with local entrepreneurs in Potsdam," she said.
Ms. Fisher said after a trial period on the Clarkson campus, the group could grow its business, starting with nearby campuses in Canton and Potsdam.
"It is going great. We've been booked every night so far," she said. "Just a year out from being seniors in high school, we had no idea we'd be going this far. Seeing how a business is started and having hands-on experience with it, you learn all the steps."
Another student group is developing a spray-on product, christened Shaft Takk, to allow hockey players to better customize their grip.
Hockey players often use tape to help them hold onto the stick, but still have difficulty molding the tape into a comfortable grip, Paul G. Geiger said.
The students enlisted the help of chemical and biological engineering professor Don H. Rasmussen to find a product that would meet their needs.
"He kind of set us on the path of what kind of substance we might want," Mr. Geiger said. "We started researching that and found a product that we liked. If we want to alter it, he and one of his graduate students are going to help us construct a new product if need be."
The students now are contacting the manufacturer of a spray-on fabric adhesive that meets their needs to see if the product could be relabeled and marketed for athletes.
Mr. Compeau said the students' product, though a performance enhancement, was permissible by hockey league rules.
"I really forced these students to do some due diligence to understand that," he said. "I did some myself to make sure it was allowed in the sport."
Shaft Takk's inventors are all hockey players, Mr. Compeau said.
"This is the first time we've had an all-athlete group that has done this," he said.
Shaft Takk also could be used for tennis rackets, baseball bats, golf clubs and other athletic equipment.
Other groups also received loans: Delphi Kultur, a clothing line for the California lifestyle; Students Against Breast Cancer, a nonprofit organization trying to create scholarships for students affected by breast cancer; Generation 94, a mobile clothing resale outfit; Know B4U Go, a mobile application allowing students to view cameras of campus dining centers on their mobile devices to check on crowds before deciding where to eat; "Feroz'en Yogurt," a frozen yogurt business proposal, and Campus Market Exchange, a website allowing students to post products for sale.
The nascent businesses will be incubated on Clarkson's campus, perhaps bound for fortune. Previously, the course spawned Innovative Delivery Systems, a startup that allows spectators at arena or stadium events to order concessions using a cellphone or other mobile device. Now, the student group is marketing its mobile application to facilities nationwide.
– Christopher Robbins, Watertown Daily Times staff writer


text:
High Desert Collection (PCGS Set Registry)
David Hall: The 1859 is the first year of issue for the very important Indian Head cent series. Because a shield was added to the reverse in1860, the 1859 is also a one-year-only type coin. I have always felt this issue doesn't get the respect it deserves. Gems are definitely rare. In 1973, I had a customer tell me to buy him every Gem Flying Eagle cent and 1859 Indian cent I could find. In a year, I was able to find 35 Gem Flying Eagles, but only 8 Gem 1859 Indian cents.
Most 1859 Indians are relatively well struck. Luster and color are typical for the 1859-1864 Copper-nickel composition Indian Head cents. There are many examples with subdued luster you could call mediocre. I have seen very few examples with what we would all call "blazing" luster, certainly less than I have seen of some of the other Copper-nickel dates.
Jaime Hernandez: This is a one year Type and also the first regular issue Indian Head and Wreath design. The fact that this was a first year design and it having a large mintage, many examples were saved and examples of this issue in circulated grades are easily obtainable.
© 1999-2018 Collectors Universe NASDAQ: CLCT


text: HENNING, Minn. (AP) — According to the book, the Earth is about 6,000 years old, evolution is wrong and Noah's flood accounts for all of the world's fossils. The book is the Bible. The interpretation is from Brian Young, who considers himself a creation scientist and opposes major mainstream theories about evolution and the formation of the universe. "We often hear creationism versus evolution. In a sense, it's creationism versus evolutionism. Both are faith issues," Young said. Young, founder of Creation Instruction Association, has ties to the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and its Lutheran Island Camp here in Otter Tail County. The camp has served as a summer destination for young people since the early 1950s, after the 67-acre island in East Battle Lake was purchased by the church for about $15,000. The camp's mission expanded in the 1980s to include an education and retreat center with programs open to all, as long as they respect the camp's commitment to prayer and holding devotions, said Ken Erlandson, the camp's executive director. He said through print advertising and the camp's Web site, the nonprofit has caught the attention of people from as far away as Indiana and Oklahoma. Offering more than 200 programs, including horseback riding and a tree house village, the camp hosts about 4,000 visitors a year who head to the island for activities ranging from family reunions to quilting bees, like the one held at the island this past weekend. Now, the camp wants to become something more: the first creation-science environmental learning center in the state. "There are 64 environmental learning centers that are run by the state of Minnesota or the federal government. You couldn't teach creation science at any one of those," said Bill Schultz, who heads planning and resource development at Lutheran Island Camp. The camp has hosted workshops to train youths, families and pastors regarding the church's views on life and earth sciences. There are plans, however, to purchase nearby property for a center that would be dedicated to examining science through a Biblical lens. Organizers believe it would be the first in Minnesota and possibly the country. The aim, Schultz said, is to provide families and young people with information they can use to respectfully question differing points of view they may encounter, like at school. "What we're finding is, many kids are subject to ridicule, lower grades, being laughed at, just because they lay forth different arguments and different interpretations of the same information," Schultz said. The Rev. George Sagissor, who is working to help create the learning center, said he ran into similar reactions when he attended the University of Minnesota-Morris in the 1960s. He recalled one lecture when he said he politely raised his hand to ask a question from a creation standpoint and was asked to leave the class. "We don't get a chance to let our point of view be heard because we're put down and we're asked to shut up," Sagissor said. Adam Lewis, an assistant professor in North Dakota State University's Department of Geoscience, said it is difficult to fit mainstream science and creationism at the same table because they belong at different tables in different rooms. "Religion and science operate in totally separate realms," Lewis said. "We're not speaking the same language." "If you're going to talk science," he added, "you have to talk 100 percent what can be tested, what can be observed and what can be proven or disproven. If you can't do those things, you cannot have a scientific discussion." The age of the Earth is accepted by many scientists to be at least 4.5 billion years old. Lewis said his area of study focuses on relatively recent time periods, thousands to millions of years ago, adding there are several ways to determine the age of geologic features. Counting the layers of sediment deposited at the bottom of Swedish lakes shows them to be at least 22,000 years old, he said. Ice layers created by the annual freeze/thaw cycle in Greenland paint an even older picture. "This is not rocket science," Lewis said. "You can count 14,400 (ice layers) by your eye. You can count a further 170,000 by a machine that detects electrical conductivity in the ice. There, you're looking at dust layers." Given the chasm that separates them, can creationism and traditional science coexist? Young said, for his part, the answer is yes. "I think the difference is the other side is not willing," Young said, adding that many opponents of creationism "spend all their time ridiculing and mocking and making kids feel insignificant and stupid, without letting them even present the other side of the information." Lewis said he has no wish to attack the strongly held beliefs of others. "Scientists are not their enemies," he said. "We don't look at them like they're nuts, and we don't look at them like they are treading on our turf. It's just that we have a job to do and we have rules to follow, just like any profession does." Young said those who look to the Bible for answers to scientific questions don't dispute the reality of things like dinosaurs — he cited references to dragons in the Book of Job — but he said they do question the conventional time frames for when things happened. He said the flood described in Genesis explains the layers in the earth's crust and the fossils found in them. "That's science, and for us to deny that would be certainly closing our eyes," Young said, adding that people who assert that fossils came into being as is when the earth was created are not creation scientists. "Those would be more among the average church person who is trying to find an explanation for what they see in the world around them and they don't understand how it fits biblically," he said. Schultz said from the church perspective, questions about the age of the earth or whether evolution is valid, are more than academic. "When we have children who are, from the age of infancy on, inundated with a message that is contrary to what the church teaches and what the Bible teaches, we have a lot of parents and a lot of children who begin to question their faith, their salvation. "This really, from our perspective as a ministry, has more to do with salvation and redemption and the fact that we are sinners, than it has to do with trying to prove some kind of a scientific argument," Schultz said. ___ Information from: The Forum, http://www.in-forum.com Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.


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In my random web searches, I have found some pretty cool ways to creatively recycle lots of things. The standard household bread bag clip is one of the many! If you're into "upcycling" like me, you might already know a couple of these. 1) Tape end … [Read more...]
Home | ear bud


text:
A BlankTV Premiere Presentation:
The Fantastic Plastics - "It's All Plastic"
Artist Bio:
Brooklyn based New Wave revivalists The Fantastic Plastics can simply be described as "Candy Coated Cyanide." They blend pop sensibility with cutting lyrical content and wrap it all up with thick analog synths and gritty guitars. Originally based in central Illinois, The Fantastic Plastics relocated to NYC in late 2012 and began refining their look and sound. As a mainstay on the local indie scene the two piece consisting of Miranda Plastic on Moog, Theremin and vocals and Tyson Plastic on guitar and vocals continue to be a can't miss show with their amazing video installations, stage uniforms, and sing along anthems that serve as a harbinger for a future overrun by technology.
About The Video: Featuring stop-motion animated dolls, lots of wacky costumes, choreographed dance moves and inspired by the often strange world of YouTube celebrities: Mini scientist versions of The Fantastic Plastics create a weird world in which it is difficult to tell what is real and what is plastic.
>> Get music by The Fantastic Plastics from iTunes, Amazon, their site, and Altercation Records NOW! <<
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the latest news from john wayne airport june 2014
Follow Us:
Up next in the ORANGE COUNTY: Destination Art & Culture exhibition program, John Wayne Airport (JWA) presents 125 Years of Orange County Arts & Culture, an exhibit celebrating the widely varied history of the arts and culture that helped frame today's Orange County. The exhibit will run from August 8, 2014, through February 25, 2015, and will be presented in wall-mounted display cases located along the pedestrian bridge connecting Terminal B and Terminal C.
Elements of the exhibition include: glimpses of early OC, the history of wealth from the land, how the coastal playground contributed to the arts, aspects of OC's military history and culture and innovation of the theme park.
The exhibition's guest-curator is Bonnie Hall. Ms. Hall has a deep knowledge of and connection to the art and culture of Orange County. She previously served as Executive Director of Arts/OC, the umbrella arts organization for Orange County and now serves as the Vice President of Development for the Philharmonic Society of Orange County.
This exhibition space is a perfect place to celebrate 125 years of Orange County Arts & Culture and to highlight many of our community's local arts and culture venues. These cases are visible to anyone traveling through JWA – ticketed passengers and visitors alike. Enjoy!
>>> Read next story...
John Wayne Airport - Eddie Martin Administration Building, 3160 Airway Avenue, Costa Mesa, CA 92626
949.252.5171 www.ocair.com


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2110 Speedway Stop B6000
Austin, TX 78712 U.S.A.
The Center for Global Business office is located in the McCombs School of Business on the third floor of the College of Business Administration, room # CBA 3.244. CBA is located at the northeast corner of 21st and Speedway.
Enter the building on the 21st St. side. As you enter the row of glass doors, you will see an escalator. Take it up to the 3rd floor. Go around the right side of the AIM stock exchange center and take a left at the hallway lined with lockers. Go down the hall and through the glass stairwell door. Room 3.244 is down the first hallway to the right.
Page last updated: 1/18/2017
By phone: (512) 471-5921
2110 Speedway
Austin, TX 78705
Rowling Hall
300 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd
Austin, TX 78712
McCombs School of Business,
The University of Texas at Austin |
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Hop-On Hop-Off Canal Bus + Rijksmuseum
Cijena od € 44.30
Buy your tickets to Hop-On Hop-Off Canal Boat and go sightseeing by boat with hop on hop off service in Amsterdam's canals and see all the amazing sights. Book tickets to Hop-On Hop-Off Canal Boat here!
This Hop-On Hop-off canal cruise takes you through all the famous canals and pass some of the famous museums of Amsterdam, like the Rijksmuseum and Anne Frank's House. It also makes stops at the Rembrandt Square. Jump on and off the Canal Boat from one of these 9 stops as much as you like! The Amsterdam Canal Boat means sightseeing in comfort & style!
Your Canal Boat ticket is valid on all 4 lines for 24 hours or 48 hours.
In addition to your 24 hour or 48 hour Hop-On Hop-Off Canal Boat ticket you also get an entry ticket to the Rijksmuseum with skip the line.
How do I get my tickets?
Shortly after your booking is complete your e-ticket will be send directly to your email, just print it out and bring it on your tour. You exchange your e-tickets for your original tickets first time you board a Hop-on Hop-off Canal Boat at one of the following boat stops: Central Station - West, Anne Frank House, Rembrandtplein, Leidseplein, Rijkmuseum, Van Gogh Museum or Gray Line at Damrak Pier 5.
How long is the Canal Boat Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket valid for?
Canal Boat Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket is valid for 24 hours or 48 hours. Your ticket is valid a month from the date you book - only for one time use!
What are the opening hours?
Daily from 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM. Amsterdam Hop-on Hop-off Canal Boat departures 1- 4 times per hour depending on route and season.
Where can I hop on and off?
You can hop on and off at any of these stops - see the map here.
Are there children's tickets?
Yes, children's tickets are available for children between age 4-12. Children from age 0-3 are free, when accompanied by a paying adult.


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Pu Jin (Pu Xuezhai) (Chinese, 1894 - 1966)
Emaciated Horse, Republican Period, ca. 1931-32
Hanging scroll, ink on paper
26 3/16 x 14 7/8 in. (66.5 x 37.7 cm)
Charles F. Olney Fund, 1994
A member of the Manchu imperial family and a cousin of the last emperor of China, Pu Jin lived through the fall of the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) founded by his ancestors. His painting of a wearily trudging horse, and the poems1 inscribed on the scroll by Manchu noblemen and Chinese officials who had served the fallen dynasty, draw on artistic and literary traditions in which horses could symbolize both individuals and the Chinese empire itself.
Beginning in the Tang dynasty (618-907), painters such as Han Gan (active ca. 740-756) specialized in images of powerful horses--muscular steeds that symbolized the military strength of the dynasty and the authority of the Tang emperors.2 Also beginning in the Tang dynasty, paintings of emaciated horses came to symbolize neglected human beings, above all talented scholars who deserved, but often failed to receive, recognition and reward.3 These themes endured in various forms throughout the later history of Chinese painting.
As Pu Jin's inscription indicates, his painting is a copy of a much earlier work (now in the Osaka Municipal Museum), also titled Emaciated Horse, by the scholar-painter Gong Kai (1222-1307).4 Like Pu Jin, Gong Kai witnessed the fall of the dynasty under which he was born. When the Song dynasty (960-1279) was conquered by the Mongols, Gong Kai expressed his sadness and frustration through painting. For many centuries, his depiction of a bony old horse was seen as a reflection of his own fate as an yimin (left-over subject), and as a poignant representation of the ill-fated Song dynasty, to which he remained loyal. No longer a powerful, confident animal, the horse symbolized China in decline.
Pu Jin's hanging scroll is an excellent example of the integration of painting and poetry common in Chinese culture. Although the poems added by friends, relatives, and associates of the artist postdate the creation of the painting itself, these responses to the pictorial image carry the reader/viewer into the literary and artistic traditions shared by these men.
For the ten poets who inscribed Pu Jin's painting between the years 1931 and 1934, the symbolism of Gong Kai's horse held special meaning: as the former subjects of the Qing dynasty, they, too, were yimin. Enriched by learned references to Chinese horselore and mythology, the poems also allude to new threats facing China. In 1931, the year Pu Jin made his painting, Japan invaded northeastern China. The following year the Japanese set up the puppet state of Manchukuo with the deposed Qing emperor Pu Yi (1905-1967) as its titular ruler. Several of the poets hint at the conflict between their loyalty to the emperor they had once served and their desire to distance themselves from a regime controlled by foreign invaders.
Painted in dry, greyish-black ink on paper, Pu Jin's horse is set against an empty background that seems to stress the animal's frailty and isolation. Although the painting is a copy of Gong Kai's work, Pu Jin made slight alterations in his model. For example, he shows the mane hanging from the right, rather than the left side of the horse, thus exposing the gaunt muscles of the lowered neck.
M. M. Douglass, OC 1996, and R. E. Harrist, Jr.
Pu Jin, along with his cousin Pu Ru (1896-1963) and his younger brother Pu Chuan (b. ca. 1913), all members of the Manchu imperial family, were educated in the Chinese classics and learned traditional styles of painting and calligraphy.5 Highly accomplished as a copyist of paintings from the Song and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties, Pu Jin became a professor and later Dean of the College of Art at Furen Catholic University in Beijing. In addition to landscapes and horses, Pu Jin also painted tigers and human figures, including an image of Zhong Kui, the Demon Queller.6
With L. J. Wender, New York, from whom purchased in 1994
New York, China Institute Gallery, 1997. Power and Virtue: The Horse in Chinese Art. 11 September - 13 December. Cat. no. 29.
Li Kai. "Ge Shou ge hua" (Each speaks his own mind). Shijie erbao, 2 June 1995, p. B11.
Douglass, Mitchell M. "Pu Jin's Emaciated Horse: Remembering the Past." Au tung 20 (1996), pp. 1-52.
Harrist, Robert E. Jr. In Power and Virtue: The Horse in Chinese Art. Exh. cat., China Institute Gallery, New York, 1997, pp. 46-47, 108-9, cat. no. 29.
Technical Data
Remounted shortly before entering the Allen Memorial Art Museum, the painting is in excellent condition. The off-white paper is framed by silk and pasted to a stiff paper backing. The ink used for both the painting and the calligraphy was made from pine soot or lampblack mixed with animal glue.
1. Inscriptions by the artist in the upper right:
Junqu tu (Painting of an Emaciated Horse)
Xuezhai lin Sonq ren tu (Xuezhai's copy of a Song painting)
Two seals of the artist
Poems inscribed by the following:
Bao Xi (b. 1871)
Bao Ming (active 1930s)
Chen Baochen (1848-1935)
Chen Kuilong (1857-1948)
Chen Zengshou (1876-1949)
Hu Siyuan (b. 1869)
Pu Hui (active 1930s)
Pu Ru (1896-1963)
Yang Zongyi (active 1930s)
Zhu Yifan (active 1930s)
2. For an introduction to the subject of horses in Chinese art and culture, see Valerie Courtot-Thibault, ed., Le Petit Livre du Cheval en Chine (Lausanne, 1989); see also Chu-tsing Li, "The Freer Sheep and Goat and Chao Meng-fu's Horse Painting," Artibus Asiae 40, no. 4 (1968), pp. 279-326.
3. Suan Bush and Hsio-yen Shih, Early Chinese Texts on Painting (Cambridge, 1985), pp. 124-25.
4. See James Cahill, Hills Beyond a River: Chinese Painting of the Yuan Dynasty 1279-1368 (Tôkyô and New York, 1976), fig. 2.
5. Chu-tsing Li, Trends in Modern Chinese Painting (The C. A. Drenowatz Collection) (Ascona, 1979), p. 8. See also Mayching Kao, Twentieth-Century Chinese Painting (Hong Kong, 1988), p. 81, and Julia K. Murray, The Last of the Mandarins: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting from the F. Y. Chang Collection (Cambridge, 1987), p. 65.
6. Julia K. Murray, The Last of the Mandarins: Chinese Calligraphy and Painting from the F. Y. Chang Collection (Cambridge, 1987), p. 58.


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Species proposed for listing believed to or known to occur in UtahNotes:
- As of 02/13/2014 the data in this report has been updated to use a different set of information. Results are based on where the species is believed to or known to occur. The FWS feels utilizing this data set is a better representation of species occurrence.
- This report shows listed species or populations believed to or known to occur in Utah
- This list includes species or populations under the sole jurisdiction of the National Marine Fisheries Service.
- Click on the highlighted scientific names below to view a Species Profile for each listing.
Proposed species -- 1 proposed listings
Animals -- 1 proposed listings
|Species/Listing Name
|Wolverine, North American Wherever found (Gulo gulo luscus)


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Nashville, Tenn. – After completing a successful Indoor Schedule, the Tennessee State track and field teams will now turn their focus to the Outdoor Season starting with Saturday's Rhodes Open.
In February's OVC Tournament, Britani Logan placed second in the weight throw with a toss of 18.5 meters. Logan won the title in last year's conference outdoor championships.
The Tigerbelles jumpers also helped the TSU cause in the school's last meet as Gabrielle Todd won the high jump with a leap of 1.71 meters and Ashontae Jackson who took home first place with a hop of 5.91 meters. Ja'Lyn Burr rounded out the winners for the Tigerbelles by placing first in the triple jump with a 12.25-meter leap. Felecia Oladakun also picked up four points for TSU by placing fifth in the event.
The Flying Tigers' tournament started off really well with Daryl Rice, Sean Jenkins and Shaquille Cragwall each placing in the high jump. Rice placed first with a hop of 2.06 meters.
Also performing well in the jumps was Royce Dates who placed second in the long jump with final of 7.38 meters. He also finished third in the triple jump with a leap of 14.21 meters.
However, Dates finished behind teammate Tyler Anderson who won the triple jump after hopping 14.45 meters.
Saturday's open will begin with the field events at 9 a.m. and continue with the short-distance running events at 11:45 a.m. The meet will conclude with the triple jump at 1 p.m.
--TSU Tigers--


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Video shows part of fight in Facebook killing
MIAMI (AP) — A home surveillance video shows a man accused of killing his wife and then posting a picture of her bloody body on Facebook walk away from a confrontation and then return moments later to fire a gun.
The weapon can't be seen in the video released Tuesday by the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office to The Miami Herald (http://goo.gl/hThSbq). But the surveillance camera did pick up the swirl of gunpowder in the air from when authorities say 31-year-old Derek Medina fatally shot 26-year-old Jennifer Alfonso at their South Miami home on Aug. 8.
The footage also shows Medina calmly retrieving a jacket and his phone, apparently stopping to take a photo of Alfonso's body and then walking out of the townhome.
Medina has claimed that his wife was the aggressor and that he was acting in self-defense.
Information from: The Miami Herald, http://www.herald.com


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Morocco: General situation of Muslims who converted to Christianity, and specifically those who converted to Catholicism; their treatment by Islamists and the authorities, including state protection (2008-2011)
|Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada
|Publication Date
|10 November 2011
|Citation / Document Symbol
|Related Document(s)
|Maroc : information sur la situation générale des musulmans convertis au christianisme, et spécifiquement de ceux convertis au catholicisme; traitement que leur réservent les islamistes et les autorités, y compris la protection offerte par les autorités (2008-2011)
|Cite as
|Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Morocco: General situation of Muslims who converted to Christianity, and specifically those who converted to Catholicism; their treatment by Islamists and the authorities, including state protection (2008-2011) , 10 November 2011, MAR103889.FE, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4f4361e72.html [accessed 12 December 2018]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
On 27 March 2010, the Moroccan magazine TelQuel stated that thousands of Moroccans had converted to Christianity. Pointing out the absence of official data, Service de presse Common Ground, which focuses on Muslim-Western relations (n.d.), cites unspecified sources that stated that about 5,000 Moroccans became Christians between 2005 and 2010 (22 Jan. 2010). The International Religious Freedom Report published by the United States Department of State indicates that, according to the estimates given by Moroccan Christian leaders, there are about 8,000 Moroccan Christians out of a population of 34.8 million (US 13 Sept. 2011, Sec. 1). However, the number of Catholics among these Moroccan Christians is unknown (Famille chrétienne.fr 19 Mar. 2010). No other information on Moroccan Christian Catholics could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
According to article 3 of the Moroccan constitution of July 2011, [translation] "Islam is the state religion, which guarantees everyone the freedom of worship" (Morocco 29 July 2011). Article 220 of the Moroccan penal code states: [translation] "Anyone who, through violence or threat, restrains or prevents one or several persons from worshiping or attending worship, is punishable by imprisonment for six months to three years and by a fine of 200 to 500 dirham" (1 dirham = C$0.12 [XE 7 Nov. 2011]) (Morocco 26 Nov. 1962). Information on whether this provision of the law has already been applied could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
Treatment of Moroccan Christians by the authorities
According to an islamologist who gave an interview to a correspondent of the Casablanca daily Aujourd'hui le Maroc, Christians, in contrast with Jews, do not have a legal status that guarantees their rights as a minority (11 Dec. 2009). Similarly, while mentioning that voluntary conversion is not prohibited, the International Religious Freedom Report points out that there are no legal mechanisms "that recognize the country's Christian community (or other non-Muslims) in the same way the state recognizes its Jewish community" (US 13 Sept. 2011, Sec. 2). The report states that there is separate legislation and courts with authority over personal status matters for Jewish people, such as marriage and inheritance (ibid.). The European Parliament points out that, with respect to marriages and funerals, Moroccan Christians "have to observe Muslim law" (EU 27 May 2010). The International Religious Freedom Report states that while the constitution provides for the freedom to practice one's religion, in reality, the government places restrictions on this (US 13 Sept. 2011, Sec. 2). Moroccans who have converted to Christianity [translation] "are not allowed to enter official churches in Morocco, which are open only to Christian foreigners" (TelQuel 27 Mar. 2010). Although Moroccans who have converted to Christianity are free to practice their religion, neither are these churches allowed to admit them (Famille chrétienne.fr 19 Mar. 2010). Similarly, according to the European Parliament, although religious freedom is guaranteed to Moroccans, Christians and especially Muslims who converted to Christianity face "numerous forms of discrimination" and "are not allowed to set foot in a church" (EU 27 May 2010).
According to the magazine TelQuel, in order to thwart these conversions to Christianity, which it considers a [translation] "threat", the government reacted [translation] "violently" and Moroccan Christians were subjected to [translation] "police harassment" (27 Mar. 2010). In addition, the International Religious Freedom Report pointed out that some Moroccan Christians have reported being victims of "harassment" by police officers (US 13 Sept. 2011, sect. 2). Some Moroccan Christians were avoiding meeting in large numbers for fear of police raids and investigations into their activities (ibid.). In February 2010, security forces raided a meeting held by 16 Moroccan Christians and one foreigner in the city of Amizmiz (ibid.). The authorities detained these people for 14 hours before releasing the Moroccans without laying charges and deporting the foreigner (ibid.). In addition, an undated report published on the Internet site of The Voice of the Martyrs, a Canadian Christian non-governmental organization (NGO) that helps "persecuted" Christians around the world (The Voice of the Martyrs n.d.b), states that Moroccan Christians are "harassed and intimidated" by police informers (ibid. n.d.a). A journalist from the Internet site Top Chrétien, cited in the article published by Famille chrétienne.fr, stated that the government's tougher stance could be explained by the fact [translation] "that it is concerned about the conversions to Christianity, which it considers to be on the increase" (Famille chrétienne.fr 19 Mar. 2010). The journalist added that [translation] "police raids of the Bible study meetings of Moroccans are frequent" (ibid.). Similarly, according to Freedom House, Moroccan authorities "are growing increasingly intolerant of social and religious diversity" and they launched arrest campaigns against , among others, Muslims who converted to Christianity (Freedom House 2011).
Treatment of Moroccan Christians by society
According to a member of the humanitarian association la Gerbe, cited by Famille chrétienne.fr, a Christian news site (Famille chrétienne.fr n.d.),
Moroccan Christians do not have the freedom of the city in Morocco. They are considered to be traitors by the authorities and the population, who subject them to all kinds of pressure: insults, spitting ... families are even encouraged to kick out family members who are Christians (19 Mar. 2010).
Similarly, in May 2010, Compass Direct News, a press agency that publishes articles about "persecuted" Christians around the world (Compass Direct News n.d.), wrote that Moroccan Christians had complained about experiencing family and societal "pressure and discrimination" (21 May 2010). According to Compass Direct News, the majority of the Moroccan Christians who spoke to Compass said that the attitudes of their Muslim relatives had shifted and that many of them had been kicked out of their homes or had chosen to leave of their own accord "to not create problems for their families" (Compass Direct News 17 June 2010). Another Moroccan Christian said that a Muslim had taken him to court because of his "Christian activities"; the source, however, did not give details of this matter (ibid.). According to the magazine TelQuel, many Moroccans who converted to Christianity fear that they will be rejected and practice their religion only at home (27 Mar. 2010).
Compass Direct News states that some Moroccan Islamists have used Facebook to target Moroccans who have converted to Christianity (Compass Direct News 17 June 2010). Moroccan Christians accuse the Islamists of "aiding and encouraging the government to pursue them by exposing and vilifying them" on Facebook (ibid.). In addition, the United States Department of State indicates that over 30 images depicting Muslims who had converted to Christianity were published on Facebook, where they were described as "hyenas" and as "shaking the faith of Muslims" (US 13 Sept. 2011, sect. 3). These images "include details about their roles and activities in churches" and "their personal addresses" (Compass Direct News 17 June 2010).
Information about protection that Moroccan Christians may receive could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Aujourd'hui le Maroc [Casablanca]. 11 December 2009. Mohamed Aswab. "Saïd Elakhal : "le prosélytime évangélique n'entre pas dans le cadre des droits des minorités."
Compass Direct News. 17 June 2010. "Moroccan Islamists Use Facebook to Target Christians."
_____. 21 May 2010. "Second Wave of Deportations Hits Foreign Christians in Morocco."
_____. N.d. "About Us."
European Union (EU). 27 May 2010. European Parliament. Mario Mauro. "Questions parlementaires."
Famille chrétienne.fr. 19 March 2010. Claire Frangi. "Au Maroc, des chrétiens évangéliques jugés indésirables."
_____. N.d. "Qui sommes-nous?"
Freedom House. 2011. "Morocco." Freedom House in the World 2011.
Morocco. 29 July 2011. Department of Justice. Dahir n° 1-1-91 du 27 chaabane 1432 (29 juillet 2011) portant promulgation du texte de la Constitution.
_____. 26 November 1962 (amended in 2003). Department of Justice. Dahir n°1-59-413 du 28 joumada II 1382 (26 novembre 1962) portant approbation du texte du Code pénal.
Service de presse Common Ground. 22 January 2010. Mohsine El Ahmadi. "Les non musulmans au Maroc n'ont pas de quoi se plaindre."
_____. N.d. "Notre mission."
TelQuel. 27 March 2010. No. 417. Aïcha Akalay and Hassan Hamdani. "Enquête. La tentation du christ."
United States (US). 13 September 2011. Department of State. "Morocco". International Religious Freedom Report July-December 2010.
The Voice of the Martyrs. N.d.a. "Morocco."
_____. N.d.b. "Who We Are."
XE. 7 November 2011. "Currency Converter Widget."
Additional Sources Consulted
Internet sites, including: Afrol News, Agora Vox, Aide à l'église en détresse, AllAfrica.com, Amnesty International, Association marocaine des droits humains, Association des ombudsmans et médiateurs de la francophonie, British Broadcasting Corporation, Catholic Online, Cato Institute, The Christian Post, Enseignement catholique au Maroc, Le Figaro, France24, La Gerbe, Human Rights Watch, Libération, Maghress, Le Matin.ma, Migrants outre-mer, Minority Rights Group International, Le Monde, Morocco Tomorrow, National Association of Evangelicals, La Nouvelle Tribune, Radio France internationale, Réseau des médias francophones, Reuters, Le Soir Échos, United Nations — Integrated Regional Information Networks, World Christian Database.


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From left to right: Ben Folds, Sara Bareilles, and Shawn Stockman
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Television / Lewis Jacob
Shawn Stockman has seen a lot in his musical career as part of the ever-popular R&B group Boyz II Men. Dazzling success, guest appearances, and millions of frenzied fans, he has seen it all. Now, he watches and judges artists who are trying to break into the business on NBC's hit a capella show The Sing-Off. Multi-platinum Boyz II Men, just released their historic 20th anniversary album Twenty. Listening to Shawn is like listening to the voice of experience, ripe with joy but also a surprising dash of humility. He's a man who is very grateful to still be doing what he loves and it shows.
I spoke with Shawn prior to the airing of The Sing-Off's hip-hop night, a momentous occasion as it is the first show to ever dedicate a whole night to hip hop. We talked about that, religion, and even Justin Bieber came up. Catch The Sing-Off Mondays on NBC, 8/7c.
Is there a big difference in the level of talent now from when Boyz II Men started?
It's a huge difference, to be very honest. Me and my guys did a capella, but never would we have thought of taking it to the level that these guys are taking it. They are taking it to places that we never imagined and never thought a capella could go. With us, it was just voices and maybe the occasional imitation of an instrument. These guys actually sound like instruments, guitars, bass, and trumpets, and piccolos, and flutes, and all that other stuff. They are really way more advanced than me and my guys ever were. They're taking it to different heights, I would have never thought of doing the things that they do just normally. That's what makes this so enjoyable too, the fact that they are able to do it so fluently and in such an incredible way with the incredible arrangements that they put on. It's just absolutely and it's fun to watch. I enjoy looking at 'em.
What do you think is the major reason that it's so hard for groups to survive in today's music climate?
I know the answer, but I don't. The more interesting question to me is "Why?" Because I don't know why the industry has become so corporate, or why it's become so cold, and just so un-soulful. I'm baffled by the change of the industry, because everything is so rigid and has no curves and waves. Everything is just so structured and straightforward. One of my group members said "these days it's not about the music, it's about the sound more than the music." It's about how something sounds as opposed to how it feels. You know, can you use it? Can you play this for your woman? Can you play this for your man? Can you dance to it? Things of that nature, the industry has lost that touch, and I think that a lot of artists that are doing this might not understand what it is that I'm talking about, because I think there's been a gap too, between generations as far, as the history of the music. A lot of these kids, you know, if you told 'em about the Isaac brothers, you hear "who are they?" or "who's Marvin Gaye?" "Who's the Temptations?" It's like for some reason with all of this information and all of this knowledge that kids have access to through the internet, where you can look up these people with just a push of the button, but the kids don't and I don't know why.
Do you think that a capella music can dominate the charts?
I hope so. Because, the art form of a capella deserves it, and these kids deserve it. I'm not saying it just because I'm a part of the show. I might be a little biased, but the truth is that these kids work harder than any other vocal competition show that's out there. That's just the truth. It's one thing to sing and dance, but to sing and dance without any instruments, it's harder. It's a different discipline. It's a side of your brain that not too many people have. These guys have that and they do all of it without any help from any pyro, guitars, anything. It's just them and their vocals. That in and of itself is amazing, and that's what sets them apart from anybody. I'll put it this way – I'll put them up against any artist from any of those other shows, no disrespect, but the bottom line is that I'll do that and we'll start off with music and at any given point the music will cut off and we'll see who can continue to show.
You've been there from the beginning, what do you love most about being a judge on the Sing-Off? What do you get out of it?


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Asisko Urmeneta is a cartoonist and and graffiti artist born in Pamplona, Spain. He has made book illustrations, drawings for the press and contributions to TV and radio. He founded and edited the comics magazine Napartheid between 1988 and 1994 and then became a contributor to papers like Argia.
His work has been collected in books like 'Hegoekialdeko Urruneko Legenda', 'Erraondo', 'I'm Pellot', 'Okatxu' and 'Biba festa'. He also gives lectures and he has written two books: 'Nora hoa, Xirimola?' (2002) and 'Sugea lilipean' (2003). He is the son of former mayor Miguel Javier Urmeneta and the brother of designer Mikel Urmeneta, with whom he started the T-shirt firm Kukusumuxu. He was also behind the TV show 'Mihiluze' and the animated film 'Gartxot'.


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Crew 4 Game Plans
Two massive plans, each offering you some of the best games and promotions of the season.
Andy Gruenebaum could only do so much to prevent the Columbus Crew's winless streak in Chicago from reaching double figures.
Big save after big save — three in the opening six minutes of the second half — kept a listless Crew scoreless with their Eastern Conference rivals, but the goalkeeper was finally bested in the 83rd minute when Jeff Larentowicz stormed down the middle to head the Fire to a 1-0 victory on Saturday in Bridgeview, Ill.
"Things got out of hand and we started dropping deeper and deeper," Gruenebaum told MLSsoccer.com by phone. "For long periods of time we couldn't take control of the game like we needed to."
Until the goal, the Crew (2-2-3) were clinging to the possibility of extending their modest four-game (1-0-3) unbeaten streak thanks to Gruenebaum.
OPTA Chalkboard: Gruenebaum keeps Crew in it - almost
"Andy stood on his head for us the whole half," Columbus defender Josh Williams told the media. "Even though they were getting chances I didn't feel like they were going to score. I thought we were going to be able to hold them off but if you keep giving them chances in the box, he can't save everything."
First, Gruenebaum denied Sherjill MacDonald in the 46th. Then it was a beauty of a left-legged save of an unmarked Gonzalo Segares in the 49th. That was followed two minutes later with a stop of Patrick Nyarko's 10-yard strike from the right side.
Meanwhile, the Crew did nothing offensively in the second half and rarely strung more than a couple of passes together before a carelessly coughing up the ball.
"They played to win and they deserved to win," Columbus head coach Robert Warzycha said to reporters afterward. "One team was better than the other, obviously. We tried to win the game but you can't win giving up all the chances."
The Fire's unyielding pressure nearly paid off in the 75th minute, but Gruenebaum made a brilliant reflex save with his left hand from an Austin Berry attempt and smothered the rebound before it crossed the goal line. Seconds later, he went the other way to stop Chris Rolfe.
Gruenebaum's fortunes didn't last, though, as Larentowicz out-positioned midfielder Kevan George, who had just entered for Danny O'Rourke, for the goal that sent the Crew to their 10th straight game (0-6-4) without a win at Toyota Park since 2006.
"With our height in the back we have to do a better job," Gruenebaum said. "We knew they were good on long throw-ins and we addressed that before the game."
The Crew were outshot 21-6 and did not have one on target, but the good news is they go home for three straight after playing just two games at Crew Stadium so far.
"We have to go back to the drawing board and get control of the game, especially at home," Gruenebaum said.


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Stories by Sam James [9] Series by Sam James [0] Reviews by Sam James [0] Challenges by Sam James [0] Favorite Series [0] Sam James's Favorites [0]
Favorite Stories
No results found.
|The authors own nothing. Joss, UPN, WB, etc. own Buffy, the show, the characters, the places, and the backstory. The authors own any original plots.


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Hamptons Estate Lists for $65 Million
The 15,000-square-foot North Haven home with 500 feet of waterfront has two kitchens, seven fireplaces and two saltwater infinity pools
A roughly 6.5-acre bay-front estate in New York's Hamptons will list for $65 million, according to listing agent Harald Grant of Sotheby's International Realty.
Known as "Angel View" estate, the six-bedroom, eight-bathroom house is in North Haven with about 500 feet of waterfront on Noyack Bay. Built in 1995, the house has been owned by the same family for the past 18 years, Mr. Grant said, but has been renovated and expanded. He declined to identify the owners but said they are selling because their children are...


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How To Jump
Take off: the easiest way is to go fairly fast at 90° according to the wind, the kite positioned at half way of the wind window or a bit higher. Then take a good edge (on your heels) by quickly piloting the kite towards the top as described in figures 1 and 2. Stop edging when you feel that the kite is pulling you upwards.
Jump: right after the lift, look at your kite and put it back at 12 o'clock. Bend your legs to balance yourself once in the air and to avoid landing on your back.
Land: put the kite back at its initial position when you start coming back down. To help the landing, put your board downwind.
Safety Tips
- Never let go of the bar when you are in the air.
- Don't jump with onshore wind.
- Increase speed before take off, but not too much.
- If you sense that the landing is going to be rash, let go of the bar and place the kite at the top of the wind window.
- Wear a helmet and a vest.


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[Constitution, Jefferson's Manual, and the Rules of the House of Representatives, 113th Congress] [113rd Congress] [House Document 112-161] [Jeffersons Manual of ParliamentaryPractice] [Pages 202-204] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov] sec. xxi--resolutions
|Sec. 395. Orders and resolutions of the House.
|When the House commands, it is by an ``order.'' But fact, principles, and their own opinions and purposes, are expressed in the form of resolutions.
|Sec. 396. Concurrent resolutions of the two Houses.
|In the modern practice concurrent resolutions have been developed as a means of expressing fact, principles, opinions, and purposes of the two Houses (II, 1566, 1567). Joint committees are authorized by resolutions of this form (III, 1998, 1999), and they are used in authorizing correction of bills agreed to by both Houses (VII, 1042), amendment of enrolled bills (VII, 1041), amendment of conference reports (VIII, 3308), requests for return of bills sent to the President (VII, 1090, 1091), authorizing the printing of certain enrolled bills by hand in the remaining days of a session (Dec. 20, 1982, p. 32875), providing for joint session to receive message from the President (VIII, 3335, 3336), authorizing the printing of congressional documents (July 1, 1969, p. 17948); and fixing time for final adjournment (VIII, 3365). The Congressional Budget Act of 1974 (P.L. 93-344) provides for the adoption by both Houses of concurrent resolutions on the budget that become binding on both Houses with respect to congressional budget procedures (see Sec. 1127, infra). A concurrent resolution is binding on neither House until agreed to by both (IV, 3379), and, because not legislative in nature, is not sent to the President for approval (IV, 3483). A concurrent resolution is not a bill or joint resolution within the meaning of clause 5 of rule XXI (requiring a three-fifths vote for approval of such a measure if carrying an increase in a rate of tax on income) (Speaker Gingrich, May 18, 1995, p. 13499). In the 106th Congress the Senate neglected to adopt a House concurrent resolution vacating signatures of the Presiding Officers on an enrolled bill and laying that bill on the table as overtaken by another enactment (H. Con. Res. 234, adopted by the House on Nov. 18, 1999, p. 30719). The Congress subsequently enacted section 1401 of the Miscellaneous Appropriations Act of 2001, which adopted that concurrent resolution (as enacted by P.L. 106-554).
|Sec. 397. Joint resolutions.
|Another development of the modern practice is the joint resolution, which is a bill so far as the processes of the Congress in relation to it are concerned (IV, 3375; VII, 1036). With the exception of joint resolutions proposing amendments to the Constitution (V, 7029), all these resolutions are sent to the President for approval and have the full force of law. They are used for what may be called the incidental, unusual, or inferior purposes of legislating (IV, 3372), as extending the national thanks to individuals (IV, 3370), the invitation to Lafayette to visit America (V, 7082, footnote), notice to a foreign government of the abrogation of a treaty (V, 6270), declaration of intervention in Cuba (V, 6321), correction of an error in an existing act of legislation (IV, 3519; VII, 1092), enlargement of scope of inquiries provided by law (VII, 1040), election of managers for National Soldiers' Homes (V, 7336), special appropriations for minor and incidental purposes (V, 7319), continuing appropriations (H.J. Res. 790, P.L. 91-33), establishing the date for convening of Congress (H.J. Res. 1041, P.L. 91-182), extending the submission date under law for transmittal of a report to Congress by the President (H.J. Res. 635, P.L. 97-469), and extending the termination date


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results for "boy", only Similar
displaying 1-30 out of 107
Rexona Degree - Mama's Boy
Great Rexona ad!! Who would expect being mama's boy could be sooo funny?!
Supertalented drummer boy!
He is definitely the coolest little drummer boy I've ever seen!
City Boy
That's what happens when you are not used to nature!
Sneezing girl vs. Bless you boy
They are both adorable!!
read the joke
A young boy enters a barber shop and the barber whispers to his customer, "This is the dumbest kid in the world. Watch while I prove it to you."
Boy hearing for the first time
Unbelievable photo taken by Jack Bradley at the exact moment this boy, Harold Whittles, hears for the first time in his life. The doctor treating him has just placed an earpiece in his left ear.
Generous boy gives away baseball
That boy has class and kindness in his heart. I bet his parents are proud.
An inflatable pupil goes to his inflatable school and is having a really bad day. Bored in his history lesson, ...read the joke
Young boy in Ghana plays sick beat with his mouth
My teeth hurt just by looking at this video.
Pablo Francisco - Little Tortilla Boy
Pablo Francisco doing the voice of Don LaFontaine.
Shy Boy and his Friend Shock the Audience with The Prayer - Unbelievable
I really love that guy. He is amazing.
read the joke
A little boy walks into his parents' room to see his mom on top of his dad bouncing up and down. The mom sees her son and quickly dismounts, worried about what her son has seen.
Help a lost boy find his mommy.
Rowan Atkinson-School Headmaster
Rowan Atkinson in a stand-up comedy about a headmaster meeting with a boys father
On a Plane with Mr Bean
Mr Bean takes a plane
Tiny Dangerous Dungeons
Run, jump, throw daggers, collect new items and hidden tools and gain new skills to help you on your quest!
read the joke
A woman takes a lover home during the day while her husband is at work.


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Jan. 7, 2009
He was named first-team All-America by two different organizations before the holidays, but Yale senior captain Bobby Abare has added a few more accolades to his final collegiate campaign. The Bulldog linebacker was recently named to the College Sporting News 2008 Fabulous Fifty Division I FCS All-American Team and the 2008 Sports Network All-America second team.
Abare led Yale to a second straight year with the nation's top scoring defense. The Bulldogs allowed just over 10 points per game last fall during a 6-4 campaign.
Recently named the co-recipient of the Bulger Lowe Award (New England MVP) by the Gridiron Club of Boston, Abare was honorable mention All-America in 2007. He was a finalist for the 2008 Buck Buchanan Award as the top FCS defensive player. Yale's last first-team All-American was Ed McCarthy '07 in 2006.
Abare owns the school records for interceptions by a linebacker (10) and touchdowns by a defensive player (4). Abare, a three-time first-team All-Ivy pick, led the Blue in tackles the last three falls while his teams went 23-7 and captured a 2006 Ivy League title.
DT Everette Pedescleaux, Northern Iowa
DT John Faletoese, UC Davis
DE Greg Miller, Villanova
DE Jovan Belcher, Maine
DL Austin Lane, Murray State
DL James Ruffin, Northern Iowa
DL Larry Hart, Central Arkansas
DL Sherman Logan, Richmond
LB Andy Schantz, Portland State
LB Bobby Abare, Yale
LB Eric McBride, Richmond
LB Jason Williams, Western Illinois
LB Zach East, Prairie View A&M
CB Dominique Johnson, Jackson State
CB K. J. Gerard, Northern Arizona
DB Carnell Clark, Jacksonville State
DB Courtney Robinson, Massachusetts
DB Dontrell Miller, Tennessee Martin
DB Lardarius Webb, Nicholls State
S Colt Anderson, Montana
S Mark LeGree Appalachian State
QB Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas
QB Rodney Landers, James Madison
RB Herb Donaldson, Western Illinois
RB Rashad Jennings, Liberty
FB Marcus Mailei, Weber State
AB Larry Warner, Southern Illinois
C Scott Lemm, James Madison
OG Colin Dow, Montana
OG Jonathan Compas, UC Davis
OT Joel Bell, Furman
OT Nick Hennessey, Colgate
OL Cornelius Lewis, Tennessee State
TE Clay Harbor, Missouri State
TE Scott Sicko, New Hampshire
WR Andre Roberts, The Citadel
WR Cameron Luke, Texas State
WR John Matthews, San Diego
WR Ramses Barden, Cal Poly
WR Terrell Hudgins, Elon
K Andrew Wilcox, Elon
P Robby Dehaze, Northern Arizona
KR Leroy Vann, Florida A&M
PR Scotty McGee, James Madison
LS Dan Pope, Liberty
Coach of the Year: Mike London, Richmond Offensive Player of the Year: Armanti Edwards, QB, Appalachian State Defensive Player of the Year: Greg Peach, DE, Eastern Washington Offensive Lineman of the Year: Matthew McCracken, OG, Richmond Freshman of the Year: Edwin Gowins, RB, Stony Brook Playoff Most Valuable Player: Lawrence Sidbury, Jr., DE, Richmond


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Maze construction nears completion
Submitted Photo
Construction of the maze. " rel="gallery">
Gatlinburg – Ober Gatlinburg's newest attraction, a 4600 sq. foot Amaze'n Maze, is scheduled to open for their guests on Memorial
The maze, with all its twists, turns and dead-ends, is more than just getting lost.
All ages can sharpen their navigational skills while competing against their family, friends and the clock.
Upon entering the maze, each guest will be issued a passport which they stamp at checkpoints as they work their way to the exit and clock their time.
The maze is being constructed by Greg Gallavan with Amaze'n Mazes of Winter Park, Colorado, and is one of only 30 installed in the United States, Canada and Spain.
Until 1996, mazes were typically made of wood until Gallavan developed plastic panels for a maze he installed in Steamboat Springs, Colo. The lightweight panels were more durable than wood and could be customized with different colors and logos. One year later, Gallavan introduced his first all-plastic maze.
Earlier this spring, Ober Gatlinburg added an indoor carousel. Other activities include the 120 passenger Aerial Tramway, Wildlife Encounter, indoor ice rink, Alpine Slide, scenic chairlift, three water raft rides, shops, restaurant and lounge.
This past winter, Ober Gatlinburg experienced a record-breaking ski season with 100 days of skiing and snowboarding due to the 50-plus inches of natural snowfall and colder than normal temperatures.
For more information, call 1-800-251-9202 or go to obergatlinburg.com.
Maze of Monkey Illusion – 2009 By Yonatan Frimer
Optical illusion maze caused by conflicting horizontal and vertical lines.
Maze just for you, created by Yonatan Frimer


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Click here for a Video Demonstration!
One moment they're all linked into a long chain. Suddenly, they all separate and become single rings again. If anyone thinks they can do it, invite 'em to try. Rings only behave for you! What is the strange secret? Why do the rings refuse to perform for others? Set of 8 Super High Quality Steel rings. Instructions included explain how to do it!


text: Golisano Children's Hospital / Giving / Ways to Help Ways to Help Every year, more than 85,000 children from 17 counties come to UR Medicine's Golisano Children's Hospital seeking care. We're committed to giving these children and their families the highest quality of care possible and invite you to join us in our efforts. Just as every family has a different reason for coming to the children's hospital, each individual has a special way he or she can help us help children. Whether it's building a fundraiser with friends and family, donating your company's products to a fundraising event or pledging to walk in the Stroll for Strong Kids, everyone can find a meaningful way to help. We thank you for taking the time to explore the many opportunities available for helping our community's children. Our Wish List Volunteer Fundraise Shop to Help Become a Corporate Sponsor


text:
The Swype promo video was dramatic to say the least, if you haven't yet watched it, head over here and take a peak, and remember it isn't the trailer for the Hollywood blockbuster.
The Honeycomb keyboard is reasonable, but offers you limited options when it comes to entering text other than straight tapping. Third-party keyboards bring something else to the table(t). Today we look at how Swype wants to stir things up on your Honeycomb tablet.
Swype 3.0 Beta
- Format
- Android
- Price
- Free
- Where
- beta.swype.com
For those that don't know about Swype, the clue is in the name. The keyboard has been available on Android phones for a couple of years, notably coming preinstalled on some Motorola and Samsung models. Here we are looking at it from a Honeycomb perspective rather than Gingerbread, so on a tablet, rather than phone.
The keyboard uses the trace of your finger, combined with some other gestures, to predict the words you want, rather than requiring you to press each individual key. It has a predictive element in that accuracy isn't too important: it can guess you're trying to say "fishing" rather than "findohf", which might actually be what your finger passes over.
In addition, Swype offers up suggestions in a bar across the top of the keyboard so that if the suggested word isn't right, you can press the word on the bar that is. This element is useful, because if you are racing through text entry, you don't want to stop and check each individual word. No matter, highlighting the word will give you a run of suggestions and let you pick the right word (assuming it has it).
Keyboard installation on Android does tend to mean jumping through a few hoops, making sure you've selected the right boxes so that your new keyboard appears. The Swype installer makes that pretty easy, giving you clear instructions as you go along. It isn't available in Android Market, but you have to sign up to the beta on their website (link above), then you'll get an authorisation code for the download.
It's free (at the moment) and we signed up on the Motorola Xoom and completed the process. Fortunately it is one of those convenient processes where you can do everything on the tablet itself and don't need to sideload the apk or anything else.
Obviously, the most immediate thought is that on a mobile phone, in portrait, tracing words with your thumb is easy enough. Doing the same over a 10.1-inch screen means you have to move your finger much further.
That's true, you do, but it opens the door for one of the features of Swype. In addition to a keyboard the stretches right across the screen, you can opt for a compact version. This cuts it down to half-size meaning you can not only see more of the page in the background, but you don't have to move your finger as far, making it better for occasions when you are holding the tablet, rather than with it lying on a table.
The compact keyboard can also be repositioned so you can have it on the left or the right, or central. Being left-handed we found it comfortable on the left and once using the compact keyboard we have rarely wanted to use the large one.
The compact keyboard isn't perfect however, as in some applications it leaves grey banner over the part of the page you should be able to see. Perhaps this will be ironed out before final release.
Using Swype does take some practise and we've used it on phones quite. It is fast for text entry, for example throwing in the words for an email. Long presses offer punctuation, but getting reliable CAPS wasn't as straight forward as we like. It's not hard, but the "hover above the keyboard then swipe into the word" method doesn't seem to work in Honeycomb.
When it comes to the predictive elements, it isn't the sort of prediction you get from SwiftKey, which will actually offer you the next word in your sentence. Swype will suggest the word you are writing and will add words you use that it doesn't recognise.
There are some other smart little things that Swype offers, like a longer press on the delete/backspace key will delete the word, and a brief wiggle on a letter will offer you a double letter, for example as in "wiggle" or "offer".
The main keyboard gives you a run of conventional letters, numbers and punctuation, but there is an additional numeric keyboard, with common symbols on, as well as the alt character view. Finally there is an EDIT view, which offer up cursor control, so you can skip up and down text and highlight, copy and paste sections, but it didn't seem quite as straightforward as it could be.
Editing existing text can be something of a problem - adding a "s" to the end of a word will often try to enter it as a separate word, so you'll be deleting spaces. Caps wasn't as seamless as we'd like either.
The Swype experience currently differs from app to app. In Gmail we found it to be nice and fast for entering text, but in Google Docs (not the best application on Honeycomb) it struggled with the cursor position quite a bit.
Overall Swype is an interesting alternative to the stock Honeycomb keyboard. We've found that entry process is addictive and the compact keyboard works really well. It is still in beta and we've had a few frustrating moments with Swype, but overall it's worth having a play with whilst it is free.


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William Dietrich
Read interviews with William Dietrich discussing his books:
The Emerald Storm
Blood of the Reich
Final Forest
Green Fire
The Barbary Pirates
The Dakota Cipher
The Rosettta Key
Napoleon's Pyramids
The Scourge of God
Hadrian's Wall
Hi, I'm William (Bill) Dietrich. I grew up near Puget Sound in the shadow of Mount Rainier, and like so many writers of the Pacific Northwest, geography, a sense of place, and the natural and human environment flows through my writing. The influence of dramatic landscapes on people infuses not only my non-fiction but my novels, set in Antarctica, the Australian Outback, the barbarian fringes of the Roman Empire, the sands of the Middle East, Tibet, the Caribbean, Paris, Eastern Europe, Constantinople, and prehistoric Africa.
My newest book, February of 2016, is "The Trojan Icon," the eighth in the bestselling Ethan Gage adventure series that has sold into 28 languages.
My non-fiction has been widely used in university classes, with University of Washington Press reissuing my first book, "The Final Forest," a sociological look at the Northwest timber wars, in 2014. An update of "Northwest Passage: The Great Columbia River" is scheduled for fall of 2016.
Other recent books are a YA adventure novel that is an environmental thriller called, "The Murder of Adam and Eve," and two nonfiction books, "The North Cascades: Finding Beauty and Renewal in the Wild Nearby," and "Napoleon's Rules: Life and Career Lessons from Bonaparte."
I was born on Sept. 29, 1951 in Tacoma, WA, graduated from Mount Tahoma High School during culturally tumultuous 1969, and attended Fairhaven College, an experimental liberal arts division of Western Washington University. Interest in actually getting paid for writing led me to journalism at Western, and my first job was covering agricultural Skagit County for the Bellingham, WA, Herald. I got my literary start chronicling "Berry-Dairy Days" and other such modest events.
I've since been in three dozen countries and worked and studied on the East Coast. But as proof that life moves in circle — or at least that my own life has not progressed very far — I moved back to the same rural area a quarter-century later, and now reside only twenty miles from that first bureau office. From 2006-2011, I took a half-time position as an assistant professor teaching environmental journalism and writing at Western, advising a student magazine called Planet of which I'm immensely proud. I consider myself fortunate to have a (rainy) corner of the world I can truly call home, and to have worked with terrific students.
From Bellingham in 1974, I was sent to report from the state capital in Olympia. I then covered Congress for Gannett News Service in Washington, D.C. Not exactly enamored of life "inside the beltway," I returned to the Northwest to write for the Vancouver Columbian in time to cover the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens next door. In 1982 I took a job at the Seattle Times, where I worked, on and off, through 2008. I shared a 1990 Pulitzer Prize for coverage of the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill.
Times assignments provided wonderful opportunities to report from the Arctic and Antarctic and to circle the globe, covering subjects ranging from the military to the environment. In 1987-88 I was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and later won reporting and study fellowships from the National Science Foundation, Woods Hole Microbiological Institute, and Scripps.
My first book, The Final Forest, (1992) grew out of my reporting on the spotted owl and old growth forest debate that convulsed the Pacific Northwest. I set it in Forks, Washington, and obviously made a colossal career mistake in not including any vampires, ala 'Twilight.' Actually, the success of the Stephenie Myers series inspired me to get "Final Forest" republished to discuss the "real" Forks, a fascinating town even without the supernatural. The Final Forest won the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award and Washington Governor Writer's Award when first published.
Northwest Passage (1995) is an environmental and cultural history of the Columbia River inspired by its imperiled salmon runs and epic pioneer past.
Science was probably the most enjoyable and improbable subject I ever got to cover, since I was paid to correct my own abysmal ignorance. A 1994 fellowship to Antarctica and a kick in the pants from cancer (fully recovered) prompted me to take a stab at a lifelong goal of writing a novel by producing the World War II bio-terrorism thriller Ice Reich (1998). Its first draft was finished during a second reporting trip to the white continent aboard an icebreaker: It was literally the first sight of icebergs that inspired me to finish the book.
I followed this with an Orwellian view of stultifying globalization and wilderness in the Australian eco-fable Getting Back (2000) and then returned to Antarctica and the South Pole for the claustrophobic murder thriller Dark Winter (2001) that includes scenes from the Cascade Mountains near my home.
These first three novels are now downloadable as e-books for Kindle, Ipad, etc. through Amazon.
I've loved history since childhood and a 1996 visit to Great Britain led to the ancient Roman fortification across northern England known as Hadrian's Wall. Even before my first novel was published I was determined to write a story about this evocative place, and after numerous delays the result was a war and romance novel set in Roman Britain called (you guessed it) Hadrian's Wall (2004).
Meanwhile, some of the essays I wrote about nature for the Seattle Times were collected to create Natural Grace (2003). Royalties are donated to land preservation and environmental education. I've also contributed essays to Land Trust books for Skagit and Whatcom counties and a book on Fidalgo Island, where I live.
My fascination with the decline and fall of the Roman Empire continued into a novel about Attila the Hun called The Scourge of God (2005).
I then approached the ancient world from a different perspective, writing a novel of pyramid lore set against Bonaparte's 1798 invasion of Egypt, called Napoleon's Pyramids (2007). This was the creation of my most popular character, American adventurer and rascal Ethan Gage. A sequel set during Napoleon's 1799 invasion of the Holy Land, The Rosetta Key was published in 2008. Ethan returned in The Dakota Cipher in 2009, The Barbary Pirates in 2010, The Emerald Storm in 2012, The Barbed Crown in 2013, The Three Emperors in 2014, and The Trojan Icon in 2016.
Meanwhile I took a break from the Gage series to write Blood of the Reich. Based on a 1938 Nazi expedition to Tibet, it ranges from Berlin to central Asia to Washington State and Geneva, and explores the mysterious ties between an imperiled young Seattle woman and a contemporary conspiracy. I'm also working on a young adult book and a nonfiction book based on Napoleon's maxims.
I've also worked on a history of the college where I taught, called Green Fire, that recounts the story of Huxley College of the Environment. That one has been a collaborative effort with students, staff, and alumni, and was published in the spring of 2011. I've also contributed essays to several local books, in which the proceeds went to environmental organizations, on the geography and environment of Northwest Washington.
The North Cascades is a coffee-table book by the Mountaineers and very much a group project, with half-a-dozen writer contributors and thirty photographers and artists. It's a beautiful work I'm proud to be a part of.
The Murder of Adam and Eve is a thriller with two teen time travelers that is also an environmental parable inspired by recent research into our evolutionary origins and the Biblical genesis story. It was inspired by a visit to East Africa.
Napoleon's Rules is a concise biography of Napoleon organized around modern lessons we can take from his spectacular success and crushing failure, using more than two hundred of his maxims and observations. It's both an inspiring and cautionary tale for the ambitious.
I'm still married to the wonderful woman I met in college, have two grown daughters too fine to be deserved, six grandchildren, and when not writing I read, hike, sail, travel, and wave around the Roman cavalry sword my wife got to inspire me.
I still find writing hard work, but prefer it to having to decide what to do when I grow up. Besides, I fully intend that my books and articles will save the world (or at least inform and entertain it; my ambitions are growing more realistic with time). I've been blessed to be able to follow my curiosity and go from 25-cents-a-column-inch reporting in my college days to work with great journalists and publishers.
Comments on this entry are closed.
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PaulWork needed a new web page design and created a contest on 99designs.
A winner was selected from 172 designs submitted by 34 freelance designers.
Simple, clean and modern site for an actuarial consulting firm. Professional, with (restrained) colour to add interest.
Feedback will be given to all entries.
Accepted File Formats:
Layered Formats (.psd or .tiff); PSD file
What is required
Redesign of site at: http://tinyurl.com/2ld832
This tinyurl is used only to prevent the company name coming up on search engines.
The current live site can be seen by removing the "test/index.php" in the url once you are redirected from tinyurl.
The aim of this contest is to get submissions for each of:
- A home page, either:
i. Using the current page as a broad layout template in so far as it has the header, then the space in the middle with an introductory banner and text, and then the three sections below.
ii. Include the three elements at the bottom of the page, but moving them and changing the design more significantly.
- A content page, please use the Services - Legal page from the tinyurl for the contents that should be used in the content page designsContestants are welcome to submit entries for either, or both, pages. Two prizes are on offer for the best two submissions, though we will most likely select one home page and one content page to determine the placings. It is not necessarily the case that a home page design will receive the first prize. One designer could win both prizes.
Actuarial work involves mathematics, finance, demography and statistics. Actuaries work in areas such as insurance and superannuation. Details are available at the url above. Clients are almost exclusively lawyers and companies in the financial sector, not individuals.
The overall message should be solid, efficient, precise, fairly conservative (relative to say a web development firm) though modern. Something very simple, clean and professional, with a restrained use of colour to add interest.
Ignore the current logo. The logo that should be used is the winner of our previous contest: http://contests.sitepoint.com/contests/4055
The current colours of the website and the colours of the logo may be changed, but any use of colour should be fairly restrained. A link to a zip file containing AI copies of the logo options is at the bottom of the tinyurl page, to enable designers to change the logo's colours.
Before making a payment to the winning designer, we will require an invoice.
I will be checking entries every day, and will provide feedback to all entries.
Overall look
The main things we will be looking for are:
- A simple clean layout, allowing the content to come through without distraction
- Predominantly white background, with a use of restrained colours to add interest
- Clear delineation and placement of sections.
- No obvious mathematical or finance symbolism
- No photographs of business people looking purposefully or anything like that.
- Design should be for 1024 screen width, with the content of the page being about 950 wide. Preference will probably be given to non-web-2.0 designs. However subtle web-2.0 elements to the design would be acceptable, but with more understated colours/icons than usual.
The following are some sites I like, which contain design elements appropriate to our site. However please use these as a guide only, do not do anything too similar.
The use of white space, and clean delineation of the different elements.
Nice separation of the different articles and sections. Colour to add interest.
Effective use of white space. Nice use of colour for interest. Though I do not like the use of both main and subnavigation down the left hand side.
The use of colour is really good.
This illustrates a layout style with the consistent horizontal bands that stretch across the page, while still having the content centered on the page, and minimal images. It uses colour well.


text: Gazillion Entertainment has released a new video developer diary that lays out a behind the scenes look at the story in Marvel Heroes. According to the press release, "players must stop Doctor Doom from using the power of the Cosmic Cube for evil. Told through over 100 minutes of stop-motion comics designed exclusively for Marvel Heroes, this Developer Diary features Brian Michael Bendis alongside Gazillion's all-star development team; including David Brevik.


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Have you ever wondered what will happen to your Linux/UNIX system if you'll run any of the 7 deadly Linux commands? If you are close to trying any of those forbidden commands, I want you to read and understand this proverb first:
"Curiosity killed the cat"
You may also want to look at this photo:
Anyway, I have here a video of someone running "rm -rf /" on an Ubuntu desktop to better illustrate the danger of using those commands. To recap, "rm -rf /" will recursively wipe out all the files inside the root directory, which means your Linux/UNIX system will slowly but surely go down in a matter of time.
Video Credit: fsckin.com
Isn't that interesting? At the very end of the video, you can see that the X crashes and there is no way to save it. Actually, there were no important files harmed while making that video since the borked Ubuntu runs on virtual machine as guest OS. So if ever you feel the urge to try any of those deadly Linux/UNIX commands, make sure you use virtualization software like VirtualBox or VMware, and then install a Linux distro as guest OS. And, don't forget to capture it using a screencasting software application so that we may show your little adventure here :-)