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The biggest model I've ever painted, I worked on it in sections and then assembled it onto the base when finished. I made very minor modifications to Kalarax herself, mostly inserting a lot of brass rods to support joints, and using hot water to bend the tail around onto the base (which is 25 cm square!) There was a lot more work on the base, using rocks, grit and sand to meld the Bones "ruined temple" into a larger scene with common elements from my Vampire army (see sig below)
You may know the story of why the model is so big - apparently a communications error meant that it is twice the size it was ever meant to be? Because of this, I removed odd-sized base details like huge skulls and dinner plate coins and replaced them with "in-scale" objects like dozens and dozens of resin skulls as seen in the close up.
My "huge bony miniature" recipe is:
One can of Army Painter Undead Bone spray paint
A big pot of GW Agrax Earthshade (or similar brown wash)
A pot of Citadel Dry Tyrant Skull
A large flat drybrush
Let the model to the work! You can also use this to paint large numbers of smaller skeletons, of course.
I found it really hard to light and photograph such a tall model, I'll have to get him off his shelf and try and take better pictures at some point in the future. I chose the bright red tongue to tie in with the reddish muscle and the red roses (which are a theme of my Warhammer Vampire project) as a spot colour.
I'm planning to paint Ma'al Drakar as Dungeons & Dragons' Dark Lady, Tiamat.
She's going to be, by far, my biggest painting project. Before I start painting, I'm planning some conversions to make her look more like D&D's Chromatic Dragon.
I'd love to get any advice or tips that anyone would like to share about painting large models, or any of the other parts of the process. I'll share my plans, and try to keep up a WIP thread about this grand adventure.
My first step is going to be pretty drastic, so if anyone wants to jump in with advice, please do.
I have WotC's Gargantuan Black Dragon. The forward-sweeping horns are so iconic, my Tiamat's black dragon head (Ma'al's lower right head) should have horns like that. The Gargantuan Black's a perfect scale to use for Tiamat's horns. I'm actually planning to carefully cut the horns off the black dragon, make a 2-part mold, cast a set of horns for Tiamat, and reattach the horns back on the black dragon.
Am I out of my mind? Does any one see potential problems with this plan, other than the usual challenges of casting minis, etc?
Thanks in advance for any advice, feedback, and encouragement!
By Rainbow Sculptor
Hey guys! It feels like it's been too long and I miss you all! I received the sculpting assignment for the Brinewind Expansion Doxie figures and I'm excited to post a follow along thread to share my process!
These were really interesting figures. I received the concept art (done by the amazing Izzy "Talin" Collier) and began discussing with the art director some of the major changes that would need to be made. Mainly, we didn't want the orc character attached to the bed. She would be fun to play as an NPC or a PC and we didn't want to limit her usefulness for gamers by having her attached to the terrain piece. Izzy had already provided an alternate pose sketch for her so we are going with that. The more refined piece is still SUPER useful for costuming, attitude, facial expression, and general demeanor of the character.
One of the things I really love about Izzy's art is that she communicates the personality and archetype of the figure SO well. I can imagine how this girl moves, how she talks, what she would like/not like. This is such a great skill to have as a concept artist because when the project gets handed to the sculptor major elements might need to be changed for any number of production reasons. Even if I have to adjust major elements of the figure I can do so with a solid idea of what would fit with the character's personality.
I love this drawing so much! haha They're all great but this one really seemed like a lot of fun. Ron explained that the bed was made of salvaged ship parts (an idea I absolutely loved) and I think it'll be fun for people to find all the little elements throughout.
Some of the body type influences for this figure were Kim K., Marilyn Monroe, and body builders. Here's where I was at after studying those references and creating a ZSphere rig that I was happy with.
I moved the right arm to rest on her hip because I was struggling to figure out how she would rest her elbow on her lowered hip without looking unnatural/awkward. I felt like this had a good flow so I started building some musculature to make sure that the body type I was envisioning would still work in this pose. Turns out that I needed to adjust the right arm because I hadn't left enough space to build up the hip area but that was a simple adjustment. I made the arm a separate subtool by masking and splitting it from the rest of the body (dynameshing both resulting pieces) so that I could adjust it in the future as necessary without too much hassle. (https://i.postimg.cc/44V546hB/Orc-Doxie-WIP-1-5.jpg) Linked for nudity.
On review we realized this was way too similar to the pose of another character from the KS so that right arm was going to have to change. We tossed around a few options. Maybe have that arm raised behind her head, hand in her hair. Arm down just hanging, this felt too lackluster. Elbow bent resting her hand on her chest, this looked too dainty to suit her personality. Tugging at the corner of her corset to entice a client, good but not great. We decided on having her pulling up her skirts to show a little extra leg. This seemed to suit her demeanor/approach to sales well and maintained a good flow to the composition so I reposed the arm and blocked in some basic forms.
...and that's where we end day 1. I spent the first half of the day gathering reference and working on concepts for other projects so this really only represents about a half day of work on this figure but so far I'm liking how she's coming together. Thanks for checking it out, i'll see you guys again tomorrow!
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Michael Buble’s home gets broken into in Argentina on his wedding day while he was getting married.… READ ON
Something old, something new, something borrowed, something… stolen?!?
PHOTOS: Michael Bublé’s Home Burglarized On Wedding Day
Sadly, the Buenos Aires, Argentina home of Canadian singer Michael Bublé was burglarized as… READ ON
Michael Buble and fiance Luisana Lopilato were married in Buenos Aires on Saturday April 2, 2011.… READ ON
Canadian singer Michael Buble and his bride, Argentine soap opera star Luisana Lopilato, tied the knot (sort of) for the second time on Saturday. You can see pictures of the… READ ON
Justin Bieber swept the American Music Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night, and RadarOnline.com was backstage after the show, where Bieber fever infected everyone, including his fellow winners.
Watch the… READ ON
Courtney Love wants to once again be the girl with the most cake. After a failed solo album in 2004, Courtney returns as Hole, only without guitarist Eric Erlandson (who… READ ON
Michael J. Fox got a huge standing ovation during the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics Sunday, as the native Canadian actor highlighted a list of Maple Leaf-born celebs trotted… READ ON
Canadian crooner Michael Bublé and sexy Argentinean actress Luisana Lopilato are engaged. In fact, he popped the question two months ago –and they managed to keep it secret, until now!… READ ON

domain: entertainment


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Climatologists and ecologists have been raising alarms about the hazards of global warming for a long time. The rising sea levels and temperature are bound to cause havoc in the near or distant future. The effects of global warming have already come into the picture with large masses of ice melting away into the oceans, and certain species of animals reaching the brink of extinction because of climatic changes. Global warming predictions are being made by scientists all around the world. These predictions may or may not come true but there is no denial of the fact that global warming poses some serious threats to the human race.
Basis for Predictions
Most global warming predictions that have surfaced in magazines and newspapers are based on research done by the best minds in the country. Before geologists and ecologists make global warming predictions, they take into consideration, history of the Earth, streams of climatic changes in various areas, behavior of animals around the globe and facts based on reports elaborating upon the ice-water-land behavior on the planet. The current trend ascertains that the overall temperature of the Earth is definitely rising and masses of ice are surely melting. Similarly, glaciers are vanishing at a fast pace and the concentration of greenhouse gases like methane, carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide is increasing in the atmosphere.
Effects on Animals
In a recent report, scientists pointed out the danger that looms around the animals walking the planet. The total species of animals is likely to be reduced to a half by the year 2050. This prediction has been made, keeping in mind the swinging balance of the food chain. Loss of habitat and shortage of food has been causing troubles for many species around the world. Hibernating animals come out of hibernation sooner than they should or stop hibernating at all. Some migratory birds are running short on food and have stopped migrating at all. Penguins are experiencing a hard time as the feeding ice sheets melt away into the oceans and these penguins set out in search of food into more dangerous patches of ice. Penguins are sensitive to heat and with the current rate of increase in temperature, half the total population of penguins is predicted to have disappeared by 2020. More severe food shortage spells and habitat losses are definitely in the cards, with ice bergs melting at a fast pace of 6 feet per year in the Arctic Circle.
Precipitation is predicted to increase 10% in the next 15 years and the sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 inches by 2021. The current temperature of the Earth is 59o F higher than the ideal temperature of the Earth and a recent study predicted that the rate of increase in temperature per year will reach 3 o F by 2015. As the sea levels continue to rise and the glaciers continue to dissolve in the oceans, sea animals have a lot to worry about. Coldwater fishes might already be staring into the jaws of extinction with 38 percent of water becoming unable to sustain fishes by 2017. Earthquakes, droughts, cyclones and even tsunamis are predicted to cause havocs of higher intensity and more frequently in various parts of the world because of the rising atmospheric temperature. With such alarming statistics awaiting confrontation with the human race, it is not surprising that climatologists have pushed the panic button already!

domain: geography


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J. Cole's HBO documentary will debut on HBO Saturday April 15th at 10 p.m. EST, and will also be available on HBO streaming services. The hour long special will have documentary footage of Cole traveling around the Midwest and Southern United States and participating in conversations about race, politics, white supremacy, black resilience, and more.
J. Cole World: Studio Hours, The Making Of J. Cole’s “Cole World: The Sideline Story”
Behind the scenes footage of J. Cole’s studio sessions while he was recording Cole World, which is in stores now.
J. Cole: Road to Homecoming – F**k Money, Spread Love (Episode 1)
Go behind the scenes as J. Cole stops in New York, London and North Carolina to get 2014 Forest Hills […]
This Is Dope: Southern University Marching Band Performs J. Cole’s “Wet Dreamz”
Do you love J. Cole’s new album, 2014 Forest Hills Drive? Then more than likely “Wet Dreamz” is one of your favorite […]
J. Cole: Road to Homecoming – Ain’t Nothin’ Like That (Episode 2)
What’s it take to put a tour together? Go behind the scenes with J. Cole’s crew and see how they […]

domain: artistic


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Each quarter, the Selected Lists teams compile the titles that have been officially nominated to date. These books have been suggested by the team or through the title suggestion form, read by multiple members of the team, and received approval to be designated an official nomination. At the end of the year, the final list of nominations and each Selected List’s Top Ten will be chosen from these titles.
The City Beautiful. By Aden Polydoros. Harlequin/Inkyard Press, $19.99 (9781335402509).
Amidst the glitz and glamour of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, Alter Rosen, a gay, Jewish, Romanian immigrant teen, becomes possessed by the dybbuk of his murdered friend and must avenge the deaths of his friend and a growing number of other local Jewish boys.
Curses. By Lish McBride. Penguin Random House/G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, $18.99 (9781984815590).
When Merit refuses to marry a prince, she is cursed to live as a beast. Tevin’s family runs cons on rich girls, but when his mom runs afoul of the beast she trades him for her freedom. This fresh, gender-bent Beauty and the Beast retelling examines what “beastly” really is.
When We Were Infinite by Kelly Loy Gilbert Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers Publication Date: March 9, 2021 ISBN: 9781534468214
This is it. Senior year. And all Beth wants is to be with her friends as much as possible. Bonded long ago through their shared orchestra experience, Sunny, Jason, Brandon, and Grace are all the family Beth needs. She’s determined to keep them all together and connected, this year and beyond, even if it means losing herself. And she’s also secretly harboring a major crush on Jason.
When Beth and Brandon accidentally witness Jason’s father assault him, Beth is heartbroken that none of them had any idea what he was going through. As Jason spirals into anger and depression, she anxiously tries to both fix him and hold the whole group together. As often happens in senior year though, each friend must choose their own adventure and find a way to hold on to each other as they go forward.
I grew up watching the X-Files, so I was really excited when I heard that the show would be reappearing this spring.
If Mulder and Scully were to walk into my library, I’d probably want to follow them around to find out what weird things have been happening, but if they asked for book recommendations, this is what I’d give them.
Amanda’s family leaves their home in the mountains to live out on the prairie and hopefully leave behind the memories of the last, harsh winter they had to face. Her father chooses to move the family into an abandoned cabin that is covered in dried blood, and unfortunately for Amanda, things only get creepier from there.
School is back in session so I thought I would soften the end of summer break with some anime set in high schools! This month I submit to you a love story full of laugh out loud moments, a ghost-seeing duo who can’t stay out of trouble, and a geek who gets drafted to be on a competitive cycling team. As a bonus, all these shows are ongoing manga series, so you can watch and read (in your vast spare time)!
This year on the Hub we are celebrating the Twelve Days of YA with a series of posts loosely based on the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas gifts. We have converted each gift into a related theme common to YA and paired it with a list of relevant titles. You may use the Twelve Days of YA tag to read all of the posts in the series.
Special thanks goes to Carli Spina, Faythe Arredondo, Sharon Rawlins, Geri Diorio, Becky O’Neil, Carla Land, Katie Yu, Laura Perenic, Jennifer Rummel, Libby Gorman, Carly Pansulla, and Allison Tran for their help creating the booklists and organizing this series.
On the first day of YA, my true love gave to me a partridge in a pear tree.
This is the first of many birds that appears in the original song, but the only theme on our list that has to do with the feathered fliers. We selected titles for this list that included bird imagery including those that have birds as part of the story, characters with bird wings, or just really amazing bird-centric artwork. We hope you enjoy the titles we picked and encourage you to share your favorite avian stories in the comments!
Have you ever wondered what YALSA’s Morris Award winning authors have been up to today since they were recognized for their first novels? Well then, this post is the one for you.
For a little background, YALSA has been giving out the Morris award since 2009, which honors debut young adult authors with impressive new voices. This post is not intended to be a comprehensive list of what all of the finalists and winners have been up to, but it’ll give you an idea of what some of our Morris winners and finalists have been writing since winning their awards. (Be sure to take a look at the full list of Morris winners and finalists.)
Then: 2009 Awards
2009 Winner – A Curse Dark As Gold by Elizabeth C. Bunce
For several months now I have been creating recommendation lists for some notable characters for TV. I’ve been putting this one off, mainly because I am slightly intimidated to take on a Whedonverse show. So please forgive if I unsuccessfully tackle the pop culture phenomenon, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (BTVS). Who knows… maybe if I succeed with this one, I’ll try another Joss Whedon masterpiece, Firefly.
In a TV show that centers around so much reading and research mixed with punching and stabbing, creator Joss Whedon does manage to name-drop a few literary titles here and there. In the “Band Candy” episode, Buffy refers to Willy Loman from the play “Death of a Salesman” by Arthur Miller. During season five, Buffy encounters the most popular vampire in all literature in the episode “Buffy vs. Dracula.” I don’t want to jump the gun, but did Buffy actually read Dracula by Bram Stoker? If not, then I definitely am tossing that title to her. Honestly, it’s more of a textbook for her than recreational reading, but so what? If these literary examples tell us anything, it’s that obviously Buffy and the Scooby Gang must love books! So, without further ado, here are some recommendations for our Sunnydale pals!
Buffy Summers – I just want to state for the record that I would never ever give Buffy Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. While the star-crossed lovers scenario might ring a bit true, I believe that Buffy would never be able to get through a book in which vampires don’t kill you, but rather play baseball and sparkle in the sun. There has been much speculation about what Buffy would do in Bella Swan’s world, i.e. whether or not she would slay Edward and his family. Also, as we have seen in several episodes of BTVS, vampires and werewolves aren’t enemies. Angel and Oz get along just fine, although that aren’t fighting over the same girl. That being said, I think we could come up with a more suitable reading choice for Buffy.
We have seen Buffy take on a variety of beasties and demons throughout her seven years, however there is one creature that never proved to be much of a threat: the unicorn. Right away, I would pull the “Killer Unicorns” series by Diana Peterfreund. This book series, starting with Rampant, is about an ancient order of female teenaged unicorn hunters who must join together to stop vicious unicorn attacks. Unlike the random selection of slayers in Buffy’s world, these hunters are descendants from unicorn hunters of the past. The book is full of training, unbelievable realizations, and forbidden love; all things that Buffy can understand in ways other readers cannot. Continue reading What Would They Read?: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Recently I was sitting in my library’s teen space with a few teens (three guys; two girls) chatting about movies, books, friends, and the Spongebob Squarepants version of the Game of Life when I had a bit of a revelation. This wasn’t really a new revelation but rather a confirmation of what seems like such an obvious fact: there are no such things as “books for boys.”
During this hanging out time, some boys insisting on showing me multiple trailers for YA movie adaptations: first, Divergent; then The Maze Runner; and finally, The Fault in Our Stars. They talked about how excited they were for these movies and how they couldn’t wait to see how the movies were different from the books. One of the boys said he watched the TFiOS trailer five (!) times in a row after it was released recently. This got me to thinking about the books and media these boys were interested in. They featured both guy and girl protagonists, they were cross a couple of different genres, and were written by both male and female authors.
I realized it doesn’t matter if a book is “for” a guy or a girl; the gender of the intended audience tends to get all mixed up when you factor in the power of a good story. Boys like stories; girls like stories. Readers in general like stories. We need to forget what we think about boys and reading and find them the stories they want. Continue reading Books for Boys that Aren’t “Books for Boys”


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what kinds of vegetables do you eat?
April 19, 2008 1:24am CST
i know not all vegetable are that great tasting and a lot of us like some veggies that other are not.with me i like squash,beans,and root crops.what about you?
19 Apr 08
I eat all vegetables in various different forms except brussel sprouts, I really cannot stand the taste. My favorurites would be carrots, cabbage, sweetcorn and cauliflower (but I only eat cauliflower as cauliflower cheese, not on its own which is a bit strange) and only mushy peas when I eat fish and chips. Ellie :D
20 Apr 08
I am on a low carb diet right now so there are a lot of veggies I can't eat, like corn and peas, because they have very high carb content. But I am eating a lot of greens which have no carbs and I am enjoying them. I forgot how good they can be, and how filling they can be. I eat a lot of brocculie and cauliflower and bean spouts and lettuce and tomatoes and so on. I just stay away from peas and corn and squash and potaotes.

domain: food


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SANGAMON COUNTY HOSTS SOIL HEALTH FIELD DAY NEXT THURSDAY
Throughout July and September, farmers all over Illinois can understand soil health practices that benefit their family farms at Soil Health Partnership field days.
Next Thursday, July 26, from 8 am to 12 pm, Sangamon County farmers can learn about soil health and see in-person examples. The Auburn event is co-hosted by David Moose, a Soil Health Partnership farmer and Sangamon County Soil and Water Conservation District.
The event will include discussions on these topics:
- Catherine O'Reilly, Illinois State University - Water Quality
- Donna Brandt, University of Missouri - Soil Health
- Soil Health Partnership - Illinois Report
The topic discussion concludes with a farmer-led panel to address questions and concerns from attendees. Afterward, farmers will witness first-hand a soil pit to observe root growth and soil properties.
To RSVP, REGISTER here or contact:
Sangamon County SWCD
(217) 241-6635 ext 3
Not available for this event? Registration is open for the following events. Be sure to mark your calendar and register today!
July 26: 4 PM
Vermilion Headwaters Field Day
September 4: 9 AM - 1 PM
Kirk Kimble Water Quality Site
Cover Crop Plot Field
September 14: 1 PM - 3 PM
Greg Thoren Field Day
Find out more about each field day, or find out about opportunities to learn more in other states by clicking here.

domain: agronomy


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Our reading guide for the other wes moore by wes moore includes a book club discussion guide, book review, plot summary-synopsis and author bio. This review of the other wes moore explains what the book offers the reader the review is detailed, informative, and accurate. Wes moore—rhodes scholar, army officer and one-time special assistant to secretary of state condoleezza rice—discovered one day in a newspaper article that he. Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for the other wes moore: one name, two fates at amazoncom read honest and unbiased product reviews from our users. Contributed by walter smith randolph “i am the master of my fate i am the captain of my soul” those lines, written by sir william ernest henley, also.
Read the other wes moore one name, two fates by wes moore with rakuten kobo the chilling truth is that his story could have been mine the tragedy is that my story. The other wes moore: one name, two fates by book review click to read the full review of the other wes moore: one name, two fates in new york journal of books. Book review: the other wes moore: one name, two fates by wes moore.
Review the other wes moore multiple choice questions two kids named wes moore were born blocks apart within a year of each other both grew up fatherless in similar. In his bestseller the other wes moore, rhodes scholar, combat veteran and white house fellow wes moore pondered how his youth propelled him to the pinnacle of. Wes moore compares himself to the other wes moore serving a life sentence for murder. The other wes wes's brother tony lived with his father in a very dirty, dangerous, and drug filled area tony was six years older than wes, and was very protective. Two hauntingly similar boys take starkly different paths in this searing tale of the ghetto moore, an investment banker, rhodes scholar, and former aide to.
The other wes moore has 27,710 ratings and 3,621 reviews diane said: this book was disappointing it's based on a flawed premise that the story of two g. uma scharf “the other wes moore” essay “when we’re young, it sometimes seems as if the world doesn’t exist outside our city, our block, our house, our room. “the other wes moore,” new on the nonfiction list, is about two men with the same name and similar backgrounds, one a rhodes scholar, the other in jail. The other wes moore, written by wes moore, is a nonfiction novel about two kids- both born in baltimore during the late 1970's, both growing up in the same city, and. Book review: the other wes moore: one name, two fates gregory d johnston and amy l onofre texas tech university in late 2000, the baltimore sun published two.
Start studying mpagz-ae1-the other wes moore test review learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. Librarything review user review - arubabookwoman - librarything the author wes moore was born in inner city baltimore his father died when he was quite young, and. The other wes moore by wes moore is about two black men who have the same name, lived in baltimore, but whose lives took very different paths. The author of “the other wes moore: one name, two fates” is a new yorker with an impressive résumé: rhodes scholar, army officer in afghanistan, white house fellow.
The other wes moore: one name, two fates - kindle edition by wes moore download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets use features. The chilling truth is that his story could have been mine the tragedy is that my story could have been his wes moore so i've decided that every now and then i. Review for the other wes moore: one name, two fates by wes moore (2010) rating: 2 out of 5 stars acki dnf'd this one the idea behind this book is indeed. Author wes moore- the author as well as the narrator of the book, which discusses his life and the life of the other wes moore and how the decisions they made.

domain: library


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Water, Potatoes, Carrots, Split Peas, Cooked Ham Water Added (Pork, Water, Salt, Sugar, Sodium Phosphates, Sodium Ascorbate, Sodium Nitrite), Contains Less than 2% of: Bacon (Cured with Water, Salt, Sugar, Sodium Phosphate, Sodium Erythorbate, Sodium Nitrite), Potassium Chloride, Sugar, Xanthan Gum, Flavoring, Salt, Yeast Extract, Locust Bean Gum, Lower Sodium Natural Sea Salt, Lactic Acid, Disodium Inosinate, Disodium Guanylate, Pork Stock, Natural Smoke Flavoring, Onion Extract, Garlic Oil.
Stove: Pour soup into saucepan. Heat, stirring occasionally. Microwave: Microwave ovens vary. Time given is approximate. Uneven microwave heating may cause popping, movement of the bowl and/or splattering. 1. Heat, covered, in medium microwavable serving bowl on High 2 1/2 to 3 min. or until hot. 2. Careful, leave in microwave 1 min. 3. Stir and serve. Do not add water.
Always refer to the actual package for the most accurate information


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Meet former New York Mets star first baseman and 1986 World Series Champion Keith Hernandez on Saturday, July 17th from 12pm-2pm at E and J Boutique (cards &collectibles) at 6906 Fort Hamilton Parkway, Brooklyn NY.
Price for one autograph is $50.00. You may take photos as well. Plus, you are welcome to bring your own personal item to get signed or purchase one from the store, per E and J Boutique’s Facebook post.
Hernandez was named co-National League MVP, along with Willie Stargell, in 1979. Additionally, he was a five-time All-Star, and captured 11 consecutive Golden Glove awards in the National League from 1978 to 1988.
Hernandez, who has been a Mets color commentator since 1998, also won the World Series with the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982. He played ten seasons with Cardinals.
Hernandez slugged 162 home runs and drove in 1071 runs with .296 batting average in a 17-year MLB career.
Note: If you click on the above Amazon link and make a purchase, I may earn a commission to help me provide free content to my readership).
— Jerry Del Priore

domain: sports


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The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors this week, in a 5-to-3 vote, adopted a controversial plan to preserve farms and open space.
The board's Monday action was followed by loud cheers and applause. Many who were in the large audience are farmers and members of the citizens committee that drafted the plan and who earlier in the meeting had urged adoption of the plan as a way to control the loss of farms and open space to development.
Although the 258-page plan holds nearly a dozen recommendations for preserving open land, discussion this week, as in recent months, focused on one element of the plan: a Transferrable Development Rights (TDR) program.
The program, designed to direct growth to urban areas, would establish a landowner's right to subdivide as a commodity that could be sold, without selling the land itself.
For instance, a farmer could sell development rights to a developer, who would use those rights to increase the number of houses on his urban property. The farmer's land would no longer be subject to development, and the farmer could use the profits from the development potential of his land to continue farming.
The supervisors voting against adoption of the Rural Land Management Plan -- Broad Run Supervisor Steven Stockman, Catoctin Supervisor Frank Lambert and Sterling Supervisor Andrew R. Bird III -- objected to inclusion of the TDR program.
The same supervisors in January voted against a draft version of enabling legislation for the program. The county plans to seek authority to implement the program from the state legislature again in the upcoming session.
Among the supervisors' criticisms this week was one from Bird that any money spent on the TDR program would "cost the citizens, in terms of a capital facility loss," that a developer might otherwise have offered the county as a proffer, such as road improvements or open space for parks or school sites that developers frequently propose in order to gain permission for extra density.
Bird also said the program would place the county's "land use decisions on autopilot."
Bird said the TDR program would be government by county ordinance, in what a county planner said would be "more of an automatic process" than a similar program, density transfer.
Density transfers would be regulated under the county's rezoning process with the usual review of proffers and board approval, if the requested density increase met county standards.
Before this week, the plan would have required any developer seeking a certain higher density level to go through the TDR process.
However, before adopting the plan this week, the supervisors amended it to include a second alternative for a developer seeking the higher density level.
According to the amendment, a developer, if seeking the higher density during a rezoning application, could propose alternative proffers that did not include the use of TDRs. The county would then decide whether to accept a TDR proffer or the alternative proffer, such as capital improvements, in return for increased density.

domain: law


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|Never Judge An Angel by Her Wings | Tregesy - Oregon|
|Angels - Interviews|
|Written by Khalid "Bless" Bey | Editor in Chief | As Seen in NY Times Bestseller: Rat Bastards|
Beauty, intelligence and character. When these elements are mixed, the result is enchanting to say the least. I fall in love every time. After this interview, this is the conclusion I came up with in regards to our current angel; Tregesy. I’d asked her to describe herself in three words. “I.Am.Tregesy.” is the answer I received. I liked it and her immediately however I was a tad disappointed. I’d wanted more. And as I learned more, I found myself continuously surprised by her declarations. Her beauty is instant whilst her intelligence and character is gradual like a seduction. “Intrigue sprinkled with a bit of mystery,” she says expressing her thoughts on the key to a great seduction.
Tregesy is the type of girl whose company I’d seek at every moment possible to the threat of becoming stalkerish. She marches to the beat of her own drum, attracting what I suspect to be a legion of admirers like me. With an alter-ego she refers to as an internet nerd, she loves live music, art, snowboarding, fitness, cooking and animals; the one thing she can’t live without. “I have a habit of adopting too many pets,” she says. A strange childhood, where she went through many phases; akward, punk, blond, and confused preceded the beauty we see today. Unbelievably she always thought she looked like a man. Tregesy is a wonderful mix of Belgian and Italian, “with a bit of hillbilly for fun”, she says jokingly. Though she defines beauty as a “natural uniqueness”, she’s never come to fully appreciate her own look. “Ironically, I don’t take compliments very well so I tend to shy away from those possibly beat-red moments.” Its sounds something like an allergy. What she prefers are compliments about her accomplishments. Now you know.
Tregesy is a true cover girl. She has appeared on over ten book covers, admitting she has yet to read any of them; something she plans to soon remedy. She viewed modeling as an opportunity and most importantly a challenge. It was shortly after making this decision where she was asked to be a book cover model, an immediate accomplishment. Motivated by her love of music, and passionate, optimistic people; Tregesy ultimately would love to be the face of a music tour, interviewing artists and promoting tour sponsors. “Creative, cutting edge, energetic photographers, makeup artists,” she says of her influences, “and stylists who were passionate about what they did.”
We are both Aquarius, something I am not an authority on so I accept what she says when she speaks of our shared zodiac. “Aquarius; it’s a masculine fixed air sign which probably explains why I have the ‘I’m-afraid-I-look-like-a-dude complex,’” she tells me. “Also, we’re highly independent and intellectual which suits me well.” Seeing that we have this in common, a friendship could happen. Most of my friends are girls much to the chagrin of the women I date. “Many of my friends are guys,” she says attributing this to her masculine-complex. “It’s always been this way.” Since its always been this way I’m hoping she’ll count me as a friend granted she can handle my… idiosyncrasies. But should my ways annoy, I like to makes amends gift in hand. “Puppies usually do the trick,” she says and I think she could end up with a kennel messing with me. Ha.
Heaven on earth here in Angels Playpen is more of a set of emotions produced by a set of circumstances than an actual physical place. It is attained or reached by each of us in matters unique to that person, meaning your heaven could potentially be my hell. “Being around loved ones,” Tregesy describes her heaven on earth, “who are healthy and happy; preferably in a warm place like Costa Rica, sipping on umbrella drinks by a pool.” Her heaven resembled mine until she added “cabana boys would be a nice touch too”, then it was hellish. Nevertheless healthy family and friends are a large part of my personal happiness and sometimes my business, which is my passion far removes me from this heaven. Balance is sought. Tregesy understands. “A little bit,” she says in slight accord, “I try not to push my modeling on those in my personal life as I find it to be a bit superficial. Of course I more than welcome the support but not all my friends, coworkers and family want to picture me half-naked.” Maybe not family but coworkers…
A very deliberate speaker, her answers to my litany of random inquiries are pointed, intelligent and colored with humour. Asked where she is sexiest, Friday night in a black dress or Sunday morning in an oversized tee, she quips, “That would be relative to who is judging and that person would need to be with me from Friday through Sunday morning in order to make an informed decision.” Point made. Her turn ons include drummers, “nekkid-ness”, pretty ladies, beaches and cocktails. Her turn offs mirror a few of my own; sports, wet socks and bad musical taste. First thought when she wakes, “Need coffee in my face-hole right neow.” This draws a snicker from me. Laughter is always a breath away with me, transforming simple moments into joyful memories. “I genuinely laugh all the time,” Tregesy mentions, “and it’s very distinct. Sort of has the ring of a drunk trucker.” Hunh… wonder if this has anything to do with her love-hate relationship with beer.
As close out this interview, I am filled with an uneasy enlightenment. When I’d first laid eyes on Tregesy I felt I had preconceived notions about the angel due the many surprises I’ve stumbled upon. My idea of an angel changes all the time and she has helped in this regard. “Something that encompasses all the traits I value,” says the complex beauty relaying her idea of an angel. I think I’m leaning towards a similar conviction. There are a myriad of characteristics that fit my idea of an angel and no single person can embody them all, therefore I highlight the angels I do find. Sometimes they just look like angels; other times they actually are really sweet with a slight sexy innocence, always my favorites. I can never tell by looks alone, sweet looking angels turn out to be wildcats, while those with a fire in their eyes turn out to be kind and laid back. So now I know… Never judge a book by its cover or an angel by her wings. Angels Playpen. HTM.
- Chain Chomp Cat Bed by CatastrophiCreations
- Irony featuring Marissa Kilgore | Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Cloud Eraser by Marta Ayala | Madrid, Spain
- Apple Watch - The Luxury Smart Watch
- The Fables of Anita Anti
- The Augustus Penthouse | London, UK
- The Saporiti The Woofer Chair by Ministry of Design
- Kristina Romashina by George Mayer
- Andrea Blake's Awakening | Central - Utah, United States
- Angel of the Week | Emmy Evelyn - Chicago, Illinois
- 30 Things to Let Go of Before the New Year
- Airplane x Automobil = Aeromobil
- Why Learning To Meditate Will Make You 15% Happier
- Danielle McConnell's Cutest Ideals | Ogden, Utah
- The Situation Room by Marc Fornes and Jana Winderen
Top 10 Angel Interviews
- A Valuable Lesson Learned with Victoria James | Boca Raton, Florida
- Ela Pasion | Exotic, Friendly and Determined | Los Angeles
- No Ordinary Angel | Taylor Brynne - Columbus, Ohio
- A Dream Worth Every Sacrifice w/ Anais Zanotti | Miami - Florida
- A Beautiful Bully - Mandy Monroe | Toronto, Canada
- Margaret Wood - The Occassional Diva | Pontotoc, Mississippi
- Kiley Adriance | Intelligent, Gentle, Soft-Spoken - New York City
- A Lover and A Fighter featuring Raven Kay Lee | San Diego
- Never Judge An Angel by Her Wings | Tregesy - Oregon
- In Pursuit of All Things Heavenly with Danielle Sullivan
Angels >> Showcase
Hispanic, Paris based model Joe appears in this series with Hiro Photography. The shoot features the American Flag and the seductive model in a sunny-hazy room. Her natural poses combined with the subdued photography gives the images a sultry and disarmingly sexy composition. Joe also goes by the name Nedjma and can also be found in New York City and Geneva, Switzerland.
Angels >> Showcase
The beauty of an angel is meant to uplift, bring positive feelings to the forefront, momentarily suspending negativity. When I saw this angel, I felt... good. She has an innocence blended with a knowing stare that is the essence of an angel. How do you feel when you see an angel?
Angels >> Showcase
Ukranian beauty Alina Kravchenko is our Angel of the Week. She lives in Los Angeles where she no doubts spreads her message of love for animals. Alina apparently is a firm believer in animal rights. Check out some of her heavenly images.
Angels >> Showcase
Her images are immediately impressive, and the impression is graphic storytelling. Each frame acts as an affirmation, stating a truth only discovered through self-expression. "I do stuff," the outspoken model says somewhat cryptically on her Model Mayhem page, "I don't do other stuff, I most definitely don't wanna do you but I might want to do me with you." Take a look at some of her portfolio.
Angels >> Showcase
She has appeared in over 50 calendars, has modeled for a slew of designers, multiple cover girl, television appearances and more. Her resume is impressive. Her look is exotic yet welcoming, sexy eyes and beautiful body being the main ingredients. Josie Lee is out of Toronto, Canada and will be working her way into the homes of hot-blooded young men around the world.


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3 Vegan / Vegetarian Friendly Restaurants
101, 10712- 80 Ave, Grande Prairie, Alberta
Cuisine: Lacto, Pizza, Italian, Take-out, Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Franchise chain fast casual pizzeria making Neapolitan pizza. No specific vegan pizza on menu but could get Daiya vegan cheese. See website for other locations.
108-10902 105 Ave (at Gateway Power Centre), Grande Prairie, Alberta
Cuisine: Lacto, Ovo, Western, Salad bar, Take-out, Catering, Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Quick service franchise with several locations offering salads, wraps, sandwiches, and soups. While pre-set menu items are not veg, you can design your own salads and wraps to make it veg or vegan. Has smoked tofu.
104, 10915 104A Ave (at Gateway Power Centre), Grande Prairie, Alberta
Cuisine: Chinese, Fast food, Take-out, Asian Fusion, Non-veg
Serves meat, vegan options available. Franchise fast food chain offering westernized Asian fusion meals with rice, noodles, curries, and naan-wich. Offers a guide for vegan choices which includes tofu and veggies.
Health Food Stores, Vegan Shops, Vegan Bakery and Catering, Vegetarian B&Bs, Organizations
104-10012 99th Ave (at downtown), Grande Prairie, Alberta
Several outlets; another one at 10360 111 St. Stocks fresh produce, snacks, canned goods, gluten free, medicines, beauty products, pet food, cleaning products, and much more.
Still hungry? Try searching for areas surrounding Grande Prairie, AB.


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Lichtenstein is a municipality in the Tübingen administrative region (Regierungsbezirk) in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It lies at the foot of the Swabian Alb (plateau). It was formed on January 1, 1975 from the former independent municipalities of Honau (Traifelberg), Holzelfingen, and Unterhausen.Wikipedia
Discover the beauty of the city's striking landscope, welcome to Lichtenstein, Germany. When planning a trip to Lichtenstein, make sure you visit its near-by prime city of Mannheim. Mannheim, is a worth visiting city owing to its prime attractions like Town Walls, Rothenburg Town Hall, Plonlein. To get to this city, remember that the nearest major airport is Mannheim City Airport. Popular vacation packages of Lichtenstein are of 1-2 days.
Get, set and plan a journey with this amazing travel planner for Lichtenstein that shall leave you with plenty of memories at the end of your trip.
Lichtenstein Trip Planner
Plan your customized day by day trip plan for Lichtenstein. Choose from various experinces categories as adventure, romantic and family and kids friendly for your trip using using Lichtenstein trip planner.


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Taffer’s Tavern, the innovative new full service tavern concept founded by star of Paramount Network’s Bar Rescue and creator of the NFL Sunday Ticket, Jon Taffer, celebrated its inaugural weekend at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. Hungry Washington Football Team fans were among the first in the Washington, D.C., metro area to try Taffer’s Tavern’s elevated tavern food. Located on the Club Level, the new location is the first satellite location to open for the fast-growing restaurant franchise.
Taffer’s Tavern needed less than two weeks to revamp the space and welcome fans at the season opener this past weekend. Paired with Jon Taffer’s decades of experience in the hospitality industry, the Taffer’s Tavern location delivers the same high standards of quality as well as easy installation with a turnkey kitchen concept that does not require hoods or vents. It also features the latest advancements in food prep technology that guarantees consistently delicious food every time.
“Our Taffer’s Tavern team is always ready on game day. Washington, D.C., is getting its first taste of our delicious tavern food, serving many of the 44,000 fans at FedEx Field this past Sunday, ahead of our full-service Penn Quarter location coming soon,” said Taffer. “We served some of our most popular handhelds and signature items, which all pair perfectly with an ice-cold beer. We’re looking forward to introducing Taffer’s Tavern to fans during football season and other events at FedEx Field.”
The FedEx Field location highlights a sampling of popular items from the full Taffer’s Tavern menu, including the Hot Tavern Pretzel, Spicy Chicken Sandwich, Tavern Fries, Tot Roast Fries, and Jon’s favorite Roast Beef Au Jus.
“Partnering with Taffer’s Tavern allows us to raise the bar on the fan experience at FedExField. They bring unique dining options that many fans will find comforting and delicious for the stadium setting,” said Bob Marks, Vice President of Hospitality for Levy, hospitality partner of FedEx Field. “With operational efficiencies that are well-suited for the arena environment, Taffer’s Tavern innovation allows us to meet the expectations of the modern fan.”
FedEx Field is the second conversion site for Cuisine Solutions, the world’s leading manufacturer of sous vide foods and Taffer’s Tavern franchisee for the Washington, D.C., metro, that recently signed a lease to bring Taffer’s Tavern to a second-generation site within the high-energy Penn Quarter neighborhood and adjacent to the Capital One Arena complex.
“We have secured yet another iconic location in the DMV area,” said Cuisine Solutions President and CEO Felipe Hasselmann. “Our FedEx Field Taffer’s Tavern activation underscores the adaptable footprint of the concept. It also allows us to introduce the brand to stadium goers and give them a taste of popular menu items as a preview for what will be featured in our downtown D.C. restaurant locations.”
Taffer originally tapped Cuisine Solutions, now the world’s authority on sous vide technology, to assist with menu development and kitchen design for Taffer’s Tavern, and they will operate multiple locations in popular areas in D.C. and Northern Virginia.
The groundbreaking concept is ideal for franchisees looking to be part of a rapidly growing brand with the flexibility to operate in both traditional and non-traditional locations. Operated with a kitchen of the future, the industry-leading technology used in Taffer’s Tavern allows minimal need for food preparation and handling, drastically reducing back-of-house labor, and includes a hoodless/ventless kitchen footprint. In addition, the innovative and simplified cooking techniques allow for less experienced kitchen staff and helps reduce cook time by 50 – 90% compared to traditional kitchens.
To facilitate growth for the emerging brand, Taffer has partnered with Fransmart, the industry-leading franchise development company behind the explosive growth of brands like Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and QDOBA Mexican Grill.
“Taffer’s Tavern is the perfect entertainment district restaurant concept, offering refined, high quality, delicious tavern food, served lightning fast and with consistency,” said Fransmart CEO Dan Rowe. “This stadium operation demonstrates the speed to open and flexibility of the hoodless and ventless restaurant concept. In addition to the full-service dining experience, I can see Taffer’s Tavern in other event complexes, amphitheaters, airports and more.”
Taffer is currently seeking experienced franchisees to continue bringing the Taffer’s Tavern concept to the 50 largest media markets throughout North America. For more information about Taffer’s Tavern franchising opportunities, watch this video or visit www.fransmart.com/tafferstavern.
To learn more about Taffer’s Tavern, visit https://tafferstavern.com.

domain: news


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Okay, my favorite games for every system I've ever owned. In chronological order of ownership...
Sega Master System: Easily Phantasy Star. Granted, my SMS library wasn't that big (consisting of Phantasy Star, Miracle Warriors, Double Dragon, Global Defense, and Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego in addition to the built-in Hang-On and Safari Hunt) but PS stood so far above the rest in terms of quality that I suspect it would still be my favorite if I had the cash as a seven-year old to buy out TRU's stock of Master System games. It was the first RPG I ever played, and while I still loved Final Fantasy and Dragon Warrior when I played them a couple years later, they couldn't match that thrill that PS gave me. Double Dragon would be my second choice, standing far above its NES counterpart.
NES: Dragon Warrior III, for a variety of reasons. There are too many to get into, so I'll rattle them off: the colorful sprites, beautiful soundtrack, versatile party system, and enough weapons, armor, and magic spells to make a young boy pee. I loved DWI and II, but III improved on both in so many ways that it still remains not only my favorite NES game, but favorite DW game and one of my top three games of all time. My history with the game is actually quite tragic; I was only able to play it at my friend's house (I didn't own a copy till recently) or when I borrowed it for brief periods of time. I found a copy on eBay a couple months ago that included the game, box, manual, map, as well as the equipment and monster charts for a very reasonable price. I snatched it up, finished the game last month, and am currently working on a walkthrough.
Game Boy: As much as I hate to admit it, the original Pokémon. Red or Blue, it makes no difference, because I owned both. I was the first in my group of friends to catch all 150 (although I guess having both carts is sort of cheating) and decided to call mine a successful Pokémon career and retire early. I never played Gold/Silver, Ruby/Sapphire, or any of the other various versions. Will I pick up Leaf Green or Fire Red? Perhaps.
Sega Genesis: Phantasy Star II was a great followup to a fantastic game, but my heart belongs... to Quackshot! I rented this game once on a whim and fell completely in love with it. Travelling the world as a plunger-gun-toting Donald Duck is about as cool a platformer concept as you can get, and I enjoyed every colorful stage and ridiculously easy boss battle there was. It wasn't so much the game that I enjoyed as the feel of the game, of hopping on a plane and going to India to kill a tiger with a popcorn gun, then traveling to Transylvania on the same day. It felt a lot like the NES Ducktales game, which I suspect is another reason I enjoyed it so much.
SNES: This is a tough one... It's a toss-up between Final Fantasy VI and Super Metroid. FFVI satisfies the RPG-hungry dork in me that PS and DWIII reinforce, but Super Metroid is just swimming in coolness. Cool weapons, abilities, battles, music, environments... Both games allowed for tons of exploration, which is exactly what I wanted as a young and adventurous gamer. I'll say that FFVI wins by a hair, just because I got so fanatical about building up my characters to level 99. I would sit up in my room with my walkman, running in circles (well, squares I guess) in the forest full of Tyranosaurs and Brachosaurs waiting for every character hit 99 so I could feel like I really conquered the game. I ended up listening to TMBG's Lincoln so much that I couldn't hear anything from the album for another few years without thinking of dinosaurs and Economizers.
Sega CD: I was a big Working Designs fan, investing many an hour in both Lunar games. But at the end of the day, clever one-liners and touching love stories aren't going to be enough to designate a game a winner. That honor goes to Shining Force CD, which enamored me from the first battle. I missed out entirely on the Genesis Shining Force games (I did finally beat Shining Force on the Sega Smash Pack, and may pick up Resurrection of the Dark Dragon for my trip to Japan) so playing through Shining Force CD blew me away. I had never really played a strategy game before, and being a close relative of the RPG, I warmed up to the genre very quickly. My dad also got into the game very heavily. He was big into the NES micromanagement strategy games like Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Shingen the Ruler, then decided to try a bit of lighter fare like Shining Force and ended up loving it almost as much as I did.
32X: I'm only listing this because I thought the 32X port of Doom was pretty decent. It ran at a nice clip and I had a six-button controller lying around anyway from Street Fighter II: Championship Edition so I could use all the classic codes. I was a bit pissed that only the first episode was included, but what was there was solid.
Game Boy Color: I suppose it would be cheating to say that the Dragon Warrior III port is my favorite, but in all honesty it's not. Those ports captured the core gameplay, but there were nuances to the original versions that just couldn't be captured, like the white text on the black background. I felt bewildered at myself for finding this saddening when I first played it, but I can't deny I like that old-school feel... Anyway, my favorite GBC game has to be Link's Awakening DX. The original was awesome enough, but the addition of color and an additional (if somewhat underwhelming) dungeon made it even sweeter. My favorite thing to do was launch "missiles"by equipping bombs on the A button and arrows on B, then hitting them at the same time. And stealing from the shopkeeper was also cool. Good times!
Sega Saturn: I don't own too many Saturn games (my collection consists of NiGHTS, Shining the Holy Ark, Albert Odyssey, Iron Storm, Dragon Force, and Resident Evil) so I definitely have to go with Dragon Force. This was another game that my dad got into with me... it was cool to be able to choose any one of these seven (was it seven? I think it was seven) rulers and guide your country to victory. Of course, this never really happened, as all of the countries ended up allying anyway to take down the Dark God. Still, it was cool to see all-out battles with 200 sprites on the screen all duking it out for their general. I'd be playing my copy right now, but I haven't seen it since I loaned it to Brian Glick some five years ago. "Lost in the mail" my ass#@!
PlayStation: The rivalry between FFVI and Super Metroid is reenacted on the 32-bit stage by Suikoden 2 and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Both are 2D exemplars of their respective genres, but both also manage to capture my heart with a similar passion. They're just too damn good#@! In spite of a horrific localization job, Suikoden 2's story still comes through as excellent, heightened by a great soundtrack and the same frenzied battle system as its prequel. SotN runs alongside it with an amazing soundtrack of its own, seemingly bottomless exploration, and a voice acting job on par with Suikoden 2's script. I love their gameplay, I love their quirks, and I can't make up my mind.
N64: Still Mario 64. I wasn't too big into the N64 (I ended up giving mine and all my games to Smoo one Christmas after it became clear that he was a bigger fan than I) but I still have fond memories of playing this game when I first got mine. I'm a sucker for exploration, and Mario 64's world was beautiful and waiting for me to slide down ice slides, shimmy up trees, and fire Mario out of cannons to collect all 120 stars. Mario 64 is a tough act to follow, which is why I ultimately ended up trading my copy of Super Mario Sunshine to one J. Parish for a copy of Super Mario Advance 3: Yoshi's Island.
Sega Dreamcast: I went to Best Buy one day after school with Brad and decided to pick up a copy of Phantasy Star Online and a Dreamcast keyboard after cashing a paycheck and needing a new game. I wasn't anticipating PSO in particular, but I was a teenager with money that needed to be spent. Those were the good old days of PSO, when online play was free, and cheating was nowhere to be found. It only took a month for the servers to be populated with duped weapons and piles of VMU-erasing meseta, and from then on the online game had to be played with caution. Still, it was a lot of fun and addicting as hell. People will tell you that when I start talking about my wish list for Phantasy Star Universe, PSO-style battles are at the top. FFXI has shown me how cumbersome menus and macros et all can be in a group battle setting like the kind PSU will likely have, but I only need two buttons for fighting: "slash" and "slash harder."
PlayStation 2: I can't list Final Fantasy X-2 by itself because the game would be meaningless to me without Final Fantasy X there to set the stage. FFX is a terrific game, but I wasn't too keen on a sequel when it was announced. I wasn't even planning on buying it until I learned about the Dressphere system shortly before the U.S. release (I go nuts for job systems of any kind), at which point I gave up and plunked down my $50 in front of a Wal-Mart cashier. The game strikes such a perfect balance of humor, sentimentality, and action that drives people like me to earn 100% completion, even if it means playing through three times for an extra two-minute scene.
Game Boy Advance: Wario Ware: Mega Microgame$, no contest. I still find stuff to do even after unlocking both Pyoro games and besting my own personal scores time and again. I can (and often do) lose track of time playing Dr. Wario or even Skating Board (personal best is 256!) if I'm on vacation and I whip out the GBA. Metroid: Zero Mission comes close to beating it, but Wario Ware appeals to me so much in every way that I can't not have it as number one.
GameCube: Easy as it is to steal someone else's answer, it's completely true here. Nich named PSO, and so am I. The Episode I&II disc squeezed everything I loved about PSOv.1 and v.2 on the Dreamcast (yes, I shelled out $30 for v.2 for battle mode and the "privilege" of paying for online play) into one adorable GameCube disc bursting with an additional episode. New weapons, armor, monsters, and areas being added to an already awesome online RPG make for one very hungry consumer willing to go without food or sleep during finals week to level his HUcaseal up to 94 before taking a two-year break. I actually played a bit of it tonight, and almost hit 95 after spending a couple hours in the undersea facility. Maybe tomorrow?
PC: I didn't know where to stick this chronologically, so I stuck PC games at the end. My favorite is Diablo II. I don't play many PC games (my entire library consist of Diablo, Diablo II, Age of Empires, and Age of Empires II, with expansions for all of them) but Diablo II deserves credit for following in the footsteps of the original Diablo in its ability to turn me into a frozen zombie, content with sitting and clicking all damn day until I find a Blessed Plate Mail of the Asthmatic Serpent to equip. Then I play until I find an Enchanted Blessed Plate Mail of the Asthmatic Serpent. Addictive as hell.

domain: hobby


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HANAKO FROM MIYAZAKI -- A Western businessman meets a beautiful young Japanese woman during a rainstorm in the seething heart of Tokyo and falls for her, but once the storm ends she vanishes. And the hunt to find her again leads him to the tropical southern island of Kyushu -- and a rendezvous with fate.
SEEING -- A young woman finds out that she can see through other people's eyes in the heart of London town.
AFTER THE STORM -- A pair of wartime lovers keep their romance alive long beyond death on the island of Penang, Malaysia.
THE TAPPLEWORTH ANGEL -- Out on the wild Devon moors, there is the legend of an angel occasionally appearing. But when a houseguest spots it, it begins to affect both his life and the married couple he is staying with.
Stories of relationships, conflict, and romance -- all with hints of haunting strangeness -- by a writer nominated for the British Fantasy Award.
"Richards is a master" -- Romantic Times Book Reviews.
"A unique and eloquent voice" -- John Pelan.
Touched by Magic UK
Touched by Magic US
READ A REVIEW
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Tony Richards is the author of 7 novels from HarperCollins, Tor, and Pan Macmillan and has seen more than one hundred short stories in print. His newest novel, TROPIC OF DARKNESS, is due out from Simon & Schuster in 2013

domain: literature


I hate to allude to such a dark pop culture memory from my undergrad years, but it seems so appropriate given today’s events:
Federal investigators connected to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security have subpoenaed massive troves of voter data, including executed ballots, from 44 North Carolina counties and the State Board of Elections.
The subpoenas cover eight years’ worth of data — millions of documents. The subpoenas are “the most exhaustive on record” for elections officials, State Board of Elections and Ethics Enforcement attorney Josh Lawson said in an email to the assistant U.S. Attorney handing the case.
Complying by a Sept. 25 deadline will make it difficult for county officials to also prepare for the approaching November elections, Lawson said. More than 2 million of the ballots federal investigators demanded could potentially be connected to the people who cast them.
Most of the subpoenas target 44 counties in eastern North Carolina, the territory for U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon’s office. They tie back to a grand jury inquiry based in Wilmington.
A subpoena served on the state board itself asks for “all voter registration applications” and other documents dating back to the beginning of 2010. This request is statewide and covers not only voter registration forms but absentee ballot requests, voter registration cancellation forms and “admission or denial of non-citizen return” forms. […]
Okay. Here’s a graphic showing the affected counties:
And HERE is an actual copy of the subpoena.
It’s being called a “fishing expedition.” Even as the leftist Bible publishes a story like this.
However, sane people can go back to the article and see that the subpoena is part of an ongoing federal grand jury inquiry based in Wilmington. One can also look at the involvement of ICE and Homeland Security and infer that this likely has something to do with foreigners / illegals voting in North Carolina.
The counties requested make up the federal Eastern district of North Carolina. Looking at all of the counties at the same time can help with comparing and contrasting data between localities.
I am sure The Round Rev is already being hoisted upright by several cranes. Expect to hear the word ‘racism’ a lot. (I would also not be surprised if the lefties don’t make an issue of the assistant US attorney’s Russian-sounding last name. *Somebody alert Burr !!!*)


The LAROA clip-on light has a white plastic body and an adjustable arm and head. The integrated LEDs under the white plastic cover produce a neutral white light. The clip is adjustable to ensure it is compatible with various tabletops and shelves. The lamp can be switched on and off easily by touching the “touch me” zone on the head, which can select one of the five brightness levels. The clip-on light is perfect for use as a work light or reading lamp and, thanks to the flexible body, can provide focused lighting for your workspace in an instant.


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Dungeons are full of awesome loot. That’s just the nature of dungeons. They’re also full of dangerous monsters protecting said loot. Well, you want that loot, but don’t want to have to deal with the monsters. That makes you a lewt ninja. And that is what you’ll become in Lewt Ninja, a new card game from Grunt Games that’s up on Kickstarter now.
From the campaign:
If you have played any Massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) like World of Warcraft, Rifts, or Star Wars the Old Republic then you have more than likely created many characters and adventured across the virtual lands of these fantasy universes. During visit to these fantasy worlds you have more than likely have ventured into one of the many dungeons in search of powerful weapons and artifacts for your character. In the early days of these games there were some players who went into these dungeons with the purpose of gathering up all of the loot for themselves even if they couldn’t use the items. The community dubbed these players as ninjas. While the creators of these worlds have since placed new mechanics and features into the looting systems of their games and decreased the hardships of players from losing out on acquiring the sought after items for their characters; a new game company is looking at the past to inspire a new card game for gamers to play.
The Kickstarter campaign is up and running now. It’s set to go for another 17 days.


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DVD Slideshow Maker Pro
Greatdy Software Inc
DVD Slideshow Maker Pro is an application that helps you create movie-like slideshows out...
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Discovr Music - discover new music
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Microsoft adds Touch Bar support to Office 2016
Microsoft has finally opened up the Touch Bar support to all the Office 2016 users, not just the ones registered in the Insider program.
Google's Gmail will soon support third-party add-ons
According to a recent announcement made by Google, third-party developers will soon be able to implement their add-ons directly into Gmail.
Mozilla will add more performance options to Firefox
Mozilla has recently announced that in the future, Firefox will offer more performance-related settings for its users to configure.
Netflix may be getting ready to add an Ultra tier of service
Netflix is currently testing a new paid membership tier called Ultra, which allows its users to watch the content in Ultra HD on up to four devices at once.
A Much Better Apple Music App For macOS Monterey
Apple is rebuilding its Apple Music as a native app for macOS Monterey 12.2. Read about the new features and enjoy its faster performance.


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1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas mark 4.
2. Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat and sauté the onion until soft but not coloured. Add the mustard, horseradish and lemon juice, and then stir in the cream.
3. Once the sauce is combined, stir in the white crab meat.
4. Spoon the crab mixture into the cleaned shells, place on a baking sheet and bake for 8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine the cheese, breadcrumbs and parsley in a bowl with a little salt and pepper. Set aside.
5. To make the crab butter, place the brown crab meat into a food processor with the horseradish cream and blitz slowly adding the cream until a mayonnaise consistency is reached.
6. When the crab is cooked, remove from the oven and cover the crab with the breadcrumb mixture and place under a hot grill for 2-3 minutes, or until golden.
7. Serve with hot granary toast and a small pot of crab butter on the side.


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Online casino is the term used to describe a website or app that allows you to play real money games on your computer, tablet, or smartphone. These sites are typically licensed by a government regulatory body and offer secure transactions, a wide selection of games, and excellent customer support. They also provide a safe and comfortable environment for gamblers of all ages. However, it is important to understand that the house always has an edge and you should not expect to win every time you bet.
In addition to the usual slots, online casinos now feature a variety of other games that players can enjoy. These include table games such as blackjack, roulette, and poker, which can be played either against a live dealer or against other players. Many of these sites offer multiple variations of these games, so players can find the one that suits them best.
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PointsBet is an exciting newcomer to the market, and its online casino features a robust collection of sports betting options as well as slots, table games, and video poker. The site offers impressive promotions and a polished mobile experience, and is available in Michigan, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.
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"We made a very small nanosensor that can detect cancer-causing molecules or important therapeutic drugs inside of a single living cell," said Michael Strano of Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge, who worked on the study.
The move is a major victory for campaigners, patients and cancer specialists. They had described Nice's refusal to approve the drugs - which cost up to £70,000 a year per patient - as unfair, inhumane and condemning patients to an unnecessarily early death.
The improvements are due to gains against some leading cancers -- prostate, colorectal, breast and, for men, lung cancer -- but numerous other types still are on the rise, including melanoma and kidney cancer, the report said.
Medarex Announces Initiation of Phase 1b Clinical Development Program with MDX-1106 for the Treatment of Cancer
Medarex, Inc. (Nasdaq: MEDX) today announced it has initiated a Phase 1b clinical trial for MDX-1106 (ONO-4538: development code of Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.), a fully human anti-PD-1 antibody for the treatment of cancer. Studies suggest that the PD-1 signaling pathway may play an important role in tumor evasion and escape from host immune responses and may also promote the persistence of certain chronic viral infections.
Biotechnology company Antigenics Inc (AGEN.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) said on Monday that its Oncophage vaccine extended survival in a small study of patients with brain cancer.
A REVOLUTIONARY painless technique that uses electrical pulses to zap tumours is being trialled at The Alfred hospital to treat cancer.
Scientists have identified three genes linked to the body's processing of fats that may increase the risk of kidney cancer.
Despite what his cancer doctors told him 2 1/2 years ago, Joe Daniels still coaches the Buckeyes' quarterbacks
Learn about renal cancers on the ASCO Cancer.net website
Landmark 15-Year Study Of UCLA Kidney Cancer Patients Shows Aggressive, Personalized Therapy Improves Survival
The one-size-fits-all approach traditionally used in kidney cancer treatment should be changed based on the results of the study.
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Two siblings, two debilitating diseasesand two heart transplants … in two months
John Johnston reports
As her family’s minivan motored along the highway, 7-year-old Zhania Coleman sat in the back seat happily recounting the five days she’d spent at summer camp.
But the girl’s emotions changed quickly that day, July 20, when her mother got a phone call from Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. A donor heart had arrived; Zhania’s seven-month wait for a transplant was about to end.
Although great news – her survival depended on a new heart – it was also overwhelming and frightening. Zhania had a meltdown in the minivan. “She was hysterical,” her mother said.
The vehicle pulled over. Zion Coleman, who is 10, climbed into the back seat with his sister.
“It’s OK,” he told her. “I did it. You’re gonna be cool.”
If anyone is uniquely qualified to be a calming presence, it is Zion, who seven weeks earlier underwent a heart transplant at the same hospital.
So far in 2012, Cincinnati Children’s has performed 11 heart transplants, the most in any year since its first transplant in 1986.
The Coleman kids are unusual cases, not just because they’re siblings who received their hearts less than two months apart, but because it was the first time the hospital performed such transplants on children with sickle cell disease. Nationally, that scenario is “a rare event,” said Dr. Clifford Chin, medical director of pediatric heart transplant services at Cincinnati Children’s.
Zion and Zhania were preschoolers when diagnosed with sickle cell, an inherited blood disorder that causes red blood cells to take the shape of crescents, or sickles, and results in less oxygen being delivered to the body’s tissues.
They are the oldest of four children of Demetria and Nathaniel Coleman, of West Chester Township. He’s a restaurant cook, with health insurance that covers his family. She stays home to care for the kids. Their two youngest – Zareha, 5, and Zaire, 2 – have so far checked out as healthy.
Four years ago, at age 6, Zion got another diagnosis: a rare heart disease called restrictive cardiomyopathy. That also was Zhania’s diagnosis a year later, when she was 4.
The disease occurs in less than one child per million, according to the Pediatric Cardiomyopathy Registry.
Without transplant, prognosis grim
In children with the condition, the pumping chambers of the heart are abnormally stiff, restricting the heart’s ability to fill with blood, said Dr. Alistair Phillips, surgical director of pediatric heart transplantation at Cincinnati Children’s. As a result, the heart can’t supply enough blood to the body.
Without a transplant, about half of children die within two years of diagnosis, he said.
Zion was placed on the heart transplant list on May 13, 2010. Then he and his family waited.
He likes baseball, football and basketball, but he couldn’t play because he tired easily.
“When we went to Wal-Mart or Kroger, he wouldn’t be able to walk the whole store,” his mother said.
After two years, the call finally came on June 2.
Zion wasn’t nervous. Just the opposite.
“That’s cool,” he told his mother. “I get a new heart!”
Success hinges on teamwork
At the hospital, a team that included doctors, nurses, social workers, lab workers and a chaplain was ready.
“In general to do a heart transplant well, there’s probably about 100 people involved,” Phillips said. “When you add on top of it something like sickle cell, you’re bringing in a whole other group of people on top of this already complicated system.”
Just before the transplant, sickle cell patients require an exchange transfusion, “basically removing their own blood cells and replacing them with new blood cells to get their sickle cell percentage down, to make the (transplant) safe for them and to improve their recovery,” Phillips said.
Coordination is crucial, and the entire process “has to be done seamlessly,” said Phillips, who led the surgical teams for both children’s transplants.
Soon after the operation, Zion told the surgeon: “I had a party in my chest.” It was his way of saying he felt good.
He was discharged June 29, then the family checked into a nearby hotel so they could get to the hospital quickly if complications arose.
Comforting words from big brother
On July 20, the Colemans were returning to the hotel from Camp Joy, near Clarksville, where Zhania had attended a camp for kids with blood disorders.
That’s when the hospital called again, this time with news of a heart for Zhania.
As parents, “We couldn’t tell her it was going to be OK,” Demetria said. “That was (Zion’s) job.”
Big brother comforted her in the minivan. Then, at Zhania’s request, he accompanied her into the hospital.
“He sat next to her in bed and literally, step-by-step, broke (the operation) down for her. And when it was time for her to go (to surgery), she was so cool,” Demetria said.
Before being wheeled away, she said: “I can do this, Mom.”
Zhania was discharged from the hospital a week ago. She’s doing well, as is Zion, who is swimming and looking forward to swinging a bat next spring.
“I can’t wait to see him on the baseball field,” Demetria said.
The children are taking medications to prevent their bodies from rejecting the new hearts, and to prevent infections. With a weakened immune system, the children must avoid large groups for a year or so.
Other than that, they can be normal kids.
A family rejoices while others grieve
Like every transplant story, this one is bittersweet.
Somewhere, two families are grieving.
Demetria Coleman doesn’t know their identities. But she knows they bestowed on her children the greatest gift imaginable.
She’ll be able to send them letters. She said she’ll offer them the chance to meet Zion and Zhania: “If they want to wait years, whenever they’re ready, we’ll still be open to that.”
And she’ll try somehow to convey her gratefulness, but she acknowledges, “ ‘Thank you’ just doesn’t seem like enough.”
Posted in: News |


The Biden administration gave final approval Monday to a major Arctic oil project, marking one of its most significant and controversial decisions on climate change and energy. The drilling project had become an important symbol for both environmentalists and the oil industry over the last year as each camp fought to bend the decision in its favor.
The administration paired the approval with an announcement that it would seek to expand or strengthen protections across 16 million acres in the Alaskan Arctic, both onshore and in coastal waters, restricting or prohibiting oil and gas drilling in those areas.
The Willow Project was proposed five years ago by ConocoPhillips and would be the largest oil development to proceed under the Biden administration. Over 30 years of production, it would pump about 576 million barrels of oil from a federally-managed reserve on Alaska’s North Slope. The site lies about 30 miles west of a village of 500 residents, most of whom are Alaska Natives, and partially within a protected area that is home to millions of migratory birds and a caribou herd that is a subsistence food source for the village.
While some environmental groups welcomed the new conservation measures announced by the administration, they roundly condemned Willow’s approval.
The new protections are “not nearly sufficient to blunt the impact of any version of the Willow oil and gas project,” said Karlin Itchoak, Alaska senior regional director for The Wilderness Society. “We cannot allow ConocoPhillips to accelerate the climate crisis, and in my mind that’s exactly what this does.”
Christy Goldfuss, chief policy impact officer at the Natural Resources Defense Council, said in a statement that the approval “is a grievous mistake. It green-lights a carbon bomb, sets back the climate fight and emboldens an industry hell-bent on destroying the planet. It’s wrong on climate and wrong for the country.”
For Biden, it was a politically fraught decision. Environmental groups fought hard to block Willow’s approval, and in the process motivated millions of young Americans to join a viral social media campaign to oppose the project. A petition on the website Change.org had drawn more than 3.2 million signatures as of Monday afternoon.
Advocates stressed that Biden had promised as a candidate that he would not approve any new drilling projects on public lands—Willow is located on the federally-managed National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, or NPR-A. And they pointed to his broader climate goals to slash the nation’s climate pollution and reach “net-zero” emissions by 2050. The Willow Project, as planned, would continue to pump beyond that date.
But Biden felt immense pressure to approve the project, too. Alaska’s entire congressional delegation, including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican who has helped move the president’s nominations through the Senate, supported the project. The state legislature unanimously approved a resolution in favor.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine further complicated the decision. After embargoes on Russian oil and gas sent energy prices soaring last year, Biden and other officials began appealing to oil companies to increase domestic production. Last week, as oil executives gathered for a major industry conference in Houston, they argued that rejecting Willow would be hypocritical.
“It’s exactly what this administration has been asking our industry to do,” said Ryan Lance, ConocoPhillips’ chief executive, referring to Willow during a panel at the conference. “It’s more production.”
The decision has also divided some Alaska Native communities. Leaders of the village of Nuiqsut, which is closest to the project, have been outspoken in their opposition to Willow, saying it threatened public health and subsistence hunting. Yet many other Native communities have supported the development.
“We’ve been working hard to get Willow to the finish line,” said Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, which represents local governments, Alaska Native Corporations and federally recognized tribes across the North Slope. Harcharek said the revenue generated by Willow—potentially billions of dollars—will support local communities and help them invest in wildlife monitoring and climate adaptation projects. “With today’s decision, we’re feeling pretty good.”
Representatives of Nuiqsut did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Other Alaska Natives have warned about the impacts of oil drilling on their way of life. “The true cost of the Willow Project is to the land and to animals and people forced to breath[e] polluted air and drink polluted water,” said a statement issued Monday by Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, a Native-led environmental group. “While out-of-state executives take in record profits, local residents are left to contend with the detrimental impacts of being surrounded by massive drilling operations.”
The final decision moderately limited the scope of Willow from what ConocoPhillips had proposed. As approved, the project could include up to 199 wells from three drilling sites, down from the five proposed by ConocoPhillips. The Interior Department, which manages the petroleum reserve, said the change would significantly reduce the water use and surface impacts of drilling. It would also reduce total oil production by about 8 percent, the decision said.
Willow would have peak output of about 180,000 barrels per day. The production and combustion of all that oil would release about 239 million metric tons of climate pollution over 30 years, the final decision said, roughly equal to running two coal-fired power plants over that period.
“This decision strikes a balance,” the document published by the department said, “allowing for development to occur in the NPR-A consistent with the terms of existing leases while at the same time requiring the implementation of robust protections for surface resources, as well as measures to limit greenhouse gas emissions and thereby reduce climate impacts.”
Supporters of the project have argued that, had the administration rejected Willow, other oil-producing countries would have made up the difference, pumping much or all of the petroleum that would have come from Willow. As a result, they argued, a rejection would not have a major impact on climate emissions.
Willow will surely have impacts locally. In early years of development, the project will require dozens of truck trips per hour during the winter and spring, according to the final environmental impact statement, polluting the area with diesel exhaust.
Some people in Nuiqsut have blamed an increase in the incidence of respiratory illness on nearby drilling—ConocoPhillips operates a separate project a few miles north of town, and a second one to the west. Willow would add a third, just beyond the existing site to the west.
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Electricity for Willow would come from a new, 98 megawatt natural gas-fired power plant. All of this would occur in a region that is warming about twice as fast as the continental United States, so fast that some Arctic villages are being forced to relocate. That warming is thawing the region’s permafrost, and ConocoPhillips has said it will use subterranean chillers to help maintain the ice beneath its roads and other operations, in order to prevent them from collapsing.
One of the new drilling sites would be within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area, a protected wilderness that surrounds the largest lake in Arctic Alaska. The area is a critical habitat for migratory birds, caribou and other animals. More than a dozen species of vulnerable birds nest, molt or rest near the lake each year, including tens of thousands of white-fronted and Brant geese, according to the Audubon Society.
In a statement on Monday, the Interior Department said it would propose a new rule that “will consider additional protections for the more than 13 million acres designated as Special Areas,” including Teshekpuk Lake, “in recognition of their importance to wildlife and subsistence uses.” The statement also said the administration would protect about 2.8 million acres of the Arctic Ocean, banning oil and gas drilling indefinitely. Paired with steps taken by the Obama administration, that would remove all federally-managed waters in the Arctic Ocean from possible drilling.
The new protections were welcomed by Itchoak, of the Wilderness Society. But he said they do not eliminate a major concern of environmentalists: That the Willow Project could open up even more areas of the petroleum reserve to new drilling. ConocoPhillips agreed to relinquish 68,000 acres of leased land close to Teshekpuk Lake, as part of Monday’s approval, but Itchoak said that would still leave the company with leases in other areas where it could propose additional projects in the future.
Willow was initially approved by the Trump administration, but a judge overturned that decision after environmentalists filed numerous lawsuits. Monday’s approval could also be headed to the courts, said Erik Grafe, an attorney with Earthjustice, an environmental law firm that was involved in the previous round of lawsuits against Willow.
“Litigation is very likely,” he said.


The performance of Checkstyle on our project is not acceptable. It raises the build time in Eclipse from 9 minutes to over 20 minutes when it is turned on.
Windows 7 Enterprise 64-bit
Java 1.6.0_31 64-bit
MyEclipse 9.1 64-bit (based on Eclipse 3.6)
Checkstyle Plugin version 184.108.40.206111092104
Workstation: 12GB RAM, W3680 processor (12 cores at 3.33GHz)
We have about 30 projects, 29 smaller ones which Checkstyle runs on quickly, but the largest is 984 packages, 9526 source files, 11,753 classes, 1,634,770 lines of code and uses 180 third-party jar files and it takes Checkstyle about 10 minutes to analyze that project. During the time Checkstyle is analyzing it the CPU utilization is around 8-10% so Checkstyle is using only one core of twelve cores.
When Checkstyle is enabled, it will build in sequence, and add over 10 minutes to the total build time in Eclipse (changing it from 9 minutes to over 20 minutes).
While it was analyzing the big project, it was using only 1/12th of the available horsepower (1 of 12 cores) of the workstation it was running on. When multiple-cores are available, Checkstyle needs to make use of multiple cores in order to reduce the time it takes to analyze large projects. We want Checkstyle on for all builds, and it should use all 12 cores available to it to reduce the analysis time.
Also requested in the Checkstyle plugin: see: https://sourceforge.net/tracker/?func=detail&aid=3528856&group_id=80344&atid=559497
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It will mount to either the Single Scanner Servo Arm Bracket or Dual Scanner Servo Arm Bracket. Hardware is included to mount the UVTRON Kit to the bracket.
This Bracket is to mount a Sharp GP2D12 IR detector or a Devantech SRF04 Ultrasonic ranger to a standard servo arm. The servo arm is not provided.
Custom ready to ship all-terrain robot. This heavy-duty robotic platform is powered by wheelchair motors and is built to handle difficult terrain. Fast, powerful, and capable of carrying large payloads, this is an ideal all purpose robotic platform!
This is an Enclosed 6-wheel drive robot. Ideally suited for Autonomous Robot Development! It uses six powerful wheelchair motors and the inside robot cavity has plenty of room for electronics.