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Martin's View
This is a blog about recreational hobbies that I am interested in (music, TV, movies, books). I also talk about what's on my mind or things that happen in life around me. Please feel free to post comments; I want this to be an interactive dialogue. If you like what you read, please share it with your friends. Thanks.
DVD review - Buffy season 2, episodes 11 and 12
Continuing my viewing and reviewing of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
*** SPOILERS ***
Episode 11: Ted
Synopsis: When Buffy's mother is romanced by a computer software salesman named Ted, Buffy's uneasy feelings cause her to launch a background investigation. (written by: Joss Whedon, airdate 12/8/97)
I loved the twist on the child from a divorced marraige not accepting a parent getting back into the dating pool. Like Buffy, I was not so sure about this guy from the moment we met him. Being a great chef and everyone loving his food - too good to be true (I so called the food being a key to the infiltration). Even then, I was not 100% sure what the deal was with him. I knew Ted was weird but why. When Buffy finally has to defend herself and puts him out, I thought "okay, this just got all weird - she killed him". It felt so surreal and that helped the viewer feel Buffy's confusion. Then, bam, Ted's baaaaaaack! That was freaky. Even more freaky, what lies under Ted's skin. John Ritter played this part perfectly, from nice guy to crazed killer robot. Loved the team (Willow, Xander and Cordelia) doing their own investigating and finding the hidden place in the cellar. Oh, and I loved that Xander and Cordelia know their love is "forbidden" (by high school clique standards) but they'll still go make out in the utility closet. I also enjoyed that Giles went out to pick up the slack of patrol, only to have Jenny follow him to apologize. Then, bam, she's in danger and he protects her so she can escape. Yet, she wants to help only to end up shooting Giles instead (so glad many layers of tweed are like kevlar). In the end, they make up which is nice to see. I'd hate to see her leaving the show so soon.
Episode 12: Bad Eggs
Synopsis: Willow, Cordelia, Giles and Joyce become drones for an ancient beast after its eggs are mistakenly given out as part of a health class assignment. (written by Marti Noxon, airdate 1/12/98)
Lots of coupling going on in this one - Buffy and Angel, Xander and Cordelia. I enjoyed the later pair's veiled fight in health class. Speaking of, this episode gives a whole twist on the "egg baby" exercise by throwing in little nasty parasite creatures. Ick indeed. A nice and creepy episode - giving the viewers the heebee jeebees right with the characters. A shame we lost one of the two cowboy-vampires to the egg-laying momma, but I have hopes that the other one will return in the future. He seemed too good of a character for a one-shot appearance.
Posted by Martin Maenza at 5:59 AM 2 comments:
Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, TV
DVD review - Buffy season 2, episodes 9 and 10
Episodes 9 and 10: What's My Line parts 1 and 2
Synopsis: As career week at school has Buffy wondering what her future may have been like, Spike hires three professional bounty hunters to ensure she has no future at all. Then, Buffy joins forces with a mysterious Slayer named Kendra in hopes of saving Angle from Spike and Drusilla and the deadly ritual they have planned. (written by: Howard Gordon and Marti Nixon, airdates 11/17/97 and 11/24/97)
I'm reviewing the two parter together to make it a bit easier for me. This is the first one of these since season 1, and the story certainly warrants it. First, Buffy had a Dorothy Hamill obcession - nice. This is how you bring out rich backstory details of a character, in a logical and unobtrussive way. If that was SMG doing the actual skating (it certainly appeared like it in many of the scenes) then she is pretty good. We get to have some Willow and Oz time together - and even I caught the change in his hair color between episodes. Mistake? I think not! I am sure this is a clue to something I'll learn more about in a future episode. The debut of Kendra was surprising but logical (Buffy was dead after all last season). It played as a nice contrast between the two - especially since one goes by the handbook (to the letter) and the other didn't even know one existed. Also, I love how Kendra is continually surprised by how many folks know Buffy is the slayer; her American counterpart has no sense of secret identity at all. Nice to see the strain between Giles and Ms. Calendar - that makes sense given all she went through in the previous episodes. The bug guy was downright creepy - and Xander and Cordelia made an awesome team (and an awesome couple who eventually cannot deny their attraction, even though it is so "Pretty In Pink" in reverse - which would really make it "Some Kind of Wonderful", wouldn't it?). The scenes with Dru "playing" with Angel was downright sadistic. Then again, he did drive her crazy centuries back, so it is a little payback coming around. The whole Spike-Dru-Angel triangle makes for great tension. And, speaking of great, that final church battle that brought down the house - perfect. The end was even better, with the now healed Dru rising up and vowing to nurse her Spike back to health. She is one scary lady! All in all, a solid, well-round storyline.
Posted by Martin Maenza at 6:36 PM 2 comments:
DVD review - Buffy season 2, episodes 7 and 8
Continuing with my viewing and reviewing of season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer...
***SPOILERS***
Episode 7: Lie To Me
Synopsis: Buffy is lured into a trap by a group of vampire wannabes who hope Spike will thrun them into vampires in exchange for giving him the Slayer. (written by Joss Whedon, airdate 11/3/97)
Nice - lies upon lies upon lies in this episode, making the life lesson that things aren't always what they appear really drive home. Buffy sees Angel in the playground with Drusilla, but it isn't what it seems. Buffy's old friend Ford shows up in town, but it isn't what it seems. The wannabes have this vision of what vampire life is like, but that isn't what it seems. Buffy has to set up Ford only to follow him, but that isn't what it seems. Ford makes a deal with Spike, but that isn't what it seems.
I liked Xander's jealousy continuing to be a center point. And right after Angel mocks the wannabes dress only to have one come by dressed just like him - very funny. Learning more about Drusilla was good - and that scene with the bird just shows how crazy she is. I am curious too to see what Spike will do with the book stolen from the library. Good episode all around, but that's to be expected as it was one of Joss'.
Episode 8: The Dark Age
Synopsis: Giles' past comes back to haunt him when a demon he and Ethan Rayne summoned in their wild days come looking for them in Sunnydale. (written by Batali and Des Hotel, airdate 11/10/97)
So, what was hinted at in "Halloween" is revealed two episodes later. I was expecting something a bit more serious and lasting, but I guess this works. The connection of Ethan and Giles to their college days of demon summoning comes back in a deadly way. The casualty, alas, is the relationship between Giles and Jenny Calendar. I'm sorry to see that. But I guess it hard to forgive someone after they lead to your being possessed.
Some great Cordelia moments, and Willow and her speech about shaping up or getting out of "her library" was fantastic. And, I love Giles' last line "The Bay City Rollers - now that's music".
Episode 5: Reptile Boy
Synopsis: When Buffy and Cordelia attend a frat party, they find themselves being offered up to a reptile-like creature as human sacrifies. (written by David Greenwalt, airdate 10/13/97)
High school and college boys - it is the age old combination. Girls mature faster than guys and want more mature guys. Not these guys! I love the whole fraternity as a cult angle - they always seemed to have that kind of mystique. Some outstanding dialogue in this. Cordelia needing Buffy lead to some great moments, and then her flip-flopping the blame - classic. Love how Xander crashes only to become a mockery only to become one to help save the day. Perfect balance. Willow chewing out both Angel and Giles was also a great scene. The special effects with the reptile-demon were pretty well done too. A very solid episode. Enjoyed it.
Episode 6: Halloween
Synopsis: After renting Halloween costumes from an unusual shop, Buffy and her friends literally begin turning into whatever costume they are wearing. (written by Carl Ellsworth, airdate 10/27/97)
Awesome episode all the way around! Love the premise, love Xander as the hero and Willow coming out of her shell and taking charge. Buffy as the demure worked to allow the others to shine nicely. We get more of Oz too. Good to see Spike again, taking advantage of someone else's chaos. And speaking of - this Ethan and his knowing Giles from the past - there is the kicker of the episode! We get a teaser that something isn't quite as it seems, and I am so pumped by this. I love the twists and turns, and this is a great one. Can't way to see how this unfolds in future episodes.
Posted by Martin Maenza at 12:36 PM 3 comments:
DVD review - Buffy season 2, episode 4
Episode 4: Inca Mummy Girl
Synopsis: A beautiful Inca princess who was buried alive in a tomb 500 years ago is accidentally brought back to life in the Sunnydale Natural History Museum. (written: Matt Kiene & Joe Reinkemeyer, airdate 10/6/97)
This one was enjoyable. The writing was very snappy and funny in parts, the premise another classic horror comic spin, and it dealt again with teen romance. A perfect combo. Poor Xander. Can't catch a break. He should learn the rule: if he's attracted to a hot, new stranger in town then she's probably some kind of killer. ;) I love the continuity nod with the line "You're not a praying mantis, are you?". Perfect. And, Seth Green shows up in the band as Oz and he's interested in Willow. About time she had somebody mooning after her.
Comics of the Week (3/25/09)
Batman: the Brave and the Bold #3 - the cover is that of a 60's comic, with a little bait-and-switch about Batman being sworn in as President. Instead, he has to protect the President and he brings along buddy Green Arrow to help. The rivalry of Bats and GA from the cartoon episodes (of which GA has appeared in a number so far) was not there so that felt a little disjointed. Other than that, it was a fun little romp and a good book for new, younger readers to enjoy as well as oldtimers like me.
Justice League of America #31 - the first page was confusing. Either the art was wrong or the dialogue was wrong, because Zatanna was talking to "Dinah" but Wonder Woman (Diana) was shown. That was jarring. The rest of the issue was okay. Basically this is the JLA dealing with the ramifications of Final Crisis and the loss of the Big Three. Another bad point - this issue references events from a mini coming this summer (we actually got a footnote caption!) but we're preceeding that story by months. Not a smooth transition there either. Ah well.
Trinity #43 - the big three strike at the villains, but they seem to still be in "God mode". Will they revert back? Of course they will. But hopefully we'll see that soon as these versions of the characters are pretty cold and sterile.
Showcase Presents: Ambush Bug - DC's zany hero who debuted in the 80's gets the b/w treatment in a nice volume covering all of his early appearances and mini's. Nice to see DC could strike a royalty deal to put out this collection of 80's and 90's issues in one place. Though I own most of the floppies, I got this one for the collection. Just a lot of fun. Looking forward to reading this one soon.
Back Issue! #33 - this issue sports a Perez cover of the New Teen Titans and focuses on teen heroes. Again, haven't read it yet but it is on my weekend enjoyment list. This magazine is always a pleasure to savored every two months. If you are a comic fan of the 70's and 80's, this is one that should be on your list. Rarely am I disappointed by an issue - there is always some great articles to fill in my knowledge of the Bronze age era of comics.
Posted by Martin Maenza at 5:52 AM No comments:
Labels: comics
Episode 2: Some Assembly Required
Synopsis: A series of grave robbings leads to a science club member who is trying to create a girlfriend for his brother, whom he has just brought back from the dead. (written by Ty King, airdate 9/22/97)
First, love the title! This episode again harkens back to those old comic horror stories - assuming a kid could actually figure out how to resurrect his recently killed brother. The fact that he and a friend would then keep a promise to make a patchwork-woman for the lonely, recently dead just kicks up the ick factor. What works mostly for me in this one is the continuity points with the main cast. We see Giles getting up the nerve to ask Miss Callender on a date, only to find himself asked out instead. That was fun. Plus, we get the tension of Buffy/Angel/Xander carrying over from last episode into this one nicely. And, finally, more Cordelia in the center of danger - the damsel in distress role. Those are the bits that made this one a little better than average. But, hey, the season is still young.
Episode 3: School Hard
Synopsis: Buffy's mother gets trapped inside Sunnydale High School when a vampire named Spike arrives in town and launches an attack against the Slayer. (written by Joss Whedon, airdate 9/29/97)
This one kicks it up the notch I wanted. First, there is the introduction of Spike and Drusila, a set of adversaries that'll make things a lot more interesting. I love Spike's style and attitude. And I like that there is that connection to Angel, providing another level of tension for that character. The whole nightmare of school meets parents meets slayer added a good bit of conflict. Clearly more people are getting an inkling of what is going on. And the fact that the new principal and the police officer allude to something in their brief conversation in the end has me thinking they both know a lot more than are letting on. Oh, and I love Armin Shimmeran (Quark) in this role - nice casting. All in all, a solid episode that advances the continuity and premise nicely. Me like!
As noted earlier this week, I am on to season 2 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since Mike wanted to do an interactive discussion with me, I'll be reviewing episodes as I watch them. You can participate in the talk too - just remember I am a first time viewer (even though these shows are from 1997) - so please don't spoil future episodes for me. I will not read not post comments that do that.
First, love the interactive menus on season 2 disks. The whole 3D trip through the town is neat. Nice touch.
**** SPOILERS ****
Season 2, episode 1: When She Was Bad
Synopsis: Buffy returns from summer vacation with a "major attitude" and recurring nightmares involving the Master - even as The Annointed One and his followers plot their revenge. (Airdate 9/15/07, written and directed by Joss Whedon)
Ok, beginning of the seasons episodes can be a little clunky. You have new hairstyles (like Cordelia's hair being more brown, Buffy with her cut locks, Xander cleaned up a bit), with teens they have aged some too. It shows. But everyone is back and a perfect follow on to the season 1 finale. It tied in some of the loose ends from that episodes and it showed how the group - now with Cordelia and Miss Collander - had really expanded.
I knew there would be some ramifications from the Master's bite in the season 1 finale - I thought that was what was causing Buffy to act so weird. Turns out, though, it was just trauma - trauma of dying and coming back, trauma of such a crazy year, and trauma of the love-kind with Angel. What's a girl to do? Take out her aggressions - literally.
Of the new vampires, I was sorry to see the preacher man go so quickly. I kind of liked him. Not sure how I feel about The Annointed One - so far he hasn't done a heck of a lot. I am sure that will change in future episodes - as a writer, I certainly would do something with him.
And, poor Xander. That scene at the Bronze, right after Buffy does her "dirty dancing" impression, he is left confused. Should I go? Should I not? Is it me she wants or is it whatever the freak is bothering her? And Willow stares. And Cordelia stares. And Angel stares. That is how to create unspoken tensions all the way around the group. Nicely played, Joss.
Coming soon (as soon as I watch it - maybe tonight) - episode 2.
Comics of the Weeks (3/4/09 to 3/18/09)
Time to play catch up. Sorry to my regular readers for not posting these - been a little busy. I'm thinking maybe doing my comic comments every two weeks or once a month now, in part because I'm finding that my pull list is shrinking a bit more as each month goes by.
Booster Gold #18 - another rock solid issue by Dan Jurgens as Booster teams up with his past self to rescue his sister from the end of time and to return the chrono-dagger to ancient Egypt. Lots of ramifications in this issue - answering some questions and creating a few more. A good time travel series should do that. I hear rumor that in a few months the price of the book will go up another $1 (to $3.99) but the Blue Beetle (Jaime) will be a back-up feature in the title. I'm not thrilled with the price increase but I enjoy Booster too much to let this one drop.
the Outsiders #16 - the new/old team gets new digs and a mission. Hmmm...I'm not as impressed as I had been last month. I think this book is going to targeting my "drop list" very soon.
Rebels #2 - while not as good as the first issue, this one did have its moments. Seeing Vril Dox argue with Brainiac 5 was interesting, as Vril going off task to use the information he got from his ancestor to do things his way. That makes this book nice and unpredictable. And the way Vril screwed over Tigorr - priceless.
Secret Six #7 - the opening arc ends in a free-for-all in Gotham City. I love the twists and turns this book takes, and I love a cast of villains who tend to do things their way for their own reasons. Another solid issue from Gail Simone and the art team.
Solomon Grundy #1 (of 7) - spinning off the one-shot "Faces of Evil" issue two months ago, this seems to be building into a nice, definitive look at Grundy's past and future. If you're a fan of what Geoff Johns did with the Rogues over in the Flash, you should enjoy this book.
Strange Adventures #1 (of 8) - this mini is a sequel to the recent Rann-Thanagar Holy War. It has Jim Starlin back at the creative helm. It follows the further exploits of Adam Strange, the cosmic Starman, Captain Comet, the Weird and Bizarro, and it introduces some new cosmic threats. I am enjoying it just for the scope of things and the varied cast.
Terror Titans #6 (of 6) - another fine issue wrapping up a great mini with interesting villain characters. The ramifications will be folding back into the regular Teen Titans title and, from what I heard, Ravager will be getting her own back-up series in that book when it bumps up a buck as well to $3.99. If it continues the events from this mini, I'm good with that as well.
Trinity #40 to 42 - the weekly epic draws into the third act. The trinity is back, sort of, from the altered reality and is making good that which needs to be. They're taking on the villains three and holding nothing back. But even when they are stopped, there is still the threat of Krona looming near the finale. With ten issues left to go, I am looking forward to a huge payoff. Oh, that and freeing up $2.99 a week off my bill - that is unless another weekly is going to be done and it is something that interests me.
"New" author Gregory Maguire
Recently I started in on a new author - okay "new" is subjective as his books have been around for a better part of a decade. Gregory Maguire is probably most known as the author of Wicked which became a hit Broadway musical. I saw that book in paperback recently at the store and decided to grab it. I heard his style is taking classic fairy tales and such and spinning them in a different way for adults. Sounded fun.
I actually didn't read my purchase first though (still need to do that). Instead I went to the local library and checked out a couple of his earlier works first: Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister and Mirror Mirror. The first is a spin on Cinderella while the later is one on Snow White. What did I think? Well...
Both of these books are period pieces, set in Europe in the middle of last century. So, you've got to adjust for that. The first is written in present tense mostly - which for some reason always puts me off (not sure why). The later actually ties in Lucricia Borgia as the "wicked queen". In both, it took an awful long time doing the set-up and the action seemed rather drab. Not sure why. I had hoped for more but was woefully disappointed.
I will likely start Wicked some time next month - or perhaps wait a bit longer to get that first bad taste of the author out of my head.
Posted by Martin Maenza at 6:06 AM 1 comment:
Labels: books, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, Gregory Maguire, Mirror Mirror
DVD review - season 1 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
I'll admit right up front that I am very late coming to the Buffy party (over a decade). I knew about the show after its run began on FOX in the late 90's, but I didn't tune into it. Maybe something else I watched conflicted with the time. Maybe it was because I never was a big horror movie fan. Maybe I just was out of the loop. Most likely, though, it was probably because I don't like to get into a show after it has been on for a couple seasons. I feel like I am walking into the middle of the movie or starting a book on page 100. I just don't like to do that. It goes against my nature. Still, I knew enough through references in other places (like comics or other TV programs). I knew the names of Xander, Willow and Angel. I had friends who were huge fans of the show. I just never got into it.
That's not to say I didn't get into other Joss Whedon shows. I was onboard with Firefly from the start. And I jumped into Dollhouse right when it debuted this season - it is part of my must-see shows on Friday nights. But I was missing the experience of those early TV successes of his.
A few weeks back, that all changed. I was in the local WalMart with my family doing some shopping. I was checking the DVD section while my son looked at video games. On one of the end aisle shelves were a number of TV season box sets on sale for $14.95 apiece. Among them were the first four seasons of Buffy and the first two seasons of Angel. I figured "hey, for that price, why not give them a look?". But, my son had just gotten a lecture about spending money needlessly so I very well couldn't put six box sets in the cart. What kind of example would I be setting. Curse the timing.
So, a week later we were in the same WalMart and the same boxes were still there. I decided to grab season 1. I told my wife that I wanted to see if I would like the show before getting the rest. She accepted that premise - as long as I was going to watch them. I said I would. As soon as we got home, I put in disk 1 and proceeded to watch three episodes in a row. I was hooked.
A few days later, I went back and picked up seasons 2 through 4. One of the Angel sets was gone so I skipped that. But then at Target this weekend I saw Angel seasons 1 and 2 for $26.00 in a set so I was able to pick that up. My wife likes David Boreanaz on Bones, so this was an easy sell. In fact, I think she might have even watched Angel once or twice when it was on FOX. Then, today, I was browsing Amazon.com and noticed that they had the rest of the Buffy and Angel seasons, in the slim cases, all for half price. Score! Guess what is on order? You got it! While not as good a deal as the earlier WalMart and Target purchases, this is still pretty decent - certainly better than any local retailers will provide me.
So, after a week and a half, I have gotten through season 1 of Buffy. I thought I'd go through the episodes and offer some comments I had. Though the show ran over 12 years ago (1997), I'll put a SPOILER notice anyway - just in case someone is not familiar with the show like I was just a week or so ago.
**** SPOILERS ******
"Welcome to the Hellmouth" and "the Harvest" serve as a great introduction two-parter. They almost play like a movie, or a sequel to the original film that starred Kristy Swanson. In fact, events from the film are hinted at as Buffy moves to Sunnydale to try and start over. She makes new friends at school, begins her mentoring with Giles the watcher, and learns of the nexus of evil that this town sits upon. What I really liked is that all the initial elements are there in these episodes. Joss sets up threads and relationships that build as the season builds. This is why one really needs to start viewing from the beginning. As a writer, it helps me too to see the characterizations take root and unfold right from the start. That's what good writing does - give you characters you can hook into and become instantly interested in.
"Witch" was the first standalone tale. I like how it and many of the first season episodes have that reflection of the difficulty of high school, the pressures and the conflicts. Adding the horror element gives the show its spin.
"Teacher's Pet" also stands alone, but it and the previous episode remind me of those classic comic book horror stories. Both had twists and the theme of "things aren't always what they seem". I liked these both too because they showed that we'll be getting more than just vampires for the gang to face off against.
"Never Kill A Boy On A First Date" is a classic example of why the hero(ine) can't get too close to anyone who isn't in on the secret. All Buffy wants to do is go on a date and her chosen destiny gets in the way. This was an okay episode, a little weak in spots, but it is crucial to set up some things for later in the season.
"The Pack" was really creepy. Maybe it was just the laughter of the group after the trip to the zoo, but it was creepy. It worked for me. One thing though: despite all the deaths around the school up to this point, the school still tries to function. Then when Mr. Flutie meets his end, we still have the school open and everyone there. I guess this is where the suspension of belief has to kick in big time. Okay - I'll go with the premise as it is needed to make the series work.
"Angel" is another key episodes of the season (like the two part opener and the finale of the season). Here we get the dirt on the mysterious man who shows up with cryptic advice and comments. It really helps solidify the character and the relationship with Buffy. It also helps add some conflict for Xander. All that teen tension - critical for an ongoing series about high school. I also like the connection that we're given to Darla, the she-vampire from episode 1. Again, tying it all together.
"I, Robot...You, Jane" gives a nice focus on Willow. I know Allyson Hannigan well from three seasons of How I Met Your Mother, but here she plays a totally different character. The whole cyber-nerd girl gives her a unique position in the group, and in this episode leads to some of the trouble. Add to that her unrequited love for Xander leading her to take up an online relationship with someone who "cares" and you've got some great character development. The beauty is this is a timely episode even today - when cyber-predators still abound. Finally, we get the added element of another adult ally for Giles. That works too.
"The Puppet Show" again took a classic horror twist and turned it on its ear. I thought I had this one pegged and then we get the twist. That made it work as a refreshing kind of story.
"Nightmares" was also one of the weaker episodes of this season, I thought. I am all for nightmares come true kinds of tales, but this one just didn't work completely for me. Ah well, they can't all be gems.
"Out of Sight, Out of Mind" was a fairly easy one to figure out too, but the motivation behind the attacker and the level she would stoop was what made it work. I remember sometimes that invisible feeling from school but not to this extreme. I like that this is the episode that moves Cordelia closer to the group. I figured it was about time as she was one of the five stars of the show (per opening credits). She needed that motivation to be part of the gang. The end was a bit of twist too with the FBI guys. That last scene seemed like a commentary about the government more than anything else. Quite a few of the season 1 episodes had some open-ended aspect that could lead to a potential return of a former adversary. I'll have to keep watching to see if any of them do.
"Prophecy Girl" seemed like a nice way to tie up the loose ends from the earlier parts of the season. We have Buffy questioning her role. We have Cordelia working with the others. We have the computer teacher back. We have Angel back. We have Xander coming to the rescue too even though he has no special abilites. And we have a conclusion to some of the things started in earlier episodes. The way it ended up could have easily served as a show end if FOX didn't renew it. The saga could have stood solidly with just 12 episodes if need be.
Thankfully, there is more - much much more!
And I'm looking forward to starting season 2 this week.
Labels: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joss Whedon, TV
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Theoretically, a tall, left-handed, flat-hitting opponent with a strong forehand has what it takes to give Sam Stosur a lot of trouble. That became more than theory on the sixth day of the Australian Open: Brisbane champion Petra Kvitova upset 5th seed Stosur 7-6, 6-3. Kvitova, the tournament's 25th seed, hit hard flat balls repeatedly to Stosur's backhand, which is decidedly Stosur's weaker side. The Stosur forehand broke down, too, although Kvitova ended the match with more unforced errors than Stosur. She also ended the match with 35 winners, opposed to Stosur's eleven, all of which were hit in the first set. Most impressive were Kvitova's first and second serve win percentages of 80 and 58.
This is not the first time that Stosur has run into a player who isn't bothered by her kick serve and her heavy topspin. Players like Kvitova, who hit the ball flat and go for the lines, can dictate play and neutralize the hitting of even a talented player like the Australian. It was a bonus for Kvitova that she is also left-handed.
Stosur's upset was the biggest on the sixth day, but she had company. Iveta Benesova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova played a see-saw match that ended with a 6-3, 1-6, 7-5 victory for Benesova over the 16th seed. Each player dominated a set, and the third set was a constant struggle for domination. In the end, though, Benesova was clever, and Pavlyuchenkova was worn down. The Czech doubles star has now removed two Russian seeds (she upset Maria Kirilenko in the second round), and she gets 2nd seed Vera Zvonareva in the next round.
Zvonareva was hardly at her best in her third round match, but she got past 31st seed Lucie Safarova, 6-3, 7-6. Kim Clijsters, the third seed, was far below her best, but defeated Alize Cornet 7-6, 6-3. 12th seed Agnieszka Radwanska had an easy win over Simona Halep, and Peng Shuai defeated Ayumi Morita. Peng was cramping pretty badly toward the end of the match, and was hobbling around the court. That didn't stop her from winning, of course, and let's hope that she gets sufficient rest before her next round.
13th seed Nadia Petrova is out, too. Petrova played Ekaterina Makarova, who upset 19th seed Ana Ivanovic in the first round. For all of its flaws, this match was fun to watch. Each woman took a set, and--just as with the Benesova-Pavlyuchenkova match--the third set was a drawn-out struggle for domination. Makarova served for the match twice and was broken both times. The second time, she had two match points. The Russian player stayed surprisingly calm in the face of so many lost opportunities, and hung in while Petrova's unforced errors increased. At the end of the 72-minutes third set, Makarova advanced with a 6-2, 3-6, 8-6 victory.
Shahar Peer, the 10th seed, played an aggressive first set against 22nd seed Flavia Pennetta and won it 6-3. Pennetta dialed her play up a notch in the second set, and won it impressively in a tiebreak. One of the commentators made a point of reminding viewers that Pennetta is quite familiar with Peer's tendency to back away and play it safe, and that's exactly what happened. Pennetta took the third set 6-4, and advanced to the next round. Peer is a good player with a lot of tenacity, but when the tension arises, she tends to wilt, just when she should be more aggressive.
Posted by Diane at 11:40 AM
Labels: Australian Open, Ekaterina Makarova, Flavia Pennetta, Iveta Benesova, Petra Kvitova, Samantha Stosur, Shahar Peer
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redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


SoySolv II has all of the benefits of SoySolv I with the added benefit of being water rinseable. This is an industrial strength bio-based solvent with low VOCs and a high flash point, specifically formulated from soybean and other renewable resources. SoySolv II replaces petroleum and chlorinated solvents for many cleaning and degreasing applications. It is certified by the USDA as an 89% bio-based product, green verified by the US EPA and listed on the EPA safer chemicals list.


I wanted to write this blog post because I want to give you a tip that I think is going to be helpful to you if you're buying a new home.
You may be thinking "I'm buying a new home and the builders have already given us four or eight hours at their design center with their designer", but here's the thing: When you go into the design center you're dealing with a designer that works for the builder. They're not going to have the foresight and the experience that someone who owns a design company and has been doing this for years and years would have. It's quite possible that with their perspective they may notice things that could bug you in the future, cases where compromises have been made, or simply poor design decisions.
When you buy a new home, you want to buy for the future. Sure, you want what you want, you want it to look the way you want, but you want to make sure that what you're picking out is going to hold its value over time. If you're buying in now, you don't want your design to look dated in six months to a year from now. If a plan for a home was developed a few years ago and is only now getting completed, it may already be behind the curve.
The second point I wanted to make is that when you're looking at hiring an interior designer, think of it as an investment in your mind. If you're buying a three or four hundred thousand dollar home, what's spending even a thousand dollars or more, having someone that's a professional come in and help you just a little bit or a whole lot. It's going to be well worth the money spent assuming you're hiring someone who's skilled and experienced.
If you're looking for an interior designer for a project, or just to take a look at a home you are having built, feel free to contact us and let us put you in touch with a designer who is experienced in the area you need!
Great Interior Design Tips for Living Room Area Rugs!


**Please note that the SHERPA warranty covers manufacturing defects only. Pet damage of any kind is NOT covered under warranty.
**A copy of the original sales receipt is required to submit a SHERPA warranty claim.
Please complete the below form to initiate your SHERPA Warranty Claim. You should receive a response within 5-7 business days. Please contact qpgcs@worldwise.com if you have questions or concerns.


An import licence issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency is required before any animal or product of animal origin can be imported into the UK. There are stringent health requirements which must be satisfied before these licences are issued, depending on the nature of material and its origin. We can advise on the licensing process.
Similarly, animals and animal products to be exported must satisfy the entry requirements of the importing country. In most cases an export certificate will be needed to verify the health status of the animal or product. APHA can issue these certificates on behalf of the importing country. Some countries require that these are signed by an APHA approved official veterinarian. Several Red Kite vets are approved official veterinarians for this purpose.
More information on importing and exporting animals and animal products can be found here.


Many think to be a leader has to do with promotion or a change in level, maybe a public announcement be made to mark the arrival of a new leader in town. You know, coming down in shining armor, respect from every living being. Bow or die! maybe yours is not that serious, you just want a letter from your CEO saying you are promoted to the manager position, and that's it you are a leader, or you desire to be elected into a position to be able to effect change. I hope I'm not breaking your heart because that is not where leadership starts from.
Yes the title is sweet, but the impact is what really counts, a life best lived for others, it's nice to have it all to yourself, nice house, fleet of cars, etc. but I believe the ability to serve is the sweetest of them all, sweeter than having my favorite flavours of ice cream under the scorching afternoon sun.
The greatest leader that ever lived said whoever wants to be great must first be a servant.
Everyone loves a servant leader, you know them, they make you feel important, it's not always about them and their achievements, with them, you feel like the most important person.
You too can be that kind of leader!!!
I think so many people believe service involves laying down their life for others, maybe not that deep but close. When I am of service to others, sometimes I am been cautioned by others not be a fool, no dey do like "mumu", father Christmas, and these statements comes even from my closest of people.
You don't have to lay down your life before you serve, as a leader you can serve in different capacity, let's take a look at a few ways you can be of service.
I put this as number 1 because that is what service is all about to me, pouring/giving a part of yourself without expecting any direct reward.
When you serve with people that can't pay you, then for me it feels like I'm doing it right. I particularly enjoy volunteering my time with the Internally Displaced Persons children in Nigeria. I particularly look forward to when those children will be great and be greater Leaders than myself, but before they get there, someone has to pour himself or herself into them.
To change their mentality and begin to see themselves as the leaders that they are. You remember that orphanage home you have been procrastinating to visit, then the IDP camp you promised to visit, or even that your new year goal or giving back to the less privileged, yes the time to do it is now.
when you serve your family, there is no such thing as too much, you give your all, it is very important to let your family know you love them, tell them and show them.
It takes a servant leader to go down and do the needful to put a smile on their faces and joy in their heart. This includes even when they are not reciprocating the favour.
Many leaders get easily carried away with work, yes it's good to work, but I believe your greatest task is to serve, as a leader, do you create time to be of value to your immediate community? Your neighbors, the children in your environment, the guy selling stuffs at your estate gate, do you encourage the gate man, how do you respond to the children playing in front of your compound? If you are not around for a week, is there any significant difference in your area.
Another place you can serve is in your place of worship, Christian, Muslim or any other place you worship, I believe things don't just get done themselves, it takes men and women to put things in order.
There is no magic wand that automatically fixes things, maybe Elon Musk would soon come up with something but in the main time your place of worship needs you to put things in place.
This is the heart of service; it is the joy of every leader to see someone that they have trained do even better than them, volunteer to mentor a teen, volunteer to coach someone, that fellow in your church, mosque or that intern in your office. Don't just throw negative comments out about their poor attitude and incompetence; some of us just don't know how to do better. But if you help us we will do better.
Pay for them to be trained in skills, equip them, spend time with them, and share your story with them both the success and the failures.
You may have gotten to the top out of your sheer zeal and grit, but didn't you wish you had someone.
leadership leadership, serve, service, volunteering. permalink.
Leadership and service are inseparable. Great take away for me.
Not everyone believes in God or is religious and it would shock you the amount of People who are in the Atheist or Agnostic closet. So Mr Victor, This is 5 ways to serve except you want to add a more inclusive point.
Hopefully I will be able to share more ways in subsequent posts.
I don't know but there is something not clicking with your submission. I get the point of leading by example, volunteering and philanthropic approach. But what happens to teach me how to fish??
So its one thing to write because you have read books. It's another to write when you have truly lived out the words here. Victor has been one of the most remarkable leaders of his time in serving communities, colleagues, families and his country… Serving for the future and laying the grounds for others to serve. You are a miracle and a lot more Victors and a lot more leaders will lead to an inspirational world.
Thank you W, it has always been a privilege to learn under you.
Thank you for this kinds words, I look to serve in more capacity.


text:
#ifndef FCGIEV___INIT___H
#define FCGIEV___INIT___H

#include "_macros.h"

extern PyObject *fcgiev_module;

/**
 * @param PyObject *sock
 * @param PyObject *spawner
 */
PyObject *fcgiev_process(PyObject *, PyObject *args, PyObject *kwargs);

#endif

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


While most of the flight training market in the U.S. is still suffering, one new school in Colorado has found a unique formula that is showing early success.
We test three popular helmets on actual working missions, and give you the heads up on the comfort and suitability of each one.
After several decades as the leading helicopter kit manufacturer in the world, RotorWay has decided it's time to take on the production light turbine market, too.
Building a hangar and landing zone next to your home may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it's certainly one of the ultimate aviation affectations.
Our First-ever photo contest produced scores of terrific entries, from which we share with you the overall winner, nine category winners and 18 honorable mentions.


No one who stumbles upon Iriskitti thinks she's anything other than unique. The tattoo on her thigh says more than she thinks it does. No words need to be tattooed on her gorgeous skin. Just the pictures alone paint a story about a girl who isn't like the rest. A girl who is about to break onto the camming scene in a big way. The cam loving world has really never experienced anyone like her before. Someone who is as genuine as she is lovely.
The staggering truth about a girl like her is more bold than the average person would like to believe. She's not here just to put on a show for anyone who wants to watch. No, that's not why you're about to be introduced to the girl with amazing blue eyes who'll make your heart skip a beat. The cutie pie you're looking at right now is someone who loves to be the center of attention. She likes it when you're enjoying yourself. The only thing that makes her more happy than having your full attention is receiving complements from viewers.
Humans have been trying to reach out to each other since they began walking upright. The ability to be able to make spaces seem nonexistent is her specialty. You're going to feel like the two of you are all alone. This is especially true when she's in private. That's the one place where she can spend all of her energy on the lucky person alone with her. A bridge between two people isn't needed when they open themselves up. All barriers are brought crumbling down and the resulting satisfaction is something that can only happen with a cam girl like her.
A rarity in the world of cams today is a girl who can stun everyone without doing a single thing. When all dolled up just her looks alone is enough to make men flock to her in droves. A stampede of men from all over the world rush to her cam when she comes online. Each of those men know why they're here. It's no secret that she's eye candy. What has been a loosely kept secret is how she makes people feel on the inside. Her beauty is what lures guys to her. It's her zest for all things exciting that keeps them coming back.
"sweet adventurous joyful insecure caring sociable extrovert dynamic funny sensual creative"


text:
Parties In RPGs (Bravely Default) - PART 1
Since there are only 4 characters in "Bravely Default" and they're all almost the same thing with just small stat differences, there's no point in diving into these 4 characters, I'll be doing some standard run downs of all the classes available in the game. Like in most RPGs with customizable party options, different class combinations can really make or break your game. Some are better than others, but all classes are useful for something, which is what I love in this game. Without any further ado...here are the classes in "Bravely Default".
*Note that Subclass Rating also includes skills that you can bring over to other classes as a passive.
Class: Freelancer
Traits: Stat Equality, Equipment Diversity, Examine, Flee, JP Up, Mimic
Class Rating: 1/10
Subclass Rating: 7/10
The Freelancer is the starting class of the game, and thus its understandable that it pretty much sucks at almost everything. As a Freelancer, your stats are mediocre throughout, you can equip pretty much anything and everything, but you're not particularly good at using any of the stuff that you have on. Other than that...there's really not much reason for you to stay as a Freelancer throughout the game, at all. Sure you might want to grind it for some of its more useful skills later in the game, but to use Freelancer as your main class? ....No, I see no point to it.
As a subclass however, Freelancer is decent. You'll actually be using it quite a bit early in the game for stuff like Examine and Dungeon master, for dealing with bosses and pesky dungeons. As you level the class up, you get JP up, which is CRUCIAL, for grinding other classes IF you're looking to level up every class (you should). Flee is also wonderful against those loosing ambush battles, provided that your Freelancer sub is still alive. You also get Mimic, which has WONDERFUL synergy with one of the most broken abilities in the game: Performer's My Hero.
Class: Monk
Traits: Highest HP Among Classes, Physical Damage, Unarmed, Ignores Defense
The Monk is probably one of the first classes you get at the start of the game, and fortunately, its a damn good one. The Monk has naturally high HP, and since early in the game, you don't have a lot of choices, the Monk does naturally high damage unarmed, meaning that you won't have to think a lot and the Monk can do decent damage. Thing is, the Monk starts to fall off when you get the other classes as you continue, but if you stick to it, the Monk is pretty strong late into the game. With the proper item and skill set-up, your Monk will be set to destroy with his/her massive physical damage, and as a main class, they are really, really tanky (when combined with Spiritmaster's Maximize HP, you become god).
As a subclass, the Monk has some decent options. More specifically, you'll want 2 skills, Invigorate, which is good, but becomes slightly deteriorated later on, and more importantly, Pressure Point. Pressure Point is a GODLIKE ability that bypasses defensive stats, barriers, and abilities that reduce damage. Chaugmaur won't stand a chance against this move, even with his barrier. Pressure Point is actually one of the legit choices for damage late into the game, and that by itself justifies you to use the Monk as a subclass.
Class: White Mage
Traits: Heals, High Magic Defense, Epic Group Cast (MND scales on heals)
The White Mage is a support class, like we all know. True to its name, the White Mage exists to heal, heal, heal, revive, cure status ailments....and heal. Oh yeah, they can put up defensive buffs as well....wait, that's it? Yeah, that's the extent you're going to get with the White Mage, which is not really a problem actually. They have the Aero skill line and Holy for damage, but otherwise, they are a purely support class, with almost nothing to offer but heals and buffs. If most other games, the White Mage would be invaluable, but here in "Bravely Default", there are a lot of support classes in the game, giving the Whie Mage some competition. As a main class, they work early on, but are outclassed later in the game.
As a subclass, the White Mage is pretty good because of one obvious reason: they let ANY other class heal. Slap White Mage on top of a Black Mage, he/she becomes a hybrid healer/destroyer type caster. Slap White Mage on anything that runs on MND for that class to become a secondary support type. Hell, sometimes all you need is a character with a White Mage subclass to cover all your healing needs. Its a versatile and useful subclass, you can definitely always rely on it, but it may not always be the most useful when you compare it to other support classes, which is why its only a 7. If you do level the class up though, Epic Group Cast is very powerful and cost efficient late into the game, letting you put skills like Reraise on your entire team instantly.
Class: Black Mage
Traits: Magic Damage, Elemental Damage, Silence Immunity, Pierce M.Def, Status Ailments
The Black Mage is what it is. It does magic damage, it inflicts status ailments...and it does a whole lot of nothing else. HOWEVER, the class itself IS great at what it does. Against most enemies with elemental weaknesses, the Black Mage does pull through and can do a great deal of damage at the expense of a lot of mana. Like in most games prior, the Black Mage's damage is not to be sneezed at, early game, it might not be the best, but later in the game, with the right skill set-up, the class does bring a lot of magic damage to the table, even when stacked up with all the other classes available to you. As a main class, it works, since it has the stats needed for great magic damage.
As a subclass though, its hard to justify the Black Mage. Black Resonance is only good if you have multiple people with it on your team, again, this does not justify the skill slots of your allies for the honestly rather meager damage boost. There's not much of a subclass synergy for the Black Mage, unless you want to make your healer into a semi damage dealer, with somewhat piss poor damage compared to the rest of your DPS characters. However, the Black Mage does have some good skills to learn from its tree, more specifically Silence Immunity (amazing for casters) and Pierce M.Def, which works wonders late game against those enemies with godly defense.
Class: Knight
Traits: High Defense, Ally Protection, P.Def 30% Up, Two Handed
I don't like the Knight Class, I'll be frank with you. Unlike the defenders of the "EO" series, in "Bravely Default", the Knight, which exists to serve the same function, pales in comparison. They exist solely to protect their team mates. They have damage options, but they are so pitiful that I'll give you cookies for trying. All the Knights can do is tank it out, they take damage in place of their allies with skills like Protect Ally or Full Cover. 3 GLARING issues with the Knight, One: Only Full Cover is truly useful for protecting allies. Two: Full Cover only blocks physical attacks. Three: the entire class itself has no way to defend the team from AOE attacks. Yeap, there you go, that's the Knight being useless in a nutshell. Unless you go for some full defense build with 2 shields for maximum damage with Super Charge, you won't be able to do much else.
As a subclass, they are also, unfortunately, rather pitiful if your main class is not Swordmaster. I mean, if your main class is not one meant to tank any sort of damage whatsoever, then chances are the Knight's Kit isn't going to do jack shit for you. Its going to suck, painfully, you will die trying to protect your team. HOWEVER, its not the end of the world for the Knight Class. They do have one saving grace: P.Def 30% Up. This skill is great for the squishier classes out there that need a little bit of beef in their survivability. And who could forget Two Handed, the bread and butter skill for most damage classes. Two Handed increases your damage output by quite a nice bit...its great that way.
Class: Thief
Traits: High Speed, High Dex, Steal Items, Life Steal, Physical Damage, Ignores Defense, Speed 30% Up
I actually quite like the Thief class in this game. The Thief class is obtained rather early into the game, and for such an early game class, they've got some sickening damage, especially with the bow. They are also the first class in the game with high amount of dex, allowing your character to go for some high, multi-hitting attacks, as well as beautiful critical hits. For the damage department, they've got you covered for the early game. Sure, they fall off about mid game, but when they get Godspeed Strike AND you have a proper, speedy item set, you're going to be hitting pretty f**king hard (GodSpeed Strike ignores defense). Plus, they can steal (a nice bonus) and HEAL themselves through Life Thief (always great to be able to heal yourself without your healer's help).
While the Thief is pretty good as a main class, they aren't so hot as a subclass. When you pick a Thief Subclass, all you're bringing to the table is the ability to steal (not really useful in intense battles) and Godspeed Strike. The latter is really all you want if you're going for the Thief subclass, but honestly, its only worth it if you have godly speed, which most classes don't offer. You also have the Speed 30% Up skill that you can slap to some of your other slower classes, which really does matter if you think about it (you'd really want your healer going first sometimes, don't you?).
Class: Merhcant
Traits: More Money
I honestly detest this job because its so freaking useless unless you're willing to throw away alllllllll the freaking money that you have on you. If you're willing to throw money at your enemies, don't get me wrong, the Merchant is a pretty good class (the only reason why its not a 1), with skills like Takeover and Payoff. Hell, Takeover is actually a wonderful way to buy your way out of boss fights through PG, but always note that you could have just used that money to buy better stuff for your team. Not even a good class by any means unless your goal is to buy your way out of every battle, you'll be at a net loss before you know it.
As a subclass....don't even think about it. Its the same affair of spending money to win...it actually has no synergy with almost every other class in the game, putting it at quite a sad spot. Sure, you can use the merchant to milk money out of monsters for a farming exploit, but that's about it, in an actual battle, you're toast if you don't throw all your money at the dude. The only reason why the subclass rating isn't a 1, again, is because of More Money. Throw this baby on 4 of your guys for maximum cash expenditure, which is great for saving time when you don't want to grind for the best stuff.
Class: Spell Fencer
Traits: Stat Equality, Elemental Damage, Physical damage
The Spell Fencer is a pretty versatile class, and is especially quite effective in the early stages in the game. You get the Spell Fencer rather early on, which is great because as a main class that's where it shines. The Spell Fencer specializes in adding elemental damage to your physical weapon, allowing you for some sick damage output against an enemy that is weak to the element that you applied to your sword. This is surprisingly good early on, and even though the Spell Fencer has no damage skills, having your Spell Fencer attack multiple times with an enemy weak to your element, your damage is not to be trifled with. Late game though, your damage drops, HARD, compared to what other classes provide, so...its time to switch.
The Spell Fencer might not work so hot as a main class late game, but as a subclass, I actually do like it. There are plenty of physical damage classes late into the game, and you've got plenty of ways to do tons of damage with the various magical enchantments that the Spell Fencer provides. Imagine Valkyrie + Spell Fencer + Super Jump. Yeah...that's a shit load of damage if the enemy is weak to the element that you've put on your spear. What about drain on a precision fighter dual wielding ninja? You're pretty much full health at all times since you immediately drain to full without effort. The synergy is real, and the subclass dream is there if you want to play with it.
Class: Time Mage
Traits: Speed Manipulation, Reraise, Magic Damage, M.Attack 30% Up
The Time Mage is SO FUN. You've got SO MUCH to play around with as long as you've got a Time Mage on your team, and believe me when I say the Time Mage is super effective against boss battles. They excel at playing around with speed. Hastes and slows galore, they even bring stop to the table, which is a godsend if it connects on bosses. They also have some magic damage with the Quake spell line, and later into the game, Meteor, which does a ridiculous amount of damage (albeit that the costs are insane). Early on, they aren't the best, but as you approach mid-late game and get some of the better skills, you'll see that the Time Mage is actually a valuable asset to your team against bosses. Reraise late into the game pretty much guarantees a second chance, combine that with Epic Group Cast for a fun time.
Even as a subclass, the Time Mage isn't too shabby. Because most of the Time Mage abilities don't actually scale on anything (you're playing with speed, there are no numbers), it actually works well as a subclass more than anything. Albeit, it only works as a support class, because you are bringing no damage to your table if you're slapping Time Mage onto a class with zero magic scaling. If you don't already have a Time Mage on your team, a subclass Time Mage works if you slap it on a support character, like a White Mage or something, put up some hastes or Reraises if you have nothing to do. That and you get M.Attack 30% Up, which works very well on magic damage classes.
Class: Ranger
Traits: Physical Damage, Ignores Default, Hawkeye, Precision
The Ranger is actually in quite a weird spot. You get the class itself in the early-mid game, and during that point in the game, if you've invested into the Thief class, you'll find the Ranger somewhat similar, albeit they have lousier stats. The Ranger does a good amount of damage since Bows are a particularly powerful weapon early on, and throughout the game, I'd say that they are the most consistent. Their damage is mediocre-moderate throughout, and they don't really get much that boosts their damage until WAY later on, then they get Multiburst. Even then, Multiburst isn't the best skill late game, since there are better options out there. If you ask me, Ranger is more of a early-mid game class, they get outscaled later on.
As a subclass, the Ranger doesn't offer much except for a few minor abilities that are only useful to some other classes. For one, you'll get a lot of abilities that are good for killing monster archetypes, but since mos of the bosses are human types...these abilities are not very useful. Targeting is okay early on, but useless late game. You also get Multiburst, but that's not saying much as you have a lot better options later in the game. Hawkeye and Precision work for classes with high DEX builds (especially amazing on Ninja).
Class: Summoner
Traits: AOE Clear, Magic Damage
The Summoner is too impractical of a class to even work. Its a class that specializes in dealing magic damage. Its good that we have more magic damage classes...but how does the Summoner even work? They specialize in heavy AOE magic damage summons that cost a boatload of mana. In all honesty, you're never going to use this, its too impractical. You're going to need HEAVY mana management to make the Summoner work, and even then, something else would be better. They are very good against bosses with multiple enemies at once, but very inefficient against single target bosses. That being said though, their damage can be quite good, so there's that. Multiple summoners against the end game boss gauntlet is OKAY, but there are better, more consistent options.
As a subclass, the Summoner is probably one of the worst ones out there. Once again, they exist solely for damage, and you'll need the likes of summoning amp to make the summons stronger. The mana management is DREADFUL, even as a subclass. Running something like Free Lunch + 3 x Susasno-oh is okay, but as mentioned above, you'll need to be up against an AOE boss team for that to work. EVEN THEN, if you're playing for summon damage, you might as well use it as a main class. The only reason its not a 2 is that you can slap Summoner on a support class, have them pull out some damage when your team is full HP and all buffs are up.
Class: Valkyrie
Traits: Physical Damage, Airborne Immunity, Pierce Default
Valkyrie is ridiculously strong in the mid game, that much I cannot deny. When you get it, it might not be the best thing ever, but put a few levels into it and you'll most definitely see the results. They deal OBSCENE damage while being decently tanky. And since they can play around with their airborne immunity, there are plenty of turns where they take no damage at all. Give them some speedy equipment and watch them perma-jump every single boss to oblivion. They've got plenty of solid damage dealing methods, and their synergies with other subclasses can be quite phenomenal (amazing with Spell Fencer). Late into the game, their damage game is slowed down in comparison to other classes, but their immunity into the air still makes them a strong choice.
As a subclass the Valkyrie isn't bad. It certainly works with a fair share of many other classes in the game, albeit that the Valkyrie has a lot of abilities that require you to be using a spear. Slap on Spear Lore and watch your Ninjas, Spell Fencers or Dark Knights do ALLLLL the work. Especially on something like the Ninja, with such speed, you can pretty much become untargettable in the most cheese-tactic strategy in all of RPG history. Plus, as mentioned, skills like Judgement are really universal, with the damage that it can put out.
End Of Part 1
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Lunch & Learn: How to Interview Well for Senior and Executive Positions
Lunch & Learn: How to Interview Well for Senior and Executive Positions -
Featuring career expert Sandy Golinkin
Looking to make that next move in your career. Meet career expert Sandy Golinkin who has hired hundreds of people in her career and interviewed literally thousands. She will share the 5 most important interviewing tips for senior and executive roles that will help you stand out from the competition and make a notable impression to land the job. Particularly:
How to articulate the strengths and power of themselves as a brand
Genuinely listen and effectively play back
How to effectively prepare for the interview
How to anticipate challenges the company is facing
Best develop talent
About Sandy Golinkin:
Sandy Golinkin, started her career in media. She was the founding publisher of Departures magazine globally, and also ran Travel & Leisure magazine. She then joined CNP where she was Publisher/SVP of Allure, and she then launched Lucky magazine to unprecedented success. She was named publisher of the year at CNP twice and also made the largest sale in the history of the company. She took Lucky into the black faster than any other CNP launch. Sandy currently runs Raising the Bar and her primary focus is to work professionals who are focused on realizing their full potential and possibly switching jobs and/or career paths. She also works with corporations on negotiations, career development , and ideation for new streams of revenue.
During Sandy's career She hired and trained over 400 people, who have gone on to impressive careers at Apple, Google, JP Morgan, Facebook, Council on Foreign Relations and Goldman Sachs to name a few. Sandy has most recently been written up in the New York Times and in the WSJ. She's in the business of people.
12:30pm - 2:30pm	iCal


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International Police Association (IPA) est une organisation mondiale socio-culturelle de policiers

Historique
L'association a été fondée le  par Arthur Troop (1914-2000), sergent de la police du Lincolnshire, en Grande-Bretagne. Celui-ci voulait créer une chaîne de l'amitié et une coopération internationale entre tous les policiers du monde. Chaque pays est représenté par une section.

Devise et emblème
IPA possède son propre emblème, son hymne propre et – non le moins important – sa propre devise : Servo per amikeco. Cette expression signifie « Service par amitié » en espéranto.

Cette phrase a été choisie afin de souligner l'indépendance des nations et des communautés linguistiques. Cela n'implique pas que l'espéranto est la langue véhiculaire de l'IPA. Dans cette matière, il n'y a pas de règle particulière. Pour le secrétariat international ; il existe quatre langues officielles dans l'association : anglais, allemand, français et espagnol, dans laquelle est publiée mensuellement la lettre internationale d'information. De même, à l'occasion des conférences et congrès internationaux, ces langues sont interprétées simultanément.

L'emblème officiel de l'association est représenté de deux manières : un logo arrondi ou un logo avec une crête.

Reconnaissance et engagement
L'IPA a été reconnue comme interlocuteur par des organisations internationales telles que l'ONU et le Conseil de l'Europe. Elle est régulièrement consultée pour des matières de police et de sécurité à caractère supranational.

L'IPA a toujours souscrit à la Déclaration universelle des droits de l'homme telle qu'adoptée en 1948 par l'Assemblée générale des Nations unies. La conséquence en est qu'une section nationale ne peut être créée dans un pays qui ne respecte pas ou peu les Droits de l'Homme.

IPA section Belgique
C'est sous l'impulsion d'un policier anversois, Martinus Beck, que la section belge a été créée en 1953 (devenue une ASBL en 1990). Elle était parmi les premiers pays à rejoindre l'association. De nos jours, elle compte presque  membres.

Notes et références

Liens externes
 Site officiel

Police
Organisation non gouvernementale internationale

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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Shakeup at Canada's Largest Pharma Firm Apotex
by Michael Gibney |
By Alex Keown, BioSpace.com Breaking News Staff
TORONTO – Apotex Inc., Canada's largest pharmaceutical company, announced Tuesday is will be shaking up its leadership structure with a realignment to provide an establishment of three core lines of business – generics, specialty pharma and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
The new three-legged platform realignment will allow the company to improve customer focus and better capitalize on emerging opportunities, said Jeremy B. Desai, president and chief executive officer of Apotex. Each division will receive its own president, who will report to Desai. The three appointments are effective April 1, according to a company release.
Apotex tapped Jeff Watson, currently president of U.S. and Canada Commercial, to lead the global generics division. That division will be responsible for the delivery of generics stemming from Apotex and third party drugmakers.
The global specialty pharma division will be lead by Steve Lydeamore, currently chief business officer and managing director. That division will be responsible for the development and manufacture of biosimilars made by Apotex or third-party drugmakers.
Sr. Scientist - Amgen
Chief of Staff - Pfizer
Clinical Trial Heads - Novartis Oncology
Sr. Research Associate - Genentech
Scientist I/II - MedImmune
Clinical Trials Manager - Jazz Pharma
Keshava Murthy will continue to lead the global active pharmaceutical ingredients division. The API division will be responsible for delivering those ingredients to Apotex as well as sales of those ingredients to other drugmakers.
"The three principal objectives with this new model are to focus all of Apotex on a core strategy aligned with our global customers, improve our capabilities in all disciplines and areas, and work together with greater collaboration and agility around common goals," Desai said.
Apotex is the largest Canadian owned pharmaceutical company with over 10,000 employees globally and with estimated sales of approximately $2 billion. With its worldwide manufacturing sites, Apotex can produce up to 24 billion dosages per year. It produces 300 medicines in 4,000 dosages and formats that are exported to 115 countries. It has 500 products under development and will spend $2 billion over the next 10 years on research and development.
Last month The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to Apotex over manufacturing violations at a plant in Bangalore, India. In its letter the FDA said lab workers failed to ensure that laboratory records included complete data derived from all tests necessary to assure compliance with established specifications and standards. The FDA also said the lab workers failed to establish appropriate procedures to prevent bacteria from developing. Apotex was also forced to recall more than 65,000 bottles of blood pressure medication made at the Bangalore plant after testing discovered impurities in the medication.
In December the FDA announced it had accepted an Apotex application for pegfilgrastim, a biosimilar version of Amgen (AMGN)'s Neulasta, which had $3.6 billion in sales in 2013. Filgrastim is used to help cancer patients taking chemotherapies fight infections and fever by boosting white blood cell counts.
Michael Gibney


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A histogram plot is an intuitive description of the distribution of possible values of an output. It shows the range of possible results on the horizontal axis, and how relatively likely the values are on the vertical axis. Its key advantage is that one can see which value are more likely, but it is less useful for reading off probabilities since these depend on the bar widths. Each variable can be shown as a line or bars, which makes the plot easier to read when plotting two or more variables.
A cumulative plot shows the range of possible values of a model output on the horizontal axis, and the probability of being below that value on the vertical axis. Its key strengths are that one can read off probability values, and one can plot two or more outputs together – for example to compare two different options. Ascending (probability < x ) and descending (probability > x) are both available.
A trend plot shows the range of possible values of a model output that covers several periods (for example, cashflow). The horizontal axis shows the period (e.g. year), and the variable is represented by several bands around a central line (in red, either the mean or the median). The bands reflect probability ranges – here the light blue areas cover the P25 to P75 range, and the dark blue area covers the P05 to P95 range. These P-values can be customized.
This table shows which values have been generated for inputs and outputs during a simulation run. It provides a useful check on how the model behaves. When the Results Viewer is used in combination with ModelRisk, a particular sample can be selected, making ModelRisk show the whole spreadsheet with the calculations for that sample – very useful when, for example, the model has generated an unusual value or an error and you want to see how that happened.
Tornado plots show how sensitive the model output is to the different uncertain inputs. ModelRisk has several versions of the tornado – the one illustrated is the conditional mean tornado, first developed by Vose Software, and now the standard tornado plot for risk analysis.
This plot shows how two variables behave together (two inputs, two outputs, an output or an input). Each dot represents values that were generated for a single sample of the simulation. The scatter plot provides the most detailed visual description of how two variables behave together.
The box plot shows the range and selected probability measures for a variable on a single horizontal line. Its clear, simple presentation makes it ideal for comparing several outputs together.


text:
Maca (znanstveno ime Lepidium meyenii) je rastlina, katere domorodno rastišče je andska gorska veriga v Peruju in Boliviji. Gojijo jo zaradi njenega mesnatega hipokotila (povezava med embrionalno korenino in semenskim listom), ki se uporablja za prehrano in zdravljenje. Imenujemo jo tudi maca-maca, maino, ayak chichira, in ayak willku.

Botanične značilnosti
Lepidium meyenii je prvi opisal in poimenoval Gerhard Walpers leta 1843. Zahtevnost za gojenje, velikost in oblika so v grobem podobne tistim kot pri redkvi in repi, s katerima je v sorodu. Zeleni, razcepljeni vrhovi/izrastki rastline so kratki in ležijo po tleh. Tanki nagubani listi se razvijejo v obliki rozete (kot regrat) na površini tal in se nenehno obnavljajo iz centra navzven, kjer stari listi odmrejo.

Maca-e se zelo razlikujejo v velikosti in obliki korenine. Te so lahko trikotne, sploščene, okrogle ali pravokotne-slednje so največje. Barva hipokotila je zlata, krem, rdeča vijolična, modra, črna ali zelena. Različne pa si niso le po barvi, ampak tudi po prehranskih in terapevtskih lastnostih. Korenina zlato-krem barve je najbolj razširjena in priljubljena v Peruju zaradi svoje velikosti in sladkega okusa. Modra in črna barva maca-e imata najvišjo energijsko vredonost in se ponašata s slado-grenkim okusom. Rdeča maca postaja vedno bolj priljubljena. Klinične študije so pokazale, da zmanjšuje velikost prostate pri podganah. Te tri vrste so najpogosteje gojene in izvažane.

Maca-o se tradicionalno goji na nadmorski višini približno 4,100-4,500 metrov nadmorske višine. Dobro uspeva le v hladnem podnebju na relativno revnih tleh, kjer praktično ne uspeva nič drugega. Skoraj vsa pridelava maca-e v Peruju poteka ekološko, saj tako visoko živijo le redki potencialni škodljivci, kateri pa se mace največkrat ne lotijo. Polja so po večini gojena z gnojem ovc in alpak in morajo pogosto počivati nekal let, da se lahko obnovijo hranila v tleh. Hektarski donos je približno 5 ton. Za nadaljnjo predelavo korenine po navadi posušijo, tako da je končna masa približno 1,5 tone. Čeprav maco gojijo tudi drugod, še ni raziskano, ali razvije enake aktivne sestavine v enakih količinah kot andska.

Uporaba in priprava
Že približno 2000 let je maca na območju Peruja cenjena tako v tradicionalni prehrani kot tudi v ljudskem zdravilstvu. Imela naj bi visoko hranilno vrednost, kot zdravilo pa naj bi povečevala spolno moč in vzdržljivost. Do okoli 1980 je bila gojena le na območju okoli jezera Junin v srednjem Peruju. V preteklosti so z maca-o trgovali za koruzo, riž, manioke, papajo in ostale pridelke, katerih sami niso mogli gojiti. Med špansko kolonizacijo se je maca uporabljala kot plačilno sredstvo, cenjena pa naj bi bila tudi na španskem dvoru.

Legende o moči inkovskih bojevnikov so se ohranile do današnjih dni. To moč naj bi dobili prav iz maca-e. Pred vsako bitko so inkovski bojevniki zaužili nekaj zdrobljene maca-e, kar jih je naredilo nepremagljivo močne. Po osvoboditvi mesta pa jim je bilo nadaljnje zauživanje rastline prepovedano, s čimer so zavarovali ženske osvojenega mesta pred izjemnimi spolnimi močmi, ki so jim bile z zaužitjem korena dane. Na podlagi teh zgodb je maca postala znana kot naravna viagra in danes jo lahko kupimo kot prehransko dopolnilo v vsaki lekarni.

V Peruju maco pripravljajo in postrežejo na več različnih načinov, najpogosteje kuhano. Sveže izruvan hipokotil, pražen v jam (huatia), velja za poslastico. Korenino lahko tudi stolčejo v pire in skuhajo, da nastanesladka, gosta tekočina, posušijo in zmešajo z mlekom, da nastane kaša. Mešana z zelenjavo ali žitnimi zrni pa se uporablja za proizvodnjo moke. Pri fermentaciji nastane nizko alkoholno pivo, imenovano chicha de maca. Listi se uporabljajo za solato oz. jih kuhajo.

Naraščajoče povpraševanje je eden glavnih vzrokov za širitev pridelovanja maca-e. Vodilni produkt je moka iz korenine. Kot prehranski dodatek obstaja v obliki posušene korenine, moke in različnih ekstraktov. Zelo pogosto je tudi v obliki gela, ki ga pridobivajo z iztiskanjem pri povišani temperaturi. Le-ta je zaradi boljše prebavljivosti veliko boljši od prahu in se v glavnem uporablja v terapevtske namene. Obstaja tudi liofilizat, ki ga naredijo iz sveže stisnjenega soka, ki mu odparijo topilo pod znižanim tlakom.

Sestavine
Poleg sladkorjev in beljakovin vsebuje uridin, jabolčno kislino in njene benzoilne derivate, glukozinolate, glukotropeolin and m-metoksiglukotropeolin. Metanolni ekstrakt gomolja mace vsebuje tudi (1R, 3S)-1-metiltetrahidro-karbolin-3-karboksilno kislino, za katero domnevajo, da izvaja številne aktivnosti v centralnem živčnem sistemu. Posušena korenina maca-e ima zelo visoko hranilno vrednost, kot na primer riž in pšenica. Povprečna vsebnost je 60% ogljikovih hidratov, 10% beljakovin, 8,5% (prehranskih) vlaknin in 2,2% maščob. Maca je bogata z esencialnimi minerali: selenom, kalcijem, magnezijem, železom, vsebuje pa še maščobne kisline (linolensko, palmitinsko in oleinsko kislino), 19 aminokislin ter polisaharide. Zaradi visoke koncentracije proteinov in vitalnih hranilnih snovi ter p-metoksibenzil izocianat ji pripisujejo afrodizične lastnosti.

Vplivi na zdravje
Maca se uporablja v prehrani tako pri ljudeh kot pri živalih. Ker vsebuje glukozinolate, lahko v kombinaciji s prehrano revno z jodom pride do golšavosti. Temno obarvane korenine (rdeča, vijolična, črna) vsebujejo velike količine naravnega joda (10 gramov posušene mace po navadi vsebuje 52 mikrogramov joda). Navkljub temu, da vsebuje glukozinolate, ki so znani povzročitelji golšavosti, ne vemo, če povzroča ali preprečuje nastanek golšavosti. Bilo pa je dokazano, da zmanjšuje razširjanje žleze prostate pri podganah.

Bilo je izvedenih nekaj manjših študij na moških, ki so pokazale, da lahko izvlečki mace povečajo libido in izboljšajo kakovost semena. Manjša, dvojno slepa, randomizirana pilotna šudija je pokazala, da lahko korenina mace ublaži določene spolne motnje. Maca naj ne bi imela neposrednega vpliva na ravni spolnih hormonov pri ljudeh, prav tako naj ne bi delovala posredno. Vendar pa so novejše študije dokazale njen vpliv na izločanje hormonov.

Domneva se, da je za učinek odgovorna unikatna prehranska sestava, katera zagotavlja optimalno raven hranil, ki jih uporablja endokrini sistem. V raziskavi na samcih miši in podganah se je izkazalo, da maca stimulira paritveno vedenje. Nedavni pregled navaja, da so randomizirane klinične študije pokazale ugoden vpliv na energijo in razpoloženje, zmanjšanje tesnobe in povečanje spolne želje. Dokazano je tudi, da vzpodbuja proizvodnjo spermalnih celic in izboljšuje njihovo gibljivost ter povečuje volumen spermalne tekočine."

Viri in reference

Križnice
Flora Južne Amerike
Korenčnice
Taksoni, opisani leta 1843


text:
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Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father to rewrite the planet's fate.
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Forbidden book smuggled out of N. Korea
Home page Literatura
They say fact is stranger than fiction. One book smuggled out of North Korea encapsulates both.
Axar.az reports that written by a dissident writer still living inside the country, "The Accusation; Forbidden Stories from Inside North Korea" is a collection of short stories about the lives of regular people, who live without freedom and under constant scrutiny.
Officially fiction, the book is considered to be a reflection of life under North Korean rule. The author is known simply as "Bandi", Korean for firefly, a pen name he apparently chose himself.
The South Korean activist who helped smuggle it out, Do Hee-youn, tells CNN: "It doesn't deal with political prison camps, or public executions, human rights issues. It shows normal life of North Korea citizens and it is very frightening. This book shows that they live like slaves."
The book was first published in Korean in May 2014, and translated into French in 2015. It was published last month in the United States and United Kingdom and is now available in 19 languages.
Do said he first heard about the manuscript completely by chance. "We heard about a North Korean defector," Do told CNN, "A woman who had been arrested by Chinese border troops... We have been helping such cases in the past so we were helping her and we learned about Bandi and the manuscript."
The woman told them Bandi was a relative and had asked her to smuggle the manuscript out of North Korea when she confided she was planning to defect.
Copies of "The Accusation" translated into different languages are placed next to each other Thursday on the Bridge of Freedom at Imjingak in Paju.
But she was too scared she would get caught with it, Do said. A wise decision as it happens -- she was caught on the Chinese side of the border. If she was carrying the manuscript she would likely have been sent back to imprisonment, or even execution in North Korea.
"It is very difficult to bring a document out of North Korea," Do said. "We have tried in the past and failed but there were a few cases we succeeded."
Do sent a trusted contact into North Korea to make discreet contact with the author.
The hand-written manuscript was then smuggled out in between propaganda books on former leaders Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il.
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