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Code Geass R2 Anime Review
/ TV Series / Drama / 13-up
Does everything it can to ruin a good thing, but the concept keeps it watchable and the finale is fittingly spectacular.
...Code Geass gets amnesia and a bucket full of fanservice dumped on its head.
Koudo Giasu - Hangyaku no Ruruushu R2
Anti-Heroic Mecha War Drama
25 25-minute episodes
Anti-Villains
Mass side-switching
Uber-mecha Overload
Violence: 4 (heavy)
Nudity: 2 (moderate)
Sex: 2 (moderate)
Language: 2 (moderate)
Code Geass (sequel of)
X: 1999
A year has passed since the Black Rebellion was crushed after the sudden disappearance of Zero. A handful of desperate holdouts, led by C.C., have nothing left but a last-ditch plan.
Meanwhile, Lelouch is living a quiet life as an exceptionally talented schoolboy, caring for his younger brother Rollo and moonlighting as a chess master. Something, of course, is very wrong with Lelouch's life and the false memories on which it is based.
But when his true self is unlocked in the midst of a terrorist attack, can Lelouch again take the Rebellion from a ragtag band of cornered terrorists to a force that can stand against the unchallenged might of the Britannian Empire and the Emperor's unstoppable Knights of the Round, now lead by Suzaku?
3 stars out of 5 (?)
Code Geass was, presumably, so successful that the order came down to keep it on the air longer and beef up the marketability. The result is rather tragic; R2 pushes the narrative reset button and sticks in 20 episodes of fanservice-padded, marketing-driven filler, doing everything it can to try and screw a spectacular series up. The laundry list includes cheesecake, improbable schoolyard hijinks, silly characters, ninjas, so many Gundam-reject uber-mechs I lost count, underdeveloped sub-plots, and even an Eva-esque metaphysical sidestep. Even the theme songs go downhill. But despite all that, the strength of the foundation and occasional bit of Lelouch brilliance is enough to keep the rehash at least watchable. The good news is that around episode 20 it finally gets back to where it should have been in episode 1, and the epic endgame is exactly the sort of Lelouch-driven, bloody symphony of heroism-through-villainy you would hope for. It also still looks great, if you overlook the flying stooper-mecha.
For everything R2 does wrong, the characters and concept are strong enough to weather the marketing-driven storm, so when it finally gets back on track it at least dishes out a fitting, epic climax to a spectacularly malicious series.
Code Geass R2, the two-season continuation of Code Geass, is 75% marketing-driven filler and does everything it can to try and screw up a spectacular series. It very nearly succeeds, but the quality of the foundation is enough to keep the filler watchable and the eventual conclusion pulls everything back together for a worthy finale.
What went wrong? Presumably, Code Geass was so successful that the order came down to move it to a prime timeslot, add an extra season, and milk every last drop of commercial value out of it. The result is a litany of cheap attempts to make the series more marketable, as if the shameless flogging of Pizza Hut wasn't bad enough. (Though after a literal billboard early on, the blatant plugs are actually less frequent than before.) The bright side is that, once the finale finally arrives, it's an appropriately gripping Lelouch-fueled spectacle.
In the interim, the variety of ammunition R2 employs in the ongoing attempt to shoot itself in the foot (really, both feet, then the head) is impressive.
The most obvious thing it does wrong is not ending as soon as it starts.
The first series rushed into a cliffhanger end and left me wondering where another 25 episodes would fit in. They don't; it uses a Geass twist to essentially push the narrative reset button. By the time R2 finally gets to the endgame around the three-quarters mark it's clear that most of the preceding 20 episodes were unnecessary rehash getting back to where it should have been in episode 1.
It's depressingly obvious that the writers hadn't planned on much (if any) of the filler. The damning evidence ranges from overall repetition to smaller things like the build-up about Shirley's diary page getting ditched, replaced later by a different plot device with the same effect.
As much as I want to say "Just skip the first 20 episodes," that wouldn't work. From a narrative standpoint they're mostly repeating things that already happened in different context, but too many of the soap-operatic twists and turns worm their way into the final story arc to ignore. Maybe you could watch it while you're doing something else, and only pay close attention when Lelouch does something awesome.
Next on the self-destruction list is fanservice. Several excuses to put female characters in skimpy swimwear could, perhaps, be overlooked. But a ninja-maid? Revealing Sayoko as a sleeper agent was a nice twist; a ninja sleeper agent, that's just pandering--fun, but stupid.
Then there's the ever-increasing cast of colorful characters, half of whom end up at Ashford Academy and exist mostly to fill a fan-favorite niche. The few who are passably interesting get short-changed in terms of development anyway.
Take, for example, Knights of the Round supersoldier Anya: Pink-haired, fifteen years old, and pilots a dippy-looking walking cannon. She spends most of the series being an improbable schoolyard nuisance, giving people quizzical looks and photographing them. Now, when her motivation is finally revealed it's reasonably interesting--in a world where memories can't be trusted, she's grasping for something immutable. But, rather than making something of this, she's promptly jettisoned in favor of more central characters.
Worse is Chinese super-warrior Xingke. He's pretty, he's a tactician to rival Lelouch, he's a pilot to rival Suzaku, he has an unrequited love for someone above his station, and he's got one of those unnamed terminal illnesses whose only symptom is coughing up blood at dramatic moments. He is also completely forgotten as soon as his big moment as the antagonist is resolved, relegated to occasional appearances when it's unavoidable.
The only newly-introduced character that actually gets a fair shake is Lelouch's fake brother Rolo, a marvelous, tragic combination of fragile child and cold-blooded assassin. Lelouch, being Lelouch, ends up owning him, in heartless, calculating fashion.
Speaking of the man who drives the series, Lelouch is the other big exception. As he edges closer to being a hero--putting the greater good above simple protection of the weak spurred by his sister--the ruthless execution of his plans seems to weigh heavier on him, as does his self-appointed role as sin-eater.
Sadly, past him, even continuing figures like Ohgi and Viletta have major--and potentially quite interesting--subplots that are either forgotten or cut short. Given that the whole thing is filler anyway, it's particularly insulting to ignore worthwhile tangents in favor of ones introduced out of the blue. Which also get short-changed.
Where things really take a nosedive, though, is the mecha. The relative restraint had been admirable--apart from Lelouch's anti-aircraft win button (which served to keep him central without actually giving him any skill) the giant robots were relatively down-to-earth. (Both figuratively and literally, since they couldn't fly outside of exceptional circumstances and creative grappling-cable-fu.)
No more. In R2 everything can fly, armies routinely fall to a single uber-mech, and the fanservice-on-legs menagerie looks increasingly like Gundam rejects or something Bandai sells to 10-year-olds. I'd lost count by the final battle, but we were somewhere around a dozen named machines ranging from Lelouch's new "type really fast to win battles" juggernaut to a transforming jet that's a Macross Valkyrie with a new paint job. (Plus an all-female team explicitly piloting things called Valkyries.)
I wasn't even surprised by the time someone inevitably used that ultimate mecha cliche, the rocket punch. It's not like Sunrise forgot how to do a cool battle, either--the final, vicious, one-on-one duel mercifully takes place sans flying equipment and goofy weapons.
The one quality-suicide attempt I didn't see coming, but probably should have, is an Evangelion-inspired metaphysical showdown that kicks off the finale. Thankfully, that's where it gets back on track--Lelouch wastes no time dealing with it how you always wish heroes would, making the whole sidestep forgivable. The series then spends several episodes in a much more concrete endgame.
Now, back to Lelouch. Code Geass runs on Lelouch and his Machiavellian schemes, so the real make-or-break of R2 is whether he gets to do his thing. At the end, hoo-boy, does he ever. The middle stretch, however, is again disappointing--creative Geass use, vicious backstabs, and wicked reveals are disappointingly sparse. Still, there's a fantastic bit early on where he gives a pitch-perfect, heartstring-tugging hero speech, which is revealed to be carefully manufactured and completely disingenuous. The exodus from Japan is also spectacular.
And in the end, that's what kept me watching R2. For all the attempts at self-destruction, there are just enough interesting scenes and occasional bits of Lelouch brilliance to hold it together until it gets back on track.
As for the good part, it doesn't end up at all where you might think it's going, but once it gets there it makes perfect sense.
The chaotic finale of the first series had one flaw: Instead of the rickety tower of fragile alliances and double-crosses finally collapsing under its own weight, fate just steps in and smashes the whole thing with a proverbial baseball bat. The speed and totality with which everything went from hopeful to Hell was amazing, but the method seemed downright crude by the standards the series had set for itself.
R2 makes no such mistake--since it's no longer rushing to wrap up only to start over, it lets the drama and convoluted plans play out in full. The result is exactly the sort of Lelouch-driven, bloody symphony of heroism-through-villainy you would hope for.
My only complaint, and this likely comes from the ongoing attempts to appease fans, is that it's uncharacteristically merciful to the characters. Oh, it's still brutal--the body count is high and the tragedy multi-layered--but when all is said and done it wasn't even close to the spectacle of the first series. I'm not a big fan of tragedy, but if ever there was a series that shouldn't ease up at the end, it's Code Geass.1
You could, I suppose, argue that "hope through horror" is the motto of R2, and there are still a few beautifully tragic moments. In fact, one of the best bits in the middle section is a death scene in which quick cuts to blood subtly welling up from a chest wound capture life slipping away more effectively than histrionics or swelling soundtrack.
On that note, the visuals are one area where R2 consistently lives up to its predecessor--fluid animation, moody settings, and sharp, evocative character art. Stooper-mecha aside, the battles are animated beautifully. The music, not so much; while the background score remains solid, the two new opening themes go from mediocre to downright lame. At least Ali Project is back for the final end theme.
The Japanese acting is, again, a spectacle, with Jun Fukuyama's Lelouch at the charismatic, split-personalitied, megalomanic center of it all. There isn't quite the level of brutal emotional trauma anchoring the drama that the first series had, but the supporting cast features a wide variety of colorful voices. The most memorable of the new cast members is again Rollo, for the fragile, chillingly pleasant voice Takahiro Mizushima gives him.
In the end the biggest tragedy of R2 is that it takes a wicked twist on a commercial genre, then does everything it can to re-commercialize and bleed it dry. Yet, for everything it does wrong, the characters and concept are strong enough to (barely) weather the marketing-driven storm--greed and its partner Pizza Hut fail to kill the series. When it finally gets to where it should have started it dishes out a fitting climax to a spectacularly malicious series.
On account of the increased commercialization the middle stretch is closer to Gundam Wing and its kin than even the original Code Geass. Similarities to X are also stronger in the end stretch, both on account of the metaphysics and cataclysmic scale. Please Save My Earth is another one with a sympathetic, similarly conflicted villain to Lelouch (though, in the inverse of R2's quality problem, it disintegrates in the last episode).
The first Code Geass series was originally aired in a late night 1:30am timeslot; R2 was moved to the prime after-school 5pm slot.
Britannia generally uses an Arthurian naming scheme; in addition to the capital, Pendragon, the Knights of the Round's Knightmare Frames are all named after the Knights of the Round Table. An exception is that team of Valkyries, which are of Norse mythological origin.
Speaking of which, for evidence of just how overboard the wild array of fancy mecha go in this series, you can look over the 10,000 word Wikipedia article on the mecha alone. There's also a nearly 20,000 word article on the characters.
Visually-speaking, the original Japanese TV broadcast and the Japanese DVD release weren't quite the same; a few shots scattered through the series had the artwork improved for the DVD release. Unlike the normal "TV safe" or "spiced up for DVD" visual changes, the adjustments are purely artistic--mostly just little, sloppy bits of character art replaced with something more consistent. I believe all the US releases are of the cleaned-up version.
As with the first series, there are another nine short "in-between" episodes produced for the DVD release. They consist of an audio-drama-style dialogue with static illustrations of the scene. Two are prequel episodes and one is an epilogue, with the rest fitting between regular episodes (with appropriate fractional numbers), they explain backstory or elaborate on things not shown explicitly in the series proper. It's legitimate to count them as canon.
Footnote 1: This is an extreme spoiler footnote on the very end--only read this if you've already seen it. The last shot is somewhat disappointing from a dramatic standpoint. It had built up one of those perfect tragic crescendos where the characters have a sudden moment of realization, yet it comes too late to stop the tragic end. Simultaneously, Lelouch pulls off the ultimate scheme, wherein he checkmates himself and demonstrates--as he'd tried to but been prevented from doing several times before--that he's willing to make any sacrifice for victory. That was near-perfect. Then, in the final post-credit shot, it slips in a cop-out that, while no doubt a relief for Lelouch fans, completely deflates the tragedy. (The situation would have been reversed had Nunally been dead, but it tried to have its cake and eat it too by backing out of that dramatic punch as well.) You could argue that it wasn't implying Lelouch lived, but I don't buy that at all, and I want to. I will give that Lelouch needed to live to fulfill his contract with C.C., and did not need to stay dead for his plan to work, but sacrificing the perfect coup de grace was a narrative mistake. (Also, if you want to get technical, he could easily have dealt with C.C. by pawning immortality off on Suzaku, confident he wouldn't abuse it, and that even has the additional layer of tragedy in that Suzaku had already lost everything and wanted to die.)
Bandai's DVDs come in four two-disc chunks with Japanese and English soundtracks and an English subtitle track. Bonuses include the in-between audio episodes, galleries, previews, some commentaries, and a few other odds and ends. Limited Edition versions add a volume of the manga and fancier outer slipcover.
There are a few brief but overt sexual themes and a moderate amount of general fanservice, but the mature content is largely limited to violence of every sort and associated questionable morality.
Violence: 4 - Literally millions, both innocent and military, die in battles and crossfire, and there are also a few incidences of more direct, graphic violence on a personal scale.
Nudity: 2 - Periodic fanservice-type shower scenes and skimpy clothing.
Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - Nothing substantial physical, but a few bits of overt sexuality and general mature themes.
Language: 2 - I haven't seen an English translation to comment, but some moderately strong language.
Available in North America on four 2-disc bilingual volumes from Bandai. They come in regular and Limited Edition versions, which add a volume of the manga.
Code Geass R2 is Copyright © Sunrise / Project Geass - MBS Any images are the property of their respective rightsholders, and included for review purposes only under the fair-use clause of US copyright law.


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Journal of Information Processing (JIP) is pleased to announce the call for papers for a special issue of "Young Researchers' Papers".
For the further advancement of information processing technologies, more support is needed for young researchers who do research driven by freely exploring ideas and/or by curiosity. One of the most important missions of the IPSJ is to promote activities by young researchers, including students, who will lead the next generation. JIP has a series of special issues, starting in 2014, for promotion of young researchers, which has had a positive reputation because of quick review processes. This is the seventh call for papers of the series of special issues and we plan it by full support of the editorial board members of JIP. Our aim is timely and speedy publication of research outcomes by young researchers.
In this special issue, we will publish papers written by young researchers including students. We welcome to submit a paper on any research topic of our society, so long as its first author is a young researcher or a student (detailed requirements are described below). This special issue is conducted by guest editor system. Shinji Shimojo (Osaka University) has been invited as a guest editor in chief for this special section.
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Within easy reach of Athens, these are the Aegean's most precious gems. Ancient Greek geographers gave this unique cluster of islands the name Cyclades because they saw that they formed a circle (kyklos) of sorts around the sacred island of Delos. According to myth, the islands were the debris that remained after a battle between giants. In reality, they resulted from colossal geological events like earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
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What's your idea of the perfect beach? Green-blue water and white sand? Beach bars and water sports? Framed by rocks for snorkelling and scuba diving? A secret Aegean cove accessible only on foot or by boat? No matter what your ideal is, you'll find it in the Cyclades. First stop: Mykonos with its extra golden sand, turquoise water and 5-star facilities. Paradise, Super Paradise, Psarou and Elia, all rank in the top 10 beaches worldwide.
Next comes volcanic Milos, with the biggest range of colours and rock formations, such as at Sarakiniko and Kleftiko, and Santorini's black and red beaches like Kamari, Perissa and Perivolo that reveal the wild beauty of the Cyclades. Small Serifos is ringed with beaches, while rugged Amorgos can claim the 'Big Blue' at Agia Anna beach, where Luc Besson shot his seminal movie about testing the limits of man. Andros' 'secret' sandy beaches, like Ahla and Grias to Pidima, win rave reviews for being extra photogenic, as does Tinos for the round boulders at Livada and the enormous dune at Pachia Ammos (Fat Sand). For getting away from it all, both tiny Polyaigos, between Kimolos and Milos, and the Lesser Cyclades, near Naxos, offer unexplored destinations of raw beauty, for those who come by yacht.
Thousands of years of civilisation evolved here in the Cyclades, much of it visible in local archaeological sites and museums. You'll see its mystique encapsulated on the whole island of Delos and within Santorini's Akrotiri, the Minoan Pompei. It is also present in the two colossal horizontal statues lying on Naxos and in Kea's ancient Karthaia. Virtually every island has at least one ancient ruin. While beautiful, typically Cycladic churches exist on every island, the most visited are the 19th century Panagia on Tinos, the early Byzantine Ekatontapyliani on Paros, and the 11th century Hozoviotissa monastery on Amorgos. The best museums to visit are Santorini's Prehistoric Thera Museum; Andros' Contemporary Art and Archaeology Museum; the Industrial Museum at Syros' Ermoupoli; Amorgos' Archaeology Museum; Milos' museums of Mining and Archaeology, with a copy of the famous Venus de Milo; Tinos' Museum of Marble Crafts at Pyrgos and the Archaeology and Venetian museums on Naxos.
Known for the iconic blues and whites of their villages and their stunning beaches, the Cycladic islands also deserve worldwide renown for what their crystalline waters and rugged shorelines offer to sailors and sea lovers. Are you looking for action on the water? From the private coves of the Lesser Cyclades, to wind and kite-surfing on Paros, and fun-filled watersports, there are options for everyone. On land, discover the well-marked hiking trails that exist on all the islands, especially Naxos, Tinos, Amorgos, Syros and Andros. They cross rugged landscapes made all the more enchanting by castles, chapels, ruined towers and temples shrouded in the mysteries of the ages.
Every island specialises in a local treat with the distinctive flavour of the Aegean. Santorini's volcanic soil produces exceptional wines and extra delicious small tomatoes, capers, white aubergines, grown without water. On the other islands, look for wonderful cheeses like spicy kopanisti and xinotyro on Mykonos, arseniko on Naxos, San Michali on Tinos, Paros and Syros. The rich omelette called froutalia on Tinos and Andros, sausages and cured pork fillet (louza) on Mykonos and Tinos, clay-pot chickpeas on Sifnos, and sweets like pastelli (sesame bars) and amygdalota (crushed almond shortbread) on all the islands. All the islands also distill their own versions of firewater but Tinos' raki is thought to be more refined and lighter, while on Amorgos they drink rakomelo, raki mixed with honey.
1. Santorini: Santorini's Fira and Oia at sunset and the majesty of the caldera.
3. Syros: Stately Ermoupoli on Syros, one of the most regal settlements in the Cyclades.
4. Andros: The shipowners' neoclassical Andros town.
5. Serifos: The steep cubist Hora of Serifos.
6. Milos: Milos' Plaka with its castle and old churches.
7. Tinos: The Volax plateau on Tinos with its giant granite boulders.
8. Amorgos: The unspoilt villages of Tholaria and Langada on Amorgos.
9. Paros: The little port of Naoussa on Paros and the island's mountain villages like Lefkes, Marpissa and Prodromos.
"When I close my eyes I see the rocks of Folegandros. They are very imposing. I have a secret spot there that is just for me."
"The sublime beauty and delight of the island though does not stop here. If you walk down the little stairs you will discover a small seafront church dedicated to Saint Anne."
"The best scenery I shared with my wife was in Firiplaka on Milos. We walked the length of the beach with the blue- grey sea water up to our waists and admired the white and pink cliff behind us, the gold-grey sand and a stunning huge rock formation rising from the water."
"The island is famous both for its pottery and its food. Lunch at Nikos`s taverna in Heronissos is one of the great culinary island experiences."
"A picturesque hamlet at the foot of Mt Fanari, it stands out for its staunchly traditional character. Wander its narrow streets, discover its special corners and admire its architecture."
"The second highest monolith in the Mediterranean after Gibraltar stands before your eyes and you are left staring in awe whenever you raise your head after each dive."
Great beaches, delicious food, great people, loads of fun!!! Looking forward to my next summer in Naxos!!!
Making the best memories, here in Santorini's island!
Keep an eye on surfers and wildlife @ Golden Beach_Paros.
A wonderful old house with Venetian architecture style in Loutra Bay at Kythnos Island!!!
You have to visit Syros in order to feel the energy and feeling of the greek welcome island!!
There are times when reality surpasses every expectation! A visit to the sparkling white Folegandros basking under the Aegean sun is most definitely one of them.
Brighten up your holidays with moments of aesthetic exaltation on an island that loves art and embraces it in its natural beauty. Welcome to Sifnos!
KYTHNOS: THE ONE TO FALL IN LOVE WITH!
Verina Hotels is a complex of luxury boutique hotels and villas located in Sifnos, run by a team passionate for our work. Inspired by the unique atmosphere of the island, we have created two hotels that reflect the understated elegance of our island.
ANEMI HOTELS GROUP is delighted to present its two luxury design hotels, ΑthensWas which is located at the historical center of Athens and Anemi Hotel in Folegandros island, one of the Cyclades Islands.
Imagine a place...where the sea and sky hypnotize adventuring souls. Nestled in the cosmopolitan island, discovered by jet setters,are the island bungalows and private villas of Mykonos Blu luxury hotel,thoughtfully designed to reflect the cubist lines of the Cyclades.


Mud is more than a messy inconvenience to feeding, watering, and cleaning; it harbors bacteria and fungi that cause serious skin and hoof infections, and is a perfect medium for the transmission of viral and parasite infections. It also contaminates runoff water with pollutants and sediment, which can degrade water quality in our streams and rivers and put you in violation of agricultural water quality laws.
So what can you do about it? To start, you can learn techniques that work for other horse and livestock owners! You may not be able to completely eliminate mud, but you can greatly reduce the amount of mud by managing rain water and manure.
Having mud issues? Contact Us!
If you have questions about mud or what to do about it, please contact Julie DiLeone, our Rural Lands Program Supervisor.
Install roof gutters and downspouts to divert clean water from the animal yard. A 1-inch rain on a 20-foot by 50-foot roof will produce 620 gallons of water; with 40 inches of rain per year that's 25,000 gallons of water! Design gutters to handle and divert the rainfall in your area.
Protect your downspouts from animal and equipment damage by using heavy polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe, a hot wire, or a permanent barrier.
Make use of your stormwater! Empty downspouts into a stock watering tank or rain barrel, and direct any overflow to a vegetated area that the animals cannot access.
Put new animal yards at least 100 feet from wetlands, ditches, and streams.
Divert animal yard runoff away from wetlands, ditches, and streams and into a vegetated area that can filter the flow. Divert clean water above animal yards to wetlands, ditches, and streams.
Close open ditches with a buried pipe to carry water past animal yards.
Nose pumps tend to be one of the more economical ways of pumping water. Since the animals themselves supply the power for pumping, there is no need for power at the site. Nose pumps are small and light so they can easily be moved from one water source to another in rotational grazing systems.
Have you been curious about using nose pumps for off-stream livestock and horse watering? Contact us to borrow ours.
Install fencing to keep animals away from wetlands, streams, and ditches. Rotate water tank areas to avoid mud and manure buildup.
Install Firm Footing: Create a heavy use area.
A heavy use area made of geotextile fabric, gravel, and sand will provide an all-weather surface for you and your animals. To reduce muddy areas and increase forage production, move animals into the heavy use area when pastures are wet in the winter or when grass is less than 3 inches high in the summer. Install heavy use areas on high ground and at least 100 feet away from wells and open water. The design of a heavy use area is specific to your site. We can help you save time and money by getting it right the first time.
We have broad experience with the strengths and shortcomings of the various approaches to mud issues, and together we can tailor a cost-effective solution for your operation so that you won't need to worry about mud next winter. Contact us now! You can also schedule a site visit.


basic idea -- discount an distant future income to tomorrow, rather than to today.
The core math concept is very simple once you get used to it. $0.7 today grows to $1 in Aug, and $1.25 in Nov. These 2 numbers are implied/derived from today's prices. These are the risk-neutral expectations of the "growth". So $1.25 in Nov is worth $0.7 today, i.e.
The original notation is P(today, Aug, Nov) = 0.8.
Note the 0.80 value is not discounted to today, but discounted to next month i.e. Aug only. For PV calculation, we often need to apply discounting on top of the fwd discount factor.
fwd rate is like an interest rate. 0.8 would mean 25% fwd rate.


Small businesses are the backbone of the economy employing 15.7 million people, that's 60% of all private sector workers – that's a huge number and we're not just a nation of shopkeepers either. There are SMEs in all industry sectors and with an increase of 3% in sole traders, businesses are as varied as they are plentiful.
But if you are your business then it can be tough – the decisions, the self-motivation, it can all take its toll. Which is exactly why Small business Saturday on the 3 December, exists. It's a way of highlighting just how hard you work as well as promoting your skills – hosting workshops; getting the public to buy stuff from you and generally giving you a much needed pat on the back.
This will be the fourth Small business Saturday; last year saw £623 million spent with SMEs all over the country which was a 24% increase on 2014 before. Needless to say, organisers are hoping for something bigger and better this year.
So how exactly are event coordinators going to get the rest of us to part with our hard-earned cash? Well, there's the Small Biz 100 which will highlight one small business every day for 100 days leading up to the main event. If you're one of the chosen, then you'll get social and local media coverage as well as have the opportunity to meet some bigwigs at Downing Street and the Treasury – best get that old suit dry cleaned then.
But that's not all, there's even a travelling bus that will host events, workshops and have space for businesses to exhibit their goods. The bus will be stopping at 29 different places so there's lots of opportunity to get involved.
Of course, being an entrepreneur has its ups as well as downs. On the plus side, you're the boss and no-one can tell you what to do (but they can try). On the downside, it can feel like everything's on your shoulders and nobody's got your back. Which is why making sure you've got the right business insurance in place is imperative.
But business insurance doesn't stop at making sure your premises and stock are covered. If you provide professional advice, then consider professional indemnity insurance and if you employ any staff, you'll need employers' liability insurance by law. Business insurance might feel like an unnecessary luxury – but no matter how great your business plan, you can't forecast the future. So, get some peace of mind and start comparing business insurance today.


SAILING CRADLES, INC. is a business entity registered in the state of California under the legal form of DOMESTIC STOCK. It can be found in the register by the DOS ID C0787425. The company was established and set into the register at 20th October 1976 and its current status is FTB SUSPENDED. Location address of this company is at 15631 VENTURA BLVD, ENCINO, 91316, CA.
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Anaarkali of Aarah is the account of Anaarkali (Swara Bhaskar), who brings home the bacon by performing on two sided connotation/suggestive melodies out in the open capacities. Amid one of her stage appears, Anaarkali goes over Vice Chancellor Dharmender Chauhan (Sanjay Mishra) who attempts to attack her. This prompts a contention between the two where Dharmender holding a place of intensity has a high ground however Anaarkali declines to yield to the difficulties tossed in her life and rather chooses to battle back.


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Readjust the direction model using observation data from radar satellites in the Subantartic zone (around 50° South). Perform (using these radar images) a correct display of icebergs of a significant size (>50m).
Each iceberg detected by satellite or in situ by Vendée Globe's skippers is assigned a unique identifier. Then the iceberg is ingested in a model of drift and cast developed through the management of CLS space oceanography. Satellite detection of icebergs or in situ did not identify any icebergs. To compensate for this lack of information, the drift model can be used on many fictional icebergs generated along the ice. This allows for statistical information on the risk of encountering icebergs. Design drift and melting takes into account the currents, wind, sea state (surface anomalies, height of sea level), surface temperature and the shape and size of the iceberg. CLS is thus able to provide the Antarctic card race organizers with the location of populations of icebergs and predicting their drift. CLS thus accompanied the Vendée Globe race directors in its decision making.


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The Dell H815dw Multifunction Printer provides high-level printing and paper handling for small offices or workgroups with medium-duty printing needs. In addition, this is intended for offices that need to be printed and scanned into the cloud and can take advantage of giving the printer's front panel commands rather than a computer. For offices that require such a hard-working Web connectivity monochrome multifunction printer (MFP).
The Dell H815dw MFP has basic features including printing and faxing, as well as scanning to, PC, plus the ability to work as a standalone copier, fax machine, and direct email sender (meaning you can have a document as email attachments directly, without having to send them to your PC email client). In addition, both of them can print from and scan to a USB memory key. The Dell H815dw has a 250-sheet capacity drawer, a 100-sheet multi-purpose tray and an automatic duplexer standard. Dell H815w completes the letter-letter flatbed with a 50-page automatic document feeder (ADF) that can scan legal size pages and can also copy, scan, and send faxes in a duplex manner, by scanning one side of the page, reversing it, and scanning another.
Features of cellphone including cellphone printing are good for printing through clouds (assuming you connect the printer directly to the network), and print via Wi-Fi through access points on your network from iOS, Android and Windows phones and tablets. The printer also supports cellular scanning through access points from iOS and Android devices. In addition, it supports Wi-Fi Direct - so you can directly connect to printers and scans - and NFC, which allows you to create Wi-Fi Direct connection from a compatible device to the NFC logo on the printer.
You can also scan documents and ask the Dell server to recognize text and create files in Word, PDF, Excel, or PowerPoint formats that can be searched. Just select the option on the front panel, specify the format, and choose a destination, which can be one of the websites or email addresses available. In addition, the ability to send files to the printer continues until you give print command from the front panel. This is for personal printing, which tells us how to wait for you to enter the front panel before printing, you can also determine that the work must be kept in mind for reprinting later. However, if you turn off the printer, you will lose the stored print job. That makes this feature far more useless than if the document is stored on a non-volatile disk or memory.
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As i see auth.log is filled with brute force attack on all services that are open to the internet its always good to have protection and fail2ban provides good features to be able to minimize those attacks. fail2ban will alter iptables configuration on the fly on predefined number of unsuccessful login attempts. In the beginning i will configure fail2ban to alter iptables locally on my server but will change that so it is my gateway (mikrotik) that will be the firewall that blocks the banned IP's. But first installation of fail2ban locally only.
There are some configuration that i do to suite my needs, under [DEFAULT] which is applied to all services that do not have their own specified configs.
I ignore my internal network and localhost from being banned. Altho that means one of my internal devices can be used without getting banned i want this atleast now while im configuring so that i wont myself my mistake get banned.
I have as default bantime 10 minutes and during the last 10 minutes 3 attemps have been made for ban to kick in.
Under [ACTION] i have not changed anything at this moment. Lets skip to the jails or the individual services we want to monitor.
At this moment i only have one service i monitor, SSH. Here i have set enabled = true and specified the services own bantime,findtime and maxretrys which will override the [DEFAULT] (yes i know they are the same now) Also we specify which logfile fail2ban will monitor for the unsuccessful login attempts.
ssh jail filters logfiles can be found under /etc/fail2ban/filter.d/ and the file sshd.conf where its configured how the filter ssh reads the log file to find the unsuccessful logins we are after.
After this has been done, i moved on to the firewall on the server, as i have another firewall acting as gateway with forwarded traffic to the server i dont as normally configure the firewall to only let in the specific traffic, i for now leave it open and only block the IP's that fail2ban bans. Otherwise i would allow established connection from the server, SSH traffic and webtraffic to the server then drop all other traffic but as i have an firewall before my server i leave it open and only block what i dont want. The fail2ban service will add some rules to iptables direct traffic to different chains and letting the traffic flow right back into the INPUT chain.
fail2ban will add a rule for each ban rejecting that ip address.
After all configuring has been done time to restart the service and test if it works.
Time for testing but that was not necessary for me as just a few minutes after restarting fail2ban i checked iptables with the command iptables -s and i had my first ban.
All these posts i have done from my memory, First i was not going to write these down but then maybe i remember them easier for the nextime if i write them. So installing fail2ban was done few days ago so they are not so specific but all the configuring i have done are there and i will try from now on write these posts as i do the installation and configuring.
Next step in this project was fail2sql so that i will get my SQL populated for the future.


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Well, I needed a baby boy card, and the Fusion inspiration picture made me think about letters… Not pink like the Fusion pic though, but, of course, blue!
This stamp was attached to a mag I bought the other week. I thought it was perfect for a baby boy. The carriage was too small to fit the name in, so I did a bit of masking to make it twice the size. Added the letters and the frame by hand to match: coloured with watercolour pencils.
Entered for the Fusion challenge this week.


Whoever ends up with the first overall pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is going to be forced to make a tough decision between Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko. Sure, Hughes has been the projected first overall pick pretty much since last year's draft, but thanks to what Kakko has been able to do in the Liiga this season there are now two names fighting to be the top pick in the draft.
The 18-year-old Finnish winger hasn't had any issues adjusting to the professional level this season as he leads his team in goals and sits third in points, on top of leading all rookies in scoring, as well. On Friday night, Finland's 2019 World Junior hero made history as he set a new record for most goals by an 18-year-old.
Kakko attempted to get the puck across the crease but was quickly shutdown. Luckily for him, he got the puck right back and took full advantage of all the extra space by potting his 22nd goal of the season, surpassing Aleksander Barkov's previous record of 21 goals from 2012-13.
Something similar happened last year in the SHL as Elias Pettersson set the record for most points by a player 20 or under with 56 and he's had no issues adjusting to the NHL level this season.


Increasing enrollment numbers has left School District 79 in a pinch to free up some space.
The school board voted to relocate the Grade 7 program from Chemainus and Crofton Elementary schools to Chemainus Secondary, starting in the 2019-20 school year.
Board Chair Candace Spilsbury said the community consultations and the development of the North Zone Long-Range Facilities Plan is important in determining the way forward.
Spilsbury said the request to get additional portables has spanned a few months in the past, as evidenced by the School District ordering a portable for Chemainus Elementary by early September of the last school year and having it ready by December.
When it comes to replacing Cowichan Secondary, the school district 79 board is still working with the Ministry of Finance to complete a project definition report and a presentation to the province is expected in May.
The new Superintendent will be named at next week's School District 79 board meeting. Rod Allen retired last in 2018 but agreed to help until March.


Get the facts; unrealistic financial expectations beget real problems.
Read and understand divorce agreements. What were the financial obligations of the past marriage? Can the prior spouse be counted on to meet those obligations? In addition we need to disclose each other's salaries, expected bonuses and other assets.
mortgage, rent, electric, telephone, car expenses and clothes. As a couple discuss and work at just what husband and wife define as needs and wants.
Remember each of us comes from differing point of view re money expenditures. Our family of origin values and our previous marriage values and experiences heavily impact the way we look at the step marriage and money. Sort this out. If you are fighting over money get counseling.
Discuss discretionary wants and needs of the couple and then of each member of "in house" and visiting step children. Should upset occur Use A/B Reality Tool in the STEPPARENTING book. NOT! "You overindulge your kids," Instead, my reality is, I feel, I see, I hear. One could say, "when your kids ask you for something I hardly ever hear you say no." If money continues to cause upset, find a divorce and step literate counselor with whom to work.
At the Stepfamily Foundation we often advocate pre or post nuptials, as ugly and unromantic as it may seem,. These agreements determines such items as percentages of inheritances, who gets custody of the children in case of death, financial determinations in case of divorce, and even who does the dishes or shopping.
Teach kids how to handle money. Determine age appropriate allowances and children's household responsibilities and duties. Allowances should be used to buy lunch, comic books, games and movies. They should not be withheld as punishment, but simply delayed.
Endeavor to develop a neutral style of communication with ex's re money. Using the child as the messenger regarding money, whether verbally or by letter delivered at visitation, is not appropriate. It divides the child's loyalties, places him in the middle and finally results in her lowered self esteem.
Do not use the child as a messenger regarding money. We know what happens to the messenger. No notes, checks or verbal messages through the visiting child. You may say I have a different point of view or a different reality than mom/dad regarding money.
After children, money is the second largest cause of break up. Learn good partnering and couple communication skills. Money is difficult, but solvable dynamic of divorce and step relationships. Building a couple partnership is vital. The couple must work things out alone, or with a qualified counselor.


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Maybe CPSC can get all the private "data contractors" that initially worked on Obama care (costing taxpayers billions) to help out. that went really smoothly. Does the govt. not learn from these screw ups? Can't one agency learn from the others what NOT to do? If its not broke why must the govt "fix things"?


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Mike Fleck sentenced to five years in prison for role in Allentown's pay-to-play scheme
By Emily Opilo and Peter Hall
Former campaign consultant Mike Fleck arrives with others for his sentencing hearing at Edward N. Cahn Federal Courthouse in Allentown, Pa. on Friday, April 26, 2019. Fleck will be sentenced for his role in the pay-to-play corruption scandal that brought down former Mayor Ed Pawlowski. Fleck is charged with tax evasion and conspiracy to commit bribery and extortion. April Gamiz/The Morning Call (April Gamiz/April Gamiz/The Morning Call)
The citizens of Allentown deserved honesty and transparency, a federal prosecutor mused Friday, but got a corrupt "tag team" of Mayor Ed Pawlowski and his campaign manager, Mike Fleck, who was sentenced to five years in prison.
Fleck's decision to wear a wire and record Pawlowski, then his close friend, was a turning point in the FBI's investigation of City Hall corruption that eventually led to Pawlowski's conviction, Assistant U.S. Attorney Anthony Wzorek said at Fleck's sentencing in Allentown. But Fleck's conduct was unethical, distasteful and criminal and warrants a stiff penalty, Wzorek argued before the penalty was imposed.
Chief U.S. District Court Judge Juan R. Sanchez sided with Wzorek and other prosecutors, calling Fleck's conduct "outrageous," "extraordinarily troubling" and "extraordinarily serious." He was "right front and center" assisting Pawlowski with corrupting the city contracting process, Sanchez said.
Mike Fleck's attorney Philip Lauer speaks after Fleck's sentencing Friday, April 26, 2019, in the Allentown pay-to-play case. (April Gamiz)
"This type of behavior cannot be tolerated in our state, in our cities," Sanchez said, "because it has a corrosive effect in the public's trust in our government."
Fleck was handcuffed and immediately taken away by a marshal following the hearing. A marshal told his lawyer Fleck was headed to Lehigh County Jail.
In addition to a prison term, Fleck was sentenced to three years of probation. He owes $56,749 in restitution and $77,739 to the Internal Revenue Service.
Addressing the court before he learned his sentence, Fleck told Sanchez he regretted hurting others, acknowledging many were simply residents of Allentown he did not know.
"I went down a bad path," he said. "I regret it now, I regretted it, obviously, once we got caught."
Wzorek called Fleck and Pawlowski a "corrupt team, giving out city contracts to those who would or could help out Mr. Pawlowski's campaigns." He urged Sanchez to send a message to others who would engage in similar crimes.
This type of behavior cannot be tolerated in our state, in our cities, because it has a corrosive effect in the public's trust in our government.
— Chief U.S. District Court Judge Sanchez
"They clearly had this symbiotic relationship. Mr. Pawlowski wanted higher office. Mr. Fleck wanted to be a kingmaker," Wzorek said.
Wzorek read part of a letter Fleck wrote to Sanchez that was filed with his attorney's sentencing memorandum.
"Somewhere along the way I lost political courage," he said. "I succumbed to the trappings of political power and money, mostly money."
"I knew every step of the way what we were doing was wrong, but would find a way to rationalize my behavior in some way," Fleck's letter continued.
Fleck helped prosecutors, after being prodded
Wzorek noted that Fleck moved the case forward, because his close relationship with the mayor enabled him to record conversations with Pawlowski that other cooperators could not. But he also emphasized that Fleck did not cooperate immediately, and instead returned to his office and warned his employees that he was going to be secretly recording his clients.
"The government believes that was in an effort to notify Mr. Pawlowski about what had happened in this case," Wzorek said.
"His actions immediately after being confronted by the FBI may have had some impact on the success of the investigation," Wzorek added.
Fleck's lawyer Philip Lauer said Fleck told only two people that he was wearing a wire — his employees — and noted that one was already making secret recordings for the government.
Lauer told Sanchez he knew Fleck personally and described him as "smart, hardworking and convincing." A former used car salesman who served as an Easton city councilman and ran unsuccessfully for mayor, Fleck started his own consulting businesses in 2010.
"He had businesses on both sides of the aisle, as you heard from the government, which eventually turned into a conflict," Lauer said.
Sanchez stopped Lauer and asked how a person who served in elected office as long as Fleck could have such a conflict.
"He has no boundaries, no sense of ethics, no sense of what's right or wrong," Sanchez said.
Lauer replied that Fleck had relocated his boundaries, noting that once he was caught, he cooperated fully.
"This man's response was to give it up," Lauer said.
Pawlowski's family, who attended Friday's hearing, could be heard in the gallery scoffing as Lauer spoke about Fleck's attributes. They declined to comment after the sentencing.
Fleck told Sanchez that what prosecutors and his attorney said were both true, though "it seems like they're in dichotomy."
Sanchez said Fleck was diagnosed with bipolar disorder after he left Allentown. He is required to get treatment as part of his sentence.
At the end of the hearing, Fleck took off his belt and jacket and handed them to a man in the gallery. He gave a pair of glasses and a large Ziploc of pill bottles to the marshal.
Fleck pleaded guilty in 2016 to tax evasion and conspiring to commit bribery and extortion. As part of a plea deal with the U.S. attorney's office, prosecutors agreed to recommend a lenient sentence if they were satisfied with his cooperation at the end of the cases he helped launch.
Fleck was among the last of more than a dozen pay-to-play defendants to be sentenced. Allentown engineer Matthew McTish also learned his fate Friday. Sanchez sentenced him to three years of probation, 100 hours of community service and a $50,000 fine.
FBI Special Agent Scott Curtis first focused on Fleck when he started running down reports of public corruption in the Lehigh Valley in 2013. Curtis testified he used an undercover agent to pose as a businessman interested in opening a bar in Allentown's special taxing district, the Neighborhood Improvement Zone.
Curtis believed Fleck had a scheme to send false tax statements to the city and pocket the revenue, and he gathered enough evidence to persuade a judge to let the FBI tap Fleck's phone.
Access to Pawlowski's inner circle
That brought the FBI into Pawlowski's inner circle. Fleck was as close to Pawlowski as anyone could possibly get. The pair vacationed together, and Fleck watched Pawlowski's children.
Ramzi Haddad testified he reluctantly hired Fleck to lobby for his projects because "if you want business with the mayor you've got to go through Mike Fleck."
Francis Dougherty, Pawlowski's top aide, said Fleck and his employee Sam Ruchlewicz had "free rein" of City Hall, an observation echoed by an assistant to Vaughn Spencer, the former Reading mayor, who employed Fleck to run his 2015 reelection campaign and was later convicted in a pay-to-play scheme.
Agents recorded Fleck's calls for more than six months before they approached Ruchlewicz with evidence of his theft from a political fund Fleck's firm managed, and persuaded him to cooperate by wearing a wire. Nearly a year passed before agents confronted Fleck. He broke down in tears when FBI agents explained they needed him to secretly record the mayor, Curtis said.
After meeting with the FBI in a Lehigh County hotel room, Fleck returned to his office, where Ruchlewicz secretly recorded Fleck's misgivings about helping the feds "set up" Pawlowski, calling the agents, "a little overzealous with the fact about making up crimes."
Fleck used a recording device to gather evidence against Pawlowski for three months.
Ruchlewicz was not charged. Dougherty pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to probation. Spencer was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison. Pawlowski received the biggest sentence, 15 years.
Staff reporter Emily Opilo can be reached at 620-820-6522 or eopilo@mcall.com.


Graham Chapman exists as one of the greatest comedic talents that the world has ever seen, and we're kind of proud that he's British. Climbing to fame with Monty Python, he quickly situated himself as quick-witted and far cleverer than some of the sillier jokes that the sketch troupe put together.
He was also a troubled man. Openly gay, in a time when the world was far less tolerant, and struggling with alcoholism, his friends described him as a man "constantly trying to find himself". He was introspective and melancholy in the public eye and sadly passed away in 1989, taking a bit more laughter out of the world.
Before his death, he recorded more than two hours worth of an exaggerated autobiography, which forms the base of the new animated feature that tells the story of his bittersweet life. Chapman narrates the film from beyond the grave, with the surviving Python's (bar Eric Idle) providing their voices to the film.
A wholly collaborative work, it was directed by three men (including Terry Jones' son Bill) and features animation from 14 different studios and is a wonderful display of almost every type of animation out there at the moment.
Premiered at the BFI London Film Festival, with an Gala sponsored by Pythons Michael Palin and Terry Jones and Empire magazine, it proved a touching but funny almost-biopic. The film will be widely released on January 25th 2013.


-As most of you will notice, the staff are sporting new User-Bars, which you can see in their posts, These will be coming to all members very soon.
-Custom User Titles are now back up and are able to be used.
If you think you have the wrong color, tell me and I will fix it.
Oooo. I like this idea. Gives us all something to work toward by the looks of these titles.
Fire Warrior, how can you be both a moderator and an admin? Don't admins have all moderator powers anyway?
That's because he's a Super Mod.
That's not it. If he was a Supermod he'd have the icon Orangefalcon has.
Oh now I know why...he's assigned as moderator to a section.
As well as an administrator to this board he helps out as a mod as well.
I'm a moderator with admin privileges. So I have my normal mod duties and some extra.
It's because me and FireWarrior were recruited to help with some of the technical aspects of the site. It's a temporary position.
Why is it that certain ranks no longer have full forum privileges? Before this was initialized, I had private message and visitor messaging access. Now that these new ranks are up, I have no access at all to those features. So what gives or is this a glitch?
If need be, I can make a brand new account since this one was part of the old database and I can't seem to find where to change my username (which I no longer use on any ranger site.) I currently use either Ycestar, Ycestar Ranger, or Ycestar Knight.
Okay, PMs seem to be working now. Thanks.
Feel free to use whichever account you wish. If you want to use your old Bluestar account, PM me and I can change your username for you. ATM, there aren't any plans for user-changeable usernames.
- Some of you may have noticed the newest Rank I added called NPH!, this stands for Neil Patrick Harris whom is also known as God, a few of us thought it would be funny, so we went ahead with it, to reach the level of his awesomeness you must have 6969 posts.
Has this list (and posts needed) changed?
soo what is pm tracking?
The post counts have not changed but the names have, when I get home from work this afternoon, I will be putting up a thread, with all of the rankings and what each of them will have in terms of Sig Size, Avatar Size, Total PM Count and so on and so forth.
Yea a sig size. I feel so nekkid without one. Now i know what to make.
Aw nuts, looks like I'll need to edit mine then, those dimensions are a lot smaller than the other forums (about 33% smaller than HJU and PRE).
The RangerVision Board and Staff Guidelines/Rules Thread has been updated with a lost of guidelines for staff to follow. Interested members can check it out.
Recruit and Commander UserBars Added.
Well, I've made a new smaller sig. The old one needed updating anyway.
B and D Squad Banners are now up.
Nice one. Is that Adam's Once a ranger morph in the B-Squad banner?
I think so yeah. You would have to ask KamenRiderDecade, he created them all.
The Settings above are now in effect, we will give everyone 1 week to make sure they are within the limits Sig and Avatar wise.
- If you don't know which forum is which LOOK AT THE SUB-TITLE that's what their there for.
- I've installed a forum bot for use with the multiple account detector. It is called The BanHammer (what, I have a sense of humor).
-we are continuing to work on more skins and banners. If you have any banners you'd like to submit for us to go through, please check the Banner Submission Thread in Trent's Sketchpad.
-The new shoutbox is up and running. The problem with the black text by default is gone, and it offers more options for you guys.
-We are making and installing new smilies. The current ones will remain, but these are special Power Rangers ones that will be installed. They'll be similar to what RangerCrew has, but with a different spin. Those will get rolled out ASAP. But in the meantime, 3 are already installed.
-Two forum bots have been installed. One for the comic blog, ComicVine.com, and one for TV-Nihon for when subbed episodes of Kamen Rider, Super Sentai and other awesome Toku shows are posted.
-I hope you all enjoyed Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanza/Festivus/Whatever. If you haven't noticed, it's been snowing for awhile on the board. We've decided to keep that going up until New Years. So, enjoy that while it lasts.
So, yeah, that's it for now.
We have also added Forum Bots for After the Power, a blog which reports on ranger actors and actresses roles before and after being in PR, and SEScoops which reports professional wrestling news.
After The Power will be posting in the Cast News and Appearences section of The Morphing Grid, and SEScoops will be posting in Storm Charger's.
-A new theme, Power Rangers Zeo, has been installed. We will continue the rollout of new themes as the banners are made. If you'd like to contribute, please make your submissions in the Banner Submission Thread or PM me for details.
-Enter the RangerVision "Design a Shirt Contest"! It's good for you, and builds character. Please see the thread for details.
The fanfiction section has a mini face lift!
-Check out the all new "Author's Cove" subforum! Here you can follow your favorite author's works in a thread created by them, ask them questions, get to know them! It's a forum created for for them, not just their works!
-The FF mods are working on a few contests and challenges to bring to the FF section, such as bringing back the One-Shot contest as well as a 'vintage' writing challenge! Check back for updates to come soon!
-Some edits have been done to the top with the member info. It shouldn't be hard to miss.
-We're starting something called the "Movie of the Week." There will be a collapsible module in Hayley's Cyberspace that will showcase the movie, a trailer, and some basic info. There will also be a discussion thread for that.
-There's a new profile field for you to fill in along with your location and basic biography. It's a "Favorite Ranger" field which you can find in your user settings. When filled in, it will show along with all your posts.
-There's a new User Spotlight that will showcase a random user from the board. The User Showcase can be found in the sidebar.
Advanced Statistics, As you can see down the bottom of the forum, A whole bunch of different statistics to choose from.
Until further notice, the new login and user area up top has been reverted to it's original version.
The search engine database has been redone, so now searches should bring up better results. Also, we will be conducting further maintenance with the server to help speed up the board. You may experience periods of Slow-Fast-Slow-Fast response. Just giving you the heads up.
The software that this forum runs on, Vbulletin, has been updated to the newest version. Included are some bug fixes, and a new skin dedicated for using the forum on smartphones which will engage when you login with your phone. Other than that, it's mostly bug fixes.
For all you Kamen Rider junkies, you have yourself a new Kamen Rider OOO theme, made with work done by Phazon Ranger and myself.


Setting up auto pay in Northland's online billing system is quick and easy. Just log in to the online billing system and follow the instructions below to set up a new auto payment method* for your account. Auto pay will begin on your next payment due date.
From the home screen click Manage Payment Methods on the left, under Your Account. Then click Add Credit Card or Add Bank Account.
Enter the account details. Check the box for auto pay, then click Save Account.
The next screen will confirm the account has been added. Click the button that says Yes, Bill Me Monthly.
To view payment methods click Manage Payment Methods. To stop auto payment, click the red stop sign to the right of the account.


During the past couple of decades, the concept of adult development has become increasingly visible and viable in the United States. We have always known that adults change in interesting and often dramatic ways during their lives. Countless novels and motion picture screenplays have been devoted to the nature of changes in men and women during their adult years. Nevertheless, only in recent years have systematic studies been done concerning these predictable developments in the lives of people.
The shift in attention from developmental changes among children to developmental changes among adults has been slow in coming. Most of what seems interesting and significant in human growth and development has often been assumed to occur before adolescence or even before the "latency" of late childhood. Most social scientists and human service practitioners have gradually come to recognize that adults are capable of major reorganization in their lives after they have "grown up." The maturation process apparently is a lifelong task for all of us.
We must begin to look at couples in a similar manner. Two people do not simply come together and "live happily ever after". As couples, we are constantly changing and maturing, not just because both individuals in the relationship are changing and maturing, but also because the couple, as a separate third entity, must itself undergo changes in response to varying conditions in the world and undergo maturation as the two individuals jointly gain more wisdom and understanding about themselves as a couple.
Do we have any additional evidence beyond the often insightful perspectives of literature and theater that couples do change in a systematic way over time? Our evidence to date is somewhat sparse and suggestive. The existing literature suggests three dimensions through which a couple will move if successful in adjusting to a host of difficult contemporary problems.
Virtually of the studies about successful couples speak of the need for a relationship in which inherent conflict and differences can be tolerated — in which one can be "out of like" with one's partner, without being "out of love." These studies also often identify the need for trust and flexibility in contemporary relationships and about the need for a successful couple to rapidly abandon outmoded and unrealistic expectations about the nature and purpose of contemporary relationships.
In most cases, the task of describing the developmental stages of couples comes from a therapeutic context. Conclusions are usually drawn from the frequent witnessing of failed relationships. One wonders about the ingredients that keep a couple together during the difficult early stages. Most of those who write about the dynamics of couples offer considerable encouragement, but very little tangible reward, for the couple that is struggling with the disillusionment that sets in after the romance is gone.
Perhaps, these authors are simply being realistic in describing early difficulties in a relationship. These problems certainly would help to account for the large number of failed relationships in contemporary society. Yet, there would seem to be more to contemporary relationships than most of the authors recognize. Their therapeutic perspectives may be limiting their vision. Something must hold couples together other than just a neurotic compulsion to avoid loneliness or a passive acceptance of societal expectations. We must pay more attention to ways in which "normal" couples hold their relationship together during these difficult periods. These insights are essential.
Just as many authors are rather pessimistic in their analyses of the early developmental stages, they tend to be quite optimistic in their description of the final stages. The seeming bliss of the last stages of development is somewhat troublesome. Are mature relationships really that stable? Aren't there new traumas, new stresses in a relationship that re-invoke old conflicts, transference and projections? Most of the authors note that there will be conflicts in the final stages, but one doesn't get a sense that these conflicts have any real substance.
While the couples in the early stages of most couple-development models are known to us and are sources of rich insight for each of us about where we ourselves now find ourselves (or have been in the past) , the couples in these models who are at the highest stages seem remote and unreal. We don't really seem to have much to learn from them and may even wonder if they really exist or are in some sense fraudulent. When faced with the complacent statements of couples about their all-too-perfect, liberated relationships, we are inclined to be skeptical—saying "I don't believe it one bit!".
The primary problem in most of the models seems to be that these models are prescriptive rather than descriptive. They tell us what a successful relationship should be like rather than what such a relationship in our contemporary world actually is like. Authors have trouble with their transitions from early to late stages because they are not really describing developmental stages, but are instead describing the differences between "good" (early developmental stage) marriages and "bad" (late developmental stage) marriages. Many of the authors are highly successful in generating lists of positive and negative characteristics of modern relationships, but fall short when establishing a coherent pattern of change and development among couples. The essays in this series provide an alternative model of couple's development that builds on the studies and books already written about the developmental stages of couples, but avoids some of the pitfalls.