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October 20, 2010 • 9:47 PM 3
How The Azn Badger Stays Sane At Work…
The Azn Badger works in a warehouse.
Specifically the Amazon.com warehouse in Bellevue, Washington.
Over the course of 10 hours each day, tedium is the name of the game, and as such; it's really easy to go a little nuts from time to time.
Trust me, I've seen some people lose their shit, as well as their jobs due to lack of motivation and occasional violent bouts of insanity.
That being said, myself and some of the other workers have, over the course of the past several months, come up with a few interesting games and activities to keep our minds sharp and occupied while our bodies toil in the boring and repetitive world of warehouse work.
Here are just a few examples of said activities:
1. Practice a funny voice or accent.
Okay, admittedly this one isn't really practiced by anyone other than myself, but even so; it's helped me get through some of the tougher morning scenarios.
I say "morning," because I'm generally more "loopy" in the early hours, and thusly more apt to talk to myself.
"More" being the operative word in that sentence, being as I tend to talk to myself a lot regardless…
Anyway, over the past few months I've been playing around with Scottish and Australian accents.
I honestly can't really do either of them very well, but after many days of thinking on and dissecting the diction and quirks behind the 2 accents, I can honestly say I feel I "know" them a lot better than I ever thought I would.
For the record, the only 2 phrases I can say with a legit Scottish accent are:
"Made in Scotland by real Scots."
"You should try it! It's delicious!"
The reasoning behind those choice of phrases came from the tag line on some Scottish cereal I found in the warehouse.
2. Exchange movie quotes/Arnold Schwarzenneger quotes.
This one takes a buddy, and an intimate knowledge of movies, but trust me; it's a blast if you find a partner that can keep up.
So far the most quoted films are Jurassic Park, and any Arnold Schwarzenneger movie EVER.
Seeing as most men know at least some of Arnold's movies, and can at least partially imitate his voice to humorous effect; I'd say the average person is most likely to enjoy that version of the game moreso than the other.
Even so, don't underestimate the entertainment value that can be extracted from exchanging Robert Muldoon quotes.
"They should all be destroyed!"
3. "The Pop-Culture Icon" Game.
"The Pop-Culture Icon" game is probably the cream of the crop of boredom relieving games at Amazon.
Well, at least for me anyway.
Before I get ahead of myself, let me go over the rules for the most basic version of the game:
You begin with 2 players.
At the outset of the game, the player that suggested the playing of the game cites the name of a popular fictional character.
From that point on, the object of the game is for both players to cite the names of any popular fictional characters and the name of the source material they originate from in a back and forth manner, with the last letter in each character's name being the letter that must begin the next consecutive character's name.
In example:
Player 1 begins the game by stating: "Optimus Prime, Transformers."
Player 2 would then respond by stating: "The Eradicator, Superman comics," or any other character whose name begins with "E."
Wash, rinse, repeat.
Should either player have the desire to stump their "opponent" and "win" the game in doing so, strategy can arise in the form of choosing character names with difficult or rare last letters.
Fox, from Starfox, has proven to be quite popular in the warehouse, as "X" is definitely on of the harder letters to work from, and let's face it; Fox is pretty fuckin' easy to remember to use.
While those are the rules of the most basic version of the game, several variations of it have popped up in the warehouse; including movie-centric, comic book-centric, and videogame-centric versions.
Also, bear in mind that the rules can be modified in-game at any point in time.
For instance, today myself and the person I was playing "against" (it's not a game you play to win, only to have fun and keep busy) were forced to consider ruling out the inclusion of Pokemon and Mega Man characters, as we came to realize that, between the 2 of us we probably could've gotten stuck just naming characters from those 2 franchises.
A few other rules that I felt should've been instigated are as follows:
Character names should always begin with the first name, and should always include the last name (and it's last letter) if the player knows it.
Characters should only be used once, regardless of how many aliases they have.
Names of races or species, regardless of whether they are fictional or not; should not count.
Duplicate character names can be reused if the player is able to cite the name of alternate source material.
In case you didn't notice, I really like this game.
Hell, I played the game for close to 7 hours today.
3 hours consecutively, and sporadically over the next 4.
My "opponent" and I were separated for most of the day, but every time we would pass each other in the warehouse, we'd pause a second to keep the game going.
While I don't usually feel the need to toot my own horn, I feel it should be said that the Azn Badger is pretty fuckin' savage at this game.
Seriously man, today I was playing "against" the originator of the game, and I had his ass on the ropes so bad, you don't even know man…
He was so desperate towards the end that he was dropping bullshit like "T-Rex" just to stay afloat.
Not only that, he went so far as to use "Xavier," as in "Professor Charles Xavier," for an "X."
I don't care how bad you're hurtin', don't you ever forget Professor X's first name…
Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this game today, here's hoping somebody reading this goes out and gives it a try!
Filed under: Comics, Games, Movies, Uncategorized, accent, amazon.com, Arnold Schwarzenneger, Australian, bored, boredom, Charles Xavier, comic books, DC comics, Fox McCloud, fun, game, Gamecube, icons, Jurassic Park, Marvel Comics, Movies, Nintendo, Nintendo 64, Optimus Prime, pop culture, Professor X, quotes, Robert Muldoon, Scottish, Scrabble, silly, Starfox, Super NES, Superman, T-Rex, tedium, The Eradicator, Transformers, warehouse, word game, work, x-men
What's Up With Lego's These Days?
I pride myself on maintaining this blog as a source of entertainment.
This blog is not a journalistic venue, nor is it an online diary where I share my poetry and sad song lyrics.
Seriously, I can't stand that self-important bullshit…
Though sadly, that's all this man/woman/Crying Game canditate knows...
Anyway, despite my mission statement for this blog, tonight I feel the need to bring up something that's been irking me for some time now:
What the fuck is up with Lego's these days?
Everywhere I look, there's fuckin' "theme" Lego boxsets based on all sorts of mainstream pop-culture properties.
We've got Batman Legos.
Sweet Jesus...
We've got Harry Potter Legos.
*Gasp!* He's not yellow!
And you better believe we've got every George "Control Freak" Lucas franchise imaginable in Lego form.
...Including George Lucas himself!
Not only that, we've also got videogames based, not just on the original source material; but specifically the Lego version of said intellectual properties.
... I don't get it.
Just what the fuck happened that made Legos so fuckin' bankable?
In my day, Legos came in theme boxes, like "space Legos," or "pirate Legos," or in the later stages of my youth, crazy shit like "deep sea mining Legos vs. deep sea pirate legos."
Despite a handful of specialized pieces, like the parts to make the sharks or crocodiles, or the various transparent parts for the space guys, none of these theme boxes ever came with unique parts.
Honestly, I think that's the aspect of the whole "Legos of all of your favorite mainstream pop-culture icons!" deal.
It's not the fact that the dirty Danes sitting on the Lego franchise are obviously making bank off of kids and fanboys buying up all of their Harry Potter and Star Wars memorabilia.
It's the simple fact that, in recreating all of these pre-established characters and settings, they've gone ahead and made unique parts too accomodate said specific intellectual properties.
You know what my favorite part about Legos was as a kid?
Opening up my box of random pieces and taking shit like Play-Doe, and Magic Markers to them so I could make my own shit, my way.
Say I wanted to make a fuckin' Darth Vader Lego man back in the day.
I would have to find the standard pieces that matched the character best, and then use my imagination to find a way to make my own Darth.
Nowadays, kids get handed a box of Legos, and they're no longer handed a box of possibilities, they're handed a box with Darth Vader, Harry Potter, and fuckin' Batman, already pre-painted and pre-sculpted.
Shit, you as well be selling action figures, or model kits when you look at it that way.
Really fuckin' blocky, and jaundice infected action figures, but action figures nonetheless…
Legos were always about giving kids a blank slate to let kids explore their imaginations in a constructive fashion.
Like giving a kid a slab of butcher paper and some crayons.
I don't know, maybe I'm just overreacting and not having enough faith in the youths of today.
I guess if I look on the bright side of things, Lego box sets, not matter how "Lucas-ified" or "Potter-ized" they may be, still come with a hefty supply of standard Lego pieces.
Hopefully there's kids out there that take time to put aside the shiny plastic-y goodness of their Harry Potter Lego men and take a moment to appreciate the fun that can be had when taking 2 random blocks and putting them together…Without the aid of an instruction manual.
*Apologies, malware is still tearing my computer a new asshole, so I had to use dad's for the last half of the post, hence the lack of pictures and hyperlinks.*
Filed under: Comics, Games, Movies, Uncategorized, Batman, Darth Vader, DC comics, game, George Lucas, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Lego, LEGOS, Magic Markers, Microsoft, nostalgia, Play-Doe, Playstation, PS2, PS3, Rant, Sony, Star Wars, toys, videogames, Xbox 360
October 8, 2010 • 6:00 PM 0
The Azn Badger's Top 25 NES Tracks, #25-21
Welcome folks, to the Azn Badger's Top 25 NES Tracks!
After weeks of preparation, carefully researching and measuring untold numbers of musical pieces against one another, I've finally managed to put together a list that meets my ridiculous standards.
I'll admit, there's sure to be an odd pick here and there, but bear in mind:
This is my list, and I honestly couldn't give 2 shits about what you think of it.
2 SHITS.
That being said, much of the difficulty I had in crafting this list of music, came in the form of a very specific ground rule I decided to lay out for myself from the get go.
Said rule required that I would be restricted to choose only 1 track per game franchise.
I know what you're thinking:
"Azn Badger, why on Earth would you place such a horrible restriction on yourself, won't that just make you all nerd-rage-y n'shit?"
"STUPID FUCKIN' PRINCIPLES N'SHIT!!!"
While I did in fact have a hell of a time with this, I decided to abide by this rule because I felt would force me to truly pick the cream of the crop for fear of dishonoring long-standing game franchises with sub-par tracks.
Yeah, believe or not, I actually care that much…
Not only that, said restriction also kept me from making a Top 25 of Best Mega Man music, 'cause to be honest, this list could've easily been made up exclusively of Mega Man music had I allowed myself to do so.
Anyway, we're gonna' do this 5 tracks at a time, so without further ado, here's tracks #25-21 of The Azn Badger's Top 25 NES Tracks!:
#25. Skate or Die 2: The Search For Double Trouble
"Skate or Die 2 Theme Song"
FUCK. YES.
Skate or Die 2 was one of those games that I remember for all the wrong reasons.
I remember it as a game that my brother rented one time that had shitty controls, shitty graphics, and…
Did I mention it was a shitty game?
Anyway, the one positive memory I have of Skate or Die 2 was of course, the title screen music.
How many NES games can you think of have their own theme song?
With actual digitized lyrics?
Well, Skate or Die 2 had one, a SHITTY ONE, but it was the good kind of shitty.
Y'know, shitty in that Mystery Science Theater 3000 way, where it's terrible, but in such a way that you can laugh at it.
Anyway, this is the closest this list has a to a "joke" entry, so brace yourself for SERIOUS BUSINESS for the rest of it.
#24. Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
"Training Theme"
Ah, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, how you shat on me in my youth… And continue to do so to this day…
Punch-Out!! is a gaming classic notable for it's bold-faced racially stereotyped cast of boxers, intuitive gameplay, and out-of-control difficulty level.
Mostly just the racism though...
Anyway, I loved Punch-Out!! as a kid, but to this day, I suck balls at it.
I can put half of the guys in Super Punch-Out!! down within 15-20 seconds, but the original Mike Tyson version is a whole 'nother story.
I was tempted to put the standard "fight music" that plays throughout the game on this list instead of the "Training Theme," but after careful consideration I think I made the better choice.
Both tracks are heavily inspired by Bill Conti's work on the Rocky films, and as such, are FUCKING AWESOME, but in my opinion the "Training Theme" just has that little extra something, a little extra swagger in it's step, that makes it the flag bearer for Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!
#23. Fester's Quest
Fester's Quest is a shitty game.
Thanks to the Angry Videogame Nerd, everyone is now aware of this.
What most people don't know however, is that I spent most of childhood thinking it was actually pretty decent.
For whatever reason, my brother and I owned Fester's Quest back when it was brand new.
I don't think either of us knew who the Addam's Family were at the time, (I don't even think the AWESOME movie had even been made yet) so I can't explain what compelled my family to possess the 'ole Quest of Festering, but I digress…
As a kid, I played a lot of Fester's Quest.
With my poor sense of direction, inability to grasp the control scheme during the "3-D" segments, and acute fear of the green blobs in the sewer levels though, I didn't really manage to get anywhere in the game.
FUCKIN' BLOBS!!!!
I just sort of wandered around and died, over and over and over again…
Anyway, on 1 or 2 occasions though, I actually managed to get to the first boss.
I never beat him, however the musical memories of said moments are something I treasure to this day.
That being said, Fester's Quest was, and is, a truly horrible game, however it had some seriously boppin' tunes, and the "Boss Theme" was easily the boppin'est of the boppin'.
BOPPIN'.
#22. Batman
"Streets of Desolation"
How could I have a list, any list; without Batman?
Obviously, I couldn't, 'cause Batman's stage 1 theme "Streets of Desolation" is a wonderful piece of music, wholly deserving of a place in the Top 25.
To be honest, I didn't actually play Batman until very recently.
As in, within the past few months or so "recently."
In my youth, I had a cheap-ass bulk strategy guide to NES games that my mom gave me to shut me up during a flight to Hawaii.
Kind of like this, but a little less ghetto.
It was one of those "hint books" that gave you shitty advice like:
"In Fire Man's stage in Mega Man, don't touch the fire!"
"In Bayou Billy, shoot your enemies quickly or they'll shoot you back!"
Even as a kid, it was pretty fuckin' lame.
Anyway, Batman was featured in this guide, and from the pictures, I always thought it looked really fuckin' cool.
Unfortunately, I was too busy renting Snow Bros. every weekend to remember to give Batman a try, so I never really got around to playing it…
Psst! They're made of CRACK.
Boy am I glad I took the time to seek it out and give it a whirl.
Batman really is a great NES game.
It's final stage is too hard, and the game is way too short, but for the most part it's a fun and graphically intense game that deserves all the praise it receives.
That being said, "Streets of Desolation" is a fantastic piece of gaming music that, had I any nostalgia for the game it's from, would probably be ranked much higher on this list.
#21. Gremlins 2: The New Batch
"Office Stage Theme"
Gremlins 2: The New Batch scared me as a kid.
Not the movie mind you, the movie was hilarious.
No, I'm talking about the game.
Oh yeah, and this one fuckin' picture book of the movie that had a close-up of Mohawk in his spider form, that was some scary shit…
Nowadays he looks pretty fuckin' pimp to me. Funny how a few years makes all the difference...
Basically, every Gremlins 2 related product, except for the movie itself, creeped me out something fierce.
Oddly enough, it wasn't the (quite good) visuals that bugged me in the Gremlins 2 game, rather it was the music.
"The Office Stage Theme" scared the piss out of me as a kid.
Sure it has a goofy, cutesy note here and there, but the overarching theme of the music is one that struck terror into my soul as a child.
I remember my brother rented this game exactly once.
I liked playing it, as it had good graphics and controls, and I always thought Gizmo was cool, (my brother preferred Mohawk, as he was the badass Gremlin…) but the music just made me too anxious to play it for more than a few minutes.
That and the fear of running into one of the scary looking bosses…
Like a stunning number of games in the #25-21 bracket (Fester's Quest and Batman) Gremlins 2 is a Sunsoft game, and as such; it's music has that wonderful Sunsoft flavor to it.
Something about the way they do their bass work is just wonderful to listen to.
Anyway, "The Office Theme" might be a little obscure to some, but it's on the list for scaring me to death as a child…
Check back tomorrow for #20-16 of the Azn Badger's Top 25 NES Tracks!
Filed under: Boxing, Comics, Games, Movies, The Top 25 NES Tracks, Uncategorized, 3, Angry Videogame Nerd, Batman, Bayou Billy, Bethesda, Bill Conti, Black Isle, Boss, boxing, Capcom, Comics, DC comics, Fallout, Fester's Quest, fight, Fire Man, Games, gaming, Gizmo, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Hawaii, Howie Mandel, list, Mega Man, Mike Tyson, Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!!, mohawk, music, Mystery Science Theater 3000, NES, Nintendo, Nostalgia Critic, Office Stage, pieces, rage, RiffTrax, Rocky, Skate or Die 2, Snow Bros., song, Spoony, Stage 1, Streets of Desolation, Sunsoft, The Addam's Family, The Search For Double Trouble, theme, Tim Burton, Top 25, tracks, training, Uncle, videogames
September 29, 2010 • 8:15 PM 6
Batman's New Threads
I was clickin' around on IGN earlier today, when I noticed an article in their comics section entitled, "Batman Has A New Costume."
Being a Batman enthusiast, I naturally clicked it, half-expecting some sort of shocking redesign along the lines of Batman 500 AKA the Jean-Paul Valley Batman from the Knightfall story arc.
Pictured: The EXACT image that got me into comics in the early 90's.
You see, though I admittedly haven't followed Grant Morrison's recent work on the Batman series, least of all the death and return of Bruce Wayne portion of it, with all of the outlandish Batman costume designs being thrown around as of late, I figured we were due for even more craziness.
Goddamnit! I hella' wanna' hate on this image for being dumb, but it's so damn awesome!
Color me surprised when I discovered that not only was the costume redesign a helluva' lot more tasteful than I was expecting, it was also done by Moon Knight and, *sigh…* Messiah Complex artist David Finch was responsible for it.
As beautiful as his art can be, GODDAMN YOU DAVID FINCH FOR TRICKING ME INTO READING MESSIAH COMPLEX!
That being said, let's take a look at Mr. Finch's work:
I have to say, not just as a David Finch whore, but as a Batman fan in general, I really don't mind the new costume.
Most of the changes are quite subtle, with some elements, such as the classic; almost Tim Burton Batman-esque yellow chest emblem, actually being recycled elements from previous designs of the Bat-Suit.
Keaton Batman: The Finest Batman the Silver Screen Has Yet to Produce.
In some images I've run across, it seems apparent that DC was trying to cash in on the recent mega-success of the Arkham Asylum videogame, as both the beefier arm guards/gauntlets, the bulkier and more heavily ornamented utility belt, and the molded seam-lines of the suit seem very similar to the art style of the game.
No, the Joker is not about to suck Batman's cock. Buncha' dirty sickos...
Which reminds me, I simply have to play Arkham Asylum at some point…
The seam-lines I mentioned above are probably the one aspect of the design that I'm on the fence about.
How appropriate that that just happens to be the single most noticeable change from the current status quo.
To me, the best Bat-Suit designs have always been the ones that take advantage of the 2D, pen and paper medium.
Blue Batman = THE SHIT.
In comics, the artist has the ability to manufacture images of characters without having to take into consideration the physical properties of whatever materials their costumes are made of.
Depending on the artist's sensibilities, or the mood of the story, Batman's cape and cowl can be rendered as smooth and voluminous as silk, or as heavy and lustrous as leather.
Kind of like Spawn! You're not allowed to ask "why," you just kind of accept it...
In comics, Batman's costume usually looks best to me when it's portrayed as a skin-tight presence surrounding the character.
To me, Batman usually looks best when he isn't so much wearing a Bat-Suit, as he is embodying it.
Jim Lee's Batman always struck me as a fantastic, if not ludicrously beefy design.
Jim Lee's Batman is so fucking beastly, it should be spelt "Bat-MAAAANNN."
Aside from the utility belt and heavily detailed boots, every element of Lee's Bat-Suit strike me as essentially being a part of Bruce Wayne's anatomy.
At the same time though, I have to say I was very impressed with Lee Bermejo's rendering of the Bat-Suit in Brian Azzarello's excellent Joker graphic novel.
Not from Joker, but close enough. Did I mention this art is badass?
Essentially at the other end of the spectrum in terms of costume/character design, Bermejo's extremely realistic renderings resulted in a Bat-Suit of tangible weight and bulk, so much so that it truly seemed like a suit of armor.
Not only that, but Bermejo's design of Batman's cape was truly striking, as it appeared leathery and almost obscenely heavy, such that it assisted in portraying the character as being almost inhumanly powerful and omniscent.
I'm rambling.
To sum up, Finch's design of the Bat-Suit is honestly only a mild departure from the status quo, but it's amazing how much an impact a few seam-lines can make.
Personally, I find the new design to be, how shall we say; "acceptable," I wouldn't be surprised if those seam-lines get the axe somewhere down the road, as honestly I find them to be somewhat distracting.
Much like pie... If anything can stop me in my tracks, it's the sight and/or smell of a delicious pie...
To me, it's almost as if Finch is trying to straddle the line behind the Christopher Nolan movie's Bat-Armor design, and the comic's traditional Bat-Suit, with the end result being a costume that appears almost flight suit-ish.
So what if Batman has brown-guy hands. I'm lazy, so sue me.
While I find the design to be acceptable, I'll end by saying this:
I'd take Jim Aparo or Jim Lee's streamlined Bat-Suit over David Finch's Bat-Flight-Suit any day.
That being said, here's one more look at it for the road:
Cool enough, but nowhere Bat-MAAAANN levels of MAN-liness.
Filed under: Comics, Movies, 1989, 3, 500, armor, Azrael, Bane, Batman, Batman Begins, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Brian Azzarello, Bruce Wayne, caveman, chest, Christian Bale, comic books, Comics, costume design, DC comics, emblem, graphic novel, IGN, Image, Jack Nicholson, Jean-Paul Valley, Jim Aparo, Jim Lee, Joker, Lee Bermejo, Messiah Complex, Michael Keaton, Microsoft, Moon Knight, new, Playstation, PS3, redesign, Sony, Spawn, The Dark Knight, Tim Burton, Todd Mcfarlane, x-men, Xbox 360
Favorite Cover Artists: Francesco Mattina
Mattina does Batman.
While I can't say I know a whole lot about Francesco Mattina other than the fact that he's Italian, I do know this:
He makes some damn spiffy comic book covers.
While it must be said that he isn't the most flexible of artists, as he's been utilizing essentially the same style/aesthetic for as long as I've known of him, when it comes to what he does, there aren't many that can challenge him.
Yes, not even the hairy Canadian.
So, I guess you're probably wondering, what is it that Mr. Mattina does?
Put simply, he does artwork of the "darker" variety.
He does gritty:
He does awesome:
DOUBLE-DAMN!
And more often than not, he does it all while sticking to the dynamic and macho figure renderings and poses that have embodied superhero comics since their inception.
Thank you Google Images for lising Razor Ramon under the search terms "dynamic machismo."
Despite this though, one of the key strengths to his artwork, is his eye for composition.
Much like Marko Djurdjevic, (who will most certainly be making an appearance in this series of posts) Francesco Mattina quite obviously has a background in graphic design, resulting in the vast majority of his covers being eye-catching not just for the gorgeous artwork, but also for the creative and enticing layouts.
Take a look at this for example:
I know, it's Deadpool. Stop sucking his cock, fanboy. He's not THAT cool...
Aside from his compositions, his color work is flat-out amazing.
Most of his work has a sort of metallic looking sheen on it that gives everything a unique and lively look that emphasizes motion and atmosphere.
A little bit TOO Michael Bay Transformers-ish, but still cool nonetheless.
I also appreciate how, much like Ivan Reis and Ethan Van Sciver, Francesco Mattina also favors a slightly more realistic approach to the anatomy of his characters.
Not only that, I also find myself consistently impressed by some of his interpretations of certain character's costume designs, as his photo-realistic style forces a level of detail that results in many of the costumes being rendered in a more believable, and therefore, practical; fashion.
Azrael, looking absolutely the best he ever has.
On a completely unrelated note, I couldn't help but notice that his interpretation of Nova's armor is alarming close to Richard Gyuo's from Guyver:
Nova...
Gyuo...
Anyway, I first ran across Francesco Mattina when I was first considering getting into the Thunderbolts comic.
Truth be told, Mattina and Marko Djurdjevic's work on that series was probably the biggest deciding factor in me picking up that book.
I'm oh so happy I did.
Anyway, I'm running out of steam, so I'll just finish with this awesome, and brand spankin' new Moon Knight cover:
Filed under: Comics, Uncategorized, anime, Azrael, Batman, comic books, Comics, cover art, Daredevil, DC comics, Ethan Van Sciver, Francesco Mattina, graphic design, Guyver, Ivan Reis, manga, Marko Djurdjevic, Marvel Comics, Moon Knight, Razor Ramon, Scott Hall, Shadowland, Thunderbolts, Wolverine, wrestling, WWE, WWF
The Best Track in the Game #12: Battletoads and Double Dragon
Ah, woodpaneling... So very 70's. So very, Atari...
Battletoads and Double Dragon represented a novel and innovative concept for it's time.
Bear in mind, this was long before the days of the Marvel vs. Capcom, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, and the general cross-overy nature of the Super Smash Bros. series.
Basically it's like this. I assure that's not 2 different kinds of poop.
By taking 2 action game franchises, and marrying their character rosters and gameplay styles, the folks over at Tradewest and Rare succeeded in accomplishing 2 things:
They made the easiest, and therefore most accessible Battletoads game, and they also made the simplest, and therefore worst traditional Double Dragon game.
Bear in mind, even the very worst of the Double Dragon series (which would be Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls) is still pretty good.
Okay, I take that back. Double Dragon V was ass... The cartoon was kinda' fun though.
Put together, those 2 facts result in a game that is straightforward, fun, but ultimately kind of mediocre in comparison to the other games in it's respective series'.
That being said, I spent a good portion of my youth playing Battletoads and Double Dragon, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
You see, when I said Battletoads and Double Dragon was the "most accessible" Battletoads game, what I really meant to say, was that it was the only game in the series that was playable to non-Super Saiyans or non-mutants.
Or Non-Super Saiyan Mutants!
The Battletoads series is well known throughout gaming circles as being SOME OF THE MOST DIFFICULT FUCKING SHIT KNOWN TO MAN, and as such, the majority of us mere mortals simply can't play them without tearing out our hair and/or breaking the fucking controller.
Pictured: The Result of Attempting to "BEAST" Battletoads.
Personally, I was only able to get about halfway through both Battletoads and it's Super NES sequel, Battletoads in Battlemaniacs, and to be perfectly honest, I don't have a problem with that.
In fact I'm proud to say that I got as far as I did.
Pictured: The Day I Beat Battletoads.
Fortunately, Battletoads and Double Dragon is quite a bit easier than your traditional Battletoads game, resulting in my having beat it about a half dozen times or so.
I also beat the Battletoads arcade game way back in the day, but that was when my parents were feedin' me quarters at a birthday party, so that doesn't really count.
To be fair though, most of the time I was just playing Aliens vs. Predator AKA THE BEST BEAT 'EM UP EVER.
The one thing I always found be downright mean about Battletoads games, was the fact that they always bait you into thinking that the games' gonna' be fun and easy by giving you a cast of a colorful and cartoony characters to play as,
Zitz, Pimple and Rash: Corporate Whores.
and a laughably easy beat 'em up intro stage:
Every fuckin' game in the series does this, and as a kid you think that's gonna' be the whole extent of the gameplay experience, but no, they had to go and change up the gameplay for EVERY FUCKING STAGE.
True, for the time this was a fucking revelation in gameplay variety on a single cartridge, but for those of us who were too dumb to read the back of the box, or failing that, the instruction manual, this really fuckin' FUCKED you over somethin' fierce.
Needless to say, I had problems learning the goddamn Turbo Tunnel,
I had problems learning fuckin' Karnath's Lair,
and you can sure as hell bet I never had a chance in goddamn fuckin' Volkmire's Inferno:
That's right, I remember the names of the levels.
Hard to forget when they STEAL YOUR SOUL.
Anyway, the fun part about about Battletoads and Double Dragon, was that it kept the varied gameplay of the Battletoads series, but placed more of an emphasis on the sidescrolling beat 'em up action due to the inclusion of the Double Dragons.
Billy and Jimmy Lee: Proud Owners of Pimp-Ass Pompadours.
It should be noted however, that the general gameplay mechanics of the fighting are based purely off of the Battletoads games, meaning the movement controls are "slippery," running attacks are king, and enemies can only be defeated via flashy, and sometimes dangerously slow, smash attacks.
Make no mistake, this is Battletoads and Double Dragon, not the other way around.
Some of the alternative gameplay functions that were carried over from the Battletoads series were:
A pathetically easy Turbo Tunnel segment,
Also known as, "A Complete Waste of Time."
and a brief rappelling segment akin to the Wookie Tunnel from the original Battletoads:
Complete with Toad 'Morphin Action!
In addition to this, there was also an absurdly difficult Asteroids inspired spaceship shooting sequence in one of the later stages in the game:
Believe it or not, this was the easy part of the stage!
I fuckin' hated that stage…
Anyway, my fondest memories of Battletoads and Double Dragon, will always be playing it with my Korean buddy from up the street.
Pictured: Said Korean. He made this, not me.
For whatever reasons, he insisted on playing the game, in particular the 3rd stage, while blasting 50 Cent's "In Da' Club."
Fortunately, through the wonders of technology, I can replicate the experience for you!
Anyway, the basic plot of the game involved the Battletoad's eternal nemesis, the delicious Dark Queen, hopping in her new Rat-Ship, The Colossus, and headin' on down to Earth to wreak some havok.
Mmmm, sexual...
Along the way though, she recruits the aid of the Double Dragon's regular punching bags, The Shadow Warriors and their leader, the Shadow Boss (they mean "Master").
Oh Brock, we keep finding ways to slip you in...
This of course results in the Battletoads responding by giving Billy and Jimmy Lee a jingle.
Really!? THIS, was the best you could find?
With the "Ultimate Team" assembled, our heroes set off into the cosmos to whup the Shadow Boss/Master, and kick the Dark Queen right in her sweet, luscious ass.
Mmmm, pixelated...
*Ahem!* Pardon me…
That being said, let's get down to the real business at hand.
The Best Track in Battletoads and Double Dragon is…
The Title Screen
If ever there was a track that better represented the Battletoad's style, (aside from their theme music of course) it'd have to be the Title Screen music of Battletoads and Double Dragon.
Despite the game being the product of dual franchises, the music, graphical style, and gameplay of Battletoads and Double Dragon are almost uniformly based around the Battletoads aesthetic.
Indeed, every track in the game includes the heavy metal-ish simulated electric guitar work we've all come to expect from the Battletoads games, and I for one love that about it.
Seriously man, this track has wonderful sense of "let's go kick some ass" to it that really gets you psyched to play the game.
At the same time however, it's not an overly aggressive piece of music.
Much like the heavy metal-ish sound I just mentioned, the Title Screen track has an appropriate sense of "fun" to it that serves to remind you of the inherently cartoonish nature of the game you're about to play.
My only complaint about the soundtrack of the game, is the fact that it doesn't include any of either of the two franchises signature tracks.
Both the Double Dragon and Battletoad's themes are absent from the game, as are any pieces of existing music from either franchise.
While it may seem fanboy-ish of me to say it, I'm actually surprised that Rare went ahead and made an entirely original soundtrack for the game despite the treasure trove of existing tracks they could have recycled.
Oh well, brownie points to them for putting in the extra hours.
Anyway, it's been a long time coming, but that's it for The Best Track in the Game #12.
To make up for the lack of Double Dragon factoids, (I felt I pretty much covered them in some of my earlier posts) here's the intro of the old Saturday morning cartoon I used to watch way back when!:
Man that shit sucked balls…
I love how they actually went so far as to rhyme "dragon" with "braggin'."
Also, the repetition of "You (blank) are dragon master, NOW" is just fucking awful…
Filed under: Comics, Games, The Best Track in the Game, Uncategorized, 20th Century Fox, Action, Aliens vs. Predator, anime, Arcade, Asteroids, Battletoads, Battletoads and Double Dragon, beat-'em-up, Billy, Boss, Brawl, Brock Lesnar, Capcom, cartoon, chocolate, Dark Queen, DC comics, Double Dragon, Double Dragon V: The Shadow Falls, fighting game, game, Jimmy, Karnath's Lair, Lee, manga, Marvel Comics, Marvel vs. Capcom, Melee, Midway, MMA, Mortal Kombat, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe, music, Mutant, NES, Nintendo, Peanut Butter, Pimple, platformer, Rare, Rash, Shadow Master, sidescroller, Super NES, Super Saiyan, Super Smash Bros., Technos, track, Tradewest, Turbo Tunnel, TV, UFC, videogame, Volkmire's Inferno, Zitz
September 1, 2010 • 8:58 PM 0
How To Incite the Wrath of a "Professional Box Maker"
Yup, there's me, at work...
I work at Amazon.com as warehouse contractor.
It's what I did 2 years ago, before my brief stint as an assistant graphic designer/chaffeur; and it's what I will continue to do until I can find something better/grow some talent.
No, not that kind of "talent."
Anyway, my days at the warehouse are mainly spent packing and shipping parcels, though on occasion I am forced to venture into the refrigerated, vile pile of ass-ness that is Sea-8: Amazon Fresh AKA the grocery.
I don't like working the grocery.
Putting me in the grocery is like putting a nudie magazine in front of me when I'm really depressed and have 2 broken arms.
You can bet I'll try my best with what little I have at my disposal, but my heart won't be in it; and because of that, the job just won't get done…
Bizarre metaphor aside, I consider myself a "Profession Box Maker" at Amazon.com, and to be honest, that doesn't bother me.
I don't necessarily take pride in what I do, but I work hard and make a living.
*ANYWAY,*after completing a 41 hour work week (I stayed late…), I made the foolish decision to do 10 more hours of overtime tomorrow, leaving me with nothing in my head to write about other than, well, work.
Pictured: The Kind of Shit That Occupies My Thought Process at Work.
So, after a long-ass day at work, I figured I'd compile a short list of the ways PEOPLE PISS ME OFF when ordering things from Amazon.com that I have to pack.
#1: Purchasing 2 Books in the Same Order That Are of Different Heights and Widths
This one is kind of complicated.
You see, there are these boxes we use at Amazon called "V4's."
V4's are those foldy-flappy boxes that you get with hardcover books, or larger, comic-sized books.
While packing more than 1 book into a V4 is not all uncommon, and is in fact a welcome task, being as it's faster and easier to assemble than a standard box, packing 2 items of significantly different proportions, is a different story.
More specifically, instances where one of the 2 items is shorter, yet, wider than the other, are fuckin' bullshit.
Seriously, short of bending the ever-loving shit out of the wider item, there's just no good way to pack that kind of order into a V4.
#2: Buying ANYTHING With a Satin Finish
FUCK SATIN.
FUCK IT HARD.
Seriously man, I love satin-finishes on business cards, and they certainly make for handsome covers to books, but when it comes to packing that shit, it just doesn't fuckin' work.
You know what happens when you put something with a satin-finish into a V4?
The ultra-smooth surface of the material causes it to slip around in there, thereby destabilizing your previously PERFECT pack job, resulting in a worthless-ass package that gets kicked back to you by the shipper, who; by the way, sees fit to shoot you a nasty stink-eye every time you fuck up!
Satin is evil.
#3: Order 45 of ANYTHING At the Same Time
45 Amazon Kindle E-Readers.
No really, 45 Kindles.
What's the big fuckin' deal?
In 1 box, mind you.
Why the fuck would you need 45 Kindles anyway?
Fuckin' people, too lazy to buy real fuckin' books…
#4: Order HD DVD's
Okay, this one doesn't so much PISS ME OFF, as it does make me laugh in a confused sort of way.
We all know Toshiba's HD DVD got killed by Sony's Blu-Ray several years ago, right?
Of course, we all know that this kind of shitty box art was largely responsible for the death of the format...
Well, apparently not all of us know this, as every now and I again I'm asked to pack and ship those familiar red-cased HD DVD's to losers that are too dumb to admit that they backed the wrong horse.
Regardless, I've got no qualm with said losers, as HD DVD's are usually a breeze to pack.
Unless said loser decides to buy a giant-ass book in the same order.
Then we've got issues.
Then, somebody's gonna' get cut.
Oh wait, they only give us fish-shaped "safety knives" at the warehouse.
Pictured: The Azn Badger's Weapon of Choice.
Regardless, somebody's gonna' get bludgeoned with a plastic tool in such a manner as to eventually 'cause skin irritation and/or drawing of blood…
#5: Order A "Ready-To-Ship" Item from Amazon
"Ready-To-Ship? Shouldn't that mean the item is already packed and is ready to go?"
Well, yes, it does in fact mean that the item arrived at the warehouse pre-packaged in an official Amazon.com box.
Despite this, for whatever reason, we packers are required to pack said pre-boxed item, into another box.
No joke, it's like one of those Russian matryoshka dolls-within-dolls-within-dolls, etc…
Haha, it's funny 'cause there're lots of them and they're inside each other...
Now, while that probably seems mildly inconvenient, being as it forces me to pack something that, at first glance, seem like something not needing to be packed at all, this task is in fact extremely inconvenient being as said pre-packed boxes often "confuse" the shipping computer.
Pictured: Why we don't "confuse" Skynet, I mean, the computer...
Here's the run-down:
Amazon.com uses a computer driven sorting system that catalogs all of the items and parcels within the warehouse.
On the Sea-6 side, the dot-com side that I work on, every order has box type associated with it ahead of time based on the contents of said order so as to inform the packers of what box type is required for each order.
When I say an item or order "confuses" the shipping computer, basically I mean that the computer recommends the wrong box type.
This generally happens because an item was cataloged incorrectly, however; in the case of "ready-to-ship" items, the cause is actually the fact that pre-packed box has, in the view of the computer, skewed the proportions of the item, thereby resulting in a box recommendation that is often a few sizes too small.
You really wanna' know how to piss of a Professional Box Maker?
Ask him to make a box, and then tell him he did it for no other reason than to waste his motherfuckin' time.
THAT pisses me off.
Anyway, that's my rant.
Sorry for the uncharacteristically personal/whiny post, I swear I'll get back to normal once I, you know, get a motherfuckin' day off.
Filed under: Comics, Movies, Tokusatsu, Uncategorized, Amazon, Amazon Fresh, amazon.com, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Austin Powers, Blu-Ray, boxes, Brandon Routh, comedy, daikaiju, DC comics, e-book, e-reader, Godzilla, HD DVD, International Man of Mystery, Kindle, Mike Myers, Mothra, movie, packing, safety knife, shipping, Skynet, Sony, Superman, Superman Returns, The Terminator, Toho, Tokusatsu, Toshiba, warehouse
The Top 10 Best Overkills in Movies, #5: Out For Justice
Really, how could we have a discussion about overkill without mentioning Steven Seagal?
Seriously, half of the man's success as an action star stemmed from his propensity for protracted, and gloriously savage kill sessions at the end of his earlier (and better) movies.
Almost makes you forget that he runs like a feeb:
Hell, I bet half of you didn't even know he could run.
Anyway, as #5 on our list of the Top 10 Best Overkills in Movies; it needn't be mentioned that the end fight of Out For Justice is a truly exceptional overkill; even by Seagal-ian standards:
The overkill in question takes place during the climactic confrontation between Seagal's Gino Felino, and a massively bloated William Forsythe's Richie Madano.
Honestly man, I don't know what the fuck was up with Forsythe in this movie, as I can't really recall having seen him in anything earlier than this movie, but Jesus-fuck he was HUGE.
Goddamn! Even his head is fat!
Anyway, this particular overkill gets brownie points due to dramatic tension between the 2 characters.
Did I really just use the phrase "dramatic tension" in regards to a Seagal movie?
What I mean to say, is that the whole movie is essentially about Seagal chasing Forsythe, who killed the former's partner and is otherwise guilty of being a crackhead, a homicidal maniac, and for being fucking HUGE when his character is supposed to be on the crack.
Pictured: The APPROPRIATE appearance of a crackhead.
Things come to a head as Seagal finally catches up to Forsythe as the latter is living it up at a house party.
Casey-Fucking-Ryback, I mean, Steven Seagal; of course, crashes the party like the massive tool that he is, and manages to kill off Richie's entire gang despite taking a nasty bullet to the gut.
Cracked out of his mind, Forsythe makes the rather foolish decision to march out into the open to greet Seagal, citing the fact that he is out of bullets, and thusly should be placed under arrest.
Don't worry, he's out of bullets. Hey, I said this was an "overkill," right?
Seagal? Doing actual police work?
Not bloody likely!
With the atmosphere in the room rife with the man-stank of impending physical conflict, Forsythe rushes Seagal, and the overkill officially begins.
As does Richie Madano's lesson in futility.
Protip: Don't try to fight Steven Seagal.
Or at the very least, thrown into a shit ton of hard surfaces and/or furniture.
With his prey laying in shambles on the floor, Seagal readies himself by spreading his arms and attempting to pinch a loaf right then and there.
Don't try an' tell me ain't Seagal's "droppin' a deuce" face.
Still reeling from the savagery of Seagal's uber-savage aikido throw, Forsythe eventually manages to pick himself up and…
Attempts to bum-rush Seagal for the 2nd time in a row.
Despite the epic-savagery of the first aikido toss, the 2nd manages to top it in spades, as this time Forsythe's spine gets a nasty readjustment via a conveniently placed nightstand.
On the side we also get a nice shot of the diaper/back pad that Forsythe was wearing for this scene, probably to keep from shitting himself in awe of the sheer epicry that was 1990's Steven Seagal.
So let's recap:
Forsythe: 0. JUSTICE: 2.
Despite the odds being heavily stacked against him, to his credit; Forsythe manages to pull a fast one on 'ole Stevie.
As Seagal is picking Forsythe up from the floor, presumably to prep him for another trip to Ikea hell; the fat man somehow summons the strength to send the both of them through the nearby hand-railing, and off the balcony!
Okay, maybe that wasn't as epic as I made it out to be, but give me a break; this is just about the only successful attack Forsythe manages to pull off in this fight.
Scrambling to their feet, the 2 men once again lock-up and grapple with one another.
That is, only if you call Steven Seagal grabbing William Forsythe by the head and kneeing him in the face "grappling."
He's actually trying to crush the guy's head like an egg, but turns out it was too fat.
Stunned, but not terribly injured, Forsythe stumbles back against the wall, and proceeds to totally lose his shit as he makes the meanest of mean faces and tosses a fuckin' shelf at Seagal.
Now, based on what's come before, what kind of shit do you think Forsythe tries to pull this time?
If you said, "low blow," or "a steel chair shot," then good for you, it show's your thinking.
Unfortunately, you'd also be
'cause no, Forsythe tries to charge Seagal, for the third time in a row.
This of course, results in more aikido tossing and furniture realignment.
You can almost hear Forsythe shitting himself...
His face now covered in blood, Forsythe finally decides to change up his tactics a little, this time throwing a punch at Seagal.
This of course results in Seagal blocking said punch and returning it with a swift combination of punches, topped off by a tasty kick to the Jimmy.
After a pretty savage stomp on the head, Forsythe somehow manages to reach up from the floor to thumb the shit out of Seagal's gut wound from earlier in the movie.
Yeeouch! A fat thumb in his fat gut...
Despite the white-hot, searing pain that said sausage-thumb in his gut must bring him, Seagal summons all of his man-strength and grabs hold of Forsythe's neck runs his ass backwards a few yards and into the kitchen.
Remember, NOBODY beats him in the kitchen.
After chucking Forsythe into a nearby table, Seagal once again readies himself with another impromptu giga-deuce.
Gonna' have to change those pants...
Thus begins the stage of the fight where Seagal's opponent grows desperate and begins grabbing hold of whatever blunt instuments/bladed objects are readily available, only to have said weapons turned against them.
SAVAGELY.
Forsythe's first attempt in using said tactic, is to grab hold of a kitchen knife, and start winging it around like a damn fool.
This of course results in Seagal grabbing hold of Forsythe's arm, and wrenching his wrist out of place.
Funny, almost looks like he's tryin' to teach him how to use it or some shit...
With his wrist now considerably FUCKED, Forsythe's next bid for victory employs the use of the deadliest of all kitchen utensils:
A pepper mill.
Despite the inherent intimidation factor involved in waving around a pepper mill, Forsythe once again fails to make any sort of contact with his attacks.
Disarming him, and knocking Forysthe's fat ass to the floor AGAIN, Seagal follows this up by putting the obese fuck's head through the nearest window.
Gettin' kinda' fucked up there, aren't yah' Forsythe?
Sliding down the windowsill, and back into the kitchen, Forsythe's scrambles to his feet and grabs hold of Seagal's sleeve, only to be clubbed over the head with, *GASP* the pepper mill!
Somehow, some way, Forsythe manages to survive the devastating blow from the pepper mill.
Forsythe's next weapon of choice proves to a classic of kitchen warfare: a frying pan.
Unfortunately, he only really gets to swing it once before Seagal slips behind him, snatches the pan, and bashes the poor fat bastard over the head with it.
How the fuck does he keep gettin' up!?
Now, let it be known, Steven Seagal is not a punchy/kicky kind of guy.
As mentioned previously, his fighting generally consists of throwing people into things/people, but seldom does he ever find a need to throw a punch.
That being said, after the knife, pepper mill, and frying pan, Seagal get a little overconfident, and decides to uncork some of the wimpiest punches of his long career on Forsythe's face.
It's like watching a fat old man try to Jazzercise or some shit...
Speaking of "uncork," as Forsythe lies on the floor, chuckling at the fanciful display of feeble combination punching just unleashed on his face, he very slowly begins to make a move for a corkscrew/wine opener!
As Forsythe hobbles to his feet, muttering an ominous "fuck you," we enter the grand finale of our #5 Best Overkill sequence.
With one deft move, Seagal evades Forsyth's lunge with the corkscrew/wine opener; and promptly jams that fucker into the fat fuck's face:
Yup, that'd do it.
Thus concludes our decidedly Seagal-ian overkill.
Oh yeah, it should also be noted that, moments after finally killing Forsythe, Seagal also takes the time to shoot the ever-loving-fuck out of the poor fattie's dead body, 'cause you know; the plot.
Filed under: Comics, Movies, Uncategorized, Wrestling, 90's, Above the Law, Action, Aikido, brutal, Casey Ryback, chair shot, Chappelle Show, cop, corkscrew, Dave Chappelle, DC comics, Gamepro, Gino Felino, gun, Jazzercise, kill, knife, Lawman, Lex Luthor, low blow, Marked For Death, movie, Out For Justice, overkill, police, Protip, Richie Madano, shot, stab, steel chair, Steven Seagal, Superman Returns, Under Siege, Under Siege 2: Dark Territory, violence, William Forsythe, wine opener, wrestling, WWF
Blackest Night Review
*Disclaimer* No spoilers, but just want to say that I don't really touch on the plot AT ALL. Too lazy…
Blackest Night is the latest in DC's long line of major crossover events.
Unlike Crises past, present and future however, this particular storyline is distinctly more focused on the actions of the Green Lantern rather than the usual "Big Three" (Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman.)
Is it just me, or is Wonder Woman dead behind the eyes?
Blackest Night was written by Geoff Johns, with the event serving as a major climax in his very long, and revolutionary run on the Green Lantern franchise.
Beginning in 2004, Geoff John's run on the series took us from the rebirth of classic Green Lantern, Hal Jordan; (as depicted in the story "Rebirth")
to the expansion of the Green Lantern universe to accomodate power rings for every color of the light spectrum,
and finally; to the fateful prophesized day of reckoning known to the Guardians of the Universe (the overseers of the Green Lantern Corps) as the Blackest Night.
The Guardians of the Universe: Little Known Cousins to the Smurfs
Key to the build-up to Blackest Night, was the creation of the "emotional spectrum" of colored power rings.
Thanks to Geoff Johns, we now have Green for Willpower, Yellow for Fear, Red for Rage, Orange for Avarice, Violet for Love, Blue for Hope, and Indigo for Compassion.
It's cheesy, yes; but interesting nonetheless.
Every single one of these colors has a Corps of it's own, with distinct and interesting characters whose temperament clearly reflects their place in the emotional spectrum.
It was a revolutionary idea, and it almost single-handedly got me back into Green Lantern after almost a decade of me not caring post-Emerald Twilight.
Yes, I read it. And yes, I was too young to understand that it sucked.
Hey, I was a 90's comic fan, I liked my Hal Jordan, particularly when he had his pimpn' Mr. Fantastic white badger-esque hair.
Indeed, Blackest Night has been a long time coming.
I myself will admit that I came into Blackest Night just a little bit under-prepared.
Prior to reading this event, I had read John's Rebirth and Sinestro Corps War, with a majority of the essential tidbits and factoids leading up to Blackest Night being revealed to me through reading reviews of the in-between story arcs.
Despite this, I will say this:
As long as you at least know who most of the characters are in Blackest Night, or the DC Comics universe for that matter; you probably won't have any problems understanding the storyline, as most of it is fleshed out on the fly for you in convenient, exposition heavy "comic speak."
Pictured: A child fluent in "Comic Speak."
That being said, is said storyline worth reading in the first place?
In short, yes; but only if you genuinely want to read this particular story.
All others, may be better spending their money/time elsewhere.
I'll get back to that, but first let's take a moment to go over the details of the story in question:
In short, Blackest Night is a story about the dead coming to life throughout the universe wearing Black power rings of Death, and tearing out the hearts of the living to fuel the resurrection of their mysterious leader.
For the love of God, get these people some Clearasil!
Of course, there's a lot more to it, but I don't feel like going into it, on account of me being lazy.
Our main characters are, surprisingly; The Flash, (the recently resurrected Barry Allen version) The Atom, Mera, (Aquaman's hoe) and of course; Hal Jordan.
Could it be!? A moment where Aquaman is actually being cool!?
Personally, I found most of these characters to be interesting and a decent enough focal point for the narrative, but the problem for me was that I genuinely don't give two-shits about half of them.
By half, I mean The Atom and Mera.
The reasoning behind using these particular characters, seems to be largely the fact that they have close ties to the recently deceased, making them good candidates for drama throughout.
To make a long story short, this particular ploy works, largely due to the visual impact that the various Black Lanterns have when in conflict with the heroes.
Goddamn they look cool..
It needs to be said that Blackest Night, despite being a whopping 8 issues long, twice that of Siege; the one major downside to the story is that it's full of holes.
Seriously, half the reason I didn't attempt to write a review until just now, was the fact that I really didn't feel like I finished the story until I read the accompanying Blackest Night: Green Lantern.
Hell, I read that, and I still don't feel like I've finished Blackest Night 'cause now I know there's still a shit ton of holes regarding what went on with the Green Lantern Corps!
Pictured: Blackest Night
Getting back to what I said earlier, about this being a story that one needs to want to read, the problem with Blackest Night is that the 8 issue core story just isn't a complete thought.
Characters inexplicably disappear for half the story, events are hyped that are never further explored, and in general, the whole thing genuinely feels like the writer was writing in too many directions at once.
Which of course, is exactly the case; as Geoff Johns just happened to be writing the Green Lantern series parallel to Blackest Night.
Despite the content of the collected edition being a little sparse, the writing is typical of Johns, with characters speaking with a distinct sense of voice, and entertaining banter throughout.
In particular, I really enjoyed John's Sinestro, he truly captures the overbearing and forceful passion of the character.
Sinestro: He doesn't look like Hitler. Not at all...
Ivan Reis illustrated Blackest Night, and I doubt anyone can say that his work in it is anything short of excellent.
Characters are rendered faithfully and beautifully, with several of the Black Lantern designs coming across as truly inventive an downright creepy to boot.
The one issue I had with the art, is not actually an issue at all.
My one problem with the art of Blackest Night, was the fact that it wasn't done by Ethan Van Sciver.
Did I mention Ethan Van Sciver was a good artist?
I understand that Reis and Van Sciver have collaborated several times, and indeed have similar styles, but for my money, Van Sciver is the real talent of the pair.
Seriously, the Van Sciver art for John's Rebirth story arc was a huge factor in getting me back into the Green Lantern, and to this day I'm still hoping to see his work on the character again.
Anyway, I'm running out of steam, so I'll just say this:
I liked Blackest Night, but bear in mind, I like comics.
I'm not exactly a DC kind of guy for the most part, but I liked the Green Lantern, and I liked Geoff Johns, so I gave it a shot.
After reading it, I said to myself:
"Hmm… That was good, but where's the rest of the story?"
That lead to me buying, reading, and enjoying (in that order) Blackest Night: Green Lantern, but after that I said to myself:
To my knowledge there are 7 Blackest Night collected editions.
Enough to require the use of an Amazon.com B6 box. I should know, I'm a certified box maker...
While I don't intend to purchase all of those, I genuinely liked the spectacle to be found within 2 of them, and am fully prepared enjoy a 3rd.
I think that speaks volumes as to the appeal of this storyline.
When faced with reading the messy and incomplete collected edition of Blackest Night, my gut reaction was to ask for more.
That surprised me, and I feel good knowing that.
Filed under: Comics, Uncategorized, amazon.com, Aqua Man, Barry Allen, Batman, Blackest Night, Blue, Comics, DC comics, emotional spectrum, Ethan Van Sciver, event, Green, Green Lantern, Guardians, Hal Jordan, Indigo, Ivan Reis, Marvel, Mera, Oa, orange, Rebirth, Red, review, Siege, Sinestro, Sinestro Corps War, Superman, The Atom, The Flash, thoughts, Violet, Wonder Woman, Yellow


The Section 13 of the National Council for Teacher Education (NCTE) Act, 1993 empowers the Council to cause inspections of the recognised Teacher Educations Institutions (TEIs) to find out if they are functioning in accordance with the Regulations and Norms and standards prescribed by the NCTE for the teacher education programme (s) offered by the concerned TEI.
The main purpose of the inspection is to intimate the observed deficiencies to the TEIs and to provide them the an opportunity to make up the deficiencies in order to improve their functioning. The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has directed the NCTE to continuously monitor the functioning of all recognised TEIs by conducting inspection of each TEI once in a cycle of 3-5 years, The NCTE is developing an Action Plan to implement the directives of the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India.
At the beginning of an academic session a list of Teacher Education institutions for inspection in drawn. The institutions are identified in accordance with the criteria evolved for the selection of institutions. The criteria include the time gap after the precious inspection and inspections conducted by other organisations like NAAC. The institutional Database giving detail of the Courses offered in a TEI, sanctioned intake for various programmes and inspections conducted in the past is in the process of development.
conditions are included in the Panel.
officers of the NCTE or with the Academic members of the inspection Committee Constituted by the NCTE.
records, perusal of the website, assessment of physical and instructional resources, interaction with students and teachers, etc.
format. They are further directed to keep certain records ready for the perusal of the visiting Team members.
inspection manual. On the basis of their Assessment, the visiting Teams submit their reports to the NCTE.
the Group, also makes certain recommendations for the consideration of the Council.
matter is referred to the concerned Regional Committee for necessary action under the relevant Section of the NCTE Act.
Sharma Niwas, 43, NirmalGali, Devpura, Haridwar-249404, U.P.
Prof. Dept. of Education, Banras Hindu University, Kamachha, Varnasi-221010, Uttar Pradesh.


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Home / Shop / Hadrian's Wall Path
Hadrian's Wall Path
Henry Stedman
New, two-way edition with routes re-walked from Bowness-on-Solway to Wallsend (Newcastle) and Wallsend (Newcastle) to Bowness-on-Solway. All-in-one guide to walking Hadrian's Wall Path National Trail. Hadrian's Wall Path, 84 miles from end to end, follows the course of northern Europe's largest surviving Roman monument, a 2nd-century fortification built – in the border country between England and Scotland – on the orders of the Emperor Hadrian in AD122.
Opened in 2003, the path crosses the beautiful border country between England and Scotland. It is the first National Trail to follow the course of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This week-long walk is regarded as one of the least challenging National Trails.
This 6th edition has been re-walked and fully updated. * Printed in two-colours to follow east to west or west to east directions * 8 town plans and 59 large-scale walking maps – at just under 1:20,000 – showing route times, places to stay, points of interest and much more * Plus 8 stage maps and 2 overview maps * Itineraries for all walkers – whether walking the route in its entirety over seven to eight days or sampling the highlights on day walks and short breaks * Practical information for all budgets * Where to stay with reviews – camping, bunkhouses, hostels, B&Bs, pubs and hotels * Where to eat with reviews – cafes, pubs, tea-shops, restaurants, takeaways and shops/supermarkets * What to see – historical, cultural, geographical information * Detailed street plans * Comprehensive public transport information – for all access points on the Hadrian's Wall Path.* Flora and fauna – four page full colour flower guide, plus an illustrated section on local wildlife *Green hiking – understanding the local environment and minimizing our impact on it * Newcastle city guide * GPS waypoints. These are also downloadable from the Trailblazer website.
Trailblazer British Walking Guides
40 colour photos, 4pp colour flower guide, 59 black and white large-scale trail maps
Hadrian's Wall Path quantity
SKU: 6747 Categories: All Titles, Challenging walks, Cumbrian Books, Cumbrian Outdoors, Hadrian's Wall & Borders, Roman and Hadrian's Wall, Walking
Nella – Lost and Found
Nella Black, Wallace
Old Grasmere and Rydal
Neil Honeyman

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Your first stop for tacky souveniers. Amongst the tat also find traditional Polish handicrafts: table cloths, ceramics, glass etc. Also at ul. Chmielna 8 (G-7).
Stuffed with authentic Polish handicrafts, including linen, jewellery and interior decorations.
Folkish souvenirs including religious icons, angels, dolls, tapestries and carvings.
Top quality Polish made linen on a street renowned for its boutique elegance.
Cutesy hand-painted glass ornaments including baubles, eggs and novelty gifts.


text:
Game scripts
=====================

Introduction
---------------------

Custom PowerShell scripts can be assigned via Playnite's UI to game events. This is similar in a way that extensions support hooking into game events, but doesn't require creation of custom extension and can be assigned on multiple levels:

- Global: executed for every game in a library.
- Emulator: executed for a specific emulator profile on all games using that profile.
- Game: executed for a specific game.

This is not the same as [script extensions](../tutorials/extensions/intro.md) which offer extended functionality and should be used for more complex scenarios.

> [!NOTE]
> PowerShell support requires PowerShell 5.1 to be installed on your machine. If you are Windows 7 user, you need to [install it manually](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=54616) (Windows 8 and 10 includes it by default). This also means that PowerShell functionality is restricted to 5.1 version. Playnite currently doesn't support newer PowerShell Core runtime (PowerShell versions 6 and newer).

Execution
---------------------

Scripts are executed in the following order:

global pre -> emulator pre -> game pre -> game post -> emulator post -> global post -> emulator exit -> game exit -> global exit

where:

- pre - before game is started.
- post - after game is started running.
- exit - after game stopped running.

If a game has installation directory set and that directory actually exists, Playnite will set current working directory of a script runtime to that installation directory.

All scripts share the same runtime environment for a single game session. This means that you can share data between them if you declare your variables on global scope, for example `$global:testVar = 2`.

> [!NOTE]
> All scripts are executed synchronously, meaning that Playnite will wait for a script to finish and will block any other execution, including UI since the script runtime runs on main thread.

Startup script is an exception to mentioned execution behavior, see startup script section for more details.

Script variables
---------------------

Playnite provides some built-in global variables that scripts can use to get more information about current game session.

| Variable | Description |
| :-- | :-- |
| $PlayniteApi | Instance of [Playnite API](xref:Playnite.SDK.IPlayniteAPI). |
| $Game | [Game](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.Game) library object for current game session. |
| $SourceAction | Custom [game action](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.GameAction) used to start a game. |
| $SelectedRomFile | ROM file selected when running a game with multiple ROMs assigned. |
| $StartedProcessId | Process ID of original started process. Might not be available depending on how a game was started. |

Emulator scripts have additional variables provided:

| Variable | Description |
| :-- | :-- |
| $Emulator | [Emulator](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.Emulator) selected to launch a game. |
| $EmulatorProfile | [Emulator profile](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.EmulatorProfile) selected to launch a game. |

Cancelling game startup
---------------------

Game startup is automatically cancelled if starting script fails with an exception. If you want to manually cancel game startup, set `$StartingArgs.CancelStartup` to `$true`.

Startup script
---------------------

If you need more complex startup and game tracking procedure other then just starting an executable, or default session tracking doesn't work for a specific game, then you can start and manage game session using a script. This is currently available to emulators (custom profiles) and games.

The script should keep running while you want Playnite to detect the game as running. Once the script finishes with execution, Playnite considers the game to stop running and will record game session length based on how long the script was running (adding that time to overall game play time).

> [!NOTE]
> Startup scripts run in a separate script runtime and thread compared to other game scripts. Therefore you can't share data with other game/global scripts and you can't directly call any code that must be run on main thread (most UI things)!
>
> Breaking exceptions from startup script are not propagated to UI via error message (like for other game/global scripts) and are only logged into Playnite's log file.

### Startup script example

```powershell
$process = [System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("game.exe")
$process.WaitForExit()
$process.Dispose()
```

### Reacting to tracking cancellation

You can use `$CancelToken.IsCancellationRequested` to detect if user cancelled game session manually from Playnite. When cancellation is initiated, Playnite sets mentioned property to `true` and gives the script 10 seconds to exit gracefully. If the script fails to exit in that time, script's runtime is killed.

```powershell
# WaitForExit() is synchronous check so it can't be used if you want to support session cancellation
$process = [System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("game.exe")
while ($true)
{
    # Check if user cancelled game session
    if ($CancelToken.IsCancellationRequested)
    {
        break
    }

    # Check if process is still running
    if (!(Get-Process -Name "game" -EA 0))
    {
        break
    }

    # Sleep for a while to not waste CPU
    Start-Sleep -s 1
}

$process.Dispose()
```

### Startup script variables

| Variable | Description |
| :-- | :-- |
| $PlayniteApi | Instance of [Playnite API](xref:Playnite.SDK.IPlayniteAPI). |
| $Game | [Game](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.Game) library object for current game session. |
| $IsPlayAction | Indicates whether an action was started as play action. |

Following variables are only available to [emulator startup scripts](emulators.md#startup-script).

| Variable | Description |
| :-- | :-- |
| $Emulator | [Emulator](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.Emulator) selected to launch a game. |
| $EmulatorProfile | [Emulator profile](xref:Playnite.SDK.Models.EmulatorProfile) selected to launch a game. |
| $RomPath | ROM path selected to launch. |

Examples
---------------------

### Starting additional application(s) before game starts and killing it after game exits.

* Edit game and go to `Scripts` tab
* Set first script to start your application using [Start-Process](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/start-process?view=powershell-5.1) cmdlet

```powershell
Start-Process "c:\somepath\someapp.exe" "-some arguments"
```

* Set second script to kill the application using [Stop-Process]https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/powershell/module/microsoft.powershell.management/stop-process?view=powershell-5.1) cmdlet

```powershell
Stop-Process -Name "someapp"
```

* If the application requires elevated rights to start then you need to start Playnite as admin too, otherwise the `Stop-Process` will fail due to insufficient privileges.
* If you want to start application minimized and application doesn't have native support for it then add `-WindowStyle` argument.

```powershell
Start-Process "c:\somepath\someapp.exe" "-some arguments" -WindowStyle Minimized
```

### Detecting application mode

If you want to adjust script's behavior based on Playnite's operation mode (Desktop vs Fullscreen), you can get that information from [API object](xref:Playnite.SDK.IPlayniteAPI):

```powershell
if ($PlayniteApi.ApplicationInfo.Mode -eq "Desktop")
{
    # execute when running in Desktop mode
}
else
{
    # execute when running in Fullscreen mode
}
```

Troubleshooting
---------------------

### Application doesn't start

Some applications won't work properly (or even start) when started using working directory outside of their application director. In that case you need to use `-WorkingDirectory` parameter and specify working directory manually.

### Can't shutdown process

You won't be able to use `Stop-Process` on processes that are started with elevated rights. In that case, you need to use WMI to shutdown a process:

```powershell
(Get-WmiObject -Class Win32_Process -Filter "name = 'someapp.exe'").Terminate()
```
### Exceptions related to directory not being found

Paths (and strings in general) in various places in PowerShell are handled not as literal strings, but as strings with wildcard patterns. This has unfortunate issue if specific command doesn't allow you to pass literal string via a specific argument (for example `-LiteralPath`) or has an option to disable wildcard parsing.

This can cause issues if game's installation path contains wildcard pattern characters. For example game installed in `d:\[test] game name\` will cause issues to `Start-Process` cmdlet, because of `[` and `]` pattern characters. This is because Playnite sets script runtime's working directory to game's installation path and Start-Process tries to parse it before launching a program.

Solution is to either use literal path arguments or use different cmdlet or .NET classes directly. For example to start a process:

```powershell
# Instead of:
Start-Process "game.exe"

# call .NET class directly:
[System.Diagnostics.Process]::Start("game.exe")
```

Note: This issue has been fixed in newer versions of PowerShell, but since Playnite has to use older version (5.1) until we switch to newer .NET runtime, you may encounter this issue.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaGithub


text:
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity supports people in Cambridgeshire living with an advanced serious illness or a life-limiting condition and those who need end-of-life care. Our 'Outstanding' services are provided free of charge to patients and their families.
It will cost £8.56 million 2020/2021 to run our services. We have currently secured £4.29 million from the NHS, meaning that £4.27 million needs to be raised through donations, fundraising activities and trading. We are extremely grateful to our local community for the continual dedication, commitment and generosity they show in supporting us to meet this target.
For further information, please visit arhc.org.uk
Cherry Hinton Road Shelford Bottom
Post Code: CB22 3FB
Website: http://www.arhc.org.uk
Membership Type: Charity <100 staff
Arthur Rank Hospice supports people in Cambridgeshire living with a life-limiting illness and those who need end-of-life care. Our services are provided free of charge to patients and their families. Our aim is to provide the highest quality care, helping them to help make every moment count.
We care for more than 3600 patients each year across the Hospice in Cambridge, the Alan Hudson Day Treatment Centre in Wisbech and in patients' own homes via the Arthur Rank Community Team. Our specialist and community-based palliative care supports patients with a life-limiting diagnosis to improve their quality of life and fulfil their choices at the end of their lives.
The care and support provided by our Inpatient Unit, Day Therapy and Hospice at Home teams is practical, holistic and tailored to the individual. Programmes may include psychological support, physiotherapy, complementary therapy, occupational therapy, rehabilitative support, counselling, bereavement and spiritual support. Outpatient services such as medical and pain clinics, as well as our lymphoedema service, are based in our Bradbury Wellness Centre at the Hospice.
As experts in our field, we are passionate about sharing our specialist knowledge and continuing to raise the standard of palliative and end-of-life care across the region, running a variety of courses for healthcare professionals.
As a charity, we need to secure £8.56 million every year to deliver our services free of charge to patients and their loved ones. About half of this currently comes from statutory sources, with further funds raised by our Bistro, Education and Conference Centre and Hair and Nail Salon. We are hugely grateful to our local community, which contributes the remainder by raising funds in a number of ways, including: donating to our shops; participating in our events; taking on personal challenges; holding fundraisers; or leaving us a gift in their Will.
We are always looking for new ways to raise funds so that we can continue to provide and develop our vital services long into the future.
The Education Centre: External Hire
The Education Centre offers modern purpose built facilities for your training event, workshop, board meeting or conference. The Centre can cater for up to 90 people, has its own reception & a small break out area. Set in tranquil peaceful surroundings, this is an ideal location for your training or corporate event.
Start 2021 off on the right foot - take part in Step a Million for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
This January, put your best foot forward in solidarity with frontline care teams and 'Step a Million' for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity! You have 100 days to walk one million steps, between 11 January and 20 April.
Light up a Life - Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's special film premiere brings Cambridgeshire together
Hundreds of people from across Cambridgeshire united online with Arthur Rank Hospice on Sunday (6 December) to remember loved ones, at the film premiere of Light up a Life sponsored by Peasgood & Skeates.
Hospice needs volunteers, vans and van drivers to support Christmas Tree recycling scheme
Can you help Arthur Rank Hospice Charity with its recycling Christmas Tree Scheme in January?
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity seeks to understand the needs and preferences of our Asian Community
If you are a member of the Asian community in Cambridgeshire, Arthur Rank Hospice Charity would be grateful if you would participate in its survey.
Raise some festive cheer with Arthur Rank Hospice Charity at the end of an unusual year!
Find out more about how you can support your local Hospice at Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's Festive Fun Run this year.
Remember loved ones with Arthur Rank Hospice's Light up a Life film premiere this December
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity invites you to remember and celebrate the people you love on Sunday 6 December 2020, with 'Light up a life'.
Prepare for a memorable 10th year of Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's Festive 5K!
Dig out your festive fancy dress, put on your Santa hat and get prepared for a 5k in your hometown...
National Lottery Community Fund post supports young people to transition between children and adult hospice services
East Anglia's Children's Hospices (EACH), Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice and Arthur Rank Hospice Charity are delighted to announce the appointment of Transition Coordinator, Kristie Foreman. The National Lottery Community Fund is providing funding for three years, building on a project on which the three Hospices collaborated in 2019.
Hospice at Home service extends across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
Essential end of life care within people's homes is being rapidly expanded across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough after a partnership decision to fast track the expansion of Hospice at Home services in response to the Coronavirus pandemic.
Reunite with the beautiful City of Cambridge by taking part in a unique version of Bridge the Gap Walk!
This August and September you are invited to reunite with the beauty of Cambridge, by taking part in a novel alternative to the City's traditional Bridge the Gap Walk. The walk with a difference can be completed in one day or over a number of days between Saturday 29 August and Sunday 20 September, raising funds for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity and Romsey Mill.
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's Star Shine Walkers raise over £33,500 during lock-down
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's first virtual Star Shine Walk is a success!
'Get your household together, get your trainers on and get walking for Arthur Rank Hospice!"'
Actor Cliff Parisi gets behind 'virtual' version of Arthur Rank Hospice's Star Shine Walk.
Art raffle aims to raise money for Arthur Rank Hospice
Byard Art is delighted to be hosting a charity raffle in support of the wonderful Arthur Rank Hospice.
Brighten up the lockdown by taking part in Arthur Rank Hospice Charity's first ever virtual Star Shine Walk
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity is delighted to announce that its Star Shine Walk will still take place this year… becoming a virtual event for the first time ever! This new version of the popular memory walk, sponsored by the Cambridgeshire Care Home, invites participants to accumulate 20,000 steps between 23 May and 6 June 2020.
Arthur Rank Hospice Charity issues SOS!
Cambridgeshire's only adult Hospice has issued an urgent 'SOS!! Support Our Services' appeal. The call comes in response to the devastating impact COVID-19 has had on the Charity's ability to fundraise for its vital services this year.
Samsung Cambridge Solutions uses creative thinking and raises over £6,000 for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
"They welcomed us into the Hospice and showed us just what an amazing place it is"
Arthur Rank Hospice Education Receptionist is first to complete an apprenticeship at the charity with government levy
Ginette (Ginnie) Northmore, Education Receptionist, was congratulated recently as the first person to complete and pass an apprenticeship with Arthur Rank Hospice Charity with the Government Levy.
Hospice needs artic lorries and tippers to support Christmas Tree recycling scheme!
What Arthur Rank Hospice Charity really needs now, is five more artic lorries, larger trucks or tippers...
900 merry festive fun runners bring Christmas to Ely for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity
A record-breaking number of festive fun-runners took part in Ely Festive 5K on a cloudy but dry morning on Sunday (24 November), starting and finishing in the historic grounds of Ely Cathedral. So far this year, fun runners have raised £15,204.34 for Arthur Rank Hospice Charity, with donations and participant sponsorship still being received.
More than £47,000 Bridges the Gap for two well-loved local charities
Cambridge's eighteenth Bridge the Gap Charity Walk was being celebrated last night (Tuesday). The walk, which this year visited Christ's College, Cambridge University Library, Queens' College, Corpus Christi College, Pembroke College and Downing College, has now raised an incredible £550,000 since it started.
Symptom Management in Palliative Care
Education and Conference Centre, Arthur Rank Hospice
This study day is developed for healthcare professionals to increase their competence and confidence when caring for palliative patients.


text:
Musem of Catholic Faith, Culture and Art
New York, NY | http://www.museumofcatholicfaithcultureandart.org/
"Mission Statement of the Museum of Catholic Faith Culture and Art
The Online Museum of Catholic Faith, Culture, and Art is a universal, lay evangelical apostolate (ministry) founded during the pontificate of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI.
The museum is respectful and committed to the magisterium of Roman Catholic Church.
The chief aim of the museum is to celebrate the majestic, long arc of this global church. Crucially, we endeavor to educate, inform, inspire and to foster appreciation among the billion-plus adherents who make-up the universal church (and all outside of it) of the spiritual heritage and salvific mission of this one, true, enfabled church.
We embark on this spiritual journey with reverence, joy- yes, with Counter-Reformation zeal-and humility. Herewith a collection of myriad subject matters (spiritual, doctrinal, civilizational, intellectual, historic), artistic exhibits, events, and annual spiritual gatherings that the museum will observe, highlight and present to the faithful:
Vatican city coverage Early Church Dialogues on doctrinal matters Celebrations of feast days, holy days, and other major religious Church in the middle ages Coverage of World Youth Day Church during the enlightenment Religious persecutions around the globe Exhibits concerning all religious orders within the church Church in the 20th Century Church in the 21st Century State of Catholic primary, secondary, and tertiary education Church in China Church during the French Revolution Church in the 19th Century The Old Faith in England Church during WWII Highlights of church charitable work Church in Asia Regular features on church leaders Lectures and exhibits on the development of the church from its early beginnings Church in India Features on various apostolates within the church Church in the Americas Full coverage of countless religious processions around Europe, the Americas, the Caribbean and elsewhere History of the Counter-Reformation Counter-Reformation saints and painters Church in East Africa State of the Universal Church Life of St. Lucy Life of St. Francis of Assisi Life of St. Phillip Neri Life of St. Charles Borremeo Life of St. Augustine Life of St.Agnes Life of St. Catherine of Sienna Life of The Doctors of the Church Life of the Popes Hagiographical Studies Iconographic Studies Intellectual Tradition Examination of Controversies and scandals Church teachings on justice, peace and charity Exhibits on Church Architecture: basilicas, cathedrals, oratories, other historical churches, shrines, monuments, and statuary Catholic life in the Antipodes Life of St. Pio The Cardinal Martyrology Study of Church Heresies Church during the Reformation The Crusades Church in the New World Inquisition Founders and Foundresses of religious orders Life of St. Teresa of Avila Eastern Rite Catholicism The Church in the Levant and the Middle East Dialogues on the Seven Sacraments Marian Statuary and Devotions Tradition of Catholic construction of hospitals and other houses of mercy Catholic intellectualism in the formation of Western Civilization Rome-The Eternal City"
The Online Museum of Catholic Faith, Culture, and Art is a universal, lay evangelical apostolate (ministry) founded during the pontificate of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI…
177 west 26th st. loft 200


Just Dance 2015 adds mobile support and "What Does the Fox Say?"
Seriously, what does the fox?
During Ubisoft's press conference, a few minutes were spent showing off the next entry in the Just Dance franchise: Just Dance 2015. It includes everything you'd expect from the series: dancing, pop songs from a year ago, and weird music videos. We saw "What Does the Fox Say" and a Tetris level. It was weird, but cool.
Most exciting, though, is Just Dance Now. You're able to sync a large number of mobile phones to your system and play a huge game of Just Dance, and everyone can play at the same time. On stage, over 20 people danced around to a Lady Gaga song. Their phone's accelerometer worked like the Wii controller, letting everyone dance together. It's a cool idea, and should help get more people dancing together.
Also, there's an alien in this picture. Just Dance, everyone!


On Thursday, November 17, 2016 and Friday, November 18, 2016, Frank Sardone participated in the Chicago Toy & Game Inventor Conference as a speaker on the topic "Protecting Ideas: Perspectives for Individuals and Companies" and other related IP topics. The presentation was directed to both new and professional inventors in the toy and game industry and included discussions of the importance of evaluating intellectual property needs (including trademarks and copyrights as well as patents) early in the design and development process, the pros and cons associated with intellectual property, and strategies for individuals and companies, both large and small, on how to protect ideas.
The Chicago Toy & Game Fair was founded in 2003, and has held Innovation Conferences serving professional, new inventors, and company licensors since 2006. For new inventors, the Innovation Conference is a forum for advocating, educating and bringing together people in the toy and game industry; with unrivaled opportunities for private/confidential meetings, knowledge sharing, learning about new trends, pooling resources and generating new business. New inventors at the Innovation Conference are able to pitch ideas and meet with executives from the toy and game industry, to learn how to develop products and pitch them effectively, to learn the ins and outs of licensing, self-publishing, social media marketing, and more. The Innovation Conference also provides an opportunity for professional inventors looking to meet with product acquisition and inventor relations executives from around the world to share industry ideas, inventor community issues, wish lists, and pitch concepts.
« Protecting Claim Scope: Lessons from Poly-America, L.P. v. API Industries, Inc.


Compact extruded aluminium case with powder coating. Two aluminium front cover panels with two rubber sealing kits to protect against water and from dust. Internal slots for PCB's. Closing by eight screws.


text:
Meghan Markle's Dad Thinks He's A Kidnapping Target For Mexican Gangs
Paranoid, or realistic?
Michelle Cadieux
KensingtonRoyal
Meghan Markle's dad is just as much a target of media attention as the Duchess herself.
READ ALSO: Meghan Markle's Dad Is Throwing Shade At The British Royal Family
Thomas Markle's very un-royal lifestyle and the nature of his relationship with the Duchess has made him a target for tabloid savagery.
Thomas Markle even confessed to colluding with paparazzi and staging photos in order to make a buck. In other words, he's taking advantage of his daughter's royal status to swindle a few dollars. Classy.
It's no wonder – then, that Meghan Markle's relationship with her father is currently in a less-than-favorable condition, despite his failing health.
According to a source, Thomas Markle is now terrified that, due to his association with the Royal Family, he is a prime target for kidnapping by Mexican criminal gangs.
His retirement community is located in the seaside resort of San Antonio Del Mar. This is only 13 miles south of the border city of Tijuana; a place notorious for kidnappings and murders.
Thomas' worries aren't totally unfounded.
The political climate in Mexico could not be tenser, and the country is currently facing record levels of violence. Even Time Magazine called it "The Bloodiest Year In Modern History."
This May 2018, alone, in Mexico someone was killed every 15 minutes.
That said, Thomas Markle is resorting to staying on the go and is not staying put in his retirement home.
He is currently leading a semi-nomadic life; checking in and out of small local motels around the region, attempting to elude Mexican criminal gangs.
@therumble_onlineembedded via
Of course, Meghan Markle has not stepped in to help her father. She is vehemently avoiding any contact with him, but how long can this possibly go on?


Aris4you . SandraAndMark. EphramJ. HoneyEvelina.
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NastyMilkHotAbbyScottWifeyXRatedLeylaSQUIRT .TinyKiraHoneyEvelinaCelesteKittenBLACKdiamondWOW .TayannaColombianHoneyPregnantXLovePharaXXDiaz .CAMILOSEXIHOTArturARMBoyTinyKiraTinyKira .ShinyBeautyASHLEEYKISSBEBOY91MatiasLatin4U .LisaWyattKariJaneCelesteKittenLeylaSQUIRT .PregnantXLovemelosohotNewTipBoyCandyElle .babygirl4yout2GoddesOFlustxSAMANTAREALSWEETEENX .EdwardBrooksCanadianBoy2016CAMILOSEXIHOTPregnantXLove .CristianFillCata94dickinassxxxAnnaInsomnia .YourDemonsSexiiLynnJulietaBluesSEXCAMPUSxIVY .


PNOMPENH, Cambodia, March 29—The Government of Cam bodia declared in a communi qué to the population today that Vietnamese Communist troops were intensifying their invasion throughout the fron tier region and moving deeper into Cambodian territory.
The Government reported that Vietcong soldiers were sighted yesterday near the vital road center of Neak Luong, 40 miles southeast of Pnompenh. The town is on both sides of the Mekong River where it in tersects Route One, the Pnom penh‐to‐Saigon highway. There is no bridge but ferries take cars and travelers across.
Meanwhile, a high official source disclosed that demon strations in support of the re turn of Prince Norodom Siha nouk as Chief of State were continuing throughout the densely populated provinces of the Mekong Delta along the South Vietnamese frontier.
The officials said the prin cipal incident took place in the county seat of Angtassom in Takeo Province, about 45 miles south of here. Seven hundred demonstrators were reported to have burst, into a Government building, ransacked its files and burned them.
Government troops were said to have halted the demonstra tion, although nine persons were reported killed and seven hurt. Calm was restored, the official said, but incidents were continuing elsewhere in Takeo. A similar incident took place earlier in the town of Skoun Skoun in Kompong Cham Prov ince. There were no reports about the number of casualties.
These are to the effect that Prince Sihanouk's downfall on March 18 was the work of the United States, particularly the Central Intelligence Agency.
Meanwhile, the Government published a list of 265 political prisoners of Prince Sihanouk's regime whom it says it has freed since his downfall. Fifty three of them had reportedly been held without trial for un specified periods.
¶Last Friday, two member of the national police, a para military organization, were seized 12 miles inside Cam bodia at Peamchor in Preyveng Province. One has been re leased.
¶The same day, a Cambodian unit was attacked by a "siz able" Vietnamese force two miles inside the frontier near Prekchrieu in Kratie Province. Two Cambodians werre killed, eight were badly wounded and six are missing.
¶Friday night, a Vietnamese force estimated at 3,000 men occupied Svayandong, five miles from the border in Prey veng Province. Two Cambodian soldiers were captures. One escaped. The Vietnamese are threatening the military post of Preah Shach in the same region.
¶A "sizable" Vietnamese unit attacked the military post of Angkeng, five miles from the border, and surrounded a platoon stationed there. Sev ral mortar rounds have struck the post but it is holding out.
High military sources said similar activity was continuing, with a number of armed clashes. No casualty reports have been received.
The communiqué disclosed to the population for the first time that the North Vietnamese and Vietcong embassies were closed last week.
SAIGON, South Vietnam, Monday, March 30 (Reuters)— Cambodian airports have re opened to international flights after having been closed for three days, airline officials said here today.
An Air Vietnam spokesman said that a scheduled flight from Saigon to Pnompenh would be leaving this morning.
The airports at Pnompenh and Siemreap were closed Fri day for the second time since the overthrow of the Chief of State, Prince Norodom Siha nouk, on March 18.
SAIGON, March 29 (AP)— North Vietnamese troops at tacked an American base along the Cambodian border before dawn today, killing 13 of the defenders and wounding 30, the United States command said.
It was the largest number of Americans reported killed in a single battle this year. Com mand spokesmen put enemy losses at 74 killed and three captured.
Firebase Jay, in War Zone C 70 miles northwest of Saigon and four miles from the Cam bodian border, was defended by infantrymen of the First Bri gade, First Cavalry Division (Airmobile), and a battery of the 23rd Artillery Group.
The North Vietnamese were said to have begun the attack about 5 A.M. with a 200‐round barrage of rockets and mortar shells. The enemy then opened fire with machine guns and rocket grenades from a tree line about 150 yards southwest of the base.
The battle raged for 45 min utes before the North Vietna mese force began to withchaw. None of the enemy soldiers penetrated the base's perimeter wire, spokesmen said.
The size and identity of the enemy force was unknown, but recent intelligence has indicated that the battle‐tested North Vietnamese 95C Regiment had moved across the Cambodian border and into War Zone C.
TOKYO, March 29 (AP)— North Vietnam protested today what it called the illegal ar rest of Vietnamese residents in Cambodia in connection with anti‐Government demon strations last week in the province of Kompong Cham.


Many of us are aware that Europe is in crisis - there are refugees flooding the European borders, arguments between Russia and the US and also more general political and economic strife.
However, what is at the core of what is happening? Is there a greater purpose to it all?
Can the power of our thoughts and prayers help ease the situation?
And how can we best be prepared to cope with the energetic repercussions?


Him kill both friar and priest – O dear!
In 1655, Spain was the greatest naval and military power on earth, and controlled the sea lanes of Central America and the Caribbean. Henry Morgan's career as a buccaneer officially began when, at age twenty, he landed in Barbados as part of a force deployed to capture Cuba or Hispaniola (Puerto Rico) for the British. The deployment failed, but the forces did capture Jamaica, which would become Morgan's adopted home base for the rest of his life. From there, Morgan planned the attacks that would enrich the British throne and usher in the era of British supremacy on the high seas.
For his leadership in battle and as lieutenant governor of Jamaica, Admiral Sir Henry Morgan deserves to take his place alongside Sir Francis Drake and the Duke of Wellington in the panoply of history's greatest heroes.
Terry Breverton is an expert on Welsh history and is the author of fourteen books including Black Bart Roberts: The Greatest Pirate of Them All and The Pirate Dictionary. Mr. Breverton is a recipient of the Helm Fellowship at the University of Indiana. He lives in Wales and is a senior lecturer in marketing and management at UWIC Business School in Cardiff.